RTHK: Zelensky meets Blinken, Austin in Kyiv

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in Kyiv, his office said on Sunday.

Presidential aide Oleksiy Arestovych, speaking during an interview on YouTube earlier on Sunday, confirmed that the meeting was ongoing.

"Talking to the president. Maybe they can help." he added.

This was the first meeting between Zelensky and US officials since the Russian attack on Ukraine began on February 24.

Arestovych repeated Ukraine's appeal for offensive weapons, "because as long as there are no 'offensives', there will be a new Bucha every day", he added, referring to the town where UN officials said they had documented the unlawful killings of around 50 civilians.

Referring to the visiting US officials, Arestovych said: "They wouldn't come here if they weren't ready to give (weapons)."

On Saturday, Zelensky said that he was grateful for the help Washington had provided to Ukraine thus far, even if he wanted heavier, more powerful weapons to use against the Russian forces.

During his YouTube interview, Arestovych said in the Black Sea port of Mariupol, where the remaining Ukrainian forces are surrounded, the defence was "on the brink of collapse". (AFP)

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Amid speculation of his joining the BJP, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee working president Hardik Patel on Monday dismissed the rumours saying he has no such plans and said that he is upset with the state party leadership. "People will say a lot of things. When Joe Biden won the US elections, I praised him. This is because his vice president is of Indian origin. But does this mean I will join Biden's party?" he said while speaking to the media. Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee working president is reportedly unhappy with the party and has, in recent days, praised the ruling BJP. He lauded the BJP for revoking Article 370 and the construction of Ram Mandir. The Congress leader said that such decisions of the party should be commended. Issuing a clarification about his praise for the BJP, the Congress leader said, "If a rival has a good quality, then, in politics, we will have to think about it. If they make bold decisions, we will also have to make bold decisions. If you waste your time, then people will leave you. There are many young people who want to work for the party. I openly wish that such youngsters should get an opportunity". Patel further said that he is not upset with party leaders Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi but he is upset with the state leadership. "I am not upset with Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi. I am upset with the state leadership. Why am I upset? Elections are coming up and in such times work should be done together with honest and strong people. They should be given positions," he added. The Congress leader said that there are a lot of youngsters who want to work for the party and help it flourish and demanded that such youngsters should be given a decent space in the party. "People who work at the rural level to strengthen the party should be given opportunities. It is poll time, go to villages, work hard in cities. As far as being upset is concerned, questions come up in a family and talks are held. I clarified earlier too to not spread rumours," Patel added. Hardik Patel emerged as the leader of the Patidar agitation demanding reservation for the community in Gujarat in 2015 and later joined Congress. (ANI)
"Jignesh Mevani has been granted bail by a local court of Kokrajhar today," Mevani's lawyer told ANI.

Earlier on Wednesday night, Mevani was arrested by an Assam police team from Palanpur town in Gujarat over a couple of his tweets.

An FIR was filed against him after a complaint was filed by an Assam BJP leader, Arup Kumar Dey.

A case was lodged against Mevani under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), section 153(A) (promoting enmity between two communities), 295(A), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), and sections of the IT Act.

A couple of tweets on Mevani's Twitter handle are not visible on his feed with a message displaying that the tweets have been withheld in India based on a "legal demand".

In the controversial tweet, Mevani had reportedly requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure communal harmony during his recent visit to Gujarat.

Mevani claimed that he was arrested out of a political vendetta against him.

The Assam state Congress unit had protested the arrest of the Gujarat legislator.

Elected as an independent MLA, Mevani had extended his support to Congress in September 2019. (ANI)
Amravati MP Navneet Rana on Monday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla issuing a clarification that she wanted to ignite the flame of 'Hindutva' in Shiv Sena, not to create any religious tensions by chanting the "Hanuman Chalisa" outside the residence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. In the letter, Rana wrote, "I, with the sincere hope to rekindle the flame of Hindutva in Shiv Sena had declared that I shall go to the residence of the Chief Minister and chant the Hanuman Chalisa outside his residence. This was not meant to incite any religious tensions." On Saturday, a row started when MP Navneet Rana and her husband stated that the couple plans to chant Hanuman Chalisa outside 'Matoshree' (Maharashtra CM's Mumbai residence), after which a huge crowd gathered outside the residence of the political couple waving flags with an aim to prevent them from reaching the Chief Minister's residence. However, the Ranas withdrew their plan to chant Hanuman Chalisa amid the protests from Shiv Sainiks that culminated in their arrest on the charge of creating enmity between different groups. Following the ongoing religious tensions, the Amravati MP said she even invited the Maharashtra CM to join the Hanuman Chalisa chanting adding that her intention was not going against the chief minister. "In fact, I had invited the Chief Minister to join me in chanting the Hanuman Chalisa. I reiterate that my actions were not against the Chief Minister. However, looking to the fact that my actions may prove detrimental to the law and order situation in Mumbai, I had publicly withdrawn from the said exercise and declared that I shall not be going to CM's residence. I was confined with my husband Ravi Rana, an MLA, in my house," she said. The Amravati MP further stated that she was not allowed to have water in the same glass as she belongs to the scheduled caste when was taken to Khar Police Station on Saturday. "I was taken to Khar Police Station on April 23...I made several and repeated demands for drinking water throughout the night; however, no drinking water was provided to me. To my shock and disbelief, the police staff present told me that I belong to Scheduled Caste, hence they will not give me water in the same glass. Thus, I was directly abused on the basis of my caste," she added while slamming the police officials over denial of a basic necessity. She also cited examples of other such incidents that happened with her when Rana spent a night at the police station adding that the latter was not allowed to use the bathroom due to her "Neechi Jaat Scheduled Castes". "Further, when I wanted to use the bathroom at the night, police staff paid no heed to my demands. I was again abused in the most filthy language...I was told that we don't let people from Neechi Zaat Scheduled Castes use our bathrooms," the Amravati MP stated. Navneet Rana said that it's her "honest belief" that Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray completely strayed from its avowed Hindutva principles for obvious reasons. "It's my honest and bona fide belief that Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray completely strayed from its avowed Hindutva principles for obvious reasons since it wanted to betray public mandate and form post-poll alliance with INC-NCP," she added. Earlier today, the Ranas approached the Bombay High Court seeking cancellation of the FIR in connection with the Matoshree-Hanuman Chalisa row. The MP-MLA couple was arrested in Mumbai on Sunday. Currently, MLA Ravi Rana is lodged in Taloja Jail and MP Naveneet Rana is lodged in Byculla Jail. (ANI)
Krishnakant, Chintur sub-Division, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said that all the passengers of the bus are safe as the Maoists had asked them to step down from the bus before they torched it.

"Last night on Sunday at around 11:30 pm, some Maoists had come and asked the passengers to set down from the bus and afterwards they torched the bus. No casualties were reported. This took place near Chintur which is 4 to 5 km from the Chattisgarh border. They put the bus on fire and left the place," said Krishnakant.

He further said that earlier in the year 2018, 2019 and 2020 similar incidents were reported in the area.

The police further said that the investigation is on. (ANI)
The Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed a petition moved by Lok Sabha MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana for quashing the FIR registered against them for allegedly assaulting the police officer who came to arrest the couple. The police took the action against the couple after they threatened to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's private residence in Mumbai. While reprimanding the petitioners, the court said, "Those persons who are in public life must behave as responsible as it is said to power comes with responsibility." "The state government is justified in the apprehension that it could create a law and order problem," stated the court. "Those who are active in public life are expected to act responsibly is not an extra thing but basically an expectation which must be followed," as per the court. Earlier on Sunday, the MP-MLA couple was arrested in Mumbai. Currently, MLA Ravi Rana is lodged in Taloja Jail and MP Naveneet Rana is lodged in Byculla Jail. "A case is registered at Khar Police against MLA Shri Ravi Rana and MP Smt Navneet Kaur Rana under sections 153(A), 34, IPC r/w 37(1) 135 Bombay police act," stated an official release by the police. On Sunday they were sent to judicial custody for 14-days by a Metropolitan Magistrate court in Bandra. On Saturday, a row started when MP Navneet Rana and her husband stated that the couple plans to chant Hanuman Chalisa outside 'Matoshree' (Maharashtra CM's Mumbai Residence), after which a huge crowd gathered outside the residence of the political couple waving flags with an aim to prevent them from reaching the Chief Minister's residence. The Ranas withdrew their plan to chant Hanuman Chalisa amid the protests from Shiv Sainiks that culminated in their arrest on the charge of creating enmity between different groups. (ANI)
The BJP on Monday held a meeting of its 'weak booth committee' constituted to strengthen the party in places where it lacks a strong organisational presence. The panel aims to boost the party's preparations for the 2024 general elections. The third meeting of the committee was chaired by BJP vice president Baijayant Jay Panda and attended by party leaders Dilip Ghosh, CT Ravi and Lal Singh Arya, all members of the committee. Sources said discussions were held in the meeting on the strategy to strengthen the party in 73,000 "weak booths" across the country. The committee would draw a draft plan within a week and the committee would seek to implement it in three months, they said. Party leaders said that the party is focusing on booths, especially in south India as part of preparations for the next general elections. "Wherever shortcomings are there in the organization at the grassroots, those should be tackled as part of electoral preparations. The Narendra Modi government should come to power for the third successive time. We are working in this direction," Dilip Ghosh said. "Different committees are formed for different types of work and workers are given responsibilities and they take the task forward. In the meetings ahead, more workers will be associated with the work given to us and it will be completed," he added. The BJP came to power in four of five states where results were announced in March. The part retained power in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. (ANI)
Assam Police has so far arrested 16 persons including a Bangladeshi terrorist from different parts of the state for their link with Ansarul Bangla Team (ABT) and Al-Qaida Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). In an exclusive interview with ANI, Hiren Nath, Additional Director General of Police (Special Branch) of Assam Police said that in recent three cases, police have arrested 16 persons so far. "Out of them, one named Md Suman alias Saiful Islam alias Haroon Rashid hailing from Bangladesh's Narayanganj district is the kingpin. He escaped from Bangladesh. In the month of February last year, the anti-terror tribunal of Dhaka passed a death sentence against six persons and he was among the six persons who were absconding," Hiren Nath told ANI. He further informed that Md Suman escaped from Bangladesh and came to West Bengal after that again went to Bangladesh. "He escaped from Bangladesh and came to West Bengal and he went to Deoband and he again came back to Bangladesh and then he came to Barpeta district of Assam. In the Barpeta district, he said that he is an orphan and got sympathy from the locals. After some time, he married a local girl and they had a child also and then he started indoctrination among the locals," the ADGP said. According to him, there was no formal arms training but the terrorist started indoctrination and spreading Jihadi ideas. "There was no formal arms training but started indoctrination spreading of Jihadi ideas. We also came to know about the arrest of three persons in Tripura and immediately we sent a team to Tripura and they were brought here and later we arrested some other people," he added. The top Assam cop further said that the state police have also busted another module in the Barpeta district and 16 people have been arrested so far. "Jihadi activities are fundamentalist activities, especially in the North-Eastern region and this is a long plan by the vested interest by the ISI agents and it is an organized gang who are operating across the border. This is not a new thing," the police official stated. Citing an example of other such incidents, Hiren Nath said, "In the 90s, Assam police had busted a gang of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), Hizbul Mujahideen and then JMB in 2014. We had arrested about 64 people and recovered crude bombs which were similar to blasts in Bangladesh and now ABT. Every time, police got advance information and acted very swiftly and busted all the gangs." He also said that Ansarul Bangla Team (ABT) has supported Al-Qaeda and ISI. "Yesterday (April 24), we arrested a person and recovered seven bank passbooks from a garage in Bongaigaon. We are examining all things as to where money is coming. We have found that one account is with one guy from the Kariganj district which shares a border with Bangladesh. We are keeping a sharp watch on these radical groups' activities," the police official said. He further assured that Assam Police is investigating every piece of evidence. "Apart from the lower Assam part, we are trying to find out is there any connection with other parts of the state," the ADGP (SB) said. He also informed that police have recovered pieces of literature, and other materials from the arrested persons. "We have not found any evidence of organizing any arms training camp by ABT in Assam so far. They were trying most probably, but we busted them. We are getting adequate support from the common people to bust them," Nath added. (ANI)
"Barpeta Police re-arrests Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani in connection with another case, right after he was granted bail in the matter connected to his tweet," said Bora.

An hour ago, the Assam court granted bail to Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani who was arrested in connection with his purported tweets against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Earlier on Wednesday night, Mevani was arrested by an Assam police team from Palanpur town in Gujarat over a couple of his tweets.

An FIR was filed against him after a complaint was filed by an Assam BJP leader, Arup Kumar Dey.

A case was lodged against Mevani under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), section 153(A) (promoting enmity between two communities), 295(A), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), and sections of the IT Act.

A couple of tweets on Mevani's Twitter handle are not visible on his feed with a message displaying that the tweets have been withheld in India based on a "legal demand".

In the controversial tweet, Mevani had reportedly requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure communal harmony during his recent visit to Gujarat.

Mevani claimed that he was arrested out of a political vendetta against him.

The Assam state Congress unit had protested the arrest of the Gujarat legislator.

Elected as an independent MLA, Mevani had extended his support to Congress in September 2019. (ANI)
The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notice to the central government on a plea moved by a minor girl seeking the issuance of an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card. The petitioner is the adopted daughter of Indian parents who are Singapore citizens and OCI cardholders. Justice Yashwant Varma issued notice to the central government on the petition. Counsel for the centre sought time to take instruction on the petition. The bench granted four weeks time to counsel to take instructions and listed the matter in the next month. The petitioner has moved a petition through Advocate Fabin Mathew Varghese, Advocate Munavvar Naseem and Dhiraj Philip. The petition stated that the petitioner had moved an application for grant of OCI card in May 2021 which was pending for the last ten months. Petitioner's counsel Fabin Mathew Varghese argued that the petitioner and her parents applied for a grant of OCI card in May 2021. Parents were granted OCI cards in June 2021. The petitioner's application is pending for the last ten months which is a violation of Rule 32 of the Citizenship Rules, 2009 stipulating registration of a person as an OCI cardholder as soon as possible but not later than thirty days. The petition has stated that, on March 14, 2022, the petitioner's father received a communication from the authorities asking the petitioner to apply for a grant of OCI card again with the requisite fee. No information was provided about the previous application. The respondent further informed the petitioner that no timeline can be prescribed to consider the petitioner's OCI application. Petitioner's grandparents and extended family live in India and an OCI card would enable her to enter India and enjoy rights conferred under the Act. Her adoptive parents and elder sister have been granted OCI cards. The petitioner was born in Malaysia in May 2010. She was adopted by an Indian couple in March 2011. After that, she was granted an Indian Passport after surrendering the Malaysian Passport. In May 2021 the petitioner along with her parents had surrendered her India Passport on acquiring citizenship in Singapore. (ANI)
In a major step aimed at improving Himachal Pradesh's air connectivity and boosting its tourism potential, a joint venture agreement was signed on Monday for the development of a greenfield airport at Nagchala in Mandi district. The JV agreement was signed in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur here. The agreement will pave the way for the development of an airport in Mandi, which is the dream project of the Chief Minister, a Himachal Pradesh government release said. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the proposed airport will improve air connectivity, boost tourism and generate employment opportunities to local youth. The airport will enable the landing of wide-bodied aircraft and international flights will also be able to land at the airport. He said that the Greenfield Airport will be developed with a proposed runway of 3,150 meters for which 2,840 bigha land has been identified. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has also conducted the Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) survey and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) survey. Jai Ram Thakur said that according to OLS and LIDAR survey reports, the proposed airport at Mandi is feasible and suitable for round-the-year operations. It can have a night landing facility and AB-320 type of aircraft can be operated. Chief Minister also requested for the landing of ATR 42-600 in Shimla airport and for flight operations to Shimla -Kullu - Dharamshala under UDAN II as a priority area route. The Chief Minister also urged the Centre to extend the Chandigarh-Dharamshala route to Chamba and Shimla-Rampur up to Kinnaur under Udaan II. The Union Civil Aviation Minister gave assurance of all possible support to the state. (ANI)
Newly appointed Trinamool Congress (TMC) Assam unit president Ripun Bora on Monday said that TMC will become the alternative to BJP in the state in the coming years and will form government in 2026. "The way in which Mamata Banerjee has stopped BJP in West Bengal and fights against BJP, the people of Assam also want TMC. I am very much confident that the TMC will become the alternative to BJP in Assam in the coming days. TMC will be the only opposition party in Assam that will fight against BJP and will become the alternative to the BJP. There will be no other opposition party in the state," Ripun Bora said. Ripun Bora also said that TMC will form the government in Assam in 2026. "TMC will form the government in Tripura in 2023 and the government will also be formed in Meghalaya too," Ripun Bora said. Former Assam state Congress chief Ripun Bora, who recently switched over to the Trinamool Congress, arrived at Guwahati and the workers and supporters of TMC welcomed him at Guwahati airport. "In Assam, the Congress and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) workers, supporters are angry with their leadership after the Congress leaders did secret understanding with BJP, AIUDF leaders did compromise with BJP. For that reason, Congress, AIUDF workers, and supporters are joining TMC. I am very much happy after seeing the karyakartas of TMC who welcomed me at Guwahati airport. We have to start our journey in Assam from the beginning. This has proved that the people of Assam want TMC, there are no other opposition parties in the state because all opposition parties are now in the pocket of BJP," Bora said. He also said that a joining programme of his party will be held in Guwahati on April 27 where senior TMC leaders including MP Mahua Moitra, former Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma, Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev will be present. "We will first form the state committee, and district committees and will go to the grassroot level to strengthen our party in the state," Ripun Bora said. Earlier on Saturday, All India Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appointed Ripun Bora as the state president of the All India Trinamool Congress Assam unit. Former senior Congress leader Ripun Bora had on April 17 joined the TMC in Kolkata alleging that the Congress party from grassroots to top-level was fighting among each other instead of fighting against the BJP. Bora on Wednesday said that the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banarjee is the "most suitable" opposition candidate for Prime Minister's post in the 2024 Lok Sabha General election because she is fighting alone aggressively against BJP. (ANI)
TRS working president and Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao on Monday termed the Congress as "a redundant institution" and said the party along with the BJP has let the country down in the last 75 years while adding that the grand old party has no future. Speaking to ANI, KTR said, "We do not have any relation with Congress. It is a redundant institution. The people of India gave them a chance to rule for more than 50 years in the last 75 years. The country has been let down by Congress and the BJP. Congress particularly is a party that has been tried, tested and dusted. I don't see any future in Congress." The TRS leader denied the Congress and BJP were a "national party" and said that every party should put forward their agenda in front of the people and let the people decide "which party is big or small". "There is no party in the country today which can call itself a national party because if you look at the BJP, it has its presence in only one state in South India. If you consider Congress a national party, its condition is known in Uttar Pradesh and other states. Probably we are a regional party at a small level. There is no party in India that is a national party, according to me," he said. "BJP is a north-Indian party, and Congress is limited to one or two states. So every political party should keep its agenda in front of the country, then the people will decide which party is big or small," KTR added. Asked about Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's support to Rahul Gandhi in a press conference over Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's remark on the Congress leader, KTR said that he did not support anybody, but condemned the person who made the derogatory remark. "He did not support anybody, but condemned the person who insulted another politician using very derogatory words. This is the minimum decency that one should have. Even the Prime Minister should have acted, he did not, but he should have," he said. Notably, the TRS has hired I-PAC, once led by poll strategist Prashant Kishor, ahead of the Assembly elections in the state next year. When asked if Kishor would facilitate an alliance between TRS and Congress in the future, KTR said that the Sonia Gandhi-led party "does not have a future". "I believe that Congress does not have a future. That party was part of history and will remain history. It has no future. If it has no future, then how can I say that we would work with them. What happens in the future, we will see," he said. Chief Minister KCR has time and again called for a third front against the BJP to oust the ruling party at the Centre in the 2024 general elections. KCR has also expressed his national ambitions in the past on various occasions. KTR, when asked about the failure to stitch any third front till now, said that the efforts to bring the anti-BJP parties will continue and they will provide a "credible alternative" in the country. "The efforts would continue to be made. We will make efforts to provide a credible alternative in the country. PM Modi had said that the farmers' income would be doubled by 2022, but their problems have doubled. He had also promised a house to every Indian by 2022, but nobody got it. But nothing has happened. The people of India should think about what Congress and the BJP did in the last 75 years," he said. (ANI)
A Special Court on Monday awarded two directors of a private firm to four years of imprisonment. They were recently convicted for irregularities, cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy in connection with the allocation of the Patrapara coal block case. The CBI Judge Arun Bhardwaj, while passing the judgement, said that considering the overall facts and circumstances, aggravating and mitigating factors and other circumstances, the convicted persons are awarded imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh each on the company as well as the convicted directors. "Circumstantial evidence in this case unerringly pointed to the conspiracy amongst the accused and there was no other inference except the inference of a criminal conspiracy to secure allocation of a coal block by cheating the Minister of State, Screening Committee and Ministry of Coal, and Government of India," the court said. Senior Public Prosecutor AP Singh, DLA Sanjay Kumar, ALA, VK Sharma and Senior PP NP Shrivastava appeared for CBI in the case while Advocates Vijay Aggarwal, Vijay Gupta, Mudit Jain and Nagesh Behl appeared for convicts. Last week, the court convicted Adhunik Corporation Ltd and two of its directors and said, "All the charges framed against M/s Adhunik Corporation Limited are proved and is convicted for the offence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 120B, 420 and 471." All the charges framed against Nirmal Kumar Agarwal are proved and he is convicted for the offence under IPC sections 120B, 420 and 471 IPC. Mahesh Kumar Agarwal is convicted for the offence under sections 120B, 420, 471 and 511 of IPC. As per the chargesheet, the West Bengal Pollution Control Board had issued consent to operate two numbers of rotary kilns with a capacity of 100 metric tons per day (MTPD) and 80 metric tons per day (MTPD), totalling 180 MTPD. Therefore, the sponge iron production capacity of M/s ACPL at their plant at Durgapur was 180 MTPD (54,000 metric tons per year considering 300 working days in a year as per the norms of MoS). Therefore, according to CBI, M/s ACPL was not having 72,000 TPY existing sponge iron capacity as was falsely mentioned in their letter dated April 7, 2003. "During the course of the investigation, it was found that M/s Adhunik Corporation Ltd had misrepresented on various aspects both to Ministry of Steel and thereby to Ministry of Coal with a view to cheat them so as to procure allocation of Patrapara coal block," CBI had said in its charge sheet. While taking cognisance of the chargesheet, the court had discharged another director of the firm, Ghanshyam Das Agarwal, who was also chargesheeted by CBI in the case, saying there was no sufficient incriminating evidence on record which could lead to his summoning as an accused in the matter. (ANI)
His statement came after Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana threatened to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's private residence in Mumbai and were later arrested.

While speaking at an event of BEST, he said, "If you wish to recite Hanuman Chalisa then chant it at your home. Don't you have your homes?... Many people are trying to spoil the atmosphere."

"There are many different categories of people who live here but some people are trying to play politics, so I request them we all are one and country will grow when we leave together," he added.

The Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed a petition moved by Lok Sabha MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana for quashing the FIR registered against them for allegedly assaulting the police officer who came to arrest the couple.

The police took the action against the couple after they threatened to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's private residence in Mumbai. (ANI)
The Chief Minister thanked the Union Minister for his support in the opening of wheat procurement centres and urged that he provides support for Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Park in Una.

"It will help in generating employment for local people besides boosting industrial development," Thakur said.

He also apprised him that the state government has worked on a speedy operationalisation of Weaver Centre sanctioned for Kullu and urged that Goyal provide expert support for the same.

Thakur has also requested the Union Minister for setting up Baddi Node in the Amritsar-Kolkota industrial corridor and urged that the support of the Ministry would be helpful.

Goyal asked the Ministry officials to extend full support and take speedy action in the matter.

Chief Secretary Ram Subhag Singh gave valuable inputs during the discussion.

Power Minister Sukhram Chaudhry, State BJP President Suresh Kashyap, MLA Reena Kashyap, Vice Chairman HP State Civil Supplies Corporation Baldev Tomar were also present on the occasion. (ANI)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday broke his silence on the controversy over the 'recitation of Hanuman Chalisa outside his house and issued a stern warning stating that Shiv Sainiks know how to counter "dadagiri". Speaking at an event, the chief minister warned MP Navneet Kaur Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana that if they resort to "dadagiri", his government knows how to counter it. "If you want to recite Hanuman Chalisa, call and come home. But if you resort to 'Dadagiri' we know how to crumble it," said Thackeray. On allegations that Shiv Sena has ignored Hindutva, Thackery said that his party's Hindutva is 'Gada Dhari' like Lord Hanuman. "Form the past few days it is being said that we have ignored Hindutva. Is Hindutva a dhoti or what? Where was (BJP) during Babari, Balasaheb Thackeray has also said we don't want Ghantadhaari Hindutva we want Hindutav who can fight with terrorist. Our Hindutva is 'Gada Dhari' like Lord Hanuman's Gada," he said. Dismissing the controversy around the issue of loudspeakers at religious places, the Chief Minister said, "Many people have acidity in their stomachs due to the developments taking place in Mumbai. They only want to speak on loudspeakers...I don't care about them at all." On Saturday, a row started when MP Navneet Rana and her husband stated that the couple plans to chant Hanuman Chalisa outside 'Matoshree' (Maharashtra CM's Mumbai Residence), after which a huge crowd gathered outside the residence of the political couple waving flags with an aim to prevent them from reaching the Chief Minister's residence. The Ranas withdrew their plan to chant Hanuman Chalisa amid the protests from Shiv Sainiks that culminated in their arrest on the charge of creating enmity between different groups. On Sunday they were sent to judicial custody for 14-days by a Metropolitan Magistrate court in Bandra. Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed a petition moved by Lok Sabha MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana for quashing the FIR registered against them for allegedly assaulting the police officer who came to arrest the couple. The police took the action against the couple after they threatened to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's private residence in Mumbai. Notably, issuing clarification over the row, Navneet Rana wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla stating that she wanted to ignite the flame of 'Hindutva' in Shiv Sena, not to create any religious tensions by chanting the "Hanuman Chalisa" outside the residence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. (ANI)
The incident, that sent chills down the spine of the people, occurred on January 26 when the victim was allegedly attacked by a group of people, including women, who chopped off her hair, tore her clothes, blackened her face, and then paraded her on the streets of Shahdara area wearing a garland of slippers.

Apart from extreme humiliation, the woman was also allegedly gangraped.

The charge sheet has been filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including attempt to murder, dacoity, kidnapping, gang rape, assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and otherse.

Section 201 (Causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) has been slapped against an autorikshaw driver whose vehicle was used to abduct the victim.

Of the 21 accused, 5 are juveniles - two girls and three boys. Of the other 16, 12 are women. The charge sheet was filed with the help of 48 witnesses that include public, police and doctors.

--IANS uj/vd

( 218 Words)

2022-04-25-19:28:04 (IANS)
The YouTube videos of a Tamil Nadu government school mathematics teacher, Tamil Selvan have become a major hit among students of Classes X, XI and XII. Students who are stuck with problems in mathematics avail of the YouTube videos of Tamil Selvan and find solutions. The maths teacher told IANS, "I am a postgraduate in mathematics and have been teaching in government school, Kalapatti. After my school hours,I teach the concepts of maths interactively in the Tamil language in YouTube vidoes." He said that earlier it was tough for him to explain the concepts during the lockdown period in the online mode, but when he commenced uploading videos on YouTube, things became easier. Sukanya, a class XI student of the Kalapatti school, told IANS, "The YouTube videos are awesome. They are in Tamil language and the concepts are explained in detail by Tamil Selvan Sir. Whenever I get doubts, I refer to YouTube and get answers. This revision exam I got 92 percent in mathematics, thanks to him." The teacher said that his YouTube videos have more than 13000 subscribers and students from all schools are viewing his videos. He clarified that he has not monetized the videos and he was clear that this was only a service to the student community and not for monetary purposes. Tamil Selvan said, "I have uploaded more than 300 videos and students have commented to me that this is very helpful to them. I am thankful that the students are getting hold of the concepts of mathematics through my YouTube videos." He said that he would be uploading more than 1150 videos on the concepts and mathematical problems in the days to come and will try to reach out to more students across the state. K. R. Kannan, a senior officer with the education department, told IANS, "The initiative is excellent and Tamil Selvan explaining mathematics in the Tamil language will help students understand the concepts well. The 13000 subscriber base is indeed clear proof that his YouTube videos have become a hit among the students. The department is contemplating supporting him and other teachers who can provide support to students in other subjects also in a simple manner." --IANS aal/bg ( 381 Words) 2022-04-25-19:42:02 (IANS)
The seizure and arrest was made on Sunday. The Malawian national was travelling on a business visa by Qatar Airways from Nairobi to Hyderabad via Doha.

Acting on a specific intelligence input, sleuths of DRI, Hyderabad Zone intercepted her for checking. The contraband was found concealed in her trolley bag.

"Thorough examination of her checked-in baggage (trolley bag) by the DRI officers revealed a concealment of 3.129 kg of heroin, valued at approximately Rs 21.90 crore in the international grey market," the DRI said.

The contraband was tightly packed in two polythene covers and was ingeniously concealed in a specially created false bottom, at the base of the trolley bag.

The passenger was arrested by the DRI and produced before a court, which sent her to judicial custody. Further investigation is underway, the DRI said.

--IANS ms/vd

( 181 Words)

2022-04-25-20:00:07 (IANS)
Police said on a specific input, police, along with the army and the CRPF, apprehended suspect Rayees Ahmad Mir, resident of Chandhara, and recovered one pistol along with ammunition from his possession.

"During preliminary interrogation, the suspect disclosed that he received a pistol with ammunition and instructions from LeT terrorist code name Haji to attack and kill at least two outside labourers in Pampore town. Rayees was promised to be recruited as terrorist after execution of the attack," police said.

Police said Mir sought aid of his friend Shakir Hamid Bhat, resident of Alochibagh Samboora, to identify the target and provide him a motorcycle for executing this terror act.

"Timely intelligence and swift action by joint team of police, army, and the CRPF not only led to the arrest of a hybrid terrorist and his accomplice but also prevented terror incident and saved precious lives of innocent civilians," police said.

Police have registered an FIR and further investigation is on.

--IANS zi/vd

( 196 Words)

2022-04-25-20:24:03 (IANS)
With Akshaya Tritiya round the corner, Hindu outfits in Karnataka have urged people not to purchase gold from jewellery shops owned by Muslims on the day of the festival. Akshaya Tritiya is a Hindu festival which is believed to bring good luck, and people believe that buying gold on this day will turn their fortunes. The festival will be celebrated on May 3. However, the auspicious occasion has been given a communal tone this time with Hindu outfits urging people not to make any purchase from jewellery shops owned by Muslims. Posts and messages to this effect have gone viral on social media. Pramod Muthalik, founder of Sri Ram Sena, said on Monday that people should make purchases only from shops owned by Hindus on Akshaya Tritiya. "The money which you pay for gold jewelleries at Muslim shops will reach organisations working against Hindus. The money will find its way to organisations based out of Kerala, where scores of Hindus have been killed by fundamentalist groups. Your money will help them commit more atrocities on Hindus in Kerala," he said. T.A. Sharavana, the President of Karnataka Jewellers Association, said that the statements are being made to create unrest in the society. "It should be left to the discretion of the customer to make purchase of their choice," he said. According to sources, about 30 per cent of gold merchants in Karnataka are Muslims and in Bengaluru, 50 per cent of reputed gold jewellery shops are owned by Muslims. The shops have already started making attractive offers for the upcoming festival. The state government is yet to react to the development. --IANS mka/arm ( 287 Words) 2022-04-25-20:30:05 (IANS)
The attack on a Hanuman Jayanti procession in Delhi's Jahangirpuri on April 16 was pre-planned, and stones and bottles were arranged at rooftops in advance, a fact-finding team said in its report said on Monday. The fact-finding was undertaken by the Group of Intellectuals and Academicians (GIA). The GIA describes itself as "a group of empowered Indian women, intellectuals & academicians working together to elevate the position of women in our society, committed to work in the service of the nation". One of the key members of the group include Supreme Court advocate Monika Arora. The report titled 'Jahangirpuri 2022: A Ticking Bomb of Illegal Immigrants, Encroachment, Demographic Stress, Radicalisation' said there was heavy assembly of crowds armed with stones, petrol bombs and swords waiting to attack the procession. "The procession was enroute as planned and informed in advance that it will start at around 4.30 p.m. on April 16 from Jahangirpuri EE Prayas to Babu Jagjeevan Ram ED Block road to ITI road, BC road, G Block Kushal Chowk and will end at A-ONE auto market. The procession was accompanied by a tableaux," the GIA said in its report. The report further stated that the layout of the area is such that there is a Masjid (Jama Masjid), and adjoining it, there are a few houses of the local Muslim community next to a bylane. As soon as the procession neared the Masjid at C Block, Kushal Chowk, stones were pelted at the tableaux from the adjoining houses of the Masjid. "The stone pelting widened with women, children and men from the adjoining houses near the Masjid premises joining in the attack. Within minutes, a crowd of local Muslim residents (including alleged Bangladeshi immigrants and Rohingyas) wielding swords, lathis, iron rods and some carrying pistols came out from the Kushal cinema bylane. There were chants of 'Allah hu Akbar'," the GIA report claimed. "The Jahangirpuri violence was a pre-planned street rioting by Muslim residents along with Bangladeshis, Rohingyas (as informed by local residents) of the area against the Hanuman Jayanti procession. Unlike the fake news and misinformation campaign, there is no evidence of any attack on the local mosque by those involved in the procession. No flag was planted on any mosque in the area," the fact-finding team underlined in its report. The report also raises the question about illegal encroachment in the area. "This is a crime-prone area due to thriving encroachment and illegal trade. The local police have turned a blind eye to such activities despite constant complaints from the local residents. This area is a no-go zone and extremely unsafe for women," the report claimed. --IANS avr/pgh/arm ( 453 Words) 2022-04-25-20:40:13 (IANS)
Preparing for the next general election in 2024, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has formed a four-member committee to draw up a strategy to win over 73,000 'weak' polling booths where the party has not performed well in the previous election. The first meeting of the four-member committee was held on Monday in the national capital. The four members of the committee are BJP national vice presidents -- Baijayant Jay Panda and Dilip Ghosh, national general secretary C.T. Ravi and national president of SC morcha, Lal Singh Arya. If required, more members will be included in the committee. Ghosh told IANS that the BJP has failed to perform well in 73,000 booths out of 10.40 lakh polling booths across the country. "Today four members of the 'Weak Booth Committee' met for the first time to draw the strategy to win these 73,000 polling booths in the next general election. The sole objective of this committee is to make party presence felt in the polling booth where it is weak. We discussed steps needed to take to win these polling booths. Our focus is to win these booths in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," Ghosh said. The strategy drawn by the committee will be conveyed to the state unit and workers will be trained to reach out to the voters with the party ideology and development agenda of BJP government at centre and states. Ghosh noted that there are many factors for the party's poor show in these 73,000 polling booths across the country. "Most of these booths are in the states where BJP is not in power like West Bengal and some southern states. Some of these booths are minority dominated. We will work to win people's support in these weak booths across the country before the next Lok Sabha polls and it will help in improving our performance," Ghosh added. --IANS ssb/pgh ( 327 Words) 2022-04-25-20:55:15 (IANS)
The Rajasthan High Court on Monday issued notice to 18 Congress MLAs including former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, seeking their response on the petition filed by them challenging the notice of the Speaker issued under the anti-defection law during their rebellion against the state leadership. Hearing the PR Meena vs Assembly Speaker case on Monday, the court issued notice, returnable by May 25, when it will next hear the matter to find out if the petition can be dismissed on the basis of conciliation. Among the MLAs issued notice are five supports of Sachin Pilot who are now ministers - Vishvendra Singh, Ramesh Meena, Hemaram Chaudhary, Brijendra Ola, and Murarilal Meena. During the rebellion of the Sachin Pilot camp, the Assembly Speaker had issued notice to the rebel MLAs under the anti-defection law, and P.R. Meena, on behalf of the Pilot camp, challenged that matter in the High Court. During the hearing on Monday, it was argued on behalf of the party's advocate, Vimal Chaudhary, that all the MLAs have returned to the Congress and many of them have also become ministers again, so pursuing this case now is of no use. As the high court asked the petitioners' side, but counsel Divyesh Maheshwari said that he did not have any instruction from his client, had contacted many times but did not get any response. In such a situation, the court itself should collect the answer by issuing notice to them, he said. Thereupon, the high court has issued notice. During the rebellion, the Pilot camp MLAs did not appear before the Speaker after his notice and challenged thise in the High Court in July 2020 and subsequently, the matter went to the Supreme Court too. However in August 2020, Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot reconciled and the rebels returned to the party fold. However, the case remained pending in the high court but no one showed interest in taking it forward as the political situation had changed. --IANS arc/vd ( 348 Words) 2022-04-25-22:43:39 (IANS)
Delhi Police received a call regarding an unidentified bag in Mohammadpur area on Monday evening. Following this, Police and Bomb Disposal Squad reached the spot and recovered an old and rusted grenade.

Delhi Police has cordoned off the area following the recovery.

"In view of sighting of an object, suspected to be an old, corroded, incendiary object, the place of sighting has been cordoned off and necessary precautionary measures are being taken," said Deputy Commissioner of Police, South West Delhi.

The investigation is underway. Further details are awaited. (ANI)
Meta (formerly Facebook) has claimed that mainstream media plays a bigger role in disseminating disinformation, and polarisation is decreasing in parts of the world where social media use is rising. Meta, however, admitted that the world needs more academic research to better understand social media's true impact on society, especially in the American context. Reacting to a recent article in The Atlantic, titled "Why the Past 10 Years of American Life have Been Uniquely Stupid," Meta said that while the article certainly raises valid questions about social media's impact, "the preponderance of research tells a far more nuanced story and many of these questions lack clear answers". According to Pratiti Raychoudhury, Vice President, Head of Research, Meta, research shows that mainstream media plays a bigger role disseminating disinformation than popularly accepted. "Polarisation is decreasing in parts of the world where social media use is rising. More and more research also discredits the idea that social media algorithms create an echo chamber that causes polarisation and political upheavals," she countered. For example, evidence simply does not support the idea that Facebook, or social media generally, is the primary cause of polarisation, she argued. "Research from Stanford last year looked in depth at trends in nine countries over 40 years, and found that in some countries polarisation was on the rise before Facebook even existed, and in others it has been decreasing while internet and Facebook use increased," said the company. There are also studies showing that mainstream media plays a bigger role in disseminating disinformation than popularly accepted. Meta said that the strength of civic institutions has been declining long before social media was invented. "We need more academic research to better understand social media's true impact, especially on democracy in America. That is one of the reasons why Meta is investing in open research and transparency including the Facebook and Instagram Election Study," said Raychoudhury. --IANS na/pgh ( 331 Words) 2022-04-24-19:54:53 (IANS)
The Argentine FM's grandfather Antonio Cafiero had signed a 'Jute for Wheat' agreement with India way back in 1951.

"Today, FM @SantiagoCafiero shared a family connection with India. His grandfather signed a 'Jute for Wheat' agreement with India in 1951. Counting on him to take this tradition further," EAM Jashankar said in a tweet.

The Argentine Foreign Minister is in the national capital to attend the Raisina Dialogue scheduled from April 25-27 and earlier today met EAM Jaishankar at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.

The two counterparts discussed a wide range of bilateral issues during the meeting including agriculture, pharmaceuticals, electronics, e-mobility, defence and atomic energy.

"A productive meeting with FM @SantiagoCafiero of Argentina on his first visit to India. Discussed expanding our bilateral trade and cooperating in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, electronics,e-mobility, defence & atomic energy. Will work closely in G20 and multilateral forums," Jaishankar said in a tweet.

Earlier today, Jaishankar also held bilateral meetings with Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama and Secretary Foreign Affairs of Philippines Teddy Locsin Jr.

Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau will also visit India from April 25-27, Poland Foreign Ministry announced in a statement. This will be the first visit of a Polish Foreign Minister to India in nine years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the seventh edition of the Raisina dialogue on April 25, said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi during the MEA weekly briefing on Thursday.

The dialogue, which will be held over three days from April 25 to April 27, will witness the participation of European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen as the chief guest.

The Raisina Dialogue 2022, based on the theme "Terranova- Impassioned, Impatient, Imperilled", will be modelled along six thematic pillars --Rethinking Democracy: trade, technology and ideology; End of Multilateralism: a networked global order; Water Caucuses: turbulent tides in the Indo-Pacific; Communities Inc: first responders to health, development, and planet; Achieving Green Transitions: common imperative, diverging realities; Samson vs Goliath: the persistent and relentless technology wars.

The Raisina Dialogue, which started in 2016, is India's flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. The conference is organised by MEA in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

The conference will most likely be attended by former PM of Sweden Carl Bildt, former Canada PM Stephen Harper, former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed and former Australia PM Anthony Abbott. (ANI)
The civil aviation authority said Aeroflot would operate one daily flight between the Maldives and Russia on an A330-300 aircraft.

Aeroflot suspended flights to the Maldives on March 8.

The suspension led to a significant drop in tourist arrivals from the Russian market, which accounted for 15.8 per cent of total arrivals between January and March, according to the civil aviation authority.

Russian authorities had asked the Maldives Civil Aviation Authority whether they can assure that Russian planes would be serviced.

The civil aviation authority gave the requested assurances, saying that there was no obstacle to resuming operations under the civil aviation agreement between the Maldives and Russia. (ANI/Xinhua)
London [UK], April 24 (ANI/Sputnik): UK Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, is supporting plans to launch the first coal mine in the United Kingdom in decades, aiming to curtail the dependence on Russian energy supplies, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Sunday, citing sources in the UK Conservative Party. According to Telegraph, Gove is backing opening a coal mine in Cumbria County in northwestern England. The pit will focus on extracting coking coal widely used in steel production. Opening the first pit in the UK in over three decades was endorsed by the UK government back in October 2020. Yet the protests by environmental activists forced the Ministers to revisit this issue. At the same time, the government sources claimed that in the wake of the Ukrainian crisis, the UK cabinet unilaterally stands for putting the mine into operation, the Telegraph said. Gove must make an ultimate decision until July 7, meanwhile, the sources said that the decision could be pronounced earlier in mid-May, the newspaper added. The UK's dependence on Russian energy is primarily confined to the coal sector. In 2021, the UK imported over 50 per cent of its all coal supplies, with Russia accounting for 43 per cent of those. Moreover, Russia occupies a leading position in exporting both steam coal and coking coal to the UK, ensuring 46 per cent and 39 per cent of deliveries, respectively. After Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine, the UK alongside the United States and European allies embarked on the path of completely abandoning Russian energy commodities. On April 6, UK Prime Minister Boris Jonson pledged to halt Russian coal and oil imports by the end of 2022, with UK marginal gas imports to be ceased as soon as possible thereafter. (ANI/Sputnik)
London-based rights activist said that Pakistan's new regime led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is burdened by the economic and political mess left behind by his predecessor Imran Khan. Shaukat Kashmiri, United Kashmir People National Party chairman, in an interview, said, "New regime in Pakistan has inherited the legacy of the economic and political mess left behind by Imran Khan." Also hinting toward the talks of Pakistan Peoples Party's Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the activist noted, "The policy of Pakistan towards improving ties with India must have been discussed in the meet between Bilawal Zardari and Nawaz Sharif." He added that the meeting between the two is very crucial. He also accused the Pakistani Army to have its stronghold on the civilian population. This comes at a time when Pakistan's economy continues to plunge with every passing day and the new government led by Sharif has decided to resume talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Earlier, the IMF effectively suspended its programme in the country till the formation of a stable government in the country. The finance minister of Pakistan Miftah Ismail also said that IMF wants the country to revoke the subsidies extended by the Imran Khan government by increasing fuel prices and power tariffs, to revive its Extended Fund Facility (EFF). Pakistani FM Ismail accused Imran Khan of a totally "ill-advised and illogical" package that was not based on the finance ministry's summary pushing the country into a deepening economic crisis. (ANI)
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government has changed the rules controlling citizens' exit from the country following which 3000 names were struck off from the black list also known as Exit Control List (ECL). This is in an attempt to end the practice of keeping people on the no-fly list for years and even for over a decade. Rana Sanaullah, Pakistan's interior minister, said a person's name put on the Exit Control List (ECL) would automatically be removed after 120 days. However, the duration can be extended for another 90 days if there is concrete evidence, reported Dawn. The minister said that currently names of 4,863 people were on the ECL and the amendments would benefit around 3,000 of them. The automatic omission from ECL will not apply to cases of terrorism, heinous crimes and threat to national security, cases forwarded by registrars of the Supreme Court, high courts and banking courts, drug trafficking, Ponzi schemes and cheating public at large. In addition to that, people involved in Ponzi schemes and cheating the public at large involving hundreds of affectees can also be placed on the ECL from now on. The changes have been made to Rule 2 of Exit from Pakistan (Control) Rules, which define grounds to prohibit a person from going abroad. A new rule (4-A) has been added under which a representation seeking review will be decided within 30 days. Moreover, the black list, which currently had names of over 30,000 people, would also be reviewed, the minister said, expressing hope that the task would be done within weeks. He said that on the directives of PM Sharif, fool-proof security was being provided to former Prime Minister Imran Khan. "The security, as approved by the former PM's principal secretary Azam Khan, is being provided to Imran Khan," he said, as per the newspaper. Sanaullah said the former premier had written to the government seeking fool-proof security in the wake of threats to his life. (ANI)
The gun battle took place in the Sudaf area of Hadramout when a unit of local security forces conducted an operation on an intelligence tip-off and raided an al-Qaida hideout in the area, the local security source said on condition of anonymity.

The official confirmed that a senior commander of al-Qaida wanted by the security forces for his involvement in terror attacks in Hadramout was killed, without revealing the al-Qaida member's identity.

According to Yemeni officials, the operation has dealt a heavy setback to the terrorist group's apparent attempts to gain ground in the poor Arab country.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) network has been responsible for many high-profile attacks against the security forces in the country's southern provinces.

The AQAP has exploited years of deadly conflict between the Yemeni government and Houthi militia to expand its presence in the war-ravaged Arab country. (ANI/Xinhua)
"PoK has a colonial character, it is an illegal occupation of Pakistan. People of Kashmir hold no value for PoK government," said Shaukat Kashmiri, United Kashmir People National Party chairman in an interview with well-known Kashmiri activist Shabir Choudhry.

He added that the lawmakers in PoK are 'namesake' and highlighted that the newly elected PoK Prime Minister Sardar Tanvir Ilyas is incapable of defending the rights of the people of Kashmir.

Shaukat Kashmiri, during the interview, also exposed the designs of Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and unveiled the contradictions of the Pakistani establishment.

"Namesake legislative members of PoK have no mind of their own. Niazi was removed from the post and Sardar Tanveer Ilyas was placed in power because he has a business empire. I will not delve into how these empires were built," he said while accusing the PoK government of carrying out financial irregularities in the budget.

PoK PM Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi resigned earlier this month. (ANI)
Following their bilateral meeting earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday had a series of friendly exchanges with his Philippines counterpart Teddy Locsin Jr. on Twitter with the visiting Foreign Minister calling the interaction, one of the best talks he had. "One of the best talks I've had in any of my incarnations. Candid, clever, amusing, deep. Came away with deeper insights on issues of the day. I've time to revise. Wish I could be as effortlessly calm and collected; see things w/ a measure of detachment for a wider & longer view," the Philippines Foreign Secretary said. EAM Jaishankar returned the kind remarks and said, "Enjoyed our talk very much. Looking forward to listening to you at Raisina." Philippines Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teddy Locsin Jr. arrived in New Delhi on Saturday and held delegation-level and bilateral talks with EAM Jaishankar. The two leaders discussed multiple issues including the Indo-Pacific, Europe, Myanmar, Ukraine and Multilateralism as well as bilateral relations. "Warmly welcomed Secretary Foreign Affairs of Philippines @teddyboylocsin. Appreciated his insights and perspectives on Indo-Pacific, Europe, Myanmar, Ukraine and Multilateralism. Reviewed the progress in bilateral ties since our last meeting in February," EAM Jaishankar informed in a tweet. "Thank you my friends; I've time to get things delayed done," the Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary said in a tweet quoting Jaishankar. Later in the day, the Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary assured on Twitter, that steps are in progress to help Indian medical students pursuing medicine from institutions in the Philippines but are unable to travel to the country for the last 2 years due to COVID-19 restrictions. "Yes, EAM Jaishankar and I tackled that and even as we tweet, it's being done. I'll accelerate. Honored that they come to my country, especially to Davao, for medical studies," the Philippines Foreign Affairs secretary said. "Appreciate @teddyboylocsin's empathy for Indian students. Looking forward to making visas easier," EAM Jaishankar responded in a tweet. Jaishankar in February concluded his Philippines visit, during which he reviewed bilateral relations as both sides agreed to further expand economic cooperation and reaffirmed their strong commitment to a multifaceted partnership. Earlier today, Jaishankar also held bilateral meetings with Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama and Argentina's Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero. A number of foreign ministers and dignitaries are arriving in New Delhi on the sidelines of the upcoming Raisina dialogue that is to begin on Monday. The dialogue, which will be held over three days from April 25 to April 27, will witness the participation of European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen as the chief guest and Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the dialogue. The Raisina Dialogue 2022, based on the theme "Terranova- Impassioned, Impatient, Imperilled", will be modelled along six thematic pillars --Rethinking Democracy: trade, technology and ideology; End of Multilateralism: a networked global order; Water Caucuses: turbulent tides in the Indo-Pacific; Communities Inc: first responders to health, development, and planet; Achieving Green Transitions: common imperative, diverging realities; Samson vs Goliath: the persistent and relentless technology wars. The conference will most likely be attended by former PM of Sweden Carl Bildt, former Canada PM Stephen Harper, former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed and former Australia PM Anthony Abbott. (ANI)
According to Sputnik News Agency, the satellite data center will serve as "an important hub for international exchange and cooperation in the area of satellite data and its application," the Wenchang authorities said on social media.

On August 18, 2021, space agency heads from five BRICS countries, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, signed an agreement on cooperation in sharing remote sensing satellite data.

As the Russian state space agency Roscosmos stressed earlier, this agreement would foster collaboration within BRICS in creating a virtual constellation of remote sensing satellites and data sharing, which would contribute to addressing climate change, ensuring environmental protection and dealing with the effects of natural and man-made disasters, the news agency reported.

Meanwhile, China is set to build monitoring and defense systems.

Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the CNSA, told China's CCTV News recently that China will start to build an Earth-based and space-based NEA monitoring and warning system, in order to ensure the safe, stable and orderly operation of spacecraft, Xinhua News Agency reported.

China will categorize the risks posed by NEAs and explore techniques to neutralize those risks, said Wu. (ANI)
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared on Sunday that a Chinese military base on the Solomon Islands would be an unacceptable "red line", without adding how Canberra would retaliate, media reports said. Morrison's government and the US are scrambling to respond to a recently-signed security deal between the islands and Beijing, which they consider an "aggressive" move, RT reported. "Working together with our partners in New Zealand and of course the United States, I share the same red line that the United States has when it comes to these issues," Morrison said. "We won't be having Chinese military naval bases in our region on our doorstep." A tiny archipelago sitting around 2,000km off the northeastern coast of Australia, the Solomon Islands made international news last week when it signed a security pact with China. With the island nation reeling from violent protests last year, the deal - according to a leaked draft of the agreement - promises Chinese assistance in "maintaining social order" and allows China's warships to dock at its ports, RT reported. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare insists that the deal was necessary to beef up security and was "guided by our national interests". He stated last week that the agreement does not allow China to set up a military base on the islands, something that Beijing has also stressed. However, Australia and her allies fear otherwise. "The reality is that China has changed. China's incredibly aggressive, the acts of foreign interference, the preparedness to pay bribes to get an outcome... that's the reality of modern China," Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton told Sky News on Sunday. Beijing so far has not responded to these allegations of corruption. --IANS san/ ( 297 Words) 2022-04-24-21:00:02 (IANS)
The question of granting citizenship to refugees from Syria and Afghanistan is gradually becoming a controversial issue in Turkey, as the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party Kemal Kilicdaroglu openly accuses President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of naturalizing asylum seekers allowing them to vote so that he may keep his post as President. Kilicdaroglu and other leaders of the opposition parties in Turkey are clearly concerned that Erdogan's AKP party would gain an election advantage in the general elections scheduled to take place in June 2023 by turning a large part of the approximately 5 million refugees hosted in Turkey into voters. In the previous general elections held in June 2018, the question of naturalized Syrian refugees who were allowed to vote was a major issue in the political campaign of opposition parties in Turkey, as the naturalized refugees were expected to vote for AKP and improve the party's performance mainly in the southern provinces of Turkey. It is not clear how much their vote had a significant impact on the 2018 elections, as the numbers of naturalized refugees at the time were much smaller than the current ones. Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has stated that as of 31 December 2021, the total number of Syrians who became Turkish citizens was 193,293. According to recent statistics, the number of Syrian refugees in Turkey is estimated at 3,736,000. UNHCR, citing official figures, says that there are 300,000 Afghans residing in Turkey, with 183,000 officially registered and the remainder undocumented. Opposition parties insist that the number of unregistered Afghans is much higher and that in total refugees account approximately for 10 per cent of Turkey's population of 84 million. Many political parties as well as ordinary people in Turkey, seeing that refugee ghettos have made their appearance, especially in big cities, and that refugees accept very low wages, depriving ordinary people of work and consequently the means for their livelihood, have been calling for the repatriation of refugees. Syrians compete with locals for low-income jobs in Turkey's tight job market and are frequently asked to work 3-4 hours more than their Turkish counterparts - usually for less income. Ruling AKP party says that in some cities, for example, Gaziantep, refugees keep the industry alive. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians work in the heaviest and most difficult jobs. On 15 March President Erdogan declared: "The opposition says that if they win the election, they will send the Syrian, Afghan and other refugees in the country away. We will not send them." Responding to a question on this subject by journalist Murat Yetkin, Kemal Kilicdaroglu replied: "Erdogan said in his own words that if he stays in power, he will not send refugees, or, in other words, asylum seekers, to their countries. We think this is wrong for three reasons. 1- Asylum seekers cause corruption in society, primarily cultural 2- The labor of refugees is ruthlessly exploited, 3. It seems that he never wanted to make peace with Syria. We (the Republican People's Party) will make peace. With a solution in Syria, we will make peace, provide the conditions for the refugees to live in safety, and enable them to return to their homes in safety." Kilicdaroglu added that if Erdogan wanted to give citizenship to asylum seekers, a referendum should be held to ask the public about making refugees citizens and allowing them to vote. A recent study carried out by the Turkish-German University's Migration and Integration Research Center shows that the perceptions of Turkish citizens toward Syrian refugees have significantly turned negative. While 72 per cent of Turks believe that Syrian refugees will harm Turkey's socio-cultural structure, 74 per cent think that public services will either deteriorate or diminish because of the refugees. Turkish citizens prefer segregation rather than integration and cohabitation with Syrian refugees. Syrian refugees in Turkey have been increasingly targeted by hate speech and hate crimes and are blamed for many of Turkey's social and economic troubles. Several opposition party leaders promised to send Syrians back home when they come to power. In two hate crimes in August 2021 a Syrian refugee was shot dead in Istanbul, and in September a 16-year-old Syrian was stabbed to death in the Black Sea city of Samsun. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) on November 16, 2021, in Izmir, a Turkish man poured gasoline over three Syrian refugees while they were asleep and set them on fire. SOHR said there had been no prior dispute between the Syrian men and the perpetrator. In August 2021 a group of locals attacked Syrian refugees, their houses, workplaces and cars in Ankara's Altindag district, throwing rocks at homes, smashing shops and cars, and chanting anti-Syrian slogans. Many Turks are worried that the influx of Syrian refugees is changing the demographic structure of their towns. Lutfu Savas, the Mayor of Hatay, where there are some 433,000 Syrian refugees, says that three out of every four women giving birth are Syrians, while the Mayor of Mersin complains that one-fifth of the city's population are Syrian refugees. One may think that the opposition in Turkey is vastly exaggerating the impact the vote of naturalized refugees can have in elections in a country of 84 million, but the fact remains that in some Turkish provinces the parliamentary seats, for example in Hatay, are decided by a few hundred votes. So, if Syrian refugees who openly support Erdogan's AKP party vote for its candidates, they will tip the scales and AKP may have the majority in the new Parliament. Many Syrian refugees are convinced that the continuation of the naturalization project is linked to the survival of the AKP party and its ability to remain in power. (ANI)
US secretary of State Antony J Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, becoming the first senior US officials who have visited Ukraine since Russia launched its military operation in Kyiv on February 24. "They (Blinken and Austin) are right now in Kyiv, talking to the president," and "maybe something will be decided regarding how they can help," Oleksiy Arestovich, an adviser to President Zelensky confirmed the news during an interview with a Russian lawyer and activist on YouTube. The US top diplomat and top defence official arrived in Kyiv on Sunday, The New York Times reported. The US government has always backed Ukraine with financial aid and weapons and also helped in leading the international campaign of sanctions against Russia. But this visit has been called under pressure as recently several European officials including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and the PM of Spain and Denmark have visited the country. US officials did not announce their visit but it was Zelenskyy who revealed it in his speech on Saturday, saying that he would use this meeting to discuss the "military assistance we need." A few weeks after Russia started its military operation in Ukraine, the prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia travelled to Kyiv in March, which was kept under tight wraps, reported The New York Times. Over the following weeks, they were followed by leaders of Britain, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, Estonia, Spain and Denmark. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, visited both Kyiv and Bucha, where journalists and investigators have found evidence of atrocities. This is not the first time for America to visit the war zones unannounced, in Iraq and Afghanistan, the visit was typically not announced until after the official had arrived in the country and sometimes not even until after they had left, as reported by The New York Times. Security concerns and contested airspace have still required leaders to make long journeys to reach Kyiv. The British government said that Johnson, whose visit in early April was unannounced, used several modes of transportation, including a train from eastern Poland. The White House had ruled out sending Biden, citing not only the risk but Biden's enormous security requirements. Senior cabinet officials such as Blinken and Austin travel with smaller entourages, according to The New York Times. Meanwhile, on Thursday, the US authorized new military assistance worth USD 800 million for Ukraine. Notably, Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24, which the West has termed an unprovoked war. As a result of this, the Western countries have also imposed several crippling sanctions on Moscow. (ANI)
Pakistan used Madrasas to revive terrorism in India. At the moment, over forty-thousand Madrasas churn out terrorists on a yearly basis and none among the country's experts are holding their breath for this to end as this is seen as a help in sustaining the military's strategic depth in Kashmir and Afghanistan. A recent statement of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also signalled that the military runs the country's Kashmir policy and change in the government will not improve its relationship with India, Baltimore Post-Examiner reported. "We want good ties with India but durable peace is not possible until the Kashmir dispute is resolved," Pakistan PM said. This statement is also seen as a mantra which could help him to create a good impression in front of the military generals for smooth sailing. Kashmir issue has been the oldest issue between India and Pakistan and it all started when the ruler of Kashmir and their people sided with India when the princely states were being divided between two countries after the independence. In order to capture Kashmir, Pakistan attacked Kashmir on October 22, 1947, and illegally occupied the northern and western parts of the state. Pakistani rulers were reluctant to play by book as the country, being an agro-based country, was dependent on the rivers of Kashmir for two-thirds of water flowing into its western provinces, reported Baltimore Post-Examiner. When India received the letter of accession from the ruler of Kashmir, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru took the case to the UN Security Council and asked Pakistan to respect the constitutional process governing the partition of India and withdraw troops from the occupied areas. After deliberation, the UN Security Council formed a commission which gave Pakistan the deadline to withdraw from Gilgit (PoK) and their so-called Azad-Kashmir (PoK) to ascertain the wishes of Kashmiris regarding state's accession with India but Pakistan, despite all pressure still illegally controlled the region. In 1956, the British government upgraded Pakistan's status from a dominion to a sovereign nation, which brought great political and economic opportunities for its citizens. However, this promotion also allowed Pakistani rulers to instigate illegal religious and racial demographic changes in Gilgit and solidify military control over parts of Kashmir bordering China and Afghanistan, as reported by the Baltimore Post-Examiner. Not only Pakistan but its lone ally, China also wanted the Kashmir impasse to continue on a low simmer which will keep India busy on its western border and also distract the country from paying attention to the immoral and illegal actions of the Communist Party in occupied Tibet and Xinjiang. However, India on other hand said that they wanted a normal relationship with Pakistan. According to the Ministry of External Affairs' annual report 2021-2022, "India seeks normal relations with all its neighbours including Pakistan. Our consistent position is that bilateral issues should be addressed peacefully in an environment free from terror, hostility and violence." The onus is on Pakistan as it continues to sponsor cross border terrorism against India; restrict normal trade, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges; and engage in hostile and fabricated propaganda to vilify India, according to an MEA report. (ANI)
Governor of Pakistan's Punjab province, Omer Sarfraz Cheema sought advice from President Arif Alvi to resolve the issue of "disputed elections" for the Chief Minister's office. In a six-page letter addressed to the President, Cheema explained his constitutional reasons for not administering the oath to the newly elected Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz which he had also explained to Lahore High Court, Dawn newspaper reported. Cheema also sought advice on the resignation of outgoing chief minister Usman Buzdar which was addressed to the prime minister and not to the office of the governor as required under article 130(8) of the Constitution. In his letter, the governor said that he had reasons for restraining himself from administering the oath-ceremony to the CM. The Governor also stated that the election process for the conduct of the Chief Minister's election is a classic case of constitutional violations and rules framed thereunder and the order of the Lahore High Court division bench. At Lahore High Court, the Governor said that the election for the recording of votes of the Chief Minister was prima facie filled with legal lacunae and loopholes that under no stretch of the imagination could be plugged, reported Dawn. "As per my understanding of the constitutional provisions applicable in the instant matter in terms of rules, the elections for the recording of votes of the chief minister is prima facie filled with legal lacunae and loopholes which under no stretch of the imagination could be plugged and seemingly and it manifest that there is a flagrant disregard of the judgement rendered by the [LHC] division bench," the governor was quoted as saying by Dawn. He further stated, "It becomes crystal clear that the way the election of Chief Minister and recording of votes have been conducted is a sheer violation of the Second Schedule and against the spirit of the directions being given by the LHC division bench". Governor Cheema said that none of the articles of the Constitution bound him to proceed in a mechanical way to administer the oath in a situation where the whole procedure for conducting elections had been violated. "I cannot proceed in a mechanical way under Article 130(5) of the Constitution of Pakistan. Needless to bring to your knowledge that there is no time period prescribed either in the Constitution for conducting the oath," Cheema said. Punjab's Governor called the Punjab Assembly secretary's report sufficient evidence for proving that the election of the CM was unconstitutional. He said the report "demonstrated that the election of the chief minister was an offshoot of an unconstitutional act, henceforth, as per my Constitutional understanding and conscience as the Governor I cannot proceed under Article 130 (5) in the instant case without averting to the specific Articles of the Constitution to take oath from the chief minister whose status under the Constitution has become extremely disputed," according to Dawn. Meanwhile, the oath-taking of the Chief Minister of Punjab, Pakistan Muslim League's (PML-N) Hamza Shahbaz has been deferred once again as the Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjarani couldn't reach Lahore. (ANI)
Sri Lanka's opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP (Member of Parliament) Rajitha Senaratne on Sunday claimed that his party had secured over 113 signatures for the no-confidence motion against the government. "We have the necessary numbers for the motion as those who have left the government have pledged their support for us. The SJB earlier decided not to take up positions in an interim government which will be formed in the event the no-confidence motion is approved and the present government is defeated," SJB MP was quoted as saying by Daily Mirror. Our earlier stance was to keep away from an interim government but we changed our stance as those from independent groups said they will not support the no-faith motion if we don't take up positions in an interim government," Senaratne added. He also said that the days of the present government are numbered. Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition, and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa, on April 13, signed the impeachment motion against the President and the no-confidence motion against the government, reported Daily Mirror. Earlier, on April 9, Sri Lanka's main opposition party Samagi Jana Balwegya announced that it will move a no-confidence motion against President Gotabaya Rajapaksha if it fails to provide immediate relief to the people of the island nation adversely impacting the economic crisis. These developments came as the government failed to address the existing issues in the island nation. Mass protests over economic mismanagement escalated in early April, prompting the president to declare a state of emergency on April 1, reported Daily Mirror. One of the demands of recent anti-government protests has been a constitutional amendment to reduce the power of the executive. On April 3, the entire Sri Lankan cabinet decided to resign in the wake of the large-scale protests. The only exception was Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who remained in office. On the same day, Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed key ministers to an interim cabinet. Sri Lanka has been gripped by an economic crisis considered the worst since the country gained independence in 1948. Due to energy shortages, some parts of Sri Lanka have rolling blackouts. Sri Lanka's foreign debt is estimated at USD 51 billion. (ANI)
An agitated mob of protesters consisting of both women and children gathered outside Avenfield flats in London, the residence of Nawaz Sharif for the third weekend, shouting slogans, reported the Dawn newspaper.

Videos have emerged on social media which show the group of PTI supporters chanting slogans against the PML-N chairman Nawaz Sharif.

A protester in the Hyde Park of London was also seen thrashing a placard which constituted images of PTI dissidents, and members of the PML-N, including those of Aleem Khan, Tariq Bashir Cheema, Jahangir Tareen, and Rana Sanaullah, reported the Dawn newspaper.

Earlier, PTI workers also held flags of Pakistan, during the demonstrations, accompanied by shouting slogans against the ouster of the ex-Prime and PTI chairman Imran Khan. Meanwhile, PML-N also reached outside Nawaz Sharif's residence to show solidarity with their leader.

Following the ouster of Imran Khan, on April 10, through a no-confidence vote, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) took out protests in several cities of Pakistan chanting slogans in the former Prime Minister's favour. (ANI)
"Began the day by meeting FM @AnzeLog (Anze Logar) of Slovenia. Appreciated his perspectives about Ukraine and the European Union," Jaishankar tweeted.

Slovenian Foreign Affairs Minister arrived in New Delhi on Monday to take part in the Raisina Dialogue.

"During his official visit to India, Minister @AnzeLog will meet with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam @DrSJaishankar and participate in the international conference @raisinadialogue. He will also attend a cultural event to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations," Foreign Affairs of Slovenia tweeted.

Earlier, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau also arrived in Delhi to attend the Raisina Dialogue.

Yesterday, Armenian Foreign Affairs Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama and Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero arrived in New Delhi to attend the Raisina Dialogue, scheduled to start today.

All the international ministers are in the national capital to attend the Raisina Dialogue scheduled from April 25-27.

The Raisina Dialogue 2022, based on the theme "Terranova- Impassioned, Impatient, Imperilled", will be modelled along six thematic pillars --Rethinking Democracy: trade, technology and ideology; End of Multilateralism: a networked global order; Water Caucuses: turbulent tides in the Indo-Pacific; Communities Inc: first responders to health, development, and planet; Achieving Green Transitions: common imperative, diverging realities; Samson vs Goliath: the persistent and relentless technology wars.

The Raisina Dialogue, which started in 2016, is India's flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. The conference is organised by MEA in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

Meanwhile, the EU President Ursula von der Leyen who arrived in India for a two-day official visit on Sunday has also been invited as the Chief Guest for this year's edition of Raisina Dialogue and will address the inaugural session today. (ANI)
Abbasi said that the Imran Khan government left the energy sector in tatters just because of its incompetence and neglect, reported The News International

He added that the energy sector was left with no new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals, no headway in the south-to-north gas pipeline, and said that the former government failed to optimally utilize the existing two LNG terminals.

The PML-N leader further said that the Imran Khan government failed to address the issues of the newly-proposed LNG terminals and thus the current government has decided to summon the owners to have firsthand knowledge of their problems.

"So, we have decided to discuss those with them to resolve them," the media outlet quoted him as saying.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has accused Imran Khan of setting a trap for his successors by announcing heavy subsidies on fuel weeks before his ouster. He has also said that the government will have to withdraw the subsidies to revive the stalled bailout programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Expressing the government's inability to continue the subsidies on petroleum products, Ismail blamed Imran Khan for trying to sabotage the new government by announcing heavy subsidies on fuel towards the end of his tenure. (ANI)
Taking to social media he tweeted that it marks an opportunity in discussing ways to expand their bilateral relations.

Bagchi also mentioned that the Foreign Minister of Madagascar will participate in the seventh edition of the Raisina Dialogue today.

Bagchi tweeted, "Pleasure to welcome FM Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar on his first visit to India. An opportunity to discuss ways to expand our bilateral relations. FM Randriamandrato will also participate in #Raisina2022."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the seventh edition of the Raisina Dialogue which is India's flagship multilateral foreign policy and geo-economics conference.

The Raisina Dialogue 2022, based on the theme "Terranova- Impassioned, Impatient, Imperilled", will be based upon six thematic pillars --Rethinking Democracy: trade, technology, and ideology, End of Multilateralism: a networked global order, Water Caucuses: turbulent tides in the Indo-Pacific, Communities Inc: first responders to health, development, and planet, Achieving Green Transitions: common imperative, diverging realities and Samson vs Goliath: the persistent and relentless technology wars.

The Raisina Dialogue, which started in the year 2016, is India's premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. The conference is organized by MEA in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

Apart from Richard Randriamandrato, Ursula Von Der Leyen, the President of the European Commission will mark her presence as the chief guest. She will participate in the three-day event starting on April 25 and ending on April 27. Foreign ministers of different countries like Argentina, Nigeria, Netherlands, Philippines, and others will also be attending the event. (ANI)
"I want to thank all our social media warriors who have valiantly taken our fight against US regime change conspiracy forward on all social media platforms," he said in a Twitter post late Sunday night.

"Continue carrying on our movement for Pak's sovereignty & democracy. You are our frontline warriors," he added.

This comes a day after Imran Khan accused Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of hatching a conspiracy to dislodge his government through a no-confidence vote.

In his maiden press conference after being ousted as Prime Minister, Imran Khan said: "Supreme Court should hold an open hearing on threat letter... we will not accept any in-camera hearing."

The PTI chief also claimed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Asif Ali Zardari colluded with "foreign conspirators" to remove him from power.

Earlier, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had claimed that the PTI was using botnets to generate coordinated spam activity to artificially boost their trends against the government led by Shehbaz Sharif.

PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz had stated that PTI's "criminal ring" was running a smear campaign on social media against the state institutions after the ouster of the PTI government.

Maryam had said the malicious campaign and "lies" about foreign conspiracy were spread by a handful of people employing hundreds of fake accounts and bots.

Even Pakistan National Security Committee (NSC) said that there was no foreign conspiracy to topple the Imran Khan-led government.

"The NSC discussed the telegram received from the Pakistan embassy in Washington. Pakistan's former ambassador to the US briefed the committee on the context and content of his telegram," Pakistan NSC said in a statement. (ANI)
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday said that he is willing to take immediate steps to form an interim government to curb and resolve the ongoing economic crisis in the country. He conveyed this message to the Mahanayake of the three Chapters who are high-ranking Buddhist monks overseeing and regulating the Buddhist clergy in Theravada Buddhist countries, reported Daily Mirror. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka has slipped into a dire economic crisis due to debt troubles, liquidity problems, and minimum foreign reserves leading to long power outages, and scarcity of fuel impacting manufacturing industries and the middle class. A series of protests can also be witnessed in the country as the citizens demand the resignation of Gotabya Rajapaksa for his inability to control the situation. The Sri Lanka President has also agreed to present a new Constitution if the Parliament approves of it, Daily Mirror reported citing Ven. Medagama Dhammananda Thera, the Chief Registrar of the Asgiri Chapter. Earlier, Mahanayaka Theras had urged the President, Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and other parliament members to take necessary action to bring order to the country. He added that failure to do so will force the Mahanayaka Theras to issue a Sangha Convention. The Mahanayaka Theras of Asgiri, Malwathu, Ramanya, and Amarapura chapters issued a statement insisting on the appointment of a multi-party Cabinet, by repealing the 20th Amendment, which removed checks and balances between the legislature and the executive and to refrain from suppressing mass protests, Daily Mirror reported. Earlier, Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa asserted that if an interim government is formed, it should be led by him only. Sri Lanka is gripped by one of the worst-hit economic crises since the country gained independence in 1948. Due to energy shortages, some parts of Sri Lanka have rolled blackouts while the country's foreign debt is estimated at USD 51 billion. (ANI)
Randriamandrato is among the long line of foreign delegates who have landed in New Delhi to participate in the Raisina Dialogue, India's flagship multilateral foreign policy and geo-economics conference.

"Pleasure to welcome FM Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar on his first visit to India. An opportunity to discuss ways to expand our bilateral relations. FM Randriamandrato will also participate in #Raisina2022," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet.

India-Madagascar ties are on an upswing and several MoUs in key areas such as health, education, culture, information, and travel are under finalisation between the two countries.

Madagascar has a large Indian Diaspora from Gujarat and is the largest and most populous island in the Indian Ocean.

The Raisina Dialogue 2022 is based on the theme "Terranova- Impassioned, Impatient, Imperilled".

The Raisina Dialogue, which started in the year 2016, is India's premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. (ANI)
A Chinese political commentator on Youtube has said that there is an internet blockade and heavy lockdown of the Fudan University campus, Shanghai. He said that recently when Fudan professor and CCP member Zhang Weiwei expressed his support for the authorities' extreme lockdown and zero-covid policy, even advocating the Chinese model against the European and American models he was beaten by a young professor at Fudan University. Weibo also has many such speculative posts which are based on a Wechat screenshot. But there is no concrete proof, picture or video of the incident yet. Although a few other political commentators have also talked about this happening, Fudan Uni Weibo account has refuted them as mere rumours. Non-mainstream HK media reported that students at Fudan University have been expressing their dissatisfaction, and the clues could be seen in the last week. Shanghai Jiaotong University, Tongji University, Fudan University, and East China Normal University notified the quasi-closed management or closed management, requiring everyone to stay at home. It is also believed that Zhongnanhai is closely paying attention to the universities of Shanghai as well so as to not let students' dissatisfaction escalate. A video has been shared in telegram groups and on Twitter saying that the people confronting the police are students of Shanghai but its authenticity cant be verified. He also says that Tian Huiyu was taken away for investigation because he gave anti-Xi remarks and belonged to the anti-Xi faction. He points out that till now Xi has taken action against four key men of Wang Qishan. The first one was Jiang Chaoliang, who was demoted from the post of party secretary of Hubei to chairman of the Hubei People's Congress. The second was businessman Ren Zhiqiang who was sentenced to jail for anti-Xi remarks. The third was Dong Hong who was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve. And now it is Tian Huiyu. He also pointed out that when Xi Jinping's men were found to have been involved in corruption, only a few were brought to justice like Zhou Jiangyong, Secretary of the Hangzhou Municipal Party Committee. Most of them are only demoted or benched like Ying Yong was made vice-chairman of the 13th National People's Congress Constitution and Law Committee after serving as a party secretary of a province (Hubei). Like Xu Liyi, Secretary of the Zhengzhou municipal Party Committee, and Wang Yongkang, the vice governor of Heilongjiang, which had clear cases of corruption but weren't investigated. He also believes that "now Xi Jinping, Wang Huning and their gang" are governing the country according to their whims and fancies. He cites the example of Wang Xiaohui, recently made secretary of the Sichuan Party Committee who had no experience in local government at all. He has been in the Central Propaganda Department all his life but just because he was under Wang Huning, and is deeply influenced by Wang Huning, he was suddenly transferred to Sichuan Province to be the party secretary. Sichuan Province is a big province. The above-mentioned change in leadership in Sichuan was the second batch of provincial party secretaries replaced by top Chinese officials in less than a month. At the end of March, the change in party leadership in Hubei, Qinghai, and Ningxia was announced. Since July 2021, about half of China's provincial party secretaries have been changed. (ANI)
"Warm greetings to FM @AHuitfeldt of Norway on her first visit to India. Her visit will give us an opportunity to further deepen our friendship and discuss cooperation in trade, investments, blue economy and beyond," Bagchi said in a Tweet.

She will be here in India from April 25-27 to take part in the Raisina Dialogue, in addition to holding bilateral talks.

Norwegian Foreign Minister will be accompanied by a business delegation, the Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi had said in a statement.

Norway cooperates with India on the ocean, clean energy, climate and the environment, among other things.

Both countries have an increasing and extensive business collaboration. In addition, Norway and India are together in the UN Security Council, the statement said.

"Norway and India share common ambitions on climate and environment. To fulfil India's goals in this area, largescale development of renewable energy and hydrogen production is required, for which the country needs foreign investment and international technology," said Huitfeldt.

"This opens up great opportunities for Norwegian business and industry and therefore a number of Norwegian companies will participate during the visit," Huitfeldt added.

In addition to participating in the Raisina Dialogue, India's annual geopolitical conference, she will also hold bilateral talks.

Norway aims to increase cooperation with India to contribute to strengthened multilateral cooperation, a strengthened international trade system and legal order, the statement said. (ANI)
The ongoing Russian-Ukraine war has posed a threat to Pakistan as an acute wheat crisis looms over the country. Most of the imports arrive from the Black Sea region, one of the four top wheat production areas. The Black Sea region is responsible for exporting about 60 million tonnes of wheat. The US suspects that due to the waging of war between Russia and Ukraine, the exports might drop by 7 million tonnes, with Ukraine wheat exports plunging from 24 million tonnes to 20 million tonnes while the Russian exports from 35 million tonnes to 32 million tonnes, as reported by Dawn newspaper. Also, the approximate digits might differ if the Russia-Ukraine war proceeds further. Pakistan accounts for 80 per cent of wheat import from the Black sea region. Hence, planning imports from there during the war might carry additional hassle. Further, the import bill of Pakistan is another imminent threat to the country. According to importers, at the current price, the country would need about USD 380 to USD 400 per tonne, which adds up to USD 380 million- USD 400 million for every million tonnes of wheat, landing the total bill approximately at USD 1.2 billion. Besides arranging a foreign exchange for imports, the government also has to subsidize it as well to keep flour affordable, reported Dawn newspaper. The current conversion rate of each maund of wheat costs around Rs 3,000 against the national rate of Rs 2,200 per maund. It indicates that the government has to put about Rs 800 subsidy in each and every maund of wheat after it is able to get 3m tonnes of wheat from somewhere in the world by importing it at the cost of precious foreign exchange. Reportedly, the Ministry of National Food Security & Research has decided to import three million tonnes of wheat to keep the next flour year easy, preventing the market from getting overheated. This decision was taken keeping in mind the account made by the Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) who estimated a yield of 26.87m tonnes against a target of 28.89m tonnes. (ANI)
Moscow [Russia], April 25 (ANI/Sputnik): Russia's newest anti-aircraft missile defense system S-500 (Prometheus) has already been put into mass production and promises to become the basis of the Russian aerospace defense system, Yan Novikov, the head of the Russian defense technology company Almaz-Antey, said on Monday. "Currently, mass production of the S-500 system has been launched based on the latest achievements in domestic science and technology. Combat capabilities of the system significantly surpass capabilities of previously created anti-aircraft missile systems and complexes. The S-500 is capable of becoming the basis of the Russian aerospace defense system. The troops will receive it within the time frame set by the state defense order," Novikov told Russian magazine National Defense. The S-500 Prometheus is a next-generation surface-to-air missile system with a range of 600 kilometers (370 miles). It is a universal high-altitude interception complex with an increased anti-missile defense capability designed for intercepting and destroying intercontinental ballistic missiles, hypersonic cruise missiles and aircraft. (ANI/Sputnik)
In an initiative by Poland and Sweden that aims to provide humanitarian support for Ukraine, an international donors' conference will be held in Warsaw, Poland on May 5. "A Polish-Swedish initiative for Ukraine: Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki and Prime Minister of Sweden Magdalena Andersson are organizing Donors' Conference in Warsaw," said a press release by the Republic of Poland. "The conference will initiate a series of aid events for war-ravaged Ukraine in the upcoming months. The conference aims to raise funds for Ukraine's growing humanitarian needs. Poland and Sweden want to encourage their partners to jointly respond to the difficult humanitarian situation in Ukraine," it added. According to the release, the event is being spearheaded by the Morawiecki and Andersson, in partnership with the President of the European Council Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. This initiative aims to provide humanitarian support for Ukraine. The meeting will be convened at the Heads of State and Government level, with the participation of global business and financial institutions' representatives. The release stated, "As a result of Russian aggression, there are civilian casualties, organized forced deportations, and the financial situation of millions of people is constantly deteriorating. Today, real solidarity is needed to effectively support Ukrainian society." According to the UN data, 13 million people living in Ukrainian territory are in need of vital humanitarian aid; including shelter, food and medical supplies, it read. It also highlighted that it is essential to mobilize immediate international aid for Ukraine, which currently covers less than 15 pc of that which is needed. On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after recognizing the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as "independent republics", three days earlier. Moscow said that the aim of its special operation is to "demilitarize" and "de-Nazify" Ukraine. (ANI)
To mark the 30 years of diplomatic relations between Israel and India, the Embassy of Israel in India unveiled a symbolic street-art mural on Monday in collaboration with Delhi Street Art to conceive and execute a wall art project. Israeli envoy to India Naor Gilon along with Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakashi Lekhi unveiled a mural at Connaught Place in Delhi, which depicts and pays tribute to Indian-Jewish actresses who made a mark in the early years of Indian cinema. According to a statement issued by the Embassy, the mural is a tribute to the deep-rooted cultural relations between Israel and India. During the event, Ambassador Naor Gilon said thanked Meenakashi Lekhi, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), and Delhi Street Art. "We hope that passersby in this corner will be inspired by these characters; women from a small community who have paved a path for other women to be bold and fearless, and left a mark on what is today, the largest film industry in the world, Bollywood," the Israeli envoy said further. "This project is one of a series of events to mark 30 years of diplomatic relations between India and Israel, but as you can see, the relations between our communities have been strong, long before," he added. Speaking at the event, Meenakashi Lekhi said that this project represents the shared history and friendship between India and Israel. "I congratulate the people of both nations as together we celebrate 75 years of India's independence and 30 years of our diplomatic relations", the MoS said. The mural was designed by Delhi Street Art's founder Yogesh Saini and his team of artists. It took them seven days to prepare the art. "This mural is the fruition of several months of conceptualising, planning and designing. Both India and Israel have been blessed with empowered women in every professional field. We have chosen to represent some of these trendsetting women from the early days of Indian cinema who brought the best of both cultures to the silver screen," Yogesh Saini founder of Delhi Street Art said at the event. Through the artwork, three prominent Indian-Jewish actresses who made a mark in the Indian cinematic history include - Esther Victoria Abraham- Pramila, Sulochana - Ruby Myers and Nadira- Florence Ezekiel. (ANI)
Pakistan had recently conducted airstrikes in the Spera district of the southeastern Khost province in which 47 civilians were killed and more than 20 wounded, Khaama Press reported.

The Pakistani airstrikes prompted a series of protests across the country. Protestors and authorities in Afghanistan said these strikes were in violation of the country's sovereignty.

People held anti-Pakistan banners and chanted slogans against the country.

Speaking at his late father and the founder of the Taliban Mullah Muhammad Omar Mujahid's anniversary, the Defence Minister said, they (Taliban) tolerated Pakistan's airstrikes for the sake of national interests but will not keep quiet next time.

"Afghanistan is still facing big challenges both from the world and neighbouring countries, a clear example of the latter is the recent invasion of Pakistan in Khost and Kunar provinces. We are both responsible for protecting our country but also our people." Khaama Press reported, quoting the Taliban Minister.

"We tolerated the invasion this time for our national interest and next time we might not do so." He further added.

Taliban led Defense Ministry called the attack tyrannical and warned that no country should provoke Afghanistan. (ANI)
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Monday held discussions on bilateral cooperation across various fields with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and also exchanged views on current regional and international issues ahead of the Raisina Dialogue. Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar wrote, "So nice to welcome Armenian FM @AraratMirzoyan in India. Much progress since my visit there last October. Discussed trade, connectivity, culture and training cooperation. Also exchanged views on current regional and international issues." The Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday said that Armenian Foreign Affairs Minister Ararat Mirzoyan's visit will further advance bilateral cooperation between India and Armenia. Taking to Twitter, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "Glad to welcome FM @AraratMirzoyan (Ararat Mirzoyan) of Armenia in New Delhi. His visit will further advance our bilateral cooperation. Looking forward to hearing his views at #Raisina2022." The Armenian FM is in the national capital to attend the Raisina Dialogue scheduled from April 25-27. The Raisina Dialogue 2022, based on the theme "Terranova- Impassioned, Impatient, Imperilled", will be modelled along six thematic pillars --Rethinking Democracy: trade, technology and ideology; End of Multilateralism: a networked global order; Water Caucuses: turbulent tides in the Indo-Pacific; Communities Inc: first responders to health, development, and planet; Achieving Green Transitions: common imperative, diverging realities; Samson vs Goliath: the persistent and relentless technology wars. The Raisina Dialogue, which started in 2016, is India's flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics committed to address the most challenging issues facing the global community. The conference is organised by MEA in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF). The dialogue, which was held virtually last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held in the in-person format this year, informed Bagchi. "Raisina Dialogue 2022 will have around 100 sessions with over 210 speakers from 90 countries. There will also be the side events that will be hosted in Berlin and Washington. Raisina's young fellows' programme will also be conducted on the sidelines of this main conference," said Bagchi. Meanwhile, the EU President Ursula von der Leyen who arrived in India for a two-day official visit on Sunday has also been invited as the Chief Guest for this year's edition of Raisina Dialogue and will address the inaugural session on Monday. (ANI)
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting blocked 16 YouTube news channels including 10 Indian and 6 Pakistan-based channels for spreading disinformation related to India's national security, foreign relations, and public order. According to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, YouTube channels were spreading false, unverified information to create panic, incite communal disharmony, and disturb public order in India. The blocked social media accounts include six Pakistan-based and 10 India-based YouTube news channels, having a cumulative viewership of over 68 crore. None of the digital news publishers had furnished information to the Ministry as required under rule 18 of the IT Rules, 2021, the government said. The ministry said that the content published by some of the India-based YouTube channels referred to a community as terrorists, and incited hatred among the members of various religious communities. Such content was found to have the potential to create communal disharmony, and disturb public order. Moreover highlighting the content published by Indian YouTube channels, the release stated, "Examples include false claims related to the announcement of a pan-India lockdown due to COVID-19 thereby threatening the migrant workers, and fabricated claims alleging threats to certain religious communities, etc. Such content was observed to be detrimental to public order in the country." As per the release, multiple India-based YouTube channels were observed to publish unverified news and videos having the potential to create panic among various sections of the society. YouTube channels based in Pakistan were found to have been used in a coordinated manner to post fake news about India on various subjects such as the Indian Army, Jammu, and Kashmir, and India's foreign relations in the light of the situation in Ukraine among others, it said. The content of these channels was observed to be completely false, and sensitive from the perspective of national security, sovereignty, and integrity of India, and India's friendly relations with foreign States, it added. (ANI)
Afghan refugees protested outside the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Islamabad as they seek the distribution of immigration cards to expedite their registration. The asylum seekers claim that they have repeatedly contacted the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Islamabad but have not received clear answers, reported TOLOnews. "They have been waiting for six to eight months with their families and children, with the current high price of living in Islamabad. It is very difficult to get a house," said a protestor. "The Afghan protest with the slogan 'kill us' has reached the fifth day. On the third day, a number of UN representatives came and saw our problems up close," another protestor added. According to TOLOnews, many of the Afghan refugees who flew to neighbouring nations seeking shelters after the Taliban takeover last August encountered atrocities as many do not have the legal documents or visas. "For the past six months, we have been given a token, which is a piece of paper. it has no legal privileges and we have not received any human and humanitarian privileges," one of the protesting asylum seekers said. Since the Taliban's return to power in August last year, Afghanistan's situation has only deteriorated as serious human rights violations continue unabated. Earlier, UNHCR has asked the European Union to accept 42,500 Afghans over five years but the request was resisted by the countries. (ANI)
The Afghan Ministry of Finance has shut down all markets in border areas to prevent the illegal import of commodities into the country, local media reported. According to the Afghanistan Chamber of Industry and Mines (ACIM), the closure of the border markets will put an end to the import of goods, especially commodities, illegally to Afghanistan, reported The Frontier Post, as cited by Tolo News. Ahmad Wali Haqmal, a finance ministry spokesperson also agreed to the decision of the MoF cabinet stating that some people were taking advantage of the border markets to import commodities illegally. According to Frontier Post, the deputy head of the ACIM, Sakhi Ahmad Payman said that "The closure of the border markets is a good step and will benefit Afghanistan because previously commodities were imported illegally through these markets and there was no quality control on them." But, on the contrary, a member of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) expressed his disappointment, saying that there were almost 400 people working in the markets and that the closure of these markets would cause further problems to the people residing in the bordering regions. As per Khan Jan Alokozai, a member of the ACCI, "These markets were established for the people living alongside borders because they cannot travel to cities to do shopping." The items in the border markets had no tax or tariff imposed upon them. (ANI)
Several human rights experts have raised their voices against the violation of rights in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, especially against the minorities in the country. Washington DC-based non-profit Organization "Free Afghanistan" has organized a congressional briefing and podium discussion on the topic "Banning of Afghan Women's Education and other human rights violations under the Taliban". "Free Afghanistan" is an organization whose existence is inspired by a brutal attack of the terrorist in Dasht-e-Barche Maternity hospital in Kabul on May 12, 2020. Pointing out the atrocities in Afghanistan, especially against the minorities in the country, Khalida Nawabi who is the Founder of "Free Afghanistan" movement said: "Taliban are the Human rights violators and are very much a terrorist group sponsored by Pakistan." She explained the history of women's education in Afghanistan and requested the international community and the USA to pressurize the Taliban to let the girls go to school. She declared "Free Afghanistan" as the voice of Afghan women in the United States of America. While Joe Clark, the director of Free Afghanistan Inc. reminded the audience that the US government should not have abandoned its allies in Afghanistan. "America has an obligation to protect the Afghan people, as promised in 2001 when the US invaded Afghanistan. He also sought support for the resistance against the Taliban," he said. Briefing the gathering on the Human Rights violations in Afghanistan, Habiba Ashana, the Director of Liberty Collation USA emphasized the need to pressurize the Taliban by the International Community and the US to restart the girls' education. Arthur Dewey Gene, former Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration explained the importance of empowering women and the power of education in Afghanistan. Sabir Naser, US in charge of Afghan National Resistance Front said that the Afghan people at present need support from all quarters. Afghanistan people have suffered and are victims of war at the hands of the Taliban. Women's rights are not being respected. He voiced strong support for Afghan women. The Congressional briefing was also addressed by Khalida Nawabi, Founder of the Free Afghanistan movement, Arthur Dewey Gene, former Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration, Mehbooba, Director of Media, Free Afghanistan Inc, Naser Sabir, US in charge of Afghan National Resistance Front, Joe clark, Director of Free Afghanistan Inc. and Habiba Ashna, Founder of The Liberty Coalition. (ANI)
Irans close relations with the Russian Federation, along with Tehrans efforts to maintain relations with Ukraine, have complicated Irans approach to Russias military invasion of Ukraine. Although Iran has not recognized the independence of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples Republics, it simultaneously has not criticized the attack and abstained from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russias invasion of Ukraine. While Tehran, like Russia, opposes NATO enlargement, it is concerned over possible negative implications of the war for the talks on Irans nuclear program.

BACKGROUND: Unlike Syria, Iran did not recognize Russias annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in March 2014. Notably, Evgeny Fedorov, who represents the United Russia party in the State Duma, wrote a letter to the Iranian parliament in November 2016, urging Iran to become the seventh country to recognize the annexation of Crimea. Syria responded in the affirmative only a week after Russia announced Crimeas annexation, however, the Iranian parliament did not respond to the letter, effectively demonstrating that it respects Ukraines territorial integrity and opposes changes to its borders. Despite its close relations with Russia, Iran also has not recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia from Georgia. However, when the UN General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution declaring Crimeas Moscow-backed referendum on seceding from Ukraine invalid, with 100 votes in favor, 11 against and 58 abstentions in the 193-nation assembly, the Iranian representative was absent. Iran thus refrained from either publicly agreeing to or opposing Russias annexation of Crimea.

Between the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the start of the current war in Ukraine in 2022, Iran-Russia relations developed significantly, including close military and intelligence cooperation between the two countries in Syria, numerous meetings between Iranian and Russian leaders and senior officials, and the signing of a preferential trade agreement between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union. Russia also agreed to back Irans full membership in the SCO and paved the way for a 20-year cooperation agreement between Iran and Russia. Under these circumstances, it has become difficult for Iran to take a balanced approach to Russia and Ukraine. On the one hand, Iran did not recognize the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in February 2022, while Irans close ally Syria took a different approach. At the 11th Middle East Conference of the Valdai discussion club in Moscow on February 22, 2022, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad proclaimed that Syria supported the decision by Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk peoples republics and called it a historic milestone.

On the other hand, Iran has not explicitly condemned Russias military attack on Ukraine and has declared the Western world, especially NATO and the U.S., to be the root cause of the Ukraine crisis. Tehran has also stressed that it does not agree with the war and hopes that it will be resolved through dialogue. Iran abstained from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russias invasion of Ukraine and urging the immediate withdrawal of troops in an emergency session of the UN General Assembly on March 2, 2022. As put by Hamidreza Azizi, visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, generally speaking, Iran never condemns Russias foreign aggressions, but at the same time, never recognizes the territories Moscow brings under control either.

IMPLICATIONS: In order to understand the complexities and considerations of Irans position toward the war in Ukraine, three points should be considered. First, Iran, like Russia, strongly opposes the expansion of NATOs borders to the east and the deployment of NATO and U.S. forces and military bases in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and other areas around Iran. Tehran views this as a direct threat to Irans national security. For this reason, Iran has considered NATO and the U.S. to be the main factor in provoking Russia and intensifying the crisis and the war. In this regard, Iran blames U.S.-led NATO provocations for the Ukraine crisis and in a statement posted on Twitter; Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the crisis was rooted in the NATO provocations. Moreover, Iranian government spokesperson Ali Bahadori Jahromi tweeted that security concerns about the growing and provocative expansion of NATO eastward are understandable to all independent countries that are opposed to US hegemony. Irans position on the war in Ukraine is thus very similar to that of Russia.

Second, an important issue is the impact of the war on Irans nuclear talks in Vienna, which is in the final and critical stages. Tehran seeks to insulate the issue of Irans nuclear program from tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine. Russias envoy to the Iran nuclear talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, stated that the Ukraine crisis had nothing to do with talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA). Likewise, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the conflict with Russia would not affect negotiations with Iran.

In practice, however, Russias approach has shown that this is not the case, and the Ukraine war indeed has affected Irans nuclear talks. Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that We want an answer  we need a guarantee that these sanctions [imposed on Russia after its attack on Ukraine] will not in any way touch the regime of trade-economic and investment relations which is laid down in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Russias new stance was widely criticized by the U.S., UK, France and Germany who are all involved in the nuclear talks with Iran. Under these circumstances, Iran seeks to prevent the interruption of the nuclear talks and final agreements through diplomatic consultations with Moscow. While Russia does not appear interested in undermining the JCPOA as a whole, dragging out the talks could serve Russias interests by providing it with leverage over the West, whereas the U.S. and its partners in Vienna are motivated to move quickly to finalize a deal with Iran.

Third, Russias attack on Ukraine has also created opportunities as well as challenges for Iran in terms of economy and trade. Rising prices of cereals, especially wheat and oilseeds, and the reduced exports of these products from Ukraine are affecting Iranian consumers. However, the rise in global oil prices as an effect of the war creates opportunities for Iran, which will be able to increase its exports if the nuclear talks are concluded and U.S. sanctions are lifted. Iran is expected to increase its daily exports by approximately one million barrels if sanctions are lifted. Indeed, Iran currently have large quantities of oil awaiting export. Therefore, an agreement in Vienna and the lifting of sanctions could help stabilize the oil market and offer Europe alternatives to Russian hydrocarbons. The West would welcome this development while Russia opposes it. However, Iran will realistically not be able to replace Russian gas exports to Europe in the short term. If U.S. sanctions against Iran are lifted and Irans gas export capacity is expanded, Iran could meet part of Europe's need for imported gas, but getting these preconditions in place will take time.

CONCLUSIONS: Irans official news agency IRNA stated that Irans stance toward Russia and the Ukraine crisis is Neither War, Nor Dominance and according to Foreign Minister Abdollahian, the Islamic Republic is closely monitoring developments in Ukraine with serious concern. However, in practice the close relations between Iran and the Russian Federation, in parallel with Tehrans efforts to maintain relations with Ukraine, have complicated Irans approach to Russias invasion of Ukraine. The war in Ukraine is simultaneously in Irans favor in terms of rising oil and gas prices, and to its detriment in terms of the negative effects on the nuclear talks.

AUTHORS BIO: Dr. Vali Kaleji is an expert on Central Asia and Caucasian Studies based in Tehran, Iran.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is slated to publish its annual report on international religious freedom on April 25 but some key influential officials of the USCIRF have been seen on the platforms of IAMC, an Islamist group, and Jamaat-linked organizations which have been peddling the anti-India narratives in the US, says a report by Disinfo Lab. USCIRF has in recent years become critical of India and even deems the country as a majority-religion ruling state, with no concern about the human rights and Muslim minority communities. However, many are not acquainted with the driving forces behind the why US Federal commission maligning India in its reports. According to a recent report published by Disinfo lab, an independent OSINT based research organization, it was from 2013-14 USCIRF has been under the targeted lobbying influence of the Islamist group Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), whose founder Shaik Ubaid was once enjoying a leading role at the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), which is the off-shoot organization of Jamaat-e-Islami (Pakistan), in the US. IAMC had been in the Indian news cycle not once but on numerous occasions. In December 2021, it was slapped with the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act (UAPA) for spreading fake news and instigating communal disharmony during Tripura violence, and also time and again reinforced the narrative of oppression of minorities in India. IAMC was also in the headlines for inviting the former Vice President of India Hamid Ansari on the occasion of India's Republic Day which created a lot of buzz in the media. Shaik Ubaid, along with the IAMC has been working with the influential members of USCIRF including its Chair Nadine Maenza to get India listed as CPC since 2013-14. The first effort by IAMC was seen when IAMC had hired a lobbying group Fidelis Government Relations and its President Terry Allen for USD 55K for lobbying the USCIRF to get India blacklisted. The lobbying efforts were apparent when the USCIRF started using the Pakistan-approved map of India which excluded Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Arunachal Pradesh in 2014. Incidentally, Terry Allen and Nadine Maenza once worked together for the Republican candidate Rick Santorum during the 2016 presidential campaign and even shared an organization "Patriot Voices" with Nadine as its President. Nadine was instated in USCIRF in 2018 as commissioner which the IAMC founder Shaik Ubaid claims were due to his efforts. Apart from a critical stand on India, Nadine also shares a company 'Hardwired Global' with Angana Chatterji, an anthropologist and historian, and a close aide of the ISI-mole Ghulam Nabi Fai. Revelation by Disinfo Lab has unearthed that Chatterji was a frequent participant of Fai's events held in Washington on Kashmir which were sponsored by the ISI. In 2011, Fai was convicted of concealing the transfer of USD 3.5 mn from the ISI to the US via straw donors following the investigations by the FBI. Anurima Bhargava, the commissioner of USCIRF is also a prominent player of flourishing the agenda to blemish India's image over religious freedom. Anurima is a member of the Open Society Foundation, founded by George Soros, a staunch critic of nationalism ideology, and countries like India, Russia, and China. Another key USCIRF member who drafted the 2020 annual report of the USCIRF that enlisted India as CPC is Harrison Akins, who was the 'Senior Policy Analyst for South Asia' in the 2020 Report of USCIRF. Akins was the Ibn Khaldun's Chair and a Research Fellow at American University's School of International Services and is the protege of the Pakistani diplomat and former Pakistani High Commissioner to UK Akbar Ahmed. These key influential officials of the USCIRF have been seen on the platforms of the IAMC and Jamaat-linked organizations 'Burma Task Force' and 'Justice For All'which "have not only been peddling the anti-India narratives in the US but also lobbied the USCIRF against India between 2018-2020". In 2018, Burma Task Force collected Zakat in the name of helping Rohingyas and subsequently hired the same Fidelis Government Relations to lobby the USCIRF against India by paying USD 267K. As a result, USCIRF has been downgrading India under the negative trajectory under CPC. Importantly, Burma Task Force is run by Justice for All, which in turn is powered by a Chicago-based multimedia company Sound Vision. Sound Vision was founded in 1988 by the Jamaat front ICNA. Interestingly, JFA and Sound Vision's founder Abdul Malik Mujahid was the Ameer (head) of ICNA, while Shaik Ubaid was its secretary-general. To give prominence to ICNA's connection with Jamaat-e-Islami, Abdul Malik Mujahid was the head of the student wing of JeI, i.e., Jamiat-e-Talaba between 1975-and 77. ICNA's magazine 'The Message International' glorified Syed Salahuddin, the designated terrorist and head of the terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen in the separation cause of Kashmir from India. Other key members of the ICNA included the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war criminal Ashraffuzaman Khan, who leads the Queen's chapter of the ICNA NY. Recently, US Secretary Antony Blinken stated that the US was monitoring the rise in human rights abuse in India. However, as a push back, India's External Affairs Minsiter S Jaishankar also showed concerns about rising human rights violations in the US. The "bipartisan federal government entity that monitors, analyzes, and reports on threats to religious freedom" had flagged India as a 'Country of Particular Concern' (CPC) in its annual reports in 2020 and 2021 consecutively. Exposing the path-breaking nexus by the Disinfo Lab, it still remains to be seen whether the USCIRF, with much penetration of the anti-India Pan Islamist groups, continues to put India under the CPC when it publishes its 2022 annual report on April 25. (ANI)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that strengthening and energising its partnership with India is a priority in the upcoming decades, noting that the core principles that underpin peace and security across the world are at stake. "We all see rising challenges to our open and free societies. This is true for the technological and the economic domain. But it's also true for security. The reality is that the core principles that underpin peace and security across the world are at stake," the EU chief said highlighting the challenges that the democracies are facing currently. "As vibrant democracies, India-EU share fundamental values and common interests. Together, we believe in each country's right to determine its own destiny. We believe in the rule of law and fundamental rights. We believe, that it's democracy that best delivers for citizens," EU President said at the seventh edition of the Raisina Dialogue. "Democracy was born more than 2,000 years ago in Europe. But today, its largest home is in India. For the European Union's strengthening and energising, its partnership with India is a priority in the upcoming decade," she added. Highlighting the fact that for the European Union, strengthening and energising its partnership with India is a priority in the upcoming decades, she said, "Both the economies thrive in the world of common rules in a fair competition. We share the same interest and safe trading routes, seamless supply chains, and a free-and open Indo-Pacific." Explaining that the war in Ukraine will have an impact on Indo-Pacific, Ursula von der Leyen said,"Borders should be respected, spheres of influence should be rejected". Taking on China and Russia indirectly, European Commission President said, "If we consider what it means for Europe and Asia, Russia and China have forged seemingly unrestrained pact. They've declared that friendship between them has no limits, no forbidden areas of cooperation. It was in Feb this year. Then, the invasion of Ukraine followed." The EU President called on "all members of the international community for lasting peace" and reiterated that "this is a defining moment and the discussion at Raisina Dialogue will shape" the world. "In Europe, we see Russia's aggression as a direct threat to our security. We'll make sure that unprovoked-unjustified aggression against Ukraine will be a strategic failure. Doing all we can to help Ukraine fight for its freedom. We imposed effective sanctions," she said. "We'll continue to encourage Beijing to play its part in a peaceful and thriving Indo-Pacific region. The relationship between EU and China is strategically important and challenging. All at once, China is a negotiating partner, an economic competitor and a systemic rival," she continued saying. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, European Commission President and other dignitaries were present at the inaugural session of Raisina Dialogue 2022. The Raisina Dialogue 2022, based on the theme "Terranova- Impassioned, Impatient, Imperilled", will be modelled along six thematic pillars --Rethinking Democracy: trade, technology and ideology; End of Multilateralism: a networked global order; Water Caucuses: turbulent tides in the Indo-Pacific; Communities Inc: first responders to health, development, and planet; Achieving Green Transitions: common imperative, diverging realities; Samson vs Goliath: the persistent and relentless technology wars. The Raisina Dialogue, which started in 2016, is India's premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. The conference is organised by MEA in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF). The dialogue, which was held virtually last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held in in-person format this year. "Raisina Dialogue 2022 will have around 100 sessions with over 210 speakers from 90 countries. There will be side events that will be hosted in Berlin and Washington. Raisina young fellows programme will also be conducted on the sidelines of this main conference," MEA Spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi has said. (ANI)
Washington [US], April 25 (ANI/Xinhua): US President Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate Bridget Brink for U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, a vacant post since May 2019. The announcement on Monday by the White House came shortly after Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held a press conference at an undisclosed location near the Polish-Ukrainian border following a secrecy-shrouded visit to Kiev, where they met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Blinken told reporters he shared with Zelensky "a number of things" the United States is committed to regarding Ukraine in its military conflict with Russia, "including President Biden's intent to nominate a new ambassador to Ukraine, Ambassador Bridget Brink." Blinken described Brink, a Michigan native appointed by former President Donald Trump to serve as the US ambassador to Slovakia in August 2019, as "deeply experienced in the region, who'll be a very strong representative for the United States in Ukraine." The United States has been without a Senate-confirmed ambassador to Ukraine since May 2019, when Trump recalled then-Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch over claims she was undermining the former president's efforts to press Ukraine to investigate the Biden family's business ties with the country. Blinken also said US diplomats, who left Ukraine due to the war, will return to the country next week and "start the process of looking at how we actually reopen" the US embassy in Kiev, which ceased operation in the lead-up to Russia's military operation in Ukraine. (ANI/Xinhua)
At the inaugural session of the 6th Raisina Dialogue, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar hailed the European Union and commended it for approaching global challenges with a much sharper strategic awareness. Jaishankar highlighted that the personal leadership of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was largely responsible for the impetus given to the initiatives designed to take India-EU ties to the next level. He hailed the India-EU Trade and Technology Council and said, "This coordination mechanism will facilitate our working together on expanded trade on trusted technologies and on security." "The European Union has already articulated an Indo-Pacific and a connectivity strategy that contributes to our convergence. Our climate action, digital and other conversations are getting increasingly serious. The EU is approaching the global challenges with a much sharper strategic awareness," he added. Jaishankar also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for steering the India-EU partnership. "In 2015, you gave us the task of creating a Make in India, Make for the World platform to debate contemporary issues. This reflected both your confidence in shaping the global agenda as well as in the strength of our summoning powers. It would express the rebalancing on the multipolarity that characterizes our times. This dialogue has brought the most successful of our many responses to your call," he said. "Seven years later, we have today in our midst, 1,200 participants drawn from nine nations ready to hear 100 panelists and conversations. The Raisina Dialogue is among the best in its class," he added. He said that among the geographies that are partners in this endeavour (Raisina Dialogue) 'Europe has clearly stood out'. He further recalled that the EU Chief and Prime Minister were the co-chairs of the 27+1 EU summit in May 2021 that has set new directions for India-EU partnerships. Jaishankar expressed his gratitude to the EU chief for setting the tone for deliberations and noted that PM Modi remains an inspiration for this India-EU dialogue. European Commission President, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar and other dignitaries were present at the inaugural session of Raisina Dialogue 2022. The Raisina Dialogue 2022, based on the theme "Terranova- Impassioned, Impatient, Imperilled", is being modelled along six thematic pillars --Rethinking Democracy: trade, technology, and ideology; End of Multilateralism: a networked global order; Water Caucuses: turbulent tides in the Indo-Pacific; Communities Inc: first responders to health, development, and planet; Achieving Green Transitions: common imperative, diverging realities; Samson vs Goliath: the persistent and relentless technology wars. The Raisina Dialogue, which started in 2016, is India's premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. The conference is organized by MEA in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF). The dialogue, which was held virtually last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is being held in in-person format this year. (ANI)
Addressing reporters in Owerri, the state capital, Ifeanyi Nnaji, head of the National Emergency Management Agency's operations office in Imo, said the remains of more victims have been recovered near the scene of the blast in a forest in the Egbema local government area, and that more victims died in hospital.

Arrangements are being made to carry out a mass burial of the deceased, he said.

Nnaji called for enabling environment for genuine business to flourish in the oil-producing communities in Imo and to discourage youths from engaging in illegal activities.

He also urged oil companies in the area to help the government create jobs for their host communities.

In a statement issued on Sunday, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the country's armed forces, security and intelligence agencies to intensify the clampdown on illegal refineries to safeguard the lives of citizens. (ANI/Xinhua)
Amid China's funding to Myanmar's junta, resistance forces have given a collective warning to the Chinese-run copper mines in Salingyi to halt their operations and join the civil disobedience movement (CDM) by May 5. Salingyi is home to the Chinese-run Letpadaung, Sapetaung, and Kyesintaung copper mines and resistance groups in Salingyi and Yinmabin are raising their voice against the joint ventures of China and Myanmar's military, reported The irrawaddy. People are displaying their dismay with China and Myanmar's junta collaboration as they continue to fight to uproot the dictatorship. The resistance groups said they will attack all sources of funding for the dictatorship with any means. In January, resistance fighters blew up electricity pylons supplying the China-backed Tagaung Taung nickel-processing plant in Sagaing Region, which forced production to halt. Since the coup, Chinese projects have been largely safe despite the resistance forces' attacks on police and soldiers guarding some Chinese projects. But the collective announcement on Thursday was the first open warning to Chinese projects in the country. The three Chinese mines are run by Wanbao Mining, Ltd. and its two subsidiaries, Myanmar Wanbao Mining Copper, Ltd. and Myanmar Yang Tse Copper, Ltd. in partnership with the military-owned Myanma Economic Holdings Ltd, as per the media outlet. A report by Publish What You Pay Australia, a coalition of 30 organizations campaigning for transparency and accountability in the extractive industries, said that the Chinese-backed mines were financially propping up the junta. The report, How Chinese Mining Investment Funds the Myanmar Military, released in November last year, said the Chinese-run Letpadaung, Sapetaung and Kyesintaung, and Tagaung Taung mines in Sagaing paid an estimated USD 725 million to the military during the 2020-21 financial year. Wanbao is a subsidiary of the Chinese state-owned defense firm China North Industries Corporation. In July 2021, the US sanctioned Wanbao Mining and its entities for supporting Myanmar's military regime. (ANI)
New Delhi [India], April 25 (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday kickstarted the 7th edition of the annual Raisina Dialogue where ideas defining the emerging global realities, challenges, and solutions will be discussed. The Raisina Dialogue, which is being held between April 25 and April 27, is India's flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics. It is a forum that brings together India's friends and partners-seeking common ground where there are divergences and encouraging further collaboration in areas of convergence. Hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, the Dialogue, since its inception in 2016, has been committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. Every year, leaders in politics, business, media, and civil society converge in New Delhi to discuss the state of the world and explore opportunities for cooperation on a wide range of contemporary matters. This year, participants from about 100 countries have gathered at this ideas arena to share their unique perspectives, concerns, and experiences that are essential for charting important pathways, building consensus, and strengthening communities for our common future. This dialogue, a joint endeavor between the Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation, has become a venue for conversations among global leaders and thinkers across government, business, media, civil society, and academia. The theme for this year's Raisina Dialogue, " Terra Nova: Impassioned, Impatient, and Imperilled," seeks to interrogate the responses to all three watersheds. India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the Raisina Dialogue, since 2016, has emerged as a purposive platform to discuss pressing geopolitical issues of our times. At the event, Ursula von der Leyen, President of, European Commission, said criticized the attack by Russia on Ukraine, saying it is against "core principles of UN Charter". Leyen said the core principles that underpin the peace and security across the world are at "stake". In Asia as well as in Europe, she said, the images coming from Russia's attack on Ukraine have shocked the world. Referring to her visit two weeks ago in Ukraine, Leyen said "I saw with my own eyes, the bodies lined up on the ground. I saw the mass graves. I saw the scars of bombs on schools, residential houses, and hospitals. These are severe violations of international law". "Targeting and killing innocent civilians, rejoin borders by force, subjugating the will of free people goes against the core principles enshrined in the UN Charter," Leyen said. In Europe, she later mentioned, "We see Russia's aggression as a direct threat to our security. We will make sure that the unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine will be a strategic failure. This is why we are doing what we can to help Ukraine to fight for freedom. This is why we need to impose massive sharp and effective sanctions." Leyen later urged all members of the international community to support the efforts of the European Union for lasting peace. She further said "Russia and China have a pact" and it seems declared that the friendship between the two countries has "no limits". "They are no forbidden areas of cooperation. This was in February this year. And then, invasion of Ukraine followed," Leyen said. The President of the European Commission asked "what can be expected from the new International relations that both have called for". Noting that it is the "final moment" and the "decisions in these days will shape decades to come", she said: "Our response to Russia's aggression today will decide the future of both the international system and the global economy." She said, "What happened in Ukraine will have an impact on the Indo-Pacific region. It already has". "Rising prices of grain, energy, and fertilizers as a direct result of Putin's (Russian President Vladimir Putin) war of choice. Thus the outcome of the war," She said. "We are not only determined the future of Europe but also deeply affected the Indo-Pacific region and the rest of the world," said the President of the European Commission. "For the Indo-Pacific region, it is as important as for Europe, the borders are respected, and the fears of influence are rejected. We want a positive vision for a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region as this region is home to half of the world's population and 60 percent of the global GDP (Gross Domestic Product)," She said. "Our vision is that the Indo-Pacific region remains free and open, and becomes more interconnected, prosperous, secure, and resilient." To this end, she said, we will deepen our engagements with our partners in the region, including Asia. (ANI)
Expressing the view that strengthening the supply chain is a new need in today's world, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that both India and Singapore believe in democratic governance and India looks forward to working more closely with Singapore during Singapore's coordinating role in the ASEAN-India dialogue relationship.In the ongoing bilateral talks between the two nations to strengthen the economic ties, Birla appreciated the positive role played by Singapore in promoting ASEAN-India relations while labelling the new Parliament Building as the flagbearer of hopes and aspirations of New India in the 21st century. Birla expressed confidence that the construction work of the new Parliament building would be completed soon and the next winter session would be held in the new Parliament House. He further added that the new Parliament Building will realize the hopes and aspirations of New India in the 21st century. During the bilateral meeting with Tan Chuan-Jin, Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore, Birla told Chuan-Jin that both India and Singapore believe in regular dialogues between the parliamentarians of democratic countries to strengthen democracy and effective functioning of democratic institutions. Expressing happiness that Singapore has a large number of Indian nationals working and Singapore has traditionally recognized the talent and hard work of people of Indian origin, Birla hoped that there would be no adverse policy changes for Indians in Singapore's Work Pass Framework. Birla appreciated the positive role played by Singapore in promoting ASEAN-India relations and expressed the view that the ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership has been given a boost during Singapore's Presidency in 2018. Noting that discussions are taking place between the two countries to further strengthen the economic ties in the changing context, Birla expressed the view that strengthening the supply chain is a new need in today's world, read the statement by the Government of India. Birla mentioned that India's rapidly growing economy, skilled and affordable manpower, and the dynamic market system can provide new opportunities for prosperity and growth for Singaporean companies. In this context, he said that our goal is that India should become an important part of the world supply chain. Referring to the previous visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Singapore, Birla said that after that visit Fintech was identified as an important area of cooperation. He stressed that we should take advantage of the new opportunities in this area. Indian Parliamentary Delegation led by Birla held a bilateral meeting with Tan Chuan-Jin, Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore on the fifth day of their South East Asia tour, today. The delegation included Ravneet Singh, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha); Saroj Pandey, MP (Rajya Sabha); Locket Chatterjee, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha); Sarmistha Sethi, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha); Dr Santanu Sen, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and Utpal Kumar Singh, General Secretary, Lok Sabha. (ANI)
With the Pakistan government being led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, brother and Former PM Nawaz Sharif has been issued a new passport that will enable him to travel to the country, reported local media outlet citing sources. The former prime minister's new passport is valid for 10 years till April 2032. The passport's status is "active" as per the evidence shared by a trusted source and it is not diplomatic but "ordinary". This is a key development as ousted PM Imran Khan's government had refused to renew Nawaz's passport after it expired in February last year. Official documents, seen by the media outlet, show that Nawaz's passport was issued in Islamabad on April 23, 2022, at 2:49pm (PST). The nature of the passport is "ordinary", and it was made in the "urgent" category, according to the available evidence. A 'credible' source of the outlet said that Nawaz's appointment for fingerprints at Pakistan High Commission was set for April 23, at Pakistan High Commission London, but it was cancelled the last time. The reason behind the appointment's cancellation is not clear. Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah, who sworn-in last week in the Shehbaz cabinet, said that a diplomatic passport was Nawaz's Sharif right and it would be issued to him. "It is unfortunate that a person who has been prime minister three times is being deprived of national citizenship," he added. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had Monday dismissed a petition challenging the possible issuance of a diplomatic passport to Nawaz. The court dismissed the petition stating that it is "based on unreliable material and is, therefore, frivolous". The PML-N supremo was granted an eight-week bail on medical grounds in October 2019, and a month later, he was allowed to travel abroad for treatment for four weeks but he is still in London to date, reported the media outlet. Imran Khan had been slamming Nawaz for going abroad for treatment. Earlier in February, the ousted PM noted that letting the PML-N supremo leave Pakistan was a "major mistake" of his government. (ANI)
Afghan diaspora in the United States, under the banner of "Free Afghanistan", organized a protest in front of the White House against the Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan. Days after the April 16 airstrikes in Afghanistan by neighboring Pakistan, the protests were organized on Saturday. Airstrikes by the Pakistan military in the Khost and Kunar provinces of Afghanistan killed a number of civilians and escalated the already simmering tensions between the two countries. Speakers included prominent diaspora members Nisar Ahmad and Sharifullah Sharafat, a prominent Afghan social worker in DC. They condemned Pakistan's 'direct invasion' of Afghanistan in form of airstrikes in Khost and Kunar. They also condemned fomenting of Hazara Genocide by Pakistan and its mercenaries. Speakers appealed to US Administration and the world community to intervene at the earliest and stop supporting the 'terrorist state' of Pakistan. While sporadic cross-border shelling has killed Afghan civilians for years, the casualties due to the strikes mark a significant exacerbation in violence and the use of military force by Pakistani authorities as the strikes drew immediate criticism from Taliban officials, who said that Pakistani military aircraft carried out the airstrikes. "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns Pakistan's attacks on refugees in Khost and Kunar. IEA calls on the Pakistani side not to test the patience of Afghans on such issues and not repeat the same mistake again otherwise it will have bad consequences," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement on Twitter. Mujahid added that the problems between the two countries should be resolved through political means. According to a statement from Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Taliban also summoned Pakistan's ambassador in Kabul to express their disapproval of the attacks and give him a diplomatic demarche to deliver to Islamabad. However, Pakistani officials have not yet confirmed the strikes and instead urged the Taliban to curb increasing cross-border attacks from Afghanistan on their security forces. "Pakistan has repeatedly requested Afghan Government in last few months to secure Pak-Afghan border region. Terrorists are using Afghan soil with impunity to carry out activities inside Pakistan," the media outlet quoted Pakistan's foreign office as saying in a statement earlier. Notably, since the Taliban's takeover in Afghanistan last year, the country's eastern border with Pakistan has been a source of increasing tension between the two countries as Pakistani officials have claimed frequent attacks in Pakistan by militants harbored on Afghan soil. However, Taliban officials have refuted such reports of sheltering militants. (ANI)
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New York [US], April 25 (ANI/Sputnik): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke with US officials before heading to Russia and Ukraine, deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said on Monday. "Not with the President," Haq told a briefing. "He has been speaking to senior US officials and indeed many other senior officials by phone in recent days." (ANI/Sputnik)
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar chose the Maldives for his first overseas visit, emphasising the significance of the bilateral partnership between the two countries as India-Maldives share common perspectives on maritime security issues. During his three-day visit, Admiral Hari Kumar called on President Ibrahim Mohamad Solih, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid, and Defence Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi, besides the Chief of Defence Force, Major General Abdulla Shamaal to boost cooperation between the Indian Navy and Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) in the area of maritime information, maritime domain awareness, bilateral maritime agreements, and capacity-building initiatives. Mariya Didi thanked India for providing swift, unconditional support to the island nation at all times and highlighted that the India-Maldives defence partnership is at its pinnacle, Policy Research Group reported. The Maldives is not just among India's foremost development partners in South Asia but also a reliable and trustworthy defence and security partner, more so since defence partnership is emerging critical to maintaining peace and stability in the Southern Indian Ocean Region, Policy Research Group reported further. "CNS's first overseas visit, guided by Prime Minister's 'Five S' Vision, further consolidated the long-standing bilateral relations between two close maritime neighbours," the spokesperson of the Indian Navy stated in a Twitter post. "New avenues have been identified for expanding the scope of bilateral cooperation in defence and maritime domain," he added. Admiral Hari Kumar unveiled the first 'Navigation Chart' jointly produced by India and Maldives and handed over hydrography equipment to consolidate the organic capabilities of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF). The Indian Navy chief hosted a reception onboard the INS Sutlej (on April 18), which is presently conducting a joint hydrographic survey in Maldivian waters. According to Policy Research Group, India's step-up in defence and strategic cooperation has brought the Maldives closer to its broader Indo-Pacific security space in South Asia. And this defence and security partnership can enhance the Maldives' strategic role in the Indo-Pacific security space. There have been several high-level defence visits between the two countries. Development cooperation has been an imperative pillar of the Indo-Maldives relationship. New Delhi has provided Lines of Credit of over USD 1.2 billion for infrastructure development besides several grants for community development projects in the island nation. Since 1988, defence and security have been major areas of cooperation between India and the Maldives. This cooperation extends to assisting the Maldives with defence training and equipment requirements. India provides the largest number of training opportunities for MNDF personnel, meeting almost 70 per cent of their defence training requirements, POREG reported. Apart from defence and security partnerships, India and Maldives have in recent times expanded their strategic cooperation including focusing on counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency. (ANI)
"The meeting touched on political and economic issues, as well as the provisions of the contract for the management of Afghan airports, for which it is necessary to conclude a final agreement between the two parties," he said on Twitter, adding that Afghan, Qatari and Turkish experts are working together to develop an agreement to manage the airports.

The Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, which led to the collapse of the previous government.

In December 2021, Turkish and Qatari companies signed a memorandum to operate the Kabul airport, and airports in the provinces of Balkh, Herat, Kandahar and Khost, which are currently struggling to operate due to severe economic conditions in Afghanistan.

However, the parties have not yet reached a final agreement. (ANI/Sputnik)
"We are trying to visit Iran to talk about all the problems that Afghans are struggling with there; we hope we can talk and solve the problems," said Khalilurahman Haqqani, acting minister of refugee and repatriations, according to TOLOnews.

Meanwhile, Afghan students and refugees residing in Iran said that they have always faced visa issues as well as residence and employment problems across Iran.

"One of the serious challenges is receiving visas, when the students receive visas and come for an education. The second problem is the permission for residence, it takes a long time," TOLOnews quoted Khan Mohammad Seerat, an Afghan student in Iran as saying.

An Afghan delegation visit to Tehran comes following the recent tensions between Islamic Emirate forces and Iranian border guards.

On Saturday, a dispute occurred between Afghanistan and Iranian border forces in the Islam Qala district of Herat province after Islamic Emirate forces wanted to pave a road alongside the border.

Afghan and Iranian border forces have faced each other several times in Nimroz and Herat provinces since the Islamic Emirate took power in Afghanistan last year. (ANI)
Moscow [Russia], April 26 (ANI/Sputnik): Swedish newspaper Expressen on Monday confirmed the information of the Finnish media that Sweden and Finland are preparing to jointly apply to NATO on May 16-20. On Monday, the Finnish Iltalehti newspaper reported that the applications of Finland and Sweden to NATO should be published in the week starting May 16. A state visit of the Finnish President Sauli Niinisto to Sweden at the invitation of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is scheduled for the same week, May 17 to 18. "The information is correct and now there should be an agreement between Sweden and Finland that any applications must be submitted in that particular week [week 20], which also coincides with Finland's state visit to Sweden. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto arrives in Stockholm on May 17-18," Expressen reported, citing sources. Last week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia has warned Sweden and Finland about the consequences of joining NATO. Russia's military operation in Ukraine launched on February 24 spurred an extensive debate both in Finland and Sweden on NATO membership, with the two countries considering the possibility of abandoning years of neutrality and joining the military bloc. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier that the alliance would welcome Finland and Sweden and would ensure their quick accession if they choose to apply. (ANI/Sputnik)
Knudsen and members of the Hazara and Shia communities also discussed recent attacks in Afghnaistan.

"UNAMA deputy head @Metknu met today with members of Hazara & Shia communities to discuss recent attacks & express condolences. She stressed importance to ensure protection & human rights for all Afghans & representative decision-making to reflect diverse voices in Afghanistan," UNAMA News tweeted.

Recently, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) had expressed concerns over the series of attacks that led to the deaths of over 50 boys and girls, calling it a "grave rights violation" in Afghanistan.

"In one week alone, more than 50 girls and boys have lost their lives in a series of heinous grave rights violations in Afghanistan," Paloma Escudero, UNICEF Director for Global Communication and Advocacy, was quoted by Tolo News as saying.

The UN agency also highlighted the delay in reopening of schools for girl students in Afghanistan saying, "It's been one month since Afghanistan's de facto authorities barred teenage girls from returning to school.

"The Taliban regime in Afghanistan had barred girls from attending school over grade six after issuing a decree last month.

Meanwhile, the Taliban's Ministry of Education said that the schools for girls in grades 7-12 will be reopened in the near future. (ANI)
London [UK], April 26 (ANI/Sputnik): The UK is imposing a ban on the export to Russia of technology and goods that may be used against Ukraine, the UK Department for International Trade (DIT) said in a statement. "The UK has also announced an export ban on products and technology that Russia could use to repress the heroic people of Ukraine," the DIT said. "Products targeted could include interception and monitoring equipment. This will close any existing loopholes to ensure that Russia is not buying these goods from the UK," according to the statement. Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 in response to calls from the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics for protection against intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation, which targets Ukrainian military infrastructure, aims to "demilitarize and denazify" Ukraine. Moscow has said it has no plans to occupy Ukraine. Western nations have imposed numerous sanctions on Russia. (ANI/Sputnik)
Since the resumption of the chartered flights from Malatya Airport, at least 681 irregular migrants have been sent to Afghanistan, Ariana News reported.

It further reported that Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum seekers aiming to cross to Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

The country already hosts 4 million refugees, more than any other country in the world, and is taking new security measures on its borders to humanely prevent a fresh influx of migrants, Ariana News reported.

Since the Taliban took over in mid-August last year, Afghanistan has not only seen a mass exodus but also the illegal crossings of Afghans into neighbouring countries like Iran via Nimroz province and Turkey.

Although the fighting in the country has ended, serious human rights violations continue unabated. (ANI)
An FDNY firefighter died Sunday in a raging three-alarm blaze that injured seven of his colleagues in Brooklyn, officials said.

Timothy Klein, 31, died while working to knock down a fire at a home on Avenue N near E. 108th St. in Canarsie that erupted about 1:40 p.m.

The six-year veteran was critically injured when the building collapsed, the FDNY announced.

Acting FDNY commissioner Laura Kavanagh said Klein  assigned to Ladder 170 in Canarsie  was the 1,157th member of the department to die in the line of duty.

One injured civilian was treated on the scene.

The fire was quickly elevated to a third-alarm blaze after flames engulfed the house, the FDNY said.

A helicopter hovered over the scene, while hundreds of neighbors crowded around the emergency tape blocking off the street.

Paul Jackson, who lives behind the badly burned home, watched as flames quickly tore through the house.

I see the fire coming out, at first it was on one side of the house, and it came to the other side of the house, said Jackson, 28. By the time I saw it, it was already too late, like half of the house was burning down.

Neighbors watched as firefighters were pulled out of the home on stretchers.

One was unconscious, one had a lot of black stuff in his face, a lot of dark pieces of the house, said a neighbor, who did not give his name. It looked very terrible.

First responders were performing CPR on the firefighter, he said.

Jackson saw the critically injured firefighter geared up and ready to run into the flames. Shortly after, he was also carried out of the house on a stretcher, blue-faced and lifeless.

They pumped, said Jackson, 28. His stomach went up, it was basically like they were trying to save him.

Euline Robin, 74, another longtime neighborhood resident, described a chaotic scene.

By the time we came, the firemen were running back and forth, trying to hook up to get water, thats what I saw. And then they started, she said. I saw them doing CPR on somebody, but I dont know who it was. They were pumping his chest.

Story continues

The FDNY spokesperson had no information on the conditions of the injured firefighters.

As of Sunday afternoon, 33 FDNY units and 106 firefighters had responded to the blaze. Firefighters were still working at the scene Sunday evening, the FDNY said.

Mayor Adams was briefed at the site before heading to Brookdale Hospital for further updates, his press secretary said in a tweet.

______
One person was taken to the hospital after a car crashed into a pole in Dayton Sunday night.

Montgomery County dispatch told us that crews responded to the area of South Smithville Road and Wayne Avenue at 9:21 p.m.

Dispatch did confirm that one person was taken to Miami Valley Hospital but their condition is unknown.

>> Multiple medical helicopters called to crash on OH-721 in Bradford

Video from the scene shows heavy damage to the front and back of a car and debris scattered across the roadway.

Initial scanner traffic indicated that the driver may have been thrown from their vehicle, but this has not been confirmed.

We will update this story as we learn more.




Welcome back, readers. We have a futuristic edition in store for you today, with talk of flying cars and a look at a luxurious EV concept that comes with storage for your slippers.

Ready? Let's dive in.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Insider's app  click here for iOS and here for Android.

A car, from the drivers perspective, flying into the sunset

Edmon De Haro

1. Nothing screams "the future" quite like a flying car  and Archer Aviation is promising to launch its fleet in 2024. The only problem? They haven't been able to make theirs fly. Adam Lashinsky dives into the company and their "fake it till you make it" Silicon Valley ethos:

Last June, Archer Aviation gathered onlookers to "unveil" its futuristic new vehicle, dubbed "the Maker," which its founders presented as a flying taxi  never mind the fact that it couldn't actually fly.

The barriers to getting a flying car off the ground are formidable: The Federal Aviation Administration can take up to seven years to certify new models of traditional aircraft  let alone a flying car being dreamed up by aviation upstarts backed by hedge funds.

"What worries me about the Silicon Valley mindset as it applies to aviation is that you can't fake it till you make it, because the FAA won't let you," one analyst said.

Read Lashinsky's full piece here.

In other news:

twitter

Kacper Pempel/Reuters

2. Twitter is reportedly reevaluating Elon Musk's takeover bid. The Wall Street Journal reported the social-media company may be more receptive to Musk's offer since he lined up financing. Get the full rundown here.

3. Lucid insiders detail the EV startup's struggle to ramp up production. Like its competitors, Lucid is facing supply-chain shortages and a war for talent  but employees also described 100-hour weeks, buying parts off Amazon, and production snafus. Here's what else they said.

4. Elon Musk turned down a philanthropic opportunity with Bill Gates. Leaked texts show Musk declined the opportunity after asking the Microsoft founder if he was shorting Tesla (but Musk tweeted this weekend that he's "moving on"). What we know about the texts.

Story continues

5. Startups are encouraging employees to take out loans to buy their stock options. The loans can be tricky in a downturn  and one tech executive shared a horror story of how he ended up owing $1 million in the dot-com era. Read his experience here.

6. Amazon just got approval to build its helix-shaped tower in Virginia. The Arlington County Board gave unanimous approval for Amazon to build the tower, which will serve as the centerpiece to its second headquarters. Get a look at the spiraling tower.

7. It's not just you  search sucks these days. Searching for just about anything  a tweet, a Word doc, a simple email  is a special kind of hell, and as Insider correspondent Adam Rogers explains, it's only getting worse. Why search isn't getting any better.

8. A director of sales at Meta shares her morning routine. Christine Trodella starts her day before the rest of her household wakes up, and since the start of the pandemic, has been consciously taking more breaks throughout the day. Here's how she organizes her days.

Odds and ends:

The Lincoln Star concept.

The Lincoln Star concept.Lincoln

9. Lincoln just unveiled its new electric concept vehicle. With relaxing smells, a wine fridge, and a spot for your slippers, the super-futuristic Lincoln Star SUV is basically a lounge on wheels. Check out the Star here.

10. Jack Dorsey has a new title: "Block Head." Dorsey, the former CEO of Twitter and the cofounder of digital payments company Block, is no longer the company's CEO. Instead, he's the "Block Head and Chairperson." Here's what that means.

What we're watching today:

After two years, Datacloud Global Congress is returning to Monaco.

Project Voice 2022 starts today in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Workers at an Amazon warehouse in New York are holding a union vote.

Meta is set to appeal the UK's block on its GIPHY acquisition.

The Web Conference starts today.

Sponsored event invite: Humans are hardwired to make decisions based on values. Join PayPal and best-selling author David Allison on Tuesday, May 3, at noon ET, to learn how values impact consumer expectations. Register here.

Keep updated with the latest tech news throughout your day by checking out The Refresh from Insider, a dynamic audio news brief from the Insider newsroom. Listen here.

Curated by Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email jerb@insider.com or tweet @jordanparkererb.) Edited by Michael Cogley in London.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Smoke rises from two wildfires outside of Las Vegas, New Mexico. AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio

About 1,000 firefighters are battling 20 wildfires in New Mexico, with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) announcing on Sunday that at least 200 structures have burned down and 900 more remain threatened.

Lujan Grisham has declared a state of emergency in five counties, and told reporters she has also requested additional resources from the White House. "We need more federal bodies for firefighting, fire mitigation, public safety support on the ground in New Mexico," she said.

This will be "a tough summer," Lujan Grisham added, and that's why campfires are banned and on Monday she will "be asking every local government to be thinking about ways to ban the sales of fireworks."

The wildfires are burning in more than half of the state's 33 counties, and on Saturday, a fire in northern New Mexico that started April 6 merged with a newer fire to form a blaze covering 66 square miles. Evacuation orders are in place in several counties, including San Miguel and Mora.

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MarketWatch

Answer: The first thing to know is this: Federal student loans and about half of private student loans provide a death discharge, which cancels the remaining debt upon death of the borrower, says Mark Kantrowitz, author of Who Graduates From College? To find out if your private student loan could be erased in case of death, youll need to call your servicer and inquire about their policies. Have a question about getting out of student loan or other debt?
Winners of the 21st Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum student essay contest were recently announced.

Students from across the United States participated in the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum's 21st annual student essay contest.

The memorial museum received 771 entries from students in 44 states. Winning essays in fifth through 12th grades came from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Maryland and Florida.

The empathy these students described inspired me," said John Kennedy, Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation chairman. "Young people can change the world. They are our future leaders. I know we are in good hands.

The essay contest gave students the opportunity to share how individuals or communities have shown strength and resilience to overcome challenges or tragedies.

Each winner received a cash prize and was recognized at a ceremony at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum in April. Those chosen for their winning essays included:

 Fifth- and sixth-grade winners: First place, Sarah Stiegelmeyer, Lakeview Intermediate, Yukon; second place, Christopher Solomon, Waynoka Elementary School; and third place, Janelle Amoah, Fisher Elementary School, Oklahoma City.

 Seventh- and eighth-grade winners: First place, Avery Burton, Seiling Public Schools; second place, Adrianna Rivera, Chandler Jr. High School; and third place, Jada Burns, Oakdale Public School, Edmond.

 Ninth- and 10th-grade winners: First place, Michaela Stevens, Arkansas School for Math, Science and the Arts, Hot Springs; second place, Isadora Wise, Powell County High School, Stanton, Kentucky; and third place, Baylee Weatherford, Valliant High School.

 11th- and 12th-grade winners: First place, Avery Brown, Crossings Christian School, Oklahoma City; second place, Aaron Siegle, Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, Olney, Maryland; and third place, Isabela Deneka, Armwood High School, Seffner, Florida.

To be considered for this column, please email achievement announcements and photos to LLynn@Oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Achievers: Students win OKC National Memorial Museum essay contest
U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. William T. Cooley was convicted of sexual assault for forcibly kissing his sister-in-law in 2018. Wesley Farnsworth/U.S. Air Force via Associated Press

An Air Force general has been found guilty of sexually abusive conduct towards his sister-in-law.

Maj. Gen. William T. Cooley was convicted of forcibly kissing the victim after a barbecue in 2018.

This marks the first time that the Air Force has court-martialed and convicted a general officer.

A two-star general in the US Air Force was convicted on Saturday of forcibly kissing his sister-in-law in her, marking the military branch's first-ever court-martial and conviction of a general officer, according to a statement from the Air Force.

Maj. Gen. William T. Cooley was accused of three specifications of sexual assault and was found guilty for the first  kissing his victim "on the lips and tongue, with an intent to gratify his sexual desire"  by senior military judge Col. Christina M. Jimenez at Wright-Patterson Base in Ohio.

Jimenez found the general not guilty for the two other specifications, including causing the victim to touch him over his clothing and his alleged touching of her breasts and genitals through her clothes, the Air Force statement said.

The victim  Cooley's sister-in-law  told the court that he had groped and kissed her after a family barbecue in New Mexico in 2018. She said that the general had asked for a ride after the social event, during which he had consumed alcohol.

"During the short ride, she said, he told her that he fantasized about having sex with her. She alleged he pressed her up against the driver's side window, forcibly kissed and groped her through her clothes," the Air Force statement read.

The victim and her spouse reported the assault to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations in December 2019, the statement said.

Nine other witnesses testified in the case, including family members, friends, and a digital forensics expert, the Air Force said.

Cooley pleaded not guilty and denied his sister-in-law's allegation, it added.

Now convicted, the general faces up to seven years in prison and may be dismissed from the Air Force, though his rank cannot be reduced as part of his sentence, Air Force spokesperson Derek Kaufman told The New York Times.

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Cooley previously served as commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, but was relieved from command in January 2020 in light of the investigation into the sexual assault allegations, the Air Force said.

The sentencing phase for his case is due to start Monday, the military branch added.

Read the original article on Insider
California native and Air Force veteran Jasmine Zielomski struggled with a relatively common but rarely discussed fertility foe  and wound up turning it into a success story.

While it wasn't easy, her tale of triumph offers a message for hope for many other women across the U.S.

For more than a decade, Zielomski said she experienced difficulties in getting pregnant  and finally sought out professional help.

She was first diagnosed with PCOS  polycystic ovary syndrome  at age 31. This issue causes seven million girls and women across the U.S. each year to experience hormonal imbalances.

"I never had any pregnancy scares, ever," she revealed to Fox News Digital. "And I kind of always had an irregular period, and I just thought that was just how my body was," she said.

"I didn't know this for so many years  Id been to so many different gynecologists over the years and had no answers," she said.

After meeting with a doctor two years ago who guided her through a failed attempt at in vitro fertilization  and although 20 of her eggs were retrieved  the Air Force air traffic controller ultimately contacted Dr. Jane Frederick of Newport Beach, Calif., an internationally known fertility specialist, for a second opinion.

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Frederick is the medical director of one of the largest in vitro fertilization centers west of the Mississippi.

Soon, the tide began to turn for the Air Force veteran.

The hormone disorder PCOS affects about 3% to 10% of reproductive-age women and is the leading cause of female infertility.

It can also cause irregular periods, increased hair growth, acne flare-ups, weight gain and glucose intolerance.

COULD MY IRREGULAR PERIODS BE PCOS?

In an interview, Dr. Frederick shared with Fox News Digital that her practice specializes in treating women with PCOS who may be unaware of how to manage the symptoms  or are having trouble getting pregnant.

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The board-certified OB-GYN and reproductive endocrinology specialist said its important for women who may be struggling with PCOS to know the signs  and consult with a doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

The disorder mainly blocks ovulation by halting the ovaries from releasing eggs.

Theres no cure for PCOS  and it can cause long-term medical problems such as diabetes, heart disease and uterine cancer if left untreated.

Frederick encouraged patients to remember that they are not alone in this journey and to reach out to various and available support groups.

"The emotional issues are really tough for this group because women feel that their body is just not working," she said.

WOMEN WITH COMMON OVARY PROBLEM MAY NOT GET RECOMMENDED TESTS

"This can lead to irritability, anxiety  and that makes it really tough to have a normal life. It [can have] a great effect on their emotional lives and their relationships with their partner," she added. "I urge women to be read about it, be aware of what the diagnosis is  and to know that youre not alone."

Zielomski returned to her previous doctor with Fredericks recommendation of introducing Metformin as a treatment for her dark, granular eggs. The doctor agreed  but then allegedly under-stimulated her, as they carried on with a second IVF attempt.

Another grueling process and thousands of dollars later, Zielomski was out of luck once again. Discouraged, she looked into fertility benefits through the military.

She found a program that covered three rounds of IVF; it also offered a list of in-network physicians. Frederick was one of the doctors listed.

"I was like, this is a sign!" she exclaimed. "This [was] definitely a sign that I should be going to her."

The veteran began treatment with Dr. Frederick and underwent IVF once more, while being treated with Metformin.

After the first round, 22 of her eggs were retrieved, which produced 10 normal embryos and paved the way for a successful transfer in February.

As of this writing, Zielomski is 14 weeks pregnant with her first child. Her baby is due in October.

"Dr. Frederick  knew exactly the kind of medication that I needed, the dosing that I needed and was able to give me the results that I needed."

Zielomski added, "And just to prove to myself, there was nothing wrong with me besides the fact that I had PCOS  and she just knew how to handle that."

The mother-to-be shared a message for other women who may be struggling with PCOS that "knowledge is power" when it comes to a disease that is not spoken about often.

"Its not anything to be embarrassed about," she said. "Definitely reach out and be very open with your doctors about all of your symptoms so that you can get the treatment that you need."

Said Dr. Frederick about the issue, "I talk to a lot of moms groups and I tell them that, if you have a young daughter who's just starting her menstrual cycle at age 12, and you're noticing that she's had irregular cycles, problems with acne, weight gain, all of these symptoms  it might be a diagnosis of PCOS," she said.

"Moms can really be the first caregiver to make this diagnosis."

Most treatment for girls struggling with PCOS is a hormonal birth control pill to regulate periods. But when it comes time for a PCOS patient to attempt pregnancy, Dr. Frederick explained this is where a fertility specialist should be part of the equation.

"First of all, make sure that other reasons for infertility are ruled out," she advised. "I also tell my couples that 40% of female infertility is due to the male factor."

If issues persist, Frederick suggested medication like Metformin, which is a glucose regulator, or Inositol, which is similar to a vitamin supplement.

"Both of those treatments can help regulate the glucose intolerance that we see often in PCOS," she said. "And it helps to regulate the hormones better so that patients can operate on a regular basis."

An additional treatment, Clomid, also known as Letrozole, may help promote regular ovulation. Always consult with professionals before taking any drug, of course.

"Its all about promoting ovulation, getting [a woman's] cycles more regular and helping her with the ancillary symptoms like hair growth with weight issues and the insulin sensitivity," the doctor said.

PCOS can cause a high risk of miscarriage in pregnancies, yet there have been breakthroughs for patients who have undergone certain treatment.

Also, a more holistic approach to addressing imbalances is diet and exercise, with a focus on filling up on carbohydrates found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Its almost impossible to imagine that Amazon could look at the sprawling machinery of its Prime business and think, Eh, its not big enough. Yet the companys latest plans could super-size its membership program by doing something it has never done before  take Prime shopping all over the web.

Thats the promise of Buy with Prime, a new capability that will let marketplace merchants offer signature Prime perks in their own online stores. Amazon prefers to call it a member benefit, however, and its easy to see why.

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With the introduction of Buy with Prime, were expanding where members can enjoy trusted and convenient Prime shopping benefits beyond Amazon, adding even more value to their membership, said Jamil Ghani, vice president of Amazon Prime, in a statement. Members will have the flexibility to shop from merchants directly, all while enjoying the fast, free delivery, seamless checkout and easy returns theyve come to know and love from Amazon.

That may help take the sting out of the subscription hike that started hitting members in February and March, which raised the annual fee from $119 to $139.

As for the merchants, some may welcome the expansion as well, especially those beset by supply chain problems. A recent Feedvisor survey revealed that, over the past year, 29 percent of brands struggled with their supply chain and other setbacks, from labor shortages to the lack of shipping containers, while facing increased demand from online shoppers.

While Amazon merchants werent immune either, the report revealed that 64 percent still saw a jump in sales and revenue. They credited the willingness to adopt new strategies. Nearly half, at 49 percent, had signed up for Fulfillment by Amazon.

These types of numbers must be music to Amazons ears, given its effort to cast itself as a champion of small business.

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The new Prime shopping expansion plays into that as well. Peter Larsen, vice president of Buy with Prime, called it an exciting next step in our mission to help merchants of all sizes grow their business  whether on Amazon or beyond.

But antitrust critics, who already see Amazon as too dominant, may see it differently. As it is, the company regularly faces accusations of using sellers marketplace data unfairly against them. Now it will have eyes on activity on their websites, too.

According to the announcement, details like shopper order information, including email addresses for customer orders will be shared with the stores, so they can follow up with additional service and develop relationships. Though intended to be helpful, it also points to the tech giants visibility into whos shopping, what they buy and how much theyre willing to pay outside of Amazon.

Pricing, often a lightning rod for anticompetition scrutiny, has been a fraught subject for the company. But Amazon might breathe a bit easier about it these days, thanks to a D.C. Superior Court. D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine accused the e-tailer of punishing sellers for charging less on their sites than in the marketplace. It was just dismissed in March, one month before Buy with Primes debut.

Now that its officially underway, the only thing holding it back is Amazon itself. The effort seems to be on a slow roll for now, with limited access on an invite-only basis and eligibility for U.S. merchants that use Fulfillment By Amazon.

But the scope is poised to go big. According to the company, it will be compatible with most online stores, like those powered by retail technology firm BigCommerce  which is a notable mention, fueling speculation that Buy with Prime is a direct attack on a rival for both BigCommerce and Amazon: Shopify.

The mere fact that fast shipping will reach more sites also looks like a boon for Prime membership figures, which already number more than 200 million worldwide, and could power growth across the organization.

As it is, the company pulled in more than $33 billion in profits last year, with net sales of nearly $470 billion across divisions, including devices, e-commerce, physical retail  which will soon include an apparel store in Los Angeles  advertising, cloud services and more.

In a letter to investors last week, chief executive officer Andy Jassy explained that customers appreciated the role Amazon played for them during the pandemic, and started using Amazon for a larger amount of their household purchases.

[But] this growth also created short-term logistics and cost challenges, he wrote. We spent Amazons first 25 years building a very large fulfillment network, and then had to double it in the last 24 months to meet customer demand.

That may balloon even further still, if Buy with Prime takes off and turns the internet itself into one big Amazon Prime shopping destination.
American Airlines is celebrating four decades at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Monday with a presentation including a fashion show with uniforms throughout the years and displays of airline memorabilia.

The American Airlines hub opened its doors at the airport on April 25, 1982, for Community Day. That day, more than 50,000 guests showed up to tour the new terminal building.

American Airlines Charlotte hub has since grown to become the second largest across its global network.

Cheers to 40 years @CLTAirport!  CLT plays a critical role in our global network and we are so proud of the growth and partnership we share! Check out the video below for more on the 40th anniversary celebration! https://t.co/9kd9OepB3b  americanair (@AmericanAir) April 25, 2022

ALSO READ: American Airlines putting European route on hold at CLT

The event on Monday will take a look back at all the milestones of American Airlines heritage brands, including Piedmont Airlines.

Elected officials will attend the event, including Sen. Thom Tillis, Reps. Alma Adams and Dan Bishop, as well as Charlotte city officials and American Airlines representatives.

(WATCH BELOW: American Airlines, TSA no longer enforcing federal mask mandate)




Father Ioan conducts a funeral in Andriivka, a village northwest of Kyiv that was occupied by Russian forces for more than a month, on Saturday, April 16, 2022. (Lynsey Addario/The New York Times)

Smoke hung over the gray streets that day in Kyiv, where protesters had piled tires, furniture and barbed wire to barricade themselves from security forces. Torn blue and yellow Ukrainian flags whipped in the wind, and candles left on sidewalks marked where people had been gunned down. A drawing of a reviled president depicted as a pig was tacked to a lamp post.

And yet there was a feeling of hope in Kyiv in March 2014, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with survivors of a violent crackdown on demonstrations. He commended the Ukrainians for their bravery in confronting a Kremlin-backed leader and promised that the United States would support the new government.

But Russian forces had moved into Crimea, Ukraines peninsula on the Black Sea, and Kerry warned: It is clear that Russia has been working hard to create a pretext for being able to invade further.

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Eight years later, with Russian troops obliterating Ukrainian cities and towns, Kerrys words seem eerily prescient.

Through the administrations of three American presidents, the United States has sent mixed signals about its commitment to Ukraine. All the while, President Vladimir Putin of Russia watched Washingtons moves, biding his time.

Weve been all over the place on Ukraine, said Fiona Hill, a Russia and Eurasia expert who advised the three administrations before President Joe Biden. Our own frames have shifted over time, and our own policies have shifted.

I think we need to re-articulate why Ukraine matters, she said.

Now, two months into Putins war, the United States is at the center of an extraordinary campaign to foil him, casting the military conflict as a broader battle between democratic values and authoritarian might.

Its nothing less than a direct challenge to the rule-based international order established since the end of World War II, Biden said in Warsaw, Poland, last month. And it threatens to return to decades of war that ravaged Europe before the international rule-based order was put in place. We cannot go back to that.

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The United States has rushed weapons and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and imposed sanctions intended to cut off Russia from global markets. Biden sent Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Ukraine as affirmation of Washingtons support.

In many ways, officials said, Biden is trying to make up for the years of U.S. indecisiveness toward Kyiv. Those who wavered earlier include top Biden aides who had worked in the Obama administration as well as officials in the administration of Donald Trump, who undermined U.S. policy on Ukraine for personal political gain, according to current and former officials and a review of records.

The Roots of War

Since the earliest days of Ukraines independence, in 1991, U.S. officials have recognized the countrys strategic value as Russia struggled to find its footing after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Without Ukraine, Russia ceases to be an empire, Zbigniew Brzezinski, who had been the national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter, wrote in a March 1994 essay. But with Ukraine suborned and then subordinated, Russia automatically becomes an empire.

Two months earlier, under pressure from the United States, Ukraine had reached an agreement to destroy its nuclear arsenal. President Bill Clinton heralded the pact as a hopeful and historic breakthrough to improve global security. But Ukraines leader, President Leonid Kuchma, warned that it would make his fledgling country more vulnerable.

If tomorrow, Russia goes into Crimea, no one will raise an eyebrow, he said that year.

At the time, Moscow was already goading a separatist movement in Crimea, even as Clinton predicted that Ukraine would become a major European power.

Yet over the next decade, experts said, NATO left out Ukraine to avoid angering Russia, which some members saw as an important economic partner and energy supplier and hoped would evolve into a more democratic and less threatening power.

The Baltic States joined NATO in 2004, and four years later, President George W. Bush publicly backed Ukraines ambition to follow. But Western European nations were reluctant. Today, Ukraine is neither a NATO member nor a part of the European Union, and officials cautioned as recently as this month that its inclusion in either was far from likely.

Years after Bushs show of support, a new Ukrainian president, Viktor F. Yanukovych, tried to move the country closer to Russia, sparking mass protests in November 2013 when he refused to sign a long-planned agreement to strengthen ties with the European Union.

That led to the crackdown in Kyivs streets in 2014.

Security forces opened fire on protesters in central Kyiv in February that year, killing dozens. Protesters held their ground, attracting public support in Europe and the United States. Yanukovych fled to Russia.

In the hearts of Ukrainians and the eyes of the world, there is nothing strong about what Russia is doing, Kerry said during his visit to Kyiv.

Within days, Putin ordered the invasion of Crimea, and he soon formally recognized it as a sovereign and independent state.

A slow-burn war in eastern Ukraine followed, with Kyiv battling a separatist movement supported by Russian weapons and troops. An estimated 13,000 people were killed over the next eight years.

Putins swift actions caught President Barack Obama off guard.

Obama vowed the United States would never recognize Russias annexation of Crimea and imposed economic sanctions, but his aides said in later accounts that he was skeptical of Ukraines corruption-ridden government.

And Obama said in a 2016 interview that a showdown with Putin over Ukraine would have been futile.

His administration gave more than $1.3 billion in assistance to Ukraine between 2014-16, but Obama said no when his national security team, including Biden and Kerry, recommended sending weapons to Kyiv.

Among Obamas defenders was Blinken, then the deputy secretary of state and now Americas top diplomat.

By sending military aid to Ukraine, youre playing to Russias strength, because Russia is right next door, Blinken said in early 2015.

Any aid, he added, is likely to be matched and then doubled and tripled and quadrupled by Russia.

Neither the Obama administration nor its key European allies believed Ukraine was ready to join NATO. But tensions in the alliance were growing as Europeans sought to maintain trade ties and energy deals with Russia.

The division was captured in a phone call in which a senior State Department official profanely criticized European leaders approach to helping Ukraine. A leaked recording of the call was posted on YouTube in February 2014 in what was widely believed to be an attempt by Russia to stir up discord between the United States and Europe.

Yet as much as anything else, Ukraine was a costly distraction to Obamas broader agenda.

It was hard to reconcile the time and energy required to lead the diplomacy on Ukraine with the demands on the United States elsewhere around the world, especially after ISIS took over much of Iraq and Syria in the summer of 2014, Derek H. Chollet, a senior Pentagon official at the time, wrote in a book about Obamas foreign policy.

Chollet is now a senior counselor to Blinken at the State Department.

Do Us a Favor

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a former comedian, won a landslide victory in Ukraines presidential elections in April 2019 after campaigning on an anti-corruption pledge.

Once in office, he turned to ending the war in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine through negotiations with Putin.

The new Ukrainian president knew he needed the backing of the United States and the American president, said William Taylor, who started his second tour as ambassador to Ukraine that June after his predecessor, Marie Yovanovitch, was pushed out on Trumps orders.

Zelenskyy tried to arrange a meeting with Trump at the White House. But Trump had negative views of Ukraine even before he took office, influenced partly by his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, who had made more than $60 million consulting for a Ukrainian political party backed by Russia.

Trumps opinions were reinforced in meetings with Putin, whom he publicly admired, and Viktor Orban, the autocratic prime minister of Hungary.

And close associates of Trump, in particular Rudy Giuliani, then his personal lawyer, were urging the president to get Zelenskyy to open two investigations: one into Biden, Trumps main political opponent, for actions in Ukraine related to his son Hunter Bidens business dealings; the other based in part on a debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia, had interfered in the 2016 election, to help Hillary Rodham Clinton. Trump embraced the theory because it undermined the finding of the U.S. intelligence community that Russia had interfered to help him.

But U.S. policy had been on a notably different track. Earlier, in December 2017, under pressure from his national security aides and Congress, Trump agreed to do what Obama would not: approve the sale of Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine.

But in mid-2019, the White House froze $391 million in military aid to Ukraine, including the Javelins, to build leverage for Trumps demands, congressional investigators later found. The move hobbled Ukraines war effort against Russia-backed separatists.

For it to be held up, they couldnt understand that, Taylor said.

That set the stage for a fateful July 25 call between Trump and Zelenskyy. I would like you to do us a favor, Trump said. He requested the two investigations.

Zelenskyy and his aides were confused. The rest of the U.S. government was very supportive of Ukraine, Taylor said. But from the top, the president had a different message and set of conditions.

Zelenskyy scheduled a CNN interview for September to announce one or both of the investigations that Trump had requested to satisfy the American president. But the interview never happened because journalists had begun reporting on the hold on military aid, and lawmakers sympathetic to Ukraine had persisted in asking the White House about the suspended aid. On Sept. 9, three House committees announced investigations into the pressure campaign after reviewing a whistleblower complaint citing the July call.

The Trump administration released the aid on Sept. 11.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Jan. 31, 2020, the first Cabinet official to do so since the announcement of an impeachment inquiry into Trump the previous September. The Senate trial was underway.

Just days earlier, Pompeo had blown up at an NPR reporter in an interview, asking her to identify Ukraine on an unmarked map and yelling, Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?  using an expletive before Ukraine.

Yet in Kyiv, Pompeo stood next to Zelenskyy in the presidential palace and said the U.S. commitment to support Ukraine will not waver.

But the damage had been done, and Zelenskyy was unconvinced that the United States was a trusted ally, Yovanovitch said last month.

Trying to use our national security policy in order to further President Trumps personal and political agenda was not just wrong, but it was really detrimental to the bilateral relationship, she said. It colored how Zelenskyy handled foreign policy.

With all the disruption, former U.S. officials said, Putin no doubt saw weakness in Washington.

Biden vs. Putin

Consumed by the pandemic and the economy, Biden did not prioritize Ukraine at first. But Blinken visited Kyiv in May 2021 with a message of support.

During a steady rain, Blinken joined Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian foreign minister, on a walk to the Wall of National Remembrance, where photos of soldiers who had been killed in combat with Russia in the Donbas were displayed outside St. Michaels monastery.

But he also went to Kyiv with some tough love, determined to press Ukraine to make political and economic changes  a core issue for Biden when he oversaw relations with the country as vice president.

Just before the visit, Zelenskyys government had replaced the chief executive of the largest state-owned energy company, whom Western officials had praised for his transparency. The State Department had chastised the move as just the latest example of Ukrainian leaders violating practices of good governance. In Kyiv, Blinken told reporters that he was urging Ukraine to strengthen itself by building institutions, advancing reforms, combating corruption.

Such concerns paled in the face of Russias growing military threat, which Washington was watching very, very closely, Blinken said. Putin had begun amassing troops along Ukraines borders. By fall, the number approached 100,000.

In January, Blinken rushed back to Kyiv for more consultations before a hastily arranged meeting in Geneva with the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, in a last-ditch attempt to avert war.

But Russia would not be deterred, and high-level contacts between Washington and Moscow have been severely limited ever since.

By contrast, Blinken speaks frequently to Kuleba to convey American support that, at least in terms of aid, has been greater than at any time in the three decades since Ukraine declared independence.

The world is with you, Blinken told him March 5, stepping into Ukraine just a few feet beyond Polands border.

Were in it with Ukraine  one way or another, short run, the medium run, the long run, he said.

Kuleba referred to an unprecedented, swift reaction to Russias invasion and thanked Blinken for the support.

But, he said, it has to be continued.

 2022 The New York Times Company
Firefighters in Arizona helped rescue a man who became trapped after he fell into a tight gap between a shipping container and a wall, authorities said Sunday.

Fire crews from Phoenix and Glendale responded to 16th Avenue and Hatcher Road on Sunday afternoon after the man slipped while walking on top of the shipping container, the Phoenix Fire Department said.

FLORIDA DEPUTIES RESCUE BABY FROM RAGING APARTMENT FIRE, VIDEO SHOWS

The man fell about 10 feet and became lodged between the box and a wall, officials said.

"Technical Rescue Teams decided to deploy a heavy-duty airbag to move the container the 12 inches needed to then rescue the man," the department said. "Once moved, the patient was able to position himself in a way that firefighters could assist him out of the tight space."

The man, who was not identified, suffered non-life threatening injuries from the fall and was taken to a hospital for treatment, officials said.

No further details were immediately available.
A 30-year-old Athens man was sentenced to 20 years in prison recently after he pleaded guilty to the shooting death of a teen three years ago at Bethel Midtown Village.

Marquavius Devante Knox pleaded guilty Friday in Clarke County Superior Court to voluntary manslaughter in a plea agreement in which felony and malice murder charges were dismissed.

Knox admitted guilt in the death of Jamelle Brightwell,19, of Bogart, who was gunned down April 1, 2019, at the apartment complex off College Avenue.

Knox also pleaded guilty to charges of felony possession of a firearm, battery and violating a family violence order and was sentenced to five years on probation, a term to run consecutive to the prison sentence.

Former Georgia football player case dropped: Rape charge against former UGA star football player Bacarri Rambo is dismissed

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Knox was sentenced under the first-offender statue, and under the terms of his probation, he is to have no contact with his girlfriend and the mother of his child, according to court documents.

Knox was involved in domestic violence with the girlfriend prior to the killing of Brightwell, according to the documents.

The murder charges were dismissed because the evidence was insufficient to prove guilt by a reasonable doubt, according to documents filed by the Western Circuit District Attorneys Office.

The documents noted that a judges order had barred the defendant from having any contact with his girlfriend and if he had abided by this order Jamelle would likely be alive today.

Knox has prior convictions for several crimes, including family violence, attempting to elude, reckless driving, obstruction of an officer, damage to property and possession of cocaine.

Knox was living on Lombardy Drive at the time of his arrest.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Athens GA man sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2019 teen slaying
The Daily Beast

Lauderdale County SheriffLoved-up prison guard Vicky White has died after she and her jailhouse beau Casey White were caught following an extraordinary 11 days on the run, the Associated Press reported.Vicky White, 56, had been taken to a hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, while 38-year-old Casey White, no relation, surrendered and was taken into custody, WAAY 31 reported.Weve captured them, Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding told the outlet, adding that they were involved in
The Recount

Piers Morgan, the English broadcaster, and journalist said that though sentiments were high on both sides regarding Roe v. Wade, it was not the right way to behave. While speaking on Fox & Friends, the English writer discussed the relevance of the demonstrations outside Supreme Court justices homes and churches as a fallout of the draft opinion leak last week. Morgan criticized the arson attack on the anti-abortion building in Wisconsin.
Arthur I. Cyr

Big Brother Is Watching You.

That was the pervasive punch line in British writer George Orwell's novel 1984. Developments in business and government give fresh currency to the classic.

Orwell, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, was a committed socialist. Unlike many on the left today, however, he had personal involvement with working people, because he was one. He stressed egalitarianism, while warning about dangers of concentrated power in government as well as corporations.

Technologies today provide unprecedented opportunities to gather personal information about, while curtailing freedom of, individuals.

Colorful capitalist Elon Musk has been a magnet for controversy throughout his remarkable, successful business career. Currently, he is fighting to buy social media giant Twitter, while complaining about the behemoths heavy-handed censorship practices.

Twitter representatives react to such criticism with shock, and not in the cynical Casablanca sense. In that classic movie, Captain Renault expresses artificial outrage about gambling going on in Ricks Cafe.

Twitters arbitrary censors sanctimoniously believe in their bullying. People they deem inappropriate include former President Donald Trump, who though now out of office remains Public Enemy Number One for much of our news and infotainment media.

Simultaneously, Twitter ignores truly evil hate speech. As one prominent example, Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei regularly calls for the destruction of Israel, which he terms a cancerous growth. In Twitter Land, that is acceptable political expression while Trumps statements inspire harm.

Apple cofounder - and rescuer - Steve Jobs advocated both free speech and privacy. Not long before Jobs 2011 death, he strongly emphasized protecting customer privacy in announcing a new version of the iPhone.

In 2016, Apple strenuously resisted U.S. government efforts to force cooperation to secure cell phone data. A married couple who carried out a horrific mass murder in San Bernardino, California had the phone. The murderers personally supported Islamic terrorist groups.

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President Barack Obama publicly endorsed FBI efforts to force Apple to cooperate in breaking encryption on that phone. He transformed a gruesome local crime into a major international incident by discussing the matter in a formal speech from the Oval Office. He then travelled to Southern California.

Obama opened the door for the Islamic State plausibly to take credit for the killings. The terror group immediately did so. There is no evidence the killers had ties to terrorist groups.

Apple loyalty to Jobs important legacy involved taking tremendous, threatening heat from the Feds. The FBI eventually broke the encryption, with outside tech help.

That agency should focus on improving internal skills, not harassment.

A wit quipped that 1984 was really about 1948, a reference to the Stalinist Soviet Union. In the late 1940s and well into the 1950s, intense anti-communism seriously distorted U.S. domestic politics and our wider society.

Leftwing and other intellectuals found their careers damaged and in some cases destroyed. Blacklisting of writers became a feature of this intimidation. That era passed but ominous concentrated power remains.

In our fascinating, fantastic global information revolution, institutions committed to following the law and protecting personal privacy deserve our support. Here, nonprofits are particularly important.

Jobs, Musk and other entrepreneurs who resist concentrated arrogant power also deserve support.

Government and corporate snoops pry, corporate and government bullies try to intimidate, today as through history. Today, these powerful entities control unprecedented technologies, but our U.S. Constitution provides essential protections.

Meanwhile remember:

You have a right to privacy.

Big Brother has not abolished that,

Not yet,

But he'd like to.

Arthur I. Cyr is author of After the Cold War. Contact acyr@carthage.edu

This article originally appeared on The McDonough County Voice: George Orwell's 1984 continues to have relevance today
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's Defense Minister joined a feud between the country's Supreme Court and his boss, right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, disputing statements by a Supreme Court judge who said the Armed Forces were being encouraged to discredit the country's voting system.

"To state that the Armed Forces were instructed to attack the electoral system, without presenting any proof or evidence of who guided it or how it happened, is irresponsible and constitutes a serious offense," Defense Minister General Paulo Sergio Nogueira said on Sunday night, fueling tensions between the court and Bolsonaro.

Justice Luis Roberto Barroso said during an on-line seminar at a Berlin university that the Brazilian military received guidance to "attack and discredit" the voting process for the election in October, when Bolsonaro will seek a second term.

Nogueira said Barroso's statements affected "the ethics, harmony and respect" between the country's institutions.

The tensions between the top court and the president resurfaced last week when Bolsonaro pardoned an ally the court had sentenced hours earlier to nearly nine years in prison for anti-democratic threats.

Barroso did not mention Bolsonaro by name in his statements, but the president has questioned the validity of Brazil's electronic voting urns, alleging without proof that they are vulnerable to fraud.

His opponents fear Bolsonaro is preparing the ground to refuse the results of a defeat in October in a polarized race against his political nemesis, former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Opinion polls say Lula has a comfortable though diminishing advantage over Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro is an admirer of former U.S. President Donald Trump and could be tempted to follow his example and refuse to accept defeat in October.

If that were to happen, the role of Brazil's Armed Forces will be crucial in defending its democratic institutions.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by David Gregorio)
BROOKLINE, MA  The Town of Brookline has promoted Meredith L. Mooney to serve as the new Economic Development Director, said Town Administrator Mel Kleckner and Planning & Community Development Director Kara Brewton in a news release.

Mooney began her new role on April 18. As Economic Development Director, she is responsible for improving the functional and aesthetic qualities of public space in Brooklines commercial areas, promoting commercial development that enhances tax growth and offsets the fiscal burden on residents, and supporting the growth and prosperity of Brooklines business community.

In her new role, Mooney plans to pursue innovative initiatives, including implementing several COVID economic recovery programs, pursuing grant funding opportunities to advance priority projects for the Planning & Community Development Division, developing recommendations to streamline the towns business licensing and permitting processes, and expediting the creation of new zoning uses,

She has served the town for the past four years as the Economic Development & Long Term Planner.

"Congratulations to Meredith on her new role," Brewton said in a statement. "Meredith has proven to be an asset to the community and a dedicated public servant over the last four years. I am confident that those qualities, along with her entrepreneurial spirit, will make her successful in defining the next chapter of Economic Development and Long-Term Planning for the Town."

Prior to joining the town, Mooney worked as the Director of Government Policy at Boston University, where she earned a master's degree in business administration with a concentration in public and nonprofit management. She also holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from New York University.

This article originally appeared on the Brookline Patch
A 20-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy have been arrested and charged in connection to the Marth 6 shooting deaths of two men in Brunswick County.

BOLIVIA  Family members and friends filled a Brunswick County courtroom Monday as a 20-year-old man charged in the shooting deaths of Desmond Radford-Lee and Demetrius Gibbs made his first appearance.

Christopher Owen Brooks, of Leland, was arrested Friday and faces two counts of murder in connection to the March 6 fatal shooting of 22-year-old Radford-Lee and 29-year-old Gibbs. District Court Judge C. Ashley Gore ordered that Brooks be held without bond Monday.

Scott Perez, interim chief of police at the Northwest Police Department, said a juvenile was also arrested Friday in connection to the shooting.

"I am relieved at the fact that we do have suspects in custody," Perez said. "It's been a heavy burden on the community and the families."

Last month, Radford-Lee and Gibbs were found dead with multiple gunshot wounds at Crystal Springs Cemetery, which is located down a gravel road roughly half a mile off Blue Banks Loop Road in Northwest.

Crystal Springs Cemetery is pictured on Tuesday, March 8, 2022.

Previous coverage: 'He was so young': Neighbors react after 2 Brunswick County men shot, killed in cemetery

Family members and friends of the two victims embraced after Brooks' appearance Monday morning, exiting the courtroom together. Radford-Lee's older sister Kendra Yost said the past several weeks have been difficult on both families.

"It feels good to not have him walking the streets when we know what he's done," she said.

Yost said her brother and Brooks grew up together  they spent much of their childhood hanging out, riding dirt bikes and swimming.

"They were friends," Yost said. "Desmond went to the graveyard to visit his friend who had passed away and we have no idea what could have transpired that night."

Perez confirmed the investigation found Brooks and Radford-Lee knew one another.

Radford-Lee was living in Charlotte, Yost said, and he and his girlfriend were expecting their first child.

"He was really excited about becoming a dad," Yost said.

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More: 911 calls from Northwest double homicide reveal 1 victim's mother discovered bodies

Last week: Wilmington man convicted of 2016 murder of 14-year-old boy

Gibbs' girlfriend said he was working and continuing his education. Both men were from Brunswick County, police said.

According to a news release from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation  which has assisted NPD in the investigation  Brooks was arrested in Greensboro and the 17-year-old male juvenile was arrested in Charlotte. Police departments in those localities assisted in the arrests.

Both suspects are charged with two counts of murder and one count of firing into an occupied vehicle inflicting serious injury.

Perez said the distinction of which degree of murder has not yet been determined.

Brooks is in Brunswick County Sheriff's Office custody and his next court date is May 12 for a probable cause hearing.

Jamey Cross is the public safety reporter at the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter @jameybcross.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Two charged in connection to Northwest cemetery double-homicide
NextShark

A 91-year-old Korean War Navy veteran is hoping to find his first love, who he met during his time as a second class petty officer in Japan in 1953. Duane Mann, 91, wrote a Facebook post on May 1 hoping to find someone who recognizes the woman in a photo he took in 1953, whose name he says is Peggy Yamaguchi. In the post, Mann explains that while he was stationed in Japan from 1953 to 1954 at age 23, he met Yamaguchi at an Air Force NCO Club, where he worked as a slot machine repairman in his spare time and Yamaguchi worked as the hat check girl.
State Sen. Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), seen here on the Senate floor at the state Capitol in 2019, won the California Republican Party endorsement for governor on Sunday after multiple rounds of balloting. (Robert Gourley / Los Angeles Times)

The California Republican Party endorsed state Sen. Brian Dahle for governor on Sunday, a contentious battle among four candidates that took multiple rounds of ballots to reach the 60% threshold required for the party nod.

Dahle, a Lassen County family farmer who has spent more than a quarter century in elected office, told delegates he was most qualified because of his experience in government and as a father.

I want for your children and my children to have the same opportunities that we've had. But that will not happen if we do not strike a blow for freedom this year, he said during a candidates forum on Saturday, adding that incumbent Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrats are vulnerable because of the rates of taxes, poverty and crime in California. Delegates, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity. The wind is at our back. Californians are looking for a better choice.

While Dahle ultimately received the votes to win the endorsement, it was not without controversy. Some delegates muttered that establishment party leaders were trying to hand him the win. And then on Friday, Dahles wifes Assembly committee transferred $40,500 to the state party, leading GOP gubernatorial rival Jenny Rae Le Roux to say the endorsement had been "purchased." She was calling on the party to return the money when her mic was cut during the candidates forum.

A state party official called the claim a nothing burger, saying all members of the Assembly Republican caucus are expected to raise a similar amount for party coffers. But the timing of the transfer  two days before the endorsement vote  was viewed skeptically by many in attendance.

The endorsement votes took place on the final day of the state GOPs convention in Anaheim. Much of the energy at the gathering focused on Republicans opportunity to retake Congress, a recognition of the partys straits in statewide contests. Democrats had a nearly 23-percentage point voter registration edge over Republicans as of March, and the GOP hasn't won a statewide election since 2006. Last years effort to recall Newsom, which drew great enthusiasm among conservatives because enough voters signed petitions to qualify it for the ballot, failed by nearly 24 points.

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To qualify to vie for a state party endorsement, candidates must receive the signatures of 200 delegates. The candidates can showcase their formal backing by the party on mailers and other voter communication  helpful in down-ballot races that receive little media coverage  and have access to the partys data, staff and offices. It also allows access to state party financial resources, but that money is far more likely to be spent on competitive congressional races.

Other candidates who won endorsements include attorney Mark Meuser for U.S. Senate, education policy executive Lance Christensen for state superintendent of public instruction, former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman for attorney general, GOP policy expert and academic Lanhee Chen for controller and former Lancaster City Councilwoman Angela Underwood Jacobs for lieutenant governor.

The party could not reach a consensus in the races for treasurer or secretary of state. In the latter contest, candidate Rachel Hamm told delegates on Saturday that despite what they may have heard, she was not a Satanic witch.

I am 45-year-old passionate Christian woman, actually, said Hamm, who has been endorsed by notable figures in former President Trumps orbit including former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Chabad of Kentucky's neighborhood synagogue and headquarters near St. Matthews was destroyed by a fire Saturday.

A neighborhood synagogue in Louisville was destroyed by a fire Saturday afternoon, just hours after St. Matthews firefighters extinguished a fire in an adjoining residence.

The synagogue, owned by Chabad of Kentucky, also housed a community center and served as the organization's regional headquarters for the state.

Louisville Fire Department spokesman Bobby Cooper said its arson investigators had not yet determined a cause for the fire as of Sunday afternoon.

St. Matthews Mayor and fire department spokesman Rick Tonini said they responded to a 4 a.m. call that morning to put out a kitchen fire at an adjoining residence, but were called back to the address in the early afternoon and found the Chabad center on Almara Circle in flames.

More: Kentucky sees record level of antisemitic incidents, Anti-Defamation League says

Tonini said it took seven trucks from five different departments  including Louisville, Jeffersontown, Fern Creek and Buechel  to put out the flames.

"When I pulled up to Dutchman's Lane and Breckinridge Lane, I looked to the right and the whole sky was filled with smoke," he said.

Rabbi Avrohom Litvin, regional director of Chabad of Kentucky, told The Courier Journal he and other members managed to take the synagogue's Torah scrolls from the center when the first fire broke out and there was only minimal damage.

Similar: Chabad of the Bluegrass reports member attacked at menorah lighting in Lexington

Litvin lives several houses away from the center, where they took the scrolls and held a remembrance service later that morning due to electricity being cut off at the synagogue  only to later discover it on fire.

Litvin said it was a "miracle" their 75 congregants  including 25 children  were not in the synagogue at the time of the larger fire and in harm's way.

"There's a story of a man who was on his way to a big vacation and he breaks his leg, and he feels so bad that God let his leg be broken just before his vacation," he said. "And then he reads that the plane went down and he says God saved my life by breaking my leg."

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"So I absolutely see the hand of God here... Yes, this leg got broken, the core of the building is gone. But we can rebuild the building."

Litvin said officials told him they have not uncovered any evidence of arson, though their investigation is ongoing, including determining if the second fire was a reignition of the first.

Just 10 days before the fire, Litvin noted Chabad of Kentucky was honored at Gov. Andy Beshear's prayer breakfast in Frankfort for its charitable work for the families impacted by the deadly tornadoes in Western Kentucky.

He says their community is now asking for the same kind of assistance in their time of need. Members of the public wishing to donate to Chabad of Kentucky can do so through their website at chabadky.com/donate.

Reach reporter Joe Sonka at jsonka@courierjournal.com and follow him on Twitter at @joesonka. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today at the top of this page.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Chabad of Kentucky headquarters in Louisville ravaged by fire
Georgia social workers say that before a Gwinnett home burned down, killing a 10-year-old girl inside, it was a house of horrors where the children didnt even know how to use toilet paper.

The home on Beaver Road in Loganville burned down earlier this month after a 15-year-old boy set it on fire. A ten-year-old girl who was trapped in a windowless bedroom was killed.

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The boy was initially arrested on arson and murder charges, but his parents are now being investigated on child abuse charges.

Channel 2 Action News filed an open records request with the state to obtain records on any previous contact the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services had with the family.

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Channel 2s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Tony Thomas sorted through the state records showing that workers with the Department of Children and Family services had previous contact with the family.

DFCS records show the family faced a child abuse complaint in 2015. A child told a teacher his father had pushed him down in the yard. Investigators ruled the charge unsubstantiated because of a lack of evidence. Case workers also found the home clean and sanitary with plenty of food.

Workers learned of a much different situation after the fire. There was evidence the children were not able to leave the home for years. There are allegations of no adequate food, said the 15-year-olds attorney, Yari Lawson. Hes not had much contact with his peers or family for years, Lawson added.

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Channel 2 is not identifying the children because they are potential victims. A total of five children ages 8 to 17 lived at the home before the 10-year-olds death.

A juvenile court judge is considering permanently taking the children into state custody.
The Chinese government is not only mistreating Uyghurs within China's borders, it is hunting them down abroad  with help from countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates  to clamp down on criticism of Beijings repression of Muslim minorities.

The scale of the Chinese Ministry of State Securitys efforts to harass, detain and extradite Uyghurs from around the world, and the cooperation it is getting from governments in the Middle East and North Africa, is described in unprecedented detail in a new report, Great Wall of Steel, by the Woodrow Wilson Centers Kissinger Institute on China and the United States.

More than 5,500 Uyghurs outside of China have been targeted by Beijing, hit with cyberattacks and threats to family members who remain in China, and more than 1,500 Uyghurs have been detained or forced to return to China to face imprisonment and torture in police custody, according to the report.

It is the first major study to place the Xinjiang humanitarian crisis in a global context, showing the international dimension of Beijings campaign to suppress the Uyghurs, said the reports author, Bradley Jardine, a Schwartzman fellow at the Wilson Center and director of research at the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs.

The detentions and forced repatriations to China are ongoing.

On April 13, Amnesty International reported that Saudi Arabia was preparing to deport a Uyghur woman and her 13-year-old daughter to China, where they would risk being detained in the vast web of re-education camps in western Chinas Xinjiang Province. The girls father and another Uyghur, a Muslim scholar, are also detained in the kingdom. It is unclear if any of them were formally charged.

Anthropologist Adrian Zenz, who has studied and documented Beijings systematic repression of Uyghurs, says Beijing is using economic might and gifts of infrastructure projects  its global Belt and Road initiative  to pressure countries, including those with majority Muslim populations that might be sympathetic to the Uyghurs plight.

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The Chinese are quite scared of what Muslim populations think of their treatment of the Uyghurs and have exerted particular effort in influencing government and popular opinion in those countries, said Zenz, who is a senior fellow in China studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit based in Washington.

Camps for Uyghurs

Chinese authorities in Xinjiang began rounding up women and men in 2017  largely Muslims from the Uyghur, Kazakh and Kyrgyz ethnic minorities  and detaining them in camps designed to rid them of terrorist or extremist leanings.

Image: Xinjiang (Greg Baker / AFP via Getty Images file)

From 1 million to 2 million Uyghurs and members of other minorities from Xinjiang are believed to be held in the camps, where they are forced to study Marxism, renounce their religion, work in factories and face abuse, according to human rights groups and first-hand accounts. Beijing says these re-education camps provide vocational training and are necessary to fight extremism. The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment on this article.

According to the report, what scholars call transnational repression, ranging from online harassment to detention and extradition, has taken place in 44 countries, and Uyghurs have been threatened and intimidated in United States, Japan and across the European Union. More than 1,500 detentions and forced returns to China have occurred since 1997, more than 1,300 of them since 2014.

The report breaks down the repression into three distinct stages. From 1997 to 2007, 89 Uyghurs were detained or deported by local security services primarily in South and Central Asia. In the second phase, from 2008 to 2013, 126 Uyghurs were targeted primarily in Southeast Asia. And in the ongoing third phase, from 2014 to present, 1,364 Uyghurs have been detained, extradited or rendered from 18 countries concentrated in the Middle East and North Africa.

The report is based on a database built by Jardine in partnership with the Uyghur Human Rights Project and the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs called "Chinas Transnational Repression of Uyghurs Dataset." Researchers culled news reports and government documents and conducted interviews with Uyghurs to compile the comprehensive list of documented instances of persecution outside of China. Reporting by Jardine and NBC News indicates that the scale is likely more extensive than is officially reported.

The database includes 424 cases of Uyghurs forcibly returned to China, most since 2014, when the Chinese Communist Party launched its own War on Terror.

Chinas secret service has relied on foreign governments in many cases and Interpol in some cases to help repatriate Uyghurs they wish to control, according to the report.

This changes the Uyghur story by making clear that China is not only mistreating Uyghurs within Chinas borders, but is also pursuing them internationally, through both legal and illegal channels, on a large scale, said Robert Daly, director of the Wilson Centers Kissinger Institute. China is pursuing, harassing, and detaining Chinese Uyghurs around the world and returning them to China for punishment whenever possible.

Many of the Uyghurs in the database have been detained and sent back to China without being charged with a crime, while others have faced accusations ranging from missing passports and visas to terrorism. Some were accused of making or associating with individuals who have made political statements critical of Beijings repressive policies in Xinjiang, while others were deported merely for having studied religion abroad. The database includes 60 documented cases of Uyghurs accused of promoting or partaking in separatism or terrorism or being linked to an extremist group.

In Morocco, a Uyghur human rights activist and journalist critical of Chinas policies remains imprisoned following an Interpol red notice against him issued at Beijings request. While Interpol later withdrew its notice citing its bylaws forbidding persecution on political, religious or ethnic grounds, a Moroccan court approved an extradition request by China in 2021.

In a statement to NBC News, an Interpol spokesperson said that a specialized task force reviews every red notice request to ensure compliance with the organizations rules, taking into account information available at the time of publication, and can re-examine any notice if new information emerges, as it did in the Morocco case. [Interpols] General Secretariat is constantly reviewing, assessing and updating its procedures to ensure the greatest level of integrity in the system, and trust in its work, the spokesperson said.

Protest Against Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in London (Wiktor Szymanowicz / Future Publishing via Getty Images )

Saudi Arabia, which appears on Chinas list of suspicious countries for Uyghurs to travel to, has increasingly cooperated with Beijing. Saudi authorities have deported at least six Uyghurs to China in the last four years who were either making pilgrimages to Mecca or living in the country legally, according to the report.

This is complete callousness [on the part of Saudi Arabia] knowing what will happen to these Uyghurs when they get to China, Zenz said. The Chinese government wants to cleanse Uyghurs worldwide so that there are no pockets of Uyghurness outside of Chinas borders that are not in line with Beijings narrative.

In 2017 Egyptian police rounded up Uyghur students at a university in Cairo and deported them to China and elsewhere in the Middle East. Some escaped to Dubai only to face detention there, according to the report.

I have learned from interviews with Uyghur sources in the UAE that Chinese police coordinated the Egypt crackdowns with Dubai. Uyghur students who attempted to flee to the UAE from Egypt were picked up as a part of this coordination, Jardine wrote in the report.

In a statement emailed to NBC News, a government spokesperson said the UAE government categorically rejects the allegations, calling them baseless.

The UAE follows all recognized global norms and procedures established by international organizations such as Interpol in the detainment, interrogation, and transfer of fugitives sought by foreign governments.

In 2020, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE joined 42 other countries in signing a letter supporting Chinas campaign of mass detention in the Xinjiang region.

The embassies of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Morocco did not respond to requests for comment.
Chris Tarrant has welcomed a Ukrainian family into his home. (PA)

Chris Tarrant has revealed he has a refugee family from Ukraine living with him in his home.

The former Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? host claimed the government scheme for offering shelter to those fleeing the warzone had been a "nightmare of civil service bureaucratic c**p", but claimed he "sort of managed to short-cut all that."

Tarrant, 75, told The Sun: We just look after them and help them with shopping and stuff."

Read more: Chris Tarrant admits he began TV career drinking at 10am to boost performance

He added: "They are lovely, and it makes you think - theyve got a baby, and these poor people have come all the way across Ukraine to get out of that bloody hellhole.

Chris Tarrant and partner Jane Bird are sharing their home with a Ukrainian family and their young baby. (Getty Images)

"They keep talking about going home some time, but I say, You dont even know what your homes like. Is it a pile of bricks? You dont know whats there waiting for you. So they are very welcome to stay.

The TV and radio presenter - who has four adult children - lives in Berkshire with partner Jane Bird, and they have welcomed a mother and baby, as well as her elderly mother to live with them. They cannot be named for security reasons and the husband remains in Ukraine fighting in the war.

Tarrant said he was put in touch with the family when they were sleeping on the floor of an airport in Poland and managed to organise the paperwork for them to be granted asylum in the UK.

Families flee the warzone in Ukraine. (AP)

He said he is not accepting the 350 monthly payment offered by the government as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Tarrant said: "The baby speaks nothing - just Ukrainian gurgles, I think. The mum has reasonable English and her mum doesnt speak much at all. But theyre just really nice people.

Russian president Vladimir Putin began his military invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. Cities in the country have suffered mass destruction and hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have fled the country.

The Homes For Ukraine scheme - which is allows UK residents, who have a spare room, to sponsor an individual or family from Ukraine to live with them for up to six months - has been criticised for the slow process in matching refugees with those offering their homes.

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Since the government website launched on 18 March over 200,000 UK residents have registered their interest.

Benedict Cumberbatch, pictured with wife Sophie Hunter, has offered to house Ukrainian refugees. (Getty Images)

And while government figures show that 40,000 UK visas have been issued, just 6,600 Ukrainians have actually arrived.

Read more: Benedict Cumberbatch offers his home to refugees fleeing Ukraine

Other celebrities who have said they will open their homes to refugees include Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch, TV presenter Gary Lineker and Loose Women star Linda Robson.

Lineker has already shared his home with a refugee two years ago.

Watch: Benedict Cumberbatch has offered to house Ukrainian refugees
David Wright, right, is a former head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. He was sentenced Monday to six years in federal prison in a long-running corruption case. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

David Wright earned more than $376,000 a year as the top executive of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. He had several homes in Southern California and vacationed in Italy.

But that wasnt enough for Wright: Prosecutors said he took part in a scheme to get a $30-million contract at the DWP approved, so he could join the company, at a $1-million salary, after he retired from the utility.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. sentenced Wright, 62, to six years in federal prison for his role in the bribery scandal. At a downtown court hearing, Blumenfeld said that Wright was "well off before he broke the law.

"The motive here was pure greed and the pursuit of excess riches," Blumenfeld said.

Wright, who pleaded guilty to one count of bribery in January, is the first city employee sentenced in the sprawling federal corruption investigation of the DWP and the city attorney's office. A former DWP cybersecurity chief, a former top attorney who worked under City Atty. Mike Feuer and an outside attorney hired by the city await sentencing.

The crimes have shed light on City Hall's lack of financial and ethical oversight at the DWP, an agency that Mayor Eric Garcetti vowed to reform when he was elected as mayor in 2013.

Hired in 2016 by Garcetti for the DWP job, Wright was viewed by some at City Hall as a toe-the-line bureaucrat who would carry out the orders of the mayor's office. However, prosecutors said in court documents that Wright "sought to cash in on the public trust for his own personal wealth and advancement."

Prosecutors had asked the court to sentence Wright to eight years and a $100,000 fine. Wright's lawyers sought less than two years in prison, according to court documents.

Wright admitted that he persuaded the DWP board in 2017 to award a $30-million no-bid contract to a company without informing the board that he secretly had agreed to accept a $1-million-a-year job and the use of a Mercedes-Benz at that company once he retired from the utility.

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Wright also destroyed evidence and knowingly made false statements to FBI agents and federal prosecutors, he admitted in court documents.

He betrayed the public trust for years, over and over," Assistant U.S. Atty. Melissa Mills said at Monday's hearing.

Wright used his time at Monday's hearing to apologize to DWP's customers and elected officials and expressed remorse for his actions.

"I really messed up the rest of my life at the end of my career, Wright said. About a dozen friends and family members watched the court proceedings. One of Wright's sons works at the DWP.

Wright said that he didnt enjoy his high-level job at the DWP and that he spent years putting up emotional walls at work. Internally, I am an emotional mess, he told the judge.

In court documents, attorneys for Wright painted the onetime utility executive as struggling with insecurity about his job, health issues and grief over his father's death at the time of his crimes.

Wright's attorneys also said that he cooperated with the government after meeting with officials in June 2019 and wore a wire to covertly record others.

"Based on the governments directions, Mr. Wright recorded numerous phone calls and meetings with a large number of individuals who are thought to be persons of interest in the governments investigation," Wright's attorneys wrote in court documents.

The federal investigation into the DWP and the city attorney's office became publicly known in July 2019, when FBI agents raided both departments seeking information about a class-action lawsuit brought by DWP customers over faulty bills and lucrative DWP contracts.

Prosecutors say that Wright developed a close relationship with New York attorney Paul Paradis, who was working for the city attorney's office on litigation stemming from the faulty billing system.

Wright and Paradis met in February 2017 at a hotel restaurant in Riverside and discussed Paradis intent to create a new company, Aventador Utility Solutions, for the purpose of seeking a lucrative contract with the DWP, prosecutors said in court documents filed last year.

Wright ensured that the DWP awarded the contract without competitive bidding, prosecutors wrote. In exchange, Paradis agreed to name Wright chief executive of Aventador after Wrights retirement from the utility, with Wright earning a salary of $1 million a year, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors portrayed Wright as defiant, willing to muscle through the contract. We will get this all done and f anyone that tries to get in the way, Wright wrote to Paradis in a 2017 text.

The pair also collaborated in other ways. After the two traveled to Israel in 2018, Wright and Paradis hatched a plan to bring a cybercompany to L.A., the agreement says. Paradis would put up $5 million in capital and have a controlling interest, and Wright would have an ownership interest, prosecutors said.

Wright told Paradis that the DWP would purchase five years of cybersecurity training at the franchise facility for $3 million a year, prosecutors said.

By March 2019, there was growing public attention on the Aventador contract and questions about city attorneys' actions in the billing litigation. At a meeting that month, Wright told Paradis that he feared that their relationship and their corrupt plans for Aventador would be discovered, prosecutors said in court documents.

Wright directed Paradis to destroy their incriminating text messages and emails from Wrights cellphone and Apple iCloud, prosecutors said. The pair also met at a downtown Los Angeles cafe where Paradis left a paper bag with a wiped phone and a burner phone for Wright, according to prosecutors.

Wright participated in a voluntary interview with federal investigators at his residence in June 2019, one month before the FBI raid of the utility and city attorney's office, according to court documents.

Wright "falsely stated that he did not have any financial or business interest  present or future  in Aventador, any successor or affiliate company, or any other company associated with Paradis," prosecutors wrote.

In arguing for a lighter sentence, Wright's attorneys wrote that although Wright received meals, travel and event tickets from Paradis, "he did not receive any of the proposed proceeds of his job offer from Mr. Paradis, including the offered $1-million salary, the luxury car or the signing bonus that he and Mr. Paradis agreed upon as part of the bribery scheme."

Mills, the prosecutor, argued that although Wright ultimately didn't get the $1-million salary, there was "real money involved, real harm involved." She cited a utility expert who worked with the DWP, who told investigators that the $30-million contract was "not necessary."

Wright previously worked as general manager of Riverside Public Utilities.

In January, leaders in that city asked the Riverside County district attorneys office to investigate whether utility contracts were "illegally steered" to companies when Wright worked at the utility, the Press-Enterprise reported.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A Los Angeles County sheriff's commander who was critical of efforts to cover up an incident in which a deputy kneeled on a handcuffed inmate's head has filed legal papers accusing Sheriff Alex Villanueva of obstructing justice and retaliating against those who blew the whistle.

In the legal claim against L.A. County, which is a required precursor to a lawsuit, Allen Castellano offered new details about Villanueva's alleged role in keeping the March 2021 incident under wraps that contradict the sheriff's claim that he learned of the incident several months after it happened.

According to the claim, Villanueva, along with a lieutenant working as his aide, Undersheriff Tim Murakami and Assistant Sheriff Robin Limon, viewed a video of the incident just five days after it occurred.

After watching, Villanueva allegedly said to the group, "We do not need bad media at this time, and told Limon that he would handle the matter," the claim said.

"Villanueva really meant that he would proceed to obstruct justice and direct a cover-up of the incident," the claim alleged.

Villanueva did not respond to a request for comment. The Sheriff's Department announced Monday that Villanueva would hold a news conference Tuesday regarding "false claims" made in a recent lawsuit by a "disgruntled employee."

The filing goes on to allege that Villanueva blocked a criminal investigation into the deputy for using excessive force and stopped assault charges from being filed against the inmate in an attempt to keep the violent detention secret.

"Villanueva knew that if assault charges were filed against the inmate, his defense attorney would have gotten access to the video and the public could see it," the claim says.

Villanueva said the deputy who kneeled on the inmate was relieved of duty in November, immediately after the sheriff learned of the incident. The claim says Johnson wasn't relieved of duty until Dec. 7.

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The county's inspector general, who oversees the Sheriff's Department, is probing whether Villanueva lied about what he knew and when. And Lt. Jim Braden told The Times that he contacted the FBI to report that he believes the handling of the incident violated department procedures and may have amounted to criminal obstruction of justice or conspiracy.

The Times revealed the violent detention, which happened on the morning of March 10, 2021, and the allegations of a cover-up.

That morning, deputies were conducting routine searches of inmates before their court appearances at the San Fernando Courthouse when deputies told two inmates to be quiet.

As the pair continued talking and laughing, Deputy Douglas Johnson ordered one of the men, Enzo Escalante, to stop and face the wall.

Security video obtained by The Times shows Johnson walking closely behind Escalante through a hallway before ushering him toward a wall.

Escalante turned around and punched Johnson in the face multiple times. Johnson and other deputies then took Escalante to the ground, positioning him facedown.

After he was handcuffed, Johnson kept his knee on Escalantes head for three minutes.

Castellano notified his supervisor, Chief LuJuana Haselrig, about the force, and took the video to Limon so she could make the sheriff aware so that he would "not be caught off guard, if questioned," the claim said.

In a July 2021 internal report reviewed by The Times, Castellano wrote that officials had worried at the time about the negative publicity that could come from a deputy kneeling on a handcuffed mans head, given its nature and its similarities to widely publicized George Floyd use of force."

Castellano was subsequently targeted for an administrative investigation. The claim alleges Limon and a captain would have backed up Castellano's account but were blocked by Villanueva from speaking to investigators. Castellano was given a written reprimand for "failing to properly handle an excessive force case."

Castellano's claim says he "felt an ethical responsibility" to report illegal conduct by Villanueva and others in his report, and was subsequently subjected to retaliation for blowing the whistle.

According to the claim, there's a history between Castellano and the sheriff.

The claim says that "Sheriff Villanueva long harbored animosity and a thirst for revenge against" Castellano because in 2015, when Villanueva was a lieutenant, Castellano reported him for failing to get medical aid for an inmate who had been shocked with a Taser. The claim alleges Villanueva tried to blame the incident on Castellano, who was his supervisor at the time, by telling internal investigators Castellano had given him permission to violate department policy. Villanueva was given a five-day suspension, but retired before it was imposed, the claim said.

"After Villanueva was elected sheriff ..., he moved quickly to conceal evidence of the pending discipline and restricted the [Internal Affairs Bureau] investigation from LASD computers," the claim said, adding that when Villanueva took office he pressured Castellano to volunteer to be demoted two ranks down to lieutenant.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
In the months leading up to Russias invasion of Ukraine, radio frequency detection and analytics company Hawkeye 360 began picking up GPS interference signals across Eastern Europe with commercial satellites.

As analysts reviewed the data, they discovered that significant GPS jamming near Luhansk and Donetsk in Ukraine was disrupting unmanned aerial vehicles operating in the region. Then in late February, just before Russia invaded the country, analysts detected interference near Ukraines border with Belarus, north of Chernobyl.

From Hawkeyes detection of GPS interference over Ukraine to satellite images showing a 40-mile-long Russian military convoy headed into the country, commercial space capabilities are providing real-time insight into Russian military activities and providing support to Ukrainian forces, humanitarian organizations and journalists covering the invasion. Theyre also providing a present-day case study for ongoing policy discussions about how much of this intelligence should be shared in open-source environments and how the U.S. should respond if commercial assets are targeted by an adversary.

COMMERCIAL SPACE IN UKRAINE

The impact of commercial space services on the conflict in Ukraine was immediate.

Within days of Russias Feb. 24 invasion  and following a request for satellite internet support via Twitter from Ukraines digital minister Mykhailo Federov  SpaceX began sending Starlink terminal kits to Ukraine and has since sent thousands, according to a report from CNBC.

In another high-profile example  which also transpired, at least in part, over Twitter  Federov called on commercial satellite companies to share imagery and data directly with Ukraine and, according to the Washington Post, at least five providers have agreed to cooperate.

BlackSky, a geospatial intelligence company that offers high-revisit imaging from space, is currently supporting a number of organizations around this particular event, CEO Brian OToole told C4ISRNET. While he wouldnt name those organizations, they include government customers and humanitarian organizations that are looking to deploy resources in the region, as well as media covering the crisis and commercial customers concerned about economic and supply chain impacts.

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The war in Ukraine is certainly not the first major conflict where commercial space capabilities have been a feature, but experts say advances in technology have enabled these systems to play a much larger role than in the past. A February report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies highlights this development, noting that the last 10 years have seen significant advances in microelectronics, small satellite technology and reduced launch costs converge with improvements in key capabilities like synthetic aperture radar, radio frequency mapping and data storage and analytics.

This sample provided by Hakweye 360 shows what it looks like when their systems detect GPS interference. (Hawkeye 360)

These technology advances have the potential to shatter paradigms of how the military thinks about collecting data on an adversarys movements, the report said.

Rather than relying exclusively on high-demand, low-density government-owned national assets, commercial sensing offers orders of magnitude more coverage and revisit rates that can augment and queue the sensing capabilities provided by more exquisite government-owned and government-operated systems, the report states.

Todd Harrison, director of the Aerospace Security Project at CSIS and one of the reports authors said this revolution is part of what has made open-source information sharing such a prominent feature of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

That is what has really caused this revolution in commercial space remote sensing capabilities and brought us to the point where we are today, Harrison said. And there are a lot of policy implications that go with that that we have not necessarily thought through and prepared for up until this point.

INTELLIGENCE SHARING

One of the more prominent policy questions raised by the ongoing conflict involves the sharing of intelligence that has traditionally been classified or controlled by government agencies.

Kari Bingen, Hawkeye 360s chief strategy officer and the former principal deputy under secretary of defense for intelligence, said during a recent event at the International Institute for Strategic Studies the U.S. government should take advantage of the burgeoning commercial market and build policies that normalize greater sharing of information.

From a space and intelligence perspective, its phenomenal to see the unprecedented sharing of intelligence right now, Bingen said. Clearly, theres an urgency of the moment right now. I think the question going forward will be, will we sustain some of this going forward in our policies and institutionalize this kind of sharing?

The U.S. has put constraints on companies that prevent them from sharing imagery over certain regions or of a certain level of quality, said Brian Weeden, director of program planning at Secure World Foundation. Many of those restrictions have been lifted in recent years through measures like the Trump Administrations Space Policy Directive-2, but some still exist, Weeden noted, pointing to recent reporting from Breaking Defense about the government using contractual language to enforce licensing controls.

Some of the governments concerns about open-source intelligence revolve around controlling the narrative of a conflict, Harrison said. While the public release of imagery and other information has worked in the U.S. governments favor in this particular conflict, that may not be the case in future scenarios.

I think that in the aftermath of this, were going to have to take into account in our national security strategy that the world has become more transparent and we cannot necessarily control the narrative, nor can our adversaries, he said.

There are also fears that sharing too much information could interfere with military strategy or operational security in certain scenarios.

Col. Ben Ogden, a space operations officer at the U.S. Army War College, said the uncontrolled release of high-quality satellite imagery could take away the element of surprise in a future military operation.

When you talk about operational security, there are going to be so many satellite imagery possibilities from commercial companies that national security efforts  whether its troop movements that we would like to do in support of our interests  will not go under the shade of night or there will not be much of an operational surprise anymore, Ogden said during an event in early March.

Commercial space capabilities reportedly played a role in the Iranian militarys January 2020 attack on Ain al-Asad Air Base in Iraq. More than a year after the attack, which damaged equipment and injured more than 100 people, 60 Minutes reported that Iran had used commercial satellite images to monitor the installation.

Even with these concerns, Bingen noted there is clearly a demand, even within the military, for more releasable intelligence. And Russias invasion of Ukraine is putting that demand signal on display and providing a use case for the role commercial space capabilities could play in the larger intelligence picture.

The demand signals there, she said. We just now need the institution to respond with the disclosure policies, the processes.

RESPONDING TO AN ATTACK

Another policy issue elevated by Russias war on Ukraine is how the U.S. would respond if Russia attacked a commercial space system providing intelligence in support of Ukrainian operations. Weeden said the question carries a particular weight given Russias possession and past demonstration of both destructive and non-destructive counterspace weapons.

This is the first sort of modern conventional armed conflict between two opponents with pretty significant capabilities and at least one of them, on the Russian side, has a bunch of counterspace capabilities, so they can react to the use of space by the other side, Weeden said.

Remote sensing companies have in recent weeks raised concerns that there isnt a clear process for reporting an attack or collaborating on a potential response. J.R. Riordan, chief revenue officer at BlackSky, said the company spends quite a bit of capital on protecting its systems, noting that there is no 9-1-1 phone call for us to say, Help.

Were trying to make stronger doors, better locks and better protection, so that we can do that for our customers as well as protect our assets, he said during the Satellite 2022 Conference in March.

While there are precedents and international laws around targeting civilians and third parties in an armed conflict, the lines are blurrier when it comes to space. John Hill, acting assistant secretary of defense for space policy, said international law doesnt provide clear guidance on what is permissible in space.

There is so much about what is responsible behavior in space that were figuring out as we go, Hill said during the same conference.

He advocated for more deliberate engagement with operators across the space enterprise as a way to create the content and best practices around safe and responsible conduct in space, saying that work could eventually lead to international agreement.

Weeden said there has been some momentum in recent years to develop norms around responsible behavior in space, highlighting an upcoming United Nations open-ended working group meeting focused on space threats.

The first session is slated for early May and Russia had been expected to be at the table, but a Department of State official confirmed during a National Security Space Association event in March that Russia will not participate. Weeden said he expects the current conflict to feature heavily at the meeting, especially given Russias November anti-satellite test.
The fallout from the devastating and deadly Surfside condo collapse continues in Florida. This time, its condo associations  and by extension, condo owners  paying the price.

Theyre seeing insurance rates increasing and, at the same time, the availability of insurance decrease. And at least some of the reasons for the worsening market can be traced right back to the Florida Legislatures failure to pass a single condo-reform bill in the regular session, even though 98 people died in the Champlain Towers South collapse last June.

Lawmakers are already heading back to Tallahassee next month for a special session to address the high costs of homeowners insurance. Condo insurance needs to be part of that session. There are 1.5 million condo units in Florida. They are homes, too.

Condo insurance costs up

As the Miami Herald reported, condo associations are struggling to get their pre-Surfside policies renewed. Theyre contending with premium increases of as much as 50% or more. Many are being forced to buy insurance that costs more and covers less, or seek insurance from out-of-state surplus lines that dont need to get their rates approved by the state. And all of those costs are passed on to the condo owners, of course.

Even before this, there was an insurance problem plaguing Florida. Insurance companies are pulling out of Florida or going belly up, as they have in the past. Premiums for homeowners policies are soaring; the insurer of last resort, Citizens Property Insurance, has racked up huge increases in the number of policies; and lawmakers have declared the whole thing a crisis, yet again.

Thats propelling them into session in May. But condo insurance is suffering from similar difficulties. More than 922,000 condos in Florida are more than 30 years old and, after Surfside, many insurance companies no longer want to write those policies and take the risk that goes with it. Its not hard to understand why: The insurer for Champlain Towers South paid out more than $30 million. Fears are rising that some condo buildings soon wont be considered insurable at all.

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Lawmakers could have helped steady the market by addressing at least some of the issues. Instead, they were consumed by issues of the culture wars and by their own reelection chances in the fall. Unfortunately, doing the work of the people took on far less urgency than their own survival.

And when the first special session  held last week  was called by Gov. Ron DeSantis, it wasnt for condo insurance or condo reforms. It was to pass DeSantis version of new congressional districts and to punish his new enemy, Disney  which opposed anti-LGBTQ legislation.

It served another purpose, too. It sent a dont-cross-me message to any potential opponents as he runs for reelection and, perhaps, the White House. In other words, the most important things that the governor decreed must get done after the regular session were passing aggressive new congressional maps and getting back at Disney, not helping homeowners and condo dwellers get insurance or simply feel safe in their homes.

The lack of action by lawmakers on anything to do with condos was self-serving. It also was a betrayal of the 98 people who lost their lives when Champlain Towers South fell down without warning.

Legislators have a chance to redeem themselves, at least a tiny bit, if they can actually do some of the work their their constituents want. Next month, when they go back to Tallahassee  on our dime  they need to add condo insurance and, indeed, condo reforms to their agenda. And if they dont, their constituents back home should hold them fully accountable in November.
On Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis traveled to South Florida to sign, among other things, the bill that set into motion the dismantling of Disneys 55-year-old Reedy Creek Improvement District.

During his victory lap, the Republican took a moment to remind the crowd gathered in front of him about the reason Floridas most powerful company found itself in the crosshairs a few days before.

RELATED: Man who wrote the book on Disney and Florida warns of economic fallout from Reedy Creek dissolution

Youre going to marshal your economic might to attack the parents of my state, he said. We view that as a provocation, and were going to fight back against that.

Elsewhere, the corporations lawyers may have been taking notes.

Since Tuesday, questions have swirled about whether or not the procedures used by the states Legislature to pass this bill were legal. Some parts of Floridas laws call for a vote to be held by residents within a district or its delegation. Lawyers who specialize in special districts agree that those sections of the law didnt apply to this case, and the government was on solid legal footing.

STORY: Move against Disney shows Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis clout

However, a different set of attorneys  focusing on constitutional law  believe the House of Mouse has an excellent shot at a First Amendment lawsuit, should it desire one.

Once the government provides a benefit, that benefit cant be taken away in a way that is unconstitutional, Lawrence Walters, managing partner of Longwood-based Walters Law Group said. In other words, the government cannot retaliate against the company in response to the exercise of the companys First Amendment rights.

Two other attorneys agreed with Walters, with one adding that the states actions resembled the playbook of an authoritarian country like Russia.

STORY: Florida lawmakers vote to strip Walt Disney World of special designation

You have a government, with all the resources of a government, striking out  simply for exercising their right to have an opinion, Glen Torcivia, shareholder of West Palm-based Torcivia, Donlon, Goddeau & Rubin, explained.

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Some Republicans, including DeSantis, appeared to realize the danger their early statements put them in. Many interviews throughout the week steered heavily in the direction of good governance and proper oversight, which Torcivia and Walters said was the states best possible defense.

Stetson University Law Professor Paul Boudreaux added another advantage Florida would have: Disney would be challenging legislation voted on by a large group of people, each with their own motivations.

STORY: Years of fruitful relations between Disney, Florida at risk

You have to prove the retaliation was done for this specific purpose, he said.

However, Torcivia reckoned it would be difficult to put the toothpaste back in the tube, especially when so many comments were made on camera.

Im fairly certain that Disney would have an excellent case, and a really great chance of winning a case, he said.

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If the company did go down this path, an injunction against the law would be the first step sought, which Torcivia said would be granted in a matter of weeks.

However, he, along with many others, theorized that Disney would likely pursue negotiations with lawmakers to alter the terms of the Reedy Creek district when the regular session resumes in March.

As of Friday afternoon, Disney had not commented on the law, or the companys future plans.

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MILLBURN, NJ  During the pandemic, some parents felt overwhelmed with all of the venues to get school information: Parent portals, Zoom, Google classroom, and more.

But there's no denying that a turn toward more on-line communication in schools is here to stay.

Now, the Millburn schools are asking all community members, including parents, which ways they want to get their information, and which ways they don't. They'd like input via a new survey (see below) by Friday.

"The past two years have been characterized by rapid change, as the pandemic created new ways of teaching, learning, and communicating for all of us," said school officials in a message to the community on Monday. "Although the road has been challenging, there have also been bright spots of innovation and collaboration, particularly in the ways the district and schools communicate with their various stakeholders."

The Millburn Schools Communications Survey should be filled out by April 29, this Friday. Click the link to fill it out.

They noted:

The survey is anonymous and should take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete

We recommend taking the survey on a computer, however, if submitting on a mobile device, please use horizontal orientation to see all answer choices without scrolling

We truly appreciate you sharing your voice in the open response questions, as all written feedback will be reviewed.

Want a free daily 6 a.m. newsletter with just Millburn/Short Hills news? Or would you prefer alerts when breaking news happens? Or both? Input your email address and you'll be asked for your preferences: https://patch.com/subscribe

This article originally appeared on the Millburn-Short Hills Patch
By Anna Mehler Paperny

TORONTO (Reuters) - Snowy northern winters tend to see a drop in asylum-seekers crossing from the United States into Canada at Roxham Road, Quebec. Not this past winter.

In December the number of asylum-seekers entering Canada outside formal land border crossings reached its highest point since August 2017, government statistics show.

The growing caseload is lengthening wait times for eligibility hearings, leaving claimants waiting months on social assistance before getting work permits, one attorney said.

The increase follows the lifting of a pandemic-era order in December. Since March 2020, border police had refused entry to all asylum-seekers in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.

"It seems to me the ministry has been caught off guard," said Montreal lawyer Pierre-Luc Bouchard, who has 70 refugee cases after two years with almost zero new clients. "They are completely confused."

A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told Reuters last week that the increase was expected and said it is working to speed up applications and shorten eligibility hearing wait times.

In December, Royal Canadian Mounted Police intercepted 2,811 asylum-seekers crossing the border outside formal land ports of entry, the vast majority crossing into Quebec. In January and February they intercepted 2,382 and 2,164, respectively - compared to 888 and 808 in January and February of 2019.

These asylum-seekers can enter Canada because they do not enter at formal border crossings. Under the Safe Third Country Agreement, set to be contested at Canada's Supreme Court, Canada and the United States can turn back asylum-seekers in either direction at formal land border crossings.

'PEOPLE ARE DESPERATE'

Volunteers who come to the border bearing water bottles or mittens and who try to ensure border-crossers' rights are respected have resumed their weekly trips to Roxham Road after suspending them during the pandemic, said Frances Ravensbergen, a coordinator for migrant advocacy group Bridges Not Borders.

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Some asylum-seekers "have kind of waited for the borders to reopen," Bouchard said.

Roxham Road is not a formal border crossing, although so many asylum-seekers use it that police officers are often stationed there to intercept migrants.

Some would-be refugees were waiting in the United States, others in Latin America or in Kenya until they felt they could make the trip to Canada via the United States, Bouchard said. Canadian refugee claimants come from a range of countries, including Mexico, Colombia, India and Iran.

Many keep abreast of Canada's shifting regulations, "sometimes with some confusion," Bouchard said.

But Bouchard thinks there is more than just Canada's lifted border closure at play. "People are desperate," he said.

He said the increase was also an indication that "under (President) Joe Biden the (U.S.) immigration policies have not really, really changed," especially regarding gender-based refugee claims, which are seen as less likely to succeed in the United States.

U.S. apprehensions of migrants crossing from Mexico reached a 20-year high last year, and the Biden administration has been reluctant to roll back all the measures imposed by his predecessor Donald Trump.

The U.S. government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

FLEEING TO CANADA

When a Nicaraguan refugee claimant Reuters spoke to fled for a neighboring country last June he hoped he would be back in Managua in time for Christmas. But the situation deteriorated, he said, and police were threatening his family back home. He asked not to be named, saying he fears reprisals.

Armed with tips from those who had made the journey and information gleaned from the internet, over a long day in late December he flew into the southern United States, where he reunited with his wife and kids who had traveled from Nicaragua. They flew to New York, where they boarded a bus to Plattsburgh in upstate New York and then took a taxi to the Canadian border.

Canadian police were friendly, he said. Now he and his family are living in a Montreal apartment. His kids are in school and he hopes to find work soon.

"It was a hard trip... everything is in Nicaragua," he said. "But my mind is positive and I expect that we are going to do well here."

(Reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny; Editing by Denny Thomas and Rosalba O'Brien)
STUDIO CITY, CA  Californians who paid for coronavirus tests through Sameday Health could be eligible for refunds after a settlement accused the company of giving fake results to customers.

The Los Angeles-based company will have to pay more than $20 million under the conditions of the settlement, which was announced by Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer this week.

Under the settlement, swaths of Californians who paid out of pocket for a PCR test between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 2020 are expected to be refunded by the company.

Some customers who got a PCR test from Sameday outside that timeframe are eligible and customers who didn't get results within the advertised turnaround time are also eligible for a repayment.

Sameday Technologies, which operates under Sameday Health, has a total of 55 testing sites throughout the country, with 16 locations in Los Angeles County, including five in the city.



In Los Angeles County, there are 16 locations, with storefronts in Long Beach, Redondo Beach, Pasadena, Sherman Oaks, Manhattan Beach, Studio City, West Hollywood, downtown Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Hollywood, Culver City, Brentwood, Westchester, Santa Monica and Venice. The company also does house calls in the county.

In Studio City, a clinic is still open at 12080 Ventura Pl.

Feuer and Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon filed the complaint, alleging that Sameday Health and its CEO Felix Huettenback falsely advertised that test results would be provided to customers within 24 hours, knowing that it couldn't make that guarantee. The city also alleged that they falsified and forged COVID-19 test results to at least 500 customers when it couldn't provide real results within 24 hours.

According to the complaint, the company would manipulate old PDF lab reports from previous tests to forge the results.



Feuer urged those seeking COVID-19 tests to report any additional suspicious testing companies or services to the city.

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"It's beyond outrageous that anyone would falsify COVID tests, as we allege happened here. If you get a negative test, you assume it's safe to go to work, visit family and friends, or take a vacation. But the victims of this alleged scheme might unknowingly have spread COVID to others or failed to receive timely and appropriate care themselves," said Feuer.



The complaint also alleged that Sameday Health would fake results for customers whose tests were never processed by labs. Sameday Health also allegedly charged insurance companies that were already paying for COVID-19 tests an additional fee for unnecessary medical consultations.



Sameday Health responded to the settlement saying:

"Sameday Health was founded in September 2020 in an effort to make fast, reliable, COVID testing available to everyone. In the early days, amidst the chaos of massive surges in demand for services, and shortages in supplies, we failed to meet the standards for excellence our customers deserve," the company told City News Service.

Another $3.9 million settlement was reached with Dr. Jeff Toll, a Los Angeles-based doctor that the lawsuit alleged was a partner in Sameday Health's alleged insurance fraud. Sameday Health required people paying with insurance to consent to and participate in consultations with doctors to obtain a COVID-19 test, while people paying with cash were not required to obtain consultations, according to the complaint.

"My office is dedicated to protecting the people of Los Angeles County from dangerous and costly scams like these and seeking appropriate action against those who take advantage of consumers through fraudulent business practices," Gascon said. "It is not only illegal but also unconscionable to defraud people seeking medical assistance in the midst of a public health crisis. We will continue to work to bring justice to victims of all crimes, including fraud."



City News Service contributed to this report.





This article originally appeared on the Studio City Patch
A 38-year-old man is dead after an overnight shooting in Lawrence.

Luis Mendez of Lawrence succumbed to his injuries early Monday morning. The shooting happened in the Market Street area, according to a statement from the Essex County District Attorneys office.

Police responded to that area just before 2:00 a.m. When they arrived on the scene, they found the Mendez suffering from gunshot wounds.

He was rushed to Lawrence General Hospital where he died.

There have been no arrests. The district attorneys office says investigators do not believe this was a random act of violence.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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French President Emmanuel Macron has won re-election with a relatively comfortable majority, but his battle with far-right leader Marine Le Pen spotlights a France more divided than ever.

Le Pen recorded the best score ever for the French far right in Sunday's vote, prompting Macron in his victory speech to acknowledge a pressing need to unify the country.

AFP looks at five reasons Monday's celebrations at the Elysee Palace need to be tempered by sobriety.

- A polarised country -

The post-vote map of France shows startling regional disparities, with Macron largely enjoying support in Paris, the west, southwest and centre of the country, and Le Pen receiving backing in the northern industrial heartlands and Mediterranean south.

Big city centres, upper middle classes and pensioners backed Macron while lower-income groups were overwhelmingly in favour of Le Pen.

"The biggest fractures are above all generational and social," said Mathieu Gallard, the research director of the Ipsos France polling firm, saying that dividing the country into an urban pro-Macron camp and a rural pro-Le Pen did not fully correspond to reality.

- Troubling boycott -

Turnout was just 72 percent, with abstentions at their highest in any second-round run-off vote in France since Georges Pompidou defeated Alain Poher in 1969.

In an alarming signal for Macron, 8.6 percent of those who went to voting stations Sunday also took the trouble not to cast a vote for either candidate, with 6.35 percent of the votes blank and 2.25 percent spoilt.

Taken together, these factors mean over a third of registered voters in France did not make a choice in the election.

Macron "is submerged in an ocean of abstention and spoilt ballots," said hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, who came third in the first round.

- Street protests -

Sporadic protests in cities including Paris, Rennes and Toulouse took place after the results were announced, by ultra-left demonstrators furious at the choice France had in the election.

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Police used tear gas and charged protesters, and while the protests were relatively small, they risk being a harbinger of things to come, especially if radical parties do not receive major representation in June parliamentary elections.

"Here we go for another five years of liberalism led by a Parisian oligarchy which has done a lot of damage to the country," said Joroni Piques, a protester in Toulouse who did not vote on Sunday.

- Generational divide -

For a man who is just 44, Macron is still struggling to make a major impact among younger voters and remains reliant on large support among seniors to get over the line.

Figures by Ipsos and data analysis firm Sopra Steria show that while 61 percent of votes from 18- to 24-year-olds went to Macron, 41 percent of people in that age group did not vote at all.

His victory margin was narrow among those aged 25-34 and 35-49, and Le Pen was even slightly ahead among the 50-59 age group.

It was only among pensioners that Macron could count on a bedrock of support, with 71 percent of votes from those aged 71 or over going to the president, according to the Ipsos-Sopra Steria report.

"We have an aged France that massively supported Emmanuel Macron and a younger France that partially turned their backs on the vote," political analyst Jerome Jaffre told LCI television. "It's a major sociological gulf."

- Lost territories -

Macron is always keen to play up France's global reach through overseas territories that are integral parts of the country and have a total population of almost three million.

But his performance was generally poor beyond the mainland, failing to attract voters who had backed Melenchon in the first round.

Playing on anger against Paris and Macron as a leader, Le Pen came out easily on top in France's main Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique as well as in French Guiana in South America and the Indian Ocean islands of Reunion and Mayotte.

He could only claim victory in the islands in the Pacific such as New Caledonia and French Polynesia.

"The anti-Macron feeling has considerable power," said Martial Foucault, a political scientist Sciences Po university in Paris. "A vote for Le Pen is a vote by default, it does not mean supporting."

sjw/js/jm
Donald Trump Jr. and former President of the United States Donald Trump on September 11, 2021 in Hollywood, Florida. Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images

Donald Trump Jr. texted Mark Meadows on January 6 to get his father to condemn the riot.

"They will try to fuck his entire legacy on this if it gets worse," Trump Jr. texted Meadows, per a CNN report.

The messages are in the possession of the January 6 committee.

As rioters broke into the Capitol on January 6, 2021, Donald Trump Jr. urgently texted then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to push his father to stop the violence, warning that the president's legacy was in jeopardy.

"This his [sic] one you go to the mattresses on. They will try to fuck his entire legacy on this if it gets worse," Trump Jr., President Donald Trump's eldest son, texted Meadows, according to CNN.

This previously unreported text is among thousands that Meadows has provided to the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot. CNN obtained over 2,300 messages Meadows exchanged with Trump officials, congressional lawmakers, and others from Election Day on November 3, 2020 to President Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20, 2021.

The new text also comes months after the January 6 committee revealed during a meeting in December that Trump Jr. sent another message to Meadows on the day of the insurrection, calling on Trump to denounce the violence.

"He's got to condem this shit. Asap. The captiol police tweet is not enough," Trump Jr. texted.

"I'm pushing it hard. I agree," Meadows replied.

A spokesperson for Trump Jr. declined to comment on Monday.

The January 6 committee has obtained troves of records, interviewed over 800 witnesses, and issued dozens of subpoenas as part of its months-long investigation.

Last Thursday, multiple news outlets reported that Trump Jr. plans to meet with the congressional panel. Other Trump family members who have spoken with the committee include Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, both of whom were senior advisors to Trump. Kimberly Guilfoyle, Trump Jr.'s fiance, has also met with the committee.

The panel is expected to hold public hearings starting in June. Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, a member of the congressional panel, said at a Georgetown University event last week that the upcoming hearings will "tell a story that will blow the roof off the House."

Read the original article on Business Insider
BRISTOL, Pa.  Less than four weeks away from primary day, the questions and comments by potential GOP primary voters about Mehmet Ozs past stances were streaming in.

You replied earlier that life begins at conception. I just want to clarify that.

At what point in your life did you realize that you had conservative values?  When you get to Washington, how do I know that youre going to keep those values?

The advertisement against you where you are on your show, youre asking a child, What did it feel like when your parents thought you were a boy? Thats very disturbing.

Attempting to assuage the attentive crowd of 400 at a town hall in Bucks County, Oz began to answer the final query, telling them something you dont usually hear at political events of this kind.

These are not pep rallies, Oz said, absorbing the series of questions. I want you coming in here skeptical.

And skeptical Pennsylvania GOP voters are as they attempt to determine whether Oz is who he says he is and should be their nominee for the Senate in November amid a brutal battle over the airwaves between him and David McCormick, the rival whom he beat out earlier this month for the endorsement of former President Trump.

Speaking with The Hill prior to the event, Oz tried to explain his political evolution, a premise with which he did not take issue.

A lot of things that you hear about are Trojan horses for some groups. Youll say, You know, that makes common sense. And then youll learn, because youve got to get smart about topics. Youve got to study them.  Id study them and Id say, Actually, although it sounds smart, heres how it could be used against people in ways you wouldnt want.

However, theres a good chance all the intraparty concerns will be a moot point come May 17 after Oz nabbed Trumps endorsement, putting him in the drivers seat with three weeks to go. Oz said the push for the endorsement came over the course of three meetings with Trump since announcing his bid in December.

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It was not a hard sell. I didnt even ask for the endorsement in the first meeting, Oz said, adding that he made the official endorsement request during their third get together.

Trumps blessing also gives Oz something he desperately needs at this point: cover. Only six years ago, Trump, who had a lengthy track record of donating to Democratic politicians holding pro-abortion rights and other liberal views, became the first GOP presidential candidate to win the Keystone State in nearly three decades.

Hes been pretty accessible. Not only does he have the celebrity factor, but hes out with the people, one Pennsylvania-based political operative who is unaffiliated with the race told The Hill. Theres a lesson from Trump in 16: Theyll forgive you for a lot if youre willing to stand in front of them and talk to them about it. Our base isnt, Oh this guy was pro-choice 10 years ago. They just want someone who is on their side. They dont care how he got there anymore.

According to the most recent polls, that sentiment is mostly ringing true. In the Trafalger Groups latest poll taken after Trump announced his endorsement, Oz holds a 3-point advantage over McCormick, though the survey was taken well before the endorsement had sunk in with the voting electorate. In addition, polling from sources involved in the race shows Oz with a slight lead following Trumps endorsement, but within the margin of error. While he is seen as slightly more conservative than he was before, he is still viewed unfavorably by nearly half of the primary electorate.

President Trumps impact on the race has been clear. In addition to bigger crowds, and higher digital fundraising numbers, Dr. Ozs lead has widened in our internal polling, Oz campaign manager Casey Contres told The Hill.

Although the McCormick side has a virtually bottomless pit of cash to carpet-bomb Ozs campaign in the coming weeks with accusations that hes a Hollywood liberal, there are concerns that Ozs unique way of connecting with voters  one that kept him on the air for 13 years  could be a deciding factor when all is said and done as Oz continues to attract crowds across the state.

To that point, Oz (along with former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, who said the attacks calling into Ozs conservative stances are a bunch of crap) stayed afterward to grip, grin and talk with supporters for roughly an hour following the town hall.

His celebrity status would worry me the most, that hes just so well-known and hes really good on television, said Rob Gleason, the Republican Party of Pennsylvania chairman from 2006 until 2017, including Trumps 2016 win. Gleason has endorsed McCormick and has criticized Oz for only recently moving to the commonwealth.

But remember, primary voters are hardcore Republicans, and they are pretty conservative, he continued. Primary voters know what theyre doing and they are very conservative. Its the same group that elected [Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin], we have those people living out here, so thats what I think is going to rule the day.  Its not that theyre angry or anything with Dr. Oz, but its just that hes not the conservative you need.

However, the Trump aspect cannot be overstated. One questioner at the event told Oz that they were there simply because the former president had endorsed him.

I will forgive him for all of his leftist past. He was a celebrity. Trump had the same issues, said Vanessa Fiori, a candidate for the GOPs state committee from Bucks County, after the event.

However, the battle between Oz and McCormick has one group of people excited: D.C. Republicans. Almost universally, GOP operatives are convinced that either candidate will win in November if Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman holds on for the Democratic nod. In fact, Republicans in Washington had lost confidence in Sean Parnell, the original Trump-endorsed candidate before he dropped out amid a custody dispute, to the point that they were unlikely to get involved in the race if he were the nominee, according to one GOP strategist.

I would take either one of them in a second, a second GOP operative said.

The Oz-McCormick fight will also take on a new shape tonight, as the two are set to take part in their first debate together at 8 p.m. hosted by Nexstar Media.

Despite the optimism, there is one concern Pennsylvania Republicans harbor: that state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R), a leader in the push to overturn the 2020 election results, could nab the GOPs gubernatorial nomination and drag the entire ticket down in November, including the Senate race. According to one source familiar, at a recent Mar-a-Lago fundraiser for former Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.), Trump spent time addressing the attendees by panning Bill McSwain (whom he recently assailed as a coward for not backing his voter fraud claims), speaking highly of Barletta and talking up Mastriano.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(Bloomberg) -- Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk agreed to buy Twitter Inc. for $44 billion, using one of the biggest leveraged buyout deals in history to take private a 16-year-old social networking platform that has become a hub of public discourse and a flashpoint in the debate over online free speech.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Investors will receive $54.20 for each Twitter share they own, the company said in a statement Monday. The price is 38% more than the stocks close on April 1, the last business day before Musk disclosed a significant stake in the company, sparking a share rally.

Musk, one of Twitters most-watched users with more than 83 million followers, began amassing a stake of about 9% in January. By March, he had ramped up his criticism of Twitter, alleging that the companys algorithms are biased and feeds cluttered with automated junk posts. He also suggested Twitters user growth was inflated by bots. After rejecting an invitation to join the companys board, on April 14 he offered to take Twitter private, saying hed make the platform a bastion of free speech and dropping other hints about the changes hed make as owner.

The ideas verged from the practical -- say, letting users edit tweets and combating the spread of bots -- to the peculiar, such as a proposal to turn the companys San Francisco headquarters into a homeless shelter.

Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated, Musk said in the statement on Monday. Twitter has tremendous potential  I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it.

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The deal was unanimously approved by the companys board, and is expected to be completed later this year. Musk, the worlds richest person, secured $25.5 billion of debt and margin loan financing and will provide about $21 billion in equity to fund the deal, according to the statement.

Musks deal to buy Twitter includes a provision that the billionaire is required to pay the company a fee if he were to walk away or the deal falls apart, according to people familiar with the matter. The deal does not include a go-shop provision, meaning Twitter isnt allowed to solicit offers from other potential bidders. When they resumed trading after a halt for the news, Twitter shares jumped 5.7% to $51.70 at the close in New York.

Chief Executive Officer Parag Agrawal sent an email to Twitter employees as the news was announced, informing them of a companywide meeting scheduled for 2 p.m. to talk about the deal. I know this is a significant change and youre likely processing what this means for you and Twitters future, he wrote.

Though Musk hasnt outlined a specific plan to change Twitters policies around speech and content moderation, his acquisition of the company means one of the internets thorniest problems is now his own. Musk has spoken openly about his plans to make the platform a haven for unfettered speech online and has complained that the service is too heavy-handed when it comes to moderating user tweets.

The debate around free speech on social media has been raging for years -- some political conservatives say Twitter, Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. and other internet companies have too many rules, while liberals dont think social networks go far enough to prevent hate speech and attacks on their services. Its a conflict that has led to numerous congressional hearings over the years and a movement to overhaul U.S. regulations around online content.

Read more: Acquiring Twitter vaults Elon Musk into the realm of media moguls

Going private marks a dramatic turnabout for a company that got its start as a messaging service for sharing your status updates with friends, but quickly blossomed into a way for people to broadcast short posts of 140 characters or less to a public following. Twitter caught fire among politicians, celebrities and journalists and took its place alongside social media stalwarts Facebook and YouTube as a standard bearer of a new, more interactive way of using the web that came to be known as Web 2.0.

Following its birth in 2006, the company weathered a series of crises, including management upheaval that saw the removal of co-founder Jack Dorsey in Twitters early days and his eventual return in 2015. After an initial public offering in 2013, the company considered selling itself in 2016, drawing the interest of companies from Walt Disney Co. to Salesforce Inc. Dorsey in 2020 tangled with an activist investor that forced Twitter to set specific growth targets and add greater board accountability. That served as a catalyst for Dorseys eventual second departure so he could focus on his other company, the digital-payments company Block Inc. Agrawal, formerly the companys chief technology officer, took the helm in November.

Read more: Jack Dorseys post-Twitter quest to become Bitcoins spiritual leader

As recently as last week there was little clarity on whether Musks bid would succeed. The 50-year-old billionaire himself mused at a TED event the day it was announced that even he had doubts about its prospects. Though the stock initially jumped on news of Musks stake in the company, shares have traded well below the original offer price of $54.20 since its announcement -- a sign investors were skeptical a deal would come to fruition.

Twitter on April 15 adopted a shareholder rights plan -- a measure known as a poison pill -- to fend off unwanted bidders. The plan is exercisable if a party acquires 15% of the stock without prior approval, and sought to ensure that anyone taking control of the social media company through open market accumulation pays all shareholders an appropriate control premium, the company said when it disclosed the plan.

But a turning point came last week when the Tesla Inc. CEO pulled together a financing plan that included 12 banks, led by Morgan Stanley. Just days after revealing the plan, Musk met with Twitter executives as the company turned more receptive toward a deal, a person with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg News on Sunday.

After accepting Musks bid, Twitter locked down changes to its platform through Friday, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the situation is private. Twitter imposed the temporary ban to keep employees who may be miffed about the deal from going rogue, according to one of the people. Many of the companys employees have expressed uneasiness about the idea of Musk taking charge.

As part of the deal announcement, Twitter said it will report first-quarter earnings as planned on April 28 before the market opens in New York, but wont host a call to discuss the results.

While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will have to review the plan once Twitter files a preliminary proxy statement, the regulator doesnt have the power to block the merger outright.

Still, the SEC can slow the process down by asking Twitter for clarification on aspects of the deal, according to Kenneth Henderson, a partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner in New York. The companys shareholders will vote to approve the transaction only once all of the agencys questions are answered.

(Updates with details on company product freeze, SEC review starting in seventh paragraph.)

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Bill Gates, Elon Musk

Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty; JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Bill Gates, Elon Musk

Elon Musk said he didn't want to team up with Bill Gates because the two billionaires didn't agree about the future of Tesla.

On Friday, alleged screenshots of a text message conversation between the Tesla CEO and the Microsoft co-founder were posted on Twitter, which Musk is buying for $44 billion.

The messages appeared to show Musk turning down a philanthropic opportunity from Gates after asking if the software developer had shorted his electric car company  meaning that Gates would make a profit if the value of the stock fell.

"Do you still have a half billion dollar short position against Tesla?" Musk asked, per the screenshots, to which Gates allegedly replied, "Sorry to say I haven't closed it out. I would like to discuss philanthropy possibilities."

"Sorry, I cannot take your philanthropy on climate change seriously when you have a massive short position against Tesla," Musk replied in the exchange.

A spokesperson for Gates did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

RELATED: Elon Musk Buys Twitter for $44 Billion and Plans to Make Platform 'Better Than Ever'

Asked if the messages were "real," Elon replied on Twitter, "yeah."

"I heard from multiple people at TED that Gates still had half billion short against Tesla, which is why I asked him, so it's not exactly top secret," Musk wrote.

In his tweet, Musk claimed that he "didn't leak" the screenshots to The New York Times, adding that "they must have got it through friends of friends." (The NYT has not reported on the texts, and it's unclear why Musk mentioned the newspaper.)

Per CNBC, Musk had the Twitter conversation with a pro-Musk account that's run by Omar Qazi, a co-defendant with Musk in an ongoing libel and harassment suit.

RELATED VIDEO: Elon Musk Wants to Buy Twitter for Over $40 Billion and Take the Company Private: 'Made an Offer'

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Speaking with CNBC last year, Gates was directly asked if he shorted Tesla stock, a claim Musk has publicly made before.

"I don't talk about my investments," he said, adding that Musk "should be very proud of what he's done."

"I think what Elon's done with Tesla is fantastic," he said at another point in the conversation. "It's probably the biggest single contribution to showing us that electric cars are part of how we solve climate change."

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

In a 2021 conversation with the NYT, Gates spoke about how companies like Tesla are focused on "the easy stuff" when it comes to fighting carbon emissions.

"But we're basically not doing enough on the hard stuff: steel, cement, meat. And sadly, the things people think about  the electricity, passenger cars  are a third of the problem," Gates said. "So we have to work on the two-thirds."
Emmanuel Macron has vowed to lead France through historic years to come after being re-elected as president.

The 44-year-old said he would tackle the next five years with ambition and goodwill and leave no one behind as he took to the stage following his election victory on Sunday night.

Im not the candidate of one faction anymore, but the president for all of us, Mr Macron said.

The centrist addressed supporters outside the Eiffel Tower shortly after the first exit polls predicted he would win the 2022 presidential election.

Crowds waved flags and One More Time by Daft Punk blared from speakers as the crowd celebrated at the Champs de Mars in Paris on Sunday evening.

Emmanuel Macron has won the presidency for a second time, according to exit polls (AFP via Getty Images)

The exit polls suggest Mr Macron will comfortably beat the far-rights Marine Le Pen in a presidential race for a second time.

But his opponent was forecast to sweep up a larger share of votes than in 2017.

In his speech, the president said the country needed to be united to take on the challenges that await.

The coming years wont be easy, he said. But they will be historic. And together, we will write them for our generation.

The French presidential election took place as the Russian invasion of Ukraine entered its third month.

This was the moment the exit poll result was announced (AFP via Getty Images)

Mr Macrons re-election spared France and Europe from the seismic upheaval of a shift of power to far right populist Marine Le Pen - who has faced intense scrunity over ties to Russia and previous friendliness with the Kremlin.

In his speech on Sunday evening, Mr Macron addressed the support for the far-right in the election, which was more than Ms Le Pen won when she previously lost in 2017.

Mr Macron said he understood these voters would be disappointed with the election result, to which the crowd of his supporters booed. No, the president said, shaking his head to bring it to an end.

I know for a number of our compatriot that have chosen the far right today, the anger and disagreement that led them to vote for this project must get a response. That is my responsibility and those who surround me.

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He has pledged to be a president for all (REUTERS)

Ms Le Pen quickly conceded defeat after the exit polls pointed to a Macron win.

But she said the results pointed towards a shining victory, with polls pointing to her winning more than 40 per cent of votes.

In the 2017 election, she received 34 per cent of the votes to Mr Macrons 66 per cent.

The ideas we represent are reaching summits, the National Rally leader - whose proposals involved policies targeting Muslims and putting French citizens first in line for jobs and benefits - said.

I will continue the fight for France and the French people, Ms Le Pen told supporters in a defiant speech shortly after the exit poll was announced on Sunday evening.

I fear the next five years will not break with the contempt and the brutal policies of the last five years and Emmanuel Macron will do nothing to repair the divisions in our country.

Ms Le Pen said she would never abandon the French people and said would lead the campaign for the parliamentary elections.

The Rassemblement National (RN) leader was able to break through the threshold of 40 per cent of the vote which is unprecedented for the Frenchs far-right.

She was previously beaten 66 per cent to 34 per cent by president Macron in 201 and her father received less than 20 per cent against Mr Chirac.

Marine Le Pen gave her concession speech shortly after the exit poll (AFP via Getty Images)

After his victory, Mr Macron vowed to respond to those who abstained in the 2022 election.

As of Sunday night, these were forecast to make up 28.2 per cent of Frances nearly 49 million eligble voters - the highest level in decades.

The historic win was met, however, by protesters as riot police charged and sprayed teargas on demonstrators in central Paris.

Leaders in Berlin, Brussels, London and beyond welcomed his defeat of the nationalist, eurosceptic Le Pen.

Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter: Congratulations to Emmanuel Macron on your re-election as president of France.

France is one of our closest and most important allies. I look forward to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two countries and to the world.

Bravo Emmanuel, European Council president Charles Michel, wrote on Twitter. In this turbulent period, we need a solid Europe and a France totally committed to a more sovereign and more strategic European Union.

Congratulations to the President and a true friend Emmanuel Macron on the election victory, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on his Twitter account in early hours on Monday.

Protesters gather in Paris on election night (Getty Images)

The financial markets will breathe a collective sigh of relief following Macron's election victory, said Seema Shah, Chief Strategist at Principal Global Investors.

Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada also congratulated Mr Macron, writing on Twitter: Looking forward to continuing our work together on the issues that matter most to people in Canada and France  from defending democracy, to fighting climate change, to creating good jobs and economic growth for the middle class.

He is the third president since the founding of modern France to win twice at the ballot box and the first since incumbent Jacques Chirac trounced Ms Le Pens father 20 years ago.
French President Emmanuel Macron has comfortably won re-election in the presidential run-off, according to exit polls.

His far-right rival, Marine Le Pen, conceded defeat on Sunday night, but vowed to "continue the fight for France and the French people".

An Ipsos poll gave Mr Macron 58.2 per cent of the vote and Le Pen 41.8 per cent, a decisive victory despite doubts about the current presidents handling of the economy and ability to connect with voters.

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Single mother Kelli Underwood survived brain tumors, divorce, and depression, but an ill-fated love triangle would be the death of her. Underwood was born and raised in Mesquite, Texas, just east of Dallas. She married young but it wouldnt last, nor would her second marriage. As a single mother of three, she struggled to balance work and family. When it came down to it she was always a very positive person. Anybody that met her said that her smile would light up a room. Thats just the type of
Mikhail Khodorkovsky was the CEO of Yukos, then Russia's largest oil company, between 1997 and 2004. Matej Divizna/Getty Images; Mikhail Tereshchenko/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

A European ban on Russian energy would be a "very serious blow" to Putin, Mikhail Khodorkovsky said.

He told the BBC that the West's dependency on Russian imports was a mistake it'd have to pay for.

Khodorkovsky, an exiled oligarch and former CEO of Yukos, is an outspoken critic of the Kremlin.

President Vladimir Putin would suffer a "very serious blow" if European countries stopped purchasing Russian oil and gas, said an exiled oligarch who once headed one of the country's former oil giants.

"If Putin has to redirect oil and gas exports from the European to the Asian markets, he will lose over half of his revenue," Mikhail Khodorkovsky told Stephen Sackur on BBC's "Hardtalk." Revenues from oil and gas made up 36% of Russia's federal budget in 2021, preliminary figures from the country's finance ministry indicated.

"Would he be able to continue the war and for how long would he be able to continue the war under those circumstances? It is difficult for me to say," Khodorkovsky, an outspoken critic of the Kremlin, continued. "But I think it would be a very serious blow."

US President Joe Biden has pledged to ban Russian energy imports, but the European Union, which gets about a third of its natural gas and oil from Russia, is finding it much harder to cut ties.

The International Energy Agency said on April 13 that Russia exports about $400 million worth of natural gas to the EU every day and makes about $700 million in daily revenue from exports of crude oil and refined products.

"The West made the fatal mistake of becoming reliant on Russian energy supplies," Khodorkovsky said. "Today the West has to pay for its mistakes."

The IEA said oil shipments from Russia to Europe continue as a result of agreements struck before the invasion of Ukraine, but new deals are "drying up."

"Buyers are avoiding Russian crude because of concerns about shipping safety, insurance and sanctions. Urals crude from Russia is being offered at record discounts, but uptake is limited so far, with Asian oil importers for the most part sticking to traditional suppliers in the Middle East, Latin America and Africa," the agency said.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously spoken out against European countries continuing to use Russian energy supplies, telling the BBC that they were making money "out of blood." Zelenskyy's top economic advisor has said that Ukraine would prosecute companies that he said were committing "war crimes" by continuing to trade in Russian oil and gas.

"I think what we have is tension between what is preferable and what is possible," Khodorkovsky told the BBC. "It is preferable, of course, to make it impossible for Putin to pay for his aggression with the money from oil and gas exports. But is it possible today? Perhaps."

Western nations have imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in an attempt to cut off some of the Kremlin's financing and pressure Putin to call off his invasion of Ukraine. But German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said a Western embargo on Russian gas imports probably wouldn't stop the war, telling Der Spiegel that Putin would never have started the war if he were open to economic arguments.

Khodorkovsky was once Russia's richest person

Khodorkovsky was the CEO of Yukos, then Russia's largest oil company, between 1997 and 2004. He was briefly Russia's richest person in 2003, when Forbes put his net worth at $15 billion.

In 2001, he founded Open Russia, an anti-Kremlin political organization focusing on democracy and human rights that was shut down by Russian authorities in 2006. Khodorkovsky was arrested and charged with fraud and tax evasion in 2003 and was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2005.

In 2013, he was pardoned by Putin and released from prison a year early. He was exiled from Russia and now lives in London.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Over the past few weeks, the term grooming has emerged as a buzzword of the political right, appearing everywhere from Fox News to Republican fundraising emails. Initially lobbed at opponents of a controversial Florida law prohibiting public school teachers from discussing gender identity or sexual orientation with young children, groomer has quickly evolved as the new go-to insult for those opposing aspects of the Republican education agenda.

For child sexual abuse experts whove been working to educate the public about grooming, the rights recent adoption of the term is cause for concern. The problem, said Elizabeth Jeglic, a psychology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York who researches issues related to sexual grooming, sexual abuse and sexual violence prevention, is that the current discourse around grooming is largely inaccurate.

Jeglic explained that grooming is a relatively new term used to described tactics that have long been used by sexual abusers, mostly against young children but also vulnerable adults, to gain access to potential victims, coerce them into abuse and then avoid getting caught. Such tactics may include giving potential victims gifts, attention and sharing secrets in order to develop trust, as well as using hugging, tickling and other seemingly harmless forms of touching to desensitize victims to increasingly sexual contact. One study co-authored by Jeglic in 2021 found that elements of sexual grooming were involved in 99% of all cases of childhood sexual abuse.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the Parental Rights in Education bill at Classical Preparatory School in Spring Hill, Fla., on March 28. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS via ZUMA Press Wire)

But rather than address some of the real signs of grooming, which experts like Jeglic say is crucial to preventing child sex abuse, most of the groomer slinging thats been in the headlines lately seems based on a decades-old attack on LGBTQ people that wrongly conflates gayness with pedophilia.

The term began to spread on the right last month in relation to Floridas controversial Dont Say Gay law, a vaguely worded statute that prohibits teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity with children in kindergarten through third grade that critics say targets LGBTQ teachers. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantiss press secretary, Christina Pushaw, said that anyone who opposed the bill was probably a groomer.

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Days later, grooming began being used in graphics on Fox News, with right-wing media focusing on LGBTQ teachers, fueled by accounts like Libs of TikTok, which provide steady grist for the outrage mill. The targeting of LGBTQ teachers is being promoted by Chris Rufo, the same activist who hyped concerns over teaching about race. Rufo has said that the efforts are part of a larger initiative to dismantle public education as a whole by discrediting it as an institution. Transgender youth have specifically become targets of Republicans, with a number of states pushing legislation that would charge parents who allow their children to seek gender-affirming care with a felony.

Sexual assault is in no way related to the sexual orientation of the perpetrator or the survivor, and a persons sexual orientation cannot be caused by sexual abuse or assault, Erinn Robinson, a spokesperson for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), said in a statement to Yahoo News. Anyone can be a perpetrator of child sexual abuse, and its important that parents monitor any adult that has access to their children.

According to RAINN, common grooming behaviors include selecting victims based on ease of access and perceived vulnerability. Abusers will then attempt to physically or emotionally separate victims from those who could protect them by developing trust and sharing secrets to develop bonds while desensitizing them to the discussion of sexual topics and touch.

An image of "the Genderbread Person," a teaching tool used for breaking the concept of gender. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via Zuma Press Wire)

Research suggests that one of the most effective tools for preventing child sexual abuse is comprehensive sex education, including for young children. Jeglic argued that measures discouraging age-appropriate sex education, as well as misinformed rhetoric that muddies the publics understanding about what grooming actually is, ultimately harm legitimate efforts to prevent sexual abuse.

Anytime that [grooming] is confused with other behaviors that are not sexual grooming, I think, endangers people who are being sexually groomed from understanding that thats whats happening to them, [and] it confuses adults who could prevent the abuse from happening, Jeglic said. If people get confused about what it is, that then can increase the likelihood that people can get away with perpetrating abuse against minors.

Nonetheless, Republicans have continued to conflate grooming with anti-trans fears, with three GOP candidates fundraising off this potentially harmful misconception last week.

Michigan state Sen. Tom Barrett, who is running for the U.S. House, sent out a message stating that the recipients children were set for gender reassignment surgery as a fear tactic. A colleague of his, state Sen. Lana Theis, wrote that Democratic legislators wanted to groom and sexualize kindergarteners. Arkansas congressional candidate Neil Kumar sent out an email in which he wrote, These sodomite predators are grooming, brainwashing, and mutilating our vulnerable children. These demons are defiling innocence itself, and they must be stopped.

Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow. (Senate TV via Twitter)

Michigan Democratic state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who was directly named as a groomer in Theiss email, responded in a speech Wednesday that has gone viral. The four-minute video has been viewed more than 14 million times on Twitter and is being pushed as a model for how Democrats nationwide should respond to the attacks.

I didnt expect to wake up yesterday to the news that the senator from the 22nd District had, overnight, accused me by name of grooming and sexualizing children in an email fundraising for herself, McMorrow said. So I sat on it for a while wondering: Why me? And then I realized: Because I am the biggest threat to your hollow, hateful scheme. Because you cant claim that you are targeting marginalized kids in the name of parental rights if another parent is standing up to say no.

McMorrow raised more than $250,000 in the first 24 hours following her speech, and sent out a fundraising email urging donations to the Michigan Senate Democrats and Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaking to supporters of former President Donald Trump in Commerce, Ga., in March. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)

The recent GOP grooming attacks are the latest iteration of a trend among politicians and pundits on the right who seek to paint their political opponents as supporters of pedophilia.

Some of the most high-profile accusations came in the confirmation hearings of incoming Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in late March, where a number of GOP senators used the proceedings to label Jackson as soft on child porn offenders despite repeated analyses showing that her rulings were within the mainstream of her fellow judges. When three Republican senators said they would vote to confirm Jackson, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., called them pro-pedophile. The following day, she referred to Democrats as the party of pedophiles.

Greenes comments and the general trend toward accusations of pedophilia echo the QAnon conspiracy theory, which has been supported by Greene in the past, alleging that former President Donald Trump was working to take down a powerful cabal of child traffickers typically portrayed as the Democratic elite. Believers in the debunked theory frequently allege that their political opponents support pedophiles. Those pushing the accusations have a large audience  a recent survey from the Public Religion Research Institute found that 16% of Americans believed that the government, media, and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex-trafficking operation.

A QAnon supporter dressed as Lady Liberty at a rally in Olympia, Wash. (Ted S. Warren/AP)

Jared Holt, a resident fellow at the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensic Research Lab who researches domestic extremist movements in the United States, told Yahoo News he has observed how QAnon communities online have excitedly regurgitated and cheered rhetoric from mainstream Republican figures accusing their political opponents of supporting child sex abuse and grooming.

For those communities, Holt explained, this kind of rhetoric appeals to two of their long-standing passions: demonizing those who they perceive to be against them and duking it out on the frontlines of the right-wing 'culture war.'

The worries about baseless grooming accusations hurting actual victims is reminiscent of how QAnon adherents obsession with fictional child trafficking hurt organizations that were battling the real thing by swarming Facebook groups and hotlines while promoting false fears. The accusations of pedophilia have led to incidents of violence from believers, including a father who killed his two children after being enlightened by QAnon and believing they were monsters. In December 2016, a man shot his gun inside a Washington, D.C., restaurant he believed was tied to a child sex ring, part of the so-called Pizzagate conspiracy that was a QAnon predecessor.
PARIS (Reuters) - French voters handed Emmanuel Macron a second term as president on Sunday in an election in which he comfortably defeated far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

Following are related developments that can be expected in the run-up to legislative elections in June that will determine whether Macron has a parliamentary majority to vote through his policies.

FIRST STEPS

France's Constitutional Court will officially announce the results of the presidential election on April 27-28.

Around this time, Prime Minister Jean Castex's government can tender its resignation. If Macron accepts, he can name a new prime minister to form a caretaker government until the June elections.

A swearing-in ceremony is to be held before Macron's current mandate runs out on May 14.

Macron has said his first trip abroad after the vote will be to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. This may happen in the next few days.

Macron is also due to deliver his vision for the future of Europe at a conference in Strasbourg on May 9.

LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS

On May 16-20, candidates from all parties are expected to register to run for 577 seats in the legislative elections.

The first round is scheduled for June 12. In districts where no candidate wins an outright majority, a second round will be held a week later.

Candidates can run in the second-round vote if they win at least 12.5% of the vote in the first.

Macron could in theory dissolve the current parliament early and advance the date of legislative elections by two weeks, thereby perhaps building on momentum from his presidential victory in the hope of winning more seats in parliament.

NEXT GOVERNMENT

After parliamentary elections, French presidents traditionally name a new prime minister from the party with the most votes to form a new government.

In recent legislative ballots, the president's party has won a majority.

Should the outcome be different this time, Macron would have little choice but to name a prime minister from another party, ushering in what has traditionally been a tense period of cohabitation during which presidential powers are severely curbed.

During a cohabitation, the president remains the head of the armed forces and retains some foreign policy influence but the government has responsibility for most other day-to-day matters of state and policy.

(Reporting by Leigh Thomas; editing by John Stonestreet)
If the son of former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos wins the May 9 presidential election, he will not be the only Marcos currently in power -- and will almost certainly not be the last.

Elite families have long ruled the poverty-ravaged nation, holding on to positions of power for generations by dishing out favours, buying votes or resorting to violence.

Analysts say the system has become more pervasive in the decades since a popular uprising deposed Marcos and forced the family into exile.

New dynasties have entrenched themselves in politics, smothering electoral competition, stunting economic development and worsening inequality.

"Power begets power -- the more they stay in power, the more they accumulate power, the more powerful they get," said Julio Teehankee, a professor at De La Salle University in Manila.

The archipelago has produced about 319 dynastic families, dating back to when the country was a US colony in the first half of the 20th century, Teehankee said.

Dozens have withered, but in 2019, members of at least 234 such families won positions in mid-term elections, he said.

They have flourished in a feudal and corrupt democracy where parties are weak, fragmented along clan lines and plagued by defections.

Power, however, is not static. Families can win and lose it -- and make a comeback.

After the fallen dictator died in 1989, the Marcoses returned to their traditional stronghold of Ilocos Norte and began tapping local loyalties to get elected to a succession of higher positions.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr, 64, is now on the verge of clinching the ultimate dynastic victory: the presidency.

The family also wants to make a clean sweep of the top posts in its northern bastion.

Launching their campaigns in the provincial capital Laoag, Marcos candidates stood together in front of a "Team Marcos" sign as thousands of supporters cheered.

Marcos Jr's eldest son is a first-time candidate, seeking one of two congressional seats in the windswept province of corn and tobacco farms. A cousin is defending the other.

Story continues

His nephew -- the son of his sister Imee, a senator -- is vying for re-election as governor, while a cousin's widow is the incumbent vice-governor.

Marcos Jr told AFP the family was not a dynasty, but his cousin Michael Marcos Keon, seeking a second term as Laoag mayor, disagreed.

"This is all dynastic," said Keon, 67, who also served as governor after Marcos Jr hit the three-term limit -- a tactic often used to keep positions in the family.

"I wouldn't be where I am today if I weren't a Marcos."

- 'Family is paramount' -

The Marcoses' stranglehold on power in Ilocos Norte was "typical" of provinces across the country, said Ronald Mendoza, dean of Manila's Ateneo School of Government.

And their influence is growing.

Eighty percent of governors belong to "fat dynasties" -- clans with two or more members in power at the same time -- compared with 57 percent in 2004, Mendoza said.

Political families held 67 percent of seats in the House of Representatives, compared with 48 percent in 2004, and 53 percent of mayoral posts, up from 40 percent.

Among the leading candidates for the 12 Senate seats being contested, at least three already have a relative in the chamber.

Even the party-list system, which seeks to give citizens from marginalised groups representation in Congress, has been largely taken over by a handful of surnames.

As his daughter leads the race for the country's second-highest office, outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte said recently he had "accomplished" his job.

"I have a daughter running for vice-president, a son for congressman and one other as mayor. I am fulfilled," he said.

More than 18,000 posts are being contested in next month's elections. At least 800 have only one candidate.

Mendoza said the pandemic had made it even more likely that incumbents would win.

"You have more voters potentially vulnerable to vote-buying, more voters concerned about their continued access to social protection," he said.

Mendoza said poverty tended to rise as dynasties fattened, especially in provinces beyond the main island of Luzon, where "checks and balances" on governance are weaker.

While political dynasties exist in other countries, analysts said their prevalence in the Philippines was among the highest in the world.

Preparing the next generation for politics was essential to a clan's survival, said analyst Mark Thompson, likening dynasties to football clubs.

"If you're the Barcelona or PSG... of Philippine politics, why not get the next generation trained up as well," said Thompson, director of the Southeast Asia Research Centre at the City University of Hong Kong.

Efforts to reduce such families' influence have come to nothing, despite the country's 1987 constitution mandating that Congress ban them.

"You cannot expect a house full of dynasties to pass an anti-dynasty legislation -- it's like asking Dracula to guard the blood bank," said Teehankee.

Keon admitted the system was not democratic, and unlikely to change.

"This is how politics is here," Keon said in his office, surrounded by photos of the Marcos clan, including the patriarch.

"Family is paramount."

amj/cgm/aha/cwl/leg
FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Sunday that the current scale of espionage and cybersecurity threats from China were unprecedented in history.

The biggest threat we face as a country from a counterintelligence perspective is from the Peoples Republic of China and especially the Chinese Communist Party, Wray said during an interview on 60 Minutes.

They are targeting our innovation, our trade secrets, our intellectual property, on a scale thats unprecedented in history, he added, noting that Chinas hacking program is larger than that of every other major nation combined.

They have stolen more of Americans personal and corporate data than every nation combined, he also said, adding that Chinas targets span nearly every sector of the economy.

When asked what the FBI was doing to defend against the vast attacks, Wray said investigations were moving at a rapid pace.

We are now moving at a pace where were opening a new China counterintelligence investigation about every 12 hours, the FBI director said.

Theres well north of 2,000 of these investigations. All 56 of our field offices are engaged on it, and I can assure that its not because our agents dont have enough else to do. Its a measure of how significant the threat is.

In March, a private security firm, Mandiant, said that China hacked at least six state governments in the U.S. in the past year and revealed unknown vulnerabilities in the governments systems.

Internationally, Ukraine also accused China of conducting a major cyberattack on the countrys military and nuclear facilities in the lead up to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Reuters

TAOS, N.M. (Reuters) -Firefighters in New Mexico begged holdout residents of a mountain village to evacuate on Sunday, before the United States' largest active wildfire races up a valley that is their only way out. Many have ignored requests to leave as they stayed on to defend centuries-old homes and ranches in Chacon, the village about 45 miles (72 km) northeast of Santa Fe, with a population of around 200. As the fire rapidly burned through forest 8 miles (13 km) away, firefighters and police warned people they would not be able to see or breathe once the blaze was upon them.
Disney's (DIS) showdown in Florida continues to weigh on the company and its embattled CEO, Bob Chapek.

On Friday, Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law the bill revoking Disney's special district status. The move has largely been seen as a response to Disney's unfavorable reaction to the so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill.

The controversial bill, which will go into effect on July 1, states, Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards. Parents will be able to sue districts over violations.

Chapek, who initially decided not to speak publicly on the matter, opted to work behind the scenes in an attempt to soften the legislation. It didn't work.

The executive eventually reversed course following intense backlash. He publicly denounced the act during the company's annual shareholder meeting on March 9, in addition to directly apologizing to employees in a company memo.

Still, he was criticized for taking a soft stance, and the apology was looked by many at as too little, too late.

"You cannot ride the fence...everything is political."Lee Cockerell, former EVP of operations at the Walt Disney World Resort

Lee Cockerell, former executive vice president of operations for the Walt Disney World Resort, told Yahoo Finance that CEOs have to "stand up quick" on political issues, adding "politics is just part of life ... you can't avoid it."

"[Chapek] probably thinks this now and I do too ... he should have come out right away. You can't wait a week to decide how you're going to respond," Cockerell said.

"You will have somebody mad at you no matter which way you respond. That's just the way life is today. You cannot ride the fence. Those days are over and everything is political."

Story continues

Disney CEO Bob Chapek faced heavy backlash amid the company's initial response to Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill

Cockerell added that Disney's culture of fostering an inclusive workforce comes with an expectation to "stand up and support everyone" but, at the same time, political battles "are more and more causing issues that probably didn't even exist."

"[Chapek] was in trouble any way he went," the former executive continued.

Currently, Walt Disney World Resort sits on a 40-square mile area known as Reedy Creek, the special tax district that has allowed Disney to operate as a self-governing entity since its inception.

That means Disney controls all of its utilities and infrastructure, sets building codes, operates its own police and fire departments, and can expand and grow whenever it wishes  all without local or state government interference.

Cockerell explained that, under the current structure, Disney World operates like its own city and is able to "get things done very quickly."

"I would tell you Disney is the safest zip code in America, the cleanest zip code in America, and maybe even the happiest zip code in America. It has worked just fine," he stated.

"Disney would not be as the place it is today without this district being able to expedite and get things done quicker," Cockerell surmised.

Consequently, the new ruling, set to go into effect June 2023, will strip Disney of that immense control and flexibility, in addition to throwing Reedy Creek's $997 million worth of bond debt, and some $163 million in annual tax payments into question. Those payments could fall on the citizens of the surrounding counties, who would be forced to bear the cost of the various services Disney previously paid for through Reedy Creek.

"I am almost positive that the local jurisdictions in Orange County and Osceola County don't want anything to do with this," Cockerell said, explaining that he anticipates more meetings between government officials and the media conglomerate down the line.

"Disney will continue to figure it out, like we always do," Cockerell stated, reiterating his confidence that Disney "will be around for a long, long time, and this will fade out like everything else does."

Editor's Note: This article has bene updated to clarify Disney's current tax payment structure

Alexandra is a Senior Entertainment and Food Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alliecanal8193

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[](200020):2021-- 20220425 20:11:41  ::2021--

::2021-- Stock Code: 000020 200020 Public Notice No.: 2021-21 Short Form of the Stock: SHEN HUAFA-A, SHEN HUAFA-B

Shenzhen Zhongheng Huafa Co., Ltd.

The Third Quarterly Report for 2021

The Company and whole members of the BOD guarantee that the information disclosed is true, accurate and complete, and there are no any fictitious records, misleading statements or important omissions.Important content reminder:

1. Board of Directors, Supervisory Committee, all directors, supervisors and senior executives of Shenzhen Zhongheng Huafa Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the Company) hereby confirm that there are no any fictitious statements, misleading statements, or important omissions carried in this report, and shall take all responsibilities, individual and/or joint, for the reality, accuracy and completion of the whole contents.

2. Principal of the Company, Person in Charge of Accounting Works and Person in Charge of Accounting Organ (Accounting Officer) hereby confirm that the Financial Report of the Third Quarterly Report is authentic, accurate and complete. 3. Whether the Third Quarterly Report has been audited or not Yes No

I. Main financial data

(i) Main accounting data and financial indexes

Whether it has retroactive adjustment or re-statement on previous accounting data or not Yes No



Current period Increase/decrease in the period compared with the same period of the previous year Year-begin to period-end Increase/decrease from year-begin to period-end compared with the same period of the previous year Operating income (Yuan) 211,898,917.91 5.85% 603,532,726.46 20.49% Net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company (Yuan) 1,123,649.14 -33.33% 8,113,011.63 67.24% Net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company after deducting non-recurring gains and losses (Yuan) 554,781.27 -49.95% 7,332,980.06 72.67% Net cash flow arising from operating activities (Yuan)   -24,053,649.58 -275.69% Basic earnings per share (Yuan /Share) 0.004 -33.33% 0.0288 68.42% Diluted earnings per share (Yuan /Share) 0.004 -33.33% 0.0288 68.42% Weighted average ROE 0.33% -0.19% 2.17% 0.71% End of current period End of previous year Increase/decrease at the period-end compared with the end of the previous year Total assets (Yuan) 669,050,137.81 627,779,621.06 6.57% Net assets attributable to shareholder of listed company (Yuan) 344,361,748.92 336,248,737.29 2.41% (ii) Items and amounts of non-recurring profit (gains)/losses  Applicable  Not applicable

Unit: Yuan



Item Amount for the period Amount from year-begin to period-end Note Gains/losses from the disposal of non-current asset (including the write-off that accrued for impairment of assets) 21,059.60 21,059.60 Government subsidy recorded in current gains/losses (except those closely related to the Companys normal operation, and those continuously enjoyed on a fixed or quantitative basis with certain standards in accordance with national policy regulations) 345,453.35 345,453.35 Gains/losses of entrusting others to invest or manage assets 88,894.00 238,661.58 Other non-operating income and expenses other than the above 113,460.92 174,857.04 Total 568,867.87 780,031.57 --  Applicable  Not applicable

The Company does not have other gain/loss items that qualified the definition of non-recurring profit (gains)/losses

Explanation on those non-recurring gain/loss listed in the Q&A Announcement No.1 on Information Disclosure for Companies

Offering Their Securities to the Public --- Extraordinary Profit/loss defined as recurring gain/loss

 Applicable  Not applicable

The Company does not have the non-recurring gain/loss listed in the Q&A Announcement No.1 on Information Disclosure for

Companies Offering Their Securities to the Public --- Extraordinary Profit/loss defined as recurring gain/loss

(iii) Particulars about changes in items of main accounting data and financial index and explanations of

reasons

 Applicable Not applicable



Item January-September 2021 January-September 2020 Changes ratio Reason R&D expenses 5,653,280.67 4,313,254.44 31% Salary for R&D from Hengfa increased Other income 345,453.35 645,623.00 -46% Government subsidy of Hengfa Investment income 238,661.58 103,172.15 131% Gains on acceptance margin from Hengfa Asset disposal income 21,059.60 -93,373.67 -123% Disposal the companys vehicles Non-operating income 394,744.60 681,877.61 -42% Government subsidy received at the period-end was less than those received in the same period last year Non-operating expenses 219,887.56 7,302.38 2911% Disposal of fixed assets Item September 30, 2021 September 30, 2021 Changes ratio Reason Accounts receivable financing 5,774,948.69 25,436,468.30 -77% Decrease in the amount of promissory note Inventory 98,556,230.42 61,964,943.06 59% Due to the impact of international epidemic, some raw materials are in short supply in the market, inventory of the Company are increased in an appropriated amount according to the operation needs Other current assets 741,380.21 234,014.36 217% VAT retention credit Long-term prepaid expenses 568,577.93 135,529.27 320% The contract signed through system, and the expenses to be amortized increased Thhe Short-term loan 39,841,600.00 13,660,894.00 192% Borrowings of Hengfa increased Contract liabilities 574,325.56 2,575,945.15 -78% Account received in advance declined Interest payable 124,190.30 32,583.49 281% Borrowings increased in the period, and the interest increased Non-current liabilities due within one year 12,000,000.00 -100% Reclassification of long-term loans II. Shareholders Information

(i) Total number of common shareholders and preference shareholders with voting rights recovered and

top ten common shareholders

Unit: Share



Total common shareholders at the end of report period 20,191 Total preference shareholders with voting rights recovered at end of reporting period (if applicable) 0 Top ten shareholders Shareholders name Nature of shareholder Proportion of shares held Amount of shares held Amount of restricted shares held Information of shares pledged, tagged or frozen State of share Amount Wuhan Zhongheng New Science & Technology Industrial Group Co., Ltd Domestic non-state-owne d legal person 42.13% 119,289,894 0 Pledged 116,100,000 Frozen 119,289,894 SEG (HONG KONG) CO., LTD. Overseas legal person 5.85% 16,569,560 0 Pledged 0 Frozen 0 GOOD HOPE CORNER INVESTMEN TS LTD. Overseas legal person 2.50% 7,072,000 0 Pledged 0 Frozen 0 Changjiang Securities Brokerage (Hongkong) Co., Ltd. Overseas legal person 1.89% 5,355,249 0 Pledged 0 Frozen 0 Guoyuan Securities Brokerage (Hong Kong) Limited Overseas legal person 1.37% 3,870,117 0 Pledged 0 Frozen 0 Li Zhongqiu Overseas nature person 1.00% 2,830,000 0 Pledged 0 Frozen 0 Jin Guoping Domestic nature person 0.86% 2,443,500 0 Pledged 0 Frozen 0 Huang Xuelin Domestic nature person 0.66% 1,880,503 0 Pledged 0 Frozen 0 China Merchants Securities Hong Kong Co., Ltd. State-owned legal person 0.60% 1,708,873 0 Pledged 0 Frozen 0 Li Wei Domestic non-state-owne d legal person 0.57% 1,610,000 0 Pledged 0 Frozen 0 Top ten shareholders with unrestricted shares held Shareholders name Amount of unrestricted shares held Type of shares Type Amount

Wuhan Zhongheng New Science & Technology Industrial Group Co., Ltd 119,289,894 RMB common share 119,289,894 SEG (HONG KONG) CO., LTD. 16,569,560 Domestically listed foreign shares 16,569,560 GOOD HOPE CORNER INVESTMENTS LTD. 7,072,000 Domestically listed foreign shares 7,072,000 Changjiang Securities Brokerage (Hongkong) Co., Ltd. 5,355,249 Domestically listed foreign shares 5,355,249 Guoyuan Securities Brokerage (Hong Kong) Limited 3,870,117 Domestically listed foreign shares 3,870,117 Li Zhongqiu 2,830,000 Domestically listed foreign shares 2,830,000 Jin Guoping 2,443,500 RMB common share 2,443,500 Huang Xuelin 1,880,503 RMB common share 1,880,503 China Merchants Securities Hong Kong Co., Ltd. 1,708,873 Domestically listed foreign shares 1,708,873 Li Wei 1,610,000 Domestically listed foreign shares 1,610,000 Explanation on associated relationship among the aforesaid shareholders Among the top ten shareholders, Li Zhongqiu is the actual controller of Wuhan Zhongheng New Science & Technology Industrial Group Co., Ltd. and is a party acting in concert. The Company neither knew whether there exists associated relationship among the other shareholders, nor they belong to consistent actors that are prescribed in Measures for the Administration of Disclosure of Shareholder Equity Changes of Listed Companies. Explanation on top 10 shareholders involving margin business (if applicable) Among the top ten shareholders, Jin Guoping holds 73,200 shares through ordinary accounts, 2,370,300 shares through credit securities accounts, totaling 2,443,500 shares; Huang Xuelin holds 629,902 shares through ordinary accounts, and 1,250,601 shares through credit securities accounts, totaling 1,880,503 shares. (ii) Total shareholders with preferred stock held and shares held by top ten shareholders with preferred

stock held

 Applicable  Not applicable

III. Other significant events

 Applicable  Not applicable

(i) The Company signed Asset Exchange Contract with Wuhan Zhongheng New Science & Technology Industrial

Group Co., Ltd (hereinafter referred to as Wuhan Zhongheng Group) on 29 April 2009 (details were referred to in

the announcement dated 30 April 2009), and pursuant to the contract, since part of the assets of the Company

(namely two parcel of industrial lands located at Huafa road, Gongming town, Guangming new district, Shenzhen

(the property certificate No. were SFDZ No.7226760 and SFDZ No.7226763, No. of parcels were A627-005

andA627-007, and the aggregate area was 48,200 sq.m) were the lands listed in the first batch of plan for 2010

Shenzhen urbanization unit planning preparation plan. For promotion of such urbanization project and joint

cooperation, the Company has not completed the transfer procedures in respect of the aforesaid land.

The Company convoked the first extraordinary meeting of the Board in 2015 on February 16, 2015 and the first

extraordinary general meeting of the Board in 2015 on March 4, 2015, which considered and approved the

Motion on promoting and implementing the urban renewal project for the renewal units of Huafa area at

Gongming street, Guangming new district, Shenzhen, specified that the Company and Wuhan Zhongheng Group

shall obtain the corresponding compensatory consideration for removal from the respectively owned project plots

and the respectively contributed and constructed above-ground buildings before the land development, it is

estimated that the compensatory consideration obtained by the Company accounts for 50.5% of the total

consideration and Wuhan Zhongheng Group accounts for 49.5% by calculation. The sixth extraordinary meeting of the board of directors in 2015 and the third extraordinary general meeting of

2015 have considered and adopted the Proposal on the project promotion and implementation of urban renewal

and the progress of related transactions of the updated units at Huafa Area, Gong Ming Street, Guangming New

District, Shenzhen, the company has signed the Agreement on the cooperation of urban renewal project of the

updated units at Huafa Area, Gong Ming Street, Guangming New District, Shenzhen, Contract for the

cooperative venture of reconstruction project for Huafa Industrial Park, Gong Ming Street, Guangming New

District on 26 August 2015, and Agreement on housing acquisition and removal compensation and resettlement with Wuhan Wuhan Zhongheng Group, Shenzhen Vanke Real Estate Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred

to as Shenzhen Vanke), and Shenzhen Vanke Guangming Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. (hereinafter

referred to as Vanke Guangming).

On 12 September 2016, Shenzhen Vanke applied for arbitration in respect of Agreement on the cooperation of

urban renewal project of the updated units at Huafa Area, Gong Ming Street, Guangming New District, Shenzhen

against the Company and Wuhan Zhongheng Group. Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA) has

given a ruling in August 2017. On August 29, 2018, the court accepted the compulsory execution application of

Shenzhen Vanke. In October 2019, as a number of outsiders filed an execution objection and applied for no

execution to Shenzhen Intermediate Peoples Court, the Shenzhen Intermediate Peoples Court ruled to terminate

the enforcement procedure on March 20, 2020. If the execution objection and no execution proposed by

outsiders are rejected according to law, Shenzhen Vanke may continue to apply to the Shenzhen Intermediate

Peoples Court to resume execution. In April 2020, Zhongheng Semiconductor sued the company to Shenzhen

Intermediate Peoples Court, and requested the company to transfer the above mentioned two pieces of lands and

compensate the economic loss of 52 million yuan, the company received the first trial verdict in the case in May

2021. and the company appealed to the supreme peoples court against the judgment, which has not yet entered

into force. Progress of the case found more in the Notices released on Juchao website dated 14 Sept. 2016, 1 Nov.

2016, 16 Nov. 2016, on 18 Feb. 2017, 24 March 2017, 25 April 2017, 1 July 2017, 18 August 2017, 9 Feb. 2018,

25 Aug. 2018, 7 Sept. 2018, 21 Apr. 2020, 3 Jun, 2021 and 22 Jul. 2021 respectively. (ii) On 31 December 2015, the 88,750,047 shares held by Wuhan Zhongheng Group, are pledge to China Merchants Securities Assets Co., Ltd. with due date of 31 December 2016. On 1 Feb. 2016, Wuhan Zhongheng

Group pledge the 27,349,953 shares held to China Merchants Securities Assets Co., Ltd. with due date of 31

December 2016. The above-mentioned pledged shares are deferred by Wuhan Zhongheng Group; pledge expired

on 31 December 2017. The trading day for repurchase put off to the date when pledge actually removed. Till end

of this period released, controlling shareholder still not removed the pledge and the Company has apply by letter,

relevant Notice of Presentment on Stock Pledge from Controlling Shareholder was released. Found more in notice

released on Juchao website dated 2 Feb. 2018.

(iii) The controlling shareholder Wuhan Zhongheng Group holds 119,289,894 shares of the Company stock,

accounting for 42.13% of the total share capital of the Company, of which 116,489,894 shares were judicially frozen

by Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court (hereinafter referred to as "Shenzhen Intermediate Court") on September

27, 2016, which were frozen again by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court on December 14, 2018, with a

frozen period of 36 months; the remaining 2,800,000 shares were frozen by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's

Court on May 29, 2019, and were frozen again by the Higher Peoples Court of Guangdong Province on July 5,

2019. For details, please refer to the companys announcements published on Juchao Website dated October 27,

2016, January 11, 2019, May 31, 2019 and August 7, 2019.

(iv) Wuhan Zhongheng Group received the first-instance judgment of Guangdong Higher Peoples Court to the

pledged securities repurchase dispute case sued by China Merchants Securities Asset Management Co., Ltd. in

March 2021. Wuhan Zhongheng Group refused to accept the judgment and has appealed to the Supreme People's

Court, the judgment of first instance has not yet taken effect. For details, please refer to the company

announcement issued by the company on Juchao Website dated March 19, 2021. (v) On September 29, 2016, the company and its controlling shareholder, Wuhan Zhongheng Group, signed the

Agency Contract with V&T Law Firm. On October 8, 2016, the three parties also signed the Supplemental

Agreement for Agency Contract, it was agreed that V&T acted as an agent for the company and Wuhan

Zhongheng Group to deal with the arbitration case with Shenzhen Vanke. After losing the lawsuit, due to

differences in the payment of attorney fees, V&T sued our company and Wuhan Zhongheng Group to the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration, and applied to the court to seize a bank account under our companys

name and part of our company dormitories, please refer to Other Announcements on the Progress Involving

Litigation and Arbitration (Announcement Numbers: 2018-43, 2019-02) released on Juchao Website dated

November 14, 2018 and March 6, 2019. The Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration ruled that the company

and Wuhan Zhongheng Group paid the corresponding fees. The loss of the arbitrament in this case was borne by

Wuhan Zhongheng Group in whole, and found more on Other Announcements on the Progress Involving Litigation and Arbitration (Announcement No.: 2019-34) released on Juchao Website dated November 25, 2019.

IV. Quarterly financial statements

(i) Financial statement

1. Consolidate balance sheet

Prepared by Shenzhen Zhongheng Huafa Co., Ltd.

September 30, 2021

Unit: Yuan



Item September 30, 2021 December 31, 2020 Current assets: Monetary fund 42,948,262.54 60,968,053.58 Settlement provisions Capital lent Trading financial assets Derivative financial assets Note receivable 43,892,072.62 20,240,464.79 Account receivable 144,703,950.74 128,063,911.79 Receivable financing 5,774,948.69 10,057,385.11 Accounts paid in advance 19,408,972.82 39,643,255.11 Insurance receivable Reinsurance receivables Contract reserve of reinsurance receivable Other account receivable 29,057,128.91 4,466,949.96 Including: Interest receivable Dividend receivable Buying back the sale of financial assets Inventories 98,556,230.42 70,166,013.49 Contractual assets Assets held for sale Non-current asset due within one year Other current assets 741,380.21 4,255,643.19 Total current assets 385,082,946.95 337,861,677.02 Non-current assets: Loans and payments on behalf Debt investment Other debt investment Long-term account receivable Long-term equity investment Investment in other equity instrument Other non-current financial assets Investment real estate 45,928,414.57 47,224,662.27 Fixed assets 189,772,693.25 193,605,444.53 Construction in progress 740,000.00 740,000.00 Productive biological asset Oil and gas asset Right-of-use assets Intangible assets 39,507,770.98 40,820,657.80 Expense on Research and Development Goodwill Long-term expenses to be apportioned 568,577.93 77,445.31 Deferred income tax asset 7,383,734.13 7,383,734.13 Other non-current asset 66,000.00 66,000.00 Total non-current asset 283,967,190.86 289,917,944.04 Total assets 669,050,137.81 627,779,621.06 Current liabilities: Short-term loans 39,841,600.00 12,527,808.00 Loan from central bank Capital borrowed Trading financial liability Derivative financial liability Note payable 33,139,828.80 37,416,381.20 Account payable 131,338,903.49 98,318,239.88 Accounts received in advance Contractual liability 574,325.56 287,140.66 Selling financial asset of repurchase Absorbing deposit and interbank deposit Security trading of agency Security sales of agency Wage payable 4,376,465.86 5,737,366.59 Taxes payable 11,979,156.41 14,204,642.62 Other account payable 22,295,013.77 27,608,281.01 Including: Interest payable 124,190.30 26,335.66 Dividend payable Commission charge and commission payable Reinsurance payable Liability held for sale Non-current liabilities due within one year 12,000,000.00 Other current liabilities 16,135,044.00 18,322,972.81 Total current liabilities 259,580,337.89 226,422,832.77 Non-current liabilities: Insurance contract reserve Long-term loans 61,000,000.00 61,000,000.00 Bonds payable Including: Preferred stock Perpetual capital securities Lease liability Long-term account payable Long-term wages payable Accrual liability 64,411.00 64,411.00 Deferred income 4,043,640.00 4,043,640.00 Deferred income tax liabilities Other non-current liabilities Total non-current liabilities 65,108,051.00 65,108,051.00 Total liabilities 324,688,388.89 291,530,883.77 Owners equity: Share capital 283,161,227.00 283,161,227.00 Other equity instrument Including: Preferred stock Perpetual capital securities Capital public reserve 146,577,771.50 146,577,771.50 Less: Inventory shares Other comprehensive income Reasonable reserve Surplus public reserve 77,391,593.25 77,391,593.25 Provision of general risk Retained profit -162,768,842.83 -170,881,854.46 Total owner s equity attributable to parent company 344,361,748.92 336,248,737.29 Minority interests Total owner s equity 344,361,748.92 336,248,737.29 Total liabilities and owner s equity 669,050,137.81 627,779,621.06 Legal Representative: Li Zhongqiu

Person in charge of accounting works: Yang Bin

Person in charge of accounting institute: Chuai Guoxu

2. Consolidated Profit Statement (from the year-begin to the period-end) Unit: Yuan



Item Current period Last period I. Total operating income 603,532,726.46 500,887,222.16 Including: Operating income 603,532,726.46 500,887,222.16 Interest income Insurance gained Commission charge and commission income II. Total operating cost 592,280,418.87 496,032,602.64 Including: Operating cost 525,693,924.66 436,770,935.85 Interest expense Commission charge and commission expense Cash surrender value Net amount of expense of compensation Net amount of withdrawal of insurance contract reserve Bonus expense of guarantee slip Reinsurance expense Tax and extras 2,180,093.13 1,697,965.55 Sales expense 18,991,695.17 14,895,442.53 Administrative expense 33,036,011.08 29,667,000.90 R&D expense 5,653,280.67 4,313,254.44 Financial expense 6,725,414.16 8,688,003.37 Including: Interest expenses 5,977,916.47 6,620,657.92 Interest income 234,372.30 -694,194.83 Add: other income 345,453.35 645,623.00 Investment income (Loss is listed with -) 238,661.58 103,172.15 Including: Investment income on affiliated company and joint venture The termination of income recognition for financial assets measured by amortized cost (Loss is listed with -) Exchange income (Loss is listed with -) Net exposure hedging income (Loss is listed with -) Income from change of fair value (Loss is listed with -) Loss of credit impairment (Loss is listed with -) Losses of devaluation of asset (Loss is listed with -) -1,350,000.00 Income from assets disposal (Loss is listed with -) 21,059.60 -93,373.67 III. Operating profit (Loss is listed with -) 10,507,482.12 5,510,041.00 Add: Non-operating income 394,744.60 681,877.61 Less: Non-operating expense 219,887.56 7,302.38 IV. Total profit (Loss is listed with -) 10,682,339.16 6,184,616.23 Less: Income tax expense 2,569,327.53 1,333,529.74 V. Net profit (Net loss is listed with -) 8,113,011.63 4,851,086.49 (i) Classify by business continuity 1.continuous operating net profit (net loss listed with -) 8,113,011.63 4,851,086.49 2.termination of net profit (net loss listed with -) (ii) Classify by ownership 1.Net profit attributable to owners of parent company 8,113,011.63 4,851,086.49 2.Minority shareholders gains and losses VI. Net after-tax of other comprehensive income Net after-tax of other comprehensive income attributable to owners of parent company (i) Other comprehensive income items which will not be reclassified subsequently to profit of loss 1.Changes of the defined benefit plans that re-measured 2.Other comprehensive income under equity method that cannot be transfer to gain/loss 3.Change of fair value of investment in other equity instrument 4.Fair value change of enterprise's credit risk 5. Other (ii) Other comprehensive income items which will be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss 1.Other comprehensive income under equity method that can transfer to gain/loss 2.Change of fair value of other debt investment 3.Amount of financial assets re-classify to other comprehensive income 4.Credit impairment provision for other debt investment 5.Cash flow hedging reserve 6.Translation differences arising on translation of foreign currency financial statements 7.Other Net after-tax of other comprehensive income attributable to minority shareholders VII. Total comprehensive income 8,113,011.63 4,851,086.49 Total comprehensive income attributable to owners of parent Company 8,113,011.63 4,851,086.49 Total comprehensive income attributable to minority shareholders VIII. Earnings per share: (i) Basic earnings per share 0.0288 0.0171 (ii) Diluted earnings per share 0.0288 0.0171 Enterprise combine under the same control in the Period, the combined party realized net profit of 0.00 Yuan before combination, and

realized 0.00 Yuan at last period for combined party

Legal Representative: Li Zhongqiu

Person in charge of accounting works: Yang Bin

Person in charge of accounting institute: Chuai Guoxu

3. Consolidated Cash Flow Statement (from the year-begin to the period-end) Unit: Yuan



Item Current period Last period I. Cash flows arising from operating activities: Cash received from selling commodities and providing labor services 383,981,831.41 404,327,921.90 Net increase of customer deposit and interbank deposit Net increase of loan from central bank Net increase of capital borrowed from other financial institution Cash received from original insurance contract fee Net cash received from reinsurance business Net increase of insured savings and investment Cash received from interest, commission charge and commission Net increase of capital borrowed Net increase of returned business capital Net cash received by agents in sale and purchase of securities Write-back of tax received 2,159,861.95 105,447.58 Other cash received concerning operating activities 35,130,159.40 18,415,376.92 Subtotal of cash inflow arising from operating activities 421,271,852.76 422,848,746.40 Cash paid for purchasing commodities and receiving labor service 291,924,059.89 316,753,970.40 Net increase of customer loans and advances Net increase of deposits in central bank and interbank Cash paid for original insurance contract compensation Net increase of capital lent Cash paid for interest, commission charge and commission Cash paid for bonus of guarantee slip Cash paid to/for staff and workers 54,527,895.49 43,987,629.67 Taxes paid 19,266,205.32 6,909,436.73 Other cash paid concerning operating activities 79,607,341.64 41,506,986.55 Subtotal of cash outflow arising from operating activities 445,325,502.34 409,158,023.35 Net cash flows arising from operating activities -24,053,649.58 13,690,723.05 II. Cash flows arising from investing activities: Cash received from recovering investment Cash received from investment income 275,579.90 85,357.08 Net cash received from disposal of fixed, intangible and other long-term assets 100,950.00 213,913.05 Net cash received from disposal of subsidiaries and other units Other cash received concerning investing activities 45,000,000.00 Subtotal of cash inflow from investing activities 376,529.90 45,299,270.13 Cash paid for purchasing fixed, intangible and other long-term assets 3,919,845.12 3,628,023.06 Cash paid for investment Net increase of mortgaged loans Net cash received from subsidiaries and other units obtained Other cash paid concerning investing activities 45,000,000.00 Subtotal of cash outflow from investing activities 3,919,845.12 48,628,023.06 Net cash flows arising from investing activities -3,543,315.22 -3,328,752.93 III. Cash flows arising from financing activities Cash received from absorbing investment Including: Cash received from absorbing minority shareholders investment by subsidiaries Cash received from loans 86,967,694.00 20,610,902.80 Other cash received concerning financing activities Subtotal of cash inflow from financing activities 86,967,694.00 20,610,902.80 Cash paid for settling debts 71,384,425.00 40,370,812.20 Cash paid for dividend and profit distributing or interest paying 5,510,317.28 6,089,776.45 Including: Dividend and profit of minority shareholder paid by subsidiaries Other cash paid concerning financing activities Subtotal of cash outflow from financing activities 76,894,742.28 46,460,588.65 Net cash flows arising from financing activities 10,072,951.72 -25,849,685.85 IV. Influence on cash and cash equivalents due to fluctuation in exchange rate -495,777.96 -509,270.83 V. Net increase of cash and cash equivalents -18,019,791.04 -15,996,986.56 Add: Balance of cash and cash 60,968,053.58 36,645,061.61 equivalents at the period-begin VI. Balance of cash and cash equivalents at the period-end 42,948,262.54 20,648,075.05 (ii) Explanation on financial statement adjustment

1. Financial statement adjustment at the beginning of the first year when implementation of new leasing

standards from 2021

 Applicable  Not applicable

2. Retrospective adjustment of the comparative data for initial implementation of new leasing standards

from 2021

 Applicable  Not applicable

(iii) Audit report

rd

Whether the 3 quarterly report has been audited or not

Yes  No

rd

The 3 quarterly report of the Company has not been audited. Board of Directors of

Shenzhen Zhongheng Huafa Co., Ltd.

October 22, 2021



 Stock Code: 000020 200020 Public Notice No.: 2021-21 Short Form of the Stock: SHEN HUAFA-A, SHEN HUAFA-BShenzhen Zhongheng Huafa Co., Ltd.The Third Quarterly Report for 2021The Company and whole members of the BOD guarantee that the information disclosed is true, accurate and complete, and there are no any fictitious records, misleading statements or important omissions.Important content reminder:1. Board of Directors, Supervisory Committee, all directors, supervisors and senior executives of Shenzhen Zhongheng Huafa Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the Company) hereby confirm that there are no any fictitious statements, misleading statements, or important omissions carried in this report, and shall take all responsibilities, individual and/or joint, for the reality, accuracy and completion of the whole contents.2. Principal of the Company, Person in Charge of Accounting Works and Person in Charge of Accounting Organ (Accounting Officer) hereby confirm that the Financial Report of the Third Quarterly Report is authentic, accurate and complete. 3. Whether the Third Quarterly Report has been audited or not Yes NoI. Main financial data(i) Main accounting data and financial indexesWhether it has retroactive adjustment or re-statement on previous accounting data or not Yes No(ii) Items and amounts of non-recurring profit (gains)/losses  Applicable  Not applicableUnit: Yuan Applicable  Not applicableThe Company does not have other gain/loss items that qualified the definition of non-recurring profit (gains)/lossesExplanation on those non-recurring gain/loss listed in the Q&A Announcement No.1 on Information Disclosure for CompaniesOffering Their Securities to the Public --- Extraordinary Profit/loss defined as recurring gain/loss Applicable  Not applicableThe Company does not have the non-recurring gain/loss listed in the Q&A Announcement No.1 on Information Disclosure forCompanies Offering Their Securities to the Public --- Extraordinary Profit/loss defined as recurring gain/loss(iii) Particulars about changes in items of main accounting data and financial index and explanations ofreasons Applicable Not applicableII. Shareholders Information(i) Total number of common shareholders and preference shareholders with voting rights recovered andtop ten common shareholdersUnit: Share(ii) Total shareholders with preferred stock held and shares held by top ten shareholders with preferredstock held Applicable  Not applicableIII. Other significant events Applicable  Not applicable(i) The Company signed Asset Exchange Contract with Wuhan Zhongheng New Science & Technology IndustrialGroup Co., Ltd (hereinafter referred to as Wuhan Zhongheng Group) on 29 April 2009 (details were referred to inthe announcement dated 30 April 2009), and pursuant to the contract, since part of the assets of the Company(namely two parcel of industrial lands located at Huafa road, Gongming town, Guangming new district, Shenzhen(the property certificate No. were SFDZ No.7226760 and SFDZ No.7226763, No. of parcels were A627-005andA627-007, and the aggregate area was 48,200 sq.m) were the lands listed in the first batch of plan for 2010Shenzhen urbanization unit planning preparation plan. For promotion of such urbanization project and jointcooperation, the Company has not completed the transfer procedures in respect of the aforesaid land.The Company convoked the first extraordinary meeting of the Board in 2015 on February 16, 2015 and the firstextraordinary general meeting of the Board in 2015 on March 4, 2015, which considered and approved theMotion on promoting and implementing the urban renewal project for the renewal units of Huafa area atGongming street, Guangming new district, Shenzhen, specified that the Company and Wuhan Zhongheng Groupshall obtain the corresponding compensatory consideration for removal from the respectively owned project plotsand the respectively contributed and constructed above-ground buildings before the land development, it isestimated that the compensatory consideration obtained by the Company accounts for 50.5% of the totalconsideration and Wuhan Zhongheng Group accounts for 49.5% by calculation. The sixth extraordinary meeting of the board of directors in 2015 and the third extraordinary general meeting of2015 have considered and adopted the Proposal on the project promotion and implementation of urban renewaland the progress of related transactions of the updated units at Huafa Area, Gong Ming Street, Guangming NewDistrict, Shenzhen, the company has signed the Agreement on the cooperation of urban renewal project of theupdated units at Huafa Area, Gong Ming Street, Guangming New District, Shenzhen, Contract for thecooperative venture of reconstruction project for Huafa Industrial Park, Gong Ming Street, Guangming NewDistrict on 26 August 2015, and Agreement on housing acquisition and removal compensation and resettlement with Wuhan Wuhan Zhongheng Group, Shenzhen Vanke Real Estate Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referredto as Shenzhen Vanke), and Shenzhen Vanke Guangming Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. (hereinafterreferred to as Vanke Guangming).On 12 September 2016, Shenzhen Vanke applied for arbitration in respect of Agreement on the cooperation ofurban renewal project of the updated units at Huafa Area, Gong Ming Street, Guangming New District, Shenzhenagainst the Company and Wuhan Zhongheng Group. Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA) hasgiven a ruling in August 2017. On August 29, 2018, the court accepted the compulsory execution application ofShenzhen Vanke. In October 2019, as a number of outsiders filed an execution objection and applied for noexecution to Shenzhen Intermediate Peoples Court, the Shenzhen Intermediate Peoples Court ruled to terminatethe enforcement procedure on March 20, 2020. If the execution objection and no execution proposed byoutsiders are rejected according to law, Shenzhen Vanke may continue to apply to the Shenzhen IntermediatePeoples Court to resume execution. In April 2020, Zhongheng Semiconductor sued the company to ShenzhenIntermediate Peoples Court, and requested the company to transfer the above mentioned two pieces of lands andcompensate the economic loss of 52 million yuan, the company received the first trial verdict in the case in May2021. and the company appealed to the supreme peoples court against the judgment, which has not yet enteredinto force. Progress of the case found more in the Notices released on Juchao website dated 14 Sept. 2016, 1 Nov.2016, 16 Nov. 2016, on 18 Feb. 2017, 24 March 2017, 25 April 2017, 1 July 2017, 18 August 2017, 9 Feb. 2018,25 Aug. 2018, 7 Sept. 2018, 21 Apr. 2020, 3 Jun, 2021 and 22 Jul. 2021 respectively. (ii) On 31 December 2015, the 88,750,047 shares held by Wuhan Zhongheng Group, are pledge to China Merchants Securities Assets Co., Ltd. with due date of 31 December 2016. On 1 Feb. 2016, Wuhan ZhonghengGroup pledge the 27,349,953 shares held to China Merchants Securities Assets Co., Ltd. with due date of 31December 2016. The above-mentioned pledged shares are deferred by Wuhan Zhongheng Group; pledge expiredon 31 December 2017. The trading day for repurchase put off to the date when pledge actually removed. Till endof this period released, controlling shareholder still not removed the pledge and the Company has apply by letter,relevant Notice of Presentment on Stock Pledge from Controlling Shareholder was released. Found more in noticereleased on Juchao website dated 2 Feb. 2018.(iii) The controlling shareholder Wuhan Zhongheng Group holds 119,289,894 shares of the Company stock,accounting for 42.13% of the total share capital of the Company, of which 116,489,894 shares were judicially frozenby Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court (hereinafter referred to as "Shenzhen Intermediate Court") on September27, 2016, which were frozen again by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court on December 14, 2018, with afrozen period of 36 months; the remaining 2,800,000 shares were frozen by the Shenzhen Intermediate People'sCourt on May 29, 2019, and were frozen again by the Higher Peoples Court of Guangdong Province on July 5,2019. For details, please refer to the companys announcements published on Juchao Website dated October 27,2016, January 11, 2019, May 31, 2019 and August 7, 2019.(iv) Wuhan Zhongheng Group received the first-instance judgment of Guangdong Higher Peoples Court to thepledged securities repurchase dispute case sued by China Merchants Securities Asset Management Co., Ltd. inMarch 2021. Wuhan Zhongheng Group refused to accept the judgment and has appealed to the Supreme People'sCourt, the judgment of first instance has not yet taken effect. For details, please refer to the companyannouncement issued by the company on Juchao Website dated March 19, 2021. (v) On September 29, 2016, the company and its controlling shareholder, Wuhan Zhongheng Group, signed theAgency Contract with V&T Law Firm. On October 8, 2016, the three parties also signed the SupplementalAgreement for Agency Contract, it was agreed that V&T acted as an agent for the company and WuhanZhongheng Group to deal with the arbitration case with Shenzhen Vanke. After losing the lawsuit, due todifferences in the payment of attorney fees, V&T sued our company and Wuhan Zhongheng Group to the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration, and applied to the court to seize a bank account under our companysname and part of our company dormitories, please refer to Other Announcements on the Progress InvolvingLitigation and Arbitration (Announcement Numbers: 2018-43, 2019-02) released on Juchao Website datedNovember 14, 2018 and March 6, 2019. The Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration ruled that the companyand Wuhan Zhongheng Group paid the corresponding fees. The loss of the arbitrament in this case was borne byWuhan Zhongheng Group in whole, and found more on Other Announcements on the Progress Involving Litigation and Arbitration (Announcement No.: 2019-34) released on Juchao Website dated November 25, 2019.IV. Quarterly financial statements(i) Financial statement1. Consolidate balance sheetPrepared by Shenzhen Zhongheng Huafa Co., Ltd.September 30, 2021Unit: YuanLegal Representative: Li ZhongqiuPerson in charge of accounting works: Yang BinPerson in charge of accounting institute: Chuai Guoxu2. Consolidated Profit Statement (from the year-begin to the period-end) Unit: YuanEnterprise combine under the same control in the Period, the combined party realized net profit of 0.00 Yuan before combination, andrealized 0.00 Yuan at last period for combined partyLegal Representative: Li ZhongqiuPerson in charge of accounting works: Yang BinPerson in charge of accounting institute: Chuai Guoxu3. Consolidated Cash Flow Statement (from the year-begin to the period-end) Unit: Yuan(ii) Explanation on financial statement adjustment1. Financial statement adjustment at the beginning of the first year when implementation of new leasingstandards from 2021 Applicable  Not applicable2. Retrospective adjustment of the comparative data for initial implementation of new leasing standardsfrom 2021 Applicable  Not applicable(iii) Audit reportrdWhether the 3 quarterly report has been audited or notYes  NordThe 3 quarterly report of the Company has not been audited. Board of Directors ofShenzhen Zhongheng Huafa Co., Ltd.October 22, 2021
A former Lebanon Police Officer will not face charges in connection to more than 100 missing traffic tickets after a grand jury chose not to indict him on charges.

During an administrative review, Lebanon Division of Police found that from 2018 to February 2022, former officer Eric Holmes issued 140 verbal warnings to motorists for various traffic violations.

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The review found that after the traffic stops were finished, Holmes would then complete written traffic citations for those drivers, submit them to the police division for internal recording purposes, but then dispose of the duplicate copies that would normally be served on the drivers and filed with the court.

Due to that, drivers never knew about the citations and they didnt face any repercussions from the court or the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, according to a release.

The findings in the administrative review led the Lebanon Division of Police to request the Warren County Sheriffs Office to conduct a criminal investigation. The findings were submitted to the Warren County Prosecutors Office for consideration of possible charges.

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The Prosecutors Office said there was no evidence that Holmes received any tangible benefit from his actions and that the Lebanon Division of Police does not have a quota system for its officers.

Holmes previously resigned from the Lebanon Division of Police.
One thing that "really bothers" Russian leader Vladimir Putin is "international solidarity and support," former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko says. ANDREY GORSHKOV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko wrote an op-ed outlining a path to victory for Ukraine.

In the article, he wrote that the Vladimir Putin he dealt with while president "no longer exists."

He said Putin had become a "completely isolated and brutal despot who cannot stand any opposition."

Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, who led the country from 2005 to 2010, has outlined a three-pronged approach that he believes would help defeat Russian President Vladimir Putin in the countries' war.

In an op-ed article for The Guardian published Sunday, Yushchenko said Ukraine faced a "savage army" led by someone whom he once had a personal history with but who had since morphed into a dictator.

"My own history with Putin goes back to 2000 when we were both prime ministers of our respective countries. It was only when I ran to be president of Ukraine in 2004 that he actively campaigned against me," Yushchenko wrote.

"The extreme lengths he was willing to go to in order to get what he wanted became clear. I could not allow this to deter me; after I won, I realized that I needed to try to keep a workable relationship with him as the leader of our neighbor in the east," he wrote.

"But the Putin I dealt with then no longer exists. He has since become a completely isolated and brutal despot who cannot stand any opposition," he added.

Yushchenko said one thing that "really bothers" Putin was "international solidarity and support."

He wrote that for Ukraine to succeed in its defense against Russia, there must not be fatigue in the global community toward "the horrors of war." He said keeping global attention on Ukraine would help keep up morale in the country  something he described as particularly important with the Russian military thought to be regrouping.

Yushchenko added that a second prong involved continued weapons and military assistance.

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"Our army continues to need weapons and military assistance from all our allies," he wrote. "And we need monetary assistance to help us plug the holes that this war is blowing in our previously strong economy."

A third prong concerns the way civil societies could continue helping Ukrainian forces obtain "non-lethal supplies" and protective equipment.

"I strongly believe that victory for Ukraine is inevitable," Yushchenko wrote. "When ordinary Ukrainians give everything up to fight for their freedom and dignity, victory is the only option."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Greece will scrap many remaining COVID-19-related protocols next week, making it the latest country to plan to revert to pre-pandemic life.

Starting May 1, Greece will stop requiring travelers to show proof of vaccination, a negative test, or proof of recovery to enter the country, according to tourism company Visit Greece.

Greece, which reopened its borders to tourism in May 2021, currently welcomes travelers from the United States but requires them to either show proof of vaccination (with a booster shot if it has been more than 9 months since the final dose of their initial vaccine series); show proof they have contracted COVID-19 and recovered within 6 months; or show proof of a negative COVID-19 test (either a PCR test taken within 72 hours of their arrival or a rapid antigen test taken within 24 hours of their arrival). This applies to all travelers 5 years old and older.

Currently, face masks must also be worn indoors, but Minister of Health Thanos Plevris has said they will no longer be required, with some exceptions, starting in June.

"According to the epidemiological data and the suggestions of the experts, we are announcing the roadmap for the de-escalation of the measures against the Covid-19 pandemic," Plevris said in a statement earlier this month, adding "All measures will be reviewed on September 1, depending on the picture of the pandemic."

Tourists visit the acropolis in Athens

Giannis Alexopoulos/Getty Images

The decision to drop travel rules comes more than a month after Greece eliminated the need to fill out a passenger locator form before traveling.

Greece now joins several other European countries in easing pandemic-related restrictions, including the Netherlands and France, which have each eliminated pre-arrival testing for vaccinated visitors, as well as some countries that have taken it a step further, dropping COVID-19-related rules altogether like the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Iceland.

Similarly, Switzerland will lift its entry restrictions on May 2, according to the government, reverting to "the usual rules for entering Switzerland."

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.
Associated Press

Almost 400 years ago, the Catholic residents of a small Bavarian village vowed to perform a play of the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ every 10 years, if only God would spare them any further losses from the plague known as the Black Death. Legend has it that ever since 1634, when the villagers of Oberammergau first performed their passion play, no more residents died of that pestilence or any other plagues  until 2020, when the world was hit by a new plague, the coronavirus pandemic. Oberammergau, like so many places worldwide, suffered some COVID-19 deaths, though residents who confirmed that were unsure how many.
Coming Home is a Vietnam War drama often credited with opening audiences' eyes to the grim plights awaiting veterans who made it back alive. But the film found its director in a way more befitting a stoner comedy.

While being feted at the TCM Classic Film Festival over the weekend, actor Bruce Dern, who earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his work in Coming Home, explained how its Oscar-winning director, Hal Ashby, came to the project via a Malibu hot tub.

The original director was Midnight Cowboy helmer John Schlesinger, but after one day of shooting Schlesinger felt he wasn't right for the project. This left producer Jerome Hellman with no director and fears that United Artists would shut down the production before it even began if he halted things to find a replacement.

"At about 2 o'clock on a Tuesday afternoon the second day of shooting, [Jerry] needed to find a director for his movie," Dern recounted before a festival screening of the film. "The way it happened was Jerome Hallman lived in Malibu Colony, Hal Ashby lived in Malibu Colony. So, he walked down to Hal's house, [and] Hal was in his hot tub. and he said, [mimes taking a joint out of his mouth] 'Hey, Jer,' and Jerry said, 'Hal, I need you to do a movie for me.'"

Coming Home, Hal Ashby

Everett Collection (2)

Thinking that he had some time, Ashby asked Hallman to leave the script for him to read. "Jerry said, 'No, I got to watch you read the script now.' Hal said, 'Oh, for chrissakes,' and he got out of the hot tub, put a big robe on, and said, 'What's the movie about?' And he said, 'Vietnam  and I need you to shoot tomorrow.'"

Ashby accepted the challenge, even going on to earn his only Oscar nomination for directing (he was nominated twice prior for Best Editing, and won once, for In the Heat of the Night). Coming Home became a lightning rod in discussions of veterans' issues and the resources available to soldiers returning home, as did two other films of the late 1970s, Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter.

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Dern also noted that both of those competing projects started production the same week as Coming Home. "All three movies started within days of each other," Dern said.

But it was Coming Home that most directly showed the impact of the war at home, rather than on the front.

Related content:
Western countries are rushing heavy weaponry to Ukraine as the war enters what promises to be a deadly, and potentially protracted, new phase.

Those deliveries are coming amid increasingly desperate pleas from Ukrainian battlefield commanders as they endure withering Russian artillery and rocket fire that could last weeks or months.

Over the past two weeks, the Biden administration began shipping out $1.2 billion worth of howitzers, around 200,000 artillery rounds, armored vehicles, counter-battery radars and experimental new armed drones capable of flying into targets. The deliveries are a significant advance from the small arms and Javelin anti-tank armor shipments that dominated the first eight weeks of fighting, and which helped stave off Russian thrusts toward the capital of Kyiv in the early days of the invasion.

On Friday, France and Canada unveiled new plans to send long-range artillery systems for the first time, and the U.K. is looking to backfill heavy armor to Poland as Warsaw contemplates sending Polish tanks to Ukraine.

On Sunday, during a surprise trip to Kyiv by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the U.S. announced more than $300 million in foreign military financing to allow Ukraine to purchase more sophisticated weapons, along with an additional $165 million for ammunition.

The rapid shift in aid reflects the recognition that the new fight will likely be dominated by artillery barrages and tank battles as infantry units square off over the flat fields of eastern Ukraine. But getting these new weapons to the front quickly will prove critical in the coming days.

As the war changes its character, a wave of Russian steel has been taking aim at Ukrainian units holding the line north of the besieged city of Mariupol, where a few hundred troops continue to make a last desperate stand on the grounds of the Azovstal steel plant.

Eighty miles north of the city, First Lt. Ivan Skuratovsky, serving in the 25th Airborne Brigade, told POLITICO that help needs to come immediately.

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The situation is very bad, [Russian forces] are using scorched- earth tactics, the 31-year-old married father of two said via text. They simply destroy everything with artillery, shelling day and night, he said via text.

He fears that if reinforcements in the form of manpower and heavy weaponry  particularly air support  dont arrive in the next few days, his troops could find themselves in the same position as those in Mariupol.

Skuratovsky described his soldiers situation as very desperate.

I dont know how much strength we will have, he said, adding that the troops under his command around the city of Avdiivka, near Donetsk, have gone without rest since the start of the war. At least 13 of them have been wounded in recent weeks, he said, and they are running dangerously low on ammunition, reduced to rationing bullets.

The day before, he told POLITICO his soldiers were being bombarded with Russian howitzers, mortars and multiple-launch rocket systems at the same time. Just hours earlier, he said, they had been attacked by two Su-25 warplanes, and our day became hell.

Skuratovsky had a message for the United States and other NATO countries: I would like to tell them that grenade launchers are good, but against airstrikes and heavy artillery we will not be able to hold out for long. People can no longer endure daily bombardments. We need air support now. We need drones.

Caught in a pincer

The lieutenants pleas match those of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has for weeks demanded that Western countries step up their support as this new phase of the Russian war gets underway. The calls come as the Kremlin struggles to switch tactics from small unit attacks in the north in favor of devastating artillery barrages aimed at flattening towns and Ukrainian positions, unconcerned with  or perhaps purposefully looking for  civilian casualties.

The message is getting through to Western leaders, albeit slowly.

Ukrainian officials have been calling for heavy weapons and jet fighters since the Feb. 24 Russian invasion, but the Kremlins decision to pull its troops from around the capital of Kyiv and make one concerted push in the east and south has clearly caught the attention of Western powers.



Russian forces appear to be positioning for a pincer movement launched from the north and south that would trap at least 30,000 Ukrainian troops in the east, and possibly cut them off from resupply. As of now, weapons and aid are getting through, but as this new, more destructive phase of the Russian assault begins, counter attacking from a distance will likely be key to Ukrainian success.

Artillery has been a critical piece in the Ukrainian resistance thus far in the war, and volunteer units have effectively used commercial and homemade drones to spot Russian positions and walk in accurate artillery strikes on armored columns.

Along with the howitzers and armored vehicles, the U.S. is also sending a new capability. The new package includes 121 Phoenix Ghost drones that can fly for six hours, including at night, spotting Russian positions before being flown into a target where an embedded warhead will detonate. The drones have only been developed and built over the past several months, and the Ukrainian troops about to fly them will be the first ever to put them to use on the battlefield.



Loitering munitions can be a significant advantage though, and the Ukrainians have proven themselves to be pretty adaptable and creative. They could make a real difference, Rob Lee, a military analyst and a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institutes Eurasia Program, told POLITICO.

Skuratovsky said his soldiers, who have just one quadcopter drone at their position that can be rigged to drop a small grenade, would benefit greatly from receiving the Ghost drones, which would allow them to strike Russian artillery targeting them.

On Friday, France announced it was supplying several Caesar self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine and is now training 40 Ukrainian soldiers in France on how to use the powerful guns mounted on the back of a six-wheeled truck.

The Caesar, which the French have used in Afghanistan and have sold to NATO allies, has a range of 24 to 34 miles, giving Ukrainian forces the ability to lob accurate fire at significant distances. "We stand with the Ukrainian people," the French defense ministry said in a statement on Friday.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also suggested Friday that his government is considering a deal that would send British tanks to Poland, if Warsaw decides to send some of its Soviet-era T-72 tanks to Ukraine. Poland would be following the lead of the Czech Republic, which recently supplied some of its own T-72s, which the Ukrainians know how to operate.

The Kremlin has repeatedly threatened to hit the convoys of trucks coming across the Polish border full of weapons, which now include  or are about to include  much larger cargo loads, including cannons, large armored vehicles, and spare parts for Ukrainian MiG fighter planes. Western officials have long been cagey about these shipments, but so far the deliveries have arrived intact, allowing Kyiv to resupply troops along the line of contact.

A senior U.S. Defense Department official estimated this week that the Ukrainians have more tanks in Ukraine than the Russians do, given the huge losses Russian armor have taken as a result of Ukrainian artillery and shoulder-fired anti-armor attacks.

The Mariupol resistance

That aid will be welcome, but it may be too late for the Ukrainian troops who have fought for weeks in brutal house-to-house combat in Mariupol, where 11 Russian battalion tactical groups  units of several hundred soldiers backed by tanks, rocket artillery and armed infantry vehicles  have been tied down cornering a fierce resistance.

Maj. Serhiy Volyna, commander of the Ukrainian forces in Mariupol, huddled inside the besieged steel plant, delivered a blunt video message last week about the prospects for his men. Speaking directly into the camera, he delivered a desperate plea for heavy weapons from the West to keep the strategic city from falling to Russia.

Enemy forces are 10 times bigger than ours, Volyna said in a video he shared with POLITICO and other media and later posted to his Facebook page. We are probably facing our last days, if not hours.



Volyna and his troops of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade have endured two months of fighting and are now stuck inside the underground tunnels and bunkers of the sprawling plant with hundreds of wounded fighters and more than 1,000 desperate civilians. He said if weapons don't come, then an emergency airlift will be necessary to keep those people from being killed.

Take us to the territory of a third country, he pleaded to Western nations. On Thursday, Ukrainian efforts to get Russia to open a green corridor and allow the encircled troops and civilians to escape safely fell apart. And Russian President Vladimir Putin told his defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, to blockade the Azovstal plant so that even a fly cant get out.

Keeping that much infantry and armor locked in place inside the city has slowed Russian Gen. Aleksandr Dvornikovs planned advance in the east. But with the Kremlin now declaring the Mariupol fight a victory, those troops will likely be redirected to push on Ukrainian positions holding the line west and north of the city.



A British intelligence assessment released Friday says that Putin's decision to blockade the Azovstal steel plant instead of taking it likely indicates a desire to contain Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol and free up Russian forces to be deployed elsewhere in eastern Ukraine. A full ground assault by Russia on the plant would likely incur significant Russian casualties, further decreasing their overall combat effectiveness.

A new frontline fight

Its not clear what the new rounds of heavy weapons heading to Ukraine will have on the fight, or how the Kremlin will react to bigger, more deadly aid flowing in from NATO countries.

Once again [we are] witnessing that Putin is ready to use military force in order to obtain his geopolitical goals, one Western diplomat told POLITICO on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive issues.

After months of warning of devastating sanctions if Russian troops crossed the border in Ukraine, allied countries are working to understand where Putins ambitions end now that he doesnt appear to respond to deterrent threats. Unfortunately, we are in a situation today where a military attack against the NATO countries is not impossible anymore, the diplomat said.

Russian military leaders have already hinted that they intend to seize territory that would create a land bridge to Transnistria and potentially put Moldova at risk. President Joe Biden has promised to defend every inch of NATO territory, but increasingly it seems the first front in that war is inside Ukraine.



After weeks of denials that U.S. troops were actively training Ukrainian forces on the new weapons theyve been receiving, officials have been more upfront about the efforts. A senior DoD official said Wednesday that American service members had begun training outside the country with more than 50 Ukrainian troops on 155mm howitzer artillery systems the Biden administration was providing as part of a recent aid package worth $800 million.

What the West is able to send to Ukraine and how quickly it gets there is likely to be a major factor in whether Ukraines motivated and agile military forces are able to free their trapped troops from the strategic city of Mariupol and keep Russian soldiers at bay elsewhere across an increasingly hot eastern front line.

That front snakes its way through a battleground as big as New Jersey, and has become the focus of Moscows attentions.

On April 18, Zelenskyy, his military chiefs and regional authorities announced that Russian forces had begun the operation in the east after amassing thousands more troops in the area. The next day, Moscow confirmed it had launched its new offensive operation.

Another phase of this operation is starting now, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, using Moscows preferred term to describe its invasion of Ukraine.

Two weeks ago, Ukrainian forces armed with anti-tank American Javelin missiles and British NLAWs surprised the world when they forced a Russian retreat in the battle for Kyiv. The Kremlins announcement that it would pull back tens of thousands of troops from northern Kyiv and Chernihiv regions to refocus efforts on the Donbas marked a shift in the campaign's strategic direction, and precipitated the Western effort to supply heavy artillery and spare parts for Ukrainian MiG fighter planes.



But if the Ukrainians had the upper hand in fights that unfolded in densely populated suburbs of the capital, the Russian army  with its deep supply of heavy guns that can be fired at a distance and self-propelled artillery that can move easily and more freely over wide-open fields  has an early advantage in the eastern steppe.

The Donbas region presents a dilemma, however. While open in many places, it is also heavily populated, meaning the Russians will still have to fight through urban terrain akin to that in the north, where Ukrainian forces drove them back with heavy losses.

I expect Russia will have some success but it will probably be slow and costly. As long as Ukraine doesn't allow a large chunk of its troops to be encircled, I don't think Russia can achieve any kind of strategic gains, Lee said.

Russian victories are starting to mount in these early days of the new operation.

Serhiy Haidai, the governor of the Luhansk region, said Ukrainian forces were forced to pull out of a town near the regional capital of Severodonetsk after weeks of intense Russian bombardments. Haidai pleaded with civilians living closest to the fighting in and around the towns of Popasna and Kreminna to leave, warning them that Russians are killing everyone who is against them on the spot.

Olena Symonenko, an aide in Zelenskyys administration, said in a television news broadcast on April 21 that 42 towns and villages had been captured by Russian forces during the new offensive.

Russian forces have also managed to take territory near the town of Izyum, which connects to the strategic cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk via highway. Terrified residents have fled those cities in recent days following a rocket attack on the Kramatorsk railway station that killed 59 people, including seven children, in one of the deadliest Russian strikes of the past two months.

But Ukraines modern army, including the forces that kept the Russians from encircling and seizing Kyiv, was shaped by the eight years of war in the Donbas and years of intensive training with NATO troops across Europe.

So while they might lack the advantages of concealment and surprise they had in close-quarter urban settings in the north, they continue fighting on their home turf, in positions fortified for over nearly a decade, and in a place where they cut their teeth.

Speaking to a Ukrainian member of parliament from inside the Azovstal factory on Sunday, Volyna said he and his troops were in a dire situation but they remained hopeful they might find a way out. He also expressed confidence in their ability to endure Russias attacks.

Its really difficult to defend yourself with a machine gun against bombers and cruise missiles, assault groups and dozens of tanks, he said. But we do it, one way or another.
Jason Campbell, an employee of the paint and sign shop for the Illinois State Fairgrounds takes the mask off the Abraham Lincoln figure at the fairgrounds Wednesday, April 6, 2022. The mask has been on the statue since September 2020 as part of the All in Illinois COVID-19 public awareness campaign. [Thomas J. Turney/State Journal-Register]

Kentucky reported 2,940 new cases of coronavirus in the week ending Sunday, down 7.4% from the previous week. The previous week had 3,174 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Kentucky ranked 26th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States increased 57.1% from the week before, with 351,599 cases reported. With 1.34% of the country's population, Kentucky had 0.84% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 42 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Henderson County reported 33 cases and two deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 40 cases and two deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 13,885 cases and 163 deaths.

Union County reported three cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported two cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 4,337 cases and 57 deaths.

Webster County reported minus three cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported four cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 3,905 cases and 48 deaths.

Across Kentucky, cases fell in 52 counties, with the best declines in Laurel County, with 147 cases from 368 a week earlier; in Calloway County, with 10 cases from 164; and in Bullitt County, with 50 cases from 171.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Kentucky ranked 38th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 66.1% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 77.5%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

In the week ending Sunday, Kentucky reported administering another 26,755 vaccine doses, including 3,179 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 39,229 vaccine doses, including 4,403 first doses. In all, Kentucky reported it has administered 6,501,023 total doses.

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Within Kentucky, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Elliott County with 958 cases per 100,000 per week; Montgomery County with 476; and Menifee County with 462. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Jefferson County, with 524 cases; Fayette County, with 226 cases; and Kenton County, with 205. Weekly case counts rose in 60 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Jefferson, Clark and Campbell counties.

In Kentucky, 101 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 113 people were reported dead.

A total of 1,325,064 people in Kentucky have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 15,375 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 80,984,914 people have tested positive and 991,254 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

Kentucky's COVID-19 hospital admissions staying flat

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, April 24.

Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

Last week: 596

The week before that: 591

Four weeks ago: 694

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

Last week: 40,571

The week before that: 37,500

Four weeks ago: 39,316

Hospitals in 37 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 25 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 42 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Henderson Gleaner: Henderson County reported 33 additional COVID-19 cases this week
Twitter has reached a $44 billion deal to sell the social media platform to Elon Musk, the worlds richest man.

Former President Trump said he will not rejoin Twitter even if hes reinstated following Musks buyout.

This is Hillicon Valley, detailing all you need to know about tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Send tips to The Hills Rebecca Klar, Chris Mills Rodrigo and Ines Kagubare. Someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Musk agrees to buy Twitter for $44 billion

Twitter on Monday reached an agreement to sell itself to Elon Musk for approximately $44 billion, leaving one of the worlds richest men in control of one of the most influential social media platforms.

The price per share agreed in Mondays deal is higher than the roughly $48 that the company was trading at before Musk first announced his stake, but significantly lower than the $70 shares were trading at last year.

Musk has said that he views the acquisition of Twitter as way to protect free speech, declaring during a conference earlier this month that the offer was not a way to sort of make money.

Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated, Musk said in a statement on Monday.

Read more here.

UNMOVED

One person unmoved by the news of Musks Twitter buy: Former President Trump.

Trump told Fox News that he will not be returning to Twitter even if invited back on post-acquisition.

Speaking to FOXNews.com, Trump said that he would stay on his own platform, Truth Social.

He added, I hope Elon buys Twitter because hell make improvements to it and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on Truth

NAACP TO MUSK: KEEP TRUMP OFF

The NAACP on Monday issued a statement from its president, Derrick Johnson, calling for former President Trump to remain off the social media platform Twitter following Elon Musks purchase of the company.

Story continues

Mr. Musk: free speech is wonderful, hate speech is unacceptable. Disinformation, misinformation and hate speech have NO PLACE on Twitter, the statement said, shortly after it was announced that the Tesla CEO had reached a deal to purchase Twitter.

Do not allow 45 to return to the platform. Do not allow Twitter to become a petri dish for hate speech, or falsehoods that subvert our democracy, the civil rights groups memo added, referencing Trump and saying that lives are at risk, and so is American democracy.

Trump was permanently banned from Twitter in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Read more here.

Cyberattacks hit European energy firms

German-based renewable energy companies have been hit with cyberattacks since Russia began its war in Ukraine, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The attacks on the three wind-energy firms  Deutsche Windtechnik AG, Nordex SE, Enercon GmbH  disrupted some of their operations and forced one company to shut down its information technology systems.

Deutsche Windtechnik AG, which was hacked in April, said that systems controlling about 2,000 wind turbines in Germany were down for a day following the attack.

Nordex SE, a turbine maker, was forced to switch off its information technology systems after detecting a breach in late March. Ransomware group Conti claims to be behind the attack.

The attack on the three companies comes as many western European countries plan to reduce their reliance on Russian fuel as they transition to more eco-friendly energy sources.

Read more here.

AMAZON UNION GOES FOR TWO

Workers at an Amazon sorting facility in Staten Island, N.Y., will begin voting on unionization Monday, less than a month after a warehouse in the borough became the first of the e-commerce giants U.S. locations to unionize.

After the unprecedented victory in the companys first Staten Island union election, at the warehouse known as JFK8, the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) is hoping for a similar result at the LDJ5 facility.

A win at LDJ5 could further prove the viability of the worker-led union and secure key protections for the facilitys workers.

The e-commerce giant, meanwhile, may stand to lose more than just a vote: Consecutive wins for campaigns it has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into defeating could diminish its perception as an all-powerful employer and spark more organizing.

Read more here.

BITS & PIECES

An op-ed to chew on: Are journalism and Twitter headed for splitsville?

Lighter click: Dont forget about the real victims

Notable links from around the web:

Doctors Are Dropping Out Of This Medical NFT Project, Which Promised DMs With TikTok-Famous Physicians (BuzzFeed News / Emily Baker-White and Sarah Emerson)

When Police Do Marketing for Surveillance Tech Companies (Motherboard / Matthew Gault and Jason Koebler)

Twitter Employees Search for Answers as Musk Deal Takes Shape (The New York Times / Kate Conger)

One more thing: Europe adopts tech rule

Google, Meta and other large tech firms will need to more strictly police their platforms under landmark legislation green-lit by EU officials over the weekend.

The Digital Services Act targets hate speech, disinformation on online platforms and other harmful content, with officials reaching an agreement on the measure Saturday.

The DSA also gives regulators more power to impose billions in fines on companies that breach the new legislation.

Read more from the AP here.

Thats it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hills Technology and Cybersecurity pages for the latest news and coverage. Well see you tomorrow.

VIEW THE FULL VERSION HERE.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
An investigation to find the culprit of a hit-and-run collision led police to the discovery of a murder scene in Louisiana, authorities said.

It started as officers were looking for Cora Chambers, the registered owner of a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run in Jefferson Parish, according to a news release from the Kenner Police Department.

When they knocked on her door on April 24, her 28-year-old son Joshua Chambers opened the door, authorities said.

The man  who is from Kenner, located about 13 miles west of downtown New Orleans  told officers Cora Chambers was his mother and proceeded to confess to her murder, according to police. Officers said they found the womans body, as well as the murder weapon, inside the house.

The man told police he was the driver of the vehicle during the hit-and-run.

Authorities said Joshua Chambers, who has a history of mental illness, was charged with second-degree murder.

Teen who vanished in 2019 is now identified as victim of fatal hit-and-run in Georgia

4-year-old killed in crash wasnt buckled in, Texas cops say. Alabama mom is charged

Driver killed pedestrian in hit-and-run, then spray-painted the car black, GA cops say

Hit-and-run crash kills golf course worker on lawnmower, California police say
B(200706):2022 20220426 06:31:24  :

: B :2022



Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd.

Announcement on Daily Related Transactions Forecast for year of 2022

The Company and all members of the BOD guarantee that the information disclosed is true, accurate and

completed, and that there are no false records, misleading statements or material omissions. I Daily related transactions in 2021

th th

As reviewed and approved at the 9 session of the 8 BOD and the 2020 annual general meeting of shareholders, the company expected that the total amount of related transactions related to the sales and

purchase of various commodities with related parties would be 3,085.46 million yuan in 2021. The actual

amount of related transactions of the company in 2021 was 1,579.15 million yuan (audited). II Overview of the expected daily related transactions in 2022 th th

The company held the 13 session of the 8 board of directors on April 22, 2022, and reviewed the Proposal of Daily Related Transactions Forecast for year of 2022. The related directors, Liu Jun, Chen

Jiajun, Zhang Xinghai, and Sun Najuan avoided voting, the meeting approved the proposal with 7 votes in

favor, 0 against, and 0 abstentions. Independent directors issued prior approval and independent opinions.

In 2022, the company expects that the total amount of related transactions involving sales and purchases of

various commodities with related parties will be 2,139.11 million yuan.

This proposal needs to be submitted to the companys 2021 annual general meeting of shareholders for

review and approval. At that time, Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd., the related shareholder, will

abstain from voting on this proposal at the general meeting of shareholders.

(i) Types and amount of expected daily related transactions in 2022 Unit: Ten thousand yuan



Types of Related Transactions Related Person Content of Related Transactions Pricing Principles Related Transactions Contract Signing Amount or Expected Amount Amount Incurred as of the Disclosure Date Amount Incurred in the Previous Year (Audited) Purchase spare parts from related person Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Spare parts Marketization 110,800 21,574 87,214 Purchase bearings from related person Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Products Marketization 11,000 2,684 10,508 Lease from related parties Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. Lease housing, land, equipment Marketization, cost pricing 2,100 460 1,818 Purchase fuel and power from related person Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Kinetic energy Government pricing, cost pricing 5,500 912 2,062 Purchase equipment from related person Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Equipment Marketization 800 139 7 Accept labor services provided by related person DHIDCW Group Co., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Maintenance Mutual agreement 50 - 19 Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Security, firefighting services, trademark use, public facilities occupation, publicity, vehicle use, technology development services, maintenance/gree ning, engineering labor services, labor fees, sleeve cleaning, training, physical examination, etc. Mutual agreement 12,000 986 4,959 Total purchase amount from related parties 142,250 26,755 106,587 Sell products to related person DHIDCW Group Co., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Products Marketization 9,850 1,590 8,657 Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Products Marketization 24,970 4,734 15,742 Sell materials to related person Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Materials Marketization 18,231 3,824 16,136 Sell semi-finished products and spare parts to related person Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Semi-finished products, spare parts Marketization 20 4 - Rent to related person Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Rent factory site, equipment, land Marketization, cost pricing 3,210 672 2,547 Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Marketization 15,250 1,429 8,204 Sell equipment to related person Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Equipment Marketization 130 42 Total sales to related parties 71,661 12,253 51,328



(ii) Actual occurrence of daily related transactions in the previous year (2021)

Unit: Ten thousand yuan





Types of Related Transactions Related Person Content of Related Transactions Pricing Principles Related Transactions Actual Completion Amount (Audited) Approved Amount Proportion of the actual amount in the same kind of business (%) Difference between actual amount and approved amount (%) Purchase spare parts from related person Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Spare parts Marketization 87,214 122,000 0.82 -28.51 Purchase bearings from related person Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Products Marketization 10,508 80,100 0.10 -86.88 Lease from related parties Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. Lease housing Lease land Lease equipment Marketization, cost pricing 1,818 2,050 0.02 -11.32 Purchase fuel and power from related person Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Kinetic energy Government pricing, cost pricing 2,062 5,270 0.02 -60.87 Purchase equipment from related person Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Equipment Marketization 7 2,050 0.00 -99.66 Accept labor services provided by related person DHIDCW Group Co., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Security, firefighting services, trademark use, public facilities occupation, publicity, vehicle use, technology development services, maintenance/greenin g, engineering labor services, labor fees, sleeve cleaning, training, physical examination, etc. Mutual agreement 19 0.00 Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiariess Mutual agreement 4,959 5,030 0.05 -37.16 Total purchase amount from related parties Sell products to related person DHIDCW Group Co., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Products Marketization 8,657 0.17 Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries 15,742 39,400 0.31 -60.05 Sell materials to related person Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Materials Marketization 16,136 30,320 0.31 -46.78 Sell semi-finished products and spare parts to related person Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Semi-finished products, spare parts Marketization - 8,250 - .00 -100.00 Rent to related person Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Rent factory site, equipment, land Marketization, cost pricing 2,547 4,136 0.05 -38.42 Provide labor services to related person Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Heat treatment and other labor services Marketization 8,204 9,130 0.16 -10.14 Sell equipment to related person Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries Equipment Marketization 42 810 0.00 -94.87 Total sales to related parties 51,328 92,046 1.00 -44.24 Explanation of the board of directors of the company on the large difference between the actual occurrence and the expectation of daily related transactions 1. Since the industry of the company is classified as general equipment manufacturing industry, even the finished bearings are semi-finished products and spare parts of other industries, the Company and its related companies have thousands of supporting specifications, which are very trivial and the market demand changes greatly ; 2. During the transaction process, in line with the principle of cost reduction, the company reduces or increases the expected related transactions under the condition of satisfying the companys quality certification. Explanation of the companys independent directors on the large difference between the actual occurrence and the expectation of daily related transactions In line with the companys actual situation, the companys daily related transactions that have occurred in 2021 are fair and reasonable, and have not harmed the interests of the company and other non-related shareholders. III Introduction of related person and relationship

(i) Introduction of related person

1.Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd.

Legal representative: Liu Jun

Registered capital: 519,869,400 yuan

Registered address: No. 1, Section 1, North Gongji Street, Wafangdian City, Liaoning Province Type of enterprise: Limited Liability Company

Business term: From December 22, 1995 to December 22, 2045 Unified social credit code: 91210200242386663D



Business scope: import and export of goods, import and export of technology (Business activities of projects

subject to approval in accordance with the law can only be carried out after approval by relevant departments, the specific business projects are subject to the approval results). general projects: manufacture

of bearings, gears and transmission parts, sales of bearings, gears and transmission parts, metal tool

manufacture, metal tool sales, special equipment manufacture (excluding licensed professional equipment

manufacture), mechanical equipment research and development, mechanical equipment sales, non-metallic

mineral products manufacture, non-metallic mineral products sales, ferrous metals casting, non-ferrous

metals casting, auto parts and accessories manufacture, auto parts retail, auto parts wholesale, railway

rolling stock accessories manufacture, railway rolling stock accessories sales, industrial design services,

general equipment repair, technical services, technology development, technology consulting, technology

exchange, technology transfer, technology promotion, metal material sales, housing lease, non-residential

real estate lease, and mechanical equipment lease

As of December 31, 2020, the total assets of ZWZ Group were 7.734 billion yuan, and the net assets were

2.941 billion yuan; the operating income in 2020 was 4.746 billion yuan, and the net profit was -315 million

yuan (audited).



2. DHIDCW Group Co., Ltd.

Legal representative: Shao Changnan

Registered capital: 1,996,600,000 yuan

Registered address: No. 169, Bayi Road, Xigang District, Dalian City, Liaoning Province Type of enterprise: Limited Liability Company

Business term: From December 27, 2001 to December 26, 2051 Unified social credit code: 91210200732769552T

Business scope: mechanical equipment design, manufacture, installation and debugging; spare parts and

accessories supply; manufacture of metal products and metal structure; tool and mold manufacture; metal

surface treatment and heat treatment; electromechanical equipment parts and manufacture collaborative

processing; real estate development; transportation, warehousing, labor service and personnel training;

commercial trade; export business; project general contracting; electromechanical equipment lease and

technology development and consultation; computer application; design, manufacture, installation, transformation and maintenance of special equipment for lifting machinery; design and manufacture of

pressure vessel.

The latest audited financial situation: At the end of 2020, the audited total assets were 1.775 billion yuan,

and the total owners equity was 6.588 billion yuan; the total operating income in 2020 was 8.197 billion

yuan, and the net profit was -37.22 million yuan.



(ii) Relationship with the Company

Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd., the above-mentioned related party, is the first majority shareholder

of the Company; DHIDCW Group Co., Ltd. is a company controlled by the companys ultimate controller,

Dalian Equipment Investment Group Co., Ltd., according to the provisions of Item (ii) of Section II of

Article 6.3.3 of the Listing Rules of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, the above-mentioned companies are

related legal persons of the company.

IV. Pricing basis and pricing principles for related transactions The Company and related parties reach transaction agreements based on the principles of voluntariness,

equality, mutual benefit, fairness and justness. The pricing of related transactions, except for government

pricing, cost pricing and agreement pricing, is based on market prices. The transactions between the

company and the above-mentioned related parties are normal production and operation activities, and there

is no situation that damages the interests of the listed company;

Pricing principles and basis: where market comparable prices are available, pricing is based on market

prices; where market comparable prices are not available, pricing is based on cost plus or agreement;



The prices of the above-mentioned daily related transactions follow the fair and reasonable pricing principle

and are based on market prices, all parties sign trade agreements based on the principles of voluntariness,

equality and mutual benefit, and ensure that the prices of products provided to each other do not deviate

from the prices of third parties; the transaction price shall be calculated according to the agreed price and

the actual transaction quantity, and the payment arrangement and settlement method shall be implemented

with reference to industry-accepted standards or contractual agreements. For related transactions that occur

within the expected scope of 2022, after the Proposal of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd. on the Expected

Daily Related Transactions in 2022 being reviewed and approved by the companys general meeting of

shareholders, the company will execute the transactions after signing the corresponding contract agreement

with related parties based on the market prices or the prices negotiated and determined by both parties

according to actual needs.

V. Purpose of the related transaction and its impact on the listed company The Company leases the houses and factory sites of Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd., uses its ZWZ

trademark for a fee, and accepts security, fire protection, technology development and other services

provided by Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries, these are necessary for the companys development and production and operation activities, and provide a favorable guarantee for the



The Company purchases spare parts, bearings, products, and steel products from related parties, and sells

materials and spare parts and rent housing and other items to related parties. These transactions are

necessary for the companys development and ensure the companys normal production and operation activities.



The above related transactions are all daily business transactions and are conducted on the basis of necessity,

fairness and mutual benefit, the parties to the transactions strictly follow the relevant agreements, there is no

damage to the interests of the listed company, no great impact on the companys current and future financial

status and operating results, nor influence on the independence of the listed company. VI. Prior approval of independent directors and opinions of independent directors After careful verification in advance, the independent directors have a full understanding of the necessity

and transaction price of the related transactions of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd. with related parties in 2021

and 2022. It is believed that the related transactions between the company and each related party are

conducted under the principle of fairness and impartiality, the transactions are necessary and the price is

reasonable. The company adopts various forms such as bidding and purchasing to save cost, which does not

damage the rights and interests of small and medium shareholders due to related transactions. Before

deliberating on this proposal, the company has provided sufficient information to the independent directors,

and made a lot of explanation work, and obtained the prior approval of independent directors. The independent directors agree with the companys expectations about its daily related transactions in 2022,

and believe that they are reasonable, fair and feasible.

VII. Documents available for inspection

th th

1. Resolution of the 13 session of the 8 BOD of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd.; th th

2. Resolution of the 11 session of the 8 BOS of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd.; 3. Prior approval of independent directors and opinions of independent directors; 4. Other documents required by the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. 5. A summary table of related transactions of the listed company;

Board of Directors of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd.

25 April 2022

 Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd.Announcement on Daily Related Transactions Forecast for year of 2022The Company and all members of the BOD guarantee that the information disclosed is true, accurate andcompleted, and that there are no false records, misleading statements or material omissions. I Daily related transactions in 2021th thAs reviewed and approved at the 9 session of the 8 BOD and the 2020 annual general meeting of shareholders, the company expected that the total amount of related transactions related to the sales andpurchase of various commodities with related parties would be 3,085.46 million yuan in 2021. The actualamount of related transactions of the company in 2021 was 1,579.15 million yuan (audited). II Overview of the expected daily related transactions in 2022 th thThe company held the 13 session of the 8 board of directors on April 22, 2022, and reviewed the Proposal of Daily Related Transactions Forecast for year of 2022. The related directors, Liu Jun, ChenJiajun, Zhang Xinghai, and Sun Najuan avoided voting, the meeting approved the proposal with 7 votes infavor, 0 against, and 0 abstentions. Independent directors issued prior approval and independent opinions.In 2022, the company expects that the total amount of related transactions involving sales and purchases ofvarious commodities with related parties will be 2,139.11 million yuan.This proposal needs to be submitted to the companys 2021 annual general meeting of shareholders forreview and approval. At that time, Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd., the related shareholder, willabstain from voting on this proposal at the general meeting of shareholders.(i) Types and amount of expected daily related transactions in 2022 Unit: Ten thousand yuan(ii) Actual occurrence of daily related transactions in the previous year (2021)Unit: Ten thousand yuanIII Introduction of related person and relationship(i) Introduction of related person1.Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd.Legal representative: Liu JunRegistered capital: 519,869,400 yuanRegistered address: No. 1, Section 1, North Gongji Street, Wafangdian City, Liaoning Province Type of enterprise: Limited Liability CompanyBusiness term: From December 22, 1995 to December 22, 2045 Unified social credit code: 91210200242386663DBusiness scope: import and export of goods, import and export of technology (Business activities of projectssubject to approval in accordance with the law can only be carried out after approval by relevant departments, the specific business projects are subject to the approval results). general projects: manufactureof bearings, gears and transmission parts, sales of bearings, gears and transmission parts, metal toolmanufacture, metal tool sales, special equipment manufacture (excluding licensed professional equipmentmanufacture), mechanical equipment research and development, mechanical equipment sales, non-metallicmineral products manufacture, non-metallic mineral products sales, ferrous metals casting, non-ferrousmetals casting, auto parts and accessories manufacture, auto parts retail, auto parts wholesale, railwayrolling stock accessories manufacture, railway rolling stock accessories sales, industrial design services,general equipment repair, technical services, technology development, technology consulting, technologyexchange, technology transfer, technology promotion, metal material sales, housing lease, non-residentialreal estate lease, and mechanical equipment leaseAs of December 31, 2020, the total assets of ZWZ Group were 7.734 billion yuan, and the net assets were2.941 billion yuan; the operating income in 2020 was 4.746 billion yuan, and the net profit was -315 millionyuan (audited).2. DHIDCW Group Co., Ltd.Legal representative: Shao ChangnanRegistered capital: 1,996,600,000 yuanRegistered address: No. 169, Bayi Road, Xigang District, Dalian City, Liaoning Province Type of enterprise: Limited Liability CompanyBusiness term: From December 27, 2001 to December 26, 2051 Unified social credit code: 91210200732769552TBusiness scope: mechanical equipment design, manufacture, installation and debugging; spare parts andaccessories supply; manufacture of metal products and metal structure; tool and mold manufacture; metalsurface treatment and heat treatment; electromechanical equipment parts and manufacture collaborativeprocessing; real estate development; transportation, warehousing, labor service and personnel training;commercial trade; export business; project general contracting; electromechanical equipment lease andtechnology development and consultation; computer application; design, manufacture, installation, transformation and maintenance of special equipment for lifting machinery; design and manufacture ofpressure vessel.The latest audited financial situation: At the end of 2020, the audited total assets were 1.775 billion yuan,and the total owners equity was 6.588 billion yuan; the total operating income in 2020 was 8.197 billionyuan, and the net profit was -37.22 million yuan.(ii) Relationship with the CompanyWafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd., the above-mentioned related party, is the first majority shareholderof the Company; DHIDCW Group Co., Ltd. is a company controlled by the companys ultimate controller,Dalian Equipment Investment Group Co., Ltd., according to the provisions of Item (ii) of Section II ofArticle 6.3.3 of the Listing Rules of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, the above-mentioned companies arerelated legal persons of the company.IV. Pricing basis and pricing principles for related transactions The Company and related parties reach transaction agreements based on the principles of voluntariness,equality, mutual benefit, fairness and justness. The pricing of related transactions, except for governmentpricing, cost pricing and agreement pricing, is based on market prices. The transactions between thecompany and the above-mentioned related parties are normal production and operation activities, and thereis no situation that damages the interests of the listed company;Pricing principles and basis: where market comparable prices are available, pricing is based on marketprices; where market comparable prices are not available, pricing is based on cost plus or agreement;The prices of the above-mentioned daily related transactions follow the fair and reasonable pricing principleand are based on market prices, all parties sign trade agreements based on the principles of voluntariness,equality and mutual benefit, and ensure that the prices of products provided to each other do not deviatefrom the prices of third parties; the transaction price shall be calculated according to the agreed price andthe actual transaction quantity, and the payment arrangement and settlement method shall be implementedwith reference to industry-accepted standards or contractual agreements. For related transactions that occurwithin the expected scope of 2022, after the Proposal of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd. on the ExpectedDaily Related Transactions in 2022 being reviewed and approved by the companys general meeting ofshareholders, the company will execute the transactions after signing the corresponding contract agreementwith related parties based on the market prices or the prices negotiated and determined by both partiesaccording to actual needs.V. Purpose of the related transaction and its impact on the listed company The Company leases the houses and factory sites of Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd., uses its ZWZtrademark for a fee, and accepts security, fire protection, technology development and other servicesprovided by Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd. and its subsidiaries, these are necessary for the companys development and production and operation activities, and provide a favorable guarantee for theThe Company purchases spare parts, bearings, products, and steel products from related parties, and sellsmaterials and spare parts and rent housing and other items to related parties. These transactions arenecessary for the companys development and ensure the companys normal production and operation activities.The above related transactions are all daily business transactions and are conducted on the basis of necessity,fairness and mutual benefit, the parties to the transactions strictly follow the relevant agreements, there is nodamage to the interests of the listed company, no great impact on the companys current and future financialstatus and operating results, nor influence on the independence of the listed company. VI. Prior approval of independent directors and opinions of independent directors After careful verification in advance, the independent directors have a full understanding of the necessityand transaction price of the related transactions of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd. with related parties in 2021and 2022. It is believed that the related transactions between the company and each related party areconducted under the principle of fairness and impartiality, the transactions are necessary and the price isreasonable. The company adopts various forms such as bidding and purchasing to save cost, which does notdamage the rights and interests of small and medium shareholders due to related transactions. Beforedeliberating on this proposal, the company has provided sufficient information to the independent directors,and made a lot of explanation work, and obtained the prior approval of independent directors. The independent directors agree with the companys expectations about its daily related transactions in 2022,and believe that they are reasonable, fair and feasible.VII. Documents available for inspectionth th1. Resolution of the 13 session of the 8 BOD of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd.; th th2. Resolution of the 11 session of the 8 BOS of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd.; 3. Prior approval of independent directors and opinions of independent directors; 4. Other documents required by the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. 5. A summary table of related transactions of the listed company;Board of Directors of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd.25 April 2022
Melinda Robinson takes the stand during the trial of James Michael Rick Monday morning, April 25, 2022, at the Gaston County Courthouse.

Melinda Robinson's phone wouldn't stop ringing.

She was with Delia "Joyce" Aldridge Rick and Joyce's sister, Judy, the night of May 4, 2019, and Robinson's boyfriend, Mike Rick, called repeatedly, she later told police.

He was "agitated," she said in court on Monday. "Hostile."

He thought, prosecutors say, that Robinson stole money that he intended to use for drugs.

Robinson told police that she turned her phone off, and when she later turned it back on, another man had asked her to come to Larry Hambrick's house on Harmony Trail southeast of Gastonia and bring drugs.

Joyce Rick drove, and their arrival at the house marked the last moments of Joyce's life  a span of five to 10 minutes that are at the center of the case against Mike Rick, who is accused of killing Joyce in a failed attempt to kill Robinson.

Rick, who is from North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is charged with first-degree murder, and he faces a sentence of life in prison if convicted on that charge.

James Michael Rick talks with his attorney Larry Hoyle during his trail Monday morning, April 25, 2022, at the Gaston County Courthouse.

In tearful testimony Friday, Robinson said that when they arrived at the house, she saw Rick aim a crossbow at them.

She shifted the car's gears to reverse, but Rick shot through the car's front passenger side window. The bolt missed Robinson but struck Joyce Rick, killing her.

"I started screaming, 'What have you done? What have you done? You killer,'" Robinson said.

That testimony is essentially what Robinson told Gaston County Police Department Detective Jim Shaw in an interrogation on June 12, 2019, more than a month after Joyce Rick's death.

Robinson is accused of leaving with Rick and accompanying him to Lake Wylie, where Rick is alleged to have dumped Joyce Rick's car, with her body still inside. Robinson, who faces an accessory after the fact charge, is also the state's star witness in the case.

She told detectives that she initially told Rick to call the police, but he threatened to kill her and himself. She also says he took her phone.

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At Lake Wylie, Shaw said, Robinson said that she didn't see what Rick did with Joyce Rick's car, but eventually they left the lake in Rick's pickup truck, went to someone else's house, and he returned the crossbow that was used in the killing to Larry Hambrick.

The two were later found at a home near Stanley.

Shaw admitted under questioning by defense attorney Larry Hoyle that when she was first picked up, Robinson was not charged, but she also didn't initially tell police that she had been held hostage or threatened.

After she was arrested, however, she decided to provide police with a statement, Hoyle pointed out.

In testimony on Friday, Robinson said Rick threatened her life, and that she felt she was his intended target.

"He didn't mean to kill Joyce. He intended to kill me, not her," she said.

Reporter Kara Fohner can be reached at 704-869-1850 or at kfohner@gannett.com. Support local journalism by subscribing here.

Superior Court Judge Tommy Davis listens to defense attorney Larry Hoyle during a trail Monday morning, April 25, 2022, at the Gaston County Courthouse. Hoyle represents James Michael Rick who faces a murder charge in the death of his cousin.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Belmont woman says ex-boyfriend threatened her life
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court (ICC) will take part in the joint team investigating allegations of war crimes in Ukraine following the Russian invasion, the European Union's agency for criminal justice cooperation said on Monday.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan and the Prosecutors General from Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine signed an agreement for the international war crimes tribunal's first-ever participation in an investigative team, Eurojust said.

"With this agreement, parties are sending a clear message that all efforts will be undertaken to effectively gather evidence on core international crimes committed in Ukraine and bring those responsible to justice," the Eurojust agency said in a statement.

Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine signed an agreement last month to set up a team to enable the exchange of information and investigation into suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Khan early last month opened an investigation into possible war crimes committed in Ukraine, following requests to do so by an unprecedented number of the court's member states.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
DUBAI (Reuters) - Regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia held a fifth round of "positive" talks in Baghdad last Thursday on normalising bilateral relations, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh confirmed on Monday.

Predominantly Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran, which are locked in proxy conflicts across the Middle East, started direct talks last year to try to contain tensions.

But Iran suspended the talks in March without giving a reason after Saudi Arabia executed 81 men in its biggest mass execution in decades. Tehran condemned the executions that activists said included 41 Shi'ite Muslims.

"The fifth round of talks between Saudi Arabia and Tehran were held in Iraq and the talks were progressive and positive," Khatibzadeh told a televised weekly news conference.

On Sunday, Iraq's Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein said Baghdad would host a new round of talks.

Khatibzadeh said "initial talks were underway between Tehran and Riyadh on sending 40,000 Iranian pilgrims to the haj in Mecca" this year.

Riyadh severed ties with Tehran in 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in the Iranian capital following the execution of a Shi'ite cleric in Saudi Arabia.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Gareth Jones and Alex Richardson)
Former NFL football player and philanthropist Jack Brewer is demanding MSNBC host Joy Reid apologize for her tweet claiming a photo of young Black boys attending an event where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an anti-critical race theory bill "is tantamount to child abuse." Brewer explained the boys in the photo are students of his education and mentorship programs and were well aware of why they were attending the event.

"Joy Reid messed with the wrong boys," Brewer told Fox News Digital on Monday, adding that he has also retained legal counsel about a potential defamation suit.

MSNBC'S JOY REID CALLS PHOTOS OF BLACK KIDS AT DESANTIS EVENT AS CHILD ABUSE

Reid had retweeted a message from Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones on Friday attacking DeSantis for Black children being photographed at the event where the governor signed the "Stop Woke" bill into law.

"This mis-use of Black boys is tantamount to child abuse. I would really like to hear the back-story on who these kids were and how they wound up at a DeSantis event. Given how anti-Black DeSantis is, using Black children this way is extra sick," Reid said in her tweet.

The kids in the photo are part of programs Brewer founded, including The Serving Institute and The Heroes program, which fall under the umbrella of his organization The Jack Brewer Foundation.

JACK BREWER: LACK OF STRONG FAMILY STRUCTURE IS CAUSING POOR PERFORMANCE IN SCHOOLS

"We are a faith-based program where we stand firm on the word of God," Brewer told Fox News Digital in a phone interview Monday. "For people to be questioned  this is just a tragedy, and this is the problem with Black America. This is the problem with underserved communities right here. Joy Reid is the example of the crisis going on in Black America."

"The biggest concern that we both have is just for the safety and protection of my kids and our program," he continued. "We've received several phone calls from parents and different people who are obviously getting calls and harassed by folks in regards to this crazy thing that Joy did."

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Reid updated her tweet over the weekend saying that sources informed her that the boys in the photo were from a Miami charter school and claimed they may not have known why they were at the DeSantis event.

Joy Reid speaks at the 33rd Gloria Awards: A Salute to Women of Vision virtual event on May 19, 2021, in New York City. Theo Wargo/Getty Images Ms. Foundation for Women

"Update: heard from a Florida source today that these Black boys who Americas most racist governor used as props came from a Miami charter school (I wont name the school to spare them from MAGA harassment/threats) & that they may not have known in advance why they were there," Reid wrote.

MSNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS CHEERLEAD DISNEY AMID BATTLE WITH DESANTIS: MY MONEYS ON THE DISNEY LOBBYISTS

Brewer told Fox News Digital that the boys in the photo "knew exactly what they were for." They had also supported DeSantis in the past, including earlier this month when the governor signed a bill providing more than $70 million to support fatherhood.

"It was explained to them on the bus ... It was explained to them while they were there. Yeah, my kids don't identify with CRT because we don't believe in it," he said. "We believe in loving everybody and not separating people by their skin color. That's what we teach. Our program teaches to love this country. To love God first. To love their neighbor as themselves."

Fox News Digital also spoke to an aunt and guardian to one of the boys in the photo amplified by Reid, who recounted that "people are upset on our behalf because they know that these kids have been taught to love, not hate and [have] animosity toward other people."

"I just think it's pretty outrageous that Joy Reid's thought process is that people can't have independent thinking about matters like CRT," Jane Halbritter told Fox News Digital in a phone interview Monday.

Halbritter added that her nephews in Brewer's programs are "very articulate on [CRT] and are just very, very upset and hurt by what [Reid] said."

"I wished [Reid] had asked them about it, because they do know what CRT is and why we oppose it," Halbritter continued. "I wouldn't send them blindly into any sort of thing like that."

MSNBCs media team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digitals request for comment regarding Brewers request for an apology and him retaining legal counsel.

DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw also weighed in on the matter on Saturday and said every person at the event was informed on the contents of the bill.

"I was working at this event and helped with the set up. My colleague talked to all the kids beforehand & told them what the issue was & what bills @GovRonDeSantis was signing. Hundreds of people attended this event; those ~50 who ended up on stage freely chose to stand on stage," Pushaw tweeted.

Fox News' Lindsay Kornick contributed to this story.
Crime victim Jimmy L. Smith speaks about the 1990 armed robbery and gunshots that left him paralyzed during Monday's National Crime Victims' Rights Week kickoff at City Hall. Smith now works for the city's Disabled Services Division.

The butterflies will rise into the sky about 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Jacksonville's Families of Slain Children, each one remembering a son or daughter who was a victim of crime.

Beverly McLain, founder of the nonprofit after son Andre Johnson was killed in 2006, said the annual butterfly release will be "a healing visual" for the estimated 100 people at the event at 2212 N. Myrtle Ave. It's also a fitting way to end Victims' Rights Week, kicked off Monday by the mayor and others.

"It is powerful and unbelievable, a very humbling experience as the child won't be forgotten no matter what happens," McLain said at Monday's ceremony at City Hall, which she said should remind everyone to remember those killed and injured by crime this and every day.

Young lives remembered: Unity Plaza vigil in Jacksonville; portraits and shoes featured

Healing: Survivors help Jacksonville launch April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month

"It is their parents, their loved one taken away from them so abruptly," McLain said. "You can't forget. My son was in my life for 28 years and I can't forget him. Not a day goes by that I don't wake up remembering him."

As he opened and closed Monday's event with prayers, the Rev. James Boddie, co-chairman of the Mayor's Victim Assistance Advisory Council, said the community must come together to remember victims and stand in support of their families.

"For our victims, for our law enforcement and first responders, for community leaders, we need to remind ourselves that we stand for the rights of victims," Boddie said. "We stand against crime and against violence, and ask the community as we come together that we address that issue and let the survivors know that you never walk alone."

Mayors Victim Assistance Advisory Council chairwoman Nicoa Garett (standing at podium left) helps kick off Jacksonville's observance of National Crime Victims Rights Week at City Hall.

The advisory council annually recognizes National Crime Victims Rights Week with multiple events involving local nonprofit agencies that help those impacted by crime. Police, prosecutors and city officials joined family members and victims themselves in offering support.

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This week recognizes every victim and the effect that crime has on the community, said Nicoa Garett, advisory council chairwoman.

"It also focuses on developing and advancing laws, policies and programs that help victims of crime," she said.

Murder capital of Florida: In 2021, Jacksonville's homicide total dropped 30 percent. But it wasn't enough to save Robin Clemons' son.

Florida group seeks stronger crime victim measures: 'Your life is completely turned upside-down'

State Attorney Melissa Nelson said her prosecutors and staff annually help thousands of crime victims "find their justice."

"For survivors the road to justice is much more uncertain and it can only be navigated with access to information, support from our community partners and understanding and courage to step forward," Nelson said, then announced that work has begun on a memorial wall at her office at 311 W. Monroe St.

"It highlights crime survivors, their families and their stories," she said.

Wearing a T-shirt honoring her son, Timothy Thomas Jr., Robin Clemons came to support Monday's kickoff of Jacksonvilles observance of National Crime Victims Rights Week at City Hall. Thomas was shot and killed on Sept. 29 on West Ninth Street, police said.

Robin Clemons was in the audience Monday wearing a T-shirt honoring her son, Timothy Thomas Jr. The 31-year-old was shot and killed on Sept. 29 on West Ninth Street, police said.

"Things like this helps a lot. I want answers of what happened to my son," Clemons said. "The loss of my son is draining."

Among Monday's speakers was Jimmy L. Smith, shot on April 21, 1990, by gunmen trying to rob him outside his home. Now a program coordinator at Jacksonville's Disabled Services division, he said he "hasn't walked since" but has found his path with help from therapists and others.

"Over those years it was very hard to forgive the perpetrators who did this," Smith said from his wheelchair. "But along the way, I forgave them as I listened to my pastor preaching of forgiveness. Because if I don't forgive them, I won't' be forgiven for my sins. So I want to thank those who made an impact in my life."

Community advocates: Crime prevention organizations to receive $50,000 as a boost to 'shoestring' budgets

Guest Column: Violent crimes in Jacksonville continue to spike in areas left behind

This year's Victims' Rights Week events include an 8:30 a.m. Tuesday "Court System: Pre-COVID, COVID and Now" seminar, plus a 10 a.m. "Hearing and Elevating the Voices of Youth" panel discussion, both at the Main Library at 303 N. Laura St. The National Crime Victims' Rights Week Annual Awards Luncheon also is planned for Tuesday at the library.

Times-Union photographer Corey Perrine contributed to this report.

dscanlan@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4549

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Seminars and other victim aid events held this week in Jacksonville
Critics say Arvind Kejriwal's response to last week's religious violence and demolitions has been underwhelming

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's stand on recent religious violence in India's capital and the subsequent police crackdown on Muslims may be politically expedient, but critics question whether it's moral, writes the BBC's Geeta Pandey in Delhi.

An anti-corruption crusader, Mr Kejriwal entered politics a decade ago promising to clean up the political system and focus on development.

In Delhi, where his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been in power since 2013, they have been credited with turning around government-run schools, setting up affordable neighbourhood clinics and providing cheap water and electricity. Recently, they expanded their footprint to Punjab by sweeping the state election.

Mr Kejriwal has often said that his party believes in equality of all religions and justice for all. In a country where politics relies heavily on caste and religious divisions, many found AAP's promise to refrain from "divisive politics" refreshing and hoped it would become a viable alternative to the big national parties.

But since last week, after Delhi's Jahangirpuri neighbourhood was shaken by Hindu-Muslim violence, critics have been asking why he is not speaking up for the city's Muslims.

Hindus and Muslims have blamed each other for the violence, which broke out after a Hindu religious procession marched past a mosque while celebrating a festival.

Afterwards, the federal government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), sent in its police forces, which arrested mostly Muslim men.

The civic authorities, also controlled by the BJP, brought in bulldozers - officially to demolish illegal encroachments but widely seen to be aimed at "teaching a lesson to Muslim rioters" as most shops and businesses targeted belonged to the community.

The crackdown hasn't come as a surprise - anti-Muslim violence has risen in India in recent years and there have been similar actions in some BJP-ruled states recently.

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But critics say Mr Kejriwal's response has been rather underwhelming. More than a week has passed since the violence, but he has not visited the area.

And his condemnation of the incident has been selective - he's criticised the "stone-pelters who attacked the Hindu procession" but not the armed marchers who allegedly chanted provocative religious slogans, some of which have been used in recent years to mock Muslims.

The demolitions in Jahangirpuri took place days after the area witnessed communal clashes

This has led some critics to call out his reaction.

"It's the responsibility of the government to stand up for all citizens. But Mr Kejriwal has behaved like the chief minister of Hindus," says Ashutosh, senior journalist and a former member of Mr Kejriwal's party.

The chief minister's tweet criticising the stone-pelters, he says, is "offensive because he's failed to condemn what caused the stone pelting. The crowd was armed, they jeered Muslims and raised offensive and abusive slogans".

Ashutosh, who uses only one name, says Mr Kejriwal thinks that if he criticises the demolition, people will construe that he is supporting Muslims. In a country where 80% of the population is Hindu, he says, Mr Kejriwal is catering to a majoritarian vote bank.

"It's unfortunate that Mr Kejriwal does not have the moral courage to stand up for universal values," he says.

Mr Kejriwal's response to the riots and the demolitions is also drawing comparisons with other opposition parties and leaders who strongly condemned last week's events.

In particular, Communist leader Brinda Karat won much admiration when she turned up at the demolition site with a court decree ordering a halt to the drive.

When it comes to fighting for the rights of the oppressed and marginalised, @cpimspeak has always stood firm and shown the way. Salute to Com. Brinda Karat and other comrades who fought the machinations of the majoritarian communal forces at Jehangirpuri in Delhi! pic.twitter.com/5yVO6lokw6  Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) April 21, 2022

After widespread criticism of Mr Kejriwal and his government on social media, AAP finally sent two of its legislators to the violence-affected area last Thursday - a day after the demolitions.

I spoke to two AAP lawmakers - Pawan Sharma, who was among the legislators who visited Jahangirpuri, and Abdul Rehman.

Defending the party's decision to not comment on the religious violence, they insisted that "AAP is not silent but we choose not to indulge in the politics of Hindu-Muslim or temple-mosque".

"We believe in equality of all religions. We do politics of development, we focus on education and health, we provide cheap water and power to people."

Mr Sharma said the party had condemned the demolitions, the way it was carried out, and blamed the BJP for the mess.

"How did these encroachments happen in the first place? Why did the civic bodies, controlled by the BJP for the past 15 years, allow these illegal constructions to go ahead?" he asked.

In Jahangirpuri, the men and women who lost their livelihoods in the demolitions accuse Mr Kejriwal and his party of abandoning them in their hour of need. They include poor daily-wage workers, ragpickers, scrap dealers and roadside vendors.

"No party has visited us. The government is for everyone, but it seems there's no one for us," Anwari Bibi told me when I visited the area after the demolitions.

Sareja, who uses only one name, said, "Mr Kejriwal has washed his hands of all responsibilities. For everything, he blames the central government."

Their neighbour, Sheikh Safijuddin, said Mr Kejriwal "doesn't care for us anymore. He got what he wanted from us - our votes".

Protests have been held against the demolitions in Jahangirpuri

Senior journalist Rakesh Dixit alleges the Delhi government has behaved like "a bystander" during the riots and the demolitions because it serves their purpose.

Mr Kejriwal, he says, has adopted "a policy of conservatism without offending Muslims". He's not shy about flaunting his religion in public - after his election win in 2020, he led a procession to a Hindu temple to offer prayers. He also often talks about equality and respect for all religions.

But, Mr Dixit says, AAP is no longer a party with difference. "It's driven by political exigencies like any other party. It realises that Hindu nationalism will remain the dominant sentiment in the foreseeable future, so Muslims have become dispensable for them."

He points out that this is not the first time "Mr Kejriwal has kept mum while Muslims have been targeted", such as when they protested against a controversial citizenship bill or during the Delhi riots of 2020. He was also among the first to support the Indian government's decision to revoke Kashmir's special status.

"They choose their ideology based on what helps their cause at a particular time or in a particular place. At the moment their eyes are set on the forthcoming state elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat where Muslim populations are small and societies are already polarised," he says.

"By distancing itself from Muslims, AAP is trying to ensure that it does not lose the Hindu votes in those states".
COSHOCTON  The new director of Coshocton County Job and Family Services feels lucky to have worked under the previous director and to inherit a great staff.

Jed McCoy was recently named director by Coshocton County Commissioners. He replaced Danny Brenneman, who leaves to becomes director for Muskingum County JFS after five years at the helm of the local department.

McCoy, a Coshocton native, started with JFS 15 years ago as a an employment coordinator and business liaison. He then became the business administrator five years later. In February, he was appointed assistant director. There's no announcement yet, but McCoy is looking to fill the assistant director role.

McCoy said him taking over was the plan, but they didn't think it would happen this fast. He called Brenneman a mentor and praised his leadership of the agency. McCoy said he learned from Brenneman to be open minded and think through all scenarios before acting.

"The decision at that level affects a lot more than one person normally. It has a trickle out affect. It's looking at everything globally and holistically," McCoy said. "I have a lot of respect for Danny and what he's done for our agency and community; a lot of unsung things, just a good person overall."

McCoy said the agency has about 65 employees. Under the JFS umbrella is Ohio Means Jobs, children services and child support, public assistance and Family and Children First Council.

One of McCoy's goals is to develop community relationships to expand services and networking where needed. This includes mental health and medical services and local court systems.

"I want to maintain and potentially grow those relationships," McCoy said. "We all kind of rely on each other a little bit. We all want to help the people of the community, we're all in it for that."

If JFS wasn't in Coshocton, McCoy said it would have a massive impact on the local social structure.

Story continues

"We provide a lot of goods and services, even if it's just providing guidance to another resource," McCoy said. "The hole would be a lot larger than anyone ever anticipated."

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with close to 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Jed McCoy named new Coshocton JFS director
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi

AMMAN (Reuters) -Jordan's King Abdullah agreed with U.S. President Joe Biden on the need to prevent a repeat of recent confrontations in Jerusalem's Muslim holy sites that sparked concerns of wider conflict, state media said.

In a phone call on Monday, Abdullah was quoted as saying the cornerstone of peace was a comprehensive Arab Israeli settlement based on a two-state solution whereby a Palestinian state would emerge alongside Israel.

"Both his Majesty and President Biden stressed the importance of continued coordination and work on all levels to prevent a repeat of attacks on the city of Jerusalem and its holy sites and its people that would derail the chances of achieving peace and push towards more tensions," Petra state news agency said.

Abdullah, whose Hashemite dynasty is the custodian of Muslim and Christian sites in the Old City, has spearheaded a diplomatic offensive to put pressure on Israel, whom he blames for the escalation at the Aqsa compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.

The confrontations since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that have coincided with Passover have raised religious passions amid international concerns about a slide back into a wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Jordan and fellow Arab states accused Israel in a meeting on Thursday in Amman of restricting the right of worship of Muslims while allowing ultra-nationalist Jews under police protection to enter the mosque compound.

Israel, which denies it was responsible for the escalation in violence, said on Thursday it was enforcing a long-standing ban on Jewish prayer at the compound of Al-Aqsa mosque, rejecting an Arab League accusation that it was allowing such worship to take place.

As in previous years, Israel halted Jewish visits during the final days of Ramadan.

Al-Aqsa sits atop the Old City plateau of East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in a 1967 war and annexed in a move that has not received international recognition. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as capital of their hoped-for future state.

(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Andrea Ricci)
Kylie Jenner and Tyga seen out in Manhattan on February 14, 2017 in New York City. Photo by Robert Kamau/GC Images

Kylie Jenner told an LA jury on Monday that she had concerns about her brother's relationship with Blac Chyna.

The makeup mogul said her ex-boyfriend Tyga told her that Chyna once slashed his arm with a knife.

Jenner said that Tyga showed her a 6-inch healed scar on his arm during their relationship.

Kylie Jenner in court on Monday said her ex-boyfriend, the rapper Tyga, once showed her a scar on his arm that he said was the result of his former flame, Blac Chyna, slashing him with a knife during an argument.

The reality TV star and makeup mogul took the stand in a Los Angeles courtroom this week, describing the tense relationship between members of the Kardashian-Jenner clan and Blac Chyna, a former exotic-dancer-turned model, who began dating Rob Kardashian around January 2016.

Chyna, whose legal name is Angela White, is seeking $100 million in damages from the Kardashian-Jenners. She alleges they unfairly trash-talked her to E! Network executives five years ago following her split with Rob Kardashian, leading to the cancellation of her "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" spinoff series, "Rob & Chyna." The Kardashian-Jenners deny these allegations.

By the time Chyna and Rob Kardashian struck up a relationship, the two were already interconnected. Chyna had previously dated Tyga and the two shared a child together named King Cairo. After they broke up, Tyga began dating Rob Kardashian's younger half-sister, Kylie Jenner.

In court on Monday, Lynne Ciani, an attorney for Chyna, pressed Jenner on whether or not she believed Chyna and Tyga had been engaged before their breakup. Media reports from the time described the two as fiances, but Jenner told the jury that Tyga said he never planned on marrying Chyna.

Jenner said Tyga would frequently discuss "his troubles" with Chyna. She alleged that Tyga showed her a scar on his arm and said Chyna had slashed him with a knife during a heated argument. Jenner also said Tyga told her that Chyna abused alcohol and drugs and may have been intoxicated or high during the incident.

Story continues

Jenner estimated that the healed scar she observed was approximately 6 inches long, but could not remember on which of Tyga's arms the alleged scar appeared.

Chyna's lawyer asked Jenner if she ever witnessed any other evidence suggesting that Chyna was responsible for inflicting the wound, and Jenner said she had not.

Tyga and Jenner's concerns about Chyna ultimately led them to initiate a conversation with Rob Kardashian about their relationship, she said in court. Jenner said that her brother subsequently told them that he planned to continue his relationship with Chyna anyway.

Monday marked the start of the second week of the trial, which has already elicited several sensational moments following testimony from Chyna, Kardashian-matriarch Kris Jenner, and several others.

Read the original article on Insider
(Getty Images)

A New York Judge sided with the states attorney general Letitia Jamess request that former president Donald Trump pay $10,000 for each that he flouts a subpoena into a tax probe by her office, CNN reported.

Ms Jamess office filed a memorandium of law earlier this month on it, saying that the sum was  sufficient to coerce his compliance with a court order put in place in February. This comes after Judge Arthur Engoron said in a ruling that the former president and his children Don Jr and Ivanka needed to testify in an investigation from the attorney generals office. ,

Mr. Trump, I know you take your business seriously and I take mine seriously. I hereby hold you in civil contempt and fine you $10,000 per day until you purge that contempt, Mr Engoron said on Moday.

Ms Jamess office is investigating whether the Trump Organisation misstated the value of certain assets on financial statements, loan applications and tax submissions, Law & Crimes Adam Klasfeld reported.

Mr Engoron, a judge for the Supreme Court for the 1st Judicial District of New York, questioned why it was taking so long. Assistant attorney general Kevin C Wallace said a big reason was the lack of cooperation from the Trump organisation and described the company as a closely held, family company.

Mr Wallace also stated that despite the case focusing on a high-profile individual, the probe never went out of line.

Weve tried to be as thorough and complete as possible, he said. Weve tried to be fair.

But Mr Trumps lawyer Alina Habba disputed that characterisation.

It is truly a fishing expedition, she said and said that the Trump organisation is right on schedule with the probe.

This is a political crusade, she said and responded to Mr Engorons question of when it ends by saying, We wonder the same thing.

Conversely, assistant attorney general Andrew Amer said that the president had his day in court to plead his case and lost. Since then, Mr Amer said that the office received no documents on 31 March and only boilerplate objections from Mr Trump.

Story continues

Our patience is at an end, and so should the courts, he said.

But Mr Engoron faulted the office for allowing him to not produce previously provided records.

You gave him an inch and he took a mile, Mr Engoron said.

But Ms Habba said that Mr Trump did comply with the subpoena.

Our documents were produced, she said. She also said that Mr Trump does not use text messages or emails, which creates an appearance of non-compliance.

Donald Trump does not believe he is above the law, she said.
B(200706):2021 20220426 06:31:27  :

: B :2021

Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited

Notice on Convening the AGM of 2021



The Company and all members of the BOD guarantee that the information disclosed is true, accurate and completed, and that there are no false records, misleading statements or material omissions.

I. Basic situation of the meeting

(i)Session of the general meeting of shareholders: 2021 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (ii)Convener: BOD. The Proposal on Convening the AGM of 2021 was deliberated and approved at th th

13 Session of 8 BOD of the Company.

(iii)Legality and compliance of the Meeting: convening of this general meeting of shareholders complies with relevant laws, administrative regulations, departmental rules, normative documents, Business Rules of Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the Articles of Association. (iv) Date and time for the Meeting:

1. On-site meeting: 2:30 PM on May 19, 2022 (Thursday);

2. Online voting: time for online voting through the trading system of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange is

9:15-9:25 am, 9:30-11:30 am and 1:00-3:00 pm on May 19, 2022; time for online voting through the Internet voting system of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange is 9:15 am-3:00 pm on May 19, 2022. (v)How to held the meeting:

Combine on-site voting with online voting.

(vi) Equity registration date of the meeting: May 13, 2022. B-share shareholders should buy the company's shares on May 10, 2022 (the last trading day that B-share shareholders can participate in the meeting) or earlier before they can participate. (vii)Attendance:

1. Shareholders with shares of the Company held on registration date or their proxies; As of the close of trading in the afternoon of the share registration day, all shareholders of the company

registered in the Shenzhen Branch of China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited are

entitled to attend the Meeting, and any appoint a proxy in written to attend and vote at the Meeting need

not be a shareholder of the Company.

2. Directors, supervisors and senior managers of the Company; 3. Lawyers engaged by the Company;

4. Other persons who should attend the Meeting according to relevant regulations.

(viii) Meeting place: Conference Room 1004, Office Building of Wafangdian Beating Group at No. 1, Section 1, Beigongji Street, Wafangdian, Liaoning Province. II. Proposals deliberated at the Meeting:

List of proposal code



Code Name of proposal Note Columns with a check mark can be voted on 100 General proposal: all proposals other than cumulative voting proposals  Non-cumulative voting proposals 1.00 Report of BOD of 2021  2.00 Report of BOS of 2021  3.00 Profit Distribution Plan of 2021  4.00 Financial Report for year of 2021 (Audited)  5.00 Financial Budget for year of 2022  6.00 Annual Report of 2021 and Summary  7.00 Proposal of Daily Related Transactions Forecast for year of 2022  8.00 Proposal for Appointment of Accounting Firms for the Year of 2022 and Audit Fees Payment  9.00 Proposal for Provision of Assets Impairment  10.00 The proposal of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd. on the loss not covered exceeding one third of the total paid-up capital stock  Cumulative voting proposals Proposal 10, 11 and 12 are equally elected, enter the number of votes cast for candidate in the election 11.00 proposal for the election of candidates for non-independent th directors of 9 BOD of the Company Number of candidates: 8 11.01 th Election of Mr. Liujun as the non-independent director of the 9 BOD of the Company  11.02 Election of Mr. Zhang Xinghai as the non-independent director of th the 9 BOD of the Company  11.03 Election of Mr. Chen Jiajun as the non-independent director of th the 9 BOD of the Company  11.04 Election of Mr. Wang Jiyuan as the non-independent director of th the 9 BOD of the Company 



11.05 Election of Ms. Sun Najuan as the non-independent director of th the 9 BOD of the Company  11.06 Election of Mr. Tan Jianguang as the non-independent director of th the 9 BOD of the Company  11.07 Election of Mr. Zhao Qingtao as the non-independent director of th the 9 BOD of the Company  11.08 Election of Ms. Fang Bo as the non-independent director of the th 9 BOD of the Company  12.00 th proposal for the election of independent directors of 9 BOD of the Company Number of candidates: 4 12.01 Election of Ms. Liang Shuang as the independent director of the th 9 BOD of the Company  12.02 th Election of Ms. Sun Kun as the independent director of the 9 BOD of the Company  12.03 th Election of Ms. Wang Yan as the independent director of the 9 BOD of the Company  12.04 th Election of Mr. Wen Bo as the independent director of the 9 BOD of the Company  13.00 th proposal for the election of supervisor of 9 BOS of the Company Number of candidates: 3 13.01 th Election of Mr. Sun Shicheng as the supervisor of the 9 BOS of the Company  13.02 th Election of Mr. Wang Fuxing as the supervisor of the 9 BOS of the Company  13.03 th Election of Ms. Wang Lin as the supervisor of the 9 BOS of the Company  th th th

(1) the above mentioned proposals are deliberated and approved at the 13 session of 8 BOD and 11 th th

session of BOS of the Company. Found more on relevant notice of Resolution of 13 Session of 8 th th

BOD of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited and Resolution of 11 Session of 8 BOS of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited released on Securities Times, Hong Kong Commercial Daily and Juchao Website (http://www.cninfo.com.cn) dated April 26, 2022. (2) Independent directors of the Company will present their Report on Job for the year of 2021 at the

Meeting, for the full text of Report on Job please refer to the Juchao Website(http://www.cninfo.com.cn).

(3)When the shareholders general meeting voted on above mentioned proposals, the votes from small

and medium-size investors (small and medium-size investors refers to the shareholders other than

individually or collectively) were counted separately, and the results will present in the resolution of

AGM of 2021 separately.

(4) Proposal 11, 12 and 13 will be voted on by cumulative voting system, with 8 non-independent directors, 4 independent directors and 3 supervisors to be elected. Number of votes held by shareholders

for election = number of shares with voting rights hold  number of candidates. Shareholders may allocate their electoral votes among the candidates in any way up to the number of candidates to be

elected (can vote zero), however, total number of votes may not exceed the number of electoral votes

they have. Voting by non-independent directors, independent directors and shareholder representative

supervisor are separately, qualification and independence of the independent director candidates are

subject to the filing and review by SSE without objection before voting at the shareholders general

meeting.

III. Registration

(i)Method: Directly registered or letter or fax registration; registration by phone is not accepted.

(ii) Time: May 18, 2022, 8:00 am -12:00 pm, 14:00 pm-18:00 pm. (iii)Location: Investment securities dept. of the Company, Room 905, Office Building of ZWZ, No.1 Section I, Beigongji Street, Wafangdian City, Liaoning Province. (iv)Method

1. Legal representative of a corporate shareholder must present the shareholder account card, copy of

the business license with seal of the corporate, the legal representatives certificate and personnel ID

card for the registration procedures; if the proxy to attend the Meeting, the Power of Attorney by legal

representative and attendees ID card should be required. 2. Individual shareholders must present the shareholder account card and their ID card for registration;

the shareholders agent attended by proxy also have the Power of Attorney and attendees ID card to

present the Meeting.

3. Shareholders from other places can register by letter or fax with the above relevant documents. (documents should delivery or fax to the Company by 17:00 pm on May 18, 2022) (v)Conference contact

Contact:

Address: Investment securities dept., No.1 Section I, Beigongji Street, Wafangdian City, Liaoning Province.

Contact person: Ke Xin, Zhuang Jinling

Telephone: 0411-62198236, 62198238

Tax: 0411-62198333

Code: 116300



are at their own expenses

IV. Specific operation process of participating in network voting The Trading system of SSE and internet voting system (http://wltp.cninfo.com.cn) are available for the

shareholders to participate in the voting at the Meeting, refer to the appendix 1 for specific operation

process.

V. Documents Available for Reference

th th

1.Resolution of 13 Session of 8 BOD

Appendix 1: specific operation process of participating in network voting Appendix 2:Power of Attorney

Hereby notify

Board of director of Wafangdian bearing Company limited 25 April 2022





















































Appendix 1:



Specific Operation Process of Participating in Network Voting

I. Online voting procedures

(i)Voting code/ abbreviation: Code360706; abbreviation ZWZ Voting (ii)Fill in the voting opinion

1. Opinion for non-cumulative voting: In favor, Against, and Abstentions .

2. Filling the number of electoral votes cast for a candidate in cumulative voting. Voting by shareholder

of a listed company shall be limited to the number of electoral votes of each proposal group they own;

if the number of votes cast by the shareholder exceeds the number of votes they own, or if more votes

are cast than the number of persons to be elected in a more-candidates-than-position, their votes cast for

that proposal group shall be considered invalid. if you disagree with a candidate, you can vote zero for

that candidate.



List of the number of votes cast for candidates under the cumulative voting system

Number of electoral votes cast for candidates Fill in Vote X1 for candidate A X1 votes Vote X2 for candidate B X2 votes   Total No more than the number of electoral votes held by the shareholder Examples of the number of electoral votes held by shareholders under each proposal group: Election of non-independent director(as in Table 1, proposal 10 is equally elected, number of candidates is 8) Number of votes held by shareholders for election = total number of shares with voting

rights represented by the shareholders 8. the number of votes own by shareholders can be allocated

among the 8 non-independent director candidates as they wish, provided that the total number of votes

cast does not exceed the number of votes they have for the election. Election of independent director(as in Table 1, proposal 11 is equally elected, number of candidates

is 4) Number of votes held by shareholders for election = total number of shares with voting rights

represented by the shareholders 4. the number of votes own by shareholders can be allocated among

the 3 independent director candidates as they wish, provided that the total number of votes cast does not

exceed the number of votes they have for the election.

Election of supervisors(as in Table 1, proposal 12 is equally elected, number of candidates is 3)



represented by the shareholders 3. the number of votes own by shareholders can be allocated among

the 3 supervisor candidates as they wish, provided that the total number of votes cast does not exceed

the number of votes they have for the election.

(4)Voting on general proposal are deemed to have expressed the same opinion on all proposals except

for the cumulative voting proposals.

In case of repeated votes on general proposal and specific proposal, the first valid vote shall prevail. If

the shareholder votes on a specific proposal first and then on the general proposal, the vote on specific

proposal that has been voted on shall prevail, other proposal not voted on are subject to the vote on the

general proposal; if a vote is taken first on general proposal and then on a specific proposal, the vote on

general proposal shall prevail.

II.Procedures for voting through the trading system of SSE (i) Voting hours: trading hours on May 19, 2022, i.e. 9:15 - 9:25, 9:30-11:30 and 13:00 - 15:00. (ii) Shareholders can votes through the trading system by logging on the transaction client of securities

companies.

III.Procedures for voting through the internet voting system of SSE (i)Voting will begin at 9:15 am on May 19, 2022 and end at 15:00 pm on May 19, 2022. (ii) Shareholders who use the Internet voting system to vote online need to apply for identity verification in accordance with the "Guidelines for the Identity Verification Business of Network Service for Investors of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (Revised in 2016)" and obtain the "Shenzhen Stock Exchange Digital Certificate" or "Shenzhen Stock Exchange Investor Service Password". You can log in the Internet voting system http://wltp.cninfo.com.cn and consult the rules guide for specific

identity verification process.

(iii) Shareholders can log in to http://wltp.cninfo.com.cn according to the obtained service password or

digital certificate to vote through the Internet voting system of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange within the

specified time.

















Appendix 2:



Power of Attorney

Mr./Ms.______________ is hereby entrusted with full authority to attend the 2021 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd. on behalf of the company (individual) and exercise voting rights on behalf of it. (Please clearly express your approval, opposition, and abstention

for each proposal)

Principles signature: Principles ID number: Principal's number of shares: Principal's shareholder account: Trustee's signature: Trustee's ID number:

Date of commission:



Example form for voting



Code Name of proposal Note In favor Agai nst Abstentions Columns with a check mark can be voted on 100 General proposal: all proposals other than cumulative voting proposals  Non-cumulative voting proposals 1.00 Report of BOD of 2021  2.00 Report of BOS of 2021  3.00 Profit Distribution Plan of 2021  4.00 Financial Report for year of 2021 (Audited)  5.00 Financial Budget for year of 2022  6.00 Annual Report of 2021 and Summary  7.00 Proposal of Daily Related Transactions Forecast for year of 2022  8.00 Proposal for Appointment of Accounting Firms for the Year of 2022 and Audit Fees Payment  9.00 Proposal for Provision of Assets Impairment  10.00 The proposal of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd. on the loss not covered exceeding one third of the total paid-up capital stock  Cumulative voting proposals Using equal number of election, enter the number of votes cast for candidate in the election 11.00 proposal for the election of candidates for non-independent directors of 9th BOD Number of candidates: (8) 11.01 Election of Mr. Liujun as the 



th non-independent director of the 9 BOD of the Company 11.02 Election of Mr. Zhang Xinghai as the th non-independent director of the 9 BOD of the Company  11.03 Election of Mr. Chen Jiajun as the th non-independent director of the 9 BOD of the Company  11.04 Election of Mr. Wang Jiyuan as the th non-independent director of the 9 BOD of the Company  11.05 Election of Ms. Sun Najuan as the th non-independent director of the 9 BOD of the Company  11.06 Election of Mr. Tan Jianguang as the th non-independent director of the 9 BOD of the Company  11.07 Election of Mr. Zhao Qingtao as the th non-independent director of the 9 BOD of the Company  11.08 Election of Ms. Fang Bo as the th non-independent director of the 9 BOD of the Company  12.00 proposal for the election of th independent directors of 9 BOD of the Company Number of candidates: (4) 12.01 Election of Ms. Liang Shuang as the th independent director of the 9 BOD of the Company  12.02 Election of Ms. Sun Kun as the th independent director of the 9 BOD of the Company  12.03 Election of Ms. Wang Yan as the th independent director of the 9 BOD of the Company  12.04 Election of Mr. Wen Bo as the th independent director of the 9 BOD of the Company  13.00 proposal for the election of supervisor th of 9 BOS of the Company Number of candidates: (3) 13.01 Election of Mr. Sun Shicheng as the th supervisor of the 9 BOS of the Company  13.02 Election of Mr. Wang Fuxing as the th supervisor of the 9 BOS of the Company  13.03 Election of Ms. Wang Lin as the th supervisor of the 9 BOS of the Company 



 Wafangdian Bearing Company LimitedNotice on Convening the AGM of 2021The Company and all members of the BOD guarantee that the information disclosed is true, accurate and completed, and that there are no false records, misleading statements or material omissions.I. Basic situation of the meeting(i)Session of the general meeting of shareholders: 2021 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (ii)Convener: BOD. The Proposal on Convening the AGM of 2021 was deliberated and approved at th th13 Session of 8 BOD of the Company.(iii)Legality and compliance of the Meeting: convening of this general meeting of shareholders complies with relevant laws, administrative regulations, departmental rules, normative documents, Business Rules of Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the Articles of Association. (iv) Date and time for the Meeting:1. On-site meeting: 2:30 PM on May 19, 2022 (Thursday);2. Online voting: time for online voting through the trading system of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange is9:15-9:25 am, 9:30-11:30 am and 1:00-3:00 pm on May 19, 2022; time for online voting through the Internet voting system of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange is 9:15 am-3:00 pm on May 19, 2022. (v)How to held the meeting:Combine on-site voting with online voting.(vi) Equity registration date of the meeting: May 13, 2022. B-share shareholders should buy the company's shares on May 10, 2022 (the last trading day that B-share shareholders can participate in the meeting) or earlier before they can participate. (vii)Attendance:1. Shareholders with shares of the Company held on registration date or their proxies; As of the close of trading in the afternoon of the share registration day, all shareholders of the companyregistered in the Shenzhen Branch of China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited areentitled to attend the Meeting, and any appoint a proxy in written to attend and vote at the Meeting neednot be a shareholder of the Company.2. Directors, supervisors and senior managers of the Company; 3. Lawyers engaged by the Company;4. Other persons who should attend the Meeting according to relevant regulations.(viii) Meeting place: Conference Room 1004, Office Building of Wafangdian Beating Group at No. 1, Section 1, Beigongji Street, Wafangdian, Liaoning Province. II. Proposals deliberated at the Meeting:List of proposal codeth th th(1) the above mentioned proposals are deliberated and approved at the 13 session of 8 BOD and 11 th thsession of BOS of the Company. Found more on relevant notice of Resolution of 13 Session of 8 th thBOD of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited and Resolution of 11 Session of 8 BOS of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited released on Securities Times, Hong Kong Commercial Daily and Juchao Website (http://www.cninfo.com.cn) dated April 26, 2022. (2) Independent directors of the Company will present their Report on Job for the year of 2021 at theMeeting, for the full text of Report on Job please refer to the Juchao Website(http://www.cninfo.com.cn).(3)When the shareholders general meeting voted on above mentioned proposals, the votes from smalland medium-size investors (small and medium-size investors refers to the shareholders other thanindividually or collectively) were counted separately, and the results will present in the resolution ofAGM of 2021 separately.(4) Proposal 11, 12 and 13 will be voted on by cumulative voting system, with 8 non-independent directors, 4 independent directors and 3 supervisors to be elected. Number of votes held by shareholdersfor election = number of shares with voting rights hold  number of candidates. Shareholders may allocate their electoral votes among the candidates in any way up to the number of candidates to beelected (can vote zero), however, total number of votes may not exceed the number of electoral votesthey have. Voting by non-independent directors, independent directors and shareholder representativesupervisor are separately, qualification and independence of the independent director candidates aresubject to the filing and review by SSE without objection before voting at the shareholders generalmeeting.III. Registration(i)Method: Directly registered or letter or fax registration; registration by phone is not accepted.(ii) Time: May 18, 2022, 8:00 am -12:00 pm, 14:00 pm-18:00 pm. (iii)Location: Investment securities dept. of the Company, Room 905, Office Building of ZWZ, No.1 Section I, Beigongji Street, Wafangdian City, Liaoning Province. (iv)Method1. Legal representative of a corporate shareholder must present the shareholder account card, copy ofthe business license with seal of the corporate, the legal representatives certificate and personnel IDcard for the registration procedures; if the proxy to attend the Meeting, the Power of Attorney by legalrepresentative and attendees ID card should be required. 2. Individual shareholders must present the shareholder account card and their ID card for registration;the shareholders agent attended by proxy also have the Power of Attorney and attendees ID card topresent the Meeting.3. Shareholders from other places can register by letter or fax with the above relevant documents. (documents should delivery or fax to the Company by 17:00 pm on May 18, 2022) (v)Conference contactContact:Address: Investment securities dept., No.1 Section I, Beigongji Street, Wafangdian City, Liaoning Province.Contact person: Ke Xin, Zhuang JinlingTelephone: 0411-62198236, 62198238Tax: 0411-62198333Code: 116300are at their own expensesIV. Specific operation process of participating in network voting The Trading system of SSE and internet voting system (http://wltp.cninfo.com.cn) are available for theshareholders to participate in the voting at the Meeting, refer to the appendix 1 for specific operationprocess.V. Documents Available for Referenceth th1.Resolution of 13 Session of 8 BODAppendix 1: specific operation process of participating in network voting Appendix 2:Power of AttorneyHereby notifyBoard of director of Wafangdian bearing Company limited 25 April 2022Appendix 1:Specific Operation Process of Participating in Network VotingI. Online voting procedures(i)Voting code/ abbreviation: Code360706; abbreviation ZWZ Voting (ii)Fill in the voting opinion1. Opinion for non-cumulative voting: In favor, Against, and Abstentions .2. Filling the number of electoral votes cast for a candidate in cumulative voting. Voting by shareholderof a listed company shall be limited to the number of electoral votes of each proposal group they own;if the number of votes cast by the shareholder exceeds the number of votes they own, or if more votesare cast than the number of persons to be elected in a more-candidates-than-position, their votes cast forthat proposal group shall be considered invalid. if you disagree with a candidate, you can vote zero forthat candidate.List of the number of votes cast for candidates under the cumulative voting systemExamples of the number of electoral votes held by shareholders under each proposal group: Election of non-independent director(as in Table 1, proposal 10 is equally elected, number of candidates is 8) Number of votes held by shareholders for election = total number of shares with votingrights represented by the shareholders 8. the number of votes own by shareholders can be allocatedamong the 8 non-independent director candidates as they wish, provided that the total number of votescast does not exceed the number of votes they have for the election. Election of independent director(as in Table 1, proposal 11 is equally elected, number of candidatesis 4) Number of votes held by shareholders for election = total number of shares with voting rightsrepresented by the shareholders 4. the number of votes own by shareholders can be allocated amongthe 3 independent director candidates as they wish, provided that the total number of votes cast does notexceed the number of votes they have for the election.Election of supervisors(as in Table 1, proposal 12 is equally elected, number of candidates is 3)represented by the shareholders 3. the number of votes own by shareholders can be allocated amongthe 3 supervisor candidates as they wish, provided that the total number of votes cast does not exceedthe number of votes they have for the election.(4)Voting on general proposal are deemed to have expressed the same opinion on all proposals exceptfor the cumulative voting proposals.In case of repeated votes on general proposal and specific proposal, the first valid vote shall prevail. Ifthe shareholder votes on a specific proposal first and then on the general proposal, the vote on specificproposal that has been voted on shall prevail, other proposal not voted on are subject to the vote on thegeneral proposal; if a vote is taken first on general proposal and then on a specific proposal, the vote ongeneral proposal shall prevail.II.Procedures for voting through the trading system of SSE (i) Voting hours: trading hours on May 19, 2022, i.e. 9:15 - 9:25, 9:30-11:30 and 13:00 - 15:00. (ii) Shareholders can votes through the trading system by logging on the transaction client of securitiescompanies.III.Procedures for voting through the internet voting system of SSE (i)Voting will begin at 9:15 am on May 19, 2022 and end at 15:00 pm on May 19, 2022. (ii) Shareholders who use the Internet voting system to vote online need to apply for identity verification in accordance with the "Guidelines for the Identity Verification Business of Network Service for Investors of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (Revised in 2016)" and obtain the "Shenzhen Stock Exchange Digital Certificate" or "Shenzhen Stock Exchange Investor Service Password". You can log in the Internet voting system http://wltp.cninfo.com.cn and consult the rules guide for specificidentity verification process.(iii) Shareholders can log in to http://wltp.cninfo.com.cn according to the obtained service password ordigital certificate to vote through the Internet voting system of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange within thespecified time.Appendix 2:Power of AttorneyMr./Ms.______________ is hereby entrusted with full authority to attend the 2021 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd. on behalf of the company (individual) and exercise voting rights on behalf of it. (Please clearly express your approval, opposition, and abstentionfor each proposal)Principles signature: Principles ID number: Principal's number of shares: Principal's shareholder account: Trustee's signature: Trustee's ID number:Date of commission:Example form for voting
Apr. 24JOHNSTOWN, Pa.  The Holy Resurrection was celebrated Sunday by Christians of the Eastern Orthodox rite who adhere to the Julian calendar.

The Very Rev. Protopresbyter Robert Buczak, dean of Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Johnstown, told parishioners during Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on Sunday that "the death of our savior has set us free."

In a letter written to parishioners in the diocese read at the liturgy by Buczak, Metropolitan Gregory of Nyssa, of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese, which is headquartered in Johnstown, wrote:

"On great and holy Pascha, we behold the triumph of Christ, as he rose from death to life, from darkness of the tomb into the light, with the resurrection of Christ all creation is filled with a new life of joy."

The statement continued that all creation is filled with a new light of life and joy.

"With the Resurrection of Christ, all creation is filled with a new light of life and joy. On this feast of feasts, this holy day of holy days, we all proclaim the only truth that matters, the truth that Christ is risen," the statement said.

Easter, or Pascha begins Bright Week, which is a week set aside by Orthodox Christians for the celebration of the Resurrection and will continue through April 30.
Apr. 24The Maine Nordiques are hope their play in the final two months of the regular season will carry over to the 2022-23 junior hockey season.

The Nordiques, in their third NAHL season, were longshots to make the playoffs, but they stayed motivated and continued to work hard.

"To embrace the dog days (of the season), it really helped the (players) excel," Nordiques coach Matt Pinchevsky said. "I kept hearing from Division I college coaches and even some pro guys, 'It's amazing how hard your team is still working.' They understand how long these seasons are and understand how grueling (60 games) can be, how much work, time and effort is put in, and how much adversity has to be overcome.

"Our guys weren't afraid of the actions necessary to overcome that adversity; they get to see consistent results and positive results for the team."

During that two-month stretch, Maine went 10-6-6 (wins, regulation losses, overtime/shootout losses).

The Nordiques finished the season 22-27-11 (55 points) and ranked sixth in the seven-team East Division. Pinchevsky, who had been the associate head coach, took over as the team's head coach after Nolan Howe was relieved of the role following a 6-9-1 start to the 2021-22 season. Maine went 16-18-10 under Pinchevsky.

Maine Nordiques general manager Eric Soltys credits Pinchevsky for motivating the players to continue to play hard.

"Our best hockey was down the road, the last eight weeks of the season, when it would have been really easy to pack it in and just go through the motions," Soltys said. "The kids really showed up, played for the jersey, and showed a lot of pride to play for the Maine Nordiques.

"I think with a core group of guys we have coming back next season, that was a big thing for me to see as a GM. The kids who can return next year have some character, and they have some moxie, a desire to be here and pride to play for the crest on the front of the jersey."

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However, the Nordiques also need to replace some key players.

Pinchevsky said that goalie Avery Sturtz, in particular, stepped up his game in the final two months.

"This year, to come in and claim the net as his own, and Gus (Holt) as his partner, I think it's one of those things, (Avery) was our rock  with the success we generated towards that latter-half of the season, or at least in the final two months," Pinchevsky said. "It really shined through in his game with some of the schools that have been looking at him and talking to him now."

Sturtz finished the year with a 16-17-5 record, a 3.63 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in his final season of junior hockey.

Another pleasant surprise, Pinchevsky said, were the points put up by Ignat Belov in his final year of junior hockey. The Belarus native scored 21 goals and recorded 23 assists in 59 games, a significant improvement from the four goals and four assists he had in 32 games in 2020-21.

Aidan Connolly led the team in points with 21 goals and 30 assists in 42 games, despite missing a third of the season due to injury. He will be playing at Sacred Heart in the fall.

Other forwards aging out of junior hockey include Reese Farrell (who will play at Army), Tyler Gaulin (Mercyhurst University), Theo Thrun (Western Michigan), Tristian Fasig and Caden Pattison.

Pinchevsky and the Nordiques are excited about the players who will join the Nordiques next season.

Pinchevsky said he is excited about the addition of tender signee Dominic Murphy, a forward who tallied 13 goals and 40 assists in 28 games to lead St. Mark's School (Southborough, Massachusetts). Murphy played with Nordiques forward Brendan Gibbons at St. Mark's.

Another forward, Laurent Trepanier, an affiliate player, might earn a full-time roster player next season. He had 21 goals and 30 assists in 57 games with the Seacoast Performance Academy 17U team and appeared in four games with the Nordiques this season.

Defense was a question mark for the Nordiques this past season after all but one of their defensemen from the 2020-21 team's run to the Robertson Cup semifinals either aged out of junior hockey or didn't return.

Matt Connor is the lone defenseman who returned and played the entire 2021-22 season for the Nordiques.

But there were bright spots for this year's team on that end of the ice.

Pinchevsky said he was impressed with first-year defenseman Nicholas Bernardo (six goals, 31 assists, 59 games). The Brown University commit for the 2023-24 season is expected to return to the Nordiques next year.

"Nick Bernardo produced as many points as forwards on our team as a defenseman," Pinchevsky said. "Coming in as a first-year junior player fresh out of (Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire), I was really happy how he adjusted. ... He will continue to grow and lead (the team), moving forward."

The Nordiques should return an experienced defense next year, as Connor and Jacob Pellerin (University of New England) are the only defensemen aging out of junior hockey. Among those are a pair of tender signees who played in a handful of games for Maine this season.

Affiliate defenseman Seth Murch (Seacoast Performance Academy 17U), who appeared in nine games with the Nordiques, has signed a tender contract for next season. As had David Helledy (New Hampton School in New Hampshire), who appeared in seven games after the conclusion of his season with New Hampton School in New Hampshire. Pinchevsky said he was pleased with Helledy's hockey IQ during those games.

Since the Tier II NAHL is a developmental league for colleges and for the USHL, some younger Nordiques players might have a chance to move up to Tier I this offseason. Among those is forward Zion Green, a potential pick in the USHL Entry Draft on May 3. The 18-year-old Northern Michigan University recruit for 2023-24 was the Nordiques' second-leading scorer with 15 goals and 32 assists in 55 games.

Soltys said the Nordiques won't discourage or stand in the way of any of their players who have an opportunity to join a USHL team. In fact, it's part of the organization's objective.

"When we see guys move onto the USHL, like Luke Antonacci (this season), we are doing our job," Soltys said. "That's what the (NAHL) is all about. ... If we can move every kid to the next level and do it the right way  and I know to (owner Darryl Antonacci), that means a lot more than just winning hockey games. It shows a lot about the program; it shows why a lot of kids want to come to our program. It shows we don't try to stand in the way of the kids who have earned that right to (move up) to the next level. It will be really easy to tell the USHL team, 'Nah, we will keep him.' But if that boy is ready to go and we feel he's in a good situation with the team he's going to, we are helping pack and promoting him."
The Memphis Police Department (MPD) is investigating after a man was shot in Frayser.

Police said it happened in the 1400 block of Haywood on April, 24, around 5:16 p.m.

The victim was taken to Regional One in critical condition, MPD said.

At 5:16 pm, MPD responded to a shooting at 1403 Haywood with a male shot. The victim was xported to ROH critical. Officers have one person in custody. This is an ongoing investigation. Call 901-528-CASH with tips. pic.twitter.com/dYZiBjKEJy  Memphis Police Dept (@MEM_PoliceDept) April 24, 2022

One person is in custody, according to MPD.

This is an ongoing investigation

Call 901-528-CASH with tips.

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Davis Wayne Jones, 43, of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for assault family violence-choking with a prior family violence conviction. Jones also received 10 years of probation for assault family violence with a prior family violence conviction.

Jones was convicted of both charges following a jury trial in the 59th District Court on February 22, 2022. Jones elected to have the Court conduct the sentencing following the jurys verdict. Judge Larry Phillips of the 59th District Court heard punishment evidence presented by the State and pronounced the sentence yesterday.

On April 3, 2021, Sherman Police responded to a 911 call of a disturbance at a restaurant on Texoma Parkway. The responding officer interviewed the female victim who advised the defendant was intoxicated and had assaulted her. The victim was driving her vehicle, with her children inside, and stopped in the parking lot of the restaurant because the defendant had become violent. Upon both parties exiting the vehicle, the defendant came up behind the victim and began choking her with a hoodie she was wearing. The responding officer observed bright red marks on the victims neck, throat, ears, and wrists. A witness from the business told the officer they saw the defendant choking the victim while they were both inside the vehicle.

Evidence presented at the sentencing hearing showed the defendant had a prior family violence conviction and a prior felony conviction which resulted in a prison sentence. The State also presented evidence of another family violence incident which was investigated by the Denison Police Department from February of 2020.

Assistant District Attorney Matt Rolston said, Several witnesses from Defendants violent past, including the victim from his prior 2007 family violence conviction, testified. The evidence proved this Defendant is a continued danger and led to the appropriate sentence. District Attorney Brett Smith added, We commend the jury for reaching the right verdict and the Court for sending a message. The verdict and sentence demonstrate the consequences for repeat family violence offenders in Grayson County, especially in light of April begin Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Matt Rolston.

This article originally appeared on Herald Democrat: Man gets 20 years for family violence
Police lights

A man shot in the head Saturday night in Akron is expected to live, police said.

The man, 41, was found by Akron police, who were called to the area of York and Dayton streets in the city's North Hill neighborhood at 9:10 p.m. for a report of shots fired.

'I am so sorry': Ariana Richardson sentenced in fatal Akron shooting of Willquian Jews

The man was conscious and trying to leave the area in his vehicle, police said. The vehicle was on the embankment at the intersection of the two streets.

The man was taken to Summa Akron City Hospital, where he was expected to survive his injuries, police said.

Girls rescued: Lake Township man dead after setting off fireworks in home, two girls rescued

The circumstances around the shooting remained unknown as of Monday, police said. People apparently were seen running away from the shooting site, police said.

Police are asking anyone with information to call detectives at 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2Tip; call the Summit County Crime Stoppers at 330-434-COPS; or text TIPSCO with tips to 274637. Callers can remain anonymous.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Man shot in head Saturday night in Akron's North Hill neighborhood
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Marjorie Taylor Greene texted Mark Meadows during the Capitol insurrection urging him to tell Trump to stop his supporters.

"Please tell the President to calm people This isn't the way to solve anything," she texted Meadows, according to CNN.

Greene has repeatedly pushed the conspiracy theory that left-wing activists and rogue FBI agents carried out the siege.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene sent an urgent request to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows as the Capitol riot was unfolding on January 6, 2021.

"Mark I was just told there is an active shooter on the first floor of the Capitol," she texted Meadows at 2:28 p.m. ET, according to CNN. "Please tell the President to calm people This isn't the way to solve anything."

Meadows didn't respond, CNN reported. Greene's text was part of a trove of previously unseen messages that Meadows turned over to the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot, which were obtained by CNN.

The Georgia congresswoman has spent the months since January 6 falsely claiming that the siege was carried out by antifa and Black Lives Matter activists.

She testified under oath last week that she thought the rioters were "Antifa dressed up as Trump supporters" because "that was the first thing we were told."

Greene's testimony came during an administrative hearing on Friday focusing on a longshot bid by a group of Georgia voters and liberal activists to disqualify Greene from running for reelection. In petitioning for Greene's removal from the ballot, the complainants pointed to a constitutional amendment that prohibits lawmakers from holding office if they participated in an insurrection.

Greene testified for three hours at the hearing, during which she recycled nonsense conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and the Capitol insurrection. She also claimed that she had "no knowledge" of any plot to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's 2020 election victory.

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"I don't know anything about that," she said.

When a lawyer asked her about a tweet from her account  which has since been suspended  amplifying plans for Trump supporters to protest Congress' certification, Greene replied, "I was asking people to come for a peaceful march, which is what everyone is entitled to do under their First Amendment."

"I was not asking them to actively engage in violence or any type of action," she added.

Greene wasn't the only Trump ally to appeal to Meadows as Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol after he urged them to "fight like hell" against Congress' certification of Biden's victory.

"Mark: he needs to stop this, now. Can I do anything to help?" Trump's former acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, texted Meadows, according to CNN.

The president's first chief of staff weighed in as well.

"TELL THEM TO GO HOME !!!" Reince Priebus texted Meadows.

Trump's eldest son, Donald Jr., also messaged Meadows during the riot.

"This his [sic] one you go to the mattresses on," he wrote, according to CNN. "They will try to fuck his entire legacy on this if it gets worse."

A number of Republican lawmakers also directly appealed to Meadows.

"The president needs to stop this ASAP," Rep. William Timmons of South Carolina wrote.

"We are doing it," Meadows replied.

And Rep. Barry Loudermilk warned that "it's really bad up here on the hill. They have breached the Capitol."

Meadows responded to Loudermilk, writing, "POTUS is engaging."

"Thanks," Loudermilk wrote back, per CNN. "This doesn't help our cause."

The House of Representatives impeached Trump for a second time in the days after the riot on a charge of incitement of insurrection. He was ultimately acquitted by the Senate and continues insisting that he won the election.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia at a hearing on the challenge to her candidacy in Atlanta, Georgia on April 22, 2022. John Bazemore-Pool/Getty Images

Marjorie Taylor Greene testified on Friday that she didn't recall telling Trump to invoke martial law.

But newly-revealed text messages between her and Trump's former chief of staff indicate otherwise.

'Several' colleagues thought martial law was 'the only way to save our Republic,' MTG wrote before Biden's inaugural.

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia told former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows about the possibility of invoking martial law after January 6, according to newly-released text messages between the two.

CNN reported on Monday that on January 17, three days before the inauguration of President Joe Biden, she told Meadows that several of her Republican colleagues were interested in the idea as a means of keeping former President Donald Trump in power.

"In our private chat with only Members, several are saying the only way to save our Republic is for Trump to call for Marshall (sic) law," she texted Meadows that day. "I don't know on those things. I just wanted you to tell him."

Greene's text to Meadows was among the 2,319 messages obtained by CNN from Election Day 2020 to Biden's inauguration on January 20, 2021.

Meadows did not appear to respond to Greene's text on martial law, according to CNN.

US presidents and Congress have only invoked martial law on a few occasions in American history, most recently in Maryland's Cambridge riot of 1963. The 2007 National Defense Authorization Act passed under then-President George W. Bush allows the president to declare martial law and overtake command of the National Guard without requiring the consent of a state's governor.

Just last Friday, Greene testified under oath that she didn't recall whether she'd raised the idea to Trump.

"They stole this election. We all know. They will destroy our country next," she also texted Meadows. "Please tell him to declassify as much as possible so we can go after Biden and anyone else!"

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Nick Dyer, a spokesman for Rep. Greene, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

On Friday, Greene sat for cross-examination by lawyers from Free Speech for the People, a group hoping to kick Greene off of the 2022 congressional ballot in Georgia. The group hopes to disqualify her candidacy under Section 3 of Article 14 of the US Constitution, which states that "no person" who's taken an oath and served as a member of Congress "shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion."

At one point, the group's lawyers asked Greene repeatedly whether she had raised the idea of martial law to Trump, prompting the congresswoman to plead ignorance.

"I don't recall," she said, declining to deny the charge. "I don't remember."

Greene gave a similar response to a wide variety of questions about January 6, as well as her past advocacy for political violence against Democrats. At one point, she denied recalling advocating for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's execution, despite being handed a paper print-out of a CNN article documenting her comments.

The texts released by CNN on Monday indicate that Greene did, in fact, advocate the idea.

The administrative judge who oversaw last Friday's hearing is expected to make a decision this week on the question of whether or not Greene qualifies for the ballot, though the final ruling ultimately goes to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger. He's already drawn the ire of Trump for refusing to "find 11,780 votes" after Trump's 2020 election loss in the state.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said former president Donald Trump totally, totally discredited himself and put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger by his actions on the day a mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol in hopes of preventing Congress from certifying President Joe Bidens 2020 election victory.

I feel exhilarated by the fact that this fellow finally, totally discredited himself, said the Kentucky Republican, who was speaking to New York Times reporter Jonathan Martin just hours after rioters had been cleared from the Capitol by law enforcement and National Guard soldiers.

Mr McConnells comments were revealed in a forthcoming book by Martin and fellow New York Times scribe Alex Burns, This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the battle for Americas Future. A copy of the book was obtained by The Independent ahead of its 3 May release date.

The Senate Minority Leader also told Martin the disgraced, soon-to-be twice-impeached president was pretty thoroughly discredited by his actions that day, including giving an inciting speech to a crowd of his followers on the Ellipse which immediately proceeded the riot, and refusing to take action to quell the violence being perpetrated against Capitol Police by his supporters.

Mr McConnell also vowed to take on Mr Trumps supporters in Congress in the upcoming 2022 midterms, telling Martin the ex-president is a despicable person whose fringe supporters would face the wrath of the GOP establishment.

We crushed the sons of bitches, and thats what were going to do in the primary in 22.

Mr McConnell and Mr Trump have not spoken since mid-December of 2020, when the then-Senate Majority Leader acknowledged Mr Bidens victory after the Electoral College ratified his win over Mr Trump.

For his part, the Kentucky Republican has said he would support the ex-president if he is the GOP presidential nominee in 2024, but Mr Trump has expressed derision for the longtime GOP senate leader, who he often refers to as an old crow.

In a Monday interview with Piers Morgan on the British TV hosts new programme, Piers Morgan Uncensored, Mr Trump called the Bluegrass State senator stupid and blamed him for refusing to help him install himself in the White House for a second term against the wishes of American voters.
Hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion tearfully recounted the trauma of being shot last year in her first televised interview about the incident, claiming Tory Lanez offered her money to stay quiet about him pulling the trigger.

The Grammy-winning artist appeared in a sit-down CBS Mornings interview with Gayle King on Monday to give her account of the night when she said the Canadian rapper shot her multiple times in the feet following a party at Kylie Jenners Hollywood Hills house in July 2020.

He said, Im so sorry. Please dont tell nobody. Ill give yall $1 million if yall dont say nothing, said Megan, whose real name is Megan Pete. And Im like, What are you talking about? Why are you offering me money right now? Help me. And if youre sorry, just help me.

When asked by King if she was afraid for your life at that time, Megan responded, nodding, I was really scared cause I had never been shot at before.

Her account aligns with what Los Angeles Police Department detective Ryan Stogner said she told him after the shooting. In a preliminary hearing in the Lanez case last year, Stogner said that Lanez offered her money and begged her to please not say anything, telling her that he was on probation.

.@theestallion shares her story of the 2020 incident when she was shot in her feet, allegedly by Tory Lanez.



She says she initially told police she stepped on glass, because she feared for her life: I was just trying to protect all of us because I didn't want them to kill us. pic.twitter.com/qd4MJ1yN2w  CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) April 25, 2022

Elsewhere in the interview, Megan addressed why she initially lied to the police officers who arrived on the scene, informing them that she injured her feet by stepping on broken glass after the party.

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The comment has been used as a way to discredit Megans story by those siding with Lanez, who has continued to deny all the allegations.

The George Floyd incident had just happened and police are very much shoot first, ask questions after, she said. Ive been shot and theyre about to kill somebody. Something bad is about to happen.

So when I see people try and use that against me, to say I was lying ... I was lying to protect all of us, she continued. Sometimes I wish I really would have never said that and told the truth.

Lanez, born Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson, pleaded not guilty to the assault and weapons possession charges related to the shooting in November 2021. The felony assault case is still ongoing, with the next court hearing set for September. If convicted, he faces a possible maximum sentence of 22 years and eight months in state prison.

The rapper was briefly taken into custody earlier this month after a judge ruled that his social media posts directed at Megan violated a protective order that required him not to have any contact with the rapper. He was later released with an increased bail of $350,000.

In a statement to CBS ahead of the interview, Lanezs attorney said, We look forward to addressing Ms. Petes claims  including all its inconsistencies, discrepancies and omissions  in a court of law.

Megan, however, is confident that justice will prevail in her case, telling King that shes rather it play out in court and have the facts come out ... than me having to plead my case.

I know this happened to me, she said. Im the victim. Im not defending myself against anything. Something happened to me.

Watch more from Megans interview on CBS Mornings in the video above.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
B(200706): 20220426 06:31:28  :

: B :

Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited

th th

Resolution of the 11 Session of 8 BOS



The Company and all members of the BOD guarantee that the information disclosed is true, accurate and

completed, and that there are no false records, misleading statements or material omissions. I. Convening of the Meeting of BOS

1. Time and manner of the notification

th th

The notice on convening the 11 session of 8 BOS under the name of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited was sent by written on 12 April 2022.

2. Time, place and manner of the Meeting of BOS

th th

The 11 session of 8 BOS to be held on 22 April 2022 at 15:00 p.m. in the conference room 1004 of the

Wafangdian Group.

3. Number of supervisors who should have attended the Meeting and actual number of supervisors who attended

5 supervisors should attend, 5 actually attended

4. Moderator of the Meeting and participants of the Meeting The Meeting was chaired by President of the Supervisory Committee Sun Shicheng 5. The Meeting of the BOS was held in accordance with the relevant provisions of Company laws and Article of Association.

II. Meeting consideration

1. Report of BOS of 2021 was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0 votes against and 0 abstentions

Report of BOS of 2021 found more in the Juchao Website

2. The Profit Distribution Plan of 2021 was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0 votes against

and 0 abstentions;

After review, the BOS considers that: the Profit Distribution Plan of 2021 is in compliance with the relevant

provisions of Company laws and Article of Association, and there is no damage to the interest of the

Company and all shareholders. Therefore, the BOS agrees to the profit distribution plan of 2021. 3. The Financial Report for year of 2021(Audited) was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0

votes against and 0 abstentions;

4. The Financial Budget for year of 2022 was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0 votes against

and 0 abstentions;

5. The Annual Report of 2021 and Summary was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0 votes

against and 0 abstentions;

BOS of the company believes that the preparation and review procedures of the full text and abstract of the

Companys 2021 annual report are in compliance with laws, administrative regulations and the provisions of

the China Securities Regulatory Commission. The information contained in the report does not contain any

false records, misleading statements or major omissions, and the content of the report can truly, accurately

and completely reflect the actual situation of the company. 6. Proposal of Daily Related Transactions Forecast for year of 2022 was considered and approved with 5

votes in favor, 0 votes against and 0 abstentions;

7. The Self-assessment Report of Internal Control was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0

votes against and 0 abstentions;

BOS of the company believes that the company has established a relatively sound and complete internal

control management system, which is reasonable, complete and effective, and meets the stipulations and

requirements of relevant laws and regulations. It conforms to the actual situation of the company and can

meet the current development needs of the company. Various internal control management systems have

been effectively implemented. As of December 31, 2021, the internal control design and operation included

in the evaluation scope are effective.

8.Proposal for Appointment of Accounting Firms for the Year of 2022 and Audit Fees Payment was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0 votes against and 0 abstentions; 9. The First Quarterly Report of 2022 was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0 votes against and

0 abstentions;

The BOS considers that: the preparation and review procedures of the first quarterly report of 2022 and its

summary comply with the laws, administrative requirements and provision of the CSRC, contents of the

report is true, accurate and complete reflection of the actual situation of the listed company, and does not

contain any false records, misleading statements or material omissions. 10. The Financial Report for Q1 of 2022 (unaudited) was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0

votes against and 0 abstentions;

11. The Proposal for Provision of Assets Impairment was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0

votes against and 0 abstentions;

th

12.The Proposal to nominate the candidates for supervisors of 9 BOS was considered and approved with 5

votes in favor, 0 votes against and 0 abstentions;



Supervisor candidates Number of votes in favour Number of votes against Number of votes abstentions Sun Shicheng 5 0 0 Wang Fuxing 5 0 0 Wang Lin 5 0 0 According to the Article of Association, there are two employee representatives serving as the supervisors of

th

9 BOS of the Company. Two employee representatives Mr. Zhang Fuxiang and Mr. Zhang Yihui have bee th

approved by the Staff Congress to join the 9 BOS of the Company directly. 13.The proposal of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd. on the loss not covered exceeding one third of the total

paid-up capital stock.approved with 5 votes in favor, 0 against and 0 abstentions,

The above mentioned proposals, except for proposal 7, 9 and 10, are required to be submitted to the AGM of

2021 for consideration.



III. Documents Available for Reference

th th

1.Resolution of 11 Session of 8 BOS of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited; 2. The Annual Report 2021 and First Quarterly Report of 2022 with the signature of companys legal person,

person in charge of the accounting works and person in charge of the accounting organ as well as the

company seals;





Hereby notify



Board of Supervisory of Wafangdian bearing Company limited 25April 2022







































Annex: Resumes of supervisor candidates and employee representatives Mr. Sun Shicheng, born in December 1964, bachelors degree, participated in work in August 1987 and a

senior political engineer. He previously worked as head of the organization department section, Party

Organizer of Wafangdian Bearing Group, Party Branch Secretary of Northwest Sales Company, secretary

and vice GM of North China Sales Company, director of organization department, and part-time secretary of

the Party Committee and chairman of Labor Union of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd.; currently he is the

deputy secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of labor union of Wafangdian Bearing Group. Mr. Wang Fuxing, born in June 1972, university degree and s senior accountant, he jointed the workforce in

August 1993. he previously worked as the head of accounting & finance department and director of the

general management department of Wafangdian Bearing Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd., the deputy secretary, chairman of labor union and the finance manager and human resources director of Wafangdian

Bearing Precision Turntable Bearing Co., Ltd, the office director and secretary of Wafangdian Bearing Group,

head of financial management department and secretary of Wafangdian Bearing Group, and head of strategic

sourcing and secretary of Wafangdian Bearing Group. Now he is the head of the Party Committees Publicity

Department, head and secretary of the Corporate Culture Department of Wafangdian Bearing Group. Ms. Wang Lin, born in September 1981, she graduated from Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University

of Science and Technology in July 2004, a university degree, an economist with credit manager title. She

joint the workforce in July 2004, and previously worked as head of credit management department of the

Company. Currently she is the head of audit department, head of discipline inspection and supervision

department, head of legal affairs department of Wafangdian Bearing Group. Mr. Zhang Fuxiang, born in August 1965, an associate senior engineer. He jointed the Company in August

1988. Mr. Zhang previously worked as vice president and GM of prevision cage branch of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd., the deputy chief engineer of engineering center of Wafangdian Bearing Group. Now he is

the head of quality assurance department of the Company.

Mr. Zhang Yihui, born in August 1972, and jointed the workforce in August 1991, college degree and graduated from Liaoning University in June 2000, majoring in business management. He previously worked

as vice GM of bearing parts branch of the Company, GM of Wafangdian Branch of High-end Automotive Bearing Company under Wafangdian Bearing Group. Now he is the GM of medium & large bearing branch of the Company.





 Wafangdian Bearing Company Limitedth thResolution of the 11 Session of 8 BOSThe Company and all members of the BOD guarantee that the information disclosed is true, accurate andcompleted, and that there are no false records, misleading statements or material omissions. I. Convening of the Meeting of BOS1. Time and manner of the notificationth thThe notice on convening the 11 session of 8 BOS under the name of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited was sent by written on 12 April 2022.2. Time, place and manner of the Meeting of BOSth thThe 11 session of 8 BOS to be held on 22 April 2022 at 15:00 p.m. in the conference room 1004 of theWafangdian Group.3. Number of supervisors who should have attended the Meeting and actual number of supervisors who attended5 supervisors should attend, 5 actually attended4. Moderator of the Meeting and participants of the Meeting The Meeting was chaired by President of the Supervisory Committee Sun Shicheng 5. The Meeting of the BOS was held in accordance with the relevant provisions of Company laws and Article of Association.II. Meeting consideration1. Report of BOS of 2021 was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0 votes against and 0 abstentionsReport of BOS of 2021 found more in the Juchao Website2. The Profit Distribution Plan of 2021 was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0 votes againstand 0 abstentions;After review, the BOS considers that: the Profit Distribution Plan of 2021 is in compliance with the relevantprovisions of Company laws and Article of Association, and there is no damage to the interest of theCompany and all shareholders. Therefore, the BOS agrees to the profit distribution plan of 2021. 3. The Financial Report for year of 2021(Audited) was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0votes against and 0 abstentions;4. The Financial Budget for year of 2022 was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0 votes againstand 0 abstentions;5. The Annual Report of 2021 and Summary was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0 votesagainst and 0 abstentions;BOS of the company believes that the preparation and review procedures of the full text and abstract of theCompanys 2021 annual report are in compliance with laws, administrative regulations and the provisions ofthe China Securities Regulatory Commission. The information contained in the report does not contain anyfalse records, misleading statements or major omissions, and the content of the report can truly, accuratelyand completely reflect the actual situation of the company. 6. Proposal of Daily Related Transactions Forecast for year of 2022 was considered and approved with 5votes in favor, 0 votes against and 0 abstentions;7. The Self-assessment Report of Internal Control was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0votes against and 0 abstentions;BOS of the company believes that the company has established a relatively sound and complete internalcontrol management system, which is reasonable, complete and effective, and meets the stipulations andrequirements of relevant laws and regulations. It conforms to the actual situation of the company and canmeet the current development needs of the company. Various internal control management systems havebeen effectively implemented. As of December 31, 2021, the internal control design and operation includedin the evaluation scope are effective.8.Proposal for Appointment of Accounting Firms for the Year of 2022 and Audit Fees Payment was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0 votes against and 0 abstentions; 9. The First Quarterly Report of 2022 was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0 votes against and0 abstentions;The BOS considers that: the preparation and review procedures of the first quarterly report of 2022 and itssummary comply with the laws, administrative requirements and provision of the CSRC, contents of thereport is true, accurate and complete reflection of the actual situation of the listed company, and does notcontain any false records, misleading statements or material omissions. 10. The Financial Report for Q1 of 2022 (unaudited) was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0votes against and 0 abstentions;11. The Proposal for Provision of Assets Impairment was considered and approved with 5 votes in favor, 0votes against and 0 abstentions;th12.The Proposal to nominate the candidates for supervisors of 9 BOS was considered and approved with 5votes in favor, 0 votes against and 0 abstentions;According to the Article of Association, there are two employee representatives serving as the supervisors ofth9 BOS of the Company. Two employee representatives Mr. Zhang Fuxiang and Mr. Zhang Yihui have bee thapproved by the Staff Congress to join the 9 BOS of the Company directly. 13.The proposal of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd. on the loss not covered exceeding one third of the totalpaid-up capital stock.approved with 5 votes in favor, 0 against and 0 abstentions,The above mentioned proposals, except for proposal 7, 9 and 10, are required to be submitted to the AGM of2021 for consideration.III. Documents Available for Referenceth th1.Resolution of 11 Session of 8 BOS of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited; 2. The Annual Report 2021 and First Quarterly Report of 2022 with the signature of companys legal person,person in charge of the accounting works and person in charge of the accounting organ as well as thecompany seals;Hereby notifyBoard of Supervisory of Wafangdian bearing Company limited 25April 2022Annex: Resumes of supervisor candidates and employee representatives Mr. Sun Shicheng, born in December 1964, bachelors degree, participated in work in August 1987 and asenior political engineer. He previously worked as head of the organization department section, PartyOrganizer of Wafangdian Bearing Group, Party Branch Secretary of Northwest Sales Company, secretaryand vice GM of North China Sales Company, director of organization department, and part-time secretary ofthe Party Committee and chairman of Labor Union of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd.; currently he is thedeputy secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of labor union of Wafangdian Bearing Group. Mr. Wang Fuxing, born in June 1972, university degree and s senior accountant, he jointed the workforce inAugust 1993. he previously worked as the head of accounting & finance department and director of thegeneral management department of Wafangdian Bearing Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd., the deputy secretary, chairman of labor union and the finance manager and human resources director of WafangdianBearing Precision Turntable Bearing Co., Ltd, the office director and secretary of Wafangdian Bearing Group,head of financial management department and secretary of Wafangdian Bearing Group, and head of strategicsourcing and secretary of Wafangdian Bearing Group. Now he is the head of the Party Committees PublicityDepartment, head and secretary of the Corporate Culture Department of Wafangdian Bearing Group. Ms. Wang Lin, born in September 1981, she graduated from Northwest Agriculture and Forestry Universityof Science and Technology in July 2004, a university degree, an economist with credit manager title. Shejoint the workforce in July 2004, and previously worked as head of credit management department of theCompany. Currently she is the head of audit department, head of discipline inspection and supervisiondepartment, head of legal affairs department of Wafangdian Bearing Group. Mr. Zhang Fuxiang, born in August 1965, an associate senior engineer. He jointed the Company in August1988. Mr. Zhang previously worked as vice president and GM of prevision cage branch of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd., the deputy chief engineer of engineering center of Wafangdian Bearing Group. Now he isthe head of quality assurance department of the Company.Mr. Zhang Yihui, born in August 1972, and jointed the workforce in August 1991, college degree and graduated from Liaoning University in June 2000, majoring in business management. He previously workedas vice GM of bearing parts branch of the Company, GM of Wafangdian Branch of High-end Automotive Bearing Company under Wafangdian Bearing Group. Now he is the GM of medium & large bearing branch of the Company.
Michael Bell holds up photo of his son, who was killed by Kenosha police. Jacob Blakes father and Kenosha activists hold a press conference calling for charges against Officer Rusten Sheskey on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021.

Michael Bell keeps finding new ways to raise the pressure on various officials to reopen the investigation into his son's fatal 2004 shooting by Kenosha police, details of which he contends have been covered up.

His latest move came Monday during a meeting of the Kenosha City Council. Bell made an offer: If the city will finally agree to allow his experts to test a bullet from the shooting, he will release the city and its insurer from any future damages he might win in future lawsuits.

He's following up with full-page ads in newspapers in Milwaukee, Kenosha and Madison, along with billboards and TV spots for years to press his cause.

It's a tactic he has used in the past. The offer is good until June 1.

As cities like Chicago, Minneapolis and Philadelphia strain under lawsuits from past police issues, I am offering the citizens of Kenosha a clear and cost-effective way forward, Bell said in a news release. No money, just truth.

In addressing the council, Bell brought up Chicago and the more than $190 million it has paid out over the years for the crimes and corruption of former police commander Jon Burge. Wouldn't Chicago have been smart to take an indemnity deal and reveal the truths of Burge's conduct much earlier, Bell wondered.

Bell also asked Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian if his refusal to release the bullet is vindictive. He reminded aldermen the city could still face the consequences of Antaramian's actions when he leaves office.

"Show some courage," he urged the council. "Release the bullet, let the attorneys talk, with the protection of indemnity."

At least one alderman voiced support for Bell's offer. Holly Kangas said though she feared ostracization by her colleagues, she called for the bullet's release.

"He's just a father who is terribly broken," Kangas said. "And he needs closure. The bullet would give him closure."

Bell said eight other alderman have since considered meeting with him individually.

Story continues

'He's got my gun'

Kenosha police pulled over Michael Bell Jr. early Nov. 9, 2004, as he was arriving home. They say he was uncooperative, which led to a struggle in the family's driveway.

As he was being held down over a car, one officer yelled, "He's got my gun," prompting another officer to shoot Bell, 21, in the head in front of his mother and sister.

Bell, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, maintains no agency has ever conducted a thorough investigation into his son's death; the Kenosha police chief cleared his officers three days after the shooting.

Over the years, Bell has appealed unsuccessfully to governors, attorneys general, local and federal prosecutors and other officials to reopen the matter.

According to Bell's privately-funded ongoing investigation, testing has shown signs of lead in a dent in the aluminum trim around the garage door near where his son was shot. He wants to test the bullet KPD says it gathered during its investigation to see if it matched the trace lead on the door trim. If so, the finding would support his theory of how police shot and killed his son, and contradict the KPD's version.

RELATED: Father of man killed by police in Kenosha reveals more evidence he says supports new investigation

Bell first sought the bullet in 2020. He sued late last year after the city's continued refusal to the release the bullet. Circuit Judge Chad Kerkman dismissed the case, which is now on appeal.

The city argues Bell really has no standing or claim. Bell's lawyer argued the city has offered no other explanation for blocking the testing, and whatever reasons it might offer, "are unlikely to outweigh both Mr. Bell's and the public's interest in an accurate accounting of this tragic incident."

The city already has paid $1.75 million to settle Bell's initial wrongful death lawsuit. He used much of it to fund efforts to reform police accountability for incidents of deadly force and investigate his son's death and Kenosha officials' reactions to it.

Bell got some results. In 2014, Wisconsin became the first state to require outside investigations when people die at the hands of law enforcement officers or while in custody of a law enforcement agency.

The officer who shot Bell, Albert Gonzales, wrote a book about the incident in 2020. Bell sued Gonzales for libel. The case is pending. Gonzales is now running for sheriff of Kenosha County.

The officer who initially stopped Bell and yelled, "He's got my gun," during the struggle, Erich Strausbaugh, 34, killed himself in 2010, a few months after Kenosha settled Bell Sr.'s wrongful death lawsuit.

RELATED: Kenosha police officer who published memoir about killing Michael Bell Jr. gets sued for defamation by Bell's father

In 2017, Bell released a 20-minute documentary about the actions he believes officials took to cover up what really happened when his son was killed.

Bell believes Strausbaugh's gun holster had caught on the outside mirror of the car, making him think someone was tugging at the weapon. Physical evidence from the scene contradicted the Kenosha police narrative of what happened. Among the assertions that were questionable was the fact the younger Bell was shot in the right side of his head, not the left as police first said.

A reenactment later by Kenosha police that tried to account for the head wound still left contradictions with other evidence, such as the location of the spent shell from the officer's gun.

In 2018, Bell sought to have a John Doe hearing into the case. A Racine County judge in 2019 denied the petition, even while noting contradictory evidence regarding where Gonzales and three other officers were positioned during the shooting.

This graphic depicts where people were located when Michael Bell was shot, according to Kenosha police.

This is how how Michael Bell Sr. believes people were positioned when his son was killed. He says physical evidence supports this version.

Contact Bruce Vielmetti at (414) 224-2187 or bvielmetti@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ProofHearsay.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Michael Bell wants Kenosha police bullet that killed his son
A TV display shows video evidence of a Grand Rapids police officer struggling with and shooting Patrick Lyoya at Grand Rapids City Hall on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. Grand Rapids Police Department

The police officer who shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head during a traffic stop has been identified.

The police chief identified the officer as Christopher Schurr.

He said he released the name "in the interest of transparency, to reduce ongoing speculation, and to avoid any further confusion."

The police chief of Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Monday revealed the identity of the officer who shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head during an April 4 traffic stop as Christopher Schurr.

"In the interest of transparency, to reduce ongoing speculation, and to avoid any further confusion, I am confirming the name already publicly circulating  Christopher Schurr  as the officer involved in the April 4 officer-involved shooting," Chief Eric Winstrom said in a statement shared with the Associated Press.

Winstrom had previously said he would not release the name of the officer who shot 26-year-old Lyoya unless he was charged with the crime, AP reported.

Lyoya's family had repeatedly called for the police department to release the officer's name despite Winstrom saying it was common practice to keep the shooter's identity private, AP reported.

Video footage from the traffic stop shows a struggle between the officer and Lyoya as the officer tried to wrestle Lyoya to the ground. The footage shows the officer using a taser and telling Lyoya to "let go of the taser."

Footage shows the officer then pinning Lyoya to the ground and using a taser on him twice. The video then shows the officer appearing to shoot Lyoya in the back of the head.

An independent autopsy commissioned by Lyoya's family's attorneys confirmed that Lyoya's cause of death was a shot in the back of the head, Insider previously reported.

Read the original article on Insider
SheKnows

Mothers Day was canceled for one particular family this year  and its pretty impossible to dispute the reasoning. A dad took to Reddits AITA forum to share the awful exchange that led to him nixing his wifes celebration and users quickly rallied around him. I (M/37) have a 13 y.o son. I was a []
A Minnesota State Senate candidate was in labor while giving a speech at a convention to secure her party's nomination and had to leave early to give birth. Erin Maye Quade went into labor at about 2 a.m. on Saturday, the morning of Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party convention. She still showed up in labor and gave her speech, her campaign manager Mitchell Walstad told CBS News.

Video taken at the convention shows her holding her stomach and pausing, apparently having a contraction, after finishing a sentence of her speech.

Quade needed to win the endorsement of the party  the state equivalent of the Democratic Party  at its convention to officially become its nominee.

Today in Minnesota, @ErinMayeQuade gave a convention speech while in active labor. And her opponent didnt think to ask to postpone the convention as she, you know, had to go to the hospital to deliver her baby. What the hell. pic.twitter.com/Wmu5fh40I6

 ashley fairbanks (@ziibiing) April 24, 2022

At the convention, there are multiple rounds of voting, where delegates who sign up to attend the convention chose a nominee. When a candidate reaches 60% of the votes, they receive the party's endorsement, Walstad said.

"After the first round of balloting, Erin was at the point where she could not stay anymore, and she chose to withdraw," he said. "She was not forced out, but she chose to [leave] because with endorsing process, there's often a lot of change that can happen between one ballot and the next, and a lot of persuasion can happen if there's no decided candidate after that first round."

Candidates continue to campaign between votes, but Walstad said Maye Quade felt she couldn't meaningfully meet with delegates and accurately present herself through the process.

Maye Quade asked her opponent, Justin Emmerich, if he would suspend balloting and go to a primary after the first ballots were cast, Walstad told CBS News.

Story continues

When she left, delegates could vote for her Emmerich or the "no endorsement" option. Emmerich won the nomination with 71% of the votes.

In a statement to CBS News, Emmerich said he, Maye Quade and Senate district leadership met to discuss accommodations when Maye Quade was in labor and he "readily agreed to all of them, as did the convention delegates by unanimous consent." He said the accommodations were "mostly schedule-related."

"Had there been a formal request from Erin or any of the delegates to suspend the convention in order to hold it at a later date I would have agreed, however no such request or motion was made," he said.

Emmerich said after the first ballot, a member of his campaign told him he was leading with 55% of the vote. Maye Quade, at that point, had received 44% and 1% had abstained, according to Emmerich.

"I was on my way to talk to my floor manager to verify this information when Erin pulled me aside," he said. "She asked if I would be willing to suspend the convention and take the race to a primary since it appeared to be about even. I responded by saying I hadn't verified the count yet and would get back to her. She said that was fine. However, before I was able to speak with her again, she made the decision to suspend her campaign."

Walstad said the day was "chaotic."

"I called her at like 6 in the morning [on Saturday], she was in labor, and it was a conversation of like, 'I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I can be there. I don't know if I can make it through that long of a period of time without having contractions. I don't think I want to have contractions in front of people,'" he said.

"To say I didn't know how to respond would be an understatement," Walstad continued. "I encouraged her to do what she needed to for herself."

Maye Quade's wife, Alyse Maye Quade posted about the birth of their daughter, Harriet Blake Maye Quade on Sunday, 10 days earlier than her due date.

"Mom did awesome, even in the moments that got a little intense, and especially when it came to pushing baby girl out," she wrote. "Actually seeing the power and determination, push after push - I'll never look at my wife the same again, she is so powerful."

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A missing 38-year-olds body was found, and the man accused of killing him is also charged in two other deaths, North Carolina officials said.

A month ago, the Greensboro Police Department said it learned about the disappearance of James Devon Goolsby. After he was reported missing on March 22, investigators say they suspected foul play.

Then on April 14, a tip led investigators to Goolsbys remains. Police told WGHP he was found dead in Henry County, Virginia, which sits along the North Carolina border roughly 50 miles north of Greensboro.

A person of interest in the case  John Richardson  was charged with first-degree murder. He also had faced that same charge in the deaths of two other people  Mark Anthony Gilbert, Jr. and Michael A. Hemphill  according to authorities.

The Greensboro Police Department in a news release didnt list attorney information for Richardson. The 53-year-old Greensboro resident is being held in the Guilford County jail.

Gilbert died in March, and Hemphill was shot in January, WXII and other news outlets reported.

In addition to the murder charges, Richardson is charged with concealment of death, dismember/destroy human remains, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and possession of firearm by felon, police wrote.

No additional details about the three deaths were shared by police but they said a homicide investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000 or use the P3tips website or mobile application.

Grandmas body found in NC over a year after relatives accused of concealing her death

Mom calls 911 about fake intruder after her son kills his wife, South Carolina cops say
Posters outside the Eugene Ionesco National Theater in Chisinau, Moldova, urge Russia to end its war in Ukraine Charles Davis/Insider

Nearly 100,000 Ukrainians have settled in neighboring Moldova since the war began.

Moldova had a labor shortage before the war, with companies there eager to hire refugees.

One Ukrainian told Insider about her life in the country and why she's working so hard to go home.

CHISINAU, Moldova  Polina fled Odessa the same day that Russia started bombing Ukraine.

Taking refuge in the capital of Moldova, she now lives in a tiny two-bedroom apartment with her father, her sister, and her sister's husband and child. She said she likes this country that she never visited prior to the war  most people here also speak Russian  but she's eager to go back home. Like most Ukrainian refugees, she's planning on it.

"It's a little expensive, but if you came here of your own free will it would be a good country to live in," she said of her adopted nation, where nearly 100,000 people like her now live, during a break at the coffee shop where she works 12 hours a day, four days a week. When she's not making espresso, Polina, 18, is usually working at an upscale flower shop down the street.

"Overall it's okay," she said. Most people are welcoming, even if she doesn't speak Romanian, the official language in this bilingual nation.

There have been uncomfortable moments, though. Early on she went to a center that was distributing food for refugees. "You have an expensive phone," she said one person working there told her. "Why don't you just sell it and buy food?"

If Polina has any other complaint, it's about her own country and how the media there, in her view, is airing too much "hate speech," too often failing to distinguish between the Russian people and their government.

"I work with a few Russians here," she said, "and I don't hate them."

People wait to order at Poetry Coffeeshop in Chisinau, Moldova. Charles Davis/Insider

Working 70 hours a week at service jobs in a foreign country is not what she had planned for her life three months ago.

Story continues

Back in the port city where she was born, Polina was in college, studying biology. Still, it beats hanging out in the apartment and worrying about her grandparents and mother who are still in Odessa, unwilling to abandon their home (they couldn't come, anyway: "There would be no place for them to sleep.")

"I wanted to go back for Easter," Polina said, but she had to work. "I cannot take too many days off," she explained. Besides, "It's still risky."

The day after speaking to Insider, a Russian attack on a residential building in Odessa, just an hour's drive from the Moldova border, killed eight people.

Still, that's where she wants to be. That she might not be able to go back is not a thought she is entertaining. It's why she's working, finding a job two weeks after her arrival, waiting half a day in line at the immigration office for the identification number she needs to do so legally. She started working at the cafe a day after her interview.

It's all to prepare for a future life that isn't in Moldova  and is far from guaranteed.

"When I get back, I will need money to live for a while, because I don't have a job lined up in Odessa," she said.

Andrei Ruso provided translation services.

Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com

Read the original article on Business Insider
Elon Musk's tunnel startup The Boring Company plans to begin "full-scale" testing of hyperloop, a still theoretical transportation system that sends passengers in autonomous electric pods through a tube at speeds in excess of 600 miles per hour.

Musk tweeted out the update Monday, just a day after announcing the company would attempt to build a working hyperloop and less than a week since The Boring Company raised $675 million at a $5.7 billion valuation.

Musk first floated the idea of hyperloop in a white paper published in 2013. Musk didn't personally pursue the project and instead shared the basic engineering plans and encouraged others to take on the challenge. SpaceX, another Musk company, also hosted a hyperloop competition between 2015 and 2019 for students and hobbyists to design and build a subscale prototype transport vehicle. A one-mile hyperloop test track, itself a prototype, was constructed in October 2016. Other companies, including Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) haven't deployed any commercial operating versions of the proposed transport systems yet.

Until these past few days, Musk's public commentary and activity around hyperloop had seemed to fizzle with the exception of the annual contest. And even that shifted from the hyperloop pod to tunneling. In September 2021, The Boring Company hosted the Not-a-Boring Competition, which challenged engineers to build tunneling machines. Technical University of Munich, or Tum, won the overall competition. Tum has won previous hyperloop competitions as well.

The Boring competition is coming back in 2022 with teams invited to design, build and race their own tunneling machines at TBC's factory in Texas. Teams will compete in four categories, including the fastest to complete the tunnel, design, accuracy of the tunnel and tightest turn.

The idea of hyperloop has attracted other engineers, researchers, startup founders and even Virgin's Richard Branson. Despite years of effort and some progress, there is not yet a working example of the system anywhere in the world.
CHICAGO  Federal prosecutors said the North Shore brothers who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol building should each spend 14 days in prison.

In heavily redacted responses, attorneys for Christian Kulas, 25, and Mark Kulas Jr., 28, of Kenilworth, argued six months probation and community service would be appropriate to address their "unique circumstances."

The Kulases flew to Washington, D.C., the day before the "Stop the Steal" rally near the National Mall and stayed at the Trump International Hotel, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Friedman said in a sentencing memo.

After walking to the U.S. Capitol building with a large group of rioters and filming people scaling the walls, Christian Kulas posted videos of himself laughing and published it to social media, Friedman said.

About 13 minutes after the doors to the Senate wing were broken open by rioters, the two brothers headed in, according to the prosecutor. After watching as rioters spoke with law enforcement about 5 minutes later inside a hallway, they headed to the Capitol Rotunda with a large group of rioters.

Friedman said neither of them used force to participate in an effort to break open a door, and they walked away after the rioters succeeded in doing so, spending several minutes walking around the Statuary Hall, East Stairs and nearby hallways, the prosecutor said.

Prosecutors said surveillance footage showed Mark Kulas Jr. and Christian Kulas walking around the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. Attorney's Office)

After about 20 minutes in the Capitol building, the brothers briefly left and reentered the building, according to Friedman, but after they were informed someone had been shot, they left again moments later.

Prosecutors said the Kulases flew back to Illinois the next day. Investigators interviewed Mark Kulas Jr. on June 8, 2021  the day his brother was arrested. According to Friedman, Mark Kulas told law enforcement the brothers had spent about 30 minutes walking around the Capitol building.

"[Mark Kulas Jr.] stated that he and Christian Kulas marched with the crowd towards the U.S. Capitol Building after the rally, and that he did not see barricades and did not hear police giving any orders," Friedman said.

Story continues

Federal prosecutors provided a photo highlighting Mark Kulas inside the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. Attorney's Office)

Mark Kulas Jr. was charged in November 2021, and the two brothers each pleaded guilty the following month to one count misdemeanor parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. The offense carries a sentence of up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $5,000, according to their plea agreements.



Friedman said his recommendation that both brothers be sentenced to two weeks behind bars was informed by Christian Kulas' "serious and long-standing physical and mental health issues" and by Mark Kulas Jr.'s "significant and long-standing physical and mental health issues" described in a sealed pre-sentence report.

Defense attorney Rachel Cannon filed heavily redacted sentencing memorandums on behalf of both Kulas brothers, in which she calls for them to be sentenced of six months probation, plus community service.

Cannon notes that Christian Kulas attended Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana, and later transferred to Lake Forest High School, while Mark Kulas Jr. graduated from Trinity University.

According to Cannon, Mark Kulas Jr. had worked as a food runner at an Italian restaurant in Chicago and hoped to become a professional sommelier prior to the pandemic.

After teaching yoga in the northern suburbs in 2019, Christian Kulas traveled to an ashram in India.

"During his time in the ashram, he [redacted.] He also continued serving others, including by teaching yoga to poor children in an Indian orphanage," Cannon said, "and assisting an elderly woman harvest her sugar cane, milk her cows, and make cheese."

Cannon said Christian Kulas returned to the U.S. in March 2020 and remained there due to COVID-19.

"He spent 2020 helping out his family's cleaning business, which was badly affected by Covid, and developed an interest in local and national Republican politics. During 2020, Christian worked at 'The Coalition to Vote No on the Proposed Tax Hike Amendment,' a local Republican get-out-the-vote effort, and also volunteered for a couple of Republican state and federal congressional campaigns," his defense attorney said in his sentencing memo.

Cannon said the brothers never planned to enter the Capitol, only to listen to Trump's speech.

"Regrettably, Mark and Christian ultimately succumbed to the mob atmosphere on the Ellipse, where people were screaming, chanting, and moving en masse towards the Capitol," Cannon said, in Mark Kulas Jr.'s sentencing memo. "Instead of leaving the rally and returning to their hotel, Mark and Christian made the poor decision to walk with the crowd of thousands to the Capitol and parade inside for 24 minutes."

Brothers Mark and Christian Kulas are indicated with a red circle on an image captured from surveillance cameras at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. Attorney's Office)

In the portions of the memos left unredacted, Cannon said both brothers acknowledge their wrongdoing and regret taking part in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. She also emphasized that they did not take part in any violence and that the family business had been damaged by their actions.

"Without meaning to minimize in any way Christian's actions or their wrongfulness, we hope the Court can understand how easy it was for such a [redacted] young man to be swept into a crowd of thousands that day," said Cannon, a former federal prosecutor and white-collar criminal defense attorney, in one memo.

"Without meaning to minimize in any way Marks actions or their wrongfulness," she said in the other, "we hope the Court can understand Marks susceptibility to following the crowd that day due to [redacted] as Mark, he felt excitement and a sense of belonging as the cheering crowd of thousands began making its way toward the Capitol."

Sentencing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Related:

This article originally appeared on the Wilmette-Kenilworth Patch
In this article:

Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted is set to visit Emerson, an engineering and technology company in Shelby county, today.

Husted will be visiting the Sidney company this morning around 10:00 a.m., according to a press release.

>>First Lady Fran DeWine diagnosed with COVID-19; Gov. DeWine still recovering

The Emerson company works with industrial, commercial, and residential markets.

Later today, Husted is set to visit RoBEX, a company in Wood County.

The press release went on to explain that RoBEX is a company that uses technology solutions to automate and optimize manufacturing processes.
After longtime Orioles center fielder Adam Jones said on 105.7 FM on Sunday that the club hasnt invited him to any of its planned events for the 30-year anniversary of Camden Yards, an Orioles spokesperson said the team is still working to invite Jones and other notable alumni from the ballparks three-decade history.

Jones, 36, played for the Orioles from 2008 to 2018. He has hit more home runs at Camden Yards than any other player and ranks in the top 10 in franchise history in games, hits and more.

After using his 10-and-5 rights to negate a trade to the Philadelphia Phillies during the 2018 season, the five-time All-Star became a free agent and signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He spent 2020 and 2021 playing in Japan, and has not signed to play anywhere for 2022 after the Orix Buffaloes did not exercise a team option for this season.

Active players, such as former Orioles infielders Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop, are not on the teams list of planned invitees.

Among those who have reportedly received an invitation is former infielder Robert Andino, whose walk-off single at Camden Yards in the final game of the 2011 season prevented the Boston Red Sox from making the playoffs. Speaking on 105.7 FM, Jones said he recently spoke with Andino, who informed him the Orioles had asked him to appear at an event related to the venues 30-year anniversary.

Jones responded that he had yet to receive an invite himself, but one is coming, a team spokesperson told The Baltimore Sun.
B(200706): 20220426 06:31:30  :

: B :

Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited

th th

Resolution of the 13 Session of 8 BOD



The Company and all members of the BOD guarantee that the information disclosed is true, accurate and

completed, and that there are no false records, misleading statements or material omissions. I. Convening of the Board Meeting

1. Time and manner of the notification

th th

The notice on convening the 13 session of 8 BOD under the name of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited

was sent by written fax on 12 April 2022.

2. Time, place and manner of the Board Meeting

th th

The 13 session of 8 BOD to be held on 22 April 2022 at 9:30 a.m. in the conference room 1004 of the office

building of Wafangdian Group by means of on-site combined communication(video conferencing). 3. Number of directors who should have attended the Meeting and actual number of directors who attended

12 directors should attend, 12 actually attended

4. Moderator of the Meeting and participants of the Meeting The Meeting was chaired by President Mr. Liu Jun, and five supervisors and one senior executive are attended

the Meeting.

5. The Meeting of the BOD was held in accordance with the relevant provisions of Company laws and Article

of Association.

II. Meeting consideration

1. Report of BOD of 2021;

Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions 2. Profit Distribution Plan of 2021;

Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions According to the audit of ShineWing Certified Public Accountants, the net profit attributable to shareholders of

parent company for year of 2021 was -205,737,685.42 yuan, plus the retained profit at the beginning of the

year -211,056,473.59 yuan, the profit available for distribution was -416,794,159.01 yuan, the total profit

available for distribution to shareholders was 0 yuan, and the retained profit at the end of the period was

-416,794,159.01 yuan.

Considering the actual situation of the company and its business needs, the company studied and decided that

the company would not distribute dividends, distribute bonus shares, or convert public reserves into share

capital in 2021.

3. Financial Report for year of 2021 (Audited);

Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions 4.Financial Budget for year of 2022;

Voting result: valid 12 votes, 10 in favor, 2 against, 0 abstention. Tang Yurong and Fang Bo, two directors, voted against, believing that: Based on the current financial situation

of the company, the priority of working should be on the improvement of operation performance to meet the

demand for funds, so as to reduce the liquidity pressure, and should avoid borrowing new debt to make up for

the poor operation quality and resulting financial and operational risks. Especially, the weak operation and

financial performance from Q1 shows that there are still quite some uncertainties of the conditions of realizing

this ambitious growth of the budget in the following 8 months. 5.Annual Report of 2021 and Summary;

Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions 6.Self-assessment Report of Internal Control;

Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions 7.Proposal of Daily Related Transactions Forecast for year of 2022; Voting result: 8 valid votes, 8 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions Associated director Liu Jun, Zhang Xinghai, Chen Jiajun and Sun Najuan recuse themselves from voting.

8.Proposal to Engaged Accounting Firms for the Year of 2022 and Audit Fees Payment; Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions The BOD decided to accept the proposal of the audit committee and plan to engage BOD China Shu Lun Pan

Certified Public Accountants (LLP) as the internal control audit agency and audit institution for year of 2022

of the Company. Auditing fee of the financial report and internal controls for year of 2022 was 0.7 million

yuan in total (tax inclusive, including travel and correspondence costs, etc.), of which the financial reports

audit fee is 550,000 yuan and 150,000 yuan for the audit of internal control. 9.The plan of production and operation in 2022

Voting result: valid 12 votes, 10 in favor, 2 against, 0 abstention. Tang Yurong and Fang Bo, two directors, voted against, believing that: Based on the current financial situation

of the company, the priority of working should be on the improvement of operation performance to meet the

demand for funds, so as to reduce the liquidity pressure, and should avoid borrowing new debt to make up for

the poor operation quality and resulting financial and operational risks. Especially, the weak operation and

financial performance from Q1 shows that there are still quite some uncertainties of the conditions of realizing

this ambitious growth of the budget in the following 8 months. Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions 11.Financial Report for Q1 of 2022 (unaudited);

Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions 12. Proposal for Provision of Assets Impairment;

Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions 13.proposal to nominate the candidates for non-independent directors of 9th BOD; Voting result: deliberated and approved the proposal to nominate the candidates for non-independent directors

th

of 9 BOD unanimously



Director candidates Number of votes in favour Number of votes against Number of votes abstentions Liu Jun 12 0 0 Zhang Xinghai 12 0 0 Chen Jiajun 12 0 0 Wang Jiyuan 12 0 0 Sun Najuan 12 0 0 Tan Jianguang 12 0 0 Zhaoqingtao 12 0 0 Fang Bo 12 0 0 See attach resume of the above mentioned non-independent directors. 14.proposal to nominate the candidates for independent directors of 9th BOD; th

Voting result: deliberated and approved the proposal to nominate the candidates for independent directors of 9

BOD unanimously



Independent director candidates Number of votes in favour Number of votes against Number of votes abstentions Liang Shuang 12 0 0 Sun Kun 12 0 0 Wang Yan 12 0 0 Wen Bo 12 0 0 After deliberated by the BOD, it is considered that Ms. Liang Shuang, Ms. Sun Kun, Ms. Wang Yan and Mr.

Wen Bo have obtained the qualification certificate of independent director recognized by SSE and meets the

qualification of independent director and have independence. Among the candidates for the Ninth Board of Directors of the company, the total number of directors who

concurrently serve as senior management personnel of the company and the number of directors served by

staff representatives does not exceed one-half of the total number of directors of the company, which meets the

requirements of relevant laws and regulations. All independent director candidates have obtained the

independent director qualification certificate. The qualifications and independence of the independent director

candidates shall not be submitted to the companys shareholdersmeeting for consideration until the Shenzhen

Stock Exchange has filed and examined and no objection has been raised. In order to ensure the normal work of the board of directors, before the election of the board of directors for a

new term is completed, the Directors of the Fifth Board of Directors of the company shall, in accordance with

the provisions of the laws, administrative regulations and the articles of association, continue to perform the

duties and responsibilities of diligent directors.

Full text of independent director nominee statements and candidate statements found in the announcement on

appointed information website-Juchao Website (http://www.cninfo.com.cn). 15. The proposal of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd. on the loss not covered exceeding one third of the

total paid-up capital stock;

Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions 16.Proposal on Convening the AGM of 2021;

Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions The company decide to hold the 2021 annual shareholdersmeeting on 19 May 2022. The Meeting heard the following matters:

1. Performance Report of 2021 from the Auditing Committee

2. Summary Report on the Annual Auditing of 2021 by Accounting Firms from the Auditing Committee

3. Report on Work of Independent Directors

Independent directors of the Company expressed their prior approval of the proposals in item 7 and 8, and

issued independent opinions on item 2, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12 and 13. The prior approvals and independent directors

opinions found more in the Notice released on appointed website (Juchao website http://www.cninfo.com.cn)

for information disclosure.

Proposal 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13,14 and 15 are to be submitted for consideration and approval at the AGM of

2021.

For the full text of motions 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 15, 16 and the hearing items of the three meetings, please refer to

the announcement on http://www.cninfo.com.cn, the designated information disclosure website. III. Documents Available for Reference

th th

1.Resolution of 13 Session of 8 BOD of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited; 2. Auditing Report of 2021;

3.The Annual Report 2021 and First Quarterly Report of 2022 with the signature of companys legal person,

person in charge of the accounting works and person in charge of the accounting organ as well as the company

seals;

4. Auditing Report of Internal Control;

5. Independent Directors Opinion;

6. Prior Approval Letter from Independent Directors

Hereby notify

Board of director of

Wafangdian bearing Company limited 25 April 2022





Annex:

1. Resumes of Non- independent directors

Mr. Liu Jun, born in January 1970, university degree and owns a masters degree, he jointed the workforce in

August 1992 and join the CPC in December 2000. Mr. Liu worked as the deputy GM of DHIDCW Group Co.,

Ltd. , the deputy president of Dalian Huarui Heavy Industry Group Co., Ltd, the president and Party Secretary

of Dalian Rubber & Plastics Machinery Co., Ltd. Currently he is the Party Secretary and President of

Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd.

Mr. Zhang Xinghai, born in October 1968, university degree and a senior accountant at researcher level, he

jointed the workforce in July 1991. Mr. Zhang worked as the deputy chief accountant and secretary of the

Board of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited, the director, chief accountant and secretary of the Board of

Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited. Now he is the deputy secretary of the Party Committee and GM of

Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd.

Mr. Chen Jiajun, born in December 1967, university degree and an economist and statistician, he jointed the

workforce in August 1990. Mr. Chen worked as the section chief, assistant director, deputy director, director of

economic operation department of Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd., the assistant GM and head of

economic operation department of Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd.; now he is the deputy GM of Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd.

Mr. Wang Jiyuan, born in December 1966. he graduated from Liaoning University with a university degree

major in industrial economics. Mr. Wang worked as the vice president of management department, director of

planning & finance department and vice GM of the Company, the assistant GM of ZWZ Corporation. Now he

is the Director and GM of the Company.

Ms. Sun Najuan, born in October 1968, University degree, Master degree, senior accountant at research

level,she joined the workforce in August 1990. she worked as the account of finance department and head of

inspection section of Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd., assistant GM of material supply company under

the Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited, the assistant GM of sales head office of Wafangdian Bearing

chief accountant, director and secretary of the Board of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited. Mr. Tan Jianguang, born in December 1964, an assistant engineer, he jointed the workforce in August 1986.

he worked as the workshop director in cage branch factory, the sales man, director, vice president, vice GM

and GM of the marketing department of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited.; the assistant GM and GM of

the railway division and railway bearing sales company under the Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited.;

now he is the Director and Deputy GM of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited. Mr. Zhao Qingtao, born in July 1977, master degree. In 1999, he joined Shanghai Hongzheng Law Firm as a

lawyer; in 2005, he joined Shanghai Xieli Management Consulting Co. , Ltd. as a legal consultant; in 2006, he

joined eastby Industrial Minerals Co. , Ltd. as a legal officer in China since 2008; In 2010 joined Bekaert

Business Management (Shanghai) Co. , Ltd. , 2013 as North Asia legal director; 2015 joined Valeo Business

Management (Shanghai) Co. , Ltd. as deputy director of Legal Affairs in China; Joined skf (China) Ltd. as

director of legal affairs and compliance in 2019 and has been director of legal, compliance, environment,

health and safety for Skf China and northeast subregion since March 2022. Ms. Fang Bo, born June 1972, undergraduate. Joined pricewaterhousecoopers as an auditor in 1994. He joined

skf (China) Co. , Ltd. in 1997. He was the finance manager of the subsidiary company of the Investment

Company. He is the finance manager of skf (China) Co. , Ltd. . Since January 2020, he has been in charge of

skfs Northeast Asia Financial Operation Center.

2.Resumes of independent directors

Ms. Liang Shuang, born in 1965, Chinese nationality, Ph.D. in Accounting and a professor. She is working in

the Northeast University of Fiance and Economics from 1990 to present, and previously served as the assistant

professor of material & economic management department in Northeast University of Fiance and Economics,

the lecturer, associated professor, professor of School of Accounting in Northeast University of Fiance and

Economics and part-time head of finance department, training center of accounting college of the Northeast

th

University of Fiance and Economics. She was the member of 10 CPPCC of Dalian from 2003 to 2007, th th

member of the 11 CPPCC of Dalian from 2008 to 2012, and member of the 12 CPPC/proposal committee of

th

Dalian from 2013 to 2017. independent director of 6 BOD of Dalian Sun Asia (Retired). Ms. Sun Kun, born in 1958, Chinese nationality, doctoral degree and professor of accounting. Since 1982, she

worked in the Northeast University of Finance and Economics, she previously worked as the assistant

professor, lecturer, associate professor, professor of the School of Accounting in Northeast University of

th

Finance and Economics; she served as a member of the 9 Peoples Congress of Liaoning Province, the deputy

secretary general of Liaoning Internal Audit Association, Director of Liaoning Provincial Audit Society, the

Liaoning Department of Finance CPA profession administrative penalty hearing committee moderator and

Director and Academic Committee Member of China Internal Audit Association. From May 2002 to March 2008, she served as an independent director of Dalian Dayang Trands Company. Ms. Wang Yan, born in 1963, currently she is the professor at Northeast University of Fiance and Economics,

laws school and a masters degree advisor. In 1981, she graduated from China University of Political Science

& Law with a bachelors degree in law; in 1988, Ms. Wang graduated from China University of Political

Science & Law with an LLM degree in economic law; and teaching at the law school of Northeast University

of Fiance and Economics since 1988. Ms. Wang Yan served as the independent director (retirement) of China

Dalian International Cooperation (Group) Holdings Ltd., independent director (retirement) of CGN Nuclear

Technology Development Co., Ltd., independent director (in office) of LINTON Technologies Group and

independent director (in office) of Bingshan Refrigeration & Heat Transfer Technologies Co., Ltd. Part-time

job: Director of China Economic Law Research Association, President of the Economic Law Research Society

of Liaoning Law Society and academic member of Liaoning Law Society; the executive director of the First

Council of Dalian Peoples Mediation Association, member of the Expert Advisory Committee of Dalian

Intermediate Peoples Court, the legal counsel of Dalian Consumers Association, Pulandian Municipal

Government and Dalian Municipal Government Office of Legal Governance; the arbitrator, part-time lawyer

of Dalian, Anshan, Benxi Arbitration Commission; She was the Director of Economic Law Teaching Department of Northeast University of Fiance and Economics law school and vice dean of the Law School.

Mr. Wen Bo, born in 1963, he graduated from China University of Political Science and Law, majoring in law.

He worked at the Dalian Municipal Bureau of Justice and now he is the founding partner of Liaoning Huicheng Laws Firm and the expert advisor on local legislation to the Standing Committee of Dalian Peoples

Congress.

The above candidates are not the defaulted executors.



 Wafangdian Bearing Company Limitedth thResolution of the 13 Session of 8 BODThe Company and all members of the BOD guarantee that the information disclosed is true, accurate andcompleted, and that there are no false records, misleading statements or material omissions. I. Convening of the Board Meeting1. Time and manner of the notificationth thThe notice on convening the 13 session of 8 BOD under the name of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limitedwas sent by written fax on 12 April 2022.2. Time, place and manner of the Board Meetingth thThe 13 session of 8 BOD to be held on 22 April 2022 at 9:30 a.m. in the conference room 1004 of the officebuilding of Wafangdian Group by means of on-site combined communication(video conferencing). 3. Number of directors who should have attended the Meeting and actual number of directors who attended12 directors should attend, 12 actually attended4. Moderator of the Meeting and participants of the Meeting The Meeting was chaired by President Mr. Liu Jun, and five supervisors and one senior executive are attendedthe Meeting.5. The Meeting of the BOD was held in accordance with the relevant provisions of Company laws and Articleof Association.II. Meeting consideration1. Report of BOD of 2021;Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions 2. Profit Distribution Plan of 2021;Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions According to the audit of ShineWing Certified Public Accountants, the net profit attributable to shareholders ofparent company for year of 2021 was -205,737,685.42 yuan, plus the retained profit at the beginning of theyear -211,056,473.59 yuan, the profit available for distribution was -416,794,159.01 yuan, the total profitavailable for distribution to shareholders was 0 yuan, and the retained profit at the end of the period was-416,794,159.01 yuan.Considering the actual situation of the company and its business needs, the company studied and decided thatthe company would not distribute dividends, distribute bonus shares, or convert public reserves into sharecapital in 2021.3. Financial Report for year of 2021 (Audited);Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions 4.Financial Budget for year of 2022;Voting result: valid 12 votes, 10 in favor, 2 against, 0 abstention. Tang Yurong and Fang Bo, two directors, voted against, believing that: Based on the current financial situationof the company, the priority of working should be on the improvement of operation performance to meet thedemand for funds, so as to reduce the liquidity pressure, and should avoid borrowing new debt to make up forthe poor operation quality and resulting financial and operational risks. Especially, the weak operation andfinancial performance from Q1 shows that there are still quite some uncertainties of the conditions of realizingthis ambitious growth of the budget in the following 8 months. 5.Annual Report of 2021 and Summary;Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions 6.Self-assessment Report of Internal Control;Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions 7.Proposal of Daily Related Transactions Forecast for year of 2022; Voting result: 8 valid votes, 8 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions Associated director Liu Jun, Zhang Xinghai, Chen Jiajun and Sun Najuan recuse themselves from voting.8.Proposal to Engaged Accounting Firms for the Year of 2022 and Audit Fees Payment; Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions The BOD decided to accept the proposal of the audit committee and plan to engage BOD China Shu Lun PanCertified Public Accountants (LLP) as the internal control audit agency and audit institution for year of 2022of the Company. Auditing fee of the financial report and internal controls for year of 2022 was 0.7 millionyuan in total (tax inclusive, including travel and correspondence costs, etc.), of which the financial reportsaudit fee is 550,000 yuan and 150,000 yuan for the audit of internal control. 9.The plan of production and operation in 2022Voting result: valid 12 votes, 10 in favor, 2 against, 0 abstention. Tang Yurong and Fang Bo, two directors, voted against, believing that: Based on the current financial situationof the company, the priority of working should be on the improvement of operation performance to meet thedemand for funds, so as to reduce the liquidity pressure, and should avoid borrowing new debt to make up forthe poor operation quality and resulting financial and operational risks. Especially, the weak operation andfinancial performance from Q1 shows that there are still quite some uncertainties of the conditions of realizingthis ambitious growth of the budget in the following 8 months. Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions 11.Financial Report for Q1 of 2022 (unaudited);Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions 12. Proposal for Provision of Assets Impairment;Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions 13.proposal to nominate the candidates for non-independent directors of 9th BOD; Voting result: deliberated and approved the proposal to nominate the candidates for non-independent directorsthof 9 BOD unanimouslySee attach resume of the above mentioned non-independent directors. 14.proposal to nominate the candidates for independent directors of 9th BOD; thVoting result: deliberated and approved the proposal to nominate the candidates for independent directors of 9BOD unanimouslyAfter deliberated by the BOD, it is considered that Ms. Liang Shuang, Ms. Sun Kun, Ms. Wang Yan and Mr.Wen Bo have obtained the qualification certificate of independent director recognized by SSE and meets thequalification of independent director and have independence. Among the candidates for the Ninth Board of Directors of the company, the total number of directors whoconcurrently serve as senior management personnel of the company and the number of directors served bystaff representatives does not exceed one-half of the total number of directors of the company, which meets therequirements of relevant laws and regulations. All independent director candidates have obtained theindependent director qualification certificate. The qualifications and independence of the independent directorcandidates shall not be submitted to the companys shareholdersmeeting for consideration until the ShenzhenStock Exchange has filed and examined and no objection has been raised. In order to ensure the normal work of the board of directors, before the election of the board of directors for anew term is completed, the Directors of the Fifth Board of Directors of the company shall, in accordance withthe provisions of the laws, administrative regulations and the articles of association, continue to perform theduties and responsibilities of diligent directors.Full text of independent director nominee statements and candidate statements found in the announcement onappointed information website-Juchao Website (http://www.cninfo.com.cn). 15. The proposal of Wafangdian Bearing Co., Ltd. on the loss not covered exceeding one third of thetotal paid-up capital stock;Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions 16.Proposal on Convening the AGM of 2021;Voting result: 12 valid votes, 12 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstentions The company decide to hold the 2021 annual shareholdersmeeting on 19 May 2022. The Meeting heard the following matters:1. Performance Report of 2021 from the Auditing Committee2. Summary Report on the Annual Auditing of 2021 by Accounting Firms from the Auditing Committee3. Report on Work of Independent DirectorsIndependent directors of the Company expressed their prior approval of the proposals in item 7 and 8, andissued independent opinions on item 2, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12 and 13. The prior approvals and independent directorsopinions found more in the Notice released on appointed website (Juchao website http://www.cninfo.com.cn)for information disclosure.Proposal 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13,14 and 15 are to be submitted for consideration and approval at the AGM of2021.For the full text of motions 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 15, 16 and the hearing items of the three meetings, please refer tothe announcement on http://www.cninfo.com.cn, the designated information disclosure website. III. Documents Available for Referenceth th1.Resolution of 13 Session of 8 BOD of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited; 2. Auditing Report of 2021;3.The Annual Report 2021 and First Quarterly Report of 2022 with the signature of companys legal person,person in charge of the accounting works and person in charge of the accounting organ as well as the companyseals;4. Auditing Report of Internal Control;5. Independent Directors Opinion;6. Prior Approval Letter from Independent DirectorsHereby notifyBoard of director ofWafangdian bearing Company limited 25 April 2022Annex:1. Resumes of Non- independent directorsMr. Liu Jun, born in January 1970, university degree and owns a masters degree, he jointed the workforce inAugust 1992 and join the CPC in December 2000. Mr. Liu worked as the deputy GM of DHIDCW Group Co.,Ltd. , the deputy president of Dalian Huarui Heavy Industry Group Co., Ltd, the president and Party Secretaryof Dalian Rubber & Plastics Machinery Co., Ltd. Currently he is the Party Secretary and President ofWafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd.Mr. Zhang Xinghai, born in October 1968, university degree and a senior accountant at researcher level, hejointed the workforce in July 1991. Mr. Zhang worked as the deputy chief accountant and secretary of theBoard of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited, the director, chief accountant and secretary of the Board ofWafangdian Bearing Company Limited. Now he is the deputy secretary of the Party Committee and GM ofWafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd.Mr. Chen Jiajun, born in December 1967, university degree and an economist and statistician, he jointed theworkforce in August 1990. Mr. Chen worked as the section chief, assistant director, deputy director, director ofeconomic operation department of Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd., the assistant GM and head ofeconomic operation department of Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd.; now he is the deputy GM of Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd.Mr. Wang Jiyuan, born in December 1966. he graduated from Liaoning University with a university degreemajor in industrial economics. Mr. Wang worked as the vice president of management department, director ofplanning & finance department and vice GM of the Company, the assistant GM of ZWZ Corporation. Now heis the Director and GM of the Company.Ms. Sun Najuan, born in October 1968, University degree, Master degree, senior accountant at researchlevel,she joined the workforce in August 1990. she worked as the account of finance department and head ofinspection section of Wafangdian Bearing Group Corp., Ltd., assistant GM of material supply company underthe Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited, the assistant GM of sales head office of Wafangdian Bearingchief accountant, director and secretary of the Board of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited. Mr. Tan Jianguang, born in December 1964, an assistant engineer, he jointed the workforce in August 1986.he worked as the workshop director in cage branch factory, the sales man, director, vice president, vice GMand GM of the marketing department of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited.; the assistant GM and GM ofthe railway division and railway bearing sales company under the Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited.;now he is the Director and Deputy GM of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited. Mr. Zhao Qingtao, born in July 1977, master degree. In 1999, he joined Shanghai Hongzheng Law Firm as alawyer; in 2005, he joined Shanghai Xieli Management Consulting Co. , Ltd. as a legal consultant; in 2006, hejoined eastby Industrial Minerals Co. , Ltd. as a legal officer in China since 2008; In 2010 joined BekaertBusiness Management (Shanghai) Co. , Ltd. , 2013 as North Asia legal director; 2015 joined Valeo BusinessManagement (Shanghai) Co. , Ltd. as deputy director of Legal Affairs in China; Joined skf (China) Ltd. asdirector of legal affairs and compliance in 2019 and has been director of legal, compliance, environment,health and safety for Skf China and northeast subregion since March 2022. Ms. Fang Bo, born June 1972, undergraduate. Joined pricewaterhousecoopers as an auditor in 1994. He joinedskf (China) Co. , Ltd. in 1997. He was the finance manager of the subsidiary company of the InvestmentCompany. He is the finance manager of skf (China) Co. , Ltd. . Since January 2020, he has been in charge ofskfs Northeast Asia Financial Operation Center.2.Resumes of independent directorsMs. Liang Shuang, born in 1965, Chinese nationality, Ph.D. in Accounting and a professor. She is working inthe Northeast University of Fiance and Economics from 1990 to present, and previously served as the assistantprofessor of material & economic management department in Northeast University of Fiance and Economics,the lecturer, associated professor, professor of School of Accounting in Northeast University of Fiance andEconomics and part-time head of finance department, training center of accounting college of the NortheastthUniversity of Fiance and Economics. She was the member of 10 CPPCC of Dalian from 2003 to 2007, th thmember of the 11 CPPCC of Dalian from 2008 to 2012, and member of the 12 CPPC/proposal committee ofthDalian from 2013 to 2017. independent director of 6 BOD of Dalian Sun Asia (Retired). Ms. Sun Kun, born in 1958, Chinese nationality, doctoral degree and professor of accounting. Since 1982, sheworked in the Northeast University of Finance and Economics, she previously worked as the assistantprofessor, lecturer, associate professor, professor of the School of Accounting in Northeast University ofthFinance and Economics; she served as a member of the 9 Peoples Congress of Liaoning Province, the deputysecretary general of Liaoning Internal Audit Association, Director of Liaoning Provincial Audit Society, theLiaoning Department of Finance CPA profession administrative penalty hearing committee moderator andDirector and Academic Committee Member of China Internal Audit Association. From May 2002 to March 2008, she served as an independent director of Dalian Dayang Trands Company. Ms. Wang Yan, born in 1963, currently she is the professor at Northeast University of Fiance and Economics,laws school and a masters degree advisor. In 1981, she graduated from China University of Political Science& Law with a bachelors degree in law; in 1988, Ms. Wang graduated from China University of PoliticalScience & Law with an LLM degree in economic law; and teaching at the law school of Northeast Universityof Fiance and Economics since 1988. Ms. Wang Yan served as the independent director (retirement) of ChinaDalian International Cooperation (Group) Holdings Ltd., independent director (retirement) of CGN NuclearTechnology Development Co., Ltd., independent director (in office) of LINTON Technologies Group andindependent director (in office) of Bingshan Refrigeration & Heat Transfer Technologies Co., Ltd. Part-timejob: Director of China Economic Law Research Association, President of the Economic Law Research Societyof Liaoning Law Society and academic member of Liaoning Law Society; the executive director of the FirstCouncil of Dalian Peoples Mediation Association, member of the Expert Advisory Committee of DalianIntermediate Peoples Court, the legal counsel of Dalian Consumers Association, Pulandian MunicipalGovernment and Dalian Municipal Government Office of Legal Governance; the arbitrator, part-time lawyerof Dalian, Anshan, Benxi Arbitration Commission; She was the Director of Economic Law Teaching Department of Northeast University of Fiance and Economics law school and vice dean of the Law School.Mr. Wen Bo, born in 1963, he graduated from China University of Political Science and Law, majoring in law.He worked at the Dalian Municipal Bureau of Justice and now he is the founding partner of Liaoning Huicheng Laws Firm and the expert advisor on local legislation to the Standing Committee of Dalian PeoplesCongress.The above candidates are not the defaulted executors.
Photos adorn a large memorial to Trinity Love Jones, whose body was found in a duffel bag along a suburban Los Angeles equestrian trail in Hacienda Heights. (Reed Saxon / Associated Press)

Three years after Trinity Love Jones' body was found in a duffel bag along a hiking trail in Hacienda Heights, her mother and her boyfriend have been sentenced to prison in the girl's death.

Trinity was 9 years old in March 2019 when she was killed and her body was dumped along an equestrian trail in Hacienda Heights near the Pomona Freeway. The girl's frail 55-pound body was scarred from head to toe, and a medical examiner's report detailed she was beaten, starved and had an infection on her feet that made it hard for her to wear shoes.

For days, investigators circulated a sketch of the mystery girl, whose unidentified body haunted the region.

Her mother, Taquesta Graham, and her boyfriend, Emiel Hunt, ultimately were arrested and charged with Trinity's death.

On Friday, Graham and Hunt were sentenced in a Pomona courtroom after they pleaded no contest to the charges, according to Los Angeles district attorney's spokesperson Ricardo Santiago. Graham was sentenced to 15 years to life for second-degree murder, and Hunt was sentenced to 25 years to life for assault on a child causing death.

County workers found Trinity's body in a nondescript duffel bag on March 5, 2019. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department released a sketch of the girl and the pink T-shirt she was found in that read "Future Princess Hero."

Two weeks before her death, Trinity fell and hit her head, L.A. County Sheriffs Det. Marc Boisvert testified in court. There was a large lump on her forehead, and her left and right eyes had begun to swell, Graham told investigators. The girl became lethargic and started to slur her words, but the mother did not take her daughter to the hospital. She told investigators she was afraid she would get in trouble.

Trinity woke up congested on Feb. 28, and her mother gave her soup, a bagel and Pedialyte. Graham said it looked like Trinity had a seizure, but the mother went to work later that afternoon as the girl slept in the back seat of the couple's SUV. Hunt and Trinity waited in the parking lot outside the store where Graham worked.

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By 9:30 that night, the three returned to their hotel, and Hunt carried Trinity into their room. Graham told investigators later that it looked like Trinity wasn't breathing that night and she thought Hunt had placed a pillow over her face while they were in the SUV.

Hunt told investigators after he and Graham noticed the girl was not breathing, he explained to Graham that they "didn't do anything wrong," according to Boisvert's testimony. Graham said Hunt convinced her not to call 911.

Surveillance footage from the Budget Inn in Santa Fe Springs showed Hunt carrying a body wrapped in a blanket just before 6 a.m. March 1, Sheriffs Det. Louie Aguilera testified.

About 30 minutes later, video from cameras at a Walmart shows, Hunt purchased two shovels, a throw blanket and a lighter.

At 11:36 a.m., Hunt and Graham were spotted at a discount store purchasing a rollaway duffel bag that was identical to the one the girl was found in, Aguilera said.

Aguilera also testified that tracking data showed that Graham, who wore an ankle monitor because she was on parole, was in the area where her daughter was discovered.

Court records show Hunt was convicted of felony child abuse in San Diego County in 2005 and sentenced to 12 years in state prison. Graham has a prior conviction for involvement with a minor in prostitution.

Graham was arrested three days after Trinity's body was found on an unrelated warrant at a Border Patrol checkpoint in Texas. Hunt was arrested a day later, after he was found sleeping in his car near San Diego International Airport.

Nicole Santa Cruz contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland has sent tanks to Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday without giving any further details.

Ukraine has repeatedly called on the West to urgently supply more weapons, especially heavy equipment, as Russian forces continued their offensive in the country.

"Yes," Morawiecki said when asked if Poland had or would send tanks to Ukraine. He declined to reveal any further details including the number of tanks sent.

In March Poland said it was ready to deploy all its MiG-29 jets to Ramstein Air Base in Germany and put them at the disposal of the United States, but Washington rejected a surprise offer.

"There is no such necessity, there are no such demands, there are no such requests," Morawiecki said when asked if sending planes to Ukraine was still being considered.

(Reporting by Anna Koper; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
PARIS (Reuters) -French police shot dead two men in a car that drove at them after failing to stop for a check in central Paris, the public prosecutor's office said on Monday.

A third man in the car was wounded.

The shooting took place overnight after Emmanuel Macron was re-elected for a second term as French president on Sunday evening, but there was no immediate indication that the incident was tied to the election or to militant activity.

Police had initially spotted the car driving the wrong way on the Pont Neuf bridge in central Paris and tried to stop it to make checks. They opened fire when the car drove at them.

The driver and a passenger in the front seats, aged 25 and 31, were killed and while a third man, aged 42, seated in the back of the car, was wounded.

The Paris police department was investigating the incident as a case of attempted manslaughter of public authorties. The IGPN police watchdog questioned the officer believed to have carried out the shooting early on Monday.

(Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro, Camille Raynaud;Writing By Dominique Vidalon, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
On the very last day of 2014, I was pardoned by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for a crime I committed as a young man making bad choices. My pardon followed a state prison term of nearly seven years.

I know I was given the ultimate second chance, and Ive used it to take care of my family, give back to my community and serve as an ambassador for those whose life experiences resemble mine.

But most formerly incarcerated people arent so lucky. As they struggle to reenter society, many face enormous challenges, including a criminal record that haunts them and exacerbates already daunting obstacles related to jobs, housing, health care and other vital dimensions of everyday life.

Legally justified? The key question isn't whether the officer who shot Patrick Lyoya was afraid

Now, as the United States recognizes April as Second Chance Month, I hope Americans reflect on the national conversation around criminal justice and second chances  and resolve to remove barriers for formerly incarcerated people so they can contribute as full participants in our world.

Khalil A. Cumberbatch is director of strategic partnerships at the Council on Criminal Justice, an invitational membership organization and nonpartisan think tank focused on the criminal justice field.

While there has been significant progress toward this goal, much more can and should be done.

We can build safer communities

The idea behind Second Chance Month dates to 2015, when the administration of President Barack Obama announced a set of measures to promote rehabilitation and help the more than 600,000 people released annually from state and federal prisons better reintegrate into society.

Two years later, the Senate declared April Second Chance Month, which has been observed every year since.

This year, President Joe Biden expressed his support with a proclamation: "By supporting people who are committed to rectifying their mistakes, redefining themselves, and making meaningful contributions to society, we help reduce recidivism and build safer communities."

Can Congress bag a cannabis bill?: Marijuana legalization hopes may be soaring too high.

Such high-level attention has helped. As criminal justice reform has climbed higher on the nations agenda in recent years, state legislatures have taken steps to address the negative impacts of a criminal record on a persons ability to land a job, secure housing, access education, regain the right to vote and otherwise reestablish themselves in free society.

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Our culture has begun to reflect this change. In 2019, a formerly incarcerated individual made Time magazines "100 Most Influential People" list, while movies such as Michael B. Jordan's "Just Mercy" and documentaries like "13th" have fueled important conversations about race in the criminal justice system and the negative effects of mass incarceration.

Desmond Meade, who was formerly incarcerated and now serves as president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, was named in 2019 to Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People" list.

And, in a 2020 development that was especially motivating for those who have served time behind bars, attorney Tarra Simmons became the first person convicted of a felony elected to Washingtons state legislature.

Such stories, including my own steady progress to a position of influence with the nonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice, prove that those who have served their time have much to contribute. But formerly incarcerated people still face a vast array of obstacles, and we need substantial policy changes to help ensure transition back to community life is successful.

We should clear hurdles to reentry

One change that would pay significant dividends is the expansion of "clean slate" laws, which have been adopted in five states  and in Congress as well. Details vary, but these measures essentially create a system that automatically clears criminal records for people who remain crime-free for a specified length of time.

Why are such policies necessary? Because the vast majority of hiring managers and landlords conduct background checks, and can see a persons criminal record and make negative assumptions. And although tens of millions of Americans are eligible to have their criminal records expunged, the process is complex, time-consuming and expensive, discouraging many from even trying. This stigma can be devastating, and Congress and state legislatures need to step up to embrace clean slate laws as a commonsense measure that can reduce it.

Please consider wearing a mask: Im one of the 3% of Americans who are immunocompromised'

In addition, governors can change lives by making greater use of their pardon power, and more states should enact "fair chance" legislation, which prevents employers from automatically disqualifying job candidates with criminal records.

Another policy area in need of urgent attention is restrictions barring people with convictions from obtaining licenses to enter occupations such as plumbing, real estate, cosmetology and health care. A database developed by the American Bar Association lists thousands of such regulations, many of which are arbitrary and impose barriers related to crimes committed decades ago. Without work that pays a living wage, those leaving prison are vulnerable to the sort of economic desperation that fuels recidivism.

For those in prison, policymakers should adopt "second look" policies that offer an opportunity to petition the court for a sentencing modification under certain circumstances. Second-look provisions encourage participation in prison treatment programs and incentivize positive change, improving the odds of success for those reentering our communities.

Tens of millions of Americans are eligible to have their criminal records expunged, but the process is complex, time-consuming and expensive. Many don't even try.

Like others whose lives once intersected with the criminal justice system, I appreciate the annual recognition conveyed by Second Chance Month, and can attest that it feels good. But seeing our nation press forward with more substantive change would feel even better, and benefit all of us.

Khalil A. Cumberbatch is director of strategic partnerships at the Council on Criminal Justice, an invitational membership organization and nonpartisan think tank focused on the criminal justice field.

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: My second chance: I spent time in prison. Now I'm giving back.
It may be some time before people can walk through Illinois hospitals, doctors offices and nursing homes barefaced, despite mask mandates dropping on buses, planes and trains last week.

On Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker amended the states mask mandate so that it no longer applies to trains and buses after a federal judge in Florida voided the national mask mandate for transportation and major airlines pulled back their masking requirements. Masking requirements in most stores and schools ended earlier this year.

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Health care settings, however, remain some of the last places in Illinois where everyone must continue to cover their mouths and noses. The state still requires masks in hospitals, nursing homes, dialysis centers, physician offices, dental offices and outpatient care centers, in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the state health department.

Registered nurse Paolo Salvallon wears his face mask as he checks in on patient Ismael Sanchez at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood on April 22, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Illinois is not considering lifting its mandate for hospitals and other health care settings at the moment, said Jordan Abudayyeh, a spokeswoman for Pritzker, in an email Thursday. Thats despite hospitals in some states, including Texas and Iowa, beginning to roll back their mask requirements.

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Local hospital leaders say Illinois continued mask mandate for health care settings is just fine with them.

We would mandate it anyway, said Dr. Richard Freeman, regional chief clinical officer for Loyola Medicine, which has three hospitals in the Chicago area. Anybody in the hospital, all our personnel are still masked, visitors still have to be masked. That is not going to change in the foreseeable future.

Thats partly because many patients in the hospital are immunocompromised, meaning theyre more at risk if they catch COVID-19. Also, many people who go to hospitals have undiagnosed conditions that sometimes turn out to be COVID-19, he said.

Sinai Chicago, which has two acute care Chicago hospitals, will continue to follow guidance from the CDC and state health department, said Dr. Russell Fiorella, chief medical officer and vice president of medical affairs.

Sinai had zero admitted patients with COVID-19 as of Thursday. But the masks add an extra layer of protection, Fiorella said.

As it stands now, I think its a comfort to our patients, its a comfort to our caregivers, Fiorella said. It provides safety. Were comfortable as a system with that.

Patient care technician Eimann Joseph Mago checks vitals and orders on a computer at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood on April 22, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Esperanza Health Centers, which has community health centers on the West and Southwest sides of the city, also has no problem continuing to follow the states mandate, given that patients who dont know they have COVID-19 may sometimes visit Esperanzas clinics, said Dr. Ana Cortez, medical department administrator.

I think its really important to keep protecting the patients and the staff, Cortez said.

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Visitors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago on Friday had mixed opinions about continued mask mandates in hospitals.

Camille Baxter, 62, of Oak Park, said continuing to require masks at hospitals makes sense to her.

The health care system has been so impacted by the pandemic, and you never know whos been exposed to what, said Baxter, who accompanied her husband to the hospital for treatment. She said shes continued to wear masks in other indoor, crowded settings as well.

Were all uncomfortable. Id love not to wear it, she said. But, to me, if it protects me and others its a small thing I can do.

Tom Streible, however, said masks should no longer be mandated in hospitals. Streible, 66, of Romeoville, was at the hospital Friday while his fiancee underwent surgery.

He said hes already received three shots of the vaccine, so he doesnt feel that he needs a mask, though he wore one in the hospital Friday in compliance with the rules. People who are immunocompromised or at high risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19 may still want to wear masks, he said, but not everyone should have to.

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It should be your own preference, he said.
Whenever theres news of a private island for sale, were quick to assume its somewhere in the middle of the glimmering Caribbean Sea and that some billionaire will snatch it up. After all, Bill Gates has his beloved Grand Bogue Caye, and Richard Branson spends a good deal of time jetting back and forth between his Moskito and Necker Islands. However, the newest private island for sale is neither where nor what youd expect: The 1.5-acre Duck Ledges Island, listed for $339,000, is wedged between Acadia National Park and the Canadian border, off the coast of Maine. It may not be as much as Gates and Branson paid for their islandsboth paid around $13 million more than a decade agobut the owner, real estate agent Billy Milliken, wont sell to just anyone with the means. In fact, hes looking for someone specific to buy his Duck Ledges Island.

Photo: Dean Tyler

Plenty of property owners become emotionally attached to their land the longer they own it, but in Millikens case, hes as sentimentally invested as someone can get. In fact, his purchase, in 2007, was never supposed to happen. Like many private islands, the only way to access Duck Ledges is by boat, so when Milliken was offering a tour of the place to a prospective buyer, he was fully prepared to sell it that day. However, something about the new potential owner didnt sit right with Milliken: The man brought with him enough firearms to start a small army, and he intended on using them to slaughter the islands wildlife for fun. Milliken didnt deem the man worthy of the islands natural beauty, and, along with the owner, refused to sell it to him.

So Milliken bought Duck Ledges Island himself and has spent the last 15 years falling even deeper for it. He fixed it up, too, building a 540-square-foot cottage thats as quaint and charming as the island itself. Over the years, he had brought his family and friends for alfresco dinners and campfires, sharing the majesty of the unassuming island with anyone willing to become the victim of a few mosquitoes.

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Photo: Dean Tyler

However, Milliken recently purchased a bigger island nearby11 acres in totaland knew he couldnt give Duck Ledges the attention it deserved, so he put it back on the market and is enthusiastically willing to sell to anyone who can appreciate it the way he has. Thats not all, though. Those looking to buy the island have to spend one night in the cottage so they can experience what theyd be getting into as the proud new owners of Duck Ledges. And thats why the island is still on the market: No one can get there between October and May. The conditions are that unforgiving.

The rewards, he explains, are worth it. Theres something magical and introspective about feeling so small on an even smaller island in the middle of the ocean. It puts things in perspective in a way few other places can. Not to mention, for anyone with an affinity for awe-inspiring natural landscapes, there are few places more mystifying than Duck Ledges Island at night, when the sky casts an endless black blanket overhead, and the only sounds belong to the waves and the colony of seals.

Photo: Dean Tyler

Now that its almost warm enough to spend a day on the island without the possibility of freezing, Milliken is gearing up to find a match for the unexpected place that has brought him such happiness.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
Daniel Rodriguez walked out of a Cook County courtroom wiping tears from under his mask. He was still in a daze.

Thirty-one years of waking up with this every day knowing I was innocent and I was framed, Rodriguez told reporters later. I heard the words (throwing out the conviction), but I couldnt process them, I was lost.

Two years after launching a review of convictions connected to discredited former Chicago police Detective Reynaldo Guevara, Cook County prosecutors on Monday agreed to dismiss charges in the case.

Dozens of people have accused Guevara, now retired, of manipulating witnesses, fabricating evidence and framing suspects over the course of his career. He has repeatedly asserted his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent when questioned about the alleged wrongdoing.

Multiple wrongful convictions have been linked to Guevara and the city has faced lawsuits over his alleged conduct.

The decision Monday came as a reversal for prosecutors, who earlier this month filed paperwork saying they did not believe Rodriguez could prove his claims that he was framed for the 1991 murder in which he was convicted.

Rodriguez and his attorneys accused Guevara and his partner of beating him into confessing to the shooting of Jose Hernandez Jr. The lawyers contended Rodriguez was with his fiance the night of the shooting and that Guevara and a partner coerced witnesses into blaming Rodriguez before beating him into a confession.

In addition, the lawyers contended the mother of a key prosecution witness was in a sexual relationship with Guevara at the time. That witness, Jason Rivera, was under further pressure to lie since he was an uncharged co-conspirator in a different homicide, attorneys alleged. Prosecutors have previously disputed those allegations.

Rodriguezs supporters broke out into applause Monday as Judge Sophia Atcherson formally threw out the conviction and Assistant States Attorney Carol Rogala dropped the charges.

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Prosecutors had filed paperwork as recently as April 1 opposing the effort to throw out Rodriguezs conviction, saying they did not believe attorneys could prove Guevara had a pattern of misconduct and saying that the evidence about Riveras alleged involvement and motives falls short.

On Monday a spokesperson for Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxxs office said prosecutors were no longer able to proceed on the Rodriguez matter after a ruling in a separate case by the same judge.

Records show Rodriguez testified about his experience with Guevara and his partner, Det. Ernest Halvorsen, in a different post-conviction case before Atcherson last year. During his interrogation, Halvorsen punched him in the chest and stomach whenever he said he was innocent, and after the beatings, Guevara would enter the room and continue the questioning, Rodriguez testified.

In February, Atcherson found that Rodriguezs testimony about the beating was credible  a likely indicator that, if Rodriguez were to testify in his own case, she would draw a similar conclusion.

Rodriguez was sentenced in 1993 to 25 years in prison; he was released after serving 13. It was a long journey for his family, he said, including his wife and two now-adult daughters.

They grew up in a visiting room. Birthday parties and everything was in the visiting room. So  its a big win for me but its bigger for them, he said. You know, our family is celebrating today but theres another family that got hurt today. There was a victim in this case that didnt have justice. His family was told that they had justice, but they didnt, so now they live with that pain again.

Prosecution witness Riveras mother, who allegedly was in a sexual relationship with Guevara, has since died of COVID-19, court filings show. Before the Rodriguez case was dismissed, Rodriguezs attorneys had requested Guevara be ordered to appear at a hearing by video to be questioned about that relationship.

Rodriguezs attorneys also argued that Rivera was under pressure since he was an uncharged co-conspirator in a separate murder case, and that prosecutors paid Rivera relocation money before and after his testimony, unbeknownst to Rodriguez.

Rodriguez has claimed for decades that Guevara and his partner coerced him into confessing, an early allegation that his attorney Anand Swaminathan likened to the proverbial canary in the coal mine.

For 31 years, this man has been saying Im innocent  and nobody listened, Swaminathan told reporters. He finally got that moment today.

Foxx has often said that throwing out wrongful convictions is key to earning back the trust of communities whose residents have traditionally been reluctant to cooperate with law enforcement.

The office in 2020 promised a comprehensive review of Guevara-related cases. The office conducted a similar review of cases connected to convicted ex-Sgt. Ronald Watts that has resulted in a long series of mass exonerations. But after two years, there has been no similar cascade of Guevara-related dismissals.

The investigation by the Conviction Integrity Unit remains ongoing, a spokesperson for Foxxs office said Monday.

mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday declined to react to the news that Twitter has agreed to sell itself to Elon Musk but said President Biden has long been concerned about the influence of social-media platforms.

As a general matter  no matter who owns or runs Twitter  the president has long been concerned about the power of large social-media platforms, the power they have over our everyday lives, Psaki said during a press briefing. The president has long argued that tech platforms must be held accountable for the harms they cause.

Psaki went on to say that Biden has been a strong supporter of fundamental reforms to achieve that goal, including reforms to Section 230, the law that protects social media companies from being legally liable for the content their users post. Biden has also advocated for antitrust reforms and for requiring more transparency from the companies, Psaki said, adding that the president is encouraged that theres bipartisan interest in Congress.

In terms of what hypothetical policies might happen, Im just not going to speak to this at that point in time, she concluded.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki after deal is approved for Elon Musk to acquire Twitter: "No matter who owns or runs Twitter, the president has long been concerned about the power of large social media platforms, the power they have over our everyday lives." pic.twitter.com/wlXqx9SlT7  CBS News (@CBSNews) April 25, 2022

Psakis comments came after Twitter announced on Monday that it had accepted the Tesla CEOs offer to buy the company. The roughly $44 billion deal will see Twitter shareholders receiving $54.20 for each share they own.

Twitter Board members unanimously accepted the deal.

The Twitter Board conducted a thoughtful and comprehensive process to assess Elons proposal with a deliberate focus on value, certainty, and financing, Twitter Independent Board chair Bret Taylor said in a statement. The proposed transaction will deliver a substantial cash premium, and we believe it is the best path forward for Twitters stockholders.

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Musk, who is the richest man in the world with a net worth of $268.2 billion, said that he wants to make Twitter better than ever.

Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated, Musk said in a statement on the deal. I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans.

Musk wrote in a recent SEC filing that he had invested in Twitter because he believes in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy.

Twitter has extraordinary potential, he added. I will unlock it.

The deal comes as Twitter has been accused of censoring conservative voices. Twitter suspended satire site the Babylon Bee for allegedly violating its policy against hateful language by posting a headline calling U.S. assistant secretary for health Rachel Levine, who is transgender, its Man of the Year.

In October 2020, Twitter blocked the New York Posts account for posting a story that detailed emails allegedly found on Hunter Bidens laptop that was recovered in a repair shop in Delaware. Twitter said the account was suspended because the post violated its hacked materials policy, which prohibited posting of content obtained through hacking that contains private information, may put people in physical harm or danger, or contains trade secrets. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey later called the decision a mistake.

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When her partner tested positive for the coronavirus two days before Christmas, Michelle Green worried she, too, would become ill. She was two months pregnant with their second child. He was a bartender at the time, and some of his co-workers were infected with the virus. "I told him to get in the guest bedroom and don't leave," said Green, a 40-year-old project manager at a retail technology start-up in the District of Columbia. The couple, who were both vaccinated, and their toddler postponed
Robin Roberts was afraid her interview with then-President Barack Obama supporting marriage equality in 2012 would out her.

The Good Morning America co-host, 61, said on Monday's Ellen DeGeneres Show she almost turned down that interview out of fear of publicly exposing her sexual orientation. However, she decided not to let fear keep her from achieving her goals, and she did the interview. Roberts came out publicly one year later.

Robin Roberts worried her big 2012 interview with Obama would out her. (Photo: Pete Souza/White House Photo via Getty Images)

"In 2012 I got a call to go to the White House [and] there was a possibility that [Obama] would change his stance on marriage equality," Roberts recalled. "I had not been public yet about being gay, and I was afraid that I might be outed. People might wonder: Why is she the one interviewing the president when he is making this change of a stance?"

There was buzz at that time in the media about Roberts fearing that interview would out her as a lesbian.

Roberts told DeGeneres she then had a Moonstruck moment, telling herself, "Snap out of it! Like, Robin, what are you thinking?! It's not about you. This man is going to impact countless lives. It was at that moment that I said: I'm going to stop letting fear keep me from the things that I want to do."

Roberts said she's "so grateful" that she did snap out of it and do the interview. Not only did it help her career, but it also helped her to live a more authentic life. In December 2013, she came out publicly on social media when she acknowledged her love Amber Laign, whom she had been in a relationship with since 2005.

"Shortly thereafter is when ... I talked about Amber" in a Facebook post," Roberts said. "All that fear I had about being a Christian, that people will look at me differently" was unfounded. "I was embraced."

She said that serves as a reminder not to let fear keep her from her goals  and her happiness.

Robin Roberts and Amber Laign in 2019. (Photo: Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images)

"Again, we just stop and think about how many times we let fear keep us on the sidelines," she said. "I'm so, so very glad that that's no longer the case. I'm not gonna to get everything that I want in life. I'm not going to accomplish everything. But, by golly, fear is not going to be the reason why I'm not."

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Host DeGeneres, who came out in 1997, agreed that there is no reason for someone to not be who they are born to be, calling it a disservice to oneself.

"Everybody is a limited edition," Roberts replied. "That is how I look at it."

During the interview, Roberts also gave a health update about Laign, who has breast cancer. While fighting back tears, she said the prognosis is good, and urged people who may have missed regular checkups during the pandemic to schedule appointments now.

Roberts also talked about being the caregiver, which Laign was to Roberts as she has also battled breast cancer and was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), for which she received a bone marrow transplant. She admitted it's hard to be strong, saying she's often a "puddle" of emotions watching her partner go through the challenging time.
Maksim Levin/Reuters

Hours after the secrecy surrounding the mission into Ukraine by U.S. secretaries of state and defense was blown by Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky, the Pentagon weighed the risks of the operation, according to the New York Times. Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin were already en route to Europe when Zelensky blindsided the White House by announcing what was meant to be a top-secret trip. Sending them into the brutal war zone with their cover blown could give Russia a chance to target them. Turning back could send an even stronger message: that the U.S. couldnt protect its top diplomats against a Russian threat.

In the end, the mission was a success and emboldened the U.S. attitude to Russia, which the U.S. sees as increasingly weakened as the war ends its second month. When it comes to Russias war aims, Russia is failing, Blinken told reporters Monday morning in Poland. Ukraine is succeeding. Russia has sought as its principal aim to totally subjugate Ukraine, to take away its sovereignty, to take away its independence. That has failed.

3-Month-Old Killed in Russian Strike on Odesa, Mariupol Steel Plant Under Renewed Attack, Ukraine Says

Britain also went public with intelligence suggesting that phase two of Russias invasion of Ukraine was falling flat. The Ministry of Defense announced that Without sufficient logistical and combat support enablers in place, Russia has yet to achieve a significant breakthrough.

Though the White House did not confirm the three-hour visit with Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials in a bunker in Kyiv until after the men were safely in Poland, the impact of the visit bolstered Ukraine. This was an important time to be there, Blinken told reporters Monday. An important time for Ukraine, for the war, and an important moment to have face-to-face conversations in detail.

The meeting, which was held on the 60th day of the brutal war that has brought heavy loss of life on both sides, signaled continuing support by the U.S. despite consistent threats by Russia that they would attack supply chains of weapons as a valid war target. The U.S. pledged a $165 million sale of ammunition and more than $300 million in foreign military financing to Ukraine in what has been a way to skirt sending heavy weapons into the country. The strategy that weve put in placemassive support for Ukraine, massive pressure against Russia, solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these effortsis having real results, Blinken said.

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Zelensky has toned down the calls for a no fly zone and war planes that were a mantra of the early days of Russias invasion. The priorities are weapons and support from the United States of America and our partners, European leaders, in terms of our armys strength and support in certain areas, Zelensky said after the American delegation left. The second issue is the sanctions policy against the Russian Federation because of the full-scale invasion and all the terror they have committed in Ukraine.

Austin, who expressed admiration for the Ukrainian president, said Monday that he believed Ukraine would prevail. The first step in winning is believing that you can win, Austin told reporters Monday. And so they believe that we can win, we believe that they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support.

Austin also noted Russias failures and predicted that they would increase. We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it cant do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine, Austin said. It had already lost a lot of military capability and a lot of its troops, quite frankly, and we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability.

While the diplomatic mission played out, with Blinken confirming that President Biden would soon name an ambassador to work out of a newly reopened embassy in Kyiv, the war on the ground continued at fevered pace. On Sunday, hundreds of Ukrainian citizens, including children, huddled with soldiers inside a steel factory in Mariupol that has been under constant bombardment by Russian forces. But the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MOD) said that the steel plant was actually occupying many Russian troops and hindering their advances elsewhere. Many Russian units remain fixed in the city and cannot be redeployed, the MOD posted on Twitter. Ukraines defence of Mariupol has also exhausted many Russian units and reduced their combat effectiveness.

The MOD also noted: Russias Ministry of Defence has proposed compensation payments for the families of deceased service personnel be overseen by military rather than civilian officials. This likely reflects a desire to hide the true scale of Russias losses from the domestic population.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Watch: U.S. visits Kyiv and steps up military aid for Ukraine

By Guy Faulconbridge

LONDON (Reuters) -Russia told the United States to stop sending more arms to Ukraine, warning that large Western deliveries of weapons were inflaming the conflict and would lead to more losses, Moscow's ambassador to Washington said.

Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands of people, displaced millions more and raised fears of a wider confrontation between Russia and the United States - by far the world's two biggest nuclear powers.

The United States has ruled out sending its own or NATO forces to Ukraine but Washington and its European allies have supplied weapons to Kyiv such as drones, Howitzer heavy artillery, anti-aircraft Stinger and anti-tank Javelin missiles.

Anatoly Antonov, Russia's ambassador to the United States, said such arms deliveries were aimed at weakening Russia but that they were escalating the conflict in Ukraine while undermining efforts to reach some sort of peace agreement.

"What the Americans are doing is pouring oil on the flames," Antonov told the Rossiya 24 TV channel. "I see only an attempt to raise the stakes, to aggravate the situation, to see more losses."

Antonov, who has served as ambassador to Washington since 2017, said an official diplomatic note had been sent to Washington expressing Russia's concerns. No reply had been given, Antonov said.

Watch: Russia renews attack on Mariupol, Ukraine says

"We stressed the unacceptability of this situation when the United States of America pours weapons into Ukraine, and we demanded an end to this practice," Antonov said. The interview was replayed on Russian state television throughout Monday.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Kyiv on Sunday.

They told Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy of more than $322 million in new military financing for Ukraine, taking total U.S. security assistance since the invasion to about $3.7 billion, a U.S. official said.

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U.S. President Joe Biden pledged $800 million in more weaponry for Ukraine on Thursday and said he would ask Congress for more money to help bolster support for the Ukrainian military.

President Vladimir Putin says the "special military operation" in Ukraine is necessary because the United States was using Ukraine to threaten Russia and Moscow had to defend against the persecution of Russian-speaking people.

Putin, who says Ukraine and Russia are essentially one people, casts the war as an inevitable confrontation with the United States, which he accuses of threatening Russia by meddling in its backyard and enlarging the NATO military alliance.

Ukraine says it is fighting an imperial-style land grab and that Putin's claims of genocide are nonsense. Zelenskiy has been pleading with U.S. and European leaders to supply Kyiv with heavier arms and equipment.

Putin warned in February that there would be no winners in a conflict between NATO and Russia, which has the world's biggest arsenal of nuclear warheads.

(Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
A man looks at Russian T-72 tank destroyed during Russia's invasion to Ukraine, Ivanivka village, Chernihiv area, Ukraine, on April 20, 2022. Photo by Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Putin's military could be trying to hide the true Russian death toll in Ukraine, UK intelligence said on Monday.

Russia proposed the military take over compensation payments for family from civilian officials.

The Kremlin has refused to acknowledge a death toll in Ukraine, but admitted "significant losses."

Russia's military could be trying to hide the death toll of its troops in Ukraine by proposing to take over compensation payments for family, UK intelligence said on Monday.

Rather than civilian officials providing compensation payments for the families of dead Russian soldiers, Russia's defense ministry has proposed that the military oversee the service, UK's defense ministry wrote in a tweet.

"This likely reflects a desire to hide the true scale of Russia's losses from the domestic population," the UK said.

Russia so far has refused to say exactly how many of its troops have been killed during the two-month war in Ukraine  it said in late March that 1,351 troops were killed and around 4,000 were wounded.

But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged earlier this month that Russia has suffered "significant losses" on the battlefield, and added that it's "a huge tragedy for us."

While the exact death toll is not known, there have been varying estimates: NATO says the death toll is likely closer to 15,000, and Ukraine says it has killed 20,000 Russian troops.

Russia reportedly transported thousands of dead soldiers from Ukraine to Belarus, and Ukraine said there are thousands of unclaimed Russian corpses in its morgues.

On the domestic front, Russian state-run media has painted its war in Ukraine as a success and there has been little reveal of any struggle that President Vladimir Putin's forces faced.

Local newspapers in Russia were told to avoid reporting on soldiers' deaths, and families were ordered to keep silent.

In an attempt to try and turn Russians against the war, Ukraine has used facial recognition software to send photos of dead Russian troops to their families.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Russia's youth are "more sophisticated" technologically than President Vladimir Putin's regime, says journalist Ekaterina Kotrikadze. Sergey Guneev - Host Photo Agency via Getty Images

Russia's youth are finding ways to break through Moscow's internet blockade, said a Russian journalist.

Ekaterina Kotrikadze said the country's "new generation" is "more sophisticated" technologically than Putin's regime.

She told CNN that many Russians access independent journalism through YouTube, which isn't blocked.

Despite the Kremlin's grip on information in Russia, one Russian journalist said the country's youth still have ways to access banned social media networks and websites  and are "one step ahead" of a regime trying to control the narrative of the war in Ukraine.

"It is really important to understand that new generation in Russian Federation is more sophisticated than Vladimir Putin and his team, technologically," said Ekaterina Kotrikadze, news director and anchor for independent Russian news outlet TV Rain, in a Sunday interview with CNN.

"They know how to be one step ahead of the regime, so that's why they are still getting information," Kotrikadze said.

Kotrikadze said several independent journalists streaming on YouTube  one of the only platforms not blocked by Russia  still receive a mostly Russian audience.

"You know, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram  these social media networks are actually banned in Russia, but still people use VPN," Kotrkiadze said.

She highlighted the story of a father who initially supported Putin but turned on the Russian president after losing his son in the sinking of the Russian warship "Moskva."

"Right now, we are all witnessing the process of waking up of this person, and he suddenly understood what was going on," Kotrkiadze said. "And he's posting on social media what his feelings are, and he's talking with other relatives and fathers and mothers of Russian sailors who also died on this flagship. And Moscow is not actually saying a word about these victims."

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The Kremlin has admitted that one sailor died in the Moskva's sinking and that 27 others are missing. The ship was struck by Ukrainian missiles on April 14.

Kotrkiadze added that state media continue to portray a Russian army that is liberating territories in Ukraine from Nazi control. "They do not show the destroyed cities, the destroyed towns," she said.

"They want 100 million people in Russia to trust these fake, fake statements with the: 'Thank you so much for coming and liberating and setting us free from this Nazi regime.' This is getting more and more fake, this getting more and more ridiculous," Kotrkiadze said.

Read the original article on Insider
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) joined the Amazon Labor Union for a rally on Staten Island Sunday to show their support for the tech giants first union.

What happened here, right here, what you guys did in Staten Island was just the beginning. It was the first domino to fall, Ocasio-Cortez said to the group gathered on Sunday.

But what we need Amazon to do first and foremost is to recognize the union that won their election fair and square, she added.

Sanders said the Amazon employees were sending a message to every worker in America that the time is now to stand up to our oligarchy, to stand up to the success of corporate greed, to create an economy that works for all. Not just the few.

Both Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez sharply criticized Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in their comments.

What this whole thing is about is working people standing up against the extraordinary level of greed in this country. I dont know how when you are worth $170 billion, why you are spending money trying to break a union, Sanders said, adding how much money does Bezos and the other billionaires need?

The lawmakers remarks come after workers at the Staten Island factory voted earlier this month to unionize, marking a first for Amazon, which employs more than a million people in the United States.

Efforts to unionize began among Amazon employees on Staten Island during the pandemic, when several employees protested some of the companys safety measures.

Another union drive at an Amazon factory in Alabama has thus far failed, with workers voting against joining the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Partner and sommelier Derrick Westbrook grabs bottles of wine at Juice @ 1340 in Chicago on April 4, 2022. Juice is a slashie, with a liquor store, wine bar and bottle shop. Slashies have evolved during the pandemic, finding nimble ways to adapt and bring in customers. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Being nimble  turning on a dime from one pivot to the next  has been essential for businesses surviving the pandemic. A wine-shop-slash-bar. A pop-up bar inside a familys Chinese restaurant. A one-stop shop for a bottle of Rioja, a smattering of cheeses and some fancy crackers your friends will gush over.

The slashie concept of a combined bar and liquor store has been around for some time: Marias Packaged Goods & Community Tavern is a Bridgeport neighborhood legend, and Rootstock has been impressing customers with ingenious pours they can sample at the Humboldt Park wine bar.

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And traditionally, slashies in Chicago have been where patrons can both buy alcohol and grab a drink at the bar before heading home with their purchase. Neighborhood staples such as Rite Liquors in Wicker Park, Olas Liquors in East Village and Brunos Lounge in Rogers Park have kept the trusted, old-school tavern feel alive.

But the pandemic has pushed the slashie to new heights of creativity as owners seek out ways to help their small businesses thrive.

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When you enter Juice @ 1340 on a sunny afternoon, it might feel as if youve been here before. The wall on the right reads You Got the Juice in graffiti, not only a nod to the shops brand but also a quick self-esteem booster.

A long wooden bar lined with stools takes up the right side of the room, while the left wall is lined with shelves of the shops wine selections. Straight ahead and up a flight of stairs, theres a loft space with cozy couches, armchairs, coffee tables and a few board games. This place feels homey, inviting and laid-back  exactly the vibe the co-founders of Juice @ 1340 want.

Hospitality veterans Tim Williams and sommelier Derrick Westbrook joined forces to open this hybrid bar and retail shop almost one year ago. What once was simply a bottle shop that happened to have a liquor license has turned into the newest hangout in the West Loop.

Williams takes care of buying spirits and curating the cocktail menu, and Westbrook focuses on the wine program.

Weve taken the idea that was singularly a wine shop ... and flipped it into an all-around beverage service, Williams said. Even if you dont know the three of us personally, we do our best to make our guests feel comfortable as soon as they walk in the door. There is something about the authenticity of this space that is a positive reflection of our partnership.

As the consumption of fermented grape juice continues to rise, wine slashies are also trying to provide a more memorable experience.

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When Diana Hamann opened The Wine Goddess in Evanston nine years ago, she found herself saying yes to everything to grow her business.

We were doing yoga and wine, hosting political fundraisers, knitting circles and book clubs, she recalled. In order to create multiple streams of income, I went to the city (of Evanston) and asked them to change my licensure so I could sell wine by the glass.

Hamann sells wines from small producers, where the grapes are organic, or at least sustainably farmed whenever possible. When novice wine drinkers or first-time visitors enter the shop, she encourages them to keep an open mind and ask questions.

In addition to wines by the glass, The Wine Goddess also offers cheese plates, popcorn and a place for her largely female clientele to find a moment to rest and reset. Sometimes, you just want to meet a friend for, like, a quiet drink, but you dont want to have to pay for an entire three-course meal, Hamann said. For those whose beverage of choice is wine, its a really chill place to go.

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

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For Erin Carlman Weber, owner of All Together Now in Ukrainian Village, what makes slashies so special is that they are utilitarian. At All Together Now, you can pick up an iced coffee in the morning on your way to work, but its also a place where you can pick up wine on your way home or drink with a friend over an artisan cheeseboard.

Chicago is the kind of town that doesnt take itself too seriously, but it also likes to have fun, Weber said. I feel like the concept of a slashie fits really nicely into that mentality, especially given the loyalty that people have to their neighborhoods.

And for the owners of Juice @ 1340, authenticity and connectivity are what drive their success. From self-care Sunday events with a yoga studio and weekly community tastings, to carrying Black-owned, women-owned and local wines, beer and spirits, they want everything they do to be a reflection of who they are and the community they serve.

Slashies provide a service that no regular bar or retail shop can do, which gives us the ability to be flexible and creative, Westbrook said. If you like a glass of wine that weve poured, instead of taking a picture of the bottle, you can take it home with you. That part of what we do to actually breathes life into drinking culture.

Chasity Cooper is a freelance writer.
DaBay was also involved in another shooting incident earlier this month. Rich Fury/Getty Images

A Rolling Stone report has cast doubt on rapper DaBaby's claim that he killed a teenager in 2018 in self-defense.

New security camera footage of the incident shows DaBaby appearing to start the fight, per the outlet.

Charges against the rapper were dropped in March 2019 after a key witness failed to turn up in court.

A new video obtained by Rolling Stone has cast doubt on controversial rapper DaBaby's claim that he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed a teenager in 2018.

The artist  whose real name is Jonathan Kirk  was involved in a deadly altercation that resulted in the death of 19-year-old Jaylin Craig. However, the charges against Kirk were dismissed in March 2019 after a key witness failed to show up in court.

On Sunday, Rolling Stone published a previously unreleased video clip of the incident, which took place on November 5, 2018, at a Walmart in North Carolina.

In the clip, Jonathan "DaBaby" Kirk, along with teenagers Henry Douglas and Craig, are seen fighting. Kirk appears to have started the altercation by charging at Douglas.

At one point, Craig is seen standing off to the side while Kirk charges at Douglas, tackling him and striking him.

Craig then appears to pull out a gun, though it is unclear if he puts it away. Kirk is then seen taking out his gun and firing several shots.

Kirk's version of events painted a different picture of the incident. He said in a social media video in 2018 that he had been confronted by weapon-wielding individuals who could have harmed him, his daughter, and his son.

"Daughter could have got hit, son could have got hit [and] me," DaBaby said. "Fuckin' lawyers telling me not to say something and shit, fuck all that. Two n----- walk down on you and your whole motherfucking family, threaten y'all, whip out on y'all, n----, let me see what y'all gon' do."

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Rolling Stone spoke to Todd Owens, a defense lawyer, and former North Carolina district court judge, who said that what was seen in the video does weaken Kirk's claim that he was in danger.

"Going up and pushing a person who is brandishing a firearm, or who she can see has a firearm is really, really risky business," Owens said. "That completely undermines that legal theory."

Legal analyst Emily Baker told Rolling Stone that the situation might not be so clear-cut because witnesses claimed to have seen Craig with a gun, despite Kirk appearing to be the one who started the fight.

"It is not a 'These people rolled up on me and tried to roll me, and I had to defend myself,'" Baker told Rolling Stone. "That's not what this video shows. This video shows a fight that got way out of hand very fast, and that resulted in somebody dying."

Rolling Stone also ran a statement from a representative for the district attorney's office, which noted it had "reviewed the police investigative file" and agreed with the police not to charge Mr. Kirk further. This was due to the fact that prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defense."

Representatives for the rapper did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Earlier this month, Kirk was embroiled in another shooting incident, this time involving a man whom he shot outside his home.

Read the original article on Insider
Authorities in Shanghai have installed metal barriers around the city to seal off streets and entrances to residential buildings to try to contain an outbreak of COVID-19.

The barriers, primarily made from mesh fences or thin sheets of metal, were put up to block small streets and entrances to apartment complexes where coronavirus-positive cases were reported, according to Caixin, a Chinese business media outlet.

The barriers were erected under direction from local government authorities, the outlet reported. Small openings were left for pandemic workers to pass through.

Shanghai, which has a population of about 25 million, has been under a lockdown since March after China's largest outbreak of COVID-19 since 2020.

Videos on social media showed frustrated citizens in Shanghai yelling at workers constructing the barriers, including one video depicting residents tearing down a mesh barricade.

People are seen next to a checkpoint on a street during a COVID-19 lockdown in the Jing'an district in Shanghai on April 23, 2022.

What is happening in Shanghai? Explaining the ongoing citywide COVID lockdown

The omicron variant has driven the outbreak in China, and Shanghai has been hit the hardest, largely with asymptomatic cases. The city reported 51 deaths among COVID-19 patients Sunday, up from a record high of 39 the day before, the local government reported Monday.

During the lockdown, citizens in the Shanghai are required to stay at home and can leave the city only with a negative PCR test. Public transportation has been suspended and grocery stores are closed, leaving residents to order food or wait for government drop-offs.

Those who test positive are taken to quarantine in temporary hospitals until they test negative twice.

City residents have spoken out against the living conditions created by the lockdown in social media posts, reporting food shortages and detailing the struggle to access medical care while confined to their homes.

Censors removed a video posted online Friday titled Voices of April, which documents the effect of the lockdowns on citizens, blocking the film and any references to it on China's internet. Part of the video plays audio of residents protesting on April 8, chanting: "Send us food! Send us food! Send us food!

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Beijing residents scramble after mass testing announcement

Meanwhile, in Beijing, authorities announced it would begin mass testing starting Monday in Chaoyang, the city's biggest district. All 3.5 million residents will have three rounds of testing this week; the district accounted for the majority of new cases reported in Beijing over the weekend.

After the announcement, panicked residents flocked to grocery stores Sunday night to stock up on essentials, fearing a lockdown similar to Shanghai's.

China has taken a "zero-COVID" approach to addressing the pandemic since it began, focusing on large-scale lockdowns, travel bans and blanket testing of citizens.

Another 45 Chinese cities are under some sort of lockdown, according to NPR. In early April, many of the severe lockdown measures were lifted in some of those cities as cases waned, but residents of Shanghai have not been able to leave their communities since March 28.

In Hong Kong, the government announced last week that vaccinated nonresident travelers will be allowed to fly into the city again starting May 1, provided they supply a negative coronavirus test.

Contributing: The Associated Press

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a volunteer uses a megaphone to talk to residents at an apartment building in Shanghai, China, Tuesday, April 12, 2022.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shanghai COVID lockdown: metal barriers installed; Beijing testing
Black Lives Matter activist Pamela Moses has been cleared of voter fraud charges and will not have to stand trial again in a case that was brimmed with injustices against the Tennessee woman.

Moses, who has previous felony convictions, tried to register to vote in 2019 after receiving confirmation from the state that her rights could be restored. Except, Moses had permanently lost her voting rights under Tennessee law. She was convicted of voter fraud and probation violation and sentenced to six years and one day in prison in January.



Pamela Moses is no longer facing voting fraud charges after the Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich dismissed them on April 22, 2022. (Twitter/Pamela Moses/@PrettyPimp)

New evidence in the case showed a probation official erroneously gave Moses clearance to register to vote. She was released in February and was awaiting a new trial.

Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich dismissed the charges on Friday in the interest of judicial economy.

Weirich said, in a statement, the Memphis woman spent 82 days in custody for the allegation, which is sufficient, but the prosecutor does not address the states missteps. Many condemned Weirichs statement online.

Thats a disgusting statement from the DA. [Moses] did nothing wrong, Twitter user, @JBoy02 said. They know she did nothing wrong. She never should have been charged. She never should have spent a single second in prison much less 75 days or 6 damn years.

That's a disgusting statement from the DA. She did nothing wrong! They know she did nothing wrong. She never should have been charged. She never should have spent a single second in prison much less 75 days or 6 damn years. https://t.co/H3O6FsxhmG  #MedicareforAllNOW (@JBoy02) April 23, 2022

Tennessee Criminal Court Judge Mark Ward accused Moses of tricking the probation office into certifying her rights restoration documents. An investigative report later revealed that probation officials made an error that misled Moses into believing she could vote.

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An internal email published by The Guardian showed a Tennessee Department of Corrections probation officer did not thoroughly check Moses file and stamped a document validating the end of her probation.

Moses took the document to the election office to complete her voting registration. It was flagged by probation officials the next day. Ward said the email was withheld during the trial even though the probation officer took the stand.

Department of Corrections internal investigators found that the employee identified as Manager Billington did not do his due diligence in September 2019 when he overlooked an order that kept Moses on probation until Aug. 13, 2020.

Moses started checking her probation status when her candidacy for Memphis mayor was rejected by election officials in summer 2019 because of her prior conviction.

The activist was convicted for evidence tampering in 2015, an offense that permanently strips her of a right to vote in Tennessee. Moses name was still on the voter rolls. Election officials never mentioned the preceding law.

Instead, Moses was advised to get her rights restored, she said.

Moses first sought confirmation from a judge, who told her she was still on probation. She then went to the probation office to double-check.

The case should not have been prosecuted right from the beginning because there was no trickery, Moses lawyer Bebe Anyanwu said.

Voting advocates and other supporters said Moses case exemplifies the deep racial disparity in sentencing. White Americans with more straightforward allegations of voting fraud have been sentenced to less time than Moses or have not received any jail time at all.

What we see consistently is honest mistakes made by returning citizens are penalized to the max, and true bad intentions are not being penalized to the same extent, Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections for Common Cause, said. And usually in those cases, the defendants are white.

Mark Meadows was simultaneously registered to vote in three states



Pamela Moses was sentenced to 6 years for registering to vote in one



Tell me again who justice is blind to?  flexghost. (@flexghost1) April 22, 2022

The district attorneys announcement came the same day the South Carolina Elections Commission revealed that former President Donald Trump ex-chief of staff, Mark Meadows, was registered to vote in North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina at the same time.

The New Yorker reported in March that Meadows was registered to vote in North Carolina under a 14-by-62-foot mobile home where he didnt live, despite voting with the address on his voting records in 2020. He also voted in the gubernatorial election in Virginia in 2021 and registered to vote in South Carolina months later.

Mark Meadows was simultaneously registered to vote in three states. Pamela Moses was sentenced to 6 years for registering to vote in one, Twitter user Flex Ghost wrote. Tell me again who justice is blind to?

The Tennessee NAACP has sued Gov. Bill Lee, state corrections and election officials for failing to establish clearer procedures for Tennesseans with felony convictions to get their rights restored, leading to a rights restoration process that is unequal, inaccessible, opaque and inaccurate.

A 2017 study found that more than 8 percent of applications for a voting rights restoration submitted in Tennessee were rejected because the voters were still ineligible. The denial rate was higher among Black men at more than 22 percent.

The NAACP lawsuit alleges that less than 5 percent of the tens of thousands of disenfranchised voters who are eligible to get their rights restored in the state have not been able to obtain an application.

Just 1 percent of the at least 365,356 people that have completed their sentence, including probation and parole, had their applications approved since 2016, the lawsuit filed in December 2020 alleges. About 175,000 otherwise eligible Black voters cannot vote in Tennessee because of a felony conviction, according to criminal justice nonprofit organization Sentencing Project.
By Amanda Ferguson

Belfast (Reuters) - The leader of Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland said the Dublin government must start planning for the possibilty of a referendum that could result in a united Ireland.

Speaking to Reuters ahead of May 5 local elections in the British-run province that could see the nationalist party become the largest in the devolved government for the first time, Michelle O'Neill said she was not "fixated on dates" for the referendum.

But people "know constitutional change is coming" and it was irresponsible of Dublin to "not to be planning at this point". It could take place before the end of this decade, she said.

Under Northern Ireland's 1998 Good Friday peace agreement, which largely ended decades of violence between mainly Catholic nationalists seeking to merge with Ireland and Protestant unionists who want to remain part of the United Kingdom, the British government can call a referendum on Irish reunification if a "yes" majority looks likely.

"I think the Irish government's focus needs to be on planning for constitutional change. There must be a citizen's assembly," she said.

"We have to have the healthy conversation around what the all-island health service will look like, what does education look like, what does the economy look like."

Britain's departure from the European Union has also raised questions about Northern Ireland's future and its border with EU member Ireland.

O'Neill said that although the prospect of a referendum was a talking point on the doorsteps, people were also very concerned about the cost of living and the crisis in the health service.

"I don't see any contradiction in working towards that constitutional change and trying to convince people of something better while also being in the Executive and working with others to deliver on the day to day public services the public want to be focused on."

A recent poll by The Institute of Irish Studies at the University of Liverpool/The Irish News put support for the party at 27%, extending its lead over the Democratic Unionist Party to almost seven points.

(Writing by Graham Fahy; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
VILLAGE OF RUDOLPH - At 4:30 a.m. the moon hung in the sky like half a juicy tangerine.

Fifteen minutes later a shooting star etched the central Wisconsin sky.

With these celestial precursors, you might think what followed on a grassy few acres of Paul J. Olson Wildlife Area near Rudolph couldn't have been even more sensational.

But those were mere warm-up acts. And distant ones at that.

There is no way to adequately prepare for the other-worldly breeding ground displays of the greater prairie chicken.

"I think it's the greatest show on earth," said Jim Keir of Wisconsin Rapids. "Simply has to be seen to be believed."

I've been privileged to have a front row seat three times previously at Wisconsin prairie chicken "booming grounds."

I would only add this qualifier to Keir's assessment: I think it's possible to witness the spectacle and still doubt your eyes and ears.

More: Outdoors calendar

More: Smith: Only one choice for securing a future for prairie chickens in Wisconsin

Male greater prairie chickens spar on a lek, or breeding ground, at Paul J. Olson Wildlife Area near Wisconsin Rapids.

At 5:15 Keir led Suzanne Schicantek of Milwaukee and me through a willow thicket and into a grassy opening where a viewing blind  a weathered 5- by 5- by 15-foot rectangular plywood box atop a hay wagon  was placed at the public property.

Two wildlife photographers, Bruce Danz of Appleton and Bob Haase of Eldorado, shared the blind on the other side of a partition.

We sat on wooden benches and looked south into the purple of pre-dawn.

At 5:20 a staccato "kak-kak-kak-kak" broke the silence. Then another. And another.

Ten minutes later as pink brightened the eastern sky the source of the sounds became clear. Chicken-sized birds whirled across the tan dance floor, feet rapidly tapping the earth and white butts glowing like neon.

Prairie chickens gather to compete for mating rights on leks, or breeding grounds, each spring.

A hen greater prairie chicken is the focus of attention of several cocks, or males, on a grassland at Paul J. Olson Wildlife Area near Wisconsin Rapids.

Cocks spar with other males in an effort to control prime real estate at the site. The goal is to tempt receptive hens into the area for breeding.

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Every few moments the males dropped their heads, bowed forward and emitted an eerie "whhooo-doo-dooommhh."

Feathers on their heads stood up like horns and throat sacs swelled to the size and color of oranges.

Cocks faced off at the margins of their territories. Sometimes they'd back away after a stare down. Other times they jumped and kicked and flipped and squawked at each other in an avian version of kung-fu fighting.

If you didn't know by now, this is no ordinary chicken.

It's also no ordinary time for the species.

As its name implies, prairie chickens live in open, grassy areas. The species was historically found throughout Wisconsin and was abundant in the 1800s, according to the Department of Natural Resources, and relied on the extensive prairies and oak openings found at the time in the state.

Into the 1940s it was documented in all 72 counties.

But habitat losses due to increased agriculture and forest encroachment have caused large shifts in the range and abundance of prairie chickens. Today the birds exist only in isolated areas in a small portion of central Wisconsin.

The prairie chicken is listed as a species of greatest conservation need and was listed as state threatened in Wisconsin in 1979.

The DNR is in the process of updating its management plan for the species. Many feel it's make or break time for prairie chickens in Wisconsin.

"I'm hopeful enough people now are aware of the plight of these birds," said Keir, a retired DNR wildlife biologist who led the agency's prairie chicken program for 20 years. "And that we can provide the will and resources to do what's required to keep them on the landscape."

Keir is retired but remains an advocate for the species. As a volunteer with Wisconsin's Green Fire, he serves on the DNR's prairie chicken committee.

He also attempts to get people such as Schicantek, a mother, grandmother and retired chef who wants to focus her energies on environmental and conservation challenges, into the field to see the birds.

This isn't the first time prairie chickens have been at a crossroads in Wisconsin.

Distributed in pockets statewide as late as 1948, the population and range of the native bird decreased dramatically over the following years and the species was holding on only in the grasslands and failed farming regions of central Wisconsin, according to a history prepared by the George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

Male greater prairie chickens spar April 19 on a lek, or breeding ground, at Paul J. Olson Wildlife Area near Wisconsin Rapids.

Arguably prairie chickens are present in the Badger State today only because of actions taken in the 1950s and 60s, including by the namesake of this public property.

Paul J. Olson was an elementary school principal in Madison and secretary of the Dane County Conservation League.

He saw prairie chickens for the first time in the spring of 1958 when he was taken to a booming ground in Portage County near the home of storied wildlife researchers Fred and Fran Hamerstrom.

Analogous to the physical changes displayed by male prairie chickens on the leks, the viewing experience was transformational for Olson.

"Like nearly everyone else, I came off the marsh 'bug-eyed,'" Olson wrote of the outing. "Here was something so grand, so exciting, I could put my restless energy to work."

At the time prairie chickens were in decline primarily due to forest regrowth and conversion of grasslands to agriculture.

Olson knew the only way to save the birds was to save their habitat. He bought 40 acres and then spent a year raising money to pay for it, according to his biography in the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame.

He then talked a friend into buying another 40 acres and convinced Bill Pugh, a wealthy Racine businessman, to provide what Olson called "90% of the muscle," the money, for additional purchases.

Between 1958 and 1984, Olson almost single-handedly raised $140,000 to help the Dane County Conservation League purchase 5,000 acres in the Buena Vista Marsh area of Portage County, according to the Hall.

This work was multiplied by another like-minded conservation organization  Milwaukee-based Society of Tympanuchus Cupido Pinnatus (Latin name for prairie chicken)  which bought about 7,000 acres to assist the species in central Wisconsin.

It took years for the additional habitat to make a difference, but after dropping from 782 cocks on booming grounds in 1950 to a low of 181 in 1961, the numbers then climbed fairly steadily to a high of 1,121 in 1981, according to the DNR's annual prairie chicken report.

Greater prairie chickens gather on a breeding ground at sunrise April 19 at Paul J. Olson Wildlife Area near Wisconsin Rapids.

Since then it's been a struggle. The DNR has not achieved its goal of buying and managing more grasslands. And the quality of the existing habitat has declined.

Compounding the population drop are a loss of connectivity between the remaining flocks and an overall decline in genetic diversity.

In 2021, the prairie chicken count had fallen to 251 males.

The DNR offered four prairie chicken management options to the public earlier this year. The proposals included: a $4.2 million a year plan which would attempt to add 12,500 acres of grassland habitat to the central Wisconsin area, including half by acquisition and half through leasing as well as dedicate two DNR employees to the project; a $2.8 million option with lower goals for land acquisition and habitat work; a $130,000 proposal which would not seek any additional lands, either by purchase or lease, and have only one employee; and an option to reduce work on the species, including cessation of the annual prairie chicken survey. It would save the DNR about $4,700 a year compared to current activities.

Keir said an overwhelming majority of the 365 public comments received were in favor of option one, the most aggressive proposal to save the species.

He also said the amount of input was impressive; a ruffed grouse plan update a couple years ago received just 50 comments, according to Keir.

The DNR is now finalizing its draft of the updated prairie chicken management plan, said Alaina Gerrits, DNR wildlife biologist who is coordinating the work. It's expected to be released to the public this year.

"We know there is good public support for these birds," Gerrits said. "Now we need a workable plan and the resources to put it in action."

A "game changing" bill called the Recovering America's Wildlife Act, now advancing in Congress, could provide funding for prairie chicken management. Wisconsin is forecast to receive $18 to $20 million annually under the proposed legislation.

By 6 the booming ground was teeming with 32 birds, including six hens.

Golden rays of sun streamed over the grassland, making the cock's orange throat sacs glow even brighter.

A male greater prairie chicken stands on a grassy mound at Paul J. Olson Wildlife Area near Wisconsin Rapids.

The birds darted and flapped and strutted. No theatrical stage has ever been graced by more impressive performers.

"I'm seeing (the prairie chickens), and I'm awestruck," Schicantek said. "It's so unique. And then I think about how it's been going on for hundreds of years on grasslands in Wisconsin but has now become an extremely rare sight. We've got to make a better future for these birds."

And what's good for prairie chickens also benefits a broad suite of grassland-reliant species, many of which are threatened or declining, Schicantek added.

At 6:30 a pair of the hens left the lek. By 7 all the hens departed.

But most of the males stayed, and several continued confronting their rivals.

At 7:45 the five of us agreed it was time. We swung open the doors of the blind and stepped out.

The birds flushed and flew 200 yards south. We walked back to our vehicles, attempting to process what we had just seen and heard.

Keir said the males would be back on the lek within minutes after we departed.

The challenge is to give the prairie chickens what they need to make sure they'll return year after year for generations to come.

Let's make sure this time the plan and the resources are up to the task.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Prairie chickens need help to keep booming on Wisconsin grasslands
If you thought Sony's LinkBuds let in too much of the outside world, don't worry  there may be a follow-up that helps you tune things out. As The Walkman Blog notes, established leak poster SnoopyTech recently shared purported images of WF-LSN900 wireless earbuds, possibly called the LinkBuds S. Unlike the open LinkBuds, this model would let you "seamlessly shift" from allowing ambient sounds to enabling "advanced" noise cancellation. You would also have "automatic playback" based on your habits, although it's not clear what that would entail  Sony already has some location-based audio settings.

The design appears to be a blend of the WF-1000XM4 and WF-C500, and would include an XM4-style proximity sensor as well as an outer mesh that might be used for noise cancellation features. The buds would be available in black, gold and white colors, and you could expect the obligatory charging case.

It's not certain when Sony might ship these earbuds, or how much they would cost. We also wouldn't count on the LinkBuds S naming scheme given the different design. You might not have to wait long to learn the truth, at least. Some FCC confidentiality for the WF-LSN900 is poised to expire on June 21st, suggesting Sony will formally unveil the earbuds by that date.
A South Carolina man whom authorities said was wanted on robbery and kidnapping charges for an incident in South Carolina in February was caught in Erie County late Thursday afternoon following a pursuit that damaged at least two Pennsylvania State Police vehicles.

Justin A. Penzes, 33, of Lexington, South Carolina, was arraigned Friday morning on charges including three first-degree felony counts of aggravated assault and a third-degree felony count of fleeing police in the pursuit. He was jailed on a $75,000 bond, according to online docket information.

The pursuit began shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday on the westbound lanes of Interstate 90 in McKean Township. It traveled along portions of Route 215, Route 20 and Route 6N before state police were able to stop the fleeing vehicle on I-90 in Springfield Township, according to information in the criminal complaint filed against Penzes.

Troopers wrote in Penzes' complaint that a trooper stopped a Mazda with an Illinois registration on I-90 after seeing the car traveling too closely to another vehicle and determining that the car had an expired registration. The driver, who was identified by his South Carolina license as Penzes, was wearing what appeared to be a wig, investigators wrote in the complaint.

When the trooper asked the driver to step out of the vehicle, the driver lit a cigarette and drove off. During the pursuit, the driver drove west in the eastbound lanes of Route 20 for several miles and struck several state police vehicles, damaging at least two of them, according to information in the complaint.

Investigators wrote that after running Penzes' information they learned he had a warrant out of South Carolina for robbery with a deadly weapon. State police confirmed on Friday that the warrant was out of Lexington County, South Carolina.

Erie man charged in police pursuitAn Erie man is facing a felony fleeing charge and other offenses after city police said he led officers on a high-speed

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According to information supplied by the Lexington County, South Carolina, Sheriff's Office and information posted by the office on Twitter on April 8, Penzes was wanted for robbery and kidnapping in an incident from Feb. 9. A man told investigators he had been kidnapped at gunpoint and was forced to get into the trunk area of his vehicle. The man said he got out of the vehicle at a gas station and the person who had his car, who he described as a friend, drove off, according to information from the sheriff's office.

Penzes was also a suspect in the theft of a vehicle in Lexington County on Feb. 14, according to information from the sheriff's office.

Theft probe leads police to U-HaulPennsylvania State Police troopers were on the hunt for a 10-foot U-Haul box truck in their investigation into a break

Other law enforcement agencies were involved in the search for Penzes, according to the sheriff's office. That included the Hamburg, New York, Police Department, which posted information on Penzes on the department's Facebook page on Wednesday.

According to the post, Penzes was seen in Hamburg between noon and 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Investigators wrote that Penzes was also reported to have been seen in West Seneca, New York, on Tuesday.

"Relationships are crucial when it comes to fighting crime and getting criminals off the street. We're grateful to all the agencies  even several states away  that took the apprehension of Penzes so seriously. Because of their work, we can now start the process of bringing him back to South Carolina to face his charges," Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said in a statement to the Erie Times-News.

Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNhahn.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Police pursuits: Troopers nab S.C. robbery suspect in Erie County chase
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court declined late Monday to block one of the countrys top-rated high schools from using a new admissions plan that a community group says discriminates against Asian Americans.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., changed its admission system two years ago, with the stated goal of achieving more diversity in the student body. The school did away with a requirement to take three standardized tests, submit an essay and get teacher recommendations.

The new system requires applicants to have taken a rigorous load of middle school courses with a high grade-point average. The district also undertakes a holistic review of a students background, including socioeconomic status. An applicants race is not considered under the new evaluation system.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va. (Google Maps)

Under the previous admissions process, Asian American students made up at least 65 percent of admitted classes. The figure dropped to 54 percent when the new program was adopted. A group of parents sued, and a federal judge ruled that the new system amounted to unconstitutional racial balancing.

At the request of the school district, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put the judges ruling on hold, allowing the high school to continue using the new system while the case is on appeal.

The parents group asked the Supreme Court to let the trial judges ruling take effect for the sake of Asian-American students who will be forced to endure another year of harm competing for seats in the high school class in a system intended to discriminate against them because of their race.

But the school district said that under the new plan the percentage of Asian Americans receiving offers of admission exceeded the percentage of Asian Americans in the districts population. Forcing it to revert to the old system, the district told the Supreme Court, would disrupt the admissions process after officials have expended enormous time and effort processing thousands of applications for admission.

The issue of using admissions policies to achieve classroom diversity has been contentious. The Supreme Court has allowed it in the past, but the newly conservative 6-3 court will take another look at the practice in its next term, taking up challenges to the admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
ST. PETERSBURG  A Tampa man has been arrested in the fatal shootings of two St. Petersburg men killed days apart earlier this month, the St. Petersburg Police Department announced Monday.

Detectives identified Johnny Carnegie, 34, as a person of interest in the separate shootings of Vernon Williams, 60, and Corlenzo Williams, 24, and took him into custody April 13 with the help of the Tampa Police Department and the FBI. He was being held in a Hillsborough County jail on charges unrelated to the shootings, police said.

An arrest warrant for Carnegie was signed Monday on two counts of first-degree murder in those slayings, the St. Petersburg Police Department said in a news release. He also faces one charge of aggravated assault in a third case.

Vernon Williams died early April 10 of a gunshot wound in the 900 block of Melrose Avenue South. Corlenzo Williams was shot and killed early April 12 in the 2900 block of 17th Avenue South  about two miles away from where Vernon was killed.

Investigators soon suspected the two killings were related, according to a search warrant filed April 14 in Pinellas County that sought permission to search Carnegies vehicle, a silver Lincoln MKZ with a fog light out on the drivers side. Multiple surveillance cameras showed a sedan matching that description near each crime scene, according to the search warrant.

In each shooting, the victim was walking in St. Petersburg around 1 a.m. when he was stopped by a man driving a vehicle, later described by police as a Lincoln MKZ four-door sedan, according to the search warrant. It then appears the driver got out of his car and had a short conversation with the victim before shooting and killing him, the search warrant said.

Both shooting victims appear to have been chosen at random, and no known motive has been uncovered in their deaths, the warrant said.

A possible third victim told police he was walking south on 30th Street, near 17th Avenue South, on April 12 when he heard what sounded like a single gunshot from somewhere behind him, according to the search warrant. He said a man in a silver, four-door vehicle then drove up behind him and stopped. The driver got out and asked the man for a light, then pointed a handgun at his head, the man told police.

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The man ran when he saw the gun, according to the search warrant.

At an April 13 news conference, police Chief Anthony Holloway advised caution for anyone walking late at night or in the early hours of the morning and warned residents that if a male driver attempted to stop them, they should walk away from the vehicle.

So were assuming that the suspect is driving down the street, spotting these people that are walking down the street  having a conversation and then shooting them, Holloway said on April 13.

Carnegie was arrested later that night in Tampa on an outstanding warrant for a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The details of that case appear similar to the St. Petersburg shootings  police say Carnegie shot at someone he didnt know and without any apparent provocation in the parking lot of a Tampa bar.

Surveillance video at the Warehouse Bar, 4023 W Gandy Blvd., shows Carnegie backing his vehicle into a parking spot next to another vehicle shortly about 3 a.m. on Feb. 15, according to details provided by Tampa police. As the man in the other vehicle unlocked his drivers side door, Carnegie got out of his own vehicle, pointed a handgun at the man and, without saying anything, fired two rounds at him, police said. The rounds skipped off the roof of the mans car and did not strike him.

As the man crouched down to take cover, Carnegie fired another round through the closed passenger side window of the mans vehicle. The round pierced the drivers seat of the vehicle and grazed the mans thigh, causing what police said was a minor injury. Paramedics treated him at the scene. The man told police he didnt know Carnegie and didnt know why Carnegie shot at him.

Carnegie is being held in a Hillsborough County jail. He will remain there until the completion of the extradition process, St. Petersburg police said.

This is a developing story. Stay with tampabay.com for updates.

Times staff writer Tony Marrero contributed to this report.
Women react during the funeral of Ukrainian army officer Vyacheslav Vyacheslavovych Dimov, who was killed on 16 April in battle in the Vasylivka district of Zaporizhzhia region (Reuters)

All of a sudden, moving through Ukraine became a stumble through the sick dreamscape of your worst nightmare.

Under a railway station in the northern town of Trosytanets, where artillery has blasted suburban mundanity into a muddy moonscape, men emerged with their stories of being tortured for information they didnt have.

In a quiet wood, over 350km (220 miles) west, near the capital Kyiv, we found the body of an unknown Ukrainian teenager, bound and shot, face down in the trees. He was just metres from a Russian trench camp where an abandoned cafetiere, chicken coop and pair of socks drying on trees spoke of a hasty retreat.

In Zaporizhzhya, the heart of the country, and an escape route out for those fleeing the besieged city of Mariupol, a woman whose legs were stuttered with shrapnel recalled watching her bed-ridden aunt burn to death because no one could get her to a bomb shelter in time.

In the southern city of Mykolaiv at a hospital, whose windows were boarded up, a doctor admitted one of his patients, who picked up an unexploded banned cluster munition bomblet, may never walk again.

All along an 8,500km odyssey through Ukraine, we stumbled across horrific stories. As Putins invasion grinds past the miserable milestone of two months they only get more bloody and more awful. These testimonies show that despite Moscows protestations of good faith and innocence, we have only just scratched the surface of the horrors that have already happened or are going on right now as I write this, and his forces turn their attention to the east.

It was a nightmare  it was the worst thing they has ever happened to me and I worry it is happening again elsewhere, said Dima, one of the civilians I spoke to who who survived several days of torture in Trostyanets. He is too gentle a person to shrug off the violence he was subjected to: his hands, numbed by torture, shook.

I see their faces in my dreams. And I know it is not just me. Think what is happening as we talk, in Mariupol in Donetsk.

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Bodies in the Trostyanets morgue (Bel Trew)

Yuri, 32, who was shot and tortured in a different basement by Russians several hundred kilometres away in a village north of Kyiv, is also worried about the others. He spoke to us from a hospital bed where doctors are trying to save his mangled foot.

I feel like I was lucky to have survived as I did, he told The Independent. I met a guy who was kept captive for 20 days without light. He was pyschologically damaged. It even took some time for him to get used to the sunlight again. There are many like him, he added.

We will likely never know the true scale of what has happened. We can get indications though. On Friday, Maxar Technologies published images showing mass graves so vast in Russian-occupied territory near Mariupol that they appear in satellite imagery.

The British Ministry of Defence had previously released footage of it says are mobile crematoriums to evaporate one human body at a time and so erase the worst crimes.

Meanwhile, President Putin who has focuses his forces on consolidating the east and south of Ukraine, dismissed this all as monstrous forgery.

But Dima shows the scars on his legs and wrists as evidence.

Its written on my body, he added.

There were bits of corpses all over the ground

I realised I had a choice, said 22-year party planner Marina, as she coordinated a makeshift conveyer belt of people making sandbags on the beach of the coastal city of Odesa.

Either leave the country, sit at home and wait to die, or get out and do something.

Volunteers make sandbags on the beach in Odessa (Bel Trew)

Against the soft whomp of outgoing anti-aircraft fire, hundreds of volunteers continue the back-breaking work of making over 10,000 sandbags a day which are sent across the country to reinforce buildings, bases, hospitals, monuments and schools. In the background a young drummer accompanied the Arctic Monkeys on a speaker and so the teams intermittently broke to dance.

As with all wars, this one begins with the present continuous of grief: a rollercoaster of hope and horror, resilience and despair as people go through the process of dealing with the ambush of a new past.

For many this immediately translated into rallying to the war effort.

I met grandmothers weaving military camouflage netting in community centres in the western city of Lviv, construction workers welding Czech hedgehogs in the central city of Khmelnytskyi, young fashion designers forging bulletproof vests out of truck springs in the port city of Mykolaiv, and party planners like Marina filling sandbags at the beach in Odesa.

In multiple towns there were queues around the block and waiting lists for people to join the army. Gyms and town halls across the country became civil and territorial defence training grounds for civilians, learning how to use everything from molotov cocktails to rifles.

And so the invasion rather than breaking spirit has had the adverse consequence of uniting the country.

At the bewildering number of checkpoints that now carve up the country, the repeated phrase glory to Ukraine has become synonymous with hello.

Civilians are trained in how to shoot in Odessa (Bel Trew)

Homemade billboards telling the Russians to eff off back home (or to The Hague) litter the roads. As do ones glorifying particular strategic wins, or moments of bravery: Russian ships, go f**k yourself, the alleged battle cry of Ukrainian soldiers on Snake Island, is such a popular epigram it is now commemorated on Ukraines newest postal stamp.

And at the helm is populist President Volodymyr Zelensky, who with his 21st-century mix of Dancing with the Stars and battlefield videos, has one of the most recognisable faces of our time.

It is a truly modern conflict.

Homemade military hardware aside, Ukraine, a tech start-up nation famous for its call centres, harnessed that knowledge to help deal with the nightmarish consequences of war.

I met Ukrainian MP Halyna Yanchenko who, together with a team of computer programmers, launched the Prykhystok website  which is a bit like Airbnb or couch-surfing for refugees, as it maps 5,000 shelters across the country. Two of the developers then pivoted to partnering with car-sharing and taxi apps  the Ukrainian equivalents of Uber  to organise carpools and rides for civilians fleeing some of the worst conflict zones.

Someone else built an app that notifies you of every air raid siren, while others developed web-based programmes offering detailed maps of local bomb shelters and hospitals.

Across the country these resources became a lifeline for those forced to forge the new refugee trail.

At the railway stations, Second World War-like scenes of child evacuees layer over the technicolour nightmare of what was unfolding.

All roads ultimately culminate in the last gruelling stretch to countries like Poland or Romania, where I watched a stream of figures emerge ghostlike through the darkness, carrying their children and the pets and their hastily packed suitcases: the last quick summary of their former lives.

A little boy from Eastern Ukraine waits in the snow for a train to Poland (Bel Trew)

And through them we started to hear the drip-feed of horror, that we, as reporters, would eventually stumble into in areas liberated from Russian forces.

A rocket hit a queue of people waiting for humanitarian aid, there were just bits of corpses all over the ground, said Ruslan, 39, who escaped the besieged city of Mariupol with his wife and daughter to Zaporizhia.

He was forced to leave his mother, sister and stepfather behind because, by an unhappy coincidence of address, they lived on Mariupols left bank, the worst hit area of the city that has recently become a last stand. Right now hundreds of civilians  they may well include Ruslans family members  are holed up in the Azovstal steel factory on the left bank, with the last remaining, outgunned group of Ukrainian fighters.

We lost contact with them after the first week of the war, and now... he trails off.

Behind Ruslan was a white board of desperate messages from families like his asking for help trying to find or get to missing loved ones. It is just one of dozens of boards I saw in different shelters and meeting points across the country as well as hundreds of WhatsApp and Facebook groups built for that purpose.

And so divided families will be the lasting legacy of this war.

In Lviv, a few weeks earlier at a theatre, which the cast and backstage staff had turned into a makeshift shelter, I met Maxim, 43, from Dnipro. As a man of fighting age he cannot leave Ukraine and so was spending the last few moments with his children, before he said goodbye to them indefinitely.

I try not to think about being separated, he told me, quietly as his boys watched Sonic the Hedgehog. Im just trying to do the best I can with everything without panicking.

I saw with my own eyes

They have a kind of celebrity status among the civilians desperate to get their families trapped under the most ferocious bombardments of the war.

The volunteer drivers who go back into besieged places like Mariupol and Donetsk braving shelling, airstrikes and Russian soldiers to shuttle people out to comparatively safer towns like Zaporizhzhya.

People walk along a street near a destroyed residential building in Mariupol (Reuters)

Three of the most well-known, who have made several trips back into Mariupol, are missing. Micha, who has apparently retrieved over 100 people, was last heard heading back to Mariupol before he vanished a few weeks ago.

This didnt deter Andre, 42, who the day we spoke to him was joining a group of other cars to head to areas under bombardment in Donetsk now in the eye of Putins storm.

I saw with my own eyes how the Russians fired on a Ukrainian Red Cross humanitarian aid convoy  there is no one else who can do this, he said, while sticking a poster reading the word children in Russian on his car to protect against the worst onslaught.

We planned to go to our house to find belongings and if we see anyone we will bring them back.

Andre and the drivers was just one example of the extraordinary kindness of strangers across Ukraine during the journey as civilians have adjusted to the new normal.

In Hostomel, a few kilometres northwest of Kyiv, where unexploded rockets bristle the ground almost comically, I met Anna, 35, an accountant who had taken in a newly orphaned 11-year-old boy whose mother was shot dead by Russians in early March as she drove to get supplies.

Under fire they rescued the child, who was pinned under his mothers dead body, and took him to their home while they spent weeks trying to find his father.

We didnt know who the family was, but the boy would write to his mother in his diary every day, she said in tears.

Over 150km northeast, in Chernihiv, during a month long bitter siege and bombing, a local pizza chain sourced and fixed three generators as well as an industrial drill to dig a well, to provide water to thousands who were cut off.

We also had to find a way to feed people, said Igor, who manned the effort.

And so he said they pooled together resources across the city and, with the bridges bombed and roads into the city under fire, they smuggled in supplies via boat.

Paulina, who is just over 2 years old, is comforted by her sister after fleeing Mariupol (Bel Trew)

Civilians also helped journalists. One night in March, during an air raid and a snowstorm, a wedding venue provided shelter for a night.

Throughout the country, random families welcomed us as we stumbled into their bomb shelters.

Some even became our friends.

We were also welcomed into reception centres where - during one particularly heavy day a 9 year old boy who fled the front line in Zaporizhzhya taught me Russian via Google translate. He still messages me today to check in.

Back in Trostyanets, the resilience and kindness is partly why Anatoliy, a former soldier who came out of retirement for the war, thinks Ukraine will ultimately be victorious.

In 1986, he helped clear up after Chernobyl and has now survived a month-long Russian occupation of his home town. Twice an accidental witness to history, he thinks Putins war is far worse and more dangerous for Ukraine and Europe than the worlds most famous nuclear disaster.

He spoke as he took us around the trashed main administrative building of the town which had become the headquarters for Russian forces who have inexplicably left piles of excrement, smears of blood and half-drunk bottles of alcohol everywhere.

Look at this, they are barbarians, we have to be victorious, he added.

But there is no certainty to Anatoilys belief, which is echoed by many Ukrainians. Western officials still think Russia might win this  telling British media last week that the Russian army outnumbers Ukrainian forces in the east by three to one and could even march on the capital again.

And so the predictions are that the future will be a bloody and long one. And in the interim families will be riven apart.

On the 13-hour train ride from Kyiv to Poland  the final leg out of the country  I watched the men accompanying their families start to drop off as carriages approached the final stop in Ukraine before the border.

Look after your mother, one father told his little girl as he waved goodbye. Possibly forever.

Ill see you soon, he added, lying with love.
Miller's dynamism behind the camera is well-known, and it's fun to see it unleashed. The director expands his "Mad Max" mythology into the biggest, most relentless movie he's ever made, which doesn't mean his best. It is, to be sure, one of his most idiosyncratic. Certain images, such as the heavy-metal guitarist, whose guitar spews fire, chained to the front of a particularly evil weapon on wheels, become leitmotifs you simply wouldn't find in any other movie. Also, it's unlikely that many directors would take the time to set up and dramatically justify the image of a tanker truck full of breast milk getting shot to hell.
Known for his vibrant and authentic social media content, travel influencer and clinical pharmacist Cedric Cedtripping Woods has never really been a fan of group trips.

One of the most popular male, travel content creators on Instagram, Woods didnt take his first international trip until 2012. A few years later, after a trip to France with some friends, an ever-burning passion for travel was lit within him; leading him to over 50 countries to document and curate content surrounding his travel experiences.

However, Woods still wasnt sold on group excursions.

I generally dont like going on group trips, Woods said. Ive done a couple, and youre not able to do what you want to do. Sometimes the experience and accommodations are not at a certain level or are like on a level of mid-luxury to full luxury.

Photo Courtesy of Cedric Woods

Nevertheless, Woods high-quality, engaging content continued to entice his social media friends and more people began requesting to accompany him on his international quests.

A lot of people were interested in traveling with me, so they could see what it was like to be a travel content creator and capture beautiful photos, he said.

Finally, Woods gave in and began planning a voyage to Zanzibar, Tanzania for a group of his loyal social media followers. The 20 traveler experience sold out in one month, and guests were excited to enjoy the rich travel experience only Cedtripping could provide.

I wanted everyone to have the authentic feel of a Cedtripping trip, he said. I can truly say that the Zanzibar trip was a complete success. I was just blown away.

Photo Courtesy of Cedric Woods.

For five days in March 2022, Woods and his guests explored the turquoise waters and white sand beaches of Zanzibar. Their hotel was right on the water and guests woke up to ocean views each morning. Suddenly, the photos theyd double-tapped on Woods Instagram page became their reality, and the African horizon served as the perfect backdrop.

African destinations are destinations that resonate with me more than others, Woods said. Theres something special about Africa and for me, its a personal connection that runs much deeper than the people, the history, and the food. This could only be found in the Motherland.

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Woods led the group on excursions throughout the stay that took them all over Zanzibar. Guests enjoyed beachside massages to unwind before taking sailboats out on the Indian Ocean. They also swam with sea turtles at an aquarium and learned more about the regions culture in a traditional Swahili class.

Photo Courtesy of Cedric Woods.

The entire stay was packed with excursions from sun up to sundown. Although this meant very little sleep for Woods, the influencer wanted to ensure his guests got the most out of their trip and that they understood they were in control of their itinerary.

I expected them to do as much as possible on the itinerary but I encouraged them to make this trip everything they wanted, he said.

A unique facet of Woods trip itinerary was that all combinations and excursions were selected specifically for creating travel content. Not only that, Woods accommodate every travelers need by having videographers and photographers on deck to help guests with producing their social media content while in Zanzibar. While the trip was content-driven, participating in content curation was optional for all guests.

Whether it was their pose, posture, or just directing, they helped the guests with what to do to capture great, beautiful content, he said.

Photo Courtesy of Cedric Woods.

During the trip, the guests were able to experience the market at Stone Town as well as have lunch at the most famous restaurant in Zanzibar, The Rock Restaurant. Knowing how some group trips can be centered around hotel food and buffets, Woods wanted his travelers to experience the flair and flavor of Tanzanian cuisine.

I wanted this group to have great food and great options and to experience different restaurants, he said. So I basically had us dine at different places in Zanzibar, so we could experience different types of foods, different spices, different menus, and different dinner scenery.

Once apprehensive about group excursions, Woods has found a new appreciation for traveling with a diverse group of individuals. Guests have been raving about their experience since returning to the US, and many expressed how the trip was life-changing in more ways than one.

Photo Courtesy of Cedric Woods.

Many of them were going through issues or something at home, so it was such a peaceful experience for them to get away and basically a great way for them to cope with some of the stress that they were experiencing, he said.

Realizing the impact tailored and detailed travel experience curation can have, Woods, left Zanzibar with a fresh perspective and plans to have more Cedtripping group trips in the future. He believes travel is transformative and, although he has experienced it himself, was amazed when he saw it manifest in other travelers.

You can really design travel experiences in a way where it really helps people cope with stress and make their lives more manageable and better, Cedtripping said. You can design a travel experience that saves someones life and frees someone who has depression. You can provide that space to clear their heads and give them time to think and give them more hope.
On the afternoon of June 5, 2019, a completely random act of gun violence caused the death of a teenager, who according to prosecutors, was waiting at a Mount Airy bus stop when he was struck by a stray bullet.

Brandon Phoenix, 18, worked in food services at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and was on his way to work at the time of the shooting. He graduated the previous year from North College Hill High School.

"He was an innocent victim, sitting at a bus stop," his mother, Lisa Phoenix, told The Enquirer. "He didnt get to have a chance to get married. He was just starting his life."

Brandon Phoenix graduated from North College Hill High School in May 2018.

Jury selection, which began Monday, will continue Tuesday in the trial of a man charged in Brandon Phoenix's death  24-year-old Delrico Peoples.

The shooting happened at the intersection of Colerain and West North Bend avenues, near the historic Mount Airy water tanks. Prosecutors have said in pretrial hearings that people in two vehicles were shooting at each other. The reason for the shooting has not been disclosed.

After Phoenix was struck by the bullet, multiple people tried to help him before paramedics arrived.

Peoples, who had no connection to Phoenix, initially denied knowing anything about the shooting. He eventually told police, according to court documents, that "a rear passenger (in his vehicle) fired shots at a passing car."

"Mr. Peoples maintained that he had no knowledge of why his passenger began shooting or the identity of his passenger," the documents say.

Although the gun that killed Phoenix has never been found, according to the documents, investigators found a shell casing in Peoples' vehicle that was the same brand as shell casings recovered at the scene.

The trial is in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court before Judge Melba Marsh.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Trial begins in killing of Children's Hospital worker Brandon Phoenix
Trump told Piers Morgan that he's "not a fan" of Meghan Markle and that Prince Harry is "whipped."

"Poor Harry is being led around by his nose. And I think he's an embarrassment," Trump said.

He also told Morgan that the Queen should have stripped them of their royal titles.

Former President Donald Trump had a few choice words for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, even going so far as to say the pair should lose their royal titles.

Trump said that he was "not a fan" of Meghan Markle during an interview on "Piers Morgan Uncensored." A segment of the interview, set to air Monday, was released Sunday by The Sun.

"I'm not a fan of Meghan. I'm not a fan and I wasn't right from the beginning. I think poor Harry is being led around by his nose," Trump said.

Trump also said that Prince Harry was "whipped" like no one he had ever seen and that the marriage will "end, and it'll end bad."

"I want to know what's going to happen when Harry decides he's had enough of being bossed around," Trump said, according to The Sun transcript. "Or maybe when she decides that she likes some other guy better."

He continued by saying Harry would beg to come back to London, adding: "I think he's an embarrassment."

Morgan asked Trump what his thoughts were on Harry and Meghan announcing in 2020 that they were stepping back from the Royal Family. Trump said he thought it was "terrible" that Harry did not attend Prince Philip's funeral.

Although Harry did not attend Prince Philip's memorial in March, he attended his official funeral in April 2021.

Trump also said if he were the Queen, he would strip the couple of their royal titles.

"Her loyalty is to the country," Trump said. "And I think that he has been so disrespectful to the country, and it's a great country."

A representative for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
Twitter has begun negotiating a potential deal with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk over his $43 billion acquisition offer, several outlets reported on Sunday.

The social media companys 11-person board met Sunday to discuss his bid, including a timeline and potential penalties against Musk should a contract be signed and the deal falls through, according to the New York Times.

Twitters willingness to further consider Musks unsolicited $54.20-per-share offer come after he detailed plans for financing, a previous weakness in his proposal, Reuters reports.

Musk also reportedly met with several shareholders on Friday, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Times reported that the board planned to meet with representatives of musk on Sunday as well.

Twitter is expected to offer some insight into its thinking about the bid when it reports earnings later this week, the Journal noted.

Musk made the offer to purchase the company in its entirety on April 14.

I am offering to buy 100% of Twitter for $54.20 per share in cash, a 54% premium over the day before I began investing in Twitter and a 38% premium over the day before my investment was publicly announced, Musk, already the largest shareholder of Twitter, wrote in the letter to Twitter Chairman Bret Taylor.

In a securities filing last week, Musk explained that his financing including included $13 billion in debt financing from Morgan Stanley and other lenders and another $12.5 billion in loans against his Tesla stock, requiring another $21 billion in equity financing.

If Twitter accepts Musks offer, the billionaire signaled plans to turn Twitter into a private company, and has already made recommendations to expand its subscription service and add an edit feature.

The social media company has extraordinary potential, he said, adding, I will unlock it.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has approved a plan that will see American diplomats headed back to Ukraine, as the countrys war with Russia moves into a new phase away from the capital, Kyiv.

U.S. diplomats will start day trips into Lviv, a city in Western Ukraine near Poland that has become a staging ground for humanitarian operations in the country, a Department of State official told CNN. They will then graduate to potentially other parts of the country and ultimately, to resume a presence in Kyiv, he said. Presently, the U.S. does not plan to establish a diplomatic post in Lviv or resume operations at its embassy in Kyiv, which has been vacant for two months after American diplomats were evacuated in February. In an email to National Review, a State Department spokesman confirmed that a permanent presence in Ukraine would be considered as conditions allow, while clarifying that in-person consular service remains suspended.

The announcement came as Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Sunday for a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Journalists did not accompany the delegation to Kyiv, which traveled by train to the city from Poland. Officials at the Departments of State and Defense reported that the meetings subjects included artillery training for Ukrainian forces and political support against the invasion. The visit does not portend actual involvement by U.S. forces in the conflict, said the official.

Their visit followed a flurry of Ukraine-related announcements by the Biden Administration. Following a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal visiting Washington, D.C. on April 21, President Joe Biden announced $713 Million in aid to the country in its fight against Russia. The package would include, heavy artillery weapons  dozens of Howitzers  and 144,000 rounds of ammunitionIt also includes more tactical drones, the president said. Blinken and Austin were reported to have discussed the matter with Zelensky. Biden had signed another military aid package for Ukraine last week, as well as approved a separate $500 Million humanitarian aid package. U.S. assistance to Ukraine since the war began now totals $3.4 billion.

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The White House also announced the nomination of a new Ambassador to Ukraine on Monday morning. Bridget A. Brink, the current U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia, a country bordering Ukraine, is a career diplomat who previously spent her career focused on the Eastern European and Eurasian region. The post had been vacant since 2019, when President Donald Trump recalled then-Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch during the controversy surrounding the withholding of aid to Ukraine, which became the subject of Trumps first impeachment trial.

Amidst Blinken and Austins visit, Biden has faced criticism for not traveling to Ukraine himself. The leaders of other NATO member-states, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have personally visited Kyiv in the last month. The same State Department official said that there are no plans for Biden to visit.

More from National Review
United Nations  After failing to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt his war in Ukraine by sending an emissary, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was headed on Monday to meet Putin in person. The U.N. chief is to arrive Tuesday in Moscow after first visiting Ankara, Turkey, where the government has been leading the push for a ceasefire.

Guterres is scheduled to then travel from Moscow to Kyiv to meet Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has blasted Guterres' decision to visit Moscow first as Russia's bombardment of Ukrainian cities continues taking a devastating toll on civilians.

"It is simply wrong to go first to Russia and then to Ukraine," Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv on Saturday. "There is no justice and no logic in this order."

"The war is in Ukraine, there are no bodies in the streets of Moscow. It would be logical to go first to Ukraine, to see the people there, the consequences of the occupation," he said.

The deputy head of Zelenskyy's office, Igor Zhovkva, said Sunday on "Meet the Press" that the Secretary-General was "not really" authorized to speak on behalf of the Ukrainian government.

The merits of Guterres' itinerary will likely be judged on Putin's response to the Secretary-General's request for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to the press at U.N. Headquarters in New York, April 19, 2022. / Credit: Xie E/Xinhua/Getty

"The Secretary-General said that at this time of great peril and consequence, he would like to discuss urgent steps to bring about peace in Ukraine," his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York ahead of the trip.

On his way to Moscow, Guterres will first visit Turkey and meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He travels to Kyiv on Thursday to meet Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

The U.N. chief will be in Kyiv three days after the visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who came promising hundreds of millions of dollars in additional military aid.

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Blinken said Monday that he had spoken with Guterres and that he understood the U.N. chief would deliver a "very strong message" to Putin on the need to end the war and to implement an immediate ceasefire and open corridors to allow aid in and civilians out of besieged cities.

Ahead of Guterres' visit to Ankara, Ukraine's president said he "had an important phone conversation with Erdogan in which he stressed the need for immediate evacuation of civilians from Mariupol."

Turkish media said Sunday that Erdogan had reiterated his country's support for negotiations to end the war and said Turkey would welcome a "guarantor" position in any peace agreement.

Austin, Blinken, Zelenskyy in secret meeting in Ukraine: CBS News Flash April 25, 2022

New York City Mayor Eric Adams: The 60 Minutes Interview

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Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin Lex Brandon/POOL/AFP/Getty Images

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Ukrainian officials in their unannounced visit to Kyiv on Sunday that the U.S. will provide the country with $322 million in military aid and return diplomats to Ukraine, State Department officials told reporters. Austin told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the other officials that President Biden also approved $165 million in ammunition sales to Ukraine and that the first U.S. howitzers had arrived in Ukraine.

Blinken told Zelensky that Biden will nominate Bridget Brink, a veteran diplomat and current U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, as the new U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, a position that has been vacant since Marie Yovanovitch was controversially recalled in May 2019. While Brink awaits confirmation, U.S. diplomats will "start with day trips into Lviv" and "graduate to potentially other parts of the country and ultimately, resume presence in Kyiv," a senior State Department official said.

The U.S. had planned to keep the visit by Austin and Blinken under wraps until they were out of the country, but Zelensky hinted at it on Saturday and one of his advisers broke the news Sunday. The U.S., in confirming the visit, said Blinken and Austin met with Zelensky, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, and Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky for about three hours. It was Zelensky's first face-to-face meeting with a top U.S. official since Russia invaded.

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LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is providing Ukraine with new ambulances, fire engines, medical supplies and funding for health experts to help its emergency services deal with the aftermath of Russian attacks, the government said on Monday.

The latest batch of British support will see 22 new ambulances leave for Ukraine in the coming days to join more than 40 fire engines carrying rescue equipment, thermal imaging cameras and almost 10,000 items of protective clothing which have already been dispatched there.

The British government is also giving 300,000 pounds ($382,000) to the medical aid charity, UK-Med, to help it train Ukrainian doctors and nurses to deal with mass casualties, as well as 300,000 pounds worth of medicines and pharmaceutical supplies.

"We have all been appalled by the abhorrent images of hospitals deliberately targeted by Russia since the invasion began over two months ago," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

"The new ambulances, fire engines and funding for health experts announced today will better equip the Ukrainian people to deliver vital health care and save lives."

($1 = 0.7856 pounds)

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Mark Potter)
Filmmakers Lilly and Lana Wachowski are auctioning off props and other collectables from their films on May 12, 2022, including this Balem Abrasax Royal Guard costume from "Jupiter Ascending." (Potter & Potter Auctions)

For more than a decade, Matrix filmmakers Lana and Lilly Wachowski based their Chicago operations out of a North Side building on Ravenswood Avenue before putting it on the market a few years back. And now the pair is doing a bit more house cleaning: Theyre auctioning off a selection of props, costumes, posters and other paraphernalia theyve acquired over the years working on projects including the original Matrix trilogy, Jupiter Ascending and Sense8.

So me and Lana have been doing some spring cleaning, Lilly tweeted over the weekend, and have happily decided to pass on some of the best treasures weve been collecting over the years!!

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Proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Protect & Defend Trans Youth Fund, which provides critical funds to organizations providing direct services to trans youth and advocating for the rights of trans youth in states currently targeted by anti-trans policies.

The Wachowskis are perhaps the best-known trans filmmakers at the moment. They are the team behind some of the most indelible science fiction put to screen over the last two decades, although creatively they work independently of one another these days  Lana as the writer-director of last years Matrix Resurrections and Lilly as a writer and executive producer on the Chicago-shot Showtime series Work in Progress.

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Potter & Potter Auctions in Chicago is handling the auction, which is scheduled for May 12.

They were closing down their film office here in Chicago and thought it was time to set some of these things free into the world, said Potter & Potter president Gabe Fajuri. Among the items are maquettes, which are models of things such as the Nebuchadnezzar, the hovercraft captained by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) in The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded.

Writer, producer and director Lilly Wachowski resides in Chicago full-time. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

There are also posters signed by the filmmakers as well as costumes for auction, including a Balem Abrasax Royal Guard costume from Jupiter Ascending. Fajuri said theres already a good deal of interest in the lightning rifle, a resin, rubber and foam prop model used by Cypher (Joe Pantoliano) when he reveals himself as an ally of Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) in The Matrix.

Other items include a sentinel concept maquette with curled tentacles (constructed for reference use during the effects design phases of the original Matrix trilogy) and a pair of models that depict Carrie-Anne Moss Trinity poised in midair and preparing to deliver a flying kick during her escape from agents at the beginning of The Matrix, per the lot description.

According to Fajuri: There are also items from Cloud Atlas and Speed Racer. And then there are promotional items. Theres even a mobile phone from back in the day that was a marketing tie-in. Not a prop, but a limited edition real phone. The Wachowskis are even including awards theyve won over the years, including their 2000 win at the MTV Movie Awards for The Matrix.

There are a total of 189 lots for auction. Its a live auction, which means you can come to our sale at our gallery on the North Side. Its not just an online auction, Fajuri said, although people have already been putting in bids, eBay-style: Theres absentee bidding open now, and thats been very spirited. But on auction day, people can come in and raise a hand or raise a paddle and buy things. And for those who want to see the items ahead of time, they are on display in the Potter & Potter gallery, which is open to the public.

Prices run the gamut  from the low hundreds to the thousands  and Fajuri said those numbers were determined by market research and talking with Lilly Wachowski. We looked at similar props in either similar genres or other Matrix things that have sold in the past. So we did our homework and then consulted with the people who know, and no one knows better than Lilly and her team.

Fajuri thinks the final tally will be in the six figures, at least $100,000. Its for a good cause, so that tends to bring out a few more dollars. Weve done a few charitable auctions before and they tend to bring out the best in people in terms of extra money for a good cause. And with a lot of worldwide attention, that will be the case in this instance as well.

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Enter the Matrix: The Wachowski Collection auction will be 10 a.m. May 12 at Potter & Potter Auctions, 5001 W. Belmont Ave. Online and absentee bids are currently being accepted at www.potterauctions.com.

Nina Metz is a Tribune critic

nmetz@chicagotribune.com

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Antony Blinken. Susan Walsh/AFP via Getty Images

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin traveled to Kyiv and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday afternoon, Ukrainian officials said. They are the first top U.S. officials known to visit Kyiv since Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24.

The U.S. government did not comment on the trip, with the news coming from Ukrainian officials like Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Zelensky. During an appearance on Ukrainian television, Arestovych said Blinken and Austin were "in Kyiv, talking to the president. Maybe something will be decided regarding how they can help."

This meeting comes after Russian forces shifted their focus to eastern Ukraine, and sends "a powerful signal to Russia that Ukraine will not be left alone with this war," one Ukrainian lawmaker told The New York Times. Congress has approved $13.6 billion in emergency spending for the invasion, with that money going toward weapons and supplies.

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It was a happy Mother's Day indeed for Consuelo Buelvas, who called her son's game-winning shot from 3,110 miles away in Sincelejo, Colombia. Jorge Alfaro pinch-hit three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning gave the San Diego Padres a stunning 3-2 win Sunday against his former team, the Miami Marlins. If Alfaro looked confident in going deep to center field on the first pitch he saw from Cole Sulser (0-1), it's because he was buoyed by a phone call he had with his mother before the game.
A United Nations team has landed in China to prepare the groundwork for the long-awaited visit of its human rights chief, slated for next month.

The five-member team, which is visiting "at the invitation of the government", set off on Sunday for Guangzhou where they will "quarantine in line with Covid-19 travel requirements", UN human rights spokeswoman Liz Throssell confirmed to the Post.

Once out of quarantine, they are "due to visit the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region", Throssell said.

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.

The UN's top human rights official, Michelle Bachelet, had been negotiating with Beijing since September 2018 about a visit to Xinjiang, where some 1 million mainly Uygur Muslims are alleged to have been held in mass detention camps. China rejects all such claims and calls them politically motivated.

In March, the former Chilean president announced that she had "recently reached an agreement with the government of China for a visit" in May, including to Xinjiang.

That would make Bachelet the first UN high commissioner for human rights to visit China since 2005, though the timing of her trip has yet to be confirmed.

The parameters of a visit were a stumbling block for years, with Bachelet's office repeatedly insisting that she would require "unfettered, meaningful access, including unsupervised interviews with civil society".

In January, the Post reported that China had approved a visit following the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, provided the trip was "friendly" in nature and not framed as an investigation.

Beijing also insisted that Bachelet's office hold off on publishing a report into Xinjiang ahead of the Games, as had been requested by Washington, sources said at the time.

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The report has still not been published, with no timeline forthcoming.

The advance team will be expected to ensure "meaningful access" for Bachelet, Throssell said.

They will try to "gain a clear understanding of the human rights situation in the country and engage in discussions on relevant issues with a wide range of stakeholders, including senior government officials and civil society".

"In countries where the UN Human Rights Office does not have a presence, it is standard practice for a preliminary technical mission to be deployed ahead of a possible high commissioner visit," Throssell said, in response to repeated enquiries by the Post.

In 2019, for example, an advance team went ahead of Bachelet's mission to Venezuela, "precisely to prepare and see what was feasible", she added.

However, it was not immediately clear whether Bachelet herself would have to quarantine when she arrived in China. "Given the Covid situation, the team will need to adapt to changing circumstances," Throssell said.

The prospect of quarantine could prove disruptive to any unfettered inspection.

Currently, travellers to China have to quarantine for a minimum of two weeks. Often, they need to quarantine again when they reach a separate destination.

In Guangzhou, current pandemic rules stipulate 28 days of blended quarantine between hotels and private homes. Any visitor must spend 14 days under quarantine in designated hotels, followed by seven days of home quarantine if they have a local residence. They can then be released from isolation but must monitor their own health conditions for another seven days.

In smaller cities and counties, quarantine rules vary wildly, raising some questions about how freely the UN staff could move around the country.

Quarantine rules have been waived in the past for senior visitors, such as the dignitaries who met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing at the start of the Winter Olympics in February.

Bachelet's potential visit also comes towards the end of her term in office, which expires in September.

Perhaps paving the way for a visit, China's top legislature last week ratified two International Labour Organization (ILO) treaties on forced labour, which are particularly sensitive given the allegations of such abuse in Xinjiang.

Rights groups such as Human Rights Watch have urged Bachelet to release her report and to ensure that meetings with rights advocates in China are "carried out safely, that her arrangements with the Chinese government are transparent, and that minimum standards for an unfettered visit are met, among other considerations."

"The Chinese government has given no indication that the UN high commissioner will be allowed to see anything they don't want her to see," said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch.

"She should not fail the victims of crimes against humanity and other grave abuses by enabling the Chinese authorities to manipulate her visit."

Emma Reilly, a former UN human rights officer and now an outspoken critic, said that the visit was "just another fig leaf to delay publication beyond the end of [Bachelet's] term in September".

"Her visit is explicitly dependent on Covid restrictions, so I strongly suspect she will simply suddenly realise at the last minute that she simply cannot spare two weeks for quarantine," Reilly said.

"But, of course, information from the advance team will have to be integrated, ensuring the report cannot be released during her term."

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.
Passengers make their way through Delta Airlines Terminal Two at Los Angeles International Airport

Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

One week ago, a federal judge in Florida voided the federal transportation mask mandate and most airports and major airlines in the United States dropped masking requirements. But not everyone may be comfortable taking to the skies without knowing their fellow passengers are masking up.

With passengers in mind, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told the Today Show last week that people who are uncomfortable flying  like parents with young children who are not yet eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine  may be offered a credit or a refund.

"For customers like that, that are immunocompromised or that have other concerns or issues we are working with those customers if they really don't want to fly," he said, adding, "if they just really don't ever want to fly again, [we're] actually willing to give them a refund."

When reached by Travel + Leisure, a spokeswoman for United Airlines pointed to the carrier's change policy, which allows no-fee changes for all tickets except basic economy fares. Earlier this month, United also said it will allow customers with basic economy tickets to either upgrade to a standard economy ticket or cancel it for a fee.

United has also extended the window to redeem flight credits through Dec. 31, 2023.

"We understand that many people remain concerned about COVID. Any of our customers or employees who prefer to wear a mask are welcome to do so," the spokeswoman told T+L. "In addition, HEPA air filtration on our aircraft makes the air you breathe on board the cleanest you'll encounter anywhere."

A spokeswoman for American Airlines told T+L that AAdvantage members may use their flight credits for travel through the end of 2022, but that basic economy tickets purchased after March 31, 2021, are no longer eligible for any changes or refunds.

"We work to accommodate customers in their individual situations and we do have an existing policy (pre-Covid) that makes exceptions for people with illnesses or health-related issues prior to traveling on American," the spokeswoman said.

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A representative for Southwest Airlines pointed to the company's "everyday flexible policies," but said customers traveling on "Wanna Get Away" fares are only able to convert the value of an unused ticket into a credit for a future flight and are unable to receive a cash refund.

For their part, a spokesperson for Alaska Airlines told the Los Angeles Times the carrier would "work with guests on a case-by-case basis if they're not comfortable flying."

A Delta spokesperson told The Associated Press that requests for trip cancellations will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Representatives for Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Spirit Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment from T+L.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.
The United States on Monday charged two Europeans with conspiring with an American cryptocurrency expert who is in prison for helping North Korea circumvent US sanctions over its nuclear program.

Virgil Griffith, 39, was sentenced earlier this month to 63 months in jail for advising Pyongyang on how to create cryptocurrency services and blockchain technology to evade the sanctions.

Federal prosecutors say Spaniard Alejandro Cao de Benos, founder of a pro-North Korean affinity organization, and Briton Christopher Emms, a cryptocurrency businessman, recruited Griffith to provide the services.

Both defendants are at large, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said in a statement.

The prosecutors accuse Cao de Benos and Emms of arranging for Griffith to travel to North Korea in April 2019 to the Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference that they had organized.

At the conference, Emms and Griffith "provided instruction on how the DPRK could use blockchain and cryptocurrency technology to launder money and evade sanctions," the prosecutors alleged.

In the audience were "individuals whom they understood worked for the North Korean government," the statement added.

The instruction was "all for the purpose of evading US sanctions meant to stop North Korea's hostile nuclear ambitions," added Damian Williams, the US attorney in Manhattan.

The accused later allegedly worked to conceal their activity.

The United States prohibits the export of goods, services or technology to North Korea without special permission from the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Cao de Benos, 47, and Emms, 30, are charged with one count of conspiring to violate and evade US sanctions, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Griffith, who holds a doctorate from the California Institute of Technology, pleaded guilty to get a reduced sentence.

pdh/sst
Editor's note: This page recaps the news from Ukraine on Monday, April 25. Follow here for the latest updates and news from Tuesday, April 26, as Russia's invasion continues.

The Biden administration upped its financial pledge and may have hinted at a new goal following a quasi-clandestine meeting in Kyiv between two top U.S. Cabinet officials and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The news came hours after Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin provided the highest-level visit to Kyiv by an American delegation since the start of Russias invasion.

Blinken and Austin told Zelenskyy and his advisers that the United States would provide an additional $300 million in foreign military financing and had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition. Blinken said American diplomats who left Ukraine before the war would start returning to the country as soon as this week.

We had an opportunity to demonstrate directly our strong ongoing support for the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people," Blinken said.

Asked about the the U.S. goals in the conflict, Austin mentioned a desire for Ukraine to remain a sovereign, democratic country, then added: We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it cant do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.

That appears to represent a broader strategic goal than had been expressed. The U.S. has maintained its military aid was intended to help Ukraine win and to defend its NATO neighbors against Russian threats.

Reporters who accompanied Austin and Blinken to Poland were barred by Pentagon and State Department officials from reporting the Kyiv visit until the two men physically left Ukraine. U.S. officials cited security concerns.

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Latest developments:

The British government says it believes 15,000 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine since Moscow launched its invasion two months ago. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said 25% of the Russian combat units sent to Ukraine have been rendered not combat effective." Russia has acknowledged 1,351 military casualties.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Croatia of "destroying bilateral relations'' for failing to provide humanitarian passage for 24 Russian diplomats and embassy staff who were expelled from Croatia over the war in Ukraine. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said the claims are Russian propaganda.

Greenpeace said its environmental activists chained themselves to a Russian oil tanker to keep it from unloading its cargo south of Norways capital, saying Norwegian companies are financing Russias warfare.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said new evidence is emerging that shows Russian troops killed tens of thousands of civilians in Mariupol and then tried to cover it up.

Russias Energy Ministry acknowledged a massive fire at an oil depot in the western city of Bryansk, less than 100 miles from the Ukraine border, on the same day Russia attacked Ukrainian rail and fuel installations.

A resident leaves the remnants of her multi-generational home after searching for salvageable items on April 25, 2022, in Gostomel, Ukraine.

Discovery of new mass grave near Mariupol, possible others may show extent of calamity

Satellite photos released in recent days appear to show mass graves near Mariupol that may provide further clues about the extent of the catastrophe in the besieged port city in southern Ukraine.

Mayor Vadym Boychenko said authorities are trying to estimate the number of victims in a newly discovered grave about 6 miles north of Mariupol.

The strategically valuable city has been the subject of relentless bombardment and fierce street fighting for two months, leaving much of it in ruins. About 2,000 Ukrainian troops remain holed up in a steel plant amid Russian airstrikes, and an estimated 1,000 civilians are also believed to be taking shelter at the Azovstal plant.

An offer by the Russian military to open a humanitarian corridor Monday for the civilians to leave was met with skepticism by Ukrainian authorities, who pointed out the Russians have backed out of such arrangements previously. An estimated 100,000 residents are trapped in Mariupol, prompting Ukraines foreign minister to request U.N. intervention to get them out.

In his nightly video address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that after two months of war, The life of peaceful cities and villages has been turned into hell.

Sweden and Finland will apply to join NATO, reports say

Media outlets in Sweden and Finland are reporting that their governments will submit NATO applications next month after Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine fueled growing support for membership within the two Nordic countries.

The Finnish newspaper Iltalehti said Monday that the Swedish government wants "a common date for the publication of NATO applications" and mentions the week of May 16. Swedens Expressen tabloid said it had confirmed the plan through sources in its government. Both countries have long cooperated with NATO on defense issues, and the U.S. supports their memberships. Finland shares an 830-mile border with Russia.

NATO has provided support for Ukraine since the invasion two months ago but has steadfastly declined to institute a no-fly zone for Ukraine, which is not a member of the alliance. NATO leaders have said the alliance will fully defend any member that faces attack.

Russia prepares for eastern assault by striking elsewhere in Ukraine

Part of Russia's plan to capture a large stretch of eastern Ukraine appears to involve assaults on other parts of the embattled nation.

The Russians on Monday unleashed a string of attacks against crucial Ukrainian infrastructure in the central and western regions, hitting rail and fuel installations, one of them near the western city of Lviv. The strategic strikes are seen as an attempt to cut off Ukrainian supply lines that would provide support for the defense of the east.

Oleksandr Kamyshin, the head of the state-run Ukrainian Railways, said five railway facilities in central and western Ukraine were hit early Monday. Ukrainian authorities said at least five people were killed by Russian strikes in the central Vynnytsia region.

Russia also destroyed an oil refinery in Kremenchuk in central Ukraine, along with fuel depots there, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said. In all, Russian warplanes destroyed 56 Ukrainian targets overnight, he said.

Explosions in separatist Moldovan region of Transnistria, which borders Ukraine

Police in the Moldovan separatist region of Transnistria say several explosions believed to be caused by rocket-propelled grenades hit the Ministry of State Security on Monday, causing no reported injuries but breaking windows and prompting smoke to emanate from the building.

Transnistria, a strip of land with about 470,000 people between Moldova and Ukraine to the east, has been under the control of separatist authorities since a 1992 war with Moldova. Russia bases about 1,500 troops there nominally as peacekeepers, but there are growing concerns that the forces could be used to invade Ukraine through its western border.

Russian commander Rustam Minnekayev said last week that the country's forces intend to take control of southern Ukraine, which would open the way to Transnistria.

Moldovas Foreign Ministry said the aim of todays incident is to create pretexts for straining the security situation in the Transnistrian region. The U.S. warned previously that Russia may launch false-flag attacks against its own side to create a pretext for invading other nations.

International Criminal Court to join probe into possible war crimes

The International Criminal Court in The Hague will join the investigation into allegations of war crimes committed in Ukraine. A Joint Investigative Team was set up by Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine to prepare possible prosecutions within countries and before the international court. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan and the prosecutors general of the three countries signed an agreement Monday.

The agreement sends a "clear message that all efforts will be undertaken to effectively gather evidence on core international crimes committed in Ukraine and bring those responsible to justice," the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation said in a statement.

Ukraine authorities have accused Russian leadership and the military of targeting civilians, claiming mass graves have been found with hundreds of victims. Russia has denied the allegations, accusing the Ukraine military of faking photos of the dead or of committing the murders and blaming Russia in a bid to strengthen international support.

Biden names Bridget Brink as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine

President Joe Biden announced Monday that he will appoint Bridget Brink as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, filling a position that has been vacant for three years. Brink is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and currently serves as ambassador to Slovakia. If confirmed by the Senate, she would be the first U.S. ambassador to Ukraine since Donald Trump removed Marie Yovanovitch from the post in 2019. Yovanovitch's dismissal was one of the factors in Trump's first impeachment.

Brink, a Michigan native, previously served as senior adviser and deputy assistant secretary in the State Departments Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and was responsible for issues related to Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. She also served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassies in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and Tbilisi, Georgia.

How much money has the US sent to Ukraine?

The United States' latest financial commitment to Ukraine represents just a small fraction of the total spending on the embattled nation of 43 million people. Since the start of Russias invasion on Feb. 24, the U.S. has committed roughly $3.7 billion in "security assistance," the White House said Monday. The U.S. has provided more than $4.3 billion since the start of the Biden administration.

The United States is supplying more than guns and ammunition, announcing last week it will give Ukraine another $500 million to help its government fund critical operations. The U.S. provided $500 million in similar aid last month.

"Ukrainians are standing up, theyre standing strong, and theyre doing that with the support that we have coordinated from literally around the world," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Weakened' Russia a US goal; mass grave found: April 25 recap
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russia unleashed a string of attacks Monday against rail and fuel installations deep inside Ukraine, far from the front lines of Moscows new eastern offensive, as Russias top diplomat warned against provoking World War III and said the threat of a nuclear conflict should not be underestimated.

The U.S., meanwhile, moved to rush more weaponry to Ukraine and said the assistance from the Western allies is making a difference in the 2-month-old war.

Russia is failing. Ukraine is succeeding, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared, a day after he and the U.S. secretary of defense made a bold visit to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Blinken said Washington approved a $165 million sale of ammunition  non-U.S. ammo, mainly if not entirely for Ukraine's Soviet-era weapons  and will also provide more than $300 million in financing to buy more supplies.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin took his comments further, saying that while the U.S. wants to see Ukraine remain a sovereign, democratic country, it also wants "to see Russia weakened to the point where it cant do things like invade Ukraine.

Austins comments about weakening Russia appeared to represent a shift in broader U.S. strategic goals. Previously, the U.S. position had been that the goal of American military aid was to help Ukraine win and to defend Ukraines NATO neighbors against Russian threats.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said weapons supplied by Western countries will be a legitimate target," adding that Russian forces had already targeted weapons warehouses in western Ukraine.

Everyone is reciting incantations that in no case can we allow World War III, Lavrov said in a wide-ranging interview on Russian television. He accused Ukrainian leaders of provoking Russia by asking NATO to become involved in the conflict.

By providing weapons, NATO forces are pouring oil on the fire, he said, according to a transcript on the Russian Foreign Ministrys website.

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Regarding the possibility of a nuclear confrontation, Lavrov said: I would not want to see these risks artificially inflated now, when the risks are rather significant.

The danger is serious," he said. "It is real. It should not be underestimated.

When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, its apparent goal was the lightning capture of Kyiv, the capital. But the Ukrainians, with the help of Western weapons, thwarted the push and forced President Vladimir Putin's troops to retreat.

Moscow now says its goal is to take the Donbas, the mostly Russian-speaking industrial region in eastern Ukraine. While both sides say the campaign in the east is underway, Russia has yet to mount an all-out ground offensive and has not achieved any major breakthroughs.

On Monday, Russia focused its firepower elsewhere, with missiles and warplanes striking far behind the front lines in an effort to thwart Ukrainian efforts to marshal supplies for the fight.

Five railroad stations in central and western Ukraine were hit, and one worker was killed, said Oleksandr Kamyshin, head of Ukraine's state railway. The bombardment included a missile attack near Lviv, the western city close to the Polish border that has been swelled by Ukrainians fleeing the fighting elsewhere around the country.

Ukrainian authorities said at least five people were killed by Russian strikes in the central Vynnytsia region.

Russia also destroyed an oil refinery in Kremenchuk, in central Ukraine, along with fuel depots there, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said. In all, Russian warplanes destroyed 56 Ukrainian targets overnight, he said.

Philip Breedlove, a retired U.S. general who was NATOs top commander from 2013 to 2016, said the latest strikes against fuel depots are part of a strategy to deplete key Ukrainian war resources. The strikes against rail targets, on the other hand, are a newer tactic, he said.

I think theyre doing it for the legitimate reason of trying to interdict the flow of supplies to the front, he said. The illegitimate reason is they know people are trying to leave the country, and this is just another intimidation, terrorist tactic to make them not have faith and confidence in traveling on the rails.

Phillips P. OBrien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, said the war is, for now, settling into a campaign of incremental battlefield losses and gains.

The two sides are sort of every day weakening each other, he said. So its a question of what can you bring in thats new and what can you destroy on the other side.

In Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova that sits along the Ukrainian border, several explosions believed caused by rocket-propelled grenades hit the territory's Ministry of State Security. There was no immediate claim of responsibility or reports of injuries. Transnistria is a strip of land with about 470,000 people and about 1,500 Russian troops based there.

Moldova's Foreign Ministry said the aim of todays incident is to create pretexts for straining the security situation in the Transnistrian region." The U.S. warned previously that Russia may launch false-flag attacks against its own side to create a pretext for invading other nations.

Last week, Rustam Minnekayev, a Russian military commander, said the Kremlin wants full control of southern Ukraine, which he said would open the way to Transnistria.

An estimated 2,000 Ukrainian troops holed up in a steel plant in the strategic southern port city of Mariupol are tying down Russian forces and apparently keeping them from being added to the offensive elsewhere in the Donbas. Over the weekend, Russian forces launched new airstrikes on the Azovstal plant to try to dislodge the holdouts.

Some 1,000 civilians were also said to be taking shelter at the steelworks, and the Russian military pledged to open a humanitarian corridor Monday for them to leave.

The Russian offer was met with skepticism by Ukraine. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on the Telegram messaging app that Ukraine does not consider the route safe and added that Russia had breached agreements on similar evacuation routes before. She called on the United Nations to oversee an evacuation.

The city council and mayor of Mariupol said a new mass grave has been identified about 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of the city. Mayor Vadym Boychenko said authorities were trying to estimate the number of victims. It was at least the third new mass grave discovered in Russian-controlled areas near Mariupol in the last week.

Mariupol has been gutted by bombardment and fierce street fighting over the past two months. In addition to freeing up Russian troops, the capture of the city would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said his country's goal is to maintain resistance and make the occupiers stay in our land even more intolerable, while Russia drains its resources.

A top Ukrainian official cast doubt on the prospect of further talks between the two countries. Recent sessions in Istanbul ended without resolution earlier this month.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview that any negotiations other than talks between Zelenskyy and Putin would bring little resolution.

Britain said it believes 15,000 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine since Moscow began its invasion. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said 25% of the Russian combat units sent to Ukraine have been rendered not combat effective."

Ukrainian officials have said about 2,500 to 3,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed as of mid-April.

___

Associated Press journalists Yuras Karmanau and Jon Gambrell in Lviv, Ukraine, and AP staff around the world contributed.

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Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
LAS CRUCES - Already, 91 percent of the New Mexico State University student body has gotten vaccinated against COVID-19, but the university will now be required the remaining 9 percent to get vaxxed as well.

In a letter sent out by Chancellor Dan Arvizu Monday, he announced that the entire university system  including branch colleges  will require proof of vaccination for students. Previously, students were able to send in weekly test results as an alternative.

Arvizu explained some of the reasoning for this change during a town hall on Tuesday. He said not only is this for the health of the community, but that tracking the weekly testing results has also been a burden on the university.

"We also know that if we want to return to pre-COVID types of activities, really, without a concern about viral transmission, vaccinations do work," Arvizu added.

New Mexico State University will now require proof of vaccination for all students, eliminating the weekly test results alternative. The Aggie Health and Wellness Center offers the COVID-19 vaccine daily, but with 91 percent of students currently vaccinated, most of their clients are elderly people that live nearby.

Others are reading: Ruidoso residents recount harrowing 24 hours as McBride, Nogal Canyon fires loom

Students will be required to be fully vaccinated by July 1, 2022; this means the first full round of vaccination  two doses of Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of Johnson & Johnson. Boosters are not required by NMSU, but university health officials encouraged them for those who are eligible.

So, why now? The NMSU staff and faculty have had full vaccination requirements since January. NMSU officials spent the majority of Tuesday's town hall listing different reasons.

"We are following suit with many of our peers," said Jon Webster, special assistant and COVID-19 project manager at NMSU. "We've done lots of consultation on how to approach (the issue) and why we would be requiring this. Although it's not required statewide, it is, to some extent, with some testing. We also don't understand how much longer the testing is going to be free. But we do know that, as a public institution, it's priority for us to protect not only the health and safety of our faculty, staff and students, but our surrounding community."

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Regents Professor Kathryn Hanley also pointed to the threat of variants. Hanley said that, while the virus is at a low right now, cold and flu season in fall and winter are a real threat to an increase in cases  hence the reasoning for vaccination before the fall semester begins.

"We are moving out of the pandemic and into the endemic phase of COVID-19, but we're not quite there yet," Hanley said. "The virus is still shuffling its genetic cards and looking at whether it has a better hand that it would like to play. So we think that COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 probably does have some additional variants that it's going to reveal to us, we need to be very watchful of that. The best way to blunt the impact of the overall virus and of those potential new variants, of course, is to be vaccinated."

Some exemptions will be allowed and will be determined by an outside corporation that will look at these requests based on state laws.

The NMSU officials also mentioned a new COVID-19 tracking and vaccine submission platform that is intended to be more simple. More information will be out in the coming weeks.

Voices against the COVID vaccine

So far, there has not been widespread pushback observed by the Sun-News, unlike the opposition observed for the staff vaccine mandate last semester. There was a series of protests against the staff vaccine requirements, but those did not result in a budge in NMSU's decision.

However, several questions came in during the town hall asking about the justification behind this decision; it is unclear whether the questions came from students or otherwise.

One student reached out to the Sun-News with a letter sent to Arvizu in protest against the mandate.

Presley Skinner, a freshman, stated in the letter that she feels stripped of her right to make a decision as an adult.

"In no way am I against other students or staff members being vaccinated," she stated. "They werent forced to make this decision by the school, but felt the need to do it for themselves. This is the same decision that was stripped from the other nine percent of us who havent yet felt comfortable enough to become vaccinated, no matter the reason."

Skinner mentioned that several of her friends and colleagues have considered dropping out of school entirely due to lack of resources to transfer to another school that does not require vaccination.

Read Skinner's full letter below:

Miranda Cyr, a Report for America corps member, can be reached at mcyr@lcsun-news.com or @mirandacyr on Twitter. Show your support for the Report for America program at https://bit.ly/LCSNRFA.

Keep reading:

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Majority of NMSU students vaccinated against COVID, small pushback
Twitter is nearing a deal to sell itself to Elon Musk, two people with knowledge of the situation said, a move that would unite the worlds richest man with the influential social networking service. An agreement could be announced as soon as Monday, the people said.

Twitters board was negotiating with Musk into the early hours of Monday over his unsolicited bid to buy the company, after he began lining up $46.5 billion in financing for the offer last week, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss confidential information. The two sides were discussing details including a timeline to close any potential deal and any fees that would be paid if an agreement were signed and then fell apart, they said.

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The discussions followed a Twitter board meeting Sunday morning to discuss Musks offer, the people said. Obtaining commitments for the financing was a turning point for how the board viewed Musks bid of $54.20 a share, enabling the companys 11 board members to seriously consider his offer, the people said.

Twitters stock rose more than 5% in premarket trading, to about $51.50 a share.

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An agreement is not yet final and may still fall apart, but what had initially seemed to be a highly improbable deal appeared to be nearing an endgame. The situation involving Twitter and Musk remains fluid and fast-moving, the people with knowledge of the situation said.

Musk, who has more than 83 million followers on Twitter and began amassing shares in the company earlier this year, declared his intent to buy the company on April 14 and take it private. But his proposal was quickly dismissed by Wall Street because it was unclear if he could come up with the money to do the deal. Twitter also adopted a poison pill, a defensive maneuver that would prevent Musk from accumulating more of the companys stock.

Musk updated his proposal last week, putting pressure on Twitter to more seriously consider his bid. In a securities filing made public Thursday, Musk detailed how he had put together financing from the investment bank Morgan Stanley and a group of other lenders, which were offering $13 billion in debt financing, plus another $12.5 billion in loans against his stock in Tesla, the electric carmaker that he runs. He said he would use another $21 billion in cash to buy the rest of Twitters equity.

Outside Twitter's headquarters in San Francisco, April 24, 2022. (Jim Wilson/The New York Times)

A Twitter spokesman declined to comment. In previous public statements, the company had said its board was continuing to conduct a careful, comprehensive and deliberate review to determine the course of action in the best interest of the company and all Twitter stockholders.

Musk did not respond to a request for comment. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported Twitters increased receptivity to Musks bid.

Wall Street was likely to view the openness of Twitters board to Musks bid as the beginning of the end for Twitter as a public company with Musk likely now on a path to acquire the company unless a second bidder comes into the mix, Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, wrote in a note Sunday.

Musks offer for Twitter is a 54% premium over the share price the day before he began investing in the company in late January. But Twitters shares traded higher than Musks bid for much of last year.

Several analysts have said they expected Twitters board to only accept a bid that valued it at a minimum of $60 a share. Twitters stock rose above $70 a share last year when the company announced goals to double its revenue, but has since fallen to around $48 as investors have questioned its ability to meet those targets.

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Musk, 50, has made clear that he sees many deficiencies in Twitter as a social media service. He has said that he wants to transform the company as a platform for free speech around the globe and that it requires vast improvements in its product and policies.

Musk has tried to negotiate with Twitter using the service itself, threatening in several tweets that he might take his bid directly to the companys shareholders in what is called a tender offer. A tender offer is a hostile maneuver in which an outside party circumvents a companys board by asking shareholders to sell their shares directly to them.

He has also acted erratically on the platform, raising concerns over how he might manage the service should he be in charge of it. On Saturday, Musk took aim at billionaire Bill Gates, saying Gates had taken a short position on the stock of Tesla, which meant Gates was betting the carmakers shares would fall. On Sunday, Musk tweeted that he was moving on from making fun of Gates.

Even so, Musk maintains amicable ties with some high-ranking members of Twitter. Over the weekend, Musk traded friendly tweets with Jack Dorsey, the companys co-founder and a board member. Dorsey stepped down as Twitters CEO in November and soon will be leaving its board.

Both men share similar views on cryptocurrencies and on promoting more free speech online. When Musk briefly flirted with joining Twitters board this month, Dorsey tweeted, Im really happy Elon is joining the Twitter board! He cares deeply about our world and Twitters role in it.

On Friday, Block, a financial services company led by Dorsey, disclosed that he had changed his title at the firm from CEO to Block Head. That shift appeared to resonate with Musk.

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Your new title at Block is fire, Musk tweeted at Dorsey on Saturday, using two flame emojis to signify his approval. Last year, Musk had changed his title at Tesla from CEO to technoking.

c.2022 The New York Times Company
Election 2022 Congress McCarthy (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

As Congress comes back on Tuesday, all eyes will be on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. To recap: New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin (aka JMart, a friend of this reporter) and Alex Burns reported in their soon-to-be-released book This Will Not Pass that McCarthy planned to help encourage Donald Trump out of office. McCarthy denied it, only for audio to be released proving his denial was false. The recording from January 2021 proves that the GOP House leader knew how egregious Trumps actions were, downplayed them, and then proceeded to pal around with the former president.

They also reveal a much deeper truth about McCarthy that many people in Washington know: His control over the GOP caucus is incredibly tenuous, and indeed it always has been. In 2015, he attempted to replace retiring House Speaker John Boehner, only to prematurely bow out and pave the way for Paul Ryan. He finally took on the mantle when Ryan retired in 2019, and has led the House GOP in the minority ever since. Many are now questioning whether he can lead a Republican majority.

Unlike House Speaker Nancy Pelosi  who can instill discipline in an extremely heterogeneous caucus featuring everyone from the Squad to the relatively conservative Blue Dogs  McCarthy has never been particularly good at herding cats, even after serving as a party whip for many years. Just last year, 13 Republicans defected to vote for the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and many more voted to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the insurrection after he opposed it. McCarthy also lacks both Boehners self-confidence and the policy razzle-dazzle that elevated Ryan to Mitt Romneys presidential ticket.

Unlike Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, McCarthy also doesnt rule the Senate GOP caucus with an iron fist  and he cant point to the same record of significant accomplishments that McConnell has notched up by way of utter ruthlessness. The initial Times report had McConnell saying Democrats would take care of the son of a b***h for us, meaning Trump. McConnell, who reportedly hasnt spoken to Trump since he left office, knows that one reason he doesnt need to sweat is that nobody can do with the Senate GOP what he does. Trump can deride him as the Old Crow all he likes, but the former president wouldnt have his three Supreme Court Justices without McConnell. Still, his power may be secure, but its not absolute: recall that he said hed support the former president if he ran again in 2024, and that he ultimately folded in holding Trump accountable for the January 6 insurrection.

McCarthy, on the other hand, gets along better with firebrands like Jim Jordan  the man Boehner once called a legislative terrorist  and has made peace with hardline conservatives like the House Freedom Caucus. He nominated both Jordan and Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Banks to the January 6 select committee, then pulled all his other nominees when Pelosi refused to seat the two of them.

But his position at the top of the House GOP is still precarious. Trump, for his part, told The Wall Street Journal that I didnt like the call, but that McCarthys about-face was nonetheless a compliment and recounted how almost immediately, as you know, because he came [to Mar-a-Lago] and we took a picture right there  you know, the support was very strong. Others, though, might not be as forgiving. On Sunday, Florida Republican Matt Gaetz quote-tweeted a video of McCarthy where the GOP leader said he never asked Trump to resign. As Gaetz summarized his leaders stance: I never said it to his face; I only said it behind his back.
Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:

- Five killed in rail strikes -

At least five people are killed and 18 injured in Russian rocket strikes on railway stations in the central Ukraine region of Vinnytsia, the Ukrainian prosecutor general's office says.

The head of Ukraine railways says five stations in the centre and west of the country came under fire in the space of an hour.

At least 57 people were killed earlier this month in Russian strikes on a train station used for evacuations in the eastern city of Kramatorsk.

- US wants 'weakened' Russia -

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says he hopes that the war in Ukraine will hobble the Russian military.

"We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine," he says after a visit to Kyiv with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Ukraine can win the war if it has the "right equipment", he adds. Austin and Blinken pledge $700 million (653 million euros) in additional military aid during their visit.

- US diplomats to return -

Blinken confirms that US diplomats, withdrawn at the start of Russia's invasion, will gradually return to Kyiv. US President Joe Biden nominates career foreign service officer Bridget Brink to be the next US ambassador.

Several European countries have also reopened their embassies in Kyiv since Russia withdrew its forces from the region.

- No deal on Mariupol -

Russia's defence ministry announces a unilateral ceasefire at the Azovstal steel plant in the besieged port city of Mariupol, where Ukrainian forces have been holding out and a large group of civilians are sheltering.

But Ukraine disputes that, saying Moscow did not agree to its request for the evacuation of wounded soldiers and civilians.

- Putin congratulates Macron -

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulates French President Emmanuel Macron on his re-election following a run-off with far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, seen as closer to Moscow.

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"I sincerely wish you success in your state activities, as well as good health and well-being," says Putin.

- German diplomats expelled -

Moscow says it is expelling 40 German diplomats after Berlin sent 40 Russian diplomats packing earlier this month.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock reacts indignantly, saying Berlin's diplomats had "not done anything wrong" while the expelled Russian representatives "did not serve diplomacy for a single day".

- Russia says Ukraine drones downed -

The governor of Russia's Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, says Russian forces shot down two Ukrainian drones near the boundary between the two countries, in Kursk's Rylsky district.

In recent weeks, Russia has repeatedly accused Ukrainian forces of launching strikes on its soil.

- 5.2 million refugees -

More than 5.2 million Ukrainians have fled the country since Russia launched its invasion two months ago, with over 45,000 having left in the past 24 hours, the UN says.

burs-jmy/jj
(Facebook)

Climate activist Wynn Alan Bruce died 24 hours after setting himself on fire on the steps of the Supreme Court on Earth Day.

A Colorado photojournalist, Mr Bruce, 50, suffered critical injuries in the 22 April incident on the plaza in front of the court. He was airlifted to hospital, where he died the following day.

Capitol Police, Supreme Court Police, and DC police all responded to the incident, which occurred at around 6.30pm.

A medical helicopter just landed near the Capitol for a medical emergency. This is not a public safety issue, Capitol Police tweeted.

Here is everything we know about what led to his death.

Cryptic Facebook post with fire emoji and death date

Mr Bruce ran a portrait photo studio in Boulder, and his social media account was filled with posts about the environment and Buddhism.

He also left a cryptic post on his Facebook page with a fire emoji and the date of his death  4/22/2022. The post appears to have been edited a few days before his death.

Wynn Alan Bruce left a cryptic message on his Facebook page a year before his death (Facebook)

Death planned a year in advance

Dr K Kritee, a Buddhist priest from Boulder, wrote on Twitter that Mr Bruce had been planning to self-immolate for at least a year.

This guy was my friend. He meditated with our sangha, she said.

This act is not suicide. This is a deeply fearless act of compassion to bring attention to climate crisis. We are piecing together info but he had been planning it for at least one year. #wynnbruce I am so moved.

USCP advises a helicopter landed at the Supreme Court building for a medical issue, according to media reports, a man attempted to set himself on fire in front of the building. pic.twitter.com/PLHDMJ1dlM   (@IntelDoge) April 22, 2022

Dr Kritee also shared a quote from Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh referring to the practice of Vietnamese setting themselves on fire in protest at the Vietnam War in the 1960s.

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To express will by burning oneself, therefore, is not to commit an act of destruction but to perform an act of construction, that it, to suffer and die for the sake of ones people, the message read.

Dr Kritee told The New York Times that she wasnt entirely sure of his intentions but that people are being driven to extreme amounts of climate grief and despair and that what I do not want to happen is that young people start thinking about self-immolation.

She added that had she known about his plans ahead of time, she and others would have urged Mr Bruce not to do it.

In a letter to civil rights icon the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr in 1965, Thich Nhat Hanh wrote about the Vietnamese monks who burned themselves to protest the Vietnam War.

The press spoke then of suicide, but in the essence, it is not. It is not even a protest, Thich Nhat Hanh wrote.

The Zen Buddhist master died in January. Mr Bruce commemorated the passing on his Facebook account.

To burn oneself by fire is to prove that what one is saying is of the utmost importance, Thich Nhat Hanh added in his letter to Dr King. There is nothing more painful than burning oneself. To say something while experiencing this kind of pain is to say it with utmost courage, frankness, determination, and sincerity.

Park Service helicopter lands on steps of Supreme Court after man tries to set himself on fire pic.twitter.com/jVEsgvEyas  Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) April 22, 2022

In other Facebook posts as far back as April 2020, Mr Bruce criticized war profiteers, former President Donald Trump, and collective climate change inaction.

He praised Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, 19, shared quotes from Dr King, and in March he wrote about the need for compassion with refugees from the war in Ukraine.

Clean air matters

Mr Bruce appeared to belong to the Shambala, a Buddhist organisation based in Boulder and frequently shared quotes from Buddhist teachers like Chogyam Trungpa.

His final post from 28 March reads: This is not humor. IT is all about breathing, followed by: Clean air matters.

A LinkedIn profile that appeared to belong to Mr Bruce stated he was a photojournalist who had previously attended the Community College of Denver and Front Range Community College.

Supreme court heard environmental case

The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case in late February that could restrict or possibly remove the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency to control pollution.

The conservative majority on the court has shared scepticism of the courts authority to regulate carbon emissions, indicating that a decision from the justices could hamper the Biden administrations efforts to fight back against climate change.

Friends and activists pay tribute

Mr Bruces Facebook page was inundated with messages from friends and activists offering their condolences.

Danielle Gager wrote: Thank you for the act of compassion you bravely did. Im sorry you arent here now. But what you did for the world took so much to do.

Close friend April Lyon said his death was heartbreaking.

I meditated and danced with Wynn for many years and saw him as a kind and compassionate man. I dont know his motive, but my take is that as activists, we have to be careful not to sacrifice ourselves for the cause.

Others were critical of what they claimed were Mr Bruces misguided view of climate change.

Twitter users also lauded Mr Bruce for his activism, with one account holder writing that he made the ultimate sacrifice to save us from self-destruction. Let Wynn Alan Bruces #EarthDaySacrifice be remembered as the turning point. If not now, when will we turn from death and destruction to choose life?

Wynn Alan Bruce died yesterday so everyone could knock off the happy Earth Day crap, another Twitter user wrote. His death was an act of generosity, self-sacrifice, giving his life so others might pay more attention to the degree of the threat to our climate, and what needs to be done. Hes a hero.

Roberto Arrucha wrote that Mr Bruce gave his life so we can pay attention to our collective suicidal path.

To set yourself on fire and die for a cause demands that we take the time to learn his name and think about what he stood for, Jeremy Radick added.

Fellow climate activist died in 2018

In 2018, climate activist David Buckel, 60, died by self-immolation in Prospect Park in Brooklyn in protest against the use of fossil fuels.

Shortly before his death, Mr Buckel emailed a suicide note to several media outlets explaining his actions.

Most humans on the planet now breathe air made unhealthy by fossil fuels, and many die early deaths as a result  my early death by fossil fuel reflects what we are doing to ourselves.

Mr Buckel had been a prominent civil rights lawyer and LGBTQ activist and ran the marriage-equality project at Lambda Legal.

Previous self-immolations in the Washington-area

In 2019, Arnav Gupta burned himself in front of the White House. He later died of his injuries and a motive was never established.

Yemeni-born FBI informant Mohamed Alanssi survived after setting himself on fire in front of the White House in 2004 to protest his treatment by the government.

In 1965, Norman Morrison, a Quaker, burned himself to death outside the Pentagon to protest the Vietnam War.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York judge on Monday held former President Donald Trump in contempt for failing to comply with a subpoena for documents in the state attorney general's civil probe into his business practices.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York)
The Roanoke-based law firm Woods Rogers has announced it will merge with another established legal group based in Norfolk.

The new consolidated firm, to be known as Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black, will be among Virginias largest, according to a news release.

With the intent of operating as a combined firm as quickly as possible, firm leaders are moving forward to finalize the organizational structure and execute integration plans, the release said, adding that the new group will become one of Virginias largest law firms with more than 130 attorneys and a total workforce of more than 250 people.

Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black will have Virginia offices in Roanoke, Norfolk, Richmond, Lynchburg and Charlottesville, with additional locations in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and Hamburg, Germany.

Woods Rogers President Daniel Summerlin, Board of Directors Chairman Victor Cardwell and Chief Financial Officer Autumn Visser will retain those titles in the new organization, according to the news release.

Cardwell is currently president of the Virginia Bar Association. Earlier this year, the gavel was handed over to Cardwell by Vandeventer Blacks Richard Ottinger, who served as VBA president in 2021. The combined firm can count 10 lawyers who have served as VBA president.

Currently, Virginia Business ranks Woods Rogers, which has offices in Roanokes Wells Fargo Tower, as No. 7 and Vandeventer Black as No. 12 of the largest law firms in Virginia.

Both firms date from late 19th century in their communities.

 The Roanoke Times
The Ukrainian government has apologized over a video shared on Twitter that juxtaposed a picture of the late Japanese Emperor Hirohito to those of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in describing Nazism and fascism.

"We had no intention to offend the friendly people of Japan," the Ukraine account said in a Twitter post Sunday. The original video shared on April 1 criticized Russia's invasion of Ukraine as "contemporary ruscism" and used pictures of the three with a description "Fascism and Nazism were defeated in 1945."

Amid sharp reaction from Japanese Twitter users, Ukraine Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky apologized Monday in a tweet, saying the creator of the video lacked an understanding of history.

The Japanese government said Monday it has formally requested through a diplomatic channel the removal of the picture of the wartime emperor, posthumously known as Emperor Showa, from the video.
AWS Amazon Aurora Serverless V2 goes GA - Check AWS Amazon Aurora Serverless V2 features

New Delhi, Mon, 25 Apr 2022 NI Wire

Amazon announces the Generally Availability of its AWS Amazon Aurora Serverless V2, which is auto-managed service for Aurora PostgreSQL and MySQL. This service is designed to by auto-scalable, auto-start, auto-recover and auto-scale in fraction of seconds to handle hundreds to thousands of requests. The AWS Amazon Aurora Serverless V2 can be well used in the scenarios where workload is unpredictable and such cases service is able to handle large numbers of requests without any request deny issue. This service is claimed to save over 90% of cost when compared with the traditional means of server provisioning and capacity planning.

The Amazon Aurora Serverless v2 is well designed for installing to meet high workloads of any type of application. This service will help clients in running their high or low workload applications without having to invest in server management activities.

Company announced that the Amazon Aurora Serverless v2 service is now generally available for production use, and this service is now supporting both Aurora PostgreSQL and MySQL. So, applications using PostgreSQL and MySQL as backend can use the capability of Amazon Aurora Serverless v2 to run their application and also save cost.

The Amazon Aurora Serverless v2 can work with both PostgreSQL and MySQL servers with following features:

Service is available on on-demand

Service can scale to hundreds to thousands of servers instantly and in fraction of seconds

Server capacity is increased in a fine-grained manner to utilize computing power in a very efficient manner.

The auto-calling can be configured through configuration

If there is no load then server can be configured to use zero or some lower amount of resource to meet the business use case

Upper scaling capacity of also configurable

This service is highly automated and fully managed to Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS)

Database capacity is scaled up or down based on the applications needs

Amazon Aurora Serverless v2 supports:

PostgreSQL Server

MySQL Server

Capacity of the database server is scaled up or down to meet application load requirements in a highly automated manner. This service is fully managed by Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) and fully automates the database administrative tasks such as provisioning, database setup, configuration, software patches and backups. This service gives a piece of mind to the companies using PostgreSQL and MySQL.

What is Amazon Aurora?

Amazon Aurora is a relational database service from Amazon Web Services which supports MySQL and PostgreSQL server. This service is a cloud based database service on the Amazon cloud service. Applications that use MySQL or PostgreSQL server as back end database can use the latest Amazon Aurora or Amazon Aurora Serverless V2 to run enterprise applications.

Both MySQL and PostgreSQL servers are open-source relational database servers popular among the business for running various types of applications. These database servers can interact with the database server with the help of Structured Query Language (SQL).

Amazon Aurora supports both MySQL and PostgreSQL servers, which offers a true highly scalable relational database for the cloud. These are fully managed by Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) and moreover provisioning/management is fully automated. The Amazon Aurora also automates the time-consuming administration tasks such as hardware provisioning, setup of the OS, setup of database, server/database patching, capacity scaling and backups.

What is AWS Amazon Aurora Serverless V2?

The Amazon Aurora Serverless v2 is the next version of Aurora Serverless and this service is now generally available. Clients can use this service to run their on-demand, business critical database servers on the Amazon AWS cloud. The Aurora Serverless v2 is a very powerful serverless service that can scale instantly to support high demand. Service is said to deliver up to 90% cost saving as compared to provisioning for peak capacity.

This service is scaled in a fine-grained manner to use the optimal server resource and save the cost. During this process the right amount of the computing, memory and other resources are allocated to process the database requests.

Read more at AWS Amazon Aurora Serverless V2 - Features of AWS Amazon Aurora Serverless V2 service.
Daniel Rodriguez walked out of a Cook County courtroom wiping tears from under his mask. He was still in a daze.

Thirty-one years of waking up with this every day knowing I was innocent and I was framed, Rodriguez told reporters later. I heard the words (throwing out the conviction), but I couldnt process them, I was lost.

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Two years after launching a review of convictions connected to discredited former Chicago police Detective Reynaldo Guevara, Cook County prosecutors on Monday agreed to dismiss charges in the case.

Dozens of people have accused Guevara, now retired, of manipulating witnesses, fabricating evidence and framing suspects over the course of his career. He has repeatedly asserted his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent when questioned about the alleged wrongdoing.

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Multiple wrongful convictions have been linked to Guevara and the city has faced lawsuits over his alleged conduct.

The decision Monday came as a reversal for prosecutors, who earlier this month filed paperwork saying they did not believe Rodriguez could prove his claims that he was framed for the 1991 murder in which he was convicted.

Rodriguez and his attorneys accused Guevara and his partner of beating him into confessing to the shooting of Jose Hernandez Jr. The lawyers contended Rodriguez was with his fiancee the night of the shooting and that Guevara and a partner coerced witnesses into blaming Rodriguez before beating him into a confession.

In addition, the lawyers contended the mother of a key prosecution witness was in a sexual relationship with Guevara at the time. That witness, Jason Rivera, was under further pressure to lie since he was an uncharged co-conspirator in a different homicide, attorneys alleged. Prosecutors have previously disputed those allegations.

Former Chicago police Detective Reynaldo Guevara leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on June 8, 2018. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

Rodriguezs supporters broke out into applause Monday as Judge Sophia Atcherson formally threw out the conviction and Assistant States Attorney Carol Rogala dropped the charges.

Prosecutors had filed paperwork as recently as April 1 opposing the effort to throw out Rodriguezs conviction, saying they did not believe attorneys could prove Guevara had a pattern of misconduct and saying that the evidence about Riveras alleged involvement and motives falls short.

On Monday a spokesperson for Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxxs office said prosecutors were no longer able to proceed on the Rodriguez matter after a ruling in a separate case by the same judge.

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Records show Rodriguez testified about his experience with Guevara and his partner, Detective Ernest Halvorsen, in a different post-conviction case before Atcherson last year. During his interrogation, Halvorsen punched him in the chest and stomach whenever he said he was innocent, and after the beatings, Guevara would enter the room and continue the questioning, Rodriguez testified.

In February, Atcherson found that Rodriguezs testimony about the beating was credible  a likely indicator that, if Rodriguez were to testify in his own case, she would draw a similar conclusion.

Rodriguez was sentenced in 1993 to 25 years in prison; he was released after serving 13. It was a long journey for his family, he said, including his wife and two now-adult daughters.

They grew up in a visiting room. Birthday parties and everything was in the visiting room. So  its a big win for me but its bigger for them, he said. You know, our family is celebrating today but theres another family that got hurt today. There was a victim in this case that didnt have justice. His family was told that they had justice, but they didnt, so now they live with that pain again.

Prosecution witness Riveras mother, who allegedly was in a sexual relationship with Guevara, has since died of COVID-19, court filings show. Before the Rodriguez case was dismissed, Rodriguezs attorneys had requested Guevara be ordered to appear at a hearing by video to be questioned about that relationship.

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Rodriguezs attorneys also argued that Rivera was under pressure since he was an uncharged co-conspirator in a separate murder case, and that prosecutors paid Rivera relocation money before and after his testimony, unbeknownst to Rodriguez.

Rodriguez has claimed for decades that Guevara and his partner coerced him into confessing, an early allegation that his attorney Anand Swaminathan likened to the proverbial canary in the coal mine.

For 31 years, this man has been saying Im innocent  and nobody listened, Swaminathan told reporters. He finally got that moment today.

Foxx has often said that throwing out wrongful convictions is key to earning back the trust of communities whose residents have traditionally been reluctant to cooperate with law enforcement.

The office in 2020 promised a comprehensive review of Guevara-related cases. The office conducted a similar review of cases connected to convicted ex-Sgt. Ronald Watts that has resulted in a long series of mass exonerations. But after two years, there has been no similar cascade of Guevara-related dismissals.

The investigation by the conviction integrity unit remains ongoing, a spokesperson for Foxxs office said Monday.

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mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com
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Tunisian authorities have banned Libyas Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha appointed by the Libyan parliament from using the North African country as a rear base for his political ambitions as he strives to sit his government in Tripoli controlled by forces loyal to outgoing Abdulhamid Dbeibah, the Africa Intelligence reported.

Bashagha, a former Libyan Interior Minister, was appointed Prime Minister in February by the House of Representatives (HoR) to replace Dbeibah on the grounds that the latters mandate ended on Dec. 24; the date of failed presidential elections.

Dbeibah who came to power in March last as result of a UN-backed dialogue process, has refused to hand over power and pledged to leave office only after elections.

Bashagha, who also enjoys support from east-based self-imposed military leader Khalifa Haftar, has sought to break into Tripoli in vain.

He has travelled several times to Tunisia, last trip on April 17 from Haftar-held Benghazi. Tunisian authorities, Africa Intelligence notes, however asked him to refrain from using the Tunisian soil as a rear base.

The Tunisian reaction came after Dbeibah protested to Tunisias ambassador to Libya to discuss border security issues after it surfaced that Bashagha and supporters were about to try to reach the capital from the Tunisian-Libyan border post of Dehiba.

Tunisia and Libya under Dbeibah have bolstered their ties. Saied was the first world leader to travel to Libya in March last year after the Libyan interim administration was established.
The Arab Parliament has praised the sustained efforts made by King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, in defending the Palestinian cause and supporting the inhabitants of the Holy city.

During a meeting held Sunday in Cairo with Moroccan Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed Tazi, Speaker of the Arab Parliament Adel ben Abderrahman Al-Assoumi voiced gratitude for the continued support of the Sovereign to the resistance of the Palestinian people and for the efforts made by Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency through the Al-Quds Committee to preserve the identity and legal status of the Holy city.

The meeting also discussed ways of fostering cooperation ties between the Arab Parliament and the Moroccan Parliament, the role of parliamentary diplomacy to strengthen the Arab voice and Arab unity to address various challenges, including the Palestinian cause.

Al-Assoumi said Morocco has always supported joint Arab action, affirming that the Kingdom is an active member of the Arab Parliament, which spares no efforts in backing its goals and programs.
Political prisoner, Hakim Debazi, a peaceful activist and one of the most active militants of the Hirak in Algeria, died in the prison of Kolea in the wilaya of Tipaza (36 km west of Algiers), according to the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADDH), which calls for the opening of an investigation.

The Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights has called on the judicial authorities to inform the national opinion on the circumstances and causes of the tragic disappearance of this inmate in the prison of Kolea.

In a post on his Facebook account, LADDH vice president, Said Salhi, stressed that the judicial authorities are required to inform public opinion on all details, circumstances and causes of this tragic disappearance.

LADDH said that it follows closely this case, urging the judicial authorities to open an immediate judicial inquiry to determine responsibilities, reveal the truth and do justice.

Salhi recalled that this activist of the Hirak was arrested on February 22, 2022 and remanded in custody in the prison of Kolea, and that a request for his release on bail introduced because of his worrying health condition, was rejected.

Hakim Debazi, 55, is one of those activists who have been sentenced by the Algerian justice to prison for posts on social networks.

According to the National Committee for the Release of Prisoners, hundreds of people, accused of, among other things, undermining state security and the integrity of the territory as well as subversive acts, are currently languishing in Algerian prisons in deplorable conditions.

Most are prosecuted for simply expressing an opinion, particularly through publications on social networks.
Moroccan Minister of Economy & Finance Ms. Nadia Fettah Alaoui, Chair of the African Caucus (formed of African finance ministers & central bank governors) has urged the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to rethink the current global financial architecture to address the development funding needs of African countries.

The Moroccan minister made the pressing appeal during the African Consultative Group meeting she co-chaired in Washington D.C. with Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, IMF Director at the 2022 WB-IMF spring meetings convened April 18-24.

Ms. Fettah sounded the alarm against the vulnerabilities of African countries due to their high debt, food insecurity, difficulties in adaptation to climate change and the war in Ukraine which triggered a surge in commodity, energy and food prices.

The statement issued following the African Consultative Group meeting stressed the need to protect the most vulnerable households from the impact of high food and energy prices, noting that the external shock is hitting the continent at a time when most countries have limited fiscal space, with high debt vulnerabilities and increased risks.

In this challenging context, targeted, temporary, and transparent support to vulnerable households using and further developing social safety nets would be the most appropriate solution, said the statement.

For this effort to succeed, governments in the region, the international community, and the private sector should make concerted efforts to mobilize revenue and additional financing to support the recovery and implement needed reforms to promote inclusive and sustainable growth, achieve diversification, tackle the climate crisis, and transition to a green economy, underlined the text.

The African Consultative Group underscored the need to address rising debt vulnerabilities of developing countries, particularly in Africa and find effective ways to alleviate the weight of the debt service. It also called to continue working together to strengthen the debt resolution architecture, including by improving the Common Framework for debt treatments and technical assistance within the Multipronged Approach (MPA).

During her participation in the WB-IMF Spring meeting, the Moroccan minister conferred with several top WB and Fund officials on Moroccan financial inclusion strategy, the success of vaccination campaign against covid-19 and efforts to stimulate the economy and mitigate the impact of the global crisis.

She also addressed the WB-IMF development committee. As chair of group of countries including Afghanistan, Algeria, Ghana, Iran, Pakistan and Tunisia, Ms. Fettah said: We believe leveraging digitalization to promote strong and inclusive growth is no longer a choice, but rather a compelling need.

She called for support to an economic transformation driven towards a green, inclusive and resilient future in developing countries. The Moroccan minister said digital technologies help to create new job opportunities, improve energy efficiency, public health performance and education.

She also called for urgent collective action to avoid the looming debt crisis in developing countries, urging the WB & IMF to deploy fast disbursing instruments that would provide immediate assistance to the countries burdened with debt.

Poverty levels are rising by the clock, reversing previously established development gains in human capital and long-term unemployment, added the minister, warning that food insecurity and joblessness threaten social cohesion in an already global fragile economy.
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There is nothing that cannot be discussed and worked out over a beer. Join me as I explore local beer, breweries and how they can civilize us.
A man who sued Chicago police after an off-duty officer shot at him in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood is a step closer to a $200,000 settlement from the city.

The City Council Finance Committee approved the deal Monday for Esael Morales, who in addition to being shot at by an off-duty officer in October 2020 also was handcuffed and taken into custody by other responding police officers following the incident. Morales later was released without being charged.

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The officer who shot at Morales, Joseph Cabrera, was subsequently charged with attempted murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, false reports and obstructing justice for the incident, which allegedly involved him drunkenly exchanging words with Morales.

The criminal case against Cabrera is still pending, city lawyer Victoria Benson told aldermen. He resigned from the Police Department in May 2021, Benson said.

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Morales and his girlfriend were sitting in a parked car near 52nd Street and Monitor Avenue in Garfield Ridge when Cabrera approached the car around 9:35 p.m., Benson said. Cabrera asked them if they needed assistance and then told them to leave.

Morales drove around the block and parked near the same spot, Benson said, and Cabrera again approached Morales car. When Morales got out of his car, he said Cabrera put him in a chokehold and Morales pushed him away, she said at Mondays meeting.

Cabrera then took out a gun, pointed it at (Morales) and fired, Benson said. The shot missed the plaintiff, who then ran with his girlfriend into her house, which was just down the block.

Cabrera called 911 and reported he was an off-duty police officer who had fired his gun. On-duty officers arrived, and Morales, who did not know Cabrera was a police officer, told them Cabrera had shot at him, Benson said.

Body camera footage shows Chicago police officers detain Esael Morales. (COPA / HANDOUT)

Police body camera video from the responding officers released to the public in January 2021 shows them at the scene, where Cabrera and Morales could be seen down the street from one another.

One officer approached Cabrera, who had his hands up and a handgun in his waistband. He immediately identified himself as a police officer, showed the other officers an ID and handed over the gun, the video footage shows.

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Nobody shot at me. He started attacking me. I  fired a round, Cabrera can be heard telling officers. I dont know  Im pretty upset right now, Cabrera told them, according to the footage.

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On the video, Cabrera can be heard telling officers that Morales and his girlfriend went through a stop sign, and that he confronted them about it and asked if they needed help.

Meanwhile, Morales can be seen down the street in the video.

Hey, hey, stay right there! a responding officer yelled to him. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop! OK, when I say stop, stop.

I didnt do anything officer, he shot at me! Morales can be heard answering, adding that he was scared. The first officer and others then restrained Morales. Why are you putting me in handcuffs? He shot at me! he shouted.

Almost immediately after plaintiff voluntarily began speaking with the officers, he was placed in handcuffs, Benson said Monday. Cabrera meanwhile told responding officers he shot at Morales after Morales attacked him.

Morales was taken into custody, and released more than seven hours later without being charged, according to Benson.

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Three months later, the Cook County states attorneys office filed charges against Cabrera. Prosecutors said Cabrera was intoxicated during the incident after he submitted to a blood-alcohol test nearly four hours later and tested at 0.104%, slightly over the states legal driving limit for alcohol of 0.08,

The full City Council will consider the settlement for Morales on Wednesday.

jebyrne@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @_johnbyrne
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Administrators from the Developing, Recruiting and Empowering Alabama Mathematics Teachers, or DREAM, are hosting an online informational session via Zoom at 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 28, to provide details for anyone interested in becoming a mathematics teacher.

The DREAM-Math project is designed to help those who are not currently a teacher but who have a mathematics or other STEM degree that includes at least 12-15 hours of mathematics (at or above Calculus I) become a mathematics teacher. DREAM-Math will provide a scholarship of more than $35,000 to complete a full-time, four-semester masters-level teacher certification program beginning in May.

It also will support them in launching their careers, including a $10,000 annual stipend as they complete four years of teaching in a high-need school. Time is short, but it is not too late to apply for the May 18 start of the first cohort.

The session is available via this Zoom link, and the program is designed for anyone who is interested in becoming a mathematics teacher and make a positive difference in students lives throughout Alabama communities.

Visit the DREAM-Math website to learn more, and anyone interested can read more about the program here.
After losing energy for 24 hours in 2021, Lebanon has continued to face severe energy shortages due to years of poor investment in infrastructure that has led many to rely on polluting diesel generators for their power. The Lebanese population gets between one and two hours of electricity a day at present, and with ongoing political instability, there is little hope of this changing any time soon. So, how might Lebanon repair its failed energy sector?

Lebanons economic crisis started in 2019 after excessive spending led to increased debt and increased political tensions, with no external power willing to bail the country out. As the currency rapidly depreciated, losing around 90 percent of its value to date, much of the broad middle-class was forced into poverty. In 2021, estimates suggest that state debt reached 495 percent of GDP. In terms of power, Lebanon has faced rolling blackouts for years due to poor infrastructure spending. Now, with such high debt, the government can no longer afford to run national power plants, meaning people have barely any access to electricity from the grid.

With no political power taking responsibility for the economic and energy crises, few external powers have been willing to step in to help. In addition, the rise of the militia group Hezbollah is driving others away. But several neighbouring countries have communicated their willingness to offer assistance if Lebanon can achieve greater political stability.

Saudi Arabia broke relations with Lebanon around four years ago after Iran-supported Hezbollah grew in power. But now, Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati is expected to visit Saudi Arabia to potentially mend relations. As Iran and the U.S. continue in talks to come to a nuclear agreement, with the potential reinstatement of the JCPOA, its in Saudi Arabias best interests to rebuild relations with other Arab states.

However, several neighbouring countries are reluctant to give Lebanon funding unless it can form a stable government, having previously lost money in the country. If realistic economic reforms can be established, allowing for a deal with the IMF, Saudi Arabia and others may be willing to invest.

In January, Jordan signed a contract with both Lebanon and Syria to supply its electricity to Lebanon. The agreement will allow for 250MW of energy to be sent to Lebanon via the Syrian power network to help ensure greater energy security by delivering around double the current electricity ration. The project is expected to cost around $200 million, with funding coming from the World Bank.

Related: OPEC+ Missed Its March Output Quota By 1.45 Million Bpd

This could alleviate some of the difficulties faced day-to-day in Lebanon from electricity shortages. However, the countrys energy system requires a complete overhaul to establish any long-term potential for energy security. State-run energy firm Electricite du Liban (EDL) is on the brink of collapse. Marc Ayoub, Energy Researcher at the American University of Beiruts Issam Fares Institute, explained In the absence of any political solutions, were just kicking the can down the road. And If we pay $200m, we carry on for two or three more months, then what? We cannot continue like this, he added.

The Lebanese government sees a way out through a new energy reform, but it is still unclear whether this is realistic. In mid-March, Lebanons cabinet approved a strategy for the restructuring of the countrys energy sector, in an attempt to appeal to donors. The reform will allow for the establishment of an electricity regulatory authority in 2022 and will see an increase in electricity tariffs. Through an investment of $3.5 billion in the reform, the government hopes to achieve 24-hour power across Lebanon by 2026. But with a poor track record for following through with previous energy reforms, donors do not have much confidence in the new plan.

Experts say that Lebanon must consider renewable sources for viable new energy reform, with the potential for establishing greater energy security based on domestic resources. A 2020 report from the International Renewable Energy Agency suggests that Lebanon could develop its renewable energy sector substantially, with around 300 days of sun a year and the potential to tap wind and hydropower.

And Lebanon appears to be responding to this suggestion. A 2022 policy statement by the Ministry of Energy and Water includes plans to develop 1,200MW of solar and wind power and 200MW of solar storage by 2026. Nonetheless, for this to be achieved, it would take significant external funding and effective government oversight.

Jordan could provide a mid-term solution to Lebanons energy problems, adding enough electricity to the grid to diminish the challenges faced due to Lebanons energy crisis. But a long-term solution simply cant be established until political stability is achieved and a clear energy reform can be implemented. International bodies and neighbouring states are willing to invest in the future of Lebanese energy, both fossil fuels and renewables, but without the assurance that their money wont be lost, Lebanon will remain in a state of severe energy insecurity.

Bu Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

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If Russian gas supplies are immediately interrupted, Germany will lose as much as $237 billion in economic output both this year and next.

The EUs refusal to pay directly in rubles tests Putins threat to cut off the gas supply, and buyers in Europe would be running a very real risk of their supplies being cut.

Vladimir Putin has threatened to cut off the gas supply to Europe if the hostile nationsincluding all of the EUdo not start paying in rubles for gas. Flows from Russia continue, but the EU and its biggest economy, Germany, are bracing for a potential disruption to gas supply either because of an energy embargo on Russia or Russia halting supplies. Without Russian gas, Europe faces gas rationing, recession, and sky-high energy priceshigher than recent record-highs, economists and analysts say.

The EU has rejected Putins demands for payments in rubles, while Russia did not immediately cut off the gas supply to Europe after April 1, partly because it is dependent on revenues from gas and partly because payments for gas delivered after April 1 are not due until later this month or early May.

The Kremlin, however, has signaled the gas-for-rubles demand is just the beginning of a switch to the Russian currency for Russian exports.

Last week, the European Commission said that companies in the EU may have a way to pay for Russias gas in rubles without violating sanctions on Moscow. The companies would need to pay in euros or dollars, which would then be converted into rubles, although the transactions would also have to be accompanied by a statement explaining how the companies consider their contractual obligations to be complete once they submitted the euros or dollars. Related: Why Are Big Oil Execs Dumping Millions Of Dollars Worth Of Stock?

It would be advisable to seek confirmation from the Russian side that this procedure is possible under the rules of the decree about payments in rubles, the EC said in an advisory document sent to member states on Thursday and cited by Reuters. The EUs refusal to pay directly in rubles tests Putins threat to cut off the gas supply, and buyers in Europe would be running a very real risk of their supplies being cut, Katja Yafimava, a Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, told Bloomberg.

If Russian gas supply is halted, the worst-hit EU member will be none other than its biggest economyGermanywhich risks rationing and recession, the German central bank and German analysts and industry say.

For Europe, the repercussions of a recession in its biggest economy cannot be understatedthe snowball effect of surging energy prices would drag most other economies into recession.

Germany depends on Russian gas for around half of its needs, with many industries using gas and about half of all households heating with gas. The Russian war in Ukraine exposed Germanysand Europesvulnerable reliance on gas and other energy flows from Russia. Europe banned coal imports from Russiaas of Augustbut is still divided on a possible oil embargo, and hasnt even started a serious discussion on a gas embargo yet.

Germanys industry has been warning for weeks that an immediate ban on Russian gas would have severe negative impacts on competitiveness, business, and economy.

Related: U.S. Rig Count Inches Higher As Oil Rally Halts

Martin Brudermuller, chief executive at Europes largest chemicals group, Germanys BASF, has warned that a halt in Russian oil and gas supply could throw the German economy into its biggest crisis since the end of World War Two.

If Russian gas supplies are immediately interrupted, Germany will lose as much as $237 billion (220 billion euros) in economic output both this year and next, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy said earlier this month.

If gas supplies were to be cut off, the German economy would undergo a sharp recession, said Stefan Kooths, vice president and research director business cycles and growth at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

An embargo on Russian energy trade with Germany could lead not only to price effects but also to a rationing of energy use, Bundesbank, the central bank of Germany, said in a monthly report last week.

If only energy production and supply sectors were to be cut off from Russian energy deliveries, this could lead to an additional short-term real GDP loss of 1% for the current year, Bundesbank economists say.

Should the shock in addition directly hit energy-intensive industries which use fossil energy sources to power their production plants or which process fuels as raw materials, the loss could climb to 3%, the German central bank warns.



By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The European Union is considering "smart" sanctions against Russia's oil industry in a bid to minimize the fallout for itself while maximizing pressure on Moscow, The Times reported, citing European Commission executive vice president Valdis Dombrovskis.

The European Union has been discussing some form of an oil embargo against Russia for weeks now but has so far failed to come up with a version that would satisfy the heavily reliant importers, among them Germany, Europe's largest economy.

"We are working on a sixth sanctions package and one of the issues we are considering is some form of an oil embargo. When we are imposing sanctions, we need to do so in a way that maximises pressure on Russia while minimising collateral damage on ourselves," Dombrovskis told The Times, suggesting that an agreement remained elusive and was likely to remain so in the observable future.

The Ukrainian government has been pressuring the EU into an oil embargo, saying that buying Russian oiland gasfunds the war. However, while some countries have already signed up for an oil embargo, including Poland and Lithuania, others, such as Germany and Hungary, have opposed it.

According to Dombrovskis, the punitive action on Russia's oil industry could include a gradual phase-out of imports or the imposition of tariffs. However, both of these would lead to higher oil prices, casting a shadow over the EU's intention of minimizing the damage.

Russia is the biggest oil supplier to the European Union, accounting for more than a quarter of total imports, Reuters noted in a report on the news. Oil, as a whole, accounts for a third of the EU's gross available energy, the report also said.

Gazprom is supplying nat gas to Europe via Ukraine, in line with what European consumers are asking for. Requests for Gazprom's gas to Europe were up on Sunday, to 51.7 million cubic meters, from 48.6 million cubic meters on April 23.

Overall, self-sanctioning from European oil buyers has already led to a shrinkage in Russian oil exports to the EU, which has been one of the factors fueling the rise in international oil and fuel prices.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Given the relatively delicate supply and demand balance currently at play in the oil market, and broader geopolitical nervousness over what comes next in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, short-term focus has fallen upon the likelihood that present supply disruptions in Libya will continue for much longer. The importance of Libyan crude oil output and of no additional serious geopolitical disruption adding to the volatility component in oil pricing was highlighted in the recent strong statements from the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland. He urged the countrys central bank to safeguard oil revenue from misappropriation, and called for a resolution to the loss of around 550,000 barrels per day (bpd) of its oil production as a result of blockades on major fields and export terminals. In terms of the oil shutdown logistics, last week saw the closure of a second export terminal, the 60,000 bpd Brega operation, by Libyas National Oil Corporation. This followed the previous closure of the Zueitina port, whose crude loadings average around 90,000 bpd, with production also stopped at Abuatufol, Al-Intisar, Anakhla, and Nafura. Just prior to this, the Sharara field in the west of the country, which can pump around 300,000 bpd, was also shut down and just prior to this the El Feel oil field, which produces 70,000 bpd, was closed. These sites are key suppliers of mostly high-quality light, sweet crude oil, notably including the Es Sider and Sharara export crudes that are particularly in demand in the Mediterranean and Northwest Europe for their gasoline and middle distillate yields. These shutdowns, in turn, followed the NOC declaring a legal state of force majeure because, according to the company: It is impossible to implement its commitments towards the oil market.

The force majeure declared on various key oil sites and installations is a result of the latest political in-fighting between Libyas various political, military, and commercial interests, with this one centred on the supporters of the interim government of sitting Prime Minister, Abdulhamid Dbeibah, against those of former interior minister Fathi Bashagha. These two groups broadly align to the two rival power groupings that emerged after the parliament appointed a new prime minister in February, in a direct challenge to the U.N.-brokered government in the capital Tripoli. The specific groups that have been blocking the oil facilities most recently demand a fair distribution of crude oil income and the transfer of power to Bashagha.

Related: U.S. Rig Count Inches Higher As Oil Rally Halts

This fair distribution demand is the key to any resolution of this dispute, and has been an constant threat hanging over crude oil production from Libya since the removal of long-time leader, Muammar Gaddafi, in 2011, as analysed in depth in my new book on the global oil markets. The multi-factional civil conflict that ensued found some genuine relief only in the September 2020 agreement signed between Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the rebel Libyan National Army (LNA) and elements of Tripolis U.N.-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). However, even back then, a key part of this deal was an in-principle agreement to look into establishing a commission not only to determine how oil revenues across Libya are distributed but also to consider the implementation of a number of measures designed to stabilise the countrys perilous financial position. Just prior to the September 2020 agreement, there had been yet another series of long-running oil blockades that had cost the country an estimated US$9.8 billion in lost hydrocarbons revenues.

The September 2020 agreement included  propitiously it seemed at the time  plans for the formation of a joint technical committee, which would, according to the official statement: Oversee oil revenues and ensure the fair distribution of resources and control the implementation of the terms of the agreement during the next three months, provided that its work is evaluated at the end of the 2020 and a plan is defined for the next year. In order to address the fact that the GNA effectively holds sway over the NOC and, by extension, the Central Bank of Libya (in which the revenues are physically held), the committee was also intended: To prepare a unified budget that meets the needs of each party and the reconciliation of any dispute over budget allocations and will require the Central Bank [in Tripoli] to cover the monthly or quarterly payments approved in the budget without any delay, and as soon as the joint technical committee requests the transfer.

Related: Morgan Stanley Ups Oil Price Forecast On Supply Fears



With these plans in place the oil ministry then began discussing exploration and development options with several international oil companies. The first agreement with TotalEnergies saw the French firm commit to continue with its efforts to increase oil production from the giant Waha, Sharara, Mabruk and Al Jurf oil fields by at least 175,000 bpd and to make the development of the Waha-concession North Gialo and NC-98 oil fields a priority, according to the NOC. The Waha concessions  in which TotalEnergies took a minority stake in 2019  have the capacity to produce at least 350,000 bpd together, according to the NOC. The second deal was the approval by Libyas Government of National Unity (GNU) of the sale of the 8.16 percent stake in the countrys giant Waha oil concessions held by the U.S.s Hess Corporation to the remaining stakeholders  again, TotalEnergies (with a 16.3 percent share), and also ConocoPhillips (also 16.3 percent), each of which was offered first refusal on half of Hesss stake.

These various agreements and deals appeared to be a sign that an agreement for fair distribution of oil revenues between the various factions in Libya was nearing completion. They also held out the hope that Libyan crude oil production might increase once again to somewhere close to where it was before Gadaffi was removed from power in 2011. It is easy now to forget with all of the political stymieing its oil sector but Libya is the holder of Africas largest proved crude oil reserves, of 48 billion barrels. Before 2011, Libya had been producing around 1.65 million bpd of oil, on a rising production trajectory, up from about 1.4 million bpd in 2000, albeit well below the peak levels of more than 3 million bpd achieved in the late 1960s. The NOC also had plans before 2011 to roll out enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques to increase crude oil production at maturing oil fields, and the NOCs predictions of being able to increase capacity by around 775,000 bpd through EOR at existing oil fields looked well-founded.

One of the key sticking points in the framework for fair distribution that has remained unresolved since the framework for agreement was originally drafted back in September 2020 is that neither the GNA nor the Central Bank of Libya have publically and unequivocally agreed to its core principles as yet. According to a Washington-based legal source at the time spoken to by OilPrice.com, the NOC had been working on alternative banking arrangements for the oil revenues that may or may not involve the input on final dispersal of more players, but the details of this have yet to be worked through. Much more likely to continue to derail the chances of any long-lasting agreement in Libya are the broader geopolitical intentions of the foreign players attached to each side.

In this context, although the U.S. did an effective job in persuading Haftar to extend the September 2020 agreement deadline, its intention to bring Haftar decisively on side, prior to a presidential run came to nothing. The Presidential election was originally due to have been held on 10 December 2018 but was then delayed due to Haftars ongoing military disruption in the west of the country, and then in November 2021 he was disqualified from running in the rescheduled December 2021 election and then sentenced to death in absentia. A month later he was allowed to run for in the presidential election re-scheduled for 24 December 2021 before that election too was delayed. As it stands, the presidential election is now scheduled to be held in June of this year. However, an obvious sign that he has burned any bridges that were in the process of being constructed with the U.S. came last month when a lawsuit in the U.S. that accuses Haftar of war crimes, torture, and extrajudicial killings was ordered to move forward.

This said, Russia also has a longstanding interest in spreading its influence out into Libya from its increasing strongholds in the Middle East, concentrated currently in the Shia Crescent of power. For some considerable time it was Russias Wagner group (Kremlin-directed mercenaries, also now operating in Ukraine) that were the key force in Haftars army. They have been supported by elements from Egypt and the UAE. Russias desire to stymie any attempts to increase its influence in Libya will presumably only have intensified in light of the global power-plays that have been expedited as a result of its current actions in Ukraine.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

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Colombias economically crucial petroleum industry, which has been under pressure for some time from a combination of weaker oil prices and low proven reserves, is struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest data from Colombias Ministry of Energy shows that crude oil production volumes remain below pre-pandemic lockdown levels, while foreign energy investment is weak despite government initiatives to reactivate the vital hydrocarbon sector. There are signs of further difficulties ahead for the Andean countrys oil industry. Key among them are the considerable risks associated with 2022 being a presidential election year where the leading candidate, leftist senator Gustavo Petro, is opposed to extractive industries and strong community dissent toward oil drilling. That coupled with rising security risks, dwindling proven crude oil reserves and the accelerating decarbonization of the global economy all point to a deteriorating outlook for Colombias petroleum industry. The latest energy ministry data shows that crude oil production for February 2022 remained flat compared to a month earlier and fell by nearly 1% year over year to 739,542 barrels per day.

Source: Colombia Ministry of Mines and Energy, U.S. EIA.

Natural gas output rose by 5.5% month over month to 1,079 million cubic feet per day but was still a worrying &% lower compared to the same period a year earlier.

Source: Colombia Ministry of Mines and Energy.

February 2022 oil and natural gas output was 15.8% and 5.6% respectively lower than for that period during 2020, which was the last full month of hydrocarbon production prior to Colombias pandemic quarantine lockdown commencing. Colombias total February 2022 hydrocarbon output reached 925,523 barrels of oil equivalent daily, which while 1% greater than a month earlier was 2% lower year over year and 14% less than February 2020.

Surprisingly, the ongoing decline of Colombias petroleum output, which reached its highest post-pandemic lockdown volume of 760,940 barrels daily in November 2020, is occurring regardless of growing investment. Despite 2021 industry spending surged 46% year over year to $3.1 billion annual average petroleum output fell by 6% to 735,378 barrels per day. Even a marked increase in investment for 2022, which the Colombian Petroleum Association (ACP  Spanish) expects to reach $4.4 billion, is thus far failing to drive higher petroleum production as underscored by the numbers presented in the charts.. That is particularly worrying when it is considered that the ACPs estimated investment for 2022 is 42% greater than 2021, more than double the $2.05 billion spent during 2020 and higher the $4.03 billion spent in 2019.

There are a range of reasons for this, including heightened security risks, which are weighing on petroleum industry operations. It also takes time to ramp up the activities required to boost oil production, notably drilling a new well and bringing them online as well as completing workovers of existing wells. That lag is reflected by Colombias soft production data in contrast to a steadily rising rig count. According to Baker Hughes there were 31 active drill rigs at the end of March 2022 or four higher than a month earlier, six greater than for that period during 2020 and only two less than March 2019.

Source: Baker Hughes and U.S. EIA.

That data indicates the volume of active drill rigs in Colombia has reached pre-pandemic levels boding well for higher future petroleum production volumes.

Colombias energy ministry and the regulator, the National Hydrocarbon Agency (ANH  Spanish) are focused on attracting further private energy investment to boost exploration and development activities. Another oil auction (Spanish), on the back of the successful 2021 Bid Round where seven companies committed to investing $149 million to drill 30 blocks, is planned for the second half of 2022. To initiate that process the ANH invited energy companies to nominate areas of interest after updating Colombias exploration and production acreage map during March 2022. The Andean country has held four auctions since 2019 as the government urgently seeks to lift rapidly dwindling oil reserves and petroleum output. In November 2021 the head of the ANH, Armando Zamora, stated that by ramping up petroleum investment Colombia could add up to three billion barrels of crude oil to its rapidly depleting oil reserves by 2040.

Related: The Numbers Behind A EU Ban On Russian Crude

That is a particularly important initiative for the Andean country because Colombia only possesses oil reserves (Spanish) of 1.8 million barrels which will only last six years at the current rate of production. The dearth of proven oil reserves, especially in comparison to other major producers in South America such as Brazil which has reserves of 1.27 billion barrels and neighboring Ecuador with 8.3 billion barrels, poses a key risk to Colombias economy. That shortage is troubling because oil rents are responsible for almost 4% of Colombias gross domestic product, while petroleum is the Andean countrys largest export generating a third of total export earnings. If Colombias crude oil output tumbles and production eventually ceases it will have a profound economic impact on the oil-dependent South American nation.

Other hazards are weighing heavily on the outlook for Colombias petroleum industry. A key risk is that leading candidate in this years presidential election, leftist senator Gustavo Petro, plans to ban extractive industries, notably coal mining and oil production, in Colombia if he wins the presidency. The leftist senators plan (Spanish) consists of banning petroleum exploration and winding down industry operations once Colombias limited proven crude oil reserves expire. Colombias latest poll (Spanish) shows Petro will win 38% of votes cast in the first electoral round to be held on 29 May 2022, with former Medellin mayor and conservative Federico Gutierrez in second place with 23% of the vote. If that occurs second-round run-off vote will be held where it is predicted that Petro will emerge victorious as Colombias president.

Another significant risk is the deterioration of the social license for Colombias petroleum industry. Community blockades of industry facilities and oilfields, notably in the Putumayo and Llanos Basins are common as are oilfield invasions. Those types of events spiked during the anti-government protests which swept across Colombia from April to July 2021. Oilfield invasions in Puerto Gaitan, which is at the heart of industry operations, became such a problem in 2020 and 2021 that the industry struck an agreement to provide greater social services to local indigenous communities. Hydraulic fracturing, which maybe the only means of significantly boosting Colombias oil reserves and production, is highly controversial. While a moratorium suspending the use of fracking to extract hydrocarbons has been in place in Colombia since 2018 pilot projects were ruled by Colombias highest administrative tribunal, the State Council, to fall outside of the ban. That saw Colombias national oil company Ecopetrol along with partner ExxonMobil embark on developing fracking pilots in the Magdalena Basin which had received the require licenses to proceed. In a recent surprise move, the first court of Barrancabermeja ordered the suspension (Spanish) of the environmental licenses for the Kale and Platero fracking projects. The operator of the projects Ecopetrol was ordered by the court to suspend operations and consult with the Afro-Colombian Corporation of Puerto Wilches with work only able to recommence once a satisfactory social license is established with the community.

Security risks in rural Colombia remain high with violent crime and massacres rising at an exponential rate despite the largest leftist guerilla group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC  Spanish initials) having demobilized in 2017. That rising violence can be attributed to various illegal armed groups fighting for control of lucrative smuggling routes and coca growing land. Many of the violent incidents associated with Colombias multi-party low-level asymmetric conflict, which is driven by poverty and cocaine trafficking profits, are occurring in the regions where the petroleum industry has substantial operations. Headwinds for Colombias economically crucial oil industry abound, especially with geopolitical risk spiking significantly because of this years presidential election. That is magnifying existing risks associated with a deteriorating social license for the petroleum industry in Colombia as well as the impact of an escalating internal conflict on operations, notably urgently needed exploration activities in remote hydrocarbon basins.

By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

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Libyas oilfields, under force majeure, may reopen within days, according to Libyas oil minister, following calls by Libyan prime minister-designate Fathi Bashagha on Sunday after a meeting with various representatives of the Oil Crescent region, which houses the countrys main oil resources.

Last weekend, the Libyan National Oil Company (NOC) declared force majeure on Libyas largest oilfield, Al-Sharara, along with the El Feel oilfield and two major export terminals, taking some 550,000 barrels per day offline.

On Sunday, prime minister-designate Bashagha called on those in the Oil Crescent region to open the ports for exporting, according to local media reports. However, he also demanded that oil revenues be distributed evenly between east and west.

Hours later, Bloomberg cited Oil Minister Mohammed Oun, who is often at odds with the NOC leadership, as saying that he had also met with tribal representatives in the Oil Crescent and that protesters would allow production and exports to resume within days.

Forces in the eastern region, where parliament in February declared Bashagha the new prime minister, control the oilfields and export terminals, while the west controls the oil revenues through the Central Bank in Tripoli. Bashagha is nominally backed by General Khalifa Haftar, the eastern leader of the Libyan National Army (LNA) which controls major oil facilities and which attempted, unsuccessfully, to take Tripoli in 2019.

In Tripoli, incumbent interim prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah has refused to step down and hand over the reigns to Bashaghga, who insists that Dbeibahs mandate ended after the failure to hold elections in December 2021. This has created another parallel government situation similar to that which led to the most recent civil war.

On Wednesday, Baghagha declared that he would assume office in Tripoli but was committed to doing that peacefully.

Dbeibah accuses Bashagha of orchestrating the shutdown of oilfields and export terminals, while Bashagha accuses Dbeibah of abusing oil revenues.

During his meeting with tribal leaders in the Oil Crescent on Sunday, Bashagha assured representatives that oil revenues would be distributed fairly.

We have extensive contacts with several local and international parties to set up a transparent mechanism that ensures that oil revenues are not exploited and that these revenues are kept in the accounts of the Libyan state away from political conflicts, so that we ensure that these funds are for the benefit of the Libyan people, local media reported.

Meetings with the tribal leaders of the Oil Crescent region follow reports of armed clashes at the Zawiya refinery on Friday and Saturday, where the NOC said that 29 sites were damaged, including oil derivatives tanks and others and that damage was still being assessed.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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Benchmark European natural gas prices rose on Monday morning as forecasts of low wind speeds and still and cooler weather in the coming days spurred increased demand for gas for power generation across Europe.

The day-ahead gas price at the Dutch TTF hub, the benchmark gas price for Europe, jumped early on Monday by $5.26 (4.90 euro) to $103.54 (96.45 euros) per megawatt-hour (MWh), while the front-month futures contract for May increased by $0.43 (0.40 euro) to $104.60 (97.35 euro) per MWh.

We expect a slightly tighter gas system on the Continent in the coming days due to considerably higher gas for power demand this week, analysts at Refinitiv wrote in a daily commentary cited by Reuters.

Bookings from European customers for Russian gas flows via Ukraine increased from Sunday to Monday, Interfax reported, citing Gazprom comments and data from the Gas Transmission System (GTS) Operator of Ukraine.

Gazprom is supplying Russian gas for transit through the territory of Ukraine in regular mode in accordance with the bookings of European consumers at 68.4 million cubic meters on April 25, Sergey Kupriyanov, a spokesman for Gazprom, said, as carried by Interfax.

Bookings for April 24 were at 53 million cubic meters, according to the Ukrainian gas system operator.

Russian gas pipeline flows to Germany via Nord Stream 1 remained stable on Monday, while the Yamal pipeline continued to carry gas eastbound from Germany to Poland.

Increased demand for gas in Europe because of lower wind speeds comes as the EU and Russia are in a standoff over Putins demand that Russias unfriendly nationssuch as all EU members and the UK, among many otherspay in rubles for Russian gas. With payments for April deliveries due in the coming days and weeks, Europe is preparing for a potential halt of Russian gas supply.

Last week, the European Commission said that companies in the EU may have a way to pay for Russias gas in rubles without violating sanctions on Moscow. The companies would need to pay in euros or dollars, which would then be converted into rubles, although the transactions would also have to be accompanied by a statement explaining how the companies consider their contractual obligations to be complete once they submitted the euros or dollars.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Rainbow Cones, a combination of chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House (vanilla with walnuts and cherries) and pistachio ice creams topped with orange sherbet, on display at the 90-year-old ice cream shops new Navy Pier kiosk on June 10, 2016. (Zak Koeske / Daily Southtown / Chicago Tribune)

Ice cream lovers in Skokie and surrounding areas will soon have a new option as a Rainbow Cone Ice Cream shop is scheduled to open next month as part of an expanded Buona restaurant.

Rainbow Cone started in Chicagos South Side Beverly neighborhood and became famous for layering its signature five flavors of ice cream on a cone.

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The Buona Companies, which maintains a partnership with the family and creators of Rainbow Cone, is set to start a new venture with the venerable ice cream brand on May 11 at Buonas 3754 W. Touhy Ave., Skokie, location, according to Buona Marketing Director Candice Jordan.

With the opening, Chicagos North Siders will be able to taste what has been a South Side staple for nearly a century, she said.

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It is really the first time the North Side will be introduced to this particular kind of ice cream. We knew we wanted to expand the brand and Skokie seemed like the perfect fit for us, Jordan said.

The Skokie Buona restaurant opened in June 2020. A Rainbow Cone location opened in west suburban Lombard in April 2021, making that the second permanent location after the South Side shop. Rainbow Cone has also had a seasonal location at Navy Pier, operates ice cream trucks and has appeared at Taste of Chicago.

Jordan said the store would feature the five original Rainbow Cone flavors along with some other original products. While there are other ice cream shops in Skokie, Jordan said she believed the market would welcome the new entry.

A rainbow waffle cone from The Original Rainbow Cone at Lollapalooza Thursday, July 29, 2021, at Grant Park in Chicago. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune) (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

Our original Rainbow Cone is so unique with the five stacking flavors and it has been around for over 90 years as a Chicago staple, she said.

The signature rainbow cone is layered with five slices of ice cream flavors, from bottom to top: chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House (vanilla with walnuts and cherries), pistachio and orange sherbet.

The concept for the expanded restaurant received support from the Skokie Chamber of Commerce.

Buona Beef is a wonderful destination and for a long time they have partnered with Rainbow Cone. By adding Rainbow Cone to this location it just increases its visibility and makes it a more marketable location, Chamber President and CEO Howard Meyer said. They are doing so because Skokie is such a diverse community and we are also very friendly to new businesses within the community.

Jordan said there would be a grand opening ceremony May 11 with some merchandise giveaways.

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This will be the second dual concept store for the two brands. A similar enterprise opened last year in Darien, Jordan said.

Louisa Chu contributed.
Abu Dhabi crude is preparing to make its way to Europe for the first time in two years as the European Union seeks replacements for Russian oil, Reuters reports.



In May 2020, a shipment of Abu Dhabi crude was loaded for Italy, and there have been so shipments since, according to Arab News, citing Refinitiv Eikon data.



According to Reuters, citing shipping reports, France Total Energies has provisionally chartered a tanker to load Abu Dhabi crude in early May, bound for Europe. A total of 1 million barrels of Murban crudeone of three Abu Dhabi gradeswill be loaded provisionally, bound for Britain in the first week of May.



Arab News reports that three Abu Dhabi gradesMurban, Das and Upper Zakumwill be increasingly replacing Russian oil for Europe in the coming months.



This will divert some Abu Dhabi crude from Asia, but India has already been refraining from higher-priced Saudi and UAE crude and taking advantage of highly discounted Russian crude.



The European Union has been grappling with a decision to ban Russian oil, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has demanded that the bloc cease importing oil and gas from the Kremlin.



Supplies have become even more risky with the outbreak of a fire Monday at oil storage facilities in Bryansk, near Russias border with Ukraine, with Moscow claiming that the fire was the result of a Ukrainian missile strike.



The oil depot in question is dangerously close to the Druzhba pipeline, which feeds Russian crude into Europe. It remains unclear whether the pipeline, operated by Transneft, has been affected.



The Druzhba pipeline is responsible for transporting some one-fifth of Europes imports of Russian oil.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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An oil depot in Russia near the border with Ukraine caught fire early on Monday, and another site, a military one, was also on fire, Russian authorities and media report.

Authorities in Russia said they would investigate the cause of the fire at the oil storage site in the city of Bryansk, which is 154 kilometers (96 miles) northeast of the border with Ukraine.

Footage shared on social media showed a fire at a huge oil storage tank. The oil storage facility is owned by Russias pipeline company Transneft.

According to Reuters, there has not been an initial indication that the firesor what some unverified social media posts say were explosionswere related to Ukraine.

Scott Rose, Editor for Bloomberg, tweeted that Russian state TV had reported explosions in Bryansk, saying that the first was at a civilian facility holding around 10,000 tons of fuel, while the second fire occurred 10 to 15 minutes later at a military depot with around 5,000 tons of fuel. There has been no word on either the cause of the fires or casualties, Bloombergs Rose said.

The regional branch of Russias Ministry of Emergencies told state-run Russian news agencies that there were no casualties in the fires and there were no plans to evacuate residents, The Moscow Times reports.

According to Steve Rosenberg, Russia Editor for BBC News, Russia 24 state TV channel reported on the fire this morning without speculating on the cause. Local state TV GTRK Bryansk reports that another fuel tank is on fire at a military unit.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Ukraine and met with Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy early on Monday in the highest-level visit to Kyiv by U.S. officials since Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February.

Russia is failing, Ukraine is succeeding, Secretary Blinken said after the visit.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Guyana has sold a cargo of 1 million barrels of its newest crude to ExxonMobil for $106 per barrel, which was the first share for the government from the newly operational Liza Unity production platform operated by Exxon.

The first cargo of Guyanas lifting entitlement was sold to ExxonMobil Sales and Supply LLC following a competitive bidding process, the government of Guyana said this weekend.

The ExxonMobil affiliate bid was the best on the pricing differential for the crude and this lift will incur no marketing fee by the lifter. This lift is a one-off arrangement for the company, Guyana said, adding that the government would be working to ensure that Guyana receives the best price for each cargo from both the Liza and Unity Gold crudes.

At $106 per barrel, Guyanas revenue from selling 1 million barrels of the new Unity Gold crude is $106 million.

It was Exxon that has helped make Guyana the latest oil-producing and oil-exporting nation in late 2019. Since 2015, when it first discovered oil offshore Guyana, Exxon has made more than 20 discoveries in the waters of the South American nation.

In February, Exxon said it started production at Guyanas second offshore oil development on the Stabroek Block, Liza Phase 2, bringing total production capacity to more than 340,000 barrels per day (bpd). Production at the Liza Unity floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel is expected to reach its target of 220,000 bpd this year, and adds to the more than 120,000 bpd of capacity at the Liza Phase 1 project that launched in December 2019.

Earlier this month, Exxon approved its fourth offshore project in Guyana, at Yellowtail, which is expected to produce 250,000 barrels per day (bpd) starting in 2025.

By 2027, Exxon plans to produce more than 850,000 bpd from Guyanas offshore, the U.S. supermajor said in a presentation on its investor day in March.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The authorities in Norway have arrested 20 activists who used small boats to keep a Russian oil tanker from unloading off Copenhagen on Monday.

The activists, joining a Greenpeace action, had chained themselves to the Hong Kong-registered Ust Luga oil tanker before being removed by police, Norways Aftenposten daily newspaper reports.

Accusing Norway of helping Russia fill its war chest with oil revenues, the activists sought to stop the unloading of more than 105,000 tons of fuel that had departed from St. Petersburg, Russia, and was heading to a Norwegian terminal owned by Exxon subsidiary Esso.

"Oil is not only at the root of the climate crisis, but also of wars and conflicts. I am shocked that Norway operates as a free port for Russian oil, which we know finances Putin's warfare," Reuters cited Greenpeace Norway head Frode Pleym as saying.

According to an Esso spokeswoman, speaking to Norwegian media, Esso Norway does not have any future contracts to purchase petroleum products from Russia, and the 105,000 tons of oil on board the Ust Luga had been purchased prior to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Norway itself is not dependent on Russian oil, but it is sensitive to the fact that as one of the worlds largest exporters of oil and gas, it stands to benefit from Russias war on Ukraine.

Norway produces an estimated 2% of the oil that hits world markets, according to Time magazine, and is the second largest exporter of natural gas to Europe, after Russia.

The European Union is planning to cut its imports of Russian gas by two-thirds by the end of the year. Presently, Russia provides some 45% of the blocs natural gas.

On Monday, Euronews reported that work on the Baltic Pipe, which will deliver 10 million cubic meters of natural gas annually from Norway to Poland, has resumed after a lengthy hiatus. That pipeline is slated to become operational by January 1, 2023.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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Officials from the United States and the European Union are having private discussions about how the EU could cut crude oil imports from Russia in order to stop the flow of revenue pouring into Russia, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg on Friday.

Officials from the U.S. and the EU are discussing banning oil and gas, crafting a payment mechanism that would hold back revenue that Russia has made since it invaded Ukraine, and a price cap, the sources said.

The EU has been under constant pressure to curb its intake of Russian oil and gas since Russia invaded Ukraine, but its heavy reliance on Russian energy supplies has raised questions about whether such curbs would truly hit Russia as hard as some would hopewithout harming the EU. A full-on ban of Russian crude oil and gas would naturally boost prices, a reality that would also boost Russian revenues, even with fewer barrels sold. This would also create pain for the EU, which would not only be energy starved, but would pay more for the energy sourced from elsewhere.

For the United States, the issue is critical, so it is no wonder why the U.S. is in talks with the EU to follow through with a ban in such a way that would not raise retail gasoline prices at home.

So far, a plan has not been found that would harm Russian President Vladimir Putin while insulating the EU and the U.S. from further price shocks.

The EU has been working on another round of Russia sanctions, and early this month, the EU banned Russian coal importsbut that measure wont go into effect until sometime in mid-August after Germany pressured the EU Commission drafting the ban to extend the wind-down period due to its substantial Russian coal habit.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Volunteers and government workers in Shanghai erected metal barriers in multiple districts to block off small streets and entrances to apartment complexes, as China hardens its strict zero-COVID approach in its largest city despite growing complaints from residents.

In the city's financial district, Pudong, the barriers  thin metal sheets or mesh fences  were put up in several neighborhoods under a local government directive, according to Caixin, a Chinese business media outlet. Buildings where cases have been found sealed up their main entrances, with a small opening for pandemic prevention workers to pass through.

In Beijing, authorities announced a mass testing starting Monday of Chaoyang district, home to more than 3 million people in the Chinese capital.

The announcement set off panic buying Sunday evening, with vegetables, eggs, soy sauce and other items wiped off grocery shelves.

A fresh outbreak has infected at least 41 people, including 26 in Chaoyang district, state broadcaster CGTN reported.

China reported 21,796 new community transmitted COVID-19 infections on Sunday, with the vast majority being asymptomatic cases in Shanghai. Across the country, many cities and provinces have enforced some version of a lockdown in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus.

The latest outbreak, driven by the highly contagious omicron variant, has spread nationwide, but has been particularly large in Shanghai. The city, a financial hub with 25 million residents, has counted hundreds of thousands of cases but fewer than 100 deaths since the outbreak began nearly two months ago.

An Associated Press examination of the death toll found that despite a history of narrow criteria for linking deaths to particular diseases, especially COVID-19, authorities have changed how they count positive cases, leading to wiggle room in how they arrive at a final death count. The result is almost certainly an undercount of the true death toll.

On social media, people posted videos of the new barriers being put up Saturday, with some expressing anger over the measures. The barriers are meant to leave main roads unblocked, Caixin reported.

In one video, verified by the AP, residents leaving a building in Shanghai's Xuhui district broke down the mesh fence barricade at their front entrance and went looking for the security guard they believed to be responsible for putting it up.

Shanghai is using a tiered system in which neighborhoods are divided into three categories based on the risk of transmission. Those in the first category face the strictest COVID-19 controls and were the main target of the new heightened measures. In the third category, some buildings allow people to leave their homes and visit public areas.

In Shanghai, authorities reported 39 new COVID-19 deaths, raising the official death toll to 4,725 as of the end of Saturday, the National Health Commission said Sunday.

The city's lockdown has drawn global attention for its strict approach and sometimes dangerous consequences. Many residents in the city have had difficulties getting groceries, resorting to bartering and bulk buying. Others have been unable get adequate medical attention in time, owing to the strict controls on movement.

On Friday, Chinese internet users shared a six-minute video called Voices of April that documents some of the most challenging public moments the city has experienced in the nearly month-long lockdown. One part features audio of residents in one Shanghai community who protested on April 8, screaming: "Send us food! Send us food! Send us food! in unison.

The video blanketed WeChat timelines before it was abruptly removed by censors Saturday.

Chinese authorities have continued to say that the zero-COVID strategy is the best way forward given low vaccination rates in people over age 60, and that omicron would result in many deaths and severe illnesses if the country ended its strict approach.

Associated Press journalist Penny Wang in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Candidates for the Republican nomination for Pennsylvanias open U.S. Senate seat charged into Monday night's live-televised prime-time debate with extra incentive to attack Mehmet Oz after the celebrity heart surgeon received former President Donald Trump's endorsement.

And attack they did, almost solidly throughout the one-hour debate at the studio of WHTM-TV with barely three weeks to go to the May 17 primary election.

Ex-hedge fund CEO David McCormick called Oz a flip-flopper to suggest that he is pretending to be a conservative.

Former Trump ambassador Carla Sands called him Turkey First  as a play on Trump's America First" governing philosophy  to highlight Oz's Turkish citizenship.

And conservative activist Kathy Barnette said Trump only endorsed Oz because Oz is well-known.

Trump earlier this month endorsed Oz  best known as daytime TVs host of The Dr. Oz Show"  and the Trump endorsement hovered over the debate. Oz raised it repeatedly, just hours after Trump announced that he will come to western Pennsylvania next week for a rally to promote Oz.

Oz gamely defended himself. People care about what he stands for, not where hes from, he said. Trump endorsed him because he is a true conservative, he said. And he keeps his Turkish citizenship to visit his ailing mother in Turkey, he said.

He also counterpunched, primarily against McCormick. He accused McCormick of lying about his record and repeating Trump's suggestion that McCormick is pro-China because of McCormick's former hedge funds portfolio that catered to Chinese investors investing in China.

Dishonest Dave is at it again," Oz said. He went groveling to President Trump with  again  these types of allegations. President Trump saw right through him, did not endorse him, and then he endorsed me.

McCormick repeatedly attacked Oz, turning practically every question to Ozs long public past as a TV show host and accusing him of having long-advocated liberal positions.

The reason Mehmet keeps talking about President Trumps endorsement is because he cant run on his own positions and his own records, and what's true is that he has flip-flopped on every major issue we're talking about in this campaign, McCormick said.

Then McCormick slipped in a reference to criticism that Oz promoted quack treatments and cures on his show.

And the problem doctor, is theres no miracle cure for flip-flopping, McCormick said.

The race is primarily an expensive duel between McCormick and Oz, who combined  with super PACs that support them  have reported spending more than $37 million out of the more than $50 million reported being spent on the GOP primary.

The five candidates on stage met the polling threshold set by the stations parent company as they vie for the nomination in a seven-person field to succeed retiring two-term Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in the presidential battleground state.

The campaign is one of this years premier Senate contests, with carpetbaggery a prominent and persistent issue following the recent arrival of three wealthy and well-connected candidates from other states  McCormick, Oz and Sands.

Real estate investor Jeff Bartos summed up the debate in his closing remarks as out-of-state candidates fighting with each other as he pressed his case as the only lifelong Pennsylvanian in the race.

Otherwise, the candidates all seemed to agree with party talking points, including on the question of banning abortion, banning transgender women from competing in women's sports, criticizing President Joe Biden's handling of the economy and the border and promoting Trump's baseless conspiracy that Democrats stole the 2020 presidential election.

They also took pains to demonstrate their devotion to Trump principles.

Sands maintained that her service on a Trump's economic council and as his ambassador to Denmark makes her the only proven America First candidate.

I actually did it, Sands said. "Everyone talks about it."

On a question about how to deal with supply chain issues, McCormick took umbrage over Bartos' suggestion that out-of-state candidates "cannot help save Main Street Pennsylvania if you cannot find Main Street Pennsylvania.

I'm not going to be out-Pennsylvania'd or out-America First by anybody on this stage," McCormick said.

Barnette  who has allied herself with pro-Trump conservatives  took a different tack: Trump's Make America Great slogan, or MAGA, doesn't belong to Trump, she said.

MAGA does not belong to President Trump, Barnette said. "MAGA, although he coined the word, MAGA actually belongs to the people. Our values never, never shifted to President Trumps values. It was President Trump who shifted and aligned with our values.

Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/timelywriter

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
As consumer beef prices continue to shoot up and the nations producers get an ever-shrinking share of those dollars, Nebraska U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer said she sees rising bipartisan support for her bill seeking to bring more competition to the nations cattle markets.

The Senates agriculture committee is set to hold a hearing in Washington Tuesday on a Fischer bill that would require beef packers to buy more of their cattle in open, competitive markets.

Fischer and many in the cattle industry believe a lack of competition due to heavy concentration in the meatpacking industry is giving packers too much market power, to the detriment of both consumers and farmers and ranchers. Some 85% of the more than 30 million head of cattle raised for slaughter each year in the United States are processed by just four leading meatpackers.

Im really pleased to see the forward momentum for our cattle market reform bill, Fischer said of the measure, which now has a total of 19 co-sponsors in the Senate, including nine Republicans and 10 Democrats.

Cattle producers shrinking share of the beef dollar compared to packers was the subject of a series of stories in The World-Herald last year. An updated World-Herald analysis of year-end figures for 2021 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows the trend has not abated.

Producers in 2021 did see a 10% increase in the price they received for their cattle, ending three straight years of declining prices. But producers share of the beef dollar continued to fall, as retail beef prices went up 11% and the packers share went up another 31%.

Over the last four years, the price of beef is up $1.34 per pound. But farmers have received less than 2 cents of that increase, with the packers netting $1 of it. The rest went to retailers.

Packers argue there is nothing inherently wrong with cattle markets, attributing the price changes to natural supply and demand forces and market disruptions like the pandemic.

But Fischer said the persistence of the trends makes that hard to accept.

You cant blame the pandemic for everything, she said. Its a result of 85% of meat going to four packers. Its the result of continued consolidation.

Today, meatpackers acquire the majority of their cattle by contracting with individual producers. Fischers Cattle Market Transparency Act would require more public disclosure of what packers are paying for their cattle and also require the packers to buy more cattle through competitive cash markets.

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa had a competing proposal with the same aim but has now joined forces with Fischer, a fellow Republican. Democrats Jon Tester of Montana and Ron Wyden of Oregon are the other main sponsors of the bill.

Fischer said she and other co-sponsors recently met with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. He and President Joe Biden have been supportive of the concept of the bill, and shes hopeful they will formally endorse it.

While the Senate has previously held hearings on conditions in the nations cattle markets, this will be the first on Fischers bill, which she believes has the votes to emerge from the agriculture committee.

Fischer said she has made accommodations to the packing industry in the latest version of the bill. That includes expanding the types of cash sales that would count as competitive, including online sales.

But packers continue to fight the measure. The North American Meat Institute has pointed to the recent increase in cattle prices, which they say have reached a seven-year high. And they say Fischers bill would limit the flexibility of cattlemen who want to sell their cattle by contract.

Supply and demand has already driven the cattle markets back into balance without the radical government interference and convoluted mandates called for in the latest draft of the Grassley-Fischer bill, said NAMI president and CEO Julie Anna Potts. Make no mistake, the bill still contains government mandates directing how producers market their cattle.

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Elon Musk to buy Twitter for $44B and take it private

Elon Musk reached an agreement to buy Twitter for roughly $44 billion on Monday, promising a more lenient touch to policing content on the platform where he promotes his interests, attacks critics and opines on a wide range of issues to more than 83 million followers. The outspoken Tesla CEO, who is also the worlds wealthiest person, has said he wanted to buy and privatize Twitter because he thinks its not living up to its potential as a platform for free speech. The risk is that Musk goes too far in his hands off approach, potentially alienating users and advertisers. Shares of Twitter Inc. rose 5% Monday to $51.70 per share, below the $54.20 he offered for the company.

The AP Interview: Kyiv wants UN to seek Mariupol evacuation

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Ukraines foreign minister is urging U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres to press Russia for an evacuation of the besieged port of Mariupol when he visits Moscow on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview Monday such a move is really something that the U.N. is capable to do. Mariupol is the seaside city where an estimated 100,000 people are trapped. A contingent of Ukrainian fighters are holding out against Russian forces in a steel mill where hundreds of civilians also are taking shelter. Kuleba also expressed satisfaction with U.S. promises of substantial new aid, but expressed frustration that Kyiv's requests for help take a long time to be fulfilled.

Russia hits faraway targets; diplomat warns of risk of WWIII

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russia has unleashed a string of attacks against rail and fuel facilities deep inside Ukraine in an apparent attempt to thwart Ukrainian efforts to marshal supplies. Meanwhile, Russias top diplomat warned against provoking World War III and said the threat of a nuclear conflict should not be underestimated. The U.S. is moving to rush more weaponry to Ukraine and says the Western allies assistance is making a difference in the 2-month-old war. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. wants to help Ukraine remain independent and also see Russia "weakened to the point where it cant do things like invade Ukraine.

White House: Without funding US will lose COVID treatments

WASHINGTON (AP)  After two years at the front of the line for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, the U.S. could soon have to begin taking a number. The White House is warning that other countries are already moving ahead of the U.S. in putting in their advance orders for the next generation of therapies. The problem is lack of funding. Many in Congress are willing to vote for the billions now needed. But Senate Republicans are demanding that as part of the deal Democrats must agree to extend pandemic-related, Trump-era border restrictions. Unless Congress can break that impasse, the White House says, more Americans will get COVID and die.

Judge finds Donald Trump in contempt in New York legal fight

NEW YORK (AP)  A New York judge has found former President Donald Trump in contempt of court for failing to adequately respond to a subpoena issued by the states attorney general as part of a civil investigation into his business dealings. Judge Arthur Engoron on Monday ordered Trump to pay a fine of $10,000 per day. New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, had asked the court to hold Trump in contempt after he missed a March 31 court-imposed deadline to turn over documents. Trump, a Republican, has been fighting James in court over her investigation, which he has called a politically motivated witch hunt. Trump spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

French President Macron reelected: What's happening next?

PARIS (AP)  After winning reelection, French President Emmanuel Macron intends to go back to work straight away. His inauguration is expected by May 13, but he will face a crucial parliamentary election in June where he's likely to struggle to keep his majority. The 44-year-old leader plans to quickly head to Berlin, keeping the tradition that newly elected French presidents make their first trip abroad to Germany to celebrate their friendship after multiple wars. Efforts to try to end the war in Ukraine will top the agenda. Macron may also travel to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On Monday, Macron talked to U.S. President Joe Biden about support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

Michigan chief IDs officer who fatally shot Patrick Lyoya

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP)  Grand Rapids, Michigan, police have identified Christopher Schurr as the officer who killed Patrick Lyoya three weeks ago. Lyoya was a Black man and native of Congo who was fatally shot in the back of the head after a struggle with the officer. Grand Rapids Chief Eric Winstrom had declined to name the officer but changed course Monday. Schurr has been a Grand Rapids officer since 2015. He grew up in the area and was a star pole vaulter at Siena Heights, a small Michigan college. In 2014, Schurr told Vaulter Magazine that he was getting married in Kenya because he couldn't afford a wedding celebration and take a separate trip to Africa to build homes. So he was going to do both at the same time.

Melissa Lucio's execution delayed by Texas appeals court

HOUSTON (AP)  A Texas appeals court on Monday delayed the execution of Melissa Lucio amid growing doubts about whether she fatally beat her 2-year-old daughter. Lucio's effort to halt her execution has garnered the support of lawmakers, celebrities and even some of the jurors who sentenced her to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted a request by Lucios lawyers for a stay so a lower court can review her claims that new evidence would exonerate her. It was not immediately known when the lower court might begin reviewing her case. Lucio had been set for lethal injection on Wednesday for the 2007 death of her daughter Mariah in Harlingen.

Parents sue after death of teen from Florida drop-tower ride

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  The parents of a 14-year-old boy who fell to his death from a 430-foot drop-tower ride in central Floridas tourist district have sued its owner, manufacturer and landlord, claiming they were negligent and failed to provide a safe amusement ride. The lawsuit was filed Monday by the parents of Tyre Sampson in state court in Orlando. It says that the defendants failed to warn their 6-foot-2-inch, 380-pound son about the risks of going on the ride and didnt provide an appropriate restraint system on the ride. An initial report said ride sensors had been adjusted to double the size of restraint openings on two seats.

Weary of many disasters? UN says worse to come

A new United Nations report says disasters are on the rise and are going to get worse. In the late 20th century, the world had some 90 to 100 disasters per year. Now a new UN report says disasters that range from climate change to COVID-19 are going to jump to about 560 a year by 2030. One scientist likened the trend to multiple illnesses that weaken a body's immune system. He says it's not just the disasters themselves but the accumulated risk, how they add up and ping-pong against each other.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The 21st "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Irish College Students was held here at the Confucius Institute of University College Dublin (UCD) in the Irish capital on Sunday.



This is the first competition of its kind ever held offline in Ireland since the COVID-19 pandemic, said organizers.

A total of 19 college students from Dublin, Cork and other parts of Ireland took part in the one-day competition which was held inside the auditorium of the teaching building of the UCD Confucius Institute.

Due to public health concerns, a limited number of audiences including family members and teachers of the contestants were invited to the event.

The competition, which is open to all college students in Ireland except Chinese nationals or those whose parents speak Chinese, comprised two rounds of matches, a preliminary one in the morning session and a final one in the afternoon.

In the final competition, eight contestants, selected by a five-member jury, were each given a two-minute time for a speech in Chinese centering on the theme of "One World One Family" followed by questions and answers.

They were also given a five-minute time to demonstrate their Chinese cultural skills such as singing Chinese songs or performing martial arts or preparing Chinese tea.

Anna Roth, a 22-year-old student of foreign applied languages from University College Cork, beat all her competitors to become the first prize winner of the competition. She will represent Ireland in competing with college students from other parts of the world in China later this year.

Each of the eight finalists was awarded with a nice gift and a certificate.

Huang He, political counsellor of the Chinese embassy in Ireland, and Dolores O'Riordan, vice president for Global Engagement of UCD, among other guests attended the event.

Earlier on Saturday, a similar competition for secondary school students in Ireland was held in Cork.

Katie Lawrence, a 17-year-old student from Confey College in County Kildare, beat the 11 other finalists from across Ireland to claim the top title of the 15th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students in Ireland.

She will also represent Ireland in competing with secondary school students from other countries and regions in a match to be held in China.

Chinese ambassador to Ireland He Xiangdong delivered a video speech to the competition.

Senior officials from Cork City Council and Cork County Council as well as the Irish Department of Education attended the event.

Both the above-mentioned competitions were organized by the Chinese embassy in Ireland in collaboration with the Confucius institutes in Dublin and Cork.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  The Boise police chief is under investigation and the city is facing a tort claim from a high-ranking officer who said his neck was broken when the chief tried to demonstrate an unconventional hold during a meeting.

The tort claim, first reported by the Idaho Press, was filed April 5 against the city and Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee alleging Lee caused serious and significant injuries to Sgt. Kirk Rush.

Under Idaho law, a person who wishes to sue a government agency must first file a tort claim and give the agency a chance to respond.

In the claim, Rush said he was running a briefing meeting on Oct. 12, 2021, when Lee grabbed him by the neck without warning to demonstrate an unconventional neck restraint. Rush said that Lee broke parts of his neck which required surgery to repair.

Chuck Peterson, Lees attorney, told the Idaho Statesman that Rushs claims were completely untrue and that he didnt expect his client to pay any damages as a result. The city declined to comment on the tort claim.

The Clearwater County Prosecutors Office in north-central Idaho is working with the Idaho State Police to investigate. Ada County Prosecutor spokeswoman Emily Lowe said her agency sent the matter to Clearwater County because Ada County had a conflict of interest.

In his tort claim, Rush said he and his attorney tried to get the city to address the issue for five months to no avail.

Sgt. Rush does not serve this notice of tort claim lightly, Rush's attorney T. Guy Hallam wrote in the claim. Indeed, he has given the city every opportunity to address this issue short of this legal path.

Rush contends Lee singled him out during the meeting because he disagreed with the way Rush was running the department's K-9 unit.

Rush, who has run the police dog unit for nine years, said dogs are trained to use a bite and hold approach  biting a suspect and hanging on until the animal's handler arrives. Lee prefers a bark and hold approach where dogs bite suspects only if they don't surrender, Rush said. Switching to the bark and hold technique would require retraining or new dogs, Rush said.

The city of Boise had not put Lee on any type of leave in connection with the investigation.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The oldest son of former President Donald Trump has met with the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. That's according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private session. The interview with Donald Trump Jr. took place Tuesday. He's one of nearly 1,000 witnesses interviewed by members of the House committee as they work to compile a record of the worst attack on the Capitol in more than two centuries. He's the second of Trumps children known to speak to the committee. His sister Ivanka Trump sat down with lawmakers for eight hours in early April.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Monday that Ukraine risks provoking World War III and said the threat of a nuclear conflict should not be underestimated.

In an in-depth Russian TV interview, Lavrov blamed Ukraine for stalled talks between the two countries, and accused the United States and Britain of pressuring Kyiv not to reach agreement.

Everyone is reciting incantations that in no case can we allow World War III, Lavrov said, and accused Ukrainian leaders of provoking Russia by asking NATO to become involved in the conflict.

By providing weapons, NATO forces are pouring oil on the fire, he said, according to a Russian transcript on the Russian Foreign Ministrys website.

Lavrov apparently made the remarks after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States wants to see Russia weakened to the point where it cant do things like invade Ukraine.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview Monday that only discussions between Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin would bring resolution.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 US promises new aid to Ukraine in fight against Russia

 To Europes relief, Frances Macron wins but far-right gains

 Russian officer: Missile to carry several hypersonic weapons

 Follow all AP stories on Russia's war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

NEW YORK  The Metropolitan Opera and the Polish National Opera are organizing a Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra to tour Europe and America from July 28 to Aug. 20.

The orchestra is to gather in Warsaw on July 18 for rehearsals and will include musicians from Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv and Odesa plus Ukrainian members of European orchestras, the companies said Monday.

Keri-Lynn Wilson, a Canadian-Ukrainian conductor who is married to Met general manager Peter Gelb, will lead musicians who include members of the Kyiv National Opera, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra and Kharkiv Opera plus the Tonkunstler Orchestra of Vienna, the Belgian National Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

The tour will open at Teatr Wielki, the Polish National Opera, on July 28 and include a televised performance at the BBC Proms in London on July 31.

That will be followed by stops at the Choregies dOrange Festival in France (Aug. 2); Berlin (Aug. 4); Edinburgh, Scotland (Aug. 6); Snape Maltings in England (Aug. 8); Amsterdam (Aug. 11); Hamburg, Germany (Aug. 13); New York (Aug. 18 and 19), and Washington (Aug. 20).

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines foreign minister on Monday urged the U.N. chief to press Russia for an evacuation of the besieged port of Mariupol, calling it something the world body is capable of achieving.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview he was concerned that by visiting Moscow on Tuesday before traveling to Kyiv, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres could be vulnerable to falling into a Kremlin trap in the war.

Kuleba said Guterres should focus primarily on one issue: evacuation of Mariupol.

An estimated 100,000 people are trapped in the seaside city while a contingent of Ukrainian fighters hold out against Russian forces in a steel mill where hundreds of civilians also are taking shelter.

MARIUPOL, Ukraine  Officials in the embattled Ukrainian city of Mariupol say a new mass grave has been identified north of the city.

Mayor Vadym Boychenko said authorities are trying to estimate the number of victims in the grave about 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) north of Mariupol.

Satellite photos released over the past several days have shown what appear to be images of other mass graves.

Mariupol has been decimated by fierce fighting over the past two months. The capture of the city would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

ZAGREB, Croatia  Moscow is accusing Croatia of having an anti-Russian policy for failing to provide humanitarian passage for 24 Russian diplomats and embassy staff who were expelled from the country over the war in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Monday that the government of Croatia is systematically destroying bilateral relations, according to the Russian TASS news agency.

The inhumane, cynical attitude towards our fellow countrymen wont go without an answer, she added.

Croatia has followed several other European Union states in expelling Russian diplomats for the bloody Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Monday that Zakharovas claims are Russian propaganda and that the expelled Russians already left the country, probably via neighboring Serbia. He added that Russia attacked Ukraine, which is our friendly country, killed women and children and we responded to it like most other countries.

UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are stressing the urgent need for effective access through humanitarian corridors to evacuate Ukrainian civilians and deliver humanitarian aid to communities impacted by the war.

Guterres met Erdogan on Monday in Ankara and expressed support for Turkeys ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding that they agreed to stay in contact to follow up on ongoing initiatives.

The U.N. chief and the Turkish president reaffirmed that their common objective is to end to the war as soon as possible and to create conditions to end the suffering of civilians, Dujarric said.

During the meeting, Erdogan also said Turkey would continue to work closely with the U.N. to end the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and to help in the evacuation of civilians, .

Guterres is scheduled to travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and will then head to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday. The Ukrainian leader has criticized the secretary-general for visiting Moscow before going to Kyiv.

LONDON  The British government says it believes 15,000 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine since Moscow launched its invasion two months ago.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said 25% of the Russian combat units sent to Ukraine have been rendered not combat effective, and Russia had lost more than 2,000 armored vehicles and more than 60 helicopters and fighter planes.

Russia has acknowledged 1,351 military casualties.

Wallace said Russia had failed in most of its military objectives so far. He told British lawmakers that we anticipate this next phase of the invasion will be an attempt by Russia to occupy further the Donbas in order to connect it via Mariupol to Russian-controlled Crimea. He said international aid and weapons are crucial to help Ukraine withstand the anticipated onslaught.

Wallace said Britain had sent more than 5,000 antitank missiles, as well as air-defense systems and anti-air missiles, and would soon send a small number of Stormer armored vehicles equipped with missile launchers.

STOCKHOLM  Two newspapers - one Swedish, the other one Finnish - are reporting that the governments of Sweden and Finland have agreed to submit NATO applications at the same time and that it will happen in the middle of next month.

The Finnish newspaper Iltalehti said that the Swedish government has expressed a wish to Finland that they apply together in the week ending May 22, and Swedish government sources confirmed the information to Swedens Expressen tabloid.

Russias invasion of Ukraine has led to growing support in Sweden and Finland, a Russian neighbor, for joining NATO.

Though not members, both Nordic countries closely cooperate with NATO, allowing, among other things, the alliances troops to exercise on their soil. Helsinki and Stockholm have also substantially intensified their bilateral defense cooperation in the past years.

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. State Department says it has approved the sale of $165 million in legacy Warsaw Pact ammunition and other non-standard ammunition to Ukraine to help in its defense against Russia.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency approved the potential sale and has provided the legally required notification to Congress. Lawmakers can block weapons sales but are unlikely to do so because of strong support for Ukraine following the Feb. 24 invasion.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe, the State Department said in announcing the potential sale Monday.

The sale came at the request of Ukraines government and includes rounds for mortars, automatic grenade launchers and howitzers.

Russia is expelling 40 German diplomats in response to Germany expelling the same number of Russian diplomats earlier this month.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday that it had summoned German ambassador Geza Andreas von Geyr for a strong protest at the clearly unfriendly decision to expel the Russian diplomatic staff.

The ministry said von Geyr was told that 40 members of staff at German diplomatic missions in Russia would be officially declared unwelcome in Russia.

Germany announced the expulsion of 40 Russian diplomats on Apr. 4 following mounting evidence of civilian killings and mass graves in Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Environmental campaigners have used kayaks and a dinghy to stop a Russian oil tanker from unloading its cargo south of Norways capital, saying Norwegian companies are financing Russias warfare.

Greenpeace says its members chained themselves to the Hong Kong-registered Ust Luga, leased by Russian oil company Novatek, as it arrived at its destination, an Essos terminal near Toensberg.

The tanker with 95,000 tonnes of fuel had left St. Petersburg.

Esso spokeswoman Anne Fougner told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet that the oil had been bought before Russia invaded Ukraine. She added that Esso Norway does not have other contracts for the purchase of products from Russia.

Several other activists were stopped by police before they could take part in the action, Norwegian news agency NTB reported.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands  The International Criminal Courts prosecution office is joining a joint investigation team set up by Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland to probe atrocities committed during the war in Ukraine.

The ICCs Prosecutor Karim Khan signed an agreement Monday to participate in the multinational effort that aims to facilitate investigations and cooperation.

Eurojust, the European Unions judicial cooperation agency, says the agreement sends a clear message that all efforts will be undertaken to effectively gather evidence on core international crimes committed in Ukraine and bring those responsible to justice.

Khan said last month he was opening an investigation in Ukraine and has sent investigators there and visited crime scenes himself.

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian authorities say at least five people have been killed by Russian strikes on the central Vynnytsia region.

The Vynnytsia regional prosecutors said another 18 people were wounded in Mondays Russian missile strikes on the towns of Zhmerynka and Koziatyn.

Vinnytsia regional Governor Serhiy Borzov said earlier that the Russian missiles targeted critical infrastructure, but didnt elaborate.

The Vynnytsia region is fully controlled by Ukraine and is far behind the front lines.

KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraine has said the United Nations should step in to oversee an evacuation route for civilians from the besieged steel mill in Mariupol which is Ukrainian troops last stronghold in the port city.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on the Telegram messaging app that a Russian announcement of a humanitarian corridor out of the Azovstal plant to operate later Monday was not agreed to by Ukraine. Vereshchuk added that Ukraine does not consider the route safe for that reason and said Russia had breached agreements on similar evacuation routes before.

Ukrainian officials have said that up to 1,000 civilians have sheltered at the sprawling steel plant.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to visit Russia and Ukraine this week. Vereshchuk called on Guterres to be the initiator and guarantor of a humanitarian route out of Azovstal and for U.N. and International Committee of the Red Cross personnel to accompany any evacuees.

MOSCOW  Russias Energy Ministry says a massive fire at an oil depot in western Russia will not cause fuel shortages.

The ministry said in a statement that Mondays fire inflicted damage to a depot containing diesel fuel in Bryansk, and authorities are dealing with the consequences of the blaze.

The ministry said fuel supplies to consumers havent been interrupted and noted that the region has enough diesel fuel for 15 days.

The Emergencies Ministry said earlier that a huge blaze erupted overnight at the depot owned by Transneft-Druzhba, a subsidiary of the Russian state-controlled company Transneft, which operates the western-bound Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline carrying crude to Europe. It wasnt immediately clear what caused the blaze, and whether it could affect deliveries to Europe.

MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the U.S. and its allies of trying to split Russian society.

Speaking Monday at a meeting with top officials at the Prosecutor Generals office, Putin said Russia has come under unprecedented Western sanctions amid its military action in Ukraine.

He charged that the U.S, and its allies have sought to split the Russian society and to destroy Russia from within, adding that their plans have failed.

Putin urged Russian prosecutors to act more quickly to block unsanctioned demonstrations organized from abroad. He also noted that they should focus on exposing open provocations against the Russian military allegedly involving international media and social platforms.

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has hailed talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as encouraging and effective.

Speaking in Mondays video address, he said the U.S. is offering powerful support to his country. Zelenskyy added that they agreed on further steps to strengthen the armed forces of Ukraine and meet all the priority needs of our army. He noted that ramping up sanctions against Moscow also was on the meetings agenda.

Blinken and Austin said the United States had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition for Ukraines war effort, along with more than $300 million in foreign military financing.

Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine would expect the United States to lead other allies in offering a set of security guarantees in the future.

The Ukrainian president also denounced Russia for launching strikes on Orthodox Easter Sunday, describing them deliberate destruction of life in Ukraine.

MOSCOW  The Russian military says it will open a humanitarian corridor for civilians to evacuate from the besieged steel plant in Mariupol.

The Russian Defense Ministry said a humanitarian corridor will open at 2 p.m (1100 GMT) Monday for all civilians to leave the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. It said Russian troops will cease fire to allow civilians to safely exit the plant.

The mammoth steel plant, which has a sprawling maze of underground channels. has remained the last bulwark of Ukrainian resistance in the strategic Sea of Azov port city.

Ukrainian officials have said that up to 1,000 civilians have sheltered there. They have repeatedly urged Russia to offer them a safe exit.

MOSCOW  Russian authorities say a fire has engulfed an oil storage facility in western Russia.

The Emergencies Ministry said a huge blaze at the depot in the city of Bryansk erupted early Monday. Its cause wasnt immediately clear.

The oil depot is owned by Transneft-Druzhba, a subsidiary of the Russian state-controlled company Transneft that operates the western-bound Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline carrying crude oil to Europe. It wasnt clear if the depot was part of the pipeline infrastructure and whether the blaze could affect the deliveries.

Russian news reported that another oil storage facility in Bryansk also caught fire early Monday, and that the cause wasnt immediately known.

Bryansk is located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of the border with Ukraine, where Moscow has waged a military campaign for two months. Last month, two Ukrainian helicopter gunships hit an oil reservoir in Russias Belgorod region that borders Ukraine, causing a fire.

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian officials say the Russian military has unleashed a series of strikes on the countrys railways.

Lviv region Governor Maksym Kozytskyy said a Russian missile hit a railway facility in Krasne, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Lviv, early Monday, sparking a fire.

Oleksandr Kamyshin, the head of the state-run Ukrainian Railways, said a total of five rail facilities in central and western Ukraine have been hit by the Russian strikes. He said the attacks have delayed at least passenger 16 trains.

There was no immediate information about the damage from the strikes.

NEAR THE POLISH-UKRAINIAN BORDER  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Russia is failing in its war aims after invading Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Following meetings Sunday in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Blinken told reporters in Poland on Monday that, with Russia having pulled back its troops from around Kyiv and the north of Ukraine to focus on the eastern Donbas region, When it comes to Russias war aims, Russia is failing, Ukraine is succeeding.

In footage of the meeting later released by the Ukrainian presidency, Blinken praised the extraordinary courage and leadership and success that youve had in pushing back this horrific Russian aggression.

We got used to seeing you on video around the world, but its great, its good to see you in person, Blinken said with a smile.

Austin said that the world has been inspired by Ukraine in the war and that America would continue its support.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
NEAR THE POLISH-UKRAINIAN BORDER  The United States is giving new military assistance to Ukraine and renewing a diplomatic push in the war-ravaged nation as President Joe Bidens secretary of state and Pentagon chief complete a secretive trip to Kyiv.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin informed Ukraines president of a more than $300 million package of foreign military financing and a $165 million sale of ammunition.

They also said President Joe Biden would announce his pick for a U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and that American diplomats who left ahead of Russias invasion in February would start returning to the country this coming week.

Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelenskyy said he planned to meet with the U.S. officials in Kyiv on Sunday, but the Biden administration refused to confirm that or discuss any details of a possible visit.

It was the highest-level American visit to the capital since Russia invaded in late February.

Austin and Blinken announced a total of $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries. Some $322 million is earmarked for Kyiv.

Officials say the remainder will be split among NATO members and other nations that have provided Ukraine with critical military supplies since the war with Russia began.

LVIV, Ukraine __ A fire has erupted at a Russian oil depot near the border with Ukraine.

The Tass news agency reported the fire early Monday in Bryansk. The Russian report said oil storage tanks at the facility caught fire around 2 a.m. local time.

NASA satellites that track fires show a burning fire at coordinates that correspond to a Rosneft facility some 110 kilometers (70 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.

Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the head of Ukraines Ministry of Internal Affairs, was cited by the Ukrainian news agency Unian as saying that people who live near the burning oil depot were being evacuated.

Moscow previously has blamed Ukraine for attacks on the Russian region of Bryansk, which borders Ukraine.

Ukraines top security officials have denied that Kyiv was behind an earlier airstrike on an oil depot in the Russian city of Belgorod, about 60 kilometers (35 miles) from the border.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 Civilians in Mariupol steelworks beg for aid in newly released video

 Ukrainians mark Orthodox Easter with prayers for those trapped

 Far from home, Ukrainian refugees pray at Easter for peace

 Ukrainian village faces a churchless Easter

 Sanctions hit Russian economy, though Putin says otherwise

 Follow all AP stories on Russia's war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

MARIUPOL, Ukraine  A newly released video shows Ukrainian children in an underground bunker receiving Easter presents.

The video was released Sunday by the far-right Azov Battalion, which is among Ukrainian forces at the Azovstal steelworks where soldiers and civilians have been holed up under a Russian attack.

The groups deputy commander, Sviatoslav Palamar, says the video was shot Sunday at the plant.

One toddler is seen wearing homemade diapers made of cellophane. People are hanging laundry on makeshift hangers.

One of the women in the video begs for help from world leaders and says she and others stuck under the plant are tired of the bombing and are desperate for their freedom.

We want to live in our city, in our country. We are tired of these bombings, constant airstrikes on our land. How much longer will this continue? she says through tears.

The children are constantly crying here -- they want to play and live, she adds. Stop this aggression. I ask everyone, help please, free us!

Another woman says there are 600 civilians sheltering under the plant, without food and water.

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KYIV, Ukraine  An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the U.S. secretaries of state and defense are meeting with the Ukrainian leader in the highest-level visit to Kyiv by an American delegation since the start of Russias invasion.

The adviser, Oleksiy Arestovych, said in an interview on Ukrainian TV late Sunday that the talks are going on right now.

Zelenskyys meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin comes as Ukraine presses the West for more powerful weapons in its fight against the Russian invasion, which began 60 days ago.

SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates  Hundreds of Russians and Ukrainians crowded into the only Russian Orthodox Church on the Arabian Peninsula on Sunday to celebrate Easter  far from home and in the shadow of a war that has brought devastation to Ukraine and international isolation to Moscow.

Although the two nationalities, united in language and history, typically celebrate Easter in harmony in this corner of the world where theyve forged new lives as expats, this year there was unspoken tension.

I dont have any problems with Russians as people, said Sergei, a Ukrainian businessman from Kyiv and Dubai resident of five years, who like others interviewed declined to give his last name for privacy reasons. But war changes people. Children are dying. The Russians now hate my country.

A few Russians interviewed said they did not support the war and felt sick or guilty about it. But to avoid any confrontation in the pews, they stuck to small talk with Ukrainians about the festivities and warming weather, they said.

Ordinary Russians say Dubai has become an increasingly rare haven as anti-Russian hostility escalates around the world over the grinding war, which has rocked the stability of Europe, sent oil prices soaring and triggered the continents worst refugee crisis since World War II.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has discussed the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol in a call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Zelenskyy said on Twitter that he stressed the need for immediate evacuation of civilians from Mariupol, including Azovstal, and immediate exchange of blocked troops in Sundays call with Erdogan. He noted that the call came before Erdogans planned conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine has urged Russia to allow the evacuation of civilians holed up at the giant Azovstal steel plant, the last remaining Ukrainian pocket of resistance in the strategic Sea of Azov port. It also has pushed Russia to conduct talks on a safe exit for the Ukrainian defenders of the plant, but Moscow has stonewalled the demands.

Zelenskyy said he and Erdogan also discussed the course of the negotiation process and possible security guarantees for Ukraine from Turkey and other nations.

Erdogans office said he told Zelenskyy in their call that Turkey is ready to mediate and assist in talks between Ukraine and Russia.

VATICAN CITY  Pope Francis has renewed his call for an Easter truce as Orthodox Christians celebrated Easter Sunday, when the faithful mark the resurrection of Jesus.

Without naming countries, Francis urged aggressors to stop the attack to help the suffering of the exhausted people.

Francis told a crowd gathered in St. Peters Square that two months had passed since Russias invasion of Ukraine and said that instead of stopping, the war got worse. It is sad that in these days that are the holiest and most solemn for all Christians, the deadly clamor of arms is louder than the sound of bells announcing the Resurrection.

BERLIN  Switzerland has rejected two requests by Germany to export Swiss ammunition to Ukraine, citing the Alpine nations strict neutrality.

The decision was first reported Sunday by Swiss weekly Sonntagszeitung.

Switzerlands State Secretariat for Economic Affairs confirmed that both requests from Germany, whether the ammunition received from Switzerland can be passed on to Ukraine, were answered negatively with a reference to Swiss neutrality.

Germany needs Switzerlands consent for the arms delivery as part of the original sale contract. The Swiss office declined to specify what type of ammunition Germany had sought to export to Ukraine.

MOSCOW  The Russian military says it has struck a Ukrainian explosives factory, several artillery depots and hundreds of other targets.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Sunday that the Russian military used precision-guided missiles to destroy a factory making powder and explosives near Pavlohrad in the Dnipro region in central Ukraine.

Konashenkov said Russian forces also struck several depots with artillery munitions and rockets in Barvinkove, Nova Dmytrivka, Ivanivka, Husarivka and Velyka Komyshuvakha in the Kharkiv region.

He added that the Russian artillery hit 423 Ukrainian targets overnight, including fortified positions and troops concentrations, while Russian warplanes destroyed 26 Ukrainian military targets.

ISTANBUL -- The spiritual leader of the worlds Orthodox Christians has called for the opening of humanitarian corridors in Ukraine, saying a human tragedy was unfolding in the country.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I spoke Saturday night in Istanbul during midnight mass marking the resurrection of Jesus Christ ahead of Orthodox Easter Sunday.

Let us ask the Risen Redeemer that this year, (Easter) will be the impetus to open humanitarian corridors, safe passages to truly safe areas for the thousands of people surrounded in Mariupol, civilians, among them the wounded, the elderly, women and many children, Bartholomew said. The same applies to all other regions of Ukraine, where an indescribable human tragedy is unfolding.

Istanbul-based Bartholomew is considered first among equals among Eastern Orthodox patriarchs, which gives him prominence but not the power of a Catholic pope.

BERLIN  The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe says it is extremely concerned about the detention of several Ukrainian members of its monitoring mission in the east of the country.

The Vienna-based body said in a brief statement Sunday that it is using all available channels to facilitate their release. A spokesperson declined to specify how many national mission members were detained, when or by whom.

Several OSCE observers have been killed or injured since the bodys 57 participating states established a mission to monitor the conflict in eastern Ukraine eight years ago. Russia recently vetoed an extension of the mission.

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken of hope and victory for his nation during an Easter Sunday address.

Speaking from the ancient St. Sophia cathedral, Zelenskyy said that the great holiday today gives us great hope and unwavering faith that light will overcome darkness, good will overcome evil, life will overcome death, and therefore Ukraine will surely win!

He said that the Lord and the holy heavenly light are on our side, adding: We are going through very difficult ordeals. Let us reach a just end on this path  the beginning of a happy life and prosperity of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said that on Easter, we ask God for great grace to make our dream come true - this is another great day -- the day when great peace will come to Ukraine.

KYIV, Ukraine  A Ukrainian presidential adviser has urged Russia to allow civilians to leave a steel mill in Mariupol besieged by the Russian forces.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, appealed to Russia to announce a truce in Mariupol on Orthodox Easter Sunday and immediately open a humanitarian corridor for civilians holed up at the giant Azovstal steel plant. He also challenged Russia to conduct a round of talks to negotiate an exit for the Ukrainian defenders of the plant.

Podolyak tweeted that the Russian military is attacking the plant with heavy bombs and artillery barrage and is accumulating forces and equipment for an assault.

Sviatoslav Palamar, an officer with the Azov Regiment defending the plant, said in a video that on Eastern Sunday the Russians are continuing to shower the plant with bombs and shell it with heavy artillery.

KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian military says Russian forces have continued to press their attacks in the east.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said Sunday that the Russians fired on Ukrainian positions along the entire line of contact on the wars 60th day. It also said the Russian military intensified its offensive and assault operations in the Siverodonetsk, Kurakhiv and Popasna directions.

A regional official in eastern Ukraine says at least eight people have been killed by the Russian shelling.

Luhansk regional Governor Serhiy Haidai said Sunday that two others were wounded by the Russian barrage in the past 24 hours.

The General Staff added that Russian forces have also continued to pummel the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, hitting it with air strikes, including by long-range aircraft.

The shelling comes as the Russians are pressing their offensive in a bid to gain full control over Ukraines eastern industrial heartland called Donbas.

The Russians have also shelled the Dnipro region west of Donbas, where at least one person was killed by a Russian missile, according to Dnipro regional Governor Valentyn Reznichenko.

KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian military said Saturday it destroyed a Russian command post in Kherson, a southern city that fell to Russian forces early in the war.

The Ukrainian military intelligence agency posted a statement saying the command post was hit on Friday and two generals were killed and one was critically wounded.

Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said in an online interview that 50 senior Russian officers were in the command center when it came under attack. He said their fate was unknown.

The Russian military did not comment on the claim, which could not be confirmed.

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said new evidence is emerging that shows Russian troops killed tens of thousands of civilians in Mariupol and then tried to cover it up. He said Ukraine has intercepted Russian conversations about how they are concealing the traces of their crimes. Satellite images have shown what appear to be mass graves dug in towns to the west and east of Mariupol.

Zelenskyy said the Russians set up filtration camps near Mariupol for those trying to leave the city, which has largely been reduced to rubble. He said those who survive these camps are sent to areas under Russian occupation or to Russia itself, often as far as Siberia or the Far East. Many of them, he said, are children.

He said he spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday about the situation in Mariupol and the general course of the war.

Zelenskyy promised to find and punish those responsible for the missile attack on Odesa, which he said killed eight people and wounded 18.

Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians to observe a curfew and not attend Orthodox Easter services overnight. The lengthy services traditionally begin late Saturday and run through Sunday morning. But starting from 5 a.m. you may go to the church in your city, town or community, he said.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Just two weeks ahead of the May 10 gubernatorial primary, a new poll commissioned by a political consultant reiterates that the Republican nomination appears to be fair game for any of three candidates.

The poll, conducted April 19-20 by Data Targeting for Neilan Strategy Group, found State Sen. Brett Lindstrom, Conklin Co. CEO Charles W. Herbster and University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen all within the margin of error  and a sizable portion of voters who havent chosen their candidate.

It found Lindstrom polling at 28%, followed by Herbster at 26% and Pillen at 24%, with 16% undecided. Former State Sen. Theresa Thibodeau came in at 6%.

This race is still a toss-up among three candidates, said political consultant and strategist Perre Neilan, owner of Neilan Strategy Group. The only number that really matters here is the 16% undecideds.

According to a polling memo, the poll of 858 respondents was conducted using interactive voice response calls and online surveys solicited via text message. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points at the 95% confidence interval. Neilan said the poll wasnt conducted on behalf of any candidate or campaign committee and wasnt paid for by any client.

Polls released by the Herbster and Lindstrom campaigns in March already suggested a three-way race, and results of another poll commissioned by the Lindstrom campaign, conducted April 10-12, showed the gaps among candidates narrowing as undecided voters peeled off. That poll was conducted just ahead of the Nebraska Examiners reporting on 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.

Other takeaways from the survey results released Monday included that 57% of undecided voters were less likely to vote for a candidate who has been accused of groping women (the question didnt identify Herbster by name).

A February poll of more than 1,000 Nebraska voters by the same pollster for Neilan Strategy Group found that Herbster received support from 27%, Pillen from 26% and Lindstrom from 21%. Thibodeau had 0%. That poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points and a confidence interval of 95%.

Between that poll and this one, Pillen and Herbster didnt move much, while Lindstrom saw a 7-point increase and Thibodeau went from 0% to 6%.

Randall Adkins, a political scientist at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said he thinks two things can be conclusively drawn from the polling: Its too close to call, but clearly Lindstrom has momentum.

Thats interesting, he said, because Lindstrom has spent the least among the top three candidates. And, while he has the endorsement of Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, Pillen and Herbster have big-ticket endorsements from Gov. Pete Ricketts and former President Donald Trump, respectively.

Adkins said he suspects undecided voters are going with Lindstrom and Thibodeau.

In a statement Monday, Lindstrom campaign spokesperson Pat Trueman said the state senator is surging because his positive and conservative message of tax cuts is resonating with voters.

Lindstrom has increasingly been the target of attack ads.

The attacks frequently center on a critique from his opponents that he isnt conservative enough to be Nebraskas governor and point to a handful of votes he has taken as a legislator. One recent mailer funded by the Herbster campaign dubs Lindstrom, whose campaign messaging has focused on his record of supporting tax cuts, as a liberal in disguise.

Another, which calls him an Omaha liberal, was funded by dark-money group Conservative Nebraska. Ricketts previously said he contributed money to Conservative Nebraska  at the time, it was behind negative ads attacking Herbster. The three candidates have all been the subject of negative ads.

Herbster spokesperson Emily Novotny responded to the latest polling by drawing parallels between the candidate and his most high-profile supporter: In 2016, nearly every pollster missed everyday Americans who propelled Trump to the presidency, she wrote in an email. Liberal special interests and the political establishment will do whatever they could to try and prevent Charles from becoming governor.

These same Nebraska First and Save America voters will be the ones who turn out and elect Charles W. Herbster on May 10th.

Pillen campaign manager Kenny Zoeller said that the campaigns numbers differ from this latest poll, but that statistically, its a dead heat.

Zoeller predicted conservative voters will break toward Pillen as Election Day draws closer and expressed confidence in Pillens position in the tight race, citing a few of his major endorsements, including the Nebraska Farm Bureau and Nebraska Right to Life.

It all comes down to turnout, Neilan said in a statement. Lindstrom, Herbster and Pillen better be willing to personally drive their voters to the polls on May 10. Its that close.

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Pretty, sweet, and always putting on a big smile is how those who know Wang Wanna describe her. On stage, Wang always takes on a totally different look and persona. As a Yueju Opera actress, she plays male roles on stage. For a 27-year-old, half of her life has been spent singing Yueju Opera which has become a part of her being.

Yueju Opera is the most popular opera style following Peking Opera in China. It takes themes from fairy tales, literary classics, and historical stories. In the eyes of Wang, the stories performed on stage are also realities which have become surreal. Standing on the stage, she pours her soul into the stories, and also adds her own dreams and emotions to the characters she plays.

Wang enrolled in a Yueju Opera apprenticeship program 15 years ago. She was trained to play the roles of young men in Yueju Opera since the very beginning. Her voice is sonorous, and she looks handsome in costume and makeup.

Five years ago, after her graduation from the Shanghai Theatre Academy, Wang immediately gained prominence in the Yueju Opera circle and has now grown into an outstanding actress in Shanghai Yueju Opera House.

Wang Wanna plays the eponymous hero in Beidi Governor Liu Chen in honor of the 100th birthday of the Yueju Opera master Xu Yulan in November 2021. [China Today]

First Encounter with Yueju Opera

Wang Wanna, born and raised in Ningbo in east China's Zhejiang Province, was fond of singing and dancing since childhood. She discovered Yueju Opera by chance while she was in primary school. One day, one of her teachers took out an enrollment poster of a Yueju Opera secondary school, and she signed up for the selection exam. She recalls herself reciting the famous Tang poem "Thoughts in a Quiet Night" written by Li Bai, and then singing the Anthem of the Young Pioneers of China during the exam. Before she knew it, she was selected by the judges. To this day, she still remembers one judge saying, "She's got eyes which can talk."

With the support of her parents, Wang left home at 13 and went to the boarding school in Shanghai to learn Yueju Opera. She said frankly that she did not understand what Yueju Opera was at that time until the second year when she watched a rehearsal of Qian Huili and Fang Yafen's Romance of the Western Chamber, a Chinese classic. She was deeply touched both by the story and the elegant performance. That was the moment when she fell in love with the art form she was going to devote herself to.

At the Yueju Opera secondary school, all students got up at 6:45 in the morning to practice their basic skills. Wang got up even earlier, and was always the last to leave at the end of the day. Till this day, she still remembers the chilly winter wind and her hands numb with cold. But back then, she only had one belief that starting early would ensure she would not lag behind.

Wang and her classmates were the first batch of students enrolled in the Yueju Opera school. As planned, after six years of study, they took part in the college entrance exam like other high school graduates. As it turned out, about half of her classmates were accepted into Shanghai Theatre Academy to continue to learn Yueju Opera. Wang was among those who made it to a broader stage. Recalling her teenage years, being far away from home, Wang laughed and said that whenever she was stressed out, she would find a quiet place and cry out loud. She told herself that it was a long way to go to be a real artist, and tears were useless.

She availed many opportunities that came her way. In April 2018, Wang was awarded the Performing Arts Award for New Drama Performers of the Magnolia Award for her role of Juror No. 8 in her graduation drama, the Twelve Roles. The next year, she was accepted into the young writers and artists cultivation program of Shanghai. With her talent and diligence, she embarked on a promising road.

"I Was Picked by Yueju Opera"

Yueju Opera is a local opera that originated in Zhejiang Province, and is reputed as "the most widely spread local opera in China." Kids from Shanghai and its neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces are preferred when new generations of apprentices are chosen, as Yueju Opera is sung in the local dialect, the nuances of which are hard to master for kids from other parts of the country.

When she was enrolled at the Yueju Opera school, Wang was advised to work on young male roles, and she heeded her teacher's advice. She said that male roles in Yueju Opera are different from those in Peking Opera; they don't have to tone down their voices to sound more masculine. Only some minor adjustments are needed. Yueju Opera is excellent at expressing emotions through singing. It has developed a rich repertoire of romance stories throughout its long history, as well as elaborate costumes and facial makeup. Its soft, sweet tunes and melodies, and gentle and refined style help create a strong cultural bond among Chinese opera lovers, especially people living around the Yangtze River Delta area.

In addition to the classics such as Romance of the Western Chamber and A Dream of Red Mansions, Shanghai Yueju Opera House has also tried to localize some Western classical plays, such as Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream. But how to present them in a Yueju Opera way is something that needs to be thought over. The Chinese way of dealing with "love" in traditional opera tends to be reserved and playful, while love in Shakespeare's plays is known for its passion and boldness.

During the rehearsal of Twelfth Night, scriptwriters, acting instructors, and actresses sat together to brainstorm, trying to keep the straightforward way of expressing love in the original play as much as possible in their adaptation, going over the minutest of details in these sessions. In the original character setting, there was only a single elf in A Midsummer Night's Dream. In the adaptation, it was changed to a pair, a symbol of good luck in Yueju Opera. In terms of dramatic form, the Yueju Opera Twelve Roles which was based on the American classic Twelve Angry Men, also adopted a more thought-provoking play-within-play form.

Wang is fascinated by the process of exploration and innovation. She is quite curious about the world. Upon her graduation from secondary school, she recalled, before continuing on the Yueju Opera road in college, she did consider the notion of trying out other possibilities: maybe she could be a TV anchor, or an actress in TV dramas. But when she thought of all the hopes of her opera teachers placed on her shoulders, she hesitated, and could not bear to leave the Yueju Opera stage.

During her college years, teachers and famous Yueju Opera actresses such as Qian Huili helped her to grow quickly. After graduating from college, she got the chance to play Jia Baoyu, the protagonist in A Dream of Red Mansions, which put her in the limelight.

Wang said that all that she wanted to do on the stage was to play a good role. "It could be that among audiences who come into the theater to watch our show, many come for the first time. A minor mistake made on the stage might leave them with a bad impression of Yueju Opera," she said.

Wang Wanna performing in her graduation play The Twelve Roles in May 2017. [China Today]

Opening the Door to More Audiences

Today, as more and more young audiences pay attention to Yueju Opera, and considering that the Shanghai Yueju Opera House is now fully funded by the state, Wang acknowledges that she is in a good era of cultural development and has more opportunities as a Yueju Opera actress.

However, compared with other popular art forms such as modern drama and talk shows, Yueju Opera is still not very familiar to mainstream audiences. Wang noted that the cost of putting on a show on the Yueju Opera stage is high; the costumes are elaborate, and there is always a traditional band needed to play live music, so ticket prices cannot be set as low as smaller plays. Meanwhile, as for the selection and adaptation of literary works, Yueju Opera is quite limited due to its unique singing and performing style which is slow, relaxing, and soothing. In this regard, works grounded in realism are not suitable for the Yueju Opera stage.

For her own part, as a young Yueju Opera performer, Wang and her colleagues are trying to attract more people her age to the theater through new forms of performance and promotion. They have planned to put on some performances in small theaters to lower the threshold for college students and young whitecollar workers to enjoy a relaxing show at an affordable price, and to feel the charm of traditional culture.

At present, Wang and her young colleagues are focusing on bilibili.com. They plan to edit and upload some videos there to introduce the art of Yueju Opera, and to bring new vitality to this traditional art through communication and interaction with young netizens.

"Yueju Opera is still relatively young among traditional Chinese operas. Now I have two wishes: I hope to be a qualified inheritor and take an innovative approach in my career, and at the same time, I also hope to find a way to open a door for audiences of my generation to fall in love with Yueju Opera," said Wang resolutely.
Nebraska State Sen. Julie Slama on Monday hit back against a lawsuit filed Friday by GOP gubernatorial candidate Charles W. Herbster. Slamas attorney called Herbsters suit a frivolous and bad-faith attempt to bully a sexual assault victim into silence.

Herbster filed a lawsuit after the Nebraska Examiner reported allegations from eight women who said Herbster had groped them. Slama was the only named accuser.

Herbster, a Republican mega- donor and Conklin Co. CEO, is among the front-runners competing for the Republican nomination in the May 10 primary.

He has vehemently denied all accusations. Friday, he filed suit in Johnson County District Court alleging that Slama made false and defamatory statements when she confirmed the allegations to the Examiner and repeated them during an interview on Omaha radio station KFAB.

Slama had not yet been served the suit, according to attorney Dave Lopez, but chose to file a response and counterclaim alleging battery. Court documents also show Slama gave notice to depose Herbster on May 6, the Friday before Election Day.

These steps will immediately preserve Senator Slamas legal rights and guarantee that Herbsters pending lawsuit against her includes her response and counterclaim, a statement from Lopez reads.

Lopez suggested Herbster was using the news media to cast doubt on Slamas allegations while dodging legal accountability by not serving the suit.

Charles Herbster chose to subject himself to Nebraskas judicial system, Lopez said, and Senator Slama will hold him to that choice.

The Nebraska Examiner reported April 14 that Herbster reached up Slamas dress without her consent and touched her inappropriately at the Douglas County Republican Partys 2019 Elephant Remembers dinner. Slama confirmed the Examiners reporting in a statement the same day. The World-Herald has not independently corroborated the seven other accounts in the Examiners story.

Herbster has framed the allegations as a political hit job devised by fellow Republican candidate Jim Pillen, who is a University of Nebraska regent and hog producer from Columbus, and Gov. Pete Ricketts, who has backed Pillen.

Herbster alleged in his lawsuit that news media coverage of Slamas statement has brought disrepute and damage to his reputation.

In her response, Slama refuted Herbsters accusations. She also alleged the original lawsuit is defective in several key respects, including that it was filed in an improper venue and doesnt include necessary elements of a public libel claim.

She repeats her allegations against Herbster in the countersuit: Shortly after she entered the dinner, as she headed to her table, Slama  then a 22-year-old, recently appointed state senator  felt Herbsters hand reach up her dress and inappropriately touch her, the countersuit reads.

According to the filing, other people witnessed what happened or were aware of it. The filing also says that Slama and others saw Herbster grab the buttocks of another woman just a few minutes later.

Slama was shocked, mortified, and traumatized by Herbsters actions, the countersuit reads. Slama was also frightened of retribution that could occur if she came forward because she knew Herbster was a multimillionaire and a major donor for the Republican Party in Nebraska.

Herbsters actions, she alleges, amounted to battery and caused damage to her reputation and mental and emotional health, among other damages. She requested damages and a jury trial.

Deputy Herbster campaign manager Rod Edwards said Monday that the campaign still plans to file a lawsuit against the Examiner. The outlet has said it stands by its reporting.

Monday afternoon, the Herbster campaign said Herbster stands by the claims set forth in his suit. It is not a coincidence that the accusations that are the subject of the lawsuit were made just days before an election, the statement reads. Mr. Herbster will continue to fight against the false accusations and attacks on his character and looks forward to clearing his name and reputation through the legal process.

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Another volunteer has died fighting wildfires in Nebraska, and multiple people were injured in a spasm of fires across the state over the weekend.

A statewide emergency was declared as at least 15 fires broke out, affecting more than a dozen counties, according to the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency.

The worst of the fires occurred in the midst of 60-plus mph winds on Saturday, and hardest hit was southwest Nebraska, where at least 50,000 acres burned in the Road 702 fire, NEMA said.

Fires also were a problem on the east side of the state.

Retired Cambridge Volunteer Fire Chief John P. Trumble was killed while helping fight the 702 fire Friday evening.

Trumble, 66, was volunteering to spot the fire in Red Willow County when his vehicle went off the road in the smoke and dust at about 7 p.m., said Paul Wood, Red Willow County attorney.

Trumble was overcome by the smoke and was unable to escape, Wood said. His body was recovered about 3:30 a.m. the next day.

Earlier this month, Elwood Volunteer Fire Chief Darren Krull was killed and Phelps County Emergency Manager Justin Norris was critically injured in a collision while responding to a similarly massive, smoky blaze in the same general area of the state.

While numbers are uncertain, it appears that about 15 people were injured and at least three communities were evacuated, according to local, state and regional officials. One of the fires killed about 100 head of livestock.

Its unclear how many homes were lost.

East of McCook, in southwest Nebraska, volunteers and others worked through the weekend to bring the Road 702 fire under control. Five people were injured while doing so, according to the Rocky Mountain Complex Management Incident Team, which is overseeing that fire.

Two communities were evacuated, Wilsonville and Cambridge, said Red Willow County Sheriff Alan Kotschwar.

Also in southwest Nebraska, four firefighters were injured while responding to the Elsie fire, according to state emergency management officials. That fire burned about 5,000 acres in Perkins and Dundy Counties.

In the northeast part of the state, four firefighters were injured responding to a blaze that started in a cornfield near Lyons. Two suffered smoke inhalation and two were hurt in separate crashes due to zero visibility, according to the Burt County Sheriffs Office. A firetruck also was destroyed.

The Burt County fire led to the evacuation of the town of Macy. By Sunday, that order had been lifted.

In eastern Nebraska, two firefighters suffered smoke inhalation and about 100 calves died in a fire that broke out at calving sheds in Rising City. The community is about 20 miles south of Columbus.

The Rising City fire started when a front-end loader bucket sparked on a concrete pad, setting fire to nearby hay. Strong winds caused the fire to spread rapidly.

Firefighters, farmers and townspeople from around the state and outside Nebraska have pitched in to fight the various fires. Among those helping were 32 members of the Nebraska National Guard, along with three Guard helicopters.

At least 100 people helped fight the Road 702 fire, which was placed under the command of a Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team.

Virtually all of Nebraska is in drought, and continued dry, windy weather means fire will be a concern at least into midweek, according to the National Weather Service. Rain is possible at the end of the week.

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Less than an hour.

Thats how little time a northeast Nebraska couple had before their home caught fire in one of last weekends fast-moving wildfires.

Sharon and Roger Kenaston had lived on their acreage near Lyons for 17 years, when on Saturday afternoon, a firefighter came knocking.

A fire was approaching and they needed to evacuate immediately, the couple was told.

In less than an hour, their home was burning.

More than 15 fires burned across Nebraska over the weekend, whipped up by dry winds that gusted in excess of 60 mph. The Kenastons home, along with another in Burt County, are among an unknown number of homes burned in the fires.

Kenaston said she saw flames rolling down the hill toward the house. It wasnt long before thick, black smoke filled the air.

I knew it was going to be a total loss, Kenaston said. There was no doubt in my mind. It was so dry. But part of me thought there might be tools or dishes or some treasure left. Nope.

The couple managed to save most of their vehicles, a camper and a treasured guitar. Otherwise, they were left with the clothes they were wearing.

After fire swept through, only the chimney was left from their three-bedroom home.

The house, outbuildings and their collection of antique tractors had sat on about 4 acres and was surrounded by a grove of trees and cornfields.

The tractors were destroyed, as was a 1966 convertible. Lost inside the house was a collection of about 40 instruments, including fiddles, guitars and banjos.

Kenaston said they are living out of their camper. They will get a smidgen of normalcy this weekend when they play a gig with their band.

The show must go on, she said.

In southwest Nebraska, teams of firefighters, the Nebraska National Guard and others continued Monday to tamp down a massive fire known as the Road 702 fire.

Pockets of unburned vegetation on the perimeter of the 702 fire could further fuel the blaze, officials said.

Based on the latest survey, the size of the fire has been scaled back to 41,155 acres, officials said. It started in Kansas and raced through Red Willow, Furnas and Frontier Counties.

More than 100 people are helping fight the fire, according to the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team, which is overseeing the response.

Firefighters are concentrating on two fronts. To the west, which encompasses an area from Cambridge south to Lebanon, the fire is burning in timbered draws, which are heavy with fuel, officials said. Bulldozers were knocking over fire-weakened trees to ensure firefighters can safely work in those areas. Monday, firefighters mopped up hot spots that threaten control lines.

On the fires east side, which spans an area from Cambridge south to Wilsonville and into Kansas, bulldozers and firefighters were similarly working the fire edge in an effort to secure the fire line.

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After two years of virtual events, the Childrens Discovery Museums Doctors in Concert fundraiser returns in person at 6 p.m. Friday at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Bloomington.

Tickets are $50 and are on sale through Wednesday at childrensdiscoverymuseum.net. A silent auction is already underway online.

Presented by OSF HealthCare Childrens Hospital of Illinois, the event features musical performances by physicians as well as cocktails and heavy hors doeuvres. Proceeds support health-related playful learning initiatives at the museum.

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NORMAL  Marisa Schaafsma found a way to pursue her passion through Miller Park Zoos Junior Zookeeper program. She now plans to follow that path toward studying wildlife biology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, helped by a full-ride scholarship.

Schaafsma is one of 35 high school graduates selected for the Chancellor's Scholars Program, which covers tuition, room and board and mandatory fees. The program includes other opportunities as well, including community service opportunities, leadership training, study abroad and specific Chancellor's Scholars events.

What I really enjoy about being a Chancellor's Scholar is its not just a scholarship, its a program, Schaafsma said.

Schaafsma is a senior at Normal Community High School. She has spent her entire educational career in McLean County Unit 5, starting at Grove Elementary and then going to Chiddix Junior High before starting at Normal Community.

Ive had an extraordinary experience at Normal Community, she said.

It was at Normal Community that she really felt she discovered her passion for science, she said. She is heavily involved with the arts, including helping with school musicals, playing alto saxophone and being in Art Club and the National Art Honor Society. She also works at Town and Country Animal Hospital.

The pandemic did make life more difficult, she said, as she had to adapt to learning online and then adapt back to in-person classes over the course of two years.

Bloomington-Normal has provided many chances for Schaafsma to explore her interests, said her mother, Melanie Fata. That has included the Childrens Discovery Museum, Kindermusik and the Junior Zookeepers program.

Schaafsma has been involved with the Junior Zookeepers program since she was in fifth grade. The program has given her the opportunity to start working with animals and even to visit Costa Rica. Experiencing a different culture and a place with such abundant biodiversity was a blessing to the teenager.

Its nothing like Illinois, thats for sure, she said.

The experience really helped to cement that she wants to study wildlife biology, she said.

Schaafsma chose SIUC largely because it has a strong wildlife biology program, she said. The proximity to Shawnee National Forest is a plus as well, especially for research opportunities. Carbondale is still somewhat close to home, making it easier to come back for visits.

My family, my friends, my memories, theyre all here, she said.

The scholarship has been a relief for Schaafsma and her parents, who are already helping Marisas older sister through college. They also have two sons who are younger than Marisa.

It does make it a lot easier, said her father, David Schaafsma.

Fata shared that feeling. Both she and David work in higher education, her at Illinois Central College and him at Illinois State University.

Its an amazing gift, the gift of education, Fata said.

Marisa has been passionate her entire childhood, Fata said, and they are glad to see her work ethic paying off in the form of the scholarship and program.

Shes always been a very driven child. She makes us look good, but we didnt do anything, she did it all, David Schaafsma said.

On her end, Marisa Schaafsma is glad to have the opportunity to do the program.

Overall, Im just so blessed and thankful for SIU and the committee that saw potential in me, she said.

SIU is still finalizing information before releasing a full list of recipients, a university spokesman said. The Pantagraph plans to follow up with any other recipients in the area.

Contact Connor Wood at (309)820-3240. Follow Connor on Twitter: @connorkwood

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NORMAL  Connect Transit is considering adding a route to accommodate Rivian Automotive's growing employee base.

The Bloomington-Normal bus systems Board of Trustees will vote Tuesday on a proposed bus service that would connect the west Normal manufacturing plant to downtown and uptown.

Our community is changing and as the public transit provider in the area we need to adapt to serve our community as it continues to grow, Operations Manager Shelly Perry wrote in a memo to the board.

Despite Rivians current employment surpassing 5,000 people with the expectation of growth, the closest Connect Transit stop is at Wylie Drive and Hovey Avenue, which is about 1.82 miles from the plant on Rivian Motorway.

Connect Transit has been working with the electric vehicle company in the last few months to develop a transportation solution for community members who work at Rivian, Perry wrote.

The proposed route would start and end at the Connect Transit Transfer Centers in Bloomington and Normal. Beginning at Uptown Station, the route would utilize West College Avenue to reach Rivian Motorway, proceed to West Market Street with a stop at Walmart. The route would end at the downtown transfer area on Front Street.

The route is proposed to run with 30-minute frequency within these hours:

5-8:30 a.m. and 2:30-7:30 p.m. Monday to Friday;

6-8:30 a.m. and 2:30-7 p.m. Saturdays;

6-8:30 a.m. and 2:30-6:30 p.m. Sundays.

Connect Transit staff will consider stops every  mile or less and adjust based on interest and passenger boardings after service begins. Rivian has identified a stop location on the entrance side of the main drive with turnaround space for the buses; the plant would also add a shelter for the stop, which would have sidewalk access.

In addition to Rivian and Walmart, the route would serve businesses along Rivian Motorway and Market Street, including OSF PromptCare, Tractor Supply Co., Blains Farm and Fleet and others on the west side.

If approved, Perry said, staff also recommends Connect Transit discontinue the Lime Express route, which runs from downtown Bloomington to Walmart and back as an abbreviated version of the Lime Route, because it would be a duplication of service and the new route would expand the existing Lime Express service to include weekends.

The new route is proposed to begin service this summer after a public involvement process, lease of additional buses and equipment installations.

The total cost is estimated to be $1.03 million per year with 65% covered by the Illinois Downstate Operating Program and the remainder covered by federal grants and local sources, Perry wrote.

The Connect Transit board will also consider authorizing a contract to Commute with Enterprise for coordinated vanpool services.

Commute with Enterprise, owned by Enterprise Rent-A-Car, was the only company to respond to Connect Transits request for proposals issued in January. After a price evaluation, Connect Transit staff determined the proposed price for services was competitive, Procurement Director Brady Lange wrote in a memo to the board.

Under the proposed contract, the board would commit to subsidizing each vehicle with $500 per month or $6,000 annually from Connect Transits operating funds. Like the proposed bus route, 65% of the required funds would be provided by the state with the remaining cost covered by federal grants and local sources.

The vanpool services would be structured to serve trips bringing people to Bloomington-Normal for work, not for one-day trips.

A coordinated vanpool service can benefit large and small employers in our community by providing access to employees outside the area, reducing parking needs at their facility and for some employers it eliminates the need to develop an internal vanpool program, Lange wrote, noting approximately 35,000 people community to Bloomington-Normal every day.

Vehicles for this service would be provided by Commute with Enterprise when four or more commuters are matched as traveling from the same area to the same area, at or near the same time and leaving work at or near the same time.

The driver would be one of the commuters, would not be charged for the service and would have limited use of the Commute with Enterprise vehicle outside the vanpool service, according to the memo.

Beyond the subsidized portion of the service, the remaining cost will be paid by the rider or the riders employer if they choose to participate.

The Connect Transit board meets at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at 351 Wylie Drive in Normal.

Contact Kelsey Watznauer at (309) 820-3254. Follow her on Twitter: @kwatznauer.

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BLOOMINGTON  The Prairie Pride Coalition and Equality Illinois are partnering on an LGBTQ+ Town Hall with local and state elected officials from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The event will be held at the McLean County Museum of History, 200 N. Main St., in downtown Bloomington. Organizers said it would include a summary of recent state lawmaker activity and legislation.

Attendees were expected to include state Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, Normal Mayor Chris Koos and Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe.

For more information, see the Facebook event page at https://fb.me/e/2d5anUuHC.

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On Wednesday morning (Dec. 24, 1873), about 3 oclock, a fire broke out in the Waterman House, and in less than an hour, the whole structure was in ashes. Simultaneously, the alarm was given at the Tremont and Central hotels, when it was discovered that shavings and dried sticks, saturated with kerosene, were placed in the rear of the buildings, and already on fire. The alarm was given in time to save both of them, but the Waterman House, which was set on fire in a similar manner, was too far gone to be stopped. The engine was out, and the men worked nobly.
OAKLAND  Former President Donald Trump will host a fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Oakland, at his Mar-A-Lago resort on Wednesday.

Miller is in the midst of a heated primary battle against fellow incumbent Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, in the new 15th Congressional District, which includes much of rural Central Illinois.

"Congresswoman Miller is honored that President Trump has endorsed her and is hosting an event for her at Mar-A-Lago because he wants to make sure the Illinois 15th is represented by a bold, America First conservative who will fight against illegal immigration and for the Second Amendment, said Miller campaign spokesman Isaiah Wartman.

Wartman added that, Conservatives in downstate Illinois are fired up to defeat Davis, calling him a Republican in Name Only for supporting measures like red flag gun laws and protections for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as young children.

Davis' record, however, shows he voted Trump's position nearly 89% of the time during the latter's presidency despite representing a swing district.

Miller and Davis were pitted against each other by Springfield Democrats who controlled the once-a-decade redistricting process last year. Though Miller lives just outside the new district, it includes portions of her current district.

Trump announced his Complete and Total Endorsement (sic)" of Miller in early January, wading into what has become among the most contentious incumbent-versus-incumbent primaries in the country.

The former presidents backing offered Miller a boost against Davis, who is seen as the more seasoned politician and has maintained a significant edge in fundraising as well as support among local GOP officials in the district.

When Davis announced his reelection bid in November 2021, he included a list of the endorsements that included 32 of the districts 35 county party chairs and a slew of local, state and federal elected officials.

And as of the end of March, Davis had more than $1.9 million cash on hand compared with Millers $510,795. But, if there is a good turnout on Wednesday, Miller could raise a large amount of cash fast.

According to an invitation obtained by Lee Enterprises, tickets start at $1,000 per person and go up to $25,000 per person, with the highest-paying donors entitled to a photo with Trump and Miller.

Once Trump endorsed, it was believed to only be a matter of time before he held a fundraiser for Miller. And it appears plans were launched in earnest late last month, when Millers campaign made two separate payments of $5,737.88 and $11,475.75 to Mar-A-Lago Club LLC for event venue and catering, according to campaign finance records.

The resort, purchased by Trump in 1985, has been the former president's home base since leaving the White House in January 2021. It has become a major center of Republican politics, with various elected officials and wannabe candidates vying for Trump's backing passing through.

Federal candidates and committees have paid nearly $1.3 million to hold events at the resort, according to a recent report from the New York Times.

Miller has long been one of Trump's most fervent supporters.

First elected in 2020, Miller is one of the most conservative members of Congress. She is a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus.

Following the lead of Trump, Miller objected to the results of the 2020 presidential election in January 2021.

Just days earlier, Miller stoked controversy by invoking Adolf Hitler at a pro-Trump rally outside the Capitol. This drew widespread condemnation, some calls for her to resign and  eventually  an apology.

Last summer, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., headlined a fundraiser for Miller in Effingham. Greene is known for trafficking in far-right conspiracy theories such as QAnon.

There have been whispers of a possible in-district event featuring Trump down the line, but nothing has been confirmed to this point.

Davis' campaign could not be immediately reached for comment.

The primary election is June 28. Early voting begins May 19.

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Studies of ancient Chinese civilization have been progressively prevalent in China in recent years. Variety shows such as The Nation's Greatest Treasures and National Music Gala have set off a new trend making Chinese culture fashionable. The TV programs are helping to adapt traditional Chinese culture through innovation and make it more attractive for modern audiences.

Traditional folk music is now loved by more young people as an important part of Chinese culture. For example, guqin (a seven-stringed plucked instrument) works such as Chang'an Twelve Hours Fantasy posted on bilibili.com (a bullet comment video website with a younger user base) makes the ancient art of ethnic musical instruments more appreaciated by young people who will hopefully carry this art forward.

Several young businesswomen practice the guqin under the tutelage of music master Wu Xiaoxiao in a guqin studio in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, on March 24, 2015. [China Today]

Folk Instrument Innovation

The broadcast of the third season of National Music Gala in 2019 has been well received by young audiences, and much related content on bilibili.com has gained a considerable number of views. A fourth season has been released since December 2021. So, why does it attract so many viewers? And how is traditional folk music being rejuvenated?

"Folk music is our root, and we can't lose it," said Lin Weihua, chief director of National Music Gala. "We hope to discover more outstanding Chinese music talent through this program, and hope that traditional Chinese music gains popularity among more young people, so that it can be passed down from generation to generation. We also hope that the innovation and adaptation of traditional folk music will be accepted by more young people.

China has always been called "the state of rites and music," and ancient music plays a significant part in personality cultivation, cultural life, and national etiquette. China's long history and diverse culture have shaped various genres of music. They are the cultural legacy that boosts Chinese people's confidence, and accordingly gives the program makers inspiration and source of creation.

Diversified forms and innovation are the key and highlights of the program's success. "The program adheres to the original goal of inheriting and promoting China's excellent traditional culture, and constantly promotes the creative transformation and innovative development of Chinese folk music. There has been a comprehensive upgrade in the program pattern, competition system, and contestants," said executive director Li You. From 4K ultra-high-definition TV technology in the first season, to multi-dimensional perspectives in the third season, from the live-action elements in the first two seasons to people-centered storytelling of the third season, and from bands in the first two seasons to the grouping of individual musicians in the third season, the National Music Gala has constantly been exploring new program presentation methods and narrative structures. It is the pursuit of change that has enabled the program to get increasingly popular.

These young folk musicians inherit traditional Chinese music, channel modern musical elements into the performance of folk musical instruments, and express their understanding of tradition in a new musical language. The unique audio-visual effects produced by integrating ancient and modern, Chinese and Western music styles have made the show popular among young audiences.

Dissemination Upgrade

"Interesting" and "cool" are the two words often used to describe the traditional music vlog Guqin Zhensuo. It is its innovative adaptation that allows guqin music to expand its audience in online media and provide a reference for the dissemination of traditional culture.

We-media is an Internet platform that relies on active network interaction. During their performance and composing of music, many We-media accounts, including Guqin Zhensuo, have achieved integration with electronic music, rap, pop, and other genres to produce their unique music works in which the past meets the present.

The combination of popular and traditional culture is a new trend in the development of ancient music in recent years, which is also an expression form that attracts young people to understand traditional music. Zide Qinshe uses its Guqin Zhensuo account as the base for online communication, and has formed a band featuring a combination of the guqin, pipa (a four-string plucked instrument), flute, and drums, playing adaptations of select popular songs familiar to young people. The theme songs of popular TV dramas loved by young people today, the animation music of childhood memories of the "post-80s," and the revolutionary songs reflecting feelings of the older generations have all become high quality music content adapted by Guqin Zhensuo, and have attracted attention online. "I didn't expect to hear this piece of music played with traditional musical instruments, and it still sounds so good," is among the many comments they recieved, showing how folk music creation and adaptation has captured the public's attention. "Let cultural heritage becomes our wealth, not the cultural relics found in museums" is the philosophy of Tang Bin, founder of Guqin Zhensuo.

Guqin Zhensuo has also boldly combined guqin and electronic music to create masterpieces such as Daxia 2049. The new folk music, which integrates modern cyberpunk elements and traditional music and art elements, not only reproduces the emotional rhythm of guqin melody, but also shows the progressive futuristic growth of this music genre.

Liu Qi began to learn the guqin after graduating from junior high school. She has studied under Ding Chengyun, a famous professor at Wuhan Conservatory of Music and the fourth-generation descendant of the Fanchuan School of guqin. In her spare time, Liu watches guqin-related we-media posts at bilibili.com and the content on Guqin Zhensuo. In her opinion, this form of electronic music fusion is still controversial. "With respect to the inheritance of traditional culture, there are always disputes between the old and the new," said Liu. "But times are always changing as long as the melody is still the sound of the guqin, as long as the starting point is to promote the guqin, such interesting creativities are worth trying."

The fusion of ancient and modern is not to abandon the tradition and cater to the new trend, but to refine the time-tested tradition in response to the needs of the public in the new era. This is a development path that traditional culture needs to explore in contemporary inheritance, and Guqin Zhensuo has made this possible.

Continuing Humanistic Spirit

The Book of Rites  Record on the Subject of Music focuses on the role of music in cultural education, how it is used to educate people and as the foundation of living in peace and cultivating morality. What variety shows like National Music Gala and we-media such as Guqin Zhensuo do, is to express the core cultural value embodied in the traditional musical instruments through modern aesthetic perspectives, so that folk music culture can also help to lift the spirits of contemporary Chinese.

Cheng Haowei, vice director of the Yunzai Guqin Club of Wuhan University, started to learn and study the guqin music after graduating from high school, just out of an interest in the ancient music instrument. Making people calm and measured, in his understanding, is the essence of guqin culture. "Although music has a great enlightenment effect in the Confucian culture, for me, it's of course emotional, but not so strong. After all, it gives a sense of calm and peace," he said.

For Liu Qi, playing the guqin is a way to calm herself down. "After learning to play the guqin for six years, I found that I had become calmer, quieter, and more self-disciplined. In fact, we're now used to the fast pace of life. It's not easy to settle down, but the guqin allows me to make it," she said.

As a junior student majoring in music education, Liu is also promoting guqin culture and teaching the guqin in her spare time. Her students include not only children but also adults who are attracted by the quiet and stable inner peace created by playing the instrument which they believe can free their minds from daily concerns.

With the blessing of Internet technology, people have begun to creatively transform traditional culture in a modern society. Among them, young guqin fans, vloggers, and practitioners in the music industry are all using the Internet as a platform to let ancient traditions continue to ignite the human spirit, while being rejuvenated by technology.
A Lotto writer who defiled two teenagers, contrary to Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and the Criminal Code (Amendment) Act, 1998 (Act 554) has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment with hard labour.



The accused, 23 year-old Bright Aguadze aka Poozo who is also a farmer defiled the two girls in his room in December 2020 and threatened to kill them.



He pleaded not guilty to the charges (2 counts of defilement) when he was arraigned in 2021 before the court. After full trial, the court presided over by his lordship Isaac Addo found him guilty and sentenced him to serve a prison term of 10 years on each count to run consecutively.



He was sentenced last Friday, April 22, 2022.



Presenting the facts in court, the Prosecutor, Chief Inspector Paul Aidoo Dwumah noted that the accused lived at Monome-Ativiakope near Akatsi together with the two victims. The two victims were both students of Monome D/A Basic School and very close friends who were always together.



The first victim, Enam (not her real name) is a direct sister of another lady who has a son with the accused.



Thus, the accused defiled his sister-in-law and her friend; the second victim, Etor (not her real name).



Ch/Inspt. Dwumah explained that the accused, Bright Pooza had unlawful carnal knowledge of the two victims in turns in his room during the basic school vacation in December 2020.



He said since the accused had some relationship with the first victims sister, the two victims used to run errands for him and sometimes went to his place to watch television.



During one of such visits by the victims to watch television in December 2020, the accused led them into his sitting room. While they were watching, he entered the next room which is the bedroom and called the first victim, to come there.



When she obliged, he asked her to call the second victim, to join them. Accused then switched on his smart phone for them to continue watching a movie on it.



Noticing how glued the victims were on the phone, the accused secretly went to lock the door, removed the key and defiled them.



He threatened to kill them should they tell anyone about the sexual abuse.



The second victim said she became fed up as anytime she saw the accused it offended and enraged her.



So in May 2021 she revealed the secret to the first victims sister who is the mother of the accuseds son. The first victims sister informed their mother who confirmed the incident from the confession of the two victims.



Their mother immediately reported the matter to the eldest daughter working in Accra. She came to town and led the victims to the Akatsi Police Station to report the case which led to the arrest of the accused.



Victims were issued Police medical forms to be sent to the hospital for examination and treatment. The medical form which was duly endorsed by medical officer was submitted. Caution statement was taken from the accused and was charged after investigation.

Source: Daily Guide









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The Director-General of the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA) at the University of Cape Coast, Dr Michael Boakye-Yiadom, has urged teachers to go beyond the normal way of teaching by practicalising lessons taught in class.



In addition, he suggested that teachers should make teaching more inclusive and adaptive.



Dr Boakye-Yiadom said this at a two-day policy workshop on how to make education inclusive for all children jointly organised by the IEPA and the Ministry of Education.



Known as the Inclusive, Engaging and Adaptive (IEA) pedagogies project, the workshop was aimed at collecting information from the participants who were mainly drawn from the Ministry of Education, teacher unions, classroom teachers and the academia.



The response from the participants will enable the IEPA to go to the field to do further research to confirm or dispute their responses.



That will consequently help the government to develop an action plan to address gaps in providing engaging, inclusive and adaptive education for all children in the country.



Solving learning crisis



Speaking to journalists at the opening of the workshop, Dr Boakye-Yiadom, said making education more inclusive and adaptive was one way of solving learning crisis in the education system.



He explained that innovative academic practices and methods of teaching, technically known as pedagogies meant that where the children seemed not to understand what was being taught, the teachers should practicalise the class by, for instance, taking the pupils outside the classroom.



Innovative pedagogies mean go back and ask what interventions you can use as the teacher to help those who dont understand what is being taught. What interventions can you have for them based on homework? What interventions can you have for them based on one-on-one interaction so that we get everybody on board?



He said the policy dialogue was part of the first phase of the IEPA project that was expected to end in September this year and the focus would be on primary school learners, primary school teachers and heads of primary schools, Basic School Division within the Ministry of Education, Circuit Supervisors and personnel from the National Curriculum Research Development.



IEA project



Giving a background to the IEA project, the Lead, Innovative Pedagogies Project of the Education Commission, Dr Sam Awuku, said following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the need for governments to come together to think about education so that learning crisis did not turn into catastrophe arose.



Working with stakeholders, the commission engaged 163 countries and out of that engagement, a white paper called Save our future was developed, which spelt out seven action areas among which were children returning to school safely and how the education system could become inclusive, adaptive and provide engaging and playful pedagogies so that every child wherever could receive quality education.





The intention of the project, he explained, was to create awareness of an innovative, engaging and adaptive education system so that should there be another pandemic, the system could respond quickly.



He said Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda were the countries in which the project was being implemented and the commission wanted to know how their systems were in terms of inclusive, adaptive and engaging pedagogies and what was happening with regard to those areas so that based on the responses, they could help the governments of those countries to develop action plans to address the gaps in the system.



Inclusive in the contest of this research is about making education accessible to everybody so that all could achieve their potential. When we say everybody, we are talking about people who are in rural areas, sub-urban areas, urban areas; people who have learning challenges; children who are marginalised, pregnant and have dropped out of school and autistic children. Adaptive here means adapting to each individual childs situation while engaging means the different methods of teaching, he explained.









Source: graphiconline.com









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The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has urged students of public tertiary institutions who need financial support to pay their academic user fees to make use of the Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF).



He said under the present circumstances, students could apply for loans and be given the money without the need for guarantors.



The good news is that President Nana Akufo-Addo gave approval for the establishment of what is called the no guarantor policy, which is now a law of the land, which means students can apply for loans without guarantors,  he said.



Dr Adutwum made the call at a stakeholders meeting at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi last Friday, April 22, 2022.



Held at the instance of the minister, the meeting was meant to address the challenges that had led to the deferment of the programmes of study of some 6,000 KNUST students last week.



In attendance were the KNUST Council Chairman, Nana Effah Apenteng; the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ellis Owusu-Dabo; representatives of the Students Representative Council (SRC), the Graduate Students Association of Ghana (GRASAG) and the SLTF.



Dr Adutwum said the management of the fund would be engaging the university community more often to see how best to support needy students for them to pay their fees.



Payment plan



Over 6,000 students of the KNUST recently had their courses deferred, following their inability to meet the universitys fee payment plan.



According to the University Relations Office (URO) of the KNUST Dr Daniel Norris Bekoe, in a recent interview with the Daily Graphic, some of the affected students had since been reinstated after meeting the fee payment plan.



At the meeting, the university management gave a four-week lifeline for the affected students to settle their bills.



Commendation



Dr Adutwum lauded the KNUST management for providing the lifeline for the deferred students.



He also commended the leadership of the SRC for galvanising resources to help their fellow students defray their indebtedness.



Besides, he acknowledged parents and guardians for responding to the call to pay the fees of their children and wards.



He indicated that as the government assisted the universities in various ways, it behooved the institutions to accrue internally generated funds to continue to run effectively.











Source: graphiconline.com









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A pharmaceutical company, Atlantic Lifesciences Limited, has inaugurated a large-scale plant for the production of intravenous (IV) fluids, antiserums and vaccines for the West African market.

The $35 million specialised factory, with a sterile pharmaceutical plant for producing infusions, eye drops, vaccines, serums, injections and general anaesthesia drugs, was financed by the Ghana Export Import (EXIM) Bank and the Standard Chartered Bank and from the companys own resources.



Located at Lakpleku, near Old Ningo in the Ningo-Prampram District in the Greater Accra Region, the plant, which operates under the governments One-District, One-Factory (1D1F) initiative, has become the 107th factory to be operationalised under the initiative, which has 278 enterprises being established and rehabilitated across the country.



The inauguration of the Atlantic Lifesciences plant by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo last Friday brings to five the number of infusion manufacturing firms in the country, with a combined annual capacity of 133 million bottles.



Atlantic Lifesciences Ltd is a sister company of Pharmanova Ltd, and the two are into the production of inhalation anaesthetics, eye, ear and nasal drops, as well as vaccines.

Pharmanova is the largest importer of anti-snake serum and anti-rabies vaccine in West Africa.



The factory will house three sister companies  Atlantic Lifesciences, Atlantic Infrastructure and Pharmanova, which already produces a range of infusions, including metronidazole injection (NOVAGYL), paracetamol infusion (NOVAMOL), ciprofloxacin injection (NOVACIP), ofloxacin infusion (NOVAFLOX) and levofloxacin infusion (LEVOXIN).



The factory operates a modern filling-line compliant with current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) and employs 400 direct workers, many of them professionals, which will increase to 800 when the factory becomes fully operational. The professionals include biochemists, microbiologists, pharmacists, chemists and laboratory technicians.



When fully operational, the factory will also produce six vaccines locally, such as anti-snake, anti-rabies, anti-diphtheria, anti-scorpion, anti-tetanus and anti-gangrene.



Concrete manifestation



Inaugurating the plant, President Akufo-Addo said the establishment of the factory was a concrete manifestation of a new paradigm of economic development which the government was vigorously pursuing to promote value addition and industrial activity within a conducive and business friendly environment.



The facility was a further stride in government-private sector partnership to set up at least one medium to large-scale enterprise in every district in the country, he said.



The President said while previous attempts at rural economic revitalisation had focused mainly on the provision of physical infrastructure, the 1D1F programme of his administration was focused on the provision and promotion of commercially viable business ventures to generate sustainable and accelerated economic development in rural communities.



He said the 1D1F would additionally address the challenge of widespread poverty and underdevelopment among rural and peri-urban communities through the establishment of an institutional framework that would attract private sector investment and rural economic activities, create jobs and raise income levels.



Strategic sector



The President said the Ministry of Trade and Industry had identified the pharmaceutical sector as one of the strategic sectors under the Ghana CARES Obaatanpa Programme meant for post-COVID-19 recovery.



He said the Ghana CARES policy would ensure the much needed capital needed to enhance the productive capacity of pharmaceutical companies to take advantage of the regional and continental market, pursuant to the integration framework of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).



President Akufo-Addo said the transformation of the economy from the production and export of raw materials to an industrial value added economy remained one of the central priorities of the government.



That, however, required, among other things, a vibrant investment climate and a robust regulation and incentive regime to support private investment in the strategic sectors, he said.



To achieve that end, he said, the government was committed to the successful implementation of programmes such as 1D1F, the establishment of industrial parks and small, medium and large-scale enterprises across the country.



Import substitution



The Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen, disclosed that as of the end of December last year, 11 out of 13 pharmaceutical companies under the 1D1F programme had received support to the tune of GH415.3 million.



The funds were meant to facilitate their expansion, retooling, working capital and enable them to build new manufacturing facilities, he stated.



He explained that once there was evidence of enhanced local manufacturing capacity in the pharmaceutical industry, it would provide the basis for Ghana to, as a matter of policy, restrict the importation of pharmaceutical products that could be produced locally.



Collaboration



A Deputy Minister of Health, Tina Mensah, said the Atlantic Lifesciences factory was within the government's vision of securing the much-needed vaccines through domestic vaccine development in the short, medium to long term.



She added that the ministry was looking forward to collaborating with Atlantic Lifesciences Ltd in the local development of vaccines and anti-serums.



Appeal



The Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Lifesciences Ltd, Dhananjay Tripathi, welcomed guests to the plant and said the vision of the company was to provide global quality drugs locally and at affordable prices to meet the medical needs of Ghanaians and residents across West Africa.



He said the factory would also create employment locally and lend support to the Ghana Beyond Aid policy.



Mr Tripathi said Ghana's annual infusion requirement stood at 25 million units and appealed to the government to consider restricting the importation of infusions into the country to support companies such as his from competing with substandard and fake imported infusions.



Utility services



The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo Prampram, Sam Nartey George, commended the government for attracting investors to the area and appealed to it to enhance the supply of electricity and water services to the Ningo Prampram District.



That, he said, would enable companies in the district, which was becoming the hub of industries in the Greater Accra Region, to produce at optimal capacity.









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.

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A medical sociologist and research fellow at the Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC), Samuel Afari-Asiedu, has expressed concern over the high inappropriate use of antibiotics in rural communities, which is leading to antimicrobial resistance in the country.



He has, therefore, called on the Pharmacy Council and other stakeholders to consider training sellers in the communities in the appropriate dispensing of antibiotics to optimise their use.



Antimicrobial resistance is the situation where medicines are unable to treat certain diseases due to the body's resistance to drugs.



It occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change characteristics (mutate) over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.



Event



Mr Afari-Asiedu was speaking during an interaction with a team of health journalists who are members of the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) at the KHRC in the Bono East Region.



The journalists were at the centre to familiarise themselves with its operations.



He said a study conducted by the KHRC in the Kintampo North and South districts in 2016 found out that about 86 per cent of the population were engaged in inappropriate use of antibiotics.



According to Mr Afari-Asiedu, antimicrobial resistance was one of the top 10 threats to global public health, adding that the menace was increasingly becoming a big challenge in low and middle-income countries due to easy accessibility to antibiotics at the community level.



He said even though antibiotics were not supposed to be sold over-the-counter by drug sellers, the dealers were not adhering to that.



The research fellow said the long distances people had to travel to access health care and ignorance about antibiotics were partly to blame for the abuse.



Significance of Centre



Mr Afari-Asiedu said findings from the centre's studies were always communicated to the relevant state institutions to help inform policies, as well as guide effective public health education in the country.



He said the research team from the KHRC had engaged the leadership of the association of over-the-counter services, the Pharmacy Council, as well as district and regional health directorates, to help address the situation.



Established in 1994, the KHRC is one of the three health research centres of the Research and Development Division (RDD) of the Ghana Health Service.



It offers a unique platform for the conduct of public health and biomedical research that influences policy direction and programme implementation to improve well-being and reduce ill health in the country and beyond.



The centre has also taken part in many major clinical health researches and vaccine trials in the country and internationally, leading to the adoption of many policies.









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.

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Society for Family Health (SFH) International, has officially extended its family planning and other products in Ghana to replicate global life-saving interventions in HIV/AIDS prevention, Family Planning and Reproductive Health, and to ensure healthier living for all Ghanaians.



The launch ceremony, held in Accra on Friday 22nd April 2022, unveiled the organizations social marketing products namely Gold Circle Condoms produced in three flavours, FLEX Condoms produced in six flavours, water-based lubricant Lubrica produced in two flavours, Emergency Contraceptive Pills PlanNor, Mistol Tablets - SFH brand of Misoprostol, and high dose Vitamin C plus Zinc tablets.



Country Manager of SFH International, Mrs. Theresa Maame Ekua Galley speaking to the media, explained that even though the organization has been in existence in Ghana since 2018, this event was to formally introduce the organization and its social marketing products to the Ghanaian market.



According to Mrs. Galley, this is the first set of products that we have introduced on to the Ghanaian market. Going forward, we look to introduce another set of products that is going to target non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, some respiratory diseases and our own brand of antimalarial.



Board Chair of SFH International Ghana, Dr Mrs. Irene Ackuaku, addressing the audience at the event shared, Our focus is geared towards working in solidarity with communities, government, donors and the private sector for social justice. We stand for a Universal Health Coverage for all Africans using health systems and by strengthening and improving market development approaches. Our goal is to continue to establish our footprints in the marketplace, in Ghana and to improve and gain the needed visibility in the industry that will transcend beyond generations and make us a household name in our product offering.



Dr. Chris Fofie, who represented the Director of Family Health Division - Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Kofi Issah commended SFH International for its commitment to ensuring healthier living.



He said, There is a huge unmet need which is unlikely that the GHS alone can be able to address. SFH International Ghana has come to provide products that will fill the gaps that we can really be proud of and therefore Ghana Health Service is happy. I am happy that we are going to have SFH work within the confines of Ghana over a very long time.



On his part, Managing Director of SFH Nigeria, Dr. Omokhudu Idogho expressed that SFH is truly proud and excited with the reception it has received from all Ghanaians and our commitment to Ghana is for the long-haul.



The launch assembled high-profile personalities such as the Programme Manager for the National AIDS/STI Control Programme - Dr.Stephen Ayisi Addo, Managing Director of SFH Nigeria - Dr. Omokhudu Idogho, Country Director for Marie Stopes Ghana, Anne Coolen among others.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The rate at which Ghanaians are hailing foreign tradition to the detriment of our own history and heritage and our culture has been a concern for many Ghanaians as they believe our culture may vanish sooner than later if nothing concrete is not done.



People have expressed opinions on how our rich culture can be inculcated into the younger generation in our quest to make sure the toil of our forefathers dont go down the drain just like that.



Those in the education sector are calling for the reintroduction of history and culture studies to be included in our education system as core subjects whilst others have different opinions on how our culture will be planted in younger generations instead of learning the west culture.



It is for this reason that young Ghanaian men have introduced the SWITCH UP XPERIENCE.COM app where our culture, history and heritage will be uploaded together with restaurants, hospitals, tourist sites will be uploaded on the app for people home and abroad to access when they need it.



The young entrepreneurial Chief Executive Officer of SWITCH UP EXPERIENCE.COM, Benjamin Oduro Bosompem spoke to Peace News when the board of this giant initiative was inaugurated in Accra.



The Board Chairman for the SWITCH UP EXPERIENCE.COM and the CEO for Jewels foundation, Mr. Franklyn Leonards said it is high time we hold our history and culture in high esteem, hence commended the young CEO, Benjamin Oduro Bosompem and his colleagues for such a brilliant initiative.



Mr. Franklyn Leonards pleaded with the youth to be up and doing and do something for themselves instead of always calling on the government for employment.

Source: Pious Baidoo Banson/Peace News









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ghana Physicians and Surgeons Foundation of North America (GPSF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Medical and Dental Council of Ghana (MDC) to ease the certifying process of its members in Ghana.



The historic signing was at the 19th Annual GPSF conference held in America, Washington DC, over the weekend.



The MDC registrar, Dr Divine Ndonbi Banyubala and the president of GPSF, Dr Bertha Serwa Ayi signed the agreement respectively.



In the statement issued to Peacefmonline.com by the Ghana Physicians and Surgeons Foundation of North America, the memorandum of understanding seeks to make easier the Credentialing and licensing process for US-based Ghanaian physicians as well as other physicians with a vested interest in the post-graduate medical education in Ghana after years of discussion.



According to the statement, the MOU will also expedite the process and reduce the cost by fifty per cent.



Adding that, Another provision is a waiver of examination in certain special situations for select US-based physicians. This expedited process will be provided through membership with GPSF.



The GPSF, however, assured to provide educational and faculty support to the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons.



Present at the signing was the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Dr Nana Ayew Afriyie and the Ranking Member, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.



























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Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









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Russia is failing in its war aims following the invasion of Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said following a visit to the capital Kyiv.



Speaking at a news conference on the border with Poland meeting with President Volodymr Zelenskyy, Mr Blinken added that a sovereign, independent Ukraine will be around a lot longer than Russias Putin is on the scene.



It comes after he pledged $322m (251m) in new foreign military financing for Ukraine and confirmed that US diplomats will start gradually returning to the country.



Russia has sought as its principal aim to totally subjugate Ukraine, to take away its sovereignty  that has failed.



He said Russia sought to assert the power of its military and its economy but reports are seeing just the opposite: a military that is dramatically underperforming, an economy as a result of sanctions that has resulted in a mass exodus from Russia, that is in shambles.



He added that Russia has sought to divide the West and NATO but the military alliance and its allies are more united than ever.



It was the first visit by a senior US official since Russia invaded Ukraine 60 days ago  and Mr Blinken was joined by Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.



Key developments:



 Ukraine has proposed talks with Russia over the fate of civilians and troops who remain in Mariupol



 No humanitarian routes were established out of Mariupol on Sunday  Ukrainian officials hope to try again on Monday



 Boris Johnson described Vladimir Putins actions in Ukraine as nauseating and blatant aggression during a call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres



 An unspecified number of civilians were killed by Russian shelling in Ukraines Luhansk region on Sunday, local officials claim



 The war in Ukraine is entering its third month with no end in sight  with many thousands of people killed, millions becoming refugees, and cities reduced to rubble



The media was not allowed to accompany the secretaries on the trip, and their discussions with President Zelenskyy lasted for about 90 minutes.



Details about their talks could not be reported until their delegation was safely out of Ukraine and back in Poland.



The new financing brings the total US security assistance to Ukraine since the invasion began to $3.7bn (2.9bn).



It will provide support for capabilities Ukraine needs, especially the fight in the Donbas, an official said.



A further $400m (312m) in new foreign military financing will also be shared among 15 other nations in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the Balkans.



US President Joe Biden will also soon announce his nominee to be ambassador to Ukraine  Bridget Brink, a career foreign service officer.



Mr Zelenskyy had announced that he was going to meet both men during a news conference held in an underground train station in Kyiv on Saturday night.



But the White House had refused to confirm that or discuss details of a possible visit  with US officials later revealing this was a contingency they had planned for.



Embassy staff to gradually return



In other developments, Ukraines foreign minister has been told that staff from the now-closed US embassy in Kyiv  who have relocated to Poland  are going to begin making day trips to the Ukrainian city of Lviv.



The US State Department has vowed to reopen the embassy there as soon as the situation allows.



Theres no substitute for that face-to-face engagement, and of course there is a symbolism to being back in the country, an official said.



Prior to Mr Blinkens arrival, Ukraines president had warned that he expected the Americans to produce results.



He had said: You cant come to us empty-handed today, and we are expecting not just presents or some kind of cakes, we are expecting specific things and specific weapons.



While the West has funnelled military equipment to Ukraine, Mr Zelenskyy has stressed repeatedly that his country needs more heavy weapons, including long-range air defence systems and warplanes.

Source: daily guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Vice President of Costa Rica, Epsy Campbell Barr, has disclosed what her African identity is.



Speaking to a gathering in Accra whilst visiting Ghana during a Return Mission that is targeted at Africans living in the diaspora, she explained that her family DNA tests proved to her that she is truly an African.



This, she added, is because her results showed that she was from multiple African countries, including Ghana; a discovery that has made her very happy.



Im a descendant and daughter of Africa, specifically from Nigeria, Mali, Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast, and Ghana, and I also have in my blood the imprint of Cameroon, Congo and the Bantu people of the West. This is what my family DNA analysis provided and thats why I say with all authority that Im proud that Im here, that Im a daughter of Africa, she said.



Epsy Campbell Barr also sent a word out to other disaporans that they can return home and enjoy the beauty of their heritage.

Today, I speak to you from the bottom of my heart, to say with strength to the generation of African people who were violently taken away from their families, their communities, their tribes, their histories, that were able to return, she said.















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Despite offline campaigns being suspended due to the latest COVID-19 resurgence, the time-honored China Import and Export Fair concluded its 131st biannual session on Sunday in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou with many new records.

The 10-day-long event, also known as the Canton Fair, attracted a record-high of over 25,000 domestic and overseas exhibitors with over 2.9 million exhibits displayed online. Over 30 percent of the exhibits made their debut while over 480,000 exhibits featured green and low carbon.

Among those domestic exhibitors in this session of the Canton Fair, 18,400 enterprises were engaged in exports in the first quarter of the year, with a total export value of over 440 billion yuan (about 67.7 billion U.S. dollars), up 6.8 percent year on year, according to the latest statistics from the Guangzhou Customs.

The online Canton Fair for the fifth time with substantial transactions demonstrates China's unswerving resolve to stabilize the global industrial chain and supply chain as it further embraces the digital economy amid the protracted COVID-19 pandemic.

Digital economy thrives

Thanks to the enhanced digitization level, numerous online browsing and negotiations were able to be carried out smoothly at the Canton Fair.

An intentional order worth 300,000 U.S. dollars for bathroom products was reached between Bangladeshi buyer Idirs and the Chinese company ORANS Co., Ltd., which is based in Zhejiang Province and mainly manufactures and sells intelligent sanitary ware, shortly after Idirs watched the company's live-streaming and had a one-to-one video communication with its engineer.

The stable platform with various functions helps facilitate the interactions between suppliers and purchasers while special labels for different companies and products help enterprises to find what they need more effectively, said Liu Shi, a project director of the Canton Fair's technical support supplier Tencent.

Exhibitors have embraced digital transformation actively. Various techniques were applied skillfully to facilitate the online trade, such as live-streaming promotions, cloud factory exploration, online negotiation, and immersive experience.

"After trials in previous sessions, we found that the cost of online exhibitions is relatively lower, and technologies including 3D and virtual reality can help better display our products," said Lin Hu, general manager of Guangzhou Light Industry & Trade Group Ltd., which held over 200 live-streaming promotion activities on this session of the fair.

Online exhibition conforms to the development trend of the digital economy and is a practical choice under the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Wang Shouwen, China's vice minister of commerce, noting that a "digital Canton Fair" will be built with high standards and quality in the future.

Supply chain enhanced

Facing the COVID-19 resurgence in Guangzhou recently, the Pazhou exhibition center, the main venue of the Canton Fair, has been temporarily transformed into a makeshift hospital in case of emergency while the construction of a new exhibition area for the autumn session of the Canton Fair this year is in full swing.

Regardless of the challenges, China has been making all-out efforts to balance economic growth and epidemic control. While strictly implementing epidemic prevention measures, governments at all levels are working to ensure the steady flow of industrial and supply chains and the steady progress of major projects.

China remains an indispensable part of the global industrial chains and supply chains. The total import and export volume of China's foreign trade in the first quarter registered 9.42 trillion yuan, up 10.7 percent year on year, according to official data.

To counter the adverse factors brought about by COVID-19, household appliance manufacturer Ningbo Sinolink Appliance Co., Ltd., a regular exhibitor at the Canton Fair, has vigorously built an exclusive cross-border platform with the help of local government departments. Its coffee makers and juice extractors have gradually gained popularity in the global market.

By the end of the first quarter, the company's export sales increased by 18 percent year on year. Its production orders have already been scheduled for July, mostly from the American and European markets, said Chen Dehuan, a manager of the company's development department.

As a manufacturing heartland and leading foreign trade player in China, Guangdong Province has given full play to the main role of leading enterprises in the supply chain. In Shanghai, major companies have resumed work and production in an orderly manner amid the COVID-19 resurgence. SAIC Motor started the pressure test last Monday and U.S. carmaker Tesla's Shanghai factory officially resumed production on Tuesday.

Development dividend shared

China's foreign direct investment (FDI), in actual use, reached 379.87 billion yuan in the first quarter of this year, up 25.6 percent year on year. Many multinational enterprises are setting up new projects or new production lines in China, regardless of the epidemic outbreaks and intricate international situation.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that took effect some 100 days ago has spurred growing import and export among trading partners. Many enterprises are seizing the opportunity to further expand the market.

"With upgraded technology, and the tariff reduction, more orders and cost reductions brought by the RCEP, we are more confident in completing the sales target of 800 million yuan in 2022," said Zhong Minghui, a manager of Tachi-S Guangzhou, a Japanese-funded company.

With an innovation R&D center put into trial operation in Tianjin and a sustainable aviation fuel production base built in Maoming City in Guangdong, tech enterprise Honeywell, also a regular exhibitor at Canton Fair, is optimistic about its investment in China.

"China is Honeywell's second-largest market globally and its biggest growth market," said Yu Feng, president of Honeywell China. "Honeywell is optimistic about China's economic fundamentals and prospects in the digital economy and low-carbon fields, and is excited by its continued high-level opening-up. We will increase our investment in China."

According to the 2022 Special Report on the State of Business in South China, released by the American Chamber of Commerce in South China (AmCham South China) on March 1, an overwhelming majority of the assessed companies choose China as one of the preferred investment destinations. More than 70 percent of the assessed companies have reinvestment plans in China for 2022.

Foreign enterprises have faith in the comprehensive competitive advantages of China over market size, industrial support and business environment, according to the report.

Besides the Canton Fair, China has also initiated multiple international fairs and expos to share its dividend of reform and development with the rest of the world. The new business forms and services will bring new economic growth potential and turbocharge the global economic recovery.
Togo's parliament has passed a resolution asking the government to make a formal bid for membership of the Commonwealth, a group of mainly former British colonies.



The country is already a member of the Economic Organisation of West African States (Ecowas) and the International Organisation of La Francophonie - a group of French-speaking countries that are mostly former French colonies.



"Togo is not leaving the Francophonie. It will only strengthen the English teaching programmes and reactivate other partnerships," the privately-owned Icilome news website quoted speaker of parliament Yawa Tsegan as saying.



The resolution, passed on Friday, asked the government to submit its application for Commonwealth membership at the bloc's next summit in Rwanda in June.



The West African nation embarked on the process of joining the Commonwealth in 2014.

Source: BBC









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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD) will on Wednesday April 27, 2022, hold a public lecture on Ghanas tenure at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).



The lecture will be held at the LECIAD Auditorium, the University of Ghana at 3 PM on the theme Collective Security in a Changing Global World Order: An Overview of Ghanas Tenure at the UN Security Council, 2022-2023



The Speaker is the Special Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Kwabena Osei-Danquah. A seasoned career diplomat, Mr. Osei-Danquah was Chef de Cabinet to the President of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly.



Ghana was elected to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member in June 2021 to serve a two-year term from January 2022 to December 2023.



Ghana will assume the presidency of the Security Council in November, this year.



This will be the fourth time Ghana is sitting on the Council, the only arm of the UN with the authority to issue binding resolutions on member states. Ghanas last tenure was in 2006-2007 when President Akufo-Addo was Foreign Minister.



The programme will be chaired by Chief Executive Officer of the John Agyekum Kuffour Foundation, Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Rwandas President Paul Kagame has held talks with Ugandas President Yoweri Museveni in his first visit to the northern neighbour after tensions in 2019 led to border closures for three years.



A statement from State House Entebbe said the two leaders agreed to push for peace and stability in the region by addressing the crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo through the East African Community bloc.



It said the pair held talks on Sunday.



Mr Museveni urged the regional bloc to address the insecurity in eastern DR Congo before the crisis there escalates.



Mr Kagame said it was important that all parties in the conflict are involved to solve the crisis once and for all.



Last week, Kenya, Burundi, Uganda, DR Congo and Rwanda agreed to deploy a regional force to fight rebel groups in the troubled region.



President Kagame was on a private visit to the country to attend a dinner in honour of Mr Museveni's son and commander of Uganda's land forces Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who celebrated his 48th birthday over the weekend.



Mr Museveni later tweeted photos of the dinner and thanked President Kagame for honouring the invitation "after years of not coming here".

Source: GNA









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The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) last year secured GHS5,778,379.20 as compensation for consumers of electricity and water.



The Commission said the amount was paid to both households and industrial consumers of electricity and water across the country after it investigated complaints on quality of service, largely, power outages and water cuts.



It also recouped GHS548,383 within the same period for the utility service providers  Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) over illegal connections and non-payment of utility bills.



Alhaji Abukari Jabaru, Director, Regional Operations, PURC, said this on Saturday at the Commission's media fellowship training at Prampram in the Greater Accra Region.



He noted that the non-payment of bills was largely observed in Government agencies.



The fellowship is to make the media abreast of the operations of PURC, including tariff setting, complaint resolution and database management.



It is also to get support from key stakeholders in balancing the interest between utility service providers and consumers to ensure that while service providers were profitable, consumers were also given quality services.



Alhaji Jabaru indicated that the Commission in 2021 received 10,987 complaints and had resolved 10,701, representing 97.3 percent, with the remaining 286 in the process of being resolved.



In an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the programme, Dr Ishmael Ackah, the Executive Secretary of PURC, encouraged journalists to work closely with the Commission for the benefit of all stakeholders.







Source: GNA









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An hour's rain accompanied by strong winds on Sunday afternoon, hit the Assin-Okyeso community in the Assin South District of the Central Region, destroying many houses.



Though there was no casualty, the rain destroyed 23 houses and rendered more than 58 households homeless in the predominantly farming community of about 1,000 inhabitants.



Mr Emmanuel Kwabena Blewu, the Assin South District Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) confirmed the tragedy to the Ghana News Agency on Monday.



The devastating storm also ripped up the roof of schools, churches, cocoa sheds and many other structures.



The affected persons are putting up with friends and relatives as NADMO gears up to give immediate support to ameliorate their plight.



Mr Blewu attributed the widespread disaster to old and dilapidated structures in the area, aged between 100 to 150 years and lacking maintenance as well as building in waterways.



"The occupants, particularly the owners have refused to vacate the structures after several warnings and public education by NADMO," he explained.



He advised all residents across the district against building in flood-prone areas which was the major cause of flooding in some parts of the district.



They should desist from dumping refuse in drains because that would chock the gutters, lead to flooding, and contaminate lagoons and the sea.



On climate change and its impact on weather, he cautioned the public to take weather warnings seriously with the onset of the rainy season.



NADMO, he indicated was on hand to provide relief items to victims but it was their aim to prevent avoidable disasters.

Source: GNA









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The Park located within the Savanna land tourism destination area is managed mainly for its outstanding natural, physical, historical and cultural values and it covers an area of 4,577 km2 of fairly undisturbed Guinea savannah in the northern part of Ghana.



Mole is rich in biodiversity and home to some 742 vascular plant species, over 90 mammal species including 5 primate species, of which species of conservation and tourist interest include Elephant, Buffalo, Kob, and Western Hartebeest, Roan Antelope, Defassa Waterbuck, Oribi, Bohor Reedbuck and Red-flanked Duiker.



Rare and endangered species include the Yellow-backed Duiker, Black and White Colobus Monkey, Leopard and Lion. The Park is also home to 334 bird species, 33 reptiles, 9 amphibian species, and some 120 butterfly species.



The Park has the most viable elephant population in Ghana, and as such, is a hotspot for elephant conservation.



It is also said that the Park has a unique breed of elephants, which is not hostile, not aggressive or insecure, compared to other elephant populations in the rest of Africa.



Mole is one of seven National Parks in Ghana and the other wildlife estates include six Resource Reserves, two wildlife sanctuaries, one Strict Nature Reserve and five Ramsar sites, managed by the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission of Ghana.



This area of Ghana receives over 1000 millimetres per year of rainfall.



Delay of the rains before every rainy season is always a worry to Management of the park since the rainy season brings up life in the park.



The rainy season this year (2022) has come early at the Mole National Park.



The vegetation at the Park is starting to look beautiful and green, and there are pools of water everywhere with the rivers flowing and flowers blooming.



The first photo shared by Mole Park is of a Roan Antelope (Hippotragus equinus) having a bath in one of the creeks of the park.



A second photo shared is a newborn elephant just after her first mud bath with her mother.



A third photo shared is a red flanked ducker (cephalous rufilatus) and her calf enjoying the first grass after the rain.



A fourth photo shared is a happy elephant enjoying the rain season in the Mole National Park.



Another photo is Waterbucks (Kobus ellipsiprumnus) starting to give birth.



Playful elephants after a good swim is another photo shared.



Management of the Mole National Park has indicated this is a great time to visit the park.













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The Deputy Director of the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET), Dr Tina Abrefa-Gyan, has urged the youth to take up skill training in technical, vocational education and training (TVET) in order to boost the countrys production capacity to meet consumption needs.



That, she said, would not only empower them economically but help mitigate the adverse effects of excessive importation on the exchange rate to position the country on a solid economic path.



The recent decline in the rate of our currency is testament to the fact that we need to produce most of the things we consume ourselves and reduce importation if we are to avoid the adverse effects of excessive importation on the exchange rate.



We need to train more skilled workforce to take up the challenge of producing to meet the consumption needs of our country, she said at the 21st graduation ceremony of the 2nd Image International Skills College in Accra.



Graduation



The graduation was on the theme: TVET: Life Possibilities Despite the Pandemic





A total of 185 students graduated in Hair and Beauty, Beauty and Spa, Facial Therapy, Cosmetology, Body Massage, Beautician, Hairdressing, Fashion Design, Beauty Specialist and National Proficiency.



Out of the total, 36 were from the Ghana National Tailors Association (GNTDA), fully funded by the government through the CTVET/Ghana Technical and Vocational Education and Voucher Project (GTVP).



The project is under the Ghanaian  German Finance Cooperation Co-financed by the German Government through KfW.



Appeal



The Director of Administration, 2nd Image International Skills College, Clint Boa-Amponsem, appealed for funds to financially support facilitators of TVET.



He said the funds would help the facilitators to acquire higher qualifications and training for the benefit of the nation.



Mr Boa-Amponsem noted that the college lacked resources to support facilitators to help them top up their qualifications.



Because we do not have such for our facilitators, the Chief Executive Officer of 2nd Image International Skills College, Nikki Boa Amponsem, fought through to be accredited by ITEC, a world qualification examination body which provides leading international qualifications, specialising in Beauty and Spa Therapy, Hairdressing, Complementary Therapies etc, he said.



He encouraged their learners to take part in the International Therapy Examination Council (ITEC) examination in addition to their qualifications.



Advice



Mr Bernard Badu, National Co-Ordinator (Cocoa Roads), at the Department of Feeder Roads commended the college for helping to reduce unemployment in the country.









Source: graphiconline.com









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Speaking at the 24th African Business Conference organised by the Harvard Business School, Mahama observed that intra-African trade must be encouraged on the continent to boost trade and promote self-reliance.



He said, We must push for self-reliance for key strategic commodities and supplies such as rice, tomatoes, onions, and vegetable oil for which we have a comparative advantage. It is such a shame that Africa continues to import these commodities when we have favourable conditions to produce them.



Africa must take greater control of the trade and processing of its natural resources like cocoa, and the minerals and build stronger capacity to respond to global energy shocks stemming out of situations such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict.



The former President as part of his speech, advocated for the reintroduction of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) to help Africa deal with its rising public debts.



Many African countries, including Ghana have reached debt distressed levels with debt to GDP ratio ranging between 70% and 80%.



I am advocating for a reconstitution of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative to offer our countries some fiscal space to make investments in critical states such as education and health, John Dramani Mahama stressed.



Watch President John Dramani Mahama's full speech below:





Source: ghanaweb.com









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Ghana's former Ambassador to India, Sam Pee Yalley, has said that the candidature of ex-President John Dramani Mahama will not affect the fortunes of the NDC in the 2024 elections as intimated by an EIU report.



Sam Pee Yalley said that the prediction of the EIU (Economic Intelligence Unit) failed to account for the real factors that may lead to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) losing the upcoming general elections.



According to him, the only factors that can lead to the NDC losing the 2024 elections are the actions and inaction of the Election Commission (EC) that will favour the government and the use of the military to oppress voters.



As for the NDC, it has already won according to the prediction (of the EIU), the second top-up is if they change their candidate the prospect of winning can even be higher. But we are saying that the people who are making these predictions have not taken account of the realities on the ground.



 what will change this election is the conduct of the Electoral Commission, to conduct a Free, Fee and Transparent Election, that is a critical part. What will change the electoral fortunes in this country is the use of the military to attack voters. What will change elections in this country is when laws are made for the election and all of a sudden, they truncate it and bring new laws like what happened in the SALL (Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lipke and Lolobi traditional areas). These are the things we should look at but I dont think that they did research in these fields I am talking about, he said in a JoyNews interview monitored by GhanaWeb.



The former ambassador added that Im saying that on any nice day when all these factors Im talking about are abated for a free and fair election, Ghanaians will vote for John Mahama because they have come to believe that all the lies and fabrications put on him are not true.



The EIU, in its five-year forecast for Ghana released on April 13, 2022, said that the opposition party, NDC, has a higher probability to be victorious in the next general elections.



However, the EIU noted that the NDC should revitalize its prospects with a flagbearer other than former President John Dramani Mahama.



Also, the report said that the government under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is faced with numerous challenges, including unemployment, an economic downturn, and corruption among others which will fuel citizens' sentiments against the governing party.



"Our baseline forecast is that ongoing public dissatisfaction with the slow pace of improvements in governance-such as infrastructure development, job creation and easing of corruption-will trigger anti-incumbency factors and push the electorate to seek a change," the EIU report stated.







Source: ghanaweb.com









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The election of autocratic leaders is threatening fledgling democratic states, especially in Africa.

This was the view shared by speakers at a dialogue on factors contributing to the erosion of democracy in Africa and Europe.



According to them, the emergence of autocratic governments which seek to overstay their terms in office was undermining democracy.



The speakers included the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia; a lecturer at the Department of Communications Studies of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), Dr Lawrencia Agyepong, and a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Akwasi Osei-Adjei.



They expressed the views at a roundtable on: Sustaining democracy in the context of erosion: Lessons from Europe and Africa, in Accra.



The event was jointly organised by the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) and the Centre for Democratic Development, Ghana (CDD).



Unbridled control



According to the speakers, such autocratic leaders often desired to have unbridled control over institutions such as the Judiciary and the Legislature, thereby undermining democratic governance.



Such behaviour, they added, had largely contributed to the frequent coups detat that had often destabilised the sub-region, where young people felt let down by their governments for excluding them from the governance process.



When you have elected autocrats, they attack the very institutions that are supposed to help build democracy and help them deliver the goods. Mr Nketia said.



He said elected autocrats used democratic institutions, such as the courts, the media, electoral bodies and the legislature, to kill democracy.

These are institutions that are calibrated in every democracy to regulate the use of power, but these are the very institutions which, when handed to autocrats, begin to compromise and weaken them because they see those institutions as limitations to their power, he said.



Dr Agyepong, for her part, said many young people, with the help of social media, had grown to appreciate that democracy had failed them, hence the need to mobilise and try to fight the system.



She lamented the environment where the courts were perceived to be working in favour of the government.



Democratic sham



Mr Osei-Adjei expressed concern over the way some countries were electing dictators who paraded themselves as democrats but undermined institutions that ensured checks and balances.



It is the checks that will promote democracy, but where we do not have the democratic institutions to check, then our democracy will be a sham, he said.



For his part, a Senior Mediation Advisor to the UN, Dr Emmanuel Bombande, called for holistic reforms of the democratic system in the world.









Source: graphiconline.com









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At a cross-border e-commerce industrial park in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, workers from Shangyan Trading Company are busy loading clothes into trucks after quality inspection.

The goods will be transported thousands of miles away to overseas warehouses and will be shipped to North America for sale.

"Despite the pandemic headwinds, our cross-border e-commerce sales have continued to grow in recent years," said Jiang Yebing, general manager of Shangyan, adding that the company's sales volume rose by 60 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2022 and goods were delivered each day.

Driven by factors including smoother logistics channels and more convenient customs clearance policies, cross-border e-commerce in landlocked Anhui has gained momentum. This impetus offers a glimpse into China's rapid growth in this field against the backdrop of the pandemic.

Cross-border e-commerce, featuring online marketing, online transactions and contactless payment, has boomed in China over the past few years, particularly during the last two years when the pandemic impeded business travel and face-to-face contact.

Data from the General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed that China's cross-border e-commerce imports and exports grew by 0.5 percent year on year to 434.5 billion yuan (about 66.57 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of this year, with exports increasing by 2.6 percent to 310.4 billion yuan.

"In recent years, as a new form of foreign trade, cross-border e-commerce has shown strong development vitality," GAC spokesperson Li Kuiwen told a press conference recently.

Earlier this year, China's State Council issued a statement, approving the establishment of additional cross-border e-commerce pilot zones in 27 cities and regions.

This brings the overall tally of pilot zones to 132, covering almost all provincial-level regions in China from coastal industrial powerhouses such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong to inland areas.

In these pilot zones, local governments provide a variety of trade services ranging from logistics, payment, law, taxation and customs clearance to facilitate enterprises' cross-border e-commerce businesses.

"In January, the export orders of our park exceeded 480,000, up more than 40 times from the same period in the previous year, marking a brilliant start," said Wang Weidong, director of Anhui (Shushan) Cross-border E-commerce Industrial Park in Hefei, one of the pilot zones.

With the pandemic inducing new challenges such as rising raw material costs and disruptions in international logistics, local governments in China are actively rolling out measures to cope with difficulties facing cross-border e-commerce.

The measures include subsidies for transportation, streamlining of export clearance procedures and a division mechanism to fully utilize logistics capacity, among others.

The favorable policy environment for cross-border e-commerce has led to a continuous increase in the number of cross-border e-commerce companies. So far, China has seen the establishment of more than 30,000 enterprises related to cross-border e-commerce, with the volume soaring every year.

The massive market entities of cross-border e-commerce also provide opportunities for industry innovation, with new marketing tools such as the advent of cross-border e-commerce livestream sales.

Chinese consulting firm iiMedia Research has predicted that the market scale of China's cross-border e-commerce livestream sales will exceed 100 billion yuan in 2022.

"China has actively developed cross-border e-commerce and other new forms of foreign trade to promote sustained growth of foreign trade," said Fu Linghui, spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics.

Despite the complex and uncertain international environment, China's strong resilience and great potential in foreign trade will remain unaffected and the country's foreign trade is expected to maintain stable development, Fu noted.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ningo-Prampram constituency in the Greater Accra Region says the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is not ready to roll out the implementation of the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) from May 1, 2022.

According to Sam Nartey George, the authority has nothing to commence the implementation of their assurance.



They are not ready. What has to be done has not been completely done, he said in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show, 'Ghana Montie'.



Commissioner-General of the GRA, Rev Dr Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah has said that all the technologies needed to ensure the successful implementation of the E-Levy have been acquired.



He noted that the only thing left to do is for the Mobile Money Issuers (MMIs) and the Electronic Money Issuer (EMI) which includes Telecommunication Companies (Telcos) and Banks to integrate into the system.



 . . this system is already available and the then application programme interface which is the APIs has also been made available. We have had several engagements with the various stakeholders in terms of what we call the charging entities (The EMIs, the banks, the Telcos) who will be charging the money and transferring the money to the Consolidated Fund through the Ghana.gov platform. And so, what the entities will have to do is to ensure that they have taken the necessary protocols and will be able to interface with the system."



The system is available, the API is available, an end-to-end test has been done successfully with a number of transactions that have gone through successfully without any failure. So we are confident that it beholds on the charging entities to do the integration, he said.



But Sam Nartey George said the Commissioner-General of the GRA, Rev Dr Ammishaddai is throwing dust in the peoples eyes.



You will soon hear the challenges when they commence this policy. They are not ready for this but they wont tell Ghanaians the truth. Youll see the problems. They cant joke with peoples money. It is not right, he told host, Akwasi Aboagye.





Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









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As part of initiatives by the United Nations to advance the rights of people of African Descent by promoting recognition, justice, and development, a high-level diaspora forum centered on The Return Mission was held in Accra to advocate the reconnection of Africans in the diaspora.



Vice-President of Ghana, His Excellency, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, speaking at the forum noted that every person of African descent  Afro-descendants has a story with regards to racism, xenophobia, slavery, and colonialism, only they can tell.



According to him, despite developments and civilization all over the world, persons of African descent still struggle to find a sense of belonging as racism, and xenophobia among others increases.



These deep-seated biases still prevail in the world we live. With Afro-descendants struggling to find a sense of belonging in the land where they were born but which rejects them at every turn, he bemoaned.



He appealed that Afro-descendants should not be sidelined in discussions on the advancement on the protection of rights and demand for equity, noting that Africans and Afro-descendants just like every other person in the world deserve protection and fairness.



He further applauded persons of African descent who happen to face yet resist all forms of racial discrimination from all angles and walks of life.



Join me, while I salute every single Afro-descendant who bravely challenged the order of the day by continuing to resist all forms of racial discrimination," Dr. Bawumia said.



The forum was graced by various dignitaries including the Vice-President of Costa Rica, Her Excellency Epsy Campbell Barr, and the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Natalia Kanem.



The forum which was held in Ghanas capital precedes this years International Day for People of African Descent which will be observed on August 31, 2022.























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After the traditional marriage on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, the white wedding of Maxwell Kofi Jumah's son, Kwabena Jumah and the daughter of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Edwina, was held on Saturday, April 23, 2022.



Sometime in October 2021, photos of the private family introduction started circulating on social media where it was established that son of the Managing Director of GIHOC Distilleries Company Limited has tied the knot with the last daughter of President Akufo-Addo.



But seven months down the line, the couple have been now pronounced husband and wife at their Holy Matrimony which took place at Peduase near Aburi in the Eastern Region before being preceded by a reception at the Jubilee House - the seat of government.



Photos of the Saturday event which hosts a plethora of notable personalities have started circulating on social media.



Aliko Dangote, Africas richest man and Nigeria business mogul, was among the VVIPs that attended the reception.



The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife, Samira Bawumia, some top government officials, some members of the diplomatic corps, some NPP bigwigs and other international guests were among the dignitaries that graced the occasion to support the first family.























Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo during a wreath-laying ceremony of the 121st Independence Day celebrations at the Rizal monument in Manila, Philippines, on June 12, 2019. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Although still trailing by double-digits in the latest survey, I am already 95 percent sure that Leni Robredo will be the 17th President of the Republic of the Philippines. My evidence? The record-breaking turnout of supporters in her campaign rallies, support from different political parties and formations, basic sectors of society, and just recently, the endorsement of several labor groups and leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. In the entire history of these organizations, they have not supported any presidential candidates.

While this is good, we all know that President Robredo cannot govern alone. She needs all the support that she can get, including a Congress willing to champion her legislative agenda. Right now, the ruling party still enjoys a vast majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, with Duterte and his ilk in PDP-Laban tightening its grip on these politicians to ensure that he will not be held accountable for his crimes when he steps down on June 30.

That is why we must also campaign as hard for the senatorial slates of the united opposition. These senatorial candidates are carefully picked and examined by the leaders of the civic group 1Sambayan, and have committed to supporting President Leni Robredo on her agenda to rescue the Philippine economic, social, cultural, and political situation.

Let me illustrate it this way. When Barack Obama won the Presidency of the United States in 2008, his party, the Democratic Party, is the majority in both the House and the Senate. With the help of his partymates, with very little cooperation from the other party who declared that they will make sure that Obama will be a one-term president, they passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a major piece of legislation aimed at solving the 2008 financial crisis that ravaged the American economy. It was also during this time that they passed the Affordable Care Act that granted medical insurance to millions of working class Americans.

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The following election year, Republicans took control of the House. Obama never passed a major piece of legislation again.

The same is true when Donald Trump won in 2016. Republicans hold the majority in Congress, and they passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 with barely any support from the opposing party. The Democrats won back the House of Representatives in 2018, and, like Obama, he never passed major legislation again, even his campaign promise of funding for a border wall between the United States and Mexico. Though Trump tried to pressure the Democratic Leaders, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Minority Leader Chuck Schumer were never deterred.

Robredo has some of the best platforms in the history of our presidential elections. She has a detailed roadmap to finally solving the pandemic, a campaign of transparency and accountability, and economic recovery for those who have lost their jobs during the pandemic. And without the help of Congress, Robredo can only do so much.

Marvin Joseph Ang is a news and creative writer who follows developments in politics, democracy, and popular culture. He advocates for a free press and national democracy. The views expressed are his own.

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A Palestinian farmer found a rare 4,500-year-old stone sculpture while working his land in the southern Gaza Strip, ruling Hamas authorities announced Monday.

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said the 22-centimeter (6.7-inch) tall limestone head is believed to represent the Canaanite goddess Anat and is estimated to be dated to around 2,500 B.C.

"Anat was the goodness of love, beauty, and war in the Canaanite mythology," said Jamal Abu Rida, the ministry's director, in a statement.

Gaza, a narrow enclave on the Mediterranean Sea, boasts a trove of antiquities and archaeological sites as it was a major land route connecting ancient civilizations in Egypt, the Levant and Mesopotamia.

But discovered antiquities frequently disappear and development projects are given priority over the preservation of archaeological sites beneath the urban sprawl needed to accommodate 2.3 million people packed into the densely populated territory.

In 2017, the militant Hamas group, which had seized control of the Gaza Strip a decade earlier, destroyed large parts of a rare Canaanite settlement to make way for a housing development for its own employees.

And to date, a life-size statue of the Greek god Apollo that had surfaced in 2013 and then disappeared has yet to be found.

In January, bulldozers digging for an Egyptian-funded housing project unearthed the ruins of a tomb dating back to the Roman era.

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Map of renewable energy facilities in California, USA at which research was conducted. Inset shows the two major western migration flyways of North America (Pacific Flyway in gray; central Flyway in green) that were used with geolocation from stable hydrogen isotope data to define catchment areas (areas holding the sub populations of origin for birds found dead at renewable facilities) to interpret population-level effects. Black solid lines are borders of states and provinces, and dashed lines are borders of Bird Conservation Regions (Coastal California (BCR 32) in blue; Sonoran and Mojave Deserts (BCR 33) in yellow). The Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (WRA) is composed of approximately 530 individual wind facilities located in rolling hills primarily covered with grasslands. See electronic supplementary materials, Methods, for details on both types of facilities. Credit: Royal Society Open Science (2022). DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211558

A team of researchers affiliated with a large number of institutions in the U.S. has attempted to determine the vulnerability of bird populations to alternative energy production. In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the group describes studying the impact on bird populations in California.

While touted as green technology, alternative energy sources are not always Earth friendly. Production of solar panels, for example, results in pollution emitted into the environment. More widely known are the adverse impacts of wind and solar farms on animals, particularly birds. Birds can be killed when they try to fly through the rotating blades of wind turbines and they can die from overheating when they fly over large solar farms. They can also die due to displacement from their natural environment. In this new effort, the researchers veered from simply counting the number of birds that are killed by alternative power sources and looked instead to gauge the impact of the combined toll that alternative power plants are taking on populations of vulnerable bird species in California.

To assess the impact on birds across the state, the researchers chose 23 species that are known to be at risk when venturing near alternative energy power plants. They collected data from prior studies involving ecological and conservation efforts and engaged in feather-collecting outings to several sites across California and then identified and counted each. They also used species range maps along with migration flyway data and bird conservation data. They also obtained data on the placement, numbers, types and sizes of alternative energy plants in California. They then analyzed the data they amassed and use multiple techniques to determine the impact of bird deaths by species from both solar and wind powered farms. One such technique involved applying a Markov chain Monte Carlo application along with a Bayesian hierarchical modeling framework.

The researchers found that of the 23 species they studied, 11 experienced population declines of at least 20% due to exposure to alternative energy plants. They also found evidence of dangers to several populations due to harm done to migration networks, threats that go far beyond the location of plants.

Explore further Wind energy company kills 150 eagles in US, pleads guilty

More information: Tara J. Conkling et al, Vulnerability of avian populations to renewable energy production, Royal Society Open Science (2022). Journal information: Royal Society Open Science Tara J. Conkling et al, Vulnerability of avian populations to renewable energy production,(2022). DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211558

 2022 Science X Network
Vervet handling the box to retrieve the half banana. Credit: TJM Arseneau-Robar, KA Anderson, EN Vasey, P Sicotte, JA Teichroeb

Vervet monkeys are quick and clever planners of the best route to follow on foraging trips, shows a new study. When dominant group mates are too far away to interfere, vervets tend to choose the shortest route along successive food sites, snacking on each at leisure. But when dominants group mates are nearby, they seem to assess the time before these can approach and displace them at the feeding site. They then choose the route that maximizes their food intake and minimizes travel distance before the competitors' arrival.

These results, published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, mean that vervets have excellent cognitive skills for quickly appraising the social context and planning their route accordingly. These skills allow them to choose foraging strategies that we would call rational if shown by humans.

Dr. Julie A Teichroeb, associate professor at the Department of Anthropology of the University of Toronto Scarborough and the study's corresponding author, says that they "show that vervet monkeys make foraging decisions that minimize travel time and distance, but also ensure they get access to their preferred food rewards when competitors are present."

Bananas: A skillful prize

Teichroeb and colleagues study wild vervets (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) in central Uganda. In the present experimental study, done in early 2019, they presented vervets in one social groupused to the presence of researcherswith two types of food: less tasty corn (maize) kernels, and the vervets' favorite, half a banana in a box with a hole. These foods were laid out on platforms arranged in the shape of a pentagon, where each platform was five meters away from its two nearest neighbors. Unlike corn, bananas required skill and time to retrieve: vervets had to learn through trial and error to shake, roll, or tip over the boxa process which took between one and 69 seconds, depending on the vervet's experience and skill.

Closeup of a vervet from K social group in central Uganda. Credit: TJM Arseneau-Robar, KA Anderson, EN Vasey, P Sicotte, JA Teichroeb

Before each of the 1028 trials, the researchers provisioned one platform chosen at random with banana, and the other four with corn. A trial started when vervets began to forage. The researchers could recognize each of the 44 vervets in the group individually from their distinctive faces, fur color, and other natural markings.

Teichroeb says that "in previous work we have shown that vervets faced with a similar foraging problem immediately rush for preferred food sites when a competitor is present, but take the route that minimizes travel distance between food sites when foraging alone. In this feeding array, that would be to start at the nearest platform, then move along the outside of the array and only take the banana when it was encountered."

"However, the large sample size in the present study allowed us to show that vervet foraging decisions were much more complex than the above simple dichotomy."

Rather, the vervet's planning proved to depend on "complex, multifactor decisions that consider a great deal of contextual information," the authors wrote. For example, vervets still took the route that minimized travel distance when no group mates were near. But if there were, they quickly assessed the risk of competition and modified their route accordingly. Key factors included the focal vervet's individual skill in handling the banana box, its rank relative to any nearby competitors, and the latter's distance to the feeding array.

Closeup of a vervet from K social group in central Uganda. Credit: TJM Arseneau-Robar, KA Anderson, EN Vasey, P Sicotte, JA Teichroeb

Clever monkeys

First author Dr. Jean Arseneau-Robar, a postdoctoral researcher at same institute, says that "when the competitor was at the array with them at the onset of the trial, the vervets took the hurried solution and immediately rushed to the banana, retrieving and eating it quickly. They also made a beeline for the banana when there was a high risk of competition."

"This was the case if the dominant had short travel distance to travel time, or if the focal vervet was unskilled at retrieving the banana. But if the latter had a bit more time, he or she would stop to eat from a corn platform en route to the banana."

But not all individuals made such complex decisions. Adult males, who outrank all other group members, don't have to worry about losing food to dominant competitors. Arseneau-Robar says that "the adult males only needed to decide which food patches they wanted, and which patches they would let other group members have."

Teichroeb says that their "findings show how incredibly complex foraging decisions can be in vervet monkeys. Decision-makers are taking in a lot of ecological and social information, while also considering their own current food-handling skill, and synthesizing this all very quickly before executing their route decision. And they are very good at making the best decisions, as they manage to get their preferred food in the vast majority of cases, even when under pressure."

More information: T. Jean M. Arseneau-Robar et al, Think Fast!: Vervet Monkeys Assess the Risk of Being Displaced by a Dominant Competitor When Making Foraging Decisions, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (2022). Journal information: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution T. Jean M. Arseneau-Robar et al, Think Fast!: Vervet Monkeys Assess the Risk of Being Displaced by a Dominant Competitor When Making Foraging Decisions,(2022). DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.775288
Preflight image of the CubeLab containing LambdaVision's Protein-Based Artificial Retina Manufacturing investigation, which tests manufacturing artificial retinas containing a light-activated protein. Credit: LambdaVision

NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 mission, originally scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on Saturday, April 23, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, has been rescheduled to Wednesday, April 27. This launch carries three NASA astronautsKjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, and Jessica Watkinsand ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. This spaceflight is the first for Hines and Watkins and the second for Lindgren and Cristoforetti.

Here are details on some of the research riding with the crew aboard the SpaceX Dragon Freedom capsule into low-Earth orbit:

Replacement retinas

Artificial retinas could restore meaningful vision for the millions of people on Earth who suffer from retinal degenerative diseases, including retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. The ISS National Lab-sponsored study Protein-Based Artificial Retina Manufacturing evaluates a manufacturing process to develop artificial human retinas using a light-activated protein called bacteriorhodopsin, which could replace the function of damaged light-sensing cells in the eye. The process creates implants by applying layer after layer of a thin film. Microgravity may improve the quality and stability of the films by limiting the aggregation and sedimentation of particles that occur on Earth. The investigators from U.S.-based company LambdaVision conducted earlier experiments on the space station to determine whether the layering process worked better in microgravity. This investigation builds on that work.

This image shows the components of the Smart-Shirt garment, including integrated sensors, wiring, and a communication module to transmit scientific data via a wireless link for BEAT experiment, part of the Wireless Compose-2 investigation. The technology demonstration builds on work by the German Space Agency (DLR) to develop wireless network infrastructure to support scientific experiments on the space station. Credit: DLR

The wonders of wireless

Wireless Compose-2, an investigation from ESA, demonstrates the capabilities of wireless networks to support science experiments and provide precise control and navigation of free-flying objects. One of these free-fliers is Cimon, an artificial intelligence assistant that ESA currently is testing on the space station. Wireless Compose-2 includes operation of a German Space Agency (DLR) experiment, Ballistocardiography for Extraterrestrial Applications and long-Term missions (BEAT), which uses sensors built into a garment to monitor and measure heart parameters such as blood pressure. Normally, scientists can only access these data using sonograms and computer tomography or computerized X-ray imaging. This technology could provide greater insight into performance of the cardiovascular system in space and how it changes during a long-term space mission.

Crew-4 also continues operations for experiments already under way on the space station, including:

ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti conducts a test run for SPHERES during her previous mission to the space station in 2014. For that investigation, students wrote software to direct multiple free-flying satellites in creating 3D models of a target object. Credit: NASA

Student software in space

Kibo-RPC allows students to create programs to control an Astrobee, one of the space station's free-flying robots. Sponsored by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), this program provides participants hands-on experience with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in space, helping to inspire the next generation of explorers. During her previous flight, Cristoforetti worked on a similar student program, SPHERES-VERTIGO. For that investigation, students wrote software to use multiple free-flying satellites to construct 3D models of a target object. The ability to create such models of unknown objects in space using one or two small satellites has potential applications for a wide range of space missions. Listen to Cristoforetti talk about some of the research she conducted on her previous mission.

NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren takes a bite of a lettuce plant harvested from the VEG-01 investigation during Expedition 44. Credit: NASA

Look Ma, no soil!

XROOTS uses hydroponic (liquid-based) and aeroponic (air-based) techniques to grow plants without soil or other traditional growth media. Investigators plan to use video and still images to evaluate plant growth through the entire life cycle. Current space-based plant systems are small and use particulate media-based systems to deliver water and nutrients. These do not scale up well in space due to mass, containment, maintenance, and sanitation issues. Hydroponic and aeroponic techniques could enable production of crops on a larger scale for future space exploration. The system components developed for this investigation also could enhance cultivation of plants in terrestrial settings such as greenhouses, contributing to better food security for people on Earth. On his previous mission, Lindgren worked on Veg-01, a system that cultivated plants using pillows, small expandable units containing growth medium and seeds. That experiment produced red romaine lettuce, and Lindgren became one of the first people to taste a plant grown in space. Crew-4 members are not expected to eat the XROOTS plants, which will be sent back to Earth for analysis.

This preflight view of rHEALTH ONE hardware shows fluid bottles used in the experiment operations without the custom bags required for the bottles to function in microgravity. Credit: rHEALTH

Medical monitoring

Monitoring crew health on deep-space exploration missions presents unique challenges, including limited space for medical devices and the inability to return samples to Earth for analysis. The rHEALTH demonstration tests using a modified, commercial off-the-shelf device to diagnose certain medical conditions. The device uses flow cytometry, a method using lasers to sort and identify cells, and can analyze cell count and cell characteristics; detect microorganisms, biomarkers, and proteins; and diagnose health disorders such as blood cancers. The demonstration verifies that the hardware can function in the space environment and evaluates its accuracy. This technology also could provide timely, cost-effective, reliable, and convenient diagnostic tests for patients on Earth who lack access to robust health-care infrastructure.

Explore further NASA sending four astronauts to ISS on Sunday
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Among the many complex arguments over water in California, one particularly heated debate centers on whether the state should seek more drinking water from a plentiful but expensive source: the Pacific Ocean.

The debate has reached a critical stage in Huntington Beach, where Poseidon Water has been trying for more than two decades to build one of the country's largest desalination plants. The California Coastal Commission is scheduled to vote next month on whether to grant a permit to build the plant.

The long-running fight over the proposal encompasses contentious issues such as the effects on marine life, power requirements and whether the low-lying site is vulnerable to sea-level rise, as well as the company's heavy political lobbying for the lucrative project.

At the heart of the debate, there are fundamental arguments about whether Orange County really needs the water, how the area should adapt to worsening droughts with climate change, and whether the costs would be a reasonable investment to secure reliable water or an exorbitant megaproject that would mean higher water rates for decades to come.

The dispute is playing out as Western states endure rising temperatures and a regionwide drought that scientists say is the driest 22-year period in 1,200 years. Shrinking water sources and depleted reservoirs have prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom and other officials to appeal for Californians to reduce water use.

The company and its supporters argue that building the $1.4-billion desalination plant would buttress local water supplies and make the area more resilient. Opponents call it a boondoggle that would benefit parent company Brookfield Infrastructure while saddling ratepayers with the costs.

"We're not saying we should never do desalination, but it should be the last resort," said Andrea Leon-Grossmann, director of climate action for the nonprofit group Azul. "It's just not needed."

She said northern and central Orange County have ample water supplies, including groundwater and recycled wastewater, and there are other solutions that are far more economical, such as investing in conservation programs and water-efficiency improvements.

Azul is part of a coalition of environmental groups called Stop Poseidon, which also includes the California Coastkeeper Alliance, California Coastal Protection Network, Orange County Coastkeeper and the Surfrider Foundation. The coalition's members have submitted a 153-page report to the Coastal Commission detailing their opposition to the project.

Leon-Grossmann said the expected increase in water rates would also be an environmental justice issue. If local officials agree to purchase the water, she said, the higher rates would disproportionately affect communities where residents are already struggling economically.

The company has said the costs have yet to be finalized but that monthly water rates could increase by roughly $3 to $6 per household.

In Oak View, a neighborhood where the predominantly Latino residents are already coping with rising rents, higher water rates would be an unwelcome burden, said Oscar Rodriguez, co-founder of the local group Oak View ComUNIDAD.

"Unaffordable water is just going to hurt families," Rodriguez said.

That was also the conclusion of 2019 UCLA report that said building the plant would probably bring "moderate to severe rate increases," which would "make water less affordable for low-income households."

Activists who oppose the project have pointed to the findings of a recent study by the Pacific Institute, which found that investing in existing technologies and standard water-saving practices could improve efficiency to reduce California's urban water use between 30% and 48%.

Public funding is better spent on such initiatives and not desalination, said Alejandro Sobrera Barboza, coordinator for the Sunrise Movement in Orange County. "We just need to live in a more efficient and sustainable way," he said.

Poseidon's Huntington Beach Seawater Desalination Plant would be capable of producing up to 50 million gallons of drinking water per day.

The plant wouldn't be the first of its kind. Sixty miles to the south in Carlsbad, the nation's largest desalination plant has been churning out drinking water since 2015.

Water from the Claude "Bud" Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant is sold to the San Diego County Water Authority under a 30-year contract. The water accounts for about 10% of what's used by the area's 3.3 million people.

The current price of water under the purchase agreement is $2,710 per acre-foot, substantially more than rates for imported water, which are now less than $1,090 per acre-foot.

The Water Authority says the typical monthly cost is about $5 per household.

During a tour of the Carlsbad plant, Poseidon Water's managers said the facility is bringing big benefits.

"This is the only drought-proof water supply in San Diego County," said Jessica Jones, the company's director of communications. "It's also the largest local water supply in the county."

The plant has allowed San Diego County to rely less heavily on water supplies imported from Northern California and the Colorado River.

"We're always facing some level of drought in California, and these plants are not built overnight. And so it's important to look forward to the future and do that planning now," Jones said.

Walking outside the building that houses the plant's reverse-osmosis system, Michelle Peters, Poseidon's technical and compliance manager, stood by a white pipe 6 feet in diameter emblazoned with the words SEA WATER SUPPLY.

"This is bringing in about 100 million gallons of seawater of every day," Peters said.

About half the water that courses through the plant is transformed into drinking water. The water flows through filters and is pushed by high-pressure pumps, passing through thousands of reverse-osmosis membranes. The remaining salty brine is released into the ocean.

The proposed plant would use some existing infrastructure at the AES Huntington Beach Energy Center, including a 14-foot-wide intake that would draw seawater from the ocean about 1,800 feet offshore. Poseidon has an agreement with AES, if it secures the permit, to buy 12 acres and build the plant on land where three old oil tanks now stand.

The California Coastal Commission is scheduled to vote on whether to approve a coastal development permit at a May 12 meeting in Costa Mesa. The agency's staff plans to release their recommendation to commissioners on Monday.

State scientists have said the plant's intake and discharge would kill significant amounts of plankton and fish larvae that are vital to the marine ecosystem. The company has proposed environmental mitigation projects that include dredging an inlet of the Bolsa Chica wetlands, restoring coastal marshes and laying down an artificial reef off the Palos Verdes Peninsula to provide fish habitat.

Opponents of the project have argued with the company and its supporters about the effects on marine ecosystem, the extent to which the plant could secure renewable energy, the potential hazards at an adjacent toxic site, the risks posed by earthquakes and tsunamis, and whether an oil spill like the one that occurred last year would affect the plant's operations. Activists have also said the plant would be vulnerable to sea-level rise.

The company has studied sea-level rise and other potential hazards and found no risks that the plant couldn't be designed to address, said James Golden, project development manager for Poseidon. He said that once the oil tanks are removed, part of the construction would involve using soil to raise the ground level of the site, which would be between 6.4 feet and 13 feet above the average sea level.

"Under all circumstances, our site is not vulnerable to sea-level rise," Golden said.

The company has yet to sign any contracts to deliver water. Officials with the Orange County Water District, which serves an area of about 2.5 million residents, have expressed interest through a nonbinding agreement and, in 2018, discussed initial estimates of what the water could cost.

Still, desalinated water is a divisive issue even for district board members.

Steve Sheldon, the board's president, said desalinated water is necessary in the face of severe drought and the effects of climate change. He pointed out that Southern California water suppliers are expected to receive just 5% of their full allocations from the State Water Project this year, and that the Colorado River is in a worsening shortage.

"We need an independent reliable source of water to augment these unreliable sources," Sheldon said. Though the costs are unknown for now, Sheldon expects the cost of desalinated water to become less expensive than imported water during a 30-year agreement.

Years ago, Sheldon worked as a consultant for Poseidon, but that work stopped before the subject came up at the water district, he said.

Kelly Rowe, a fellow board member, strongly opposes the company's plan. He called the proposal an "incredibly stupid project."

Rowe, who works as a hydrogeologist and water resources specialist, said the district has a large quantity of available groundwater in northern Orange County, supplemented by recycled wastewater from a large groundwater replenishment system. Groundwater pumping supplies 77% of the district's water, and the remaining 23% is imported at a cost of about $1,200 per-acre foot.

Rowe said he expects the cost of desalinated water would end up being similar to the cost in San Diego County, if not more, and would far exceed the initial estimates.

"We don't need the water," Rowe said.

Some residents argue that the site is also subject to other hazards. They point to the adjacent 38-acre Ascon landfill site, where drilling waste from oilfields was dumped decades ago and where complicated cleanup work remains unfinished.

"This area is like Pandora's box," said Nancy Buchoz, who lives in a neighborhood across the street. She said she's concerned construction work could disturb contaminated soil and release hazardous pollution.

Poseidon said there is no risk of potential contamination from the site. The Ascon cleanup project has conducted groundwater monitoring and there is "no evidence that contamination issues extend offsite," Jones said in an email. She said pipelines would run on the opposite side of a road and "would be protected from potential groundwater infiltration."

The company would also clean up any contamination found on the construction site, Jones said.

Huntington Beach Mayor Barbara Delgleize said the plant would boost the economy and help the area diversify with a reliable water supply.

Additional supporters include Newsom, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and other members of Congress and the state Legislature. According to California secretary of state records, the company has spent more than $979,000 on lobbying since 2019.

One of Poseidon's local supporters is Shirley Dettloff, a former Huntington Beach mayor and former member of the state Coastal Commission who as an environmentalist fought to protect the Bolsa Chica wetlands from development.

"The world is changing, and it's changing at a rapid pace, especially climate change," Dettloff said. "I just look at the future and see that we've got to plan ahead."

She and other supporters point to countries such as Israel and Australia, where desalination plants have been running for years.

The desal business has been booming in water-stressed regions around the world. Countries across the Arabian Peninsula, from Oman to Qatar to Kuwait, depend heavily on government-subsidized desalination plants powered by fossil fuels. Plants have also been built in Jordan, Egypt, Spain, Singapore, South Africa and other countries.

In California, Santa Barbara has an operating desalination plant. And the South Coast Water District is moving forward with plans to build the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project in Dana Point, which would draw seawater through slant wells beneath the ocean floor.

Critics of the Huntington Beach proposal say a smaller design using subsurface intake wells would prevent tiny marine life from being sucked in and killed. The company said the regional water board determined that subsurface intakes wouldn't be feasible "for all reasonable intake design capacities," and that the Orange County Water District has a goal of securing 50 million gallons per day.

Mandy Sackett, a policy coordinator for the Surfrider Foundation, said a different design could reduce environmental impacts but that the company has other priorities and is "taking advantage of California's drought fears."

Susan Jordan, executive director of the California Coastal Protection Network, has been fighting the project since 2010. She said that if the plant is approved, it would "set a terrible precedent for the future of California and for water supply alternatives, and it should be only a last resort."

"This is not about providing water for California," Jordan said. "This is about making profit for global investors and nothing more."

Explore further Technological solutions to droughts

2022 Los Angeles Times.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Credit: Lund University

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have identified the top 12 ways European cities have been able to curb car use and published their results in Case Studies on Transport Policy. The most effective measure was applying a congestion charge, with the notable case of London, where city traffic dropped by 33% following the change. Most success stories involved both "carrots" to encourage sustainable mobility and "sticks" to restrict cars, according to the study.

"Transport is a major source of climate pollution in Europe, and these emissions aren't really declining. Current policies heavily subsidize private car use and parking, hiding the true costs of driving for society. The newly launched EU Mission aims to have 100 climate-neutral cities in Europe by 2030. This will be nearly impossible to achieve without reducing car traffic. To make progress, we need to know the most effective ways to free cities from excessive dominance by cars," says Kimberly Nicholas, researcher at Lund University.

The study quantifies how well 12 measures reduce car use, drawing from real-world experience in cities across Europe. Nicholas and Paula Kuss screened nearly 800 peer-reviewed studies and case studies to uncover those dozen measures.

"We didn't find one silver bulletthe cities that were successful combined a few different policy instruments, especially charging for or restricting driving and parking, combined with investing in public and active transport infrastructure like bike lanes," says Kimberly Nicholas.

Especially effective measures included a congestion charge, which cities including London, Milan, Stockholm, and Gothenburg have used to reduce traffic across the whole city center by 1233%. Oslo's replacement of parking spaces with strollable car-free streets and bike lanes, and Rome's restriction on cars entering the city center, with violation fines used to finance public transport, both reduced car traffic around 1020%. The measures are described in more detail in a feature article in The Conversation.

About 75% of initiatives were led by local city governments, often in collaboration with local companies or local public transport providers and civil society.

Collaborations between cities, employers and universities could also play an important role in reducing traffic. Utrecht reduced the share of commuters traveling by car by 37% by providing mobility services including free public transit pass for employees and workplace shuttle buses. Bristol in the UK and Catania in Italy both reduced car commutes to the university by 2427% with travel planning for staff to use car-sharing, walking, biking, or public transport, or mobility services to provide free public transport for students respectively.

"Our results show that there are already European cities succeeding at reducing car use and improving quality of life and sustainable mobility for residents. With this analysis, we hope other cities can learn from and implement these successes," concludes Kimberly Nicholas.

More information: Paula Kuss et al, A dozen effective interventions to reduce car use in European cities: Lessons learned from a meta-analysis and Transition Management, Case Studies on Transport Policy (2022). Paula Kuss et al, A dozen effective interventions to reduce car use in European cities: Lessons learned from a meta-analysis and Transition Management,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.cstp.2022.02.001
It used to take Sperata Nyirahabinshuti three hours to travel from her home in Huye, a town in southern Rwanda, to Nyaruguru, a district where Kibeho, a holy site, is located.

Now, thanks to a road built by a Chinese firm, she can reach there in only 40 minutes and join thousands of other pilgrims heading for Kibeho every year.

The upgrading of the 66 kilometer Huye-Nyaruguru road, which cuts through Kibeho-Ndago, Ndago-Munini, Ndago-Ngoma and Kibeho urban roads, started in 2019.

The project, contracted to China's Sinohydro Corporation Ltd, will become fully operational next October, several months later than the originally scheduled April, due to a suspension of work during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The road, now mostly completed, has brought hope to residents like Nyirahabinshuti for a more prosperous future.

"Movement was not easy due to the poor state of the road," she recalled. "Nyaruguru district was almost cut off."

The bad condition of the old road also led to many accidents, and when it rained, the road became barely passable, Nyirahabinshuti said.

"But now I'm excited about the new road," said the 30-year-old office worker.

The road cuts through one town, Kibeho, and several villages, the largest of which are Ndago, Ngoma and Munini.

In the past, these villages were shunned by motorists due to the poor road network, said another area resident, Benjamin Niyibizi.

"Moving from Huye to Kibeho using public transport was almost impossible. A lot of time was wasted on the way and you could reach there with a lot of fatigue," he said.

"We had only one or two public transport buses plying the route, but now every 30 minutes there is a bus heading to Kibeho from Huye and vice versa, following the upgrading of the road," said Niyibizi, who is in his 30s and runs a small business of his own.

"It is a huge transformation," he said, adding that the new road has greatly increased traffic, where every five minutes there is a vehicle passing.

"It was not like this before. It has changed for the better," Niyibizi said.

Businesses and farmers can now easily transport their products to market centers, leading to improvement in people's livelihoods, he said.

Francois Usabyimana has worked as a surveyor with the Chinese contractor for two years since completing his civil engineering course.

"This road has brought new life to the villages and promises prosperity to the communities here," he said. "Reaching market centers was difficult, but it has been eased for producers of different products."

Rwandan officials say that the road promotes the export of high mountain tea from Southern Province, the main production area of the cash crop, and boosts the overall economy of the region.

The contract to design and upgrade the Huye-Kibeho-Ngoma/Munini road to asphalt concrete standard was signed in 2016 between Rwanda Transport Development Agency and Sinohydro.

The road was originally scheduled for completion in April, but was delayed because of COVID-19 restrictions.

"We halted work from March to May in 2020," Yao Zheng, the project's manager, said.

Sinohydro has since added more equipment and human resources to accelerate the project's work, with a new completion date set for October, he said.
Slate ring ornaments from the Stone Age. Credit: Marja Ahola

As most archaeological material is found in a fragmented state, the phenomenon has been considered a natural consequence of objects' having been long buried underground. However, according to Postdoctoral Researcher Marja Ahola from the University of Helsinki, not all objects have necessarily been broken by accident. Instead, it is possible some were fragmented on purpose as part of maintaining social relations, bartering or ritual activities.

The research now completed has demonstrated that a substantial number of ornaments have been found in extensive and central locations. As some of the ornaments originate in Lake Onega region and have been transported to Finland through a widespread exchange network, it is possible that they symbolize the connections established within the network.

By matching pieces of slate ring ornaments, analyzing their geochemical composition and investigating traces of use and manufacture in the objects, a research group at the University of Helsinki and the University of Turku demonstrated that the ornaments had not only been worn, but also intentionally broken. Because fragments from the same ornament were found in two different locations, it is possible that they were worn by two different individuals. Another indication of this is the fact that one of the fragments had been worked on more finely than the other.

"These fragments of the same object may show the handprint and preferences of two individuals. Perhaps they wore the ornaments as a symbol of a connection established," Ahola muses.

A similar link was found in slate ring ornaments created during the same manufacturing process, one of which was found in a settlement-site context and the other in a burial site investigated near the settlement.

"What we see here may be one way of maintaining connection between the living and the dead. This is also the first clear material connection between a certain place of residence and a burial site. In other words, the people who lived there most likely buried their dead in a site close to them," Ahola explains.

An X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) of a little over 50 slate ring ornaments demonstrated that some of the ornaments or fragments thereof had been imported from Lake Onega region, Russia, hundreds of kilometers from the site where they were found. XRF analyses can be used to determine the element concentrations and raw materials of inorganic archaeological materials with a very high precision. The technique can be applied as an entirely non-invasive surface analysis, which makes it perfectly suited to the study of archaeological objects.

"By comparing the elemental concentrations of the objects under investigation with findings published on the basis of international datasets, we were able to demonstrate that some of the ornaments or the stone material used in them was transported to Finland through an extensive exchange network, primarily from the Lake Onega region. There was also variation in the chemical composition of the objects, which correlates with their design. These factors indicate that the ornaments were produced at Lake Onega region in several batches, most likely in different locations and by a number of makers," says Docent Elisabeth Holmqvist-Sipila from the University of Helsinki.

The research was published in the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory.

More information: Marja Ahola et al, Materialising the Social Relationships of Hunter-Gatherers: Archaeological and Geochemical Analyses of 4th Millennium BC 'Slate Ring Ornaments' from Finland, Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory (2022). Marja Ahola et al, Materialising the Social Relationships of Hunter-Gatherers: Archaeological and Geochemical Analyses of 4th Millennium BC 'Slate Ring Ornaments' from Finland,(2022). DOI: 10.1007/s10816-022-09556-8
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Bees are among the most important pollinators on earth. They pollinate not only plants with beautiful flowers, but also many crops. But despite the insects' great importance for humans and nature, their population is declining. Researchers cite various possible causes for this, including pesticides. This factor has now been investigated in a study by an international research team with the participation of the Julius-Maximilians-University (JMU) Wurzburg. They found that pesticides are probably a major factor in the reproduction of bees.

In bees, males are produced from unfertilized eggs. Female bees, on the other hand, are produced through the mating of males and females. The research team wanted to find out what factors might be contributing to the decline in the bee population. It focused on early stages of the insects' reproduction. Horned mason bees (Osmia cornuta) were exposed to a low-toxicity, non-lethal dose of the fungicide fenbuconazole. Fungicides are used to fight fungi and spores as crop protection agents.

Female mason bees evaluate male quality signals when choosing a mating partnermost importantly their odor and thoracic vibrations. "If the fungicide has an effect on male quality signals, this should increase the likelihood that pesticide-exposed males will be rejected by females," explains entomologist and lead author of the study, Samuel Boff. Boff conducted his research at JMU and University of Milan and is now a research associate at the Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics at Ulm University.

A clear result

As a result, male bees exposed to the fungicide were more likely to be rejected by females. "We also found that the pesticide-exposed males vibrate their thoracic muscle less and also had a different odor composition than the un-exposed males," Boff said. He concludes that "the decline in bee populations in agricultural landscapes could therefore be explained by the effect of pesticides on insect mating behavior."

This paper is the first study to show that a fungicide with low toxicity has an impact on the reproduction of bees in the mating phase. "Our study shows that the early stages of bee reproduction must be included in the risk assessment of pesticides," says also Professor Thomas Schmitt, Chair of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biologist at JMU. He was also involved in the study. Boff hopes for broader testing of different classes of pesticides on bee behavior and their chemical signals: "So that more effective bee protection can really take place."

Further steps

The next steps include conducting further experiments on mating behavior, as the researchers want to find out whether different classes of pesticides also affect the mating decisions of other wild bee species. They also recommend bee monitoring programs to compare reproductive outcomes of wild bees in areas with pesticide exposure and in ecological areas.

The research team has published their results in the Journal of Applied Ecology. In addition to Boff (JMU/Ulm) and Schmitt (JMU), Professor Daniela Lupi (University of Milan, Italy) and several scientists from Germany and Brazil were also involved in the study.

Explore further Bumblebees' nutrition influences their pesticide resistance

More information: Samuel Boff et al, Low toxicity crop fungicide (fenbuconazole) impacts reproductive male quality signals leading to a reduction of mating success in a wild solitary bee, Journal of Applied Ecology (2022). Samuel Boff et al, Low toxicity crop fungicide (fenbuconazole) impacts reproductive male quality signals leading to a reduction of mating success in a wild solitary bee,(2022). DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14169
This photograph shows two Philoponella prominens spiders mating. Credit: Shichang Zhang

After males of the orb-weaving spider Philoponella prominens mate with a female, they quickly launch themselves away, researchers report on April 25 in the journal Current Biology. Using a mechanism that hadn't been described before, the male spiders use a joint in their first pair of legs to immediately undertake a split-second catapult action, flinging themselves away from their partners at impressive speeds clocked at up to 88 centimeters per second (cm/s).

"We found that mating was always ended by a catapulting, which is so fast that common cameras could not record the details clearly," says Shichang Zhang of Hubei University in Wuhan, China.

The reason the males catapult themselves is simple: to avoid being eaten by the female in an act of sexual cannibalism. The few males the researchers saw that didn't catapult were promptly captured, killed, and consumed by their female partners. When the researchers prevented males from catapulting, they met the same fate.

Zhang and colleagues made this discovery while studying sexual selection in this spider, which lives in communal groups of up to 300 individuals in a web complex with many individual webs within it. Of 155 successful matings, they report that 152 ended with the male catapulting. All those catapulting males survived their sexual encounters.

The three males that didn't catapult were killed. Another 30 prevented by the researchers from catapulting also got killed and eaten by the female. The researchers say that the findings show clearly that the catapulting behavior is required to avoid sexual cannibalism.

A male spider catapulting off a female during mating. Credit: Shichang Zhang

With high-resolution video cameras, the researchers calculated an average peak speed of catapulting spiders of about 65 cm/s. Speeds ranged from about 30 cm/s to almost 90 cm/s. They also accelerated at an average of about 200 m/s2. As they soar through the air, the males also spin around 175 times per second on average.

The males manage to catapult at these speeds by folding their tibia-metatarsus joint against the female. When released, hydraulic pressure allows for rapid expansion. The joint in question lacks extensor muscles in spiders, they explain.

Two Philoponella prominens spiders mating. Credit: Shichang Zhang

"We observed that males that could not perform the catapulting were cannibalized by the female," Zhang says. "It suggests that this behavior evolved to fight against female's sexual cannibalism under strong predation pressure of females.

"Females may use this behavior to judge the quality of a male during mating," he adds. "If a male could not perform catapulting, then kill it, and if a male could perform it multiple times, then accept its sperm."

In future studies, they hope to explore the role of catapulting ability in male mating success.

Explore further Male orb-weaving spiders cannibalized by females may be choosy about mating
An illustration of the Gateway, which will serve as the home base for human and robotic missions to the moon and, ultimately, Mars. Credit: NASA

Since 2002, the United States National Research Council (NRC) has released a publication that identifies objectives and makes recommendations for science missions for NASA, the National Science Foundation, and other government agencies for the next decade. These reports, appropriately named Planetary Science Decadal Surveys, help inform future NASA missions that address the mysteries that persist in astronomy, astrophysics, earth science, and heliophysics.

On Thursday, April 19th, in a briefing in Washington D.C., the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) shared the main findings of the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 20232032. The event was live-streamed and consisted of NASEM committee members discussing the key science questions, priority missions, and research strategies identified and recommended, followed by a Q&A session with the audience.

The third Decadal Survey, titled "Origins, Worlds, and Life," consists of 522 white papers submitted by scientists from NASA-affiliated universities and research institutes worldwide. This includes the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL), the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, the Planetary Science Institute (PSI), and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL).

The committee

The committee members that led the briefing consisted of Davis Smith, the senior program officer of NASEM's Space Studies Board (SSB); Philip Christensen, the Regents Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE) at Arizona State University (ASU); and Robin Canup, the assistant vice president of the Space Science and Engineering Division at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), part of the NASA Planetary Science Directorate (PSD).

The proposals were divided into six categories, reflecting the different panels that make up the Decadal Survey. These include the Small Solar System Bodies, Giant Planet Systems, Venus, Ocean Worlds & Dwarf Planets, Mars, and Mercury & the Moon panels. Each reviewed the white papers submitted, identified three priority science questions, and recommended which mission proposals would help address these questions.

Robin Canup, who is also the co-chair of the National Academies' steering committee for the decadal survey, said in a NASEM news release:

"This report sets out an ambitious but practicable vision for advancing the frontiers of planetary science, astrobiology, and planetary defense in the next decade. This recommended portfolio of missions, high-priority research activities, and technology development will produce transformative advances in human knowledge and understanding about the origin and evolution of the solar system, and of life and the habitability of other bodies beyond Earth."

Overall, the committee identified twelve priority science questions divided into three categories: Origins, Worlds and Processes, and Life & Habitability. Each category contained a series of major areas of investigation (12 in total) with several specific questions about them. The NASEM committee then examined the many robotic and crewed mission proposals that are meant to happen in the next decadeto the moon, Mars, Venus, and the outer solar system.

Their recommendations are presented in the Decadal Survey, which designated priority to missions that they felt would best fulfill the objectives identified. First and foremost, they identified which concepts NASA should pursue in the coming decade as Large Strategic Science Missions (LSSM)formerly known as "Flagship missions."

Flagship missions

The highest priority for a Flagship mission was given to a robotic mission that would explore Uranus. This mission would deliver an in-situ atmospheric probe into Uranus' atmosphere and conduct a multi-year orbital tour to study the ice giant and its system. This mission is known as the Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP), whose scientific objectives would include the study of Uranus' interior, atmosphere, magnetosphere, satellites, and rings.

The UOP was first recommended in 2011 as part of the "Visions and Voyages" Planetary Science Decadal Survey (20132022) and envisaged a launch between 20202023, followed by a 13-year cruise to Uranus. However, the mission was considered a lower priority than missions to Mars (the Perseverance rover) and the Jovian system (the Europa Clipper mission). If NASA decides to fund this mission proposal, the spacecraft will launch in the early 2030s to coincide with a favorable alignment of the planets.

Another proposal selected as a priority Flagship mission was the Enceladus Orbilander, a combined orbiter and surface lander that will study the active plumes of gas and particles emanating from Enceladus' southern polar region. The mission will study these plumes (which originate from Enceladus' subsurface ocean) from orbit and during a two-year landed mission. The objectives will be to search for evidence of life (biosignatures) in the plumes and obtain geochemical and geophysical context for life detection experiments.

New Frontier missions

Beyond Flagship-priority missions, the Survey identifies several medium-priority New Frontier (NF) missions. This program calls for Principle Investigator-led (PI-led) missions with specific themes to be selected through a competitive process. Using the scientific questions and priorities they identified, the committee selected several additional missions to explore the many "Ocean Worlds" of the solar system.

These included a Ceres sample return mission, which would address questions arising from previous observations, including those conducted by NASA's Dawn mission. This mission would consist of an orbiter and lander that study Ceres from orbit and land on the surface to obtain a sample from its icy crust and return it to Earth for analysis. Their findings would help scientists better constrain the composition of the largest body in the Main Asteroid Belt.

The Europa Clipper and Europa Lander concepts were also recommended, which would travel to the Jovian system in the next decade to survey Europa's surface and plume activity for potential signs of life (aka. biosignatures). As noted, the Europa Clipper was deprioritized this time around in favor of a mission to Enceladus (along with the UOP). According to the committee, the radiation environment around Jupiter is more favorable for an astrobiology mission.

Eight other missions were prioritized for the NF program to augment other mission proposals and fulfill other established science objectives. These included a Centaur orbiter and lander, a comet surface sample return, an Enceladus orbiter that would conduct multiple flybys, a Lunar Geophysical Network, a Saturn probe, a Titan orbiter, and Venus In-Situ Explorer. More information on these missions can be found in the Survey Report here.

Mars exploration

Regarding future exploration missions to Mars, the committee indicated that the highest scientific priority was the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. A joint effort by NASA and the ESA, this mission would consist of an orbiter, lander, rover, and launch vehicle that would retrieve samples obtained by the Perseverance rover and return them to Earth for analysis. As NASEM summarized in Chapter 22 of the Survey Report:

"The Perseverance rover is collecting samples from Jezero Crater, a former lake basin with a feeding channel system that was carved into Noachian (>3.7 Ga*) stratigraphy. Distinct types of sedimentary, igneous, water-altered, and impact-formed rocks accessible in this region will provide a geological record of a time interval particularly important for understanding Mars's environmental evolution and, potentially, its biology."

"Sample return will provide geologic materials that are not represented among Martian meteorites and whose volatile, organic, and secondary mineral composition have not been altered by impact In addition, sample return will allow for future analyses by instruments and techniques not yet developed. As has been the case with the Apollo samples from the moon, future analyses are expected to yield profound results for many decades after sample return."

Priority is also given to a Mars Life Explorer (MLE) mission, which would build on NASA's Mars Exploration Program (MEP), which the report identifies as a "scientific success story." Established in response to NASA's 2014 Strategic Plan, the MEP has dispatched a series of robotic orbiters, landers, and rovers to search for evidence of past life on Mars and provide the information necessary for the future human exploration of Marswhich are scheduled to begin by 2033.

The long list of MEP missions includes (but is not limited to) the 2001 Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), and Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) orbiters, the InSight Lander, and the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers. For the MLE, the mission proposal envisions a near-surface water ice investigation that would validate in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technologies that crewed missions would depend on to provide a steady water supply.

Lunar Discovery and Exploration Program (LDEP)

Another major priority identified in the report relates to NASA's plans for sending crewed missions to the moon in the near future (the Artemis Program) and related lunar activities. Given the ambitious goals of this program, which include establishing a "sustained program of lunar exploration," the report stresses how considerable investment and research and development are required now to "enable and optimize high-priority lunar science activities with humans at the moon."

To this end, a Lunar Discovery and Exploration Program (LDEP) is identified as being vital to the future of human exploration efforts because of the exploration and science goals involved. Similarly, there's the way a "sustained program of lunar exploration" will continue fostering industry partnerships and innovationas exemplified by the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, where NASA has contracted with commercial partners to provide lunar landing services.

The committee also indicated that the Endurance-A sample return mission should be the highest priority of this program. Similar to the MSR, this mission would see a medium-class lunar rover delivered to the moon's south pole Aitken Basin through the CLPS program, which would then collect high-value samples from key locations around the moon's south pole Aitken Basin. The Artemis astronauts would retrieve these samples and return them to Earth for analysis.

In addition, the report stresses that an LDEP would demonstrate the potential for cohesion between robotic and human missions:

"The Endurance-A sample return mission, a medium-class robotic mission to collect samples from key lunar locations for later retrieval by Artemis astronauts, exemplifies this synergy. This mission would enable the highest priority lunar science not possible through the local collection of limited samples and could revolutionize our understanding of the moon and the early history of the solar system."

Human exploration

Human exploration is identified as a major priority because of the commercial, technological, and scientific benefits it allows for. In addition, it is a source of inspiration for people worldwide, encouraging the younger generation to pursue careers in space exploration and the STEM fields. To this end, the committee addresses the opportunities for science within the context of current plans to explore the moon and Mars in the next decade.

This includes the Artemis missions and related efforts to establish the infrastructure to support a long-term moon presence, including the Lunar Gateway and the Artemis Basecamp, scheduled to be completed by 2028. These elements are also part of NASA's long-term plans to send crewed spacecraft to Mars during the 2030s (aka. the Moon to Mars program). As the committee states in Chapter 19, science activities should be selected to support human flight activities.

"For this decade with a near-term plan for human exploration of the moon and preparatory activities at Mars, the decadal survey emphasizes the importance of carefully crafted collaboration," they write. "A program of scientific exploration can be constructed this decade whereby science enables human exploration, and human exploration enables science."

Planetary defense

Major importance is also placed on international cooperative efforts to develop measures that will ensure planetary defense against potentially-hazardous near-Earth objects (NEOs). This refers to asteroids that periodically cross Earth's orbit and (on very rare occasions) collide with Earth. In the past, impacts from NEOs have caused extinction-level events (ELEs), such as the Chicxulub asteroid that killed the dinosaurs about 66 million years ago (aka. CretaceousPaleogene extinction event).

At present, NASA, the NSF, the ESA, and other government agencies worldwide play a leading role in developing the capacity to understand these asteroids and the long-term ability to prevent a potential impact. Therefore, the committee strongly recommends a robust program that enables the creation of a "U.S. planetary defense community" in the coming decade that will ensure detection, warning, and mitigation capabilities.

Two missions are prioritized to ensure this, including NASA's NEO Surveyor and Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission. Detailed assessments of these missions are provided in Chapters 19 and 22, respectively. The NEO Surveyor, which is currently pending Congressional approval, will consist of a dedicated space-based mid-infrared space survey telescope designed to discover and characterize most of the potentially hazardous NEOs.

The DART mission, which launched in November 2021, will rendezvous with the binary asteroid 65803 Didymos later this year. Once there, it with test what is known as the "kinetic impactor" method of planetary defense, where it will strike the Didymos' moonlet (Dimorphos) in an attempt to deflect it. A follow-up missionthe ESA's Hera spacecraftwill launch from Earth in 2024 and arrive around Didymos in 2027, at which point it will analyze Dimorphos for any changes in its orbit. As the committee recommends:

"The highest priority planetary defense demonstration mission to follow DART and NEO Surveyor should be a rapid-response, flyby reconnaissance mission targeted to a challenging NEO, representative of the population of objects posing the highest probability of a destructive Earth impact (~50-to-100 m in diameter). Such a mission should assess the capabilities and limitations of flyby characterization methods to better prepare for a short-warning-time NEO threat."

State of the Profession

Last, but not least, the committee made several recommendations regarding the State of the Profession (SoP), which includes the issues of diversity, equity, inclusivity, and accessibility in the planetary science enterprise (PSE). This included acknowledging the progress that has been made in recent decades and the efforts needed to build upon this during the next decade. As such, the committee made the following recommendations:

Accurate and complete data concerning the size, identity, demographics of the PS&AB community, and workplace climate

Identifying unintentional and pervasive bias and providing actionable steps to assist NASA in identifying where it exists and removing it from its processes

Engage underrepresented communities at secondary and college levels

Ensure that all community members are treated with respect, developing and enforcing codes of conduct

These measures are essential, they write, in order to "recruit, retain, and nurture the best talent, and to support continued American leadership in planetary science and astrobiology (PS&AB)."

Looking to the coming decade, there is no doubt that there is tremendous potential for exciting missions and investigations. Even more exciting is the potential scientific discoveries these missions could reveal. These range from revelations about the history of the solar system, the formation and evolution of the planets, and enduring questions surrounding the emergence of life (and what forms it might take). But perhaps the most exciting thing is how these missions could enable the next generation to explore even farther, possibly to the edge of the solar system.

Explore further Perseverance rover arrives at ancient river delta for new science campaign

More information: Origins, Worlds, and Life (2022). Origins, Worlds, and Life (2022). DOI: 10.17226/26522 To read from or download a PDF copy of the Decadal Survey report, go to the NASEM page.
Resilience framework. Response to social and/or hydrological perturbations can occur across spatial and temporal scales plotted here. Credit: University of Utah

For ranching communities on the east side of the Baja California Peninsula, groundwater springs are their primary source of freshwater. The economic livelihoods of roughly 4,000 people, who call themselves Choyeros, are closely tied to the springs and to wells, which provide water for their families and their livestock. Communities like this, large and small, exist throughout the West, where water is life. Social systems are entwined with water systems, so water supply challenges are social challenges.

To understand how the connection between those systems impacts communities' water supply resilience, University of Utah ("the U") researchers and their colleagues have developed a new framework to think about social water resilience. Water supply issues can be local or regional, they write, and can happen quickly or slowly. A highly resilient society can respond on the same scales of time or space, while a society that can't maybe in trouble. The study is published in Sustainability Science. What does this resiliency framework mean for the Choyeros?

Resiliency at scales of time and space

The story begins at a faculty "think tank" organized by the U's Global Change and Sustainability Center (GCSC). Brenda Bowen, GCSC director and a professor of geology and geophysics, listened to anthropologist Shane Macfarlan present on the work he and his colleagues had conducted with the Choyeros, documenting how and when members of their society learn about the plants, animals and other elements of the natural world around them. The research team had, over several years, built a relationship of trust with the Choyeros, as well as an understanding of the community and the issues it faces. Bowen made the connection between the spring-fed society of the Choyeros and the work U graduate Jory Lerback, now at UCLA, had conducted on the geology and hydrology of springs. "The community lives close to the water, land and ecosystem," Bowen says, "and therefore presented a unique opportunity to explore the connections between people, water and place." Inspired, Bowen, Lerback and Macfarlan assembled an interdisciplinary research team, with the help of seed funding from the GCSC, the U's Society, Water & Climate faculty group, and the NEXUS Institute, an interdisciplinary research group in the College of Social and Behavioral Science. The team also included Eric Schniter from California State University Fullerton, Juan Jose Garcia from Salt Lake Community College and Liliana Caughman from Arizona State University.

But the team of social and physical scientists needed to find a common language to talk about hydrological and social systems. "We needed a way to step back from the ivory tower's siloed disciplines and think more about shared objectives," Lerback says. Looking at the data available and the research questions they wanted to ask, the team focused on the themes of space and time. You'll see that in the outline of the frameworks. Both systemssocial and hydrologicalhave dimensions of space (on the horizontal axis) and time (on the vertical axis).

Let's use a couple of examples to illustrate this framework. One might be a suburb of a large metropolitan area that experiences a short-term contamination of its water supply. The time scale of the problem is relatively short, maybe a few days, and limited in space, on the order of a few square miles (tens of square kilometers). In the hydrological framework, you might represent this vulnerability as a small square in the bottom-left corner. The human response could also be limited in time and space, and might include using social channels to communicate a boil order to the affected neighborhoods or trucking in clean water to a central location. In the human behavior framework, the response would also be a small square in the bottom-left corner. The squares overlap. The community is resilient.

But what happens when those squares don't overlap? Like, if the hydrological challenge is on the scale of regional or even global climate change? Trucking in water for a few days won't cut it. "When the human and 'non-human' or water systems function on very different spatial and/or temporal scales, it is an opportunity to develop policy precisely to bridge those divides," Bowen says. As another example, if climate change is a global problem and policies to curb climate change are local, then maybe coordination between local communities can broaden the scale of the human response to match the scale of the problem. "We hope this is a way to look at how ideas fit together and represents a first-order approach to defining mutual goals," Macfarlan says. "We see this framework as a tool to generate conversations between many groups and less a prescriptive policy tool."

Resilience of the Choyeros

Back to the Choyeros, with their small community and single water source. This community, Macfarlan says, removes some of the confounding factors that could arise in a study of, say, the Salt Lake Valley. "Although working in a small community (approximately 115 people) means we have less data overall, it does mean we have greater depth of knowledge about each data point (who are real people who we know well) and greater ability to interpret our findings by communicating directly with people in this study."

"In a small region," Lerback adds, "the water movement is more visible and not 'abstracted' by infrastructure like in many cities, where metrics of water use are generally more available but arguably less meaningful."

So the team began to assess the scales of social and hydrological resilience. They surveyed the Choyeros about their experiences with and knowledge about the spring (Have you ever experienced a spring going dry in your lifetime? What causes the springs to exist?) as well as their social systems (When livestock go missing or you want to sell artisanal crafts, from whom do you ask for assistance?). Only one of the people on the 31 ranches interviewed had heard a second-hand story of the spring going dry. But 26 expressed concern that it someday might. Water was shared between ranches, they found, with sharing occurring more often between ranches that were close to each other or had shared labor with each other.

At the same time, the researchers measured the amounts of carbon-14 and tritium isotopes in the water to assess the water's residence time, or how long it had been underground before returning to the surface. This would give an idea of how quickly climate conditions might affect the springand how long it might take to recover. Water ages, they found ranged from around 75 years to 230 years. This suggests that to at least some degree, changes in rainfall amounts could lead to changes in spring output within human lifetimes. So how could their water future change? If increased demand on well water lowers the water table, the springs could reduce their output. On similar timescales, ranchers can share water and build water infrastructure to distribute throughout the community. Those squares, according to the resilience framework, overlap. But climate change and land use changes could lead to decreased amounts of water entering the ground, a process that happens on the scale of tens to hundreds of years and occurs over larger areas. Current social systems may not be able to respond. The squares overlap slightly.

How is this framework useful for planning for the future? If the Choyeros decide to improve their resilience, then can look at this framework as a place to start. Maybe they would want to expand their water-sharing network geographically or put measures into place to ensure long-term water storage. The study shines a light on a cultural group that has received little attention in Mexico, Macfarlan says, "but links them to hydrological processes that are relevant to many global regions, including the arid Southwest U.S."

The framework is relatively simple, Lerback says, compared to water usage models that might otherwise be used to assess resilience. "These take a lot of data, a long time to build and test," she says, "and are often presented as a rather 'black box' where the methods are a bit opaque, where you can test scenarios and see predicted outcomes, but required a lot of trust with the developers."

Lessons for the Salt Lake Valley

While a resiliency analysis of the Salt Lake Valley wasn't a part of this study, the authors say that the framework that applied to the small Choyero community can also be applied to the bustling Wasatch Front. "As we need more water resources," Bowen says, "we must expand our reach in either space, such as moving water from rivers for municipal use, or time, such as capturing seasonal water resources in reservoirs to extend the period of availability, or mining groundwater that recharged thousands of years ago." The team looks forward to seeing how this interdisciplinary framework can apply to other fields, including food production and waste management. The experience, they say, was beneficial for all involved.

"It's a way for academics to have a little humility," Macfarlan says. "There needs to be a way to communicate and understand things intuitivelythis will help build trusting relationships and belief in the numbers."

Explore further Making comprehensive water resources modeling more accessible

More information: J. C. Lerback et al, Development of a graphical resilience framework to understand a coupled human-natural system in a remote arid highland of Baja California Sur, Sustainability Science (2022). Journal information: Sustainability Science J. C. Lerback et al, Development of a graphical resilience framework to understand a coupled human-natural system in a remote arid highland of Baja California Sur,(2022). DOI: 10.1007/s11625-022-01101-6
In this image from infrared video provided by SpaceX, the Dragon space capsule uses parachutes as it descends to the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast on Monday, April 25, 2022. Three rich businessmen returned from the International Space Station with their astronaut escort, wrapping up a pricey trip that marked NASAs debut as a B&B host. Credit: SpaceX via AP

Three rich businessmen returned from the International Space Station with their astronaut escort Monday, wrapping up a pricey trip that marked NASA's debut as a B&B host.

Flying back in a SpaceX capsule, they splashed down in the Atlantic off the Florida coast to close out a 17-day tour that cost them $55 million apiece.

The trip was supposed to last a little over a week, but dicey weather kept the visitors in orbit almost twice as long as intended.

"Welcome back to planet Earth," radioed SpaceX Mission Control from Southern California. "We hope you enjoyed the extra few days in space."

"Amazing mission," said real estate tycoon Larry Connor.

Before departing the space station Sunday night, the group thanked their seven hosts, including three NASA astronauts whose own mission is nearing an end.

It was the first time NASA opened its space hatches to tourists after shunning the practice perfected over the decades by Russia. Last fall, a Russian film crew flew up, followed by a Japanese fashion mogul and his assistant. In each case, an active-duty cosmonaut traveled with them.

The latest guests were accompanied by a former NASA astronaut now working for Axiom Space, the Houston company in charge of the flight, making it the first fully private trip to the space station.

In this image from infrared video provided by SpaceX, recovery personnel approach the Dragon space capsule after splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast on Monday, April 25, 2022. Three rich businessmen returned from the International Space Station with their astronaut escort, wrapping up a pricey trip that marked NASAs debut as a B&B host. Credit: SpaceX via AP

After hosting longer than expected, NASA was itching to make room for the next crew. SpaceX will attempt to launch three NASA astronauts and one Italian to the space station as soon as Wednesday. They'll replace the three Americans and a German up there since November who will head back to Earth in their own SpaceX capsule.

The pace is blazingly fast by NASA standards. SpaceX's Benji Reed said the company launched its first passengersa pair of NASA test pilotstwo years ago and just completed its first private flight to the space station using the same capsule.

Axiom handled the logistics for the trip for its three paying customers: Connor from Dayton, Ohio; Canadian private equity CEO Mark Pathy; and Israeli investor Eytan Stibbe of Tel Aviv. Their chaperone was Michael Lopez-Alegria, an Axiom vice president who flew to space four times while a NASA astronaut.

It was an "amazing adventure that we've had, even longer and more exciting than we thought," Lopez-Alegria said after departing the space station.

Axiom teamed up with SpaceX for the journey that began with an April 8 liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. It was SpaceX's second private flight, coming just months after a billionaire's orbital jaunt with contest winners.

While in space, the visitors did experiments and peered back at Earth.

"It's been eye-opening in so many ways," Pathy said, "that I think will have such a lasting impact on my life."

This photo provided by SpaceX shows the SpaceX crew seated in the Dragon spacecraft on Friday, April 8, 2022, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Axiom handled the logistics for the trip. From left are Canadian private equity CEO Mark Pathy, American real estate tycoon Larry Connor; Michael Lopez-Alegria, an Axiom vice president who flew to space four times while a NASA astronaut, and Israeli investor Eytan Stibbe of Tel Aviv. They are scheduled to return to Earth on Monday, April 25, 2022 after a trip to the International Space Station. Credit: SpaceX via AP, File

The experience was especially personal for Stibbe. He served as a fighter pilot under Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut who died aboard space shuttle Columbia in 2003.

Stibbe flew copies of the surviving pages of Ramon's space diary, as well as artwork and music created by Ramon's children. He celebrated Passover with matzah bread he took up and gefilte fish offered by the station's Russians.

Axiom's second flight is set for next spring as the company looks ahead to having its own space station by 2030.

"There were a lot of eyes on this mission just to see if it was practical," Derek Hassmann, Axiom's operations director, said after the splashdown. "Everybody understood it was possible," but wondered if amateurs could pull this off with abbreviated training, without disturbing the space station crew.

"I think we proved we could do that," Hassmann said.

Explore further Crew of first private flight to ISS head back to Earth

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Georgia Tech professor David Citrin (right) and adjunct professor Alexandre Locquet stand in front of an image of the 16th-century funerary cross used in their study. Credit: Georgia Tech-Lorraine

In a multidisciplinary project, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia Tech-Lorraine used terahertz imaging and signal processing techniques to look beneath the corroded surface of a 16th-century lead funerary cross. Led by David Citrin, a professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), the effort brought together imaging scientists, a chemist specializing in archaeological objects, and an art historian to reveal a message that had been obscured by time: an inscription of the Lord's Prayer.

"Our approach enabled us to read a text that was hidden beneath corrosion, perhaps for hundreds of years," said Alexandre Locquet, an adjunct professor in ECE and researcher at Georgia Tech-CNRS IRL 2958, a joint international research laboratory at the Georgia Tech-Lorraine campus in Metz, France. "Clearly, approaches that access such information without damaging the object are of great interest to archaeologists."

The study was reported March 2 in the journal Scientific Reports.

The cross, cut from a sheet of lead, was found in a burial plot at an abbey in Remiremont, Francea couple hours drive from the Georgia Tech-Lorraine campus. Known as a croix d'absolution, it is a type of funerary cross that dates to the Middle Ages and has been found at sites in France, Germany, and England.

"This type of cross typically bears inscriptions of prayers or information about the deceased," said Aurelien Vacheret, director of the Musee Charles-de-Bruyeres in Remiremont and co-author on the study. "It is thought their purpose was to seek a person's absolution from sin, facilitating their passage to heaven."

The museum loaned the cross to Citrin's lab in hopes that the team could use imaging techniques to make the invisible visible. Citrin and his group specialize in non-destructive evaluation and develop techniques that allow for detailed examination of an object's hidden layers without changing or damaging its original form. Although their work often has industrial applications, such as detecting damage to airplane fuselages, the group embraced the opportunity to inspect the crossa chance to further explore their technology's applications for archaeological purposes.

Peeking beneath the veil of corrosion

The team used a commercial terahertz scanner to examine the cross every 500 microns (about every half a millimeter) across the object. First, the scanner sent short pulses of terahertz electromagnetic radiationa form of light that travels on tiny wavelengthsover each section of the cross. Some waves bounced back from the layer of corrosion, while others penetrated through the corrosion, reflecting from the actual surface of the lead cross. This produced two distinct echoes of the same original pulse.

Next, the team used an algorithm to process the time delay between the two echoes into a signal with two peaks. This data revealed how thick the corrosion was in each scanned point. The measurements of the light beams that reflected from the underlying metal were then collected to form images of the lead surface below the corrosion.

Interdisciplinary insights

Although crucial data was gathered during the scanning process, the raw images were too noisy and jumbled and the inscription remained illegible at the time. But Junliang Dong, then a Ph.D. student in Citrin's lab, had the insight to process the images in a special way to eliminate the noise. By subtracting and piecing together parts of the images acquired in different frequencies, Dong was able to restore and enhance the images. What was left was a surprisingly readable image containing the text.

Comparison of the inscription on (a) the original cross before corrosion removal, (b) the final terahertz image after post-processing, and (c) the cross after corrosion removal. Credit: Georgia Tech-Lorraine

Using the processed images, Vacheret was able to identify multiple Latin words and phrases. He determined they were all part of the Pater Noster, commonly known as the Our Father or the Lord's Prayer.

The team also worked with a conservationist to chemically reverse the corrosion on the cross, confirming the Pater Noster inscription. Comparing their images to the clean cross, the team found their images had revealed parts of the inscription not observable on the original cross. By uncovering additional aspects of the inscriptions that were previously undocumented, their work was able to offer deeper understanding of the cross and further insight into 16th-century Christianity in Lorraine, France.

"In this case, we were able to check our work afterwards, but not all lead objects can be treated this way," Citrin said. "Some objects are large, some must remain in situ, and some are just too delicate. We hope our work opens up the study of other lead objects that might also yield secrets lying underneath corrosion."

Citrin's group has also used terahertz imaging to look beneath the surface of 17th-century paintings, elucidating paint layer structure and providing insights into techniques of master painters. They are currently investigating surface coatings on ancient Roman ceramics.

The cross project illustrates that success requires more than just accurate measurement, but also careful data processing and collaboration between researchers from disparate fields. The team's approach opens new perspectives for terahertz imaging analysis and could produce great boosts for the fields of digital acquisitions and documentation, as well as character recognition, extraction, and classification.

"Despite three decades of intense development, terahertz imaging is still a rapidly developing field," said Locquet. "While others focus on developing the hardware, our efforts concentrate on making the most of the data that is measured."

Explore further Imaging technique unlocks the secrets of 17th century artists

More information: Junliang Dong et al, Revealing inscriptions obscured by time on an early-modern lead funerary cross using terahertz multispectral imaging, Scientific Reports (2022). Journal information: Scientific Reports Junliang Dong et al, Revealing inscriptions obscured by time on an early-modern lead funerary cross using terahertz multispectral imaging,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06982-2
Credit: Shutterstock

Since time immemorial, Indigenous peoples worldwide have observed, tracked and memorized all the visible objects in the night sky.

This ancient star knowledge was meticulously ingrained with practical knowledge of the land, sky, waters, community and the Dreamingand passed down through generations.

One of the most well-known and celebrated Aboriginal constellations is the Emu in the Sky, which appears in the southern sky early in the year. It is an example of a dark constellation, which means it's characterized by particularly dark patches in the sky, rather than stars.

Conversely, space technology companies such as Starlink are increasingly competing to dominate the skies, and potentially change them forever.

The modern-day space race has led to thousands of satellites being scattered through Earth's outer orbits. If left unchallenged, these companies risk overpopulating an already crowded space environmentpotentially pushing dark skies to extinction.

Mega-constellations

Mega-constellations are groupings of satellites that communicate and work together as they orbit Earth.

Since 2018, the Starlink project, run by Elon Musk's SpaceX, has launched about 1,700 satellites into low Earth orbit. The company plans to launch another 30,000 over the next decade.

British company OneWeb has launched nearly 150 satellites, with plans for another 6,000. And Amazon intends to launch an additional 3,000 satellites into multiple orbits.

Each of these companies is taking to the skies to increase internet access across the globe. But even if they deliver on this, sky gazersand especially Indigenous peoplesare left to wonder: at what cost?

Streaks in the night

People across the globe began noticing streaks across our skies not long after the first Starlink launch in May 2019. They were unlike anything anyone had seen before.

Astronomers are very used to viewing the sky and dealing with interference, often originating from aircraft or the occasional satellite. However, the goal of mega-constellations is to engulf the entire planet, leaving no place untouched. Mega-constellations alter our collective view of the stars. And there is currently no known way to remove them.

One mega-constellation has been observed to produce up to 19 parallel streaks across the sky. These streaks disturb astronomical observations, and a significant amount of scientific data can be lost as a result.

As they travel across the entire sky, scattering the Sun's light, dark constellations become even fainterfurther desecrating Indigenous knowledge and kinship with the environment.

Further research on the impacts of mega-constellations have found that as they orbit Earth, the Sun's rays are reflected off them and scattered into the atmosphere.

A growing number of Starlink satellites can be found in low orbit around Earth. Credit: Shutterstock

The authors of that study conclude we are collectively experiencing a new type of "skyglow" as a result: a phenomenon in which the brightness of the sky increases due to human-made light pollution.

Initial calculations indicate this new source of light pollution has increased the brightness of night skies globally by about 10%, compared with the natural skyglow measured in the 1960s.

Currently, the upper limit of light pollution tolerable at observatories is 10% above the natural skyglow, which suggests we have already reached the limit.

In other words, scientific observations of the sky are already at risk of being rendered redundant. If this excess skyglow increases even more, observatories are at serious risk.

Indigenous sky sovereignty

Indigenous knowledge systems and oral traditions teach us about the intricate and complex relationships Indigenous peoples have with the environment, including the sky.

For example, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures have no concept of "outer space." They only have a continuous and connected reality where coexistence with all things is paramount.

As captured by the Bawaka Country group, based in northeast Arnhem Land: "to hurt Sky Country, to try and possess it, is an ongoing colonization of the plural lifeworlds of all those who have ongoing connections with and beyond the sky."

Desecrating the sky impacts Indigenous sovereignty as it limits access to their knowledge system, in the same ways desecrating the land has removed First Peoples from their countries, cultures and ways of life.

For example, the Gamilaraay and Wiradjuri peoples of New South Wales observe the Emu in the Sky to gauge when it is time to hunt for emu eggsand most importantly, when it is time to stop. How would the Gamilaraay know when to stop collecting eggs, or when to conduct annual ceremonies signaled by the Celestial Emu, if it was no longer visible?

Similarly, important parts of the Jukurrpa, or Dreaming of the Martu people of Western Australia is embedded in the Seven Sisters constellation. How would they keep this knowledge safe if they can't locate any of the Sisters?

Indigenous histories teach us about the devastating consequences of colonialism, and how the impacts of the colonial agenda can be mitigated through prioritizing the health of country and community.

In the words of astronomer Aparna Venkatesan and colleagues: "the manner and pace of 'occupying' near-Earth space raise the risk of repeating the mistakes of colonization on a cosmic scale."

Active Indigenous sky sovereignty acknowledges the interconnected nature between land and sky, and that caring for country includes sky country. By doing so, it challenges the otherwise unimpeded authority of technology corporations.

Harming fauna, harming ourselves

By understanding that the world (and indeed the Universe) is interconnected, we see that no living creature is immune to the consequences of polluting the skies.

Satellites can leave streaks in the night sky. Credit: Shutterstock

Currently, native fauna such as the tammar wallaby, magpie, bogong moth and marine turtles are experiencing a reduction in populations and quality of life due to the impacts of light-pollution.

Migratory species are particularly affected by light pollution, which can result in them losing access to their migratory route. This is a crisis Australia's fauna has faced since before the introduction of mega-constellations.

With more skyglow and light pollution, positive outcomes for native fauna and migratory species diminish.

Going forward

Several companies have made attempts to reduce the impact of mega-constellations on skyglow.

For example, OneWeb has opted to rollout fewer satellites than initially proposed, and has designed them to be positioned at a higher altitude. This means they will produce less skyglow, while also covering a larger area.

Starlink, on the other hand, has not shown any public interest in operating at higher and less impactful altitudes, for fears it will impact the Starlink network's speed and latency.

That said, they have attempted to reduce their satellites' luminosity by painting them with a novel anti-reflective coating. Coating techniques have demonstrated a reduction in reflected sunlight by up to 50%. Unfortunately, not all wavelengths of light being scattered are reduced using this method. So multi-wave astronomy, and different species of animals, are still at risk.

We'll need more solutions to navigate our increasingly polluted atmosphere, particularly if communication monopolies continue to rein over near-Earth space.

Just as some companies have started considering tactics to avoid increasing skyglow, all space tech companies must be held responsible for adding to an already polluted space.

Guidelines such as those set by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee offer solutions to this problem. They suggest lowering the height of a satellite's orbit when it's no longer needed, allowing it to disintegrate as it falls down to Earth.

However, these are international guidelines, so there's no legal framework to enforce such practices.

And given that near-miss collisions have already taken place between some mega-constellations, and an estimated 20,000 pieces of space debris already floating above, reducing orbital pollution must also now be a priority.

Reducing air pollutants has also been shown to drastically decrease natural sky brightness, offering a potential solution for improving night sky visibilitynot to mention cleaner breathing air for all.

In valuing Indigenous knowledge systems, that value must be extended to the natural environment in which that knowledge is embedded and founded upon. In Australia, preserving dark skies is not just vital for the continuation of Indigenous knowledge and astronomersit benefits us all.

A major tenet of life for Indigenous peoples is valuing the sustainability of one's actions. By adopting this at a larger scale, we could create a reality in which we're not a threat to our own survival.

Explore further SpaceX satellites falling out of orbit after solar storm

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
ATLANTIC CITY  rsted and PSEGs offshore wind project Ocean Wind 1 has awarded contracts to JINGOLI Power, LLC and Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc., according to a Monday press release.

The contracts involve installing two high-voltage substations and about nine miles of underground cable to transport the electricity to distribution lines.

JINGOLI Power of Lawrenceville, Mercer County, will install an underground cable from landfall at Ocean City to the former B.L. England power plant in Upper Township, where there is an onshore electric substation.

It will also engineer and install a system that will house the cables, the companies said.

Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc., will install an electric substation in Upper Township that interconnects to an Atlantic City Electric substation.

The company will also install a substation at the former Oyster Creek nuclear plant, with a connection to a nearby First Energy substation, and install an underground export cable from the landfall to the onshore electric substation.

Ocean Wind 1 is a 1,100-megawatt windfarm to be built about 15 miles southeast of Atlantic City. It will provide clean energy to 500,000 homes in New Jersey, according to the companies, while delivering thousands of jobs and creating supply chains for the industry, such as the EEW monopile manufacturing facility at the Port of Paulsboro.

Project engineering began early this year, with construction estimated to start in September 2023.

The contracts will create about 275 family-sustaining jobs, including more than 200 high-paying union construction jobs, according to rsted and PSEG.

We are focused on doing all we can to meet the states timeline for delivering the Ocean Wind 1 project, hiring locally, creating job opportunities, and encouraging supply chain growth to help the offshore wind industry mature in New Jersey, said Grant van Wyngaarden, Head of Procurement, rsted North America.

Ocean Wind 1 proves that we dont have to choose between creating good jobs and fighting climate change. We can do both, said Joseph R. Jingoli Jr., CEO of JINGOLI and cofounder of JINGOLI Power.

Jingoli is also a partner in Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.

Both Burns & McDonnell and JINGOLI Power have pledged to hire numerous New Jersey-based businesses that use union workforces and which will subcontract work to diverse businesses.

Ocean Wind 1 will be built under industry-leading project labor agreements and specific partnerships with local union organizations to ensure local union labor participation in all phases of construction, said Dan Cosner, president of South Jersey Building Trades Council and Business Manager, IBEW Local 351.

Gov. Phil Murphy is a strong supporter of offshore wind as a clean energy source and a way to meet his goal of 100% clean energy by 2050.

In June, the BPU awarded 2,600 more megawatts of capacity to two companies. They were Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, which will build a 1,510 megawatt farm off the coast between Long Beach Island and Atlantic City; and rsted, which will build another 1,148 megawatts in its leasing area in federal waters southeast of Atlantic City. Those two farms will provide electricity to about 1.1 million homes, according to BPU President Joseph Fiordaliso.

In 2019, rsteds Ocean Wind was awarded the right to build the first 1,100 megawatts of offshore wind generation in the same leasing area, which will supply another 500,000 homes, he said.

There will be solicitations for more farms on a regular basis until 7,500 megawatts are awarded, Fiordaliso said. The goal is to have 7,500 megawatts of offshore wind entering the grid by 2035.

Ratepayers will pay to build the projects, and the money generated by the sale of the energy will be returned to ratepayers under the plan.

Newark-based Public Service Enterprise Group bought 25% of the Ocean Wind project from rsted, which owns and operates 26 offshore wind farms around the world, including the first in the United States, the Block Island Wind Farm off Rhode Island.

REPORTER: Michelle Brunetti Post 609-841-2895 mpost@pressofac.com

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Democratic 2nd District congressional candidate Carolyn Rush is lashing out against her own partys Atlantic County chairman, accusing him of pressuring other county chairs to support her primary opponent.

Atlantic County Democratic Chair Michael Suleiman and other chairs say her accusations are wrong, insulting and show a lack of experience and knowledge.

Rush, 63, of Sea Isle City, also claimed in a press release Thursday that Suleiman failed to stay neutral and worked to deprive her of votes at that committees March 20 convention.

That vote overwhelmingly went to her primary opponent, Galloway Townships Tim Alexander, 56, a civil rights attorney and retired police officer. Five of the six counties in the district are supporting Alexander, and Gloucester is supporting both.

The two are fighting for the right to challenge U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, in November. The primary is June 7.

Hes like an old-time party boss attempting to predetermine who the people of the district will vote for in the upcoming primary, Rush said of Suleiman.

Not to be too flip, but welcome to New Jersey, said John Froonjian, executive director of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University.

Seriously, thats the culture and tradition in this state. Its fair to criticize it and to advocate reform, and some do, Froonjian said. But rules were changed at one point to strengthen the role of parties in New Jersey, and county chairs do have power and they exercise it.

Alexander has been working on his candidacy for more than a year, and before the convention had the endorsements of 2020 2nd District Democratic congressional candidate Amy Kennedy, of Brigantine; of former Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo, D-Atlantic; and of Atlantic County Commissioner Caren Fitzpatrick.

Rush, an engineer, acknowledges being new to politics and to entering the primary race only a few months ago. She has never run for public office before.

Cape May County Democratic Chair Dan Kurkowski offered to run her for county commission if she dropped out of the CD2 race, but Rush said she didnt know what county commissioners did and wasnt interested.

It is also Alexanders first time running for public office.

To run for Congress in New Jersey, state law only requires getting 200 signatures on a petition.

In Cumberland County, the Democratic steering committee voted March 2 not to endorse any single candidate in the congressional race.

But about a month later, County Chairwoman Nancy Sugenis gave the endorsement to Alexander.

Sugneis said Sunday she did, in fact, throw party support behind Alexander, but that she did so with the support of the steering committee after Alexander drew overwhelming support from other counties in the district.

The committee said it (the endorsement vote) would be brought up again if one candidate had a lot of support, Sugenis said. All three candidates  Tim (Alexander), Carolyn (Rush) and Hector (Tavarez)  said if someone is way ahead, they would drop out.

Thats what retired police officer Tavarez, of Egg Harbor Township, did. At the Atlantic County Convention on March 20, he dropped out and endorsed Alexander after Alexander won the vote handily.

Suleiman said he had pledged to stay neutral until the Atlantic County convention and did so. He called Rushs accusations a desperate attempt to gain attention.

If Ms. Rush felt the convention was fixed, why did she attend numerous candidates forums we hosted asking delegates for their support? Why did she wait over a month to air these concerns? Suleiman asked.

Weve had a fair and open convention process for 47 years, and her blatant lies are insulting to our members and convention volunteers, Suleiman said.

The second congressional district includes all of Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties and parts of Gloucester and Ocean counties.

Other county chairs said they, too, were offended.

The Democratic Party in the Second Congressional District is united behind Tim Alexander for Congress. Any allegations that county chairs were coerced in supporting the congressional candidate of their choice is insulting and does nothing to unify our party against Jeff Van Drew, said a statement Thursday signed by Sungenis, Kurkowski, and Ocean County Vice Chair Marta Harrison.

Rush acknowledged Friday she should not have used the word coerced in a press release about Suleimans actions last week, and said she was not trying to imply that any threats were involved.

In contested primaries complaints of unfairness happen frequently, Froonjian said.

Its the role of the party to pick who it thinks will be the best candidate, Froonjian said, and who has the best chance of winning.

Often in primaries, candidates want the organization to stay neutral and let the primary proceed, Froonjian said.

Once the county committee has awarded the line by choosing to support a candidate, he said, its difficult to maintain neutrality.

Rush said Suleiman used similar tactics to ensure Van Drew was CD-2s democratic candidate in 2018, and we all know how well that went ... to repeat such devastating mistakes in a mid-term election this crucial is both imprudent and undemocratic, Rush said.

Van Drew, who is the incumbent congressman from the 2nd district, was elected in 2018 as a moderately conservative Democrat but changed parties in 2019 to Republican after refusing to vote to impeach President Donald Trump.

I would argue as an analyst that the mistake was not in nominating him, but in not cutting him more slack in opposing Trumps impeachment, Froonjian said of Van Drew, then the most popular Democrat in South Jersey. The party didnt need his vote in the House, and it turned out he read the mood of the District like a picture book. Had he not been pilloried and primaried, the Dems might have had a member in a conservative district for years to come.

Rush and Suleiman have clashed over Rushs choice of slogan, and Atlantic County Democrats complained to the New Jersey Secretary of States office that Rush was using a slogan owned by the party.

Rush is running under Atlantic County Democratic Organization, while the official slogan Alexander will run under is Atlantic County Democratic Committee.

However, it turned out the party had filed paperwork to own Atlantic County Democratic Organization after Rush had chosen it, and the Secretary of State last week decided Rush could keep her slogan.

REPORTER: Michelle Brunetti Post 609-841-2895 mpost@pressofac.com

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A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Sunday criticized Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority for repeatedly using invalid historical documents to support its independence agenda.

The DPP authority acted out of its own political interests and tried to confuse right and wrong, said Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson with the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, in response to the DPP authority's recent statement on the so-called San Francisco Peace Treaty.

The United States had excluded China and the Soviet Union when reaching the treaty with Japan in San Francisco after WWII, Ma said.

The treaty violated relevant regulations in the Declaration by United Nations, signed in 1942 by 26 countries including the United States, the Soviet Union and China, as well as the UN Charter and basic norms of international law, he said.

"The treaty's regulations on the sovereignty and territory of China, which was not a signatory, were illegal and invalid," he said.

There is only one China and Taiwan is part of it, Ma said, adding that a number of international legal documents, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, acknowledged China's sovereignty over Taiwan.
Authorities say a Davenport man on methamphetamine "frantically" stole and crashed an SUV into the Mississippi River while a disabled, elderly man was inside the vehicle, killing him.

Joshua Scott Peters, 36, was arrested and charged Friday by the Muscatine County Sheriff's Office with homicide by vehicle - operating under the influence, a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Peters was also charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, a Class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison; first-degree theft, a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison; and driving while barred.

Peters was being held Friday in the Muscatine County Jail on a $500,000 cash-only bond.

According to a criminal complaint and arrest affidavit, deputies were called at just after midnight on Friday to the Fairport State Recreation Area at 3284 Highway 22 in Muscatine for a report of a missing person and a stolen vehicle.

Deputies had previously been dispatched to the campground about an hour prior at around 11 p.m. Thursday on a report of a disturbance but did not locate any subject or vehicle involved in the incident.

Muscatine County Sheriff's deputies met with the wife and daughter of William A. Talbot, 71, of Davenport. The pair told deputies their blue 2016 Chevrolet Equinox had been stolen from the campground while they were setting up their tent and that Talbot was inside the vehicle.

According to the complaint, the wife and daughter told deputies they did not know who had stolen the vehicle.

"This was later found to be untrue," the complaint states.

A follow-up news release issued Saturday by the Muscatine County Sheriff's Office states Peters and Talbot knew each other through a family member of Talbot's.

During their investigation, deputies determined Peters, Talbot, Talbot's wife and Talbot's daughter arrived at the campground at about 8 p.m. Thursday and that Peters ingested meth roughly an hour later at about 9 p.m. At 11 p.m. an alleged altercation occurred between Peters and several unidentified individuals, court records state.

"Peters frantically got into the driver's side seat of the vehicle and fled the scene with (Talbot) in the passenger seat," according to the criminal complaint. "Witnesses advised (Talbot) attempted to get out of the vehicle and was unable to do so."

The complaint alleges Peters stole the vehicle and fled the scene without permission from either registered owner of the vehicle.

Peters turned west onto Highway 22 as he fled the campground and was driving erratically  braking, swerving and accelerating in an aggressive manner as he drove  witnesses told authorities. At some point, Peters made a U-turn on Highway 22. While traveling eastbound on the highway Peters lost control, left the roadway and entered a south ditch, authorities allege. He then struck a road sign and drove about 255 feet before reaching Tombstone Trail in Montpelier at Clark's Ferry Recreation Area, according to the criminal complaint.

Peters then turned south and drove the vehicle into the Mississippi River. He was able to escape as the vehicle began to submerge, leaving Talbot inside, authorities allege.

The vehicle sank to the bottom of the river and was located and recovered late Friday morning by Muscatine County Search and Rescue with Talbot's body inside. The Iowa State Patrol, Midtown Towing and Muscatine County Medical Examiner's Office also assisted.

While speaking with Talbot's wife and daughter, deputies were called to a report of homeowners holding at gunpoint a man "completely soaked in water and acting very strange" who had shown up at their home in Montpelier, courts records state.

The homeowners told authorities the man, later identified as Peters, stated he believed he was in a car crash and was trying to get a ride to Davenport.

"Peters exhibited signs of impairment to include the inability to sit still and provide consistent statements about the incident," Muscatine County Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Walker wrote in the signed criminal complaint and arrest affidavit.

Walker wrote that Peters admitted to using methamphetamine in a post-Miranda interview. Peters also failed a field sobriety test and a sample of his blood was taken "to determine the drug content."

Peters made an initial appearance Friday morning in Muscatine County District Court and was granted a court-appointed attorney from the Public Defender's Office.

He is next scheduled to appear in court on May 2 at the Muscatine County Courthouse for a preliminary hearing.

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DEWITT  Anxiety, anticipation and a whole bunch of "what-ifs"  these are what plague a family trying to adopt a child. Brittany Berrie knows them well.

The mother of three has shared her own family's adoption story and listened to others. And they've all shared fears of the justice system taking a turn  court dates being moved and delayed, finding and keeping one or more lawyers, and all the costs associated with them.

An act of kindness made it possible for Berrie to adopt her daughter, Gracie Johnson, and now they're working together to pay that kindness forward.

The Adopted Closet, a nonprofit clothing shop started by Berrie, sells items both in-store during the warmer months, out of the family garage at 814 10th St. in DeWitt and online all year round. All the clothes are donated, and Berrie said only a fraction of their stock is available for purchase because of overwhelming inventory.

Donation boxes are located at the store, at 1535 W George Washington Blvd. in Davenport, at 1610 Mississippi Blvd. in Bettendorf and at 900 Davies Court in Eldridge.

Proceeds from the store go toward paying for adoptive families legal fees. The Adopted Closet is Berrie's practice of paying forward the kindness her family received during their adoption process. The family's current goal is to fund all adoptions made in Scott County on National Adoption Day, Nov. 19.

Gracie's adoption journey spans more than a decade and was the catalyst for the Adopted Closet.

Berrie met her oldest daughter when she was just 3 days old. She learned about Gracie the night before she was born and said she knew from that moment that they were connected.

The bond was immediate, Berrie said.

By the time Gracie was 4 weeks old, Berrie and her husband were caring for her full-time and became her legal guardians four years later. However, the family wasnt able to adopt Gracie for another seven years.

The couple had always hoped to adopt Gracie, Berrie said, but cost was a major barrier. Lawyers hadnt given her an exact number, but they emphasized how expensive the endeavor would be  an expense that they couldnt take on at the time. So the family put it on the backburner, and Gracies younger siblings were born under a different surname. It wasnt until 2020 that things changed.

While attending Berries brothers wedding, Berries cousin, Casie, heard that Gracie had not been adopted. When Casie learned why the family hadnt moved forward with the process, she offered to pay any and all legal expenses.

They filed for adoption in January 2021, and it was finalized on July 6.

Nothing really changed, Gracie said, since her family had always been her family, adoption or not. But, she did finally get to share her fathers and siblings last name.

That's the one thing that really made me happy, Gracie said.

From there, Berrie knew she had to thank her cousin somehow. She decided to hold a clothes sale to raise money for another family's adoption expenses, and after gathering items from garage sales and collecting many more donated clothes than expected, they made $3,000 in the first weekend. It was clear then that they could make this one sale into a dedicated nonprofit, and help more than just one family.

With only a few months of funding under their belt, Berrie said proceeds from the Adopted Closet were able to help a family pay for the adoption of its two sons in November.

"It made me really happy to make those people happy," Gracie said.

Gracie will have her own clothing line out this fall in the store and online, featuring jean jackets outfitted with patches and backs from other donated clothing. She's still getting used to the sewing machine, she said, but she's been practicing by making clothes for Barbie dolls, which will also be for sale.

It's Gracies way of finding a use for donations that can't be put online or on the rack, Berrie said, because of wear, stains or other problems. Less than 10% of their stock is donated somewhere else or repurposed.

The 12-year-old is adding her skills at mending to learning how to run a small business and nonprofit, helping at the store's cash register and going through stock. All this hasn't narrowed her career aspirations too much, though.

"I've always really wanted to be a designer, but I want to be a lot of other things too," Gracie said.

Berrie doesn't know how much the adoption expenses were; her cousin has kept that information close to the chest. But no matter how much it cost, she knows that having Gracie and getting to help other families like theirs is worth more than anything monetary.

"That's how we can thank Casie, just by pushing on and paying it forward," Berrie said.

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A vehicle shooting Sunday in East Moline led to the arrest of two teenage boys for felony gun crimes.

East Moline police were called at about 5:40 p.m. Sunday to Gas N Dash Mart at 809 19th St. in East Moline for a report of shots fired. No injuries were reported.

Officers later determined the shooting occurred in the 900 block of 21st Street, where they recovered shell casings, according to a police news release.

Witnesses told police three vehicles involved  a white car, a black truck and a silver car with no back window  and that they saw an individual point a handgun at the white car, according to the release.

A short time later, police stopped a silver Toyota Corolla with no back window in the 100 block of 2nd Street next to Porkies Restaurant in Silvis. Three teens boys were inside the car, one of whom was found with a loaded handgun during a search, according to police.

Officer also located a black Toyota Tacoma truck that had been shot multiple times. The white sedan had not been located, police said Monday.

The three teens were taken into custody. One was released to his parents. The other two were charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, a Class 4 felony, and were being held at the Mary Davis Juvenile Detention Center in Galesburg, according to police.

Police continue to investigate and anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact the East Moline Police Department at 309-752-1555 or Crime Stoppers of the Quad-Cities at 309-762-9500.

The Rock Island County Sheriff's Office and Hampton Police Department assisted in the traffic stop of the vehicle.

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The Mississippi River reached over 14 feet Sunday night, causing flooding that will keep South Concord Street in the west end of Davenport temporarily closed until at least later this week, city officials said.

The City closed South Concord Street between Wapello Avenue and River Drive on Friday because of high river levels. The Mississippi River was expected to crest at 14.2 feet on Monday, and the National Weather Service forecasts the river is unlikely to fall to 13 feet until Thursday.

"We will keep the public updated if a significant change in the river stage is expected," according to a city news release.

According to a release issued last week, residents planning a visit to the city's compost facility should access it via Rockingham Road to Wapello to Railroad Avenue.

At a river level of 13 feet, water affects the lowest sections of both South Concord Street south of River Drive and onto the Enchanted Island causeway in Davenport, according to the National Weather Service of the Quad-Cities. Water also surrounds some houses along South Concord Street south of River Drive.

At 13  feet, water affects the lowest section of South Concord Street south of River Drive and affects other sections in the same area, according to the weather service. Water also affects the lowest sections of the Enchanted Island causeway at that river level.

Storm systems have moved through the area in the last few weeks, but the weather service forecasts a dry stretch through midweek, with below-normal temperatures including freezing temperatures Monday night.

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Sue Hafkemeyer majored in English literature when she attended Loras College in the mid-1980s.

Shakespeare, Austen and Dickens might seem an odd choice for the woman who was just named the next president and CEO of the Quad Cities Community Foundation.

"I had a professor at Loras who always told us to connect things, to look for connections," Hafkemeyer said late last week. "He wanted us to see connections between authors and themes, even images. He wanted us to draw parallels.

"I always carried that with me. I was always outgoing and enjoyed meeting people. Then I started thinking about connections  trying to see how people, or businesses, or shared goals, all fit together. I really love making connections."

Hafkemeyer, it must be noted, minored in business and psychology. She comes to the Community Foundation from the MercyOne Dubuque Foundation and will start her new job June 1.

The Community Foundation detailed Hafkemeyer's career, noting over the past five years as executive director of the MercyOne Dubuque Foundation she raised more than $8 million to support MercyOne programs and started the foundations first planned-giving program.

Hafkemeyer started her career at Loras in the role of the college's communication and marketing director. She became the director of the Dubuque Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, and partnered with other leaders to develop the city's $188 million river front revitalization. According to the Community Foundation's news release, Hafkemeyer "... wrote grants and proposals totaling more than $50 million, and increased the annual operating budget from $300,000 to more than $1,100,000."

Hafkemeyer serves as board chair of United Way of Dubuque Area Tri-States.

"The board and staff extend a warm welcome to the new leader of our storied organization," board chairperson and interim president and CEO Randy Moore said in a news release. "With her diverse background in philanthropy, her strong relationship-building skills and her vision for community transformation, were confident in Sues ability to lead the way in opening the Community Foundations next big chapter."

Hafkemeyer said the move to the Community Foundation "just felt right."

"I couldnt be more excited to join and lead an organization that has accomplished so much and that has so much potential for the future," Hafkemeyer said. "Im looking forward to working together with the Community Foundations team  and with donors and nonprofits across the Quad Cities and beyond  to see where that potential can take us."

Hafkemeyer said she hoped her background and experience had helped her understand how collaboration and how strategic partnerships could " ... leverage growth in a community."

"I am very excited about the Q2030 group  made up by the Chamber of Commerce, United Way, the Community Foundation and Visit Q-C," Hafkemeyer said, of the Quad-Cities' regional action plan for where it wants to be by 2030. "I think there are excellent building blocks in the Quad-Cities."

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A New Underwood Volunteer Fire Department vehicle rear-ended a semi truck on Interstate 90 on Saturday while on their way to attend to another crash during a blowing snowstorm.

According to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, the three firefighters  two men and one woman  were traveling eastbound in a 2019 Dodge Ram 3500 rescue vehicle in white-out conditions with their emergency lights on when they hit a semi near mile marker 81.

The vehicle then entered the other eastbound lane and collided with another vehicle. The accident took place about noon.

Tony Mangan, public information officer for the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, said he did know the make and model of the second vehicle.

All the firefighters were wearing their seat belts as was the male driver of the semi truck and the male driver of the other vehicle involved, according to Mangan.

The three firefighters were transported to Monument Health Rapid City Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The drivers of the semi truck and the other vehicle were not injured. Mangan said there are no pending charges related to the accident.

Ron Racicky, former chief and current firefighter at the New Underwood Volunteer Fire Department, said the firefighters are no longer in the hospital.

Theyre very lucky kids, Racicky said. It could have been a bad outcome.

On Saturday, the Pennington County Sheriffs Office advised no travel on Interstate 90 from mile marker 67 to 110 due to high winds and icy road conditions. Gusts reached up to 75 miles an hour in Pennington County.

According to Pennington County Sheriff Office social media, a deputy vehicle was rear-ended at mile marker 88 on Interstate 90 on Saturday as well. There were no serious injuries in that accident.

Its dangerous out there even for law enforcement, the post said.

 Contact Shalom Baer Gee at sgee@rapidcityjournal.com 

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A leading criminal defense lawyer in South Dakota with experience defending politicians embroiled in scandal will represent Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg at his impeachment trial this summer.

Sioux Falls attorney Mike Butler confirmed Monday he has been hired by the 45-year-old Republican to lead his defense against Articles of Impeachment adopted by the state House earlier this month.

"Up until now, our approach has been to simply advise our client and to have discussions with him about what we should or shouldn't do. Our approach was to be low-keyed to not engage in some sort of public back and forth  I didn't consider that to be particularly helpful one way or the other," Butler told the Argus Leader a day before the South Dakota Senate is scheduled to adopt procedural rules that will govern the trial. "Obviously, if this goes to a hearing, that will be different."

Ravnsborg was impeached in the House of Representatives April 12 by a vote of 36-31 for crimes related to the death of 55-year-old Joe Boever on Sept. 12, 2020, and malfeasance in office. The trial in the Senate is scheduled for June 21 and June 22.

The trial prosecutor appointed by Senate leadership is Mark Vargo, the Pennington County State's Attorney who assisted the Hyde County State's Attorney's Office determine criminal charges levied against Ravnsborg in February 2021.

Butler declined to share specifics as to what Ravnsborg's defense will look like, potential witnesses or strategy.

Practicing law since 1985, Butler has a deep portfolio of high profile legal and political cases in South Dakota. He and attorney Patrick Duffy represented former state Sen. Dan Sutton in 2007 during censure hearings after the Moody County lawmaker was accused of sexual molestation of a high school student.

"I'm not going to call this the same type of proceeding," Butler said Monday. "The players are different. ... But I've had a similar experience. I'll put it that way."

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Falling water steeped with Richmonds history echoes throughout one of the James River Parks crown jewels amid a period of momentum for one of the citys architectural wonders.

With most of its structure built in the early 1880s, Pump House has about 140 years ceased to host the elaborate dance parties in its ballroom that the granite Victorian Gothic structure was once known for.

Located on Pump House Drive behind Byrd Park, the building dubbed The Castle on the James is on the National Register of Historic Places and will host Swing into Spring, an event put on by the nonprofit that aims to restore it, Friends of Pump House, on Sunday.

Its being billed as the first dance and music party in the ballroom in nearly a century, though the space has over the years hosted an assortment of small events from music video shoots to art installations and ghost tours. The event will include a performance by Jay Browns Grace Street Seven jazz band and swing dancer Claire Simmonds.

The Great Gatsby-themed fundraiser to help restore the building will harken back to an age where attendees arrived by boat and danced the Charleston during the Jazz Age when the Pump House was a regular space for social events.

The building is limited to 25 occupants at a time right now, so FOPH sold only 20 tickets for Swing Into Spring, and attendees have to wear hard hats, sometimes dodging wasps.

As he walked under newly restored archways and through rays of sunshine streaming in from refurbished windows on Friday afternoon, Penn Markham, president of FOPH, said bands such as GWAR and Cannibal Corpse have filmed music videos there, and AMCs Turn: Washingtons Spies even shot parts of an episode inside the building. Markham moved to Richmond from Knoxville, Tenn., and the building immediately captured his imagination.

Built under the supervision of city engineer Col. Wilfred E. Cutshaw, it provided water for the city of Richmond for more than 40 years. Water was channeled there from the pumping station  located along the Kanawha Canal, close to the point where the James passes Williams Island  which transported water to a 26-foot-deep reservoir in Byrd Park. This water went untreated directly to Richmond businesses and residences until 1909.

Markham said he receives regular requests from people wishing to hold weddings and similar events there, and routinely hears stories of grandparents diary entries detailing social gatherings there over the first half of the 20th century. FOPH holds regular public volunteer cleanups and tours.

Full Pump House restoration is in the James River Park Service Master Plan, said Josh Stutz, executive director of Friends of the James River Park. The master plan budgets restoration at $12 million.

Though the end goal of full restoration is a long way off, Stutz said the work being done by Friends of Pump House has been crucial to keeping the space alive while we work on the larger plan to find state or federal funding to restore the whole place.

Stutz called Pump House the biggest piece of the master plan, along with the missing link bridge, a prospective connector from the Manchester climbing wall over to the south side of Belle Isle that would complete the downtown loop of the James River Park.

He and Markham both made a ballpark estimate for how much is needed to fully restore Pump House, which cost around $400,000 to construct in the 1880s, at roughly $10 million to $15 million today. Plumbing and HVAC systems and a handicap-accessible bridge over the canal to the second level are among the wish list items required in order for the building, which currently has limited electricity, to host more people.

Stutz and JRPS are currently working to secure federal or state funding to supplement the project, and the park superintendent recently submitted a request for a federal tourism grant of $10 million.

The long-term dream is to turn the building into an education center, park headquarters and public event space. Stutz said much progress has been made lately, but its largely beautification tasks like windows and archways.

Theyre doing really great work, that small volunteer crew with Friends of Pump House, Stutz said. The biggest barrier to events isnt restoration necessarily, its stuff related to fire safety.

Reinforcing the roof is FOPHs chief priority in the immediate future, Markham said, and that endeavor alone could cost around $3 million.

Stutz said its impossible to put a timetable on full restoration because its so dependent on securing funding, and Friends of James River Park is searching outside the standard streams for Richmond, because the money required exceeds the typical funding allotted to comparable local public projects.

Were a ways off, but the first $3 million is the most important at this point, said Markham, adding that FOPH hopes for a combination of federal, state and private funding.

That would buy us time to raise the rest of it. The longer you wait before replacing that roof, the more damage is going to occur.

Markham said more progress toward restoration has been made, and more money has been invested in Pump House, in the past two years  roughly $30,000  than over the previous century.

Though full-scale events akin to that which the building originally housed are far off, the dancing that is planned in its ballroom on Sunday is another step toward returning one of Richmonds wonders to its full glory.
China has authorized more than 2.53 million invention patents over the past five years, with an average annual growth rate of 13.4 percent, according to the country's top intellectual property regulator Sunday.

More than 27.7 million trademarks were registered in the same period, an average annual increase of 29 percent, Shen Changyu, head of the China National Intellectual Property Administration said at a press conference.

In 2021, the country authorized 696,000 invention patents, with the average ownership of high-value invention patents reaching 7.5 per 10,000 people, nearly twice that at the end of 2017, Shen said.

He added that China also witnessed significant improvements in the efficiency of the use of intellectual property rights (IPR). The added value of patent-intensive industries reached 12.13 trillion yuan (about 1.88 trillion U.S. dollars), up 5.8 percent year on year, accounting for 11.97 percent of the country's GDP.

According to China's 15-year plan (2021-2035) for IPR development, a clear target has been set: the added value of patent-intensive industries should account for 13 percent of GDP by 2025.

China has been committed to promoting the orderly development of international IPR cooperation and competition. In 2021, Chinese companies filed 8,596 patent applications in countries along the Belt and Road, a year-on-year increase of 29.4 percent, while these countries in turn applied for 25,000 invention patents in China, Shen said.
The Democratic delegate who earlier this year said Gov. Glenn Youngkin was using Black bodies as campaign props now hopes to unseat his own partys leader in the House of Delegates.

Del. Don Scott Jr., D-Portsmouth, has spent weeks planning a bid to unseat House Minority Leader Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax.

Scott made it public on Sunday by sending a letter to party leaders calling for a House Democratic leadership vote on removing Filler-Corn on Wednesday when the General Assembly convenes to consider the governors vetoes and amendments to legislation passed earlier this year.

Scott resigned his leadership position within the House Democratic Caucus, as vice chair for outreach.

The caucus election will be done by secret ballot. If Filler-Corn loses, Scott wants to be the Democrats leader in the House, where Republicans hold a 52-48 edge. He wants Del. Sally Hudson, D-Charlottesville, to serve as caucus chair and Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, to serve as vice chair for outreach.

The current caucus chair under Filler-Corn is Del. Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria. If she and Filler-Corn lose Wednesdays vote, House Democrats would need to hold another vote to elect new leadership.

Scott, a lawyer, was first elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2021 in a safely Democratic seat.

He gave a newsworthy speech on Jan. 26, during the regular General Assembly session, in which he rebuked Youngkins use of race in politics.

I understand you found a winning issue in critical race theory, once again, using the old Southern strategy to use race as a wedge issue, to use Black bodies as a prop in your campaigns, Scott said on the House floor. The governor, unsolicited, went to Scotts office afterward to speak with him.

Filler-Corn was first elected to the House in 2010 and in 2020 became the first woman and first Jewish person to serve as a Virginia House speaker.

She faced an unsuccessful leadership challenge in 2019 from then-Del. Lashrecse Aird, D-Petersburg.

But Democrats lost the races for governor, attorney general and lieutenant governor last year  as well control of the House  as Youngkin topped former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe by 2 percentage points.

Thats led some House Democrats to question whether their party leadership has accepted responsibility for what went wrong.

Scott is climbing uphill by challenging his partys power structure. The Richmond Times-Dispatch has learned that Scott has told others he has commitments from 30 Democratic delegates, and needs 25. But because the tally is by secret ballot, the votes in such internal matters can be tricky. Democratic delegates can tell both Scott and Filler-Corn they support them.

Filler-Corn spokesman Jake Rubenstein released a statement Monday from Del. Delores McQuinn, D-Richmond, saying the current leadership led this caucus to historic heights.

Now is not the time to take our best players off of the playing field, McQuinn said.
The Virginia Capitol will undergo a makeover that will temporarily remove the iconic South Portico steps and plaza to allow replacement of a portion of an underground roof to waterproof the 15-year-old annex that visitors enter to tour the national historic landmark.

The work is scheduled to begin on Monday and extend at least until December, closing the annex to visitors and legislators alike, as well as members of the news media who currently use a press room on one of the landings along the steps that rise from Bank Street to the Capitol. Visitors will use the west entrance to the Capitol, next to East Ninth Street, during the work.

The Capitol will not close, said Dena Potter, spokesperson for the Virginia Department of General Services.

The work is the second phase of a $4.5 million, two-year project to prevent water from infiltrating into the annex, which opened in 2007 as part of the Capitol renovation completed in time for the 400th anniversary of the founding of the English colony at Jamestown. Last year, the state replaced a leaking skylight over the annex in the plaza at the foot of the South Portico steps.

The work will be conducted as work proceeds to complete a tunnel under Capitol Square between the new General Assembly Building and the Capitol extension, where it will connect on a landing above Meriwethers snack bar. The $25 million tunnel will not be completed until next year.

Digging of the tunnel is underway from both directions to meet sometime in the fall to allow interior construction to begin. The tunnel will not open until sometime in late 2023.

These are complex projects that incorporate renovation, the repair of existing infrastructure and new construction and require the coordination of various design and construction teams as we make improvements to Virginias historic Capitol, Joe Damico, director of general services, said in a statement about the closing of the annex.

Closing the Capitols underground extension is critical to ensure everyones safety as we complete these important projects, Damico said.

Meanwhile, a portion of North Ninth Street will close to traffic between East Broad and East Grace streets until Oct. 17 to allow completion of the new General Assembly Building and a 500-car parking deck on opposite corners of Broad and Ninth streets in downtown Richmond.

The state expects to complete and furnish the interior of the new 422,000-square-foot building for the General Assembly this summer to allow legislators to move into their offices in advance of the legislative session scheduled to begin in January.

We should be moving them in the fall, Potter said.

The state met on Monday with members of the Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association  representing members of the news media who cover the legislature  to prepare for the temporary closing of the press room in the annex directly across from Meriwethers.

The annex includes a gift shop and two large legislative meeting rooms, one each for the House of Delegates and Senate. Once the waterproofing is completed, the state plans to replace the ceiling and lighting fixtures in the entire extension from Bank Street to the Capitol.

Potter emphasized that visitors will still be able to enter and tour the Capitol during construction. Tour buses will drop passengers at the newly renovated entrance to Capitol Square on Ninth Street to allow them to enter the building after security screening at the west entrance.

Capitol Square has been under transformation since 2016, when the General Assembly approved a $300 million project to build a new General Assembly Building and parking garage, and renovate Old City Hall. The clerks of the House of Delegates and Senate are overseeing the projects for the legislature.

Enhancing the visitor experience to and around the Virginia State Capitol is a priority for us and all legislators, Senate Clerk Susan Clarke Schaar and House Clerk Paul Nardo said in a joint statement.

Renovation of Old City Hall, a historic late-19th-century state building between the new General Assembly Building and the Patrick Henry Building on the north side of Capitol Square, is expected to be completed before the end of September.

The work wont end there because the General Assembly has approved planning for a project to move the Virginia Supreme Court and Court of Appeals into a renovated Pocahontas Building on the south side of Capitol Square.

The Pocahontas Building, which fronts on East Main Street next to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, has housed legislative offices and meeting rooms during construction of a new General Assembly Building.

Lots going on around Capitol Square, as always, Potter said.
A coalition opposing criminal penalties for marijuana possession collected over 1,200 signatures on a petition aimed at persuading lawmakers to vote no Wednesday on Gov. Glenn Youngkins proposal to create new misdemeanors for weed.

Also on Monday, two senior Democratic senators said they want the chamber to reject Youngkins proposal, which would make it a misdemeanor crime to possess more than 2 ounces of marijuana in Virginia.

The legislature voted in 2021 to let adults grow up to four marijuana plants and possess up to an ounce of marijuana for personal use. Anything between an ounce and a pound is still illegal but punishable only by a $25 civil infraction; anything above a pound is a felony.

Virginia still doesnt have any mechanism for legal sale of marijuana, though, outside of four state-licensed medical dispensaries.

When the legislature passes bills and sends them to the governor for consideration, the governor can sign, veto or amend. He amended a bill from Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta, related to regulation of CBD products to essentially rewrite the bill, adding the new misdemeanor penalties.

The General Assembly on Wednesday can accept the governors rewrite or reject it. (If lawmakers reject it, the governor can decide whether to sign Hangers original bill or veto it.)

The petition from the marijuana reform groups known as the CannaJustice Coalition says the state should be moving in the other direction by releasing and allowing resentencing for people serving prison sentences for nonviolent drug crimes, and freeing from surveillance people being supervised for marijuana possession.

Any legislation should eliminate felonies, reunite families, and end obstacles to securing education, employment, or housing, the petition said.

Ashley Shapiro, a deputy public defender in Richmond, said in a statement that the governors amendments were an insult to communities of color that have been targeted by the drug war.

This new crime will again allow racially biased policing of marijuana offenses, despite clear data showing Black and brown people are targeted at a much higher rate for policing, enforcement and prosecution, and serve much harsher sentences for use of marijuana, she said.

Meanwhile, senior Democratic leaders say they want the Senate, which they control, to reject Youngkins proposal.

Im not supporting the governors substitute, said Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria. Its full of loopholes, and it could potentially make people criminals who are growing for their own personal use.

Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax, referred comments to Ebbin.

Another senator said Youngkin went about the process the wrong way.

The governors amendments were not coordinated, discussed or negotiated with our caucus, said Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, and effectively would undo hundreds of hours of work that went into forging a very delicate compromise at the end of last session.

If the governors office had tried to have some dialogue about it, we might have been able to figure out a way to reach a compromise to meet our mutual objectives, but were not going to undo everything we did last session on a governors substitute to this bill.

Even if the House, which is controlled by Republicans, accepts Youngkins amended bill, the Senate, controlled by Democrats, can reject it.

The states Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission recommended in June that Virginia follow other states that have legalized small amounts of marijuana but still maintain a criminal misdemeanor charge for people who have gradually larger amounts.

One Republican senator, Bill DeSteph of Virginia Beach, said Monday that he doesnt back the governors proposal. Similar to Ebbins concern, DeSteph said hes worried that a really good gardener could be in criminal territory simply by harvesting four plants legally.
Political boundaries are shifting in the House of Delegates, but Del. Buddy Fowler, R-Hanover, isnt changing his plans for re-election or his philosophy for winning in a newly drawn district.

Fowler, 66, has announced that he will run in the new 59th House District, which includes his new home in western Hanover County, but also parts of Henrico and Louisa counties.

Thats a change from the old 55th District that he has represented since the beginning of 2014. The old district covers part of Hanover, as well as portions of Caroline and Spotsylvania counties.

Fowler moved to Beaverdam in the 59th District after the Virginia Supreme Court approved a redistricting map that placed him in the 60th District with another Republican incumbent, Del. Scott Wyatt, R-Hanover. His new residence also is part of his old district.

Since I was first elected, I have championed free enterprise, the rule of law, and family values, Fowler said in his announcing his candidacy for a fifth term in the House. Though district lines have changed, my commitment to these conservative values remains the same.

Fowler faces a challenge for the Republican nomination from Philip Carter Strother, a Richmond lawyer who lives in Henrico and owns a winery in Fauquier County.

Rachel Levy, a public school teacher from Ashland, is running in the new district as a Democrat. She lost to Fowler in the 55th District last year by about 12,000 votes.

Fowler is vice chairman of the House Finance Committee, as well as a member of the General Laws and Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources committees.

He is a retired small-business owner and was an aide to then-Dels. Frank Hargrove and John Cox, both Hanover Republicans.

The new 59th is strongly Republican, stretching from western Louisa to Ashland and as far south as a portion of the Henrico suburbs. Just over 42% of its voters live in Hanover, 33% in Louisa and just under 25% in Henrico, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

Its voting population is 73% white, about 15% Black and 4.5% Hispanic.

I look forward to achieving continued results for those I have the honor to represent, Fowler said.
Del. Buddy Fowler, R-Hanover, says he is running for re-election in a new House of Delegates district, but he faces challenges from both a Republican and a Democrat who question whether he lives in the 59th House District, much less as an incumbent.

Philip Carter Strother, 52, a Richmond lawyer and Fauquier County winery owner, is running for the Republican nomination in the newly drawn 59th District, which extends from Ashland to western Louisa County and south to Glen Allen in Henrico County, where he and his family live.

Rachel Levy, 48, an Ashland educator who lost to Fowler last year in the old 55th District, is seeking the Democratic nomination in the general election in 2023  unless the federal courts order special elections this year under a pending federal lawsuit alleging that the old districts are unconstitutional.

Strother calls himself the only Republican candidate who actually lives in the district, while Levy declines to speak directly to Fowlers record as a four-term incumbent because, she said, Im not going to run against someone Im not actually running against.

Both filed statements of organization for their campaigns last month, although Levy waited to announce her candidacy formally until Monday after Fowler jumped into the race.

Fowler, 66, denied suggestions that he isnt legally running in the 59th House district, which includes his new home in western Hanover County.

Earlier this year, I moved to a new address in Beaverdam, he said in a statement through his campaign on Monday. I now live in what is currently the 55th District and what will be the 59th District.

Fowler hasnt formally filed his statement of organization, but he said he is registered to vote at his new residence in Beaverdam.

He said he and his wife, Patsy, still own their former home off Route 54 between Ashland and Hanover Courthouse, which is now part of the 60th District represented by Del. Scott Wyatt, R-Hanover.

Such is the state of General Assembly politics after the Virginia Supreme Court approved new political maps in late December for legislative and congressional districts.

Levy, who lost to Fowler by about 12,000 votes last year in the 55th District, said she isnt daunted by running in a new district that votes strongly Republican, according to Virginia Public Access Project.

The new district is actually more favorable to Democrats than the previous district, she said.

But first, Republicans will hold a primary next year  if the current election schedule holds  and Strother remains committed to running with Fowler jumping into the race.

I think its fair to say I bring a lot of energy, Strother said.

Strother owns Strother Law Offices, PLC, in Richmond, as well as Philip Carter Winery near Hume in Fauquier, where his family also owns Valley View Farm and Locavore Farm Market.

He said he is running on a five-star plan that includes: expanded choices for education, especially for children with disabilities; affordable elder care; less regulation of small businesses; protection of 2nd Amendment rights to bear firearms; and expanded access to high-speed internet, especially in rural Hanover and Louisa.

Strother and Levy both question whether Fowler has worked effectively to bring broadband telecommunications to rural Virginia, which she contends has become possible only through the recent efforts of Democrats  then-Gov. Ralph Northam and President Joe Biden.

Levy has spent a career in education that has taken her to schools in New York City , Washington, D.C., and Albemarle and Caroline counties. Most recently, she taught government and English as a second, other language at Caroline High School.

Her campaign priorities are to strengthen our public schools; expand affordable access to health care; protect the natural environment and resources while promoting energy independence; rural broadband; and safeguarding free and fair elections.

Sadly, after their narrow win in the statewide and House of Delegates races, the Republican majority has proven not to be conservative but to be extremist, Levy said in her campaign announcement on Monday.
Six American cities pride themselves on their Edgar Allan Poe connections. Amid the friendly competition, however, Richmond stands out  and for reasons only locals can really understand.

Poe was born in Boston. Theres a life-size statue on Boylston Street commemorating him. He attended college in Charlottesville, where the University of Virginia maintains his old dorm room. Charleston, South Carolina, has its Edgar Allan Poe library and a Poe-themed gastropub because he served a stint at an army base on Sullivans Island.

In Baltimore, where Poe spent part of his 20s and later died under mysterious circumstances, theres a museum, an annual Poe festival and even a Poe-themed brewery, RavenBeer. In Philadelphia, the house where Poe wrote The Gold-Bug remains open as a museum. In the Bronx borough of New York, you still can visit the cabin where he lived for some years with his wife, Virginia  until she died in January of 1847, shivering in the little downstairs bedroom.

Catherine Baab-Muguira column: How reading Poe can improve your mental health Childrens books traffic in nonstop peril, yet dont prepare us for the very real dangers we face as adults  genuine spine tinglers like your

Any complete Poe tour also must include Richmonds own Poe Museum, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this week, and now offers an expanded collection, courtesy of a gift from Susan Jaffe Tane. Visit and youll see the tiny bed in which Poe slept as a child, as well as maps of the city as Poe knew it when he was growing up here.

Thats the key: Poe grew up in Richmond. Its where he picked up the dark psychic wounds that helped turn him into a writer. After his actress mother, Eliza, came to the city with her theater troupe, only to slowly die of tuberculosis as her anxious young children watched, the 2-year-old Poe was informally adopted by an affluent local family, the Allans.

Poe would spend most of the rest of his childhood here, roaming the fields and woods, and  so he claimed  once swimming seven miles down the James River to Warwick, where Richmonds Deepwater Terminal now sits. Poe was 15 years old at the time, and a student in the contemporary equivalent of high school.

High school can be hard for those with happy home lives and reasonably stable personalities (at least by teenage standards). Poe endured an extra hard time because he moved within a privileged, wealthy milieu, yet was not of it.

Everyone knew of his shameful low origins. Meanwhile his classmates could boast of being the biological sons of Richmonds best families  the judges, the business owners, the landowners and their society wives. And those biological sons, Poes peers, werent about to let him forget it.

Of Edgar Poe it was known that his parents were players, and that he was dependent upon the bounty that is bestowed upon an adopted son, classmate J.T.L. Preston would recall, decades after their school days ended. All this had the effect of making the boys decline his leadership; and on looking back on it since, I fancy it gave him a fierceness he would otherwise not have had.

This fierceness became Poes unwelcome windfall  a gift-in-disguise sense of grievance that encouraged him to restlessly achieve, achieve and achieve. Its reductive to say he spent his entire adult career articulating grief because his mother died when he still was too young to describe his pain. Its equally reductive to assume he became a world-class literary competitor because his high school experience pretty much installed a chip on his shoulder. But its not that reductive.

As a shorthand explanation, it goes a long way. You begin to grasp Poes personality and work better than you did before. His relentless obsessions with loss and revenge? They start to add up.

Your mind opens to other possibilities, too: Maybe our toughest experiences are what make us. Maybe we also finally can turn our grief into something beautiful and redemptive  if only were lucky, persistent and neurotic enough.

Poe also lost his first love here, and for reasons of a piece with his high-school trials. Before he left for college in Charlottesville, the teenage Poe fell in a love with a neighbor close to him in age, Elmira Royster. The two agreed that one day, they would marry.

Poe wrote her letter after letter from Charlottesville, but Elmira never answered. He could not know her father was intercepting the letters, convinced of Poes unworthiness as a suitor. All he knew was Elmira soon married a rich guy several years her senior. It stung.

So its no wonder Poe returned to Richmond in his 40s, after hed gained fame as a writer. No matter his lack of money, he was eager to flaunt his success in front of those whod known him in his youth.

Poe even looked up Elmira again, whose husband had died.Once more, the two seemed to have come to an understanding. In fact, the engagement ring he gave her, courtesy of Tanes gift, now resides at the Poe Museum.

Wherever you pick up your deepest wounds, that place becomes your psychic prison  your own personal Platos Cave. Home is where the haunted heart is, and it also is where all those people who doubted you still live.

Within such complicated relationships and inextricable ties, our lives and careers take shape, as ongoing reactions to our childhoods. Altruistic and intrinsic motivations play their roles in our choices, but what really make us whole and recognizable are our wounds.

That could sound Freudian. Now try to think of a person you know for whom its not true.

On a certain, very precise level, only Richmonders can know this. Only we can fathom Poe, because weve lived our own versions of this story.

Fortunately, its not all bad news. The forces that shape us sometimes might be perverse and painful, but theyre sources of connection and ultimately, of understanding and belonging, too.
RICHMOND  Gov. Glenn Youngkin is just over three months into his four-year term as Virginia governor, but his political organization already is expanding its reach across a national stage.

Last fall, Youngkin narrowly defeated a former governor, Democrat Terry McAuliffe, bidding for a second non-consecutive term in a state that doesnt allow its chief executive to run for re-election.

But the Republican political newcomer is trying to parlay his electoral success at winning a formerly blue state to a national platform through a pair of new federally registered organizations to push candidates or issues in other states as well as Virginia.

And that has stirred speculation that Youngkin is following the path of Virginia governors considering runs for higher office. Virginia governors quest for a place on a presidential ticket usually are ill-fated, though four of the states last 10 governors before Youngkin  Chuck Robb, George Allen, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine  subsequently were elected to the U.S. Senate.

That is not something the governor really worries about or talks about, said Kristin Davison, vice president of Axiom Strategies, the national consulting firm that managed Youngkins gubernatorial campaign and still advises him.

Hes not really thinking about the national scene, Davison said in an interview on Thursday, but that doesnt mean the national scene isnt looking at him.

Larry Sabato, president of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, has seen the national spotlight lure many governors, both Democrat and Republican, elected in an off-off year political cycle that gives them the nearly undivided attention of a national audience.

They just cant resist, Sabato said Thursday.

Youngkins political team last month formed the Spirit of Virginia political action committee under Section 527 of the federal tax code to raise money for political candidates in Virginia and other states, and also Americas Spirit, a social welfare organization under the tax code to advocate for political issues, but not campaigns.

Spirit of Virginia has succeeded the essentially defunct state PAC originally led by Youngkins wife, Suzanne, and his chief of staff, Jeff Goettman, and known both as Rebuild Virginia and Virginia Wins. The new PAC, like the old one, is dedicated to restoring and renewing leadership in the Commonwealth, according to filings at the IRS.

Americas Spirit is a 501(4) organization that under the tax code must be operated exclusively to promote social welfare, which Davison said means advocating for issues and policies, not politicians. In Virginia, the group is registered as a nonstock corporation, based in Midlothian.

Both of the new groups are able to raise unlimited amounts of money, but the PAC must report the source of donations while the social welfare organization does not, although it is more restricted in how it spends the contributions it collects.

The organizations have a threefold mission, Davison said. The first is to promote Youngkins legislative agenda, as Spirit of Virginia did last month with television ads aimed at pressuring Senate Democrats to agree to a state budget that includes all of his $5 billion tax cut package.

The other, more narrowly political missions are to keep Virginia reliably red by electing Republican candidates here and to help other candidates around the country, especially in Democratic-controlled states the GOP hopes to flip, the governors political consultant said.

Youngkin isnt involving himself in Republican nominating campaigns in battleground congressional districts for the impending mid-term elections, Davison said. However, she said the governor will help the eventual GOP nominees in the 2nd, 7th and, possibly the 10th districts, where national Republicans have targeted Virginia congresswomen Elaine Luria, Abigail Spanberger and Jennifer Wexton, respectively.

Outside of Virginia, Youngkin has attracted Republican attention with a successful campaign that kept former President Donald Trump at arms length while not offending his base, and focused on issues that cut across the political spectrum, such as education and the cost of living, especially taxes.

He sparked a movement in Virginia when he won last year focused on kitchen-table issues, Davison said. And that movement has continued to grow around the country.

Youngkin waved off a question about his potential presidential aspirations in an appearance on CNBCs Squawk Box that he used to push his tax cut and education plans.

Ive got a new job in Virginia, and Im extremely excited to be doing it, he said.

But Sabato is skeptical, after watching governors from Linwood Holton to McAuliffe follow the national siren song from across the Potomac River in Washington.

Former Gov. Doug Wilder called his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992 his biggest mistake, the political analyst observed, and you know, he doesnt admit mistakes.

Former Gov. Jim Gilmore twice sought the GOP presidential nomination. Gov. Bob McDonnell flirted with being named to a national ticket as vice president, but that faded amid a personal scandal at the end of his term. Warner traveled to Iowa and New Hampshire in 2006 before announcing that he would not seek the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

Virginia is the Mother of Presidents  birthplace of eight of the 46  and three presidents were former Virginia governors: Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and John Tyler.

Kaine is only recent Virginia governor to reach a national ticket, running for vice president in Democrat Hillary Clintons failed presidential bid in 2016. McAuliffe announced in April 2019 that he would not run for president in 2020.

Two governors who resisted the national spotlight were Mills Godwin, the only two-term governor in modern Virginia history, and Jerry Baliles. Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat who preceded Youngkin, has returned to his medical practice and says hes not likely to run for political office again.

Godwin set the right example, by saying there was no higher honor than to be governor of Virginia, Sabato said. If only they all believed it, because theyre better governors when they do.
Crypto investors earned a whopping $163 billion in 2021 for a nearly 400% increase over 2020s $32.5 billion gains, according to blockchain data company Chainalysis.

Predictably, most earnings, some 93%, came from Bitcoin and Ethereum, while more gains were made in Ethereum than bitcoin, but only by a few billion dollars, and both hit all-time highs.

Increased demand for Ethereum was possibly driven by DeFis rise (decentralized finance fintech) in 2021, as most DeFi protocols are built on the Ethereum blockchain and use Ethereum as their primary currency.

While there are still risks the industry must work to mitigate, the data not only shows that crypto asset prices are growing, but also indicates that cryptocurrency remains a source of economic opportunity for users in emerging markets, the Chainanalysis report said.

However, Chainanalysis stressed that the gains numbers are only rough estimates of how much crypto investors made during the year as it is based on analysis of moving funds, not knowledge of individual investor trading performance. The analysis also does not take into account taxes on gains made.

Regionally, the U.S., the UK and Germany are the top three countries in terms of volume of crypto trading, followed by China. For this year, China will fall behind even further due to the country's crackdown on crypto.

Over the past year, China has been relentless, waging an ongoing crackdown on bitcoin mining, culminating in a full ban in September. In January, the Russian central bank announced that it would also seek to ban all cryptocurrency trading and mining, but those plans have been put aside amid the war on Ukraine.

Crypto in the United States accounted for a significant portion of the estimated gains reported by Chainanalysis, accounting for $47 billion of the total gains.

The UK and Germany took the second and third spots, accounting for $8.1 billion and $5.8 billion, respectively.

Despite the restrictions on cryptocurrencies, Chinese investors made $5 billion in gains in the second part of 2021.

Still, based on trends from the first quarter of this year, some experts feel that investors might see lower gains this year.

Bitcoin has dropped to a six-month low, losing nearly a quarter of its value as the selloff of riskier assets spread to cryptocurrencies following regulation concerns in the United States and abroad.

According to CoinMarketCap, the crypto market is currently valued at $1.8 trillion, down more than $1.2 trillion below its all-time high of $3 trillion last November.

Last year, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies witnessed steady value increases thanks to growing acceptance by Wall Street and some of the worlds biggest and most recognizable institutions and companies.

Since the pandemic started, cryptocurrency has been the fourth most-traded asset, following real estate, stocks, mutual funds and bonds.

Yet, few prominent investors have shied away from cryptocurrencies as they await more regulatory clarity from US agencies.

Last month, Bloomberg cited anonymous sources as saying that the Biden administration is weighing an executive order that could lead to regulations on cryptocurrency.

According to the news agency, the administration is first considering an executive order that would require federal agencies to study the crypto industry and recommend appropriate oversight, which could include regulation, economic innovation and national security.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
You are here: China

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Monday visited Renmin University of China in Beijing, ahead of China's Youth Day which falls on May 4.

Xi went to an intelligent classroom for ideological-political courses to learn about the reform and innovation of ideological-political education.

He went to the university's museum and library to learn about the school's history, its achievements in teaching and research, and efforts to protect and use literature and ancient books as well as to promote application of research results.

Xi then chaired a symposium with the university's teachers and students.
Japans guard says 10 of the 26 people aboard a tour boat that sank in the frigid waters of a northern national park have been confirmed dead
Slovenians are casting ballots in a parliamentary election that is expected to be a tight race between Prime Minister Janez Jansas ruling right-wing populists and liberals in the politically divided European Union nation
Credit: SUSU

In 2019-2020 academic year the Institute of Law at South Ural State University has introduced a new Master's program Law (Law and Digital Technologies) taught in English which trains specialists with new skills and knowledge.

"This Master's program is the result of cooperative efforts of the teaching staff of the Institute. In 2018 the Institute started interdisciplinary research project "Legaltech: Legal Regulation of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Digital Economy and Creation of "Smart" Law for Smart Industry". While working on the project within the framework of law digitization, the team realized how important it is to provide future lawyers with knowledge in this field", shares Elizaveta Gromova, LLM Program Coordinator.

Nowadays, the process of digitization spreading throughout the world makes the law adapt to new "digital" realities and modern legal education has to provide future lawyers with the necessary competence in rapidly changing law. The program "Law and Digital Technologies" is aimed at providing students with advanced knowledge and practical skills in the field of law and digital technologies from an international, comparative and interdisciplinary point of view. There is no comparable master's program in Russia.

"In a context of intensive digitization, our society needs lawyers who can focus on digital environment and adapt to new reality. It is the modern market need that motivated us to create new program. Students get information about traditional legal doctrine, the regulation of digital law in public and private law, and international and comparative law. These features make the program interesting both for recent law graduates, legal practitioners and graduates of other practice areas. The developing cooperation of the Law Institute with foreign universities and educational organizations allows our students to participate in international scientific and educational events, exchange programs and internships," shares Elena Titova, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Head of the Theory of Government and Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law Department.

Distinctiveness of the New Master's Program

A special feature of this program is that it is taught in English. The key disciplines of the program concern judicial and law-related questions that address the opportunities and risks associated with innovation and new technologies. They are:

Current Problems of Legal Support for Digital Economics in Russia and Foreign States

Relevant Issues in The Digitization of Criminal Court Proceedings

Crimes Related to Digital Information (Comparative Aspects)

Digital Technologies in Civil and Arbitration Proceedings

Contract Law in the Field of Information Technology

Legal Regulation of Digital Financial Assets in Russia and Foreign States

International Cooperation in Combating Transnational Organized Crime

Lectures are given by experts in different branches of law both from Russia and other countries (Great Britain, Malaysia, Poland, Slovenia). Leading professors of the Law Institute are involved in the program: Yuri Voronin, D.Sc., Aleksey Minbaleev, D.Sc., Kirill Tomashevskiy, D.Sc., Abd Hakim Abd Razak, professor from Xiamen University (Malaysia), Edward Juchnevicius, professor from University of Gdansk (Poland).

Law Institute partners in the program are University of Gdansk (Poland), Xi'An Jiaotong University (China), the University of Chester (UK), University of Maribor (Slovenia), the European Law Students' Association (Bologna, Italy), Masaryk University (Czech Republic), University of Belgrade (Serbia). Students may participate in internships and exchange program under agreements with the universities", notices Elizaveta A. Gromova, LLM Program Coordinator.

There are plans to engage expert practitioners from leading companies such as Dentons, the Strategic Initiatives Agency and Skolkovo Innovation Center.

At the end of the course the graduates of the master's program will acquire the necessary competencies to work as managers in international legal and other companies or public bodies: theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of legal support for digital economics and the digitization of state administration; law-making, law enforcement, expert advice, organization, management, scientific and scientific knowledge research and teaching. Graduates will also acquire knowledge and skills of lawyers who plan to work in the IT sphere, engage in legal support of innovative projects and ensure intellectual property rights in digital transformation.

The quality of work, and therefore, high professionalism are guaranteed through systematic and continuously regular training.

Prospects of Employment

Top managers of many companies are interested in engaging professionals capable of solving problems in the digital worldthis allows companies to step up to a whole new level.

"Graduates of our program will be able to take positions in international legal bodies, public authorities, courts, or any other companies whose activities are related to the judicial aspects of digital technology creation and application. The principal employers for graduates of the program may become Chelyabinsk Region Court of Arbitration, Chelyabinsk Region Court, courts of Chelyabinsk Region, as well as lawyers' associations such as Chelyabinsk Region Legal Association, state and local government bodies, international legal companies (Dentons, Skolkovo Innovation Center, Agency for Strategic Initiatives)," notes Elena Titova.

The experts of the universities of the partners gave their opinion on the program and the need for getting education in the field.

"I am certain that programs such as "Law and Digital Technology" will become a flagship of modern legal education, allowing students to get knowledge about digital law," shares Manjeet Sahu, a judge from India.

"Modern legal education in the field of modern technology is no longer a luxury, but a necessity for the world dealing with big data, artificial intelligence, blockchain technologies, the Internet of things, cybersecurity. The program "Law and Digital Technologies" allows creating a multidisciplinary synergy which places a well-trained lawyer at the center of the system," says Marius Cocou Mensa, a senior researcher from University of Maribor (Slovenia).

"Please think about your potential clientsthey contact their friends on Facebook, pay with PayPal or Webmoney, store their files in the cloud. This list goes on and on. Ask yourself a questionDo you really need to study the law of new technologies?" shares Edward Juchnevicius, a professor from the University of Gdansk (Poland).

The most crucial competitive advantage of a young specialist is real work experience and interaction with the leading experts of a relevant sector. By taking part in the master's program, students immerse into the process and that provides them with chances of promising employment and dynamic careers.

Provided by South Ural State University
Yu April Chen. Credit: LSU

School of Education Assistant Professor Yu April Chen, Ph.D ., is the recipient of a National Science Foundation Career Award for her project titled "Leveling the Playing Field in STEM: Post-transfer Success for Underrepresented Racial Minority Community College Transfers" The grant totals $497,713 and will span five years.

The NSF Faculty Career Development, or CAREER, Program offers the NSF's most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. Chen's award is the first NSF CAREER grant awarded to the LSU College of Human Science and Education.

"Dr. Chen's research perfectly complements LSU's Scholarship First strategic plan and our commitment to preparing STEM professionals who will ultimately serve our state," said LSU College of Human Sciences & Education Dean Roland Mitchell. "Her research will shed light on a critical need at higher education institutions across our state and nationhow to retain minority transfer students and support them in their collegiate journey."

Community colleges offer a crucial transfer pathway toward bachelor's degrees in STEM for many underrepresented racial minority, or URM, students. Although previous studies have focused on creating a seamless STEM transfer pathway connecting sending community colleges and receiving four-year institutions, significant issues remain unsolved after transfer students arrived at the receiving four-year institutions. Transfer students may experience credit loss, transition challenges, and lower degree attainment rate at the four-year institution.

Chen's project aims to examine influential psychosocial factors of post-transfer success for URM STEM transfer students and to develop tailored institutional strategies to foster the transfer receptive culture in four-year institutions. The project will boost the four-year degree completion rate of URM transfer students and promote racial equity in STEM fields. Chen will collaborate with multiple LSU departments to implement a transfer student success program as well as to develop evidence-based strategies for transfer student recruitment and faculty professional development. The research and educational components of the project will contribute to the statewide STEM initiative in Louisiana by emphasizing STEM students' transition, retention, and degree completion in four-year institutions.

"The most exciting part of the project is to collaborate with colleagues from LSU Division of Student Affairs, LSU Discover and LSU Admission," Chen said. "We will develop tailored programs and strategies to optimize the experiences of URM transfers at LSU. Getting an NSF CAREER grant as an education or a social science researcher is extremely difficult and challenging. I feel privileged and grateful as this will open up amazing opportunities for me to advance my research agenda, translate scholarship to practice, and benefit the communities of science and practice at LSU and beyond."

Chen is an assistant professor in the LSU School of Education. She uses both advanced quantitative and qualitative methods to study (a) community college transfer students, (b) STEM success among underrepresented student populations, and (c) the experiences of international students. Her scholarship has been published in top-tier higher education journals such as Research in Higher Education, Community College Review, Community College Journal of Research and Practice and Journal of College Student Retention. Chen has delivered more than 40 scholarly presentations at premier national research conferences such as the American Educational Research Association, Association for the Studies of Higher Education and the Council for the Study of Community Colleges.

"Dr. Chen is an invaluable part of our higher education administration faculty," said School of Education Interim Director Laura Choate. "This grant will allow Dr. Chen to explore strategies to promote success for community college students who intend to pursue educational pathways toward STEM focused careers. Her findings will be critical to inform four-year institutions in creating transfer receptive cultures for underrepresented community college students. Dr. Chen's research will ultimately promote student retention, graduation rates, and a much-needed pipeline of STEM professionals."

Chen received the LSU Alumni Association Rising Faculty Research Award in 2020 for her outstanding records of scholarship and published research. She currently serves as the editorial board member for the Journal of The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition (2021-2023), as well as on the program committees for ASHE (2021-2022) and CSCC (2020-2021, 2021-2022).

About SOE

The LSU School of Education, or SOE, offers graduate and undergraduate programs in Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership and Research, and Counseling, including two completely online master's programs. SOE offers a range of professional and academic degree programs that focus on preparing students for careers in education, research, policy formation and implementation, as well as program oversight. The School's mission is to prepare P-12 educational professionals to be leaders, practitioners, and scholars knowledgeable in contemporary educational issues. SOE is part of the College of Human Sciences & Education. Visit the School of Education at lsu.edu/chse/education.

About CHSE

The College of Human Sciences & Education, or CHSE, is a nationally accredited division of Louisiana State University. The college is comprised of the School of Education, the School of Kinesiology, the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development, the School of Library & Information Science, the School of Social Work, and the University Laboratory School. These combined schools offer 8 undergraduate degree programs, 18 graduate programs, and 7 online graduate degree and/or certificate programs, enrolling more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,120 graduate students. The College is committed to achieving the highest standards in teaching, research, and service and is committed to improving quality of life across the lifespan. Visit the College of Human Sciences & Education at lsu.edu/chse.

Provided by Louisiana State University
Credit: CoWomen

The story of the Sephardic Jewish community often is overlooked when addressing Latinx culture in the United States. Only 300,000 Americans identify as Sephardic Jewsor those descended from 13th century Jewish populations that resided in the Iberian Peninsula prior to expulsion by Spanish and Portuguese royalty.

This spring, 16 University of Houston students have been learning more about Sephardic Jewish heritage, particularly as it relates to the Latinx experience in Houston. They have been meeting and interviewing Latinx Sephardic Jews in Houston and documenting their stories as part of an oral histories course.

Credit Mark Goldberg, director of the UH Jewish Studies Program, Holocaust Museum Houston, and the Cougar Initiative to Engage (CITE) program for providing this academic opportunity to students and for a closer look at a niche segment of the city's population.

Goldberg, associate professor of history, has focused his own research on Cuban Jews and recognized the scholarly possibilities for students.

"I was doing my own research and capturing oral histories when I realized how powerful interviews can be," Goldberg said. "Sitting down with a person, asking questions, and listening to their stories is critical for historians. I thought this would be an outstanding experience for our students."

In designing an oral histories class, he applied for and obtained a grant from CITE, which supports academic initiatives with real-world implications. The grant, he said, helped purchase audio and video equipment and hire a transcription professional. Additionally, the course was made possible by a partnership with Holocaust Museum Houston's Latino Initiatives Project.

Goldberg, a native Houstonian and a Latino Jew himself, identified six Houstonians with Sephardic Jewish ancestry and divided his students into groups to interview them.

"Growing up here, I was raised in a predominately Jewish community," Goldberg said. "Some of the people I knew while growing up are indeed Sephardic, so I reached out to them. Someone at the museum then volunteered to be interviewed, and through word of mouth, we gathered more interviewees."

Diversity was key in identifying these interviewees, he added. The group of participants was divided equally by gender, but their origins varied (Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, Argentina) as did their Sephardic histories (Syria, Turkey, Palestine).

The University of Houston. Credit: Courtesy of UH

Students completed their interviews this month, and the oral histories of these individuals will be shared online through Holocaust Museum Houston's Latino Initiatives website. Students also will share their experiences working on this semester-long project during a special event conducted at the museum at 6 p.m., April 25.

Goldberg's students will be on hand to share their experiences with the project this semester, as well as to present posters based on their research. Those interviewed for this project also will be in attendance to provide perspective on this project.

According to Goldberg, these oral histories help shed light on Latin American Jewish immigrants in the U.S., particularly those with Sephardic lineage.

"Sephardic history is very much overshadowed," he said. "In America, when people talk about Jewish history, they talk about Ashkenazi Jews, those of eastern European descent."

For students, the experience was enlightening, particularly to those with Jewish Heritage.

Student Miranda Ruzinsky found the project especially rewarding as she was able to expand her knowledge of the Jewish culture.

"I learned a lot about the history of Judaism beyond the Ashkenazi traditions I have grown up with inside my own family that practices Judaism and whose lineage hails from eastern Europe," she said. "I believe this importance not only extends to Jews like me within the Houston community but also to the entire city's population as well."

Ultimately, Goldberg not only wants to shine a spotlight on an often-unnoticed segment of the community, but to provide students with an experience that is academically and culturally enriching. He particularly credits Holocaust Museum Houston and CITE for achieving this goal.

"Our students gained historical empathy through this project by engaging with people from different communities," he said. "That is so important to our students and a key mission at our university  to learn cultural and social responsibility. This semester, we have certainly accomplished that."

Provided by University of Houston
Research from the Public Policy Research Lab, or PPRL, at the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication's Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs shows residents are more confident about ballot access, but political parties tend to disagree over restrictions on voting and the public has a mixed view on its political efficacy. Trust in news organizations is also declining both nationally and locally.

The 2022 Louisiana Survey includes two distinct efforts to sample residents of the state and conduct interviews. The Louisiana Survey polled 508 adult residents through traditional telephone-based surveys from across the state to find out how Louisianans view their government and its policies. The survey was conducted from Feb. 21 to March 14, 2022, and the total sample has a +/- 5.8 percent margin of error. Additionally, the Louisiana Survey polled 623 adult residents in a survey administered online. The survey was conducted from March 1 to March 21, 2022, and the total sample has a +/- 6.1 percent margin of error. The primary report is based on the traditional telephone-based portion of the study.

Findings from the fourth of six reports indicate the following results from questions asking Louisiana residents about elections in the state and news media:

A large majority (88 percent) of respondents said they are very or somewhat confident that legally qualified individuals who wish to vote are able to do so in Louisiana elections. It is a sentiment that Democrats (91 percent), Republicans (89 percent) and independents (86 percent) share. A smaller majority (61percent) expressed confidence that ineligible voters are not casting ballots in these elections, but there is a significant partisan divide. Three fourths (76percent) of Democrats and 64 percent of independents are confident that individuals not legally qualified to vote are prevented from doing so, but just 47percent of Republicans are.

Fifty-three percent (53 percent) said voting is a fundamental right for every adult U.S. citizen and should not be restricted in any way, and 46 percent said it is a privilege subject to limitations. Most Democrats (81 percent) said voting is a fundamental right, as did 60 percent of independents. However, most Republicans (76 percent) said voting is a privilege that can be limited if adult citizens fail to meet some requirements.

More than two-thirds of respondents (69 percent) said that most elected officials in Louisiana do not care what people like them think. On the other hand, more than half of respondents (55 percent) said that ordinary citizens can do a lot to influence the government in Louisiana if they are willing to make the effort.

Just half (51 percent) of respondents said they trust the information they get from local news organizations. This marks a 27-percentage point drop from four years ago. Republicans' trust in local news fell by 31 percentage points from 76 percent to 45 percent, and Democrats' trust fell 23 percentage points from 89percent to 66 percent.

Michael Henderson, LSU Manship School associate professor and Reilly Center research affiliate, is available for interviews. Contact acharbonnet1@lsu.edu to schedule.

The Louisiana Survey has been conducted for the last 22 years, establishing rich longitudinal measures of public opinion in Louisiana. The mission of the Louisiana Survey is to establish benchmarks as well as to capture change in residents' assessments of state government services. The survey is further dedicated to tracking public opinion on the contemporary policy issues that face the state. Each iteration of the Louisiana Survey contains core items designed to serve as barometers of public sentiment, including assessments of whether the state is heading in the right direction or wrong direction, perceptions about the most important problems facing the state, as well as evaluations of public revenue sources and spending priorities.

The survey is a project of the Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs, an integral part of the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication. The Reilly Center's mission is to generate thoughtful programs, dialogue and research about mass communication and its many-faceted relationships with social, economic and political issues.

Read the fourth Louisiana Survey report in full at https://www.lsu.edu/manship/research/centers-labs/rcmpa/research/la_survey.php.

For more information, contact acharbonnet1@lsu.edu.

LSU's Public Policy Research Lab is a joint effort of the Manship School of Mass Communication's Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at LSU. It provides a variety of services including survey research, 'big data' analytics, social media tracking, and focus group interviews. The Lab combines professional capability, the latest data technologies, and the variety of intellectual assets available at LSU to serve our clients' research needs.

The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs is partnership-driven, action-oriented and dedicated to exploring contemporary issues at the intersection of mass communication and public life. Its interdisciplinary approach draws together experts from diverse fields to advance research and dialogue. The intent is to inspire our communities to think deeply, take action, develop solutions and broaden knowledge. Underlying the Center's endeavors is to strengthen and advance the Manship School's national and state leadership in media and politics.

LSU's Manship School of Mass Communication ranks among the strongest collegiate communication programs in the country, with its robust emphasis on media and public affairs. It offers undergraduate degrees in public relations, journalism, political communication, digital advertising and pre-law, along with four graduate degree programs: master of mass communication, Ph.D. in media and public affairs, certificate of strategic communication, and dual MMC/law degree.

Provided by Louisiana State University
FLORENCE, N.C.  Four people are dead after separate shootings in Florence County during the weekend.

Three of the shootings happened in the city of Florence and another happened near Scranton.

In one case, police said, a man was shot in the 1100 block of Brunwood Drive about 4:40 p.m. Saturday after he refused a neighbors request to take him to a store.

Florence County Coroner Keith von Lutcken identified the man as Larry Dontaye Joyner, 37, of Florence.

Von Lutcken said Joyner was sitting in his vehicle in his driveway when the shooting happened.

Police have charged Randolph Eugene Smith with the shooting.

In an email to media, Capt. Mike Brandt of the Florence Police Department said Smith is charged with murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and grand larceny. He was taken to the Florence County Detention Center.

After the shooting, Brandt said, Smith left with Joyner in Joyners vehicle, which police found near Jeffries Creek Park.

Another shooting happened Sunday morning in the 1000 block of Carver Street, according to the coroner. The coroner said the victim in that shooting was Benjamin Willie Dixon, 32, of Florence.

A third shooting in Florence, previously reported, left a 17-year-old dead at 700 Philadelphia Place.

The body of the teen, identified by the coroner as Dairyontae Thurston Shaw of Dixie Street, was lying in the driveway when police officers arrived. The shooting happened about 2:30 a.m. Saturday.

Autopsies on Joyner, Dixon and Shaw will be performed at the Medical University of South Carolina at Charleston, the coroner said.

A fatal shooting occurred Sunday morning on Glendale School Road near Scranton, according to Maj. Michael M. Nunn of the Florence County Sheriffs Office. He said an 11-year-old was dead after that shooting.

No other details were given and the 11-year-old had not been identified by the coroner.
FLORENCE  ShelterBox USA is a charitable organization that provides emergency disaster relief to displaced families around the world due to natural disasters and conflicts

Herman Dixon, a Rotarian from Summerville, is a member of the ShelterBox Ambassador Council. He spoke to the Florence Rotary Club on Monday at Victors about the international organization, which was started in 2000 by a Rotary Club in Cornwall, England, as its millennium project.

Since then, it has become one of the largest Rotary Club projects in the world in countries across the globe.

It hand-delivers emergency shelter to families impacted by natural disaster and conflict. ShelterBox staff and volunteers have helped approximately 2 million people following more than 300 disasters in more than 100 countries.

Containers are filled with items such as tents, cookware, solar lights, water purification units, mosquito nets, nylon rope, repair items, clothing, masks, tools and other items. The average cost per box is $1,000, which includes equipment, transport and training.

The Florence Rotary Club presented Dixon with a check for $5,000 to assist ShelterBox with disaster relief.

ShelterBox has brought disaster relief to people who have survived earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, hurricanes typhoons and volcanoes as well as conflicts, which is one of the fastest growing disasters.

Dixon said they are in seven different places, including Ukraine, Syria and Yemen.

He said more than 25 percent of the population of Ukraine has been displaced. ShelterBox is providing them with mattresses to sleep on, blankets, hygiene items, clothes and other essentials.

He said if not for the Polish people many more people from Ukraine would be suffering and in need of their help.

Dixon said Yemen is fast becoming a trouble spot.

In the United States, ShelterBox has helped victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey and other disasters.

Dixon said they have one of the worlds largest transport planes but use whatever method is needed to bring supplies to people in disaster areas.

We try to help the worst of the worst, he said.

One box, which includes one of their five types of tents, could weigh between 125-140 pounds.

We want to return hope to these people and put smiles on their faces, Dixon said. That is why I donate my time. Our goal is to be able to help one million people a year.

ShelterBox is a partner of Rotary International. It has been nominated for the Noble Peace Prize twice.

Dixon said if this organization interest you dont keep it a secret, learn more, donate, and volunteer.

He said ways to help include becoming an ambassador, advocate, Rotary Club Champion, response team member and changemaker.

To learn more about ShelterBox and how to help, visit www.shelterboxusa.org.

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 Supreme Court grants cert on procedural issue relating to federal suits seeking DNA testing of crime-scene evidence | Main | "Did Mass Incarceration Leave Americans Feeling Less Afraid? A Multilevel Analysis of Cumulative Imprisonment and Individual Perceptions of Fear" 

This new NPR piece, headlined "In rejecting death row inmate's case, judge says law enforcement isn't a profession," reports on this interesting state court ruling from last week concerning the Arizona clemency process. Here are the details and context:

An Arizona inmate who is mere weeks away from his scheduled execution argued the state's clemency board was unfairly loaded with law enforcement. But a state judge has disagreed, saying that law enforcement does not meet the definition of a "profession."

Earlier this month, the Arizona Supreme Court issued an execution warrant  the first in eight years  for Clarence Wayne Dixon, a 66-year-old prisoner convicted of first-degree murder. But Dixon's attorneys argued Tuesday that the Arizona Board of Clemency, which is set to meet on April 28 to decide whether to stay the execution, is illegally made up of too many members who had careers in law enforcement.

This past Tuesday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Stephen Hopkins ruled against Dixon. "Historically, law enforcement has not been thought of as a "profession," Hopkins said in his decision. "It is not regulated as other professions are, and has little of the characteristics of what is typically considered a profession."...

Arizona law prohibits "No more than two members from the same professional discipline" from serving on the clemency board at the same time. The current board is made up of: one former superior court commissioner and assistant attorney general; a former federal agent with over 30 years' experience; a retired officer who spent 30 years with the Phoenix Police Department; and a 20-plus-year detective, also with the Phoenix PD. The fifth seat on the board is currently vacant.

Dixon was serving seven life sentences for the 1985 kidnapping, rape and assault of a Northern Arizona University student, according to court documents, when investigators connected him with a murder that took place seven years earlier. In 2001, DNA evidence linked Dixon to the January 1978 murder of Deana Bowdoin, a 21-year-old student at Arizona State University. She was found dead in her apartment, having been strangled and stabbed. A jury sentenced Dixon to death in 2008....

Dixon's execution, which appears all but certain at this time, will be the first to be carried out in Arizona since the botched execution of Joseph Rudolph Wood in 2014. Wood's execution should have taken a matter of minutes, NPR previously reported, but instead, the prisoner took more than two hours to die.
Forensic doctors carrying out postmortem examinations on bodies in mass graves north of Kyiv say they have found evidence some women were raped before being killed by Russian forces.

We already have a few cases which suggest that these women had been raped before being shot to death, said Vladyslav Pirovskyi, a Ukrainian forensic doctor who with a team of coroners has carried out dozens of autopsies on residents from Bucha, Irpin and Borodianka who died during Russias month-long occupation of the area.

We cant give more details as my colleagues are still collecting the data and we still have hundreds of bodies to examine, he said.

Pirovskyis team has been examining about 15 bodies a day, many of them mutilated. There are many burnt bodies, and heavily disfigured bodies that are just impossible to identify, he said. The face could be smashed into pieces, you cant put it back together, sometimes theres no head at all.

Related: Dozens of Bucha civilians were killed by metal darts from Russian artillery

He said the bodies of some women they had examined showed signs that the victims had been killed by automatic gunfire, with upwards of six bullet holes in their backs.

Oleh Tkalenko, a senior prosecutor for the Kyiv region, said details of alleged rapes had been forwarded to his office, which is investigating circumstances such as locations and the ages of victims.

Rape cases are a very delicate and sensitive matter, Tkalenko said. Forensic doctors have a specific task of checking the genitalia of female victims and looking for signs of rape.

A foreign coroner working north of Kyiv who asked to remain anonymous said some bodies are in such bad shape that it is not easy to find signs of rapes and sexual abuses. But we are collecting evidence in a few cases of women we believe had been raped before being murdered.

Following the withdrawal of Russian troops from towns and suburbs around the capital, dozens of women have told police, the media and human rights organisations about atrocities they say they suffered suffered at the hands of Russian soldiers. Investigators have heard testimony of gang-rapes, assaults taking place at gunpoint and rapes committed in front of children.

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Ukraines human rights commissioner, Lyudmila Denisova, has officially documented the cases of 25 women who were kept in a basement and systematically raped in Bucha, a town north of Kyiv now synonymous with Russian war crimes. Authorities have warned those cases could be the tip of the iceberg and accused Russian troops of using rape as an instrument of war.

Ukraines president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said in a statement last week that hundreds of women had been raped by Russian soldiers. Ukrainian authorities have declined to give exact figures or details about where the rapes occurred or the ages of the victims.

Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians during the war even as evidence to the contrary has mounted.

Tkalenko said women were reluctant to file police reports about acts of sexual violence because they believed the perpetrators would not be caught. Instead, they were contacting psychologists and doctors for help.

Psychologists work with the rape victims and then with detectives, Tkalenko said. Women are very reserved, and the information on rape cases is more closed.

Much of the evidence collected by Ukrainian prosecutors will soon be forwarded to the international criminal court (ICC), which has launched an investigation into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.

One volunteer who travelled into liberated areas north of Kyiv on 1 April to help evacuate residents said they encountered three naked women who emerged from houses and basements. One had been badly beaten and was taken away by ambulance, they said. The volunteer said they also witnessed about 10 other women giving statements to police about being raped.

What usually happens is that rape victims initially want to tell their story, but then they go away and it isnt until months later that they come back to talk, the person said.

Tkalenko says that when prosecutors hear about rape cases they approach victims individually and try to see if they will file a statement. People are ashamed to talk about rape, he said.
A healthcare COVID-19 worker in Singapore. (Reuter file photo)

SINGAPORE  In-person visits to hospitals and residential care homes will be allowed for all individuals regardless of vaccination status from Tuesday (26 April).

The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Monday said there will also be adjustments to the safe management measures (SMMs) for in-person visits to hospitals and homes, as Singapore exits DORSCON Orange for Yellow on Tuesday.

"As hospitals and homes are settings with vulnerable individuals and there is a need to protect them from infection, hospitals and homes may continue to put in place certain SMMs such as pre-registration of visitors for patients in hospitals, and to allow only two visitors at the bedside each time to avoid crowding in the wards or homes," it added.

All visitors are encouraged to administer a COVID-19 self-test prior to their visits at the hospital or home and should not visit patients if they are feeling unwell.

All visitors must also don face masks with good filtration capability at all times, including surgical masks and reusable masks that are made of two layers of fabric.

They are also reminded not to eat or drink in the hospital wards or residential areas of the homes, or use the toilets designated for patients or residents, as well as avoid sitting on their beds.

Visits to homes will be capped at one hour to allow all families the opportunity to visit their loved ones, said the MOH, adding that visitors should continue to schedule such visits ahead of time.

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"We also seek the understanding of visitors that visits may have to be suspended if a home is managing active COVID-19 cases. Next-of-kin of residents may approach the home for further details," the ministry said.

The MOH noted that hospitals in Singapore are still seeing a higher than usual non-COVID workload.

"We seek the publics continued cooperation to comply with the measures and remain socially responsible to keep patients or residents safe even as we take strides towards normalcy," it added.

Personal visits to hospital wards and residential care homes had resumed from 4 April, following a months-long suspension due to the Omicron wave in Singapore.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore
Elon Musk reached an agreement to buy Twitter for roughly $44 billion on Monday, promising a more lenient touch to policing content on the social media platform where he  the world's richest person  promotes his interests, attacks critics and opines on a wide range of issues to more than 83 million followers.

The outspoken Tesla CEO has said he wanted to own and privatize Twitter because he thinks its not living up to its potential as a platform for free speech.

Musk said in a joint statement with Twitter that he wants to make the service better than ever with new features, such as getting rid of automated "spam'' accounts and making its algorithms open to the public to increase trust.

Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated, the 50-year-old Musk said, adding hearts, stars and rocket emojis in a tweet that highlighted the statement.

The more hands-off approach to content moderation that Musk envisions has many users concerned that the platform will become more of a haven for disinformation, hate speech and bullying, something it has worked hard in recent years to mitigate. Wall Street analysts said if he goes too far, it could also alienate advertisers.

The deal was cemented roughly two weeks after the billionaire first revealed a 9% stake in the platform. Musk said last week that he had lined up $46.5 billion in financing to buy Twitter, putting pressure on the companys board to negotiate a deal.

Twitter said the transaction was unanimously approved by its board of directors and is expected to close in 2022, pending regulatory sign-off and the approval of shareholders.

Shares of Twitter Inc. rose more than 5% Monday to $51.70 per share. On April 14, Musk announced an offer to buy Twitter for $54.20 per share. While the stock is up sharply since Musk made his offer, it is well below the high of $77 per share it reached in February 2021.

Musk has described himself as a free-speech absolutist but is also known for blocking or disparaging other Twitter users who question or disagree with him.

In recent weeks, he has voiced a number of proposed changes for the company, from relaxing its content restrictions  such as the rules that suspended former President Donald Trumps account  to ridding the platform of fake and automated accounts, and shifting away from its advertising-based revenue model. Musk believes he can increase revenue through subscriptions that give paying customers a better experience, perhaps even an ad-free version of Twitter.

As Twitter's main customers, advertisers have also been a voice in pushing for stronger content rules that Musk has criticized. Asked during a recent TED talk if there are any limits to his notion of free speech, Musk said Twitter or any forum is obviously bound by the laws of the country that it operates in. So obviously there are some limitations on free speech in the US, and, of course, Twitter would have to abide by those rules.

Beyond that, though, he said hed be very reluctant to delete things and in general be cautious about permanently banning users who violate the company's rules.

It wont be perfect, Musk added, but I think we want it to really have the perception and reality that speech is as free as reasonably possible."

After the deal was announced, the NAACP released a statement that urged Musk not to allow former President Trump, the 45th president, back onto the platform.

Disinformation, misinformation and hate speech have NO PLACE on Twitter," the civil rights organization said in a statement. Do not allow 45 to return to the platform. Do not allow Twitter to become a petri dish for hate speech, or falsehoods that subvert our democracy."

During his candidacy and presidency, Trump used Twitter as a powerful megaphone that enabled him to speak to the public directly, often using incendiary and divisive language on hot-button issues. He was permanently banned from the service in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol.

Efforts to deregulate Twitter could thwart the companys current commitment to making the platform as safe as possible for all users, said Brooke Erin Duffy, professor of communication at Cornell University and an expert on social media. 

Marginalized communities of users are especially vulnerable to the forms of hate and harassment that so often circulate in unregulated online spaces, she said.

Forrester Research director Mike Proulx said that if Musk decides to loosen content moderation policies, he puts Twitter ad dollars at risk. Brands are becoming more conscious of their adjacency to risky content or disinformation, so they may take their dollars to other channels with greater safety measures in place, he said.

Some users said Monday that they were planning to quit the platform if Musk took it over. To which he responded on Twitter: I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means.

Musk has battled with the Securities and Exchange Commission on multiple occasions, as he has used Twitter to taunt the regulators.

The SEC has been investigating Musks August 2018 tweets in which he asserted that hed secured funding to take Tesla private for $420 a share, though he had not. Musk is fighting an SEC subpoena in the case in federal court. More recently, Musk appeared to have violated SEC rules by failing to disclose at the point he reached a 5% stake in Twitter, waiting until he had more than 9%.

Noteworthy as they are, the SEC matters have no bearing on Musks fitness to buy a company, according to St. John's University business professor Anthony Sabino, making it unlikely that they would represent roadblocks to the takeover.

With initial concerns of its own about the deal, Twitter had enacted an anti-takeover measure known as a poison pill that could make a takeover attempt prohibitively expensive. But the board decided to negotiate after Musk updated his proposal last week to show he had secured financing, according to The Wall Street Journal.

While Twitters user base of more than 200 million remains much smaller than those of rivals such as Facebook and TikTok, the service is popular with celebrities, world leaders, journalists and intellectuals. Musk himself is a prolific tweeter with a following that rivals several pop stars in the ranks of the most popular accounts.

Last week, he said in documents filed with U.S. securities regulators that the money would come from Morgan Stanley and other banks, some of it secured by his huge stake in Tesla.

Musk is the worlds wealthiest person, according to Forbes, with a nearly $279 billion fortune. But much of his money is tied up in Tesla stock  he owns about 17% of the electric car company, according to FactSet, which is valued at more than $1 trillion  and SpaceX, his privately held space company. Its unclear how much cash Musk has.

Musk began making his fortune in 1999 when he sold Zip2, an online mapping and business directory, to Compaq for $307 million. He used his share to create what would become PayPal, an internet service that bypassed banks and allowed consumers to pay businesses directly. It was sold to eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002.

That same year, Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, after finding that cost constraints were limiting NASAs interplanetary travel. The company eventually developed cost-effective reusable rockets.

In 2004, Musk was courted to invest in Tesla, then a startup trying to build an electric car. Eventually he became CEO and led the company to astronomical success as the worlds most valuable automaker and largest seller of electric vehicles.

Musks pledge to make Twitter a haven for free speech could dim the appeal of Donald Trumps troubled Truth Social app, which the former president has touted as a competitor to Twitter that would cater to conservatives. Truth Social is part of Trumps new media company, which has agreed to be taken public by Digital World Acquisition Corp. Shares of DWAC dropped 16.2% Monday and are down 46% since Musk revealed his stake in Twitter.

Krisher reported from Detroit. O'Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island. AP Business Writers Marcy Gordon in Washington, Barbara Ortutay in Oakland, Calif., and Kelvin Chan 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.

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I stop scrolling, look up from my phone, and out the window. I see a complicated but beautiful world. Its still going to be there no matter who owns Twitter. And we'll continue to find ways to live in it, talk about it, and share with each other our thoughts, fears, and dreams.
As a foreign correspondent and editor for the Los Angeles Times for 27 years, Marjorie Miller reported or led a team of journalists responsible for covering any upheaval occurring in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

After that, the Sioux City native joined the Associated Press as its Latin America regional editor before becoming the founding leader of the AP's Global Enterprise Team, overseeing reporting projects, including work from Yemen that won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting.

On April 11, Miller was named the new administrator of the Pulitzer Prize, which is one of the highest achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature and musical composition.

"I cannot think of a better steward for the Pulitzer Prizes, which celebrate excellence in journalism, arts and letters and recognizes the powerful, public service role they play in promoting tolerance, advancing the search for truth, and protecting the free exchange of information and ideas," said Lee C. Bollinger, president of Columbia University, which hosts the journalism award.

Even though, she's spent her life all around the world, Miller still remembers Sioux City, her hometown, with nothing but warm memories.

"My family moved to San Francisco when I was five years old, but I'd return to Iowa to visit my grandparents," the now New York-based Miller explained. "Mom and dad eventually moved to Los Angeles. Surprisingly, all of their L.A. friends were like them, former Iowans."

Their daughter, however, wanted to see the world.

Fluent in Spanish, Miller worked as a reporter in Latin America, covering conflicts in El Salvador and Nicaragua. Over time, she became an eyewitness to history being made throughout Europe and the Middle East.

"I wasn't always a foreign correspondent on the scene," she said. "But as the editor, I was in charge of the team."

While her new role with the Pulitzer Prize isn't as treacherous as a foreign correspondent, Miller acknowledged there may be a few landmines to avoid.

"Journalism isn't always held in the high level of esteem that it once was," she said. "That's unfortunate because there is so much great journalism being produced today. The Pulitzers Prizes are here to recognize the very best that journalism has to offer."

The Pulitzer Prizes were established by Joseph Pulitzer, a Hungarian-American journalist and newspaper publisher, who left money to Columbia University, in New York, upon his death in 1911.

A part of his bequest was used to found the prestigious Columbia School of Journalism as well as establishing the Pulitzer Prizes, which were first awarded in 1917.

Now, the Pulitzer Prizes are annually awarded for journalism in 15 different categories, as well as in the area of fiction, drama, history, biography, poetry, general nonfiction and music.

Miller said she'd like to see the Pulitzer expand to include more advocacy journalism.

"People tend to live in such informational bubbles these days," she said. "Because of that, they sometime can't make the distinction between a deeply reported package and an opinion piece. Both have value but they are very different."

Miller also wants the Pulitzer Prizes to keep up with changing times.

"I don't even know what a newspaper is anymore," she said. "The New York Times produces as many video or audio stories as they do articles meant for print."

Conversely, cable television networks like CNN and MSNBC produce as much written content on their various platforms as any major newspaper.

"We are at a point when people can see every newspaper from around the world on their smartphone," Miller said. "That's an incredible amount of information."

Plus, it is a very different environment where Miller began her career. Nevertheless, she is bullish on the future of journalism.

"We live in a 24/7 world," she said. "Events can change at a moment's notice. This is when journalism is at its best."

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OMAHA -- A Decatur, Nebraska, man pleaded not guilty Monday of having sex with an underage girl and fathering her child.

Juwan Grant, 23, entered his plea in U.S. District Court in Omaha to one count of sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country.

According to court documents, Grant engaged in sexual acts with the girl, who was under age 16, in 2021 from about February through May.

The girl, who gave birth in November, initially denied Grant was the father, and Grant told authorities the father was probably someone who lived in Macy.

During an interview at the Child Advocacy Center in Sioux City in December, the girl identified Grant as the father of her child and said he also provided her with methamphetamine and marijuana on several occasions. DNA tests have determined Grant is the child's father.

If convicted, Grant could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.

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ORANGE CITY, Iowa -- A Kingsley, Iowa, man was sentenced Monday to 180 days in jail and probation for threatening to kill an Orange City man.

Troy Bainbridge, 52, entered Alford pleas, in which he admits no guilt, to an amended charge of second-degree burglary and assault with a dangerous weapon. District Judge Roger Sailer entered guilty pleas into the record and sentenced Bainbridge to 180 days in the Sioux County Jail on the assault charge. Bainbridge will be allowed work release after serving the first 90 days.

Sailer also suspended a 10-year prison sentence on the burglary charge and placed Bainbridge on three years' probation. Bainbridge also must pay $12,500 in fines.

Charges of assault while participating in a felony, going armed with intent and first-degree harassment were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

On Sept. 19, Bainbridge entered a house in the 400 block of Delaware Avenue SW in Orange City, pointed a handgun at the head of homeowner Gregory Roos and told him he was going to kill him.

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SIOUX CITY -- A man who was shot after allegedly firing shots into a Sioux City apartment in March has been arrested on attempted murder and several other charges.

Ethan Hewitt, 23, of Sioux City, also faces charges of intimidation with a dangerous weapon, attempted first-degree burglary, going armed with intent, felon in possession of a firearm, trafficking in stolen weapons and possession with intent to deliver a counterfeit substance. Many of the charges carry a habitual offender enhancement, which would increase prison sentences for each charge to 15 years if convicted.

Hewitt posted a $250,000 surety bond and was released from custody days after his April 15 arrest.

Police were called to an apartment building in the 1600 block of Nebraska Street at approximately 4:15 a.m. March 21 after receiving reports of shots fired.

According to court documents, a resident of one of the apartments told police he and his girlfriend heard two individuals outside their home. Hewitt is accused of firing several shots, one of them entering a neighboring apartment and the others entering the victim's home. The apartment resident returned fire with a legally owned firearm, striking Hewitt, who fled from the scene with the other individual and dropped a handgun in the street.

Police recovered the handgun, which was determined to be stolen. Officers later searched Hewitt's home, where they recovered firearms and 18 pounds of MSM, a methamphetamine additive.

Hewitt, who was hospitalized for several days recovering from his gunshot wound, and the apartment resident had an ongoing feud because they both had a previous relationship with the same woman, court documents said.

Police said the man who shot Hewitt has not been charged.

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Elon Musk to buy Twitter for $44B and take it private

Elon Musk reached an agreement to buy Twitter for roughly $44 billion on Monday, promising a more lenient touch to policing content on the platform where he promotes his interests, attacks critics and opines on a wide range of issues to more than 83 million followers. The outspoken Tesla CEO, who is also the worlds wealthiest person, has said he wanted to buy and privatize Twitter because he thinks its not living up to its potential as a platform for free speech. The risk is that Musk goes too far in his hands off approach, potentially alienating users and advertisers. Shares of Twitter Inc. rose 5% Monday to $51.70 per share, below the $54.20 he offered for the company.

The AP Interview: Kyiv wants UN to seek Mariupol evacuation

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Ukraines foreign minister is urging U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres to press Russia for an evacuation of the besieged port of Mariupol when he visits Moscow on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview Monday such a move is really something that the U.N. is capable to do. Mariupol is the seaside city where an estimated 100,000 people are trapped. A contingent of Ukrainian fighters are holding out against Russian forces in a steel mill where hundreds of civilians also are taking shelter. Kuleba also expressed satisfaction with U.S. promises of substantial new aid, but expressed frustration that Kyiv's requests for help take a long time to be fulfilled.

Russia hits faraway targets; diplomat warns of risk of WWIII

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russia has unleashed a string of attacks against rail and fuel facilities deep inside Ukraine in an apparent attempt to thwart Ukrainian efforts to marshal supplies. Meanwhile, Russias top diplomat warned against provoking World War III and said the threat of a nuclear conflict should not be underestimated. The U.S. is moving to rush more weaponry to Ukraine and says the Western allies assistance is making a difference in the 2-month-old war. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. wants to help Ukraine remain independent and also see Russia "weakened to the point where it cant do things like invade Ukraine.

White House: Without funding US will lose COVID treatments

WASHINGTON (AP)  After two years at the front of the line for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, the U.S. could soon have to begin taking a number. The White House is warning that other countries are already moving ahead of the U.S. in putting in their advance orders for the next generation of therapies. The problem is lack of funding. Many in Congress are willing to vote for the billions now needed. But Senate Republicans are demanding that as part of the deal Democrats must agree to extend pandemic-related, Trump-era border restrictions. Unless Congress can break that impasse, the White House says, more Americans will get COVID and die.

Judge finds Donald Trump in contempt in New York legal fight

NEW YORK (AP)  A New York judge has found former President Donald Trump in contempt of court for failing to adequately respond to a subpoena issued by the states attorney general as part of a civil investigation into his business dealings. Judge Arthur Engoron on Monday ordered Trump to pay a fine of $10,000 per day. New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, had asked the court to hold Trump in contempt after he missed a March 31 court-imposed deadline to turn over documents. Trump, a Republican, has been fighting James in court over her investigation, which he has called a politically motivated witch hunt. Trump spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

French President Macron reelected: What's happening next?

PARIS (AP)  After winning reelection, French President Emmanuel Macron intends to go back to work straight away. His inauguration is expected by May 13, but he will face a crucial parliamentary election in June where he's likely to struggle to keep his majority. The 44-year-old leader plans to quickly head to Berlin, keeping the tradition that newly elected French presidents make their first trip abroad to Germany to celebrate their friendship after multiple wars. Efforts to try to end the war in Ukraine will top the agenda. Macron may also travel to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On Monday, Macron talked to U.S. President Joe Biden about support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

Michigan chief IDs officer who fatally shot Patrick Lyoya

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP)  Grand Rapids, Michigan, police have identified Christopher Schurr as the officer who killed Patrick Lyoya three weeks ago. Lyoya was a Black man and native of Congo who was fatally shot in the back of the head after a struggle with the officer. Grand Rapids Chief Eric Winstrom had declined to name the officer but changed course Monday. Schurr has been a Grand Rapids officer since 2015. He grew up in the area and was a star pole vaulter at Siena Heights, a small Michigan college. In 2014, Schurr told Vaulter Magazine that he was getting married in Kenya because he couldn't afford a wedding celebration and take a separate trip to Africa to build homes. So he was going to do both at the same time.

Melissa Lucio's execution delayed by Texas appeals court

HOUSTON (AP)  A Texas appeals court on Monday delayed the execution of Melissa Lucio amid growing doubts about whether she fatally beat her 2-year-old daughter. Lucio's effort to halt her execution has garnered the support of lawmakers, celebrities and even some of the jurors who sentenced her to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted a request by Lucios lawyers for a stay so a lower court can review her claims that new evidence would exonerate her. It was not immediately known when the lower court might begin reviewing her case. Lucio had been set for lethal injection on Wednesday for the 2007 death of her daughter Mariah in Harlingen.

Parents sue after death of teen from Florida drop-tower ride

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  The parents of a 14-year-old boy who fell to his death from a 430-foot drop-tower ride in central Floridas tourist district have sued its owner, manufacturer and landlord, claiming they were negligent and failed to provide a safe amusement ride. The lawsuit was filed Monday by the parents of Tyre Sampson in state court in Orlando. It says that the defendants failed to warn their 6-foot-2-inch, 380-pound son about the risks of going on the ride and didnt provide an appropriate restraint system on the ride. An initial report said ride sensors had been adjusted to double the size of restraint openings on two seats.

Weary of many disasters? UN says worse to come

A new United Nations report says disasters are on the rise and are going to get worse. In the late 20th century, the world had some 90 to 100 disasters per year. Now a new UN report says disasters that range from climate change to COVID-19 are going to jump to about 560 a year by 2030. One scientist likened the trend to multiple illnesses that weaken a body's immune system. He says it's not just the disasters themselves but the accumulated risk, how they add up and ping-pong against each other.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  Alaska lawmakers are considering a request by Gov. Mike Dunleavy's administration that the state take over part of a federal environmental permitting program, though some members of the Senate's budget-writing committee have expressed concerns with the potential costs.

Administration officials have said the idea behind the proposal is to speed the construction of roads, bridges, mines and drilling projects, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

While the state would have to follow federal standards, critics of the proposal say the state has traditionally favored development and underfunded oversight capabilities. Industry groups say the current permitting process is too slow.

The House included a $4.9 million increase to the budget of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, which expects to hire 28 new staff members. The funding was part of the House version of the state operating budget, which passed earlier this month; senators currently are working on their version.

If the proposed increase is approved, department officials plan a two-year process to take over part of the federal Clean Water Act known as Section 404.

Permits issued under that section determine whether a developer can fill wetlands, rivers or other bodies of water during construction. It also determines whether a developer must take compensatory steps for wetlands destroyed by construction.

We believe that we can develop this appropriately, get this submitted to the EPA ... and ask them to make a good decision for us, with the implementation in 2024, Jason Brune, the department's commissioner, said, referring to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Federal law allows for states to do this if they meet federal standards.

Alaska lawmakers authorized a takeover in 2013 but the push was abandoned after oil prices fell. With higher oil prices and rosier revenue projections this year, the idea was resurrected.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which typically administers 404 permitting, has been neutral during legislative hearings.

Brune said if the state were to take over, he expects similar timelines or quicker, especially for general permits compared to the corps. He also said he's committed to seeking more resources if those are needed.

The corps in Alaska has a regulatory team of about 50 people and an annual budget of about $8.5 million for wetlands permitting, said John Budnik, a corps spokesperson.

Alaska wouldnt be able to take over all wetlands permits; those affecting the ocean, tidally influenced wetlands and navigable rivers or lakes still must go through a federal process.

The Senate Finance Committee removed funding for the proposal from the draft of the state budget it is working on. The measure ultimately advanced by the committee will go the Senate floor for debate and possible amendments.

Differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget are generally hashed out in a conference committee.

Sen. Bert Stedman, a Senate Finance Committee co-chair, said in addition to costs associated with the proposal, he's concerned about starting a major new project in the last year of a gubernatorial term. Dunleavy is seeking reelection this year.

I think theres a timing issue, theres a budget growth issue, and theres a lot of concern amongst my district as far as just DEC and EPA growth and involvement in the overall economy. Im a little cautious, Stedman said.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Anchorage Daily News.

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BERLIN (AP)  The co-leader of German Chancellor Olaf Scholzs party said Monday that former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, whose ties to the Russian energy industry have left him increasingly isolated at home, should leave the party.

Saskia Esken, one of two co-leaders of Scholzs center-left Social Democrats, said in an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio that Gerhard Schroeder has been acting for many years now only as a businessman, and we should stop seeing him as an elder statesman, as a former chancellor. He earns his money with work for Russian state companies.

Asked whether Schroeder should leave the party, Esken replied: He should.

Schroeder is chairman of the supervisory board of Russian state energy company Rosneft and also has been involved with the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline projects. He has ignored calls from the party, and from Scholz, to give up those posts. The head of his office recently quit, and Schroeder, 78  who led the country from 1998 to 2005  has few defenders left in Germany.

At a news conference later Monday, Esken made clear that comments by Schroeder to The New York Times on atrocities in the Ukrainian town of Bucha made Schroeders position even less tenable. Schroeder was quoted as saying that the matter has to be investigated but he didnt think the orders would have come from Russian President Vladimir Putin, a longtime friend.

His defense of Vladimir Putin against the accusation of war crimes is absurd," Esken said. Giving up his Russian energy posts would have been necessary to salvage his reputation as a former and once really successful chancellor, but unfortunately he didn't follow this advice, she added.

The Social Democrats' local branch in Schroeder's home city of Hannover said it has received 14 requests so far for expulsion proceedings against the ex-chancellor, German news agency dpa reported.

An arbitration committee of the Hannover branch will have to decide on those requests, but it isn't clear when it might make a decision. Esken noted that such proceedings face very high hurdles and need a lot of time.

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine 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.

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New Haven's acting police chief was ordered to resign by a Connecticut judge, who ruled Monday that the chief has held the temporary position longer than the city charter allows.

Mayor Justin Elicker immediately vowed to appeal the ruling and said Renee Dominguez would remain as acting chief during the legal challenge and until a permanent chief is hired.

Dominguez, who has served as acting chief since March 2021, had been on track to become the first woman to permanently lead the New Haven police department. But in December, the citys Board of Alders rejected Elicker's nomination of her after some residents raised concerns about increasing violent crime and low diversity in the department.

In his ruling, Judge Michael Kamp said the city charter prohibits acting city officials  including the police chief  from holding the temporary jobs for more than six months without their names being submitted to the Board of Alders. Elicker did submit Dominguez's name to the alders within six months, but the board rejected the nomination, the judge said.

The clear import of the city charter is that an acting police chief cannot remain in place indefinitely, Kamp wrote. To conclude otherwise would completely thwart and eliminate the Board of Alders' advice and consent role in approving the mayor's nominee.

Elicker and city legal staff, however, disagreed with the judge's interpretation of the charter. They argued the charter allows Dominguez to remain in office until a permanent chief is hired.

We need stability now, and I think that given the incredible challenges that our community has faced over these past two years  a dramatic uptick in violence like many cities across the nation  it is not time for some politically motivated stunt show here, Elicker said at a Monday afternoon news conference, referring to the court case that led to Kamp's ruling.

Elicker said the city already is in the process of looking for a permanent chief.

The legal challenge the led to Kamp's ruling was filed by two local pastors, the Revs. Boise Kimber and Donarell Elder.

Dominguez has been leading the department since last year's retirement of Otoniel Reyes.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP)  Only a few months ago, Robert Golob was virtually unknown in politics, didnt belong to any party, but had a clear goal: to remove Slovenian right-wing populist Prime Minister Janez Jansa from power and stop a democratic backslide in the tiny Alpine state.

On Sunday, the Freedom Movement, a liberal green party formed by Golob only in January, won Slovenias general election, more than 10 percentage points ahead of Jansas Slovenian Democratic party as people turned out massively to vote for change.

As a party coming out of nowhere to win the election, the Freedom Movement follows a pattern seen in some other Eastern Europe states where right-wing populists lost elections mainly to newly formed parties and coalitions.

Eastern Europe's populist wave already showed signs of ebbing last year with Bulgarias Boyko Borissov voted out of office in April and the Czech Republics Andrej Babis losing an election in September.

But some of the regions most prominent autocrats, such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Serbias President Aleksandar Vucic, have kept their tight grip on power after convincingly winning votes in their countries earlier this month.

Golob, a 55-year-old energy expert and businessman who has billed the election as a referendum on democracy, said he will form the new government with other left-leaning parties and they will lead Slovenia back to freedom.

People want changes and have expressed their confidence in us as the only ones who can bring those changes, he said, addressing his supporters via a video link from his home after contracting COVID-19.

Jansa, who was seeking his fourth term in office, reluctantly conceded the defeat.

The close ally of Orban and staunch supporter of former U.S. President Donald Trump has for years been accused in his country of eroding its traditional democratic standards.

Jansa came to prominence in the 1990s as a post-communist reformer, but he has been at loggerheads with the European Union over his moves to cut funding for the national news agency, restrict press freedoms and delay the appointment of prosecutors to the blocs new anti-corruption body.

Slovenian political analyst Andraz Zorko says Jansas election defeat can be attributed both to his anti-democratic stands at home and his governments harsh anti-coronavirus measures that drew massive street protests last year.

I believe that we yesterday observed the manifestation of huge antigovernment sentiment which was present (for the past), I can say, two years, especially last year, Zorko said.

I think that the defeat of the government and the coalition that governed the country is mainly due to some measures during the epidemic which were unnecessary and really harsh, he said. I am talking about curfew, I am talking limited moving within municipalities and some really harsh reaction towards the protesters last autumn.

Slovenia's prominent Delo daily said voters have put an end to the worst kind of intolerance, devastating for 2 million Slovenians.

Humiliation, shaming, arbitrariness, dictatorship, injustices, curtailing of fundamental human rights and dignity  the people do not forgive that, Delo said in a commentary.

AP writer Dusan Stojanovic contributed from Belgrade, Serbia.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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TOKYO  Japan welcomed the reelection of French President Emmanuel Macron as key to the unity of Group of Seven at a time when its members need to work together to end Russias invasion of Ukraine as soon as possible.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida congratulated Macron in his Twitter messages in both Japanese and French, saying, I hope to closely work with President Macron in a wide range of issues, including Russias invasion of Ukraine and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki on Monday extended heartfelt congratulations to Macron on his reelection.

As we face a critical moment to end Russias outrageous aggression and defend the peaceful world order, the G-7 unity is required more than ever, and we plan to continue working closely with France led by President Macron, Isozaki said.

Japan, worried about the impact of Russian invasion of Ukraine in the East Asia where China is increasingly taking assertive military actions, has tried to play a greater role as part of G-7 and has joined in sanctions against Moscow and provided support for Ukraine in line with other members.

Isozaki called France an important, special partner for Japan that shares universal values including freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. He said Tokyo intends to strengthen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

CANBERRA, Australia  Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is welcoming President Emmanuel Macrons reelection to a second term in France as a great expression of liberal democracy.

Macron was scathing of Morrison after Australias conservative government canceled a 90 billion Australian dollar ($66 billion) submarine contract in September.

Macron accused Morrison of lying to him about the state of the French contract before a deal was announced for the United States and Britain to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. Morrison denied misleading Macron, who refused to take the Australian leaders phone calls.

On Monday, Morrison tweeted: Congratulations Emmanuel Macron on your reelection as President. Another great expression of liberal democracy in action in uncertain times.

We wish you & France every success, in particular your leadership in Europe and as an important partner to Australia in the Indo-Pacific, Morrison added.

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines leader has congratulated Emmanuel Macron on winning a second term as president of France  and beating a far-right rival seen as close to Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelenskyy called Macron a true friend of Ukraineon Sunday and expressed appreciation for his support.

Tweeting in French, Zelenskyy said: Im convinced that we will advance together toward new joint victories. Toward a strong and united Europe!

Macron has sought a diplomatic solution to Russias war in Ukraine. France has also sent significant weapons to Ukraine and Macron is planning more.

In a TV debate ahead of Sundays runoff, Macron assailed challenger Marine Le Pens past ties to Russia, notably a loan her party got from a Russian-Czech bank in 2014.

PARIS  Watching Frances presidential election results was especially stressful for Yasmina Aksas.

The 19-year-old law student could have been forced to remove her headscarf if far-right leader Marine Le Pen had won instead of incumbent Emmanuel Macron.

Speaking to AP as the first projections came in showing Macron in the lead, Aksas was visible relieved  but far from overjoyed.

Its still 40% of people voting for Le Pen. Its reassuring that its Macron but its not a victory, said Aksas, who is active in feminist and social justice organizations. It reflects nothing of what I think and what I identify with.

She expressed concern about extremist language and ideas that used to be limited to militant far-right groups but have now entered the mainstream.

Under Macrons presidency, she described encroaching limits on Muslims in the name of fighting extremism. They made it a problem for everyone while remaining vague about who the menace is.

So if you feel concerned about what theyre doing, like closing mosques, associations, when they say theyre targeting jihadists, you shouldnt feel targeted, otherwise you are suspected of not being part of the republic.

MORE STORIES:

 Macron vs Le Pen: France votes in tense presidential runoff

 Frances presidential rivals: Key moments, private lives

 EXPLAINER: How Frances old-school voting system works

 Follow all AP stories on France's 2022 presidential election at https://apnews.com/hub/france-election-2022

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

LONDON  A European economist says that if exit polls hold true and Emmanuel Macron wins the election against his right-wing challenger Marine Le Pen, France will most likely remain an engine of growth and progress in Europe for the next five years.

Economist Holger Schmieding says France has outperformed Germany for the past five years. He says France under Macron would likely remain on track for a sustained period of faster gains in employment and per-capita GDP. He says a dynamic France next to a still somewhat strong Germany is a major positive for Europe.

The economist says Macron has strengthened the French economy by more than any of his predecessors since Charles de Gaulle.

BERLIN  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was the first foreign leader to call President Emmanuel Macron and congratulate him on his reelection, Scholz office said.

The Federal Chancellor and the President confirmed their intention to continue the close and trusting relationship between Germany and France, not least in view of the current challenges such as the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, Scholz office said in a statement.

It also said the result signified a clear commitment to Europe and the European unification process, adding that Scholz and Macron agreed to meet as soon as possible.

The Czech prime minister also sent his congratulations to Macron.

France is our vital partner, we are keen on developing our great relationship further, Petr Fiala tweeted.

PARIS  Rights groups have breathed a sigh of relief at Marine Le Pens failure to become French president, but warned against complacency and urged the victor, Emmanuel Macron, to fight racial profiling and discrimination against Muslims, and better protect migrants.

Cecile Coudriou, head of Amnesty International France, cited egregious human rights failings under Macrons presidency including Frances treatment of refugees and asylum at its borders, systemic discrimination in the form of ethnic profiling by police, disproportionate and dangerously vague counter-terror laws, curbs to the right to protest, intrusive surveillance that impacts the right to privacy, failing to uphold climate commitments and selling arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Antiracism group SOS Racisme said : This victory, which might look large in a cursory analysis, is not so much a victory as a relief. The reality is that Marine Le Pen ... has progressed by about eight points in five years.

It criticized Macrons law against so-called separatism by radical Muslims and government ministers criticism of wokeism or Islamo-leftism. It blamed Macrons arrogance, (economic) liberalism, brutalization of the social movement and nods to the far right for worsening tensions in France. It is definitely not neutral to help trivialize the far right by choosing it as its opposition and winking at it, it said.

PARIS  President Emmanuel Macron said a simple Thank you! after winning reelection, and praised the majority who gave him five more years at the helm of France.

Macron also thanked people who voted for him not because they embrace his ideas but because they wanted to reject far-right rival Marine Le Pen.

Im not the candidate of one camp anymore, but the president of all of us, he said.

Macron comfortably won reelection to a second term Sunday, according to polling agencies projections.

He arrived on the plaza where his supporters gathered, beneath the Eiffel Tower, to the sound of the Ode to Joy, the European Unions anthem, hand in hand with his wife, Brigitte.

PARIS  Supporters of far-right candidate Marine Le Pen gathered at her election-night even in Paris Bois de Boulogne booed loudly as provisional results were announced.

But they quickly looked ahead to June legislative elections  as did Le Pen in her concession speech.

Francois Denormand, a retired dentist planning to run for a seat as a lawmaker for Le Pens National Rally party in Junes legislative elections said that what he called the third round starts tomorrow.

We must continue to fight, he said. We can lose the battle but not the war.

Nineteen-year-old Paul Renkert, waving a French flag, admitted that Im sad.

Renkert, who had traveled from the eastern Alsace region, said he had invested time in Le Pens campaign because I believe in the future of France.

He is looking ahead to the legislative elections and five years in the future when a new president is elected. Le Pen has not made known her intentions, but I dont think shell abandon us, he said.

Guests from abroad were among those invited to the soiree. Among them was Tom Lamont, with Belgiums far-right Vlaams Belang party, an ally of Le Pens National Rally. He, too, sent out a message of hope. Its a disappointment she lost but we see the right-wing movements is growing in France  and maybe in five years we will have a right-wing president here, he said.

MADRID  Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says that with the victory of Emmanuel Macron as projected by polling agencies, Democracy wins, Europe wins.

Citizens have chosen a France committed to a free, strong and fair EU, Sanchez, who is also leader of Spains Socialist Party, wrote, referring to the 27-nation European Union.

Sanchez, Portugals Antonio Costa and Germanys Olaf Scholz had published a joint open letter ahead of Sundays election presenting the vote as a choice between Macron, a defender of democracy in a strong European Union, and Marine Le Pen, an extreme-right candidate who openly sides with those who attack our freedom and democracy, values based on the French ideas of Enlightenment.

PARIS  French far-right figure Eric Zemmour, who failed to reach the runoff in the presidential election, has called for a nationalist coalition to be created in France's parliament.

Zemmour spoke after polling agencies projected that far-right leader Marine Le Pen, head of the National Rally party, had lost the presidential election to centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron.

Zemmour, who created his own party, Reconquest, in recent months, said the national bloc must get united.

He suggested such a coalition ahead of Junes parliamentary elections, with the aim to fight both Macrons party and the left.

Zemmour received 7% of the votes in the first round of the presidential election on April 10.

European leaders have been quick to congratulate French President Emmanuel Macron on his re-election.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has often sparred with Macron over Brexit and other issues, swiftly congratulated the re-elected president.

Calling France one of our closest and most important allies, Johnson said he looked forward to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two countries and to the world.

Italian Premier Mario Draghi said that Macrons victory is splendid news for all of Europe.

He said France and Italy are working side by side, along with the other European partners, to construct a stronger, more cohesive, more just European Union, capable of being a protagonist in the greatest challenges of our times, starting with the war in Ukraine.

Portugals Prime Minister Antonio Costa says that, by voting for Emmanuel Macron, French people have demonstrated once again their commitment to the European project.

Costa, a socialist who was re-elected earlier this year in a landslide victory, wrote Sunday in a tweet that he was enthusiastic about working together with the centrist politician during the next four years.

The Portuguese prime minister made a case for voting to elect Macron in an open letter also signed by his Spanish and German counterparts, Pedro Sanchez and Olaf Scholz.

PARIS  Leftist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon said Sunday that Marine Le Pens defeat in the French election is very good news for the unity of our people, and vowed to lead the fight against Emmanuel Macrons party in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Melenchon, who failed to reach the second round by a few hundred thousand votes and had urged his supporters not to vote for Le Pen, said Macrons presidential monarchy survives by default and under the constraint of a biased choice.

In his address, Melenchon exhorted Macrons opponents to vote in Junes parliamentary elections to choose a different path and elect a majority of leftist lawmakers. Melenchon said he would be prepared to lead an opposition government.

Courage, action, determination, always refusing fatality and resignation, Melenchon said.

BRUSSELS  Several European leaders and politicians have swiftly congratulated French President Emmanuel Macron for his reelection, as his far-right rival Marine Le Pen conceded defeat in Sundays presidential election.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted in French, together we will make France and Europe advance.

The Dutch prime minister also tweeted in French his hope to continue our extensive and constructive cooperation in EU and NATO.

In Germany, politicians around the political spectrum offered support, including from the pro-business Free Democrats, the environmentalist Greens and conservative Christian Social Union.

Many in Europe had worried Le Pen would undermine European unity and its post-war order.

PARIS  French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has conceded defeat in the presidential runoff, handing victory to incumbent Emmanuel Macron.

She said her unprecedented score in a presidential election represents a shining victory in itself.

The ideas we represent are reaching summits, she said.

French polling agencies are projecting that centrist Macron has won the runoff against Le Pen that took place Sunday.

PARIS  French polling agencies are projecting that centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron will win Frances presidential runoff Sunday, beating far right rival Marine Le Pen in a tight race that was clouded by the Ukraine war and saw a surge in support for extremist ideas.

If the projections are borne out by official results, Macron would be the first French president in a generation to win a second term, since Jacques Chirac in 2002. But he would face a divided nation and a battle to keep his parliamentary majority in legislative elections in June.

Five years ago, Macron won a sweeping victory over Le Pen to become the youngest French president. The margin is expected to be way smaller this time: Polling agencies Opinionway, Harris and Ifop-Fiducial projected that Macron would win between 57% and 58.5% of the vote, with Le Pen getting between 41.5% and 43%.

PARIS  Voter turnout is lower than usual in Frances presidential runoff Sunday, apparently reflecting voter frustration with both candidates, centrist President Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen.

Turnout at 5 p.m. Paris time (1500 GMT) stood at 63%, the Interior Ministry said. That was below the 65% at the same time in the last presidential runoff in 2017, when Macron overwhelmingly beat Le Pen, and the 72% in when Socialist Francois Hollande won the presidency in 2012.

Polls before Sundays election gave Macron a solid lead over Le Pen, but to keep it he needs the support of many left-wing voters who shunned both him and Le Pen in the first-round election on April 10. Many of those voters may choose to stay home this time instead.

Polling agency projections and early official results are expected after final voting stations close in France at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT).

LE TOUQUET, France  The two candidates for Frances presidential runoff have cast their ballots  and basked in adoring crowds outside their polling stations.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen went first, cheerily greeting election workers in the northern town of Henin-Beaumont, in Frances struggling former industrial heartland. She emerged from the ballot booth beaming to drop it in a transparent box. Outside, she took selfies with supporters.

Then came incumbent Emmanuel Macron, who shook dozens of hands  and was handed a small child to hold up  on his journey from his family home in the resort town of Le Touquet on the English Channel to his voting station.

Inside, he greeted yet more people, posed for photographs with his wife Brigitte, and cast his ballot with a wink for the cameras. The voting booths were shielded by curtains in the red-white-and-blue of the French flag.

About 48.8 million voters are eligible to take part in the runoff, which is being watched around Europe. Early results are expected Sunday night.

PARIS  France began voting in a presidential runoff election Sunday with repercussions for Europes future.

Centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron is the front-runner, but he's fighting a tough challenge from far-right rival Marine Le Pen.

The centrist Macron is asking voters to trust him for a second five-year term despite a presidency troubled by protests, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. A Macron victory in this vote would make him the first French president in 20 years to win a second term.

The result of voting in France, a nuclear-armed nation with one of the worlds biggest economies, could also impact the conflict in Ukraine, as France has played a key role in diplomatic efforts and support for sanctions against Russia.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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HOUSTON (AP)  The execution of Melissa Lucio is off. At least for now.

Lucio, 52, had been set to be executed by lethal injection Wednesday for the death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah in Harlingen, a city of about 75,000 in Texas southern tip.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals intervened Monday, granting Lucios lawyers request for a stay of execution so a lower court can review claims that new evidence would show Mariah's injuries, including a blow to the head, were caused by a fall down a steep staircase.

Nearly half of the jurors who sentenced her to die for the 2007 death of one of her 14 children had called for her execution to be halted and for her to get a new trial. Many lawmakers and celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, an advocate for criminal justice reform, and Amanda Knox  an American whose murder conviction in the death of a British student in Italy was overturned  have rallied to Lucios cause. Prosecutors, though, maintain that the girl was the victim of child abuse.

Lucios lawyers had filed various legal appeals seeking to stop her execution. She also had a clemency application before the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, which had been set to consider her case Monday. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott could have also played a role this week in deciding Lucios fate. If ultimately put to death, Lucio would be the first Latina executed by Texas since 1863, and the first woman the state has put to death since 2014.

Heres what to know about the case:

WHAT ISSUES ARE BEING DEBATED?

Lucios attorneys say her capital murder conviction was based on an unreliable and coerced confession that was the result of relentless questioning and her long history of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. They say Lucio wasnt allowed to present evidence questioning the validity of her confession.

Her lawyers also contend that unscientific and false evidence misled jurors into believing Mariahs injuries only could have been caused by physical abuse and not by medical complications from a severe fall.

I knew that what I was accused of doing was not true. My children have always been my world and although my choices in life were not good I would have never hurt any of my children in such a way, Lucio wrote in a letter to Texas lawmakers.

Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz, whose office prosecuted the case, has said he disagrees with Lucio's lawyers' claims that new evidence would exonerate her. Prosecutors say Lucio had a history of drug abuse and at times had lost custody of some of her 14 children.

During a sometimes contentious Texas House committee hearing on Lucios case this month, Saenz initially pushed back on requests to use his power to stop the execution, before later saying he would intervene if the courts didnt act.

I dont disagree with all the scrutiny this case is getting. I welcome that, Saenz said.

Armando Villalobos was the county's district attorney when Lucio was convicted in 2008, and Lucios lawyers allege that he pushed for a conviction to help his reelection bid. In 2014, Villalobos was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for a bribery scheme related to offering favorable prosecutorial decisions.

WHO IS CALLING FOR LUCIOS EXECUTION TO BE STOPPED?

More than half the members of the Texas Legislature have asked that her execution be halted. A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers traveled this month to Gatesville, where the state houses female death row inmates, and prayed with Lucio.

Five of the 12 jurors who sentenced Lucio and one alternate juror have questioned their decision and asked she get a new trial.

Lucio's cause also has the backing of faith leaders and was featured on HBOs Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

Lucios family and supporters have been traveling throughout Texas and holding rallies and screenings of a 2020 documentary about her case, The State of Texas vs. Melissa.

Before the court decision Monday, Lucio's supporters held a prayer vigil inside the state Capitol in Austin as they waited for word from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on her clemency application. On Saturday, supporters held rallies in 16 U.S. cities, including Houston, Boston, and Columbus, Ohio.

WHERE DO EFFORTS TO HALT HER EXECUTION STAND?

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles had been set Monday to consider a request to either commute her death sentence to life imprisonment or grant her a 120-day execution reprieve, but that hearing was put off by the appeals courts order. Lucio also had an appeal pending in federal court to stop her execution. The federal appeal and the clemency petition are now put aside as the case returns to the trial judge in Brownsville.

It was not immediately known when the lower court would begin reviewing her case. Tivon Schardl, one of Lucios lawyers, said they hope to convince the trial judge to recommend that the appeals court grant her a new trial.

If the board had taken up her case and decided to recommend commutation of her sentence or a reprieve, that would have needed Abbott's approval. The governor has granted clemency to only one death row inmate since taking office in 2015. Abbott commuted a death sentence to life without parole for Thomas Bart Whitaker, who was convicted of fatally shooting his mother and brother. Whitaker's father was also shot but survived and led the effort to spare his son's life.

HOW FREQUENTLY ARE WOMEN EXECUTED?

Its rare in the U.S., according to the Washington-based Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit that takes no position on capital punishment but has criticized the way states carry out executions. Women have accounted for only 3.6% of the more than 16,000 confirmed executions in the U.S. dating back to the colonial period in the 1600s, according to the group's data.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, 17 women have been executed throughout the nation, according to the data. Texas has put more women to death  six  than any other state. Oklahoma is next, with three, and Florida has executed two.

The federal government has executed one woman since 1976. Lisa Montgomery, of Kansas, received a lethal injection in January 2021 after the Trump administration resumed executions in the federal system following a 17-year hiatus. The Justice Department has halted executions again under the Biden administration.

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D (AP)  Ranchers say moisture from recent scattered rains are a welcome addition but nowhere near the amount needed to get South Dakota pastures back on track for normal production.

The South Dakota Grassland Coalition is urging ranchers to plan ahead. Bart Carmichael, of Faith, a coalition board member, said part of his drought plan included selling half of his cow herd over the last year.

Not planning is a plan to fail, I really believe that, Carmichael said.

Almost 90 percent of the state remains in severe or moderate drought or abnormally dry, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor.

Ryan Beer. a rangeland management specialist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Bison, said up 150 percent of normal rainfall would be needed in May and June to get back to normal forage production.

Carmichael said he looks at drought as a way to improve his management skills, in part by ranking his cows from most desirable to least desirable. Once you put a cow in the cull group, he said, it takes the emotion out of selling them.

It's hard to look at drought making things better but that's our outlook on it, Carmichael said.

North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska are also experiencing widespread drought, Drought Monitor statistics show.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by Kansas to revive a law, earlier struck down by lower courts, that banned secret filming at slaughterhouses and other livestock facilities.

The justices did not comment in leaving in place a ruling by a federal appeals court panel that the so-called ag-gag law violated the First Amendment by stifling speech critical of animal agriculture.

A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a split decision ruled that even if deception is used to enter private property, Kansas may not discriminate based on whether the person intends to harm or help the enterprise.

The appellate ruling upheld a permanent injunction issued by a federal judge in 2020.

The Kansas law made it a crime for anyone to take a picture or video at an animal facility without the owners consent or to enter the facility under false pretenses.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Center for Food Safety were among the groups that challenged the ban.

Federal appeals courts considering similar laws in Iowa and Idaho had split over the issue, raising Kansas' hope that the high court would step in.

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Last week, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle handed down a sweeping 59-page opinion in which she struck down the Biden administrations requirement that passengers wear masks on airplanes, trains, and similar methods of transportation. Mizelle reasoned, among other things, that the word sanitation in the Public Health Service Act, a sprawling 1944 law that grants the federal government powers to respond to public health emergencies, precluded the government from halting the spread of disease unless something specific was being cleaned. Lawrence O. Gostin, university professor and director of the ONeill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, joined Amicus to discuss Mizelles reading of the statute, as well as some other broad claims she made about the scope of personal liberty. Our conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

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Dahlia Lithwick: A lot of legal commentators, from both the left and the right, have made essentially the same point that Judge Mizelles definition of sanitation would preclude the CDC from having, just for example, rules that kept people from urinating on an airplane, because thats also not cleaning the way she describes it. So really what it sweeps out is so much of what we consider public health. And as you say, it does it in this way that is really selecting the most tortured dictionary definition of sanitation.

I do want to stay for one minute on that second point and that is her liberty analysis. She writes that people are forcibly being removed from their airplane seats, denied boarding at the bus steps, turned away at station doors, all on the suspicion that they will spread a disease. Indeed, the mask mandate enlists local governments, airport employees, flight attendants, ride sharing drivers to enforce removal measures.

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She is making this massive liberty point. And its such a funny thing to invoke the idea that you have vast liberty rights to get on planes without a mask, but you actually dont have those liberty rights in a whole bunch of other contexts, including reproductive freedom.

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Larry Gostin: Yeah, thats right. Let me just dig in a little further on these things. Just from a commonsense point of view and for your listeners, if truly the CDC only had the power to sanitize, it would be useless. Sanitation is useless against COVID-19. It could do nothing to protect the American public. And then, on liberty, Ive been just struck by the modern conservative ideological notion of liberty, because traditionally, if you look at conservatism, stopping the spread of infectious diseases was always the exception to liberty.

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That is, you have a liberty interest to do anything you want to your own body that is self-regarding behavior, but nobody has the liberty of transmitting a potentially lethal infectious disease to another person. Thats never been the understanding of liberty since John Stuart Mill. I know of no intellectual position that would say that a person has the right to take measures that are likely to transmit an infection to others that could potentially kill them.

Lithwick: Thats Jacobson v. Massachusetts, right? Thats simply, your liberty interests end when you are spreading smallpox around.

So let me ask you about a thing thats been worrying me in all sorts of contexts: the complete death of deference to federal agencies. There is a long-standing tradition that, for the most part, if a statute is ambiguous, if the agency interpretation is reasonable, judges are meant to defer. That is how in fact we get to the place, as you noted, where millions of scientists get to make decisions and federal judges cant second-guess them.

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In addition to Judge Mizelle saying that the meaning of sanitation is not ambiguous and the CDCs interpretation of sanitation is just not reasonable, she then says, anyway, we wouldnt defer because this is a major question and Congress needed to speak more clearly. So it feels like this is a bit of a one-two punch, right? This is both decreasing deference to agencies and using this major questions doctrine to say that if its a big dealas indeed masks arethen Congress has to speak specifically. And this feels really as though its of a piece with this longer-term project of just making it impossible for agencies to do anything at all.

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Gostin: Clearly the conservative project is to dismantle the regulatory state and a lot of people think the regulatory state is just a lot of federal bureaucracy. But the truth is that if we want a clean environment, if we want to be protected against dangerous pathogens, if we want to go to work and be safe, if we want to buy a toy and be sure that toy is safe, you absolutely have to allow administrative agencies to do their job.

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The major questions doctrine is really insidious because basically it says that an agency cant do anything that is important. Right now, were in a pandemic. Ending the pandemic is kind of important. And we dont want to handcuff the CDC in doing that. And in any case, when Congress authorizes an agency to act, it understands two things. First, that Congress itself doesnt have the expertise. That the expertise lies in career scientists and others in federal agencies.

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But it also recognizes that Congress cant possibly anticipate all of the harms that would come to the American public in the future. And so in 1944, we could not have imagined that you would have a virus that was so infectious, that was aerosolized, that could evade immune responses, that could cause nearly a million deaths in the United States. Wouldnt the public want the CDC to be able to act nimbly and decisively in handling that problem? Wouldnt anybody, whether youre conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican? At this point, its hard to understand the antipathy to public health agencies, to CDC, to science itself, to evidence itself.

Lithwick: On the question of the Biden administrations decision to appeal, I saw you were quoted in the New York Times last week saying youre in a position of having two horrible choices. You either risk forever taking away the CDCs power, or you let what feels like a lawless decision just chill the CDC from doing things that it needs to do in the future. This is a lose-lose for the administration.

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Gostin: This is definitely a Hobsons choice. Its lose-lose. Ive spent quite a bit of time talking to the White House about this and the Justice Department. It is a hard decision for them. Essentially, they want their cake and to eat it too. They want to publicly state that they dont accept Judge Mizelles arguments at all, and that the CDC absolutely does have this power.

But they dont want to risk an adverse ruling in the 11th Circuit. And if it went to the Supreme Court? I kind of suspect, and maybe this is wishful thinking, but I kind of suspect the Supreme Court would uphold the mask mandate because its so central to the prevention of the interstate transmission of disease. But they would nonetheless significantly narrow the Public Health Service Act and get to the edge of declaring a major questions doctrine. So those are incredibly important legal risks, but theyre not just legal riskstheyre public health risks if you get an adverse ruling. And the other reason is that CDC was probably going to drop this mandate on May 3 anyway, before the drama of the courts.

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Lithwick: I feel like this goes to another argument youve been making, which is, in some sense, the chaos is the point. In some sense, its very, very useful, if you oppose the CDC, and you oppose federal agencies and a regulatory state, to just have complete chaos. And I think we could agree, if on nothing else  that the confusion of the airlines making the determinationand youve got folks in midair ripping off their masks and flight attendants who are reasonably just delighted that they do not have to enforce this anymorethis is the opposite of a well-handled and orderly public health action. Youve used the term COVID culture war, and youve mentioned again on the show today how politicized this is. But it does feel as though every time you establish more chaos in the system, it slightly erodes trust in the CDC, and it slightly erodes trust in public health. And that feels like a massive, massive losing battle here.

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Gostin: Absolutely. As I said at the beginning of the show, its hard for me to think of a more ruinous way for the COVID-era masking to end than at the hand of a single federal judge in Florida. Thats why federal judges shouldnt be making these decisions, because it has introduced utter chaos, I guess, by design. Because she could have waited and this wouldve lapsed. People who are vulnerable, compromised, the elderly, children under 5 who cant be vaccinated, are all scared to death about flying as people are ripping their masks off. And then most airlines are not enforcing it. Some are enforcing it. Its just utter chaos. And if that was the judges intent, she was successful. But the better way wouldve been to allow career scientists to evaluate the evidence, look to see if we have our hospitals filling up, and then making a planned, orderly decision to either lift or continue the mandate. Wouldnt that have been a better outcome?

But thats not the America we live in now. The America we live in is just do it, no matter what the cost. In this case, the cost is death. But you just stand by your guns and you make your political point. If we cant come together in a once-in-a-lifetime health crisis, I dont know when we can.  And so I think conservatives should be careful what they wish for. Because one day there will be a really major threat to America and you dont want CDC to be diffident. You want them to act nimbly and decisively, and all thats happened during COVID is going to mean the opposite. That CDC will be reluctant to act when we need them.
Prime Minister Eduard Heger confirmed the move.

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Slovakia has sent its S-300 anti-aircraft missile defence system to Ukraine.

The secret transfer allegedly took two days, according to private broadcaster TV Markiza, which broke the news, reported on its website.

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Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OLaNO), en route to Kyiv, confirmed the report.

"I would like to confirm that Slovakia has provided Ukraine with an air-defence system S-300. Ukrainian nation is bravely defending its sovereign country and us too. It is our duty to help, not to stay put and be ignorant to the loss of human lives under Russias aggression," Heger wrote on Twitter.

He stated that the decision does not mean Slovakia has joined the armed conflict in Ukraine, adding that the defence of Slovakia will be secured.

Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad (OLaNO) later added that the USA would send another Patriot missile defence array to Slovakia, which will be added to the Patriot system already provided by Germany and the Netherlands.

Defence minister kept mum

Earlier this week, TV Markiza confronted Nad (OLaNO) with video footage from Sered (Trnava Region), where military equipment resembling the S-300 system was was being loaded onto military transporters. At the time, the minister said that they were carrying out many logistic operations to secure the operation of NATO troops coming to Slovakia and that he had no idea what the equipment was.

Repairs of military technology and old Slovak howitzers. Further aid to Ukraine discussed Read more

"We're carrying nothing to Ukraine; I'd have to know something about that," he said at the time, as quoted by the Sme daily.

Nad also said in the past that the S-300 system would be taken to eastern Slovakia, where it was supposed to protect Slovakia's airspace, but not Ukraine's.

Previous threats

The S-300 is a sophisticated, Soviet/Russian-made missile-defence system that uses mobile radar, command and missile launch platforms to protect against aircraft and ballistic missile attacks over a wide area. Slovakia's decision to send its S-300 system to Ukraine makes it the first NATO country to deliver such an important defensive tool to help Ukraine fight the Russian invasion.

Earlier this week, the Czech Republic donated dozens of T-72 tanks and BVP-1 combat vehicles to Ukraine. The models, which date from the 1980s, are considered obsolete by the Czech army, but had been maintained in working condition, according to Sme.

Eastern Slovakia already protected by air defence Read more

Meanwhile, Russia has repeatedly warned NATO countries against sending military aid to Ukraine, saying that it would consider any supplies of weapons a legitimate military target. However, it has failed to stop such deliveries so far.
Hlas still most popular.

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If parliamentary elections took place in April, Hlas would win with 18.9 percent, according to a new poll. Smer would take second place with 14.5 percent and the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party would come third with 14 percent. Eight parties would be voted into parliament, results from a survey by AKO poll agency for the political discussion show Na Hrane on private Joj television showed.

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The survey was carried out between April 5 and 11 and had 1,000 respondents.

Support for the most popular eight parties has not changed much since the agency's last poll in mid-March.

The largest party in the current ruling coalition, Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OLaNO), would end up fourth with 8.9 percent, ahead of Progressive Slovakia with 8.7 percent., according to the poll. Sme rodina would get 6.6 percent, followed by the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) with 6.5 percent. The extremist Republika party would also get into parliament with 6.2 percent of the vote.

The Peoples Party Our Slovakia (LSNS) and za Ludi, parties, which are currently in parliament, would not get enough votes to remain in parliament.

Respondents were asked to imagine the elections were taking place the following weekend and say whether they would vote, and who they would cast their ballot for. Over 66 percent said they knew who they wanted in parliament, and 19 percent were unable to answer. Only 13.1 percent said they would not vote in the elections.
Police charge former prime minister, commentators exercise caution, Smer goes berserk.

Robert Kalinak arrives to the Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok for questioning as the court decides on pre-trial custody for him. (Source: Sme - Marko Erd)

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Welcome to your weekly commentary and overview of news from Slovakia. Two men who were once Slovakias most powerful figures now face serious charges. Slovakia leverages its own experience as a plan for Ukraine. The government wants to throw money at rising prices. No more masks as Covid cases continue to plummet.

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Subscribers can find the PDF of the latest printed version of The Slovak Spectator below.

Serious charges reach those in the highest places

There is no corruption in the highest places, Robert Kalinak once said when he was interior minister. That quote quickly passed into Slovak political folklore as yet another ironic saying by which to refer to the governments led by his Smer party. The last one in which Kalinak held office eventually collapsed in the wake of the upheavals that followed the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his partner Martina Kusnirova in 2018.

Now in police custody and facing a number of serious charges, Kalinak has appealed against his detention. Smer leader Robert Fico faces the same charges, and may end up in pre-trial custody too, if his fellow MPs vote to allow it.

Smer politicians have stressed that the charges against Fico and Kalinak are not corruption-related. They have, in fact, been charged with establishing a criminal group, and threatening trade secrecy, bank secrecy, secrecy of correspondence, telecommunications secrecy and tax secrecy. All of this pertains to investigators suspicions that Fico and Kalinak installed people loyal to them in senior positions in the police, and that those people then abused their power to gather dirt on Smers political opponents, most notably former president Andrej Kiska and former prime minister Igor Matovic. The Slovak Spectator will bring a more detailed report on the charges later this week.

The sight of Kalinak, and possibly also Fico, in handcuffs, is certainly being viewed as a symbol of the cleansing process that Slovakia and its law enforcement and judicial authorities embarked on after the Kuciak murders and the revelations that surfaced during the investigation of that case. But instant symbols like this usually carry with them the risk that things may end up going sideways.
Estonia and the USA top rankings by a German institute.

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Slovakias government is one of Ukraines biggest donors when its wealth is compared to other countries.

It came fourth after the first month of the war in Ukraine, according to the Ukraine Support Tracker, with Estonia, Poland and Lithuania coming ahead of Slovakia. This new database has been launched by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany.

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There are surprisingly strong differences, both in terms of the absolute amount of support and when measured as a percentage of donor country GDP, the institutes research director Christoph Trebesch said.

The database compares various forms of support by 31 Western countries to Slovakias eastern neighbour.

Geographic location matters

As to economic output, Estonia is Ukraines biggest supporter. For example, America came sixth, two places behind Slovakia.

(Source: www.ifw-kiel.de)

Geographic proximity to Ukraine seems to play a major role in the engagement of Eastern European countries, Trebesch explained.

However, Great Britain also stands out as a supporter, he added, both in absolute terms and given its GDP.

US spends more than the EU

But when the total amount of support is considered, the database shows that the USA supported Ukraine the most from February 24 to March 27. The US spent 7.6 billion on support for Ukraine.

All EU member states spent 2.9 billion, another 1.4 billion came from EU institutions and 2 billion from the European Investment Bank.

(Source: www.ifw-kiel.de)

It is remarkable that the USA alone is giving significantly more than the entire EU, in whose immediate neighbourhood the war is raging, Trebesch noted.

The research admitted that the full picture of aid provided to Ukraine could not be painted as military aid was not always transparent.
A traveler walks into an entrance at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, April 14, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]

On April 18, a single U.S. district judge ruled that the American government does not have the power to require passengers on airlines to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Americans on flights already in the air took off their masks and cheered, exposing their neighbors to the threat of coronavirus.

This case reveals fundamental flaws with America's pandemic response and its public health legal system broadly. The fact that a large majority of Americans would so cavalierly cheer the lack of any pandemic control measures whatsoever is a worrying illustration of why the U.S. has had such a high rate of illness and death all along.

Many Americans were always unwilling to take responsibility to protect themselves or their fellow citizens. Even when masks were mandated on flights and in stores, some people refused to abide and assaulted flight attendants and store employees instead.

By now, most U.S. states have already ended all other pandemic control measures. No one is required to quarantine when sick. Some frontline workers do not even have the option to quarantine. Lacking paid sick leave, they have no means to stay home.

Indoor mask mandates were canceled months ago across the country. No U.S. state has a mask mandate in place anymore. All travelers have to do is wearing a mask for a few hours in airports and on the plane. How difficult is that?

Are airplanes that dangerous for coronavirus transmission? While they do have high-quality air filters when in flight, there have been extensively documented examples of COVID-19 transmission on flights and in airports. For one thing, the filters are only in use in-flight, but people bump up against each other when loading and unloading before and after landing.

Regardless of whether it is possible to quantify the efficacy of wearing masks on airplanes, this case also shows the limited power of the U.S. government to take necessary measures to protect public health. From the start of the pandemic, the federal government took limited measures in comparison to other countries. That is because of how the power is divided in the U.S. between 50 states and different branches of government. It is lauded as a model of freedom, but it can limit the ability for those in power to show important leadership in the face of a once-in-a-century crisis.

Now, one of the U.S. government's few anti-pandemic policies has been overturned by a single judge who is not even at the highest level of the judiciary. The federal government, by all means, should appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, the final arbitrator of the law (as extremely politicized as the court is). But U.S. President Biden has not committed to doing so.

Biden appears to be scared of public opinion on the mask issue. As it appears, many  if not most  Americans seem to think any public health measure whatsoever is an infringement on their rights. Since they are already taking the masks off, they are not going to be willing to put them back on, and Biden fears he will be blamed if the mask ruling is overturned on appeal. He might forgo appealing it.

The U.S. is in a much better place in terms of COVID-19 risk than they were a month or two ago. Cases are down to a low level by U.S. standards. But cases are rising now with a sub-variant of Omicron spreading from east to west. In the past two weeks America's seven-day case average has risen by about 40%, and it is increasing by 60-100% in some east coast states.

Announcing "mission accomplished" prematurely has been a constant theme from the U.S., from the Iraq War all through the pandemic. When the U.S. has a government that refuses to take responsibility and a legal system that stifles public health measures, there is nowhere to turn for the people who want to remain safe in a pandemic.

Mitchell Blatt is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/MitchellBlatt.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.
Slovakia is one of Ukraine's biggest helpers. The EU's chief prosecutor visits Slovakia. And what do schools really need?

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Good evening. The Monday, April 25 edition of Today in Slovakia is ready with the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

Teachers want more freedom in schools

Teachers want to see more freedom in schools, they tell The Slovak Spectator. (Source: TASR/AP)

Lucia Mitterova, a teacher since 2004, has always seen teaching as a calling rather than a job. Today she teaches History, Geography and English at a private vocational school in Rimavska Sobota.

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My goal is to educate young people to select from a wealth of information, make arguments and decisions, and bear the consequences of their decisions, Mitterova said. Critical thinking, soft and digital skills, as well as integrating theory and vocational skills, are all important qualities and capabilities students must possess to succeed, she believes.

However, for students to acquire these skills, todays entire education system would have to be changed, and schools would have to be given more freedom, Mitterova noted. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the rigidity of the current system, in her view.

Here is what another three teachers approached by The Slovak Spectator believe that schools need to ready young people for this century.

For a deeper insight into current affairs, check out our Last Week in Slovakia piece published earlier today. You can sign up for the newsletter here.

Slovakia's aid to Ukraine among largest

In March 2021, Slovakia hosted the Saber Strike 22 military exercise. (Source: Sme/Marko Erd)

Slovakia has come out as one of Ukraines biggest supporters when its economic output is compared to other countries.

Out of 31 Western countries, compared by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany, Slovakia came fourth, show the institutes data collected since the start of the war to March 27.

Estonia and the USA topped two different rankings that are part of the institutes new database, the Ukrainian Support Tracker.

There are surprisingly strong differences, both in terms of the absolute amount of support and when measured as a percentage of donor country GDP, the institutes research director Christoph Trebesch said.

Reed the full rankings here.

If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription. Thank you.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES IN SHORT

370 people were newly diagnosed as Covid positive out of 1,888 PCR tests performed on April 24. The number of people in hospitals is 1,015; and 13 more deaths were reported on Sunday. The vaccination rate stands at 51.29 percent; and 2,820,890 people have received the first dose of the vaccine. More stats on Covid-19 in Slovakia here.

WHAT TO WATCH

EU's chief prosecutor Kovesi: Police need people's support

video //www.youtube.com/embed/JbU1taKGe8Q

WHAT TO LISTEN TO

A Ukrainian teacher who fled the war helps pupils from Ukraine in central Slovakia

The war in Ukraine did not stop Ganna Konovalenko from teaching children, which she has always seen as her calling. The Ukrainian teacher fled the conflict with her son and found refuge in Zvolen, central Slovakia.

https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/7H3b3v6rHPPKL9kjrPQAsN?utm_source=generator

On the Spectator College podcast, she talks about the conflict, her arrival in Zvolen, and her new job as a teaching assistant at a local primary school.

IN OTHER NEWS

The Defence Ministry has denied that Slovak T-72 tanks were involved in the fighting in Ukraine . Several posts claiming that Slovak tanks were supposed to be involved, for example, in the fighting in the Luhansk region, appeared on social media.

. Several posts claiming that Slovak tanks were supposed to be involved, for example, in the fighting in the Luhansk region, appeared on social media. US President Joe Biden has nominated US Ambassador to Slovakia Bridget Brink to serve as the new US ambassador to Ukraine, the White House informed.

to serve as the new US ambassador to Ukraine, the White House informed. The Antimonopoly Office has approved the purchase of 16 Lukoil filling stations in Slovakia by the Hungarian oil company MOL. The owner of the Slovnaft refinery will thus strengthen its position on the Slovak market, but will have to sell four Slovnaft stations.

in Slovakia by the Hungarian oil company MOL. The owner of the Slovnaft refinery will thus strengthen its position on the Slovak market, but will have to sell four Slovnaft stations. Slovak experts, including three forensic technicians, an anthropologist and three medical examiners have arrived in Ukraine to assist the Ukrainian prosecutors office in documenting the evidence needed to investigate war crimes, President Zuzana Caputova announced.

More on Spectator.sk:

Unionists at Kosice steelworks ready to call a strike Read more

Uncertainty hits construction industry Read more

Poll: Support for parties little changed from March Read more

If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
Steel industry posts trade deficit of US$ 800 million in first quarter

By the end of the first quarter of 2022, the steel industry had imported up to 3 million tons, worth US$3.1 billion, with a trade deficit of US$ 800 million, while exports brought in US$2.3 billion, according to the Vietnam Steel Association (Vietnam Steel Association).













Illustrative photo



According to VSA's report on the Vietnamese steel market in the first quarter of 2022, GDP growth exceeded 5%, showing that the national economy is on the way to recovery and the efforts made by the whole political system to promote economic development have proved effective.



Steel production and trading activities throughout the reviewed period recorded positive signals, in which, finished steel production reached 8,456 million tons, up 3.2% over the same period from last year. Finished steel sales achieved 8.137 million tons, representing a 11.9% increase on-year.



Increased steel consumption coupled with projects on public investment in civil construction, infrastructure facilities also boosted steel imports. In March 2022 alone, imports of finished steel into Vietnam reached 1.1 million tons with a value of US$ 1.14 billion, up 23% in volume and 22.36% in value over the same period from last year.



In terms of exports, in March alone, steel exports witnessed a strong recovery, reaching 956,000 tons, up 75.41% over the previous month, down 22.8% on-year.



In total, the first three months of the year saw the nation export about 2,275 million tons of steel, worth US$2.3 billion, down 22.15% in volume and up 12.5% in value over the same period in 2022.



Vietnam's main export markets in the first quarter of 2022 focus on ASEAN (40.57%), EU (19.32%), US (8.34%) and South Korea (8.34%). 6.97%) and Hong Kong (3.91%).



Vietnam's major export markets in the first quarter of 2022 focused on ASEAN, accounting for 40.57%, the EU (19.32%), the US (8.34%), the Republic of Korea (RoK) (6.97%) and Chinese Hong Kong (3.91%).
 Flash

French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron won the 2022 presidential runoff with 58.6 percent of the votes, according to the preliminary exit poll released Sunday evening by French television BFMTV.

Macron's rival, far-right wing candidate Marine Le Pen, gained 41.4 percent of the votes, according to the latest figures.

At his victory gathering, Macron entered the Champs-de-Mars, holding his wife's hand and surrounded by the youth, along with the European anthem of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy."

Macron said that his ambition for the next five years is to make France more independent, make a stronger Europe and to continue to invest in the country to make "France a great ecological nation."

In his speech, he vowed to be conscious of the citizens that have voted for Le Pen, and thanked those who have voted for him in the second round against the far-right party.

"I am not a candidate of a party, but the President of all," Macron said, adding that "we will have to be strong but no one will be left aside."

He told his supporters that his next term will not be a continuity of his first five years term. "This new era will not be a continuity," he said, but "five years of better."

"I am so proud to serve again", the president-elect said.

In her speech after learning the preliminary results, Le Pen said that "the result itself is a resounding victory."

"Millions of our compatriots have chosen the national camp and change. I extend my deepest gratitude to those who trusted me in the first round and to those who, by the millions, joined us in the second," she said.

Le Pen particularly thanked her supporters from the countryside and overseas territories that put her in the lead during the election.

Losing her second presidential runoff to Macron, Le Pen called on the French people to vote for her in the upcoming legislative elections.

In 2017, Macron and Le Pen also competed for the French presidency in a runoff vote, during which Macron was elected president with 66.1 percent of the votes.

Official results of the presidential runoff are expected to be published by the French Interior Ministry on Monday.
 Flash

U.S President Joe Biden has accepted Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's invitation to visit Israel in "the next few months," the prime minister's office said Sunday.

The two leaders discussed over the phone Iran's demand to delist its Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) from the U.S. terror list, according to a statement by the office.

"I am sure that President Biden, a true friend of Israel who cares about its security, will not be able to remove the IRGC from the list of terrorist organizations," Bennett said in the statement.

"Israel has clarified its position on the issue: The IRGC is the largest terrorist organization in the world," he added.

They also talked about the ongoing efforts between Israeli and Palestinian officials to lower tensions and ensure a peaceful conclusion to the holy season of Ramadan, according to a statement from the White House.

The phone talk came as world powers and Iran are working to renew the 2015 nuclear agreement, which former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of in May 2018. The United States later reimposed sanctions on Iran, prompting the latter to drop some of its nuclear commitments under the agreement.

Israel, which considers Iran its arch-foe, has been lobbying against the revival of the deal, claiming it will enable Iran to pursue nuclear weapons without the burden of sanctions, while Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful.
 Flash

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Emmanuel Macron on his re-election as French president.

In his message, Xi said over the past five years, the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership has maintained a high level of development under the guidance of the two heads of state.

The two sides have continued to deepen practical cooperation in various fields, combated the COVID-19 pandemic shoulder to shoulder, jointly upheld multilateralism and improved global governance, injecting new impetus to the development of bilateral relations and making new contributions to world peace, stability and prosperity, Xi said.
FALLS CHURCHVirginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has dropped an effort to prosecute two U.S. Park Police officers who fatally shot an unarmed motorist back in 2017.

The Attorney Generals Office filed a motion Friday with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond withdrawing the appeal in the shooting of Bijan Ghaisar.

Miyares decision ends a nearly five-year legal saga in which Ghaisars family, police reform advocates and some members of Congress sought to see officers Lucas Vinyard and Alejandro Amaya face criminal charges for shooting Ghaisar after a stop-and-go chase on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in November 2017.

The FBI investigated the shooting of the 25-year-old from McLean for two years, but federal prosecutors ultimately opted against filing charges.

At that point, Fairfax County Commonwealths Attorney Steve Descano, who had recently been elected on a police accountability platform, filed manslaughter charges against the officers in state court. Descano was supported by then-Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat.

The manslaughter charges set off a tug-of-war between state and federal officials over who had jurisdiction. The police officers lawyers successfully had the case moved to federal court.

Last year, U.S. District Court Judge Claude Hilton in Alexandria dismissed the prosecution, ruling that the officers actions were necessary and proper in the context of the chase.

Herring and Descano appealed Hiltons ruling in October, but Herring in November lost his re-election bid to Miyares, a Republican.

Miyares and Descano have feuded openly for months, with Miyares accusing Descano of being soft on crime and refusing to support police. Descano has accused Miyares of trying to meddle in local affairs and undermine him and other reform-minded prosecutors in Northern Virginia.

In a statement, Miyares said and others in his office reviewed the evidence and ultimately concluded that Hiltons ruling was correct and should not be appealed.

Ghaisars mother, Kelly Ghaisar, said Saturday she is outraged and disgusted by the decision and holding out hope the appeals court will refuse to allow Miyares to drop the appeal.

I am here to plead with anyone who can hear meplease do not dismiss this case, she said.

State Sen. Scott Surovell, a Democrat who lives a few blocks from where Ghaisar has shot and who has supported the familys effort to have the officers prosecuted, spoke at the press conference and said Miyares filed his notice late on a Friday to avoid calling attention to what he had done.

As news of this gets out, people will be highly disturbed, he said.

Descano said hes heartbroken by the decision but holds out hope that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland will reconsider the decision made during the Trump administration not to bring its own charges.

For Attorney General Miyares to not even allow this case to be heard in the Fourth Circuit for purely political reasons is shamefulespecially considering all of his rhetoric about supporting victims, Descano said.

U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, DVa., whose district encompasses the location of the chase and shootin, called Miyares decision misguided Saturday.

Giving officers a get-out-of-jail-free card for a fatal shooting after a grand jury indictment for involuntary manslaughter and reckless use of a firearm cannot help but undermine trust in law enforcement in the community, Beyer said in a statement. This is not how you support the police.

Ghaisar was fatally shot after authorities say he left the scene of an accident on the parkway, outside the nations capital, and led officers on a stop-and-go chase.

Dashcam video released by Fairfax County Police, which played a supporting role in the chase, shows the pursuit starting on the parkway, then continuing into a residential neighborhood. It shows the car driven by Ghaisar stopping twice during the chase, and officers approaching the car with guns drawn. In both cases, Ghaisar drives off.

At the third and final stop, the officers again approach with guns drawn, and Amaya stands in front of the drivers door. When the car starts to move, Amaya opens fire. Seconds later, when the car begins moving again, both Amaya and Vinyard fire multiple shots.

Miyares decision ends the criminal prosecution, but Ghaisars family has filed a civil suit that has been on hold while a criminal case was being pursued.
Ten interns from Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology learned research planting techniques from University of Nebraska-Lincoln extension specialist Dipak Santra.

The eastern India students are the final group of interns arriving at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center (PREC) to study American agriculture for two months. The program was initiated by Santra, a native of India, to provide relevant and high-quality educational experiences to students from agricultural universities in India. The exchange project is equally funded between the World Bank, an international financial institution, and the government of India.

The interns said they underwent a selection procedure and waited roughly six months to come to Nebraska to learn American agricultural practices and policies. For them, the English language is a compulsory subject.

Video education is only in English and we study all subjects that way, Aurosish Behera said.

The students hope to learn American agriculture technologies used in all aspects of the industry, including greenhouse or indoor cultivation, as well as the intricacies of agricultural policies.

We want to go for the precision agriculture and different aspects of agriculture like extension, research, field work, Aishwarya Sahoo said.

On April 19, Santra and the Indian students were at the small research plots south of PREC to plant pea seeds for two of his research projects. The first project was planted by a small-plot drill pulled by a tractor to test the yield outcome of yellow pea varieties. Santra said the peas were developed in Canada and North Dakota so it is important to find out how the varieties yield in the Panhandle climate.

The second project was planted precisely by Santras affectionately named 22nd century drill or push planter. This trial will test 322 pea germplasm from the USDA-ARS genebank. His objective is to identify the best varieties tolerant to heat and dry conditions, and harvest those seeds to contribute to large-scale test in his pea breeding program for Nebraska.

There is no pea breeding program in Nebraska so we have to depend on somebody else, Santra said. But that doesnt mean they are the best variety for Nebraska, because they were never developed here. So I am trying to do that.

The India interns experienced his research design process and gained hands-on knowledge of the pea variety planting process. They were able to attain a better understanding for the mechanical devices used to plant on small, precise plots.

We learned about how the plots are designed, how blocking is done so that trials can be conducted, Sunita Panigrahi said. How many trials are different from the rest.

Since arriving at PREC on March 30, the India students have already had a glimpse of American agriculture marketing, Nebraska water and weed management, Nebraska Extension, agriculture research and greenhouse hydroponics.

We have learned about the marketing structure here, like how your grain marketing operates here, Soumya Swagatika Swain said. And we have had a brief idea about water management, as we went to the Yonts Water Conference.

Behera said, Everything that is in (America) wont fit into the Indian structure, the Indian context. So we will see what can be applied in our country.

Another student said, We will try to find complements from what we are learning in America and try to take it from there.

The student group represents Indian college students who intend to pursue further education to achieve careers in agriculture teaching, research, administration, business or policy in India.

A student said, Im wanting to take the ag policy from here, so that I can implement something into the system back home.

The 10 interns are very excited to continue learning agricultural practices in Nebraska for the remainder of their two month stay. In addition to the extended time in America devoted to agriculture learning, the group does intend to fully experience American culture, Panhandle attractions and local food establishments.

Nicole Heldt is a reporter with the Star-Herald, covering agriculture. She can be reached at 308-632-9044 or by email at nheldt@starherald.com.

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The Hemingford Chamber of Commerce met for their monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 19. After the meeting members of the Chamber presented special awards to businesses in Hemingford.

Rabens Market was honored as the 2022 Business of the Year. Owner Mike Raben was surprised with the news and a plaque while he was busy at work behind the meat counter.

Wow this is a shock, Raben said with a smile. It has not been an easy last couple of years by any means so this means a lot. Id like to thank the community for their continued support.

The group headed down the block to the American Legion James Barry Post 9 where they surprised Legion Supper Club Manager Margaret Hansen with the Spirit of Hemingford award.

I honestly would not have been able to open the Legion back up if it not were for the help and support of the volunteers and the community, said Hansen. Im sure glad to be open again.

The third award is the Legacy Award that will be presented to Pats Creative at a later date.

These awards were voted on by Chamber members as a way to honor businesses in Hemingford.

During the meeting the Chamber members present discussed other Chamber news.

We are so happy to announce that Bands on the Butte will be back this summer, said Hemingford Chamber President Marcie Thomas.

Bands on the Butte is scheduled for Friday, June 17 with the band Blue Street playing. Blue Street played last year and seemed to be a big hit. This is a family friendly event. Please bring your I.D. if you plan to buy alcohol and a lawn chair if youd like a place to sit. The Swim Team will be selling something once again for a fundraiser for the team and the Splash Pad Project. Other news on Bands on the Butte will be released as it is received.

It was cold last year so pray for warmer weather this year, said Thomas.

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Men and women lined up in the parking lot of the Pinnacle Access Area in Mooresville, each carrying a bag of the accomplishments of their day. For the better part of the previous eight hours, those men and women had been out on Lake Norman, casting a line to try and find the biggest fish.

Despite the early rise and the long hours on a fishing boat, the disabled veterans that stood in line were all smiles, talking and laughing while they waited to have their catch of the day weighed in.

In the end, it was Will Stewart who came back ashore with the biggest haul, but there was no money or prizes handed out. For the veterans, just the day on the water, relaxing and catching fish with a professional fisherman, was all they could have hoped for and more.

It means the world to us to see them smiling and give them a chance to see their buddies, Terry Snyder, founder of Operation North State, said. Its really a homerun. The fish they catch are just icing on the cake.

Operation North State (ONS), a nonprofit organization providing military support services in North Carolina, brought their annual Top Shelf Fishin Festival to Lake Norman on Thursday, giving more than 60 veterans the opportunity to join a professional fisherman out on the water for a day at no cost to the veterans.

We specialize in recreational therapy, Snyder said of ONS. We just want to give these veterans a chance to do something that they may not otherwise get a chance to do.

The veterans set out with their assigned pro between 6 and 7 a.m. Thursday and returned to the Pinnacle Access Area around 2 p.m. While on the water, some pairs caught as many as 40 fish, keeping the biggest to be weighed at the end of the day. After weigh-ins were complete, the fish were released back into the water.

Of the host boaters, many compete in tournaments locally and nationally, so there was no lack of experience in helping the veterans reel in big hauls.

These events require host boaters to run, Snyder said. Weve got an abundance of those guys that are willing to be a part of this in the Lake Norman area. Thats why we come back.

Snyder, who also called Lake Norman one of the best fisheries in the state, has been hosting events on Lake Norman for more than a decade and has no plan to stop anytime soon.

The community here gives us so much support, Snyder said. The community in Mooresville really gets behind us and helps us put this on.

Many local businesses, such as Niagara Bottling, Brooklyn Boys Pizzeria, Tobos Bistro, and Iron Thunder Saloon offered their support to the event, whether monetarily or through food donations to help supply the banquet that the veterans were treated to after the fishing concluded.
We are in the last week of April and there are three smartphones which will be launched in India this week. Realme GT NEO 3, Infinix Smart 6, and Micromax IN 2c are all set to launch on Flipkart. Check date and other details here.

The month of April is about to end and we will still be seeing the launch of three smartphones in India. Yes, Realme GT NEO 3, Infinix Smart 6, and Micromax IN 2c are all set to hit the Indian market in the last week of April. These smartphones will be launched on Flipkart. Already two smartphones under Rs.15000 segment- Motorola Moto G52 and Realme Narzo 50A have hit the Indian market on Monday, April 25. The Motorola Moto G52 will be available for sale from next month on May 3 on Flipkart and retail stores, while the Realme Narzo 50A Prime will go on sale from April 28 on the online stores of Realme and Amazon.

Now coming to the upcoming launches, Micromax IN 2c will be launching tomorrow, April 26, followed by the launch of Infinix Smart 6 on April 27 and Realme GT NEO 3 on April 29. All the three smartphones will be launched on Flipkart. Here is all we need to know about Realme GT NEO 3, Infinix Smart 6, Micromax IN 2c.

Realme GT NEO 3

As already stated the phone will launch in India on April 29 at 12:30 PM on Flipkart. It will be the World's first 150W charging Flagship. As per the claims made by the company, the phone can charge to 50 percent in 5 minutes. It will feature 81005G processor, racing stripe design, will have the first independent display processor in the segment, among others. You will have to wait for the launch to know more details about the phone and its price.

Infinix Smart 6

The phone will launch on April 27 on Flipkart. It will have a 6.6inch HD+ display with 500 Nits of brightness. As per the information available on Flipkart, the Infinix Smart 6 gets a design that will fight bacteria as it gets industry's first antibacterial material back design. The back of the phone also gets silver ion coating. You will have to wait for the launch to know more details about the phone and its price.

Micromax IN 2c

The phone will be launching on April 26 on Flipkart and will feature UNISOC T610 processor SE. The phone will have 6.52 inch HD+ drop notch display with 420 nits. It will also support a 5000mAh battery and will come in two colour options- Silver and Brown.
Home Photos NASA Juno Mission: Check out STUNNING photo of a Jupiter moon Ganymede

NASA Juno Mission: Check out STUNNING photo of a Jupiter moon Ganymede

NASA says its Juno Mission flew by Jupiter for the 40th time on February 25 and captured images of the planet and one of its largest moons, Ganymede. These images were sent to Earth where scientists recreated the images based on the JunoCam instrument. Read more to find out.
In yet another crackdown, India has slapped a ban on as many as 16 YouTube channels out of which as many as 6 were based in Pakistan. Ten of these were from India. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said that these channels were spreading disinformation related to India's national security, foreign relations, and public order. These channels had a cumulative viewership of over 68 crore.

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These YouTube channels were spreading false, unverified information to create panic, incite communal disharmony, and disturb public order in India, the ministry added.

None of the digital news publishers had furnished information to the Ministry as required under rule 18 of the IT Rules, 2021, the government said.

The ministry said that the content published by some of the India-based YouTube channels referred to a community as terrorists, and incited hatred among the members of various religious communities. Such content was found to have the potential to create communal disharmony, and disturb public order.

As far as the content published by Indian YouTube channels was concerned, the official statement said, "Examples include false claims related to the announcement of a pan-India lockdown due to COVID-19 thereby threatening the migrant workers, and fabricated claims alleging threats to certain religious communities, etc. Such content was observed to be detrimental to public order in the country."

The Pakistani YouTube channels were posting fake news about India on various subjects such as the Indian Army, Jammu, and Kashmir, and India's foreign relations in the light of the situation in Ukraine among others, it said.

The content of these channels was observed to be completely false, and sensitive from the perspective of national security, sovereignty, and integrity of India, and India's friendly relations with foreign States, it added.

As per the release, multiple India-based YouTube channels were observed to publish unverified news and videos having the potential to create panic among various sections of the society.

Check list of banned YouTube channels

The blocked YouTube channels include:

MRF TV LIVE,

Saini Education Research,

Tahaffuz-e-Deen India

SBB News.

The channels based in Pakistan include:

AjTak Pakistan,

Discover Point,

Reality Checks and

The Voice of Asia.

(with ANI inputs)
NASA photo of Earth and Moon captured from Mars. The image was taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

How does the Earth and Moon look from Mars? Well, to answer this question, NASA has shared a picture of Earth and Moon captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The NASA photo has been shared on its official Twitter handle and is a throwback picture as it was originally taken on October 3, 2007. Sharing the post NASA tweeted, "Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter caught this glimpse of Earth and the Moon. Each of our seven robots now working at Mars is really a #NASAEarthling, acting as our eyes as they explore the Red Planet  deepening our understanding of and appreciation for our blue one."

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In the NASA photo we can see that the Earth is covered by clouds while not much detailing can be seen on the moon. "On the Earth image we can make out the west coast outline of South America at lower right, although the clouds are the dominant features. These clouds are so bright, compared with the moon, that they are saturated in the HiRISE images," NASA said. it further added that the moon image is unsaturated but brightened relative to Earth for this composite. The lunar images are useful for calibration of the camera.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter caught this glimpse of Earth and the Moon. Each of our seven robots now working at Mars is really a #NASAEarthling, acting as our eyes as they explore the Red Planet  deepening our understanding of and appreciation for our blue one. pic.twitter.com/7QaMBFoV9y  NASA Mars (@NASAMars) April 22, 2022

As per the information provided by NASA Mars, at the time the image was taken, Earth was 142 million kilometers (88 million miles) from Mars, giving the HiRISE image a scale of 142 kilometers (88 miles) per pixel, an Earth diameter of about 90 pixels and a moon diameter of 24 pixels.

"The phase angle is 98 degrees, which means that less than half of the disk of the Earth and the disk of the moon have direct illumination. We could image Earth and moon at full disk illumination only when they are on the opposite side of the sun from Mars, but then the range would be much greater and the image would show less detail," NASA added.

It can be known that NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter blasted off from Cape Canaveral in 2005, on a search for evidence that water persisted on the surface of Mars for a long period of time. After a seven-month cruise to Mars and six months of aerobraking to reach its science orbit, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter began seeking out the history of water on Mars with its science instruments. The instruments zoom in for extreme close-up photography of the martian surface, analyze minerals, look for subsurface water, trace how much dust and water are distributed in the atmosphere, and monitor daily global weather.
vivo Malaysia just launched the vivo T1 5G and T1x today and soon, the vivo X80 series will be launching in the Chinese market. With this, the former has taken the opportunity to announce that the upcoming flagship is arriving in Malaysia too.

According to vivo Malaysia, the vivo X80 series - jointly developed with ZEISS - will be announced on 8 May 2022 (yes, it's a Sunday). It's not known if there will be a livestream video on that day but we think there should be one since it's a norm nowadays. So in view of the launch, the company will also release a short film that was shot entirely from the X80 series.

In terms of features, the X80 series will have a new V1+ imaging processor that was co-developed by vivo and MediaTek together. As the successor to the V1, the V1+ is said to bring improvements to the image's colours, portrait and other modes with new vivid and textured details. vivo also claimed that the V1+ can be used for graphics intense mobile gaming.

Besides that, the X80s series will be available in Malaysia in Urban Blue and Cosmic Black. Are you looking forward to the next camera-centric vivo device? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Zoom Video Communications Inc., owner of the popular meeting application that rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, will pay $85 million to users and implement changes to its business as part of a class action settlement tied to multiple "Zoombombing" incidentsincluding one in which pornography was streamed into a Bible study class.

Judge Laurel Beeler of the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California granted final approval of the settlement agreement on Thursday. The agreement was initially filed in July and received preliminary approval in October.

Plaintiffs in the case said Zoom improperly shared data with third-party software from companies including Facebook and Google; claimed to have end-to-end encryption when it did not; and failed to prevent Zoombombingdisruptions of Zoom meetings by outsiders among other allegations, according to court documents.

"Millions of Americans continue to use Zoom's platform with the expectation that their conversations will be kept private and secure," said Mark Molumphy, an attorney representing Zoom users in the case. "This groundbreaking settlement will provide a substantial cash recovery to Zoom users and implement privacy practices that, going forward, will help ensure that users are safe and protected."

Among the changes agreed to by the company are a user-support ticket system for tracking reports of meeting disruptions, as well as a a documented process for communicating with law enforcement about disruptions involving illegal content. Zoom will also implement new security features such as a "suspend meeting" button and the ability to block users from specific countries.

An attorney for Zoom did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. A spokesperson for the San Jose-headquartered company said in an email that privacy and security are top priorities.

"We take seriously the trust our users place in us," the company said. "We are proud of the advancements we have made to our platform, and look forward to continuing to innovate with privacy and security at the forefront."

The case consolidated 14 class-action complaints filed in the Northern District of California between March and May 2020, in which plaintiffs alleged the company violated users' privacy and security. In each case, the users believed their personal information was adequately protected and that video conferences were secured with encryption and other security measures, court documents say.

One such case involved a Bible study class at a San Francisco church. According to the complaint, an administrator with the Saint Paulus Lutheran Church was hosting a virtual class on May 6, 2020, when an intruder "hijacked the meeting" and displayed images and videos of child pornography to the class participants.

When the administrator could not stop the display or eject the intruder, she ended the meeting and asked participants to rejoinonly for the hijacker to again take control. The class participants were "traumatized and deeply disturbed" by the incident, the complaint said.

Other cases followed similar patterns, including one in which uninvited men repeatedly showed up in a virtual burlesque class taught by a dance studio, resulting in the studio's loss of clientele who refused to return. In another, participants of speech therapy meetings were subjected to pornographic material.

In another case involving a house of worship, visitors to Sunday services at Oak Life Church in Oakland were subjected to child pornography.

"The participants from that meeting, many of whom were trauma survivors to begin with, were left traumatized and devastated," court documents say. "Oak Life Church was required to hire trauma counselors and establish support groups to assist its congregation in dealing with the resulting trauma."

Reached by phone Friday, Molumphy, the attorney, said the business reforms in the settlement were intended to make it easier for users to protect themselves and for the company to track serial offenders.

"The case itself and the settlement that we've obtained ... I think will become a standard for other technology companies going forward," he said. "It's really important to have the technology down and the security down before you go to market."

There are approximately 150 million settlement class members, including paying and nonpaying users of the service. Molumphy said paying users who submit claims will be eligible for 30% of the money they paid for their subscription during the class period, and others will receive about $29 each. The amounts may change depending on the number of claims submitted.

The judge also awarded more than $21 million in attorney fees and other related costs, as well as $5,000 service payments for each of the class representatives.

"It's fair to say that in the age of technological tracking, our privacy rights are eroding," plaintiff's attorney Tina Wolfson said Friday. "We think that it's historic to be able to compensate people for those privacy rights."

The company last year said it acted quickly to tighten security after early reports of Zoombombing began to surface. According to court documents, Zoom voluntarily settled the case without admitting wrongdoing or liability.

Explore further Zoom to settle US privacy lawsuit for $85 mn

2022 Los Angeles Times.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Austin American-Statesman. April 24, 2022.

Editorial: Property tax relief on May 7 ballot should get voters support

Texas homeowners worried about their tax bills as their property values skyrocket could get some relief if voters approve two state constitutional amendments on May 7.

For some homeowners, including many in Austin, however, modest savings will likely be negated or dwarfed by tax bills expected to climb due to soaring property values. Still, the measures would provide at least some relief without hurting state public education budgets, which is why we recommend voters approve Propositions 1 and 2. Early voting starts Monday, April 25, and ends on May 3.

Property taxes in Texas -- the sixth-highest in the nation, according to the Tax Foundation -- pay for schools, roads, police, fire protection and many other services. Texas has no state property tax or income tax.

While we support the propositions, neither would fix our states problematic approach to paying for public education, which relies heavily on taxes levied on residential home values, creating an unfair burden on homeowners. To truly alleviate the tax burden on homeowners, state lawmakers should study other potential sources of revenue, including closing corporate tax loopholes, raising taxes on alcoholic beverages and applying the sales tax to some services that are currently exempt, such as legal services, marketing research and architectural services.

A confusing jumble of 77 words on the ballot, Proposition 1 would reduce the amount of taxes elderly and disabled homeowners pay to support public education. It aims to fix an inequity created in 2019 when the legislature approved a property tax reduction that did not apply to homeowners who are disabled or over 65 because their rates were frozen. Proposition 1 would freeze their school taxes at the rate approved in 2019. Their property taxes would drop $110 next year on a home valued at $300,000, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, told our board.

State lawmakers have said they will cover the lost revenue -- an estimated $744 million from 2024 to 2026 -- that Proposition 1 would cost school districts. With a nearly $25 billion budget surplus on the horizon, the state can afford it.

Proposition 2 would boost the homestead exemption for school district property taxes from $25,000 to $40,000 for all homeowners. If approved, it would cost the state about $600 million a year to cover lost school district revenue. State lawmakers say it would reduce the typical Texans tax burden by $176 a year. Texas voters last increased the homestead exemption - from $15,000 to $25,000 -- in 2015.

The allure of property tax relief is especially potent this year in Travis, Williamson, Hays and other Central Texas counties, where some homeowners have seen their valuations the amount for which the county thinks a home would sellincrease by staggering amounts. The median Austin home value rose to $632,208, a nearly 54 percent leap from from last years value of $411,658. The median value has risen 78% since 2020.

Texans who rent their homes or apartments would not directly benefit from Propositions 1 and 2.

We recommend that Texas voters approve Propositions 1 and 2. Though savings for homeowners will be modest, some relief from dramatically rising property taxes is better than none.

Dallas Morning News. April 24, 2022.

Editorial: Gov. Abbott, you arent done fixing the electrical grid

Regulators still must overhaul the market structure to incentivize investors to build more reliable plants.

On these mild days in April, when the breeze rustles the oak trees and budding crape myrtles of North Texas, its unpleasant to think about bad weather. During rare days when Texans can turn off the heater or air conditioning and open the windows, wed rather not spoil it with dark memories of power outages.

Alas, the electrical grid is working fine today because Texans arent using much juice to cool their homes. But do not let the smell of honeysuckle lull you into thinking the grid is fixed.

Regulators patched up the grid for last winter, but they havent yet implemented changes to ensure power plants have the fuel they need to ensure reliability, or that power companies will build more reliable plants to handle the states growth. Those changes need to be made swiftly, because as Texas fleet of fossil fuel plants ages and some units become prime candidates for retirement, there are no plans to replace them.

The Public Utility Commission required power plants to weatherize last winter, and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas checked that each plant met winter standards. That change is important, but it only ensures that the current power generation fleet is operational. It does nothing to ensure that natural gas and coal plants have reliable fuel supplies.

Texas has done wonders to invite renewable power generation, but fossil fuel still plays a critical role in keeping the lights on. When the wind stops blowing or the sun stops shining, natural gas-fueled power plants fire up to keep the grid reliable. That is, so long as the plants have natural gas fuel.

This became a problem when some natural gas suppliers failed to deliver fuel to power plants during the 2020 freeze, contributing to the deadly outages. Now, the PUC is working on a plan for some natural gas-fueled plants to serve as back-up generators in an emergency, if the plant operators agree to keep a supply of fuel on-site or to set up access to a second fuel source. Commissioners intend to hammer out the details of the plan this summer, and put the plan into action early next year, in time for freezing weather.

It will be important to stick to that timeline, but its also important that the commission expand the plan to include any type of fuel or technology that meets the reliability requirements, whether nuclear, batteries, geothermal, or something else. Relying on one type of fuel would be foolish.

Equally important is for the PUC to keep up the pace for changes to the wholesale market that incentivize the kind of power plants or batteries that can generate electricity when called on. Such critical market adjustments will take years to develop and implement, and the work must start now.

Texas power companies are not building more of the plants that can turn on when needed. The list of wind turbines and solar arrays that ERCOT anticipates coming online by August 2023 is long, but the list of fossil fuel plants is short. Wind, 3,311 megawatts; solar, 16,955 MW; natural gas, 868 MW. (Fortunately, ERCOT expects 4,740 MW of battery storage to come online, which would support reliability.)

Plus, some of the existing reliable fossil fuel plants are nearing retirement age. Power plant investors have said they have little incentive to build in Texas under the current market structure. For that to change, investors need to understand the coming market structure.

The grid isnt fixed yet, and some of the most important structural decisions havent even been made. Texas is relying on regulators appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to keep up the hard work.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram. April 19, 2022.

Editorial: Too much of a good thing? Education board is overdoing it with more Texas history lessons

Ever heard of having too much of a good thing?

When it comes to Texas, we hate to ever come across as anything less than #TexasForever, but expanding Texas history classes in schools seems unnecessary. Hear us out.

The State Board of Education is in the middle of a yearlong process to review what students learn in social studies, or history class. Right now, kids learn about Texas history in fourth and seventh grades, but the State Board of Education voted earlier this month to add the subject to kindergarten, first grade, second grade, sixth grade, and eighth grade.

Board Chairman Keven Ellis, R-Lufkin, said during the April 6 meeting that new standards will appropriately emphasize the significant role that Texas has had in the growth of our county and also the importance of Texas on the world stage.

The new standards suggest teaching history chronologically, going back to the 1400s, with Texas still front and center, Ellis said.

If we know our history, it was William Shakespeare who said, All the worlds a stage and all the men and women, merely players.

It might just be a catchy line now from an ancient comedy but it has some truth: We are proud Texans who would nonetheless advise caution in making Texas, rather than the world, front and center in a childs history class, especially if theres a particular effort to highlight Texas history at the expense of U.S., world and ancient history.

The world is the stage for todays children, and they should learn not just about the state they live in today but the entire world as we have seen it progress: the fall of Rome, the rule of Alfred the Great, the rise of Genghis Khan  you get the idea.

Right now the youngest students learn first about broad concepts such as how to be a good citizen, then advance to more specific names and events. The new standards would reverse that and teach kindergartners about Texas-centered people and events, the United States and the world. Children are more wired than adults to remember people, places, and events, and so this new standard would teach the way they learn best.

Ellis said the new standards would set clear and direct student expectations that would emphasize Texas history from grades K through eight.

The new proposed standards wouldnt abandon U.S. or world history altogether. Texas students from third to eighth grade would learn history chronologically, but from the vantage point of Texas first.

In the meeting, board member Pam Little of Fairview said she is worried Texas history might be taught as an afterthought. (W)e dont want to give up just a single second of that history, she said.

But theres only so many hours in the school day, so tradeoffs are inevitable.

Of course Texas history is special, and were not just talking about Juneteenth or the Alamo. Plus, Come and take it has to be the most renegade unofficial state motto a state can borrow from the ancient Spartans.

There are states outside Texas, a world outside the United States, and an ancient history that goes back to when time began. Its not all victories and bluebonnets, but learning about how empires rose and fell is vital for kids to understand the world they live in. They learn valuable perspectives about their problems, their successes, and themselves. (Imagine getting your phone taken away for the day only to learn that in the early 1900s, a 9-year-old could be forced to work in a dangerous cotton mill and earn less than a dollar a day.)

Kids will still be learning this but if Texas is front and center isnt that a little misleading for them? World history hardly revolves around the Lone Star State: One of the oldest countries in the world, Egypt, began some time around 3150 BC; Texas became a state in 1845.

A more broad focus on history will help kids appreciate Texas past. The history of Texas itself cannot be understood without realizing how vital independence was to America, and nor can that be fully appreciated without understanding Englands attempts (and failures) to conquer so much of the world, as Rome and others did before.

Theres danger, too, that the war over how race and history are taught could mix badly with this new push. More Texas history must include more of its blemishes, including the importance of slavery to its founding and revolution.

With TikTok and YouTube at their fingertips, kids can learn a lot about nothing and very little about the origin of ideas, history or literature. History classes that teach about Texas within an appropriate perspective of the rest of the world would benefit kids lacking depth and scope.

We urge the State Board of Education, which isnt adopting final revisions until November, to encourage children to learn about Texas throughout their elementary education in a way that presents an accurate view of history  Texas as a part of history, not the center of it  and also still underscores the importance of learning about the rest of the world as well.

Houston Chronicle. April 23, 2022.

Editorial: Abbotts abuse of emergency powers is at odds with Texas Constitution

Gov. Greg Abbott may not yet be Texas longest-serving governor. Hell need to beat Beto ORourke this fall and then win again four years later to rival Rick Perrys nearly 14-year tenure. But in Abbotts seven years, hes arguably become the most powerful governor in Texas history.

Whats interesting, and perhaps a little frightening, is that his power stems not from his politics or his popularity, but from the pandemic-era state of emergency he has declared again and again since March 2020. The same statutes that have allowed him to assume direct control of the states COVID-19 response have also allowed him to declare an emergency on the southern border, thereby sidestepping carefully crafted checks on a gubernatorial office that Texan forefathers intended to be one of the weakest in the nation.

While governors  and local county judges and mayors  need special authority to act in the face of fast-moving, deadly crises, such power is poorly suited for ongoing emergencies that can linger for years.

Lawmakers who updated emergency powers laws in 1987 must have known this on some level, as they made a governors declaration good for only up to 30 days. What they likely hadnt anticipated is a crisis that drags on and a governor who would so liberally define emergency as to include the influx of migrants at the border, a situation that is already policed by thousands of federal personnel, including armed border agents.

Abbotts use of emergency powers has shown him a poor steward of such unusual and untrammeled authority. Before he fundamentally reshapes the nature of his office, as prescribed by the Texas Constitution, we call on lawmakers to impose checks on when, how, and how long Abbott  or any governor  may use emergency powers.

Efforts to strengthen the office

In ordinary times, a Texas governors power primarily rests on three pillars: bully pulpit, legislative veto, and appointing boards to oversee state agencies  all of which are purposefully limited by the state constitution approved in 1876.

Notably, the governor cant dictate the decisions of his agency appointees  nor can he remove appointees without cause. The governors only role in the states budget is an after-the-fact, line-item veto. Setting the regular legislative agenda is almost exclusively the purview of the House speaker and lieutenant governor. Even executive authority is parsed out among independently elected officials.

Our constitution was written in the nineteenth century by people terrified of centralized government, said Sen. Bill Ratliff, R-Mount Pleasant, just ahead of the 1999 session of the Texas Legislature, when he introduced a constitutional amendment to consolidate much of the states executive authority under the control of the governor. I believe when the people of Texas vote for a governor they think they are voting for that candidates programs and philosophy and platform, but the governor has no real authority to institute those things.

Ratliff was a widely respected statesman, but that bill never got out of committee.

Nearly 30 years before, Democratic Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes had campaigned for governor in part on a call for a constitutional convention, which he hoped would elevate the powers of Texas chief executive. Barnes, whod also served as House speaker, had come to see the governor as the weak link in a three-person leadership team.

Ironically, though I lost that race, the call for the constitutional convention succeeded, Barnes told the editorial board last week. My plans had been to recommend that we strengthen the office of governor, and in particular its authority in the budget-making process. People have always perceived that the governor ran the state, but the real power  especially the power to write the budget  has rested in the hands of the speaker and the lieutenant governor.

Alas, the 1974 convention, the only one since 1875, ended up leaving the governors powers untouched. So when Lt. Gov. Rick Perry took over for President-elect George W. Bush as governor in 2000, he inherited the same weak office, yet took full advantage of one change Barnes had helped push through in 1972: extending the terms from two years to four of statewide officers, governor included. By the time Perry began his third full term as governor, he had appointed every member of every state commission or board, effectively outlasting a key constitutional restraint on his power: the staggered terms of board members.

Even that didnt allow him to direct the affairs of state agencies, as Abbott has.

Abuse of power

Texas emergency powers laws, as updated in 1987 as part of a broader change to executive branch governance, state that if a governor believes conditions warrant it, he or she may act as commander in chief of each state agency and issue decrees  or executive orders  to dictate operations.

That authority came in handy during the worst months of the pandemic, including when Abbott needed to impose partial shutdowns on businesses. Republicans to Abbotts right faulted his overreach, and while this board believes Abbotts orders were needed  they often didnt go far enough  critics have a point when they ask what checks exist to prevent a governor from declaring a phony emergency and simply seizing and keeping power indefinitely.

Answer: nothing. That is, not until the Legislature next meets and lawmakers band together to exert some oversight, something a few members called for earlier this year  nearly two years after Abbott first issued his emergency declaration. Their efforts were unsuccessful, however, and the Legislature left untouched Abbotts apparent endless ability to run the state through decree. And that should concern any Texan who believes in limited government.

Border example

Consider Abbotts use of emergency powers on the border. On what grounds, other than his own political ambitions, did he hang his declaration that the influx of migrants crossing over from Mexico represented a true emergency, requiring extraordinary power? Enforcing federal immigration law isnt in his job description.

Sending thousands of Texas National Guard troops and DPS officers to the border as part of Operation Lone Star  and the misleading data the state has produced to justify it  has been controversial enough. As they arrested migrants on misdemeanor charges of trespassing, local jails were quickly overwhelmed. Nevertheless, Abbotts emergency powers have enabled him to sidestep ordinary spending safeguards and avoid the bidding process altogether in awarding contracts.

Chronicle reporters Jay Root and Jasper Scherer revealed this month that as arrests began last summer, the Texas Department of Emergency Management made at least 12 purchases without formal bids to support Operation Lone Star, spending up to $45 million. Tens of millions of dollars in new spending has been approved since then.

Hes just abusing emergency powers at this point, said state Rep. Mary Gonzalez, D-Clint, vice-chair of the House appropriations committee. When were spending this amount of taxpayer dollars, its important for us to honor our constituents with transparency and accountability.

The solution

The remedy isnt to cancel a governors ability to tap into special powers during an emergency. Its to make sure the powers dont outlast the crisis, or in the case of an extended emergency, to make sure a single office-holder isnt calling the shots for months or even years without input from the Legislature.

Just when and how that input is given will take some give and take among lawmakers and the governors office next session. We believe its a vital conversation. The men who wrote Texas 1876 constitution were indeed scared of a power-hungry centralized government that was no longer accountable to the people. The behavior of Governor Abbott over the past two years has validated their concerns.

San Antonio Express-News. April 22, 2022.

Editorial: Abbott border antics make Sid Miller look good

Weve never viewed Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller as a serious and conscientious public servant. Elected in 2014, Millers first official act as commissioner was to grant amnesty to cupcakes in schools.

Miller is well known for posting false, insensitive and inflammatory statements and memes on social media. These are often sexist and racist, and sometimes get deleted. Hes called Hillary Clinton the C-word, honored Confederacy President Jefferson Davis during Black History Month, endorsed the atomic bombing of the Muslim world and accused an opponent of liking Nutella banana crepes.

His tenure is so painful, Texans just might need a miracle Jesus shot, but we digress.

Miller isnt a politician to be taken seriously  but then came Gov. Greg Abbott.

Miller weighed in on Abbotts recent disastrous stunt of forcing additional and unnecessary stops at the Texas border. The Abbott border jam short-circuited the supply chain, and wreaked havoc on farmers, truckers and grocery stores as produce spoiled while trucks idled. As the Texas Tribune reported, state troopers didnt find any drugs or weapons, just oil leaks, underinflated tires and broken turn signals. Abbott has said hell shut down the border again, all to score political points against President Joe Bidens border policies.

Amid this madness came a clear, calm and measured voice of reason: Sid Millers. What the?

In a letter to Abbott, Miller wrote, Your inspection protocol is not stopping illegal immigration. It is stopping food from getting to grocery store shelves and in many cases causing food to rot in trucks  many of which are owned by Texas and other American companies. It is simply political theater. The people of Texas deserve better!

And so we must write words we never imagined: Sid Miller is right. Texans deserve better. Congratulations, governor, you have transformed Miller into a sane, reasonable voice speaking for most Texans.

END

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Two people are dead after a Thursday afternoon tractor-trailer and passenger car collision in Franklin County.

Virginia State Police said in a press release Friday that the crash occurred at 5:29 p.m. on U.S. 220 (Virgil H. Goode Highway) at the intersection of Fork Mountain Road (State Route 683).

A 2017 Chevrolet Cruze crossed the highway and failed to yield the right-of-way, police said. The Chevrolet was struck by a 2007 Freightliner tractor-trailer traveling north on U.S. 220.

Wallace Lester Gusler, 90, of Collinsville, was driving the Chevrolet. Ruby Zelma Gusler, 86, also of Collinsville, was in the passenger seat. Both were wearing their seatbelts and died at the scene.

Police said the crash remains under investigation, but no charges are pending.
Grand Island youths are among the high school students who will attend Cornhusker Boys State and Girls State in Lincoln June 5-11.

The Girls State gathering provides young women with a hands-on educational opportunity designed to instruct tomorrows leaders in the privileges and duties of responsible citizenship, according to a Legion Auxiliary news release.

Boys State is designed to provide youth with a better understanding of how municipal, county and state governments operate, according to an American Legion news release.

Local Girls State attendees will be Hannah Madison, Olivia Stava and Madelyn Weyers.

Madison, who attends Grand Island Senior High, is the daughter of Tyler and Kim Madison. She is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club.

Stava, who attends Grand Island Central Catholic, is the daughter of Shane and Lisa Stava. She is sponsored by American Legion Riders Unit 53.

Weyers, who attends Grand Island Central Catholic, is the daughter of Scott and Kellie Weyers. She is sponsored by American Legion Auxiliary Unit 53.

Joshua Nikodym and Jayden Quandt will take part in Cornhusker Boys State.

Nikodym, who attends Heartland Lutheran, is the son of John Nikodym. He is sponsored by American Legion Post 53

Quandt, who attends Northwest High School, is the son of Brian and Sarah Quandt. He is sponsored by Sons of the American Legion Squadron 53.

Both gatherings are nonpartisan political learning experiences.

Cornhusker Boys State is sponsored by the Nebraska American Legion. Cornhusker Girls State is sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary.

The Legion Auxiliary is the worlds largest patriotic womens service organization. With a membership of nearly 850,000, local Auxiliary units have a strong presence in more than 9,500 communities nationwide, according to a news release.

The Auxiliarys mission to serve veterans, their families and their communities is carried out through its hundreds of outreach programs delivered by its members, volunteers and national headquarters.

Since its inception, the American Legion has been a key advocate for veterans benefits, patriotic American values, instilling values in young people through numerous programs, and a strong national defense with focus on quality-of-life issues for those serving in todays armed forces, according to a news release.
Fonner Park is traditionally for horses, but Sunday afternoon Grand Islands hometown race track went to the dogs.

Fonner Bark: A Cause for Paws had its initial run, fans of horses and/or hounds descending on the first floor grandstand with their pooches for an afternoon of dog tricks, demonstrations by the Grand Island Kennel Club and a chance to meet some special dogs from the Central Nebraska Humane Society.

The event was the brainchild of Chris Kotulak, Fonner Park Race Track CEO. He said encouraging people to bring their furry friends to Fonner for an afternoon was a way to help people understand that Fonner Park is a place for everyone.

I just wanted to expose people to the races who might not ordinarily come or animal lovers who come to the horse races, he said.

Events like this are fueled by volunteers, Kotulak said.

I was very pleased with the volunteerism that we have received. As long as we can get volunteers, we can do more things like this.

Sunday included dog trick and costume contests, and three special guests from the humane society.

We were asked by Fonner Park to come out to this event and they wanted us to bring out some adoptable dogs, said Emily Beck, co-director of the CNHS.

Dogs included a 1-year-old pit bull mix named Bluey. The perky pup was one of the three adoptable dogs brought to Fonner Park. The event, Beck said, was a great opportunity for people to meet adoptable dogs and give them a little playtime.

I am walking around and socializing Bluey. He loves everybody. He loves people. He loves dogs. He loves kids. He just has a very high energy, she said.

Tressa ONeill, board member of the Grand Island Kennel Club said Kotulak reaching out to them benefited both the kennel club and the dogs.

Its an opportunity for people to see what they can do with their dogs. A lot of times, people are like, Oh, well, we can only walk them. When youre really building a partnership.

ONeill and a handful of fellow GIKC members set up an obstacle course for demonstrations of American Kennel Club activities.

(People) can see what else they can do with their dog, ONeill said.

Dogs performed tricks and paraded their costumes throughout the afternoon followed by an awards ceremony after Fonner Parks fifth race.

While Kotulak loves dogs, he has horses and cats.

In our backyard, we have a skunk, fox, deer, woodchuck  Our trail cam video looks like Looney Tunes, he joked.

Plans to have Fonner Bark back next year, although Kotulak admits the event needs fine tuning.

I just wanted to walk before we trot this year, he said. Well learn some things. Well communicate the event a little bit further in advanced now that we have an idea of the response that we got.

As Kotulak mopped up an canine accident off the cement floor, he had a smile on his face seeing dogs in costume and visitors having a great time with their dogs.

Its a way that people can express themselves and show some imagination, he said. This is just one additional manner in which we can show community support and help people socialize with each other.

Jessica Votipka is the education reporter at the Grand Island Independent. She can be reached at 308-381-5420.

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Greater railroad safety education is needed locally.

Hall County has the highest number of fatalities and injuries in the state, reported Nebraska Operation Lifesaver Executive Director Debra Ashworth.

I did a deep dive on where the incidents are happening, Ashworth explained. We dont call them accidents, because an accident cant be prevented, and any situation at a rail crossing can be prevented as long as people follow the rules of driving, which is: always yield to a train.

The nationwide nonprofit is a public safety education group dedicated to reducing crashes, injuries and fatalities at railroad crossings and rights of way.

Ashworth, a Grand Island resident, who worked 37 years for Union Pacific Railroad, mainly as a dispatcher, has been with Operation Lifesaver for nearly 18 years. She became coordinator for the Nebraska organization in January.

To better educate communities across the state about being safe at rail crossings, Ashworth is leading a multi-county Whistle Stop tour across Nebraska in September. The tour will reach Hall County on Sept. 17.

Operation Lifesaver Inc.received $50,000 in March to provide community safety education and to help recruit volunteers west of Lincoln.

Pretty much three-fourths, maybe even more than that, are in Lincoln and Omaha. So I dont have any west of Lincoln, Ashworth said. Im pretty much the only one thats active.

As part of 20-county tour, Ashworth will meet with mayors, police chiefs, fire chiefs, sheriffs and any county commissioners who are interested in participating.

Ashworth plans to give each participant an authentic railroad spike, painted gold, as a gift.

The tour starts in Lancaster County, which also has high rates of incidences.

I start on the east, go south, then north and come west. I go as far west as Scottsbluff, in the Sidney area, she said.

There was great competition among other state programs to receive the grant funds from the national organization, Ashworth said.

Many of the executive directors do grants for a living, she said. But I do believe our need in Nebraska is there and our solution to turn it around is based on getting volunteers and getting partnerships with the various counties around Nebraska.

She added, I think were on the right track, we just need to get these partnerships in action.

Three pillars of Operation Lifesaver are education, enforcement (of laws), and engineering (of improvements that can be made at a crossing).

The most important people to reach, to start, are first and second graders, said Ashworth.

And then we can get them again when they go through drivers education, she said, And then after theyve been driving hopefully we can get them at an adult class at the state fair or other county fairs, so we can get that message to every Nebraska three times.

Ashworth also advocates for making drivers education mandatory in Nebraska.

We are one of the states that does not require drivers education. There are 31 states that do require it, and I would like Nebraska to be one of them, she said.

With that, Ashworth wants railroad crossing safety to be a part of the curriculum.

New drivers should know the signs pertaining to railroad safety. They should know what to do at a crossing, she said. It would be a very minimal, 15-20 minutes of rail safety in the entire curriculum.

Key to these efforts are volunteers. The state organization has 92 volunteers total, but 80 of those are east of Lincoln, Ashworth told The Independent.

Part of the problem has been the COVID-19 pandemic, during which volunteers were unable to go out into the community due to lockdowns or periods of isolation.

I need volunteers, she said. Thats my main focus when I go out on my Whistle Stop Tour, to meet the people, explain about Operation Lifesaver, what we do and what our mission is, but also to recruit.

She added, One of the things that makes us so successful is the fact that we use volunteers from all across the state.

The national organization provides curriculum, training aides, and everything a volunteer would need to be successful.

Volunteers do not need railroad experience.

All you really have to do is care and be driven by the fact that you dont want anyone hurt, Ashworth said. You want to think about their safety at railroad crossings.

For more information about Nebraska Operation Lifesaver, visit https://community.oli.org/state/ne.

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The 2022 Legislature adjourned last week with an outsized scorecard of big-time accomplishments, fueled in part by a billion dollars in federal pandemic relief funding and an unanticipated flow of state revenue.

At the top of the list for many senators was enactment of the largest tax reduction package in state history, a bill (LB873) that included income tax cuts, increased property tax relief and phased elimination of state income taxation of Social Security income.

Along with that came epic water development initiatives, including a $500 million plan to build a South Platte River canal and reservoir system (LB1015) to claim and capture water flowing into the state from Colorado, a right secured by a century-old compact between the two states.

Another major proposal (LB1023) sets the stage for construction of a 4,000-acre lake between Lincoln and Omaha that would promote economic development and tourism while extending the state's water recreational opportunities to include the rapidly growing metropolitan complex.

That plan will await completion of studies to assure that the project would not interfere with the current and future supply of water to the cities of Lincoln and Omaha, along with an environmental impact study.

"There are still hurdles," Speaker Mike Hilgers said, "still so much work to do."

But there was more, much more, in this legislative session's list of projects, including allocation of federal funding (LB1024) to build housing and create economic development opportunities in North Omaha and South Omaha.

The Legislature also set aside funding to build a new state prison to replace the aging State Penitentiary in Lincoln without yet pulling the trigger to begin construction.

"It's incredible what we have done," Hilgers, of Lincoln, said after the Legislature adjourned on the 60th and final day of its 2022 session.

An onslaught of filibusters this year grabbed headlines and slowed the process, but did not reduce the impact of the end product.

The huge allocation of funding and commitment to major projects was "very disciplined" in terms of careful consideration of ongoing costs and the future fiscal impact, Hilgers said, as were the tax cuts when measured against the long-term impact of declining state revenue.

In the end, at the insistence of Appropriations Committee Chairman John Stinner of Gering, more than a billion dollars was stored away in the state's cash reserve, or rainy day fund, as a protective safeguard.

"I always thought our income taxes were too high," Hilgers said. "A lot of working parents in my district in Lincoln are taxed at the highest rate."

Looking at the 2022 legislative scorecard, he said, "it's incredible what we have done."

On a long list that he compiled and shared with senators on the final day, Hilgers said he believes funding for a new University of Nebraska Medical Center rural health complex in Kearney (LB792) may be one of the most impactful developments for rural Nebraska.

The end result of this Legislature's accomplishments reflects collaboration with Gov. Pete Ricketts, Hilgers said, a factor that may have been reflected in the governor's effusive praise for the Legislature's work product.

"Wow!" Ricketts exclaimed in his farewell remarks to the Legislature on Wednesday prior to adjournment of the 2022 legislative session.

"What fantastic work you have done," the governor declared.

"We did not agree on everything, but we had a very good collaborative relationship," Hilgers said during the interview in his Capitol office a day later.

Hilgers said he would place the tax reduction package "probably at the top of the list" of legislative accomplishments, with Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, chairwoman of the Legislature's Revenue Committee, leading the way in shaping and reshaping the proposal.

In the end, Hilgers said, "we got to say no to fewer people" during this legislative session.

But the reality is that "a lot of the projects would not have happened without federal ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds," he said.

"There are still hurdles ahead," Hilgers said, "so much work to do on the lake."

Hilgers may no longer be a senator next January; he is a Republican candidate for attorney general this year. But, he said, he will try to "remain involved as much as the law will allow" in attempting to bring the proposed lake to fruition.

Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha, a leader in the so-called STARWARS (Statewide Tourism and Recreational Water Access and Resource Sustainability) legislative effort, will still be actively engaged in the process, Hilgers said.

Hilgers said the legislative session "moved the ball forward" in terms of law enforcement legislation, although it ultimately rejected criminal justice sentencing reform proposals that emerged from a legislative study in conjunction with the Crime and Justice Institute.

The Legislature approached the implementation of casinos in Nebraska in "a responsible way," Hilgers said, by limiting voter-approved casinos to six current horse racetracks (LB876) pending a study to be completed by 2025.

Looking at the total work product, Hilgers said, "it is incredible what we got done."

Reach the writer at 402-473-7248 or dwalton@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSdon
YORK  Amanda Rivera, 48, of Waco, has pleaded not guilty to one count of possession of methamphetamine in York County District Court.

Arraignment proceedings were held before Judge James Stecker.

She has been formally charged with a Class 4 felony which carries a possible maximum sentence of two years in prison with 12 months of post-release supervision and/or a $10,000 fine.

The case began when the York County Sheriffs Department served a residential search warrant at 1919 Road 14 in York County.

According to court documents, deputies found two glass pipes with white and black residue consistent with being used for ingesting methamphetamine. They said they also found a plastic container with a white crystal-like substance. The items were found in a drawer of a coffee table in the living room. Deputies said inside the drawer they also found Riveras social security card and below it was her Nebraska identification card.

The substance and the residue in the pipes were all tested with all three being positively identified as methamphetamine.

Rivera was not present while the search warrant was being executed; however, later that day, a deputy saw Rivera standing outside the sheriffs department and she was arrested. According to court documents, she allegedly admitted to being at that location and using methamphetamine with her son.

A jury trial has been scheduled for late July.
WAYNE COUNTY  A life in prison awaits the man who murdered a Wayne County sheriffs deputy in late 2021.

Ray Tate, 40 of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, was sentenced to life in prison with no parole on Friday, according to Judici, an online court records database.

Tates conviction follows the December 2021 slaying of Deputy Sean Riley while responding to a motorist assist call on eastbound Interstate 64 at mile marker 115.

Tate faced a total of 38 different counts.

This included one Class X felony, one Class 2 felony and 36 Class M felonies, according to court records.

Tate plead not guilty to all 38 counts on Feb. 9.

However, at his sentencing hearing at 9 a.m. on Friday all but one of the charges were dismissed.

He was found guilty and sentenced for murder with intent to kill or injure, which is a Class M felony.

The incident

At about 5 a.m. on Dec. 29, Illinois State Police Criminal Division Zone 8 was requested to assist with a shooting involving an officer.

Preliminary reports indicate that Riley was dispatched for a motorist assist call on eastbound Interstate 64 at mile marker 115.

A short time later, another responding officer located Riley dead at the scene. The deputy's squad car was missing, and then located abandoned a short time later just east of the scene.

ISP said it's believed the suspect, Tate, carjacked a semi-trailer near where Rileys squad car was located.

The driver of the semitrailer said he was held against his will and drove Tate to a gas station in St. Peters, Missouri, police said.

While in Missouri, a series of carjackings, robberies and shootings occurred, police said.

Tate allegedly traveled back into Illinois with a kidnapped victim in another stolen vehicle, ISP said. That stolen vehicle was located at a residence in rural Carlyle.

Police say Tate committed a home invasion and took the homeowner and the kidnapped victim hostage at a residence in rural Clinton County.

At 1:42 p.m., ISP S.W.A.T. officers made entry into the residence and took Tate into custody without incident. The homeowner and kidnapped victim were located uninjured.

After a manhunt that lasted several hours, Tate was taken in custody and transported to the Clinton County Jail.

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Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis (HarperOne)

Brutally honest and honestly brutal, actor Viola Davis looks back on her childhood like the victim of a disaster still dazed by the experience but remembering every terrible moment.

Her alcoholic father routinely beat and bloodied her mother. Viola and her five siblings lived in a rat-filled house that lacked dependable heat and plumbing. Often unwashed, they attended school in dirty clothes. Lunch at school was their only reliable meal.

Other children in the predominantly white town of Central Falls, Rhode Island, tormented Viola, shouting anti-Black epithets as they chased her after school and threw rocks. All the school kids watched the day the fire engines came to save her home from a blaze. The humiliations were unending. Later, sexual abuse joined the list.

Today, Davis is a celebrated actress, winner of an Oscar (Fences), two Tonys (King Hedley II and Fences), an Emmy (How to Get Away with Murder) and many other honors. Yet her self image as a fleeing 8-year-old  ugly, stupid and unwanted because she was told so  never left. What changed for Davis was how she looked back, seeing that child now as a survivor and appreciating the adult she became as one who had found joy, love and accomplishment.

To an observer, Davis had courage even if she didn't know it at the time. The introvert made a place for herself in school theater. The troublesome student earned a scholarship for college and then a place at Juilliard. The theater-struck but small-town girl endured life in New York with all the auditions and rejections facing an actor. Working with the best when she was unsure of herself  Meryl Streep!  took some pluck. And when love finally opened its door, she stepped inside.

And now Davis writes a blistering memoir, not a rueful remembrance told in the kind of polished prose that suggests, well, it wasn't all that bad. Finding Me is raw in its anger, shocking in its frankness, often downright vulgar  and wonderfully alive with Davis' passion poured into every page.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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DENMARK  Congressman James E. Clyburn will deliver the commencement address when approximately 95 students graduate from Voorhees University.

The commencement convocation will be held in the Leonard E. Dawson Center at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 7. The overflow space will be the Massachusetts Hall auditorium.

Clyburn is the majority whip and the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

He serves as chairman of the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis, the Rural Broadband Task Force and the Democratic Faith Working Group.

Representing the sixth congressional district of South Carolina, Clyburn has served in Congress since 1993.

He has served as co-president of his congressional freshman class, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, vice chairman and later chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, majority whip and assistant democratic leader.

The Sumter native is a graduate of South Carolina State University.

His memoir, Blessed Experiences: Genuinely Southern, Proudly Black, was published in 2015.

He is the father of three daughters and a grandfather of four. He and his late wife, Emily England Clyburn, were married 58 years.

Prior to the commencement convocation, a baccalaureate service will be Friday, May 6, at 6 p.m. in St. Philips Chapel on the Voorhees University Campus.

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Retired U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Rogers Thomas was told he wouldnt be anything more in life than a poor farmer, but the Army gave him an opportunity to go beyond the cotton fields of Bowman and become the decorated leader he did not always believe he could be.

Drafted into the U.S. Army in November 1959, Thomas received his basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, where we was trained as an infantryman and a radio operator. After leaving basic training as a private, his first assignment was in Germany.

Leadership increases

I went to Hamburg, Germany, as a scout and radio operator. You would observe the enemy and, at the same time, you'd have to call and report in as to what you see. Most times it was at night. So you couldn't really see the enemy, Thomas said.

You could see the machine gun fire as they fire in front of your jeep. Adverse weather didn't make any difference. Seven days a week, 24 hours a day. I didn't have to work 24 hours a day, but I'd go out every night basically. When you talk about time off, we didn't have any time off -- didn't know what that was like," he said.

Thomas said his time as a scout was shrouded in mystery and included the threat of enemy fire.

There's a lot of stuff that I can't talk about because it's still top secret. ... He goes out and observes the enemy activity and report it back in, anything semi-hostile. You can't fire back. We had loaded weapons, but you couldn't fire back unless you're fired upon, he said.

Thomas continued, As you ride in the jeep, if the bullet hit the jeep, then you could fire back. And before you could even fire back, you got to call and get permission. That didn't make any sense at all, but the military decided it made sense."

Thomas spent two years in Germany before leaving the military in hopes of returning to his communications job at BellSouth Telephone Company in New York.

As a draftee, you spend two years in the military and you can get out. I was working for Bell Telephone. That's how I ended up with my communications skills. ... I came back to the same job that I had, (but) the job was filled by somebody else. So I didn't have a job. I volunteered and re-enlisted back into the military. And from there, 29 years and eight months later, I became a civilian again," he said, smiling.

Thomas had re-enlisted as a sergeant.

In two years I made sergeant. ... They sent me to signal school because they realized then that communications was my field, he said.

The U.S. Army Signal School provides military education and appropriate practical training for men and women in the Armed Forces to prepare them for positions in communications-electronics activities and familiarize them with the application of doctrine, tactics, logistics and electronic techniques pertinent to the military command and control system.

They sent me to Fort Knox, Kentucky, to basic radio operator school and to become a repairman, he said, noting that he became not just a radio operator.

I'm the supervisor as a sergeant. So they sent me to NCO Academy. You have to go to a leadership school because now you're in the ranks of leadership," he said, who would soon train and educate future non-commissioned officers to be fit, disciplined and ready to lead in their respective environments.

"That was a 16-week school. From there, I was assigned to Fort Dix, New Jersey, as a drill sergeant. Again, all this is building up to leadership. I came on orders to Germany again. That's when the Berlin Wall was up, Thomas said.

The Cold War, a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc, began following World War II and ended in Berlin on Nov. 9, 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Thomas recalled his service before the walls fall.

They sent me to tank commander school and from there I went to Berlin, Germany. I spent my whole tour inside of a tank. I ate, slept, whatever, inside of a tank for two years. The only exercise you get is when you get out the tank to go to the bathroom, he said.

The experience was miserable and stressful for him.

Imagine yourself being a mole in a hole. Youre in a tank. The only communication you have is with people that's surrounding it. So I can imagine what the communist soldiers feel like when they have to go in a bunker," Thomas said.

He continued, "From there, I went back to Fort Knox, Kentucky, to another phase of signal school. I'm probably a staff sergeant now. So leadership increases. I got promoted to sergeant 1st class. So now that's another assignment to Korea. When I got there, I was the youngest person that the Army had that was put in the position of 1st sergeant.

Thomas spent two years in Korea before leaving for Germany again.

I was a fixer. Thats what they called it. Go fix this, go fix that. So while Im in Germany, after I got finished fixing, they sent me to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Thats another communications school. So when I got there, instead of taking up a job up in administration, they put me in a unit, where Thomas stayed for approximately nine months before being sent back up to brigade headquarters, he said.

Thomas leadership and skills did not go unnoticed by his commander.

The commander said, Well, youre doing such a fine job, were going to send you to Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas. So I went to Fort Bliss, Texas. Its a nine-month school to graduate from Sergeants Major Academy, he said, noting that his next job was one where he got to further his leadership skills.

I was the first Black and first enlisted person assigned to be in charge of over 500 soldiers and civilians at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. I stayed there five years as the only and first enlisted person to be in charge of all those soldiers, Thomas said.

It was then that he discovered the U.S. Army was not as fun as it once was when he first entered.

Now Im no longer having fun. So I decided, You know what? Youve been real lucky. You missed two trips to Vietnam. Never got shot on. Got shot at, but not on. Never got hurt. You better go home. So in 1985, I decided to retire, said Thomas, who officially retired in April 1986.

He recalled his time as a cook at the White House and as a communications specialist at the Pentagon.

I was in the aircraft on the way to Vietnam. They discovered I had two uncles already in Vietnam, and I was diverted from Vietnam. ... They put me off at Fort Lewis, Washington. I went back to the White House as a cook. Thats how I ended up as a cook at the White House and a signal guy at the Pentagon, Thomas said.

As a cook at the White House, they have special meals. They had exotic meals, stuff that ordinary people dont eat. Its a military cafeteria. ... You know a month out in advance as to whats going to be on the menu. I knew how to cook before I even went in the military, he said.

Memorial Day service returns: Orangeburg program May 29 After a two-year absence due to the coronavirus pandemic, Orangeburg will once again observe Memorial Day with a ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park.

Thomas worked in the communications shop at the Pentagon.

I kept communications. That was after I re-enlisted. As matter of fact, when I was at Bell Telephone in New York, I wasnt fixing radios  I installed cable. ... My job was a hazardous job. It wasnt one of those luxurious jobs, he said.

Defying expectations

Looking back over his nearly 30-year tenure in the U.S. Army, the 84-year-old Bowman native who now lives in Orangeburg said he liked best the opportunity that the military gave him to develop as a leader.

Going to school in Bowman, South Carolina, teachers told me, Boy, youre not going to make it. You might make it as a farmer, he said.

Then once I got in the military, you probably can just see the awards and decorations that I acquired. I didnt think that I could do it. I outranked all my uncles that were in the military. If you talk about numbers, none of them exceeded sergeant, Thomas said.

He continued, I had one uncle stayed 25 years in the Army. When he retired, he retired as a buck sergeant. A buck sergeant is three stripes. When he sees me, he just laughs and says, Boy, I sure did you good.

Thomas is the recipient of several medals and ribbons, including the Meritorious Service Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Overseas Service Ribbon; Army Occupation medal; Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Medal; Army Service Ribbon; and the NCO Professional Development Ribbon.

People of high rank in high places, if they would see me today, they would say, I told you, keep looking up. They told me that, said Thomas, who has kept looking up and occasionally visits former teachers, including a 98-year-old, who once told him he would not amount to anything.

Im always courteous about it when I see them. I hug and kiss them, and I feel good about it. They say, Boy, you did me well. That makes you laugh. I smile, Thomas said.

While his jobs at the White House and Pentagon are among the things he has enjoyed least about his military experience, he said if he was called to perform his service all over again, he would.

But I probably wouldnt enjoy it as much because theres so much restriction on what you can do. ... You cant chastise soldiers in the Army anymore. Youre so restricted.

The soldiers do it as a job. Its not an honor, per say. Most of the kids that go in say, Well, Im going in because I can get an education. Theyre more concerned about that than serving the country, Thomas said.

Giving back

After tiring of hunting, fishing and traveling upon retirement, Thomas decided to become an ROTC instructor. He first served at Estill High School, where he spent a year, and then at Calhoun County High School, where he also taught building construction. He stayed at CCHS for 15 years until his retirement in 2000.

Thomas said being a part of The T&D Stories of Honor series meant much to him and gave him a chance to share an experience which helped him become the man he always knew he could be.

It makes me feel good to tell somebody about my experience. Just looking at me, you wouldnt know that Ive been there and done that. As a matter of fact, I wish I could just go back in time, he said.

TheTandD.com: $1 for the first 26 weeks Support local journalism by becoming a member at www.TheTandD.com Get the first 26 weeks for just $1 at https://go.thetandd.com/nov5

By being so young, I really didnt know what I was doing, but I learned real quick. I knew whats right and whats wrong. You got books. Buy a book, read up on this if you got a question. ... I learned real quick if youre smart and you use it wisely and dont abuse it, then you can use it. ... With hard work and being honest, you can go anywhere, Thomas said.

He and his wife, Ora, are the parents of three children: daughters, Starlena and Sheila, and son, Leanduwin. They are the grandparents of 10 and are also great-grandparents.

Contact the writer: dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5534. Follow "Good News with Gleaton" on Twitter at @DionneTandD

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GILLETTE  Just about every day at about 5 p.m., Kennedy Wainaina waits on a phone call.

Ever since his sister, Irene Wairimu Gakwa, went missing from Gillette in February or March, he has stayed in close contact with the Gillette police detectives working to solve his sisters disappearance.

After Wainaina talks with detectives each night, he calls his mother and father in Kenya, who also have grown accustomed to waiting by the phone.

Theyre in rough shape, especially my mom, he said. My dad maybe hides it well but my mom, I can tell shes definitely having a hard time. (Irene) used to talk to them almost every other day.

Gakwa, 32, was reported missing on March 20 and last heard from March 4. Since then, officers have asked the public in help finding any information that could be related to Gakwas disappearance.

The investigation so far has suggested that Gakwa went missing under suspicious circumstances. She was last seen Feb. 24 on a video call with her parents, who live in Kenya.

Earlier this month, the police department announced in a press release that it has a lead in the investigation. One tip indicated that Gakwa may have been taken in a passenger car to a rural area, mine site or oil and gas location between Feb. 24 and March 20.

This week, Police Deputy Chief Brent Wasson said that detectives are continuing to follow up on leads and the information they have. There is no new information to release to the public at this time, and the investigation remains ongoing, he said.

The department has confirmed that Gakwa lived with a man in Gillette up until her disappearance. He is considered a person of interest and has not made himself available to detectives looking to resolve questions that exist in the investigation, Wasson said.

Detectives have executed about two dozen search warrants in their search and interviewed Gakwas friends and associates. Digital evidence, such as location data, has been analyzed and provided positive leads, the press release said.

Gakwa is a Black woman who is 5-foot-1 and about 100 pounds.

Wainaina said the public has been helpful and supportive throughout the process, helping his family do what they can to spread awareness of their sisters disappearance.

Im amazed at how much strangers are doing to help us, he said. Its amazing.

Wainaina and his brother, Chris Gakwa, 38, both live in Boise, Idaho. They made the 800-mile drive to Gillette early into their sisters disappearance and continue to follow it from afar.

Almost two months since they last saw their sister, the reality of their familys situation is still hard to grasp.

In this day and age when so many digital records through cellphones and credit cards make it hard for anyone to slip off the grid, Wainaina said its hard to fathom how his sister vanished with so little trace.

Sometimes you feel like maybe youre just dreaming, he said. Like especially at night. Sometimes Ill go to bed, sleep, and wake up and be like, Was I dreaming, was she missing?

Was I dreaming or was it real life?

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A rare plant confined to one pocket of desert between Wyoming and Montana may soon become the subject of a federal court case.

The Center for Biological Diversity and two local conservation groups announced recently that they would file suit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service if it did not complete an overdue status review of the thick-leaf bladderpod within the next 60 days.

Endemic to about 20 square miles of Montanas Pryor Mountain Desert and Wyomings Bighorn Basin, the little yellow-flowered plant  classified as an at-risk sensitive species growing in an area of critical environmental concern by the Bureau of Land Management  landed in the crosshairs between conservation and mining when a cement company proposed exploratory drilling for gypsum in the middle of the plants habitat.

The cement company, GCC, proposed its project on Bureau of Land Management lands where federal officials had previously sought to disallow mining. That recommendation was never finalized.

A draft environmental assessment of the proposal identified the bladderpod at eight of 10 planned drilling sites, and noted that some unavoidable impacts to populations ... could occur, but concluded that the project would not cause unreasonable ecological harm.

It was a controversial conclusion. The conservation groups sent their petition to the Fish and Wildlife Service five months later.

Exploratory mining threatened an endemic plant. Now the plant threatens the mine. Conservation groups fear a proposed gypsum mine in southern Montana could wipe out the thick-leaf bladderpod. Their concerns were persuasive enough to open a Fish and Wildlife Service review. The fates of both rest in the agency's hands.

Under the Endangered Species Act, the Fish and Wildlife Service has 90 days from receipt of a petition to list a species to decide whether the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information for a full review, and 12 months from receipt to determine whether it will recommend affording federal protections to the species.

The agency received the conservation groups petition on March 11, 2021, but did not announce until Feb. 8  just over a month before its deadline to issue the 12-month finding  that it would move forward with the investigation.

Because that finding has not been published, the Fish and Wildlife Service is currently in violation of its 12-month finding deadline, according to the petitioners notice of intent to sue.

Before GCC came along, mining companies hadnt shown much interest in the chunk of land where thick-leaf bladderpods grow. Thats why GCCs plan to drill on previously undeveloped lands sparked such backlash. In a joint statement released alongside last weeks notice, the conservation groups said mining posed an imminent threat and could lead to the extinction of the thick-leaf bladderpod if the plant did not receive Endangered Species Act protections.

The company, however, has since scrapped the project. It no longer plans to drill in thick-leaf bladderpod habitat  or in any other part of Montanas Carbon County.

In 2020-2021, the company explored the viability of multiple sites simultaneously, Mica Ward, a GCC spokesperson, said in a February email to the Star-Tribune. We found a location that meets our needs and that is close to the plant.

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JACKSON  Grizzly 399 and her four cubs have left Grand Teton National Park, taking a southern tack much earlier than officials and wildlife watchers expected.

As far as we know, this is the farthest south shes been this early in the year ever, and that does have us concerned, Chief of Staff Jeremy Barnum said.

That increases the imperative that she not get food rewards, he said.

The hope would be if she and the subadults dont get food rewards, theyll instead focus on natural food sources, which hopefully would lead them back up into the park, he said.

Dan Thompson, the Wyoming Game and Fish Departments large carnivore supervisor, confirmed this is the earliest 399 has left the park: less than a week after emerging from the den.

In the past two years, 399 and her cubs have ventured down into the southern part of Jackson Hole later in the year, getting into human-related foods two falls in a row.

The grizzlies more recent movements had wildlife managers and watchers concerned. Bears that repeatedly access human-related foods can get aggressive in trying to get to them, presenting a safety hazard for humans and thus increasing the potential for more invasive management actions: hazing, relocation, and live or lethal removal.

Wildlife managers are currently focusing on conflict prevention, asking people in Teton County to lock up attractants like trash, beehives, compost and chicken coops.

But they have said more severe management options are on the table this year for the famous fivesome. Thats particularly true for 399s cubs, which are expected to separate from their mother sometime this spring and have a history of accessing human-related food.

Those offspring havent been taught how to forage naturally, Thompson said.

399s current southern foray comes a few months before July 1, when Teton Countys new wildlife feeding ordinance goes into effect.

It will require bear-resistant trash cans, and residents in areas outside of the town of Jackson will have to lock up other attractants. In the meantime, compliance is encouraged, but voluntary.

Kristin Combs, executive director of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates, worries the county is not ready for grizzly season.

Absolutely not, she said. Not prepared at all.

Nonprofits like hers, meanwhile, are trying to move the needle on locking up attractants. It has raised $200,000 to purchase 280 bear-resistant cans and offer some to residents at reduced costs. Thompson said the county is also in a state of hyper awareness given 399s recent history.

I think thats a good thing, he said, also pointing to relatively low tourism in the valley as a positive.

Game and Fish is responsible for managing 399, her cubs and other bears outside the park. Last year, Game and Fish officials called in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help them manage 399 and her brood.

But state and federal wildlife managers have said they plan to have the state agency manage the 399 situation this year, with feds as backup if necessary.

With the celebrity bear outside Grand Teton, Thompson said, there havent been any issues so far. The bears have largely stuck to a Snake River drainage.

Theyre not in a bad spot right now, he said.

But members of the public have been tailing the bears, and Game and Fish officials are on the ground monitoring the bears movement.

Thompson asked the public to not be selfish or ignorant about these bears or any wildlife.

Give these bears space, give the wildlife space, give the people on the ground space, Thompson said. Dont put yourself in a position thats going to be bad for you or bears.

To confirm 399s location, Barnum cited data Thursday from the radio collars placed on two of the cubs last season. Theres a lag in that information  Barnum referenced data from the day prior  so its not clear where, exactly, 399 was at press time Thursday. But Barnum said the bears made their way out of the park along the Snake River bottom.

Grizzly photographer and advocate Tom Mangelsen said he had spotted them Wednesday evening east of Teton Village and had heard reports they had been spotted farther north Thursday.

Hopefully shes going north, Mangelsen said.

The photographer also admitted he was a bit flummoxed by how quickly the bears had moved south.

I didnt really think shed go far south, said Mangelsen, who predicted otherwise. The airport was about as far south as shed ever gone that Im aware of at this time of year.

Thompson asked the public to continue to relay information to Game and Fish so the department can act appropriately.

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On the 25th of April, two Russian missiles flew at a critical distance over the Khmelnitsky NPP - "Enerhoatom"

On the 25th of April, two Russian missiles flew at a critical distance over the Khmelnitsky NPP - "Enerhoatom"

The Russians are recklessly shelling the territory of Ukraine, releasing cruise and other strategic and tactical missiles dangerously close to the nuclear facilities.

On the morning of April 25th, two Russian cruise missiles flew dangerously close to the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant. This was reported by NNEGC Energoatom.

According to Energoatom, at 8:10 in the morning, two cruise missiles fired by the Russian military were recorded over the Khmelnytsky NPP cooling reservoir, probably in the direction of the cities of Rivne or Zdolbuniv.

"Russia's armed forces are once again thoughtlessly shelling the territory of Ukraine, releasing cruise and other strategic and tactical missiles dangerously close to nuclear facilities. This is another act of nuclear terrorism, which has been growing since the beginning of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, "NNEGC said.

The company also stressed that due to Russia's aggressive actions, the whole world is under threat of another nuclear catastrophe.

We will remind that on the 16th of April, 2022 over the site of the South Ukrainian NPP there were three cruise missiles, launched probably from the territory of Belarus in the direction of Mykolayv. One of them was recorded by surveillance cameras.
True fans of the original Star Wars, the kind that attend events on May 4, the unofficial holiday for Star Wars enthusiasts across the globe, are also the kind to know every line from every scene of the 1977 sci-fi classic.

They can tell you the exact moment in the film when Han Solo, knee-deep in galactic garbage, shares I got a bad feeling about this, and when Darth Vader chokes out an admiral of the Imperial Navy with his mind after finding his lack of faith, disturbing.

Theyve seen it all, over and over again. So why not take them to experience Star Wars in a whole new light: dubbed in Dine Bizaad, the traditional language of the Navajo people.

On Wednesday, May 4, The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway, will be offering a free screening of Star Wars in Navajo, an adapted version of Star Wars: Episode IV  A New Hope, dubbed entirely in the Navajo language.

The project, spearheaded by Manuelito Wheeler, director of the Navajo Nation Museum, was completed in 2013 on the Navajo Nation, with the blessing and cooperation from Lucasfilm and its parent company, Walt Disney Studios.

Wheeler would go on to dub other movies, including Disneys 2003 animated film, Finding Nemo, into Dine Bizaad.

Star Wars: Episode IV begins at 7:30 p.m. Reservation Sensation Frybread will be on-site starting at 6 p.m.

For more information, visit loftcinema.org/film/star-wars-in-navajo

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PHOENIX  Its easy to find cheap options to fulfill your fashion desires, whether online or at a brick-and-mortar store. But most major retailers mass-produce their inventories, making it hard to find information on where a fabric came from and how it was manufactured.

According to the U.N. Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, the fashion industry consumes 215 trillion liters of water annually. Textiles are responsible for 9% of ocean microplastics.

Most sellers arent aware of the impact the products they sell have on the environment, but in Arizona, efforts are underway to establish fashion thats sustainable.

FABRIC, a Tempe nonprofit, is a part of this effort by helping apparel businesses produce merchandise and teaching them how to make their companies sustainable by creating products as they are ordered by customers, and reusing local materials. Its co-founder, award-winning designer Angela Johnson, creates her own fashion-forward products.

Fashion is the second most polluting industry on the planet, Johnson said. Its second to the oil industry and probably catching up very fast, and so its ready to be disrupted.

Thats why FABRIC is pushing to change the industry through technology and through its annual eco-fashion week, which celebrates Earth Day and features apparel made locally with donated denim scraps.

Reducing waste through tech

To make clothing more sustainable, FABRIC utilizes new technology, including a Kornit Presto printer and Gerber Z1 digital cutter, which can create personalized prints in a single step.

The printer makes a 3D rendering of designs and limits the use of prototypes, which end up in the landfill. The Gerber Z1 uses ContourVision to automatically cut fabric to reduce time and labor costs. All this means FABRIC can control where the product comes from without worrying about the honesty of suppliers.

The Arizona Sustainable Apparel Association also is pushing to make fashion more sustainable. Stella Abril, the groups president, said greenwashing  when a company falsely claims or gives the impression of environmentally-friendly practices  remains a huge issue in the fashion industry.

Companies are stating that they have sustainable practices, that they are transparent, have traceability.  Its just a statement, Abril said. Not all of us have the time to sit here and research everything we purchase.

Her association encourages consumers to research before purchasing clothes and to remember that sustainability isnt limited to environmentally friendly products  it includes ethics, workplace conditions and fair wages to workers.

Brands aim for sustainability

LivTall, founded by Angela Zdrale, 38, of Phoenix, is one company thats working to be transparent. She discovered at a young age that the fashion industry had limited options for tall women like her.

I knew what all the trends were, and I wanted to wear them, and they did not come in my size, said Zdrale, whos over 6 foot tall. At that time, if it wasnt at the mall, it didnt exist for you, sorry.

Zdrale noticed many brands listed themselves as size inclusive but didnt account for height. That inspired her to create an apparel brand for tall women where she could control the creation and production of her clothes.

The good news is that the whole industry has had a wake-up call, she said. Theyre really being more conscious in how theyre actually making the fabrics. So then the end product is also more sustainable.

LivTall, which launched last year, works with FABRIC to create a sustainable business model. Zdrale makes her clothes to order, donates her extra fabric scraps to a nonprofit and ships her products in reusable packaging.

I literally work shoulder-to-shoulder with my pattern maker, Zdrale said. I know I can go in and say hello to the people who are making my clothes.

LivTall is just one brand in Arizona thats prioritizing sustainable practices. For more, visit azsaa.org for a list of certified sustainable brands.

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Elon Musk to buy Twitter for $44B and take it private

Elon Musk reached an agreement to buy Twitter for roughly $44 billion on Monday, promising a more lenient touch to policing content on the platform where he promotes his interests, attacks critics and opines on a wide range of issues to more than 83 million followers. The outspoken Tesla CEO, who is also the worlds wealthiest person, has said he wanted to buy and privatize Twitter because he thinks its not living up to its potential as a platform for free speech. The risk is that Musk goes too far in his hands off approach, potentially alienating users and advertisers. Shares of Twitter Inc. rose 5% Monday to $51.70 per share, below the $54.20 he offered for the company.

The AP Interview: Kyiv wants UN to seek Mariupol evacuation

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Ukraines foreign minister is urging U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres to press Russia for an evacuation of the besieged port of Mariupol when he visits Moscow on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview Monday such a move is really something that the U.N. is capable to do. Mariupol is the seaside city where an estimated 100,000 people are trapped. A contingent of Ukrainian fighters are holding out against Russian forces in a steel mill where hundreds of civilians also are taking shelter. Kuleba also expressed satisfaction with U.S. promises of substantial new aid, but expressed frustration that Kyiv's requests for help take a long time to be fulfilled.

Russia hits faraway targets; diplomat warns of risk of WWIII

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russia has unleashed a string of attacks against rail and fuel facilities deep inside Ukraine in an apparent attempt to thwart Ukrainian efforts to marshal supplies. Meanwhile, Russias top diplomat warned against provoking World War III and said the threat of a nuclear conflict should not be underestimated. The U.S. is moving to rush more weaponry to Ukraine and says the Western allies assistance is making a difference in the 2-month-old war. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. wants to help Ukraine remain independent and also see Russia "weakened to the point where it cant do things like invade Ukraine.

White House: Without funding US will lose COVID treatments

WASHINGTON (AP)  After two years at the front of the line for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, the U.S. could soon have to begin taking a number. The White House is warning that other countries are already moving ahead of the U.S. in putting in their advance orders for the next generation of therapies. The problem is lack of funding. Many in Congress are willing to vote for the billions now needed. But Senate Republicans are demanding that as part of the deal Democrats must agree to extend pandemic-related, Trump-era border restrictions. Unless Congress can break that impasse, the White House says, more Americans will get COVID and die.

Judge finds Donald Trump in contempt in New York legal fight

NEW YORK (AP)  A New York judge has found former President Donald Trump in contempt of court for failing to adequately respond to a subpoena issued by the states attorney general as part of a civil investigation into his business dealings. Judge Arthur Engoron on Monday ordered Trump to pay a fine of $10,000 per day. New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, had asked the court to hold Trump in contempt after he missed a March 31 court-imposed deadline to turn over documents. Trump, a Republican, has been fighting James in court over her investigation, which he has called a politically motivated witch hunt. Trump spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

French President Macron reelected: What's happening next?

PARIS (AP)  After winning reelection, French President Emmanuel Macron intends to go back to work straight away. His inauguration is expected by May 13, but he will face a crucial parliamentary election in June where he's likely to struggle to keep his majority. The 44-year-old leader plans to quickly head to Berlin, keeping the tradition that newly elected French presidents make their first trip abroad to Germany to celebrate their friendship after multiple wars. Efforts to try to end the war in Ukraine will top the agenda. Macron may also travel to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On Monday, Macron talked to U.S. President Joe Biden about support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

Michigan chief IDs officer who fatally shot Patrick Lyoya

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP)  Grand Rapids, Michigan, police have identified Christopher Schurr as the officer who killed Patrick Lyoya three weeks ago. Lyoya was a Black man and native of Congo who was fatally shot in the back of the head after a struggle with the officer. Grand Rapids Chief Eric Winstrom had declined to name the officer but changed course Monday. Schurr has been a Grand Rapids officer since 2015. He grew up in the area and was a star pole vaulter at Siena Heights, a small Michigan college. In 2014, Schurr told Vaulter Magazine that he was getting married in Kenya because he couldn't afford a wedding celebration and take a separate trip to Africa to build homes. So he was going to do both at the same time.

Melissa Lucio's execution delayed by Texas appeals court

HOUSTON (AP)  A Texas appeals court on Monday delayed the execution of Melissa Lucio amid growing doubts about whether she fatally beat her 2-year-old daughter. Lucio's effort to halt her execution has garnered the support of lawmakers, celebrities and even some of the jurors who sentenced her to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted a request by Lucios lawyers for a stay so a lower court can review her claims that new evidence would exonerate her. It was not immediately known when the lower court might begin reviewing her case. Lucio had been set for lethal injection on Wednesday for the 2007 death of her daughter Mariah in Harlingen.

Parents sue after death of teen from Florida drop-tower ride

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  The parents of a 14-year-old boy who fell to his death from a 430-foot drop-tower ride in central Floridas tourist district have sued its owner, manufacturer and landlord, claiming they were negligent and failed to provide a safe amusement ride. The lawsuit was filed Monday by the parents of Tyre Sampson in state court in Orlando. It says that the defendants failed to warn their 6-foot-2-inch, 380-pound son about the risks of going on the ride and didnt provide an appropriate restraint system on the ride. An initial report said ride sensors had been adjusted to double the size of restraint openings on two seats.

Weary of many disasters? UN says worse to come

A new United Nations report says disasters are on the rise and are going to get worse. In the late 20th century, the world had some 90 to 100 disasters per year. Now a new UN report says disasters that range from climate change to COVID-19 are going to jump to about 560 a year by 2030. One scientist likened the trend to multiple illnesses that weaken a body's immune system. He says it's not just the disasters themselves but the accumulated risk, how they add up and ping-pong against each other.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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FAIRFAX, Va. (AP)  Actor Johnny Depp concluded a grueling four days on the witness stand Monday, telling jurors in a calm voice that he filed his libel lawsuit against his ex-wife because it was his best chance to reclaim his reputation, just hours after they heard audio clips of him berating his wife with coarse vulgarities.

It was the only time I was able to fight back and use my own voice," Depp said of his decision to sue Amber Heard for a 2018 op-ed piece in The Washington Post in which she refers to herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse."

He continued to deny that he ever hit Heard, and accused her of hitting him and throwing items including paint cans and vodka bottles at him. And jurors heard an audio clip of a conversation between Depp and Heard in which she seems to taunt him and suggests he won't be believed or respected if he were to publicly cast her as an abuser.

Tell them, I, Johnny Depp, I'm a victim of domestic abuse ... and see how many people believe or side with you, Heard says on the recording.

Earlier Monday, though, they heard recordings in which Depp referred to the violence that could ensue if their arguments were allowed to escalate.

The next move, if I don't walk away ... it's going to be a bloodbath, like it was on the island, Depp says on the recording.

In other clips, Depp loudly shouts vulgarities at his wife, calling her a degrading name and yelling, You stupid f- at her.

Depp winced on the stand as one of the clips was played; Heard appeared to fight back tears at several points as she listened to the recordings.

Heard's op-ed never mentions Depp by name, but he argues that he was defamed nonetheless because parts of the piece clearly refer to allegations of abuse she made in 2016 when she filed for divorce and obtained a temporary restraining order.

The clips were part of a lengthy cross-examination of Depp that began last week and concluded late Monday morning.

Heard's lawyers focused throughout the cross-examination on Depp's drinking, drug use and charged interactions with Heard during their relationship.

During Monday's cross-examination, Depp actually said very little. Most of the questioning consisted of Heard's lawyer playing audio clips or reading vulgar text messages sent by Depp and asking Depp if he'd read them correctly.

Throughout the cross-examination, Depp showed his displeasure with Rottenborn's questions. When Rottenborn interrupted one response, Depp said, I was talking. When Rottenborn said he considered the question to be fully answered, Depp responded, as long as you're happy.

Depp also expressed disapproval as Rottenborn read headlines from a series of negative articles written about the actor, some dating back to 2014.

These are all hit pieces. These are dreck, Depp said.

Rottenborn introduced the articles to try to demonstrate that it was Depp's long history of bad behavior, not the 2018 Post article, that damaged his reputation.

While the libel lawsuit is supposed to center on whether Depp was defamed in the article, most of the trial has focused on ugly details of the couple's brief marriage. Heards attorneys say Depp physically and sexually abused her and that Depp's denials lack merit because he was often drunk and high to the point of blacking out.

On redirect Monday afternoon, Depp sought to explain some of his coarse language. He said he was often speaking figuratively or making inside jokes with friends, but added, I'm ashamed that that has to be spread on the world like peanut butter."

And he again denied that he cut off his own finger during a fight with Heard, even though he told people as much at the time. He now says the finger was severed when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him.

Why would I start lopping off digits in my 50s? he said, showing his right hand to the jury. I cant take responsibility for what I now call Little Richard, my chopped finger.

The jury has seen dozens of Depp's texts to friends regarding his drinking, drug use and interactions with his then-wife, as well as his notes of contrition to Heard and her father.

He called the drug addiction accusations against him grossly embellished, though he acknowledged taking many drugs.

Depp says the Post article contributed to an unfairly ruined reputation that made him a Hollywood outcast and cost him his role in the lucrative Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. Heard's attorneys say only Depp is to blame for his marred career.

Associated Press writer Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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ATLANTA (AP)  The top two Republicans running for governor in Georgia launched the first of three debates Sunday by bickering over who was responsible for 2020 and 2021 Republican election losses, with former U.S. Sen. David Perdue pressing his attack that incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp is to blame for Democratic control in Washington, while Kemp fired back that Perdue was trying to pass the blame for his own loss to Democrat Jon Ossoff.

Perdue continued to showcase support for debunked claims that Democrats fraudulently won the 2020 presidential election and the 2021 U.S. Senate runoffs in Georgia.

The election in 2020 was rigged and stolen," Perdue said during a debate sponsored by Atlanta's WSB-TV. "All the madness we see today ... all that started right here in Georgia when our governor caved and allowed out radical Democrats to steal our elections.

Kemp said he followed the law, that Perdue was lying to voters about his claim that Kemp permitted a settlement agreement over how signatures on absentee ballots were verified, and that the secretary of state and State Election Board have primary responsibility for investigating election wrongdoing.

I was Secretary of State for eight years," Kemp said, and I don't need to be lectured by someone that lost their last election about what our voting laws are and who has responsibilities for those in our state.

Kemp was not a party to the settlement agreement, but Perdue claims Kemp should have called a special session and asked lawmakers to reverse it. He also says Kemp should have done more to investigate fraud claims, saying Kemp is the top cop in Georgia.

Kemp was required by state law to certify the results and has repeatedly said any other course would have invited endless litigation. Federal and state election officials and Donald Trumps own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former presidents allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed.

You have a candidate that is going to attack my record, unfortunately, all night tonight, because they didnt have a record there to beat Jon Ossoff in 2020, Kemp said.

The debates come as voting nears in for the May 24 primary. Counties can begin mailing absentee ballots Monday and early in-person voting begins May 2. Kemp and Perdue are scheduled to meet Thursday in Savannah and May 1 in Atlanta.

Besides Kemp and Perdue, the primary includes Republicans Catherine Davis, Kandiss Taylor and Tom Williams, who were excluded from Sunday's debate. A runoff would be held June 21 if needed.

Kemp, facing a Republican primary electorate that polls show widely believes that Trump did not lose fairly, didn't say he thought the 2020 and 2021 elections were fair, and didn't say he thought there was no fraud.

Look, I was as frustrated as anybody else, Kemp said. Thats why we passed the strongest election integrity act in the country, because a lot of things were done by other people.

Perdue is endorsed by Trump, who has been focused on defeating Kemp. But Kemp has maintained a lead in fundraising and in the polls as he seeks a second term. That dynamic played out in the debate, with Perdue attacking and Kemp by turns defensive and dismissive.

The incumbent sought to highlight his record, including raising teacher and state employee pay, cutting taxes and quickly lifting restrictions after Georgias brief COVID-19 lockdown. Kemp said that's a better way to defeat Democrat Stacey Abrams than endless litigation of past elections.

That is a record that will beat Stacey Abrams in November, not looking in the rearview mirror, Kemp said.

Perdue, though, argues only he can win votes from Trump diehards to beat Abrams.

"He has divided us," Perdue said of Kemp. He will not be able to beat Stacey Abrams. And if we want to protect our freedom and our values, we have to vote and we have to make sure that Stacey is never our governor.

Kemp repeatedly deflected when asked if he supports the affluent, mostly white Buckhead neighborhood seceding from the poorer, Blacker city of Atlanta. That effort died in the state legislature this year amid opposition from business groups, some Republican lawmakers and Atlanta city leaders. Kemp said instead he was focused on reducing crime in Atlanta.

"I think the debate needs to continue," Kemp said Im going to continue to keep my powder dry. Let this movement come forward or not. Thats a decision that the legislature is going to make.

Perdue said that was an example of Kemp being a weak governor, supporting Buckhead's exit from Atlanta.

Theyre trying to protect themselves, Perdue said of his support for letting Buckhead split off. And the only way to do that is to get control of their own government. Keep your powder dry? People are getting killed up there right now.

Perdue also rapped Kemp for not doing more to arrest people in the country illegally, noting a 2018 ad where Kemp pledged to round up criminal illegals and transport them in his big truck, if needed.

What happened, governor? Pickup break down? Perdue asked.

Kemp defended his record, noting he has stationed Georgia National Guard members near the Mexican border. But he said said adding to the jail population would have been a bad idea at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I dont know how going around picking up people that might have COVID when our law enforcement was sending ventilators and PPE supplies to hospitals would have been a good strategy, Kemp said.

Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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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

This week's beer of the week is probably as far away from beer as you can get.

Nothing's Left Brewing Co.'s Travis Richards tells us about In Your Dreams, his seltzer that tastes like an orange Creamsicle.

"The idea for this beverage came about four or five months ago. We were at my son's school for a picnic night, and they had an ice cream truck outside, and I picked up an orange Creamsicle.

"I hadn't had one in, like, 10 years, and it stuck in my head that day," Richards said.

In Your Dreams gets its flavor from orange concentrate, vanilla soft serve powder and vanilla, Richards said. The ABV is 5%.

"The flavor is extremely reminiscent of a classic orange Creamsicle, if not just a little bit more orange-forward," Richards said. "That's just my own personal preference as a brewer to go orange-forward. So it is pretty darn delicious."

Nothing's Left started in Richards' garage around 2014 after homebrewing for five years. He then contract-brewed with an Oklahoma City brewery to get his beers out to the market. He spent two years building his brewery at 1502 E. Sixth St. in a former Texaco station that had turned into a detail shop.

"We basically spent two years building our brewery and hitting the pavement doing festivals and pouring beer for folks just to try to get the brand out and show them what we were and what we're trying to do here with our brewery," he said. "We started off in this small space and pretty quickly expanded into a larger building next door within about a year."

Tulsa is home to many breweries, and they all have their own spin on brewing.

"We got pretty lucky that Tulsa responded well to us and liked what we were doing," Richards said. "So, thanks to Tulsa and Oklahoma for responding well to us. It lets me do what I love to do every day. Our sort of niche beer style is basically anything that everybody else doesn't want to brew. Wacky ingredients that aren't typically used in beer.

"That's our forte here at Nothing's Left. We still do some traditional beers just because sometimes you got to prove you can still do it. But anything weird, we're the place to go."

Nothing's Left started the weirdness with beer slushies that have become very popular. To keep them fresh, they rotate the flavors every couple of weeks. They also offer non-alcoholic slushes for the kids or anyone that doesn't want the alcohol.

Their best-selling beers are their Strawberry Blonde and a chocolate peanut butter stout. They also make a lot of sour beers, like their strawberry marshmallow sour beer.

"We do sours in the spring and summer and IPAs, and then we kind of switch to stouts and ambers and stuff for this winter and the colder months," Richards said.

Nothing's Left will be pouring their beers at Conservation on Tap at the Tulsa Zoo. For tickets, see https://tulsazoo.org/zoo-events/tap/

Past Beers of the Week

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Speaking my language: Jenks Public Schools announced Thursday that 32 seniors will graduate in May with the Oklahoma Seal of Biliteracy.

Established in September 2020, the award is presented to Oklahoma high school students who have demonstrated that they are able to read, write and effectively communicate with others in two or more languages. Student proficiency can be documented through several routes, including performance on state-approved standardized tests, living in a bilingual household or community or experience living in a country where a language other than English is spoken. The award will be denoted on the students high school diplomas and transcripts.

Along with English, languages spoken by the Jenks biliterate seniors include Chinese, French, Latin, Spanish and Zomi.

Teacher of the Year: Tonya Knollmeyer was named Bartlesville Public Schools Teacher of the Year Thursday evening.

A former engineer, Knollmeyer teaches physics and chemistry at Bartlesville High School. She will represent the district in the state Teacher of the Year competition.

Staff moves: On Monday night, Catoosa Public Schools board of education voted unanimously to name Catoosa High School Principal Josh Brown the districts new assistant superintendent of student support services and safety.

Help wanted: Tulsa Public Schools is hosting job fairs on Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Maintenance Facilities Building at 1555 N. 77th E. Ave. for positions with the districts custodial, grounds and maintenance teams.

Additionally, Bixby Public Schools is hosting a job fair for support positions Thursday at Bixby North Intermediate School, 6941 E. 121st St. South, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Stay home: TPS will not be in session Friday. All district sites, including the Enrollment Center, will be closed.

COVID-19 by the numbers: Seven local school districts published updated COVID-19 case counts by the close of business Friday.

For the second consecutive week, Tulsa Public Schools had no reported cases among its students and employees.

Bartlesville Public Schools reported two cases among its students and none among its staff.

Bixby Public Schools reported three cases among its students and three among its employees. Campuses with at least one confirmed case as of Friday are West Elementary, Central Intermediate, North Intermediate and Bixby High School.Broken Arrow Public Schools reported four cases among its students and no cases among its employees.Collinsville Public Schools had no reported cases among its staff and one among its students.

Jenks Public Schools reported two cases among its students and one case among its employees. Both reported student cases are at East Elementary School.

Owasso Public Schools reported one case among its students and none among its employees.

Sand Springs did not publish a case count update by the close of business Friday.

Berryhill, Glenpool, Sapulpa, Skiatook and Union have stopped publishing regular case count updates.

School board calendar: Skiatooks board of education has a special meeting at 6 p.m. Monday.

The state board of education is scheduled to meet Thursday in Oklahoma City.

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A New York investment company recently bought a landmark Tulsa apartment complex for one of the highest per-unit prices in the citys history, officials said Monday.

The Cosmopolitan, a four-story, 264-unit development along the Arkansas River near downtown, sold April 12 for $68 million, or $257,576 per apartment.

The sale marks the first investment in Oklahoma for Kushner Cos., a real estate and management firm that has been on a massive buying spree across the Southeast and Sunbelt regions, where the company has bought more than 7,000 multifamily units since 2021.

Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former President Donald Trump, served as the companys CEO until 2016, when he began working on his father-in-laws presidential campaign.

The company had been looking for opportunities in Tulsa for quite some time, said Riley Wilson, who heads Sunbelt acquisitions for Kushner.

We wanted to be in this market due to its employment and growth profile, Wilson said, which is evident with all the new commercial development that is occurring in the downtown corridor, steps away from our asset.

Built in 2020 by Bomasada Group, a Houston-based development company, the Cosmopolitan stands at the high-profile intersection of Riverside Drive and Denver Avenue, a major route from south Tulsa to downtown.

The Cosmopolitan presented a unique opportunity to acquire a best-in-class asset in a submarket that is experiencing substantial growth, said Brandon Lamb, a Newmark senior managing directors who was one of the brokers for the deal.

The Cosmopolitan  with its excellent location and proximity to downtown, the Arkansas River, and The Gathering Place  attracted institutions and private investors seeking a trophy, core asset in one of Tulsas most thriving submarkets, Lamb said.

As the cost of single-family housing continues to increase in the Tulsa MSA, more renters are seeking highly-amenitized, luxury apartment communities like the Cosmopolitan.

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A Republican candidate for House District 79 in southeastern Tulsa remains on the June 28 primary ballot after the Oklahoma State Election Board, on a split vote, turned down a challenge to his eligibility.

That contest of candidacy was one of 12 scheduled to be heard by the board Monday.

Former Tulsa City Councilor Karen Gilbert, also an HD 79 Republican candidate, said in her contest of candidacy that Stan Stevens should be stricken because he pleaded guilty to three felony drug charges in 2008. State law bans felons from holding office for 15 years.

According to Gilbert and her attorney, Terry Simonson, Stevens apparently had those charges expunged in recent months so that no official record of them exists. Stevens did not directly confirm the expungement or admit to the 2008 guilty pleas, but news accounts from the time confirm the latter.

The boards decision, then, came down to whether expungement  or the lack of an official record  negated the 15-year ban. By a 2-1 vote, the board decided it did.

The decision leaves Gilbert, Stevens and Paul Hassink in the June 28 Republican primary with a possible Aug. 23 runoff. The ultimate winner will face Democratic incumbent Melissa Provenzano in the Nov. 8 general election.

Also Monday, the board retained Muskogee County District Attorney Larry Edwards on the ballot over the objection of challenger Matt Price and told labor commissioner candidate Sean Roberts he had to remove The Patriot from the middle of the name he listed for himself when he filed for office.

Edwards did not become Muskogee County district attorney until last fall, when he was appointed to complete an unexpired term. Price contended that Edwards did not move his voter registration from Tulsa County in time to meet the six-month requirement to run for the office.

Roberts produced as a witness U.S. Senate candidate Jackson Lahmeyer, who testified that several people have told him Roberts is a patriot, but that was not enough to persuade the Election Board to allow the candidate to have the words within his name on the ballot.

Challenges to other candidates eligibility were still being considered late Monday.

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TOKYO (AP)  Ukraine's government has apologized and removed a photo of Japanese wartime Emperor Hirohito from a video showing him with Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini after Japan protested, officials said Monday.

Japan will continue to support Ukrainians who are defending their country from Russia's invasion despite the completely inappropriate portrayal of Hirohito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki said.

The video, posted by the Ukrainian government on Twitter on April 1, criticized Russia's invasion as rashism. Underneath the photos of the three World War II-era leaders were the words Fascism and Nazism were defeated in 1945.

Japan fought World War II in the name of Hirohito, who was revered as a god until he renounced his divinity after Japans defeat. Historical evaluations of his role in the war remain divided. He is known posthumously in Japan as Emperor Showa.

Portraying Hitler, Mussolini and Emperor Showa in the same context is completely inappropriate, Isozaki told reporters. It was extremely regrettable.

Isozaki said Japan lodged a protest and demanded the removal of the emperor's image, which Ukraine has done.

Our sincere apologies to Japan for making this mistake, the Ukrainian government tweeted Sunday. We had no intention to offend the friendly people of Japan.

Ukraine Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky also apologized in a tweet Monday, saying the creator of the video lacked an understanding of history.

Hirohito's son, former Emperor Akihito, devoted his reign to atoning for the impact of the war in and outside Japan.

The video has been replaced with one without Hirohito's photo, but many Japanese on social media continued to criticize the original as an insult and said Japan should stop supporting Ukraine. Others said Hideki Tojo, the Japanese wartime prime minister who was later convicted of war crimes and hanged, would have been a better choice than Hirohito for the video.

Some, however, raised concern that Japans demand that the video be revised was censorship and said Ukraines concession set a bad precedent that would embolden Japanese conservatives to further rewrite Japans wartime history.

Japan has worried that Russia's invasion of Ukraine could have an impact in East Asia, where China's military has grown increasingly assertive and has threatened to unite with Chinese-claimed Taiwan by force if necessary. Japan has tried to play a greater role as part of the Group of Seven industrialized nations in response to the invasion, joining a series of sanctions against Moscow and providing support for Ukraine in line with other members.

Japan provided $300 million for Ukraine and neighboring countries that have accepted displaced Ukrainians, and has also accepted hundreds of evacuees since Russia's invasion in late February.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Tulsa insurance executive Mark Tedford doesnt officially join the Oklahoma House of Representatives until November, but he can already start measuring the first-year member offices at the state Capitol.

Tedford, 52, effectively became one of Oklahomas newest legislators at 5 p.m. April 15 when the books closed without anyone else filing to succeed state Rep. Sheila Dills, R-Tulsa, who did not seek re-election.

Tedford is one of more than 50 legislative candidates statewide, and more than a dozen from the Tulsa area, elected in the same manner. He and Jerry Alvord, a Republican from state Senate District 14 in south central Oklahoma, are the only legislative rookies in the bunch.

Rep. Dills said, If I dont run for re-election, would you be interested? said Tedford. I decided if I was ever going to do something like this, this would be a good time.

Tedford is well-known in Jenks and south Tulsa, which is now almost all of the redrawn HD 69, for his familys insurance business. The company now has seven locations in eastern Oklahoma.

Tedford said he worked in the weeks leading up to the filing period to stake out a claim in the district, but was surprised he didnt get an opponent  especially from the Democratic side.

I am conservative, said Tedford. I do think Republicans need to work on their brand  I dont like the way were sometimes viewed as anti-intellectual. We do care about science and are not just about harsh rhetoric.

Tedford said he expects to listen more than I speak during his first year or two in the Legislature.

I dont have a particular political ax to grind, he said.

Area legislators without opponents this year include:

Sen. Roger Thompson, R-Okemah (SD-8).

Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola (HD-8).

Rep. Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee (HD-16).

Rep. Mark Lawson, R-Sapulpa (HD-30).

Rep. Jeff Boatman, R-Tulsa (HD-67).

Rep. Lonnie Sims, R-Jenks (HD-68).

Rep. Mark Tedford, R-Tulsa (HD-69).

Rep. Monroe Nichols, D-Tulsa (HD-72).

Rep. Regina Goodwin, D-Tulsa (HD-73).

Rep. Mark Vancuren, R-Owasso (HD-74).

Rep. T.J. Marti, R-Tulsa (HD-75).

Rep. John Waldron, D-Tulsa (HD-77).

Rep. Meloyde Blancett, D-Tulsa (HD-78).

Rep. Stan May, R-Broken Arrow (HD-80).

Rep. Dean Davis, R-Broken Arrow (HD-98).

Correction: This story originally misstated the local House district with an unopposed race, as well as the incumbent in that district. Rep. Ross Ford, R-Broken Arrow (HD-76) is opposed by Timothy Brooks, R, 38, Broken Arrow. Rep. T.J. Marti (HD-75) did not draw an opponent.

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Tourism authorities announced at a forum in Kon Tum Province of Vietnams Central Highlands region on Sunday the plan for tourism development in the Cambodia  Laos  Vietnam triangle area, aiming to welcome 3.3 million tourists by 2025.

The four-day event, titled 'Kon Tum Tourism  Potential and Prospects' and jointly held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the People's Committee of Kon Tum, wrapped up on Sunday.

During its conclusion, Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung revealed the plan to develop tourism in the triangle area of Cambodia  Laos  Vietnam in 2021-25, with a vision toward 2030.

General director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Nguyen Trung Khanh said that the plans goal is to attract 3.3 million visitors to the triangle area by 2025, achieving an average growth rate of 14 percent per year and doubling the number by 2030.

In order to realize that target, the participating parties will join hands to develop a synchronous system of technical facilities and amenities, tourism infrastructure, and qualified human resources.

Delegates attend the 'Kon Tum Tourism  Potential and Prospects' forum held in Kon Tum Province, Vietnam, April 24, 2022. Photo: Tran Van / Tuoi Tre

Vietnam will preside over five main tasks: promoting the opening of international air routes to the area, connecting businesses and associations in the region to deeply participate in the global supply chain, linking tourist clusters and resorts, launching a chain of tourism events in the region, and organizing an annual forum on promotion of regional tourism.

In addition, the country will coordinate with Laos and Cambodia to implement their ten tourism promotion tasks.

The provinces participating in the plan include Ratanakiri, Stung Treng, Mondulkiri, and Krate of Cambodia; Attapu, Salavan, Sekong, and Champasak of Laos; and Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, and Binh Phuoc of Vietnam.

Among those, Kon Tum will introduce its own potential, such as Ngoc Linh Mountain in Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, where there are many rare flora and fauna species including Ngoc Linh ginseng.

The province also has a tri-border marker between Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia; and Mang Den ecotourism site  known as an ecological paradise with fresh air and cool weather all year round.

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Fears of a hard COVID-19 lockdown sparked panic buying in Beijing on Monday, as long queues for compulsory mass testing formed in a large central district of the Chinese capital.

China is already trying to contain a wave of infections in its largest city Shanghai, which has been almost entirely locked down for weeks and reported 51 new COVID-19 deaths on Monday.

Shanghai has struggled to provide fresh food to those confined at home, while patients have reported trouble accessing non-COVID medical care -- and the rising cases in the capital triggered fears of a similar lockdown.

Downtown Beijing's most populous district Chaoyang, home to around 3.5 million people, ordered mass testing from Monday for residents and those coming to work there. The area hosts the headquarters of many multinational firms and embassies.

People wait in line to be tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus at a swab collection site in Beijing on April 25, 2022. Photo: AFP

Queues snaked around malls and outside office complexes on Monday as people waited to be swabbed for samples by health workers in protective gear.

"If a single case is found, this area could be affected," said office worker Yao Leiming, 25, as he headed for a testing site in Chaoyang with a group of his colleagues.

The mass testing order, and warnings of a "grim" COVID-19 situation in the city, sparked a run on Beijing's supermarkets overnight as residents rushed to stockpile essentials.

Many items on grocery delivery apps sold out briefly on Sunday night after the testing order was announced, but stocks were replenished on Monday.

An elderly woman has a sample taken to be tested for the Covid-19 coronavirus at a swab collection site in Beijing on April 25, 2022. Photo: AFP

Beijing resident Zhao picked up several bags of groceries including eggs and fresh vegetables from a grocery store on Monday after hearing about the mass testing order.

The 31-year-old said he wanted to make sure his toddler would have enough to eat if the family was ordered to stay home.

"Adults can survive for a few days, but it's not the same for children," Zhao, who only wanted to be known by his surname, told AFP.

Wang, another supermarket customer, said she was worried "things will become like in Shanghai".

"People are anxious... everyone is snapping up goods and we're worried that items might run out," the 48-year-old Chaoyang resident said.

Her family had secured enough food to last a week, she added.

People buy food and household provisions at a supermarket in Beijing on April 25, 2022. Photo: AFP

'Hard lockdown'

At least one housing compound in Beijing has been sealed off, while several of the capital's fitness studios and gyms have cancelled classes or closed.

Beijing has also imposed tight controls on entry to the city, with travellers required to have a negative COVID-19 test from within 48 hours.

The capital has reported dozens of cases over the past week including 14 new infections on Monday, following a warning from health authorities that the virus has been circulating undetected for days.

But Beijing's numbers pale in comparison with Shanghai, which has recorded more than half a million cases since March 1.

The economic hub of 25 million people is struggling to defeat China's worst outbreak in two years, despite weeks of strict measures to contain the virus.

Health workers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) arrive at a neighbourhood during the COVID-19 lockdown in the Jing'an district in Shanghai on April 24, 2022. Photo: AFP

Under its zero-COVID strategy, China has imposed lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions to try and stamp out all infections.

Officials say this policy has helped the country avoid the public health crises seen elsewhere in the world during the pandemic, but the approach has taken a heavy toll on businesses and public morale.

The term "hard lockdown" began trending on Chinese social media over the weekend after images emerged from Shanghai of what appeared to be officials sealing off building entrances with metal sheets.

A residential building fire on Saturday had sparked fear and criticism about the barriers, with Chinese business magazine Caixin reporting that multiple Shanghai neighbourhoods were blocking smaller roads using barriers and fences.

Similar fences were seen put up around buildings in images uploaded by social media users.
Inquiries began into what caused the disappearance of a Japanese tour boat off the nation's northern coast, while the coast guard confirmed on Monday the death of a child found late on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 11.

So far nothing has been found of the ship, the "Kazu I," which left harbour on Saturday with 24 passengers, including 2 children, and two crew members, except for orange flotation devices adrift by a rocky area along the rugged coastline.

Searching resumed on Monday using aircraft and patrol boats, with media saying local fishing boats from the port of Utoro had also been mobilised. Searchers also walked steep cliffs along the shoreline.

The coast guard said it would be difficult to say what exactly had happened to the ship until more evidence or debris was found.

The boat went missing on Saturday several hours after departing for a tour of the Shiretoko Peninsula, famous for its rugged coastal scenery and wildlife. The boat operator had called to report it was taking on water and listing at a 30-degree angle, media said, shortly before contact was lost.

According to media reports, waves were high in the area on Saturday and fishing boats that departed early in the morning returned late because of the high seas.

The boat was the first tour boat to operate in the area this season, Kyodo news agency said. It added that the boat had collided with a floating object in May last year, injuring three people, and ran aground in shallow water shortly after leaving port in June.

The Transport Ministry sent officials to the site on Sunday coordinate operations, and Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito also visited, calling for every possible measure to be taken, including determining how the accident took place.

"We still investigate the ship company as soon as possible," he added.

The company could not immediately be reached for comment.

Drift ice can be seen in area waters as late as March, and water temperatures now would be 2 to 3 degrees Celsius (36-37 Fahrenheit), local officials said.

"Just a few minutes in that sort of water would start clouding your consciousness," a local fisheries official said.
The Philippines on Monday started giving second COVID-19 booster doses for immunocompromised adults, joining a growing number Asian countries offering a fourth vaccine shot.

Nearly 61% of the Philippines' 110 million population have been vaccinated, while nearly 13 million people have received first booster doses, government data show.

Of 690,000 people deemed most vulnerable, between 7,000 and 13,000 have been initially targeted for the second round of boosters, to increase protection against COVID and its variants.

"Because of increasing vaccination coverage, while COVID-19 is still there, in the near future we can consider this as an endemic disease," Health Secretary Francisco Duque told a public forum.

A hospital worker is inoculated with a booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine against the coronavirus disease in Valenzuela Medical Center, Valenzuela City, Philippines, April 25, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Among those that have approved the use of second booster are South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, which is hoping to prevent a coronavirus resurgence, particularly among its elderly, as it removes most remaining curbs this week.

The Philippines has been cautious with its reopening, despite efforts to revive an economy that contracted more than 9% in 2020, having been one of Asia's fastest growing before the pandemic.

With 3.68 million cases overall and more than 60,000 deaths, the country has suffered one of the worst COVID crises in Southeast Asia, although new daily infections have fallen significantly, now at an average 207 per day, just 1% of the peak, according to a Reuters global data tracker.
Police in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam said on Sunday that after two days of excavation, they discovered more than 42 metric tons of hazardous waste at a lamp factory in the provicial capital of Bien Hoa, belonging to Dien Quang Lamp JSC, a leading lamp and light bulb producer in Vietnam.

The 42 metric tons of hazardous waste included more than 27 metric tons of contaminated glass pieces in the yard and nearly 15 metric tons of wastewater in a concrete cellar in the factory.

The results of a quick test showed that the wastewater had a pH reading seven times the permitted level, while the glass pieces, which were ground from bulb shells, contained mercury and sulfur that can become highly toxic if not handled properly.

Police officers and the lamp factory representatives agreed to hand over all of the above waste to a hazardous waste treatment plant in Vinh Cuu District of the province.

Police officers excavate a cellar containing untreated wastewater at a factory of Dien Quang Lamp JSC in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province, April 24, 2022. Photo: B.A. / Tuoi Tre

Police previously found around 195 bags containing nearly five metric tons of broken glass with chemicals and nearly 370,000 waste light bulbs that had not yet been crushed and stored in crates at the factory on April 20.

In addition, two concrete cellars containing wastewater produced during the process of grinding the bulbs, which started March 8, were also uncovered inside the factory premises.

The wastewater was discharged directly into the rainwater drainage system, according to a factory worker.

Police officers determined that the factory failed to collect hazardous wastes according to regulations and treat them on its own without approval from authorities.

They planned to carry out more excavations at a number of other suspicious locations inside the plant on Monday to expand the investigation.

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Police in Vietnam have initiated criminal proceedings against five boys, four of whom were accused of raping a grade-9 schoolgirl and the other was charged for not reporting the crime to authorities.

Three boys aged 15 and another aged 16 will be prosecuted for gang-raping a teenage girl in Quynh Nhai District, Son La Province, Senior Lieutenant Colonel Tran Viet Cuong, chief of police of the district, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Sunday.

The four minors, all residing in the district, pleaded guilty to gang-raping T.T.V., a 15-year-old schoolgirl, living in the same district.

Another local boy has also been indicted for not reporting the sexual assault, Cuong added.

On March 20, V. and another girl joined a party where she drank alcohol with a group of minors including the five aforementioned boys, according to the case file.

When she got drunk, V. was brought to the house of Lo Van L., one of these boys, to take a rest.

She was later gang-raped there by L. and his three accomplices, Ngan Van T., Bac Cam T., and Tong Van T.

Another boy, Ngan V. Q., used a mobile phone to make a video clip of the rape and did not report the crime to police.

After the clip was spread on social media, V.s family discovered the rape on April 12 and reported the case to the district police.

The girl was given a forensic examination to find evidence for the rape, Cuong said.

In addition to the five prosecuted teenagers, one more boy was also involved in the case but was not charged as his acts had not been enough to constitute a crime, the official added.

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The temperature in Ho Chi Minh City reached 36 degrees Celsius on Sunday and is expected to remain high until April 29.

The sizzling hot weather posed a lot of difficulties for commuters late in the morning and in the afternoon.

Despite wearing jackets, sunglasses, and face masks, many travelers had to seek shade under trees or overpasses while waiting for red lights.

The UV index in Ho Chi Minh City was high on Sunday and was forecast to remain the same over the next three days.

Commuters wait for the red light under an overpass in Ho Chi Minh City, April 24, 2022. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

From April 25 to around April 29, it will continue to be sunny during the day in southern Vietnam, according to Le Dinh Quyet, an official from the southern hydro-meteorological station.

There is a small chance of showers and thunderstorms in some localities late in the afternoon and in the evening, Quyet continued.

A man buys a drink from a roadside stall in Ho Chi Minh City, April 24, 2022. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

During the upcoming holiday marking Reunification Day (April 30) and International Workers Day (May 1), the heat will be less intense, while rains accompanied by thunderstorms will be more common in the region, he elaborated.

Public workers in Vietnam will be given a total of four days off from April 30 to May 3 to celebrate these holidays.

A worker takes a break under a tree in Ho Chi Minh City, April 24, 2022. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Young people use jackets to protect themselves from the sun in Ho Chi Minh City, April 24, 2022. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Workers take a break along a sidewalk in Ho Chi Minh City, April 24, 2022. Photo: Le Phan / Tuoi Tre

A security guard cools himself off with a hand fan in Ho Chi Minh City, April 24, 2022. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Commuters wait for the red light in the shade in Ho Chi Minh City, April 24, 2022. Photo: Le Phan / Tuoi Tre

People buy tickets to Dam Sen Water Park in Ho Chi Minh City, April 24, 2022. Photo: Le Phan / Tuoi Tre

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A district police chief in Lang Son Province, northern Vietnam was found dead at his home after he allegedly committed suicide because of post-COVID depression.

An official from the provincial Department of Public Security confirmed to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Sunday that Senior Lieutenant Colonel Hoang Viet Chau, 47, head of the police unit in Binh Gia District, died at his home in Chi Lang Ward, Lang Son City.

Chaus body had been discovered by his family members earlier the same day, the official continued, suspecting that the district police chief had committed suicide due to post-COVID depression.

Sen. Lt. Col. Chau was a composed and responsible person, the official continued, adding that he was trusted by his colleagues and loved by his family.

However, Chau had suffered from insomnia for a long period and showed signs of depression following his COVID-19 infection.

He was head of the administrative management office at the provincial Department of Public Security before assuming his current post.

The funeral of Sen. Lt. Col. Chau will be conducted in accordance with police regulations.

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ABC presenter Fauziah Ibrahim was absent from her Weekend Breakfast co-host role on the weekend following news reports around controversial tweets.

An ABC News spokesperson told Guardian Australia: The ABC is reviewing recent social media activity by presenter Fauziah Ibrahim, who has taken a break from on-camera duties but remains part of the Weekend Breakfast team.

She was replaced by ABCs John Barron.

The contentious issue is Ibrahims Twitter lists which included Labor Trolls and Lobotomised Shitheads. She has deleted the lists and made her Twitter account private.

She also withdrew references to ABC roles in her bio: Journo via @YourMoneyAus, @AJENews, @AJ101East, @bbc ,

@cnbc. Eternal expat. Made in . Opinions are my own.

ABC Managing Director David Anderson has previously warned staff they face disciplinary action, including the sack, if they breach guidelines which bring the broadcaster into disrepute.

Anderson said journalists on Twitter are required to be conscious of your responsibility to protect the ABCs reputation, independence and integrity where your personal use of social media intersects with your professional life.

Working at the ABC offers tremendous opportunities, he said. It also comes with responsibilities  more than at any other media organisation in Australia.

For employees, any breach of ABC policies, guidelines and procedures, including the ABC Code of Conduct and the Guidelines for Personal Use of Social Media, will be dealt with in accordance with the relevant ABC employment agreement and may lead to disciplinary action, including possible termination of employment.
US family dance contest Come Dance with Me, filmed at Melbournes Dockland studios during lockdown, will screen this week on 10 Shake.

The series, executive produced by NCIS: Los Angeles stars LL Cool J and Chris ODonnell, was produced by CBS Studios and 3 Ball Productions and assisted by Eddie McGuires JAM TV.

The format pairs young dancers with a family member that has supported their training, as both perform for a panel of judges, Jenna Dewan, Dexter Mayfield and Tricia Miranda. Philip Lawrence is host.

It began airing in the US on CBS two weeks ago.

6pm Saturday on 10 Shake.
Photo credit: Helenio Barbetta/Living Inside

White walls dont suit JJ Martin. Her days are spent in the fantastical patterns that characterise her brand, La DoubleJ. Californian by birth, she worked for a while as a marketing director for Calvin Klein in New York  a temple to minimalism, where her colourful vintage-style dresses were definitely out of place  before moving to Milan and, in 2015, founding her company, which has since expanded from fashion into homeware.

Just like her exuberant designs, JJ likes to stand out. Boldness is in her blood. I cant stand being told It cant be done, she says. Stagnation is dominant in Italy and I stubbornly fight it because I think that everything can be changed.

Photo credit: Helenio Barbetta/Living Inside

This refusal to take no for an answer came in handy when, pre-pandemic, she began searching for a new home. Ignoring agencies that said her needs were unrealistic, she found a magnificent early-20th-century apartment on a sunny, tree-lined avenue.

I knew this street 20 years ago and now, magically, the universe has brought me back here, she says. We talk about chance, but in reality there is a synchronisation to the events of our life. This home has confirmed to me that I must always listen to my intuition.

Photo credit: Helenio Barbetta/Living Inside

Occasionally, though, our instincts can benefit from guidance. For JJ, it was her old friend Raimondo Garau, a fine-antiques dealer, who was able to focus her imagination and stop her making hasty decorating decisions.

His advice was extremely helpful; it slowed me down, decreased the number of colours I had in mind and helped me visualise the dimensions of the furniture within the space, she explains. I had clear ideas, but they had to be stitched together by an expert eye.

Photo credit: Helenio Barbetta/Living Inside

Of course, much like in her clothing and jewellery collections for La DoubleJ, vintage influences feature heavily in this home. The large velvet sofas, oversized armchairs and wicker pieces in the dining area are all pre-loved. Even her kitchen, found by Raimondo, had a previous owner. There are also contributions from friends: wall lights that resemble eyes from Vincenzo De Cotiis, a vibrant green rug by Campbell-Rey and tables gifted by Molteni & Cs Giulia Molteni.

Story continues

I am lucky to know many creatives who have offered their help, admits JJ. She also asked artists to add their creativity to the mix. Kirsten Synge created the wallpaper that winds around the dining room, while Jay C Lohmann is responsible for the starry sky in the meditation room.

Photo credit: Helenio Barbetta/Living Inside

The latter is the space in which JJ practises yoga every day; a discipline she has dedicated herself to for over 25 years, but that has had a greater impact on her life more recently. In the three months of lockdown, I was reborn. It was a real detox and my spirituality benefited from it, she says. Its an experience that inspired her latest venture: the opening of a La DoubleJ shop in Milans historic fashion district where, in its basement, she hosts meditation sessions and seminars dedicated to wellbeing.

From her home to her business, JJs intention is clear: to spread joy, love and benevolence, rather than fear. Thats a message we can all get behind. ladoublej.com




As China stabilizes supply chain, Canton Fair sees new records

Xinhua) 09:01, April 25, 2022

* China's time-honored trade fair, the China Import and Export Fair, concluded its 131st biannual session on Sunday in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou with many new records.

* The 10-day-long event, also known as the Canton Fair, attracted a record-high of over 25,000 domestic and overseas exhibitors with over 2.9 million exhibits displayed online.

* Over 30 percent of the exhibits made their debut while over 480,000 exhibits featured green and low carbon.

GUANGZHOU, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Despite offline campaigns being suspended due to the latest COVID-19 resurgence, the time-honored China Import and Export Fair concluded its 131st biannual session on Sunday in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou with many new records.

The 10-day-long event, also known as the Canton Fair, attracted a record-high of over 25,000 domestic and overseas exhibitors with over 2.9 million exhibits displayed online. Over 30 percent of the exhibits made their debut while over 480,000 exhibits featured green and low carbon.

Exhibitors introduce products on a livestream at the booth of Guangzhou Textiles Holdings Limited during the China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, April 15, 2022. (Xinhua)

Among those domestic exhibitors in this session of the Canton Fair, 18,400 enterprises were engaged in exports in the first quarter of the year, with a total export value of over 440 billion yuan (about 67.7 billion U.S. dollars), up 6.8 percent year on year, according to the latest statistics from the Guangzhou Customs.

The online Canton Fair for the fifth time with substantial transactions demonstrates China's unswerving resolve to stabilize the global industrial chain and supply chain as it further embraces the digital economy amid the protracted COVID-19 pandemic.

DIGITAL ECONOMY THRIVES

Thanks to the enhanced digitization level, numerous online browsing and negotiations were able to be carried out smoothly at the Canton Fair.

An intentional order worth 300,000 U.S. dollars for bathroom products was reached between Bangladeshi buyer Idirs and the Chinese company ORANS Co., Ltd., which is based in Zhejiang Province and mainly manufactures and sells intelligent sanitary ware, shortly after Idirs watched the company's live-streaming and had a one-to-one video communication with its engineer.

The stable platform with various functions helps facilitate the interactions between suppliers and purchasers while special labels for different companies and products help enterprises to find what they need more effectively, said Liu Shi, a project director of the Canton Fair's technical support supplier Tencent.

An exhibitor interacts with a child on a livestream at the booth of Guangzhou Textiles Holdings Limited during the China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, April 21, 2022. (Xinhua)

Exhibitors have embraced digital transformation actively. Various techniques were applied skillfully to facilitate the online trade, such as live-streaming promotions, cloud factory exploration, online negotiation, and immersive experience.

"After trials in previous sessions, we found that the cost of online exhibitions is relatively lower, and technologies including 3D and virtual reality can help better display our products," said Lin Hu, general manager of Guangzhou Light Industry &Trade Group Ltd., which held over 200 live-streaming promotion activities on this session of the fair.

Online exhibition conforms to the development trend of the digital economy and is a practical choice under the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Wang Shouwen, China's vice minister of commerce, noting that a "digital Canton Fair" will be built with high standards and quality in the future.

SUPPLY CHAIN ENHANCED

Facing the COVID-19 resurgence in Guangzhou recently, the Pazhou exhibition center, the main venue of the Canton Fair, has been temporarily transformed into a makeshift hospital in case of emergency while the construction of a new exhibition area for the autumn session of the Canton Fair this year is in full swing.

Regardless of the challenges, China has been making all-out efforts to balance economic growth and epidemic control. While strictly implementing epidemic prevention measures, governments at all levels are working to ensure the steady flow of industrial and supply chains and the steady progress of major projects.

Aerial photo taken on April 10, 2022 shows the first steel box girder being set up on the main bridge at the construction site of Hongqimen bridge in south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)

China remains an indispensable part of the global industrial chains and supply chains. The total import and export volume of China's foreign trade in the first quarter registered 9.42 trillion yuan, up 10.7 percent year on year, according to official data.

To counter the adverse factors brought about by COVID-19, household appliance manufacturer Ningbo Sinolink Appliance Co., Ltd., a regular exhibitor at the Canton Fair, has vigorously built an exclusive cross-border platform with the help of local government departments. Its coffee makers and juice extractors have gradually gained popularity in the global market.

By the end of the first quarter, the company's export sales increased by 18 percent year on year. Its production orders have already been scheduled for July, mostly from the American and European markets, said Chen Dehuan, a manager of the company's development department.

As a manufacturing heartland and leading foreign trade player in China, Guangdong Province has given full play to the main role of leading enterprises in the supply chain. In Shanghai, major companies have resumed work and production in an orderly manner amid the COVID-19 resurgence. SAIC Motor started the pressure test last Monday and U.S. carmaker Tesla's Shanghai factory officially resumed production on Tuesday.

DEVELOPMENT DIVIDEND SHARED

China's foreign direct investment (FDI), in actual use, reached 379.87 billion yuan in the first quarter of this year, up 25.6 percent year on year. Many multinational enterprises are setting up new projects or new production lines in China, regardless of the epidemic outbreaks and intricate international situation.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that took effect some 100 days ago has spurred growing import and export among trading partners. Many enterprises are seizing the opportunity to further expand the market.

The 131st Canton Fair Virtual Promotion and Home Furnishing Matchmaking Event for RCEP Countries is held in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, April 19, 2022. (Xinhua)

"With upgraded technology, and the tariff reduction, more orders and cost reductions brought by the RCEP, we are more confident in completing the sales target of 800 million yuan in 2022," said Zhong Minghui, a manager of Tachi-S Guangzhou, a Japanese-funded company.

With an innovation R&D center put into trial operation in Tianjin and a sustainable aviation fuel production base built in Maoming City in Guangdong, tech enterprise Honeywell, also a regular exhibitor at Canton Fair, is optimistic about its investment in China.

"China is Honeywell's second-largest market globally and its biggest growth market," said Yu Feng, president of Honeywell China. "Honeywell is optimistic about China's economic fundamentals and prospects in the digital economy and low-carbon fields, and is excited by its continued high-level opening-up. We will increase our investment in China."

According to the 2022 Special Report on the State of Business in South China, released by the American Chamber of Commerce in South China (AmCham South China) on March 1, an overwhelming majority of the assessed companies choose China as one of the preferred investment destinations. More than 70 percent of the assessed companies have reinvestment plans in China for 2022.

Foreign enterprises have faith in the comprehensive competitive advantages of China over market size, industrial support and business environment, according to the report.

Besides the Canton Fair, China has also initiated multiple international fairs and expos to share its dividend of reform and development with the rest of the world. The new business forms and services will bring new economic growth potential and turbocharge the global economic recovery.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
YMCA Healthy Kids Day

Greater Waco YMCA, 6800 Harvey Drive, will have a Healthy Kids Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The event will feature mini cooking and art classes for the kids, games, bounce houses, face painting and more. For more information about the free event, call 254-776-6612.

Waco gem, mineral show

Waco Gem And Mineral Club will have its 62nd annual show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 30 and May 1 in McLennan Hall at the Waco Convention Center. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for ages 7-17. For more information, email wacogemandmineralclub@gmail.com.

Music for Memory benefit

Music for Memory, a benefit concert in support of the Alzheimers Association, will start at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in Roxy Grove Hall, part of Waco Hall, 624 Speight Ave. at Baylor University. Voluntary donations from the free event featuring Baylor student musicians will go to the Alzheimers Association.

For more information, call 318-548-6992.

Dog training classes

The Cen-tex Kennel Club is accepting registrations for a dog training class focused on teaching manners and control for everyday living.

For more information or to register, call Thea Sperline at 406-439-7157.

Boots on the Brazos May 14

Boots on the Brazos, a fundraising event supporting The Arc of McLennan County, will run from 7 to 11 p.m. May 14 at the Waco Convention Center, 100 Washington Ave.

The event will feature a barbecue dinner catered by Eddie Rays Smokehouse and live music and dancing with Weldon Henson and Band. Tickets cost $110. Attire is casual or western. For more information, call 254-756-7491 or go to www.WacoArc.org.

Submit printed or typed items to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco, 76702-2588; or email goingson@wacotrib.com.
WATERLOO  A Waterloo man has been arrested after he allegedly threatened two people with a knife Sunday.

Police arrested Dylan Ray Gustafson, 22, of 433 Kingsley Ave., for assault while displaying a weapon and possession of a weapon while intoxicated. Bond was set at $3,000.

Authorities allege Gustafson brandished a knife while fighting a person at an apartment at 1937 Pinehurst Lane shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday. Vance Swollow suffered a cut to his hand during the altercation, according to court records.

Court records also allege Gustafson was seen holding a firearm before police arrived on the scene, and officers seized a firearm.

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CEDAR FALLS  The Tourism and Visitors Bureau is ecstatic about one of its own now committed to hosting a huge conference in Cedar Falls next month.

Giant by Tobroco relocated its North American headquarters from Des Moines to Ida Street right before the pandemic. More than two years later, its hosting its inaugural dealers conference at the Bien VenU Event Center on May 3 and 4, and exposing some international counterparts to what the city has to offer.

The company is the distributor of Giant branded compact articulated wheel loaders, telehandlers and mini skidsteers.

27th Street reconstruction project given go-ahead by Cedar Falls City Council The project is meant to address increased traffic generated by the new high school thats set to open in 2024.

About 100 to 150 attendees will come from the United States and Canada as well as the country where the company was founded and has its global headquarters, the Netherlands. Giant machines can be found in 61 countries, and the company has more than 150 dealers throughout North America.

Adam Bolander, the bureaus sales and marketing coordinator, described learning about the decision to hold the event in Cedar Falls as mind blowing, because until this point most conferences in the city were organized by employers with local employees.

He noted the event is one example of what the bureau is trying to accomplish with its Bring It Home campaign and how it demonstrates what the city is capable of facilitating with its many venues and attractions.

This is a multi-million dollar company dealing with people all over the world, he said. This opens a whole new door for Cedar Falls. We are thrilled because this means more travelers to our community and with the international travel, you could say its historic and opens up a whole new market for us.

The conference will cover a variety of dealer business and marketing topics, including in-depth model presentations, with the opportunity for dealers to experience the new Giant machines firsthand.

Along with unveiling two new machine prototypes, Giant leadership will introduce a new line of both electric and gasoline compaction equipment.

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A brewing mystery has plagued a New Jersey high school after more than 100 former students and staff say theyve developed rare brain tumors.

Several of these people have already died, according to Colonia High School graduate Al Lupiano, who said he was diagnosed with a primary brain tumor in 1999 in a now-viral Facebook post. His sister and wife, both former students, also received primary brain tumor diagnoses, he said.

Now, the reports by local residents have attracted the attention of state agencies, which are investigating if potential environmental exposure concerns are present at the school in Woodbridge Township, state Department of Health spokesperson Nancy Kearney told McClatchy News in a statement.

Kearney said the health department as well as the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection are partnering with the townships mayor to better understand the issue.

McClatchy News reached out to Colonia High School officials for comment on April 18.

Investigation into the reports

Some, including Lupiano, who works as an environmental administrator for a state company, are wondering whether the mysterious tumor clusters are caused by possible radiation exposure.

On April 17, environmentalists from engineering firm T+M Associates were testing for radiation on school grounds, ABC7 reported. The testing is planned to take a month.

Those diagnosed with brain tumors attended or worked at the school roughly between 1975-1995, Lupiano, who graduated in 1989, wrote on Facebook after gathering case reports. His personal investigation has propelled the issue into the national spotlight.

We ask for patience as we pursue the science to try to identify answers, Kearney said, adding that the health department is working with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to provide an assessment of the potential health effects.

If there are any potential environmental exposure pathways identified and a need for further environmental sampling, the state Health Department will work cooperatively with ATSDR to conduct a public health assessment and evaluate the potential for health effects, Kearney said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is also aware of the communitys concerns and are taking them seriously, spokesperson Elias Rodriguez told McClatchy News in a statement. The agency is communicating with the state departments involved amid their investigation, he said.

Brain tumor reports emerge

On March 7, Lupiano took to Facebook and wrote calling all Colonia High School (CHS) alumniI am in urgent need of your help!

At the time, he detailed how his 44-year-old sister recently died due to a very rare and highly aggressive malignant glioma brain tumor  Glioblastoma Multiforme  found on the left side of her brain. She graduated from the school, which was built in 1967, in 1995.

She was diagnosed in August 2021 on the same day his wife, who graduated in 1991 and was told she had a very rare brain tumor called an Acoustic Neuroma (aka Vestibular Schwannoma) on her left side, Lupiano wrote.

Why is this alarming? In 1999, I too was diagnosed with a very rare brain tumor on my left side. This now makes three of us in one family with primary brain tumors  all on the left side, he wrote.

The American Cancer Society reports the best known environmental risk factor for brain tumors is radiation exposure and that radiation-induced tumors are rare.

In his post, Lupiano called on high school alumni and staff to contact him if theyve been diagnosed with a primary brain tumor and has proceeded to collect case reports.

On March 16, Lupiano wrote that several news outlets seemed disinterested in the issue, but that soon changed.

By April 5, the brain tumor reports were highlighted by national news outlets as well as on social media platforms, including TikTok, he said.

In an update, Lupiano wrote that he recorded the 100th primary brain tumor case on April 11 with two more reports emerging hours later.

I never in my worst nightmare envisioned ever hitting this milestone, he wrote. Thats 100 people with their life forever changed.

McClatchy News contacted Lupiano, who wasnt immediately available for comment on April 18.

Woodbridge Township Mayor John McCormac told ABC7 that its alarming because there are just so many people with a tumor  malignant or benign, and its serious. We have to really take a look at it.

We thank Mayor McCormac and the local residents for raising these concerns, Kearney told McClatchy News.

On April 16, Woodbridge Schools Superintendent Joseph Massimino told WCBS that he was waiting for an update from the agencies involved in the current investigation.

Im a lifelong resident here. I raised my family here. So, the health and safety of our students are of paramount importance to me, Massimino told the outlet.

Woodbridge Township is roughly 45 miles northeast of Trenton.

***

2022 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Not so long ago we were told that Russias demands not to deploy NATO bases near Russian borders are unfounded. We laughed at them. We said that Red-Lines mean nothing to us

 Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that Chinas construction of a military base in the Solomon Islands would be a red line.

Beijing and the authorities of the island state have previously signed a framework agreement on cooperation in the field of security.

We will not have Chinese naval bases in our region on our doorstep, Morrison said. According to Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, the creation of a Chinese base will be regarded by Canberra as a scare tactic.

Now the USA is screaming like a Karen

My how we (West) are two-faced and want the world as our sandbox and only our sandbox

WtR
Its a faceted impact of the separation of a society. At the factor when the broad society is sabotaged and offers are given as a way to independence, be it social or financial, then, at that point, little dedicated gatherings can and will recommend alternatives for themselves and count on their more localized command over regions within the broader scope of the Empire

In the US the Neocons have just exploited the End Game the do or die attempt and their shenanigans are having an impact on a reconsidering of the awe-inspiring disaster of Iraq (A debacle simply with regards to the public desires of the US, for the neocons the annihilation of the state used to be the point) and their manipulate manifestations of a US worldwide method isnt always suggestive of a society flipping out to such an extent as it is actually nervousness and being now not in a position to combine (When it tries it is censured as populism and viewed to be insidious) and articulate its deadly inclinations.children desire not to be told no and evil children get violent within the sandbox

Foremost Issue for USA Internal: Individuals within the USA do not accumulate as one any longer, social media is not as associated with accumulation except to expand coercion and every relational ride with outsiders (eg. Russia, Iran, China) is accused of social sensitivity and akin towards one managing a fanatic. Everyday persons have no ability to, for absence of a choicest word, plot against the tyrants

It is all being simply garnered by a little team of committed zany and or better, insane humans and these humans have an evil leader hidden among. Thus, they are (at probabilities, with middle normal society whom is akin to see them as insane), whom can push a whim and manage matters in any event as to their desires. Whereas the large section of civilians cannot contradict them. Those zany/evil/insane people are the quiet higher phase on their own, together communicating and they are plotting the course of the world. They have desires that do not include us.yet they are pawns like us and do not fully comprehend this fact

As with Russians, Chinese, Iranians and such, as a residing American myself, I dont choose to see the US destroyed. I want the US populace that will be capable to put their true resident and the lower 90% section back in order somehow, instead what we get is chaos

We stand to obtain little from a now modern belligerent USA which has a the dimension of the US going nuts and going down, and we have a lot to lose from it, lashing out each and every which way.the world will stop this lashing if it can

Wed all benefit to see the US secure and capable to efficaciously investigate its internal countrywide interests, now not losing in abandon all its and our finite resources on imperial overreach at the behest of migratory economic elites. An America that can truly be self-sufficient and a sense of proud of Made in USA labels is needed, and become the place one may want to say again Land of the Free, Home of the Brave and mean it. We the world hope to see that as in any descending time of an Empire, but not with the aid of an outside power, although  were determined to accomplished this with international messianic fashion of existence, the rescue of the world from the instilled evil that is called Great Satan by Iran and Empire of Lies by Russia, is the foremost important enterprise of the imperiled as the best way it can be presented for the layman

However the US wants it, the USA turning into itself, residing for itself and no longer as a evil police expression for global cartels of metaphorical bloodsuckers, would do the world a lot of veritable truth in particular a welcomed fashion of relief

USA must leave the world alone and sort its own issues deep within itself and help her people first. By structuring new factories and implementations toward self-substantiation

Conclusion: It is simple and said right now in simple terms.open your eyes and see that nothing that is happening has to happen. The shortages, the fighting, the changes, the climate farce, the everything that is happening right now. It is all a game to a few. And if the few would be sane? We would all work together to make a wonderful world. Instead the evil child is throwing a tantrum and we watch as it throws sand in other eyes

Instead, we have a faceted impact of the separation of an Empiric (a Vampirically based) Society

We either help stop it or we become victim to it!

And victim is what it wants and thrives on!

WtR
 American mercenaries in Ukraine ask for money on Instagram* for ammunition and food

The US mercs complains in a post that the Kyiv authorities left them to their own devices.

There is no large-scale organization here, chaos.

The Americans said that they themselves have to pay for food and fuel. Everything is missing, including cars and thermal underwear. They ask subscribers to send money to survive.

In the comments to the post, users advise the mercenaries to simply return home to save their lives.

Maybe you should have never started this in the first placeI hear that there are some high ranking Canadians there also

WtR
The FSB stopped the activities of a terrorist group that planned attacks on well-known Russian journalists.

This was announced by Putin.

Suffering an information fiasco in the Russian Federation, the West has moved on to attempts to kill Russian journalists.

Curators from foreign intelligence agencies, including the CIA, apparently give advice to Kiev about attempts on representatives of the Russian media.

The task of splitting Russian society and destroying the country from within comes to the fore for the West. But it doesnt work out.

In addition, the President instructed all investigative bodies of the Russian Federation to record in detail the crimes of Ukrainian nationalists and bring them to court. He also demanded resolutely to stop provocations against the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation using foreign media.

Update:

On the instructions of the SBU, the murder of journalist Vladimir Solovyov was planned. @SolovievLive

FSB forces detained a group of neoNazi performers from a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation.

During the searches, an improvised explosive device, as well as Molotov cocktails, PM pistols, a sawn-off hunting rifle, a RGD-5 grenade, more than 1 thousand cartridges were seized.

Members of the criminal group give confessions, the agency reports.

WtR
Mayor Tim Keller describes his proposed $1.4 billion budget as pretty bland. He says the spending plan that includes a 17.8% hike in general fund expenditures and 2% cost-of-living pay raise for city employees covers the bases without introducing many new elements.

But theres nothing mundane about a $750,000 allocation in the budget for the first phase of proposed safe outdoor spaces, otherwise known as sanctioned encampments or simply as tent cities.

A City Council committee has advanced an amendment to the zoning code permitting up to 45 encampments in certain commercial, business park, manufacturing and mixed-use zones.

Thats a big deal, and deserves ample time and opportunity for public debate.

Unsanctioned homeless encampments have become de facto, even though sleeping in city parks, camping on freeway embankments and doing your dirty business on sidewalks are all illegal.

The amendment offered by City Councilor Pat Davis would cap the number of sanctioned encampments citywide at 45, with no more than five in any one of the citys nine council districts, and limit the size of each to 40 tents, cars or recreational vehicles. Each would be required to have a certain number of water-flush or composting toilets, hand-washing stations and showers, with a surrounding wall or screen at least 6 feet high for sites with tents. Operators, which could include churches and nonprofit organizations, would have to offer some form of social services and support facilities.

Davis notes a U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in 2018 on an anti-camping ordinance in Boise, Idaho, states cities cannot enforce anti-camping ordinances if they do not have enough shelter beds available for their homeless populations. He says Albuquerque lacks the number of shelter beds to be able to enforce widespread illegal camping and his amendment would let the city crack down on non-sanctioned camping.

Sanctioned encampments are worth exploring if, in fact, they would replace the non-sanctioned camps that have sprung up along streets, on sidewalks and in vacant lots and parks. That is a big if.

The city initiative comes as liberal-run cities across the United States are increasingly changing course and clearing out non-sanctioned homeless camps.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has used emergency powers to ban camping along certain roadways; Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser launched a pilot program last summer to permanently clear several homeless camps; and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell ended a standoff with activists by removing two blocks of tents from nearby City Hall. The Los Angeles City Council has used new laws to ban camping in 54 locations. Voters in left-leaning Austin, Texas, last year reinstated a ban that penalizes those who camp downtown and near the University of Texas, in addition to making it a crime to ask for money in certain areas and times.

Advocates for the homeless have denounced the aggressive measures, and questions remain about those measures success. Does clearing one area simply move the group to another? Do those who refuse to budge eventually get arrested and fill our jails?

Its clear the city needs to do something. And sanctioned encampments may well be part of the solution. Other city councilors are sponsoring similar proposals of sanctioned camps, so the initiative appears to have legs.

But going from no sanctioned encampments to allowing 45 seems a big jump. Why not start with a pilot program with a scaled-back number of camps?

And the public needs more opportunity to weigh in. Davis proposal could be considered by the full City Council as early as May 2, yet only two public hearings, both on April 26, are scheduled before then. Both are via Zoom. Thats wholly insufficient for something of this magnitude. City leaders need to hear face to face from their constituents.

Sanctioned camps offer the homeless basic security, much-improved sanitary conditions and a connection to services, unlike the makeshift camps whose neighbors have suffered long enough. If they truly replace the unsanctioned camps, they would be a major step forward. But there is no benefit if they are simply in addition to the current unsanitary and unsafe camps.

And if sanctioned camps are approved, places like Coronado Park should be permanently cleaned up and returned to families, children and skateboarders to enjoy. Downtown and Southeast Heights residents and businesses have shouldered the brunt of the homeless burden long enough.

Whether sanctioned encampments clean the city up, attract more homeless or wind up underutilized like Bernalillo Countys Tiny Homes Village must be studied if the safe outdoor spaces proposal moves forward.

And the biggest unanswered question is still what will the city do with squatters who have no interest in the offers of shelter beds, motel vouchers or tent spaces?

The proposed zoning amendment also includes a provision to make it easier to convert nonresidential properties, such as hotels or offices, to residential use. That proposal, sponsored by City Councilor Isaac Benton, would eliminate a silly requirement that each unit have a full kitchen  namely an oven or cooking stove  if the city is involved in the conversion project. We need housing, and thats an easy addition. Encampments are not.

We give Albuquerque officials credit for continuing to seek new ways to aid the citys homeless. The Gateway Center emergency shelter and services hub expected to open late this year, the year-round Westside Emergency Housing Center with shuttle service and temporary hotel vouchers are all positive steps.

But sanctioning people to live outside in tents is a whole different ball game. City leaders should proceed very cautiously  and with plenty of public input  because lives and neighborhoods are at stake.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Massive fires in northern New Mexico have burned more than 100,000 acres as firefighters continued to battle blazes across the state on Sunday.

The Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon fires, which merged late last week, had burned more than 54,000 acres northwest of Las Vegas as of Sunday morning. Meanwhile, the Cooks Peak Fire north of Ocate had burned close to 52,000 acres and was 9% contained, according to fire officials. There are about 860 firefighters fighting those blazes, which as of Sunday evening were the largest wildfires burning in the country, according to the federal fire information system.

While extreme winds and low humidity caused the fires to explode Friday, weather conditions improved over the weekend and officials said they were able to reach 12% containment on the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fire.

Tremendous progress today. Firefighters are fully engaged, Carl Schwope, the incident commander for the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fire, said during a briefing Sunday evening. The firefight is running round the clock with a mix of on-the-ground crews and fixed wing and rotator aircraft, he said.

But challenges remain. The massive fire complex has more than 180 miles of perimeter, Schwope said.

Residents in numerous communities in San Miguel, Mora and Colfax counties have been told to evacuate their homes because of the fires. All of Mora Valley was ordered to evacuate Sunday as the fire marches toward it. Others have been advised to be ready for possible evacuations.

San Miguel County Sheriff Chris Lopez said that close to 5,000 homes and other structures fall within the evacuation zones. Another 3,000 residences and other structures are in areas that could become threatened by the fire, and those residents have been advised to prepare in case evacuations become necessary, he said.

Lopez said authorities would begin assessing the damage Monday in areas where it is safe to do so, and they would begin informing those whose homes have been damaged or destroyed.

This is my community. I know pretty much the majority of you, and I definitely feel for you, Lopez said. I ask for your cooperation and patience as we continue to work through this disaster.

While an unknown number of homes burned Friday, Jayson Coil, an operations section chief for the Southwest Area Incident Manage Team 1 fighting the fires said no structures were lost late Saturday through Sunday.

Thats been the primary effort, he said of trying to save homes.

He said that firefighters on Sunday were at work trying to contain the northeast, east and southern stretches of the fire. N.M. 518 is serving as one fire line on the eastern boundary, he said. That highway has been shut down from La Cueva to Sapello because of the fire.

Bladen Breitreiter, the incident meteorologist with the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fire, said a drop in wind speed in the area of the fire on Sunday offered a breath of relief.

The winds today are going to be reduced from what weve seen the last couple days, Breitreiter said during a morning fire briefing.

Breitreiter also said that a cold front moving into the area overnight will bring a chance of snow or slush, especially in the fires northern reaches. But fire officials said that any relief is likely to be short lived, and they are expecting the fire to become active again by Monday afternoon.

Another large northern New Mexico blaze reached 25,000 acres. The Mitchell Fire, burning in Harding County east of Mosquero, was 10% contained Sunday. The fire started Friday off of N.M. 39 near David Hill.

The Cerro Pelado Fire in the Jemez Mountains, which is burning about 10 miles from Los Alamos National Laboratory, remained at about 3,445 acres Sunday. Fire officials were expecting favorable conditions Sunday.

Fire season in New Mexico is off to a frenzied start.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Saturday there were more than 20 active wildfires burning throughout the state in 16 counties. She cautioned state residents to brace for a difficult season as temperatures warm in the coming months and urged people to adhere to evacuation orders.

Smoke from the wildfires prompted the city of Albuquerque to issue a health alert on Sunday. The smoke is expected to remain until noon Monday.
The door swings wide for me, opened by someone on the inside who is pressing the activation switch.

Hes a gentleman, Albuquerque police Sgt. Amanda Wild says of her partners graciousness.

Hes also a dog, and he knows how to open doors.

Graham, a burly English black Lab, is not only a polite dog but a unique one, the only crisis response dog working with an agency in New Mexico, Wild says.

Hes a sworn officer with APD, says Terry Huertaz, the departments victim liaison manager and a fan of Grahams.

Then again, everybody seems to be a fan of Grahams.

This dog has made an impact on so many lives, Wild says. People light up when they see him. They feel like they know him, because they do.

Its Crime Victims Rights Week and I am here to get to know and interview Graham (though, mostly, I will let his team of humans speak for him) at the Family Advocacy Center in Downtown Albuquerque, where victims in crisis come for comfort, care and sometimes to report the crime perpetrated against them.

This is Grahams turf, comforting and caring as only a special dog can be. Graham, who will receive his police badge this week, is part of APDs effort to become more attentive to the needs of crime victims.

Working with victims of violent sexual assaults and domestic violence, its scary sometimes for them to speak with us. What they see first is a badge and a gun, Wild says. But Graham brings a calmness. Theres nothing better than seeing this knucklehead ease the tension, make them comfortable, maybe bring a smile to their face.

Graham, all 74 pounds of him, is often brought into an interview room, if a crime victim wishes, to break the ice, calm fears, ease tensions. Often, recordings of interviews with victims include his gentle snoring.

As we talk, Graham, in his official red service vest, pads around the conference room, checking on everyone, finally settling next to me, his big head resting on my foot, and I am smitten.

Wild, who has been with APDs sex crimes unit for 10 years and its sergeant since 2017, says she fought to have a crisis response dog join the ranks. At first, her idea received a few eye rolls.

But Wild, who doesnt believe in the word no, kept pushing, eventually winning the support of her superiors, including APD Chief Harold Medina.

Wild also won support from PNM, which wrote the $12,000 check for a crisis response dog. The cost includes a meticulously selected pup plus intensive 18- to 24-month training and ongoing refresher training provided by Assistance Dogs of the West.

The Santa Fe-based agency trains service dogs  mostly Labs, golden retrievers and labradoodles, which have gentle temperaments  from puppyhood for people with disabilities, diabetes, for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and for work in therapeutic settings, drug treatment centers, hospitals, childrens programs and courts across the country.

Among its alumni is Woodstock, beloved courthouse dog for the Bernalillo County District Attorneys Office  and Grahams uncle.

In 2020, Wild began the fitting process, a sort of speed dating with dogs to determine the right match, a key component in the bonding between what becomes a nearly inseparable relationship.

Graham felt like the one for her from the start, she says, but at the time he was six months shy of his second birthday, the optimal age for him to be ready for work.

Later that year after trying out a few dogs that didnt quite fit, Wild returned to Graham, and everything clicked.

Hes just a big wiggle butt, she says as he heads to his usual place at her left side, opposite her gun holster. A big handsome boy.

Graham, who turns 4 this fall, knows both verbal and nonverbal commands, remains calm and agreeable even in traumatic situations and when hugged or handled too hard. When not assisting with victims, he can be found quietly walking from office to office on the APD side of the Family Advocacy Center, making his rounds, seeking nothing but a pat and perhaps a dog treat or two.

Graham not only works to comfort victims of sexual assault and domestic violence but those traumatized by homicide, among them the four younger siblings of Bennie Hargrove, a 13-year-old Washington Middle School student who investigators say was trying to stop a classmate from bullying his friends when he was shot and killed Aug. 13.

I cant even express to you what these kids have gone through when we lost Bennie like that, grandmother Vanessa Sawyerr says. But when those kids saw that dog  I wish I could have taken him home with us. He brought life back to them. He brought back the smiles I was missing.

One of her youngest grandchildren, who turns 7 this week, is on the autism spectrum, which made it even harder for him to express his grief, Sawyerr says.

But when he saw Graham, he just kept hugging him and hugging him, and its like Graham knew to just let him hold him, like he was saying `Yeah, I like you, too,' she says. He was soothing, loving and comforting.

In the eight months since Bennies death, the siblings have continued to visit with Graham. It helps, Sawyerr says.

I know when the kids need another `Graham Special, when they get to relax and laugh and feel safe, she says. I wish there were more Grahams. There are so many people in crisis, so many who need him.

Its not just victims who need him.

Graham helps in our own healing, Wild says. He is part of our way to take care of those on both sides of the door.

Wild says she is hopeful that Graham is opening doors for more crisis response dogs to be employed by law enforcement and first-responder agencies because of their ability to open the hearts of crime victims and crime investigators alike.

Hes a valuable member of the team, she says.

Graham lives with Wild, her husband and their four other dogs in the East Mountains. When she  and he  retire in six years, he will live out his days with her.

As I leave, Graham gives a wag of his tail and follows Huertaz and APD public information officer Rebecca Atkins out the door for a video shoot. Work, for him, goes on.

UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Reach Joline at 730-2793, jkrueger@abqjournal.com.
RACING NOISE KEEPS US UP AT NIGHT: Last summer Linda Collins and more than 59 of her neighbors who live near Coors NW in the La Luz del Oeste area sent a letter to Mayor Tim Keller, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina and then-City Councilor Lan Sena.

And they wrote street racing is prevalent in sections of Coors Boulevard NW between St. Joseph Street and Paseo del Norte. Vehicles, including motorcycles, with certain mufflers produce sustained episodes of noise above city limits. Speeding and excessive noise is common between 8 p.m. and midnight. Nighttime noise from Coors Boulevard NW interferes with residents activities, including sleeping. The city of Albuquerque has yet to adequately address and minimize this problem.

That was in July.

APD IS ON IT: In February, APD Motors Unit Lt. Nick Wheeler shared in this column that since the pandemic Coors is known as the racetrack of Albuquerque and said the department was cracking down on traffic violations. And spokeswoman Rebecca Atkins says Coors is certainly on the departments radar, and the Motors Unit is well aware of the issues regarding speeding and racing along that stretch of road. Coors is not the only corridor where they see this being an issue. Currently, Motors is working with several area commands to tackle the speeding and racing, and they have conducted several operations along Central all the way to Coors.

One weekend in January they worked with the Valley Area Command and N.M. State Police along that stretch and handed out 67 citations and made two arrests.

On another Motors worked with the SW Area Command, the Valley Area Command and the DWI Section along Central from Eighth to Coors. They specifically were looking for racing, speeding and modified exhaust. In total they handed out 144 traffic citations and made one misdemeanor arrest.

Since the operations first began, the department has handed out more than 1,000 citations.

AND FOLKS HAVE ENDED UP IN COURT: Metro Courts statistician dived into the racing citations issued under city ordinance 8-2-4-6 in 2021 and found 187 spectating a race/drag race citations and four unlawful drag racing/racing on streets citations.

Watching an illegal street race is a misdemeanor with a fine up to $500 or 90 days in jail.

In the spectating category, a few of the cases are still pending, six resulted in a conviction with a plea, 18 had warrants issued, and dozens were in deferred status meaning the defendant pleaded guilty or no contest to the charge and had to fulfill requirements of the sentence such as court costs and fees, Driver Improvement School, etc., according to court spokeswoman Camille Baca. One hundred and eleven were dismissed  dozens classified as deferred dismissed presumably meaning the defendant complied with conditions, dozens more as failure to appear by prosecutor, and two per a plea agreement. Three of the spectating citations went into pre-adjudication diversion, two were dismissed because the state was not ready for trial, and one had the charges dropped by the prosecutor.

Of the four unlawful racing citations, as of March 21 one was in warrant status and three were dismissed  one by the prosecutor, one because the defendant complied with conditions and one because the prosecutor did not show up.

WHAT ELSE CAN BE DONE?: In their letter, Linda and her neighbors suggested:

1. More policing by cameras with fines and warnings. (State law prohibits automated traffic enforcement on state roads, and Coors is officially N.M. 448.)

2. Yearly state motor vehicle inspections. (New Mexico repealed the law requiring annual vehicle inspections in the 1970s because the $1 fee resulted in a cursory-at-best check.)

3. Prohibition and removal of noisy mufflers. (The city noise ordinance, 9-9 1-12, limits daytime noise in residential areas to 55 decibels, nighttime to 50 decibels. The city website, cabq.gov, recommends calling APDs non-emergency number, 242-COPS/2677 to report loud car stereos, mufflers and motorcycles. An officer has to witness a violation to issue a citation for it.)

4. Impoundment of cars of non-ticket payers. (That might be a stretch; the fine in Metropolitan Court for a defective exhaust system is $30; for selling a vehicle that produces noise over 96 decibels, $10.)

Atkins says the department takes these issues (racing, speeding, loud mufflers) very seriously and is working to combat these challenges throughout the city. The plan is to move the operation around the city in the hopes to change driver behavior.

Editorial page editor DVal Westphal tackles commuter issues for the metro area on Mondays. Reach her at 823-3858; dwestphal@abqjournal.com; or 7777 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87109.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Markus Williams stepped across the grass at Tiguex Park clutching a wicker basket. The 4-year-old, joined by dozens of other children, scanned for Easter eggs. The scent of popcorn wafted from a stand where fresh snow cones were being doled out.

A bevy of prizes, from bicycles to action figures, were stacked against the stage  ready for those who collected the most eggs, although everyone got something.

The scene had all the trappings of an Easter celebration, but those gathered were brought together by something else, each had lost someone to a homicide.

For Williams, it was his cousin Jonathan Garza, a 30-year-old father shot to death in Downtown Albuquerque.

The April 9 event was put on by New Mexico Crusaders for Justice, a Facebook group started a year ago by two mothers who lost sons to gun violence. The group has swelled to several hundred members who use it as a port in the storm  many who feel forgotten by investigators or lost in a topsy-turvy criminal justice system.

Founders Alicia Otero and Sally Sanchez said theres no manual for dealing with such tragedies.

They feel lost, they want to be heard, Otero said of families like Garzas. They reach out to us and if they dont know about us, we reach out to them.

Sanchezs eyes welled up when she spoke of her son Antonio Jaramillo, more than a year after his death. She stuck close to Otero.

She knows exactly what Im going through. My friends, they dont understand my grief and sometimes its like, theyre tired of hearing me, she said. I always want to talk about my son, but she understands that. So to be with other families who are going through exactly what were going through, it helps.

These women have learned, over the years, to lean on each other after they fell between the cracks of a system that they say wasnt built around victim support  particularly those whose cases, like Jaramillos, remain unsolved.

Albuquerque Police Department officials acknowledge those failures and say they have turned over a new leaf, bolstering communication with families and making sure they know the resources available to them.

On Monday, the beginning of Crime Victims Rights Week, the department unveiled a new website dedicated to victims called Always Remembered.

The page will feature links to homicides with case details, victim photos and testimonials from the families. The site, which was created to also generate leads, will include a tab where anyone can submit tips on the case.

On Wednesday, the department will hold an open forum to discuss issues facing loved ones of homicide victims where community members can ask questions, raise concerns and engage in discussion.

Terry Huertaz, APDs victim liaison manager, said every family has different needs but there is a common thread among them.

Theyre trying to manage the trauma and just find a sense of a new reality that they have to live through now, she said. And thats a very difficult thing to process.

Huertaz said they can offer assistance in a variety of ways.

That includes navigating the criminal justice system, applying for funeral cost assistance and seeking therapy. She said some people prefer peer support, groups like Crusaders for Justice, over professional help.

Thats why we see so many groups organically come together and really lean on each other during such a traumatic time in their lives, Huertaz said. In some cases, relatives are so distraught they need crisis intervention.

No matter what the need, she said, they have her number.

Its important that they know that theres someone there thats going to answer that phone, and I will answer my phone when they call, Huertaz said.

APD Deputy Cmdr. Kyle Hartsock described the previous system  which left the very basics of communication up to individual detectives  as a bad plan.

Its inconsistent for the victims families, it caused a lot of frustration for them and the detectives because neither knew what was expected of the other, Hartsock said. He said APDs detective academy now includes a lesson on interacting with victims and families.

He said another issue is that prosecutors, who have 15 victim advocates, are only required to involve families after an arrest is made, leaving families of unsolved cases in the lurch.

Hartsock said APD has filled that void and mandated that Huertaz reach out to families within 48 hours of a new case. Since he took the helm, they have met with dozens of families from past cases, even when they dont have the greatest case update.

Hartsock said they listen to their concerns and allow them to share their feelings on it.

A lot of times, they just want to know that we care still, that we remember the names of their sons and daughters, Hartsock said.

Huertaz added, Even if we have to give them bad news, they would rather have that than no news; you cannot not communicate. We have to stay on top of that, thats what were building now.

Sanchez and Otero still hold some animosity for the way things were handled before, but the mothers believe APD is making more of an effort now, particularly by solving more homicide cases.

And for those families struck by tragedy, they will be there. Whether its a shoulder to cry on or an Easter egg hunt on a sunny day.

I think one of the biggest issues is that we have forgotten about community and being here for each other, she said. And if we can start bringing that back, and bringing some joy to the family, then were crusaders and thats what were going to do.

Rebecca Garza sits at a table with relatives as the mothers hand out prizes after the hunt. When her nephew was fatally shot Feb. 19, she said they were lost.

We didnt know where to go when all this stuff happened. We didnt know who to reach out to, Garza said, her shirt emblazoned with her nephews grinning face.

She said all police have told the family is that theyre investigating.

We dont know where were at right now. Its been two months almost, Garza said. Were just hoping that we get justice for him, he didnt deserve this.

Josette Otero, mother of Kyle Martinez, said they hear that same refrain all the time. But thats the important part, she said, being heard.

Theres a lot of people now that are being the voices, which they werent before  now they know that they have somebody and theyre not alone, she said, her sons smile memorialized on her tattooed shoulder.

Otero continued, Were all doing this together  were here for the kids. Were here for the siblings. Were here for the cousins, the grandmas.
PARIS  French President Emmanuel Macron comfortably won reelection to a second term Sunday, triggering waves of relief among allies that the nuclear-armed European Union nation wont abruptly shift course from EU and NATO efforts to punish and contain Russias expansionist military attacks on Ukraine.

The second five-year term for the 44-year-old centrist spared France and Europe from the seismic upheaval of having firebrand populist Marine Le Pen at the helm, Macrons presidential runoff challenger who quickly conceded defeat but still appeared on course for her best-ever electoral showing.

Acknowledging that numerous voters cast ballots for him simply to keep out the fiercely nationalist far-right Le Pen, Macron pledged to reunite the country that is filled with so many doubts, so many divisions and work to assuage the anger of French voters that fed Le Pens campaign.

No one will be left by the side of the road, Macron said in a victory speech against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower and a projection of the blue-white-and-red tricolor French flag. He was cheered by several hundred supporters who happily waved French and EU flags.

We have a lot to do and the war in Ukraine reminds us that we are going through tragic times where France must make its voice heard, Macron said.

During her campaign, Le Pen pledged to dilute French ties with the 27-nation EU, NATO and Germany, moves that would have shaken Europes security architecture as the continent deals with its worst conflict since World War II.

Le Pen also spoke out against EU sanctions on Russian energy supplies and faced scrutiny during the campaign over her previous friendliness with the Kremlin.

A chorus of European leaders hailed Macrons victory, since France has played a leading role in international efforts to punish Russia with sanctions and is supplying weapons to Ukraine.

Democracy wins, Europe wins, said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Together we will make France and Europe advance, tweeted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Italian Premier Mario Draghi hailed Macrons victory as splendid news for all of Europe and a boost to the EU being a protagonist in the greatest challenges of our times, starting with the war in Ukraine.

With more than three-quarters of votes counted, Macron was leading 55% to 45% for Le Pen. Polling agencies projected that once all votes are counted, Macrons margin of victory would be well above 10 points, although smaller than when they first faced off in 2017.

Macron is the first French president in 20 years to win reelection, since incumbent Jacques Chirac trounced Le Pens father in 2002.

Le Pen called her results a shining victory, saying that in this defeat, I cant help but feel a form of hope.

Breaking through the threshold of 40% of the vote is unprecedented for the French far-right. Le Pen was beaten 66% to 34% by Macron in 2017 and her father got less than 20% against Chirac.

She and hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, one of 10 candidates eliminated in the first round on April 10, both quickly pitched forward Sunday night to Frances legislative election in June, urging voters to give them a parliamentary majority to hamstring Macron.

Le Pens score this time rewarded her years-long efforts to make her far-right politics more palatable to voters. Campaigning hard on cost-of-living issues, she made deep inroads among blue-collar voters in disaffected rural communities and in former industrial centers.

The drop in support for Macron compared to five years ago points to a tough battle ahead for the president to rally people behind him in his second term. Many French voters found the 2022 presidential rematch less compelling than in 2017, when Macron was an unknown factor.

Leftist voters  unable to identify with either the centrist president or Le Pens fiercely nationalist platform  agonized with the choices available Sunday.

Some trooped reluctantly to polling stations solely to stop Le Pen, casting joyless votes for Macron.
CANAKKALE, Turkey  Travelers from Australia and New Zealand joined Turkish and other nations dignitaries at the former World War I battlefields at Gallipoli for a solemn service at dawn Monday to remember troops killed during an unsuccessful British-led campaign that aimed to take the Ottoman Empire out of the war.

As the sun rose, participants held a minute of silence to reflect on the sacrifices of tens of thousands of soldiers from the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps, known as Anzacs, who landed on the beaches at Gallipoli, in northwest Turkey.

At this time 107 years ago, on ships that covered the ocean off this tiny bay, thousands of Australians and New Zealanders were preparing to land on this rugged coast, New Zealand army chief, Maj. Gen. John Boswell, said during the ceremony. For all but a few, this was to be the first experience of the horrors of combat.

Most were convinced that, as one New Zealand soldier wrote in his story: It will be the greatest day in our lives. The sunrise they witnessed that day was for all too many to be the last they ever saw, he continued. Across our countries, home after home was plunged into mourning.

The Gallipoli campaign aimed to secure a naval route from the Mediterranean Sea to Istanbul through the Dardanelles, and knock the Ottomans out of the war. The April 25, 1915, landings marked the start of a fierce battle that lasted for eight months.

More than 44,000 Allied soldiers and 86,000 Ottoman soldiers died.

The battlefields and cemeteries at the site in Canakkale, in northwestern Turkey, have become a place of pilgrimage for many Australians and New Zealanders who sleep on the beaches until the start of the dawn service. But the ongoing coronavirus pandemic kept the number of visitors small this year.

Among those who made it to the ceremony was 27-year-old Taylor Murphy from Victoria, Australia, who said the pros of being at Gallipoli outweighs the cons of the pandemic.

It feels quite surreal to be here, she said. We are feeling quite emotional.

Some 2,700 kilometers northwest of Gallipoli at the other extremity of Europes frontline of World War I, Australian and New Zealand officials gathered in Flanders Fields to remember, but equally to assess the present by centering on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

War has returned to Europe in the form of Russias brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine. Once again, our people, Belgians, Australians, New Zealanders and our friends and allies stand shoulder to shoulder with one another in our support for freedom, democracy, and the rule of law, said New Zealand ambassador Diana Reaich.

The war, which has entered its third month, was also on the mind of Australian envoy Caroline Millar, who said that the cornerstones of post-World War II were being put to the test.

We also recommit in the words of the 1945 Charter of the United Nations to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. Tragically, we are called to honor that commitment again today with the terrible violence of Russias unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine, Millar said.

In Australias largest city, Sydney, downtown Martin Place was filled to capacity with tens of thousands at its dawn service. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and deputy opposition leader Richard Marles acknowledged Ukraines fight for freedom when they spoke at a service in the northern city of Darwin, which was devastated by Japanese bombing during World War II.

Australia did not restrict the numbers attending its commemorations for the first time during the pandemic. The service in Auckland, New Zealand, was initially planned to be closed to the public, but a veterans association intervened and a smaller-than-usual crowd was allowed to attend. A Ukrainian flag was flown above the Auckland War Memorial Museum ceremony.

Monday was the first such commemoration of casualties of all wars since both Australia and New Zealand withdrew troops from Afghanistan last year.

The tragic fate of troops from Australia and New Zealand in the Gallipoli campaign is believed to have inspired the two nations to carve national identities distinct from the British. Anzac Day is marked as a coming of age for the two nations.

Gallipoli is also considered to be an important turning point in the history of modern Turkey. It was at Gallipoli that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk rose to prominence as a commander of the Turkish forces and went on to lead Turkeys War of Independence and found the Turkish Republic.

On Monday, hundreds of Turkish students marched along a 5-kilometer (3-mile) track to honor the soldiers of the Turkish 57th Infantry Regiment, who were among the first to defend against the Gallipoli landings.

Ataturk  who was Lt.Col. Mustafa Kemal at the time  is known to have commanded the regiment: I do not order you to attack, I order you to die.

On Sunday, the remains of 17 missing French soldiers were handed over to French military officials and put to rest alongside other fallen comrades during separate remembrance ceremonies that were held for French, British and other soldiers. Their remains were found during restoration work on a castle and surrounding areas on the Canakkale Peninsula.

Only one out of the 17 French soldiers  Cpl. Paul Roman, of the 1st Engineers Regiment  has been formally identified.

___

Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. AP journalists Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, and Mark Carlson in Zonnebeke, Belgium contributed to this report.
NOTICE is hereby given that on February 15, 2022, applicant American Gypsum Company LLC, Agent: Utton & Kery, P.A., 500 Tijeras Ave. NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102, filed with the STATE ENGINEER Application No. RG-48408 and RG-48408-S into RG-4851 for Permit to Change Place of Use and Point of Diversion of Groundwater within the Middle Rio Grande Water Basin of the State of New Mexico.

Sandoval County and Bernalillo County are the Counties affected by the diversion and in which the water has been or will be put to beneficial use. This notice is ordered to be published in The Albuquerque Journal.

The applicant proposes to discontinue the diversion of 10 acre-feet per annum (afa) from two (2) existing wells under Permit RG-48408, with well RG-48408 located at a point described as 361,312 meters Easting and 3,910,791 meters Northing; and well RG-48408-S located at a point described as 361,363 meters Easting and 3,910,867 meters Northing, Zone 13N, UTM (NAD 83), for industrial purposes on 60 acres of land owned by the applicant, further described as falling within the Northwest  of Section 28, Township 13 North, Range 4 East, NMPM. The above-described move-from wells and place of use are located at the American Gypsum plant located at 1000 N. Hill Rd., Bernalillo, Sandoval County, New Mexico.

The applicant further proposes to commence the above described diversion of 10 afa from well RG-4851, located at a point described as 354,849 meters Easting and 3,893,349 meters Northing further described as the West  of the Northwest  of the Northeast  of Section 23, Township 11 North and Range 3 East NMPM, for industrial purposes on 54.2994 acres of land owned by the applicant, further described as portions of the East  of the Northwest  and the West  of the Northeast  of Section 23, Township 11 North, Range 3 East, NMPM. The above-described move-to well and place of use are located at the American Gypsum plant located at 4600 Paseo Del Norte Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico.

American Gypsum Company LLC owns 234.359 afa of water rights for industrial uses at its Bernalillo plant under OSE File No. RG-48408 and RG-48408-S. It currently is not using the full amount of its permitted water right at the Bernalillo plant and will not do so in the future. American Gypsum needs additional water rights at its Albuquerque plant (OSE File No. RG-4851) and wishes to permanently transfer 10 afa from its Bernalillo plant to is Albuquerque plant.

To view the application and supporting documentation contact the State Engineer District 1 Office to arrange a date and time for an appointment at (505) 383-4000 located at 5550 San Antonio Drive NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87109.

Any person, firm or corporation or other entity asserting standing to file objections or protests shall do so in writing (objection must be legible, signed, and include the writers complete name, phone number, email address, and mailing address). If the protest does not include the complete name, phone number, email address, and mailing address, it may be deemed invalid and not accepted for filing unless Protestant provides with the protest an affidavit stating that it does not have one of the above-listed elements/requirements (phone number, mailing address, email address, etc.). The objection to the approval of the application must be based on: (1) Impairment; if impairment, you must specifically identify your water rights; and/or (2) Public Welfare/Conservation of Water; if public welfare or conservation of water within the state of New Mexico, you shall be required to provide evidence showing how you will be substantially and specifically affected. The written protest must be filed, in triplicate, with the State Engineer, 5550 San Antonio Drive NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109, on or before Friday, June 17, 2022. Facsimiles (faxes) will be accepted as a valid protest if the hard copy is hand-delivered or mailed and postmarked within 24-hours of the facsimile. Mailing postmark will be used to validate the 24-hour period. Protests can be faxed to the Office of the State Engineer, (505) 383-4030. If no valid protest or objection is filed, the State Engineer will evaluate the application in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 72 NMSA 1978.

Journal: April 25, May 2, 9, 2022
Elon Musk reached an agreement to buy Twitter for roughly $44 billion on Monday, promising a more lenient touch to policing content on the social media platform where he  the worlds richest person  promotes his interests, attacks critics and opines on a wide range of issues to more than 83 million followers.

The outspoken Tesla CEO has said he wanted to own and privatize Twitter because he thinks its not living up to its potential as a platform for free speech.

Musk said in a joint statement with Twitter that he wants to make the service better than ever with new features while getting rid of automated spam accounts and making its algorithms open to the public to increase trust.

Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated, the 50-year-old Musk said, adding hearts, stars and rocket emojis in a tweet that highlighted the statement.

The more hands-off approach to content moderation that Musk envisions has many users concerned that the platform will become more of a haven for disinformation, hate speech and bullying, something it has worked hard in recent years to mitigate. Wall Street analysts said if he goes too far, it could also alienate advertisers.

The deal was cemented roughly two weeks after the billionaire first revealed a 9% stake in the platform. Musk said last week that he had lined up $46.5 billion in financing to buy Twitter, putting pressure on the companys board to negotiate a deal.

Twitter said the transaction was unanimously approved by its board of directors and is expected to close in 2022, pending regulatory sign-off and the approval of shareholders.

Shares of Twitter Inc. rose more than 5% Monday to $51.70 per share. On April 14, Musk announced an offer to buy Twitter for $54.20 per share. While the stock is up sharply since Musk made his offer, it is well below the high of $77 per share it reached in February 2021.

Musk has described himself as a free-speech absolutist but is also known for blocking or disparaging other Twitter users who question or disagree with him.

In recent weeks, he has proposed relaxing Twitter content restrictions  such as the rules that suspended former President Donald Trumps account  while ridding the platform of fake spambot accounts and shifting away advertising as its primary revenue model. Musk believes he can increase revenue through subscriptions that give paying customers a better experience  possibly even an ad-free version of Twitter.

Asked during a recent TED interview if there are any limits to his notion of free speech, Musk said Twitter would abide by national laws that restrict speech around the world. Beyond that, he said, hed be very reluctant to delete posts or permanently ban users who violate the companys rules.

It wont be perfect, Musk added, but I think we want it to really have the perception and reality that speech is as free as reasonably possible.

After the deal was announced, the NAACP released a statement urging Musk not to allow Trump, the 45th president, back onto the platform.

Do not allow 45 to return to the platform, the civil rights organization said in a statement. Do not allow Twitter to become a petri dish for hate speech or falsehoods that subvert our democracy.

As both candidate and president, Trump made Twitter a powerful megaphone for speaking directly to the public, often using incendiary and divisive language on hot-button issues. He was permanently banned from the service in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol.

Advertisers, currently Twitters main customers, have also pushed for the stronger content rules Musk has criticized. Keeping them happy requires moderation limiting hate speech so that brands arent trying to promote their products next to calls for genocide, said Siva Vaidhyanathan, a media studies professor at the University of Virginia.

If Musk either fires or drives away the team at Twitter thats committed to keeping it clean and making it less hate-filled, hell see an immediate drop in user activity, said Vaidhyanathan. I think hes going to find pretty fast that inviting the bigots back in is bad for business.

Some users said Monday that they were planning to quit the platform if Musk took it over. To which he responded on Twitter: I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means.

Musk has also run into trouble with federal officials as a result of his own tweets, some of which hes used to taunt regulators at the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In one August 2018 tweet, for instance, Musk asserted that he had the funding to take Tesla private for $420 a share, although a court has ruled that it wasnt true. That led to an SEC investigation that Musk is still fighting. More recently, Musk appeared to have violated SEC rules that required him to disclose that hed acquired a 5% stake in Twitter; instead he waited until he had more than 9%. Experts say these issues arent likely to affect his Twitter acquisition.

While Twitters user base of more than 200 million remains much smaller than those of rivals such as Facebook and TikTok, the service is popular with celebrities, world leaders, journalists and intellectuals. Musk himself is a prolific tweeter with a following that rivals several pop stars in the ranks of the most popular accounts.

Last week, he said in SEC documents that the money would come from Morgan Stanley and other banks, some of it secured by his huge stake in Tesla, the electric-vehicle company he runs.

Musk has a fortune of nearly $268 billion, much of which is tied up in Tesla stock and SpaceX, his privately held space company. Its unclear how much cash Musk holds.

Musk began making his fortune in 1999 when he sold Zip2, an online mapping and business directory, to Compaq for $307 million. He used his share to create what would become PayPal, an internet service that bypassed banks and allowed consumers to pay businesses directly. It was sold to eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002.

That same year, Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, after finding that cost constraints were limiting NASAs interplanetary travel. The company eventually developed cost-effective reusable rockets.

In 2004, Musk was courted to invest in Tesla, then a startup trying to build an electric car. Eventually he became CEO and led the company to astronomical success as the worlds most valuable automaker and largest seller of electric vehicles.

Musks pledge to make Twitter a haven for free speech could dim the appeal of Donald Trumps troubled Truth Social app, which the former president has touted as a competitor to Twitter that would cater to conservatives. Truth Social is part of Trumps new media company, which has agreed to be taken public by Digital World Acquisition Corp. Shares of DWAC dropped 16.2% Monday and are down 46% since Musk revealed his stake in Twitter.

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Krisher reported from Detroit. OBrien reported from Providence, Rhode Island. AP Business Writers Marcy Gordon in Washington, Barbara Ortutay in Oakland, Calif., and Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report.
Jurors have heard  and rejected  an array of excuses and arguments from the first rioters to be tried for storming the U.S. Capitol. The next jury to get a Capitol riot case could hear another novel defense this week at the trial of a retired New York City police officer.

Thomas Webster, a 20-year veteran of the NYPD, has claimed he was acting in self-defense when he tackled a police officer who was trying to protect the Capitol from a mob on Jan. 6, 2021. Websters lawyer also has argued that he was exercising his First Amendment free speech rights when he shouted profanities at police that day. Jurors were selected Monday and are expected to hear attorneys opening statements Tuesday.

Webster, 56, is the fourth Capitol riot defendant to get a jury trial. Each has presented a distinct line of defense.

An Ohio man who stole a coat rack from a Capitol office testified he was following presidential orders from Donald Trump. An off-duty police officer from Virginia claimed he only entered the Capitol to retrieve a fellow officer. A lawyer for a Texas man who confronted Capitol police accused prosecutors of rushing to judgment against somebody prone to exaggerating.

Those defenses didnt sway the juries at their respective trials. Collectively, a total of 36 jurors unanimously convicted the three rioters of all 17 counts in their indictments.

Webster faces the same fate if a federal judges blistering words are any guide. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who will preside over Websters trial, has described his videotaped conduct as among the most indefensible and reprehensible that the judge has seen among Jan. 6 cases, with no real defense for it.

You were a police officer and you should have known better, Mehta told Webster during a bond hearing last June, according to a transcript.

But a dozen jurors, not the judge, will decide the case against Webster, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who retired from the NYPD in 2011.

A wealth of video evidence and self-incriminating behavior by riot defendants has given prosecutors the upper hand in many cases. Mary McCord, a Georgetown University Law Center professor and former Justice Department official, said jurors often wont have to rely on witness testimony or circumstantial evidence because videos captured much of the violence and destruction on Jan. 6.

When I was a prosecutor trying cases, I would have loved to have had cases where the entire crime was on video. That just doesnt happen that often. But for jurors, it can be very powerful, she said.

Websters trial is the sixth overall. In a pair of bench trials, a different federal judge heard testimony without a jury before acquitting one defendant and partially acquitting another.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump nominee who acquitted Matthew Martin of all charges, said it was reasonable for the New Mexico man to believe that police allowed him to enter the Capitol. In the first bench trial, McFadden convicted New Mexico elected official Couy Griffin of illegally entering restricted Capitol grounds but acquitted him of engaging in disorderly conduct.

Stephen Saltzburg, a George Washington Law School professor and former Justice Department official, said it may be difficult for prosecutors to secure convictions against defendants who merely entered the Capitol and didnt exhibit any violent or destructive behavior.

I think the people with the best chances are those who say, I was just there and I got swept up with everybody else. The government is going to have to have some way to show theres more than that or the government will lose, Saltzburg said.

Webster brought a gun and a Marine Corps flag attached to a metal pole when he traveled alone to Washington from his home in Florida, New York, a village approximately 70 miles northwest of New York City. He wore his NYPD-issued bulletproof vest but says he left the pistol in his hotel room when he headed to the Jan. 6 rally where Trump spoke.

Police body camera video captured Websters confrontation outside the Capitol with a line of officers, including one identified only as Officer N.R. in court papers.

The unnamed Metropolitan Police Department officer described the encounter in a written statement. The officer said Webster swung the flagpole at him in a downward chopping motion, hitting a metal barricade, then charged at him with clenched fists.

He pushed me to the ground and attempted to violently tear away my gas mask and ballistic helmet. This caused me to choke and gasp for air before another participant at the riot helped me to my feet, the officer wrote.

The officer said he retreated behind a police line after Webster pinned him to the ground.

His actions, attack and targeted assault caused me to fear for my life and could have easily left my wife and two small children without a husband and father, the officer wrote.

Defense attorney James Monroe has claimed the unnamed officer gestured toward Webster, inviting him to engage in a fight, before reaching over a police barrier and punching Webster in his face. Webster used that amount of force he reasonably believed necessary to protect himself by tackling the officer to the ground, Monroe said in a court filing.

Mehta, however, said the video doesnt show Webster getting punched in the face. The judge described Webster as an instigator.

It was his conduct that sort of broke the dam, at least in that area, Mehta added.

Webster, now a self-employed landscaper, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1985, was honorably discharged in 1989 and joined the NYPD in 1991. His department service included a stint on then-Mayor Michael Bloombergs private security detail.

Monroe claimed Officer N.R. had reached over a metal barrier and pushed a peaceful man who was blinded by pepper spray.

As a former U.S. Marine and a member of law enforcement, Mr. Websters moral instinct was to protect the innocent, Monroe wrote.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Hava Mirell has argued that Webster should be held to a higher standard given his professional experience.

If he were there to protect the innocent, then he should have been fending other rioters off from the barricade, not the other way around, Mirell said at the bond hearing.

Webster faces six counts, including assaulting, resisting or impeding an officer using a dangerous weapon. Hes the first Capitol riot defendant to be tried on an assault charge. He isnt accused of entering the Capitol.

More than 780 people have been charged with riot-related federal crimes. The Justice Department says over 245 of them have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. More than 250 riot defendants have pleaded guilty, mostly to nonviolent misdemeanors.

Jurors convicted two rioters of interfering with officers. One of them, Thomas Robertson, was an off-duty police officer from Rocky Mount, Virginia. The other, Texas resident Guy Wesley Reffitt, also was convicted of storming the Capitol with a holstered handgun.

The third Capitol rioter to be convicted by a jury was Dustin Byron Thompson, an Ohio man who said he was following Trumps orders.

Even if jurors accepted that (Thompson) felt like he was doing what the former president wanted, that still wouldnt be a legal excuse, said McCord, the Georgetown professor. When juries are able to witness what happened, they can make that assessment relatively easily.
FAIRFAX, Va.  Actor Johnny Depp concluded a grueling four days on the witness stand Monday, telling jurors in a calm voice that he filed his libel lawsuit against his ex-wife because it was his best chance to reclaim his reputation, just hours after they heard audio clips of him berating his wife with coarse vulgarities.

It was the only time I was able to fight back and use my own voice, Depp said of his decision to sue Amber Heard for a 2018 op-ed piece in The Washington Post in which she refers to herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse.

He continued to deny that he ever hit Heard, and accused her of hitting him and throwing items including paint cans and vodka bottles at him. And jurors heard an audio clip of a conversation between Depp and Heard in which she seems to taunt him and suggests he wont be believed or respected if he were to publicly cast her as an abuser.

Tell them, I, Johnny Depp, Im a victim of domestic abuse  and see how many people believe or side with you, Heard says on the recording.

Earlier Monday, though, they heard recordings in which Depp referred to the violence that could ensue if their arguments were allowed to escalate.

The next move, if I dont walk away  its going to be a bloodbath, like it was on the island, Depp says on the recording.

In other clips, Depp loudly shouts vulgarities at his wife, calling her a degrading name and yelling, You stupid f at her.

Depp winced on the stand as one of the clips was played; Heard appeared to fight back tears at several points as she listened to the recordings.

Heards op-ed never mentions Depp by name, but he argues that he was defamed nonetheless because parts of the piece clearly refer to allegations of abuse she made in 2016 when she filed for divorce and obtained a temporary restraining order.

The clips were part of a lengthy cross-examination of Depp that began last week and concluded late Monday morning.

Heards lawyers focused throughout the cross-examination on Depps drinking, drug use and charged interactions with Heard during their relationship.

During Mondays cross-examination, Depp actually said very little. Most of the questioning consisted of Heards lawyer playing audio clips or reading vulgar text messages sent by Depp and asking Depp if hed read them correctly.

Throughout the cross-examination, Depp showed his displeasure with Rottenborns questions. When Rottenborn interrupted one response, Depp said, I was talking. When Rottenborn said he considered the question to be fully answered, Depp responded, as long as youre happy.

Depp also expressed disapproval as Rottenborn read headlines from a series of negative articles written about the actor, some dating back to 2014.

These are all hit pieces. These are dreck, Depp said.

Rottenborn introduced the articles to try to demonstrate that it was Depps long history of bad behavior, not the 2018 Post article, that damaged his reputation.

While the libel lawsuit is supposed to center on whether Depp was defamed in the article, most of the trial has focused on ugly details of the couples brief marriage. Heards attorneys say Depp physically and sexually abused her and that Depps denials lack merit because he was often drunk and high to the point of blacking out.

On redirect Monday afternoon, Depp sought to explain some of his coarse language. He said he was often speaking figuratively or making inside jokes with friends, but added, Im ashamed that that has to be spread on the world like peanut butter.

And he again denied that he cut off his own finger during a fight with Heard, even though he told people as much at the time. He now says the finger was severed when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him.

Why would I start lopping off digits in my 50s? he said, showing his right hand to the jury. I cant take responsibility for what I now call Little Richard, my chopped finger.

The jury has seen dozens of Depps texts to friends regarding his drinking, drug use and interactions with his then-wife, as well as his notes of contrition to Heard and her father.

He called the drug addiction accusations against him grossly embellished, though he acknowledged taking many drugs.

Depp says the Post article contributed to an unfairly ruined reputation that made him a Hollywood outcast and cost him his role in the lucrative Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. Heards attorneys say only Depp is to blame for his marred career.

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Associated Press writer Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, contributed to this report.
HOUSTON  A Texas appeals court on Monday delayed the execution of Melissa Lucio amid growing doubts about whether she fatally beat her 2-year-old daughter in a case that has garnered the support of lawmakers, celebrities and even some jurors who sentenced her to death.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted a request by Lucios lawyers for a stay of execution so a lower court can review her claims that new evidence would exonerate her.

Lucio had been set for lethal injection Wednesday for the 2007 death of her daughter Mariah in Harlingen, a city of about 75,000 in Texas southern tip.

Prosecutors have maintained that the girl was the victim of abuse and noted that her body was covered in bruises. Lucios lawyers say Mariah died from injuries she sustained in a fall down a steep staircase several days before she died.

I am grateful the court has given me the chance to live and prove my innocence, Lucio said in a statement provided by her lawyers. Mariah is in my heart today and always. I am grateful to have more days to be a mother to my children and a grandmother to my grandchildren. I will use my time to help bring them to Christ. I am deeply grateful to everyone who prayed for me and spoke out on my behalf.

Lucios mother, Esperanza Trevino, tearfully thanked all of her daughters supporters, saying, Thank God for the miracle.

Lucio was first told her execution had been delayed in a phone call with state Rep. Jeff Leach, a Republican who has helped lead a bipartisan effort to halt her execution, said Vanessa Potkin, one of Lucios attorneys who is with the Innocence Project.

She sobbed. She was just overwhelmed, said Potkin.

In a statement, Leach said he was grateful the appeals court had pushed the pause button on her execution, saving the state of Texas from the irreversible blunder of potentially killing an innocent citizen.

The execution stay was announced minutes before the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles had been set to consider Lucios clemency application to either commute her death sentence or grant her a 120-day reprieve. The paroles board did not review her clemency petition because of the execution stay. If the case were to come back before the board in the future, Lucios lawyers would have to file a new petition.

Lucios attorneys say her capital murder conviction was based on an unreliable and coerced confession that was the result of relentless questioning and her long history of being sexually, physically and emotionally abused. They say Lucio wasnt allowed to present evidence questioning the validity of her confession.

Her lawyers also contend that unscientific and false evidence misled jurors into believing Mariahs injuries could have been caused only by abuse and not by medical complications from a severe fall.

It would have shocked the publics conscience for Melissa to be put to death based on false and incomplete medical evidence for a crime that never even happened, said Potkin. All of the new evidence of her innocence has never before been considered by any court. The courts stay allows us to continue fighting alongside Melissa to overturn her wrongful conviction.

Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz, whose office prosecuted the case, said in a statement he expected the execution to be delayed because various legal issues remain unresolved.

I welcome the opportunity to prosecute this case in the courtroom: where witnesses testify under oath, where witnesses may be cross-examined, where evidence is governed by the rules of evidence and criminal procedure  That is our criminal jurisprudence system, and it is working, said Saenz, who was not in office when Lucio was tried in 2008.

During a sometimes contentious Texas House committee hearing on Lucios case this month, Saenz had said he disagreed with Lucios lawyers claims that new evidence would exonerate her. Prosecutors say Lucio had a history of drug abuse and at times had lost custody of some of her 14 children.

In its three-page order, the appeals court asked that the trial court in Brownsville that handled Lucios case review four claims her lawyers have made: whether prosecutors used false evidence to convict her; whether previously unavailable scientific evidence would have prevented her conviction; whether she is actually innocent; and whether prosecutors suppressed evidence that would have been favorable to her defense.

It was not immediately known when the lower court would begin reviewing her case. Tivon Schardl, one of Lucios lawyers, said they hope to convince the trial judge to recommend a new trial. If such a recommendation is made, that would then be sent to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which would make the final decision on a new trial.

More than half the members of the Texas Legislature had asked that her execution be halted. A bipartisan group of state lawmakers traveled this month to Gatesville, where the state houses female death row inmates, and prayed with Lucio.

One of those lawmakers, El Paso Democratic state Rep. Joe Moody, tweeted that he was relieved for Lucio. A stay confirms what weve said all along: Melissa Lucio shouldnt be on death row, he wrote.

Five of the 12 jurors who sentenced Lucio and one alternate juror have questioned their decision and asked that she get a new trial.

Lucios cause also has the backing of faith leaders and celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, and it was featured on HBOs Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

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Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
Myntra announces the launch of its latest brand campaign featuring fashion icons, Kiara Advani and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, in two stylish ad-films titled Go for It that encourage shoppers to embrace trendy, fresh and offbeat fashion choices and trust the magic of taking a leap of faith. The stars who are idolized for their uber chic fashion sense and in vogue ensembles are all set to drive home the campaigns message of overcoming self doubt and truly owning your narrative. The campaign addresses the mindset of self doubt that exists among the Gen Z and millennials and urges shoppers to be confident, brave and experimentative in their fashion choices in order to stand out and authentically be themselves. Myntra encourages consumers to overcome these emotions of uncertainty and hesitance, by driving the key message of If you never try, youll never know and hence Go for it to empower them to make confident, fresh and trendy fashion choices.

As an actor, Kiara's journey in the industry has been nothing short of a roaring success. Her impeccable wardrobe choices and endearing presence on social media platforms have positioned her as a fashion icon among the youth, loved by audiences spanning ages. Samantha's continued success on the big screen and OTT platforms along with her keen and relatable sense of style have held her in good stead as a favorite across the country.Being trendsetters in fashion, both Kiara and Samantha have audaciously adopted distinct fashion choices, to be their true authentic selves. This is what continues to make them the perfect choice for Myntra to collaborate with for their campaigns.

As a pioneer in influencer-led content, Myntra bridges the inspiration to commerce journey seamlessly for Gen Z and millennial shoppers through M-Live and Myntra Studio. This enables Myntra to effectively engage with shoppers by curating new and original styles daily from its widest collection of over 11 lakh styles, through its army of popular creators, positioning it as the go-to platform to discover the best of brands and trends alike.

About the brand campaign and ad-films:

The campaign hinges on the relatable storyline that most people, including even the most confident ones have inhibitions about embracing upcoming trends or trying something outside of their go-to choice of outfit styles.

In its snazzy and stylish new campaign, Myntra is urging millions of patrons to "Go for it", and take the leap of faith to embrace new and emerging trends by letting go of preconceived doubts and skepticism that comes with accepting change. This positions Myntra as a motivator, enabler and cheerleader for its shoppers, affirming its position as India's preferred fashion destination. The theme of the campaign If you never try, youll never know urges and encourages shoppers to be confident, audacious and dynamic in their fashion choices as an extended expression of themselves. The campaign also explains how Myntra brings both the freshest styles on-trend in India and signature styles from leading international and domestic brands onto a single platform.

The cast in the 20 second ad-films show everyday people including the actors overcoming the doubt that deters them from making a non-mainstream fashion choice with unconventional trendy ensembles that make them look good and feel great. With a groovy background score sung by Anubha Kaul, a contemporary vocalist, song-writer and composer, the brand campaign motivates you to go ahead, ditch the doubts in your head and be the best version of yourself. The actors have increased the threshold of what to expect from Myntra, which includes signature styles from leading international and domestic brands.

Speaking about the brand campaign and her association with Myntra, Kiara Advani said, "I think the tagline 'Go for it' strongly relates to the topic of self-confidence that a lot of people shy away from when it comes to their fashion choices. Myntra's all-inclusive attitude and solving for these inhibiting emotions is something that I admire most about the brand and this association. I hope being involved in this wonderful campaign helps inspire people to fully be themselves and feel confident in their own skin".

Speaking about her association and brand campaign with Myntra, Samantha Prabhu stated, "When it comes to experimenting with fashion, I resonate on a personal level with the motto of 'If you never try, you'll never know'. My wardrobe choices and penchant for fashion aligns with those that Myntra offers and curates. The efforts that Myntra takes to assist people to find their preferred styles is what I love about the brand."

Speaking on the brand campaign, Achint Setia, Head - Marketing & Social Commerce, Myntra, said, "Our new brand campaign Go for It is a reflection of the journey of arriving at trendy and distinct fashion choices of our Gen Z and millennial consumers. Kiara and Samantha are making a point to millions of trend-first customers that fashion goes far beyond just your attire. It is intrinsically about the person and the confidence one embodies. We all experience a multitude of emotions, while longing for trying something new. The joyful experience of overcoming self-doubt and tenaciously owning our choices is the key message we are driving through this campaign.'If you never try, youll never know' is a simple and straightforward response to that emotional journey."

Myntra has launched the campaign on TV and other digital mediums, with an intended reach of ~110 million consumers pan-India, the targeted cohorts for the campaign are fashion-conscious Gen-Z and millennials.
The government issued tough advisory to TV channels on coverage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Delhi riots, demanding them to obey the programme code prescribed by the relevant laws. The government mentioned particular examples of overstated statements made by news anchors, and controversial taglines, headlines being used at the time of reporting on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, disobeying the prescribed laws and regulations as well as disturbing and interfering with the investigation process of the incidents in north-west Delhi by airing unsubstantiated CCTV footages. It was also mentioned that some shows portraying debates on the north west Delhi incidents on TV channels used improper and socially unacceptable language.

Such incidents include conflict between two communities during a Hanuman Jayanti procession in Jahangirpur. The advisory provided by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry read that the government expresses significant concern over the ways in which TV channels have covered news on these sensitive events. It mentioned TV channels should immediately back out from showcasing content which violates the regulations prescribed by the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995.
Bconnect Communications - a leading PR agency - signs its PR mandate with NumroVani - a new-age tech-enabled company that bridges the gap between two worlds: the contemporary world and the power of occult sciences.

Sidhharrth S Kumaar, the founder of NumroVani said, "As the founder of NumroVani, I am beyond happy that we will be working with Bconnect Communications."

"In the past, we have tried to offer our honest services to the clients and now we think more people should know about us and what we do. Partnering with Bconnect Communications assures me that my PR work is in good hands," he mentioned.

Expressing her views on the mandate, Neha Bahri, the founder of Bconnect Communications said, "It's a pleasure to sign the mandate with NumroVani. With this, we anticipate that our association will be beneficial for both the parties in the coming times."

NumroVani advises individuals in solving their real-world problems and having a preventive approach towards optimizing their growth trajectory of life.

Headquartered in Delhi, with a Pan-India presence, Bconnect has a dedicated team of experts who specialize in providing services like content creation, investors relation, event management, crisis management, influencer marketing, and media relations, to name a few.
Canon India announced the launch of the Cinema Excellence Suite, a unique platform to showcase its extensive range of cinema imaging technology to the film fraternity. Through this versatile activation, it will help to showcase the EOS R System Mirrorless cameras and Cinema EOS cameras entire production and post-production workflow experience directly to cinematographers, DOPs, filmmakers, and production houses in Mumbai over a period of three months.

In an industry- first initiative for the cinema segment, the Cinema Excellence Suite is the latest endeavor from Canon in line with their video first strategy for the camera business. Created in a mobile format to ensure mobility, the suite will house Canons Cinema EOS series and RF System cameras and lenses, along with display of accessories from Atomos and Sennheiser. To make the suite more experiential, there will be a shooting zone as well as a full-fledged post-production set-up with an aim to familiarise the audience with the entire production workflow.

The Suite will be equipped with the latest EOS R System Mirrorless cameras-EOS R3, EOS R5, EOS R6 & EOS R along with advanced RF lenses and EOS Cinema Cameras EOS C500MKII, EOS C300 MKIII, EOS C70 and the latest EOS R5C. DOPs can also experience the legendary Canon Sumire Prime & EF Cine lenses.

Kickstarting its journey from Film City, the Cinema Excellence Suite will travel from point to point on a prefixed schedule, with stops including famous production houses, film studios and large institutions with focused curriculums around filmmaking.

Commenting on the inauguration, Mr. Manabu Yamazaki, President and CEO, Canon India said, Cinema as an art has kept evolving ever since its inception, but what stays at its core is the passion of captivating audience attention through impeccable storytelling. From silent movies of yesteryears to the new age movies as we know today, visuals and hence the right imaging equipment play a vital role in building a riveting narrative and creating magic on screen. At Canon, it has been our constant endeavour to contribute to the world of cinema through our expansive line-up of Cinema products and solutions. With an objective to further strengthen our connect with cinema enthusiasts and filmmakers, we are delighted to launch the Cinema Excellence Suite, an industry first initiative for the film fraternity.

Talking about Canon Cinema Excellence Suite, Mr. Manabu further added, The suite will enable Cinematographers and DOPs to experience Canons exhaustive cinema portfolio first-hand and accordingly make an informed decision of investing in the right equipment. India is renowned for having the largest film industry in the world, hence through this initiative we are looking forward to an engaging response from the fraternity and further reinforce our foothold in the booming cinema segment.

Mr. C Sukumaran, Senior Director-Consumer Systems Products and Imaging Communication Business, Canon India added Filmmaking as an art drives our country and Mumbai is fondly referred to as the city of dreams giving birth to some of the most widely beloved films. We are strongly committed to empower the cinema segment with the best-in-class technologies to capture every emotion on the big screen. In the past few years, we have seen a massive increase in video content consumption, owing to the rise in digital content, streaming platforms and OTT production houses. In line with this phenomenon, we recently launched the EOS R5 C, which is a high-quality and high-performance hybrid cinema model. It brings to the table not only uncompromising video quality but also unshakable image quality. In order to further enable our supremely talented fraternity of filmmakers, we at Canon are proud to launch a unique platform like the Canon EOS Cinema Excellence Suite. The Suite houses the best of EOS R System Mirrorless cameras and Cinema EOS cameras and comes equipped with a shooting zone as well as a full-fledged post-production set-up with an aim to familiarise the audience with the entire production workflow.

Padma Shri Santosh Sivan, Director, Cinematographer and Filmmaker and Canons Cinema EOS Ambassador said, I take great pride in being a Canon Cinema EOS Ambassador and ever so more today considering the launch of this exclusive mobile platform dedicated to cinema enthusiasts. While we as cinematographers have access to a wide range of products in todays world, the Canon Cinema Excellence Suite takes the experience of choosing the right imaging products a notch above. It is a very intriguing format in the form of a vehicle housing products and accessories, shooting zones and a full-fledged post-production setup. I look forward to being a part of more such unique activations with Canon that enable filmmakers to make their art finer with superior imaging technology.

From an innovation standpoint, Canon has introduced ground-breaking technology in the past few years which has completely transformed the cinema imaging industry. The Suite will also feature Canons newest addition to the Cinema EOS series, the EOS R5 C  the companys first camera to provide internal 8K 60P Cinema RAW Light recording.
Casio India, a leading consumer electronics company reveals its new brand campaign called #FarakPadtaHai for its calculator category. Featuring 2 digital films targeting corporate workers and traders and backed by outdoor media support, the campaign is based on a key insight that consumers pay little attention to low-involvement items such as a calculator during purchase, a decision if made incorrectly they end up regretting as the product starts impacting their daily lives.

While Casio is already a market leader in calculators, this campaign attempts to create awareness among non-users by using humor to hammer home the importance of making correct choices even for seemingly small purchases. The digital films are live across all social media pages of the brand including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. The brand is also supporting these digital films with out-of-home media in corporate hubs of metro cities as well as market areas pan-India.

Commenting on the campaign, Mr. Kulbhushan Seth, Vice President, Casio India said, As a consumer-centric brand, we have always ensured that our offerings add value to their lives. After rigorously studying the market, we created this campaign Farak Padta Hai (It Matters) for Casio calculators to highlight the importance of making correct decisions so that we can continue to impact consumers positively. Through this campaign, we are hoping to spread the message that consumers should consider quality, innovation, legacy, trust & overall value when purchasing calculators too as they all matter.

Capturing the brand message, the 2 films open with their protagonists (an office employee and a shop-keeper) being told by an un-comprehending support cast to make do with any ordinary calculator as their preferred brand - Casio is not available. The protagonists then imagine a series of escalating scenarios impacting their lives, all due to the repercussions of using an ordinary calculator leading them to stand firm in their demand for a Casio calculator only.

Conceptualized by Casios in-house brand team and Mr. Vishal Mittal, produced by Rat Films.
Augmenting the success at Erode and Tirunelveli, Colors Tamil, celebrated women are stalwarts in their field of expertise, on, 24th April, Sunday, at V. O. Chidambaram College Thoothukudi as part of the Mangayir Thiruvizha 2022. Honourable Superintendent of Police, Thoothukudi Dr. L. Balaji Sarvanan graced the occasion with his presence as the chief guest.

Kickstarting the event with a motivational talk, Dr Flora Nelson M.D.R.D Professor & HOD of Radio diagnosis addressed the gathering on the nuances of physical, mental and social well-being. Further to this, the grand Mangayir Thiruvizha 2022 also witnessed a one-of-a-kind Zumba dance session hosted by popular trainer from the city, Dr. Chandrika Vincent, promoting health and fitness among women, thereby encouraging the audiences to make informed lifestyle choices.

In the evening session, the event also witnessed the presence of Ms. Sornalatha Sankarananayanan, Advocate,Social Activist, Movtivational Speaker and Founder of SPARK along with Dr C Veera Babu, Principal, V O Chithambaram College (FAMA ASIA-GCC awardee for excellence & leadership in Education)

The occasion witnessed Actor Neepa as the emcee, engaging with the crowd while also inviting several prominent artistes from Colors Tamil namely- Actor Nakshathra, Actor Nanjil Vijayan, Actor Reshma Actor Madan, Actor Vishnu Vijay and Actor Sarath. The channel honoured women for their contributions to society by bestowing a distinguished award to nominees. The event furthermore focused on activities like dance performances, singing, and henna art.

Commenting on the occasion, Superintendent of Police, Dr. L.Balaji Sarvanan said, "I am honoured to be a part of such a renowned occasion. It's exciting and uplifting to see different women with distinct personalities and achievements in various industries. Women are often not treated as equals in society but in all honesty, women are indeed equal to men and their capacity to uphold things is far superior. Women need to stand up and face society without fear to make their much-deserved place, making their families and the country proud. The government is also ready to support women with apps like Kaaval Udhaivi that records calls and location in the control room and lets the nearby patrol access you. There are furthermore several helplines including- Medical Advice and Anti Suicidal (104),Maternity Child Welfare (102), Cyber Financial Fraud (1930).I want to see more women participate in this great initiative. I'm also pleased to be associated with a well-known channel like Colors Tamil, which provides a platform for a diverse range of exceptional individuals to come out and demonstrate their abilities.

Adding to this, Dr Flora Nelson M.D.R.D Professor & HOD of Radio diagnosis, said, It is an honour for me to be among these remarkable women who have made a difference in society through their service. I'm confident these women will inspire many other women out there. I'm also glad that Colors Tamil has brought a one-of-a-kind project to the table to give women a voice and help them feel valued."

Commenting on the occasion, Rajaraman. S, Colors Tamil, Business Head said, "We are extremely happy that our Mangayir Thiruvizha 2022 at Thoothukudi received an overwhelming response from women across the city. We are privileged to identify successful women across cities and recognise them. We will extend this initiative across Tamil Nadu in regions like Trichy, Thanjavur, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Madurai, and Tuticorin soon whilst recognizing those who have brought in a positive change in society. With this initiative, our channel aims to embrace the spirit of womanhood and rejoice their achievements as well.
Synamedia, the worlds largest independent video software provider, today announces the launch of its complete Synamedia Go cloud video suite. Go.Foundation, the entry level service is complemented by a suite of new packs, including Go.Monetize, Go.Personalize and Go.Recommend. Synamedia Go offers video service providers of any size everything they need to rapidly launch a streaming service as well as the ability to customize it to increase value.

The full suite of Synamedia Go reflects the need for an agile, flexible SaaS platform that balances functionality with speed-to-market for VOD and live streaming services. Whether customers are OTT providers, broadcasters or pay-TV operators, Synamedia Go includes all the functionality and flexibility required to acquire, manage, and distribute content. The expanded service will debut on the Synamedia booth W10113 at NAB 2022, Las Vegas, April 23-27.

Synamedia Gos open design gives customers a choice of using pre-integrated third party solutions from providers in the Synamedia Partner Network. Initial partners are: Dotscreen, To The New (TTN), Wiztivi (for UI); Cleeng, InPlayer, and Evergent (for monetization and identity); Gracenote, Teravolt, and Utelly (for metadata, recommendations and aggregation). Synamedias own security, addressable advertising, business insights, and video network solutions are also pre-integrated with Synamedia Go. Alternatively, customers can develop their own applications or use their preferred provider for common components such as metadata, CRM, and billing systems.

Nick Thexton, Synamedia CTO, said As we move into a new generation of streaming platforms, media businesses of all types need systems that are much more flexible. New viewing experiences have to be matched quickly to commercial objectives, consumer satisfaction and performance optimization.

Building on our decades of experience designing video software solutions, Synamedia Go meets this need for flexibility and rapid implementation. It bridges the gap in the market between very basic systems, and  at the other extreme  highly customized solutions that can be very expensive to modify once live. Synamedia Go complements our broad OTT portfolio including Synamedia OTT ServiceGuard, VIVID Workflow as a Service, Synamedia Iris OTT addressable advertising, and Synamedia Clarissa business insights, Thexton added.

Tom Morrod, co-founder and research director at industry analyst firm, Caretta said: With the average household wanting no more than 3 or 3.5 different streaming services, the industry is in a battle to be the bundle in the home. This requires whole new levels of agility to launch and update streaming services. To meet this need, video service providers are now looking for cloud-based, modular, SaaS solutions that incorporate best-of-breed offerings for the perfect combination of speedy deployment and functionality.

With a focus on personalization, monetization and enhancement, the base product Go.Foundation includes VOD and linear content management, rights management, metadata and data control, user experience management, user engagement and subscription options.

In addition, the new add-on packs that can be added to a customers service instantly are:

Go.Enhance  providers subscribers with additional viewing features such as download to go and voice search

Go.Recommend  serves data-driven recommendations for increased viewer stickiness

Go.Personalize  allows users to create their own profiles for personalized experiences

Go.Monetize  provides multiple pricing and packaging options for content, such as PPV

Go.Time-Shift  gives users control to watch when they want, with catch up, restart and more

Go.Brand  allows providers to add services under different brands and in different geographies

These packs are in addition to Go.Aggregate, launched in 2021, which manages the complexity of offering multiple streaming services, both on demand and linear TV content.

Synamedia Go is platform and client software agnostic and can be fully integrated with Android TV, RDK, Apple TV, iOS, WebOS and Tizen applications. Allowing customers to predict costs and manage total cost of ownership, Synamedia Go uses a simple bundled pricing model based on the number of subscribers and add-on packs.
According to a Reddit post, Google is launching a new Play Store policy that will effectively bar third-party call recording apps from the Play Store starting May 11. To acquire access to the audio functionalities on Android devices, such apps now use the Accessibility API (which is developed for people with disabilities).

Because of privacy concerns, Google has been gradually attempting to remove call recording from Android. On Android 6, it was mostly prohibited, and in Android 10, the usage of the microphone for call recording was removed. The Accessibility API was the last resort for call recording apps.
Welcoming customers to the birthplace of Hness CB350 and CB350RS,Honda Motorcycle and Scooter Indiaorganized first of its kind customer appreciation event at their Global ResourceFactory in Manesar (Haryana), Honda Homecoming Fest celebrating Hness CB350s first anniversary.

Drawn from the legacy of GlobalHonda Homecoming event conducted in Kumamoto Factory (Japan), the event applauds the Homecoming of Hondas iconic Hness CB350 and CB350RS.

Conducted at HMSIs Global Resource Factoryin Manesar, the Honda Homecoming Fest receivedan overwhelming response from more than2000proud owners of CB350 series, registering on a specially designed online registration platform across India.

The groupof 120 riders were given a special welcome by the HMSIs management, dealers and other spectators at the venue as they thronged the premises on their Hness CB350 and CB350RS.

Welcoming the riders on the event, Mr. Atsushi Ogata, MD, President & CEO - Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India said, HMSI is delighted to organise first of its kind Honda Homecoming Fest for our CB350 customers in India and glad to receive an overwhelmingresponse for this activity.Customer first is our guiding principle and we aim to retain the highest level of customer delight by providing global level quality products and services.

Speaking on the initiative, Mr. Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Director, Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India said, As they say, real celebrations begin when you are back home, our BigWing team specially curated this very unique Home Coming Fest. The CB350 customers got a lifetime experience of witnessing first hand, the manufacturing of the very machines they are riding. It was rewarding to see their excitement and ethusiasm. To summarise, the home coming isnt just about the Hness CB350 & CB350RS, its about riding community and bonding over sharing of their experiences.

One of the prime focus of the Homecoming fest is Dreamers cafe, exclusively designed for customers to experince the legacy and history of HMSI, in a way which will be memorable and aspirational. The Dreamers cafe is a part of Rupantar Journey- the transformation project of Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India. A special champions walkway with 3D logo invokes the pride amogst the CB350 customers and mark homage to the MotoGP champions.

The fest included a guided plant tour and various fun and exciting activities including Ted Talk, Raizen art, Riding experience sharing, Videography training by GoPro among many others to establish a connect between the customers hailing in from various parts of the country while also integrating them firmly into the Honda family.
TEHRAN, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday the resumption of the Vienna talks on the revival of a 2015 nuclear deal is on the agenda of Tehran and the other parties.

Saeed Khatibzadeh said at a weekly press conference that Iran and the European Union (EU) both maintain a protracted break fails to be in favor of the talks, and it would be appropriate to continue the negotiations as soon as possible.

He said the issues pertaining to Iran, the EU, Russia and China in the talks have been resolved, noting that Enrique Mora, the EU's coordinator for the negotiations, is pushing through what remains between Iran and the United States.

Khatibzadeh stressed that both Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell agree that a prolonged pause is not in the best interest of the talks.

However, no decision has been made yet on the venue and level of the meeting, and Vienna is waiting for Washington in making its political decision, he noted.

In 2015, Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers, including the United States. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran, including freezing some of Iran's assets abroad, prompting the latter to drop some of its nuclear commitments.

Since April 2021, several rounds of talks have been held in the Austrian capital between Iran and the remaining JCPOA parties to revive the deal. 
McDonalds India West and South organized a reading session filled with excitement and learning on Saturday, 23rd April. As part of the newly launched Happy Meal Readers program, the leading QSR brand owned and operated by Westlife Development Ltd. hosted this session at the McDonalds Kandivali (East) outlet. Shweta Chaudhary, a popular lifestyle, and mom influencer read the The Tiny Detectives series to the kids. Walt Disney once quoted, There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates loot on Treasure Island. This element is finely reflected in The Tiny Detectives which is a part of the 12-set book collection curated by award-winning British author Cressida Cowell, popularly known for her How to Train your Dragon series. The kids who attended this reading session were mesmerized by the imaginary tales of trees, spiders, stars, koalas and more from the books.

Through the Happy Meal Readers program, customers can now get books when they buy a happy meal from McDonalds restaurants in West and South India.

The fun reading session was hosted on Saturday, 23rd April 2022 at the McDonalds outlet in Kandivali (East). Popular lifestyle and mom influencer, Shweta Chaudhary was reading The Tiny Detectives to the kids.

McDonalds iconic Happy Meal now comes with a book from The Tiny Detectives collection by Award-winning author Cressida Cowell.
MMTC-PAMP, Indias only London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) Good Delivery gold & silver refinery, has unveiled a unique way to celebrate Akshay Tritiya through their Shuddh Se Shubh campaign. Buying gold on Akhsay Tritiya is a tradition and MMTC-PAMP has launched 24K, 999.9 purest gold Shankh coins to celebrate this festival of abundance.

Gold has always been a preferred form of investment among Indians across generations and buying gold for securing ones familys future is the purest reflection of ones love and commitment towards their loved ones. Passed down through generations and having the utmost mention in all celebrations, the Shuddh se Shubh campaign depicts the significance of this yellow metal through a 56 sec short digital film.

Through the loving relationship between a husband and wife, the campaign highlights how purity is the most auspicious aspect in both gold and personal values. As the wife gets ready for the opening ceremony of her new business, she asks her husband if he would accompany her to the venue. By not getting the desired response, her face falls but then her dejected face is lit up when the husband presents her with the MMTC-PAMP 20-gram Shankh 24k 999.9 purest gold coin saying, ...Kyunki business ki shuruaat mein sabse shuddh ko hi sabse shubh maana jaata hai.

Commenting on the occasion, MD & CEO, MMTC-PAMP said, Each MMTC-PAMP product is crafted with excellence and embodies Indian values and emotions. Akshay Tritiya is a festival that has immense cultural significance, and it is considered the most holy for starting new ventures, activities or businesses, and the 20 gm gold shankh coin is ideal to carry out the rituals. We recognize the need to invest into ones future through gold and MMTC-PAMPs 24K, 999.9 purest gold stand testimony to the finest Swiss craftsmanship available in India. We bring in unmatched credentials through our London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) accreditation, but our designs remain deeply rooted in the Indian culture.

The Shankh gold coin is available 20g and pair of 5g coins. The 20g coin feature Goddess Lakshmi, while the 5g pair feature both goddess Lakshmi and Ganeshji. Both products are shaped in the form of a Shankh or a conch shell which is of immense significance in Hindu culture. Traditionally, the Shankh was used to bathe deities for ritualistic purification and it is blown at times of worship in Hindu homes and temples.

The digital campaign is being promoted on all social media and the brand also plans to carry out a massive integrated campaign by partnering with influencers, large jewellers across multiple cities, radio-stations, PVR and INOX theatres thatll highlight MMTC-PAMPs commitment of providing the highest standards of purity to gold buyers across the country. One can invest in the dreams of their loved ones by gifting them these purest gold Shankh coins that are a symbol of purity, divinity and trust. The campaign not only highlights the priceless love between a couple but also the need to support women entrepreneurs. Investing in stree-shakti through streedhan is another message one can take from this film.

MMTC-PAMP also plans to release massive Akshay Tritiya discounts. Their Jitna Sona, Utna Chandi offer is targeted at every gold purchase above 5g on their website (shop.mmtcpamp.com) and their 13 Purity Verifications Centres spread across the country. SBI Credit card holders can also get a flat cashback of Rs 2500/- on a purchase of Rs 50,000 and above over and above the listed offer.

Each MMTC-PAMP product carries a unique number and comes packaged in an Assayer certified certicard to ensure product authenticity. MMTC-PAMPs products offer positive weight tolerance, which guarantees that every coin or bar you buy weighs more than the listed weight, ensuring customers get the highest value for their investment.
Astrology is one of the oldest science for forecasting the future and is held in great esteem across the country. People often look to the stars to help with key decisions and actions. Top astrologers, in recent times, have all been speaking about a rare celestial event that is happening. The planet Saturn's path will shift from April 29th onwards, when it enters its zodiac sign Aquarius - for the first time in 30 years. As per astrology, this will likely have a significant impact across the world

News18 India is for the first time on television, News18 India hosting the biggest conclave 'Shani War Adhiveshan,' with 24 famous astrologers including Acharya Vikramaditya, Pawan Sinha, and Pandit Deepak Dubey. The event will make for gripping viewing with the best astrologers presenting their views on the impact of this celestial development on things like the current Russia-Ukraine crisis but also what people especially in India can expect.

The Astro show Shani War Adhiveshan will be telecasted on 23rd April 2022 for three hours (14:00  17:00 Hrs).
Amid fast-rising Covid-19 cases in the Delhi-NCR region, PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo, in collaboration with NGO, Smile Foundation provided Covid-19 safety kits to the Gurugram administration. The safety kits include key preventive items like masks and digital thermometers along with Oxymeters, thermal scanners, and oxygen concentrators. The initiative aims at supporting the Gurugram administration towards effective management of the pandemic.

The Covid-19 safety kits were handed over in the presence of Nishant Yadav, IAS, Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram, Ankita Choudhary, IAS, SDM (North), Gurugram, and Joieta Rajput, Chief Manager, Sustainable Development, Smile Foundation. Members of the PepsiCo India team present at the handing over occasion included Himanshu Priyadarshi, Director, Public Policy and Government Affairs, Juhi Gupta, Head Sustainability, and Amit Nanchahal, Associate Director, Corporate Communications. The safety kits include over 15,000 masks (N-95) which have been made mandatory amid an uptick in Covid-19 cases in Delhi-NCR recently.

Commenting on the surge of Covid-19 cases, Nishant Yadav, IAS, Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram, said There has been a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases in Gurugram and neighboring districts. Wearing face masks has been made mandatory and everyone is urged to follow all Covid safety protocols and restrain from lowering their guard against Covid-19. We would like to thank PepsiCo India for their continued efforts and support in the effective management of the pandemic.

About the initiative, Subroto Roy, Senior Director, Operations, Smile Foundation, said, We are happy to partner with PepsiCo Foundation to fight the fast-rising cases of Covid -19 in Gurugram. This initiative is in line with our commitment to aid local administrations across the country and join hands in the fight against a possible resurgence of infections.

Commenting on the initiative, Himanshu Priyadarshi, Director, Public Policy and Government Affairs, PepsiCo India said, Being a responsible and committed corporate, PepsiCo India has been working towards supporting the Governments covid-19 relief efforts and coordinating action at scale. We stand with the local administration and are actively supporting them in fighting against the fast-rising covid cases in Gurugram.

In the light of the fast-rising Covid cases, PepsiCo Foundation, through its partnership with Smile partnership is providing over 50,000 PPE kits, along with digital thermometers, thermal scanners, oxymeters, concentrators & over 1 lakh N95 masks, across 11 States including Haryana to support the administration in its fight against Covid.

In the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, PepsiCo India distributed 4 lakh meals to the underserved population through the distribution of take-home ration kits, in Gurugram. The company also launched an initiative to distribute hygiene kits to the sanitation workers in Gurugram and create awareness on mask usage and compliance.

More about PepsiCo Indias Covid-19 community assistance efforts:

Since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, PepsiCo India has been actively stepping up its community support programs. The company has provided over 10 million meals to underserved communities and has made over 35,000 Covid-19 test kits available to various government labs and hospitals. The effort involved PepsiCo India partnering with leading NGOs such as Akshaya Patra Foundation, Smile Foundation, CII Foundation, and Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND). The company also provided hygiene kits to farmers and truck drivers across states including Haryana to ensure their well-being and safety during the pandemic.
India Today Group launched its first-ever Karnataka-focussed channel-Karnataka Tak. The channel will fall under the groups digital-first mother-brand, Tak. A regional-channel, Karnataka Tak aims to cater the Kannada speaking population with content-offerings in their native language.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Milind Khandekar, Managing Editor, Tak, said As per the last census, there are over 600 million people in India whose native language is not Hindi. As a brand, we want to move ahead from this linguistic barrier and in the last two years, we have gradually expanded beyond Hindi and launched in regional markets like Gujarat, Punjab & Maharashtra. With Karnataka Tak, we aim to follow the same approach.

Tak already has 19 Tak channels covering 11 content genres including sports, lifestyle, fitness, fiction, literature, astrology, crime, business, history and regional news. The app is built on artificial intelligence and machine learning to customise content in accordance with the users preference.

The content is exclusively curated for a more progressive and technnologically-aware audience.
By Anne Dachel OPEN LETTER TO SIMON BARON-COHEN, Professor of developmental psychopathology at Cambridge University and director of its Autism Research Centre, Cambridge University s.baron-cohen@psychol.cam.ac.uk Dear Professor Baron-Cohen, I'm writing because of what I'm reading in the British press about autism. There are a number of highly improbable and likely impossible things that we're supposed to believe about the autism rate. I'm finding so many excuses and strange explanations for why we have children everywhere with autism that it's hard to know how to begin. The British press never questions anything. One claim may directly contradict another, but no matter, it's all reported as THE TRUTH ABOUT AUTISM. In another age, they'd have told us that the Earth was both flat and round at the same time. AUTISM ISN'T AN EPIDEMIC Everything centers around the explosion in autism and how to explain it away. A once rare disorder is now so common that everyone knows someone with an autistic child and no one in authority seems worried. Autism only appears to have increased according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's really just "better diagnosing." The CDC must keep in close touch with the experts in the UK like yourself because you were quoted recently saying, 'I don't think it's the right way to think about autism, as an epidemic.' You obviously don't believe there really are more kids with autism. " 'A good part' of the rise,' ... can be explained by better diagnosis and an expanded definition of autism." HERE It's hard to believe you're living is in the same Britain where they recently announced that one in every 60 children has autism, including one in every 38 boys.

Stories like Autism Estimate Up 50 Percent In Britain HERE and One in Every 64 Children could have Autism, Cambridge Researchers Find HERE give us this information with absolutely no sense of alarm. I'm starting to think that the rate could be one in 10 in the UK and it wouldn't be a front page story.If things aren't bizarre enough in Britain, other autism news really adds to the confusion.Regardless of the shocking number of disabled children and the self-congratulatory explanation that it's all due to "better diagnosing," we're also being told by the British press that doctors aren't able to diagnosis autism, in fact, they're missing hundreds of thousands of British kids with autism.Last week, the British Journal of Psychiatry published a report from Cambridge University which said, "The ratio of unknown autism spectrum cases to known cases could be 3:2."There are still more children with autism to be found? One in every 60 isn't bad enough? Papers in Britain are putting out stories everywhere saying things like, "A new report has found 80 per cent of doctors believe they need more training on how to spot autism."The National Audit Office (NAO) survey found that most NHS organisations and local authorities do not know how many people with autism live in their area, and found GPs and social care staff have low awareness of autism and how to diagnose it."It makes absolutely NO SENSE, but no one seems to mind in the UK. Evidently, with 80 percent of doctors unsure about diagnosing autism, there can be both better diagnosing and misdiagnosing at the same time.In, Autism: Study Finds 12-fold Rise in Cases, HERE Independent Health Editor Jeremy Laurance, reported, "The number of children with autism has risen 12-fold in the past 30 years and may be 50 per cent higher than previously suspected, the most detailed study of the condition yet has found."Up to 250,000 children have autism or a related condition on the autistic spectrum, but have not been diagnosed, researchers say. They are in addition to the 500,000 children who are known to be affected."...The authors dismissed suggestions that changes in lifestyle or the environment were behind the rise. They put it down to improved awareness and detection, and the inclusion of milder conditions within the diagnosis."It seems there can't be too much autism in Britain. Here are some more examples of what they're reporting in British press. Doctors 'Need More Autism Training' says report Craegmoor News HERE . One in Every 64 Children could have Autism, Cambridge researchers find The Telegraph HERE . Many Autism Cases 'Undiagnosed' BBC News HERE If one can follow the logic here, we're being told by experts like yourself that Britain has always been awash with autism. Somehow, having 700,000 kids with autism is nothing new in the UK.I have only two questions for you:1. Tell us about the adults who have autism like we see in children. Where are they living and what are they doing? There are hundreds of thousands of parents in Britain, desperate about the future for their kids, who'd love to know.2. How will your country pay for the huge number of individuals with autism who will be aging out into the adult population and who will live long lives dependent on the British taxpayers?As was just reported in the Telegraph, you believe that autistic adults are 'currently very poorly served.' HERE And while you mention those with Asperger's Syndrome, I'd like you to show us the 30, 50, and 70 year old adults who display the same symptoms of classic autism that we see in children, the non-verbal adults in diapers, banging holes in walls and spinning in circles. I can guarantee it will get media coverage everywhere.Anne DachelMedia editorAge of Autism
BUENOS AIRES, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Argentina registered 11,307 new COVID-19 infections and 198 more deaths from the disease in the last seven days, raising its total caseload to 9,072,230 and national death toll to 128,542, the Ministry of Health said Sunday in its latest report.

The South American country is experiencing a "much better" epidemiological situation thanks to people's efforts and the immunization campaign against COVID-19, said Health Minister Carla Vizzotti.

"We are in autumn, winter is coming and the number of cases is likely to increase. We need to vaccinate everyone so that they are protected and can contribute to easing the epidemiological situation," the official said.

Argentina has so far administered 98,176,900 vaccine doses, and 17,261,339 people have received a booster dose, according to the ministry's Public Vaccination Monitor. 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Wes Stubblefield, M.D., (256) 340-2113

Since November 2021, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), in collaboration with pediatric healthcare providers including hospitals who treat children and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has been investigating an increase in hepatitis in young children. These children presented to providers in different areas of Alabama with symptoms of a gastrointestinal illness and varying degrees of liver injury including liver failure. Later analyses have revealed a possible association of this hepatitis with Adenovirus 41.

To date, nine children less than 10 years old have been identified as positive for adenovirus and two have required liver transplants. The affected children were from throughout the state of Alabama, and an epidemiological linkage among them has not been determined. None of these children has had any underlying health conditions of note.

ADPH issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) notification on February 1, 2022, to elicit additional cases, and ADPH is updating the HAN for redistribution. ADPH continues to collaborate with the CDC. Other entities working with ADPH include Children's of Alabama and Texas Children's. New York State Health Department Wadsworth Center and the Infectious Disease Pathology Branch at CDC have been performing the testing on the specimens in these cases.

CDC is developing a national Health Advisory looking for clinically similar cases with liver injury of unknown etiology or associated with adenovirus infection in other states and is discussing similar cases of hepatitis potentially associated with adenovirus with international colleagues.

Adenoviruses are common viruses that typically cause a mild, self-limiting flu-like or gastrointestinal illness. Rarely, in otherwise healthy individuals, do these viruses cause an illness so severe that they need to be hospitalized and may die.

Adenoviruses are usually spread from an infected person to others through:

Close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands

The air by coughing and sneezing

Touching an object or surface with adenoviruses on it, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands

Contact with stool, for example, during diaper changing

Adenoviruses are often resistant to common disinfectants and can remain infectious for long periods of time on surfaces and objects. Basic steps individuals can take to protect themselves from getting sick are as follows:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and help young children do the same.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

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4/15/22





County health departments throughout Alabama provide a wide range of confidential and professional services. Contact your local county health department for additional information.

Mission: To promote, protect, and improve Alabamas health

Vision: Healthy People. Healthy Communities. Healthy Alabama.
After nearly half a century, President Xi met with his old schoolmate Sommano Pholsena. Hear what Sommano said about his experience with Xi, and what makes the Communist Party of China successful.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
In doing research for my manuscript of The Law of the Bureaucrat: How an Incompetent Virologist Nearly Destroyed America, I have been digging through the history of the various federal health bureaucracies. They all seem to have found their genesis in Americas rapid expansion after the Civil War. That era had loosely governed territories, poor communications, and lots of hucksters willing to take advantage of an uninformed populace. Add to that the poorly developed state of medical science and patent medicines found fertile soil west of the Mississippi.

At the same time, workers on the Transcontinental Railroad were imported from China, bringing with them their favorite intoxicant, opium. Theyd go to the shantytown on their day off, smoke up a pipe, and then sleep it off. Chinese laborers dont look like white Americans, and racism reared its ugly head. The government got called in to stamp out the yellow peril and its culture of opium fiends who somehow roamed around town raping white women while simultaneously sleeping it off. As is common in mass public psychoses, facts did not matter.

In 1875, California outlawed non-medicinal opium. This facially neutral statute addressed a non-issue because non-medicinal use was very similar to alcohol and other intoxicants that werent major problems. But it had a powerful and lasting subtext: The Chinese werent welcome and wed outlaw their drugs while leaving ours alone and, in that way, the major public fear about the coolie was addressed.

The government could now be harnessed to handle problems. This tactic had now been proven. All that mattered was whether you had a big enough megaphone.

Similar tactics were used to raise opposition to alcohol, patent medicines, and other apparent ills. In the early twentieth century, these reached a head with the passage of Prohibition and the creation of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. The public soon realized the idiocy of prohibition and it was repealed in 1933. But food and drug regulation followed a different path. The story goes something like this.

It was widely recognized that various meats and medicines were less than sanitary and pure. So private entities began taking measures to change their processes. Heinz changed the way it made ketchup, ensuring the safety of its product in 1902. Other companies were certainly following suit. But the muckraking press (sound familiar?) was more interested in yellow journalism. If it bleeds it leads and well print it on yellow paper so you cant miss it.

Upton Sinclairs book The Jungle put the evil corporations and unsanitary meatpacking front and center. William Randolph Hearst and others competed for the most lurid headlines stoking fears of patent medicines as snake oil. And the Heinz improvements were lost in the noise.

Never one to let a crisis go to waste, Congress eventually passed the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. In theory, it was a very moderate piece of legislation. It basically required accurate labeling of medicines and outlawed adulterated or putrid meats. Poisons in food and medicine were banned, with a very specific list in the law. Unfortunately, a couple of lines in the Act opened Pandoras Box.

First, it said that the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of Commerce and Labor shall make uniform rules and regulations for carrying out the provisions of this Act Then it went on to say that foods could not contain, any added poisonous or other added deleterious ingredient. Welcome to the Devils Playground.

Who determines if something is poisonous or deleterious? The bureaucrat, of courseand Harvey Washington Wiley, the chief chemist of the Department of Agriculture, did the deed. He actually did some science to determine that formaldehyde was toxic and banned it. But he did it without the involvement of Congress. He felt that the Act gave him free rein to ban whatever he wanted. The horse was out of the barn.

The Acts language was very permissive and is found in almost every federal statute today. Congress cant be bothered to actually look at a problem and get together on language to tightly define a task the bureaucrat is supposed to do. In short, CongressCritters wish to look like theyre doing something about a problem but delegate the actual doing to an expert whom they cant be bothered to supervise. The result is regulations by the ton, all with the force of law, thanks to the Supreme Courts Auer and Chevron decisions, both of which granted vast deference to government agencies to interpret federal statutes.

Two examples will suffice to show how evil this has become. The first is the Obama EPAs Waters of the US rule. Under it, navigable waters, the waters that Congress gave the EPA the power to regulate, include a farmers pond and a ditch to direct stormwater to runoff from fields. This is obviously an over-reach, but still lawful under Auer and Chevron.

The next is the EPAs endangerment finding regarding carbon dioxide. With it, the EPA can regulate CO2 out of existence, turning the planet into a desert where there isnt enough CO2 for plants to survive. It doesnt matter that the very idea that CO2 is a greenhouse gas has serious scientific questions. Bureaucrats said it, so they get to do what they want to destroy the energy that supplies every bite we eat.

In 1996, Congress did put some brakes on bureaucrats with the Congressional Review Act. Basically, it allows Congress to reject any sizeable regulation within certain time limits. Practicality says that very few regulations get overturned. Too many oxes would get gored. And Congress claims it has more important things to do while it works half days and takes months off.

Its time to make it clear that Congress writes the rules, not the bureaucrats. When Wiley added formaldehyde to the forbidden list, he preserved the right of bureaucrats to be the smartest person in the room. Congress wasnt able to properly supervise, so the bureaucrat had to do the job. And left to himself, the bureaucrat will always expand his reach. But that doesnt have to be so.

Congress has decided that it doesnt need to take the time to read multi-thousand-page bills before passing them, so its members cannot claim lack of time as an excuse not to take up multi-thousand-page proposed regulations for ratification. To that end, a very simple statute should be put in place as soon as possible. Every new regulation by any executive agency should be ratified by a (super-?) majority of both houses of Congress and signed by the President before becoming effective.

Dont complain that Congress doesnt have enough time. All that means is that they have their fingers in too many pots. By the way, rescinding regulations should not require approval. That would mean that they are not needed and is functionally the same as congressional non-approval in the first place.

The Constitution was designed to limit government. Over time it has become a behemoth that swallows up everything. Every step to take a bit back is a good one.

Ted Noel MD is a retired Anesthesiologist/Intensivist who podcasts and posts on social media as DoctorTed and @vidzette. His DoctorTed podcasts are available on many podcast channels.

Image: Cartoon celebrating Harvey Washington Wiley who led the way to the regulatory state. Public domain.
During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast, pray, engage in acts of piety and charity, and reminisce over warfare and bloodshed in the name of Islam.

Virtually every Ramadan features various Islamic authorities, personages, and/or institutes reminding Muslims to take pride in and celebrate various historic battles between Muslims and non-Muslims, or infidels (as in this hour-long televised special). Among other things, such victories are meant to demonstrate the power, and thus truth, of Islam.

This alone should underscore Islams innate militancy in comparison to other religions. It further suggests that Islam is a worldly religion, one that takes pride and finds validation in something as corporeal and temporal as victory in warfare (with all the attendant collection of booty and slaves that entails).

By way of analogy, and to better appreciate Ramadan-time celebrations of jihad, imagine Christians gathered together in church during Christmas or Easter. Then, the officiating pastor or priest eulogizes the bloody military conquests Christians had over non-Christians during Christmas or Easter -- even as the congregants cheer or at least feel deep pride in their Christian faith.

Not only is such a scenario exceedingly difficult to imagine -- ultimately a reflection of how utterly different Christianity and Islam are from one another -- but many of todays Christians have become so anti-war as to characterize even self-defense as un-Christian. That, at least, is what the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, seems to think: recently, while condemning war, he went so far as also to condemn Just War, the idea that war is legitimate when waged for just reasons (self-defense, liberating conquered peoples or territory, etc.)

Hence the double irony: most of the wars that took place on, and which Muslims celebrate every Ramadan had nothing to do with just war, and were in fact aggressive and imperialistic in nature.

An article on the popular website AboutIslam.net makes all this clear. Titled, 7 Remarkable Islamic Victories That Took Place in Ramadan, it opens by saying, Ramadan is a special month thats full of blessings for the Muslim Ummah. It is not only famous for fasting and charity, but also for great Islamic victories that changed the world.

Examining the list, however, there is no question that at least five of the seven military episodes it mentions -- the battle of Badr and the conquests of Mecca, Spain, Crimea, and Nubia -- were unjust, meaning they had nothing to do with Muslims engaging in self-defense or liberating their conquered territories and everything to do with Muslims waging unprovoked wars of conquest in search of plunder.

For example, although much extolled in Islamic historiography for being Islams first major victory over infidels, when stripped of its hagiographical veneer, the battle of Badr (624 AD) appears to have been little more than a caravan raid, driven by lust for booty.

Similarly, Muslims were the aggressors in the various conquests highlighted by AboutIslam.net for taking place on Ramadan. During these conquests, Muslims invaded non-Muslim territories, butchered and enslaved their inhabitants, and appropriated their lands -- and for no other reason, and under no other logic, than that they were infidels, non-Muslims.

The eighth-century invasion and subsequent conquest of Spain, for instance, featured hordes of invading Muslims slaughtering countless thousands of Christians and torching their churches (in one notable incident in Cordoba, the Muslims managed to kill two birds with one stone when they torched a church with its inhabitants trapped inside).

The same with the Crimea. Originally inhabited by Slavic peoples, Muslims -- Turks and Tatars -- brutally conquered it in the fifteenth century and turned it into an emporium of white flesh. An estimated three million Slavs -- Poles, Lithuanians, Russians, and Ukrainians -- were enslaved and, according to a contemporary chronicle, sold like sheep between 1450 and 1783.

This is what Muslims are supposed to remember and celebrate during their holy month -- during their equivalent of a Christmas or Easter season: the unprovoked invasions and bloody subjugations their ancestors undertook in the name of Islam against people whose only crime was to be non-Muslims. (Little wonder that, so riled, Muslims not infrequently randomly and murderously assault infidels in their midst.)

Incidentally, taking pride in Islamic violence is not limited to radical sheikhs or websites; it is quite mainstream. Thus, not only is the popular English language website, AboutIslam.net, considered moderate and meant to put a good face on Islam before infidels; the aforementioned article celebrating seven battles/conquests during Ramadan was published by the websites Family & Life team.

Before closing, and lest Muslims truly believe that Ramadan is exclusively a month of victorious jihads, let it be noted that Muslims also lost a fair bit of military engagements during their holy month -- the pivotal Battle of Tours (732), when outnumbered Franks halted Islams advance into Europe, being just one of the more memorable.

Raymond Ibrahim, author of the new book, Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam, is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.

Image: Louis Theodore Devilly
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got one thing right early in her political career when she declared that the Democrats would turn the whole country red. She was immediately corrected, but she was right in her color selection.

Who was the genius who colored Democrats blue and Republicans red on election maps? I can understand the Democrats wanting to hide their true colors, but why did the Republicans accept it?

Words have meanings. To an old Cold Warrior, the word Red means Communist and thats what my mind locks onto when I hear it, and probably every other old soldier's, too. It is time to restore color correctness!

What color was Hillarys Red Button? The one she used to reset relations with Russia? What were the Red Guards and the Red Brigade? If you dont know, look them up. Hint: they werent Boy Scouts.

How about the Red October? It isnt a U.S. naval vessel. Red Dawn is not about a colorful sunrise. Have you seen the movie Reds? Have you heard of the Red Scare?

Why is Moscows Red Square called Red Square and not Blue Square? Whose universal symbol is a red star? Youre probably too young to remember the Red Terror, but were seeing it again. Who publishes the Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) newspaper? Why was Mao Tse-tungs Little Red Book red? Why did Hitler choose red as the dominant color of the Nazi flag? Speaking of Ukraine, what was the Red Famine?

Back in the 80s, I was invited to address the Socialist Internationale about the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The conference was held in a medieval Florentine palace. Three-story-high red banners draped the old building inside and out, every table was covered with red cloth. Red posters and red stars everywhere. The vast halls red atmosphere fairly pulsated and pounded the senses. (Amazingly, the conference was convened to condemn the Soviets for war crimes against the people of Afghanistan.)

In our own American Revolutionary war, the British were called Redcoats because they wore red coats (so they wouldnt show the blood so much, said the wags.) Our side wore blue coats. In the American Civil War, the Union army wore blue coats. In military war games and maps to this day, the disposition of the enemy is presented in red, the U.S. side in blue. Which American political party always supports a strong military and peace through strength? Tip: the party with the elephant.

Why did the Cincinnati Reds change their name to the Redlegs?

In January 2022, Ukrainian Naya Lekht, a Russian scholar, published as essay: The Unleashing of the Red Roar: Awakening Racial Consciousness to Stir a Revolution.

Red says DANGER.

When a pilot sees a red light on his instrument panel, its a sphincter-puckering moment. In bookkeeping, debt is tallied in red ink -- if your debt exceeds your assets, youre in the red. Which American political party is into spend, spend, spend? Who do we look to for deficit spending?

Code Red in a hospital or weather report is never good news. If youve been red flagged by the government, you could be in deep doo-doo.

Who stands on the Thin Blue Line to protect us? What does the blue line represent on some American flags? Who backs our men and women in blue?

In short, good guys blue, other guys red. Our body politic has been gaslighted big time, and Republicans fell for the old color switcheroo. We can thank the New York Times, the paper that covered up the Holocaust and Stalins murderous crimes, for that. Smithsonian magazine explains how it happened in their 2012 (updated in 2020) article When Republicans Were Blue and Democrats Were Red.

The Communist Partys banner is not blue -- it is gloriously RED. How about the American Workers Party, which complains about red-baiting, while accusing Biden of not being Marxist enough? Their banner is defiantly red, too, as well as the American Party of Labors hammer and sickle banner.

Its disturbing that senators Graham and Kennedy in their recent campaign video for Kennedys reelection that they portrayed the U..S capitol and environs entirely in red. This is exactly what the Marxists are after. Theyve gaslighted us into believing that Red is Good. Isaiah 5:20 applies here. So does Orwells 1984.

Its time for the GOP to grow a pair. Stop allowing our adversaries to rule us by diktats. They started with telling us how we have to pronounce certain names: Beijing, not Peking. Mao Tze Dong, not Mao Tse-Tung. Holland does not threaten us for not calling the country De Nederlanden, nor does Germany demand we call it Deutschland. Weve allowed the Arabs to control our Middle East policy concerning Israel. We acquiesced to the Chicom demand that we derecognize Taiwan in return for allowing us to recognize the Peoples Republic of China.

Now we let them color us red. That diktat has only been inflicted on the country since the 2000 elections. Republicans: Maybe you cant stop the medias distortion of reality, but you dont have to indulge Democrat color dysphoria! Stop allowing yourself to be painted red -- call yourself anything else. It doesnt even have to be a color. If you have put out your own color-coded maps, do them right. Better yet, if the Democrats wont proudly take back the red (they should, now that they have removed the mask) then color yourselves as red, white & blue. The stripes on your maps will be striking! And appropriate.

Image: Angr
In 2014, the number of black American murder victims was 6,095. Then, after the August 2014 killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, anti-police protests and riots began, federal officials and mass media sympathetic to rioters brought heightened scrutiny to police practices, BLM began its career, "broken windows" policing was curtailed, and police morale plummeted. The number of murders thereupon began to surge, never to return to 2014 levels.

The "excess" murder victims from 2015 through 2020 who were black -- that is, the additional black victims each year beyond the 2014 baseline -- add up to 11,005. Compare that to the number of lynchings during the heyday of Jim Crow. According to the Tuskegee Institute, the number of blacks lynched from 1882 through 1968 was 3,446.

Here are the numbers of black murder victims from 2014 through 2020:

Year No. of Blacks Murdered "Excess" Victims 2014 6,095 -- 2015 7,039 944 2016 7,881 1,786 2017 7,851 1,756 2018 7,407 1,312 2019 7,484 1,389 2020 9,913 3,818

The numbers come from the FBI, though the FBI report for 2020 was visible online for only a short time in 2021. Crime analyst Jeff Asher reported the 2020 figures before the FBI took the report down.

One might object that 2014 is an unfairly low baseline against which to compare the ensuing years. 2014 seems a natural starting-point for the analysis, as that was the year of Ferguson and the founding of BLM. But the homicide figures in 2014 represented an historic low, a fact that might make the "excess" death figures for the ensuing six years look artificially high by comparison. With the rise of "stop and frisk" policing, the number of homicides had been trending downward each year, with minor exceptions, from 1992 through 2014.

But even if one were to pick a more typical pre-Ferguson year, the analysis would not be much different. Take 2010, for example, the first full year of Obama's presidency, when the number of black murder victims totaled 6,470. If "excess" black murder victims from 2015 through 2020 were gauged against a baseline of 2010 instead of 2014, the number would be 8,755. That still vastly outstrips the 3,446 blacks killed by lynch mobs from 1882 through 1968.

Another objection might concern the inclusion of 2020 in the analysis. That year saw the biggest annual increase in the number of post-Ferguson murders. The 3,818 "excess" murders of blacks that year alone exceeds Tuskegee's 86-year tally for lynchings of blacks. But 2020 was also the first year of the pandemic. Many commentators argue that the big jump in the homicide numbers that year had more to do with the lockdown and the governmental shutdown of the nation's economy than with policy choices urged by BLM.

But 2020 was also the year of George Floyd. His death in police custody triggered a wave of protests and riots more widespread and violent than those seen over the four years before it. Only after Floyd's death did the push to defund police departments, an idea hitherto confined to the most radical margins of public life, become a mainstay of urban Democrats. The result was not a break with the Ferguson Effect but an enlargement of it. The ensuing sanctification of Floyd and vilification of police led to a further pullback in police presence in the most troubled neighborhoods and a further increase in police retirements and resignations, a Ferguson Effect on steroids.

The murder statistics for that year point to the politics of Floyd's death, not to the pandemic, as the cause of the 2020 surge. Before Floyd's death, the pandemic lockdown had driven crime rates not higher, but lower than the year before. Homicide was an exception in some localities, with April 2020 homicide totals in New York City and Chicago, for example, showing a slight uptick from the year before. (Since 2015, Chicago had been experiencing its own local variation of the Ferguson Effect, namely the "ACLU Effect.") But after Floyd's death on May 25, homicides surged, and remained far in excess of 2019 totals for the rest of the year. Conservative writer Steve Sailer graphed the weekly gun-death figures for 2020 gathered by the Gun Violence Archive, which showed that the seven-plus months from Floyd's death through the end of 2020 saw 50.5 murders a day, a 41% increase upon the 35.7 murders per day for the corresponding period a year before. Mainstream sources corroborate the timing of the post-Floyd surge, even if they do not comment on the obvious correlation.

It is seldom easy to reliably identify the causes of social trends, but even a child can connect the dots where the increase in murders since 2014 is concerned. The communities most afflicted by violent crime have sent an unmistakable message, through their protests, their rioting, and the pronouncements of their elected tribunes, that the police practices that brought the crime rate down after 1992 must end. Democracy, alas, has worked exactly the way it's supposed to, with voters telling elected officials what to do, those officials telling the police what to do, and the police obeying. And anyone can see the results.

The most puzzling question is not what caused the surge in murders, but why the people most victimized by that surge are so heavily devoted to the policies that caused it. Without the support of large majorities of black voters, the curtailment of "broken windows" policing and the reduction of police budgets would never have occurred. But for the decisions of black voters, most of those 11,005 "excess" black victims might well be alive today.

Image: Daniel Arauz
Russia's invasion of Ukraine was largely predictable but it also brought some surprises. It was quite expected that the current U.S. administration would try to draw Russia into the "Ukrainian swamp" in order to weaken and isolate it as much as possible. It was expected that the inexperienced and naive Ukrainian leader would trust the promises of the Biden team and let them to drag his country into a devastating gamble.

It was expected that Russia, seeking to restore its former empire, would use Western provocations to establish its presence in a weak and corrupt Ukraine. It was completely unexpected that instead of a modern, maneuverable, and highly organized Russian army, we saw poorly trained troops erasing entire cities from the face of the earth like nomadic hordes. A terrifying surprise has been the use by the Kremlin against its brothers in blood and faith of the Chechen and Syrian militants of the Wagner group. Finally, the biggest surprise was the desperate courage of the Ukrainians themselves and the high combat readiness of their armed forces.

This war will not end in the foreseeable future. Most likely, it will lead to the destruction of Ukraine and the extreme weakening of Russia, exhausted by excessive exertion of forces and sanctions.

The question is what goals should the West set for itself in this situation and should it strive for the complete destruction of Russia? Or, on the contrary, does it need a comparatively strong Russia?

Relations between the West and Russia are determined by three factors: geopolitical, economic, and cultural.

In geopolitical terms, Russia was natural buffer between the West and Asia, which includes the Muslim East and China. The weakening of Russia will mean a simultaneous sharp rise of Islam and China.

Let's start with China. Russia is already turning into a raw materials appendage of a high-tech and powerful Chinese empire. If Russia is cut off from the West, it will inevitably become completely dependent on China with its unlimited human and technological resources. This means that China, through its satellites in the Kremlin, will directly reach European borders. The old Soviet joke about the "Chinese-Finnish border" will become an ominous reality. The huge military resources of Russia will become a de facto part of the Chinese military machine, which can simultaneously threaten both the U.S. and Europe. It is the worst possible scenario for the West.

There are large Muslim enclaves in Russia itself, including Chechnya, other Caucasian republics and the Volga republics: Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and others. Islamic radical groups, branches of the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis operate everywhere here. In the event of a losing or weakening of control from the Kremlin, they inevitably (as in other failed states) try to create a series of "caliphates," like the Islamic State. With the support of the gigantic Muslim communities in Russia's major cities, they will get a base for further advances to the West. In such case they will get assistance from Turkey, which regards significant parts of Ukraine and Russia as a natural part of the new Ottoman Caliphate. Crimea, the historical vassal of Turkey, will be drawn into the orbit of the new "High Porte" too.

The regimes of Central Asia are to a large extent supported by Russian bayonets. If Moscow withdraws from the region, the Afghan Taliban, successfully brought back to power by President Biden and his team, will immediately fill the resulting vacuum. The huge territories of largely artificial states, like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and others, will turn into a single "caliphate" and a natural reserve for terrorist groups. At the same time, masses of refugees from these countries will rush to the West in search of salvation. Compared to these unrestrained flows, the migration of 2015 will be child's play.

Only the wishful thinking of the ignorant and arrogant elites of the West can deny the reality of such a scenario. None of them imagined that the defeat of the USSR in Afghanistan would become a prelude to 9/11 and world Islamic terror, and the romance of the "Arab spring" would give this terror a new impetus.

In the economic aspect, the West is in dire need of Russian raw materials, not only energy resources, but valuable minerals. Russia is the world's largest diamond miner, a leading exporter of cobalt, vanadium, and platinum, gold, nickel and sulfur, silver and phosphates, and iron ore. The West cannot count on other sources of energy resources -- from the Persian Gulf, Iraq, Libya, and Iran. First, such resources are not enough, and secondly, they are located in an extremely unstable and unpredictable region. Attempts to replace traditional energy sources with alternative "green energy" are doomed to failure as well.

In the cultural aspect, both Europe and America are already forced to desperately fight for their national identities, undermined by such neo-Marxist ideologies as identity politics, Critical Race Theory, intersectionality, cancel culture and others. So far, the national movements of North America and Europe are losing this game. Eastern Europe remains the main so far the only stronghold of European cultural identity, however, in the event of the collapse of Russia, the countries of Eastern Europe and the Balkans will find themselves between a rock and a hard place: the globalist West, on the one hand, and China and Muslims, on the other. Their future, like the future of Israel, will be in doubt. The fall of Russia as a strong country with stable Christian national traditions will leave America, already extremely weakened by globalists and progressives, alone in the fight against external threats. The consequences of this will be very sad for the U.S. as a state, and for Western civilization as a whole.

Thus, having lost Russia, the West will lose the powerful natural barrier that separates it from the hostile East, and will significantly strengthen both the Chinese empire and world Islam. The way to the West will be open.

This has happened three times in the past. The first time it occurred in the first millennium, when the hordes of the Huns broke through the defenses of the Byzantine Empire, invading Europe.

The second time was in the 13th century, when the Mongol hordes crushed Kievan Rus, destroyed Hungary and Poland and almost reached Prague, Austria, and German lands.

The third time the Christian West allowed Byzantium to die under the blows of the Turks in the 15th century and actually opened the way to Vienna for Ottomans.

In all three cases the West was saved by divine guidance. Will it save the West for the fourth time?

Alexander Maistrovoy is the author of Agony of Hercules or a Farewell to Democracy (Notes of a Stranger). He worked professionally as a journalist in Russia in the early eighties. In 1988 he immigrated to Israel and worked for Russian-language Israeli press. He has been published in different English Internet editions and websites including Israel National News, Times of Israel, American Thinker, Jihad Watch, anada Free Press, ISRAPUNDIT, World Tribune, Liberty Unyielding and others.

Image: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
With Democrats in a bind as midterms approach, the worst of them have turned to sleazy tin-pot-dictator measures to disqualify popular Republicans from the ballot itself, knowing they can't win otherwise.

They've already put Georgia's popular Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in the dock (See Andrea Widburg's thoughts on that here). Now it turns out they were also active in Arizona, seeking to prevent Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar, as well as Republican state rep. Mark Finchem, who is running for secretary of state, in charge of counting elections, from putting their names on the ballot.

In their case, though, a state judge called bee ess and shut the whole kabuki down.

According to Newsweek:

A judge in Arizona rejected an effort to prevent GOP Representatives Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar from 2022 midterm election ballots on Friday, asserting that the "plaintiffs have no private right of action" to disqualify the Republicans over their actions related to the January 6, 2021, attack against the U.S. Capitol. A lawsuit was filed against Biggs, Gosar and GOP state Representative Mark Finchem, contending that the three Arizona Republicans should not be allowed to appear on the ballot  alleging they are not permitted to hold office due to their participation in an "insurrection." Many Democrats and some Republicans have called the attack by former President Donald Trump's supporters against the U.S. Capitol an "insurrection."

He didn't want to waste time on this crap. And his legal reasoning, that "plaintiffs have no private right of action" to disqualify others from running, was as clear as day. After all, if they did have such a right, anyone could shut down other candidates over whatever spurious concern bothered them or whatever unproven crime they could cook up, and then no one could run at all. That would be some fine democracy for us, wouldn't it?

Seeking to disqualify candidates is hardly new. Barack Obama got his political start using this technique, invalidating signatures of rivals in 1996 to knock them off the ballot, leaving himself as the only viable candidate as he won his first statehouse seat in Illinois. What is new, however, is that instead of signatures, leftist operatives are employing vague charges of "insurrection" and "January 6" in a new and desperate effort to halt the coming red wave, which is exactly what Venezuela's tropical Marxist dictators, Hugo Chavez and his successor, Nicolas Maduro, once did. They too howled about "insurrection" and "unrest" to knock their rivals off the ballots. It worked great for them  and the result is "Venezuela," where no one has any meaningful vote at all. I wrote about that here.

Now, correlation is not causation, but sometimes correlations are pretty significant when one can't see all the sharks under the surface. The Jan. 6 riot was all about protests over election fraud in the 2020 election. State after state has taken measures to clean up elections in the wake of that fiasco, and all of those measures have been met with protests by Democrats, who are the accused fraudsters. When we think about dictators going to any means necessary to ensure their permanent power, including knocking rivals off the ballot on junk "insurrection" grounds, it's worth noting that sure enough, Venezuela is also wracked by election fraud. We started seeing it in 2004 with the recall referendum on Hugo Chavez, but it's snowballed since. It's gotten so bad that the U.S. refuses to recognize Maduro as the legitimate Venezuelan president. It's gotten so awful that even the Smartmatic voting machine company pulled out of the country because elections had grown so dirty. It's gotten so bad that even the normal international election observers who watch such things, from the Carter Center and the European Union, won't go there.

Disqualified candidates and fraudulent elections have an amazing tendency to turn up together.

So now we have this judicial voice of sanity, who prudently said he was not commenting on the merits of the leftists' charges against Biggs and Gosar, but narrowly laying down the law that private citizens have no business telling candidates who can and cannot run, because that's the voters' job. Don't like the candidate, don't vote for him. But don't shut down other people's choices just because you don't like him.

That's what this is ultimately about: whether or not a voter can choose whom he wants to vote for. The voters love Biggs and Gosar. Democrats who are trying to shut them down are ultimately trying to shut down their voters, which is very much within the Chavista playbook. One hopes the crisp legal reasoning of this Arizona judge rings out to the other trial on this that is going on in Georgia.

Image: Pixnio, CC0.
RIO DE JANEIRO, April 24 (Xinhua) -- After a two-year suspension due to COVID-19, Brazil's Carnival returned this weekend, as the tourism sector was worried about a lack of income and employment.

As millions of spectators enjoyed the traditional celebration at an unusual time of the year, the famous "blocos," or musical troupes, returned to parade in the streets in cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, while samba schools again lit up the Sambadrome, a special venue built for the carnival in Rio de Janeiro.

Originally scheduled for the end of February, the carnival was cancelled for the third straight year after an increase in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant.

However, pressure from the tourism sector over fears of another year without its main season of income and employment, led to a rescheduling for the end of April.

Although lacking in thousands of foreign tourists, the carnival was boosted by domestic revelers that pushed hotel occupancy and revived the service sector.

In Rio de Janeiro, the hotel occupancy was between 85 and 90 percent this weekend, according to the Brazilian Hotel Industry Association.

Other state capitals have also seen high rates, such as 70 percent in Recife, 65 percent in Florianopolis, 60 percent in Natal and 60 percent in Aracaju. 
Chicago, famous around the globe for exotic outdoor violence, is undergoing a spike in bodies being discovered in the city's waters. According to CWB Chicago:

Local media outlets have been making a bit of hay over the fact that authorities have recovered four bodies from the Chicago River and Lake Michigan over the past week

But rather than sound the alarm at a wave of aquatic criminality, the author wisely notes an article published in the Chicago Tribune in 1993.

[W]hat causes the annual spike in waterway bodies? When a person drowns, the lungs  which are normally full of air  compress as the body goes to the bottom, a spokesman for the Cook County Medical Examiner said. As the tissue begins to decompose, it creates gases which fill those cavities, and the body comes to the surface. When the water is extremely cold, it slows and nearly stops that process. A body may remain at the bottom for months in the winter, but it surfaces in three to six days when the water is warmer.

Read Recktenwald's piece for the full explanation.

As the swallows to Capistrano and the cherry blossoms to Washington, D.C., natural cycles bring seasonal phenomena every spring. Alongside those wonders, Chicago has its corpse season, hardly something to celebrate, yet consistent with the city's brand.

Hat tip: Peter von Buol.

Photo credit: Steve Shook, CC BY 2.0 license.
Florida has been on a roll, doing one thing after another to clean up its education system. In the past year, it passed a bill blocking universities from censoring (conservative) political views; banned communist-controlled Confucius Institutes from campuses; mandated that high school students learn financial literacy; banned Critical Race Theory in public schools; and, of course, passed the Parental Rights in Education bill, preventing teachers from instructing their five- to eight-year-old students about sexuality. What also happened last week was that Florida got a new law limiting tenure at Florida's public universities.

Tenure  permanent job security for college and university professors who have managed to maintain their jobs for a certain period  is a relatively new concept. It began in 1940, when the American Association of University Professors created a Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure holding that academic integrity requires that professors must be free from the fear of firing.

Perhaps tenure made sense when Nazis (who were socialists) were using political brute force to purge German campuses of anybody who stood against their socialist totalitarianism. However, tenure makes less sense in America when college and university professors, who are almost entirely socialist, use academic brute force to indoctrinate students and stop people who are not hard left from getting hired.

If you're wondering why we should care about hiring and (not) firing academics at colleges and universities, there's a simple answer: it's because every single bad idea that's ripping America apart today originated or incubated in academia. Critical Race Theory started with multiple American legal scholars (and leftists); large chunks of modern feminist theory started on American campuses through the works of multiple (leftist) academics; Modern Monetary Theory, which says the government with a fiat currency (a world standard currency) can print money indefinitely, has been pushed by academics for decades now; and the LGBTQ+++ theories have a permanent home on American college campuses.

These pernicious ideas are then force-fed to students. At that point, the most rabid students remain in academia to indoctrinate the next generation, while the other students get management jobs in American corporations, where they drive corporate wokism.

Tenure also matters because many of the people who have tenure are incapable of teaching. My hostility to tenure developed long ago when I was a student at U.C. Berkeley and could count on the fingers of one hand the number of professors I had (all tenured) who deserved the right to be at the front of a classroom. But these professors published, so they kept grinding away, reading aloud from yellowed notes with no regard for actually teaching.



Image: The University of Florida's Library West by Porsche997SBS. Public domain.

Tenure is a lousy system that grants sinecures to undeserving people who would be unable to hold their jobs if they were working in a true merit-based system. But Florida is about to change that within its borders:

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a bill that makes it harder for faculty at state universities to retain tenure, framing the legislation as another way that he and the Legislature are working to prevent educators from bringing their political views into the classroom. In a wide-ranging news conference at The Villages that took swings at Twitter and alleged that textbook publishers were peddling hidden agendas, DeSantis criticized what he called "lifetime appointments" for university professors. "We need to make sure the faculty are held accountable and make sure they don't just have tenure forever without having any type of ways to hold them accountable or evaluate what they're doing," DeSantis said. "It's all about trying to make these institutions more in line with what the state's priorities are and, frankly, the priorities of the parents throughout the state of Florida." Every five years, he said, tenured faculty would be required to go before their university's board of trustees, which could part ways with them. The text of the bill does not give that level of specificity but rather states a five-year review would take place to be determined by the state Board of Governors. Each state university already requires tenured professors to take part in an annual review.

The usual suspects complained. The whole point of tenure, pointed out Andrew Gothard, president of the United Faculty of Florida, is to ensure that the one reason faculty members cannot be fired is their politics. But what if politics makes a Florida professor fail a student who refused to renounce her Christian faith? And what do we do about the University of Florida, which named a study room after Karl Marx, whose philosophy has been responsible for over 100 million deaths?

The Florida Legislature, guided by Gov. Ron DeSantis, has just reminded public university employees that he who pays the piper calls the tune. In the case of public universities, it's Florida's taxpayers who pay the piper, and they are the ones who elected a Republican-majority Legislature that says it's time to rein in the anti-White, anti-Asian, misanthropic, anti-heterosexual, anti-American madness that is the dominant note on college and university campuses.
A Russian friend of mine managed to escape from Moscow and relocate abroad with her family. A close call, she writes  one family member was in danger of a stiff prison sentence. He had been arrested for blogging against Putin and the invasion of Ukraine and then been interrogated at the Lubyanka, headquarters of the FSB, today's successor to the Cheka, GPU, NKVD, and KGB. The young man was seized on the streets, held in confinement long enough to rattle his nerves, and subjected to threats alternating with offers to turn informant.

I just wrote a book about an American agent in Moscow a hundred years ago. This was the same treatment practiced on her in the early 1920s. The only difference between the Lubyanka then and now is that the food is better today.

Nothing substantially changes in Russia. Identical secret police techniques were utilized by the tsars. In 1911, Joseph Conrad published a novel about Russian autocracy (Under Western Eyes). In an introduction to the 1920 edition, following the Bolshevik revolution, he wrote that the "world is brought once more face to face with the truth of the saying that the tiger cannot change his stripes nor the leopard his spots."

This is equally true of the egregious violence of Russian politicos. Lenin and Trotsky institutionalized their revolution through sheer terror and intimidation. Their opponents in the Civil War (19181920) were no less bloody. The Civil War lingered in the Russian Far East long after it was won in the European "center" of the country. Russia spans eleven time zones. The Russian Far East is ten times the size of Texas, and its principal cities are as distant from Moscow as Honolulu is from Washington, D.C.

Something like a quarter of a million Russians of all socio-economic backgrounds fled from the center to the Far East to escape the Bolshevik revolution. Given their distaste for totalitarianism and the disinterest of the eastern peasantry in Marxist doctrines, a more or less constitutional order might well have been established in the vastness of Far Eastern Siberia. The reason that didn't happen is essentially because of the atrocities of the White generals.

Historian Jamie Bisher in White Terror: Cossack Warlords of the Trans-Siberian, the most authoritative account of the Civil War in the east, cites one general who confided that he "was ashamed to eat a meal unless he had killed someone and earned that meal" and "could not sleep unless he had killed someone and earned that sleep." Other generalissimos were described as "thieves, scoundrels and sadists" who "delighted in arbitrary cruelties and brazen criminal behavior." The details are too brutal to enumerate.

Not that the Red partisans of the region were any more civilized. The flourishing northeastern town of Nikolaevsk was sacked in the spring of 1920 by a psychopathic Bolshevik named Triapitsyn who presided over the ghoulish execution of three thousand innocent men, women, children, and infants.

He then reduced the town to cinders.



Public domain image.

Following the Bolshevik victory in the Civil War, Lenin attempted to spread his revolution to western Europe, sending armies streaming across the Polish border. Writer Isaac Babel was embedded as a correspondent with a contingent of 16,000 Cossack horsemen constituting one arm of the invasion. The Red Cavalry made no distinction between fighting and looting. "We are destroyers," Babel lamented in his war diary  "we move like a whirlwind, like a stream of lava, hated by everyone."

In another entry:

The prisoners are rounded up, made to undress[.] ... The military commissar and I ride along the line begging the men not to massacre prisoners ... they bayoneted some, shot others ... they strip one man while they're shooting another[.]

Russia characteristically has also produced a distinguished lineage of titanic writers and composers. Its artistic prominence also remains unchanged. Bass-baritone Leonid Kharitonov's majestic rendition of the traditional Russian folk tune "Baikal" will lift your heart to the stratosphere.

The 1960 cinematic adaptation of Tolstoy's Resurrection by director Mikhail Shveitser is as brilliant and moving a film as any Hollywood classic I've ever seen. A thoroughly enjoyable musical version of The Three Musketeers was deservedly a major hit on Russian television in 1978. More recently, a stunning 2017 mini-series imaginatively retold the tale of Anna Karenina from the point of view of Count Vronsky. Here, Anna's grown son, serving as an army doctor in Manchuria during the Russo-Japanese War, encounters the wounded, recuperating nobleman who led his mother astray. Vronsky's Story is the count's remembrances of the affair.

Unfortunately, along with the artistic virtuosities, there also remains in the Russian DNA a pathological indifference to human life and well-being.

An interesting perspective on what the world is dealing with in the person of Vladimir Putin...isn't it?

Sheldon Bart is a trustee of the Foundation to Illuminate America's Heroes.
How gross do you have to be to be involved with the pervy, pervy Lincoln Project?

The scandal-plagued NGO of ex-Republicans devoted to destroying President Trump has seen its share of sex scandals involving one of its founders, John Weaver, harassing and soliciting unwilling young men and at least one 14-year-old boy. But that's not their only scandal; there's a new one involving mysterious payouts for some sort of bad behavior, and these scandals aren't over.

According to the Washington Free Beacon:

The Lincoln Project shelled out another six-figure payment to a founding member of the super PAC who accused the organization of ignoring allegations of sexual misconduct within its ranks. The scandal-plagued PAC paid $100,000 to Jennifer Horn in the first quarter of 2022, according to campaign finance records. The Lincoln Project has paid Horn a total of $475,000 in mystery legal payments since she resigned from the group amid allegations that cofounder John Weaver made unwanted sexual advances to more than 20 young men. Horn accused leaders of the Lincoln Project of ignoring allegations against Weaver. The terms of the settlement are unclear, raising questions over whether the Lincoln Project entered the agreement with Horn to keep her from criticizing the organization. The veteran Republican operative in recent months has been relatively quiet about the Lincoln Project's activities. She criticized the group in October for hiring operatives to pose as white nationalists at a rally for Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R., Va.) but has not mentioned the allegations against Weaver.

The Beacon isn't sure what that payout was for, but it's known that Horn has criticized The Lincoln Project for its pervy chief and its flunkies who covered for him as well as its other stunts, described above. She quit, she criticized them, they leaked her emails, something else happened, she got whopping payouts, and you can see what kind of operation this really is. The Beacon notes that in their disclosures, they've made other payouts to questionable groups as well.

Back in its heyday, The Lincoln Project claimed to have raised $100 million from supposedly disgruntled Republicans and has since gone to work electing Democrats as if that would somehow fix it. They feathered their nests, paid consultants linked to themselves, and produced and persuaded no one, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of all people, declared them a grift.

The last we heard of them was that they had shut down their fancy Park City, Utah headquarters in a move that suggests that donations are drying up.

Now they seem to be devoting themselves to dirty tricks that even Democrats won't touch, and they're so bad at it that they get found out every time, as happened in the Virginia case. They've announced blacklists of Republicans who support Trump, taking themselves down to Media Matters' level. They now seem to be an organization that's mainly about payouts for past misbehavior, including pervy grooming behavior that could repel Gary Glitter. Last year, the New York Times reported:

Mr. Weaver sent overt sexual solicitations to at least 10 of the men and, in the most explicit messages, offered professional and personal assistance in exchange for sex [sic]. He told one man he would "spoil you when we see each other," according to a message reviewed by The New York Times. "Help you other times. Give advice, counsel, help with bills. You help me ... sensually."

Behavior like that, along with other Lincoln Project leaders knowing about it and ignoring it, and now this incident with Horn and her leaked emails, and all their host of other bottom-of-the-barrel political tricks, tells us this is one dirty, filthy outfit. No one decent should be involved with it, not with payouts the size of these, and not with the repellent news that keeps coming with their name attached to it.

Image: Logo via Wikipedia, fair use.
Remind me again who are the racial supremacists in America.

CWBChicago reports:

Three men face felony charges after police found three guns in a car and one man threatened to "beat the whiteness off" a cop at the scene, prosecutors said. It happened during an impromptu street party Thursday evening in Old Town.

Around 10 p.m., officers watching Chicago police surveillance cameras on the 1300 block of North Hudson noticed a large gathering with people drinking and cars double parked in the street, Assistant State's Attorney Molly Bruno said.

At one point, they allegedly saw Andre Pughsley, 28, making shooting gestures and grabbing his waistband. The camera operators, suspecting he had a gun, sent patrol units to the scene.

Arriving officers saw Pughsley in a white car and tried to pull it over, Bruno said. Pughsley allegedly reversed his car, parked in front of the gathering, and tossed his car keys into the crowd.

Officers tried to detain him, but a crowd of 30 or 40 people reportedly surrounded the cops. A man in the crowd, Darian Davis, punched one officer in the face but got away before police could arrest him, Bruno alleged.

A second officer who was trying to control the growing crowd asked Terrell Esco, 26, to step out of the street and onto the sidewalk, she continued.

Instead, Esco allegedly approached the officer, clenched his fists, and said, "I'll beat the whiteness off you, you b---- a--." The cop arrested him.

Back-up units arrived and took Pughsley into custody.
BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping visited a prestigious university in Beijing on Monday, spending time with students and faculty members.

The visit to Renmin University of China came about a week before China's Youth Day, and is just one of multiple visits to colleges and universities Xi has taken over the past 10 years as the country's top leader.

"Every year around May 4, I reserve time for young people, listen to them and chat with them," Xi once said.

Over the past decade, Xi has been to universities across the country. He returned to his alma mater Tsinghua University and appeared twice on the campus in its neighboring Peking University. Both are considered top-rated schools in China.

On these occasions, Xi often talked about Chinese and revolutionary traditions and encouraged the students to aim high and study hard to grow into pillars for modernizing China.

In his 2014 visit to Peking University, Xi was greeted by staff and students during a poem recital session set to violin music. The verses -- one about youth and the other penned by Mao Zedong -- were aptly chosen, as Xi's visit coincided with the 95th anniversary of the May 4th Movement.

In a symposium that followed, Xi shared stories from his own youth. "Life is meaningful only when one leads a life with faith, dreams, and endeavors and makes contributions," he told the students.

Referring to the way of fastening their clothes, Xi told the students that the younger generation should "button right" in the early days of their life. He reminded his audience that their values will impact society in the future, and they have reached an age when they must realize and establish their value.

Not only does Xi understand the significance of positive influences during a person's formative years, he actually has direct experience of how it can impact an individual into adulthood. He shared a story with a group of students at the China University of Political Science and Law in 2017.

Back in 1966, as a middle school student, he read the story "Jiao Yulu: A Model County Party Secretary," about a devoted county Party secretary and a hero who died in the line of duty. "It still affects me today," Xi said, elaborating that Jiao Yulu's spirit -- of putting the Party and the people at the forefront of his endeavors -- was like a guiding lantern that steered him toward the country's top leadership.

"As the youth grow in stature and experience, they may see success and joy, but may also experience difficulties and pressure," Xi said. "In the moment, one should treat success and failure with the correct attitude, not slouch in prosperity nor be frustrated in adversity."

For young people, Xi also repeatedly stressed the importance of innovation, and expressed his expectations on them. Ahead of Youth Day in 2016, Xi visited an exhibition on science and technology achievements held at the University of Science and Technology of China, in Anhui Province.

After viewing the displays on cutting-edge technologies, Xi urged the university to "dare to innovate" and told the students to draw inspiration from China's leading scientists.

"You are the future and the hope of the nation," he reminded them.

In the university's library, surrounded by students, Xi took time to speak directly to them: "How do you like studying in the library? Do you have to get here early to secure a seat?"

Xue Weicheng, an undergraduate student at the time, recalled that Xi spoke about China's education system, saying it had its own strengths, which should not be underestimated. "We are also confident in building world-class universities and cultivating world-class talent," Xi said.

On Monday, at Renmin University of China, Xi once again sounded the clarion call for building world-class universities, and urged students to strive vigorously toward national rejuvenation. 
A small fashion company is due to face high-street giant Zara at a tribunal over claims it has an identical brand.

The retailer has threatened legal action against Darlington-based firm House of Zana.

Owner Amber Kotrri launched the clothing brand online in 2018, and opened her first store in Darlington a year later.

When she attempted to trademark the name House of Zana, she received a notice of opposition, followed by a letter from lawyers representing Zara saying the brand was conceptually identical to theirs, and confusingly similar for customers.

The letter says there is a risk consumers will misread, mishear, mispronounce and/or otherwise perceive House of Zana as Zara and that the brand name dilutes the distinctiveness and reputation of the Zara brand.

Mrs Kotrri said she was urged to rename her business and remove all existing branding, but she refused to sign the agreement, saying there was no risk of confusing us with Zara and the change would cause irreparable damage to the business.

The final hearing to decide whether she can keep the name House of Zana is due to take place in May.

Mrs Kotrri started the business while living with her husband in Albania, taking the name from the Albanian word for fairy.

She said: Our name is very meaningful and personal to us and poses no commercial threat to Zara, and their massive market.

We dont believe anyone has or will confuse House of Zana with Zara. Were a small business that specialises in handmade kimonos. We have one small concept store in the North East of England and a website to help promote our products.

We have exerted all of our efforts into creating this unique brand, and having just struggled through the pandemic, the last thing we want to do is to be forced to change the brand, remove all labels that are sewn into our stock, change our social media names and shop front.

This would cause irreparable damage to our small and loved business. We have spent years growing our dream and employing a wonderful team.

A spokesperson for Zaras owner Inditex said: We have opposed the House of Zana trademark application at this early stage because of its similarity to Zaras brand name.

We wish the business every success and we continue to make efforts to reach the business directly so we can resolve the situation amicably.
Billionaire Elon Musk has reached an agreement to acquire Twitter for approximately 44 billion dollars (34.5 billion), the company said.

The outspoken Tesla CEO, the worlds wealthiest person, has said he wants to buy Twitter because he thinks it is not living up to its potential as a platform for free speech.

He says it 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.

Twitter has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire world. Deeply proud of our teams and inspired by the work that has never been more important. https://t.co/5iNTtJoEHf  Parag Agrawal (@paraga) April 25, 2022

Twitter said it will become a privately held company after the sale is closed.

Twitter has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire world, CEO Parag Agrawal said in a tweet.

Deeply proud of our teams and inspired by the work that has never been more important.

Mr Musk describes himself as a free-speech absolutist, although he has not been exactly clear what he means by that.

In a recent TED interview, the billionaire said he would like to see Twitter err on the side of allowing speech instead of moderating it.

I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 25, 2022

He said he would be very reluctant to delete tweets and would generally be cautious about permanent bans. He also acknowledged that Twitter would have to abide by national laws governing speech in markets around the world.

Mr Musk himself, though, regularly blocks social media users who have criticised him or his company and has used the platform to bully reporters who have written critical articles about him or his company.

Twitters board at first enacted an anti-takeover measure known as a poison pill that could have made a takeover attempt prohibitively expensive.

But when Mr Musk outlined the financial commitments he had lined up to back his offer of 46.5 billion dollars  and no other bidders emerged  the board opened negotiations with him and car maker Tesla.
The Countess of Wessex helped hoist a disabled sailor into a boat and hugged an eight-year-old boy as part on her visit to Antigua and Barbudas National Sailing Academy.

Sophie, and her husband the Earl of Wessex, heard about the Sail-Ability programme, which offers people with disabilities, especially children, the opportunity to get involved in water activities.

The countess first sounded a loud horn to signal the start of a boat race between Duke of Edinburgh students, before saying: I didnt value my hearing at all.

The Earl and the Countess of Wessex during a visit to the National Sailing Academy (Joe Giddens/PA)

She then proceeded to help wheelchair user Alexzandrina Looby, who is in her 40s, into a boat by lowering her down gently using a winch.

Ms Looby was one of a small number of people who have benefitted from the programme that Sophie and Edward saw in action on Monday.

Before leaving the National Sailing Academy, the countess was given a card by eight-year-old Aleccai Brown which read: Welcome to Antigua Edward and Sophie followed by a picture of the islands flag.

The Countess of Wessex hugs eight-year-old Aleccai Brown (Joe Giddens/PA)

Young Aleccai is a pupil at the Victory Centre, which is a non-profit special needs school based on Antigua.

The countess then gave the youngster two hugs before departing for another engagement.
Claims about Bill Murrays behavior on set are resurfacing amid news that production on his new film was suspended last week.

Deadline reported that production for the film Being Mortal starring Murray, Aziz Ansari and Seth Rogen was halted. A spokesperson for Fox Searchlight confirmed to TODAY the accuracy of that Deadline report.

TODAY obtained a letter that was sent to the cast and crew from Fox Searchlight, explaining that production had been halted due to a complaint filed.

According to Deadline, it was not made against Ansari. When asked who the complaint was filed against, Fox Searchlight told TODAY they dont comment on pending investigations. TODAY has reached out to reps for Ansari, Murray and Rogen for comment.

'I was furious and outraged at the time'

But in the days since news broke of the production being halted, users across social media have shared personal recounts of less-than-pleasant experiences working alongside Murray over the years.

Kim Masters, editor-at-large for The Hollywood Reporter, quote-tweeted a message on Twitter which contained an excerpt from a 2003 story in the Baltimore Sun about allegations made against Murrays conduct on the set of the movie What About Bob?

The original tweet contained a screenshot from the story, sharing that the late Laura Ziskin and Murray shared a spirited disagreement which caused the actor to throw her into a lake. Ziskin said their argument was not playful, but his throwing her into the water was.

Bill also threatened to throw me across the parking lot and then broke my sunglasses and threw them across the parking lot, she said at the time. I was furious and outraged at the time, but having produced a dozen movies, I can safely say it is not common behavior.

Masters shared the tweet along with the message, I reported this in Keys to the Kingdom. Note that Laura Ziskin was a beloved, petite woman and Bill Murray was not.

Murray has never publicly responded to Ziskins account.

Ben Dreyfuss, the son of actor Richard Dreyfuss, shared Masters message with a series of his own tweets about Murrays alleged behavior on the set of the movie that his dad starred in as well.

Bill Murray had a meltdown during what about bob because he wanted an extra day off and Laura said no and ripped off her glasses off her face and my dad complained about his behavior and Bill Murray threw an ashtray at him, Dreyfuss wrote.

In another tweet, he added, Everyone walked off the production and flew back to LA and it only resumed after Disney hired some bodyguards to physically separate my dad and Bill Murray in between takes.

In 1993, Murray told Entertainment Weekly, (Richard Dreyfuss and I) didnt get along on the movie particularly, but it worked for the movie. I mean, I drove him nuts, and he encouraged me to drive him nuts.

In another interview with Deseret Interview back in 1991, he said, While (Dreyfuss) was talking, I got in real close to crowd him, I put my head on his shoulder, screamed into his ear and did all sorts of annoying things.

He added, Some of that was even in the script ... no wait, none of that was in script. I made it all up.

'So, yes, I stood up for myself'

In recent years, Lucy Liu has spoke out against her tense working relationship with Murray on the set of 2000s Charlies Angels. In 2021, she opened up to the Los Angeles Times about standing up to the actor on set of the movie after he began to hurl insults at her while filming a particular scene.

Some of the language was inexcusable and unacceptable, and I was not going to just sit there and take it, she said. So, yes, I stood up for myself, and I dont regret it. Because no matter how low on the totem pole you may be or wherever you came from, theres no need to condescend or to put other people down. And I would not stand down, and nor should I have.

2019 Summer TCA Press Tour - Day 10 (Amy Sussman / Getty Images)

Yet, after the incident on set, when it was published in the press, Liu noted that it was twisted around to make her seem like the difficult one.

But I didnt understand how it got flipped when I had nothing to do with instigating it or creating that platform of confrontation or anxiety, she said. So even though its been decades, its something that obviously I remember very intimately and have not forgotten.

Drew Barrymore corroborated the story on an episode of The Drew Barrymore Showlast year, discussing the incident during her Drews News segment.

I gotta say, Lucy is out there right now talking about her instance with Bill Murray and I did this whole video and sent it to her to back her up and she was like, Nah, I dont need it, Barrymore said, before she was asked to share the backstory.

Barrymore explained that comedians have the tendency to be a little dark sometimes and said that Murray came into set in a bad mood on that particular day.

And what you have to know is how much Lucy stood up for herself, she said. And that was the great thing that came out of an unfortunate circumstance. She literally said, I do not accept that kind of behavior from you and we all supported her and backed her up and we moved forward.

Drew Barrymore In 'Charlie's Angels' (Archive Photos / Getty Images)

Barrymore said that there were some general comments made toward the group, but then Murray zeroed in on Liu.

I respected her then, I respect her now, the actor said. Im proud of us as a team and a company that we didnt tiptoe on the eggshells. We dealt with it right then and there, we were strong, and we moved forward and we didnt accept anything less moving forward.

In 2009, Murray addressed the rumor of his storied fight with Liu during an interview with The Times of London, saying, Look, I will dismiss you completely if you are unprofessional and working with me.  When our relationship is professional, and youre not getting that done, forget it.

A lawyer for Murray has not commented on any of the resurfaced allegations.
(Adds support of deal from House Republican conference)

WASHINGTON, April 25 (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives welcomed reports that Twitter Inc is poised to agree to a sale to Elon Musk and called on the Tesla chief executive to return former President Donald Trump to Twitter.

"Hey, @elonmusk it's a great week to free @realDonaldTrump," tweeted the House Republican Conference, which currently represents 209 lawmakers.

U.S. Representative Jim Jordan, a member of the Freedom Caucus of conservative House Republicans, said the deal would be good for shareholders and good for free speech.

Jordan and other Republicans have been critical of Twitter for banning Trump and other notable conservatives.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, whose personal account was permanently banned from Twitter for tweets that repeatedly violated the social media's misinformation policy on COVID-19, said on her congressional Twitter feed, "I should get my personal Twitter account restored."

Twitter banned Trump's account due to the risk of further violence after the U.S. Capitol was stormed on Jan. 6, 2021.

"I think this deal looks like it's good for the shareholders; second, it's good for free speech, it's good for the First Amendment," Jordan said in an interview with Fox News, referring to the constitutional amendment guaranteeing freedom of speech.

Last week, a group of 18 U.S. House Republicans sent Twitter board members a letter asking them to preserve all records and materials relating to Musks offer to purchase Twitter, laying the groundwork for a potential investigation.

The Republicans are in the minority in the House, which is controlled by the Democrats. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Mark Potter and Jonathan Oatis)
JohnnyGreig / iStock.com

The average Social Security benefit for retired workers is $1,548 per month. That comes out to $18,576 in annual benefits for a single person, or $37,152 per year for a couple -- about $31,500 less than the U.S. median household income of $68,703, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Also Find: 20 Best Places To Live on Only a Social Security Check

Advice: Unplug These Appliances That Hike Up Your Electricity Bill

Living on a fixed income basically means you're solely or almost entirely dependent on funds such as Social Security, pensions and inheritance, with little to no flexibility in the amount you're paid each month. Unstable costs, such as a volatile housing market, can be especially challenging to deal with on a fixed income.

If you rely mostly -- or solely -- on a fixed income, click through to see the best places to live in your state.

Chris Pruitt / Wikimedia Commons

Alabama: Jasper

Alabama might be the best state to retire on a fixed income, especially if you want your retirement nest egg to stretch the furthest. Jasper has a stable housing market, making it a safe choice for those on a fixed income. Home values increased by 4.84% year over year, but rents dropped. Additionally, homes are relatively affordable, with the median home value at $126,233.

Pictured: Decatur, Alabama

lippyjr / Getty Images

Alaska: Fairbanks

Alaska is an income-tax and sales-tax-free state, making it one of the best places to retire on a fixed income. Home values in Fairbanks increased about 12.09% year over year, and the median home value is $255,438 -- below the national median of $287,148. And there is good news for renters, as the median rent in Fairbanks decreased about 2.3% year over year.

POLL: Do You Think States Should Suspend Their Gas Taxes?

Tim Roberts Photography / Shutterstock.com

Arizona: Sierra Vista

If you're thinking of buying a home on a fixed income, consider Sierra Vista -- but act quickly. Home values in Sierra Vista rose over 12% year over year, making it one of the cities with the largest increase in the past 12 months. Average rents also rose by $12 to $994 a month, but they still are less than the national average.

Davel5957 / Getty Images

Arkansas: Little Rock

Rent prices in Little Rock went up $57 a month year over year, and the current median rent is $953. Little Rock is one of the more affordable places to own a home, though, with the median home value coming in at $165,027.

Armona / Wikimedia Commons

California: Delano

Zillow lists the price of a typical California home at $668,300, but a median-valued home in Delano is much less at $257,342. Home values rose 12.09% in the past year, above the California average of 10.9% Rents also increased by 2.64%.

Pictured: Hanlon, California

chapin31 / iStock.com

Colorado: Pueblo

The median home price in Pueblo is $244,009 but going up fast, increasing about 17.90% year over year. Rent prices have remained stagnant, even decreasing less than 1% year over year to $908 a month.

SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Connecticut: Hartford

Real estate prices in Hartford increased 15.23%, with the median home value going up to $188,305. Rent prices went up even more -- by about 10.2% -- to $1,392 a month.

Robert Kirk / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Delaware: New Castle

Delaware is one of the few states that doesn't levy a state sales tax. It also does not tax Social Security benefits, which makes it one of the best places to retire in the U.S. In the past year, New Castle home values rose about 11.88% to a median of $264,884, while rents increased 2.79%.

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Florida: Kissimmee

Home values in Kissimmee went up 7.37% year over year, with a median home value of $264,884. Rents also rose 5.70% over the same time span to an average of $1,457 per month.

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Georgia: Statesboro

Home prices in Statesboro are flat, increasing 1.20% year over year to $162,557. Rent prices grew 1.43% in the same span but remain on the low side at $837 per month.

Pictured: Augusta, Georgia

steinphoto / iStock.com

Hawaii: Pahoa

In uber-expensive Hawaii, Pahoa is an affordable option. Zillow puts the typical home prices in the 50th state at $718,095, but the median home value in Pahoa is just $217,858. That's up 13.88% year over year. The average rent is close to $1,500 a month, up 3.52% year over year.

Pictured: Hilo, Hawaii

B Brown / Shutterstock.com

Idaho: Pocatello

In Pocatello, home values increased almost 18% in the past year, making it one of the biggest gainers in the study. The median home value now is $231,035, which is still about $56,000 less than the national median. Rents went up about 1.54% to $872 per month.

James R. Martin / Shutterstock.com

Illinois: Galesburg

The median home value in Galesburg is the lowest in the GOBankingRates study: $73,009. That makes homeownership more accessible for people who live on a fixed income. The average rent also is affordable at $715, and both housing and rental prices remained virtually the same year over year.

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Indiana: Richmond

Home prices in Richmond increased about 5.25% year over year to a median value of $99,402. And rent prices also remained stable, with about a 1.2% increase year over year -- good news for renters living on a fixed income.

EJ_Rodriquez / iStock.com

Iowa: Burlington

Burlington has stable housing and rental markets: Home values increased about 2.69% year over year, and rent prices increased about 4.45%. The median home value in the city is $96,243, making it one of the most affordable cities on the list.

DenisTangneyJr / iStock.com

Kansas: Manhattan

In Manhattan, the location of Kansas State University, the median home value is $225,182, up 3.85% year over year. The average rent fell substantially, dropping about 7.2% to $1,023 a month.

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Kentucky: Bowling Green

Bowling Green is a good place for renters on a fixed income to live, but prices are rising. The median rent is $928, up about 3.3% over the past year. A median-priced home costs $192,853, which is almost $95,000 less than the national median but is less than a 1% rise year over year.

DenisTangneyJr / iStock.com

Louisiana: Pineville

Home values in Pineville have remained steady, with about a 1.06% increase over the past year to $145,066, while rent decreased 2.70%. Median rent in the city is $858.

Pictured: Lafayette, Louisiana

jiawangkun / Shutterstock.com

Maine: Bangor

Home values in Bangor increased a whopping 20% over the past year, but with a median home price of $197,690, homes there are still much more affordable than the national median of $287,148. And rent prices are increasing as well: They went up about 5.88% year over year.

Eric Fischer / Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-SA 2

Maryland: Salisbury

Home prices in Salisbury increased about 9.60% year over year, but the median home value is affordable at $182,212. Rent costs also rose slightly, by 2.08%, with the average rent at $1,131.

DenisTangneyJr / iStock.com

Massachusetts: West Springfield

The median home value in West Springfield is $275,707. Although this is nearly $12,000 below the national median value, it's much less than the median home price in the state of Massachusetts as a whole, which is $508,232, according to Zillow.Home values in the city increased about 10.81% year over year.

Davel5957 / Getty Images

Michigan: Mount Pleasant

Rent in Mount Pleasant increased 5.87% year over year to $834. Home values increased 6.75%, however, and the median home value is now $155,448.

Pictured: Lansing, Michigan

nikitsin / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Minnesota: Winona

Homebuyers on a fixed income can benefit from Winona's relatively stable housing market: Home values increased about 6.50% year over year to $186,452. Rent decreased by $3 month to an average of $808.

Pictured: Minneapolis, Minnesota

sshepard / Getty Images

Mississippi: Starkville

The median home price in Starkville is $189,873 -- appealing to those on a fixed income. Home value increased by 3.84% and rents by 3.65%.

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Missouri: Joplin

Home and rent prices are both well below the national median in Joplin: The median home value in the city is $130,466 and rent is $814. The home values rose by 7.38%, and rents went up 8.24% year over year.

Pictured: Springfield, Missouri

Christopher Boswell / Shutterstock.com

Montana: Butte

Renters with a fixed income in Butte shouldn't have to worry too much about rent hikes: Prices went up less than 2% in the past year to an average of $888. The median home price, however, rose about 10.13% to $166,952.

marekuliasz / Getty Images

Nebraska: Kearney

Housing costs in Kearney are about $50,000 below the U.S. median. Home values showed nearly a 5.35% growth year over year, bringing the median value in Kearney to $236,999.

CrackerClips Stock Media / Shutterstock.com

Nevada: Pahrump

Rental costs in Pahrump, in the northern part of the state, dropped about 3.4% year over year to $918. The median value of a home is $279,920, about $7,200 below the national figure.

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto

New Hampshire: Rochester

Home values in Rochester were among the biggest risers year over year, increasing by about 17.63% to $280,307. Rent prices barely budged, however, rising just $2 to an average cost of $1,472 over the same period.

Ultima_Gaina / Getty Images/iStockphoto

New Jersey: Franklin Township

The median home price in pricey New Jersey is $287,148, according to Zillow, but in Franklin Township it is $265,843 -- up nearly 8% year over year. Rent prices dropped about 1.5%, but they are the highest in the study at $1,801 on average per month.

Pictured: Jersey City, New Jersey

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New Mexico: Alamogordo

Alamogordo is one of the best places to live on a budget, but prices are rising. The median housing price is $145,479, up about 4.85% year over year. The change in rental price was even higher at 4.3%.

Kim Carpenter / Flickr.com

New York: Town of Orchard Park

The median value of a home is $255,916, more than $30,000 below the national average. Home values have increased by about 8.81% year over year and rents have gone up over 9%.

traveler1116 / Getty Images

North Carolina: Raeford

Home values are rising while rents are dropping in Raeford. Home values increased about 3.47% to $175,012, while rents increased less than 1%. Still, the average rental cost is $860 per month.

Pictured: Fayetteville, North Carolina

Tim Kiser / Wikimedia Commons

North Dakota: Fargo

Home values in Fargo increased about 7.56% over the past year. The rent rose about 4.4%, bringing it to an average of $988 per month.

Davel5957 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Ohio: Findlay

The median monthly rent in Findlay is $900 which is nearly 5.96% more than it was a year ago. Home values in the city skyrocketed more than 9.25% to a median value of $176,012.

Pictured: Toledo, Ohio

DenisTangneyJr / iStock.com

Oklahoma: Stillwater

In Stillwater the median home value is $184,821, and the median monthly rent is $924. Both increased year over year, however, with home values going up about 3.03% and rents about 4.88%.

will_snyder_ / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Oregon: Roseburg

The median home price in Oregon is $536,921, according to Zillow, but in Roseburg it's $272,470. The market is shifting, though, with about a 14.29% year-over-year increase in home values. Rents went up nearly 2% to $1,216.

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Pennsylvania: Williamsport

Rents in Williamsport went up more than 4.24% over the past year to $909, while home values rose about 2.73%. The median home value is $156,817-- more than $130,000 less than the national figure.

Richard Cavalleri / Shutterstock.com

Rhode Island: Woonsocket

The cost of living in the nation's smallest state, Rhode Island, can be high, but Woonsocket is a more affordable locale for residents on a fixed income. The median home value is below the national average at $108,731, and the cost of rent is about $197 higher than the U.S. price at $1,219.

Pictured: Woonsocket, Rhode Islans

Kruck20 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

South Carolina: Orangeburg

South Carolina doesn't tax Social Security benefits. Orangeburg is the best place in the state for people on a fixed income because home prices are relatively affordable, with the median home value at $108,731. The rental market also rose 6.10% year over year, with the average monthly rent now $779.

Pictured: Columbia, South Carolina

H2O2 / Wikimedia Commons

South Dakota: Aberdeen

Rent is increasing at a clip of nearly 4.44% in Aberdeen, but the average monthly rent is still just $810. Meanwhile, the year-over-year increase in home values was about 3.17%, bringing them to $177,917.

Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Tennessee: Shelbyville

People living on fixed incomes can benefit from the relatively low home values in Shelbyville. The metro area's median home value rose nearly 10% year over year. Another money-saver for fixed-income residents is rent cost. The median rent in Morristown increased about 1.27% year over year from 2020 to $831.

Pictured: Nashville, Tennessee

Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com

Texas: Alice

Alice's relatively low housing costs could be beneficial to someone on a fixed income. Home values rose by less than 5% year over year but is still among the most affordable cities, with a home value of $93,507 though rents increased. The average monthly rent is $913.

Pictured: Corpus Christi, Texas

Ken Lund / Flickr.com

Utah: Cedar City

The increases in median home value is steeply climbing in Cedar City year over year, at 15.17%. The median home value in Cedar City came in at $278,919, less than $1,000 over the national average, with rent at $830.

Pictured: St. George, Utah

DenisTangneyJr / iStock.com

Vermont: Rutland

The median home price in Rutland is about $83,000 less than the national median. The housing market is growing here, but not too fast, at 9.27% for home value. Rent actually decreased by a bit more than 1%, with average rent at $1,018.

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Virginia: Martinsville

The median home value in Martinsville is just $82,335 making it a very affordable option for those wishing to live on a fixed income in Virginia. It's also a stable housing market: Values increased about 4.84% over the past year.

Pictured: Lynchburg, Virginia

Erhoman / iStock.com

Washington: Moses Lake

Home values are on the rise in Moses Lake, increasing nearly 18% to a current median of $273,071. That's the second highest year-over-year rise in the study. Rents, however, have been on the decline, with the average rent decreasing about 2% to $888 per month.

Pictured: Wenatchee, Washington

matejphoto / iStock.com

West Virginia: Huntington

Home prices in Huntington are among the lowest compared with the other cities in this study, with the median home value at $89,994, with only a 3.32% year over year increase. Rent also is among the cheapest at $854 per month, and prices decreased year over year by nearly 3%.

Pictured: Parkersburg, West Virginia

DenisTangneyJr / iStock.com

Wisconsin: Racine

Home values in Racine rose nearly 8.14% over the past year to $138,222. Rising home values can help retirees on fixed incomes, especially if prolonged costs wipe out retirement savings, leaving their home as their only financial asset.

Mr. Satterly / WTFPL

Wyoming: Gillette

Home values in Gillette are increasing, while rent costs are decreasing. Rents dropped less than 1% over the past year, bringing the median rent price to $1,074. The median home price rose less than 1% to $278,763.

More From GOBankingRates

Jami Farkas and Jordan Rosenfeld contributed to the reporting for this article.

Methodology: In order to find the best city in every state to live on a fixed income, GOBankingRates first looked at every city with both Zillow home value data for May 2020, February 2021, and May 2021 available as well as county fair market rent for both 2020 and 2021 sourced from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's data. With all these data points sourced GOBankingRates then parsed down the list to only include cities that met the following criteria: a size rank according to Zillow of 2,000 or less and a May 2021 home value less than the national average of $287,148.

For these qualified cities, GOBankingRates found: (1) the quarter-over-quarter percent change in home value; (2) the year-over-year percent change in home value; and (3)the year-over-year percent change in rent by county. Those cities with negative values for factors (1) or (2) were then eliminated. With the remaining cities GOBankingRates scored and combined all three factors with the lowest score being best. The city with the lowest score from each state was included in our final rankings. These factors were chosen because changes in home values serve as a proxy for measuring the volatility of a housing market, with large increases posing a threat to those living on fixed incomes, while a negative change in value means money is being lost in depreciating house values. However, decreasing rental prices benefit a household on a fixed income.

For Utah and Vermont the size rank criteria had to be enlarged to 3,000 and up to 5,000 for Hawaii. All data was collected on and up to date as of June 17, 2021

Photo Disclaimer: Please note photos are for representational purposes only and may represent the nearest large metropolitan area.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Best Places in Every State To Live on a Fixed Income
FILE - In this May 7, 2018 file photo, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett speaks during an interview in Omaha, Neb. The world's most expensive lunch will go on sale again this spring when Buffett auctions off a private meal to raise money for a California homeless charity one last time. Buffett held the online lunch auction once a year for 20 years before the pandemic began to raise money for the Glide Foundation, which helps the homeless in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, file) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  The world's most expensive lunch will go on sale again this spring when investor Warren Buffett auctions off a private meal to raise money for a California homeless charity one last time.

Buffett, Berkshire Hathaways CEO, held the lunch auction once a year for 20 years before the pandemic began to raise money for the Glide Foundation, which helps the homeless in San Francisco. The auction has been on hiatus for the past two years, but Glide said Monday  a few days before thousands of shareholders are expected to gather at this week's Berkshire annual meeting  that the event will be revived this year.

Every winning bid since 2008 has topped $1 million, and Buffett has raised nearly $34.5 million for the charity over the years.

Many of the past winners have been investors who revere Buffett for his remarkable track record of finding undervalues companies and stocks to buy for his Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate. But in the last auction, a cryptocurrency pioneer paid $4,567,888 in 2019 for the chance to dine with Buffett.

Buffetts first wife, Susie, introduced him to Glide after she volunteered there. She died in 2004, but the connection endured.

Buffett has said he supports Glide because they help people in difficult situations find hope again in life. Glide provides meals, health care, job training, rehabilitation and housing support to the poor and homeless.

The 91-year-old billionaire didn't immediately respond to questions about why he decided the end the auction after this year.

Glides President and CEO Karen Hanrahan said Buffetts friendship and generosity over the past 22 years have been invaluable to the charity.

The weeklong eBay auction will begin June 12 with an opening bid of $25,000 and continue through June 17. The winner will get to bring up to seven people to eat with Buffett at the Smith & Wollensky steak house in New York City. The only topic that's off limits at the lunch is what Buffett might buy next.

Buffetts company owns more than 90 companies including Geico insurance, BNSF railroad, several major utilities an an assortment of manufacturing and retail businesses. Berkshire Hathaway also has major investments in companies including Apple, Coca-Cola Co., American Express and Bank of America.

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Follow Josh Funk online at www.twitter.com/funkwrite
Jurors have heard  and rejected  an array of excuses and arguments from the first rioters to be tried for storming the U.S. Capitol. The next jury to get a Capitol riot case could hear another novel defense this week at the trial of a retired New York City police officer.

Thomas Webster, a 20-year veteran of the NYPD, has claimed he was acting in self-defense when he tackled a police officer who was trying to protect the Capitol from a mob on Jan. 6, 2021. Webster's lawyer also has argued that he was exercising his First Amendment free speech rights when he shouted profanities at police that day.

Webster, 56, will be the fourth Capitol riot defendant to get a jury trial. Each has presented a distinct line of defense.

An Ohio man who stole a coat rack from a Capitol office testified he was following presidential orders from Donald Trump. An off-duty police officer from Virginia claimed he only entered the Capitol to retrieve a fellow officer. A lawyer for a Texas man who confronted Capitol police accused prosecutors of rushing to judgment against somebody prone to exaggerating.

Those defenses didn't sway the juries at their respective trials. Collectively, a total of 36 jurors unanimously convicted the three rioters of all 17 counts in their indictments.

Webster faces the same fate if a federal judge's blistering words are any guide. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who will preside over Webster's trial, has described his videotaped conduct as among the most indefensible and reprehensible that the judge has seen among Jan. 6 cases, with no real defense for it.

You were a police officer and you should have known better, Mehta told Webster during a bond hearing last June, according to a transcript.

But a dozen jurors, not the judge, will decide the case against Webster, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who retired from the NYPD in 2011. Jury selection is scheduled to start on Monday.

This still frame from Metropolitan Police Department body worn camera video shows Thomas Webster, in red jacket, at a barricade line at on the west front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington.

A wealth of video evidence and self-incriminating behavior by riot defendants has given prosecutors the upper hand in many cases. Mary McCord, a Georgetown University Law Center professor and former Justice Department official, said jurors often won't have to rely on witness testimony or circumstantial evidence because videos captured much of the violence and destruction on Jan. 6.

When I was a prosecutor trying cases, I would have loved to have had cases where the entire crime was on video. That just doesnt happen that often. But for jurors, it can be very powerful, she said.

Webster's trial is the sixth overall. In a pair of bench trials, a different federal judge heard testimony without a jury before acquitting one defendant and partially acquitting another.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump nominee who acquitted Matthew Martin of all charges, said it was reasonable for the New Mexico man to believe that police allowed him to enter the Capitol. In the first bench trial, McFadden convicted New Mexico elected official Couy Griffin of illegally entering restricted Capitol grounds but acquitted him of engaging in disorderly conduct.

Stephen Saltzburg, a George Washington Law School professor and former Justice Department official, said it may be difficult for prosecutors to secure convictions against defendants who merely entered the Capitol and didnt exhibit any violent or destructive behavior.

I think the people with the best chances are those who say, I was just there and I got swept up with everybody else. The government is going to have to have some way to show theres more than that or the government will lose," Saltzburg said.

Webster brought a gun and a Marine Corps flag attached to a metal pole when he traveled alone to Washington from his home in Florida, New York, a village approximately 70 miles northwest of New York City. He wore his NYPD-issued bulletproof vest but says he left the pistol in his hotel room when he headed to the Jan. 6 rally where Trump spoke.

Police body camera video captured Websters confrontation outside the Capitol with a line of officers, including one identified only as Officer N.R. in court papers.

'He pushed me to the ground'

The unnamed Metropolitan Police Department officer described the encounter in a written statement. The officer said Webster swung the flagpole at him in a downward chopping motion, hitting a metal barricade, then charged at him with clenched fists.

He pushed me to the ground and attempted to violently tear away my gas mask and ballistic helmet. This caused me to choke and gasp for air before another participant at the riot helped me to my feet, the officer wrote.

The officer said he retreated behind a police line after Webster pinned him to the ground.

His actions, attack and targeted assault caused me to fear for my life and could have easily left my wife and two small children without a husband and father, the officer wrote.

Defense attorney James Monroe has claimed the unnamed officer gestured toward Webster, inviting him to engage in a fight, before reaching over a police barrier and punching Webster in his face. Webster "used that amount of force he reasonably believed necessary to protect himself" by tackling the officer to the ground, Monroe said in a court filing.

Mehta, however, said the video doesn't show Webster getting punched in the face. The judge described Webster as an instigator.

It was his conduct that sort of broke the dam, at least in that area, Mehta added.

Webster, now a self-employed landscaper, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1985, was honorably discharged in 1989 and joined the NYPD in 1991. His department service included a stint on then-Mayor Michael Bloombergs private security detail.

Monroe claimed Officer N.R. had reached over a metal barrier and pushed a peaceful man who was blinded by pepper spray.

Should be held to a higher standard

As a former U.S. Marine and a member of law enforcement, Mr. Websters moral instinct was to protect the innocent, Monroe wrote.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Hava Mirell has argued that Webster should be held to a higher standard given his professional experience.

If he were there to protect the innocent, then he should have been fending other rioters off from the barricade, not the other way around, Mirell said at the bond hearing.

Webster faces six counts, including assaulting, resisting or impeding an officer using a dangerous weapon. He's the first Capitol riot defendant to be tried on an assault charge. He isn't accused of entering the Capitol.

More than 780 people have been charged with riot-related federal crimes. The Justice Department says over 245 of them have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. More than 250 riot defendants have pleaded guilty, mostly to nonviolent misdemeanors.

Jurors convicted two rioters of interfering with officers. One of them, Thomas Robertson, was an off-duty police officer from Rocky Mount, Virginia. The other, Texas resident Guy Wesley Reffitt, also was convicted of storming the Capitol with a holstered handgun.

The third Capitol rioter to be convicted by a jury was Dustin Byron Thompson, an Ohio man who said he was following Trump's orders.

Even if jurors accepted that (Thompson) felt like he was doing what the former president wanted, that still wouldnt be a legal excuse, said McCord, the Georgetown professor. When juries are able to witness what happened, they can make that assessment relatively easily.
China contributes solutions to security challenges facing mankind at 2022 BFA annual conference

09:09, April 25, 2022 By He Yin ( People's Daily

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech via video at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022, on April 21, 2022.

On April 21, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech via video at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2022 in Boao, south Chinas Hainan province.

In his speech, Xi profoundly analyzed the security challenges confronting todays world and solemnly proposed the Global Security Initiative out of a strong sense of responsibility for the future of humanity.

The initiative is another important global public good offered by China following the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Global Development Initiative (GDI). It represents vivid practice of the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind in the security field, and contributes Chinas solutions to problems haunting global security governance.

It has been proven time and again that the Cold War mentality would only wreck the global peace framework, that hegemonism and power politics would only endanger world peace, and that bloc confrontation would only exacerbate security challenges in the 21st century, Xi said in his keynote speech.

Building a world that enjoys universal security is a shared aspiration of people in all countries. Humanity is living in an indivisible security community, and countries must explore a path that ensures security for all, by all and of all.

In order to maintain peace and stability in the world, countries must adhere to the correct security vision. The Global Security Initiative proposed by Xi stressed that it is important that all countries stay committed to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and work together to maintain world peace and security.

Photo shows a view of the sub-forum on energy development of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022, which kicked off in Boao, Qionghai city, south Chinas Hainan province, on April 20, 2022. (Peoples Daily Online/Yuan Chen)

The security vision, which has rich connotations, lays emphasis on respecting and ensuring the security of each and every country, upholding security in both traditional and non-traditional fields, promoting the security of both individual countries and broader regions through dialogue and cooperation, and focusing on development and security so that security would be durable. It represents the core concept and laid a basic foundation for building a world that enjoys universal security.

Countries must abandon the outdated Cold War mentality if they want to maintain world peace and stability. Quite a number of the security issues today have been caused by certain countries pursuit of hegemonism and power politics.

The Global Security Initiative proposed by Xi calls on countries to stay committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, uphold non-interference in internal affairs, and respect the independent choices of development paths and social systems made by people in different countries; stay committed to abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, reject the Cold War mentality, oppose unilateralism, and say no to group politics and bloc confrontation; and stay committed to taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously, uphold the principle of indivisible security, build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, and oppose the pursuit of ones own security at the cost of others security.

Conforming to the historical trend toward economic globalization, multi-polarity in the world and democracy in international relations, the Global Security Initiative emphasizes that security is universal, equal, inclusive, and should be based on mutual respect between countries and the premise that all countries jointly uphold the international system with the UN at its core and the international order underpinned by international law, which sets forth specific principles at bilateral and multilateral levels for building a world that enjoys universal security.

Responsible actions must be taken so as to maintain peace and stability in the world. In todays world, security means much more than before and its implications go well beyond a single region or time frame. All sorts of factors could have a bearing on a countrys security.

Aerial photo taken on April 12, 2022 shows the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) International Conference Center in Boao, Qionghai city, south Chinas Hainan province. (Peoples Daily Online/Yuan Chen)

The ways countries resolve differences and disputes and respond to various security threats determine the direction in which the international security situation develops.

The Global Security Initiative encourages countries to stay committed to peacefully resolving differences and disputes between them through dialogue and consultation, support all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of crises, reject double standards, and oppose the wanton use of unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction; and stay committed to maintaining security in both traditional and non-traditional domains, and work together on regional disputes and global challenges such as terrorism, climate change, cybersecurity and biosecurity.

By stressing the importance of promoting security through dialogue and cooperation, taking a multi-pronged and holistic approach, and basing actions on the present situation while adopting a long-term perspective, the initiative offers feasible ideas for achieving long-term peace, stability and security in the world.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
BAGHDAD, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces thwarted two attacks by Islamic State (IS) militants overnight on Monday in Salahudin province, killing two militants, a security source said.

The militants were killed after raiding a commando unit base near the town of Dujail, some 60 km north of Baghdad before midnight, which left one commando injured, Iraqi officer Mohammed al-Bazi told Xinhua.

Separately, a paramilitary Hashd Shaabi force repelled another attack by IS militants on their position near Himreen mountain range in the eastern part of Salahudin, al-Bazi said, noting two paramilitary members were wounded.

There are no reports so far about the casualties among the attackers, according to the officer.

Over the past few months, Iraqi security forces have carried out deadly attacks against the extremist militants to crackdown on their intensified activities.

The security situation in Iraq has improved after Iraqi forces defeated the IS in 2017. However, IS remnants have since melted into urban centers, deserts, and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. 
A police officer and local wildlife authorities show the carcass of one of three Sumatran tigers found dead after being caught in traps near near a palm oil plantation in East Aceh, Sunday, April 24, 2022. The deaths of the critically endangered tigers on Indonesia's Sumatra island are the latest setback for a species whose numbers are estimated to have dwindled to about 400, authorities said Monday. (AP Photo) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP)  Three critically endangered Sumatran tigers were found dead after being caught in traps on Indonesias Sumatra island in the latest setback for a species whose numbers are estimated to have dwindled to about 400, authorities said Monday.

A female and a male tiger were found dead Sunday with leg injuries caused by a snare trap near a palm oil plantation in East Aceh district of Aceh province, said local police chief Hendra Sukmana.

The body of another female tiger was found hours later about 500 meters (550 yards) away with a snare still embedded in her almost-severed neck and legs, he said.

Sukmana said authorities have appealed to the community and plantation companies not to set snares in forest areas where wild animals may cross.

An autopsy was underway by a team of veterinarians to determine the causes of the tigers death, said Agus Arianto, who heads the conservation agency in Aceh, adding that several traps similar to ones used to capture wild boars on farms were found in the area around the dead tigers.

Snare traps are commonly used by farmers on Sumatra island to catch wild boars, which are considered destructive pests with a wide and ravenous appetite for a variety of plants. However, poachers have also used snare traps to kill endangered wildlife for economic purposes.

We strongly condemned this incident and will cooperate with law enforcement agencies in an investigation, Arianto said in a statement.

Under Indonesias Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems law, those who intentionally kill protected animals would face up to five years in prison and a fine of 100 million rupiah ($7,000).

Sumatran tigers  the most critically endangered tiger subspecies  are under increasing pressure due to poaching and a shrinking jungle habitat, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. It estimated that fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers remain in the wild.

It was the latest killing of endangered animals on Sumatra island. Conservationists say the coronavirus pandemic has led to increased poaching as villagers turn to hunting to supplement diminished incomes.

In October, a female tiger was found dead with injuries caused by a snare trap in Bukit Batu wildlife reserve in the Bengkalis district of Riau province, just two months after three tigers, including two cubs, were found dead in the Leuser Ecosystem Area, a forested region for tiger conservation in Aceh and North Sumatra provinces.

Aceh police also arrested four men last June for allegedly catching a tiger with a snare trap and selling its remains for 100 million rupiah ($7,000). Days later, another Sumatran tiger died after it ate a goat laced with rat poison in neighboring North Sumatra province.

A baby elephant died last November after losing half her trunk to a trap set by poachers who prey on the endangered species.
Jacob Ashikyan is among the protesters marking the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on Sunday outside the Turkish Consulate in Beverly Hills. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Hundreds of people gathered outside the Turkish Consulate in Beverly Hills on Sunday to demand the Turkish government recognize the Armenian genocide and end its support of Azerbaijan in the Artsakh.

The rally organized by the Armenian Youth Federation was one of several held across the Southland to mark the 107th anniversary of the massacre. Los Angeles County is home to the largest population of Armenians in the United States.

Speakers at the protest honored the victims of the genocide and the strength of its survivors, told of Armenia's rich history and culture, and called for Turkey to finally acknowledge the loss and trauma it inflicted upon the Armenian people.

A woman places a red dot on the map where her ancestors are from in Armenia at a protest Sunday in Beverly Hills. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Outside the Turkish Consulate on Wilshire Boulevard, rally attendees waved the national flag of Armenia and chanted "1915 never again! Genocide never again! and "Eastern Turkey is Western Armenia!"  referring to the historical homeland of Armenians. They placed their palms in red paint and pressed them onto a white banner, an installation that represented Armenian bloodshed.

By many estimates, a million Armenians died in the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1920, one of the first genocides in a century that would be defined by mass killings. Ignored by most of the world and denied by the Turkish government, the Armenian slaughter was considered for generations a perfect genocide," as its victims were forgotten and its perpetrators went unpunished.

Armenians continue to face threats, protesters said. With the help of Turkey in 2020, Azerbaijan launched a war in an attempt to remove ethnic Armenians living in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

People gather at a Beverly Hills protest marking the 107th anniversary of the Armenian genocide on Sunday. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

"Our community is also calling on the U.S. government to prevent Turkey and Azerbaijan from committing ongoing war crimes against the Armenian people," said Alex Galitsky, spokesman for the Armenian National Committee of America, an organizer of the event.

Until President Biden in 2021 officially called the killings a genocide, American presidents had also declined to do so. They instead classified the deaths at the hands of the Ottoman Empire as an atrocity  but not a genocide.

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors last month proclaimed April as Armenian History Month and last week passed a motion declaring April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in Los Angeles County. April 24 is also observed throughout the Armenian diaspora and is a national holiday in Armenia.

Red dots on a map represent where in Armenia protesters' ancestors are from. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

Times staff photographer Jason Armond contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
North Korea is as of this month one of only two countries, along with Eritrea, that haven't administered COVID-19 vaccines, despite continuous international efforts to supply the secretive country with vaccines.

Pyongyang last year turned down nearly two million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines and nearly three million doses of Sinovac vaccines offered by the international COVAX program. The country had requested that the Sinovac vaccines instead be re-allocated to severely affected nations.

Nearly 250,000 doses of Novavax vaccines allotted for North Korea by COVAX were canceled early this year, apparently due to a lack of response from Pyongyang. Experts say that Pyongyangs dissatisfaction with the number and type of vaccines offered likely prompted them to turn down the shipments.

The vaccines offered to North Korea so far are mostly those from AstraZeneca and Sinovac. What Pyongyang wants is U.S.-made vaccines, such as those from Pfizer, Lee Wootae, director and research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told ABC News.

PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a meeting of the politburo of the ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang, North Korea, Jan. 19, 2022. (KCNA via Reuters, FILE)

Another expert pointed out that North Korea turned down the vaccine offer because it didnt fulfill the quantity the isolated regime wanted.

It is not unreasonable for Pyongyang to decide that administering such a small amount of doses would have little effect, Shin Young-jeon, professor at the Hanyang University College of Medicine, told ABC News.

Some believe Pyongyangs reluctance is primarily affected by political judgment.

The message that North Korea overcame a medical crisis with the help of U.S.-made vaccines will be difficult for the Kim Jong Un regime to justify, considering its critical stance towards the U.S., Lim Eul Chul, a professor at The Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, told ABC News.

PHOTO: Women wearing traditional hanbok dresses walk past a billboard displayed to mark the 90th founding anniversary of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army in Pyongyang on April 25, 2022. (Kim Won Jin/AFP via Getty Images)

The secretive regime may also have taken issue with the possibility of international supervision. The condition for receiving vaccines may not have been a comfortable prospect for Pyongyang, given the countrys state of total seclusion.

For Pyongyang to accept vaccine offers, it must guarantee a transparent vaccine distribution plan. This means letting international monitors into the country and allowing them to interfere with how the vaccine is being distributed, and to whom, Lim added.

North Korea remains unvaccinated 2 years into pandemic originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
North and South Korean guard posts are seen near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju

By Hyonhee Shin and Josh Smith

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea staged a widely anticipated nighttime military parade on Monday, a South Korean military source said, marking the anniversary of its army's founding with a display expected to include the nuclear-armed country's latest weapons.

Thousands of troops have been practicing for weeks, commercial satellite imagery showed, and the parade comes after North Korea resumed testing of its intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) last month for the first time since 2017.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency earlier reported that North Korea was conducting the parade after sundown, citing unnamed military sources. The event was believed to include some of the North's newest missiles, including its largest Hwasong-17 ICBM, which was first test-fired last month, the agency reported.

North Korea's past three military parades occurred after dark, and state media did not report on the events until the next day. State media had not reported a military parade as of Monday night, though outlets had described a number of other commemorative events marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army.

North Korean state media on Sunday trumpeted how the country has gained an "invincible power that the world cannot ignore and no one can touch" under leader Kim Jong Un, an apparent reference to its nuclear weapons.

At least 12 illuminated objects were spotted over central Pyongyang at around 9:30 p.m. (1230 GMT) on Monday, Seoul-based NK News reported, saying that they may have been drones or other aircraft.

Pyongyang's main Kim Il Sung Square was also illuminated and crowds of people were moving toward the area, the website reported.

North Korea often uses the parades to unveil new weapons. Its most recent parades included the Hwasong-17, as well as new hypersonic missiles and missiles launched from submarines.

The events usually include rows of conventional weapons such as artillery and tanks, and tens of thousands of goose-stepping troops shouting "long life" to Kim Jong Un.

Amid stalled denuclearisation talks with the United States and an incoming conservative administration in South Korea, Pyongyang has stepped up weapons tests and displays of military power in recent months.

South Korean and U.S. officials say there are signs that North Korea is preparing to conduct nuclear tests for the first time since 2017.

(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Josh Smith; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Toby Chopra)
LONDON  Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday, making them the highest-ranking U.S. officials to visit Ukraine since the invasion there began on Feb. 24. The two secretaries pledged aid worth $713 million and announced that U.S. diplomats would return to Kyiv. Meanwhile, Russia announced a ceasefire for the thousands of civilians keeping shelter in the Azovstal steel plant in the besieged city of Mariupol.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

U.S. officials visit Ukraine and pledge $713 million in new aid

Blinken and Austin made an unannounced trip to Ukraine on Sunday to meet with Zelensky and other officials. For security reasons the entire trip was shrouded in secrecy, and the U.S. government did not publicly acknowledge their presence until they were on the way out. The U.S. envoys approved a $165 million sale of ammunition for the war effort as well as another $300 million in foreign military financing, part of a new package worth $713 million. Our focus in the meeting was to talk about those things that would enable us to win the current battle and also build for tomorrow, Austin told reporters. We talked about security force assistance. And we talked about training.

Blinken and Austin meet with Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Russia is failing

After the meeting, Blinken spoke at the Polish-Ukrainian border. The strategy that weve put in place, massive support for Ukraine, massive pressure against Russia, solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these efforts, is having real results, the secretary of state said. And were seeing that when it comes to Russias war aims, Russia is failing; Ukraine is succeeding. Austin said the Ukrainians can win if they have the right equipment, the right support.

Blinken and Austin speak to reporters in Poland, near the Ukrainian border. Stacked behind them are boxes of supplies that are being shipped into Ukraine. (Alex Brandon, pool via AP)

U.S. diplomats to return to Kyiv

It was also announced that U.S. diplomats would begin a gradual return to Ukraine later this week. Washington had pulled its diplomats from Ukraine prior to Russias invasion. "Since the start of hostilities, we've had a team across the border in Poland who has been handling this work for us," a defense official told reporters, according to the Agence France-Presse. "Starting this week, members of that team will be able to do day trips instead into Ukraine. Ultimately, [they will] resume presence in Kyiv."

The closed U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. (Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images)

Russian ambassador warns U.S. over military aid

Russias ambassador to Washington warned the U.S. against sending more arms to Ukraine. We stressed the unacceptability of this situation when the United States of America pours weapons into Ukraine, and we demanded an end to this practice, Anatoly Antonov said in an interview with Russian state TV, Reuters reports. The Kremlin had previously warned the U.S., in a formal note, of unpredictable consequences of delivering advanced armaments to Kyiv.

Kremlin announces ceasefire for Mariupol civilians

Civilians shelter at the Azovstal steel plant, where Ukrainian soldiers are holding out amid Russia's siege of Mariupol. (Azov/Handout via Reuters)

Russias Defense Ministry said its troops would stop hostilities to allow sheltering civilians to leave the Azovstal steel plant in the besieged city of Mariupol. Soldiers from 14:00 Moscow time on April 25, 2022, will unilaterally stop any hostilities, withdraw units to a safe distance and ensure the withdrawal of civilians, the ministry said in a statement.

The move comes as Ukraine appeals to the U.N to be the "initiator and guarantor" of a humanitarian corridor that would allow civilians to leave the steel plant. "A corridor announced unilaterally does not provide security, and therefore is not a humanitarian corridor," Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk wrote on Telegram. She added that representatives of the U.N. and the Red Cross should be present whenever a humanitarian corridor is established.

Mariupols mayor has estimated that 20,000 civilians have been killed in the city. Last Wednesday an adviser to the mayor said the 1,000 civilians inside the steel building, believed to be the last stronghold, had no access to normal supplies of food and water.

Last week a Russian official claimed that forces had liberated Mariupol after weeks of blockade and heavy bombardment. The city has enormous strategic significance for Moscow as it finishes a land bridge between the Crimean Peninsula  which it seized in 2014  and mainland Russia.

_____

What happened last week in Ukraine? Check out this explainer from Yahoo Immersive to find out.
(Reuters) - Russia has warned the United States against sending more arms to Ukraine, Moscow's ambassador to Washington told Russian state television.

"We stressed the unacceptability of this situation when the United States of America pours weapons into Ukraine, and we demanded an end to this practice," Anatoly Antonov said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 TV channel.

Antonov said an official diplomatic note had been sent to Washington expressing Russia's concerns.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv late on Sunday, pledging new assistance worth $713 million for Zelenskiy's government and other countries in the region fearing Russian aggression.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken shake hands woth Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky before a meeting in Kyiv on April 24, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via Reuters)

Earlier in April, President Biden announced an additional $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine, expanding the scope of the systems provided to include heavy artillery.

Zelenskiy has been pleading with U.S. and European leaders to supply Kyiv with heavier arms and equipment. Thousands have been killed and millions displaced since Russia sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what it calls a "special military operation" to "demilitarise" its neighbouring country.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands of people, displaced millions and raised fears of a wider confrontation between Russia and the United States - by far the world's two biggest nuclear powers.

President Vladimir Putin says the "special military operation" in Ukraine is necessary because the United States was using Ukraine to threaten Russia and Moscow had to defend against the persecution of Russian-speaking people

Ukraine and the West say Russia began an unprovoked war of aggression.
WASHINGTON  Two months ago, it looked like Donald Trump had  yet again dodged a potentially deadly political bullet: a possible indictment in New York.

A pair of prosecutors heading a criminal fraud investigation in Manhattan abruptly resigned, leaving the case in limbo and inspiring celebrations by Trump and allies, albeit short-lived.

But just weeks later, more investigations are revving back up:

The New York attorney general is continuing to develop a civil case over Trump's financial practices;

A district attorney in Georgia is planning to call dozens of witnesses before a special grand jury investigating the then-president's attempts to overturn the 2020 election in the Peach State;

In Washington, a special House investigating committee is planning public hearings and mulling a criminal referral to the Justice Department linking Trump to the Jan. 6 insurrection and the bid to void President Joe Biden's victory in 2020.

Any of the cases percolating in Washington, Georgia and New York could put Trump in unprecedented legal peril as he tries to help Republicans win control of Congress thisyear and considers another presidential in 2024  and voices repeated concern about the possibility he will be the first ex-president to be hauled into court.

The Justice Department is already investigating  and prosecuting  people involved in the Jan. 6 attack on U.S. Capitol and possible links to Trump as he fought to stay in office despite the vote against him.

"It's absolutely clear that they knew what they were doing was wrong, they knew that it was unlawful, and they did it anyway," said Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., a member of the Jan. 6 committee, speaking this month on CNN.

Jan. 6 probe: For the first time, Jan. 6 committee alleges Trump, others engaged in criminal conspiracy to overturn election

Trump under the legal gun: If Donald Trump faces criminal charges, analysts doubt it will hurt him with his base in 2024

Back in January, as the New York indictment loomed, Trump told supporters in Texas that "they want to put me in jail!"

If he is indeed formally charged, Trump asked his more aggressive supporters to stage "the biggest protest we have ever had  in Washington, D.C, in New York, in Atlanta and elsewhere."

'A legal crescendo'

Charges against an ex-president would be historic, political and legal analysts said, and the political fallout is impossible to predict.

"The pursuit of Trump is very different," said Paul Rosenzweig, who worked with the Whitewater independent counsel investigation of President Bill Clinton. "But, then again, his conduct in office was pretty much different, too."

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., a former federal prosecutor who has sued Trump over Jan. 6, said it would be unprecedented to bring formal charges against an ex-president. But these are unprecedented times; if the evidence is there, he said, Trump should have to face a judge and jury just like anyone else.

"Before Donald Trump, no president had ever led an insurrection against the United States," Swalwell said in a telephone interview. "He changed everything."

Swalwell, who has created a political action committee to help Democrats campaign on efforts to protect democracy, said the nation is "building up to a legal crescendo," and Trump's legal fate will be a big issue in the fall elections.

"Trump is absolutely on the ballot," Swalwell said. "There is no way around it."

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, Saturday, April 23, 2022, in Delaware, Ohio. (AP)

The Georgia case

Trump will stump for his endorsed candidates in a series of Republican primaries scheduled for May  the same month that prosecutors in Georgia plan to amp up their investigation of Trump.

A criminal investigation examining election interference by the former president enters a new phase next month when a special grand jury is formally empaneled to weigh evidence and testimony from more than two dozen witnesses.

The seating of the special panel, approved earlier this year by a local judge, is set to begin May 2. The assistance was sought by Atlanta-area District Attorney Fani Willis, who cited the need for additional authority to compel witnesses to cooperate with authorities.

More: More than 100 potential witnesses identified in Trump investigation, Atlanta-area DA says

Who is Fani Willis?: Remember Trumps call to find votes in Georgia? Meet Fani Willis, the DA who could charge him

Since Willis announced the local inquiry last year, investigators have interviewed about 50 witnesses, Willis spokesman Jeff DiSantis told USA TODAY. Another 30 could require grand jury subpoenas, while 60 others may be sought for additional voluntary interviews, he said.

The witness breakdown was first reported earlier this week by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Yet Wills had signaled in February in an interview with USA TODAY that the inquiry had significantly expanded and the pace of investigation was set to accelerate.

"There is a significant enough number of people, who when we're calling ... politely to say we'd like an opportunity to sit down and talk to you about matters related to this (investigation), refrained from wanting to do that. And some even specifically requested subpoenas," Willis told USA TODAY in February.

Willis and DiSantis have declined to elaborate on who they planned to subpoena, including whether they would include former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows or other members of the former president's administration.

Referring to previous discussions with Trumps lawyers, Willis said they "could rely on" a decision on possible charges by the end of this year.

Trump's phone tag

Last year, Willis disclosed that local prosecutors had launched a wide-ranging investigation of possible election fraud, false statements, conspiracy, oath of office violations, racketeering and violence associated with threats to the election process.

A major focus of the inquiry has been Trump's Jan. 2, 2021, telephone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which the former president urged the state official to tilt the 2020 statewide vote in his favor.

"So look, all I want to do is this: I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state," Trump told Raffensperger, according to audio of that call.

Raffensperger is also on the Georgia ballot next month; he is being challenged by Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., who has Trump's backing.

On the ballot: In 2022 midterms, a new 'Big Lie' battleground: secretary of state elections

Separately, Trump also urged a Georgia election investigator in a phone call in December to "find the fraud."

Willis also is examining a November 2021 call in which Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a prominent Trump ally, allegedly asked Raffensperger whether he had the authority to disqualify mail-in ballots from certain areas of the state.

Graham has denied making such a request.

On a related matter, Willis has said that local prosecutors would also be examining the submission of an alternate slate of electors by Republicans in Georgia, one of seven states in which officials allegedly sought to reverse Trump's defeat.

The Jan. 6 case

June may also mark the first in a planned series of public hearings from the select House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and Trump's responsibility.

"Criminal conspiracy:' For the first time, Jan. 6 committee alleges Trump, others engaged in criminal conspiracy to overturn election

The Eastman memo: The Jan. 6 committee got a boost from a ruling on a confidential memo. What's next?

The committee hopes to complete its work by the end of the year, and must decide whether to issue a criminal referral to the Department of Justice  a determination that Trump's attempts to overturn his election loss to Joe Biden amount to possible crimes.

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., one of two Republicans on the panel, said "Its absolutely clear that what President Trump was doing, what a number of people around him were doing, that they knew it was unlawful."

Trump says he was exercising his rights to protest the election and that the "unselect committee" is strictly political.

The New York cases

Developments in New York have been a good newsbad news situation for Trump.

While the New York district attorney's office criminal investigation of Trump's past financial dealings appears to be in an uncertain state, state Attorney General Letitia James appears to be moving forward with a potential civil case against the ex-president.

James' office had been working with the New York DA as part of joint investigation into whether Trump and his company fraudulently inflated the value of their real estate holdings to obtain loans and deflated those values at other times to get lower tax bills.

Most recently, James asked a New York state judge to hold Trump in contempt over his failure to comply with a court order to turn over documents pertaining to the investigation.

The civil case: New York Attorney General Letitia James says Trump Organization misled banks, tax officials

The criminal case:Ex-NY prosecutor's resignation letter said he believes Trump is guilty of 'numerous' felonies

Trump reflected his concern about James' case by sending a mocking Easter message to the state attorney general: "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!"

James office responded: "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."

The district attorney's investigation appeared to be on hold after the two top prosecutors resigned in February. One of them, Mark Pomerantz, told U.S. Attorney Alvin Bragg that he should pursue a case because he believes Trump "is guilty of numerous felony violations" with respect to statements of his financial condition.

But earlier this month, Bragg sent out a statement claiming the Trump investigation is continuing. "While the law constrains me from commenting further at this time," he said, "I pledge that the Office will publicly state the conclusion of our investigation  whether we conclude our work without bringing charges, or move forward with an indictment."

That inspired a counter-blast from Trump, who again said he is "being treated extremely unfairly."

No Nixon or Clinton

Trump isn't the first ex-president to face potential legal problems  but there is no precedent for the volume and intensity of the investigations he still faces more than a year and a half after he left office.

President Richard Nixon faced the prospect of indictment after he resigned the presidency over Watergate in 1974. Successor Gerald Ford short-circuited that threat with a preemptive pardon. (Nixon was ensnared in civil litigation and testified in the trial of FBI officials charged with civil rights violations.)

Decades later, President Bill Clinton faced legal peril over his testimony in the investigation of his relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky. But he cut a deal with Special Counsel Robert Ray to avoid indictment by acknowledging false testimony, paying fines and surrendering his law license.

Trump is different. "It's most certainly unprecedented," said Barbara McQuade, a former federal prosecutor and law professor at the University of Michigan.

The investigation surrounding the Jan. 6 insurrection is probably the highest profile investigation.

There are risks to bringing charges against an ex-president; for one thing, Trump could win an acquittal, strengthening his claim that these investigations are all politically motivated.

McQuade, however, said that "to allow him to escape accountability would be worse," and might encourage future presidents and other lawmakers "to try and do the same things in the future."

'A very difficult situation'

Other observers said the danger is the perception that governments are targeting Trump for political reasons if the cases are seen as weak.

Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University Law School, said prosecution of Trump could lead to a world in which parties seek to put their opponents in jail for any reason.

"There is a danger in stretching the criminal code," Turley said.

Others stress that no one is above the law. Should prosecutors flinch about charging Trump with a crime, millions could lose faith in the system's ability to hold powerful people accountable.

There will be protests regardless of whether Trump is charged or not, said Jennifer Mercieca, an historian of political rhetoric who teaches at Texas A&M University.

"If hes charged, his supporters will lose even more faith in those processes," she said. "If hes not charged then Democrats will lose faith in those processes. Our nation is in a very difficult situation, brought on by Trumps Big Lie and his failure to accept the election results."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where the investigations of ex-president Donald Trump stand now
The U.S. secretaries of state and defense met Sunday night with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the highest-level visit to the war-torn country's capital by an American delegation since the start of Russia's invasion.

The meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was confirmed by presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych in an interview on Ukrainian TV.

It came as Ukraine pressed the West for more powerful weapons against Russia's campaign in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Moscow's forces sought to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops in the battered port of Mariupol.

"Yes, they're meeting with the president. Let's hope something will be decided on further help," Arestovych said in an interview on Ukrainian TV.

Before the session, Zelenskyy said he was looking for the Americans to produce results, both in arms and security guarantees.

"You can't come to us empty-handed today, and we are expecting not just presents or some kind of cakes, we are expecting specific things and specific weapons,'' he said.

Zelenskyy's last face-to-face meeting with a top U.S. official was Feb. 19 in Munich with Vice President Kamala Harris, five days before Russia's invasion. While the West has funneled military equipment to Ukraine, Zelenskyy has stressed repeatedly that his country needs more heavy weapons, including long-range air defense systems and warplanes.

In an apparent boost for Ukraine, polling agencies said French President Emmanuel Macron would win reelection over far right candidate Marine Le Pen. The result was hailed by France's allies in the European Union as a reassuring sign of stability and continued support for Ukraine. France has played a leading role in international efforts to punish Russia with sanctions and is supplying weapons systems to Ukraine.

SEE MORE: Zelenskyy Says U.S. Officials To Visit Ukraine Sunday

Zelenskyy's meeting with U.S. officials took place as Ukrainians and Russians observed Orthodox Easter, when the faithful celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Speaking from Kyiv's ancient St. Sophia Cathedral, Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, highlighted its significance to a nation wracked by nearly two months of war.

"The great holiday today gives us great hope and unwavering faith that light will overcome darkness, good will overcome evil, life will overcome death, and therefore Ukraine will surely win!" he said.

Still, the war cast a shadow over celebrations. In the northern village of Ivanivka, where Russian tanks still littered the roads, Olena Koptyl said "the Easter holiday doesn't bring any joy. I'm crying a lot. We cannot forget how we lived."

The Russian military reported hitting 423 Ukrainian targets overnight, including fortified positions and troop concentrations, while its warplanes destroyed 26 Ukrainian military sites, including an explosives factory and several artillery depots.

Since failing to capture Kyiv, the Russians have aimed to gain full control over the eastern industrial heartland, where Moscow-backed separatists controlled some territory before the war.

Two girls, aged 5 and 14, died in shelling in the town of Ocheretyne, part of the industrial region, Ukraine's national police said.

Russian forces launched fresh airstrikes on a Mariupol steel plant where an estimated 1,000 civilians are sheltering along with about 2,000 Ukrainian fighters. The Azovstal steel mill where the defenders are holed up is the last corner of resistance in the city, otherwise occupied by the Russians.

Zelenskyy said he stressed the need to evacuate civilians from Mariupol, including from the steel plant, in a Sunday call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is scheduled to speak later with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Arestovych, the Zelenskyy adviser, said Ukraine has proposed talks with Russia next to the sprawling steel mill. Arestovych said on the Telegram messaging app that Russia has not responded to the proposal that would include establishing humanitarian corridors and the exchange of Russian war prisoners for the fighters still in the plant.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Guterres is scheduled to travel to Turkey on Monday and then Moscow and Kyiv. Zelenskyy it was a mistake for Guterres to visit Russia before Ukraine.

"Why? To hand over signals from Russia? What should we look for?" Zelenskyy said Saturday. "There are no corpses scattered on the Kutuzovsky Prospect," he said, referring to one of Moscow's main avenues.

Mariupol has endured fierce fighting since the start of the war due to its location on the Sea of Azov. Its capture would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, free up Russian troops to fight elsewhere, and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

More than 100,000 people  down from a prewar population of about 430,000  are believed to remain in Mariupol with scant food, water or heat. Ukrainian authorities estimate over 20,000 civilians have been killed. Recent satellite images showed what appeared to be mass graves to the west and east of Mariupol.

Mykhailo Podolyak, another presidential adviser, tweeted that the Russian military was attacking the plant with heavy bombs and artillery while accumulating forces and equipment for a direct assault.

Zelenskyy on Saturday accused Russians of committing war crimes by killing civilians and of setting up "filtration camps" near Mariupol for people trying to leave the city. He said the Ukrainians  many of them children  are then sent to areas under Russian occupation or to Russia itself, often as far as Siberia or the Far East.

The claims could not be independently verified. But they were repeated by Ukrainian lawmaker Yevheniya Kravchuk on ABC's "This Week."

"They have pulled these people from Mariupol -- they are put to filtration camps ... it's sort of something that can't be happening in the 21st century," Kravchuk said.

Zelenskyy also claimed that intercepted communications recorded Russian troops discussing "how they conceal the traces of their crimes" in Mariupol.

And he highlighted the death of a 3-month old girl in a Russian missile strike Saturday on the Black Sea port of Odesa. The baby was among eight people killed when Russia fired cruise missiles at Odesa, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukrainian news agency UNIAN, citing social media, reported that the infant's mother, Valeria Glodan, and grandmother also died when a missile hit a residential area. Zelenskyy promised to find and punish those responsible.

"The war started when this baby was 1 month old,'' Zelenskyy said. Can you imagine what is happening? They are filthy scum, there are no other words for it."

For the Donbas offensive, Russia has reassembled troops who fought around Kyiv and in northern Ukraine. The British Ministry of Defense said Ukrainian forces had repelled numerous assaults in the past week and "inflicted significant cost on Russian forces."

The spiritual leaders of the world's Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics appealed for relief for Ukraine's suffering population.

From Istanbul, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I said a "human tragedy" was unfolding. Bartholomew, considered the first among his Eastern Orthodox patriarch equals, cited in particular "the thousands of people surrounded in Mariupol, civilians, among them the wounded, the elderly, women and many children."

Pope Francis, speaking from a window overlooking St. Peter's Square, renewed his call for an Easter truce, calling it "a minimal and tangible sign of a desire for peace."

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
The United Nations Security Council's lack of action to intervene in the war in Ukraine, with more than one resolution being vetoed by Russia, has resurfaced criticism of the body.

The Ukrainian government has heavily criticized the body for not taking action to stop the war, with strong criticism coming from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who, in an address to its Security Council, challenged the body to act or "dissolve" itself.

The U.N. General Assembly passed resolutions condemning the war in Ukraine, including a resolution to remove Russia from the Human Rights Council, exposing what little support Russia has for its war and international condemnation for its alleged war crimes.

MORE: Russia-Ukraine live updates: European Council president holds call with Putin

Historically, when the Council has been unable to take action, the U.N. General Assembly has intervened, experts told ABC News.

The Security Council, a body consisting of 15 members, five of which are permanent with veto power dubbed the P-5, is responsible for peace and security. The remaining 10 non-permanent seats rotate by election of other U.N. members for two year periods. The permanent members are China, France, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S.

This story explores the shortcomings of the Security Council and ways it can be reformed.

Can Russia be removed or its veto power taken away?

Removing a member from the Security Council or the General Assembly requires a recommendation from the Security Council.

Because Russia is one of the P-5 and has veto power, it can block any resolution from being passed, keeping its seat safe. It would be impossible to remove Russia from the council unless it agrees to its own expulsion or suspension.

PHOTO: Members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council meet at the UN, April 19, 2022, in New York. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

While there has been wide international condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it could still use its position in the U.N. to serve its domestic interests. Whenever Russia is represented in the U.N. Security Council, it uses the opportunity to sell the war at home, even if the international community does not believe what they are saying, Paul Poast, an associate professor of political science at the University of Chicago, told ABC News in an interview.

"A lot of times, there's value in being there, even if you're not getting anything done, just because it's useful for this domestic political purpose," Poast said.

Experts agree that is unlikely Russia will be removed, but one expert said it is not impossible.

The U.N. Charter lists the Republic of China as one of the P-5. Experts said this is actually Taiwan, as the charter itself was drafted before the communist revolution in China, Kim Lane Scheppele, an international affairs professor at Princeton who focuses on international law, told ABC News.

The civil war, sparked by the Chinese Revolution in 1948, led to "what had been the government of China [fleeing] to Taiwan. And Security Council membership fled with the government," Scheppele said.

Taiwan remained a permanent member until 1971 when a General Assembly resolution, pushed for by China, transferred the seat.

"The language of the Republic of China, in the in the U.N. Charter, was reinterpreted to mean that the membership moved from Taiwan to the mainland," Scheppele said.

This could be applied to Russia as well, given that the U.N. charter lists the "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" as a permanent member of the Council, not Russia. This could leave room for any of the other former Soviet states to replace Russia, possibly even Ukraine, Scheppele said.

MORE: UN General Assembly suspends Russia from Human Rights Council

"This is kind of the only option that I can see, legally speaking, for how you could do it," Scheppele said.

Another expert disagrees, and said that there is no way the seat could be taken away from Russia.

"There's no direct challenger to take that seat and under the current structure of the U.N., and even the current politics of the U.N. General Assembly, there's no way that I can envision a scenario where there would be a change of the Security Council to either remove Russia completely or even remove the veto power," Poast said.

Poast later said, "Removing them from the Human Rights Council, in many ways, is probably about as significant of a change as you can make."

Limitations of the UN

While experts said the U.N. facilitates diplomacy and keeps the lines of communication open between major powers, the Security Council's actions are tied to major powers' interests.

The inequity of the Security Council is that nothing can be done if it opposes what the major powers want, Poast said.

While the Security Council has not been able to pass any resolutions regarding the war in Ukraine or act to stop or prevent it, Poast said taking action is not part of its role. That is why NATO was created; to have a separate union, without China and Russia, allowing Western states to take action.

"One of the big things that drove the process of creating NATO was the recognition sitting around late 1947 [to] 1948, that, from the British and the American perspective, they weren't going to be able to work with the Soviet Union," Poast said, adding that the powers needed a separate entity that would enable them to take action. Even in the early days of the U.N., Poast said there were concerns over whether the British, French and Americans would be able to work with the Soviets and Chinese.

This was proven in 1999 when NATO took action in Kosovo, after the Security Council did not act, and again in 2011 when NATO intervened in Libya.

"It's also a key reason why we're seeing NATO be very active in this war, because of exactly the fact that the U.N. Security Council has been ineffective in doing anything about this. But in contrast, NATO has been highly effective in trying to do something to support Ukraine," Poast said.

But, Poast said the U.N. is keeping lines of diplomacy open between the U.S. and Russia, even though their respective Secretary of State and Foreign minister have not been communicating.

"That is still important to be able to have the major powers talking to each other, especially if you go back to the ultimate purpose of the UN, which  is to prevent the major powers from fighting one another, not to keep them from fighting any war," Poast said.

MORE: The battle for Donbas: Why the weapons the US is rushing to Ukraine are so critical

Another expert said the U.N. has been remarkably effective in preventing wars.

"Before 1945, there were a lot of wars between states and since 1945, there have been very, very few. And the Security Council was designed to regulate war between states and in that sense, it's been, historically, tremendously effective," said Lise Morje Howard, a professor at Georgetown University and president of the Academic Council on the United Nations System.

She added, "there have been a lot of militarized disputes between states that came close to war, or where the war maybe even started. And then the controversy went to the U.N. Security Council, they see a resolution, or decision or some kind of mediation process. Sometimes it's peacekeeping. And then the war didn't escalate."

Howard also said the Council has been able to prevent a great power war from breaking out since its inception after World War II.

PHOTO: Russia's Deputy Ambassador to the U.N. Dmitry Polyanskiy addresses a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, April 19, 2022. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

Proposed reforms to the Security Council

While Poast thinks a separate entity would be needed to take action, there are several proposals to reform both the UN and the Security Council, including limiting veto power and increasing the number of non-permanent members, both of which would need the consent of the P-5.

MORE: Ukraine leader to UN Security Council: No more Russia veto

As for expanding the number of members, one proposal, known as the G-4, is to give India, Germany, Brazil and Japan permanent seats in the Council, while another proposal is for African countries to be given two permanent seats in the body, according to Howard.

Howard said the G-4 proposal has been popular for the last 10 years, but it could hurt the legitimacy of the Council, which stems from its ability to make decisions.

But, "I, and many other scholars, have argued that if you expand the number of decision makers, you will have fewer decisions on the Security Council," Howard said.

She added, "That means that they that the council will be less effective at decision making."

Another proposal, dubbed Uniting for Consensus, is to expand the number of non-permanent members in the Council from 10 to 20, to have more representation in the body. This proposal also suggests that states should be allowed to reapply to be on the Council after their two-year election ends.

Howard said more representation and diversity in the Council could increase its legitimacy.

Alternatively, Liechtenstein, a small country in Europe, has teamed up with more than 50 other countries, including the U.S., on a proposal that would require the P-5 to justify their veto to the UNGA and would trigger public debates in the body.

Scheppele said another way to reform the Council is to subject its decision to approval by the International Court of Justice. The ICJ could rule on whether its decisions are in line with international law, as a way to put some checks on the body.

"If the Security Council does something that the General Assembly believes is contrary to international law, for example, the General Assembly can already, under the charter, refer that question decided by the Security Council to the ICJ," Scheppele said.

But, enforcement of ICJ decisions would still be a problem and this would not resolve the Council's inaction, Scheppele said.

While a lot of focus has been placed on the Security Council, Scheppele said the U.N. is a large organization with several bodies heavily involved in Ukraine.

"There's everything from UNICEF, which is in there, into Ukraine, trying to save kids to UNESCO, which has actually been working with all the museum directors across Ukraine to try to preserve Ukraine's cultural heritage," Scheppele said.

She added, "the U.N. is more than the general assembly and the Security Council. And there are probably other pieces of the U.N. that are very actively involved in trying to mitigate the damage from this...the U.N. is a big beast has lots of different wings, and arms and legs, and a bunch of them are involved in the war. It's just not the Security Council."

UN Security Council's inaction on Ukraine prompts questions on reform originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A mark indicating the place has been disinfected is seen in Lianqin Village of Beicai Town in Pudong New Area, east China's Shanghai, April 24, 2022. Villagers of Lianqin Village started returning home from quarantine site on Sunday. The village conducted thorough disinfection after villagers were transported to quarantine site a week ago due to the emerging of COVID-19 cases here. (Xinhua/Li He)

A villager walks towards home in Lianqin Village of Beicai Town in Pudong New Area, east China's Shanghai, April 24, 2022. Villagers of Lianqin Village started returning home from quarantine site on Sunday. The village conducted thorough disinfection after villagers were transported to quarantine site a week ago due to the emerging of COVID-19 cases here. (Xinhua/Li He)

Villagers returning home from quarantine site register in Lianqin Village of Beicai Town in Pudong New Area, east China's Shanghai, April 24, 2022. Villagers of Lianqin Village started returning home from quarantine site on Sunday. The village conducted thorough disinfection after villagers were transported to quarantine site a week ago due to the emerging of COVID-19 cases here. (Xinhua/Li He)

Villagers returning home from quarantine site go home with the guidance of staff members in Lianqin Village of Beicai Town in Pudong New Area, east China's Shanghai, April 24, 2022. Villagers of Lianqin Village started returning home from quarantine site on Sunday. The village conducted thorough disinfection after villagers were transported to quarantine site a week ago due to the emerging of COVID-19 cases here. (Xinhua/Li He)

Buses carrying villagers who are returning home from quarantine site drive toward Lianqin Village of Beicai Town in Pudong New Area, east China's Shanghai, April 24, 2022. Villagers of Lianqin Village started returning home from quarantine site on Sunday. The village conducted thorough disinfection after villagers were transported to quarantine site a week ago due to the emerging of COVID-19 cases here. (Xinhua/Li He)

Photo taken on April 24, 2022 shows the Lianqin Village after villagers returning home in Beicai Town of Pudong New Area, east China's Shanghai. Villagers of Lianqin Village started returning home from quarantine site on Sunday. The village conducted thorough disinfection after villagers were transported to quarantine site a week ago due to the emerging of COVID-19 cases here. (Xinhua/Li He)

Aerial photo taken on April 24, 2022 shows villagers walking into Lianqin Village of Beicai Town in Pudong New Area, east China's Shanghai. Villagers of Lianqin Village started returning home from quarantine site on Sunday. The village conducted thorough disinfection after villagers were transported to quarantine site a week ago due to the emerging of COVID-19 cases here. (Xinhua/Li He)

A staff member holds a sign to welcome villagers back home in Lianqin Village of Beicai Town in Pudong New Area, east China's Shanghai, April 24, 2022. Villagers of Lianqin Village started returning home from quarantine site on Sunday. The village conducted thorough disinfection after villagers were transported to quarantine site a week ago due to the emerging of COVID-19 cases here. (Xinhua/Li He)
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. Lawmaker Varuzhan Pambukchyan of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies (lower house of parliament) issued a statement on the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, calling for its official recognition by Romania.

All those guilty must be held to account in order for it never to happen again. It must be condemned in order for the denialism and the attempts to falsify history to never happen again. The international community must be the guarantor and witness of any process of reconciliation so that it never happens again, Pambukchyan said in the statement.

Speaking about the recognition of the Holocaust and other genocides during the WWII, he said : It was proven how those who committed such atrocities can find the dignity and power to accept it, to apologize and move forward. A process like this leads to normalization and allows peoples to live with the crimes that their ancestors committed, but not be haunted by the ghosts of the past. In the eyes of the international community a nation like that is again perceived as one enjoying trust. Any genocide is the issue of all humanity, and we must begin with the genocide against the Armenians perpetrated during World War I, the first genocide of the 20th century, meaning of the modern world. We must start from the beginning, weve spoken so much about the genocide that today, on yet another anniversary of the genocide, I prefer only to say Never Again, believing that mankind will find the strength to overcome any interest and reach its unanimous recognition and support the reconciliation process of future generations, he said.

The legislator added that Romania, which embraced the large number of survivors of the Armenian Genocide who arrived to Romania, still has an unfulfilled debt towards Armenians in terms of not having officially recognized the Armenian Genocide yet.

Any nation that hasnt yet made this step has such debt towards the international community. Because its not just the issue of Armenians and Turks, like the Holocaust isnt just the issue of the Jews and Germans, it is the issue of all mankind because a world built upon hatred and haunted by ghosts of the past is not functional now or in any other case, Pambukchyan said.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. An expanded Cabinet meeting took place on April 25 in Artsakh, chaired by President Arayik Harutyunyan.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the President of Artsakh, the Head of State presented the military-political situation in the Republic, the latest developments around Artsakh, in particular, in the context of the recent meetings with the participation of the Armenian PM in Moscow and Brussels. The President stressed that at this stage no document on the status of Artsakh is being discussed and there is a clear agreement with the Armenian PM that in case of any discussion on the future status of Artsakh at the international level, the position of the Armenian side must be agreed with the opinion of the authorities and the people of the Artsakh Republic.

Touching upon the issues related to the cooperation between the two Armenian republics, President Harutyunyan noted that in the post-war period the need for Artsakh to have closer ties with the public administration systems of Armenia and to increase the efficiency of cooperation with the partner agencies of Armenia has increased. In this context, the President instructed the members of the government to take the initiative, emphasizing that steps will be taken at the state level to further strengthen these ties.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who is in New Delhi to participate in the Raisina Dialogue conference, met with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on April 25.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, Ministers Mirzoyan and Jaishankar expressed satisfaction with the high level of political dialogue between the two countries. Ararat Mirzoyan stressed that strengthening relations with India is one of the priorities of Armenia's foreign policy.

The interlocutors discussed the process of implementation of the agreements reached during the Indian Foreign Minister's visit to Armenia in the fall of 2021. The prospects for further development of relations in the fields of information technologies, aviation, education, culture, tourism and other spheres were touched upon. The parties stressed the effectiveness of the work done in recent months, expressed mutual readiness to continue the deepening of cooperation.

Ararat Mirzoyan stressed that he is visiting India accompanied by representatives of Armenian business and investment circles, whose meetings with their Indian partners will be an additional impetus for the activation of Armenian-Indian trade and economic cooperation, which has a great potential.

Prospects for deepening cooperation in the field of transport communications were touched upon.

Issues related to regional and international security and stability were also discussed.

The Armenian side presented the situation in the South Caucasus region and Armenia's position on the processes aimed at establishing regional peace and stability, and on negotiations on a comprehensive peace treaty with Azerbaijan. Minister Mirzoyan expressed satisfaction with India's position on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The mediating role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in pushing forward the peace process was emphasized.

Minister Mirzoyan also briefed his interlocutor on the developments in the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey.

During the meeting, the Armenian Foreign Minister reaffirmed Armenia's support for India in the issues of Jammu and Kashmir.
BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The security cooperation between China and Solomon Islands is based on equality and mutual benefits. It is within the sovereignty of the two countries and consistent with the international law and international customary practice, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the comment at a press briefing after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a Chinese military base in the Solomon Islands would be a red line for his government.

Wang pointed out that the cooperation is open, transparent, legitimate, lawful and irreproachable. "The speculation that China will build a military base in the Solomon Islands is pure disinformation fabricated by a handful of people who harbor ulterior motives."

The United States and Australian accuse the framework agreement on security cooperation between China and Solomon Islands of not being transparent. However, it is the AUKUS security partnership that is neither open nor transparent, Wang said.

"When will the United States and Australia invite South Pacific island countries and other regional countries to review AUKUS cooperation? The United States claims that China's military presence will cause grave concerns. If we follow this logic, the nearly 800 military bases in 80 countries and regions across the world run by the United States have long been of major concern for the world. When will the United States shut down those bases?" The spokesperson asked.

Island countries in the South Pacific are independent and sovereign states, not a backyard of the United States or Australia, said Wang, adding that their attempt to revive the Monroe Doctrine in the South Pacific region will get no support and lead to nowhere. 
Jammu ADGP Mukesh Singh claimed that JeM militants were speaking to one another and others in Pashto, the official language of Afghanistan

SRINAGAR: Just before and during Prime Minister Narendra Modis, visit to Jammu and Kashmir, the twin regions of the Union Territory  Jammu and Kashmir Valley  witnessed a series of armed clashes between uniformed forces and separatists, leaving, at least eight militants including a top commander of proscribed Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT), and a security official dead and more than a dozen other personnel injured.

Also, hours before the Prime Ministers arrival in Jammu on Sunday, a mysterious blast was reported from Laliyana in the Bishnah area on the periphery of the winter capital. Though no loss of life or damage was reported, the place where it occurred was about 12 kilometres from Palli where Modi addressed a mammoth rally on the National Panchayat Raj Day.

Officials said that the clashes between the militants and security forces take place routinely in the Kashmir Valley, but they believe the two alleged Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militants killed in an encounter in Sunjwan on the outskirts of Jammu city on Friday had been tasked by their Pakistani handlers to strike in a spectacular way ahead of the Prime Ministers visit.

Jammus Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Mukesh Singh, claimed that the JeM militants were speaking to one another and others only in Pashto, the official language of Afghanistan that is also spoken in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and some northern areas and could hail from there. "It is believed on the basis of the arms, ammunition and other equipment being carried by them that they had been tasked to strike in a spectacular way, most probably by carrying out a massive suicide attack in Jammu.

The police has arrested siblings Shafiq Ahmed and Asif Ahmed from Tral of Pulwama district who were working in a walnut factory in Narwal, close to Sunjwan, on the charge of helping the militant duo. It has launched a manhunt for another Kashmiri resident, Bilal Ahmed Wagay, who, according to the police officer, transported the JeM militants to Sunjwan from the frontier district of Samba in a vegetable-laden truck. He claimed that the accused were in touch with a Pakistani-based JeM commander known by his codename Veer through Telegram application.

A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had also visited the encounter site in the Sunjwan area for the initial evidence gathering, the sources said.

The National Investigation Act, 2008 gives the NIA powers to take suo motu cognisance of terror activities in any part of the country and register a case, to enter any state or Union Territory without permission from the concerned government, and to investigate and arrest people. In 2019, the act was amended to expand the type of offences the agency could investigate and prosecute including the ones coming under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908. End it

Meanwhile, two militants killed in an encounter with the security forces in Puhoo area of Kashmir Valleys southern Pulwama district on Sunday have been identified as LeT cadres including Arif Hazar alias Rehan who, according to the officials, was deputy to the outfits top commander Basit.

The police sources said a 17-year-old youth Nazish Shakeel Wani from the Khanyar quarter of capital Srinagar who went missing on April 16 is among the slain. The third militant killed in the gunfight has been identified as a Pakistani resident known by his codename Haqqani.
The Supreme Court had cancelled the bail granted to Ashish Mishra and asked him to surrender in a week

Lakhimpur: Union Minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra on Sunday surrendered at a local court here, days after the SC cancelled his bail in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.

"Ashish has surrendered in the court. We were given a week's time but as Monday was the last day, he surrendered a day ahead," Ashish's counsel Awadesh Singh told PTI. Jail Superintendent PP Singh said Ashish will be kept in a separate barrack at the jail due to security reasons.

The Supreme Court had cancelled the bail granted to Ashish Mishra and asked him to surrender in a week.

Eight people were killed in Lakhimpur Kheri during the violence that erupted when farmers were protesting against Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the area on October 3 last year.

The dead included four farmers and a journalist, who were mowed down allegedly by cars carrying BJP workers.

Later, police had arrested Ashish in the case. The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad HC had granted regular bail to him and opined that the present case was one of "accident by hitting with the vehicle".

Cancelling his bail, the Supreme Court said the victims were denied "a fair and effective hearing" in the Allahabad High Court, which adopted a "myopic view of the evidence".
Prime minister said that corruption is being crushed by the clean administration which has raised the confidence of investors

Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves towards supporters during a rally on Panchayati Raj Day, at Palli in Samba district, Sunday, April 24, 2022. Union Minister Jitendra Singh and J&K Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha is also seen. (PTI Photo)

Srinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that democracy and development were reaching grassroots in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir after constitutional reforms, an obvious reference to the abrogation of Article 370.

This was the Prime Ministers first visit to J&K after the erstwhile state was stripped of its special status and split up in two UTs by the BJP government at the Centre on August 5, 2019.

While seeking to strike a chord with the next generation of J&K, the erstwhile state and especially the Kashmir Valley, which has been through decades of violence, mayhem and political uncertainty, Modi said it would not suffer like their ancestors but see springtime full of life and growth.

I assure, rather promise that the youth of J&K wont see hardships and sufferings as their parents and grandparents did, Modi said. Today, Rs 20,000 crore worth projects related to connectivity and electricity have been inaugurated. The local youth of this place will get jobs, he said.

Modi was, on the National Panchayat Raj Day, speaking at a mammoth rally at Palli Gram Panchayat in Samba district close to the border with Pakistan.

Though the day is celebrated across the country, some political watchers saw in the Prime Minister choosing J&K for addressing the people on the occasion, an attempt to showcase his governments achievements in the UT post August 2019 and send a political message that the historic decision of ending its special status had set off a major positive political as well as social makeover.

The Prime Minister said that be it democracy or development, J&K was setting a new example. New dimensions of development have been created in Jammu and Kashmir in the last 2-3 years, he said adding It is a symbol of change that this year Panchayati Raj Day is being celebrated in J&K.

As a series of laws have been introduced in J&K and several existing ones amended and many Central laws made applicable to the UT, the Prime Minister asserted that these had helped empowering every resident particularly women, children and downtrodden sections.

He said, There were almost 175 laws which were not applicable here. We have implemented those laws in J&K to empower every resident of UT. I feel proud, today after 75 years, Walmiki Samaj people are equal to any other citizen of India. These people suffered a lot. He added, These people got freedom after 75 years of Indias independence.

Be it electricity, water and LPG connections, construction of toilets under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or any other Central scheme, J&K is receiving benefits of all such schemes, he said. This year, for preservation of lakes and other water bodies of J&K, huge funds were earmarked.

One of the projects inaugurated by the Prime Minister is a 500-KW solar power plant at Palli, which made it the countrys first panchayat to become carbon neutral. Modi while referring to Indias leadership on international environmental and climate change platforms expressed pride that Palli Panchayat had becoming first carbon-neutral panchayat.

He said that the place was not new to him nor was he new to its people. He said that in the past ten days, the people of Palli had been providing free food to guests who were turning up in the village to attend the rally. I salute all the villagers of Pali for their commitment.

As business giants from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong have committed themselves to investing in J&K, the Prime Minister said, I met a Gulf delegation. They are quite enthusiastic about J&K. Post 1947, just Rs 17,000 crore outside investment reached J&K. But in just the past two years, Rs 38,000 crore investment proposals stand cleared for J&K.

He said that corruption is being crushed by the clean administration which has raised the confidence of investors.
The political strategist had met KCR only to bid him adieu and cut all commercial ties with the TRS in the state, said Revanth Reddy

New Delhi/Hyderabad: Confusion prevailed over political strategist Prashant Kishor joining the Congress Party even as his two-day long meeting with the partys arch-rival, Telangana Rashtra Samiti supremo K. Chandrasekhar Rao, at his official residence Pragathi Bhavan in Hyderabad, did not go down well in the grand old party.

Manickam Tagore, the Congress in-charge for Telangana, fired the first cryptic salvo with a tweet: Never trust anyone who is friends with your enemy. Is that right? Several of his colleagues also didnt approve of Mr Kishors hobnobbing with the TRS supremo at a time when the Congress had been waging an all-out war against the TRS.

This will only weaken the party, a senior party leader said, accusing the political strategist of being a possible mole for rivals of the Congress. People will not fall for PKs theory that the pursuit of his political career and his agency I-PACs commercial engagement with other parties are different, he said.

Senior Congress leaders also referred to the TRS leaks to the media of Mr Kishor not only sealing the I-PAC deal with it but also his request to Mr Chandrashekar Rao to accommodate the Congress in his anti-BJP plans and the latters reluctance about the proposal as proof of how he could not be trusted completely.

Senior Congress leaders recollect the damage that Mr Kishor caused the party in Goa and West Bengal where he deliberately poached the party ranks in favour of the Trinamul Congress. They also expressed doubts over Mr Kishors ability to pull off a national-level campaign as his successes were restricted to the regional level.

The Congress leadership, however, didnt make any announcement on a final go-ahead for Mr Kishor joining the party. The partys in-charge for communications told the media that Congress president Sonia Gandhi had on Monday discussed the report submitted by a committee that went into PKs recommendations. Based on the committee discussions, the Congress president has decided to constitute an Empowered Action Group 2024 to address the political challenges ahead.

Meanwhile, Telangana state Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy, in a rather surprising revelation, said that the political strategist had met Mr Chandrashekar Rao only to bid him adieu and cut all commercial ties with the ruling party in the state.

The Congress leadership categorically put a pre-condition that the political strategist should scrap his engagement in writing with all other parties that may directly or indirectly harm the political interests of the Congress, Mr Revanth Reddy told reporters in Karimnagar.

Dismissing the reports of Mr Kishor and Mr Chandrashekar Rao having discussed a possible electoral alliance between the Congress and the TRS as senseless, Mr Revanth Reddy wondered how the Congress, which was all set to come to power in the state, could play second fiddle and leave space to the BJP to become the principal Opposition.

Rahul Gandhi has already made it clear that he would not allow even KCRs shadow anywhere near the Congress, the PCC chief pointed out.
The Prime Minister said that he felt quite happy after e-inaugurating these projects 'as power sector is having huge potential' in J&K

Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks at a function to commemorate the annual Panchayati Raj, or grassroots democracy, Day in Palli village near Jammu, Sunday, April 24, 2022. (AP/Channi Anand)

Srinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his one-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, e-inaugurated and laid foundation stones of multiple development initiatives worth over Rs 20,000 crores.

One of the key projects was the Banihal-Qazigund road tunnel passing beneath the Pir Panjal range which separates Kashmir Valley from the Jammu region. Built at a cost of over Rs 3,100 crore, the 8.45-km-long tunnel will reduce the road distance between Banihal and Qazigund by 16 kilometres and the journey time by around one and a half hours.

It is a twin-tube tunnel  one for each direction of travel  with the twin tubes being interconnected by a cross passage every 500 metres, an official said adding that it will establish all-weather road connectivity between the two regions of J&K.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of three road packages of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, being built at a cost of over Rs 7,500 crore. These packages are for the construction of 4/6 lane access controlled Delhi-Katra-Amritsar Expressway from Balsua on NH-44 to Gurha Baildaran, Hiranagar, Gurha Baildaran, Hiranagar to Jakh, Vijaypur, and Jakh, Vijaypur to Kunjwani, Jammu with spur connectivity to the Jammu Airport.

Two other important projects, the foundation stones for which were laid by the Prime Minister, are the Ratle and Kwar hydroelectric projects on the Chenab. The 850MW Ratle hydroelectric project will be constructed on the river in Kishtwar district at a cost of around Rs 5,300 crore. The 540MW Kwar hydroelectric project will be built in the same district at a cost of over Rs 4,500 crore.

The Prime Minister said that he felt quite happy after e-inaugurating these projects as power sector is having huge potential to take J&K to new heights.

He also inaugurated a 500KW solar power plant at Palli, which has made it the countrys first panchayat to become carbon neutral.

Modi also made about 100 Jan Aushadi Kendras functional and dedicated these to the nation. The officials said that these centres are located in the remote corners of the UT.

The Prime Minister handed over SVAMITVA cards to beneficiaries. He also transferred award money to Panchayats which are winners of awards given across different categories on National Panchayati Raj Day for their achievements.

The Prime Minister also visited the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) photo gallery which depicts the rural heritage of the region, and Nokia Smartpur, a rural entrepreneurship-based model designed to create ideal smart villages in India.

With a view to ensure rejuvenation of water bodies, the Prime Minister also launched a new initiative named Amrit Sarovar. It is aimed at developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district of the country as a part of celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
by Giorgio Licini*

The secretary general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomons looks at the agreement on asylum seekers signed last week by the United Kingdom and Rwanda. Such a deal is a ruthless exercise that Australia implemented in 2013. For those who flee places like Iran, Iraq or Afghanistan, it will be hell like what happened in Oceania.

Port Moresby (AsiaNews)  The agreement on asylum seeker processing signed last week in Kigali by the United Kingdom and Rwanda is basically meant for male individuals under the age of forty arriving in England by boat from mainland Europe. It is a perfect replica of the Australian initiative of 19 July 2013 with neighbouring Papua New Guinea in Manus Island. Same purpose. Same pattern. Easy, therefore, to predict the developments and the outcomes.

Everything always starts with the frantic search for a territory or a country where a particular Western government can create a powerful structure of deterrence against new arrivals on its soil. Most of the foreign leaders being approached decline the juicy opportunity. A handful show interest. A good financial reward is inevitably involved, normally in the form of development and infrastructural projects, and most likely also through personal tips and kickbacks. In connection with the signing ceremony, it will be made clear that the generous host country will be able to resettle thousands of refugees due to its vast and untapped resources and land mass. This practice of exchanging people for financial benefits is already in itself a blatant example of human trafficking.

When the camps open, the guests wont be described as detainees as one would expect, but more mildly as transferees. They will be given an ID card with a boat number of arrival, and they will be known by that number, not by their name. They will be kept in isolation and fed wrong information about the locals outside the camp. It took a while to the Manus refugees to realize that the neighbouring villages were not inhabited by cannibals, as the white guards had told them, and for the locals to realize that the transferees were not terrorists.

Externalization of asylum processing claims leads migrants to a land they had never aimed at and possibly never knew about. The hope of a quick fix for their situation fast disappears as they come to realize that their future is not a real concern for their formerly coveted country of destination. England like Australia wont bother about the bad publicity of their work with the asylum seekers. This will instead help convince a higher number of people not to come ashore and end up in hopeless conditions elsewhere in the world. The fight against people smugglers and the prevention of deaths at sea is normally mentioned to accredit the presumed goodness of this ruthless exercise.

With the sense of being indefinitely trapped in a remote and inhospitable place, young people mostly in their twenties hardly manage to control anger and frustration. That easily leads at first to rebellion and rioting. But well prepared and heavily armed security staff promptly repress any move and therefore administer physical and psychological punishment. When then it becomes clear that any action or plea is without effect, the boys turn their anger to themselves. Countless cases and horrifying pictures of self-harm during the Manus years (2013-19) are in the hands of authorities and human rights advocates. It will be the same in the Rwandan camps when cutting of skin, hitting of heads against the walls, ingestion of razor blades and other sharp instruments, even the burning of self, become at the same time a way of protest, the repression of despair, and the last desperate attempt to be evacuated on medical grounds.

Medical care in confinement is not good. Food too. Companies and personnel contracted for the camps follow instructions from the governments. Only survival is guaranteed. Good life could send out the wrong message and encourage new onshore arrivals. The very first goal of an offshore processing exercise is to ensure that very few settle where they had wished to, possibly none of them. In the case of the Rwanda agreement is being reported that the hosting country will properly and safely resettle all genuine refugees who are recognized as such by international standards. Its a bluff. Nobody will accept to remain.

True that Rwanda is said to be an orderly and developing country, though run by an autocratic type of government. That may help asylum seekers who somehow adjust under a variety of circumstances. But it depends a lot on their background. Asian and African refugees greatly suffer, but more easily adjust to countries where natural environment, climate, food, peoples attitude, skin colour better resemble what they have grown up with and now left behind. For people coming from the Middle East, detention in a tropical set-up is a nightmare, an additional torturous occurrence. A good number of them have lost their mind in Manus Island. Half a dozen has died of incidents and suicide. Rwanda will be hell for Kurds of Iran and Iraq, Hazaras of Afghanistan, Ahwazis of Southern Iran; only to mention a few of the most vulnerable minorities.

Hard to imagine what level of transparency and publicity the Rwandan camps will enjoy. It will depend on their accessibility by the United Nations, Red Cross, NGOs, faith-based organizations, human rights advocates, and media. That will also determine what number of lives will be partially or permanently ruined in the name of deterrence. Right-leaning governments and sections of society, including Churches and other religious communities, do not really care and speak about that. But for those who see a person in every human being, it is just puzzling and heartbreaking.

The financial cost of asylum externalized processing is incredibly high, much more than what it would cost to permanently accommodate onshore a much larger number of genuine refugees. Still this Australian invention of the twenty-first century, now adopted and implemented by other ruthless governments, affords advantages to political parties, contractors, private companies unashamedly dipping into taxpayers money. It is true that disorderly and uncoordinated arrivals along any countrys shoreline present serious challenges and risks. But simply keeping vulnerable people, as a great majority of them are, at bay or packing them on flights to remote destinations is not what leaders of intelligence and good will would do to address such a humanitarian emergency.

The Manus experience has taught that most than half of the arrivals by sea are genuine refugees as per international standards. A good number of those who do not meet the requirements for refugee status cannot be returned to countries like Afghanistan and Iran; or even Pakistan or Bangladesh due to government policies on people who have left the country or dangers that individuals face. The hundreds that Papua New Guinea could allegedly resettle in 2013, as per public announcement by then Prime Minister Peter ONeill, were down to the meagre figure of two individuals by May 2021 according to the countrys government immigration agency. Still there is no national legislation for the process to be implemented and zero political appetite for it. How differently will things be in Rwanda?

England will outdo Australia. The plan is that those taken to Rwanda will never see any other place again, while only 7 per cent (about 220) of those taken to Papua New Guinea and Nauru in 2013 still remain there, with at least half of them still expected to have a third country resettlement this year or next year. It is desirable that people in authority work for the Rwandan option to fail well before the first flight even takes off.
by Mathias Hariyadi

Mgr Senno Ngutra, 51, is the new bishop of Amboina, scene in the past of sectarian violence and now a model of coexistence. The Indonesian minister of Religious Affairs was also present at the event. The new bishop urged him to support grassroots social outreach rather than conferences in hotels.

Ambon (AsiaNews)  On Saturday, Archbishop Piero Pioppo, apostolic nuncio to Indonesia, along with Archbishop Petrus Canisius Mandagi of Merauke and Bishop Benedictus Rolly Untu of Manado, ordained Mgr Senno Ngutra, 51, as the new bishop of the Diocese of Amboina, Maluku (Moluccas).

All Indonesian bishops were at the celebration, the second time a new Indonesian bishop was ordained since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fact that the nuncio led the service in St Francis Xavier cathedral in Ambon is seen as a sign of the importance attributed to the place, marked by violent sectarian clashes in the past.

Intercommunal violence broke out on the Maluku Islands between local Muslims and fundamentalist Protestants in 1999-2001, leaving behind hundreds of deaths and dozens of places of worship on both sides destroyed.

During that wave of violence, the then Bishop Mandagi of Ambon played an important role in preventing Catholics from getting involved in the cycle of violence. He was also directly involved in ending the bloodshed with the Malino declaration signed on 13 February 2002. At the time, Fr Ngutra was sent to the Philippines to study interfaith dialogue.

For Laurentius Amrih Jinangkung, Indonesian Ambassador to the Holy See, it is very interesting that both papal nuncio and Indonesian Minister for Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas were present at the event.

The new prelate thanked Mr Qoumas, a moderate Muslim leader and former head of the Nahdlatul Ulama youth wing, for his presence in Ambon. A member of President Joko Widodos cabinet since December 2020, he proclaimed 2022 as the Year of Tolerance.

On this occasion, Bishop Senno Ngutra expressed his expectations in relation to his own ministry. Even before I was appointed as bishop of Amboina on December 2021, I was very active promoting tolerance and interfaith dialogue among local Ambonese from different interfaith backgrounds, he said.

I will continue Catholic social outreach with a much broader appeal because I am confident that interfaith tolerance and solidarity are not achieved by discussions in hotels, but through experience on the ground, which is why I ask Minister Qoumas to endorse our activities rather than spending his budget on seminars on interfaith dialogue.

"As a new leader of the Catholic Church, I shall show great respect for people from different religious backgrounds as we are indeed brothers. So I urge everybody to support the Indonesian Ministry for Religious Affairs current programme on religious moderation by showing tolerance and solidarity to others.

For his part, Minister Qoumas reiterated the Indonesian government's commitment to ensure that the Year of Tolerance is promoted every day. This is a universal issue of humanity that we should support and protect, the minister said. We truly hope that Indonesian bishops will happily cooperate with us in promoting these values in society.
Francis met some survivors of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, currently in pilgrimage in Rome together with Card Ranjith and Sri Lankans living in Italy. May the present difficulties be solved through everyones commitment and cooperation, the pope said speaking about the countrys deep economic and social crises.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis met with some survivors and relatives of people who died in the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. Almost 300 people were killed by suicide bombers who targeted a number of churches and hotels.

In his address, the pontiff said: Please, for the love of justice and your people, those responsible for these events should be finally identified. This will bring peace to your conscience and country.

Card Malcolm Ranjith accompanied the group of Sri Lankans. Along with thousands of Sri Lankans living in Italy, they came on this pilgrimage to Romes St Peter's Basilica to mark the third anniversary of the tragic event.

Francis met them at the end of the Mass that Card. Ranjith led at the altar of Confession in the Vatican Basilica.

Today you have offered the Eucharistic sacrifice in memory for the victims of those terrible attacks, he said. Likewise, you have prayed for those injured [. . .] and for their families, as well as the people of Sri Lanka as a whole. I join you in prayer with all my heart.

The pope urged Sri Lankan Catholics to look also at this painful page in light of the Paschal mystery and the greeting that the Risen Jesus addressed to his disciples: Peace be upon you.

He took upon himself not only death but also the cruelty of evil, hatred, fratricidal violence, the pope said. His Cross and Resurrection are a light of hope in the thickest darkness. Let us pray today for all the victims of violence, war, and especially terrorism.

Francis, who visited Sri Lanka in 2015, also urged everyone to pray for the country at a time of extreme economic and social crises.

Let us pray for the authorities, for those who have social and educational responsibilities, and for the people as a whole. May the present difficulties be solved through everyones commitment and cooperation.

Let us pray for the Church in Sri Lanka: May she be filled with the Holy Spirit through the intercession of Mary Most Holy and joyfully announce the Gospel of Christ the Saviour.

In an interview with Vatican News, Card Ranjith, archbishop of Colombo, also spoke about the situation in the country.

"The government is ignoring the wave of protest, he explained. The latter comes with demands of justice for the Easter Sunday attacks.

Many people suspect that a plot to win votes was behind them, aimed at causing terror in the country and driving a wedge between two communities  Christians and Muslims  to get to power.
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Liu Lijun, a veterinarian, prepares medicine for animals at Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, April 20, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Liu Lijun describes himself as an "emergency physician" who is tending to "patients" in need of urgent remedies.

"This white ball python, sent by the local residents, has a spine injury and is undergoing treatment here," said the 38-year-old veterinarian, who works at Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, as he injected nutrients and antibiotics into the snake.

"The number of injured and trapped animals has seen a rise every year from hundreds to thousands, and dozens of animals are sent in a single day during the busiest times," Liu said. The data only takes into account those sent by citizens, excluding illegally raised and trafficked animals, which are forfeited and brought to the center by the police.

The surge in the number of rescue instances demonstrates the increasing awareness of wildlife rescue and habitat rehabilitation among Beijingers, Liu added.

The theme of Earth Day 2022, which fell on April 22, was "Invest In Our Planet." This year marks the 53rd anniversary of Earth Day and the initiative calls for forging a partnership toward safeguarding the planet where everyone is accounted for, and everyone is accountable.

WILDLIFE RESCUE

"Wildlife protection is my passion and it gives me an extraordinary sense of achievement," said Liu, explaining that his routine tasks include conducting a preliminary diagnosis and forming medical treatment plans for the animals.

Over the past 10 years, Liu has treated more than 8,000 wildlife. Animals are usually released into the forests of Beijing upon recovery but when it comes to migratory birds, Liu and his colleagues wait for the appropriate season.

From 2016 to 2020, the wildlife center spanning 16 hectares had received 21,432 wild animals, including 19,075 birds, 963 reptiles, 797 mammals, 38 arthropods and 31 amphibians.

"Birds are in majority because Beijing is an important migration route for them," Liu said. According to the latest survey, the Chinese capital has more than 503 bird species, the proportion of which surpasses a third of the country.

When locals spot birds in distress, most residents would send them to the wildlife care center for treatment. Such occurrences are common during spring and autumn, the migration seasons. The center has also established a breeding platform and set up numerous aid stations in wildlife habitats.

There are two types of veterinarians in the center. Experimental vets are in charge of analyzing death cases and collecting blood, feces, and biopsy samples, while clinical vets manage the treatment plans for animals.

While the majority of the wildlife is released into the forest, a small proportion of animals are used for scientific research and demonstration. The non-local ones are sent back to their original habitats, and those deemed incapable of survival following injuries are kept in the zoo under proper care.

HABITAT REHABILITATION

In comparison to purely treating the creatures, habitat rehabilitation increases the benefits of wildlife protection.

"Hundreds or even thousands of wild animals I rescue every year seems to be an enormous amount, but in reality, it is just a drop in the bucket considering countless wildlife species are suffering in Beijing as well as the rest of the country," Liu said.

He hopes that the unremitting efforts of vets in treating animals can enhance the public awareness of wildlife protection and habitat rehabilitation.

According to the local forestry and park authority, Beijing's urban green spaces and wetland areas have increased by 3,773 hectares and 11,000 hectares, respectively, during China's 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020).

A variety of birds such as black storks, great bustards, mallards, and herons choose Beijing as their habitat. There are currently 79 nature reserves in the Chinese capital, occupying 368,000 hectares of area.

"The public's consciousness toward habitat rehabilitation will save more wildlife than clinical vets," Liu said, adding that the joint efforts of the entire society will contribute to the protection of the earth's ecology and environment. 

Liu Lijun, a veterinarian, checks the condition of reptiles at Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, April 20, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

Liu Lijun (L), a veterinarian, and his colleague check the condition of a sparrow hawk at Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, April 20, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
Not found across classic dealership inventories all too often, Cords cars are some of the coolest alternatives to more traditional Detroit Three builds from the era. Decidedly influential because of the era of existence, Cord models were also ready to offer both luxury and performance in a great  albeit slightly oddly designed package.Now, a museum-quality 1937 Cord 812 Supercharged in metallic silver over navy is not exactly something you would expect to come across in the inventory of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Garage Kept Motors . Yet here it is, looking pristine and with relatively low mileage (for a car thats 85 years old!) of 74,262 miles/119.513 km on the odometer.The description naturally claims that we are dealing with a car that is in stunning condition, and also the recipient of a top award at the Classic Car Club of America's National Competition, so this sale is clearly targeted toward the knowledgeable collectors. Nothing wrong with that, although if that mileage is real, this means the Cord 812 Supercharged has also seen plenty of action during its heyday.Alas, perhaps it is the right time for someone to protect this as a true automotive jewel. We can already see that it comes with all the right gems and the attention to detail is basically sublime. Everywhere you look, there is something that has full jaw-dropping potential, from the intricate exterior marvels to the front suicide doors and the exquisite blue interior.Anyway, logically, this classy Cord - equipped with a supercharged 289ci V8 and an equally stunning (just like everything else) four-speed manual transmission - is not going to sell cheaply. And with an asking price of $124,900, it may trample into modern ultra-luxury car territory... but its probably well worth it!
As a result, the company is now looking to expand the lineup by introducing a new flagship crossover. The model is understood to have been christened the Lexus TX, AutoNews reports, quoting unnamed sources, and it will be a direct rival to the likes of the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS The luxury cruiser will have three rows of seats and will sit above the RX L, sporting a bigger footprint. Dealers have demanded such a vehicle for quite some time now, and if the report is correct, then it will launch towards the end of next year or in early 2024. Nonetheless, until official confirmation,xx wed take everything with the proverbial pinch of salt, including its rumored construction.Speaking of which, the so-called Lexus TX is understood to be based on the Toyota Grand Highlander, in turn, a longer version of the Highlander. This one is rumored to go on sale in the United States roughly six months before the TX arrives, in mid-2023, the quoted news outlet claims, and both should be assembled at Princeton, Indiana, with the factory said to receive a cash injection in excess of $800 million.Commenting on the rumor was the chairman of the Lexus National Dealer Advisory Council, John Iacono, who told AutoNews the following: The only vehicle that we have right now in that size is the RX L . Its done a nice job for us, but its not the vehicle were waiting for. The design and who the TX will attract is a much younger buyer than what we have now  younger buyers in their 40s or 50s with families  and those are buyers we need in our showrooms. The vehicle is going to do just that. Its everything we want it to be.We reached out to Lexus hoping to find out more about the rumored TX, and we will be updating this story, or write a new one, depending on what they have to say about it  assuming that they are willing to comment on the topic.
It goes without saying not a lot of them are still around these days, but the folks over at Gullwing Motorcars are currently selling an example that seems to be fully prepared for a complete restoration.This Mexico was parked in long-term storage back in 1987, so it doesnt necessarily come in a mint condition today. But on the other hand, its far from the rust buckets that you typically see surfacing after decades in hiding, and this Mexico is more than prepared for an overhaul.As said, Maserati produced only 485 Mexicos, but this 1970 example is even rarer. Its one of just 175 units that were equipped with the 4.7-liter V8 unit developing 290 horsepower. The remaining 305 were fitted with a 4.2-liter engine introduced in 1969.The photos pretty much speak for themselves and show this Mexico doesnt require more than minor TLC. Worth knowing, however, is the car has already received a repaint prior to being moved to long-term storage, and right now, it shows the typical pitting and cracking.Of course, this isnt necessarily a big problem in case you were planning a professional repaint, but its worth having this in mind if you were searching for a 100 percent original Maserati.We dont know if the engine is still running, but given its overall condition, theres a chance it is. Everything is still there, the garage says.As for the price, its important to keep in mind this is a very rare Maserati that spent decades in storage. In other words, it cant come cheap, so the $79,500 price tag kind of makes sense. Some other offers, however, might also be considered.
SUV

EV

ICE

The latter was naturally unveiled during the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show as the South Korean automakers prototype show car vision for their upcoming Ioniq 7 all-electric battery-powered flagship. With a target for over 300 miles (483 km) of range and a bold, pixel-style design, this SUV will pave the way for a 2024 Kia EV9 brethren to (sustainably) storm the promised New World.Well, it was always just a matter of time before virtual automotive artists started to imagine the nearfuture. And the good folks over at the Gotcha Cars channel on YouTube have proceeded along the unofficial 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 7 way right after their informal EV9 and Ioniq 6 depictions (the latters video is also embedded second below).Naturally, with all eyes on nothing but crossovers, SUVs, and trucks, the Hyundai Ioniq 7/Kia EV9 pair looks like a match made in CGI heaven. Still, just like its Kia sibling  as they are rumored to share the same EV technology  Hyundai's Ioniq 7 Is not without potential foes. Luckily, the authors of the digital project think it unofficially has everything it takes, from a Robocop-like LED visage (combined with a little bit of Staria DNA ) to cool traits also exhibited by real-world models like the Hyundai Elantra and Ioniq 5.As always, the feature also presents the potential Hyundai Ioniq 7 vision in a direct comparison relationship with certainfoes  mainly the recently updated and upgraded 2023 Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride . Then, from the 2:50 mark, it is all about color choice as the flagship EV sport utility vehicle dresses up in various, colorful paintjobs.
Carmakers are usually proud of their heritage and Mazda, as one of the oldest Japanese carmakers, has all the reasons to be. After all, this brand has been on the market since 1920 and has multiple achievements to show. The museum design and displays have seen an ample makeover.The refreshed Mazda Museum matches the latest carmaker design language by sporting a monotone color scheme, enhanced with wood surfaces and warm lighting. Moreover, it provides a cozy and elegant space for its visitors, who have the opportunity to learn and admire the Japanese brand's achievements in the last century.The visitors can relax and watch the latest Mazda products at the entrance before stepping back into the carmaker's history. There are 10 areas, each with its specific decor and lighting that match specific themes. As a result, the guests will enjoy the narrative experience of Mazda's vision for the next 100 years and the thoughts that drove the carmaker since its beginnings.If you can't visit the museum, which is located in Hiroshima, Japan, there is a faster online option . Thus, from the comfort of your home, you can see what pushed the Japanese carmaker forward over the last century. Of course, it's a way different experience than when you're sharing the same room with the mighty Mazda Le Mans winner , but certainly, it's more affordable. Moreover, the explanations are in Japanese and English as well.Last but not least, the carmaker also pays attention of children. Mazda created an easy-to-understand explanation about the automotive industry and car making for kids . This section is available, for now, only in Japanese, but later on, an English version will be introduced.So, if you don't know where to spend some quality time with your family on your next trip to Japan, this might be a good idea.
ADEN, Yemen, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Unidentified gunmen blew up a major oil pipeline in southern Yemen's oil-rich province of Shabwa, causing a huge explosion, a government official told Xinhua on Monday.

The local government source said on condition of anonymity that "a group of unknown gunmen sabotaged the main pipeline in the coastal district of Rudum in Shabwa late on Sunday night," adding that he believed "the gunmen belong to terrorist groups active in the region."

He confirmed that the explosion sparked a massive fire in the area as firefighters were dispatched to the site.

The attack targeted the main pipeline that connects the Uqla oil field in Shabwa with the Al-Nashima exporting port located on the coast of the Rudum district on the Arabian Sea.

The Yemeni government has not commented on the incident so far.

The oil and gas production from Yemen's fields stopped completely as the war started in late 2014, and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has resumed limited production in the provinces of Hadramout and Shabwa over recent years. 
And I did politely DM

still no response.

Yall be bullshittingggggg. ???? pic.twitter.com/vMFxLDT5gn  IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) April 20, 2022

Australian rapper Iggy Azalea did just that and then tried to paint herself as some kind of relatable champion for young mothers traveling with kids, picking up a public fight with American Airlines. Airport sources are refuting her side of the story, claiming that the only reason she missed her flight was her tardiness.Late last week, Iggy took to social media to vent her frustrations with an airline company, as one usually does in the hope of a quicker solution. The difference was that she is a famous rapper with an estimated net worth of $6 million, so when she took aim at American Airlines apparent willingness to double book flights, leaving her and her son stranded at the airport, the story went viral According to Iggy, she arrived on time at the gate, with boarding still open. Her luggage was already on the plane, but she was shocked to learn she couldnt board because the airline had sold her seats, and they were already occupied. Iggy said she chose to publicly blast the airline to warn other mothers of the risk of being stranded at an airport with a toddler and none of the kids stuff on hand because its on the luggage thats about to take off.American Airlines responded right away, asking Iggy for more clarification in a direct message. She said shed already done that but got only radio silence. The story snowballed from there, with more people chiming in with their own airport horror stories, with and without American Airlines. Flying commercial can be quite a challenge, its true. But this wasnt the case here, airport sources tell TMZ . If Iggy and her son missed the flight, it was entirely her fault because she and her crew arrived at the airport a mere half an hour before the takeoff. This meant they had less than 15 minutes to check their luggage, clear TSA, and get to the gate, which they failed to do in time. When they arrived at the gate, boarding was closed, the report notes, so while the luggage was on board, the plane took off without them.Iggy has not returned to the topic of the missed flight after the public spat . Meanwhile, American Airlines is digging into the incident and is refraining from comments right now. The silver lining is that Iggy was able to get to her destination just fine, albeit with a delay. Engaging with fans on social media, she concedes that Delta Airlines offers superior services on commercial flights, so maybe they were her second option.
First and most important, it would have to look futuristic because it would be on sale for the better part of the decade, and there are a lot of things happening in the auto industry as we speak. Second, it would have to tap into its eco-friendly side, perhaps with a battery-electric powertrain.Its zero-emission nature and size would inevitably put it in the same zone as other luxury EVs, such as the Mercedes-Benz EQS, BMW i7, Audi e-tron GT, Porsche Taycan, Tesla Model S, and Lucid Air. And if youre curious how it might have looked like, then all you have to do is check out the rendering in the image gallery, which has Jlord8 behind it and builds on the recently-unveiled Lincoln Star Concept The all-quiet crossover has been turned into a flagship sedan. It has an identical face, reinterpreted front fenders, a less slopping roofline, slimmer C pillars, and a new back end. It also sits closer to the ground than the study presented at an event in Los Angeles last week, and it is instantly recognizable as a modern Lincoln.Whether it is doable or not is a very subjective question because Fords luxury brand isnt interested in launching normal passenger cars on this side of the Atlantic Ocean anymore. More than half of their global vehicles will be electric by the end of 2026, on the other hand, and we wouldnt be surprised to see a zero-emission sedan for China in the coming years. But whats your take on this CGI, is it a yay or a nay?
The video embedded below (and uploaded on April 24th, 2022) shows footage from FL2K, Street Car Takeover, and more, with most of the action taking place at Bradenton Motorsports Park and initially having us convinced that we are dealing with an outrageously orange Stellantis coupe.However, all the races - save for a solo 1/8-mile outing at the 6:10 mark - depict a white Dodge Challenger with a black hood and a turbocharger instead of the traditional supercharged Mopar setup. Well, it turns out the owner recently switched to an orange wrap to match the Ram 1500 TRX tow rig...No matter the color  white or orange  this ride is not something to be trifled with, as a lot of rivals found out pretty quickly. No Detroit competitor was spared, and the first skirmishes against a Camaro, a cool-green Ford Mustang S197, a New Edge Stang, and a Pontiac Trans Am certainly put things into a properly winning and improving eight-second perspective.Then, from the 2:56 mark, it was probably time for the real deal. The Fox Body Ford Mustang is not something to be trifled with , either, and a couple of representatives of the breed certainly duked it out with this Mopar in search of 8.16s/7.53s (Dodge) and 8.25s/8.77s (FB) glory. Alas, it was to no avail, so perhaps a more established contender would have a better chance.At the 4:55 mark, Rick Prosperos well-known twin-turbo big-block Chevy-swapped  Green Mamba  V8-powered Mazda RX-7 came along in an attempt to end the streak. And we are not going to say anything except it was harrowingly 7.45s to 7.49s close!
Senior members of the Hayastan alliance again pledged to thwart what they say are sweeping concessions to Azerbaijan planned by Pashinian as they led several hundred supporters on an awareness march through the citys northern Arabkir district.

Earlier in the day, a group of Hayastan activists blocked Arabkirs main thoroughfare, Komitas Avenue, before being detained by riot police.

Several others headed to Yerevan on foot from Pashinians hometown, Ijevan. The opposition bloc headed by former President Robert Kocharian promised similar marches to the Armenian capital from three other parts of the country.

Every day we will be organizing various protests, marches and demonstrations in Yerevan, Hayastans Ishkhan Saghatelian told reporters.

Our goal is to get our people all over Armenia to rise up over the next five days, he said, adding that the opposition has scheduled its first big rally for Sunday.

We have come out for a decisive fight, said Anna Grigorian, another lawmaker representing the bloc. She charged that Pashinian and his political team are ready to see Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, Artur Vanetsian, a leader of the Pativ Unem alliance, led a similar march through the city center. Vanetsian and a group of his loyalists had begun a nonstop sit-in in Liberty Square on April 17.

Vanetsian said on Monday morning that he has succeeded in attracting public attention and that the opposition can now switch to the second phase of its decentralized campaign.

Pativ Unem and Hayastan jointly rallied thousands of supporters in Liberty Square on April 5 to warn Pashinian against agreeing to restore Azerbaijans control over Nagorno-Karabakh. The prime minister met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Brussels the following day for talks hosted by European Council President Charles Michel.

Speaking in the parliament on April 13, Pashinian said the international community is pressing Armenia to scale back its demands on Karabakhs status and recognize Azerbaijans territorial integrity. He signaled Yerevans intention to make such concessions to Baku.

Some pro-government lawmakers insisted afterwards that Pashinian did not call for the restoration of Azerbaijani control of Karabakh.
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As the defense called its first witness Monday in the Bakersfield 3 murder trial to begin making its case, defendant Matthew Queen took the st
ANKARA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Turkey "neutralized" 13 members of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, the Turkish defense ministry said Monday, as the tension between the Turkish military and the YPG escalates after the killing of a Turkish police officer.

The YPG members were in preparation to "attack" in Turkey-controlled areas in northern Syria, the ministry tweeted.

Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralize" to imply "terrorists" were killed, wounded, or captured in security operations.

Turkey earlier said it "neutralized" 50 YPG members on Saturday and seven others on Sunday.

On Friday, the YPG attacked with anti-tank weapons a police checkpoint in the Mare settlement in the Operation Euphrates Shield area, killing police officer Aytac Altinors, according to the ministry.

Turkey's forces and the YPG fighters often exchange fire on the Syrian border.

The Turkish army launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016, Operation Olive Branch in 2018, Operation Peace Spring in 2019, and Operation Spring Shield in 2020 in northern Syria.

Turkey says the operations aim to eliminate terror threats against the country and provide a safe zone that will facilitate the return of Syrian refugees to their homes.

Ankara sees the YPG as the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for more than three decades. 
Seaside Hotel Mural Gets Large Selfie Fanbase - An Oregon Coast Sensation

Published 04/21/22 at 5:12 AM PST

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Seaside, Oregon)  As you're wandering the north Oregon coast town of Seaside, and you turn into Holladay Drive from the southern entrance off Highway 101, you'll notice a lot of charming buildings along this historic street. Many have some truly unique colors as well. One will stand out, however, popping with bright colors that verge on neon shades. It's a serious explosion of colors at Coast River Inn at Seaside, where a mural depicting Lewis & Clark standing or on a bicycle (no one is sure which one is which) in a time-bending scene where they're on the Seaside Promenade.

History is a big deal here, and it goes deep. Members of the Corps of Discovery hung out in Seaside in the early days of 1806, and beyond that it was the home to countless tribal members going back generations. The town itself has always been careful to preserve its past, and as of late it's become known for its murals. One of them has caught on a little more than the others, with its whimsical approach that verges on psychedelia, combining present with the past and getting itself a bit of a buzz online. People love their selfies these days, and few things make for a more powerful draw for the Instagram goof take than standing in front of the Coast River Inn's mural.





Barbara Keckler is Director of Sales and Marketing for Fusion Lodging LLC, which owns this hotel and eight others along the Oregon coast. She says they've found it trending on various social media platforms, with not just selfies but friends snapping each other doing all kinds of wacky stunts in front of the punchy painting.

The mural does get a lot of attention in Seaside, Keckler said. We have so many people who stop to take selfies in front of the mural and it often goes viral. Periodically we run online contests for visitors to post their photos in front of the mural on our social channels. Its always so fun to see all the fun creative photos submitted.

Local painter Joseph Soller and his wife Sarahlouise from 503Paint were the artists several years ago. There's a hint of The Beatles' cartoon Yellow Submarine in its wonky playfulness. Lewis and Clark are in the midst of a giant, bursting sunset. One is riding along the Prom; the other is peering through a telescope. And no, its not historically accurate that one of the explorers is puttering around on a bike. But tell that to the kids having fun in front of the thing and then seeing themselves pop up on the internet in various places.

When we renovated Coast River Inn, we wanted the hotel to stand out, and what better way to do so than by painting a beautiful mural that will attract visitors to Seaside to stop by the hotel and take a photo, Keckler said. We wanted to attract visitors and contribute to the art-focused Seaside culture. We believe that we have done so in an entertaining and innovative way and it worked out  we have seen the mural go viral over and over again

Sazzadur Rahman, CEO of Fusion Lodging, said the design came from some input from staff as well. Ideas flowed back and forth and this more-than-a-splash of color was born. The bicycle is a bit of a nod to the Inn's own amenities.

Lewis and Clark made a big impact in Seaside when they visited the area and we wanted to celebrate their adventurousness and their success in exploring the Pacific Northwest, Rahman said. We hoped if we created a beautiful mural, it would attract people to take selfies, and we were spot on! Plus, we want our guests to explore Seaside and use Coast River Inn as their base camp. We make sure we have knowledgeable staff who are happy to point out all the fun and interesting things they can do while in the area. We also have bikes for them to borrow so they can get out and see the town in a unique way.





The jump shot is a true favorite among the digital fans, especially families catching the kids in mid-air. People have been captured pretending to crawl the scene, creating other silly moments or interacting with the telescope guy in wacky ways. That included one woman's apparent impending collision with the 2D character: kooky and inventive. Pics have often included a host of adorable pets.

They were taken by surprise a bit by the digital reaction. When the company discovered this was a thing they put that to use. Even the Seaside Visitors Center has gotten into it, re-posting some of the hotel's humorous captures.

The hashtag #coastriverinn on Instagram is still growing in numbers, too.

Weve been pleased that so many visitors stop to take pictures of their families, their kids, their pets, and themselves in front of the mural, Keckler said. We are thrilled to be a part of the community and to give back to our community in this way.

It's been said that Andy Warhol would've loved this age, with all its selfies, 2-second videos and other means of sometimes-accidental fame. He probably would've loved this mural's opportunity  as well as its colors. Website here. 800 South Holladay Drive. Seaside, Oregon. (503) 738-8474.

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One evening last April, an anxious and free-spirited 13-year-old girl in suburban Minneapolis sprang furious from a chair in the living room and ran from the house  out a sliding door, across the patio, through the backyard and into the woods.

Moments earlier, the girls mother, Linda, had stolen a look at her daughters smartphone. The teenager, incensed by the intrusion, had grabbed the phone and fled. (The adolescent is being identified by an initial, M, and the parents by first name only, to protect the familys privacy.)

Linda was alarmed by photos she had seen on the phone. Some showed blood on Ms ankles from intentional self-harm. Others were close-ups of Ms romantic obsession, the anime character Genocide Jack  a brunette girl with a long red tongue who, in a video series, kills high school classmates with scissors.

In the preceding two years, Linda had watched M spiral downward: severe depression, self-harm, a suicide attempt. Now, she followed M into the woods, frantic. Please tell me where u r, she texted. Im not mad.

American adolescence is undergoing a drastic change. Three decades ago, the gravest public health threats to teenagers in the United States came from binge drinking, drunken driving, teenage pregnancy and smoking. These have since fallen sharply, replaced by a new public health concern: soaring rates of mental health disorders.

In 2019, 13% of adolescents reported having a major depressive episode, a 60% increase from 2007. Emergency room visits by children and adolescents in that period also rose sharply for anxiety, mood disorders and self-harm. And for people ages 10-24, suicide rates, stable from 2000-07, leaped nearly 60% by 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The decline in mental health among teenagers was intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic but predated it, spanning racial and ethnic groups, urban and rural areas and the socioeconomic divide. In December, in a rare public advisory, the U.S. surgeon general warned of a devastating mental health crisis among adolescents. Numerous hospital and doctor groups have called it a national emergency, citing rising levels of mental illness, a severe shortage of therapists and treatment options, and insufficient research to explain the trend.

Young people are more educated; less likely to get pregnant, use drugs; less likely to die of accident or injury, said Candice Odgers, a psychologist at the University of California, Irvine. By many markers, kids are doing fantastic and thriving. But there are these really important trends in anxiety, depression and suicide that stop us in our tracks.

We need to figure it out, she said. Because its life or death for these kids.

The crisis is often attributed to the rise of social media, but solid data on the issue is limited, the findings are nuanced and often contradictory, and some adolescents appear to be more vulnerable than others to the effects of screen time. Federal research shows that teenagers as a group are also getting less sleep and exercise and spending less in-person time with friends  all crucial for healthy development  at a period in life when it is typical to test boundaries and explore ones identity. The combined result for some adolescents is a kind of cognitive implosion: anxiety, depression, compulsive behaviors, self-harm and even suicide.

This surge has raised vexing questions. Are these issues inherent to adolescence that merely went unrecognized before  or are they being overdiagnosed now? Historical comparisons are difficult, as collection of some data around certain issues, such as teen anxiety and depression, began relatively recently. But the rising rates of ER visits for suicide attempts and self-harm leave little doubt that the physical nature of the threat has changed significantly.

As M descended, Linda and her husband realized they were part of an unenviable club: bewildered parents of an adolescent in profound distress. Linda talked with parents of other struggling teenagers; not long before the night M fled into the forest, Linda was jolted by the news that a local girl had died by suicide.

You have no control over what theyre thinking, Linda said. I just want to tell people what can happen.

A Typical Outpatient

M is one of dozens of teenagers who spoke to The New York Times for a yearlong project exploring the changing nature of adolescence in the United States. The Times was given permission by M and the family to speak with Ms school counselor; Ms medical records were shared with the Times and, with the familys permission, reviewed by outside experts not involved in Ms care.

This is a typical outpatient, said Emily Pluhar, a child and adolescent psychologist at Harvard University, describing M as an internalizer.

M, now 14, is tall, with red hair and blue eyes, and has a younger sister and older half brother. By turns shy and outspoken, M has thought extensively about pronouns and currently prefers they. At the beginning of seventh grade, M also asked to be called by the name of a popular Japanese anime character, whose first name starts with M. I think were similar in that shes, like, quiet and smart and plays electric bass, and I really like bass and guitars, M said.

When M was 4, a psychologist the family consulted to assess Ms school readiness concluded that their intellectual ability is in the very superior range, according to the report. M was enrolled in kindergarten as one of the younger class members.

At 10, M got a smartphone. Linda and her husband, Tony, both of whom had busy work schedules, worried that the device might lead to heavy screen time, but they felt it was necessary to stay in touch. At 11, M hit another adolescent milestone: puberty.

Over the past century, the age of puberty onset has dropped markedly for girls, to 12 years old today from 14 years old in 1990; the age of onset for boys has followed a similar path. Experts say this shift probably now plays a role in the adolescent mental health crisis, although it just one of many factors that researchers are still working to understand.

When puberty hits, the brain becomes hypersensitive to social and hierarchical information, even as media flood it with opportunities to explore ones identity and gauge self-worth. Laurence Steinberg, a psychologist at Temple University, said that ability to maturely grapple with the resulting questions  Who am I? Who are my friends? Where do I fit in?  typically lags behind.

The falling age of puberty, he said, has created a widening gap between incoming stimulation and what the young brain can process: "Theyre being exposed to this deluge at a much earlier age.

Ms first hint of trouble came in sixth grade, with challenges focusing in class. The school called a meeting with Ms parents. One teacher suggested testing M for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but Linda and Tony were skeptical. The number of ADHD diagnoses in the United States rose 39% from 2003-16, according to the CDC, and Ms parents, both scientists in biomedical fields, were concerned that consulting an ADHD specialist would tilt the scales toward that diagnosis.

Instead, Linda tried to help M stay organized with an app that parents and students used to track assignments, test scores and grades. M felt put under a microscope.

She would say, Can you bring me your iPad so we can check Schoology? M recalled about Linda. I would literally have an anxiety attack because I was so scared.

By the fall of 2019  seventh grade  M was struggling socially, too. A close friend got popular, while M often came home from school and got into bed. I felt like a 'plus one,' M said. I just wanted to be unconscious. Other times, M said, I just sat in my room and cried.

The behavior seemed alien to Tony, who had lived a different childhood. As an adolescent in Vermont in the 1980s, he fished and played outdoors. By 15, he had his first serious girlfriend; in 1990, the summer before their senior year, he got her pregnant. Their son was born that December, and Tony and the mother shared custody.

Times have changed. Federal research shows that 38% of high school-age teenagers report having had sex at least once, compared with roughly 50% in 1990. The teen birthrate has plummeted.

So has cigarette and alcohol use. In 2019, 4% of high school seniors reported having a cigarette in the last 30 days, down from 26.5% in 1997. Alcohol use by high schoolers hit 30-year lows at the same time. Use of OxyContin and other illicit drugs among high schoolers is down sharply over the past 20 years. Vaping of both nicotine and marijuana has risen in recent years, although both dropped sharply during the pandemic.

Experts cite multiple factors: public awareness campaigns, anti-smoking laws, parental oversight and a changing social lifestyle that is no longer strictly in-person.

Nora Volkow, director for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, described drug and alcohol use as very much of a group dynamic. She added: To the extent that kids are not in the same place, one would expect a decrease in the behavior.

A Virtual Crush

In the spring of 2020, M retreated further. Bewildered by online classes, M lied about participating, felt guilty and watched YouTube instead, devouring an anime series called Danganronpa. It is set in a high school where students learn from the evil headmaster, a bear, that the only way to graduate is to kill a peer.

M became enamored of one of the characters, Genocide Jack (sometimes known as Genocide Jill), who is described on one fan site as a witty murderous fiend who kills handsome men using scissors.

One night after dinner, M was upstairs and used scissors to cut both ankles. I was mad at myself for not doing homework, M said. I was kind of thinking, Oh, the pain feels good, like it was better than being stressed. M couldnt recall where the idea came from: I wanted to hurt myself with anything.

Ms parents noticed superficial scratches on Ms thighs that resembled cuts but did not raise the subject. Linda worried about the screen time, but it was pandemic, she said.

When school ended for summer break, Ms mood improved. Over the summer, M discovered the mobile version of the Danganronpa video game and how to override the parental screen limits. M played all day.

I was in front of my screen staring at Jack, M said. Then I was playing Trigger Happy Havoc, and I was, like, more in love.

I was kind of just lonely, M said. M fantasized about the future with Jack: Id want her to almost kill me but not, and then we could spend the rest of our lives together.

An obsession with a virtual character is not uncommon, experts said. This is a kid who is a bit lonely, a bit caught up in these narratives, said Nick Allen, a psychologist at the University of Oregon. Theres nothing new in coming up with stuff that freaks out their parents.

Nonetheless, he added, extremely powerful online experiences such as these can encourage users to think, That is going to be my identity, my sense of the future, my sense of where I belong socially, at a time when ones identity is a work in progress.

Pluhar of Harvard noted that the challenge and the progress of modern adolescence is there are so many types of identity  more choices and possibilities, which in turn could be overwhelming. Among the factors shaping mental health, Pluhar said, is the minds churning and obsessing: Rumination is a big piece of it.

M had a name for the main source of their mental health challenges: Loneliness.

Elaniv

Health experts note that, for all its weight, the adolescent crisis at least is unfolding in a more accepting environment. Mental health issues have shed much of the stigma they carried three decades ago, and parents and adolescents alike are more at ease when discussing the subject among themselves and seeking help.

Indeed, Linda had begun having conversations with other parents who wondered whether the challenges their adolescents were facing represented typical moody teen behavior or something pathological. A colleague told Linda about her daughters eating disorder. A mother named Sarah confided that her middle school-age daughter was in therapy for anxiety and depression. I told her, I understand where youre at way better than you think, Sarah recalled.

In a nearby suburb, the parents of Elaniv Burnett were struggling to understand their daughters desperation. As a young child, Elaniv had been joyful, an eager student and graceful gymnast, her father, Dr. Tatnai Burnett, a gynecological surgeon at the Mayo Clinic, recalled: The kind of kid where you go, Huh, we should have more kids.

But in 2014, when Elaniv was 9, her parents marriage began to fracture, and Elaniv injured her ankle; she developed chronic pain, which sidelined her from gymnastics, and she went through a dark period. Then, in 2016, Dr. Burnett, who is Black, was held at gunpoint at home by the police, in full view of the family, after officers responded to a call of a possible intruder.

Recent research has found that wealth, education and opportunity do not shield Black families from mental health issues to the same degree they do for white families. From 1991 to 2017, suicide attempts by Black adolescents rose 73%, compared with an 18% rise among white adolescents. (The overall suicide rate remains higher among white adolescents.) The suicide rate leaped particularly for Black girls, up 6.6% per year on average from 2003-17, new research shows.

In the fall of 2019, Elaniv was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. In a poem in her journal, she wrote: Thoughts like race cars zoom constant in my head / Self-hate and worthlessness / Perpetual, they speed ahead.

Elaniv began therapy, took medications and enrolled in an outdoor inpatient program in Utah. We worked on ourselves, worked on our parenting, we changed so many things to try to help meet Elaniv where she was, Burnett said. We controlled electronics, monitored friendships.

Elanivs mother, Tania Gainza, a clinical social worker, saw a generational trend. She had counseled an adolescent for years who was terrified of not meeting expectations. She heard about a local boy who killed himself seemingly without warning.

Theres something different about this era or generation that makes them much more susceptible or vulnerable, Gainza said. Theres not that community, I guess.

A rise in loneliness is a key factor, experts said. Recent studies have shown that teenagers in the United States and worldwide increasingly report feeling lonely, even in a period when their internet use has exploded.

Theyre hanging out with friends, but no friends are there, said Bonnie Nagel, a psychologist at the Oregon Health and Science University. Its not the same social connectedness we need and not the kind that prevents one from feeling lonely.

Often, she said, online social connections amount to seeing pictures of people hanging out, flaunting it, as if to say, Hey, Im very socially connected and Hey, look at you by yourself.

The Pandemic Factor

One day in the fall of 2020, with the pandemic in full swing and eighth grade having gone fully remote, Linda found M sobbing in bed. M confessed to wanting to die.

Linda found an online therapist. After several sessions, the therapist broke confidentiality, Linda said. She said, You need to know about the knife.

In Ms night stand, Tony found a pocketknife and a box knife with a cats paw image on the handle that M had surreptitiously bought on Amazon and was using to self-harm. One night, M went further, tightening a red hair tie around their neck. I was trying to see how far I could take it, M said.

The following February, M entered full-day group therapy. A psychiatrist at the clinic notified the family that M had admitted to being unable to stop cutting, medical records show. Linda de-knived the house, she said, and hid all the pills. Then M engaged in a different kind of self-harm: hitting their head with an 8-pound workout barbell.

Linda recalled feeling stunned: Oh, now I have to get rid of the blunt objects, too.

M was discharged with a diagnosis of depression and a prescription for antidepressants. From 2015-19, prescriptions for antidepressants rose 38% for teenagers compared with 15% for adults, according to Express Scripts, a major mail-order pharmacy.

Subsequently, M also received a diagnosis of attention deficit disorder, not ADHD, and given a prescription for methylphenidate, the generic name for medications including Ritalin and Concerta. Im still not sure I believe it, Linda said.

Ms middle school has a trained mental health counselor. In March 2021, M visited him for the first time. During that visit, on a scale of 0 to 10, M ranked hopelessness and anxiety at 9, expressing terror at returning to school, a fear of falling behind and a wish to die.

But Ms mood improved; at a meeting a month later, M ranked hopelessness and sadness at 5 and anxiousness at 2. M felt therapy was crucial but wasnt sure the medications helped; the school counselor credited Ms improvement to family support and getting back to school. He cautioned the parents, though, that the pendulum could swing back.

Into the Forest

Around that time, Linda heard through the grapevine that a girl named Elaniv Burnett had died following an overdose. Im sorry, I cant take it anymore, Elaniv wrote in a note. Her mother rushed her, still conscious, to the hospital, where Elaniv expressed regret at the overdose and described her terror. She died four days later, at age 15.

The news was still on Lindas mind a few weeks later when M fled into the forest.

Ms family had recently returned from visiting both sets of grandparents. One set criticized Ms pronouns, the other Ms heavy screen use. Linda said she felt judged. She stole a look at Ms phone and saw the troubling photos.

Lets go for a walk, she said to M and went upstairs briefly. When she returned, M had vanished, so she followed M into the woods, texting as she frantically looked for flashes of Ms white dress.

Finally, M texted back: I dont want to talk to you.

Linda returned home, and Tony went out. He found M along a commonly used trail. They walked, mostly in silence. Then they were ready to come home, he recalled.

The school year ended, and M improved, the anxiety ebbing. M took joy spending time with a friend, in person, walking home, strolling the forest.

But a few weeks later, a hurtful text from the friend plunged M into despair again, like I was back to having no friends.

M used an exfoliating blade to cut both ankles. I dont know how to stop it, M said. I can bet $20 that Ill be in the hospital next year.

When Linda saw the cuts, she confronted M, who handed over the blade. M let Linda examine the wounds.

I think thats good, Linda said. They let me look.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Today is the last day to register to vote in the May 24 primary runoff election. This election will feature runoff races between the top two vote-getting candidates in the March 1 primary election for each party where one candidate did not win more than 50% of the vote.

This election is different from the May 7 Constitutional election, which will address two Texas Constitutional amendments and feature local races such as city council and school board elections. Early voting for that election begins today.

Related news 5 things to know about May 7 Texas constitutional election

Here are five things to know about the May 24 runoff election.

How to register to vote

Before registering to vote, people can check if they have already registered using the Texas Secretary of State website at https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/MVP/mvp.do. If not already registered to vote, people must fill out the voter application, print it and mail it by today. The application can be found at https://vrapp.sos.state.tx.us/.

How does voting work

If a voter already voted in the March 1 primary election, they can only vote for the same party in the runoff races.

For example, if someone voted in the Republican primary for attorney general on March 1, they can only vote in the Republican runoff between Ken Paxton and George P. Bush and not the Democratic runoff between Rochelle Garza and Joe Jaworski. Similarly, that person would not be able to vote in the Democratic runoff for Lieutenant Governor, even though there is no Republican runoff for that race.

For people who didnt vote in the March 1 primary, they may choose to vote in the Republican or Democratic runoff on May 24.

Last day to apply to vote by mail

For people registered to vote, May 13 is the last day to submit an application to vote by mail. Only certain groups may vote by mail, including people over 65 years old, people with disabilities and people who will be out of the county they are voting in on election day and during early voting and others.

Voters approved to vote by mail can still vote in person if they bring their mail-in ballot during early voting or on election day and surrender it. The deadline to return a mail-in ballot is May 24.

Vote by mail applications can be found at https://www.sos.texas.gov/elections/voter/reqabbm.shtml. The application must be printed, signed and include a social security number or Texas Drivers License number.

Early voting

The early voting period will run from May 16-20 for the runoff election. Any registered voter can vote during this period. Counties have a limited number of polling locations open for early voting. To view polling locations and early voting times, visit the local county election offices website.

What's on the ballot

Multiple statewide races are featured on the runoff election ballot, including the aforementioned Republican and Democratic runoffs for attorney general. The Democratic runoff for lieutenant governor pits Michelle Beckley against Mike Collier, the winner of which will face incumbent Republican Dan Patrick in the November general election.

There are also both Republican and Democratic runoffs for land commissioner, a Democratic runoff for comptroller and a Republican runoff for railroad commissioner.

Many district-level races will also be on the runoff ballot. There are runoff races for State Board of Education, Texas House, Texas Senate and U.S. Congress for both parties on the ballot. To view which races will be included on the ballot, visit the local county elections website.
In search of the best Texas tacos, Favor is looking for a Chief Taco Officer for the summer. The job pays $10,000 with plenty of perks to boot. Here's a quick look at the position, a day in the life of a taco executive, the benefits package and how to apply.

CTO compensation

So, what's in it for the new Favor CTO? The CTO will receive $10,000 for the "duration" of the role, listed as June to July on the application page. Other listed perks include free food, accommodations and transportation as well as free Favor delivery for one year, "customized" company swag and the "summer experience of a lifetime."

A portion of the job application page describes the candidate they are looking for, stating that the ideal candidate is "passionate about food and not shy about eating on camera or sharing their dining experiences with the world," while noting that previous food critic experience is not required for the position. The compensation package will also include "wellness activities galore."

A day in the life of a Chief Taco Officer

For clarity on the two-month taco touring residency of sorts, the FAQ page details a day in the life of the company's Chief Taco Officer, noting that the CTO will spend 48 hours in each city where they can "can visit the sights, shop, meet up with friends" and "whatever" the person likes, noting that the company only asks that the person has Favor-provided taco delivery from a "variety of restaurants" during "at least two meal times" throughout the stay in each location.

The CTO will also need to review these taco tourism experiences with photos, journal entries and videos to share with the company and disseminate across social media channels.

During what the company described as the CTO's "search for the very best tacos," the taco executive will drive from city to city across the Lone Star State. The page states that potential candidates should "think of this as a travel journal documenting [their] trip."

How to apply

The company's CTO job application place provides a few steps potential candidates will need to complete to apply for the position. This starts with creating a short video detailing "why [a candidate] should be Favors Chief Taco Officer and why [they are] excited about the opportunity," the page states.

Next, applicants will need to post this video on TikTok or Instagram reels using a public account while tagging @Favor and using the #FavorDreamJob hashtag. The third step involves completing the application form and providing a link to the short video recorded in step one. The full CTO application page can be found here. The deadline to apply is May 12.
Hardin County first responders are one step closer to having a new, safe place to stage during a disaster situation.

The county is inching toward the end of phase two of work on the hurricane shelter and earlier this month authorized payment to engineers and architects for the design phase. Nearly $6,000 was allocated for their work.

Modeled in part after the Lumberton ISD Performing Arts Center dome, the new hurricane shelter will function the same but look different.

It won't be a dome. It'll be a regular square building that's hardened for hurricanes or tornadoes  anything like that where we need to get in and out of harm's way, said Hardin County Judge Wayne McDaniel. That would be our emergency operation center, but also be where our emergency management coordinator and his team is located.

The structure will be about 1,700-square feet  roughly 1,500 of which is a large, open room built to withstand strong winds, said Hardin County Emergency Management Coordinator Aaron Tupper.

The conceptual designs were submitted in January to the Texas Department of Emergency Management under their Hazard Mitigation Grant program, and now it is a waiting game  for approval and funding.

If approved by TDEM, the Federal Emergency Management Agency would then need to approve the plans before covering shelter-related costs. There will also be a local match.

Financial details are hazy as of now, however, and the supply chain disruptions felt all over the world are adding to budgeting uncertainties.

We don't have the total dollar figure just yet. Once it comes back from FEMA and they say, Hey, we'll cover all of this. This is how much we're going to pay, then we'll get bids to find out what it's going to cost to actually build the building, said McDaniel. And then once we know exactly how much people are going to pay and what's left for the county to pay, it has to go to Commissioners court for approval before it goes to construction.

McDaniel is hoping that funding commitments will come in by the summer. After that, construction could take up to two years, depending on weather, Tupper said.

The state will tell us when it has to be completed, but I would like it done within a year and a half of them approving it, if not sooner, because it is something that will assist the community as a whole, Tupper said.

The county is planning to place the shelter next to the courthouse annex. It will double as an event space.

During times where we're not having a disaster, well lease that out for weddings and things like that, McDaniel said. Its going to be a venue that people can use for meetings and birthday parties and things like that.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Timeka N. Tounsel, Penn State

(THE CONVERSATION) Prompted by George Floyds murder on May 25, 2020, major retail companies touted their commitment to racial justice. Some publicly supported the Black Lives Matter movement. The Vermont-based ice cream manufacturer Ben & Jerrys went further and issued a list of actions aimed at dismantl[ing] white supremacy in all its forms.

Popular clothing company Ralph Lauren launched its own initiatives in 2020 and most recently in March 2022 when it announced a partnership with two historically Black colleges to design a commemorative clothing line. The Polo Ralph Lauren Exclusively for Morehouse and Spelman Colleges Collection is the brainchild of two company staffers, Morehouse alum James Jeter and Spelman alum Dara Douglas.

In the words of company founder Ralph Lauren, the partnership with Morehouse and Spelman offers a more complete and authentic portrait of American style and of the American dream.

Selling Black style

For a company that prides itself on what it calls a distinctive American perspective, Ralph Laurens image is still limited in this new collection to the most respectable and easily monetized Black people that animate the Black American story.

In my forthcoming book, Branding Black Womanhood: Media Citizenship from Black Power to Black Girl Magic, I explore the history of this practice of wooing Black consumers through commercial campaigns that use social movement rhetoric.

Then, as now, my research has shown how Americas household brands have appropriated affirming images and slogans and transformed them into advertisements designed to attract middle-class Black shoppers.

Companies that packaged such products believed that they could secure a new, loyal Black customer base simply by representing them glamorously.

As the costs of Ralph Laurens new line of clothing reveals, wearing the latest fashion trend comes at a premium to often overlooked communities.

Prices for the Morehouse collection start at $69.50 for a maroon ball cap and soar to $2,498.00 for a wool coat. The least expensive item in the Spelman collection is a $98 silk scarf, with a $998 wool coat in the colleges signature sky blue landing at the high end.

A purported $1 trillion in Black buying power  a number contested by some scholars  is likely part of what draws Ralph Lauren to this project on Black history.

Yet, a racial wealth gap where the average Black family claims just under $13% of the wealth that the average white family holds, reported as $188,200 in 2019, suggests that the value of such celebratory campaigns is limited.

Racial reckoning

Shortly after the George Floyd murder, Ralph Lauren joined the rush of corporations releasing public statements with an open letter on racial equality on June 10, 2020.

The letter described systemic racism as an American problem and a fashion problem and summarized the companys strategy for addressing its own failures.

In addition to expanding already established initiatives, such as dialogue groups, internal diversity training, and support for the United Negro College Fund, Ralph Lauren also promised to interview at least one Black or African American candidate for vacant senior leadership positions.

Since then, Ralph Lauren has unveiled its Morehouse and Spelman collection and explained that it has an even broader list of commitments. Among them is a $2 million pledge to the United Negro College Fund and dedicated internship offers for HBCU students.

In addition, Ralph Lauren produced a documentary film, A Portrait of the American Dream, commemorating each institutions legacy and the Ivy-esque style that students made their own from the 1920s through the 1950s.

The documentary is transparent about the brands intention to correct its limited framing of American style by writing untold chapters into the story of classic collegiate fashion.

Hip-hop style

Ralph Laurens belated recognition trails a long history in which Black communities have imbued American culture with a distinct aesthetic, especially in the realm of clothing.

In fact, the move by Ralph Lauren to spotlight Black style before 1960 overlooks a more recent and direct connection between Ralph Lauren and members of the hip-hop generation.

A group of young African American and Latino New Yorkers glorified the brand in the 1980s, attaching it to what was then an emergent, urban subculture. The group called themselves the Lo Lifes, a riff off the Polo name and a sarcastic admission that despite their affinity for the clothing, they were excluded from the brands white, upper crust, target customer.

Although Ralph Lauren initially resisted this less affluent fan base, the mostly one-sided love affair between hip-hop and Polo persists.

Still waking

The idea of Black excellence is nothing new. Nor is commercializing Black pride.

Even retailers such as Walmart are trying to cash in on Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers reached Galveston, Texas, and compelled slaveholders to free the enslaved.

[Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletters to understand the world. Sign up today.]

But questions remain on whether a new line of clothing can lead to a greater understanding of the spirit of Black excellence that fueled the Black students at Morehouse and Spelman during the Civil Rights era.

One thing is clear: Ralph Lauren has at least increased the visibility of Black life and culture during this era of racial reckoning.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/in-age-of-racial-reckoning-ralph-lauren-partners-with-morehouse-and-spelman-grads-on-vintage-black-fashion-styles-180292.
GREELEY, Iowa (AP)  Authorities have identified a young girl killed in an eastern Iowa house fire over the weekend.

Brooklyn Lendt, 9, died Saturday in the house fire on the north end of Greeley, the Delaware County Sheriffs Office told television station KCRG.

Firefighters were called to the house just after 3:30 a.m. Saturday, and the caller said there was a child inside the home. Crews later found the body of the girl in the charred remains of the house.

Officials believe an electrical issue is the likely cause of the fire.

Greeley is located about 60 miles (96.5 kilometers) northeast of Cedar Rapids.
JERUSALEM, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Israel's military fired artillery into Lebanon after a rocket hit northern Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Monday.

"In response to the projectile launched from Lebanon into northern (Israel) earlier tonight, IDF Artillery forces are currently targeting the source of the launch in Lebanon," the IDF tweeted.

The projectile launched from Lebanon fell overnight in an open field near a Kibbutz community in northern Israel, with no damage or injuries reported.

No group has claimed responsibility for the fire.

IDF spokesman Ran Kochav told Kan Reshet Bet Radio that Palestinian groups likely fired the rocket.

The incident came amid rising tensions over clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem. 
Kathi Weathington Hughes has been named the winner of the 2022 Gene Phillips Hospitality Award by the Texas Department of Transportations Travel Information Division. This award was presented at the annual Texas Travel Counselors Conference in Grapevine recently.

The award recognizes Hughess career and her dedication to the Texas tourism industry, as well as her outstanding support of TxDOTs Travel Information Centers and the states $57 billion travel industry.

Kathi Hughes brings so much enthusiasm and fun to her important work with the Texas travel industry, so shes an absolute joy to work with, said Joan Henderson, Director of the Travel Information Division at TxDOT. Were thrilled to present her with this well-deserved award in recognition of her distinguished career. Were so grateful for her long-standing support!

Hughes began her career in Texas tourism with the Beaumont Convention and Visitors Bureau in the early 1989, and for the past 17 years she has served as Director of Jefferson Countys Ben J. Rogers Regional Visitors Center located in Beaumont.

Hughes helped to organize and grow the Southeast Texas Area, Regional Tourism networking group, which works as a partnership of stakeholders in the region to raise awareness and promote the area, and shes active with the Texas Travel Alliance and the Texas Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus in planning and organizing industry conferences held in Beaumont/Port Arthur.

The Rotary Club of Beaumont recently initiated a two-week fundraising project, Stand With Ukraine, to provide immediate assistance to the humanitarian effort in that country.

Using the Rotary network, Beaumont Rotary reached out to the Rotary Club Lviv International and learned that their club was actively working on various projects to provide medical supplies to area hospitals, to support women and children fleeing the fighting in other parts of Ukraine, and to support refugees arriving in Lviv and hoping to travel to Poland or other countries.

Club President Brad Brown invited his fellow Beaumont Rotarians to donate to the effort through a limited campaign in March, quickly raising over $50,000. Funds were sent by wire to Rotary Club Lviv International to immediately assist in procurement and transportation of medical equipment and supplies.

The Rotary Club of Beaumont is asking Southeast Texans who want to support the effort in Ukraine to make a donation to the local club that will be forwarded to Lviv, Ukraine. Gifts can be made online at https://portal.clubrunner.ca/3775 (click on the Ukrainian flag), or checks can be mailed to MCM Elegante Hotel, Suite 213, 2355 IH 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77705. Checks should be made payable to the Beaumont Rotary Foundation. Please include Stand With Ukraine in the memo line.

For additional information, please contact Brad Brown, President of the Rotary Club of Beaumont, at bdbrown@fftam.com or (409) 600-6460; Uliana Trylowsky, Vice President of the Rotary Club of Beaumont, at utrylowsky@lamar.edu or (409) 284-7358.

The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas recently broke ground on the site of what will be the Aati Imaabachi Imiisa Education Center.

The 49,000-square foot facility will serve as the center of education for tribal citizens of all ages. Anticipated for completion in the fall of 2024, the new center will house the Tribes Education Department, Head Start Program, Tribal Youth Program, Tribal Library, two play yards, and a multipurpose gym.

Leaders of our Tribe have long dreamed of building this Education Center, said Ricky Sylestine, Chairman of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Tribal Council. Throughout our history, this tribe has valued learning and recognized the importance of preparing the next generation for success. This center will help the younger members of our tribe become better citizens while also offering facilities, such as the library, where adults can continue to learn and better themselves as well.

Sylestine added, The construction of this new center also signifies our optimism about the future. We have been in this region for many generations and plan to be part of the East Texas community for a long time to come. Education is the key to a brighter future, for our tribe and for our neighbors.

Do you have a news item like this that your customers or clients need to hear about? A new manager or owner, a major change in your operations? Send it to Opinions@BeaumontEnterprise.com so we can spread the word!
A section of the Kimball Lake Dam at Wildwood Resort City in northern Hardin County has breached.

According to a Facebook post from Hardin County Judge Wayne McDaniel, the partial breach resulted from a structural issue with the dam.

The spillway side remains intact, and the lake is draining, he said.

"Kimball Creek and Village Creek just south of the dam will rise, but water is expected to dissipate and affects further downstream should be minimal," he said in the post.

People in the area are asked to stay out of the lake and away from the beach and wooden bridge until the situation is resolved.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  With violent crime increasing in many parts of the U.S., Republicans see a winning strategy in portraying Democrats as soft on crime ahead of this year's elections. In ads, campaign appearances and interviews, the GOP has ripped liberal policies and blamed Democratic lawmakers from the White House to city councils for the violence.

But in Oklahoma, where Gov. Kevin Stitt is being targeted for mass commutations and a crime that involved cannibalism, the attacks are different: Stitt is a Republican.

In one ad, a woman's voice says Stitt commuted the prison sentence of a man who later "brutally murdered his neighbor, then tried to feed her organs to his family." The ad, paid for by a group called Conservative Voice of America, concludes, Oklahomans deserve a governor who cracks down on violent criminals, not one who lets them go.

Democrats have borne the brunt of the political blame for the increase in homicides and other violent crime in recent years. In some cases that's meant backpedaling on major criminal justice overhauls or insisting they don't want to defund police departments, as some activists have advocated.

But now the attacks on some fellow Republicans are intensifying a split within the GOP between hard-liners and those conservatives who have shifted to support alternatives to prisons, largely as a way to save money. Groups that advocate various types of criminal justice reform worry the attacks could jeopardize meaningful changes that have occurred, many in heavily Republican states, such as Oklahoma, which has one of the highest incarceration rates, and Texas.

"We had been seeing sort of growing bipartisan consensus on reforms," said Kevin Ring, president of Families Against Mandatory Minimums. But that's gotten tougher because of rising crime and politics.

Theres still some of those old holdouts who just are lock them up, throw away the key types," Ring said. "Theyve always been there, and I think that they have used the increase in crime to argue for a return to that posture by the party.

Brett Tolman, executive director of the conservative criminal justice advocacy group Right on Crime, said the accusation of being weak on crime gets thrown around very quickly," causing a lot of hesitation" in Congress. The former U.S. attorney said he now has to work with people mostly behind the scenes.

Republicans who support the changes say they can reduce crime as well as costs to taxpayers. When Stitt approved the 2019 mass commutation of more than 450 inmates in a single day, he said the release would save Oklahoma an estimated $11.9 million over the cost of keeping them behind bars. The commutations primarily benefited those convicted of drug possession or low-level property crimes.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, says his state saved billions of dollars by investing in alternative sentencing and closing prisons. He's now defending Stitt, who's facing an avalanche of attack ads as he seeks a second term as Oklahoma governor.

I see the Texas reforms have proven tough on crime but soft on the taxpayer, as any conservative policy should be, Perry wrote in a newspaper column defending Stitt.

The attack ads targeting Stitt were paid for by dark money groups, which don't have to make their donors public. They criticize Stitt for signing off on the parole of a man now accused of three killings, including those of a 4-year-old girl and a neighbor whose heart he cut out and tried to feed to relatives, according to authorities.

Donelle Harder, a spokesperson for Stitts reelection campaign, said its not clear who is funding the groups.

The undisclosed, special interest groups are not conservatives, and they are not being honest about their intentions, Harder said. Gov. Stitts commitment to lead as a conservative political outsider is clearly upsetting a small few.

Trebor Worthen, a GOP political consultant who is running one of the dark money groups, Sooner State Leadership PAC, said it is dedicated to public safety and has raised $10 million. Worthen declined to identify specific donors.

We are funded by business and community leaders who care deeply about our future and wish to exercise their First Amendment rights to advocate for policy changes that Oklahoma needs and deserves," Worthen said.

The issue also has surfaced in the GOP primary for governor in Nevada. Former Sen. Dean Heller has criticized Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, saying he wants to defund the police. Lombardo told The Associated Press and other media outlets that he has no problem with his department losing funding if the money is used in another area that would benefit law enforcement.

Who goes on NPR and says they want to defund the police? Heller told a Nevada TV station during an interview, comparing Lombardo with progressive Democrats who often draw conservative ire, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. AOC, the Squad, and Sheriff Lombardo. They're the ones that say that.

In Illinois, Democrats who control state government hurriedly worked this spring to provide more funding to law enforcement after passing a major criminal justice overhaul last year that set strict standards for police behavior and eliminated cash bail beginning next year. Republicans have blasted the criminal justice legislation.

Among the most vocal critics is GOP candidate for governor Richard Irvin, a former prosecutor and defense attorney who is now mayor of Aurora, a Chicago suburb. Irvin, who faces several Republicans in the GOP primary, often touts his prosecutorial background as he blasts Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The Democratic Governors Association and Irvin's GOP rivals have questioned his tough-on-crime credentials, however. In an ad, the DGA criticized Irvin's work as a defense attorney, and fellow Republicans have attacked Irvin, who is Black, for expressing support for Black Lives Matter.

A spokesperson for Irvin dismissed the attacks. Eleni Desmertzis said Pritzker is running scared" and facing "a former criminal prosecutor, tough-on-crime-mayor and strong supporter of law enforcement who has proven hes not afraid to stand up for all lives in Illinois.

___

Burnett reported from Chicago.
HOUSTON (AP)  A Texas appeals court on Monday delayed the execution of Melissa Lucio amid growing doubts about whether she fatally beat her 2-year-old daughter in a case that has garnered the support of lawmakers, celebrities and even some jurors who sentenced her to death.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted a request by Lucios lawyers for a stay of execution so a lower court can review her claims that new evidence would exonerate her.

Lucio had been set for lethal injection Wednesday for the 2007 death of her daughter Mariah in Harlingen, a city of about 75,000 in Texas southern tip.

Prosecutors have maintained that the girl was the victim of abuse and noted that her body was covered in bruises. Lucio's lawyers say Mariah died from injuries she sustained in a fall down a steep staircase several days before she died.

I am grateful the court has given me the chance to live and prove my innocence," Lucio said in a statement provided by her lawyers. Mariah is in my heart today and always. I am grateful to have more days to be a mother to my children and a grandmother to my grandchildren. I will use my time to help bring them to Christ. I am deeply grateful to everyone who prayed for me and spoke out on my behalf.

Lucio's mother, Esperanza Trevino, tearfully thanked all of her daughter's supporters, saying, Thank God for the miracle."

Lucio was first told her execution had been delayed in a phone call with state Rep. Jeff Leach, a Republican who has helped lead a bipartisan effort to halt her execution, said Vanessa Potkin, one of Lucios attorneys who is with the Innocence Project.

She sobbed. She was just overwhelmed," said Potkin.

In a statement, Leach said he was grateful the appeals court had pushed the pause button on her execution, saving the state of Texas from the irreversible blunder of potentially killing an innocent citizen."

The execution stay was announced minutes before the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles had been set to consider Lucio's clemency application to either commute her death sentence or grant her a 120-day reprieve. The paroles board did not review her clemency petition because of the execution stay. If the case were to come back before the board in the future, Lucio's lawyers would have to file a new petition.

Lucios attorneys say her capital murder conviction was based on an unreliable and coerced confession that was the result of relentless questioning and her long history of being sexually, physically and emotionally abused. They say Lucio wasnt allowed to present evidence questioning the validity of her confession.

Her lawyers also contend that unscientific and false evidence misled jurors into believing Mariahs injuries could have been caused only by abuse and not by medical complications from a severe fall.

It would have shocked the publics conscience for Melissa to be put to death based on false and incomplete medical evidence for a crime that never even happened," said Potkin. "All of the new evidence of her innocence has never before been considered by any court. The courts stay allows us to continue fighting alongside Melissa to overturn her wrongful conviction."

Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz, whose office prosecuted the case, said in a statement he expected the execution to be delayed because various legal issues remain unresolved.

I welcome the opportunity to prosecute this case in the courtroom: where witnesses testify under oath, where witnesses may be cross-examined, where evidence is governed by the rules of evidence and criminal procedure ... That is our criminal jurisprudence system, and it is working," said Saenz, who was not in office when Lucio was tried in 2008.

During a sometimes contentious Texas House committee hearing on Lucios case this month, Saenz had said he disagreed with Lucios lawyers claims that new evidence would exonerate her. Prosecutors say Lucio had a history of drug abuse and at times had lost custody of some of her 14 children.

In its three-page order, the appeals court asked that the trial court in Brownsville that handled Lucios case review four claims her lawyers have made: whether prosecutors used false evidence to convict her; whether previously unavailable scientific evidence would have prevented her conviction; whether she is actually innocent; and whether prosecutors suppressed evidence that would have been favorable to her defense.

It was not immediately known when the lower court would begin reviewing her case. Tivon Schardl, one of Lucio's lawyers, said they hope to convince the trial judge to recommend a new trial. If such a recommendation is made, that would then be sent to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which would make the final decision on a new trial.

More than half the members of the Texas Legislature had asked that her execution be halted. A bipartisan group of state lawmakers traveled this month to Gatesville, where the state houses female death row inmates, and prayed with Lucio.

One of those lawmakers, El Paso Democratic state Rep. Joe Moody, tweeted that he was relieved for Lucio. A stay confirms what weve said all along: Melissa Lucio shouldnt be on death row," he wrote.

Five of the 12 jurors who sentenced Lucio and one alternate juror have questioned their decision and asked that she get a new trial.

Lucios cause also has the backing of faith leaders and celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, and it was featured on HBOs Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
Three men are challenging Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bill Bartie for re-election, but none of them have shown compelling reasons why they should replace him. In turn, Bartie makes a good case for his re-election, citing the accomplishments he has made and his desire to do even more in a second term. For those reasons, we recommend that Port Arthur voters keep Bartie in office.

The city could use some consistency in leadership, with various changes in top posts in recent years, and Bartie can provide it. Also running for mayor are Floyd Batiste, Matthews Christian Jr. and Willie Bae Lewis Jr.

When Bartie ran for mayor three years ago, he was seen by some as a long-shot challenger. But he defeated Derrick Freeman and has gone on to serve a solid term.

It was on his watch that the pandemic ravaged Port Arthur and every other city in America. Bartie stepped up as much as any local official. He was an early leader in the drive to take this virus seriously and fight it with every tool at our disposal, from masks to social distancing and then vaccines.

Bartie is also familiar with the state and federal programs that could help Port Arthur, and many of the officials who run them. He wouldnt need a learning curve there like some of his challengers.

Port Arthur has taken some hits recently with the loss of the Motiva downtown renewal project and the departure of the Mardi Gras festival to Beaumont. But Bartie says that as disappointing as these changes were, the city cannot quit trying. He wants to keep pursuing new initiatives, and he has a long list of them.

His goal, if re-elected, should be translate some of these ambitious plans into real action for the people of Port Arthur. Despite all the challenges Port Arthur has seen, it still has a large industrial tax base and impressive commercial development across from Central Mall. The city has many of the building blocks it needs for growth and progress, and now it needs strong leadership to make things happen.

Early voting for these local contests starts today and continues through Friday. Election Day is Saturday, May 7. Turnout for these city council and school board races is usually low, invariably about 20% of registered voters in each city or school district. We hope that Southeast Texans break that tradition this year, but if they dont, every vote that is cast becomes that much more important.

Please make sure to vote during the early voting period or on May 7. Someone is going to choose these local officials, and it might as well be you.
Orange County officials should be commended for continuing to move forward with plans for a storm surge protection system. It wont be cheap or easy, but county residents must have something like this to be protected better from a hurricane storm surge that is probably inevitable at some point.

Jefferson County has had something like this for years thanks to the influence of former Congressman Jack Brooks  the Drainage District 7 floodwall around the southern edge of the county.

But Orange County has lacked that type of protection, and its southern geography makes the installation of a barrier more difficult. But its worth doing, and county officials have to keep plugging away at this long-term, expensive project.

Orange County is actually at the eastern end of an ambitious barrier system that would extend from Galveston Bay to the Sabine River. The massive project includes 15 miles of new earthen levees, 10 miles of concrete floodwalls, 50 gravity drainage structures, multiple pump stations, 30 closure structures at certain roads and railroad crossings, two gates at Adams and Cow bayous and restoration of about 450 acres of coastal marsh and 560 acres of forested wetlands in Orange.

The design phase is scheduled for completion in 2024, when construction would begin and last four more years.

Thats a lot, and its still not clear if all of this can be completed. It would cost a whopping $37 billion and require numerous environmental permits. And while the federal government is slated to pick up 65% of the cost, that still leaves 35% for local taxpayers to fund. Getting that money approved by local governing bodies will not be easy either, though something this important should motivate taxpayers to support it.

Orange Countys portion is estimated to cost $2.39 billion overall. Its portion of the project would run for 27 miles, starting with a pump station and flood structures at Cow Bayou and expanding north of Orange and west of Bridge City.

The experience of Hurricane Rita showed how important something like this is. Jefferson County was mostly spared from storm-surge flooding then because of the DD7 barrier. Orange County lacked that kind of protection and saw serious flooding in Bridge City and other parts of the county.

With the recent increase in hurricanes associated with climate change, the question might not be if but when Southeast Texas is struck by another major storm like that.

The barrier would cost a lot, but it would save Orange County countless millions from flood damage. It would give more people and businesses the confidence to build in the county, and Orange County needs this kind of growth.

Getting from here to there will be a quite a journey, but county officials have to keep moving forward. If Orange County finds itself in the cone of a major hurricane, this barrier will make a big difference in how well its 85,000 residents get through it. The sooner it is in place, the better.
WFO SAN ANGELO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, April 24, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in San Angelo has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northwestern Schleicher County in west central Texas...

South central Tom Green County in west central Texas...

Southeastern Irion County in west central Texas...

* Until 715 PM CDT.

* At 626 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 9 miles south of

Mertzon, moving east at 30 mph. This storm will track across

portions of Irion County south of Mertzon and into Tom Green

County west of Christoval.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* This severe thunderstorm will be near...

Christoval around 715 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed (on screen) addresses the opening of the Financing for Development Forum at UN Headquarters in New York on April 25, 2022. (Manuel Elias/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, April 25 (Xinhua) -- With the global economy under severe stress, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) need an urgent rescue, said UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on Monday.

"The global economy is under severe stress. Many developing countries are reeling from the crippling effects of an uneven recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the ticking time bomb of the climate crisis. Vaccine inequities continue. The war in Ukraine is now sending shockwaves through global food, energy and financial markets," she said, speaking on behalf of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the opening of the Financing for Development Forum.

Many economies are at the brink of a downward spiral of insolvency, cuts in critical investments, economic contraction and rising unemployment. Decades of development progress are being eroded. The World Bank predicts that a quarter of a billion people could be pushed into extreme poverty this year. Up to 323 million people could face acute food insecurity. And the essential transition to clean and sustainable energy is at enormous risk, she added.

"There are early signs of a tsunami of potential debt crises, deprivation, discontent and civil unrest. No country, developed or developing, will be isolated from the socio-economic impacts."

The SDGs are in need of urgent rescue. Financing for development is an essential part of the solution, she said.

Because the global response falls far short of the goals, Guterres established the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance. The goal is to ensure high-level political leadership; get ahead of the perfect storm of food security, energy, and financing challenges; and implement a coordinated global response, she said.

The international financial system has deep pockets. The world has the capacity to make sure all countries can get through this crisis with their development prospects intact, she said.

The deputy secretary-general spoke for Guterres, who is on his way to a meeting on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, followed by a discussion on Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev.

In 2015, UN member states adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a peace and prosperity blueprint with 17 SDGs to be reached through a global partnership. 
A Bangkok court convicted and sentenced a policeman to a year and 15 days in prison Monday for killing a pedestrian with his motorcycle at a crosswalk here, in a case that angered Thais and drew attention to the dangers of crossing city roads on foot.

The victims father as well as Thai netizens criticized the relatively light sentence handed to 21-year-old Norawit Buadok for speeding and fatal reckless driving when he ran over eye doctor Waralak Supawat-Jariyakul at a zebra crossing on a busy road in the Thai capital Jan. 21. He was off duty at the time of the incident.

The court found him [Norawit] riding at speed in a crowded hospital area, disregarding the crosswalk sign. He ignored the safety of [lives] and the properties of others. The court indicated how serious the action was, Nattapon Shinnawong, the lawyer for the victims family, said Monday outside the Criminal Court in Bangkok.

The court sentenced him to one year and 15 days in jail and a fine of 4,000 baht [U.S. $ 117] and revoked his driving license without conditions.

Waralaks family did not attend Mondays court hearing.

This case is serious because the defendant was a policeman, but he broke the laws. So he deserves even harsher punishment, Waralaks father, Aniruth Supawatjariyakul, told reporters Monday.

The maximum punishment for a case in which a pedestrian is killed as a result of a motorists negligence is 10 years.

Norawit, a lance corporal, had earlier pleaded guilty to all charges, including reckless driving causing death, driving a vehicle without a license plate, failing to stop at a crosswalk, exceeding the speed limit, and five other charges. At that time, he was released on 50,000-baht bail because he had confessed after surrendering to the authorities.

On Monday, Norawit was again released on bail for 200,000 baht (U.S. $5,870) with his father, a police sub-lieutenant, acting as a guarantor, the defendants lawyer told reporters, adding that they would appeal the sentencing.

Norawit is sad. He admitted his fault and has confessed since the beginning, said his lawyer, Sonthaya Noicharoen.

The victims family has filed another civil case against Royal Thai Police and Norawit, in which the plaintiffs have asked for 72 million baht ($2.1 million) in compensation, Sonthaya said, adding the court has set Aug. 8 for a hearing.

Norawit has been temporarily dismissed from police service, a police spokesman said Monday.

Netizens skewer verdict

Many netizens, meanwhile, expressed anger and dismay at the leniency of the sentence given to Norawit.

Are you confused about the inconsistency in the laws of this country? Someone who posted on Facebook was sentenced to 29 years in prison; a driver who killed a person will go to prison for only one year, asked Twitter user @madmax68176958, referring to the long jail term for a Thai man in 2015 for allegedly insulting the king.

Another Twitter user @maewtyping posted sarcastically: The punishment was so heavy, I got goosebumps. Plus, get a fine of 4,000 baht. No one dared to do this anymore.

However, one Bangkok construction worker saw the sentence as reasonable.

It was his first accident out of carelessness, not a murder. I think the penalty was reasonable, Piya Thitikorakoj told BenarNews. The public was outraged because he did not even come to the doctors aid after hitting her.

The accident became a high-profile case in the country, primarily because it involved a police officer who was, according to investigators, riding at 108-128 km per hour instead of stopping at a zebra crossing.

Norawit was also roundly criticized for entering the monkhood after the fatal accident to earn merit. After a public backlash, the Sangha Supreme Council, the Thai Buddhist governing body, said it would disrobe the suspended policeman.

The fatal accident also highlighted the countrys abysmal road safety record, especially for pedestrians.

Thailand had the highest mortality rate in road traffic injury deaths in Asia and ninth highest globally, with 32.7 fatalities per 100,000 people, according to the World Health Organizations 2018 Global Status Report on Road Safety.

According to government data, some 20,000 to 22,000 people die in road accidents every year in Thailand. The Thai public health ministry reported 800 to 1,000 pedestrians were killed between 2016 and 2018.
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AMMAN, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Monday discussed with his visiting Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg the joint efforts to push for Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and bolster the bilateral ties.

The two ministers looked into ways to enhance cooperation and discussed regional and international developments, topped with the Palestinian cause and efforts for de-escalation in Jerusalem, said the Jordanian Foreign Ministry in a statement.

Safadi said that maintaining calm and ending the tension is a top priority for all, which could be achieved by Israel's respect for the historical and legal status quo of Jerusalem's Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The two ministers stressed keenness on advancing mutual cooperation while signing a memorandum of understanding on political and security cooperation.

Efforts to realize a political solution for the Syrian crisis and the necessity for supporting the refugees and hosting countries were also discussed, Safadi said, warning against the decline of support.

In his turn, Schallenberg said that both countries share a comprehensive vision of cooperation in various fields, including security and economy, commending Jordan's de-escalation efforts in regional issues. 
NORTH ADAMS  Supaman, also known as Christian Takes Gun Parrish, a member of the Apsaalooke (Crow) Nation, will perform at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, 8 p.m., Saturday, April 30, as Kidspace celebrates the final weeks of Wendy Red Stars exhibition "Apsaalooke: Children of the Large-Beaked Bird."

If You Go Who: Supaman What: Apsaalooke (Crow) Nation dancer, and innovative hip hop artist When: 8 p.m., Saturday, April 30 Where: Club B10, Mass MoCA, 1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams Cost: $16, advance; $22, day of; $12, students. $40, preferred seating. Museum admission not included with ticket. Tickets and more information: 413-662-2111, massmoca.org COVID-19 safety protocol: Proof of vaccination still required for attendees age 5 and over for performances. Photo ID required for attendees over 18. Masks are encouraged.

A dancer and innovative hip-hop artist, Supaman has dedicated his life to empowering and spreading a message of hope, pride and resilience through his original art form. His one of-a-kind performances combine indigenous culture, comedy and urban hip-hop.

Before his performance in Mass MoCA's Club B10, here are five things to know about Supaman:

1. Supaman lives on the Crow Reservation in Montana, where he is known as Aweaakeen Baa Aachile  which means Good Fortune to Mother Earth in his native Apsaalooke language. He chose the name "Supaman" before participating in a DJ contest.

2. He's an award-winning artist. 2017 MTV VMA award for Best Fight Against the System" with the rapper Taboo and actress Shailene Woodley, for the collaboration "Stand Up/Stand N Rock #NoDAPL." He is also a Nammy Native American Music Award winner, North American Indigenous Image Award winner, and seven-time Tunney Award winner. He was awarded The Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award in Canada for best video.

3. He founded the Native American hip-hop group, Rezawrecktion, in 2005. The group's first album, "It's Time," won a Native American Music Award in 2005. He has released six solo albums, the latest, "Medicine Bundle," was released in 2021 and is available on Spotify and Apple Music. You can also listen to his music and watch his videos on YouTube.

4. He visits schools, performing and presenting educational programs, as part of his work to change stereotypes of indigenous people here and around the world. In 2021, he told the Casper Star Tribune, "Were trying to rethink the way we learn about indigenous people by supporting our indigenous authors, supporting our teachers and educators, so the real culture and the storytelling is coming from the people itself, rather than a non-native perspective.

Of his "fancy dance" clothing, the indigenous ceremonial regalia, he said, "This is not a costume. A costume is something when somebody dresses up to be somebody else or something else. This is a part of who I am."

5. He urges those who attend his events to care for the environment.

"Hopefully, Yellowstone Park will never look like New York City, he said, during his interview with the Casper Star Tribune. Its up to us to protect our sacred sites. Its up to us to protect the water. Not just indigenous people, not just native people, but each and every one of you here today. Its your responsibility to make sure our sacred sites and places are kept the way the creator made them.
We shouldnt need reminding, but sometimes they remind us anyway: Were lucky to have the local firefighters that protect us at all hours and 
PITTSFIELD  When they saw the photograph of their grandparents house on Satinet Street, they began calling each other, incredulous.

Quote When I was a kid, I used to go watch the demolitions and it made me sad. Youd never believe how many streets they took in their entirety. Bruce Honig, Pittsfield

They only saw this place in their dreams  until The Eagle published a photo of it as part of a story about the West Side and economically depressed areas of Pittsfield. Some remembered the house. Some were too young.

But there it stood  in a black-and-white government snapshot meant to catalog neighborhoods before demolition as part of urban renewal projects in the 1960s. Satinet Street, and several others around it, no longer exists.

But many residents of those streets live on, and some are in that photo  as children.

She blew up the photo and said, thats you on the steps, said Tony Jackson, 60, recalling what his sister, Kim Nelson, told him when she took a closer look at it. That photo shook the whole family up. Were still talking about it.

It depicted their grandparents house, in 1966. The home was demolished the next year. Nelson and their mother, Julie Dillard, cried when they saw the photo.

The siblings late brother, Brett Jackson, is also in the photo. He is about age 4, standing on the sidewalk with a bicycle. On the porch are Aunt Clara and a cousin. Tony Jackson was about 5 at the time. Nelson was an infant, if even born.

The photo stirred memories of childhoods filled with love, extended family, community, first jobs, scholarships to summer camps, homemade birthday cakes and even a family UFO sighting.

Their grandmothers house on Satinet Street was the heart of their world, the siblings say. May Eden Dillard used to hold court on her porch, shades down halfway to block the sun, inviting passersby up for a chat and maybe some coffee.

We were blessed beyond blessed, Jackson said, noting that he and his siblings walked there every day. We didnt have a lot of money, but we had a lot of love.

The photo also reminded them of why they found success. It reminded them of the familys strong women, some of whom went without to save for down payments on homes in an era when there were baked-in obstacles to that: The neighborhood had been redlined by the federal government  red meaning too risky for lenders.

It was a story about a new report on redlining in Pittsfield that brought that photo out into the light. For decades it remained tucked away in the history department at the Berkshire Athenaeum. Eagle photographer Ben Garver had gone there in search of historical photos and maps of the West Side.

It made me sad

Ann-Marie Harris, senior technician in the librarys history section, showed Garver four haunting photos of homes that had been razed, on streets that have disappeared. They were taken by Pittsfield native Bruce Honig.

We have albums and albums and albums of photos he took of houses that were demolished, Harris said, noting that most of the photos dont show people. This was his thing  he was really curious. If we didnt have these pictures, we wouldnt know what things looked like. Hes so beneficial to Pittsfield.

A call to Honig revealed that, while he took thousands of photos of city buildings and homes between 1971 and 1991, he didnt actually take those photos of the Satinet house and the others  Honig was only nine that year.

Honig said it was a coordinator with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development who took the 8-by-10-inch shots, then later gave them to the library, reportedly saying something like, You can keep them or pitch them.

Honig built an easel and got to work with his Pentax K1000.

For months I would go to the library and take pictures of those 8-by-10s, he said. The sad thing is that not every house on every street was in the collection.

Honig, 65, became fascinated by the destruction of a neighborhood when he was still a child.

When I was a kid, I used to go watch the demolitions and it made me sad, so I decided to photograph as many old houses as I could, he said. Youd never believe how many streets they took in their entirety.

Honig, who used to work as a janitor at the First United Methodist Church, now lives on Lowden Street. He declined to have his photo taken for this story.

But if anyone ever needs pictures, Ive got so many, Honig said. He estimates his collection includes 20,000 shots of bygone Pittsfield.

We had a great life

The community bonding on Satinet Street, and in other West Side homes the family lived in after that family home was torn down, is the reason why Jackson, an operations manager at Staples in Atlanta, founded the neighborhood revitalization nonprofit, West Side Legends. The group helps people qualify for mortgages and is remodeling homes for locals to buy.

Nelson, his sister, who with her husband owns a gymnastics studio in Virginia, said the photo reminded her of what a strong force her grandmother was in her early life. Nelson was born premature to a mother working and raising two young boys. Grandmother Dillard took over and nurtured the baby to robust health.

We had a strong sense of family and we had strong women, said Nelson, 56, recalling how her mother made such a large down payment on a home, by scrimping and saving, that the bank couldnt refuse her a mortgage.

She never spent any money and never bought anything for herself; she was keeping us safe and giving us the best upbringing we could have, and we had a great life, she said.

When she was born, Kim Nelsons uncle, Jerry Dillard, suggested she be named for a Vietnamese child he believed had saved the lives of men in his platoon by giving him information while he served there in combat.

Amid all this family love, no one realized that the government had already marked the neighborhood as a hazardous place to invest by redlining it on maps. That created a cycle of decline that residents are still fighting.

I never realized all this happened, Nelson said. I was really fascinated.

Nelsons cousin, Lisa Quinn, of Enfield, Conn., knew there were obstacles, but didnt know this history.

What we already knew about Pittsfield is that while it was a wonderful place to grow up, there were barriers, she said. It was wonderful seeing those barriers exposed [by the redlining report].

Quinn, who grew up on King Street, was too young to remember the house, but recalls that grandmother Dillard  who was also a descendant of a Native American in West Stockbridge  held court on the porch, and kept nurturing everyone in the same way at her next house she lived in.

Everybody went to her place, Nelson said. Shed stop by her grandmothers new house as she walked home from Pittsfield High. There was a standard of caring for family that she set that really made a difference in all our lives.
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.
UNITED NATIONS, April 25 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres continues to push for a halt in hostilities in Ukraine even though a Russian UN envoy said a cease-fire is not a good option at the moment, said a UN spokesman.

"We continue to call for a cease-fire or some sort of pause. The secretary-general did that, as you know, just last week. Clearly, that didn't happen in time for (Orthodox) Easter," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres.

"I don't want to give too many details at this stage of the sort of proposals he will have. I think we're coming at a fairly delicate moment. It's important that he is able to talk clearly with the leadership on both sides and see what progress we can make," he told a daily press briefing.

"Ultimately, the end goal is to have a halt to fighting and to have ways to improve the situation of the people in Ukraine, lessen the threat that they're under, and provide humanitarian aid (to) them. So, those are the goals we're trying, and there are certain ways that we'll try to move those forward," he said.

Guterres was on his way to Moscow from Turkey. He will have a working meeting and lunch with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday, and will be received by President Vladimir Putin. Guterres then will travel to Ukraine and have a working meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, and will be received by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday.

Before his trips to Moscow and Kiev, Guterres made a stop-over in Turkey, where he met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the Ukraine issue.

Haq said the secretary-general is making the trips because he thinks there is an opportunity now.

"A lot of diplomacy is about timing, about finding out when is the right time to speak with a person, to travel to a place, to do certain things. And he is going in the anticipation that there is a real opportunity that is now availing itself, and we'll see what we can make of it," he said.

Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia's first deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said Monday that now is not the time for a cease-fire.

"We don't think that cease-fire is a good option right now. The only advantage it will present is that it will give Ukrainian forces a possibility to regroup and stage more provocations like the one in Bucha," he told reporters. "It is not up to me to decide, but I do not see any reason in this right now." 
LEE  The brother of a New York woman who went missing last month plans to hire a private investigator, with help from a GoFundMe page that in days has drawn thousands in pledges.

Peter Naple has, as of Monday morning, raised $11,670 of a $50,000 goal to get answers about the disappearance of Meghan Marohn, 42. The money will also be used to continue the search.

Naple started the fundraiser Friday.

A monthlong police investigation has failed to yield leads into her disappearance. A $50,000 reward is posted for information leading to her safe return.

My sister Meghan Marohn went missing in Lee, MA on March 27th while on a hike near the Longcope Property Park on Church St. in Lee, Naple wrote on the fundraising website. Her car was found in the parking lot of the park, but numerous search efforts by officials as well as myself and volunteers have turned up nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Naple could not immediately be reached for comment.

Last week, State Police said they had searched the target area around the park and other areas of interest in Lee.

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Lee Police Chief Craig Desantis said Monday the probe is still a missing person investigation, and there is no reason to believe it "will evolve into a criminal matter at this point."

"The situation is fluid because it is an open investigation," he said. "Our goal is to find Meghan."

Police said early on they do not suspect foul play.

Marohn, of Delmar, N.Y., checked into The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge March 24, and was to stay there until March 30, Naple wrote on his website, findmeghanmarohn.com. She was last seen March 27.

Naple had told The Eagle she had checked into the hotel amid some emotional upset. He spoke to her the night before she went missing.

Neighbors saw her black 2017 Subaru Impreza parked at the Longcope Park trailhead in South Lee off Church Street.

Marohns disappearance continues to puzzle and distress friends and family.

Meghan is a devoted and passionate high school English teacher, poet, artist, and concerned environmentalist who displays deep passion in all her endeavors, Naple wrote on the website. She is charismatic, witty, and a genuinely loving and beautiful person whom I miss dearly and need to know what happened to her.
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data.
A church elder holds a position of authority and responsibility in making decisions. Churches have various forms of leadership and ways to participate in the congregations life. Through committees, teams, special interest groups, and more, decisions are made through discussion and going to God in prayer. Choosing church elders begins with asking God for wisdom, discernment, and revelation as to who should serve. Then, the person offered the opportunity to serve as elders must decide if this is the calling God has for their life. Christians ordain elders that serve in teaching or pastoral roles. An elder may also be a lay person serving as an administrator.

Where Does the Bible Mention Church Elders?

The New Testament mentions elders. James held a significant role in the Jerusalem church. James, son of Zebedee, was a chief spokesman at the Council of Jerusalem. He reported about Pauls mission to the Gentiles.

When they finished, James spoke up. Brothers, he said, listen to me. Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. (James 15:113-14 NIV)

One person would not make decisions for a church. People with wisdom and who were thought to be trustworthy were chosen to help make choices while following the law of God.

Along with having strong faith and knowledge, an elder must be trustworthy and follow doctrine. In the Pastoral Epistles, Paul addresses Titus and Timothy on why that is important.

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:9 NIV)

The book of Acts shares how people came to teach believers. Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved (Acts 15:1). Paul and Barnabas debated with the people. The Bible tells that Paul and Barnabas were appointed, with some others, to go to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about that question. The discussion involved Peter addressing them and reminding the brothers of Gods choice of choosing him to share the gospel.

1 Peter 5:1-5 shares the important message of being a witness and sharing the glory of God. To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christs sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed. Be shepherds of Gods flock that is under your care, watching over them- not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be: not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve, not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

Matthew 21:23 shares how the chief priests and elders came to Jesus while He was teaching in the temple courts. They questioned His authority to preach. In Biblical times, church elders could have included scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees. Also, Scripture shares that church elders were often older men.

Are There Multiple Kinds of Church Elders?

There are different kinds of church elders. Each elder is chosen based on their faith, spiritual gifts, wisdom, and ability to share the gospel. A teaching elder needs to be able to teach the word of God. In the Presbyterian church, the minister is the teaching elder. There are ruling elders and deacons. The ruling elders meet and discuss the churchs concerns and joys. According to Romans 12:7 and Ephesians 4:11-12, all elders should have the spiritual gift of teaching.

In the Presbyterian church and other churches, there can be elders for Missions, Worship, Personnel, Youth, Buildings and Grounds, Finance, and Fellowship. Other areas may be assigned to elders.

This does not mean every elder will teach Sunday School or preach sermons from the pulpit. Teaching to individuals or small groups is an essential way for elders to show others the love of God. Writing devotionals or articles sharing the gospel is another way elders can teach.

Some churches have elders and deacons. A person may be ordained as both. While elders can be involved in the church congregations decisions, deacons are often involved with a more personal approach, such as visiting the shut-ins.

An elder and a deacon are both given leadership roles to build up the body of Christ. Today, both men and women can be elders in most churches. Also, there is no specific age when someone can be ordained as an elder.

Do Church Elders Have as Much Authority as Pastors?

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. (1 Timothy 5:17 NIV) Elders do not make decisions without consulting their pastors. The pastor often opens the meeting at a session meeting in the Presbyterian church with prayer. The elders gather to discuss what is happening in their particular church and the church worldwide. Pastors will give guidance and share information needed for the session to make the best choices for their congregation. One person doesnt make the choice for everyone.

Elders should be an example to their flock. To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christs sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of Gods flock that is under your care, watching over themnot because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. (1 Peter 5:1-4 NIV)

Church Elders Today

Today, men and women are called to be church elders. Their age doesnt matter as much as their life experience, wisdom, and desire to serve God and the churchs people. When someone is ordained as an elder, there may be a special church service where Scripture is read, and questions are asked of the person being ordained. In some churches, once a person is an ordained elder, they are ordained for life. The person may serve on the session or board or team of elders for a specific period. After their serving time is completed, they are still vital to the congregation and share Gods love. Elders are often recognized as people to seek when important changes or decisions are considered in their church.

According to Scripture, church elders were expected to follow specific instructions. Some qualifications were being blameless, faithful, not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. The elder must be hospitable, love what is good, have self-control, and hold firmly to the message of God so that they can encourage others with sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

These standards apply today, as well.

Remember, we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. We are called to worship God, not elders or deacons. Although we choose church leaders, we remember they need help and prayer. Lifting church leaders in prayer is important to having a relationship that strengthens faith and draws others close to Him.

In His Name,

Melissa Henderson

Photo Credit: GettyImages/Hybrid Images

Award-winning author Melissa Henderson writes inspirational messages sometimes laced with a bit of humor. With stories in books, magazines, devotionals, and more, Melissa hopes to encourage readers.

Melissa is the author of Licky the Lizard and Grumpy the Gator. Her passions are helping in the community and church. Melissa is an Elder, Deacon, and Stephen Minister.
China prioritizes job-creation to unleash full growth potential against headwinds

Xinhua) 09:15, April 25, 2022

Overseas returnees visit a job fair during the 19th Conference on International Exchange of Professionals in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, April 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

BEIJING, April 24 (Xinhua) -- China is actively incorporating its long-standing employment-first approach into its pro-growth measures to help cushion the economy against potential impacts from heightened uncertainties.

China's surveyed urban unemployment rate stood at 5.5 percent in the first quarter of this year, up 0.1 percentage points from the same period last year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed.

China's employment has remained generally stable since the beginning of this year thanks to its employment-first policy and ever-increasing support for struggling businesses, said NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui.

Employment and economic growth are mutually reinforcing, and thus job creation has been put high on the policy agenda. Chinese policymakers have repeatedly pointed out that job security and price stability are both key underpinnings for keeping major economic indicators within an appropriate range.

Prioritizing employment enabled China to achieve 2.2 percent growth in 2020, making it the only major economy to achieve positive expansion during a year that saw the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the country did not set a numerical target for overall growth that year, it aimed at creating over 9 million urban jobs and ended up adding 11 million.

China will be able to achieve its potential economic growth as long as it can realize maximum employment, noted Premier Li Keqiang after China's annual legislative session in March this year.

"This year, we will step up the implementation of macro policies, and focus our fiscal and monetary policies on achieving employment targets," Li said.

The job market cooled in March after a heady start in the first two months, with the urban unemployment rate edging up 0.3 percentage points from February to 5.8 percent, while the unemployment rate among those aged between 16 and 24 stood at a biting 16 percent.

The number of urban job seekers in 2022 is at the highest in years, which includes a record 10.76 million college graduates. Meanwhile, companies bearing the brunt of a complex global situation and sporadic domestic COVID-19 resurgences are cutting back on hiring.

The March unemployment figures have prompted China to make extra efforts to achieve its annual job creation goals, as during this month companies usually resume hiring following the Chinese New Year holiday, said Zeng Xiangquan, a researcher with the Renmin University of China.

China aims to create over 11 million new urban jobs and keep a surveyed urban unemployment rate of no more than 5.5 percent in 2022, according to a government work report.

To that end, Chinese authorities are striving to revitalize market entities, ensure employment for key groups, and support flexible employment.

Noting that micro, small and medium firms hold around 80 percent of the country's jobs, Yi Gang, governor of the People's Bank of China, said the central bank will continue to crank up inclusive finance for these firms.

The central bank announced cutting the reserve requirement ratio for financial institutions by 0.25 percent from Monday to strengthen financial support for epidemic-affected sectors and smaller firms.

"The main goal of China's monetary policy is keeping prices and employment stable," Yi said.

On the fiscal front, China vowed to implement a value-added tax credit refund worth around 1.5 trillion yuan (about 232 billion U.S. dollars), postpone payments of old-age insurance premiums and refund more unemployment insurance premiums, and provide one-off employment and training subsidies to small firms. These measures help save costs for firms so that they have more incentive to retain their staff.

To assist job seekers in better preparing for the labor market, China will provide them with no fewer than 1 million internship openings this year and allow localities to use the balance of the employment insurance funds to support vocational training programs.

Special attention is being given to key groups of job seekers. The country aims to add 2 million high-quality jobs for college graduates and ensure no less than 30 million people who had shaken off poverty are employed this year.

The flexibly employed, with their numbers coming in at 200 million and counting, will be eligible for stronger credit support and better protection from occupational hazards.

China aims to achieve an economic growth of 5.5 percent in 2022, with each percentage point of growth expected to help generate over 2 million jobs.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
ANKARA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that all parties should support the Istanbul process for a solution to the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, Turkey's presidency said.

Guterres met with Erdogan in the Turkish capital Ankara, before heading to Moscow and Kiev for talks on resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Erdogan emphasized that the Istanbul process, which "preserves its character as the most credible way to reach peace," should be supported by everyone, said his office after the meeting.

Along with efforts to cease the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Turkey will continue to work closely with the United Nations to end the humanitarian crisis by contributing to the evacuation of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region, Erdogan told Guterres.

The secretary-general, for his part, expressed support for Turkey's ongoing diplomatic efforts concerning the Ukrainian crisis, the UN said in a statement.

Guterres and Erdogan "reaffirmed that their common objective is to end the war as soon as possible and to create conditions to end the suffering of civilians," the statement said.

They stressed the urgent need for effective access through humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians and deliver much-needed assistance to impacted communities while agreeing to stay in contact to follow up on ongoing initiatives.

Erdogan and the UN chief discussed the impact of the crisis on regional and global issues, including energy, food and finance.

At a press conference after a cabinet meeting on Monday, Erdogan said he will have a phone talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday as part of the efforts for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

The UN chief will meet Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on April 26 and 28 respectively, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, said on Friday.

Guterres will visit Moscow on April 26 and have "a working meeting and lunch" with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, said Dujarric.

During his trip to Ukraine, Guterres will have a working meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and meet with staff of UN agencies to discuss the scaling up of humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian people, Dujarric said.

Turkey has been playing a mediator role to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as Ankara has close ties with both countries.

Previously, Lavrov and Kuleba met in a resort town of Turkey's southern province of Antalya on March 10, for the first high-level talks between Moscow and Kiev since the former launched a special military operation in Ukraine on Feb. 24.

The negotiation teams of Russia and Ukraine also had a face-to-face meeting in Istanbul on March 29.

Erdogan is referring Istanbul process since Ankara wants to continue the dialogue between Kiev and Moscow with a leaders' summit in this city in order to reach a final peace deal.

Turkish authorities said earlier that Ankara welcomes the proposal of becoming a guarantor country in terms of the security of Ukraine. 
BOISE - In a statement released Monday morning, Idaho Governor Brad Little endorsed Scott Bedke to become Idahos next Lieutenant Governor. Governor Little previously served as Lieutenant Governor and says Bedke is the only candidate with the skills, experience, and conservative track record to get the job done for Idahoans.

"Scott Bedke is a trusted conservative who delivers results for Idahoans, and he will continue to work for the people as Idahos Lieutenant Governor," said Little. Scott Bedke worked with me to cut red tape and make Idaho the least regulated state in the nation, provide Idahoans historic tax relief, and fully fund law enforcement and first responders. As Lieutenant Governor, Scott Bedke will be a trusted partner and help us continue to make Idaho the place where we all can have the opportunity to thrive. I am excited to endorse Scott Bedke as Idaho's next Republican Lieutenant Governor."

Bedke, a fourth generation Idaho rancher, has an extensive and successful working relationship with Governor Little. Under their conservative leadership, Governor Little and Speaker Bedke have put Idaho values into policy, making our state the best place to live, to work, and to raise a family.

Idahoans want an ambassador for our state and deserve a Lieutenant Governor who will work cohesively with the Legislature and the Governor they elected. Im running to return integrity and consistent conservative leadership back to the Lieutenant Governors office, said Bedke. Together, Governor Little and I have passed conservative legislation to make Idaho a place we are proud to call home. Its an honor to have earned Governor Littles endorsement and I look forward to working with him as Idahos next Lieutenant Governor.
After a journey of over 19 billion kilometres, 21 revolutions around the sun, and 21 years, the whisky of the millennium, Three Ships Whisky Millennium 21-Year-Old Single Malt, is finally here.

The limited-edition sale will see only 400 of the 1,202 bottles produced released online at 12 noon on 20 April, and consumers are encouraged to follow the campaign and #MadeExceptionalMadeHere on social media and register at: https://millennium.threeshipswhisky.co.za/ to ensure they dont miss out on this momentous event.

Process:

This momentous single malt spent its first ten years in ex-bourbon American oak casks and its next five in 300-litre hogsheads. For the last six years, it matured further in seasoned Oloroso casks and aged ex-bourbon American oak. The whisky is presented in its purest form  non-chill filtered, natural in colour, and at a strength of 51.8%.

Profile:

Sensory notes and components: Rich, dark amber in colour. Nutmeg, roasted nuts, sherry sweetness, coffee, whole dried coriander, earthy with whiffs of sea breeze saltiness. The mouth is warm with peppery, savoury aromas, and lingering nutmeg and spice. The finish is salty with an impressive softness of spice and delicate sweetness.



Palate: Warm with peppery, savoury aromas, and lingering nutmeg and spice.



Finish: Salty with an impressive softness of spice and delicate sweetness.



Maturation: The liquid rested in ex-bourbon American oak casks for 10 years, then 300-litre hogsheads for five, then Oloroso casks and back to aged ex-bourbon oak.

The Three Ships Whisky Millennium 21-Year-Old Single Malt salutes Master Distiller Andy Wattss unwavering dedication and innovation in whisky-making. The brands first 21-year-old single malt will be launched across social media channels with a striking campaign that brings to life the concept of 21 revolutions around that sun through an exclusive online sale.While the world entered the eve of the 20th century with much trepidation, preparing for the possibility of a computer-induced apocalypse, our Master Distiller, Andy, who sees history as measured in centuries and the future as a source of excitement, hope and rejuvenation, spent some time in the maturation cellar with optimism and foresight, for he knew that in the coming decades, there would be a spectacular whisky, says marketing manager Meryll Stocks Roos.Wattss commitment to creating award-winning South African whisky, placing the country at the forefront of international interest, led to the great honour of his induction intos Global Whisky Hall of Fame in 2021. This prestigious award has been bestowed on only the most iconic people in the world of whisky since its inception in 2004. Andy has rightfully taken his place as the 70th inductee, which is a permanent tribute to his lasting contribution to the whisky industry. With this landmark whisky, we pay tribute to Andys vision, bravery, tenacity, and influence as a hero for South African whisky.Andy Watts explains just why the oldest and most complex Three Ships Whisky is exceptional. For ten years, the single malt stayed in ex-bourbon American oak casks before being re-vatted to 300-litre hogsheads for a further five years. It matured for the remaining six years in seasoned Oloroso casks and older ex-bourbon American oak. I kept moving it around to ensure the balance between the extracted flavours and oak interaction remained, says Watts. The whisky is presented in its purest form, unchillfiltered, natural in colour and at a strength of 51.8%.The result is an innovative whisky inside and out  each commemorative box of the Three Ships Whisky Millennium features a hidden UV artwork depicting 21 years of progress and innovation. The secret artwork will only be seen by those lucky enough to get their hands on a limited-edition box.Three Ships Whisky supports responsible drinking. Alcohol not for persons under the age of 18 years.Subscribe to our YouTube channel and click here to view the latest video of the 21-year-old single malt. Follow the conversation usingon Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
South Africa's state-owned freight logistics firm Transnet said it will go to the market within weeks for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal to be built at the east coast Richards Bay port by 2026, Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) said on Thursday, 21 April 2022.

Source: Transnet Port Terminals

The push to design, build, finance and operate the LNG terminal comes amid some of the worst electricity outages to hit Africa's most industrialised economy, as the country also tries to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants that supply most of its electricity needs."TNPA is accelerating the implementation of this project to assist with the country's energy needs and ensure that it provides the transition energy required towards SA's decarbonisation," Captain Dennis Mqadi, port manager at Richards Bay said in a statement.He said TNPA intends approaching the market in the coming weeks with a request for proposal, which will ensure that the project can be "realised" by 2026.Around 19 companies, including major gas developers and operators of gas infrastructure in America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East expressed interest in participating when the request for information, the first step in a tender process, was launched in early February.The project will likely vie with another LNG terminal being developed in neighbouring Mozambique, where South African energy company Gigajoule in partnership with TotalEnergies is eyeing a new $550m Matola LNG import terminal.Sasol's Tande and Temane fields in southern Mozambique currently supply the bulk of South Africa's gas needs via the 865 km Rompco pipeline.According to domestic industry body IGUA's 2021 annual report, South Africa currently faces a gas supply shortfall of some 170 petajoules a year.
The High Court in Gqeberha has granted an interim interdict to farm owners in the Sundays River Valley Municipality, Eastern Cape, which prevents protesting workers and their supporters from coming within 500m of farms.

On Monday, acting Judge Anusha Rawjee heard the urgent application by the farm owners following several days of mass protests by both farmworkers and residents of Kirkwood and Addo townships. Among their demands are for farm owners to increase their wages by R30 and for fewer immigrants to be employed.The protests are being led by the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) leaders.We have reported how thousands of protesters shut down the town on Friday, setting alight a tractor and hostels believed to house immigrant workers.According to court papers, union leaders Mbuyiseli Patrick Bayini, Nicholas Handile and Andile Williams are barred from interfering with the activities of Wicklow Citrus, a farm that lodged the application.Other applicant farmers named in the papers include Rennie Charles Blain, Arthur James Norman Prince, Robin Owen Jefferson and Habata Boerdery.When asked why none of the respondents in the matter were in court, advocate Francois Le Roux for the applicants said that their secretaries had sent the email to SANCOs head office.Sanco leader Mbuyiseli Bayini said toafter proceeding that they had heard rumours that some of the farmers had summonsed them but they hadnt received it.Outside court, farmer Hannes Joubert, CEO of the Habata Group told GroundUp that the violence by protesters forced him to hire a private security company to protect his property and workers. Joubert, who has been in the citrus fruit industry for 44 years, said, The protest is an attack on us as farmers and our business. It is upsetting, costly and dangerous.Joubert said they are yet to tally the total cost of damaged property as well as the impact the protest is having on the local sector. They damaged irrigation equipment. Worst of all is that we could not pick, produce, pack and export fruit through the harbour. We are always concerned that the fruit will be overripe, he said.He said workers on his farm are paid R23.19 per hour in accordance with the law. The industry as a whole is in a bad position. Theres huge pressure on exports. The international shipping lines cannot cope with the aftermath of the destruction of the world distribution network and the war in Ukraine.The final ruling on the interdict will be heard in June.
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Driver/Installer/Applicator

Location: Johannesburg, North Riding Type: Permanent Reference: #WOTW - APPLICATOR Company: Writing on the Wall

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Requirements

Excellent application skills, across a wide range of medias - From Vinyl, to wallpaper

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Valid drivers licence - PDP and Code 10 preferable

We are an award winning industry leader in the retail environment, offering our clients a wide range of services ranging from print, shopfitting to events and activations.We are looking a capable driver, installer, and applicatorThe ideal candidate would need exhibit the following traits:Having a valid PDP and Code 10 would be preferred.The job does require regular travel. Often, installations are after-hours, and on weekends.Please send your CV, and refrences to az.oc.llawehtnognitirw@svc Posted on 25 Apr 19:23, Closing date 24 Jun
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (R) meets with UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg in Amman, Jordan, on April 25, 2022. Safadi on Monday reiterated the country's support for the UN efforts in resolving the Yemeni crisis through the relevant international legitimacy resolutions, emphasizing the kingdom's ongoing support for the Amman-based UN mission for Yemen. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua)

AMMAN, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Monday reiterated the country's support for the UN efforts in resolving the Yemeni crisis through the relevant international legitimacy resolutions, emphasizing the kingdom's ongoing support for the Amman-based UN mission for Yemen.

The minister highlighted the importance of strengthening efforts to end the Yemeni crisis, during a meeting in Amman with UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg, according to a statement by the Foreign Ministry.

The minister expressed support for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in safeguarding their security and stability, stressing that the security of Gulf countries is part of Jordan's security.

Grundberg reviewed the latest developments and efforts to end the crisis, expressing appreciation for Jordan's role in maintaining regional security and stability.

He also welcomed Jordan's decision approving the operation of Yemen Airways flights from Sanna to Amman, urging the Yemeni parties to work constructively to allow flights to resume as planned. 

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (R) and Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg attend a joint press conference in Amman, Jordan, on April 25, 2022. Safadi on Monday discussed with his visiting Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg the joint efforts to push for Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and bolster the bilateral ties. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua)

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (R) meets with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg in Amman, Jordan, on April 25, 2022. Safadi on Monday discussed with his visiting Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg the joint efforts to push for Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and bolster the bilateral ties. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua)
NAIROBI, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Kenya Airways (KQ) said Monday it has resumed operations to Madagascar following the easing of travel restrictions by Antananarivo.

Julius Thairu, chief commercial and customer officer said the airline will operate the direct flight thrice weekly from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Nairobi to Ivato International Airport, Antananarivo.

"As part of our tactical approach to growth, we seek to link key markets within the KQ network to allow passengers seamless connectivity from all points with a particular focus in connecting Africa," Thairu said in a statement issued in the capital, Nairobi.

The non-stop flight will depart from Nairobi every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, re-opening travel opportunities for both Kenyans and residents of the Indian Ocean Island.

Thairu said passengers traveling to Madagascar are advised to follow protocols prescribed by the government for passenger entry including negative PCR test results done 72 hours before the flight; rapid antigen screening test upon arrival; and quarantine for at least seven days for passengers with positive test results at health facilities or hotels approved by the government. 
Fire seems to be the buzzword of the day as America continues to witness fire after fire within its food production facilities. This comes right on the heels of a ban on the exportation of Russian fertilizer, numerous fertilizer plant fires within America, and a chicken problem were facing in the US.

But fire? Why do they keep popping up within American food infrastructure? What are we seeing there?

Here are a few the fires weve seen so far just this past four months



(To the best of our ability, these dates are accurate. They may be within 1-2 days of the actual event due to differences in reporting.)

February 3  In Clovis, New Mexico, the Gavilon Grain Elevator suffered an explosion. While it was said that the cause of the fire at this time is unknown and will be under investigation, it is thought that this was caused by grain dust accumulating in a part of the welding of some ductwork and catching fire.

February 4  A fire decimated a portion of Wisconsin River Meats, a plant that specializes in sausages. It was later said that the old portion of the plant is a total loss.

Wisconsin River Meats lost all of their processing equipment in a fire on Thursday: pic.twitter.com/nP67KAURTQ  Marcus Aarsvold (@m_aarsvold) February 5, 2022

February 18  In Claypool, Indiana, the Louis Dreyfus Co. soy processing and biodiesel plant caught fire. There was no known cause of the fire at the time.

As of 8:45 Tuesday evening, 9 fire departments and over 50 fire trucks were on site at Louis Dreyfus Company in Claypool, Indiana. HAT will continue to monitor this developing story and provide updates as more details emerge via https://t.co/U9KtD3i4e4.https://t.co/xdpgDdN5zD pic.twitter.com/4haB0VERa0  Hoosier Ag Today (@hoosieragtoday) February 16, 2022

February 22  The Shearers Foods potato chip plant in Hermiston, Oregon, caught fire after a portable boiler fueled by natural gas exploded. As of February 25, there were fears that the plant could be shut down permanently. This plant supplied much of the West Coast with potato chip products, was Shearers only operation on the West Coast, and the fire caused the nearby Union Pacific railroad to be forced to shut down for a number of hours.

Yikes, boiler explosion at a Shearers Foods, a factory that makes snacks like potato chips in Umatilla, Oregon just now. pic.twitter.com/OqTOLmDRhf  Christine  (@christine_p_33) February 22, 2022

March 15  Pilgrims Pride  a chicken processing facility  was shut down after a dangerous ammonia leak was detected. This apparently isnt the first time this particular facility has had problems with ammonia gas leaks, however.

March 16  The Hot Pockets production line at a Nestle facility in Jonesboro, Arkansas, experienced a fire (somebody mustve bitten into one). Its reported that a production line cooler caught fire in an area that wasnt easily accessible.

March 17  The Conagra Grocery Products plant in Waterloo, Iowa, had a section of its conveying equipment catch fire. The fire was contained.

(Probably a good idea to start putting some extra food away, dont you think? Check out our free QUICKSTART Guide to building a 3-layer food storage plan for advice.)

March 23  The main Pepsi Co. distribution center in the Tri-State Area (the plant was in New Jersey) caught fire. The fire was caused externally, and nobody knows why it started, but there are reportedly no signs of arson.

According to local mayor Brian C. Wahler, Lets put it this way, if you see Mountain Dew on the shelf, my advice is buy it now. Because until the PepsiCo facility is able to redistribute nationally, this facility wont be operational for a while because of smoke damage on the inside.

Massive fire breaks out at New Jersey Pepsi factory https://t.co/MJhNT4gq1o pic.twitter.com/EfLtKvEexX  New York Post (@nypost) March 23, 2022

March 24  The Penobscot McCrum potato processing plant (goodness, it even SOUNDS like a potato processing plant) in Belfast, Maine, ended up with a particularly nasty fire.

April 1  The Rio Fresh onion packing facility in San Juan, Texas, caught fire. The fire was described as massive.

April 8  Milk Specialties Global in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, suffered a chlorine gas leak after chemicals were mixed that caused nearby railway traffic to be stopped for several hours. (Okay, not a fire, but still worth noting.)

April 11  The Western Sugar Cooperative in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, suffered a turbine-caused fire. There are differing reports on whether it was started by an explosion or not. According to one of the executives of the company, however, It was not an explosion, but a small fire that was extinguished quickly.

It was also said that quite a bit of damage was caused, and the cause of the fire is still being investigated.

April 12  The East Conway Beef and Pork facility, a meat processing center in Conway, New Hampshire, caught fire. Pictures seem to indicate it was a total loss.

Thoughts and prayers go out in NH https://t.co/1XQ4GL7PXw  AmericanStonecraft  (@AmStonecraft) April 20, 2022

April 14  The Ainsworth Pet Nutrition facility in Vernon Township, Pennsylvania, caught fire after product clogged a section of steel pipes attached to the milling equipment and started a fire.

April 14  Taylor Farms, a Salina, California food processing plant, caught fire. Over 35,000 people within the surrounding area (a key agricultural region of California) were ordered to shelter in their homes as there were fears that a deadly ammonia cloud could be released by the fire.

April 20  In Leoti, Kansas, a fertilizer plant caught fire. Theres not a lot of detail out on this as of yet.



Whats the deal with all these fires?

America is a big nation. Are these just typical events that were now hyper-focusing on? You find what youre looking for, after all. But with everything going on at the moment  with all the warnings of a global famine on the way and the constant threat of America conventionally entering World War 3  this all seems as if something apparent is going on.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Is this just business as usual, or is there something more afoot (for at least some of these)? Let us know what youre thinking in the comments below.

About Aden

Aden Tate is a regular contributor to TheOrganicPrepper.com and TheFrugalite.com. Aden runs a micro-farm where he raises dairy goats, a pig, honeybees, meat chickens, laying chickens, tomatoes, mushrooms, and greens. Aden has three published books, The Faithful Prepper, The Preppers Guide to Post-Disaster Communications, and Zombie Choices. You can find his podcast The Last American on Preppers Broadcasting Network.
Sen. Gerald Allen introduced Senate Bill 2 (SB2) on Jan. 11. The law prohibits any official, officer, employee, or agent of the state or a political subdivision of the state from enforcing or administering any executive order issued by the president that limits or restricts the ownership, use, or possession of firearms, ammunition, or firearm accessories by law-abiding residents of the state. The bill also bans the expenditure of state or local funds for the enforcement of the same.

In effect, the enactment of SB2 should ban state enforcement of President Trumps bump stock ban, along with two ATF regulations from executive orders issued by Joe Biden to criminalize pistol braces and to require registration of popular 80 percent lowers  homemade firearms. It would also bar state and local enforcement of any other future gun control schemes implemented by executive order.

The bill went through several changes as it moved through the legislature. As introduced and passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, the legislation would have broadly banned state and local agents from enforcing federal gun control past, present, and future. A Senate version would have only prohibited enforcement of gun control executive orders by President Joe Biden. The House amended the bill to its final form.

The House passed the final version of SB2 by a 68-28 vote. The Senate concurred with the House amendment by a 23-5 vote. With Gov, Iveys signature, the law goes into effect July 1.

POTENTIAL LOOPHOLES

While the legislation directly bans gun control measures by executive order, how it will play out in practice remains uncertain.

There are two potential loopholes in SB2.

First, the legislation does not define law-abiding residents. This could potentially create a problem because one could argue a person in possession of a firearm accessory banned by the federal government is not law-abiding. This is why the Missouri Second Amendment Preservation Act passed last year specifically defined a law-abiding citizen as a person who is not otherwise precluded under state law from possessing a firearm.

There is also the possibility that state and local law enforcement agents will claim they didnt know that a given federal firearm regulation was implemented by executive order.

In practice, the president generally signs an order instructing the ATF to make a certain rule or interpret a particular act in a specific way. For instance, the EO may say, The ATF is directed to make rules prohibiting the possession of X under the authority of the National Firearms Act of 1934. The ATF then draws up the specific rule. A corrupt  or even uninformed  law enforcement officer could argue he didnt know the regulation was initiated by an EO. Hell simply say, its an ATF rule under the NFA of 1934.

This is why its important that laws banning enforcement are as specific as possible in describing the actions being banned.

However, if SB2 is implemented under the intent of the text, as noted throughout the legislative process in hearings and debates, it can set the foundation to bring enforcement of some federal gun control to an end in Alabama.

EFFECTIVE

The federal government relies heavily on state cooperation to implement and enforce almost all of its laws, regulations and acts  including gun control. By simply withdrawing this necessary cooperation, states and localities can nullify many federal actions in effect. As noted by the National Governors Association during the partial government shutdown of 2013, states are partners with the federal government on most federal programs.

Based on James Madisons advice for states and individuals in Federalist #46, a refusal to cooperate with officers of the Union represents an extremely effective method to bring down federal gun control measures because most enforcement actions rely on help, support and leadership from state and local governments.

Judge Andrew Napolitano agreed. In a televised discussion on the issue, he noted that a single state taking this step would make federal gun laws nearly impossible to enforce.

Partnerships dont work too well when half the team quits, said Michael Boldin of the Tenth Amendment Center. By withdrawing all resources and participation in federal gun control, states and even local governments can help bring these unconstitutional acts to their much-needed end.

LEGAL BASIS

The Montgomery Advisor reported that Democrats opposed the measure saying supporters have no conception of the supremacy clause in the U.S. Constitution, making federal laws superior to state laws.

You all know what the Supremacy Clause says, you learned it in law school, Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham said. You and I know there is nothing we can say or do in this state thats going to supersede whatever the federal government does.

Smithermans convoluted understanding of the supremacy clause notwithstanding, SB2 doesnt even call it into play.

The state of Alabama can legally bar state agents from enforcing federal gun control. Refusal to cooperate with federal enforcement rests on a well-established legal principle known as the anti-commandeering doctrine.

Simply put, the federal government cannot force states to help implement or enforce any federal act or program. The anti-commandeering doctrine is based primarily on five Supreme Court cases dating back to 1842. Printz v. U.S. serves as the cornerstone.

We held in New York that Congress cannot compel the States to enact or enforce a federal regulatory program. Today we hold that Congress cannot circumvent that prohibition by conscripting the States officers directly. The Federal Government may neither issue directives requiring the States to address particular problems, nor command the States officers, or those of their political subdivisions, to administer or enforce a federal regulatory program. It matters not whether policy making is involved, and no case by case weighing of the burdens or benefits is necessary; such commands are fundamentally incompatible with our constitutional system of dual sovereignty

No determination of constitutionality is necessary to invoke the anti-commandeering doctrine. State and local governments can refuse to enforce federal laws or implement federal programs whether they are constitutional or not.
Florida lawmakers in March passed HB 1557, dubbed by opponents as the Dont Say Gay bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis on March 28.

That same day, Disney waded

Guests wear masks as required to attend the official reopening day of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla, on, July 11, 2020. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

deeply into the controversy, issuing a statement highly critical of HB 1557 and saying it was the companys objective to have it repealed.

From March 28, the day the company issued the statement, to April 22, Disneys market cap has fallen by around $33.9 billion.

Backers of the legislation say it gives parents more power around deciding how and when topics relating to LGBTQ issues can be introduced to their children. It also gives parents the opportunity to sue school districts for violations of the rules set out in the legislation.

Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards, the bill (pdf) reads.

DeSantis said on March 28, the day he signed the bill, that parents have every right to be informed about services offered to their child at school, and should be protected from schools using classroom instruction to sexualize their kids as young as 5 years old.

On the same day that DeSantis signed the bill, Disney issued a statement saying that Floridas HB 1557, also known as the Dont Say Gay bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law.

Disney added that it was the companys goal for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts.

Disneys declaration of opposition to the bill prompted some parents groups to call for boycotts of the companys products, movies, theme parks, and shows.

Based on 1.82 billion outstanding shares and on the March 28 share price of $136.90, Disneys market cap stood at some $249.2 billion. With its shares having fallen to $118.27 on April 22, Disneys value as measured by market capitalization has declined to $215.3 billion, a drop of $33.9 billion.

On April 22, DeSantis signed a legislature-passed bill to dissolve Walt Disney Worlds self-governing status in Florida, with potential tax implications for the company.

DeSantis on Friday made reference to Disneys pledge to have HB 1557 repealed.
French President Emmanuel Macron easily secured reelection on Sunday after banning his political opposition and having the EU interfere in the election by launching a "fraud" investigation into his opponent Marine Le Pen just days before the vote.



The moves followed the Macron regime working together with Facebook to jail right-wing dissidents for "hate speech" and Big Tech uniting to suppress the "far-right."



This is what "free and fair elections" are all about!





JUST IN - Macron wins re-election in France. pic.twitter.com/F9O624Gu5s  Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) April 24, 2022



From BBC, "French election: Delight in Brussels after Macron re-elected":

It was striking.



One French voter after another we interviewed ahead of Sunday's presidential election told us: "I'll vote Macron but only to keep Le Pen out."



A concerted public effort to keep a far-right, or right-wing nationalist, candidate from becoming president is nothing new in France.



But the emerging breakdown of Sunday's vote must give Emmanuel Macron pause for thought.



Add those reluctant voters of his to the 40% that voted for Marine Le Pen, plus the millions who spoiled their ballot or refused to vote at all, and Macron's "Pour Tous" (For Everyone) campaign slogan starts to look very hollow indeed.



In his victory speech, held in front of the backdrop of the French flag and the Eiffel Tower, an unusually humble-sounding Macron admitted that his was a divided country, and that he'd do his best to heal those divisions.

Peak democracy!





France, presidential election:



Turnout



1965: 84.3%

1969: 68.9%

1974: 87.3%

1981: 85.9%

1988: 84.1%

1995: 79.7%

2002: 79.7%

2007: 84.0%

2012: 80.4%

2017: 74.6%

2022: 71.8% (-2.8)



Sources: Ministry of the Interior (1965-2017), Ipsos-Sopra Steria projection (2022) pic.twitter.com/uSUEAhapdt  Europe Elects (@EuropeElects) April 24, 2022



Macron is now gearing up to send more weapons to Ukraine and the EU is working on massively expanding their online censorship regime to further suppress the "far-right."





Congratulations to @EmmanuelMacron on his re-election. France is our oldest ally and a key partner in addressing global challenges. I look forward to our continued close cooperation  including on supporting Ukraine, defending democracy, and countering climate change.  President Biden (@POTUS) April 24, 2022

So "domestic pressure" had compelled him *against* escalating the war, but now that he's freed from the inconvenience of having to appeal to ordinary voters, he can escalate the war. Interesting https://t.co/tFEy8Epb7g  Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 24, 2022



White House chief of staff Ron Klain on Twitter highlighted how Macron's approval rating is only 36% and yet he managed to secure reelection.





An interesting observation, just FYI.



President Macron appears to have secured a double-digit victory over LePen, at a time when his approval rating is 36%. Hmmm....https://t.co/N50u8He5gW  Ronald Klain (@WHCOS) April 24, 2022



Seeing as how Biden's approval rating is right around there too, I'm sure they'll point to this to try and make sense of Biden being "reelected" in a landslide despite being the least popular president in history.



Whereas our "democratic" leaders are widely despised by the masses they rule over, "fascist dictator" Vladimir Putin's approval stands at 81.6%.



Ain't democracy grand?



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Two oil storage facilities around 150km into Russia from Ukraine's border went up in flames early Monday morning, just hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev to tout some $713 million in new US weapons shipments and military aid.





Ukraines President Zelensky has published photos of himself with US Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin in Kyiv Sunday and said their visit at this crucial moment for the Ukrainian state is very valuable and important. pic.twitter.com/gwL84RdyPJ  Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) April 25, 2022

Blinken and Austin delivered news to Zelensky of more US military aid, the reopening of @USEmbassyKyiv, and finally a new US ambassador to Ukraine  Bridget Brink, the ambassador to Slovakia. https://t.co/PVlOMn717M  Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) April 25, 2022

#BREAKING: Large explosions reported at a large Russian military base in Bryansk, Russia amidst reported strikes by Ukrainian forces.



53.2245023, 34.3963685



Reported strikes follow visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. pic.twitter.com/AhDKb9WAIZ  Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) April 25, 2022

The moment of the explosion at the fuel facility in Bryansk. https://t.co/WR8T2GqR5x pic.twitter.com/S6RZY5ZF3E  Rob Lee (@RALee85) April 25, 2022

There is a large fire at an oil depot in Bryansk. https://t.co/0YwGd04tk6 pic.twitter.com/bV4w07f3da  Rob Lee (@RALee85) April 25, 2022

The city of Bryansk, Russia tonight.



Ukrainian saboteurs in action? pic.twitter.com/bJEK9dSM3e  Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) April 25, 2022

The moment when one explosion became two explosions tonight in the Russian city of Bryansk, bordering Ukraine.



High time for some of these explosions to take place in Russia.



Ukraine cant take them all alone. Time for Russia to start pulling its load. pic.twitter.com/SBHpbxp6Gu  Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) April 25, 2022

Russian state TV on the explosions in Bryansk: First was a civilian facility with about 10k tons of fuel, second fire was 10 to 15 minutes later at a military depot with ~5k tons of fuel



No word on cause or casualties pic.twitter.com/jTkqeZ7gCC  Scott Rose (@rprose) April 25, 2022



Did America sign off on these alleged strikes? Did they feed Ukraine the intelligence? Was this a deliberate provocation by the US or did the Ukrainian military stage it to try and draw the US even further into the war?



From RT, "Oil depot on fire in Russian region bordering Ukraine":

A fire broke out on Monday morning at an oil depot in Bryansk, a large Russian city around 150km from Ukraine, and 370km south-west of Moscow.



The blaze occurred at a premises operated by Transneft-Druzhba JSC and at another location, officials told RIA Novosti. No casualties have been reported and there is no threat to residential buildings, the Ministry of Emergency Situations has advised.



"The evacuation of the population is not planned. According to preliminary information, there were no victims," its press service stated, according to TASS. Local residents have reported that explosions were heard and sirens are audible in social media videos.



Another fire was recorded in the Fokinsky district of the city, the causes of which have not yet been established, Moscow daily Kommersant has reported. Bryansk is home to over 400,000 people, and is an important regional hub.

Russia responded by carrying out strikes on at least five Ukrainian railway stations in central and western Ukraine, with the goal of trying to cut off the US's weapons shipments.





Russia reportedly struck at least 5 Ukrainian railway stations in central and western Ukraine this morning. 2074/https://t.co/pU8wQNUTq8  Rob Lee (@RALee85) April 25, 2022

A railway junction in the Lvov region has been blown up. Russian missile strikes destroyed the Krasnoye railway station.#Ukraine pic.twitter.com/1UHznIu0Pu  The Eurasianist  (@Russ_Warrior) April 25, 2022



The Asia Times reported last week that "US involvement goes deeper than arms sales and intelligence sharing."

A Pentagon official who requested anonymity told me it is "likely we have a limited footprint on the ground in Ukraine, but under Title 50, not Title 10," meaning US intelligence operatives and paramilitaries  but not regular military.



Bruce Fein, a constitutional expert and former associate attorney general in the Ronald Reagan administration, told me this week that in his view, "the United States and several NATO members have become co-belligerents with Ukraine against Russia by systematic and massive assistance to its military forces to defeat Russia."



According to Fein, the US and its NATO allies are now vulnerable to attack by "an enemy belligerent," meaning Russia, because of their "systematic or substantial violations of a neutral's duties of impartiality and non-participation in the conflict."



"Neutrality," continued Fein, "is violated by permitting a belligerent to violate its territorial integrity (as Belarus and Russia have done to Ukraine), or by supplying warships, arms, ammunition, military provisions or other war materials, directly or indirectly, or supplying military advisers to a belligerent," as the US has done.



"Under the Declare War Clause of the constitution, co-belligerency, which displaces the status of the United States as neutral, requires a declaration of war by Congress," said Fein. But instead of fulfilling its constitutional duties, Congress has been aggressively pushing the administration to deepen its involvement in what is clearly now a US-Russian proxy war.



On. March 2, the US House of Representatives voted 425-3 in favor of a non-binding resolution "Supporting the People of Ukraine." The following week, on March 10, the House overwhelmingly voted to send $14 billion in military funding to Ukraine as part of an omnibus spending package.



And on April 7, the US Senate passed Republican Senator John Cornyn's Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022, which "temporarily waives certain requirements related to the President's authority to lend or lease defense articles if the defense articles are intended for Ukraine's government and necessary to protect civilians in Ukraine from Russian military invasion."



In the end, Congress and the Biden administration are wading into dangerous waters. Fein warns that the US has "employed the concept of co-belligerency to target for extermination any group or individual who provides material support to al-Qaeda or ISIS"  and there is a real risk that Russia may take a page out of America's playbook.

Something tells me Blinken et al. aren't going to like it when the Hamas, Houthis and others start launching attacks in Israel and Saudi Arabia with the latest in Russian high-tech weaponry.











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SUVA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Fiji's national poverty rate for 2019-20 is estimated at 24.1 percent, according to the World Bank reports.

According to Fijivillage news website on Monday, this change affects consumption-based poverty estimates based on the Household Income and Expenditure Survey.

The poverty rate in Fiji stood at 29.9 percent previously.

The World Bank said the household consumption estimates in Fiji's 2019-2020 Household Income and Expenditure Survey have been updated to account for revised estimates on spending on non-food items, such as utilities, communications, domestic services and education.

It said the discrepancy in the coding was identified by the World Bank's Poverty and Equity Global Practice Team during a cross-check review exercise to ensure Fiji's Survey remains in line with international practices.

The World Bank regrets that this error was not identified earlier.

The World Bank said it should be noted that the 2019-20 poverty estimates are based on consumption per capita and cannot be compared directly to 2013-14 poverty measures which were based on income. 


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DHAKA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen has called for investment from the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) member states.

He said so in a meeting on Monday with CICA Executive Director Kairat Sarybay, who is on an official visit to Bangladesh.

During the meeting, which had representation from the CICA Secretariat and Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Momen invited investors from CICA member states to invest in different sectors, particularly priority sectors, in the economic zones of Bangladesh.

Momen also expressed appreciation for the role of Kazakhstan in its leading initiative to establish the CICA, which has emerged as a vital forum for pursuing peace, security and development in Asia.

He also underscored the need for regular exchange of visits at high political and official levels as it is a vital tool for strengthening existing relations.

The CICA is a multilateral cooperation body that has 27 member states and 13 observers including nine states and five organizations. Kazakhstan has assumed the chairmanship of the CICA for 2020-2022. 
Embracing stillness in the Himalayan Mountains

During her study abroad in Bhutan, Liddy Grossman 23 was one of the first Americans to enter the country after the pandemic.

Liddy Grossman 23 knew she wanted her study abroad to be the experience of a lifetime.

I wanted it to take me to a part of the world I would never normally have the chance to visit, said Grossman, an environmental studies and international global studies major with a passion for sustainability.

After sitting down with her study abroad advisor and sharing her goals, her advisor recommended the School for Field Studies Himalayan Environment and Society in Transition in Paro, Bhutan. Grossman was hesitant at first, but after thorough research on Bhutan, she fell in love with the country.

While this is a very competitive program, we knew Liddy would be the perfect fit for it, said Alisha Cardwell, Director of Study Abroad. The program centers around environmental hands-on research with a focus on sustainability in Bhutan. Only a handful of students are selected for the program each year, but the office had confidence in Grossman. Shes a great student with a lot of drive and a passion for the environment.

Grossman was selected for the program, making her one of the first foreigners to enter the country of Bhutan in two years. In order to protect the local culture, Bhutan allows a limited number of non-Bhutanese citizens into the country each year, said Grossman. Its such an honor being among the first to enter the country again.

With the uncertainty of COVID-19, Grossman was nervous that her study would be canceled. However, the program allowed students to travel to Bhutan under strict conditions. Upon arrival, Grossman was required to participate in a two week quarantine period. If she tested positive at any point while traveling, she would be turned away from the program.

As her semester concluded, Grossman took the time to share her favorite memories and highlights during her study abroad.

What courses did you take this semester?

I participated in mountain ecology, land use and national resources, and took a course on Dzongkha, the language of Bhutan. When courses concluded, we spent the final five weeks of the program participating in directed research out in the field. We attended lectures in the community forests, went hiking and camping in the mountains and engaged with people within the local village.

You mentioned your excitement for research. What was your research experience like?

My research focused on transitions in livelihood and development in the small village of Tsento Gewog. For years, Tsento Gewog was considered a small farming community in the Paro Valley, but the area has undergone a massive transformation in the past 50 years as Bhutan only opened itself to foreign visitors in 1974. Although the village is small in nature, it has become one of Bhutans main tourist attractions as it is home to the countrys most well-known heritage site, the Taktsang Monastery (known as the Tigers Nest).

For my general case study, I spent everyday talking with community members in the village about their experiences regarding how development and globalization has informed changes in local livelihood practices. We explored this through the tourism and agriculture industries and examined how these practices were impacted by conservation efforts and the COVID-19 pandemic. It was really fascinating learning more about local tradition and culture evolutions over time.

What was a typical day in your life in Bhutan?

The research center is based in a converted palace that was once home to the extended family members of the Royal Family. The space is beautifully decorated with ornate details and paintings of Buddhist iconography.

We woke up fairly early in the morning to enjoy breakfast. I really enjoyed eating this local potato curry dish each day. Its made with spicy dried red chilies and eaten with a flatbread called poori. It was a wonderful way to start the morning!

While my days were very busy, they often moved at a slow, thoughtful pace. We typically had a packed agenda, but the program planned our days around engaging with fellow students and Bhutan community members.

Our courses took place in the local forest, where we participated in our own hands-on research and lectures completed outdoors. Upon completing class we went into town to speak with locals, grab a coffee, and take in the sights and sounds of Bhutan.

The days were quite structured, but felt more relaxed than back at home. Both the surrounding natural environment and culture of Bhutan is heavily influenced by Vajrayana Buddhism, which focuses on the practice of staying in the present moment. As someone who often has a packed schedule back at home, it took a great deal of time for me to get used to this shift, but it eventually became something that I learned to truly value throughout my experience.

What was your favorite part of the experience?

Bhutan is breathtakingly beautiful. Its located within the mountains, so youre surrounded by the beauties of the Himalayas. Getting to experience hikes, camping trips, and fieldwork in these beautiful forests was incredible

What is the biggest thing you will take away from your study abroad?



Ive always had a passion for the environment, but my studies in Bhutan really narrowed in my focus on sustainable development for communities. I think the study of the environment and the impacts of climate change can be rather broad at times, but my experience here has definitely solidified my interest in environmentalism and its connections to development.

This program has taught me a great deal about topics ranging from sustainable global food systems to the ethics of green energy policy, and I look forward to expanding upon these interests both at Brandeis, and after graduation.
Amid a relentless windstorm raging outside, dozens of Ukrainian families gathered together to seek comfort for a short time at Holy Ghost Ukrainian Orthodox Church for a Sunday morning Ukrainian Easter service.

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Amid a relentless windstorm raging outside, dozens of Ukrainian families gathered together to seek comfort for a short time at Holy Ghost Ukrainian Orthodox Church for a Sunday morning Ukrainian Easter service.

Inside the walls of the near century-old building, more than 100 people from the community listened to the words of Rev. Melvin Slashinsky as church members filled every seat and pew available. As the service began, only standing room became available as additional families filled the front entrance to the church.

In what he described as unprecedented times to celebrate Easter for Ukrainians not seen since the country sought and achieved independence in 1991, Slashinsky delivered a message of hope to everyone who attended.

He prayed for peace for loved ones caught in the violence between the Russian invasion of Ukraine that has taken the lives of thousands of civilians and displaced even more.

The feeling in the room encapsulated a mixture of emotion from sombreness and tears shed amongst concerned families, to a stillness in the air as people listened to every word Slashinsky had to say, in both Ukrainian and English. Candlelight danced around the hall as the church was decorated in light and some Ukrainian Easter decor.

Up the stairs, booming voices could be overheard as choir members of the Orthodox Church filled the space with a rich tone and volume giving life to the building during the holiday season that has been overshadowed by war and conflict. Halfway through the service, a choir member rang the bells of the church to signify their presence in the community.

Overseas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians to not let anger at the war overwhelm them during the holidays as the war continues in the eastern regions of his country.

"All of us believe our sunrise will come soon," Zelenskyy said.

The deputy commander of the nationalist Azov Regiment which has been battling against separatists in the Donbas region since 2014 recorded a video address scrutinizing the Russians for failing to observe the holy day.

"The enemy continues to drop air bombs, ship artillery fires, guns are fired," Capt. Sviatoslav Palamar said.

In Mariupol, where 100,000 civilians remain, Igor Zhovkva, a top adviser to Zelenskyy, said the southern city has been nearly wiped out. He said the weapons delivered to Ukraine are what they need to fight the Russian army, but pleaded with NATO to impose a no-fly zone over the country.

"We also need anti-missile systems and anti-aircraft systems because daily and nightly Ukraine cities are bombarded by the cruise missiles," Zhovkva said.

Elsewhere, top officials from the Biden administration were set to meet with President Zelenskyy on Sunday in the highest-ranking visit to Ukraine by a United States delegation since Russia began the invasion.

Speaking at St. Peters Square, Pope Francis lamented the barbarity of the war that has carried on for two months.

"It is sad that these days, which are the holiest and most solemn for all Christians, we hear the deadly noise of weapons rather than the sound of bells announcing the Resurrection," Francis said.

"It is sad that arms are taking the place of words."

Following the service, several families took their traditional Easter baskets with paska (bread) and Easter eggs down the street to be blessed by Slashinsky at the Ukrainian National Hall.

Although the conflict continues overseas, it was clear to see the impact the words of the reverend left to those in attendance as families dispersed to enjoy the rest of the Easter holiday.

 jbernacki@brandonsun.com, with files from The Associated Press

 Twitter: @JosephBernacki
WINNIPEG  Three patients with stroke symptoms didnt get timely enough care when seeking treatment, a new report detailing critical incidents reported to Manitoba Health suggests.

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WINNIPEG  Three patients with stroke symptoms didnt get timely enough care when seeking treatment, a new report detailing critical incidents reported to Manitoba Health suggests.

The report also details an incident in which a child died after entrapment involving a hospital bed and another in which a surgical instrument was left inside a person undergoing surgery.

The report on Critical Incidents Reported to Manitoba Health includes a total of 48 incidents documented over a three-month period in 2020, from July 1 to Sept. 30. Critical incidents reflect serious and unintended harm experienced by individuals using Manitobas health care services, according to the provinces website.

One-quarter of the incidents listed in the new report resulted in death.

The report lists the degree of injury (major or death) and a brief description of the incident. It does not list when or where they occurred, demographic information about the patients, nor if anyone was disciplined or if any organization faced repercussions as a result of the incidents.

The stroke incidents include two cases where patients arrived in emergency rooms with stroke symptoms.

Stroke protocol not implemented, the report states. Neither patient died but remained in care.

The third stroke incident involved a patient who was transferred to an emergency room where they were assessed for stroke-like symptoms.

Assessment determined client had experienced a stroke and onset of symptoms exceeded time frame for treatment for reversal of stroke, the report states. That patient remained in hospital.

The child case involved bed entrapment in community.

A hospital bed with full side rails supplied through the Home Care Program for a child with an underlying health condition contributed to an event of bed entrapment and loss of life, is all the report states.

The incident involving the missing surgical device reads: During surgery, part of a surgical instrument was noted to be missing. X-ray revealed foreign body remained in the patient. Attempts to retrieve the foreign body were unsuccessful. The surgical site was closed with the foreign body retained.

The person did not die, according to the report.

No one from the province was available for comment Saturday. Typically, the province does not comment on cases detailed in the report.

The provinces website says clinical experts thoroughly review each incident and make recommendations about how the system can improve in order to avoid harm to others. The postings are delayed  the new report is focused on incidents from nearly two years ago  to allow this process to occur.

 Winnipeg Free Press
Several schools in Westman are closed Monday due to unsafe road conditions and power outages caused by poor weather over the weekend.

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Several schools in Westman are closed Monday due to unsafe road conditions and power outages caused by poor weather over the weekend.

In Fort La Bosse School Division, closures include all schools in Virden, Kola School and Reston School. No buses will be operating for those schools.

Roads marked in yellow were listed as being partly ice-covered by Manitoba Transportation and INfrastructure on Monday morning. Poor road conditions has lead the Fort La Bosse School Division to close several schools in Virden, Kola and Reston on Monday. (Screenshot)

All buses operating in the Rolling River School Division are cancelled as well, with Onanole and Erickson Schools closed because of power outages.

In Beautiful Plains School Division, all schools are open but no buses are running.

As of 8:45 a.m. on Monday, Manitoba Hydro reported 639 total outages affected 13,229 customers.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure was not reporting any closed highways in Westman on Monday morning, but several in the area were listed as being partly covered in ice.

 The Brandon Sun
Photo taken on March 19, 2022 shows a crafts market in Bamiyan city, central Afghanistan. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

BAMIYAN, Afghanistan, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Bazaarcha-e-Hunar is a popular crafts market run by women in Bamiyan province. Like every other business in Afghanistan, the bazaar is struggling.

The market selling handicrafts made by local women has been losing popularity as tourism has dwindled to almost nothing.

"The pandemic and political change have ruined my business," trader Humira Ahmadi told Xinhua recently.

In the wake of U.S.-led forces defeat in Afghansitan and Taliban's taking over of the country's power last August, the U.S. government has frozen nearly 10 billion U.S. dollars assets of Afghanistan's central bank, which has worsened the war-torn country's already fragile economy.

U.S. president Joe Biden issued a decree in February, allocating 3.5 billion dollars of the frozen sum to the 9/11 victims' families and earmarking another 3.5 billion dollars to humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.

"I made up to 150,000 afghani (1,726 U.S. dollars) in past years. Now I am lucky to make 500 afghani each week currently," Ahmadi said. "Before the political change 50 women worked here, nowadays there are only about 10 women. There used to be nearly 100 women's associations in Bamiyan but now more than 500 women have lost their jobs and income," Ahmadi said.

Sabira, a 25-year-old woman who sells handicrafts with her mother at the bazaar complained about the gloomy business.

"In the past, we had more tourists. People came from all over the world, but not now. Local people buy some of our products but it is not as good as before," she said.

"The change in our business is obvious. We had more customers last year and the year before. Our business was lucrative and we could earn 1,000 to 5,000 afghani each day, but nowadays I find it hard to earn 200," the handicraft seller said. 

Photo taken on March 19, 2022 shows handicrafts at a crafts market in Bamiyan city, central Afghanistan. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

An Afghan woman shows handicrafts at a crafts market in Bamiyan city, central Afghanistan, March 19, 2022. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

An Afghan woman shows handicrafts at a crafts market in Bamiyan city, central Afghanistan, March 19, 2022. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)
Westman Immigrant Services and the Brandon-based Canadian Ukrainian Association group Tryzub are collaborating to ensure Ukrainian arrivals have the support and information they need once they land in the community.

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Westman Immigrant Services and the Brandon-based Canadian Ukrainian Association group Tryzub are collaborating to ensure Ukrainian arrivals have the support and information they need once they land in the community.

A newly created hub on the WIS website will be continually updated with information on available refugee supports and resources along with ways community members can provide humanitarian aid, said community outreach manager Hannah Holt. The goal was to create a centralized and trustworthy place for those looking to find out settlement information for displaced Ukrainians coming to Westman.

"If you do have Ukrainians arriving to come and stay with you get in touch with us, this is what we do day in and day out," Holt said. "Dont feel like you have to take it all on  were here to help."

Tryzub has a list of 28 families destined to arrive in Brandon, including three families that have already begun to settle.

The situation is ever-evolving, Holt said, and requires the ability to be reactive and adaptable. As Ukrainians begin to arrive, WIS will adapt and change services as needed in collaboration with Tryzub. WIS will be taking the lead on direct services, and Tryzub will be looking after housing and potential physical donations.

"I think generally we all know they are refugees. Theyve had to leave their home because of the war. To get them here quicker, thats why theyre saying arrivals and thats why theyve created these temporary resident visas, work permits, et cetera," Holt said. "We dont know until they are here and we establish what they need  it is changing daily because we are trying to respond to needs in real time."

WIS is equipped to deal with the needs of newcomers and refugees because the organization provides support and resources to newcomers every day, Holt said. The organization helps thousands of newcomers each year.

A special fund has been set up on the WIS website for those looking to help those settling in Westman and provide humanitarian funds. Donations can receive a tax receipt and can be targeted to different communities including Russell, Virden, Cartwright or Brandon arrivals.

The WIS Ukrainian website, which is available in multiple languages, will also include how to connect with Tryzub to provide housing for new arrivals, along with links to key government websites.

"Generally speaking, what we are trying to do is have our WIS webpage be the hub for all the information. Its got all the information about the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel [CUAT] visa, IRCC measures, its got information for people in Canada about sponsorship, emergency contact information and then also the direct services  what we will provide and any additional supports," Holt said. "People know they can go to our website and find the answer."

The creation of CUAT has been an incredible opportunity to aid those affected by the Russian invasion, Holt said, but there is still a need to work with Tryzub because it presents a new stream of newcomers in the community.

WIS typically aids refugees through the IRCC refugee assistance program, which informs the organization when newcomers will be arriving in Brandon. CUAT is unique because WIS will not be informed when arrivals get to Manitoba.

"We have to heavily count on word of mouth and friends and family because its a totally different stream altogether. Theyre not coming over as government-sponsored. Theyre coming over on a visitor visa, a work permit or a study permit," Holt said.

CUAT has helped expedited Ukrainian applications. Ukrainians can apply to come to Canada under a special visitor visa program that would allow them to work and study for three years while they decide whether to return home. As of March 30, approximately 60,000 Ukrainians have applied to come to Canada under that program, and another 12,000 have come under traditional immigration streams since January.

Tryzub began meeting with WIS in early April, said member Julia Krykavska. The partnership has helped create a plan to care for those who arrive in the community.

"We have a good partnership, communication between the two of us," Krykavska said. "Were very thankful for them to be so open and willing to help and support."

WIS will help ensure the services the organization provides is available to Brandons Ukrainian arrivals. Tryzub will be working to communicate with new arrivals to ensure they are directed to available resources.

She praised WIS for creating a special website to ensure ease of access for Ukrainian newcomers looking for information including housing, employment and community connections when they arrive.

Fundraising through WIS remains imperative.

"We will be directing that money to the people in need," Krykavska said. "A lot of people dont even understand how hard it is to leave everything behind, everything that you had that you were 100 per cent happy with, and then you have to come here empty-handed and then start everything all over again."

Some Ukrainian newcomers will come with connections to family or friends, but others will be setting foot on Canadian soil in Manitoba with no connections to speak of  this makes robust support and resources essential, she said.

"Were incredibly happy to be living in such a great community like Brandon and Westman area, with people who have open hearts and are willing to support and donate," Krykavska said.

Visit the WIS website at westmanimmigrantservices.ca/ukraine/ for more information on support for new Ukrainians in the community.

 ckemp@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp
Australian healthcare assets are once again in the hot seat and after spending the last two years dealing with the fallout from the pandemic, ASX-listed Ramsay Health now finds itself fending off the overtures of a cashed-up and resolute suitor.

The KKR-led consortiums mammoth $20 billion bid for Ramsay isnt a flash in the pan. The global investment giant has had its eye on Ramsay, Australias largest hospital operator, since at least the beginning of 2021.

Having carefully assembled a consortium of investors, including healthcare worker superannuation fund HESTA, KKR is hoping to replicate the success of Canadian asset manager Brookfield, which bought Healthscope in a $4 billion deal in 2019.

The Healthscope deal, a 13-month affair, had its twists and turns as rival suitors - Brookfield and BGH Capital- made their pitch to shareholders. While the race for Ramsay remains uncontested for the moment, KKR wont be counting on a victory just yet.
The campaign ads from both major parties reflect the major concern of voters  i.e. whats in it for me (Ads show shift in nations mood, April 25)? Australia has done better than most in recent years, so why change? Nowhere is this more clearly seen than in the reaction to climate change  if others are concerned then they should do more. Meanwhile, Im all right, and what I do wont make a difference anyway. So much for doing what is best for others and the world. A related view is that Morrison has done the best he could in difficult circumstances. Hes just a good bloke like me. Certainly, I couldnt do better. But he should have done better. If anyone has the power to do things, it is the prime minister. But his preference is to do nothing until its too late. Parliamentarians should be better than we are. That is why they are our leaders. David Rush, Lawson Too many political ads are like television advertisements for four-wheel drives  strong on emotion, light on fact. That much-abused word freedom is a favourite. Clive Palmer has already spent millions exercising his freedom to inundate us with his version of freedom. Its deeply depressing to think that the winner might not be the ad that clearly explains a partys policies but the propaganda that stokes the most fear and loathing. On the other hand, it could be something short and simple, such as the two words that summed up a nations mood back in 1972: Its Time. Nick Franklin, Katoomba Sean Kellys take on the election advertisements is so true. Each party has come up with personal attacks and pushed ideas that few care about or even take notice of. Most are sick and tired of the ads and no doubt switch off when they are constantly repeated on television or social media platforms. Warning us about the consequences of voting for the other guy has little effect. Perhaps they could concentrate on some positives, not negatives. Denis Suttling, Newport Beach The Liberals themselves are Labors best advertisement. Morrison rightly keeps telling anyone still listening to him that we know what well get under his government. Exactly! The Liberals ads claim that It wont be easy under Albanese, but should read It wont be easy for Albanese because, if elected, he will have to rectify the disastrous state of the nations economy and international reputation after a decade of Coalition mismanagement. Alan Marel, North Curl Curl Wake up: time bomb is ticking

Ross Gittins has again hit the nail on the head (Housing crisis a threat to economy, social, family ties, April 25). No party is talking about the ridiculous price of houses and the effect it is having on families and the young. Is it because all politicians are either old or rich or have invested in the housing market themselves? I have two children over 30 and neither holds any hope of ever owning a house. When we sell our house they could probably afford a small flat each. The pressure is mounting on them, as it is on all under-40s. Gittins is right: its a time bomb that will explode soon. There is deep resentment among the young and no one is responding in parliament. You would think Labor would be concerned. The Liberal Party is blinded by lies and the PMs chutzpah. The Reserve Bank seems just a joke. When will they all wake up? Stephen Wallace, Glebe It was heartening to read that others understand the importance of housing and job security. In light of the upcoming election, could Ross Gittins provide a list of politicians who also subscribe to this view? Anne Kirman, Kellyville Show you care. I dare For six years, icare underpaid NSW workers compensation claims and knowingly did so, according to the state Auditor-General (Workers to be reimbursed $40m after icare audit, April 25). Any chance a current or former NSW government minister or premier might stand up to accept responsibility for this reprehensible negligence? Rob Phillips, North Epping Plea for respect

Good on Ada Cheung (Let evidence not fear drive trans sport policies, April 25) for calling out the nonsense of using transgender kids as an election issue. Anyone would think that trans people are seeking some advantage when all they want is to be treated with the respect and fairness that everyone should be able to expect. Our identity, and this goes for all for us, is complex and is not a matter of choice. If the politicians only knew (unfortunately, I think they do know) or cared (unfortunately, that part is debatable) about the untold damage they do to the mental wellbeing of young people, they might think before once again weaponising discrimination. Havent we seen enough of that already? Garry Brown, Killara Lifetime of defiance My grandfather was a kind, gentle man who always seemed cautious and restrained. He died when I was seven so I never really had an understanding of him. Later research revealed that he survived the trenches in France from 1916 to 1918, the latter part in ill health subsequently diagnosed as meningitis, which had persisted for five months until he was put in hospital. He never fully recovered from war and illness. I understand him now (Moments of standing up against the odds that define a war, April 25): his was more than a moment of defiance. Brian Jones, Leura Party political pawns The deputy PM needed to convince Scott Morrison and Alex Hawke of his desire to return the Murugappan family home to Biloela before it was handed over to the courts to decide (Joyce believes family must get back to Biloela, April 25). Saying this now is more about the Nationals trying to retain the seat of Flynn against a strong Labor challenger. We have long perceived politicians to be playing a game pursuing political advantage rather than working hard to solve the issues of the day. Daniela Catalano, Haberfield

Campsie fantasy As a keen fan of fiction, I thoroughly enjoyed the artists impression of the proposed development at Campsie (MP slams plan of 6300 homes in suburb, April 25). Wide, tree-lined streets, flowering gums and about a dozen of the nearly 400,000 residents who currently live in the LGA happily going about their business on congestion-free streets. However, look as hard as I could, I couldnt see any unicorns or flying pigs. John Bailey, Canterbury Campsie simply does not have the infrastructure to cope with the councils proposed population increase. Canterbury Hospital needs a major facelift, as does the shopping precinct. There are not enough co-educational schools in the area, but probably the main concern will be increased traffic.

Often, one can walk through Campsie quicker than driving through. All these ideas coming from a council that many in the area have little faith in. No wonder people are wary. Peter Miniutti, Ashbury Indelible transgressions Katherine Deves has reported that she and her family have been threatened (Deves says family has had death threats over debate, April 25) and this should not have happened. She also calls for a nuanced and reasoned debate about trans participation in womens sport and blames Twitter for the vitriol in this debate. It is not that Twitter is to blame for this, rather the posts put up by people such as herself. The release of her now deleted tweets reveals the uninformed, just plain wrong, cruel and hysterical words she has injected into this debate. If she espouses reason and respect now, why did she delete all these poisonous tweets from her account? She cannot repair the hurt and despair she has caused to the trans community by pressing the delete button. Pamela Wood, McMahons Point

Katherine Deves has publicly expressed views that most find totally repugnant. However, cowards making death threats to her, and worse still her family, via social media, is also a repugnant act that most decent Australians would find abhorrent. Stephanie Edwards, Roseville Lexicon vexations I would love to see the end of the mispronounced camaraderie (Letters, April 25). It has nothing to do with the word comrade. Bill Young, Killcare Heights While we try to achieve our goals, it is somewhat hubristic to say we will try and achieve them. Kathleen Hollins, Northmead Im tired of hearing At this point in time. Whats wrong with now? Viv Munter, Pennant Hills

Whats up with sunk? Sunk is a past participle and not a past tense verb. Am I fighting a losing battle here? Darrall Cutting, Forestville When did fun become an adjective instead of a noun  such as it was so fun? Like a fingernail scratching against a blackboard to my ears. Wendy Crew, Lane Cove North My pet weather report peeve is the use of warmer or cooler temperatures. Weather can be warmer or cooler but temperatures are higher or lower. My wifes is the use of that instead of who when referring to people. Lynn Butler, Saratoga Im starting a campaign to put the l back in vulnerable. Would anyone care to join me? Jo Bond, South Melbourne (Vic)
Sydneys road network has been transformed by toll-funded motorways built during the past three decades. The city now hosts more than half of Australias tollways despite only having a fifth of the national population.

The motorway strategy, which began with the Sydney Harbour Tunnel when it opened in 1992, has always been controversial. In recent years, tolls have emerged as a major cost-of-living bugbear for the many households that depend on Sydneys motorways. Financial results published by tollway operators indicate the citys motorists paid more than $2 billion in tolls during 2020-21.

An entrance to the NorthConnex tollway. The terms of reference for a Perrottet government review of toll road pricing have been revealed. Credit:Peter Rae

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns has made road user charges a key plank of his pitch to voters, repeatedly calling for a stop to the toll mania.

Amid political pressure over the rising cost of living, the Perrottet government has opted for a sweeping appraisal called the Toll Road Pricing and Reform Review.
Queenslands Environment Department has been ordered to revoke a principal investigator job given to a woman this year after claims she was friends with the appointing panels chair.

The claims have been aired in the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission, where the Department of Environment and Science conceded there were deficiencies in the recruitment process.

The woman given the job said she had previously led or managed an investigation into Linc Energy, one of the departments largest investigations to date. Credit:Fairfax

Two months after the appointment was announced, the commission ordered the department place a notice in the Queensland Government Gazette that the appointment has been revoked.

Commission documents also detail claims made by an unsuccessful applicant that the woman was wrong to have said she had previously led or managed the Linc Energy investigation, one of the departments largest investigations to date.
Federal Labor would review Commonwealth laws that the Palaszczuk government fears could undermine Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) schemes in several states.

In September, after a long-running debate that culminated in MPs being given a conscience vote, the Queensland parliament voted to introduce a VAD scheme in January 2023.

Queensland MPs standing to indicate their vote in favour of the Palaszczuk governments voluntary assisted dying bill at the end of its second reading debate on Thursday, 16 September, 2021. Credit:Matt Dennien

The scheme was designed by the Queensland Law Reform Commission, which nonetheless called for clarity over Commonwealth laws that put a grey cloud over the work of doctors and could deter them from participating.

Under the Commonwealth laws, it is an offence to use a carriage service to counsel, promote or provide instruction on suicide  punishable by a $220,000 fine. That would seemingly include doctors using a phone or going online to talk about euthanasia with patients, even if allowed in the state system.
We have to be realistic that people like Hitler and others arent just a figment of our imagination or that theyre consigned to history. We have in [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, at the moment, somebody who is willing to kill women and children. Thats happening in the year 2022. He said the Ukraine war was a replay, in part, of whats happened in the 1930s, referring to Nazi Germanys invasion of Poland and the beginning of World War II, while saying he believed many people of that decade wished they had spoken up much earlier. Defence experts say Australia should look to Ukraines rapid military buildup after 2014. Credit:AP During Darwins dawn service, Morrison spoke of coercion troubling our region again as Australia grapples with the diplomatic and strategic upset of Chinas security pact with Solomon Islands. An arc of autocracy is challenging the rules-based order our grandparents had secured, the prime minister said.

Addressing media in Darwin on Monday, Labor deputy leader Richard Marles said Australias strategic circumstances were as complex as at any point since the end of World War II, and certainly, we need to prepare, but we have not seen the preparation under this government. Loading While Marles didnt directly respond to the prime ministers rhetoric of a red line, Labor defence spokesman Brendan OConnor called it post facto rhetoric. We need to see better investment and better engagement in the region ... rather than react after the fact, he said. Morrison did not face a media pack on Monday, but when asked by a pub patron his view on helping Ukraine but not the Solomon Islands, Morrison replied, we help both, before walking away.

Earlier this year the Coalition promised to boost the size of Australias 60,000-personnel defence force by a third by 2040, costing more than $38 billion. Last week, Morrison also committed $428 million in upgrades to airbases, and earlier this month he announced an international agreement to build long-range missiles. He has argued that the Coalition has spent heavily in Solomon Islands and he has a personal commitment from Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare that the nation would not allow China to build a naval base there. Australian Strategic Policy Institute defence and national security director Michael Shoebridge said Dutton was sending the message that deterrence was a combination of credible military power and the political will to use it, but Australias defence capacity was achingly slow. Were spending a lot of money, but were not delivering the military power in a relevant timeframe. Most of what the defence organisation is delivering is in very slow, long-term projects, like submarines and frigates, Shoebridge said.

He said Ukraine rapidly increased its military capacity following the Russian invasion of Crimea, which saw little resistance, with the acquisition of arms, patrol vessels and vehicles with the help of foreign aid. We need to be more like Ukrainians and get those practical increases in our military power much faster than we really are at the moment, Shoebridge said. Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong says the Coalition has dropped the ball in the Pacific. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Neil James, executive director of Australia Defence Association, said Shoebridges assessment was spot on. Were not in the same problem that Ukraine is, but were potentially in the same problem that Ukraine was in that 2013-2014 period, before the escalation started, James said.

We really need to speed up our efforts. Weve had three generations grow up since the Battle of Midway and people have become complacent. Loading John Blaxland, of the Australian National Universitys Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, resisted comparing Australia with Ukraine but said there was no doubt Australia needed to muscle up: We need to have more reach, more endurance, and youve got to beef it up, beef up the capability. However, he warned that if Australia only bolstered its military capabilities at the expense of diplomacy then were missing our cues. Blaxland said the defence ministers televised comments were a bit of a red rag to a bull regarding Australias relationship with both the Solomon Islands and China, whose leaders would react against being spoken down to.

We have a track record for speaking too loudly and carrying a stick thats too small, he said, adding that Morrisons talk of a red line being crossed risked making things worse for Australia, including in its relations with Indonesia, which has invited Putin to its G20 summit. Loading Herbert Liberal MP and Afghanistan veteran Phillip Thomson defended Dutton, saying it was extremely important to highlight this threat. The biggest threat to our national security is China ... and you wouldnt be able to find a veteran anywhere that doesnt think that as well, Thomson told Sky News.
Anthony Albanese has no choice but to throw everything into a fight on national security that could easily rebound on his bid for power at the May 21 election.

The Labor leader cannot avoid a contest with Prime Minister Scott Morrison over the Chinese security pact with Solomon Islands even though every ounce of political logic says he is moving into a field where the conservatives hold the upper hand.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison at an Anzac Day event in Darwin. Credit:James Brickwood

National security and foreign policy are supposed to be strong suits for the Liberal Party, so the orthodox response from Labor would be to change the subject to health and aged care.

But the orthodox approach is impossible when the Solomons deal presents such a serious threat to the national interest and unleashes so much disruption on the election campaign.
Hospitality industry leaders expect more of central Melbournes restaurants, cafes and bars to close in coming months as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic continues to reverberate.

Restaurant & Catering Association chief executive Wes Lambert said the slow return of workers to Melbournes CBD continued to harm hospitality businesses but a shift to the suburbs was under way.

Bourke Street eatery Kinfolk was one of the Melbourne restaurants that closed during the pandemic. Credit:Simon Schluter

Ultimately, theres likely going to be the same or more venues, theyll just be in different places, he said.

Its likely that there will be more casualties before we come to the new normal in Melbourne. If you piece it all together: isolation rules, the most locked-down city in the country, the most locked-down state in the country, the [shift to] hybrid work and businesses and people moving to the suburbs and the regions, its not hard to understand why some CBD restaurants have closed and wont reopen.
BATTAMBANG, Cambodia, April 25 (Xinhua) -- A water project for three primary schools aided by a Chinese charity in the remote area of Bavel district, about 90 km west of the Battambang provincial capital in northwest Cambodia, was completed on Monday.

Funded by the Chinese voluntary organization Amity Foundation through the Cambodian non-governmental organization Life With Dignity (LWD), the Living Water Project has been playing an important role in improving sanitation and environment in these schools, namely Preythom, Khlang and Kampo Steav, by building toilets, handwashing facilities and water systems.

Speaking at an online ceremony to mark the completion of the project on Monday, Chen Cheng, director of the Amity Foundation's education and international exchange division, said the foundation has been working in Cambodia since 2019, particularly in Battambang province with volunteers teaching Chinese and supporting sanitation and water project.

"We are very privileged to be able to support children of needy families in rural Cambodia," she said. "We hope that the donation made by Chinese people will help Cambodian children to continue their learning while keeping good hygienic routine and learning habits to study in a safe, caring and loving environment."

Chen said Chinese people are very happy to see the healthy and joyful development and achievements in academic studies of children in rural Cambodia.

LWD's Executive Director Suon Sopheap said the project starting from January to March 2022 has benefited a total of more than 500 students and 14 teachers.

"Now, they could have access to clean water and sanitary facilities easily," he said. "Take this opportunity, I'd like to thank the Amity Foundation, development partners, donors, Hong Kong SAR teachers, students, Alibaba Foundation Philanthropy, and all those who contributed to the construction of latrines, handwashing stations and water systems in the three primary schools."

Phon Phiroun, director of Preythom Primary School, said her school with 120 students has received two sanitary facilities with six latrines.

Sou Lihong, a sixth grade student at the Preythom Primary school, said he was very grateful to Chinese donors for providing them with school materials, handwashing facilities and latrines.

"All these materials are the most advantageous for all students, teachers, and community people to maintain good health and environment, and to avoid being infected with diseases transmitted from open defecation," he said.

"I'd like to make my determination that I will lead all of my classmates to keep the school compound clean and maintain all existing achievements under the Amity Foundation project for a long time use," he added.

At the end of the event, items donated by the Amity Foundation, including school uniforms, school materials and water bottles, were distributed to the students. 
Former US cyber diplomat Chris Painter with then foreign minister Julie Bishop in 2013. Credit:DFAT Days before Russias invasion, Australia joined the UK and US in publicly attributing a distributed denial-of-service attack on Ukraines banking sector to a Russian-linked group. (DDOS attacks involve shutting down a network with a flood of information.) Foreign Minister Marise Mayne has said Australia is providing cyber security assistance to Ukraines war effort, which Australias Cyber Security Centre includes training for Ukrainian officials. Online security experts from the US, UK and the EU have been assigned jobs maintaining the firewall barricades against Russian online attacks. 3. Russia may not want to destroy services it plans to exploit Russia may not want to do further damage to Ukraines digital infrastructure if they can one day use it themselves. If Russia hopes to fully exploit assets such as the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, it will want to make sure the infrastructure is up [and running] so it can be used when they take over, says Painter.

A photo taken in February of the Azovstal metallurgical plant on the outskirts of Mariupol. Credit:AP 4. Russia may be holding back Maybe Russia is holding its biggest weapons in reserve, waiting for an escalation to use them, Painter said. In March, US President Biden warned of the potential that Russia could conduct malicious cyber activity against the United States as a response to the unprecedented economic costs imposed by democracies on Russia. The trigger point could still come. A Joint Cybersecurity Advisory published by the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency about destructive malware that is targeting organisations in Ukraine on February 28, 2022. Credit:AP 5. In a brutal war, cyber may not be needed

Russias cyber expertise gave it a tremendous advantage when it hacked rival nations in peacetime. In wartime, with actual violence on the ground in Ukraine, cyberattacks are perhaps redundant. Russias current strategy of reducing Ukrainian cities to rubble doesnt really require an online component. The ruins of an apartment building in Kharkiv. Credit:Kate Geraghty 6. Russians cyber troops may be overrated The reason for the lack of a bigger Russia-driven cyber aggression may be in plain sight: Maybe the Russian planning at the cyber level was not as good as expected, said Painter. The same way Russias military stunned the world by bungling the invasion strategy, perhaps Putins cyber troops dont live up to their reputation. Russia has struggled on the battlefield in Ukraine. In cyberspace, there hasnt been a discernable expansion of conflict. Credit:AP

Highlighting any supposed Russian weakness in the cyber realm could be risky. What we know is happening in cyberspace speaks volumes about the struggle for power between the democracies and Russia. There has been a shift in the way democracies contend with cyber threats. Only a few years ago, democracies shied away from blaming nations for cyberattacks for fear of inviting unwanted diplomatic repercussions. Thats changed. For example, for years experts warned of the need for companies and governments to act collaboratively against cyber aggressors. Now, they finally are - and not just because of Ukraine. Loading Whats extraordinary is in the last few weeks is the kind of unanimity that the West has had to come together against Russia, said Painter. It bodes well in the cyber realm too.

7: The ransomware epidemic alerted the world Ironically, what pushed the change was not the threat of war in Ukraine but the epidemic of ransomware attacks, Painter said. Ransomware gangs trick an organisation into downloading software that locks up the sensitive data of the victim organisation. It is unlocked only if a ransom is paid. These cyber criminals, many linked to rogue nations, have grown increasingly sophisticated in recent years. When Russia or China is spying or stealing secrets, ordinary people dont care, but when people are standing in line for gas because of cyber disruptions [in the form of ransomware], or because they cant get a hamburger because meat couldnt be delivered, that makes it a different priority. The epidemic of ransomware worsened in the year leading up to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The operations of JBS, the worlds biggest meat processor in Brazil, the US and Australia were hit by the ransomware in May 2021, forcing the company to pay out $14.2 million. It was later attributed to REvil (short for ransomware evil), a Russian-speaking ransomware gang. Canberra has now made it mandatory for companies hit with a ransomware attack to divulge the information to the government, allowing for better coordination. Once Biden took office in 2021, he elevated ransomware to the top of the G7 agenda as well as in his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. At that meeting, Biden warned Putin about cyberattacks and reminded him of the USs significant capabilities. With democracies shields already raised against the scourge of ransomware, when Russia invaded Ukraine, governments and businesses were coordinating closely on cyber matters.
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Adele Andrews (pictured) is a strong advocate of a program to empower female brokers at aggregator Finsure.

The Melbourne broker and director of Australian Property Home Loans said the Women in Finsure program had been terrific at supporting female brokers through its regular lender presentations and overall education schedules.

It is a fabulous forum for women to get together, network, and discuss war stories and strategies as brokers in their day-to-day lives, Andrews said.

Through their networking events and supportive frameworks, the program facilitates an environment of equality and the ability to build their business with several resources on offer to assist.

Read more: Finsure works to fix gender imbalance

Andrews said there were terrific women within the Finsure family all willing to cheer their fellow female colleagues along and support them on their journey towards building a successful brokerage business.

Andrews said she perceived the broking industry to be of high value to society.

The level of service, choice, education, and value brokers can bring to consumers is incredibly powerful for anyone who seeks to buy a home or invest, she said.

I view our participation in the industry as trusted, credible advisors who can offer something to the market that banks cannot, particularly if we are fulfilling our obligation to educate our clients along the way.

She added that the industry was fun, supportive, friendly, and willing to support both experienced and "new to industry" brokers with welcome arms.

As someone who had a previous career path before entering the broking industry at a later stage in life, I can honestly say I wish I had done this earlier, she said.

Read more: What are the benefits of outsourcing for brokers?

Andrews said the largest challenge she currently faced was the strong focus on compliance.

While there is no doubt that this is a good thing overall, ensuring that we, as the broker, are also protected can be quite cumbersome, she said.

Ensuring you are up to date with an ever evolving and changing industry and making sure you have completed all required paperwork to demonstrate that you have acted in the client's best interests can also be challenging.

But Andrews added that while keeping up with various lending policies was hard, Finsure was there to help.

Finsure is great at supporting brokers via their weekly Lender Blender sessions, where a group of brokers meet with industry reps to learn more about whats on offer, she said.
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Changes to COVID close contact rules will bring relief and ease staff shortages for small broking businesses, says finance broker and Blue Crane Capital managing director Chris Hall (pictured).

For us at Blue Crane Capital, we believe its important to remember there are still communities at risk who are worried about the high case levels in both NSW and Victoria, Sydney-based Hall said.

Without isolation rules for close contacts, brokers need to navigate these changes with sensitivity and understand that people may have differing levels of comfort. If our clients want to wear masks when meeting with us or prefer to meet over Zoom or chat on the phone, then we understand and we can accommodate that.

The federal government announced changes to the close contact rules for NSW and Victoria, which came into effect on 22 April. Close contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case are no longer having to isolate in NSW, and quarantine measures for close contact Victorians were lifted provided they wore a mask indoors and avoided high traffic areas.

Read more: Finsure works to fix gender imbalance

Hall said over the years he had cherished face-to-face meetings and hearing his clients stories in person.

By building genuine relationships and connections, it means that well try to do everything we can to make our clients and staff feel safe when doing so, he said.

Hall said brokers should take the time to check in on their clients and see how they were feeling about the rule changes.

Build trust and rapport with them by asking them what theyre comfortable with, Hall said.

Most clients and lenders we deal with have started to head back to the office  the city is definitely getting back its energy.

Hall said a benefit for brokers surviving the pandemic was learning how to adapt their business model along the way.

It will take some time to get familiar with the changing rules, and no doubt, it may take others more time to become comfortable with the changes, he said.

We need to be understanding of this but brokers now have the tools and experience to adapt.

Read more: Australian under 25 still feeling the financial impacts of COVID-19  ANZ research

Hall said his staff preferred to be back in office together and collaborating and working as a team.

However, flexibility is now paramount for us across the team, he noted. With that, we have a responsibility to our local small businesses like the cafe owner across the road, to help support them and get their revenue wheels turning again.

The last two years had been devastating for small businesses, Hall said. The easing of restrictions was a sign that society was moving forward and recovering.

Its hard not to be excited about this prospect, he said. But we cant forget what weve been through, nor can we forget that there are those still at risk.

Hall said Blue Crane Capital remained optimistic about the future and looked forward to helping clients navigate the next few years.
Air India, under its new Tata management, has taken a Rs 60,800 crore ($8 billion) cover by paying Rs 266 crore premium to a clutch of companies, including General .

The airline managed to get a better deal as it valued its fleet lower by almost $2 billion. The new management held extensive negotiations  both in India and London, to get a good deal considering the rising premiums due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. As per the new policy, the airline will not be able to fly over Russian and Ukrainian airspace due to the conflict.

The new cover, effective April 1 for a year, will be marginally higher than Rs 258 crore paid in the last financial year by the airline under its previous owner, the Indian government, said a source close to the development. In the last financial year, the airline had taken a cover of Rs 76,000 crore ($10 billion). The policy also includes passenger liability in case of any mishaps. A Tata group spokesperson did not comment on the cover.

As of now, has a fleet of 117 aircraft while express has a fleet of 24 narrow body aircraft.

General for the first time received a 30 per cent share in the cover while one of its parent, AIG continued to be the re-insurer leader of the new policy. New India Assurance has taken the highest share of 40 per cent of the policy while ICICI Lombard has received six per cent share in the policy.

The Indian will pass on 95 per cent of the premium and risk to the foreign reinsurers so as to de-risk their books in case of any accidents.
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The preferential treatment of bondholders riled Indian banks enough to reject a $3.2 billion rescue deal from one of Asias richest men for a debt-laden unprofitable retail chain, according to people familiar with the matter.

Ltd.s offshore bondholders -- a relatively smaller part of the creditor pool -- were promised 100% payment, while local lenders were asked to take a haircut, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential information. Secured Indian lenders were promised recoveries ranging between 34% to 88% of the total $4 billion in dues and even those payouts were staggered over seven years, the people said.

The unequal treatment led to the rare move last week, when the local banks rebuffed billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led conglomerates offer, derailing what wouldve been the largest acquisition in the Indian retail sector. Reliance Industries Ltd. announced the purchase plan in August 2020 but struggled to complete the transaction in the face of legal challenges mounted by .com Inc., which argued it had the first right of refusal contractually.

and State Bank of India, the main bankers to Future Retail, didnt immediately respond to emails seeking comment on reasons for voting down the deal. Representatives for and Reliance also didnt immediately comment.

State-run lenders risked probes from federal agencies if they accepted these discriminatory terms, they said, explaining their preference now for a court-mediated insolvency process where bids are called in and theres no risk of them being accused of cutting a bad deal. has already requested an Indian court to initiate the process.

Hard-Nosed Decision

The hard-nosed decision by Indian banks has pushed the teetering Future Retail, which ran one of the nations largest retail grocery chains before the pandemic struck, one step closer to bankruptcy. It has also taken the wind out of a tortuous two-year-old litigation between Reliance and Jeff Bezos-owned -- the e-tailer had started arbitration proceedings in Singapore to block the deal -- but left the door open for Ambani to snag these retail assets, possibly at an even cheaper price, under the bankruptcy process.

Reliance and other parties could be eligible to bid for its assets by submitting their resolution plans even if ends up in bankruptcy, according to Satwinder Singh, New Delhi-based partner at law firm Vaish Associates Advocates. This would also lead to moratorium on any or all ongoing arbitration proceedings against Future.

While the local lenders were agreeable to the deal when it was first announced, a lot changed in the past year or so, the people said. While the lawsuit dragged on, the asset value eroded and the pandemic worsened the cash crunch at that began defaulting on its debt repayments.

Bloodless Coup

Reliance dealt a body blow to the Kishore Biyani-led in February when it quietly began poaching employees and taking over rental leases of hundreds of stores earlier run by Future Retail and Future Lifestyle Fashions Ltd. Ambanis bloodless coup prompted Amazon to suggest settlement talks on the bitter dispute and alarmed Futures investors and lenders who worried about asset-stripping.

The out-of-court truce talks between Amazon, Future and Reliance collapsed soon after they were initiated, the informed Indias top court on March 15.

A major turning point was when Reliance physically took over Futures stores, which turned it into a no-holds barred situation, said Devangshu Dutta, head of New Delhi-based retail consultancy Third Eyesight. Before this the battle was being fought in courts and across the negotiating table. But at this point it moved over to the real business.
Realty firm Ltd on Monday said it plans to sell up to 90 acres of land in Kolkata to Logos for development of and park.

According to a regulatory filing, Ltd and LOGOS -- an Asia-Pacific logistic specialist-- have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a potential sale of up to 90 acres of land in Shriram Grand City at Uttarpara, Kolkata, which will be developed into a and park by LOGOS.

The MoU for the proposed transaction was signed at the Global Investor Summit organised by the West Bengal government in Kolkata, and is subject to necessary due-diligence and certain regulatory approvals.

Shriram Properties, a residential real estate developer in south India, is currently developing an integrated township project -- 'Shriram Grand City' -- on a 314-acre land parcel at Uttarpara in Kolkata.

The company is already developing 4.5 million square feet of residential apartments serving 5,500 families and plans to hand over 500-plus homes during first half of FY23.

said it intends to develop 10 million square feet of saleable area for residential development and sell the remaining area to strategic partners for other formats of development. The proposed sale of land is integral to this strategy.

LOGOS, which owns and develops and parks across the Asia-Pacific region, is present in 10 countries with USD 19.6 billion of assets under management across 119 properties.

In India, LOGOS has developed 5 million square feet of warehousing and logistic parks in NCR, Chennai and Bengaluru and are expanding its presence in this growing market.

"Following finalisation of the transaction, LOGOS intends to develop the land into a modern, sustainable logistics park offering approximately 2.2 million square feet of industrial and warehousing space. The park is expected to generate 50,000 of local direct and indirect jobs in West Bengal," the filing said.

The transaction is expected to be completed during the second half of FY23.

M Murali, Chairman and Managing Director of Shriram Properties, said: "LOGOS's proposed investment in Shriram Grand City will transform the micro market and allow us to realise superior value for both companies' stakeholders."



Shriram Properties Ltd has delivered 29 projects with saleable area of 17 million square feet, mostly in Bengaluru and Chennai. It has a strong development pipeline comprising of 51 projects with aggregate development potential of 51 million square feet as of March 31, 2022.

(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.)
JAKARTA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Three critically-endangered Sumatran tigers have been found dead after being caught in sling snares in a private oil palm plantation in Indonesia's Aceh province, the Aceh Natural Resources Conservation Agency said on Monday.

The agency's head Agus Arianto said the tiger carcasses were found on Sunday by a member of a non-governmental organization, who thought that the carnivores had died for days.

"We strongly condemn this incident. An investigation is underway," Arianto told Xinhua.

A medical team has taken the body parts of the tigers for necropsy, while the police are conducting a field investigation to uncover other factors causing the deaths. 
Prices of spectrum in the 3300-3670 band could go up substantially from the base price recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in some key circles such as Delhi and Mumbai in the auction due to competition arising from the possibility that there might not be enough spectrum for the third player to get enough to run an efficient 5G network.

Some telecom operators are concerned that the regulator, by fixing a 40 per cent cap on spectrum for each operator per circle, has ensured that a single operator can now buy up to 150 MHz in the 3300-3670 band. As the ...
The AAP on Sunday took out foot marches at various locations in the city against the BJP's "bulldozer politics", and asked people to not get "intimidated and threatened" by the saffron party's "gunda raj and corruption".

It also told the people that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party will firmly stand by them and would not let the BJP-ruled civic bodies run bulldozer over their property.

The AAP had on Friday accused Delhi BJP councillors of demanding bribes from city residents after their party's chief Adesh Gupta asked the mayors of the south and east civic bodies to remove illegal encroachments by using bulldozers.

Senior AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had called it the "truth of the BJP's bulldozer politics" and gave a call to his party MLAs to firmly stand by people who are being "intimidated, blackmailed and threatened" by the saffron party councillors.

"The took out padyatras (foot marches) in all 272 wards of Delhi against the BJP's blatant extortion today. The party held a dialogue with local residents on the sidelines of the padyatras," the party said in a statement.

Claiming that people are "furious" over the BJP's "hooliganism", the AAP said it will soon team up with the people of Delhi to fight against the BJP's "gunda raj and corruption".

A political slugfest between the AAP and the BJP has intensified since several concrete and temporary structures close to a mosque were demolished in the violence-hit Jahangirpuri during an anti-encroachment drive carried out by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation on Wednesday.

The NDMC drive was carried out just four days after the neigbourhood was rocked by .

Leading a foot march in Govindpuri, Kalkaji MLA Atishi assured the people of her party's support, saying they need not get intimidated by BJP leaders.

"We have gathered here against the BJP's hooliganism. The BJP is playing bulldozer politics all over Delhi. They are threatening people saying if they do not pay money to them bulldozers will be run over their houses and shops," she said.

In a statement later, the party said it will continue to fight against the BJP's "bulldozer politics" and protect the people from "extortion".

"There was a wave of anger among the people because of the BJP-ruled MCD's harassment and tyranny. Most of the people said that the BJP is constantly threatening them, asking them to pay or face demolition of their house," the party claimed.

The AAP MLAs have been "directed to keep an eye out and catch hold of the extortions", the party 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.)
Between April 11 and 20, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change introduced a bunch of amendments through three gazette notifications -- one set is proposed while two are done -- to the Impact Assessment (EIA) notification of 2006 that has drawn widespread criticism from environmentalists.

The EIA notification of September 2006 is for mandating prior environmental clearance for certain categories of projects. While the changes -- both proposed and done -- have a lot to be debated, it is the manner in which these amendments are being carried out has drawn equal or more criticism.

On April 11, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change brought out the first set of amendments to the EIA notification that provides for exemption of environmental clearance to several projects, including defence related or border area projects, those up to 25 MW thermal plants based on biomass or expansion of terminal building of airport, basically for projects deemed as public utility works.

The exemptions come with the condition that standard environmental safeguards for such projects would be followed by the agency executing such projects or the incremental environmental impacts can be catered by providing for environmental safeguards which can be built into the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) at the time of grant of such clearances.

The next set of amendments published on April 13 extended the validity of environmental clearance to hydro-power and nuclear projects, among others.

On April 20, a major amendment, among others, was that the Centre will now exercise the power to assess and grant environmental clearance to the projects under national defence or security importance, instead of the state.

Environmentalist Manoj Mishra, who is also the Convenor of 'Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan', said, "An amendment to the principal Act needs to go to the Parliament for any kind of change, big or small."

"Even if you give a public notice, you get public or stakeholders' opinion, then also you will need to take it back to the Parliament," Mishra said, adding, "Only if there are any changes being done to the Rules (set of dos and don'ts that help in implementation of a given Act), then a 30 or 60-day notice for public or stakeholders can be a way to do it."

But that is what the ideal situation should have been. The Ministry has given reasons from 'national security' to 'in the public interest'.

The Centre has mentioned that they have dispensed with the requirement of notice under clause (a) of sub-rule (3) of Rule 5 of the Protection Rule for 'public interest' under powers conferred by sub-section (1) and clause (5) of sub-section (2) of section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, (29 of 1986), read with sub-rule (4) of Rule 5 of the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986.

Senior Resident Fellow at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, Debadityo Sinha said, "Such power is limited within the purview of Section 3 of the Act, which states that the Central government has powers to take measures to protect and improve the environment. This simply means the exception can be used only for purposes where the intention is strengthening environmental safeguards. Using this power to take any regressive or relaxation of the existing regulation is simply regressive and ultra vires to the Environment (Protection) Act."

In the April 20 set of amendments, the Centre has usurped states' power of assessing for and granting environmental clearance for projects in category B that are for defence or strategic importance.

"Stating that overriding state's authority in the environmental clearance process is undermining the federal structure guaranteed under the Constitution," Sinha said, adding that, "Land is a 'state' subject while environment and forest conservation is in the 'concurrent list' of the Constitution. Centre must consult and take concurrence with the state before undertaking any activity on their land. This amendment is deeply problematic."

Last week, when asked about the amendments and the poor manner of the implementation of environmental management plan, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav had told IANS, "We are working out the modalities to address all such issues and will soon come out with a policy regarding the same."

The had already proposed a volley of amendments that have been deemed as 'dilution' of the EIA process and criticised heavily by environmental activists.

Those amendments, introduced in 2020, are yet to be finalised. And now these additional amendments.

--IANS

niv/khz/

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India's military expenditure increased to USD 76.6 billion in 2021, marking a 0.9 per cent hike over the 2020 figures, according to a report released by defence think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Monday.

"China, the world's second largest spender, allocated an estimated USD 293 billion to its military in 2021, an increase of 4.7 per cent from 2020 and 72 per cent from 2012," the report said.

The militaries of India and have been in a border standoff in eastern Ladakh for the last 23 months following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas on May 5, 2020. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

"India's military expenditure of USD 76.6 billion in 2021 was the third highest in the world. Its spending was up by 0.9 per cent from 2020 and by 33 per cent from 2012," the report issued by the Stockholm-based defence think-tank said.

Amid ongoing tensions and border disputes with and Pakistan that occasionally spill over into armed clashes, India has prioritised the modernisation of its armed forces and self-reliance in arms production, it noted.

In a drive to strengthen the indigenous arms industry, 64 per cent of capital outlays in the 2021 budget was earmarked for acquisitions of domestically-produced arms, the report said.

"The five largest military spenders in 2021 were the United States, China, India, the United Kingdom and Russia, which together accounted for 62 per cent of world . The USA and alone accounted for 52 per cent," it mentioned.

According to the report, in Asia and Oceania totalled USD 586 billion in 2021.

"Spending in the region was 3.5 per cent higher than in 2020, continuing an uninterrupted upward trend dating back to at least 1989," the report said.

"The increase in 2021 was due primarily to growth in Chinese and Indian . Together, the two countries accounted for 63 per cent of total military expenditure in the region in 2021," the report added.

Defence Minister had, on April 21, said the ongoing talks with China for a peaceful resolution of the eastern Ladakh row will continue and that the disengagement of the troops and de-escalation of the situation is the way forward.

In an address at the biannual Army Commanders' Conference, Singh had also said the Indian troops are standing firm, braving extreme weather and hostile forces, to defend the country's territorial integrity.

In the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war, he had asked the top Army commanders to prepare for every possible security challenge that India may face in the future, including that of unconventional and asymmetric warfare.

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The on Monday boycotted the all-party meeting called by the Maharashtra Home department to discuss directives on the use of loudspeakers at religious places and questioned whether state Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil has the authority to decide on it when the chief minister is not present.

Talking to reporters, Leader of Opposition also slammed the MVA government for filing cases against Independent MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana, who were booked on charges of sedition, promoting enmity, and deterring public servant from discharge of his duty amid the Hanuman Chalisa recital row.

He alleged that whatever is happening in Mumbai is at the behest of the chief minister (Uddhav Thackeray).

If reciting Hanuman Chalisa in Maharashtra attracts sedition then every one of us here is ready to commit that crime. But the way the government is behaving is shameful for the state. Should Hanuman Chalisa be recited in Maharashtra or Pakistan? the former chief minister asked.

Fadnavis said the BJP's stand is very clear on the issue - that directions given by courts in the matter should be followed strictly.

Earlier, we would stay awake the entire Navratri, play garba, play bhajans. Be it Ganesh Chaturthi, there would be events till midnight. The moment the barred the use of loudspeakers from 10 pm, we strictly followed it. We only use it on 15 days on which relaxation is allowed, he said.

The Supreme Court's order must be followed, the former state chief minister said.

On the reason behind not attending the all-party meeting, Fadnavis referred to the clash between Shiv Sena activists and the state's independent lawmakers - MLA Ravi Rana and his wife Navneet Rana, the MP from Amravati, on Saturday. The couple was arrested on Saturday evening amid a high drama.

"What will the home minister do if the chief minister is not present at the (all-party) meeting?" the leader asked.

The Rana couple had earlier given the call for reciting Hanuman Chalisa outside Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's private residence 'Matoshree' in suburban Bandra on April 23.

After the Shiv Sainiks protested outside the residence of the Ranas in Mumbai, former MP Kirit Somaiya had alleged that he was attacked and his car vandalised on Saturday night when he had gone to Khar police station to meet the Rana couple.

Whatever is happening in Mumbai is at the behest of the chief minister," Fadnavis claimed.

If you want to use the ways of Hitler, we will prefer struggle over dialogue. This has become our mindset, so we have decided to boycott the meeting. If our leaders and activists are being attacked in front of people, and even then we have to struggle to file an FIR, then what is the use of attending such meetings, the BJP leader said.

After attending the all-party meeting, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil said there is no provision for the state government to either install or remove loudspeakers.

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The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probing the irregularities in the recruitment of police sub-inspectors has summoned Congress MLA Priyank Kharge, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said on Monday.

Kharge had recently released an audio recording of a conversation regarding the irregularities (in the PSI recruitment), which he said was submitted to him, Araga Jnanendra said in a statement.

"The CID probing the irregularities in the PSI recruitment has issued a notice to Priyank Kharge to appear before it for questioning. I appeal to the MLA to display his responsibility and assist the CID, which is probing the case in the right direction, by sharing evidence with them," the Minister said.

Kharge should cooperate with the probe by sharing the documents with him and other information with the CID officials and he should at least assist in ensuring legal action against those involved in the irregularities, he said.

"As the impartial probe is on, there is no question of sparing anyone however influential that person is," Jnanendra warned.

The Home Minister said he only ordered a probe into the matter after discussing with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to do justice to the candidates who sincerely wrote the PSI exam but could not get selected.

Such irregularities cause immense damage to the society when the talented aspirants coming from poor families are cornered due to such illegalities, he said.

The scam came to light in Kalaburagi district and Kharge is an MLA from Chittapur assembly constituency in the same district. His father Mallikarjun Kharge, a former union minister, too was an MP from Gulbarga (Kalaburagi) Lok Sabha constituency.

More than 10 people have been arrested including Afzalpur MLA's gunman. A BJP leader, who was close to many high-profile leaders in Karnataka, is on the run while her husband has been arrested. The case came to light after an aspirant was given 100 per cent marks though he had attempted only 21 questions in the second paper.

More than 54,000 candidates wrote the exam for 545 posts. Police sources said the initial probe revealed that up to Rs 75 lakh to 80 lakh was charged from the candidates as bribe.

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People hospitalised during the pandemic both for Covid and other conditions have a higher rate of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections compared to patients hospitalised before the pandemic, according to a study.

An estimated 1.2 million people worldwide died in 2019 from antibiotic-resistant infections, and this number is predicted to increase ten-fold by 2050.

There have been studies reporting that the pandemic was associated with (AMR) secondary infections, possibly due to the increase in the use of antibiotics to treat Covid-19 patients and disruptions to infection prevention and control practices in overwhelmed health systems.

The study, presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) being held in Portugal, evaluated the pandemic's impact on (AMR) in 271 hospitals across the US.

The researchers assessed AMR rates per 100 hospital admissions before and during the Covid pandemic, and examined whether drug-resistant infections were acquired in the community-onset setting (defined as a culture collected less than two days after admission) or in the hospital-onset setting (more than two days after admission).

In total, 1,789,458 patients were admitted to the hospital in the pre-pandemic period and 3,729,208 during the pandemic.

The number of patients admitted to the hospital with at least one AMR infection was 63,263 in the pre-pandemic period and 129,410 during the pandemic.

Patients who tested positive or negative for Covid had higher levels of AMR than patients before the pandemic, 4.92 per 100 admissions and 4.11 per 100 admissions, respectively.

For hospital-associated infections, the AMR rate was 0.77 per 100 admissions before the pandemic and 0.86 per 100 admissions during the pandemic, and highest at 2.19 per 100 admissions in patients with Covid-19.

When looking at community-onset infections, the AMR rate was 2.76 per 100 admissions in the pre-pandemic period, and 2.61 per 100 admissions during the pandemic.

"These new data highlight the importance of closely monitoring the impact of Covid-19 on rates, said Dr Karri Bauer from the US pharmaceutical company Merck.

"It is particularly worrying that has been rising during the pandemic in both SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative patients. Hospital-acquired infections are a major concern, with antimicrobial resistance rates significantly higher during the pandemic than before," he added.

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Aviation regulator has asked Tata Group-owned to repair its aircraft after a passenger complained on social media on Monday about the plane's shabby interiors, including a broken armrest, officials said.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had last Wednesday grounded a SpiceJet aircraft over a passenger's complaint of dirty seats and malfunctioning cabin panels. The SpiceJet plane took to the skies a day later after all the suggested repairs were effected.

On Monday, a passenger posted on social media a couple of pics of shabby interiors including a broken armrest of Air India's Airbus A320 aircraft with registration number VT-EDF, officials said.

As a result, the asked the airline to check and rectify the problem as soon as possible, they mentioned.

The plane will be in Kolkata on Monday night and the repair works will be done during that time, they said.

did not respond to PTI's request for a statement on this matter.

The took control of on January 27, after successfully winning the bid for the airline on October 8 last year.

A circular issued on April 19 said Air India has lost its preferential access to bilateral rights that are needed to operate flights to another country.

Air India had preferential access to bilateral rights, which are granted under air services agreements signed between two countries, as it was the government-owned national carrier.

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Former commandant Satish Kumar has been arrested under the anti- law in a case linked to alleged cattle smuggling across the India-Bangladesh international border in West Bengal, the said on Monday.

Kumar is a former commanding officer of the 36th Border Security Force battalion (BSF) that is deployed to guard the front between the two neighbouring countries.

He was suspended after being arrested by the CBI earlier in the same case and has commanded units in Malda and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal.

The officer, after being taken into custody under the Prevention of Act (PMLA) last week, was produced before a special court in Delhi on April 23. He was remanded to three days ED custody by the court, the agency said.

"He (Kumar) had received proceeds of crime of Rs 12.8 crore from Md Enamul Haque in the accounts of his wife and his father-in-law. This was further laundered and immovable properties and mutual funds were purchased," the ED said in a statement.

This is the second arrest in this case.

Haque, the prime accused in the case, was arrested by the federal agency on February 18 and is currently in judicial custody.

It also filed a charge sheet or prosecution complaint before a Delhi court on April 16 and named Haque, TMC leader Vinay Mishra, his brother Vikas Mishra (arrested by the ED in an another case linked to an alleged coal scam in West Bengal) and companies related to these individuals -- Hoque Industries Pvt. Ltd., Hoque Mercantile Pvt. Ltd. and Anant Tradecom Pvt. Ltd. as accused in the case.

The court of special judge Sanjay Garg took cognisance of the charge sheet on April 19 and issued summons against all the accused persons directing them to appear before it on June 1.

The ED case (filed on September 25, 2020) stems from a CBI FIR of September 21, 2020 registered against Kumar, Haque, Md Anarul SK, Md Golam Mustafa, some other officials of the BSF, Customs and unknown others for corruption by allegedly indulging in the crime of cross-border cattle smuggling.

The ED conducted as many as two dozen raids and has attached assets worth Rs 18.5 crore in the case till now, including those in the name of Haque, Mishra brothers, officer Kumar's wife Tanya Sanyal and son Bhaskar Bhuvan.

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KOMARNA, Croatia, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The Peljesac Bridge, connecting Croatia's mainland with its southernmost region, is also a symbol of happiness for Croatian-born Ana Vulic, 32, and 34-year-old Talman Damtare, a native of Togo in Africa.

The two first met -- and eventually got married -- in China. But it was the bridge, built by a Chinese consortium led by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), that brought and kept them together.

Since "Talman" means "hope" in one of the local languages spoken in Togo, he was affectionately referred to as "Hope" by his Chinese colleagues during the bridge-building project.

"We would like to express our love and gratitude to China," Hope and Ana said in an interview with Xinhua.

The two met in Nanjing in 2009, where they both studied Chinese at the Nanjing Normal University (NNU).

Back then, Hope often took Ana to the traditional local folk event known as temple fair and bought her various gadget gifts.

It was in Nanjing where they fell in love, and it was also there that they both mastered the Chinese language, which would benefit them a lot in their future careers.

Hope and Ana got married in 2016 in Hong Kong. Soon after, the pregnant Ana returned to Croatia to her family's care, while Hope, who was employed by a foreign trade company based in Shanghai, traveled back and forth between China and Croatia.

"It is really a hassle to have to go back and forth between the two countries. I wanted to find a job in Croatia to enable me to take better care of Ana and the baby," Hope said.

Construction work on the Peljesac Bridge started in June 2018. The 2.4-km bridge connects Croatia's northern Dalmatian coast with the southern region of Dubrovnik-Neretva County and thus it greatly promotes the development of the whole country's economy. No wonder the locals' heightened interest in participating in its construction.

Ana was hired by the construction company in August 2018 for her skills as a Chinese-Croatian translator.

As luck would have it, the foreign trade company in Shanghai that Hope worked for also had business ties to the Peljesac Bridge project. In November 2018, he also got hired by the Chinese consortium and was put in charge of customs clearance and transportation of materials.

"Being able to work on the Peljesac Bridge project is something I never dared to think about before, and it is also the wish of many people," Hope said.

Alongside Hope and Ana, over 60 locals have been employed successively at the construction.

According to project manager Xie Jingli, the bridge project manager, the additional arrival of hundreds of Chinese builders has injected vitality into the local economy as hotels, restaurants and supermarkets are being opened one after another in the seaside village of Komarna near the bridge.

Cooperation, a quest for mutual benefits and a win-win approach have characterized the work at the site since day one, Xie said. The consortium has signed more than 1,200 purchase contracts and orders with Croatian companies with a cumulative value of over 166 million Croatian kunas (23.5 million U.S. dollars) along with 91 business subcontracts whose value has exceeded 220 million kunas.

The building of the bridge has brought together 18 design consulting firms, 45 construction companies, along with 112 equipment and material suppliers and environmental protection companies from the European Union.

This fully complies with the principle of extensive consultation and cooperation advocated by Chinese President Xi Jinping in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, Xie said.

Making the project even sweeter for Hope and Ana, the consortium has decided to employ both of them on a long-term basis. This means that even after the bridge opens to traffic later this year, the couple can continue to work at the bridge's maintenance service, and thus can count on a stable job and income.

"When we heard the news, we immediately informed all our relatives and friends," Ana said.

If it were not for China, Hope and Ana might not have met each other and got married, nor could they live a happy life as they do now.

"We love China, we are so grateful to China," they said. (1 Croatian kuna = 0.14 U.S. dollar) 
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met External Affairs Minister (EAM) on Monday and discussed ways to take the India-EU partnership forward and exchanged views on the impact of the Ukraine conflict.

"Pleased to call on President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Discussed taking forward the India-EU partnership. Also exchanged views on the economic and political implications of the Ukraine conflict," Jaishankar tweeted.

EU chief met Jaishankar shortly after she visited Rajghat today to pay respect to Mahatma Gandhi.

"Remembering the Mahatma's universal message of truth and non-violence. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen paid respects to Bapu at Rajghat today morning," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) tweeted.

European Commission President, who is on a two-day visit, is also slated to meet President Ram Nath Kovind and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Action-packed Day 2 of @EU_Commission President @vonderleyen in India. On the agenda today: Visit to Rajghat, Bilateral Meeting with Hon'ble PM @narendramodi, President @rashtrapatibhvn and @DrSJaishankar. Inaugurate Raisina2022," EU mission in India tweeted.

The fight against climate change and biodiversity loss, the energy and digital transition, connectivity, security and defence, cooperation in the Indo-Pacific will be at the centre of her conversations in Delhi.

EU-India's broad economic agenda, with a focus on the free trade agreement, investment protection agreement and Geographical Indications agreement will also be on the agenda.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict will also feature in discussions.

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Indian authorities on Monday apprehended a Pakistani ship on the Indian side of the Arabian sea near Gujarat, with the consignment of worth Rs 280 crores.

The Pakistani ship named "Al-Haj", with 9 member crew, was apprehended in a joint operation by Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Gujarat and India Coast Guard.

"In joint Ops with ATS Gujarat, India Coast Guard ships apprehended Pak ship Al Haj with 09 crew in the Indian side of the Arabian sea with worth 280 crores. Boat being brought to Jakhau for investigation," the PRO Defence Gujarat tweeted.

The boat is being brought to Jakhau for investigation.

More information is awaited in this regard.

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is strictly following the Union Ministry's guidelines on Covid-appropriate behaviour and has adopted a proactive strategy to combat the recent surge in cases seen in a couple of NCR districts, a senior state official said on Monday.

Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal also said a massive vaccination drive has already been run across the state to arrest the spread of the virus.

He was speaking during a meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla to review the COVID-19 situation and preparedness in Delhi and in the National Capital Region, a government statement said.

"Amid the recent surge in the number of infection cases, is doing several management preparations coupled with aggressive surveillance, stringent containment, swift contact tracing, focused clinical management along with proactive Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities," Kaushal said.

In the meeting held through video conference, Kaushal said the state government is increasing testing capacity, especially in containment zones, apart from making aggressive efforts to reduce the case positivity rate.

He further informed that strategies are being made for declaring micro containment zones and increasing daily testing capacity in some districts, including Gurugram, which have seen a significant jump in positivity rate.

Nine micro containment zones have already been declared in Gurugram to break the virus chain, he said.

Gurugram and Faridabad, the state's NCR districts bordering the national capital, have seen a surge in Covid cases during the past few weeks.

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The Monday dismissed a writ petition filed by lawmaker couple Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana, arrested under various charges in connection with the Hanuman Chalisa controversy, seeking that one of the two FIRs registered against them under section 353 of the IPC be quashed. The court said the petitioners and all others occupying public positions must act more responsibly and show respect towards other public persons.

"As is often said, with great power comes great responsibility," a bench of Justices P B Varale and S M Modak observed, adding they found no merit in the plea filed by the Rana couple.

The bench, however, said that if the police decide to arrest the Ranas or take any other coercive action against them based on the second FIR, it must give them notice of 72 hours.

The Khar police in Mumbai registered two FIRs (First Information Reports) against Independent MP from Amravati Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana between April 23 and April 24, following their statement that they would recite 'Hanuman Chalisa' outside chief minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's private residence, 'Matoshree' in Bandra on April 23.

Their announcement triggered angry protests by Shiv Sena workers who gathered outside the couple's residence in Khar area on Saturday seeking their apology.

The first FIR against the Ranas was filed at Khar police station around 5:30 PM on April 23 on the charge of promoting enmity between different religions. The police subsequently added the charge of sedition to this FIR.

On April 24, a second FIR was filed against the Ranas at around 2 AM under section 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code.

According to the second FIR, when the Rana couple was arrested and asked to get in the police vehicle, they argued with the police and "some dhakka-bukki (jostling)" took place.

The Rana couple, currently in judicial custody, approached the high court on Monday morning seeking the quashing of the second FIR through advocate Rizwan Merchant.

Merchant told the HC that all the offences were part of the same event and that two separate FIRs had been registered by the police out of vendetta- so that if granted bail in the first FIR, the Ranas can be arrested in the second FIR.

Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Pradip Gharat argued that both the FIRs were the result of two separate incidents- the first was based on the declaration of the recitation (of Hanuman Chalisa), and the second one was registered when the couple resisted arrest.

The high court said it found merit in the SPP's submission.

"These are two independent, different events and not part of the same series of events. We find no reason to grant relief," the HC said.

The bench, however, said that if the police decided to arrest the Ranas or to take any other coercive action against them based on the second FIR, it must give them prior notice of 72 hours.

The bench said the government had been right in apprehending law and order problems following the couple's public statements on reciting the Hanuman Chalisa at 'Matoshree'.

"The FIRs show that these are two independent occurrences. The first incident, of the petitioners reaching Mumbai, saying they were going to recite on April 23 gave rise to the first FIR," the HC said.

"The second incident of resisting arrest gave rise to the second FIR under section 353. The occurrence of both events is at different times. They are independent of each other and not part of the same central event," it said.

Merchant argued that the Rana couple had been arrested on the mere apprehension that they would recite the Hanuman Chalisa.

"They (police) registered a particular offence only because PM Narendra Modi was visiting the town (on April 24) and they thought there will be a law and order situation. But this programme was cancelled. They eventually publicly decided to drop the idea," Merchant said referring to the Rana couple withdrawing their plan to recite Hanuman Chalisa on Saturday, a day ahead of the PM's visit to Mumbai.

"Also, they never said they will recite it 'at' 'Matoshree'. They said 'outside' Matoshree," Merchant argued.

The high court, however, said that cancelling the planned recitation "did not matter".

SPP Gharat argued that the Ranas were aware that PM Modi was visiting Mumbai on April 24 and that their plan would cause an "explosive situation" as the situation was already tense over the issue of loudspeakers at mosques.

He also said that the police had initially booked the Ranas only on the charge of promoting enmity. But after speaking to witnesses and recording statements, the police realised that the recitation plan was a "cold and calculated move on their (Ranas) part to disturb the state government. Hence, the charge of sedition was added to the first FIR".

The high court said the state government's fear seemed justified.

"Such a declaration of the recitation at someone's personal residence or even at a public place is certainly firstly the breach of the other person's personal liberty (sic)," the HC said.

"Secondly, the state is justified in its apprehension that such act of reciting religious verse at the CM's private house would result in disturbance to law and order," it said.

"We made similar comments just two days back," the high court said while referring to a hearing last week on Union minister Narayan Rane's "slap" remark against .

"But we are pained to say that our words fell on deaf ears. We realized that we cannot expect anything even from those occupying respectable posts " the judges said and dismissed the plea of the Ranas, saying that it was devoid of merits.

"The second FIR pertains to a different set of events. These aren't a sequel to the first set of events. These are two independent, different events and not part of the same series of events, we find no reason to grant relief," the bench said.

This is not the MP-MLA couple's first brush with controversy.

The in June last year cancelled the caste certificate issued to Navneet Kaur Rana, saying it was obtained fraudulently using fabricated documents.

In January this year, the Ranas had found themselves embroiled in another legal case, after Ravi Rana was booked for attempt to murder over an assault on the Amravati municipal commissioner.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The on Monday dismissed as withdrawn, a PIL petition to ban students wearing dresses exhibiting their respective religions while attending classes.

A division bench of Justices M Duraiswamy and T V Thamilselvi dismissed the plea from K Gopinath, president of Hindu Munnetra Kazhagam, today.

The petitioner's counsel sought to withdraw the petition, when the bench made him known that similar pleas were pending before the Supreme Court, in an apparent reference to the appeal against a Karnataka High Court order upholding the ban on the inside classrooms.

"Chapter 1V, Rule 14(iii) of code for uniforms in primary and nursery schools stipulated that the students should wear the uniforms prescribed by the respective school managements. However, of late, attempts were deliberately being made to violate this stipulation," the petition claimed.

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Slapped with sedition charge, independent MP from Navneet Rana has written a letter to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, saying her arrest by Mumbai cops was illegal and alleging "inhuman treatment" in police custody.

In the letter sent on Sunday, the Lok Sabha MP from Amravati has demanded strict action against Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Pandey and claimed the action against her and her husband was taken on directions of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Navneet Rana and her MLA-husband Ravi Rana were arrested on Saturday after they gave a call for the chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa outside Chief Minister Thackeray's private residence 'Matoshree' in Mumbai, which had triggered angry protests by Shiv Sainiks.

The couple, now in jail, later withdrew their call, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Mumbai for an event.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat on Monday sought details from the government within 24 hours following the allegations made by Navneet Rana against the police after her arrest, sources said in New Delhi.

An aide of the parliamentarian said in Amravati that the Secretariat has forwarded the letter to the Union home ministry.

Hitting out at the Shiv Sena, which heads the MVA government in the state, the MP said the Uddhav Thackeray-led outfit, which claims to be a party embracing the avowed principles of Hindutva, has clearly diluted its stand so as to appease the ideology of the other ruling coalition partners.

She said the Shiv Sena contested the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections against the Congress and the NCP, but formed a post-poll alliance with these very parties, a move driven by its desire to get the post of chief minister.

"I submit that I have been vociferous in my criticism of the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government in as much as the State of Maharashtra, under this Government is riddled with corruption, police brutalities etc. I state and submit that it is my constitutional right as a citizen and as a Member of Parliament to engage in constructive and honest criticism of the Government and its workings," said Navneet Rana.

She said the Shiv Sena under its president Uddhav Thackeray has completely strayed from its avowed Hindutva principles as it wanted to "betray" the public mandate and form a post-poll alliance with the Congress and the NCP, key constituents of the ruling MVA.

" I, with the sincere hope to rekindle the flame of Hindutva in the Shiv Sena, had declared that I shall go to the residence of the Chief Minister and chant the Hanuman Chalisa outside his residence.

This was not meant to incite any religious tensions.

In fact, I had invited the Chief Minister to join me in chanting the 'Hanuman Chalisa', " she said.

Navneet Rana claimed her actions were not against the Chief Minister. However, looking at the fact that her actions may prove detrimental to the law and order situation in Mumbai, she had publicly withdrawn from the said exercise, said the letter.

The parliamentarian, in the letter, called her and her husband's arrest by the Mumbai police as illegal and mentioned about slapping of sedition charge (IPC section 124A) against them.

The MP spoke about being put up in a lock-up without due regards to the office held by her and not getting drinking water while in police custody.

Navneet Rana alleged she was abused on the basis of her caste.

Navneet Rana, in the letter, sought action against top Mumbai police officers over her arrest.

"I emphatically state that I have reason to believe that the police action against me and my husband is only on the directions of the Chief Minister Shri Uddhav Thackeray. Under the circumstances, I am forwarding this representation to you as the guardian and custodian of the dignity of the Lok Sabha and its members to kindly look into the matter.

"I, hereby, demand the strictest action to be taken against the Commissioner, Mumbai Police, concerned Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), concerned Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and the police staff," she said.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said on Monday she hopes the Lok Sabha Secretariat will also take note of the alleged bogus caste certificate submitted by Navneet Rana.

"With all due respect, hope Lok Sabha secretariat takes cognisance of an independent MP continuing as a LS MP despite Mumbai High Court declaring her Caste certificate as bogus, ration card as bogus and school leaving certificate as bogus," Chaturvedi tweeted.

(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.)
West Bengal Chief Minister is likely to participate in a virtual meeting called by Prime Minister for a discussion on the current COVID-19 situation in the country as some regions had been experiencing a surge in cases over the past few weeks, an official at the state secretariat said on Monday.

Modi is set to hold a meeting with chief ministers on April 27 on the emerging COVID-19 situation.

"We have received an invitation from the PMO for the virtual meeting. Our CM might be attending the meeting from the state secretariat," the official said.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan will also be present at the meeting, he said.

The health ministry has recently written to governments of Haryana, UP, Delhi, Maharashtra, and Mizoram, urging them to monitor the COVID-19 scenario amid the increase in positivity rate in these states.

Delhi on Sunday reported 1,083 fresh COVID-19 infections with a positivity rate of 4.48 per cent.

Bengal registered a positivity rate of 0.46 per cent on Sunday.

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The highway that connects Manali in Himachal Pradesh with has been partially reopened for traffic after remaining shut for more than five months owing to heavy snow, an official said on Monday.

"The traffic between Manali and has been restored for light vehicles. However, the movement of two-wheelers and trucks would be allowed later when the road be found fit," an official from the 38 Task Force of the General Reserve Engineering Force (GREF) told IANS.

GREF is a wing of the (BRO) that maintains crucial highways in the country. He said work to repair the entire 475-km stretch is on.

A notification by Deputy Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said that the traffic would be allowed on the Manali- beyond Darcha towards Leh via Baralacha Pass every day till 1 p.m.

The Manali-Leh highway winds its way through the Baralacha Pass (16,020 ft), Lachlungla Pass (16,620 ft) and Tanglangla (17,480 ft).

It is crucial for the movement of the armed forces and their supplies and wares to forward areas in .

An official of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation in state capital Shimla said it would take 10-15 days to restart bus services between Manali via Keylong and Leh.

Meanwhile, the 13,050 feet high Rohtang Pass, the main tourist attraction, located 52 km from here, is yet to be opened for the tourists as the snow-clearance work is on.

The idyllic and pastoral settings of the Himalayas have been drawing an increasing number of backpackers, especially foreigners, for adventure related activities like mountain biking, rock-climbing and cross-jungle trekking.

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Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister held a meeting with the officials of the Public Health Engineering Department and instructed them on the smooth supply of drinking water in the summer season.

"In the coming summer season, instructions have been given regarding the smooth supply of drinking water and water in the state," the official release from the office of the Chief Minister stated on Sunday.

In the meeting, concerned officials including Personal Secretary to CM, Manish Rastogi, PHE official Malay Srivastava, MD of Jal Nigam Department Tejashwi Nayak, Commissioner of Police, Bhopal Gulshan Bamra and others were present.

"There is a need to improve the drinking water situation at the grassroots. All of us should ensure a regular water supply. It is worrisome to know that supply of water is disturbed due to voltage problems. Provide water in coordination with the Electricity department," said the Chief Minister said in the meeting.

The Chief Minister urged officials to take care of the people of the state in this regard and ensure proper implementation of the in the state.

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Observing that mushrooming of illegal colonies across the country is a menace to urban development, the Monday said there is a need for a comprehensive action plan by state governments to prevent these illegal colonies from coming up.

A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and B R Gavai appointed senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan as amicus curiae in the matter and asked him to suggest what can be done by the government to stop illegal colonies.

"Mushrooming of illegal colonies in all these cities in this country, the consequences are so drastic. We have seen floods in Hyderabad and Kerala, all this is because of irregular colonies.

"Unless there is some comprehensive action plan by the state governments so as to prevent these colonies from coming up, take these relevant officers to task for allowing these colonies, and thereafter one of the suggestions is to stop the registration so that people do not claim equities. We will have to find some way of making state governments act on this. This is a menace to urban development," the bench said.

The top court directed that the entire records be furnished to the amicus who will submit his suggestions within two weeks.

"Amicus is permitted to prepare a questionnaire and circulate it to the states and union territories. List after three weeks," the bench said.

At the outset, advocate Sravan Kumar, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that a large number of unregular establishments are made to be regular which leads to unregulated development.

"Floods are coming due to irregular constructions. There needs to be a regular proper development, even the Environment Ministry says that there has to be approval," he said.

The apex court was hearing a petition filed by social worker Juvvadi Sagar Rao alleging that Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh governments have been implementing regularisation of illegal layouts in their respective states.

The petition alleged that state governments are regularising the illegal act committed by the real estate mafia with the help of government officials in the respondent states.

The plea contended that the states have witnessed severe urban flooding, unregulated growth, traffic jams, shortage in drainage systems, etc which have caused irreparable loss to the public and private properties besides loss of life.

"But the authorities ignored the serious disasters faced by them due to unregulated urban growth in the Respondent State. The authorities again issued Notifications for the regularization of illegal layouts and unauthorised colonies.

"This is a gross violation of rule of law, building rules, etc. The act of respondents will encourage illegal layouts and discourage the citizens who have followed the rule of law. The state of Telangana, particularly Hyderabad city and Warangal has faced severe flooding due to unplanned development," the plea said.

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Australia Calls Nations of the World to Have Communion Daily in Prayer for the USA 1 - 31 May 2022

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Canberra Declaration

April 25, 2022

UNANDERRA, Australia, April 25, 2022 /Christian Newswire/ -- Australia, for almost a decade, has called the nations of the world to join in 6 days of prayer and fasting for the United States of America. This year will be from 30 April  5 May 2021.

May 5 is America's National Day of Prayer. The theme is "EXALT THE LORD WHO HAS ESTABLISHED US" Colossians 2:6-7.

April 30 is America's National Day of Repentance; Promo YouTube Video.

The National Day of Prayer is a vital part of America's heritage, as is the USA Day of Repentance. The first national call to prayer was in 1775 when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation.

Kym Farnik the Prayer Coordinator said, "Both America and Australia desperately need to experience an Awakening to Christ. It is significant that this call to have communion Daily is in the month of May. This month also celebrates Go20, a call for the Christians of the world to pray and share the Gospel with 5 people in the month of May. The simple goal is to reach a billion people with God's love. Let us pray for the release of the gospel."

Kurt Mahlburg features editor with the Canberra Declaration said, "We believe it is critical for us to continue to pray for America. All our respective nations including Australia and America, are at the point of moral and economic collapse despite the fact that our Western world as such was built on Judea-Christian Foundations. America with all its faults is still a bastion of hope for the Gospel and a strong tower for the free world."

Warwick Marsh an Australia Faith & Family advocate said, "Pray & Fast between the 30 April  5 May as you feel led, but our main call is to ask individual believers all over the world to have communion each day of May 2022 and pray for revival, repentance & transformation for America. The celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through communion as a prayer of intercession exerts great power in the realm of the spirit. Now is the time to celebrate Jesus for America."

SOURCE Canberra Declaration

CONTACT:

Kym Farnik, 61 438 014 007

Kurt Mahlburg now in USA, 310-985-4763

Warwick Marsh, 61 418 225 212

Related Links

www.gomovement.world/en

www.canberradeclaration.org.au


Seven panchayat members, including three from north Kashmir's Baramulla, were handed over National Panchayat Awards on Sunday for their outstanding work in implementation of various government schemes during the financial year 2020-21, an official spokesman said.

Union Minister for and Panchayati Raj, and Lt Governor Manoj Sinha presented the awards to Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) members of at Raj Bhavan here on the occasion of the National Panchayat Day, the spokesman said.

He said the Union Minister and the Lt Governor congratulated the awardees and impressed upon them to continue their work as vital members of the grassroots democracy in the Union Territory.

The PRI members received awards under different categories of the National Panchayat Awards 2022, which are Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar for improving delivery of services and public goods, Nanaji Deshmukh Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar for outstanding contribution to the socio-economic development by involving Gram Sabhas, Development Plan Award for developing its GPDP on the model guidelines and Child-friendly Award for adopting child-friendly practices.

The and village councils were evaluated for the work undertaken by them during the appraisal year 2020-21, the spokesman said.

He said DDC Chairperson Baramulla Safeena Beigh, Block Development Council Chairperson from Baramulla Mir Iqbal, Sarpanch from Rajouri Anju Sharma and Sarpanch from Kupwara Parveena Begum received Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar under National Panchayat Awards-2022, while Sarpanch from Doda Romal Singh received Development Plan Award, Sarpanch from Baramulla, Khazir Mohd Mir received Child-friendly Gram Panchayat Award and Sarpanch Kupwara Zainab Jan received Nanaji Deshmukh Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar award.

(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.)
India's imports of petcoke are expected to more than double this year, industry officials say, as competitive prices are driving cement makers to switch to the fuel as an alternative to coal.

A tonne of petcoke, a refinery byproduct, is more expensive than coal, but produces more energy when burnt. It is generally not used as fuel because of toxic emissions, but is widely used by the cement industry - its largest consumer, as sulphur dioxide emissions are absorbed by limestone.

Global are near record highs due to fears of a supply crunch following the European Commission's decision to ban coal imports from after its invasion of .

Imports of petcoke are expected to more than double in 2022, a coal trader and two executives at large Indian cement manufacturing companies told Reuters.

"I am expecting 10 million tonnes of petcoke to come into India in 2022," said Vasudev Pamnani, general manager at coal trader Iman Resources.

A diversion of domestic coal supplies to utilities to address a power crisis and increased internal use of domestic petcoke by refineries are also contributing to higher imports, the executives said.

Consumption surged 34% to 4.2 million tonnes during the quarter ended March, the fastest pace in nearly six years and the first quarterly growth in over two years, government data shows.

Imported petcoke accounted for nearly half the total consumption during the quarter, with Saudi Arabia and United States accounting for the bulk of shipments, data from trading firm Iman Resources showed.

"Import of fuel-grade petcoke was slow during 2021 due to high price and tightness in supply. But in the near past, fuel-grade petcoke is again becoming competitive to coal and its users are switching from coal," Indian coal trader I-Energy said in a note.

(Reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan; Editing by Mark Potter)

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Indian markets heaved a sigh of relief after Indonesia, which is the worlds largest producer of palm oil, clarified that the export ban announced late last week wont be applicable to but will only cover shipments of refined, bleached, deodorised (RBD) palm olein.

This in a way is also beneficial to the Indian local refining industry as any move to curb import of refined oils boost domestic oilseeds crushing and refining.

Almost 70 per cent of the total annual palm oil imported into India estimated to be around 8-8.5% is in the crude form while the rest is refined. Curbing refined imports by Indonesia will further aid domestic refining, B V Mehta, Director General of Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA) said.

He said the move marks a big and a welcome U turn by the Indonesian government.

Sougata Niyogi, CEO  Oil Palm of Godrej Agrovet Limited said the decision will ensure that there wont be any CPO supply issues in May.

Higher refined palm oil imports hit Indias domestic refining capacity and any move to curb such imports by the country of origin is welcome, Niyogi told Business Standard.

India imports around 13-13.5 million tonnes of edible oils, of which around 8-8.5 million tonnes (around 63 per cent) is palm oil.

Of this, 8-8.5 million tonnes of palm oil, almost 45 per cent comes from Indonesia and the remaining from neighboring Malaysia.

After last weeks announcement, trade sources feared that if suddenly, monthly supplies of around 300,000-325,000 tonnes of palm oil stop from May onwards it will cause a sharp escalation in prices in India which have been already on the boil due to the ongoing Russia- Ukraine crisis.

Meanwhile, agency Reuters reported that Malaysian benchmark crude palm futures fell 2.09% after that the ban only covers RBD olein, having jumped nearly 7% to their highest in six weeks.

"The massive short covering fizzled out after hearing that the ban only encompasses olein both bulk and packed from Indonesia," said Paramalingam Supramaniam, director at Selangor-based brokerage Pelindung Bestari.

He said there were still concerns that would also be added to the list of banned products as it is raw material for RBD palm olein.

According to Refinitiv Eikon, Indonesia exported an average of roughly 620,000 tonnes per month of RBD in 2021, compared to an average of around 100,000 tonnes of .

Top destinations included India and Pakistan and Spain.

The government's move to control stubbornly high cooking oil prices caused a slump in shares of its biggest palm oil companies on Monday, while the rupiah-headed currency fell in Asia. Dollar-denominated bonds issued by Indonesia's government fell more than 1 cent to their lowest since the Spring 2020 COVID market rout.

According to data from Indonesia's palm oil association (GAPKI) , exports of processed CPO in 2021 stood at 25.7 million tonnes, or 75% of total exports of palm products. CPO exports were 2.74 million tonnes in 2021, or 7.98% of the shipments.

In January and February this year, processed CPO exports were 3.38 million tonnes or 79% of exports, while CPO exports were 90,000 tonnes, 2% of the total shipped.

Global prices of crude palm oil, which Indonesia uses for cooking oil, have surged to historic highs this year amid rising demand and weak output from top producers Indonesia and Malaysia, plus a move by Indonesia to restrict palm oil exports in January that was lifted in March.
U.S. President named veteran diplomat Bridget Brink as the new U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, the White House said on Monday, moving to fill a crucial position that was vacant for nearly three years and at a time when Washington is ramping up its support to help fend off a Russian invasion.

Brink, who is currently serving as the U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, has been a career diplomat for 25 years and has worked in Uzbekistan and Georgia as well as at several senior positions across the State Department and White House National Security Council.

A Michigan native who speaks Russian, Brink's "decades of experience make her uniquely suited for this moment in Ukraine's history," a State Department statement said.

The position, which had been vacant since former President abruptly recalled then U.S. ambassador to Marie Yovanovitch in May 2019, must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

The announcement on the nomination of Brink came during a trip over the weekend by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where they met President Volodomyr Zelenskiy and other top Ukrainian officials.

The visit was designed to show Western support for and the cabinet secretaries also pledged new aid worth $713 million for Zelenskiy's government and countries in the region, where Russia's invasion has raised fears of further aggression by Moscow.

During the trip, Washington also announced that U.S. diplomats will be returning to Ukraine this week -- initially resuming "day trips" from Poland where they are currently stationed to the Western Ukrainian city of Lviv across the border.

"The increased U.S. presence demonstrates our support for Ukraine and is part of the U.S. commitment to return our diplomats to our Embassy in Kyiv as soon as possible," the State Department said in a statement.

U.S. diplomats had departed the Kyiv embassy nearly two weeks before the Feb. 24 invasion, moving some functions to the western city of Lviv before eventually relocating to Poland.

Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands of people, displaced millions more and raised fears of a wider confrontation between Russia and the United States - by far the world's two biggest nuclear powers.

The United States has ruled out sending its own or forces to Ukraine but Washington and its European allies have supplied weapons to Kyiv such as drones, Howitzer heavy artillery, anti-aircraft Stinger and anti-tank Javelin missiles.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Susan Heavey; Editing by Doina Chiacu, Edmund Blair and Chizu Nomiyama)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan's newly-appointed Prime Minister has expressed the desire for good relations with India and underlined that durable peace cannot be achieved without a just resolution of the Kashmir dispute, the Foreign Office said here on Monday.

Sharif was sworn in as Pakistan's 23rd prime minister on April 11 after his predecessor Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote.

Addressing a press conference here, Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmed said that while noting the desire for good relations with India, Prime Minister Sharif already underlined that durable peace cannot be achieved without a just resolution of the Jammu and .

Prime Minister Sharif has underlined the need to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UNSC resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiri people. This, he said, would enable the two countries to focus on the development challenges, according to the spokesperson.

In response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's congratulatory letter to Sharif, the Pakistani premier had said that the socio-economic development of the people of the two countries as well as the region can be achieved through meaningful India- engagement and peaceful resolution of all outstanding disputes including that of Jammu and Kashmir.

"As guided by the Prime Minister, will continue to proactively advance our diplomacy and partnerships in all bilateral and multilateral domains to effectively safeguard our national interests and play our role in promoting peace and development in the region and beyond, said Ahmed.

Ties between India and deteriorated after India announced withdrawing the special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories in August 2019.

India has said that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan in an environment free of terror, hostility, and violence. India has said the onus is on Pakistan to create an environment free of terror and hostility.

Soon after he was elected as the Prime Minister, Sharif in his inaugural speech raised the issue of abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir and said Pakistan will provide them with "diplomatic and moral support" besides raising the matter at every fora.

He expressed a desire for better ties with India but linked it with the .

"We want good ties with India but durable peace is not possible until the Kashmir dispute is resolved," he had said.

The FO spokesperson also said that Pakistan on the eve of Baisakhi celebrations issued over 2200 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the festival from April 12 to 21. The visas issued from New Delhi were in addition to the visas granted to Sikh pilgrims participating in these events from other countries.

The pilgrims visited revered sites like Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib.

"Pakistan takes immense pride in preserving sacred religious places and providing necessary facilitation to the visitors. Marking the occasion, the Prime Minister accorded a warm welcome to the Sikh pilgrims and a spiritually fulfilling yatra, he said.

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pledged to address deep divisions and doubts within France as results showed a clear win over Marine Le Pen in the presidential election. Macron enjoyed no respite on Monday as political opponents called on voters to deny him a parliamentary majority. If he fails to score another victory in the June 12 and 19 parliamentary elections, he will struggle to advance with his pro-business agenda, including unpopular plans to push back the retirement age.

Many in this country voted for me not because they support my ideas but to keep out those of the far-right. I want to thank them and know I owe them a debt in the years to come, said Emmanuel Macron, first French President to be re-elected in 20 years.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
French presidential elections: French President on Sunday was re-elected at the presidential elections, after defeating his far-right rival of National Rally Party.

According to the projections by polling firms, Centrist Macron won the second round of the presidential elections with 58.55 per cent votes, while the far-right candidate managed to gather 41.45 per cent votes.

With this victory, Macron has become the first French president to win a second term in two decades, while Le Pen's result showed the best-ever performance by the far-right in French elections.

The 44-year-old president pledged to reunite the country and to respond to the anger of voters who supported his rival .

Adressing a victory speech in the backdrop of Eiffel Tower, Macron said, "an answer must be found to the anger and disagreements that led many of our compatriots to vote for the extreme right. It will be my responsibility and that of those around me."



Le Pen, in a combative speech to her supporters, mentioned that she accepted the result but has no plans of quitting and was already preparing for the June legislative elections.

Wishes pour in for Macron



Post his victory at the French presedential elections, wishes poured in for the re-elected president Macron from across the world, with various world leaders including the US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Indian Prime Minister congratulating him.

American President congratulated Macron and described France as its "oldest ally".

Congratulations to @EmmanuelMacron on his re-election. France is our oldest ally and a key partner in addressing global challenges. I look forward to our continued close cooperation  including on supporting Ukraine, defending democracy, and countering climate change.  President Biden (@POTUS) April 24, 2022

Indian Prime Minister wished Macron and hoped to deepen the India-France Strategic partnership.

Congratulations to my friend @EmmanuelMacron on being re-elected as the President of France! I look forward to continue working together to deepen the India-France Strategic Partnership.  (@narendramodi) April 25, 2022

"We can count on France for five more years", said the European Council President Charles Michel.



British PM took to Twitter and wished to work with Macron on matters of grave importance.

Congratulations to @EmmanuelMacron on your re-election as President of France. France is one of our closest and most important allies. I look forward to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two countries and to the world.  (@BorisJohnson) April 24, 2022

also was among the world leaders to congratulate Macron.
The Israeli military said it struck with artillery fire early Monday after a rocket was fired into .

The army said the rocket landed in an open area in northern Israel, causing no damage or injuries.

But shortly after, it said it struck the sources of the projectile launched and an infrastructure target in southern .

It said routine activity in northern was continuing.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

and Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group are bitter enemies that fought an inconclusive month-long war in 2006.

The border area has remained tense but mostly quiet since then.

Small Palestinian groups are also active in and have been suspected in several rocket attacks in recent years.

The rocket fire came at a time of heightened tensions in Israel following a string of deadly attacks inside Israel, arrest raids in the occupied West Bank and rocket attacks into Israel launched from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

It has been the worst violence to shake the region since an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza militants last year.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Cyber Directorate (INCD) issued a warning about possible in the run-up to Quds Day, an annual event marked in support of the Palestinians on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The event, also known as Jerusalem Day, will fall on April 29 this year, reports Xinhua news agency.

On its Facebook page, the INCD provided a number of recommendations to strengthen protection against and advised the public to refrain from opening or downloading suspicious files, browsing damaged websites, or providing personal information such as passwords and account information, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the INCD, Quds Day is usually a peak time for the distribution of anti- messages and attacks on Israeli websites in the past few years.

Quds Day was initiated by Iran in 1979 to express support for the Palestinians.

Protests are held on the day every year in Iran and some regional countries to protest against Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem since the 1967 war.

--IANS

ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President has accepted Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's invitation to visit in "the next few months," the Prime Minister's office said.

The two leaders discussed over the phone Iran's demand to delist its Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) from the US terror list, according to a statement by the office on Sunday.

"I am sure that President Biden, a true friend of who cares about its security, will not be able to remove the IRGC from the list of terrorist organisations," Bennett said in the statement.

" has clarified its position on the issue: The IRGC is the largest terrorist organisation in the world," he added.

They also talked about the ongoing efforts between Israeli and Palestinian officials to lower tensions and ensure a peaceful conclusion to the holy season of Ramadan, according to a statement from the White House.

The phone talk came as world powers and Iran are working to renew the 2015 nuclear agreement, which former US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of in May 2018. The US later reimposed sanctions on Iran, prompting the latter to drop some of its nuclear commitments under the agreement, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel, which considers Iran its arch-foe, has been lobbying against the revival of the deal, claiming it will enable Iran to pursue nuclear weapons without the burden of sanctions, while Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful.

--IANS

int/khz/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese proficiency competition for Irish college students held in Dublin

Xinhua) 09:37, April 25, 2022

DUBLIN, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The 21st "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Irish College Students was held here at the Confucius Institute of University College Dublin (UCD) in the Irish capital on Sunday.

This is the first competition of its kind ever held offline in Ireland since the COVID-19 pandemic, said organizers.

A total of 19 college students from Dublin, Cork and other parts of Ireland took part in the one-day competition which was held inside the auditorium of the teaching building of the UCD Confucius Institute.

Due to public health concerns, a limited number of audiences including family members and teachers of the contestants were invited to the event.

The competition, which is open to all college students in Ireland except Chinese nationals or those whose parents speak Chinese, comprised two rounds of matches, a preliminary one in the morning session and a final one in the afternoon.

In the final competition, eight contestants, selected by a five-member jury, were each given a two-minute time for a speech in Chinese centering on the theme of "One World One Family" followed by questions and answers.

They were also given a five-minute time to demonstrate their Chinese cultural skills such as singing Chinese songs or performing martial arts or preparing Chinese tea.

Anna Roth, a 22-year-old student of foreign applied languages from University College Cork, beat all her competitors to become the first prize winner of the competition. She will represent Ireland in competing with college students from other parts of the world in China later this year.

Each of the eight finalists was awarded with a nice gift and a certificate.

Huang He, political counsellor of the Chinese embassy in Ireland, and Dolores O'Riordan, vice president for Global Engagement of UCD, among other guests attended the event.

Earlier on Saturday, a similar competition for secondary school students in Ireland was held in Cork.

Katie Lawrence, a 17-year-old student from Confey College in County Kildare, beat the 11 other finalists from across Ireland to claim the top title of the 15th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students in Ireland.

She will also represent Ireland in competing with secondary school students from other countries and regions in a match to be held in China.

Chinese ambassador to Ireland He Xiangdong delivered a video speech to the competition.

Senior officials from Cork City Council and Cork County Council as well as the Irish Department of Education attended the event.

Both the above-mentioned competitions were organized by the Chinese embassy in Ireland in collaboration with the Confucius institutes in Dublin and Cork.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
Have you ever visited another country without knowing the native language? Or tried to speak to someone who doesn't speak the same language as you?

I visited Brazil recently, and as an English speaker in a Portuguese nation, I thought about languages and how they separate and connect us.

Unless we speak the language of those around us it makes it extremely difficult to truly know them.

Upon first arrival

When I stepped into the terminal at Sao Paulos Guarulhos International Airport I was inundated in a sea of milling people. The cacophony of their voices was even more jarring because I couldnt understand anything they were saying. I stared at people conversing and no helpful subtitles appeared near them to guide me through the narrative. My English ears searched for words it could understand but found none. I felt isolated, inadequate and helpless.

This must have been a little of what the people at Babel felt when God first confused the languages. Where unity and peace existed, suddenly, there was an impenetrable and invisible wall. It separated them emotionally, intellectually and spiritually, and eventually physically.

(Un)settling in

You can imagine how unnerving that was. I immediately wanted to jump back onto the airplane and get back to where I belonged - to people who could understand me and who I could understand. The prospect of being in Brazil for months seemed too daunting. But Id gone to visit my sister and there was no turning back. Plus, my bilingual sister would have to stand in the gap until I learned some more Portuguese.

But for the entire five months that I was in Brazil I remained attached to my sisters hip. The translator in my brain didnt have enough information to help me communicate without a human translator. I met her friends and their families and we conversed through her. I applied my Portuguese lessons, listened carefully but continued to flounder.

Having a translator is goodbut not great

While having my sister as a translator was my saving grace, the conversations were. Since I needed an intermediary to know any of her friends, there remained a wall separating me from them. Any authenticity was coloured by my sisters understanding of both parties. She subconsciously weighed intent and translated accordingly. And even then, she didn't fully understand us. Despite her best efforts there was a loss in translation. I couldnt truly know them and they couldnt truly know me.

And thats how it goes with our relationships with God

God has given us every opportunity to communicate with Him for ourselves, without an intermediary. Yes, we have prophets and teachers who translate Gods spoken and written word, but His intention isnt for us to rely solely on our brothers and sisters to hear from Him. He also doesnt want us to feel isolated from Him, or helpless and inadequate in knowing Him.

The Holy Spirit knows the language of our hearts and has given us the ability to hear and understand Him. Gods promise to us in Ezekiel chapter 36, verses 26-27 confirms this.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within youI will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

Gods restoration of our true language

The Holy Spirit reveals Gods word, His character and our characters. He communicates with us even more precisely than any human language because He knows us at our core. What we lost at Babel in relating to one another Hes restored to an even greater degree. We have new spirits to communicate with Him and with others. Where human translators are limited, He isnt. As our translator there is no loss in translation.
Pakistan's Foreign Office on Monday deplored a joint advisory by the UGC and the AICTE asking Indian students not to pursue studies in and sought a clarification from India on the matter.

The (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) on Friday in a joint advisory urged Indian students not to enroll themselves in any college or educational institution in .

The advisory said that any Indian national or Overseas Citizen of India who intends to take admission to any degree college or educational institution of shall not be eligible for seeking employment or higher studies in India on the basis of such educational qualifications (in any subject) acquired in Pakistan.

"Pakistan strongly deplores the so-called Public Notice' issued by the University Grants Ed Commission of India and the All India Council for Technical Education, advising students not to seek higher education in Pakistan and warning them of being denied employment in case they choose to do so, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement on Monday.

"It is regrettable that driven by its incurable obsession with Pakistan, the Government of India is unabashedly coercing the students in order to deter them from pursuing quality education of their choice, the FO said.

"We have sought clarification from the Indian government with reference to the said Public Notice," it said.

Pakistan reserves the right to take appropriate measures in response to this "openly discriminatory and inexplicable action by India," it added.

Meanwhile, it was unclear how many Indian students, especially from Kashmir, would be affected by the public notice.

"Students from Kashmir may be studying in some universities here but we don't have any consolidated data with us," an official of the Higher Commission of Pakistan (HEC) told PTI on condition of anonymity.

Efforts by PTI to get data on the Indian students from individual universities were so far not successful.

An official of the Punjab University in Lahore said they were still looking if there was any student from India enrolled in the university.

The joint advisory by the UGC and AICTE comes within a month of the higher education regulator warning Indian students planning to pursue higher studies in China, saying it does not recognise "degree courses done only in online mode without prior approval".

The UGC had issued an advisory in 2019 against studying in institutes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

(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.)
Slovenian Foreign Minister Anze Logar on Monday arrived in India to take part in the .

Taking to Twitter, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that Logar's visit to India is a renewed opportunity to further deepen collaboration between both countries.

"Welcome to India, Foreign Minister of Anze Logar. Our partnership with encompasses sectors like infrastructure and emerging technologies. The visit is a renewed opportunity to further deepen our collaboration," MEA tweeted.

Slovenian Foreign Minister will meet with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

"During his official visit to India, Minister @AnzeLog will meet with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam @DrSJaishankar and participate in the conference @raisinadialogue. He will also attend a cultural event to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations," Foreign Affairs of tweeted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the seventh edition of the on April 25, said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi during the MEA weekly briefing on Thursday.

The 2022, based on the theme "Terranova- Impassioned, Impatient, Imperilled", will be modelled along six thematic pillars --Rethinking Democracy: trade, technology and ideology; End of Multilateralism: a networked global order; Water Caucuses: turbulent tides in the Indo-Pacific; Communities Inc: first responders to health, development, and planet; Achieving Green Transitions: common imperative, diverging realities; Samson vs Goliath: the persistent and relentless technology wars.

The Raisina Dialogue, which started in 2016, is India's flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. The conference is organized by MEA in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday said he is in good health, rejecting "false propaganda" against him even as the defiant leader asserted that his government has the capability to lift the country out of the ongoing crisis.

Rejecting reports that his health was not good and he was being treated in hospital, the 76-year-old elder brother of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that he has not visited a hospital in recent times even to see a patient.

He said is in good health and "false propaganda" is being spread by "an organised group" on social media against him, the Daily News reported.

"The propaganda that the Prime Minister is being treated in a private hospital for an illness is completely false," the Prime Minister's Media Division (PMMD) said.

Meanwhile, expressing his views to a local radio channel, Prime Minister Rajapaksa once again invited the youth who are holding protests at the Galle Face Green in Colombo for talks. "If they did not attend, they would have to continue their struggle," he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Student demonstrators on Sunday surrounded the Sri Lankan Prime Minister's Residence here, as the anti-government Galle Face protests reached its 17th day and the clamour for the President and Prime Minister to resign grew louder.

On the proposal for an Interim Government, the Prime Minister said even if an Interim Government is established he would still be the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister questioned how an Interim Government could be formed in the absence of any co-operation.

Rajapaksa said he acknowledges that the country was in a difficult position and that the government had the strength to lift the country out of the crisis. He added that there were many instances in history when the country faced more severe crises.

Thousands of demonstrators have hit the streets since April 9, as the government ran out of money for vital imports; prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed and there are acute shortages in fuel, medicines and electricity supply. The protests seemed to take a more belligerent turn on Sunday, a day after the Prime Minister dismissed calls for an interim government.

The ruling dispensation had reached out to the Opposition parties and protesters for talks, but all efforts were rebuffed as the agitators said they want the government to resign. A group of over 40 parliamentarians from the ruling coalition have declared independence and have demanded the formation of an interim government comprising all political parties to tackle the economic crisis.

needs at least USD 4 billion to tide over its mounting economic woes, and talks with institutions such as the as well as countries like China and Japan for financial assistance have been going on.

Sri Lankan officials were in Washington last week to negotiate with the Monetary Fund for a bailout.

India has agreed to extend an additional USD 500 million credit line to help import fuel.

India has already agreed to defer USD 1.5 billion in import payments that Sri Lanka needs to make to the Asian Clearing Union.

Last week, the Sri Lankan government said it would temporarily default on USD 35.5 billion in foreign debt as the pandemic and the war in made it impossible to make payments to overseas creditors.

(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.)
China has "done its best" to help not to default on its foreign debt, Chinese ambassador in Colombo Qi Zhenhong said on Monday, expressing displeasure at the government's move to approach the IMF for help and warning that the restructuring will definitely have an "impact" on future bilateral loans.

Debt-ridden is grappling with an unprecedented economic turmoil since its independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the country cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices.

"China has done its best to help not to default but sadly they went to the IMF and decided to default, Qi told reporters here.

"The restructuring definitely will have an impact on future bilateral loans he said, adding that China was still considering the Sri Lankan request for a USD 1.5 billion buyer's credit and another USD 1-billion loan.

Ahead of going to the IMF, Sri Lanka on April 12 announced its first-ever default in the country's independent history.

The Gotabaya Rajapaksa government for years declined to approach the Monetary Fund (IMF) for support, but just last week the president admitted it was a mistake not to go to the Washington-based lender.

When the talks commenced last week in Washington with the IMF, the lender asked Sri Lanka to restructure its debt as it was not sustainable.

We are closely monitoring the IMF discussions, the Chinese ambassador said. He said Sri Lanka's former colonial masters have more obligations to help the country.

However, China will continue to disburse old loans as agreed, Qi said.

His comments came days after the IMF assured support to Sri Lanka in its efforts to mitigate the current and termed the initial discussions with the delegation led by the country's Finance Minister Ali Sabry as "fruitful".

Sabry and his delegation, which includes Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe, are currently in Washington, where they held technical discussions for an IMF-supported programme.

The IMF team will support Sri Lanka's efforts to overcome the current by working closely with the authorities on their economic programme, and by engaging with all other stakeholders in support of a timely resolution of the crisis, the IMF said in a statement on Saturday.

China has been accused of setting Sri Lanka in a debt trap through heavy borrowings for infrastructure projects such as airports and sea ports.

Beijing has countered the accusations, saying that Chinese loans only represented 10 per cent of the country's external debt.

Sri Lanka needs at least USD 4 billion to tide over its mounting economic woes, and the country has been holding talks with the World Bank and countries like China and Japan for financial assistance.

On April 12, Sri Lanka suspended its debt servicing for the first time in its history.

Last week, the Sri Lankan government said it would temporarily default on USD 35.5 billion in foreign debt as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine made it impossible to make payments to overseas creditors.

On Saturday, India agreed to extend an additional USD 500 million credit line to help Sri Lanka import fuel. India has already agreed to defer USD 1.5 billion in import payments that Sri Lanka needs to make to the Asian Clearing Union.

New Delhi also extended the tenure of a USD 400 million swap given in January this year, the Indian High Commission said on Friday.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said on Saturday that the crisis-hit country welcomed investments, technology transfers and financing for its sustainability efforts and cooperation for debt restructuring to support the economic recovery during this critical time.

Sri Lanka has been witnessing mass anti-government protests in recent weeks as it faces food shortages, soaring fuel prices and major power cuts due to the unprecedented financial crisis.

(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.)
As the anti-government protest continues in over the worsening economic crisis, the tense situation has been reported near the residence of the country's Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, according to local media.

This comes after the Inter-University Students Federation (IUSF) members protested opposite the Prime Minister's residence demanding the resignation of all members of Parliament, the President Gotabaya and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, reported Colombo Page.

Some students climbed the wall to protest, while black flags were hoisted near the entrance to the official residence.

Thousands of university students launched a protest march from Colombo Fort Railway Station on Sunday with the objective of joining the protest in the Galle Face Green which is continuing for the 16th consecutive day.

However, the police had constructed permanent roadblocks and cordoned off several roads in Colombo Fort after a court rejected a Police request to ban the march, reported Colombo Page.

Sri Lanka's economy has been in a free-fall since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the crash of the tourism sector. The country is also facing a foreign exchange shortage as it borrowed billions of dollars from China, burdening itself with hefty loans.

is facing its worst since the country gained independence in 1948. Food and fuel shortages, soaring prices and power cuts are affecting a large number of the people resulting in massive protests in the country. Sri Lanka's foreign debt is estimated at USD 51 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.)
Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn, Apple's main supplier of electronic components, has suspended operations of two factories in the eastern city of Kunshan due to COVID-19 restrictions, Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post reported on Monday.

In April, Taiwanese company Pegatron, which assembles iPhone smartphones for Apple, suspended the operation of two factories in the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Kunshan amid an outbreak of COVID-19.

Since Wednesday, the activities of two factories were suspended as new cases were detected at the plants, the newspaper said.

The shutdown of factories will put Apple's supply chains in mainland China in a complicated situation, the newspaper noted, adding that several other Apple suppliers in the country also halted production due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The spike in China began in early March, and since then the case rate has grown rapidly, with over 20,000 cases registered daily over the last three days. Over the last two years, the country registered an average of 30-40 cases per day.

(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.)
TikTok-owner has appointed corporate attorney Julie Gao as its new chief financial officer (CFO), according to an internal memo sent to staff on Monday and seen by Reuters.

Gao, currently a Hong Kong-based capital markets attorney at law firm Skadden, will be based in and Singapore once she joins ByteDance, according to the memo sent by chief executive Liang Rubo.

A spokesperson confirmed Gao's appointment.

Gao will join ByteDance in May, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

Gao has advised on ByteDance's acquisitions of Musical.ly, which was later integrated into TikTok, and Shanghai-based gaming studio Moonton, according to her biography page on Skadden's official website.

The move comes after ByteDance's former CFO Shou Zi Chew, who joined the company in March 2021, stepped down in November from the CFO role to focus on being TikTok's CEO.

The company currently doesn't have a timeline for its much-anticipated IPO, according to the person.

ByteDance said last April it did not have any imminent plans for a public listing.

Sources had previously told Reuters it was looking at a or New York listing.

The 10-year-old company saw its total revenue grow by 70% year on year to around $58 billion in 2021, Reuters has reported, slower growth than a year earlier as China tightens its regulation of big tech .

In 2020, the company's total revenue grew by over 100% to $34.3 billion.

One of the world's largest private companies, ByteDance had a valuation of about $300 billion in trades earlier this year.

(Reporting by Yingzhi Yang and Brenda Goh Editing by Mark Potter)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
French President comfortably won reelection to a second term Sunday, triggering relief among allies that the nuclear-armed power won't abruptly shift course in the midst of the war in Ukraine from European Union and NATO efforts to punish and contain Russia's military expansionism.

The second five-year term for the 44-year-old centrist spared and from the seismic upheaval of having firebrand populist at the helm, Macron's presidential runoff challenger who quickly conceded defeat but was still on course for her best-ever electoral showing.

Acknowledging that numerous voters cast ballots for him simply to keep out the fiercely nationalist far-right Le Pen, Macron pledged to reunite the country that is filled with so many doubts, so many divisions and work to assuage the anger of French voters that fed Le Pen's campaign.

"No one will be left by the side of the road," Macron said in a victory speech against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower and a projection of the blue-white-and-red tricolour French flag. He was cheered by several hundred supporters who happily waved French and EU flags.

"We have a lot to do and the war in Ukraine reminds us that we are going through tragic times where must make its voice heard," Macron said.

During her campaign, Le Pen pledged to dilute French ties with the 27-nation EU, NATO and Germany, moves that would have shaken Europe's security architecture as the continent deals with its worst conflict since World War II. Le Pen also spoke out against EU sanctions on Russian energy supplies and faced scrutiny during the campaign over her previous friendliness with the Kremlin.

A chorus of European leaders hailed Macron's victory, since has played a leading role in efforts to punish Russia with sanctions and is supplying weapons to Ukraine.

Democracy wins, wins," said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Snchez.

Together we will make France and advance," tweeted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Italian Premier Mario Draghi hailed Macron's victory as splendid news for all of Europe and a boost to the EU "being a protagonist in the greatest challenges of our times, starting with the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelenskyy called Macron a true friend of Ukraine on Sunday and expressed appreciation for his support.

Tweeting in French, Zelenskyy said: I'm convinced that we will advance together toward new joint victories. Toward a strong and united Europe!



With more than four-fifths of votes counted, Macron was leading 56% to 44% for Le Pen. Polling agencies projected that once all votes were counted, Macron's margin of victory would be well above 10 points, although that would be much closer than when they first faced off in 2017.

Macron is the first French president in 20 years to win reelection, since incumbent Jacques Chirac trounced Le Pen's father in 2002.

Le Pen called her results a shining victory, saying that in this defeat, I can't help but feel a form of hope.

Breaking through the threshold of 40% of the vote is unprecedented for the French far-right. Le Pen was beaten 66% to 34% by Macron in 2017 and her father got less than 20% against Chirac.

She and hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, one of 10 candidates eliminated in the first round on April 10, both quickly pitched forward Sunday night to France's legislative election in June, urging voters to give them a parliamentary majority to hamstring Macron.

Le Pen's score this time rewarded her years-long efforts to make her far-right more palatable to voters. Campaigning hard on cost-of-living issues, she made deep inroads among blue-collar voters in disaffected rural communities and in former industrial centers.

Le Pen voter Jean-Marie Cornic, 78, said he cast his ballot for her because he wanted a president who would prioritize our daily lives salaries, taxes, pensions.

The drop in support for Macron compared to five years ago points to a tough battle ahead for the president to rally people behind him in his second term. Many French voters found the 2022 presidential rematch less compelling than in 2017, when Macron was an unknown factor.

Leftist voters -- unable to identify with either the centrist president or Le Pen -- agonized with Sunday's choice. Some trooped reluctantly to polling stations solely to stop Le Pen, casting joyless votes for Macron.

It was the least worst choice, said Stephanie David, a transport logistics worker who backed a communist candidate in round one.

It was an impossible choice for retiree Jean-Pierre Roux. Having also voted communist in round one, he dropped an empty envelope into the ballot box on Sunday, repelled both by Le Pen's and what he saw as Macron's arrogance.

I am not against his ideas but I cannot stand the person, Roux said.

In contrast, Marian Arbre, voting in Paris, cast his ballot for Macron to avoid a government that finds itself with fascists, racists.

There's a real risk, the 29-year-old fretted.

Macron went into the vote with a sizeable lead in polls but faced a fractured, anxious and tired electorate. The war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic battered Macron's first term, as did months of violent protests against his economic policies.

In celebrating victory, Macron acknowledged a debt to voters who helped get him over the line, not to support the ideas I hold, but to block those of the extreme right.

I want to thank them and tell them that I am aware that their vote obliges me for the years to come, he said. "I am the custodian of their sense of duty, of their attachment to the Republic.

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The United States said it believes can win the war, given it has the right weapons. We believe that we can win, they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said during his visit to Kyiv with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Blinken said the US will reopen its embassy in soon and that had failed and had succeeded in terms of war aims, and promised more military aid, hailing the fight against Russias invasion.

But Moscows ambassador to Washington told Russian state television that had warned the US against sending more arms to Ukraine. We stressed the unacceptability of this situation when the United States of America pours weapons into Ukraine, and we demanded an end to this practice, Anatoly Antonov said.

Meanwhile, Blinken and Austin said the fact they were able to come to Kyiv was proof of Ukraines tenacity in forcing Moscow to abandon an assault on the capital last month.

US officials said Austin and Blinken pledged new assistance worth $713 million for Zelenskyys government and other countries in the region. An extra $322 million in military aid for Ukraine would take the total US security assistance since the invasion to about $3.7 billion, one official said.

It would also help Ukraines armed forces transition to more advanced weapons and air defence systems that were essentially Nato compatible, the official added.
President on Monday accused the West of trying to destroy Russia, demanding prosecutors take a tough line with what he cast as plots hatched by foreign spies to divide the country and discredit its armed forces.

Speaking to Russia's top prosecutors and watched by his defence minister, Putin accused the West of inciting to plan attacks on Russian journalists - an allegation denied by Kyiv.

Putin said the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, the Federal Security Service (FSB), had on Monday prevented a murder attempt by a "terrorist group" on Russian TV journalist Vladimir Solovyev.

"They have moved to terror - to preparing the murder of our journalists," Putin said of the West.

Putin, a former KGB spy who has ruled as paramount leader since the last day of 1999, did not immediately provide evidence to support his statements and Reuters was unable to immediately verify the accusations.

FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov said a group of six neo-nationalist Russian citizens had plotted to kill Solovyev - one of Russia's most high-profile TV and radio journalists - at the behest of Ukraine's State Security Service (SBU).

The SBU denied the allegations, which it said were fantasies cooked up by Moscow. "The SBU has no plans to assassinate V. Solovyev," it said in a statement.

Solovyev, a host of talk shows whose guests often denigrate and justify Moscow's actions there, thanked the FSB.

the Target

Putin said the West had realised that could not beat in war so had moved to a different plan - the destruction of Russia itself.

"Another task has come to the fore: to split Russian society and destroy Russia from within," Putin said. "It is not working."

Putin said foreign media organisations and social media had been used by the West's spies to confect provocations against Russia's armed forces.

Prosecutors should react swiftly to fake news and reports that undermined order, Putin said, without giving any specific examples.

"They are often mainly organised from abroad, organised in different ways - either the information comes from there or the money," Putin said. Prosecutors should fight extremism "more actively", Putin said.

Just days after ordering the invasion of Ukraine, Putin signed a law that imposes a jail term of up to 15 years for spreading intentionally "fake" news about the military.

Russia says the Western media have provided an excessively partial narrative of the war in Ukraine that largely ignores Moscow's concerns about the enlargement of NATO and what it says is the persecution of Russian speakers in Ukraine.

Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands of people, displaced millions more and raised fears of a wider confrontation between Russia and the United States - by far the world's two biggest nuclear powers.

Putin says the "special military operation" in Ukraine is necessary because the United States was using Ukraine to threaten Russia and Ukraine was guilty of the genocide of Russian-speaking people.

Ukraine says it is fighting a land grab by Russia and that Putin's accusations of genocide are nonsense.

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Alex Richardson)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday said Russia's war in Ukraine was a stark reminder that the dependency on Russian fossil fuels is not sustainable, and she pitched for a deeper cooperation between India and the EU to expand the use of clean energy.

On the first day of her two-day visit to India, von der Leyen went to the TERI Gram campus in Haryana and addressed an event at the headquarters of the Solar Alliance (ISA).

In her address at the ISA, she talked about the need for sustainable ways of doing business using clean energy and also emphasised the need for switching to "home-grown clean energies" in the wake of the Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The European Commission President said the energy policy has become the security policy as well.

"For us, Europeans, it is a stark reminder that our dependency on Russian fossil fuels is not sustainable. Because how can you do business with someone, who openly threatens Europe and wages war against one of your closest neighbours," she asked.

"So our transition to homegrown renewable energy is not only good for the environment, but it also becomes a strategic investment in security. Energy policy is also security policy," von der Leyen said.

She said the European Commission will present next month a new strategy for solar energy.

"Because every kilowatt-hour of electricity we generate from solar, wind, hydropower or biomass reduces our dependency on fossil fuels in general. This is why the European Commission will present next month a new solar strategy of the European Union, as part of REPowerEU," von der Leyen said.

The top European official said India and the are on the same paths on clean energy.

"Prime Minister Modi has announced that India should be energy independent before it celebrates 100 years of its independence as a country. This would be in 2047. So it is in our common interest that this independence of fossil fuel that comes from abroad is a transformation into renewable and clean energy," she said.

The European Commission President said the energy use doubled in India in the last two decades, and it will continue to grow.

"I want to say that this is, first and foremost, good news because it shows that India's economy is doing well -- with all the benefits that it brings to citizens all across the wonderful and vibrant country you have here," von der Leyen said.

"So it is good news. But it also, of course, shows the urgency for our transformation to clean and sustainable ways of doing business and using that energy. Because we all know that this additional energy that you will need has to be clean, has to be green," she added.

von der Leyen said determination and political will was required to achieve clean energy targets.

"We can do it, there are options, you touched on many of them. But it needs an enormous amount of determination on the political part, of investment on the public and the private side," she said.

The European Commission President said there was a need to step up efforts in the energy transformation process.

She also elaborated on the EU-India Clean Energy and Climate Partnership that was adopted in 2016.

"As you know, we discuss a large variety of important issues there, be it smart grids or storage, the clean energy financing or our cooperation on green hydrogen -- a big topic for Europe," she said.

"But my visit also shows me and all the discussions that we have that there is so much untapped potential. So we can do so much together to improve the situation. We need to step up our cooperation. We can learn from each other how to finance, promote and deploy solar energy," she added.

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UN Secretary-General called for stronger cooperation in the face of threats to multilateralism.

"UN member states, by ratifying or accepting the UN Charter, have committed themselves to the values of multilateralism and diplomacy for peace," Xinhua news agency quoted the UN chief as saying in his message for the Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace, which falls on April 24 annually.

However, the multilateral system and the value of diplomacy "are under threat from all directions", Guterres said, citing causes "From the climate crisis to the multiplication of conflicts".

"We need to transform this moment of crisis into a moment for multilateralism. On the Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace, I call on all governments and leaders to renew their commitment to dialogue and global solutions that are the only sustainable path for peace," added the Secretary-General.

The International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace was established on December 12, 2018 through a UN resolution and was first observed on April 24, 2019.

--IANS

ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The promised on Monday to reopen its embassy in Kyiv soon, as Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State visited Ukraine's capital and hailed its success so far against Russia's invasion.

Both men said the fact they were able to come to Kyiv was proof of Ukraine's tenacity in forcing Moscow to abandon an assault on the capital last month, and promised more aid to fend off Russian troops now attempting an advance in the east.

"What you've done in repelling the Russians in the battle of Kyiv is extraordinary and inspiring quite frankly to the rest of the world," Austin told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at a meeting overnight, after a train journey from Poland.



"We are here to support you in any way possible." said Blinken: "The reason we're back is because of you, because of the extraordinary courage, leadership and success that you've had in pushing back this horrific Russian aggression."

U.S. officials said they pledged new assistance worth $713 million for Zelenskiy's government and other countries in the region. An extra $322 million in military aid for Ukraine would take total U.S. security assistance since the invasion to about $3.7 billion, one official said.

"It will provide support for capabilities Ukraine needs, especially the fight in the Donbas," the official said. It would also help Ukraine's armed forces transition to more advanced weapons and air defense systems -- essentially NATO capable systems, the official added on condition of anonymity.

Western arms for Ukraine have infuriated Moscow. Russia's ambassador in Washington said Moscow had sent a diplomatic note stressing "the unacceptability of this situation when the of America pours weapons into Ukraine, and we demanded an end to this practice".

The meeting between the U.S. delegation and Ukraine's leaders ran for three hours, or more than double the allotted time, a U.S. official said.

"In terms of Russia's war aims, Russia has already failed and Ukraine has already succeeded," Blinken told a briefing in Poland after the two officials returned.



Russia has always denied intending to overthrow Ukraine's government. Western countries say that was its aim from the outset but it failed in the face of Ukrainian resistance.

Just weeks ago, Kyiv was a frontline city under curfew and bombardment, with tens of thousands of Russian troops massing on its northern outskirts. Residents spent nights huddled in its metro stations, sheltering from artillery.

Today, the nearest Russian troops are hundreds of miles away, normal life is returning to the capital, Western leaders have been visiting and countries are reopening their embassies.

Blinken said U.S. diplomats would first return to Lviv in the west and should be back in Kyiv within weeks.

But despite Ukraine having repelled the assault on Kyiv, the war is far from over. Russia has regrouped its forces and sent more troops in to eastern Ukraine. Last week it launched a massive assault there in an attempt to capture eastern provinces known as the Donbas.

RAILWAY STATIONS HIT

Five railway stations came under fire in western and central Ukraine on Monday, causing an unspecified number of casualties, Ukrainian television quoted state-run Ukrainian Railways as saying. Oleksander Kamyshin, the company's chief, said the attacks took place in the space of an hour.

All of the country was placed under an unusually long air raid warning for two hours on Monday morning.

Across the border in Russia's Bryansk region near eastern Ukraine, authorities were battling a huge blaze at an oil depot.

There was no immediate indication that the fire was connected to the war, but Russia accused Ukraine of a helicopter attack in that area last week.

Before the U.S. officials' visit, Ukraine had drawn up a list of weapons urgently needed from the United States, such as anti-missile systems, anti-aircraft systems, armoured vehicles and tanks, Zelenskiy aide Igor Zhovkva told NBC News on Sunday.

The and NATO allies have shown growing readiness to supply heavier equipment and more advanced weapons systems. Britain has promised to send military vehicles and is considering supplying British tanks to Poland to free up Warsaw's Russian-designed T-72s for Ukraine.

In a daily update on the conflict, Britain's defence ministry said Russia had only made minor advances in some parts of Donbas.

"Without sufficient logistical and combat support enablers in place, Russia has yet to achieve a significant breakthrough," it said.

In an emotional address at Kyiv's 1,000-year-old Saint Sophia Cathedral to mark the Orthodox Christian Easter on Sunday, Zelenskiy said his nation would overcome "dark times".

WAR GRINDS ON

The relative calm in Kyiv is a contrast with the south and east of the country, where the war grinds on relentlessly.

Some 320 km (200 miles) southeast of Kyiv, Russian missile strikes on an oil refinery and power plant in Kremenchuk killed one person and wounded seven, the governor of the Poltava region said. Moscow said it had destroyed oil production facilities there.

Russia also fired rockets at two towns in the central Vinnytsia region, causing an unspecified number of deaths and injuries, regional Governor Serhiy Borzov reported.



Ukraine's general staff described Russian shelling and assaults along most of the front in the east, including missile and bomb attacks on a huge steel works in Mariupol where the last Ukrainian defenders are holed up in a city destroyed during two months of Russian siege and bombardment.

Moscow, which describes its actions in Ukraine as a "special military operation", denies targeting civilians.

The European Union is preparing "smart sanctions" against Russian oil imports, possibly some form of oil embargo, Britain's The Times newspaper reported on Monday, citing the European Commission's executive vice president, Valdis Dombrovskis.

(Additional reporting by Simon Lewis; writing by Michael Perry and Peter Graff; editing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Clarence Fernandez and Philippa Fletcher)

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The U.S. secretaries of state and defense met Sunday night with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the highest-level visit to the country's capital by an American delegation since the start of Russia's invasion.

The meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, which was confirmed by a senior Ukrainian official, came as Ukraine pressed the West for more powerful weapons against Russia's campaign in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Moscow's forces sought to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops in the battered port of Mariupol.

Yes, they're meeting with the president. Let's hope something will be decided on further help, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych told Russian lawyer and activist Mark Feygin on his YouTube show Feygin Live.

The United States has not yet commented.

Before the session with Blinken and Austin, Zelenskyy said he was looking for the Americans to produce results, both in arms and security guarantees.

"You can't come to us empty-handed today, and we are expecting not just presents or some kind of cakes, we are expecting specific things and specific weapons,'' he said.

Zelenskyy's last face-to-face meeting with a top U.S. official was Feb. 19 in Munich with Vice President Kamala Harris, five days before Russia's invasion.

While the West has funneled military equipment to Ukraine, Zelenskyy has stressed repeatedly that his country needs more heavy weapons, including long-range air defense systems and warplanes.

In an apparent boost for Ukraine, polling agencies said French President Emmanuel Macron would win reelection over far right candidate Marine Le Pen, who has faced questions about her ties to Moscow.

The result was hailed by France's allies in the European Union as a reassuring sign of stability and continued support for Ukraine.

France has played a leading role in efforts to punish Russia with sanctions and is supplying weapons systems to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy's meeting with U.S. officials took place as Ukrainians and Russians observed Orthodox Easter.

Speaking from Kyiv's ancient St. Sophia Cathedral, Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, highlighted its significance to a nation wracked by nearly two months of war.

The great holiday today gives us great hope and unwavering faith that light will overcome darkness, good will overcome evil, life will overcome death, and therefore Ukraine will surely win! he said.

Still, the war cast a shadow over celebrations.

In the northern village of Ivanivka, where Russian tanks still littered the roads, Olena Koptyl said "the Easter holiday doesn't bring any joy. I'm crying a lot. We cannot forget how we lived.

The Russian military reported hitting 423 Ukrainian targets overnight, including fortified positions and troop concentrations, while its warplanes destroyed 26 Ukrainian military sites, including an explosives factory and several artillery depots.

Since failing to capture Kyiv, the Russians have aimed to gain full control over the eastern industrial heartland, where Moscow-backed separatists controlled some territory before the war.

Russian forces launched fresh airstrikes on a Mariupol steel plant where an estimated 1,000 civilians are sheltering along with about 2,000 Ukrainian fighters.

The Azovstal steel mill where the defenders are holed up is the last corner of resistance in the city, otherwise occupied by the Russians.

Zelenskyy said he stressed the need to evacuate civilians from Mariupol, including from the steel plant, in a Sunday call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is scheduled to speak later with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Arestovych, the Zelenskyy adviser, said Ukraine has proposed holding talks with Russia next to the sprawling steel mill.

Arestovych said on the Telegram messaging app that Russia has not responded to the proposal that would include establishing humanitarian corridors and the exchange of Russian war prisoners for the fighters still in the plant.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to travel to Turkey on Monday and then Moscow and Kyiv.

Zelenskyy said it was a mistake for Guterres to visit Russia before Ukraine.

Why? To hand over signals from Russia? What should we look for? Zelenskyy said Saturday. There are no corpses scattered on the Kutuzovsky Prospect, he said, referring to one of Moscow's main avenues.

Mariupol has endured fierce fighting since the start of the war because of its location on the Sea of Azov. Its capture would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, free up Russian troops to fight elsewhere, and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

More than 100,000 people down from a prewar population of about 430,000 are believed to remain in Mariupol with scant food, water or heat. Ukrainian authorities estimate over 20,000 civilians have been killed.

Recent satellite images showed what appeared to be mass graves to the west and east of Mariupol.

Children in an underground bunker were seen receiving Easter presents in a video released Sunday by the far-right Azov Battalion, which is among the Ukrainian forces at the steel plant in Mariupol.

The group's deputy commander, Sviatoslav Palamar, said the video was shot at the plant.

One toddler is seen wearing homemade diapers made of cellophane and people are seen hanging laundry on makeshift hangers.

Please help us, one woman in the video said through tears, appealing to world leaders. We want to live in our city, in our country. We are tired of these bombings, constant air strikes on our land. How much longer will this continue?



Mykhailo Podolyak, another presidential adviser, tweeted that the Russian military was attacking the plant with heavy bombs and artillery while accumulating forces and equipment for a direct assault.

Zelenskyy on Saturday accused Russians of committing war crimes by killing civilians and of setting up filtration camps near Mariupol for people trying to leave the city.

He said the Ukrainians many of them children are then sent to areas under Russian occupation or to Russia itself, often as far as Siberia or the Far East.

The claims could not be independently verified. But they were repeated by Ukrainian lawmaker Yevheniya Kravchuk on ABC's This Week.

They have pulled these people from Mariupol -- they are put to filtration camps ... it's sort of something that can't be happening in the 21st century, Kravchuk said.

Zelenskyy also claimed that intercepted communications recorded Russian troops discussing how they conceal the traces of their crimes in Mariupol.

And he highlighted the death of a 3-month old girl in a Russian missile strike Saturday on the Black Sea port of Odesa. The baby was among eight people killed when Russia fired cruise missiles at Odesa, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukrainian news agency UNIAN, citing social media, reported that the infant's mother, Valeria Glodan, and grandmother also died when a missile hit a residential area.

Zelenskyy promised to find and punish those responsible.

The war started when this baby was 1 month old,'' Zelenskyy said. "Can you imagine what is happening? They are filthy scum; there are no other words for it."



For the Donbas offensive, Russia has reassembled troops who fought around Kyiv and in northern Ukraine.

The British Ministry of Defense said Ukrainian forces had repelled numerous assaults in the past week and "inflicted significant cost on Russian forces.

The spiritual leaders of the world's Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics appealed for relief for Ukraine's suffering population.

From Istanbul, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I said a human tragedy was unfolding.

Bartholomew, considered the first among his Eastern Orthodox patriarch equals, cited in particular the thousands of people surrounded in Mariupol, civilians, among them the wounded, the elderly, women and many children.

Pope Francis, speaking from a window overlooking St. Peter's Square, renewed his call for an Easter truce, calling it a minimal and tangible sign of a desire for peace.
Today: The US saw a steep fall over the weekend, which may prompt the key benchmark indicies to start trade on a gloomy note. Global events like the Ukraine war, fresh rise in Covid cases, high commodity prices will be the key factors to track this week, while back home, the Q4 earning will be curcial to watch. As of 06:50 AM, the SGX Nifty April futures quoted at 17,027 as against the spot Nifty close of 17,173 on Friday.

Earnings Watch: Century Textiles, Eveready, GMDC, Maharashtra Scooters, Snowman Logistics and Tatva Chintan Pharma are some of the prominent companies scheduled to announce Q4 results on Monday.

ICICI Bank: The private sector lender reported a 59 per cent jump in net profit in Q4FY22 aided by robust increase in net interest income (NII) and lower provisions. Net profit totaled to Rs 7,019 crore when compared with Rs 4,403 crore in the year ago period, beating street estimates. READ MORE

Reliance Industries: The Mukesh Ambani-led company called off its agreement to buy Future Retail for almost Rs 25,000 crore after lenders rejected the deal.

Aurobindo, Sun Pharma, Jubilant: The three pharma majors have been recalling different products in the US market for various reasons, according to the latest enforcement report by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA). READ MORE

HDFC Bank: The bank has declared a dividend of Rs 15.50 per share, and set May 13 as the record date for the same.

Sundram Fasteners: The company reported a 45.08 per cent fall in Q4 net profit for the quarter ended March 2022 at Rs 130.02 crore as against Rs 71.41 crore in the corresponding quarter a year ago. Total income was up 7 per cent on YoY basis at Rs 1,157.32 crore.

Religare Enterprises: The NBFC informed the stock exchanges that it paid Rs 5.41 crore to market regulator Sebi to settle its past cases. The release stated that the company had submitted an application for settlement under the SEBI (Settlement Proceedings) Regulations, 2018 without admission or denial of SEBI's findings. READ MORE

ONGC: The company has commissioned two projects costing Rs 6,000 crore to add 7.5 million tonnes of oil production and 1 billion cubic meters of gas output over the life of the Mumbai High fields, in a bid to raise productivity from mature and aging fields.

Tejas Networks: The firm posted a consolidated loss of Rs 49.62 crore in Q4, as the shortage of electronic chips hit its telecom gear production. Tejas Network had posted a profit of Rs 33.55 crore in the period a year ago. Total income declined 37.2 per cent YoY to Rs 126.5 crore.

Tata Metaliks: The company posted a 30 per cent fall in its net profit to Rs 52.46 crore for Q4 owing to increased expenses. Total income during the said quarter, however, rose to Rs 814.65 crore compared to Rs 663.64 crore in the year-ago period.

Hindustan Zinc: The Vedanta group firm reported an 18 per cent rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 2,928 crore for the Q4, on the back of higher volumes and increase in metal prices. The consolidated income increased to Rs 9,074 crore from Rs 7,242 crore in the year-ago period.

Bank of Baroda (BOB): The public sector lender cut the lending rate for home loan by 25 basis points to 6.5 per cent till end of June 2022 to push retail credit. This special rate is available across all loans amounts and is linked to a borrowers credit profile.

Sarda Energy & Minerals: The companys board has approved a share buyback of up to 8.11 lakh shares at Rs 1,500 per share. The total amount to be spent on the buyback program should not be exceeding Rs 121.67 crore. The stock last traded at Rs 1,310.

Moneyboxx Finance: The companys board has approved a proposal to raise up to Rs 26.17 crore by way of preferential issue of equity shares. The company plans to issue 22.75 lakh shares at Rs 115 each. The board also approved a proposal to raise up to Rs 200 crore via NCDs.

Zensar Technologies: The company informed BSE, that it appointed Sachin Zute as the Chief Finance Officer. Prior to joining Zensar, Sachin served as Vice President-Finance and Head of Business Finance - Industry Segments, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Treasury at Infosys.
Central Bank of India slipped 0.77% to Rs 19.45 after the bank said that the Reserve Bank of India had imposed a penalty of Rs 36 lakh for non-compliance with certain directions issued by the country's banking regulator.

The directions pertain to 'Customer Protection - Limiting Liability of Customers in Unauthorised Electronic Banking Transactions'.

"This action is based on the deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers, the RBI said in a statement.

The statutory Inspection for Supervisory Evaluation (lSE) of the bank was conducted by RBI with reference to its financial position as on 31 March 2020 and the examination of the Risk Assessment Report, Inspection Report and all related correspondences pertaining to the same, revealed non-compliance with the aforesaid directions to the extent the bank failed to credit (shadow reversal) the amount involved in the unauthorised electronic transaction to the customer's account within 10 working days from the date of notification by the customer.

In furtherance to the same, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for failure to comply with the said directions, as stated therein.

After considering the bank's reply to the notice, oral submissions made in the personal hearing and examination of additional submissions made by it, RBI came to the conclusion that the aforesaid charge of non-compliance with the aforesaid RBI directions were substantiated and warranted imposition of monetary penalty, to the extent of non-compliance with such directions.

Nationalised in 1969, Central Bank was wholly owned by GoI until July 2007. After an initial public offering, GoI's stake declined. It currently holds 93.08% stake in the bank as on 31 March 2022.

The bank had reported 68.6% rise in standalone net profit to Rs 278.92 crore on a 1.7% increase in total income to Rs 6666.45 crore in Q3 FY22 over Q3 FY21.

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Equity indices trimmed initial losses in morning trade. The Nifty regained the crucial 17,000 mark after hitting the low of 16,928.60 in early trade. Barring banks and auto shares, selling pressure was seen across the board.

At 10:21 IST, the barometer index, S&P BSE Sensex declined 408.65 points or 0.71% at 56,788.13. The Nifty 50 index fell 153.9 points or 0.9% at 17,018.65.

The broader market traded with losses. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 1.32% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index declined 1.16%.

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was weak. On the BSE, 959 shares rose while 2,244 shares fell.

A total of 132 shares were unchanged.

Results Today:

Century Textiles and Industries (up 1.04%), Eveready Industries (down 0.88%), Gujarat Mineral Development (up 1.39%), Mahindra CIE Automotive (up 6.34%), Tatva Chintan Pharma Chem (up 1.09%), Tata Investment (down 0.67), Steel Exchange India (up 0.26%), Meghmani Finechem (down 0.14%), Maharashtra Scooters (up 0.21%), Triveni Enterprises (up 3.26%) and Snowman Logistics (down 1.18%) will announce their financial results today.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Metal index slipped 3% to 6,247.75, extending its losing run to second consecutive trading session. The metal index has declined nearly 5% in two days.

NMDC (down 4.79%), Hindustan Zinc (down 4.49%), Jindal Steel & Power (down 4.22%), Steel Authority of India (down 4.14%) and National Aluminium Company (down 4.08%) were the top losers. Among the other losers were Tata Steel (down 3.93%), JSW Steel (down 3.65%), Vedanta (down 3.08%), Jindal Stainless (Hisar) (down 2.78%) and Welspun Corp (down 2.76%).

Stocks in Spotlight:

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals fell 1.69%. The drug maker launched a novel fixed-dose combination (FDC) of a widely used DPP4 inhibitor (Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 inhibitor), Teneligliptin, with Pioglitazone for type 2 diabetes in India. The drug will increase the accessibility of quality drug for effective diabetes management.

Central Bank of India slipped 0.77% to Rs 19.45 after the bank said that the Reserve Bank of India had imposed a penalty of Rs 36 lakh for non-compliance with certain directions issued by the country's banking regulator. The directions pertain to 'Customer Protection - Limiting Liability of Customers in Unauthorised Electronic Banking Transactions'. "This action is based on the deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers, the RBI said in a statement.

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Tata Steel Ltd is quoting at Rs 1229.8, down 3.74% on the day as on 13:24 IST on the NSE. The stock jumped 30.73% in last one year as compared to a 17.22% rally in NIFTY and a 38.08% spurt in the Nifty Metal index.

Tata Steel Ltd dropped for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 1229.8, down 3.74% on the day as on 13:24 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is down around 1.12% on the day, quoting at 16979.8. The Sensex is at 56667.34, down 0.93%.Tata Steel Ltd has eased around 8.15% in last one month.Meanwhile, Nifty Metal index of which Tata Steel Ltd is a constituent, has eased around 4.51% in last one month and is currently quoting at 6440.65, down 2.75% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 48.29 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 59.98 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark April futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 1232.2, down 3.5% on the day. Tata Steel Ltd jumped 30.73% in last one year as compared to a 17.22% rally in NIFTY and a 38.08% spurt in the Nifty Metal index.

The PE of the stock is 5.01 based on TTM earnings ending December 21.

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Torrent Power said that it has entered into a share purchase agreement (SPA) with SkyPower Southeast Asia III Investments and SkyPower Southeast Asia Holdings 2 for the acquisition of 100% securities of Sunshakti Solar Power Projects.

Sunshakti Solar Power Projects (SPV) operates 50 MW solar power project in the State of Telangana. The SPV has a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) for its project with the Northern Power Distribution Company of Telangana (NPDCTL) for a period of 25 years at a fixed tariff of approximately Rs 5.35 per kWh, with remaining useful life of approximately 20 years. It had recorded a turnover of Rs 50.09 crore in FY 2021.

The enterprise value for this acquisition is approximately Rs 417 crore, subject to closing price adjustments, if any. The acquisition is further subject to customary conditions for transaction closure.

"This acquisition supports the company's focus area of sustainable growth through renewable energy, Torrent Power said in a statement.

Torrent Power is an integrated power utility. It is one of the largest companies in the country's power sector with a presence across the entire power value chain of generation, transmission, and distribution. It currently has an aggregate installed generation capacity of approximately 4.1 GW, which consists largely of clean generation sources such as gas (2.7 GW) and renewables (1.0. GW).

On a consolidated basis, Torrent Power's net profit jumped 14.8% to Rs 369.45 crore on 27.6% surge in net sales to Rs 3,767.43 crore in Q3 FY22 over Q3 FY21.

The scrip fell 1.20% to currently trade at Rs 535.30 on the BSE.

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After Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly also skipped the all-party meeting called by the on Monday.

Besides this, Maharashtra chief minister Udhav Thackeray also did not attend the meeting. The meeting was chaired by Home Minister Dilip Walse and Deputy Chief Minister at Sahyadri Guest House to discuss the law and order situation in the state amid the row over loudspeakers.

On the behalf of Shiv Sena, Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde and Transport Minister Anil Parab attended the meeting whereas Textile Minister Aslam Shaikh and MLA Nana Patole represented Congress.

The Home Minister Dilip Walse on Sunday called for an all-party meeting amid the row over loudspeakers which started after the MNS chief Raj Thackeray asked the state government to remove loudspeakers from mosques till May 3 while warning that if the demand isn't met, his party members will put loudspeakers to play "Hanuman Chalisa".

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chief Kiran Kandolkar's wife Kavita, who had unsuccessfully contested the recent polls on the party ticket, decided to resign on Monday, saying it was the wish of her supporters.

The move prompted the to announce that it would restructure the entire State Committee immediately.

Kavita Kandolkar had contested the recent assembly election from the Thivim constituency on the Trinamool Congress (TMC) ticket. Her husband Kiran Kandolkar had contested from the Aldona Assembly segment.

The couple lost from both the constituencies.

I was under pressure from my supporters that I should quit the . After resisting that pressure for several days, I have decided to resign", Kavita Kandolkar told reporters.

Kiran Kandolkar was not available for comment.

The Mamata Banerjee-led party had drawn a blank in the Goa polls it had contested in alliance with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP).

The BJP, which won 20 seats in the 40-member House, returned to power with the support of two MLAs of MGP and three Independents.

Soon after Kavita Kandolkar's announcement of resignation, the Goa TMC tweeted that the party was restructuring the entire AITC Goa State Committee with immediate effect.

We have decided to restructure the entire AITC Goa State committee, with immediate effect. A newly-constituted ad hoc committee will be announced shortly. We take this opportunity to reiterate our solemn commitment towards working for the people of Goa and their well-being, the TMC tweeted.

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Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said the silver jubilee edition of ' Tech Summit-2022 (BTS-22)'- State government's flagship technological event - would be organised at an international-level.

The summit would be held from November 16-18.

The Chief Minister today chaired a meeting over breakfast with a number of CEOs and leaders from the fields of electronics, IT, biotech and startups here.

"In November, we are holding the Tech Summit. In this regard, I have met industry leaders and they have given various suggestions concerning their respective sectors. This year's Tech Summit will be its 25th year and we want to make it special and of international-level," Bommai said.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the Chief Minister said he has received various suggestions regarding technology, policy, infrastructure and eco system, among others, and most of which have been taken positively by the government and would be implemented at the earliest.

"This summit will give a new dimension...we want to make number-one silicon city. The government will give importance to all these sectors in the days to come ," he said, adding that discussions happened on improving infrastructure in Bengaluru, especially where the IT sector is located and efforts are on to have similar facilities outside the city, aimed at decongesting it.

The event with the tagline 'Tech for Next Generation' would be held in physical format on the Bengaluru Palace premises and for the first time pre-events of BTS would be held in foreign countries including USA, the UK, and Japan.

Minister for Electronics and IT/BT C N Ashwath Narayan attended the meeting, too. While speaking to reporters, he said the government would promote Web 3.0 and Metaverse technologies and aims to take the benefits of these developments to remote villages by framing suitable policies.

As per the industry experts, the demand for human resources in the IT-related domain may go up to 55 lakh in the next few years from the current 25 lakh and the government would plan accordingly, he said.

The Minister said the government came out with ' Data Centre Policy-2022' recently and aims to attract Rs 10,000 crore in this domain in the next five years.

Under the 'Beyond Bengaluru' initiative, Mysuru has been identified as the 'Cyber Security' cluster; Hubballi as the 'ESDM & AI' cluster; Mangaluru as the 'Fin Tech' cluster; and Belagavi as the 'Aerospace' cluster, he said.

Kris Gopalakrishna, chairperson, State Vision Group for IT; Kiran Majumdar Shaw (virtual presence), chairperson, State Vision Group for BT; and Prashanth Prakash, chairperson, State Vision Group for Startups, were among the others present.

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Ross Aviations sustainability team have achieved the unique milestone of having five of its locations certified as Green Aviation Businesses in accordance with NATAs new Sustainability Standard for Aviation Businesses.

NATAs Sustainability Standard provides FBOs and other aviation businesses a certification process for pursuing cost-effective options to lower their carbon footprint, including using environmentally friendly energy sources, reduction of waste, and the promotion of a sustainability mindset.

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The five Ross Aviation locations include Fresno (FAT), Lincoln (LNK), Sarasota (SRQ), Scottsdale (SDL) and White Plains (HPN). As part of the certification process, each FBO is required to estimate an annual carbon footprint; Ross Aviation will purchase offsets to achieve carbon-neutral operations from 2021 for all five certified Green Aviation Businesses based on these footprint estimates. Plans call for the companys other FBOs to also receive NATA Green Aviation Business certification before year end.

Sustainability has been an on-going corporate commitment for Ross Aviation, both internally and externally. The company is a charter member of NATAs Sustainability Committee and working group and has played a role in crafting the new sustainability standards. In addition, Ross Aviation created the innovative Fly More. Leave Less. carbon offset program for its customers in 2020 and, through its internal own internal Sustainability Committee, pursues other key initiatives  from hybrid crew cars and electric ramp vehicles to solar installations on its new hangar construction projects.

Ross Aviation in Thermal, California (TRM) also offers a continuous supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to support customer sustainability missions. For this years Big Game in Los Angeles, the company also brought in SAF to its Long Beach (LGB) location to support the large number of corporate aircraft visiting the Ross Aviation facility for the event.

Were taking a holistic approach to sustainability said Brian Corbett, CEO of Ross Aviation. We see it as important  not just to ensure our own facilities meet and, in some cases exceed, all new standards  but also that we help our customers reach carbon neutrality with their flight operations as well.
Vitalograph, a global medtech company, today announced it will be creating 200 new roles in the Mid-West over the next two years.



The company is opening new sites at Engine Innovate Building, Limerick and the Clare Technology Park, Ennis to accommodate the rapid growth of its global clinical trials and healthcare business. A significant investment is also being made in its existing manufacturing plant in Ennis as Vitalograph brings the production of its consumables from Asia to Ireland to achieve efficiencies of scale, increase the stability in their supply line and reduce the overall carbon footprint.



Based in Ennis in County Clare since 1974, Vitalograph is a global provider of respiratory diagnostics, developing and manufacturing innovative medical diagnostical devices for all levels of the respiratory healthcare sector, and delivering full-service clinical trial solutions to pharmaceutical companies around the world. Vitalograph hold a unique position as being the only company in the world to offer objective cough monitoring to leading commercial pharmaceutical companies, biotech, and research organizations.



Recruitment for new candidates is already underway. Vitalograph is seeking candidates to fill a range of roles at all levels including data analysis, site support services, software engineering and QA, IT support and more.



Speaking at the announcement, Minister of State, Patrick ODonovan said, "Its great to see Vitalograph, having established a base in Ennis in 1974, continuing to grow and develop its operations and expand its mandate, creating more than 200 new jobs in the next two years. This expansion underlines the companys commitment to Ireland and will allow it to continue to benefit from the rich pool of talent in Limerick and the mid-west region. I wish all the team the very best in this exciting new chapter."

CEO at Vitalograph, Frank Keane added, "Were excited to open new offices in Limerick and Ennis. This gives us an opportunity to leverage the diverse talent pool in the mid-west region as we deliver on our purpose of making a real impact on the management of respiratory disease. We are grateful to Enterprise Ireland for their ongoing support, and we look forward to growing our workforce in Ennis and Limerick into the future."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
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
Photo: The Canadian Press People wearing masks shop at a grocery store in Moncton, N.B., on Wednesday, September, 22, 2021. Online grocery orders surged during the pandemic as Canadians heeded public health warnings to limit outings. As stores quickly ramped up online grocery and delivery services, shoppers largely tolerated product substitutions and mishaps.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Anjali Rego doesnt mind some online grocery order substitutions. Swap out regular tomatoes for cherry tomatoes? No problem.

But other changes irk her. Switch regular meat for a plant-based substitute? No way.

I dont mind if you give me a different kind of tomato. But dont goof up my meat, says the Mississauga, Ont., resident.

And if I order one per cent milk, dont give me two per cent.

Online grocery orders surged during the pandemic as Canadians heeded public health warnings to limit outings. As stores quickly ramped up online grocery and delivery services, shoppers largely tolerated odd product substitutions and mishaps.

But consumers are becoming increasingly impatient with online grocer order errors, experts say.

Stores that dont improve online grocery blunders could lose sales  especially as supply chain snarls and a sixth wave of COVID-19 could see the need for substitutions rise, they say.

In online grocery, customer experience is all about how you fulfil the order, says Frank Kouretas, chief product officer at Orckestra.

Get it wrong and new customers may avoid shopping for groceries online again, while veteran online food shoppers may switch stores, he says.

From a customer's perspective, it's hard to understand why a store got it wrong, Kouretas says. And it's easy to get it wrong without the right technology in place.

Orckestra, an e-commerce solutions provider from MDF Commerce Inc. based in Longueuil, Que., has developed a technical solution to address the problem of grocery substitutions.

Substitutions are unique to grocery, Kouretas says. Sports Experts wont substitute my (Nike) Air Force 1s for Adidas  they either have them in stock or they dont.

But in grocery you have volatile inventory and substitutions happen  this is why you hear horror stories about substitutions.

Tales of online grocery order substitutions have taken on near-urban legend status: Ground beef instead of tofu, candles instead of light bulbs, flour instead of gluten free baking mix, multiple heads of Napa cabbage instead of baby bok choy.

Others involve mixed up quantities, such as 10 kilograms of bananas rather than 10 bananas, or more mundane but nevertheless irritating swaps like fresh oregano instead of fresh cilantro.

"The decision on how to substitute is complex and highly personal to each customer, Srini Venkatesan, executive vice-president of Walmart Global Tech, said in a blog post last June.

Take a store thats run out of cherry yogurt, for example. Whether to choose another fruit flavour, like strawberry or blueberry, or opt instead for plain or a different brand altogether is not a simple choice and can vary from customer to customer.

There are nearly 100 different factors that can go into that decision, Venkatesan says in his blog post. Trying to account for all of these would not only be too difficult, but it would also be incredibly time consuming.

If the wrong choice is made, it can negatively impact customer satisfaction and increase costs.

Most stores allow customers to choose whether or not to allow substitutions. But the default is usually set to allow substitutions and changing it can be cumbersome.

Stores refund an item if a customer is not satisfied with a substitution, but the hassle of requesting the refund for customers and the loss of a potential sale for stores makes it a lose-lose solution.

The situation has prompted some retailers to turn to technology and artificial intelligence to help personal shoppers, sometimes called packers or pickers, make the right choice for customers and eliminate the guesswork

Orckestra, for example, has developed what Kouretas calls an order picking application.

It provides the right feedback to make sure that the person picking the orders doesn't make mistakes, he says.

Technology can improve both online grocery order substitutions and customer satisfaction, especially when its tailored to the retailer, Kouretas says.

Orckestra works with big grocers like IGA and Aldi, a German discount supermarket chain, to improve their online grocery ordering and picking system.

Kouretas says employee training is also critical.

I can't stress enough the importance of training, he says. Having trained employees who know the store, who know the products and who understand how to substitute products will improve outcomes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2022.

Companies in this story: (TSX:MDF)
Photo: The Canadian Press A plane carrying Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin taxis for takeoff, Saturday, April 23, 2022, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. The Biden administration has unveiled new U.S. military assistance and a diplomatic surge for Ukraine as Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Austin made a secrecy-shrouded visit to the capital of Kyiv. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

United States announced new military assistance for Ukraine and a renewed diplomatic push in the war-ravaged nation as President Joe Biden's secretary of state and Pentagon chief completed a secrecy-shrouded trip to Kyiv.

In the highest-level American visit to the capital since Russia invaded in late February, top envoy Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Ukraines president, Volodomyr Zelenskyy, and his advisers that the U.S. would provide more than $300 million in foreign military financing and had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition.

They also said Biden would soon announce his nominee to be ambassador to Ukraine and that American diplomats who left Ukraine before the war would start returning to the country this coming week. The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv will remain closed for the moment.

Zelenskyy had announced Saturday that he would meet with the U.S. officials in Kyiv on Sunday, but the Biden administration refused to confirm that and declined to discuss details of a possible visit even though planning had been underway for more than a week.

Journalists who traveled with Austin and Blinken to Poland were barred from reporting on the trip until it was over, were not allowed to accompany them on their overland journey into Ukraine, and were prohibited from specifying where in southeast Poland they waited for the Cabinet members to return. Officials at the State Department and the Pentagon cited security concerns.

Austin and Blinken announced a total of $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries; some $322 million is earmarked for Kyiv. The remainder will be split among NATO members and other nations that have provided Ukraine with critical military supplies since the war with Russia began, officials said.

Such financing is different from previous U.S. military assistance for Ukraine. It is not a donation of drawn-down U.S. Defense Department stockpiles, but rather cash that countries can use to purchase supplies that they might need.

The new money, along with the sale of $165 million in non-U.S. made ammunition that is compatible with Soviet-era weapons the Ukrainians use, brings the total amount of American military assistance to Ukraine to $3.7 billion since the invasion, officials said.

Zelenskyy had urged the Americans not to come empty-handed. U.S. officials said they believed the new assistance would satisfy at least some of the Ukrainians' urgent pleas for more help. New artillery, including howitzers, continues to be delivered at a rapid pace to Ukraine's military, which is being trained on its use in neighboring countries, the officials said.

On the diplomatic front, Blinken told Zelenskyy that Biden will announce his nomination of veteran diplomat Bridget Brink to be the next U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. A career foreign service officer, Brink has served since 2019 as ambassador to Slovakia. She previously held assignments in Serbia, Cyprus, Georgia and Uzbekistan as well as with the White House National Security Council. The post requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

Blinken also told Ukraine's foreign minister that the small staff from the now-shuttered U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, which has relocated to Poland from temporary offices in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, would begin making day trips to Lviv in the coming days. Officials said the U.S. had accelerated its review of security conditions in the capital and that the State Department will reopen the embassy there as soon as the situation allows.

Biden has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of genocide for the destruction and death wrought on Ukraine. Just on Thursday, Biden said he would provide a new package of $800 million in military aid to Ukraine that included heavy artillery and drones.

Congress approved $6.5 billion for military assistance last month as part of $13.6 billion in spending for Ukraine and allies in response to the Russian invasion.

From Poland, Blinken plans to return to Washington while Austin will head to Ramstein, Germany, for a meeting Tuesday of NATO defense ministers and other donor countries.

That discussion will look at battlefield updates from the ground, additional security assistance for Ukraine and longer-term defense needs in Europe, including how to step up military production to fill gaps caused by the war in Ukraine, officials said. More than 20 nations are expected to send representatives to the meeting.

The Ukrainian officials participating were Zelenskyy, Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Defense Minister Olexiy Reznikov, Ambassador Oskana Markarova, presidential administration head Andriy Yermak, chief of defense Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and Andrii Sybiya of Zelenskyys office.

Representing the United States in addition to Blinken and Austin were State Department deputy chief of staff Tom Sullivan, senior military assistant Lt. Gen. Randy George and Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Laura Cooper.
Photo: Contributed

If your mom suddenly drains her bank account or your dad stops paying his bills, should you be worried?

Yes  but not necessarily for the reasons you think. Odd financial behaviour can be a warning sign for the onset of dementia. People in the early stages of cognitive change often make unusual purchases, change investment habits, hoard cash or accumulate debt.

Managing finances can be a major challenge for the 500,000-plus Canadians living with dementia (this number is expected to almost double by 2031) and their families. Having problems with memory or concentration can make financial transactions  such as paying bills or even buying groceries  extremely difficult.

Cognitive problems also make seniors more at risk of falling for financial scams. The federal government reported that Canadians between ages 60 and 70 lost $94 million between 2014 and 2017 to various scams.

And while people with dementia may find it a struggle to continue to manage their own finances, they may also find it difficult to hand over that responsibility to someone else, even a trusted loved one.

If you suspect dementia, take your loved one to their doctor to get a proper diagnosis and to rule out other causes. Medications and other illnesses can mimic cognitive problems.

Ideally though, you need to take certain steps before you reach this point. Dementia can be very difficult for families to navigate but even just a little planning in advance can help to reduce the stress. I cant state enough how important it is to have a financial power of attorney in place (plus a will and health representative agreement)  something you need to setup while youre still capable of making decisions for yourself.

If your family is currently navigating dementia with a loved one, getting proper financial planning advice is very important.

On May 5th, Christine Van Cauwenberghe (Head of Financial Planning at IG Wealth Management) and Dr. Saskia Sivananthan (Chief Research Officer of the Alzheimer Society) are hosting a live, interactive and free webinar entitled Finances and dementia  advice for the journey.

During the webinar, Christine and Dr. Saskia will share:

 Advice on managing finances for those living with dementia and their caregivers

 Tips and tools to help with wealth planning for aging Canadians

 Advice for caregivers and people living with dementia

If you want a link to signup for this webinar, send me an email and I can share it with you.

Another great way to get involved is to join the Alzheimers Society of BCs Walk for Alzheimers taking place across the province on May 29 and will include walks in Kelowna and Penticton. The purpose of these walks is to raise both money and awareness to create change for people affected by dementia in Canada.

And most important of all, if you or your family is affected in any way, reach out to the Alzheimers Society for some help. Their website is filled with information and links to various support services.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: The Canadian Press Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a warehouse in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday.

Russia unleashed a string of attacks against Ukrainian rail and fuel facilities Monday, striking crucial infrastructure far from the front line of its eastern offensive, which Britain said has yet to achieve a significant breakthrough.

Meanwhile, two fires were reported at oil facilities in western Russia. It was not clear what caused the blazes.

As both sides in the 2-month-old war brace for what could be a grinding battle of attrition in the countrys eastern industrial heartland, top American officials pledged more help to ensure Ukraine prevails.

In meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday, the American secretaries of state and defense said Washington had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition for Ukraines war effort, along with more than $300 million in foreign military financing.

The strategy that weve put in place  massive support for Ukraine, massive pressure against Russia, solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these efforts  is having real results, Blinken told reporters in Poland the day after the meeting.

When it comes to Russias war aims, Russia is failing. Ukraine is succeeding," he added.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba welcomed the American support but said that as long as Russian soldiers put a foot on Ukrainian soil, nothing is enough.

Kuleba warned that if western powers want Ukraine to win the war and stop Putin in Ukraine and not to allow him to go further, deeper into Europe, then countries to speed up the delivery of the weapons requested by Ukraine.

Speaking Monday to top officials at the Prosecutor Generals office, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the U.S. and its allies have tried and failed to split Russian society and to destroy Russia from within.

When Russia invaded on Feb, 24, its apparent goal was a lightning offensive that would quickly take the capital and perhaps even topple the government. But the Ukrainians, aided by Western weapons, bogged Putin's troops down and thwarted their push to Kyiv.

Moscow now says its focus in the eastern region of the Donbas, though one senior military official said it also wants to control southern Ukraine. While both sides said the campaign in the east has begun, it has yet to gather steam.

A small group of Ukrainian troops holed up in a steel plant in the strategic city of Mariupol are tying down Russian forces, and keeping them from being added to the offensive elsewhere in the Donbas, Britains Ministry of Defense said Monday.

Over the weekend, Russian forces launched fresh airstrikes on the steel plant in an attempt to dislodge the estimated 2,000 fighters inside. Some 1,000 civilians are also sheltering in the steelworks, and the Russian military pledged to open a humanitarian corridor Monday for them to leave.

The Russian offer was met with skepticism by Ukraine. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on the Telegram messaging app that Ukraine does not consider the route safe and added that Russia had breached agreements on similar evacuation routes before. She called on the United Nations to oversee an evacuation.

Mariupol has endured fierce fighting since the start of the war because of its strategic location on the Sea of Azov. In addition to freeing up Russian troops, its capture would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

On Monday, Russia focused its firepower elsewhere, with missiles and war planes striking far behind the frontline in the eastern Donbas region.

Oleksandr Kamyshin, the head of the state-run Ukrainian Railways, said five railway facilities in central and western Ukraine were hit early Monday, including a missile attack near the western city of Lviv.

Ukrainian authorities said that at least five people were killed by Russian strikes in the central Vynnytsia region. Regional prosecutors said another 18 people were wounded.

Russia also destroyed an oil refinery in Kremenchuk in central Ukraine, along with fuel depots there, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Monday. In all, Russian warplanes destroyed 56 Ukrainian targets overnight, he said.

Phillips P. OBrien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews, said the war is, for now, settling into a campaign of incremental battlefield losses and gains.

The two sides are sort of every day weakening each other, he said. So its a question of what can you bring in thats new, but what can you destroy on the other side?

Meanwhile, a major fire erupted early Monday at an oil depot in a Russian city about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Ukrainian border, Russia's Emergencies Ministry said. No cause was given for the blaze. Photos from the scene showed a huge plume of thick smoke churning into the sky.

The oil depot in Bryansk is owned by a subsidiary of the Russian state-controlled company Transneft, which operates the Druzhba pipeline that carries crude west to other European countries. The ministry said in a statement that the huge blaze damaged a depot containing diesel fuel. It noted that the region has enough diesel for 15 days.

It wasnt clear if the depot was part of the pipeline infrastructure, but Polish pipelines operator PERN said deliveries to Poland have not been affected.

A Russian news report said that another oil storage facility in Bryansk also caught fire early Monday, and the cause wasnt immediately known.

Last month, two Ukrainian helicopter gunships hit an oil reservoir in Russias Belgorod region, which lies on the Ukrainian border, causing a fire.

In a video address Monday, Zelenskyy described his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as encouraging and, importantly, effective.

The Ukrainian leader added that they agreed on further steps to strengthen the armed forces of Ukraine and meet all the priority needs of our army. Earlier, he praised U.S. President Joe Biden for his personal support.

The three-hour meeting came Sunday, the 60th day since the start of the invasion, as Ukraine pressed the West for more powerful weapons against Russia's campaign in the Donbas, where Moscow-backed separatists controlled some territory before the war.

With Russia's shift in focus, Austin said Ukraine's military needs are changing, and Zelenskyy is now focused on more tanks, artillery and other munitions.

Asked about what the U.S. sees as success, Austin said that we want to see Ukraine remain a sovereign country, a democratic country able to protect its sovereign territory, we want to see Russia weakened to the point where it cant do things like invade Ukraine.

As Blinken and Austin left Ukraine, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was scheduled to travel to Turkey on Monday and then Moscow and Kyiv. Zelenskyy criticized Guterres for visiting Russia before Ukraine.

Blinken said he had spoken with Guterres on Friday ahead of the trip.

Our expectation is that he's going to carry a very strong and clear message to Vladimir Putin, which is the need to end this war now, he said.

In a boost for Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron comfortably won a second term Sunday over far-right challenger Marine Le Pen, who had pledged to dilute France's ties with the European Union and NATO. Le Pen had also spoken out against EU sanctions on Russian energy and had faced scrutiny during the campaign over her previous friendliness with the Kremlin.
Photo: Nebraska State Patrol

Firefighters were taking advantage of higher humidity and calmer winds Monday to work toward containing a wildfire in rural southwestern Nebraska that has killed one person, injured at least 15 firefighters and destroyed at least six homes, an official said.

Jonathan Ashford, spokesman for the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team, told The Associated Press that more than 80 firefighters, emergency management personnel and others were helping fight the fire, known as the Road 702 Fire. It had burned nearly 65 square miles in Red Willow, Furnas and Frontier counties by late Sunday.

The fire that began last week has been fueled by tinder-dry conditions and days of strong winds.

More favorable weather Monday had firefighters scrambling to dig trenches and create other breaks along the blaze's perimeter, Ashford said.

Tomorrow, we expect higher winds to return, so time is of the essence," he said.

In addition to the growing number of firefighters turning out to fight the blaze, the effort also has a couple of helicopters available to make water drops, he said.

By late Sunday, the fire had destroyed at least six homes and threatened 660 others, along with 50 commercial or farm buildings, Ashford said.

A retired Cambridge, Nebraska, fire chief who was helping as a fire spotter in Red Willow County died Friday night after his truck went off the road in a blinding haze of smoke and dust. The body of John Trumble, 66, of Arapahoe, was recovered around early Saturday.

Trumble was the second person in a month to die while fighting a wildfire in southwest Nebraska. Elwood Volunteer Fire Chief Darren Krull, 54, was killed in a collision with a water tanker on April 7 in Furnas County as smoke cut visibility to zero.

Fires have been reported in 14 Nebraska counties since Friday, including Perkins, Dundy, Burt, Butler, Scotts Bluff, Cheyenne, Duele, Blaine, Cherry, Brown and Thomas counties, leading some small towns to be temporarily evacuated. Those fires were either extinguished or mostly contained by Sunday.

In New Mexico, 20 wildfires in nearly half of the states drought-stricken 33 counties are burning, including two that merged Saturday to form the largest blaze in the state. That led to widespread evacuations in Mora and San Miguel counties.

Nebraska remains critically dry, said Ashford, who urged residents to use caution when doing anything that could spark a fire.

The last thing we need is to have another fire started that we have to then fight, he said.
Photo: Contributed Jeffrey Todd Taylor and Leanne Laura MacFarlane were shot to death on May 29, 2010, near Cranbrook.

Two men were found not guilty Monday of first-degree murder charges stemming from a shooting that killed an innocent Shuswap couple near Cranbrook in 2010.

Colin Raymond Correia and Sheldon Joseph Hunter stood trial on allegations they murdered Leanne Laura MacFarlane and Jeffrey Todd Taylor.

Emergency crews were called to a report of a shooting in a rural area just outside Cranbrook on May 29, 2010. MacFarlane was dead at the scene and Taylor died later in hospital.

The Crowns theory is that the couple was slain by mistake. At trial, prosecutors said the murderers were planning to kill a member of a rival criminal organization. MacFarlane and Taylor were shot to death inside their townhouse, which was previously occupied by the intended target, court heard.

The two victims were not involved in the drug business in any way or at any level, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Arne Silverman said in his decision, read on Monday morning in court in Vancouver.

They were tragically innocent victims in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Silverman said the evidence presented at trial  a largely circumstantial Crown case  left him with doubt as to the guilt of Correia and Hunter.

I am not satisfied that the two accused persons are innocent, he said.

However, I am also not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that they are guilty.

Silverman pointed to holes in the credibility of an important Crown witness and cellphone records that show Hunter could have been in a different location when the murders took place.

MacFarlane and Taylor had recently moved to the Cranbrook area from Salmon Arm when they were shot to death.

Silverman described the trial as long and difficult in his decision. It started with arguments in September of 2019 and concluded last December.

Correia and Hunter had been in custody since their arrests in 2018. Both men will now be released.
Photo: The Canadian Press U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Canadian Foreign Minister Melaine Joly talk after a meeting with NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Thursday, April 7, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP

Ukraine's war with Russia will be top of mind Tuesday when Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly meets by video link with her U.S. counterpart.

Joly and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will discuss the ongoing multilateral effort to push back against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Word of the meeting came shortly after Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met in person in Kyiv with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Blinken says the global effort to support Ukraine  involving more than 30 countries, including Canada  is showing "real results," which is more than can be said for Putin.

He says Russia is failing in its effort to rob Ukraine of its sovereignty.

Later this week, Defence Minister Anita Anand will be in D.C. for her own set of in-person meetings with Austin at the Pentagon.

It will be Anand's first official visit to the U.S. capital as defence minister. She'll be joined by deputy minister Bill Matthews, Communications Security Establishment Chief Shelly Bruce and Gen. Wayne Eyre, Canada's chief of defence staff.

Anand and Austin are expected to address support for Ukraine, as well as modernizing Norad. Updating the bilateral aerospace defence system has taken on new urgency given Putin's invasion.

Joly's meeting with Blinken will "reaffirm Canada-U.S. co-operation on shared security priorities," spokesperson Adrien Blanchard said in a statement.

Those include "our support to Ukraine, co-operation with NATO allies and the global impacts of Russia's invasion of Ukraine."
Photo: PCI / Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership Provincial support for rezoning of PCI Group's site at Granville and Broadway for a 39-story tower marks a shift from business as usual

Developers should expect stronger moves by senior levels of government to set housing targets for municipalities, now that housing supply  not speculation  is seen as the major barrier to meeting demand.

Were almost certain to see unprecedented provincial legislation wading back into setting housing targets for municipalities, said Jon Stovell, president and CEO of Reliance Properties Ltd., during a panel discussion at this weeks meeting of commercial real estate association NAIOP.

Housing minister David Eby hasnt ruled it out, saying legislation would build on the housing needs studies the province has funded in municipalities across the province. The studies became mandatory for local governments this year, and must be renewed every five years.

I am aware of the recent public call by the Urban Mayors of British Columbia that the province consider giving teeth to the housing targets set out in these studies, and as a result we are examining this option as a possible response to the challenges we face, Eby told Western Investor.

But he said it isnt the only option the province is considering.

In partnership with the federal government, we are also looking at a number of other initiatives aimed at increasing housing supply and improving the affordability of housing in the province, he added.

When the BC NDP was elected in 2017, it developed a budget that pledged $6.5 billion in spending over 10 years to create 114,000 units of housing.

But sceptics questioned how the province could achieve such an aggressive target, given lengthy permitting processes in many municipalities and pushback from neighbours.

To date, more than 11,000 units have been completed. A further 10,000 are under construction.

But according to Stovell, theres been a near-miraculous change in the provincial approach to housing.

One example is a letter Eby sent in support of a rezoning to allow a 39-storey tower above the planned SkyTrain station at Granville and Broadway in Vancouver.

Developed by PCI Group, the tower will have 223 rental units, with 20 per cent designated for below-market rates, in addition to 100,000 square feet of office space.

Eby implored Vancouver city council to overlook objections of area residents and allow it to proceed.

The development of mixed-use buildings such as this, which densify the approaches to rapid transit stations, is generally recognized as a best practice in urban design, as well as an optimal use of transport infrastructure, said Eby.

Earlier this month, transportation and infrastructure minister Rob Fleming tabled Bill 16 in the legislature, which will allow the BC Transportation Financing Authority to acquire land near transit stations and bus exchanges for housing development.

We will increase the level of affordable housing and services that are integrated into our significant investments in transit, Fleming said in announcing the bill.

The moves come on the heels of various taxes designed to ensure existing housing was used to house B.C. residents rather than as investments or getaways.

The BC Liberals introduced a tax on foreign buyers in 2016 and the BC NDP introduced a speculation and vacancy tax two years later that paralleled a similar measure in Vancouver.

[The province], after exploring and implementing regulations and taxes on all the least-obvious reasons for why theres a housing issue, have now finally landed on what weve told them all along, that its a massive supply issue, Stovell told NAIOP.
An employee at Family Dollar, 2101 E. 3rd St., told police that around 12:35 p.m. a man with a blue jacket, black shirt, black jeans and white shoes took several items from the business. He said the vehicle the man got into was a maroon Cadillac Escalade and the back passenger window was knocked out (TN tag). He said when the man walked out of the store, he had stuff in his pants and all he saw him carrying was a couple of containers of Clorox wipes. He said the man stole about $30 worth of items from the store. He said the man was in his late 20s or early 30s, 6'2" and about 145-150 pounds. He said there was a woman driving the vehicle, but he did not have a description of her. Video footage is not available at this time due to the lack of access by the staff of the store.

* * *

A woman told police she had just checked into her room at America's Best Inn, 7717 Lee Hwy., and she noticed suspicious activity that made her uncomfortable. She said she approached the front desk staff asking for a refund, but the refund was denied, due to policy. The woman said she would make the appropriate calls to get her money back.

* * *

A man on 13th Avenue told police someone had broken into his vehicle. He showed police video footage of the incident. At 8:15 p.m. a black male wearing a white and black jumpsuit and a black hat stole $20 cash and a check book from his vehicle (TX Tag). The man was then seen leaving behind the house in the direction of 14th Avenue. Police searched the area, but were unable to locate the man.

* * *

Police received a call about an apartment on E. 11th Street. The caller said there was someone in the apartment who needed to leave. Police knocked on the apartment's door and made contact

with a woman. The resident of the apartment said she was just fine and did not need police assistance.

* * *



A disorder was reported at an apartment on E. 11th Street. Police spoke with a man who was

involved in the disorder. He said he did not live there and was on his way out. When talking with that man, dispatch informed the officer that the caller called back and said the man causing the problem had left and they didn't need an officer anymore. Due to that information, the officer did not speak with the resident of the apartment. Police observed the man he spoke with go down to the front lobby and he said he was waiting on a Lyft driver.

* * *

A disorder was reported at a residence on Olive Street. Police spoke with a man and woman who were in a mild argumentative discussion. Both of them denied needing police and were

cooperative in providing their information. Both said they had already come to an agreement to peacefully settle the argument prior to police arrival.

* * *

While at the 7-Eleven, 3725 Jenkins Road, an officer was flagged down by a man. The man requested a ride to his vehicle across town (600 Market St.). Police were able to assist the man to his vehicle with no incident.

* * *

A woman on E. 24th Street told police her ex-boyfriend was in her home and she wanted him out,

but he wouldn't leave. Police searched the area and the home for the man, but he was not located. The woman secured and locked her doors and left for the night.

* * *

A man on N. Hickory Street told police he wanted his brother to leave the residence. However, the brother wanted the man to do the same. Police were able to locate the owner of the home. She said she wanted the brother to leave the residence. The brother left without incident.

* * *

A security guard for Patten Towers called police for a possible intoxicated person on the property. When police arrived, the man security had called about was walking away from the building. As police talked to security, they stated they would like a trespass warning issued to the man if possible. Police left Patten Towers to look for the man, but could not locate him.

* * *



Police responded to a burglar alarm at Easy Bistro & Bar, 801 Chestnut St. Police checked to see if doors were open. A door was open and no forced entry was observed. Officers cleared the building and nothing was found to be out the ordinary. Dispatch could not get hold of a key holder for the business. Police were unable to lock the business back up properly.

* * *

A man told police he was just picking up an order for his boss at Trane Supply, 4157 S. Creek Road. He said that he opened the door and noticed the alarm go off. Police verified with his boss and a woman who is in charge of the building that he was suppose to be there picking up an order for his job. The policeman and three other officers cleared the building.



* * *

A woman on S. Germantown Road told police that sometime during the night someone entered

her vehicle. She is unclear how this occurred. The thief took $25 in cash from her center console prior to leaving the area.

* * *

An intoxicated person was reported at 6025 E. Brainerd Road. Police spoke with the man, who was lying down in the parking lot of Buddy's Furnishings. Police explained to the man that he is trespassed from the property. Police spoke with the store manager, who reported the man had been harassing customers and looking into vehicles in the parking lot. The manager wished to have him trespassed. Police lawfully trespassed the man from the property, and he acknowledged.

* * *

A man on E. 28th Street told police he wanted to speak with an officer about his neighbor's dog barking. He told the officer that every time his neighbors leave, their dog howls and barks uncontrollably. The officer attempted to make contact with the man's neighbors, but no one came to the door. The officer told the man that he will need to address this issue with his landlord.
The upcoming election for the highest non-law enforcement position in Hamilton County is being contested on an almost hourly basis in the news media and television by the three leading Republication candidates to replace County Mayor Jim Coppinger.



The first County Executive was Dalton Roberts who rose from a county employee position to become the first individual with that title.



Dalton brought unique talents to Hamilton County Government. He not only was a talented politician in the then dominant Democrat county, but he was also a skilled song writer and musician in the classic country music field.



Prior to the advent of modern cable television, political campaigns were less costly, and the campaign cycle would normally be pretty low key until the last 30 days when the perennial letters of support would start to show up in the two competing daily newspapers, the Chattanooga Times (Democrat) and Chattanooga Free Press (Republican.)



One unwritten rule that is now being continuously broken was that one politician did not get involved publicly in another race other than their own. The usual tactics of being on the ticket in the alleged controlled wards were less visible but not necessarily less costly for those times.



The competition and influence between the two newspapers and their support was eagerly sought by all candidates.



When the election day marked sample ballot came out in the press the day before the elections many voters could be seen carrying a copy of the editorial preferences of their favorite newspaper into the voting precinct.



A familiar participant in local politics was Dalton Roberts, the son of a Methodist minister born on August 19, 1933, in Decatur, Alabama, but who was raised in the rural Highway 58 area. He attended Tyner High School and later Kirkman Technical School, Trevecca College and the University of Tennessee where he earned a masters degree in special education.



He would eventually go to work for County Judge Don Moore who fired him in 1977. Dalton went to court to get his job back, won the case, and then resigned his former employment position after serving only one day back on the job.



When the Tennessee Constitutional Convention of 1978 enacted the new executive-commission form of government he ran for Hamilton County executive, won against the Republican candidate, and would be re-elected three times before deciding to end his political career.



His 18 years of public service was described by Pam Sohn of the Chattanooga Times as before, during and after those years of public service, he was musician, writer, philosopher, popular after-dinner and lunch speaker, self-described hell-raiser and consummate storyteller who could inspire us, lecture us, make us laugh, make us cry and summon the best of us no matter what the circumstances of the day.



He was the forerunner and original thinker on several successful and unsuccessful projects in Hamilton County during his terms of office until he retired in 1994.



The big disappointment during his career at the courthouse was his support to secure the passage of legislation to create Metro government which he believed would lead to the reduction of expensive duplication of necessary services in the nine created independent municipalities in Hamilton County.



Although other politicians got much of the credit, he was instrumental in laying the foundations for future growth with four industrial parks, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Trade Center, and early steps towards acquiring the former Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant (now Volkswagen assembly plant site.)



His contentions that consolidated government of schools, sewer services , the Tennessee Aquarium, and the Riverpark were too futuristic but now are touches of reality in our community.

Dalton fought many political battles. In 1981 he told an assembly of high school students, If you want to do anything, somebody is going to make fun of you.



A student of history, that statement may also be an adaptation of one of Winston Churchills famous quotes that You have enemies? Good, that means youve stood up for something, some time in your life.



This would be a consistent theme of his to be who you are, live your life, and dont worry about what others think.



He would continue to use his song writing and musical talents in his political campaigns. His re-election stops would not only include all of the customary venues, but he would also solicit votes in many of the honky-tonks and roadhouses throughout the county with the request that if they liked his music and jokes to please vote for him on Election Day.



In 1982 he wrote Things That Really Matter  The Wit and Philosophy of Dalton Roberts.

It was a compilation of 52 articles about interesting people and events that had occurred in his life before that time span



The coincidence that it was released during that years election may have just been incidental planning?



Although his original intention was to sell the book at a set price to raise funds for his re-election campaign, he abandoned that expressed goal upon the advice of his then wife.



However, he did express political wisdom by altering his message to prospective readers by stating, So I am giving a copy of the book to anyone who contributes anything to my campaign...and to those who cant contribute but want to read it. (Same message different approach.)



Through his songwriting career he allegedly wrote hundreds of country songs including The Lights of Chattanooga and many gospel songs.



(It is unknown as to whether the present Hamilton County mayoral candidates have any musical talents that are outside the scope of this article?)



On Dec. 9, 2015, Dalton Roberts would die leaving many friends and contacts throughout the community.

* * *

Jerry Summers

(If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com)
How many books have you read more than once? It may seem bold to ask this question, since reading books is becoming a thing of the past for many people. What with all the channels on cable TV, the Internet, video games, text messaging and other distractions, who has time to read, right?

But for those who still enjoy the feel of a tangible book, the rustle of pages turning, the smell of paper and ink, and the adventure of discovering what the author has packed inside the book, I ask again: How many books have you read more than once? (Comic books dont count.)

Personally, Ive enjoyed reading a few classic novels a second or even third time. Ive re-read George Orwells 1984 several times because his cautionary, dystopian tale appears to be unfolding right before our eyes, in real time. There are several books by Christian authors Ive revisited, seeking to draw from their wells of wisdom again.

Theres one book, however, that I have read cover to cover well over a dozen times. Perhaps you can guess what it is: the Bible. If I were to begin using adjectives to describe what the Bible  the Word of God  has meant for me over the years, Id have to consult a thesaurus to cover all the bases. Words like amazing, incredible, and life-changing cant begin to capture the impact of the Scriptures.

Why have I read it so much? Not because I expect any divine pats on the back or extra credit. Its just that as Ive read through the Bible year after year, Ive found it kind of like peeling an onion  remove one layer and discover theres another layer right below it, then another, and another. Im convinced that an entire lifetime of reading through the Scriptures could barely begin to capture its vast treasures.

There are many reasons for this. Its length is one. One Bible I regularly use for reference has nearly 1,550 pages of purely biblical text  no footnotes, and not including the compilers introduction, table of contents, foreword, and index. Since it consists of 39 Old Testament books and 27 in the New Testament, written by dozens of different authors, theres a lot to read from a variety of perspectives.

In the Bible we find narratives, history, poetry, letters, personal accounts, and other forms of writing, all pointing to one central theme: Jesus Christ and Gods plan for the redemption of His creation, most notably, humankind. Thats a lot to absorb.

But theres another reason why the Scriptures are so compelling, so intriguing that they can be read again and again and again without ever seeming stale. The secret, I believe, is found in Hebrews 4:12, For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judged the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

The best novel, or a classic book that has endured centuries, might be fun to read again, but it will always say the same things. The Bible, however, has the uncanny capacity to speak to us differently each time we read it. That is, God through His Word can speak to us differently every time. This is because as we continue in our journey through life, we encounter the Scriptures in new ways, depending on what were experiencing and how weve changed.

An old friend, an agnostic, once told me that he regarded the Bible as a primer, something you read once, and then you move on to something more sophisticated. No offense intended, but I think that might be one of the most ridiculous things anyone has ever said. Because nothing is more comprehensive, profound, penetrating, and timeless as the Word of God. Its principles, principles and truths have transcended the ages and will continue doing so until Christs promised return.

At the same time, I have no problem acknowledging the Bible doesnt tell us all there is to know about God. How could it? But it does tell us all we need to know about God.

I like how 2 Peter 1:3-4 expresses it: His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption of the world caused by evil desires.

Back in 1966, a movie came out called Alfie, starring Michael Caine. Its theme song asked, Whats it all about? This is a question that resonates with millions of people to this day. We ask things such as, Who am I? Why am I here? Whats my purpose in life? Where do I find meaning? The Scriptures, I can say without any reservation, answer each of these questions  and many more  if were only willing to give them an honest, open-minded look.

In the longest of the Psalms, the writer asks and then answers, How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against You (Psalm 119:9-11).

We live in a world that seems spinning out of control. I believe its primarily because weve turned our backs on our Creator, the One who has laid out for us in His Word how we should live. As the King James Version puts it, Where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18). Another translation says it a bit differently  Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint. But then the verse ends, but happy is he who keeps [Gods] law.

As wondrous as the Bible is, the divinely inspired Word of God, its barely the tip of the proverbial iceberg about all that is possible to know about Him. But it definitely tells us all we need to know about Him.

* * *

Robert J. Tamasy is a veteran journalist, former newspaper editor and magazine editor. Bob has written, co-authored and edited more than 15 books. These include the newly published, Marketplace Ambassadors; Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Todays Workplace; Tufting Legacies, The Heart of Mentoring, and Pursuing Life With a Shepherds Heart. A weekly business meditation he edits, Monday Manna, is translated into more than 20 languages and sent via email around the world by CBMC International. The address for his blog is www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com. His email address is btamasy@comcast.net.
Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly will give the opening remarks for Project Voice 2022, an event for voice tech and conversational AI in America. These opening remarks are scheduled at the Chattanooga Convention Center.





These remarks will be transcribed in real-time by Deepgram, a speech recognition startup, and then those transcripted words will be analyzed by Cyrano.ai, a conversational AI startup whose technology will produce insights related to Kelly's personality and preferred communication style.





"Tim Kelly is among the first, if not the very first, mayor of a major United States city to agree to be analyzed by the same AI that is helping contact centers, sales teams, and various other organizations across the country communicate better with each other," said Bradley Metrock, CEO of Project Voice and general partner of Project Voice Capital Partners.





"We look forward to seeing the results, and learning more about Chattanooga's mayor, when these findings are presented from the Project Voice stage."





The conference has been capped this year at 750 attendees, with many traveling to Chattanooga from around the world. Project Voice 2022 features speakers from Amazon, Verizon, National Geographic, Truist, Lenovo, the Washington Post, the Open Voice Network, NVIDIA, AWS, and many more major organizations discussing voice technology and the underlying conversational AI that powers it.The conference has been capped this year at 750 attendees, with many traveling to Chattanooga from around the world.





The conference is the namesake event for Project Voice, an organization which accelerates adoption of voice/AI through a combination of content, community, and consulting. Bradley Metrock, CEO of Project Voice, is also general partner of a $20M venture capital fund investing in early stage voice/AI companies, called Project Voice Capital Partners.
The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee welcomed Rachel Ralston Mancl as a newly appointed United States Bankruptcy Judge to the district. District Judge Clifton L. Corker administered the oath of office to Judge Mancl in a private ceremony on Monday.

Judge Mancl will serve as the primary judge for the Greeneville Division. She succeeds Chief Judge Rucker who has been the acting bankruptcy judge in Greeneville since former Chief Bankruptcy Judge Marcia Phillips Parsons retired in September 2020.



Prior to her appointment, Bankruptcy Judge Mancl spent her legal career in private practice with the law firm of Hunter, Smith & Davis, LLP with offices in Johnson City and Kingsport. Prior to joining the firm, Judge Mancl served as a law clerk for Judge Parsons. She earned her Doctor of Jurisprudence and Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee and is a member of the bars of both Tennessee and North Carolina. Judge Mancl is a former President of the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, a former member of the Board of Governors for the Tennessee Bar Association, and a former President of the Kingsport Bar Association. She has received several Access to Justice awards for extraordinary pro bono service.



Bankruptcy judges are appointed to their positions by the United States Circuit Courts of Appeals following a merit selection process. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued Judge Mancls appointment on April 11, 2022. The district court has delegated the decision-making power over cases arising under, in or related to the Bankruptcy Code. The bankruptcy judge is the judicial officer who decides any matter connected with a bankruptcy case, such as eligibility to file or whether a debtor should receive a discharge of debts.



Bankruptcy Judge Mancl is the fourth bankruptcy judge currently sitting in the Eastern District. She joins Chief Bankruptcy Judge Rucker and Judge Nicholas W. Whittenburg in Chattanooga and Bankruptcy Judge Suzanne H. Bauknight in Knoxville. Judge Whittenburg also hears the cases in the Winchester Division of the district.

A public investiture will take place in the coming months and details will be announced

on the courts website.
The Tennessee Department of Treasurys Criminal Injuries Compensation Program has paid more than $344 million to victims over the past 40 years since the programs inception in 1982.



During that time, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Program has served tens of thousands of innocent victims of violent crimes who had no other means of helping to defray the costs of eligible expenses, officials said.



This month, the Tennessee Treasury is joining organizations across the country, April 24-30, in recognizing National Crime Victims Rights Week to "raise awareness of victims rights, inspire the community and address unmet needs."



In observation of the week, State Treasurer David H. Lillard, Jr. wants to increase awareness to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund, which could cover expenses caused by personal injury due to a violent crime, such as medical bills, lost wages, loss of support to financial dependents, mental health counseling and more.



Money in the fund can even help with expenses incurred while cleaning the scene of the crime, if it occurred in a victims home. If the crime results in the death of the victim, the fund can assist remaining dependents with some financial support and can help cover funeral expenses.

The Fund does not cover certain ineligible expenses, such as rent or utility bills, travel to doctor appointments, costs from identity theft or fraud, personal property or any public or private source, including insurance or donations. The money in the fund comes from fines, penalties and fees paid by criminals to state and federal courts.



The theme for the 2022 National Crime Victims Rights Week, Rights, access, equity, for all victims, spotlights victim service organizations best practices to reach all victims and help them forge new healing pathways.

"National Crime Victims Rights Week is a time to honor both the individual victims in our community and the groups engaged in building networks of understanding and support," officials said. "About 1.6 million people were victims of violent crime in 2020, excluding simple assault, a significant decrease from the year before, according to the most recent National Crime Victimization Survey from the Bureau of Justice Statistics."



This is a fund of last resort, Treasurer Lillard said. One would hope to never be a victim, but we all know bad things do happen. When you have no other means, please know there may be help with this program, as evidenced by the millions of dollars paid out of this fund to victims over the past four decades.
Voters in Hamilton County need to understand how important the race for district attorney is. Coty Wamp proudly proclaims that she "backs the blue." Well, I'm a Republican. I have 13 years experience as a police dispatcher and a communications supervisor. I doubt there is anyone who appreciates, supports and respects our law enforcement more than I do. But on rare occasions where an officer gets out of line, who is going to hold that officer accountable? Coty Wamp?

She says she "backs the blue" all the way. It's on all of her signs and she says it often. She said she will get rid of the "excessive force hotline" set up by current district attorney Neal Pinkston. Do you want to know why Pinkston set up that hotline. Get on YouTube and search for "Hamilton County deputies clubbing Reginald Arrington." I haven't seen Pinkston advertise that hotline since that happened, but it needs to remain in place.



Then there's another famous county deputy. He has many, many cases pending in court, so I won't mention his name. But, you can find the videos if you get on YouTube and search for "Deputy Baptizes Woman." It certainly put Hamilton County on the map (nationwide), but not in a good way. Sheriff Hammond apparently did not like Pinkston for bringing these embarrassing incidents to the public's attention. During the investigation that followed, Pinkston charged that Hammond and his staff were intentionally making it difficult to obtain the videos. Hammond told a local TV station that he and Pinkston "were at war." Later, Hammond announced that his servers had a malfunction that resulted in a catastrophic loss of dash cam footage and other video evidence. You can Google all of this.



Hammond is so irritated with Pinkston that he hired former Congressman Zach Wamp's daughter, Coty, to be his department's "legal counsel." Fast forward several months and she decides to run for Pinkston's job. What are the odds? Hammond and Coty Wamp apparently see eye-to-eye on law enforcement issues. On a recent podcast with Jeff Styles called "Chattanooga Drive-In Show," Coty Wamp comes to the "baptism" deputy's defense. Seriously. Look it up.



Coty Wamp brags that she has the endorsement of two police unions. Endorsements have never mattered to me, but did you know that both unions endorsed her, knowing that she is under an active investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) for possibly interfering with an investigation of a shooting in Soddy Daisy? You can Google that one too. You would think police unions would want to know if the TBI found anything wrong with Coty's actions in that case before endorsing her, right? Nope. They want a powerful ally in the DA's office.



This is an excerpt from an interview while Ms. Wamp was a Hamilton County public defender:

"Ive always been drawn to people who dont have a voice but need one, she says. She held on to this aspiration through her years at the UT College of Law. Upon graduating, she was certain of one thing: she didnt want to prosecute. "Im defense-minded to the core, she sids. Some of the attorneys in this office have prosecuted, but Im not one who could easily jump over. I love the underdog. Id rather advocate for someone than be the person whos sending them to prison.



It goes without saying that the District Attorney is a prosecutor. Therefore, the last person you want is someone who is "defense-minded to the core". Not only does Ms. Wamp not have a heart to prosecute but she has no experience.



Neal Pinkston has been a very successful district attorney for Hamilton County, and in so doing, he has made some powerful enemies. Let's not forget Commissioner Tim Boyd, who has attacked Pinkston for two years. You know why? Because Pinkston prosecuted Boyd for extortion in an East Ridge election scandal. Boyd got off with a hung jury, and has attacked Pinkston ever since, just like Hammond. Of course, the media is always there when Boyd spouts off an attack. It's an easy soundbite, and it's also lazy journalism.



We need Neal Pinkston to keep law and order, for everyone. He and his staff are big supporters of law enforcement. More importantly, they are for truth and justice for everyone. He and his staff back the blue too and they work with police officers on a daily basis. But if another officer goes rogue, you want Neal Pinkston, not Coty Wamp, as district attorney for the next eight years. She will set this county back 30 years in race relations.



Please vote for Neal Pinkston for District Attorney in the May 3rd Republican Primary.

Vicki Suttle

Soddy Daisy
The Eviction Prevention Initiative, a collaborative effort involving the City of Chattanooga, Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, Legal Aid of East Tennessee and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area, released its second quarterly report of 2022, detailing many of the initiative's achievements in the past few months.



EPI provides legal representation to households that are facing eviction proceedings and supports them with additional services to stabilize their financial situation long-term. The program is funded by a portion of the City of Chattanoogas American Rescue Plan Act allocation, as well as additional funds from the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga and Footprint Foundation.



Officials said, "Between June 2020 and March 2022, the EPI has helped 212 households, representing 464 individuals, avoid eviction. This includes 252 children who may have lost their homes had it not been for EPIs intervention.



"Notably, this population was economically vulnerable prior to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Seventy-three percent of clients had their income negatively impacted by COVID-19. Sixty-four percent of EPI clients were housing cost-burdened before their income loss, meaning that they were paying more than 30 percent of their annual household income on housing. Thirty-three percent of clients were severely housing cost-burdened before their income loss, spending 50 percent or more of their income on housing.



"EPI data suggests that these hardships were falling hardest on households of color: while 19 percent of Hamilton Countys population is black, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Census, black individuals account for 64 percent of EPIs clients. Research from Oxfam and others make it clear that people of color, particularly women, have been over-represented in hourly wage positions for years, making them uniquely vulnerable to the pandemics economic shocks.



"Data from EPI also indicates a strong return on investment for access to legal counsel for tenants facing eviction. When an unrepresented Hamilton County tenant faces eviction and negotiates with their landlord or their landlords attorney in court, they receive a money judgment eviction against them 71 percent of the time. However, when a represented Hamilton County tenant faces eviction and their attorney negotiates with the opposing party, they receive a money judgment eviction against them only 12 percent of the time.



"Moreover, unrepresented tenants receive default judgments against them in 63 percent of cases, meaning they receive an automatic judgment against them in court for not being present.



"The program is a win for local landlords as well; through EPIs efforts, $369,567 in rent relief funds from the Tennessee Housing Development Agency have been distributed directly to EPI households since March 2021."



EPI plays a critical role in addressing our communitys homelessness issue and putting families on a path to housing security, said Maeghan Jones, president & CEO of the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga. This program works humanely with families facing eviction, honestly and fairly with landlords who are entitled to rent and collaboratively with numerous partners who are invested in its success.



Chattanooga has a dynamic and growing real estate market that raises questions of housing access and stability for many, many families, says Alexa LeBoeuf of Cosette Consulting, EPIs project manager. The EPI program works alongside our legal system to create better outcomes for all. As we have seen from the most recent Point in Time Count from the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition the number of people experiencing homelessness in Hamilton County has increased by 177 percent since 2021. The time to act is now. More substantive policy changes that are needed at local, state and federal levels to keep families securely housed.



Tenants or landlords requesting EPIs assistance should visit Rent423.com.
The Hamilton County Board of Education has officially approved the charter for ChattAcademy Community School, a sixth through 12th grade school that will have a two-way immersion bilingual model for Spanish and English. This model will make ChattAcademy the only tuition free, public school in East Tennessee offering a bilingual model, and it will provide a new option for families in Hamilton County.The school also plans to utilize a problem and place-based curriculum supplemented by a critical service-learning and character development program.The school will open in August of 2023 by welcoming in sixth and seventh grade students, with plans to add a new grade level each year after that until fully grown, with a graduating class in the spring of 2029.Lead Founder and Executive Director Nolan McDaniel is an East Tennessee native and the son of an over three-decade Tennessee public school teacher and principal.On his inspiration to found a new school, he says, I often joke with people that my siblings and I spent more time in a school building growing up than we did at home because of my parents work. We were raised on the power of community, so it has been a dream come true to design ChattAcademy alongside the community. Our model was completely grassroots in nature, and we were committed from the start to listen to families, parents, students and community members on what new option they were looking for in a school.The ChattAcademy Founding Team consists of Board Chair Bill Rush, the executive director of Metropolitan Ministries; Katrina Chesney, the lead recruiter at TVFCU; Eduardo Rosano, the CFO at the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults; Dr. Lynn Purkey, the associate department head of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; and Elijah Anderson Barrera, an instructor of Spanish and English as a foreign language at The Baylor School. The team is looking to actively grow in the coming months.Mr. McDaniel is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law and Teachers College at Columbia University. On his personal connection to their design, he says, My two little brothers are both native Spanish speakers; one is Guatemalan-American and the other is Mexican-American. To design a school that would have specifically celebrated their immense assets as bilingual learners is above and beyond what I ever dreamed of doing."One goal of the school is to graduate 100 percent of their students with the Tennessee Seal of Biliteracy, regardless of which language is a students native language," officials said. "The goal would be to have a student body that is 50 percent native Spanish speakers and 50 percent native English speakers to foster an environment where both groups are learning from one another on their way to true bilingualism and biliteracy."For more information and ways to get involved, visit the school website at chattacademy.org. The school can also be found on Instagram as chatt_academy and is also on Facebook.
Lt. Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) said there are "many blatant untruths circulating regarding the ethics reform bill Speaker Sexton and I have introduced. "

He said, "The bill in question does not censor or otherwise curtail conservative activism or free speech in any way. Anything conservative groups can do now, they can still do under this bill.

The legislation does not restrict their activity at all. The only additional requirement is disclosure.

"Openness and transparency in the political process are prerequisites for freedom. For too long liberals, big corporations and corrupt political actors have been allowed to exploit loopholes in our system and operate in darkness.

"The original Senate version, as well as the current House version, does not affect donors at all, just expenditures. It is simply a lie to say otherwise.

"This bill is aimed at bad actors like the fictitious Matthew Phoenix and the various shell companies and shadowy PACs used by certain legislators to line their own pockets.

"It is amazing that various seemingly legitimate groups are resorting to such disingenuous tactics to oppose it. Is it because they are spending so much that Tennesseans would be appalled if they knew? Or is it that they spend so little that they fear they would be exposed as political grifters working to enrich only themselves?

"If you are working to influence the outcome of an election, the voters deserve to know who you are and what you are doing. What could possibly be wrong with that? The fact this is even in question demonstrates the need for the legislation.
Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III and District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine on Monday led a bipartisan coalition of 53 attorneys general urging Congress to pass The Public Safety Officer Support Act of 2022. The legislation addresses gaps in support for public safety officers who become disabled by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or lose their lives to trauma-linked suicide. U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the legislation.

In the letter, the attorneys general praise the work of public safety officers including police, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians who respond to stressful and potentially traumatic situations. Compared to the general public, they are 25.6 times more likely to develop PTSD and research shows those suffering from PTSD are at increased risk of suicide.

Those who serve and protect us by putting their own lives at risk deserve to know help is available, said Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III. This legislation will provide essential support for officers and their families suffering from trauma experienced in the line of duty.

Every day our first responders work to keep our communities safe, said General Racine. They risk their physical and mental health to protect District residents in often difficult, dangerous, and stressful situations. But tragically, many struggle to access mental health care, and the families of those who die by suicide are deprived of benefits. Now, our strong bipartisan coalition of attorneys general across the country is urging Congress to quickly pass Senator Duckworths and Senator Cornyns critical legislation and take care of those who take care of us.

"Much like our troops who have served in combat, members of our law enforcement community also carry with them invisible wounds inflicted by traumatic incidents experienced in the line of duty," said Senator Cornyn. "That's why it's critical these men and women have easy access to mental health resources and families of officers who have died by suicide receive the benefits they are entitled to. This important bill will offer both support as well as closure to those who need it, and I'm proud to join Sen. Duckworth in introducing this legislation."

Its a tragedy that the families of the police officers and first responders who died by suicide after putting their own safety on the line to keep us safe are struggling to get their loved ones deaths to be recognized as deaths in the line of duty, said Senator Duckworth. Thats why I introduced my bipartisan legislation that would provide so many grieving families with the acknowledgement and support they need after their tragic losses. Im proud and honored that more than 50 state and territorial Attorneys Generalboth Democrats and Republicanshave co-signed a letter of support for my bill and Im hopeful their voices can help convince my colleagues that this should pass quickly.

This legislation is also endorsed by the American Psychological Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, National Association of Police Organizations, Sergeants benevolent Association, National Sheriffs Association, Blue H.E.L.P, the National Border Patrol Council, and the United States Capitol Police Labor Committee.

To read the letter, click here.
The Hamilton County District Attorneys Office received a letter on Monday from Chattanooga Clergy for Justice, asking for the DA's assistance in requesting that the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigate what they believe is an excessive use of force during a traffic stop by a Collegedale Police Officer.

The group is also asking for an investigation by the DOJ into allegations of multiple crimes being committed at the Silverdale Detention Center, which is operated by the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office.

Since the first of the year, there have been three rapes inside Silverdale, as well as a stabbing, an alleged severe beating, and reports of multiple drug overdoses.

Right now, it appears that Silverdale is one of the most dangerous places to be in our county, and that is unacceptable said General Pinkston. Individuals at Silverdale have the right to be protected and that right should be taken very seriously by every member of our justice system. Therefore, I will formally request that the DOJ investigate the conditions and operation of Silverdale.

General Pinkston added that in light of the concerns expressed by the Chattanooga Clergy for Justice, he is withdrawing his request for the sheriffs office to investigate the traffic stop in Collegedale and instead ask the DOJ to investigate that incident as well. Specifically, the request will be sent to the DOJs Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C., as well as to the acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Here is the letter from Chattanooga Clergy for Justice:

District Attorney Neal Pinkston,



The Chattanooga Clergy for Justice asks for your assistance in requesting that the U.S.

Department of Justice, rather than the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office (HSCO), handle the

investigation into the Collegedale Police Officers use of excessive force against Delane Gordon

by a Collegedale Police Officer.



We have previously documented 19 instances of abuse by Hamilton County Sheriff's deputies

since Sheriff Hammonds election in 2008. One deputy identified by the Clergy was fired but

many others remain on the streets. In addition, based on a review of HCSO current use of force

policies and Coty Wamps biased public statements in support of law enforcement, we feel that

the HCSO cannot complete an unbiased investigation of the incident.



We also ask for your assistance in requesting that the U.S. Department of Justice investigate

patterns of practice at Silverdale Detention Center.



In June of 2021, we submitted a formal request to the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate

a pattern and practice of misconduct by the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office. Included in the

report was a request that the U.S. Department of Justice look into Conditions in the Silverdale

Detention Center, which is under the control of the HCSO, have led to deaths and reports of

severe neglect, abuse, and excessive use of force. On April 18, 2022, three former detainees

filed a lawsuit claiming that they were forced to participate in a known initiation practice in which

new detainees are stabbed. The former detainees attorney, Derek Jordan, cited that



(Hammond and county leaders) knew of the levels of violence at the facility, but nevertheless,

continued to operate the facility with minimal adjustments. We feel that it is appropriate for the

U.S. Department of Justice to step in and investigate.



Respectfully,

Chattanooga Clergy for Justice
Thousands of years ago, Native Americans, wild animals and later,early white settlers traveled along the Natchez Trace, on what is now Vaughn Road in Williamson County.

Around the corner lies Sneed Road, where Native Americans once settled alongside the Harpeth River, building their villages and homes on higher plains to avoid flooding, and burying their dead in stone-lined graves among their towns.



Today, Sneed Road is home to mansions and a property belonging to the late Alice Hooker, a well known civic figure in the Nashville area. Before she died in 2019, Hooker placed the property189 acres of tree-lined hillside along the Harpeth riverin a restrictive covenant to discourage high-density development.

A year later, her children, including Lisa Hooker Campbell, removed the covenant and submitted an application to the Williamson County Planning Commission to develop the property into 128 residential lots. That decision has attracted controversy among conservation groups who criticize the family for reversing Hookers efforts to preserve the historical area.

I thank Lisa Hooker Campbell for forcing me to find things that were going to help me push back on these one-acre monster mansions, in what I knew in my heart was Natchez Trace, said Laura Turner, a spokesperson for Citizens for Old Natchez Trace.

Turner also accused the Hooker children of using the pandemic to covertly cover some nationally recognized historic land with intense residential density, in a letter to the editor for the Williamson Herald.

But an attorney representing Campbell denied the accusations. James Weaver, an attorney with Waller Law, said Campbell was an executor of her mothers will and was obligated by law to generate the highest value for her mothers property for the beneficiaries: The Hooker children and grandchildren.

And thats in the will of the nice lady that everyone says is spinning in her grave, said Weaver. It is mean, unfair and just plain common for people to accuse the executor of doing things that are against her mothers wishes. They simply dont know what theyre talking about and I hope that they never have to experience people saying that in the media about their relationship with their mother.

In March 2020, the Williamson County Commission approved new zoning regulations in an effort to prevent high-density growth in parts of Williamson County that lack infrastructure to support a growing population.

After the new zoning plan was adopted, the Hooker children moved to undo the restrictive covenant, which required all three children to sign.

By July 2020, the restrictive covenant was removed, and Campbell then submitted a development proposal to the planning commission in August to build 128 residential lots on 189 acres of hillside and floodplain along the Harpeth River.

Despite submitting the application months after the new zoning laws were adopted, Campbell requested that her proposal fall under the countys old zoning laws, which allowed for more residential development.

After learning of the proposal, the Harpeth Conservancy Board President Dorie Bolze wrote a letter to the planning commission in December 2020 and urged the commission to deny the Hooker proposal, arguing that the developers failed to conduct sufficient studies on how development would affect the countys waterways and that the applications late submission made it ineligible under the new zoning laws.

The applicant was fully aware the application was incomplete and chose to defer from the November (planning commission) meeting. The applicants inability to meet the known tight timeline to secure a complete application before the new zoning ordinance went into effect on November ninth is not something the planning commission needs to accommodate nor can it approve, wrote Bolze.

The planning commission approved Campbells proposal for a smaller subdivision but denied the application for the much larger property on Sneed Road, leading Campbell to file a lawsuit challenging the commissions decision.

According to the Williamson County planning director, Mike Matteson, the commission cannot comment on the pending litigation but has yet to receive another application from Campbell. If the Hooker property were to be offered again for development, the county would consider its historical and archeological features.

Since then, conservationist groups have sought to have the land permanently preserved. In February 2022, Citizens for Old Natchez Trace received an environmental study of the land surrounding the Hooker property, finding that the land is home to archaeological remnants and wildlife supported by the Harpeth river, including a bald eagle.

Archeologists have long known there were still indegenous artifacts in the area since 1878, when archeologists with Harvards Peabody Museum opened a total of 197 graves. Then in 1979, when homes were first being built, construction crews uncovered additional stone-box graves and were forced to stop construction until the state could investigate. In the following decades, development often led to crews disturbing human remains, and each time, property owners relocated the remains or paved over them, in accordance with state law.

Today, million-dollar homes sit upon where these villages once stood, with no markers to indicate Native Americans were once there. Only the Harpeth River remains and a mound an ancient remnant of the village sits across the street, overlooking the homes along the river.

The group, along with indegenous-rights group Justice for All Tribes, argue that development could endanger the wildlife living among the Harpeth river and destroy archaeological remnants of the Native Americans that once inhabited the area.

The fact that the mother wanted to preserve this and the kids didnt is another part of this story, said Nick Fielder, former state archeologist. People like money better than scenic preservation.

Although the Hooker property is not listed in state records, Fielder has reason to believe the area has undiscovered artifacts.

According to Weaver, surveyors have searched the land and found no evidence of archeological artifacts.

There are no prehistoric, cultural resources on the Hooker farm, according to our consultants, and the relevant regulatory agencies, he said.

And opposing sides have argued about Hookers motive in placing the priceless land into a restrictive covenant.

As a conservationist, Hooker received the Land Conservation award for Williamson County for her numerous contributions and spent much of her life contributing to some of Middle Tennessees most notable charitable organizations, including the Nashville Symphony, United Way, Cheekwood, the Iroquois Steeplechase and the Harpeth Conservancy.

Campbell formerly served as a member of the Harpeth Conservancy before stepping down, and filed suit in 2007 alongside her mother against developers for alleged damages to the propertys waterways.

But Hooker made no public comment about whether she wanted the property preserved, and her restrictive covenant conflicted with a deed naming her daughter the executor of the estate, a deed that Campbell is legally obligated to uphold, according to Weaver.

Although he has no knowledge of the restrictive covenant, the land isnt in one now, he said.

Turner argued that Hookers known record of conservatism proved that the land should remain free from development.

Alice Hooker, who was very well known in the land-conservation circuit in Williamson County, when they bought this land decades ago . . . she obviously hoped her children wouldnt develop it, she said.

And although no evidence of archeological artifacts exists, the surrounding neighbors who built their homes throughout the 1980s built their homes above known Native American villages. One neighbor was asked to move his planned development away from a mound complex. The neighbor agreed and moved several yards away, allowing the mound to serve as the only visible marker of an ancient civilization that built their homes above the floodplains of the Harpeth River.

The only known inhabitant is a bald eagle that has been sighted somewhere among the plains of the Hooker farm.
1883 cast Isabel May in the pivotal role of Elsa Dutton. Elsa is not some pretty ingenue. She experiences the turmoil of the American west with her family. May says she gets genuinely dirty filming 1883, but she likes the way the dirt makes her face look.

Isabel May | Emerson Miller/Paramount+

May was a guest on The Hollywood Reporters Awards Chatter podcast on April 14. During an in-depth discussion about her role on 1883, May addressed the issue of makeup and dirt. These are the ways in which May feels a dirty face improves her face on camera.

1883 makes Isabel May dirty

The Duttons are traveling by wagon from Tennessee to Montana. 1883 films in various locations in Texas and Montana. The wilderness is still as rough as it was 140 years ago. Theres no Hollywood luxury when filming outdoors on location.

Its just dirt, May said on Awards Chatter. Its just a lot of dirt. Remarkably enough, it almost kind of makes you look good a little bit. I dont know if I look good on it. Trust me, there were haggardy moments.

RELATED: 1883: Isabel May Based Elsa Duttons Voice on a Philip Seymour Hoffman Movie

At 21, May has been ready to outgrow teenager roles for some time. She previously appeared on Young Sheldon and the Netflix show Alexa & Katie. Next, shell play one of the Wonder Twins. For now, May will take the rugged 1883 look.

But I was kind of like, you know what? May continued. This is giving me a bit of contour. My cheeks are going down a little bit, thats nice. I dont look like Im 13 years old.

Isabel May neglected 1 aspect of the 1883 look

On the journey to Montana, the characters of 1883 are exposed to the harsh elements, including the brutal sun. However, filming in Montana was very cold. May could not bring herself to be outside in the sun any longer than necessary. So Elsa is perhaps not as tanned as she would be in a 19th-century wagon train.

RELATED: 1883: Isabel May Calls Her First Sex Scene Fun

I really tried to get as tan as I could at the beginning, May said. I was supposed to get increasingly darker because theyre in those conditions. You think Im going to sit and tan in Montana weather? Yeah, I was pale as a blank wall. So there were some inconsistencies but what are you going to do?

Friends dont believe shes not wearing makeup

May said some of her friends still give her grief for her 1883 look. She tells them shes not wearing makeup, but they dont believe her. Elsa wouldnt be dolling herself up for the journey anyway. Fortunately, May keeps this all private.

Its funny because someone said, Yes, you are to me, May said. These are all friends. I dont look at social media or anything. I cant look at the comments, it terrifies me.

RELATED: 1883: Sam Elliott Has 1 Frustration Taylor Sheridan Never Fixed
90 Day Fiance Season 9 gave fans more information on a few of the couples in the latest episode, including Kara and Guillermo. While many fans believe Kara and Guillermo are one of the most believable couples on the show, others think Kara might be a bit of a Karen.

Kara | TLC

90 Day Fiance couple Kara and Guillermo prepared for issues with immigration due to Guillermos expired passport

In the premiere episode of 90 Day Fiance, audiences learned Guillermos passport had previously expired. If she flew to the Dominican Republic, Kara believed she could help if any issues arose with immigration officers.

Ive just arrived in the Dominican Republic to pick up Guillermo and bring him back to the United States. Im definitely a little bit worried that going through the airport there could be some troubles with his expired passport, with the visa. This is a huge moment weve both been waiting for, and I want to be there, Kara told 90 Day Fiance producers.

When the couple boarded the plane, Kara said she felt like their flight gave them time to breathe but also noted that she knew an intense immigration situation waited for them when they arrived in America.

Relationships are all about compromise! Will Kara and Guillermo have to alter their lifestyles? #90DayFiance pic.twitter.com/YAX1voBwUO  90DayFiance (@90DayFiance) April 19, 2022

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance Fans Are Appalled That Emily Doesnt Let Kobe See His Son Right Away

Karas description of what happened on the plane gave fans the impression she acted like a Karen

90 Day Fiance couple Kara and Guillermo learned the plane seated them in different rows. Kara didnt want to spend the flight away from Guillermo.

In a video Kara filmed herself, she said, Originally we were seated apart from each other, and I kind of had a breakdown about it. But thats ok because we found seats across the aisle and now I feel better.

Fans immediately picked up on the phrase had a breakdown about it.

One Redditor posted, Kara is an absolute Karen when it comes to getting things her way. Not sitting next to your fiancee? Just pitch a fit til someone gives up their aisle seat, just for you.

Several other users agreed. One commenter wrote, Ugh, as an airline employee that annoyed me. Like, dude, pay the $30 for the seat if it is that important to you.

Another user believed that Kara thought she could Karen her way through immigration, Her whole plan is to Karen out when they tell the dude he cant fly with an expired passport. Thats why shes going down there.

A sunset engagement? GOALS! Get to know Kara and Guillermo on #90DayFiance. pic.twitter.com/Z3E7JxyQfN  90DayFiance (@90DayFiance) April 23, 2022

Other fans believe Kara and Guillermo have a shot at a long-lasting relationship

While plenty of people seem annoyed with Kara, not everyone feels that way. Other fans think that the 90 Day Fiance stars have a chance at creating a long-lasting relationship.

This Redditor is rooting for Kara and Guillermo, This seems to be an actual real couple. Age difference is not extreme, they lived together for months so this isnt another Well, we have 90 days to know if we REALLY love each other. I somehow doubt she is doing the show to promote her balloon business. Just a couple who met on vacation, fell in love, and then spent the time together before deciding to marry.

To watch Kara and Guillermos relationship unfold, tune in on Sunday nights to TLC. New episodes of 90 Day Fiance air at 8:00 p.m. EST.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance Fans Call Ben Rathbun Delusional After Bizarre Apology to Mahogany
Better Call Saul Season 6 was the first season that did not start with a black and white Gene Takovic scene. Instead, the final season began with a scene that did not involve Bob Odenkirk or any of the main cast members, though creators promise Easter eggs galore. In a recent interview, Odenkirk promised we havent seen the last of Takovic.

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Better Call Saul.]

Bob Odenkirk | Warrick Page/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

Odenkirk spoke with the AMC blog on April 19 about Better Call Saul Season 6. When asked about Takovic, Odenkirk had an answer, albeit cryptic. Better Call Saul Season 6 airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on AMC. Part 2 of Season 6 will air later this summer.

Who is Gene Takovic on Better Call Saul?

The Breaking Bad prequel began with a bizarre black and white scene. A very recognizable Saul Goodman (Odenkirk) somewhere very different. Hes working at a Cinnabon in a mall in Omaha, Nebraska. His name tag says Gene and we later learn his full name is Gene Takovic. We see Gene before we meet Odenkirk as Jimmy McGill in the pre-Saul days.

RELATED: Better Call Saul Season 6 Enmeshed With Breaking Bad, Bob Odenkirk Says

One might guess that Omaha is where Jimmy is now relocated in witness protection after his dalliances with Walter White. In those scenes, Gene tries to keep a low profile, but he cant help himself when he witnesses mall security apprehend a shoplifter. Gene shouts advice not to talk to the cops and to hire a lawyer.

Gene gets recognized from his old Saul Goodman ads, despite claiming the fan is mistaken. The last we saw Gene, he was asking for another extraction, which was going to cost him more than the last time.

When will Bob Odenkirk play Gene Takovic again on Better Call Saul Season 6?

Even though Better Call Saul Season 6 premiered with a scene of movers cleaning out Sauls house, they havent forgotten about Gene. Odenkirk teased when viewers will see Gene again.

RELATED: Better Call Saul: Bryan Cranston Once Called out Bob Odenkirk for Not Watching Breaking Bad

Oh, youre going to see Gene again! Odenkirk told AMC. Everything [the writers] start in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul they take somewhere. Nothing just disappears. And the character of Gene and what happens in his life after Breaking Bad, is going to be explored. But I will say that probably the thing that is most curious and that I cant wait to see is the story of Kim and what happens to her.

Bob Odenkirks parting words

Whenever you see Gene again, and when the Better Call Saul series finale finally airs, Odenkirk has some final thoughts for the loyal fans. Odenkirk is grateful Breaking Bad fans gave his show a chance.

It was an amazing experience that first season to see people just have an open mind to watch the show and see what we had to offer, and Ill never stop being thankful for that opportunity. And I would say one of the reasons is because Breaking Bad ended before people were tired of it or kind of exhausted by it. Most shows last a little too long and Breaking Bad didnt, and I think that helped us an awful lot. If Breaking Bad went two more seasons, I dont think we could have had this opportunity because I think people would have been like, Yeah, yeah, we had more than our fill of it. But that was not the case at all. People were very hungry for more. Bob Odenkirk, AMC.com, 4/19/22

RELATED: Better Call Saul: Rhea Seehorn Keeps Kim Wexlers Finger Guns Secret  Ill Never Tell
Dolly Parton is a sweet and warm celebrity, but she wouldnt have reached her level of success without a calculating side. It seems that she had this trait long before she reached fame. Parton explained that when she was younger, she spent a lot of time with her grandmother in the hopes of getting presents out of it. She shared the kinds of tasks she would perform.

Dolly Parton | David Becker/Getty Images

Dolly Parton grew up in the Smoky Mountains

Parton grew up in Tennessees Smoky Mountains, living in a two-room home with her parents and 11 siblings. She explained that the family was poor but happy.

Dolly Parton at home in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, 1960s https://t.co/vL2oJt4rCq pic.twitter.com/j3POT16Zp9  Cory Doctorow (@doctorow) August 23, 2021

We always made jokes and said we didnt even know we were poor till some smart aleck up and told us, she told Today. We didnt have any money, but we were rich in things that money dont buy. You know, like love and kindness and understanding.

Parton moved to Nashville at 18, but she has such fond memories of her childhood home that she bought and restored it to look like it did when she was young.

She had a ploy for getting more presents growing up

Parton said she didnt often have toys when she was growing up.

We had nothing, we had no toys, no clothes, she told The Washington Post in 1989. When we used to get the catalogs, my momma always called them the wish book. She didnt like us to look at them, cause it just made us wish for stuff we didnt have, but I used to look at those catalogs, all those clothes, all those dolls and all those toys.

Though her parents couldnt purchase the items Parton wanted, she found a way around this. When she realized her grandmother liked to order from the catalogs, she deliberately began spending more time with her.

My Grandma Parton was bedridden and I was about the only one of the kids who liked to stay with her and carry out her bedpan and brush her false teeth and things that other kids would not want to do, but I liked to stay with her cause she was big on ordering things from the catalog, she explained.

She added that her love of ordering things lasted into adulthood.

Im just a sucker now for mail-order stuff, she said. Like those gift catalogs on the plane, I have to not get it out of the back of the seat. If I see it, I think I want it and Ill have a list this long before I get off the plane. Its just junk, but I get so excited waiting for the mail to come.

Dolly Parton doesnt have grandchildren of her own

Parton and her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, do not have children of their own, she helped raise some of her siblings. Her nieces and nephews refer to her as Aunt Granny, and she thinks of them as her grandchildren.

I grew up in a big old family with eight kids younger than me and several of my brothers and sisters came to live with me early on in my life, she told People. Ive loved their kids just like theyre my grandkids, and now Ive got great-grand-kids!

Family is the most important gift you'll ever receive. Take some time to be grateful for your family, no matter what that looks like, today. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! pic.twitter.com/IH7Vw8hYSM  Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) November 22, 2018

She explained that not having children allowed her to behave maternally to many people.

Now Im GeeGee, which is great-granny, she explained. I often think, it just wasnt meant for me to have kids so everybodys kids can be mine.

RELATED: Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadts Bickering Nearly Derailed Their Much-Awaited Album
George Harrison loved chanting to Krishna. Any time he could do it, he did, and for long periods of time.

George began his spiritual journey when he felt like he was going nowhere. Hed seen and done so many things being a Beatle. However, he wanted more, a connection to God and answers to his burning questions. Living in the material world didnt give him any of that. So, after his musical guru, Ravi Shankar gave him some religious texts, he began reading about Hinduism and the Hare Krishna movement.

Soon George embraced Hare Krishna traditions, including chanting with beads. He even claimed it saved him from a plane crash. Chanting made George feel invincible. Finally, he felt his soul get the nourishment it needed.

George Harrison and members of the Hare Krishna Temple | Keystone/Getty Images

George Harrison turned to spirituality and chanting in the 1960s

In the mid-1960s, George had become disenchanted with many things, including fame. Being a Beatle had essentially extinguished the light inside him and had wrung him out. He grew bored.

Thankfully, thats when he met Ravi Shankar. George often said that the legendary sitar player was the first person he met that wowed him.

According to Quartz India, George said, Ravi was my link into the Vedic world. Ravi plugged me into the whole of reality. I mean, I met ElvisElvis impressed me when I was a kid, and impressed me when I met him because of the buzz of meeting Elvis, but you couldnt later on go round to him and say, Elvis, whats happening in the universe?'

In 1982, George told a leader in the Hare Krishna movement, Mukunda Goswami (per the Guardian), that his spirituality started once he saw what was over the wall hed hit at the time.

It wasnt until the experience of the 60s really hit, George said. You know, having been successful and meeting everybody we thought worth meeting and finding out they werent worth meeting, and having had more hit records than everybody else and having done it bigger than everybody else.

It was like reaching the top of a wall and then looking over and seeing that theres so much more on the other side. So I felt it was part of my duty to say, Oh, OK, maybe you are thinking this is all you need  to be rich and famous  but actually it isnt.'

George began reading about Hinduism and found that chanting soothed his soul. Many people doubted whether Georges spirituality was genuine. However, it wasnt a passing phase.

RELATED: George Harrisons Wife Said She Was the Shelter From the Storm in Georges Life

George felt invincible chanting to Krishna for 23 hours during a trip

When Goswami asked George how he felt after chanting for a long time, he replied that he felt invincible. Once, chanting made him feel so good that he did it for 23 hours straight during a trip from France to Portugal. It was better than singing a song.

I find that I sometimes have opportunities when I can really get going at it, and the more I do it, I find the harder it is to stop, and I dont want to lose the feeling it gives me, George replied. For example, once I chanted the Hare Krishna mantra all the way from France to Portugal, nonstop.

I drove for about 23 hours and chanted all the way. It gets you feeling a bit invincible. The funny thing was that I didnt even know where I was going. I mean I had bought a map, and I knew basically which way I was aiming, but I couldnt speak French, Spanish, or Portuguese.

But none of that seemed to matter. You know, once you get chanting, then things start to happen transcendentally.

RELATED: Eric Clapton Said George Harrison Wouldnt Have Wanted Concert for George, but Clapton Wouldnt Have Cared

The former Beatle felt good while he chanted

George touched on how chanting made him feel in Martin Scorseses 2011 documentary, George Harrison: Living in the Material World.

Mantras are, well, they call it a mystical sound vibration encased in a syllable, George explained. They have this power within, and its just hypnotic, and its kinda nice. Its nice. Once I chanted it for like three days non-stop, just driving through Europe.

You just get hypnotized, you get on some subtle level which makes you feel so good that you dont want to stop.

George remained a devotee of Hinduism and the Hare Krishna movement until he died in 2001. Members of the movement, Georges good friends, chanted at his bedside during his last days. Because of his spirituality, George had no fear of death. When the time was right, Georges wife, Olivia, said he lit the room and left his body.

RELATED: Slash Said Sitars Sounds Cliche Thanks to George Harrison
Country music legend George Strait experienced a devastating loss as his career took off in the late 80s. And despite the risks, Strait decided the only way he could get through was to stop talking. He said it just kind of turned out to be the way he did it, and it wasnt intentional, but he quit giving interviews after a tragedy that caused him to shut down.

George Strait | Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall Of Fame & Museum

George Strait gave interviews until his daughter died

Impressively, Strait and his wife, Norma, eloped in Mexico in 1971 and have been together ever since. They welcomed their first child, their daughter Jenifer, in 1972. Her little brother, George Jr., followed in 1981.

But as Straits career skyrocketed, tragedy hit home when Jenifer died at 13 in 1986. She was a passenger in a car that rolled over while making a turn close to her home in Texas (per AP).

The 18-year-old driver was not under the influence of alcohol. But he was going too fast when he tried to make the turn. Jenifer was not wearing a seatbelt and was the only fatality out of the four people in the car. According to AP, the driver was charged with criminally negligent homicide, but prosecutors eventually dropped the charge against him.

George Strait quit giving interviews after his daughters death

"True, not another minute on this Earth can be borrowed, so there's no way to know when I'll live my last tomorrow." #True #OneStepAtATime pic.twitter.com/1p8V3Wa7rQ  George Strait (@GeorgeStrait) July 6, 2021

Following the car accident, Strait said he didnt want to share his pain with the public as other country stars had. For instance, when Reba McEntires band died in a plane crash in 1991, she detailed the night from her perspective in her autobiography.

Strait didnt want to let everyone in on his grief. I just kind of shut down, Strait told The New Yorker. I just didnt feel like talking about it, so I quit doing interviews.

He added, I did want to keep singing, absolutely. But I was at the point where Im [like], Alright, if this is going to cost me my career, then so be it, but its the only way Im going to be able to cope with it. It just kind of turned out the way it did. It wasnt an intentional thing.

Strait said he didnt think his decision to refuse interviews after Jenifers death made a big difference in his album sales. Everything just kept going, he noted.

Fans think George Straits ballad, Baby Blue, is a dedication to his daughter

Though Strait chose to keep his pain private, some fans speculate he chose to sing the song Baby Blue, released in 1988, as a tribute to Jenifer. There is a lot of compelling evidence, including the expressions Strait makes while singing the song live.

For the curious, the songs lyrics include: She brought colors to my life that my eyes had never touched / And when she taught me how to care, I never cared so much / I try not to think of her, but I fall asleep and do / And drift off where the grass is green and the sky is baby blue.

RELATED: Reba McEntire on the Plane Crash That Killed Most of Her Band: I Dont Guess It Ever Quits Hurting
Country legend Loretta Lynn said she knew her husband, Oliver Doolittle Lynn, wasnt faithful to her, no matter what he said in the end. She was so sure of his two-timing ways that she wrote some of her most famous songs about infidelity. But his wandering eye wasnt the only one she called out in her music.

Loretta Lynn | Brett Carlsen/Getty Images for Cracker Barrel

Loretta Lynn wrote a song called Fist City after she heard rumors about her marriage

When it comes to songwriting, Lynn said she always just wrote what she knew. Most songwriters tended to write about falling in love, breaking up and being alone, things like that, Lynn told the Wall Street Journal in 2016. The female view I wrote about was new.

 I just wrote about what I knew, and what I knew usually involved something that somebody did to me, she concluded. That was the case with Fist City, one song about alleged cheating.

Loretta Lynn's handwritten lyrics for Fist City, as well as other personal items from her six-decade career, are joining the collection @amhistorymuseum. https://t.co/xLTS3FjaAB  Smithsonian Magazine (@SmithsonianMag) April 20, 2022

Smithsonian reported the country music legend heard rumors of infidelity in her marriage while she was in Nashville. As she drove the 75 miles back to her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, she started writing in her head.

Youve been makin your brags around town / That youve been a lovin my man, she sings in the first lines of the song. Once she got home, she walked right by her husband and went to her writing space to finish it.

And it wasnt the only time she was inspired to write about a two-timing spouse.

Loretta Lynn wrote a song called You Aint Woman Enough about someone elses marriage

In Lynns book, Honky Tonk Girl: My Life In Lyrics, she revealed she wrote You Aint Woman Enough about someone elses marriage  at least in part.

One night, at one of my live shows, me and a girlfriend were talking, she shared. She told me her husband, who was there with her, was running around on her. She was crying because when she came through the door to get into the show, she saw the other woman was also there.

Lynn wrote You Aint Woman Enough in 10 minutes and dedicated it to the other woman in the other marriage. Girlfriends gotta stick together, she concluded (per Southern Living.)

I think in every marriage, at one time or the other, a woman worries about the other woman who may or may not exist, she concluded.

#MusicIsTruth  Loretta Lynns refreshingly frank point of view transformed country music in the 1960s and 70s with its earthy humor, warmth, forthrightness, and sensitivity.



Watch Lynn perform You Aint Woman Enough on "The Wilburn Brothers Show": https://t.co/Rmv4eR5oZL pic.twitter.com/V5TNkcdPAL  Country Music HOF (@countrymusichof) July 1, 2020

Loretta Lynns husband told her he was never with another woman

Before Oliver Lynn died in 1996, he told his wife on his deathbed that she was the only woman hed ever been with, at least in a sexual manner.

The only problem was she didnt believe him. Did you hear that s***? she asked her son after she left the room (per PBS.) Hes gonna stick to it, aint he?

Oliver Lynn died at 69 with his wife by his side after 48 years of marriage. Loretta Lynn, now 90, never remarried.

RELATED: Loretta Lynn Begged Conway Twitty Not to Leave Her Before His Tragic Death
Princess Diana died in 1997 when Prince Harry and Prince William were children. The brothers have since been trying to keep her memory alive in their work.

However, Harry recently made a comment about his late mother that has received some criticism from onlookers. One royal expert even said the comment could be hurtful to William.

(L) Prince Harry and Prince William | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images, (R) Princess Diana | Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

What did Prince Harry say about Princess Diana?

During the Invictus Games in the Netherlands, Harry sat down for an interview with Hoda Kotb. He gave some updates about his life, and at one point he shared his belief that Dianas presence is still around to help the brothers.

Its almost as though shes done her bit with my brother and now shes very much helping me, the Duke of Sussex said. Got him set up, now shes helping me set up.

Harry also added about her presence, For me, its constant. It has been over the last two years, more so than ever before.

Expert says the crass comment is hurtful to Prince William

RELATED: The Sweet Ways Prince William and Prince Harrys Family Members Helped Them Cope After Princess Dianas Death

William has not publicly commented on Harrys statement about Diana. However, some royal experts believe the Duke of Cambridge is not happy about it.

What William will find particularly hurtful is the comments Harry made about their late mother, Diana, about how he feels shes done her bit for William in looking after him and his children beyond the grave and now its time to do something with him, journalist Rebecca English said on Mail Plus Palace Confidential show, which is quite a peculiar thing to say. I think it shows Harrys general level of resentment against his brother.

English added, And I know from Williamss point of view, in the past, he has made it clear he finds any attempt to kind of claim ownership of his mother quite crass. I suspect hell find those particular comments by Harry quite hurtful.

Prince Harry idolized Princess Diana while Prince William understood her, another expert said

Many royal experts believe William knew more about Dianas tumultuous personal life than Harry did. In fact, according to author Tina Brown, William even knew about Dianas love affairs with various men.

He was privy to her volatile love life, Brown wrote for Vanity Fair. He knew the tabloids made her life hell, but he also knew she colluded with them. By his early teens, he was his mothers most trusted confidant. She used to describe him as my little wise old man.

Meanwhile, Brown believes Harry idolized Diana and understood her less than William. She wrote, The two-year age gap between them was critical in forging their distinctive worldviews and, equally so, in shaping their perceptions of their mother.

Another author, Ingrid Seward, also once said that William shielded Harry from Dianas unhappiness.

Any of these very well-known stories which people that follow these things will remember like when Diana locked herself in the bathroom and was crying her eyes out, William pushed tissues under the door, Seward said (via Express).

She added, And then theres another story which I think Diana herself told on Panorama about when she was very unhappy William would go and buy her chocolates and she would tell William about her unhappiness. So this young man, he was 14 or something at the time, probably less 13/14, was taking on his mothers unhappiness and he shielded Harry from all that.

RELATED: Prince Harrys Relationship With Prince William Still Has Not Recovered 1 Year After the Oprah Interview, Expert Says
Prince Harrys body language was quite revealing during his April interview with Today. An expert shared the one facial expression that conveyed how Harry is feeling genuine sadness and is torn between being over there and the UK.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Karwai Tang/WireImage

Prince Harry chatted about his visit with Queen Elizabeth

During Prince Harrys Today interview with Hoda Kotb that aired on April 20, she asked about visiting with the queen when he and Meghan Markle were on their way to the 2022 Invictus Games in the Netherlands.

Harry was brief with his answer. Being with her, it was great, he told Kotb. It was just so nice to see her. Shes on great form. Shes always got a great sense of humor with me.

Prince Harry also mentioned protecting his grandmother. Im just making sure that shes, you know, protected and got the right people around her, the Duke of Sussex explained.

It was really nice to catch up with her, Harry added.

Body language expert explained how Harry exhibited sadness

Body language expert Darren Stanton unpacked the interview moment during a discussion on GB News, looking at Prince Harrys micro expression.

One of the things I look for is something called a micro expression, Stanton explained. A micro expression is a fleeting flush of emotion.

He continued, What I look for is when someone is saying something, are the nonverbals  are they congruent with what a persons saying or not?

Stanton pointed out the reason behind the sadness micro expression.

I think hes thinking hes quite torn between being over there and the UK, the expert shared. Hes feeling genuine sadness at not being in the thick of it.

Prince Harrys tight lips gesture hinted at his true feelings, expert said

Stanton went on to discuss Harrys facial expressions during the interview and one particular gesture stood out to him.

The eyebrows basically come together and the mouth sort of drips, he said. And also when people tend to go like that with the lips [mimes a tight lipped gesture], that is almost like a self-reassurance gesture.

He continued, So in terms of the facial muscles engaging and then the [tight closed] lips, and then also theres a change in physiology. So what I look for is, people often get the deception aspect incorrect because when people are under pressure, therell be an emotional shift.

Stanton said he looks for emotional shifts in peoples body language and that was evident in Prince Harrys lip gesture. What we saw within that was Harrys lips, if you watch, will go quite pale and thats to do with an emotional shift, he explained.

GB News host Neil Oliver wondered if Prince Harry was guarding his emotions during the interview. Is that him knowing how he feels and unconsciously endeavoring not to show it? he asked.

Absolutely, Stanton said. Theres also what we call a linguistic deflection, which in real terms means he is effectively avoiding the question.

He added, Not because of anything to hide. Stanton also noted how Harry looked down and to the left. Because hes right-handed, hes running the dialogue in his head before he responds, he said. We call that internal dialogue.

He added, In the 10-second clip we see about seven or right sort of red flags almost of shifting emotion.

RELATED: Meghan Markles Cringe Gesture at Event With Prince Harry Exposed Her Insecurity, Body Language Expert Says
The Brown family has spent more than a decade sharing their lives with the world on the TLC reality TV series, Sister Wives. Over the shows numerous seasons, fans have formed opinions about each family member. Janelle Brown, Kody Browns second wife, has a reputation among some fans as the most logical and laidback of Kodys four wives. Is that the case, though? There are numerous examples of Janelle being rather illogical and pretty passive-aggressive.

Janelle Brown has a reputation for being the logical family member

Kodys four wives each have distinct personalities. Over the years, Meri has come across to some fans as the organized perfectionist who is prone to feeling bad for herself. Kodys third wife, Christine Brown, has been characterized by some fans as the most positive and nurturing of Kodys four wives. Robyn Brown, Kodys newest wife, is largely considered the most emotionally needy and manipulative.

Kody Brown and Janelle Brown, Sister Wives | TLC

Janelle, much like Christine, has been assigned more positive traits by some Sister Wives fans. Viewers have taken her laidback attitude and assumed shes logical, easy-going, and relatively low maintenance. While that may be true, in some ways, Janelle has also proven herself to be anything but rational at times.

Janelle has proven that she holds grudges

Janelle might present herself as easy-going and laidback, but the mother of six has also revealed that she holds grudges. During multiple episodes, Janelle has made it abundantly clear that she still holds a grudge against Meri Brown for things that happened early in her marriage to Kody.

In one episode of Sister Wives, Janelle and Meri revealed that they cant even drive together in a car. In a more recent episode, Janelle revealed that she was concerned about Meri having access to the familys retention pond. She feared Meri would keep the rest of the family away from it. Janelle cited the fact that Meri didnt want the Brown kids using her home as a walkthrough between Janelle and Christines apartments as proof that Meri would keep the family away from the water feature. The family moved out of their Lehi, Utah home, where walking through was an issue, more than a decade earlier.

Meri and Janelles early marriages were rife with jealousy and tension. Janelle had previously been married to Meris brother, Adam Barber. While the family rarely discusses Janelles first marriage, some fans theorize that the marriage and divorce made Janelles spiritual union particularly uncomfortable for Meri. Janelle appeared to deal with those feelings with passive-aggressive actions. Meri, on the other hand, seemed to deal with her jealousy by grappling for control. The relationship remains icy.

Janelle thwarted Christine Browns idea to move with a crazy idea

Janelle also appears interested in furthering her own agenda, no matter how ridiculous some of her ideas sound. In season 16 of Sister Wives, Christine told Kody Brown she wanted the family to move back to Utah. While he seemed open to the idea initially, Janelle shut down the prospect.

Robyn, Meri, Kody, Christine, and Janelle Brown, Sister Wives | TLC

Janelle told Kody that she, under no circumstances, would be moving back to Utah. Janelle claimed that she wanted to build greenhouses and open a farm-to-table restaurant. She claimed she could only do so on the familys Coyote Pass property. Janelle used the greenhouse idea as an excuse for her stance on moving. Fans quickly noted that Janelle does not cook and has no idea what it would take to maintain enough greenhouses to supply an actual restaurant. The business idea is far from sound and seems ridiculous, given her lack of experience.

Christine opted to move back to Utah on her own. She and Kody announced their separation in November 2021 and now consider themselves divorced. There has been no movement on the Coyote Pass property. No homes, greenhouses, and certainly no restaurants have been built on the property.

RELATED: Sister Wives: Janelle Brown Confirms Shes Heading Back to Coyote Pass, Squashes Rumors That She Left Town
The Northman stars Alexander Skarsgard as the Viking prince, Amleth, and tells a Hamlet-like tale of betrayal and revenge. Parts of the movie were shot in grueling conditions. And when trying to recall details of his performance, Skarsgard just remembers it being a muddy, bloody haze.

Alexander Skarsgard as Amleth | Focus Features

Alexander Skarsgard cant remember the Old Norse he spoke in The Northman

Skarsgard joins Nicole Kidman, Anya-Taylor Joy, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Bjork in Robert Eggers The Northman. The Viking saga follows Prince Amleth as he seeks revenge on his uncle for killing his father.

In a few scenes, Skarsgards Prince Amleth chants in Old Norse. The actor had to learn and memorize the ancient dialogue. But when trying to remember what exactly he said, the actor admitted he could hardly recall filming the movie.

I dont remember any of it, its been a year, Skarsgard said in an IMDb fan Q & A. And I barely remember shooting the movie. It was just like a muddy, bloody haze.

What Skarsgard did remember was how similar Old Norse is to Swedish, his mother tongue. And he noted some of the words in the dialogue were recognizable.

Robert Eggers thinks filming conditions made Alexander Skarsgards performances better in The Northman

Some of The Northman scenes were filmed in muddy rainy conditions. And according to Eggers, those challenging aspects of the shoots may have fueled Skarsgards gripping performance.

Im just trying to get the scene, but I think that some of Alexs performance is just because he wanted to wring my neck, the filmmaker told IndieWire. Thats not any kind of calculated, sadistic directing technique. Its just like, we had focus buzz, or the lens was fogged, or somebody slipped in the mud and the take wasnt usable.

Eggers revealed that one intense ritual scene required the cast to work in the cold and rain all night long. And when the scene had to be re-filmed, Skarsgard thought Eggers did it on purpose.

The adrenaline these guys had to do this over and over again was so sustained, he said. Then we got it and it was like, Thats a wrap, thanks everybody, go home, wonderful job.'

And then, as everybodys getting in their cars on the way back to the trailer, taking off their stuff, we realized the lens was fogged on the good take, Eggers continued. So we said, You guys have to come back, put your wet stuff back on, and do it again. Alex was like, You did that deliberately!'

Alexander Skarsgard calls The Northman his most challenging project yet

Skarsgard has been in several blockbuster series and films, including Big Little Lies and Godzilla Vs. Kong. But citing the grueling conditions, the award-winning actor calls The Northman his most challenging project yet.

It was physically and mentally the most difficult job Ive ever had, but also the most rewarding, he told Total Film. The days were really long and hard, and we were out in the mud, and up on these mountaintops with the wind and the cold.

Ironically, the week before he started filming The Northman, Skarsgard was shooting his scenes as tech billionaire Lukas Matson in Lake Como for Succession.

So I literally went from playing one of the richest dudes on the planet in a crazy, beautiful villa, surrounded by yachts and helicopters and luxury, and got on a plane and flew to Iceland to get shackled and dragged through the mud, he recalled. It was definitely a waking-up moment and a humbling experience.

The Northman opens in theaters on April 22.

RELATED: The Northman Director Robert Eggers Explains Why His Style is Antithetical to Making a Marvel Movie
The celebrations continue in the latest episode of When Calls the Heart Season 9. Unfortunately, Mei Sou misses out on most of the Hope Valley Days fun when she winds up behind bars in the April 24 episode of the Hallmark Channel series.

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for When Calls the Heart Season 9 Episode 8, Hope Valley Days: Part 2.]

Mei Sou reveals the truth about her relationship with Geoffrey in When Calls The Heart Season 9 Episode 8

Geoffrey Lewis (Chris Cope), who claims hes Mei Sous (Amanda Wong) husband, is still hanging around Hope Valley. Nathan (Kevin McGarry) isnt sure what to make of her claims that shes not really married, especially given that Geoffrey has produced a marriage license that looks legit.

Nathan confronts Mei, and she finally reveals the full story. She apprenticed for Geoffrey while in school and later took a job at his pharmacy. But Geoffrey turned out to be a Grade-A creep who wanted more than friendship. Mei refused his advances, but that didnt stop him from telling people they were married. She fled to Hope Valley to escape him, but he followed her. Nathan believes her story, but thats not enough. He needs to find proof that Geoffrey is lying.

Hickam isnt ready to forgive Lee

RELATED: When Calls the Heart May Address Jacks Message to Elizabeth in Future Season

Lee (Kavan Smith) has discovered the power  and the peril  of the written word. Though he relished sharing his unvarnished opinions in Valley Voice editorials, hes now facing the consequences. Hickam (Ben Rosenbaum), whos struggled to find his footing as Hope Valleys new mayor, has been hurt by his persistent criticism. Lee tries to patch things up with his friend, but Hickam isnt so ready to forgive and forget. Even Rosemary (Pascale Hutton) admits she underestimated the impact the paper would have.

Nathan arrests Mei Sou

Kevin McGarry in When Calls the Heart | 2022 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: David Dolsen

Geoffrey refuses to give up on his attempts to get Mei to return with him to Chicago. First, he saunters into Nathans office and demands that the Mountie arrest Mei, as hes ordering a cup of coffee. Nathan balks, but Geoffrey threatens to make trouble. Nathan reluctantly puts Mei behind bars.

If theres a silver lining to Mei being in jail, its that it gives her and Nathan a chance to spend more time together. He reveals hes writing a telegram to Chicago in an attempt to clear her name, and she leans in to thank him. It almost looks like they might kiss, and Nathan certainly looks a little disappointed when things dont go that way.

Nathan might not get a kiss, but he does get a big hug later in the episode when he finds evidence that Geoffrey is actually married  but not to Mei. He abandoned his real wife back in Illinois. Faced with the truth, Geoffrey slinks off, hopefully for good.

Bill has a surprise for Hope Valley

Erin Krakow, Hyland Goodrich, and Chris McNally in When Calls the Heart | 2022 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: David Dolsen

Faith (Andrea Brooks) has been urging Bill (Jack Wagner) to go to Union City for a chest X-ray, but hes been brushing her off. But his health is worsening. As soon as he pulls out that handkerchief during a coughing fit, its obvious were going to see a shot of it speckled with blood. That incident is enough to get Bill to pay another visit to the doctor, but hes still downplaying his symptoms. (A cracked rib from his earlier scuffle with Geoffrey isnt helping things.)

Faith gives him a bottle of cough syrup and tells him to take it as needed. But Bill takes too much of the medicine and ends up high as a kite. Its amusing to see him sprawled out in the other jail cell and commiserating with Mei about his ex-wife. But lets hope his health problems arent too serious.

Despite everything, Bill still finds the time to pull off something special for Hope Valley Days. Hed told everyone he was planning an April Fools surprise, but hes actually arranged to have a Christmas tree set up in the center of town. Its a hit with everyone in Hope Valley, and also likely to put a smile on the face of fans, who have missed When Calls the Hearts annual holiday specials the last few years.

What else happened in this episode of When Calls the Heart Season 9

Elsewhere in this episode of When Calls the Heart:

Lucas (Chris McNally) takes over Elizabeths (Erin Krakow) class for the day and discovers he has a gift for teaching.

Allie is ready for Nathan to settle down. Apparently, she wants a little brother or sister, he tells Elizabeth and Lucas. Thats followed by a nice moment where Nathan says he realized love cant be forced, only freely given.

Elizabeth helps a woman who runs a rural school.

Ned shares more lessons about Hanukkah, which he says is about hope and miracles.

Lee truly deserves the husband of the year award for letting Rosemary dress him up as Romeo, complete with unfortunate bangs.

The next episode of When Calls the Heart Season 9 airs Sunday, May 1 at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel.

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RELATED: Erin Krakow Says Lori Loughlin Will Always Be a Part of When Calls the Heart
The globally active Eppendorf Group is building a new plant for high-quality laboratory consumables made of functional high-tech polymers. To this end, the Hamburg-based life science company is acquiring a former production site at the location of MV Werften Fertigmodule Property GmbH in Wismar in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The site is currently home to more than 20,000 m2 of usable space with production and storage areas as well as office and ancillary buildings. Production of the first high-tech polymer products is scheduled to start at the end of this year.

"We are very happy that Eppendorf has found a site in Wismar with ideal conditions for implementing its growth strategy. The new production site, which we will set up quickly here, will enable Eppendorf to consistently expand its highly successful laboratory consumables business," said Dr. Peter Fruhstorfer, Co-CEO of Eppendorf SE. "Here in Wismar, we have everything we need for a successful expansion of our production capacities: sufficient space, a very good building infrastructure, ideal transport connections, and many highly trained specialists in the region, whom we want to attract to Eppendorf."

State-of-the-art laboratory consumables for research and development

In Wismar, Eppendorf will manufacture high-quality polymer products for the global market that are absolutely essential for scientific work in the laboratory. These include, for example, pipette tips or reaction vessels for processing laboratory samples. The worldwide market for these products has been growing continuously for years and received an additional boost from the coronavirus pandemic. This global trend will continue in the coming years, and is one in which Eppendorf intends to participate with the new plant in Wismar.

"The addition of the Eppendorf Group to our local businesses is a gain for the region in two respects. A company from a future-oriented industry that creates new high-quality jobs will strengthen the economic power of our state," said Reinhard Meyer, Minister for Economics, Infrastructure, Tourism and Labour of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. "High-quality laboratory consumables such as pipette tips and reaction vessels for laboratories in hospitals and in diagnostics, chemical, pharmaceutical and biotech businesses around the world will be manufactured here in the future. In addition, an attractive future prospect has been created for Wismar as a location affected by the decline in shipbuilding business: In recruiting employees, Eppendorf expressly wants to draw on skilled workers from the transfer company set up by the shipbuilder MV Werften, and offer them new opportunities."

Dr. Christoph Morgen, insolvency administrator of the MV Werften Group, explained in this context: "We conducted a broad-based search for investors, including the construction, yachts and camping manufacturing sectors. The Minister of Economics, Reinhard Meyer, put us in contact with Eppendorf SE as an interested party. Within just six weeks, we succeeded in forging a good and sustainable solution together. With Eppendorf, a future-oriented industry will locate in Wismar that will create new jobs and offer extensive retraining opportunities to former employees of MV Werften."

With Wismar into the future: Shaping growth in a targeted manner

The main plant for the manufacture of high-tech polymer products in Oldenburg in the state of Schleswig-Holstein has undergone massive expansion in recent years, producing around four billion high-tech polymer products in 2021. Meanwhile, expansion reserves for further growth at the site are very limited.

"We on the Management Board are very confident that Eppendorf's new site in Wismar will enable us to shape the future and growth of the consumables business exactly as we envisage," said Fruhstorfer, adding that the key now is to start production as quickly as possible and to find targeted skilled workers for the new site. This will begin shortly.

The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. explains an agreement with the National Park Service for gathering traditional plants within the Buffalo National River Park in Arkansas on April 20. Seated next to Hoskin is NPS Buffalo National River Superintendent Mark Foust.
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NAIROBI, Kenya, April 25, 2022 (Morning Star News)  A young mother of two in eastern Uganda sustained deep knife wounds on Easter Sunday (April 17) when her Muslim husband discovered she had converted to Christianity, sources said.

Zaina Gimbo, 26, of Sirinya B Island in Lake Victoria, Mayuge District, had put her faith in Christ on April 2, she said from her hospital bed in Bwondha.

She had kept her faith secret when she went to an Easter worship service after seeing her husband, Jamiru Mwima, leave to catch fish on April 17 for their fishing business, she said.

It was a wonderful celebration, Gimbo said. At about 1 p.m., I went home not knowing that he had come back. I came back with a lot of joy, singing Christian songs that I had learned in the church.

She was carrying her Bible, she said. Her 4-year-old boy was at his grandmothers house, and a friend was caring for her 5-year-old daughter.

Immediately the door opened, and there and then my husband came out very furious, Gimbo said.

Mwima grabbed her hand and asked her many questions about her faith, which she did not answer, she said.

My husband beat and cut me with a long knife, Gimbo said. I made an alarm that brought many people who came and disarmed him. I fell down bleeding seriously and lost my conscious.

She sustained deep wounds to her face, head and back, and bruises on her hand, she said.

Christian friends took her to a hospital in Bwondha, where she was recovering.

Friends reported the assault to police, but Mwima has disappeared. Police were searching for him to answer for charges of assault.

Local council leaders have condemned the attack, the area chairperson said.

Married in 2016, Gimbo and Mwima sold their fish to a businesswoman in Iganga town who had put her faith in Christ in 2017. Gimbo would bring her husbands catch to the businesswoman, whose name is withheld for security reasons.

The Christian businesswoman did not disclose her faith to Gimbo until March 27, the buyer said.

I had been learning the new faith of Christianity first as well as building up relationship with Gimbo, she said. I started sharing Christ with her and, after a week, on April 2, she embraced the Christian faith. Every time she brought fish, we were able to have few hours sharing about Christianity.

After accepting Christ on April 2, Gimbo read her Bible and visited church services while her husband went fishing, she said.

The assault was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.

Ugandas constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate ones faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Ugandas population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.

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/Anastasiia M
In recent years, the term empathy has been in vogue. Psychologist Paul Bloom defines empathy as the process of experiencing the world as others do, or at least as you think they do. To empathize with someone is to put yourself in her shoes, to feel her pain.

Empathy is distinctly different from sympathy in that sympathy usually positions us above the other, looking down on them and feeling sorry for them. Empathy asks us to feel what they feel, thus subverting the power differential. Textbook empathy as Bloom defines it only goes so far.

Although empathetic identification is a good thing, empathy needs a context and motive for it to help us love our neighbors according to Christs terms and, ultimately, his sacrificial example.

The Christian understanding of empathy is connected to Christs teaching on the two greatest commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and Love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27).

Of course, these two loves are intricately connected, as we cannot possibly love our neighbors in a Christlike way without being connected to Christ, the source of love.

Christian empathy asks us to be both self-sacrificial and intentional as we reach beyond our usual circles and experiences to identify with those who are outcast, misunderstood, abused. We fail to love God when we neglect to see and cherish the imago Dei in other human beings.

But this sort of love and its corresponding empathy are very difficult, and we find ourselves often resorting to stereotypes and dismissing the sacredness of other lives, usually out of the impulse to first serve and protect ourselves.

Christian empathy moves beyond both instinctual emotions and prescriptions for how to be a good person. The incarnation of Christ is the most complete, profound embodiment of empathy in history. Christ became flesh to share in our existential experience of being human, including our sufferings, as he lived among us (John 1:14).

There are many scriptural examples of this, but perhaps one of the most moving is Christs response after the death of his friend Lazarus in the Gospel of John: Jesus wept (John 11:35).

Christ knew that he would raise Lazarus from the dead, so his weeping was not for his friends utter end. Instead, he wept with us and for us, lamenting alongside Lazaruss grieving sisters, feeling their pain as well as the tragic impact the curse of death has on all human beings.

His weeping was the God-mans act of compassion and empathy, a shared mourning for the unavoidable pain of the fallen human condition. In his crucifixion, Christs capacity for empathy was complete.

As he took on human sins and suffered for them, he felt the weight of human grief, despair, and self-inflicted pain. Unlike Christ, we cannot ever fully understand the mind or existential experience of another, yet we are commanded to love them like we would love ourselves.

This is an incredible, superhuman feat, and we need imagination to help bridge the gap between ourselves and the other.

As we grow our imaginations, we need stories that can convict us of our own sins of omission or commission, enabling us to see the beautiful, complex world of our neighbors as we look beyond ourselves. In showing us how to both identify with our neighbors and bridge the gap between them and ourselves, Christ tells a story of an unexpected empath, the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:2537.

You might remember that this story was told in response to the questions directed at Jesus by an expert in the law. Like the rich young ruler, this man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Christ responds with a question, asking the expert in the law what was written in the law.

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The expert correctly responds with these words: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus admonishes him to follow these laws in order to live.

But that is not enough for the religious leader; he wants to confound and humiliate Jesus, so he asks him, And who is my neighbor?

Christ responds with the story of a man who lies on the side of the road in desperate need of help after being attacked by robbers. Two respected Jewish religious figures, a priest and then a Levite, pass by the wounded man, ignoring his need. Not only do they ignore the man, but they both intentionally [pass] by on the other side in order to avoid him. If he is out of sight, he is out of mind.

The next traveler, a Samaritan, sees the injured man and [takes] pity on him, not only bandaging his wounds but lifting him up, placing him on his donkey, and taking him to an inn in order to care for him.

He could have just given him money or seen to his wounds and left. Instead, he takes the man in his arms, journeying alongside him, even spending the night at the inn to tend to his needs.

The next day, he pays the innkeeper to care for the robbery victim, also offering to pay him more money if the cost of care is greater than what has been paid. After telling the story, Jesus asks the one questioning him yet another question: Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? When the law expert answers, The one who had mercy on him, Christ commands him to go and do likewise.

Christ commands the law expert and anyone listening or reading to be more like the Samaritan by showing compassion and following the way of self-sacrifice rather than the way of self-advancement. It is very important to consider the players in this story: two highly regarded Jewish religious figures and one outsider, a Samaritan.

As civil rights activist Howard Thurman explains in his sermon on this parable, the Samaritan lived on the other side of the tracks both literally and figuratively. Not only was he ethnically different from the Jewish man, but his religious beliefs were considered heretical, syncretistic, and in Jewish eyes, disgraceful.

Yet this perceived outcast, this nonbeliever, is the only one in the story who acknowledges the glorious humanity of the injured man. The religious leaders dont want to get tangled up in his affairs; perhaps they are in a hurry or dont want to put themselves at risk.

But the Samaritan takes the risk. He slows down, reaches down, and pulls a fellow image bearer up.

From Imagining Our Neighbors as Ourselves: How Art Shapes Empathy by Mary W. McCampbell copyright  2022 Fortress Press. Reproduced by permission.
Mission Eurasia ministry center blown up in Ukraine, hundreds of Bibles destroyed: 'God will provide'

The head of a nonprofit organization working to minister to Ukrainian refugees has expressed devastation after one of the ministrys buildings was destroyed in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with hundreds of Bibles demolished in the process.

Mission Eurasia, a church-planting organization that trains, equips, and mobilizes national Christian leaders throughout the former Soviet Union and Israel, is one of several charities working to provide relief to Ukrainians displaced after Russia began its invasion of the Eastern European country two months ago.

Mission Eurasia operates 17 Schools Without Walls in Ukraine, which are designed for training the next generation to get to the front line of the crisis ... as volunteers ... in their communities.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Mission Eurasia President Sergey Rakhuba said that his organizations Field Ministries Training Center in Irpin, Ukraine, was destroyed by Russian troops late last month.

Russians took it over, they used that for whatever purposes, he said. Weve heard reported they used it for their headquarters for their special forces.

Additionally, he asserted that Russian troops used burned Scripture piles as shields during their shooting battles.

Were very saddened by the loss, he added. Buildings can be replaced but we are reprinting hundreds and hundreds of copies of new Scriptures available into the hands of these young evangelists we train, these young volunteers we equip that continue reaching out to people who are in need.

While no one who worked with Mission Eurasia was hurt in the blast because staff evacuated at the beginning of the invasion, Rakhuba lamented that some of the neighbors lost their lives due to the explosion.

Dead bodies are right by the premises, he said.

Rakhuba said the Field Ministries Training Center was a nerve center for new innovations, mission, strategic planning, [and] training where thousands and thousands of young leaders went through training.

Rakhuba said there were lots of tears shed after we got the news" of the building's destruction but remains confident that God will continue providing. He vowed to continue bringing the Gospel to tens of thousands of devastated refugee families.

Part of Mission Eurasias response to the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been to provide spiritual comfort. The group launched the Ukraine Crisis Prayer Initiative, which consists of a network of people who pray about the situation in Ukraine daily.

Once a week, we have a Zoom meeting, Rakhuba stated.

On a weekly basis, we present a number of prayer requests related to this ongoing war and related to our ministry, he continued. Through this prayer initiative, were encouraging people to get connected, to continue praying, praying for all the needs related to  hardships due to this continued invasion, continued war.

Mission Eurasia is also working to provide humanitarian relief to those displaced by the war. The charity organization has established refugee assistance centers in Warsaw, Krakow and Moldova in addition to four large food distribution hubs in four major locations in western Ukraine.

Rakhuba recently spent nearly two weeks in Ukraine and Poland, returning to the United States ahead of Easter weekend.

As a native of Ukraine who now lives in the U.S., Rakhuba has family members who've evacuated the country. He mentioned that his nieces, who are in their mid-to-late 30s, are abroad now after he helped to evacuate them and their families.

However, the men in his extended family are still staying in Ukraine because they are heavily involved in this humanitarian relief.

Rakhuba said food is the greatest need facing Ukrainian refugees at this time because food supply is totally blocked or paralyzed by the war activity. Rakhuba has a team delivering a large semi-truck with 20 tons of food to one of the northern Ukrainian cities close to the Russian border.

We obtained food in large quantities from neighboring countries like Poland, Hungary, Romania and bring them to these large food packaging centers where volunteers mobilized by Mission Eurasia  put them in family-sized food packages, he announced. It costs Mission Eurasia $50 to purchase food, to sort it, to put it packaged in this food package and also include a copy of the Scripture.

Rakhuba estimated one family food package sustains a family of four or five at least for one week, or even longer. He rejoiced that his organization was able to place 20,000 food packages into the hands of needy families. He expressed a desire to compile an additional 50,000 packages in the next three months.

Rakhuba attributed the efforts to provide food to Ukrainian refugees to support from organizations here in the [U.S.], Canada [and] other countries that share resources.

Rakhuba praised churches for working to accommodate evacuees in need of shelter. He said church sanctuaries on the weekdays turn into shelters but on Sunday, continue to serve as places of worship.

Rakhuba said medical assistance is another need facing Ukrainian refugees. He mentioned that Mission Eurasia has raised $4.8 million as part of its relief efforts.
Orrin hatch, GOP senator who cosponsored Religious Freedom Restoration Act, dies at 88

Orrin Hatch, the long-serving conservative Republican senator from Utah who co-sponsored the Religious Freedom Restoration Act back in the 1990s, has died at age 88.

The Orrin Hatch Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for political civility and bipartisan policies, announced that Hatch had passed away on Saturday evening.

A. Scott Anderson, chairman of the Hatch Foundation, said in the announcement that he considered Hatch a man of wisdom, kindness, character, and compassion.

He exemplified a generation of lawmakers brought up on the principles of comity and compromise, and he embodied those principles better than anyone, stated Anderson.

In a nation divided, Orrin Hatch helped show us a better way by forging meaningful friendships on both sides of the aisle. Today, more than ever, we would do well to follow his example.

Democrat President Joe Biden, who served alongside Hatch in the U.S. Senate for several years, gave his condolences in an official statement released Sunday.

I saw that energetic, sharp-elbowed Orrin in the many battles we had over tax policy, the right of workers to join a union, and many others, said Biden.

At the same time, Senator Hatch was also a man of deep faith; a gentle soul who wrote songs and poems, and shared them with friends, colleagues, and the world. This was the Orrin who looked out for the people who often didnt have a voice in our laws and our country.

Biden also recalled working alongside Hatch on federal legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Childrens Health Insurance Program.

He was, quite simply, an American original, he continued. Jill and I send our deepest sympathies to Elaine, and all of the Hatch children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Born in 1934 and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hatch represented Utah in the Senate from 1976 to 2019, the longest in the states history.

In 1993, Hatch cosponsored the Religious Freedom Restoration Act alongside Democrat Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts; the legislation passed in a vote of 97-3 and President Bill Clinton signed it into law.

In the years since, RFRA has often been cited in religious liberty cases at the U.S. Supreme Court, including when charities and businesses have sought exemptions to controversial policies like being compelled to pay for birth control coverage or forced to work at or provide services for same-sex weddings.

In an interview with The Christian Post in 2014, Hatch explained that corporations were meant to also have legal protection under RFRA, and that it did not apply only to individuals.

"[RFRA was] meant to protect everybody and businesses are important as well. If we can impose corrupt or wrong rules on businesses, that would spread corrupt or wrong rules throughout the country," said Hatch. "Business should have to live up to these principles and we ought to respect businesses that do."

In addition to RFRA, Hatch also championed the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998 and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act in 2000.

For these and other efforts to advance religious freedom, Becket Fund, a law firm that has argued religious liberty cases at the Supreme Court, honored Hatch in 2021 with its Canterbury Medal.

I am proud to have preserved religious freedom for people of all faiths through legislation such as RFRA, which is needed today more than ever, said Hatch in remarks last year.

Religious freedom was sewn into the very fabric of this country from the beginning, and protecting the right of conscience for every American is essential to the future of our republic.
Possible mass grave with up to 9,000 bodies discovered near Mariupol, Ukraine

Satellite imagery has revealed what looks like a mass grave outside the port city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, which might be 20 times larger than another mass grave that was discovered earlier this month in Bucha and could contain as many as 9,000 bodies, according to officials from Mariupol, which has witnessed the worst fighting since Russias invasion.

The Mariupol City Council has posted satellite images on Telegram that point on the mass gravesite located just 12 miles west of Mariupol, which is now largely controlled by Russian troops along the northwestern edge of Manhush and is believed to contain as many as 9,000 bodies, NPR reported.

"The biggest war crime of the 21st century was committed in Mariupol. This is the new Babyn Yar. Then Hitler killed Jews, Roma and Slavs. And now Putin is destroying Ukrainians. He has already killed tens of thousands of civilians in Mariupol. And this requires a strong reaction from the entire civilized world. Anything needs to stop the genocide," said Mayor Vadym Boychenko on Telegram.

Russian troops collected corpses from the streets of Mariupol, transported them to the nearby village of Manhush on trucks and secretly threw them into the mass grave in a field next to the settlements old cemetery, Boichenko added, according to The Guardian.

The invaders are concealing evidence of their crimes. The cemetery is located near a petrol station to the left side of a circular road. The Russians have dug huge trenches 30 meters wide. They chuck people in, he continued.

The images, which appeared to match the site, were released by a U.S. satellite imagery company, Maxar Technologies.

In a statement, Maxar Technologies said the images were taken from mid-March through mid-April. They show that over 200 new graves started appearing toward the end of March and expanded in April, according to NBC News.

The graves are aligned in four sections of linear rows, each about 280 feet long, the company said.

Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Saturday that the country will continue to try to evacuate civilians from Mariupol.

"Today we will again try to evacuate women, children and the elderly," Vereshchuk said on Telegram, Agence France-Presse reported. "If everything happens as planned, we will start the evacuation around noon.

Evacuation attempts have failed due to a lack of agreement from the Russian side.

Earlier this month, some 280 bodies were found in mass graves in Bucha, a town northwest of Kyiv, according to NPR.

While Russia has denied targeting civilians, its estimated that at least 2,435 civilians have been killed and 2,946 have been injured since Russia began its invasion on Feb. 24. Among those killed were 184 children, according to the United Nations.

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.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently urged President Joe Biden to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, which would allow the U.S. to adopt the most aggressive sanctions.

Sources told The Times (U.K.) that Biden was keeping the move under consideration, and observers believe Russias history under President Putin might fulfill the criteria for the designation.

In an interview with CNN last week, 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.

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.
Satanic Temple sues school board for rejecting After School Satan Club

The Satanic Temple has filed a civil suit against a Pennsylvania elementary school only a few days after the district voted down a parents request to create an after-school Satan club for non-religious students.

The Dillsburg-based Northern York County School Board rejected the establishment of an After School Satan Club at the districts Northern Elementary School in an 8-1 vote on April 19. Samantha Groomer, the mother behind the proposal, said she suggested the club as a secular alternative to the Joy El Christian club, which operates in nine of 16 of the countys school districts and offers off-campus activities.

Parents and others gathered at the Pennsylvania school board meeting applauded after the idea for the club was denied, as seen in a clip of the meeting obtained by The York Daily Record. In response, Satanic Temple co-founder Lucien Greaves promised the group would pursue legal action.

Mathew Kezhaya, general counsel for The Satanic Temple, told The Christian Post that the issue being litigated is whether the school board discriminated against the Satan-worshipping group.

Kezhaya alleged that school officials told The Satanic Temple that removing the word Satan from the clubs name would improve its chance of approval. Another issue regarding the groups equal access to government property stems from the superintendent reportedly expressing concern about public backlash."

"This is direct evidence that the government improperly considered the popularity of the club's communicative activity when determining whether the club should be entitled to equal access to government property," Kezhaya told CP.



"The First Amendment prohibits a government from considering the popularity of communicative activity when determining whether to facilitate that communicative activity on equal terms with other, similarly situated, groups."

Some school districts have adopted extracurriculars sponsored by the Satanic Temple, such as the Jane Addams Elementary School in Moline, Illinois. In January, the school received criticism for passing out flyers promoting an After School Satan Club, defending the decision by claiming it does not discriminate against any groups looking to rent its facilities.

Similarly, the Lebanon City School District in Lebanon, Ohio, also faced pushback in January for allowing the Satanic Temple to host an after-school activity for elementary school children.

The After School Satan Club contends that U.S. Supreme Court precedent grants the club the right to hold meetings on public grounds after regular hours.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2001 in the case of Good News Club v. Milford Central School that schools operate a limited public forum and that, as such, they may not discriminate against religious speech should a religious organization choose to operate an After School Club on their premises.

In its handbook, the After School Satan Club claims to focus on free inquiry and rationalism, the scientific basis for which we know what we know about the world around us. The group also contends that it uses Satan in its title because, to them, the devil is not a supernatural being.

Instead, Satan is a literary figure that represents a metaphorical construct of rejecting tyranny over the human mind and spirit, the handbook reads.

It is our goal to provide a fun, intellectually stimulating, and non-proselytizing alternative to current religious after-school clubs being offered in our public schools, which aim to indoctrinate children into their religious view, the handbook continues.

We are not offering any materials or lectures to your child about Satanism; instead, our focus will be on free inquiry and rationalism, bolstering scientific understandings of the natural world, and nurturing your childs already awesome ability to be curious about the wonders around them.

The Satanic Temple and the Northern Elementary School did not immediately respond to The Christian Posts request for comment.
Steve Harvey tells 'Family Feud' audience God has given every living soul a gift

Internationally recognized comedian Steven Harvey used his time between Family Feud segments to speak to the audience about their god-given gifts.

The key is to locate your gift, he said. Its not your talent. Your talent has nothing to do with it. Be very careful with what you're talented in and passionate about. They sound like the same thing. What you are gifted at is your quest.

The 65-year-old TV personality advised the younger audience members to identify their respective gifts because therein lies your greatest chance for success, adding: Every living soul God created at birth, He gave all of you a gift. All of you in this room are gifted. All of you are gifted. Listen to me. All of you are gifted individuals.

Teaching is a gift, he said. Networking is a gift. Working with your hands is a gift. Being a caregiver is a gift. Babysitting is a gift; some people are just really good at it. All of this turns into something.

To make his point  and to show the difference between a talent and a gift  Harvey told the crowd about one of his childhood friends, whom he called Clipper.

Clipper, Harvey recalled, spent all his spare time cutting grass. Nowadays, Harveys 62-year-old friend owns an incredibly successful landscaping business in Cleveland, Ohio, bringing in $4 million a year.

You know what Clipper do? Harvey is heard saying in a clip posted on his YouTube page. Clipper cut grass. He dont do nothin but cut grass. He found his gift and he was gifted at it. His gift has made room for him.

In the video, titled Motivated Steve Harvey, the comedian advised those in the Family Feud audience to copy the Clipper who has found their gift.

Your gift might be frying chicken, Harvey continued. Some of yall bake pie. Some of yall do hair. Some of yall fix cars. Some of yall paint. Go do that. Do your gift. Dont worry about which one of them talents. The reason youre struggling with that talent is because that aint what you was built to do. You were built to do your gift.

Discover your gift, change your life, Harvey instructed. Thats the secret.

Harvey regularly uses his platforms to speak about God and Jesus, including on his new show, "Judge Steve Harvey." However, Harvey stunned many of his Christian fans last year after he revealed that he believes there's more than one way to Heaven.

Last year, Harvey posted a video on his official YouTube channel titled How Steve Harvey Prays that shows him at Abu Dhabis Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in the United Arab Emirates. The UAE is a majority Muslim Persian Gulf nation where Islam is the official religion. While Christian expatriates in the UAE are allowed to worship in private, they are prohibited by law from praying in public or evangelizing.

"There's no one way to Heaven, no one way to paradise, Harvey declared. It's like television, now there's over 800 channels on cable, and they're all pretty entertaining. So I'm pretty sure that to get to Heaven, there's got to be more than one route. Because somebody watching another channel or taking another channel than you, they're still getting entertained, and they probably still getting to Heaven.

In the Bible, however, Jesus clearly states that He is the only way.

I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me, Jesus said in John 14:6. And in John 8:24 Jesus said: For unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins.

The Apostle Peter echoed the words of Christ in Acts 4:12, saying, Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Harvey captioned the video by writing, Theres many ways to serve GOD and keep your faith. My trip to The Emirates always reminds me how we can live in harmony and in the much-needed peace we all crave globally."

In the nearly five-minute video, Harvey also shows viewers the exterior of the Mary Mother of Jesus Mosque, which is located near St. Andrews Anglican church. The mosque was renamed in 2017 by the order of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al-Nahyan to consolidate bonds of humanity between followers of different religions, Al Arabiya reported at the time.

"Can you imagine a mosque with the name Jesus on it? Yeah, the world could use a little bit more of that, Harvey said while standing outside the mosque that was renamed Mariam Umm Eisa (Mary Mother of Jesus Mosque).
Ugandan woman stabbed by husband for converting to Christianity

A 26-year-old mother of two in eastern Uganda is recovering from deep knife wounds after her Muslim husband stabbed her on Easter Sunday because she had put her faith in Christ two weeks earlier.

Zaina Gimbo, who is from Sirinya B Island in Mayuge Districts Lake Victoria area, sustained wounds to her face, head and back, and bruises on her hand, Morning Star News reported.

The young mother of a 4-year-old boy and a 5-year-old daughter, who had secretly put her faith in Jesus on April 2, was attacked after she got back from an Easter worship service on April 17.

Carrying her Bible, She left for the service after her husband, identified as Jamiru Mwima, left to catch fish. It was a wonderful celebration. At about 1 p.m., I went home not knowing that he had come back. I came back with a lot of joy, singing Christian songs that I had learned in the church, Gimbo was quoted as saying from her hospital bed.

As soon as she arrived home her husband came out very furious, Gimbo said. He grabbed her hand and asked her many questions about her faith, which she did not answer. My husband beat and cut me with a long knife. I made an alarm that brought many people who came and disarmed him. I fell down bleeding seriously and lost consciousness.

Her friends then took her to a hospital where she is still recovering.

Gimbo accepted Christ after interacting with a Christian businesswoman to whom she would sell fish caught by her husband.

I started sharing Christ with her and, after a week, on April 2, she embraced the Christian faith. Every time she brought fish, we were able to have a few hours sharing about Christianity, the businesswoman was quoted as saying.

In a separate incident earlier this month, a Muslim woman in Nawanjofu village of Butaleja District added poison to her husband's food after he converted to Christianity.

Hiire Sadiki, 56, a former Islamic teacher, was poisoned because he had declined to observe the Islamic rituals of Ramadan and his wife noticed him praying in the name of Christ.

While most people in Uganda are Christian, some regions in the country have higher concentrations of Muslims.

The Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project estimates that about 11.5% of Ugandas population is Muslim, mostly Sunni. Armed attacks and murders of converts are not uncommon in the region.
Hillsong exec. called Brian Houstons explanation after visiting womans hotel room dribble: report

A high-level Hillsong Church executive dismissed founder Brian Houstons explanation for why he visited the hotel room of an unidentified woman for 40 minutes during the churchs annual conference in 2019 as insulting dribble just days before Houston resigned, a leaked letter suggests.

Days before Houstons resignation as the megachurch network's global senior pastor on March 23, Hillsong's head of people and development, John Mays, recommended in a March 19 letter obtained by The Guardian that Houston and his wife, Bobbie, be fired from their positions due to leadership failures.

Houstons resignation came after it was revealed that two women, including the unidentified women in the hotel room, made serious complaints of misconduct against him in the last 10 years.

Before announcing Houstons resignation, the Australia-based church said Houston violated Hillsong's pastoral code of conduct by entering the hotel room of the unidentified woman for 40 minutes while under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs during the churchs annual conference in 2019.

Houston doesnt recall having sex with the woman, and the woman has not said if they had sex.

Hillsong Churchs Interim Global Senior Pastor Phil Dooley told Hillsong Church staffers in a meeting that the accounts of what happened from Houston and the woman are not entirely reliable because they were impaired by alcohol. Houston was also reportedly under the influence of anxiety medication during the hotel room visit.

In his letter, however, Mays, whose son Jason Mays pleaded guilty to indecent assault of former Hillsong College student Anna Crenshaw in January 2020, said there were obvious information gaps and anomalies in what the Hillsong Church board told staff.

I do not believe our employees have bought the narrative within the statement made in the staff meeting, Mays wrote. He said the narrative was met with skepticism and mistrust despite urgings to avoid gossip and talk to leadership about any concerns.

One insulting example (of many) is that Brian lost his room key so knocked on the ladys door, a detail he no doubt recalls despite memory loss during the following 40 minutes. Are we really asking our staff to accept such dribble and defend our Church with such? he asked.

Hillsong Church also revealed in March that Houston exchanged an inappropriate text message with a church staffer in 2013. According to Dooley, the text message was along the lines of, If I was with you I would like to give you a kiss and a cuddle or a hug. The staffer resigned shortly after. Hillsong Church blamed Houstons actions in this case on sleeping tablets.

In his letter, Mays alleged that Brian and his behaviors placed a great deal of stress on Hillsong Church board members.

"[T]hese challenges would have been intensified on account of Brians strong, immovable, leadership disposition together with a distinct lack of personal accountability which has been allowed over many years," Mays added.

Mays further alleged that Hillsong Church had become an arrogant employer that essentially exploited the commitment of staff to the churchs mission over time.

He further called for a review of the boards process that led to Houstons resignation by a forensic, independent, external body with absolutely no allegiance to Hillsong or any of its board members.

I believe that the statement provided to staff should be reviewed and modified to ensure it more authentically reveals the full circumstances of Brians indiscretions (subject to his and others right to privacy), the agreements entered into with aggrieved parties (again subject to individual privacy) and the decision-making process that led to such agreements, Mays wrote, according to The Guardian.

Earlier this month, Hillsong Church also fired Bobbie Houston. Mays, in his letter, had also recommended that she be held accountable.

I believe Bobbie in her capacity as Global Senior Pastor, paid accordingly, should also be accountable for her willingness to tolerate such behavior and defiance on the part of her co-leader, Mays wrote. I do not see her as a victim in this situation, she has a biblical, professional and corporate responsibility to ensure accountability.
Actor regrets asking God why he was 'forgotten' in Hollywood over refusal to do sex scenes

Actor Neal McDonough claims he wrestled with God after being blacklisted in Hollywood for several years because he refused to perform sex scenes.

Known for his performances in Band of Brothers, Minority Report and Desperate Housewives, the Catholic actor recently told Fox News about his walk with God when he wasn't working after being dismissed from the ABC series "Scoundrels" in 2010.

McDonough has alleged that he was let go from the show in recent years because he refused to do on-screen romance scenes, something that wasn't an issue on past projects.

"There was a time when I wasnt working. I couldnt get a job because people thought I was this crazy religious guy," McDonough said. "But that wasnt the case. I love my wife, but I love my acting too. I was hopeful that, at some point, someone would give me a chance again."

McDonough said he was three days into filming the series but was cut from the show because he wouldn't agree to on-screen sex scenes.

The Boston native has had a no sex scenes policy for most of his 30-year career and not even his stint in Desperate Housewives, a highly sexualized series, made him compromise his rule.

He married his wife Ruve in 2003 and maintained that he would not even kiss any other woman because these lips are meant for one woman."

The Christian Post reached out to ABC about McDonough's claim of being cut from "Scoundrels," but did not immediately receive a response.

After experiencing "a hard few years" without any work, McDonough said he had a heart-to-heart with God.

"I remember falling to my knees and saying, God, why have you forgotten about me? Why am I being punished so much?" McDonough said. "And as soon as those words came out of my mouth, I realized what self-absorbed questions those were.

He said he regrets his words, realizing how blessed he truly is.

God has given me so much. We all experience challenges in our lives. I should be grateful  and thankful  for all the blessings Im given," he added.

McDonough said after his prayer, he got a call from actor and screenwriter Graham Yostwho, someone he had previously worked with on "Band of Brothers."

"I remember, a few minutes later, I was sitting there at the kitchen table with Ruve," he recounted. "Graham called and said, Hey, you want to play the villain in the first episode or two of Justified? I said, Yes, yes I do. And after the first take, he came up to me and said, You want to play the villain for the whole year? I joked, Didnt you know that was my game plan? Thats what Im going to do."

"And after Justified, everything was kind of forgotten. I was determined to give a really great performance and I did, he noted.

In an interview with The Christian Post at the 2019 Movieguide Awards, McDonough spoke of his faith and dedication to his wife.

You get one shot at life to do things the best way that you possibly can and to give glory to God in everything that you can do, he told CP. Our relationship is always paramount to me in my life. It's the most important thing in my world.

Paul Newman said it best, 'Why go out for a hamburger when I've got a steak at home?' McDonough said.

The couple has been together for over 23 years and married 19 of them. They have five children together.

McDonough's career has flourished since "Justified" in 2012.

"God gave me this gift of being an actor, and Im not going to waste it," he shared with Fox News Digital. "Im now in a position to produce movies with my wife. Im able to co-create projects. And I get to continue pursuing my craft. I couldnt be in a better place in my career. Every step Ive had along the way, every challenge Ive faced, has built this moment. And this is a moment Im really cherishing. Im proud of my work and what I can accomplish."
Biden accepts Bennett's invitation to visit Israel

Xinhua) 09:39, April 25, 2022

JERUSALEM, April 24 (Xinhua) -- U.S President Joe Biden has accepted Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's invitation to visit Israel in "the next few months," the prime minister's office said Sunday.

The two leaders discussed over the phone Iran's demand to delist its Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) from the U.S. terror list, according to a statement by the office.

"I am sure that President Biden, a true friend of Israel who cares about its security, will not be able to remove the IRGC from the list of terrorist organizations," Bennett said in the statement.

"Israel has clarified its position on the issue: The IRGC is the largest terrorist organization in the world," he added.

They also talked about the ongoing efforts between Israeli and Palestinian officials to lower tensions and ensure a peaceful conclusion to the holy season of Ramadan, according to a statement from the White House.

The phone talk came as world powers and Iran are working to renew the 2015 nuclear agreement, which former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of in May 2018. The United States later reimposed sanctions on Iran, prompting the latter to drop some of its nuclear commitments under the agreement.

Israel, which considers Iran its arch-foe, has been lobbying against the revival of the deal, claiming it will enable Iran to pursue nuclear weapons without the burden of sanctions, while Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
Postcard from Meersburg

Meersburg is one of those picture-perfect Old World towns.

Located in southwest Germany within the state of Baden-Wurttemberg, it sits on the shore of Lake Constance, where the borders of Austria, Germany and Switzerland meet. Meersburg, it is claimed, dates to the 7th century when a Merovingian king built a castle here. No trace of that castle exists, though a later medieval castle, the uncreatively called Old Castle, still stands with a commanding position above the much-newer lower town.

Everything here really owes its existence to the Reformation  particularly influential Swiss reformer Huldrych Zwingli  as the politics of the time drove the Roman Catholic prince-bishop of Constance, Hugo von Hohenlandenberg, from his see across the lake in 1526.

Constances loss proved to be Meersburgs gain as the prince-bishops had both temporal and ecclesiastical authority within the broader Holy Roman Empire.

One of the main landmarks is the New Palace. The spectacular baroque and rococo building with sweeping views of Lake Constance today houses a museum detailing centuries of rule by the prince-bishops.

Beyond all the quaint cobblestone streets and endless photo opportunities for the Instagram set is the Bible Gallery.

Located at the far end of the upper town in the shadow of the Roman Catholic parish church and next to the local tourism office, the somewhat overlooked museum occupies a 500-year-old former Dominican convent. Established in 1988 by the Protestant Church in Baden, a union of Lutheran and Reformed churches, it seeks to make the Bible and its message known  something that is especially needed during this time of rampant secularization.

We show visitors how the Bible influences our daily life even without us noticing it at first sight, Bible Gallery director Thea Gross said. The Bible is central to everyday life, including our calendar and our understanding of right and wrong.

Spread across galleries on multiple floors, the exhibits include countless artifacts and other objects. There are even depictions of Jewish life at the time of the Old Testament. Everything, including a replica Gutenberg press that transformed the world, is intended to have the soft touch of evangelization.

I ask children why they have Christmas holidays, Gross said. Some know Christmas, but many of them dont know.

If you go

The Bible Gallery reopens for the 2022 season on April 9. The Luther Story, a special exhibit on the life and work of Martin Luther, runs from September 17.

Visitor hours are 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission fees vary but start at 3 euros (about $3.30) for children and 6 euros (about $6.64) for adults. A recently revamped self-guided audio tour is available in English.

Be sure also to visit the rococo-style chapel at the New Palace. Once the private chapel of the prince-bishops, it has been used as Meersburgs Protestant parish church since 1864. Admission is free.

Stay at either the Hotel Baren Meersburg or Hotel Weinstube Lowen.

Given its location, Meersburg is easily reached by visitors on road trips across Germany and Switzerland. Nearby Friedrichshafen Airport has flights to and from Frankfurt on German airline Lufthansa. Meanwhile, the closest international airport is 90 minutes away by car in Zurich, Switzerland.

Dennis Lennox writes a travel column for The Christian Post.
California church builds 6 cabins to house the homeless: 'We've never built anything like this'

A Southern California church is planning to house homeless people in six cabins on its property, an endeavor its pastor hopes will serve as a model for other churches looking to help people in need.

Meridian Baptist Church in El Cajon is partnering with building group Amikas and social service provider Home Start to offer a safe environment to the local homeless community. The cabins are expected to be fully occupied by Memorial Day.

Pastor Rolland Slade told The Christian Post that the cabins will provide emergency housing for women and children, particularly veteran women with children. The plan is for residents to stay up to 90 days before rotating to permanent or transitional housing.

So in theory, within a year, we'd be able to have [about] 50 people go through ... maybe more, Slade said. The cabin platforms are 20 square feet, and inside living spaces [are] 96 square feet for each cabin, having kind of like a porch to it so they can sit outside in a chair and enjoy the breeze.

So far, the pastor said his church is the only one involved in the project.

But Slade, who became the first African American elected as chair of the Southern Baptist Conventions Executive committee in 2020, hopes what his church is doing will inspire other churches and faith communities to help homeless populations in similar ways.

You know, people have talked to me and said, 'You know, pastor, you're the only one doing this; why are you doing it?' Well, I'm just crazy enough to think about it and to test the waters, so to speak, he said. But we're writing the book. You know, we're documenting all that we've done so that the next church that wants to do this, we can help them.

Meridian Baptist has served the homeless for "a long time" by hosting weekly dinners. Slade said seeing an Amikas demonstration cabin in the City Heights area inspired him to ask the organization to help build one on his churchs property.

Initially, the church's locality did not permit residential use. City council members involvement became necessary, and staff members were assigned to research what parameters were needed for the church to obtain an administrative zoning permit. The case was then assigned to the planning commission, which came up with the administrative zoning permit.

The used cabins are being built on unused property that the church had nicknamed Tumbleweed Village because of the weeds. According to Slade, obtaining a permit and building the cabins has taken almost three years.

It's been interesting because weve never built anything like this; the city had never built anything like it, Slade said. Our insurance company had never seen anything like this. So everybodys kind of been learning, and thats the good part about it. We have been learning, and were doing it the right way.

The platform the sleeping cabins are being built on has been inspected and approved, and all six frames are up and awaiting inspection. Once the framing is done, Slade said the plan is to put in insulation and obtain an electrical permit so the cabins will have electricity.

While he did not detail the number of volunteers helping to construct the cabins, the pastor said phone calls come in every day from people wanting to know about volunteer opportunities to assist in the construction. When volunteers show up, the church has them sign a waiver.

Im hoping that well see a change in attitudes, Slade said. Its going to be baby steps because people definitely have their opinions on why a person is living unsheltered."

I believe that in the 90 days that people are in our cabins the best thing the church can do is love them, Slade added. That's what we're called to do. That's what we will do.

Slade stated that the church is not trying to become a "social service provider."

"We're not trying to say, 'Hey, you live in the village, you have to come to church, he continued. My hope is that because we are doing a good job of loving them, they'll want to be a part of the community, but they don't have to be.

Around the country, other churches and ministries have built tiny homes and structures to house the homeless, people recovering from addiction or even medical patients.
China: Police track down pastor, house church members after videos of ocean baptism posted on WeChat

Police in Shenzhen city in southeastern China quickly tracked down a pastor and members of a house church after seeing videos posted on WeChat of their ocean baptisms, according to a report.

Six members of Shenzhen Trinity Gospel Harvest Church and its Pastor Mao Zhibin drove two hours to a coastal city for the Easter baptisms held on April 16. According to China Aid, the baptisms were discretely planned and held without incident.

However, a person known to the church posted photos and videos of the baptisms on WeChat. Soon thereafter, an official called Mao, who was eating lunch with those who had been baptized and asked him to confirm his identity due to a COVID-19-related measure.

Minutes later, several police officers and the local deputy mayor arrived at the location where they were all having lunch. The official and police waited for the Christians to finish their lunch and then checked their identity cards and scanned their faces.

One of the officers had the baptism videos on his phone, the pastor said. Several more photos of the pastor appeared on the phone after they scanned his face.

The technology used by the government surpasses traditional authoritarian reign and should be called super authoritarianism, Pastor Mao was quoted as saying, as per the translation provided by the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern. However, I also believe that God still reigns over all. We just need to trust in Him, walk humbly with God.

The pastor added that it's worse than George Orwell's 1984, with the officials monitoring WeChat and hundreds of millions of surveillance cameras in the country monitoring the movements of every person in China.

He added, "big data artificial intelligence algorithms can be called The Matrix 1.0, which is a hyper-totalitarianism far exceeding the traditional totalitarian rule technology," according to China Aid.

Mao and his church have spoken out in the past for religious freedom and in support of Pastor Wang Yi, the founding pastor of one of Chinas most persecuted house churches, Early Rain Covenant Church.

Some activists also attend Shenzhen Trinity Gospel Harvest Church, which could be the reason why the communist government has targeted the house church.

Open Doors USA, which monitors persecution in over 60 countries, estimates that there are about 97 million Christians in China. A large percentage of these Christians worship in what Chinas communist government considers to be illegal and unregistered underground house churches.

The group has also warned that many unregistered churches have been forced to split up into small groups and gather in different locations, keeping a low profile so as not to be detected by the sub-district officer or neighborhood committee.

As Beijing hosted the Winter Olympics earlier this year, many expressed outrage about Chinas treatment of religious minority communities. While China was accused of genocide for its detainment of Uyghur and other ethnic Muslims in western China, human rights activists had voiced concern for years about the Chinese governments longtime crackdown on unregistered churches and house church movements.

Since the Revised Regulations on Religious Affairs took effect in February 2018, the Chinese government has added more laws seeking to curb religious activities that are not state-sanctioned," said Gina Goh, ICC's regional manager for Southwest Asia, said in an earlier statement.

Goh added: Beijing is paranoid about Chinese Christians interaction with Christians overseas. As a result, they are penalizing Christians to deter them from receiving foreign influence. It is a shame that the Chinese government constantly manipulates laws to violate the religious freedom of its citizens.
Indonesian Christian politician sentenced to 5 months in prison for hate speech

An Indonesian politician has been sentenced to five months in prison on hate speech charges for criticizing Islam in remarks on social media.

Protestant Christian and Democrat Party politician Ferdinand Hutahaean was arrested in January after social backlash over a Twitter comment.

Hutahaean reportedly posted a tweet on Jan. 4 that read: Poor you, your Allah is evidently weak [and] must be defended. My Allah is amazing, [he] is everything. He is my defender, and my Allah does not need to be defended.

According to International Christian Concern (ICC), a panel of judges found Hutahaean guilty of intentionally spreading fake news causing a stir in society for the tweet. Last Tuesday, he was sentenced to five months in prison.

Prosecutors had initially suggested a seven-month term instead of the five-month sentence handed down by the judges, ICC reports.

While Hutahaen initially denied insulting Muslims by claiming he had converted to Islam in 2017, prosecutors rejected his argument and claimed a valid identification card describes him as a Christian, the Jakarta Globe reported.

In an indictment in February, prosecutors said Hutahaens words hurt the feeling of all Muslims across Indonesia and maybe around the world.

Hutahaean, who lost a bid for a national assembly seat in 2019, was the head of the Democratic Partys legal division until 2020.

In Muslim-majority Indonesia, non-Muslims are often prosecuted for speaking out against Islam.

Joseph Suyardi and YouTuber Muhammad Kace are other Christians who have recently been arrested and detained by Indonesian officials for insulting Islam. Kace was sentenced last year to 10 years in prison for posting a video that allegedly insulted Islam's prophet, Muhammad.

"Following the verdict of Muhammed Kace, we are relieved to learn that the final sentence against Ferdinand Hutahaean was mild, but even still, it should never have happened," International Christian Concern spokesperson Addison Parker told The Christian Post in a statement.

"Hutahaean isnt the first Christian politician to be brought down by public outrage, but he is a reminder that Indonesias hypersensitivity to the public order has allowed these instances of viral outrage against misunderstandings, disagreements, and religious convictions to become a rhetorical minefield for Christians in the public eye. Religious harmony will struggle to take hold it if it comes only under threat of outrage and prosecution, as these laws only perpetuate a modern-day witch-hunt for violators of speech crimes."

In 2017, Jakarta's Christian Gov. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, was sentenced to two years in prison in Indonesia after being found guilty of insulting the Islamic faith.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended that the U.S. State Department place Indonesia on its special watch list of countries that engaged in or tolerated violations of religious freedom.

The bipartisan advisory body warns that the Indonesian national government led by President Joko Widodo has pursued a "policy of promoting its favored interpretation of Islam through state efforts that included attempting to revamp the state ideology of Pancasila, establishing a voluntary certification program for religious officials, and installing 'moderate' voices inside the quasi-governmental Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI)."

"However, these measures aimed to combat rising extremist or hardline Islamist trends and to promote tolerance exclusively among officially recognized religions; they did not promote greater religious freedom or expand recognition of other religious minorities," USCIRF stated in its 2021 annual report.

Open Doors USA, an organization that monitors persecution in over 60 countries, ranks Indonesia as the 28th-worst country globally when it comes to Christian persecution.

"There were three attacks on Christians within a six-month period between 2020 and 2021, killing eight believers, while Indonesian society has taken on a more conservative Islamic character, putting added pressure on Christians," an Open Doors factsheet states. "Churches that engage in evangelistic outreach are at risk of being targeted by Islamic extremist groups."

Extremist groups are especially strong in certain areas of Indonesia, such as West Java or Aceh, where anti-Christian views still heavily influence both the population and its politics.

"In some regions, church groups face difficulties getting permission to build churches," the factsheet states. "Even if they manage to fulfill all legal requirements (including winning court cases), the local authorities still often ignore them."
'We have to kill Macron': Priest stabbed multiple times, nun injured in attack by knife-wielding man

As news of French President Emmanuel Macrons reelection hit the headlines worldwide Sunday, newspapers also reported that a man attacked a Catholic priest and a nun with a knife in a church in the southern city of Nice while shouting, We have to kill Macron.

The priest, Father Christophe of Eglise Saint-Pierre-d'Arene de Nice, a Catholic Church along the French Riviera, was stabbed 20 times, mostly in the chest, and the nun, identified as Sister Marie-Claude, was stabbed in the arm as she sought to stop the attacker, The Independent reported.

The priest's and nun's injuries are not life-threatening and the suspect has been arrested, the countrys Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted.

The French newspaper Le Figaro reported that the attacker shouted, we have to kill Macron, as he stabbed the priest.

Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said in a tweet that the attacker might have been planning the assault for a few days.

Estrosi also told reporters that the suspect is a 31-year-old mentally unstable French national who was born in the port town of Frejus on the French Riviera in southeastern France.

The suspect was the subject of psychiatric monitoring with several stays in the Sainte- Marie psychiatric hospital in Nice.

I want to thank the emergency services and the police for their exemplary work, and I send all my thoughts to the faithful of the parish, Estrosi tweeted.

Eric Ciotti, a local French politician representing the 1st constituency of Alpes-Maritimes in the National Assembly, praised the extraordinary courage of Sister Marie-Claude, according to Fox News.

Police have said the suspect had no criminal record, he was not known to security agencies and they were not suspecting that terror was the motive.

Meanwhile, 44-year-old President Macron won the presidential election with 58% of the vote against his challenger, Marine Le Pen, who garnered 42% of the vote. He is set to become the first French president in modern times to be reelected while holding the office.

Last December, French authorities arrested two suspected terrorists who were planning a mass stabbing attack to kill disbelievers during the Christmas holidays in Paris.

One of the two men arrested in the greater Paris area had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terror group and told police he was plotting to kill non-Muslims and hoping to be shot dead to become a martyr, The French newspaper Le Figaro reported at the time.
Sarah Jakes Roberts encourages Christians to 'get more' out of life, says God is bigger than fear

Sarah Jakes Roberts preached a sermon encouraging believers to hold onto God's promises and plans for their life in the midst of depression, anxiety or fear.

Roberts, a New York Times bestselling author and the daughter of Bishop T.D. Jakes, preached a sermon Friday titled "Getting More Out of Life" at the Los Angeles-based nondenominational church, One: A Potter's House Church, that she co-pastors with her husband, Toure Roberts.

Some Christians have an unhealthy belief that their circumstances cannot be changed, but "you've got to believe there is more," she said, imploring congregants who have this mentality to alter their perspective.

The issue that most of us have is that we're in these circumstances, we're in our lives, we're in our communities, we're in our relationships, and we have given up on the belief that there is something more connected to the moment we are standing in, the 33-year-old pastor said.

We fall into the thinking that there is perhaps something random or coincidental about the experiences that we have possessed. But the reality is that there is always something more connected to it."

Some Christians, Roberts said, have the wrong mindset and display an attitude of staying where they are most comfortable to avoid failing in life.

Maybe my job at the moment at the grocery store is to be a light. Maybe my job when I'm at this facility that I work in is to make sure that I am helping them to create better strategies. What is the more connected to this moment? Roberts said.

You got to believe that there's more. Some of us do believe that there's more; we just think that the more is assigned to other people. That for us, we could just sit down and live in this trapped space because being trapped is better than failing at more."

Typically, in situations when Christians convince themselves that they do not have the potential to do something more with their lives, Roberts said, they convince themselves that they do not believe that they are able to do any better, which stops them from fulfilling their potential.

Christians often miss opportunities to be in relationships, apply for job promotions, write a book or start a ministry due to fear.

Believing in more is expensive. Believing in more requires vulnerability. Believing in more means I've got to be willing to take risks and to get it wrong, Roberts said.

I hear God saying that if you are ever going to discover the more that God placed in you, then you're going to have to believe that there is more. You're going to have to begin to pull levers that you would have never pulled, have relationships that you would have never had ... you're going to have conversations and communication that you would have never had before because you believe that there is more."

Roberts said she strives to apply to her own life the notion that there is always more.

Anytime I finish preaching a message, I go back through my head and I think to myself, What more could I have done? Because next time I get an opportunity to share the Gospel, I want to tap into the more," Roberts noted.

When I'm serving my children, when I'm serving my husband, I'm thinking to myself, What more can I add to your life? What more can I do to make you feel seen? What more can I do to make you feel valued? Because I recognize that part of my posture in life is to believe in more. I believe in more. I'm not able to give up."

Roberts explained that even before she began to pursue her dreams, she had a mindset that recognized her own self-worth and her potential.

Even when I was depressed, as a teenager ... when I dropped out of college, I still believed in more. I was waitressing at a strip club, still believing in more. I was going circling jobs in the newspaper because I still believed in more," said Roberts.

"God I don't believe that this is the end for my life. God, I don't believe that the statistics are right. God, I'm going through a divorce but the divorce can't go through me because I'm believing for more."

In order to believe that "more" lies ahead in the life of a Christian, Roberts stressed that believers must begin to think outside of their circumstances.

I'm trying to show you that there's more of God's Spirit in you than there is the spirit of grief, then there is the spirit of insecurity, then there is the spirit of doubt, then there is the spirit of worry. I'm not saying it's not there. I'm just saying that God's got more, Roberts preached.

I'm not saying that depression isn't real. I'm just saying that God's got more than depression. God's got more than anxiety. God's got more than fear. God's got more than ego. God's got more than pride. God's got more. I know you got a lot on you. I know you got a lot of shame. I know you've got a lot of worry. But I'm telling you that God's still got more grace. Gods still got more mercy. God's still got more anointing."

"I believe in God's more."

Earlier in the sermon, Roberts shared with the audience John 16:7, where Jesus tells His disciples that He is preparing to die. She noted that "Jesus had spent time with His disciples, He's performed miracles, He's healed the sick; the blind see, the lame walk," but it was time for Him to face his fate at Calvery on the cross.

"This is what we would call a modern colloquialism  a plot twist for the disciples," Roberts pointed out.

"The disciples thought they would be following Jesus and just being a part of Jesus' ministry. But, Jesus had come to the point where He allows them into an extra layer. And that extra layer means their job is done in following Him. It's time for Him to go to the cross. It's time for Him to go be with His Father."

The disciples, Roberts said, were left "holding exposure, experiences, but no leader as they had known it."

"The disciples have experienced more, but now they are living in the threat that the more that they have experienced is going to be taken away," Roberts said.

"Has anyone ever been there; where you finally are living in the more, but for some reason, you lose the job, you move to another city, someone passes away, and the more is being taken away?" Roberts inquired.

The disciples, Roberts said, were filled with grief after hearing that Jesus needed to die.

However, later in her sermon, Roberts noted that despite foreshadowing His departure through death, Jesus still leaves the disciples with "something powerful to marinate on."

"Jesus tells them that 'though I am leaving, I'm sending you help and when it's all said and done, you're going to be glad that I sent you the help,'" Roberts said, paraphrasing the Bible verses.

"The disciples are already living in more. And Jesus says that when it's all said and done, if you survive this sorrow, that even the more that you're experiencing right now, is not going to be anything compared to the more that's on the way," she added.
University of Pittsburgh contacted NIH for help defending experiments on aborted baby body parts

New records released by Judicial Watch suggest that the University of Pittsburgh reached out to former National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins for help defending its fetal organ experiments, which have attracted controversy due to concerns about their legality and ethics.

Judicial Watch announced Monday that it had obtained 34 pages of records, including an email from last October that the University of Pittsburghs Associate Senior Vice Chancellor for Science Strategy and Planning, Dr. Jeremy Berg, sent to Collins.

The conservative group stated that it obtained the information in response to a lawsuit filed in November against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for communication records after HHS and NIH failed to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request.

I write regarding ongoing efforts to undermine important science using fetal tissue. As you no doubt know, various public universities have been the subject of rotating attacks about research using fetal tissue, sometimes citing NIH support for the research, Berg contended. It is now the University of Pittsburgh[s]turn in the spotlight.

The email highlighted the negative press coverage surrounding reports about the universitytransplanting fetal body parts onto rodents for experimental purposes, creating concerns about organ harvesting of born-alive infants. Berg insisted in the email that, regarding Pitts experiments, The University believes that all appropriate practices and laws have been followed.

We have been discussing these issues and it seems that this is an organized attempt to delegitimize science based on fetal tissue rather than to identify misbehavior (although, of course, any misbehavior does create opportunities for outrage), he continued. In light of this, we feel that the scientific community would benefit if more institutions could stand together to take some of the power out of the one-at-a-time strategy that appears to be operating.

Berg requested that they find an appropriate venue for University Chancellor Pat Gallagher to meet and discuss the issue with Collins or other appropriate individuals at NIH. The following day, former NIH Principal Deputy Director Lawrence Tabak, who now serves as its acting director, informed Berg via email that a meeting had been arranged for Oct. 20, 2021, between NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research Mike Lauer, Gallagher and other Pitt officials.

A September 2020 study from the University of Pittsburgh published in Scientific Reports disclosed researchers efforts to develop humanized mice by transplanting fetal body parts onto rodents. The material necessary to create skin grafts on the rodents was reportedly procured by scalping children who were aborted at 18 to 20 weeks gestation.

Public records released last August by Judicial Watch and the pro-life investigative group Center for Medical Progress included a $3 million grant application that the University of Pittsburgh submitted to the NIH in 2015. Pitt emphasized in the application that it had over 18 years of experience collecting aborted baby body parts, making it an ideal candidate to become a fetal distribution hub for the GenitoUrinary Developmental Molecular Anatomy Project.

GUDMAP is an assortment of laboratories working to provide the scientific and medical communities with the means to conduct research on the genitourinary tract. The organizations Tissue Hub website describes how its researchers isolate human genitourinary tissues from babies aborted between six and 24 weeks gestation.

In the application, the university claimed that in its process of harvesting aborted body parts, Ischemia time is minimized. According to the NIH, this refers to the time a tissue, organ, or body part remains at body temperature after its blood supply has been reduced or cut off but before it is cooled or reconnected to a blood supply.

The university also identified labor induction as the procedure that will be used to obtain the tissue.

As CMP noted: If the fetus heartbeat and blood circulation continue in a labor induction abortion for harvesting organs, it means the fetus is being delivered while still alive and the cause of death is the removal of the organs.

Dr. Ronna Jurow, an OB/GYN who previously worked at Planned Parenthood and considers herself pro-choice, said in a statement to Fox News last August that there is no question the universitys comments about ischemia time means infants would be alive when their organs were harvested.

The report prompted nearly 100 members of Congress to demand a thorough review of Pitts federally-funded research practices in a letter directed at Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra and then-NIH director Collins.

The NIH and the University of Pittsburgh didn't immediately respond to The Christian Posts request for comment for this article.



The university has previously denied wrongdoing and states that it doesn't do medical procedures. The Federalist reported that a February letter from the NIH to members of Congress pointed to the investigation authorized by the university. NIH acknowledged that its Office of Extramural Research had engaged in "discussions with the University of Pittsburgh to determine the veracity of these allegations.

The University of Pittsburgh commissioned an independent, third-party firm to review and assess their fetal tissue research processes and practices, the letter from NIH Acting Principal Deputy Director Tara Schwetz, said, according to The Federalist. This assessment reviewed all of the University of Pittsburghs activities related to procurement, disbursement, and use of fetal tissue to determine if they were fully compliant with all applicable laws.

Republicans have contended that the investigation was inadequate because it didn't investigate the source of the university's tissue bank, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The school has maintained that the medical center is a separate, private entity.

"The University of Pittsburghs investigation is a whitewash," Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., the chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus, told Fox News.

"A truly transparent and comprehensive assessment would not have evaded the questions raised by public records, especially and including whether the University of Pittsburgh used the body parts of babies who were born alive and died from having their organs harvested, as well as if individuals procuring the baby body parts for the university altered abortion procedures to suit their gruesome research."

In a congressional hearing last week, HHS Secretary Xavier Beccera was asked by Rep. Chris Jacobs, R-N.Y., if fetal tissue "used for this research was derived from babies who were born alive and then killed by organ or tissue harvesting, would that be a violation of law." According to The Federalist, Beccera didn't directly answer the question.

Fetal tissue has been instrumental in helping so many Americans find life-saving treatment and we have to make sure we are respectful of the standards that are in place, Becerra was quoted as saying, adding that the HHS must ensure that fetal tissue is not being used in ways that are not appropriate under the law.

In an interview with The Christian Post last year, Collins, a Christian who oversaw the NIH since Barack Obama's presidency in 2009, defended the ethics of fetal tissue research. The 71-year-old geneticist said he is "a person of faith who believes in the sanctity of human life and [a] person of science who's trying to come up with ways that science can save lives."

Collins said that since "people have elective terminations of pregnancy every day," "those materials" shouldn't necessarily be "discarded.

Suppose it was possible on a rare instance for something that's about to be discarded with full consent after the decision by the mother to be used to develop something that might save somebody's life, Collins said.

In that case, I think even God could look at that and go, OK, it's not the thing that I would have wanted to see happening. Still, as an ethical choice between discarding or using for some benevolent purpose, maybe that's defensible. Now that will make some people uneasy.
MSNBC political analyst: Jesus would be called a 'groomer' if he was 'alive today'

If Jesus was walking the Earth today, he'd be ridiculed as a "groomer" and a "socialist," according to MSNBC commentator Matthew Dowd, a former presidential campaign adviser to George W. Bush.

Responding to Republican lawmakers who are raising concerns about public educators circumventing parents to push gender ideology on students, Dowd, who was a guest on Deadline: White House with Nicole Wallace, another former Bush adviser, dismissed such concerns, saying, If Jesus Christ was alive today, he would be called a groomer, he would be called woke, and he would be called a socialist.

Dowd, who briefly ran for lieutenant governor of Texas as a Democrat, pointed to Christs messages of love one another and treating everybody with dignity as evidence to support his analysis.

BREAKING: Chief Bush-Cheney advisor: "If Jesus Christ was alive today, he would be called a groomer" pic.twitter.com/6he4MCIKhM  Jack Posobiec ?? (@JackPosobiec) April 20, 2022

Taking issue with Dowds depiction of Jesus Christ as a groomer, Tim Graham of the media watchdog NewsBusters added that the average Christian would elbow Dowd about um, were taught that Jesus is alive today. Hes just not walking the streets or appearing on cable TV.

Dowds remarks followed a discussion about Michigan Democratic state Sen. Mallory McMorrows pushback against Michigan Republican state Sen. Lana Theis characterization of her as a groomer.

Michigan Advance reported that McMorrow was one of a handful of Democrats in the state Senate who walked out of the chamber last week when Theis gave an invocation lamenting that our children are under attack.

"We are in a culture war. This has been a culture war launched by many Republicans against the country, not only against Democrats... you don't win a culture war by talking about Build Back Better" - @matthewjdowd w/ @NicolleDWallacepic.twitter.com/2Hdw9EGAWl  Deadline White House (@DeadlineWH) April 20, 2022

There are forces that desire things for them other than what their parents would have them see and hear and know. Dear Lord, I pray for Your guidance in this chamber to protect the most vulnerable among us, she said.

Theis retweeted the Michigan Advance article, warning that Our children are in danger from progressive indoctrination, putting the rights of the education bureaucracy ahead of the rights of parents. Theis concluded that Lansing Democrats are more concerned with virtue signaling than protecting our kids.

Our children are in danger from progressive indoctrination, putting the rights of the education bureaucracy ahead of the rights of parents. Unfortunately, Lansing Democrats are more concerned with virtue signaling than protecting our kids. https://t.co/vg3n7A9Xza  Senator Lana Theis (@SenLTheis) April 15, 2022

Urban Dictionary defines a groomer as someone who builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them. In recent weeks, the term has been used to refer to those who want to expose young children to sexual content or ideology or talk about sex with them. It has little to do with the concepts of treating everybody with dignity and lov[ing] one another.

Dowds comments on MSNBC Wednesday come as Florida lawmakers continue to face criticism from Walt Disney Co. and LGBT activists for passing "Parental Rights in Education," a law that protects parents' rights and prevents school officials from discussing matters related to sexual orientation and gender identity with students in kindergarten through third grade.

Floridas law isn't the only example of the states rejection of progressive sexual ideology.

The Florida Department of Health has issued guidance on the treatment of gender dysphoria for children and adolescents, pushing back on a fact sheet published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that advocates for providing trans-identified youth with gender-affirming care.

The guidance, released Wednesday, states that systematic reviews on hormonal treatment for young people show a trend of low-quality evidence, small sample sizes, and medium to high risk of bias. It cited a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics that found hormonal treatments for transgender adolescents can achieve their intended physical effects, but evidence regarding their psychosocial and cognitive impact is generally lacking.

After warning about the lack of conclusive evidence, and the potential for long-term irreversible effects that stem from providing minors with gender-affirming care, the Florida Department of Health unveiled guidelines for the treatment of youth suffering from gender dysphoria.

Specifically, the guidance states that anyone 18 years old and younger should not be subjected to experimental puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or body mutilating surgeries like an elective mastectomy or genital mutilation.

Based on the currently available evidence, encouraging mastectomy, ovariectomy, uterine extirpation, penile disablement, tracheal shave, the prescription of hormones which are out of line with the genetic make-up of the child, or puberty blockers, are all clinical practices which run an unacceptably high risk of doing harm.

The document encourages parents of children expressing gender confusion to provide social support and seek counseling from a licensed provider.

Florida is not the only state to express concern about the prescription of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to minors. Arizona and Arkansas have passed laws banning minors from obtaining such experimental drugs.

Earlier this year, Alabama enacted a law banning genital mutilation of children as well as the teaching of topics related to sexual orientation and trans ideology to elementary school students. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has characterized gender transition surgeries for minors as a form of child abuse, and the states Attorney General issued an opinion categorizing the procedures as child abuse.
Pennsylvania school board votes down parent's request to launch After School Satan Club

A Pennsylvania school district has voted against a parent's request to launch a satanic group's After School Satan Club at an elementary school for students who want to participate in an extracurricular program that is non-religious.

In an 8-1 vote Tuesday, the Northern York County School Board based in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, rejected the request to establish an After School Satan Club at the districts Northern Elementary School.

The agenda for Tuesdays meeting indicates that Samantha Groome sought to establish the club on a probationary basis. A video clip of the school board meeting, obtained by the York Daily Record, shows parents and others gathered in the crowd standing up and erupting into applause after the effort to create the satanic club was defeated.

Groome said she wanted her children to be able to participate in extracurricular activities, but sought a secular alternative to the Joy El Christian club, which operates at nine of the 16 school districts in the county and offers off-campus activities.

While an After School Satan Club will not come to fruition in Northern York County, Pennsylvania, other school districts in the country have embraced the extracurricular programs sponsored by the Satanic Temple. Earlier this year, Jane Addams Elementary School in Moline, Illinois, received criticism for handing out flyers promoting the After School Satan Club.

The Moline-Coal Valley School District defended its decision to allow the club to operate at one of its elementary schools. Noting that it does not discriminate against any groups who wish to rent our facilities, including religious-affiliated groups, the district explained that religiously affiliated groups are among those allowed to rent our facilities for a fee.

The district pointed to the Good News Club, which it described as an after-school child evangelism fellowship group, as an example of a religious organization that it allows to use its facilities even though it doesn't endorse its message.

According to the Satanic Temples website, the After School Satan Clubs meet at select public schools where Good News Clubs also operate. Other school districts that host After School Satan Clubs include Lebanon City School District in Lebanon, Ohio, which also faced intense pushback for allowing the Satanic Temple to host an after-school activity for elementary school children.

June Everett, who serves as a minister of Satan at the Satanic Temple and is the campaign director of the After School Satan Club, announced that the club would begin meeting at William Bruce Elementary School in Eaton, Ohio, in February. Everett stressed that ASSC is ONLY in schools that have a Good News Club or other religious club operating after hours.

Everett listed the presence of the extracurricular program LifeWise Academy, a released time religious instruction program focused on Bible-based character education, at the school as justification for seeking to launch an After School Satan Club there. She also posted a flyer advertising the After School Satan Club at William Bruce Elementary School.

The flyer touted some of the activities participants would engage in, including science projects, puzzles games, and arts and crafts projects, and listed benevolence and empathy, critical thinking, problem solving, creative expression and personal sovereignty as concepts children will learn there. It also asserted that the United States Constitution protects the After School Satan Clubs right to distribute flyers on public school grounds.

The United States Constitution requires schools to respect the right of all external organizations to distribute flyers to students at school if the school permits any such organization to distribute flyers. Accordingly, the school cannot discriminate among groups wishing to distribute flyers at school and does not endorse the content of any flyer distributed at school.

The After School Satan Club contends that the U.S. Supreme Court precedent gives it the right to hold meetings on public school grounds after hours: The Supreme Court ruled in 2001 in the case of Good News Club v. Milford Central School that schools operate a limited public forum and that, as such, they may not discriminate against religious speech should a religious organization choose to operate an After School Club on their premises.

The After School Satan Club Handbook insists that the group is not offering any materials or lectures to your child about satanism. The handbook cites free inquiry and rationalism as the focus of the club, adding: While the classes are designed to promote intellectual and emotional development in accordance with TSTs tenets, no proselytization or religious instruction takes place.

A video on the After School Satan Clubs website features a song titled My Pal Satan, which includes lyrics declaring, Satans not an evil guy, he wants you to learn and question why, he wants you to have fun and be yourself and by the way, there is no Hell. Additionally, the song maintains that Satans not a scary guy, he wants you to share and to be kind.

When all is said and done, Satan doesnt actually exist, the song continues. Hes an imaginary friend who can teach us how to live.
Travel is booming. This is clear from the earnings reports and conference calls from airline and hotel companies. This stock is quite undervalued and could see its earnings triple or quadruple as it rides the recovery in travel. Read on to find out why Trivago (TRVG) is the featured stock of the week.



There is a lot of uncertainty in the world due to Russias invasion of Ukraine. It has exacerbated inflationary pressures and is the biggest war in Europe since World War 2. Its also added another risk to the list of reasons that should concern investors.

One strategy to outperform in this environment is to look at trends that are less affected by these developments such as the remarkable recovery in travel. Recent earnings reports and commentary from management teams at airlines and hotels have been very positive and indicated that Q2 and Q3 could bring a record amount of travel volumes.

They also discussed how customers are absorbing higher prices with no effect on demand, reflecting pent-up demand after people put off vacations and celebrations for nearly 2 years. The recent market volatility has also created opportunities to buy travel stocks at very reasonable valuations, especially when considering that they are likely to have a powerful earnings tailwind over the next couple of years due to strong pent-up demand.

One of the biggest winners will be online travel websites like Trivago (TRVG). Read on to find out why TRVG is a travel stock with major upside over the coming months

Company Background

TRVG was founded in Dusseldorf, Germany in 2005. It specializes in online booking for hotels, car rentals, and other travel services. In 2012, Expedia (EXPE) bought a majority stake in the company. The companys offerings are available through 53 specialized websites and applications in 31 languages.

It derives the bulk of its revenues from advertising and affiliate revenue from visitors to its price comparison website and tools. It also offers free and fee-based versions of its Hotel Manager product, which hotels use to advertise on Trivagos digital properties.

Not surprisingly, TRVGs business was wrecked by the pandemic causing revenues to drop by more than 90%. The company instituted aggressive cost cuts including the reduction of its workforce. These efforts have borne fruit as the company was profitable and had positive free cash flow on a trailing twelve-month basis.

Growth

TRVG has 2 different growth stories. One is the recovery from the pandemic. In 2019, the company generated $840 million in revenue. In 2020, revenue plunged to $248 million before slightly recovering to $361 million in 2021.

Analysts are projecting $642 million in 2022 and $808 million in 2023. This bodes well for its near-term profitability as the company has already managed to become profitable at lower levels of revenue due to streamlining operations and cutting costs. Additionally, if the travel boom proves to be stronger and more durable than the current forecast, EPS could see an upside surprise.

The other part of TRVGs growth story is its long-term growth. Here, the picture is less clear as the companys revenues plateaued in 2017 and were trending lower even prior to the pandemic. Unlike many travel stocks which are projected to exceed 2019 revenue levels in 2022, TRVG isnt forecast to until 2024.

Unless this changes, TRVG is more of a trade on the recovery in travel.

Value

Earnings growth and a low valuation are a powerful combination for stock price returns. TRVGs multiples have been pummeled due to the weakness in travel and selloff in growth and Internet stocks since February 2021.

But, its also hard to value TRVG without taking into account its coming earnings recovery as travel levels normalize in its primary markets. Another aspect to take into account is TRVGs $280 million in cash, and it has no debt. It also has impressive gross margins at 98.6%.

POWR Ratings

The POWR Ratings are quite bullish on TRVG as its rated an A or a Strong Buy. A-rated stocks have posted an average annual performance of 31.1%, outpacing the S&P 500s average annual 8% gain.

TRVG also has strong component grades including an A for Growth and Value. Earnings are expected to more than triple over the coming years as revenue normalizes. Despite this, the stock has a forward P/E below the market average. Click here to see more of TRVGs POWR Ratings including component grades for Momentum and Quality.

What To Do Next?

If youd like to see more top stocks under $10, then you should check out our free special report: 3 Stocks to DOUBLE This Year

What gives these stocks the right stuff to become big winners?

First, because they are all low priced companies with explosive growth potential, that excel in key areas of growth, sentiment and momentum.

But even more important is that they are all top Buy rated stocks according to our coveted POWR Ratings system, Yes, that same system where top-rated stocks have averaged a +31.10% annual return.

Click below now to see these 3 exciting stocks which could double (or more!) in the year ahead:

3 Stocks to DOUBLE This Year

TRVG shares were trading at $2.12 per share on Thursday afternoon, down $0.03 (-1.40%). Year-to-date, TRVG has declined -2.75%, versus a -7.48% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.

About the Author: Jaimini Desai

Jaimini Desai has been a financial writer and reporter for nearly a decade. His goal is to help readers identify risks and opportunities in the markets. He is the Chief Growth Strategist for StockNews.com and the editor of the POWR Growth and POWR Stocks Under $10 newsletters. Learn more about Jaiminis background, along with links to his most recent articles.

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There's a familiar sight on the southeast corner of West Alabama Street and Montrose Boulevard in Houston.

The pink sign of Montrose Car Care, locals' go-to auto shop for decades, still presides over the closed business, while a blue wraparound banner recently appeared surrounding the lot: "Clark's Oyster Bar Docking 2022," it reads.

Clark's is an oyster bar in Austin owned by MML Hospitality (formerly McGuire Moorman Hospitality), one of the top restaurant groups in Texas' capital. The company is opening a Clark's in Houston this fall; it will be the third location, as there is also a Clark's Oyster Bay in Aspen, Colorado.

MML is behind wildly popular Austin restaurants such as Sammie's, June's All Day and Jeffrey's, as well as hotels like the Austin Proper and Hotel Saint Vincent in New Orleans.

Clark's has a raw bar serving oysters from Canada, Maine, Massachusetts and Washington. Other seafood items include ceviche, tartare, Crab Louie, New England clam chowder, lobster rolls, crab cakes and oven-roasted Gulf oysters. There's also a "catch of the day" section of the menu and caviar service.

Montrose Car Care was a beloved auto shop that had served the neighborhood since 1986. Locals would come here for their oil changes, inspections and repairs.

When it was announced in July 2021 the shop would close because the landlord was not renewing the lease, the news hit hard for many long-time Montrose residents.

Loyal customers recounted their Montrose Car Care stories to the Houston Chronicle last summer. One woman remembers how helpful the staff were when she moved to Houston at 18 years old, while another said a team member saved her life after insisting he checked her vehicle for a safety issue.

Owned by Laz Enterprises Inc., the property still has Montrose Car Care's sign and gas station-style awning. Construction, which will be completed by Highlands Construction, does not appear to have started. (MML Hospitality could not be reached for comment for this story.)

The lot is 22,500 square feet, according to the Harris County Appraisals Districtan ideal spot for a restaurant with ample outdoor space. Clark's Oyster Bar will share the busy corner with a Chevron, a Shell and the University of Saint Thomas.
The cost of flying is ready for takeoff, and there are few indications that the trend will curtail any time soon as high fuel prices, pilot shortages and booming demand push ticket prices to new highs.

According to travel website Hopper, the average cost of airfare for U.S. travelers in April rose to $330 for a single domestic round-trip ticketa 40-percent increase from prices in early January and the highest figure the company has recorded since it began collecting cost data. Meanwhile, international travel has returned to pre-pandemic prices of about $810 per round-trip.

Hopper's projections expect prices to increase a further 10 percent by the end of May, with average domestic round-trip fares topping out at about $360 before taking a dip as travel demand decreases with the arrival of fall. In the meantime, air carriers are excitedly eyeing the current "strong revenue environment" brought about by high fuel prices, the lifting COVID-19 mandates and increased labor costs spurred on by a shortage of pilots in the United States.

"The short way to say it is we are seeing a lot of strength in the fare environment with customers who frankly value the quality of product that we have and are willing to pay us to fly," said American Aline CEO Vasu Raja during an April earnings call. "So we're encouraged by that and we see those trends going forward into the summer."

One trend likely here to stay for in the near-term is a paucity of available pilots for hire in the U.S. market.

As reported by ABC News' Sam Sweeney, U.S. airliners are looking to add 13,000 pilots to their ranks in 2022 in the hopes of meeting flight schedule demands. Between 5,000 and 7,000 pilots are typically given credentials on a yearly basis, according to United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, making such employment targets all but unattainable in the near term.

"The pilot shortage for the industry is real and most airlines are simply not going to be able to realize their capacity plan because there simply aren't enough pilots, at least not for the next five-plus years," Kirby told ABC News. "The other really large airlines will also probably be able to attract enough pilots, but for anyone else, I just don't think it's mathematically possible to meet the pilot demand for the capacity plans that are out there."
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  Alaska lawmakers are considering a request by Gov. Mike Dunleavy's administration that the state take over part of a federal environmental permitting program, though some members of the Senate's budget-writing committee have expressed concerns with the potential costs.

Administration officials have said the idea behind the proposal is to speed the construction of roads, bridges, mines and drilling projects, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

While the state would have to follow federal standards, critics of the proposal say the state has traditionally favored development and underfunded oversight capabilities. Industry groups say the current permitting process is too slow.

The House included a $4.9 million increase to the budget of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, which expects to hire 28 new staff members. The funding was part of the House version of the state operating budget, which passed earlier this month; senators currently are working on their version.

If the proposed increase is approved, department officials plan a two-year process to take over part of the federal Clean Water Act known as Section 404.

Permits issued under that section determine whether a developer can fill wetlands, rivers or other bodies of water during construction. It also determines whether a developer must take compensatory steps for wetlands destroyed by construction.

We believe that we can develop this appropriately, get this submitted to the EPA ... and ask them to make a good decision for us, with the implementation in 2024, Jason Brune, the department's commissioner, said, referring to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Federal law allows for states to do this if they meet federal standards.

Alaska lawmakers authorized a takeover in 2013 but the push was abandoned after oil prices fell. With higher oil prices and rosier revenue projections this year, the idea was resurrected.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which typically administers 404 permitting, has been neutral during legislative hearings.

Brune said if the state were to take over, he expects similar timelines or quicker, especially for general permits compared to the corps. He also said he's committed to seeking more resources if those are needed.

The corps in Alaska has a regulatory team of about 50 people and an annual budget of about $8.5 million for wetlands permitting, said John Budnik, a corps spokesperson.

Alaska wouldnt be able to take over all wetlands permits; those affecting the ocean, tidally influenced wetlands and navigable rivers or lakes still must go through a federal process.

The Senate Finance Committee removed funding for the proposal from the draft of the state budget it is working on. The measure ultimately advanced by the committee will go the Senate floor for debate and possible amendments.

Differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget are generally hashed out in a conference committee.

Sen. Bert Stedman, a Senate Finance Committee co-chair, said in addition to costs associated with the proposal, he's concerned about starting a major new project in the last year of a gubernatorial term. Dunleavy is seeking reelection this year.

I think theres a timing issue, theres a budget growth issue, and theres a lot of concern amongst my district as far as just DEC and EPA growth and involvement in the overall economy. Im a little cautious, Stedman said.
Fred Savage Fired from The Wonder Years Over Multiple... Click here to read the full article. Fred Savage has been fired from his role as executive...

3 Americans die in mysterious circumstances at Bahamas resort A fourth guest at Sandals Resort on Great Exuma Island was airlifted to a hospital.
ATLANTA (AP)  Spelman College, one of the nation's only two historically Black colleges for women, on Monday chose as its president an epidemiologist who spent decades fighting AIDS and HIV before becoming the leader of an international anti-poverty group.

Trustees of the private Atlanta college voted unanimously Monday to make Dr. Helene Gayle its 11th president, effective July 1. Current president Mary Schmidt Campbell announced her planned retirement last year.

Gayle will take over as the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter movement has propelled a spike in private giving to Spelman and other historically Black colleges and universities, especially those in the top tier.

Gayle, 66, is currently president of the Chicago Community Trust, a community foundation. She said that when she was approached about leading Spelman, she was attracted to it as a place where young women can really tap into who they are, really develop a sense of confidence as women."

The 2,400-student school is one of the nation's top historically Black institutions, part of the Atlanta University Center, a consortium of four historically Black schools. Gayle said she wants to build on Spelmans strength in sending students into careers in medicine, science, technology, engineering and math.

Trustee Kaye Foster said Spelman leaders liked Gayles ability to raise money in her Chicago position, saying the trusts assets have risen from $2.8 billion to $4.7 billion under her leadership. The foundation has focused on reducing the racial and ethnic wealth gap in the city. Foster also cites Gayles ability to set and execute on priorities, her experience in working in large institutions and a career as a humanitarian and a servant leader.

Even though shes not a Spelman alum, in many ways, she has lived our Spelman motto," Foster said. "She has made choices to change the world at every turn.

Gayle lived for decades in Atlanta while working for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After a stint with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation overseeing policy for HIV, tuberculosis and reproductive health, she returned to Atlanta as President and CEO of CARE USA, a key part of an international humanitarian group that fights poverty by focusing on women and girls. She's also a member of the board of the Coca-Cola Co., an Atlanta corporate icon.

Trained as a pediatrician, Gayle has received 18 honorary degrees, including from Emory University and the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta and Agnes Scott College in Decatur.

Spelman and other HBCUs have been focused on reducing costs and loans obtained by students. Today, more than three-quarters of Spelman students get need-based aid, but 92% end up with loans, borrowing more than $27,000 on average, according to data published by the college.

Gayle said she plans to pitch donors on the idea that HBCUs are effective in helping poorer students rise out of poverty, reducing income inequality.

Any woman who has the academic background and has the desire to have an education at Spelman ought to be able to do that, and ought to be able to do that without having to amass the kind of debt that is oftentimes crippling for somebody whos starting out in their career," Gayle said.

She also said she intends to focus on a key student-life concern, a lack of on-campus housing at Spelman. Less than 60% of students live on campus today.

I think theres creative ways in which we can think about this issue, Gayle said. It was made a priority and it will be a priority for me.

___

Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  The recently formed Office of Police Accountability for the city of Boise has released a report on a March 2017 shooting that found the six officers involved acted in self-defense.

The accountability office formed in July 2021 and recently came under scrutiny when the Idaho Statesman reported the office never publicized its findings for multiple police shootings.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  The Boise police chief is under investigation and the city is facing a tort claim from a high-ranking officer who said his neck was broken when the chief tried to demonstrate an unconventional hold during a meeting.

The tort claim, first reported by the Idaho Press, was filed April 5 against the city and Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee alleging Lee caused serious and significant injuries to Sgt. Kirk Rush.

Under Idaho law, a person who wishes to sue a government agency must first file a tort claim and give the agency a chance to respond.

In the claim, Rush said he was running a briefing meeting on Oct. 12, 2021, when Lee grabbed him by the neck without warning to demonstrate an unconventional neck restraint. Rush said that Lee broke parts of his neck which required surgery to repair.

Chuck Peterson, Lees attorney, told the Idaho Statesman that Rushs claims were completely untrue and that he didnt expect his client to pay any damages as a result. The city declined to comment on the tort claim.

The Clearwater County Prosecutors Office in north-central Idaho is working with the Idaho State Police to investigate. Ada County Prosecutor spokeswoman Emily Lowe said her agency sent the matter to Clearwater County because Ada County had a conflict of interest.

In his tort claim, Rush said he and his attorney tried to get the city to address the issue for five months to no avail.

Sgt. Rush does not serve this notice of tort claim lightly, Rush's attorney T. Guy Hallam wrote in the claim. Indeed, he has given the city every opportunity to address this issue short of this legal path.

Rush contends Lee singled him out during the meeting because he disagreed with the way Rush was running the department's K-9 unit.

Rush, who has run the police dog unit for nine years, said dogs are trained to use a bite and hold approach  biting a suspect and hanging on until the animal's handler arrives. Lee prefers a bark and hold approach where dogs bite suspects only if they don't surrender, Rush said. Switching to the bark and hold technique would require retraining or new dogs, Rush said.

The city of Boise had not put Lee on any type of leave in connection with the investigation.
YORK, Maine (AP)  A border dispute between a pair of Maine towns could end up being resolved in court.

Officials in York and Kittery disagree about whether the border between the southern Maine communities is a straight line or more of a meandering one. Maps, drawn by the towns in the late 18th century, differ on the subject.
LONDON (AP)  British health officials investigating the cause of a spike in acute hepatitis, or liver inflammation, among children said there is increasing evidence that it is linked to a common virus.

The U.K. Health Security Agency has recorded 111 cases of unexplained hepatitis in children under 10 since January. Ten of the children needed liver transplants. The U.N. health agency said it has so far received reports of at least 169 cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin, and that one death had been reported.

While it isnt clear whats causing the illnesses, a leading suspect is adenovirus, which was detected in 75% of the confirmed cases tested, the U.K. agency said in statement Monday.

Adenovirus, a common group of viruses, is now circulating in children at higher than average levels after dropping to unusually low levels during the pandemic. One avenue of inquiry being explored is that the outbreak may be linked to a surge in common viral infections after COVID-19 restrictions were phased out. Children who werent exposed to adenovirus over the last two years may now be getting hit harder when they are exposed to the viruses.

Information gathered through our investigations increasingly suggests that this rise in sudden onset hepatitis in children is linked to adenovirus infection, said Dr Meera Chand, director of clinical and emerging infections at UKHSA. However, we are thoroughly investigating other potential causes.

Chand presented the British data Monday during an emergency session of the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases in Lisbon.

The usual viruses that cause infectious liver inflammation -- hepatitis A to E -- werent detected in any of the 111 cases being investigated in the U.K. The victims suffered symptoms such as jaundice, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

The liver processes nutrients, filters the blood and fights infections. Hepatitis can be life-threatening if left untreated.

There are dozens of adenoviruses, many associated with cold-like symptoms, fever, sore throat and pink eye.

U.S. authorities said earlier this month that they were investigating a cluster of otherwise unexplained hepatitis cases diagnosed in nine Alabama children who also tested positive for adenovirus. Officials there are exploring a link to one particular version  adenovirus 41  thats normally associated with gut inflammation.

U.K. public health officials have ruled out any links to COVID-19 vaccines, saying none of the affected children was vaccinated.
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BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP)  Three critically endangered Sumatran tigers were found dead after being caught in traps on Indonesias Sumatra island in the latest setback for a species whose numbers are estimated to have dwindled to about 400, authorities said Monday.

A female and a male tiger were found dead Sunday with leg injuries caused by a snare trap near a palm oil plantation in East Aceh district of Aceh province, said local police chief Hendra Sukmana.

The body of another female tiger was found hours later about 500 meters (550 yards) away with a snare still embedded in her almost-severed neck and legs, he said.

Sukmana said authorities have appealed to the community and plantation companies not to set snares in forest areas where wild animals may cross.

An autopsy was underway by a team of veterinarians to determine the causes of the tigers death, said Agus Arianto, who heads the conservation agency in Aceh, adding that several traps similar to ones used to capture wild boars on farms were found in the area around the dead tigers.

Snare traps are commonly used by farmers on Sumatra island to catch wild boars, which are considered destructive pests with a wide and ravenous appetite for a variety of plants. However, poachers have also used snare traps to kill endangered wildlife for economic purposes.

We strongly condemned this incident and will cooperate with law enforcement agencies in an investigation, Arianto said in a statement.

Under Indonesias Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems law, those who intentionally kill protected animals would face up to five years in prison and a fine of 100 million rupiah ($7,000).

Sumatran tigers  the most critically endangered tiger subspecies  are under increasing pressure due to poaching and a shrinking jungle habitat, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. It estimated that fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers remain in the wild.

It was the latest killing of endangered animals on Sumatra island. Conservationists say the coronavirus pandemic has led to increased poaching as villagers turn to hunting to supplement diminished incomes.

In October, a female tiger was found dead with injuries caused by a snare trap in Bukit Batu wildlife reserve in the Bengkalis district of Riau province, just two months after three tigers, including two cubs, were found dead in the Leuser Ecosystem Area, a forested region for tiger conservation in Aceh and North Sumatra provinces.

Aceh police also arrested four men last June for allegedly catching a tiger with a snare trap and selling its remains for 100 million rupiah ($7,000). Days later, another Sumatran tiger died after it ate a goat laced with rat poison in neighboring North Sumatra province.

A baby elephant died last November after losing half her trunk to a trap set by poachers who prey on the endangered species.
NEAR THE POLISH-UKRAINIAN BORDER (AP)  Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday after a secrecy-shrouded visit to Kyiv that Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy is committed to winning his country's fight against Russia and that the United States will help him achieve that goal.

He has the mindset that they want to win, and we have the mindset that we want to help them win, Austin told reporters in Poland, the day after the three-hour face-to-face meeting with Zelenskyy in Ukraine.

Austin said that the nature of the fight in Ukraine had changed now that Russia has pulled away from the wooded northern regions to focus on the eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas. Because the nature of the fight has evolved, so have Ukraine's military needs, and Zelenskyy is now focused on more tanks, artillery and other munitions.

The first step in winning is believing that you can win," Austin said. "We believe that they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support, and we're going to do everything we can ... to ensure that gets to them.

Asked about what the U.S. sees as success, Austin said that we want to see Ukraine remain a sovereign country, a democratic country able to protect its sovereign territory. We want to see Russia weakened to the point where it cant do things like invade Ukraine.

The trip by Blinken and Austin was the highest-level American visit to the capital since Russia invaded in late February.

They told Zelenskyy and his advisers that the U.S. would provide more than $300 million in foreign military financing and had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition.

We had an opportunity to demonstrate directly our strong ongoing support for the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people," Blinken said. "This was, in our judgment, an important moment to be there, to have face-to-face conversations in detail.

Blinken said their meeting with the Ukrainians lasted for three hours for wide ranging talks, including what help the country needs in the weeks ahead.

The strategy that we've put in place, massive support for Ukraine, massive pressure against Russia, solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these efforts, is having real results, Blinken said. When it comes to Russia's war aims, Russia is failing. Ukraine is succeeding. Russia has sought as its principal aim to totally subjugate Ukraine, to take away its sovereignty, to take away its independence. That has failed.

Ukraines foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, praised the visit to Kyiv by Blinken and Lloyd and called them representatives of the country that did more than any other country in the world. Asked whether the new announcements went far enough, Kuleba said that as long as Russian soldiers put a foot on Ukrainian soil, nothing is enough.

We appreciate everything that has been done, including by the United States, Kuleba said. We understand that, for some, what has been done is already a revolution, but this is not enough as long as the war continues.

Kuleba warned that if Western powers want Ukraine to win the war and stop Russian President Vladimir Putin from going deeper into Europe, then they to speed up the delivery of the weapons requested by Ukraine. He said it takes longer for partner nations to decide to provide Ukraine with the most sophisticated equipment than it does for the Ukrainians to learn how to use it.

It will be true to say that the United States now lead the effort in ensuring this transition of Ukraine to Western-style weapons, in arranging trainings for Ukrainian soldiers, he said, and I only regret that it didnt happen a month or two months ago from the very beginning of the war.

Meanwhile, as expected, President Joe Biden announced on Monday his nomination of Bridget Brink to serve as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Brink, a career foreign service officer, has served since 2019 as ambassador to Slovakia. She previously held assignments in Serbia, Cyprus, Georgia and Uzbekistan as well as with the White House National Security Council. The post requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

The announcement comes as American diplomats prepare to return to Ukraine this coming week, although the U.S. embassy in Kyiv will remain closed for now.

Journalists who traveled with Austin and Blinken to Poland were barred from reporting on the trip until it was over, were not allowed to accompany them on their overland journey into Ukraine, and were prohibited from specifying where in southeast Poland they met back up with the Cabinet members upon their return. Officials at the State Department and the Pentagon cited security concerns.

Austin and Blinken announced a total of $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries; some $322 million is earmarked for Kyiv. The remainder will be split among NATO members and other nations that have provided Ukraine with critical military supplies since the war with Russia began, officials said.

Such financing is different from previous U.S. military assistance for Ukraine. It is not a donation of drawn-down U.S. Defense Department stockpiles but rather cash that countries can use to purchase supplies that they might need.

The new money, along with the sale of $165 million in non-U.S.-made ammunition that is compatible with Soviet-era weapons the Ukrainians use, brings the total amount of American military assistance to Ukraine to $3.7 billion since the invasion, officials said.

Biden has accused Putin of genocide for the destruction and death wrought on Ukraine. Just on Thursday, Biden said he would provide a new package of $800 million in military aid to Ukraine that included heavy artillery and drones.

Congress approved $6.5 billion for military assistance last month as part of $13.6 billion in spending for Ukraine and allies in response to the Russian invasion.

From Poland, Blinken plans to return to Washington while Austin will head to Ramstein, Germany, for a meeting Tuesday of NATO defense ministers and other donor countries.

That discussion will look at battlefield updates from the ground, additional security assistance for Ukraine and longer-term defense needs in Europe, including how to step up military production to fill gaps caused by the war in Ukraine, officials said. More than 20 nations are expected to send representatives to the meeting.

___

Associated Press writer David Rising contributed to this report from Bangkok. AP writer Chris Megerian contributed from Washington.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Monday that Ukraine risks provoking World War III and said the threat of a nuclear conflict should not be underestimated.

In an in-depth Russian TV interview, Lavrov blamed Ukraine for stalled talks between the two countries, and accused the United States and Britain of pressuring Kyiv not to reach agreement.

Everyone is reciting incantations that in no case can we allow World War III, Lavrov said, and accused Ukrainian leaders of provoking Russia by asking NATO to become involved in the conflict.

By providing weapons, NATO forces are pouring oil on the fire, he said, according to a Russian transcript on the Russian Foreign Ministrys website.

Lavrov apparently made the remarks after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States wants to see Russia weakened to the point where it cant do things like invade Ukraine.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview Monday that only discussions between Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin would bring resolution.

___

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 US promises new aid to Ukraine in fight against Russia

 To Europes relief, Frances Macron wins but far-right gains

 Russian officer: Missile to carry several hypersonic weapons

 Follow all AP stories on Russia's war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

___

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

NEW YORK  The Metropolitan Opera and the Polish National Opera are organizing a Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra to tour Europe and America from July 28 to Aug. 20.

The orchestra is to gather in Warsaw on July 18 for rehearsals and will include musicians from Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv and Odesa plus Ukrainian members of European orchestras, the companies said Monday.

Keri-Lynn Wilson, a Canadian-Ukrainian conductor who is married to Met general manager Peter Gelb, will lead musicians who include members of the Kyiv National Opera, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra and Kharkiv Opera plus the Tonkunstler Orchestra of Vienna, the Belgian National Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

The tour will open at Teatr Wielki, the Polish National Opera, on July 28 and include a televised performance at the BBC Proms in London on July 31.

That will be followed by stops at the Choregies dOrange Festival in France (Aug. 2); Berlin (Aug. 4); Edinburgh, Scotland (Aug. 6); Snape Maltings in England (Aug. 8); Amsterdam (Aug. 11); Hamburg, Germany (Aug. 13); New York (Aug. 18 and 19), and Washington (Aug. 20).

__

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines foreign minister on Monday urged the U.N. chief to press Russia for an evacuation of the besieged port of Mariupol, calling it something the world body is capable of achieving.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview he was concerned that by visiting Moscow on Tuesday before traveling to Kyiv, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres could be vulnerable to falling into a Kremlin trap in the war.

Kuleba said Guterres should focus primarily on one issue: evacuation of Mariupol.

An estimated 100,000 people are trapped in the seaside city while a contingent of Ukrainian fighters hold out against Russian forces in a steel mill where hundreds of civilians also are taking shelter.

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MARIUPOL, Ukraine  Officials in the embattled Ukrainian city of Mariupol say a new mass grave has been identified north of the city.

Mayor Vadym Boychenko said authorities are trying to estimate the number of victims in the grave about 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) north of Mariupol.

Satellite photos released over the past several days have shown what appear to be images of other mass graves.

Mariupol has been decimated by fierce fighting over the past two months. The capture of the city would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

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ZAGREB, Croatia  Moscow is accusing Croatia of having an anti-Russian policy for failing to provide humanitarian passage for 24 Russian diplomats and embassy staff who were expelled from the country over the war in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Monday that the government of Croatia is systematically destroying bilateral relations, according to the Russian TASS news agency.

The inhumane, cynical attitude towards our fellow countrymen wont go without an answer, she added.

Croatia has followed several other European Union states in expelling Russian diplomats for the bloody Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Monday that Zakharovas claims are Russian propaganda and that the expelled Russians already left the country, probably via neighboring Serbia. He added that Russia attacked Ukraine, which is our friendly country, killed women and children and we responded to it like most other countries.

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UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are stressing the urgent need for effective access through humanitarian corridors to evacuate Ukrainian civilians and deliver humanitarian aid to communities impacted by the war.

Guterres met Erdogan on Monday in Ankara and expressed support for Turkeys ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding that they agreed to stay in contact to follow up on ongoing initiatives.

The U.N. chief and the Turkish president reaffirmed that their common objective is to end to the war as soon as possible and to create conditions to end the suffering of civilians, Dujarric said.

During the meeting, Erdogan also said Turkey would continue to work closely with the U.N. to end the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and to help in the evacuation of civilians, .

Guterres is scheduled to travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and will then head to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday. The Ukrainian leader has criticized the secretary-general for visiting Moscow before going to Kyiv.

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LONDON  The British government says it believes 15,000 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine since Moscow launched its invasion two months ago.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said 25% of the Russian combat units sent to Ukraine have been rendered not combat effective, and Russia had lost more than 2,000 armored vehicles and more than 60 helicopters and fighter planes.

Russia has acknowledged 1,351 military casualties.

Wallace said Russia had failed in most of its military objectives so far. He told British lawmakers that we anticipate this next phase of the invasion will be an attempt by Russia to occupy further the Donbas in order to connect it via Mariupol to Russian-controlled Crimea. He said international aid and weapons are crucial to help Ukraine withstand the anticipated onslaught.

Wallace said Britain had sent more than 5,000 antitank missiles, as well as air-defense systems and anti-air missiles, and would soon send a small number of Stormer armored vehicles equipped with missile launchers.

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STOCKHOLM  Two newspapers - one Swedish, the other one Finnish - are reporting that the governments of Sweden and Finland have agreed to submit NATO applications at the same time and that it will happen in the middle of next month.

The Finnish newspaper Iltalehti said that the Swedish government has expressed a wish to Finland that they apply together in the week ending May 22, and Swedish government sources confirmed the information to Swedens Expressen tabloid.

Russias invasion of Ukraine has led to growing support in Sweden and Finland, a Russian neighbor, for joining NATO.

Though not members, both Nordic countries closely cooperate with NATO, allowing, among other things, the alliances troops to exercise on their soil. Helsinki and Stockholm have also substantially intensified their bilateral defense cooperation in the past years.

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WASHINGTON -- The U.S. State Department says it has approved the sale of $165 million in legacy Warsaw Pact ammunition and other non-standard ammunition to Ukraine to help in its defense against Russia.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency approved the potential sale and has provided the legally required notification to Congress. Lawmakers can block weapons sales but are unlikely to do so because of strong support for Ukraine following the Feb. 24 invasion.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe, the State Department said in announcing the potential sale Monday.

The sale came at the request of Ukraines government and includes rounds for mortars, automatic grenade launchers and howitzers.

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Russia is expelling 40 German diplomats in response to Germany expelling the same number of Russian diplomats earlier this month.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday that it had summoned German ambassador Geza Andreas von Geyr for a strong protest at the clearly unfriendly decision to expel the Russian diplomatic staff.

The ministry said von Geyr was told that 40 members of staff at German diplomatic missions in Russia would be officially declared unwelcome in Russia.

Germany announced the expulsion of 40 Russian diplomats on Apr. 4 following mounting evidence of civilian killings and mass graves in Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Environmental campaigners have used kayaks and a dinghy to stop a Russian oil tanker from unloading its cargo south of Norways capital, saying Norwegian companies are financing Russias warfare.

Greenpeace says its members chained themselves to the Hong Kong-registered Ust Luga, leased by Russian oil company Novatek, as it arrived at its destination, an Essos terminal near Toensberg.

The tanker with 95,000 tonnes of fuel had left St. Petersburg.

Esso spokeswoman Anne Fougner told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet that the oil had been bought before Russia invaded Ukraine. She added that Esso Norway does not have other contracts for the purchase of products from Russia.

Several other activists were stopped by police before they could take part in the action, Norwegian news agency NTB reported.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands  The International Criminal Courts prosecution office is joining a joint investigation team set up by Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland to probe atrocities committed during the war in Ukraine.

The ICCs Prosecutor Karim Khan signed an agreement Monday to participate in the multinational effort that aims to facilitate investigations and cooperation.

Eurojust, the European Unions judicial cooperation agency, says the agreement sends a clear message that all efforts will be undertaken to effectively gather evidence on core international crimes committed in Ukraine and bring those responsible to justice.

Khan said last month he was opening an investigation in Ukraine and has sent investigators there and visited crime scenes himself.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian authorities say at least five people have been killed by Russian strikes on the central Vynnytsia region.

The Vynnytsia regional prosecutors said another 18 people were wounded in Mondays Russian missile strikes on the towns of Zhmerynka and Koziatyn.

Vinnytsia regional Governor Serhiy Borzov said earlier that the Russian missiles targeted critical infrastructure, but didnt elaborate.

The Vynnytsia region is fully controlled by Ukraine and is far behind the front lines.

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KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraine has said the United Nations should step in to oversee an evacuation route for civilians from the besieged steel mill in Mariupol which is Ukrainian troops last stronghold in the port city.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on the Telegram messaging app that a Russian announcement of a humanitarian corridor out of the Azovstal plant to operate later Monday was not agreed to by Ukraine. Vereshchuk added that Ukraine does not consider the route safe for that reason and said Russia had breached agreements on similar evacuation routes before.

Ukrainian officials have said that up to 1,000 civilians have sheltered at the sprawling steel plant.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to visit Russia and Ukraine this week. Vereshchuk called on Guterres to be the initiator and guarantor of a humanitarian route out of Azovstal and for U.N. and International Committee of the Red Cross personnel to accompany any evacuees.

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MOSCOW  Russias Energy Ministry says a massive fire at an oil depot in western Russia will not cause fuel shortages.

The ministry said in a statement that Mondays fire inflicted damage to a depot containing diesel fuel in Bryansk, and authorities are dealing with the consequences of the blaze.

The ministry said fuel supplies to consumers havent been interrupted and noted that the region has enough diesel fuel for 15 days.

The Emergencies Ministry said earlier that a huge blaze erupted overnight at the depot owned by Transneft-Druzhba, a subsidiary of the Russian state-controlled company Transneft, which operates the western-bound Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline carrying crude to Europe. It wasnt immediately clear what caused the blaze, and whether it could affect deliveries to Europe.

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MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the U.S. and its allies of trying to split Russian society.

Speaking Monday at a meeting with top officials at the Prosecutor Generals office, Putin said Russia has come under unprecedented Western sanctions amid its military action in Ukraine.

He charged that the U.S, and its allies have sought to split the Russian society and to destroy Russia from within, adding that their plans have failed.

Putin urged Russian prosecutors to act more quickly to block unsanctioned demonstrations organized from abroad. He also noted that they should focus on exposing open provocations against the Russian military allegedly involving international media and social platforms.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has hailed talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as encouraging and effective.

Speaking in Mondays video address, he said the U.S. is offering powerful support to his country. Zelenskyy added that they agreed on further steps to strengthen the armed forces of Ukraine and meet all the priority needs of our army. He noted that ramping up sanctions against Moscow also was on the meetings agenda.

Blinken and Austin said the United States had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition for Ukraines war effort, along with more than $300 million in foreign military financing.

Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine would expect the United States to lead other allies in offering a set of security guarantees in the future.

The Ukrainian president also denounced Russia for launching strikes on Orthodox Easter Sunday, describing them deliberate destruction of life in Ukraine.

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MOSCOW  The Russian military says it will open a humanitarian corridor for civilians to evacuate from the besieged steel plant in Mariupol.

The Russian Defense Ministry said a humanitarian corridor will open at 2 p.m (1100 GMT) Monday for all civilians to leave the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. It said Russian troops will cease fire to allow civilians to safely exit the plant.

The mammoth steel plant, which has a sprawling maze of underground channels. has remained the last bulwark of Ukrainian resistance in the strategic Sea of Azov port city.

Ukrainian officials have said that up to 1,000 civilians have sheltered there. They have repeatedly urged Russia to offer them a safe exit.

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MOSCOW  Russian authorities say a fire has engulfed an oil storage facility in western Russia.

The Emergencies Ministry said a huge blaze at the depot in the city of Bryansk erupted early Monday. Its cause wasnt immediately clear.

The oil depot is owned by Transneft-Druzhba, a subsidiary of the Russian state-controlled company Transneft that operates the western-bound Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline carrying crude oil to Europe. It wasnt clear if the depot was part of the pipeline infrastructure and whether the blaze could affect the deliveries.

Russian news reported that another oil storage facility in Bryansk also caught fire early Monday, and that the cause wasnt immediately known.

Bryansk is located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of the border with Ukraine, where Moscow has waged a military campaign for two months. Last month, two Ukrainian helicopter gunships hit an oil reservoir in Russias Belgorod region that borders Ukraine, causing a fire.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian officials say the Russian military has unleashed a series of strikes on the countrys railways.

Lviv region Governor Maksym Kozytskyy said a Russian missile hit a railway facility in Krasne, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Lviv, early Monday, sparking a fire.

Oleksandr Kamyshin, the head of the state-run Ukrainian Railways, said a total of five rail facilities in central and western Ukraine have been hit by the Russian strikes. He said the attacks have delayed at least passenger 16 trains.

There was no immediate information about the damage from the strikes.

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NEAR THE POLISH-UKRAINIAN BORDER  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Russia is failing in its war aims after invading Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Following meetings Sunday in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Blinken told reporters in Poland on Monday that, with Russia having pulled back its troops from around Kyiv and the north of Ukraine to focus on the eastern Donbas region, When it comes to Russias war aims, Russia is failing, Ukraine is succeeding.

In footage of the meeting later released by the Ukrainian presidency, Blinken praised the extraordinary courage and leadership and success that youve had in pushing back this horrific Russian aggression.

We got used to seeing you on video around the world, but its great, its good to see you in person, Blinken said with a smile.

Austin said that the world has been inspired by Ukraine in the war and that America would continue its support.
EUGENE, Ore. (AP)  A Eugene, Oregon, man who ran a white supremacist website and sent letters that terrorized a community college professor was sentenced in federal court to four years in prison.

Gary Franklin, 58, pleaded guilty in January to two counts of threatening communications by mail. His prison term handed down Monday will be followed by three years of supervised release, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
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SHONTO, Ariz. (AP)  Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, whose tenure has been dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, is seeking a second term in office.

Nez made the announcement over the weekend from his hometown of Shonto. Nez, 46, highlighted his administration's handling of COVID-19 and said he wants to ensure that plans to rebuild the economy, and extend power and water lines continues.

We must continue on the path of recovery and healing together, he said in a statement.

A handful of others also have said they'll seek the position, including Buu Van Nygren, Ethel Branch, Frank Dayish Jr. and Earl Sombrero.

Nygren, a vice presidential candidate in the tribe's 2018 election, recently resigned as chief commercial officer at the Navajo Engineering and Construction Authority.

Branch, who served as Navajo Nation attorney general while Nez was vice president, launched a COVID-19 relief fund for Navajo and Hopi families that has raised over $18 million, according to its website.

Dayish lost a bid for the tribal presidency in 2006 after serving as vice president under Joe Shirley Jr. Dayish has since worked in administrative positions in the health care and housing industries.

Sombrero is the manager of a Navajo chapter, or precinct, near the Arizona-Utah border.

The deadline to file for the tribe's top elected post is May 4. More than a dozen people typically run for president of the Navajo Nation, which has the largest land mass of any Native American tribe in the U.S. and is second in population with about 400,000 tribal members.

The primary election is Aug. 2. The top two vote-getters move on to the November general election.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  A man who voted in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the 2016 general election has been ordered to pay nearly $5,000 in fines and penalties.

Todd Krysiak, 39, was charged in June 2019 and pleaded guilty Friday to voting in more than one state. He was given a 90-day suspended sentence and ordered to pay a $4,000 fine, plus a $960 penalty. According to prosecutors, he cast ballots in both Alton, New Hampshire, and Leominster, Massachusetts, on Nov. 6, 2016.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  North Dakotas longest-serving state senator announced Monday that he would resign following a report that he had traded scores of text messages with a man jailed on child pornography charges.

Republican Ray Holmberg, who rose to become one of the states most powerful lawmakers in a career that spanned 46 years, said he would resign effective June 1. His term was scheduled to end on Nov. 30 and he already had announced in March that it would be his last.

Recent news stories have become a distraction for the important work of the legislative assembly during its interim meetings, Holmberg, 79, said in a statement announcing his resignation. I want to do what I can, within my power, to lessen such distractions.

Holmberg did not immediately return messages from The Associated Press on Monday. His attorney, Mark Friese, said he didn't have anything to add beyond Holmberg's statement.

Friese, a prominent North Dakota criminal defense attorney, said Tuesday that Holmberg hasnt been charged with any crime, and there is no indication that he will.

GOP Gov. Doug Burgum said in a statement he supports Sen. Holmbergs decision to resign. He did not elaborate.

Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner said he spoke with Holmberg earlier about his future in the Legislature.

No charges have been brought against Sen. Holmberg at this time ... he felt it was in the best interest to resign at this time," Wardner said.

Days after the published report about his text messages, Holmberg had announced that he would step down as head of a powerful panel that oversees the Legislatures business between sessions.

The Forum of Fargo reported April 15 that Holmberg exchanged 72 text messages in August with Nicholas James Morgan-Derosier. Prosecutors allege Morgan-Derosier possessed several thousand images and videos depicting sexually abused children. He also is accused of taking two children under the age of 10 from Minnesota to his Grand Forks home, with the intent of sexually abusing them.

Holmberg first told the Forum that he had read a newspaper story about the charges, then in a later interview said he had not, the Forum reported.

He told the Forum that his text messages with Morgan-Derosier were related to a variety of things, including patio work Morgan-Derosier did for him. He also told the newspaper that he no longer has the text messages.

Theyre just gone, he said.

Holmberg has been one of the Legislatures most powerful lawmakers for decades, serving as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He chaired the Legislative Management committee, which decides committee assignments and chooses study topics that often inspire legislation, four times.

He also sat on the states Emergency Commission, which allocates funding and resources in times of an emergency, and served on or chaired several GOP-led redistricting committees.

When he announced in March that this would be his last term, he said the stress of a session and a campaign would only exacerbate a weakened ability to concentrate on the matters at hand and effectively recall events.

Many North Dakota Republicans, including Burgum, showered Holmberg with accolades at the time.

Holmberg will remain on the Legislatures payroll through May and on its state-funded health insurance plan through July, a benefit that is worth about $1,425 monthly.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to bolster his nuclear forces at maximum speed and threatened to use them if provoked in a speech he delivered during a military parade that featured powerful weapons systems targeting the United States and its allies, state media reported Tuesday.

His remarks suggest he will continue provocative weapons tests in a pressure campaign to wrest concessions from the U.S. and other rivals. The parade Monday night was to mark the 90th anniversary of North Koreas army  the backbone of the Kim familys authoritarian rule  and comes as the country faces an economy battered by pandemic-related difficulties, punishing U.S.-led sanctions and its own mismanagement.

We will continue to implement measures aimed at strengthening and developing our countrys nuclear forces at the maximum speed, Kim told his troops and the crowd gathered for the parade at a Pyongyang plaza, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

The fundamental mission of our nuclear forces is to deter war, but if an undesirable situation emerges on our land, our nuclear forces cannot be limited to a single mission of preventing war, Kim said. If any forces, regardless of who they are, try to infringe upon our fundamental interests, our nuclear forces will have no choice but to absolutely carry out its unexpected second mission.

The parade featured marching troops shouting hurrah! and an array of modern weapons including missiles potentially capable of reaching the U.S. homeland as well as shorter-range missiles that can be fired from land vehicles or submarines and threaten South Korea and Japan.

One of the weapons showcased at the brightly illuminated Kim Il Sung Squar,e named after Kims late grandfather and state founder, was North Koreas biggest, newly built intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-17.

North Korea claimed to have test-fired that missile last month in its first full-range ICBM liftoff in more that four years. South Korea disputed that, saying North Korea launched a smaller, existing Hwasong-15 ICBM following a failed launch of the Hwasong-17. Despite the outside doubts, the missile fired on March 24 flew longer and higher than any other missile North Korea has launched, demonstrating potential ability to reach deep into the U.S. mainland.

KCNA said spectators at the parade raised loud cheers when they saw the Hwasong-17, which it said showed the absolute power of Juche (self-reliance), Korea and the strategic position of our republic to the world.

North Korea often commemorates key state anniversaries with huge fanfare to boost an internal unity. Tuesdays KCNA dispatch praised Kim for accomplishing "the historic great cause of completing the nuclear forces by making a long journey of patriotic devotion with a death-defying will in order to make sure that the people would eternally enjoy happiness free from the horrors of war generation after generation.

Kim has also been reviving nuclear brinkmanship aimed at forcing the United States to accept North Korea as a nuclear power and to remove crippling economic sanctions. Analysts say North Korea is exploiting a favorable environment to push forward its weapons program as the U.N. Security Council remains divided over Russias war in Ukraine.

Nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have been stalled since 2019 because of disagreements over the potential easing of U.S.-led sanctions in exchange for North Korean disarmament steps. Kim has stuck to his goals of simultaneously developing nuclear weapons and the countrys dismal economy in the face of international pressure and has shown no willingness to fully surrender a nuclear arsenal he sees as his biggest guarantee of survival.

North Korea has conducted 13 rounds of weapons tests this year, including its claimed launch of the Hwasong-19. There are also signs North Korea is rebuilding tunnels at a nuclear testing ground that was last active in 2017, possibly in preparation for exploding a nuclear device.

In 2017, North Korea claimed to have acquired an ability to launch nuclear strikes on the U.S. mainland after a torrid run of nuclear and missile tests. The North had halted such high-profile tests before it entered the now-dormant diplomacy with the United States.

The North has spent much of the past three years focusing on expanding its short-range arsenal targeting South Korea as nuclear negotiations with the United States stalled.

Kims aggressive military push could also be motivated by domestic politics since he doesnt otherwise have significant accomplishments to show to his people as he marks a decade in power. He failed to win badly needed sanctions relief from his diplomacy with then-President Donald Trump, and the COVID-19 pandemic unleashed further shocks to the countrys broken economy, forcing him to acknowledge last year that North Korea was facing its  worst-ever situation.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has signed a bill to authorize up to $700 million in state subsidies to lure an unidentified major manufacturer to the state, his staff said Monday.

Stitt and lawmakers who crafted the Large-scale Economic Activity and Development, or LEAD, Act have not identified the company they are targeting, but the Japanese broadcast network NHK recently reported that the Panasonic Corp. is considering both Kansas and Texas as potential locations for an electric-vehicle battery factory.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  For much of the past two years, America has been first in line for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Now, as drugmakers develop the next generation of therapies, the White House is warning that if Congress doesnt act urgently the U.S. will have to take a number.

Already the congressional stalemate over virus funding has forced the federal government to curtail free treatment for the uninsured and to ration monoclonal antibody supplies. And Biden administration officials are expressing increasing alarm that the U.S. is also losing out on critical opportunities to secure booster doses and new antiviral pills that could help the country maintain its reemerging sense of normalcy, even in the face of potential new variants and case spikes.

Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Hong Kong have all placed orders for treatments and vaccine doses that the U.S. can't yet commit to, according to the White House.

Months ago, the White House began warning that the country had spent through the money in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that was dedicated directly to COVID-19 response. It requested an additional $22.5 billion for what it called urgent needs in both the U.S. and abroad.

The Senate last month closed in on smaller $10 billion package focused on domestic needs. But even that deal fell apart as lawmakers objected to an announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that it would end Trump-era border restrictions related to the pandemic.

The White House this week is mounting a push for doctors to get less stingy about prescribing the antiviral pill Paxlovid, which was initially rationed for those at the highest risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19 but is now more widely available. A 20 million-dose order placed last year by the government helped boost manufacturing capacity.

Paxlovid, when administered within five days of symptoms appearing, has been proven to bring about a 90% reduction in hospitalizations and deaths among patients most likely to get severe disease. Some 314 Americans are now dying each day from the coronavirus, down from more than 2,600 during the height of the omicron wave earlier this year.

The U.S. used similar advance-purchase agreements to boost the domestic supply and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, through what was known in the Trump administration as Operation Warp Speed.

Now, with a new generation of treatments on the horizon, the U.S. is falling behind.

Japan has already placed an initial order for drugmaker Shionogis upcoming COVID-19 antiviral pill, which studies have shown to be at least as effective as Pfizers treatment and has fewer drug-to-drug interactions and is easier to administer.

Because of the funding delays, officials say, the U.S. has yet to place an advance order, which would help the company scale manufacturing to widely produce the pill.

We know companies are working on additional, promising life-saving treatments that could protect the American people, and without additional funding from Congress, we risk losing out on accessing these treatments, as well as tests and vaccines, while other countries get in front of us in line, said White House spokesman Kevin Munoz. Congress must act urgently upon return from recess to provide the funding needed to secure new treatments for the American people and to avoid this dangerous outcome.

Complicating matters further are the long lead times to manufacture the antiviral and antibody treatments. Paxlovid takes about six months to produce, and monoclonal antibody treatments used to treat COVID-19 and prevent serious disease in the immunocompromised take similarly long, meaning the U.S. is running out of time to replenish its stockpile before the end of the year.

Last month the White House began cutting back shipments of monoclonal antibody treatments to states to make supplies last longer.

Administration officials declined to discuss specific treatments they are stymied from ordering because of contracting requirements.

The funding debate is also holding up U.S. purchases of COVID-19 vaccine booster doses, including an upcoming new generation of vaccines that may better protect against the omicron variant.

Moderna and Pfizer both are testing what scientists call bivalent shots  a mix of each companys original vaccine and an omicron-targeted version  with Moderna announcing last week it hopes to have its version ready this fall.

The Biden administration has said that while the U.S. has enough vaccine doses for children under 5, once they are approved by regulators, and for fourth shots for high-risk people over 50, it doesnt have the money to order the new generation of doses.

Earlier this month, former White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Hong Kong had already secured future booster doses.

Republicans have shown no signs of backing down from their insistence that before supplying the 10 GOP votes needed for the COVID-19 funding package to pass the Senate, the chamber must vote on their effort to extend the Trump-era Title 42 order. That COVID-linked order, which requires authorities to immediately expel nearly all migrants at the border, is set to be lifted on May 23.

An election-year vote to extend that order would be perilous for Democrats, and many hope no such vote occurs. Many say privately they hope Biden will keep the immigration curbs in place or that a court will postpone the rules termination, but Republicans could well force a vote anyway.

Congress would have to take action in order for the day not to be May 23, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said early this month that he expected legislation this spring that would wrap together funds for COVID-19 and Ukraine. Aid for Ukraine has wide bipartisan support and could help propel such a package through Congress, but Republican opposition has already forced legislators to strip out pandemic response funding once.

There are at least six Democrats, and potentially 10 or more, who would be expected to back the Republican amendment to extend the immigration order, enough to secure its passage.

Such a vote would be dangerous for Democrats from swing districts, who must appeal to pro-immigration core Democratic voters without alienating moderates leery of the increase in migrants that lifting the curbs is expected to prompt.

Republicans havent said what language they would embrace, but they could turn to a bipartisan bill by Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz.

It would delay any suspension of the immigration limits until at least 60 days after the U.S. surgeon general declares the pandemic emergency to be over. The administration would also have to propose a plan for handling the anticipated increase in migrants crossing the border. Democrats expressing support for keeping the immigration restrictions in place have cited a lack of planning by the administration as their chief concern although the Biden administration has insisted it is preparing for an increase in border crossings.

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AP writer Alan Fram contributed to this report.
NEW YORK (AP)  A prosecutor told jurors in an opening statement Monday that a New Jersey software developer was actually a highly trained terrorist scoping out U.S. landmarks for attack from 2000 to 2005.

Alexei Saab, 45, of Morristown, New Jersey, had a double identity while he worked for Hezbollahs Islamic Jihad Organization, ready to attack Americans at popular locations if Iran was attacked by the U.S., said Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel Adelsberg.

By day, Saab was a software engineer working for technology companies who fit in enough that he became a U.S. citizen, the prosecutor said.

By night, he was a terrorist and spy scoping out potential terrorism targets in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., and abroad in France, Turkey and the Czech Republic, Adelsberg said.

Saab was arrested in July 2019 after being questioned during 11 sessions over several weeks with FBI agents.

Saabs lawyer, Marlon Kirton, said all the evidence in the case was from Saab himself and could not be considered reliable.

And he noted that Hezbollah had never attacked Americans in the United States.

In court documents, investigators said Saab told agents he took photographs of buildings and locations including Quincy Market and the Prudential Center in Boston and the Capitol Building, Congress and the White House in Washington, D.C. A video of Fenway Park was recovered from one of Saabs electronic devices.

Adelsberg said the targets researched by Saab included Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal, all three New York area airports, the Brooklyn, Triborough and George Washington bridges and the Lincoln and Holland tunnels connecting New Jersey to Manhattan, among other locations.

On paper, he lived a normal life when in reality he was a sleeper agent for Hezbollah, he said.

Besides surveillance activities in the United States, Adelsberg said Saab also operated abroad after joining Hezbollah in 1996. He said Saab tried to kill a man he later understood to be a suspected Israeli spy by pointing a weapon at the individual at close range, but the firearm jammed.

Saab is also facing a marriage fraud charge for allegedly marrying a co-conspirator in 2012 under false pretenses. Saab's lawyer did not contest that charge.

Saab has pleaded not guilty to charges including providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy, receiving military-type training from a foreign terrorist organization, unlawful procurement of citizenship to facilitate international terrorism and citizenship application fraud.

The most serious charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 25 years in prison, though the charges collectively carry potential penalties of over 100 years in prison.
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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield endorsed Don Davis on Monday to become his successor, giving the current state senator his seal of approval as next month's Democratic primary for a northeastern North Carolina district approaches.

Butterfield, a former state Supreme Court justice who has held the 1st Congressional District seat since 2004, announced in November that he would not seek reelection.

A dozen people, including four Democrats, have filed candidacy papers for the seat. Davis is a former Snow Hill mayor and ex-Air Force officer who first joined the state Senate in 2009.

Having served in Congress for 18 years, I know what the people of the 1st District expect from their representative, Butterfield said in a news release from Davis' campaign. Don has the legislative experience and is prepared to fight for the Democratic agenda of empowering Americas families and communities.

The May 17 Democratic primary has largely been a competition between Davis and former state Sen. Erica Smith of Northampton County, who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate Democratic nomination in 2020. She also ran for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Richard Burr last year until switching to a House campaign in November.

Smith has portrayed herself as aligned with the Democratic Partys liberal wing  in part by highlighting a recent endorsement by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Davis politics have been considered more moderate, particularly in supporting at times state budgets and other legislation approved by the Republican-controlled state Senate.

Smith put out a news release Monday congratulating Davis on the endorsement but added: We have elections, not coronations, for a reason. Smith promoted her other endorsements, including from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Davis is out of touch with the Democratic Party and has a record that ought to be entirely disqualifying, Smith campaign manager Morris Katz said in her release.

In an endorsement announcement separate from Davis news release, Butterfield cited Davis' other endorsements and his record of service.

He believes in getting legislation passed to uplift families and communities that have been left behind," Butterfield wrote. "He knows when to fight and when to compromise.

Jason Spriggs and Julian Bishop Sr. also are seeking the May 17 Democratic nomination.

The district covers most of Pitt County  the most populous county in the district  and all of 18 other counties. Its considered a Democratic-leaning area, according to results of statewide elections in 2016 and 2020. Butterfield said the 1st District is now essentially a toss-up district. Several counties in the district have Black majority populations. Butterfield and all of the Democratic candidates are Black.

The district was redrawn three times since the fall, twice due to redistricting litigation.

Butterfield, who is also a former trial judge, previously chaired the Congressional Black Caucus while on Capitol Hill. He often won his congressional reelection bids by comfortable margins, although in 2020, he defeated Republican nominee Sandy Smith by less than 9 percentage points. Smith is running in the GOP primary this year, too.

Butterfield said the goal is to produce the strongest Democratic candidate who can defeat the well-funded, right-wing, Trump aligned Republican nominee.

Butterfield is one of about 30 House Democrats who are not seeking reelection this year, including North Carolina Rep. David Price. Republicans are aiming to retake control of the chamber for the first time since 2018.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP)  Three rich businessmen returned from the International Space Station with their astronaut escort Monday, wrapping up a pricey trip that marked NASAs debut as a B&B host.

Flying back in a SpaceX capsule, they splashed down in the Atlantic off the Florida coast to close out a 17-day tour that cost them $55 million apiece.

The trip was supposed to last a little over a week, but dicey weather kept the visitors in orbit almost twice as long as intended.

Welcome back to planet Earth," radioed SpaceX Mission Control from Southern California. We hope you enjoyed the extra few days in space.

Amazing mission," said real estate tycoon Larry Connor.

Before departing the space station Sunday night, the group thanked their seven hosts, including three NASA astronauts whose own mission is nearing an end.

It was the first time NASA opened its space hatches to tourists after shunning the practice perfected over the decades by Russia. Last fall, a Russian film crew flew up, followed by a Japanese fashion mogul and his assistant. In each case, an active-duty cosmonaut traveled with them.

The latest guests were accompanied by a former NASA astronaut now working for Axiom Space, the Houston company in charge of the flight, making it the first fully private trip to the space station.

After hosting longer than expected, NASA was itching to make room for the next crew. SpaceX will attempt to launch three NASA astronauts and one Italian to the space station as soon as Wednesday. Theyll replace the three Americans and a German up there since November who will head back to Earth in their own SpaceX capsule.

The pace is blazingly fast by NASA standards. SpaceXs Benji Reed said the company launched its first passengers  a pair of NASA test pilots  two years ago and just completed its first private flight to the space station using the same capsule.

Axiom handled the logistics for the trip for its three paying customers: Connor from Dayton, Ohio; Canadian private equity CEO Mark Pathy; and Israeli investor Eytan Stibbe of Tel Aviv. Their chaperone was Michael Lopez-Alegria, an Axiom vice president who flew to space four times while a NASA astronaut.

It was an amazing adventure that weve had, even longer and more exciting than we thought," Lopez-Alegria said after departing the space station.

Axiom teamed up with SpaceX for the journey that began with an April 8 liftoff from NASAs Kennedy Space Center. It was SpaceXs second private flight, coming just months after a billionaires orbital jaunt with contest winners.

While in space, the visitors did experiments and peered back at Earth.

Its been eye-opening in so many ways, Pathy said, that I think will have such a lasting impact on my life.

The experience was especially personal for Stibbe. He served as a fighter pilot under Ilan Ramon, Israels first astronaut who died aboard space shuttle Columbia in 2003.

Stibbe flew copies of the surviving pages of Ramons space diary, as well as artwork and music created by Ramons children. He celebrated Passover with matzah bread he took up and gefilte fish offered by the stations Russians.

Axioms second flight is set for next spring as the company looks ahead to having its own space station by 2030.

There were a lot of eyes on this mission just to see if it was practical, Derek Hassmann, Axiom's operations director, said after the splashdown. Everybody understood it was possible, but wondered if amateurs could pull this off with abbreviated training, without disturbing the space station crew.

I think we proved we could do that," Hassmann said.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  A single-engine airplane crashed into a neighborhood in northwestern Bursa province and burst into flames on Monday, killing its pilot and a trainee pilot.

The plane, which was used for flight training, slammed into a street in the Baglarbasi neighborhood near the provinces Yunuseli Airport, Gov. Yakup Canbolat said. No one was hurt on the ground.
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LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP)  Only a few months ago, Robert Golob was virtually unknown in politics, didnt belong to any party, but had a clear goal: to remove Slovenian right-wing populist Prime Minister Janez Jansa from power and stop a democratic backslide in the tiny Alpine state.

On Sunday, the Freedom Movement, a liberal green party formed by Golob only in January, won Slovenias general election, more than 10 percentage points ahead of Jansas Slovenian Democratic party as people turned out massively to vote for change.

As a party coming out of nowhere to win the election, the Freedom Movement follows a pattern seen in some other Eastern Europe states where right-wing populists lost elections mainly to newly formed parties and coalitions.

Eastern Europe's populist wave already showed signs of ebbing last year with Bulgarias Boyko Borissov voted out of office in April and the Czech Republics Andrej Babis losing an election in September.

But some of the regions most prominent autocrats, such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Serbias President Aleksandar Vucic, have kept their tight grip on power after convincingly winning votes in their countries earlier this month.

Golob, a 55-year-old energy expert and businessman who has billed the election as a referendum on democracy, said he will form the new government with other left-leaning parties and they will lead Slovenia back to freedom.

People want changes and have expressed their confidence in us as the only ones who can bring those changes, he said, addressing his supporters via a video link from his home after contracting COVID-19.

Jansa, who was seeking his fourth term in office, reluctantly conceded the defeat.

The close ally of Orban and staunch supporter of former U.S. President Donald Trump has for years been accused in his country of eroding its traditional democratic standards.

Jansa came to prominence in the 1990s as a post-communist reformer, but he has been at loggerheads with the European Union over his moves to cut funding for the national news agency, restrict press freedoms and delay the appointment of prosecutors to the blocs new anti-corruption body.

Slovenian political analyst Andraz Zorko says Jansas election defeat can be attributed both to his anti-democratic stands at home and his governments harsh anti-coronavirus measures that drew massive street protests last year.

I believe that we yesterday observed the manifestation of huge antigovernment sentiment which was present (for the past), I can say, two years, especially last year, Zorko said.

I think that the defeat of the government and the coalition that governed the country is mainly due to some measures during the epidemic which were unnecessary and really harsh, he said. I am talking about curfew, I am talking limited moving within municipalities and some really harsh reaction towards the protesters last autumn.

Slovenia's prominent Delo daily said voters have put an end to the worst kind of intolerance, devastating for 2 million Slovenians.

Humiliation, shaming, arbitrariness, dictatorship, injustices, curtailing of fundamental human rights and dignity  the people do not forgive that, Delo said in a commentary.

___

AP writer Dusan Stojanovic contributed from Belgrade, Serbia.
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JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Mississippi needs to update its state Supreme Court districts to ensure Black voters have a chance to elect a candidate of their choice in a state with a history of racially polarized voting, Black plaintiffs said in a lawsuit filed Monday.

Mississippi's three Supreme Court districts are all majority-white, and they were last updated in 1987 over the objection of Black legislators, the lawsuit said. The suit alleges that the districts violate the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution by diluting Black voting strength.

About 38% of Mississippi residents are Black. Eight of the nine current justices are white, and one is Black.

Four Black justices have served on the Mississippi Supreme Court  never more than one at a time.

The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Mississippi, Southern Poverty Law Center and the New York-based law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett filed the lawsuit in federal court in Greenville on behalf of four Black residents of Mississippi.

Ty Pinkins of Vicksburg, one of the plaintiffs, is an attorney who works in the majority-Black Mississippi Delta. He said it's important that his relatives and neighbors feel they are fairly represented on all levels of government, including in the judicial system.

I want to make sure that those family members can see themselves on the court, those neighbors that I grew up next to, they can see themselves on the Supreme Court  they can see people that look like them and they can feel confident that the justice system if fair to them, Pinkins said.

Mississippi legislators adopted plans this year to update the states congressional and legislative district boundaries to account for population changes revealed by the 2020 census.

The lawsuit asks a federal judge to order an update of the Supreme Court districts, which are for the northern, central and southern parts of the state.

The Black voting age population in the central district is now about 49%, which is the highest in any of the three districts, according to the suit. A Black candidate lost to a white candidate in the central district in 2012 and 2020.

Time for these districts to change has come, Ari Savitzky, an attorney for the ACLU Foundation, said Monday during a news conference in Jackson.

Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn, a Republican, said in response to questions later Monday that he had not read the lawsuit and could not discuss whether legislators will consider updating the boundaries of the Supreme Court districts.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP)  Chattanooga's Tennessee Aquarium, the city's biggest tourist draw, is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

When the $45 million privately-funded riverfront attraction opened as the world's largest freshwater aquarium, backers projected that it would attract about 600,000 visitors a year to an area of town that had been in decline, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported.

In its first year, the aquarium more than doubled that projection, drawing 1.5 million visitors to quickly emerge as the region's biggest tourism draw. The aquariums success has since spurred the addition of other riverfront attractions, restaurants, hotels and housing developments. A new economic study estimates the aquarium has pumped nearly $4.9 billion into Chattanoogas economy since 1992.

Barry White, president of the Chattanooga Tourism Co., said the aquarium has helped propel Hamilton's tourism industry and improve life for local residents.

The level of impact the aquarium has on conservation efforts, educational reach, revitalization of our downtown and ongoing economic impact is incredible, White said in a report on the aquariums 30th anniversary.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessee will soon add harsh penalties against public schools that allow transgender athletes to participate in girls sports, under legislation recently signed into law by Republican Gov. Bill Lee.

Lee quietly signed the proposal last Friday without comment. The governor had previously signed a measure last year mandating that student athletes must prove their sex matches that listed on the students original birth certificate. If a birth certificate was unavailable, then the parents must provide another form of evidence indicating the students sex at the time of birth.

This year, the GOP-controlled Legislature decided to add penalties to that ban  which is in effect even as a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality makes it way through court. A trial has been tentatively set for March 2023.

According to the bill, Tennessees Department of Education would withhold a portion of state funds from local school districts that fail to determine a students gender for participation in middle or high school sports. The measure does not specify exactly how much money should be withheld by the state.

The bill will go into effect July 1.

Telling transgender students that they cant participate as who they really are amounts to excluding them from sports entirely  depriving them of opportunities available to their peers and sending the message that they are not worthy of a full life," said Henry Seaton, ACLU of Tennessee's transgender justice advocate, in a statement.

Tennessee lawmakers are also advancing a separate bill that would ban transgender athletes from participating in female college sports. Republicans have also pushed to let teachers and school districts use the pronoun that a transgender student does not prefer, exempting teachers from facing employment punishment and protecting schools from civil liability. Both proposals are expected to clear the General Assembly.

Last year, no other state enacted more laws targeting transgender people than Tennessee. That included banning transgender athletes from playing girls public high or middle school sports.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday for again characterizing the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces as a genocide, saying the U.S. leader's statement was based on lies and false information.

In a televised address following a Cabinet meeting, Erdogan challenged Biden to learn the history concerning the Armenians, insisted that such statements were provoking enmity between the Turkish and Armenian people and maintained that the Armenian people would suffer the most from the hypocrisy.
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Afghanistan should join a list of the worst of the worst violators of religious freedom in the wake of the Taliban's return to power, a U.S. advisory body is recommending to the State Department.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, in its annual report issued Monday, says religious minorities have faced harassment, detention and even death due to their faith or beliefs" since the Taliban reimposed its harsh interpretation of Sunni Islam on Afghanistan. It also cited attacks on religious minorities by an Islamic State affiliate that is an enemy of the Taliban.

Afghanistan is among 15 nations that the commission says should be on the State Departments list of countries of particular concern. The commission, in its report summary, defined these as governments as the worst of the worst in tolerating or engaging in "systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom.

The commission, created in 1998 under the International Religious Freedom Act, makes non-binding policy recommendations to the administration and Congress. The State Department has adopted some but not all of its recommendations in the past.

In the new report, the commission recommends maintaining 10 countries currently on the State Department list, including China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

It also recommends adding four more in addition to Afghanistan  India, Nigeria, Syria and Vietnam. The commission criticized the Biden administration for removing Nigeria from the list last year.

The report said that in Afghanistan, many minority Jewish, Hindu and Sikh residents have fled the country after the Taliban returned to power. It said many members of other religious minorities, such as Ahmadiyya Muslims, Baha'is and Christian converts are worshipping in secret for fear of persecution.

Many religious minorities fled Afghanistan out of fear for what could happen under the Taliban, rather than in response to specific actions or edicts issued by the Taliban. Some Sikhs still live and worship in Kabul, and the report notes that Taliban representatives visited a Sikh gurdwara or house of worship to assure them of their safety. But the report said many Sikhs and Hindus have fled to India due to the lack of safety and security.

The commission also cited a Human Rights Watch report of the Taliban attacking and seizing property of ethnic Hazaras belonging to the Shiite Muslim minority, plus an Amnesty International report of a Taliban massacre of Hazara men in 2021.

Several deadly attacks on Hazaras have been attributed to Islamic State in Khorasan Province or IS-K, which is hostile to the Taliban and proven to be an intractable security challenge. The cover of the commission's report includes a photo of a deadly attack by IS-K on a Shiite mosque last year in Kunduz province.

The report echoes CIA World Factbook data from 2009, which said non-Muslim Afghans comprised a tiny fraction of the population. It said 99.7% of Afghans are Muslim, most of them Sunni Muslims, with about 10% to 15% Shiite Muslims.

The Taliban, while they promised they would form an inclusive government, promising they would be a different kind of government, their actions have proven otherwise, commission Chair Nadine Maenza said in an interview. She said that even members of the Sunni majority who don't share the Taliban interpretation of Islamic law are being required to conform to strict dress codes and other measures.

The annual report, while based on developments in 2021, foreshadowed worries about a Russian invasion of Ukraine, citing religious persecution in Russia of Jehovah's Witnesses and of religious minorities such as Muslim Tatars in Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014. The State Department first designated Russia as a country of particular concern last year.

We fear that violence will continue to increase because of Russias blatant violation of religious freedom in Russia and in this conflict that exists in Ukraine, said commission member Khizr Khan at an online news conference Monday.

This year's report marks the first time since 2001, when the Taliban last ruled in Kabul, that the commission recommended designating Afghanistan as a country of particular concern, the report said. The State Department last year already listed the Taliban on a similar list of non-state violators of religious freedom based on its actions before returning to power in August.

The commission recommended sanctioning individual Taliban officials deemed responsible for severe violations of religious freedom and urged that those facing persecution receiving priority in refugee resettlement.

In its report, the commission cited Myanmar's military for atrocities against religious communities; China for detaining Uyghur and other Turkic Muslims "arbitrarily in concentration camps, prisons and forced labor; Pakistan for enforcement of anti-blasphemy laws that endanger minorities; and India for worsening conditions for religious minorities under its Hindu-nationalist government.

The commission also recommended 12countries be placed on a special watch list due to religious-freedom concerns. They include three on the State Department's list  Algeria, Cuba and Nicaragua  along with Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Turkey and Uzbekistan.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Twitter may have just agreed to sell itself to billionaire Elon Musk for $44 billion, but Gov. Greg Abbott already sees Texas in the company's future.

Shortly after the news broke Monday of the Tesla CEO reaching an agreement to acquire the social media giant following weeks of negotiations, Abbott took to Twitter to encourage Musk to relocate the company's headquarters from the heart of San Francisco to the Lone Star State. "@elonmusk. Bring Twitter to Texas to join Tesla, SpaceX & the Boring company," the Republican leader tweeted.

And the proposal isn't a stretch, as Musk, the world's richest person, already lives in Texas and the state has steadily become the base of operations for many of his companies. Austin recently became home to Tesla's newest Gigafactory, which officially opened earlier this month. The city also now serves as the electric vehicle makers global headquarters following Musk's decision to move the companys headquarters from California to Texas in December.

The tech billionaire also operates his aerospace company SpaceX in Brownsville, Texas, and recently moved the headquarters of his tunneling and infrastructure company, the Boring Company, to Central Texas.

This isn't the first time Abbott put his state forward for Musk's consideration. More than a year before Musk finally relocated Tesla's headquarters, Abbott had said he had discussions with the billionaire about the move, calling Texas a "perfect fit" for the company.

Musk has also gained popularity among Texas Republicans, who have agreed with his notions of restoring "free speech" to Twitter.

Following Twitter's deal with Musk, Sen. Ted Cruz asked his followers if Elon Musks purchase of Twitter a good thing? The two options were yes and no, I hate free speech. Cruz also said he agreed with a statement from Musk Monday ahead of the buy, that said "I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means."

Musk, who celebrated his Twitter acquisition with a tweet, has yet to publicly respond to Abbott's proposal.
The dreams of the Peoples Convoy quickly died in the Bay Area after a critical tactical error: turning onto a street with a Safeway and a group of bored kids.

The trucker convoy, which aimed to emulate the disruptive Canadian protests against COVID-19 restrictions, has failed spectacularly at every turn. During a few weeks of driving around Washington, D.C., the convoy was held up by a single bicyclist, and some convoy members said they were having difficulty finding places for bathroom breaks and, as a result, were forced to urinate in their pants.

After an anemic showing in Washington, the convoy made the long drive back across the country, landing in the Bay Area this week. Since the convoy began, practically all major COVID restrictions have been lifted in the United States, so it appears its switched its messaging to support other conservative causes.

On Friday afternoon, the small convoy of semitrucks, pickup trucks, minivans and other cars drove to Democratic Assemblymember Buffy Wicks East Bay home to protest her support of an abortion rights bill. As they honked and used bullhorns in the quiet residential neighborhood, neighbors gathered to heckle them right back, yelling at the truckers to get off their street.

Livestreams posted by convoy participants show police arriving to protect Wicks home, which eventually prompted the group to move on. It was here the convoy members made their mistake, driving onto busy, one-lane College Avenue on the Berkeley-Oakland border. There, slowed down by the usual Friday afternoon traffic, they were sitting ducks outside the Safeway. A large group of kids, armed with eggs purchased at the grocery store, began pelting the convoy.

Were fighting for your freedoms too, one convoy participant said as eggs flew amid shouts of get the fk out of here by the gathering crowd. A few ill-advised convoy drivers had their windows rolled down, resulting in eggs splattering the insides of their vehicles. Passersby watched in confusion and amusement, with some adults stopping to cheer on the kids.

One livestreamer for the convoy begrudgingly conceded victory to the Bay Area youth. Well, its convenient because theres a Safeway right there that sells eggs, he said on the stream.

Furious truckers then drove out of town, heading back on the highway toward their base in Sacramento. According to citizens band radio captured by the livestream audio, truckers complained about needing to wash their vehicles and seemed shocked at how poorly received they were by locals. According to Daily Beast reporter Zachary Petrizzo, the convoy also encountered setbacks the day before in San Francisco.

The Peoples Convoy made it to San Francisco and decided to try and locate Nancy Pelosis residence, but the planned activity of placing flags in her yard fell apart due to the group failing to come to a consensus on what home was actually Pelosis, Petrizzo tweeted.

In the aftermath of its defeat at the Rockridge Safeway, the convoy has returned to Sacramento Raceway Park. Its unclear what its future plans are, but according to its website, it has raised nearly $1.9 million in donations.

SFGATE politics editor Eric Ting contributed to this report.
The body of a Texas National Guard soldier who went missing Friday in Eagle Pass was recovered Monday, according to the Texas Military Department.

Specialist (SPC) Bishop E. Evans, who was assigned to Operation Lone Star, was reported missing Friday along the Rio Grande River during a mission-related incident. The 22-year-old went missing after allegedly trying to rescue two migrants who appeared to be drowning while crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into the U.S., according to the TMD. Evans's family was notified Friday evening, the agency said.

"We are devastated by the loss of a member of our Guard family, said Maj Gen Tom Suelzer, Adjutant General for Texas. We recognize the selflessness of this heroic Soldier who put his life above others in service to our state and national security. The Texas Military Department sends our deepest condolences to the family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time

Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statement saying he is "heartbroken" over Evans's death. "Our National Guard soldiers risk their lives every day to serve and protect others and we are eternally grateful for the way SPC Evans heroically served his state and country," Abbott wrote. "I thank the members of the Texas National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Border Patrol, and local law enforcement for working around the clock to locate this soldier."

The Republican leader shared a photo of Evans in a statement posted on Twitter Sunday.

Abbott says the Texas Military Department will continue to provide more updates to the public as they become available. "I ask that Texans join Cecilia and me in praying for the family and friends of SPC Evans as they grieve this heartbreaking loss," Abbott wrote.

On Friday, Texas DPS Lt. Christopher Olivarez told the Washington Post that Evans was carried away by a swift current while attempting to rescue a migrant in the water. Powerful river currents have resulted in at least 10 drownings this week alone, Olivarez added.

Evans, a field artilleryman from Arlington, was assigned to A Battery, 4-133 Field Artillery Regiment in New Braunfels and joined the Texas Army National Guard in May 2019. He joined Operation Spartan Shield in Kuwait in the fall of 2020, according to the TMD.

"During this mobilization, his dedication, talents, and tactical prowess led his leadership to regularly assign him to operations in Iraq in support of Special Operations Forces for short periods of time, while then rotating back into Kuwait," the TMD said in a statement.
WFO BUFFALO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, April 25, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Chautauqua County in western New York...

* Until 530 PM EDT.

* At 436 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Waterford, or

8 miles southeast of Erie, moving northeast at 50 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated. This storm has a history of producing

strong wind gusts and wind damage across northwest

Pennsylvania.

IMPACT...Expect damage to trees and power lines.

* Locations impacted include...

Findley Lake, Jamestown, Westfield, Lakewood, Falconer, Mayville,

Clymer, Sherman, and Chautauqua Institution.

This includes Interstate 86 between exits 4 and 13.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO BUFFALO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, April 25, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northwestern Cattaraugus County in western New York...

Southwestern Erie County in western New York...

Eastern Chautauqua County in western New York...

* Until 630 PM EDT.

* At 523 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Long Point

State Park, or 12 miles northwest of Jamestown, moving northeast at

45 mph.

HAZARD...70 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect considerable tree damage. Damage is likely to

mobile homes, roofs, and outbuildings.

* Locations impacted include...

Jamestown, Cherry Creek, Cassadaga, South Dayton, Springville,

Lakewood, Gowanda, Falconer, Ashford, North Collins, Jamestown

West and Ashford Hollow.

This includes Interstate 86 between exits 9 and 16.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, April 25, 2022

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX

128 AM CDT Mon Apr 25 2022

...Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of northwestern Edwards

and east central Val Verde Counties through 215 AM CDT...

At 127 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms 24

miles north of Carta Valley and 6 miles west of Loma Alta. Movement

was east at 15 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...

Loma Alta, Devils River State Nat Area Del Norte and Vinegarone.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

Torrential rainfall is also occurring with these storms and may lead

to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded

roadways.

Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with these storms.

Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe

shelter inside a building or vehicle.

These storms 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 300 AM CDT for

south central Texas.

LAT...LON 3024 10076 3029 10030 3029 10025 2978 10054

2990 10100

TIME...MOT...LOC 0627Z 256DEG 9KT 3016 10067 2995 10088

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN

MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, April 25, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

Severe Weather Statement

National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX

136 AM CDT Mon Apr 25 2022

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN EDWARDS COUNTY IS

CANCELLED...

The severe thunderstorm which prompted the warning has moved out of

the warned area. Therefore, the warning has been cancelled.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 300 AM CDT for

south central Texas.

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 215 AM CDT

FOR NORTHWESTERN KERR COUNTY...

At 136 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 9 miles south of

Segovia, or 15 miles south of Junction, moving east at 25 mph.

HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail

damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect wind

damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

Locations impacted include...

Mountain Home, Kerr Wildlife Management Area, Us-83 Near The Kerr-

Kimble County Line, I-10 Near The Kimble-

Kerr County Line and The Intersection Of I-10 And Us 290.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

The National Weather Service in Austin San Antonio has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northwestern Edwards County in south central Texas...

* Until 245 AM CDT.

* At 138 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 18 miles northeast

of Loma Alta, moving east at 10 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Rocksprings.

Large hail, damaging winds, and continuous cloud to ground lightning

are occurring with this storm. Move indoors immediately. Lightning is

one of nature's leading killers. Remember, if you can hear thunder,

you are close enough to be struck by lightning.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, April 25, 2022

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX

647 AM CDT Mon Apr 25 2022

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northeastern Val

Verde County through 730 AM CDT...

At 647 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 9

miles northeast of Juno, moving east at 20 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.

This storm will remain over mainly rural areas of northeastern Val

Verde County.

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.

LAT...LON 3029 10113 3029 10070 3023 10070 3007 10074

3019 10116

TIME...MOT...LOC 1147Z 282DEG 17KT 3027 10106

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN

MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO CORPUS CHRISTI Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, April 25, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

West central Jim Wells County in south central Texas...

Northwestern Kleberg County in south central Texas...

* Until 600 PM CDT.

* At 516 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Ben Bolt, or

9 miles south of Alice, moving south at 10 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Ben Bolt, Palito Blanco and Alice Acres.

This includes US Highway 281 between mile markers 678 and 694.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, April 24, 2022

_____

FLASH FLOOD WARNING

The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...

Grayson County in north central Texas...

* Until 900 PM CDT.

* At 640 PM CDT, Doppler radar and automated rain gauges indicated

thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between

2 and 3 inches of rain have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of

1 to 2 inches are possible. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected

to begin shortly.

HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.

SOURCE...Radar and automated gauges.

IMPACT...Flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas,

highways, streets, and underpasses as well as other

poor drainage and low lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...

Sherman, Denison, Whitesboro, Howe, Pottsboro, Collinsville,

Gunter, Bells, Knollwood, Dorchester, Eisenhower State Park,

Southmayd, Tioga, Sadler and Luella.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO SAN ANGELO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, April 24, 2022

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service San Angelo TX

619 PM CDT Sun Apr 24 2022

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southeastern

Sterling, northwestern Tom Green and north central Irion Counties

through 645 PM CDT...

At 618 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 15

miles west of Arden, moving northeast at 30 mph. This storm will

track across the Panhandle of Tom Green County well west of San

Angelo and move northeast into southeast Sterling County.

HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and nickel 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.

This storm will remain over mainly rural areas of southeastern

Sterling, northwestern Tom Green and north central Irion Counties.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until midnight CDT for

west central Texas.

LAT...LON 3143 10100 3148 10111 3177 10096 3165 10077

TIME...MOT...LOC 2318Z 212DEG 24KT 3151 10102

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN

MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO SAN ANGELO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, April 25, 2022

_____

FLASH FLOOD WARNING

The National Weather Service in San Angelo has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...

Southwestern Sutton County in west central Texas...

* Until 945 AM CDT.

* At 642 AM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing

heavy rain across the warned area. Between 3 and 5 inches of rain

have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 0.75 to 1.5 inches are

possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected

to begin shortly.

HAZARD...Life threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms

producing flash flooding.

SOURCE...Radar.

IMPACT...Life threatening flash flooding of creeks and streams,

urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...

The Intersection Of Us-277 And Ranch Road 189 and Us-277 Near The

Sutton-Edwards County Line.

This includes the following streams and drainages...

Dry Devils River and Devils River.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northeastern

Crockett County through 745 AM CDT...

At 642 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 10

miles north of Ozona, moving northeast at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 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...

The Intersection Of Us 190 And Highway 163 and Us-

190 Near The Crockett-Sutton County Line.

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

LAT...LON 3089 10141 3108 10115 3108 10096 3091 10096

3078 10123

TIME...MOT...LOC 1142Z 231DEG 18KT 3087 10123

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN

MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

The National Weather Service in Midland has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southeastern Pecos County in southwestern Texas...

Central Terrell County in southwestern Texas...

* Until 745 AM CDT.

* At 645 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 14 miles northwest

of Sanderson, moving east at 20 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* This severe thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of

southeastern Pecos and central Terrell Counties.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
ZZ Top pulled into the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium Wednesday evening for a rocking performance. The band has been together for over five decades and sold over 30 million records across 15 studio albums. The loss of long-time bassist Dusty Hill in 2021 did not stop the band as his spot o
Canada has a number of work permit and permanent residency options to support the hiring of foreign talent in tech.

Why employers are able to hire more tech talent in Canada

Why employers are able to hire more tech talent in Canada Canada has a number of work permit and permanent residency options to support the hiring of foreign talent in tech.

Why employers are able to hire more tech talent in Canada Canada has a number of work permit and permanent residency options to support the hiring of foreign talent in tech.

Why employers are able to hire more tech talent in Canada Canada has a number of work permit and permanent residency options to support the hiring of foreign talent in tech. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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Canadian tech employers continue to face labour shortages, as the tech sector continues to grow despite the pandemic. One way to support gaps in the labour market is to hire talent from abroad.

The shortage of qualified workers in Canada was the crux of the Council of Canadian Innovators recent call for the federal government to pilot a new visa that would allow tech workers to come to Canada without a job offer.

Recognizing the importance of the tech sector to the economy, federal and provincial governments offer a host of options to employers seeking to recruit tech talent. Here are some options your company can explore pursuing.

Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm

Global Talent Stream

The Global Talent Stream is designed to process 80% of applications in two weeks or less. Canadian employers can use it to onboard foreign staff without delay. In order to take advantage of this fast-track work permit, employers must fall under Category A or B.

Category A is for companies that have gotten approval from a referral partner. These referral partners are oftentimes local, governmental or semi-governmental agencies that are mandated to support local economies.

Category B is for employers who are looking for certain skilled workers whose occupations can be found on the Global Talent Occupations List. Some of the eligible occupations include computer engineers, software engineers and designers, as well as information systems analysts and consultants.

Employers in both categories are required to meet conditions relating to the payment of skilled workers. Foreign workers hired through the GTS must be paid at the prevailing wage or higher.

The prevailing wage is the highest of either:

the median wage for the occupation on the Government of Canadas Job Bank;

the wage within the range an employer pays current employees in the same position at the same location, with the same skills and experience; or

the minimum wage floor as defined in the Global Talent occupations list (if applicable).

CUSMA

The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement has provisions that facilitate talent mobility between the three countries. There are two categories that are relevant to tech workers: Professionals and Intra-Company Transfers (ICT).

CUSMA identifies 63 occupations that qualify under the Professionals category. Computer systems analysts are among these occupations.

ICTs are employees that are moving locations within their multinational company to a branch in Canada. There is no list of which occupations qualify or are excluded. Generally, an intra-company transferee is a person who has worked for the company for at least one year and has either a management role or specialized knowledge.

Intra-Company Transfer (non CUSMA)

It is possible to make an ICT from a country other than Mexico or the United States. For example, the free trade agreement between the European Union and Canada (CETA) has provisions for ICTs, as does the agreement with the UK.

Employers do not need to do a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for employees coming to Canada through an ICT. LMIAs exist to show the federal government that the hiring of a foreign worker will have a positive or neutral effect on the labour market. It can take time and money to complete an LMIA, which is why employers try to avoid them.

Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm

Pathways to permanent residency

When foreign workers get permanent residency status they are able to work in Canada without needing to renew any work permit or LMIA. Some pathways to permanent residency require job offers, however, it is also possible for tech talent to get permanent residence on their own.

There are a number of immigration pathways open to skilled workers, and some are specifically tailored for tech workers.

Express Entry

Express Entry is an immigration pathway for skilled workers. It is an online application management system for some of Canadas main immigration programs. Tech workers, specifically, can come to Canada through two of these programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) is intended for tradespeople.

Express Entry is a points-based system where eligible candidates get a score on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which awards points to candidates for factors such as education, language, and work experience among others. About every two weeks, Canada issues Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to the highest-scoring candidates. Those who receive ITAs are able to apply for permanent residence.

According to the Express Entry Year-End Report 2020, occupations in technology dominated among candidates who were invited to apply for permanent residence.

Express Entry draws for FSWP and CEC candidates are temporarily paused, due to the backlog in applications created during the pandemic. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has said that Express Entry draws for these candidates will resume in July.

So far this year, Canada has only invited these candidates if they have a nomination from a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Tech workers who are eligible for Express Entry may also be eligible to get nominated through a PNP.

Provincial immigration for tech workers

Canadian provinces are able to support immigration applications for permanent residency. Quebec operates its own immigration system. Most other provinces and territories (except for Nunavut) have Provincial Nominee Programs that allow them to nominate candidates through the Express Entry system or through their own base programs.

The following are just a few select provincial programs available to tech workers. There are more than 100 economic-class immigration streams. Technology professionals may be eligible for more programs that are not specific to tech workers.

Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway

Albertas Accelerated Tech Pathway offers an expedited provincial nomination option to eligible Express Entry candidates. The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) launched this stream in January 2022.

In order to get the expedited processing under this pathway, candidates need to meet the eligibility criteria for the Alberta Express Entry Stream. They need to either be currently working in Alberta or have a job offer in one of 23 eligible occupations. Some examples of these occupations include graphic designers and illustrators, mechanical engineers, and user support technicians.

Express Entry candidates can apply for this program online to the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP).

British Columbia Tech

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) offers a priority pathway called the BC Tech stream available to certain tech workers. This PNP targets candidates who have job offers in one of 29 tech occupations.

To be invited in a BC Tech draw, candidates must be eligible for one of BCs immigration programs and have a job offer of at least one year.

Eligible candidates get invited to apply for a provincial nomination from the BC PNP through weekly tech draws. BC Tech candidates get several benefits such as priority processing, and a special processing officer.

Ontario Tech Draws

Ontario conducts Tech Draws for tech workers who are eligible for the Human Capital Priorities (HCP) stream.

To get invited, candidates need to be eligible for either the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Canadian Experience Class. They also need to have work experience as one of the following six tech occupations:

software engineers and designers;

computer programmers and interactive media developers;

computer engineers;

web designers and developers;

database analysts and data administrators; and

computer and information systems managers.

Quebec Immigration Program for Workers in Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology, and Visual Effects Sectors

Quebec launched this immigration pilot in April 2021 in an effort to grow its tech sector. The pilot has two streams:

Artificial intelligence (AI)

Within this stream are two sub-streams: one for people who graduated from a Quebec college or university, and one for workers trained abroad. The Quebec sub-graduate stream requires applicants to have experience and a job offer. The foreign workers sub-stream does not require a job offer, in some cases. Both demand that applicants have relevant education that is comparable to a Quebec bachelors degree at the least.

Information technology (IT) and visual effects

Tech workers applying for this program must have worked for at least two out of the last five years in one of 10 occupations. Candidates also need to have an ongoing job or new job offer in their field and prove they have at least the equivalent of a Quebec technical studies diploma or bachelors degree.

Both streams have two further divisions. One is for francophones, and one for non-francophones. A person who applies under the francophone category must show that they have an advanced intermediate knowledge of French. The non-francophone stream does not have such a requirement.

Saskatchewan Tech Talent Pathway

The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) recently launched a new tech pathway for future Canadian immigrants.

To be eligible, applicants to Saskatchewans Tech Talent Pathway must have an employer-specific SINP Job Approval Letter for an eligible technology sector occupation. They need at least one year of work experience in that occupation within the past five years, or six months of work experience in the province.

They also need to have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 if they are working in Saskatchewan. A CLB level 7 is required if they are applying for Express Entry.

Candidates need to have post-secondary education, and if applicable, be eligible for Saskatchewan professional licensing.

Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
German software group SAP reported first-quarter revenue growth of 11% for 2022 on Friday, driven in large part by its cloud business.

The companys cloud revenue climbed 31% to 2.8 billion (US$3.02 billion) in the first quarter of 2022, while revenue for its S/4HANA cloud software was 400 million, up 78% year-on-year. Total revenue for the quarter rose to 7.1 billion from 6.4 billion in 2021, which was also above analyst expectations of 6.9 billion.

However, SAPs recent exit from Russia will see the company take an expected revenue hit of around 300 million

Impact of the war in Ukraine

In early March, SAP publicly announced it was suspending operations in Russia after Ukrainian vice prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov publicly appealed for it to do so.

Earlier this week, the company released another statement, saying it was taking further steps toward an orderly exit from the country, having already halted all sales in both Russia and Belarus and begun the process of shutting down all cloud operations in Russia.

Despite the impact on its Russian business, SAP confirmed its 2022 forecast for cloud revenue is expected to be between 11.5 billion and 11.9 billion.

On an earnings call with analysts, SAP CEO Christian Klein said that despite the challenging political and macroeconomic environment, the first quarter had been strong, before acknowledging that the decision to exit the Russian market will have a financial impact, both on the top and bottom line.

On the same call, SAPs CFO Luka Mucic told analysts the company was taking steps to absorb the expected impact of approximately 300 million on its revenues. This is possible because of our increased cloud momentum, the initiation of disciplined expense management measures and the benefits associated with the streamlining of our portfolio that we expect to execute in the coming months as we continue to focus on strategic growth drivers, Mucic said.
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Raspunsul la criza refugiatilor: Apel de propuneri, lansat de MAD-Aid in parteneriat cu Camera de Comert Britanica din Moldova
It was February 13, 2019. I was having a meeting in the offices of Rappler, the news site I helped create, when Beth Frondoso, who heads multimedia, burst into the room. She looked agitated. Our space is open, with glass walls, and I was sitting with my back to the office. I turned around and saw Glenda Gloria, our managing editor, walking hurriedly toward a group of men. Turn around, Maria, Beth said. Theyre here to arrest you.

My stomach sank. I thought for a moment, then laughed. (Thats how I cope.) The Philippines, where I live, is in crisis: since June 2016, when Rodrigo Duterte became president, there have been some 27,000 killings as part of his war on drugs. That number comes from the United Nations, but it hasnt been widely reportedthe police keep their own, lower tally, which they pressure news outlets to publish. Duterte, the first politician in my country to have used social media to win an election, wages a relentless campaign of disinformationpatriotic trollingto pound critics into silence. His administration spews lies so fast that the public doesnt know what reality is anymore. Even government officials get confused.

Seven years ago, Rappler had published the story of a former chief justice who had used a bulletproof car belonging to a businessman linked to a murder. Now the businessman was filing a cyber-libel charge against usfor an article posted four months before cyber libel had been made a crime. The head of the polices cybercrime unit threw the case out, but a week later, his decision was overturned.

The agents coming to arrest me had timed it perfectly. I looked at my watch: it was 5:30pm; the courts had just closed. But there is a night court, I knew, and it would be open until 9pm. Glenda negotiated with the men to wait for our lawyers.

Manila traffic does not move. It took us an hour to get to the National Bureau of Investigation. When we arrived, we were told to waitthe agents were taking a dinner break. After 10 minutes, I turned to my lawyer. We should just go in, I said. Theyre running out the clock. So we did.

Then my lawyer got a phone call from the night court: I dont have jurisdiction, the judge claimed. It was 10 minutes to 9pm, which meant that I would be detained for the night. This was the veneer of due process, used to ridiculous effect. They fingerprinted and processed me; saying that they would treat me well, they kept me in a conference room with an officer stationed outside. My colleagues (bless them) and our lawyers asked to join me. The agents were endlessly polite: Maam, were only doing our jobs.

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Outside, people were protesting. I got some sleep, maybe two or three hours. I can sleep anywhere when Im really tired. As I drifted off, I thought: The more they do this, the more I have firsthand knowledge of how power is abused. The more they try to intimidate me, the more certain I am that I must keep fighting.

I was born in Manila, and when I was about 10 my family moved to New Jersey. I could have stayed in the United States. But after college, I won a Fulbright that brought me back to the Philippines. I never left the region again.

It was the late eighties when I started my career as a journalist, covering Southeast Asias transition from authoritarian rule to democracy. Its bizarre now to think of the euphoria then. The Philippines coined the term people power, with demonstrators filling the capital to peacefully oust a violent regime. The movement spread: to Thailand, to South Korea, to Indonesia. Working for CNN, I chronicled the political transformation as it was unfolding.

As Dutertes administration and its proxies astroturf social media with propaganda, a lie told a million times becomes the truth.

Decades later, Im in shock about whats happening to my country. We are walking back to rule by hostile dictator, witnessing the erosion of our freedoms, becoming accustomed to murder. In the Philippines, 97 percent of people are on FacebookFacebook is our internetso as Dutertes administration and its proxies astroturf social media with propaganda, a lie told a million times becomes the truth.

Duterte also attacks journalists directly. First, he came for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the largest English-language paper, filing cases against its owners. Then Duterte went after ABS-CBN, the largest media conglomerate in the Philippines, threatening not to renew its franchise. Rappler was his third target. In July 2017, during Dutertes State of the Nation address, he declared that Rappler was fully owned by Americans. This is not true; in fact, the largest group of shareholders is Filipino journalists. I tweeted: President Duterte, you are wrong. A week later, we received our first subpoena.

In January 2018, the government announced that it would revoke Rapplers license to operate. We fought back, but the attacks have been overwhelming. In 14 months, 11 cases and investigations have been filed; this spring, I posted bail eight times; over a five-week period, I was arrested twice.

When I awoke on Valentines Day, the NBI asked me to join an official press conference. I refused, demanding to be brought to court so I could post bail. That didnt happen until the afternoon. When I left the building, I was angry. But as I walked through the door and saw a crowd of reporters, I pushed the anger down and smiled. This is weaponization of the law, I told them. Im appealing to you not to be silent.

Later, Salvador Panelo, the presidents spokesman, gave a statement: I think shes enjoying it. Shes been smiling all the while.

My rights continue to be violated. Legal hassles can take up 90 percent of my time; a day after our May midterm elections, I was arraigned for cyber libel in the morning and appeared for a case of securities fraud in the afternoon. Duterte has barred Rappler journalists from covering any of his events; at a campaign rally, his agents sought out and expelled our reporter. In response, we filed a case at the Supreme Court, the first against this government for stifling press freedom.

Unfortunately, we have a court mostly installed by Duterteby the time he leaves office, he will have appointed 13 of the 15 Supreme Court justices. But its our court of last appeal. The only way we can hope to get a fair trial is if others are watching.

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Maria Ressa is the CEO and executive editor of Rappler, a news site based in the Philippines that she cofounded in 2012. This year, she was named a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
DOVER, Del. (AP)  The judge presiding over the Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy has approved the organizations request to sell its warehouse and distribution center in North Carolina for roughly $13.5 million and lease back the property from the buyer.

The BSA wants to use some of the proceeds from the sale approved by the court Friday as part of its contribution to a proposed $2.6 billion fund to compensate tens of thousands of men who claim they were sexually abused as children while involved in Scouting.

After a monthlong trial, Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein continues to weigh whether to approve the Boy Scouts reorganization plan.

The Boy Scouts of America sought bankruptcy protection in February 2020 to stave off a flood of lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by Scout leaders and volunteers over several decades. At the time, the BSA was facing about 275 filed lawsuits and was aware of roughly another 1,400 pending claims. But more than 82,200 abuse claims have been submitted in the bankruptcy.

Attorneys for BSA insurers, including those that have since reached settlements and now support the plan, have said the sheer volume of claims is an indication of fraud and the result of aggressive client solicitation by attorneys and for-profit claims aggregators.

The reorganization plan calls for the BSA and its 250 local councils, along with settling insurance companies and troop sponsoring organizations, to contribute some $2.6 billion in cash and property to a fund for abuse victims. In return, those entities would be released from further liability, meaning they could not be sued for Scout-related abuse claims.

At Fridays hearing, Silverstein noted that the findings that the BSA and plan proponents are asking her to make in confirming the plan present her with issues that she has never previously faced as a bankruptcy judge.

Quite frankly, probably none of my previous rulings in eight years really dealt with this particular type of issue, where there are such extensive findings that people are asking me to make, and where the findings are particularly controversial, she said.

When an attorney representing a group of insurers opposed to the plan noted that the BSA had filed hundreds of pages of documents in the wee hours Friday morning with plan modifications and revisions, the judge assured him that he would have time to review and respond to them before she rules.

Youre not in danger of a forthcoming decision in the next few days, said Silverstein. She must decide a host of controversial and complex issues involving not just the Boy Scouts, but the BSAs insurers, its 250 local councils, and tens of thousands of troop sponsoring organizations.

Opposing insurers have argued that the plan violates their rights under policies they issued, and that the findings that plan supporters want Silverstein make would bind them to the proposed trust distribution procedures and make it difficult to challenge claim decisions. In an email, one attorney for abuse claimants described such binding trust distribution procedures as a Holy Grail that mass tort lawyers have been chasing for years. Insurers say approval by the judge would set a dangerous precedent tort lawyers would use to their advantage in future lawsuits.

Perhaps the most contentious issue, and the one most fraught with legal difficulty, is whether third parties, including settling insurers, local councils and troop sponsors, should be allowed to escape future liability by contributing to the victims fund, or at least not objecting to the plan.

Some survivors argue that releasing their claims against non-debtor third parties without their consent violates their due process rights. The U.S. bankruptcy trustee, the governments watchdog in Chapter 11 bankruptcies, argues that such releases are not allowed under the bankruptcy code.

Such nonconsensual third-party releases, spawned by asbestos and product-liability cases, have been criticized as an unconstitutional form of bankruptcy grifting, where non-debtor entities obtain benefits by joining with a debtor to resolve mass-tort litigation in bankruptcy.

About the photo: In this Feb. 12, 2020, file photo, a statue stands outside the Boy Scouts of America headquarters in Irving, Texas. One of the primary insurers of the Boy Scouts of America announced Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021, that it has reached a tentative settlement agreement with the organization and with attorneys representing tens of thousands of men who say they were molested as youngsters decades ago by scoutmasters and others. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Three Louisiana women have been ordered to repay a total of $5.5 million to companies defrauded in a scheme to stage wrecks.

Keishira Richardson, 27, Chandrika Brown, 31, and Aisha Thompson, 44, are among 36 people convicted so far in what authorities have called Operation Sideswipe, news releases said.

Each was sentenced Wednesday on one count each of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

Richardson was sentenced to five years on probation and ordered to pay $4.7 million in restitution. Thats the total paid to settle claims made by her and others for one crash staged on Oct 13, 2015.

Richardsons father, Anthony Robinson, and his wife, Audrey Harris, were each sentenced in June to four years in prison on the same charge for that crash. They both underwent extensive medical treatment, neck and back surgeries, because they understood that agreeing to more medical treatment would increase the value of their lawsuit, according to a news release about their sentence.

U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle, who also sentenced Keishira Robinson, told her father and Harris that they and their codefendants would be responsible for paying $5 million including the companies attorneys fees.

U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance sentenced Thompson to 18 months in prison and restitution of $677,500  the total paid in claims to several people involved in a crash with a tour bus on Oct. 15, 2015.

Vance ordered Brown to put in 100 hours community service and pay $121,000 restitution. Although Brown wasnt in a RAV4 that hit a tractor-trailer on Sept. 6, 2017, she hired a lawyer, put in a claim for injuries and received medical treatment, a news release said.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California workplace regulators on Thursday extended mandatory pay for workers affected by the coronavirus through the end of 2022, acting more than two months after state lawmakers restored similar benefits through September.

The decision again pitted management against labor as the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board renewed revised workplace safety rules that would otherwise have expired in early May.

I dont think were done with this yet, board chairman David Thomas said of the pandemic.

Theres going to be a surge in a week or so, Thomas added. This is the best protection we have.

Laura Stock, an occupational safety representative on the board, echoed employee advocates who lobbied board members to continue special protections for workers even as health officials ease mask, quarantine and other requirements for the general public.

Unlike members of the public who can choose their own risk tolerance, Stock said, people who are in the workplace have no choice but to be there.

Management representative Kate Crawford said the rules have caused confusion as she cast the only no in a 6-1 vote.

Keeping what is known as exclusion pay for workers who are sent home due to the coronavirus is both costly and confusing, particularly since the Legislature recently approved COVID-19 sick leave, said Rob Moutrie, a policy advocate with the California Chamber of Commerce,

Small businesses have particularly struggled with the obligation, Moutrie said. The Cal/OSHA rule applies in almost every workplace in the state, covering workers in offices, factories and retail businesses, while the state sick leave law applies only to companies with 26 or more employees.

The debate comes as the highly transmissible omicron variant BA.2 becomes dominant in California and across the U.S., threatening a new wave of infections.

The states case rate is up by one-third and test positivity has doubled since late March. Hospitalizations and intensive care patients remain at or near their lows for the pandemic. But the states models predict hospitalizations will increase from fewer than 1,000 now to nearly 1,400 in another month, while ICU admissions will begin to climb in early May.

In another sign of Californias changing response to the pandemic, public health officials are canceling the states contract with diagnostics company PerkinElmer Health Sciences Inc. as of May 15, ahead of schedule. The company had been operating the states new $25 million COVID testing lab in Valencia, opened in November 2020, under a no-bid contract initially worth up to $1.4 billion. The state renewed the contract in October.

Republican state lawmakers hailed the cancelation, citing repeated problems reported at the facility, including testing delays and quality control.

This lab failed to serve Californians, and the state delayed accountability for months, Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk said.

State health officials said Thursday that they are now relying more on a different form of testing and efforts that link positive test results to immediate treatment. But they said the state will maintain the ability to test up to 500,000 people a day through a network of labs as part of the states rapid response plan to future coronavirus outbreaks.

Los Angeles County said Thursday that it will continue requiring masks for travelers aboard public transit and inside indoor transportation hubs, including Los Angeles International and other airports along with bus terminals and train stations.

Also Thursday, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer and L.A. County District Attorney George Gascon announced two settlements totaling nearly $26.5 million related to allegations of fake COVID-19 testing and false advertising by Venice, California, based Sameday Technologies, doing business as Sameday Health, which operates 55 testing locations nationwide.

Sameday Health said the problems arose amidst the chaos of massive surges in demand for services early in the pandemic, but it said it has since corrected the problems.

The renewed workplace regulation requires employers to keep paying workers wages and maintain their seniority and other benefits for as long as they cant work because of a coronavirus exposure or infection, unless they receive disability payments or the employer can prove the close contact wasnt work related.

It is important that employees who are COVID-19 cases do not come to work, Cal/OSHA said.

The states sick leave law differs in that it provides employees with up to one week of paid time off if they get the coronavirus or are caring for a sick family member. They qualify for a second week off only if they or their family members test positive.

Theres a troubling provision in the revised Cal/OSHA paid leave rules that isnt in current regulations, said Mitch Steiger, a legislative advocate for the California Labor Federation.

Currently, an employee who has had close contact with an infected worker is also sent home, with pay. But the revised rules can keep them on the job until they test positive.

The employer could force that person to stay at work and interact with co-workers, members of the public and immunocompromised people and whomever until that person tests positive, Steiger said before the boards decision.

The more that we walk that back, the more space we give the virus to spread, he said.

Agribusiness representatives objected that the workplace rules give employers two choices when dealing with an outbreak of three or more coronavirus cases if an employee comes in close contact. The employee must either test negative, or be given a week off with pay if they decline to be tested.

Youre encouraging people to not get tested, Michael Miiller, California Association of Winegrape Growers government relations director, told the board.

Associated Press Writer Stefanie Dazio contributed to this story from Los Angeles.

About the photo: Workers install piping for underground electrical lines in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, April 20, 2022. California workplace regulators are poised to extend mandatory pay for workers affected by the coronavirus through the end of 2022, more than two months after state lawmakers restored similar benefits through September. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
San Francisco will square off on Monday against Walgreens Boots Alliance and three other companies accused of fueling an opioid crisis in the city, the first trial to target manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies over the addictive pain medicines.

San Francisco has alleged that pharmacy chain Walgreens, drugmakers Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and AbbVie Incs Allergan unit, and drug distributor Anda Inc, which is owned by Teva, created a public nuisance by flooding the city with prescription opioids and failing to prevent the drugs from being diverted for illegal use.

The companies have denied the allegations, saying that they sold opioid medications that were prescribed by doctors.

Opening arguments before Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco are scheduled for 9:30am PT (4:30pm GMT) on Monday.

San Francisco has been hard hit by the opioid crisis, which has caused more than 500,000 overdose deaths nationwide in the past two decades, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Opioid-related health issues now account for 25% of emergency room visits at the citys largest public hospital, according to thelawsuit.

San Franciscos lawsuit, filed in 2018, initially included claims against drugmakers Purdue Pharma LP, Johnson & Johnson and Endo International Plc and the three largest U.S. drug distributors  McKesson Corp MCK.N, Cardinal Health Inc .and AmerisourceBergen Corp  but the city previously settled with those defendants.

City Attorney David Chiu said at a Wednesday news conference that the upcoming trial would be the first to test claims against each part of the opioid supply chain.

The San Francisco case comes amid a wave of opioid settlements. J&J earlier this month agreed to pay $99 million to settle claims over its part in West Virginias opioid crisis.

Alabama reached $276 million in settlements with J&J, McKesson and Endo after that state opted out of a nationwide $26 billion settlement of opioid litigation.

The San Francisco trial comes five months after a state judge held that Los Angeles, Santa Clara, and Orange counties, as well as the city of Oakland, failed to prove that Endo, Johnson & Johnson, Teva and Allergan created a public nuisance through the sale and promotion of opioids pain medicines.
South Africa: Work underway to repair damaged water infrastructure

Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu, says work is underway to repair damaged water and sanitation infrastructure in communities affected by the floods in KwaZulu-Natal.

Mchunu, together with the mayors from the affected municipalities, including eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, iLembe District Municipality and uMgungundlovu District Municipality, briefed the media on Sunday to provide updates on repairs to water and sanitation infrastructure.

Mchunu said the main damage is at the pipeline that supplies raw water to Durban Heights Water Treatment works in eThekwini. This has led to the eThekwini Metro losing about 280 megalitres of water, and that has resulted in water reduction to communities.

However, Mchunu said Umgeni Water has made improvements on the water supply side with an additional 50 megalitres per day, and made procurement of the pipelines for repairs.

The estimated cost of damage to pipelines include R63 million at iLembe District Municipality, R12 million at uMgungundlovu District Municipality and R1 billion at eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality.

The Minister assured the affected communities that the department, working in collaboration with the Executive Mayors in the affected Municipalities, is working with speed to remedy the situation.

Most of these affected municipalities were already in deficit in terms of their ageing infrastructure. Our approach therefore is to take advantage of this situation to not only repair damaged infrastructure, but also to renew these ailing infrastructures.

We are making immediate interventions by repairing damaged infrastructure, but at the same time we are embarking on a renewal programme of water and sanitation infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal province, Mchunu said.

The Minister also raised a concern about the pollution of rivers due to sewer spillages caused by damaged sanitation infrastructure in the affected municipalities.

We need to act fast to ascertain the amount of damage to sanitation infrastructure and to determine the way forward to address the problem of contamination of our water resources by these sewage spillages, said Minister Mchunu.

The mayors from affected municipalities also proclaimed their commitment to improve water supply to the communities.

eThekwini Municipality reprioritised R600 million

eThekwini Municipality Mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, said the municipality has reprioritised R600 million and the councillors are already at work at community level to identify areas that need to be repaired.

He said water treatment plants were not severely affected in the municipality, noting that the problem of sewer spillages was due to blocked system, rather than a system failure.

The situation is now under control and work is already underway to make immediate interventions to ensure that members of the community receive water. I can confirm that water supply has improved by 60%, particularly in Northern eThekwini, Kaunda said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2022-04-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Interview: Serbian expert blames NATO expansion for Ukraine crisis, urges dialogue

Xinhua) 10:07, April 25, 2022

BELGRADE, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The decades-long eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has not only caused the crisis in Ukraine but it has also evolved into a threat to peace and cooperation worldwide, a Serbian expert has told Xinhua in an interview.

Zivadin Jovanovic, who served as foreign minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia between 1998 and 2000, said he believed that back in the spring of 1999 he witnessed the beginning of NATO's expansion into eastern Europe. This, he said, has by now threatened Russia's borders, sparking the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

NATO's eastward push has deeply harmed the whole European continent, Jovanovic noted, by "militarizing its infrastructure, economy and even its education system." Globally, it increased the probability of local, regional and even larger conflicts, followed by impoverishment and hunger.

Jovanovic, who currently presides over the think-tank Belgrade Forum for a World of Equals, said that instead of fueling the conflict further, the West should engage in a global high-level dialogue for peace and security, which would be vital to overcoming the crisis.

UNPROVOKED?

According to Jovanovic, the position commonly held in the West that the conflict in Ukraine is "unprovoked" is false -- because since its 1999 aggression on Yugoslavia, NATO has deployed troops across the Balkans, added 11 countries as members and established numerous military bases across Europe.

"In March 1999, NATO launched an illegal attack -- an aggression against Yugoslavia. The publicly announced goal was to protect the rights of an endangered national minority... However, we see that the result of it all was the permanent deployment of NATO troops across the Balkans... These are undeniable facts," he said.

Since then, NATO has significantly grown by integrating a number of eastern European countries, which resulted in the deployment of NATO troops and the establishment of military bases on their territory.

"Back then (in 1999), NATO had 19 members, while now it has 30. Where is the reservoir for new member states? It is in the east of Europe, and this means increasing proximity to Russia's borders... When these bases were opened, NATO said they had a defensive purpose... However, they turned out to be missile bases, which can hold offensive weapons."

The tensions were further aggravated because, as Jovanovic pointed out, the United States has recently withdrawn from important international military agreements.

"The U.S., as the key power of NATO, has pulled out from many important agreements on arms control, intermediate-range missiles... The big question is: why did it do so and to what end?" he asked.

According to Jovanovic, in absence of responses to Moscow's initiatives to renew the arms control treaties and to stop NATO's eastward push, Russia was forced to launch a military operation to protect its interests.

ENORMOUS DAMAGE

According to Jovanovic, NATO's eastward push has endangered vital agreements that ensured a long period of peace after World War II.

"During its enlargement, NATO has violated all the agreements that existed and that are undisputable. During its attack on Yugoslavia, they violated the UN Charter, and challenged the authority of the UN Security Council... The damage done is certainly enormous. Because of NATO's enlargement strategy towards the east, the world is in a changed condition. The global system of security, peace and cooperation is in danger," he warned.

This decades-long process has, according to Jovanovic, destroyed key European values and militarized the entire continent.

"Due to NATO's enlargement to the east, the entire European continent has become militarized. There have never been more military bases, arms and military equipment in Europe than today... Europe has militarized its economy and its education system," he said.

Moreover, NATO's expansion has "shaken the entire international order" and endangered peace in the whole world, Jovanovic said.

"Enormous damage has been inflicted on the system of collective security and cooperation, not to mention how much this NATO expansion has contributed to the development of an arms race and the destruction of a whole subsystem in charge of controlling the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. This has increased the possibility of conflicts, not only local and regional ones but also global ones... It will take plenty of wisdom, time and effort to repair this," he said.

PEACE THROUGH DIALOGUE

Jovanovic said that for the Ukrainian crisis to stop, NATO's eastward expansion must also stop. The solution, he said, lies not on the battlefield but in high-level dialogue.

"All people in the West say nowadays is that Kiev must continue the conflict and not accept any kind of agreement with Russia, that the West always delivers bigger and technologically advanced weaponry. This way they are adding fuel to the fire... There can't be any solution on the battlefield."

Commenting on the Western sanctions on Russia, he said that these further escalate the conflict and that the sanctions are "intentionally directed against civilians."

"Sanctions are illegitimate and inhumane. Such was their goal in the case of Yugoslavia... Because of this, children and people with difficult chronic diseases died across Yugoslavia, and there were shortages of everything and plenty of ordinary people suffering... Sanctions are no means to resolve conflicts. They are not a means to achieve peace but to escalate the situation further," Jovanovic said.

He said that instead of fueling further the destruction of Ukraine and forcing NATO's further expansion, the West should engage in a high-level dialogue with other global powers in order to agree on peace, cooperation and collective security.

"It takes time to prepare summits or high-level meetings, but it is necessary to talk about this and to prepare concrete initiatives for dialogue, negotiations and the cessation of the conflict," Jovanovic said.

In his opinion, peace could be pursued through acknowledging the equality of countries in security, peace and cooperation. "Everybody in the West must make peace with this: the era of expansion, dictates and commands, and the pyramidal arrangement of global relations are a thing of the past. The world is clearly striving for a multipolar world order based on mutual respect, partnership and the acknowledgment of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries."

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
Rice Peak Art Display

Presented by: Tiantian Zhu '22 & Maren Greene '24

Location: Worner Center

Check out this one-of-the-kind student art project from Tiantian Zhu '22 and Maren Greene '24 featured during Earth Week. They have been working on this art piece since last summer. The art project focuses on creating a sense of place using waste from around CC and making waste more visible to the campus community. This piece will stay at Worner throughout the week, so be sure to drop in to see it!

Check back here for locations to visit with the art!

All Week: Worner Campus Center

Worner Campus Center Tuesday: Rice Peak will make a special appearance at Trash Peak!

State of Sustainability Trivia

Presented by: Office of Sustainability (OOS) Student Life & Leadership Team

Location: CCSustainability Instagram

Head over to the Office of Sustainability's Instagram page to answer trivia throughout the week and win prizes!
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04/25/2022

Photo (c) Morsa Images - Getty Images COVID-19 tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 80,995,048 (80,971,930)

Total U.S. deaths: 991,360 (991,211)

Total global cases: 509,805,166 (509,222,272)

Total global deaths: 6,218,898 (6,217,289)

Hospitalized patients have trouble overcoming COVID-19

If a COVID-19 infection requires hospital treatment, a new study shows that the patient has a long road to complete recovery. Researchers in the U.K. report that only 29% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are completely free of symptoms a year later.

The study tracked 2,300 recovered COVID-19 patients who spent time in a hospital. It found that women were 33% less likely than men to fully recover from their illness.

The study also found that if a hospitalized patient was on a ventilator, they were 58% less likely to fully recover. If the hospitalized patient was obese, they were 50% less likely to fully recover.

New drug shown to effectively clear the virus

A Japanese drug company, Shionogi & Co Ltd, has produced an experimental drug that researchers say rapidly clears the virus that causes COVID-19. The drug, called S-217622, is a pill that has just completed a clinical trial.

The report, released Sunday, said the drug was most effective against five COVID-19 symptoms that are associated with fever and respiratory issues.

The company said it is planning a worldwide clinical trial and has received developmental support from the U.S. government.

White House reportedly will seek more COVID-19 funds

Congress returns this week, and one Biden administration official tells NBC News that the White House will seek additional money to combat the pandemic. Just before the Congressional recess, the Senate rejected a request for another $10 billion in funds.

Some Republicans and Democrats in the Senate had reached an outline of the funding bill before the recess. Under the agreement, half of the money would be used to pay for vaccinations and the other half to purchase drugs to treat the virus.

Around the nation
04/25/2022

Photo (c) Laser1987 - Getty Images At a time when travelers are being asked to pay for almost anything an airline can turn into ancillary revenue, Hawaiian Airlines is taking a step in the other direction.

On Monday, the airline announced that its struck an agreement with Starlink  the satellite internet company operated by Elon Musks SpaceX  to provide complimentary broadband internet access to all guests onboard several of its aircraft that fly between the Hawaiian Islands and the continental U.S, Asia, Australia, and other countries.

Timing is everything, and Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Peter Ingram said the time had come to make internet access free.

We waited until technology caught up with our high standards for guest experience, but it will be worth the wait, Ingram said.

Jonathan Hofeller, SpaceX's Vice President of Starlink Commerical Sales, echoed Ingram's statement and said his company is ready to provide a premium service to consumers flying with Hawaiian Airlines.

Hawaiian Airlines is ensuring its passengers will experience high-speed internet the way we expect it in the 21st century, making hassles like downloading movies before takeoff a relic of the past, he said.

According to the announcement, the experience will be as simple as anyone could make it. Hofeller said passengers will be able to access the internet seamlessly. the moment they step onboard a plane.

Airlines put their best foot forward

Pent-up demand for travel is picking up now that some of the concerns linked to the COVID-19 pandemic have started to subside, and airlines have been bulking up their customer service to impress returning travelers as best they can.

When it comes to value spent, travel analysts recently found that Hawaiian Airlines offers the most rewards value. American Airlines is stepping up its own game by promising reliability. Southwest has also rolled out new fares, and Delta changed its rewards program to make it easier to gain elite status.

Angelina, from Sparks, Nevada, recently gave Hawaiian Airlines her vote of confidence based on a flight she took with her husband in January.

We had the best experience in checking in. Everyone at the counter were very helpful and friendly. Its been one of the best travel experience[s] we had. Cabin crews were also very friendly, she wrote in a ConsumerAffairs review.

To read more reviews about the carrier, visit the company's ConsumerAffairs profile page here.
68%

Website m-oman0.net uses latest and advanced technologies. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 453040 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 77 bytes (0.08 kb uncompressed) and 105 bytes (0.10 kb compressed).

This CoolSocial report was updated on 2022-04-25, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is obviously filled with a lot of CGI  after all, its easier than training a raccoon how to talk and more legal than bombarding Mark Ruffalo with potentially lethal levels of radiation. This means that some of the most thrilling MCU scenes were cobbled together by hundreds of unfamous (very possibly underpaid) technicians while your favorite actors were busy jumping around an empty room in oversized kiddie pajamas. Yes, some of the very best MCU scenes looked dumb as hell before receiving any digital assistance, such as how 

5 Spider-Man: No Way Home  Some Pretty Boring Scenes Required Elaborate Effects

Spider-Man: No Way Home featured a ton of amazing visual effects. We doubt it would have become one of the top-grossing movies of all time if the three Spider-Men simply got together to smoke weed and play Mario Kart in Tobey Maguires basement. Some of the CGI makes a lot of sense; like obviously, the filmmakers didnt shoot the climax at the actual Statue of Liberty, so they just built a crown on a blue soundstage and called it a day.

Marvel Studios

And Doc Ocks tentacles? They were really a couple of helpful dudes in blue onesies.

Marvel Studios

But weirdly, movie magic was employed to make it look like  Flash was at a casual house party?

Marvel Studios/Vanity Fair

Are those extras even real? If so, how do any of us know that were real, and not just digital background extras created to accommodate an actors shooting schedule? While this may seem like a surprisingly unnecessary use of computer technology, even Doctor Stranges magic box, which is ultimately just an ornate wooden box, was a visual effect.
Larry Pesce remembers the day when the distributed denial of service (DDoS) threat landscape changed dramatically. It was late fall in 2016 when a fellow researcher joined him at the InGuardians lab, where he is director of research. His friend wanted to see how fast Mirai, a novel internet of things (IoT) botnet installer, would take over a Linux-based DVR camera recorder that was popular with medium-size businesses. So, she brought in a purchased DVR, then they set up observation instrumentation before connecting it to the internet via the DVRs span port.

In about 30 minutes, we were able to watch a connection log in with the DVRs default password, download the payload and join it to the botnet, he explains. Almost immediately, they logged outbound traffic from the DVR and shut it down before it could DDoS anyone elses devices. Frustratingly, each time they re-booted the DVR, it reset to the insecure factory-installed default password, even though theyd changed it to a secure password.

Fast forward to today, when IoT is now commonly used to amplify DDoS attacks against their targets and skirt current DDoS defenses. For example, in the second half of 2021, DDoS attacks were surpassing 4 Tbps, according to a network intelligence report by Nokia Deepfield (part of Nokias IP routing business) that analyzed more than 10,000 DDoS attacks coming from internet providers around the world.

IoT using exotic devices such as refrigerators, parking meters, and door cameras was rare. Now we have crossed the inflection point and they are a dominant threat, says Craig Labovitz, CTO at Nokia Deepfield and author of the report. DDoS from these botnets is increasingly used to overwhelm internet systems or network infrastructure including firewalls. We are also seeing DDoS being used as a distraction to hide the launch of more dangerous attacks, such as ransomware.

Nokias examination of DDoS data revealed that thousands of DVRs, internet-connected cameras, and even parking meters belonging to gas stations, banks, and other businesses have been recruited into botnets. Business PBX servers and VOIP phones also make up a large percentage of bot-infected devices, both in the cloud and on premises, he says.

Unsecured IoT devices a willing army

One of the key impacts for organizations is the loss of service. Organizations are paying for the bandwidth being used by these bots in their enterprises. And, in the case of service providers, their customers will notice a slowdown and move to another provider, Labovitz argues.

Other reports indicate that consumer devices, particularly home routers, are also increasingly being used as mules in DDoS botnet amplification attacks. These devices are outside the realm of enterprise risk management.

Now everybodys ancillary appliances are on the internetyour refrigerator, toaster, coffee maker, home security system, TV. These are items that do not give away how badly theyre being abused, or that theyre even infected unless they act erratically or stop working, says Frank Clark, senior security analyst at Hunter Strategy, a consulting firm. How would the average user know anything, let alone block the bot from sending the DoS packets? It would help if makers of enterprise and consumer OT made them secure by default, but thats a pipe dream.

Businesses need to shore up their defenses on two fronts: preventing their own devices from being turned into DoS-spewing bots and protecting their networks, web applications, and data centers against devastating DDoS amplification attacks. They also need to manage risks if their mission-critical service providers succumb to a DDoS amplification attack.

Blocking DDoS attacks

Web-based businesses, cloud services, and internet providers were top enterprise targets for DDoS attacks in the second half of 2021, and most attacks were coming from Chinese IPs, according to Cloudflares DDoS Trends Report. In Q1 2022, most IPs sending DDoS packets were U.S.-based. Web application layer DDoS attacks rose by 164% between 2021 and 2022, according to the Cloudflare report, while network-layer attacks increased by 71%.

Weve seen sustained attacks on VoIP providers that impact all of their business customers using that service, says Patrick Donahue, VP of product at Cloudflare, which blocks an average of 86 billion DDoS threats a day. Sometimes we see ISPs overwhelmed, which then impacts their enterprise customers and thats often when ISPs come to us to protect their whole network.

Legacy firewalls, deployed physically in the data center, can also become another choke point for denial of service because they cant scale to todays amplified attacks. So, identify where your weak points are, he suggests. For example, consider the impact of having your marketing website go down, verses your call center if that call center is your primary business.

DDoS is also commonly used as a smokescreen to hide other, more malicious actions on the network, particularly ransomware activity, so setting up alerts on DoS activity at first notice is critical, Donahue adds.

However, detecting large-scale DDoS launched by IoT is more difficult because hijacked IoT devices use legitimate packets that send legitimate web requests, which traditional packet inspection is not tuned to look for. Traditional defenses are tuned to detect known patterns of forged IP addresses, headers, and payloads. Because of the sheer volume of traffic, blocking amplified DDoS attacks is not possible or practical for most organizations, so protection that goes beyond basic packet inspection and behavioral analysis is critical. Cloudflare distributes traffic over their global network, which can absorb huge DDoS attacks. Most organizations dont have that capacity, says Clark.

Cloudflare blocks inbound DDoS packets and requests as close to their source as possible. Nokia Deepfield addresses this at the routing layer by constantly monitoring traffic on its global network and updating its intelligence as new DDoS trends materialize in their feeds.

Preventing device hijacking

Its no surprise that IoT devices are realizing their botnet potential. Their CPUs are more powerful, their processing times faster, and they are distributed around the world on-premises and in the cloud. Clark asserts that consumer and business devices are being conscripted into these networks because they lack basic security controls, and because botnets made of IoT devices will be much harder to dismantle.

So, organizations need to prevent their own IoT devices from being swept into the botnet, says Piotr Kijewski, CEO of the Shadowserver Foundation and founder of the Polish Honeynet Project. If IT managers want to reduce the amount of DDoS attacks against their organizations, they need to start by securing their own network and reducing their attack surface. That begins with maintaining an inventory of IoT assets that are exposed on the internet.

The Shadowserver Foundation, which started tracking botnets sending DDoS attacks in 2005, counted 560,000 separate DDoS attacks in 30 days from mid-March to mid-April of 2022. While not monitoring for IoT bots specifically, Kijewski says many of the botnets are built on top of IP cameras, DVR and NVR video systems, home routers, and attached storage devices.

For amplification attacks, we see the most popular vectors to be open NTP, LDAP and SNMP services. This is why it is important to try to reduce the number of open services that can be abused, Kijewski advises.

For those IoT devices that cant be patched, updated, or secured, network monitoring should be tuned to detect deviations in actions and outbound traffic from these devices to indicate its being taken over. Pesce from InGuardians also suggests a separate VLAN or NAC to connect IoT through. These are effective network controls and the basis for zero trust, which includes monitoring and asset inventory. When you know whats on your network and the components they make up, you can actively monitor for unusual activity, including notifications of new devices added to the network. And, when possible, make sure patches are applied.

One of the sure giveaways of a botnet infection inside your own network is sluggish performance, adds Nokias Labovitz, who recommends tuning network monitoring systems to detect and immediately alert to network slowdowns. Enterprises rely on services like VoIP and connectivity should also look for solutions from their carriers and vendors, he adds. This gets us closer to the root. We need to solve this at an industry level and encourage best common practices, such as signed and secure BGP, filtering, and IP plumbing of the internet.
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FAIRFIELD  Investment, expansion and automation were the topics of the day at the Bigelow Tea Co. headquarters on Monday.

State and local officials came to tour the buildings warehouse after $2 million worth of improvements were recently completed. The new factory floor was abuzz with the whirring of machinery, and robotic carts moved pallets of tea across its main floor as part of a now partially automated packaging process.

In addition to the robotic arms packing shipments and the self-driving carts moving tea around, Cindi Bigelow, Bigelow Teas president, said the factory floor was also reinforced to allow for offices to be built in the mezzanine of the warehouse.

This is a huge investment for our organization, she said. This was a warehouse. What we then had to do was move to a warehouse in Orange. We emptied this out. We reinforced the floor for about $500,000. We put mezzanines in for additional offices, and then we installed all this equipment.

The Orange site is remaining open, she said.

Gov. Ned Lamont said the investments Bigelow made demonstrate innovation, showing it can be down outside of big companies like Amazon or Facebook.

Here you have Bigelow Tea going all the way back to 1945, they have as modern and computerized distribution system as you can ask for, he said. So, theres room for innovation everywhere.

The Fairfield location makes more than 750 million bags of tea a year  a 400 percent increase since 1990, Bigelow said.

That type of growth necessitates investment, she said, adding she anticipates installing more equipment there.

This allows us to grow while maintaining the number of people we have in our workforce, she said, noting Bigelow has 200 employees in Connecticut and 450 system-wide.

Bigelow said workers were very worried when the company notified them of the coming improvements, but many conversations took place with them about how the automation would not threaten their jobs.

When these machines came in, we very much kept our finger on the pulse of their attitude and how employees were, she said. Now that this equipment has been in for two months, they realize that theyre needed more than ever. Its really been a good thing.

Bigelow said the investments have slightly changed how her employees jobs work, but they are still an integral part of the process. She said the new offices added to the building help prepare for the future.

As the business doubles, I dont want the people to double, she said. So, lets say the business doubles, maybe the people go up 30 or 40 percent.

Bigelow said state programs, such as ones that help fund training for employees, free up funds for the company to buy new equipment.

Bigelow said the company that shares her family name was not built on strong margins, but to ensure quality of product.

It makes it very difficult in times of high increases of wages, materials, distribution, she said. We dont have any fat as a business. Were not a greedy organization. We dont spend a lot of money.

The investment she made into the facility furthers the mission of ensuring a quality product, Bigelow said, adding she does not mind investing money for the future.
LM Otero/AP

EL PASO, Texas (AP)  Beto O'Rourke, the Democratic nominee for governor in Texas, said Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

The former congressman and presidential candidate said he was experiencing mild symptoms and is fully vaccinated and boosted. On Sunday, O'Rourke was campaigning in East Texas, where he spoke to a crowded room of supporters while maskless.
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EASTON  An agreement between officials and a local business resulted in Easton becoming the first municipality in Connecticut to grow cannabis on town-owned land - and could be a model for other towns to cash in on the adult-use market.

While it took a while to iron out the details, Easton Grows LLC used approximately one acre of town property on South Park Avenue to grow cannabis plants for hemp and CBD. Notably, the product was not used for THC, the psychoactive property known for getting people high.

As a part of the deal, the company paid Easton 20 percent of its profits. Officials say the agreement is a way Easton can participate in the modern economy while also honoring its roots as a farming community.

State Rep. Anne Hughes, a Democrat who represents Easton, Weston and Redding in the legislature, said the partnership is the only such deal in Connecticut. She said people like to buy products from local farmers they know and trust.

Easton is a farming community, she said. Weve been farming for hundreds of years, and we have I think 30 active farmers in Easton alone. This is a legacy that were really proud of.

Griffith Conti, one of the three owners of Easton Grows, said he has a background in the cannabis industry. He said the South Park Advisory Committee, which aimed to find uses for the South Park Avenue property, was looking for ways to preserve the land while also benefiting the town.

Easton First Selectman David Bindelglass said the companys gross sales were $6,472, of which they paid the town $1,294. As promised, he said, Easton Grows returned pristine land to the town.

Bindelglass said the selectmen approved the deal because they thought it would be a good experiment. As long as the company doesnt destroy the land, he said, there was nothing to lose. He said the agreement highlighted a few things for him.

It highlights that farming is a potential use for some of the remainder of that land  even if the (Aspetuck) Land Trust buys it, he said. Theres also been talk about potential difficulties of securing the property, and they had no issues.

Conti said his business partner Jeff Becker sought him out after hemp was identified as a good use for some of the land. While he, Becker and David Dwight Senior, the third partnet, thought it would be easy to get a green-light on the project from the town, he said, that is not what happened.

Boy were we wrong, he said.

Conti said they went through four or five months of meetings with the Board of Selectmen, the Planning and Zoning Board and the Agriculture Commission, adding they were rejected three times before finally getting approval.

For that reason, Conti said, they did not put plants in the ground until August. But, he said, once approval came, they got moving very quickly.

Theres never been a situation where youve been able to grow a crop on town land, he said, later noting the products were sold at Franny's of Westport. We ended up growing an incredible crop.

Getting approval, growing and selling

Conti said getting approval from the selectmen and P&Z was relatively easy. The biggest step of the approval process was the Agriculture Commission, he said, which required an entire business plan.

They grilled us for hours, and really had us put a lot of information together, he said.

The trio spent $12,000 on an attorney to help them get through the approval process, Conti said, which also included negotiating a lease with the town.

He said they were treated differently because of the crop they were growing.

We went to 12 or 15 different meetings and everything was centered around these completely bogus assumptions about cannabis, he said. We were kind of working against every objection you can imagine.

Conti said people had doubts that they would be successful in their venture. He said some residents and officials doubted they would be able to sell the crop for a premium price, while others worried about security of the farm.

We really did it all correctly, he said.

When the company got approval, Conti said, the owners spent $30,000 of their own money building it out. He said their goal was to raise awareness in town, adding they did not seek grants.

Conti said Easton Grows went about creating a little farm on the one acre of land it leased. He said they planted the cannabis in rows in two hoop houses.

We had about 150 total plants, he said. They flowered beautifully and we got some really incredible yields.

Conti said the company had 100 percent compliance with the law and no incidents of theft or public safety issues.

I mean, they thought animals were going to come by and get high from a plant that cant get you high, he said.

Despite the rocky approval process, Conti said it was rewarding to see how he and the other co-owners, as well as supportive residents and officials, all came together.

Hughes said Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture visited the farm last year.

Its a really low-impact use of that land that creates some revenue and creates a good quality, local grown product, she said.

Conti said the only reason the business even came to be was because they could sell the product at Frannys of Westport, which he also owns. He said the company had worked hard to create the brand for Easton Grows, adding they grew five different strains.

We sell bulk flower. We sell a premium pre-roll and a five-pack, he said. That was all sold exclusively through Frannys.

Conti said CBD products like the ones grown in Easton are federally legal because they are derived from hemp. He said people use it to help with pain, inflammation, sleep and overall wellness.

On the marijuana side, theres some (people) that can get on board, others that cant, he said. But, from the pure, fundamental medical benefits side of it, CBD is widely studied.

Conti said the company had grown five pounds of product originally, noting sales started on October 4. He said town officials only wanted the 20 percent cut of sales up until January of this year, but there is still more Easton Grows products at Frannys.

We also have, I think, five more pounds of the crop from last year that continues to be sold, he said, adding his company has gotten a lot of positive feedback about their product.

Bindelglass said it is hard to judge the financial results of the agreement, as Easton Grows started growing late and it did not make much money.

Who knows how much better it could be? he said.

Looking forward

Conti said the business trio is definitely interested in growing hemp again, but he does not know where that will happen.

Were going to continue in some format and were exploring what that looks like, whether its on town-owned land or private land, and whether or not we grow as big of a crop, he said. Were really focused on some of the exotic cannabinoids, so some of the very niche strains that have a lot of good results behind them.

Conti also said they have also applied to the state to grow cannabis for THC, the psychoactive ingredient, now that it is legal and the state is coming out with the regulations surrounding its production and sale.

That would be dictated by the towns, if we were to win a license, whether its through Easton Grows or Frannys, he said. Were also applying individually. Its a lottery process.

Conti pointed out that many towns, including neighboring Fairfield, have voted to put a one year moratorium on cannabis establishments. Eastons Planning and Zoning Commission is currently considering a similar moratorium.

If we get a license, theres a stipulation that within 18 months you have to become active with that license, he said. Youre going to be limited on the municipalities that allow this.

Bindelglass said the Aspetuck Land Trust could still allow for agricultural use of the land even if after it becomes deed-restricted. He said the agreement turned out to be a good thing.

To me, its indicative of the towns flexibility, sometimes, to consider other ways to keep Easton Easton  to keep it agricultural and to preserve space, he said. This was a positive.

Bindelglass said it might be a tougher sell if Easton Grows wanted to grow cannabis for THC on the property, but he thinks it would still be considered.

Hughes said growing hemp, a fast-growing, renewable product, is an important way to replace fossil fuel-based products like plastic in clothing. She said she hopes Easton does not pass a moratorium on cannabis establishments.

As we build the responsible economy that we want, thats sustainable for the future, we need to build off of our strengths, she said, adding responsible, inspected and licensed agricultural products fall under that.

Hughes questioned why a town would not want to explore options with cannabis growers when it could get a portion of the sales tax and revenue from their sales, all while knowing the people doing the work.

Passing a moratorium just means that other communities like ours would then benefit from the revenue and we wont, she said. The towns that are doing that are a little bit foolish because they are delaying working with the new economy.

Hughes also emphasized that keeping cannabis production local was important, adding these big, multi-state operators dont take pride in that work.

If they were to win the license, Conti said, it would also require a huge financial investment to get the THC project off the ground. Essentially, whether Easton Grows ends up growing cannabis for THC in Easton depends on getting the license and it being allowed there, he said.

But by all means, if we win (we might try it), he said.

joshua.labella@hearstmediact.com
BRIDGEPORT  In a decision that could further open the door to gun ownership in Connecticut, the state Supreme Court has ruled that a Stratford plumbing contractor cannot be barred from getting his gun permit because of a misdemeanor drug conviction he got as a teenager in New York 15 years ago.

In a unanimous decision, the states highest court ruled that while state law bars people with criminal convictions in this state from getting gun permits the legislature omitted in the law criminal convictions in other states from being a bar to being eligible for permits.

Our legislature may not have possessed the same certitude with respect to out-of-state, nonfelony convictions, and so decided to leave suitability determinations regarding those crimes to a case-by-case basis, Justice Andrew McDonald wrote in the decision for the court. There is significant divergence, after all, in each states penal laws and accompanying statutory, plea bargaining and sentencing schemes, and a conviction for a violation of any one of the eleven enumerated statutes in Connecticut can carry very different implications than a conviction for the same conduct in another jurisdiction.

According to court records, in 2006, Anthony Leo was living in New York when he was pulled over there. A police officer subsequently found Leo in possession of 2.5 grams of ketamine, a powerful anesthetic. Leo later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, possession of a controlled substance and was given no jail time.

In May 2016, Leo applied to the Stratford Police Department for a state pistol permit. The department denied his application in April 2017, because of Leos 2006 conviction in N.Y. They ruled that the N.Y. conviction was equivalent to a Connecticut misdemeanor charge that automatically precluded eligibility for a pistol permit.

Leo appealed the denial to the state Board of Firearms Permit Examiners which in 2018 ordered that he be granted a pistol permit. The Stratford Police Department appealed that ruling and a Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the police department.

Leos lawyer, C. Christian Young, of the Bridgeport law firm Cohen and Wolf, said the Supreme Courts decision was well reasoned.

The courts decision upholds the integrity of the law providing for the process of applying for and obtaining a firearms permit in our state, Young said.

State Rep. Steven Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, co-chairman of the General Assemblys judiciary committee said his initial quick browse of the case suggests there is an oversight in the statute.

We need to make it clear that the local police chief has the authority to deny the permit based on a conviction under Connecticut law or a comparable provision of another states law, said Stafstrom.

But Young said the statutory process for Connecticut firearms permits has worked very well and protected both the individuals rights as well as societys interests in safety for decades.

The Stratford Police Department and the trial courts actions would have disrupted this process and would have expanded the class of people who would be permanently prohibited from possessing firearms beyond the limitations established by the people of this state through their elected representatives, Young said.

Young said following his conviction, Leo went on to graduate from college, get married and raised a family. While living in Pennsylvania, Young said Leo was able to get a pistol permit there. He said Leo now runs his own plumbing company in Stratford.

The Town of Stratford is the first town in the state that is seeking to apply equivalency to a misdemeanor statute in another state when it comes to granting pistol permits, said Young. The Town of Stratford has chosen to read the statute as being equivalent even though there is nothing in the statute that states it should be equivalent.

Attorney General William Tong wrote an argument supporting the firearm boards decision.

The board reversed the towns decision to deny Leo a permit on the basis that his conviction in New York is an automatic disqualifier. Leo made a mistake in 2006. Since then, Leos life has changed. The Board found Leo to be credible and reversed the Towns decision. The Board moves for dismissal of the Towns appeal based on the aforementioned reasons, Tong wrote.

A lawyer representing the Stratford Police Department declined comment on the decision.
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TRUMBULL  Nicole DaSilva remembers her grandfather Gino Magliocco as a man who was always on the move. He was either fixing cars, or working in his garden, or making homemade wine and sausage, or engaged in another project.

But, said DaSilva, Magliocco always had time for his family.

He basically loved to be with his family if he wasnt working on cars, said DaSilva, who lives in Shelton. When he would walk through the door at the end of the day, it didnt matter how tired he was. He would sit at the head of the table and tell all these stories.

Magliocco, 84, of Monroe, died April 21 after a one-motor vehicle crash on Stonehouse Road in Trumbull.

The Trumbull Police Department traffic division is still investigating the incident, but there is no new information at this time said Trumbull police spokesman Lt. Brian Weir. He said it may take several weeks or even months before any significant information is learned.

Despite his age, DaSilva said her grandfather was energetic and engaged right up to the end of his life. She recalled him telling her grandmother a week or two ago that he was thinking of getting a job.

He always had energy, every single time my mom would speak to him, DaSilva said.

She recalled her grandfather as a boisterous, fun-loving man who would do anything for his grandchildren. But she said he had worked hard for everything he had.

Born in Torrice, Frosinone, Italy, Magliocco moved to Caracas, Venezula at age 18 with his brother. According to Maglioccos obituary, thats where the brothers learned the auto body repair trade before coming to the United States in 1971. Eventually, in 1978, they started their own shop, R & G Auto Body in Bridgeport.

DaSilva said her grandfather had the business until his retirement in 2001. She said his bravery and perseverance have been an inspiration for her.

He came over from Italy, didnt speak the language, (didnt know anyone) and still had the courage to start a business, DaSilva said, adding that, its partly because of Magliocco that she started her own eyelash and makeup business.

I knew that I could do it if he could, she said.

Despite his strength and work ethic, her grandfather was also a lot of fun, DaSilva said.

Me and my sister  he would let us do whatever we wanted to him, she said. We could put makeup on him or put braids in his hair.

Her grandfather had thick beautiful hair, she said, and, as a kid, she and her sister once put flower clips in it for fun. Her grandfather fell asleep with the clips in his hair, DaSilva said, and, when he woke up, he had forgotten they were there and went to the local Italian club still wearing them.

Because (his hair) was so thick, it was kind of hidden to him, DaSilva said. But anyone who stood behind him could see he had clips in his hair.

But her grandfather wasnt upset when figured out what had happened, she said.

He wasnt even angry, DaSilva said. He was laughing.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at noon Wednesday at St. Theresa Church, 5301 Main St., Trumbull. Entombment will follow in Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport. Relatives and friends may greet the family at a walk-through visitation on Wednesday morning from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in the Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Rd., Trumbull. At the familys request, masks are required and those attending are asked to adhere to social distance.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Candidates for the Republican nomination for Pennsylvanias open U.S. Senate seat charged into Monday night's live-televised prime-time debate with extra incentive to attack Mehmet Oz after the celebrity heart surgeon received former President Donald Trump's endorsement.

And attack they did, almost solidly throughout the one-hour debate at the studio of WHTM-TV with barely three weeks to go to the May 17 primary election.

Ex-hedge fund CEO David McCormick called Oz a flip-flopper to suggest that he is pretending to be a conservative.

Former Trump ambassador Carla Sands called him Turkey First  as a play on Trump's America First" governing philosophy  to highlight Oz's Turkish citizenship.

And conservative activist Kathy Barnette said Trump only endorsed Oz because Oz is well-known.

Trump earlier this month endorsed Oz  best known as daytime TVs host of The Dr. Oz Show"  and the Trump endorsement hovered over the debate. Oz raised it repeatedly, just hours after Trump announced that he will come to western Pennsylvania next week for a rally to promote Oz.

Oz gamely defended himself. People care about what he stands for, not where hes from, he said. Trump endorsed him because he is a true conservative, he said. And he keeps his Turkish citizenship to visit his ailing mother in Turkey, he said.

He also counterpunched, primarily against McCormick. He accused McCormick of lying about his record and repeating Trump's suggestion that McCormick is pro-China because of McCormick's former hedge funds portfolio that catered to Chinese investors investing in China.

Dishonest Dave is at it again," Oz said. He went groveling to President Trump with  again  these types of allegations. President Trump saw right through him, did not endorse him, and then he endorsed me.

McCormick repeatedly attacked Oz, turning practically every question to Ozs long public past as a TV show host and accusing him of having long-advocated liberal positions.

The reason Mehmet keeps talking about President Trumps endorsement is because he cant run on his own positions and his own records, and what's true is that he has flip-flopped on every major issue we're talking about in this campaign, McCormick said.

Then McCormick slipped in a reference to criticism that Oz promoted quack treatments and cures on his show.

And the problem doctor, is theres no miracle cure for flip-flopping, McCormick said.

The race is primarily an expensive duel between McCormick and Oz, who combined  with super PACs that support them  have reported spending more than $37 million out of the more than $50 million reported being spent on the GOP primary.

The five candidates on stage met the polling threshold set by the stations parent company as they vie for the nomination in a seven-person field to succeed retiring two-term Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in the presidential battleground state.

The campaign is one of this years premier Senate contests, with carpetbaggery a prominent and persistent issue following the recent arrival of three wealthy and well-connected candidates from other states  McCormick, Oz and Sands.

Real estate investor Jeff Bartos summed up the debate in his closing remarks as out-of-state candidates fighting with each other as he pressed his case as the only lifelong Pennsylvanian in the race.

Otherwise, the candidates all seemed to agree with party talking points, including on the question of banning abortion, banning transgender women from competing in women's sports, criticizing President Joe Biden's handling of the economy and the border and promoting Trump's baseless conspiracy that Democrats stole the 2020 presidential election.

They also took pains to demonstrate their devotion to Trump principles.

Sands maintained that her service on a Trump's economic council and as his ambassador to Denmark makes her the only proven America First candidate.

I actually did it, Sands said. "Everyone talks about it."

On a question about how to deal with supply chain issues, McCormick took umbrage over Bartos' suggestion that out-of-state candidates "cannot help save Main Street Pennsylvania if you cannot find Main Street Pennsylvania.

I'm not going to be out-Pennsylvania'd or out-America First by anybody on this stage," McCormick said.

Barnette  who has allied herself with pro-Trump conservatives  took a different tack: Trump's Make America Great slogan, or MAGA, doesn't belong to Trump, she said.

MAGA does not belong to President Trump, Barnette said. "MAGA, although he coined the word, MAGA actually belongs to the people. Our values never, never shifted to President Trumps values. It was President Trump who shifted and aligned with our values.

___

Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/timelywriter
Photo: Raymond Chiodini

There have always been plenty of ways to meet a violent end in the Big Apple. You can be thrown into a vat of wet cement by gangsters, step on an electrified manhole cover, get shot at 41 times by racist cops, or be sitting quietly at your desk on the 94th floor when a plane full of jihadis crashes through the window. But being the victim of a bullet-spraying, grievance-holding, internet-posting madman on the subway  it wasnt a New York thing. Until now.

Long-suffering subway riders can be slow to recognize the demon in their midst. Frank James was on the N for eight stops before revealing himself. He was talking to himself the whole time. I was like, Whoa, this guy is crazy, Fatim Gjeloshi, who was seated across from James, told CBS News. Then, just like that, Gjeloshi said, he was shooting, boom, boom.

The monster did not arrive unannounced. James had been posting on his apocalyptically monikered YouTube page, prophet oftruth88, that he was preparing to enter the danger zone, New York, the city of his birth. Mayor Eric Adams could put more cops in the subway, but it wouldnt matter, he said. Id still get off, James declared. They cant be everywhere. Yet when the big moment came, this would-be subway avenger allegedly managed to fire 33 bullets without killing a single soul. I dont understand the physics of it, a gun expert told the New York Times. I think it is either tremendous luck or a miracle.

Another possibility is that, when push came to shove, James didnt quite have it in him to become New Yorks first subway mass murderer. He seems to have aimed low, hitting legs and feet rather than torsos, which would have been fatal.

When it was over, James called the cops to come get him from an East Village McDonalds. Flabby under his blue T-shirt, like a heavyweight fighter gone to seed, James had a smirk on his outsize noggin as he was walked out of the precinct, like, Yeah, its me.

That was the moment James, a 62-year-old drifter, took his place in the gallery of New York villains. He could be the Subway Shooter, just as David Berkowitz was the Son of Sam and the .44 Caliber Killer. James joined his most obvious predecessor, Bernhard Goetz, the Subway Vigilante, who shot four young Black men he falsely claimed were trying to rob him on the 2 train in 1984. You dont look too bad. Heres another one, Goetz cold-bloodedly told Darrell Cabey, leaving the 18-year-old permanently paralyzed. Another name that came to mind was George Metesky, known as the Mad Bomber. From 1940 to 1956, Metesky planted a total of 33 bombs  that number again  throughout the city. Like James, the Mad Bomber injured many but never killed anyone, a mitigating fact that contributed to his canonization by hippies as a New York folk hero.

From left: 1984: The 2 train after Bernhard Goetz. Photo: Carmine Donofrio/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images 2022: The N train after the Sunset Park shooting. Photo: Raymond Chiodini From top: 1984: The 2 train after Bernhard Goetz. Photo: Carmine Donofrio/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images 2022: The N train after the Sunset Par... more From top: 1984: The 2 train after Bernhard Goetz. Photo: Carmine Donofrio/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images 2022: The N train after the Sunset Park shooting. Photo: Raymond Chiodini

New York is lousy with such heroes, people who do horrible things and pass into legend, their nicknames conjuring the populist giggle that wards off the real menace they represent. Who cares if Vincent the Chin Gigante was a vicious Genovese-family capo if he walked around Greenwich Village in his bathrobe pretending to be crazy?

Could Frank James become one more big-city legend? With the Feds running the show, charging him with terrorism, hell be lucky not to go to Guantanamo. Still, you never know about these things. The other night, I was on the A train pulling into the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station. Suddenly, people were screaming, cops were running. My fellow passengers looked around nervously. This couldnt really be happening again, could it? Then a guy in a skullcap screamed at the top of his lungs, Frank James! Phone home! Everyone laughed, the doors closed, and the train rolled toward Jay Street like always.
Although Artistic Outlet Media, or AOM Studios, is located in the middle of downtown Eugene, a casual passerby might never know it existed. An inconspicuous black door with no signage leads up a flight of stairs, above Buy2 and Krispy Krunchy Chicken, to the 6,000-square-foot media space. But the work produced at AOM, a production house and media company, reaches people around the world.

Located on the corner of Olive Street and East Broadway, AOM Studios provides clients with services like video shoots, photo shoots, set design, studio recording sessions and graphic design. Ife and Kelsey Adeniji, co-founders of the media company, spoke to me over the phone from Nigeria in the process of shooting a new music video project. Their journey began over a decade ago, where their passions for music, photography, content creation and visual arts led them to transform their creative ambitions into a career.

We handle everything to help clients get their projects from conceptualization to delivery, Ife said. Clients could come to us with any part of their projects in need and we could satisfy it.

Along with their hundreds of business clients and brands, they work with a myriad of up-and-coming and established musicians, creating music videos for over one thousand clients in the music world, including Snoop Dogg, Nappy Roots, Bun B and B.o.B, Ife said.

Kelsey said her journey into media production came from her introduction to photography in high school. Her grandparents, who were both professional globetrotting photographers, gifted her her first black and white camera, inspiring her to step in that direction.

Ife, who grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, was inspired by music from a young age. He was the only kid on his block with a satellite and access to MTV and would charge his friends to come to his house to watch Puff Daddy, Ma$e and Snoop Dogg videos. Eventually he moved to the United States, where he began to pursue music as a rapper in high school.

Kelsey and Ife met in high school, and later when Ife was beginning to get in touch with music labels, she began helping him shoot his own music videos, which eventually inspired them to take their production skills to another level.

That kind of spiraled into something like Wait, maybe we could make this into a business, Kelsey said. Ife took over the editing of the music videos, and I wanted to stick with my photography. We were kind of going through this whole thing of dabbling in media at the time when it was kind of just starting out. This was 2011.

At this point they were taking classes at Lane Community College, but they were beginning to build a clear vision for a promising business idea. With clients already knocking on their door, they knew they had something big.

[Our music videos] were good enough for my friends, my other rap friends, to start calling us and offering us $200 to shoot their videos, Ife said. After a while it became a thing where we were doing like five videos a month, the price went up to like $500 and people kept coming.

They quickly dropped out of LCC together, Ife set aside his music career, and theyve never looked back.

I was like Screw rapping, dude! Im gonna make videos and make real money, Ife said.

As a team, they took on their AOM project at full speed, traveling all around the country for various projects within a year of starting up, and eventually traveling all around the world. They take pride in their ability to reach so many people and make an impact on fellow artists dreams and trajectory, Ife said.

One thing about us is weve never settled for mediocre production, Ife said. Our whole name has always been giving industry and mainstream stuff to you from Eugene.

Kelsey said AOMs focus going forward is on the studio itself and community engagement. Within the past year, they opened up their studio to the community for fellow creatives to take advantage of their space.

My most rewarding thing is seeing the work that comes out of the studio, Kelsey said. When you get other people in there to go and create and see the work theyre producing out of your space, you see something thats better than what they would have done on their own  a higher level.

AOM Studios has come a long way over the past 11 years, and its owners said they want to light those creative sparks for others in Eugene.

No one is promised anything. The world owes you nothing, Ife said. So knowing everything that has transpired in the decade, the journey has been better than what I thought it would be.
Since 1978, local residents and community members have taken to the streets for Take Back the Night, an event aiming to raise awareness of sexual and domestic violence. The event is one of hundreds occurring in an international protest movement. Organized by the UO Womens Center, a local Take Back the Night will begin on April 28 with a rally featuring several keynote speakers from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed by a march through Eugene from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The event takes a three-pronged approach by supporting survivors, educating the community and preventing future harm, Fatima Roohi Pervaiz, director of the Womens Center, said. We will speak to a myriad of issues, including underrepresented, marginalized populations  Native American and Indigenous communities, Latinx communities, LGBTQIA+ communities, for instance  and how they all intersect with domestic violence.

This year, the event aims to specifically address the stigmatization and silence regarding instances of sexual and domestic violence. Kati Rodriguez Perez, the sexual violence and prevention coordinator for the Womens Center and co-organizer of the event, pushed for the theme in order to lift up marginalized voices.

Our aim is to address the culture of silence that a lot of feminized people  particularly people in marginalized communities or with marginalized identities  have to deal with, Perez said. In our patriarchal society, the experiences of sexual and domestic violence have generally been overlooked and undermined and dismissed, so people feel as if they have to stay silent.

In 2018, the National Crime Victimization Survey found that just 25% of sexual assaults were reported, in spite of more than one in three women reporting having experienced some form of sexual or intimate partner violence. For those in marginalized communities, that number was even higher.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the April 28 rally will mark the first in-person Take Back the Night event since 2019. In 2020, Pervaiz essentially organized the event from her laptop; in 2021, she moved her workspace into her home in order to plan it. She said she was looking forward to returning to an in-person experience that addressed the fallout of pandemic-related concerns.

Survivors might have been isolated, even sheltering in place with their abuser or perpetrator. Children were not in school, and so teachers, bus drivers, folks trained to look for signs of abuse didnt have the ability to discern potential harm or neglect at home, Pervaiz said. That virtual movement was incredibly powerful and essential for survivors, and seeing that global solidarity and support was unmatched. But we are eager to come back together.

Take Back the Night has also led to partnerships across a host of campus organizations and interest groups. The Womens Center has partnered with Alpha Chi Omega, who will be student hosts for the event; Duck Rides, who will offer accessible transportation; and Students for Choice, who will host a sign-making booth beginning at 5 p.m. at the EMU Amphitheater, according to Pervaiz. UO Muxeres, as in past years, will paint their faces in half-skulls, representing and honoring those who have not survived sexual and domestic violence.

Pervaiz said roughly 20 trained Womens Center student staff will be present and visible in the audience during the rally, offering a safe space for protesters who might feel emotional or vulnerable. The staff will also carry kits including tissues, resource cards for on- and off-campus partners and resources, a map of the march and rally and 1 ounce containers of Play-Doh for overstimulated or anxious attendees.

People often dont share these experiences, which they may have compartmentalized for years, Pervaiz said. It can get emotional and intense, especially because the stories shared are always so incredibly vulnerable, incredibly powerful.

Perez said she hopes attendees will understand the importance of speaking out and addressing the harms of sexual and domestic violence. They said understanding the interconnected nature of violence is critical to preventing it.

You might not have a shared identity with another person, but what happens to them does affect you in a different way, Perez said. I think attending events like this will really help people see the impacts this violence has on so many people.

Pervaiz noted that students of all backgrounds and awareness levels on social justice issues are welcome at the event, particularly those with underrepresented voices.

There is no stereotypical survivor, and there is no model survivor, Pervaiz said. People of all genders and identities can and do endure and perpetrate sexual and domestic violence. We need everyone working toward this issue, toward ending this violence and toward expanding the dialogue on this issue.
Turmoil in ASUO elections

Grievances accuse bribery and non-disclosure agreements in the Ducks Connected campaign slate that was ordered disbanded .

Alexis Barrett/Daily Emerald

A prominent slate in this years ASUO elections, Ducks Connected, found itself disbanded from the election entirely following multiple grievances with accusations of bribery and non-disclosure agreements. While the slate itself was disbanded, members of Ducks Connected were still allowed to run independently for the remaining duration of the election.

This years slates, or groups of students running for ASUO positions, included Ducks Connected, Ducks United, Progress UO and Build Back UO. Ducks Connected presidential candidate Claire OConnor faced accusations of bribery from another ASUO member and reported her own campaigns use of nondisclosure agreements, leading the Elections Board to disband the slate.

According to members currently within ASUO, these practices of alleged bribery are not new and have been present in past election cycles. New ASUO President Luda Isakharov and Vice President Kavi Shrestha say they are troubled by these patterns and want to change this culture within the universitys student government.

On campus, the ASUO senate serves as stewards of the Incidental Fee. The I-Fee, currently about 9 million dollars, is a student-paid fee which funds ASUO-recognized services and student organizations.

The initial grievance

The week before the election, Ian Finn, a member of ASUOs Contracts Finance Committee, filed the first grievance against then-ASUO senate president Claire OConnor, claiming she broke ASUO election rules with accusations of bribery.

Finn said OConnor, who was running for ASUO president with the Ducks Connected slate, contacted him in early February before the elections, asking him to join the Ducks Connected slate.

In the text message screenshots Finn submitted along with his grievance, OConnor said the Ducks Connected slate would give supporters preference to the point of guaranteeing positions.

Long story short, if there is someone willing to join our campaign this term and help us win, we will appoint them over anyone who does not want to be involved in our campaign, OConnor wrote in her text.

I was like, Oh wow. This is just offering me this position in exchange for a vote in exchange for working on a slate, Finn said. I think its really shady to assume that you can just promise people these positions, not even knowing if youre gonna win.

In O'Connor's response to Finn's grievance, she said the screenshotted conversation was an attempt to inform [Finn] that I would not be giving positions to anyone solely because we were friends, and I wanted to value the effort and commitment I was receiving from several others who had joined onto my team as volunteers.

My decision to add the words to the point of guaranteeing positions was driven only by the desire to contradict the notion that I might guarantee positions to those who are my friends, OConnor said.

The Emerald reached out multiple times to OConnor, her running mate Ginni Gallagher and campaign manager Kyle Geffon for an interview or statement. They did not respond.

Finn said part of OConnors offer was that he would not be able to work with any other active slate.

Had I done that, and had I hitched my wagon to her and she didnt win, then Ive fought against the active administration. How am I going to get an appointment? he said.

Finn said he was hesitant to file a grievance against OConnor due to the Elections Boards lenient punishments in the past. I didnt really see the Elections Board as capable of doing anything, and so I figured theres not much reason for me to talk about this, he said.

After Finn filed his grievance, the Elections Board hit the Ducks Connected slate with a one-day sanction from campaigning.

When I did file the grievance and I heard about the sanctions, it was exactly what I expected, Finn said. I was like Wow, really? What is the point?

However, Finn said he was glad more attention was eventually drawn to his grievance and that the Elections Board had viewed what happened as a serious violation.

I was just hoping that thered be some repercussions for them conducting their campaign the way that they did, he said. I am glad with how it turned out.

Divided on Ducks Connected

I pretty quickly learned that the way to get on ASUO is to know someone, Isakharov said. Isakharov ran alongside Kavi Shrestha in their campaign slate Progress UO. Together, Isakharov and Shrestha won in the election. Starting May 25, Isakharov will serve as ASUO president with Shrestha as her vice president.

Isakharov said the elections are inaccessible for students who dont already know people within ASUO. The applications for the executive positions arent circulated very widely, so, like, two people apply who were a friend of someone, she said.

The act of promising people different positions within ASUO is something Isakharov said has been going on for years.

She said once a current president is elected, they will often put up an ASUO position on Handshake for applicants. Even though the president interviews applicants, she said the president will already have chosen the student they promised the position to while campaigning.

A lot of people are really qualified and arent getting positions, Isakharov said.

The accessibility of ASUO is one of the primary reasons she and Shrestha ran, she said. We dont think that they do it maliciously, she said. I think this is just the practice of ASUO, and we ran because we were like we just need to change the culture.

Isakharov and Shrestha decided to run together during November of last year against OConnor and her running mate Gallagher.

After making that decision, Isakharov said OConnor met with them to discuss their campaign and asked why they were running against her and if they had any disagreements with her policies.

She said OConnor asked Shrestha to run with her for ASUO vice president and offered Isakharov a director position within the executive branch.

We basically were like, No. This is why were running. We dont like that youre offering us positions not to run, Shrestha said.

After learning Isakharov and Shrestha would be running in a different slate, OConnor told them she wouldnt be running in the election.

Shrestha said they thought it was weird that it seemed OConnor was trying to keep her campaign a secret. I just thought the whole strategy there was a little interesting and some of the methods that were used, he said.

In O'Connor's response to Finn's grievance, she said three of Finns close friends committed to and decommitted from her campaign, leading her to become wary of who supported her campaign.

As such, I spread the rumor that I would not be running for ASUO President and withdrew myself from public conversations about the election, OConnor said.

Contracts Finance Committee member Spencer Rosenau initially ran with Ducks Connected. When Finn filed his grievance, Rosenau decided to run independently. Rosenau said he didnt feel comfortable endorsing leadership candidates that were promising positions to others.

Even when the ruling came out about the alleged bribery, slate leadership was certain that the Elections Board wasnt going to rule against the slate, like they didnt feel like they had a case against them, Rosenau said.

NDAs and friendly fire

A day before Isakharov and Shrestha filed their grievance, O'Connor filed a grievance against herself. According to her grievance, members of the Ducks Connected slate were asked to sign NDAs citing ASUOs elections having a tendency for malicious behavior.

OConnor said the purpose of her grievance was to recognize the slates potential violation of election rules and to notify the board of that purpose.

In the grievance, OConnor said the agreement was meant to protect the ideas and originality of my campaign and my fellow slate members. She said the NDAs were drafted prior to the release of this years election rules.

This was not meant to be a form of intimidation or harassment, but rather an effort to maintain the integrity of our campaign, and we made a good faith effort to ensure that all who signed the NDAs were comfortable and in agreement with the term, OConnor said.

Isakharov said she had heard members of Ducks Connected were asked to sign NDAs early on. She said several friends came to her saying they felt uncomfortable with signing an NDA.

As a part of Ducks Connected, Rosenau did sign the NDA. At the time, I didnt really think a lot about it, but it was just an expectation in the slate, Rosenau said.

We were made to understand it was just to not expose basically campaign strategies or personal information, he said. So I didnt have any real reason to be alarmed.

The NDA signed by members of the Duck Connected slate included four sections going over what was classified as confidential information, a covenant not to disclose, obligations of Ducks Connected and an injunctive relief.

According to the injunctive relief section, any breach of this agreement immediately disqualifies the recipient from participating in the ASUO 2022 Election in any form, which includes, but is not limited to, working with another slate in any form or running for ASUO office as an independent.

The Elections Boards sanctions against Ducks Connected prompted Isakharov and Shrestha to file their own grievances.

After Ians grievance was filed, then more and more stories and things started coming out, Shrestha said.

In the Boards response they said it was only one case and we were like, Well she has 17 volunteers, seven managers and then she has 23 or 24 secretary positions published on her website, Isakharov said.

She said one of OConnors volunteers even put an ASUO position they were not currently in on their personal Instagram page. Isakharov and Shrestha included this in their grievance form to the Elections Board.

In a ruling on their grievance, the Board stated candidates could no longer campaign online or in-person with the Ducks Connected slate. Those previously affiliated with Ducks Connected could still campaign individually.

OConnors campaign managers spoke on her behalf in their response brief to Isakharov and Shresthas grievance.

It is a fact that Claire asked Kavi to be her Vice President, they stated in the brief. However, this was not done for the purpose of discouraging him from running against her but rather because she believed that they could achieve great things together.

The response brief also claims that OConnor never promised Isakharov an executive position.

According to Isakharov and Shrestha, OConnor, Gallagher and Geffon resigned from their current seats on the ASUO senate following the grievances against the Ducks Connected campaign.

OConnor announced her resignation in an email to the current ASUO senate. Irisa Mehta, who was the senate vice president, will be the current senate president for the remainder of the term.

Editors note: This story was updated on April 25 to reflect that Ian Finn and Spencer Rosenau are members of ASUOs Contracts Finance Committee, rather than the Program Finance Committee.
Apparently, Priti Patel has taken a leaf out of Adolf Eichmann's book. Or that is what some civil servants working for her seem to be saying.

The Home Secretary's plan to redirect to Rwanda those travelling here from France in dodgy vessels organised by criminal people-smuggling gangs has evoked comments on an internal civil service noticeboard such as: 'The words 'I was only obeying orders' are echoing down through history to me and making me queasy.'

This, of course, was a reference to the stock defence of Nazis charged at the Nuremberg War Crimes trials for their part in the attempt to rid Europe of its Jewish population (which ultimately led to the murder of six million men, women and children).

But it is not just anonymous and, for all we know, very junior civil servants who are making such comparisons.

Home Secretary Priti Patel in Parliament as she gives a statement concerning the deal to send to Rwanda migrants and asylum seekers who cross the Channel

One of our most distinguished historians of Nazi Germany, Sir Richard Evans, has also done so.

Via Twitter, Sir Richard declared that 'the UK Government scheme to deport asylum seekers to a tropical part of Africa irresistibly reminds [me] of the failed Nazi scheme to deport Jews to Madagascar'.

Confiscation

The Nazi government's so-called Madagascar Plan had been the proposal of the SS officer in charge of 'Jewish affairs', Adolf Eichmann, who, having evaded justice at Nuremberg was ultimately captured in Argentina by the Israelis and hanged after a trial in Jerusalem.

First revealed in 1940, before the Nazis embarked on 'the Final Solution', the Madagascar Plan involved shipping out the Jews of Europe to that island off the East coast of Africa.

But, as Sir Richard well knows, this would have involved Madagascar  then a colony of France  coming under Nazi control, to be run by the SS.

And as a modern German historian of the period, Peter Longerich, has written, the idea was partly that the Jews sent there would not survive such conditions.

What's more, the plan was to be financed by the confiscation of property and other assets owned by the Jews.

Finally, although this too is not a difference which appears to concern Sir Richard, the Madagascar plan involved the expulsion of Jewish families who had been in Europe for centuries.

It may be relevant that Evans is very much on the other side of the political spectrum from the Conservatives (and no reason why he shouldn't be).

Thus, after the Chief Rabbi in November 2019 declared that the anti-Semitism then festering within Jeremy Corbyn's Labour meant that 'the overwhelming majority of British Jews are gripped by anxiety' at the prospect of a Labour victory at the forthcoming general election, Sir Richard tweeted that he would still cast his own vote for Labour, even though he accepted it was 'infected with the cancer of anti-Semitism'.

Nazi Germany historian, Sir Richard Evans, pictured, said on Twitter, that 'the UK Government scheme to deport asylum seekers to a tropical part of Africa irresistibly reminds [me] of the failed Nazi scheme to deport Jews to Madagascar'

He said that he would do so 'with a heavy heart', and hoped that if Labour lost, Corbyn would be replaced by someone who would deal with this, and, he added, be 'a Remainer'.

It was in the context of his contempt for Brexit (again, a view which he is perfectly entitled to propagate) that Sir Richard wrote an article a few years ago, entitled How The Brexiteers Broke History, condemning the way in which some Conservatives, including Boris Johnson, drew comparisons between the EU 'and Hitler's 3rd Reich'.

Perhaps, then, Sir Richard should not use similar tactics when criticising Mr Johnson's policies.

Especially so, as it is the EU, and not the UK, which has incurred the greatest wrath of human rights organisations for its own policies towards those being smuggled across the seas into its territory.

The EU has for years been funding and assisting the interception of boats carrying would-be migrants from Libya, and returning them to detention centres in that country.

A formal deal to this effect between the EU and Libya was struck in 2017, and since then more than 82,000 refugees have been intercepted at sea and turned around in this way.

Horrors

In January this year, marking the fifth anniversary of this agreement, Amnesty International issued the following statement: 'EU leaders' co-operation with Libyan authorities is keeping desperate people trapped in unimaginable horrors within Libya. Over the past five years, the EU has helped capture tens of thousands of women, men and children at sea, many of whom ended up in horrific detention centres rife with torture, while countless others were forcibly disappeared.'

Amnesty pointed out that this scheme was 'overwhelmingly funded by the EU', even though it was illegal under maritime and human rights law 'to return anyone to a place where they face serious abuse'.

Antonio Guterres, the SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations, no less, also marked the 5th anniversary of this policy by declaring his 'grave concern' at the human rights violations involved, and observed that 'Libya is not a safe port of disembarkation for refugees and migrants'.

He called, once again, for the EU to 're-examine policies that support interception at sea and return of refugees and migrants to Libya'.

What of Rwanda, the country to which the British Government has said it will relocate many of those (overwhelmingly male adults) who have come across the Channel in dinghies?

By contrast, the United Nations has nothing but positive things to say about the role of that particular African country.

Last year, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, praised the government of Rwanda, specifically for the way it had provided a safe haven for refugees from Libya: 'Thanks to Rwanda, we can evacuate refugees from Libya and seek solutions for them. Many of them have suffered terrible abuse  in Libyan detention centres.'

Sir Richard also wrote an article a few years ago, entitled How The Brexiteers Broke History, condemning the way in which some Conservatives, including Boris Johnson, pictured on Friday heading to India, drew comparisons between the EU 'and Hitler's 3rd Reich'

That is: the very detention centres to which the EU have been involved in returning tens of thousands of refugees.

This didn't stop the MEP and former prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, attacking the UK Government last week for its plan, as he put it, to 'send desperate refugees to Rwanda'.

He added: 'Britain is a warning to European countries of where populist Governments lead to.'

While there are legitimate concerns about the way in which the Rwandan president, Paul Kagame, has dealt with his internal political opponents, the fact remains that the UN Refugee Agency has recommended his country as 'a safe haven for refugees fleeing conflict and persecution'.

I wonder if the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who a week ago in his Easter Sermon denounced the Government's Rwanda scheme as 'ungodly', is aware of this.

Obviously, ending up in Rwanda is very much against the wishes of those who pay thousands of euros to people smugglers to get them into the UK.

Radical

But given that the former head of the UK Border Force, Tony Smith, last week told the Mail that there would be a quadrupling of the numbers of migrants, to 'over 100,000', arriving by boats alone this year unless radical action was taken, it is clear why the Government hopes the deterrent effect of the Rwanda scheme will wreck the increasingly lucrative business model of the people smugglers.

The early signs are that it might have that effect, at least to judge from the Mail's report from Calais last week.

One 34-year-old, Hamid Karimi, may have been speaking for many when he said: 'I'm not going to the UK if afterwards I'm sent to Rwanda. I'm staying here.'

Another 34-year-old, Mohammed Noor, said: 'We came from Africa  we don't want to go back.'

A similar report was published in the Guardian, which quoted someone who had arrived in Kent in a dinghy from France: 'Africa is Africa  there is no freedom there. Here in Europe, you are free.'

Although the Guardian's reporter did not make this point, those remarks by her interviewee underscore the argument made in this column last week: that the people coming here in those flimsy vessels had already found safety in France, a country which is no less civilised than our own.

And, unlike us, it is in the European Union, which Sir Richard Evans regards as a civilising force in itself. But when it comes to the treatment of migrants on the high seas, we have no cause to take moral lessons from that direction.
The scale of the global microchip shortage was brought home to me when I flew to Detroit in March.

My journey from the international airport to the hospital caring for my mum took me past the Ford Motor Company headquarters in Dearborn.

At the time Michigan was still in the grip of Covid restrictions and 30,000 Ford office staff were working from home.

The HQ buildings were eerily quiet, nobody coming or going. But, strangely, the car parks visible from the freeway were jam-packed.

Row after regimented row of gleaming SUVs and sedans were lined up as far as the eye could see.

My nephew, who works for a car dealership in suburban Detroit, explained that they were all brand new but couldn't be sold because they were lacking vital electrical components.

Most of them wouldn't even start and had to be transported to the HQ parking lots on trucks when available space at factories ran out.

Microchips, which control a multitude of on-board systems from anti-lock braking to sat-nav, had been in short supply since the start of the pandemic.

A computer chip shortage has made it harder for consumers to get their hands on cars, computers and other modern-day necessities

Now they had dried up altogether. General Motors and Chrysler were experiencing similar problems. That rang a bell.

On the plane over I'd read a report about Jaguar and other UK motor manufacturers being crippled by a semiconductor drought. That would explain why, when I went to trade in my 11-year old Mini Cooper last month, I couldn't get a new car for love nor money.

For instance, the waiting list for a new Mini is now between six and nine months. Some other models are taking up to year.

Consequently, used car prices have gone through the sunroof. Arthur Daley is having a field day, especially as there's no global shortage of Bri-Nylon shirts to stuff into a dodgy gearbox.

It's not just cars, either. Everything from kitchen appliances and smart TVs to mobile phones and laptops are affected. We're talking the full Arnold Wesker here.

In our interconnected world, it's chips with everything. But it is the motor industry which is resorting to the most drastic solution.

Manufacturers are lumbered with unsold luxury vehicles retailing at 100,000 for want of a simple chip which cost just 1 a pop pre-Covid.

So in desperation they are buying up washing machines and cannibalising them for parts.

Modern washing machines contain several semiconductors, which regulate spin cycles, load sensors and other functions.

These chips can be adapted to work in cars, too. Stuart Miles, of the tech website Pocket-Lint, told the Mail on Sunday that car-makers have probably had a 'Eureka' moment.

'We are going to buy washing machines and we can take the sensors out of them. What are we going to do with the leftovers? Let's worry about that tomorrow.'

We can only hope they don't have to resort to fly-tipping them after being turned away by council dumps still wedded to obstructive Covid jobsworthery.

Our country lanes are already littered with everything from abandoned TVs to builders' rubble, without mountains of eviscerated washing machines adding to the debris. And where the car industry leads, the criminal fraternity won't be far behind.

There's gold in them thar Indesits. In the Mail yesterday, Tom Rawstorne reported on the alarming epidemic of thefts from motor vehicles.

Thieves aren't bothering to steal the cars any more, they're hijacking airbags and catalytic converters, which contain valuable metals they can sell on the black market.

Washing machines have computer parts that could become target for thieves

Years ago, burglars would break in to houses to steal video recorders and jewellery. It can only be a matter of time before they target washing machines, fridges and other appliances containing scarce semiconductors.

We gotta half-inch microwave ovens...

Soon no kitchen or laundry room in the land will be safe.

You'll come downstairs in the morning to find your tumble dryer disemboweled and your expensive all-singing, all-dancing, computer-controlled coffee machine castrated. If you're not careful, they'll even nick the chip off your shoulder.

Where will it all end? Will washing machine manufacturers retaliate by buying up new cars and stripping them of semiconductors? Who could have imagined two years ago that as a result of Covid, your washing machine would become criminal currency because car companies are desperate for computer chips?

Best invest in a second-hand twin tub and a mangle while stocks last. When Detroit was the engine room of the U.S. economy, they used to say that what was good for General Motors was good for America.

And when America sneezed, the world caught a cold. Today, when someone sneezes anywhere, the whole world is turned upside down.

It's time to drain the swamp...

Jacob Rees-Mogg is already facing an uphill task to get civil servants back to their desks without Conservative colleagues playing silly beggars.

What possessed Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries to call his return-towork drive 'Dickensian'?

The Moggster isn't sending children with rickets up chimneys.

He's merely asking feather-bedded public employees to do the job they are paid for, at the place where they are contracted to do it.

Resistance from the unions is only to be expected  but not from fellow Conservatives.

White-collar civil servants have never had it so good, sitting at home munching Hobnobs for the past two years while still getting their full London weighting allowance.

Whoever said that lockdown consisted of middle-class people hiding while working-class people brought them things was bang on.

I was reminded of this last week when we had a drainage emergency, to put it as tastefully as possible.

After couldn't-care-less Thames Water took a cursory glance and washed their hands of responsibility, I called our domestic insurers HomeServe, who sent engineer Steve Atkinson.

He spent hours up to his neck in it, tracing the root cause and eventually clearing the blockage, which was under a neighbouring property.

Despite modern technology, poking around in blocked drains is about as 'Dickensian' as it gets.

While entitled civil servants have been lounging around at home, dedicated manual workers including delivery drivers, telecoms technicians, supermarket staff, dustmen, drainage engineers, etc, were on the front line every day.

What if they'd decided to cower at home with their feet up for the duration?

Without people like Steve, not just me last week but all of us would have been up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

Workshy civil servants should remember that and get back to their desks sharpish, or be given their P45s.

If they don't like their cushy life in the Whitehall swamp, they could always get a new job clearing drains.

Despite enjoying a substantial lead in the polls, Labour is trying to talk down expectations before the local elections.

One Labour insider moaned it would be difficult to win Tory boroughs such as Wandsworth and Westminster, where council tax was 'artificially low to keep the voters onside'.

Eh? Surely keeping taxes low is one of the main reasons people vote Conservative, something Dishi Rishi would do well to remember.

Unlike Labour, which still believes in keeping taxes artificially high.

Most of the disingenuous bile poured on Priti Flamingo's Rwandan migrant deal has come from die-hard Remainers.

But consider this. The immigration crisis was foisted upon us by our so-called European 'partners' when we were still in the EU.

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel arbitrarily threw open Europe's borders to millions of people from Africa and the Middle East, no questions asked.

Border Force officers escort 80 migrants to Dover on April 19 after they were picked up in the English Channel

Once they had landed in Europe  mostly young, single male economic migrants  open borders meant they were free to head for Britain. Italy and France in particular reneged on their international treaty obligations, which state asylum applications must be made in the first safe country.

Italy handed out free rail warrants to help them on their way and France continued to wave them off across the Channel, despite us giving Macron's government millions to stem the human traffic.

The French navy even escorts them into British territorial waters. So spare us the Remainer hand wringing.

Without the cynical complicity of our former EU partners, we wouldn't have to send anyone to Rwanda.

Mask Watch update. With the wind howling up the Thames Estuary, Mail reader Chris Gundy spotted a woman wearing a mask at the end of Southend pier, the world's longest at 1.33 miles.

She was in far more danger of being blown out to sea than catching Covid.
Meeting in a car park to exchange a tub of expensive face cream for a bottle of oestrogen gel might sound like the far-fetched plot of a comedy detective show.

But this is what a good friend of mine was forced to resort to last week.

Unable to get hold of her normal prescription for HRT, she was desperate  and I mean desperate, because when menopause symptoms return, they hit you like a tonne of bricks  and ended up putting out a call for help on Facebook. It turned out that a friend of a friend had some spare and kindly offered to do an exchange.

Really, all the situation needed to have been scripted by Agatha Christie was a code word and a carnation tucked in a button-hole.

For too long, HRT has been viewed as either thoroughly toxic or an indulgent lifestyle drug given to women with little else to do at a difficult time of life.

The continuing shortages, and the fact that women arent being correctly informed about it, are symbolic of the harsh reality that womens health concerns are still not taken seriously by the medical establishment or politicians.

This has been the case for centuries, but Id like to think that finally things have at least a chance to change, as women put their collective foot down.

We are refusing to shut up and scurry back to our many and varied duties, and have instead launched our own lobbying group, led by MP Carolyn Harris.

For too long, HRT has been viewed as either thoroughly toxic or an indulgent lifestyle drug given to women with little else to do at a difficult time of life (stock image)

Menopause Mandate (menopause mandate.com) is a coalition of menopause campaigners, medical experts, everyday women and celebrities, including Davina McCall, Penny Lancaster, Gabby Logan and Lisa Snowdon, all coming together to fight for a common cause: proper menopause provision for millions of peri- and post-menopausal women in the UK.

We care passionately about the subject, and are furious that womens health needs are still being sidelined.

This isnt just about HRT  its also about the many ways in which menopause care is under-recognised and underfunded in this country. Menopause provision is not a feminist issue or a niche topic. Its a human right. But HRT is the most urgent focus right now.

Of course, naysayers will claim weve brought the current problems on ourselves.

The ongoing HRT shortages are caused to a large extent, Im afraid, by the success of menopause campaigners, who have succeeded where the medical profession has too often failed in explaining to women that HRT is a viable and sensible choice for many.

But thats certainly no excuse for the continuation of the dangerous shortages which have been blamed on increased demand and manufacturing and supply problems.

HRT is a simple enough premise. As ovaries stop producing eggs, the levels of hormones they make, such as oestrogen and progesterone, decrease, and HRT replaces these.

Most of us are likely to have at least one symptom of menopause, such as anxiety, insomnia or depression  often starting in our early to mid-40s with the perimenopause.

(Left to right) Mariella Frostrup, MP Carolyn Harris, Penny Lancaster and Davina McCall with protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in London demonstrating against ongoing prescription charges for HRT (Hormone replacement therapy).

Other symptoms include hot flushes; night sweats; migraines; palpitations; dry mouth, eyes, skin and vagina; brain fog and aching joints. They can last for years.

Recent statistics are clear. Menopause symptoms can affect quality of life to the extent that some women leave their jobs and their relationships fail.

Some even take their own lives  and, as highlighted in the Daily Mail yesterday, experts fear that these HRT shortages could lead to more menopausal women doing so as their symptoms return. Women have reported extreme anxiety and depression at the thought of returning to the black hole they experienced before being given treatment.

This is not to say all women suffer horrendously for years. Some sail through. But those who do not need support.

The newest types of HRT are known as body identical. They have the same molecular structure as our own hormones, so theyre considered to have the fewest risks and side-effects  and its these which are currently in short supply, causing widespread panic.

If I forget my oestrogen for just one day, my insomnia and the late-night panic immediately returns.

Thats why women are terrified of going without HRT. The ensuing return of symptoms might mean they wont be able to sleep or function properly at work. And, for the one in 100 who suffer from premature menopause (before the age of 40), HRT is a medical necessity, and must be taken until they reach 51, the average age of menopause.

Experts now concur that for most, the benefits of HRT outweigh the risks. Body-identical oestrogen and progesterone, with oestrogen given via the skin, is known to be the safest option, says menopause specialist Dr Juliet Balfour.

Gabby Logan has also joined the fight for proper menopause provision for millions of peri- and post-menopausal women in the UK

Breast cancer risk is slightly raised with the types containing older synthetic progestogens [forms of progesterone], and theres a small risk of blood clots if you take HRT orally.

Many women with other medical conditions have been told they cant have HRT due to old research which has since been re-evaluated. With the right formulation and a suitable dose, most women can now have HRT if they want it.

Heart benefits are greater when it is started within ten years of the last period or under the age of 60, but older women can still start HRT, and there is no time limit on how long it can be taken for. There are benefits to bone health no matter what age it is started.

Its clear, then, that we absolutely ought not to be in this position. Ive seen the graphs showing demand for HRT  climbing steeply upwards  over the past five years. In that time, prescriptions have more than doubled, from 238,000 issued in January 2017 to 538,000 issued in December 2021.

And, according to the website openprescribing.net, which is a summary of NHS GP prescribing data, there was a nationwide increase in demand for that precious Oestrogel between August and December last year. It went from 28,407 units (units is the number of prescriptions, which can last from one to six months) to 34,126  a difference of 5,719. This could mean a potential shortage of around 35,000 bottles.

As many have pointed out on social media, this wouldnt happen to statins or Viagra.

Indeed, to investigate this very point, I did the maths. In the month of August 2021 there were 4,307,272 prescriptions for the popular statin Atorvastatin, and in January 2022 there were 4,500,247. Thats a difference of nearly 200,000. No reports of crippling, widespread shortages, though.

Mariella Frostrup says the shortage of menopause drugs is another healthcare failing that treats women like second-class citizens

Dont forget that, once we lose our oestrogen, our risk of coronary heart disease increases to the same level as mens.

I wouldnt dream of blaming individual health professionals for this. They have plenty to be dealing with. But, as a whole, the medical establishment has historically failed women by focusing entirely on men and their bodies.

When researching my book Cracking The Menopause, it was easy to see how the menopause became toxic and sometimes hilarious. Centuries of repulsed male medics made sure of that.

Opinions range from the 13th-century scientist Albertus Magnus viewing older women as being so poisonous we could kill children with our eyes, to the 19th-century doctor Edward Tilt suggesting we should be chloroformed to unconsciousness when suffering the paroxysms of perimenopause.

This has transmogrified into the present-day gender bias in medicine, with a lack of research into womens health and a postcode lottery when it comes to womens services, not to mention an appalling shortage of resources.

Frankly, its a miracle HRT was ever developed  but then male doctors did have to live with women enduring hormonal rollercoasters. Anything to stop the mood swings, I suspect.

And, of course, HRT helped to improve our libido, ensuring wed still be up for sex. Indeed, in the 1940s, one HRT treatment  Premarin  was marketed in the U.S. as something women needed to take to stay young and pretty, and therefore hold onto their husbands. Its still available today.

By the 1990s, HRT was seen as an acceptable solution to symptoms, but then disaster struck in 2002, when a report by the Womens Health Initiative (WHI) in the U.S. stated that researchers had ended the combined HRT part of their study early as those taking it were at higher risk of breast cancer, heart disease, stroke and blood clots (via a scaremongering headline).

Millions of women globally stopped taking HRT. Although the study was flawed  not to mention that the results werent even statistically significant  the damage was done and menopausal women were left floundering, or at the mercy of the bogus cures available online or via irresponsible providers.

Women died  make no bones about it  from not taking HRT. A 2013 study from Yale University estimated that, in a ten-year stretch from 2002 onwards, nearly 50,000 women may have died prematurely from not taking it.

I like to think I was an early pioneer on the menopause campaign trail. In 2015, NICE guidelines on menopause were written, and HRT was recognised as a first-line treatment.

I wrote about the subject quite deliriously at the time, having just gone through two years of insomnia and anxiety with a terrible side order of brain fog.

A prescription of HRT restored me to my former self within weeks and I was evangelical about its benefits. Then, in 2018, I made a documentary about the subject, which was by now starting to gather moss.

Four years on, however, the lack of interest in prioritising womens health means were still stuck in the dark ages. Medical professionals still arent educated enough about the menopause.

Most of us are likely to have at least one symptom of menopause, such as anxiety, insomnia or depression  often starting in our early to mid-40s with the perimenopause (stock image)

Last year, Menopause Support revealed 41 per cent of UK medical schools dont have mandatory menopause education on their curriculum.

This means women are still far too often dismissed, or find their GPs tell them that they dont believe in HRT. Many then suffer for years, or turn to an overbooked private sector, forced to spend hundreds of pounds to get the answers and the treatment they are entitled to.

How ironic that we are now keen to take HRT, but cant get our hands on it.

On Sunday, after an outcry from brilliant campaigners such as Carolyn Harris, the Health Secretary Sajid Javid finally announced an HRT tsar would be appointed to tackle shortages.

If she or he is anything like as successful as Kate Bingham, the much-lauded chair of the Governments Vaccine Taskforce, then perhaps there really is light at the end of the tunnel.

But while its fantastic that shouting loudly works, we shouldnt have to raise awareness for something that affects 51 per cent of the population. While I am so pleased that HRT has been reborn, its clear that our fight is by no means over. In fact, its only just beginning.

Cracking The Menopause, by Mariella Frostrup and Alice Smellie, is launching in paperback on May 12 (Bluebird, 9.99).

For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116 123.
A man has been blasted after donating sperm to a female friend, who is now pregnant with twins, without ever telling his wife.

Revealing the situation in a Reddit post, on the 'Am I The A******' forum, the pregnant friend, 30, who is British, explained that she's asexual and decided to have IVF to conceive.

But her male friend, 31, stepped in to be her donor, and everything had become fraught after she thanked the couple for 'doing this for [her]'.

However, the wife was horrified, admitting that she didn't even know her husband had donated his sperm, and was furious with both of them for not running it by her.

The mother-to-be explained that they'd gone through a licenced clinic for the donation, and that in accordance with the law, the father will not be obliged to pay maintenace for his unborn chldren in the future.

She said it 'never occurred to her' that he'd offer to be her donor without running it by his wife first. Te majority of commenters agreed that it wasn't her fault, although some said she'd been 'naive' and branded the whole situation 'weird'.

A woman who's pregnant with twins after a male friend volunteered to be her sperm donor has been left shocked to discover he didn't tell his wife about the arrangement (stock image)

The lengthy post outlined the situation, revealing how a man had given the poster sperm, without, it transpired, ever telling his wife

Explaining the situation the pregnant woman siad she's 33 weeks with twin girls conceived through IVF.

'I have always wanted children but never really considered them on the cards for me due to my sexuality, but now I am in a position where I felt stable enough to bring a child into the world on my own so I decided to go through IVF,' she explained.

When her best friend, 31, who she's known since high school found out about her plan, he offered to be her donor 'so it wouldn't be anonymous' and she could 'vet medical history'.

'I agreed but made it very clear he wouldn't be a parental role in the child's life, at most he'd be an honorary "Uncle" due to our friendship. He was happy to agree to this and it never once occurred to me that he would offer this without running this by his wife first.'

She explained that she used a Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) approved clinic, and part of the process was to sign paperwork that means he has 'no legal right or obligation towards the babies', adding that this was the arrangement they both wanted.

'The IVF was a success as my pregnant state proves, a little too successful perhaps as it's twins,' she said. 'I recently took my friend and his wife out to dinner to thank them for doing this for me and celebrate being in the third trimester. But his wife was confused when I explained the reason for the dinner and then angry demanding to know why we kept this from her.

WHAT ARE THE UK'S SPERM DONATION RULES? Sperm donation is commonplace in the UK and used to help people start families when they can't have children of their own naturally  if, for example, a male partner is infertile, if both parents are women, or if the mother is single. Clinics in the UK are not allowed to pay men to donate sperm, except up to 35 to cover expenses such as travel. More may be offered if accommodation is necessary. A law change in 2005 means men can no longer donate anonymously and must agree for any children born from their sperm to be able to find out who they are after they turn 18. However, a donor father will never be required to parent the child or pay child support. Sperm donors are usually aged between 18 and 41, although older donors may be allowed in some cases. A donor will visit a fertility clinic once a week for between three and six months to make a complete donation  at each visit the donor will ejaculate into a cup and their sperm be frozen. Donated sperm cannot be used to create any more than 10 families per donor, and the donor is allowed to withdraw his consent at any time until the sperm has been used. Source: Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority Advertisement

'I was just as shocked and asked my friend if he hadn't told his wife. He tried to explain to both of us he hadn't thought it'd matter as he has no rights to them at all.'

She added that his wife became even angrier over this, saying she's not comfotable with their six-year-old son 'having siblings that aren't really his siblings'.

'She wants that part changed so that her husband has a legal say over the girls,' the woman added.

She concluded: 'The three of us got into a huge argument and his wife demanded to know why I wouldn't tell her that her husband had offered this in the first place...

'I feel very guilty for not checking with his wife first but it honestly never occurred to me that he wouldn't have done that first so I thought if he was offering she had to have already given the ok. Am I the a****** in this? I don't know what to do...'

Most of the respondents said that the poster was not the a******, and firmly placed the blame at the husband's feet

The majority of respondents blamed the husband, for not telling his wife that he was donating sperm to the friend.

One wrote: 'The fact that he has a son with his wife makes it even more confusing to me why he wouldnt have run this by her, or at least let her know he planned to do it. You did the right thing by thanking them as a unit, since married couples should be operating as a unit.'

Another agreed, writing: 'It's not like it's a small thing. Sperm donation specially when you're married and have a kid, is a big thing and he didn't discuss it with his wife? Huge a****** here.'

And a further Redditor said: 'It's certainly weird. Your friend is very thoughtless to his wife, but it was his responsibility to tell her. On the other hand, I get the wife's concerns about her son and the kids involved especially if you're going to be around in any capacity, and you're still friends with the guy I presume. Was the plan not to tell the son either? Yeah, it's not on you but she has the right to feel how she feels.'

A minority of people on Reddit felt that the wife was the one who was being unreasonable, in the way she responded to the news

Some even felt the wife was acting in a way that was unreasonable, with one respondent writing: 'The fact that shes taking ownership over his offspring is so weird to me. I wont have my son have siblings that arent really his ?!?!? While her anger is justified that part is a real doozy.'

Another felt even more strongly, saying: 'ESH [everyone sucks here] including the wife. She is in a place of shock, but had no right demand legal rights of the kids.

'And it was his sperm, from his body, and that was his choice to make. He didn't sleep with the friend; the wife isn't owed an opinion. It doesn't really concern her. Bodily autonomy swings both ways.'

A further added: 'I don't want to judge your friends wife too harshly because I think she reacted from complete shock but demanding parental rights is completely wrong in this situation.'

A significant number of respondents felt that the poster should take some responsibility for the situation - and were surprised she didn't mention the pregnancy earlier

However, the majority did seem to feel as though the poster has at least some responsibility for the situation, with one writing: 'I felt utterly horrible for the wife. The husband was 100% out of line! And, I can't imagine the confusion and betrayal she must have felt in that moment.

'Even though this is mostly on the husband since that is his wife, I feel that OP [original poster] still should have at minimum had a conversation with the wife to ensure this was something she was comfortable with prior to the IVF procedure.'

Another agreed, writing: 'It was his responsibility more than yours to tell her about it. Although, I do find it odd that you got this far in the process without mentioning it to her at all.'

And a third said: 'Honestly, having a baby (as a donor or not) with a married friend who has a kid and not having serious deep conversations about it with them as a couple is just... Well.. Naive seems too kind, shall we say. I mean jeez, there are clearly issues that could arise here very easily. I just don't get people sometimes.'
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The key to the Kardashians' business success may well be their global fame - but it turns out the celebrity family has found another way to boost their entrepreneurial endeavors in the form of a British-born college dropout-turned-CEO and brand whisperer who has helped to launch three of the reality stars' pet projects, including Khloe's denim brand and Kim's shapewear company.

Meet Londoner Emma Grede, a 40-year-old mother-of-four who has become right-hand woman to Khloe, Kim, and Kris - helping to launch all three of their businesses over the past six years, while landing herself top positions within the trio of companies.

Since 2016, Emma has been quietly working alongside the A-list family, first helping to found Khloe's jeans company Good American as its CEO, then launching Kim's shapewear line SKIMS as a founding partner, before becoming the chief product officer of Kris' new cleaning product company Safely in 2021.

But how did the 40-year-old go from a college dropout to having a her hand in some of the most successful brands in the world?

Emma grew up in London and was raised by a single mom who struggled to make ends meet - but she said seeing how hard her mother worked helped turn her into the strong business woman that she is today.

British-born Emma Grede, 40, is the co-founder and CEO of Khloe Kardashian's jeans company Good American, the founding partner of Kim Kardashian's shapewear line SKIMS, and the chief product officer of Kris Jenner's homeware brand Safely

But how did the 40-year-old go from a college dropout to having a her hand in some of the most successful brands in the world?

She left school midway to pursue her career, and by the time she was 26, she had started her own talent agency. Emma now has a reported net worth of $5 million and has used her expertise to launch many triumphant companies

From how she first landed on the Kardashian family's radar to the way she balances multiple brands while raising her four kids, FEMAIL has uncovered everything you need to know about the business woman

She said that from a young age, she turned to fashion magazines to 'escape' her 'bleak and grim' life, and she knew from early on that she would do whatever it took to land a job in the industry.

Emma left school midway to pursue her career, and by the time she was 26, she had started her own talent agency. It was through that agency that she was able to meet the Kardashian matriarch Kris, 66.

When she came up with the idea to create an inclusive jeans brand, she pitched it to the momager - who thought it would be a perfect fit for her daughter Khloe, 37.

Emma now has a reported net worth of $5 million and has used her expertise to launch many triumphant companies.

From her impressive career and how she first landed on the Kardashian family's radar to her personal life and the way she balances multiple brands while raising her four kids, FEMAIL has uncovered everything you need to know about the mogul.

A look back at Emma's childhood: How watching her single mom struggle to make ends meet taught her to be a strong business woman

Emma grew up in London and was raised by a single mom who struggled to make ends meet - but she said seeing how hard her mother worked helped turn her into the strong business woman that she is today. She is pictured with her mom as a baby

She said from a young age, she turned to fashion magazines to 'escape' her 'bleak and grim' life, and she knew from early on that she would do whatever it took to land a job in the industry. She is pictured as a baby with her mom

She studied business at the London College of Fashion, but dropped out in 2001, after she landed an internship with Gucci

She had many odd jobs as a teen, including delivering newspapers, working at a deli, and running the cash register at a clothing shop - to name a few

Emma was born and raised in London, England, and her parents are immigrants from Jamaica and Trinidad. Her mom, who raised her and her siblings by herself after divorcing her dad, worked at Morgan Stanley.

'I was under no illusion that it wasnt hard bringing us up,' Emma told Standard.co.uk, while discussing her mother.

'She was gone a lot, but I always understood that she went to work to put a roof over our heads. That set the way I think; you get up each day and you graft.

'I credit so much of who I am to my upbringing. I was raised with three sisters in Plaistow by a single mom. We knew our neighbors and there was a real sense of community. You could trust people, you were as good as your word and Ive taken that mentality with me.'

She had many odd jobs as a teen, including delivering newspapers, working at a deli, and running the cash register at a clothing shop - to name a few.

She recalled saving up all her money to buy magazines like Vogue, Elle, and Marie Claire, and she always knew she wanted to work in fashion.

'I was drawn to that world and those people, [but] it was more a means of escapism,' she admitted to Bustle. 'That glamour was very far from how I was being raised.'

She studied business at the London College of Fashion, but dropped out in 2001, after she landed an internship with Gucci.

'It was the right decision for me. I learnt that I got more out of a couple of months work than I could from a college,' she explained to Standard.co.uk.

Inside Emma's career: How the college dropout convinced Khloe Kardashian to start a company with her

In 2008, she launched her own London-based talent management and marketing agency called ITB Worldwide - which helped her link up with the Kardashians

After growing close with Kris, she pitched the idea of Good American to the momager, who thought it would be a perfect fit for Khloe. The three women are pictured together in 2016

Emma then landed a job at Inca Productions, producing various fashion shows and events for the company.

'At Inca, Emma was part of pioneering the business of "designer collaborations," engagements between consumer brands and high fashion, working with the leading design talent of today, such as Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane, Vivienne Westwood and Zac Posen, as well as brands including Chivas, Mercedes-Benz and Sky,' her bio reads.

In 2008, she launched her own London-based talent management and marketing agency called ITB Worldwide - which she owned until 2018 when it was acquired by Rogers & Cowen.

'I had been around a lot of people, seeing clients and deals. I just imagined, "Well, if they can do it, why cant I?"' she recalled to CNBC, about starting ITB Worldwide.

Through ITB, she landed a partnership with Natalie Portman and Dior. ITB also helped her link up with the Kardashians - she worked on Kendall Jenner's #MyCalvins ad campaign and met Kris Jenner during a Paris Fashion Week event.

After growing close with Kris, she pitched the idea of Good American to the momager, who thought it would be a perfect fit for Khloe.

Emma recalled to Standard.co.uk: 'She thought Khloe might like my idea, and so I went to LA to meet her the following week.'

The youngest-Kardashian sister said 'yes' right away, and the brand was quickly born. Good American launched in October 2016, and it racked up $1 million in sales on its first day - reportedly the biggest denim launch in apparel history

According to Bustle, Emma is involved in almost every aspect of the business - overseeing everything from design to e-commerce

Emma insisted that she reads 'every single review' left by Good American customers, which has given her a lot of insight into making the products even better

'Khloe and I come from different places and have had vastly different upbringings, but what we have in common is confidence,' explained Emma

The youngest-Kardashian sister said 'yes' right away, and the brand was quickly born.

Good American launched in October 2016, and it racked up $1 million in sales on its first day - reportedly the biggest denim launch in apparel history.

Khloe called Emma one of the 'hardest working people' she knew. The reality star gushed: 'She embraces every component of the business, and consistently pushes the envelope for what a modern and inclusive fashion brand can be'

'Were a great partnership. We really understand how to create an incredible product,' gushed Emma.

'Khloe and I come from different places and have had vastly different upbringings, but what we have in common is confidence. We asked ourselves where it comes from. How can you give other women that same feeling?

'I grew up with a white mom, a black dad and friends who were from everywhere, in all shapes and sizes. It goes without saying that diversity is important to me.

According to Bustle, Emma is involved in almost every aspect of the business - overseeing everything from design to e-commerce.

'On the weekends, shell read customers product reviews to get ideas for product innovations,' it reported; and Khloe called her one of the 'hardest working people' she knew.

'She embraces every component of the business, and consistently pushes the envelope for what a modern and inclusive fashion brand can be,' Khloe said to the outlet.

Emma insisted that she reads 'every single review' left by Good American customers, which has given her a lot of insight into making the products even better.

'Our businesses are incredibly data led. Were looking at everything,' she shared with Ramped Up.

'What is the experience of somebody who comes on to our site in one part of the country versus another part of the country?

'What are the habits between people who shop in this country versus internationally? What are the patterns in returns teaching us? Oftentimes, the data leads us to innovation.'

Emma launched SKIMS with Kim, 41, in 2018, and in 2021, the New York Times valued the company at $1.6 billion.

In May 2021, she also teamed up with Kris and Chrissy Teigen to create a vegan home care line called Safely, which recently made its way to Walmart.

Emma is also the chairwoman of 15 Percent Pledge, an initiative dedicated to getting retailers to reserve 15 per cent of their shelf space for Black-owned businesses, as well as an ambassador for Women for Women International.

Emma launched SKIMS with Kim in 2018, and in 2021, the New York Times valued the company at $1.6 billion. In May 2021, she teamed up with Kris and Chrissy Teigen to create an home care line called Safely, which recently made its way to Walmart

She was also a guest during season 13 of Shark Tank - becoming the first-ever black woman investor to appear on the ABC show

She was also a guest during season 13 of Shark Tank - becoming the first-ever black woman investor to appear on the ABC show.

'I think I'm a good Shark because first of all, I'm relatively young and the business climate now is really unique and really different than it's ever been before,' she told People Magazine at the time. 'And I've prioritized my career in building a diverse, inclusive route and team.'

One thing that Emma takes pride in is inclusivity across all of her brands - making sure they cater to people of all sizes, shapes, and skin tones.

'I think it's really important to drive change,' she told the outlet in February. 'We're in a really unique time in the world where a business like Good American or a business like SKIMS can ultimately drive huge change in the industry.

'Because when we do things and we say we are creating all clothes in double XL through to 5X. I think I'm in an amazing position to actually change the way things are done, and that's what makes me most excited.'

Emma explained that she is passionate about building 'incredible teams' and 'creating opportunities for people' through her brands.

'I think 20 years ago, entrepreneurs had much more of a kind of me-first mentality,' she added. 'I do think the opposite way. I'm about building incredible teams and creating opportunities for people, building loyalty.

One thing that Emma takes pride in is inclusivity across all of her brands - making sure they cater to people of all sizes, shapes, and skin tones

As for what she's learned from working with the Kardashians, she revealed, 'I think what they've helped me with is - I just think the idea of never resting, no matter how successful you've become'

Although she has modeled for her brands from time to time, and has attended red carpet events with the famous family, she doesn't enjoy being in the spotlight - but rather, prefers to stay behind-the-scenes

Emma said the reason she thinks she works so well with the Kardashians is because she's so different from them

'That way you'll find a lot of people that have started with me 10 or even 12 years ago are still working with me now in totally different positions, but people stick with me and I think that's really important.'

When it comes to criticism, she is unbothered. She added: 'I see and hear the criticism every day, but do I sleep well? Do I have peace with what I do? Absolutely'

As for what she's learned from working with the Kardashians, she revealed, 'I think what they've helped me with is - I just think the idea of never resting, no matter how successful you've become.

'The idea of always working as hard as anybody else in the room is so incredibly important. And that's what I see from them every single day. And that's what I emulate.'

While chatting with Elle, Emma said the reason she thinks she works so well with the Kardashians is because she's so different from them.

Although she has modeled for her brands from time to time, and has attended red carpet events with the famous family, she doesn't enjoy being in the spotlight - but rather, prefers to stay behind-the-scenes.

'Im just not that girl,' she explained. 'I cant do that stuff. And I think thats probably one of the reasons my partnerships with the girls work out so well

'Because they do that. I never think about myself as a face of the brands - Im the brain of the brands.'

But when it comes to criticism, she is unbothered. She added: 'Im very proud to work with Kim and Khloe and Kris; they are incredible business partners.

'I see and hear the criticism every day, but do I sleep well? Do I have peace with what I do? Absolutely.'

A deep dive into Emma's personal life: How the CEO balances running multiple billion-dollar businesses while raising her four young kids

Emma is married to Jens Grede, and together, they share four children - Grey, Lola, and twins Lake and Rafferty. She is pictured with the twins

When it comes to balancing her impressive career and family, it's not easy for her. She said: 'I dont do everything brilliantly and I dont profess to'

Emma is married to Jens Grede, 44, and together, they share four children - Grey, Lola, and twins Lake and Rafferty.

Jens, for his part, co-founded the multi-media fashion marketing agency Wednesday Agency Group with Erik Torstensson, and he now oversees 12 companies, including Frame Denim.

They met while they both worked on ITB, and he serves as a board director for Skims.

'It's funny, because we had a business relationship before we had a personal relationship, and we're actually not that good at collaborating,' joked Emma, while chatting with Bustle.

'He does what he does, and I do what I do, and we're very respectful of one another's respective areas of expertise, but we don't cross over that much.'

But when it comes to balancing her impressive career and family, she previously admitted that it's not easy for her.

'I dont do everything brilliantly and I dont profess to. I have an enormous amount of help, I have nannies for my kids, I dont clean my house,' she admitted to Standard.co.uk. 'Something has to give.

'I dont believe Im here to just fulfil the needs of my children. Im trying to show them self-fulfillment,' she added. 'I want them to see me doing what makes me happy, so that they learn the importance of finding that thing that you love'

Emma and her husband, Jens, officially relocated from London, England, to Los Angeles, California, in 2017, and they put their London home on the market for $7 million three years later

'I have a limited number of friends, Im not out having cocktails. There have been stages of my life which were more about being social, now Im focused on the businesses.

'I dont try to find a great balance. If I have a sick kid, I have a sick kid. If I have a deal to close, I have a deal to close.

'I dont believe Im here to just fulfil the needs of my children. Im trying to show them self-fulfillment. I want them to see me doing what makes me happy, so that they learn the importance of finding that thing that you love.'

The couple officially relocated from London, England, to Los Angeles, California, in 2017, and they put their London home on the market for $7 million three years later.
Aldi has beaten upmarket rivals including M&S and Waitrose as their 1.99 pork sausages were crowned joint winners in Which's blind taste test.

The consumer platform asked a panel to blind-taste and rate pork sausages from 12 supermarkets including Lidl, Iceland and Sainsbury's, plus branded versions including Heck and The Black Farmer.

In joint first place were Aldi's six specially selected British pork sausages for 1.99 and the premium pork sausages from Cornish-based brand The Black Farmer at 3.05 for six.

Runners up from the taste test were bangers from Tesco and M&S, while sausages from Waitrose, Heck and Morrisons received lower scores from the panel of consumers.

Aldi beat upmarket rivals including M&S and Waitrose after their 1.99 pork sausages were crowned joint winners in Which's blind taste test (pictured)

Also landing in the top spot were The Black Farmer 6 Premium Pork Sausages at 3.05 for 400 (left). Tesco's Finest British Pork Sausages at 2.60 for 400g were crowned one of the runners up (right)

Supermarket sweep! Budget bankers dominate Which? blind taste test of the best sausages for summer BBQs Winning sausages Aldi Specially Selected 6 British Pork Sausages - 1.99 for 400g Score: 76% Best Buy: The Black Farmer 6 Premium Pork Sausages - 3.05 for 400g Score: 76% Mid scoring sausages Iceland 6 Luxury 100% British Pork Sausages  2.25 for 340g Score: 71% Sainsbury's Taste the Difference British Pork Sausages - 2.50 for 400g Score: 70% Asda Extra Special 6 Pork Sausages - 2.75 for 400g Score: 69% Lidl Deluxe 6 Outdoor Bred British Pork Sausages  1.99 for 400g Score: 68% Co-op Irresistible 6 Pork Sausages 3 for 400g Score: 68% Runners up Tesco Finest British Pork Sausages  2.60 for 400g Score: 74% M&S Select Farms British 6 Pork Sausages - 3.40 for 400g Score: 72% Lower scoring sausages Waitrose No.1 Free Range Pork Sausages  3.50 for 400g Score: 63% Heck 6 97% Pork Sausages  3 for 400g Score: 59% Morrisons The Best Thick Pork Sausages  2.75 for 400g Score: 57% Advertisement

At just 1.99 for a 400g pack, Aldi's sausages were the cheapest sausages on test and scored five stars for both their succulent pork flavour and their appealing colour.

Meanwhile, The Black Farmer's sausages also received impressive marks across the board with a matching score of 76 per cent.

These sausages scored highly when it came to taste, with around three quarters of tasters liking the strength of the pork flavour, while roughly 85 per cent enjoyed the saltiness and colour.

Tesco's Finest British pork sausages at 2.60 for 400g, were close runners up with a high score of 74 per cent. Tasters loved their appearance and smell but felt they could use more seasoning.

M&S were also crowned runners up with their Select Farms British pork sausages at 3.40 for 400g. Tasters enjoyed the appearance and smell but wanted a little more flavour (pictured)

M&S were also crowned runners up with their Select Farms British pork sausages at 3.40 for 400g. Once again, tasters enjoyed the appearance and smell but wanted a little more flavour.

The M&S pork sausages were the second-most expensive on the test but around four in ten tasters felt their seasoning was lacking.

Among the lower rated sausages were the Waitrose free range sausages which at 3.50 for 400g were the most expensive bangers reviewed on the entire test - however tasters felt the flavour was too weak.

Among the lower rated sausages were the Waitrose No.1 Free Range Pork Sausages at 3.40 for 400g (left) and Heck 6 97% Pork Sausages at 3 for 400g (right)

Some tasters weren't keen on the appearance of Heck pork sausages at 3 for 400g, while over four in 10 tasters felt they were too salty.

Morrisons thick pork sausages at 2.75 for 400g scored poorly for both flavour and texture - with over half of the consumer panel finding them to be lacking in taste.

Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi, said of their joint win: 'We know we offer amazing quality at everyday prices, but to hear consumers agree is always really reassuring.

'We're delighted to be able to offer shoppers the best quality sausages at the lowest price from Aldi.'
This birthday brainteaser promises to put your observation skills to the test.

The seek-and-find puzzle, from UK-based online experience day provider buyagift.co.uk, challenges players to spot the birthday present box hidden in the vibrant scene.

There are icons of experiences including spa days, glamping and helicopter rides in the scene... but can you find the present box in less than 51 seconds?

Scroll down for the reveal and more puzzles!

The seek-and-find puzzle, from UK-based online experience day provider buyagift.co.uk. challenges players to spot the birthday present box hidden in the vibrant scene

To make things trickier, there are numerous other things to watch out for, such as indoor skydiving and afternoon tea. But its the birthday present you need to look for.

If you're still stuck, look closely, the icons are bold and bright and might distract the eye.

Need a hint? Try looking on the left-hand side of the image for the present box.

Still struggling? Then scroll down for the answer.

There it is! In between the helicopter and supercar experience

It comes after UK-based online printing company instantprint.co.uk challenged players to find the single coffee cup hidden in the office supplies.

There are clocks, staplers and notebooks... but can you find the only coffee cup?

You'll need to look carefully as there are a number of reusable and takeaway coffee cups added to the mix. But it's the traditional mug that you need to keep an eye out for.

The seek-and-find puzzle, from UK-based online printing company instantprint.co.uk, challenges players to find the single coffee cup hidden in the office supplies

The bright colours and patterns will distract the eye - so you'll have to work extra hard to stay on track.

Need a hint? Try looking in the top half of the image for a white cup.

Still struggling? Then scroll down for the reveal.

It's there! Right by the calendar and pile of mail to answer

It comes after Hungarian cartoonist Gergely Dudas, better known as Dudolf, shared one of his classic brainteasers to Facebook, challenging players to find the snake among the tortoises.

The adorable animals are all standing in a forest glade full of trees and ferns.

Hungarian cartoonist Gergely Dudas, better known as Dudolf , shared one of his classic brainteasers to Facebook, challenging players to find the snake among the tortoises

But somewhere in the idyllic scene there is also a single smiling snake.

To make things even trickier, Dudolf has drawn the tortoises so their long necks look snakelike, making it difficult to tell the animals apart.

Still struggling to see it? Look on the left side of the image and pay close attention.

If you give up or need the answer then keep scrolling for the reveal.

The snake is slithering alongside the tortoises on the left side of the image

It comes after Dudolf created a loved-up seek-and-find puzzle in honour of Valentine's Day.

The illustration shows loved-up animals embracing in a field of pink flowers.

But somewhere in this vibrant image there is a single pink love heart. Do you have what it takes to find it?

All loved up! Can you find the single pink heart in this Valentine's Day themed puzzle?

In his typical fashion, Dudolf has made things trickier by adding plenty of little details that are designed to distract the eye.

The canoodling owls, for example, have a single pink flower between them. Elsewhere a grey cat falls in love with his own reflection.

If you're struggling to find the heart then try looking on the left-hand side of the image, near the owls and kissing bears.

Still not having any luck? Then scroll down to check your answer.

There it is! The tiny pink heart is tucked between some flowers, just above the canoodling owls

It comes after players were challenged to find the only love-heart shaped balloon in a busy Valentine's Day scene.

The baffling seek-and-find puzzle was created by British retailers 247 Blinds to celebrate the romantic holiday ahead of February 14.

So, do you think you'll be able to find the hidden balloon ? Give it a try and put your observational skills to the test.

Scroll down for the answer

A tricky brainteaser is challenging players to find the only love-heart shaped balloon in a busy Valentine's Day scene (pictured)

There are many hearts, Cupid's arrows and roses throughout the print, but hidden within the drawings is a love-heart-shaped balloon.

If you're struggling to find the balloon, turn your attention to the middle section of the right hand side of the Valentine's Day scene.

If you still haven't spotted the pesky object, scroll down to find the answer.

There are many hearts, Cupid's arrows and roses throughout the print, but hidden within the drawings is a love-heart-shaped balloon (circled above)

If you want some more, try your hand at these tricky brainteasers below.

Designers have hidden a single open umbrella in this crowded street scene which is sure to leave you baffled.

The extremely tough seek-and-find puzzle was created by hotel chain Premier Inn following a recent poll revealed that brollies are one of the nation's most lost items.

There are many people featured in the crowded design, but only one of them is keeping dry under an umbrella.

So, do you think you'll be able to find it or will you be left scratching your head? Give it a try and put your observational skills to the test.

Hidden in the crowded street scene is a person holding an umbrella - but it's incredibly difficult to spot

The hotel chain commissioned the brain teaser after research found umbrellas are one of the nation's most lost items: 10 per cent of Brits will lose or break 10 or more umbrellas in their lifetime.

Almost a fifth of those polled (18 per cent) said they had broken or lost an umbrella after just one outing.

The survey of 2,000 UK adults also showed 28 per cent have turned up to an important work meeting soaking wet as they didn't have a brolly. And despite almost a fifth of Brits owning three umbrellas, one in 10 have spent up to 50 on replacements.

So, have you been able to spot the hidden brolly? If you're still struggling scroll down for the answer.

So, have you been able to spot the hidden brolly? If you're still struggling take a look at the top left-hand corner of the scene

Premier Inn commissioned the brain teaser to mark its new rental umbrellas trial in 30 of its hotels launched in partnership with DripDrop with a minimum of 15 percent of each borrowing fee going to the hotel chain's charity partner Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity (GOSH Charity).

Elsewhere, an infuriating brainteaser challenges players to find a snowflake in an unlikely tropical scene.

The seek-and-find puzzle, created by The French Bedroom Company in collaboration with wallpaper designer Elizabeth Ockford, features beautiful tropical birds and flittering butterflies, as well as palm fronds and ornate bird cages.

But hidden among the tropical picture is a single snowflake, which is almost impossible to spot.

The seek-and-find puzzle features beautiful tropical birds and flittering butterflies. Hidden among the tropical picture is a single snowflake, which is almost impossible to spot

The creators claim it's so difficult that it takes players an average of 7 minutes and 23 seconds to find.

The picture shows colourful budgies, butterflies, parrots and golden cages - but where is the snowflake?

Nestled within elegant illustrations of botanical birds, leaves and butterflies, the snowflake has proved tricky for Brits to find.

Focus your eye on the top corners of the painting - can you see it yet? The answer is below.

Answer: The delicate snowflake can be seen in the top left hand coner of the picture beneath one of the palm leaves

Can your brain handle more strain? Next up, this autumnal seek-and-find quiz challenges you to find the hidden hedgehog, but will you be up to the challenge?

British blinds retailer 247 Blinds have created this challenging brainteaser with a seasonal theme to test your attention to detail.

If you're looking for a clue, try focusing your attention on the bottom of the image and you might have more luck. Still struggling? Simply scroll down for the answer.

Scroll down for reveal

Can you find the tiny hedgehog hiding in this leafy scene for a brainteaser created by British blinds retailer 247 Blinds?

To make it harder, the hedgehog is shaped to look like the items that surround him, so that you'll need to have a proper look at the picture to locate him.

Struggling to find the little critter? Focus your attention on the bottom part of the picture.

Giving up or want to check you got it right? You can scroll down to see the answer.

The small hedgehog was hiding at the very bottom of the picture. It was hard to locate, because it was shaped like a pine cone

Want to try your hand at other fiendishly difficult seek-and-finds? Look below for Femail's selection of some of the trickiest.

To make things even trickier, Dudolf has made only the slightest changes between the mushrooms' markings so you'll really have to be eagle-eyed to spot the difference.

The slight changes in colours patterns and shapes distracts the eye from the task.

Struggling to find the one mushroom without a match? Try looking towards the lower half of the image.

Still having difficulty? Then scroll down for the reveal.

The odd mushroom out has a blue cap with red spots and is situated in the lower half of the image

It comes after another puzzle challenged players to pick out the two safety pins hidden among vibrant sewing equipment.

The brainteaser has been created by Dutch lingerie brand Hunkemoller, with puzzlers asked to spot the two tiny items in the sea of tools.

But thanks to the brightly coloured products cluttering the graphic, it is almost impossible to notice the missing safety pins.

According to the creators the puzzle takes an average of one minute and 23 seconds to solve, but with the mesmerizing colours, how quick can you spot the hidden items?

This new seek-and-find puzzle challenges you to pick out the two safety pins hidden among vibrant sewing equipment (pictured)

There's plenty of little details designed to distract the eye, so it's no wonder that some puzzlers struggle to stay on task and find the pins.

If you're looking for a clue, try focusing your attention towards the centre of the image and you might have more luck.

Still struggling? Don't worry, the answer is coming next so just scroll down to put yourself out of your misery.
I heard a young Ukrainian, Naliia describe her tough past month recently. Ive lost my hair, Ive lost my home; the village where I spent my childhood has been completely destroyed, she voice-mailed the Invaded podcast.

You can see it on your screens, hear and read vivid accounts, yet it is still hard to grasp the enormity of this humanitarian plight: that in Europe, more than five million people, mostly women and children, have fled a country in the past two months, while millions more have been uprooted internally.

The rediscovered 1938 novel The Passenger by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz captures, terrifyingly, having to leave your home and life behind in a hurry.

Its most desperate aspect is that its Jewish protagonist, Berliner businessman Otto Silbermann, is too late leaving Nazi Germany. The novel is like a John Buchan thriller rewritten by Franz Kafka. In the aftermath of Kristallnacht, Silbermann criss-crosses Germany, but nowhere will give him refuge; his homeland has become a prison.

British author Patricia Nicol has rounded up a selection of the best books on Refugees including the rediscovered 1938 novel The Passenger by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz and Marina Lewycka's A Short History Of Tractors In Ukrainian

Tomas and Tereza, the central couple of Milan Kunderas The Unbearable Lightness Of Being do manage to flee their homeland after the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. But safe in exile in Zurich, Switzerland, they feel restless and rootless. The pull to return home proves irresistible.

Marina Lewyckas A Short History Of Tractors In Ukrainian, although a comic novel, does explore how the trauma of exile and immigration can reverberate across generations.

In modern Britain, two estranged sisters, Vera and Nadia, unite in their antipathy for their widowed father Nikolais much younger new wife, Valentina. Nikolai came to the UK as a refugee after World War II. Valentina is part of a post-Soviet exodus.

I have chosen books that describe a European experience of fleeing war and seeking refuge.

There are others, such as The Kite Runner, The Beekeeper Of Aleppo and East West Street, that all too vividly convey the perilous lives led by migrants fleeing war. And remind us to show compassion.
The celebrity facialist behind Pip Edwards and Bambi Northwood Blyth's radiantly youthful complexions has revealed her three secrets to age-defying skin.

Ingrid Seaburn treats the faces of Australia's rich and famous at her upscale Bondi salon.

The former Los Angeles-based beauty guru, who boasts a star-studded client book, says vitamin A, hyaluronic acid and daily SPF on the face and neck is the recipe for glowing skin.

Amongst the many treatments Bambi favours, taking the top spot is the vitamin A infusion by American skincare brand Osmosis which treats pigmentation and cellular renewal.

Ingrid Seaburn treats the faces of Australia's rich and famous at her upscale Bondi salon

Additionally, when treating Bambi's skin, Ms Seaburn often mixes up her famous facials with different modalities including oxygen and radio frequency in order to get supermodel skin results.

Bambi makes a point of seeing Ms Seaburn when she jets in from New York and her favourite, go-to product for travel weary skin is the Hydrate Hyaluronic Acid-based gel from Ingrid's own skincare collection.

Overall Ms Seaburn recommends maintaining a monthly appointment with a clinical therapist to combine treatments that both stimulate and regenerate the skin, including the very popular Geneo treatment which costs $250.

Additionally, when treating Bambi's skin, Ms Seaburn often mixes up her famous facials with different modalities including oxygen and radio frequency in order to get supermodel skin results

She also encourages the use of retinol daily combined with other antioxidant serums to nourish and protect the skin from environmental stress.

Finally, using an SPF30 and above daily and avoiding pigmentation triggers like UV are pivotal for looking youthful at any age.

'You need to think of your skin regime like your workouts, maintaining consistency is key,' Ms Seaburn told Daily Mail Australia previously.

The in-demand aesthetician says women over 30 'must' use vitamin A, an anti-ageing 'hero' ingredient that accelerates healing, slows the breakdown of collagen and promotes hydration, leaving skin looking years younger.

'Retinol is hands down the most important ingredient to incorporate into your skincare as you get older, followed by vitamin C and peptides for tightening,' Ms Seaburn explained.

'It has huge benefits in terms of reversing damage to the skin at the same time as encouraging healthy cellular function.'

But retinol's potency means it comes with a health warning.

Overall Ms Seaburn recommends maintaining a monthly appointment with a clinical therapist to combine treatments that both stimulate and regenerate the skin, including the very popular Geneo treatment which costs $250

First-time users often report mild irritation, including redness, dryness, and peeling of the skin, which is why Ms Seaburn recommends consulting your beauty therapist first.

'Choosing the right one should be discussed with a professional, and it's best used in serum form nightly,' she said.

The other 'miracle' ingredient Ms Seaburn says plays a pivotal role in winding back the clock is hyaluronic acid, which reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by locking moisture into the skin.

'Women in their 40s and 50s need tightening and firming ingredients like amino acid peptides and hyaluronic acid, which help to maintain hydration,' she said.

According to Ms Seaburn, the final piece of an effective anti-ageing skincare routine is wearing a liberal layer of SPF on your face, neck and decolletage.

The expert revealed 90 per cent of her clients list sun damage as their primary area of concern.

It is so prevalent she has developed a treatment specifically designed to stimulate cell regeneration and collagen production across the neck and chest.

Her one-hour Geneo Super Facial, which is a favourite of Pip Edwards, promises to smooth fine lines and tighten sagging skin for a cool $235.
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The Duchess of Cambridge was dazzling in white as she arrived at the Westminster Abbey alongside her husband the Duke this morning to commemorate Anzac Day. Kate Middleton, 40, cut a stylish figure as she recycled a white Alexander McQueen coat dress for the occasion, pairing the stunning piece with Princess Diana's Collingwood earrings, a matching headband by milliner Jane Taylor and black accessories. The mother-of-three, who is known for her love of high street brands and repeating her outfits, wore the dress for her daughter Princess Charlotte's christening in 2015. It was a surprise appearance for the Duchess, whose presence at the service was only announced this morning. The traditional church service in the abbey featured an address by the Dean of Westminster, readings from the New Zealand and Australian high commissioners, prayers read by children of each country, and a Maori waiata performed by London-based Ngati Ranana London Maori Club. Earlier today, Prince William, 39, attended a wreath laying ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall on behalf of the Queen. It comes after the the Duke of Gloucester, 77, attended the Dawn Service at the New Zealand Memorial at Hyde Park, which included readings and the Last Post sounded by a bugler. Anzac Day - April 25 - marks the anniversary of the start of the First World War Gallipoli landings, and is a national day of remembrance for Australia and New Zealand.

The Duchess of Cambridge was dazzling in white as she arrived at the Westminster Abbey alongside her husband the Duke this morning to commemorate Anzac Day

Kate Middleton, 40, cut a stylish figure as she opted for a white coat dress, pairing the stunning dress with a matching headband for the occasion

The mother-of-three, who is known for her love of high street brands and recycling her outfits, joined her husband the Duke at the event today

Earlier today, the Duke took part in a wreath laying ceremony at the Cenotaph, where some 300 to 400 former and serving military personnel and their families and members of veterans associations were gathered

It was a surprise appearance for the Duchess, whose presence at the service was only announced this morning (pictured alongside the Duke)

The Duchess swept her brunette locks behind her shoulders for the occasion, donning a smart white headband with a trendy black bow at the back by royal-favourite Jane Taylor

The Duchess swept her brunette locks behind her shoulders for the occasion, donning a smart white headband with a trendy black bow at the back.

The mother-of-three also donned Diana's Collingwood earrings for the service. Kate regularly wears jewellery that honours her mother-in-law, including her sapphire engagement ring, which once belonged to Diana.

Meanwhile she kept her makeup neutral for the outing, opting for a sweep of blush and a dash of black eyeliner.

Kate has a close affiliation with Alexander McQueen having worn the British fashion house's designs on notable occasions, most famously to her wedding in 2011.

The dress is a favourite of the Duchess, who has worn the gown on multiple occasions in the past, including her daughter's 2015 christening.

Dazzling duchess! Kate commanded attention in her recycled ensemble as she attended the event alongside Prince William

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leave after a Service Of Commemoration and Thanksgiving as part of the Anzac Day services at Westminster Abbey

The Duchess looked elegant in her white ensemble while Prince William appeared dapper in a blue suit for the event

Completing the look! The Duchess of Cambridge added to her sophisticated number with a pair of dainty pear earrings

Prince William and Kate leave the Service Of Commemoration and Thanksgiving as part of the Anzac Day services at Westminster Abbey

It was a surprise appearance for the Duchess (pictured with Prince William), whose presence at the service was only announced this morning

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attending the service at Westminster Abbey commemorating Anzac Day in London

Kate (pictured) has a close affiliation with Alexander McQueen having worn the British fashion house's designs on notable occasions, most famously to her wedding in 2011

Kate's dress today is a favourite of the Duchess (pictured right), who has worn the gown on multiple occasions in the past, including her daughter's 2015 christening

Earlier today, William (pictured left) laid the wreath on behalf of the Queen at the Cenotaph and hundreds will take part in a parade, including members of veterans' associations, service and ex-service personnel and their families

The Duchess (pictured right, alongside her husband Prince William) also donned Diana's Collingwood earrings for the service

Kate (pictured right) regularly wears jewellery that honours her mother-in-law, including her sapphire engagement ring, which once belonged to Diana

Meanwhile she also repeated the outfit in 2016, and again when she joined her husband in Belgium for a memorial of the 100 years since the Battle of Passchendaele in 2017.

The Duchess could be seen carrying a pair of white Cornelia James for the occasion.

Earlier today, William laid the wreath on behalf of the Queen at the Cenotaph and hundreds will take part in a parade, including members of veterans' associations, service and ex-service personnel and their families.

Some 300 to 400 former and serving military personnel and their families and members of veterans associations gathered at the Cenotaph for the wreath laying.

It is the latest in a series of commitments the monarch, who has just turned 96, has missed amid concerns over her health.

The Duchess opted for a pretty textured headband with a black bow by royal-favourite Jane Taylor for the occasion

In a touching nod to her mother-in-law, the Duchess also donned Diana's Collingwood earrings for the service. Kate regularly wears jewellery that honours the late royal

The Duchess swept her brunette locks behind her shoulders for the occasion, donning a smart white headband with a trendy black bow at the back

The mother-of-two beamed as she arrived at the service in Westminster Abbey earlier today alongside her husband

The Duchess, who was dazzling in a white coat dress for the outing in London, was a surprise last minute addition to the guestlist and had not been expected to attend alongside Prince William (right)

The couple appeared to share a laugh with the clergy as they arrived at Westminster Abbey earlier today for the service

The Duchess, who opted for black accessories for the outing, appeared in high spirits as she arrived at the event earlier today (pictured)

The Duchess of Cambridge (pictured) looked effortlessly sophisticated as she attended the event alongside her husband Prince William

The mother-of-three was all smiles, pictured left, as she attended the occasion today, in a recycled Alexander McQueen coat

The Duchess swept her brunette locks behind her shoulders for the occasion while wearing a fashionable white headband

Earlier this morning, the Queen's cousin Prince Richard attended the Dawn Service and watched as a haka also performed.

The Duke was then pictured laying a wreath as the event came to a close.

Thousands of Anzac troops - Australian and New Zealand Army Corps - died in the ill-fated 1915 campaign.

Waves of allied forces launched an amphibious attack on the strategically important Turkish peninsula, which was key to controlling the Dardanelles straits, the crucial route to the Black Sea and Russia.

But the plan backed by Winston Churchill, then first lord of the admiralty, was flawed and the campaign, which faced a heroic defence by the Turks, led to stalemate and withdrawal eight months later.

Its legacy is the celebration of the 'Anzac spirit'  courage, endurance, initiative, discipline and mateship  shown by the Antipodean troops.

Earlier today, the Duke of Cambridge was sombre today as he attended a wreath laying ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall to lead the royal family in commemorating Anzac Day

William laid wreath on behalf of the Queen at the Cenotaph and hundreds took part in a parade, including members of veterans' associations, service and ex-service personnel and their families

The Duke wore a longline navy coat as he stepped out for the event earlier this morning, in a tradition which has been observed in London since King George V attended the first service at Westminster Abbey in 1916

Crowds watched on as Prince William laid the wreath on the Cenotaph on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen earlier this morning

A selection of photographs from today's events, pictured above, were shared to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Instagram account this afternoon

Anzac Day has been commemorated in London since the first anniversary of the Anzac landings when King George V attended a service at Westminster Abbey.

Since then, the services have become an important moment for thousands of expatriates and visiting New Zealanders and Australians.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have remembered this 'gallant comradeship' in a message released ahead of Anzac Day.

The heir to the throne said in a statement: 'On this Anzac Day, my wife and I are thinking of all the courageous troops who endured so much in 1915 on the beaches and in the rugged hills of the Gallipoli Peninsula.

Crowds gathered at the Cenotaph to watch the wreath laying ceremony earlier today, which was attended by the Duke and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss

The Duke's appearance at the event is the latest in a series of commitments the monarch, who has just turned 96, has missed amid concerns over her health

The royal laid down a wreath on behalf of the Queen at the Cenotaph, before he went on to attend a service of commemoration and thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, where he was joined by the Duchess of Cambridge

Anzac Day - April 25 - marks the anniversary of the start of the First World War Gallipoli landings, and is a national day of remembrance for Australia and New Zealand

The father-of-three appeared pensive as he watched the wreath laying ceremony at the Cenotaph earlier today

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was in attendance at the Wreath Laying Ceremony earlier today as she commemorated Anzac Day (pictured)

The Foreign Secretary opted for a navy coat dress as she joined the ceremony commemorating Anzac Day at the Cenotaph earlier

'As we pause to reflect on the sacrifice of the Armed Services personnel of Australia and New Zealand in two World Wars, and in other conflicts and peacekeeping operations, our thoughts will also be with those communities around the world who are being torn apart by violence and conflict, and those who are fighting for freedom in the face of oppression.

'In 1916, one year after the Gallipoli landings, my great-grandfather, King George V, wrote of the first Anzacs: 'They gave their lives for a supreme cause in gallant comradeship'.

'One hundred and six years later, gallant comradeship remains a defining mark of the uniformed men and women of New Zealand and Australia.'

The Queen's cousin Prince Richard, 77, attended the Dawn Service at the New Zealand Memorial at London's Hyde Park Corner, which included readings, the Last Post sounded by a bugler and wreaths laid as it drew to a close

A haka was performed during the Dawn Service commemorating Anzac Day at the New Zealand Memorial at Hyde Park Corner earlier today

The Dawn Service at the New Zealand Memorial included readings, the Last Post sounded by a bugler and wreaths laid as it drew to a close

Crowds gathered to attend the Dawn Service earlier today in London. The event has been commemorated in the city since the first anniversary of the Anzac landings when King George V attended a service at Westminster Abbey

Meanwhile in Australia, many gathered to pay tribute to servicemen and women for the first time in big numbers since the Covid pandemic began in 2020.

The moving ceremonies kicked off a day of commemorations 107 years after the Australian and New Zealand forces landed on the shores of Gallipoli during World War I.

This year sees the return of full scale Anzac Day commemorations since 2019 in the wake of Covid-19 restrictions in recent years. It is also the first ceremony to be held since Australia and the US-led Coalition withdrew soldiers from Afghanistan

Australians gathered at Currumbin on the Gold Coast, Martin Place in Sydney, Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance, the Cenotaph in Brisbane and the Australian War Memorial in Canberra from 4.30am on Monday - as well as at ceremonies across the nation.

Members of the public appeared sombre as they watched the service earlier today at Hyde Park

During the event, as the sun was rising, a lone Grenadier Guard took his position to watch over the memorial

Meanwhile, members of the armed forces took their place at the memorial as the service began this morning

Crowds gathered at the New Zealand memorial, which was unveiled in Hyde Park in 2006, earlier this morning
A man who believed he had been abandoned by his parents after he was shipped to Australia as a child was heartbroken to discover his father was denied access to him by the institution where he was beaten and abused.

Dorian Thomas Reece, 77, was placed in a Birmingham orphanage as a baby after his unwed mother was forced to give him up, and from there he was sent to live in Western Australia when he was eight-years-old.

He had grown up believing his parents had either abandoned him or died and was excited by the chance to live in what was described as 'a great camp with lots of boys to play with'.

He was one of the thousands of children sent from orphanages in the UK to former colonies in Commonwealth countries as part of the child migrant programme in the middle of the 20th century.

While growing up in Australian boys' homes Dorian endured horrific abuse, recalling being beaten by a man called Mowen - who would punish boys before sexually abusing them.

Appearing on this evening's episode of ITV's Long Long Family, Dorian found that his late father had not only been paying for his upkeep, but wanted to reunite with both him and his mother.

Dorian Thomas Reece, 77, was placed in a Birmingham orphanage as a baby after his unwed mother was forced to give him up and as an eight-year-old boy (pictured) was sent to live in Western Australia

Appearing on this evening's episode of ITV's Long Long Family, Dorian found that his late father had not only been paying for his upkeep, but wanted to reunite with both him and his mother

According to the Mirror, Dorian said in the episode: 'They didn't have the right to intervene in such a manner, but they did. The consequences were that the likes me went to places that weren't good to grow up in'.

Dorian was among the 130,000 children sent unaccompanied to countries including Australia and Canada from the 1920s to 1970s under the promise of a better life.

The children, aged between three and 14, were taken from England's 'orphan and waif class' to the colonies to take up land as white settlers.

In reality many found themselves in badly-run institutions where they were poorly educated, and suffered neglect and often physical and sexual abuse, whilst all ties to their families and home country were severed.

Dorian's father, George Thomas, had been born in 1892 and died in 1981. He had fought in the First World War before working as a chemical engineer and had even been awarded an OBE

Dorian had been living in an orphanage run by Father Hudson's Homes when he and his friends were told they would be travelling to Australia for a new life.

He was sent to the Castledare boys' home, a residential college in Wilson run by the Christian Brothers religious order, where he remained for three years.

An inspection of the home in 1948 found the bedroom floors were stained with 'urine which had dropped through the continually saturated mattresses'.

In 2017, an inquiry looking into abuse in England and Wales found the home was like 'a legal paedophile ring' where residents were forced to endure 'sadistic' beatings and sexual abuse.

At the age of 11 Dorian was sent to Clontarf Boys' Town in Perth, also run by the Christian Brothers, where he was routinely beaten by a man named Mowen.

Dorian discovered he had two late siblings and managed to find his niece Anne, and her son Pete, living in Lancashire, who travelled to London to meet their long lost family member

Dorian is pictured with presenter Davina McCall after appearing Long Lost Family: Shipped to Australia which airs on ITV tonight at 9pm

He recalled how some of the boys were so terrified of the man they would urinate with fear and how children who broke the rules were sent to his bedroom for punishment.

'You'd go in there, he'd give you some punishment, then he'd try to console you, sit you on his lap. I'll leave the rest at that,' said Dorian

'Who do you turn to? I'm not the only one that this situation happened to. Some are better, some are a damn sight worse. Lives destroyed by what they came through.'

As an adult Dorian left Australia and returned to London, where he met his wife Kay

Despite having no idea whether she was alive, Kay encouraged Dorian to try and track down his birth mother - who they discovered was alive and had a stall on Whitechapel market.

He says being reunited with his mother was 'magnificent' and it was through his mum that Dorian discovered his father's identity.

Dorian was delighted to discover more about his history after believing he had been abandoned or that ihs parents had died when he was a child

Upon meeting Anne and Pete, Dorian said: 'I thought I'd be able to compose myself, but I was a bit apprehensive but when I got that hug, I felt so much more at ease'

Dorian's father, George Thomas, had been born in 1892 and died in 1981. He had fought in the First World War before working as a chemical engineer and had even been awarded an OBE.

George had separated from his wife in 1938 and nine years later met Dorian's mother.

When his mum died, Dorian made a Freedom of Information request to the British care home he lived in as a child - soon discovering that his father had been desperate to reunite.

He found that George had written to the Birmingham care home saying he wanted to care for his son and his mother - but was told by the home: 'The kindest thing you can do for her is to think of her no more'.

Dorian discovered he had two late siblings and managed to find his niece Anne, and her son Pete, living in Lancashire, who travelled to London to meet their long lost family member.

Upon meeting Anne and Pete, Dorian said: 'I thought I'd be able to compose myself, but I was a bit apprehensive but when I got that hug, I felt so much more at ease.

'You want to know where you've come from and who your family are. Finding my father's family, it's filled a really big gap. It does feel good.'

Long Lost Family: Shipped to Australia airs on ITV tonight at 9pm
A nanny has revealed how she fell in love with her boss and went on to marry him despite a 20 year age gap that sees her regularly being mistaken for his daughter.

Krystle Romano, 29, met husband Ben, 49 when she was hired to look after his children as the family's nanny in Long Island, New York, in November 2014.

Then 23 years old, Krystle quickly became a hit with the three kids. Ben, who was 43 at the time and had full custody of the children after his divorce, fell for her soon afterwards too and the pair wed in November 2017.

Now she's gone from nanny to stepmother - and she's only seven years older than her eldest stepchild.

The couple have become a TikTok sensation with their love story, which sounds like it's straight from a romantic comedy, although they admit thousands of social media users regularly call Krystle a 'gold digger' and a 'homewrecker' for marrying her older boss - even though he was divorced.

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Krystle Romano, 29, met husband Ben, 49 when she was hired to look after his children as the family's nanny in November 2014. They tied the knot in 2017, pictured

Krystle, who was a single-mother-of-one at the time, became a hit with Ben Children and eventually fell for their dad, pictured together with children Frankie, 22, Sal, 17, and Julianna, 19 and Krystle's son Kashton

Ben - who is father to Frankie, 22, Julianna, 19, Sal, 17, from a previous relationship says: 'Krystle has been mistaken for my daughter many, many times.

'When we vacation together as a family or pose for a family portrait, people mistake Krystle for being one of my three daughters. It doesn't bother me - I'm used to it now.

'A lot of people on TikTok assume that I hired Krystle because she was pretty and I wanted to hook up with her or whatever but that's not true at all.

'When we met, she was 23 and I was 43 and we were in totally different places. Our love wasn't planned.

Ben admitted he became attracted to Krystle after seeing her dressed up to go out, and said the attraction only grew from there

The nanny and her family have become a hit on TikTok, where they address the age gap between Krystle and Ben

'Other people online call Krystle a gold digger and a homewrecker. But I didn't have much money when I met her. I call Krystle my lucky charm because my business only really took off when we started dating.'

Krystle - who has a ten-year-old son Kashton from a previous relationship - says: 'People on TikTok are always saying that Ben and I won't last.

'They tell me that he'll start a relationship with the next nanny that comes along and that "you can't turn a h*e into a housewife".

'But Ben and I have been together a long time. I guess people online are interested in us because the nanny becoming the stepmom is like a storyline out of a romantic comedy.

Seven years separate Sal, 17, Ben's son from Kashton, ten, who is Krystle son from another relationship, pictured

Krystle, who started working for Ben nearly ten years ago, is now part of their milestones, like Julianna's graduation, center

The family love to dress up and go out together for special occasion. Krystle began working for Ben when Kashton was three, left

'I love Ben's kids like they were my own and they can always confide in me if they need.

'His daughter, Julianna and I are soulmates. There's only ten years between us so people often think we're sisters.'

Krystle was 23 years old when she was hired by 43-year-old single dad, Ben in November 2014.

Businessman Ben says that Krystle was the worst nanny he'd ever had hired but she was loved by his children - and their relationship grew from there.

Krystle's son Kashton has also become a part of the family. The couple, right, also address the controversy of how they met, as some have accused Krystle or being a gold-digger

The happy couple married three years after initially meeting in 2017, pictured. Krystle admitted she regularly gets mistaken for Ben's daughter

The whole family visited Disney World in Orlando a couple of years ago. Ben and Krystle have now been married for five years

Ben, who is a business owner, recalls: 'We were desperate for a nanny at the time. I was working and had full custody so I needed someone to look after the kids.

'We hired Krystle and she was honestly the worst nanny we had ever had! Her cooking was terrible, her cleaning of the house was terrible and she was terrible at laundry.

'Soon after we hired her, I spoke to my daughter Francesca about how Krystle was not doing a good job and how I was paying her for nothing.

Krystle with Ben and their children when Frankie, now 22, graduated from high school a couple of years back

Krystle with her boys! Ben admitted the nanny was terrible as a caretaker, but that he loved to see how happy she made her kids

The couple on their big day in 2017. After he told his eldest daughter that Krystle was not good at her job, Frankie begged him not to fire her

'But Francesca cried and begged me not to fire her. She said that Krystle was really nice and she was making her feel like a little girl again.

'That definitely caught my attention. Krystle wasn't a good domestic caretaker but I loved that she was making my kids happy.

'I spoke to Krystle very little at the start. I didn't want to have that personal relationship with her because I had hired her as the nanny and I wanted it to be professional.

Krystle, pictured left with Kashton and Frankie and Sal on a night out, was shocked when Ben proposed to her on a gondola in Venice, right

Purple reign! The family looking their best shortly after Krystle and Ben's wedding. Krystle admitted she did not like Ben when they first met

'But I became attracted to Krystle when I saw her dressed up to go out one day. I was like "Ben don't go there!" But the seed was planted.

'We started speaking more and I invited her and her son for Christmas day and that's when we really became close.'

Krystle - who is a Beauty Industry Professional as well as being a mother and step-mother says: 'We didn't like each other when we first met - I hated Ben if I'm honest. But over time, we started talking and then he invited me and son over at Christmas.

Krystle was swayed after Ben bought Christmas presents for her son and she realized he was a nice guy, she said

Looking golden! The family-six love to dress up for special occasions and do family photoshoots

'I wasn't going to show up but the kids begged me to come. When I came over on Christmas Eve, I was touched by all the presents Ben had bought for my son. That was a turning point - I realized he was a nice guy.

'After Christmas, the kids went to Florida to see family and I text him late at night to see how the kids were. We ended up texting and eventually went on a date.

'We kept our relationship a secret from the kids for a long time because we wanted to figure out what we were.

The couple admitted they kept their relationship secret from their kids for a long time while they figured out what they were

Out with the younger kids. Krystle admitted she found it very exciting to date her boss in the early days

Krystle and Ben with their children on their wedding day in 2017. Frankie and Julianna were Krystle's bridesmaid

One happy blended family! Their children played a central role in Ben and Krystle's wedding day

Krystle, pictured with Julianna on her graduation day, is extremely close to her step-children after working as their nanny for some time before becoming their dad's girlfriend

Frankie and Julianna, left, hitting the town with their step-mother. Only seven years separate Frankie and Krystle in age, and she is only ten years older than Julianna

Now that the couple are married, Ben revealed Krystle is the responsible one who likes to stay home, while he likes to party

'It was definitely exciting dating my boss initially. The whole time, Ben and I were like "What are we doing?". I had never done anything like that before!

'The kids caught on to our relationship when Ben suddenly took hold of my hand in the car and they just screamed.'

The couple have opposite personalities to what you would expect from their ages.

Ben says: 'I like to party and stay out more than Krystle. She calls herself a grandma. So it's the opposite to what you would expect.

'Krystle is really responsible and looks after everything in our family now.

'I definitely don't look for a nanny or a secretary myself anymore though - Krystle hires anyone I need now.'

Frankie and Krystle. The nanny was bad at her job and only got to stay on because Frankie begged her dad not to let her go

Ben and Krystle admitted they accidentally revealed they were dating to their children when Ben took his nanny's hand while driving

Krystle is as close to her step-daughter Julianna, left, than she is to her son from another relationship Kashton

The family in a black-and-white portrait taken some years ago. Krystle is now in charge of hiring the household's employees
Queen Azizah of Malaysia has opened up about the emotional toll undergoing strenuous fertility treatment had on her after undergoing IVF treatment 17 times.

The 61-year-old royal struggled to conceive after marrying King Abdullah of Malaysia in 1986 and underwent several rounds of fertility treatment before finally falling pregnant.

She reportedly fell pregnant with a baby boy for the first time in 1990, however the child is thought to have passed away shortly after birth.

Her oldest son, His Royal Highness Prince Regent of Pahang Hassanal, 26, was born in 1995 when Queen Azizah was in her early 30s.

The mother went on to have five further children and says she understands the 'emotional struggle' women go through while facing fertility problems.

The royal, who set up the Tunku Azizah Fertility Foundation to help fund fertility treatments in 2004, told the Telegraph she would 'go home and cry' after having the procedure.

Queen Azizah of Malaysia underwent 16 rounds of IVF after marrying King Abdullah of Malaysia in 1986

Queen Azizah of Malaysia had four sons and two daughters with King Abdullah of Malaysia Pictured, the Pahang Royal Family

'I had 16 rounds of IVF, and on the 17th I succeeded I never thought I'd go on to have five more, including twins.'

'My foundation sponsors treatment for poor and middle-income couples,' she said, 'I know how much it costs, and the emotional struggle people go through. You go for a treatment and you come home and cry.

Born a royal Princess from Malaysia's southerly Johor region, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah is the third daughter of the late Sultan Iskandar of Johor and his British wife, born Josephine Ruby Trevorrow.

Josephine, who was originally from Cornwall, converted to Islam and married Sultan Iskandar in 1956, changing her name to Khalsom binti Abdullah.

His Majesty was installed as king in 2019, a position he will hold until 2024. The King and Queen of Malaysia are pictured during a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, Indonesia in 2019

Tunku Azizah was educated at an all-girl boarding school in Malaysia before studying Political Science and Sociology at the National University of Singapore.

She married Al-Sultan Abdullah at the Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque in 1986 and they have four sons and two daughters together.

There are nine royal households in Malaysia, each of which take it turns to rule. His Majesty was installed as king in 2019, a position he will hold until 2024.

The previous king, Sultan Muhammad V of the State of Kelantan, stepped down after just two years before a brief marriage with a former Miss Moscow, Oksana Voevodina.

All of the couple's children were educated in England, attending prestigious public schools like Harrow and Sherborne and London universities including Oxford Brookes and Royal Holloway.

The Malaysian royals are pictured attending The Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2019

'I just want them all to work, to be exposed to real life, to know what it's like for other people', Queen Azizah told the publication.

As well as her foundation and various patronages, Queen Azizah has written three cookbooks packed full of traditional Malaysian recipes which she sourced from across the country.

The royal is soon to visit the UK for London Craft Week , which will feature an exhibition at the High Commission showcasing the traditional Royal Pahang Silk Weave.

The 300-year-old craft of silk weaving originates in Pahang and Queen Azizah has been instrumental in reviving the dying craft over the last two decades.

The showcase, running from Monday 9th to Sunday 15th May, displays a traditional floor-loom and a selection of Queen Azizahs own garments and pieces from her private collection.
A woman insists that her 27-year age gap with her husband makes him a 'better dad' thanks to his 'mature age' - despite strangers mistaking him for their baby's grandad.

Gretchen Dillon, 36, from Syracuse, New York, preferred to date women before she locked eyes with Michael Dillon, 63, in her local grocery store in October 2014.

Striking up a friendship, the pair soon realized their romantic feelings for each other and started dating in May 2015.

Despite the almost three-decade age difference, the pair married in February 2018 and have now welcomed a son together, Shannon, who is six-months-old.

Gretchen doesn't let judgment hold her back, despite people often thinking Michael is her dad and their son's grandad.

Gretchen Dillon, 36, met her husband Michael, 63, in 2014 in Syracuse, New York. They tied the knot in February 2018, in spite of remarks from Gretchen's friends warning her she would be a young widow

The couple, who started dating in May 2015, have welcomed a son, named Shannon, who is now six-months-old

Gretchen, a market research analyst, said: 'People often mistake my husband for my dad - but we laugh it off.

'Their perceptions quickly change when they get to know Michael and I - they can see we just make sense.

'My friend tried to stop me marrying him. She kept saying I was going to be a widow because he's nearly 30 years older than me, but I loved him and didn't care.

'I was upset when Michael and I first slept together because in my head I didnt think I wanted to be with an older man. I took some time and came to terms with it. Now Im happier than ever.'

The couple tied the knot in 2018 after Michael proposed to Gretchen, left, twice. Gretchen refused his first proposal at Thanksgiving in 2017

After meeting at a gas station outside a grocery store, the pair quickly found themselves bumping into each other around different areas of the store and hit it off.

Gretchen had just moved from Pennsylvania to Syracuse, New York, and was thankful to find a friendly face in Michael, an insurance adjuster.

Michael - who is two years older than Gretchen's mother - offered Gretchen a free room and job to help run his Airbnb in January 2015 and before long their friendship developed into romance, and they started dating in May that year.

Michaels friends thought it was odd when he told them he was dating a woman who was 27 years younger than him, but as soon as they met Gretchen, they could see the pair were a great match.

The new parents live a blissful life with six-months-old Shannon, center, but Gretchen admitted people often mistake Michael for their son's grandfather

'My friends were equally shocked, but their worries went away when they could see how happy I was,' Gretchen said.

Michael proposed twice- the first time in front of his family in their home in Washington D.C, during Thanksgiving 2017.

Gretchen said: 'I told him I didnt want a big show and I didnt want a ring- he presented me with a literal diamond rock, not on a ring.

'I was so upset that he thought he could propose to me on a technicality, I said no on principle in front of his family.

'I cried the entire next day, we had to talk a lot.

'He proposed to me the second time in December on a sunrise kayaking trip in Florida, so I accepted.'

After dating for three-and-a-half years, the pair got married in February 2018 and decided to have a baby together.

Michael already counts one child and a step-child from a previous relationship, but was very excited to be a father again

Gretchen said: 'I did have a friend who tried to put off the wedding saying: "You're going to be a widow."

'I chose to cut her out of my life.'

Gretchen and Michael were married for three years before she got pregnant in January 2021.

The couple welcomed their first child together in October 2021 and are loving being baby Shannon's parents.

'Michael couldn't wait to be a father again - he already has one child and another stepchild from a previous relationship - and I think his age makes him a better father,' Gretchen said.

'He can't be as physically active, but he still loves monkeying around with little Shannon.

Gretchen said that while Michael cannot be as physically active as he used to, he still loves playing around with little Shannon, pictured

'But he's more like a grandad because he has so much more patience.'

Michael said: 'People think Im Shannons grandad all the time but I just laugh it off.'

'The hardest thing about being an older dad is Shannon has just started playgroup and he brings home a lot of colds and bugs.

'The immune system of a 36-year-old is a whole lot better than the immune system of a 63-year-old.

'I constantly have these colds, its exhausting.

'The hardest physical aspect is getting up in the middle of the night but thats becoming less and less and Shannon is a joy.'

Michael is still young at heart and the pair don't see the age gap as a defining factor of their relationship.

Gretchen said: 'It feels like I'm the old one and Michael's the young one. I'm always telling him to turn the music down.

'I would tell any woman in my position that life is too short to be unhappy. If something feels right in your gut - go for it.'

Gretchen isn't worried about becoming a widow and is just focusing on the now.

'Nobody knows when its their time to go,' she said.

Michael said: 'I adore Gretchen and she takes good care of me.

'Im a lot more stable and mature than I was in my thirties and that stability and maturity is comforting to Gretchen.

'There is nothing wrong in the bedroom department, Gretchen is just taking time to recover after giving birth.

'The age difference is tremendously helpful in the success of our relationship.'
A mother whose baby wears clothes designed for three-year-olds has revealed that strangers have been left in shock by his size.

Alexa Priego, 31, from Manhattan, New York, gave birth to baby Kason 11 months ago and claims his size often fools people.

The mother-of three's youngest son was born at a normal weight of 7lb 14oz but became huge after two months of breastfeeding.

Alexa, who works as a hospital administrator, said people often stop her in the street because they're stunned by his size.

Alexa Priego, 31, from Manhattan, New York, claims she has been stopped by strangers in the street because of the size of her son Kason (pictured)

Alexa claims Kason (pictured together) was born at a normal weight of 7lb 14oz but grew in size after being breastfed

Alexa claims doctors told her 11-month-old baby Kason (pictured) is in the 99th percentile for weight and height

Now 11 months old, baby Kason weighs around the same as a two-year-old at 31lbs and fits in clothing for three year olds.

Alexa said: 'He is the heaviest baby in the whole world.

'He's very tall and very chunky - doctors said he is in the 99th percentile for weight and height.

'When people see him they ask his age, and they are shocked when I say 11 months because they expect him to be older.

Alexa, who is also mother to Owen, 10, and Gracie, four, said people often expect Kason to be older than his age

'People are so amazed by it - but when my daughter was born, she was exactly the same.

'I guess I just make big babies!'

Alexa, who is also mother to Owen, 10, and Gracie, four, claims doctors told her that she overproduces milk which could contribute to Kason's huge size.

After being breastfed for several months, he was moved onto formula and recently Alexa has been doing baby-led weaning.

Alexa, who has been doing baby-led weaning with Kason, said her daughter would also shock people with her size

Alexa said 11-month-old baby Kason is 'easygoing', crawls and can walk when he holds onto the side of the couch

She said despite what people might think, Kason is a totally healthy baby.

Alexa continued: 'He is the easiest baby to look after - he's so easygoing and always smiles at people.

'He crawls and can walk when he holds onto the side of the couch and tries to stand on everything.

'He is a very active boy. He crawls really fast too - he's very speedy for a big boy!'

Alexa said people just can't get their heads round his size.

She has friends whose two-year-olds weigh the same as Kason.

People have even stopped her in the street to question his age and their jaws drop when they learn he isn't even one yet.

She added: 'They expect him to be much older. Their reactions amaze me sometimes - I'm like, "Is he really that big?". I guess I just make big babies.'

Alexa who has friends whose two-year-olds weigh the same as Kason, said he is 'very speedy for a big boy'
The children of Brigitte Macron were among the family and friends who celebrated her husband's win last night.

Tiphaine Auziere, 38, and her older sister Laurence, 45, were spotted at their stepfather's rally as Emmanuel Macron, 44, won his second French election.

The Frenchman won the election with 58.5 per cent of the vote against extreme right candidate's Le Pens 41.5 per cent last night.

He and his wife Brigitte, 69, could count on the support of their family as they joined revellers at Paris' Champ de Mars after the results were announced.

Lawyer and activist Tiphaine, the youngest of Mrs Macron's children from her first marriage, made headlines in 2018 when she defended the 24-year age gap between her mother and stepfather and recalled the first time she saw them together.

Tiphaine Auziere (pictured), 38, and her older sister Laurence, 45, were spotted at their stepfather's rally as Emmanuel Macron, 44, won his second French election

The First Lady's youngest daughter wore a graphic white dress for last night's rally in central Paris

Macron celebrated his second presidential win in Paris with his wife of 15 years, their family and supporters

The 38-year-old, who usually keeps a low profile, attended the rally with her older sister and children.

She commanded attention in a vibrant dress in white, black and brown and had her hair up, while her sister wore a black coat with a forest green scarf.

Putting on a stunning display, the two blonde woman were spotted giving the president the thumbs up after his win.

Emmanuel Macron is one year younger than Laurence, and eight years older than Tiphaine, and has reportedly always had a warm relationship with the children of his wife.

Brigitte, who was married to Andre-Louis Auziere for 32 years from 1974 to 2006, had four children by the time she met Emmanuel.

The couple famously were introduced when the president was a student in Amiens, attending the high school where Brigitte taught literature.

Tiphaine attended the event with her sister Laurence, her children and other members of the Auziere family

Tiphaine showed off some leg to celebrate her stepfather's victory. She paired the dress with a black leather bag

In 2018, speaking in the documentary Brigitte Macron: A French Novel, Tiphaine recalled: 'They were quite smitten and it was quite obvious between them and very difficult.

'If I have to give a vision of love, its Emmanuel and Mummy,' Ms Auziere said in the documentary at the time. 'When they are together, it's almost as if the world doesn't exist.'

In 2017, speaking to BFMTV about critics of the Macrons relationship, Tiphaine said: There's a lot of jealousy.

The film marked the first time the family had spoken out about the romance that blossomed after Macron began seeing his drama teacher.

He was in her literature class and attending the theatre workshop she ran at a Catholic high school in Amiens.

In the crowd, Tiphaine seemingly gestured to one of her family members at last night's victorious rally

Hand-in-hand, the Macron couple, who have a 24-year age gap, celebrated the French president's victory

The French president packed up the PDA at last night's event as he gave his wife's hand a kiss

In his book and political manifesto Revolution, Macron described the affair as 'a love often clandestine, often hidden, misunderstood by many before imposing itself.'

The couple have been subjected to several rumours since Macron rose to prominence in the 2010s.

As the French president began his campaign for a second term in February, Brigitte Macron filed a lawsuit against two women who claimed she was transgender.

A first hearing in the case has been set for June 15 in Paris on claims of a violation of privacy and fundamental personal rights and illicit use of her image.

The suit was reportedly co-filed by Mrs Macron's three children from a previous marriage as well as by her brother.

In recent months social media has been ablaze with claims the first lady, formerly Brigitte Trogneux, is a trans woman whose name at birth was Jean-Michel.

One of the women Mrs Macron is suing is a self-proclaimed spiritual medium and the other an independent journalist.

The pair posted the rumour along with pictures of the first lady and her family on YouTube in December. The post coincided with a surge in the hashtag #JeanMichelTrogneux on Twitter and other networks.

Brigitte Macron (R), wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, and her daughter Tiphaine Auziere (L) in 2017

Meanwhile, in 2020, Tiphaine hinted that she may have her sights set on a career in political office, telling a French publication that she often meets with government ministers to offer them advice.

An activist for Macron's party and a lawyer by training, Tiphaine told Paris Match that she often presents government ministers with her latest projects and sometimes even offers her own advice on policies.

But she was keen to stress that she would never be hampered by the rules of the Elysee, saying: 'I act and I inform [them] afterwards.'

Tiphaine, who lives in the port city of Calais, told the magazine how she had travelled to Paris to discuss legal policies with with Eric Dupond-Moretti, the justice minister.

She said: 'We spoke, amongst other things, about accompanying victims, prison reform and reintegration.'

The activist has been involved in local issues, including combating domestic violence, stopping classroom closures and a campaign against a wind farm, wrote Paris March, but Tiphaine claimed she is just a 'committed citizen' rather than a future politician.
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The Duchess of Cambridge dazzled in a white Alexander McQueen coat dress as she arrived at Westminster Abbey alongside her husband the Duke this morning to commemorate Anzac Day.

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The Duke of Cambridge hailed the work of London's Air Ambulance Charity as he urged guests at a gala dinner to help raise 15million needed for new helicopters.

Prince William, 39, who worked as a pilot for East Anglian Air Ambulance from 2015 to 2017, said he had seen first-hand the difference trauma teams can make to those in need.

In March 2020, the duke became patron of London's Air Ambulance Charity, a service he understands well as he served as a helicopter pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance, flying missions for two years before stepping down in July 2017 to focus on his royal duties.

He told the guests gathered for the black-tie event at a central London hotel: What struck me when working as an air ambulance pilot was how serious injury does not discriminate.

The Duke of Cambridge (right), 39, looked dapper in a black suit and bow tie as he joined members of the London Air Ambulance at the charity event, held at at The Londoner Hotel in London

The royal father-of-three has been patron of the London Air Ambulance service since January 2019

The Duke of Cambridge (left) talks to guests at The London's Air Ambulance Charity Gala at The Londoner Hotel, including Ana-Karina de Paula Allen (right), who is a committee member of the charity

It can happen to anyone. At any time. In any place. Just one moment can turn a life upside down.

Earlier this evening, I had the great privilege to meet a young man named Bruno, and his father Daniel. At age 11, Bruno was knocked off his scooter by a vehicle and suffered a serious brain injury.

London's Air Ambulance flew to him immediately, arriving within minutes to bring the hospital to his side and saving his life.

He also praised the efforts of crews flying across the capital helping to save lives, saying: London's airspace is amongst the most difficult in the world in which to fly. The city is congested, and landing spaces are in short supply.

And over the last two years the coronavirus pandemic has added further difficulty to an already challenging situation.

This makes all the more impressive the work that London's Air Ambulance doctors, paramedics, pilots and support staff undertake every day to provide a life-saving service for the capital.

Prince William appeared in great spirits as he attended the London's Air Ambulance Charity gala this evening

The Duke of Cambridge took to his Twitter account to share part of the speech he made at the event (above)

The London's Air Ambulance Charity Gala was raising funds for the Up Against Time appeal, which is seeking 15 million to replace the service's two helicopters by the end of 2024.

Since its inception in 1989, London's Air Ambulance has delivered life-saving treatment at the scene to an estimated 10 million people.

Before the dinner began William chatted to ambulance crews, who wore their orange overalls, and also supporters of the charity and volunteers.

Lynsey Grant, lead paramedic with London's Air Ambulance Charity, joked with the future king who easily slipped back into crew banter.

The duke made the group laugh when he asked Who's going to carry all the bags?, a reference to the medical kit the pilots would bring for their medical colleagues, and Ms Grant cheekily said the royal should join them for a drink.

William, who worked as a pilot for East Anglian Air Ambulance from 2015 to 2017, appeared to laugh and joke with other attendees, which included crew members, former patients and supporters

William met with crew members and other guests before delivering a short speech at the occasion

Londons Air Ambulance Charity delivers an advanced trauma team to critically injured people in the British capital every day of the year. Pictured, Prince William, left

By the end of the pre-dinner reception Ms Grant and a colleague reappeared wearing their evening dresses and William quipped That was a real Bond moment about their quick change.

Ms Grant said afterwards: He really understands what we do and what we're about, the challenges we face and how we work as a team. He's been part of that, at a different organisation obviously, but he gets it.

William met with crew members and other guests before delivering a short speech at the occasion.

In March 2020, the Duke became Patron of Londons Air Ambulance Charity after supporting their 30th Anniversary Campaign Thirty Years Saving Lives.

The campaign was launched to highlight the charitys vital work in delivering life-saving treatment across London, and encourage support for the development of new facilities.

In March 2020, the Duke (pictured right) became Patron of Londons Air Ambulance Charity after supporting their 30th Anniversary Campaign Thirty Years Saving Lives

Earlier today, the Duke (pictured left) joined the Duchess of Cambridge at the Westminster Abbey to commemorate Anzac Day

The Duke of Cambridge (pictured right) talking to guests on his table at The London Air Ambulance Charity Gala

Prince William (pictured) spoke on stage at The London Air Ambulance Charity Gala about the work it delivers to critically injured people in London every day

Earlier today, the Duke joined the Duchess of Cambridge at the Westminster Abbey to commemorate Anzac Day.

The traditional church service in the abbey featured an address by the Dean of Westminster, readings from the New Zealand and Australian high commissioners, prayers read by children of each country, and a Maori waiata performed by London-based Ngati Ranana London Maori Club.

Before visiting the service, William attended a wreath laying ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall on behalf of the Queen.

English socialite and TV personality Tamara Beckwith (pictured left) with her husband Giorgio Veroni (pictured right) made an appearance at tonight's air ambulance event

It comes after the the Duke of Gloucester, 77, attended the Dawn Service at the New Zealand Memorial at Hyde Park, which included readings and the Last Post sounded by a bugler.

Anzac Day - April 25 - marks the anniversary of the start of the First World War Gallipoli landings, and is a national day of remembrance for Australia and New Zealand.

English socialite and TV personality Tamara Beckwith, 52, made a rare appearance at tonight's Air Ambulance Charity Gala with her husband Giorgio Veroni.

Tamara wore a sparkling blue long-sleeve gown with silver sandals and white clutch bag.
A two-year-old escaped death after a lollipop stick that was lodged in her bowels for six months ended up piercing her intestine.

The girl, from Syria, was rushed to hospital after losing consciousness. Doctors said she was cold to touch.

Her parents revealed she had complained of stomach pains the day before, vomited up to eight times and developed a fever.

They also said their daughter, who wasn't identified, had ingested a lollipop stick six months earlier.

The 2.75in (7cm) stick blocked her windpipe and she was unable to breathe briefly  but doctors at the time uncovered no reason to panic and simply told the parents to monitor her faeces.

A two-year-old girl nearly died after a lollipop stick pierced her intestine six months after she swallowed it

Medics at Aleppo University Hospital gave the unconscious girl an ultrasound to find out the root cause of her ailment.

A build-up of fluid was spotted in the cavity between her intestines and other organs  a tell-tale sign of a perforated bowel.

Surgeons drained the fluids to relieve pressure and allow her blood flow to stabilise before they operated.

A follow-up procedure, which saw doctors cut into her abdomen, revealed the lost lollipop stick had perforated her ileum  the last part of the small intestine.

The hollow stick was removed and they sewed the cut in the intestines up.

She was closely monitored at the intensive care unit for several days before doctors discharged her.

The girl was fully recovered as of April 11, when her case was recorded in a scientific journal.

She narrowly avoided complications that could have killed her if she wasn't treated properly, they said.

Writing in the journal, they said: 'An ileal perforation caused after ingesting a foreign object is a rare, life-threatening complication that requires surgical intervention.

'In our case, the ingested object causing the injury was a hollow 2.75in (7cm) long plastic lollipop stick with a diameter of 2 mm.

'To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of pediatric ileal perforation due to an ingested lollipop stick.'

The girl's case was reported in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery Case Reports.
When it comes to wine, the French might be on to something.

Drinkers of beer and spirits have high levels of harmful fat linked with heart disease  but wine lovers seem to be protected against it, a study suggests.

Red wine was actually linked to lower levels of visceral fat, which develops around the organs and can cause a range of health issues. It is different to the traditional abdominal fat, often dubbed a 'beer belly'.

While there was seemingly no protective effect, white wine drinkers were spared from the build-up of fat seen with other types of alcohol.

White wine was also found to increase bone density when drank in moderation  which is crucial to avoid broken bones as we age.

The study looked at nearly 2,000 Britons aged 40 to 79 years, using surveys, scans and physical exams.

A study of nearly 2,000 middle-aged and elderly Britons found those who mainly drink beer and spirits have higher levels of visceral fat, which is wrapped around the organs and linked with cardiovascular disease

Instead of looking at weight gain, the researchers examined visceral fat deposits around the internal organs, such as the liver, pancreas and intestines.

Each alcohol has a different nutrient profile so a 'strong preference' for one type contributes to different body composition, such as beer-drinkers having a larger waistline, they said.

The researchers said adults should be encouraged to drink in moderation but to replace beer and spirit drinking with wine to reduce the risk of weight gain.

And those at risk of developing osteoporosis could be advised to ensure a high proportion of their total alcohol intake is white wine, they noted.

The team, from Iowa State University, used patient data from the UK Biobank  a database of patients monitored for 10 years.

They examined data for 1,869 white Britons aged 40 to 79.

How much alcohol is too much? To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level, the NHS advises men and women not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week. A unit of alcohol is 8g or 10ml of pure alcohol, which is about: half a pint of lower to normal-strength lager/beer/cider (ABV 3.6%) a single small shot measure (25ml) of spirits (25ml, ABV 40%) A small glass (125ml, ABV 12%) of wine contains about 1.5 units of alcohol. But the NHS warns the risk to your health is increased by drinking any amount of alcohol on a regular basis. Short-term risks include injury, violent behaviour and alcohol poisoning. Long-term risks include heart and liver disease, strokes, as well as liver, bowel, moth and breast cancer. People who drink as much as 14 units a week are advised to spread it evenly over three or more days, rather than binge drinking. Women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant are advised not to drink to reduce risks for the baby. Source: NHS Advertisement

The volunteers self-reported demographic, alcohol and lifestyle information through three annual questionnaires.

Participants were classified as beer, wine or spirit drinks if three-quarters of their total intake came from one type of alcohol.

Their height, weight and blood samples were gathered, along with body composition data which was collected through a scan.

This provided information on their visceral fat, which surrounds the body's organs, subcutaneous fat, the fat just under the skin, as well as lean muscle mass and bone mineral density through scans.

The results, published in the Obesity Science & Practice journal, show people consumed 10 drinks per week, on average.

Men mostly drank beer or had no preference on the alcohol they consumed, while women preferred wine.

The researchers found those who drank beer and spirits had more visceral fat.

They noted that while beer has the lowest alcohol percentage, it is high in carbohydrates and calories which contributes to visceral fat gain.

And those who mainly drank spirits had higher levels of both visceral and subcutaneous fat.

The team said this cohort had less educational qualifications and lower incomes, which is also linked with being overweight.

However, those who drank red wine had lower levels of fat.

The team suggested the wine may reduce inflammation, trigger higher levels of 'good' cholesterol - called high-density lipoproteins - and discourage fat storage.

And while drinking white wine did not have any impact on visceral fat levels, those who drank it in moderation had denser bones.

This may be down to higher levels of polyphenols, compounds packed with antioxidants and health benefits, in white wine compared to red wine.

Red wine has been linked with other health benefits, such as reduced risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes when consumed in moderation.

The team said their finding shows 'direct associations' between the type of alcohol a person consumes and their body composition.

However, they noted that the data was self-reported so could provide only 'crude estimations' and may not apply to younger adults.

Writing in The Conversation, the researchers said it is vital to examine all the potential contributors to weight gain to combat the obesity crisis, with alcohol being 'one possible driving factor' for the epidemic.

Nearly two-thirds of adults in the UK are overweight or obese, while the figure rises to 75 per cent in the US.

Doctors should encourage older adults to drink in moderation but for their alcohol intake to mainly be red wine and reduce their beer and spirit intake to avoid weight gain.

And patients with lower bone density - known as osteopenia - could be advised to consume mainly white wine.

However, they noted more studies were needed before these recommendations can be made confidently.
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The United States has now recorded 11 cases of unexplained hepatitis in children, as the global toll hits 169 and the first death is registered  with some doctors warning Covid infections could be behind the illnesses.

North Carolina has detected two cases in school-age children, on top of the nine spotted among children under six in Alabama since October. Health officials say both have recovered, and did not need liver transplants.

In Britain  which was first to detect the outbreak  another two children have transplants, health officials revealed today, bringing the country's total to 10. It has spotted 114 children with the peculiar disease, with experts warning the case count could be just the 'tip of the iceberg'.

Although many scientists say adenoviruses  which can cause the common cold  are behind the outbreak, some suggest a previous Covid infection followed by catching an adenovirus, or being infected with both viruses at the same time, may be triggering the unexplained illness. A new Covid variant also was suggested.

Dr Muge Cevik, an infectious diseases expert at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, said today on Twitter that 'acute severe hepatitis has not been a common feature of Covid in children, so it's less likely to explain this presentation'.

'(But) the general consensus is that it's less likely for adenoviruses to cause acute severe (hepatitis) in healthy children, so need to continue investigating other causes.'

In Israel, 11 of the 12 sick children tested positive for the Covid over the last year. In Britain, scientists still are investigating Covid as a possible cause after finding it was the second most common infection patients test positive for, behind adenovirus which can trigger the common cold.

A total of 20 hepatitis patients have tested positive for Covid globally, and another 19 were found to be infected with both an adenovirus and Covid. Adenoviruses have been detected in 74 of the hepatitis cases. Neither child who developed hepatitis in North Carolina was infected with the adenovirus.

Other possible causes of the illness include a lack of immunity to adenoviruses, possibly due to lockdowns, and mutations in adenoviruses or Covid raising the risk of an infection triggering hepatitis.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today reported the 'acute hepatitis of unknown origin' had been detected among children aged one month to 16, and led to the majority of patients being hospitalized and 17 liver transplants.

Twelve countries have spotted the illness, with cases also detected in Spain, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Norway, Romania and Belgium. A probable case was also reported in Japan today.

UK health officials have ruled out the Covid vaccine as a possible cause, with none of the children in the British cases having been vaccinated because of their young age. None of the cases in the US was among vaccinated children either.

The World Health Organization said it has received reports of at least 169 cases of 'acute hepatitis of unknown origin' from 12 countries as of Saturday. In the U.S., cases have so far mostly tested positive for Covid

Sick children with unexplained hepatitis are most likely to test positive for adenovirus, according to data from England. Covid is the second most likely virus for them to test positive for. The graph above was presented today at a briefing from the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases based in Lisbon, Portugal

WHAT COULD BE BEHIND THE HEPATITIS OUTBREAK? While some experts believe adenovirus  a virus associated with many common colds  could be behind the spate of cases, the jury is out on what the exact cause of the outbreak is. Covid has also been suggested as a possible cause. Co-infection Experts say the cases may be linked to a virus commonly associated with colds, but further research is ongoing. This, in combination with Covid infections, could be causing the spike in cases, some claim. 'While adenovirus is a possible hypothesis, investigations are ongoing for the causative agent,' WHO said, It noted that the virus has been detected in at least 74 of the cases. At least 20 of the children tested positive for the coronavirus. Weakened immunity British experts tasked with investigating the spate of illnesses believe the endless cycle of lockdowns may have played a contributing role. Restrictions may have weakened children's immunity, leaving them at heightened risk of adenovirus. Writing in the journal Eurosurveillance, the team  led by Public Health Scotland epidemiologist Dr Kimberly Marsh  said more children could be 'immunologically naive' to the virus because of restrictions. They said: 'The leading hypotheses centre around adenovirus  either a new variant with a distinct clinical syndrome or a routinely circulating variant that is more severely impacting younger children who are immunologically naive. 'The latter scenario may be the result of restricted social mixing during the pandemic.' Adenovirus mutation Other scientists said it may have been a virus that has acquired 'unusual mutations'. A virology specialist at Imperial College London told The Telegraph it is 'very unusual and rare' for children to suffer severe hepatitis, especially to the extent that they require a liver transplant. The expert, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'The number of cases is exceptional. 'It makes people think there is something unusual going on  such as a virus that has mutated or some other cause. It has sent alarm bells ringing.' New Covid variant UKHSA officials included 'a new variant of SARS-CoV-2' in their working hypotheses, when discussing the variant at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases in Lisbon today. Advertisement

North Carolina's Department of Health said it was now conducting surveillance for other cases in the state, and trying to establish a cause of the illness.

Neither patient tested positive for adenoviruses, and it is not clear if they were swabbed for Covid.

In Alabama, health officials said all nine children tested positive for adenoviruses, and none had Covid when they were hospitalized.

Two children in the state also needed a liver transplant.

Doctors say all the children were previously healthy with no underlying health conditions, and there were no links between the cases.

None of the cases was caused by any of the five typical strains of the virus  hepatitis A, B, C, D and E.

Last week the CDC issued an alert calling for unexplained cases of hepatitis to be reported to officials.

Britain has now recorded 114 sick children with hepatitis, suffering symptoms including jaundice, vomiting and abdominal pain.

They said 40 of the 53 patients tested were found to have adenovirus, while 10 tested positive for Covid.

British Government scientists say adenoviruses are 'increasingly likely' to be the cause of the inflammatory liver disease.

But some scientists suggest a recent Covid infection followed by catching an adenovirus or being infected with both viruses at the same time may be leading to the unexplained illness.

Lack of immunity from adenoviruses due to lockdowns is also a possible factor.

'In summary, causes of acute hepatitis seen in children remain unknown. It could be an infectious or non-infectious cause,' Cevik said

'Unlikely to be Covid or vaccine related. Toxins, drugs and other exposures still need to be explored.'

'Interesting discussion about whether clinical presentation could be explained by adenovirus alone.

'The general consensus is that it's less likely for adenovirus to cause acute severe presentation in healthy children, so need to continue investigating other causes.'

A European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases briefing today suggested it was likely another factor could be triggering adenovirus cases in children leading to hepatitis.

'Working hypotheses [for cause of unexplained hepatitis cases] include a co-factor affecting young children which is rendering normal adenovirus infections more severe or causing them to trigger immunopathology,' the agency, based in Lisbon, Portugal, said in a presentation.

'This may be: Susceptibility, for example due to lack of prior exposure during the pandemic.

'A prior infections with SARS-COV-2 or another infection, including an Omicron restricted effect.

'A co-infection with SARS-COV-2 or another infection.

'A drug, toxin or environmental exposure.'

Some experts also suggest a new Covid variant could be behind the spate of hepatitis cases.

'It is not yet clear if there has been an increase in hepatitis cases, or an increase in awareness of hepatitis cases that occur at the expected rate but go undetected,' the WHO said.

However, other scientists have suggested the amount of severe cases in children is unusual.

'Although the numbers arent big, the consequences have been quite severe. Its important that countries look,' Richard Pebody, who heads the high threats pathogen team at the WHO, told STAT News.

Experts say the cases may be linked to a virus commonly associated with colds, known as an adenovirus, but that further research is ongoing.

'While adenovirus is a possible hypothesis, investigations are ongoing for the causative agent,' WHO said. Experts are probing whether the cases are linked to the two viruses.

The above graph shows 16 per cent of unexplained hepatitis cases have tested positive for Covid upon admission to hospital. Of those swabbed, two tested positive for Omicron and two for the more infectious sub-type of Omicron. The graph above was presented today at a briefing from the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases based in Lisbon, Portugal

The main symptom patients are presenting with is jaundice, followed by vomiting and abdominal pain. The graph above was presented today at a briefing from the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases based in Lisbon, Portugal

British scientists have suggested that lockdowns may have played a contributing role, weakening children's immunity and leaving them at heightened risk of adenovirus. Others said the cases may be the result of a virus that has acquired 'unusual mutations'.

Professor Graham Cooke, an expert in infectious diseases at Imperial College London, said it is unlikely Covid was responsible.

'Mild hepatitis is very common in children following a range of viral infections, but what is being seen at the moment is quite different,' Cooke said.

'If the hepatitis was a result of Covid it would be surprising not to see it more widely distributed across the country given the high prevalence of (Covid) at the moment.'

A virology specialist at Imperial told The Telegraph it is 'very unusual and rare' for children to suffer severe hepatitis, especially to the extent that they require a liver transplant.

'The number of cases is exceptional. It makes people think there is something unusual going on  such as a virus that has mutated or some other cause. It has sent alarm bells ringing,' the expert, who wished to remain anonymous, said.

U.S. experts called for calm among parents last week, saying that the hepatitis cases were 'very rare' and not something for them to worry about.

Dr Aaron Milstone, a pediatric diseases expert at Johns Hopkins medical school, told DailyMail.com: 'It is too early to worry at this point, but as we learned with Covid we will need to follow the pattern.'

Dr Richard Malley, an infectious disease expert at Boston Children's Hospital, urged parents not to think of the cluster as 'the next pandemic'.

Hepatitis often has no noticeable symptoms  but they can include dark urine, pale grey-colored feces, itchy skin and the yellowing of the eyes and skin.

Infected people can also suffer muscle and joint pain, a high temperature, feeling and being sick and being unusually tired all of the time.

When hepatitis is spread by a virus, it's usually caused by consuming food and drink contaminated with the feces of an infected person or blood-to-blood or sexual contact.
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Covid cases are on the rise in the U.S., reaching their highest point of the spring season on Monday after a sharp weekly increase, though the nation's top health officials are assuring Americans that there still isn't much to worry about.

Dr Ashish Jha, the White House Coronavirus Response coordinator, told NPR on Monday that the country is still in a much better place now than it was in previous months, mainly because of the high vaccine and booster uptake in the U.S.

America is currently averaging 50,280 cases per day, an increase of nearly 50 percent over the last seven days and the highest daily average since early March. Part of this climb is because of a massive Covid case backlog that entered the ledger on Friday, with more than 100,000 cases reported on a single day nationwide.

Despite the uptick in case, death figures still remain low, with 374 Americans dying from the virus daily - a 17 percent drop over the last seven days and keeping the lowest death figure trends since August intact.

If you take a step back and look at the big picture, its really worth [noting] that this is happening in a context where more than 200 million Americans have been vaccinated, more than 100 million Americans have been boosted,' Jha said of the recent increases in cases.

Dr Ashish Jha (pictured), White House Covid response coordinator, told NPR on Monday that despite rising cases the country is in the a good place

I do think we are in a much better place then weve been in the past.

While cases have significantly increased in recent days, clearing the 50,000 mark after spending much of late-March and April in the 30,000s, the figures are still nowhere near large enough to be considered a surge of the virus.

For comparison, the winter Omicron surge peaked at 800,000 cases per day - meaning daily figures have still dropped 94 percent since the virus' peak.

Deaths are also at their lowest point since just before the Delta variant surge last summer, and hospitalizations - while an unreliable figure overall - have also hovered near a pandemic-low 15,000 per day in recent weeks.

As Jha says, the prevalence of the COVID-19 vaccine in America is largely responsible for the slowing mortality of the virus. Nearly 90 percent of American adults have received at least one shot of the vaccine, with one-third of the population also receiving a booster dose.

The assurances come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially has begun tracking a new COVID-19 variant, the BA.2.12.1, a sub-variant of the BA.2 'stealth' variant, which is in itself a variant of Omicron.

Last week, the CDC included the BA.2.12.1 variant on its NOWCAST, with the strain making up 19 percent of sequenced cases in America. The sub-strain falls within the BA.2 lineage - which is in itself a sub-strain of the Omicron variant.

Little is known about this version of the virus, though it is believed to have a 27 percent growth advantage over the original version of BA.2, though there is no evidence that it is more severe than its predecessor.

The BA.2.12.1 variant was first detected by officials in New York last week. The CDC reports that the strain is now dominant in the region - which also includes neighboring New Jersey - making up 52.3 percent of cases.

Since the discovery of the variant, Covid cases in New York have begun to grow, recording a 66 percent jump of the past two weeks.

New York City is recording increases as well, with daily case figures up nearly 50 percent over the last 14 days.

The CDC designated region that includes New Jersey and New York is the only one in America to have BA.2.12.1 as the dominant strain.

Other areas where the new Omicron strain has made grounds include the mid-Atlantic, which includes Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware, where it accounts for 23 percent of sequenced cases. It also makes up around 20 percent of cases in New England and in the Deep South.

The CDC, which has been more cautious than many others throughout the pandemic, is also noting the receding of the pandemic in its figures as well. According to the most recent update from the CDC, less than one percent of counties in the are U.S. considered to be of 'high' Covid risk.

Only 14 counties in the U.S. - less than 0.5 percent of America - are considered to be of 'high' Covid risk. 13 of the counties are in New York, with the remaining one in Kansas.

There is no information on whether the new strain, which is dominant in New York, is responsible for the higher transmission risk.

Earlier this year, the CDC revised its Covid risk calculations to value hospitalization rates over all else, moving on from previous metrics where only daily infection figures were used.
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Dozens of mysterious hepatitis cases spotted in children could be just 'the tip of the iceberg', experts warned today amid growing concerns about the mysterious global outbreak.

Nearly 170 youngsters have been sickened around the world since the first case was detected in Scotland at the end of March, according to the World Health Organization. One has died and 17 have needed liver transplants.

But leading virologists fear the real toll could actually be magnitudes higher because many parents may brush off the warning signs.

Jaundice  the yellowing of the skin or eyes, a tell-tale sign of liver disease  has been spotted in fewer than half of the ill children. Other symptoms, such as nausea, diarrhoea, lethargy and stomach pains are usually put down to other illnesses, such as food poisoning or norovirus.

Professor Simon Taylor-Robinson, a hepatologist from Imperial College London, told MailOnline: 'I think there are more cases out there. [17 transplants] is quite a high number for how many cases we have spotted.

'I'd imagine there are more cases than have been reported  but they are likely to be less severe.'

Asked if this could be the tip of iceberg, Professor Taylor-Robinson said: 'I think so yes'.

Twelve countries have spotted cases of the hepatitis of unknown origin, with 114 British children and 11 Americans known to have been sickened.

Health chiefs believe the illness may be triggered by an adenovirus  usually to blame for the sniffles. Experts say lockdowns may have weakened the immunity of children and left them more susceptible to the virus, or it may be a mutated version.

Investigations are ongoing but officials have yet to rule out a new Covid variant being to blame. Another theory is that children may have been battling the adenovirus at the same time as Covid.

UK health officials have ruled out the Covid vaccine as a possible cause, with none of the ill British children having been vaccinated because of their young age. None of the cases in the US were jabbed either.

The World Health Organization said it has received reports of at least 169 cases of 'acute hepatitis of unknown origin' from 12 countries as of Saturday

Covid lockdowns may be behind the mysterious spate of hepatitis cases in children because they reduced social mixing and weakened their immunity, experts claim

Professor Taylor-Robinson told MailOnline: 'I think it is likely that children mixing in kindergartens and schools have lower immunity to seasonal adenoviruses than in previous years because of restrictions.

'This means they could be more at risk of developing hepatitis because their immune response is weaker to the virus.'

He said children are less likely to complain about symptoms than adults  and urged parents to be alert to early issues including stomach pains and yellowing eyes.

But he added there is no reason to panic because in '99 per cent' of cases the liver is able to regenerate and the chances of needing a transplant or dying because of the condition are low.

WHAT COULD BE BEHIND THE HEPATITIS OUTBREAK? While experts believe adenovirus  a virus associated with many common colds  could be behind the spate of cases, the jury is out on what the exact cause of the outbreak is. Co-infection One theory suggests children being infected with Covid and adenovirus at the same time could be at greater risk of hepatitis. Weakened immunity British experts have suggested lockdowns and restrictions have put children at greater risk because they have lower natural immunity to adenovirus. Adenovirus mutation Other scientists said it may have been an adenovirus that has acquired 'unusual mutations'. New Covid variant UKHSA officials included 'a new variant of SARS-CoV-2' in their working hypotheses, when discussing the variant at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases in Lisbon today. Advertisement

Professor Alastair Sutcliffe, a paediatrician at University College London, told MailOnline mounting cases are a 'a concerning and depressing situation for families' but parents should not fear.

He said: 'What is for families to consider [is] if their child develops jaundice after the first few months of life they need medical attention fast.

'But that is true of any child who develops jaundice after the first few months of life so is not new advice.

'With one death and no known cause life should continue as before. Nothing is more fearful than fear itself.'

World Health Organization (WHO) bosses have received reports of at least 169 cases of 'acute hepatitis of unknown origin' from 12 countries.

Cases were detected in children aged one month to 16, the majority of whom have been hospitalised. The WHO has not disclosed which country the only known death occurred in.

The first hepatitis cases were recorded in Britain, where 114 children have now been sickened. Thirteen cases have been detected in Spain, 12 in Israel and 11 in the US  including nine in Alabama and two in North Carolina.

The unusual illness has also been spotted in Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Norway, Romania and Belgium.

The WHO said: 'It is not yet clear if there has been an increase in hepatitis cases, or an increase in awareness of hepatitis cases that occur at the expected rate but go undetected.'

However, other scientists have suggested the amount of severe cases in children is unusual.

Richard Pebody, who heads the high threats pathogen team at the WHO, told STAT News: 'Although the numbers aren't big, the consequences have been quite severe. It's important that countries look.'

None of the cases have been caused by any of the five typical strains of the virus  hepatitis A, B, C, D and E.

Experts say the cases may be linked to a virus commonly associated with colds, known as an adenovirus, but that further research is ongoing.

'While adenovirus is a possible hypothesis, investigations are ongoing for the causative agent,' WHO said.

It noted that the cold-like virus has been detected in at least 74 of the cases  however not all children were tested.

And 19 of the patients also had a Covid co-infection. One more child had Covid but not the adenovirus.

Experts are probing whether the cases are linked to the two viruses.

UK Health Security Agency experts were called to a briefing at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases in Lisbon today to present data around the current situation in Britain.

Scientists claimed they could not rule out Covid as a possible cause of the outbreak  and also suggested a new coronavirus variant could be behind it.

Dr Muge Cevik, an infectious diseases expert at the University of St Andrews, in Scotland, warned the virus was a possible explanation  but noted hepatitis has 'not been a common feature' of infections in children.

'Acute severe hepatitis has not been a common feature of Covid in children, so it's less likely to explain this presentation,' he said.

'Adenovirus [Common cold virus] was detected in 40 of 53 cases, but not all cases are tested. Adenovirus testing has been inconsistent in other samples, and it's too early to confirm characterization.

'It's important for all countries to share their data once available.'

British scientists have also suggested that lockdowns may have played a contributing role, weakening children's immunity and leaving them at heightened risk of adenovirus.

Others said the cases may be the result of a virus that has acquired 'unusual mutations'.

Only 80 per cent of hepatitis have an identifiable cause, experts said.

Professor Graham Cooke, an expert in infectious diseases at Imperial College London, said it is unlikely Covid was responsible.

He said: 'Mild hepatitis is very common in children following a range of viral infections, but what is being seen at the moment is quite different.

'If the hepatitis was a result of Covid it would be surprising not to see it more widely distributed across the country given the high prevalence of (Covid) at the moment.'

A virology specialist at Imperial told The Telegraph it is 'very unusual and rare' for children to suffer severe hepatitis, especially to the extent that they require a liver transplant.

The expert, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'The number of cases is exceptional.

'It makes people think there is something unusual going on  such as a virus that has mutated or some other cause. It has sent alarm bells ringing.'

Hepatitis often has no noticeable symptoms  but they can include dark urine, pale grey-coloured faeces, itchy skin and the yellowing of the eyes and skin.

Infected people can also suffer muscle and joint pain, a high temperature, feeling and being sick and being unusually tired all of the time.

When hepatitis is spread by a virus, it's usually caused by consuming food and drink contaminated with the faeces of an infected person or blood-to-blood or sexual contact.
Walking at a brisk pace for just 75 minutes every week could cut your risk of depression, a new study finds.

The World Health Organization recommends everyone should exercise for at least two-and-a-half hours every seven days.

But researchers at Cambridge University, England, found adults who got half as much were a fifth less likely to have depression, while those who did the full time had a 25 per cent reduced risk.

Scientists said it suggests even a small amount of exercise could have a 'substantial benefit' to someone's mental health.

Exercise may help with depression because it triggers the release of endorphins  feel-good chemicals  and improves perception of body image, they said.

Researchers tracked the exercise regimes of more than 190,000 people during the study, to calculate the risk of them having depression (stock image)

Depression is a major cause of disability worldwide, with sufferers battling through long periods of unhappiness and hopelessness.

About one in five American adults  or 40 million people  suffer from the condition, estimates suggest.

Some studies have suggested physical activity can help to prevent depression, and may even be as effective as anti-depressants.

How does exercise reduce the risk of depression? Several studies say exercise can help to ease depression, and prevent the condition. Below are some of the key reasons: Biological processes : Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins, or feel-good chemicals, in the brain helping lift moods;

: Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins, or feel-good chemicals, in the brain helping lift moods; Appearance : Working out often can also help someone to feel more positive about their body;

: Working out often can also help someone to feel more positive about their body; Social Interactions : Some exercise can also lead to more interaction with others, through joining a team or local club;

: Some exercise can also lead to more interaction with others, through joining a team or local club; Hippocampus : It can also lead to the brain area that regulates mood growing larger, improving nerve connections and helping to relieve depression, scientists say. Source: Harvard University Advertisement

In the latest meta-analysis  published in JAMA Psychiatry  researchers analyzed data from 190,000 adults, including 28,000 who had depression.

The 15 studies used all monitored participants activity levels and whether they had depression for at least three years.

People who did half of the recommended amount of exercise were compared to those who did no exercise.

The vast majority of studies used were carried out in the developed world, with six in the U.S., six in Europe, and one in both Australia and Japan.

One study was conducted in the developing world, which looked at India, Ghana, Mexico and Russia.

There was a quick reduction in rates of depression even at low activity levels, results showed.

But when participants did more activity, mood-boosting returns steadily reduced.

In the study led by Dr Matthew Pearce, an epidemiologist, scientists noted: 'Substantial mental health benefits can be achieved at physical activity levels even below the public health recommendations.

'(There was) an additional benefit for meeting the minimum target, but limited extra benefit beyond that.'

They added: 'Assuming causality, one in nine cases of depression might have been prevented if everybody in the population was active at the level of current health recommendations.'

The researchers said it was likely 'more than one mechanism' triggered by exercise was resulting in lower rates of depression.

They suggested exercise may relieve symptoms because it triggers the release of endorphins in the brain, promoting feelings of well-being.

It could also improve someone's self-perception, body image and encourage more social interactions.

But they warned the associations could actually come down to people with depression being less likely to exercise, rather than working out having a benefit.

'It is still possible that the associations observed... could overestimate the role of physical activity,' they said.

The study was observational, and could not rule out another factor causing reduced depression rates in people who exercise more.
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Dozens of mysterious hepatitis cases spotted in children could be just 'the tip of the iceberg', experts warned Monday amid growing concerns about the mysterious global outbreak.

Nearly 170 children around the world have been sickened since the first case was detected in Scotland at the end of March, according to the World Health Organization. One child has died and 17 have needed liver transplants as a result.

Eleven of these cases have been detected in the U.S., including nine in Alabama and two in North Carolina.

Leading virologists fear the real toll of the infection could actually be magnitudes higher because many parents may brush off the warning signs.

Jaundice  the yellowing of the skin or eyes, a tell-tale sign of liver disease  has been spotted in fewer than half of the ill children. Other symptoms, such as nausea, diarrhea, lethargy and stomach pains are usually put down to other illnesses, such as food poisoning or norovirus.

'I think there are more cases out there. [17 transplants] is quite a high number for how many cases we have spotted,' Simon Taylor-Robinson, a hepatologist from Imperial College London, in the UK, told MailOnline.

'I'd imagine there are more cases than have been reported  but they are likely to be less severe,' he added, then saying he agreed that this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Twelve countries have spotted cases of the hepatitis of unknown origin, with the 114 cases detected in the UK leading the way.

The World Health Organization said it has received reports of at least 169 cases of 'acute hepatitis of unknown origin' from 12 countries as of Saturday

Health officials believe the illness may be triggered by an adenovirus  usually to blame for the common cold. Experts say lockdowns may have weakened the immunity of children and left them more susceptible to the virus, or it may be a mutated version.

Investigations are ongoing but officials have yet to rule out a new Covid variant being to blame. Another theory is that children may have been battling the adenovirus at the same time as Covid.

Covid lockdowns may be behind the mysterious spate of hepatitis cases in children because they reduced social mixing and weakened their immunity, experts claim

UK health officials have ruled out the Covid vaccine as a possible cause, with none of the ill British children having been vaccinated because of their young age. None of the cases in the US were among vaccinated children either.

'I think it is likely that children mixing in kindergartens and schools have lower immunity to seasonal adenoviruses than in previous years because of restrictions,' Taylor-Robinson told MailOnline.

'This means they could be more at risk of developing hepatitis because their immune response is weaker to the virus.'

He said children are less likely to complain about symptoms than adults  and urged parents to be alert to early issues including stomach pains and yellowing eyes.

But he added there is no reason to panic because in '99 percent' of cases the liver is able to regenerate and the chances of needing a transplant or dying because of the condition are low.

Professor Alastair Sutcliffe, a pediatrician at University College London, told MailOnline mounting cases are a 'a concerning and depressing situation for families' but parents should not fear.

'What is for families to consider [is] if their child develops jaundice after the first few months of life they need medical attention fast,' he said.

'But that is true of any child who develops jaundice after the first few months of life so is not new advice.

'With one death and no known cause life should continue as before. Nothing is more fearful than fear itself.'

WHAT COULD BE BEHIND THE HEPATITIS OUTBREAK? While experts believe adenovirus  a virus associated with many common colds  could be behind the spate of cases, the jury is out on what the exact cause of the outbreak is. Co-infection One theory suggests children being infected with Covid and adenovirus at the same time could be at greater risk of hepatitis. Weakened immunity British experts have suggested lockdowns and restrictions have put children at greater risk because they have lower natural immunity to adenovirus. Adenovirus mutation Other scientists said it may have been an adenovirus that has acquired 'unusual mutations'. New Covid variant UKHSA officials included 'a new variant of SARS-CoV-2' in their working hypotheses, when discussing the variant at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases in Lisbon today. Advertisement

World Health Organization (WHO) bosses have received reports of at least 169 cases of 'acute hepatitis of unknown origin' from 12 countries.

Cases were detected in children aged one month to 16, the majority of whom have been hospitalized. The WHO has not disclosed which country the only known death occurred in.

The first hepatitis cases were recorded in Britain, where 114 children have now been sickened. Thirteen cases have been detected in Spain, and 12 in Israel.

The unusual illness has also been spotted in Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Norway, Romania and Belgium.

'It is not yet clear if there has been an increase in hepatitis cases, or an increase in awareness of hepatitis cases that occur at the expected rate but go undetected,' the WHO said.

However, other scientists have suggested the amount of severe cases in children is unusual.

Richard Pebody, who heads the high threats pathogen team at the WHO, told STAT News: 'Although the numbers aren't big, the consequences have been quite severe. It's important that countries look.'

None of the cases have been caused by any of the five typical strains of the virus  hepatitis A, B, C, D and E.

Experts say the cases may be linked to a virus commonly associated with colds, known as an adenovirus, but that further research is ongoing.

'While adenovirus is a possible hypothesis, investigations are ongoing for the causative agent,' WHO said.

It noted that the cold-like virus has been detected in at least 74 of the cases  however not all children were tested.

And 19 of the patients also had a Covid co-infection. One more child had Covid but not the adenovirus.

Experts are probing whether the cases are linked to the two viruses.

UK Health Security Agency experts were called to a briefing at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases in Lisbon today to present data around the current situation in Britain.

Scientists claimed they could not rule out Covid as a possible cause of the outbreak  and also suggested a new coronavirus variant could be behind it.

Dr Muge Cevik, an infectious diseases expert at the University of St Andrews, in Scotland, warned the virus was a possible explanation  but noted hepatitis has 'not been a common feature' of infections in children.

'Acute severe hepatitis has not been a common feature of Covid in children, so it's less likely to explain this presentation,' he said.

'Adenovirus [Common cold virus] was detected in 40 of 53 cases, but not all cases are tested. Adenovirus testing has been inconsistent in other samples, and it's too early to confirm characterization.

'It's important for all countries to share their data once available.'

British scientists have also suggested that lockdowns may have played a contributing role, weakening children's immunity and leaving them at heightened risk of adenovirus.

Others said the cases may be the result of a virus that has acquired 'unusual mutations'.

Only 80 per cent of hepatitis have an identifiable cause, experts said.

Professor Graham Cooke, an expert in infectious diseases at Imperial College London, said it is unlikely Covid was responsible.

'Mild hepatitis is very common in children following a range of viral infections, but what is being seen at the moment is quite different,' he said.

'If the hepatitis was a result of Covid it would be surprising not to see it more widely distributed across the country given the high prevalence of (Covid) at the moment.'

A virology specialist at Imperial told The Telegraph it is 'very unusual and rare' for children to suffer severe hepatitis, especially to the extent that they require a liver transplant.

The expert, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'The number of cases is exceptional.

'It makes people think there is something unusual going on  such as a virus that has mutated or some other cause. It has sent alarm bells ringing.'

Hepatitis often has no noticeable symptoms  but they can include dark urine, pale grey-coloured faeces, itchy skin and the yellowing of the eyes and skin.

Infected people can also suffer muscle and joint pain, a high temperature, feeling and being sick and being unusually tired all of the time.

When hepatitis is spread by a virus, it's usually caused by consuming food and drink contaminated with the faeces of an infected person or blood-to-blood or sexual contact.
Suicides among American teenagers rose during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, data from a study shows  but rates fell among adults.

Researchers, led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Boston, found there were 903 suicides among 10- to 19-year-olds across 14 states in 2020  up eight percent from the 835 suicides average for the previous five years.

For comparison, the number of suicides recorded overall fell two percent to 13,900 over the first year of Covid, from about 14,200 previously.

Scientists warned youngsters struggling with bereavement after losing parents and grandparents to Covid may have led to the rise. They called for more funding for children's bereavement services.

The U.S. has recorded nearly a million deaths from Covid since March 2020, the most out of any country in the world.

Researchers led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology found there were 903 suicides among 10 to 19-year-olds across 14 states in 2020, up eight per cent on the 835 suicides average for the previous five years (shown above)

Indiana saw the biggest rise in suicide rates among adolescents, followed by Arkansas and Virginia. At the other end of the scale was Montana, Alaska and Connecticut. The * means there was a significant different between data for 2020 and the previous five years

In the study  published today in JAMA Pediatrics  scientists looked at 85,000 suicides recorded since 2015.

Data was from 14 states that the scientists said were nationally representative of the entire country.

There was at least one state from each of the ten U.S. Department of Health and Human Services health regions, and together the states represented almost a third of the population. Researchers said they would expect to get the same results if they included the other 36 states.

Why might suicide rates have risen among adolescents in the first year of the pandemic? Data from 14 states in the U.S. shows an uptick in suicides compared to the average for the previous five-year period. The reason for this uptick is not clear, although experts have suggested bereavement may be behind the rise. Dr Maimuna Majumder, a computational epidemiologist at Boston Children's Hospital, told DailyMail.com: 'The death of a loved one is never easy to cope with, but it's even harder for kids who might be coping with the death of a parent or grandparent.' She pointed to figures showing almost one million Americans have died from the virus since the pandemic began. Advertisement

In the analysis, scientists compared the average for adolescent suicides between 2015 and 2019 to those recorded in the first year of the pandemic.

Although there was an uptick in 2020, this was not a significant difference overall suggesting the rise may be down to other factors.

But the proportion of all suicides that were among 10- to 19-year-olds rose significantly, suggesting the pandemic played a role.

It went up from 5.9 to 6.5 percent of the total.

Of the 14 states included, nine saw suicides among adolescents rise in 2020 compared to the previous five years.

Indiana saw the sharpest rise in its adolescent suicides (up 32 percent), alongside Arkansas (25 percent) and Virginia (25 percent).

Six also saw a significant rise in their adolescent suicide rate. These were Indiana, Virginia, Georgia, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Vermont.

On the other end of the scale Montana recorded the biggest drop in teenage suicides (down 25 percent), followed by Alaska (24 percent) and Connecticut (22 percent).

Only one state  Montana  had a significant result in 2020 compared to the previous five-year period.

Dr Maimuna Majumder, a computational epidemiologist at Boston Children's Hospital who was involved in the study, told DailyMail.com that the uptick may be down to bereavement.

'In the U.S., nearly one million people have died from Covid, and estimates suggest more than 140,000 kids in the U.S. lost at least one parent or grandparent to Covid between April 2020 and June 2021 alone,' she said.

'The death of a loved one is never easy to cope with, but it's even harder for kids who might be coping with the death of a parent or grandparent.

'The impact that such widespread loss of life is having on society  and on kids  is difficult to overstate.'

Dr Majumder and other researchers called for more funding for bereavement services for children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has previously found attempted suicides among adolescent teenage girls jumped 50 percent in May 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. Among boys, they ticked up just under four per cent.

They said this suggested more teenage girls were in 'severe distress' during the pandemic.

Experts had warned at the beginning of the pandemic that lockdowns and isolation rules would trigger an uptick in suicides. But evidence this was the case has been patchy, with some countries actually reporting the reverse.
Holidaymakers could be left thousands of pounds out of pocket because insurers will not cover claims for the current travel chaos.

Since the disruption is now a known event from media reports, travel insurers may refuse to reimburse customers for money wasted on unused accommodation, car hire and excursions.

Others are relying on Covid-related exclusions in the small print to deny claims.

Martyn James, from complaints website Resolver, said: Just because we know Covid is prevalent does not mean we can treat flight disruption as a given. Insurers cannot absolve themselves of responsibility.

With experts warning the recent travel chaos could continue for months, it means holidaymakers now face a minefield when purchasing cover for summer trips abroad.

Under UK law, airlines are required to refund customers for cancelled flights or offer an alternative trip.

Passengers may also be entitled to compensation payments of up to 520 for delayed or cancelled flights to or from a European destination.

Insurance companies could deny payouts for holidays cancelled over Covid because it is now classified as an 'known event' in the small print of some insurance plans

But there is no obligation for travel companies to reimburse holidaymakers for additional costs incurred as a result of the disruption.

This means travellers who have paid for hotels, car hire and missed day trips face losing thousands of pounds if insurers refuse to cover their losses.

And because insurance is designed to cover unforeseen events, holidaymakers who purchase cover now could find any future claims are denied.

One major insurer, Admiral, said British Airways and EasyJet flight cancellations became a known event on April 4 after they were reported in the national press.

The firm added that customers would not be covered for disruption anyway as its policies include a coronavirus general exclusion.

So because airlines have cancelled flights due to staff being sick with the virus, they would not be entitled to a payout.

Another provider said insurance was not there to cover losses caused by airlines failing to meet their obligations.

Tim Riley, managing director of True Traveller, said: If they [the customer] booked their flights, accommodation, car hire all separately then if their flight is cancelled and there is no replacement, they will incur the relevant charges on the other travel arrangements.

Virgin Money added that it would also not cover claims arising as a result of airlines cancelling flights.

However, other insurers including Aviva, and LV= said they do not currently consider these cancellations a known event.

Zurich said the same - unless the passenger already knew their flight would be impacted at the time of booking.

Experts last night urged the travel insurance industry to do more to reassure and help customers caught up in the chaos.

A spokesman for trade body Association of British Insurers said: If your travel insurance policy includes cover for travel disruption then costs that you might incur as a result of travel delays or cancellations should be included.

In the first instance, refunds should be sought from the airline, accommodation provider or tour operator, or the provider of any other service such as hire cars, and any bookings made through a credit card may also have recoverable costs.

If unsure, check with your travel insurer to see what youre covered for.
Tech is Americas last wild frontier. Lack of regulation makes it relatively easy for Elon Musk to pony up 34billion in a matter of days, and with a combination of bombast and guile acquire Twitter in the name of free speech.

In spite of the big beasts of tech regularly being summoned to testify before Congress, efforts to tame their ambition fizzle out.

This speaks volumes to the power of lobbyists on Capitol Hill and a fundamental belief in the US that barriers should only be reluctantly erected against red-in-tooth-and-claw capitalism.

Power play: The World's richest man Elon Musk was able to pony up 34bn for his Twitter takeover plan in a matter of days

There is nothing new in the unwillingness of the authorities to get in the way. It was several decades after the building out of Americas railways before the Interstate Commerce Commission was established in 1887.

It was only after John D Rockefeller grasped control of 90 per cent of oil production that Teddy Roosevelt moved against Standard Oil.

The EU and Britain, which lack their own digital giants, are less tolerant of big techs ruthless ambition.

We all live daily with GDPR, which is Europes sweeping law on online privacy affecting every outlet from giants such as Facebook to the local florist.

There is also legislation to protect citizens from harmful online content. Brussels has shown no hesitation in attacking Apple over tax arrangements with Ireland on competition grounds.

Musk could potentially use Twitter to advance the interests of Tesla or his satellite project Space X. The nearest Congress has travelled towards interfering with Silicon Valley are proposals to strengthen privacy rules.

But with a combined market value of an estimated 5 trillion, Alphabet, Meta, Apple et al have become states within a sovereign nation and essentially set their own rules.

Musk makes the case for free speech at Twitter, arguing against the kind of censorship which stops Donald Trump from tweeting. But can a dominant owner really be the answer to what is regarded as the globes speediest and most raw news site?

Musk has shown again an ability to bulldoze Wall Street into submission, turning a stake acquired in the open market into full control, unfazed by the usual disciplines.

But this latter-day Croesus and his fellow tech billionaires need to be better corralled.

Hard Labour

If Rachel Reeves is the acceptable face of Keir Starmers Labour, then be worried.

Her rush to abolish non-domicile status politically keeps attention focused on tech heiress Akshata Murty, the spouse of Chancellor Rishi Sunak, and the Tory front bench. Murty pledges to pay UK taxes on her overseas earnings but has not disavowed her non-dom status.

Reevess move is a reminder that Labour is not a friend of wealth, enterprise and entrepreneurship. Jeremy Corbyn and Ed Miliband proposed similar policies. Gordon Brown thought about it but pulled back from the brink.

Plainly, rules for non-doms need to be modernised. Inheritance of the rights from a father is antiquated. The annual charge for non-dom rights is too low.

Reevess claim that New York has more billionaires than London even though Americans pay tax on their worldwide income is fallacious. The Big Apple is financial HQ for an economy ten times that of the UK.

Labour needs to recognise that the 75,700 people declaring non-dom status in 2019-20 did not get a free ride. They contributed 7.85billion in taxes to the Exchequer. It would be easy for them to waltz off to say Portugal, which welcomes riches.

Non-domicile status may be the first tax break to fall, but what comes next?

Among the threats could be a return to 50 per cent or higher income tax, axing or limiting tax allowances for ISA saving and pensions, heftier stamp duties on house purchases and share dealing and an end to inter-generational gifting. Careful what you wish for.

Land rights

Hybrid and working from home has raised big questions about central London office space. The sale of a 75 per cent stake in British Lands Paddington Central development for 694million can be read both ways.

The buyer, Singapore wealth fund GIC, obviously believes there is still value in London and UK real estate.

BLs tilt away from central London to a mixed-use project at Canada Water and logistics suggests a coolness towards entrepreneurial, careful assembly of core London assets, so much part of its DNA. Newish chief executive Simon Carter is voting with his feet.
Singapore has ploughed nearly 700million into London properties in a vote of confidence in the capital.

The countrys sovereign wealth fund GIC has purchased a 75 per cent stake in the Paddington Central development from British Land for 694million.

The deal will see the FTSE 100-listed property developer enter a joint venture with GIC.

Land grab: Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC has purchased a 75% stake in the Paddington Central development (pictured) from British Land for 694m

British Land bought the mixed-used Paddington Central campus for 470million in 2013.

It has predominantly office spaces as well as some retail and leisure properties, housing companies such as Microsoft, Visa and Prudential.

The property developer added that two properties within the campus, The Novotel at 3 Kingdom Street and the development site at 5 Kingdom Street, are not currently part of the joint venture.

British Land, which traces its history back to the 1850s, owns a vast portfolio of properties that includes swathes of the City of London, the Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield and campuses in mixed-use areas that have offices, retail, leisure and outdoor spaces.

Chief executive Simon Carter said: Paddington has been an excellent investment for British Land and this transaction is a great illustration of our strategy in action.

Last month British Land pressed ahead with plans to deliver an urban centre for London at Canada Water.

It sold 50 per cent of its shares in the Canada Water Masterplan to pension fund AustralianSuper for 290million.

British Land and AustralianSuper, which has more than 140billion in member assets under management, formed a 50:50 joint venture to embark upon what they described as one of the largest and most sustainable London regeneration projects in history.

British Land shares fell 1.9 per cent.
Just Eat Takeaway has come under renewed attack from activist investors that are demanding a boardroom shake-up.

Bosses at the food delivery company were accused of destroying 13.5billion of value in the business by US-based fund manager Cat Rock Capital.

Cat Rock, the second largest shareholder in Just Eat behind founder Jitse Groen with a near-7 per cent stake, said this has led to a complete loss of trust among shareholders.

Cat Rock Capital said Just Eat had torpedoed its share price with misleading profit forecasts ahead of the Grubhub takeover in 2020

A long-term critic of Just Eat, the investor is urging fellow shareholders to vote against the re-election of finance chief Brent Wissink.

Cat Rock also wants shareholders to oppose the re-election of the supervisory board at Just Eats general meeting next week.

In a letter to shareholders, it said it would abstain on a vote to re-elect Groen, who is the chief executive.

Cat Rock said a new finance boss can restore credibility with investors.

The letter comes a week after Just Eat said it will look to sell its US business Grubhub, which it bought less than two years ago for 5.8billion, in an apparent bow to Cat Rocks demands.

Cat Rock had called the takeover a mistake and urged Just Eat to re-focus on its European business.

The announcement of a potential sale came alongside a disappointing trading update in which Just Eat warned it expected growth in the second quarter of the year to remain challenging and cut its full-year forecasts.

It reported a 1 per cent year-on-year drop in orders to 264.1million in the first quarter of 2022 as it struggled to beat its lockdown-boosted numbers.

Cat Rock said yesterday Just Eat had torpedoed its share price with misleading profit forecasts ahead of the Grubhub takeover in 2020.

The takeaway business has since issued two profit warnings and Just Eat shares are down almost 75 per cent in the last 12 months.

Just Eat is Cat Rocks only food delivery investment and founder and managing partner Alex Captain said his firm is deeply committed to its long-term success.

The delivery business was formed in 2020 through a 9billion merger between Just Eat and Dutch rival Takeaway.com.

It is listed in London and on Amsterdams Euronext exchange. Cat Rock described Just Eats share price performance as terrible.

Captain said: Just Eat shareholders suffered this massive destruction of equity value despite the company growing by 97 per cent organically and maintaining clear market leadership across many of the worlds largest economies.

Just Eat said a boardroom shake-up would be value destructive and destabilising.
Comparing the Canadian and the American Right  updated to 2022 (Part One) By Mark Wegierski

web posted April 25, 2022 Canada today, despite its great over-all wealth, is a society of contrasts. While the problem of Quebec separatism which was so central in Canadian history since the 1960s may appear to be fading a little, there are many new challenges arising. While Canada is still, to a large extent, a more pleasant place to live than the United States (especially when one compares life in the two countries large cities), there are many issues looming on the horizon which can prove severe challenges to a safe, civil, prosperous life  the permanence of which all too many Canadians today take for granted. There are a number of substantial differences between the Canadian and American societies today, which may indeed have a profound impact on the type of future the countries will have. In the years 2006 to 2015, Canada had a federal Conservative government, while during most of that time, Obama was President of the United States. This was a fairly unusual situation where the U.S. may have had a more left-liberal government than Canada. The comparative fiscal discipline of the Harper Conservatives was breathtaking to contemplate, when viewed against the almost unbelievable fiscal profligacy of the Obama Administration. Liberal Justin Trudeau has been Prime Minister of Canada (since 2015), whereas Donald Trump was President of the United States in 2016-2020. There appear to be very few prospects of a Trump-like figure arising in Canada. Now, Joe Biden is President of the United States, and the situation appears to be an attempt to enact a revolutionary transformation of America, that will forever keep the Republicans out of power at the federal level. It should also be remembered that holding a majority in the federal Parliament (which conjoins executive and legislative authority) is putatively more effective than, for example, just the holding of the U.S. Presidency. However, there are other differences between Canada and the United States that point to the fact that the Conservative majority in 2011 to 2015, may not have been as powerful and effective in Canada as might putatively appear to be the case. There was the instance, for example, when the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) had carried out the longest filibuster in Canadian history, to try to block back-to-work legislation in regard to the labour dispute at Canada Post (the Canadian postal corporation). The victory of Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential election, had created an enormous amount of volatility and unpredictability in U.S. politics. However, he was defeated in 2020, in an election that was extremely close in the crucial battleground states. Nevertheless, it could be argued that one important difference between Canada and the U.S. is the absence of a more organized, coherent, political Right in Canada. While there are many similarities between the left-liberal media, academic, cultural, juridical, and governmental establishments in Canada and the U.S., Canada manifestly lacks a rambunctious right-wing. In the U.S., it could be argued that there has been a wide-ranging and extensive debate among various groupings of the broader (and far more dynamic) right-wing, including paleoconservatives, neoconservatives, right-wing Greens, libertarians, paleolibertarians, classical liberals, social conservatives of the Left (such as Christopher Lasch), and religious conservatives (sometimes called theo-cons). Nevertheless, in more recent years, the debate appears to have slackened, becoming dominated by neoconservatives and shallow Republican Party operatives. Another trend to be noted is the atrophy of paleo elements in most forms of libertarianism. And todays National Review  traditionally the flagship journal of all of American conservatism -- is a terribly weak shadow of the highly robust and intellectually trenchant, early National Review. There are also at least two huge factors that have contributed to a more politically conservative U.S.  the first being that, as the one remaining superpower, the United States had cherished and effectively maintained its military; and secondly, the large presence of Christian religion in the U.S. (including both Protestant fundamentalists and tradition-minded Catholics). However, one of the effects of the Obama Administration has been to create an increasingly woke military, especially in its higher ranks. It should also be remembered that (for now at least) taxation is low in the U.S., relative to Canada; that U.S. gun-control legislation is minimal, relative to Canada; and that the U.S. medical system has (until recently) been largely driven by free-enterprise, relative to Canada. To be continued. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home
Retirement experts are split over whether 60-somethings should be offered the option of drawing the state pension early but at a reduced rate.

The debate has reignited in response to an official Government review of the state pension age, which is looking into bringing forward a rise to 68 to 2037-2039.

Around one in six people would be interested in starting to receive payments early according to a recent industry survey. Meanwhile, a previous poll of This is Money readers found 86 per cent were in favour of savers being given the opportunity.

Would you take state pension early? Split over 'flexible' age limit emerges during official age review

Both men and women's state pension ages are currently 66, and between 2026 and 2028 they will both rise again to 67.

The full basic state pension was hiked to 141.85 a week earlier this month, while the full flat rate pension introduced in 2016 was raised to 185.15 a week.

The Government should explore offering individuals more choice over when they can start claiming, for example by up to three years earlier at a reduced amount, the pension firm Aegon has said in response to the age review currently under way.

'While individuals can already choose to defer their state pension in return for a higher monthly payment, theres no flexibility to start it from a younger age,' says the company's pensions director Steven Cameron.

'The higher the state pension age, the more individuals will struggle to stay in full time work. This could be because of their health, a physically or mentally taxing job or caring responsibilities for elderly parents.'

Cameron says an ever-rising fixed state pension age could become 'increasingly divisive', and out of sync with flexible private pensions - the minimum age for taking these is set to rise from 55 to 57 in 2028.

But he acknowledges that some people who opted for an earlier reduced state pension could end up on an income below the current threshold for means tested benefits.

'To understand any impact on their eligible to claim such benefits, individuals might be required to take advice or guidance from Money Helper.' This Government-backed organisation offers free help on money issues including private pensions.

Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb previously responded to a grounds worker who was struggling to manage his job at age 52 in a This is Money column on this issue.

'One of the main reasons why it would be challenging to introduce a reform of this sort is the relatively low level of the state pension in the UK,' he told him.

Webb compared the full state pension to what people get in pension credit, and how reducing it by 5.8 per cent for each year that you took it before state pension age - the same rate as used for uplifting payments after a deferral - would lead to much lower payouts.

In reality the people most likely to take up an early state pension option would be the relatively well off Steve Webb, former Pensions Minister

Today Webb, who is a partner at pension consultant LCP, says: 'Flexibility to take state pension early and at a lower rate sounds great in theory but would be of least benefit to the group it was most intended to help.

'For those with no other income, a reduced state pension would leave them below pension credit level not just at retirement but for the rest of their life, something which those on lower incomes could not afford.

'In reality the people most likely to take up an early state pension option would be the relatively well off who could combine an early state pension with other pensions.

'This in turn would have to be funded by increasing National Insurance Contributions on todays workers, who are already facing a serious funding squeeze.

'This whole idea is a very poorly targeted way of addressing real concerns about rising state pension ages.'

Andrew Tully, technical director at Canada Life, says: 'The difficulty with giving people choice on when their state pension starts is the complexity.

This could help those with limited life expectancy receive a larger amount of state pension income Tom Selby, AJ Bell

'The best outcome for an individual will depend on a number of factors including how long they live, how much other income they are receiving and the tax they are paying as a result.

'Inevitably it will lead to some people making the wrong decision, especially as most wont have access to advice to help them.

'Weve seen from the pension freedoms many people will simply take benefits at the earliest possible opportunity, whether that is the best decision or not.'

AJ Bell surveyed 1,100 adults in February and found 17 per cent would be interested in taking their pension early at a reduced rate, 55 per cent would not be interested and 29 per cent were not sure.

Tom Selby, the firm's head of retirement policy, says: 'If the Government wants to provide extra flexibility, it could examine the case for allowing people to access their state pension early at an actuarially fair reduced rate.

'This could help those with limited life expectancy receive a larger amount of state pension income.

'It could also be relatively simple to implement, mirroring existing flexibilities which allow people to defer receiving their state pension.

Drawing the state pension early - have your say This is Money ran a reader poll on this in late 2020, when 86 per cent voted for savers being allowed to take the state pension early with smaller payments. We are running a fresh poll, to find out what you think now. Did you take part before, and have you changed your mind? Tell us in the comments below. Poll Should people be allowed to draw a reduced state pension early? Yes No Should people be allowed to draw a reduced state pension early? Yes 860 votes

No 111 votes Now share your opinion





'However, there would also be challenges, most notably to the Treasury if large numbers of people rushed to access their state pension earlier. If healthy people access their state pension early they may also face more severe income challenges in later life.'

Selby adds: 'A number of options have been posited which could make the state pension fairer.

'For example, some have suggested that setting state pension age based on someones postcode should be considered, to reflect the fact life expectancy in different parts of the country vary significantly.

'State pensions based on postcodes would be a nightmare to implement, cause horrendous complexity and possibly perverse actions, and would inevitably be hugely costly to administer.

'We would strongly urge the Government to err on the side of simplicity.'

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: 'The state pension provides the foundation for retirement planning and financial security in older age.

'The Government is required by law to regularly review the state pension age and has launched the second state pension age review.

'This will consider whether the rules around state pension age are appropriate, based on a wide range of evidence including latest life expectancy data and two independent reports. It is too early to speculate on the outcome of this review.'
Coronavirus patients who suffer multiple symptoms are most likely to suffer long Covid, with many young Australians rendered unable to work and women more at risk than men from the mysterious illness.

One of the country's leading experts on the condition, Dr Anthony Byrne of Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital, has warned the condition is 'debilitating' for the potential third of those infected with Covid who then go on to experience 'long-hauler' symptoms.

The thoracic physician spoke to Daily Mail Australia about what he's seeing in the hospital's dedicated long Covid clinic as the total number of coronavirus infections in Australia tops five million and debate rages about the little-known long-term consequences of the virus.

Long Covid is defined as when people previously infected with the virus suffer ongoing symptoms that go on for longer than 12 weeks.

Some studies have shown as many as a third of all those infected with Covid suffer long-term symptoms, including brain fog, anxiety, fatigue and abnormal breathing.

Even young, healthy people have presented for treatment of long Covid at Dr Byrne's clinic, including one person who was unable to work due to the illness (pictured, revellers out in Sydney's CBD)

Dr Byrne says even the young and healthy aren't being spared by the 'highly variable and quite debilitating' condition.

'I saw a high functioning, young individual, he was in a high-flying job, who got Covid in December and he hasn't been able to work since,' he said.

That patient, Dr Byrne said, isn't able to work because he suffers sleep issues, crippling fatigue and his brain 'doesn't work properly'.

It leaves him unable to complete complex tasks and, some days, even find words.

Sufferers of the conditions have reported experiencing symptoms ranging from extreme tiredness, chest pain, shortness of breath, 'brain fog', memory loss and changes to taste and smell, among other ailments.

St Vincent's Hospital (pictured) last month opened the first clinic in New South Wales to treat patients with long Covid

Dr Anthony Byrne (pictured) runs St Vincent's Hospital's dedicated long Covid clinic in Sydney and hopes that his research and observations can shed light on the risk factors for catching the debilitating disease

Even if the percentage of people developing long Covid decreases, those suffering the debilitating condition will still require new treatments being developed around the world (pictured, a Covid ward at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital)

THE TELL-TALE SIGNS

Vaccination status, complex health conditions and old age are all risk factors for developing long Covid, while displaying a large number of symptoms when infected could also signal a likelihood of developing the condition, Dr Byrne said.

Simply being a woman is even a risk factor for developing long Covid.

'Interestingly, being male is a risk factor for being in hospital, but being female is a risk factor for getting long Covid,' Dr Byrne said.

Dr Byrne has seen a correlation between the number of symptoms shown when someone has Covid, and the likelihood the symptoms will progress to a long Covid diagnosis.

Dr Byrne said widespread vaccination will reduce the amount of people experiencing long Covid going forward (pictured, a nurse being vaccinated in Adelaide)

'The more symptoms you show when you have a diagnosis acutely, the more likely you are to go on to have long Covid,' he said.

'So if you just have the sniffles, that's probably fine, but if you've got a headache, shortness of breath, fever... count them up. If there's more than five, there's an increased risk of long Covid.'



HOW IT'S TREATED

Treating long Covid is a lot like 'detective work' for the specialists at Dr Byrne's clinic.

'We're still finding our feet, because this long Covid thing is so nebulous, you've got to really nut it out,' he said.

The trouble for doctors is that some symptoms are easier to spot and treat than others.

Dr Byrne said some while patients come into hospital with shortness of breath that is caused by lung scarring visible on scans, other patients may not have anything obvious at all to explain their condition.

'There are people with breathlessness and you can do a CT scan and you won't see anything,' he said.

Much of the job involves isolating the patient's symptoms to a specific organ and matching them to already known conditions with treatment options.

Treatments for long Covid can range from specialists and physios to psychologists who assist those who've been unable to work transition back to working life

Another method that Dr Byrne said is working in reducing patients' pain is treating the other issues that may combine with long Covid.

'You might find some people have got obstructive sleep apnea, a really common thing and a risk factor for (developing) long Covid,' he said.

'You might be just finding it now, but you can treat it. You can diagnose it, treat it, and potentially make them better.'

Though many are heralding the end of the pandemic, Dr Byrne and his colleagues don't see the virus disappearing any time soon.

'I think Covid is not going anywhere, It will be around for a long time to come. It's going to keep mutating, it's going to evade some vaccines but we'll get new vaccines.

'Respiratory physicians like myself think it will be another respiratory virus that we can manage but that some people might get affected badly by.'

THE UNKNOWN

Because Covid-19 is new and relatively unique, doctors believe potential future complications might not be known for some time.

One 'concerning' initial report found Covid causes heart complications, increasing the risk of death from heart attacks and strokes.

'It's a really inflammatory virus, we know it causes damage to blood vessels,' Dr Byrne said.

'So you might have recovered from the virus but there's still some unnoticed inflammation in the blood vessels that results in a year's time with you having a heart attack.'

Physical and mental exercises are used in long Covid clinics to help patients progressively regain their strength (pictured, Sydney's new clinic at St Vincent's Hospital)

Dr Byrne believes the number of people developing long Covid symptoms could decrease over time, with current data suggesting up to 30 per cent of all those infected with Covid develop the condition.

Even then, Dr Byrne said it will still affect thousands of Australians.

'I think those numbers will come down. That 30 per cent number will become less, but we're still collecting data and we don't have a good sense of it.

'Its also a matter of how much less. Let's be really optimistic and say it will become one per cent, one per cent of four million Australians that have had Covid up until now is still 40,000 people.

'That's still a lot of people with long Covid and it's probably way more than that.'

Dr Byrne's long Covid clinic opened in March, treating sufferers of the baffling condition as case numbers continue to surge.

The St Vincent's Hospital clinic in Sydney is the first of its kind in New South Wales with a team of doctors set up to treat and rehabilitate people suffering lingering Covid symptoms.

The clinic will take in patients referred by doctors and GPs for treatment for long Covid (pictured, a patient in Sydney)

Patients will be able to attend the clinic with a referral from their GP, as experts frantically work to help sufferers of the debilitating and mysterious condition.

Deakin University's Institute for Health Transformation researched the effect of long Covid on public health before the Omicron wave in 2021.

'We calculated the impact of long Covid as Australia opens up. Even without Omicron, we're worried.' the institute said in a press release.

'Long Covid will increasingly drive the burden of Covid illness, even as death rates decline.'
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When photographer Mike Coleridge snapped a frame of young Aussie soldiers waiting for American helicopters in Vietnam in 1967 he couldn't have imagined the image would outlive him.

The picture shows tired members of 5 Platoon, B Company, 7RAR, beside the dusty road to Dat Do at Phuoc Hai waiting for the famous 'Huey' Iroquois choppers to take them back to base at Nui Dat.

The iconic photo was taken towards the end of Sergeant Coleridge's epic one-year public relations assignment in what was considered the most photographed war in history.

More than 60,000 Australian soldiers served in Vietnam, mostly between 1965 and 1972, with 521 dying and more than 3,000 injured.

When Mike Coleridge snapped a frame of young Aussie soldiers waiting for American helicopters in Vietnam in 1967 he couldn't have imagined the image would outlive him

Historians have written at length that Coleridge's photo doesn't even hint at the true horrors of war - in contrast with other celebrated Vietnam photos, such as the self-immolation of a Buddhist monk in Saigon in 1963, taken by Malcolm Browne

Another celebrated image from the Vietnam War was the heart-stopping execution of a Viet Cong suspect in a Saigon street in 1968, taken by Eddie Adam

The heart-breaking naked Vietnamese girl, Kim Phuc (right), running from her village, naked and burned by napalm, photographed by Nick Ut in 1972

Why Coleridge's relatively tame photo captured the imagination of a nation is complex and fascinating and speaks to the Anzac legend and our relationship with the United States.

His image came to represent the perfect blend of Australian mateship and our little-brother reliance on the big brother might of the American military machine.

But strongly influencing the picture was Coleridge's personal reality - an epic quest for personal security he'd lost as a child.

In Vietnam he had no room to be a daring photojournalist who could afford the risks of capturing the nightmarish realities of war for worldwide acclaim.

He had a job to do as a humble army public relations photographer, while staying alive, so he could return to his children David and Rhonda.

Coleridge was a single father focused on supporting his kids nearly 7,000km away, while navigating dangerous conditions and battling his own demons as a refugee from Europe and a restless spirit.

Behind Mike Coleridge's famous Vietnam was a personal reality, the epic quest for the security he'd lost as a child (pictured, Mike Coleridge shooting a film in Vietnam)

Coleridge had a job to do as a humble army public relations photographer, while staying alive, so he could return to his children David and Rhonda (pictured, Coleridge photographs soldiers with a prisoner during operation Broken Hill in Phuoc Tuy Province in 1967)

Mike Coleridge's photo of a digger with his dog and gun watch for the Viet Cong during Operation Paddington

Mike Coleridge was born in Yugoslavia (in what is now Slovenia) in 1933, surviving World War II as a teenager.

He followed his mother to Australia after his parents split in acrimonious circumstances.

As a youth, he drifted between manual jobs and couldn't earn enough to cover his expenses in the growing metropolis of Sydney.

At 18 he quit Sydney, heading to work on a farm in rural NSW where he was more satisfied - for a while.

But Coleridge was a restless spirit who couldn't settle down for long.

His thirst for excitement and his appetite for risk took him to Darwin where he learned to fly and earned his private pilot's licence.

After Australians got involved in the Korean War and the so-called Malayan Emergency' in the early to mid 1950s, Coleridge enlisted in the Australian Army.

Coleridge's photo of Private Peter Harding of Ballina (NSW), paddling out from the bank of a tributary in Vietnam in 1967

Coleridge's photo of soldiers with the tracks of armoured personnel carriers of A Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam, 1967

He'd hoped to enter the fledgling Army Aviation Corps but his lack of formal education proved a barrier to becoming an army pilot.

He served as a gunner in Malaysia in 1961, where he shot images for the British Army in his own time.

After serving his time, back in Australia in 1963, he asked for a transfer to the Army Education Corps as a photographer. He was accepted.

Coleridge married and had two children, but the relationship with his wife turned sour. Unexpectedly he was left as a single father caring for his two children, and for a while his wife's first child, who was also left with him.

Mike Coleridge was a single father while he was on an assignment as an army photographer in Vietnam in 1967

Mike Coleridge's photo of Aussie soldiers capturing a Viet Cong resistance fighter

When he was called up an assignment to shoot PR photos in Vietnam, Coleridge faced the heart-breaking decision to leave his young children with another family in Melbourne.

He did what he had to. But later Coleridge recalled the Army offered him and his young family no support.

At 33 he arrived at Australian Army headquarters in Saigon on November 19, 1966, but he wouldn't stay there.

This was a front-line assignment.

That meant he went forward with the troops to the front lines, ironically to capture images that showed war as the army wanted the public to see it, not necessarily as it was.

Coleridge's chopper pick-up was a forgotten photo for two decades, before the Australian War Memorial plucked it from the archives.

It was released it in the late 1980s. Whether coincidental or not, it became known after Coleridge took a job as an attendant at the war memorial in 1984, aged 52.

His photo went on to become the definitive Australian photo from Vietnam. It was the 'hero shot' in countless magazine spreads about Vietnam, in books, on posters.

It was even sand-blasted onto a monument in the National Memorial to Australian Vietnam Forces in Canberra.

The Wikipedia page on Australia's military action during the Vietnam War has Coleridge's photo at the top of the page.

Historians have written at length that Coleridge's photo doesn't even hint at the true horrors of war - in contrast with other celebrated Vietnam photos.

Those include the terrifying fiery suicide by a Buddhist monk in Saigon in 1963, taken by Malcolm Browne; the heart-stopping execution of a Viet Cong suspect in a Saigon street in 1968, taken by Eddie Adams; and the heart-breaking little girl, Kim Phuc, running from her village, naked and burned by napalm, photographed by Nick Ut in 1972.

'There is a safeness about it that almost belies the fact it was taken in a war zone; it could be from any training exercise in Australia,' wrote Simon Forrester, from the art section of the Australian War Memorial.

'What it ultimately reveals is that Australians have claimed an image that is comfortably familiar in a popular culture influenced by American stereotypes to represent their actions in Vietnam.'

To be fair to Coleridge, his job wasn't as a highly-paid glamorous, independent photojournalist.

He was an enlisted serviceman when he shot his 558 wartime photos and 54 films, not a private citizen.

And probably more importantly, at least to him, he was a solo father to two children he left with another family. He made sure his salary was sent home for their care.

Mike Coleridge took 558 photos and shot 24 movies in a year on the front lines of Vietnam

Coleridge returned to Australia from Vietnam in late 1968 to resume life as a single father - and to continue roaming Australia for years

Coleridge recorded the activities of 5RAR, 6RAR and 7RAR platoons and 1ATF in Vietnam.

He mainly providing black and white images for print media and television, in dangerous conditions, developing his own film.

Although he wasn't commissioned to, he also shot colour footage and photos - which later earned him praise.

On returning home, Coleridge quit the army and returned to roaming the country, picking up photography jobs to support his family as he went

He also drove steam locomotives in the cane fields of North Queensland and worked in gold mining in Western Australia.

In 1984, after more than 30 years of town-hopping, Coleridge decided to stay put in Canberra, working at the Australian War Memorial.

As he grew older Coleridge moved again.

He bought a farm 110km south in the tiny town of Jerangle, a town of less than 100 people, where he grew walnuts.

He later moved again 80km north-west to Braidwood to farm angus cattle.

Like many veterans he developed cancer - of the bladder and the lungs. He died in Braidwood in 2012 aged 78.
A leading candidate in one of the most-watched congressional election races was physically abusive to his ex-wife, abandoned his children on a drunken yacht binge and slammed his ex in court for not being vaccinated despite his support of the unvaxxed, legal documents claim.

Reagan Dunn, a Republican running for Washington States 8th congressional district, has previously admitted his alcoholic past  including a 2017 relapse binge on a lobbyists yacht  in an attempt to tell a story of redemption for his electoral campaign.

But Dunn, 50, has made no public mention of his exs allegations of physical abuse, which include grabbing her and pushing her against a wall, or the extent of the alleged neglect of his children.

Dunns ex, Paige Green, claimed in court filings that their marriage counselors supported her allegations, and that Dunn himself admitted to the violent episode. He denied any violence in court filings and said two judges have decided not to uphold Greens claims.

Green, 46, claimed the King County council members booze-fueled binges left their kids injured, neglected, and frightened, dirty and sunburnt, and one child was left wearing the same pair of underwear for days and got bruised when she fell off a boat when she was unsupervised.

Reagan Dunn and Paige Green split in 2013 after six years of marriage. The congressional candidate admits he is a recovering alcoholic

Reagan Dunn on the campaign trail. He is expected to make it to November's election in one of the most closely watched congressional elections in the country

Paige Green runs a blog called Moms Around Town where she features her trips with her two children and calls herself a 'creative, outgoing, dyslexic, lover of travel, languages, and food'

In his own filings, Dunn has criticized his ex for taking their children to Mexico while she was unvaccinated. But publicly Dunn has supported workers who have refused to get the Covid vaccine and argued that natural immunity from the virus is better.

Dunn, a former federal prosecutor and the son of the late six-term Republican Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn, is running against incumbent two-term Democrat Kim Schrier in the 8th district which covers a large area east of Seattle.

The seat is one of just 27 in the country considered a toss-up by the Cook Political Report. Schrier won in 2020 by 2.6 percentage points over her Republican opponent.

Schrier, Dunn, three other Republicans and an Independent are due to face off in a non-partisan primary on August 2 with the top two going through to the November general election.

Dunn's mother Jennifer represented Washington's 8th District for six terms before retiring in 2004. She died in 2007

Dunn's alleged neglect and abuse was detailed in court filings over a custody battle between the politician and Green last year.

The couple split in 2013. According to legal filings he relapsed into alcoholism after a period of sobriety just three days before the birth of his daughter in 2012, while he was making an unsuccessful bid to become Washingtons attorney general.

The couple delayed their separation until after that election and finalized their divorce in April 2015.

Dunns battle with addiction went public when he was arrested for a DUI in August 2014 after crashing his pickup into a ditch. He promised to go teetotal. He was sentenced to a day in jail, fined $940.50 and ordered to pay $2,400 in costs.

At first, the divorce allowed for Dunns partial custody of his children, son Hayden, 12, and daughter Pemberley, 9, as long as he kept off booze.

But when he relapsed again and allegedly abandoned them on a boat trip to the San Juan Islands in August 2017, the family court restricted his time with his children to three hours a week, supervised and with a breathalyzer test before and after.

Last year Dunn filed for more access to his children, saying he had his last alcoholic drink on December 27, 2017.

Green was successful in urging the court to deny the request, claiming that her ex was abusive to her, neglected their children, and could not be trusted.

Congressional hopeful Reagan Dunn has 'explosive anger', his ex-wife claimed in court papers opposing him having more time with their two children

Paige Green appeared in a handful of movies in the early 2000s. Here she is at the Hollywood screening of the Anthony Hopkins film, The World's Fastest Indian in 2008

A page from Reagan Dunn's sobriety diary recounting how he fell off the wagon on a trip to the San Juan Islands aboard lobbyist TK Bentler's yacht, Sine Die

In court documents from June last year she pointed to his failure to fulfill parenting duties; Reagans alcohol and drug use; Reagans drunk and reckless driving; his failure to feed the children appropriately; his anger management issues including verbal abuse and physical abuse of me and his threats to spank Hayden.'

She also said he has 'explosive anger'.

Green said she had 'concerns about Reagans mental health issues  which I believe contribute to his inability to remain sober, particularly his ADHD and narcissistic personality traits.

Lobbyist TK Bentler, on whose yacht Dunn started drinking heavily during a trip to the San Juan Islands

Green also pointed to third party experts whom, she claimed, supported her allegations of physical abuse by Dunn.

I note that our marriage counselors who were interviewed and quoted in [court-appointed parenting expert Jennifer] Keilins report support my claims of physical abuse of me by Reagan during our marriage, she wrote in a declaration.

She said a marriage counselor reported that Dunn had acknowledged 'grabbing me by the shoulders and pushing me against a wall. This happened multiple times.

The marriage counselor, identified as Ms. Berg, 'described Reagan as narcissistic, manipulative, and easily angered. Ms. Berg reported that she had provided me with information and resources regarding domestic violence'.

Dunn called Greens allegations of abuse cheap shots, saying that a King County superior court judge and a commissioner ruled there was not any abandonment, neglect, child abuse, domestic violence or sex offenses in either the marriage or custody of the Children.

There has never been any instance of physical abuse by me against the mother or the children and two judges rulings have already clearly confirmed this, he wrote.

Dunn also criticized his ex-wifes lack of vaccination.

Two weeks ago, the mother took the unvaccinated children on an international flight to Mexico, without informing me, he wrote in his April 2021 filing.

Reagan Dunn and Paige Green split soon after the birth of daughter Pemberton, now 9 (left). Their son Hayden is now 12

Reagan Dunn criticized his ex wife for taking their two children to Mexico when she wasn't vaccinated against Covic. However he has supported anti-vaxxers while campaigning

Dunn admits he fell off the wagon during a boat trip to the picturesque San Juan Islands. He says he accepted one beer and then found himself on a four-day bender, when he started drinking at 6 am

Dunn is now married to Ashley Wilson who was his fiancee when they went on a boat trip to the San Juan Islands and he allegedly neglected his two children from his first marriage

She hadnt been vaccinated either but chose the somewhat questionable choice to take the risk of traveling to a third world country in the height of the pandemic.

Dunn has previously taken a public stance defending unvaccinated people.

In a TV interview in February this year he called on local sheriffs to drop vaccine requirements for police, fearing mass firings.

He also told Washington station KUOW: If people don't want to get vaccinated, that's on them.

In an October 2021 radio interview he pledged to continue to fight for the minority of people who, for whatever reason, are uncomfortable with the vaccine, adding that the natural immunities in at least some studies are potentially better than man-made immunity.

Well take it to the mat if necessary, he told the local station.

In a March 2022 interview Dunn opened up about his alcoholic past, admitting that he used to drink up to a fifth of vodka every day.

Tobacco company lobbyist TK Bentler invited him, his children and his then-fiancee Ashley Wilson on a trip on his 56 ft yacht the Sine Die to the San Juan Islands, between mainland Washington and Canada's Vancouver Island in August 2017.

Accepting a beer on the boat from his friend set him off on a four-day bender where he was waking up and drinking at 6am.

I consider that relapse on the San Juan Islands my greatest failure ever. Number two is the DUI, Dunn told the Seattle Times last month. Guess what they both have in common? Addiction is wreckage to a family.

Green said Dunn abandoned her children, then aged 8 and 5, during the binge, and when he called her he was allegedly so inebriated he didnt know where he was.

Paige supported her ex husband in his ultimately unsuccessful 2012 run for Washington State Attorney General

Green was accused of taking 'cheap shots' at her ex-husband, who said a superior court judge had found 'not any abandonment, neglect, child abuse, domestic violence or sex offenses in either the marriage or custody of the children

Paige Green claimed her ex-husband is not taking his sobriety seriously when she filed to stop him having increased access to their two children

I asked him to use his phone and take a photo of a street sign near him. He was so drunk that he sent me a photo of a sandwich board, Green claimed in her court filings.

I chartered a plane, flew to Decatur Island and was able to locate Reagan with the help of numerous strangers who were able to get Reagan and the children to the airport.

Pemberley had to ask strangers to help her use the restroom. When I picked up the children, they were extremely upset and very scared. They were both dirty and sunburnt. Pemberley had no shoes, and her feet were filthy, Green wrote.

Pemberley had bruising all over her legs and on her jaw which she sustained when she fell overboard. She complained of pain when she brushed her teeth. Neither child had been bathed since they left my care.

Their hands, nails and clothes were dirty. Pemberleys underwear was soiled, her night-time diapers had not been used, she was wearing the same pair of underwear she had on when she left my care. Both children were hungry.

Dunn hopes to run against incumbent Democrat Kim Schrier

Pemberley was afraid she would never see me again. Hayden made me promise to never make him go on a trip with daddy again.

Green added that the children were taken to a Seattle hospital after the trip and doctors referred the incident to Child Protective Services. Haydens therapist also allegedly made a referral to the agency.

Dunn claimed his daughter did not fall overboard but fell into the water while beach combing in the mainland town of Anacortes.

The former actress  who appeared in a handful of movies in the early 2000s, including Ray of Darkness and Cruel World  claimed that afterwards, Dunn refused to take a 28-day rehab program recommended by a court-appointed case manager.

In Dunns legal response he called the yacht binge the single greatest mistake of my life.

He added that his fiancee was watching over the children and that a medical review of Pemberley found only a small bruise on her back, consistent with playing.

A spokesman for Dunn told DailyMail.com that three different superior court judges have reviewed the facts of the couples lengthy divorce proceedings over the years and all three independently have ruled that there was not neglect or domestic abuse of any kind in the marriage.

'The most recent ruling is in November 2021, in a parenting plan signed off by court commissioner Henry Judson,' added the spokesman.

'Under the heading "abandonment, neglect, child abuse, domestic violence, assault or sex offense", the document says "neither parent has any of these problems".'
A two-star Air Force general from Ohio was found guilty of abusive sexual contact by a military judge on Saturday, in the first court martial for a soldier of his rank in the branch's 74 year history.

Major General William Cooley was accused of forcing his tongue into a woman's mouth, pushing her hands to his genitals and grabbing her breast with one hand and her crotch with the other in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 12, 2018, according to an Air Force charge sheet.

That woman was also his sister-in-law, according to the Daytona Daily News.

Air Force Judge Col. Christina Jimenez, who deliberated for five hours on Friday after five days of testimony at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base before she announced her verdict Saturday morning.

Jimenez only found Cooley guilty one of the three charges against him.

Cooley was off-duty when he forced himself on the woman, who is his brother's wife, as he drove her home in her Jeep from a family backyard barbecue, she claimed. She is a civilian, and Cooley's brother is a civilian employee of the Air Force in New Mexico.

Now, Cooley could face seven years in a military prison, and he may have to register as a sex offender.

On Saturday, Major General William Cooley (pictured) was found guilty by an Air Force judge of forcibly touching and kissing his sister-in-law in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 12, 2018

Now, Cooley could face seven years in a military prison, a loss in rank or benefits and may have to register as a sex offender

However, an Air Force spokeswoman told the Daytona Daily News on Saturday that he does not face a loss in rank. It is unclear whether he will lose his benefits or how the conviction will impact his military career.

He will be sentenced on Monday.

Former chief Air Force prosecutor Don Christensen told the Daytona Daily News that he believes the ruling marks the end of the general's military career, and that a commander will start a discharge process in the near future.

Officers cannot be reduced in rank in a court martial setting, he said, although Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall could reduce Cooley's rank down one star to brigadier general. Kendall could also deny Cooley retirement benefits.

The sentence could include dismissal from the military branch, but Christensen told the outlet that he didn't predict the judge would do so.

'When theyve had a long career like this, you usually dont see a punitive discharge,' he said.

Former chief Air Force prosecutor Don Christensen (pictured) told the Daytona Daily News that he believes the ruling marks the end of the general's military career, and that a commander will start a discharge process in the near future

Cooley's sister-in-law issued a statement through her attorney, Ryan Guilds, following the landmark decision.

'Today marks the first time an Air Force general officer has been held responsible for his heinous actions,' he said on her behalf.

Cooley's sister-in-law issued a statement through her attorney, Ryan Guilds (pictured), following the landmark decision: 'Hopefully, this will not be as difficult for the next survivor'

'Sometimes family members are the abusers, abusers who count on silence in order to wield their extensive power.'

The victim said through her attorney that Vanessa Guillen, an Army soldier who was murdered by another soldier in 2020 while she was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, inspired her to pursue charges against Cooley.

'Hopefully, this will not be as difficult for the next survivor,' Guilds said in a continuation of her statement.

Speaking for himself, Guilds said that 'at the end of the day, [Cooley] was found guilty. If that can be achieved for her, it can be achieved for others - that doesn't mean it's easy.'

Cooley's brother and sister-in-law reported the assault to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations in December of 2019. The general was fired from his position as an assistant to General Arnold Bunch at the Air Force Research Laboratory at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio in January of 2020.

Cooley was fired from his position as an assistant to General Arnold Bunch at the Air Force Research Laboratory at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio (pictured) in January of 2020

The sexual assault charge was brought against Cooley in November 2020, and an Article 32 hearing, which is similar to a civilian grand jury, was held on Feb. 8, 2021.

Cooley was off-duty when he allegedly forced himself on his brother's wife, as he drove her home in her Jeep from a family barbecue

After the Saturday ruling, Bunch said that he 'implicitly trust[s] our military judicial system and respect[s] the decision of the judge.'

'This entire process has demonstrated the Air Forces commitment to prevent sexual assault, protect victims and take appropriate action against offenders when it occurs,' he continued.

'The trial was impartial, fair and transparent. I appreciate everyone who supported this process for their due diligence in the pursuit of justice, and for doing everything possible to protect both the victims rights and the rights of the accused to a fair trial.'

Earlier in his career, Cooley was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Legion of Merit, a Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal and Air Force Achievement Medal.

He joined the Air Force out of the ROTC in 1988 as a second lieutenant and entered active duty in January 1990 after completing a master's degree from the University of New Mexico.

Cooley climbed the ranks until the Air Force promoted him to major general in July 2018.
An ABC Weekend Breakfast presenter has disappeared from the airwaves after it was revealed she kept a long list of Labor 'trolls' on Twitter under offensive names.

Host Fauziah Ibrahim faced accusations of bias last week over two controversial lists on her personal Twitter account labelling critics 'Labor Trolls/Thugs' and 'Lobotomised sh**heads'.

An ABC spokesman said that Ms Ibrahim has not been sacked - but is 'taking a break' from TV screens.

'The ABC is reviewing recent social media activity by presenter Fauziah Ibrahim,' the spokesman said.

Ms Ibrahim 'has taken a break from on-camera duties but remains part of the Weekend Breakfast team.'

ABC presenter Fauziah Ibrahim (pictured) has vanished from the airwaves after two controversial lists on her personal Twitter account were revealed

Social media users, including a former Labor Senator, who found themselves grouped in the two lists - which were available for any member of the public to see - accused Ms Ibrahim of being anti-Labor.

When Daily Mail Australia contacted ABC at the time, a spokeswoman said: 'This is a private Twitter account, not an ABC account.

'We are investigating what has occurred.'

John Barron (pictured left, with co-host Johanna Nicholson) replaced Fauziah Ibrahim on ABC News Breakfast over the weekend with no mention of why Ms Ibrahim was not there

Ms Ibrahim was absent from the program at the weekend without explanation. There was only a single passing reference to her.

John Barron, who replaced her, said 'It's great to be here,' to co-host Johanna Nicholson. 'Usually I would be watching you and Fauziah.'

Ms Ibrahim has also removed any reference to ABC on her Twitter biography, including from her cover photo.

Daily Mail Australia has also sought comment from Ms Ibrahim about the developments.

Fauziah Ibrahim's Twitter bio (pictured) used to make a very big deal out of her working for ABC

Fauziah Ibrahim's Twitter bio (pictured) now makes no mention of ABC whatsoever, leading to questions about her status with the broadcaster

Though some on social media said Ms Ibrahim's account must have been hacked, this does not appear to have been the case.

Former Labor Senator Doug Cameron was one of those on the list.

'Thanks to those who alerted me I made the list of 'lobotomised sh**heads',' he said.

Media commentator and former journalist Mike Carlton accused Ms Ibrahim of 'trashing the ABC impartially and blowing her own credibility' in a scathing tweet.

But there was some support for Ms Ibrahim on Monday morning, with one commenter saying her disappearance from the ABC was evidence of pro-Labor bias and that it was time to 'defund ABC now'.

Last August ABC published guidelines for the personal use of social media by its staff.

This followed paid it paying journalist Louise Milligan's personal legal costs of almost $200,000 after she was sued by federal MP Andrew Laming over a series of tweets.

The broadcaster's new policy makes clear staff risk being losing their job if they compromise ABC's independence or bring it into disrepute.
Australia must 'prepare for war' in order to preserve peace, Peter Dutton has declared in an Anzac Day interview.

Speaking from Samford Valley in Queensland with a brass band playing in the background, the Defence Minister said Australia must 'be strong' and 'not cower'.

He said the best way to deal with Russia and China is to 'stand up and stare down any act of aggression'.

'The only way you can preserve peace is to prepare for war and to be strong as a country. Not to cower, not to be on bended knee and be weak. That's the reality,' he told the Today show.

'Curling up in a ball, pretending that nothing's happening, saying nothing - that is not going to be in our long term interests and we should be honest about that.

'I just think that's the lesson of history'.

Mr Dutton compared Russian President Vladimir Putin - who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 - to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

Chinese troops at the opening ceremony of a joint counterterrorism military exercise last year in Orenburg, Russia

'We have to be realistic that people like Hitler and others aren't just a figment of our imagination or that they're consigned to history,' he said.

'We have in President Putin at the moment someone who is willing to kill women and children and that's happening in 2022.

'It's a replay in part of what's happening in the 1930s.'

Mr Dutton also warned that China was become increasingly determined to project power beyond its shores.

'The Chinese through their actions and through their words are on a very deliberate course at the moment.' he said.

'We have to stand up with countries to stare down any act of aggression to make sure we can keep peace in our region and for our country.'

Since president Xi Jinping came to power, and particularly in recent years, Beijing has pushed an increasingly assertive foreign policy.

China has reinforced territorial claims in the South China Sea, killed Indian troops in the Himalayas, and frequently flown fighter jets over Taiwan.

Labor Deputy Leader Richard Marles said Mr Dutton was all about words and not action on keeping Australia safe.

'This is a government which repeatedly fails as it has in its management of relationships in the Pacific, as it has in terms of the Darwin port,' he said.

Members of the Australian Army Band take part in the annual Anzac Day Dawn Service in Sydney

While Mr Dutton was speaking, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Labor deputy leader Richard Marles were in Darwin for services on Monday, as the nation marked the 107th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings.

Mr Albanese remained in isolation at his Sydney home as he recovers from Covid-19.

Mr Morrison said in a statement ahead of the service it was a day of rededication to the principles and values many Australians had fought for.

'Even now, as we come together, on this Anzac Day, around the world and particularly in Ukraine, there is a new fight for freedom,' he said.

'And Australia is playing its part in that conflict, to support those who believe in freedom - freedom from those who would seek to coerce them, freedom from those who would seek to impose their will.

Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has destroyed the city of Mariupol (pictured)

'Australia has seen this before and we have stood against it.'

He said it was a time for the nation to look forward 'with optimism and with confidence, because of the freedom and because of belief and our passion for our country and our future together'.

Mr Albanese said in a video message the Australian character was confirmed at Gallipoli and since then Australians had 'stood steadfast as warriors and as builders and keepers of the peace'.

'Yet as the war in Ukraine so tragically reminds us, darkness is not vanquished from the world,' he said.

'It reminds us freedom cannot be taken for granted. It reminds us that freedom isn't free.'

National security is set to remain a key issue in the election campaign with Labor and the coalition exchanging barbs over the handing of the Solomon Islands government's deal with China.

Mr Morrison said on Sunday there would be no Chinese military naval bases in the region.

'Working together with our partners in New Zealand and, of course, the US, I share the same red line that the US has when it comes to these issues,' he said.

'Prime Minister Sogavare has been very clear to me saying there will be no such base. So that is what he has said. So he clearly shares our red line.'

With AAP
A suspected Colombian crime cartel active in Sydney used a seemingly normal suburban home as their base - hiding their stash of drugs in a secret room hidden behind a fake bookshelf.

The secret drug room was uncovered when the $1.6million home in Sylvania, in Sydney's south, during a raid in 2017 which saw cocaine, cash, cannabis and imitation weapons seized.

The home was forfeited on Friday because it was purchased using the proceeds of crime.

Extraordinary photos have revealed how cocaine smugglers used an electric door disguised as as a bookshelf to hide an extraordinary stash of illicit drugs (pictured)

The electric door was used to conceal two window-less rooms stuffed with ordinary junk like cardboard boxes and tins of paint, as well as illicit drugs (pictured)

The five-bedroom property was searched by the Australian Federal Police in April 2017 as part of an investigation into a Colombian organised crime group.

When officers entered the home they were confronted with a seemingly ordinary bookshelf crowded with books including a series of Lonely Planet travel guides.

The electric door was used to conceal two window-less rooms which were full of household junk such as cardboard boxes and tins of paint - and illicit drugs and piles of cash.

In a statement on Sunday, the AFP said the rooms contained 'cocaine, cannabis, cannabis resin, mobile phones, scales, clip-seal bags, a substance commonly used to cut drugs, and equipment used to detect surveillance devices'.

Officers also found $130,000 in cash and two imitation firearms in the home.

Officers also found $130,000 in cash and two imitation firearms in other parts of the home

The five-bedroom property was searched by the Australian Federal Police in April 2017 as part of an investigation into a Colombian organised crime group

One of the homeowners was sentenced to three years and six months in April 2019.

The now 48-year-old man pleaded guilty to a money laundering offence and the deemed supply of a prohibited drug.

Just three months later the AFP slapped restraining orders on the property meaning the $1.6million home could not be passed into other hands.

They claimed there were reasonable grounds to believe the home 'was used in, or in connection with, various drug offences'.

On Friday, two men were asked to forfeit the home to the Commonwealth after it was deemed to have been used as an 'instrument of crime'.

In a statement on Sunday, the AFP said the rooms contained 'cocaine, cannabis, cannabis resin, mobile phones, scales, clip-seal bags, a substance commonly used to cut drugs, and equipment used to detect surveillance devices'

The five-bedroom house will be sold, with the proceeds to go to the confiscated assets account managed by the Australian Financial Security Authority

The five-bedroom house will be sold, with the proceeds to go to the confiscated assets account managed by the Australian Financial Security Authority.

AFP National Manager Criminal Assets Confiscation Stefan Jerga said the raid was an example of the AFP's two-pronged strategy when it came to organised crime.

The AFP wants to ensure that when offenders are released from jail they no longer have the spoils of criminal activity at their disposal,' Mr Jerga said.

'Law-abiding Australians work hard to buy their first home  they go to work, they pay their taxes and they save up for a deposit. Organised criminals flout their greed and often use violence in accumulating their criminal wealth.

'The AFP will continue to unleash maximum damage on the criminal environment, especially organised criminals who peddle misery into the community by trafficking illicit drugs.'
Slicing its way through the Surrey countryside, this is the route of a 55-mile pipeline to bring aviation fuel to Heathrow.

Scheduled to be completed next year, the link from Southampton replaces a buried pipeline that has come to the end of its useful life after 50 years.

Exxon Mobil, which owns Esso, says it will take 100 fuel tankers off the roads every day.

But in Farnborough, Hampshire, the Friends of Queen Elizabeth Park claim the project threatens trees standing alongside the route, including their much-loved Fairy Tree.

The new Esso Aviation fuel pipline cuts across Chobham Common in Surrey, pictured this week

The Southampton to London Pipeline (SLP) project is replacing 90km of the underground fuel pipeline between Boorley Green, Hampshire and the West London Terminal storage facility in Hounslow

Campaigner Lynne Lambert, a writer, said residents were particularly concerned by the impact on the tree, which according to local legend is inhabited by fairies as its name suggests.

She said: We are greatly concerned about the fate of the Fairy Tree. It a great big Beech tree. Its not going to be happy having a great big pipeline shoved under its roots, we just have to hope they protect it properly. The pipeline is going right under it.

We dont see how they cannot put it at risk.

She added that in other areas of the park the oil firm are using open trenching. She added: The impact could have been so much reduced if they had tunnelled through.

Exxon said the work in the park necessitated the removal of 30 mature trees

Exxon said the work in the park necessitated the removal of 30 mature trees.

The work would also enhance the park as it would remove invasive rhododendron, the company said.

Techniques could be used to prevent tree roots being disturbed by the pipeline, it added.

In February, protesters from Extinction Rebellion blockaded attempts by construction workers to clear vegetation to make way for the new tunnel.

As well as trees the pipeline passes through areas of Hampshire which are described in an official report as a stronghold for dormice.
Chris Tarrant has welcomed a Ukrainian refugee family of three, including a nine-month-old baby, into his Berkshire home.

The former Who Wants To Be A Millionaire presenter said he and his partner Jane Bird were inspired to act after seeing television footage of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

He has now opened his home to a Ukrainian woman, her elderly mother and nine-month-old baby, while the woman's husband stays in Ukraine to fight Russian forces.

But 75-year-old criticised the government's Homes For Ukraine scheme as 'civil service bureaucratic c**p' due to 'red tape' facing those fleeing war.

Chris Tarrant said he and his partner Jane Bird (pictured together) were inspired to act after seeing television footage of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine

The former Who Wants To Be A Millionaire presenter has opened his home to to a Ukrainian woman, her elderly mother and nine-month-old baby, while her husband stays in Ukraine to fight Russian forces

Tarrant told the Sun: 'People are desperate to get into this country and they cant get through all that red tape.

'When you consider all the people who do get into this country, you think, "For Gods sake, the Ukrainians  of all people  we should be giving priority to".'

The latest figures reveal that just 6,600 refugees have arrived through the Homes for Ukraine scheme despite more than 150,000 people registering their interest to house Ukrainians last month.

Earlier this month, leading neurosurgeon Dr Henry Marsh, 72, branded delays to Britain's refugee scheme 'disgusting' and claimed the scheme had been set up to fail.

Home Secretary Priti Patel apologised 'with frustration' over the amount of time it was taking for Ukrainians to arrive in the UK under current visa schemes, adding: 'Any new scheme takes time.'

Tarrant, who himself has four grown up children, said the current situation in Ukraine made him feel 'helpless', but after a friend asked if he would like to help he said he decided to get involved in the scheme.

He said he managed to avoid the red tape facing many Brits, including Dr Marsh, which allowed the family to move in after the woman's husband sorted their paperwork to get them through Poland and into the UK.

When he first contacted the family Tarrant said they were sleeping on airport floors in Poland having escaped from the 'hellhole' in Ukraine.

The latest figures reveal that just 6,600 refugees have arrived through the Homes for Ukraine scheme despite more than 150,000 people registering their interest to house Ukrainians last month

He now helps the 'lovely' family - who speak very little English - with shopping and other bits and pieces.

Tarrant, who filmed in Ukraine two years ago for his Channel 5 programme Extreme Railways, described the Ukrainian people as 'gentle, nice people'.

'Theres no question  Putin is worse than Hitler', he added. 'Hes just a sick, evil man. What hes doing is beyond belief. It is genocide, it is war crimes.

'The human spirit is still very strong. You never really thought the Ukrainians would be as tough as they are, but they are so strong and so courageous.'
Peering into China's national park construction from Hainan

Xinhua) 10:44, April 25, 2022

BOAO, Hainan, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Walking into a virtual 3D tropical rainforest, guests attending the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2022 in China's southernmost province of Hainan could see gibbons endemic to the island swinging between branches as if they were visiting an actual rainforest.

The province, where China has established its first batch of five national parks, held a cultural exhibition featuring its signature tropical rainforests during the forum from Wednesday to Friday.

The theme of Earth Day 2022, which falls on Friday, is "Invest In Our Planet." This year marks the 53rd anniversary of Earth Day, and the initiative calls for forging a partnership toward safeguarding the planet where everyone is accounted for and accountable.

The BFA's interactive arrangement gave the visitors an immersive experience through which they learn about the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park through their five senses.

With an overall protected area of 230,000 square km, the five national parks are home to nearly 30 percent of the key terrestrial wildlife species protected by China.

During a sub-forum of the BFA annual conference held on Thursday, Li Chunliang, deputy director of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA), said that China plans to set up a new batch of national parks in locations of great ecological value, such as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Yellow River basin, and the Yangtze River basin.

The country will also select about 50 candidate areas for further national park construction, accounting for one-tenth of its land area. These regions will help protect China's most representative ecosystems and more than 80 percent of key wildlife under state protection and their habitats, said Li.

Currently, China's first five national parks have provided shelter for over 10,000 kinds of higher plants and nearly 1,600 animal species, including giant pandas, Siberian tigers, and snow leopards. It covers around 40,000 square km of forests, 150,000 square km of grasslands, and 15,000 square km of wetlands, said Ouyang Zhiyun, director of the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The value of ecological products provided by the five national parks, including water and soil conservation, is estimated to be around 1.08 trillion yuan (about 166 billion U.S. dollars), Ouyang added.

Hainan's national park, covering 4,269 square km, is home to China's most concentrated and well-preserved tropical rainforests. The park is also the only habitat of Hainan gibbons, a rare primate.

Many wildlife that had long disappeared are returning to their homes thanks to the park. The Hainan gibbon population has been restored to 36 on the island, while nine plant species have been newly discovered in the park's range.

Martin Raiser, the World Bank's country director for China, shared his views on the economic cost that may happen if people pay little attention to biodiversity conservation. He spoke via video link during the sub-forum "Dialogue in Hainan."

According to World Bank figures, developing tourism properly while protecting biodiversity can generate a return of 6 to 28 U.S. dollars for each dollar invested by the government.

Similar opinions and suggestions on improving national park planning and construction were also brought up by speakers from Brazil and other countries.

By 2025, China plans to improve its national park system, complete the integration and optimization of its nature reserve areas, and initially establish nature reserve areas with national parks as a major component, a move for the country to push forward sustainable development.

China has put forward a phased plan to improve the protection of nature reserve areas, planning to reach a world-leading management level and protection scale in this field by 2035. By that time, China's nature reserve areas are expected to account for more than 18 percent of its land areas.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Earth Day obsessed with climate crusade By Tom Harris

web posted April 25, 2022 Last Friday was Earth Day, an event that has been almost entirely hijacked by the climate change movement. On Earth Day, Climate appeared 10 times on the earthday.org home page . The first action item on the Greenpeace USA home page was a link to a new climate communications report. The United Nations International Mother Earth Day home page cited climate no less than seven times. Pollution was referenced once. Land once. Water and air not at all. Even Fridays Google home page doodle took you to a page that showed the supposed impact of climate change. This has been going on for years. Instead of concentrating on issues affecting people today, Earth Day has been taken over by long term concerns about climate change no matter what else is happening in the world. For example, two years ago, UN Climate Chief Patricia Espinosa urged the international community to remain focused on Earth Day 2020s overarching theme of climate change, despite the COVID-19 crisis... The Earth Day 2020 website went further and called , climate change the biggest challenge to the future of humanity and the life-support systems that make our world habitable. But most people in the world apparently do not agree. For the almost 10 million people who voted in the UNs My World poll that was on the web between 2013 and 2020, Action on climate change ranked dead last, despite the agency listing that priority first among issues to be selected from. Such results are inconvenient for UN climate bureaucrats, so, after ending the My World survey, they are essentially running the poll again. This time, they ask the public to tell them: WHICH SIX OF THE FOLLOWING GLOBAL GOALS ARE OF IMMEDIATE CONCERN TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY? So far, 582,106 people have voted and Climate Action is currently ranked 9th out of the 17 goals, securing about 10% of the votes cast. When their surveys showed relatively low concern about environmental issues in their 2015 poll, Gallup proposed several causes of the decline, one of which should trouble Earth Day strategists: they are, in effect, focused on the wrong issue. Gallup explained, The primary focus of the environmental movement has shifted toward long-term threats like global warming -- issues about which Americans tend to worry less than about more immediate threats like pollution. Importantly, even as global warming has received greater attention as an environmental problem from politicians and the media in recent years, Americans' worry about it is no higher now than when Gallup first asked about it in 1989. Most sensible people are environmentalists and want clean air, land, and water. Yet climate change now dominates, not just Earth Day, but the entire environmental movement, sucking funding and energies away from tackling important short and mid-term issues such as pollution and species at risk. Besides the strategic blunder of focussing on an issue the general public seems to not really care much about, there is a serious ethical problem that will eventually come back to haunt the movement. Documents such as the Climate Change Reconsidered series of reports from the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change illustrate that debate rages in the scientific community about the causes of climate change. Scientists cannot yet even agree on whether cooling or warming lies ahead, let alone how much we affect the climate. Yet global warming campaigners assert that the science is settled. We know for certain, they claim, that our carbon dioxide emissions will cause a planetary emergency unless we radically change our ways. This makes no sense, of course. Uncertainty is inherent to all science, especially one as complicated as climate change. The consequence of this overconfidence is tragic. According to the San Francisco-based Climate Policy Initiative , of the over one-half trillion dollars that is now spent annually across the world on climate finance, 91% goes exclusively to mitigation, trying to control future climate states. Only 7% of global climate finance is dedicated solely to helping vulnerable people cope with climate change in the present. Based on an hypothesis about the causes of climate change, we are letting people suffer today so as to possibly help those yet to be born. As the public come to understand this, they will soon regard the climate crusade as fundamentally immoral and todays environmental movement misguided. That scenario, not theoretical future climate, is what should most concern environmentalists who worked on Earth Day this year. Tom Harris is Executive Director of the Ottawa-based International Climate Science Coalition  Canada . Home
Sir Michael Palin led celebrities yesterday in hailing the Mail Force campaign to help feed hungry people in Ukraine.

The former Monty Python comic said he was delighted by the success of the appeal after 90,000 food boxes were packed.

They have been dispatched in a stream of more than 30 lorries at our hub in Leicestershire to eastern Ukraine.

The former Monty Python comic said he was delighted by the success of the appeal after 90,000 food boxes were packed

Sir Michael, a travel writer and presenter who has a special place in his heart for the besieged country, has urged people to donate to Mail Force, which has so far raised 11million.

He visited Kyiv in 1992, when it was still in the Soviet Union, for his Pole To Pole travel series and again in 2007 for New Europe.

Last month on the BBC Sunday Morning show he had an emotional reunion on video call with Ukrainian nationalist Vadym Kastelli, who appeared in both programmes.

Sir Michael was joined by Julian Fellowes, with the Downton Abbey writer heaping praise on the campaign.

Lord Fellowes said: This is a terrific initiative, and a reminder that we must do whatever we can to help. A free and peaceful country is under savage attack. It seems incredible for this new century, but its happened and we are all involved.

The Mail Force charity is paying 4million towards 500,000 food boxes in a joint mission with the Ukrainian embassy in London and the Confederation of British Industry.

Each box contains 14 items including pasta, porridge, tinned meat, fish and vegetables, and contains enough calories to feed an adult for a week. They are being packed at a rate of 400 an hour at a plant run by Oakland International in Leicestershire.

Millions of Ukrainian families have been forced to flee their homes under bombardment from the Kremlins rockets and bombs. Many have crossed into western Europe, where they are being helped by aid organisations such as Unicef and CARE International, which are receiving funds from Mail Force.

But the biggest worry is for those too frail to leave or who have resolved to stay and help. Vladimir Putins ruthless military forces are waging a cruel battle to starve cities into submission. Hundreds of thousands of elderly and disabled people struggling to find food supplies are in desperate need of help. The Ukrainian embassy in London is helping to coordinate the efforts to get the food boxes into Ukraine and to the towns where they are most needed.

The Mail Force appeal launched just days after Moscows invasion of Ukraine, and was kickstarted with a 500,000 donation from DMGT, the Mails parent company, at the personal request of Lord and Lady Rothermere. Since then, readers have sent in money in droves.
NPR is coming under fire after it released a gushing review over a twisted horror novel written by a transgender author which gleefully depicts JK Rowling's violent death in a fire.

Gretchen Felker-Martin's novel, Manhunt, has sparked fury over scenes in which 'terfs' (so-called trans-exclusionary radical feminists) including Rowling, meet grisly ends.

And now NPR - which has come under fire for its increasingly woke and biased content - has found itself in hot water over journalist Liam McBain's favorable write-up.

'To be upfront, Manhunt is not for everyone,' his review begins. 'It is gory, and brutal, and sickened me more than any other horror novel I've read in recent memory. I am sure it will challenge many trans readers (like myself) as much as it will challenge cis readers. I mean all this as a sincere compliment to Felker-Martin's work.

'Manhunt is a paragon of body horror, and its numerous sex scenes are no exception. The prose is simultaneously erotic and gruesome. Felker-Martin writes into dissociation and the dysphoric insecurities of her characters,' McBain explains.

Felker-Martins novel Manhunt exacts a deeply unpleasant fictional revenge and the death of Rowling crushed in a burned down Scottish castle lit by the hands of trans activists. But NPR's review described the plot as 'grounded'.

'Even in places where it stretched the imagination, the book was grounded in the bodies of Felker-Martin's protagonists and in the logistics of their survival,' McBain wrote.

Liam McBain reviewed the book for NPR. He stated it was 'rare to read a horror novel that truly tests my limits in a (mostly) pleasurable way'

Gretchen Felker-Martin's book Manhunt features characters hunting TERFS

Author Gretchen Felker-Martin used the death of Rowling in her novel to promote the story

Felker-Martin continued to promote the 'death' of Rowling in her novel on Twitter

The author didn't take kindly to people mocking the subject of her book

'Disgustingly rendered and brilliantly imagined, Manhunt was gripping as much as it was repulsive. It's rare to read a horror novel that truly tests my limits in a (mostly) pleasurable way  and Manhunt delivers. It's a challenge, and one I hope more readers take,' NPR's reviewer concludes.

Those reading the review appeared appalled that NPR would essentially endorse such prose, having frequently taken a tough stance on instances of transphobia.

'Very normal for @NPR to praise a book where JK Rowling *checks notes* dies in an inferno,' wrote Eliza Mondegreen. 'All because Rowling wrote an entirely reasonable letter about concerns that anyone who has turned over a few rocks shares: why do we see such an explosion in teenage girls presenting with gender dysphoria?' she continued.

'By far, one of the worst books Ive ever read and not even because of its writers clear mental illness, which NPR called brilliant. There are multiple reasons to spit on Manhunt. Doesnt matter if youre left or right,' wrote Mehreen Kasana.

'What the effing hell?? .... NPR = Not Particularly Rational,' tweeted Rico Reynolds.

'NPR is now a propaganda machine,' added another.



Manhunt  produced by an imprint of publishing giant Macmillan  has also been panned as 'misogynistic bile' from an 'unhinged' writer.

Those reading the review appeared appalled that NPR would essentially endorse such prose

Rowling has faced a barrage of abuse in the past few years over her views on the trans debate, including death threats.

The Harry Potter author has been accused of being transphobic over her claims biological sex is real and that trans women should not be granted access to some women's only-spaces.

Characters hunt down and kill TERFs.

TERF is shorthand for trans-exclusionary radical feminists  the highly derogatory term used by trans rights activists for anyone, but almost exclusively women  who insists that biological sex is real.

The term has been used against Rowling in the past  and in the novel they are referred to in the novel as the Knights of JK Rowling.

The book reads: Have the new girls heard what happened to the Harry Potter lady?... Okay, so, first off she ended up being a crazy TERF, like, super intense.

The author then explains how she took her rich TERF friends to a castle in Scotland where one of the characters flips in the middle of the night and starts ripping into the other guests before someone knocks over a lamp or something leaving people to burn alive before finally the whole castle collapsed.

The TERFs also use a war ship called the Galbraith, a reference to Miss Rowlings pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

Manhunt is published by Tor Nightfire, an offshoot of Macmillan which claims to publish fiction that unsettles and delights. It is available as a paperback or ebook on Amazon.

A transgender author has written a book which features JK Rowling burning to death, the Harry Potter writer has been criticized by the trans community for her views on transgender issues

Felker-Martin has tweeted frequently about Miss Rowlings death in the novel.

One tweet read: If youre sick of gender plague novels written by transphobic dip****s, try my novel MANHUNT, written by a trans woman for a trans audience. Trans dykes fall in love and f*** and murder TERFs, feral men maraud in the wilderness, J.K. Rowling dies, etc.

Some are calling for the book to be banned with some questioning Amazon's to allow the work to be sold.

Trans activists have been lashed as hypocrites for celebrating the publication of Manhunt while calling for other books by gender critical journalists including Helen Joyce and Abigail Shrier to be banned.

In reviews on the online store, one critic wrote: I cannot for the life of me understand why Amazon is selling bile like this.

Another said: This book is abuse of women and nothing more. A porn fantasy written by a misogynist.

And a third wrote: I have no idea how this even got published. The existence of this book proves once again that misogyny is alright as long as you identify as a member of a certain group.

If you want to read a messed-up individuals unhinged violent sexual fantasies against women then this is the book for you!
Victoria Cross hero Daniel Keighran has always known courage under dire circumstances.

Decades before he would become a national treasure, Keighran grew up on dirt floors with no mains electricity and no money.

Born in Nambour and raised in Lowmead - a small town about 80km from Bundaberg in regional Queensland - Keighran's life could have so easily gone down a different path.

Keighran's fight against the Taliban took him around the world, including East Timor, Malaysia, Iraq and Afghanistan

Daniel Keighran, who received the Victoria Cross after serving in the Middle East, proposed to Casey Nixon at the Magic Millions Raceday, on the Gold Coast, in January last year

The first person he ever knew to be shot was his own father - who arrived on his doorstep for the first time after vanishing a decade earlier.

Out of the blue, he hooked back up with Keighran's mum and the family all moved from the Sunshine Coast out into the wilderness.

Still, Keighran counts himself lucky.

He had a loving mother and his one male constant was his grandfather - a World War II veteran.

By the time Keighran would make his mark on Australian history aged just 27, he had been in the army 10 years and served in East Timor, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

The Battle of Derapet took place in Afghanistan on August 24, 2010.

I was a leader on the ground, so I stood up and led from the front - the only way I could do that was by drawing enemy fire to myself.

Keighran had been on the ground as part of 'Operation Slipper'.

The young corporal had been on patrol with the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, when he and his Afghan patrol were overrun with Taliban fighters.

For near on four hours the battle raged in which time Keighran repeatedly exposed himself to heavy enemy fire to help identify targets and clear the wounded.

He would lose close mate Lance Corporal Jared MacKinney in the battle.

'I don't think what I did was really brave. It was what was required at the time,' he would say of his actions that day.

In 2012, Keighran became a recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia when Governor-General Quentin Bryce presented him with the medal.

On Tuesday, Keighran was among veterans to attend the dawn service at Currumbin in Queensland.

Corporal Daniel Keighran VC and his wife Kathryn meet Queen Elizabeth II during an audience with her at Buckingham Palace on November 06, 2013 in London

Daniel Keighran is warded the Victoria Cross in 2012

Speaking to Sunrise, Keighran again paid tribute to his grandfather, whom he credits with keeping him on the straight and narrow during his formative years.

'I was very fortunate to have someone in my life who inspired me and I looked up to them and they were my hero and that person was my grandfather,' he said.

Keighran had always shared a special bond with his grandfather, whom would teach him about how to safely use firearms during fishing trips when he was a teenager.

It wasn't until Keighran enlisted with the Australian Defence Force at age 17 that his beloved grandfather began to tell him about the highs and lows of the war he had witnessed.

The World War II artillery sergeant had shelled his own troops through misinformation during the war and lived out his life dealing with the trauma of that incident.

When Keighran's father returned out of the blue, after abandoning his family for years, he and his sister were literally forced to live in a dirt floor shack.

'That was home for a couple of years before we established a property and a proper dwelling on the place,' he told the ABC in 2020.

'That was my upbringing as a kid. I remember drinking water and I used to strain it because it had mosquito larvae in it.'

Despite the obvious hardships, Keighran embraced the freedom of wandering about the bush with a rifle slung over his shoulder.

Keighran believes the 'Anzac spirit' remains alive and well today

Keighran being saluted by General David Hurley after receiving the Victoria Cross for Australia in 2012

Keighran's move into the armed forces was an obvious choice.

'There was no options realistically for employment for that sort of low socioeconomic group,' he said.

'The army, or defence for me, was a way out. It probably was the only way out.'

Keighran told Sunrise on Monday that he'd made the right decision.

'It turned me into a man that's for sure,' he told Sunrise.

'The defence force was a great option for me and go and serve my country and I'm very proud to have done so for over a decade.'

Keighran said it took him a long time to accept that he was among the elite to have been awarded the Victoria Cross.

The VC is is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system and has been awarded to only eight Australians - four a piece for the Australian and British version of the award - since the end of World War II.

'It has taken me a long time to come to terms with it I think. I think I'm just a normal bloke doing what I thought was best in a chaotic situation in a combat zone in Afghanistan,' he said.

'I was placed in a situation where by my team, and one of my mates was in peril and I acted. And I would do it again.'

Keighran proposes to Casey Nixon at the Magic Millions raceday on the Gold Coast in 2021

Daniel Keighran VC attends an afternoon tea reception for members of the Victoria Cross in London in 2014

Recalling the battle, Keighran painted a picture of absolute calm among utter madness.

'I was very present at that point in time and I think for me it was, I was in a position where by I could see people in trouble and I was in a position where I thought I could affect change,' he said.

'And I was a leader on the ground, so I stood up and led from the front - the only way I could do that was by drawing enemy fire to myself. It was an option that was risky and I could have ended up being a casualty that day and somehow I wasn't killed. I should have been for what I did.'

Since leaving the ADF, Keighran has forged ahead with a new life away for the chaos and carnage of war.

Last year he popped the question to Casey Nixon at the Magic Millions Raceday, on the Gold Coast.

Keighran released his book 'Courage Under Fire' in 2020 where he detailed the highs and lows of a military career and the toll it took on his personal life.

At the time of the 2010 battle, Keighran had been engaged to his first wife Kathryn.

The pair had met in 2007, and Keighran was desperately seeking time off to spend with his partner.

The army refused and Keighran put in for discharge and left by mid-2011.

He would later suffer burnout from the subsequent media touring, endless formal engagements, speaking tours and his itinerant job with Australian Defence Apparel.

His marriage suffered because of it and Keighran and Kathryn divorced in 2019.

The war hero admitted in the book he has come a long way since that time.

'I've come out of that now; things have fallen into place that hadn't when I was at the end of writing,' he wrote.

'I've finished uni, I've got a professional career, I'm in a new relationship. I wouldn't have had those things without having the VC.'
A Jewish New York University student is slamming his law school classmates for repeated declarations of anti-Semitism and calls for violence against Israel.

Tal Fortgang, voicing his concerns Sunday on Bari Weiss' SubStack, accused his colleagues and multiple student groups of pushing a 'supremacy narrative' which has linked the creation of the Jewish state in Israel to white supremacy.

'To the Students for Justice in Palestine, who explained: Zionism is, by design, an ideology that promotes violence against, and hatred and delegitimization of Palestinians. Embedded in the Zionist supremacy narrative is the orientalist, Islamophobic idea that Azkenazi [sic] Jewish whiteness is fundamentally superior to Palestinian lives, culture, and identity: thank you,' Fortgang wrote.

'To the dozen NYU student groups that signed on to their statement defending terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians because People living under occupation have a right to resist their violent occupation, and bemoaned the Zionist grip on the media: thank you.'

The author personally called out a classmate, Yosi Badie, for a tweet that he believed was vowing 'death to Israel'.

In May 2021 she wrote: 'my love language is marg bar israel'. The tweet refers to the Persian phrase 'Marg bar Amrika', which translates as 'Death to America.'

Fortgang's blog post comes amid the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel. Last week at least 152 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli riot police inside Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

Analysts allege the confrontations at the Al-Aqsa compound pose the risk of a relapse into a broader conflagration like last year's Gaza war.

NYU Law Student Tal Fortgang accused the media and multiple student groups of pushing a a 'supremacy narrative' when talking about Zionism

The author personally called out a classmate, Yosi Badie, for a tweet that he believed was vowing 'death to Israel'

Fortgang's frustration-fueled diatribe also criticized multiple NYU Law students for allegedly silencing and mocking Jewish students.

'To my law school classmate who tweeted, my love language is marg bar [death to] Israel: thank you,' he wrote, linking to Badie's Twitter thread.

Although Badie does not appear to be the tweet's original author.

She claims, in the thread, that she was reported to NYU for retweeting a post by Maryam Mikaniki, known online as @mikamary.

Mikaniki's tweets, however, are protected, meaning only her followers can see her posts.

The law student, after seemingly noticing Mikaniki's tweet was not visible to the public, tweeted in quotations: 'my love language is marg bar israel'.

Badie, on behalf of the NYU Law Students for Justice in Palestine, issued a statement to DailyMail.com on Monday, reading in part: 'The events at NYU Law over the past two weeks are representative of the broader global reaction to the Palestinian movement for liberation over the past century.

'Again and again, resistance to the Israeli occupation is met with immediate bad faith conflations of anti-Zionism with anti-Semitisman endeavor that only succeeds in undermining Jewish safetyas well as attempts to publicly sanction individuals and organizations and other concerted efforts to distract from the violent Israeli occupation and apartheid that Palestinians are currently living under.

Badie claims, in the thread, that she was reported to NYU for retweeting a post by Maryam Mikaniki

The law student, after seemingly noticing Mikaniki's tweet was not visible to the public, tweeted in quotations: 'my love language is marg bar israel'

'The harassment that students in solidarity with Palestinian liberation have faced is nothing in comparison to the violation of human rights that Palestinian people are subjected to on a daily basis.

'We are disappointed that some of our classmates, NYU Laws administration, and right-wing media outlets have focused on targeting students who speak out against apartheid, rather than condemning the Israeli occupation forces that are currently bombing Gaza, attacking Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Holy month of Ramadan, and invading the homes of Palestinians.'

The statement did not directly address the remarks made by Fortgang.

Fortgang also cited an instance in which a first-year law student allegedly said 'Quiet, you baby' when a Jewish student 'pleaded for a bit of sympathy'.

The author claims a third-year student mocked her Jewish classmates when they allegedly begged their friends for 'reassurance' that they would 'condemn' the firing of automatic weapons at unarmed civilians.

'You dont condemn an earthquake or a lethal outbreak of flu,' the student mockingly told her colleagues, according to Fortgang.

He also alleged his fellow NYU students 'lecture their Jewish classmates' that the Zionism movement is a 'racist, imperialist, white supremacist ideology, not a religious movement'.

'And those others who insist that Israelis sense of victimhood is delusional because Israel colonized Palestinian land: I thank you,' Fortgang added.

Fortgang also alleged his fellow NYU students 'lecture their Jewish classmates' that the Zionism movement is a 'racist, imperialist, white supremacist ideology, not a religious movement'

Additionally, the aspiring attorney called out specific NYU student groups that he believes reaffirmed that 'Palestinians are not obligated to engage in racialized "nonviolence" theory'.

Among the accused organizations were the Black Allied Law Students Association, Middle Eastern Law Students Association, National Lawyers Guild, Law Students for Economic Justice, Muslim Law Students Association, The Coalition on Law & Representation and Disability Allied Law Students Association.

DailyMail.com has contacted the student groups for comment.

Fortgang alleged that the aforementioned groups and students have perpetrated a narrative of 'Jew-hatred' at one of America's 'best law schools' where 'about a quarter of the students are Jews'.

'All of you have done more than I ever could to convince my fellow Jews that the left doesnt just have a Corbyn problem or a Tlaib problem or a Farrakhan problem. It has a big, fat Jew-hatred problem right in its ideological core,' he wrote.

'Thank you for starting one of those courageous conversations were always supposed to have. This one not about gender or systemic racism or climate change, but about the burning debate over whether it is fantastic or merely acceptable that innocent Jews are being murdered in Israel.'

Badie shares a thread on Twitter where she and three other NYU students are accused of anti-Semitisim

An April 2022 Twitter post calls on NYU students to support Palestinian resistance and liberation

Fortgang published the Substack post just over a week after Palestinian and Israeli forces clashed at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on April 15, leaving more than 150 Palestinians injured.

Most of the Palestinian injuries were incurred from rubber bullets, stun grenades and beatings with police batons, the Palestine Red Crescent said, at the most sensitive site in the generations-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli security forces have been on high alert after a series of deadly Arab street attacks throughout the country over the past two weeks. Confrontations at the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem's walled Old City pose the risk of a relapse into a broader conflagration like last year's Gaza war.

The Al-Aqsa compound sits atop the Old City plateau of East Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, and is known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, or The Noble Sanctuary, and to Jews as Temple Mount.

Tensions this year have been heightened in part by Ramadan coinciding with the Jewish celebration of Passover.

In a statement, Israeli police said hundreds of Palestinians hurled firecrackers and stones at their forces and toward the nearby Jewish prayer area of the Western Wall in the Old City after Ramadan morning prayers.

Fortgang published the SubStack post just over a week after Palestinian and Israeli forces clashed at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on April 15, leaving more than 150 Palestinians injured. Israeli security forces are pictured immobilizing a Palestinian man at an entrance to the al-Aqsa mosque on April 15

Palestinians clean the al-Aqsa mosque on the compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount following clashes with Israeli security forces on April 15

It said police then entered the Al-Aqsa compound to "disperse and push back (the crowd and) enable the rest of the worshippers to leave the place safely." adding that three officers were injured in the clashes.

Police detained hundreds of Palestinians, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a tweet.

'We are working to restore calm, on the Temple Mount and across Israel. Alongside that, we are preparing for any scenario and the security forces are ready for any task,' Bennett said.

Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations stepped up their mediation between Palestinian factions - led by the Islamist group Hamas, which runs Gaza - and Israel in a bid to prevent further escalation of violence, a Palestinian official told Reuters.

Hamas demanded that Israel frees nearly 500 people it had detained on Friday, stop 'provocative visits' to Al-Aqsa mosque by Jewish groups, and end military incursions into West Bank cities.

In a sign of lowering tensions, Israel released all but 100 of those detained, Palestinians said.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry, referring to the violence in the holy compound, said it 'holds Israel fully and directly responsible for this crime and its consequences.'

Last year, there were nightly clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police during the Muslim fasting month. Threats of Palestinian displacement in East Jerusalem and police raids at Al-Aqsa helped ignite an 11-day Israel-Gaza war that killed more than 250 Palestinians in Gaza and 13 people in Israel.

Since last month, Israeli forces have killed 29 Palestinians in the course of carrying out raids in the West Bank after Palestinian assailants killed 14 Israelis in a string of attacks in Israeli cities.

Al-Aqsa is the third holiest site in Islam and also revered by Jews as the location of two ancient temples.

Palestinian medics evacuate a person wounded in clashes between protesters and Israeli police at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound on April 15
Police in Paris shot dead two people and injured a third as a car refused to stop at a checkpoint on the oldest bridge in the French capital and sped towards officers amid protests against Emmanuel Macron's re-election.

The bloodbath happened on the ancient Pont Neuf, in the centre of the city, soon after Emmanuel Macron's re-election as President on Sunday night.

'A car came rushing towards police soon after midnight, and refused to stop,' said an investigating source.

'One of the police officers opened fire, killing two people and wounding a third.'

In the early hours of Monday morning, an examining magistrate attended the scene, which was closed to traffic.

The IGNP investigations unit  one that deals with potential crimes carried out by the police  also attended.

Police investigate the site of a shooting where two people were shot by police in Paris on Sunday night

The vehicle was driving against traffic on the Pont Neuf in Paris on Sunday night, and was trying to hit the officers, who then opened fire, according to a police source

Police at the scene confirmed that the wounded person was a woman who had been hit in the arm by a bullet as she travelled in the back of the Volkswagen Polo.

She was rushed to the Pitie-Sapletriere hospital 'for urgent treatment,' said the investigating source.

All of the shots were thought to have been fired by a police-issue Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifle.

There was no return of fire from those inside the car, none of whom are thought to have been armed.

'It seems that they were simply in a car that was being driven erratically,' said the source.

There were no early clues pointing to a link with the presidential election, or any terrorist acts.

A security perimeter had been set up at the scene in the heart of the capital where a judge was expected to arrive

An investigation has been launched for 'attempted voluntary manslaughter on persons in charge of public authority'.

A security perimeter has been set up at the scene in the heart of the capital and the public prosecutor Laure Beccuau arrived shortly after.

France's police oversight body, the General Inspectorate of the National Police, is also expected to be deployed, as is typical following an officer's use of a firearm.

A witness told Le Figaro: 'A car was parked in the wrong direction along the Vert-Galant square on the Pont Neuf. The police approached to control the individuals present in the vehicle by pointing automatic weapons at him.

'The driver rushed off towards the police at full speed. The police fired immediately.'

Earlier on Sunday, several hundred demonstrators took to the streets in some French cities, including Paris, to protest Macron's re-election and Le Pen's score.

Police used tear gas to disperse gatherings in the capital and the western city of Rennes.

It is not known if the incident involving the car was related to the earlier protests.

Earlier on Sunday, protesters participated in a demonstration at Place de la Republique in Paris after the announcement of the French presidential election winner. It is not known if the incident involving the car was related to the earlier protests

Hundreds of people took to the streets to protest against Macron's victory over Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election
A California woman survived six days trapped in a snowy wilderness by rationing a six pack of yoghurts and eating one of them a day.

Sheena Gullett, 52, also ate snow to keep herself hydrated after she and pal Justin Honich, 48, got trapped by a blizzard while driving down a dirt road near Little Valley in northern California April 14.

They spent the night in their car, only for their car battery to die the next morning.

As the pair attempted to escape the wilderness the following day, they became separated when Gullett's hiking boots fell apart.

She left Honich to continue, and returned to the car.

Sheena Gullett, pictured here, said that she saw a search helicopter hovering over her days before she was rescued. The chopper couldn't see the missing woman because of the wooded area

Further disaster struck when Gullett's shoes began to perish and she could not continue walking.

More snowfall meant that Honich could not find Gullett and they became permanently separated.

Gullett returned to the car to wait for help, alone in the elements. Honich soldiered on to search for civilization.

That night, Honich, still isolated in the harsh weather conditions, sought shelter and built a campfire.

It's not clear why Gullett and Honich were driving on a dirt road during inclement weather

Honich soldiered on for three days, building shelters and campfires, before he finally reached Highway 44 where he could flag down a vehicle

The following day, the 16th, Honich reached a gravel road but was still unable to make contact with anybody. He slept in the wild again that night.

On the 17th, Honich finally got to Highway 44 where he was able to flag down a vehicle which brought him to the town of Susanville. There, Honich told authorities that Gullett was still stranded.

Honich was not familiar with the area where the pair ran into trouble and was therefore unable to give authorities specific directions to Gullett.

According to the sheriff's office, immediately after Honich made his report, the members of the department, along with the forest service and the California Highway Patrol began a land and air search for the missing woman.

When Gullett was rescued, she relayed to authorities the exact same story as Honich about how the pair became stuck

The searches were delayed due to more bad weather.

It was not until April 20, a full six days after they became stuck, that authorities were able to locate Gullett.

Honich was part of the search party when she was found at 3 p.m. on April 20. The sheriff's department's press release said that when deputies came upon the vehicle, Gullett emerged, emotional but physically okay.

Gullett's told investigators the same story as Honich about how the pair got stuck in the first place. It was then that Gullett relayed her story of surviving on a yoghurt a day and eating snow for water.

Frustratingly, Gullett said that prior to being found, she had seen a forest service helicopter flying overhead. Due to it being in a heavily wooded area, she was not found at that point.
Going under the knife for a nose job is becoming less popular as people turn to non-surgical alternatives instead, surgeons have said.

The number of nose jobs performed each year has plummeted  down from 4,878 in 2013 to 1,330 in 2021.

One of the advantages of a non-surgical treatment is that injecting a temporary filler can change a noses shape for up to two years, experts claim.

The number of nose jobs performed each year has plummeted  down from 4,878 in 2013 to 1,330 in 2021

The reversible alternative puts a stop to customers later regretting plastic surgery  such as in the case of model Bella Hadid, who felt the decision to go under the knife at 14 was a mistake.

Ifeoma Ejikeme, founder of Adonia Medical Clinic, told The Sunday Times: Five years ago, nobody was thinking about a non-surgical nose procedure. Now it is one of the fastest-growing treatments.

The recovery process is also quicker as clinics say a person could return to work the same day compared with having to take two weeks off wrapped in bandages.

But surgeons warn that while fillers can help straighten a bumpy nose, they are not able to reduce its size.
Sir Keir Starmer was yesterday forced again to deny he had broken the law by drinking beer and eating pizza indoors with colleagues during lockdown.

The Labour leader reacted angrily when the BBC asked him if he felt lucky to have escaped being fined by police, given that Rishi Sunak has been penalised for being briefly present at a birthday party for Boris Johnson.

Appearing on BBC1s Sunday Morning show, Sir Keir accused host Sophie Raworth of asking him the same questions seven times before continuing: The police looked into it, thats the end of it.

Ive got nothing to add. Theres no equivalence.'

Denial: Sir Keir Starmer was photographed drinking a beer with colleagues in 2021

Sir Keir Starmer, pictured on BBC1s Sunday Morning show with host Sophie Raworth, was yesterday forced again to deny he had broken the law by drinking beer and eating pizza indoors with colleagues during lockdown

She described how the Chancellor was given a 50 Fixed Penalty Notice for having gone into the Cabinet Room for a meeting in June 2020 and found people in there celebrating the Prime Ministers birthday, despite not drinking any alcohol in an event that lasted a few minutes.

She went on: You will remember, you and I talked about a photograph of you when you were drinking beer during a constituency meeting in Durham.

That was at a time when those sort of gatherings were not allowed under the law. Do you think that its that different?

Sir Keir replied: I dont know the details of what the Chancellor was up to.

Miss Raworth went on: Im just asking about the comparison between the Chancellor and the fine that he got, and the time when you were in Durham, you were drinking beer. Its during the local elections.

You stopped working briefly, you had food and beer with colleagues, which actually under the law at the time wasnt really permitted. And Im just wondering whether it is you feel lucky?

He interrupted: Hang on, hang on Sophie, I dont accept that. I think last time I was on your programme, or the one before you put the same questions to me seven times.

Told that it had not been seven times, Sir Keir said whatever before continuing: The police looked into it, thats the end of it. Ive got nothing to add. Theres no equivalence.

Richard Holden MP, pictured, who has written to Durhams chief constable over the matter, said last night: Its time for Sir Keir Starmer to come clean. He needs to admit that it was really a campaign visit rather than this ludicrous suggestion he was working'

But Tory MPs are demanding more answers from Labours leader, as well as a full investigation from police.

Richard Holden, who has written to Durhams chief constable over the matter, said last night: Its time for Sir Keir Starmer to come clean. He needs to admit that it was really a campaign visit rather than this ludicrous suggestion he was working.

He needs to tell us who was there. And why doesnt he think that Durham Police have investigated this incident when the Met have in identical circumstances in London.

It cant be one rule for Sir Keir Starmer and Labour politicians and another rule for everybody else.

He said that City of Durham MP Mary Foy was clearly pictured in the photo taken in her office on April 30 last year.

Mr Holden added that it has also been suggested that Joy Allen, who was at the time running to become the areas Police and Crime Commissioner, was also present alongside Labour activist Nigel Bryson, who is now her deputy.

But a spokesman for Labour said that neither Ms Allen nor Mr Bryson was at the gathering. They could not be reached for comment.
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Amazon's second-headquarters in Virginia will feature a unique helix-shaped tower complete with an outdoor 'mountain' that visitors can hike at weekends.

Arlington County Board gave unanimous approval for the 350 foot-tall building on Saturday, which has been designed by architectural firm NBBJ.

It will sit as the centerpiece of Amazon's new $2.5 billion campus just across the River Potomac from Washington DC.

Skyscrapers are banned in the District of Columbia, and the Amazon buildings will be among the tallest in neighboring Arlington County.

From some vantage points the helix will dominate the regions skyline like no building other than the Washington Monument.

The helix features a spiral-hike around its exterior, complete with trees, and will let visitors follow a winding outdoor ramp around the edge of the building to its summit.

A rendering of Amazon's new helix-shaped building at its upcoming second headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. The building features a ramp around its exterior which can be used as a tree-lined hike

The new tower will sit just across the Potomac from Washington DC - which bans skyscrapers - and will be one of the tallest buildings in the area's skyline

The proposed building was first unveiled by Amazon in February 2021 and is one of a number of large offices that will be constructed by the web giant on the site.

It is set to be completed by 2025, and will welcome around 25,000 workers once fully-operational.

The campus will also include a separate park, as well as a community high school, and multiple shops.

Amazon have claimed that the Helix will have its very own artist in residence, as well as meeting space for the staff who work there.

The online behemoth's global headquarters is in Washington, with Virginia now set to become its second most-important US base.

The new Arlington campus will also feature an outdoor park and community high school, and is set to open in 2025

Virginia will be Amazon's second most important US city after it withdrew plans to open its second headquarters in New York City

It spent years searching for a potential second headquarters, with multiple cities across the US setting out their stall.

Some even vowed to change local laws to make it easier for Amazon to set up and do business there.

They did so in the hopes that its presence would turbocharge their economies.

Amazon ultimately announced it had chosen New York City as its site in late 2018.

It said it was planning to open a huge new base on Long Island City in Queens, just across the East River from Midtown Manhattan.

Amazon's global headquarters is in Seattle, which is home to its equally-unique glass sphere-shared offices

That sparked fury from the cities that had lost out, who were angry that a metropolis already replete with jobs had landed yet another multinational firm.

Many New Yorkers themselves were also angry and feared Amazon's presence would further gentrify a city already notorious for its astronomical cost of living.

There were also fears from progressive lawmakers - including US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - that the new HQ would price-out poorer locals.

On Valentine's Day 2019, the firm announced it had withdrawn its bid for its New York headquarters and was instead concentrating on building its Arlington site, which was announced alongside the Long Island City deal.
Anthony Albanese says he'll make childcare cheaper, boost Australia's manufacturing capabilities and provide almost 500,000 free TAFE places should his Labor party win the federal election.

The Labor leader will also set up 50 new first aid clinics and change the definition of a casual worker to improve job security.

Learning from Bill Shorten's shock defeat to Scott Morrison in 2019, Mr Albanese is not proposing any tax increases or cuts to tax-reduction incentives, such as negative gearing.

In fact, he claims his energy policies will not only reduce emissions but also leave Australians $275 a year better off by 2025.

But with Mr Albanese in isolation with Covid-19, it remains to be seen whether he can convince enough Australians to listen to his policies and support him.

Here, Daily Mail Australia takes a look at the main ideas Labor is proposing ahead of the May 21 poll.

Anthony Albanese is pictured with his new girlfriend Jodie Haydon. They have been dating since 2020

Cheaper childcare

One of Labor's most significant policies is to increase childcare subsidies for all families earning less than $530,000.

Mr Albanese would remove a cap that prevents families earning more than $189,390 from receiving more than $10,560 a year in subsidies.

A family on $189,390 that uses childcare five days a week would instead get $21,608 in subsidies, more than double the current allowance.

One of Labor's most significant policies is to increase childcare subsidies for all families earning less than $530,000

Lower income families would also benefit from increased subsidies. For example, a family taking home $80,000 a year would get an extra $2,389 a year for full-time care.

The move is designed to encourage more second income earners - mostly women - into the workforce.

Tackling climate change

Labor will spend $20billion to upgrade the electricity grid to improve transmission, roll out 85 solar banks and 400 community batteries and invest in 10,000 'new energy apprentices' alongside a $10million New Energy Skills Program.

Mr Albanese says the plan will allow cheaper renewable sources to supply 82 per cent of electricity by 2030.

The plan is projected to create 604,000 jobs and slash average household energy prices by $275 a year by 2025 and $378 by 2035.

The policies will reduce emissions by 43 per cent by 2030, a slightly less ambitious target than Bill Shorten's 45 per cent aim which Mr Albanese called a 'mistake'.

Labor has announced a target to reduce emissions by 43 per cent by 2030. Pictured: Mr Albanese with a hydrogen car on Wednesday

The Coalition's target is to reduce emissions by 26-28 per cent below 2005 levels, although latest projections show the nation is on track for a 30-35 per cent reduction.

A future Labor government would also spend $3billion on renewables manufacturing and deploying low-emissions technologies - as well as remove taxes on electric cars to make them cheaper.

Aged care reform

Labor wants to improved the aged care sector after a Royal Commission reported shocking incidences of neglect.

It will require aged care homes to have a nurse on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week from July 2023, a year before the Commission recommended.

It will also mandate at least 215 minutes of care per day and develop mandatory nutrition standards to improve food.

The ALP will make a submission to the Fair Work Commission to support a pay rise for aged care workers.

Manufacturing boost

Labor will set up a $15billion National Reconstruction Fund to fund major manufacturing projects across the nation.

The fund will provide loans, guarantees and equity to support projects in resources, transport, agriculture, medicine, energy and defence.

Labor will set up a $15billion National Reconstruction Fund to fund major manufacturing projects across the nation. Pictured: Sydney tradies

Labor says the policy will 'secure well-paid jobs, drive regional development, and invest in our national sovereign capability, broadening and diversifying Australias economy.'

Trains, trams and ferries will be made in Australia instead of overseas and a fast rail line between Sydney and Newcastle will be built.

First-aid clinics

Mr Albanese has pledged 50 first-aid clinics across the country if he wins the election.

The clinics will treat non life threatening injuries such as broken bones, minor burns, cuts and animal stings and will be open every day between 8am to 10pm.

Labor's first-aid clinics will be based at GP surgeries and community health centres nationwide with locations yet to be announced.

Anthony Albanese has pledged 50 first-aid clinics across the country if he wins the election. Pictured: A Sydney nurse

Similar clinics operate in New Zealand where they help families avoid long wait times and ease pressure on hospitals.

The clinics will be bulk billed, meaning people won't have any out-of-pocket costs accessing medical care.

A trial of the clinics lasting four years will cost $135 million.

Free TAFE

Labor will provide 465,000 free TAFE places and 20,000 extra university places under a $1.2billion plan.

The free TAFE places will be for courses in industries with a skills shortages such as trades and construction, resources, digital and cyber security, new energy and advanced manufacturing.

Labor has no plans to reduce university fees after the Coalition hiked prices for humanities courses.

Labor will provide 465,000 free TAFE places and 20,000 extra university places under a $1.2billion plan. Pictured: Sydney tradies

Corruption watchdog

Labor will set up a federal integrity commission which the Morrison Government promised in 2019 then failed to deliver.

The ALP does not support the Government's proposed model because it cannot hold its own independent inquiries, public inquiries or investigate past scandals.

More permanent jobs

Labor wants to re-define casual work to give Australians more chance at securing permanent jobs.

In March 2021 the Government defined casual work for the first time as a situation where a worker has 'no firm advance commitment to continuing and indefinite work according to an agreed pattern of work'.

But Labor wants to change this so employment status is determined by workers' shift patterns.

There are around 2.6million casual workers in Australia. They are most commonly in the hospitality, retail (pictured), health, education and construction industries

If an employee has regular shifts for a defined time period then they would be permanent not casual, such as a coal miner who has a 12 month fixed roster.

Labor believes this would push up wages by increasing bargaining power because permanent workers have stronger rights and cannot be left off a roster for requesting a pay-rise like casuals can.

There are about 2.6million casual workers in Australia. They are most commonly in the hospitality, retail, health, education and construction industries.

These workers receive no annual or personal leave, no notice of termination or redundancy pay - but get an extra 25 per cent on top of their pay to make up for this.

Minimum wage for gig workers

Mr Albanese also wants to improve the rights of so-called gig workers such as Uber drivers and Deliveroo drivers.

Labor would extend the powers of the Fair Work Commission to include 'employee-like' forms of work.

This would allow the tribunal to cover app-based gig jobs even when workers are technically self-employed.

Labor wants to improve working conditions for casuals and gig workers such as Uber drivers, food delivery workers, hospitality, and retail staff

The Commission would then be able to set minimum pay and conditions for gig workers so they can no longer be paid below minimum wage.

Labor believes there is a big difference between an empowered independent contractor who runs their own business and a low paid worker on a bicycle.

They should not both be treated the same as self-employed workers, the Opposition believes.

Same job, same pay

Labor will also bring in new laws to make sure workers who do the same job are paid the same if they are employed directly or through labour hire firms.

Companies use labour hire firms when they need to get extra workers in. This is most common in the mining sector but also happens in customer service, healthcare, aged care, disability care and manufacturing.

But Labor believes companies are deliberately using the firms to keep wage bills down because the hired workers are casuals who earn less.

If Labor wins the election then it will introduce laws to make sure workers placed by labour hire firms are paid the same as permanent employees. Pictured: Air crew at Sydney Airport

For example a big mining company which has negotiated an agreement with its workers and the union could circumvent the agreement by bringing casuals through a labour hire company.

Labor would pass laws to make sure labour hire firms have to match the wages of the employees already doing the job.

This means workers placed by a labour hire firm will be paid the same as the permanent staff alongside them.

The idea is to increase the number of people in permanent work and push up permanent wages.

Banning pay secrecy clauses

Pay secrecy clauses in employment contracts are designed to stop workers talking about their pay-packets.

They are most common in industries with discretionary payments and bonuses such as finance and law.

Labor believes that banning the clauses would give workers greater bargaining power because they could more easily find out what their colleagues earn.

Banning pay secrecy clauses will reduce the gender pay gap because female workers would be allowed to ask their male counterparts what they earn, Labor says. Pictured: Sydney tradies

Of course, workers can still decline to reveal their salary to colleagues if they want to keep it secret.

In particular, the move is excepted to help reduce the gender pay gap because female workers would be allowed to ask their male counterparts what they earn.

According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Australian men earn 13.4 per cent more than women.

The move mirrors the UK which outlawed secrecy clauses in 2010 under its Equality Act.

Labor will also force companies with more than 250 employees to report their gender pay gap publicly so they are shamed into reducing it.
Laser game-changers in Middle Eastern warfare By Amb. Dore Gold

web posted April 25, 2022 In the history of warfare, game-changers were not always designed to have that effect. But sometimes they had a profound impact on the course of warfare. Defense Minister Benny Gantz has commented on the latest Israeli anti-missile laser test: energy-based weapons with a powerful laser are, in my opinion, a very significant game-changer When Israel upgraded its Air Force in the 1960s, it wasnt designed to be the decisive arm of the IDF. That was left to the armored corps and Israels tank units. In the Six Day War, the exceptional performance of the Israeli Air Force, particularly in the Sinai Peninsula, led many to see Israels Mirage fighters as a new decisive weapon. However, by 1973 a new weapon was seen as taking over the future battlefield: the ballistic missile. General Chaim Herzog wrote the authoritative history of the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, he traced it to the supply of Soviet SCUD missiles to Egypt just before the war. The Scud had an attribute which was lacking from the Egyptian Air Force at the time: assured penetrability of Israels air space. From then on, Israel had to find a way to neutralize the ballistic missiles in its adversaries weapons stocks. Until that time, in the ongoing struggle between offense and defense on the Arab-Israeli battlefield, the Scud gave offense a built-in advantage. It was dirt cheap, costing a few hundred dollars. And in the last decade Hamas and its sister terror groups have been able to pound Israeli cities with near impunity. Something was needed to deny these organizations the new advantages they were obtaining with the weapons they were using. Now, with production of a new generation anti-missile system based on lasers something entirely different is being introduced into the military balance. The US and Israel worked together on the Nautilus laser in 1996. They tested the system at the White Sands testing range in New Mexico. True, it downed everything that was thrown at it from mortar shells to actual rockets. But it was cumbersome and its technology was not yet ready to make the strategic difference that Israel sought. Nonetheless, the lower cost of laser defense is part of the new advantage that it could provide to Israel if its technology will be judged as being ripe. With Iron Dome, for example, each Tamir interceptor shot can cost $80,000 per missile. If the IDF wanted to save money and make its missile defense units more cost-effective, it had to find a formula for using them more sparingly, firing them only when it was determined that the destructive results of an incoming attack warranted their use. That was the technological breakthrough with Iron Dome, because it could discern when a Hamas rocket would hit a populated area or would just explode in an empty part of desert with no casualties or damage to property. Today, when the latest-generation laser defense is used, then the military calculus of Israel can change radically. The cost of each laser shot drops down significantly to less than $5.00 (NIS 15), according to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. There is another factor that needs to be taken into account. The strategic background of the last effort to develop laser defenses was the Cold War. The West recognized that the Warsaw Pact was examining how to deny NATO the ability to reinforce its armies by using ballistic missiles against them. Today, the strategic context has changed. Rockets and ballistic missiles are being employed by Iranian proxy forces like Hezbollah, Hamas, and especially the Houthis in Yemen. The Houthis have also successfully fired armed drones at the heart of Riyadh and at Abu Dhabi. Unquestionably, Bahrain and Kuwait are next in line having faced active insurgencies in the last few years. There is a collective interest among Israel and the Gulf states to deny Iranian allies the ability to hit their most sensitive infrastructures. The Abraham Accords have created new regional possibilities for marrying up Israeli technology with the financial power of the Arab Gulf states. This is the real game-changer that is emerging now. Ambassador Dore Gold has served as President of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs since 2000. From June 2015 until October 2016 he served as Director-General of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Previously he served as Foreign Policy Advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels Ambassador to the UN (1997-1999), and as an advisor to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Home
A father has opened up about the frightening moment his four-year-old son was mauled by an enormous dog and then wandered back to his parents, covered in blood.

Luke and Courtney Elson, 35 and 32, had only been at a birthday party in Widgee, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, for 20 minutes on Sunday afternoon when their youngest son Ace hopped off the jumping castle and wandered away by himself.

'There was a dog tied up away from all the guests, and Ace told us that he tried to pat him when the dog bit his hand, then latched onto his head and started shaking it,' Mr Elson, a carpenter, told Daily Mail Australia.

'No one saw it happen, but he got away and his older brother saw him walk back towards me with blood all over his head.'

Ace Elson, four, was attacked by a dog when he went to give it a pat at a birthday party. He had surgery and is recovering in hospital (pictured)

The shaken father-of-four wrapped Ace's wounds while paramedics were called, but - remarkably - the little boy was upset because leaving the party meant he couldn't go on the jumping castle again.

'He was in a lot of pain,' Mr Elson added. 'But yeah, he really wanted to stay at the party.'

The 35-year-old doesn't know what breed the dog was, but he noted the pet was quite young and a lot bigger than his four-year-old.

'About 50 people were at the party and I think the dog was scared - he'd bark every time someone drove into the property,' Mr Elson said.

'He was probably highly-strung when Ace got there and tried to pat him, so he lashed out - one of those freak accidents.'

Ace (pictured) managed to escape the dog's jaws and run back to his parents, covered in blood

Pictured: Emergency workers airlifting the boy to hospital after he was attacked by a dog

Ace was airlifted to Gympie Hospital with a gaping scar on his face - starting in the middle of his left cheek and hooking right around his ear, ending just under the lobe.

While the family is upset that their little boy will have the scar for life, they're relieved that the dog's teeth missed major nerves and tendons - even if it was only by a few millimetres.

Ace also has puncture wounds in his ear and on the back of his head, and another surgeons initially missed on his left hand.

'There was so much blood that we all missed the one on his hand, but it was a really deep one - went right through the skin,' Mr Elson said.

Ace was transferred to Queensland Children's Hospital in Brisbane and had surgery to close the scars on his head on Sunday night.

The Elson family, pictured left to right: Ace, four, Courtney, 32, Zeb, nine, Beau, six, Lola, one, Luke, 35

Despite his frightening ordeal, Ace Elson (pictured right, with his three siblings) was joking with his dad the following morning

The Elson family live in Gympie, Queensland. They are relieved Ace didn't have any nerve damage

The youngster will need an X-ray to ensure the bones in his hand aren't broken, but doctors are pleased with his progress overall.

Despite his terrifying ordeal, Ace is in good spirits and has been joking about beating his older brothers Zeb, nine, and Beau, six, in a BMX competition.

'I played a board game with him this morning - he's such a happy kid, really boisterous but super friendly,' his dad said.

The dog owners are good friends with Ace's parents and, despite the attack, Mr Elson said there's no tension between the families.

Queensland boy Ace Elson (pictured left) loves playing with his big brothers and little sister

'The dog was new so I'd never seen him before, and neither had my kids, but I've spoken with the family since yesterday afternoon and they're just super worried about Ace,' he explained.

Pictured: Courtney and Luke Elson. The couple have four childen, age nine, six, four, and one

'I hope it blows over and there's no tension - I wish it never happened.'

Doctors are hoping to discharge Ace from hospital this week, but his recovery could take months.

Mrs Elson's cousin Kris made a GoFundMe to help the family with finances while Ace recovers.

'Yesterday my cousin, her husband and their four children experienced an event that can only be described as terrifying,' she wrote on the fundraiser.

'To help ease some of the stress and to allow [the parents] to solely focus on their beautiful boy and three other children, Ive set up a Go Fund Me page.

'Money raised will help ease their financial load while they have time off work to look after Ace and the family.'
At the peak of the pandemic, it was necessary and justified for taxpayer-funded civil servants to work from home.

But with Covid firmly behind us and the adult population overwhelmingly vaccinated, it is now safe to get together.

Yet disgracefully, the Left-wing Whitehall workforce is brazenly defying ministerial pleas to return to their desks.

Jacob Rees-Mogg is spot on when he warns that those who refuse to return to Whitehall risk losing extra pay and perks

If the NHS, transport and shop workers who risked their lives during lockdown had pouted like the privileged public sector 'blob', the country would have collapsed.

The civil service union (which, risibly, denounced the idea of going back to the office as 'vindictive') insists staff operate just as efficiently at home.

But that's bilge. Working from a spare room is less productive. Tasks take longer. Telephone calls and emails go unanswered.

It is clear from the abysmal performance on issuing driving licences, visas for Ukrainian refugees and passports that we are being shortchanged.

Efficiency minister Jacob Rees-Mogg is spot on when he warns that those who refuse to return to Whitehall risk losing extra pay and perks.

Ministers have promised a cull of bloated civil servant numbers. If the troublemakers dig their heels in, they will only have themselves to blame when the axe falls.

Stop HRT heartbreak

Sajid Javid is right to appoint an HRT tsar to tackle shortages that have left millions of women facing the debilitating side-effects of the menopause.

The Government isn't principally to blame for a crisis caused by high demand and problems at drugs factories overseas. But by creating a dynamic role emulating Covid vaccine supremo Kate Bingham, the Health Secretary hopes to sidestep NHS sluggishness to secure billions of doses.

So desperate are women to avoid misery (which in the worst cases could lead to suicide, campaigners warn) that they are risking their health by creating their own black market in gels, patches and pills.

Menopause is not a niche issue  every woman will experience it. And if mothers, wives and partners suffer, their families and workplaces are affected.

They deserve nothing less than being able to obtain HRT easily. It's not a choice, but a necessity.

One rule for Keir...

Oozing with condescension, Sir Keir Starmer says there is 'no equivalence' between Partygate and his glaring lockdown breach in Durham last year.

Really? The Labour leader glugged beer and scoffed pizza with cronies while campaigning at a time when indoor socialising was banned. Boris Johnson had neither cake, nor alcohol, while colleagues sang 'Happy Birthday' between meetings.

No inquiry into Starmer, a fine for the PM. One rule for Keir, another for Boris.

Despite Boris apologising unreservedly, the Remain-Left's obsession seems now to be a plot to reverse Brexit and torpedo the Government's Conservative blueprint.

Yes, the Tories may suffer a walloping at next week's local elections because of the parties, but MPs should hold their nerve.

Voters know Boris got the big calls right: Delivering Brexit, freeing us from Covid and saving us from Corbyn. Starmer to his shame would have done the precise opposite.
An Oklahoma library has banned a display that was showcasing sexual assault awareness and a proposed 'romance book club' after both were deemed inappropriate.

The Public Library of Enid and Garfield County's Board of Directors had initially said the book club and the sexual assault awareness book display could stay, but then the Enid Public Library's board voted narrowly 3-2 to ban both the display and program.

The board reasoned that the display featured content about sexuality, while the book club would discuss sexual topics, and that neither was appropriate for the library.

Oklahoma library has banned displays promoting 'romance book club' and one on sexual assault awareness, pictured above

Enid Public Library's board voted 3-2 to ban both the displays and programs

Enid Public Library's interim director Theri Ray said that the projects were shelved 'in accordance with the adopted policy.'

The policy itself is extremely broad and requires the library's programs and exhibits to be 'non-partisan' and 'not make as their object the study of sex, sexual activity, sexual perversion, sex-based classifications, sexual preferences, sexual identity, gender identity, or subjects that are of a sexual nature.'

'The library director is tasked with implementing the policy as written,' Ray explained to CNN.

A similar situation also occurred last summer when a Pride Month-themed display also led to an outcry from locals.

Despite the ban, the books on the subjects are still available on the libraries shelves

The books are still available to be checked out on the library shelves

'We do not need to bring in divisive things into a public building,' one Enid resident said at the time.

Despite the board's objection, books on such subjects can still be found on the library shelves and checked out - just not included in any public display.

Cindy Nguyen, policy director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma said the wording of the library's 'policy' was taken directly from a bill currently going through the Oklahoma state legislature.

The bill is similar to the controversial so-called 'Don't Say Gay' law in Florida which bans the teaching of sexuality in classrooms from kindergarten to third grade.

During a library board meeting earlier this month, those present debated what constituted 'sexuality' or 'sex-based classifications'

'We're expecting to see these policies pop up in legislatures across the country,' Nguyen said. 'Anything that can be connected to critical race theory or LGBTQ issues, there will be an attempt at chilling speech.'

Nguyen said such policies such as the one being applied in Enid are dangerous in that they can be interpreted as broadly or as narrowly as possible depending on the strength of feeling from locals.

During a board meeting earlier this month, those present debated what constituted 'sexuality' or 'sex-based classifications.'

'If we go through with this vote, there is going to be no displays ever,' one board member concluded.

Director, Ray, then stated how the library would have to consider whether Mother's Day and Father's Day displays would even be allowed seeing as they too are gender and sex-based classifications.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has congratulated Emmanuel Macron on his re-election as French President.

Mr Macron secured a second five-year term last night after he defeated far-right candidate Marine Le Pen with 58 per cent of the vote.

Mr Morrison, who was in Darwin for Anzac Day, wrote on Twitter: 'Congratulations Emmanuel Macron on your re-election as president. A great expression of liberal democracy in action in uncertain times.

'We wish you and France every success, in particular your leadership in Europe and as an important partner to Australia in the Indo-Pacific.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured on Monday) has congratulated Emmanuel Macron on his re-election as French President

French President Emmanuel Macron celebrates his re-election with his wife Brigitte Macron at the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower

Diplomatic relations between the two nations have been tense following Australia's decision to scrap a multi-billion dollar submarine contract with France in favour of nuclear-powered vessels within the AUKUS security pact.

At last year's G20 summit, Mr Macron accused Australia's prime minister of lying to him about the terms of the submarine deal.

Asked by journalists at the G20 summit in Rome if Mr Morrison lied to him before tearing up a $90billion submarine contract, President Macron replied: 'I don't think, I know.'

Mr Morrison denied lying to Mr Macron and insisted the French knew Australia's deal to buy 12 submarines was on the rocks before it was torn up in September in favour of a nuclear submarine partnership with the US and UK.

He leaked a text from President Macron which showed the French leader suspected Australia would torpedo the deal.

A secret leaked text message (pictured) appears to show that Emmanuel Macron was given warning that Australia would torpedo its $90billion submarine deal with France

President Macron's public display of anger was highly unusual and reflected the fury in Paris at the cancellation of what the French press called 'the contract of the century' which would have provided enormous economic benefit.

Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton claimed President Macron's anger was a bid to win French voters but French affairs expert Professor Peter McPhee of Melbourne University said he was furious because France's strategic interests have been set back.

In May 2018, President Macron announced an Indo-Pacific strategy for the first time, outlining France's priorities for the region - where it has territories New Caledonia and French Polynesia - such as boosting defence and security, increasing economic growth and upholding the rule of law amid China's growing assertiveness.

Promoting co-operation between 'like-minded partners' was a key plank of the strategy and the submarine contract with Australia was part of this wider aim.

Labor deputy leader Richard Marles also congratulated Mr Macron following his election victory.

'France is our neighbour, France is a Pacific country, and as such, France matters deeply to Australia,' he told reporters in Darwin.

'It is a profoundly important relationship in Australia's world view, and we certainly look forward to working with President Macron as he leads France over the coming years.'
Nine News reporter Sophie Walsh's grandfather lied about his age to serve Australia in 1940 - and 82 years later, he's one of the few survivors left alive from World War II.

But Les Cook, 99, will not let age weary him and marched in Canberra's Anzac Day Parade on Monday as his proud grand-daughter paid tribute to her brave 'Gramps'.

He admits it get harder to make the march every year: 'Your hearing gets worse and your eyesight gets worse...but emotion gets stronger.'

Nine News reporter Sophie Walsh's grandfather Les Cook lied about his age to serve Australia in 1940 - and 82 years later, he's one of the few survivors left alive from World War II

He joined up alongside his father to fight the threat of Nazi Germany and both had to fake their ages to sign up.

'He was four years too old and I was four years too young,' Mr Cook told the Nine Network.

But he dismissed suggestions that he was a hero for putting his life on the line.

He told his grand-daughter: 'It would have taken greater courage not to enlist...It was a responsibility.'

Les Cook served seven years in the Australian Imperial Force which saw him serve in North Africa, Greece, Crete, Borneo and Syria

Mr Cook ended up spending seven years in the Australian Imperial Force which saw him serve in North Africa, Greece, Crete, Borneo and Syria.

He married wife Betty while serving and says letters from her often kept him going, especially while in the dense jungles of the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea.

Les Cook was lying on a beach in Borneo when he heard the war had ended in 1945, with the news greeted by celebratory gunfire as word spread across the frontline

He was lying on a beach in Borneo when he heard the war had ended in 1945, with the news greeted by celebratory gunfire as word spread across the frontline.

He later returned to the Kokoda Trail for the 50th anniversary and again in 2012 when he met Prince Charles, and later Princess Anne during the pandemic.

'Gramps was spurred on by a sense of adventure, duty and a strong will to stop Nazi Germany,' said Ms Walsh in a touching televised tribute to her grandfather.

She said it was an honour to walk in his shadow.

'Gramps is one of the last remaining survivors of World War II and there will be many families whose loved ones are no longer here,' she added.

'But the Anzac legacy lives on in their children, their grandchildren, their great-grandchildren, sharing their stories of courage, of mateship, and sacrifice that ultimately shaped this country.'
Osama bin Laden plotted to attack the US with charter jets and train derailments in the wake of 9/11, papers obtained after his assassination reveal.

Documents confiscated by Navy SEALs after bin Laden's 2011 execution revealed how he encouraged the use of private jets, rather than passenger planes, to carry out a follow up spectacular to the September 2001 atrocity.

Bin Laden, a trained engineer, also encouraged his followers to cut 12 meters (40 feet) from US train tracks to cause a spectacular derailment he hoped would kill hundreds.

The derailment plot was previously mentioned in 2011, when it was claimed bin Laden had been hoping to send a packed train careening off a bridge into a valley.

'Rather than hijack a plane, operatives should charter one for their next attack on the U.S. And adds if that's too difficult, they should target U.S. railways,' bin Laden wrote in a letter to he head of al Qaeda's international terror unit, according to Islamic scholar Nelly Lahoud.

'He wanted to have 12 meters (40 feet) of steel rail removed so that, this way, the train could be derailed,' Lahoud explained during a 60 Minutes interview that aired Sunday on CBS. 'And we find him, explaining the simple toolkit that they could use.'

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had planned a second terror attack on the United States after orchestrating the airplane hijackings on 9/11

Documents confiscated by Navy SEALs after bin Laden's execution reveal how he had sought to terrorize American citizens again either via chartered plane or railway

'You could use a compressor. You could use a smelting iron tool,' bin Laden instructed his followers while giving specifics on how to cut out bits of track.

Thousands of bin Laden's personal letters and notes were confiscated 11 years ago by a team of two dozen Navy SEALs sent to Pakistan to capture and kill the terrorist.

The letters were declassified by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in 2017. Lahoud has been studying the documents 'line by line' for several years.

The scholar argued bin Laden was surprised at America's reaction to the series of airline hijackings that took the lives of nearly 3,000 people on September 11, 2001.

'Al Qaeda did not anticipate that the United States would go to war,' Lahoud said of bin Laden's letters.

He reportedly thought the U.S. would respond with a 'limited airstrike,' but did not suspect it 'would go beyond that.'

She claims that as war ravaged in Afghanistan, bin Laden detailed how he had anticipated the American people to respond to the violent attacks.

'He thought that the American people would take to the streets, replicate the anti-Vietnam war protests and they would put pressure on their government to withdraw from Muslim majority states,' she explained.

The letters also revealed that in November 2002, when U.S. intelligence officials were concerned that Al Qaeda was planning 'spectacular attacks' that would result in 'mass casualties,' bin Laden was hiding and 'absolutely not' running the terrorist group, Lahoud alleged.

Islamic scholar Nelly Lahoud, who studied bin Laden's writings, alleged he told his Al Qaeda associates: 'Rather than hijack a plane, operatives should charter one for their next attack on the U.S. And adds if that's too difficult, they should target U.S. railways'

The scholar also argued bin Laden was surprised at America's reaction to the series of airline hijackings that took the lives of nearly 3,000 people on September 11, 2001

She claims bin Laden was not in contact with his Al Qaeda associates for three years, while he was on the run, but later reconnected with them in 2004.

'He's very eager to replicate the 9/11 attacks in the United States,' she says of the letters he penned in 2004. 'You know he is mindful that now the security conditions are very difficult at airports.'

Although bin Laden, who had a civil engineering background, offered ideas on how Al Qaeda could strike the U.S. again by compromising the nation's railway system, his plans were never executed.

Lahoud claimed Al Qaeda was 'gutted by the war' and had become 'incapacitated'.'

'The weakness, failure, and aimlessness that befell us were harrowing. We Muslims were defiled and desecrated. Our state was ripped asunder, our lands were occupied, our resources were plundered,' a young Al Qaeda associated named Tawfiq wrote to bin Laden at the time.

'I'm gonna tell you the truth as it is. And I know that some of the brothers here are not telling you everything in detail because they don't want to upset you, particularly because of the delicate situations in which you find yourself with'

Tawfiq was likely referring to the 'delicate situation' of bin Laden's life in hiding, Lahoud explained.

Bin Laden reportedly 'did not anticipate that the United States would go to war' with Afghanistan after the attacks. He had thought the U.S. would respond with a 'limited airstrike,' but did not suspect it 'would go beyond that'

The compound, within which al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed, is seen in flames after it was attacked in Abbottabad on Mat 2, 2011. U.S. Navy SEALs also seized 500,000 files from bin Laden's hideaway

The letters also revealed that bin Laden planned an additional terror attack in 2010, targeting multiple crude oil tankers and major shipping routes in the Middle East and Africa.

He suggested Al Qaeda operatives could integrate themselves into the port areas by posing as fishermen.

He instructs his team on where to buy specific boats to evade radar and details how the vessels should be used to transport explosives.

'The boats need to carry a large volume of explosives, preferably placed in an arch position, facing the vessel,' bin Laden wrote.

'It does not escape you, the importance of oil for industrialized economy today. And it is similar to blood for human beings,' he added. 'So, if you cause somebody to bleed excessively, even if you don't kill him you will at least weaken him.'

Lahoud alleged that's what bin Laden 'really wanted to do to the American economy.'

The scholar noted bin Laden's final attack plan was seemingly halted by the Arab Spring, a series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Middle East in the early 2010s.

'On one level they were very excited by the fact that the people were able to bring down dictators,' Lahoud said. 'But at the same time there were all these question marks about, "What is the value of jihad at the moment?" And we find this really throughout this notebook. "Is jihad still necessary?"'

She alleged bin Laden was struggling to answer questions about the jihad - the fight against the enemies of Islam - before he was killed by Navy SEAL operatives.

The letters revealed that bin Laden was 'very eager to replicate the 9/11 attacks in the United States' and wanted to make the American economy 'bleed excessively'. The above is an undated image from video seized from bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad

In February 2012, residents are shown watching the demolition of the compound where bin Laden was slain

Analysts have been studying bin Laden's letters since they were found in a trove of documents at the Pakistan compound where he was killed and seized by U.S. special forces in 2011.

It was previously revealed that the terrorist had urged followers to assassinate Obama as a way of disrupting the 2012 presidential election.

He also banned al Qaeda from assassinating Joe Biden because he believed the Democrat would become an incompetent president and 'lead the US into a crisis' if jihadists were successful in killing Barack Obama.

Bin Laden penned the 48-page missive in May 2010 to an aide identified as 'Brother Shaykh Mahmud', real name Atiyah Abd al-Rahman. In it, he discusses the need to direct resources away from terror attacks in other Muslim countries and instead focus on direct attacks against the U.S.

On page 36, he outlines his desire to form two hit squads - one in Pakistan and another in Afghanistan - whose job it will be to plot attacks against then-President Barack Obama and ex-CIA director David Petraeus, should they visit either country.

Giving his reasoning for attacking Obama, he says: 'Obama is the head of infidelity and killing him automatically will make Biden take over the presidency for the remainder of the term, as it is the norm over there.

'Biden is totally unprepared for that post, which will lead the US into a crisis.'

Analysts have been studying bin Laden's letters since they were found in a trove of documents at the Pakistan compound where he was killed and seized by U.S. special forces in 2011

Previous analysis of the documents revealed how bin Laden had urged followers to assassinate Obama as a way of disrupting the 2012 presidential election. He also allegedly banned al Qaeda from assassinating Joe Biden because he believed the Democrat would become an incompetent president and 'lead the US into a crisis' if Obama was killed

He the adds: 'As for Petraeus, he is the man of the hour in this last year of the war, and killing him would alter the war's path.'

U.S. intelligence analysts who first revealed the existence of the document to the Washington Post in 2012 said neither of the plots against Obama or Petraeus were realistic or amounted to anything.

Bin Laden's journals also revealed a mathematical calculation of how many people Al Qaeda would have to kill to finally force the U.S. out of the Middle East - concluding it would take another 9/11 at least.

He told his disciples that only a body count of thousands, something on the scale of the September 11 attacks in 2001, would shift U.S. policy.

He also schemed about ways to sow political dissent in Washington and play political figures against one another. His writings allegedly gave clear indication that Bin laden was communicating with other extremists.

The Navy SEALs seized a total of 500,00 files, including writings, photographs, videos and audio files, from bin Laden's hideaway compound.

It is unclear how long it will take experts to cypher through and analyze the entire collection.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams blasted his fellow Democrats for only supporting Black Lives Matter when those behind the killings of African-Americans are cops.

Adams, speaking with Anderson Cooper on CBS' 60 Minutes, continued his habit of criticizing the party for being soft on crime.

'Democrats don't like talking about intervention,' said Adams, 61. 'But we have to lean into the discomfort of the immediate things we must do. Because you can't say Black Lives Matter when a police officer shoots a young person, but does that black life matter when a 12-year-old baby was shot?'

Cooper asked Adams why Democrats don't like talking about intervention.

Adams responded: 'Because when you talk about intervention, you have to use the term of giving police officers the tools to deal with violence right now.'

Eric Adams, speaking with Anderson Cooper on CBS' 60 Minutes, continued his habit of criticizing the party for being soft on crime

Mayor Adams tells Anderson Cooper that Black Lives Matter protesters should support his efforts to reduce gun violence in high-crime neighborhoods. https://t.co/MKfDJwIHLo pic.twitter.com/08zVdcOZXU  60 Minutes (@60Minutes) April 24, 2022

Cooper retorted by saying it made liberals nervous because it made him sound like former Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Giuliani's zero-tolerance 'broken windows' policing strategy was credited with hammering crime in New York City during the 90s, but critics said it also drove cops to disproportionately target innocent black people.

'They have allowed Rudy Giuliani to hijack something that the overwhelming number of people of color want,' Adams said. 'They will tell you, 'We want our police. We don't want our police to be abusive.' And that is the balance that I know we can do in this - in this city.'

Adams, who described himself as a 'simple, pragmatic Democrat' denied rumors that he had voted for Giuliani in the 90s but admitted to registering as a Republican.

'I was a police officer, and I saw the violence, and I wasn't seeing any help on the federal level. It was a protest vote.'

Adams felt that the focus on police abuses had led Democrats like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to take reforms too far in the opposite direction.

Adams, who described himself as a 'simple, pragmatic Democrat' denied rumors that he had voted for Giuliani in the 90s but admitted to registering as a Republican

Adams felt that the focus on police abuses had led Democrats like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to take reforms too far in the opposite direction

'There is a middle ground. We only talk about, 'How do we protect the rights of those who commit a crime?' How about start talking about, 'How do we protect the rights of people who are doing the right thing?''

Cooper did push Adams on the subject of corruption, especially when it comes to Deputy Mayor for Safety Philip Banks, who resigned from the force in 2014 and was later named an unindicted co-conspirator in a police corruption case.

'Is that the kind of person you really want to have in your inner circle?' Cooper asked.

Adams said: 'We're in a city of perfectly imperfect people. During a time that we have a law enforcement crisis, Phil brings a lot to the table.'

Cooper responded: 'There was testimony that he let a businessman pay for his vacation travel and expenses. You said you're not going to tolerate wrongdoing by your officers. Are the things he did okay?'

'Listen, he could have made better decisions of who was around him,' Adams answered. 'What I do know is that we're going to have a very transparent government here in city hall. Transparency is the best way to make sure those who are hired are doing their jobs.'

Cooper did push Adams on the subject of corruption, especially when it comes to Deputy Mayor for Safety Philip Banks (pictured right), who resigned from the force in 2014 and was later named an unindicted co-conspirator in a police corruption case

He was also asked what he would say to those who feel the city's crime rate is continuing to rise, especially in the wake of the recent subway shooting.

That saw a gunman - said to be Frank James, 62, open fire and shoot five people using an N train in Sunset Park during rush hour. All those struck survived.

'We've moved 1,800 guns off the streets of our city since I've been elected. 1,800. And so we're putting in place the foundation of dealing with the immediate needs of violence, but we're also stopping the pipeline that causes children to get involved in violence.'

While murders are down slightly, overall crime remains up 43 percent from this time in 2021, when numbers were already skyrocketing.

Robberies alone are up 48 percent from this time last year, with felony assaults up 21 percent.

This isn't the first time Adams has taken on his own party.

Adams was also asked what he would say to those who feel the city's crime rate is continuing to rise, especially in the wake of the recent subway shooting. Shooting suspect Frank James is pictured on April 13

In an interview with ABC This Week host George Stephanopoulos last week, the mayor said former NYPD Commissioner William Bratton was 'right' when he said on the Bloomberg Businessweek podcast last week that progressive policies have led to an increase in crime in Democrat-run cities.

In November, Adams challenged his fellow Democrats to condemn Black Lives Matter activist Hawk Newsome, who said Adams' new policing plans would trigger 'riots and bloodshed' in NYC streets.

In July, Adams called himself the 'Biden of Brooklyn' at White House Monday after meeting with President Joe Biden about gun crimes.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson praised Adams for winning the Democratic primary in the New York City mayoral race because he vowed to stamp down on surging violent crime in the Big Apple.

'He won because he was alone in acknowledging that violent crime is a huge problem for everyone in New York and he vowed to do something about it. That is a winning message because it is rooted in the physical reality and we wish him absolutely the best in fighting crime in New York,' Carlson said.
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is recalling five batches of its hypertension drug Accupril after it was found to contain chemicals that can cause cancer.

The recall comes after research found that batches of the drug contained increased levels of a cancer-causing agent, nitrosamine. It was announced on March 22 and involves five batches of pills, each containing 90 bottles.

Pfizer says those bottles may have been split into smaller prescriptions, and has urged any doctor or pharmacist who dealt with the shipments in question to contact them immediately.

The drugs were distributed in the United States and Puerto Rico between December 2019 and April 2022, a Pfizer news release said.

In the statement, Pfizer described the recall as 'voluntary.'

A statement from Pfizer described the recall as 'voluntary'

Accupril works by widening the blood vessels allowing blood to travel more freely and for the heart to work more efficiently

The bottles come with 90 pills and are prescribed in 10mg, 20mg and 40mg increments. The number of pills per bottle can be broken down into smaller amounts.

In Canada, Pfizer had already announced a similar recall after finding the same impurity to be above acceptable levels.

A statement from the Canadian government said that people ingesting nitrosamine at the acceptable level or below for 70 years are 'not expected to have an increased risk of cancer.'

The company said in announcing the recall that they received no reports of specific incidents related to the drug. The giant also stressed that there is no immediate risk to patients already taking the drug.

Nitrosamines are common in water, foods such as smoked and cured meats as well as dairy products. However, exposure above acceptable levels over long periods of time could increase the risk of cancer.

The drug Accupril has already been recalled in the Canada. Pfizer has urged those who took the drug to contact their healthcare provider to determine if they were exposed to the bad batch

Accupril works by decreasing the chemicals that narrow blood vessels. This allows blood to flow more smoothly and for the heart to work more efficiently.

The common side effects of the drug include muscle and joint pain, sensitivity to light, a dry cough and dizziness.

In 2019, there were 1.3 million active Accupril prescriptions in the United States, according Clinical Calculators.

This is the second recall that Pfizer has faced in six weeks after the company recalled the blood pressure drug Accuretic in early March due to apparent accelerated levels of nitrosamine.

An FDA statement on the recall instructed patients who are taking this product to consult with their healthcare provider or pharmacy to determine if they have the affected product.

Patients with the affected product should contact Sedgwick at 888-345-0481 (Mon.-Fri. 8:00 am - 5:00 pm ET) for instructions on how to return their product and obtain reimbursement for their cost.
A California father-of-seven says he was beaten-up by grocery store staff after making a sarcastic remark about the length of a checkout line.

John Valencia was filmed scuffling with staff at Stater Brothers in San Bernardino on April 20, but said the violence escalated in a private store closet.

He told Fox13 that the incident began when he went to pick up a coffee, only to be confronted with a long checkout line for a single cash register.

Valencia says he asked a manager to open another, only to be ignored.

When he told the manager 'great customer service,' in what he insists was a non-aggressive manner, he said the staffer asked him to leave.

But Valencia's ordeal escalated into a brutal beating as he walked out, when he said he was dragged into a closet by at least two grocery store workers and beaten.

This is the moment father-of-seven John Valencia was attacked by workers at a San Bernardino grocery store. He said he was shoved into a closet and beaten for making a sarcastic remark about the length of a line

Valencia is pictured after the attack with his wife Meagan Lacey. He was left concussed, with a bump on his head, and a split eyebrow, and has notified police

He recalled: 'Other employees came and I can remember it was like they had me on the ground, and I seen them trying to close the door, and I was trying to kick the door open so they wouldn't close it, and they grabbed my legs and pulled them up.

'Two of them started beating on me, then they started kicking my face and stomping on my back and stomping my head while holding me down.'

Valencia said the beating only stopped when another worker shouted: 'Let him up, let him up.'

He said the encounter left him concussed, with a bump on the back of his dead, and a split eyebrow.

Part of the initial confrontation was caught on camera by another concerned shopper stood back from the conflagration.

One of the workers could be seen shoving Valencia as his colleagues gathered around, but the remainder of the attack took place out of sight.

Valencia insists he did nothing to provoke the beating. Of the remark about opening a new checkout line, he said: 'At no time was I being aggressive.

'At no time was I being loud, was I threatening him or any way - I was trying to tell him like "you know bro, calm down" - I just asked you to open another lane.'

Valencia and his wife Meagan Lacey now want the aggressors dragged over hot coals for their behavior.

Recalling the moment her wounded husband called her up, a tearful Lacey said: 'It was terrifying to get the phone call from him.

The attack took place at this Stater Brothers supermarket in San Bernardino on April 20

'There were so many people in that store and so many employees and so many people that were given the chance to help and nobody did - she was the only one.

'I know that she couldn't have done much physically against all those people, so I'm just thankful that she did record it and that she was willing to share that recording.'

Stater Brothers said they were conducting an internal investigation, and that they were unable to comment further.

San Bernardino Police said they'd received a report about the incident, but did not say whether an investigation is ongoing, or if charges have been filed.
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Fears of a hard Covid lockdown sparked panic-buying in Beijing as long queues formed on Monday in a large central district for mass testing ordered by the Chinese authorities.

China was already trying to contain a wave of infections in its largest city Shanghai, which has been almost entirely locked down for weeks and reported 51 new Covid deaths on Monday.

Shanghai has struggled to provide fresh food to those confined at home, while patients have reported trouble accessing non-Covid medical care.

The rising cases in the capital have triggered fears of a similar lockdown. Downtown Beijing's biggest district Chaoyang is home to around 3.5 million people and hosts the headquarters of many multinational firms and embassies.

The area ordered mass testing from Monday for residents and those coming to work there.

Queues snaked around shopping malls and outside office complexes on Monday as people waited to be swabbed for samples by health workers in protective gear.

A customer wearing a face mask shops next to near-empty shelves at a supermarket following the coronavirus disease outbreak in Chaoyang district of Beijing, China April 24

The rising cases in the capital have triggered fears of a lockdown. Pictured: People shop at a supermarket in Beijing on April 25

Customers wearing face masks wait in line to enter a supermarket following the coronavirus disease outbreak in Chaoyang district of Beijing, China April 24

People purchase food at a supermarket in Beijing, China, April 25. The city reported 41 new COVID-19 cases among students and tour group senior people in the last 72 hours

Health authorities in Beijing said infection risks remained high with the number of cases expected to increase in the following days. Pictured: People wait in line to be tested for the Covid-19 coronavirus at a swab collection site in Beijing on April 25

Fears of a Covid lockdown sparked panic-buying and long queues for mass testing in Beijing on April 25

People living and working in downtown Beijing's biggest district Chaoyang lined up to be tested on Monday. The area is home to 3.5 million people

A medical worker in a protective suit takes a swab sample from a person at a makeshift nucleic acid testing site, during a mass testing for the coronavirus disease following the outbreak in Beijing on April 25

People in masks queued up to be tested for coronavirus at a swab collection site in Beijing on April 25

Office worker Yao Leiming, 25, went to a testing site in Chaoyang with a group of his colleagues.

He said: 'If a single case is found, this area could be affected,' said

The mass testing order and warnings of a 'grim' Covid situation in the city sparked a run on Beijing's supermarkets on Sunday as residents rushed to stockpile essentials.

People were seen pushing shopping carts stacked with food, while many items were sold out on grocery delivery apps, especially for deliveries to Chaoyang.

A medical worker wearing protective suit takes swab sample of a woman at a makeshift testing site following a coronavirus disease outbreak in Beijing on April 25

A makeshift testing site was set up outside office buildings in Beijing on April 25 to deal with the outbreak of the disease

Medical workers in full protective suits guided people in Beijing to be tested at the sites. Beijing has imposed tight controls on entry to the city

A worker in a protective suit disinfects a makeshift testing site, where residents have their swab samples taken during a mass testing

China has been struggling to defeat its worst outbreak in two years with its zero-Covid policy, which includes strict lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions

A woman wearing a face mask walks next to people lining up to take nucleic acid tests at a makeshift testing site on April 25

Medical workers in full-length protective body suits stood at the sides of a makeshift testing site in the capital today

Workers wore face shields and covered their bodies, hands, faces and even shoes with plastic protection suits

A woman in a mask shops at a supermarket in the Chaoyang district of Beijing, Monday, April 25

Panic-buying resumed in the Chaoyang district of the capital as fears of another lockdown loomed in Beijing

People living in the area stocked up on vegetables and other necessities in a bid to be prepared if authorities announce a lockdown

One man was seen with 20 rolls of toilet paper as well as meat and vegetables while shopping in Chaoyang, Beijing, today

China has been struggling to defeat its worst outbreak in two years with its zero-Covid policy, which includes strict lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions

While officials say this policy has helped China avoid a large-scale public health disasters, public morale is low as a result

Many of the capital's fitness studios and gyms have also cancelled classes or closed.

Beijing has also imposed tight controls on entry to the city, with travellers required to have a negative Covid test from within 48 hours.

China has been struggling to defeat its worst outbreak in two years with its zero-Covid policy, which includes strict lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions.

Officials say this policy has helped China avoid the large-scale public health disasters seen elsewhere in the world during the Covid crisis.

However, the approach has taken a heavy toll on businesses and public morale in China
The corruption and debauchery of Thomas Paine By Mark Alexander

web posted April 25, 2022 Last week Americans observed Patriots Day. While this day is always appropriate for studying the heroic figures of the day, it is also a good opportunity to consider the corruption, dereliction, and demise of one of the most influential advocates for independence ahead of the American Revolution and through its conclusion. This historical figure also reminds us of what can happen when one becomes intoxicated with power and detached from his love for Liberty and the unalienable Rights of Man . We have referenced many times how generations of Beltway politicians and bureaucrats on the Left suffer from "Potomac Fever"  a chronic condition that manifests as an intoxication with, and insatiable desire for, statist power. At no time in American history has the fever-infested Swamp been more dangerous to the future of Liberty than under the reign of Joe Biden and his enemies of Liberty . So enticing is the allure of power and influence that some on the Right who were elected on a conservative platform devolve into what have perennially been called RINOs, "Republicans in Name Only." I don't toss around that label on occasions when an otherwise reliable conservative votes on the wrong side of an issue  often because of backroom machinations that are never revealed. So much for "sunshine laws." Of course, no Beltway dwellers are inherently immune to Potomac Fever, including the once-formidable and entertaining conservative writer Jonah Goldberg , formerly in my Top 10 list of political pundits. He fended off Potomac Fever for many years, until his immunity was compromised by Trump Derangement Syndrome . And on that note, I turn to another writer who, in the context of his original work, still ranks in my Top 10 list of Revolutionary War influencers. Thomas Paine was an English-born American revolutionary activist, a philosopher and political theorist whose role advocating for Liberty can't be overstated as a cohesive force ahead of the American Revolution. In 1774, the 37-year-old Paine immigrated to the American colonies with the assistance of founding statesman Benjamin Franklin. A year later, he authored a 47-page pamphlet, Common Sense , which you can read among other instrumental founding documents on our Historic Documents page . It was published anonymously in January of 1776 and was read by, or to, virtually every American Patriot of that era. In Common Sense, Paine framed the revolution by noting: "The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind. ... The Sun never shined on a cause of greater worth." Of Rule of Law , he wrote: "But where says some is the king of America? I'll tell you Friend, he reigns above, and doth not make havoc of mankind like the Royal Brute of Britain. ... Let it be brought forth placed on the divine law, the word of God; let a crown be placed thereon, by which the world may know, that so far as we approve of monarchy, that in America THE LAW IS king. For as in absolute governments the king is law, so in free countries the law ought to be king; and there ought to be no other. But lest any ill use should afterwards arise, let the crown at the conclusion of the ceremony be demolished, and scattered among the people whose right it is." This single work was the most persuasive publication making the case for American independence. He was certainly influential on Thomas Jefferson and his drafting of the Declaration of Independence and those who affirmed it by unanimous approval . Historian Gordon Wood , a Concord, Massachusetts, native and author of the exceptional historical narrative The Radicalism of the American Revolution, described Common Sense as "the most incendiary and popular pamphlet of the entire revolutionary era." We have often quoted his sequel to Common Sense, The American Crisis , which he began in December of 1776 and continued to print until 1783. Of the contest for Liberty, he wrote at length: "Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle, is a species of vice. ... These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. ... I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death. ... Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. ... If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace." He observed in the darkest days of the Revolution: "Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it. ... Let it be told to the future world, that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet and to repulse it." So, how did a once-revered protagonist of the American Revolution fall from fame to infamy? As a disclaimer, let me state up front: Subsequent to George Washington's embrace of the Marquis de Lafayette during the Revolutionary War, the latter serving with distinction through many battles including the Siege of Yorktown and the surrender of British Gen. Charles Cornwallis in 1781, I have had little use for the Franco gentry, much less the British royalty. Paine left America and returned to Britain in 1787, but he was charged with treason and fled to France in 1793. There, he became a protagonist in the French Revolution, a very different affair than its American predecessor. It was a " reign of terror ," far from its motto advertisement, "liberte, egalite, fraternite" (liberty, equality, and fraternity). So esteemed was Paine that the French bestowed upon him honorary French citizenship, and he was elected to the National Assembly. At the time, he had written to Samuel Adams, "The people of France were running headlong into atheism, and I had the work translated into their own language, to stop them in that career, and fix them in the first article of every man's creed, who has any creed at all  I believe in God." However, he fell afoul of the French government when he objected to the beheading of King Louis XVI. He was jailed, but ahead of his own execution, with the assistance of the U.S. ambassador to France and future American president, James Monroe, he was released. But in time and under duress, Paine's faith disintegrated into deism, and ultimately the deification of himself. The first part of his treatise, The Age of Reason , exposed this shift: "I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church." Of Christianity, Paine wrote: "As to the Christian system of faith, it appears to me as a species of Atheism  a sort of religious denial of God. It ... is as near to Atheism as twilight is to darkness. ... The age of ignorance commenced with the Christian system. ... Of all the systems of religion that ever were invented, there is none more derogatory to the Almighty, more unedifying to man, more repugnant to reason, and more contradictory in itself, than this thing called Christianity. ... The study of theology as it stands in Christian churches, is the study of nothing; it is founded on nothing; it rests on no principles; it proceeds by no authorities; it has no data; it can demonstrate nothing; and admits of no conclusion." Paine's views were heavily influenced by the era of "reason" and the errors of reason. Paine consulted Benjamin Franklin regarding an early draft of his Age of Reason manuscript, and Franklin responded: "I have read your manuscript with some attention. By the argument it contains against a particular Providence ... you strike at the foundations of all religion. ... I will not enter into any discussion of your principles, though you seem to desire it. At present I shall only give you my opinion, that ... the consequence of printing this piece will be, a great deal of odium drawn upon yourself, mischief to you, and no benefit to others. He that spits against the wind, spits in his own face..." Franklin added: "I would advise you ... to burn this piece before it is seen by any other person; whereby you will save yourself a great deal of mortification by the enemies it may raise against you, and perhaps a good deal of regret and repentance. If men are so wicked with religion, what would they be if without it." So imbued with French arrogance was Paine, so self-aggrandized had he become, that in 1796 he impugned the character of George Washington in a public letter, declaring, "In what fraudulent light must Mr. Washington's character appear in the world." In 1802, Paine fled France for America and returned to New York. But so offensive was his arrogance that he was treated as an outcast. In his last letter to Paine, Samuel Adams wrote: "When I heard you had turned your mind to a defense of infidelity, I felt myself much astounded and more grieved, that you had attempted a measure so injurious to the feelings and so repugnant to the true interest of so great a part of the citizens of the United States. ... Do you think that your pen, or the pen of any other man, can unchristianize the mass of our citizens, or have you hopes of converting a few of them to assist you in so bad a cause." By the end of his life, Paine was a pauper and drunkard, but his last writings perhaps reflected something of a restoration of his earlier perspective on faith. His last will and testament began with the words, "Reposing confidence in my Creator, God," and ended with, "I die in perfect composure and resignation to the will of my Creator, God." As historian William Federer observed, "As a tragic lesson, Thomas Paine went from the height of popularity as America's premier pamphleteer to dying a penniless drunk in Manhattan, with only six people attending his funeral. He is memorialized in the rhyme: 'Poor Tom Paine! There he lies, Nobody laughs and nobody cries, Where he has gone or how he fares, Nobody knows and nobody cares.'" His obituary in the New York Evening Post read in part, "He had lived long, did some good, and much harm." So despised was Paine at the time of his death in 1809 that no Quaker cemetery would accept him for burial, as per his will. Thus his remains were unceremoniously interred in a field on a farm near New Rochelle, New York, which had, ironically, been given to him years earlier in honor of his Revolutionary War patriotism. Ten years later, his remains were dug up and shipped to England by an agrarian activist, but upon arrival in Liverpool, customs agents refused to allow his corpse on British soil. What was left of him was likely dumped into the sea, though there have been claims that his bones were divided up and sold. Today, he is the only former founding Patriot with no gravesite  and the earliest American victim of "Potomac Fever," those who have taken leave of Common Sense. Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post. Home
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Flames lit up the sky over Russia in the early hours after suspected Ukrainian missile strikes blew up two oil storage facilities supplying Putin's troops fighting for control of Donbas.

The Transneft-Druzhba Oil Depot, located in the city of Bryansk around 70 miles from the Ukrainian border, caught fire at 2am local time before a second fire broke out at a nearby military facility around 15 minutes later, Russian state media said this morning.

Video of the moment one of the fires broke out appeared to capture the sound of an incoming missile before a large explosion and fireball. Bryansk is a logistical hub for Russian forces battling Ukraine in Donbas, while the Druzhba pipeline is one of the main routes for Russian oil to reach Europe.

The blasts came as British intelligence said Russia had 'yet to achieve a significant breakthrough' of defensive lines in Donbas despite Ukraine imposing a 'significant cost' on Putin's forces. Britain's Ministry of Defence said poor logistical and combat support were hampering Russia's advances, as they did in the failed effort to take Kyiv.

Ukrainian defenders holed up in the Azovstal steel works in the southern city of Mariupol - which is still under siege - were also pinning down 'many Russian units' and preventing them from redeploying to the Donbas front, while also exhausting Putin's troops and reducing their combat effectiveness, the MoD added.

Russia's war on Ukraine - which was intended to take just days and end with the toppling of its pro-Western government - is now into its third month, with Kyiv claiming to have killed almost 22,000 Russian soldiers while destroying military equipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars in the process.

In that time, Putin's army has suffered a number of embarrassing losses - most notably the Moskva missile cruiser, which is thought to have been destroyed by Ukrainian missiles. The seeming inability to prevent Ukraine from striking targets inside Russia with missiles is also likely causing red faces inside the Kremlin.

Flames light up the night sky over Bryansk, a Russian city some 70 miles from the Ukraine border, after suspected Ukrainian missile strikes hit oil storage facilities there overnight

Russian state media confirmed one of the fires took place at a storage facility run by the company which supplies oil to Europe, while another took place at a military facility with oil storage tanks

Kyiv has not commented on the explosions, but they come after a series of blasts in Russia credited to Ukraine's armed forces. Bryansk is a logistical hub supplying Moscow's forces fighting in Donbas

Two columns of thick black smoke rise into the morning air over the Russian city of Bryansk, around 70 miles from the Ukraine border, after two oil storage facilities caught fire

Fire crews were still battling the blazes on Monday morning, as Moscow denied there had been any casualties or civilian evacuations as a result

Railway lines, oil facilities and military bases in Belgorod - another logistical hub in Russia but close to the Ukrainian border - have been targeted several times in recent weeks, including by low-flying helicopters. Klimovo, a village with a nearby military base in the wider Bryansk region, was also struck.

Rob Lee, a respected military analyst, said Monday's strike on the city of Bryansk itself could have been carried out using Tochka-U ballistic missiles fired from within Ukraine which would be capable of ranging both the oil facility and nearby military base.

Russian emergency services claimed that no casualties had been caused in the explosions and that no evacuations were necessary because the fires posed no threat to nearby residential buildings.

Images from the early-morning hours in Bryansk showed the fires were still burning as the sun came up. Some 158 firefighters and 51 vehicles were still working to extinguish the blaze around 10am local time.

The Kremlin said an investigation will be launched into what caused the blaze, though it is unlikely to point the finger at Ukraine as doing so would confirm Kyiv's ability to successfully attack military sites within Russia.

As the fires raged in Russia, the US was pledging more military support to Ukraine to ensure 'it can win this fight' after Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin led the highest-profile American delegation to visit President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv since the war broke out.

Blinken and Austin said the United States had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition for Ukraine's war effort, along with more than $300 million in foreign military financing.

'The strategy that we've put in place - massive support for Ukraine, massive pressure against Russia, solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these efforts - is having real results,' Blinken told reporters in Poland the day after meeting with Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials.

'When it comes to Russia's war aims, Russia is failing. Ukraine is succeeding. Russia has sought as its principal aim to totally subjugate Ukraine, to take away its sovereignty, to take away its independence. That has failed.'

For his part, Zelenskyy in the meeting said he was 'very thankful' for the American aid and particularly praised President Joe Biden for his 'personal support.'

'The priorities are weapons and support from the United States of America and our partners, European leaders, in terms of our army's strength and support in certain areas,' the Ukrainian president said. 'The second issue is the sanctions policy against the Russian Federation because of the full-scale invasion and all the terror they have committed in Ukraine.'

The three-hour meeting came Sunday, the 60th day since the start of the invasion, as Ukraine pressed the West for more powerful weapons against Russia's campaign in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Moscow's forces sought to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops in the battered port city of Mariupol.

Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the head of Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs, was cited by the Ukrainian news agency Unian as saying that people who live near the burning oil depot were being evacuated

Russia's Emergencies Ministry initially posted details of a fire in the areas of the military facility on Moskovsky Avenue, then withdrew it

Bryansk region borders Ukraine and the city is some 240 miles from Moscow. Residents were being evacuated from homes in the vicinity of the burning oil depot

Smoke rises over the Russian city of Bryansk, around 70 miles from the Ukraine border, after two oil storage facilities were hit by explosions around 2am local time

Russia has not commented on the cause of the fires other than to say they are being investigated. Ukraine has also not confirmed it was involved in the blasts

Putin's invasion of Ukraine is now well into its third month, with thousands having died and even more being displaced

Austin said Ukraine's military needs are changing, and Zelenskyy is now focused on more tanks, artillery and other munitions.

'The nature of the fight has evolved, because the terrain they're now focused on is a different type of terrain, so they need long-range fires,' Austin said.

Asked about what the U.S. sees as success, Austin said that 'we want to see Ukraine remain a sovereign country, a democratic country able to protect its sovereign territory, we want to see Russia weakened to the point where it can't do things like invade Ukraine.'

On the diplomatic front, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was scheduled to travel to Turkey on Monday and then Moscow and Kyiv. Zelenskyy said it was a mistake for Guterres to visit Russia before Ukraine.

'Why? To hand over signals from Russia? What should we look for?' Zelenskyy said Saturday. 'There are no corpses scattered on the Kutuzovsky Prospect,' he said, referring to one of Moscow's main avenues.

Blinken said he had spoken with Guterres on Friday ahead of the trip.

'Our expectation is that he's going to carry a very strong and clear message to Vladimir Putin, which is the need to end this war now,' he said.

In a boost in support for Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron comfortably won a second term Sunday over far-right challenger Marine Le Pen, who had pledged to dilute France's ties with the European Union and NATO. Le Pen had also spoken out against EU sanctions on Russian energy and had faced scrutiny during the campaign over her previous friendliness with the Kremlin.

Macron's victory was hailed by France's allies in the EU as a reassuring sign of stability and continued support for Ukraine. France has played a leading role in international efforts to punish Russia with sanctions and is supplying weapons systems to Ukraine.

'We have a lot to do and the war in Ukraine reminds us that we are going through tragic times where France must make its voice heard,' Macron told a cheering crowd in his victory speech.

Since failing to capture Kyiv, the Russians have aimed to gain full control over the Donbas, the eastern industrial heartland, where Moscow-backed separatists controlled some territory before the war.

For the Donbas offensive, Russia has reassembled troops who fought around Kyiv and in northern Ukraine. The British Ministry of Defense said Ukrainian forces had repelled numerous assaults in the past week and 'inflicted significant cost on Russian forces.'

In the south of the Donbas, in the strategic port city of Mariupol, a small pocket of Ukrainian troops continues to hold out against Russian forces in the Azovstal steel factory, a sprawling facility on the waterfront.

Mariupol has endured fierce fighting since the start of the war because of its location on the Sea of Azov. Its capture would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, free up Russian troops to fight elsewhere, and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Over the weekend, Russian forces launched fresh airstrikes on the steel plant in an attempt to dislodge the estimated 2,000 fighters inside. An estimated 1,000 civilians are also sheltering in the factory.

New satellite images by Planet Labs PBC, taken Sunday, show destroyed buildings across the steelworks and smoke rising from one area. Roofs have gaping holes; a soccer field is cratered from incoming fire.

More than 100,000 people - down from a prewar population of about 430,000 - are believed to remain in Mariupol with scant food, water or heat. Ukrainian authorities estimate more than 20,000 civilians have been killed. Recent satellite images showed what appeared to be mass graves to the west and east of Mariupol.
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The US has pledged another $713million for Ukraine as two top Biden officials visited Kyiv under the cover of darkness where they blasted Russia's 'failing' invasion.

In the highest-level meeting between the US and Ukraine since the war, Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin took a train from Poland to Kyiv where they met with Volodymyr Zelensky in an overnight trip shrouded by secrecy.

There, the officials pledged military financing to Ukraine and its NATO partners and said diplomats would start returning to the country this week, although they will be stationed in Lviv rather than the Kyiv embassy which remains closed.

At the meeting, Blinken said, 'Russia is failing, Ukraine is succeeding,' and praised Zelensky and his country's bravery in the face of Kremlin barbarism.

Speaking today in Poland near the Ukrainian border, the Secretary of State said: 'We had an opportunity to demonstrate directly our strong ongoing support for the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people. This was, in our judgment, an important moment to be there to have face-to-face conversations in detail.'

Austin added Zelensky's response to the aid was deep appreciation for what was being given but 'he has the mindset that they want to win and we have the mindset that we want to help them win'.

Journalists who travelled to Poland with Austin and Blinken were barred from reporting on the trip until it ended, were not allowed to accompany them on their overland journey into Ukraine, and were prohibited from specifying where in south-east Poland they waited for the Cabinet members to return, citing security concerns.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pose for a picture during their meeting in Kyiv

The Secretaries of State and Defense accused Russia of failing in its barbaric invasion as they boosted Ukraine's war chest

Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with Lieutenant General Randy George, Military Assistant to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin

Austin said Zelensky's response to the aid was deep appreciation for what was being given but 'he has the mindset that they want to win and we have the mindset that we want to help them win'

Speaking in Poland after returning from the meeting (pictured), Austin and Blinken said US diplomats returning to Ukraine are likely to restaff the consulate in Lviv

Austin added Zelensky's response to the aid was deep appreciation for what was being given but 'he has the mindset that they want to win and we have the mindset that we want to help them win'

Just after the overnight visit, Russia bombed railway stations in the Lviv, Rivne, Vinnyista and Kyiv regions in the early hours in a warning to the West.

Their meeting is thought to have taken place between 10pm and 1am local time before they returned to Poland, with Blinken telling journalists afterwards that the delegation travelled by rail.

The strike on Krasne appears to have targeted the main line from Poland into Ukraine, though Blinken and Austin's exact route has not been revealed.

At the meeting, Austin and Mr Blinken announced a total of $713million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries; some $322million of that is earmarked for Kyiv.

The remainder will be split among NATO members and other nations that have provided Ukraine with critical military supplies since the war with Russia began, officials said.

Such financing is different from previous US military assistance for Ukraine. It is not a donation of drawn-down US Defence Department stockpiles, but rather cash that countries can use to purchase supplies that they might need.

The new money, along with the sale of $165million in non-US made ammunition that is compatible with Soviet-era weapons the Ukrainians use, takes the total amount of American military assistance to Ukraine to $3.7billion since the invasion, officials said.

In footage of the meeting later released by the Ukrainian presidency, Blinken praised the 'extraordinary courage and leadership and success that you've had in pushing back this horrific Russian aggression.'

'We got used to seeing you on video around the world, but it's great, it's good to see you in person,' Blinken said with a smile.

Austin said that 'the world has been inspired' by Ukraine in the war and that America would continue its support.

'The strategy that we've put in place - massive support for Ukraine, massive pressure against Russia, solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these efforts - is having real results,' Blinken said.

Austin said in Poland today after the meeting: 'The first step in winning is believing that you can win. And so they believe that we can win.

Journalists who travelled to Poland with Austin and Blinken were barred from reporting on the trip until it ended, were not allowed to accompany them on their overland journey into Ukraine, and were prohibited from specifying where in south-east Poland they waited for the Cabinet members to return

Austin said that 'the world has been inspired' by Ukraine in the war and that America would continue its support

The meeting was the highest-ranking visit by a US delegation to the war-torn nation since Russia began its invasion 60 days ago

Zelensky in the meeting said he was 'very thankful' for the American aid and particularly praised President Joe Biden for his 'personal support'

US officials said they believed the new assistance would satisfy at least some of the Ukrainians' urgent pleas for more military aid

'We believe that we can win, they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support.

'We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine,' Austin said.

Russia 'has already lost a lot of military capability. And a lot of its troops quite frankly, and we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability,' he said.

On the diplomatic front, Blinken told Zelensky that Biden will announce his nomination of veteran diplomat Bridget Brink to be the next US ambassador to Ukraine.

A career foreign service officer, Brink has served since 2019 as ambassador to Slovakia. She previously held assignments in Serbia, Cyprus, Georgia and Uzbekistan as well as with the White House National Security Council. The post requires Senate confirmation.

For his part, Zelensky in the meeting said he was 'very thankful' for the American aid and particularly praised President Joe Biden for his 'personal support.'

'The priorities are weapons and support from the United States of America and our partners, European leaders, in terms of our army's strength and support in certain areas,' the Ukrainian president said. 'The second issue is the sanctions policy against the Russian Federation because of the full-scale invasion and all the terror they have committed in Ukraine.'

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speak with reporters in Poland near the Ukraine border

Blinken boards a plane to return to Washington today from Poland after the secretive trip to Kyiv yesterday

In giving new military assistance, the US is renewing a diplomatic push in the war-ravaged nation

During Sunday's meeting, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin revealed US diplomats would gradually return to Ukraine. However, the US Embassy in Kyiv (pictured in January 2022) will remain closed for the moment

Sunday's visit also came one day after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed to reopen the British Embassy in Kyiv. The embassy is pictured in January 2022

The three-hour meeting came Sunday, the 60th day since the start of the invasion, as Ukraine pressed the West for more powerful weapons against Russia's campaign in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Moscow's forces sought to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops in the battered port city of Mariupol.

The financing is different from previous U.S. military assistance for Ukraine. It is not a donation of drawn-down U.S. Defense Department stockpiles, but rather cash that countries can use to purchase supplies that they might need.

The new money, along with the sale of $165million in non-U.S. made ammunition that is compatible with Soviet-era weapons the Ukrainians use, brings the total amount of American military assistance to Ukraine to $3.7billion since the invasion.

New artillery, including howitzers, continues to be delivered at a rapid pace to Ukraine's military, which is being trained on its use in neighboring countries, the officials said.

More than 50 Ukrainians are set to complete training on Monday to operate the heavy artillery that Washington has begun sending to Ukraine in recent weeks.

Biden will formally nominate Bridget Brink, currently U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, a post that had remained vacant for more than two years

The visit also revealed that U.S. diplomats will gradually return to Kyiv by initially resume 'day trips' across the border to Lviv in the coming week.

Officials are accelerating planning to return to the Kyiv mission, the State Department official said.

'There's no substitute for that face-to-face engagement, and of course there is a symbolism to being back in the country,' said the official, who briefed reporters in Poland on condition of anonymity.

U.S. diplomats departed the Kyiv embassy nearly two weeks before the Feb. 24 invasion, moving some functions to the western city of Lviv before eventually relocating to Poland.

The official also said that on Monday Biden will formally nominate Bridget Brink, currently U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, a post that had remained vacant for more than two years.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby (left), US Army lieutenant general John Kolasheski (center) and US Army Major General Christopher LaNeve (right) are pictured speaking with reporters in Poland near the Ukrainian border on Sunday

Blinken and Austin traveled to Poland on Saturday then overland into Ukraine on Sunday, where they met with Zelensky and other top Ukrainian officials, a senior State Department official said, declining to discuss in detail their travel or security arrangements.

Zelensky announced the trip himself during a news conference on Saturday, which U.S. officials said was a contingency they had planned for and did not derail the visit.

Blinken and Austin had planned to meet Zelensky, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and other officials for 90 minutes but the discussions took three hours.

The American president has made no such-attempt to show solidarity with his own in-person visit, and his press secretary Jen Psaki has said there are no plans for the 79-year-old to travel.

Sunday's visit also came after Boris Johnson vowed to reopen the UK's embassy in Kyiv following the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Ukrainian capital.

In a series of tweets Saturday, the prime minister also said Britain will provide the country with 'further military aid', including armored vehicles.

The Conservative leader then warned Putin's regime that his government will be collecting evidence on potential 'war crimes', saying Russia must be 'held to account'.

He wrote: 'Today I spoke with President @ZelenskyyUa to update him on the latest steps the UK is taking to support Ukraine.

'We are providing further military aid, including protected mobility vehicles. We have issued new sanctions against members of the Russian military.

'We will be reopening our embassy in Kyiv, demonstrating our solidarity with the Ukrainian people. And the UK government is helping to collect evidence of war crimes. Russia must be held to account for its actions.'
A Picasso painting owned by the late Sir Sean Connery is expected to fetch 15million at auction to help Scottish charities.

The James Bond star's family is selling the work, Buste d'homme dans un cadre, after his request a philanthropic trust be set up in his name after his death.

The Sean Connery Philanthropic Fund will donate money to good causes in Scotland as well as the Bahamas where the Edinburgh-born actor lived with his wife, Micheline, for more than 30 years.

He bought the 1969 painting a few years before his death following a battle with dementia, aged 90, in October 2020.

The James Bond star's family is selling the work, Buste d'homme dans un cadre, after his request a philanthropic trust be set up in his name after his death

It will be sold at Christie's 20th and 21st Century Art Sale in Hong Kong on May 26.

Sir Sean's stepson Stephane Connery, an art adviser, said that the star had an 'extraordinary sense of aesthetics'

Sir Sean's stepson Stephane Connery, an art adviser, said that the star had an 'extraordinary sense of aesthetics'.

'He loved and owned numerous works by Picasso and, upon seeing Buste d'homme dans un cadre, was captivated by its expressive power and freedom,' he said. 'It seems fitting that this work would be sold in Asia as Sean had a tremendous affinity for Asia and its culture.'

He added: 'Before Sean passed away he allocated a sizeable portion of his estate to be used for philanthropic purposes.

'We  his family  are now working to create a fund that will offer support to organisations that reflect Sean's interests and passions, and serve to keep his legacy of integrity, opportunity and effectiveness alive.'

Describing the artwork, the co-chairman of impressionist and modern art at Christie's, Adrien Meyer, said: 'Appearing at auction for the first time, this is simply one of the best works by the artist of his late period to ever come to market.'

In February, Sir Sean's family announced they had donated $1million to the charity Race Against Dementia, which will fund a pilot scheme at Edinburgh University to help tackle the devastating condition.
A man recalls the moment he heard a 'shriek of agony' when a toddler was hit by a car in the driveway of a suburban home.

Lindsay Stone was at home in Mount Louisa, Townsville, when he heard the neighbours cry out for help at about 4pm on Sunday.

He raced outside and saw the 18-month-old's 'anguished' parents holding their only child in the driveway.

Pictured: Toys scattered outside a home where a toddler was hit by a car in a driveway

'I heard a call - a cry for help actually - from the neighbour,' he told 7News on Monday.

'Very traumatic.'

Mr Stone told Seven he started CPR with the toddler's father while the mother called emergency services.

'I couldn't detect breathing or a heartbeat,' Mr Stone added.

He said the situation didn't look good and started preying for a miracle.

The toddler was taken to Townsville University Hospital (pictured) but she tragically died on Sunday evening

Paramedics treated the toddler at the scene before she was taken to Townsville University Hospital.

She tragically died later that evening.

Mr Stone described the parents as 'delightful' and said the loss has shocked the neighbourhood.

Queensland Police have launched an investigation into her death.
Brent Simpson has spent his fair share of time behind bars but nothing could have prepared him for the hell of Queensland's 'Covid-safe' prison system.

As a former sergeant-at-arms of the Bandidos bikie gang, prison has long been a familiar stomping ground for the 'reformed' 45-year old.

But in March the father of four found himself back behind bars after police pounced on him over his alleged involvement in a 13-year old murder.

Brent Simpson rolled with the Bandidos before changing his wicked ways

Simpson recently spent time behind bars in the Queensland prison system. He didn't like it

Simpson has been driving trucks to keep afloat. He claims harsh bail conditions mean he can no longer drive

HOW SIMPSON FOUND HIMSELF BEHIND BARS AGAIN Two men have been charged with murder over an Australia Day road rage shooting that left a Gold Coast father of two dead. Tony Elbayeh, 39, and Hysam Hamdan, 43, were extradited from NSW to Queensland after being arrested in Sydney in relation to the death of Omega Ruston at Burleigh Heads on January 26, 2009. Elbayeh is charged with murder, accessory after the fact, corruption of a witness and 30 counts of perjury. Simpson faced court charged with being an accessory, attempting to corrupt a witness and 18 counts of perjury. Simpson allegedly 'provided immediate assistance to the offenders after the murder had been committed'. He denies knowing any of his alleged co-accussed. Advertisement

Speaking to fellow former crook David Obeda, who runs a YouTube channel called The Felon Show, Simpson provided a chilling insight to what inmates face behind bars in Australia's most northern state.

'I tell you what, there is no way in the world, even though the time that you've done and the experience you've had yourself, it's not like that anymore,' Simpson said.

Obeda founded the notorious jailhouse gang G-Fam in Melbourne before being deported by federal authorities back to New Zealand for his crimes.

It was members of G-Fam that stabbed and almost killed Melbourne gangster Tony Mokbel inside Barwon Prison in 2019.

'Because of Covid, everything is so, just locked down. Everyone is segregated,' Simpson said.

Upon entering a Brisbane watch house, Simpson said inmates are required to enter an 'airlock' where they are provided a mattress located directly next to the toilet upon a concrete slab.

'That's it and it's so f**king full at the moment, even in the actual jail at Arthur Gorrie, everything was two-out (jail cell with two inmates). So what was one-out, forget it,' Simpson said.

Simpson spent 10 days in the watch house before he was moved to Arthur Gorrie, which is southern Queensland's largest remand prison.

'There's no yard, there's no nothing at all. It's all artificial air, lights are on 24/7 ... and basically that's it. You're locked 24/7. And it's just a head f**k,' he said of the watch house.

Simpson was a guest on 'The Felon Show' which is hosted by former Melbourne gang leader David Obeda

Former Swan Barry Hall with Brent Simpson (right)

Under the Covid rules, Simpson said prisoners are not even entitled to a phone call.

'It used to be when you go into custody that you used to get that one call, to a loved one or something to let them know where you are. They're not obliged to give you a call anymore,' Simpson said.

'In the Queensland system up here, you get f**king Jack S**t. Nothing.'

Simpson claimed a sign on the walls alerts inmates that they may only make a phone call 'if (they) see fit or can accommodate' one.

Upon spending 10 days locked in the watch house, Simpson was forced to spend another 14 days in isolation upon being moved to the remand centre.

Simpson, who grew up in New South Wales, spent a good part of 14 years behind bars in that state.

'I was very familiar with how that system ran ... Up here, you're going into the Bronx and you're going to go into the battle pit, but the way that it's structured, it's just different,' Simpson said.

Simpson (pictured) has done hard time in NSW prisons, but claims QLD is next level

Brent Simpson (centre) was a big wheel with the Bandidos as a younger man

Former Bandido Brent Simpson claims he is on the straight and narrow, but claims cops won't leave him alone

'It's not the same mindset. It's a head game. The whole thing up here in Queensland is mind games and it's something that they just love doing.'

Simpson said inmates who swore or carried on could expect ramifications.

During an eight week stint inside, Simpson estimates he spent just 36 hours outside of his cell.

During that time he described a warzone, where gangs would punch on the moment they laid eyes upon each other.

Simpson said the prison was awash with drugs.

'I just left everyone to themselves, you know do the methadone shuffle ... people are still sitting there having three or four out having (drug) shots in the yard. It's just f**king putrid,' he said.

'Spitting up their tablets of methadone. It still happens. It's just how it is. It's jail. It just makes you sick.'

Simpson had made headlines over recent years for turning his life around and dedicating his life to charity.

In 2016, Simpson cycled his push-bike from the Gold Coast to Perth to raise awareness and money for his not-for-profit charity, Heavy Hiterz.

He now runs a popular podcast called 'The Clink' in which he speaks to a variety of crooks and cops.

He had been working as an interstate truck driver when detectives swooped on him after a long run.

Now free on bail, Simpson claims harsh conditions have been placed on him in an effort to stop him working as a truck driver.

He now plans to launch his own lawn mowing business in the hope of keeping his family afloat and paying his hefty legal bills.

Simpson maintains his innocence over the latest charges.
Scott Morrison has attempted to speak Greek during a reading at an Orthodox Easter service.

The Prime Minister joined the faithful including Greece's visiting Minister for Culture Lina Mendoni at a Greek Orthodox Church in Kogarah in Sydney's south on Saturday night.

Accompanied by his wife Jenny, Mr Morrison lit candles before addressing the 1,000 parishioners in attendance about 'unity' during the sacred time of Easter.

Orthodox Easter is celebrated about a week after western churches such as Protestants and Catholics due to observance of the the Julian calendar, which predates the modern Gregorian calendar.

Mr Morrison and wife Jenny attended the Greek Easter service on Saturday with the PM lighting candles and doing a reading in Greek (pictured)

Mr Morrison called for peace, particularly in Ukraine, during his speech.

'Let us pray for our nation that together we will continue to be strong; that together we will continue to enjoy this blessed nation of Australia,' he said.

Mr Morrison then spoke a few sentences in Greek which translate to: 'Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and to those in the tomb, grant him life'.

The gathered Christians briefly cheered when Mr Morrison managed to get through reading.

He then continued on, thanking the congregation for their 'great sense of community'.

'You are lighting up the country, with your faith and your belief and your community. And this enables us, I think, to move forward with great confidence.'

Mr Morrison followed up the Easter service in Saturday night by attending an Anzac Day dawn service in Darwin and a game of two-up at Cazaleys Palmerston Club (pictured)

The footage of Mr Morrison attempting to speak Greek was shared to social media and met with a mixed reaction.

'So Easter service can be used as a political rally?' one person asked.

'That was nice and he didn't do too bad. The last PM to do this was Tony Abbot,' a second person said.

'Why didn't he go to a Ukrainian Orthodox service considering the situation there?' a third asked.

'Because there are a lot more Greeks in Australia that vote,' a commenter replied.

On Monday, Mr Morrison continued his election campaign attending an Anzac Day dawn service in Darwin.

Deputy leader Richard Marles also attended the dawn service in Darwin. Labor leader Anthony Albanese remains in isolation at his Sydney home as he recovers from Covid-19.

Mr Morrison met locals and veterans on Monday in Darwin as he continues his election campaign (pictured)

Mr Morrison said as Australians honoured their own fallen who fought for liberty and freedom, 'we stand with the people of Ukraine, who do the same thing at this very moment'.

'Our world is changing. War does strike Europe again. Coercion troubles our region once more and an arc of autocracy is challenging the rules-based order our grandparents secured,' he said.

'Democratic, free peoples are standing together again.'

Mr Albanese said in a video message the Australian character was confirmed at Gallipoli and since then Australians had 'stood steadfast as warriors and as builders and keepers of the peace'.
A Ukrainian adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky compared Russian troops to ISIS militants today after Putin's forces threatened to execute a captured soldier on video unless his mother paid a ransom.

Ukrainian soldier Novikov Alexey Antonovich, from Mariupol, said he was captured on April 23, and was part of the 109th brigade of the Donetsk territorial defence.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said video of the captured soldier showed Russia was a 'terrorist state'.

He said: 'The military is increasingly reminiscent of ISIS militants. Russia must be recognised as a terrorist state.'

Ukrainian soldier Novikov Alexey Antonovich (pictured), from Mariupol, said he was captured on April 23, and was part of the 109th brigade of the Donetsk territorial defence

The young soldier was filmed by his Russian captors for a video sent to his mother. They demanded 5,000 unless she wanted the next video to be of her son's execution

He added the Russian soldiers threatened to send a video of his execution if they didn't receive the money.

Footage showed the Ukrainian soldier being filmed as he was asked his name and how he was being treated.

The video was sent to the young soldier's mother with a demand of 5,000 if she wanted her son to remain alive.

In the footage shared online by Mr Podolyak, the Ukrainian soldier told his Russian captor he was being treated 'okay'. He said: 'I have food here, water, a toilet.'

Deranged despot Vladimir Putin wanted his war in Ukraine to last just days and end with the toppling of its pro-Western government.

However, it entered its third month last week as Russia continued to batter the southern port city of Mariupol and launched fresh attacks throughout the Donbas as Ukrainians and Russians alike celebrated Orthodox Easter.

Fighting has been particularly heavy in Mariupol. Russia has redirected its forces to the east of Ukraine after failing to capture Kyiv. Pictured: A destroyed tank and a burned vehicle sit in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Mariupol on April 23

A boy stands next to a wrecked vehicle in front of an apartment building damaged during Ukraine-Russia war in the southern port city of Mariupol on April 24

A satellite image shows damage at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol on April 24

Britain's Ministry of Defence said Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol were exhausting many Russian troops. It added that Russia had 'yet to achieve a significant breakthrough' of defensive lines in Donbas

British intelligence said today that Russia had 'yet to achieve a significant breakthrough' of defensive lines in Donbas despite Ukraine imposing a 'significant cost' on Putin's forces.

Britain's Ministry of Defence said poor logistical and combat support were hampering Russia's advances, as they did in the failed effort to take Kyiv.

Ukrainian defenders holed up in the Azovstal steel works in the southern city of Mariupol - which is still under siege - were also pinning down 'many Russian units' and preventing them from redeploying to the Donbas front, while also exhausting Putin's troops and reducing their combat effectiveness, the MoD added.

Since the war started on February 24, Kyiv claims to have killed almost 22,000 Russian soldiers and destroyed military equipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars in the process.

Putin's army has suffered a number of embarrassing losses  most notably the Moskva missile cruiser, thought to have been destroyed by Ukrainian missiles.

The seeming inability to prevent Ukraine from striking targets inside Russia with missiles is also likely causing red faces inside the Kremlin.

On Sunday Oleksiy Arestovich, another adviser to President Zelensky, said the situation in Mariupol was 'very difficult'.

He said: Our defenders hold the defence under incredibly difficult circumstances. Our tropo sare also protecting citizens there.'

He said more than a thousand civilians, including the elderly and children, were hiding from the fighting in the Azovstal steel plant, guarded by Ukrainian forces.
The Met Police will root out rogue officers with 'sophisticated' new technology that can monitor officers' emails and work phones for 'alarming' words in a bid to stamp out its culture of sexism and racism.

The software will also track their movements while in a police station and even monitor tasks like photocopying - as replicating large numbers of official documents could raise questions about corruption.

Acting commissioner Sir Stephen House said the force would also monitor factors like overtime and sickness leave to identify any problems early on.

Acting commissioner Sir Stephen House told MPs 'tens of millions' of pounds was being invested into new technology to monitor officers

A watchdog probe into Charing Cross Police Station revealed officers there exchanged sickening messages about rape, 'killing black children', and 'f****** gays'.

Others have been accused of swapping racist and sexist messages with Sarah Everard's murderer Wayne Couzens.

Dame Cressida Dick resigned as commissioner earlier this year after deciding that the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, no longer had confidence in her.

Addressing Parliament's Home Affairs Committee, Sir Stephen said the Met was responding to the watchdog report by investing in 'tens of millions of pounds' worth of new technology to monitor officers' behaviour.

'This would sit above our systems and would look at internal emails for keywords that were alarming, would check use of Metropolitan Police mobile phones that we have issued to our officers to check for the same thing, would look at the amount of overtime that is being worked,' he said.

'If someone is working a lot of overtime, do they have a financial pressure on them? Is there an issue there? It would look at sickness records, is there a problem there?

Officers have been accused of swapping racist and sexist messages with Sarah Everard's murderer Wayne Couzens

'It would look at misconduct and bring together huge amounts of information. Are they in a police station, for example, when they are not on duty and why?

'Are they doing a lot of photocopying or a lot of use of a computer when they are off duty and, if so, why? What is going on there?

'It is a very sophisticated tool, it will cost a lot of money to bring in, but we need to embrace technology and use it far more.'

It is not clear if the technology could monitor encrypted apps like WhatsApp if these are downloaded by officers.

Senior officers have met to discuss the ethics of the proposal but the Met is refusing to comment in more detail, The Times reported.

The force said: To further advance our counter-corruption capability, we are preparing to invest a multimillion-pound sum in technology to monitor the use of devices by more than 40,000 officers and staff.

'We aim to have this capability in place next year.

During his committee appearance, Sir Stephen admitted it was not just 'a few bad apples' that are ruining the Met's reputation and its problems go far deeper.

'Language is really important in this and people have talked about "a few bad apples",' he told MPs.

'Quite clearly that's not the situation at all. It's not a few bad apples.

'You can't simply say that Wayne Couzens and a couple of other people have done something wrong.

'That's been the spearhead of the problem, I would suggest. But there is a wider issue within the organisation which we acknowledge and we are dealing with.'
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Thousands of Ukrainians made desperate efforts to enter the US as a White House ban on border crossings came into place.

There were chaotic scenes around the San Ysidro pedestrian crossing in Tijuana, Mexico last night as migrants rushed to cross the border before it closed at 9pm local time.

Up to 6,000 foreign nationals amassed as the deadline neared, the Department for Homeland Security (DHS) said.

One group of fifty refugees unable to make the crossing before midnight were taken to shelter in a local church used as an emergency shelter. With the 'Uniting for Ukraine' policy announced on Thursday, many who had already made travel plans are now stranded in Mexico.

At midnight DC time Sunday, the Biden administration reintroduced the Title 42 health order for Ukrainian refugees, halting entries to the US without prior application.

The final buses carrying refugees arrived at the border just after 8pm, driven by volunteers and with the cooperation of local border officials. One hour later, Biden's 'Uniting for Ukraine' policy came into effect and the foot crossing was closed.

The new initiative plans to sanction 100,000 Ukrainian arrivals over the coming months. But crucially, it ends Ukrainian refugees' exemption from Title 42, President Trump's controversial border policy banning all entries to the United States by foot.

First introduced as a public health measure, Title 42 was intended to contain the spread of Covid by restricting arrivals from outside the US.

Around 15,000 undocumented Ukrainians have so far entered the US since the start of the Russian invasion two months ago, the DHS added.

Most have entered the US via border crossings at Tijuana, near San Diego, and Reynosa, near Hidalgo, Texas.

Desperate refugees from Ukraine argued with Mexican officials on the Tijuana border in the run-up to the midnight deadline

A young boy waits while his family seek entry to the US as the April 25 cut-off neared. Title 42, which prevents foot crossings over the border on the grounds of public health, came into place for Ukrainian refugees at 9pm Tijuana time.

Nervous refugees, many with children, approached the San Ysidro pedestrian crossing late on Sunday, April 24. Some who were turned away by Homeland Security officers were taken for immediate processing in the hope of an overnight crossing

Many of the estimated 6,000 foreign nationals who approached the Tijuana border crossing last night were Ukrainian refugees wielding their nation's flag

Hundreds of young children accompanied parents at the San Ysidro pedestrian crossing (pictured) as the deadline neared

The same family react to news late last night that they would not be accepted into the US before Monday as Title 42 returned

Refugee Eleanor, 12, from Odessa, Ukraine cries as her family pleads to cross the border. One volunteer in Tijuana told DailyMail.com Sunday: 'There's going to be a lot of crying and sad faces, because many people won't cross.'

Eleanor rests on a makeshift bed with her suitcase and a neck pillow and she awaits news of a potential US border crossing

The total number of refugees who have fled Ukraine over the last two months is over five million, the UN reported.

Volunteers in Tijuana had told DailyMail.com earlier Sunday: 'There's going to be a lot of crying and sad faces, because many people won't cross.'

Co-Founder of United For Ukraine Anastasia Bolo told DailyMail.com that the last bus for the border will leave at 8pm, and that refugees flying into the city later in the day will likely end up stuck in Mexico.

Refugee transport buses took Ukrainian migrants from Tijuana International Airport to the pedestrian border crossing

This Ukrainian family, who stood in line with foreign nationals, had hoped to cross into the US before online applications and a US-based sponsorship requirement came into place

Concerned refugee families deliberate as they consider their options in front of a sign which reads 'USA'

Buses shipped refugees from Tijuana International Airport to the San Ysidro border crossing as the 9pm local time halt neared

'Of course everybody is upset because people bought tickets in advance,' she said.

Biden will lift Title 42 on May 23, legalizing foot crossings to the US once again.

But 21 states including Arizona, Florida and Ohio are suing the federal government with the hope of extending Title 42.

Mothers carry bags and watch their young children as they waited for news at the San Ysidro border late Sunday night, Apr. 24

A Mexican border police officer spoke to colleagues as he stood by a volunteer bus taking refugees to the border crossing

A pair of small children pose with a Ukraine flag as they hope for border officials' generosity at the San Ysidro pedestrian crossing

They claim an end to the policy at this time is 'reckless'.

What is Title 42? Title 42 was enacted by President Trump in March 2020 as Covid surged. Named after a 1944 health law, the policy allows border patrol agents to deny entry to migrants without considering their asylum claims if they have been in a country with a communicable disease, such as Covid. It has been used more than 1.7million times during Trump and Biden's presidencies, with its continuation under Biden infuriating left-wing Democrats. Though the vast majority of refusals have taken place at foot crossings on the southern border with Mexico, expulsions of plane and boat migrants have also occurred. The policy was again lambasted by top Democrats when it emerged Ukrainian refugees fleeing their war-torn country were being turned away, despite Biden's promise to welcome them 'with open arms'. Under the new 'Uniting for Ukraine' policy which came into place at midnight April 25, Ukrainian refugees' exemption from Title 42 is over. The White House plans to integrate 100,000 undocumented Ukrainians over the next few months - but they must apply online and have a US sponsor who can help them financially. Title 42 is set to lift on May 23. But 21 states are suing the federal government in an attempt to keep it in place and prevent 'chaos on the border'. Advertisement

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said last week: 'Ending Title 42 would be a disaster and further the chaos at the southwest border that is making it easier for drug cartels and human smugglers to advance their illicit practices in our country.'

Meanwhile Arizona Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema is leading a bipartisan group in the upper house set to propose legislation to prevent Title 42's lifting.

Since Biden took office, Customs and Border Protection has apprehended more than 2.4 million migrants crossing the southern border.

Some estimates predict that the current 8,000 migrants crossing each day could rise to 18,000 once Title 42 is lifted.

Though the vast majority of refusals have taken place at foot crossings on the southern border with Mexico, expulsions of plane and boat migrants have also occurred.

Others warned that there are already hundreds of thousands of migrants within days of the border ready to cross once the policy is no longer being enforced.

The temporary health order has been used to deport or turn away with consideration 1.7million migrants since its introduction in March 2020.

Last mosaw a record 221,203 apprehensions by CBP, the highest in decades. It exceeded the previous high of 213,593 in July 2021.

Refugees hoping to gain asylum under 'Uniting for Ukraine' must have been in Ukraine as of February 11, have a US-based sponsor family or organization, meet vaccination and other health requirements, and pass government background checks.

Typically, people would start applications in their home country, but that's no longer possible since the US pulled its diplomats from Ukraine.

The State Department said it will expand resettlement operations throughout Eastern Europe to compensate.

Most of those admitted will receive two years of residence and authorization to work in the United States under whats known as humanitarian parole.

Those coming to the US through the traditional refugee process, including members of religious minority groups, will receive permanent legal residency.

One downside of the new effort is that humanitarian parole generally does not include temporary housing support and other benefits provided through the traditional refugee program.

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service president Krish OMara Vignarajah said the formal refugee system is slowly recovering from Trump-era cutbacks.

Ms Vignarajah told DailyMail.com that 'Uniting for Ukraine' is still a step forward: 'Families desperately seeking to bring their loved ones directly to safety in the US have a glimmer of hope, where there once was exceedingly little.'

Two young children in matching coats stand anxiously as their parents work to try to enter the United States in Tijuana

An exhausted mom sits with her child on her lap as she talks with a refugee friend close to the pedestrian border crossing

Since Biden took office, more than 2.4 million migrants were apprehended by CBP. Last month hit a new high with 221,303 encounters in March alone

Announcing the policy, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in a statement: 'We are proud to deliver on President Bidens commitment to welcome 100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russian aggression to the United States.

'The Ukrainian people continue to suffer immense tragedy and loss as a result of Putin's unprovoked and unjustified attack on their country.'

President Biden said Thursday: 'This program will be fast, it will be streamlined and it will ensure the United States honors its commitment to go through the people Ukraine and need not go through our southern border.'

A despondent refugee waits on a bus shuttling her from Tijuana International Airport to the San Ysidro pedestrian crossing

Eleanor, 12, consoles her distraught younger brother while his sister (behind him) rests on a backpack with coloured hearts

One refugee mom remonstrates with officials at the crossing. Mexican and American officials dealt with thousands of claims

Democrat chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez told POLITICO: 'I will continue to call on the administration to restore full access to our asylum laws at the southern border, where too many Black and Brown migrants in our hemisphere have been denied the opportunity to seek humanitarian protection in the United States.'

Adding to opposition to the White House's Title 42 suspension plan, border district Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar accused Biden of 'listening to immigration activists' more than lawmakers and agents at the border.

He told Fox News today: 'My question is, who's listening to the men and women in green and in blue? And more importantly, who's listening to the border communities, the sheriffs, the landowners, the rest of the people that live on the border?'
A Russian Olympic gymnast widely believed to be the mistress of Russian President Vladimir Putin has emerged to lead a patriotic rhythmic gymnastics festival in Moscow.

Alina Kabaeva, 38, stepped out to lead her annual 'Alina Festival' at the Russian capital's VTB Arena and delivered a speech to the press in which she appeared to link the Soviet victory over Nazism in the Second World War to today's events in Ukraine.

It marked a rare public appearance for the former gymnast, who is thought to be the Russian strongman's mistress and mother of four of his children whom he has never officially recognised.

She appeared onstage alongside hundreds of young children at the strongly patriotic event which featured a military choir and the infamous Russian 'Z' symbol which has become synonymous with the war in Ukraine.

Her eponymous festival included some of the Soviet Union's most patriotic songs in a celebration of the country's victory over the Nazis, but the theme was unmistakably intended to boost support for Putin's 'special military operation' in Ukraine.

The full show will be broadcast on May 8, the eve of a vast Red Square military parade commemorating 'Victory Day', the end of the Second World War.

Her appearance at the festival put paid to rumours she was hiding in Switzerland or a bunker in Siberia.

Alina Kabaeva, 38, stepped out to lead her eponymous 'Alina Festival' at the Russian capital's VTB Arena, putting paid to rumours she was hiding in Switzerland or a bunker in Siberia. She appeared onstage alongside hundreds of young children at the strongly patriotic event which featured a military choir and the infamous Russian 'Z' symbol (pictured) which has become synonymous with the war in Ukraine

Alina Kabaeva pictured alongside child gymnasts at her patriotic-themed rhythmic gymnastics festival Alina 2022 at the VTB Arena, Moscow, this past weekend

It marked a rare public appearance for the former gymnast (bottom left with microphone), who is thought to be the Russian strongman's mistress and mother of four of his children whom he has never officially recognised

Alina Kabaeva and Vladimir Putin have been pictured together on several occasions over the years, and the Olympic gymnast has long been thought to be the Russian President's mistress

Wearing a patriotic St George's ribbon on her chest, Kabaeva delivered a rousing speech seemingly linking victory over Nazism in the Second World War to today's events in Ukraine.

'This theme, you see, this story, doesn't only go into the past. It stays with us,' she said.

'This celebration is not just for the whole country, this is a holiday for every family.

'Every family has a war story, and we mustn't ever forget it, but pass it on from generation to generation.'

Child gymnasts of varying ages were dressed in a wartime uniforms at the show and performed a choreographed routine which re-enacted the Soviet victory in World War II alongside a military choir.

Putin, 69, is expected to use Victory Day - May 9 - to claim some kind of victory from his war in Ukraine, despite a Russian death toll that is thought to exceed 20,000.

The performances at the Alina Festival are expected to be broadcast across state TV on the eve of Victory Day.

Unlike two of Putin's adult daughters - Maria and Katerina - Kabaeva has avoided Western sanctions thus far.

The former gymnast is also a media mogul, controlling a significant segment of the pro-Kremlin Moscow media on an estimated salary of almost 8million per year.

Jailed Putin foe Alexei Navalny has demanded sanctions against her, arguing Kabaeva's National Media Group is likely owned and funded by the Russian President and his oligarchs.

Pictures of Kabaeva (centre left) at the event in Moscow sparked speculation that the former gymnast had used the same cosmetic surgeon as Putin amid claims of botox and fillers

A young Alina Kabaeva shakes hands with Vladimir Putin during a meeting with other gymnasts in the Kremlin

Olympic gold-medallist Alina Kabaeva, 38, (right) resurfaced at a junior rhythmic gymnastics rehearsal in Moscow's VTB Arena last week ahead of the Alina Festival on Saturday

Kabaeva (R) reportedly dodged sanctions at the request of the U.S. National Security Council, over fears targeting her would be seen as a 'personal attack' on Putin (L)

Navalny recently posted from jail: 'I want to remind you that the National Media Group, which owns the lion's share of this apparatus of lies, undoubtedly belongs to Putin personally, and as such is even formally headed by Putin's mistress Alina Kabaeva.'

He called for her as a Putin propagandist to be treated as a 'war criminal'.

It comes as the Wall Street Journal reported that Kabaeva dodged sanctions at the request of the U.S. National Security Council, over fears targeting her would be seen as a 'personal attack' on Putin.

Kabaeva was in the sights of the US Treasury Department in the wake of her rumored lover's invasion of Ukraine in February, but officials in Washington believed sanctioning her could escalate tensions between Russia and the West.

Meanwhile, pictures of Kabaeva which surfaced last week during rehearsals for the Alina Festival sparked speculation that the former gymnast had used the same cosmetic surgeon as Putin amid claims of botox and fillers.

'Something has really changed in Kabaeva's face... the legendary athlete was noticeably prettier,' wrote the Russian Cosmopolitan.

Avoiding linking her to Putin so as not to be censored by the Russian state, the magazine said: 'Alina Kabaeva is one of the most mysterious and secretive women in our country.

'The gymnast almost never appears in public, does not [appear in] social networks, and it is not possible to accidentally see her on the street or in shopping centres.'

Telegram channel Tol'ko Nikomu - also choosing its words carefully to avoid the Russian censor - hinted that she and Putin share the same plastic surgeon.

'A new rare appearance of Alina Kabaeva. This time she is dressed casually - and is again seen with a wedding ring.

'And yes, the handwriting of the family beautician is quite notable.'
Who will be the theatres courageous voice? By D. Paul Thomas

web posted April 25, 2022 Nearly twenty years ago, New York Times theatre critic, Frank Rich, wrote an essay entitled, Wheres Larry Kramer When We Need Him? (Arts & Leisure, Sunday, October 5, 2003), a political missive questioning why no playwright had written a meaningful play in response to the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. My answer at the time? There is no playwright on the national scene capable of rendering sense out of that senseless tragedy. Even Eugene ONeill, one of the past geniuses of the American theatre, would have taken years to assimilate the gravity of the event before fashioning a human response vs. a political response to the unimaginable suffering of that September morning. With all due respect to Mr. Richs praise of Larry Kramers enraged call to arms in the AIDS crisis, The Normal Heart is not a very good play. It had an agenda and served its purpose. Political theatre is by nature topical and fleeting, subject to fawning acceptance and facile praise. Rarely (perhaps Shakespeare and Shaw are the exception), does it ever reach the level of great art, typically waffling between ideological sentiment and blatant agitprop. The answer as to why a great play hasnt emerged from our national trauma is not a mystery shrouded under a right-wing conspiracy, although judging from critic Richs animus of George Bush at the time, you might think that the case. Playwrights mirror the zeitgeist and, like our body politic, many writers, actors, and filmmakers experienced a philosophical sea change after 9/11. For starters, they had to give serious consideration to the fact that there is evil in this world and that evil people wish to destroy us. But reflective playwrights found themselves caught in a no mans land, pressed between the far lefts sentiment of, Its blowback time, we caused this to happen, and the hawkish neocons response of, Lets bomb the hell out of em! In those tumultuous days following 911, reasonable voices were in short order, or have we forgotten the crazed conspiracy theory that 9/11 was a Zionist plot. The vitriolic voices were in vogue, capturing the headlines and our attention. Little has changed; if anything, its gotten worse. One can only conjecture what an acceptable play on 9/11 would look like in the stifling, politically correct atmosphere of todays theatre. Lets imagine: It is a bare stage covered with white ash; a tattered American flag is suspended centerstage, dripping with blood. Out of the ashes comes that dullard himself (as the Left characterized him), George W. Bush, starring in Macbush, a post-postmodern version of Macbeth, with Macbush bewitching us not to Birnam Forest, but to Tel Aviv, where he plays an Israeli tank commander whose major tirades are delivered atop a beat-up Hummer, plastered with made-in-the USA logos and swarming with bleeding, moaning Palestinian children (played by aging juveniles) decked out in fatigues, garnished with belted grenades, LL Bean work boots, helmets with peace symbols, and spewing anti-Bush obscenities to the glee of the hip audiences itching ears. Predictably, the deus ex machina arrives when the ubiquitous video monitors descend from the rafters and reveal the ghost of Banquo as a PLO freedom fighter, draped with garlands of TNT, ready to exact revenge on the oppressively hegemonic and racist Macbush and Lady Macbush, representing the US and Israel respectively. Wow! Now there would be a play that would jolt us, illuminate the truth and remind us what actually happened on 9/11, as critic Rich opineda theatre saved from cultural bankruptcy! With todays radical Palestinians stoking another intifada, methinks Macbush would be a box-office smash, hitting all the right political notes. Tragically, the theatre has become a self-serving, monotonous voice, frozen intellectually by the constraints of a collective mindset which values the right thought over the independent thought. Unwittingly perhaps, the theatre (a supposed haven of inclusiveness) has excluded a generation of artistsfreethinkers who acquiesce to no creed, whether it comes from politics, religion, or the prejudicial pen of the press. And that exclusion may be the real reason why no playwright has written a great drama on the nightmare of that day. For the thoughtful, inquiring playwright, there are no easy, ideological answers, but rather difficult questions which explore the surreal reality of that fateful morningthe same blurred, swirling, sublimely profound questions and thoughts that must have flashed through the falling mans mind who plummeted, like an arrow, between the World Trade Center towers: I am dying  will I live  again? God! Kill them! Everything  gone  I hate them  forgive me  I hate  I love  oh, my babies  my wife  my God! These are the nearly ineffable utterances of life and death, of revenge and forgiveness, of despair and hopethe deep utterances of 9/11 that the playwright must wrestle with, ignoring all political concerns, including Mr. Richs witless comparison of the Bush team to the school of Hieronymus Bosch. Agitprop is not the stuff of a great play. As Eugene ONeill wrote, Most modern plays are concerned with the relation between man and man, but that does not interest me at all. I am interested only in the relation between man and God. It will be a welcoming day in the theatre when its playwrights and critics realize that neither George Bush nor Donald Trump are our villains. The issues of the human heart go far deeper. In the interim, who will be the theatres courageous voice? My answer? David Mamet, step center stage, please. D. Paul Thomas is the co-author of "The Odyssey of King David" and the Creative Director at TGA Productions . Home
Metaverse has been branded an 'online Wild West' by child safety campaigners after Channel 4's Dispatches uncovered evidence of sexual abuse and racism in the virtual reality world.

An investigation has revealed that sexually explicit comments and threatening behaviour were made minutes after a Channel 4 journalist went undercover into Mark Zuckerberg's 3D community.

Led by the Facebook founder, the Metaverse is a set of virtual spaces where you can game, work and communicate with other people who aren't in the same physical space as you.

Users' avatars are able to explore the online world and meet, interact and visit a fast-growing network of virtual locations such as cities, country scenes or cafes.

But the new technology has faced accusations over a lack of safeguarding and moderation, with mother Nina Jane Patel claiming she was sexually assaulted less than a minute after entering the virtual online world earlier this year.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate also earlier found that users, including minors, 'are exposed to abusive behaviour every seven minutes'.

Now a Channel 4 probe has raised further concern over the safety of the virtual world.

Yinka Bokinni posed as both a 22-year-old woman and a 13-year-old girl as part of a probe that will be broadcast tonight.

Using the most popular VR headset, the Meta-owned Oculus Quest of which eight million have been sold, she tried out the two most popular apps on its store  VRChat and Rec Room.

However, within minutes of using both apps she became surrounded by other users making sexually explicit comments, while also witnessing the simulation of sexual acts while simply walking around - including between users who appeared to be minors.

Dispatches journalist Yinka Bokinni posed as both a 22-year-old woman and a 13-year-old girl as part of a probe that will be broadcast tonight

People entering the Metaverse, controlled by Mark Zuckerberg's Meta, may be given 'god-like powers' to create their own virtual world, by speaking it into existence

The investigation has revealed that sexually explicit comments and threatening behaviour were made minutes after a Channel 4 journalist went undercover in the Metaverse

Mark Zuckerberg, via video, speaking at Into the Metaverse in Austin, Texas, last month

What is the 'Metaverse'? Led by the Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, the 'Metaverse' is a set of virtual spaces where you can game, work and communicate with other people who aren't in the same physical space as you. Users' avatars are able to explore the online world and meet, interact and visit a fast-growing network of virtual locations such as cities, country scenes or cafes. Landowners can also use their virtual spaces to design experiences for others to enjoy. Zuckerberg believes the virtual world is the future and launched the Oculus Quest headset, now called the Meta Quest. Facebook explained: 'You'll be able to hang out with friends, work, play, learn, shop, create and more. 'It's not necessarily about spending more time online  it's about making the time you do spend online more meaningful.' While Facebook is leading the charge with the metaverse, it explained that it isn't a single product one company can build alone. 'Just like the internet, the metaverse exists whether Facebook is there or not,' it added. 'And it won't be built overnight. Many of these products will only be fully realized in the next 10-15 years.' Advertisement

Recalling her experience, Yinka said: 'There was a lot of sexual harassment going on. Its really intimidating.

'Its shocking the level of racist, sexist and homophobic slurs flying around. Just because you put a headset on, all of a sudden youre not responsible for what you say.

'It isnt okay to do it in a classroom, in a workplace, on public transport, on the road, so why is it okay to do it in the Metaverse?'

VRChat, which is not made by Meta but can be downloaded from the store, has previously faced criticism after an investigation by the BBC found grooming, sexual material, racist insults and rape threats were prevalent in the app.

And the Channel 4 investigation has now found one user using racial slurs in the apps, while a second avatar said: 'I just like little girls from the age of nine to 12, thats just my thing.'

Ms Bokinni also came across sexually threatening behaviour from what appeared to be teenagers, while other users appeared to discuss sexual acts with children - including in the same room.

In another scene, a user was seen to use racist language, saying: 'Youre black. Imagine being black  get back to the fields, cotton-picker.'

It comes after a similar investigation by the Center for Countering Digital Hate found that users, including minors, 'are exposed to abusive behaviour every seven minutes'.

This included being exposed to sexual graphic content, bullying, sexual harassment and the abuse of others.

The probe also found 'threats of violence and content mocking the 9/11 terror attacks'.

Andy Burrows, the head of child safety online policy at NSPCC, told Channel 4: 'Children are going into those spaces expecting that they will be safe. And what youre seeing is spaces that are being designed to appeal to children, to draw children in, but then no even cursory attempt at safeguarding, or at moderating. You have an online Wild West.'

It follows similar comments from television presenter and online safety campaigner Carol Vorderman last week who warned of the dangers of the emerging 'metaverse' for young children as she called for new legislation to be brought in to protect users.

The presenter, 61, also compared the immersive technology to 'the Wild West' as she warned of the dangers of grooming and the affect it will have on the brain.

A previous investigation by the BBC found children as young as 13 have been going to virtual strip clubs (pictured) and seeing simulated sex

The BBC investigation found youngsters can 'get naked and do unspeakable things' or take part in 'erotic role-play' in the apps (pictured)

Tory MP Damian Collins also warned that 'we should be genuinely frightened' of the Metaverse, adding that problems in the real world could 'exist in a way that it totally uncontrolled' in the virtual world.

In January, mother Nina Jane Patel watched and listened in horror through a virtual-reality headset as her avatar was groped aggressively in a sustained attack by three realistic male characters.

She had to tear off her headset  which covers her eyes and allows her to see the metaverse as her avatar sees it  to end the ordeal.

While she could not actually feel the avatars hands, Mrs Patel has suffered from anxiety since the attack  and fears for the safety of her three teenage girls and other women in this lawless virtual world.

A spokesperson for Meta said: 'We don't own these apps, and they can be used on phones, laptops and other VR devices, not just Quest.

'We encourage other companies to opt into the identity system weve created, because our system allows people to block or mute abusive users more effectively across all virtual worlds. We cannot take action against customers on devices we don't own.

'We offer tools that allow people to block other users from their experiences and report issues across the entire Quest platform so they have more control over their VR experiences.

'We prohibit anyone under 13 from creating Quest accounts and design some experiences only for people 18 and over.

'We have a suite of VR parental supervision tools to help parents and carers who choose to allow teens 13 and over to use the headset to monitor their use, limit the time they spend using it and ensure they take breaks.'

Rec Room said users are able to limit the voices they hear on the app to only 'friends, favourite friends, their current party or none''.

VRChat said: 'Underage users are not permitted to register an account. If they lie about their age and are detected on our platform, they are immediately banned.

'User safety is a top priority for VRChat, and weve provided users with a number of tools to help them protect themselves.'
The Health Secretary was today told to tackle the country's hormone replacement therapy (HRT) shortage crisis himself rather than appoint a tsar.

Labour MP Carolyn Harris welcomed Sajid Javid's pledge to get a grip on the issue but said it could be sorted 'very, very quickly' with better planning and less red tape.

Mr Javid announced yesterday that he intends to appoint an HRT tsar after experts warned the crisis could drive some menopausal women to suicide.

There are growing reports of desperate women turning to the black market or meeting strangers in car parks to buy and swap prescriptions.

Two in three pharmacists in England face daily shortages of HRT drugs which soothe debilitating symptoms of the menopause including anxiety, insomnia and joint pain.

Ms Harris, co-chairwoman of the UK menopause taskforce, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I welcome the fact that the Secretary of State is doing something about this, because somebody needed to, because up until now they've not bothered.

'But it doesn't really need a tsar, if I'm honest. He could do this, he could decide to loosen the regulations on the formularies and make this product available across the country. It could happen very, very quickly.'

Mr Javid said ministers would use lessons learned from the Covid vaccine rollout to make sure supplies were meeting the high demand.

Kate Bingham was made head of a taskforce whose sole responsibility was to source and buy huge quantities of jabs months in advance.

This map reveals the top 10 best and worst areas in England for people to be prescribed hormone replacement therapy medications based on their entire population. Southport and Formby in Merseyside enjoyed the highest level in the country at 2.2 per cent whereas as Leicester City had the lowest at just 0.54 per cent

Gels are the most popular form (stock image) and have been hit hardest by shortages

Health Secretary Sajid Javid, pictured, announced he would appoint a new HRT tsar to tackle the crisis

About 1.5million women a year experience debilitating symptoms of the menopause, including disturbed sleep, hot flushes, anxiety, depression and joint pain. Only a fraction are prescribed drugs to combat the symptoms.

But a national shortage of oestrogen gel since the start of the year is forcing women to take desperate measures.

Ms Harris said 'bad planning' was behind the HRT drug shortages and she called for easier access to the drugs, which cannot be bought over the counter.

'The company that actually makes this product and the Government didn't foresee the kind of demand there was going to be on it,' she said.

Ms Harris added: 'The trouble with the menopause is for far too long women have not been listened to, women have been ignored, they've been prescribed and diagnosed with other conditions and the menopause wasn't even considered...

'For a menopausal woman this HRT is as important as insulin is to a diabetic.'

Panicking: Millie Kendall, pictured, who runs the British Beauty Council, admitted she was so desperate she bought Oestrogel from the black market online. She also bought a dose from a work colleagues mother for 50

What is behind the shortage? The problem has arisen due to surging demand. The number of monthly HRT prescriptions has more than doubled in the last five years. Growing demand has been attributed to more awareness and fading stigma about the menopause. Prescriptions have risen dramatically, with 500,000 now written each month, compared with 300,000 a year ago. But ministers have blamed manufacturing problems and a lack of key ingredients, which they say have been made worse during the pandemic. In the meantime, GPs have been forced to prescribe alternatives. But supplies of those are now also running short and women are reluctant to try alternative treatments. What products are low or out of stock? Out of stock: Besins Healthcare (UK) Oestrogel systemic estradiol gel Indivina 2mg estradiol + 5mg medroxyprogesterone acetate FemSeven Sequi (estradiol/levonorgestrel) FemSeven 100 (estradiol) Low stock: Progynova 1mg estradiol tablets Progynova 2 mg estradiol tablets What alternatives are in stock? Utrogestan (micronised progesterone) 100 mg Testogel 50 mg, gel sachet Testogel 40.5 mg gel sachet Off-label use for female testosterone replacement (5 mg a day) Imvaggis vaginal 0.03 mg estriol vaginal pessary Lenzetto 1.53 mg/spray Vagirux 10 micrograms vaginal tablets Sandrena estradiol sachet (0.5mg/1mg) Indivina 1mg estradiol + 2.5mg medroxyprogesterone acetate Indivina 1mg estradiol + 5mg medroxyprogesterone acetate Tridestra 2mg estradiol + 20mg medroxyprogesterone acetate Bijuve (estradiol/progesterone) Evorel Conti (estradiol/norethisterone) Evorel Sequi (estradiol/norethisterone) Evorel 25 (estradiol) Evorel 50 (estradiol) Evorel 75 (estradiol) Evorel 100 (estradiol) FemSeven Conti (estradiol/levonorgestrel) FemSeven 50 (estradiol) FemSeven 75 (estradiol) Intrarosa (Prasterone) Zoely (nomegestrol acetate/estradiol) Estraderm MX estradiol patches Femoston estradiol Zumenon estradiol Elleste Solo estradiol Elleste Duet estradiol Advertisement

The problem has arisen because prescriptions have risen dramatically, with 500,000 now written each month, compared with 300,000 a year ago.

Companies that supply the NHS have admitted they are struggling to meet 'extraordinary' demand.

But ministers have blamed manufacturing problems and a lack of key ingredients, which they say have been made worse during the pandemic.

In the meantime, GPs have been forced to prescribe alternatives, which do not always work as well or require an adjust period that sees women's symptoms return.

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, (PSNC) which represents more than 11,000 chemists across England, has warned that 67 per cent of its members are facing supply problems daily.

Its survey of more than 1,000 pharmacy staff found three-quarters faced 'aggression from patients due to medicine supply issues', The Telegraph reports.

Finn McCaul, a committee member of the PSNC, told the newspaper: 'The situation is horrible. I have been a pharmacist for more than 30 years and I cannot remember a time that it has been so challenging.'

The Daily Mail spoke to pharmacists across the UK yesterday and they said the situation in the South East and London was 'very acute'.

A pharmacist in Middlesbrough said they had been experiencing shortages across all HRT medication for at least a year.

'We have to give the prescription back and tell the patient to try a different chemist,' he said. 'They do get quite upset about it but there's nothing we can do.'

Another pharmacist, in Norwich, said patients were upset. 'They then have to go back to their GP to get a different prescription,' she said.

'Often this is for patches or tablets which a lot more women react negatively to compared with gels. People understandably get really frustrated. It's not very nice for them.'

A spokesman for Boots chemists said: 'We are in regular contact with suppliers and understand that they are increasing their production and expect issues to be resolved in the coming weeks.'

A businesswoman yesterday described the national shortage of HRT as a disgrace.

Millie Kendall, who runs the British Beauty Council, admitted she was so desperate she bought Oestrogel from the black market online.

She also bought a dose from a work colleague's mother for 50. 'I was panicking,' Miss Kendall said.

'I'm 55 years old, my legs get very swollen, I can't sleep, and my anxiety has come flooding back. It's a necessity  and a shortage is a disgrace.'

Dr Clare Spencer, a GP and menopause expert based in Leeds, said it was almost impossible to get hold of HRT gel and switching to a patch was not always as effective.

'Women are terrified of their symptoms coming back,' said Katie Taylor of the Latte Lounge support group.

'Some women talk of feeling suicidal, they have extreme anxiety and depression, and are panicked by the thought of the black hole they were in before treatment returning. It is no coincidence the highest rate of suicide among women is in the 45 to 55 age group.

'Women are losing jobs, marriages are breaking down  someone needs to get a grip of it urgently.'

Health Secretary Sajid Javid yesterday announced he would appoint a new HRT tsar to tackle the crisis.

Ministers blame increased demand and Covid-related global supply problems for the shortages.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org
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Emmanuel Macron's victory over his far-right rival Marine Le Pen has been described as a 'victory without triumph' by the French media after the National Rally gathered an unprecedented number of votes.

Mr Macron, the 44-year-old centrist, won with a 58.54 per cent share of the vote  beating the far-Right Ms Le Pen, 53, on 41.46 per cent, the final results showed.

But his latest victory over his far-right rival was narrower than their last face-off in 2017, when he won over 66 per cent of the vote, and Le Pen's result was the best ever for the far right with 13.2 million people voting for her.

And in a sign of trouble to come, two polls published late Sunday showed that most voters do not wish for him to also carry the parliamentary vote in the forthcoming June elections.

Whilst Le Pen did not win on Sunday, with 41.5 per cent of the vote, Le Pen's anti-foreigner, anti-system politics of disgruntlement are now more entrenched than ever in the psyche, thinking and political landscape of France.

French daily Le Monde called Macron's win 'an evening of victory without a triumph' after noting a 'historic' number of votes for the far-right, while left-leaning Liberation called it 'a victory without the glory'.

Conservative daily Le Figaro, which ran the front page headline of 'Great victory, great challenges', said after all the difficulties of his first term, Macron's win was 'no mean feat', but also asked: 'Who can possibly believe that it is rooted in popular support?'

In a striking sign of public disenchantment with politics, 8.6 percent of people who voted either delivered a blank ballot or spoilt their papers, interior ministry figures showed.

Turnout was also just 72 per cent, the lowest in any presidential election second-round run-off since 1969.

Emmanuel Macron's victory over his far-right rival Marine Le Pen has been described as a 'victory without triumph' by the French media after the National Rally gathered an unprecedented number of votes

But his latest victory over his far-right rival was narrower than their last face-off in 2017, when he won over 66 per cent of the vote, and Marine Le Pen's result was the best ever for the far right with 13.2 million people voting for her

Conservative daily Le Figaro (left) ran a front page with the headline 'Great victory, great challenges', said after all the challenges of his first term, Macron's win was 'no mean feat', but also asked: 'Who can possibly believe that it is rooted in popular support?'. Meanwhile French daily Le Monde (right) ran their front page with the headline: Emmanuel macron re-elected President - The far right at a historic level

Other headlines today include La Croix's 'Everything still to do', and Liberation's, 'And who do you thank?' as France recognised the job the president has on his hands to unite the country

A newspaper with the headline 'yes, but' displays French President Emmanuel Macron's victory in the presidential election in Marseille

Marine Le Pen is pictured today at the RN party headquarters after her defeat in the second round of the election

Macron celebrates his re-election with his wife Brigitte at the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower as supporters wave French and EU flags

Macron to face challenge of parliamentary elections in June Emmanuel Macron faces the challenge of parliamentary elections in June, where keeping a majority will be critical to ensuring he can realise his ambitions. But in a sign of trouble to come, two polls published late Sunday showed that most voters do not wish for him to win the parliamentary vote as well. Prime Minister Jean Castex is expected to submit his government's resignation in the coming days. Mr Macron will then appoint a new caretaker government, but ministers will only be in place for a few weeks. Nationwide parliamentary elections, scheduled in two rounds on June 12 and 19, will decide who controls a majority of the 577 seats at the National Assembly. If Mr Macron's party wins, he will name a new government accordingly and will be able to pass laws. If another party gets a majority of seats, he will be forced to appoint a prime minister belonging to that new majority. In such a situation, called 'cohabitation' in France, the government would implement policies that diverge from Mr Macron's project. The French president would have sway, however, over the country's foreign policy. Marine Le Pen 53, said after her defeat on Sunday she would 'never abandon' the French and was already preparing for the June legislative elections. 'Macron's biggest challenge will be to create a sense of cohesion in an extremely fragmented country,' said Tara Varma, senior policy fellow and head of the Paris office of the European Council on Foreign Relations. 'Le Pen will do her best to capitalise on her result for the June parliamentary elections.' Meanwhile hard-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon called the parliamentary elections as a 'third round' of the presidential election, with opposition parties of all stripes hoping they can win this time. 'The recomposition of the French political landscape is not over. The majority that emerges from the parliamentary elections will be decisive for economic policy,' said Amundi Chief Investment Officer Vincent Mortier. Advertisement

Le Pen, 53, said she would 'never abandon' the French and was already preparing for the June legislative elections.

'In this defeat, I can't help but feel a form of hope,' she said, adding that the result represents a 'brilliant victory'.

For headscarf-wearing voter Yasmina Aksas, Le Pen's defeat wasn't a celebration moment - not with such strong backing for her and ideas that 'used to be limited to militant far-right groups' becoming increasingly acceptable in polite company.

'It's still 40 per cent of people voting for Le Pen,' the 19-year-old law student said. 'It's not a victory.'

The historic gains for the far right dampened the French leader's celebrations on Sunday night. Addressing supporters in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, Macron vowed to heal rifts in a deeply divided country.

'From now on, I am not the candidate of one camp, but everybody's president,' he said.

'Many of our fellow citizens voted for me not because of the ideas I represent, but to block those of the extreme right,' Macron acknowledged.

The president now faces the challenge of parliamentary elections in June, where keeping a majority will be critical to ensuring he can realise his ambitions.

'Macron's biggest challenge will be to create a sense of cohesion in an extremely fragmented country,' said Tara Varma, senior policy fellow and head of the Paris office of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

'Le Pen will do her best to capitalise on her result for the June parliamentary elections.'

Several hundred demonstrators from ultra-left groups took to the streets in some French cities late Sunday in protest at the election outcome. Police used tear gas to disperse gatherings in Paris and the western city of Rennes.

By championing cost-of-living issues, befriending the working class, changing her party's name and distancing herself from her father, Le Pen broadened her appeal and made herself less scary to growing swaths of France's electorate.

And so although Macron became the first French president in 20 years to win a second term, he also has failed: Failed to achieve the goal that he set himself at the outset of his presidency.

Five years ago, in his triumphant victory speech, Macron pledged to cut the ground from under Le Pen's feet by assuaging the voter anger she feeds on.

'I will do everything in the five years to come so there is no more reason to vote for the extremes,' he said.

Yet France's extremes are now doing better than ever, finding growing, enthusiastic and completely unabashed audiences for 'us against them' far-right rhetoric.

Mr Macron, the 44-year-old centrist, won with a 58.54 per cent share of the vote  beating the far-Right Ms Le Pen, 53, on 41.46 per cent, the final results showed

France's centrist incumbent president Emmanuel Macron stands with his wife Brigitte Macron after he beats his far-right rival Marine Le Pen for a second five-year term as president on Sunday

Jordan Bardella, deputy leader of the National Rally party, is one of the frontrunners to succeed Le Pen if she chooses to stand down

Supporters of French President Emmanuel Macron gather after the second round of voting in the presidential election on the Champ de Mars

Sunday's vote was the third successive presidential defeat for Marine Le Pen, but was her strongest showing yet at the ballot box

What next for Le Pen? Sunday's vote was the third successive presidential defeat for Marine Le Pen, but was her strongest showing yet at the ballot box. In 2012, she failed to make it past the first round, securing 17.9 per cent in third place to Francois Hollande and Nicholas Sarkozy. Five years later, she went one better but was roundly trounced by Emmanuel Macron's new En Marche! party, receiving just 33.9 per cent in the run-off. After another blow, many have questioned whether the politician may now decide to pack it in and become a full-time cat breeder. She said last year: 'I have become a cat breeder. It's a passion. One can do politics while having a profession, or turn a passion into a profession.' She added last month: 'I will not stand [for president] again. But I will continue to do what I have done for years, I will defend the French. I don't know in what role, but it will be in one where I am most effective.' But others say her increasing vote share in each election fight shows she could soon be in the Elysee Palace. Her first comments following her defeat indicate she will stay on as National Rally leader, saying she will 'never abandon France. She told supporters: 'Millions of our compatriots have chosen us and change. We are more determined than ever and our determination to defend the French people is greater than ever. This defeat is in itself a form of hope. 'I will continue my commitment to France and the French. It's not over. In a few weeks we have the legislative elections.' The politician also appealed to all who reject Macron to 'join me as the main opposition party of France'. Some believe her stance is an attempt to stop internal plots to topple her as leader, with many in the party believing France will never vote for a member of the Le Pen family. Among those looking to usurp her grip on the far-right are deputy leader Jordan Bardella, 26, Eric Zemmour, the controversial polemicist who was knocked out in the first round of votes, and Le Pen's niece Marion Marechal. At 53, Le Pen is a relative youngster in French politics but if she chooses to relinquish her hold on the party, she will have a huge say on its future direction. Advertisement

In his victory speech, Macron promised his next five-year term would respond to the frustrations of voters who backed Le Pen.

'An answer must be found to the anger and disagreements that led many of our compatriots to vote for the extreme right,' he told thousands of cheering supporters.

'It will be my responsibility and that of those around me.'

He also pledged that this 'new era' would not be one of 'continuity with the last term which is now ending'.

The June 12 and June 19 parliamentary elections will be what hard-left Jean-Luc Melenchon immediately called a 'third round' of the presidential election, with opposition parties of all stripes hoping they can win this time.

'The recomposition of the French political landscape is not over. The majority that emerges from the parliamentary elections will be decisive for economic policy,' said Amundi Chief Investment Officer Vincent Mortier.

The message across the Macron camp on Monday morning was that they would listen more, after a first mandate in which Macron himself initially called his leadership style 'Jupiterian', suggesting he would stay above the political fray.

'When a proposal that affects the lives of the French comes to the National Assembly, the deputies must go and discuss it with the French,' parliament leader Richard Ferrand, a close ally of Macron, told France Inter.

'Otherwise, there is a risk of a divide between parliamentarians and what the French feel.'

After a campaign dominated by cost of living issues, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told Franceinfo that price caps on energy would stay until the end of the year, to ease the surge in energy prices fuelled by the Ukraine war.

For Le Pen, her third defeat in a presidential poll was a bitter pill after she ploughed years of effort into making herself electable and distancing her party from the legacy of its founder, her father Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Macron's re-election sparked relief across Europe where many felt a Le Pen presidency would have left the continent rudderless following Brexit and the departure from politics of German chancellor Angela Merkel.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi called Macron's victory 'great news for all of Europe' while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said French voters 'sent a strong vote of confidence in Europe today'.

European Council president Charles Michel said the bloc could now 'count on France for five more years' while European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said she was 'delighted'.

Macron will now try to implement his vision of more pro-business reform and tighter EU integration, after a first term shadowed by protests, then the coronavirus pandemic and finally Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Tiphaine Auziere, daughter of Brigitte Macron, attends Emmanuel Macron's victory celebration at the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower on Sunday night

Police arrest a man during a protest of centrist incumbent President Emmanuel Macron's defeat of far-right rival Marine Le Pen on Sunday

Parisians clashe with riot police during a protest against the election of France's centrist incumbent president Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Sunday

Parisians clash with riot police during a protest against the election of Macron in Paris, France, on Sunday

France's centrist incumbent president Emmanuel Macron beats his far-right rival Marine Le Pen for a second five-year term as president

French far-right party Rassemblement National (RN) presidential candidate Le Pen (R) is applauded by supporters as she embraces her mother Pierrette in Paris

People hugged each other, danced and chanted 'Macron!' and 'Five more years!'
Boris Johnson's flagship immigrations scheme to send Channel arrivals to Rwanda could see fewer than 200 sent to Africa every year, a new analysis has revealed.

Just two per cent of people who arrive in the UK every year are deemed 'inadmissible' to the asylum system, the criteria that will be used to determine who can be sent to east Africa.

The 120million five-year programme has attracted a lot of criticism since it was unveiled a fortnight ago, sparking a war of words especially between the Government and the Archbishop of Canterbury over its morality.

It has also been attacked by Tories who have suggested it will not provide value for money.

The new analysis by the Refugee Council, which has opposed the scheme, found that last year only 172 out of 8,593 migrants were deemed inadmissible last year, the Times reported.

But the Home Office disputed the figures, saying the number who could be sent to Rwanda was 'uncapped'. Ministers have spoken of sending thousands every year,

The Refugee Council, using Home Office and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) also found that new laws criminalising those who cross the busy waterway could see 19,000 people jailed in the UK in four years, at a cost of 835million a year.

Just two percent of people who arrive in the UK every year are deemed 'inadmissible' to the asylum system, the criteria that will be used to determine who can be sent to east Africa.

At the weekend, Home Secretary Priti Patel accused the BBC 's coverage of the Rwanda migrant plan as carrying 'undercurrents of xenophobia'.

Enver Solomon, the refugee Council's chief executive, told the Times: 'Punishing people, treating them like criminals and human cargo to be expelled to Rwanda, is not only inhumane, cruel and nasty but it will do nothing to address the reasons why people take perilous journeys. People fleeing war and persecution should always have a fair hearing on British soil.'

At the weekend, Home Secretary Priti Patel accused the BBC's coverage of the Rwanda migrant plan as carrying 'undercurrents of xenophobia'.

In her latest war of words with the broadcaster, the Home Secretary accused the corporation of 'stereotyping' the central African nation and 'showing prejudice'.

She told the Sunday Telegraph: 'I was quite taken aback just by the tone of [BBC journalists'] references to Rwanda.'

She added: 'I could call them lazy and sloppy characterisations, but actually they're not.

'I was in Parliament on Tuesday and there are undercurrents, if I may say so, of just sheer xenophobia, which I think is absolutely appalling.'

A BBC spokesman, responding to the comments, said: 'The governments agreement to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda led to considerable public debate.

'Journalists from the BBC and other media were there to report the story and ask questions about the plan.'

The Prime Minister last week become embroiled in a war-of-words with top clergymen about the 120m agreement struck with the African country.

Under the new policy, migrants who enter Britain illegally will be sent 4,000 miles away for processing.

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have slammed the proposed scheme to send some aslyum seekers on a one-way trip.

They have spoken out on 'moral and ethical grounds' against the plans.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, used his Easter Sunday address to claim the policy cannot 'stand the judgment of God'.

The row deepened when Mr Johnson told Conservative MPs at a private meeting that Church leaders had 'misconstrued the policy'.

The PM was also said to have suggested senior clergymen had been 'less vociferous' in their condemnation of Vladimir Putin's barbaric assault on Ukraine than about his new migration plans.

Regarding the Refugee Council analysis, a Home Office spokesman said: 'Rwanda will process claims in accordance with human rights laws. It means those arriving dangerously, illegally or unnecessarily can be relocated to have their asylum claims considered and, if recognised as refugees, build their lives there.

'We do not recognise the figures derived from this analysis. The agreement is uncapped in terms of the numbers who may be sent to Rwanda.'
Police are desperately searching for a missing teenage girl that was last seen travelling with an older man.

The young girl, 13, had been spotted travelling northbound on Railway Street toward Robina Town Centre at Varsity Lakes, Gold Coast, on Friday about 4pm.

She was seen inside a red 2006 Toyota Corolla sedan with Queensland registration 494JWC. A 54-year-old man that is known to her was driving.

Police are searching for a missing 13-year-old girl that was last seen travelling around Varsity Lakes in a red Toyota Corolla with a man, 54, known to her

The man is described as of Caucasian appearance, 175cm tall, short light-brown hair and with blue eyes

The man is described as of Caucasian appearance, 175cm tall, short light-brown hair and with blue eyes.

The teen is also Caucasian. She is estimated to be 165cm tall with long brown hair and a proportionate build.

Queensland Police are concerned for the wellbeing of the teen as she has a medical condition.

Anyone who may have any information about the pair's whereabouts is urged to contact police immediately.
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Railway stations in central and western Ukraine have been bombed by Russia today, just hours after two of America's top officials visited Kyiv by rail.

Russian missiles hit stations in the Lviv, Rivne, Vinnyista and Kyiv regions in the early hours, Ukrainian media reported, including one in the town of Krasne - just 70 miles from the border with Poland. More explosions were heard in Zhmerynka, in central Ukraine, around 150 miles south west of Kyiv.

Alexander Kamyshin, the head of Ukraine's rail service, said the strikes had all come within an hour of one-another on Monday and had caused casualties, without giving further details.

News of strikes so close to the Polish border will be seen as a warning from the Kremlin to the West, just hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin used railways in the region to travel to Kyiv and meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Their meeting is thought to have taken place between 10pm and 1am local time before they returned to Poland, with Blinken telling journalists afterwards that the delegation travelled by rail. The strike on Krasne appears to have targeted the main line from Poland into Ukraine, though Blinken and Austin's exact route has not been revealed.

The visit marked the highest-level American delegation to have gone to Kyiv since war with Russia broke out more than two months ago, and is a major embarrassment to the Kremlin which had planned to be in control of the Ukrainian capital by now.

Monday's railway strikes also came as two blasts rocked the Russian city of Bryansk, close the Ukrainian border, with major fires breaking out at two oil depots - one located on a military base used to supply troops in Donbas and the other linked to a pipeline that is used to supply Europe.

Russian missiles struck five railway stations in Ukraine early Monday, including one electrical substation in Krasne, near the border with Poland (pictured)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (left) meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky (right) in Kyiv after traveling to Ukraine via train

Blinken and Austin's exact route through Ukraine has not been confirmed, though Blinken has said the pair travelled by train. The main line from Poland into Ukraine runs via Krasne, which was struck by Russian missile just hours after the pair left the country (left), while more strikes hit Zhmerynka (right) - knocking out power on the lines into and out of Kyiv

Austin (far left) and Blinken (second left) led the highest-profile American delegation into Kyiv since war broke out with Russia on Sunday, where they held face-to-face talks with Zelensky (right)

Blinken and Austin speak with reporters in Poland, shortly after returning from their trip to Kyiv to speak with Zelensky

The Transneft-Druzhba Oil Depot caught fire at 2am local time before a second fire broke out at a nearby military facility around 15 minutes later, Russian state media said this morning.

Video of the moment one of the fires broke out appeared to capture the sound of an incoming missile before a large explosion and fireball. Bryansk is a logistical hub for Russian forces battling Ukraine in Donbas.

Blinken and Austin's trip - which was only announced to the public after it had taken place - featured a face-to-face sit-down with President Volodymyr Zelensky and more military support to ensure Ukraine 'wins this fight' against Russia.

'In terms of Russia's war aims, Russia has already failed and Ukraine has already succeeded,' Blinken said from Poland after returning from the meeting.

Blinken and Austin used the visit to announce that the United States had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition for Ukraine's war effort, along with more than $300 million in foreign military financing.

'The strategy that we've put in place - massive support for Ukraine, massive pressure against Russia, solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these efforts - is having real results,' Blinken told reporters in Poland the day after the visit.

'When it comes to Russia's war aims, Russia is failing. Ukraine is succeeding. Russia has sought as its principal aim to totally subjugate Ukraine, to take away its sovereignty, to take away its independence. That has failed.'

For his part, Zelenskyy in the meeting said he was 'very thankful' for the American aid and particularly praised President Joe Biden for his 'personal support.'

'The priorities are weapons and support from the United States of America and our partners, European leaders, in terms of our army's strength and support in certain areas,' the Ukrainian president said.

'The second issue is the sanctions policy against the Russian Federation because of the full-scale invasion and all the terror they have committed in Ukraine.'

The three-hour meeting came Sunday, the 60th day since the start of the invasion, as Ukraine pressed the West for more powerful weapons against Russia's campaign in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Moscow's forces sought to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops in the battered port city of Mariupol.

Britain's Ministry of Defense said Monday that Ukrainian troops holed up in a steel plant in the strategic city were tying down Russian forces, and keeping them from being added to the offensive elsewhere in the Donbas.

'Many Russian units remain fixed in the city and cannot be redeployed,' the ministry said in a statement posted on Twitter. 'Ukraine's defense of Mariupol has also exhausted many Russian units and reduced their combat effectiveness.'

The ministry added that, so far, Russia has only made 'minor advances in some areas since shifting its focus to fully occupying the Donbas.'

'Without sufficient logistical and combat support enablers in place, Russia has yet to achieve a significant breakthrough,' the ministry said.

Flames light up the night sky over Bryansk, a Russian city some 70 miles from the Ukraine border, after suspected Ukrainian missile strikes hit oil storage facilities there overnight

Russian state media confirmed one of the fires took place at a storage facility run by the company which supplies oil to Europe, while another took place at a military facility with oil storage tanks

Kyiv has not commented on the explosions, but they come after a series of blasts in Russia credited to Ukraine's armed forces. Bryansk is a logistical hub supplying Moscow's forces fighting in Donbas

Two columns of thick black smoke rise into the morning air over the Russian city of Bryansk, around 70 miles from the Ukraine border, after two oil storage facilities caught fire

Fire crews were still battling the blazes on Monday morning, as Moscow denied there had been any casualties or civilian evacuations as a result

With Russia's shift in focus, Austin said Ukraine's military needs are changing, and Zelenskyy is now focused on more tanks, artillery and other munitions.

'The nature of the fight has evolved, because the terrain they're now focused on is a different type of terrain, so they need long-range fires,' Austin said.

Asked about what the U.S. sees as success, Austin said that 'we want to see Ukraine remain a sovereign country, a democratic country able to protect its sovereign territory, we want to see Russia weakened to the point where it can't do things like invade Ukraine.'

On the diplomatic front, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was scheduled to travel to Turkey on Monday and then Moscow and Kyiv. Zelenskyy said it was a mistake for Guterres to visit Russia before Ukraine.

'Why? To hand over signals from Russia? What should we look for?' Zelenskyy said Saturday. 'There are no corpses scattered on the Kutuzovsky Prospect,' he said, referring to one of Moscow's main avenues.

Blinken said he had spoken with Guterres on Friday ahead of the trip.

'Our expectation is that he's going to carry a very strong and clear message to Vladimir Putin, which is the need to end this war now,' he said.

In a boost in support for Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron comfortably won a second term Sunday over far-right challenger Marine Le Pen, who had pledged to dilute France's ties with the European Union and NATO.

Le Pen had also spoken out against EU sanctions on Russian energy and had faced scrutiny during the campaign over her previous friendliness with the Kremlin.

Macron's victory was hailed by France's allies in the EU as a reassuring sign of stability and continued support for Ukraine.

France has played a leading role in international efforts to punish Russia with sanctions and is supplying weapons systems to Ukraine.

'We have a lot to do and the war in Ukraine reminds us that we are going through tragic times where France must make its voice heard,' Macron told a cheering crowd in his victory speech.

Since failing to capture Kyiv, the Russians have aimed to gain full control over the Donbas, the eastern industrial heartland, where Moscow-backed separatists controlled some territory before the war.

For the Donbas offensive, Russia has reassembled troops who fought around Kyiv and in northern Ukraine. The British Ministry of Defense said Ukrainian forces had repelled numerous assaults in the past week and 'inflicted significant cost on Russian forces.'

In the south of the Donbas, in the strategic port city of Mariupol, a small pocket of Ukrainian troops continues to hold out against Russian forces in the Azovstal steel factory, a sprawling facility on the waterfront.

Mariupol has endured fierce fighting since the start of the war because of its location on the Sea of Azov.

Its capture would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, free up Russian troops to fight elsewhere, and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Over the weekend, Russian forces launched fresh airstrikes on the steel plant in an attempt to dislodge the estimated 2,000 fighters inside. An estimated 1,000 civilians are also sheltering in the factory.

New satellite images by Planet Labs PBC, taken Sunday, show destroyed buildings across the steelworks and smoke rising from one area. Roofs have gaping holes; a soccer field is cratered from incoming fire.

More than 100,000 people - down from a prewar population of about 430,000 - are believed to remain in Mariupol with scant food, water or heat.

Ukrainian authorities estimate more than 20,000 civilians have been killed. Recent satellite images showed what appeared to be mass graves to the west and east of Mariupol.

Bryansk region borders Ukraine and the city is some 240 miles from Moscow. Residents were being evacuated from homes in the vicinity of the burning oil depot

Smoke rises over the Russian city of Bryansk, around 70 miles from the Ukraine border, after two oil storage facilities were hit by explosions around 2am local time
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Donald Trump has bragged that the Queen 'had never had such a good time' than when he was sitting next to him at a state banquet - but experts today suggested he was 'living in a fantasy world'.

Mr Trump said the 96-year-old monarch was 'laughing and smiling' throughout the event at Buckingham Palace in June 2019, which he attended with his wife, Melania, and his older children.

The ex-US president, who was speaking to Piers Morgan for his show launching on new channel Talk TV at 8pm tonight, said he had a 'great time' at the event.

He continued: 'And I sat next to her and we talked the whole night. And somebody said, we've never seen her smile so much. We had a great time. She was laughing and smiling.

'They said they've never seen her have such a good time at a state dinner. You know, normally they're a little boring. Okay, this wasn't boring.'

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline that Mr Trump had misunderstood the Queen's outward behaviour - which has been honed over decades - as representing her genuine feelings towards him.

Body language expert Judi James agreed, describing the monarch as 'a professional body language masker' whose smile was a 'trained social response'.

She said the monarch's expression 'changed dramatically' when she looked away from Trump, with 'her raised shoulders hinting at impatience'.

President Trump boasted that the Queen 'never had such a good time' as when she was sitting next to him at a State Banquet in June 2019 (pictured). Body language expert Judi James said of this moment: 'The Queen's smile does look convincing, although the subtler cues are less convincing'

Analysing this exchange, Ms James said: 'As Trump toasts the Queen's eye-engage increases and her rather naughty smile does suggest genuine humour here but she also seems to be biting into her lower lip too, suggesting suppressed tension'

Mr Trump said of the event: 'I sat next to her and we talked the whole night. And somebody said, we've never seen her smile so much. We had a great time. She was laughing and smiling'

Analysing this image, Ms James said: 'When we see the Queen walking ahead of the group her face is no longer visible to Trump and her expression changes dramatically. Her raised shoulders hint at impatience, her lips are tense and her eyes appear to be glaring'

Mr Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: 'It has been clear for a long time that Donald Trump lives at least partly in a fantasy world.

'The Queen always performs her duties as head of state with perfection. When Trump was President, it was important that relations with Britain were as cordial as possible.

'Her task was to make him feel at ease and he obviously did. He enjoyed both visits, which was important for Britain.

'This was largely due to the way the Queen handled things, it would be fascinating to know what she thought of him but we never will.'

Meanwhile, Judi James said a closer assessment of the monarch's body language would have seen Mr Trump take a different view of their relationship.

She told MailOnline: 'During the banquet we can see several signals of aggregability, like the way both heads are tilted towards one another to suggest co-conspirators and the Queen's smile does look convincing, although the subtler cues are less convincing.

'Firstly she is not using eye contact here even though Trump is using an intense eye-gaze as he speaks. Then there is what appears to be muscle tension in her upper lip, which is stretched and tight-looking, hinting at an over-held smile.

'There is crinkling around her outer eye to create a convincing eye-smile but although her cheeks are slightly rounded they aren't raised in the kind of apple-cheek shape that usually defines genuine laughter.'

Ms James speculated that, like Mr Trump's wife, Melania: 'The Queen might have adopted a ''looking at Trump'' face and a ''looking away'' face with what appears to be quite a dramatic difference between the two expressions'

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams also poured cold water on Mr Trump's comments, saying it was the Queen's 'role' to make guests like him feel like they were being welcomed

Mr Trump and the Queen together before the banquet. Donald Jr is shown behind Prince Charles and Prince Michael of Kent can be seen standing in the background

Mr Fitzwilliams suggested the former president's comments about how much the Queen enjoyed his company was fresh proof he was 'living in a fantasy world'

Analysing the moment Mr Trump toasts the Queen, Ms James said: 'The Queen's eye-engage increases and her rather naughty smile does suggest genuine humour here but she also seems to be biting into her lower lip too, suggesting suppressed tension.

'When we see the Queen walking ahead of the group her face is no longer visible to Trump and her expression changes dramatically. Her raised shoulders hint at impatience, her lips are tense and her eyes appear to be glaring.

'Like Melania, the Queen might have adopted a ''looking at Trump'' face and a ''looking away'' face with what appears to be quite a dramatic difference between the two expressions.'

Elsewhere in the Talk TV interview, Mr Trump blasted Prince Harry's 'terrible' choice to miss his grandfather Prince Philip's memorial service and said the Duke of Sussex is 'whipped like no person I think I've ever seen'.

The ex-US president said it was the 'worst' decision Harry had made, blasted him for being 'so disrespectful' and an 'embarrassment' - and urged the Queen to strip the Duke and his wife Meghan Markle of all their royal titles.

Mr Trump added that the Queen should ban Harry from even visiting her in Britain and tell him: 'Frankly, don't come around.'

During the event, the president heaped praise on the Queen in a glowing speech then joined the rest of the room by placing his hand on his heart while listening to God Save The Queen

Mr Trump had a Scottish mother and has long spoken of his affection for the Queen (pictured here between him and Melania)

He also said Harry had been 'led down a path' and that he wondered whether the Duke - who stepped down as a senior royal in early 2020 with his American wife - would 'go back on his hands and knees and say 'please'.'

And the 75-year-old claimed he is 'not a fan' of Meghan and 'wasn't right from the beginning', telling Mr Morgan: 'I've been a very good predictor, as you know - I've predicted almost everything. It'll end, and it'll end bad.'

The Sussexes were noticeably absent from Philip's memorial service at Westminster Abbey last month amid rows between Harry and the Home Office over personal protection during visits from their home in the US.

After his grandfather died in April 2021, Harry returned for the funeral at St George's Castle in Windsor Castle - and was said to have wanted to travel to the UK for the thanksgiving service on March 29, along with his family.

But sources suggested his legal position could have been 'undermined' if he had travelled from the US.

Harry brought a High Court claim against the Home Office after being told he would no longer get the same degree of personal security when visiting the UK, despite offering to cover the costs himself.

Mr Morgan spoke to Mr Trump about Harry missing the memorial, saying: 'I couldn't believe that he would not go to that, he was at the Super Bowl. He was at a Texas rodeo. But he couldn't find time to get on a plane.'

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said it would be 'fascinating' to know what the Queen thought of Mr Trump but 'we never will'
P&O Ferries' ships were prevented from sailing because their new poorly paid foreign crews had been trained so badly some did not even know where the liferafts were kept, it was claimed today - as the firm vowed to restart Channel freight trips this week.

The firm has not carried out a cross-Channel crossing since it sacked nearly 800 seafarers without notice and replaced them with cheaper agency workers on March 17.

This has caused a lack of capacity on the crucial Dover-Calais route, contributing to large queues of lorries on coastbound roads in Kent.

One of its ships, the Spirit of Britain, was impounded by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on April 12 over a string of safety issues, but has now been cleared for sailing. Another ship on the Dover-to-Calais route, the Pride Of Kent, remains in detention.

Today, travel expert Paul Charles said it was his understanding the ships had been impounded not due to actual physical deficiencies but because the new crews had not been trained well enough, with 'some not even knowing where the liferafts were'.

An official inspection of another ship, European Causeway, listed an inability to deploy lifeboats or life rafts as one of 31 failures that had been identified. The boat normally operates between Cairnryan, Scotland, and Larne, Northern Ireland.

P&O Ferries expects to restart sailings for freight customers by Wednesday, but does not anticipate carrying tourists until early next week, it is understood d

P&O boss 'should be jailed' over sackings: Union chief The chief executive of P&O Ferries should be 'behind bars' after sacking 800 seafarers, a trade union president has said. Peter Hebblethwaite replaced the workers with cheaper staff in order to protect the company, he said. However, Pat Rafferty, Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) president, said sacking the seafarers via Zoom last month was 'gutter' and 'inhumane'. Speaking at the annual conference in Aberdeen, Mr Rafferty said that the CEO should be put in jail to send a clear message to employers. Mr Hebblethwaite rejected a request from Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, to reverse the decision. He also admitted his company broke the law by failing to consult unions about the redundancies. It is understood the business needed to cut costs to avoid collapse as it was losing money at a rate of 100 million per year. Mr Hebblethwaite said re-employing the sacked staff on their previous wages would 'deliberately cause the company's collapse, resulting in the irreversible loss of an additional 2,000 jobs'. Mr Rafferty said: 'There is something seriously wrong with our society when a company CEO like P&O can swan into a Westminster parliamentary committee and openly state that he broke the law - and worse still, he'd do it again. What that clearly demonstrates is how useless the law is. There is no deterrent to companies like P&O who are getting away with destroying people's lives. 'The law needs to change. Peter Hebblethwaite should be struck off the directors register and put behind bars. That would send a clear message to employers, act irresponsibly towards workers and face the possibility that you will be jailed.' Mr Hebblethwaite was also accused of 'corporate terrorism' last month as he faced MSPs in Holyrood's Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee. He told MSPs he had not taken a cut to his 325,000 salary while replacing his staff with agency workers who receive less than minimum wage. Mr Rafferty, who is also Scottish Secretary of Unite the Union, urged trade union members to boycott P&O Ferries until the dispute had been resolved. Advertisement

P&O Ferries expects to restart sailings for freight customers between Dover and Calais by Wednesday but does not anticipate carrying tourists until early next week, it is understood.

This morning the firm's website began selling passenger tickets for cross-Channel sailings on its ship Spirit Of Britain from Wednesday.

The website later said there were 'no sailings available for your selected dates'.

P&O Ferries has not operated between Dover and Calais since it sacked nearly 800 seafarers without notice and replaced them with cheaper agency workers on March 17.

Spirit Of Britain was detained by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) on April 12 after safety issues were found, but was cleared to sail on Friday.

Meanwhile, Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union general secretary Mick Lynch claimed P&O Ferries has been 'prevented from further cutting the pay of vulnerable agency crew' by 'pressure from RMT seafarers'.

The firm, owned by Dubai-based logistics giant DP World, insisted no agency workers were asked to take a pay cut.

The RMT received reports of agency workers at Dover being asked to sign new contracts with reduced payments, according to the BBC.

Mr Lynch said: 'There are no depths to which P&O and their Dubai owners at DP World will not sink to extract the maximum profit from ferry crews operating our vital maritime supply chains.

'This is underlined by the fact that, despite this U-turn, P&O are still only paying barely half of the UK minimum wage of 9.50 per hour.

'Ultimately, staffing ships with super-exploited agency staff is not just morally wrong, it undercuts those remaining ferry operators who do abide by union rates of pay and conditions, and undermines passenger safety.

'The only way out of this latest crisis at the ferry operator is for the Government to take over the running of P&O vessels and reinstate directly employed staff on union rates of pay.'

A spokesman for P&O Ferries said: 'No agency seafarers were asked to accept reduced wages.'

He went on: 'There was an administrative misunderstanding around the contract presented to one individual who appears to have been unaware of an appendix which made clear that he would be entitled to an additional 195 a month, meaning that there was no change in his overall pay.

'There are no plans to change or reduce the wages of any of our agency seafarers and we have made clear that we will continue to comply fully with any national minimum wage obligations introduced by the UK Government.'

Today, travel expert Paul Charles said it was his understanding the ships had been impounded not due to actual physical deficiencies but because the new crews had not been trained well enough, with 'some not even knowing where the liferafts were'. Pictured is a file photo of liferafts

The company's chief executive, Peter Hebblethwaite, told MPs last month that the average pay of the agency crew is 5.50 per hour.

That is below the UK's minimum wage but Mr Hebblethwaite said it is permitted under international maritime laws.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps wants to create 'minimum wage corridors' on ferry routes between the UK and other countries.

MailOnline has contacted P&O Ferries for comment about the allegation some of its crew did not know where liferafts were kept.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency declined to comment.
A Japanese woman certified the world's oldest person has died at the age of 119, local officials said Monday.

Kane Tanaka was born January 2, 1903, in the southwestern Fukuoka region of Japan, the same year the Wright brothers flew for the first time and Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.

Ms Tanaka was in relatively good health until recently and lived at a nursing home, where she enjoyed board games, solving maths problems, soda and chocolate.

In her younger years, Ms Tanaka ran various businesses including a noodle shop and a rice cake store.

A century ago, she married Hideo Tanaka in 1922, giving birth to four children and adopting a fifth.

She had planned to use a wheelchair to take part in the torch relay for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but the pandemic prevented her from doing so.

On her 119th birthday on January 2, Ms Tanaka's family members said she hoped to live to 120.

Kane Tanaka was born January 2, 1903, in the southwestern Fukuoka region of Japan, the same year the Wright brothers flew for the first time and Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize (Tanaka pictured receiving Guinness World Records certificate in 2019)

The world's certified oldest person Kane Tanaka has died at the age of 119 in Fukuoka, Japan

Kane Tanaka is pictured in 1922 - the same year she married her husband Hideo a century ago this year

Tanaka was recognised as the world's oldest living person by the Guinness World Records when she was 116 in 2019

When the Guinness World Records recognised Ms Tanaka as the oldest person alive in 2019, she was asked what moment she was the most happy in life.

The woman, who by that time could barely speak, replied with a single word: 'Now.'

Ms Tanaka's daily routine was described at the time as including a 6:00 am wake-up, and afternoons spent studying mathematics and practising calligraphy.

'One of Kane's favourite pastimes is a game of Othello and she's become an expert at the classic board game, often beating rest-home staff,' Guinness said.

Local governor Seitaro Hattori hailed Ms Tanaka's life after she passed away on April 19.

'I was looking forward to seeing Kane-san on this year's Respect for the Aged Day (a Japanese national holiday in September) and celebrating together with her favorite soda and chocolate,' he said in a statement on Monday.

'I am extremely saddened by the news.'

The Russo-Japanese War began only a year after Ms Tanaka was born, and in her childhood lived through the final year's of Japan's Meiji era, considered to be a transformative period of modernisation.

She was recognised as the world's oldest living person by the Guinness World Records when she was 116 in 2019.

In 2020 she became the oldest person in Japan at 117 and 261 days old.

According to the Guinness World Records website Ms Tanaka got married to her cousin aged 19 in 1922 and the couple ran a noodle shop called Tanaka Mochiya which sold udon, rice cakes and zenzai.

Her husband and eldest son fought in the second Sino-Japanese War which began in 1937.

Aged 90, Ms Tanaka had cataract surgery. The record-holder also underwent colorectal cancer surgery when she was 103.

Kane Tanaka, born in 1903, smiles as a nursing home celebrates three days after her 117th birthday in Fukuoka, Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo January 5, 2020

Kane Tanaka, the world's oldest woman, died in Japan today. Ms Tanaka's family is pictured. From left: Hideo Tanaka, Kane Tanaka, Nobuo Tanaka, Tsuruko Kunimasa and Toyoko Nakamura

Japan has the world's most elderly population, according to World Bank data, with around 28 percent aged 65 or over.

But there are other people who may have been even older than Ms Tanaka.

Late last year China's oldest person, who claimed to be the oldest person ever, died at a supposed age of 135.

Alimihan Seyiti, from Komuxerik in Shule County in the north-western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, was born on June 25, 1886, during the imperial Qing dynasty - but this has not been internationally confirmed.

Last summer a woman in Turkey also claimed to have celebrated her 119th birthday, which would make her older than Ms Tanaka.

Turkish media reported that Seker Arslan had celebrated the astonishing milestone surrounded by her family in the northern city of Amasya.

According to her driving licence, she was born on June 27, 1902, making her 119.

The oldest-ever living person verified by Guinness was Frenchwoman Jeanne Louise Calment, who died aged 122 years and 164 days in 1997.
One of the first cruise ships allowed back in Western Australia since the pandemic began has been struck by a Covid outbreak as 12 people on board test positive.

Authorities are working to contain the virus on the Coral Discoverer, which arrived in Broome early on Monday, after ten passengers and two crew contracted the virus.

The vessel, carrying 61 passengers and 30 crew, had completed a 10-day voyage from Darwin.

The incident comes just one week after a two-year ban on cruise ships entering Australia was lifted on April 18 - inspiring hope the $5billion cruise industry would swiftly return to its former glory after being crippled by the pandemic.

A spokesman for the ship's operator, Coral Expeditions, said all guests and passengers were triple-vaccinated in line with WA requirements.

Coral Discoverer (pictured) is at the centre of a Covid outbreak after 12 people on board tested positive in Western Australia

The positive guests and their close contacts had isolated and some had been transported to designated hotels in Broome to finish their isolation periods.

'All of the guests were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms,' he said.

Small cruise ships carrying no more than 350 passengers and crew have been permitted to enter West Australian waters since April 17.

'Maritime vessels are permitted to allow positive cases to disembark and move to suitable accommodation to complete their isolation requirements,' a WA Health spokeswoman said on Monday.

'There are strict guidelines in place which outline the infection prevention and control measures that need to be followed during disembarkation and transport.

'All precautions will be taken to ensure the Broome community is protected.'

The federal government banned cruise ships from entering Australians waters in March 2020 after 2700 passengers on the Ruby Princess were allowed to freely disembark in Sydney Harbour, sparking 900 cases and 28 deaths across Australia.

The vessel had just arrived in Broome (pictured) after a 10-day voyage from Darwin

An inquiry found NSW Health had responsibility for the passengers and largely absolved border officials.

In 2019, the cruise ship industry supported about 18,000 jobs and generated about $5billion in direct and indirect revenue for the economy.

But it was brought to its knees the following year as Covid spread across the globe, stifling the travel industry.

Paving the way for the return of ships, NSW, Queensland, and Victoria have outlined testing and vaccination rules for both international passengers and crew.

Tasmania and SA are still reviewing their rules and ships are restricted to smaller domestic vessels carrying up to 99 passengers.

The outbreak comes as WA Health on Monday reported 5639 Covid cases and the death of a man in his 80s.

There are 240 cases in hospital, including nine in intensive care.
Since the beginning of this April, the Damascus government has prevented trucks of food and medicine from entering, in addition to preventing flour from crossing into Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, which resulted in the bakeries stopping.

The siege is not new. Rather, it began on August 20, 2020, and this negatively affects the lives of more than 200,000 people, or 31,000 families.

In this context, people of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods told our agency about the insults they are subjected to when they go to the bakeries in the areas of the Damascus government.

The people should not be used as leverage for political purposes

Mustafa Mahmoud, indicates that the basic material for sustaining life has been cut off since the beginning of Ramadan. He says: The two neighborhoods lack of bread is due to the Damascus siege.

Mahmoud called on the Damascus government not to use the needs of the people in political issues, "The people should not be used as a pressure card for political purposes, because the people of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh are also residents of Syria."

We get harassed

As for Fatima Rifaat Ali, she stressed the necessity of introducing flour for the preparation of bread, saying: "Fifteen days without bread, medicine and gas. We are deprived of our most basic rights. The Damascus government has been preventing the entry of basic materials into our neighborhood."

Fatima noted that the people are forced to go to the areas of the Damascus government to buy bread in this holy month.

And she added, "Even when we went to their areas to secure our livelihood (bread), we were not spared their harassment, as they say you are from Sheikh Maqsoud's family, what brought you here, in a blunt and insulting tone."

The medicine is also no longer available

In turn, Muhammad Youssef indicated that the people of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods are suffering a lot to get bread, and he says: "I get up at five in the morning to go to a bakery in the Damascus government area to get bread, and I don't come back until noon."

He also noted that he suffers from diabetes and heart disease as well, and finds it difficult to find medicines to treat his illness, since the Damascus government also prevents medicines from entering the two neighborhoods.

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Rishi Sunak was pictured out with his dog near his West London home. He has slipped to the bottom of the Conservative's popularity chart as the cost-of-living crisis worsens

Rishi Sunak suffered another blow today as a closely-watched survey of Tory activists showed his popularity sliding further.

The Chancellor has slipped to the bottom of the latest chart compiled by the ConservativeHome website, with his net rating tumbling from 7.9 to minus 5.2.

Mr Sunak's fall from grace has been continuing as the cost-of-living crisis bites, and in the wake of the row over his US Green Card and wife's non-dom tax status.

He is scoring even lower than Boris Johnson, with the PM third from bottom on 6.6 amid his burgeoning Partygate woes.

At one point Mr Sunak was top of the regular chart - a position now held by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace for three consecutive months after he earned plaudits for the Ukraine response.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was in second while, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi was third and Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan fourth.

Home Secretary Priti Patel also appears to have received a boost after unveiling plans to send Channel migrants to Rwanda for processing.

Although the poll is not scientific it is closely watched by ministers and MPs, and will set alarm bells ringing in No11.

Mr Sunak is the only senior figure in negative territory this month. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was in second while, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi was third and Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan fourth

Labour tried to turn up the heat today by pledging to abolish non-doms. Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said she wanted to reform the rules on non-domiciled status to prevent those who had made a long-term home in Britain from being able to avoid paying UK tax on their overseas income for up to 15 years

Rishi Sunak has slipped to the bottom of the latest chart compiled by the ConservativeHome website, with his net rating tumbling from 7.9 to minus 5.2

At one point Mr Sunak (pictured left today) was top of the regular chart - a position now held by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace (right) for three consecutive months after he earned plaudits for the Ukraine response

The Chancellor was engulfed in controversy after it emerged his billionaire heiress wife Akshata Murty (pictured together) had non-dom status

PM hits the election campaign trail as Partygate row rages Boris Johnson is heading back on the campaign trail today amid claims that Sue Gray's Partygate report could finish his premiership. The PM is expected to tour Red Wall areas this week with just 10 days until crucial local and mayoral polls that are likely to decide his fate. There are increasing signs that the Tory revolt is becoming more coordinated, as Downing Street waits nervously to see whether Mr Johnson will receive more fines. Rebels are not expected to mount an all-out attack until after the elections on May 5, and Scotland Yard will not give any update on its investigation before then. But No10 has insisted it will disclose if Mr Johnson receives another penalty notice, and allies are said to acknowledge that his prospects of survival are no better than 50-50. There are also rumours that senior civil servant Ms Gray's report on lockdown breaches in Whitehall could be even more damaging than previously feared. Advertisement

Mr Sunak is the only senior figure in negative territory this month.

The Chancellor was engulfed in controversy after it emerged his billionaire heiress wife Akshata Murty had non-dom status.

There was no suggestion she had broken any rules, but Ms Murty - the daughter of one of India's richest men - has since volunteered to pay UK tax on all her worldwide income.

However, she will keep the non-dom status - allowing her to take advantage of India's zero-rate inheritance tax on her family's business empire.

Mr Sunak also faced questions over keeping his US green card even after taking up the key job at No11.

Labour tried to turn up the heat today by pledging to abolish non-doms.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said she wanted to reform the rules on non-domiciled status to prevent those who had made a long-term home in Britain from being able to avoid paying UK tax on their overseas income for up to 15 years.

Labour said it would replace the status with a system whereby those genuinely only residing in the UK for short periods could take advantage of a scheme preventing them from paying tax on their overseas income and gains.

The policy announcement came after weeks of chaos where the party refused to say what its position was on non-doms.

Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband had suggested he wanted to abolish the status, in line with the policy under Jeremy Corbyn, but Labour dodged on its official stance.

Labour vows to abolish non-dom status Labour tried to turn up the heat on Rishi Sunak today by pledging to abolish non-doms. Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said she wanted to reform the rules on non-domiciled status to prevent those who had made a long-term home in Britain from being able to avoid paying UK tax on their overseas income for up to 15 years. Labour said it would replace the status with a system whereby those genuinely only residing in the UK for short periods could take advantage of a scheme preventing them from paying tax on their overseas income and gains. The policy announcement came after weeks of chaos where the party refused to say what its position was on non-doms. Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband had suggested he wanted to abolish the status, in line with the policy under Jeremy Corbyn, but Labour dodged on its official stance. Advertisement

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson suffered another setback in the latest ConHome poll after seeing his position improve slightly to 33 last month.

The PM is expected to tour Red Wall areas this week with just 10 days until crucial local and mayoral polls that are likely to decide his fate.

There are signs that the Tory revolt is becoming more coordinated, as Downing Street waits nervously to see whether Mr Johnson will receive more fines.

Rebels are not expected to mount an all-out attack until after the elections on May 5, and Scotland Yard will not give any update on its investigation before then.

But No10 has insisted it will disclose if Mr Johnson receives another penalty notice, and allies are said to acknowledge that his prospects of survival are no better than 50-50.

There are also rumours that senior civil servant Ms Gray's report on lockdown breaches in Whitehall could be even more damaging than previously feared.

Around a dozen events are being investigated by the police, including a 'bring-your-own-booze' garden party, a gathering in the Cabinet Office to mark Mr Johnson's 56th birthday and a series of leaving dos.

In an interim report published in January, Ms Gray lashed out at 'failures of leadership and judgment' in No10.

One official apparently familiar with the contents of the full report told The Times: 'Sue's report is excoriating. It will make things incredibly difficult for the Prime Minister.

'There's an immense amount of pressure on her - her report could be enough to end him.'

Mr Sunak is scoring even lower than Boris Johnson (pictured), with the PM third from bottom on 6.6 amid his burgeoning Partygate woes
A Texas woman who claims she falsely pleaded guilty to killing her two-year-old daughter in 2007 will learn today if the parole board wants to proceed with her controversial execution.

Melissa Lucio, 53, is set to be executed Wednesday for the death of Mariah, one of her 14 children, in Harlingen, a city of about 75,000 in Texas' southern tip.

Her legal team claims her confession was forced in a grueling five-hour interrogation carried out just hours after she found out her daughter had died, while pregnant with twins, and came after she denied the allegations more than 100 times.

Lawyers from the Innocence Project have filed a clemency application to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles which is set to consider her case today by 1.30pm CT.

They will make a recommendation to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott who has until Wednesday 6pm to intervene in what would be the first Latina ever executed by Texas and the first woman the state has put to death since 2014.

Melissa Lucio (pictured center) bows her head in prayer during a session with State Representative Jeff Leach in prison this month

She is set to be executed Wednesday for the death of Mariah (pictured on her lap alongside daughter Adriana)

If they do not recommend clemency, all he can do is postpone the execution by 30 days, during which her legal team will have to reconsider their options.

Separately, Lucio's legal team are pursuing two last-ditch attempts to spare her life.

They filed several motions in the Texas Supreme Court of Appeals which could stop the death sentence at any point before Wednesday.

Lucio, who has been in custody since 2007, maintains that Mariah died from injuries sustained during a fall down a flight of stairs even though she confessed to hurting Mariah at the time

The Cameron County District Attorney's office is also yet to rule on a motion to withdraw the execution which had been filed in February.

Her lawyers say new evidence shows that Mariah's injuries, including a blow to the head, were caused by a fall down a steep staircase, and nearly half of the jurors who sentenced her have called for her execution to be halted and demanded a retrial.

Lawmakers and celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, an advocate for criminal justice reform, and Amanda Knox - an American who was convicted of murdering a British student in Italy and whose conviction was overturned - have rallied to Lucio's cause.

A bipartisan group of 100 Texas lawmakers have been pushing for the parole board and governor to spare her life.

Last week, a few of them joined Lucio for a prayer session in prison.

Prosecutors, though, maintain that the girl was the victim of child abuse.

In addition to the blunt-force injury to her head that was determined to have killed her, Mariah's body was found to have bruises, scratches, and a bite mark on her back, leading investigators to believe that Mariah had been killed, and suspecting Lucio of the crime.

Lucio's attorneys say her capital murder conviction was based on an unreliable and coerced confession that was the result of relentless questioning and her long history of sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

Lucio, now 53, was convicted of killing her two-year-old daughter, Mariah, in 2007 (pictured with son John)

Three hours into a late-night interrogation Lucio confessed to police that she had spanked and bitten her daughter - an admission that became the backbone of the case against her

'This new evidence shows that Ms. Lucio was convicted of a crime that never occurred,' the 242-page writ of habeas corpus says.

'Ms. Lucio asserted her innocence more than 100 times, but police refused to accept any response that was not an admission of guilt - suggesting to Ms. Lucio that the interrogation would not stop unless she told them what they wanted to hear,' the filing reads.

They say Lucio wasn't allowed to present evidence questioning the validity of her confession.

Her lawyers also contend that unscientific and false evidence misled jurors into believing Mariah's injuries only could have been caused by physical abuse and not by medical complications from a severe fall.

'I knew that what I was accused of doing was not true. My children have always been my world and although my choices in life were not good I would have never hurt any of my children in such a way,' Lucio wrote in a letter to Texas lawmakers.

The Innocence Project say that Lucio's lifelong history as a victim of sexual and domestic abuse made her particularly susceptible to confessing to things she never did

Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz, whose office prosecuted the case, has said he disagrees with Lucio's lawyers' claims that new evidence would exonerate her.

Prosecutors say Lucio had a history of drug abuse and at times had lost custody of some of her 14 children.

During her interrogation Lucio initially maintained that Mariah had fallen down the stairs a few days before she became unresponsive, but after about three hours she admitted to spanking and biting Mariah.

'What do you want me to say? I'm responsible for it,' Lucio told Texas Rangers when they pressed her on the bite mark.

The statement became the backbone of the state's case against Mariah, with prosecutors using what they characterized as an admission of child abuse to connect Lucio directly to her daughters death.

Though Lucio never admitted to actually killing Maria or causing fatal-harm, the Cameron County jury found the abuse admissions adequate to find Lucio guilty and deserving of the death penalty.

During her 2007 trial, the judge did not allow a psychologist to testify about why Lucio's past might compel her to make false confessions

But advocates of Lucio say that the confession was clearly made and coerced under duress, and that Lucio's longtime history as a victim of sexual and domestic abuse made her especially susceptible to confessing to things she never did - a point which was not made at Lucio's trial because the judge did not allow a psychologist to testify on the subject.

During a sometimes contentious Texas House committee hearing on Lucio's case this month, Saenz initially pushed back on requests to use his power to stop the execution, before later saying he would intervene if the courts didn't act.

'I don't disagree with all the scrutiny this case is getting. I welcome that,' Saenz said.

Armando Villalobos was the county's district attorney when Lucio was convicted in 2008, and Lucio's lawyers allege that he pushed for a conviction to help his reelection bid.

In 2014, Villalobos was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for a bribery scheme related to offering favorable prosecutorial decisions.

More than half the members of the Texas House and Senate have asked that her execution be halted.

A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers traveled this month to Gatesville, where the state houses female death row inmates, and prayed with Lucio.

Five of the 12 jurors who sentenced Lucio and one alternate juror have questioned their decision and asked she get a new trial. And Lucio's cause also has the backing of faith leaders and was featured on HBO's 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.'

Lucio's family and supporters have been traveling throughout Texas and holding rallies and screenings of a 2020 documentary about her case, The State of Texas vs. Melissa.

Abbott has granted clemency to only one death row inmate since taking office in 2015.

Abbott commuted a death sentence to life without parole for Thomas 'Bart' Whitaker, who was convicted of fatally shooting his mother and brother. Whitaker's father was also shot but survived and led the effort to spare his son's life.

Lucio's case has received widespread attention, and in March nearly 90 bi-partisan Texas lawmakers voiced their support for a stay of Lucio's execution until evidence can be reviewed

It's rare in the U.S. for a woman to be executed, according to the Washington-based Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit that opposes capital punishment.

Women have accounted for only 3.6 per cent of the more than 16,000 confirmed executions in the U.S. dating back to the colonial period in the 1600s, according to the group's data.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, there have been 17 women executed throughout the nation, according to the data.

Texas has put more women to death - six - than any other state. Oklahoma is next, with three, and Florida has executed two.

The federal government has executed one woman since 1976. Lisa Montgomery, of Kansas, received a lethal injection in January 2021 after the Trump administration resumed executions in the federal system following a 17-year hiatus.

The Justice Department has halted executions again under the Biden administration.

After reading about Lucio's case, Kardashian tweeted: '[Lucio] has been on death row for over 14 years for her daughter's death that was a tragic accident.

'Her 2-year-old daughter Mariah fell down a flight of stairs and two days later passed away while taking a nap.

'After she called for help, she was taken into custody by the police. [Lucio] is a survivor of abuse and domestic violence herself and after being interrogated for hours and falsely pleaded guilty.

'She wanted the interrogation to be stopped, but police made her words out to be a confession.'

'She is scheduled to be executed on April 27 in Texas,' the reality star added, as she urged the public to sign a petition by the Innocent Project in an effort to press Governor Abbott to stop Lucio's execution.
A young accountant sued his middle-aged boss for age discrimination after they sacked him and told him he is 'too demanding like his generation of millennials'.

Insurance boss Lucy Raymond-Williams suggested her 26-year-old new employee Jay Patel 'expected things to be handed to him on a plate', an employment tribunal heard.

Mr Patel found her suggestions of entitlement 'objectionable' and 'distressing' as he is dyslexic and had to overcome barriers in his life to achieve academic success and become an accountant.

His sacking came just a month after she hired him as 'my blue-eyed boy, my project to show what people with dyslexia can achieve', the hearing was told.

The company had been hunting for a fully qualified accountant, but Mrs Raymond-Williams decided to hire him as dyslexia was a 'matter of huge importance' to her as she has family with the condition and had set up a dyslexia charity.

Based on the managing director's comments about millennials and his dismissal, he sued firm London-based Lucy A Raymond & Sons for both age and disability discrimination.

And while he won the disability case, his age claim was rejected after a judge ruled he was offended because of the obstacles he had overcome in life rather than how old he was.

Now Mr Patel is in line to receive compensation.

Jay Patel (pictured), 26, was sacked by his boss who told him he is 'too demanding like his generation of millennials', he sued and won a disability case against her

Lucy Raymond-Williams (pictured) has been sued by her former employee, who she said 'expected things to be handed to him on a plate'

The tribunal in central London heard Mr Patel earned a first-class honours degree in accounting and management at university and became part-accredited with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Mrs Raymond-Williams, who has 42 years experience in insurance and founded her City-based firm in 2000, hired Mr Patel at the start of November 2020.

A tribunal report said: 'At some point Mr Patel explained that he had dyslexia... This revelation by Mr Patel was a major factor and was decisive in him being offered the job.

'In her evidence to us [Mrs Raymond-Williams] said Mr Patel "landed in the job because of his dyslexia" and that it was "an enormous privilege to help" him.

'She said to Mr Patel during cross examination "you were my blue-eyed boy, my project to show what people with dyslexia can achieve".

Mr Patel obtained a first class degree in accounting from the University of Westminster (pictured)

'Mrs Raymond-Williams, though she has considerable direct experience of dyslexia, appeared to view the condition entirely through the lens of her personal experience.

Almost half of office staff are at odds with 'just get on with it' baby boomers or 'work/life balance' millennials over work practices, report finds By DAVID JARVIS FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY Britain's offices are seeing an increase in generational workplace friction, a report has found. Almost half of office workers  40 per cent  say there are in constant disagreement with either millennials or baby boomers over work practices following the pandemic. Phrases like work/life balance, just get the job done, Ive got a long commute and health and wellness are leading to conflicts which didnt previously exist, researchers found. A quarter of baby boomers  those aged 55 to 74  are thought to be out of touch by younger workers because of their just get on with it at all costs approach to work. Some 55 per cent of millennials  those aged 25 to 39  are too keen on working from home and often play the family or long commute card  according to 37 per cent of all those polled. It appears that it is falling to Generation X  those aged 40 to 55  to keep the peace, with them saying they place a high-value on being self-sufficient and resourceful. The differences lead to clashes on email, over Zoom and face-to-face according to researchers from recruitment specialists Robert Walters who polled 4,000 UK adults. But the disputes do not stop there, with a third of workers aged under 30 unhappy with outdated technology and 27 per cent of millennials disliking emails as a form of communication. A spokesman for the firm Robert Walters said: It is clear there are some significantly different opinions between age groups that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Our 2022 data reveals the stark impact of the pandemic and how the long periods of remote working have fragmented workplace culture and the values which colleagues once upon a time may have shared. Advertisement

'There was no sense that [her company] at the interview sought to enquire how his dyslexia affected him as an individual and what specific requirements he might have and what they could do to address any needs.'

Just two days into his new job, a national lockdown was announced due to Covid-19 and Mr Patel had to work from home.

He repeatedly asked HR about funding to complete his qualifications but was not given an answer. The tribunal found colleagues made 'exaggerated' claims that he was 'very discourteous and very demanding'.

The tribunal heard he was not set any targets but struggled with work and took longer to do tasks than expected, with other colleagues expressing concerns over his ability and lack of progress.

By December 1, 2020, Mrs Raymond-Williams made the decision to 'dispense of his services', admitting 'I had taken the wrong decision in giving a dyslexic person the job'.

At his dismissal meeting, Mr Patel was offended at the suggestion he was 'too demanding like his generation of millennials'.

The report said: 'Mrs Raymond-Williams made a comment at this meeting about Mr Patel being too demanding, in common with his generation of millennials.

'We find that during this meeting Mr Patel was asking for feedback as to why he was being dismissed, and that one of the things that was offered by Mrs Raymond-Williams was that [the company] found him too demanding.

'[It was] probably in the context of his requests for funding of his ACCA course and sign-off of his professional objectives and that this was a trait of the millennial generation.

'We find that Mr Patel interpreted this comment as suggesting that he had been given everything 'on a plate'.

'We find that he was distressed about this comment, not so much of it relating to his age but more because he felt, as a disabled person, brought up by a single mother who prioritised his education, and who himself had overcome numerous barriers to achieve academic success, that very little in life had been handed to him on a plate.'

Employment Judge Stephen Heath ruled Mr Patel was discriminated on grounds of his disability by being sacked over his dyslexia, criticising the company for making a 'sudden about-turn'.

Judge Heath dismissed his age discrimination claim after ruling Mr Patel was offended because he had to overcome barriers rather than being offended due to his age.

Other allegations of discrimination were also dismissed.

Mr Patel will be awarded compensation for disability discrimination at a later date.

Feel tired after work? Then you must be a member of Gen Zzz! Younger employees find a day's work more exhausting than parents' generation

By DAVID JARVIS FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

Data found 46% of Generation Z workers feel 'fatigued' after a day at the office

They complained that their workload and the stress left them feeling drained

Forty per cent of Millennials said their job left them tired at the end of the day

But 19% of workers from so-called Baby Boomer generation said the same thing

Younger employees find a day's work more exhausting than wage-earners of their parents' generation, according to a new survey.

Researchers found 46 per cent of Generation Z workers  staff aged between 18 and 25  feel 'fatigued' after a day at the office, factory or shop floor.

They complained their workload, combined with the stress and strain of holding down a job and the high expectations of their bosses, left them feeling drained.

Forty per cent of Millennials said their work left them tired out, but just 19 per cent of workers of the so-called Baby Boomer generation said a day's work left them shattered (stock image)

Forty per cent of Millennials those aged between 26 and 41  echoed those complaints by reporting that their employment also left them tired out by the end of the working day.

But just 19 per cent of workers old enough to be their parents  the so-called Baby Boomer generation of 58 to 76-year-olds  said a day's work left them shattered, and only 27 per cent of workers in the Generation X age group, from 42 to 57, said likewise.

To compound their troubles, both Generation Z and Millennial workers reported suffering feelings of helplessness and loneliness brought on by the pressures of work.

For Generation Z, 61 per cent said they were so fearful of 'burnout'  mental and physical exhaustion caused by long-term job stress  that it has compromised their aspirations.

Business advisory firm Trachet discovered the extent of workplace fatigue by polling 2,071 UK adults.

Its spokeswoman Claire Trachet said: 'The findings show younger people are under overwhelming stress at work, with almost half reporting fatigue brought on by the pressures and demands of work.

Forty per cent of Millennials said their work left them tired out, but just 19 per cent of workers of the so-called Baby Boomer generation said a day's work left them shattered (stock image)

'Surprisingly, older workers, often old enough to be the parents of young staff, are less likely to report this level of stress and fatigue, probably because they are more conditioned to the demands of working life.'

She added: 'With proper support and guidance this can be corrected, while preserving the mental health of the leaders of the business and their teams.

'A burnt-out workforce is one of the biggest barriers that inhibit businesses from growing effectively.'

The study, conducted by the British Polling Council on behalf of Trachet, also found that 28 per cent of Generation Z workers could not remember the last time they spent 'quality' time with their families because of the demands of work.

Almost three-quarters of workers in that age bracket said that they wanted to find a new job that leaves them less tired, while 65 per cent would consider starting their own business in order to improve their work-life balance.
A forgotten Australian digger who was sent on an 18-month long top-secret mission to Cambodia during the height of the Vietnam War is demanding recognition for his service, five decades after being ordered to 'never to talk about' what he did.

John Ali, from South Australia, was a civilian and foreman at truck manufacturer International Harvester in the 1970s when he and seven of his colleagues were called to a meeting.

He was told Australian built trucks, with their reputation for durability, were required to support America's efforts in the conflict and the group were chosen to deliver them.

What unfolded was an operation that would last six months longer than a standard soldier's deployment in which the group was required to not only deliver the trucks but to drive and maintain them for troops in the volatile war zone.

John Ali (pictured) was a foreman at International Harvester in the 1970s and was sent to the war zone as a civilian

Five decades later Mr Ali (pictured) said he is fighting for recognition and is still haunted by what he experienced

'There's not a day goes past that I don't remember it all. I lived it from 11 at night until seven in the morning. Bombings and shooting happened all night long,' Mr Ali told A Current Affair.

Five decades on, Mr Ali has received nothing more than two quietly awarded medals and was never offered a military pension, benefits or recognition for his service.

As the war was deteriorating in Vietnam and the North Vietnamese Army were quickly advancing on the southern capital, communist insurgents had also spread into neighbouring Cambodia.

American forces were concerned the Cambodian pro-Western government could fall under attack - but they were prevented from openly entering the country due an agreement to recognise Cambodia as neutral at the 1954 Geneva Conference.

It wasn't until years later with the release of secret documents that America's clandestine operations in Cambodia became widely known.

The Pentagon Papers revealed bombings of Cambodia occurred during the era by U.S. forces - most notably Operation Menu in which Boeing B-52 Stratofortress aircraft carpet bombed large areas of the country.

Australian forces were openly involved in the Vietnam War (pictured) but could not travel into neighbouring Cambodia because of its neutral status under the Geneva convention

A 1997 book by U.S Army Major John L. Plaster who served three tours in Vietnam detailed the secretive ground operations.

Major Plaster served as a team leader for the Studies and Observations Group, known by its acronym SOG, who would regularly be sent into North-Vietnamese controlled territory in Laos and Cambodia.

But Australia's involvement is only now being revealed with Mr Ali's story.

He said he and his seven colleagues were rushed to Canberra to meet then Defence Minister Malcolm Fraser.

The group were assigned the mission by then Minister for Defence and later PM Malcolm Fraser (pictured)

'We were told the American and Australian constitutions do not allow ground troops into Cambodia - so we're sending you,' Mr Ali said.

'Because we make good trucks and our close proximity to south-east Asia, the Americans wanted our trucks to be used as troop carriers. They wanted 600 of them,' Mr Ali said.

He said as the meeting with Mr Fraser drew to a close he was required to sign the Secrecy Act and was issued with a stern warning.

'You're not to talk to anybody about this operation, that means the people at work, on the street, the press, you're not to talk to anybody'.

The young men were shipped out to accompany the trucks - first to Vietnam and then across the border in Cambodia.

They did not have uniforms or official status but were given weapons and encountered hostile forces.

'But they didn't say we would see war,' Mr Ali said, adding he still has PTSD.

Mr Ali's company delivered 600 trucks to the South Vietnamese and he was required to stay on for 18-months to drive and maintain them (pictured)

Of the group of seven civilians sent over, Mr Ali is the last survivor and fellow Vietnam veterans are fighting to see him get the recognition he deserves.

'We managed to get some medals for him, but over the last 18 years we have not been able to get his entitlements,' friend Adrian Walford said.

'He did his duty and he did as much as any soldier.'

Minister for Veterans' Affairs Andrew Gee has said he is investigating Mr Ali's case and if his government is re-elected, will meet with him to discuss 'avenues to help'.
Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne are planning to offer up properties on their Buckinghamshire estate to two Ukrainian families fleeing Russian invasion.

The former Black Sabbath frontman, 73, and his rock manager wife, 69, are due to move back to their Grade II-listed mansion - called Welders House - in the village of Jordans, Buckinghamshire, in just a matter of weeks.

The couple are ending their 25-year stay in the USA after Sharon landed a job on TalkTV and Ozzy said he wanted to 'come home'.

Former X Factor judge Sharon said that she and Ozzy were angry over Government red tape which was 'bogging down' the process of rehoming Ukrainian refugees in the UK.

Speaking about the bureaucracy involved, she said: 'I think it's heinous what Boris Johnson is doing.'

Asked if she would be rehoming any Ukrainian refugees, she said she was looking to move 'two Ukrainian families into the unused properties' on her country estate.

'Ozzy's very well known in Ukraine, I think they'd be happy,' she said in an interview with the Sunday Times.

The Osbournes are ending their 25-year stay in the USA after Sharon landed a job on TalkTV and Ozzy said he wanted to 'come home'

The couple have applied for planning permission for a rehabilitation wing at their historic Grade II listed home in Buckinghamshire

Ozzy - who famously bit the head off a bat during a live gig - previously called on his nearly 5m Instagram followers to show support for Ukraine after the Russian invasion.

He said: 'We're standing up for Ukraine.'

Sharon added: 'What we've seen is heart-wrenching, and we're answering the call from those on the ground in Ukraine.'

Addressing world leaders, she said: 'We need them to stand up for refugees everywhere and contribute the billions needed for this crisis.'

Ozzy and Sharon bought the mansion in Buckinghamshire in 1993, with Sharon choosing it because it was 'miles away' from the nearest pub, ensuring Ozzy wasn't tempted to nip out for a pint before he went sober.

Speaking in the latest edition of Classic Rock magazine, Ozzy said: 'I'm coming back to England this year, I've had enough of living out here [in America] now.'

Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne pictured with their daughter Kelly, 37, are hoping to accommodate two Ukrainian families on their estate

The couple have applied to council planning chiefs to install a rehabilitation wing for Ozzy - who has Parkinson's and spine damage - at the mansion, along with non-slip surfaces, handrails and a self-contained flat for a nurse.

Locals are bemused at the Osbournes' return.

One man said: 'Everyone loves Ozzy - he doesn't have a bad bone in his body I don't think, but he's certainly going to liven things up around this sleepy little village, of that there can be no doubt.'

Jordans has a population of just over 700 and is a centre for Quakerism, known as the Religious Society of Friends, who profess to 'see God in everyone'.

It is also home to the burial plot of William Penn, a prominent Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania in the USA in the 17th century.
A Texas judge said Disney World would be 'welcome' if it chooses to leave its Florida home after Gov. Ron DeSantis stripped the firm of its land and tax privileges.

The offer comes after DeSantis signed a bill abolishing the self-governing Reedy Creek Improvement District as Disney opposed his so-called 'Don't Say Gay' bill.

In a letter to Disney CEO Bob Chapek, Judge KP George said the corporation would be warmly accepted in Fort Bend County, southwest of Houston.

He described Fort Bend as a 'welcoming and diverse place to do business' in contrast to the 'authoritarian, anti-business and culture war attacks' from DeSantis.

Colorado's governor also tried to lure in 'the Mouse' last week, as the global conglomerate continues to run into issues at the state it's called home since the early 1960s, when planning for Disney World began.

Disney has remained quiet throughout the highly-publicized backlash, with some speculating that it's mounting a legal response.

Experts say the company could put up a fight on First Amendment grounds if it argues that it was punished for exercising its constitutionally protected right to free speech.

Moving Disney World could prove to be a Sisyphean feat. The Orlando-area complex houses 25 hotels, four theme parks and two water parks across 43 sq mi, slightly less than the land area of San Francisco, which is about 47 sq mi.

Ron DeSantis, holding the signed 'Don't Say Gay' bill on March 28, said Disney has sought to 'attack the parents of my state' with its woke opposition to the bill and rebranding of old rides

Houston area judge KP George (left) sent the letter to Disney CEO Bob Chapek (right) and branded DeSantis a 'political extremist', adding Disney's 'diverse characters' are welcome in Fort Bend

Fort Bend, Texas (pictured) has open land and a 'welcoming' community, Judge George said

The Orlando-area Disney World complex houses 25 hotels, four theme parks and two water parks across 43 sq mi, slightly less than the land area of San Francisco, about 47 sq mi

Last week, Gov. DeSantis signed a bill abolishing Disney's 55-year-old tax and land privileges negotiated by Walt Disney himself.

The Reedy Creek Improvement District Act, enacted in 1967 just months after Disney's death, allowed the corporation to govern its own theme park.

DeSantis retaliated against Disney's opposition to his so-called 'Don't Say Gay' bill, which bans classroom discussions on gender and sexuality through the third grade.

Judge George tweeted: 'From Timone & Pumba to Tinker Bell, Disney characters are as diverse as Fort Bend County families. I welcome @Disney to visit Fort Bend County as your next destination while you face attacks from the modern day political extremists like @RonDeSantisFL.'

The judiciary member wrote the same letter to Twitter, which has also been criticized for its 'uber-wokeness' by the tech firm's potential buyer Elon Musk.

George was born in the small, electricity-less South Indian village of Kakkodu, the Houston Chronicle reports. Until Kamala Harris assumed office as vice president, he was the most prominent Indian-American to hold an executive position in the US.

He also tried to get Tesla to move to his county, according to KIAH. The Musk-owned electric carmaker eventually moved to Austin late last year.

George is the top elected official in Fort Bend County, which includes the city of Sugar Land, about 19 mi southwest of Houston. A Democrat, he was elected in 2018 and is a former school board member.

The judge is not the only public official beckoning the entertainment giant. Last week, before the Florida House voted to revoke Disney's special status, Gov. Jared Polis criticized Florida officials for their 'authoritarian socialist attacks on the private sector.'

The Fort Bend judge advised Disney move its glittering HQ to his district in southeast Texas. About 60 percent of Fort Bend is still undeveloped, according to the county website

He tweeted: 'In CO, we don't meddle in affairs of companies like @Disney or @Twitter,' Polis tweeted on Tuesday. 'Hey @Disney we're ready for Mountain Disneyland and @Twitter we're ready for Twitter HQ2, whoever your owners are.'

'We will grant Mickey and Minnie full asylum in Colorado,' he later wrote.

Fort Bend has a population of 858,527, according to the Census Bureau.

Houston, with a population of 2.3 million people, sits partially inside of Fort Bend, but most of its population is in neighboring Harris County.

Fort Bend's population is 31.9 percent white, 21.3 percent black, 20 percent Asian and 24.9 percent Hispanic, leading Rice University sociology professor to call it the most 'ethnically diverse county in America' in a 2013 New York Times article.

In its website, the county singles out engineering and construction firm Fluor, Frito Lay and Texas Instruments as major employers.

It also notes that 60 percent of its area is still undeveloped, leaving more than enough room for a theme park with big land requirements.

In 2020, the median household income in Fort Bend was $100,189, or $40,607 per person, making it one of the richest counties in Texas.

Fort Bend County Judge KP George was the most prominent Indian American in US executive leadership before Kamala Harris ascended to the vice presidency last year. The Democratic judge wrote: 'We will grant Mickey and Minnie full asylum in Colorado'

Governor DeSantis, flanked by supporters, signed the so-called 'Don't Say Gay' bill last month

Judge George invited Disney to move its Magic Kingdom to Fort Bend, Texas close to Houston

After Disney sparked controversy by donating to the Parental Rights in Education bill co-sponsors, CEO Chapek reversed course and criticized the legislation.

Disney also threatened to withdraw funding from the state unless the bill was dropped.

Just how big is Walt Disney World? Magic Kingdom on Thursday Walt Disney World sits on 43 sq mi of land in Bay Lake, Florida, just outside of Orlando. Construction on the park began in the early 1960s, officially opening on October 1, 1971. It's much bigger than its California sister park Disneyland, which is only about 500 acres, or less than 1 sq mi. The complex houses 25 hotels, four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios) and two water parks (Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach). There are about 50 rides throughout the park that have been built out over decades. Only seven of them are full-fledged rollercoasters. Advertisement

DeSantis hit back, telling Disney they are 'marshalling your economic might to attack the parents of my state'.

He added: 'We view that as a provocation, and we're going to fight back against that.'

Disney could use its deep pockets to mount a huge lawsuit against the state on First Amendment grounds, legal experts say.

In the landmark Citizens United case in 2010, the Supreme Court held that corporate free speech - in that case, donations to political campaigns - could not be restricted by the government.

'Disney obviously has no right to have a business improvement district, but to take away something like that based on speech, that strikes me as highly likely to be unconstitutional,' Hofstra University law professor Daniel Greenwood told the Tampa Bay Times.

Adam Wrinkler, a UCLA professor who's written a book on corporate civil rights, said he expects Disney to bring up free speech if it chooses to go to court.

'The Supreme Court has said the government cannot take special benefits away for improper reasons,' he said.

DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw dismissed the idea that Disney could argue that its free speech has been violated.

'The assertion that a single corporation has a First Amendment right to its own autonomous government is simply absurd,' she told the Tampa Bay Times in a statement.

'Gov. DeSantis has consistently supported a more level playing field for all businesses in Florida. It is not "retaliatory" to pass legislation that gets rid of carve-outs and promotes a fairer environment for all companies to do business.'

The Reedy Creek district allows Disney to tax itself and oversee its own building codes, issue its own permits, collect its own trash and manage its own emergency services.

Projects could become longer and more expensive for the theme park if it has to go through regular, run-of-the-mill bureaucracy to get things done.

'They will now have to go and ask permission. That in itself, I think, that's going to cost more money, more time, more resources,' said Aubrey Jewett, a political science professor at the nearby University of Central Florida, in an interview with the Washington Post.

Walt Disney's 'Magic Kingdom': How 1967 law allowed the company to govern its vast Florida domain The Reedy Creek Improvement District, a semi-private, special-purpose government, is controlled by Disney and spans 39 square miles. It was created in 1967 when then-Florida Gov. Claude Kirk, a Republican, signed into law the Reedy Creek Improvement Act authorizing it to regulate land use, enforce building codes, treat wastewater, control drainage, maintain utilities and provide fire protection at Disney World. The district is governed a Board of Supervisors that is selected by its 19 landowners, the biggest and most influential of them being Disney World. The district has the authority to tax the land, and use the revenue to provide essential public services and operate and maintain all public roads and bridges. Such private governments aren't uncommon in Florida, which has more than 600 community development districts that manage and pay for infrastructure in new communities. It will now be abolished in June 2023. Advertisement

'Might that be passed along in increased ticket price? Maybe,' she added. 'Disney has really been aggressive in raising prices across the years. In my way of thinking, they don't need much more of a nudge to raise them again.'

The move could affect more than just Disney's expedited, exclusive government services.

Florida's Orange and Osceola counties may also end up saddled with $1 billion of debt currently owed by Walt Disney World.

The corporation also governs the land and foots the bill for everything from building new roads to maintaining power lines. Those costs could now shift to the taxpayers in the counties.

The move could have huge tax implications for Disney, but there is scope for the district to be reestablished - leaving an avenue to renegotiate its future. The bill will also impact a handful of other similar districts by June 2023, with voting rights groups today suing the state over congressional map changes.

Voting rights groups claim the Reedy Creek abolition will reduce black representation and benefit Republicans. They staged a sit-in on the House floor, prayed and sang 'We Shall Overcome' in protest.

Joe Biden slammed 'ugly' GOP lawmakers for targeting Disney and claiming it has been taken over by the 'far right'.

But DeSantis and his fellow Republicans lashed out at the Orlando resort - defending the law - before moving to strip it of its special privileges.

Regardless of the tug-of-war between Disney and Florida, the logistics of moving a massive theme park out of the state make it a virtual impossibility.

Walt Disney World sits on top of 43 sq mi of land, according to Florida Today. It's much bigger than its California sister park Disneyland, which is only about 500 acres, or less than 1 sq mi.

The complex houses 25 hotels, four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios) and two water parks (Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach).

There are about 50 rides throughout the park that have been built out over decades. Only seven of them are full-fledged rollercoasters.

The Reedy Creek Improvement District will now be abolished in June 2023.

Issuing support for the measure last week, DeSantis said in a fundraising email last Wednesday: 'Disney and other woke corporations won't get away with peddling their unchecked pressure campaigns any longer.

'If we want to keep the Democrat machine and their corporate lapdogs accountable, we have to stand together now.'

Disney has not yet commented on the move and could launch a legal appeal.
Just two days after Sophia Forrest announced her engagement to actress Zara Zoe, her mining magnate parents have revealed why she won't inherit their $25billion fortune.

Sophia took to Instagram on Saturday to announce her engagement, including a toast from her father Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest and his wife Nicola.

On Monday night, Nicola opened up about the devastating death of their stillborn third child and how the tragedy has driven their philanthropy and they way they think about money.

Nicola, who has largely remained in the shadow of her husband's high-profile career, took centre stage on ABC's Australian Story on Monday to offer insight into the women behind the nation's second richest family.

The matriarch spoke about her passion for helping others, her role behind the scenes in her husband's work, and why 'children don't benefit from thinking they're going to inherit a huge amount of money'.

She said she doesn't want their three children - Grace, Sophia, and Sydney to be burdened' by a handout.

Instead they will give the money away to charitable causes.

Nicola Forrest has opened up about the tragic still birth of her third daughter, Matilda, in 1998

While the Forrests have long been committed to charitable causes, one personal loss close to Nicola and Andrew's hearts has shaped their benevolent pursuits.

In 1998, the couple lost their daughter Matilda to stillbirth after a 'perfect pregnancy', inspiring their work to help other families and children through their organisation, Minderoo Foundation.

Speaking through tears, Nicola recalled how she learnt the news during a routine doctor's appointment in Perth days before her due date of June 22.

'I went into the appointment, I said, "Oh, I didn't think I was going to make this appointment." And he said, "Why not?" And I said, "Because I haven't felt the baby move for 24 hours",' Nicola said.

'There's a saying that when a baby goes quiet, it's just before it's going to be born. And [after doing a check] he went, "Oh, this machine must be broken. "I'm going to send you down the road for an ultrasound.

'That's the moment I knew.'

Nicola said she had been preparing the couple's older two daughters, Grace and Sophia, now 26 and for their new baby sister and she immediately blamed herself, thinking 'What have I done wrong?'.

Sophia, 27, (right) announced her engagement to actress Zara Zoe (left) on Instagram on Saturday after two years of dating

Nicola, pictured while pregnant with Matilda, said she learnt the devastating news during a routine ultra sound

A post-mortem commissioned by the family found there was nothing wrong and their daughter, albeit stillborn, was a 'perfect, beautiful little girl'.

Andrew said their third child, who they intended to call by the nickname 'Tilly', was a blessing to their family.

'Matilda really was a fabulous gift, not ours to hold,' he said.

'But whenever we're asked about our children, certainly in a quiet environment, we'll say, "Yeah, we've got four kids - three on earth and one in heaven."'

While Andrew has spent the past few decades running - and founding - West Australian iron ore mines with Fortescue Metals, Nicola has been the machine behind the family's numerous charitable activities.

Motivated by their personal loss, the Forrests fund research and programs aimed at helping 'all Australian children reach their full potential', with Nicola currently lobbying politicians to integrate early education reform into their federal election promise.

In 2013, the couple became the first Australian billionaires to sign up The Giving Pledge, a campaign where extremely wealthy people vow to contribute the majority of their riches to charitable causes.

Their children were told as kids they would not be left with their parent's fortune.

Pictured: Andrew and Nicola Forrest with their daughters Grace and Sophia

Revealing their stance on the matter, Nicola said 'children don't benefit from thinking they're going to inherit a huge amount of money'.

'We live in a home and I have a great life - but the things that are most important in life, money doesn't buy that,' she said.

'I think its [inheritance] a burden.'

Andrew added: 'The decision to give away everything but the personal things and goods was easy'.

'You know, let's not die wealthy. What's the point of that?'

The Minderoo Foundation's core initiatives include reducing disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, cancer research and fire and flood resilience.

Sweet: 'She makes heaven a place on earth,' heiress Sophia captioned the clip of the engagement, along with a ring emoji and the date '21.4.22' Pictured: Zara and Sophia

It made record-breaking donations of $400 million in 2017 and $655 million in 2019.

Although media attention has centred on Andrew, Sophia said her mother is a major - and often uncredited - pillar behind the family's success.

She said it was frustrating to hear her mother, who is the convenor of the Prime Ministers Community Business Partnership and a member of the Telethon Kids Institute CoLab Advisory Council, referred to in headlines as 'Andrew Forrest's wife'.

'Mum and Dad, I think, have always worked together as a team, so with the enormous success that Dad has had, Mum's always been right there behind him,' she said.

'While I'm so immensely proud of the work Dad does, it [would be] frustrating when your own work is constantly tied to that.'

Despite their humanitarian work, the businessman has at times carved a controversial figure over his iron ore company, Fortescue Metals Group, over indigenous land clearing and climate change concerns.

However, Andrew has since become a crusader to end fossil fuels for the sake of the planet, last year announcing he is now investing in green renewable energy projects.

The revelations come after Sophia broke the news of her engagement on Saturday by sharing a video on Instagram of Zara flashing a diamond ring.

'She makes heaven a place on earth,' Sophia wrote, alongside a ring emoji and the date '21.4.22'.

The clip showed the newly engaged couple then sharing dinner with friends, before celebrating by drinking champagne with Andrew and Nicola.
Questions have emerged on whether Russian President Vladimir Putin really attended an Orthodox Easter service in Moscow this past weekend after pictures issued by the Kremlin bore a startling resemblance to images from last year.

The images, purportedly taken one year apart, appear to show Putin dressed in the same suit and look extremely similar - the only clearly discernible difference being the colour of his tie.

Putin is believed to have attended the midnight Easter service to mark Orthodox Easter on Sunday morning - April 24 - alongside Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin at Moscow's huge gold-encrusted Christ the Saviour Cathedral.

But images and video footage of the event have been seized upon by opposition media in Russia and Ukraine, suggesting the new clips were faked from last year's service on May 2, 2021.

It comes after footage last week appeared to show Putin bloated and slouching at a meeting with the Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu, who also seemed fragile and appeared to slur his words as he read a short statement to the President.

The footage sparked rumours Putin is suffering considerable health problems, while Shoigu, who was largely sidelined after being a mainstay in the early days of the war in Ukraine, was thought to have endured a heart attack.

There are only subtle differences in lighting and the colour of Putin's tie between both sets of images from the Easter service, prompting suggestions that the images have been manipulated (Putin at Easter service in 2021 pictured left. 2022 image is pictured right)

Putin (L) is believed to have attended the midnight Easter service to mark Orthodox Easter on Sunday morning - April 24 - alongside Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin (R) at Moscow's huge gold-encrusted Christ the Saviour Cathedral

He appeared to chew the insides of his mouth, shifting uncomfortably, adding to a swirl of commentary that the pressure of Russian setbacks over the war in Ukraine

There are only subtle differences in lighting and the colour of Putin's tie between both sets of images from the Easter service, prompting suggestions that the images have been manipulated.

'Putin is standing in the same suit and with the same candle as on May 2, 2021,' reported Russian outlet The Village.

'This is evidenced by a photo report from the temple on the Kremlin website.'

Opposition investigative media Agentstvo also claimed that this year's footage of Putin attending the ceremony - an appearance he makes annually - seemed to have been distorted.

'In the broadcast of the Easter service from the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Putin seemed to disappear for a moment,' said the outlet.

'This happened during the switching of shots, from a close-up with the president to a more general one

'The place where Putin should be seems to be empty.'

The claims were set upon by Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs adviser Anton Herashchenko, who said: 'Putin's directors were again caught using video editing and [manipulation].

'This time at the broadcast of the Easter service.'

Telegram channel Mozhem Obyasnit (We Can Explain) posted: 'Putin-2022 at the service in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is almost indistinguishable from Putin-2021.

'Social media users, having studied the photos, doubted that the President attended a public event.'

The channel urged followers to 'spot the difference' between Putin this year and last.

Some comments believe his face has changed since last year despite similar expressions.

Russian Orthodox leader Patriarch Kirill, who has supported his invasion of Ukraine, led the service. Eastern Orthodox churches observe the ancient Julian calendar, and this year celebrate the Orthodox Easter on April 24

'Putin has the same hairstyle, almost the same facial expression, the same candle,' said Mozhem Obyasnit.

'Both are on the same background in the same aisle of the cathedral.

'True, in 2021 Putin was sometimes shown against the backdrop of parishioners and priests, but this year, for some reason, they did not do this.

'Social media users conclude that reports of Putin's participation in this public event at the height of the war are illustrated with pictures from a peaceful 2021.'

During the service, when Patriarch Kirill - head of the Russian Orthodox Church - declared 'Christ has risen', Putin did not join in with the other members of the congregation to reply 'truly he is risen,' according to Reuters.

In the video, the typically stoic and steadfast Putin was shown grimacing, fidgeting and biting his lip. This was interpreted by some as a sign of his state of mind during the war, while others have posited he may be suffering from Parkinson's disease.

'I am persuaded by a lot of medical advice that he is an ill man and the most persuasive diagnosis is that he has early Parkinsonia,' said former government defence and Nato adviser Professor Gwythian Prins, appearing on Good Morning Britain over the weekend.

'I happen to live with a clinical neurological psychologist - my wife - who has spent 30 years dealing with people who have had degenerative brain diseases.'

He said people living with Parkinson's often show 'all or nothing thinking' where they become disinhibited, stopping them from taking in information rationally.

Claims Putin's Easter service visit may have been faked amid health issues come days after footage showed a visibly uneasy Putin sat across from sidelined defence minister Shoigu, who appeared to slur his words as he read from a document

Putin's poor posture and his apparently bloated face and neck sparked speculation about the Russian leader's health, which has reportedly been in decline since his invasion of Ukraine

Meanwhile, the Russian leader's poor posture and seemingly bloated face and neck, revealed in a video last week as he sat opposite defence minister Sergey Shoigu, sparked further speculation about Putin's health.

Shoigu, who is in charge of the bloody invasion of Ukraine, has been noticeably absent from public view amid reports the defence minister and Putin's relationship became strained in light of the heavy losses of Russian troops.

Anders Aslund, a Swedish economist and former adviser to Ukraine and Russia, said the video showed both Putin and Shoigu 'depressed and seemingly in bad health'.

Shoigu does not appear to have fared any better than Putin in the eight weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, with the defence minister slurring his words and reading from his notes following an apparent heart attack.

Last week, a Russian-Israeli businessman claimed Shoigu suffered a heart attack, which he suspects was caused by foul play.

Leonid Nevzlin claimed Shoigu had been in intensive car after suffering 'a massive heart attack' which 'could not have occurred due to natural causes', suggesting Putin's longtime ally may have been the subject of an assassination attempt.
A drunk mother-of-four who screamed 'God, why did I not put their seat belts on' after killing her two children in a crash on the M1 has been jailed for four years.

Mary McCann, 35, was driving her Vauxhall Astra car down the M1 with her two youngsters, Lilly and Smaller in the back of the car, when the vehicle hit a Scania HGV.

The two children, aged four years and 10, were killed instantly in the horrific collision near Milton Keynes, Bucks, shortly after 11pm on August 9 last year.

Earlier the same day, the two children had been pictured together with a balloon in celebration of Smaller's tenth birthday.

McCann was charged soon after the crash after police discovered she had been drinking.

She was jailed for four years and one month at Aylesbury Crown Court today, having earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of alcohol.

Mary McCann, 35, has been jailed for to two counts of causing death by careless driving while unfit through drink

The two children, aged four years and 10, were killed instantly in the horrific collision near Milton Keynes, Bucks, in August last year

Mary McCann was driving her Vauxhall Astra car down the M1 with her two youngsters, Lilly (pictured left) and Smaller (pictured right) in the back of the car, when the family car became involved in a dramatic crash with a Scania HGV

McCann sobbed as she watched on over the video link at Aylesbury Crown Court earlier today

McCann (pictured with her son Smaller), from Derby, was charged soon after the crash after police discovered she had been drinking

McCann had consumed at least 98 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres in blood - over the legal limit is 80 milligrams.

She was also speeding at at least 72mph on a stretch of motorway where the speed limit had been reduced to 60mph.

Stephen Shay, prosecuting, told the court: 'Shortly before the collision the lorry was in lane one and the lorry was moving into lane two. The defendant was driving in lane two.

'For no obvious reason, the defendant drifted into Lane One. She steered right in an unsuccessful attempt to jump the lorry.

'The car sustained catastrophic damage to the rear side and rotated anticlockwise.

'Lily was ejected from the right of the car before it moved into the central reservation.

'The defendant said "God, why didnt I put their seatbelts on?"

'Lily would not have been ejected from the car if she had been restrained, and she may have survived. Smaller would have remained in his seat if he had been restrained in the seat.

'His fatal injury was likely to have been caused by his head striking the damaged part of the car.'

McCann was arrested last September after failing to answer bail following the youngsters funerals, the court heard.

Lorry diver Simon Denton told the court in a victim impact statement that the horror smash had left him suffering from nightmares and flashbacks.

He added: 'This has left me depressed, anxious and in constant fear. I cannot go out and when I do I am looking behind me. I am scared.

'When she absconded I thought "why can you not stand up and take responsibility for what you have done?"'

McCann, from Derby, was taken to hospital to be treated for shock, while another of her daughters, then aged two, was strapped into her seat and survived the fatal collision. She also has a third daughter, then aged 13, who was not in the car.

Mr Denton was unhurt, but the motorway was closed for 12 hours following the fatal crash.

McCann was subsequently arrested after she handed herself in to police.

Their mother's Facebook page showed an image of Smaller next to a birthday cake and 10th birthday balloon from earlier that day

She was bailed on August 24, but failed to show for a court appearance the following month, when it was feared she had gone on the run and may have fled to Ireland.

Border Force was told to place alerts at all British ports and airports to stop her leaving the country.

She handed herself in later that month and has been remanded in custody since.

Laban Leake, representing McCann said in mitigation that the horror crash had been 'unintentional'.

He added: 'She has to be punished by this court and quite rightly so. However, it must be acknowledged that the true punishment for this offence, which was of course truly tragic, lies in her grief for her children.

'She has complex PTSD and a bereavement reaction condition. She was on psychotic medication, but she stopped it because she wishes to feel the blunt force of her grief.'

The court was told her surviving children are living with their grandmother and doing well, but they are expected to return to her when she is released from jail.

She sobbed from her cell at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey as the case against her was read out.

Judge Francis Sheridan told McCann that she would carry the cross of her actions for the rest of her life.

Passing sentence, he said: 'The driving in this case was not far short of dangerous driving.

'This is a heartbreaking case, to have to sentence a mother for killing two of her own children while drunk and driving as badly as you were.

'It is a disgrace that you drove whilst drunk with your two children in the back of the car.

'You will carry the costs of what you did for the rest of your life.'

McCann, of Bamford Avenue, Derby, was jailed for 49 months and banned from driving for seven years and two weeks.
A fashion guru who taught Jimmy Choo how to design shoes was forced out of her job after her bullying boss got irritated about her working from home one day a week, an employment tribunal has found.

Chris Hill, who also tutored top designers Emma Hope and Patrick Cox, was driven to quit her role as a university lecturer after manager Vicki Dean 'singled her out' - reducing her to tears for the first time in her 40-year career.

Among her allegations of bullying was a claim that while on a trip to Paris with her students from the University of Northampton, Ms Dean did not respond or retweet almost all of her tweets about the visit, the tribunal was told.

The only reply was allegedly when Ms Hill posted a photo of students next to a giant shoe with the caption: 'Why can't we make shoes this big'. Ms Dean replied: 'Why can't you? As creatives you can do anything you want!'

Ms Dean also raised issues with her working from home on Fridays and would schedule meetings late and on that day - despite the senior lecturer working remotely for almost four years prior, the tribunal was told.

Chris Hill (left) was driven to quit her role as a lecturer after manager Vicki Dean (right) 'singled her out', the tribunal heard

Ms Hill is now in line for compensation after a panel found her manager was 'needlessly asserting her authority', creating a hostile environment and bullying her.

The footwear expert's appointment as a lecturer in footwear and accessories in 2015 was celebrated by the university in a press release which said she brought a 'wealth of experience, both academic and industrial'.

Fashion guru Ms Hill taught Jimmy Choo how to design shoes. He is pictured in 1997 in front of a photo of Princess Diana, who was his most famous customer at the time

Amongst her achievements in the industry, Ms Hill had been the first female lecturer at Cordwainers Technical College - now part of the London College of Fashion - where she taught Mr Choo.

She set up shoe design courses for the London College of Fashion and Central St Martins and also worked as head of footwear for luxury brand Hobbs before joining the University of Northampton.

The panel in Cambridge heard Ms Dean took over managing Ms Hill in early 2019.

Ms Hill started to feel undermined by her following 'frankly aggressive' emails she sent regarding a students' trip to an Italian footwear design school called Modatech, the tribunal was told.

By the summer of that year she concluded Ms Dean was 'singling her out' and 'effectively bullying her', the hearing was told.

The panel heard Ms Hill was struggling with the fashion department meeting being moved to 4pm on a Thursday because it would usually last four hours which consequently hampered her ability to get home to Yorkshire.

The hearing was told Ms Dean began to schedule meetings on Fridays, when Ms Hill was working from home, and in June 2019, began to query why she did not work that day.

The panel heard: '[Ms Hill] also heard from colleagues that Ms Dean would create a 'fuss' about her absence on Fridays, albeit she did not raise any concerns directly with [Ms Hill] in this regard.

'It added to her impression that Ms Dean was being needlessly difficult and critical.'

Footwear expert Ms Hill also tutored top designers Emma Hope (left) and Patrick Cox (right, with his friend Liz Hurley)

Ms Dean then made Ms Hill file a flexible working request in order to work from home to resolve the matter, despite it being the 'established' arrangement for almost four years, the tribunal heard.

'[Ms Hill] had been persuaded to join the University on the clear understanding she could not commit to regular Friday attendance on campus.

'The fashion department was a small department of seven staff and her working arrangements were widely known and openly discussed, including the fact Ms Hill lodged with a colleague Monday to Thursday,' the panel heard.

Ms Hill was left feeling singled out as another member of staff worked from home.

That summer she told by Ms Dean her hours were being cut from 34 to seven on the footwear course, to make way for her teaching a course on 'Contextual Studies' she felt she wasn't qualified for.

Ms Hill said that while on a trip to Paris with her students, Ms Dean did not respond or retweet almost all of her tweets about the visit, the tribunal was told. The only reply was allegedly when Ms Hill posted a photo of students next to a giant shoe with the caption: 'Why can't we make shoes this big'. Ms Dean replied: 'Why can't you? As creatives you can do anything you want!'

Towards the end of that year, Ms Hill took students to Paris as the Musee des Arts Decortifs Paris was holding an exhibition covering the history of shoes called 'Marche et Demarche'.

When Ms Hill tweeted from the university's account about the trip, she felt ignored as Ms Dean did not retweet her tweets, the tribunal was told.

In February 2020 she met with Ms Dean about Contextual Studies saying it was a 'huge strain' on her, the panel heard.

The tribunal was told: 'When Ms Hill tried to explain that she was struggling, she experienced Ms Dean as increasingly cold, indeed seemingly angry...

'When she began crying, Ms Dean's response was not to soften her tone or show empathy or concern, instead... she said, 'I knew we should have had the meeting in a private office'.'

The footwear expert's appointment as a lecturer in footwear and accessories in 2015 was celebrated by the University of Northampton (pictured) in a press release which said she brought a 'wealth of experience, both academic and industrial'

Following this meeting, Ms Hill immediately went off sick due to work related stress, the panel heard.

And after she unsuccessfully raised a grievance in order to obtain a new line manager and its appeal was dismissed, she resigned in October that year.

Upholding her unfair dismissal claim, Employment Judge Roger Tynan concluded: 'I find that Ms Dean was fully aware of [Ms Hill's] established and agreed working arrangements, but for some reason became irritated with them when she was not immediately available or contactable on one occasion.

'The fact she reacted as she did in such circumstances is revealing in terms of Ms Dean's attitude and approach towards Ms Hill, and I find it is consistent with bullying.

'I have come to the conclusion that Ms Dean was needlessly asserting her authority on an issue where there was no reason for her to do so and without proper regard to the detrimental impact upon [Ms Hill].

'It served to create a hostile environment and avoidable stress for [Ms Hill].'

A hearing to determine Ms Hill's compensation will be held at a later date.
People of Al-Jazira region flock to Qara Jogh mountain in Derik district of Qamishlo canton to remember its martyrs, at 10:00. (photo and video attached)

The Revolutionary Youth in Kobani canton organizes a demonstration to denounce the attacks launched by the Turkish occupation on the legitimate defense areas and the regions of north and east Syria, and the cooperation of the Kurdistan Democratic Party with the Turkish occupation. (photo and video attached)

Citizens of the Arab component denounced the policy of starvation imposed by the Damascus government on the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, while they were heading to their areas to get their needs, which are now missing in the neighborhood as a result of the siege. (photo and video attached)

The losses of the Turkish occupation army continue in the Syrian territories it occupies, as the strikes received by the occupation army in recent days showed that Turkey is waging a war of attrition in Syria. (photo and video attached)

The Turkish occupation state has recently escalated the demographic change in the occupied canton of Afrin, by establishing settlements to settle families brought in from various Syrian regions, and there has been talk in the past few days about the settlement of Syrians in Turkey there. (photo and video attached)

Dialogue

Hasan Kocer explained that the world powers assigned Turkey to launch attacks against the region, and the main goal is the partition of Syria, which Turkey has effectively divided, and that the policy followed by the Damascus government is incorrect, and stressed that the position of the Kurdistan Democratic Party is against patriotism and human values. (photo and video attached)

Politics

Commenting on the attacks of the occupying Turkish state on the regions of northern and eastern Syria and its threats to occupy the region again, the spokesman for the People's Protection Units, Nuri Mahmoud, stressed that if the attacks on the region continue, their forces will not stand idly by and will defend the region and its people. (photo and video attached)

Arab writers, politicians and experts warned of the Turkish danger to the Arab countries, especially Syria and Iraq, and said that it is taking advantage of what is happening in Ukraine to occupy parts of these two countries as it did in Cyprus. . (photo and video attached)

Analysis

Since the fascism of the Justice and Development Party and the National Movement turned the negotiating table of Dolmabahce and to this day, it has been waging a war of tyranny and genocide against the Kurds that has been going on for eight years. It began on the seventeenth of this April by launching a new attack, and revealed that during the current year 2022, it does not have any other policies, except the policies of war.

Kurdistan

The residents of Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood made it clear that the Kurdish people and political detainees will not surrender to the practices of the Turkish occupation state in prisons, stressing their support and standing by the prisoners' families. (photo and video attached)

ANHA
Boris Johnson has given his backing to Jacob Rees-Mogg's drive to get civil servants back to their Whitehall desks - despite a Cabinet row erupting over the 'Dickensian' campaign.

Mr Rees-Mogg, the Cabinet minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency, is currently leading Government efforts to end home-working practices among officials after the Covid pandemic.

In his determination to fill Whitehall offices again, Mr Rees-Mogg was revealed to have been conducting personal headcounts of officials in some Government departments.

He has also left notices in offices for civil servants not at their desks, which read: 'Sorry you were out when I visited. I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon.'

Mr Rees-Mogg's notes have been branded 'supremely passive aggressive' and 'patronising' by critics.

And his campaign to end work from home (WFH) for civil servants has also enraged some of his fellow Cabinet ministers.

The Times reported that Mr Rees-Mogg gave a presentation to Cabinet last week, which included a league table highlighting the departments where the fewest staff had returned to work.

According to the newspaper, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries voiced her objections to Mr Rees-Mogg's campaign and said that the focus should be on civil servants productivity.

She told him that his letter to government departments brought to mind 'images of burning tallow, rheumy eyes and Marleys ghost (from A Christmas Carol)'.

Ms Dorries added: 'Theres a whiff of something Dickensian about it. Why are we measuring bodies behind desks? Why arent we measuring productivity?'

Jacob Rees-Mogg is leading Government efforts to end home-working practices among officials after the Covid pandemic

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries voiced her objections to Mr Rees-Mogg's 'Dickensian' campaign and asked: 'Why arent we measuring productivity?'

Mr Rees-Mogg's notes for absent staff have been branded 'supremely passive aggressive' and 'patronising' by critics

Boris Johnson offered strong backing for Mr Rees-Mogg's efforts. Number 10 said the PM supports 'doing everything possible to get the civil servants back to pre-pandemic levels'

WFH officials will be ordered back to desks if they're looking after children during office hours Civil servants will be forced back into the office if they are found to be looking after their children when they are supposedly working from home, it can be revealed. Staff at major government agencies have been warned against taking advantage of the new hybrid working arrangements that allow them to spend only two or three days a week at their desks. Internal HR policies obtained by the Daily Mail make clear that working remotely cannot be used as a way to avoid paying for childcare or putting in fewer hours, and that employees privileges can be removed if their performance is found to be suffering. Advertisement

Several other Cabinet ministers are also said to have reservations about the campaign to force civil servants back to their Whitehall desks.

Mr Rees-Mogg wouldn't comment on the dispute, which was described as 'good natured' by one Government source.

In reference to Cabinet confidentiality rules, Mr Rees-Mogg told PA: 'If it's leaks from Cabinet, I'll comment under the 30-year rule when we're all a little bit older.'

Despite the concerns among other Cabinet ministers, the Prime Minister today offered strong backing for Mr Rees-Mogg's efforts.

Mr Johnson's official spokesman said Mr Rees-Mogg was seeking to 'do everything possible to get the civil service to return to the pre-pandemic level'.

They added: 'That is what he is seeking to do. That is supported by the Cabinet Secretary (Simon Case) and obviously the Prime Minister.'

Asked if the notes left on desks by Mr Rees-Mogg were helpful, the spokesman said the PM 'supports any initiative that encourages people to return to pre-pandemic working'.

'We are not talking about putting an end to flexible working, which continues to have a place in the modern workplace, we are talking about returning to pre-pandemic use of taxpayer-funded departmental buildings,' they continued.

Conservative Party chair OIiver Dowden said yesterday that Mr Rees-Mogg's efforts were 'driven by getting the very best value for taxpayers'.

Asked about his notes for absent staff, Mr Rees-Mogg told GB News: 'There's certainly a place for working from home, it works in some instances.

'But I know that people are having difficulties getting government services; getting driving licences from DVLA, there's a delay with some passports.

'We need people whose jobs are dependent on being in the office back in the office. The rest of the country is getting back to normal and I'm encouraging the civil service to do the same.'

Mr Rees-Mogg also used a Mail on Sunday article to warn that officials may lose the London weighting on their pay or see their jobs moved elsewhere if they were not at their Whitehall desks.

'Essentially, if people are not back in their office it will be fair to assume that the job does not need to be in London,' he wrote.

'Those who are at their desks every day seem to be younger, hard-working and ambitious civil servants, often renting house-shares in London for whom the office provides the right environment for work.

'Meanwhile, others enjoy the fruits of their London-weighting at home in the shires.'
The White House announced Monday that U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia Bridget Brink will fill the vacant ambassadorship role to Ukraine

Joe Biden on Monday named his nominee to fill the vacant post for Ukraine ambassador as the country hit the two-month mark of Russia's invasion and the embassy remains closed in Kyiv.

U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia Bridget Brink will serve in a role left vacant in Ukraine for more than two years after former President Donald Trump removed Marie Yovanovitch in 2019.

Brink was appointed to her current position by Trump in 2019 and held previous assignments in Serbia, Cyprus, Georgia and Uzbekistan and with the White House National Security Council.

To become the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Brink will need another Senate confirmation.

During a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Biden will announce his nomination of the veteran diplomat to be the next US ambassador to Ukraine.

A White House announcement sent out Monday morning sang Brink's accomplishments, including that '[s]he speaks Russian and has studied Slovak, Serbian, Georgian, and French.'

Yovanovitch began serving as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine in August 2016 after Barack Obama's nomination and ended her tenure in May 2019 after she became the target of a smear campaign by Trump allies.

The U.S. embassy in Kyiv (pictured in January 2022) will remain closed for now, even as the U.S. plans to gradually begin the return of diplomats to Ukraine next week. The majority of embassy staff was evacuated in mid-February as fears of Russian invasion loomed

Russia reached a full two months of invasion of Ukraine on Sunday. Pictured: Firefighters and paramedics recover the body of a resident under rubble of a building in Kharkiv, Ukraine on Sunday, April 24, 2022

Trump's personal attorney at the time, Rudy Giuliani, among others, accused Yovanovitch of involvement in conspiracies to stop anti-corruption probes in Ukraine  including the Trump administration investigating ties between Ukrainian officials and Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

Giuliani and other Trump allies claimed in April 2019 that Yovanovitch was also obstructing efforts to get Ukraine to investigate former Vice President and then-2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Yovanovitch was recalled from her post by Trump and returned to Washington, D.C. on April 25, 2019. The move became public on May 7 and her mission as Ambassador to Ukraine was terminated on May 20, 2019.

Since 2005, Yovanovitch has served in ambassadorships to Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Ukraine under three different presidencies.

Brink will replace Marie Yovanovitch (pictured at a rally for Ukraine in March 2022) after she was removed from her ambassadorship role in Kyiv by then-President Donald Trump in 2019 following allegations she obstructed probes into ties between Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden and Ukraine officials

Brink, Yovanovitch's replacement, is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and has a long career at the State Department  specifically in Eastern Europe.

Originally from Michigan, Brink earned her Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Kenyon College and holds Master's degrees in International Relations and Political Theory from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

She started her career in Belgrade, Serbia in the mid-1990s.

The U.S. pledged another $713 million for Ukraine as Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Kyiv under the cover of darkness - but there are still no plans to reopen the war-torn country's American Embassy.

In the highest-level meeting between the US and Ukraine since the war, Blinken and Austin took a train from Poland to Kyiv where they met with Zelensky in a trip shrouded by secrecy.

There, the officials pledged military financing to Ukraine and its NATO partners and said diplomats would start returning this week, although they will be stationed in Lviv rather than the Kyiv embassy which remains closed.

At the meeting, Blinken said, 'Russia is failing, Ukraine is succeeding,' and praised Zelensky and his country's bravery in the face of Kremlin barbarism.

Speaking today in Poland near the Ukrainian border, the Secretary of State said: 'We had an opportunity to demonstrate directly our strong ongoing support for the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people. This was, in our judgment, an important moment to be there to have face-to-face conversations in detail.'

Austin added Zelensky's response to the aid was deep appreciation for what was being given but 'he has the mindset that they want to win and we have the mindset that we want to help them win'.

Journalists who travelled to Poland with Austin and Blinken were barred from reporting on the trip until it ended, were not allowed to accompany them on their overland journey into Ukraine, and were prohibited from specifying where in south-east Poland they waited for the Cabinet members to return, citing security concerns.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pose for a picture during their meeting in Kyiv

The Secretaries of State and Defense accused Russia of failing in its barbaric invasion as they boosted Ukraine's war chest

Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with Lieutenant General Randy George, Military Assistant to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin

Austin said Zelensky's response to the aid was deep appreciation for what was being given but 'he has the mindset that they want to win and we have the mindset that we want to help them win'

Speaking in Poland after returning from the meeting (pictured), Austin and Blinken said US diplomats returning to Ukraine are likely to restaff the consulate in Lviv

Austin added Zelensky's response to the aid was deep appreciation for what was being given but 'he has the mindset that they want to win and we have the mindset that we want to help them win'

Just after the overnight visit, Russia bombed railway stations in the Lviv, Rivne, Vinnyista and Kyiv regions in the early hours in a warning to the West.

Their meeting is thought to have taken place between 10pm and 1am local time before they returned to Poland, with Blinken telling journalists afterwards that the delegation travelled by rail.

The strike on Krasne appears to have targeted the main line from Poland into Ukraine, though Blinken and Austin's exact route has not been revealed.

At the meeting, Austin and Mr Blinken announced a total of $713million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries; some $322million of that is earmarked for Kyiv.

The remainder will be split among NATO members and other nations that have provided Ukraine with critical military supplies since the war with Russia began, officials said.

Such financing is different from previous US military assistance for Ukraine. It is not a donation of drawn-down US Defence Department stockpiles, but rather cash that countries can use to purchase supplies that they might need.

The new money, along with the sale of $165million in non-US made ammunition that is compatible with Soviet-era weapons the Ukrainians use, takes the total amount of American military assistance to Ukraine to $3.7billion since the invasion, officials said.

In footage of the meeting later released by the Ukrainian presidency, Blinken praised the 'extraordinary courage and leadership and success that you've had in pushing back this horrific Russian aggression.'

'We got used to seeing you on video around the world, but it's great, it's good to see you in person,' Blinken said with a smile.

Austin said that 'the world has been inspired' by Ukraine in the war and that America would continue its support.

'The strategy that we've put in place - massive support for Ukraine, massive pressure against Russia, solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these efforts - is having real results,' Blinken said.

Austin said in Poland today after the meeting: 'The first step in winning is believing that you can win. And so they believe that we can win.

Journalists who travelled to Poland with Austin and Blinken were barred from reporting on the trip until it ended, were not allowed to accompany them on their overland journey into Ukraine, and were prohibited from specifying where in south-east Poland they waited for the Cabinet members to return

Austin said that 'the world has been inspired' by Ukraine in the war and that America would continue its support

The meeting was the highest-ranking visit by a US delegation to the war-torn nation since Russia began its invasion 60 days ago

Zelensky in the meeting said he was 'very thankful' for the American aid and particularly praised President Joe Biden for his 'personal support'

US officials said they believed the new assistance would satisfy at least some of the Ukrainians' urgent pleas for more military aid

'We believe that we can win, they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support.

'We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine,' Austin said.

Russia 'has already lost a lot of military capability. And a lot of its troops quite frankly, and we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability,' he said.

For his part, Zelensky in the meeting said he was 'very thankful' for the American aid and particularly praised President Joe Biden for his 'personal support.'

'The priorities are weapons and support from the United States of America and our partners, European leaders, in terms of our army's strength and support in certain areas,' the Ukrainian president said. 'The second issue is the sanctions policy against the Russian Federation because of the full-scale invasion and all the terror they have committed in Ukraine.'

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speak with reporters in Poland near the Ukraine border

Blinken boards a plane to return to Washington today from Poland after the trip to Kyiv yesterday

In giving new military assistance, the US is renewing a diplomatic push in the war-ravaged nation

Sunday's visit also came one day after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed to reopen the British Embassy in Kyiv. The embassy is pictured in January 2022

The three-hour meeting came Sunday, the 60th day since the start of the invasion, as Ukraine pressed the West for more powerful weapons against Russia's campaign in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Moscow's forces sought to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops in the battered port city of Mariupol.

The financing is different from previous U.S. military assistance for Ukraine. It is not a donation of drawn-down U.S. Defense Department stockpiles, but rather cash that countries can use to purchase supplies that they might need.

The new money, along with the sale of $165million in non-U.S. made ammunition that is compatible with Soviet-era weapons the Ukrainians use, brings the total amount of American military assistance to Ukraine to $3.7billion since the invasion.

New artillery, including howitzers, continues to be delivered at a rapid pace to Ukraine's military, which is being trained on its use in neighboring countries, the officials said.

More than 50 Ukrainians are set to complete training on Monday to operate the heavy artillery that Washington has begun sending to Ukraine in recent weeks.

Biden (pictured Friday) will formally nominate an U.S. ambassador to Ukraine on Monday, a post that had remained vacant for more than two years

The visit also revealed that U.S. diplomats will gradually return to Kyiv by initially resume 'day trips' across the border to Lviv in the coming week.

Officials are accelerating planning to return to the Kyiv mission, the State Department official said.

'There's no substitute for that face-to-face engagement, and of course there is a symbolism to being back in the country,' said the official, who briefed reporters in Poland on condition of anonymity.

U.S. diplomats departed the Kyiv embassy nearly two weeks before the Feb. 24 invasion, moving some functions to the western city of Lviv before eventually relocating to Poland.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby (left), US Army lieutenant general John Kolasheski (center) and US Army Major General Christopher LaNeve (right) are pictured speaking with reporters in Poland near the Ukrainian border on Sunday

Blinken and Austin traveled to Poland on Saturday then overland into Ukraine on Sunday, where they met with Zelensky and other top Ukrainian officials, a senior State Department official said, declining to discuss in detail their travel or security arrangements.

Zelensky announced the trip himself during a news conference on Saturday, which U.S. officials said was a contingency they had planned for and did not derail the visit.

Blinken and Austin were expected to have met for about 90 minutes with Zelensky, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and other officials.

Austin will travel on to Germany, where he will host counterparts from more than 20 nations and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the U.S. air base at Ramstein to discuss Ukraine's defense needs, a Pentagon official said.

Blinken and Austin's visit was designed to show Western support for Ukraine, where Russia's invasion has raised fears of further aggression by Moscow.

'It's a very important political symbol and a symbol of uniting for the countries and politicians and nations when our partners go to Ukraine to see by their own eyes what's happened,' Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told CBS News on Sunday, ahead of the visit.

Shmyal had spent the last week meeting with Biden and other lawmakers in Washington D.C.

The American president has made no such-attempt to show solidarity with his own in-person visit, and his press secretary Jen Psaki has said there are no plans for the 79-year-old to travel there.

Despite that, Shmyal said he was encouraged by the backing he received from American lawmakers and his 'main message' for Zelensky was that the 'civilized world is absolutely great to support Ukraine in this situation.'

It also highlighted the shift in the conflict since Ukrainian forces, armed with a massive influx of weapons from the West, successfully repelled a Russian assault on Kyiv.

Russian forces have regrouped to try to capture more territory in the southeastern Donbas region, letting foreign leaders visit the capital and some Western nations resume their diplomatic presence in recent weeks, but Washington has been cautious about a return amid sporadic Russian missile attacks in the west.

Ahead of Sunday's visit, Blinken spoke with U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday to coordinate on the U.N. chief's visits to Moscow and Kyiv.

Shmyhal, during his CBS interview, shared his skepticism about the meeting between Guterres and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

'So many leaders of countries of civilized world, international organization tried to have this negotiation, but it seems that the Russian Federation and Putin are not interested in this negotiation,' Shmyhal said. 'They are interested in other things. They are interested in genocide of Ukrainians.'

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is pictured shaking hands with President Volodymyr Zelensky on April 9, 2022

Sunday's visit also came one day after Boris Johnson vowed to reopen the UK's embassy in Kyiv following the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Ukrainian capital.

In a series of tweets Saturday, the prime minister also said Britain will provide the country with 'further military aid', including armored vehicles.

The Conservative leader then warned Putin's regime that his government will be collecting evidence on potential 'war crimes', saying Russia must be 'held to account'.

He wrote: 'Today I spoke with President @ZelenskyyUa to update him on the latest steps the UK is taking to support Ukraine.

'We are providing further military aid, including protected mobility vehicles. We have issued new sanctions against members of the Russian military.

'We will be reopening our embassy in Kyiv, demonstrating our solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

'And the UK government is helping to collect evidence of war crimes.

'Russia must be held to account for its actions.'

Boris Johnson vowed to re-open the UK embassy in Kyiv while warning Putin his regime will be held to account in a series of tweets on Saturday evening

Johnson's voice of support came just hours after Putin launched a search for British SAS forces alleged to be fighting in Ukraine.

The Kremlin's Investigative Committee (IC) said Saturday it was investigating British special forces who are thought to be in the western Lviv region.

Putin's personal CIA said it will look into 'the facts of the activities of British SAS saboteurs in Ukrainian regions,' according to state-controlled outlet RIA Novosti.

The IC claimed that 'at least two groups of specialists in sabotage and guerrilla warfare from the British Special Air Service (SAS) have been sent to the Lviv region'.

An IC source claimed SAS operatives in Ukraine 'are specialists in sabotage and partisan activities, recruiting and training agents to work in hostile territory'.

Russia appears to base its investigation on information allegedly received from captured Ukrainian troops.

The SAS is 'considered one of the most highly qualified in the world in organizing coups d'etat, mass protest rallies, contract killings of political figures, recruiting agents, including those in the highest echelons of power, and preparing terrorist attacks', said the RIA Novosti report.

'This is no ordinary special force - these are intellectuals, in each group there is always an ideologist, you can say a professor, and the rest are particular specialists,' said a Russian law enforcement source.

The report claimed that the SAS often work in war zones under cover of medical workers.

'With a high degree of probability, these specialists arrived in order to improve the skills and efficiency of the Ukrainian special services in coordinating the activities of sabotage groups in the territories of Ukraine controlled by Russian troops,' said the IC source.

The committee is headed by Russia's top criminal investigator, Alexander Bastrykin, who was a university classmate of Putin's.
James Stunt, the ex-husband of heiress Petra Ecclestone, has arrived at court today where he will go on trial accused of money laundering and forgery.

He is appearing in the dock at Leeds Crown Court where he has denied depositing cash in the account of Bradford gold dealer Fowler Oldfield between January 2014 and September 2016.

Stunt is on trial with seven other defendants this afternoon. Five others will go on trial at a later date.

Bernie Ecclestone's former son-in-law James Stunt arrives with his girlfriend Helena Robinson for his Leeds Crown Court trial begins today

Stunt is one of 13 people charged with money laundering linked to Bradford-based gold merchant Fowler Oldfield

Stunt has denied money laundering and forgery charges. He is on trial with seven others today

The defendant, who is on bail, married Ms Ecclestone, daughter of F1 tycoon Bernie Ecclestone, in Italy in 2011

The defendant, who is on bail, married Ms Ecclestone, daughter of F1 tycoon Bernie Ecclestone, in Italy in 2011. They had three children together but divorced in 2017.

Stunt arrived at court this morning with his girlfriend, Helena Robinson, ahead of the court case.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman previously said: 'The CPS has made a decision to charge James Stunt with offences of money laundering contrary to section 327 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and forgery contrary to section one of Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, following an investigation by West Yorkshire Police.'

Stunt has strenuously denied the claims ahead of today's trial.

His legal team, commenting in May 2020 said: 'Our client denies any criminality and will be contesting the charges.'

Stunt later told his 90,000 followers on Instagram: 'So what's the headline? "A man they have arrested got charged with money laundering?" I will be tendering a defence.

'I hope this goes to trial and you can explain how James Stunt, the biggest clueless guy ever, is not a money launderer.

'I have to now prove my innocence, and I won't just use my photographic memory.

'James Stunt is prosecuted for money laundering  this is the biggest miscarriage of justice.'
A military service dog that saw his fair share of action braved the cold to appear with his fellow Anzacs at a dawn service ceremony.

The 14-year-old Belgian shepherd named Jeep joined his loyal handler Lauren Marshall who woke the pooch up on Monday morning to visit the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance for their first Anzac Day memorial service since the onset of the Covid pandemic two years ago.

Old Jeep was dressed to the nines in a smart coat decorated with his medal for six years of service in the Royal Australian Air Force.

Old Jeep was dressed to the nines for the Anzac Day Dawn Service in a smart coat decorated with his medal for six years of service in the Royal Australian Air Force

He also wore a purple poppy for the brave animals that have died while fighting for Australia.

Ms Marshall told ABC it's vital that Aussies also honour and respect the animals that have played a role in past conflicts.

'It was extremely important to come down here, Jeep is approaching the end of his life,' she said.

'Sometimes I feel like they're not recognised as much as they deserve to be.'

14-year-old Belgian shepherd military dog Jeep was accompanied by his fellow RAAF servicewoman Lauren Marshall (pictured together)

Ms Marshall said her and Jeep (pictured together) had grown close while working together and was glad to see him enjoying some love at the Dawn Service

The dog handler who said she likes to spend Anzac Day supporting veterans and remembering the friends she's lost through the years, added that it's also important to share the day with Jeep so he can be recognised for his 'hard work'.

Hundreds of thousands of animals have lost their lives during various wars for Australia.

Horses were the most recognised animals used by the military during WWI and WWII but there were also thousands of dogs, pigeons, camels and donkeys that served. Many lost their lives.

Jeep has been recognised for his hard work in helping to search for the missing MH370 plane, shot down by Russian separatist forces in Ukraine during 2014.

Six Australians were on board the doomed flight.

Jeep has been recognised for helping to search for the missing MH370 airplane in 2014

Ms Marshall said her and Jeep had grown close while working together and that she was glad to see him enjoying some love at the Dawn Service.

'As soon as they see him they're drawn to him, they want to pat him and ask questions and want to know what he's done and what we've done and what his medal is for,' she said.

'I'm just thrilled I was able to keep my promise, and give him the life he deserves.'
Russia has thwarted a plot to assassinate one of the Kremlin's chief propagandists, Vladimir Putin claimed today.

Putin said his security services thwarted a 'terrorist group' plotting to kill a 'notable Russian TV journalist', before state media announced the target was Vladimir Solovyov and claimed the plotters were 'neo-Nazis' acting on orders from Kyiv.

FSB agents arrested members of the group Monday, state news agency RIA Novosti claimed, while seizing bombs, Molotov cocktails, handguns, a rifle, and grenades.

The announcement came just hours after Solovyov appeared on his regular Sunday night talk show to threaten the West with nuclear weapons.

Vladimir Putin and Russian state media today claimed the FSB had foiled a plot to assassinate Vladimir Solovyov - a prominent state propagandist

'On the subject of us using nuclear weapons,' Solovyov told his viewers, 'let me remind them of the phrase used by our supreme commander-in-chief...

'"Why do we need a world in which there is no Russia?"

'So if anyone thinks we're bluffing, they should pay attention to the behaviour of our supreme commander. He never bluffs.'

Addressing state prosecutors on Monday morning about priorities for the courts amid his invasion of Ukraine, Putin brought up the assassination plot.

'This morning, the Federal Security Service stopped the activities of a terrorist group that planned to attack and kill one famous Russian TV journalist,' Putin said.

'They have moved to terror - to preparing the murder of our journalists.'

A short time later, state news wire RIA Novosti published an article identifying Solovyov as the intended target.

Ukraine's State Security Service says it had no plans to assassinate Solovyov.

According to state media, the FSB had 'detained a group of members of the [banned] neo-Nazi terrorist organization National Socialism / White Power.

Russian state media said the plot had been orchestrated from Kyiv, as Putin accused Ukraine of threatening journalists (Putin pictured with Solovyov in 2013)

Solovyov has been one of the leading voices of Russia's information war against Ukraine, pushing Kremlin narratives of a 'special military operation' to 'de-Nazify' the country (file)

During searches, police seized explosive devices, eight Molotov cocktails, six pistols, a swan-off rifle, a grenade and more than a thousand rounds of ammunition.

State media also claimed to have uncovered drugs, fake Ukrainian passports, and Ukrainian nationalist literature.

RIA said the arrested men - acting on order from Kyiv - had plotted to kill Solovyov before fleeing overseas.

The channel did not say where exactly the arrests took place, or how many people were arrested in total.

Solovyov has been one of the Kremlin's leading voices in the information war against Ukraine - pushing Putin's narrative of a 'special military operation' to 'de-Nazify' the country on the Russian public after independent media was largely shut down.

Alongside the likes of foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, spokesman Maria Zakharova, and UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya, he has also led denials that Russian troops are targeting Ukrainian civilians.

According to their accounts, atrocities are being carried out by Ukraine and its Western allies as 'provocations' that are being blamed on Russia to justify further military action.

Solovyov has denied reports that Russia is targeting Ukrainian civilians (pictured) while also threatening the West with nukes

In recent weeks, Solovyov also also broken with the Kremlin line in order to castigate the military for the loss of warship Moskva and to say that war with Ukraine is not enough - and that soon Russia will be fighting the whole of NATO.

Speaking on April 20, two days after the Moskva sank, Solovyov declared: 'I believe the special operation is entering a new phase.

'Ukrainians alone are no longer enough. Now they're talking about NATO countries - supplying de-facto their own weapons.

'We'll see not only NATO's weapons being drawn into this but also their operators.

'De-facto we're starting to wage war against NATO countries. We'll be grinding up NATO's war machine as well as citizens of NATO countries.'

As news of the Solovyov 'assassination plot' broke on Monday, the US confirmed it is sending another $700million shipment of military aid to Ukraine so that it can 'win the fight' against Russia.

It came after Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin paid a personal visit to Kyiv to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky.

Speaking from Poland after the meeting, Austin told reporters: We want to see Russia weakened to the degree it cannot do the kind things that it has done [to] Ukraine.'
Boris Johnson lashed out at the Tory who likened Angela Rayner to Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct today, saying whoever was behind the 'sexist, misogynist tripe' would suffer 'the terrors of the earth' if identified.

The Prime Minister lashed out amid controversy over the anonymous Conservative backbencher who accused Labour's deputy leader of putting the PM off at Prime Minister's Questions by crossing and uncrossing her legs.

A Conservative MP suggested Ms Rayner likes to distract the Prime Minister when he is at the despatch box by deploying a Parliamentary equivalent of Sharon Stone's infamous police interview scene in the 1992 erotic thriller.

They said Ms Rayner 'knows she can't compete with Boris's Oxford Union debating training, but she has other skills which he lacks'.

On the election trail in Bury today, Mr Johnson was asked whether there was a cultural problem in Parliament.

He told reporters: 'It's hard to say on the basis of that particular story. But I have to say I thought it was the most appalling load of sexist, misogynist tripe.

'I immediately got in touch with Angela and we had a very friendly exchange.

'If we ever find who is responsible for it, I don't know what we will do, but they will be the terrors of the earth. It's totally intolerable, that kind of thing.'

The Prime Minister lashed out amid controversy over the anonymous Conservative backbencher who accused Labour's deputy leader of putting the PM off at Prime Minister's Questions by crossing and uncrossing her legs.

Mr Johnson said he had been in contact with Ms Rayner regarding to comments, and vowed to take action against the perpetrator

A Conservative MP suggested Ms Rayner likes to distract the Prime Minister when he is at the despatch box by deploying a Parliamentary equivalent of Sharon Stone's infamous police interview scene in the 1992 erotic thriller.

On the election trail in Bury today, Mr Johnson was asked whether there was a cultural problem in Parliament. He told reporters: 'It's hard to say on the basis of that particular story. But I have to say I thought it was the most appalling load of sexist, misogynist tripe.

The claims, first reported in the Mail on Sunday, were condemned as 'categorically untrue' by Ashton-under-Lyne MP Ms Rayner, who also hit out at 'perverted smears'.

'Boris Johnson's cheerleaders have resorted to spreading desperate, perverted smears in their doomed attempts to save his skin,' she said on Twitter.

'They know exactly what they are doing. The lies they are telling.'

She accused the PM of 'dragging the Conservative Party into the sewer' and claimed the 'anonymous Tory MPs doing his bidding are complicit'.

'He and his cheerleaders clearly have a big problem with women in public life,' she added.

'They should be ashamed of themselves. I won't be letting their vile lies deter me. Their attempts to harass and intimidate me will fail.'

As well as the PM's intervention, Ms Rayner won further support from across Westminster - including among Labour colleagues, other opposition parties and political journalists.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer this morning called for an end to the 'misogynist' culture at Westminster.

Sir Keir told ITV's This Morning there would be 'zero tolerance' for such attitudes in his own party.

'It is rank sexism, rank misogyny. She was really disgusted that all of her political attributes were put aside for this ridiculous, offensive story,' he said.

'She shouldn't have to put up with it but all women in politics shouldn't have to put up with it. Almost every woman in politics has had an element of this in some shape or form.

'We have got to change the culture. The culture in Parliament, it is sexist, it is misogynist. We need to change it.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer this morning called for an end to the 'misogynist' culture at Westminster

Technology minister Chris Philp has said that if the Tory MP responsible for misogynistic comments about Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner is identified they will face 'serious consequences'.

Mr Philp said he expected efforts would be made to find out who spoke to The Mail on Sunday political editor Glen Owen but suggested the chances of success were limited.

'I think that if anyone is identified having views like those that were expressed, which are just outrageous and misogynistic, then I would expect serious consequences to follow,' he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

'I expect efforts will be made to identify who is responsible for those views. But journalists fiercely guard their sources and I doubt Glen Owen will be volunteering that information.

'I think there is ongoing, active work to make sure anyone holding offensive views, including the misogyny we saw demonstrated over the weekend, is called out and action is taken.'
A doctor who ran an online clinic for transgender children failed to provide some follow-up care, a medical tribunal has found.

Dr Helen Webberley, the founder of website GenderGP, was accused of failing to provide good clinical care in 2016 to three patients, aged 11, 12 and 17, who were transitioning from female to male.

But a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) panel found 83 of the allegations made by the General Medical Council (GMC) against the doctor were not proved.

In a determination of facts, handed down on Friday, the panel found 36 allegations, including failing to provide adequate follow-up care to a 12-year-old who was prescribed testosterone, were proved.

The panel did not find that testosterone was inappropriate for use in children of that age.

The tribunal found that, at the time of the allegations, transgender healthcare was 'an evolving medical discipline' and opinion among experts was divided.

Tribunal chairman Angus Macpherson said: 'The tribunal finds that the reluctance of the Endocrine Society and others to embrace enlightened views of transgenderism is symptomatic of the tendency in all professions to be slow to move with the times.

Dr Helen Webberley was accused of failing to provide good clinical care to three child patients and inappropriately prescribing to two other patients

Dr Webberley (pictured at court in 2018) moved Gender GP to Malaga in Spain in May 2019

'This inertia in respect to medical attitudes to transgenderism mirrors past attitudes to homosexuality, which was classified by the APA as a mental illness until the 1973 edition of their DMS.'

Mr Macpherson said Dr Webberley may have been considered as being 'at the vanguard' of the evolving approach to transgender healthcare.

He said at the time of the allegations there was 'immense pressure' on the NHS England Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) and some service users were 'left in a state of desperation' so it was 'hardly surprising' some patients sought out Dr Webberley as an alternative.

The tribunal, which began hearing evidence in July last year, was shown emails from the mother of Patient A after his prescription of testosterone ran out in which she said she had attempted to contact Dr Webberley and received no reply.

Puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones were dispensed to parents of transgender children by Clear Chemist in Liverpool, using online prescriptions issued by a private overseas clinic not subject to UK regulatory requirements (file photo)

In later emails, she said the patient was suffering from chronic depression.

The tribunal found: 'The correspondence cited above between August 2016 and February 2017 demonstrates that, notwithstanding the anguish which Mrs A and Patient A were experiencing, Dr Webberley did not deliver follow-up care to Patient A in respect of psychosocial monitoring, or in fact physical monitoring and laboratory testing.

'Had she instituted a review system at the outset, she would not have been dependent upon Patient A or his mother requesting a review. If she was not going to arrange it herself, it was incumbent upon her to arrange for it to be provided by another.'

It also found she breached an obligation to arrange review consultations for Patient B, a 17-year-old, after prescribing testosterone treatment.

Dr Webberley, from Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, Wales, was convicted in 2018 of running an independent medical agency without being registered.

A decision on whether Dr Webberley's fitness to practise is impaired because of her misconduct or conviction is still to be determined.

The hearing is expected to reconvene in June.
The University of Waterloo has an opening for a tenure track assistant professor specializing in science and engineering - but men need not apply.

According to a listing from the Canadian university last month, the position is available only to women, or 'qualified individuals who self-identify as women, transgender, non-binary, or two-spirit' - a gender-variant derived from Native American culture.

Men, meanwhile, will not be considered, the school says.

The assistant professor role in the school's Natural Science and Engineering Research division would pay between $90,000 and $120,000 a year, according to the ad.

'Negotiations beyond this salary range will be considered for exceptionally qualified candidates,' the post then notes.

According to the listing posted by the Canadian University, the position is only available to women, or 'qualified individuals who self-identify as women, transgender, non-binary, or two-spirit' - a gender-variant derived from Native American culture

Men will not be considered for the Assistant Professor position the school says - especially if they are white

In the listing, the school asks applicants to fill out a self-identification form to ensure that they fall into one of the four categories, in an effort to 'address the underrepresentation of individuals from equity deserving groups among our Canada Research Chairs.'

'Because this is a special opportunity for a specific member of the four designated groups, applicant self-identification information will be used for the purposes of screening and consideration,' the university said.

'As such, this opportunity is open only to individuals who self-identify as women, transgender, non-binary, or two-spirit.'

The stipulations from school brass may come as a surprise to some, as the university, which has a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario, and three more satellite campuses in the province, is a public institution, meaning policies that discriminate based on gender are prohibited.

'However,' the ad asserts that school officials can circumvent that policy by implementing 'special programs' under the Ontario Human Rights Code, 'designed to help people who experience hardship, economic disadvantage, inequality or discrimination.'

The school said those who self-identify as women, transgender, non-binary or two-spirit fit that criteria.

The successful applicant would join the school's Natural Science and Engineering Research division in an Assistant Professor's role - a position that would pay between $90,000 and $120,000 a year, according to the ad

'The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff,' the post reads. Applications were being accepted between March 21 and April 22.

'As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as Indigenous peoples,' the listing states.

'Two-spirit,' a gender-variant associated Native American culture, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, describes 'male, female, and sometimes intersexed individuals who combined activities of both men and women with traits unique to their status as two-spirit people,' the agency writes.

The term also may refer to 'same-sex attraction and a wide variety of gender variance, including people who might be described in Western culture as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, gender queer, cross-dressers or who have multiple gender identities,' the site states.

Users on social media were quick to question the legality of the listing.

'"Even though the University of Waterloo is a public institution that prohibits discrimination based on gender, it can implement special programs,"' one user wrote, quoting a piece from Fox News that reported on the post.

'Is this not a double [standard]?' the tweet remarked. 'Tenure should stop altogether.'

Users on social media were quick to question the legality of the listing, which circumvents federal laws that prohibit public schools from implementing policies that put a bias on gender

Another exclaimed that the university 'has gone woke,' with someone else complaining the Canadian college had 'taken Bidens affirmative action even farther' with their 'special programs' hiring search.

The listing is not the first from the Canadian public school, which nixed 49 of its staff last month over required vaccine mandates, to put a premium on candidates from underrepresented backgrounds.

Late last year, staffers engaged in an 'Black Faculty Cluster Hire'; school brass advertised 20 track tenure professor positions reserved for black and indigenous applicants.

'All applicants to this cluster hiring opportunity must self-identify as black in their cover letter,' staffers wrote on the school's website advertising the campaign.

'Because this is a special opportunity restricted to self-identified black candidates, applicant self-identification information will be used for the purposes of screening and consideration.'

In both instances, university brass allowed applicants who 'self-identify' as members of the marginalized groups to apply. However, it is not clear what level of proof the university requires.

Recent studies have illustrated an increase in such self-identifications on applications - and consequently, an increase in applications that contain false claims concerning an applicant's background.

One survey conducted last October by college admission tracker Intelligent found that more than a third of white students falsely claimed minority status on college applications.

The study also found that half of the 1,250 white college applicants claimed Native American status.

Meanwhile, 77 percent - more than three-quarters of the sample set - of students who lied about their race were accepted by the schools they applied for.

Late last month, University of Waterloo brass announced the school had terminated 49 of its staff, including at least one professor, over the school's COVID-19 proof of vaccination requirement.

The school asserted that the 'vast majority' of those fired were non-faculty members.

'We have an obligation under the Heath and Safety Act to protect our employees, and the employees have the obligation to comply,' said Nick Manning, vice-president of university relations. 'All of those who weren't able to be compliant after progressive measures faced the ultimate result of termination.'

The progressive measures mentioned by the staffer included both paid and unpaid leave.

In late March, the school announced it would suspend its proof of vaccination requirement for entry onto campuses on May 1.

University officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment concerning the prospective professorship Monday morning.
A boutique owner has been threatened with legal action by global fashion retailer Zara over claims her brand is 'identical' to theirs.

The multi-billion pound fashion giant, which has stores across the globe, claims Amber Kotrri's House of Zana, which specialises in handmade kimonos, 'dilutes the distinctiveness and reputation of the Zara brand'.

Zara is objecting to Mrs Kotrri's trademark application and the use of the name 'House of Zana', claiming it is 'conceptually identical' to theirs and that the average customer will likely confuse the brand with that of Zara.

In a letter sent to Mrs Kottri Zara says there is a risk 'consumers will misread, mishear, mispronounce and/or otherwise perceive House of Zana as ZARA' and that the brand name 'dilutes the distinctiveness and reputation of the ZARA brand'.

Mrs Kottri said her company, in Darlington, County Durham, poses no threat to the fashion giant but Zara could destroy everything she has worked so hard for.

Amber Kotrii (left) of House of Zana, has been threatened by fashion giant Zara over the name of her boutique (pictured alongside business partner Erin Harper of Rejoy)

The Darlington shop was set up in 2018, originally running as an online store

Zara has said Mrs Kotrii's shop's name is 'conceptually identical' to theirs and want her to change it

House of Zana offers high end clothes with a focus on sustainability

She said: 'Our name is very meaningful and personal to us and poses no commercial threat to the multi-billion dollar apparel company ZARA, and their massive market.'

Zara has since urged Mrs Kotrri to remove all branding and change her business name, but she is determined to fight her corner and maintain her brand, saying it would cause 'irreparable damage to our small and loved business.'

Having initially launched her business online in 2018, House of Zana specialises in ethically sourced and sustainable, high-quality clothing.

The success of its concept store in Grange Road, Darlington, has seen it expand into Teesside Airport and reach a global audience online.

The former Art and Design student plays a pivotal role in the daily operation, from designing clothing to selecting fabrics.

Meanwhile, the word Zana means 'fairy' in Albanian - the country where the company was born and has a manufacturing studio.

While 'Zara' and 'Zana' are only a letter apart, they both have different meanings

Mrs Kotrii says she does not believe people would confuse her brand and Zara

Mrs Kotrri said she will be representing herself in court when a hearing is held next month

Mrs Kotrri added: 'We don't believe anyone has or will confuse House of Zana with Zara. We're a small business that specialises in handmade kimonos.

'We have one small concept store in the North East of England and a website to help promote our products, whereas Zara is a globally renowned fashion brand with over 2,000 retail stores worldwide and a massive collection of products.

'There is no risk of confusing us with Zara, so why should a corporate giant be allowed to stop a small business from using a name that isn't at all similar to theirs and would result in the destruction of our brand?

'We know we are not a threat to them, but they could destroy everything we have worked so hard for.'

Mrs Kotrri first received the letter last year, telling her to change the business name, remove all branding and erase her social media accounts within a month.

The complainant was later revealed to be the household fashion retailer Zara.

'I was really shocked when I found it was them, I couldn't believe it,' Mrs Kotrri said.

'I've spoken to other small businesses in exactly the same position, and they have sent identical letters. It's not just clothing it's anyone with a similar name.'

In 2016, a Barnard Castle business, in County Durham, was forced to change its 'Zara Countrywear' name after being threatened by the same company.

Over the weekend, Mrs Kottri and her firm has received an outpouring of support from independent businesses right across the North East and Europe.

House of Zana is not the first business that Zara has threatened with legal action in order to have a name changed

Meanwhile, she has already confirmed she will be representing herself in court when a hearing is held next month.

She said: 'We have exerted all of our efforts into creating this unique brand, and having just struggled through the pandemic, the last thing we want to do is to be forced to change the brand, remove all labels that are sewn into our stock, change our social media names and shop front.

'This would cause irreparable damage to our small and loved business. We have spent years growing our dream and employing a wonderful team. We have never and still don't see any similarity in House of Zana's name or logo, to Zara's.

'I have built a full team and a life for myself and they can just take it away from me.

'It's the name I've built up and everyone knows us because of that - how can I just change that?'

An Inditex spokesperson, the owner of Zara, said: 'We have opposed the House of Zana trade mark application at this early stage because of its similarity to Zaras brand name.

'We wish the business every success and we continue to make efforts to reach the business directly so we can resolve the situation amicably.'
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The elderly mother of Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio joined the calls to stay her execution on Monday morning in an 11th hour appeal to Governor Greg Abbott.

Lucio, 53, is due to be executed on April 27th for the 2007 death of her baby daughter Mariah. She told police at the time that Mariah fell down the stairs and died later as a result of her injuries, but police ruled she was lying.

She made a confession that lawyers and advocates now say was coerced and even the jury that convicted her is calling for a new trial in light of modern day medical evidence.

Despite their efforts and stars like Kim Kardashian and Amanda Knox weighing in to try to stop the execution, the Texas Parole Board is yet to make a decision on her fate. The board is meeting today to determine what should be done.

Ahead of that decision, Lucio's elderly mother Esperanza appeared in an interview with CBS News to beg for her to be spared. Speaking in Spanish, she said: 'The DA's got children of his own. He wouldn't like this to happen to his kids.'

She added that she was optimistic her daughter's execution would not go ahead: 'I have children and they hurt. It hurts for me to lose one of my children She's coming home. I told her she was coming home.'

The Texas Parole Board is due to meet at 1.30pm local time to make a decision. Governor Greg Abbott has not commented.

Melissa Lucio, 53, is due to be executed on April 27th for the 2007 death of her baby daughter Mariah. She told police at the time that Mariah fell down the stairs and died later as a result of her injuries, but police ruled she was lying.

Ahead of the parole board decision, Lucio's elderly mother appeared in an interview with CBS News to beg for her to be spared. Speaking in Spanish, she said: 'The DA's got children of his own. He wouldn't like this to happen to his kids.'

A wave of celebrities and politicians are now weighing in on the case, begging the parole board to reconsider Melissa's sentence

Esperanza bows her head during a vigil at the Basilica Of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle National Shrine, Friday, April 22, 2022, in San Juan, Texas

Melissa Lucio (pictured center) bows her head in prayer during a session with State Representative Jeff Leach in prison this month

Lucio's son also told the network they would be executing an 'innocent woman' if they kill his mother.

Lawyers from the Innocence Project have filed a clemency application to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles which is set to consider her case today by 1.30pm CT.

They will make a recommendation to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott who has until Wednesday 6pm to intervene in what would be the first Latina ever executed by Texas and the first woman the state has put to death since 2014.

Lucio, who has been in custody since 2007, maintains that Mariah died from injuries sustained during a fall down a flight of stairs even though she confessed to hurting Mariah at the time

If they do not recommend clemency, all he can do is postpone the execution by 30 days, during which her legal team will have to reconsider their options.

Separately, Lucio's legal team are pursuing two last-ditch attempts to spare her life.

They filed several motions in the Texas Supreme Court of Appeals which could stop the death sentence at any point before Wednesday.

The Cameron County District Attorney's office is also yet to rule on a motion to withdraw the execution which had been filed in February.

Her lawyers say new evidence shows that Mariah's injuries, including a blow to the head, were caused by a fall down a steep staircase, and nearly half of the jurors who sentenced her have called for her execution to be halted and demanded a retrial.

Lawmakers and celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, an advocate for criminal justice reform, and Amanda Knox - an American who was convicted of murdering a British student in Italy and whose conviction was overturned - have rallied to Lucio's cause.

A bipartisan group of 100 Texas lawmakers have been pushing for the parole board and governor to spare her life.

Last week, a few of them joined Lucio for a prayer session in prison.

Prosecutors, though, maintain that the girl was the victim of child abuse.

In addition to the blunt-force injury to her head that was determined to have killed her, Mariah's body was found to have bruises, scratches, and a bite mark on her back, leading investigators to believe that Mariah had been killed, and suspecting Lucio of the crime.

Lucio's attorneys say her capital murder conviction was based on an unreliable and coerced confession that was the result of relentless questioning and her long history of sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

State Reps. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, left to right, Brad Buckley, R-Killeen, and Jeff Leach, R-Plano, arrive for the Interim Study Committee on Criminal Justice Reform hearing about death row inmate Melissa Lucio at the Capitol. They are all calling for the execution to be stayed

In this 2007 video interview tape, Lucio is shown acting out how she 'beat' Mariah to death. Her attorneys say it was a coerced confession after five hours of interrogation. She was pregnant at the time with twins

Three hours into a late-night interrogation Lucio confessed to police that she had spanked and bitten her daughter - an admission that became the backbone of the case against her

She is set to be executed Wednesday for the death of Mariah (pictured on her lap alongside daughter Adriana)

'This new evidence shows that Ms. Lucio was convicted of a crime that never occurred,' the 242-page writ of habeas corpus says.

'Ms. Lucio asserted her innocence more than 100 times, but police refused to accept any response that was not an admission of guilt - suggesting to Ms. Lucio that the interrogation would not stop unless she told them what they wanted to hear,' the filing reads.

They say Lucio wasn't allowed to present evidence questioning the validity of her confession.

Her lawyers also contend that unscientific and false evidence misled jurors into believing Mariah's injuries only could have been caused by physical abuse and not by medical complications from a severe fall.

'I knew that what I was accused of doing was not true.

'My children have always been my world and although my choices in life were not good I would have never hurt any of my children in such a way,' Lucio wrote in a letter to Texas lawmakers.

The Innocence Project say that Lucio's lifelong history as a victim of sexual and domestic abuse made her particularly susceptible to confessing to things she never did

Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz, whose office prosecuted the case, has said he disagrees with Lucio's lawyers' claims that new evidence would exonerate her.

Prosecutors say Lucio had a history of drug abuse and at times had lost custody of some of her 14 children.

During her interrogation Lucio initially maintained that Mariah had fallen down the stairs a few days before she became unresponsive, but after about three hours she admitted to spanking and biting Mariah.

'What do you want me to say? I'm responsible for it,' Lucio told Texas Rangers when they pressed her on the bite mark.

The statement became the backbone of the state's case against Mariah, with prosecutors using what they characterized as an admission of child abuse to connect Lucio directly to her daughters death.

Though Lucio never admitted to actually killing Maria or causing fatal-harm, the Cameron County jury found the abuse admissions adequate to find Lucio guilty and deserving of the death penalty.

But advocates of Lucio say that the confession was clearly made and coerced under duress, and that Lucio's longtime history as a victim of sexual and domestic abuse made her especially susceptible to confessing to things she never did - a point which was not made at Lucio's trial because the judge did not allow a psychologist to testify on the subject.

During a sometimes contentious Texas House committee hearing on Lucio's case this month, Saenz initially pushed back on requests to use his power to stop the execution, before later saying he would intervene if the courts didn't act.

'I don't disagree with all the scrutiny this case is getting. I welcome that,' Saenz said.

Armando Villalobos was the county's district attorney when Lucio was convicted in 2008, and Lucio's lawyers allege that he pushed for a conviction to help his reelection bid.

In 2014, Villalobos was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for a bribery scheme related to offering favorable prosecutorial decisions.

More than half the members of the Texas House and Senate have asked that her execution be halted.

A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers traveled this month to Gatesville, where the state houses female death row inmates, and prayed with Lucio.

Five of the 12 jurors who sentenced Lucio and one alternate juror have questioned their decision and asked she get a new trial. And Lucio's cause also has the backing of faith leaders and was featured on HBO's 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.'

Lucio's family and supporters have been traveling throughout Texas and holding rallies and screenings of a 2020 documentary about her case, The State of Texas vs. Melissa.

Abbott has granted clemency to only one death row inmate since taking office in 2015.

Abbott commuted a death sentence to life without parole for Thomas 'Bart' Whitaker, who was convicted of fatally shooting his mother and brother. Whitaker's father was also shot but survived and led the effort to spare his son's life.

It's rare in the U.S. for a woman to be executed, according to the Washington-based Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit that opposes capital punishment.

Women have accounted for only 3.6 per cent of the more than 16,000 confirmed executions in the U.S. dating back to the colonial period in the 1600s, according to the group's data.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, there have been 17 women executed throughout the nation, according to the data.

Texas has put more women to death - six - than any other state. Oklahoma is next, with three, and Florida has executed two.

The federal government has executed one woman since 1976. Lisa Montgomery, of Kansas, received a lethal injection in January 2021 after the Trump administration resumed executions in the federal system following a 17-year hiatus.

The Justice Department has halted executions again under the Biden administration.

After reading about Lucio's case, Kardashian tweeted: '[Lucio] has been on death row for over 14 years for her daughter's death that was a tragic accident.

'Her 2-year-old daughter Mariah fell down a flight of stairs and two days later passed away while taking a nap.

'After she called for help, she was taken into custody by the police. [Lucio] is a survivor of abuse and domestic violence herself and after being interrogated for hours and falsely pleaded guilty.

'She wanted the interrogation to be stopped, but police made her words out to be a confession.'

'She is scheduled to be executed on April 27 in Texas,' the reality star added, as she urged the public to sign a petition by the Innocent Project in an effort to press Governor Abbott to stop Lucio's execution.
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 2 members were killed and 10 others were wounded, in an attack carried out by ISIS mercenaries during the past hours on the sites of "17th Division" of Damascus government forces and "Al-Qatirji" groups in the vicinity of Al-Kharata oil field in western desert of Deir al-Zor.

The attack coincided with violent clashes taking place between ISIS mercenaries and Damascus government forces in "Ghanem al-Ali" desert in eastern countryside of Raqqa.

The death toll since the beginning of 2022 within the desert, according to observatory's documentation, has reached 179 dead: 95 ISIS mercenaries were killed by Russian air strikes that targeted areas where they were hiding in separate areas of the desert of Homs, Al-Swaydaa, Hama, Raqqa, Deir al-Zor and Aleppo.

In addition to 84 members of Damascus government forces and groups loyal to it, they were killed in 32 operations of ISIS mercenaries in separate areas of the Desert, which took place through ambushes, armed attacks and bombings in west of the Euphrates, Deir al-Zor, Raqqa, Homs, Al-Swaydaa, Hama and Aleppo.

Sh-S

ANHA
Black Lives Matter PAC burned through nearly all of its $116,000 cash reserves in just the first three months of 2022 - paying the most significant chunk to a firm owned by a BLM board member.

Bowers Consulting Firm, a company run by BLM board member Shalomyah Bowers, was the highest-paid BLM PAC vendor during the first quarter of 2022, having received $45,000 from the PAC for 'strategic consulting services,' the Washington Examiner reported.

Two additional law firms also received a large portion of the funds. Democratic lawyer Marc Elias, received $8,000 for legal services and the Perkins Coie law firm received $8,350 for compliance services.

By the end of the first quarter in March, BLM PAC had just $19,750 in the bank, the Washington Examiner reported. This was after raising $80,000 and spending $116,000 during that time, according to a filing submitted to the Federal Election Commission on Friday.

BLM PAC is affiliated with the BLM Global Network Foundation, the national BLM group under months of mounting criticism over its use of charitable funds, its lack of financial transparency and most recently, using millions of those charitable dollars on luxury mansions.

Bowers Consulting Firm, a company run by BLM board member Shalomyah Bowers (pictured), was the highest-paid BLM PAC vendor during the first quarter of 2022, having received $45,000 from the PAC for 'strategic consulting services'

Since the beginning of 2021, the organization has siphoned away nearly 94 percent of its cash reserves, according to the filing.

'BLM PAC's donors would be surprised to know their contributions are being paid to BLM insiders and consultants rather than electing their favorite candidates for the mid-term elections,' Paul Kamenar, counsel to watchdog group the National Legal and Policy Center, told the Washington Examiner.

Concerns over the group's finances have swirled for years with BLM coming under intense scrutiny in the past.

In February 2022, the group stopped online fundraising following a demand by the California attorney general to show where millions in donations received in 2020 went.

The group said the 'shutdown' was short term while any 'issues related to state fundraising compliance' were addressed.

The group's co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, had stepped down as executive director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation in May 2021 amid scrutiny of $3 million in real estate that she owned. She demanded people 'understand the enormous pressure and fear that comes with living under the constant threat of white supremacist terror and real threats on my life.'

After the purchase of a multi-million dollar mansion was fully exposed earlier this month in an article by New York Magazine, Cullors fired back in a lengthy Instagram post of her own, denouncing saying it was both a 'racist and sexist attack' on the organization.

The property was bought for almost $6million in cash in October 2020 with funds that had been donated to BLMGNF (Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation), the magazine reported.

'That fact that a reputable publication would allow a reporter, with a proven and very public bias against me and other Black leaders, to write a piece filled with misinformation, innuendo and incendiary opinions, is disheartening and unacceptable,' she stated.

Cullors called the report 'a despicable abuse of a platform that's intended to provide truthful information to the public.'

Patrisse Cullors (pictured) co-founded BLM in July 2013. In September 2020, Cullors signed documents with Thousand Currents transferring $66.5 million into BLM's accounts. She left BLM in May 2021

The organization also criticized the original New Yorker article, pictured above, describing it as 'inflammatory and speculative'

The organization responded to the reports in a lengthy Twitter feed with the group noting that more 'transparency' was required going forward.

'There have been a lot of questions surrounding recent reports about the purchase of Creator's House in California. Despite past efforts, BLMGNF recognizes that there is more work to do to increase transparency and ensure transitions in leadership are clear,' it stated.

BLM then proceeded to blame the media for the furor and the 'inflammatory and speculative' reports that saw journalists probing the group's financials saying that it 'caused harm'

The reports 'do not reflect the totality of the movement,' the organization claimed.

'We know narratives like this cause harm to organizers doing brilliant work across the country and these reports do not reflect the totality of the movement,' one of the tweets reads. 'We apologize for the distress this has caused to our supporters and those who work in service of Black liberation daily.'

'We are redoubling our efforts to provide clarity about BLMGNF's work,' noting an 'internal audit' was underway together with 'tightening compliance operations and creating a new board to help steer to the organization to its next evolution.'

BLM brass, including founders (from left) Patrisse Cullors and Alicia Garza, and LA faction founder Melina Abdullah, allegedly laid out $6 million to buy a 6,500-square-foot Southern California mansion (seen in background). Emails show the firm wanted to keep it secret, despite filming a video on its patio in May (pictured) - an incident officials in emails called a 'hole' in story given to the paper

Cullors, 38, came under fire last year for a slew of high-profile property purchases. She resigned after facing backlash from critics and supporters. BLM brass assert the latest purchase is above board, despite internal emails showing members attempting to cover up its existence when confronted with real estate records detailing the purchase

The video, posted in June, shows Cullors (not pictured) enjoying a ritzy brunch outside the estate with fellow officials Alicia Garza and Melina Abdullah, who have both since left the organization

BLM attempted to justify the purchase of the mansion by saying it was made to encourage 'Black creativity' with the property 'a space for Black folks to share their gifts with the world and hone their crafts as we see it.'

The organization also went on to defend how the funds the group raised were spent including the $3 million used for 'COVID relief' and a further $25 million dollars to black-led organizations.

'We are embracing this moment as an opportunity for accountability, healing, truth-telling, and transparency. We understand the necessity of working intentionally to rebuild trust so we can continue forging a new path that sustains Black people for generations,' the group wrote.

The barrage of tweets, which notably had their comments turned off, ended with the group announcing it was 'embracing this moment as an opportunity for accountability, healing, truth-telling, and transparency' and 'working intentionally to rebuild trust.'

In a letter issued to BLM Monday, the California Department of Justice also accused the charity of failing to submit its annual financial reports and alleged it was in delinquent status

Dyane Pascall, president of the Conscious Capital Investment Enterprise real estate company and a former employ of Cullors, bought the LA property from televangelists Shawn and Cherie Bolz in 2016, according to property records.

The purchase came days after BLMGNF received an injection of $66.5 million in donations that had flooded in from around the globe after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis policeman.

Shawn Bolz (left) said he sold the house for $3.1 million. Dyane Pascall (right), who worked for Cullors's consultancy, purchased it in 2016.

The organization allegedly hoped to keep the house's existence a secret - despite three of its former leaders reportedly filming a series of videos dining and drinking champagne outside the estate last spring, New York Magazine reported.

Documents and internal communications reportedly reveal the luxury property was handled in ways that 'blur boundaries' between charitable use and those that would benefit some of the organization's leaders - including Cullors, who shared video in June of her enjoying a ritzy brunch outside the estate with fellow officials Alicia Garza and Melina Abdullah, who have both since left the organization.

When contacted by New York Magazine for comment regarding the property's existence, officials seemingly attempted to make the story go away.

The magazine said it learned of the estate through a source from within the firm, who had access to the BLM leaders' internal emails.

Black Lives Matter secretly used $6 million in donations to buy luxurious 6,500-square foot mansion with seven bedrooms and parking for 20 cars in Southern California in 2020

The home features six bedrooms and a pool in the back. BLM claimed the home was bought to provide a safe house for 'black creativity' but had allegedly tried to hide the home's existence

Internal memos from BLM revealed the group wanted to keep the purchase secret, despite filming a video on the home's patio in May

The Studio City home - which sits on a three-quarter-acre lot - boasts more than half-dozen bedrooms and bathrooms, a 'butler's pantry' in the kitchen (pictured)

Cullors said in a statement that she never lived in the property, but she did not attempt to explain the price.

Cullors also noted that BLM will release its 990s  forms that tax-exempt nonprofits file to the IRS  very soon.

'I do not own the property, have never lived there and made that clear to the reporter,' she said.

'I want to be clear: While I will always see myself as a part of the BLM community, I am no longer in leadership and I am not a part of any decision-making processes within the foundation.

'I have never misappropriated funds, and it pains me that so many people have accepted that narrative without the presence of tangible truth or facts.

'Nevertheless, this will soon be made clear upon the release of the BLM 990s.'

Every organization that has been recognized as tax exempt by the IRS has to file Form 990 every year, unless they make less than $200,000 in revenue and have less than $500,000 in assets.

BLMGFN has never submitted a 990, according to ProPublica's database, Nonprofit Explorer.

The foundation emerged as part of the Black Lives Matter movement, which itself began in 2013.

The foundation's decision to keep quiet about the house until now, when confronted, is unusual for a supposedly charitable - and tax-exempt - organization such as BLM, and it is one that leaves the organization open to further critique and scrutiny, nonprofit expert Jacob Harold told New York Magazine.

'That's a very legitimate critique,' said Harold, a former CEO of GuideStar and the co-founder of Candid, an information service that reports on nonprofits.

The revelation could negatively affect further donations to the foundation, Harold added, as it continues to face scrutiny over its finances.

The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation famously grew into one of the largest international movements against racial injustice in mid-2020 but has now come under intense scrutiny over its finances

Protesters demonstrate on June 2, 2020, during a Black Lives Matter protest in New York City

Earlier this month, a California congressman called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the group over the mansion's purchase.

Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican, said Thursday that now is the time to look into the group's finances, which have been heavily scrutinized as little is known about how it is spending the $90 million on donations raised since the height of the movement in 2020.

Last year, the foundation said it had committed $21.7 million to official and unofficial BLM chapters and its expenses were $8.4 million, leaving around $60 million still unexplained.

'The disturbing information that we are learning is more than enough to warrant an investigation from the DOJ  and doubtless not the end of all there is to know,' Issa told Fox News.

'This definitely has the suggestion of misappropriation of charitable funds and an abuse of our nonprofit laws.'
A North Carolina couple who sent police on a 'wild goose chase' after being arrested in the disappearance of the women's grandmother had their fowl scheme unravel when a pet duck led cops to her decaying body.

Angela Wamsley, 46, and her boyfriend Mark Barnes 50, were arrested in December 2020 on a slew of charges - including fraud, animal cruelty, and drug and weapons possession - following the disappearance of Nellie Sullivan, Wamsley's grandmother.

Sullivan, who suffered from ailing health including dementia, had vanished years before she was determined to be missing in 2020, according to a neighbor.

Cops finally cracked the cold case with more than a bit of luck this month at the couple's former property at 11 Beady Eyed Lane in Candler, 10 miles west of Asheville.

Buncombe County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Mark Walker said they learned about a body when the current residents at the trailer where Wamsley and Barnes once lived were chasing after their pet duck.

'Apparently, the duck ran underneath the trailer ... and as they were chasing after their pet duck, they ran across the container that Nellie Sullivan was located in,' Walker told WLOS.

'If I could give that duck a medal, I would,' Walker quipped.

An autopsy confirmed the body was Sullivan's, Walker said.

Wamsley and Barnes had continued to collect Sullivan's Social Security and retirement benefits while also continuing to fill her prescriptions after she was killed, Walker said.



The couple, who are in prison for previous drug-related convictions, were charged with first-degree murder, according to Buncombe County Sheriff's Office.

Angela Wamsley, 46, was charged on Thursday in North Carolina after Buncombe County Sheriff officials discovered the body of her late grandmother, Nellie Sullivan, under the mobile home she was living with along her boyfriend. Wamsley, who is already in jail for drug-related and animal abuse offenses, was later charged with first-degree murder

Mark Barners, 50, was also charged with murder. He has also been accused of leading police on a 'wild goose chase' when he knew where the victim's body was the entire time

Sullivan had been reportedly living with the couple before her murder.

'After a couple of months she got real sick, and she went into the hospital, and they put her in a nursing home,' neighbor Belinda Moody said at the time, adding that Sullivan had been missing for 'several years.'

'They brought her back and then we didn't see her after that.'

'She was a sweet little, old lady,' Moody added. 'She'd give you the clothes off her back, if she could. She made my daughter a Halloween black cape out of a shower curtain she had. She just was very kind.'

Authorities accused Barnes of leading them on a 'wild goose chase' as they sought to collect evidence in the case. The search made sheriff deputies dig 'for several days in a site that he knew she was not located,' Walker wrote in an arrest report.

Other charges against the couple, who have both been in custody since December 2020, have been spread out across the last two years due to the victim's missing status.

Wamsley was arrested on December 17, 2020, and charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty, unlawfully reconnecting a utility, two counts of abandonment of an animal, possession of a schedule three controlled substance, possession of a drug paraphernalia and possession of a Synthetic Cannabinoid.

'Detectives executed multiple search warrants and seized documents relevant to the case at the onset of the investigation,' the sheriff's office wrote at the time.

Barnes, who had previously been convicted of another felony, was charged with the same crimes, along with two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty instead of one.

He was additionally charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Prior to their arrest, the couple had reportedly been regular heroin consumers for years, according to their neighbors.

Roughly a year later, in December 2021, Barnes was charged with concealing a death. Wamsley was charged with the same offense a month later, in January 2021.

'Since the beginning of this investigation we have sought to locate Ms. Sullivan's remains, afford her the respect she deserved, and restore dignity to the life she once lived,' said Angie Tullis, Captain of the Criminal Investigation Division at the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office.

'We are dedicated to utilizing all available science, technology, and investigative skills necessary for justice to be served in this case,' she added.

Prior to her death, Sullivan had been suffering health issues, including dementia.

'Instead of receiving the care she needed from those that are supposed to love her the most, she received the exact opposite in the worst possible way,' Walker said.

The duck, belonging to the couple, found Sullivan's body under the mobile home of the defendants in a container

Wamsley was also charged with 'assault with a deadly weapon on a Detention Officer at the Buncombe County Detention Facility in January of 2021,' the sheriff's office wrote.

In March 2021, the couple was charged with four counts of trying to obtain a controlled substance by fraud or forgery, four counts of trafficking in heroin or opium by possession, four counts of trafficking in heroin or opium by transport, felony conspiracy (possession), and felony conspiracy (transport).

Both individuals are set to make their first court appearance on May 13, according to online court records.

Appearances for all other charges will take place on May 31 and the couple will face trial separately for those.
This is the dramatic moment two Russian Su-34 pilots are seen parachuting from their doomed warplane.

The Sukhoi spiralled out of control then hit the ground in a giant fireball after being struck by the Ukrainians while on a bombing mission.

The white parachutes of the two pilots are seen in the sky after they eject.

Two Russian Su-34 pilots were seen parachuting from their doomed warplane in Ukraine

The Russian jet was downed near Balakliia, in the Kharkiv region. There appeared to be flames coming from the plane's engine as it spiralled to the ground

It is as yet unclear how the Ukrainians downed the Su-34 but it is believed to have been a surface-to-air missile

A huge explosion was seen as the plane crashed into fields below after going through a flat spin

Footage released today showed two Russian pilots ejected from their compromised jet

Some accounts said the pilots were later picked up by a Russian helicopter in an emergency rescue swoop to stop them falling into Ukrainian hands.

Reports said the drama was near Balakliia, in the Kharkiv region, a key railway junction.

Russia is known to have been targeting Ukrainian rail links in its latest bombardment aimed at paralysing the country in the third month of the war.

The loss of the plane is another blow to Vladimir Putin's faltering war effort, which is now especially targeting eastern Ukraine

Russia is known to have been targeting Ukrainian rail links in its latest bombardment aimed at paralysing the country in the third month of the war

Yet the loss of the plane is another blow to Vladimir Putin's faltering war effort, which is now especially targeting eastern Ukraine.

It is as yet unclear how the Ukrainians downed the Su-34 but it is believed to have been a surface-to-air missile.

A pro-Ukrainian report said: 'Information from eyewitnesses. Two helicopters flew to the area of the hit plane, one of them landed twice.

'It looks like they took away pilot-killers.'
A group of 133 Republicans in Congress are questioning Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' 'suitability for office' as they double down on claims that he is 'dismantling the security' of the southern border.

'Your actions have willingly endangered American citizens, undermined the rule of law and our nation's sovereignty,' reads the letter, led by Border Security Caucus co-chair Brian Babin of Texas and Republican Study Committee Chair Jim Bank of Indiana.

'Your failure to secure the border and enforce the laws passed by Congress raise grave questions about your suitability for office,' the letter to Mayorkas continues.

Republicans are writing to the DHS head as the southern border crisis escalates with a two-decade high number of encounters in March 2022 and the impending end to pandemic-era migration deportation policy of Title 42.

Signers of the letter include the top three ranking Republicans  House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who is leading a delegation to the southern border on Monday, as well as Republican Whip Steve Scalise and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik.

'We write to address your actions to dismantle the security of our nation's southern border and disregard for the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws,' the letter starts.

In March alone, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) apprehended 221,303 migrants illegally crossing the southern border into the U.S. And that number is expected to triple once Title 42 ends on May 23, 2022, according to internal and expert estimates.

A group of 133 Republicans sent a letter questioning Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' 'suitability for office' as they blasted the administration for policies at the southern border  including ending Title 42

Migration continues to surge at the southern border  now complicated by a spike in Ukrainian refugees seeking asylum in the U.S. Pictured: Many of the estimated 6,000 foreign nationals who approached the Tijuana border crossing Sunday night before Biden shut it down were Ukrainian refugees wielding their nation's flag

March saw the largest spike in southern border apprehensions in decades with Customs and Border Protection encountering 221,303 migrants

The latest figures from last month is the highest recorded number of encounters since President Joe Biden took office  and also in decades. It is the highest since July of last year, when 213,593 were apprehended.

Title 42 has been used since March 2020 to instantly expel migrants seeking asylum at the southern border in the midst of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Worries ensued from both Republicans and Democrats over an impending surge in migration and multiple pieces of legislation were either introduced or further pushed to try and stop the lifting of Title 42 until the public health emergency is also put to an end in the U.S.

While DHS has said it is planning for potentially up to 18,000 migrants each day when the policy ends, Mayorkas insists the agency is prepared for the increase.

But CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are warning that they could run out of funds as early as early July if migration skyrockets like projections show will happen once Title 42 is lifted.

Ukrainian families arrived on foot from Mexico on Sunday, April 24, 2022 in the final day the refugees from the war-torn Eastern European country will be able to cross freely into the U.S.

Hundreds of young children accompanied parents at the San Ysidro pedestrian crossed as the deadline neared

Representative Brian Babin (left), Border Security Caucus co-chair Brian, and Republican Study Committee Chair Jim Bank (right) led a letter signed by more than 100 colleagues doubling down on criticism of Mayorkas

Joining McCarthy with a tour of Eagle Pass, Texas in the Del Rio Sector and meetings with officials and community members there is Stefanik, Texas Representatives Tony Gonazalez, Randy Weber and Chip Roy as well as Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Michael Guest of Mississippi, Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee and Blake Moore of Utah.

The group will hold a media availability in the afternoon and discuss why ending Title 42 is a bad idea.

Mayorkas told CBS News in an interview on Friday: 'We have been planning for months to address increases in migration; those that we already have experienced and those that we might experience upon an end to Title 42. And proof of that is the fact that we've deployed additional resources to the border in anticipation of an end to Title 42. The surging of personnel, transportation, medical resources, the development of additional facilities to support border operations.'

'These plans have been in the works for months. And so, we do indeed have plans and I can assure the American people and their representatives that we do indeed,' he added.

Asylum-seeking migrants cross the Rio Bravo river to turn themselves into U.S. Border Patrol agents in El Paso, Texas on Thursday, April 21

People scale a ladder at the southern border fence and lower down with a rope on the U.S. side on April 21, 2022

Republicans who sent the letter on Monday are linking Biden and Mayorkas' policies to the chaos at the border, claiming ending border wall construction and ending the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) has further exacerbated the continued surge.

MPP, better known as the Remain in Mexico Policy, allowed border agencies to send migrants seeking asylum back to Mexico to await trial or other immigration proceedings.

The lawmakers say in their letter that the secretary's actions on MPP 'demonstrates your willingness to embrace an open-borders agenda that undermines America's safety.'

'You have been specifically instructed by the court to implement the protocol in good faith or take new agency action that complied with the law,' it continues. ' You have done neither.'
A British man has reportedly been stabbed to death in the Algarve holiday resort of Albufeira.

The victim, said to be be aged between 25 and 30, died after being knifed several times next to an apartment in the centre of the town.

The police and emergency services were called around 7am this morning, but efforts to revive the casualty at the scene proved unsuccessful.

A British man has reportedly been stabbed to death in the Algarve holiday resort of Albufeira. The victim, said to be be aged between 25 and 30, died after being knifed several times next to an apartment in the centre of the town. Cops are pictured at the scene today

Local reports say a man carrying a knife in his hand with blood on his hands was located and identified inside the nearby flat.

The suspect and his alleged victim are understood to have known each other.

The nationality of the suspect has not yet been revealed.

Today is a Bank Holiday in Portugal and police there could not be immediately reached for comment.

It is not yet known if the dead man lived in Albufeira (pictured) or was on holiday there, though the flat where the killing occurred has been described as being part of a tourist complex where foreign tourists usually stay

The Policia Judiciaria did confirm however they have opened an ongoing investigation.

It is not yet known if the dead man lived in Portugal or was on holiday there, though the flat where the killing occurred has been described as being part of a tourist complex where foreign tourists usually stay.

Officers from Portugals GNR force were first on the scene along with paramedics.
Tanya Plibersek has slammed the Morrison government for putting Australia at risk and not doing enough to ward off China in the South Pacific.

The Labor frontbencher clashed with the Liberal minister for superannuation, financial services and the digital economy, Jane Hume, in a fiery debate on Monday's Anzac Day episode of The Project.

The two women were discussing how politics should be approached on such an important day and whether it's appropriate for politicians to campaign before the tone of the segment became heated.

Ms Plibersek called the government 'a bunch of blowhards' who are 'all talk' and have 'left us dangerously exposed' to Beijing.

Tanya Plibersek (left) - representing the Labor Party - and Jane Hume (right) - representing the Liberal Party - battled it out on Monday's Anzac Day episode of The Project

Ms Hume was asked about China's looming plans to build a military base in the Solomon Islands - which has been viewed as a threat to Australia's national security.

She quickly jumped to the defence of Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his government's actions, saying they had clearly shown there would be consequences for 'military aggression' in the region.

The minister also pointed to Australia's new security pact with the US and UK that will see the delivery of a fleet of nuclear-powered subs in decades to come.

'I think it's been pretty clear with the alliances this government in particular has forged over the last few years - things like the AUKUS agreement - that the entire world stands firm against military aggression,' she said.

Ms Hume defended Scott Morrison and the Liberal Party's response to the threat of a Chinese military base in the South Pacific

China and the Solomon Islands governments have signed a deal that will allow China to build a military base just 2,000km northeast of Australia. Pictured: Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in 2019

However Ms Plibersek was quick to shut down Ms Hume's claims.

'They're just a bunch of blowhards,' she said. 'All talk, this is a government that has left us dangerously exposed.'

'They've allowed China to sign a security agreement with the Solomon Islands but even worse than that, we now have a capability gap in our defences because the submarines are late.

'They've spent five-and-a-half billion dollars cancelling a submarine contract with France. Don't forget, before that there was a submarine contract supposed to happen with Japan.

Ms Plibersek slammed the Liberal Party for allowing a 'capability gap' in Australia's defences while China shows 'military aggression'. Pictured: Chinese military in 2019

'We won't be seeing subs for decades now...If you look across all their (Liberal's) projects there's a cumulative 79 year delay.

Ms Hume was quick to fire back by at the shadow minister for women.

'How many submarines has Labor commissioned? Zero,' she said.

'We are coming from so far behind because you allowed our defence spending to run down.'

Ms Plibersek said the Liberal Party needs to 'take responsibility' and that a submarine in '20 year's time' wasn't enough

Ms Plibersek continued her argument, as the pair interrupted each other.

'They talk about what they're spending, they talk about what they're going to do but they don't deliver,' she said.

'You've been in government for close to a decade. How long are you going to look around for someone to blame?

'You've been in government for almost a decade, take some responsibility.

'In 20 year's time we're going to have a submarine. That's great work.'
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A major rail operator has unveiled the first in a series of its modernised trains as it embarks on a 117million project to complete the biggest ever fleet refurbishment in UK railway history.

Avanti West Coast said its entire fleet of 56 tilting Pendolinos is being refurbished so they 'look and feel like new trains' with more comfortable seats, a redesigned shop and better on-board information.

The first refurbished Pendolino train returned to service with the 5.05am departure from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston today. The second train to be overhauled will return to service within the next few weeks.

And a fascinating behind-the-scenes timelapse video has revealed the process behind how workers put all the new seats into an upgraded carriage - by wheeling them on board in pairs and then locking them into place.

Other changes to trains by the operator - which also runs services to the likes of Birmingham, Liverpool, Blackpool, Carlisle, Glasgow and North Wales - include upgraded lighting, refurbished toilets and new carpets.

All 35 Pendolinos - also known as 'Pendos' - with 11 carriages will see one first class carriage converted to standard class, a change which the operator said will add more than 2,000 extra standard class seats to services.

The electric Pendolinos were introduced on the West Coast Main Line by then-operator Virgin Trains two decades ago in July 2002, and they have since clocked up more than 272million miles. The tilting mechanism means they can tilt by up to eight degrees to make them travel faster around curves and more comfortable.

Avanti hopes that the refurbishment programme of all 56 trains will be completed by 2024, and this upgrade is expected to keep the 125mph Pendolino trains running until High Speed 2 begins operating in the next decade.

The first phase of HS2 from London to Birmingham and Crewe is currently estimated to start between 2029 and 2033, while the second phase to take the line on to Manchester will not start running until 2035 to 2040.

Avanti West Coast said its entire fleet of 56 tilting Pendolinos is being refurbished so they 'look and feel like new trains'

Avanti has spent two years planning for the upgrades and said it involved experts in technology and ergonomics

Avanti West Coast said the trains will have more comfortable seats, a redesigned shop and better on-board information

The electric Pendolinos were introduced on the West Coast Main Line by then-operator Virgin Trains in July 2002

Avanti runs services from London to the likes of Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Blackpool, Carlisle and Glasgow

Avanti's other train fleet - diesel-powered Voyagers - is being replaced by new electric and hybrid trains built by Hitachi from 2023. Rail minister Wendy Morton said: 'The iconic Pendolino is back and better than ever before.

'This refurbished version of the classic fleet is a fantastic example of our cutting-edge rail network and how our railways are leading the way in creating a cleaner, more environmentally friendly and modern transport system.'

What changes are being made to the Avanti West Coast Pendolinos? 25,000 new Standard Class seats;

Conversion of one First Class carriage on each of the 35 eleven-carriage Pendolinos to provide more than 2,000 extra Standard Class seats;

The introduction of a new onboard shop;

Improved lighting and new interior carpets;

Greater use of technology with customer-friendly passenger information screens;

Additional luggage space in Standard Class;

Power points at every seat;

New carpets throughout using sustainable British wool;

Refurbished toilets; and

New First and Standard Premium seats Advertisement

The refurbishment is being carried out by manufacturer Alstom at its new depot in Widnes, Cheshire  and rolling stock asset manager Angel Trains has financed the programme, which is due to run until 2024.

Avanti managing director Phil Whittingham said: 'This investment has been one of the key promises to our customers, and they will see a dramatic transformation of our well-loved fleet.

'The refurbished Pendolinos look and feel like new trains, with state-of-the-art technology as well as brand new seats that promise best-in-class comfort.'

The operator has spent two years planning for the upgrades and said it involved experts in technology, customer information and ergonomics, with 25,000 new and 'ergonomic' standard class seats being fitted.

Peter Broadley, managing director for services at Alstom, said: 'We are delighted with the launch of the newly modernised Pendolino. Working closely with our partners at Avanti West Coast and Angel Trains, we have created something truly special for the customers travelling on the West Coast Mainline.

'Our team at Widnes have created something amazing and we are incredibly proud of the final product. We hope it secures the future of the Pendolinos on the West Coast for many years to come'.

And Malcolm Brown, chief executive of Angel Trains, said: 'We are delighted to see the first of our new refurbished Pendolino trains re-enter passenger service.

'As one of the UK's most iconic fleets, this project demonstrates how, through sustainable methods, existing trains can be renovated to provide a top-tier passenger experience.

'It has been a pleasure to collaborate with our industry partners to deliver a fast, comfortable, and low carbon mode of transport for passengers on the West Coast Main Line.'

Avanti is embarking on a 117million project to complete the biggest ever fleet refurbishment in UK railway history

Changes to the Pendolino trains by the operator Avanti include upgraded lighting, refurbished toilets and a water refill point

The section for wheelchairs on board the newly-upgraded Pendolino trains, the first of which is now running on the network

A wireless charging point on the refurbished Pendolino trains which will continue to run on the Avanti West Coast network

Information screens on the newly-refurbished Pendolino trains which will take passengers between London and Glasgow

The 'Standard Premium' service is positioned between standard class and first class and was launched in May last year

The trains have a redesigned shop and will operate on the Avanti West Coast line, with the rollout over the next two years

In May last year, Avanti became the first operator in decades to offer three classes of travel on the UK domestic railway, when it launched a 'premium economy' section with wider seats, more leg room and a guaranteed table.

The 'Standard Premium' service was positioned between standard class and first class, meaning customers will not receive complementary refreshments.

Third-class rail travel was abolished on domestic trains in Britain in 1956, and renamed second class before later being branded standard class.

FirstGroup, the majority owner of Avanti, was said to have considered introducing three classes on West Coast services in an ill-fated 2012 franchise bid.

Avanti West Coast hopes that the refurbishment programme of all 56 Pendolino trains will be completed by 2024

The upgrade is expected to keep the 125mph Pendolino trains running until High Speed 2 begins operating in the next decade

The electric Pendolinos were introduced in 2002 and they have since clocked up more than 272million miles

The rail operator has unveiled the first in a series of its modernised Pendolino trains which began running today

One of the buttons for the at-seat service available in some parts of the newly-refurbished Pendolino trains

One of the toilets on board the newly-refurbished Pendolino trains which will run between London and the North West

A year later, the Department for Transport was forced to deny it was planning to require a 'third-class service' to be introduced on the East Coast Main Line, after a three-tier system was included in a leaked franchise prospectus ahead of a return to private ownership.

Meanwhile, the Mail On Sunday reported yesterday that a half-price ticket campaign to encourage people to return to the railways had been dubbed the 'Great British Rail Fail' by critics.

The sale, publicised last week by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, offers the discounted fares on travel from tomorrow until May 27.

But figures from the Office of Rail and Road and the Department for Transport suggest that of the potential 150 million journeys that could take place in those five weeks, only one million will have the discounts  or 0.66 per cent.
This is the graph that reveals the incredible rise in demand for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medication in England.

Prescriptions have doubled in just five years as women and GPs become increasingly aware of the excruciating and wide-ranging symptoms of the menopause.

About 512,000 scripts were written in England in February, compared to 265,000 in March 2017, data shows.

At the same time, women have struggled to get their hands on the medicines  with two in three pharmacists facing daily shortages.

The most desperate women have resorted to rationing their prescription, swapping drugs in car parks, turning to the black market and even looking abroad.

Industry sources say the shortages are the result of increased demand but ministers also blame Covid-related global supply issues.

Labour and campaigners have accused the Government of 'bad planning', in failing to scale up orders to match demand.

The highest number of HRT scripts were doled out in Kent and Medway in February, with almost 20,000 across the month.

There were about 512,000 NHS prescriptions written for 'female sex hormones and their modulators' in England in February, the latest official data shows, compared to 265,000 in March 2017. Many of these will be HRT medications but some may include other female hormone drugs such as contraceptives

The figures are also broken down by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG), which encompass NHS hospitals and GP surgeries in a local area. They show Kent and Medway had the highest number of prescriptions in February - 19,921 - followed by the CCG for Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight (17,663)

The data is based on NHS England figures and looks at drugs classified as 'female sex hormones and their modulators'.

Many of these will be HRT medications but some may include other female hormone drugs such as contraceptives.

The data shows there were a record 537,986 prescriptions in December 2021, which was more than double the amount in December 2017 (259,031).

HRT shortages could push menopausal women into taking their own lives, charity warns HRT shortages could lead to menopausal women taking their own lives, experts warned last night. Manufacturers have vowed to solve the issues by June, but campaigners say that may be too late for some. Some have resorted to rationing their prescription, swapping treatments in car parks, turning to the black market, driving to far-flung pharmacies and even looking abroad. It is feared that without HRT some women will lose jobs, marriages or  in the worst cases  become depressed and even suicidal. Women are terrified of their symptoms coming back, said Katie Taylor of the Latte Lounge support group. Some women talk of feeling suicidal, they have extreme anxiety and depression, and are panicked by the thought of the black hole they were in before treatment returning. It is no coincidence the highest rate of suicide among women is in the 45 to 55 age group. Women are losing jobs, marriages are breaking down  someone needs to get a grip of it urgently. Advertisement

In February 2022, the most recent month with data, there were 511,772 drugs prescribed across England.

The surge in demand has been attributed to successful campaigning about the menopause, which has historically been misdiagnosed.

The figures are also broken down by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG), which encompass NHS hospitals and GP surgeries in a local area.

They show Kent and Medway had the highest number of prescriptions in February  19,921  followed by the CCG for Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight (17,663).

Rounding out the top five were Devon (13,950), Surrey Heartlands CCG (13,192) and South West London (12,752).

At the other end, NHS Cannock Chase CCG gave out the fewest drugs with 869, along with North East Lincolnshire CCG (965), and South Tyneside CCG (968).

Labour MP Carolyn Harris, who co-chairs the UK menopause taskforce, said 'bad planning' by the Government was behind the patchy supply.

She told MailOnline: 'The Government would have known projections of how many prescriptions were going to be written and didn't tell the manufacturers.'

Sajid Javid announced yesterday that he intends to appoint an HRT tsar after experts warned the crisis could drive some menopausal women to suicide.

The Health Secretary said ministers would use lessons learned from the Covid vaccine rollout to make sure supplies were meeting the high demand.

Kate Bingham was made head of a taskforce whose sole responsibility was to source and buy huge quantities of jabs months in advance.

The most popular HRT medicine, called Oestrogel, has been in critically short supply since the start of the year.

Besins, the firm that supplies it to the NHS, has admitted it is struggling to meet extraordinary demand, but has pledged to increase production.

In the meantime, GPs have been forced to prescribe alternative gels, which do not always work as well or require an adjustment period that sees symptoms return.

Panicking: Millie Kendall, pictured, who runs the British Beauty Council, admitted she was so desperate she bought Oestrogel from the black market online. She also bought a dose from a work colleagues mother for 50

Sajid Javid is told to tackle HRT shortage himself because crisis 'does not need a tsar' The Health Secretary was today told to tackle the country's hormone replacement therapy (HRT) shortage crisis himself rather than appoint a tsar. Labour MP Carolyn Harris welcomed Sajid Javid's pledge to get a grip on the issue but said it could be sorted 'very, very quickly' with better planning and less red tape. Mr Javid announced yesterday that he intends to appoint an HRT tsar after experts warned the crisis could drive some menopausal women to suicide. Ms Harris, co-chairwoman of the UK menopause taskforce, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I welcome the fact that the Secretary of State is doing something about this, because somebody needed to, because up until now they've not bothered. 'But it doesn't really need a tsar, if I'm honest. He could do this, he could decide to loosen the regulations on the formularies and make this product available across the country. It could happen very, very quickly.' Mr Javid said ministers would use lessons learned from the Covid vaccine rollout to make sure supplies were meeting the high demand. Kate Bingham was made head of a taskforce whose sole responsibility was to source and buy huge quantities of jabs months in advance. Advertisement

And women are reluctant to try alternative treatments, or even go back to taking HRT tablets, which are not as popular because they have a higher risk of blood clots and strokes.

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, (PSNC) which represents more than 11,000 chemists across England, has warned that 67 per cent of its members are facing supply problems daily.

Its survey of more than 1,000 pharmacy staff found three-quarters faced 'aggression from patients due to medicine supply issues', The Telegraph reports.

Finn McCaul, a committee member of the PSNC, told the newspaper: 'The situation is horrible. I have been a pharmacist for more than 30 years and I cannot remember a time that it has been so challenging.'

The Daily Mail spoke to pharmacists across the UK yesterday and they said the situation in the South East and London was 'very acute'.

A pharmacist in Middlesbrough said they had been experiencing shortages across all HRT medication for at least a year.

'We have to give the prescription back and tell the patient to try a different chemist,' he said. 'They do get quite upset about it but there's nothing we can do.'

Another pharmacist, in Norwich, said patients were upset. 'They then have to go back to their GP to get a different prescription,' she said.

'Often this is for patches or tablets which a lot more women react negatively to compared with gels. People understandably get really frustrated. It's not very nice for them.'

A spokesman for Boots chemists said: 'We are in regular contact with suppliers and understand that they are increasing their production and expect issues to be resolved in the coming weeks.'

A businesswoman yesterday described the national shortage of HRT as a disgrace.

Millie Kendall, who runs the British Beauty Council, admitted she was so desperate she bought Oestrogel from the black market online.

She also bought a dose from a work colleague's mother for 50. 'I was panicking,' Miss Kendall said.

'I'm 55 years old, my legs get very swollen, I can't sleep, and my anxiety has come flooding back. It's a necessity  and a shortage is a disgrace.'

Dr Clare Spencer, a GP and menopause expert based in Leeds, said it was almost impossible to get hold of HRT gel and switching to a patch was not always as effective.

'Women are terrified of their symptoms coming back,' said Katie Taylor of the Latte Lounge support group.

'Some women talk of feeling suicidal, they have extreme anxiety and depression, and are panicked by the thought of the black hole they were in before treatment returning. It is no coincidence the highest rate of suicide among women is in the 45 to 55 age group.

'Women are losing jobs, marriages are breaking down  someone needs to get a grip of it urgently.'
Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin said Monday that the U.S.'s 'goal' in Ukraine is to see Russia 'weakened' so it no longer has the capacity to invade its neighbors.

The secretary was asked by reporters to define 'America's goals for success.'

He said that the U.S. wanted 'Ukraine remain a sovereign country, a democratic country, able to protect its sovereign territory.'

Speaking from an aircraft carrier in Poland, Austin added: 'We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.'

Austin did not call for a peace settlement but rather stepped up his rhetoric against Russia as the conflict enters its third month and Ukraine launched offensive attacks into Russia over the weekend, when missile strikes blew up two oil storage facilities supplying Putin's troops fighting for control of Donbas.

Austin said that U.S. officials believe Ukraine can win the conflict 'if they have the right equipment' and the 'right support.'

The US has pledged another $713million for Ukraine as two top Biden officials visited Kyiv under the cover of darkness where they blasted Russia's 'failing' invasion.

It brings the total amount of funding offered to Ukraine to $3.7 billion.

In the highest-level meeting between the US and Ukraine since the war, Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin took a train from Poland to Kyiv where they met with Volodymyr Zelensky in an overnight trip shrouded by secrecy.

Speaking from an aircraft carrier in Poland, Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin said: 'We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.'

There, the officials pledged military financing to Ukraine and its NATO partners and said diplomats would start returning to the country this week, although they will be stationed in Lviv rather than the Kyiv embassy which remains closed.

At the meeting, Blinken said, 'Russia is failing, Ukraine is succeeding,' and praised Zelensky and his country's bravery in the face of Kremlin barbarism.

Speaking today in Poland near the Ukrainian border, the Secretary of State said: 'We had an opportunity to demonstrate directly our strong ongoing support for the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people. This was, in our judgment, an important moment to be there to have face-to-face conversations in detail.'

Austin added Zelensky's response to the aid was deep appreciation for what was being given but 'he has the mindset that they want to win and we have the mindset that we want to help them win'.

Journalists who travelled to Poland with Austin and Blinken were barred from reporting on the trip until it ended, were not allowed to accompany them on their overland journey into Ukraine, and were prohibited from specifying where in south-east Poland they waited for the Cabinet members to return, citing security concerns.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pose for a picture during their meeting in Kyiv

The Secretaries of State and Defense accused Russia of failing in its barbaric invasion as they boosted Ukraine's war chest

Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with Lieutenant General Randy George, Military Assistant to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin

Austin said Zelensky's response to the aid was deep appreciation for what was being given but 'he has the mindset that they want to win and we have the mindset that we want to help them win'

Speaking in Poland after returning from the meeting (pictured), Austin and Blinken said US diplomats returning to Ukraine are likely to restaff the consulate in Lviv

Austin added Zelensky's response to the aid was deep appreciation for what was being given but 'he has the mindset that they want to win and we have the mindset that we want to help them win'

Just after the overnight visit, Russia bombed railway stations in the Lviv, Rivne, Vinnyista and Kyiv regions in the early hours in a warning to the West.

Their meeting is thought to have taken place between 10pm and 1am local time before they returned to Poland, with Blinken telling journalists afterwards that the delegation travelled by rail.

The strike on Krasne appears to have targeted the main line from Poland into Ukraine, though Blinken and Austin's exact route has not been revealed.

At the meeting, Austin and Mr Blinken announced a total of $713million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries; some $322million of that is earmarked for Kyiv.

The remainder will be split among NATO members and other nations that have provided Ukraine with critical military supplies since the war with Russia began, officials said.

Such financing is different from previous US military assistance for Ukraine. It is not a donation of drawn-down US Defence Department stockpiles, but rather cash that countries can use to purchase supplies that they might need.

The new money, along with the sale of $165million in non-US made ammunition that is compatible with Soviet-era weapons the Ukrainians use, takes the total amount of American military assistance to Ukraine to $3.7billion since the invasion, officials said.

In footage of the meeting later released by the Ukrainian presidency, Blinken praised the 'extraordinary courage and leadership and success that you've had in pushing back this horrific Russian aggression.'

'We got used to seeing you on video around the world, but it's great, it's good to see you in person,' Blinken said with a smile.

Austin said that 'the world has been inspired' by Ukraine in the war and that America would continue its support.

'The strategy that we've put in place - massive support for Ukraine, massive pressure against Russia, solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these efforts - is having real results,' Blinken said.

Austin said in Poland today after the meeting: 'The first step in winning is believing that you can win. And so they believe that we can win.

Journalists who travelled to Poland with Austin and Blinken were barred from reporting on the trip until it ended, were not allowed to accompany them on their overland journey into Ukraine, and were prohibited from specifying where in south-east Poland they waited for the Cabinet members to return

Austin said that 'the world has been inspired' by Ukraine in the war and that America would continue its support

The meeting was the highest-ranking visit by a US delegation to the war-torn nation since Russia began its invasion 60 days ago

Zelensky in the meeting said he was 'very thankful' for the American aid and particularly praised President Joe Biden for his 'personal support'

US officials said they believed the new assistance would satisfy at least some of the Ukrainians' urgent pleas for more military aid

'We believe that we can win, they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support.

'We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine,' Austin said.

Russia 'has already lost a lot of military capability. And a lot of its troops quite frankly, and we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability,' he said.

On the diplomatic front, Blinken told Zelensky that Biden will announce his nomination of veteran diplomat Bridget Brink to be the next US ambassador to Ukraine.

A career foreign service officer, Brink has served since 2019 as ambassador to Slovakia. She previously held assignments in Serbia, Cyprus, Georgia and Uzbekistan as well as with the White House National Security Council. The post requires Senate confirmation.

For his part, Zelensky in the meeting said he was 'very thankful' for the American aid and particularly praised President Joe Biden for his 'personal support.'

'The priorities are weapons and support from the United States of America and our partners, European leaders, in terms of our army's strength and support in certain areas,' the Ukrainian president said. 'The second issue is the sanctions policy against the Russian Federation because of the full-scale invasion and all the terror they have committed in Ukraine.'

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speak with reporters in Poland near the Ukraine border

Blinken boards a plane to return to Washington today from Poland after the secretive trip to Kyiv yesterday

In giving new military assistance, the US is renewing a diplomatic push in the war-ravaged nation

During Sunday's meeting, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin revealed US diplomats would gradually return to Ukraine. However, the US Embassy in Kyiv (pictured in January 2022) will remain closed for the moment

Sunday's visit also came one day after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed to reopen the British Embassy in Kyiv. The embassy is pictured in January 2022

The three-hour meeting came Sunday, the 60th day since the start of the invasion, as Ukraine pressed the West for more powerful weapons against Russia's campaign in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Moscow's forces sought to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops in the battered port city of Mariupol.

The financing is different from previous U.S. military assistance for Ukraine. It is not a donation of drawn-down U.S. Defense Department stockpiles, but rather cash that countries can use to purchase supplies that they might need.

The new money, along with the sale of $165million in non-U.S. made ammunition that is compatible with Soviet-era weapons the Ukrainians use, brings the total amount of American military assistance to Ukraine to $3.7billion since the invasion.

New artillery, including howitzers, continues to be delivered at a rapid pace to Ukraine's military, which is being trained on its use in neighboring countries, the officials said.

More than 50 Ukrainians are set to complete training on Monday to operate the heavy artillery that Washington has begun sending to Ukraine in recent weeks.

Biden will formally nominate Bridget Brink, currently U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, a post that had remained vacant for more than two years

The visit also revealed that U.S. diplomats will gradually return to Kyiv by initially resume 'day trips' across the border to Lviv in the coming week.

Officials are accelerating planning to return to the Kyiv mission, the State Department official said.

'There's no substitute for that face-to-face engagement, and of course there is a symbolism to being back in the country,' said the official, who briefed reporters in Poland on condition of anonymity.

U.S. diplomats departed the Kyiv embassy nearly two weeks before the Feb. 24 invasion, moving some functions to the western city of Lviv before eventually relocating to Poland.

The official also said that on Monday Biden will formally nominate Bridget Brink, currently U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, a post that had remained vacant for more than two years.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby (left), US Army lieutenant general John Kolasheski (center) and US Army Major General Christopher LaNeve (right) are pictured speaking with reporters in Poland near the Ukrainian border on Sunday

Blinken and Austin traveled to Poland on Saturday then overland into Ukraine on Sunday, where they met with Zelensky and other top Ukrainian officials, a senior State Department official said, declining to discuss in detail their travel or security arrangements.

Zelensky announced the trip himself during a news conference on Saturday, which U.S. officials said was a contingency they had planned for and did not derail the visit.

Blinken and Austin had planned to meet Zelensky, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and other officials for 90 minutes but the discussions took three hours.

The American president has made no such-attempt to show solidarity with his own in-person visit, and his press secretary Jen Psaki has said there are no plans for the 79-year-old to travel.

Sunday's visit also came after Boris Johnson vowed to reopen the UK's embassy in Kyiv following the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Ukrainian capital.

In a series of tweets Saturday, the prime minister also said Britain will provide the country with 'further military aid', including armored vehicles.

The Conservative leader then warned Putin's regime that his government will be collecting evidence on potential 'war crimes', saying Russia must be 'held to account'.

He wrote: 'Today I spoke with President @ZelenskyyUa to update him on the latest steps the UK is taking to support Ukraine.

'We are providing further military aid, including protected mobility vehicles. We have issued new sanctions against members of the Russian military.

'We will be reopening our embassy in Kyiv, demonstrating our solidarity with the Ukrainian people. And the UK government is helping to collect evidence of war crimes. Russia must be held to account for its actions.'
This is the terrifying moment a huge Pacific whale pummeled a speeding Mexican tour boat from below, sending its passengers flying.

Five tourists including three children were hurt in the violent lurch off the coast of Mexico on Friday, with three members of the group taken to hospital by the navy.

Video shows the immense whale sending the boat into the air after it appears to collide with the giant mammal sitting just under the water surface.

The incident took place off the east coast of the Baja California peninsula, a famous tourist haunt and a haven for whale watchers from around the world.

Authorities insist tour boats must be kept a safe distance from marine animals at all times.

The boat was reportedly exceeding the speed limit at the time it was flipped. The whale emerged rapidly from just below the surface and violently bumped the small tour boat

The flimsy boat nearly turns over as passengers were captured flying high above the vessel

The Attorney General is now probing claims the boat was exceeding the speed limit.

A civil protection official added the vicious bump may have come as a complete surprise to the ship's captain.

They published the video in an attempt to aid their investigation.

Spokesperson Benjamin Garcia said: 'The whale came up from the sea and that is when it pushed the boat, with some passengers falling and suffering injuries.'

Mr Garcia added that a Mexican Navy rescue unit attended the scene and took the injured passengers to hospital.

It's not known what species of whale bumped the boat or whether it was injured in the incident

The Gulf of America coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico is a world famous whale watching spot

The boat had carried a trip to Isla Espiritu Santo in the Gulf of California and was on its way back to port in La Paz.

It's unclear which species of whale tipped the boat or whether it was injured in the incident.

The months after December are the best for whale watching in the waters surrounding Baja, which have become world famous for sightings of humpbacks, blue, orca, sperm and grey whales.

Between December and early April between two and three thousand blue whales migrate to its shallow lagoons to meet mates and give birth.

The Baja bay is also a UNESCO protected wildlife site, meaning whales are protected from big boats and hunters.

Small boats often get very close to the world's largest animals - but authorities strongly advise they keep a good distance from whales.
The KCDK-E issued a statement about Turkey's use of poisonous gases against the guerilla forces in the legitimate defense areas, the statement stated: "The Turkish occupation army resort to using chemical weapons against the guerrilla resistance, and seeks to break this resistance by adopting the methods of dirty war, as the fascist Turkish occupation army receives painful blows by guerrilla".

" So our people all over Europe must stand in solidarity and support this resistance against the Turkish attacks which found suitable grounds in cahoots with the traitors".

"We also call on the European states to oppose the use of chemical weapons and to condemn the brutal attack on Kurdistan, instead of continuing to bury their heads in the sand and pretend they can't see anything. Our people should stand up wherever they are and expose the barbaric Turkish state".

A.K

ANHA
Forensic tests carried out on civilian corpses dumped in mass graves in the Kyiv region show women were raped before being brutally killed.

Dozens of autopsies have been carried out on mutilated corpses from Bucha, Irpin and Borodianka, with many showing signs of torture and multiple bullet holes in the back.

Some have been so badly disfigured or even decapitated that investigators have been unable to identify them.

Forensic police officers exhume bodies from a mass grave discovered in Bucha earlier this month

Dead bodies wait to be identified outside a morgue in Bucha today, where Russia is accused of committing war crimes

Vladyslav Pirovskyi, a Ukrainian forensic doctor who carried out the autopsies, told The Guardian: 'We already have a few cases which suggest that these women had been raped before being shot to death.

'We can't give more details as my colleagues are still collecting the data and we still have hundreds of bodies to examine.'

His team has been analysing 15 bodies a day, with most killed by automatic gunfire.

He added: 'There are many burnt bodies, and heavily disfigured bodies that are just impossible to identify.

'The face could be smashed into pieces, you can't put it back together, sometimes there's no head at all.'

The evidence has been passed on to the region's senior prosecutor, Oleh Tkalenko, for further investigations.

Vova, 10, looks at the body of his mother, Maryna, lying in a coffin as his father, Ivan Drahun, prays during her funeral in Bucha last week

One coroner north of Kyiv said it is difficult to find signs of rape and sexual abuse because the bodies 'are in such bad shape'.

The towns around Kyiv which were recaptured by Ukrainian forces have revealed horrific atrocities, with the bodies of hundreds of dead civilians piled up after Putin withdrew his band of thugs.

Russia has denied targeting civilians despite the many stories of gang rape, sexual abuse in front of children, torture and executions to emerge from the barbaric war.

A United Nations mission to Bucha documented 'the unlawful killing, including by summary execution, of some 50 civilians there', the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said.

In the same town, 25 women aged 14 to 25 were kept in a basement and systematically raped, with nine of the women becoming pregnant in a case now recorded by human rights commissioner Lyudmila Denisova.

Many of the allegations are being passed on to the international criminal court who are probing potential war crimes being perpetrated by Putin's forces.

Earlier this month, a pregnant 16-year-old girl recounted her horrific rape at gunpoint by a Russian soldier who ordered her to take her clothes off or he would shoot her dead.

Dasha, from the now liberated village of Krasniva in Kherson Oblast, said she had been sheltering with her family in a basement when she was singled out by a drunk soldier who savagely attacked her with her mother and siblings next door.

She told Bild: 'At first they were completely normal. Then they started drinking. They found vodka among people in the village and drank. Then they started looking for young women. Some also grandmothers.'

One Russian soldier has even been arrested after allegedly recording himself abusing a Ukrainian baby.

The scale of the brutality has led a Ukrainian rights group to inform the UN that rape is being used as a weapon of war by the Kremlin.

An 11-year-old boy is among the alleged victims after he was reportedly raped by Russian troops in front of his mother who was tied to a chair and forced to watch.

One Russian wife was even recorded allegedly ordering her husband to rape Ukrainian women.

Kyiv's security forces released an audio clip of a conversation between a couple, who have now been identified as Roman Bykovsky and his wife Olga Bykovskaya (pictured together in a photograph on their social media) by Radio Liberty

Kyiv's security forces released an audio clip of a conversation between a couple, who have been identified as Roman Bykovsky and his wife Olga Bykovskaya by Radio Liberty.

In the recording, the woman - allegedly Bykovskaya - is heard telling the man that he has her permission to rape Ukrainian women while he is serving in Russia's invading forces, so long as he does not tell her and uses contraception.

The audio clip shared by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) opened with the blue and yellow title: 'SECURITY SERVICE INTERCEPT: Wives of Russian invaders allow their men to rape Ukrainian women.'

The voice of a woman, believed to be Olga Bykovskaya, is then heard: 'So yeah, do it over there,' she says. It then becomes clear what she is agreeing to. 'Ukrainian women there. Rape them. Yeah.

'Don't tell me anything, understand,' she adds with a shy laugh.

A man's voice - believed to be that of Roman Bykovsky is then heard. 'Uh-huh,' he says. 'So I should rape and not tell you anything,' he asks, clarifying that the woman is giving him permission.

'Yes, so that I wouldn't know anything,' the women's voice says, before they are both heard laughing this time. 'Why do you ask?' she adds.

'Can I really?' he asks again.

'Yeah, I allow you,' she says, with a giggle. 'Just use protection,' she adds.

The man replies again: 'Ok.'

Investigative journalists at Radio Liberty worked with law enforcement in Ukraine to track the phone involved in the call, with one of the numbers being traced to the Kherson region in April.

The investigators then found that the two phone numbers were linked to two accounts on Russia's VKontakte social network - belonging to 27-year-old Roman Bykovsky and his wife Olga Bykovskaya - both originally from Orel in Russia.

Roman's account was closed to the public, however the journalists found him pictured in photographs uploaded by one of his friends - Alexei Zabrusov - which showed that they served together in 2016 in the same army division.

From there, the investigators were able to find other friends and family members of Roman, which led them to more pictures of him in military uniform which established that is now part of Russia's 108th Guards Airborne Assault Regiment - a unit known for its involvement in the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

They also learned that the couple had moved to the Russian occupied Crimean peninsula, approximately around 2018.

Speaking to Lithuanian lawmakers on April 12, Zelensky said: 'In areas freed from the occupiers, the recording and investigation of war crimes committed by Russia continues. New mass graves are found almost daily.

'Testimonials are being collected. Thousands and thousands of victims. Hundreds of cases of torture. Bodies continue to be found in drains and cellars.

'Hundreds of cases of rape have been recorded, including those of young girls and very young children. Even of a baby!'
Labour have sought to exploit the recent row over Chancellor Rishi Sunak's family finances as they vowed to abolish non-dom tax status.

Ahead of next week's local elections, the party's shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves today pledged to end 'outdated' tax perks.

She declared that those who make Britain their home should have to pay tax on their earnings.

At the beginning of this month, Mr Sunak's billionaire heiress wife, Akshata Murty, was revealed to have non-dom tax status.

This meant she was able to legally avoid paying a huge UK tax bill - estimated to be as much as 4.4m last year - by paying 30,000 a year to register as based in India.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who was Mr Sunak's predecessor as Treasury boss, later revealed that he himself had enjoyed non-dom status before he entered politics.

The non-dom status of Mr Sunak's wife was revealed on the same day as the Chancellor's increase of National Insurance contributions for millions of Britons came into effect.

Following a heated row that threatened to endanger her husband's career prospects, Ms Murty later announced she would give up her non-dom status.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak's billionaire heiress wife, Akshata Murty, was recently revealed to have non-dom tax status

Ahead of next week's local elections, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is promising to abolish non-dom tax status

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves today pledged to end 'outdated' tax perks and declared that those who make Britain their home should have to pay tax on their earnings

Labour had previously promised to abolish non-dom status under ex-leader Jeremy Corbyn and former shadow chancellor John McDonnell. Mr McDonnell recently questioned why Labour had been slow to recommit to the policy

What is 'non-dom' status? Non-dom tax status typically applies to someone who was born overseas, spends much of their time in the UK but still considers another country to be their permanent residence or 'domicile'. In Akshata Murty's case, she would need to be claiming that the UK is not her permanent residence. Citizenship of an individual living in the UK is irrelevant when it comes to non-dom status as it is possible for a UK citizen, or someone born in the UK, to claim they are a non-dom. According to Home Office guidance: 'A person can change nationality without it affecting their domicile, or could acquire a change of domicile whilst retaining their original nationality. 'The fact that a person has acquired a new nationality can be a relevant factor in showing a change of domicile, but is not conclusive, depending upon the reasons for the change. If a person gives up their former nationality it may suggest a change of domicile.' Status is not given automatically because an individual must apply for the exemption in their tax status when filling out their UK tax return. According to the Government, a person's domicile is usually the country where their father considered his permanent home when the individual was born. In Ms Murthy's case, she was born in India, so she ticks the first box for claiming she is not domiciled in the UK. Others can also inherit their domicile from their parents, meaning they can still be born in the UK but have non-dom status. When evaluating someone's domicile, the taxman will consider a number of factors, including permanent country of residence and how long an individual intends to stay in the UK. When it comes to tax, the rules state that you do not pay UK tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than 2,000 a year and you do not bring them into the UK. If you earn more than 2,000 from overseas or bring any money into the UK you must pay UK tax on it - although this may be claimed back. Or you can pay an annual charge, depending on how long you have been in the UK. The charges are 30,000 if you have been in the UK for at least seven of the last nine tax years, or 60,000 for at least 12 of the previous 14 tax years. Therefore, if you are resident in the UK but a citizen of another country, you must still pay a fee. For high net-worth individuals, many will opt for the yearly charge because the income received from foreign businesses and investments is likely to lead to a far higher tax bill. Advertisement

Ms Reeves said today that a Labour government would abolish the 'broken 200-year-old system' of non-dom status and replace it with a 'modern scheme' for people who are living in the UK for short periods.

'As the Tories raise taxes on working people, it simply isnt right that those at the top can benefit from a outdated non-dom tax perks,' the shadow chancellor said.

'With Labour, people who make the UK their home will contribute to this country by paying tax on their global income.

'The Prime Minister and Chancellor have spent the last few weeks preoccupied with saving their own skins, and have done nothing to tackle the spiralling cost of living.

'Even worse, theyve made it harder for working people to make ends meet by hiking National Insurance.

'Labour is on your side. We will tax fairly, spend wisely, and grow the economy.'

Ms Reeves also promised a Labour administration would crack down on the use of hidden offshore trusts that allow people to avoid paying tax in Britain, as well as fast-track the publication of a register of overseas beneficial ownership of property in the UK.

Labour said this was 'crucial' for preventing companies' true owners from carrying out their tax affairs in secrecy, including those from sanctioned states such as Russia.

The Opposition's move today - as well as turning up the heat on the Chancellor amid the cost-of-living crisis - will be seen as an attempt to shut down a fresh rift between allies of leader Sir Keir Starmer and the party's Left.

They had previously been demanding to know why Sir Keir and his shadow minsters were mired in confusion over whether Labour still backed abolishing non-dom status.

This was a policy held by the party under ex-leader Jeremy Corbyn and former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, as well as Mr Corbyn's predecessor Ed Miliband.

Prior to today, despite their fierce criticim of Mr Sunak, Sir Keir's shadow ministers would only point to Ms Reeves' ongoing review of Labour's tax policy when asked what they would do about non-dom status.

Earlier this month, Mr McDonnell said it was 'hard to understand' why Labour was refusing to commit to abolish non-dom status, which had been pledged in the party's 2019 general election manifesto.

Momentum, the Left-wing group that formed out of Mr Corbyn's two leadership campaigns, had also questioned why Sir Keir was failing to re-commit to the policy.

But there were signs that Ms Reeve's announcement today had still to resolve the internal row.

A source from Labour's Left told MailOnline that the party were 'not really abolishing non-dom status' as they pointed to Ms Reeves' promise to replace it with a 'modern scheme'.

They said this was 'based on a "race to the bottom" approach to taxes which encourages loopholes, and allows the wealthiest to profit at the expense of working people, who are rightly outraged that it's one rule for the rich and another for the rest of us'.

The row over Mr Sunak's wife's tax affairs came shortly before the Chancellor was forced to admit he held a US Green Card for more than 18 months while in charge of the Treasury.

Mr Sunak later requested that Christopher Geidt, the independent adviser on ministers interests, examine his past declarations.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson repeatedly refused to intervene in the row over Ms Murty's non-dom status.

He told reporters earlier this month: 'I think it is very important in politics, if you possibly can, to try and keep peoples families out of it.'
A rare private Boeing 747 that used to belong to the Saudi royal family is destined for a scrap heap in the US, despite flying for a total of just 42 hours.

The distinctive all-white 747-8 was ordered by Saudi crown prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for a staggering 235million, but he died one year before the plane was set to be delivered to him in 2012.

The incredible craft was intended to serve as bin Abdulaziz' private jet until he passed away while the plane was being kitted out in Basel, Switzerland, with a plush VIP interior.

No other members of the Saudi royal family opted to keep the plane following their former crown prince's death, so the massive jet remained collecting dust and rust in Switzerland for a decade.

Now, it has made what may prove to be its final flight to Pinal Airpark in Arizona, USA - a world-renowned airplane boneyard where decommissioned models go to be pulled apart for scraps.

Its 42 hours of flying time mean the plane is essentially brand new - a typical Boeing 747 is expected to complete around 100,000 hours of flight before being scrapped.

A rare private Boeing 747 that used to belong to the Saudi royal family is destined for a scrap heap in the US, despite flying for a total of just 42 hours

The incredible craft, whose registration is N458BJ, was intended to serve as bin Abdulaziz' private jet and to host foreign dignitaries on state visits

Bin Abdulaziz died while the plane was being kitted out in Basel, Switzerland, with a plush VIP interior (pictured unfinished)

The massive jet has made what may be its final flight to Pinal Airpark in Arizona, USA - a world-renowned airplane boneyard where decommissioned models go to be pulled apart for scraps

The decommissioning of the Saudi royal family's 747 may be seen as an inexcusable waste, given the 747 is widely used as a highly capable passenger jet as well as a cargo vehicle worldwide.

Flight tracking data shows the aircraft departed from Basel, where it had spent the majority of the past ten years, on Friday, April 15, before touching down in Arizona 11 hours later.

There are doubts over whether the plane will ever enjoy another flight, with many of the crafts arriving at the Pinal Airpark never taking to the skies again.

But just three days before the supposed final flight, the plane was re-purchased from the Saudi royal family by its maker, Boeing, suggesting the jet may yet see a new lease of life.

However, Boeing recently announced it plans to cease production of the world-renowned aircraft later this year, despite its popularity and capability.

Often referred to as 'Queen of the Skies', the jumbo jet has long been a favourite of American presidents and proved to be the key to affordable mass market air travel in the United States when it was first introduced in 1970.

It 'made flying available for everyone,' said Boeing chief company historian Michael Lombardi said of the iconic jet. 'The 747 gave wings to the world.'

There are doubts over whether the plane will ever enjoy another flight, with many of the crafts arriving at the Pinal Airpark never taking to the skies again. But just three days before the supposed final flight, the plane was re-purchased from the Saudi royal family by its maker, Boeing, suggesting the jet may yet see a new lease of life

The cockpit of the Saudi royal family Boeing 747, which was just re-purchased by its maker

Meanwhile, aerospace consultant Michel Merluzeau said the plane changed travel.

'All of a sudden, you could go from Singapore to London in less than 24 hours. It made everything more accessible.'

'The 747 was a major milestone in the history of flight,' said Bob Van der Linden, curator of the aeronautics department at the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

'It's big, very comfortable, beautiful, it has a staircase on it,' Van der Linden added. 'It's a symbol of economic power.'

Nicknamed the original 'jumbo jet' because of the huge hump, the plane is able to carry upwards of 600 passengers.

The 747's origins date to the early 1960s when Boeing's then chief Bill Allen was approached by Juan Trippe, head of now-defunct Pan Am Airlines, to build a bigger plane to address the growing problem of airport crowding.

Boeing originally considered a double-decker aircraft, but the companies concluded that it would be difficult to evacuate passengers in case of an emergency, opting instead for a twin-aisle 'wide body' design.

Model of an Air France Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet interior with passengers seen in 1966

Since its debut in February 1969, more than 1,500 of the 747s have been delivered, and more than 500 are still in service.

Since the 1990s, American presidents have used specially outfitted 747s as Air Force One - the sitting president's personal aircraft known as 'the President's office in the sky'.

In recent years, Boeing has downsized its aircraft and introduced smaller, cheaper options.

The 777, introduced in 1995, is smaller, seating up to 400 and requires less fuel because of its two engines.

'Frankly we really don't see much demand for really big airplanes,' Randy Tinseth, Boeing vice president of marketing, said June 2020 - though this statement came amid the coronavirus pandemic.

'There will be just a handful moving forward. Things we do for VIPs, things we do for the president, military operations, but we don't see a significant demand for passenger 747s.'
Horrifying camera footage captured an Army paratrooper's fatal fall while she was reportedly 'filming a parachutist' in southeastern Brazil.

Sgt. Bruna Ploner, 33, was attempting to make a low-altitude landing maneuver when she crashed to the ground at the National Skydiving Center in Boituva, Sao Paulo, on Sunday, according to Folha UOL news outlet.

'The victim was filming another parachutist when, at the time of landing, she collided with the ground suffering injuries,' the Civil Police said in a report that was obtained by the Folha UOL.

Surveillance camera footage captured the moment Army paratrooper, sergeant Bruna Ploner, crashed landed while skydiving in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday. The 33-year-old was still alive when paramedics reached her at the National Skydiving Center and rushed her to a local hospital, where she died from the injuries suffered

Army sergeant Bruna Ploner was a member of the Brazilian Army's Os Cometas parachuting team

The video shows Ploner slamming into ground at the skydiving facility and then being dragged across the site by her deployed parachute.

She was rushed to Sao Luiz Municipal Hospital, where she was declared dead due to the trauma injuries she suffered.

Ploner was a member of Os Cometas, the Army's parachuting team.

'The Cometas team extends its solidarity to friends and family for this irreparable loss and we pray that God can comfort them in this moment of great pain,' the Army team said in a statement.

The Sao Paulo Secretariat of Public Security is investigating the incident as a suspicious death.

Bruna Ploner, a member of the Brazilian Army's parachuting team, died while skydiving Sunday

Footage from a security camera at the National Skydiving Center in Sao Paulo, Brazil, shows the moment Army sergeant Bruna Ploner is dragged across the ground by her parachute after she suffered a hard fall while skydiving
A coroner has urged health bosses to consider imposing minimum standards for perimeter fences at acute mental health units after neglect was found to have contributed to the death of a vulnerable patient.

Matthew Caseby, 23, was being treated at a Priory hospital in Woodbourne, Birmingham, when he was left 'inappropriately unattended' for several minutes - enabling him to abscond by scaling a 7ft 6in (2.3m) fence in September 2020.

He died at the following morning after walking on to tracks close to Birmingham University while suffering a psychotic episode.

A decision was subsequently made to raise the height of the fence to 9ft 10in (3 metres) following Matthew's death, but the work was not completed until after another patient had climbed over later that year.

The fence was also scaled again during the two and a half weeks of an inquest into Matthew's death.

His father Richard, 61, says the hospital 'failed profoundly to prevent harm' to his son.

Birmingham and Solihull Senior Coroner Louise Hunt has said that she remains concerned at the safety of the fence, as well as the quality of the hospital's record keeping and how risk assessments are completed among other incidents.

Matthew Caseby, 23, had been left unattended in a courtyard for about five minutes, enabling him to abscond by scaling a 7ft 6in (2.3m) fence, the court heard

Even though a decision was made to raise its height to 9ft 10in(3 metres) after Mr Casebys death in September 2020, the work was not done until after another patient had climbed over later that year

In a Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) report sent by the coroner to the Priory Group, NHS England, and the Department of Health and Social Care, Mrs Hunt has expressed 'serious concerns about the accuracy of the clinical record at the Priory for what are some of the most vulnerable patients'.

The report said: 'The inquest heard evidence that a previous absconsion over the courtyard fence in October 2019 had not prompted any review of the height of the fence and focused on why the patient absconded, ie to have a cigarette.

'I have serious concerns that the system of investigation in place at the Priory means critical lessons are not learnt at the appropriate time.'

And addressing her concern over the safety of the courtyard fence, she added: 'A patient absconded over the courtyard fence during the inquest which indicates the courtyard area is not safe.

'I have serious concerns that an urgent review of the courtyard is required.

'Staff gave evidence that the courtyard in its current format with steps and a gradient on the grass bank was unsafe, especially if a patient needed to be restrained.'

The coroner's report also set out recommendations for 'standard guidelines for perimeter fences and security for outside areas'.

She added: 'The inquest heard evidence from Professor Shaw, a specialist in safety in Mental Health settings, that it would be useful for there to be standard guidelines for the requirements of perimeter fences and security for outside areas in acute Mental Health units as no such guidance is in place.

'This would ensure the correct level of security for some of the most vulnerable patients whilst maintaining a therapeutic setting.

'In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you have the power to take such action.'

During the inquest. jurors criticised several failings and missed opportunities in Mr Casebys treatment at the Woodbourne Priory Hospital.

Although the fence met national guidelines, the lack of a supervision policy meant the courtyard was unsuitable for patients use, the jury found.

They also criticised the hospitals failure to take action despite concerns patients had previously absconded by climbing the fence.

Mr Caseby  a personal trainer  was detained under the Mental Health Act after being seen walking on railway lines in Oxfordshire on September 3, 2020.

He absconded in the evening of September 7.

He was seen leaving the unit by two staff, who alerted colleagues and emergency services  but staff took no further action, the inquest heard.

He died at 8.40am the following morning after walking on to tracks close to Birmingham University.

Current guidance for acute mental health units state that all facilities should 'prevent the unauthorised exit or entry of people', but does not stipulate a minimum requirement for the height of perimeter fences.

Richard Caseby, who was also provided a copy of the coroner's report today, said: 'The coroner is right to urge the Department of Health to make a ruling on the minimum height of fences at acute mental health units.

He was seen leaving the unit by two staff, who alerted colleagues and emergency services  but staff took no further action, the inquest heard

'However, it is disturbing that 20 months after Matthews death, the Priory Group is still so complacent that it has failed to make the necessary improvements to safety and security.

'The coroners report is clear. Today the Woodbourne Priory hospital is dangerous for any patient who has the misfortune to be detained there.'

The father has also called on Birmingham Womens and Childrens NHS Trust to stop sending NHS patients to the Priory Hospital Woodbourne 'while it remains a threat to their safety'.

The Priory Group apologised unreservedly for the shortcomings in care identified during both the investigation process and subsequent inquest.

In an earlier statement following the hearing, a spokesperson said: 'We accept that the care provided at Woodbourne in this instance fell below the high standard patients and their families rightly expect from us, and we fully recognise that improvements are needed to the service.

'We have already implemented changes in relation to policies, procedures and the hospital environment, but we will now carefully study the coroners findings to ensure that we take all necessary measures to improve patient safety at Woodbourne, including carrying out an urgent review of the environmental safety arrangements on Beech Ward.

'Though the hospital was rated good overall by CQC inspectors in their February 2022 report, we remain absolutely committed to continually learning and improving from incidents, and are determined to implement whatever changes are needed for the safety and welfare of all our patients.

'We would welcome national guidance on how best to achieve the most appropriate level of security in acute mental health units, while balancing the need for these to remain therapeutic and rehabilitative environments.'

The statement added that the Priory has invested more than 122 million in its facilities over the last three years, of which more than 40m was invested in improving and enhancing safety.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org
An alleged rape victim was rescued after her attacker 'pushed her down an 80ft mineshaft' but she survived the fall.

The woman was saved after a walker and his two children heard her crying for help from the abandoned mineshaft and called emergency services at 5.30pm on April 22, in Norberg, Sweden.

Police arrested a man today on suspicion of rape and attempted murder, the Public Prosecutor's Office said.

Firefighter Lars Johansson was one of the first rescuers to arrive on the scene.

He said usually a fall from such a height 'does not end well'.

An alleged rape victim was rescued after her attacker 'pushed her down an 80ft mineshaft' but she survived the fall

One of the first responders said she was lucky to survive the drop. Firefighter Lars Johansson said usually a fall from such a height 'does not end well'

It took several hours to save the woman, who was allegedly pushed down the mineshaft after a man raped her

The rescue operation took place in Norberg, which is 100 miles from the Swedish capital of Stockholm

The woman was conscious but in severe pain.

'We got alarms from a man and his two children who hear sounds from this mine hole, as if someone is shouting down there but they can't see what it is,' he told Aftonbladet.

'One of our firefighters had to abseil down into the hole and then saw it was a woman lying down there, seriously injured and cold.'

'She has been lucky, it was a little snow at the bottom of the hole that she may have landed on that may have dampened the fall but it is still at high altitude.

'It usually does not end so well when you fall from [80ft].'

An air ambulance that was on an exercise 130 miles away in Norrtalje rushed to the scene

Emergency services were called when a father and his two children heard the woman crying for help as they walked through the forest

Although footage showed a wire fence around the mineshaft, which has been out of use since 1948, it has remained open and unfilled for 74 years

She was reportedly pushed down the shaft in a clearing for an old iron ore mining business in the middle of the forest that has been closed for 74 years.

Although the company's buildings were ruined, the shaft had remained open and unfilled.

It was 82ft deep and 32ft wide, although it tapered before opening up slightly at the bottom.

It was several hours before emergency rescue teams were able to winch the woman to safety.

The shaft was 82ft deep and 32ft wide, although it tapered before opening up slightly at the bottom

The woman was taken 50 miles north to Falu Hospital, where she was treated for her injuries

It was only when a Swedish Maritime Administration's Naval and Air Rescue Center (JRCC) air ambulance was flown more than 130 miles from Norrtalje that a paramedic could be winched down to the injured woman.

A lifeguard with a stretcher also came down and they were able to rescue the woman.

The JRCC said: 'The effort was a great challenge for the crew as the narrow mine hole was both deep, dark and edged by tall trees.'

The woman, who was severely cold and injured, was taken 50 miles north to Falu Hospital.
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Johnny Depp was back on the stand Monday in his $100million defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard.

The court heard a number of audio recordings of Depp and Heard arguing during cross examination by Heard's lawyer Benjamin Rottenborn. It was not clear who took each one but it was one of the parties.

In one audio clip, Depp tells Heard: 'Walking away is necessary, is necessary, especially between you and I. It's of utmost importance.

'The next move, if I don't walk away, it's just going to be a bloodbath. Like it was on the island, it's not worth it. Why be miserable, can we just have some understanding?'

Heard says that given a choice between a bloodbath and walking away 'obviously' she will choose the latter.

Depp says: 'Then why has it (a bloodbath) been chosen so many times?'

Johnny Depp was back on the stand Monday in his $100million defamation trial against ex wife Amber Heard

The court heard a number of audio recordings of Depp and Heard arguing - it was not clear who took each one but it was one of the parties

Rottenborn told the court that this was not the first time the description 'bloodbath' had come up during the trial.

On March 12 2013 Depp texted Heard: 'Just thought you should know there exists a book titled Disco Bloodbath, that's all.' The title appeared to refer to the novel by Manhattan celebutante James St. James written in 1999 about a murder among his circle of friends, known as the 'Club Kids'

On March 12 2013 Depp texted Heard: 'Just thought you should know there exists a book titled Disco Bloodbath, that's all.'

The title appeared to refer to the novel by Manhattan celebutante James St. James written in 1999 about a murder among his circle of friends, known as the 'Club Kids'.

Heard said: 'We need that book! Is it about last Friday night by any chance?'

Depp replied: 'How can you make me smile about such a hideous moment. Yes it is. Funny bi**h. I f**king love you, c**t.'

In another audio Heard tells Depp: 'You wouldn't have used that as a way to hit me. I was pouring my heart out to you, what do you do?

'You do without thinking. Throw a swing when you can. What better than when I'm on the floor because that's when it's really good to hit someone.

In one audio Heard tells Depp: 'Put your f**k*ing cigarette out on some one else.'

Depp replies: 'Shut up fat a**.'

Asked about it in court, Depp said: 'I think that was another grossly exaggerated moment of Miss Heard. I didn't put a cigarette out on her.'

In another clip Heard says: 'I cry in my bedroom after I dumped you a week prior after you beat the s*** out of me. A week later you show up saying you want to say goodbye.'

Depp says: 'I made a huge mistake. I won't do it again.'

During another recording Heard and Depp can be heard arguing, when Depp shouts: 'You're a f**king c**t!'

In yet another audio clip, Depp tells Heard: 'You stupid f**k! I don't f**king care, you shut up with that!'

Rottenborn said: 'You heard Miss Heard say get off me? referring to the clip, which was faint.

Depp said: '(I heard) distant screaming and I'll talk to you later.'

The court heard a text sent by Depp to his agent Christian Carino on August 15 2016.

Depp said of Heard: 'She will hit the wall hard!!!!'

'I can only hope that karma kicks in and takes the gift of breath from her.'

'The next move, if I don't walk away, it's just going to be a bloodbath. Like it was on the island, it's not worth it. Why be miserable, can we just have some understanding?' Depp said

Depp is suing Heard for $50 million over a piece she wrote in the Washington Post in which she described how she had been a victim of domestic abuse

The trial is taking place in Fairfax, Virginia because the Washington Post - the paper where Heard wrote her op-ed - is located there

Texts read in court were read out by Rottenborn, Heard's lawyer, to Depp while he was in the witness box.

The court heard a message that Depp sent to his security guard Malcolm Connolly in February 2016 around the time he supposedly smashed up the kitchen of his Los Angeles home.

Depp says that 'I feel like I'm going to puke all the time' and says he wants to 'get myself out of her (Heard's) level of s**t.'

Depp says: 'I will never mention this c**t's name ever again. The first prick that mentions her name will get a warning.'

Depp wrote that the next person who mentions Heard's name will get 'his nose bit off, chewed up and swallowed by Johnny Depp.'

Depp said that the individual will have to 'force him to watch me mangling' his nose.

Rottenborn asked: 'Miss Heard was not the only one who disapproved of your drinking?'

Depp said: 'If anyone had a problem with my drinking it was me. The only person I've abused is myself

The court heard a text from Depp to Kevin Murphy, his assistant, on January 21, 2014 that referred to Vanessa Paradis, his ex-wife and mother to their two children, including daughter Lily-Rose.

Depp said: 'Just trying to get over my shocking discussion with Vanessa that lasted five plus hours. Now Lily-Rose hates me because she thinks I'm drinking and she's right but I can't admit or I f**king die in her eyes.'

Rottenborn turned to Depp's views on Heard's career as an actress.

On October 29, 2013 Heard was texting Depp that she was in a coffee meeting which appeared to frustrate him.

Depp replied asking what 'species' of meeting it was. He told her: 'No goddam movies, no movies. Why deviate from our agreement?'

Rottenborn asked: 'You didn't want her to take the meeting?'

Depp said: 'It seems as thought he had an agreement to do something together. I'm asking what species of meeting.

'It's not necessarily an angry text, it's why did you deviate from our agreement. It's not about her doing films. How do you think she got Aquaman?'

Rottenborn asked: 'You want to control her career?'

Depp said: 'That's patently untrue.'

Depp and Heard met on the set of the 2011 movie The Rum Diary, turning up on the red carpet together for its London premiere

Depp was shown a series of unflattering articles about him as Heard's lawyers sought to show that there were many negative stories about him prior to her 2018 op-ed that he did not sue over.

Depp dismissed the reports as a 'stack of hit pieces generated by Miss Heard's publicity team.'

Rottenborn read out 12 headlines including one describing how he was drunk at an award ceremony and got cut off by the organizers.

A May 2016 piece said that Depp's 'friends and family are seriously concerned about him, here's why.'

Depp responded: 'How did they know?'

Depp dismissed a May 2017 story about his former manager saying he had an 'epic sense of entitlement' because he was in a lawsuit with them.

Depp said that another headline from the same month about how he drank heavily and was constantly late to the set of Pirates of the Caribbean 5 was 'pathetic' and a 'hit piece.'

Rottenborn read a headline for another story which said: 'Where did it all go wrong for Johnny Depp?'

The article noted that 'after a string of flops' Depp's career looks as 'wobbly as Jack Sparrow on a plank.' Rottenborn asked Depp if he read that correctly. He responded sarcastically: 'You read it very well.'

A number of the headlines were from the Hollywood Reporter and Depp said bitingly they were 'very nice to me.'

Another headline read out to Depp by Rottenborn read: 'Why Johnny Depp's movies are bombing at the box office.'

To a headline about Depp showing up drunk to a movie premiere, Depp protested: 'This is hearsay, is it not?'

Rottenborn read out a headline published six months before Heard's op-ed which talked about how his life was a 'haze of booze and hash, a lifestyle he can't afford.'

Rottenborn asked if he read it correctly. Depp shot back: 'You should read the article,' sparking laughter in court.

Rottenborn read a Daily Mail headline by journalist Alison Boshoff from June 2018 which read: 'Vodka for breakfast, 72-hour drug binges and spending sprees that beggar belief: ALISON BOSHOFF reveals why Hollywood's reeling over what's being called Johnny Depp's career suicide note.'

Depp said: 'Who is Alison Boshoff and how does she know?'

Vasquez asked Depp about texts he exchanged with the British actor Paul Bettany in which they joked about drowning and burning Heard

Depp's lawyer Camille Vasquez questioned Depp about how it felt when the op-ed came out.

He said: 'Hurt. A blinding hurt. It was like somebody had hit me in the back of the head with a 2x4 and as it said, I had no ability to speak prior because even if I'd done an interview it turned into a hit piece.

'My mouth was shut and this was the opportunity where I thought something's got to be done, I couldn't take it any more.'

Depp said he was shocked when Disney dropped him from the Pirates franchise.

Depp said: 'Mr. Bettany and I met when I was making The Tourist in Venice. It was an instant connection. He's born and bred in the UK and has that English dry obtuse, abstract sense of humor. That was one of the things we connected on'

He said: 'I didn't quite understand how after that long relationship and quite a successful relationship certainly for Disney that suddenly I was guilty until proven innocent.'

But Depp said that ultimately he soured on Disney and felt that there was 'a very deep and distinct sense of having been betrayed.'

There was laughter in court as Depp struggled to name the other franchises he was in beyond Pirates.

Depp said Alice in Wonderland but struggled and said: 'Boy.'

He said: 'I'm so pathetic when it comes to knowing what movies I've done. I feel better not watching them. What was the question again?'

At that point Depp's supporters laughed loudly in court

Judge Penney Azcarate said: 'Order in the court or I will have you removed.'

Vasquez asked Depp about texts he exchanged with the British actor Paul Bettany in which they joked about drowning and burning Heard.

Depp said: 'Mr. Bettany and I met when I was making The Tourist in Venice. It was an instant connection. He's born and bred in the UK and has that English dry obtuse, abstract sense of humor. That was one of the things we connected on.

'Even if it was a difficult or unpleasant situation we'd do our best to deal with it with humor as opposed to just a constant complaint or whining.

'There was a lot of in context it's important to know that none of it was ever intended to be real

The language that's used, which I'm ashamed that has to be spread on the world like peanut butter.

'The text that is about burning Miss Heard, it's directly from Monty Python in the sketch about burning witches and drowning witches.

'This is a film we'd all watched when we were 10. It's just irreverent and abstract humor. That's what we were referring to'.

Depp said that Bettany had an 'abominable' relationship with Heard and recounted an incident on his private island in the Bahamas.

He said: 'Miss Heard despised Mr. Bettany mainly because we'd become such close friends and for her he was a threat and would take me away from her with regard to. If Paul Bettany was getting the attention from me that was a showstopper.

'It would cause all kinds of unpleasantries to the point where when we were on the island with Mr Bettany, his wife and his four children, Miss Heard and Mr Bettany got into some debate over lunch and I remember that whenever Mr Bettany tried to make a point she would talk over him and it started to get quite rude.

'She got mean and she got loud and then his 18-year-old boy who was getting ready to go - very bright, brilliant kid - entered the conversation because it was something to do with what he studied. He voiced his opinion and Miss Heard demeaned that young man to the point where he burst into tears and walked away.

'It was at that point that I'd spoken to Miss Heard and said that's unacceptable, you have no right to demean that boy, you cannot always be right. You should try being wrong some time because you might learn something. I thought it best if she leave the island.'

Depp detailed the explosive fight he and Amber Heard had in March 2015 in Australia where the top of his finger was severed when Heard allegedly threw a bottle of vodka at him

'What I felt was heat and I felt as if something were dripping down my hand and then I looked down and realized that the tip of my finger had been severed. I was looking directly at my bone sticking out,' Depp said

Vasquez asked Depp about a text he sent to his personal doctor after the incident in Australia in which he says he cut his finger off.

Depp denied this was an admission he had done it himself.

He said: 'I'm a guitarist and have been since 12, that was the only peace I've found where I knew I could escape into music and learn music.

'There is no reason in the world, literally I'd cut my finger off to ruin this beautiful opportunity I was given at 12 to learn how to play the guitar

'Why would I start lopping off digits in my 50s if as Mr. Rottenborn suggests I am a walking tantrum. When I was younger, why wouldn't I start chopping off fingers? Why would I ruin the only thing that was really good in my life aside from my children?

'When the tip of this finger went the only thing I could think in my mind was thank god it wasn't the left hand which is the fret hand.

'If you lose a finger from your left hand, I'd have had to relearn how to play the guitar all over again. That's not the case.

'If I was going to admit to someone I actually chopped my finger off, it would have been a long explanation. Not I can't take responsibility for what I now call Little Richard, my chopped finger.'
A barber who offered lorry drivers thousands of pounds to illegally bring people into the UK from northern France and Belgium has been convicted of people smuggling.

Gul Wali Jabarkhel, 33 and from Cricklewood, was using Colindale hairdressers as a front to commit organised immigration crime, attempting to recruit lorry drivers to bring migrants to the UK.

In September 2020 Jabarkhel  who claimed he had links with Albanian criminals abroad - offered a driver 2,500 for each person smuggled in from France or Belgium, with payment to be made on completion.

He was reluctant to smuggle more than five migrants at a time due to the risk of detection, but wanted to secure an on-going arrangement with the driver, who would make smuggling runs up to three times a month.

The first run was scheduled for November 9, 2020, which involved smuggling migrants from Belgium, but Jabarkhel abandoned it.

Instead, he and his co-conspirator in a future venture, Baz Mohammed Jabarkhil, 47, from Mill Hill, also in north west London, left the UK and flew to Kabul, Afghanistan.

Bent barber Gul Wali Jabarkhel, 33, tried to bribe lorry drivers to smuggle migrants

Rehan Murudkar, 19, and Mohammad Rafique, 28 at the M1 London Gateway Services

The crooked crimper, 33, used his Colindale salon Ariana Hair Stylist as front for his plot

While they were away the NCA worked to stop them returning, in an attempt to disrupt their criminal enterprise.

However, the pair made repeated attempts to re-enter the UK illegally using the lorry drivers they had tried to recruit. A plan was hatched for this in April 2021, which they were to pay 7,500 each for.

With them out of the country they turned to fellow crime group members Rehan Murudkar, 19, of Edgware and Mohammad Rafique, 28, to arrange a cash handover at the M1 London Gateway Services for their facilitation.

But the pair were unaware that they were being watched by the NCA, and shortly after the cash was paid to the lorry driver Murudkar and Rafique were arrested on suspicion of money laundering.

When interviewed, both men admitted travelling from the hair salon to the service station with the money but denied involvement in the people smuggling plot. They claimed they were unaware of what they were purchasing but had made the assumption they were paying for untaxed goods such as barbering equipment.

However, this was contradicted by evidence found on their phones showing repeated phone calls, audio and text message exchanges withJabarkhel and Jabarkhil.

Mohammad Rafique, left, and Rehan Murudkar, right, were also part of the smuggling racket

Baz Mohammed Jabarkhil, co-conspirator in a future venture, flew with the barber abroad

This included a Google Maps link for the service station that Jabarkhil sent to both Murudkar and Rafique and messages from Murudkar to his partner saying he was dropping off 10,000 for Jabarkhel.

Shortly afterwards, Jabarkhel thought he had finally successfully smuggled himself back into the UK, but NCA officers arrested him at the barber shop on 8 July 2021.

Two months later Baz Mohammed Jabarkhil also entered the UK illegally via a small boat. He was detained by Border Force in Dover and arrested over people smuggling offences by the NCA.

All four men were convicted today following a six week trial at Kingston Crown Court.

Baz Mohammad Jabarkhil pleaded guilty to illegally entering the UK in September 2021.

Gul Wali Jabarkhel pleaded guilty in an earlier hearing for his part in the conspiracy to smuggle Baz Mohammed Jabarkhil into the UK.

They will be sentenced on June 1.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer Chris Hill said: 'This gang were ruthless operators who regarded human beings as little more than goods to profit from.

'They attempted to orchestrate dangerous journeys across the Channel in the backs of lorries where the risk of injury, or worse, were extremely high.

'These convictions have smashed a hole through their criminal enterprise and are a strong reminder that tackling organised immigration crime is a priority for the NCA.

'Anyone else embroiled in this type of activity should stand up and take note. We will catch you and bring you before the courts.'

Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Kate Anderson said:

'Gul Wali Jabarkhel wanted to exploit others' desire to enter the UK unlawfully, focusing on profit and showing no regard for potential risks to the migrants' safety.

'He and a co-defendant then attempted to re-enter the UK in a lorry to avoid border detection. They conspired with two other defendants who handed over a significant sum of money as payment to the lorry drivers.

'The case presented to the court highlighted the defendants' focus on transport, logistics and fee negotiations with the lorry drivers.

'These crimes are extremely serious and we will continue to work with our partners to ensure those responsible face justice.'
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Eerie new video shows the appalling state of Tiger King Joe Exotic's infamous GW Zoo in Oklahoma two years after fierce rival Carole Baskin closed it for good.

With filth flooding the site and violent graffiti about Carole Baskin adorned on the grey walls, the Greater Wynnewood Zoo is a shadow of its former self.

Exotic, 58, and his wacky but controversial tourist attraction shot to fame after featuring prominently in the Netflix smash hit true crime series 'Tiger King'.

The series followed eccentric Exotic and his fiery rivalry with fellow zookeeper Carole Baskin, who Exotic and others accused of murdering her ex-husband Don Lewis in the late-Nineties.

As Covid swept the world in spring 2020, viewers on both sides of the Atlantic were hooked by the pair's petty exploits. But it culminated in Exotic hiring a hit squad to kill Baskin, the Tiger King's conviction and imprisonment, and the closure of his zoo for good.

Stunning drone footage shows the filthy and vacant site of GW Zoo, previously a tourist haunt owned by Tiger King Joe Exotic

Once a bright green animal center in rural Oklahoma, GW Zoo is brown, decrepit and derelict, newly shot drone video shows

Exotic, pictured with one of his beloved big cats (left) is behind bars after being found guilty of 17 federal charges including two counts of murder-for-hire and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act. Baskin (right) then took on GW Zoo

Under new management: Carole Baskin (pictured left) who owns nearby sanctuary Big Cat Rescue, was made sole owner of the GW Zoo site before selling. Joe Exotic (pictured right) in a prison mugshot

Visitors are pictured interacting with big cats at the once-luscious and well looked after GW Zoo in southern Oklahoma

Once a green and pleasant environment - at least for humans - GW Zoo was owned and operated by eccentric Exotic (left)

Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Allen Schreibvogel, attempted to bribe an FBI agent to murder Baskin. He was recorded saying: 'Just like follow her into a mall parking lot and just cap her and drive off.'

After the Netflix series became an unlikely phenomenon, Jeff Lowe tried to exploit the zoo's newfound fame, reopening the zoo as 'Tiger King Park' in May 2020.

But within weeks an Oklahoma judge handed Baskin, 60, control of GW Zoo altogether. She vowed never to reopen it or any other tourist site on the complex.

The site is now covered in graffiti alleging Carole Baskin murdered her husband Don. He mysteriously disappeared in 1997

Baskin and husband Howard found the park flooded with rotten meat, graffiti alleging she murdered her ex-husband and filth in every corner. Since their takeover two years ago, it has been laid to ruin.

After rumors spread that the site was haunted, a crew from Netflix series Ghost Adventures even filmed their Halloween special at the vacant, vandalized site.

Exotic now has 'aggressive' prostate cancer and was moved in late 2021 from federal prison in Texas to a health center in North Carolina.

Despite pleas for a presidential pardon by Joe Biden and compassionate release, he is still serving a 21-year sentence for two counts of murder-for-hire, eight counts of violating the Lacey conservation act, and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act.

Even when his zoo was open, Exotic was criticised for the animals' cramped cages, small feeding portions and the questionable welfare of his zookeepers.

Once a relaxing cabin for GW Zoo animal trainers, buildings on the site are now filled with garbage, leaves and filthy mold

Dirty old merchandise, broken furniture and plenty of bad smells are all that can be found in the GW Zoo complex these days

He is now focused on fighting cancer. Exotic said in November that he had a CT scan with discouraging results. 'They are concerned it is in my stomach and pelvis. I have not had any treatment or anything since May. I puke when I pee - the pain is that bad', he told The Sun.

'I'm losing weight all the time and the pain in my hip and pelvis hurts. I limp to walk. And my stomach has hurt for over a year.'

The Netflix star said that he hoped to be taken to a specialist medical center for 'many tests' including a 'biopsy of my prostate and bladder, colonoscopy and endoscopy.'

It's not known how Exotic's condition has progressed since he entered the North Carolina medical center five months ago.

Exotic, pictured tussling gently with one of his many big cats, was imprisoned partly for violating the Endangered Species Act

Exotic hired attorney John Phillips to pursue compassionate release because Mr Phillips represented the family of Baskin's missing husband Don Lewis.

Added to Exotic's passionate rivalry with Baskin, who owned a nearby zoo, was his conviction Baskin had ordered a hitman to kill Mr Lewis. Mr Lewis disappeared in 1997 with the case still unsolved.

Tiger King co-stars Jeff Lowe and his wife Lauren recently avoided jail time for drunk driving after reaching plea deals.

Ex-GW Zoo owner and Exotic's business partner Lowe wrote on Instagram in February: 'Our unfortunate choice to drink too much last year and get into a vehicle is one we deeply regret ... please dont drink and drive, ever.'

The eerie new footage also shows vandalized rooms which appear damaged on purpose. Jeff Lowe denies any wrongdoing

Jeff exhibited 'unsteadiness on his feet and his inability to follow the directions' during a field sobriety test the officer administered, police said, and later registered a 0.18 blood alcohol level on a breathalyzer test, which was twice the legal limit.

Officers said that Lauren 'was unsteady on her feet' and exhibited 'thick slurred speech' in the incident.

Meanwhile Exotic recently filed divorce from husband Dillon Passage a year after they separated.

The former animal trainer said he is hoping he and his ex, 25, 'can both move on with their lives and divorce quickly and amicably,' his lawyer, Autumn Blackledge told TMZ.

The news came twelve months after the bartender reportedly pulled the plug on their four-year marriage via a phone call to the Fort Worth, Texas prison.

New owner Carole Baskin has left the site to rot and promises it will never become a tourist attraction ever again

Rusting cages and cramped animal sanctuaries have been neglected, with no plans to house any animals inside again

Passage reportedly called it quits with Joe because he grew lonely during his husband's time behind bars and wanted to date again.

In July 2021, he posted a picture of his new boyfriend John, who he called his 'rock' and said has helped him 'get through it all' during some 'hard' times.

Four months prior, Passage detailed his and Joe Exotic's breakup in a social media post, which read, 'To answer the main question the public wants to know, yes, Joe and I are seeking a divorce.'

The couple initially tied the knot December 11, 2017, weeks after Exotic's previous spouse Travis Maldonado, 23, died after accidentally shooting himself October 6, 2017.

Tiger King has now prompted a sequel series by Netflix, a spin-off show about fellow Oklahoma zoo rival Doc Antle, and Joe vs. Carole, a comedy-drama series starring Kate McKinnon and John Cameron as the central duo.
Good Morning America host Robin Roberts was originally afraid to interview former President Barack Obama on his changing stance about marriage equality in 2012, as she had not yet come out as gay, she has revealed.

Roberts, 61, spoke about her concerns surrounding the 2012 interview and his historic announcement that he supported same-sex marriage on Monday's episode of The Ellen Show.

She told host Ellen DeGeneres, she worried when the White House first reached out to her about doing the interview and rumors spread that the president would change his stance on marriage equality.

'I had not been public yet about being gay, and I was afraid that I might be outed, that people might wonder, "Why is she the one interviewing the president when he's making this change in his stance?" Roberts, who has been in a relationship with marriage counselor Amber Laign for about 17 years, recounted.

But, she said, she later decided it would be a big opportunity for her to conduct the interview, and agreed to it.

'It was kind of like a scene out of Moonstruck,' she said. '[I thought] "Snap out of it, Robin, what are you thinking? It's not about you. This man is going to impact countless lives.

'And it was at that moment I said, "I'm gonna stop letting fear keep me from doing the things I want to do."'

Robin Roberts, host of Good Morning America, reveals in Monday's episode of The Ellen Show she was afraid to interview former President Barack Obama on his changing views of marriage equality in 2012 because she had not yet come out as gay

Ellen DeGeneres applauded Roberts for her bravery, saying everyone should 'be authentically who you were born to be'

'I'm so grateful I did that,' she continued. 'Shortly thereafter is when, on Instagram or on social media, I talked about Amber, and all the fear I had about being a Christian, that people would look at me differently. I was embraced.

'Again, if we just think about how many times we let fear keep us on the sidelines,' Roberts mused, 'and I'm so, so very glad that that's no longer the case.

'I am not gonna get everything that I want in life, and I'm not going to accomplish everything,' she said. 'But, by golly, fear is not going to be the reason why I'm not.'

After the studio audience applauded the ABC host for her courage, DeGeneres said she agreed.

'There's just no reason to not be authentically who you were born to be because it's doing a disservice to whatever you believe in - if you believe in God or the universe, or however you want to put it, there's only one of you in all of time, so be all of who you are,' she said.

She ultimately decided to conduct the interview with Obama, who was facing re-election against Republican Mitt Romney. It proved to be fruitful as the then-president revealed his support for same-sex marriage

Roberts, 61, has been in a relationship with marriage counselor Amber Laign for 17 years

Roberts' interview with the former president as he prepared to face Republican Mitt Romney in his re-election bid proved to be fruitful.

It made headlines throughout the nation as Obama explained that he 'had hesitated on gay marriage, in part, because I thought civil unions would be sufficient.

'I was sensitive to the fact that, for a lot of people, that the word "marriage" is something that provokes very powerful traditions and religious beliefs,' Obama said at the time.

But he said after seeing some of his staff members with their same-sex partners: 'At a certain point, I've just concluded that for me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.'

One year later, in a year-end Facebook message on her page, Roberts officially came out as gay, writing: 'I am grateful for my entire family, my longtime girlfriend, Amber, and friends as we prepare to celebrate a glorious new year together.'

The GMA host opened up about their relationship in a Facebook post at the end of 2013

The post came on the first anniversary of the 100th day of her recovery from a bone marrow transplant to treat a rare blood disorder called myelodysplastic syndrome - as she continued to battle breast cancer.

Now, her girlfriend Laign, is facing a similar battle. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021, and underwent surgery earlier this year.

Since then, Roberts told DeGeneres on Monday's episode: 'I'm in a puddle every time I think about what Amber's going through.'

Roberts said that she has been acting as Laign's caretaker, and in doing so, has realized just how much Laign has been protecting her as she faced breast cancer.

She is now reminding others to get screened regularly, noting that Laign put off going to the doctor during the pandemic.

The full episode featuring Roberts, whose new book Brighter by the Day: Waking Up to New Hopes and Dreams is out now, is scheduled to air Monday at 3pm.
Hasan Kocer explained that the world powers assigned Turkey to launch attacks against the region, and the main goal is the partition of Syria, which Turkey has effectively divided, and that the policy followed by the Damascus government is incorrect. He stressed that the position of the Kurdistan Democratic Party is against patriotism and human values.

During an interview with our agency, Hasan kocer assessed the Turkish attacks on northern and eastern Syria and southern Kurdistan.

He drew attention to the Turkish colonial plans in Syria and the Arabs. He also highlighted the international support for Turkey's colonial plans, as well as the KDP's trading in the Kurdish cause.

The following is the text of the interview:

 The Turkish occupation state has recently intensified its attacks against northern and eastern Syria, through drones and bombing cities with cannons and missiles. What do you think is the reason?

Turkish attacks on the region are not new. After the outbreak of the Syrian revolution and the Arab Spring, the Turkish state played a subversive role in the region, diverted the course of the Syrian revolution, removed it from its democratic content, and destroyed the hopes of peoples, by supporting extremist factions and ISIS mercenaries.

I mentioned that the attacks are not new and will continue, and the first and main goal is to eliminate the democratic project, to divide society and the peoples of the region, and to eradicate the culture of the peoples. As for the second goal, it can be divided into two parts. The first is about the Kurds, as Turkey aims to eliminate the Kurdish people; Because it suffers from Kurdish phobia, and enjoys killing Kurds, the Turkish state was founded on the denial of the Kurds and the peoples of the region, and the second part is related to the attacks against Arab countries, as it seeks to create chaos in the Arab countries.

The aim of the Turkish attacks is to restore its old worn-out empire, to impose its control over the Arab regions, the chaos it created in Syria, and to interfere in the affairs of the Iraqi state and threaten its stability, and the interference in the Libyan affairs is proof of that. Turkey is a rogue state, it does not listen to anyone, and the international community's silence is on purpose, and in support of the policy of the Turkish state.

Everyone knows that Turkey has supported ISIS. The silence of the international community proves its participation in the crimes, killings, extermination and displacement carried out by ISIS and the Turkish occupation state, which bombs through drones on a daily basis, the citizens and peoples of the region. This is all a well-thought-out scheme to break the will of the people, spread terror and fear, and destroy the democratic project.

 There is no crime left but committed by the Turkish occupation army and its mercenaries against the people of northern and eastern Syria and the occupied areas in particular, but the international community remains silent, as if it does not see what is happening at a time when we see that it is making statement after statement regarding the Russian military intervention in Ukraine, in your opinion. Why does the international community and human rights organizations follow this silence?

The international silence regarding what is being subjected to north and east Syria and Syria is very clear. If it does not affect its interests, it remains silent. As for Ukraine, it has interests, aiming to tighten the screws on Russia, and turn Ukraine into a war zone, and this serves its interests.

Therefore, the Turkish attacks against the region serve the interests of the international community. This is a clear fact. Russia and America claim that they are guarantors of the cease-fire, but Turkey targets the region before their eyes. This means that they do not pay any attention to these agreements.

The policy of the international community is a policy of duplicity. It raises its voice regarding Ukraine and remains silent about the attacks on northern and eastern Syria.This means that Turkey serves the interests of international powers.

 The intensification of attacks against northern and eastern Syria came in conjunction with the joint Turkish attack with the Kurdistan Democratic Party on the legitimate defense areas. Is there a connection between these developments?

Yes, there is a link. Turkey's goal is not only Syria, but Iraq as well. Turkey is now playing a role based on creating a new balance in the Middle East. The great powers have commissioned Turkey to launch these attacks.

The attack on southern Kurdistan now is not only carried out by Turkey, but there are other forces that have a hand in it; Some forces remain silent and this amounts to support for Turkey. There are other forces that indirectly support Turkey in order to liquidate the Kurdistan freedom movement. This is evidence that there is no international solution to the Syrian and Iraqi crises as well. Therefore, it seeks to deepen the crisis.

Turkey interferes in most countries under the pretext of its national security. Here it is necessary to ask a question; Do these countries not have national security? Is there no national security for the peoples of the region as well? Why is the sensitivity of the national security of the peoples in Iraq and Syria not taken into account? Why is the sensitivity of Turkish national security taken into account? This is evidence of the systematic destruction of Iraq and Syria.

 How do you describe the participation of the Kurdistan Democratic Party with the Turkish occupation state in the attacks launched against the legitimate defense zones, and what are the repercussions of this on the Kurdish issue and the peoples of Kurdistan?

This affects the Iraqi state and the Kurdish people as well. In Syria, too, the partys support for armed factions, so far some parties linked to democracy are within the coalition, and these parties say: We liberated Afrin, and there is no occupation. These are the sayings of the parties associated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party.

The people of Southern Kurdistan are not like the Kurdistan Democratic Party, they are a people of dignity, and they will not accept that the Turkish state snatches their gains. The KDP has interests with Erdogan at the expense of the Kurdish cause and blood.

The visit of the Kurdistan Democratic Party to Turkey is irrefutable evidence of its participation in the attacks launched against Southern Kurdistan, and this participation will exacerbate Kurdish problems, and we must also know that this participation threatens the gains of Southern Kurdistan. The Turkish state will occupy all of southern Kurdistan.

As a Kurd I say; The Kurds will not accept this policy, they own millions of dollars, and under the name of the Kurdish cause they sacrifice the Kurds, and they support the Turkish state in order to kill the Kurds. The position of the Kurdistan Democratic Party is a position against patriotism, Kurdistan and human values. Is it reasonable for a person to defend Southern Kurdistan, and whoever claims to be the owner of Southern Kurdistan and responsible for it is fighting that person!

The KDP must abandon his policies. It follows the same policy against Rojava as well, imposes a siege on Rojava, and creates strife and problems in the hands of some Kurdish National Council parties within Rojava, in order to destabilize the region.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party follows a negative policy against southern Kurdistan, Rojava, and even against the Iraqi state. Many Iraqi figures have expressed their rejection of the Turkish attacks and the participation of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. So far, the party has not made any statement about the attacks.

There are 23 Turkish bases in southern Kurdistan, what is the mission of these bases? The task of the KDP to liquidate every voice calling for democracy.

 For the first time, there are Arab and Iraqi responses to the Turkish attacks against the attack on the legitimate defense zones and northern and eastern Syria, including the League of Arab States. How do you evaluate these responses and are they capable of deterring Turkish attacks?

Yes, for the first time, a large number of Iraqi figures within the Iraqi government express their position explicitly regarding the Turkish attacks; Because the danger is too great. The Turkish state seeks to occupy Iraq and Syria as well, in the name of fighting "terrorism". The one who supported terrorism is the Turkish state itself.

The definition of terrorism has turned into a political issue, that is, forces that do not see that other forces agree with their opinion, and attach the accusation of terrorism to them. Under the name of terrorism, attacks are launched, expansionist and occupational policy continues.

The concept of terrorism was manipulated and shaped according to the politics of each power. The terrorist is the one who does not possess human values, and the Turkish state is the most terrorist state in the world. It is the one that undermined the stability of Syria and Iraq. It is the one that committed a massacre against the Armenians, killing one and a half million Armenians. It is the one that committed a massacre against the Syriacs, the Kurds and the Arabs.

Turkey wants to implement the Milli Charter; occupy Mosul, Kirkuk and Aleppo. The Arab and Kurdish people must be aware of that.

What is required now of the people of the region in order to deter the Turkish attacks, at a time when the so-called guarantor powers are turning a blind eye to the Turkish attacks?

The people of the region must strengthen their ranks and their will, because these attacks are against their will. The issue is not Autonomous Administration and the people are one.

The main objective of the Turkish attacks is the fragmentation of Syria. In practice, Syria has been divided by imposing the Turkish language, the Turkish education system, the Turkish currency and the Turkish flag on the people of the now occupied areas (Al-Bab, Harbuls, Afrin, Serekaniye and Gire Spi), and it wants to annex it to the Turkish lands.

All Turkish allegations about its exit from Syria are incorrect, and the Syrian government should be well aware of this. Turkey will not leave the region except by force, and if the Syrian government is serious about what it says, that it protects the unity and sovereignty of the Syrian territories, it must coordinate and cooperate with the Syrian Democratic Forces for the liberation of Syria. areas occupied by Turkey.

The policy followed by the Damascus government is incorrect. Instead of cooperating, it is imposing a siege on the neighborhoods of Aleppo (Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods). And you sit with Turkish intelligence, this policy does not preserve Syrian sovereignty.

If the Syrian government is serious about what it says (that it protects the unity and sovereignty of the Syrian territories) to come and liberate all the occupied areas, we are serious about what we say.

The Kurdish-Syriac agreement must be strengthened, and this is important at this stage, and the gains of the revolution must be protected, because there are efforts to create a rift between the components of the region through a special war.

A

ANHA
It has been one of the most dramatic takeover attempts in history, seeing a swashbuckling billionaire pitted against one of the largest tech giants in the world.

But Elon Musk's seizing of Twitter has been a months-long pursuit that has seen him send shockwaves through the world of business.

The Tesla magnate started hoarding shares in the social media firm at the start of the year in an apparent bid to preserve free speech online.

He quickly rocketed to the top of its shareholders' list, acquiring a huge 9% stake in the tech giant.

But then he hit choppy waters, accepting a place on the board then rejecting it, getting embroiled in lawsuits and seeing rival companies circle to buy Twitter.

Meanwhile bosses at the social media firm appeared to do all they could to ensure he could not not seize it - even launching a 'poison pill' strategy to sink his chances.

Yet Musk brazenly blasted through all the obstacles, punting a $43billion offer earlier this month and showing how he would finance it.

The entrepreneur looks set to pull off one of the all-time greatest takeovers as his representatives were said to be hammering out terms of an agreement today.

The two sides were reportedly working into the early morning to finalize the 'fast-moving' negotiations while sources said the firm had not had any counter offers.

It saw Twitter shares in the US soar by four per cent as the markets opened to $50.84 a share.

Today Musk called for his 'worst critics' to remain on the platform because 'that is what free speech means'.

Here, DailyMail.com looks at the rollercoaster journey he has been on over the last few months as he closes in on his prize.



The Tesla magnate started hoarding shares in the social media firm at the start of the year in an apparent bid to preserve free speech online

January 31: Musk hoards Twitter shares and buys them 'almost daily'

Musk started buying Twitter stock on January 31 and continued to buy shares during every trading session through April 1, according to an SEC filing.

Just days earlier, he told his 80 million followers on the site he was ' giving serious thought ' to creating his own social media platform.

A user asked him: 'Would you consider building a new social media platform, @elonmusk?

'One that would consist an open source algorithm, one where free speech and adhering to free speech is given top priority, one where propaganda is very minimal. I think that kind of a platform is needed.'

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO replied through his official account: 'Am giving serious thought to this.'

The billionaire businessman, 50, appeared to be suggesting he was sick of Twitter over the right to freedom of speech.

April 4: Musk says he bought 9.2 percent stake in firm a month earlier

Musk revealed he had purchased a 9.2 percent stake in the social media giant on March 14.

He tweeted 'oh hi lol' after the news sent shockwaves through the business world and across social media. He added: 'Do you want an edit button?'

April 5: He joins Twitter's board of directors - sees share price rocket

Twitter said the tech tycoon was joining the company's board of directors, causing the social media platform's shares to rise over 7 per cent in premarket trading.

It led to speculation he would try to address what he called the platform's 'failure to adhere to free speech principles' and 'fundamentally undermine democracy'.

Under the terms of the agreement, Musk would have served on the board until the company's 2024 annual shareholders meeting.

As long as he remains a director, the agreement said, he could not won more than 14.9 percent of the company's stock.

It meant he would not have been able to take over the company until well after his term on the board was over.

The firm said: 'Twitter is committed to impartiality in the development and enforcement of its policies and rules.

'Our policy decisions are not determined by the Board or shareholders, and we have no plans to reverse any policy decisions.'

'As always our Board plays an important advisory and feedback role across the entirety of our service.

'Our day to day operations and decisions are made by Twitter management and employees.'

April 8: Asset managers take over Musk as largest shareholders

Asset manager Vanguard Group increased its stake to overtake Musk as the largest shareholder.

Vanguard owned 10.3 percent of Twitter, while the Tesla tycoon owned 9.1 per cent, making him the largest individual shareholder.

Vanguard, led by CEO Tim Buckley, increased its stake in the company at some point during the first quarter, according to SEC filings made on April 8.

It previously reported owning 67.2million shares of Twitter or about 8.4 per cent of the company as of the end of December, according to FactSet.

Other owners of large quantities of Twitter stock included Morgan Stanley, Fidelity and Black Rock.

Vanguard, led by CEO Tim Buckley, increased its stake in the company at some point during the first quarter, according to SEC filings made on April 8

April 9: Musk rejects the offer to join Twitter's board of directors

Musk rejected an offer to join Twitter's board after disclosing his stake in the company.

Analysts said the move signaled his intention to take over the company as a board seat would have limited his stake to just under 15 per cent.

Parag Agrawal said the board would still 'remain open' to Musk's input, but warned: 'There will be distractions ahead but our goals and priorities remain unchanged.'

He said: 'The board and I had many discussions about Elon joining the board, and with Elon directly. We were excited to collaborate and clear about the risks.

'We also believed that having Elon as a fiduciary of the company where he, like all board members, has to act in the best interests of the company and all our shareholders, was the best path forward. The board offered him a seat.'

Agrawal continued: 'We announced on Tuesday that Elon would be appointed to the board contingent on a background check and formal acceptance.

'Elon's appointment to the board was to become officially effective 4/9, but Elon shared that same morning that he will no longer be joining the board.'

Parag Agrawal said the board would still 'remain open' to Musk's input, but warned: 'There will be distractions ahead but our goals and priorities remain unchanged'

April 12: Twitter shareholder Marc Bain Rasella files suit against Musk

Marc Bain Rasella filed a lawsuit against Musk for alleged securities fraud at a Manhattan federal court, according to a Bloomberg report.

The suit claimed the billionaire was required to disclose his holdings to the SEC by March 24, but the delay kept Twitter's share price down allowing Musk to buy more.

Musk was accused of violating a regulatory deadline to reveal he had accumulated a stake of at least five per cent.

Instead, according to the complaint, Musk did not disclose his position in Twitter until he had almost doubled his stake to more than nine per cent.

That strategy, the lawsuit alleges, hurt less wealthy investors who sold shares in the company in the nearly two weeks before Musk acknowledged holding a major stake.

April 14: The Tesla tycoon offers to buy Twitter for $43 BILLION

Musk offered to buy Twitter for $43billion, a regulatory filing showed, as he moved to seize the social media giant.

Musk's offer price of $54.20 per share represented a 38 per cent premium to the closing price of Twitter's stock on April 1.

This was the last trading day before the Tesla CEO's over nine per cent investment in the company was publicly announced.

It even appeared to reference marijuana - also known as 420 - a common reference used by Musk on Twitter.

Twitter said in a regulatory filing Musk provided a letter containing a proposal to buy the remaining shares of Twitter he did not already own.

April 15: Twitter launches 'poison pill' strategy to stop Musk buyout

Twitter's board announced a dramatic poison pill plan to prevent Musk from increasing his stake in the company.

Also known as a shareholder rights provision, the plan would trigger a dilution of shares if any shareholder builds up a 15 per cent stake without the board's approval.

The plan did not prevent Twitter from accepting Musk's offer or entering negotiations with him or other potential buyers.

But it did stop the billionaire from putting pressure on the board by buying up ever more shares on the open market.

Musk hit back with a laughing emoji to a version of the classic 'Distracted Boyfriend' meme mocking Twitter's board.

The imaged depicted 'Twitter's board' looking wistfully at the option to 'keep that easy gig that gives me shares' as 'Twitter investors' look on with disgust.

Twitter's board is led by chairman Bret Taylor, who is also the co-CEO of business software giant Salesforce

April 16: Musk tweets Love Me Tender in tease of hostile takeover

Musk tweeted 'Love Me Tender' as he again teased at the possibility of a hostile takeover of Twitter.

The billionaire posted the Elvis Presley lyrics in a potential bid to lure shareholders with a tender offer that could see him seize control.

A tender offer would see him bypass the board and go to shareholders with his offer of $54.20 a share - but he would need to show how he would finance his bid.

He also appeared to suggest he would strip board members of their salaries, saying they would get '$0 if my bid succeeds'.

April 18: Jack Dorsey slams the Twitter board for 'plots and coups'

Jack Dorsey slammed the board of Twitter as he weighed into the toxic fight over Elon Musk's attempted hostile takeover for the first time.

The former CEO, who is still a member of the board himself, blasted the 'plots and coups' that were 'consistently the dysfunction of the company'.

In a series of bombshell tweets and replies, he endorsed one posting saying that 'a bad board will kill a company every time'.

Replying to one post, he said: 'When I was fired in 2008 and made chair, the board took most of my shares away from me.

'I also gave 1 per cent of the company back to the employee pool in 2015. So, ended up with very little of company.'

He also replied to one comment mentioning 'plots and coups' in the Twitter board saying: 'it's consistently been the dysfunction of the company'.

Earlier in the thread, he replied to a post quoting a 'Silicon Valley proverb' by venture capitalist Fred Destin.

It said: 'Good boards don't create good companies, but a bad board will kill a company every time.' Dorsey said: 'Big facts.'

Former CEO Dorsey slammed Twitter's board of directors on as he replied to a series of unfriendly tweets

April 21: SpaceX boss unveils his $46.5billion financing package

Elon Musk unveiled his $46.5billion financing package to fund his takeover of Twitter - using Tesla as collateral.

The world's richest man filed documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission outlining how he would seize the social media giant.

He committed $21billion in equity, $13billion from Morgan Stanley in debt facilities and another $12.5billion from the bank and others in margin loans.

But 'a portion' of his shares in Tesla have been put forward as collateral, which analysts feared could have a huge impact on the firm.

The 50-year-old billionaire also revealed he was weighing up launching a tender offer for Twitter after the company ignored his acquisition offer.

He said he was exploring getting stocks directly from shareholders but admitted he 'has not determined whether to do so at this time'.

Musk filed the document with the SEC showing how he planned to take over Twitter for about $46.5billion.

He secured a debt commitment letter from Morgan Stanley Senior Funding to the tune of $13billion in financing.

This was made up of a loan of $6.5billion, a senior secured revolving facility for $500million, a bridge loan of up to $3billion and an unsecured bridge loan for up to $3billion.

He also got a margin loan commitment letter from Morgan Stanley for $12.5 billion in margin loans. And Musk also got $21billion through equity financing.

But he has used 'a portion' of his shares in Tesla as collateral in the high-stakes move, which analysts warned could have huge ramifications for the company.

April 22: Musk posts 'boner' killer picture of Bill Gates on Twitter

Musk dissed Bill Gates' gut on Twitter, posting a photo of the Microsoft mogul next to Apple's controversial pregnant man emoji 'in case you need to lose a boner.'

He posted a follow-up image in response to the Friday post of six hooded figured captioned 'shadow ban council reviewing Tweet'.

The joke could further infuriate woke Twitter staffers angered by Musk's ongoing bid to buy the firm after saying he would support free speech.

That is because the pregnant man emoji is aimed at being inclusive to transgender people - with Musk frequently taking aim at what he sees as woke overreach.

April 25: Musk 'closes in on seizing Twitter' as talks in 'final stages'

Musk was closing in on seizing Twitter as talks between the Tesla magnate and the tech giant entered their final stages, reports say.

The billionaire could take over the company as soon as this morning as the board reportedly looked set to accept his offer of $54.20 per share.

The tycoon's representatives were said to be hammering out terms including a timeline and fees if an agreement was signed and then fell apart.

The two sides were reportedly working into the early morning to finalize the 'fluid and fast-moving' negotiations.

Twitter shares soared by four per cent as the markets opened to $50.84 a share amid reports it would be seized by Musk.

Twitter stocks rocketed four per cent as the market opened in New York on Monday morning

Elon Musk calls for his worst critics to stay on Twitter because 'that is what free speech means' as $43bn deal to buy tech giant 'is expected TODAY'

The billionaire could take over the tech giant as early as Monday, reports say

The board reportedly looked set to accept Tesla CEO's offer of $54.20 per share

The tycoon's team were said to be hammering out terms and conditions for deal

These included timeline and fees if an agreement was signed and then fell apart

Elon Musk has called for his 'worst critics' to remain on Twitter as he closes in on seizing the social media giant for $43billion.

The billionaire said he wanted them to keep using the platform because 'that is what free speech means' as talks of a deal for him to take over entered their final stages.

The tycoon's representatives were said to be hammering out terms including a timeline and fees if an agreement was signed and then fell apart.

The two sides were reportedly working into the early morning to finalize the 'fluid and fast-moving' negotiations.

Twitter shares soared by four per cent as the markets opened to $50.84 a share amid reports it would be seized by Musk.

It comes a fortnight after the entrepreneur first sought to woo shareholders with his $54.20-per-share bid.



The billionaire (pictured earlier this month in Texas) could take over the company as soon as this morning as the board reportedly looked set to accept his offer of $54.20 per share

Bret Taylor is the Chair of Twitter's board of directors who are said to be reconsidering Musk's bid

Twitter stocks rocketed four per cent as the market opened in New York on Monday morning

Musk tweeted today: 'I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means.'

Earlier, in a cryptic post on his official account, he also wrote: 'And be my love in the rain.'

His team and Twitter met to discuss the prospective $43billion sale Sunday, with the Wall Street Journal reporting progress had been made.

It is unclear whether Musk himself attended those talks. These were two days after he met with actively-managed funds which hold shares in Twitter.

The paper said there were still issues to hash out after Sunday's meeting, and there was no guarantee a final deal would be reached.

Those issues are said to include what penalty Musk will pay should the deal fall apart before it is completed.

Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, told the New York Times the deal could be 'the beginning of the end for Twitter as a public company with Musk likely now on a path to acquire the company unless a second bidder comes into the mix'.

Others suggested Twitter would only approve a deal valuing it at over $60 per share, having slumped from $70 last year to around $48 this year.

Bosses rebuffed Musk's initial April 14 offer after he did not offer information on how he would buy the network.

He began to win over shareholders after revealing he had secured financing with the help of Morgan Stanley, with half his stake in Tesla offered as collateral.

He committed $21 billion in equity, $13 billion from Morgan Stanley in debt facilities and another $12.5 billion from the bank and others in margin loans.

Twitter's share price rocketed since news of Musk's purchase of 9.2 per cent of the firm and initial offer, from around $39-a-share to $48.93 when the markets closed.

That is still below Musk's offer, which he has always insisted will be the only one he makes.

Musk has been meeting with Twitter shareholders in the last few days, seeking support for his bid.

He said Twitter needs to be taken private to grow and become a genuine platform for free speech.

Earlier Sunday, Musk tweeted he was 'moving on' to his more than 83million followers, leaving many in the lurch as to what he was moving on from.

But he later clarified it was in reference to 'making fun of [Bill] Gates for shorting Tesla while claiming to support climate change action'.

Earlier on Sunday, Musk had tweeted that he was 'moving on' to his more than 83 million followers, leaving many in the lurch as to what he was moving on from for several hours

Many Twitter shareholders reached out to the firm after Musk outlined a detailed financing plan for his bid on Thursday and urged it not to let a deal slip away.

Musk's insistence his bid for Twitter is his 'best and final' has emerged as a hurdle in the deal negotiations, sources said.

But Twitter's board has decided to engage with Musk to gather more information on his ability to complete the deal, and potentially get better terms, the sources added.

Twitter has not yet decided if it will explore a sale to put pressure on Musk to raise his bid, according to sources.

The people with knowledge of the matter declined to be identified because the deal discussions are confidential.

Twitter wants to know more about any active investigations by regulators into Musk, including by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), sources said.

Securities lawyers say Musk, who settled charges he misled investors four years ago, may have breached SEC disclosure rules as he amassed a stake in Twitter this year.

Musk has spent the last ten days interacting with his followers over the potential Twitter bid

Elon Musk's attempted hostile takeover of Twitter timeline: January 31: Musk starts buying Twitter shares 'almost daily'

Musk starts buying Twitter shares 'almost daily' April 4: The billionaire reveals he has a nine per cent stake in the tech giant

The billionaire reveals he has a nine per cent stake in the tech giant April 5: Twitter offers him a seat on the board of directors - as long as he does not own more than 14.9 per cent. He initially accepts the offer

Twitter offers him a seat on the board of directors - as long as he does not own more than 14.9 per cent. He initially accepts the offer April 8: Vanguard Group reveals it has a larger, 10.3 per cent, stake in Twitter, meaning Musk is no longer largest shareholder

Vanguard Group reveals it has a larger, 10.3 per cent, stake in Twitter, meaning Musk is no longer largest shareholder April 9: Musk rejects seat on Twitter's board on the day he is meant to join

Musk rejects seat on Twitter's board on the day he is meant to join April 10: CEO Agrawal announces Musk declined to join the board in a statement

CEO Agrawal announces Musk declined to join the board in a statement April 12: Investor Marc Bain Rasella files lawsuit against Musk in NYC over 'failing to report his Twitter share purchases to the SEC' in time

Investor Marc Bain Rasella files lawsuit against Musk in NYC over 'failing to report his Twitter share purchases to the SEC' in time April 14: The Tesla founder offers to buy Twitter for $43 billion

The Tesla founder offers to buy Twitter for $43 billion April 14: Twitter stocks plummet after hostile takeover bid

Twitter stocks plummet after hostile takeover bid April 15: Twitter board mounts a 'poison pill' strategy against Musk

Twitter board mounts a 'poison pill' strategy against Musk April 16: Musk tweets 'Love Me Tender' as he again teased at the possibility of a hostile takeover of Twitter

April 17: Musk agreed with a tweet saying the 'game is rigged' if he can't buy Twitter

Musk agreed with a tweet saying the 'game is rigged' if he can't buy Twitter April 18: Jack Dorsey has slammed the board of Twitter for 'plots and coups' that were 'consistently the dysfunction of the company'

Jack Dorsey has slammed the board of Twitter for 'plots and coups' that were 'consistently the dysfunction of the company' April 18: The social media giant files its 'poison pill' defense with the Securities and Exchange Commission

The social media giant files its 'poison pill' defense with the Securities and Exchange Commission April 21: Musk files SEC document unveiling how he will fund takeover bid

Musk files SEC document unveiling how he will fund takeover bid April 24: Must tweets 'moving on' in reference to poking fun at Bill Gates

Must tweets 'moving on' in reference to poking fun at Bill Gates April 24: Twitter announces it is re-examining Musk's $43 billion bid to buy the company Advertisement

Twitter is also looking into whether regulators in any of the major markets it operates would object to Musk owning the company, the source added.

Were Twitter to find a sale to Musk would be risky, it could ask for a sizeable break-up fee, according to the sources.

The social media company adopted a poison pill after Musk made his offer to prevent him from raising his more than 9 per cent stake in the company above 15 per cent without negotiating a deal with its board.

In response, Musk threatened to launch a tender offer he could use to register Twitter shareholder support for his bid.

Twitter's board weighed concerns that unless it sought to negotiate a deal with Musk, many shareholders could back him in a tender offer, the sources said.

While the poison pill would prevent Twitter shareholders from tendering their shares, the company is worried its negotiating hand would weaken considerably if it was shown to be going against the will of many of its investors, the insiders added.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on Sunday Musk and Twitter had met to discuss the acquisition offer.

The price expectations among Twitter shareholders for the deal diverge largely based on their investment strategy, the sources said.

Active long-term shareholders, who together with index funds hold the biggest chunk of Twitter shares, have higher price expectations, some in the $60s-per-share, the sources said.

They are also more inclined to give Parag Agrawal, who became Twitter's chief executive in November, more time to boost the value of the company's stock, the sources added.

'I don't believe that the proposed offer by Elon Musk ($54.20 per share) comes close to the intrinsic value of Twitter given its growth prospects,' Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a Twitter shareholder, tweeted on April 14.

Short term-minded investors such as hedge funds want Twitter to accept Musk's offer or ask for only a small increase, the sources said.

Some of these are fretting a recent plunge in the value of tech stocks amid concerns over inflation and an economic slowdown makes it unlikely Twitter will be able to deliver more value for itself anytime soon, the sources added.

Sahm Adrangi, portfolio manager at Kerrisdale Capital Management, a hedge fund that owns 1.13 million shares in Twitter, or 0.15 per cent of the company, said: 'I would say, take the $54.20 a share and be done with it.'

One silver lining for Twitter's board is Musk's offer did not appear to convert much of his army of 83million followers into new shareholders in the firm, the sources said.

Twitter's retail investor base has increased from about 20 per cent before Musk unveiled his stake on April 4 to some 22 per cent.

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

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% 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 percent stake in order to pressure the board to accept his deal. Advertisement

Last week Musk said 'all real humans' on Twitter would be verified if his takeover bid succeeds.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO tweeted on Thursday if he is able to buy the company he would focus on removing spam from the site.

He posted: 'If our twitter bid succeeds, we will defeat the spam bots or die trying! And authenticate all real humans.'

Authentication on Twitter refers to when the site provides a blue check mark on a user's handle name.

It is generally used by the firm to show public figures' accounts actually belong to them - and is often seen as a status symbol among users.

Pensions & Investment Research Consultants (Pirc) claimed Musk's battle to seize control of Twitter could be a distraction from his work at Tesla.

One analyst at Pirc said: 'This latest episode of the Elon Musk show is a consideration for shareholders of Tesla.

'Musk is rich, but he does not have unlimited funds, and for his multi-billion bid to come off, it is likely he would need to sell some of his shares in Tesla to finance the deal.

'And with his time preoccupied running Twitter, a successful acquisition may take Musk's attention away from the electric car company to the detriment of its operations.

'That may represent a further investor risk to Tesla shareholders.

'Even if the bid fails, the fact that the Tesla chief executive seems to be distracted by a social media company may not be seen as a good thing.'

Despite this, Tesla posted record quarterly results on Thursday amid booming demand for its electric cars.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO tweeted on Thursday if he is able to buy the company he would focus on removing spam from the site

The company reported huge revenues of $18.65 billion for the first three months of 2022.

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

It was 81 per cent higher than a year earlier as profits rose 147 per cent to $5.48 billion. The figures came as Tesla delivered a record 310,000 cars in the first quarter.

Shares in Tesla rose four per cent in afterhours trading, having fallen five per cent earlier amid a tech sell-off sparked by dreadful results from Netflix.

The surge in turnover was achieved despite challenges in the supply chain, such as Covid-19 outbreaks and chip shortages.

Tesla's latest trading update also recognized the increased cost of raw materials for the company.

Tesla shares have risen nearly 1,800 per cent in the past three years, from just over $50 to around $980.

That values the company at over $1trillion  making it worth more than the next 12 largest carmakers combined.

Musk sent shockwaves through the tech world two weeks ago 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'.

Meanwhile he teased on Twitter about his plans for the company, apparently referring to a tender offer in a tweet saying 'Love Me Tender'.

He also appeared to suggest he would banish the board, saying its salary would be $0 'if my bid succeeds'.

Elon Musk's 'Love Me Tender' tweet hints at a tender offer.. but what does it mean? Elon Musk's Love Me Tender tweet appeared to hint at a tender offer to shareholders. The 50-year-old simply tweeted on Saturday afternoon 'Love Me Tender' with musical notes around it. A tender offer, also known as a hostile bid, would see him bypass the board and go straight to the shareholders with his offer of $54.20 a share. But he would need to file a form with the SEC for this, meaning he would need to show how he would fund his bid. It could pose as a problem for the Tesla billionaire, with it still unclear how he would pay for any deal to buy Twitter.

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He was also backed on social media by Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey, who has lashed out at the board for being 'dysfunctional'.

Twitter last Monday filed its 'poison pill' plan with the SEC as it cemented its attempt to block Musk from executing the hostile takeover.

The document said: '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 triggered a dilution of company shares if any shareholder builds up a 15 per cent stake without the board's approval.

But it did 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 was 'similar to other plans adopted by publicly held companies in comparable circumstances'.

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 meant 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.

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.

He 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.'

'The liability they would thereby assume would be titanic in scale,' he added, apparently referring to potential shareholder lawsuits.
A jihadist group fighting against the military junta in Mali claims to have captured a soldier from the shady Russian military group Wagner.

Militants from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) said today that they captured the Wagner fighter during a battle in Segou state, in the south of the country, earlier this month.

The mercenary was captured just a week after Wagner troops, alongside regular Malian soldiers, were accused of massacring up to 300 civilians during a four-day siege of the town of Mora, some 120 miles north of where the prisoner was taken.

Wagner is a private military company with links to the Kremlin which is accused of carrying out atrocities with the blessing of the Russian state, but without directly implicating Putin. Thousands of its men are thought to be fighting in Ukraine.

Jihadists fighting the military junta in Mali claim to have captured a soldier from shady Russian mercenary unit Wagner (pictured, Wagner troops in Mali on an unknown date)

'In the first week of April, (we) captured a soldier of the Russian Wagner forces in the Segou region in central Mali,' the JNIM said in a statement posted on social media.

It is the first time JNIM, an Al-Qaeda-linked alliance and the biggest jihadist network in the Sahel region of northern Africa, has announced the capture of a fighter with the Wagner group.

Wagner troops are thought to have arrived in Mali in December 2021 by invitation of the ruling military junta which had recently fallen out with France.

Emmanuel Macron's government had been sending troops to help defend the country - one of its former colonies - since 2013.

Mali officially denies the presence of the Wagner group, saying that the only Russian troops present in the region are military instructors.

Putin has acknowledged the presence of Russian military contractors in Mali, and denied that they were sent by his government - following a familiar pattern when it comes to the group.

While no official numbers exist, western nations believe there are now more than 1,000 Wagner mercenaries fighting alongside the government in Mali.

Wagner soldiers have previously been linked to extrajudicial killings, torture and rapes in war zones from the Middle East to South America and Africa.

Wagner moved into Mali in December 2021 after being invited by the junta, and earlier this week was accused of staging a massacre to blame French troops it replaced (pictured)

The group has stepped up its presence in Mali since the French government announced it was withdrawing the last of its troops from the country in February.

Relations with the military junta - which seized power in a 2021 coup - had become fraught after Macron accused its leader of having 'no legitimacy'.

Just two days ago, France accused Wager soldiers of staging a fake burial at a military base in the north of the country which its troops had recently handed over to Malian forcers.

The French military said social media accounts linked to Wagner had posted videos which showed soldiers burying bodies in a pit at the base, while blaming French troops for carrying out the killings.

France said such allegations are untrue, and that Wagner staged the video as part of a disinformation effort to turn public opinion against them.

Mali is a hugely unstable country in northwestern Africa that has seen three military coups take place in the last ten years - including two that took place in nine months between 2020 and 2021.

The most-recent coup, in 2021, saw Vice President Assimi Goita lead the Malian army to capture President Bah N'daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane who were accused of trying to 'sabotage' a recent election result.

The pair were arrested and sent to a military base as Goita - who had led the 2020 coup - announced he would oversee a transitional government until fresh elections could be held this year.

No such elections have taken place and Goita has not announced plans for any, drawing international condemnation and regional sanctions.
A Democratic candidate for the New York State Senate was photographed carrying an anti-police sign at a Black Lives Matter rally in 2020.

Christian Amato, 34, is seen hoisting a sign that reads ACAB - which stands for 'All Cops Are B*****rds' - during a George Floyd protest in the photo that began circulating on social media after political rival James Gisondi tweeted the image on April 8.

The controversy over the photo comes a day after NYC mayor Eric Adams criticized his fellow Democrats for supporting Black Lives Matter only when those behind the killings of African-Americans are cops.

Amato, a former staffer for State Senator Alessandra Biaggi who is running to fill her seat in the 36th district - which covers the Bronx and parts of Westchester County - admitted to the New York Post that he indeed carried the sign, but claimed that he did not know what it said.

Amato (above, middle) was pictured holding an ACAB sign at a BLM protest of a Back the Blue rally in the Bronx in 2020. ACAB stands for 'All Cops Are B*****rds'

'Someone passed me the sign and I didn't know it said, ACAB. I had no clue,' Amato told the Post, 'I totally grabbed the sign in haste.'

Alongside Amato in the photo is a man carrying a sign that says, 'Blue Lives Don't Matter.'

The photograph was taken by Wayne Gurman - an outspoken right-wing voice in the Bronx who runs the Facebook group BRONX STRONG - while attending a Back the Blue rally at Loreto Playground in the Bronx in the days following the death of George Floyd in 2020.

A BLM group arrived to protest the rally and started blasting the song 'Fuk Da Police,' according to Gurman, who spotted Amato carrying the ACAB sign and took the photo.

'It's laughable that Amato is running for Senate,' Gurman told The Post, 'He's a weasel beyond belief.'

Gurman's photo found its way into the hands of Gisondi - who is also running for the 36th district Senate seat - who posted it on his Twitter account on April 8 and commented that Amato was 'unfit to hold office at any level.'

Amato is running to represent the 36th district in the New York state Senate. He served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Senator Alessandra Biaggi but was fired in 2019 for unknown reasons

Fellow democrat and opponent for the 36th district race, James Gisondi, lit controversy after he tweeted the photo of Amato on April 8

Amato said that he was only protesting the Back the Blue rally because he felt it was insensitive to hold it so shortly after Floyd's death. 'The officers deserve our respect. But we need our officers to be culturally cognitive,' Amato told The Post, 'When there is social unrest, it is not the best moment to hold an event. You have to read the room.' Amato was fired from his post as Deputy Chief of Staff to Biaggi in 2019 for unknown reasons. News of Amato's ACAB photo comes alongside a New York Post report that Noah Weston, 37, a democratic candidate for Brooklyn leadership, spewed hateful anti-police rhetoric on Twitter in 2021.

Amato admitted to the New York Post that he was the one carrying the ACAB sign in the photo, but claimed that he did not know what the sign said at the time of the protest

The news follows a NY Post report that a democratic candidate for Brooklyn leadership, Noah Weston, wrote vicious anti-cop tweets in 2021. He doubled down on his stance after the report

The Post article from last week 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.'

On Sunday Eric Adams, speaking with Anderson Cooper on CBS' 60 Minutes, continued his habit of criticizing the party for being soft on crime and supporting BLM instead of cops

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 April 17.

Adams, speaking with Anderson Cooper on CBS' 60 Minutes on Sunday, continued his habit of criticizing his party for being soft on crime.

'Democrats don't like talking about intervention,' said Adams, 61. 'But we have to lean into the discomfort of the immediate things we must do. Because you can't say Black Lives Matter when a police officer shoots a young person, but does that black life matter when a 12-year-old baby was shot?'

Cooper asked Adams why Democrats don't like talking about intervention.

Adams responded: 'Because when you talk about intervention, you have to use the term of giving police officers the tools to deal with violence right now.'
Around 15,000 Russian troops have been killed as Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine enters its ninth week, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has told MPs.

Giving an update on the conflict, Mr Wallace said the death toll suffered by Vladimir Putin's forces came in addition to the loss of thousands of pieces of military equipment by Russia.

He told the House of Commons that latest estimates suggest more than 2,000 Russian armoured vehicles have been destroyed or captured - including at least 530 tanks, 530 armoured personnel carriers and 560 infantry fighting vehicles.

Mr Putin had also seen the loss of more than 60 helicopters and fighter jets, as well as the sinking of its Black Sea fleet flagship, the Moskva, Mr Wallace said.

It was noted that Russia's death toll in Ukraine was now more than double the number of US casualties during the conflicts in both Afghanistan (4,431 troops killed) and Iraq (2,401 troops killed), waged as part America's 'war on terror' since the 2001 attacks on New York.

The Defence Secretary told MPs that Russia had seen more than a quarter of the 120 battalion tactical groups (BTGs) it initially committed to the Ukraine invasion now rendered 'not combat effective'.

He said the beginning of Mr Putin's invasion had seen the Russian President commit approximately 65% of his entire ground combat strength.

Defence experts say most Russian BTGs have between 700 to 800 personnel, but a few have around 900 troops.

Mr Wallace described the performance of Russian forces as 'woeful'.

'I don't celebrate the loss of anyone's life and when I see the huge casualty rates of Russian soldiers, as a former soldier I think it is a disgrace, a betrayal of those young men,' he said.

He also confirmed to MPs that Britain was increasing its support for Ukraine by gifting Kyiv a small number of 'Stormer' armoured vehicles fitted with launchers for anti-air missiles.

The Defence Secretary told MPs this would give Ukraine's military 'enhanced short-range anti-air capabilities both day and night'.

The 5.6 metre-long 'Stormer' vehicles weigh 13.5 tonnes and can travel at 80kph (50mph).

They can carry eight ready-to-fire 'Starstreak' missiles, with a further nine stowed inside. Each of these laser-guided projectile splits into three darts, in order to rip targets apart.

Mr Wallace revealed to MPs that Starstreak high-velocity and low-velocity anti-air missiles had already been in use by Ukrainian forces, after being delivered to the country more than three weeks ago.

It has been suggested the deployment of Stormer vehicles will make it easier for Ukrainian troops to fire the missiles - which they have previously had to do from shoulder launchers of portable stands - in order to down Russian aircraft.

Russia's death toll in Ukraine is now more than double the number of US casualties during the conflicts in both Afghanistan and Iraq

A Stomer vehicle fires a Starstreak high-velocity missile during a training exercise. A number of these British vehicles have now been sent to Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has now seen the loss of around 15,000 Russian troops since he began his invasion of Ukraine

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said, in the first 61 days of the conflict, Russia 'has so far failed in nearly every one of its objectives'

The lowdown on Ukraine's latest British-made weapon Name: Stormer Number of missiles: Eight ready-to-fire, with nine more stowed inside the tracked vehicle. Weight: 13.5 tonnes Length: 5.6 metres Width: 2.8 metres Height: 3.4 metres Max Speed: 50mph Advertisement

The latest donation of British military hardware followed a recent visit by members of the Ukrainian government to Salisbury Plains, where they were able to view what more UK kit could be supplied.

In total, the UK has provided more than 5,000 anti-tank weapons, five air defence systems - with more than 100 missiles, 1,360 anti-structural munitions and 4.5 tonnes of plastic explosives, Mr Wallace said.

He did not rule out sending Brimstone missiles - which could target Russian ships - to Ukraine.

The Defence Secretary added, in the first 61 days of the conflict, Russia 'has so far failed in nearly every one of its objectives'.

He described how Mr Putin was now regrouping his forces with an aim of further invading eastern Ukraine's Donbas region.

'We anticipate this next phase of the invasion will be an attempt by Russia to occupy further the Donbas and connect via Mariupol the Crimea,' Mr Wallace told the Commons.

'So it is urgent we in the international community ensure Ukraine gets the aid and weapons it so much needs.'

He praised Ukraine as 'an inspiration to us all' after they had 'beaten back the army of Russia in the north and the north east'.

Mr Wallace suggested that peace could only come once Russia had been removed from all Ukrainian territory, including the Crimea - which Mr Putin annexed in 2014.

Asked by Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, the chair of the Commons' Defence Committee, what success would look like for Ukraine, he replied: 'Our strategic aim is twofold.

'One is that Putin must fail in Ukraine, he must fail in his invasion and I think he is on course to do that actually.

'He must fail in his occupation of Ukraine and I think he has definitely failed in achieving that.

'To the fine tuning of that, that is as much a matter of Ukraine's choice as it is of anybody else - that Ukraine gets to choose where it wishes to settle for peace. We will do everything we can to support them.

'For my part, I want Putin not only beyond the pre-February boundaries. He invaded Crimea illegally, he invaded Donetsk illegally and he should comply with international law and in the long run leave Ukraine.'

Labour's shadow defence secretary John Healey warned the UK risks falling behind its military allies' commitments to NATO if it does not 'reboot' defence spending.

Flames light up the night sky over Bryansk, a Russian city some 70 miles from the Ukraine border, after suspected Ukrainian missile strikes hit oil storage facilities there overnight

Two columns of thick black smoke rise into the morning air over the Russian city of Bryansk after two oil storage facilities caught fire

The Defence Secretary's update to MPs came after suspected Ukrainian missile strikes blew up two oil storage facilities supplying Russian troops fighting for control of Donbas.

The Transneft-Druzhba Oil Depot, located in the city of Bryansk around 70 miles from the Ukrainian border, caught fire at 2am local time before a second fire broke out at a nearby military facility around 15 minutes later, Russian state media said this morning.

Video of the moment one of the fires broke out appeared to capture the sound of an incoming missile before a large explosion and fireball.

Bryansk is a logistical hub for Russian forces battling Ukraine in Donbas, while the Druzhba pipeline is one of the main routes for Russian oil to reach Europe.

The blasts came as British intelligence said Russia had 'yet to achieve a significant breakthrough' of defensive lines in Donbas despite Ukraine imposing a 'significant cost' on Mr Putin's forces.

The Ministry of Defence said poor logistical and combat support were hampering Russia's advances, as they did in the failed effort to take Kyiv.

Ukrainian defenders holed up in the Azovstal steel works in the southern city of Mariupol - which is still under siege - were also pinning down 'many Russian units' and preventing them from redeploying to the Donbas front, while also exhausting Kremlin troops and reducing their combat effectiveness, the MoD added.

Railway lines, oil facilities and military bases in Belgorod - another logistical hub in Russia but close to the Ukrainian border - have been targeted several times in recent weeks, including by low-flying helicopters.

Klimovo, a village with a nearby military base in the wider Bryansk region, was also struck.

On Sunday, the US pledged more military support to Ukraine to ensure 'it can win this fight' after Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin led the highest-profile American delegation to visit President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv since the war broke out.

Mr Blinken and Mr Austin said the US had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition for Ukraine's war effort, along with more than $300 million in foreign military financing.

'The strategy that we've put in place - massive support for Ukraine, massive pressure against Russia, solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these efforts - is having real results,' Mr Blinken told reporters in Poland the day after meeting with Mr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials.

He added: 'When it comes to Russia's war aims, Russia is failing. Ukraine is succeeding.

'Russia has sought as its principal aim to totally subjugate Ukraine, to take away its sovereignty, to take away its independence. That has failed.'

Mr Zelenskyy in the meeting said he was 'very thankful' for the American aid and particularly praised President Joe Biden for his 'personal support.'

'The priorities are weapons and support from the United States of America and our partners, European leaders, in terms of our army's strength and support in certain areas,' the Ukrainian president said.

'The second issue is the sanctions policy against the Russian Federation because of the full-scale invasion and all the terror they have committed in Ukraine.'
The bureau is currently investigating the reasons behind the increase

'Wearing the badge shouldn't make you a target,' Wray said, after noting that officers are being victimized as a result of unrest seen throughout the country

'We're seeing an alarming frequency of some of the worst of the worst getting back out on the streets,' Wray said of laws that see cons freed after offenses

'Last year, officers were being killed at a rate of almost one every five days,' Wray said of the surge, which serves as a 59 percent jump from 2020

'Violence against law enforcement... is one of the biggest phenomena that... doesn't get enough attention,' Wray told 60 Minutes' Scott Pelley Sunday

FBI Director Christopher Wray said the pandemic, lax bail laws, more juveniles committing crime, and interstate gun trafficking are to blame for the rise

The last time the number was higher was in 1995 when 74 officers were intentionally killed on the job

A total of seventy three officers were intentionally killed in the line of duty in 2021, nearly 59 percent more than in 2020 when 46 cops were murdered

FBI Director Christopher Wray said Sunday that a combination of the pandemic, lax bail laws, more juveniles committing crime, and interstate gun trafficking is to blame for a recent rise in the murders of police officers, after the bureau revealed 73 cops were killed last year in the line of duty.

'Violence against law enforcement in this country is one of the biggest phenomena that I think doesn't get enough attention,' Wray, 55, told 60 Minutes' Scott Pelley when asked about the slayings - the most seen in the US in nearly 30 years.

'Last year, officers were being killed at a rate of almost one every five days,' Wray revealed, before offering his reasoning for what's driving the surge, which serves as a 59 percent jump from 2020.

'Certainly the pandemic didn't help,' Wray said, also referring to a recent 29 percent rise in murder in the US seen during the first year of the pandemic, which saw a staggering 21,570 homicides - nearly 5,000 more than the previous year.

'We're seeing more and more juveniles committing violent crime, and that's certainly an issue,' the bureau chief told Pelley. 'We're seeing a certain amount of gun trafficking, interstate gun trafficking. That's part of it.

'And we're seeing an alarming frequency of some of the worst of the worst getting back out on the streets,' Wray went on.

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FBI Director Christopher Wray said Sunday on 60 Minutes that the pandemic, lax bail laws, more juveniles committing crime, and interstate gun trafficking are to blame for a recent rise in the murders of officers, after stats revealed 73 cops were killed last year in the line of duty

Concerning the increase in cops being targeted, Wray said: 'Some of it is tied to the violent crime problem as a whole.'

Wray went on to reveal 'that an alarming percentage of the 73 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty last year were killed through ambushes or being shot while out on patrol.

'Wearing the badge shouldn't make you a target,' Wray then asserted, noting that the lion's share of the officers was targeted because they were in uniform.

Gunfire was the leading cause of officers' deaths in 2021, with 55 of the 73 officers dying from wounds sustained by a firearm.

The year saw the number of accidental on-duty police deaths increase as well, with 56 officers accidentally killed in the line of duty last year, up from 46 in 2020.

The year also saw the most fatal shootings by police since The Washington Post began tracking the statistic in 2015, when US cops reportedly killed at least 1,055 Americans.

This year, the number of cops shot in the line of duty has risen by a marked 43 percent, from 58 struck by bullets in the first three months of 2021 to 101 during the same period of 2022 - a 43 percent increase.

The number also represents a 63 percent from the same span in 2020.

'We are in the midst of a real crisis,' National Fraternal Order of Police President Patrick Yoes said in a statement addressing the uptick earlier this month.

'The violence directed at law enforcement officers is unlike anything I've seen in my 36 years of law enforcement,' the union head, who oversees more than 325,000 members, remarked of the slew of slayings.

'Last year was one of the most dangerous years for law enforcement, with more officers shot in the line of duty since the National Fraternal Order of Police began recording this data.'

During the interview with CBS's Scott Pelley, Wray was asked about the 59 percent increase in police killings, as well as a recent rise in gun violence and homicides seen across the country

The National Fraternal Order of Police claims that 101 officers have been wounded in the line of duty, with 17 killed through the beginning of April. Those numbers are up 43 percent from the same time period in 2021 and up 63 percent from the same time in 2020

Among this year's dead are NYPD cops Jason Rivera, left, and Wilbert Mora, right, who were both shot and killed by a suspect in January

Double cop killer Lashawn McNeill, 47, was shot by a third officer on the night of the two fatal shootings, and died three days later

Yoes said that at this rate, they are also outpacing the number of officers killed on the job versus last year.

'It is important to remember that when we look at these numbers, they represent people who are fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters,' he said. 'We must also be aware that the lethality of these attacks would be much greater but for dramatic improvements in medical trauma science and anti-ballistic technology.'

A total of 19 of the 101 officers shot happened in what the FOP calls 'ambush-style' attacks that Wray mentioned in his interview - a rise of 36 percent from 2021. Five officers died and 32 were wounded from those attacks.

Perhaps most infamously in January, two NYPD officers were killed in the line of duty, making national headlines and sending President Joe Biden to New York to discuss the killings with new Mayor Eric Adams, himself an ex-cop.

Mora is pictured being laid to rest at St Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan on February 2

Officer Jason Rivera, 22, died the night of the shooting. His partner, Wilbert Mora, 27, was removed from life support four days later.

The officers were fatally wounded after they were called to a Harlem apartment by a woman who said she needed help with her adult son.

Authorities said the man, Lashawn J. McNeil, 47, opened a bedroom door and shot the officers as they walked down a narrow hall.

A third officer shot McNeil as he tried to flee. He died three days later.

New York is among the five states with the highest number of officers killed in 2022, alongside Arizona, Texas, Georgia and Washington.

'This violence is completely unacceptable,' Yoes said. 'It's a stain on our society, and it must end. It is incumbent upon our elected officials and community leaders to stand up and speak out against the violence against law enforcement officers.'

Homicides and gun violence have risen drastically in recent years, spiking after the highly publicized killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor in 2020 and the start of the COVID pandemic.

In total, 346 officers were shot in the line of duty and 63 killed, up from 312 and 47 in 2020. In 2019, 293 officers were shot and 50 were killed, according to the FOP.

'When homicides go up, more shootings go up, and it contributes to an overall increase in violence and police officers find themselves in the middle of that environment,' said Chuck Wexler, the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).

Last year, 13 cities in the United States shattered their annual homicide records - all Democrat-run bastions that have pushed progressive policies, including Oakland, Philadelphia and Portland, Oregon.

In mid-December, Oakland recorded it's 131st murder of 2021, surpassing the annual homicide rates from the last nine years.

Philadelphia announced its 501st murder on November 26, the highest since 1990. The next day Indianapolis recorded 246 murders, breaking the record from 2020. The city of Columbus, Ohio, hit 179 murders on November 26, the most since the year before. Behind that, Louisville reported its 175th murder on November 24, also surpassing the record it set in 2020.

There has been a marked increase in 'unprovoked' attacks on officers that Wray mentioned Sunday.

Twenty five of last year's felonious killings were 'unprovoked' attacks through December 27 of last year, according to the FBI. This is sharp spike in attacks on officers, which are normally reported in single-digits.

An 'unprovoked' attack is defined as a situation 'not prompted by official contact at the time of the incident,' the FBI states.

Another major driver mentioned by Wray as being behind the burgeoning violence against officers is bail reform laws implemented by progressive district attorneys in the country's most woke cities, such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago - laws that see repeat offenders often convicted of gun crimes back on the streets days after their initial offense.

In LA, woke DA George Gascon faces a recall after murders spiked by 53 per cent in two years, and shooting spiraled by 54 per cent over the same period.

He proposed limiting sentencing enhancements - which see judges banned from adding extra time to prison terms for crimes in addition to the most serious one they've been convicted of.

Over in LA, woke Democrat DA George Gascon's soft-on-crime policies have been blamed for historic spikes in murders and shootings. Gascon is pictured above in December 2021

Gascon has now begun to row back on his policies as they've been blamed for emboldening criminals, and leading to brand new crimes such as terrifying 'follow-home' robberies, which have hit the cities wealthiest and most influential residents.

Los Angeles saw a 94 percent increase in homicide in 2021 from the year before, the sheriff said.

New York City's new DA Alvin Bragg has faced similar fury, with New York state governor Kathy Hochul also hobbling woke bail reform laws blamed for a crime spike that has seen 42 percent more criminal incidents in 2022 than during the same time last year, and 30 percent more than 2021.

Illinois, meanwhile, is set to become the first state to end cash bail with a law signed in February, backed by the state's Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, both Democrats.

Foxx gained notoriety last year when she dropped felony charges against Jussie Smollett, the Empire actor accused of staging a racist, homophobic attack on himself in January 2019.

Crime in Chicago, the state's most populated city, has meanwhile, surged to frightening new rates not seen in half a decade, after Mayor Lori Lightfoot proposed slashing a whopping $80 million from the Chicago Police Department budget in 2020 as part of the city's Defund the Police movement.

The proposal was later scaled back and 3.33 percent of the budget  or $59 million  was cut.

Months later, violent crimes are still up across the board in Chicago - less than a year after Lightfoot was sworn into office in May 2019.

According to the latest statistics from the city's police department, Murders are up a whopping 34 percent since 2019 - before the pandemic inspired an influx of crime to plague the city's streets - with 157 killings recorded since the start of the year, compared to the 116seen in 2019.

In 2021, the city's murder rate jumped to a high not seen in a quarter of a century, reaching 116 murders within the first three months of the year.

Violent assaults are also up, with more than 100 more cases of aggravated battery taking place this year than in 2021.

Gun violence, meanwhile -arguably the city's most pressing and prevailing issue - trickled down slightly, from 497 shootings last year to 449 so far in 2022.

However, when compared to shootings seen in 2019, the rate of gun violence has increased astronomically, by a concerning 56 percent.

Chicago has experienced a slight decrease in the amount of homicides this year compared to last, despite other crimes are on the rise

The Black Lives Matter movement, which reached an all-time level of support in 2020 after a multitude of high-profile police killings of black Americans, as well as the defund the police movement, has been blamed for the budding anti-police sentiment seen across the country.

A 2020 Gallup poll recorded the country's highest rate of anti-police sentiment in history, finding that 52 percent of Americans had lost confidence in the police.

'For the first time, the percentage of Americans who say they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the police has dipped below 50%. Its now at 48%, and over the 20 years weve been tracking this, its never been below 50%,' Steve Crabtree of Gallup noted when commenting on a 2020 Gallup poll.

Those numbers have seen a slight rebound since the poll was conducted in the summer of 2020 but strong anti-police sentiments still linger throughout the country.

While only in the fourth month of the year, 95 police officers in total have been killed in the line of duty in 2022, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.

'We are working very hard with our partners, state and local law enforcement partners, through task forces, task forces all over the country.' Wray said Sunday about the bureau's efforts to combat the crime wave, adding that 'through surging rapid deployment teams to try to combat violent crime in specific hot spots.

'Last year I think we arrested something like 15,000 violent gang members around the country,' the FBI head said.

'Part of what fuels us to pursue this mission is our deep conviction that law enforcement's most sacred duty is to ensure that people can live free from fear in their own homes and neighborhood's.'

The bureau has since opened an investigation into the increase.
President Joe Biden said on Monday that he feels good about Emmanuel Macron's victory in the French presidential election and that he tried to call him but Macron was too busy 'having a good time' at the Eiffel Tower to talk.

'I feel good about the French election,' Biden told reporters at Joint Base Andrews on his way back to the White House after a weekend in Wilmington, Del.

He said he tried to talk to Macron on Sunday night, after Macron was declared the winner over conservative challenger Marine Le Pen.

'I tried to talk to him last night. I spoke to his staff and he was at the Eiffel Tower having a good time. And I'm going to be talking to him today,' he said.

Macron celebrated his win with his wife Brigitte Macron at the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower on Sunday night.

He gave his victory speech against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower and a projection of the blue-white-and-red tri-colour French flag. Several hundred supporters cheered him on and waved French and EU flags.

French President Emmanuel Macron celebrates his re-election with his wife Brigitte Macron at the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower on Sunday

President Joe Biden said he tried to call Emmanuel Macron to congratulate him on his victory but the French President was too busy 'having a good time' at the Eiffel Tower

President Macron gave his victory speech against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower and a projection of the blue-white-and-red tri-colour French flag. Several hundred supporters cheered him on and waved French and EU flags

Biden did tweet his congratulations on Sunday: 'Congratulations to @EmmanuelMacron on his re-election. France is our oldest ally and a key partner in addressing global challenges. I look forward to our continued close cooperation  including on supporting Ukraine, defending democracy, and countering climate change.'

Macron's victory was a relief for Biden and the western allies.

Le Pen is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and there were fears the alliance against Russia's invasion of the Ukraine would crumble if she won the French presidency.

During hr presidential campaign, Le Pen said she wanted to tamp down on ties with the European Union and NATO alliance, which allies saw as a threat.

Particularly as Le Pen also spoke out against EU sanctions on Russian energy supplies.

Final results of Sunday's runoff showed Macron took 58.54% of the vote to Le Pen's 42%. Macron was the first French president in 20 years to win re-election, since incumbent Jacques Chirac beat Le Pen's father in 2002.

He acknowledged in his victory speech that many had voted for him mainly to thwart his far-right challenger.

'Many in this country voted for me not because they support my ideas but to keep out those of the far right. I want to thank them and know I owe them a debt in the years to come,' Macron said.

The White House also marked Macron's victory on Sunday, when chief of staff Ron Klain pointed out Macron won another term despite low job approval numbers. Currently, Biden has some of the lowest approval ratings of his presidency.

'An interesting observation, just FYI,' Klain wrote on Twitter.

'President Macron appears to have secured a double-digit victory over LePen, at a time when his approval rating is 36%. Hmmm....'

The tweet appeared to reference a Morning Consult weekly tracking poll of several major world leaders' favorability within their own countries.

That survey has Biden with a 40 percent approval rating among American adults, four points better than Macron and eight above British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who ranks lowest on the list at 32 percent support.

Biden, 79, said he will run for a second term.

Biden and his fellow world leaders expressed relief at Macron's win

Marine Le Pen is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and there were fears the Western alliance against Russia's invasion of the Ukraine would crumble if she won the French presidency

Klain's tweet referenced a Morning Consult poll that regularly ranks world leaders with polls of their own people. The latest update showed Biden with four percent more favorability among Americans than Macron has among French adults

Fellow world leaders appeared to share Biden's relief at Macron's victory.

'Bravo Emmanuel,' European Council President Charles Michel wrote on Twitter.

'In this turbulent period, we need a solid Europe and a France totally committed to a more sovereign and more strategic European Union.'

'Democracy wins, Europe wins,' said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Macron's victory was a message of 'strong commitment' to the rest of Europe.

'I am pleased that we will continue our good cooperation!' Scholz wrote.

In his own congratulations to Macron, Britain's Johnson wrote: 'France is one of our closest and most important allies. I look forward to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two countries and to the world.'

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi hailed Macron's win as 'wonderful news for all of Europe.
Two newspapers - one Swedish, the other Finnish - have reported the governments of Sweden and Finland have agreed to submit NATO applications at the same time and that it will happen in the middle of next month.

Finnish newspaper Iltalehti said that the Swedish government has expressed a wish to Finland that they apply together in the week starting May 22 and Swedish government sources confirmed the information to Sweden's Expressen tabloid.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to growing support in Sweden and Finland, a Russian neighbour, for joining NATO.

Though not members, both Nordic countries closely co-operate with NATO, allowing, among other things, the alliance's troops to carry out exercises on their soil.

Helsinki and Stockholm have also substantially intensified their bilateral defence co-operation in the past years, and there was talk earlier this month that the Nordic territories could both seek to join NATO in the coming months amid Russian aggression.

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson (L) welcomes Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin (R) prior to a meeting on whether to seek NATO membership in Stockholm, Sweden, on April 13, 2022

Sweden signalled its intention to apply for NATO membership on April 13, in a move which infuriated Moscow lawmakers.

Sources told Sweden's SVD newspaper about the move on the same day that fellow neutral neighbour Finland started its debate on joining NATO after days of speculation it would do so.

Sweden's prime minister Magdalena Andersson is understood to be eager for the country to join the trans-Atlantic alliance by June, to the fury of Vladimir Putin who invaded Ukraine in part for its desire to join to the pact.

Finland, along with neighbouring Sweden, has historically avoided NATO membership, despite close alignment with the West, in an effort not to provoke Russia.

But Putin's invasion of Ukraine has decisively changed public opinion in the Scandinavian countries after Russia began the war with a barrage of rhetoric about stopping NATO expansion.

The Swedish application was previously expected to be submitted by the NATO meeting in Madrid on June 29-20, according to Swedish reports earlier this month, but the latest information reported in the Swedish and Finnish press suggests this date may be brought forward.

Similarly, Finland is hoping to start its application process 'within weeks, not within months', its prime minister Sanna Marin said April 13.

This comes despite Moscow lawmaker Vladimir Dzhabarov warning it would mean 'the destruction of the country'.

Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson (pictured with European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on April 7) is understood to be eager for the country to join the trans-Atlantic alliance by June this year

A Finnish government report released earlier this month examined the 'fundamentally changed' security environment as regards Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and is formed the basis of parliamentary discussions on a possible application for NATO membership.

Swedish PM Andersson hosted Finnish PM Marin in Stockholm for a meeting on their prospective memberships of the alliance less than two weeks ago.

Marin said at the time: 'There are different perspectives to apply (for) NATO membership or not to apply and we have to analyse these very carefully. But I think our process will be quite fast, it will happen in weeks.'

The assault on Ukraine sparked a dramatic U-turn in public and political opinion in Finland and neighbouring Sweden regarding their long-held policies of military non-alignment.
When given the choice, voters are more likely to be unsure of which Democrat they want running in the 2024 presidential race than they are to desire President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris to appear on the ticket.

Only 19 percent of respondents in a Issues & Insights/TIPP poll released Monday say they want to see the current president run for reelection. Less than half of that  a mere 7 percent  say they want to see Harris run for president.

The most popular answer among the 981 registered voters surveyed was 'not sure', while another 6 percent say they want a different candidate than some of the top presented in the poll question.

The dire poll for Biden and his No. 2 comes as they continue to show dismal approval ratings.

Biden sits around an average of 40 percent approval recently, some dipping into the high 30s.

A new poll released Monday from the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School showed Biden's approval slipping a massive 20 percent among young Americans from last year.

A new poll released Monday shows that most voters are 'not sure' which Democrats they want to see run on the 2024 presidential ticket

Of the 981 registered voters surveyed, only 19% said they want to see President Joe Biden (left) run for reelection, while 7% said they want to see Vice President Kamala Harris (right)  but a whopping 28% responded they are 'not sure' who they want to see run

Biden went from 59 percent approval among 18-to-29-year-olds last spring to just 41 percent in the poll taken March 15-20 among 2,024 people in this age demographic.

But White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain suggested polls aren't indicative of election potential, pointing to French President Emmanuel Macron's reelection on Sunday despite low job approval numbers.

'An interesting observation, just FYI,' Klain wrote on Twitter Sunday. 'President Macron appears to have secured a double-digit victory over LePen, at a time when his approval rating is 36%. Hmmm....'

Accompanying the tweet was a Morning Consult weekly tracking poll of several major world leaders' favorability within their own countries. It showed Biden with a 40 percent approval rating among American adults, four points better than Macron and eight above British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who ranks lowest on the list at 32 percent support.

The link was an apparent indirect response to criticism that Biden shouldn't run for reelection considering his low approval.

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain suggested in a tweet Sunday that Biden doesn't need good approval ratings to win reelection by pointing to French President Emanuel Macron winning reelection despite 36% approval

Macron is the first French president to win reelection in 20 years, defeating far-right nationalist opponent Marine Le Pen by roughly 58 percent of the vote to 42.

The I&I/TIPP poll shows former first lady Michelle Obama, coming in with 6 percent support for a presidential run in 2024, to be a more popular option than several of the politicians, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Transportation Secretary Pette Buttigeig and a slew of candidates who ran against Bidne in 2020 for the nomination.

When broken down by party, Democrats were predictably more likely to want to see Biden run again  even though it was still only 29 percent of respondents on the left who felt that way. Just 12 percent of Democrats wanted Harris to run as No. 1 on the ticket in 2024.

In the category of Biden's own party, 12 percent of respondents still said they are 'not sure' who they want to see on the next presidential ballot.

The online poll was conducted April 4-6 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
The rector of the University of Edinburgh claimed on Twitter that the current Rwandan president had 'orchestrated' the genocide against the Rwandan minority Tutsi population.

Lord rector Debora Kayembe has been accused of genocide denial after tweeting in referencing to the UK Government's plan to send a number of male refugees to the African country.

She said Mr Johnson had reached the bottom of evil and the genocide in Rwanda was orchestrated by [President] Kagame.

The 1994 genocide, where around 800,000 Tutsis were killed in 100 days, is considered to be one of the worst crimes against humanity in history.

Rwandan president Paul Kagame was leader of the Rwandan Patriot Front, which defeated Hutu extremists before he was elected to his current role in 2000.

Rwanda's High Commissioner to the UK, Johnston Busingy accused Ms Kayembe of making 'flagrant genocide denial' comments.

The university has denied it shared her views and has apologised, with a meeting to be held today of the institutions supreme governing body on what to do about Ms Kayembe.

Rector of Edinburgh University, Debora Kayembe, has sparked fury by tweeting that Rwandan president had 'orchestrated' 1994 genocide against Tutsi population - prompting an apology from bosses to the African nation

Rwanda's high commissioner in the UK Johnston Busingy accused Ms Kayembe of making comments which 'spread disinformation about and denial of the genocide against the Tutsi'

A spokesperson for Edinburgh University (pictured) said: 'We do not share Debora Kayembe's views, which were made in a personal capacity'

The 1994 Rwandan Genocide The Rwandan genocide saw 800,000 ethnic Tutsis, Hutu moderates and their political allies massacred in 100 days of bloodshed. The majority of Rwandans are ethnic Hutus, but the country was ruled by the Tutsi minority for decades until 1959 when the Tutsi monarchy was overthrown. In 1990, a Tutsi rebel group called the Rwandan Patriotic Front that had formed in Uganda invaded the country. After several years of guerrilla fighting, a peace deal was signed in 1993 between President Juvenal Habyarimana and RPF leaders. However, the fragile peace lasted only until the night of April 6, 1994, when a plane carrying Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira, president of Burundi and a Hutu, was shot down. The Hutus blamed the RPF for the attack and enacted a 'final solution' to rid the country of Tutsis, with militias handed lists of names and told to kill them. Neighbours turned on each other, husbands murdered their Tutsi wives, and there were even accounts of priests and nuns killing those who sought shelter in churches. It lasted 100 days and 800,000 Tutsis were killed, alongside thousands of Hutu moderates who objected to the killing. They were slaughtered by supporters of the Hutu government, who claimed to be weeding out the cockroaches. Men, women and children were felled by machetes, grenades and bullets in their homes and on the streets By July 15, almost 800,000 people had been killed - a massacre which only stopped when the RPF took control of the capital, causing some 2million Hutus who perpetrated the genocide or feared reprisal attacks to flee. The killings only stopped when the Tutsi-controlled Rwandan Patriotic Front seized control, and put Paul Kagame into power. The international community, and the UN, were criticised for failing to act, despite warnings from inside the country that genocide was taking place. Advertisement

In a now-deleted tweet, Ms Kayembe said: 'Mr prime minister Boris Johnson, weve reach the bottom of evil. Should I remind you that the genocide of Rwanda was orchestrated by [president] Kagame. God luck with your plans.'

Peter Mathieson, the principal of the university sent a letter to Rwanda high commissioner to the UK Johnston Busingye, in which he said the institution recognised 'the hurt caused by the rector's statements, and the extreme hurt and pernicious destabilisation that genocide denialism can cause to all Rwandans'.

Mr Mathieson wrote: 'We recognise that the genocide against the Tutsi is a fact of history and represents one of the most appalling crimes against humanity committed in the course of history.

'We reject outright the notion that President [Paul] Kagame was in any way responsible.

'In fact, it is historical fact that Paul Kagame led the liberation of Rwanda from the guilty regime.'

Pledging to support the university's Rwandan community, the principal said individuals would be offered a meeting with the chaplaincy and said that the institution was 'attending to our many collaborators and partners in Rwanda to reassure them of our position and offer additional support if necessary'.

The university has said the rector's comments were 'her personal views' and that managers were 'looking at the formal procedures available'.

Mr Mathieson added the matter would be reported to the University Court at a meeting on Monday.

Rwanda's Mr Busingye also tweeted out a copy of the letter and accused Ms Kayembe of making comments which 'spread disinformation about and denial of the genocide against the Tutsi'.

Ms Kayembe, a former board member of the Scottish Refugee Council, was elected rector in 2021 and is the first black person to hold the position.

She was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and claimed asylum in the UK in 2005.

Between 7 April and 15 July 1994, almost 800,000 people had been killed - a massacre which only stopped when the RPF - led by Mr Kagame - took control of the capital, causing some two million Hutus who perpetrated the genocide or feared reprisal attacks to flee.

A spokesperson for Edinburgh University said: 'We do not share Debora Kayembe's views, which were made in a personal capacity.

'The University of Edinburgh - in step with the UN, multi-national organisations, and nations all over the world - acknowledges the Genocide against the Tutsi as one of the most appalling crimes against humanity, and rejects outright the notion that the Rwandan government and its sitting President are responsible.

'At this moment of Kwibuka commemorations in Rwanda, the University stands with the Rwandan people in its remembrance of those who have been lost.

Peter Mathieson, the principal of the university sent a letter to Rwanda high commissioner to the UK Johnston Busingye, in which he said the institution recognised 'the hurt caused by the rector's statements, and the extreme hurt and pernicious destabilisation that genocide denialism can cause to all Rwandans'

'The University acted swiftly to clarify the role of the Rector and to underline the University's position.

'The concerns raised will be reported to the University's governing body - the University Court - when it meets on Monday.

'We are also reaching out to our Rwandan students to ensure they are fully supported at this difficult time.'

Ms Kayembe has been approached for comment.
President Joe Biden's job approval has dropped 18 points among young Americans during the past year, according to a new poll which showed a 41 percent favorability rating.

The poll from the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, published on Monday, is the latest in a series of dire results for Biden as his party looks to cling on to the House and Senate in midterm elections.

It recorded a drop from 46 percent approval for Biden last fall, and 59 percent last spring among 18-to-29-year-olds.

And it found growing disenchantment with the political system, with 36 percent of 18-to-29-year-olds saying 'political involvement rarely has tangible results and 42 percent saying they believe their vote 'doesnt make a difference.'

As far as specific issues, they care most about government action on student debt. Although 85 percent favor some form of action, only 38 percent back total cancellation.

Overall, young Americans say Biden is doing a better job of handling COVID-19 (52%) and Ukraine (46% approve) than the economy (34% approve) - a similar pattern to adults.

President Joe Biden returned to Washington from a weekend at home in Delaware to yet more bad polling news, with young voters now slipping from his grasp

The poll by the Institute of Politics at Harvard University found Biden's approval rating among young people had fallen by almost 20 points since last year

'While this is an off-year election; theres no evidence in this survey that young Americans are off the grid,' said IOP polling director John Della Volpe.

'Their contempt for a system that favors the elite and is overwhelmingly partisan is clear, but at the same time they see a role for government and are unlikely to abandon those most in need.'

It leaves about 69% of young voters who supported Biden in 2020 still approving of his job performance.

The president has stepped up his domestic travel in the past couple of weeks, as he seeks to remind voters of the historic trillion dollar infrastructure bill passed by Congress and spending on the coronavirus recovery.

However, polls show that Democrats have a mountain to climb in November, not least because of Biden's dismal poll ratings.

A rolling average maintained by Real Clear Politics puts his standing at 40.9 percent.

And Democrats currently have 27 House seats in toss-up or worse categories, according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

On Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi revealed she used her COVID quarantine to catch up on Netflix and raise money for the November elections.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 82, says she didn't experience symptoms after testing positive for covid-19. 'All I did was stay home and raise money for the Democrats,' she quipped  while also binge-watching Bridgerton

She was among the lawmakers who tested positive in the past month as Washington parties resumed after a two-year hiatus.

'I did not have one symptom. All I did was stay home and raise money,' the 82-year-old lawmaker said.

She was among the famous faces to fete comedian Jon Stewart as he was awarded the Mark Twain prize for comedy at the Kennedy Center.

Last week, she helped raise more than $4.4 million for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and other groups at a fundraiser in San Francisco.

'It was around four and a half million dollars for that event,' she told DailyMail.com, when asked about her money haul. 'But I saw all of  what's it called? Bridgerton. I saw three Warriors games  of which we won all three. So I made good use of my time,' she said.

She appeared at the event along with her husband, Paul, who has made millions as a venture capitalist.

Pelosi said sge remained a fan of Stewart, who in addition to tossing zingers at politicians has lobbied for causes including compensation for 9/11 first responders and veterans.
Deployment of the Hypersonic YJ-21 Missile as the newest carrier-killer of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) developed lessens the impact of the carrier battle group, which is problematic for the US maritime warfare.

Such missiles are part of China's anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities that threaten all American warships.

Development of this capability will make any invading force lose cargo due to the missile screen that defends China's coastlines.

China's Hypersonic YJ-21 Missile

The hypersonic ship killer is the primary weapon tasked to kill US naval ships at long distances and remains top secret, reported the Eurasian Times.

People's Liberation Army Navy has released the footage of a Chinese warship, the Type 055 cruiser, launching an anti-ship ballistic missile. This carrier killer seen in the video is derived from the CM-401, said naval analyst H.I. Sutton. It is equipped on the Type 55 destroyer with 122 Vertical Launching System (VLS) cells for a more extensive arsenal.

The vehicle could deploy the missile aboard a ship like the PLAN's Type 055 cruiser, the vessel type depicted in the recently released pictures, according to weapon maker CASIC, cited Naval News.

A 180-mile-range skip glide flight pattern flies almost straight up at first, then skips off the atmosphere one or more times upon re-entry, changing its low energy into a horizontal motion.

China is developing hypersonic glide vehicles that, if combined with Chinese ASBMs, would make Chinese ASBMs more challenging to stop, according to a study by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS) on China's naval capabilities, noted SGP Fas Org.

The US has no similar Hypersonic YJ-21 Missile like China; the US Navy is working with the US Army to develop its own. It could be launched from land, ship, and submarines platforms.

Read Also: Vladimir Putin: 3 Facts You Didn't Know About Russia's President - From His Judo Records to His KGB Pseudonym

For ship-launched missiles, the US has a range edge: the Tomahawk Block Va and Vb cruise missiles have a range of more than 1,000 nautical miles, although they are subsonic and hence easier to defeat.

Another YJ-21 image was published on social media, this time above the Xian H-6N bomber, which attracted the attention of netizens. The Chinese military had kept the missile hidden from view. A Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Xian H-6N bomber had the missile mounted on it that is seen. The rocket called CH-AS-X-13 is still a mystery.

Hypersonic YJ-21 Missile Designed to Knock Off US Warships

In the Bomber's center, the YJ-12 or Eagle Strike 21 missile is a ship-launched counterpart of the DF-21D, another anti-ship ballistic missile allegedly operational in 2010.

DF-21D missile maintains an ICBM's ballistic trajectory but exits and re-enters the atmosphere, unleashing a re-entry vehicle that propels down to attack an aircraft carrier.

The DF-21D and YJ-21 can keep US carrier strike groups far enough away from Chinese coasts to render their fighter planes and cruisers ineffective. A carrier killer that flies at hypersonic speeds and angles of diving, making most defensive weapons ineffective.

China's 'Anti-Access/Area Denial doctrine has motivated the development of ultra-long-range weapons systems that strike out adversary platforms even afar and avoid close combat. Hypersonic YJ-21 Missile is a layer of the A2/AD missile shield to keep the US Forces away and pick them out.

Related Article: Should US Be Threatened of DF-21D Ship Killer Owned by China?

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A French nun who recently celebrated her 118th birthday with her traditional port-and-chocolate cocktail is now the world's oldest known person, following the death announced Monday of a Japanese woman one year her senior.

Lucile Randon, known as Sister Andre, was born in southern France on February 11, 1904, when World War I was still a decade away.

She now lives at a nursing home in Toulon along the Mediterranean coast, beginning every day with breakfast and then a morning mass, though her eyes can no longer see.

Sister Andre, already the eldest French and European citizen, has become the world' oldest person. She is pictured praying in a wheelchair, on the eve of her 117th birthday

The sister was born on February 11, 1904, in the South of France a decade before World War I. She received a handwritten New Year's greeting from President Emmanuel Macron this year

'She's happy, she likes very much this attention,' said the home's communications director David Tavella, adding that a short press conference would be held Tuesday morning.

'But it's just another step, because her real goal is to overtake Jeanne Calment,' a French woman who was reportedly 122-years-old when she died in 1997.

This year Sister Andre got a handwritten New Year's greeting from President Emmanuel Macron, among the many letters and boxes of chocolates sent by well-wishers.

'I was always admired for my wisdom and intelligence, but now people could care less because I'm stubborn,' she jokingly told an AFP in an interview for her 118th tour around the sun.

'I thinking of getting out of this business but they won't let me,' she said.

She worked as a governess in Paris - a period she once called the happiest time of her life - before taking her religious vows with the Daughters of Charity.

Previously the person deemed the world's oldest by the International Database on Longevity (IDL) and Guinness World Records was Kane Tanaka, whose death in Japan on April 19 was announced Monday.

The world's certified oldest person Kane Tanaka died at the age of 119 in Fukuoka, Japan. She was born in 1903

With her death, 'Sister Andre indeed becomes the oldest, and by far, since the next oldest is a Polish woman who is 115,' said Laurent Toussaint, a computer scientist and amateur tracker for the IDL as well as the French institute of demographic studies (INED).

Most centenarians are found in the world's so-called blue zones, where people live longer than average, such as Okinawa in Japan or on the Italian island of Sardinia.

But France, while not considered a blue zone, nonetheless has 30,000 centenarians, according to statistics institute Insee, with around 40 of them 110 or older.

Tanaka was recognised as the world's oldest living person by the Guinness World Records when she was 116 in 2019

In her younger years, Ms Tanaka ran various businesses including a noodle shop and a rice cake store.

A century ago, she married Hideo Tanaka in 1922, giving birth to four children and adopting a fifth.

She had planned to use a wheelchair to take part in the torch relay for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but the pandemic prevented her from doing so.

On her 119th birthday on January 2, Ms Tanaka's family members said she hoped to live to 120.

When the Guinness World Records recognised Ms Tanaka as the oldest person alive in 2019, she was asked what moment she was the most happy in life.

The woman, who by that time could barely speak, replied with a single word: 'Now.'

Ms Tanaka's daily routine was described at the time as including a 6:00 am wake-up, and afternoons spent studying mathematics and practising calligraphy.

Kane Tanaka is pictured in 1922 - the same year she married her husband Hideo a century ago this year

The Russo-Japanese War began only a year after Ms Tanaka was born, and in her childhood lived through the final year's of Japan's Meiji era, considered to be a transformative period of modernisation.

She was recognised as the world's oldest living person by the Guinness World Records when she was 116 in 2019.

In 2020 she became the oldest person in Japan at 117 and 261 days old.

According to the Guinness World Records website Ms Tanaka got married to her cousin aged 19 in 1922 and the couple ran a noodle shop called Tanaka Mochiya which sold udon, rice cakes and zenzai.

Her husband and eldest son fought in the second Sino-Japanese War which began in 1937.

Aged 90, Ms Tanaka had cataract surgery. The record-holder also underwent colorectal cancer surgery when she was 103.

Late last year China's oldest person, who claimed to be the oldest person ever, died at a supposed age of 135.

Alimihan Seyiti, from Komuxerik in Shule County in the north-western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, was born on June 25, 1886, during the imperial Qing dynasty - but this has not been internationally confirmed.

Last summer a woman in Turkey also claimed to have celebrated her 119th birthday, which would make her older than Ms Tanaka.

Turkish media reported that Seker Arslan had celebrated the astonishing milestone surrounded by her family in the northern city of Amasya.

According to her driving licence, she was born on June 27, 1902, making her 119.

The oldest-ever living person verified by Guinness was Frenchwoman Jeanne Louise Calment, who died aged 122 years and 164 days in 1997.
Twitter users are cringing at Aquaman actress Amber Heard's changing facial expressions as she continues to defend herself in ex-husband Johnny Depp's $100 million defamation trial.

One woman wrote that 'Amber Heard's facial expressions frighten me,' while another said they are 'unnatural,' as the trial continues into whether Heard defamed the Pirates of the Caribbean star in a 2018 op-ed about being a survivor of domestic abuse.

It never mentioned Depp by name, but Depp's lawyers claim it was clear Heard was referencing the Hollywood leading man, who says it cost him roles in some upcoming films.

Heard, 35, though claims he is smearing her by accusing her of lying in the article - and is countersuing for $100 million.

The trial has sparked much intrigue online, as revelations about the abuse Depp allegedly suffered at the hands of Heard come to light, with some Twitter users noticing that the Aquaman star seemed to look sad and afraid at one point before apparently smirking.

Twitter users have noticed how actress Amber Heard's facial expressions seemed to change quickly as she tries to defend herself against ex-husband Johnny Depp's defamation claims

At one point in the ongoing trial in Fairfax, Virginia, she could be seen almost smirking

One Twitter user remarked that Heard's facial expressions 'frighten me,' accusing the actress of being a psychopath

Heard's change of appearance has come as Depp took the stand in the trial in Fairfax, Virginia.

He has claimed over the past week that Heard - known for her role as Mera in Aquaman - abused him, and recounting how she once allegedly became angry at him for taking off his own boots instead of allowing her to do it, and how she allegedly severed one of his fingers.

Under oath at the Fairfax courthouse, Depp told jurors how he and Heard had a routine in which she would take off his boots and give him a glass of wine when he returned from work - and one time when he broke that routine by taking off his own boots, she became irate.

She allegedly told Depp it's her 'job' to take off his boots, at which point Depp said: 'I did take pause of course, the fact she was visibly shaken or upset that I had broken her rules of routine.

Then she said "Let me get you a glass of wine,"' Depp recounted last week. 'I did take pause of course, the fact she was visibly shaken or upset that I had broken her rules of routine.

'Once you notice something like that you start to notice other tidbits that come out,' he said last week.

'Then within a year a year and a half she had become another person, almost.'

He said that Heard became angry at him after she met with his lawyers to discuss a post-nuptial agreement in March 2015, leading to a fight in which the top of his finger was severed.

Heard had claimed that one of the lawyers laughed at her - a claim Depp says he later discovered was not true - and she became upset.

He said he tried to remove himself from the situation, walking into different rooms at the house he rented in Australia while filming the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean film, until Heard found him taking shots of vodka.

'Miss Heard was flinging insults left right and center,' Depp said. 'She grabbed that bottle and threw that at me.'

'She threw the large bottle and it made contact and shattered everywhere and I honestly didn't feel the pain at first at all, I felt no pain.'

But on Monday, jurors heard another side of the argument, as Heard's team played audio recordings of the two arguing.

In one clip, Depp tells Heard: 'Walking away is necessary, is necessary, especially between you and I. It's of utmost importance.

'The next move, if I don't walk away, it's just going to be a bloodbath. Like it was on the island, it's not worth it. Why be miserable, can we just have some understanding?'

Heard says that given a choice between a bloodbath and walking away 'obviously' she will choose the latter.

Depp says: 'Then why has it (a bloodbath) been chosen so many times?'

Twitter users have claimed that Heard's expressions are unnatural, and have questioned her acting skills

Throughout the trial, Heard could be seen talking to her lawyers, as her face expression seems to change - at one point seemingly smirking after apparently looking afraid.

Twitter user Trish Lee wrote that those 'facial expressions frighten me,' calling the Aquaman actress a 'psychopath,' while Hasan Ibn Munawara Bint Sufiya said her 'facial expressions, attitude, her whole demeanor during this trial is like the mean girls in high school.

'She's such an abusive, vile, narcissistic person,' he said. 'Everything she accused Johnny of doing was actually what she did to him.'

Lisa, meanwhile, wrote that she 'can't wait for all the clips of Amber Heard's reactions to sustained objections and blatant disconnect between her facial expressions,' and Kate said: 'The way Amber Heard changed her facial expressions so quickly during the trial is actually terrifying.'

Others also took aim at her acting skills for the odd expressions.

Lewis Johnston, for example, wrote: 'They say that Amber Heard has NO personality and with these facial expressions you can see why,' while another user claimed she was acting like a non-player character in a video game.

'She's full on making facial expressions like she's a Sims character,' he wrote, as another accused her of 'trying to come off as the victim in her facial expressions.'

The trial is expected to last another five to six weeks, with celebrities like Paul Bettany and James Franco set to testify.
A Cornish hotel worker claims she will be made homeless from next month due to out-of-towners snapping up properties to use as holiday homes.

Jasmin Or, 24, grew up in the beauty spot of St Ives and said she cannot find a new place to rent for when her tenancy agreement ends on May 10.

She has exhausted letting agents and spare room sites, and fears she will be sleeping rough in the space of three weeks.

She said: 'I'm wondering if this place will seem as beautiful to me when I'm sleeping on a bench in three weeks.

'There's no homes left. Everything has been turned into second homes now and that's the issue. They're all Airbnbs and a lot of locals have been driven out of their homes now to accommodate for the summer.'

Cornwall Council said there is 'an imbalance in supply and demand' that the county has never seen before.

St Ives MP Derek Thomas said in December last year that around 100 families compete for every available three-bedroom home in parts of Cornwall.

Covid lockdowns and the rise of flexible working saw a surge of Londoners spending a record 54.9bn on properties outside the city last year - the highest value on record by far.

However, the rush for second homes has brought misery to residents of the most popular towns, with soaring house values pricing young people out of the housing market.

Cornwall is one of the most sought-after destinations for city dwellers looking for second homes in other parts of the country.

The housing problem in Cornwall was accelerated during the pandemic when 'staycations' boomed. Increased demand for second homes in the beach town drove up prices even further - with the cost of rent nearing that seen in London.

Jasmin Or claims she will be made homeless from next month due to out-of-towners snapping up properties to use as holiday homes

A map showing the most sought-after second home towns for British city dwellers, with Salcombe, Falmouth, St Ives, Brixham and Newquay in the South West all within the top six in demand

Ms Or pays 800 rent - not including any bills - for a room in a two-bedroom house.

She has no family home she can return to and is now faced with sleeping rough as she believes it would be a miracle to find alternative accommodation with summer approaching.

Renting a property in St Ives through popular lodging site Airbnb will cost her 150 a night at the moment - 4,500 a month.

Cornwall Council paid out almost 170million in Covid-19 grants to holiday let businesses in Cornwall.

It is estimated that more than half of that money went to people who live outside the county.

Many owners of second homes qualify to pay business rates and not council tax, which qualifies for rates relief.

This means the landlords were able to cheaply run their properties in St Ives without contributing anything to the local area.

Cornwall Council said there is 'an imbalance in supply and demand' that the county has never seen before

Ms Or has no family home she can return to and is now faced with sleeping rough as she believes it would be a miracle to find alternative accommodation with summer approaching

Ms Or said: 'In lockdown, I'd go for a walk and look up in the evening to see only a few homes with lights on in town. I could see how many actually are holiday homes.

'I've watched a lot of my friends struggle with homelessness - friends in my age group who work a lot harder than I do. They all sofa surf, it's not just myself.'

She urged tourists to consider holidays elsewhere this summer to give locals a chance of finding somewhere to rent for a reasonable price.

A spokesperson at Cornwall Council said: 'The Council is taking a multi-faceted approach to address the housing crisis in the medium term and moving on into the future.

'This plan will involve more than 300m of potential investment.

'We are working to get the legislative changes we need at Parliament to be able to control the number of second homes and give us the ability to set a Council Tax surcharge against those homes.'
Steve Gooderson raised 40,000 to give Ukrainian refugees somewhere to stay without having to worry about rent or staying with another family - but so far the government has not recognised his scheme, claiming there is a 20-day backlog before they can even begin to consider the offer of help under official Home Office Rules

A retired estate agent has slammed the government's scheme to house Ukrainian refugees as a 'complete sham' after his offer to home 30 of them was ignored.

Steve Gooderson, 64, has raised 40,000 to cover the cost of a year's rent for the refugees after being horrified by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

He even persuaded one landlord to donate one of the houses in Ashton-under-Lyne, Gtr Manchester, rent-free for a whole year.

But despite his free offer to the government two weeks ago, the former property manager has been met with silence and administrative backlog.

He claims there is a even 20-day backlog before the government even considers offers of help under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, however officials deny this.

Steve told Mailonline: 'We have the money in place, the houses, food, clothes and interpreters with the help of the local Ukrainian community.

'Everything is in place without a penny in costs to the taxpayer.

'We have made the offer to the government, then nothing.

1a West St, Stalybridgedan is one of the properties on offer. Gooderson, of Stalybridge, Tameside, approached his local MP Jonathan Reynolds who also contacted the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities for him. The MP got no further than he did

59 pottinger street, Ashton-under-Lyne, is sitting empty waiting for Ukrainian refugees who never arrive thanks to government bureaucracy. Around 12,000 people had arrived in the UK under Ukraine visa schemes as of Tuesday, according to Home Office figures, roughly a third of those granted visas

58 Turner Lane, Ashton-under-Lyne is the final address. Goodernson even pursuaded the landlord of the house to donate it for one year. He called government's scheme to house Ukrainian refugees a 'complete sham'

'It is incredibly frustrating.

'The government talk of wanting to help Ukrainian refugees and nothing.

'I think this whole government scheme is a complete sham.

'I have not heard anything back for nearly two weeks. It is not an exaggeration to say these delays are costing lives.

'People are being blown up, shot and tortured while the government delays. We are being knocked from pillar to post and still nothing.

'While the matter gets discussed from one committee to another, the people of Ukraine are lying in body bags.'

Steve, of Stalybridge, Tameside, approached his local MP Jonathan Reynolds who also contacted the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities for him.

The MP also got no further forward because of delays.

Gooderson said: 'It is not an exaggeration to say these delays are costing lives. 'People are being blown up, shot and tortured while the government delays. We are being knocked from pillar to post and still nothing'

A government spokeswoman said: 'Thanks to the public's generosity in offering their homes, more than 39,300 visas have been granted so far with 6,600 Ukrainians arriving safely in the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

'Currently the scheme is open to individuals, but we plan to expand this to organisations and community groups who will be able to sponsor multiple guests.'

More than 150,000 people registered to sponsor people from Ukraine looking to come to the UK.

Figures showed that almost 72,000 UK visas have now been issued to Ukrainian refugees but fewer than a third have arrived so far.

Official data showed more than 107,000 people applied for visas under two schemes, including 66,000 through the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship programme.

It means there is still a backlog of more than 35,000 applications to process.

Campaigners called the numbers are 'woeful', urging the Government to 'cut the red tape' for refugees seeking sanctuary in Britain.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is adding nine rare respiratory cancers to its list of presumptive service-connected disabilities for veterans exposed to toxins in burn pits during their military service, President Joe Biden announced Monday.

'In my State of the Union address, I announced that we would propose expanding disability and health benefits to veterans suffering from nine rare respiratory cancers,' Biden said in a statement. 'Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs is delivering on that promise and upholding that sacred obligation to the women and men who have worn the uniform of our country.'

Biden's late son Beau was exposed to toxic burn pits during his military service in Iraq.

Biden has said he believes there could be a connection to the burn pits Beau was stationed near and his illiness. Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015.

'We don't know for sure if a burn pit was the cause of his brain cancer, or the diseases of so many of our troops,' Biden said in March during a meeting with veterans in Texas. 'But I'm committed to finding out everything we can.'

The Department of Veterans Affairs is adding nine rare respiratory cancers to its list of presumptive service-connected disabilities for veterans exposed to toxins in burn pits during their military service - above U.S. Marines burn trash in Afghanistan in 2012

Joe Biden has said he believes there could be a connection to the burn pits Beau Biden was stationed near in Iraq and his brain cancer, Beau died in 2015 - above then-Vice President Joe Biden with Beau Biden in Iraq in July 2009

In his statement on Monday, Biden also pushed Congress to pass legislation aimed at helping veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, saying, 'I will sign it immediately.'

The rare respiratory cancers added to the VA's list include squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx, squamous cell carcinoma of the trachea, adenocarcinoma of the trachea, salivary gland-type tumors of the trachea, adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung, large cell carcinoma of the lung, salivary gland-type tumors of the lung, sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lung and typical and atypical carcinoid of the lung.

The Department of Veterans Affairs began processing disability claims for asthma, rhinitis and sinusitis as presumptive conditions in August.

The new rule allows for veterans serving in the Southwest Asia theater of operations starting August 2, 1990, or in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Syria or Djibouti starting September 19, 2001, to file for disability compensation claims. Veterans who have or had any of the cancers during or after their military service may be eligible to receive the benefits.

The Department of Veteran Affairs will also allow veterans, survivors or dependents who had claims previously denied to file a supplemental claim for benefits.

Eighty-six percent of post-9/11 veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan say they were exposed to burn pits, according to a 2020 survey by the nonprofit Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Biden made supporting veterans one of the key pillars of his 'Unity Agenda' in his State of the Union speech - speaking about the use of burn pits by the military in Afghanistan and Iraq.

That section of the speech received extra attention because the president was interrupted by a screaming Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert who was booed by Democrats and yelled at by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham for her outburst.

It was also highlighted because Danielle Robinson, the widow of Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson, who died of a rare autoimmune disorder and stage 4 lung cancer after being exposed to environmental hazards and burn pits while serving, was one of the guests in Jill Biden's box during the president's speech.

After her husband's death in May 2020, Robinson became an advocate for veterans suffering from such health issues.

A trash burn pit at Forward Operating Base Caferetta Nawzad, Helmand province south of Kabul, Afghanistan in 2011

Solides burn trash in Afghnistan in 2012 - Eighty-six percent of post-9/11 veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan say they were exposed to burn pits

Jill Biden hosted Danielle Robinson, the widow of Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson, who died of a rare autoimmune disorder and stage 4 lung cancer after being exposed to environmental hazards and burn pits while serving, in her box during the State of the Union address

The U.S. military in both Afghanistan and Iraq disposed of garbage and waste in open air burn pits that many believe poisoned veterans with toxins in the smoke.

Beau Biden served in Iraq as a member of the Delaware National Guard.

Heath Robinson also served there as a member of the Ohio National Guard.

'I spent a fair amount of time there as a United States senator and as vice president. The burn pits and incinerate wastes of war, medical and hazardous materials, jet fuel and so much more, just dug in big pits, not far from the hooches, not far from where our veterans were sleeping. When our troops came home, the fittest among them, the greatest fighting force in the history of the world, too many of them were not the same, headaches, dizziness, numbness, dizziness, cancer,' Biden said during his Texas visit.

Experts are less definitive about the link between burn pit emissions and long-term medical conditions.
The missing Mexican teen whose body was found inside a water tank near a motel entered the roadside inn by herself, officials revealed Sunday.

Debanhi Escobar, 18, was spotted walking into the Nueva Castilla Motel in Escobedo the morning of April 9 as investigators with the Nuevo Leon State of the Attorney General were reviewing footage surrounding her mysterious disappearance.

'The prosecutor Gustavo (Guerrero) and his team showed us a series of evidence, especially some videos, in which we see that Debanhi entered the property alone and that she spent a few minutes in the property,' said Nuevo Leon Governor Samuel Garcia, without specifying which area on the motel's grounds she was seen.

Garcia met with and Escobar's devastated parents to update them on the hunt for their daughter's killer.

'It is difficult for me, for my wife, but somehow we are calm that we were able to find her, bury her, we know where to put a flower, where to mourn her, but many people do not have that,' said her heartbroken father, Mario Escobar.

'We are not going to stop, we are going to help people, we are going to tell their story.'

Debanhi Escobar was photographed by a rideshare app driver identified as 47-year-old Jesus Nuevo Leon, Mexico, the morning of April 9 after she decided to get out of the car following an alleged argument

Debanhi Escobar went out to party with two girlfriends April 8 in Escobedo, Mexico, before she was reported missing after failing to return home. She was found inside a water tank on the grounds of a motel last Thursday

Forensic workers carry out a search following the discovery of Debanhi Escobar's body inside a water tank on the grounds of the Nueva Castilla Motel

Escobar disappeared after going to a party with two girlfriends in Escobedo on April 8.

A haunting photo of her was snapped by a rideshare driver the morning of April 9 before she vanished.

Following almost two weeks of non-stop searching that extended to other neighboring states, Escobar's body was discovered Thursday inside a cistern that was no longer in use after motel worker's reported the smell of a foul odor.

Guerrero told reporters Friday that Escobar's death was caused by contusion to the skull.

It's still unknown how she wound up inside the water tank.

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 Juan David Cuellar, who was off duty, to driver Escobar home. Escobar' father, Mario Escobar, told reporters Friday that video footage showed her leaving the car after Cuellar tried to touch her breasts,

Relatives and friends attend the funeral service of Debanhi Escobar, an 18-year-old law student who went missing on April 9 in Escobedo, Mexico. Her body was discovered inside a water tank on the grounds of the Nueva Castilla Motel on Thursday

Dolores Bazaldua holds a portrait of her daughter, Debanhi Escobar, during the 18-year-old's burial service

Juan David Cuellar, a 47-year-old ride share app driver in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, was taken into custody last April 12 for drug possession, He was questioned over the disappearance of Debanhi Escobar, but was found to have not been involved

Mario Escobar laid his daughter to rest Saturday and said that she had been 'beaten and strangled.'

'We are destroyed inside,' Escobar said during the law student's funeral service. 'We had so much faith that we would find her alive, but that's not what happened.'

According to reports, Debanhi Escobar had argued with one of the girls at the bar. One of them reached out to a 47-year-old rideshare app driver they knew, identified as Juan David Cuellar, to drop off Escobar at her residence.

During the ride on the morning of April 9, Jesus stopped his vehicle in the vicinity of the Nueva Castilla Motel and Transportes Internacionales Alcosa - a trucking company - after Escobar allegedly told him she wanted to get out following an alleged argument.

As proof that she was no longer in the vehicle, Jesus took the photo and sent it to her two friends.

A surveillance camera near the trucking company showed Escobar walking by its entrance. She would have then continued walking down the road before entering the Nueva Castilla Motel.

Security forces work at a crime scene at the Nueva Castilla Motel where the body of Debanhi Escobar was found Thursday

Dolores Bazaldua (left) and Mario Escobar (right), the parents of Debanhi Escobar, are consoled by a priest during a mass on Saturday before their 18-year-old daughter was laid to rest in Galeana, Mexico

People take part in a march in Mexico City on Sunday to demand justice for the victims of gender violence and femicides after the death of Debanhi Escobar

Cuellar was arrested on a drug possession charge on April 12, but was ruled out as a suspect in Escobar's disappearance.

However, Mario Escobar accused Cuellar of having played a role his daughter having gone missing after a video showed the driver attempting to put his hands over Debanhi Escobar's breasts.

'There is a (video) where the taxi driver extends his hand to my daughter's breasts and from there I suppose that my daughter could not stand the harassment,' Mario Escobar said. 'But the prosecutor says that there is no crime to prosecute  I accuse Juan David Cuellar of detonating all this.'
GPs are set to vote on whether their core working hours should be reduced by two-and-a-half hours per day.

The proposal comes amid a huge row over the working hours of family doctors and the 'postcode lottery' of bagging an appointment.

Avon Local Medical Committee (LMC) will table a motion at a conference in York next month calling for doctors' core hours to be slashed.

Surgeries currently routinely operate between 8am and 6:30pm  but the vote may see doctors call for this to be slashed to 9am to 5pm.

'Urgent action' is needed to manage the imbalance between doctors' workload and their workforce,' the same motion states.

The GP Worklife survey found more than half of family doctors worked for six sessions a week or less every week in 2021, with each session being four hours and 10 minutes. Nearly a fifth of the workforce saw patients for four sessions or less, while 12.4 per cent worked for five sessions and 27.9 per cent worked for six

It comes after a report this month revealed that a third of GPs  who earn 100,000 per year on average  want to retire within five years. Nearly six in 10 GPs now work three-day weeks, according to Government-backed research.

GPs have moaned about rising workloads and paperwork, increased demands from 'problem patients', and having 'insufficient time to do the job justice'.

They also say the row over a lack of face-to-face appointments has caused morale to drop.

Dozens of patients have complained about struggling to access their GP.

As part of a drive to boost access levels, NHS chiefs have ordered surgeries to open on Saturdays and offer weekday evening appointments from October.

The motion from Avon LMC, which represents GPs in Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset, will be heard at the annual conference of UK local medical committees, which is taking place on May 10 and 11 in York.

It states that 'urgent action' is needed to manage the mismatch between a lack of capacity, Pulse magazine reports.

Practices do not currently have to be open during their core hours but they must provide enough services to meet patient need and ensure arrangements are in place throughout these hours in case of emergency.

The graph shows the number of GP appointments per day in January. Since 2019, GPs have been asked to work evenings and weekends. But just 22,000 patients were seen on the average Saturday in January, compared to around 1.2million per week day

If the motion is passed, it means that appointments before 9am and between 5pm and 6:30pm could be classed as out of hours.

NHS England  which controls the funding of GP practices  would have to sign off on any move.

It comes amid a row over GPs working hours, with findings from an annual survey showing family doctors worked an average of 38.4 hours per week in 2021, down from 42.1 in 2008.

GPs dismiss claims that they are working part-time hours, arguing their hours extend well beyond their sessions.

Those working less sessions often devote their remaining hours to other parts of the NHS, doctors say.

The motion adds to the ongoing row about patient access to GPs, with a lack of face-to-face appointments and extended evening and weekend hours causing tension between doctors and the NHS.

NHS Digital data released today shows just 60 per cent of appointments in January were in-person, compared to 61 per cent in December

Fewer than half of all consultations in parts of the country are now face-to-face, with just 37 per cent of people in Bury being able to see their doctor in-person during the month

Before Covid hit the UK, eight in 10 appointments took place in-person. However, the figure plunged to fewer than half during the pandemic.

Even now, the proportion of consultations that are in-person has only bounced back to 61 per cent.

The new NHS contract sets out that primary care networks  groups of GP practices  must draw up plans for delivering appointments at evenings and weekends.

But the British Medical Association, the union for doctors, has disputed whether a GP actually has to be 'physically' present for these appointments.

Meanwhile, a separate motion set to be heard at the conference next month, from Cambridgeshire and Cleveland LMCs, calls for plans to introduce 'safe workload limits' for general practice to protect staff and patients.

Another motion states the public have emerged from the pandemic with 'additional and unrealistic expectations of general practice'.

The motion, tabled by Ayrshire and Arran LMC, calls for an education campaign for patients to 'appropriately utilise' self-care and turn to pharmacy, optometry and dental services.

Doctors in attendance will also vote on whether patients who abuse general practice staff should be removed from their list and whether all hospital doctors should have to work in GP surgeries as part of their training.
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene can be seen telling White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows there was support within elected Republican ranks for President Trump to impose martial law just three days before Joe Biden took office, texts reveal.

The message is among a trove of information contained in texts Meadows provided to the House select committee probing Jan. 6th. CNN published a batch of more than 2,000 messages, including the one from Greene, who is fending off a challenge by voters in her state who want to knock her off the ballot due to her role promoting the election.

'In our private chat with only Members, several are saying the only way to save our Republic is for Trump to call for Marshall law,' she said, misspelling the term where a leader imposes military control of the functions of government.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a court hearing on April 22, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia, while appearing at the hearing in a challenge filed by voters who say she shouldn't be allowed to seek reelection because she helped facilitate the attack on the Capitol. 'In our private chat with only Members, several are saying the only way to save our Republic is for Trump to call for Marshall law,' she wrote White House chief of staff Mark Meadows

'I don't know on those things. I just wanted you to tell him,' she said, in reference to Trump. 'They stole this election. We all know. They will destroy our country next. Please tell him to declassify as much as possible so we can go after Biden and anyone else!'

There is no indication that Meadows responded.

Greene took a different tone when the Capitol was under assault by a mob of MAGA supporters.

'Mark I was just told there is an active shooter on the first floor of the Capitol Please tell the President to calm people This isn't the way to solve anything,' she said. It was one of a number of messages from people inside the Capitol or in Trump's orbit urging him to take a strong public stand.

She also texted him days earlier, on New Year's Eve 2020, when Trump supporters were desperately looking for ways to avert Biden being certified as the winner on Jan. 6th, referencing Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

'Good morning Mark, I'm here in DC. We have to get organized for the 6th. I would like to meet with Rudy Giuliani again. We didn't get to speak with him long. Also anyone who can help. We are getting a lot of members on board. And we need to lay out the best case for each state. I'll be over at CPI this afternoon,' she said.

The message appeared to refer to maximize the number of states where House members could seek to lodge objections to certified votes  as Trump was pressuring Vice President Mike Pence not to accept votes where Trump allies were claiming fraud.

CPI could reference the Conservative Partnership Institute, where Meadows is now a senior partner.

In our private chat with only Members, several are saying the only way to save our Republic is for Trump to call for Marshall law. I don't know on those things. I just wanted you to tell him. They stole this election. We all know. They will destroy our country next. Please tell him to declassify as much as possible so we can go after Biden and anyone else! - Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene text to Mark Meadows

Greene was also among the first to start pushing a conspiracy theory that people who breached the Capitol were not Trump backers, although many of the hundreds of people arrested since Jan. 6th have spoken openly and online about their affiliations and support for Trump.

'Mark we don't think these attackers are our people. We think they are Antifa. Dressed like Trump supporters,' she said.

A Nov. 5 text to Meadows by former first daughter Ivanka Trump urging a political fight adds a new dimension to her role. She is reported to have called Pence a 'good man' following a Jan. 6 call where he told the president he would resist his pressure to refuse to accept votes.

'You are all WARRIORS of epic proportions! Keep the faith and the fight!' she wrote Meadows weeks before that event.

American Conservative Union head Matt Schlapp fired off a text to Meadows the day after the election pushing an all-out legal battle.

'Pls get 4 or 5 killers in remaining counts. Need outsiders who will torch the place. Local folks won't do it. Lawyers and operators. Get us in these states,' he advised.

Meadows appears to have taken the advice as an offer. 'I may need to get you and mercy to go to PA' he said, referencing Schlapp's wife Mercedes, a former Trump aide.
Dr. Deborah Birx said Monday that former President Donald Trump's infamous 'bleach' comments came about because researchers were looking into whether disinfectant would be needed to kill COVID-19 on playgrounds, or if sunlight would do the trick.

'This was a tragedy on many levels,' Birx told George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America. 'The first tragedy is the whole point of asking the DHS scientists to do the work was so children could get outside and play on playgrounds.'

Birx, who served as White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, is out with a new book Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of the Trump Administration, Covid-19, and Preventing the Next Pandemic Before It's Too Late, which describes the April 23, 2020 briefing room incident.

Dr. Deborah Birx said Monday that former President Donald Trump's infamous 'bleach' comments came about because researchers were looking into whether disinfectant would be needed to kill COVID-19 on playgrounds, or if sunlight would do the trick

Speaking to Stephanopoulos about it, she explained how Trump had met with Department of Homeland Security scientists including William Bryan, leader of the science and technology directorate, prior to that day's coronavirus press briefing.

'I didn't realize it that scientists went into the Oval Office and they started that discussion there and they continued it in front of America,' Birx recalled.

'At the beginning, I didn't know what was happening,' she continued.

'I couldn't understand how disinfectant and sunlight for outdoor playground equipment became this,' she said. 'And I think the scientists and the president had talked about it having a potential therapeutic.'

At the podium, Trump mused about what would happen if 'we hit the body with a tremendous, whether it's ultraviolet or just very powerful light.'

'And then I said supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you're going to test that too. Sounds interesting right?' Trump said, looking at the DHS scientists, also seated to his side in the White House briefing room.

Birx pointed out to Stephanopoulos that it wasn't her that Trump was looking to for reassurance while making these comments, it was the DHS doctors.

During an April 23 coronavirus press briefing, former President Donald Trump misconstrued Department of Homeland Security research and suggested that 'light' and 'disinfectant' brought into the body possibly 'by injection' could treat COVID-19

Birx, who served as White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, said Monday that 'I didn't know what was happening' during that April 23 briefing. 'I couldn't understand how disinfectant and sunlight for outdoor playground equipment became this,' she said

'And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute,' the then president continued.

'And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs,' Trump said.

Near the end of the briefing, Trump 'finally' turned to Birx to get her take, the COVID response coordinator recounted Monday.

'I would like you to speak to the medical doctors to see if there's any way that you can apply light and heat to cure,' Trump said. 'Deborah, have you ever heard of that? The heat and the light, relative to certain viruses, yes, but relative to this virus?'

Birx responded 'not as a treatment,' and tried to explain 'I've not seen heat or light ...' as Trump interrupted her saying, 'it's a great thing to look at.'

Stephanopoulos then asked Birx about the aftermath.

'Well, many people don't know me, but I'm a pretty direct person. So I immediately went to his most senior staff and to Olivia Troye and said this has to be reversed immediately,' Birx recalled.

Troye was Vice President Mike Pence's lead staffer on the coronavirus taskforce - who later became a critic of the Trump administration's COVID response, calling for the election of President Joe Biden.

'And by the next morning the president was saying it was a joke,' Birx continued. 'But I think he knew by that evening, clearly, that this was dangerous.'

Birx also told Stephanopoulos about how all the doctors on the White House's coronavirus taskforce had a pact.

'It was if any one of the individuals were under so much pressure, and they were fired, that we would all leave together from the task force,' Birx said.

She said the doctors included Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Robert Redfield, the former dirctor of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Dr. Stephen Hahn, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

'And I think that was really important because I really wanted to protect Bob Redfield and Steve Hahn, and they were under enormous pressure,' Birx said.
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An appeals court in Texas has halted the execution of Melissa Lucio, a 53-year-old woman convicted of killing her two-year-old daughter in 2007, after pleas from celebrities and Republican lawmakers.

Lucio, 53, had been due to be executed on April 27th for the 2007 death of her baby daughter Mariah. She told police at the time that Mariah fell down the stairs and died later as a result of her injuries, but police ruled she was lying.

She made a confession that lawyers and advocates now say was coerced and even the jury that convicted her is calling for a new trial in light of modern day medical evidence.

On Monday, a Texas appeals court issued a stay pending further review of her case by the 138th Judicial District Court of Cameron County.

In a statement issued through her attorneys after the decision, Lucio said: 'I thank God for my life. I have always turned to Him. I am grateful the court has given me the chance to live and prove my innocence.

'Mariah is in my heart today and always. I am grateful to have more days to be a mother to my children and a grandmother to my grandchildren. I will use my time to help bring them to Christ. I am deeply grateful to everyone who prayed for me and spoke out on my behalf.'

Melissa Lucio, 53, is due to be executed on April 27th for the 2007 death of her baby daughter Mariah. She told police at the time that Mariah fell down the stairs and died later as a result of her injuries, but police ruled she was lying.

Ahead of the parole board decision, Lucio's elderly mother appeared in an interview with CBS News to beg for her to be spared. Speaking in Spanish, she said: 'The DA's got children of his own. He wouldn't like this to happen to his kids.'

A wave of celebrities and politicians are now weighing in on the case, begging the parole board to reconsider Melissa's sentence

Esperanza bows her head during a vigil at the Basilica Of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle National Shrine, Friday, April 22, 2022, in San Juan, Texas

Melissa Lucio (pictured center) bows her head in prayer during a session with State Representative Jeff Leach in prison this month

Lucio's elderly mother Esperanza appeared in an interview with CBS News to beg for her to be spared. Speaking in Spanish, she said: 'The DA's got children of his own. He wouldn't like this to happen to his kids.'

She added that she was optimistic her daughter's execution would not go ahead: 'I have children and they hurt. It hurts for me to lose one of my children She's coming home. I told her she was coming home.'

The Texas Parole Board is due to meet at 1.30pm local time to make a decision. Governor Greg Abbott has not commented.

Lucio's son also told the network they would be executing an 'innocent woman' if they kill his mother.

Lawyers from the Innocence Project have filed a clemency application to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles which is set to consider her case today by 1.30pm CT.

They will make a recommendation to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott who has until Wednesday 6pm to intervene in what would be the first Latina ever executed by Texas and the first woman the state has put to death since 2014.

Lucio, who has been in custody since 2007, maintains that Mariah died from injuries sustained during a fall down a flight of stairs even though she confessed to hurting Mariah at the time

If they do not recommend clemency, all he can do is postpone the execution by 30 days, during which her legal team will have to reconsider their options.

Separately, Lucio's legal team are pursuing two last-ditch attempts to spare her life.

They filed several motions in the Texas Supreme Court of Appeals which could stop the death sentence at any point before Wednesday.

The Cameron County District Attorney's office is also yet to rule on a motion to withdraw the execution which had been filed in February.

Her lawyers say new evidence shows that Mariah's injuries, including a blow to the head, were caused by a fall down a steep staircase, and nearly half of the jurors who sentenced her have called for her execution to be halted and demanded a retrial.

Lawmakers and celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, an advocate for criminal justice reform, and Amanda Knox - an American who was convicted of murdering a British student in Italy and whose conviction was overturned - have rallied to Lucio's cause.

A bipartisan group of 100 Texas lawmakers have been pushing for the parole board and governor to spare her life.

Last week, a few of them joined Lucio for a prayer session in prison.

Prosecutors, though, maintain that the girl was the victim of child abuse.

In addition to the blunt-force injury to her head that was determined to have killed her, Mariah's body was found to have bruises, scratches, and a bite mark on her back, leading investigators to believe that Mariah had been killed, and suspecting Lucio of the crime.

Lucio's attorneys say her capital murder conviction was based on an unreliable and coerced confession that was the result of relentless questioning and her long history of sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

State Reps. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, left to right, Brad Buckley, R-Killeen, and Jeff Leach, R-Plano, arrive for the Interim Study Committee on Criminal Justice Reform hearing about death row inmate Melissa Lucio at the Capitol. They are all calling for the execution to be stayed

In this 2007 video interview tape, Lucio is shown acting out how she 'beat' Mariah to death. Her attorneys say it was a coerced confession after five hours of interrogation. She was pregnant at the time with twins

Three hours into a late-night interrogation Lucio confessed to police that she had spanked and bitten her daughter - an admission that became the backbone of the case against her

She is set to be executed Wednesday for the death of Mariah (pictured on her lap alongside daughter Adriana)

'This new evidence shows that Ms. Lucio was convicted of a crime that never occurred,' the 242-page writ of habeas corpus says.

'Ms. Lucio asserted her innocence more than 100 times, but police refused to accept any response that was not an admission of guilt - suggesting to Ms. Lucio that the interrogation would not stop unless she told them what they wanted to hear,' the filing reads.

They say Lucio wasn't allowed to present evidence questioning the validity of her confession.

Her lawyers also contend that unscientific and false evidence misled jurors into believing Mariah's injuries only could have been caused by physical abuse and not by medical complications from a severe fall.

'I knew that what I was accused of doing was not true.

'My children have always been my world and although my choices in life were not good I would have never hurt any of my children in such a way,' Lucio wrote in a letter to Texas lawmakers.

The Innocence Project say that Lucio's lifelong history as a victim of sexual and domestic abuse made her particularly susceptible to confessing to things she never did

Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz, whose office prosecuted the case, has said he disagrees with Lucio's lawyers' claims that new evidence would exonerate her.

Prosecutors say Lucio had a history of drug abuse and at times had lost custody of some of her 14 children.

During her interrogation Lucio initially maintained that Mariah had fallen down the stairs a few days before she became unresponsive, but after about three hours she admitted to spanking and biting Mariah.

'What do you want me to say? I'm responsible for it,' Lucio told Texas Rangers when they pressed her on the bite mark.

The statement became the backbone of the state's case against Mariah, with prosecutors using what they characterized as an admission of child abuse to connect Lucio directly to her daughters death.

Though Lucio never admitted to actually killing Maria or causing fatal-harm, the Cameron County jury found the abuse admissions adequate to find Lucio guilty and deserving of the death penalty.

But advocates of Lucio say that the confession was clearly made and coerced under duress, and that Lucio's longtime history as a victim of sexual and domestic abuse made her especially susceptible to confessing to things she never did - a point which was not made at Lucio's trial because the judge did not allow a psychologist to testify on the subject.

During a sometimes contentious Texas House committee hearing on Lucio's case this month, Saenz initially pushed back on requests to use his power to stop the execution, before later saying he would intervene if the courts didn't act.

'I don't disagree with all the scrutiny this case is getting. I welcome that,' Saenz said.

Armando Villalobos was the county's district attorney when Lucio was convicted in 2008, and Lucio's lawyers allege that he pushed for a conviction to help his reelection bid.

In 2014, Villalobos was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for a bribery scheme related to offering favorable prosecutorial decisions.

More than half the members of the Texas House and Senate have asked that her execution be halted.

A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers traveled this month to Gatesville, where the state houses female death row inmates, and prayed with Lucio.

Five of the 12 jurors who sentenced Lucio and one alternate juror have questioned their decision and asked she get a new trial. And Lucio's cause also has the backing of faith leaders and was featured on HBO's 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.'

Lucio's family and supporters have been traveling throughout Texas and holding rallies and screenings of a 2020 documentary about her case, The State of Texas vs. Melissa.

Abbott has granted clemency to only one death row inmate since taking office in 2015.

Abbott commuted a death sentence to life without parole for Thomas 'Bart' Whitaker, who was convicted of fatally shooting his mother and brother. Whitaker's father was also shot but survived and led the effort to spare his son's life.

It's rare in the U.S. for a woman to be executed, according to the Washington-based Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit that opposes capital punishment.

Women have accounted for only 3.6 per cent of the more than 16,000 confirmed executions in the U.S. dating back to the colonial period in the 1600s, according to the group's data.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, there have been 17 women executed throughout the nation, according to the data.

Texas has put more women to death - six - than any other state. Oklahoma is next, with three, and Florida has executed two.

The federal government has executed one woman since 1976. Lisa Montgomery, of Kansas, received a lethal injection in January 2021 after the Trump administration resumed executions in the federal system following a 17-year hiatus.

The Justice Department has halted executions again under the Biden administration.

After reading about Lucio's case, Kardashian tweeted: '[Lucio] has been on death row for over 14 years for her daughter's death that was a tragic accident.

'Her 2-year-old daughter Mariah fell down a flight of stairs and two days later passed away while taking a nap.

'After she called for help, she was taken into custody by the police. [Lucio] is a survivor of abuse and domestic violence herself and after being interrogated for hours and falsely pleaded guilty.

'She wanted the interrogation to be stopped, but police made her words out to be a confession.'

'She is scheduled to be executed on April 27 in Texas,' the reality star added, as she urged the public to sign a petition by the Innocent Project in an effort to press Governor Abbott to stop Lucio's execution.
From vets to common people, collective endeavor toward wildlife protection

Xinhua) 10:53, April 25, 2022

BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Liu Lijun describes himself as an "emergency physician" who is tending to "patients" in need of urgent remedies.

"This white ball python, sent by the local residents, has a spine injury and is undergoing treatment here," said the 38-year-old veterinarian, who works at Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, as he injected nutrients and antibiotics into the snake.

"The number of injured and trapped animals has seen a rise every year from hundreds to thousands, and dozens of animals are sent in a single day during the busiest times," Liu said. The data only takes into account those sent by citizens, excluding illegally raised and trafficked animals, which are forfeited and brought to the center by the police.

The surge in the number of rescue instances demonstrates the increasing awareness of wildlife rescue and habitat rehabilitation among Beijingers, Liu added.

The theme of Earth Day 2022, which fell on April 22, was "Invest In Our Planet." This year marks the 53rd anniversary of Earth Day and the initiative calls for forging a partnership toward safeguarding the planet where everyone is accounted for, and everyone is accountable.

WILDLIFE RESCUE

"Wildlife protection is my passion and it gives me an extraordinary sense of achievement," said Liu, explaining that his routine tasks include conducting a preliminary diagnosis and forming medical treatment plans for the animals.

Over the past 10 years, Liu has treated more than 8,000 wildlife. Animals are usually released into the forests of Beijing upon recovery but when it comes to migratory birds, Liu and his colleagues wait for the appropriate season.

From 2016 to 2020, the wildlife center spanning 16 hectares had received 21,432 wild animals, including 19,075 birds, 963 reptiles, 797 mammals, 38 arthropods and 31 amphibians.

"Birds are in majority because Beijing is an important migration route for them," Liu said. According to the latest survey, the Chinese capital has more than 503 bird species, the proportion of which surpasses a third of the country.

When locals spot birds in distress, most residents would send them to the wildlife care center for treatment. Such occurrences are common during spring and autumn, the migration seasons. The center has also established a breeding platform and set up numerous aid stations in wildlife habitats.

There are two types of veterinarians in the center. Experimental vets are in charge of analyzing death cases and collecting blood, feces, and biopsy samples, while clinical vets manage the treatment plans for animals.

While the majority of the wildlife is released into the forest, a small proportion of animals are used for scientific research and demonstration. The non-local ones are sent back to their original habitats, and those deemed incapable of survival following injuries are kept in the zoo under proper care.

HABITAT REHABILITATION

In comparison to purely treating the creatures, habitat rehabilitation increases the benefits of wildlife protection.

"Hundreds or even thousands of wild animals I rescue every year seems to be an enormous amount, but in reality, it is just a drop in the bucket considering countless wildlife species are suffering in Beijing as well as the rest of the country," Liu said.

He hopes that the unremitting efforts of vets in treating animals can enhance the public awareness of wildlife protection and habitat rehabilitation.

According to the local forestry and park authority, Beijing's urban green spaces and wetland areas have increased by 3,773 hectares and 11,000 hectares, respectively, during China's 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020).

A variety of birds such as black storks, great bustards, mallards, and herons choose Beijing as their habitat. There are currently 79 nature reserves in the Chinese capital, occupying 368,000 hectares of area.

"The public's consciousness toward habitat rehabilitation will save more wildlife than clinical vets," Liu said, adding that the joint efforts of the entire society will contribute to the protection of the earth's ecology and environment.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
On Sunday, US and Ukrainian officials addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin's likelihood to push his assault from southern Ukraine's Donbas area into Moldova, a former Soviet state and non-NATO member in Eastern Europe.

In an interview with NBC's Meet the Press, deputy national security advisor Jon Finer said that Russian soldiers still have a lot of battling to do and that Ukrainians will be extremely effective in keeping them off.

Putin's Next Step is to Invade Moldova

When asked how the Biden administration's war strategy would alter if Russia moved closer to Moldova, Finer said the US had proven a capacity to be agile and to adapt our support and approach as the Russian war goals have evolved.

Finer's comments come after Russian news media reported last Friday that Rustam Minnekayev, the deputy commander of Russia's central military region, claimed that as part of a new attack in Ukraine, Russia wants to seize full control of the Donbas and the southern half of the nation.

Transdniestria, often known as Transnistria, is a Moldovan breakaway territory bordering Ukraine to the southwest. Moldova, like Ukraine, was a member of the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991 by Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

Minnekayev is also claimed to have stated that Russia intends to build a land corridor between the Donbas with Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula south of Ukraine that Russia invaded and occupied unlawfully in 2014, according to Politico.

The assertion by a Russian general that Moscow intends to build a corridor through southern Ukraine to Transnistria has fueled concern that Vladimir Putin may expand his invasion into other European nations. Rustam Minnekaev, acting commander of Russia's Central Military District, made a remark on Friday that might be a hint at Moscow's military objectives.

Despite Transnistria being inside Moldova's boundaries, Chisinau (the capital) has no authority over the breakaway Russian-speaking region that exists between the Dniester River and the Moldovan-Ukrainian border. Transnistria declared independence from Moldova when the Soviet Union collapsed, provoking conflict and Russian intervention, as per Newsweek.

The last surviving Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol have taken residence within the massive Azovstal industrial complex, which Putin ordered to be blockaded, thereby committing the soldiers and people inside to death.

Russia said today it was willing to halt shooting to allow trapped militants to flee the facility with any civilians, as the defense ministry slammed 'baseless' suggestions that the factory would be closed with people inside, as Putin had ordered. The Russian leader further accused Kyiv of refusing to accept the surrender of their Mariupol forces.

Mariupol is located between Russian separatist-controlled territory and Crimea, and its annexation would allow Russia to connect the two areas. The regions that are today known as Ukraine were known as Novorossiya - or New Russia - during the tsarist period.

Read Also: Russia-Ukraine War: Kremlin Troops Accused of Throwing Bodies in Plastic Bags in Mariupol Mass Graves

Russia Plans Create a Land Corridor to Moldova

The Russian foreign ministry praised the 1792 Jassy Treaty between the Russian and Ottoman empires, which gave the Russian Empire control of the whole northern Black Sea coast from the Dniester to the Kuban, including Crimea.

Putin has had his sights set on tearing Ukraine apart for years, and Maj Gen Minnekayev's statements just confirmed Putin's wish. According to Russia's defense ministry, the country targeted 58 military targets, including locations where soldiers, fuel depots, and military equipment were gathered.

According to the ministry, high-precision missiles were used to strike three targets in Ukraine, including an S-300 air defense system and a significant group of Ukrainian troops and their equipment.

However, Putin's victories are continuing to come at a high cost, with three more majors killed in the fighting. Putin has been informed of a total of 30,557 deaths among the armed services and privately hired combatants, according to the online source General SVR. As of 6 am Moscow time today, this comprised 23,655 armed military members.

Although the allegation could not be substantiated, some estimates place the figure at much over 20,000. Russia's inability to reveal the number of people killed in the sinking of the Moskva cruiser, the Black Sea Fleet's flagship, after it was damaged by Ukrainian missiles is one example of the secret death toll.

The assassinations show Russia's terrible losses and suffering as a result of the president's military expedition. Among his top brass, he is said to have lost eight generals and 35 colonels. Flags placed near the graves of those murdered reveal that they were among Russia's most elite and well-trained paratroopers and GRU military intelligence special troops, Daily Mail reported.

Related Article: Vladimir Putin Net Worth 2022: Does Anyone Know Russian President's Hidden Wealth?

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Melinda French Gates was spotted arriving in New York City on Monday with her bodyguard at her side.

Gates arrived in the Big Apple just one month after suggesting that ex-husband Bill Gates had more than one affair during their 27-year marriage, and that she has started dating following their public divorce.

Photos obtained by DailyMail.com shows French Gates, 57, walking away from a private jet in the Big Apple wearing a Louis Vuitton scarf, along with a white jacket, black pants and white sneakers.

Beside her, an unknown man - believed to be part of her personal protection detail - was photographed.

He wore a black vest, black pants, sunglasses and a plaid button-down shirt, carried French Gates' Louis Vuitton luggage, and a bag labeled 'snacks'.

The man was also wearing a black backpack with a 'thin blue line' patch on it, and a ring on his left ring-finger.

The two seemed to be having a fun conversation and she was all smiles after the helicopter landed.

Melinda French Gates, 57, (left) arrived in New York City by helicopter in the company of an unknown, bearded man

The two disembarked the helicopter together and shared a laugh before walking off the helipad. The man carried French Gates' bags while she walked strolled with her hands free. He wore a ring on his left ring-finger

The sighting comes a month after French Gates said in an interview that she has 'dipped her toe' in the dating world after her billion-dollar divorce from Microsoft founder Bill Gates

French Gates was sporting a Louis Vuitton scarf, a white jacket, black pants and white sneakers. The helicopter crew could be seen wheeling Louis Vuitton suitcase behind her

The photos come just one month after French Gates revealed that she is 'definitely' open to finding love again and has already met some suitors.

'It's interesting at this point,' she told CBS Mornings Gayle King in an interview that aired March 3, 'You know, I'm dipping my toe in that water a little bit. I feel like, I'm in a really good place. And I'm really, really excited about my life and about the worldthe work ahead.'

She suggested in the interview that her ex-husband, Bill Gates, had more than one affair during their 27-year marriage.

'Those are questions Bill needs to answer,' she said when asked about reports he cheated multiple times. He previously acknowledged one affair.

'I believe in forgiveness. I thought we had worked through some of that,' Melinda said of his 2000 affair with a Microsoft employee. I gave every single piece of myself to this marriage. I was committed from the day we got engaged to the day I got out of it.'

French Gates said, however, that though she and Bill are no longer friends, they remain 'friendly' and are continuing to work together.

The ex-couple, who share three kids (pictured), have not publicly spoken out about the split, however Bill is reported to have blamed himself in an off-the-record Q&A session back in July

Bill Gates (second from right) in Jeffrey Epstein's (center) Upper East Side mansion, the scene of many of his crimes, in 2011 - after the pedophile had spent time in prison for having sex with minors

Bill, 66, has not commented on the divorce publicly.

French Gates also trashed Bill for his questionable friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and revealed that he continued to meet with him despite her having 'nightmares' about him.

'I did not like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein. I made that clear to him. I also met Jeffrey Epstein exactly one time. I wanted to see who this man was and I regretted it from the second I stepped in the door.'

'He was abhorrent, evil personified. I had nightmares about it afterwards. That's why my heart breaks for these young women. That's how I felt, and I am an older woman. He was awful.'

She told Gayle King that Bill had to answer for the many times he met Epstein, and even suggested that it contributed to the divorce.

Melinda Gates in her CBS interview in March. She lifted the lid on her marriage to Bill Gates for the first time, telling how the trust in their relationship was broken by his 2000 affair

Bill and Melinda Gates are pictured at their daughter Jennifer's wedding in North Salem, New York, in October

'It was not one thing, it was many things [that led to the divorce]. Any of the questions remaining about what Bill's relationship with him was... those are for Bill to answer. I made it very clear how I felt about him.'

Melinda, who shocked the world when she and Bill announced in May 2021 that they were ending their 27-year marriage, previously told how she endured emotionally challenging times whilst working with the billionaire.

The pair's divorce was finalized privately in Washington - where their Gates Foundation is based - in August.

The terms of it were never made public but Bill was worth around $152billion at the time, giving Melinda a 50 percent settlement of $76billion. That does not include the couple's vast property portfolio which comprised of homes in New York, Washington, and California.
Former President Donald Trump hinted he would threaten to nuke Vladimir Putin if the Russian leader mentioned nuclear weapons and said 'a lot of people are going to be very happy' when he announces his decision on whether to run for office again.

During an interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV, Trump said he thought the war in Ukraine was 'terrible', adding: 'We're going to be ashamed at what we've done, or what we haven't done to stop this catastrophe.

'This is a catastrophe. This is, in a way, already a world war.'

But when asked what action he would have taken against Russian leader Vladimir Putin if he was still the US president, Trump said: 'I would say we have far more (nuclear weapons) than you do, far more powerful than you and you can't use that word ever again.

'You cannot use the nuclear word ever again. And if you do, we're going to have problems.'

The interview is part of the launch of new TV channel TalkTV, which has now begun airing,

Former President Donald Trump hinted he would threaten to nuke Vladimir Putin if the Russian leader mentioned nuclear weapons

During an interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV, Trump said he thought the war in Ukraine was 'terrible', but when asked what he would do if he was still president, Trump said: 'I would say we have far more (nuclear weapons) than you do, far more powerful than you and you can't use that word ever again.

Trump told Morgan he disagreed with Putin's decision to send troops into Ukraine, calling the war 'terrible'

Trump also said he could not reveal if he will run for office again but added that 'a lot of people are going to be very happy'.

Morgan asked if Trump will run to be president in 2024, to which he replied: 'For reasons of campaign finance and everything I'm not allowed to say but let me just say this, I think a lot of people are going to be very happy.'

The former president also told Morgan that he believes he is 'much more honest' than him.

Trump said: 'I don't think you're real. I think I'm a much more honest person in most ways.'

Morgan appeared confused by the statement and asked: 'Why am I not real?' to which Mr Trump replied: 'We're not gonna get into that, let's finish up the interview.'

The wide-spanning interview explored topics from Russia's invasion of Ukraine to the 2020 American presidential election where Mr Trump lost out to current US president Joe Biden.

The second part of the interview will see Mr Trump discuss the royal family, including him calling for the Queen to strip the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of their titles.

Viewers will also see the former president walk out of the interview, a moment which was previously revealed in a 30-second teaser clip.

Trump also branded Morgan a 'fool' for believing the 2020 presidential election was 'free and fair' as the pair clashed in their controversial interview.

Last week, a row erupted after the former president accused Morgan's new TV program of 'deceptively editing' their interview by appearing to show him storming off set after a row.

But the interview on the Fox Nation programme Piers Morgan Uncensored, which aired tonight, showed the feisty duo did come to blows over Trump's unproven claims of election rigging.

In the 30-second trailer, Morgan said: 'I've watched this whole debate rage and you've been completely unflagging in your refusal to accept defeat.

Trump then replied: 'You know why though? Because if our country doesn't have fair and free elections and if our country doesn't have borders, we don't have a country.

'We have crooked, corrupt elections and I've proven it.'

Morgan countered: 'Here's what I'll say to you. I believe it was a fair and free election and that you lost.'

Trump then blasted: 'You really believe that? Well then you're a fool. Then you are a fool.

'You're a fool and you haven't studied it.'

Elsewhere in the interview, Trump bragged that the Queen 'had never had such a good time' than when he was sitting next to him at a state banquet.

He claimed the 96-year-old monarch was 'laughing and smiling' throughout the event at Buckingham Palace in June 2019, which he attended with his wife, Melania, and his older children.

He said: 'I sat next to her and we talked the whole night. And somebody said, we've never seen her smile so much. We had a great time. She was laughing and smiling.

'They said they've never seen her have such a good time at a state dinner. You know, normally they're a little boring. Okay, this wasn't boring.'

President Trump boasted that the Queen 'never had such a good time' as when she was sitting next to him at a State Banquet in June 2019 (pictured). Body language expert Judi James said of this moment: 'The Queen's smile does look convincing, although the subtler cues are less convincing'

Mr Trump said of the event: 'I sat next to her and we talked the whole night. And somebody said, we've never seen her smile so much. We had a great time. She was laughing and smiling'

Elsewhere in the Talk TV interview, Trump blasted Prince Harry's 'terrible' choice to miss his grandfather Prince Philip's memorial service and said the Duke of Sussex is 'whipped like no person I think I've ever seen'.

The ex-US president said it was the 'worst' decision Harry had made, blasted him for being 'so disrespectful' and an 'embarrassment' - and urged the Queen to strip the Duke and his wife Meghan Markle of all their royal titles.

Trump added that the Queen should ban Harry from even visiting her in Britain and tell him: 'Frankly, don't come around.'

He accused Harry of being 'whipped like no person I think I've ever seen' and 'led around by his nose', that he had been 'led down a path' and that he wondered whether the Duke - who stepped down as a senior royal in early 2020 with his American wife - would 'go back on his hands and knees and say 'please'.'

Morgan and Trump appear at a Celebration Party for Kim Kardashian's appearance on 'The Apprentice' in November 2010

Morgan is pictured above with Melania and Donald Trump and Eliot Spitzer and Dr. Mehmet Oz for Morgan's book party

Morgan and Trump have been friends for nearly 15 years

It was Trump's latest attack on the couple, with him having previously spoken of his support for the 96-year-old monarch who hosted him with wife Melania in a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in London in June 2019.

Ahead of the interview, Trump released an audio recording that seemingly refuted an edited video clip that appeared to show him storming out of the sit-down interview.

A trailer released Wednesday depicted Trump abruptly ending the interview after Morgan challenged Trump's stolen election claims and ordering the crew to 'turn the cameras off' as he gets up from his chair and storms off. 'Very dishonest,' he mutters.

But the audio recording, provided by Trump's spokesman to NBC News , indicates that the interview ended with the two men thanking each other for a 'great interview' and laughing, with no sign of Trump storming off the set.

Morgan said on Monday that the real ending of the interview would be shown on his show on Tuesday night.

At the beginning of the talk show, Morgan also delivered an opening monologue where he stated his show will be a 'no cancel zone'.

He said: 'My mission statement for this show is very simple - I'm going to cancel cancel culture.

'I'll defeat this insidious, joyless societal scourge with those most effective of democracy-preserving weapons - common sense and truth.'

Morgan has said he 'couldn't be prouder' of his team after the first episode of his new evening talk show aired.

He tweeted: 'Amazing reaction to the launch of @PiersUncensored!

'Thanks so much for all the fantastic feedback.

'It's a marathon not a sprint but couldn't be prouder of the team for producing such a brilliant first show.'
A murder investigation has been opened in Southwest France after the dead bodies of a British couple were found at their isolated countryside home.

Friends of the pair  who have not been named  visited after not hearing from them for at least three days in Boudrac, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, south of Toulouse.

When they arrived at their home  which was due to be turned into a bed and breakfast guest house  on Sunday afternoon they found the lifeless body of a 65-year-old woman.

She has been dead for some days and had a rope around her neck, said local prosecutor Christophe Amunzateguy.

A British couple has been found dead at their isolated countryside home in Boudrac, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, south of Toulouse. Friends had not heard from them for the last three days, but upon checking on them found the pair hanged on Sunday afternoon

Wounds were also found on her body  there were signs of strangulation and blows.

When gendarmes arrived later they found the womans husband, 64, dead in an outhouse.

He was found hanged, and had left a note said Mr Amunzateguy, adding: The couple had a project to open a guesthouse but it was ended because of financial difficulties.

The note found at the scene spoke of financial trouble, according to Connexion France.

The couple had bought their house in Boudrac  which has a population of around 130  in early 2021 and wanted to turn it into a bed and breakfast.

Confirming that a murder investigation had been opened, Mr Amunzateguy, the public prosecutor in Saint-Gaudens, said there was no evidence of a third party being involved.

He added that an autopsies would be performed on each of the bodies on Tuesday, to try and establish a cause of death.
A Minnesota State Senate candidate continued to deliver her speech at a convention in an attempt to secure her party's nomination despite being in labor and having contractions that forced her to pause several times.

Erin Maye Quade, a former state rep who ran for lieutenant governor in 2018, went into labor around 2 a.m. Saturday during the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party convention.

But when the candidates were scheduled to speak at 11 a.m., Maye Quade pushed on and delivered her speech, knowing she needed to win the endorsement of the party at its convention to officially become its nominee, her campaign manager Mitchell Walstad told CBS News.

Video of the speeches shows Maye Quade appearing to have a contraction as she holds her stomach and pauses. She leans over and exhales as the crowd cheers in encouragement.

Erin Maye Quade, 36, a former state rep who ran for lieutenant governor in 2018, went into labor around 2 a.m. on the morning of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party convention - but still showed up hours later to give her speech

Video of the speeches shows Maye Quade appear to have a contraction as she holds her stomach and pauses

Erin Maye Quade is seen leaning over and exhaling as the crowd cheers in encouragement

'We had somebody ready to go to jump in for her if she wasn't able to recover,' Emma McBride, the political director of the Women Winning and a campaign surrogate told FOX9. 'But she's super strong, and she took the time to pause to go through the contraction and then jump right back into her speech.'

But during the Q&A session immediately following speeches, Maye Quade had to be rushed to the hospital to deliver her baby.

Her campaign then withdrew from the race and her opponent, Justin Emmerich, went on to win the remaining rounds, securing the party's endorsement for the August 9 primary.

At 2:20 a.m. Sunday, Maye Quade gave birth to Harriet Blake Maye Quade, almost exactly 24 hours after her labor began, according to her partner, Alyse Maye Quade.

At 2:20 a.m., Erin Maye Quade gave birth to Harriet Blake Maye Quade, almost exactly 24 hours after her labor began, according to her partner, Alyse Maye Quade

Alyse Maye Quade praised her wife Erin Maye Quade for her 'power and determination'

'Mom did awesome, even in the moments that got a little intense, and especially when it came to pushing baby girl out,' she wrote in a post on Instagram. 'Actually seeing the power and determination, push after push - I'll never look at my wife the same again, she is so powerful.'

Prior to the convention, Maye Quade's doctor had advised her to rest and stay off her feet, but McBride told FOX 9 that was easier said than done.

'That's not necessarily super possible when you have to go door-knocking and talk to delegates and go to events in the final days of one of the milestones in an election,' she said.

McBride recalled the moment that Maye Quade was struggling through yet another contraction during the Q&A session, but pulled through just long enough to speak when it was her turn.

'I think that she was just in a place of focus and knew that this is what her campaign had been working for months and months,' McBride said. 'And was just willing to do whatever it took at that moment to show up to the convention for as long as she could.'

While many were left in awe of Maye Quade's strength to push through her contractions, others pointed out the unfairness of the situation and that there was no discussion about delaying the convention process because of Maye Quade's labor.

'It's a really vulnerable thing to be giving birth, to be in labor, to be in that much pain in front of a couple of hundred people and I think it also just underscored the importance of making sure our systems are inclusive and accessible to all women,' McBride said.

Erin Maye Quade, a former state rep who ran for lieutenant governor in 2018, withdrew from the process and her opponent, Justin Emmerich, went on to secure the party's endorsement

Many were left in awe of Maye Quade's strength to push through her contractions, including her wife (pictured here), and others also pointed out the lack of support for women

Walstad questioned why the convention was allowed to move forward after she had left.

'After having time to think about it, the thing that was most jarring to me was the expectation, at least that we felt, from the day and the process for her to push through this when a lot of other serious medical concerns would not be met with that same expectation,' her campaign manager Mitchell Walstad said.

'I think all of us there on Erin's team were feeling like a wide array of emotions,' he continued. 'Obviously, feeling terrible for her that she has to go through this, worrying about the stress and her health and the baby's health and then also just being in awe of the display of strength that we all witnessed.'

The Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidate for Minnesota district 66, Clare Oumou Verbeten, wrote in a Facebook post that the incident reminded her of how racial inequities in the healthcare system impact Black women.

The Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidate for Minnesota district 66, Clare Oumou Verbeten, wrote in a Facebook post that the incident reminded her of how racial inequities in the healthcare system impact Black women

'Thinking of my sister Erin Maye Quade this morning. Erin went into labor during her convention yesterday. She was literally experiencing contractions during her speech.

It hurts me to see this very public display of a Black woman pushing through pain, especially when the blatant disregard and dismissal of our pain has led to alarming rates of us dying during childbirth.

Black women are always expected to be so strong. We deserve tenderness, care, and rest. Get some rest, sis. Congrats on becoming a mama '

Erin Maye Quade's campaign withdrew after she left to deliver her baby, and her opponent, Justin Emmerich, went on to secure the party's endorsement for the August 9 primary

Some have even criticized Emmerich for not requesting that the convention be paused once his opponent left.

But in a statement to CBS News, Emmerich said he, Maye Quade and Senate district leadership met to discuss accommodations when she was in labor and he 'readily agreed to all of them, as did the convention delegates by unanimous consent.'

'I was on my way to talk to my floor manager to verify this information when Erin pulled me aside,' he said. 'She asked if I would be willing to suspend the convention and take the race to a primary since it appeared to be about even. I responded by saying I hadn't verified the count yet and would get back to her. She said that was fine. However, before I was able to speak with her again, she made the decision to suspend her campaign.'

Emmerich told FOX 9 at the convention that he is staying 'focused on running the race and winning in November.'

'At the end of the day, we want to make sure that we keep the seat in DFL hands,' he said. He also added that he hopes the baby is happy and healthy.
Hunter Biden urged his brother's widow to get tested for HIV during their affair, according to bombshell emails obtained by DailyMail.com.

President Joe Biden's troubled son sent an urgent message on July 27, 2018, to his dead brother's wife with the subject line 'YOU NEED TO GET TESTED FOR HIV HALLIE'

The two hooked up after Beau Biden's death from brain cancer in 2015, a love affair that Hunter claims she initiated in 2016.

Hunter Biden urged his brother's widow Hallie, seen here on the right, to get tested for HIV after the two had an affair following his brother Beau Biden's death to brain cancer

It's unclear what prompted the urgency of the test, but Hunter - in the throes of drug addiction - makes it clear that he wants his brother's widow to do it quickly.

'You need to inform me of the result. TODAY,' he writes. 'I'm getting tested today. I have been sick scared Hallie and you Han g [sic] up on me. The love you give is so disturbing.'

The note was sent about a month before he had a child out of wedlock with the stripper Lunden Roberts, according to the New York Post.

Hunter admitted that he had an affair with his dead brother's wife in his 2021 memoir Beautiful Things.

Hallie is pictured front standing next to Hunter Biden (left in blue suit and sunglasses) and Joe Biden (right in black) at Beau Biden's funeral on June 6, 2015

Hunter's daughters Maisy, 20, Finnegan, 21, and Naomi, 27, (far left, center left and center right) are pictured with their cousin Natalie (far right) who is Beau Biden's daughter

Hunter Biden finalized his divorce to his wife Kathleen in April 2018 and moved in with Hallie.

He even goaded his dad to issue a statement blessing the affair in 2017.

"We are all lucky that Hunter and Hallie found each other as they were putting their lives together again after such sadness," the future President said at the time. "They have mine and Jills full and complete support and we are happy for them."

Hunter's new memoir, Beautiful Things, is out April 6

At the same time, Hunter was carrying on an affair with Hallie's older sister, Elizabeth Secundy, who was recently separated from her husband of 15 years. In text previously obtained by the DailyMail.com, she referred to him as her 'prince' and told him that she loved him.

Hunter's relationship with Hallie blew up by 2019, around the same time as a series of his foreign business ventures evaporated. He went on to marry South African filmmaker Melissa Cohen, with whom he has a son.

Aside from beseeching his brother's widow to get tested for the sexually transmitted disease, Hunter Biden also takes her to task for driving a wedge between him and her daughter, Natalie.

'Please stop the bulls*** with Natalie if youre going to keep her from Mer [sic] and turn her against me like you are now then ill stop talking to her and will not trey tis [sic] see her at all.

'Id rather that then you continuing to do this to her. Its sick and disturbed. Youre not clean or sober hallie you've found a new release for your poisoned mind,' Hunter Biden write in his disjointed email.

'You need serious long term professional help and I hope you get it,' he wrote. 'I promise I will try my best to make that happen. I love you hHallie even when youre cruel. GET TESTED AND TELL ME RESULTS Today.'

In another email sent about a week before he complains to her again about her behavior and her drug use.

'You make no sense Hallie,' he says. 'And by the way how are you taking Xanax and testing negative. No program in the country allows benzodiazepines to be used.'

A third email sent in December 2018, Hunter, feeling put upon, berates Hallie again, calling her a 'silly uninformed and disinterested shell for whatever man you decide to use next.'

He goes on to call her a 'clueless middle aged over botoxed flat a** loser.'

The revelation of the emails come as Hunter is currently under federal prosecution for alleged tax fraud, money laundering and illegal foreign lobbying.
The husband of disgraced California 'supermom' Sherri Papini is demanding sole custody of their two children and says she hasn't seen them for nearly a month, DailyMail.com can reveal.

According to divorce papers exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, Papini initially told her two children that her arrest was a 'mistake' and has left them 'traumatized' after lying to them for five years about her disappearance.

Estranged husband Keith, 38, also writes that Papini has 'significant mental health issues' and is 'not in a position to provide good parenting' to Tyler, nine, and Violet, seven.

He also wants to be handed all of their property, including exclusive use of their rented home in Redding, California, their three car, a Ford Majestic motorhome and a Correct Craft Wakeboard boat.

Keith is also asking to be relieved of responsibility for Papini's debts which include two unsecured loans from her mother-in-law Kathleen, 56, and 'any obligations arising from her criminal behavior'.

Keith Papini is seeking sole custody of their two kids, Tyler, nine, and Violet, seven, in his divorce from estranged wife Sherri Papini (pictured in an old family photo)

Court papers seen by DailyMail.com reveal Keith (pictured in 2017) claims Sherri is 'not in a position to provide good parenting' to their son and daughter

Appearing before a judge last Monday, Papini, 39, broke down in tears as she admitted faking her own abduction six years ago

Papini, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and one of lying to a federal officer last week and is facing several years in jail and a $300,000 fine when she is sentenced on July 11.

The mom-of-two vanished in November 2016 and reappeared 22 days later claiming she had been kidnapped by two Hispanic women who starved and beat her.

But on March 3 she was arrested over the hoax with police saying that she spent the time away with ex-boyfriend James Reyes in Costa Mesa, California, and inflicted her injuries on herself.

The divorce papers show she and Keith split up the same day and describe how she was 'literally tackled' by law enforcement officers during the arrest outside her children's school.

Keith's statement, included in the divorce documents, continues: 'In March 2022, Sherri Papini was literally tackled by law enforcement officers while arresting her  all in the immediate presence of our children.

'They were again traumatized. After she was released from jail, she assured them that the arrest was all a mistake.

'The children have now learned that their mother lied to them about her disappearance, lied to them about how she was abused by two Hispanic women, and lied to them about her arrest.

'The fact that their mother lied to them on such a major issue is something they, and I, are having a hard time dealing with.

'We, both children and I, need time to recover and stabilize.'

Keith also goes on to describe her disappearance as 'heartbreaking', saying: 'The whole problem started in November 2016 when Sherri left our children at daycare and simply disappeared.

A court hearing on the order will take place next month

In his declaration filed last week, Keith claimed the couple's two kids were 'traumatized by her disappearance'

The father-of-two went on to reveal the kids have since learned their mother 'lied to them about her disappearance'

Keith filed to end their marriage after her arrest and applied to speed up the divorce process in a second filing last Thursday

'Both I, and especially our children, were traumatized by her disappearance and I spent much time and money trying to find my wife.

'The trauma inflicted on our children at the unexpected loss of their mother was heartbreaking.'

He concludes the statement by saying: 'I am asking that the court help me protect my children from the negative impact of their mother's notoriety.'

The divorce documents were filed last Wednesday  two days after Papini's tearful guilty plea in a Zoom hearing.

The previous week, she admitted to making up her story during a court hearing where she issued a public apology for her actions.

She said: 'I am so deeply ashamed of myself for my behavior and so sorry for the pain I've caused my family, my friends and 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 has not returned home since her release from jail and is currently living with a relative. According to Keith, she has already missed one scheduled visitation with her children.

Appearing before a judge last Monday, Papini broke down in tears as she admitted faking her own abduction six years ago.

The Redding, California mom offered no explanation for her elaborate hoax during the half-hour court hearing.

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.

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.

Sherri Papini is seen after she was released from Sacramento County Main Jail in March

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.

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.

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 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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.
The killer of teacher Joanna Yeates has been moved to a lower risk prison - after failing in a secret bid to be transferred to serve his sentence in Holland, MailOnline can reveal.

Vincent Tabak, 44, has been transferred to HMP Winchester from maximum security Wakefield prison where hes been held for most of his time since the Christmas killing of his neighbour.

The transfer means he will have a cushier life in prison but not as easy as if hed been successful in his bid to move to the Netherlands - which would have seen him transfer there last year.

Instead he was moved from Yorkshire to Winchester a few months ago, where he will be held alongside a notorious child murderer.

Double killer Colin Pitchfork, 61, is locked up at the Victorian jail after being recalled for approaching young women.

Vincent Tabak, who murdered 25-year-old Joanna Yates in 2010, has been transferred to HMP Winchester from maximum security Wakefield prison where hes been held recently. The Dutch born killer applied to be moved to the Netherlands under the Prisoner Transfer Scheme, but the UK prison service blocked the transfer

A source said: 'Tabak has been an exemplary prisoner since he was convicted.

'The decision was made to transfer him to a lower security jail as he is not considered a major risk.

'However, Winchester is no picnic as it is a Victorian era jail with some issues.

'There are also some unsavoury characters there.'

Tabak was jailed in October 2011 for throttling 25-year-old Joanna at her flat in Bristol in December 2010.

Her body was found a few miles outside the city by a couple walking their dogs on Christmas Day.

The landscape architect had gone missing eight days before after enjoying drinks with friends at the Bristol Ram pub.

Tabak initially tried to implicate landlord Christopher Jeffries, who was arrested on suspicion of murder.

He was completely innocent and eventually freed by the police.

Yeates was killed by her neighbour, Tabak, who initially implicated their landlord, Christopher Jeffries, who police arrested but subsequently found to be completely innocent

Tabak was arrested on the 20th January 2011. He lived with his girlfriend in the flat next door to Joanne.

Bristol Crown Court was told that DNA linked Tabak to Joanne's murder.

Tabak pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but denied murder.

A jury found him guilty of murder by a 10 to two majority verdict.

He was given a minimum sentence of 20-years, but tried to dodge that by getting a move to a jail in Holland.

MailOnline can reveal that in 2016, the Dutch born killer applied under the Prisoner Transfer Scheme.

Under the rules, the former engineer can apply to be moved to a jail in his native country after serving half his sentence in the UK.

But the Ministry of Justice turned the request down because he might be released early.

The Dutch are more likely to parole Tabak after his minimum 20-year term.

In the UK, notorious killers are seldom paroled first time.

In 2015, Tabak was convicted for a string of sex offences after police seized his laptop as part of the investigation into Joanna's death and found 145 indecent images of children stored on it.

He was jailed for 10-months, to run concurrently with his life term and minimum sentence.

Police said the prosecution was necessary to underline the range of Tabak's offending.

Tabak and Pitchfork are likely to be 'at risk' of violence as sex offenders according to the prison's latest inspection.

HMP Winchester, where Tabak is being transferred to, has been 'markedly increased' by violence and safety remains a 'major concern' at the prison, according to inspectors. Tabak is likely to be 'at risk' of violence as sex offenders according to the prison's latest inspection, as will his cellmate, Colin Pitchfork locked up there after being recalled for approaching women

In October last year, it said the jail had an 'underlying volatile atmosphere', high 'prisoner-on-prisoner violence' and a severe rat problem.

The report added: 'Their prison exercise yard is overlooked by B Wing and its prisoners shout abuse and occasionally throw things at the vulnerable during A Wing's exercise period.

'This is a constant problem with a number of A Wing prisoners consequently refusing to go outside.'

Pitchfork was jailed in 1988 for the 1983 rape and murder of Lynda Mann and of Dawn Ashworth in 1986, both 15.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: 'Foreign offenders are only allowed to serve out their sentence in their home country if we are certain they will be kept behind bars for an appropriate amount of time.'
A Michigan police chief reversed course Monday and publicly identified the officer who fatally shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head during an April 4 traffic stop.

The Grand Rapids officer is Christopher Schurr, Chief Eric Winstrom said.

Lyoya, 26, a black man and native of Congo, was killed after a struggle with the white officer.

'In the interest of transparency, to reduce ongoing speculation, and to avoid any further confusion, I am confirming the name already publicly circulating - Christopher Schurr - as the officer involved in the April 4 officer-involved shooting,' Winstrom said in a statement.

Schurr remains suspended while an investigation into Lyoya's death continues, and could face criminal charges, Winstrom added.

The Associated Press left a phone message seeking comment from Schurr, who remains off the job while state police investigate the shooting.

A Michigan police chief reversed course Monday and publicly identified the officer who fatally shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head during an April 4 traffic stop. The Grand Rapids officer is Christopher Schurr, Chief Eric Winstrom said

Lyoya, 26, a Black man and native of Congo, was killed after a struggle with the white officer

'In the interest of transparency, to reduce ongoing speculation, and to avoid any further confusion, I am confirming the name already publicly circulating - Christopher Schurr - as the officer involved in the April 4 officer-involved shooting,' Winstrom said in a statement

A TV display shows video evidence of a Grand Rapids police officer struggling with and shooting Patrick Lyoya at Grand Rapids City Hall on Wednesday

Patrick Lyoya, 26, was lying face down when he was fatally shot in the back of the head by a white police officer outside a house in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on April 4

The videos show Lyoya stepping out of the car on a rainy street, seemingly confused and asking 'what did I do?' as the policeman repeatedly asks for a driver's license and orders him to get back inside the vehicle

Winstrom's announcement was a reversal. In the aftermath of the shooting and the release of video, Winstrom said he would withhold the officer's name unless he was charged with a crime.

It was described as a long-standing practice that applied to the public as well as city employees. But that practice has been put under review, Winstrom added Monday.

Lyoya's family and black leaders, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, repeatedly called for release of the name.

'We want his name!' Sharpton shouted at Lyoya's funeral on Friday, saying authorities cannot set a precedent of withholding the names of officers who kill people unless the officer is charged.

Lyoya, who was unarmed, was face down on the ground when he was shot. Schurr was on top of him and can be heard on video demanding that he take his hand off the officer's Taser.

Family and friends of Patrick Lyoya mourn during the burial service for Lyoya at Resurrection Cemetery in Wyoming, Mich. on Friday

Patrick Lyoya's mother, Dorcas Lyoya, reacts during the funeral for her son Patrick Lyoya at the Renaissance Church of God in Christ Family Life Center in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Friday

A forensic pathologist who conducted an autopsy at the family's request said the gun was pressed to Lyoya's head when he was shot.

Ven Johnson, an attorney for the family, said it's important that Lyoya's parents now know Schurr's name, though he scoffed at the police chief's use of 'transparency.'

'It's not transparent when you hide something for three weeks. It's quite the opposite,' Johnson said. 'It's cops taking care of the cops instead of treating it like a normal investigation.'

After Lyoya's funeral, Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington acknowledged the demand for the officer's name and said he would discuss the matter with Winstrom and city employment officials.

'Police reform requires evaluating many long-standing practices to ensure our actions are consistent with the best interests of the community and the individuals involved,' Washington said last week.
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Johnny Depp and Amber Heard had an emotional meeting two months after she filed for divorce in which he asked her to cut him with a knife and said 'You've taken everything, you want my blood, take it'.

The $100m defamation trial between the exes heard that the dramatic meeting happened at a hotel in San Francisco in July 2016.

By that point Depp's reputation had been shredded by Heard's claims that he was physically violent to her, leaving a bruise that she showed to the world at a court hearing in Los Angeles where she got a restraining order against him.

Depp told the court that he repeatedly told Heard to cut him because his blood 'was the only thing she didn't have'.

The court also heard a tearful phone conversation between Depp and Heard after the divorce in which she challenged him about his claims she had beaten him up.

Heard said: 'Tell the world I, Johnny Depp, a man, am a victim of domestic violence and see how many people believe or side with you.'

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard had an emotional meeting two months after she filed for divorce and a restraining order in which he asked her to cut him with a knife. The court was played audio where they heard Depp tell Heard, 'You've taken everything, you want my blood, take it'

The court has previously heard the unsettling recording of the incident in which Depp repeatedly tells Heard to cut him, saying in a low voice: 'You f**king hate me.'

Asked by one of his lawyers about the meeting in San Francisco, Depp said it went 'not particularly well.'

He said: 'I was quite confused I'd been summoned to her at that point since all the news was about the fact I'd allegedly done all these horrible things.

'I met with her in the hope she would retract her lies that the world was now fed, had been fed. In no way was she ready to do that. I couldn't understand why I was there.

'Everything had been taken from me. My children couldn't escape the fact all this had gone down.'

Asked why he was threatening to hurt himself, Depp said: 'I thought Miss Heard had brought me to San Francisco, it was clear, under false pretenses. I don't know what she was after.

'I had a knife in my pocket. I took the knife out and said here, cut me.'

Recounting their conversation, Depp said: 'That's what you want to do. You've taken everything, you want my blood take, it.

'She said no no. (I said) If you're not going to take it, that's all I've got left. If she wasn't going to do it, I would have done it. I was at the end. I was broken.

'The only answer was here, cut me, that's all I have left to give you. There was no threat to Miss Heard, it was about spilling my blood, it was the only thing she didn't have. I was broken and really at the end.'

Depp told the court that he told Heard to cut him because his blood 'was the only thing she didn't have'

The jury heard deeply disturbing audio of an incident between Depp and Heard where he was begging her to cut him with a knife. This knife was gifted to Depp by Heard and reads, 'Until Death,' in Spanish and 'Slim' - Depp's nickname for Heard. It's not clear if this was the knife used during their argument

The court also heard a dramatic phone call between Heard and Depp that he told the court took place some time between May and July 2016.

In the audio Heard challenged Depp to take her to court to see who would believe him if he claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse.

Depp and Heard are seen in September 2015 in Venice, Italy - the same year a blowout fight in Australia took place

Depp said: 'It's got to stop.'

A tearful Heard said: 'I don't know how to get my reputation back.'

Depp said: 'We write a letter together saying we're going to take this out of the public eye, saying that the media has created such a hateful storm that it's sickening, that we love each other and that we're going to make sure each other is okay.'

Heard said: 'You have no idea. Every ounce of credibility has been taken from (me) and done so in a dishonest way.'

Depp says: 'The abuse thing, we've got to deal with that.why did you put it out there?

Heard screams: 'I did not! You forced me to. Your team forced me to by going on the offense. I promise. Look up the timeline.'

Heard appears to give up trying to persuade him and says: 'Forget it. You don't believe what I say. I did not choose this.'

Depp responds: 'I did not put this anywhere. Let me talk to the f**king team.'

Heard appears to address their final argument before the divorce on May 21, 2016, when she claims he hit her with a phone.

Heard says: 'I did not call the cops. I did not give them any statement, I was trying to protect youthe last time it got crazy between us I really thought I was going to lose my life'.

Looking back at their fights, Depp says: 'I lost a f***ing finger. I had a can of mineral spirits thrown at my f**king nose'.

Heard replies: 'Tell people it was a fair fight and see what the jury and judge think. Tell the world I, Johnny Depp, a man, am a victim of domestic violence and see how many people believe or side with you.'

Depp's lawyer Camille Vasquez read the line back from Heard about her saying he should go to a judge and jury and claim he was a victim of domestic violence.

Vasquez asked Depp what he told Heard in response.

Depp said: 'I said yes, I am.'

The court heard a tearful phone conversation between Depp and Heard after the divorce in which she challenged him about his claims she had beaten him up Heard said: 'Tell the world I, Johnny Depp, a man, am a victim of domestic violence and see how many people believe or side with you'

Depp is suing Heard for $50 million over a piece she wrote in the Washington Post in which she described how she had been a victim of domestic abuse

Earlier in the day Vasquez questioned Depp about how it felt when the op-ed Heard wrote about abuse was published in the Washington Post.

He said: 'Hurt. A blinding hurt. It was like somebody had hit me in the back of the head with a 2x4 and as it said, I had no ability to speak prior because even if I'd done an interview it turned into a hit piece.

'My mouth was shut and this was the opportunity where I thought something's got to be done, I couldn't take it any more.'

According to his contract that was submitted into evidence, Depp earned $25million for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the fifth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Depp said he was shocked when Disney dropped him from the franchise four days after Heard's piece came out.

He said: 'I didn't quite understand how after that long relationship and quite a successful relationship certainly for Disney that suddenly I was guilty until proven innocent.'

But Depp said that ultimately he soured on Disney and felt that there was 'a very deep and distinct sense of having been betrayed.'

There was laughter in court as Depp struggled to name the other franchises he was in beyond Pirates.

Depp said Alice in Wonderland but struggled and said: 'Boy.'

He said: 'I'm so pathetic when it comes to knowing what movies I've done. I feel better not watching them. What was the question again?'

At that point Depp's supporters laughed loudly in court

Judge Penney Azcarate said: 'Order in the court or I will have you removed.'

The court heard from Ben King, the manager of the house in Australia where Depp and Heard had the fight in 2015 which led to Depp's finger being sliced off

King said that Heard was 'crying hysterically' when he arrived at the house. Depp's personal doctor David Kipper was 'rummaging' through a trash bin looking for the fingertip. King went downstairs in the bar and games room to look for the fingertip

The court heard from Ben King, the manager of the house in Australia where Depp and Heard had the fight in 2015 which led to Depp's finger being sliced off.

King said that Heard was 'crying hysterically' when he arrived at the house.

Depp's personal doctor David Kipper was 'rummaging' through a trash bin looking for the fingertip. King went downstairs in the bar and games room to look for the fingertip.

He said: 'Walking down into the bar, I could see the damage, a broken ping pong table, lots of broken glass, cans strewn around the bar area.

'Directly at the end of the bar there was a scrunched up piece of kitchen paper with lots of blood in it. It (the fingertip) was within that scrunched up piece of paper on the tiled floor by one of the bar stools.

'I gathered it up in the kitchen area, walked back up to kitchen and got a little plastic bag, put the fingertip in there, set it on top of some ice and handed it over to David Kipper and Jerry Judge who were keen to get it to the hospital quickly to see if it could be reattached.'

King described in detail the damage in each room of the property caused by the fight between Depp and Heard.

The bar area had broken glasses, a broken vodka bottle, blood drips across the cream colored tiled floor, a collapsed ping pong table, broken plasterwork behind the bar and a chunk of the marble bar top taken out.

He said: 'There was blood on the floor, blood on the walls, there were smears on the wall.'

The court has previously heard that Depp wrote on blood with his finger on the wall.

King said that in the kitchen there were broken glasses and puddles of liquid on the floor.

In the sitting room there were blood drips on the cream colored couch - King said the color was 'not ideal' - and blood drips on the cushions.

King said the wall mounted TV was cracked with 'remnants of a coffee cup' lying around and coffee on the floor.

In the room that had been turned into an art studio there were paintbrushes, paint and blood on the floor and lampshades on the floor.

In one bedroom there were blood drips on the duvet and a broken lamp with the shade removed.

The master bedroom had blood drips on the floor, blood on the duvet covers and another lamp broken.

Somebody had written in lipstick on the mirror: 'Call Carly Simon, she said it better babe'. There was also writing in black paint on the mirror.

Asked by one of Heard's lawyers if it cost $75,000 to clean up the damage, King said he thought it was $50,000.

King said that he flew back to Los Angeles with Heard where she admitted to him: 'Have you ever been so angry with someone you just lost it with them?'

King said that Heard became 'incredulous' when he said no and they didn't really speak after that until they landed.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that she 'didn't have any information' on visitor logs showing Hunter Biden's top business partner met with then-Vice President Joe during 19 visits between 2009 and 2015.

'I don't have any information on that. I'm happy to check and see if we have any more comment,' Psaki said when asked why the business partner, Eric Schwerin, had 'access' during the press briefing.

The question followed the report in the New York Post over the weekend on the logs that showed Schwerin made a total of 19 visits to the White House during Biden's vice presidency, with nine of those visits including meetings with Biden, members of his staff and members of Jill Biden's staff.

Psaki has been pressed multiple times on Hunter Biden's laptop, foreign business dealings and tax investigation in Delaware, but has referred reporters to the Department of Justice or said he doesn't work in the White House.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a vocal critic of the Bidens, told the Post that the logs were the latest evidence of Hunter using his father to secure business deals and called on the Bidens to be investigated for corruption.

'It's increasingly obvious that Hunter Biden's business revolved around providing access to his father and the highest levers of power,' Cruz said. 'It reeks of pay-to-play.

'The clear solution is a Special Counsel investigation to fairly investigate the disturbing allegations of Biden family corruption.'

The revelation comes as Hunter is currently under federal prosecution for alleged tax fraud, money laundering and illegal foreign lobbying.

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White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that she 'didn't have any information' on visitor logs showing Hunter Biden's top business met with then-Vice President Joe during 19 visits between 2009 and 2015

Visitor logs from the Obama administration revealed that Joe Biden (right) had met with his son Hunter's (left) top business partner in 2010

According to the logs, Schwerin first arrived at the White House on October 28, 2009, to meet Biden aide Evan Ryan just months after Hunter co-founded Rosemont Seneca.

He then returned on February 13, 2010 to meet with Jill Biden's special assistant, Meg Campbell, and in that same year, he met with Biden and his assistant Michele Smith.

That was the year Schwerin wrote in an email to Hunter titled 'JRB Future Memo,' that he had gotten in touch with Biden and was eager to talk business, according to emails leaked from Hunter's laptop.

'Your Dad just called me He could use some positive news about his future earnings potential,' Schwerin wrote to Hunter.

Schewrin was also handling Biden's taxes that year

Schwerin then visited the West Wing on August 22, 2011 to meet with Kellen Suber, an executive assistant to Biden just four days after Biden had left for a summit in China.

Later that year, Hunter was in Hong Kong with Chinese tycoon Che Feng, the son-in-law of a high-ranking Chinese government official, the Post reported.

The logs show Eric Schwerin, former president of Hunter's now-dissolved firm Rosemont Seneca, made 19 trips to the White House, nine of which included meetings with Biden, his staff and staff of Jill Biden from 2009 to 2015

By 2013, Hunter had formed his BGR Partners firm with Chinese businessman Jonathan Li, just as Schwerin made additional visits to the White House to meet Biden assistant Kathy Chung and Biden's Director of Administration Faisal Amin.

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson said the visits by Schwerin were unacceptable and agreed with Cruz's call to investigate the Bidens.

The White House did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.

'Not everyone gets to meet the Vice President of the United States in the White House,' Johnson told the Post. 'The press should be asking why Hunter Biden's business associates  like Eric Schwerin  had that privilege and were given access to the Obama White House.

'This is additional evidence that Joe Biden lied when he said he never discussed Hunter's foreign business dealings. It's well past time for the corporate media to demand the truth from Joe Biden.

The corruption of Biden Inc. must be exposed, he added.'

The meetings took place while Biden served as vice president to Barack Obama (left)

The meetings at the White House (above) also appeared to coincide with important business dealings Hunter was having oversees as he faces allegations for tax fraud, money laundering and illegal foreign lobbying

Schewrin's visits to the White House are the latest in a saga of scrutiny in Hunter's business practices as he is under federal prosecution for alleged tax fraud, money laundering and illegal foreign lobbying.

Earlier this month, a grand jury heard from a witness who was asked about the identity of 'the big guy', mentioned in an email discussing a potential business deal with a Chinese firm.

The question was asked at a secret hearing in Wilmington, Delaware - although what the unidentified witness said in response has not been reported.

It stems from a March 2017 email discussing a joint venture with a now-defunct Chinese energy company, CEFC China Energy Co.

A former Hunter-associate previously claimed the phrase 'the big guy' referred to President Biden himself, sparking calls for him to face a conspiracy probe.

He has always denied all allegations of wrongdoing, with Hunter facing questions about why he was accepting work from energy firms despite no knowledge of the area.

It follows the Washington Post and The New Times also confirming the authenticity of the contents of the laptop Hunter left at a Delaware repair show.

Among the leaked files on his laptop are a raft of emails and documents showing Hunter's dealings with Burisma, a Ukrainian gas firm.

From May 2014, Burisma Holdings Ltd. was paying Hunter $83,333 a month to sit on its board, invoices on his abandoned laptop show, until he stepped down in April 2019 as his father's presidential candidacy gained steam.

In emails from the hard drive Hunter and his business partners make apparent references to Joe's involvement in a multi-million-dollar deal with Chinese government-linked oil giant CEFC.

Biden has maintained that he was not involved in his son's foreign business dealings, with the White House contending that Hunter has not broken any laws

In December 2020, a month after the election, Biden confirmed that his tax affairs were being examined.

The author of the email, James Gilliar, a British business partner of Hunter's, outlined the proposed percentage distribution of equity of the company.

Gilliar wrote: '10 held by H for the big guy?'

Much speculation has swirled about 'the big guy', and whether it indicated Joe Biden himself was involved in Hunter's dealings.

Biden stepped down as vice president in January 2017, and was a private citizen at the time of Gilliar's email.

A former business associate of Hunter , Tony Bobulinski, came forward shortly before the 2020 election to say that Biden was indeed 'the big guy'.

He told Fox News that, contrary to Joe Biden's statements that he had nothing to do with his son's business affairs, Hunter had 'frequently referenced asking him for his sign-off or advice on various potential deals' in China.

Bobulinski, who is reportedly a US Navy veteran, separately told Fox News' Tucker Carlson that he had met on two occasions with Joe Biden to discuss business deals with China - the first time in May 2017.

Bobulinski's claim was seized upon by Donald Trump, who invited him to be his guest at the final presidential debate in October 2020.

Since Joe Biden took office, the White House has batted away questions about Hunter, insisting he is a private citizen and questions should be directed to Hunter's legal team.

Asked in April 2021 by CBS about the investigation, Hunter said: 'I'm cooperating, completely. And I'm absolutely certain, 100 percent certain, that at the end of the investigation, that I will be cleared of any wrongdoing.'

Republicans have upped their calls to investigate Hunter Biden since the New York Times and Washington Post reported on its contents.

They say it shows collusion in the media that it has taken this long for the reports to come out.

Members have also insisted that if the President's son's business deals were brought to light earlier, the 2020 election could have gone a different way.

If the GOP takes control of the House in the 2022 midterms, which polls suggest they will, senior figures have promised to open committee investigations into Hunter Biden and hold hearings.

President Biden's Chief of Staff has said he didn't believe Hunter had broken any laws with his foreign business dealings.

Former President Trump also last week called for Vladimir Putin to release dirt on Hunter.
Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, congratulated Emmanuel Macron on his re-election on Sunday, as polls predicted the French president would win a second term.

According to estimates, French President Emmanuel Macron trounced his competitor Marine Le Pen in presidential elections on Sunday, causing a surge of relief across Europe that the far-right will not take power.

Boris Johnson Congratulates Emmanuel Macron on Re-Election

In accordance with forecasts by polling firms for French television stations based on a sample of the vote count, centrist Macron was projected to win 57.0-58.5 percent of the vote, compared to Le Pen's 41.5-43.0 percent. The margin of victory is less than in the 2017 run-off when the same two candidates faced off, and Macron won with nearly 66 percent of the vote.

The result, which is anticipated to be confirmed by official results overnight, came as a huge relief to Europe, which had feared that a Le Pen president would leave the continent adrift in the wake of Brexit and German Chancellor Angela Merkel's retirement.

Macron's victory was hailed as great news for all of Europe by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who added that the EU can now count on France for five more years, while EU Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen quickly congratulated him, saying she was "delighted to be able to continue our excellent cooperation," as per Punch.

If current estimates hold, Macron will become only the third president to win two elections since the country's creation in 1958 and the first in 20 years since incumbent Jacques Chirac defeated Le Pen's father in 2002. As television stations presented the earliest predictions of Macron's victory, hundreds of Macron supporters gathered in front of the Eiffel Tower, chanting the national song and waving French and European flags.

Le Pen's ascent in the weeks leading up to the first of the elections, when she inherited her father's 50-year-old far-right political organization, alarmed European Union officials, who endorsed the incumbent with resounding endorsements, according to the Independent.

Read Also: Joe Biden Reacts to Bombshell Kevin McCarthy Recordings About Donald Trump: "This Is a MAGA Party Now"

Macron Defeats Le Pen, Vows to Unite France

Despite the loss, the far-right received over 40% of the vote in France for the first time. In 2017, Macron defeated Le Pen with 66% to 34% of the vote. Her father's support for Chirac was less than 20%. French politicians have criticized Britain over the migrant problem in recent months, claiming that loose labor rules are enticing migrants, with President Macron allegedly describing Prime Minister May as a 'clown' after meetings on the matter.

While campaigning against Miss Le Pen's Eurosceptic party, Macron has regularly criticized Brexit. Yesterday, Tory Party chairman Oliver Dowden dismissed the allegations as electioneering and said that the relationship might be repaired after the election.

Priti Patel, the home secretary, is expected to seek discussions on the migrant situation as soon as President Macron names a new interior minister. She is anticipated to resurrect an offer to send Border Force or British security personnel for combined beach patrols in France. Miss Patel will also persuade Mr. Macron to reconsider his objection to the concept of returning illegal migrants.

France and the United Kingdom have the most intimate business and social ties. Macron and his aides have disregarded this, picking battles even as he irritates his ostensible European partners.

In France, the pain will continue when the tired electorate is asked to vote in the National Assembly elections in June. At that point, Macron will have to form a government with a legislative majority that is unlikely to be stable or long-lasting, Daily Mail reported.

Related Article: French Presidential Elections: Macron, Le Pen Return on Campaign Trail After Intense TV Debate

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A federal judge in Louisiana has agreed to issue a temporary restraining order to keep Title 42, the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) Covid-19 border restriction, in place after a lawsuit from Missouri, Louisiana and Arizona.

'This is a huge victory for border security, but the fight continues on,' Missouri attorney general Eric Schmitt wrote on Twitter announcing the news.

'I am so proud of the lawyers from our office who just got a Temporary Restraining Order to keep Title 42 in place. We will continue to fight the Biden administration's open border policies,' Arizona attorney general Mark Brnovich wrote on Twitter.

Nineteen other states have signed onto the lawsuit since the three states originally filed it.

The scope of the temporary restraining order is not yet known as the order has not been officially issued. The judge in the case will likely put out a written decision Monday evening or Tuesday.

Migrants arrive at the southern border in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico on April 24

Asylum-seeking migrants cross the Rio Bravo river to turn themselves into U.S. Border Patrol agents in El Paso, Texas on Thursday, April 21

People scale a ladder at the southern border fence and lower down with a rope on the U.S. side on April 21, 2022

The Biden administration announced early this month that Title 42, the CDC's public health order that allows border agents to immediately expel migrants, would expire on May 23. DHS revealed that it was expecting up to 18,000 encounters per day on the southern border once the policy is lifted - more than double the current rate of 7,000 and more than triple the DHS' operational capacity of 5,000 per day.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said moments before the decision that it was up to Congress to delay the end of the pandemic policy, after an onslaught of Democrats and Republicans sounded the alarm.

'Congress would need to make any decision about a change to the authority they gave the CDC.'

Border agents rely on the Trump-era policy to turn away a majority of migrants who arrive at the border each month.

Psaki blamed former President Trump for the overwhelming number of border crossings.

'If we just dial it back a few years to kind of what we inherited here, the former president invested billions of dollars in a border wall that was never going to work,' she said Monday.

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 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.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are warning that they could run out of funds as early as early July if migration skyrockets like projections predict once Title 42 is lifted.

Meanwhile on Monday a group of 133 Republicans in Congress are questioning Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' 'suitability for office' as they double down on claims that he is 'dismantling the security' of the southern border.

Asylum-seeking migrants from Haiti cross the Rio Bravo river to turn themselves in to U.S Border Patrol agents to request asylum in El Paso, Texas, U.S., as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico April 22

Asylum-seeking migrants cross the Rio Bravo river to turn themselves in to U.S Border Patrol agents to request asylum in El Paso, Texas, U.S., as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico April 21

Department of Homeland Security officials are expecting up to 18,000 migrants per day once Title 42 is lifted

'Your actions have willingly endangered American citizens, undermined the rule of law and our nation's sovereignty,' reads the letter, led by Border Security Caucus co-chair Brian Babin of Texas and Republican Study Committee Chair Jim Bank of Indiana.

'Your failure to secure the border and enforce the laws passed by Congress raise grave questions about your suitability for office,' the letter to Mayorkas continues.

Axios reported last Tuesday that the White House is indeed mulling a pause on plans to end Title 42 amid blowback, though the White House has promised it is not. Psaki has repeatedly said that the pandemic restriction is not to be used as an immigration authority but a public health one.
Footage of Scott Morrison preoccupied with his phone at an Anzac Day dawn service has gone viral and divided opinion.

Federal election campaigning took a back seat when the Prime Minister and Labor deputy leader Richard Marles put rivalries aside in Darwin on Monday, 107 years after Australian and New Zealand forces landed on the shores of Gallipoli during World War I.

Television cameras at the dawn service captured Mr Morrison appearing more interested in texting on his phone than speeches commemorating past and present diggers.

Some of the crowd stands up to clap as Mr Morrison quickly puts his phone away and joins the applause while remaining seated.

Scott Morrison began day 15 of the election campaign attending the Anzac day dawn service in Darwin

The awkward moment was later shown on evening news bulletins, sparking online debate.

'Why is Scomo texting during an Anzac Day dawn service? YouTube star Jordan 'Friendly Jordies' Shanks remarked.

Many viewers accused the Prime Minister of being disrespectful.

'Even with the clapping around him giving him the hint, he didn't even think to quickly shove away his phone and clap as well until he finished his text by the look of it,' one viewer commented.

Another added: 'Seriously. Just one morning to respect the fallen.'

Others quipped he was trying to mend strained relations with Emmanuel Macron after the French President was re-elected.

'Just a friendly congrats text message to Macron for his re-election. Hope he gets this one this time,' one man commented.

The Prime Minister was busted texting on his phone during the commemorative speeches

Some jumped to the Prime Minister's defence.

'What else is he supposed to do, listen to how People are paying their respect to our Anzacs. He has better things to do. We are lucky he did not go on holidays to Hawaii, one man commented.

Another added: 'He lives in a free country. As much as we can't stand him he has the right to text whenever he likes.'

Mr Morrison used his Anzac Day address at the service to warn Australians of a 'changing of the world' amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and China's new security pact with Solomon Islands.

Footage of Scott Morrison texting on his phone sparked online debate where many viewers accused him of being disrespectful

'War does strike Europe again, coercion troubles our region once more, an arc of autocracy is challenging the rules-based order our grandparents secured and democratic free peoples are standing together again,' the Prime Minister said.

'In facing this world, we must remember again, it is only then we truly appreciate what these times require of us all.'

He mingled and posed for photos with locals after the dawn service before later partaking in the popular Anzac tradition of two-up at a pub, where he enjoyed a beer with veterans.

The Prime Minister will spend Tuesday campaigning in Townsville in North Queensland. Comment was sought from Mr Morrison's office.
Donald Trump has no plans to rejoin Twitter, the former president said on Monday, after it was announced that billionaire Elon Musk bought the social media platform for $44 billion.

He's instead sticking to his own app, TRUTH Social, whose popularity sputtered after a surge of interest during its glitch-ridden debut on Apple's App Store. It's still not available for Android users.

And despite not having posted since the platform's launch roughly two months ago, the ex-president told Fox News he'd be a regular user within as little as a week.

'I am not going on Twitter, I am going to stay on TRUTH,' Trump told the outlet.

'I hope Elon buys Twitter because hell make improvements to it and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on TRUTH.'

A spokesman for Trump confirmed his intentions to DailyMail.com.

Trump claimed his app was getting a 'better' response than social media giant Twitter, though he did not appear to elaborate on how.

'Were taking in millions of people, and what were finding is that the response on TRUTH is much better than being on Twitter,' the ex-president said.

'Twitter has bots and fake accounts, and we are doing everything we can.'

The former president reportedly has a 'good relationship' with Musk, who bought Twitter for $44 billion on Monday

Trump was permanently suspended from Twitter following the January 6 riot last year over inflammatory messages aimed at his supporters, some of whom broke into the US Capitol building that day.

Facebook and Instagram similarly booted the ex-commander-in-chief.

During his White House tenure the Republican leader was known to conduct foreign policy on the app, often throwing out offers or threats to other world leaders.

Conservatives and Trump supporters on Twitter have been hopeful that Musk, who touted 'free speech' in the announcement of his takeover, would reverse Trump's ban.

'Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,' the billionaire's statement read.

Fox's report noted that Musk and Trump have a 'good relationship' but the former president declined to say whether they'd spoken.

The 'bottom line,' Trump said, was that he would be staying off Twitter.

He also denied that Twitter was any competition to him, and said Musk's ownership was a 'good' thing.

In a statement he posted announcing the purchase, Musk touted 'free speech' as 'the bedrock of a functioning democracy,' spurring hope among conservative users that he may reinstate Trump's banned account

Trump only posted on his TRUTH Social app once, when it debuted roughly two months ago

'We want liberty and justice and fairness in our country, and the more we can have open, the better,' Trump said.

'But no, I dont view that as a competition for what I am doing.'

The ex-president was also aware that his exclusivity to TRUTH Social was a benefit for its brand.

'TRUTH Social will be a voice for me...And thats something nobody else can get,' he said.

He added that the social media giant became 'boring' because of 'conservatives were thrown off or got off the platform when I left.'

Earlier this month it was reported that Trump was hesitant to post on TRUTH Social, his highest-profile business venture since leaving the White House, because of its low download numbers and user activity.

The ex-president privately expressed doubts that 'it is not ready for prime time,' according to the New York Times.

The app debuted on President's Day and immediately shot to the top of Apple's download charts, though users reported various glitches and delays while others were put on a 'wait list' that was six figures long with no indication of when it would end.

A March 30 report claimed the platform saw a staggering 93 percent drop in downloads just a month later.

Former House Rep. Devin Nunes, who is CEO of the company behind TRUTH, claimed it would be fully operational by the end of that month.
A senior civil servant laced his pregnant mistresss orange juice with drugs to try to cause a miscarriage, a court heard yesterday.

Darren Burke, 43, allegedly crushed Mifepristone tablets  a drug used to terminate pregnancies  into Laura Slades glass.

But she did not drink it, and found him pouring the liquid down her kitchen sink.

Burke, deputy director of the Home Offices emergency services mobile communication programme, denies administering a poison with intent to cause miscarriage  and claims he bought the pills online in case Miss Slade wanted to take them.

Darren Burke (above), 43, allegedly crushed Mifepristone tablets  a drug used to terminate pregnancies  into Laura Slades glass

Burke claims he bought the pills (example pictured) online in case Miss Slade wanted to take them

The married father of one has known Miss Slade for around 15 years and the pair began an affair in late 2020, Isleworth Crown Court in west London heard.

When she discovered she was pregnant in November 2020, she messaged Burke. Prosecutor Paul Jarvis said: There was some discussion about the possibility of a termination and it is clear Mr Burke did not want her to have the baby.

She described herself as feeling numb and wanting to think without Mr Burke being in her head. She was told she couldnt have the baby because it would affect everyone. She took the view he was thinking of himself.

By November 15 Miss Slade had decided to have the baby but was told by Burke that it would destroy his life if she did, jurors heard.

The pair met at Miss Slades home on December 4, when Burke went to the kitchen and returned with two glasses of orange juice.

He had a cup of tea himself and they talked about whether his name would appear on the birth certificate and how much money he would contribute, said the prosecutor.

However Mr Burkes main interest was making sure that Miss Slade drank that orange mixture.

Mr Jarvis alleged: His motive was obvious. If Miss Slade had kept the baby then his double-life would have come crashing down around him because there was no way he could have kept that child a secret from his wife.

The married father of one has known Miss Slade for around 15 years and the pair began an affair in late 2020, Isleworth Crown Court (pictured) in west London heard

Burke (above), deputy director of the Home Offices emergency services mobile communication programme, denies administering a poison with intent to cause miscarriage

After Burke poured the liquid away, Miss Slade claimed she found a powdery residue around the rim of the glass which she feared was poison.

The next day she called police. Analysis confirmed the residue was Mifepristone. Burke was arrested in February 2021.

The court heard that when Miss Slade made it clear she did not want to have an abortion during their conversation, Burke claimed he decided to wash the tablets down the sink and that is where the residue came from.

Mr Jarvis told jurors Miss Slade did have a miscarriage, three weeks later on Christmas Day, but he did not link it to Burkes alleged actions.

Burke, of Old Windsor, Berkshire, denies unlawfully supplying a poison and administering a poison with intent to cause miscarriage.

The trial continues.
The identities of more than 100 potential British Army recruits have been hacked from a UK defence computer in a possible Kremlin intelligence sting.

A third party feared to have been a Russian agent infiltrated the database in a shocking security breach.

A third party feared to have been a Russian agent infiltrated the database in a shocking security breach

The Ministry of Defence admitted last night that the records of 124 potential candidates were illegally accessed, but it is thought hundreds more could have been at risk.

Hackers also apparently threatened to dump stolen details on the dark web  hidden internet sites accessed via special software where criminality is rife.

The data breach triggered a frantic investigation by defence chiefs and the Information Commissioners Office.

The Ministry of Defence admitted last night that the records of 124 potential candidates were illegally accessed, but it is thought hundreds more could have been at risk

It also led to the Army closing its online application portal, while top brass contacted those whose personal information had been stolen. The computer system was managed by Capita, an outsourcing company that receives about 3billion a year in public sector contracts and has previously been criticised over its abysmal recruitment process.

Tory MP Mark Francois, a former defence minister, said last night: This security breach is extremely concerning, not least in light of Russias war in Ukraine and Russias long history of hostile cyber operations.

It is thought the motive for the hack might have been to target recruits as potential agents in the British Army.

The data exposed included full names, dates of birth, addresses, qualifications, previous employment details and family information.

Hackers also apparently threatened to dump stolen details on the dark web  hidden internet sites accessed via special software where criminality is rife

The hack emerged days after the Five Eyes intelligence alliance  the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada  warned the Kremlin is planning attacks on the internet infrastructure of the MoD and other government organisations.

Asked about the attack on Capitas recruits database, defence minister Leo Docherty said: On Monday March 14, Army HQ were made aware of a breach of information in relation to potential Army candidate data. The breach related to 124 potential candidates whose accounts had been accessed on March 13.

After an initial investigation the MoD submitted the formal breach notification to the Information Commissioners Office on Monday March 21.

The hacked computer programme is known as the Defence Recruitment System (DRS). Managers had apparently removed a two-stage security process in an attempt to make the site more user-friendly.

Security fears arising from the hack will be discussed today by MPs on the Commons defence committee.

Capita has a 900million contract with the MoD to run Army recruitment. In 2020 the company faced fierce criticism after it emerged that 25,000 potential soldiers had turned their backs on a military career due to issues with the online application system.

The infiltration comes after defence chiefs banned Army commanders and soldiers from using the WhatsApp messaging service over security fears.

It is suspected Russia has used mobile phone data to pinpoint the whereabouts of foreign fighters in Ukraine.

This information apparently led to the cruise missile strike on the Yavoriv training base in western Ukraine last month. More than 30 rockets were fired.

An Army spokesman said last night: Following the compromise of a small selection of recruit data, the Armys online recruitment services were temporarily suspended pending an investigation.

This investigation has now concluded, allowing some functionality to be restored and applications to be processed.

A Capita spokesman said: An in-depth third party investigation has concluded that no breaches of DRS occurred to our MoD-accredited system.
Desperate Ukrainians hit by a lack of food have had their water cut off by Russian shelling too.

Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai accused the Kremlin of systematically attacking electricity plants and water pumps to punish the local population.

Last week officials in Luhansk said Russian forces had deliberately targeted the supply of food to the eastern region.

They swamped the key city of Sievierodonetsk with missiles that wiped out all food depots, as well as markets and shops.

The citys 100,000 population has fallen by 17,000 and they are now reliant on aid supplies.

Hungry: Citizens of Sievierodonetsk queue in a factory bunker for food and water

Members of Ukraine Red Cross move an internally displaced elderly woman on a stetcher in a bunker at a factory in Severodonetsk, eastern Ukraine, on Friday

The Russians are deliberately destroying critical infrastructures and creating a humanitarian catastrophe, Mr Haidai said.

If we lost the ability to get water to those who are staying behind in the cities, people will start to die of dehydration. All of Russias actions are war crimes. They amount to a genocide of the Ukrainian people.

The governor added: On the battlefield, they showed themselves mediocre. The only tactic is to destroy everything around them in order to move forward.

Luhansk authorities said yesterday there had been 7,500 power outages in the previous 24 hours and that almost the entire region was without water.

Internally displaced parents take care of their seven-month old girl in a bunker at a factory in Severodonetsk, eastern Ukraine

Russia has repeatedly denied it attacks civilian infrastructure, claiming all strikes carried out by its army are aimed at military targets. Pictured: Vladimir Putin

Russia has repeatedly denied it attacks civilian infrastructure, claiming all strikes carried out by its army are aimed at military targets.

The UN last week said six million Ukrainians faced a daily battle to access to clean drinking water.

It said Russian attacks in besieged areas of the country also meant at least another 4.6million people now had limited access to water supplies.

The Daily Mail visited the embattled southern city of Mykolaiv last week and found that locals had been forced to collect rainwater to wash themselves.

Viacheslav Shevel, a 40-year-old entrepreneur, said the Russians had destroyed water supplies by blowing up the plant in nearby Kherson.

Those who live by the river are collecting water to use the toilet, he said.

Fortunately, volunteers are bringing as much as they can from Odessa.

Aid agencies say water shortages carry huge health risks, particularly for children and the elderly. Using dirty water sources can result in diarrhoea and other deadly infectious diseases.

Alexander Stupun, a spokesman for Ukraines armed forces, last night said Russia troops were stealing food and drink in occupied parts of Luhansk.

Targeting food and water supplies would be illegal under international law as well as the Geneva Convention, the treaty governing armed conflict worldwide.

Together with the Ukrainian embassy in London, Mail Force is sending 500,000 boxes of humanitarian food aid worth 8million to the war-torn country.
Parents have been warned about the dangers of extra sour lollies after a young boy endured serious burns to his tongue from snacking on the acidic candy.

Safety and first aid service CPR Kids shared the horrific image of the boy's burnt tongue, which shows layered completely burnt off due to the high acidic content in the lollies.

Parents has been warned about the dangers of extra sour lollies for their kids after a young boy (pictured) endured serious burns to his tongue from snacking on the sugary candy

It was sent to the organisation from the boy's mother, who are both based in Perth, to 'spread awareness'.

It it unknown what specific lolly the boy consumed, but Warheads and TNT sour lollies are easily two of the most popular sour candy brands in Australia.

'Sour candy packaging often stipulates that children under 4 shouldnt eat the sweets and that consuming multiple lollies quickly can cause 'temporary irritation to sensitive tongues and mouths',' the post from CPR Kids reads.

'We understand that the labels come with warnings, but dentists say the lollies should be avoided altogether due to the acidic coating [regardless of age].'

Dr Jonathan Teoh from the Australian Dental Association emphasised this message, warning that sour lollies can be 'highly dangerous' because of the 'high level of acid or PH'.

CPR Kids pointed to a test conducted by Australian Consumers' Association CHOICE which revealed that most sour lollies are more acidic than vinegar.

It it unknown what specific lolly the boy consumed but Warheads and TNT sour lollies are easily two of the most popular sour candy brands in Australia

Warheads and TNT both produce a huge variety of sour lollies from hard candy and lollipops to liquid candy and sprays

It comes months after Melbourne mother Kristy Wright took a harrowing picture of her little girl with a badly burned mouth as a warning to other parents who may let their children try acidic lollies.

The picture shows the girl with tear-stained cheeks and a huge blister covering most of her tongue.

The youngster had helped herself to some of her older brother's sour lollies with nasty consequences.

'She came to me screaming ''my tongue is sore'' ...she was beside herself,' her mum said.

Former Paramedic and child-safety educator Nikki Jurcutz, who is also a mother of two, shared the pictures on Facebook on behalf of the family.

'Sour lollies are acidic and can cause terrible burns to little ones,' she said.

Nikki said sour lollies, such as warheads, should be introduced 'after five years of age and with caution'.

The family think the youngster held the sour lollies against her tongue in the same spot.

'We spoke to a doctor and got advice but I was so worried when I saw what they had done to her,' she said.

Her mouth 'healed in a few days' but her mum knew other parents should be aware of the danger.
Students across Australia are preparing to head back to school with eased Covid restrictions this week.

In Victoria, the mask mandate for grades three to six have been scrapped, while those deemed close contacts no longer have to isolate.

In NSW, teachers and students will still be able to attend school if someone they live with contracts Covid-19.

Students across Australia are preparing to head back to school after the Easter holidays with eased Covid restrictions this week (pictured, students at Tweed Heads Public School)

People no longer need to isolate for seven days if they're a household or close contact of a positive case (pictured, students return to school in Sydney)

The changes to isolation requirements are in line with those for the general community, which changed on Friday night to no longer require people to isolate for seven days if they're a household or close contact of someone who has tested positive for coronavirus.

The changes will help ensure continuity in the state's schools and prevent disruption in teaching and learning, NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said.

'School is where our students learn best and we need to do everything we can to make sure that face to face learning continues with minimal disruption as we move into the colder months,' Ms Mitchell said.

In NSW teachers and students will still be able to attend school if someone they live with contracts Covid-19 (pictured, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet)

They will have to take a rapid antigen test daily before attending and must wear a face mask indoors, with the exception of primary school students for whom face masks are only a strong recommendation.

Students in grades three to six Victoria will no longer be required to wear a mask as they return to classrooms on Tuesday.

The contentious rule, which was criticised by several health experts in the interests of learning outcomes and socialising, was introduced last October.

The Victorian Department of Education and Training still recommends face coverings in school settings, with some students to continue to wear a mask.

In Victoria, the mask mandate for grades three to six have been scrapped, while students and school staff deemed close contacts no longer have to isolate (pictured, Sydney students)

While school staff and volunteers are required to be triple-vaccinated in Victoria, the vaccine requirement for parents and visitors to school grounds has been scrapped.

Previously, visitors had to show proof of two doses, or a vaccination exemption.

Victorian students deemed close contacts of a Covid-19 case will no longer be required to quarantine, as long as additional safety precautions are taken, in line with the requirements of close contacts in NSW schools.

Parents or carers will be asked to notify the school the student is a close contact, with the child required to return a negative RAT five out of seven days.

Free rapid antigen tests are expected to be distributed to parents and school staff early on in the term in both NSW and Victoria.

Testing is still voluntary for those who are not close contacts of a Covid-19 case, however students and school staff are still encouraged to test twice a week.

Students deemed close contacts will still be required to wear a mask indoors (pictured, students wear masks at Port Melbourne Secondary College)

Retired teachers and those in their final year of study will also be on standby to cover gaps.

The return of students and teachers to classrooms was a primary focus for the NSW government as term one approached, with testing protocols and other requirements to reduce the spread of the virus in place.

More than 600 school staff and 2400 students tested positive in the first week.

NSW also announced this week changes to vaccine mandates for workers in some sectors and industries including teachers.

Aged care and disability staff will still require vaccination, but other areas will shift to mandates based on the assessed risk of the role.

That could mean vaccine mandates for workers such as teachers and police are adjusted, however, a spokesperson for Ms Mitchell told AAP the public health orders covering teachers are current until mid-May.

More rapid antigen tests are expected to be distributed to parents and school staff early on in the term (pictured, parents and students return to school in Melbourne)

Schools will continue maximising fresh air and ventilation in a bid to keep virus transmission down, leaving windows and doors open where practical, Ms Mitchell said.

There has also been additional work done to equip schools in the lead up to winter with air purifiers being provided for colder climate schools, improvements to ventilation and testing of air conditioning and heating.

If a school-wide outbreak is detected then those schools are required to cease large indoor gatherings and off-site and inter-school activities, separate students, limit visitors and potentially shift back to learning from home.

While the government encourages schools to organise excursions and extra-curricular activities, Covid-19 factors must be considered.

This includes if the activity can be held outdoors and limited to a small group.
Police in Wisconsin have launched a manhunt after a 10-year-old girl who had been missing since Sunday night was found dead along a walking trail.

The body of Lily Peters was found in woodland near Chippewa Falls, northeast of Eau Claire on Monday morning, close to the home of an aunt she'd been visiting when she vanished.

Her dad reported her missing around 9pm Sunday night when she failed to show up home. Peters' family lived a short distance from her aunt.

The youngster was a fourth-grader at Parkview Elementary in the town.

On Monday afternoon, Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matt Kelm, confirmed the girl's disappearance was being investigated as a homicide.

The body of Lily Peters was found in woodland near close to a walking trail in Chippewa Falls, northeast of Eau Claire, Wisconsin on Monday morning

Fourth-grader had gone missing on Sunday night after being at an aunts house

Chippewa Falls police called in multiple agencies to help with the search, including K9 teams and drone operators

Kelm urged the public to remain vigilant with no suspect yet in custody.

The little girls' body and her bike were found close to Leinenkugel's Brewery.

Kelm said that police were following up a number of leads with 'numerous' agencies assisting with the investigation.

The youngster was last seen by relatives while she visited an aunt's home in Chippewa Falls, according to officers.

Her father notified police at about 9pm on Sunday night that his daughter was missing. The girl lives just four blocks from her aunt's house according to WQOW.

Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matt Kelm said the finding of the girls' body had shaken people up

Her body was found along with her bike close to a walking trail in the small town

Kelm told reporters there are no known suspects at this point, but investigators are pursuing leads.

'We will be working diligently and tirelessly on this case,' Kelm promised.

Chippewa Falls police called in multiple agencies to help with the search, including K9 teams and drone operators. The chief said finding Lily and the circumstances behind her death were difficult for everyone involved.

Kelm, himself, choked up during the news conference as he announced Peters' death.

'As you can imagine, our first responders are tremendously impacted by anything that impacts one of our children,' Kelm said, 'so it is very difficult for them, and the investigators.'

Jeff Holmes, superintendent of the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District Superintendent, sent a letter home to families recommending that children normally walk to and from school 'be picked up and dropped off by trusted family members or friends until further notice. ... Our buildings are on high alert; however, law enforcement has not indicated the need to consider lockdown settings at this time.'

Holmes told families 'we feel that it is important for you to know about what we may share at this time. We do not plan to formally announce what happened, as we are not privy to those details  we believe that law enforcement needs to be the ones to decide what or how much to share in that regard.

'We also believe that parents should be the ones to share and engage in discussion with their children about this tragic event to the greatest extent possible. However, we know that some of our students may be affected and some of our students may have conversations amongst themselves and with staff members. ... Cardinal Care counseling services can be accessed by any student. ... Thank you for your kindness and compassion for the student and the family during this tragic time.'
White House press secretary Jen Psaki blasted former President Donald Trump on Monday for spending time building a border wall instead of pursuing immigration reform.

'If we just dial it back a few years to kind of what we inherited here, the former president invested billions of dollars in a border wall that was never going to work or be effective instead of working toward comprehensive immigration reform,' Psaki said at the press briefing.

Earlier, Psaki had been asked about the death of Texas Army National Guard member Bishop Evans, who went missing Friday after attempting to rescue two migrants who were crossing the Rio Grande River.

Evans was part of Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott border response, which Psaki made clear when asked by Fox News Channel's Jacqui Heinrich if the White House felt responsible for Evans' death.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki blasted former President Donald Trump on Monday for spending time building a border wall instead of pursuing immigration reform on Capitol Hill

Psaki said 'the former president invested billions of dollars in a border wall that was never going to work,' after answering questions about a Texas National Guardsman who died after trying to save two migrants from drowning

Bishop Evans went missing on Friday after he tried to rescue two migrants crossing the Rio Grande. He was found dead Monday

'Does the White House feel any responsibility for his death given that there's reporting that he lost his life allegedly trying to save two migrants who were struggling drugs?' Heinrich had asked.

Psaki replied, 'Well, of course we are mourning the loss of his life and we are grateful for the work of every National Guardsmen.'

'I would note that the National Guard worked for the states and so he is an employee of the Texas National Guard and his efforts and his operation were directed by there, not by the federal government, in this effort, in this apparatus,' she said.

Evans was found dead Monday.

Psaki didn't have details on whether President Joe Biden had yet to reach out to the Texas National Guardsman's family.

'I would note that, of course our heart goes out to his family and his loved ones,' she said from the podium.

He was 22.

'To confirm all the specific details, he went missing on Friday, following his selfless efforts to rescue two migrants who appeared to be drowning and who were trying to cross a river in Mexico that went to the United States,' Psaki said. 'We know that National Guard personnel, including him, risk their lives every day to serve and protect others.'

'And again, our hearts go out to his family,' the press secretary added.

She also pointed out Monday that Biden has 'long stated' that the immigration system is broken.

'There needs to be more done to invest in smarter security, to have a more effective asylum processing system - and we would welcome any efforts ... for any elected officials to work with us on that,' Psaki said.
Chinese authorities have been struggling to contain the continuously spreading coronavirus infection in Beijing for the last week, said city authorities on Saturday, which raises the possibility for more stringent restrictions that could be implemented similarly to other cities in the nation.

During a press briefing on Saturday, Beijing officials said they were already tracking cases across multiple districts. The list of infected includes students, tour groups, and interior decoration workers. The capital also observed 22 new local cases on Saturday, said national health authorities on Sunday morning.

Beijing's COVID-19 Struggles

In a statement, municipal official Tian Wei said that Beijing has recently experienced multiple outbreaks of coronavirus infection involving several transmission chains. They added that the risk of continued and undetected transmissions was very high, calling the situation "urgent and grim."

The number of infections in Shanghai increased the pressure to contain the outbreak in the capital despite a failed weeks-long lockdown. The restrictions have brought the financial hub to a standstill, as per CNN.

The lockdown has caused Shanghai's supply chains to be frozen, and many residents are forced to be confined in their homes for even longer. On Apr. 18, the country's largest city announced its first fatalities from the recent outbreak.

On Sunday, the National Health Commission released data that showed there were 39 deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the total death toll to 87. Since the beginning of the newest outbreak, the country has logged roughly 22,000 new local virus cases.

Read Also: DOJ Files Federal Appeal on Mask Mandate Ban as CDC Argues Order Is Necessary To Maintain Public Health

According to France24, the city, which is home to nearly 25 million people, has also struggled to provide fresh food to residents who are confined, and patients reportedly have trouble accessing regular medical care. This results from thousands of health staff being deployed to support COVID-19 testing and treatment.

The prolonged lockdown has also garnered intense scrutiny online from residents who are displeased by the situation. In a statement, health official Pang Xinghuo said that preliminary observation suggested that the coronavirus has been spreading "invisibly" within the capital for the last week.

Spreading Illness

In the six-minute-long video footage shared on Chinese social media on Saturday, users showed a panoramic view of the city's empty streets. The recording also featured the voices of locals who are complaining about food and medical shortages that have plagued Beijing.

But because of China's army of web censors, netizens have faced pushback and have had the video removed from social media. However, some comments made on the original post were able to survive and have been saved by other users.

One dispirited social media user said that the only thing they could say was that if authorities were not willing to listen to a small number of real voices, then the situation was really hopeless, the New York Post reported.

One middle school in the region was also the place where multiple cases were detected, prompting authorities to shutter the institution on Friday. The students and teachers in the district are required to take several COVID-19 tests over the coming week.

Related Article: Shanghai's New Policy of Barricading COVID-Infected Homes Sparks New Public Outrage



Related Article: Shanghai's New Policy of Barricading COVID-Infected Homes Sparks New Public Outrage

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Emmanuel Macron failed to pick up the telephone to Boris Johnson yesterday, with one of his ministers warning that patching up relations with Britain was not our priority.

The French president spoke to German chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky within hours of his election victory  and was due to hold a call with US President Joe Biden last night.

But Downing Street insisted the Prime Minister had not been snubbed, despite a phone conversation between him and the Elysee Palace not taking place.

Boris was left handing the phone when he called Macron yesterday to congratulate him on his election victory against Marine le Pen. A Johnson spokesman said he was 'sure they will speak in due course'

Mr Johnsons spokesman said: The Prime Minister speaks to his counterpart regularly, they enjoy a good relationship. Im sure they will speak in due course.

Ministers had been hoping Mr Macrons re-election presented an opportunity to reset Franco-British relations.

With the president no longer in campaign mode, the Government is seeking a more constructive relationship with Paris when dealing with issues such as Brexit and migrants crossing the Channel.

But asked if Mr Macron will reset the relationship with Mr Johnson, economics minister Bruno Le Maire told Channel 4 News it was not our priority.

Earlier, Mr Johnson said it was very important to have a French president who can be relied upon when it comes to some of the most important international issues, and particularly when you look at whats been going on in Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron celebrates his re-election with his wife Brigitte Macron at the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel. Le Pen wasted no time in urging her supporters to deprive Mr Macron of the seats he needs to push through his agenda in the June legislative elections

He added: Its not right for friendly governments to comment on elections in neighbouring countries but what I can certainly say is that it is very, very important that Emmanuel and I have been able to work closely together on Ukraine over the last few weeks and months. We share a very common, very similar perspective.

Mr Macron defeated far-Right candidate Marine Le Pen with 58.5 per cent of the vote, becoming the first French president to win re-election in 20 years.

But he now faces a battle to secure a parliamentary majority in legislative elections in June.

Miss Le Pen, who achieved her highest-ever level of support in three attempts to become Frances leader, was already plotting her revenge yesterday when she urged her supporters to deprive Mr Macron of the seats he needs to push through his agenda, which includes unpopular plans to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64.

There was a lukewarm response to Mr Macrons re-election in the French media yesterday, as the achievement was dubbed a Victory Without Triumph.

Le Parisien, the French capitals daily tabloid, wrote that Mr Macron was re-elected but is already under pressure.
Scott Morrison has increased his lead over Anthony Albanese as Australia's preferred Prime Minister in a new poll, but Labor are still leading when it comes to two-party preference.

The Prime Minister has entered the third week of election campaign on the front foot while the Opposition Leader remains in isolation at his Sydney home with Covid-19.

Mr Morrison's popularity as Australia's preferred leader has extended to 46 per cent, a two per cent rise since the last Newspoll.

The Labor leader's position remains unchanged at 37 per cent after a disastrous week on the election campaign trail where he was being struck down with Covid.

But it's not all good news for the Coalition, with Labor still leading 53-47 on a two-party-preferred basis.

Scott Morrison (pictured mingling with children in Darwin on Monday) has increased his popularity as Australia's preferred leader, according to the latest Newspoll result

The result is unchanged from the last two Newspolls conducted since the election was called a fortnight ago.

Voters were surveyed both before and after Mr Albanese announced last Thursday he had Covid, the night after he went head to head with Mr Morrison in the first leaders' debate.

The Coalition lifted its primary vote to 36 per cent to be just one point behind Labor, which remains steady at 37 per cent.

Support for the Greens dropped one point to 11 per cent and Pauline Hanson's One Nation also fell by one point to 3 per cent.

Clive Palmer's United Australia Party remains steady at 4 per cent.

Covid-stricken Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese (pictured in isolation with his dog Toto) will spend the rest of week campaigning from home

The latest Ipsos poll for The Australian Financial Review also shows Labor still ahead of the Coalition, despite a two point drop in the party's primary vote.

Around 42 per cent of voters surveyed believe Labor will win the May 21 election, while 34 per cent believe the Coalition will claim a fourth consecutive term in power.

Labor has 34 per cent of the primary vote, two points clear of the Coalition which has recorded a one point rise since the last Ipsos poll three weeks ago.

The remaining third of voters remain undecided or will opt for a minor party.

Mr Albanese's disapproval rating increased to 35 per cent, a rise by three points while dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister remains steady at 48 per cent.

But the Ipsos poll has Mr Albanese as Australia's preferred prime minister with 40 per cent  two points ahead of Mr Morrison.

In terms of overall competency, both leaders are tied at 42 per cent, the lowest level for either a prime minister or opposition leader in 27 years.

'This underscores the views of the undecided voters participating in the focus group who, irrespective of past voting behaviour, expressed a lack of enthusiasm for the options presented at this election,' Ipsos said.
The ABC would get $8 million a year to deliver Australian content to Pacific nations under a Labor plan to lift engagement and challenge China's expansionism.

The plan comes as two new opinion polls show Labor in a winning position ahead of the May 21 election.

Under Labor's Pacific broadcasting and publishing content into the region will promote 'Australian identity, values, and interests', while partnerships and training with Pacific journalists will be strengthened.

Increased funding for the public broadcaster is one of seven key points in the party's plan to step up in the Pacific.

Penny Wong says Labor will look to repair Australia's battered relationship with China if Labor is voted in next month

A $6.5 million Australia Pacific Defence School would be set up to train personnel from regional neighbours, to be run by the Australian Defence Force.

Funding for aerial surveillance under the Pacific Maritime Security Program would be bolstered by $12 million a year to help Pacific nations guard against illegal fishing and drug smuggling.

The election promise will be unveiled on Tuesday by senior Labor members who have criticised the coalition government over the security pact inked between the Solomon Islands and China, which security experts fear could lead to a Chinese military base.

Foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong said Labor's plan would 'restore Australia's place as first partner of choice for our Pacific family".

'Scott Morrison has dropped the ball in the Pacific, and as a result Australia is less secure,' she said.

'The vacuum Scott Morrison has created is being filled by others - who do not share our interests and values.'

In March, Penny Wong said Labor will look to repair Australia's battered relationship with China the party is voted in next month after two years of hostilities, but experts fear little can be done to stop the communist superpower expanding across the Pacific.

The senator admits it's going to be 'difficult' to get back on Beijing's good side amid an ongoing trade spat, as well as a whirlwind of threats by diplomats and communist party-run newspapers.

But she argues it is possible for the bitter feud to simmer down if the government of the day stops 'playing on domestic politics' with the external issue.

Leading political analyst Dr Byrce Wakefield told Daily Mail Australia that while he agrees there may be an 'opportunity to reset ties' with the nation's largest trading partner, a change of leadership may not make any difference as China looks become the dominant power in the Indo-Pacific.

Ms Wong told the Guardian's Australian Politics Podcast that recent tactics by Scott Morrison to paint Labor as soft on China will only make the situation worse.

The Prime Minister in February branded Labor deputy leader Richard Marles a 'Manchurian candidate' after he called for closer defence ties with China on a trip to Beijing in 2019.

Ms Wong said the extraordinary attack to portray the Opposition as weak on national security and a puppet of an enemy power, was an act of 'desperation by the government'.

'It is also a trashing of Australia's national interests because one of the things that makes us strongest is our unity,' she said.

'What we won't do is play domestic politics with the China relationship.'

The once rosy political ties has spiralled downwards since April 2020.

China under Xi Jinping have become increasingly aggressive in the region. Pictured: Chinese special forces training in Guangxi

Beijing reacted furiously to Australian government calls for an international independent inquiry into the origins of the Covid pandemic by imposing a range of tariffs and arbitrary bans of billions of dollars worth of key exports including barley, wine, beef, seafood, coal, copper and timber.

Prior to that in 2018, the authoritarian superpower erupted when Australia moved to ban Huawei from participating in the nation's 5G rollout on the grounds of national security concerns.

Beijing's militarisation of the South China Sea, crackdowns on democratic freedoms in Hong Kong and horrific human rights abuses against minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet, have also been sticking points for the two nations - as well as intelligence that China had tried to 'influence' Australia's political system through an thwarted espionage plot.

Ms Wong reiterated that Labor will not kowtow to China on any of these issues, adding that repairing the relationship is ultimately 'a question for China'.

The senator admits it's going to be 'difficult' to get back on Beijing's good side amid an ongoing trade spat as well as a whirlwind of threats by diplomats and communist party-run newspapers

'We can't control how they behave,' Ms Wong said. 'If China chooses to continue to impose what are clearly coercive economic measures on Australia, then that's going to have a consequence in terms of the relationship.'

'We won't be abandoning the positions that cause China concern  Australia's position on the South China Sea, Australia's right to determine who builds its 5G network and who is part of the NBN,' Ms Wong said.

'We're not going to abandon our position on the UN convention on the law of the sea or human rights or foreign interference.'

Dr Wakefield, who heads up the Australian Institute of International Affairs as the national executive director explained that Labor has tried very hard to burnish its credentials on foreign policy and rising tensions surrounding China.

'They want to create the impression there is no daylight between the two parties and that is very true,' he said.

Beijing reacted furiously to Australian government calls for an international independent inquiry into the origins of the Covid pandemic. Pictured: Chinese President Xi Jinping (pictured)

What is a Wolf Warrior Diplomat? Chinese diplomats around the globe have made headlines in recent years by making aggressive public statements against democratic nations - often in to the contrary of all available evidence. Political observers say such statements are made to impress Communist Party bosses back home in Beijing so they get noticed. The term Wolf Warrior is actually a Chinese action film franchise launched in 2015. The plot of the 80s-style action films centre around a patriotic Chinese soldier who takes on enemies from all over the world and is fearless in the face of danger. Advertisement

'But Labor and the Liberals take a much different tone to the China issue and tone does matter when dealing with Beijing.

'So that could encourage a feeling of mutual respect creating an opportunity for the relationship to be repaired.'

But he also added that there is a tendency to believe Chinese pressure on Australia is 'all about Australia'.

'That's not always the case. In many ways it's about sending a message to other countries in the region not to speak out,' Dr Wakefield said.

'So tensions may continue no matter who is elected or what stance they take.'

But this tactic by Beijing is starting to wear thin.

'There is actually pressure on China from the international community and even domestically, to find some sort of off ramp for tensions with Canberra.

'Their trade measures against Australia haven't been particularly successful, nor has their wolf warrior diplomacy. It has received an international backlash.

'So, it may be looking for some sort of reset and an election may be reset even if Australian policy towards China doesn't actually change.'

Highlighting this point is that Foreign Minister Marise Payne met China's new ambassador, Xiao Qian, in Sydney on Wednesday in what was regarded as a major breakthrough in relations.

Chinese diplomats have not even returned the phone calls of Australian officials in almost two years.
They are only words, but they are written from the heart. From British pupils to Ukrainian schoolchildren, the message is poignant: We are with you.

And these colourful and defiant drawings will not simply be pinned up on a school wall somewhere. They will be delivered to the people of Ukraine.

They are being placed inside boxes of food packaged in the UK and being sent to desperate families caught in Putin's cruel war.

Already some 100,000 boxes have been dispatched, each containing food for one adult for a week, paid for jointly by the Mail Force charity and the Ukrainian embassy in London.

With pupils being encouraged to send in drawings and messages of support to Ukrainians, one school did not wait to be asked. Students from Paganel Primary School in Birmingham pose with drawings for Ukraine - teachers from the school posted a bundle of drawings straight to the company which is packing the food aid boxes in a Leicestershire plant

A picture taken on April 23, 2022 shows a child living in a large underground parking lot in Kharkiv. Children in Ukraine are set to receive food packages along with drawings and messages of support from UK school children, paid for by the Mail Force charity and the Ukrainian embassy in London. The ambassador asked for the drawings to be put in the parcels

Now many recipients will also receive an uplifting drawing from a British schoolchild. The idea  the brainchild of Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko  is to share messages of solidarity along with the much-needed food items.

Schools are being encouraged to send in drawings and messages of support to the Ukrainian people.

How your school can help Drawings must be on A4 paper. Write on the front or the back the child's first name only and age. Do not include any other personal information. Send all the drawings together in one parcel to the address below, and include contact details for the school and a teacher in charge (in case we need to reach you  contact details will not be published). Send to: Drawings for Ukraine, PO Box 4445 Colchester CO2 8GD. As many drawings as possible will be placed into Mail Force food boxes being sent to Ukraine. The Mail will also publish a selection of the drawings from time to time in the newspaper and online, to showcase the solidarity of British pupils with Ukrainian schoolchildren. Submissions must arrive by Monday May 16, 2022. Advertisement

One school did not even wait to be asked. At Paganel Primary School in Birmingham, resourceful teachers posted a bundle of drawings straight to the company which is packing the food aid boxes in a Leicestershire plant.

Oakland International's chief executive Dean Attwell told the Daily Mail: 'This giant package of drawings just arrived in the post. They are beautifully crafted and their messages are full of warmth and defiance.'

The pictures were shown to the ambassador who asked for them to be put in food parcels.

Yesterday the Mail visited Paganel school to meet the teachers and pupils who created the artworks, which carry slogans penned in Ukrainian such as 'Sending love' and 'We stand united'.

Head Bethan Gingell said: 'The children were very scared by it all when they returned to school after February half term.

'But doing what we've done has really helped children to understand that while they can't make it go away, maybe there is something they can do to help put a smile on somebody's face, even if just for a brief moment.'

Pupil Berachah, 11, said: 'I feel no child should go through what is happening to them. Maybe we can help give them just a little bit of encouragement to stay strong.'

The food boxes project is being co-ordinated by the Confederation of British Industry with the support of consultants Accenture.

Mail Force has raised more than 11million since the appeal was launched just days after the invasion.

It started with a 500,000 donation from DMGT, the Mail's parent company, at the personal request of Lord and Lady Rothermere.

The charity is paying 4million towards the 8million cost of the food boxes scheme.
Intelligence officials had gathered to brief select members of Congress on future threats to U.S. elections when a key lawmaker in the room, No. 3 House Republican Elise Stefanik of New York, tried to move the discussion to a new topic: Hunter Biden's laptop.

Stefanik, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, asked the officials during the April 1 briefing whether they had any evidence of Russian involvement in the release of Biden's laptop to the news media in the fall of 2020 - a possibility floated by high-ranking former government officials in the weeks before the presidential election.

Intelligence officials told Stefanik the question would be better answered by law enforcement.

Stefanik's query, shared with The Associated Press by a person who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the classified meeting, reflects a widespread sentiment in the GOP that questions about the financial dealings of President Joe Biden's son remain unanswered.

U.S. intelligence officials declined to answer a question posed by Rep. Elise Stefanik about whether they had any evidence of Russian involvement in the release of Hunter Biden's (pictured) laptop to the news media in the fall of 2020

And they say they intend to do something about it.

As Republicans prepare for a possible return to power amid rising hopes of winning the House and the Senate in the November elections, they are laying the groundwork to make Hunter Biden and his business dealings a central target of their investigative and oversight efforts.

Republican lawmakers and staff have discussed analyzing specific messages and financial transactions found on the laptop and have also discussed issuing congressional subpoenas to foreign entities involved in paying Hunter Biden, according to people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The conversations have been in the early stages but have included talks of bringing on Republican lawyers and former Justice Department officials to help lead the investigations, the people said.

The White House in turn is preparing to defend the Democratic president from any allegations of wrongdoing and make the case that Republicans are driven by opportunism.

Democrats are likely to point out how Republicans did not seek investigations into President Donald Trump's own business pursuits in Russia and China or into the foreign dealings of his children and son-in-law while they held key campaign or White House roles.

The House's No. 3 Republican, Rep. Elise Stefanik, said in a statement said 'any alleged attempt by the intelligence agencies or intelligence community leadership to portray the facts surrounding Hunter Biden's laptop as misinformation needs to be investigated and prosecuted'

It all raises the possibility of a messy, politically explosive showdown between a GOP-controlled Congress and the White House, one that could delve deeply into the affairs of the president's family and shape the contours of the 2024 race for the White House.

Hunter Biden's taxes and foreign business work are already under federal investigation, with a grand jury in Delaware hearing testimony in recent months.

While he never held a position on the presidential campaign or in the White House, Hunter Biden's membership on the board of a Ukrainian energy company and his efforts to strike deals in China have long raised questions about whether he traded on his father's public service, including reported references in his emails to the 'big guy.'

Joe Biden has said he's never spoken to his son about his foreign business.

And there are no indications that the federal investigation involves the president in any way.

The White House declined to comment, and a lawyer for Hunter Biden did not respond to an email.

Republican leaders see Hunter Biden as a unifying force that can bring together different factions of the GOP and potentially satiate those calling for more dramatic action.

Some members of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus have said the first order of business for a Republican majority should be an impeachment trial of Joe Biden in retaliation for the two impeachments of Trump.

There's also increasing discussion among Republicans about urging the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel, said people familiar with the matter.

'Hunter Biden's fair game because I believe Hunter Biden is a national security risk,' said Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, who is in line to take over the House Oversight Committee if Republicans win the House. 'Hopefully, when I get the gavel, well take it a step further.'

In preparation, Comer's oversight staff has already begun to make document requests and archived information related to the president's son.

The New York Post first reported in October 2020 that it had received from Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, a copy of a hard drive of a laptop that Hunter Biden had dropped off 18 months earlier at a Delaware computer repair shop and never retrieved.

The story was greeted with skepticism due to questions about the laptop's origins, including Giuliani's involvement, and because top officials in the Trump administration had already warned that Russia was working to denigrate Joe Biden ahead of the November election.

The Kremlin had also interfered in the 2016 race by hacking Democratic emails that were subsequently leaked.

Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee now want to probe the origins of a widely shared letter from 50 former intelligence officials released a week after the New York Post story.

The letter claimed the laptop carried 'all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation' and suggested that 'the Russians are involved in the Hunter Biden email issue.'

Joe Biden in the second presidential debate, responding to Trump's reference to the 'laptop from hell,' said 'there are 50 former national intelligence folks who said that what he's accusing me of is a Russian plant.'

That statement went further than the letter, though it was immediately and widely reported as having labeled the laptop as disinformation.

Trump and many Republicans accused Biden of invoking Russia to avoid scrutiny about his son.

No evidence has emerged since of any Russian connections to the laptop or the emails.

A declassified U.S. intelligence assessment of the 2020 election alleged that Russian leader Vladimir Putin authorized multiple efforts in support of Trump.

Russian state media amplified 'disparaging content' about Biden 'including stories centered on his son,' the assessment said, which also alleges Putin had 'purview' over the activities of a Ukrainian lawmaker who met with Giuliani.

Giuliani's attorney, Robert Costello, called allegations that the Russians were behind the laptop 'absurd.'

Stefanik in a statement said 'any alleged attempt by the intelligence agencies or intelligence community leadership to portray the facts surrounding Hunter Biden's laptop as misinformation needs to be investigated and prosecuted.'

Meanwhile, GOP Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who in 2020 issued a report on Hunter Biden and his work on behalf of Ukraine gas company Burisma, recently made a presentation on the Senate floor laying out allegations they say the media have ignored but the Justice Department and Congress need to investigate.

'The Biden administration has been totally unresponsive to our oversight requests,' Grassley said.

For now, the Biden administration and many top Democrats are not commenting publicly on Hunter Biden.

But the White House has already reassigned communications staff to prepare to respond to GOP investigations of Hunter Biden and other likely targets, including the origins of the coronavirus and the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Democrats are expected to argue that Hunter Biden is ultimately a distraction to most voters concerned about domestic issues.

The current House Oversight chair, Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York, previewed that argument in a statement responding to Comer, her Republican counterpart.

Said Maloney: 'I'd hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would be more focused on delivering for the American people than on phony outrage.'
Britain has one last chance to save the cash economy, consumer champions warned yesterday.

They said millions of people would lose easy access to their own money without urgent government action.

Almost half of bank branches have closed since 2015 and one in four free ATMs have vanished since 2018, according to research by Which?

Jenny Ross, editor of Which? Money, said: 'While many consumers have embraced digital banking, there are still millions, including the elderly, vulnerable and isolated, who aren't yet ready or willing to make that switch  and they must be protected.

'Our research highlights the devastating impact widespread bank branch and ATM closures have had on communities. With just two weeks to go until the Queen's speech, it really is now or never to halt the cash crisis.'

Britain has one last chance to save the cash economy, consumer champions warned yesterday. They said millions of people would lose easy access to their own money without urgent government action (stock image of woman at cash point)

The situation is now so bad that seven parliamentary constituencies have been left with no banks at all including Bradford South, Erith and Thamesmead and Sheffield Hallam. Pictured: A branch of Lloyds Bank

The Which? research identified 17 more constituencies, accounting for more than 1.5million people, that have particularly poor access to cash. Pictured: A shop in Lechlade in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire

It is thought that as many as five million people, particularly the elderly, continue to rely on cash to help them budget, particularly against the background of the cost of living crisis.

Which? found there were 4,685 fewer bank branches than in 2015 and 12,178 free ATMs than in 2018.

The situation is now so bad that seven parliamentary constituencies have been left with no banks at all including Bradford South, Erith and Thamesmead and Sheffield Hallam.

The research identified 17 more constituencies, accounting for more than 1.5million people, that have particularly poor access to cash.

The consumer group said: 'These range from rural areas where the patchy public transport system makes the problem of dwindling cash access worse for an older than average population, to relatively deprived urban areas where residents struggling during the cost of living crisis might need to use cash for day-to-day budgeting.'

Banks have made some voluntary efforts to help customers by, for example, supporting the setting up of shared banking hubs.

However, Which? said this was not enough to plug the gaps. It called for legislation to be announced in next month's Queen's speech to avoid the collapse of the cash infrastructure.

Martin McTague of the Federation of Small Businesses said: 'With our bank branch infrastructure further decimated over the pandemic, this Queen's speech is the last-chance saloon where access to cash is concerned.

'Four in ten small high street businesses say cash is the number one payment method among customers, and six in ten need to make regular cash deposits. Notes and coins are still important to the lives of millions of consumers, not least disabled people.'

The major banks insist the closures are a reflection of customers preferring to manage finances online and through phone apps.

Trade body UK Finance said the industry would ensure 'there is continued access to cash for those who need it, when they need it'.
I am a new leaseholder, having moved in December 2020. Six months after I moved in, we received a bill for major works that amount to 160,000.

I asked the freeholder before buying the flat, but they didn't warn me of the extent of this work.

There are six flats in the building. Three owned by the freeholder and three by leaseholders. No work has ever been done since 1933.

I have just moved in and I have to pay, it seems so unfair.

The three leaseholders have decided to split the bill as it was too high. About 40,000 each. Now the first bill due soon is 20.,500 each and additional charges if they occur. I would have never bought this property if I had known of the extent of the costs. CM

Buying a leasehold flat can present some unexpected surprises if you don't do your research

MailOnline Property expert Myra Butterworth replies: Buying a leasehold can present some unexpected surprises if you don't fully do your research before signing on the dotted line.

One of the issues with leasehold is that it is a complex and archaic system, parts of which are no longer fit for purpose in the modern world. Indeed, the Government is currently reviewing leasehold and writing new legislation in a bid to address some of its flaws.

It is important that you take on board and follow up on any advice given before a purchase, including in a survey that mentions upcoming works.

We speak to a legal expert about your options in this particular case and whether you are obliged to pay the money in full.

Stephen Gold, ex-judge and author, explains: Tenants who hold long leases have a knack of achieving a quick sale once they have a whiff of plans for major works to the building. It is imperative to make the fullest enquiries before agreeing to buy a lease about the landlords intentions to carry out repairs and improvements where you could be called on to contribute towards their cost.

Ask the landlord or their managing agent. Question the seller about what they know. You may find it prudent to have your conveyancer add to the standard written enquiries on the subject which the seller should answer. Get hold of recent minutes of any residents association meetings. Chat to the other tenants. Where you are suspicious or it appears that a heavy bill might eventually come your way, take up with a surveyor the likelihood of expensive works being necessary and how much the bill for them could be. Have a go at getting your seller to agree in the contract to reimburse you for the excess over a specific figure of any service charge demand you receive within a stated time after completion.

Our questioner covered some of this ground. She knew from the seller before agreeing to buy simply that external decorations and repairs were expected, and she took comfort in the fact that he had paid 2,700 into a reserve fund towards his contribution. If that information had been false and she had relied on it, then she would have had a claim for compensation against the seller for misrepresentation.

The wording of the lease should be closely scrutinised if you are considering buying a flat

But she knew much, much more and so could not have relied on what the seller had said. In particular, she knew from her surveyor that the balconies and flat roof were due for attention, and this has proved to be correct and expensive. Repairs and redecoration to her flats balcony were flagged up in the survey report and a note of her conversation with the surveyor referred to replacement and really expensive. In relation to the roof, the report stated that ongoing repairs were expected and that emergency repairs might be necessary. It follows that she went into the purchase with her eyes open. Had she wanted to put a price on the likely cost of what was required then she would have needed to get an estimate from the author of the report she had obtained or, better still, consult a building surveyor.

Stephen Gold is a retired judge and author

Where a surveyor is negligent in failing to draw attention to defects and they are relied on then they may well be liable for compensation, whether they have been instructed by the buyers prospective mortgage lender or directly by the buyer. Even the sellers estate agent who misrepresents to the buyer factual matters about a property which are relied on may incur liability for the seller on the basis that the sins of the agent become the sins of the seller. However, I do not consider that there was any negligence here by the surveyor. Also, although the estate agent gave certain information to the questioner about the roof, I am not satisfied that she could show this was false. Where a surveyor or estate agent have gone wrong, they may still escape liability if they can show that the buyer would have proceeded with the purchase and at the same price, regardless of what they told them.

Our questioner feels let down because the landlord failed to tell her before she agreed to buy what works might be planned. She found out about them around six months later. But she had her surveyors information which could have been expanded and costed. I do not consider that the law can provide her with any redress against the landlord.

The wording of the lease should be closely scrutinised. If it does not impose an obligation on the tenants to pay for some of the works then there would be no legal obligation to contribute towards them. It is said that no works to the building had been carried out for some 33 years and the questioner is critical of the landlords neglect. It may well be arguable that this neglect has increased the extent of the deterioration to the building and so raised the cost of the works and that this should be reflected in what the tenants have to pay. A tribunal challenge to the level of the service charge contributions could be made to the First-Tier Property Chamber (Residential Property).

Stephen Gold is an ex-judge and author of 'The Return of Breaking Law' published by Bath Publishing. For more on service charges, go to breakinglaw.co.uk
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From Harry Potter to The Jetsons, flying cars have been staple features of science fiction blockbusters for years.

And with the futuristic vehicles rapidly getting closer to becoming a reality, the world's first vertiport has opened this week.

The Air-One vertiport is located in Coventry and will be a hub for drones and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircrafts, including flying cars and taxis.

The site will serve as a blueprint for more than 200 vertiports planned worldwide over the next five years, according to Urban-Air Port, the UK-based developer of Air-One.

'The opening of Air-One is a momentous moment  the starting gun for a new age of transport, an age of zero-emission, congestion-free travel between and within cities that will make people healthier, happier and more connected than ever before,' said Ricky Sandhu, Founder and Executive Chairman of Urban-Air Port.

'Cars have roads. Trains have rails. Planes have airports. Now, eVTOLs have an Urban-Air Port.'

The Air-One vertiport is located in Coventry and will serve as a hub for drones and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircrafts, including flying cars and taxis

The site will serve as a blueprint for more than 200 vertiports planned worldwide over the next five years, according to Urban-Air Port, the UK-based developer of Air-One. Pictured: a Supernal flying taxi at the site

Where will the next vertiports be? The site in Coventry was chosen due to its location in the heart of the UK, with most parts of the country within four hours reach. However, Urban-Air Port has ambitious plans for more than 200 vertiports worldwide by 2027. Sites are already planned in the West Midlands and London, as well as in Los Angeles, Australia, South Korea, France, Germany, Scandinavia and South East Asia. Advertisement

Air-One was first announced back in October but has officially opened today.

'From design, through to fabrication and now into operation, Urban-Air Port has delivered Air-One in just 15 months, setting the standard for deployment globally and opening up a world of possibilities for rapid response air mobility,' Mr Sandhu said.

'Air-One is just the first model in our infrastructure fleet and our order-book is not only open but already growing.

'The interest is turning into recognition of the need for our technology and into demand.'

The first site was chosen in Coventry due to its location in the heart of the UK, with most parts of the country within four hours reach.

However, Urban-Air Port has ambitious plans for more than 200 vertiports worldwide by 2027.

Sites are already planned in the West Midlands and London, as well as in Los Angeles, Australia, South Korea, France, Germany, Scandinavia and South East Asia.

Air-One will be used to host demonstrator flights, including those run by the West Midlands Police and Skyfarer.

The site in Coventry was chosen due to its location in the heart of the UK, with most parts of the country within four hours distance

Air-One will be used to host demonstrator flights, including those run by the West Midlands Police (pictured) and Skyfarer. And on the opening day, a huge bed-sized drone developed by Malloy Aeronautics will be flown from the hub  marking the first time a drone of this size has flown in an urban environment.

And on the opening day, a huge bed-sized drone developed by Malloy Aeronautics will be flown from the hub  marking the first time a drone of this size has flown in an urban environment.

Meanwhile, the Air-One site in Coventry will also have charging points for electric vehicles.

In the future, Urban-Air Port says its vertiports will serve four key markets  flying taxis, autonomous delivery drones, disaster emergency management, and defence operations and logistics.

Robert Courts, Minister for Aviation, said: 'British innovation has a rich history of transforming global transportation, from the creation of the railroads in the 1800s, to the growth of great British brands such as Jaguar, Triumph and Rover in the 1950s.

'The opening of Air-One, backed by Government funding, will revolutionise the way people and goods travel across the nation.

In the future, Urban-Air Port says its vertiports will serve four key markets  flying taxis, autonomous delivery drones, disaster emergency management, and defence operations and logistics

Sites are already planned in the West Midlands and London, as well as in Los Angeles, Australia, South Korea, France, Germany, Scandinavia and South East Asia

'This step forward puts Britain at the vanguard of clean transport, bringing investment and high-skilled, green job opportunities to the nation, while levelling up opportunity in the Midlands.'

The opening of the vertiport comes shortly after plans were submitted to the UK government for a network of 'drone superhighways' across the Midlands and the Southeast.

A consortium led by software provider Altitude Angel has submitted plans for a 165-mile-long superhighway network dubbed Project Skyway, connecting airspace above cities including Reading, Oxford, Milton Keynes, Cambridge, Coventry, and Rugby.

If approved, the network could potentially then be extended to Southampton on the south coast and Ipswich on the east coast.

The group hopes the superhighway will 'unlock the huge potential offered by unmanned aerial vehicles,' with a decision from the government on whether to green light the project expected in the coming weeks.
Developers have lashed out at Apple, after the tech giant revealed plans to remove any apps and games that haven't been updated for two years from its App Store.

In an email sent to affected developers, Apple warned that it will remove apps that havent been 'updated in a significant amount of time', giving developers just 30 days to update them.

'You can keep this app available for new users to discover and download from the App Store by submitting an update for review in 30 days,' Apple writes in the email.

'If no update is submitted in 30 days, the app will be removed from sale.'

Apple added that users who have already downloaded the app will be able to continue using it  but the app will be delisted from the App Store, preventing any new downloads.

Apple warned that it will remove apps that havent been 'updated in a significant amount of time', giving developers just 30 days to update them

Apple reveals it rejected or removed over 1MILLION malicious apps from its App Store in 2020 Apple rejected or removed more than 1 million malicious apps from its App Store and stopped more than $1.5 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions in 2020. The US tech giant said its combination of 'sophisticated technology and human expertise' kept customers on its online store safe for the year. Apple also deactivated 244 million customer accounts due to 'fraudulent and abusive activity', and rejected another 424 million attempted account creations for 'patterns consistent with fraudulent and abusive activity'. Advertisement

Several app makers have taken to social media to express their concerns about the change, as first reported by The Verge.

'I feel sick. Apple just sent me an email saying they're removing my free game Motivoto because its more than 2 years old,' wrote Protopop Games developer Robert Kabwe on Twitter.

'It's part of their App improvement system. This is not cool. Console games from 2000 are still available for sale. This is an unfair barrier to indie devs.'

Developer Emilia Lazer-Walker also reported that Apple is removing 'a few' of her older games from the App Store.

'Games can exist as completed objects! These free projects arent suitable for updates or a live service model, theyre finished artworks from years ago,' she wrote.

'I received an email this morning saying the same about one of my apps,' wrote developer Simon Barker.

'It hasnt got any crash reports, still gets downloads after 5 years, doesnt need a v2 and Apple decide its time to go.

'Due to swift version changes I dont have time to push a meaningful change.'

Developer Bobby Wolfe agreed: 'Its hard to take time away from current projects to update old ones, just to keep them alive on the store.'

Meanwhile, Kosta Eleftheriou, developer of the FlickType Apple Watch keyboard, revealed Apple had taken down a version of his app made specifically for the visually impaired.

Eleftheriou pointed out in his tweet that the once-highly-popular Pocket God app still remains on the App Store, even though it received its last update in 2015.

Developers took to Twitter to complain about Apple's policy of removing apps that havent been 'updated in a significant amount of time'.

Apple announced that it would start removing abandoned apps from the App Store in 2016, warning developers that they would have 30 days to update their apps before they were removed.

However, it is unclear whether Apple has continuously been enforcing this rule over the years, or if it has recently launched a new crack down.

MailOnline has contacted Apple for comment.

'We are implementing an ongoing process of evaluating apps, removing apps that no longer function as intended, dont follow current review guidelines, or are outdated,' the company states on its App Store Improvements page.

However, Apple also doesnt clearly outline what it considers to be 'outdated'  whether it's based on the time that has elapsed since an app was last updated, or if it concerns compatibility with the most recent version of iOS.

Google announced earlier this month that it would begin limiting the visibility of apps that 'dont target an API level within two years of the latest major Android release version' in its Play Store.

Android developers have until November 1st, 2022 to update their apps, but also have the option of applying for a six-month extension if they can't make the deadline.
The crew of the first fully private mission to the International Space Station are now back on Earth after a two-week stay.

Three wealthy businessmen  who each paid $55 million (41 million) to take part in the trip  were joined by a former NASA astronaut for the history-making mission, which was organised by startup company Axiom Space.

Canadian investor Mark Pathy, US entrepreneur Larry Connor, ex-Israeli Air Force pilot Eytan Stibbe and retired astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria had been due to spend eight days carrying out scientific experiments on the space station.

But bad weather repeatedly delayed their departure, meaning they actually worked alongside the seven regular, government-paid crew for a total of 16 days.

As there were 11 residents on the ISS, the newcomers were forced to sleep in unusual places, with Stibbe and Pathy in the Columbus module, Connor in the spacecraft that took them to the space station, and Lopez-Alegria in the airlock.

Their SpaceX capsule eventually undocked from the ISS at 01:10 BST this morning (20:10 ET yesterday) ahead of a 16-hour return flight, and they touched down off the coast of Florida at 5pm BST (12pm EST).

The crew of the first fully private mission to the International Space Station are now back home after a two-week stay. Pictured, from left, US entrepreneur Larry Connor, retired astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, Canadian investor Mark Pathy and ex-Israeli Air Force pilot Eytan Stibbe

The crew touched down off the coast of Florida at around 5pm BST (12pm EST)

EXAMPLES OF AX-1 MISSION RESEARCH Larry Connor, Ax-1 mission pilot, entrepreneur, and non-profit activist investor, carried out a number of projects in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic. Connor's experiments on behalf of Mayo Clinic will provide data on space travel's impact on senescent cells and heart health. Connor was in charge of maintaining senescent cells  cells that have stopped dividing  at the ISS. These cells are linked to multiple age-related diseases, and understanding them can help protect astronauts on long-haul trips to Mars. Mark Pathy, Ax-1 mission specialist, worked on behalf of The Montreal Children's Hospital, Canadian Research Universities and The Royal Canadian Geographical Society. He is working with six Canadian universities, as well as two startups on 'proof of concept' ideas. This included the world's first in-space demonstration of two-way holoportation  a mixed reality app for special lenses that receives two-way 3D projections as a hologram to communicate between users remotely. Eytan Stibbe, Ax-1 mission specialist, social impact investor, and Israeli philanthropist, worked on behalf of the Ramon Foundation. His mission was named 'Rakia', after the dome (atmosphere) created by God on the second day after the firmament, which protects life on Earth. During his mission, he facilitated scientific experiments and conducted educational and artistic activities with the aim of connecting the younger generation in Israel and around the globe on the values of peace, innovation, and social responsibility. For the first time, his presence meant an astronaut represented Israelis on the International Space Station in Hebrew. Advertisement

A live NASA webcast showed the Axiom astronauts, garbed in their helmeted white-and-black spacesuits, strapped into the crew cabin shortly before the spacecraft separated from the station, orbiting some 250 miles (420 km) above Earth.

A couple of brief rocket thrusts then pushed the capsule safely clear of the ISS.

Hailed as a milestone in commercial spaceflight, the Axiom quartet became the first all-private astronaut team ever launched to the space station.

They took equipment for two dozen science experiments, biomedical research and technology demonstrations to conduct in orbit, including on cardiac health and cognitive performance in low gravity.

The trio were also involved in the first two-way Holoportation experiment performed in space  technology that NASA hopes could one day be used by astronauts to speak to loved ones during long-duration spaceflights, or for doctors to remotely examine patients.

Pathy spent a lot of time in the station's famous observation cupola, photographing the Earth from 250 miles (400 kilometers) overhead, while Stibbe helped grow meat in space.

Connor, who acted as pilot, collaborated with the Mayo Clinic during his mission, with data from his vital signs helping to inform the future of long-duration space travel.

It is looking at the impact of space travel on senescent cells and heart health, with Connor maintaining a vial of senescent cells  those are cells that have stopped dividing and thought to be responsible for aging.

The four men left Earth for the ISS on April 8.

While the space station has hosted civilian visitors from time to time, the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) marked the first all-commercial team of astronauts to use ISS for its intended purpose as an orbiting laboratory.

The trip, carried out in partnership with the commercial spaceflight company Axiom Space, is designed to be a pre-cursor to wider moves into the commercial space sector.

Axiom Space is behind the first fully commercial module being developed for the ISS  due to launch in 2024.

The firm has loftier ambitions than just a module on the ISS, with aspirations to build a free floating commercial space station in low-Earth orbit once NASA retires the ISS in 2031.

So far, Russia has sent seven self-funded tourists to space in partnership with the US-based company Space Adventures.

The four men left Earth for the International Space Station on April 8 (pictured)

The projects they worked aboard the ISS (pictured) included an EEG-enabled space helmet, and the first two-way Holoportation experiment to be performed in space

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, along with his assistant Yozo Hirano, became the latest to do so when they had a 12-day stay on the ISS at the end of last year.

NASA recently announced the ISS had just nine years of operational life left, with plans to sink it in the South Pacific Ocean in January 2031.

On the run up to that happening, the space agency plans to support commercial operators in launching privately funded and run space stations, starting with an Axiom Space module attached to the ISS.

This launch is a precursor to that module, which is expected to dock with the station by the middle of this decade, part of NASA's efforts to built a robust low-Earth orbit economy  driven by the private sector, rather than national players.

Axiom recently completed the preliminary design review of two modules that will be attached to the ISS this decade, then separate into its own free-flying station.
French President Emmanual Macron has won over his rival, Marine Le Pen, after the latter conceded the elections, becoming the country's first leader to win re-election after he fended off a historic challenge.

On Sunday, it was found that Macron had 58.55% of the votes, which made him the first French president to be re-elected in the last two decades. He and his rival advanced to the runoff after they finished in first and second place, respectively, among a total of 12 candidates who ran in the first round on Apr. 10.

Macron Wins Election

The election was seen as a rematch of the 2017 French presidential runoff but caused many Europeans to watch with unease. This is because a Le Pen presidency would have fundamentally changed the country's relationship with the European Union and the West.

This would have come when the bloc and its allies rely on Paris to take a leading role in confronting some of the world's largest hurdles, most notably, Russia's war on Ukraine, as per CNN.

In a speech at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, the centrist leader told his supporters that with the end of the election, he would be a "president for all." Le Pen said that her vote share still marked a victory despite losing to Macron.

Read Also: French President Macron Receives Backlash for Harsh Language in Challenge to Unvaccinated Residents

She said that the ideas her National Rally represented had already reached new heights, but far-right rival Eric Zemmour pointed out that Le Pen failed just like her father, who preceded her. He noted that it was already the eighth time the Le Pen name was met with defeat during a political run.

According to BBC, in a speech on Sunday night, Macron said, "an answer must be found to the anger and disagreements that led many of our compatriots to vote for the extreme right. It will be my responsibility and that of those around me."

First French Leader To Be Re-elected

The 44-year-old Macron built his own political party to run for president in 2017 and was able to win against Le Pen despite a first term beset by protests against his economic policies. One of which was due to his views on the coronavirus pandemic and another from his stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Macron's re-election also posed a massive setback to the populist movements that upended politics across the Western world, from Brexit to Viktor Orban's victory in Hungary and Donald Trump in the United States.

Some analysts from the United States pointed out that Macron won over Le Pen despite less than 40% approval ratings. The numbers are similar to that of U.S. President Joe Biden, who is considering a re-election run in 2024.

In a Twitter post, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said that it was a very interesting observation. He said that President Macron appeared to have secured a double-digit victory over the right-wing challenger when his approval rating was only at 36%, despite its seemingly impossible nature, USA Today reported.

Related Article: North, South Korea Leaders Exchange Personal 'Letters of Friendship' Amid Military Tensions



Related Article: North, South Korea Leaders Exchange Personal 'Letters of Friendship' Amid Military Tensions

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The withdrawal method is known as a risky way to avoid pregnancy, but for one species of spider, the ability to make a hasty withdrawal is a matter of life or death.

After males of the orb-weaving spider Philoponella prominens mate with a female, they launch themselves away in a split-second catapult action.

The aim of this manoeuvre is to avoid being eaten by the female in an act of sexual cannibalism.

'Females may use this behaviour to judge the quality of a male during mating,' said Shichang Zhang of Hubei University in Wuhan, China.

'If a male could not perform catapulting, then kill it, and if a male could perform it multiple times, then accept its sperm.'

Spiders use their webs as giant HEARING AIDS to amplify audio vibrations through their legs Spiders use their webs as giant hearing aids to amplify audio vibrations through their legs, a new study has revealed. Researchers from Binghampton University set out to understand how orb-weaving spiders  the species famously featured in 'Charlotte's Web'  detect sounds. They found that the spiders use their webs as extended auditory arrays to capture sounds, which are then vibrated through their legs. This technique could give spiders advanced warning of incoming prey or predators, according to the team. Advertisement

Philoponella prominems occur most often in China, Korea and Japan and belong to a family of spiders that do not contain venom.

The male spiders use a joint in their first pair of legs, called the tibia-metatarsus, to fling themselves away from their partners at impressive speeds, clocked at up to 88 cm/s (35 inch/s).

'We found that mating was always ended by a catapulting, which is so fast that common cameras could not record the details clearly,' said Zhang, who led the study.

The few males the researchers saw that didnt catapult were promptly captured, killed, and consumed by their female partners.

When the researchers prevented males from catapulting, they met the same fate.

Of 155 successful matings they witnessed, 152 survived by catapulting away.

With high-resolution video cameras, the researchers calculated an average peak speed of catapulting spiders of about 65 cm/s (25 inch/s). Speeds ranged from about 30 cm/s (12 inch/s) to almost 90 cm/s (35 inch/s).

As they soar through the air, the males also spin around 175 times per second on average.

After males of the orb-weaving spider Philoponella prominens mate with a female, they launch themselves away in a split-second catapult action. This photograph shows two Philoponella prominens spiders mating

The male spiders use a joint in their first pair of legs, called the tibia-metatarsus, to fling themselves away from their partners at impressive speeds, clocked at up to 88 cm/s (35 inch/s).

The males manage to catapult at these speeds by folding their tibia-metatarsus joint against the female. When released, hydraulic pressure allows for rapid expansion.

The researchers say that the findings show clearly that the catapulting behaviour is required to avoid sexual cannibalism.

'We observed that males that could not perform the catapulting were cannibalized by the female,' Zhang said.

The research was published in the journal Current Biology.
A tiny bat has set a new migration record after flying up to 1,800 miles (3,000 km) from Russia to the French Alps over 63 days.

The nathusius' pipstrelle species beat the previous record for bat migration  from Latvia to Spain  by 161 miles (260 km).

In Europe, examples of bats flying more than 621 miles (1,000km) are rare, while even in tropical climates some will only migrate up to 1,200 miles (2,000km).

Why the bat took such a long route is currently unclear, but researchers think it either got lost during its regular migration route, or perhaps long migrations are more common than previously thought.

They believe the bat may have navigated using the coast of the Baltic Sea, because other bats are often found along this coast during migration season.

A tiny bat has set a new migration record after flying up to 1,800 miles (3,000 km) from Russia to the French Alps over 63 days

The female bat was ringed with an information tag in 2009 by Russian researchers in the Darwin Nature Biosphere Reserve in Russia's Vologda Oblast.

Then, over 63 days, it flew across Europe before its body was found in a water tank in Lully, a village near the French Alps.

The shortest distance between the bat's ringing location and Lully is 1,544 miles (2,486 km), but the actual distance it covered could be up to 1,800 miles (3,000 km).

'It's a very big surprise,' said lead author Dr Denis Vasenkov of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences.

'We thought that our bats were migrating to countries in south-eastern Europe and other neighbouring countries, not France.'

The bat's extraordinary journey came to light thanks to co-operation between researchers in France and Russia.

Dr Jean-Francois Desmet of GRIFEM in France first sent information about the tag to Dr Igor Popov at St Petersburg State University.

Information about the bat then moved through the Russian research community before reaching Dr Vasenkov last year.

The nathusius' pipstrelle species beat the previous record for bat migration  from Latvia to Spain  by 161 miles (260 km)

Dr Vasenkov and co-author Dr Natalia Sidorchuk intend to continue their work ringing and recording bats to get more information about migration routes and how bats orientate during migration.

'We hope that we can get GPS tracking for the biggest bat in Russia, the greater noctule,' said Dr Sidorchuk.

Interest in bat migration has grown dramatically in recent years as Europe continues to build more wind farms which are known to cause hundreds of bat deaths each year.

Understanding bat migration routes will be important when planning new wind farms to make sure these deaths are minimised, the authors said.

The study was published in De Gruyter's international journal Mammalia.
Piers Morgan has spoken to Cristiano Ronaldo personally about leaving Manchester United to join to Arsenal during the summer transfer window.

Morgan thought Ronaldo was 'the best player on the pitch' during United's defeat by the Gunners at the weekend and said he would sign the 'world-class striker' in a 'heartbeat'.

Morgan worries that Ronaldo is not given the right respect he deserves in the United dressing room. He says the club's youngsters need to check their 'egos' and admits they should be 'begging Ronaldo for advice'.

Piers Morgan has spoken to Cristiano Ronaldo about leaving Man United to join to Arsenal

Id sign Ronaldo for Arsenal!



I had this conversation with him last week. Id take him in a heartbeat. 



Uniteds youngsters dont respect him.@PiersMorgan reveals how he has told @Cristiano Ronaldo to sign for Arsenal. pic.twitter.com/AdzDhIl1WD  talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) April 25, 2022

Speaking to TalkSPORT Breakfast on Monday morning, Morgan said: 'When it comes down to money and owners and riches and banking, we've got the richest of all of them.

'Stan Kroenke has got 10billion, he's married to a woman who has got even more in the Walmart heiress who has 15billion. He's just bought a ranch for 750million, he can afford to buy a couple of strikers!

'Do you know what I'd do if I was Arsenal manager? I'd go in, get Cristiano Ronaldo and put him up front. I've had this conversation with him last week. I said "come to Arsenal".

Morgan (above) discussed Ronaldo's situation at Old Trafford while speaking to TalkSPORT

'The Arsenal and Manchester United thing is very interesting. On paper, United have far more talented players and far more experienced, talented players but they don't have the right attitude.

'The mental attitude is shocking. Whatever is going on in that club if they didn't have Ronaldo in the team they wouldn't be winning, whereas Arsenal have young, hungry, really promising guys who have a great attitude. People like [Bukayo] Saka, [Emile] Smith Rowe, [Kieran] Tierney and all of these guys.

'That's what's encouraging. If you combined the United talent with our mentality then both clubs would be sorted.

He watched Ronaldo in action on Saturday against Arsenal and said he was the best player

Therefore, he says the Gunners hierarchy should be doing everything they can to sign him

'I'm not even joking. I'd love to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to Arsenal. If he's not going to stay at United, I'd take him in a heartbeat. I watched that game at the weekend and he was the best player on the pitch.

'As a striker, when you watch Ronaldo's movement and his goalscoring record at 37, I'd put Ronaldo at the front and let these kids learn from him.'

Morgan went on to say: 'There's a brilliant story from Saturday. I walked into this box and there is Dennis Bergkamp, my all-time Arsenal hero.

'I was telling Dennis about how Thierry Henry always gets annoyed when I say that Dennis is my number one, when there's a tap on my shoulder and it's Thierry!

'I found myself doing a picture with the two of them, then I went down and saw that Arsenal released some footage of them talking to Smith Rowe and Saka and you could see the awe in those young guys' faces.

Morgan doesn't feel like Ronaldo gets the respect he deserves in the United dressing room

Morgan believes the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe would value his presence

'I don't feel like there's that respect from those young guys at United for Ronaldo. I think that the egos are writing cheques that the lack of trophies doesn't cash, and my message to those young United stars is that you're talented, but your egos are out of control and you should be begging Ronaldo for advice.

'If you had even a tenth of his work ethic, his ability, his success and his trophies all around the world then you'd be much better than you are now, but there's an arrogance there about those players which we don't have at Arsenal.

'That's not the problem. Bring in a couple of world-class players and then I might start to believe in the process.'
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Night is falling and the air is cooling. Ive been walking in the hills in spring sunshine. So after some open-mouthed stargazing, Ive taken root in a venerable Andalucian inn, El Padrino, with roof-beams of smoke-black sweet chestnut and a jolly barmaid who speaks not a word of English. Good for her.

Its time to pull my upright wooden chair close to the open fire, glass of rioja in hand. This fireplace is colossal, Ive seen smaller London apartments. The burning logs are whole cross-sections of tree-trunk.

Over the fire hangs a cast-iron cauldron from a long chain, disappearing up into the shadowy darkness of the chimney. It looks like its hung here since the year of the Armada. By my second glass, Im wondering if Don Quixote and Sancho Panza might be dropping in later.

Spanish steps: A view of the village of Galaroza in Andalucias beautiful Sierra de Aracena - an area that Christopher Hart explores by foot on a walking tour with Inntravel

Welcome to Old Spain.

The French have that phrase, La France Profonde: Deep France, meaning the rural heartland, far from the smart suits, tensions and politics of Paris: the dozy, hidden corners of Normandy, or the Jura, or the Auvergne.

Theres a Deep Spain too  Espana Profunda. The little-known, tobacco-coloured hills of the Sierra de Aracena are certainly Deep Spain, light years in spirit from the gaudy Costas.

The Sierra de Aracena region is a two-hour drive out of the city of Seville, pictured above, towards the Portuguese border

They lie in the far west of Andalucia, two hours drive out of Seville towards the Portuguese border. A small range of the larger Sierra Morena, theyre a long sweeping sun-trap of south-facing limestone, their forested hillsides scattered with whitewashed villages.

The houses huddle together to find relief in each others shade through the burning summer. And their quiet lanes were clearly made for shepherds and their flocks, for drovers and donkey-carts, not V8 Range Rovers. If you drive here, drive something small, like the locals do.

The names of these villages have a music all of their own. String them together and you have a Spanish equivalent of John Betjemans famous evocation of Dorset: Rime Intrinseca, Fontmell Magna, Sturminster Newton and Melbury Bubb...

Above is a view of Almonaster La Real, one of Sierra de Aracena's villages. 'The names of these villages have a music all of their own,' writes Christopher

Here it goes: Fuenteheridos and Calabazares, Jabugo and Almonaster La Real...'

Names that hint at Spains rich and contested Christian-and-Moorish past.

Loveliest village of all my walks is Linares de la Sierra . . . flax-fields of the mountains.

The Aracena seem more like hills than mountains, though, even if their highest point, Cerro de Castano, rises to 3,156ft. Their gently rolling outlines are nothing like Spains more epic ranges  the granite Pyrenees or the jagged Picos de Europa. With plenty of sunshine and temperatures up to 18C even in January, theyre ideal for walking just after Christmas, but you could walk here at any time of year except high summer. By February and March theres the almond blossom in orchards grazed by merino sheep; in April and May there are wildflower meadows and butterflies dancing colourful attendance; and in autumn theres the nut harvest, and walks through forests of stately sweet chestnut, prickly holm oak and cork oak, with its deeply wrinkled elephantine bark.

The mosque in Almonaster La Real. According to Christopher, the names of the villages in the Sierra de Aracena 'hint at Spains rich and contested Christian-and-Moorish past'

Meet the locals: Iberian pigs (pictured on the left) can be seen everywhere. 'Free range and forest-dwelling, their lives are as different as could be imagined from the horrors of industrial-scale, factory-farmed pork,' writes Christopher. The picture on the right shows the world famous Jamon Iberico, which Christopher describes as 'the finest ham in the world'

The cork bark is harvested every ten years then the tree is left quietly to recover. Relations here between locals and their beloved landscape feel natural, knowledgeable and sustainable at every level.

Nowhere is this more true than in what becomes of all those countless tons of plump, shiny acorns that litter the dry forest floor.

They turn into the finest ham in the world, thanks to the healthy appetites of the small black Iberian pigs that you see everywhere from October onwards, truffling and guzzling beneath the majestic trees.

Bristly and boar-like, but not aggressive, they are in fact so closely related to the wild boar round about that the forest enclosures have to be firmly fenced to prevent any little porcine romances from blossoming and diluting the breed.

Christopher writes: 'Loveliest village of all my walks is Linares de la Sierra.' Above is the village's San Juan Bautista Church

SIX OF THE BEST SPANISH HIKES GALICIA Spain's most famous hike is the Camino de Santiago pilgrim route. There are many paths leading to the the shrine of St James, where pilgrims have flocked since the 9th century. Some come from Portugal, others across the north of Spain, or you could try the 60-70 miles from La Coruna or Ferrol, both known as the English Camino (caminoways.com). Spain's most famous hike is the Camino de Santiago pilgrim route, pictured above MENORCA Covering 116 miles, the Cami de Cavalls trail skirts the coast of this charming Balearic island, which is home to 220 species of birds and more than 1,000 plants. Most sections are rated easy, but there are some tougher parts  especially the seven-mile stretch through Cala Pregonda (descobreixmenorca.com). VALENCIA The Rice Trail in Albufera Natural Park is ten miles from the city of Valencia with leisurely walks between 30,000 hectares of paddy fields where much of the rice produced for paellas in Spain is grown. Its a lush green landscape with beaches to explore, too (visitvalencia.com). CATALONIA La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park is a region of volcanic mountains covered with holm oak, common oak and beech trees, with the occasional medieval village and peaks rising to 1,500m. There are 625 miles of well-signed paths (turismegarrotxa.com, catalunya.com). Above is picturesque Castellfollit de la Roca, a village in Catalonia's La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, which has 625 miles of well-signed paths MALAGA Caminito del Rey is a six-mile hike along walkways and paths within a canyon. The name means the kings little path, as it was opened by King Alfonso XIII. If youre lucky you may catch sight of griffon vultures, golden eagles, honey buzzards, mountain goats, foxes and lizards (caminitodelrey.info). ASTURIAS The Picos de Europa mountains in the Asturias region of northern of Spain offer gentle walks through valleys as well as hair-raising ascents to jagged peaks. Some pass through gorges and tunnels, over bridges and along Roman paths. The highest point is at 2,648m (asturiaspicosdeeuropa.com). Advertisement

Free range and forest-dwelling, their lives are as different as could be imagined from the horrors of industrial-scale, factory-farmed pork.

No wonder they taste so good. The making of the famous jamon iberico is as painstakingly craftsmanlike and unhurried as the best Parmesan Reggiano or Grande Marque Champagne.

To be precise, what you really want is the magnificent Jamon Iberico de Bellota, from a pig that has fed on holm oak acorns for at least three months.

These acorns are rich in oleic acid  as is olive oil  which gives the ham its incredibly healthy nutritional profile, bursting with vitamin E and omega-9, not to mention its unforgettably nutty, lingering flavour. Cured pork as a health food? In this case, yes, really.

The little village of Alajar, pictured above, is one of the stops on Christopher's tour. He describes the Sierra de Aracena as 'scattered with whitewashed villages'

Meanwhile the forests are carefully preserved century after century for the sake of the pigs, the venerable chestnuts carefully pollarded at regular intervals, renewing them over and over.

I encounter some massive trees that must have been four or five hundred years old: like the cast-iron cauldron in the inn, they may have stood here since the Armada, now growing amazingly twisted, their huge trunks hollowing out, creating perfect nesting holes for a whole range of owls, woodpeckers, and bats.

Youll also see rabbits and hares and lizards, scuttling under the dry leaves, and in the skies overhead, red kites, kestrels, buzzards and griffon vultures.

Pictured above is a pretty chapel, known as Ermita Reina de los Angeles, that can be found in Alajar

Christopher meets Angel, from Seville, and his wife Lucy, from Lancashire, who are proud owners of the excellent Posada de San Marcos in Alajar. On the left is the hotel's lounge. The picture on the right shows the swimming pool at the Posada de San Marcos. During his stay at the hotel, Christopher tries a 'superb' chickpea and chorizo stew

If you are truly lucky you might spot an Iberian lynx, or a Spanish Imperial eagle, though youll have to keep your eyes peeled. Still, its good to know theyre there, and the presence of this many top predators indicates a truly healthy ecosystem.

I learn much of this via Angel, from Seville, and his wife Lucy, from Lancashire, proud owners of the excellent Posada de San Marcos, in the little village of Alajar. Both are enthusiastically knowledgeable about the wildlife, customs and food of the Aracena.

Lucy is also a superb cook: her chickpea and chorizo stew is truly an obra maestra.

Christopher's final destination is the village of Fuenteheridos, pictured, where he tucks into a well-deserved lunch of ham, egg and chips

'I encounter some massive trees that must have been four or five hundred years old... their huge trunks hollowing out, creating perfect nesting holes for a whole range of owls, woodpeckers (such as the one pictured), and bats,' Christopher says of his walk

As well as walking, another way to explore this lovely landscape is by bicycle  there are a number of places in Seville that rent out.

I discover after hiring one that this means you can really head off and explore the back country without having to be super-fit.

After three hours of humming gently along sandy tracks through the forest, through remote hamlets and quaint old farmyards (swerving to avoid the free-range ducks and chickens), I finally cruise into the pretty village square of Fuenteheridos for a well-deserved lunch of ham, egg and chips.

Ah, but the ham is of course jamon iberico, the chips taste like they were still potatoes growing in the rich red soil just a few hours before and the eggs have yolks as yellow as the Andalusian sun.

Here in the untroubled, undiscovered Sierra de Aracena, la vida is indeed buena.
Julia Bradbury has said she was unsure whether she would ever travel or wear a bikini again following her breast cancer diagnosis.

The former Countryfile presenter, 51, underwent a mastectomy in October during which her breast plus two lymph glands were removed before reconstruction took place.

She spoke to Hello! magazine from Mauritius where she was on holiday with her partner Gerry and their three children, Zephyrus, 10, and seven-year-old twins Xanthe and Zena.

Honest: She spoke to Hello! magazine from Mauritius while on holiday with her partner Gerry and their three children, Zephyrus, 10, and seven-year-old twins Xanthe and Zena

She said: 'I have this feeling of embracing everything now, grabbing everything that life has to offer with open arms.

'I wasn't sure that I would ever travel again - and certainly wasn't sure whether I'd wear a bikini ever again.'

Julia added she had always appreciated the 'healing power of nature' and did so even more now.

Back in a bikini! On Friday, Julia Bradbury wore a bikini for the first time since undergoing a double mastectomy in October, as she holidayed in Mauritius

'I'm still at the acute end of coming through my diagnosis and coming to terms with everything, so life is very heightened,' she said.

'The skies are a deeper shade of blue, the patterns of nature are more striking than usual. I'm taking it all in.'

The broadcaster said she was using her illness as an opportunity to 'reset' her emotional and physical health and now practises meditation and gratitude every day, sleeps at least eight hours each night and has cut out almost all alcohol.

Grateful: The TV personality wrote alongside the photograph, that she feels 'fortunate' to have had immediate breast reconstruction

She added: 'It will be a long time before you find me dancing on tables again - and I love dancing on tables.'

Julia also told how she had promised at the beginning of the holiday to agree to any of her children's requests, from swimming to trekking or eating ice cream but only one a day.

She added: 'They are this size for such a short time: you blink and they're gone.

Battle: The Countryfile presenter announced that she been diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2021 and underwent a double mastectomy a month later

'I want to enjoy every one of those moments and they're even more magnified and precious now.'

It comes after Julia wore a bikini for the first time since undergoing the procedure, as she holidayed in Mauritius, and admitted she feels 'fortunate' to have had immediate breast reconstruction.

The TV personality took to Instagram where she shared a gorgeous shot of herself in a blue bikini and beach cover-up in matching print, while relaxing in the sunshine.

Julia penned: 'I had no idea what life after a #mastectomy would be like. I feel incredibly grateful that some things have gone my way during my #breastcancer diagnosis. Each of our stories is different...

'I was fortunate to be able to have immediate recon after my breast was removed containing a 6cm tumour.

'Nothing prepares you for the shock & impact...& yet but here I am in a bikini again. Didn't think this would happen.

'Wearing wraps helps too. Of course it's @melissaodabash!! Thanks @gaylerinkoff for finding me new. #gratitude #breastcancer #recovery #bikini #mauritius.'

Candid: Julia recently revealed that the risk of her cancer is returning is higher than average and detailed her experience learning to love her body after a mastectomy

Her holiday snap comes after Julia revealed that the risk of her cancer is returning is higher than average and detailed her experience learning to love her body after a mastectomy in a candid chat.

Six months after undergoing her surgery, the presenter is now having to come to terms with the knowledge that she does not yet have the 'all clear' from doctors.

Deeper dive: Read the full interview in Hello! magazine, out now

Julia revealed to You magazine that she has 'micro-invasions'  tiny fragments of cancerous cells which have leached out of her milk duct and into her breast tissue.

Furthermore, genetic testing has shown that she has a higher than average risk of her cancer coming back.

She explained: 'I'm in the top five or six per cent of women in the country in terms of the likelihood of recurrence.

'That puts me in the 'moderate risk' category  higher than the average woman  but, look, it's about percentages and perspectives.

'The doctors have not found a huge spread of an aggressive cancer. I have lost my breast but been able to have an implant and keep my own nipple.

'I feel lucky and grateful every single day, and I have to learn to live with this risk, to accept the fragility of life, without it consuming me.'

Read the full interview in Hello! magazine, out now.
Chris Rock was spotted taking a morning stroll in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood on Sunday.

The 57-year-old comedian appeared to be the most of his break from his stand-up comedy tour as he took in the fresh springtime air during his outing.

The performer's outing comes just after Will Smith, who infamously slapped Rock at the Academy Awards last month, was pictured arriving in India, reportedly to meet spiritual leader Sadhguru.

Stepping out: Chris Rock was spotted while taking a morning stroll in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood on Sunday

Rock wore a nearly all-black outfit that included a hoodie and a set of cargo pants during his outing.

The Grammy-winning comedian added a bit of color to his outfit with a set of green-and-orange Nike running shoes.

The Fargo star accessorized with a stylish set of sunglasses and a beanie that matched the dominant tone of his outfit.

Smith's arrival in India, which took place on Saturday, was reported on by several news outlets.

Taking it easy: The 57-year-old comedian appeared to be the most of his break from his stand-up comedy tour as he took in the fresh springtime air during his outing

Recent events: The performer's outing comes just after Will Smith, who created much controversy after he slapped the Grown Ups actor at the most recent Academy Awards ceremony, was pictured arriving in India over the weekend

The actor notably posed for several photos with his fans after touching down at a private airport, as per TMZ.

The media outlet also reported that he appeared to be thoroughly enjoying his time in the country during his arrival.

Smith is reportedly in India to meet spiritual leader Sadhguru, who Smith and his family met with back in 2020 in Los Angeles.

The actor previously read a book that was written by the yoga guru, entitled Inner Engineering, and he subsequently introduced his followers to the author.

His daughter Willow later stated that Sadhguru helped her overcome what she described as an 'existential crisis' and that she was filled with 'gratitude' for his presence.

Getting around: The actor notably posed for several photos with his fans after touching down at a private airport, as per TMZ

The performer has not publicly revealed why he chose to make the trip to India as of yet.

Smith has not made any public statements regarding his now-infamous slap ever since issuing a public apology to Rock in a post that was shared last month.

In his message, the Men In Black star expressed his regret about slapping the comedian during the awards ceremony.

'I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be,' he wrote.

Speaking his mind: Smith has not made any public statements regarding his now-infamous slap ever since issuing a public apology to Rock in a post that was shared last month

Making it clear: Smith also pointed out that he would have been fine with any jokes that were directed towards him, although Rock's comments about his wife proved to be too much to handle

Smith also pointed out that he would have been fine with any jokes that were directed towards him, although Rock's comments about his wife proved to be too much to handle.

'Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally,' he noted.

The performer notably expressed that 'there is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness' in his message.

Smith concluded his statement by remarking that 'I am a work in progress.'

Clearing the air: The performer notably expressed that 'there is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness' in his message; he is seen slapping Rock during the 94th Academy Awards in March

Rock remained silent about the slap for several weeks before briefly addressing the incident during a stand-up show that took place in Indio, California, earlier this month.

The comedian expressed that he wanted to focus on his creative work and that he would refrain from discussing Smith's actions unless he received a substantial sum of money.

He stated via Deadline: 'I'm OK, I have a whole show and I'm not talking about that until I get paid.'

The performer noted that he was doing well despite the controversy, stating: 'Life is good. I got my hearing back.'
Karl Stefanovic returned to Channel Nine's once-embattled Today show in 2020.

But the 47-year-old host could be preparing to step up into a new role two years after coming back to the breakfast show.

According to Woman's Day, Karl could be swapping breakfast TV for the boardroom.

Moving on? Today Show host Karl Stefanovic is ready to 'step up into a new role' - two years after returning to the Channel Nine breakfast show

'He's committed to getting people back into regional Australia  last week he was in country Victoria and NSW with the charity Gotcha4Life's Mateship Miles Roadshow  he's passionate about this sort of stuff,' an insider told the publication.

However, Karl will continue to report on the big stories for the Today show, while also working at 60 Minutes.

Channel Nine refused to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.

Next role: According to Woman's Day, Karl could be swapping breakfast TV for the boardroom. He will continue to report on the big stories for Today show, while also working at 60 Minutes. Pictured Karl and co-host Allison Langdon

Karl was infamously sacked from the Today show in December 2018, before being rehired a year later after viewers didn't warm to his replacements.

Earlier this month, it was reported Channel Nine had sent Karl to Switzerland to help the network land broadcast rights to three upcoming Olympic Games.

He was dispatched to the Central European country with a handful of top executives to help 'seal the deal', reported Mumbrella.

New faces of Today! Karl was infamously sacked from the Today show in December 2018, before being rehired a year later after viewers didn't warm to his replacements

Nine is hoping to score a major coup over Channel Seven by taking its mantle as Australia's exclusive Olympics broadcaster.

The proposed deal would include coverage of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, the 2028 Summer Olympics in LA, and the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane.

Seven had the broadcast rights to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, which took place earlier this year, and the Tokyo 2020 Games.

The network paid an incredible $170million to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to secure rights for the past three Games.
Kim Kardashian took to Instagram on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the Armenian genocide with throwback photos of her 2019 visit to the homeland.

The reality TV star released a poignant statement, writing, 'Today is the 107th anniversary of the #ArmenianGenocide. Let's all stand together & remember the 1.5 million people who were massacred.'

The SKIMS founder, 41, also expressed her pride in America, adding, 'I'm so proud that America recognizes the Armenian genocide #NeverForget.'

Homeland: Kim Kardashian took to Instagram on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the Armenian genocide with throwback photos of her 2019 visit to the homeland: Pictured with her kids North, eight, Saint, six, Chicago, four, and Psalm, two

The Armenian ancestors are on the Kardashians' father's side - his family emigrated to the United States from an area that now lies in Turkey.

Kim visited the land with her kids North, eight, Saint, six, Chicago, four, and Psalm, two, who she shares with ex-husband Kanye West, 44.

Also present on the trip was her sister Kourtney, 43, and her little ones, Mason, 12, Penelope, nine, and Reign, seven, who she shares with ex-boyfriend Scott Disick, 38.

Remembering: The reality TV star released a poignant statement, writing, 'Let's all stand together & remember the 1.5 million people who were massacred'

What was the Armenian Genocide? The Armenian genocide was the systematic killing and deportation of Armenians by the Turks of the Ottoman Empire. In 1915, during World War I, leaders of the Turkish government set in motion a plan to expel and massacre Armenians. By the early 1920s, when the massacres and deportations finally ended, between 600,000 and 1.5 million Armenians were dead, with many more forcibly removed from the country. Today, most historians call this event a genocide: a premeditated and systematic campaign to exterminate an entire people. On April 24, 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a declaration that the Ottoman Empires slaughter of Armenian civilians was genocide. However, the Turkish government still does not acknowledge the scope of these events. SOURCE: HISTORY.COM Advertisement

During the trip the star and her children were baptized at Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Armenia's main cathedral.

In one beautiful photo, the businesswoman was dressed in a traditional floor-length black gown and a large silver necklace as she posed with all her kids.

She looked glamorous as ever for the occasion, wearing perfect makeup and wore her long raven tresses parted in the middle and cascading down her shoulders.

In yet another snap she was seen posing in front of a mountain view with her sister as well as North and Penelope.

Family: Also present on the trip was her sister Kourtney, 43, and her little ones, Mason, 12, Penelope, nine, and Reign, seven, who she shares with ex-boyfriend Scott Disick, 38

Stunning: In yet another snap she was seen posing in front of a mountain view, with her sister as well as North and Penelope

Kourtney donned a matching dress and necklace for the occasion, while their daughters also sported black dresses.

Additionally, North had on a gorgeous silver headband and metallic necklace.

Kim then shared another important memory of The Keeping Up With the Kardashian stars meeting with Armen Sarkissian, who was the Armenian President at the time.

The ladies put on their power suits for the special occasion, with Kim wearing a chic black velvet suit and heels.

Kourtney sported a similar look, wearing a dark suit and a white T-shirt underneath her blazer.

With the President: Kim shared another important memory of The Keeping Up With the Kardashian stars meeting with Armen Sarkissian, who was the Armenian President at the time

Paying their respects: In another beautiful photo Kim, Kourtney, Mason and Penelope laid flowers at the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex in Tsitsernakaberd, Yerevan

Eternal flame: An eternal flame is situated in the centre of the memorial, which is dedicated to those who lost their lives

Another beautiful throwback snap featured Kim, Kourtney, Mason and Penelope as they laid flowers at the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex in Tsitsernakaberd, Yerevan.

The memorial is made up of twelve slabs, which are positioned in a circle and they represent the twelve lost provinces in Turkey.

An eternal flame is situated in the centre, which is dedicated to those who lost their lives.

Kim first visited the site on April 24, 2015, the 100th anniversary of the deaths, where she lay red roses.
Rebecca Gibney penned a sweet tribute to her late father Austin on the 40th anniversary of his death.

The Packed to the Rafters star, 57, took to Instagram to reflect on her sometimes rocky relationship with her dad.

'40 years ago today we said goodbye to you Dad. If only you had known how loved you were - how we all desperately wanted you to be the Dad we knew you could have been,' she wrote.

Packed to the Rafters star Rebecca Gibney, 57, (pictured) has penned a sweet tribute to her late father Austin on the 40th anniversary of his death

'I choose to remember the good times. The Sunday roasts, the music and the laughter. As Irish as they come.  And I can feel that in my bones.

'Love you Dad. And still miss you even after all this time,' she continued alongside a photo of her mother Shirley gazing at her father.

Rebecca grew up in a large family as the youngest of six, revealing to the publication her angry alcoholic father would regularly abuse their mother Shirley.

'If only you had known how loved you were - how we all desperately wanted you to be the Dad we knew you could have been,' she wrote alongside a photo of her father Austin (left) with her mother Shirley (right)

Shirley would protect Rebecca and her siblings, so that their father Austin would target her and not them, she told Woman's Day back in 2017.

'She'd always shut the doors... So you'd hear the yelling and the shouting and the slapping, but you'd never actually see it,' the actress remarked.

After the incident, and Austin's sudden death at age 51, the effects lingered: 'I saw a psychiatrist twice a week. I was on valium and in a dark place for quite a while,' she revealed.

The effects lingered: After father Austin's sudden death at age 51, the effects lingered: 'I saw a psychiatrist twice a week. I was on valium and in a dark place for quite a while,' the Packed To The Rafters star revealed in an interview

Shirley is alive and well today and is regularly featured on her daughter's Instagram, who has described her as 'the most incredible woman on the planet.'

'The world is a kinder place because of her,' she added in a social media post.

The impacts of such a traumatic upbringing resulted in self-esteem issues for the Gold Logie winner, and invigorated her to help others who have experienced domestic violence.
Nicolas Cage was revealed to have almost not played himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent during an interview with the feature's writers that was published by The Hollywood Reporter on Friday.

Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten, who co-wrote the project's screenplay, discussed several aspects of the film's production process during their sit-down with the media outlet.

The filmmakers made a point of expressing that they initially expected that the movie's 58-year-old star would be apprehensive about the project as a whole.

High stakes: Nicolas Cage was revealed to have almost not played himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent during an interview with the feature's writer that was published by The Hollywood Reporter on Friday

Etten recalled that 'we were told that Nick has done these projects before and he's not wild about Nick as Nick. And we weren't two guys who had a huge body of work that you could point to and be like, "No, trust us."'

Gormican, who also directed the feature, expressed that 'we aren't Spike Jonze,' referencing the director's feature Being John Malkovich, in which the actor of the same name portrayed himself.

Jonze also directed Cage in Adaptation, in which he played screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and his fictional twin brother Donald.

Gormican then stated that, although many studios were interested in the project, most were concerned about the star's commitment to the film.

Making deals: Etten recalled that 'we were told that Nick has done these projects before and he's not wild about Nick as Nick. And we weren't two guys who had a huge body of work that you could point to and be like, "No, trust us"'

Making it work: Gormican then stated that, although many studios were interested in the project, most were concerned about the star's commitment to the film; he is seen with Cage and Etten earlier this month

He recalled that 'there's an asterisk on all of this, meaning, if he doesn't want to do it, your sale goes away. Like, "By the way, we don't want this f****** thing if he's not in it."'

The filmmaker also remarked that Cage's involvement with the project was integral to its success.

'There is no other version of it. When he was reading the script it was like this sort of double anxiety. It's not like if he doesn't do it, we'll offer it to somebody else. It was gone,' he stated.

Etten went on to note that a set of alternatives for the actor were later brought up during the development process.

No substitutions: The filmmaker also remarked that Cage's involvement with the project was integral to its success

'The only actually good idea  I don't know whose it was  was to have either Christian Bale or Daniel Day-Lewis playing Nick Cage,' he recalled.

Gormican then spoke about why he and his collaborator were interested in the personality of the movie's lead.

'There's an authenticity, and he feels like a person who just does what he wants without regard to how it's going to be received.'

The Massive Weight of Unbearable Talent was centered on a fictional version of Cage being forced to rescue his ex-wife and daughter after becoming involved with the CIA while attending a billionaire's birthday party.

Storyline: The Massive Weight of Unbearable Talent was centered on a fictional version of Cage being forced to rescue his ex-wife and daughter after becoming involved with the CIA while attending a billionaire's birthday party

Other performers who appeared in the feature include Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish and Neil Patrick Harris.

The feature premiered at the South by Southwest festival in March, and it was given a wide release in the United States this past Friday.

The flick has since received widespread acclaim from critics, many of whom praised Cage's performance.
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, is urging Washington to pay attention to the realities at the border as the Biden administration prepares to rescind the Title 42 public health order that permits for accelerated deportation of migrants due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Cuellar, whose district contains a portion of the southern border, is one of several Democrats who oppose President Biden's decision, warning that it might have major consequences on Fox News Sunday.

Cuellar Urges Biden Administration To Extend Title 42

Cuellar said he recently spoke with residents living near the border who were anxious about the lifting of Title 42. The congressman defended his constituents' fears by claiming that eliminating Title 42 would send a clear message to criminal groups. Rep. Henry Cuellar had previously stated in the interview that 60% of Border Patrol personnel were stationed in border processing facilities rather than in the field at the border, according to Fox News.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has the power to activate Title 42, confirmed earlier this month that the program will be phased down on May 23. The public health policy authorizes immigration authorities to deport individuals who enter the country illegally without having their asylum requests heard.

If a person crosses the border and expresses fear of returning to their home country, the long asylum procedure begins immediately under Title 8 of the immigration code. The congress is considering bipartisan legislation to prevent the administration from terminating Title 42 before the White House lifts the public health emergency.

With 221, 303 interactions in March alone, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) set a new record for the number of apprehensions. This was a record-breaking amount, surpassing the previous high of 213,593 set in July 2021.

Read Also: Joe Biden Disputes Vladimir Putin's Claims That Russia Takes Control of Mariupol, Sends $800 Million More Aide to Ukraine

Sen. Ron Johnson Expresses Concern on Border Policies

There are growing concerns that the removal of Title 42 will coincide with the peak season for illegal immigration in the Spring and Summer months. CBP has captured almost 2.4 million migrants crossing the southern border since Biden assumed office in late January 2021.

According to some projections, after Title 42 is withdrawn next month, the current migrant crossing rate of 8,000 per day might increase to 18,000 per day. Moreover, other organizations claim that hundreds of thousands of migrants are already on the verge of crossing the border if the policy is no longer enforced, Daily Mail reported.

Meanwhile, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) accused President Biden of causing a calamity by opening the country's borders, alleging that the administration's immigration policies encourage human traffickers. Johnson chastised the Trump administration for preparing to repeal Title 42, a Trump-era program that allows for the mass deportation of almost 2 million people.

Republicans have decried the decision and launched a lawsuit in an attempt to compel the White House to leave the order in place, while some moderate Democrats believe the action would damage their party ahead of the November midterm elections.

Lifting Title 42, according to the CBP commissioner, will certainly increase interactions with immigrants along the southern border. Johnson believes that the vast majority of ordinary Americans want stringent border measures. In 2021, US border agents made a record 1.9 million arrests, as per New York Post.

Relate Article: Viral Video of Joe Biden Shaking Hands With Thin Air Gets Debunked by PolitiFact; Here's What Happened

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Home and Away star Georgie Parker has spoken about struggling to deal with fame at the height of her TV career.

The 57-year-old actress told TV Week, she felt the burden of juggling her career and being a new mum.

'I got married and become a mum when I won the first Gold Logie. I was split between a lot of things  it was a very stressful time,' she said.

'It wasn't part of my plan': Home and Away star Georgie Parker (pictured) has admitted she struggled to deal with fame at the height of her career

'The struggle I had was that I'd never chased that kind of success, so when I got it, I was doing it more because I wanted the show to succeed.'

Georgie married her husband Steve Worland in 1999 and the couple welcomed their daughter Holly in 2000.

The actress returned to filming All Saints when her daughter Holly was just 17 weeks old.

'I got married and become a mum when I won the first Gold Logie. I was split between a lot of things  it was a very stressful time,' she said

She said she had to learn to create 'some gentle boundaries' to keep her family life away from the spotlight.

'When I became successful on TV, I had to rethink everything, because it wasn't part of my plan. I just wanted to work. Being recognised was a bit of an obstacle.'

Georgie shot to fame for her roles in Australian drama series All Saints and A Country Practice.

Balance: Georgie married her writer husband Steve Worland in 1999 and the couple welcomed their daughter Holly in 2000. The actress returned to filming All Saints when her daughter Holly was just 17 weeks old

The home-grown star has won seven Logie Awards in total.

But her biggest achievement was taking home the highly acclaimed Gold Logie in both 2000 and 2001.

She joined the cast of Home And Away in 2010 to revive character Ruth 'Roo' Stewart on the popular TV drama, which was originally played by Justine Clarke.
Jared Padalecki's condition is improving after surviving what his Supernatural co-star Jensen Ackles called a 'very bad car accident.'

The actor, 39, missed a Supernatural fan convention this weekend because of the incident.

'I miss my buddy,' Ackles, 44, told the crowd on Sunday. '[Padalecki] sends his love. I spoke with him yesterday. Hes sad he cant be here.'

On the mend: Jared Padalecki's condition is improving after surviving what his Supernatural co-star Jensen Ackles called a 'very bad car accident' (Padalecki pictured 2019)

The Smallville actor then told the gathered crowd that the Gilmore Girls star was going to be alright before sharing more specific details.

'He was in a very bad car accident,' he said. 'He wasnt driving. He was in the passenger seat, and hes lucky to be alive.'

The Rust actor continued, 'That airbag packs a punch. Hes like, "I feel like I went 12 rounds with [Mike] Tyson." But he is doing OK, and hes moving around. But yeah, [it was a] really, really bad car accident. Just keep him in your thoughts, send him some love if you get a chance on social and hell be back with us soon.'

Giving an update: The actor, 39, missed a Supernatural fan convention this weekend because of the incident, according to Ackles (left, from Supernatural season 15)

More than a fender bender: 'He was in a very bad car accident,' he said. 'He wasnt driving. He was in the passenger seat, and hes lucky to be alive' (pictured 2019)

The Texas native announced he would not be able to make it to the convention in a tweet on Thursday but didn't specify why at the time.

'Hey #SpnFamily! Sorry to miss yall in NYC [sic] this weekend. Thank you and the #WalkerFamily for all the love and support. Cant wait to see yall again. [prayer hands emoji, red heart emoji],' the tweet read.

Padalecki played Sam Winchester on for all 15 season of Supernatural while Ackles played his brother Dean. They each appeared in 327 episodes.

Giving the news: The Texas native announced he would not be able to make it to the convention in a tweet on Thursday but didn't specify why not at the time

Longtime co-stars: Padalecki played Sam Winchester on for all 15 season of Supernatural while Ackles played his brother Dean. They each appeared in 327 episodes (L to R: Ackles, Misha Collins facing camera, Padalecki)

Currently, Padalecki plays a major role in the television show Walker.

Walker follows a widowed father who tries to reconnect with his children while also growing suspicious of his wife's death.

The show, in its second season, stars Burn Notice actor Coby Bell, Shameless actor Jeff Pierre and Pretty Little Liars star Keegan Allen.

New episodes come out Thursdays on the CW.
Grace

Rating:

Our Changing Planet

Rating:

There aren't many UK cities left without their own maverick detectives and an unlimited supply of serial killers.

Bath has McDonald & Dodds, Leeds has DCI Banks, Oxford has Morse, of course, and even Lerwick in Shetland has Jimmy Perez.

The Scots, in fact, excel, with Rebus in Edinburgh and Taggart in Glasgow, which leaves the Welsh with some catching up to do. I'm waiting to see crime shows set in 'Cardeath' and 'Murder Tydfil'.

There's no shortage of gruesome remains in Brighton, where John Simm returns as a superintendent with a taste for the supernatural, in Grace (ITV). Four more full-length adaptations, based on the books by Peter James, began with a gang staging online murders for a global audience to stream.

Roy Grace spends much of his free time trudging morosely along the sea shore. We can only hope he avoids Brighton's stretches of nudist beach. The nation isn't ready for a frisky, bare-bottomed detective  Inspector Sauce.

There's no shortage of gruesome remains in Brighton, where John Simm returns as a superintendent with a taste for the supernatural, in Grace (ITV). John Simm is pictured as DS Roy Grace with Richie Campbell as DS Branson

When he isn't brooding on his missing wife, who disappeared years ago, Grace visits a medium. Despite regular reprimands from his boss, he likes to borrow items of jewellery from murder and kidnap victims, for psychic analysis.

Paranormal Harry (Adrian Rawlins) didn't get much screen time. The sidekicks fared worse than the psychic  DS Glenn (Richie Campbell) was wounded in a shootout with the cyber-killers, and DC Emma Jane (Amaka Okafor) was left in a coma after a hit-and-run. That creates space for the newest member of the team, former vice squad copper 'Storming' Norman Potting, played by Line Of Duty's Craig Parkinson.

In the books, Potting is an unrepentant bigot  racist, sexist, everything-ist. He makes Bernard Manning look woke. He and his gaffer clash constantly: 'If you make one more racist or homophobic remark I'm going to have you suspended,' Grace warns in the book. On screen, Potting says nothing racist or anti-gay, because nowadays nobody knows where fiction ends and hate crime begins.

Parkinson is such an exceptional actor, though, that he doesn't have to say anything. One look at his face and you know his character is thinking something so ripe that breathing a single word could trigger disciplinary proceedings.

Four more full-length adaptations, based on the books by Peter James, began with a gang staging online murders for a global audience to stream

The plot itself felt hackneyed and elderly. Nothing dates faster than technology, and this story, revolving around a flash drive for a laptop computer, was clearly dreamed up years ago.

But with a cast as strong as this, plot is secondary. Simm is always compelling  and fans will be delighted he's reuniting with Philip Glenister on a follow-up to the time-travel police serial Life On Mars. The new show is to be called Lazarus.

Chris Packham's new show, Our Changing Planet (BBC1), is more concerned with whether there will still be Life On Earth.

His team of presenters plan to monitor ecological tipping points round the world over the next seven years, to gauge the effects of climate change.

On at 7pm, the series is aimed at a young audience, which meant awkward attempts at adolescent humour.

Steve Backshall went scuba diving with 'condoms for coral reefs' (handheld nets to catch young coral cells) while Ella Al-Shamahi worried about eating snake and rat in Cambodia.

Chris Packham's new show, Our Changing Planet (BBC1), is more concerned with whether there will still be Life On Earth. His team of presenters plan to monitor ecological tipping points round the world over the next seven years, to gauge the effects of climate change

Chris joined whale-watching scientists who used drones to scoop up 'whale snot'  the spray from a humpback's spout.

'I think that might be the coolest bit of science I've ever seen,' Steve crowed, as a researcher scanned a pregnant manta-ray with an underwater ultrasound device.

The locations were beautiful, the intentions laudable, but it was all a little childish.

Finale flop of the weekend: Luke Jennings, whose novels inspired Killing Eve (BBC1), admits he was 'never going to love everything' about the TV version.

But he must be fuming at the dire ending, which had assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer) killed by an unseen sniper. What a cop-out.
Ashley Graham showed off her postpartum body in revealing new images shared to her Instagram on Sunday.

The 34-year-old model wore nothing but black underwear as she covered her ample cleavage with her arm in two daring bathroom selfies that showcased her post-birth curves.

The star, who gave birth to twin sons three months ago, wrote in the caption: 'Hi, new tummy. Weve been through a lot. Thank you. #3monthspostpartum.'

Postpartum: Ashley Graham showed off her postpartum body in revealing new images shared to her Instagram on Sunday

Ashley welcomed twins, Malachi and Roman, on January 7. Graham and her husband Justin Ervin - who she's been married to since 2010 - also share an older son, Isaac, who is two.

In the images, the former Lane Bryant model has her brunette tresses pulled into a bun.

The beauty is also seen wearing a gold pendant around her neck, as well as gold earrings and rings on her fingers.

Baring it all: The 34-year-old model wore nothing but black underwear, as she covered her ample cleavage with her arm in two bathroom selfies

In yet another image she is seen gripping her tummy up close with her fingers.

The brunette bombshell received a multitude of positive responses on her post from fans and friends.

Danish supermodel Helena Christensen, 53, wrote, 'Amazing the lives you've created and carried and pushed into the world,' adding three red heart emojis.

Tummy appreciation: The star, who gave birth to twin sons three months ago, wrote in the caption: 'Hi, new tummy. Weve been through a lot. Thank you. #3monthspostpartum'

Baby joy: Roman and his twin brother, Malachi, were born to the American Beauty Star host on January 7. Ashley's oldest son, Isaac, is two

Meanwhile actress Freida Pinto, 37, wrote, 'And that tummy has the most beautiful, wholesome stories to tell.'

Former Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, 37, also chimed in, writing, 'Always beautiful inside and out.'

While many other fans praised the beauty for her transparency about her body and her experience with pregnancy.

The busy mom of three has been very open about the changes taking place in her body before and after giving birth.

Funny gal: She recently opened up about postpartum hair loss in a funny video posted to her Instagram Stories

She recently opened up about postpartum hair loss in a funny video posted to her Instagram Stories.

In the humorous clip she is seen belting out a parody of the Carrie Underwood hit Jesus Take the Wheel, with her own take on the lyrics.

'Jesus take the wheel, take it from my hands, 'cause my hair is comin', it's comin' out, 'cause I'm three months postpartum.'
Bindi Irwin has shared an adorable clip of daughter Grace Warrior, one, saying the words 'sea turtle' for Australia Zoo.

The mother-of-one, 23, shared a clip to Instagram on Monday of herself releasing the marine animal back in the wild.

The excitable toddler could be seen standing on a deck with her pointing out to the water: 'sea turtle,' she said.

Look who's talking?! Bindi Irwin has shared a cute clip of Grace Warrior, one, (pictured) saying 'sea turtle' on Instagram during a mission for Australia Zoo to release the marine animal

'The cutest. I love this video so much. Listen closely to what Grace says while she's looking out at the water,' Bindi wrote.

'On our sea turtle release day she accidentally said 'sea turtle'. Can you hear it?'

It comes just days after the conservationist shared a sweet photo to Instagram, showing Grace walking along with her mother's help.

In the image, the tot held onto Bindi who beamed at her with pride, as she took some unsteady baby steps.

Chatty: 'The cutest. I love this video so much. Listen closely to what Grace says while she's looking out at the water,' Bindi wrote. 'On our sea turtle release day she accidentally said 'sea turtle'. Can you hear it?'

Bindi captioned the adorable photograph: 'Evenings @australiazoo with my little love.'

Bindi shared another touching moment with her daughter last week.

The Wildlife Warrior introduced her toddler to a white cockatoo named Occa who her late father Steve Irwin had rescued more than 20 years ago.

Aww! Bindi shared a sweet photo to Instagram last week, showing Grace walking along with her mother's help. Both pictured

While Steve tragically died filming a wildlife documentary in 2006, Occa is still alive and well today, and is already forming a bond with his one-year-old granddaughter.

Bindi shared a photo to Instagram of Grace meeting Occa at the zoo, telling her followers: 'Every time he talks to her, she beams with happiness.'

The picture showed a smiling Grace, joined by her grandmother Terri Irwin, chatting to Occa as the majestic bird rested on Bindi's arm.

Family bond: The Wildlife Warrior recently introduced her toddler to a white cockatoo named Occa who her late father Steve Irwin had rescued. Pictured with mother Terri Irwin

Animal magnetism: Steve, known to millions around the world as 'the Crocodile Hunter', had rescued the bird more than 20 years ago. Steve Irwin is pictured

Family: Bindi and her husband Chandler Powell (left), a former professional wakeboarder, welcomed their daughter on March 25, 2021

Bindi, who lives with her family on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, then shared a photo of a young Occa with her late father Steve.

The conservationist also posted another throwback of herself as a little girl holding Occa with a protective sleeve on her arm.

Steve died in September 2006 after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland.

Bindi and her husband Chandler Powell, 25, a former professional wakeboarder, welcomed their daughter on March 25, 2021, which was their one-year wedding anniversary.
Luke Packham and his fiancee Olivia welcomed their first child - a baby girl named Mia on March 25.

And on Monday, The Block star took to Instagram to share a sweet photo alongside his adorable newborn daughter as they celebrated a milestone.

'One month loving you, my gorgeous girl ' he captioned the post.

So sweet! The Block's Luke Packham shared a a new photo posing alongside his adorable newborn daughter Mia while celebrating a milestone moment on Monday

Luke and his lawyer partner announced the arrival of their first child on March 29.

At the time, he shared a photo of the newborn clasping his finger, writing: 'Our little Mia Jessica Packham was born yesterday!'

'She is healthy and doing great. We love her so very much! I will be uploading some photos of her in the near future,' he continued.

Baby joy! Luke and his lawyer partner announced the arrival of their first child on March 29

Alongside a photo of the newborn clasping his finger, he old wrote: 'Our little Mia Jessica Packham was born yesterday!'

The couple revealed last year that they were expecting their first child together.

'It wasn't planned but we always said, "If it happens, it happens", and that's how we've approached the situation, but we were both stoked when we found out,' the Love Island Australia star gushed to Woman's Day magazine.

Luke and Olivia became engaged in October last year, and were originally planning to tie the knot in late 2021.

Getting married: Luke announced his engagement to Olivia last year in October, sharing this sweet photo of himself and his new fiancee

Luke announced his engagement to Olivia during a diving expedition in Byron Bay last year, sharing the news on Instagram with a heartfelt post.

'Took this girl diving today and popped the question at the bottom of the ocean! Was a moment I will remember forever,' he wrote next to a photo of the couple embracing on a boat.

Olivia proudly showed off her new diamond ring, while also holding a laminated piece of paper that read: 'OLIVIA JESSICA KISS you make me the happiest man. WILL YOU MARRY ME?'
Top model Romee Strijd is giving her 7.3 million Instagram fans and followers a glimpse at her fabulous figure in a series of new posts.

On Sunday, the Netherland native struck a number of poses in olive-green lingerie, consisting of a bra and underwear combination from the Lounge Underwear brand.

Serving as one of the faces of Lounge underwear, the blonde beauty began her Instagram action by captioning a photo of herself: 'Bathroom selfie in @loungeunderwear.'

Revealing: Top model Romee Strijd, 26, struck a 'bathroom selfie' as part of several Instagram posts dressed in olive-green lingerie from the Lounge Underwear brand

The photograph shows Strijd, 26, standing in front of a a bathroom sink, which she shared was taken in West Hollywood.

With her one hand reaching across her body, touching her hip, the Dutch model flashed a seductive stare as she held her camera phone up by her face.

She rounded out her overall look with her blonde tresses styled long and flowing over her shoulders and chest region, with aded volume, and part slightly off to the side.

Strike a pose: The Dutch model professed to 'love this color @loungeunderwear' in another post of herself in the olive-green lingerie that she shared on her Instagram Stories

There's another picture of Strijd on that same patio with her head looking down as she pulls her long locks back off of her face with three white heart emojis in the caption

She professed to 'love this color @loungeunderwear' in another post of herself in the olive-green lingerie that she shared on her Instagram Stories.

The image shows her posing at a side angle on on the patio of a high-rise home, seemingly with Los Angeles in the backdrop.

There's another picture of Strijd on that same patio with her head looking down as she pulls her long locks back off of her face with three white heart emojis in the caption.

Earlier on Sunday, the model took to Instagram to recognize a family birthday.

Family birthday: Earlier on Sunday, the model took to Instagram to recognize a family birthday

'Happy birthday sis @plien,' she captioned the photo of herself with another blonde beauty, Pauline.

Strijd has been in a relationship with Laurens van Leeuwen, son of television presenter Bert van Leeuwen, since January 2010.

The couple announced their engagement this past January with a photo of van Leeuwe on one knee popping the question during a trip to Switzerland with a huge solitaire diamond ring.

The pair are the proud parent of a daughter Mint, who arrived on Planet Earth in December 2020.
Rebecca Gibney depicted a grieving wartime mother in a short film directed by her teenage son Zac Bell for Anzac Day.

The 57-year-old actress shared the film on Instagram on Monday, explaining it had been written, directed and produced by Zac.

'In honour of Anzac Day here is Zac's short film, Dearest Mother. Written, directed and produced by @zacpuff,' she said of the 18-year-old's film.

Lest we forget: Rebecca Gibney depicted a grieving wartime mother in a short film directed by her teenage son Zac Bell for Anzac Day

'In his words over 130,000 men lost their lives at Gallipoli They all had mothers. Lest We Forget. #anzacday #weshallrememberthem'.

The film appears to have been set during World War I, and shows Rebecca as a mother, reading letters from her young son on the frontline.

As she sits down to reply, she's overwhelmed by the sound of gunshots, rendering her unable to write.

Talented teen: The 57-year-old actress shared the film on Instagram on Monday, explaining it had been written, directed and produced by her son, Zac Bell (left)

Her final letter from her son details his terror as he describes the deteriorating conditions at Anzac Cove.

The film then ends with Rebecca standing on a deserted beach, as she envisions her son, Harry, walking towards her.

She embraces him, only for it to be revealed that Harry had died at war, with his mother seen sobbing as she wraps her arms around herself.

Bright future: Zac also shared the moving video on his Instagram page, sharing the film's outro in his caption: 'Over 130,000 Men Lost Their Lives At Gallipoli, They All Had Mothers'

Zac also shared the moving video on his Instagram page, sharing the film's outro in his caption: 'Over 130,000 Men Lost Their Lives At Gallipoli, They All Had Mothers.'

'In honour of Anzac Day here is a Short Film I made last year titled "Dearest Mother". Lest We Forget,' he added.

Rebecca shares Zac with her husband of 21 years, production designer Richard Bell.

Following in her footsteps: In January, she revealed the talented teen was leaving home to study at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in Wellington

In January, she revealed the talented teen was leaving home to study at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in Wellington.

'So just arrived in Wellington to find a flat for our boy who's leaving the nest to start studying at Toi - his childhood dream. We are so proud but When did that happen??' she wrote on Instagram at the time.

'I knew it was coming but not sure I'm ready so to all those new mums who are missing sleep and wondering when it will end - trust me - it goes way too quick. Enjoy every single moment. Love this boy beyond'
Hilaria Baldwin took to Instagram on Sunday to share her thoughts on online mob mentality, cancel culture, and how it can lead to suicide.

The yoga expert, 38, posted a series of clips to her Stories, saying, 'We're driving people to the place where they want to commit suicide, where they're losing their mental health.'

Hilaria's message comes months after her husband Alec Baldwin, 64, was on the receiving end of an online backlash after he fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins last year on the set of his movie, Rust.

Speaking out: Hilaria Baldwin, 38, took to Instagram on Sunday to share her thoughts on online mob mentality, cancel culture, and how it can lead to suicide

Backlash: Hilaria's message comes months after her husband Alec Baldwin, 64, was on the receiving end of an online backlash after he fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his movie, Rust, in October 2021: Pictured in 2020

The author started out her message by telling her followers that they should privately reach out to anyone that may be at the center of an online mob attack.

'If you see somebody getting attacked by the online mob, or any kind of cancel culture, instead of scrolling past, or worst, getting involved, reach out to them and just tell them that you support them as a human,' she said.

'You don't have to agree with them a 100%, you don't even have to even understand what they're attacking them for,' she went on.

Serious: The yoga expert posted a series of clips to her Stories, saying, 'We're driving people to the place where they want to commit suicide, where they're losing their mental health'

The brunette beauty added that it's impossible to please everyone at the same time, and that we should not judge others based on partial information.

'This idea of nitpicking, and having partial information, and taking things out of context, or even when people completely disappoint you. It is not for us to be judging everybody all the time.'

'It's absolutely impossible to make absolutely everybody happy, and to be in alignment with everybody. We're more divided than ever.'

Reach out: The author started out her message by telling her followers that they should privately reach out to anyone that may be at the center of an online mob attack

Partial information: The brunette beauty added that it's impossible to please everyone at the same time, and that we should not judge others based on partial information

Hilaria - who is currently expecting her seventh child with the Glengarry Glen Ross actor - wrapped-up her message by stating that an online attack is a form of mental torture and can lead the victim to thoughts of suicide.

'But I can tell you, that this kind of attack is mental torture. As humans, we are not built for it. We're driving each other crazy, we're driving people to the place where they want to commit suicide, where they're losing their mental health,' she said.

'And this is not fair. It's not good. So reach out to them and just tell them that you're thinking about them to try to stabilize them.'

Mental torture: Hilaria wrapped-up her message by stating that an online attack is a form of mental torture and can lead the victim to thoughts of suicide

Not built for it: 'But I can tell you, that this kind of attack is mental torture. As humans, we are not built for it,' she said

Hilaria's husband has certainly experienced much online criticism after Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza injured in October 2021, as Baldwin rehearsed a scene with what he believed to be a safe gun.

The actor issued a statement on Wednesday, shortly after New Mexican Occupational Health and Safety Bureau officials levied the maximum fine against the producers of Rust.

Executive producers were hit with a $136,793 film - the maximum available. Baldwin himself was a producer, but highlighted a passage in the investigation which said that he was involved in the script and casting - but not safety procedures.

Baldwin, who has argued that he did not know the gun was loaded when it was handed to him by the film's assistant director David Halls, issued a statement that touted the scathing report as a victory.

Alec issued a statement on Wednesday, after New Mexican Occupational Health and Safety Bureau officials levied the maximum fine against producers of Rust, highlighting a passage in the investigation which said that he was not involved in safety procedures; Sign pointing to the set of Rust

'We are grateful to the New Mexico Occupational and Safety Bureau for investigating this matter. We appreciate that the report exonerates Mr. Baldwin by making clear that he believed the gun held only dummy rounds.

'Additionally, the report recognizes that Mr. Baldwin's authority on the production was limited to approving script changes and creative casting. Mr. Baldwin had no authority over the matters that were the subject of the Bureau's findings of violations, and we are pleased that the New Mexico officials have clarified these critical issues.'

The statement concluded: 'We are confident that the individuals identified in the report will be held accountable for this tragedy.'
Big Brother's Christie Murphy married Jamie Martin in Mexico on Saturday.

The star and her blushing bride threw on a pair of gorgeous white gowns and enjoyed an evening full of dancing, laughter and love.

Murphy donned a low-cut lacy wedding dress that pushed up her ample cleavage.

Happy days: Big Brother's Christie Murphy married Jamie Martin in Mexico on Saturday

Her dirty blonde hair was parted in the middle, and she held a bouquet in her right hand.

Her better half wore a more solid white dress with gold accents underneath her arms.

During the ceremony, she donned a long veil that trailed down her back and fell almost all the way to the floor.

Dancing: The happy couple then moved happily together for their first dance at the reception to Calum Scott's Biblical

Big moment for Murphy: Murphy told Us Weekly that their first dance was probably her 'favorite moment'

Adoring eyes: The pair held tightly to one another as they whirled and twirled around the dance floor, gazing deeply into one another's eyes

The happy couple then moved happily together for their first dance at the reception to Calum Scott's Biblical.

Murphy told Us Weekly that their first dance was probably her 'favorite moment.'

The pair held tightly to each other as they whirled and twirled around the dance floor, gazing deeply their partner's eyes.

Moving a bit quicker: Later on, the pair turned up the tempo quite a bit and, while they still dance together, they backed away from each other to give themselves a bit more room

Leaning in close: The pair seemed to be leaning in for a smooch at one point while they moved their bodies

Spray of color: People banged on steel drums and watched as multi-colored dyes flew up into the air and glowed vibrantly under the assorted black lights

Later on, the pair turned up the tempo quite a bit and, while they still dance together, they backed away from each other to give themselves a bit more room to move.

People banged on steel drums and watched as multi-colored dyes flew up into the air and glowed vibrantly under the assorted black lights.

While the pair seemed to really enjoy themselves during the event, it was more for show than to actually get married.

Was it necessary? While the pair seemed to really enjoy themselves during the event, it was more for show than to actually get married

Married in court: The duo actually obtained a marriage certificate back in December and held a small ceremony in front of a judge in New Jersey

Family wedding: Only their immediate families, and their dogs Ruffles and Beans, were in attendance back then

The duo actually obtained a marriage certificate back in December and held a small ceremony in front of a judge in New Jersey.

Only their immediate families, and their dogs, Ruffles and Beans, were in attendance back then.

This time around the newlyweds' ceremony was attended by Christie's season 21 housemates, including Analyse Talavera, Nick Maccarone and Tommy Bracco.

Bracco, also a Broadway star, took to Instagram to congratulate his friend.

Enjoying the wedding: Broadway star and Christie's Big Brother housemate Tommy Bracco posted several pictures from the wedding

In the photo, the 31-year-old actor wrapped an arm around his buddy's waist. He donned a light-blue button down shirt and rested his other hand on her stomach.

'Truly an honor to witness this human, who is more special to me than words could describe, marry her SOULMATE!' he wrote in the caption. 'Dancing barefoot in the sand, celebrating this amazing couple, with my favorite people on the planet and then ending the night off raging in a rain storm in the jungle. This is one of those extra special moments that Ill treasure forever. #TulumBecomeOne.'

Murphy participated in the 21st season of Big Brother. She was evicted on day 79 and finished in sixth place. Jackson Michie ended up winning that season.
Switzerland stopped the delivery of Swiss-made ammunition for German infantry fighting vehicles that were supposed to be sent to Ukraine. The move stopped plans to re-export the ammunition to Ukraine, as reported last Sunday.

Volodymyr Zelensky's demand for more arms to stop a winning Russian army has divided the EU, all because of the Ukrainian who got support from Joe Biden.

Switzerland Halts Ammunition Delivery

The nation's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) mentioned that Switzerland stressed a neutral state and legislation forbidding arms deliveries to conflict zones, as a rule, according to RT News.

According to German media, Rheinmetall, a Dusseldorf-based automotive and arms business that makes Marder infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for the German Army, utilizes this ammunition.

Seco got two requests from Germany to transmit ammunition previously received from the Bern onto Ukraine, the secretariat revealed to the Swiss newspaper Sonntags Zeitung on Sunday.

They were canceled unilaterally not to jeopardize Swiss neutrality and the legislation's restrictive rejection criteria for military equipment, per Mass News.

Weaponry re-exports necessitate Bern's authorization, and arms deliveries to conflict zones are forbidden under Swiss law.

After Moscow began its military campaign in Ukraine, Switzerland joined anti-Russian sanctions in a rare break from its strict impartiality stance, but it has remained steadfast in its neutrality when it comes to military help like the export of Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine, noted Reuters.

Read Also: Volodymyr Zelensky Children: Does the Ukraine President Have Kids?

Swiss law only allows Bern consents to any deliveries to conflict zones. Though going along with Russia sanctions, the country still considers itself neutral.

The Swiss restriction on re-exporting ammunition has enraged Germany, according to reports, so it has allegedly made it almost impossible to transfer any Marder IFVs to Ukraine. Nevertheless, Berlin has never made any such intentions public.

The media says the refusal of Bern to send the ammo has made Germans angry because it is impossible to send any Marder IFVs to Ukraine, Berlin never announces it.

Germany Enraged by Restrictions

Poland is made at Germany for snubbing Kyiv, causing spats in the German cabinet.

Restriction on re-exporting ammunition has enraged Germany, according to reports, so it has allegedly made it almost impossible to transfer any Marder IFVs to Ukraine. Nevertheless, Berlin has never made any such intentions public.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz had previously stated that Germany would only supply proper and reasonable weapons to Kyiv. As Ukraine has frequently begged, no plans to deploy "offensive" weapons, such as tanks, had been made.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock then encouraged the West to provide Kyiv with heavy weaponry, suggesting that Scholz was to blame for not sending enough.

However, a group of lawmakers and public personalities, notably former MPs and an ex-UN assistant secretary-general, called on Berlin to stop providing military aid to Ukraine but instead strive to convince Kyiv to quit its armed resistance in the name of peace and discussion last Saturday.

Since then, the Kremlin has insisted that Ukraine proclaim itself a neutral country that will never join the NATO military alliance led by the United States. Ukraine believes the Russian offensive was unprovoked and refutes suggestions that it planned to recapture the two republics by force.

Switzerland and halting the export of Swiss-made ammunition affects the position of neutrality it has established; it is worrisome that disruptive elements are bullying Germany to join the mob.

Related Article: Vladimir Putin Declares Western Alliance Failed Economic Blitzkrieg Against Russia as It Backfired on Them Instead

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Married at First Sight star Steve Burley has been rushed to hospital for chest x-rays after suffering from a mystery infection.

The Melbourne star, 53, took to Instagram to talk about the his health - only to later let fans know he was released to go home.

'I've got a chest infection, might be pneumonia apparently, might be,' Steve said, from the hospital bed.

Chest infection: Married At First Sight star Steve Burley, 53, (pictured) was rushed to hospital for chest X-rays due to mystery infection on Monday

'I'm just in here to get precautionary checks, so don't stress,' he added.

Steve then gave an update after seeing the doctor.

'I'm about to have blood tests and chest x-rays,' he said.

Tests: 'I've got a chest infection, might be pneumonia apparently, might be,' Steve said, from the hospital bed. 'I'm just in here to get precautionary checks, so don't stress,' he added

The reality star later let fans know he had been released after tests with his bloods good, chest clear, and heart good.

Steve put it down to a 'bad dose of the flu' with him also being tested for covid which means he is now forced to isolate.

According to the Mayo Clinic, Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs.

The reality star then proved he still has a sense of humour saying the hospital bed was 'way too small' for his legs. Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs

The air sacs may fill with fluid or pus, causing cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills, and difficulty breathing.

Steve, who starred on season seven of the series, was paired with Only Fans star, Mishel Karen, but the pair failed to get off the ground romantically.

Despite largely staying out of the spotlight he did reveal last year that he has moved into selling real estate in Melbourne.

Bad flu: The reality star later let fans know he had been released after tests with his bloods good, chest clear, and heart good. He was putting it down to a dose of the flu

'I left the barber business after wanting a new direction, joining a real estate company in Brighton, Victoria,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'It's early days, but I'm excited about the challenge which I will meet head on.'

Steve explained that after years running his own barber salon in Melbourne's CBD while going in and out of lockdown, he felt like it was the right time to see what else was out there.

'I wish them well moving forward, but for me it's about getting my teeth into something new and exciting,' he said.

'I left the barber business after wanting a new direction, joining a real estate company in Brighton, Victoria,' he told Daily Mail Australia last year

The outspoken reality star will now put his confidence to good use selling prime real estate for James Paynter.

Last year, Steve made headlines after he insisted his friends Bryce Ruthven and Melissa Rawson were madly in love while their relationship was being played out to viewers on the Channel Nine reality show.

Speaking on the Dangerous Ideas with Deano podcast, hosted by another former MAFS star, Dean Wells, 43, Steve said the pair are 'connected' and happy.

Earlier this year, Steve made headlines after he insisted his friends Bryce Ruthven and Melissa Rawson were madly in love while their relationship was being played out to viewers on the Channel Nine reality show

'I went to Melissa's family's home to watch the screening of the wedding. I was with Melissa, Bryce and Melissa's family. I have never seen anybody, or as a collective, as a family, so well connected, as Bryce and Melissa were.

'They were super emotional with things that they were watching, because in my opinion, they're so in love with each other.

'I can tell you know I have been out with Bryce and Melissa several times since the show went to air, and deadset, they are 100 percent locked in together, trust me.'
Pamela Anderson cut a chic figure as she was spotted visiting the billboard for her Broadway musical Chicago in Times Square for the first time on Sunday.

The Baywatch star, 54, looked glamorous in a 90s vintage Pamela Dennis sleeveless black gown with a train, which showed off her incredibly toned arms.

The blonde bombshell walked with a security detail after being greeted by a crowd of fans outside the Ambassador Theater following tonight's performance.

Bombshell: Pamela Anderson cut a chic figure as she was spotted visiting the billboard for her Broadway musical Chicago in Times Square for the first time on Sunday

The Canadian-born actress paired her elegant look with black Alaia heels, which showcased her red pedicure.

Pamela wore her platinum blonde tresses styled into voluminous curls, falling down her shoulders and back.

As for glam, the Playboy cover girl looked ravishing, wearing a smokey eye and bright red lipstick.

Glamorous: The Baywatch star, 54, looked glamorous in a 90s vintage Pamela Dennis sleeveless black gown with a train, which showed off her incredibly toned arms

Anderson started her eight-week run as Roxie Hart in the musical earlier this month, with her sons Dylan Jagger Lee, 24, and Brandon Thomas Lee, 25, in the audience on opening night.

When Pamela entered the cast of Chicago, she joined a long line of celebrities to play the lead role of Roxie in the current revival.

The original production, directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, was only a moderate success in the 1970s despite being led by Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera.

Proud: The beauty proudly posed in front of the black and white billboard, after starting her eight-week run as Roxie Hart in the musical earlier this month

However the show was revived in 1996, directed and choregraphed by Bob's onetime mistress Ann Reinking 'in the style of Bob Fosse,' and became a huge smash.

The revival has become the second longest running Broadway musical of all time, surpassed only by The Phantom Of The Opera.

Celebrities galore have trouped in and out of the show, with Roxie alone played by a dizzying range of names including Brooke Shields, Ashlee Simpson, Lisa Rinna, Erika Jayne, Christie Brinkley and Melanie Griffith.

Beauty: Pamela wore her platinum blonde tresses styled into voluminous curls, falling down her shoulders and back

A lot of fan love: The Playboy cover girl was greeted by a crowd of fans outside the Ambassador Theater following tonight's performance

Anderson recently announced her upcoming Netflix documentary in a handwritten note on her Instagram, which reads she is 'not a victim, but a survivor alive to tell the real story.'

The revelation came after sources close to the actress said she felt 'violated' by the recent Hulu series, Pam & Tommy, which is focused on the theft and release of Pamela's and ex-husband Tommy Lee's infamous sex tape in 1995.

'The series has been very painful for Pamela Anderson and for anyone that loves her,' a source told ET. 'It is shocking that this series is allowed to happen without her approval.'

'The only thing she would probably erase is this burglary. She feels so violated to this day. It brings back a very painful time for her,' the insider added.
He's the Australian hunk who rose to fame playing Joel Samuels on long-running soap Neighbours.

But on Monday, Daniel MacPherson looked hardly recognisable as he shared a new selfie to his Instagram to celebrate his birthday.

'Hashtag This is 42,' he captioned an elevator selfie alongside his son Austin Xavier.

New look: Neighbours star Daniel MacPherson was hardly recognisable in his latest selfie shared to Instagram on Monday. Pictured with son Axel

Sporting a greying scruffy beard, he hardly resembled the man viewers will be familiar with from his appearances on television.

It comes amid wild rumours he is being considered to be the next Bachelor following his split with wife Zoe Ventoura back in December 2020.

According to New Idea magazine, the actor is 'officially on the top of The Bachelor wish list' for producers 'who are on the hunt for a big name this year'.

Will you accept this rose? It comes amid a new report that claims the hunky actor is going to be the next Bachelor after his shock split from wife Zoe Ventoura

'They want someone that is instantly identifiable and well known,' a source told the publication.

'Daniel is a prime candidate... everyone loves him. He has massive appeal.'

The star also has strong ties to Channel 10 after starring on long-running soap Neighbours and has often appeared on The Project and Studio 10.

Candid: It follows Daniel admitting that he's ready to date again, albeit 'slowly', in an interview with The Herald Sun earlier this year

The report comes after Daniel admitted he's ready to date again, albeit 'slowly', in an interview with The Herald Sun earlier this year.

He said: 'I'm dipping my toe in and taking it very slowly.'

Daniel said he's now based back in his hometown of Cronulla and has been focusing on fatherhood amid the pandemic.

Moving on: The actor announced his shock split from Zoe Ventoura in December 2020 after five years of marriage

'I'm just loving fatherhood,' he said of raising son Austin, two.

'Zoe and I are co-parenting and we're really good, she's a fantastic mother,' he added.

Back in December 2020, the pair shared almost identically worded posts to Instagram, revealing they had mutually decided to separate.
Sharon Osbourne has slammed the steady rise of cancel culture after a heated on-air debate about race resulted in her suspension and subsequent dismissal from US show The Talk.

The outspoken TV personality had served as a panelist on the CBS show, but found herself blacklisted in the United States after defending Piers Morgan's right to condemn Meghan Markle during a fiery discussion with co-host Sheryl Underwood.

Sharon, 69, claims she was subjected to death threats in the wake of her suspension, and admits the bitter experience resulted in her undergoing an unconventional form of therapy.

Speaking out: Sharon Osbourne has slammed the steady rise of cancel culture after a heated on-air debate about race resulted in her suspension and subsequent dismissal from The Talk

Recalling her dismissal from CBS. she told The Times: 'They said to me, "You are on permanent suspension. We dont think that youre repentant enough. And we will decide whether you ever come back."

'And I said, "Well, whos going to make that decision?" And they said, "We cant tell you."'

Sharon became a household name on both sides of the Atlantic thanks to pioneering MTV reality show The Osbournes, a fly-on-the-wall look at life inside the sprawling Beverly Hills mansion she shared with husband Ozzy, their three children and a menagerie of pets.

An eleven season run on The Talk soon followed, but she admits every door was slammed in her face after she publicly endorsed Morgan's right to free speech in the wake of Meghan and Prince Harry's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Controversy: Sharon found herself blacklisted after defending Piers Morgan's right to condemn Meghan Markle during a fiery discussion with co-host Sheryl Underwood

CBS Statement regarding Sharon Osbourne's departure from The Talk Sharon Osbourne has decided to leave THE TALK. The events of the March 10 broadcast were upsetting to everyone involved, including the audience watching at home. As part of our review, we concluded that Sharons behavior toward her co-hosts during the March 10 episode did not align with our values for a respectful workplace. We also did not find any evidence that CBS executives orchestrated the discussion or blindsided any of the hosts. March 26, 2021 Advertisement

Of the public reaction, she said: 'They were saying they were going to come in the night, cut my throat, cut Ozzys throat, cut my dogs throats.

'I said, "I aint going out, I aint doing anything." I just couldnt stop crying because all I was thinking about was all the things that Ive gone through in my life, and now theyre calling me a racist, this is insanity.'

The ordeal resulted in Sharon undergoing months of ketamine therapy - with the class B drug administered to induce dissociative anesthesia, sedation, and amnesia.

'If youre a person that stuffs things [down, ie, suppresses things], "Im fine, Im fine," this drug relaxes you,' she said of the experience.

'Youre not out completely. You can hear, you can talk, but youre so relaxed, and you cant bulls**t on it. Its a truth drug.'

The British television personality previously accused CBS and show producers of hanging her out to dry live on air during a tense conversation with co-host Sheryl Underwood.

'It was a freedom of speech matter. It was pure freedom of speech,' Sharon told DailyMailTV in September. 'A journalist friend of mine who wrote something that people didn't like and then a few crazies out there, some thugs go - "you must be racist, that's why you're saying it" - about my friend Piers. It's like, come on.'

Sharon claimed that the seemingly impromptu moment was actually carefully orchestrated by a show executive who wanted to create controversy and without her knowing by telling her co-hosts to ask her if people now thought she was a racist.

Old times: Sharon became a household name thanks to The Osbournes, a fly-on-the-wall look at life inside the Beverly Hills mansion she shared with husband Ozzy, their children and a menagerie of pets

'They all knew the question and they all knew what was going down. I felt totally betrayed,' Sharon said. Adding that, what made matters worse, was when Sheryl started crying Sharon told her to stop.

The optics of a white host telling her black colleague not to cry over issues of racism, on live television, didn't sit well with the public, the audience or the network. she asserts, however, that perception was not reality.

'We had a disagreement and I told her she shouldn't be crying, it should be me that should be crying and that didn't go down well,' she said. 'Then in the commercial break, she wouldn't talk to me. I was begging her to talk to me and she wouldn't, and basically I said, go f**k yourself.

'To leave me for 20 minutes on live TV... on live TV... unprepared, not produced, not knowing what's going on,' she recalled with a shake of her head. 'Wait, where's their apology to me? They could have cut at any time and gone to a commercial break, and why didn't they cut?

She added: 'I would say that to any one of my friends. When you say it to a friend, it's different than saying it to somebody, a stranger. If you can't get real with somebody who you've worked alongside for 10 years, then then you don't have a friendship, and that's the way I look at it.'
She announced she was expecting her third child with her husband Tom Hawkins in January.

And on Monday, Emma Hawkins gave fans a glimpse of her growing baby bump ahead of the little one's due date in July.

The 33-year-old - who shares Arabella, four, and Primrose, two, with her Geelong Cats star partner - displayed her bump in a tight black swimsuit in a string of photos posted to Instagram.

Bumping along nicely! On Monday, Emma Hawkins shared photos of her growing baby bump ahead of the little one's due date in July

She pouted at the camera while lifting her shirt, jokingly captioning the images: 'Went a bit too hard on the Bettys burgers last night.'

She completed her look with French plaits and some cool oversized sunglasses.

The AFL golden couple confirmed their pregnancy news in January, with Emma sharing a sweet picture of their daughters cuddling her baby bump.

Baby love: She pouted at the camera while lifting her shirt, jokingly captioning the images: 'Went a bit too hard on the Bettys burgers last night'

Another on the way: The AFL golden couple confirmed their pregnancy news in January, with Emma sharing a sweet picture of their daughters cuddling her baby bump

'My two babies listening to the new baby!' she wrote. 'We are so thrilled to be adding to our family. The girls cant wait to meet their new brother or sister in July.'

Emma met her husband Tom in high school, with the youngsters officially sparking romance in year 12.

The loved-up couple tied the knot in 2016.

Back in October, the couple discussed family life in an interview with The Herald Sun.

'My two babies listening to the new baby!' she wrote. 'We are so thrilled to be adding to our family. The girls cant wait to meet their new brother or sister in July'

High school sweethearts: Emma met Tom in high school and they began dating in Year 12

'I had difficult pregnancies so it wasnt a pleasant nine months for me,' Emma said.

When asked about the prospect of baby number three, she added: 'Never say never, and we are so beyond grateful we have two healthy girls.

'Like Tom has to prepare in the off season, Id have to prepare for a third baby.'
Heather Graham showed off her incredible figure as she enjoyed a relaxing dip in Utah's hot springs on Sunday.

The actress, 52, slipped into a skimpy black bikini for her day out and flaunted her youthful looks on Instagram.

Looking simply sensational, she kicked back in the water and soaked up the stunning scenery with views of the surrounding mountains seen in the background.

Radiant: Heather Graham, 52, showed off her incredible figure in a skimpy black bikini as she went for a dip in Utah's hot springs on Sunday

Heather pulled her blonde locks back into a practical high bun and shielded her eyes with a pair of oversized cat eye sunglasses.

Fans posted a flurry of gushing messages as they took to the comments section to complement the star on her 'ageless' looks.

One follower penned: 'How old are you heather? 25? You look fantastic!!!'

Another added: 'You are like a fine wine.'

Relaxing: Heather pulled her blonde locks back into a practical high bun and shielded her eyes with a pair of oversized cat eye sunglasses

It comes after her latest film The Last Son where she co-starred alongside Machine Gun Kelly and Sam Worthington was released in January.

The Avatar star plays an outlaw who hunts down his children in an attempt to stop his own murder and defy a curse that had previously been placed on him.

Heather stars as 19th century prostitute Anna, who's the mother of 'psycho' gunslinging cowboy Cal (Kelly).

'A fine wine': Fans posted a flurry of gushing messages as they took to the comments section to complement the star on her 'ageless' looks

In December, the actress was asked about playing Kelly's mother during a recent appearance on LIVE with Kelly and Ryan.

Co-host Kelly Ripa said: 'Is that real that he plays your son 'Is Hollywood punking us? Or was it just the time way back in the day when they had children when they were nine years old?'

Heather replied: 'Oh you're sweet! I could be his mom. He's this groovy rock star. To be honest, I didn't know who he was.

Stars: It comes after her latest film The Last Son where she co-starred alongside Machine Gun Kelly (pictured) was released in January (Pictured at the premiere in December 2021)

Role: Heather stars as 19th century prostitute Anna, who's the mother of 'psycho' gunslinging cowboy Cal (Kelly)

'My friend's kids knew who he was, but now of course I know who he is. He's awesome. He's a really good actor and he's really good in the movie.'

Heather did a funny impersonation of the musician (born Colson Baker), who told her on the Montana set: 'Yeah I know what I'm doing.'

'But he's sweet. We just had a premiere and they're like, "Say a few words,"' Heather recalled laughing.

'And I was like, "This is great to be here." And he's like, "Bang bang." That's what he said!'
She's the self-proclaimed 'plastic surgery queen' and OnlyFans star who is never afraid to flash the flesh when it comes to fashion.

And Tara Jayne certainly didn't disappoint on Thursday, as she narrowly avoided a wardrobe malfunction in a risque ensemble during a night out in Melbourne.

The 33-year-old nurse was hard to miss in her vibrant outfit, which consisted of a plunging red top and a hip-split skirt which barely covered her nether region.

Crikey! Self-proclaimed 'plastic surgery queen' and OnlyFans star Tara Jayne narrowly avoided a wardrobe malfunction in a hip-split skirt during a night out in Melbourne on Thursday

Tara, who has spent over $250,000 on cosmetic procedures in the past, was sure to flaunt her surgically enhanced breasts and washboard abs in the daring look.

As she sashayed down the street with her bestie Jordan James Alexis, she almost flashed a little too much as her skimpy skirt ruffled in the wind.

But Tara didn't seem to care about the mishap, as she confidently strutted her stuff in a pair of knee-high purple boots.

Racy: The 33-year-old nurse was hard to miss in her vibrant ensemble, which consisted of a plunging red top and silky pink skirt which barely covered her nether region

Risque: As she sashayed down the street with her bestie Jordan James Alexis (left), she almost flashed a little too much as her skirt ruffled in the wind

She completed her outfit with a red faux fur coat.

Tara accentuated her enhanced features with lashings of mascara, blush and lip gloss, while she wore her hair in a sleek straight style.

Tara's past procedures include five breast augmentations, six nose jobs and endless rounds of Botox and filler.

She confirmed this week she would be heading to Istanbul later in the year for another round of cosmetic procedures, despite being warned against it.

Hard to miss: Tara, who has spent over $250,000 on cosmetic procedures in the past, showed off her surgically enhanced breasts and washboard abs in the daring look

Not a care in the world! Tara didn't seem to care about the mishap, confidently strutting her stuff in her knee-high purple boots

Tara said she was undergoing more surgeries in the hope of 'becoming the very best version of myself'.

The cosmetic nurse is banned from having any further cosmetic surgery procedures in Australia.

Tara revealed her plans to have a face lift and breast augmentation surgery to further enhance her 37-inch bust.

She's also planning on undergoing a controversial new surgical procedure that permanently changes eye colour.

She's no wallflower! Tara accentuated her enhanced features with lashings of mascara, blush and lip gloss, while she wore her hair in a sleek straight style

Plastic fantastic: Tara's past procedures include five breast augmentations, six nose jobs and endless rounds of Botox and filler

During this procedure, surgeons make a small incision in the cornea where they insert a silicone-based artificial iris.

Most iris implants are available in a handful of stock colours, such as blue, green, brown and black.

Tara said that as far as she's concerned, there's no limit when it comes to her plastic surgery procedures.

While there were people out there who thought her look was 'extreme', she said she loved what she saw in the mirror each morning.

'But there's always improvements that can be made, which is why I'm heading to Turkey for another round of surgeries,' she added.

More: She confirmed this week she would be heading to Istanbul later in the year for another round of cosmetic procedures, despite being warned against it

'With me, it's not a case of less is more. It's the more, the better. I'm not happy with my breasts. In my eyes, they're too small.

'That's why I want them enlarged from 1050cc to 1500cc. They will look great once that is done.'

During her controversial appearance on Botched, surgeons Paul Nassif and Terry Dubrow refused to give Tara larger breast implants.

Both plastic surgeons said they wouldn't consider the operation until the Melbourne cosmetic nurse put on more weight - Tara currently weighs just 45 kilograms.

'I don't see it as an issue. But if they won't do it then I'll get it done somewhere else, which is what I'm going to do,' she said.

She added: 'It is my body so it's my choice.'

Tara recently joined adult subscription website OnlyFans to help fund her lifestyle and future cosmetic work during the Covid pandemic.

She charges $25 for a monthly subscription, and previously boasted of making $10,000 in her first three days on the platform.
Dame Joan Collin's looked as glamorous as ever as she stepped out alongside her husband, Percy Gibson in West Hollywood on Sunday.

The legendary actress, 88, was the epitome of elegance as she sported a chic navy suit for dinner at Craig's restaurant.

She added a cream sequin top underneath her jacket that was neatly tucked into her peplum pencil skirt.

Elegant: Joan Collins, 88, looked as glamorous as ever in a chic navy suit as she joined her husband Percy Gibson, 57, for dinner in West Hollywood on Sunday

The star wore her raven locks back in a low bun to display her circular black and white statement earrings.

She shielded her eyes with some round framed Chanel sunglasses and added a slick of bright pink lipstick.

To complete her timeless look, Joan added height to her frame with a classy pair of white sling back heels with contrasting toe caps.

Percy, 57, was beaming as he proudly linked arms with his wife, sporting a dark grey suit and contrasting pale pink shirt.

Chic: She shielded her eyes with some round framed Chanel sunglasses and added a slick of bright pink lipstick

In a recent New York Times interview Joan decried the anti-men sentiment that she feels has grown since the Me Too movement.

'Sadly, I think that now young men are suffering from being labeled toxically masculine, because of this rise of anti-maleness,' she shared.

Meanwhile she recalled that sexual misconduct 'happened to girls all the time' in showbiz when she was young. 'A lot of the time, I would just laugh in their faces.'

As for whether the wrongdoing has continued to this day, she remarked: 'Im not having men making passes at me, so I dont know. But I think probably.'

Thoughts: In a recent New York Times interview Joan decried the anti-men sentiment that she feels has grown since the Me Too movement (Pictured at Vanity Fair Oscar Party in March)

Although she told the newspaper her own Me Too experiences were 'nasty memories that I dont wish to relive,' she included the details in her memoir Past Imperfect.

The book had no shortage of darker moments such as when 20th Century Fox chief Darryl Zanuck attempted to force himself on her in a hotel hallway.

'I wondered how to get out of this without having to knee him in the groin,' she wrote. 'Luckily Dorothy Dandridge and a makeup man came walking down the corridor and I made my escape, vowing to keep out of Mr Z.'s way in the future.'
Homes Under the Hammer star Martin Roberts has spoken out on his terrifying health scare which saw him undergo surgery last week.

The TV star spoke to GMB on Monday live from his hospital room after he was rushed to hospital with with 'hours to live' after suffering chest pains a week ago.

The presenter, 58, feared he was suffering a heart attack after returning from a two-day 'mercy dash' to drive supplies to Ukraine in March.

Heart problems: Homes Under the Hammer star Martin Roberts has spoken out on his terrifying health scare which saw him undergo surgery last week

Martin suffered a cardiac tamponade, when extra fluid builds up around the heart and puts pressure on it.

Doctors had to plunge an eight inch syringe into his chest to drain fluid from around his heart, with the star revealing he was still awake during the procedure.

GMB's Richard Madeley told Martin he was concerned for his health before the hospital dash explaining: 'I have to say to you Martin, when Susanna and I spoke to you when you were in Medyka about a month ago, we spoke after the show and we were a bit concerned about you.

'You had driven pretty much non-stop across Europe to get there, and although you gave a very good account of yourself you looked exhausted. You then came home and this terrible health crisis just suddenly fell out of a clear blue sky.'

Pain: The TV star spoke to GMB on Monday live from his hospital room after he was rushed to hospital with with 'hours to live' after suffering chest pains a week ago

Martin said he started to feel unwell over Easter Bank Holiday before being taken to hospital by his wife Kirsty.

'I've been feeling rough since I got back [from the Ukraine] I don't know if it was the journey down there, there was a real tightness in my chest and difficulty breathing,' he said.

'I'm aware of signs of a heart attack it was those things with some tingling, and by Tuesday and Wednesday my wife took me to A&E in Bath.'

Oh dear: Martin revealed that doctors plunged an eight inch syringe into his chest to drain fluid from around his heart

'I was rushed through and they found I'd actually gotten water around my heart which was compressing the heart to the point where it could have stopped, there was nothing we could do about it.'

'It was being strangled so within three or four hours I was in an emergency operating ward having a tube draining half a litre of fluid.'

He went onto praise the 'wonderful NHS staff who saved my life'. Martin added that he 'had been giving out heart rate monitors' just days before inside the refugee centre in Ukraine.

Ouch: The presenter was rushed to hospital in Bath with 'hours to live' following chest pains

On Friday Martin told how he will have to stay in hospital for at least another two weeks due to a lung infection after undergoing the emergency operation for a heart condition which left him hours from death.

Former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! campmate Martin thanked 'god and angels' on social media this week after coming round from the operation but he has since revealed he expects to be in hospital for a while longer still.

He told The Sun: 'I'm being transferred to the respiratory team today as they think it might have started with a serious lung infection.

'I may be in hospital for another two weeks.'

Speaking out: The TV star took to Twitter to share a video explaining what had happened on Wednesday captioning the post: 'So. Bit of a shocker. Thankfully I'm here to tell the tale'

Health woes: The Homes Under The Hammer presenter (pictured with the series' original presenter Lucy Alexander) had 'fluid around the heart'

Martin previously updated fans on the progress of his two-day 'mercy dash' to drive supplies to Ukraine in March.

Martin looked exhausted as he admitted to having just a few hours' sleep as he prepared for the second leg of his journey, a 13 to 16 hour drive across Germany and Poland.

He revealed that he was going to drive a car packed full of supplies across Europe to help those affected by Putin's attacks on Ukraine.

In a short clip, the tired star asked fans for song choices to get him through the long drive and said he was fuelled on 'wine gums and lots of Red Bull' but that he felt a a 'massive responsibility' to safely deliver the supplies to the Ukraine/Poland border.

Many expressed concern that the TV presenter had taken on too much in trying to drive for 26 hours with only a short break.
The Bachelorette star Brooke Blurton announced earlier this year that she is currently writing a tell-all book on her life, titled Big Love.

The memoir, which will be released through HarperCollins Australia, is set to detail her experience in reality TV, as well as her traumatic childhood marred by sexual assault, drug-fuelled violence and her mother's suicide when she was just 11.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia this week, the 27-year-old revealed what made her pick up a pen and write a book at such a young age.

Coming soon: Brooke Blurton, 27, has revealed what made her decide to pick up a pen and write a memoir at such a young age

'For me, it's about normalising situations and experiences that other young people might have and have had throughout their lives,' she said.

Brooke added that it was undoubtedly 'difficult' to relive past trauma, but continued: 'It's more about telling the truth of my story, and owning it.'

Identifying as a proud Noongar-Yamatji woman from Western Australia, Brooke said she hopes the book will connect with those from a similar background who may have lived similar experiences to her.

'For me, it's about normalising situations and experiences that other young people might have had throughout their lives,' she said of her book

'The book has very cathartic moments,' she added. 'I think it's quite relieving in some ways that I can look at it from a hindsight and be like, wow. I've done so much, and I'm only just getting started'

'The book has very cathartic moments,' she added. 'I think it's quite relieving in some ways that I can look at [my life] in hindsight and be like, wow. I've done so much, and I'm only just getting started.

'I'm only 27, so I'm getting the ins and outs, out on paper. You'll see the flow of everything I've been about on TV, interviews, articles... it's all been me.

'The memoir is showing what I'm passionate about. It's about realising you're strong, but you're definitely not bulletproof. Seeing that resilience and strength on paper is a very unusual and surreal thing.'

Brooke previously discussed her struggles on SBS program Noongar Dandjoo.

'I grew up in a country town in Carnarvon. I spent my childhood there up until I was about 11, when my mum unfortunately passed away - she committed suicide,' she said.

'Growing up was pretty complicated': Brooke previously discussed her struggles on SBS program Noongar Dandjoo. 'I grew up in a country town in Carnarvon. I spent my childhood there up until I was about 11, when my mum unfortunately passed away - she committed suicide,' she said. Pictured: Brooke, her mother and her siblings in an undated photo

'That was a hard time, living in Carnarvon with my mum and nan, losing mum, and then nan actually passed away a month later.'

Brooke eventually went to live with her father, but admitted: 'To be honest, he wasn't that supportive.'

'Growing up was pretty complicated. [There was] a lot of drug and alcohol violence in my childhood and I had an older sister who suffered from schizophrenia,' she added.

Struggles: Brooke's life before fame was anything but a fairytale (pictured with her family)

Her brother Troy told the program: 'Brooke was definitely someone I had to run to when I had problems.

'I went through quite a bit of depression when I was on drugs, drinking a lot, wasn't really in the right place.'

Brooke also discussed her tough upbringing in a TedX talk in 2019, revealing she was sexually assaulted after her mother's funeral.

'I don't remember how I processed that information or how I was feeling at that time': Brooke also discussed her tough upbringing in a TedX talk in 2019, revealing she was sexually assaulted after her mother's funeral

'I don't remember how I processed that information or how I was feeling at that time, but what I do remember is I found a phone book and a house phone and I looked up my dad's name, I found a number and dialled,' she said.

'My stepmother answered, and I didn't tell her what had happened, I just said, "Could you come get me?"'

Brooke's father, who was living in Perth, picked her up a day later.

'I left in the middle of the night that night and I didn't say goodbye to my brothers. I pretty much left my home,' she recalled.

'I felt like I'd lost everything at that moment. I'd lost my sense of belonging, my family, my mum and also my connection to my Aboriginality. This was when I had first ever thought of suicide.'

Despite the horrors of her childhood, Brooke found the strength to push through her own mental health issues to become a role model for her siblings.

Role model: Despite the horrors of her childhood, Brooke found the strength to push through her own mental health issues to become a role model for her siblings. Pictured: Brooke with her brother Troy

In the same interview with Daily Mail Australia, Brooke spoke about her passion for saving the environment in honour of Earth Day, which was on Friday 22 April.

'I've always been a person who has been out living in the bush and taking care of country, so I've always been really passionate about land and taking care of it,' Brooke, who is SodaStream Australias Earth Month Ambassador, said.

'My grandmother used to say, "If you take care of the land, the land will take care of you". But we've been neglecting this poor baby.'

Brooke has partnered with the company to mirror their commitment in reducing plastic pollution specifically in Australian waterways.

She added that anyone can make 'little adjustments' in their lives to help the environment, adding: 'It just be a matter of changing habits in your day to day life that can make a difference.

'It takes 10 days to make something a habit, so something like - not having long showers, reducing your plastic use and also making sure these become consistent in your life.'

Lifeline crisis support number: 13 11 14. www.lifeline.org.au. Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
Republicans are latching on a New York Post article alleging that Hunter Biden's business partner visited the White House multiple times when Joe Biden was vice president.

Eric Schwerwin, the head of an investment business where Hunter Biden was a founding member, was alleged to have visited the White House and other official sites 19 times between 2009 and 2015, according to the New York Post.

Joe Biden Meets With Hunter Biden's Business Partner

According to White House visitor records, Schwerwin, the president of Rosemont Seneca Partners, spoke with advisers and assistants to the then-vice president and Jill Biden. In November of 2010, he met with Joe Biden himself for the first time.

Joe Biden and the White House have previously stated that the president has never talked with Hunter Biden about his foreign business deals. It also comes after Republican members of Congress stated their want to probe President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden.

Federal officials are investigating Hunter Biden's international business transactions. Biden's tax filings, payments, and gifts from foreign entities in China and Kazakhstan are said to be the subject of the investigation. Although a federal investigation is continuing, House Republicans have promised to investigate Hunter Biden if they retake the majority in 2022, as per Newsweek.

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a strong opponent of the Bidens, said that the logs were the latest proof of Hunter Biden exploiting his father to gain business agreements and that the Bidens should be probed for corruption. Hunter Biden is now being investigated by the federal government for possible tax evasion, money laundering, and unlawful foreign lobbying.

Schwerin first visited the White House on October 28, 2009, to see Biden staffer Evan Ryan, just months after Hunter co-founded Rosemont Seneca, according to the records. On February 13, 2010, he returned to meet with Jill Biden's special assistant, Meg Campbell, and later that year with Joe Biden and his aide Michele Smith.

Schwerin said he had contacted Hunter Biden and was eager to discuss business in an email called 'JRB Future Memo,' according to papers taken from Hunter's laptop. Schwerin then paid a visit to the West Wing on August 22, 2011, just four days after Biden had gone for a conference in China, to speak with Kellen Suber, Biden's executive assistant.

Hunter Biden was in Hong Kong later that year with Chinese businessman Che Feng, the son-in-law of a high-ranking Chinese government official, according to Daily Mail.

Read Also: First Lady Jill Biden Against Picking Kamala Harris as Joe's Running Mate After Debate Attack, Book Reveals

Wikipedia Removes Hunter Biden's Firm in Entry

Meanwhile, Hunter Biden's investment business Rosemont Seneca Partners was delisted from Wikipedia and has been the subject of many examinations about his offshore business dealings. According to a Wikipedia editor, this organization is only mentioned by its well-known founders, Hunter Biden and Christopher Heinz, and retaining it on the page risks it becoming a magnet for Hunter Biden conspiracy theories.

On Wednesday, the deletion took occurred. US President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden has been embroiled in controversy because it was revealed that his Rosemont Seneca supported the Pentagon's military biological program in Ukraine. The firm's short page was light on content and in desperate need of an upgrade, but it did include information regarding Hunter Biden, Devon Archer, and Chris Heinz's inception.

Larry Sanger, a co-founder of Wikipedia, thinks the site can no longer be trusted and has deteriorated into "propaganda." Last year, he said that behind the scenes, a large, ugly, sophisticated game is being played to make the piece say anything someone wants it to say, Republic World reported.

Related Article: Hunter Biden's Wealth: How Rich Is the President's Son After Business Dealings Unearthed?

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Chrissie Swan was lost for an appropriate response when MasterChef Australia contestant Minoli De Silva discussed her cancer diagnosis on Monday's episode of The Project.

The chef appeared on the program to promote her appearance on the cooking competition, revealing that she had gotten the bad news about her health the same day she was approached to return to MasterChef.

'It was probably the day that had the biggest high and the biggest low I ever had. It seemed surreal,' the 35-year-old, who originally competed on season 13 of MasterChef, told Chrissie.

Discussion: Chrissie Swan was lost for an appropriate response when MasterChef Australia contestant Minoli De Silva (pictured) discussed her cancer diagnosis on Monday's episode of The Project

'In the morning I got a call from my doctor and he told me that the breast cancer had come back from an ultrasound that happened a week ago and I cried just more tears than I can remember crying in a long time,' she continued.

'Then, MasterChef calls me up in the afternoon and it was like, "We've got some news that might be really shocking."

'I didn't say anything and they told me I had got a chance to come back into the MasterChef kitchen.'

'In the morning I got a call from my doctor and he told me that the breast cancer had come back from an ultrasound that happened a week ago and I cried just more tears than I can remember crying in a long time,' Minoli said

Oh dear: Chrissie (pictured) fumbled a reply, ignoring Minoli's discussion of her cancer.'Wow from the sublime to the ridiculous, I don't know which one is which!' Chrissie interjected

Chrissie fumbled a reply, ignoring Minoli's discussion of her cancer altogether.

'Wow from the sublime to the ridiculous, I don't know which one is which!' Chrissie interjected.

Co-star Sarrah Le Marquand then chinmed in, changing the subject to a dish the chef had made during Sunday's episode.

'Let's talk jaffles. Your jaffle saved all of the favourites from elimination last night. We want to know how did they thank you?"' she said.

Left out: Viewers watching at home noticed the omission

The subject of Minoli's diagnosis was dropped and not mentioned again by The Project panel.

Viewers watching at home noticed the omission, with one person tweeting: 'Jeepers a MasterChef contestant just opened up to you about a breast cancer diagnosis, and because it wasn't scripted for your panel with prepared responses, they just froze and completely ignored it?! Pretty woeful'.

Another wrote: 'Chrissy saying "from the sublime to the ridiculous" after Minoli talked about getting a cancer diagnosis and a call from MasterChef on the same day was really poor. How about "how are you feeling?"'

Dropped: The subject of Minoli's diagnosis was dropped and not mentioned again by The Project panel

Someone else asked: 'Did The Project just brush over Minoli's cancer diagnosis?'

In a podcast this week, Minoli revealed that she had undergone a bilateral mastectomy - removing both breasts - prior to returning to MasterChef.

She was first diagnosed with stage 3A triple positive breast cancer at age 31 and underwent a lumpectomy, six months of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiotherapy.
Michelle Penticost made a barbed dig at her fiance Kieran Hayler's ex-wife Katie Price in an Instagram post which saw her holding hands with the glamour model's daughter on Friday.

The 39-year-old shared a throwback snap from a holiday to Mallorca's Puerto Pollensa which saw her twinning with Bunny, seven, as they wore matching white dresses with red-and-black stripes.

In her caption, she wrote about blended families being 'hard work especially with added extras' which is thought to reference the glamour model, 43, being banned from contacting her after breaking a restraining order earlier this year.

'Blended families are hard... especially with added extras!' Kieran Hayler's fiance Michelle made a dig at Katie Price while twinning with her daughter Bunny in a Friday Instagram post

Thinly-veiled: In her caption, she wrote about blended families being 'hard work especially with added extras' which is thought to reference the glamour model, 43

Fans praised Michelle for keeping her 'dignified' silence (until now), while claiming the 'added extra is a very toxic individual to put it mildly'.

Kieran's partner had penned: '3 years ago!!! Our family holiday [heart emoji] We love to be twinning [heart emoji] times flies!!! Blended families are hard work especially with added extras!!! But we make it work [red heart] #family #blended #love #fun.'

One wrote: 'Those added extras don't matter when your blended family has each other and reminds itself outside noise doesn't matter. [heart] Seeing your posts.'

Another agreed: ;Jett + Bunny are so very lucky to have a mother figure like yourself to look up to. I dread to think what those little loves lives would become if you were not in it. You are exactly what they need [heart].'

Troubled: MailOnline has learned Katie will appear before magistrates in Crawley next month for allegedly breaching a restraining order against Michelle

A third chimed in: 'I don't know how you refrain from biting back to the 'added extra' She is a very toxic individual to put it mildly. You and Kieran are both bringing your 4 kids up brilliantly.

'Providing Jett and Bunny esp with the stability and routine young kids need. No matter what anyone says, that can't be denied [clapping emoji].

And a fourth said: 'Blended families would work so much better if people didn't interfere and use the children as weapons You keep a dignified silence which must be so hard Just shows how much all the children mean to you [purple heart].'

Michele recently shared an adorable Mother's Day card she received from Katie's son Jett on Instagram.

Support: Fans praised Michelle for keeping her 'dignified' silence (until now), while claiming the 'added extra is a very toxic individual to put it mildly'

She posted the heart-warming gesture on her story while her fiancee Kieran Hayler reposted the snap to his social media.

The mum-of-two seemed thrilled with the card which had the words 'you're like a mum to me' written on the front of it.

Katie and Kieran are parents to Jett, eight, and Bunny, seven, while he and Michelle are parents to seven-month-old son Apollo.

Michelle marked Mother's day with the post and wrote: 'Jett's card to me' with a pink heart emoji as she tagged her partner.

Cute: Michele recently shared an adorable Mother's Day card she received from Katie 's son Jett on Instagram

Kieran, 34, went on to share a video of his daughter Bunny cooking her step-mum Micheke a secial roast dinner.

The ex-husband of Katie marked the occasion by sharing a sweet carousel of snaps to his Instagram to celebrate Michelle.

He penned: 'Happy Mother's Day to Michelle. Me and all the kids are so lucky to have you. You are the most incredible mummy and step mummy to all of the children

'Couldn't ask for a better woman to have as a mother to Apollo and a step mum to jett and bunny. You really are perfect and I feel very lucky'

Michelle and Kieran announced their engagement in March 2020 but had to delay their wedding due to coronavirus restrictions.

Family: Michelle and fiancee Kieran have been inseparable since going public with their relationship in July 2018 and are parents to seven-month-old son Apollo

They have been inseparable since going public with their relationship in July 2018.

MailOnline has learned Katie will appear before magistrates in Crawley next month for allegedly breaching a restraining order against Michelle.

The troubled model was arrested on January 21 over claims she sent an abusive text to Michelle.

She spent the night in a cell after being quizzed by officers at Worthing Police station who had earlier picked Katie up from her home in Horsham after a report was made.

Katie allegedly branded flight attendant Michelle a 'c***ing w***e piece of s***' and a 'gutter s**g.

Happier times: Katie and Kieran (pictured together in 2017) were married from 2013 to 2018

MailOnline understands that Katie may have breached the order a second time when she sent an anonymous letter attacking Michelle to a relative just before flying out to Thailand.

A source said: 'Katie is playing a dangerous game and her actions have led her into deep trouble.

'Kieran and Michelle were deeply concerned after a relative received a letter, believing Katie is ignoring the rules of the restraining order as this is the second time it's happened in three months.

'It was sent anonymously from Heathrow on the day she left for Thailand.

Loved-up: Michelle and Kieran first got together in July 2018, with their sons attending the same primary school together

'They know it's her and are concerned by her unpredictable behaviour.'

A police source told MailOnline: 'Katie Price was arrested a few weeks ago for breaching a restraining order placed against her following an argument with the fiancee of her former partner, Kieran Hayler.

'Now she is believed to have written an anonymous note attacking Michelle Penticost via one of her family members.

'As such Katie has been charged with harassment and will appear before Crawley magistrates next month.'

Mother of five Katie was banned from contacting Michelle, 39, 'directly or indirectly' after swearing at her in a school playground in 2019.

Breaking the terms of the restraining order carries a maximum prison sentence of five years.

Katie also risks jail time for being arrested while still on licence for her drink-drive shame.

Michelle has grown close to Katie's two children she shares with Kieran, son Jett, eight, and daughter Bunny, seven.

She also has her own child with the ex-stripper, seven-month-old son Apollo, and a ten-year old son Valentino from a previous relationship.
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Salma Hayek has been pictured on set for Magic Mike 3 in London, shooting her first scenes opposite Channing Tatum after taking over the role from Thandiwe Newton.

Thandiwe exited the film earlier this month after just 11 days of shooting, following an alleged bust-up with the movie's producer and star Channing over Will Smith 's Oscars slap - she has denied the incident.

While Salma, 55, shot her scenes in London's Clapham, Thandiwe, 49, was pictured 5,000 miles away in Malibu over the weekend, seemingly confirming the end of their 23-year marriage with a very public display of affection with musician Lonr, 25.

Taking over: Salma Hayek was pictured on the Magic Mike 3 set in London, shooting her first scenes opposite Channing Tatum on Sunday after taking over the role from Thandiwe Newton who exited the movie after 11 days of filming (Thandiwe pictured right on set on March 31)

Salma was pictured in the same costume which Thandiwe was previously pictured wearing on set last month, as she shared a conversation with Channing in between takes for the film, which is reportedly focusing on the female lead and not Channing's character Mike.

While Salma got to work, Thandiwe, who it has been said is heading to rehab, ditched her wedding ring and diverted her attention from recent adversity by kissing rapper Lonr, whose real name is Elijah Dias.

At 25, Lonr is only a mere four years older than Thandiwe and Ol's eldest child, their 21-year-old daughter Ripley.

The award-winning actress has joined her estranged husband in removing her wedding ring, as the director was spotted without his earlier this week as he left his London home.

Moving on: Meanwhile Thandiwe, 49, was pictured 5,000 miles away in Malibu on Saturday, seemingly confirming the end of their 23-year marriage with a very public display of affection with musician Lonr, 25

Lonr told The Post that all parties involved were focused on the welfare of Thandiwe's children when approached for comment on the new relationship, explaining:

'From the relatively short time I've been fortunate to spend with her, I know Thandiwe and Oliver care deeply about the welfare of their children. That's all I care about right now.'

While Thandiwe spent time with her new beau, Salma was pictured hours later looking relaxed on set, chatting happily with Channing.

Filming took place on Sunday in Clapham, South London, with the Clapham Grand Victorian music hall dressed as a new venue called The Rattigan.

 Slide me  As if by Magic: Salma was pictured in the same costume which Thandiwe was previously pictured wearing on set last month

New cast member: Salma was bought in after Thandiwe suddenly exited the movie sequel following an alleged bust-up with the movie's producer and star Channing over Will Smith 's Oscars slap - she has denied the incident

Thandiwe has reportedly been urged to seek mental health support following the break-up of her marriage - and an alleged bust-up with Channing.

The star has previously told how she has suffered 'a number of breakdowns' in her troubled past, as well as discussing her heartbreaking experiences of sexual abuse, racism and bulimia during her time in the industry.

She has denied claims though that she was sacked from her Magic Mike leading role over a heated argument with Channing.

According to a report in Page Six earlier this month, 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 Parker, 52, with whom she shares children Ripley, 21, Nico, 17, and Booker, eight.

Taking her place: Salma and Thandiwe are pictured together at a 2018 event at the Toronto Film Festival

Good vibes: Salma and Channing looked in good spirits, staying close in between takes and chatting

New leading lady: The two looked close just weeks after it was claimed Channing had clashed with Thandiwe during filming

Star: A source said of Channing's alleged bust-up with Thandiwe: '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'

Ol is a British filmmaker who previously wrote and directed the 2018 musical film Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

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.'

Power dressing: Salma wore a lace-trimmed black blazer over a red shirt and paired with wide legged trousers for the shoot

Reshoots: All of Thandwie's scenes are having to be reshot with Salma, adding days onto the scheduled shoot in London

Significant role: Channing said he had big plans for the male female dynamic of the third Magic Mike film, revealing: 'I want to have an equal, if not even more centralized female character for Mike to really play off of and almost to'

Huge production: The shoot took over Clapham in South London, transforming the outside of the Clapham Grand into The Rattigan and closing the road

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.'

Last minute replacement: The popular actress lives in London with her family so was able to drop everything when she got the call

What he says goes: Channing reportedly told bosses he would not work with Thandiwe following her alleged 'highly strung' behaviour on set

Hard at work: 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

Third time around: Channing confirmed that he would reprise his role for Magic Mike's Last Dance in November on 2021

Girl power: 'These movies are very, very female-forward. At least that is our intention,' he has said of the movies

MailOnline contacted representatives of Thandiwe Newton for comment at the time.

Earlier this month 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.

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 and culminated with Channing driving off set in his car.

All about you: 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,' he explained

Close: The star and his new leading lady seem to have struck up a close bond already

Tough shoot: Channing refuelled with an energy drink as the shoot took over the weekend

Long days: Channing looked subdued and tired as they waited for the new scenes to be set up

New face on set: Salma stood out in her red lipstick and fedora hat as she took over the leading lady role

New plot: Channing has said of the new film: 'We're trying to do a fish-out-of-water story where it's a reverse-role 'Pretty Woman' story that ends up with a lot of dancing in it'

Good to be here! Despite entering the production late Salma looked relaxed and happy on set

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.'

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.

Gorgeous: The actress wowed in her black and red ensemble, also flashing a sparkling ring

Dressed down: Channing was low key in a black hoodie layered under a trench coat for his scenes

London: The film has reimagined the Clapham Grand Victorian music hall as a new venue called The Rattigan

Lights, camera, action: Crowds milled around behind the cameras as the Hollywood stars got to work

Popular: Extras mingled with locals as Channing was seen getting into a vintage Rolls Royce on set

Dressing the set: A billboard advertising Isabel Ascendant A Bird In A Gilded Cage hung from the music hall

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.

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.'

Shooting: Salma has most recently starred in 2021 movie House Of Gucci

Third movie: Channing has found huge success with the Magic Mike movies, the first of which was loosely based on his experience working as a stripper in Florida

Warner Bros. has yet to release official plot details, but Channing and his producing partner Reid Carolin revealed in an interview with Variety in February, that the film will center on the female lead, and is in part inspired by Magic Mike Live - the hugely popular live strip show based on the movies.

'It's really about a woman stuck at a horrible strip show like a Chippendales and then realizing, 'What the hell am I doing here?'' Carolin told Variety. 'And then Magic Mike comes down from the ceiling. She gets to go down the rabbit hole and asks: What do I really want?'

'It's going to have a really strong, almost stronger than Mike, character that's female. We've never done a traditional love story, and this isn't a traditional love story,' Channing added, calling the film, 'the Super Bowl of stripper movies.'

The actor also previously told the New York Times that the plot was a 'reverse-role 'Pretty Woman' story, suggesting Salma could be playing a version of the high-powered, wealthy Richard Gere character.

Swift exit: Salma's predecessor only lasted 11 days on set before her sudden exit, with her family cited as the reason

Good to be here: While Thandiwe is said to have worried the production with her 'highly strung' behaviour on set, Salma looked relaxed on Sunday

Quick turnaround: Thandiwe exited the movie less than two weeks ago, leading to Salma's last minute casting

Hollywood stars: The a-listers have taken over London for the third movie
Lisa Wilkinson has shared a touching tribute to her late grandfather William Charles Wilkinson in honour of Anzac Day.

On Monday, the 62-year-old took to Instagram to share a string of photos of her 'beautiful' grandad, explaining how he had served in World War One in the caption.

'So grateful my beautiful grandfather, William Charles Wilkinson made it back from the horrendous WW1 French battlefields of Villers Bretonneux, when so many did not' she began.

Moving: Lisa Wilkinson has shared a touching tribute to her late grandfather William Charles Wilkinson in honour of Anzac Day. Pictured: Lisa hosting Channel 10's The Project

'And not before surviving yet another battle - the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic - and six months in a Plymouth, UK hospital.

'But he made it through to marry his sweetheart Elsie, build their family home in Osborne St Wollongong and despite all that he saw and experienced was, alongside my dad (their only child), the kindest, gentlest man I ever knew.'

'They were a special breed,' she concluded. 'Lest we forget.'

Lisa lost her beloved father Raymond, William's son, to cancer in May 1990.

Tribute: On Monday, the 62-year-old took to Instagram to share a string of photos of her 'beautiful' grandad, explaining how he had served in World War One in the caption

She paid tribute to her late dad in a touching post shared to Instagram in 2019, on what would have been his 98th birthday.

'When someone you love so unconditionally, so completely, and who loves you right back in a way you know no other man ever will passes away, not only does your heart break, but your sense of meaning does too,' she wrote.

'All the stories we tell ourselves, all the comforting cliches, disintegrate in the face of complete and permanent loss.

'When my beautiful dad, Ray Wilkinson, passed away almost 30 years ago, I thought my world had ended.'

Heartfelt: Lisa paid tribute to her late dad Raymond (pictured) in a touching post shared to Instagram in 2019, on what would have been his 98th birthday

Love: She said she realised she was blessed by the men in her life - her husband, Peter FitzSimons (pictured) and their two sons, Louis and Jake, who her father never had the chance to meet

She said she realised she was blessed by the men in her life - her husband, Peter FitzSimons, and their two sons, Louis and Jake, who her father never had the chance to meet.

'On what would have been his 98th birthday, this is the beautiful face, these are kind eyes, and the overwhelming memory I hold of my dads purest of souls that I carry with me every day,' she added.

'Miss you dad. Tonight Ill raise a glass.'

Twenty-eight years after her father's death, Lisa's mother Beryl passed away in March 2018.
Matt Di Angelo has revealed that his wife Sophia Perry is pregnant and the couple are expecting twins.

The actor, 34, who played Dean Wicks on EastEnders, announced the happy news in a heartwarming Instagram clip he shared on Monday.

The soap star shared a look at the couple's gender reveal as they held cannon poppers which exploded with blue and pink confetti.

Congratulations: Matt Di Angelo has revealed that his wife Sophia Perry is pregnant and the couple are expecting twins

The pair jumped up and down in excitement in the sweet clip before Matt lifted Sophia in his arms.

He wrote: '"The lottery of life", still a fair way to go but we feel VERY blessed. The boys name will be JACK, and the girls will be POT.'

The couple were inundated with congratulatory messages from their nearest and dearest.

Actor Chris Evangelou said: 'Congratulations guys, amazing news x,' while Matt's EastEnders co-star Emma Barton added: 'Beautiful '.

Reveal: The actor, 34, who played Dean Wicks on EastEnders , announced the happy news in a heartwarming Instagram clip he shared on Monday

Thrilled: The soap star shared a look at the couple's gender reveal as they held cannon poppers which exploded with blue and pink confetti

Matt wrote: '"The lottery of life", still a fair way to go but we feel VERY blessed. The boys name will be JACK, and the girls will be POT'

Danny Hatchard, who played Lee Carter on the series, added: 'Huge congratulations brother '.

Matt and Sophie tied the knot in September 2021 at a ceremony held at Grosvenor Chapel in London.

Confirming the news on social media, Matt shared a short black and white video of the duo on their wedding day, where they are seen celebrating their nuptials.

Sophie looked incredible in her embellished bridal gown that featured a backless design and wore her hair up in a chic up-do decorated with a jewelled hair piece.

Reaction: The couple were inundated with congratulatory messages from their nearest and dearest

Matt and Sophia's wedding comes two years after the couple announced their engagement in May 2019.

The actor popped the question over pizza and champagne during a romantic beach proposal in the Dominican Republic.

Fans will recognise Matt from appearing on EastEnders. His character Dean was last seen on the soap in February 2016.

CharacterL Fans will recognise Matt from appearing on EastEnders. His character Dean was last seen on the soap in February 2016

Relationship: Matt and Sophie tied the knot in September 2021 at a ceremony held at Grosvenor Chapel in London

The character was at the centre of a rape storyline that saw Dean sexually assault Linda Carter, played by Kellie Bright, in the Queen Vic in scenes that aired in 2014.

Dean was later acquitted of attempted rape after standing trial off-screen.

Matt made his debut on EastEnders in 2006 and starred on the soap until 2008, before then returning in 2014 for two more years.

Since appearing on EastEnders, Matt has also starred in drama Death In Paradise and BBC series Ordinary Lies.
Sylvia Jeffreys shared a string of touching posts in honour of Anzac Day on Monday.

The 37-year-old Today Extra host took to Instagram to share a photo alongside her father Richard, who she thanked for volunteering at a commemorative event.

'Thank you to my Dad and the many volunteers who convene community ANZAC Day services across the county,' she captioned the image.

Family: Sylvia Jeffreys shared a string of touching posts in honour of Anzac Day on Monday. The 37-year-old Today Extra host took to Instagram to share a photo alongside her father Richard, who she thanked for volunteering at a commemorative event

'More than 2000 people gathered at the Coorparoo RSL this morning in pouring rain for a very moving service. Im grateful to have shared the day with my family.'

Earlier in the day, the mother-of-two shared photos of her late grandfather, Neil Hamilton Russell.

'I have the great honour of speaking about my late Grandpa, Neil Hamilton Russell, at the Coorparoo RSL ANZAC Day Service in Brisbane this morning,' she wrote alongside the tribute.

Lest we forget: Earlier in the day, the mother-of-two took to Instagram to share a photo of her late grandfather, Neil Hamilton Russell (right)

'I have the great honour of speaking about my late Grandpa, Neil Hamilton Russell, at the Coorparoo RSL ANZAC Day Service in Brisbane this morning,' she wrote alongside the tribute

'Grandpa fought in five major campaigns across Syria, Libya, Egypt and New Guinea and was awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal for his bravery in Tobruk.'

She said her grandfather showed 'courage and selflessness in the face of a relentless enemy'.

Sylvia also shared photos of her grandfather being awarded medals for his services, and one in his full army uniform.

Inspiring: Sylvia also shared photos of her grandfather being awarded medals for his services, and one in his full army uniform

Sylvia is married to fellow journalist Peter Stefanovic.

The couple tied the knot at the Ooralba Estate in Kangaroo Valley on April 1, 2017.

They're both proud parents to Oscar, who they welcomed in January 2020 and young Henry in April 2021.
Linda Carter's turbulent relationship with alcohol is set to take a dangerous turn after the inebriated barmaid gets behind the wheel of her car with her baby inside.

In yet to be aired scenes, Linda - played by Kellie Bright - looks worse for wear while attempting to drive with her young daughter Annie asleep in the rear.

Fortunately Janine Butcher is on hand to prevent potential disaster, despite taking steps to eradicate Linda from her ex-husband Mick's life for good.

Danger: Linda Carter's turbulent relationship with alcohol is set to take a dangerous turn after the inebriated barmaid gets behind the wheel of her car with her baby inside

The scheming character, played by Charlie Brookes, is seen squabbling with a seemingly paralytic Linda after managing to coerce her out of the car.

In a curious twist of fate, she serves as an unlikely hero of sorts by climbing behind the wheel and driving off with her nemesis in the passenger seat and an oblivious Annie still asleep in her cradle.

Troubled Linda returned to Albert Square for Tina's funeral but was previously rejected by Nancy and even argued with Mick - now romantically involved with Janine - before the service.

Face to face: Fortunately Janine Butcher is on hand to prevent potential disaster, despite taking steps to eradicate Linda from her ex-husband Mick's life for good

Under the influence: In yet to be aired scenes, struggling alcoholic Linda - played by Kellie Bright - looks worse for wear

Trouble brewing: Linda is clearly in no fit state to be driving

Viewers saw a devastated Mick break down in tears as the grief-stricken pub landlord took his turn to speak at the service.

As always Janine jumped to Mick's aid, leaving his ex-wife Linda furious as she stormed out in embarrassment.

Tina, portrayed by Luisa Bradshaw-White, was brutally murdered over a year ago on the show by serial killer Gray Atkins, played by Toby-Alexander Smith.

Oblivious: Young daughter Annie was asleep in the rear as Linda and Janine argued

Watch out: Janine appeared to hold Linda back as she made an attempt to get back into her car

Scheming: But Janine comes to the aid of her troubled nemesis in yet to be aired scenes

Come here: She is seen reaching out in an attempt to restrain a paralytic Linda

After the funeral, Linda also came to blows with Janine in front of a hapless Mick as they confronted one another in the Queen Vic.

Elsewhere, Albert Square is set to be rocked by more drama after Sam Mitchell joined forces with rivals Sharon Watts and Kat Slater for a tense meeting with a sinister business associate of Phil's.

The character, played by Kim Medcalf, made her explosive return to Walford last week, drafted in by big brother Phil Mitchell to run his business empire while he languishes in prison.

Arms reach: The character lunges towards Linda in a desperate attempt to stop her

Surrounded: Crew member looked on as the scene was filmed away from the show's Elstree home
Hugh Jackman has shared a touching tribute in honour of Anzac Day.

On Monday, the Australian actor, who grew up in Sydney, posted a photo of a memorial statue located close to where he used to reside as a child.

'Lest we forget. #anzacday (in Chatswood, near my first home),' the 53-year-old captioned the image.

Touching: Hugh Jackman shared a touching tribute in honour of Anzac Day on Monday

Hugh married his wife Deborra-Lee Furness on April 11, 1996, just one year after meeting.

The pair met on set of Australian drama Corelli, with Hugh saying he knew he was going to spend the rest of his life with Deborra-Lee after just two weeks.

They have two children: Oscar Maximilian Jackman, 20, and Ava Eliot Jackman, 15.

'Lest we forget. #anzacday (in Chatswood, near my first home.)' he captioned this image

In 2020, Hugh told People that the secret to their happy marriage was 'making time for each other and 'always learning' from one another.

He said they consciously 'reset' their marriage from time to time, which means they don't grow apart like many longtime couples do.

'We're always learning and humans change so you have to, even though we've been together 25 years, you gotta reset all the time,' he said.

Love: Hugh and wife Deborra-Lee Furness met on set of Australian drama Corelli, with Hugh saying he knew he was going to spend the rest of his life with her after just two weeks

'I'm always reeling in how funny she is and how amazing she is and how smart she is.

'The longer it goes on the better it gets.'

The happy couple celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary earlier this month and currently reside in New York.
Selling Sunset season five sees a new broker join the Oppenheim Group, introducing Brit beauty Chelsea Lazkani.

But fans of the Netflix smash hit have been left baffled by Chelsea's accent, leading the stunning star to defend herself in a series of hilarious tweets.

Calling herself 'black Barbie,' Chelsea's debut on the show has been lauded by viewers, but many questioned her unusual accent.

Londoner: Selling Sunset season five sees a new broker join the Oppenheim Group, introducing Brit beauty Chelsea Lazkani but some fans have been left baffled by her accent

Chelsea was introduced in the first episode of series five, meeting Christine Quinn at an open house in the Hollywood Hills.

Whilst her designer wardrobe and platform heels caught Christine's eye, it was her lilting accent that caught the attention of viewers.

As she explained to Christine how she visited LA and fell in love with her husband Jeff in 2015, some fans of the show were busy tweeting about her accent, with one quipping: 'I've taken a tour around the world listening to Chelsea's accent.'

Another mused: 'I have never heard a London-Valley girl accent before.'

Beauty: Whilst her designer wardrobe and platform heels caught Christine Quinn's eye, it was her lilting accent that caught the attention of viewers

'Chelsea is the girl who studied abroad for a semester and came back with an accent,' joked another viewer.

Fellow Brits were equally confused, with one tweeting: 'The accent is all over the place. Post English to Essex in an instant.'

Others though pointed out that Chelsea has moved countries and 'it sounds like an American and London accent blended to me.'

'Tour around the world': As she explained to Christine how she visited LA and fell in love with her husband Jeff in 2015, some fans of the show were busy tweeting about her accent

Pals: Chelsea strikes up a friendship with Christine early on in the series

Chelsea herself has defended herself, joking that even she was shocked by what she heard when she watched herself back on the show over the weekend.

Writing on Twitter on Sunday, she joked: 'If you think you're irritated with my accent, Imagine me? I almost fainted listening to myself back.

'You mean to tell me this is how I sound? WooooooooOOooW,' she posted.

Chelsea also posted a video declaring she is 'a London girl at heart,' as she explained her accent is down to her love of travel.

'I've lived in four countries in my short 29 years of life. I've lived in London, I've lived in Switzerland, I lived in New Jersey and I now live in Los Angeles so my accent is a mish mosh of all the places I've lived but I'm a London girl at heart,' she said.

New recruit: Calling herself 'black Barbie,' Chelsea's debut on the show has been lauded by viewers

In her defence! Others though pointed out that Chelsea has moved countries and 'it sounds like an American and London accent blended to me.'

Chelsea was born in North-West London before attending the University of Birmingham for her degree in Economics. She then moved to Scotland where she gained a masters in gas and oil economics in Dundee.

She worked as a business strategist and solar analyst with companies in the oil and gas industry, before she visited Los Angeles and fell in love with her husband Jeff in 2015.

After the pair married in 2017, Chelsea gained her real estate license and joined the famous Oppenheim Group last year.

Her husband Jeff is a managing partner at Icon Media Direct, a marketing and advertising company, according to his LinkedIn.

The couple married in 2017 and share two children Maddox Ali Levon, 3, and daughter Melia Man, 2.

Shocked: Chelsea herself has defended herself, joking that even she was shocked by what she heard when she watched herself back on the show over the weekend
Jason Oppenheim has hilariously revealed a client observed that Kanye West lived in a 'lonely narcissist's house', during a recent episode of Netflix's Selling Sunset in Season 5.

The real estate agent, 45, claimed to have held a viewing at a previous mansion owned by the rapper roughly five years ago in The Donas, LA - however the potential buyer was left less than impressed.

He detailed how the abode featured 'a painting of Kanye as Jesus on the ceiling pointing' as well as a shower which was 'like a goldfish tank'.

Savage! Jason Oppenheim has hilariously revealed a client observed that Kanye West lived in a 'lonely narcissist's house', during a recent episode of Netflix's Selling Sunset in Season 5

Speaking to his co-stars Christine Quinn and Chelsea Lazkani, the reality star gushed about showing the latter's husband Jeff and his mum around the home.

He quipped: 'This is funny because not only did we show him Kanye's house, we get into escrow on Kanye's house. We didn't say who it was.

'Jeff invited his mum and his mum not knowing whose house it was says, 'It looks like a lonely narcissist lives here.'

'And Jeff cancelled the escrow. There was a painting of Kanye as Jesus on the ceiling pointing. The shower was like a goldfish tank.'

Unimpressed: The real estate agent, 45, claimed to have held a viewing at a previous mansion owned by the rapper roughly five years ago in The Donas, LA (Kanye pictured in March 2022)

For context, the Jesus Walks hitmaker has previously compared himself to God as well as Andy Warhol, William Shakespeare and the Medici family.

He once said: 'When someone comes up and says something like, "I am a god," everybody says "Who does he think he is?" I just told you who I thought I was. A god. I just told you. That's who I think I am.'

Another shocking Kanye quote is: 'I am Warhol! I am the number one most impactful artist of our generation. I am Shakespeare in the flesh. Walt Disney, Nike, Google. Now who's going to be the Medici family and stand up and let me create more?'

What?! He detailed how the abode featured 'a painting of Kanye as Jesus on the ceiling pointing' as well as a shower which was 'like a goldfish tank'

Gossip: Speaking to his co-stars Christine Quinn (right) and Chelsea Lazkani (eft), the reality star gushed about showing the latter's husband Jeff and his mum around the home

Amused: Chelsea put on a very animated display as she clapped and laughed hilariously

Elsewhere, fans of the Netflix smash hit have been left baffled by Chelsea's accent, leading the stunning star to defend herself in a series of hilarious tweets.

Calling herself 'black Barbie,' Chelsea's debut on the show has been lauded by viewers, but many questioned her unusual accent.

Chelsea was introduced in the first episode of series five, meeting Christine at an open house in the Hollywood Hills.

Londoner: Elsewhere, fans of the Netflix smash hit have been left baffled by Chelsea's accent, leading the stunning star to defend herself in a series of hilarious tweets

Whilst her designer wardrobe and platform heels caught Christine's eye, it was her lilting accent that caught the attention of viewers.

As she explained to Christine how she visited LA and fell in love with her husband Jeff in 2015, some fans of the show were busy tweeting about her accent, with one quipping: 'I've taken a tour around the world listening to Chelsea's accent.'

Another mused: 'I have never heard a London-Valley girl accent before.'

'Chelsea is the girl who studied abroad for a semester and came back with an accent,' joked another viewer.

Beauty: Whilst her designer wardrobe and platform heels caught Christine's eye, it was her lilting accent that caught the attention of viewers

Fellow Brits were equally confused, with one tweeting: 'The accent is all over the place. Post English to Essex in an instant.'

Others though pointed out that Chelsea has moved countries and 'it sounds like an American and London accent blended to me.'

Chelsea herself has defended herself, joking that even she was shocked by what she heard when she watched herself back on the show over the weekend.

'Tour around the world': As she explained to Christine how she visited LA and fell in love with her husband Jeff in 2015, some fans of the show were busy tweeting about her accent

Pals: Chelsea strikes up a friendship with Christine early on in the series

Writing on Twitter on Sunday, she joked: 'If you think you're irritated with my accent, Imagine me? I almost fainted listening to myself back.

'You mean to tell me this is how I sound? WooooooooOOooW,' she posted.

Chelsea also posted a video declaring she is 'a London girl at heart,' as she explained her accent is down to her love of travel.

'I've lived in four countries in my short 29 years of life. I've lived in London, I've lived in Switzerland, I lived in New Jersey and I now live in Los Angeles so my accent is a mish mosh of all the places I've lived but I'm a London girl at heart,' she said.

Chelsea was born in North-West London before attending the University of Birmingham for her degree in Economics. She then moved to Scotland where she gained a masters in gas and oil economics in Dundee.

New recruit: Calling herself 'black Barbie,' Chelsea's debut on the show has been lauded by viewers

In her defence! Others though pointed out that Chelsea has moved countries and 'it sounds like an American and London accent blended to me.'

She worked as a business strategist and solar analyst with companies in the oil and gas industry, before she visited Los Angeles and fell in love with her husband Jeff in 2015.

After the pair married in 2017, Chelsea gained her real estate license and joined the famous Oppenheim Group last year.

Her husband Jeff is a managing partner at Icon Media Direct, a marketing and advertising company, according to his LinkedIn.

The couple married in 2017 and share two children Maddox Ali Levon, 3, and daughter Melia Man, 2.

Shocked: Chelsea herself has defended herself, joking that even she was shocked by what she heard when she watched herself back on the show over the weekend
Argentinian Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero stated western sanctions would not resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict but exacerbate its ill effects.

The downturn has been felt as the EU feels the pinch, and the US thought it could quickly tear down the Russian economy.

Several bloc members, including Germany, Hungary, and France, agree that sanctions won't work but Brussel and Washington are pressuring countries.

Argentina Disagrees With Sanctions

Foreign Minister Cafiero informed the Telam media outlet last Saturday that measures would not assist in achieving peace and promote discussion on the Ukraine issue and that his country will not join those implementing sanctions on Russia, reported RT.

He added that Buenos Aires wants a return to diplomacy and mentioned the ambassador in Rome when he met his Italian counterpart, Luigi Di Maio.

Cafiero further stated that Buenos Aires lacks a regulatory basis for unilateral sanctions, instead choosing legislation that stops the government from taking such acts. In Kyiv that there should be peace.

The Latin American region's role in the sanctions; he explains these actions does not benefit anyone. It has created worse equality and social setbacks from a certain point of view.

Along with Mexico and Brazil, Argentina is one of the member nations that did not vote on deciding the suspension of Russia's place in the Organization of American States (OAS) after the incursion in Ukraine.

This resolution was passed early this week to back western sanctions; the US was happy that it was the OAS and that a majority responded to American pressure except for Cafiero.

Read Also: Volodymyr Zelensky Children: Does the Ukraine President Have Kids?

Last Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken remarked that most OAS countries had followed the US in denouncing the war in Ukraine, demanding that Moscow evacuate its forces and follow international law.

For the most part, the Kremlin says the US flouts international law and applies it arbitrarily that Russia stresses, especially in Syria, noted NPR.

Financial Attack on Russian Economy Will Not Resolve Conflict

The group composed led by the Biden administration and European countries, but not all have placed sanctions on the Russian operation in Donbas to stop a planned assault on Russian-speaking peoples by the Neo-Nazis and Supremacists in the Ukrainian army.

A key financial attack would hit Moscow's economy like the financial and banking sectors, technological firms for space and aviation, and last is fuel exports.

On February 24, the incursion was necessary because Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky had no intention to implement the French and German broker Minsk agreement.

It should have led to the recognition of Donetsk and Lugansk after the signing in 2014 and assigned a special status that may not have been intended due to the time it was ignored.

But the last straw is how pleas of the Kremlin that the west stop its alleged encroachment since the fall of the Soviet Union. Any attempt to bring Ukraine to NATO will be a red line for Putin, but Kyiv denied it planned to storm the DPR and LPR by force.

Kyiv was accused of shopping for nukes that promoted Moscow to react to it, mentioned Reuters, plus the imminent threat to DPR and LPR.

Foreign Minister Cafiero is adamant that western sanctions are incorrect and will not resolve the conflict. It joins India and China as nations taking a neutral approach with which the US does not allegedly agree.

Related Article: Vladimir Putin Declares Western Alliance Failed Economic Blitzkrieg Against Russia as It Backfired on Them Instead

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Emmerdale star Malandra Burrows has revealed the moment she was told that she had stage three breast cancer by a nurse who nearly 'broke down' telling her.

The actress, 56, who played Kathy Glover in the soap from 1985-2005 on and off, was diagnosed in February - a month after finding a lump and has said will undergo chemotherapy for the next six months.

Speaking to OK! magazine, Malandra told how consultants suggested she bring someone with her to be given the news, but she felt that she should do it on her own as she is single and 'didn't want to do that to a friend'.

Heartbreaking: Emmerdale star Malandra Burrows has revealed the moment she was told that she had stage three breast cancer by a nurse who nearly 'broke down' telling her

She said: 'I thought, "I've got to take this on my own". I'm single, and I felt I couldn't do that to a friend.

'When I went in, I found myself greeted by a Macmillan nurse and I just knew. She nearly broke down telling me, but I just went, "Don't be daft! We'll get through it and I'm going to ring that bell [to celebrate the end of treatment]."'

The actress insisted she has not cried since being given her diagnosis as she mentally prepared herself for the worst.

She said: 'I'd already galvanised myself before hearing the news, so I've never cried about it. In that week my body invluntarily had a breakdown. I didn't feel like I was breaking down, but I just couldn't eat or do anything.'

Health: The actress, 56, who played Kathy Glover in the soap from 1985-2005 on and off, was diagnosed in February - a month after finding a lump and has said will undergo chemotherapy for the next six months (pictured with Claire King on Emmerdale)

Malandra said: 'I thought, "I've got to take this on my own". I'm single, and I felt I couldn't do that to a friend' (pictured on Emmerdale in 1995)

Malandra added that there was something in the back of her mind that knew what was going on in her body.

The actress said that she is considering having a mastectomy if doctors say the procedure will save her life.

The star explained that she feels there is no point having 'wonderful boobs' if having them removed could save her life.

'There's no point having wonderful boobs if youre pushing up daisies': Malanda said she is considering a 'life-saving' mastectomy (pictured ahead of her I'm A Celeb stint in 2006)

Malandra had initially been advised her lump was just a cyst by a consultant - and it was after a follow-up scan and ultrasound that was told the doctors needed to see her as soon as possible.

Doctors have said that the cancer may have been sparked by the menopause.

Malandra, who has previously lost friends to breast cancer, said she was meant to have a routine mammogram back in 2020 that was cancelled due to the pandemic.

She now believes the cancer may have been spotted earlier had her appointment gone ahead.

Emotional: The actress insisted she has not cried since being given her diagnosis as she mentally prepared herself for the worst (pictured as Kathy Glover in 2000)

She said: 'I've kind of gone into combat mode. If I look back, I've given it everything I can and that's all I can do' (pictured in Emmerdale in 2000)

Raising the flag: Malandra pictured in a sexy shoot in 2001

Malandra, whose name is a portmanteau of her parents' names Malcolm and Sandra, was encouraged by her mother to take up dancing as a child.

By the age of six, she had appeared on Yorkshire Television's Junior Showtime and became the youngest ever winner of talent show New Faces in 1974.

After deciding she wanted to become a performer, she joined the Everyman Youth Theatre in Liverpool.

The actress won the role of Kathy Bates on Emmerdale just three months after she left drama school.

Early days: By the age of six, she had appeared on Yorkshire Television's Junior Showtime and became the youngest ever winner of talent show New Faces in 1974 (pictured in 1986)

She became one of the soap's longest running characters, appearing from 1985 to 2001 and returning briefly in 2005.

Kathy was involved in many colourful storylines over the years including being kidnapped by a diamond-thieving lord and getting knocked down by a horse.

The actress never married or had children but on the soap, she was married three times and was also dumped at the alter.

Her first on-screen marriage was to Jackie Merrick (Ian Sharrock) who accidentally shot himself in 1989.

She then tied the knot with Chris Tate (Peter Armory) which ended when he cheated on her and then, in 1996, married Dave Glover (Ian Kelsey) who died saving a child in a house fire.

Career: Outside of Emmerdale, Malandra was a contestant on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2006

Outside of Emmerdale, Malandra was a contestant on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2006 where she was the sixth star sent home.

Around the time of her I'm A Celebrity appearance, Malandra was accused of having an affair with her married Emmerdale co-star Ian Sharrock.

Ian's wife Pam - who was a close friend of Malandra's - claimed the pair had a four-year romance while she and Ian were together.

Malandra has never publicly responded to the claims.

Claims: Around the time of her I'm A Celebrity appearance, Malandra was accused of having an affair with her married Emmerdale co-star Ian Sharrock (pictured together in 1988)

Happy times: Malandra pictured out in London in September 2007
Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson could find themselves to be easy targets for host Trevor Noah, as they're rumored to be joining President Joe Biden at the 2022 White House Correspondents Dinner.

Comedian Noah, 38, is hosting the event, and may be writing some new joke material for the expected roast with news that Kim, 41, and SNL star Pete, 28, will be sitting in the audience, PageSix reports.

It will be the first time in five years that a sitting president has attended the bash, after Donald Trump was a no-show throughout his time in office.

The dinner was also canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to coronavirus.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner: Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson set to join President Joe Biden at the White House Correspondents Dinner (the pair pictured above on Sunday)

'I don't think they should feel that they're safe,' a source told the outlet. 'Trevor could definitely turn his attention to Kim and Pete.'

The famous couple - who began dating late last year - are rumored to be sitting at the Disney/ABC table, as Kim's new reality show is streaming on the Disney-owned platform Hulu.

News comes after Pete and Kim looked cozy while sitting together at the 23rd annual Mark Twain Prize For American Humor on Sunday night.

The pair applauded for comedian Jon Stewart as he received the Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in humor.

Surprise! Joe Biden is expected to be attending the April 30 bash, hosted by Trevor Noah

The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) previously said that the dinner will offer 'the first opportunity since 2016 for the press and the president to share a few laughs for a good cause.'

Proceeds from the event support the White House press corps' work, scholarships for aspiring journalists and awards for those in the profession.

Biden and First Lady Jill are sure to be content with the choice of host - Noah's autobiography 'Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood' is one of only two pieces of required reading in an introductory English course taught by the first lady last year.

Noah, the host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, will host the April 30 dinner in Washington, becoming the first comedian to headline the event since Michelle Wolf in 2018.

Noah, the host of 'The Daily Show' on Comedy Central, will host the April 30 dinner in Washington, becoming the first comedian to headline the event since Michelle Wolf in 2018

Wolf mercilessly mocked Trump administration officials in 2018, proving even too polarizing for the White House Correspondents' Association, who then in 2019 picked historian Ron Chernow to host the event.

Trump-critic Noah is seen as an easy choice for Biden, as it's likely the comedian will go easy on the President.

Noah has frequently poked fun at Trump during his own show, even after the former president left office.

Earlier this month, the comedian eviscerated the former president after a report came out that Trump clogged White House toilets by flushing official documents. Noah called it 'most Trump thing that he possibly could have done.'
Kim Kardashian has been looking back to her Easter celebration.

The 41-year-old SKIMS founder shared several images to Instagram on Monday from the annual holiday which was celebrated this year at the Kardashian/Jenner family mansion in Palm Springs, California.

The reality TV sensation was seen in one photo puckering up as she lay with all four of her children that she shares with ex-husband Kanye West.

Happy mom: Kim Kardashian and her kids North, eight, Saint, six, Chicago, four, and Psalm, two were seen in matching pajamas on Easter in a throwback photo shared to Instagram on Monday morning

And all of them were wearing soft cotton pajamas with yellow chicks and eggs.

Kim was in the middle as she had the kids around her. She has North, eight, Saint, six, Chicago, four, and Psalm, two.

They were on a beige stuffed sofa with an abstract painting signed EM14 on the wall behind them.

Her mother Kris was seen in a colorful floral print top as she posed with Chicago, Stormi and Dream.

Lovey, not Grandma: Her mother Kris was seen in a colorful floral print top as she posed with Chicago, Stormi and Dream

Glam for the little ones: In another photo the kiddie table inside the home could be seen. It was a low table that seated around 16 kids. And the table was done up elaborately with woven chargers, white plates, blue and white cloth napkins, silver flatware, crystal water glasses and large chocolate Easter eggs with daisies on top

Crack it open: Two of the kids were seen opening the eggs which had little eggs inside

In another photo the kiddie table inside the home could be seen.

It was a low table that seated around 16 kids. And the table was done up elaborately with woven chargers, white plates, blue and white cloth napkins, silver flatware, crystal water glasses and large chocolate Easter eggs with daisies on top.

There was to the side an instrument to crack open the eggs.

In the center of the table was wild grass and bouquets of pink and white flowers in a vase of brown and white eggs.

What cuties: Some of the girls were seen looking inside the fun eggs

In the background were tall bubble gum machines and to the left was a service person by a table of food served buffet style.

There was also a row of gift baskets for the kids.

In addition to the family - Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kendall and Kylie - there was momager Kris Jenner and all the grandkids: Kim has North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm. Kourtney has Mason, Penelope and Reign with ex Scott Disick. Khloe has True with ex Tristan Thompson. Kylie has Stormi and a son whose name has not yet been revealed (though for a moment it was Wolf) wit Travis Scott. And Rob has Dream with Blac Chyna.

More fun: Last week North was also seen at an egg coloring party before Easter

Other images saw the kids cracking open the chocolate eggs.

Kim was also seen on Easter with her sisters last week. Kanye did not seem to be at Easter and neither did Kim's boyfriend Pete Davidson of SNL fame.

This comes after Kim told Vanity Fair that she has relaxed a bit. She said she doesn't 'care as much' about being glamorous all the time.

The Kardashians' star attributed to being less bothered about being always done up to her 'own personal growth' but still loves playing around with her look.

The personality told Vanity Fair: 'There's something powerful and refreshing just in my own personal growth that I don't care as much. I think I'll always be me and always be over the top when I want to be. And, even if it's not other people's style around mewhether it's my friends in high school, whether it's a relationship. No matter what, I've always still been me.'

A fashion plate: Dream was seen in a Burberry outfit with white sneakers

Kim gushed about loving 'feeling so comfortable' to be her authentic self, dressed up or down.

She said: 'I just don't care as much. I love to just be in no makeup. Whereas before, I would've been so insecure with no makeup on and just that wasn't me. Now, I'm like, Are you kidding me? It's the opposite.

'I just love feeling so comfortable that you can just be you, show up how you want. Some days it's dressy, full glam, some days it's not. And it is what it is.'

Kris outdid herself: Jenner put out cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies for the kids

Too pretty to eat: And there was this bunny cookie with flowers and eggs on top

The SKIMS founder admitted that her obsession with being dressed up would 'literally ruin my day'.

Kim said: 'I used to care so much and get so upset and have it literally ruin my day, and I've come to the realization where I'm just like, "It doesn't matter." Nobody cares and you just have to let golike if you want to wear something super chill and no makeup, it took me a minute to get there, but that's where I'm at.'

The former Keeping Up With the Kardashians star - despite her change in mindset - isn't into 'festival style'. Kim said: 'I don't really go for a festival style. That's not really my thing. I definitely have different style vibes when I go to different cities, depending on the weather and depending on the event. But I just think that, when I go out to something like a festival, I still always want to be myself and just not feel the pressure.'
Laura Haddock cut an extravagant figure at the Downton Abbey: A New Era premiere on Monday evening at Leicester Square's Cineworld.

The 36-year-old actress, who plays newcomer Myrna Dalgleish, sported a soft grey dress with a diamante embellished bodice which met a feather detailed waist - falling into a sheer maxi lining.

A complementing sheer cape was wrapped around her neck, falling to the ground in a maxi cut.

Statement: Laura Haddock, 36, put on an extravagant display on Monday in a swan-like ensemble while attending the Downton Abbey: A New Era premiere at Leicester Square's Cineworld

She paired the statement dress with silver open-toed heels, flaunting her toned legs underneath the thin sheer lining.

The actress, who has appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy and White Lines, had her brunette tresses styled sleekly in a low ponytail.

The beauty kept her makeup look subtle yet glowing, with a deep pink lip and soft brown smokey eye.

Feathered: She sported a soft grey dress with an embellished bodice which met a feather detailed waist - falling into a sheer maxi lining

Extra: A complementing sheer cape was wrapped around her neck, falling to the ground in a maxi cut

Sheer: She paired the statement dress with silver open-toed heels, flaunting her toned legs underneath the thin sheer lining

She kept her accessories classy, with pearl earrings and matching pearl detail silver rings, alongside a dainty bracelet.

The sleeveless gown gave a glimpse at her dainty tattoos, including one decorating her inner forearm.

Laura worked her magic on the red carpet with a number of poses, as her dress blew in the wind.

Chic: Laura had her brunette tresses styled sleekly in a low ponytail for the premiere as she put on a classy display

Pearls: She kept her accessories classy, with pearl earrings and matching pearl detail silver rings, alongside a dainty bracelet

Subtly dewy: The beauty kept her makeup look subtle yet glowing, with a deep pink lip and soft brown smokey eye

In the much-anticipated sequel film, Laura's character Myrna is a glamorous 1920s film star, with the on-screen actress seeming unimpressed by the iconic manor.

She is transformed into a Hollywood-style beauty for the role, previously revealing the character is 'a complete diva'.

She arrives at the Crawley household as it prepares to become the set for a Hollywood film.

Dainty: The sleeveless gown gave a glimpse at her dainty tattoos, including one decorating her inner forearm

Downton debut: Laura plays plays newcomer Myrna Dalgleish (right) in the much-awaited sequel flick

Film star: Laura's character Myrna is a glamorous 1920s film star, with the on-screen actress seeming unimpressed by the iconic manor

The sequel to the 2019 film will see the Crawley family head to the South of France to uncover a mystery at a villa bestowed to Dowager Countess of Grantham, Violet Crawley, while an ambitious director plans to make a film at Downton.

The sequel to the 2019 film will see a slew of other new faces join the famous cast, including Dominic West and Hugh Dancy.

It has been a long time coming for fans, with the movie originally set to release in December 2021, before being pushed to 2022.

Long-awaited: It has been a long time coming for fans, with the movie originally set to release in December 2021, before being pushed to 2022
Chris Rock is continuing to move on from the Oscars slap controversy, after Will Smith assaulted the comedian live in front of millions across the globe.

Rock, 57, appeared pensive as he strolled around Manhattan in New York City on Sunday.

The sighting came a day after Smith, 53, reappeared in India, a trip that is said to be for 'spiritual purposes' according to a Monday report.

Moving on: Chris Rock looks pensive while out in NYC... as Will Smith takes trip to India for 'spiritual purposes' after Oscars slap

A source has claimed to PEOPLE that Smith is currently in India to practice yoga and meditation, after apologizing to Rock in a statement, where he said he 'reacted emotionally' to a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's hair loss.

Smith arrived at a private airport in Mumbai, India on Saturday, the first time he has been pictured since the Oscars debacle.

Last week, Rock's mother Rose Rock, an author and motivational speaker, spoke to WIS-TV in South Carolina about the incident.

'You reacted to your wife giving you the side-eye and you went and made her day because she was mulled over laughing when it happened,' Rock said.

Rose Rock said she watched from home and initially thought the incident was staged until Smith began to say 'take my wife's name out your f--king mouth.'

'When he slapped Chris, he slapped all of us. He really slapped me.'

A lot on his mind: Rock, 57, appeared pensive as he strolled around Manhattan in New York City on Sunday

Rock said that her son was excited to present the award for Best Documentary Feature to friend Questlove (though Rock couldn't know that The Roots' drummer was going to win ahead of time) and that Smith's actions ruined his speech.

'No one even heard his speech. No one was able to just be in the moment because everyone was sitting there like, 'what just happened?'

The Academy banned Smith for 10 years for his actions. Rock seemed to think this was appropriate.

Smith is reportedly in India to meet spiritual leader Sadhguru, who Smith and his family met with back in 2020 in Los Angeles

'I wouldn't take his award away, and I don't see any good way they could have taken him out without disrupting,' she said.

Smith apologized via Instagram, which Rock found less than convincing.

'I feel really bad that he never apologized,' she said. 'I mean his people wrote up a piece saying I apologize to Chris Rock, but you see something like that is personal, you reach out.'

Smith was all smiles as he landed in India Saturday - where he was seen for the first time since the infamous Oscar's slap.

Smith was pictured touching down in a private airport in Mumbai, where he was greeted by adoring fans who he took snaps with.

Chris Rock's mother Rose Rock has spoken out about the slap her son took from Will Smith at the 2022 Academy Awards, blasting the actor's actions

Rose Rock, an author and motivational speaker, spoke to WIS in South Carolina about the incident, in which Smith approached the stage and slapped Rock after he told a joke regarding Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her shaved head

Smith is reportedly in India to meet spiritual leader Sadhguru, who Smith and his family met with back in 2020 in Los Angeles.

Dressed casually in a white t-shirt, dark grey shorts over white compression tights and a pair of Nike sneakers, Smith looked relaxed and happy after landing in the South Asian country.

As staff helped him unload his things from his vehicle nearby fans excitedly scream 'Will, Will Smith!'

Smith then takes a couple of selfies with security and turned to the fans yelling his name, giving them a wave while flashing a smile before continuing to take a few more selfies and entering a building where he gives someone a hug.

This is the first time Smith has been spotted in public nearly a month after slapping master of ceremony and comedian Chris Rock on live TV and in front of his co-stars after he n made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's buzzcut.
Keri Russell was spotted shooting her upcoming Netflix political thriller series The Diplomat in London.

In the first images from the show's filming, the 45-year-old actress donned a chic black trench coat as she acted out scenes at the Old Royal Naval College.

The Americans performer and a co-star were seen laying wreathes at an event to commemorate fallen sailors in one scene.

On set: Keri Russell was spotted shooting her upcoming Netflix political thriller series The Diplomat in London

Keri had on a rust-colored blouse and black trousers under her trench coat and sported black boots.

The brunette beauty's tresses were parted to the side and down around her shoulders.

She accessorized simply with small gold hoop earrings and wore a light palette of makeup that included a rosy blush and a mauve lipstick.

First photos: . In the first images from the show's filming, the 45-year-old actress donned a chic black trench coat as she acted out scenes at the Old Royal Naval College

Paying their respects: The Americans performer and a co-star were seen laying wreathes at an event to commemorate fallen sailors in one scene

In between takes, the Felicity alumna was seen laughing and joking with members of the production crew.

Keri is playing the titular role in The Diplomat and serving as one of the executive producers.

In the new show, which got an order for eight episodes that span no less than 50 minutes, Russell plays Kate Wyler, a career diplomat who lands a high-profile job she's unsuited for, amid an international crisis.

Stylish: Keri had on a rust-colored blouse and black trousers under her trench coat and sported black boots

Good times: In between takes, the Felicity alumna was seen laughing and joking with members of the production crew

Starring role: Keri is playing the titular role in The Diplomat and serving as one of the executive producers

As a result, conflict ensues, which has major implications on her marriage and her political future.

Last month, Variety reported that Rufus Sewell had been cast as Keri's husband Hal Wyler and Ali Ahn will play the role of Eidra Graham.

Simon Cellan Jones has also been tapped to direct and executive produce the first two episodes of the show.

The Diplomat was created by Deborah Cahn, who's best known for her work as a writer and executive producer for the last two seasons of the hit Showtime series, Homeland (2018-2020).

Intriguing: In the new show, which got an order for eight episodes that span no less than 50 minutes, Russell plays Kate Wyler, a career diplomat who lands a high-profile job she's unsuited for, amid an international crisis

Cahn will serve double duty as both showrunner and executive producer under her overall deal with Netflix.

Janice Williams will also executive produce.

After kick-starting her career on The All New Mickey Mouse Club, Russell landed another lead in the teen soap, Malibu Shores (1996), and a number of guest-starring spots on TV before hitting it big in The WB drama series Felicity (1998-2002), which earned her a Golden Globe Award.

She would wait nearly eight years before committing to another main role on television in the comedy series Running Wilde (2010-2011), but it would be canceled after one season.

The plot: As a result, conflict ensues, which has major implications on her marriage and her political future

Creator: The Diplomat was created by Deborah Cahn, who's best known for her work as a writer and executive producer for the last two seasons of the hit Showtime series, Homeland (2018-2020)

Her next leading lady role in series came on the FX spy-thriller series The Americans (2013-2018), which resulted in three consecutive Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress In A Drama Series.

Over her career, Russell has also appeared in several acclaimed films like We Were Soldiers (2002), Mission: Impossible III (2006), August Rush (2007), Waitress (2007), Bedtime Stories (2008), Extraordinary Measures (2010) and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014).

She next stars in Cocaine Bear for director Elizabeth Banks and Extrapolations for director, writer and producer Scott Burns.

Co-star: Last month, Variety reported that Rufus Sewell had been cast as Keri's husband Hal Wyler. Seen in 2021
Selling Sunset stars Christine Quinn and Amanza Smith both tested positive for COVID-19 before the fifth season reunion taping at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles on Sunday.

And while the 45-year-old brunette did her own make-up and hair so she could join the cast of the No. 1 Netflix hit show remotely, the 33-year-old blonde 'wasn't feeling well enough to do it.'

Christine's rep confirmed her diagnosis to TMZ on Monday: 'She tested positive for COVID on Saturday and out of an abundance of caution, she did not attend the reunion.'

Health update: Selling Sunset stars Christine Quinn (L) and Amanza Smith (R) both tested positive for COVID-19 before the fifth season reunion taping at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles on Sunday

It's Quinn's second time coming down with it after claiming to Goss Chats in 2020 that she was sick with the coronavirus during her December 2019 wedding ceremony.

Season five premiered last Friday and the streaming giant just unveiled the first image of Queer Eye's Tan France moderating the reunion, which is scheduled to air on May 6.

Behind the scenes, Davina Potratz took a selfie video with her castmates Maya Vander and Heather Rae El Moussa.

'Whooo! There's been tears. There's been a lot, so you guys are gonna love it,' 34-year-old Heather confessed while getting touched up by her glam squad.

'I look a whole lot better than I feel': And while the 45-year-old brunette did her own make-up and hair so she could join the cast of the No. 1 Netflix hit show remotely, the 33-year-old blonde 'wasn't feeling well enough to do it'

Second time around: It's Christine's second time coming down with it after claiming to Goss Chats in 2020 that she was sick with the coronavirus during her December 2019 wedding ceremony (pictured)

Airing on May 6! Season five premiered last Friday and the streaming giant just unveiled the first image of Queer Eye's Tan France (M) moderating the reunion

'It's a lot of emotions. It's a lot of stuff you guys have never seen. Get ready!'

Her husband of six months Tarek El Moussa remarked: 'I sat so long on a metal bench my a** went numb. They did so good! And it's going to be so exciting to watch.'

And Chrishell Stause wrote via Instastory: 'Longest day ever. Just headed home now. Feel like I got spat out of a tornado. I love our crazy family though.'

Also present for the reunion taping were Jason and Brett Oppenheim, Mary Fitzgerald, Romain Bonnet, Vanessa Villela, Emma Hernan, and newcomer Chelsea Lazkani.

Reunited! Behind the scenes, Davina Potratz (M) took a selfie video with her castmates Maya Vander (L) and Heather Rae El Moussa (R)

While getting touched up by her glam squad, 34-year-old Heather confessed: 'Whooo! There's been tears. There's been a lot, so you guys are gonna love it. It's a lot of emotions. It's a lot of stuff you guys have never seen. Get ready!'

Her husband of six months Tarek El Moussa (L) remarked: 'I sat so long on a metal bench my a** went numb. They did so good! And it's going to be so exciting to watch'

And Chrishell Stause wrote via Instastory: 'Longest day ever. Just headed home now. Feel like I got spat out of a tornado. I love our crazy family though'

Fans will likely be disappointed that Selling Sunset's biggest antagonist missed the reunion considering how heated her storylines were this season.

Last Thursday, the platinum blonde Texan - who boasts 3.1M social media followers - tweeted: '30 minutes till the launch of #SellingSunset! Enjoy the new season and all of its 5,000 fake storylines!'

Christine was reportedly alluding to the $5,000 she allegedly bribed Emma's client to not work with her anymore.

Last Friday, Quinn and her husband - retired tech millionaire Christian Richard Dumontet - launched crypto real estate app, RealOpen.

Missed opportunity: Fans will likely be disappointed that Selling Sunset's biggest antagonist missed the reunion considering how heated her storylines were this season

Last Thursday, Christine - who boasts 3.1M social media followers - tweeted: '30 minutes till the launch of #SellingSunset! Enjoy the new season and all of its 5,000 fake storylines!'

'Buy any home with crypto!' Last Friday, Quinn and her husband - retired tech millionaire Christian Richard Dumontet - launched crypto real estate app, RealOpen

July 15 family portrait: The married couple of two years will next celebrate their son Christian Georges Dumontet's first birthday on May 15

'My book is coming out soon!' Abrams Image will publish the platinum blonde Texan's part how-to and part tell-all 224-page book How to be a Boss B**** on May 17

The married couple of two years will next celebrate their son Christian Georges Dumontet's first birthday on May 15.

Abrams Image will publish the Oppenheim Group realtor associate's part how-to and part tell-all 224-page book How to be a Boss B**** on May 17.

Adam DiVello's Emmy-nominated reality series also spawned two spin-offs - Selling Tampa, which follows the Allure Realty firm in Florida and the upcoming Selling the OC, which follows the Oppenheim Group branch in Newport Beach.
Teresa Giudice and her brother Joe Gorga reignited their family feud in the upcoming, drama-packed reunion of The Real Housewives Of New Jersey.

A sneak peek for the three-part reunion sees Teresa, 49, calling her brother a 'b*tch' before he walks off the set simmering and threatening to quit the show.

In a separate argument, Joe brands his sister a 'f**king moron' as they fight over Margaret Josephs and Teresa's boyfriend Luis 'Louie' Ruelas.

Teresa Giudice and her brother Joe Gorga reignited their family feud in the upcoming, drama-packed reunion for The Real Housewives Of New Jersey

A sneak peek for the three-part reunion sees Teresa calling her brother a 'b*tch' before he walks off the set in a huff and threatens to quit the show

'I wish you would tell Margaret to shut the f**k up,' Teresa shouts at her brother at the beginning of the sneak peek.

'This (expletive) and his wife talking about my f**king boyfriend,' Teresa continues, enraged.

Joe attempts to defend himself but can barely get a word in before eventually disengaging from the fight.

'You know what, be a sister once in a while,' he shouts at Teresa as he walks off. 'F**king moron,' he says, irate.

'I wish you would tell Margaret to shut the f**k up,' Teresa shouts at her brother at the beginning of the sneak peek

Tensions reached a peak between the two siblings after Joe got into an argument with Jennifer Aydin.

'I'll do it right back at ya b*tch girl,' Jennifer said as she raised her hand to mimic a slapping motion.

'Sitting next to her, calling me a b*tch,' Joe said. This prompted Teresa to wade into the row.

No turning back: 'B*tch boy Joe, sorry, you are,' Teresa told her brother

The cast did not hold back their shock as the words sank in. 'You've got to stop putting me down!' Joe exclaimed

He's out of here: Gorga was simmering as he walked off the set following his argument with Teresa

'B*tch boy Joe, sorry, you are,' Teresa said.

The cast did not hold back their shock as the words sank in. 'You've got to stop putting me down!' Joe exclaimed.

Teresa remained silent, shaking her head, before Joe walked off the set.

'I'm done,' he said. 'F**k you people,' he said before Andy attempted to call him back.

'I quit!' Joe exclaimed as he turned his back on the others

'You know what? I quit!' Joe said.

Teresa also went head to head with her sister-in-law, Joe's wife Melissa Gorga.

Andy brought up the fact that Teresa was not planning on having Melissa serve as a bridesmaid at her upcoming wedding to Luis.

'No. It's my wedding,' Teresa insists.

'It's my wedding': Teresa will not be having her sister-in-law Melissa Gorga serve as a bridesmaid

'You remember whose been here for all your s**t': Gorga said before mimicking Teresa, 'Family, family, I love family.'

But Melissa wasn't having any of it. 'You remember whose been here for all your s**t,' she said, before mimicking her sister-in-law. '"Family, family, I love family." Bulls**t.'

Teresa's boyfriend is also asked about allegations of abuse leveled at him.

'There is road rage incidents, slashed a girlfriend's tire, physical abuse in front of kids. Is any of it true?' Andy asks Louis, who bows his head, his answer not shown.

Teresa's anger at Margaret, whom she has accused of spreading rumors to the press, has not faded either.

Spiteful: Teresa's anger at Margaret, whom she has accused of spreading rumors to the press, has not faded either

Placing the blame: 'It is f**king good!' Jennifer shouted. 'Until she brought it up!' she said, pointing at Margaret

'Louis lied on camera,' Margaret says.

'Shut up!' Teresa shouts.

'I'm not shutting up!' Margaret replies.

The Teresa drama wasn't the only controversy tearing the women apart.

'Is your marriage good or not!?' Dolores Catania asked Jennifer.

'It is f**king good!' Jennifer shouted. 'Until she brought it up!' she said, pointing at Margaret.

'I couldn't ruin a happy marriage!' Margaret insisted.

The women even got to Andy, a seasoned pro at moderating Housewives reunions.

'You're all talking!' he shouts. As the women continue fighting over one another, Andy is barely able to contain his anger and lets out a loud and frustrated growl.

Fans can catch all the drama when the three part season 12 reunion premieres on Bravo on Tuesday, May 3 8PM ET/PT.
Amir Khan and Faryal Makhdoom have been gearing their fans up for the second series of their reality show Meet The Khans.

The 35-year-old boxer - who last week was robbed at gunpoint - and his wife, 30, were at the helm of an eight-part reality series last March, called Meet the Khans: Big in Bolton.

And the BBC Three show, which focuses on the couple's lives in Greater Manchester, is making a return later this week.

It's back! Amir Khan and Faryal Makhdoom gave a teaser of the second series of reality show Meet The Khans... after the boxer was robbed at gunpoint for his 72,000 watch

Teasing the comeback on social media on Monday, Faryal shared a video in which Amir explained how to truly tell your wife you love her.

Sitting with his wife of almost 11 years in a cartoon living room, Amir said: 'You look into your eyes and obviously hold her hands. You have to be a bit of a softie when you're doing it, you have to be all shy type and then you have to say baby I love you.'

Faryal quipped: 'And then next!'

Reality TV: The 35-year-old boxer and his wife, 30, were at the helm of an eight-part reality series last March, called Meet the Khans: Big in Bolton

Return: The BBC3 show, which focuses on the couple's lives in Greater Manchester, is making a return later this week

Segment: Teasing the comeback on social media on Monday, Faryal shared a video in which Amir explained how to truly tell your wife you love her

The couple tied the knot in New York in May 2013 and share daughters Lamaisah, seven, Alayna, four and a two-year-old son Muhammad.

And insisting on the importance of personal space, the couple responded to a 2020 article which raised the topic of their separate houses.

Of whether it makes them stronger, Amir said: 'I think that is true definitely' before Faryal noted: 'It's important to have your own space.'

Busy bunch: The couple tied the knot in New York in May 2013 and share daughters Lamaisah, seven, Alayna, four and a two-year-old son Muhammad

Making it work for them: Insisting on the importance of personal space, the couple responded to a 2020 article which raised the topic of their separate houses

She explained how her husband 'brings his boys over' every day, which the sportsman tried to counter, before succumbing: 'More or less every day!'

He added: 'I used to go out all the time and Faryal would always be like, "you never stay at home." So then I decided to make a mancave.'

Faryal was quick to jest that it was indeed a doghouse.

Last week, Faryal posted CCTV images of the two hooded men who stole her boxer husband's diamond-encrusted watch in a gunpoint robbery in East London.

Ordeal: Last week, Faryal posted CCTV images of the two hooded men who stole her boxer husband's diamond-encrusted watch in a gunpoint robbery in East London

In an Instagram post, Faryal shared a video of two men getting out of a Mercedes before making a beeline towards her and her husband.

Moments later the pair robbed the British former world champion boxer, 35, of his 72,000 Franck Muller Vanguard Chronograph watch before running off.

In her post titled 'footage of last night's robbery', the influencer, who was out for dinner with Khan at the time, said: 'Two men coming out of the car... they knew exactly what time we walked out.

Footage: In an Instagram post, Faryal shared a video of two men getting out of a Mercedes before making a beeline towards her and her husband

'Seems like a set up to me, considering we didn't even post where we were.

'It makes me sick to the stomach to know someone sitting in the restaurant was probably the one plotting this.'

The post was followed by another with pictures and video of the couple at a photoshoot with comedian Leigh Francis - in character as TV host Keith Lemon.

The second series of Meet The Khans starts on Thursday April 28
Thandiwe Newton shared her support for Salma Hayak's 2017 film Beatriz at Dinner after the actress recently replaced her in Magic Mike 3.

Thandiwe exited the film earlier this month after just 11 days of shooting, following an alleged bust-up with the movie's producer and star Channing Tatum over Will Smith's Oscars slap - she has denied the incident.

And the actress, 49, proved their was no hard feelings towards Salma, 55, as she took to Instagram stories on Saturday to share an image of the Mexican-American beauty's previous film.

Praise: Thandiwe Newton shared her support for Salma Hayak's 2017 film Beatriz at Dinner after the actress recently replaced her in Magic Mike 3

Thandiwe gushed: 'I love you' as she went on to share her admiration for the Miguel Arteta directed film about a holistic medicine practitioner who is left is stranded at a client's house after driving to visit her.

She wrote: 'For me, no finer performance, no finer film, about the real questions we need to be asking.'

Salma has this week been pictured shooting her first scenes opposite Channing Tatum after taking over the role from Thandiwe.

Earlier this month 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.

Taking over: Salma has this week been pictured shooting her first scenes opposite Channing Tatum after taking over the role from Thandiwe

Big fan: The actress, 49, proved their was no hard feelings towards Salma, 55, as she took to Instagram stories on Saturday to share an image of the Mexican-American beauty's previous film

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 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.

Taking her place: Thandiwe gushed: 'I love you' as she went on to share her admiration for the Miguel Arteta directed film [Salma and Thandiwe pictured in 2018]

'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 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.'

It comes as Thandiwe seemingly confirmed the end of her 23-year marriage to Ol Parker as she was pictured putting on a very public display of affection with musician Lonr, 25.

The Hollywood star, dressed in a green print fleece, khaki cargo trousers and bucket hat, gave credence to the whirling speculation that she had parted ways with her director husband by stopping for a passionate kiss and holding hands with the rapper, 25, in Malibu.

The embattled actress, who it has been said is heading to rehab, ditched her wedding ring and diverted her attention from recent adversity by lapping up some time in the balmy temperatures with the California native, whose real name is Elijah Dias.

Accessorising with a round pair of sunglasses and toting a leopard print bag, Thandiwe, who has also faced an acrimonious exit from Magic Mike 3, appeared in very content spirits as she interlocked her fingers with Lonr's whilst walking alongside each other.

Moving on: Quit: The actress recently denied claims she was sacked from her leading role over an on-set row with Channing (Thandiwe pictured right with Channing on set on March 31)

At 25, Lonr is only a mere four years older than Thandiwe and Ol's eldest child, their 21-year-old daughter Ripley.

Lonr told The Post that all parties involved were focused on the welfare of Thandiwe's children when approached for comment on the new relationship, explaining: 'From the relatively short time I've been fortunate to spend with her, I know Thandiwe and Oliver care deeply about the welfare of their children. That's all I care about right now.'

The pair filled their weekend with plenty of quality time, which included a spot of retail therapy and winding down with a bite to eat.

The award-winning actress has joined her estranged husband in removing her wedding ring, as the director was spotted without his earlier this week as he left his London home.

Lonr, born in April 1997, entered the music industry with single A.M and he released his debut EP titled Land of Nothing Real, his stage name's acronym, in 2020.

Romance: It comes as Thandiwe seemingly confirmed the end of her 23-year marriage to Ol Parker as she was pictured putting on a very public display of affection with musician Lonr, 25

Estranged: It has been reported 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 (pictured together in 2018)

He is a credible songwriter and has received nominations for multiple Grammy Awards for contributing to H.E.R's projects in 2019.

It has been reported 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.

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.'

Thandiwe has reportedly been urged to seek mental health support following the break-up of her marriage - and an alleged bust-up with Magic Mike co-star Channing Tatum over Will Smith 's Oscars slap - which she has denied.

The star has previously told how she has suffered 'a number of breakdowns' in her troubled past, as well as discussing her heartbreaking experiences of sexual abuse, racism and bulimia during her time in the industry.

Toyboy: At 25, Lonr is only a mere four years older than Thandiwe and Ol's eldest child, their 21-year-old daughter Ripley (pictured far right with her parents and sister Nico)

Musician: Lonr, born in April 1997, entered the music industry with single A.M and he released his debut EP titled Land of Nothing Real, his stage name's acronym, in 2020

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.

The Bafta-winning actress has said the relationship left her feeling 'self-destructive' and said she has only spoken about it 'so teenagers can see they can resist and gain self-awareness'.
On Sunday, Mayor Eric Adams stated how he plans to address the city's homelessness crisis.

He stated that the city will spend an additional $171 million each year to assist people who live on the streets and in subways. The funds will be used to fund safe havens, stabilization beds, and drop-in centers that offer food, bathing, and other services. According to the mayor, this is the city's greatest investment of its sort in its history.

The Coalition for the Homeless, in a statement, termed the proposal "just a modest partial step in the right direction," adding that it "lacks any true permanent housing solutions," as per CBS News.

NYC To Increase Spending for the Homeless

The funds will be used as part of the city's aggressive strategy to remove homeless individuals from encampments and the subway system.

Adams' proposal would build on a program started by the previous mayor, Bill de Blasio, to give temporary specialized shelter beds for New Yorkers who have come off the streets - beds in high-quality facilities with more services and fewer limitations, such as no curfew. Instead of barracks-style beds, some offer individual quarters.

The plan that was presented on Sunday would increase the total number of such beds to more than 4,000, according to municipal authorities. Adams had previously announced the addition of 500 beds to the program as part of his drive to remove homeless individuals from the subways.

The project aims to make it simpler for homeless people suffering from mental illness or drug addiction to get off the streets. While the facilities vary in size, they are usually smaller than overcrowded shelters, according to the mayor's office.

The mayor is in the midst of budget discussions with the City Council and will deliver his executive budget proposal at Kings Theater in Brooklyn on Tuesday. Despite promising to do so, he has yet to present a clear housing strategy, New York Times reported.

Read Also: Guns Overtake Car Accidents As Top Killer Of US Children And Adolescents in 2020; Experts Tell Why

New York City Mayor Eric Adams Aims To Combat Homelessness

The money will be included in Adams' executive budget for the coming fiscal year, which is set to be announced on Tuesday. Outreach activities to urge homeless New Yorkers to leave the streets will also be funded. According to the Department of Homeless Services, the city accommodates more than 45,000 individuals in shelters, with another 4,000 people living on the streets.

The city has demolished more than 200 homeless encampments since Adams took office on Jan.1. Authorities also tried to drive homeless people out of the subway and put them in emergency shelters. When asked for clarification, the mayor's office sent a question to the Department of Homeless Services, which said it couldn't say how many of the 700 individuals were living in shelters for the short or long term.

The raids on the camp caused anger from homeless advocates who claimed that the affected people simply moved to other parts of the city. Queens Democrat Adrienne Adams, chairman of the city council, recently demanded $ 300 million in annual housing and homeless spending, according to New York Daily News via MSN.

Related Article: Orsoyla Gaal Case: Killer Under NYPD Surveillance for Days After Police Found Evidence Relating Woman's Lover to Crime Scene

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The childhood home of the late Australian motor racing champion Peter Brock sold at auction on Saturday for $893,000.

The three-bedroom weatherboard house in leafy Hurstbridge, 28km north-east of Melbourne, exceeded its price guide of $750,000 to $820,000.

A local couple won the auction after three bidders competed for the property, Ciaran Brannigan, director of Morrison Kleeman Estate Agents, told realestate.com.au.

Charming: The childhood home of the late Australian motor racing champion Peter Brock sold at auction on Saturday for $893,000

The home, which has not been in the Brock family for decades, was last on the market 16 years ago when it sold for $337,000 in 2006.

Mr Brannigan said: 'Definitely almost everybody mentioned it [the connection to Brock] but I don't think anyone was bidding because of that.'

There had been renovations to the red-roofed cottage over the years, including updates to the kitchen and bathrooms.

King of the Mountain: Brock rose to fame in the 1970s when he won the six-hour endurance race for production cars at Mount Panorama Bathurst nine times between 1972 and 1987

Features include a large paved alfresco area ideal for outdoor entertaining, a free-standing studio and a sunny lounge area with a log fire.

Old-style charm has been maintained with its decorative cornice work and tessellated tiles.

The kitchen has up-to-date appliances, and a stainless-steel splashback.

Former home: The three-bedroom weatherboard house in Hurstbridge, which has not been in the Brock family for decades, exceeded its price guide of $750,000 to $820,000

Brock rose to fame in the 1970s when he won the six-hour endurance race for production cars at Mount Panorama Bathurst nine times between 1972 and 1987.

After this, he was dubbed 'King of the Mountain' and maintained a high profile both as a competitor and commentator on Australian and New Zealand television.

He died at the age of 61 after crashing his car during a motor rally in 2006 and was given a state funeral in Victoria.

Well-designed: The kitchen has up-to-date appliances, and a stainless-steel splashback

According to Mr Brannigan, the only remaining traces of the champion left in the home are oil stains on the floorboards.

Apparently the damage, now covered by carpet, was caused when a 12 year-old Brock attempted to build a race car in one of the bedrooms.

The auction took place on Saturday, April 23.
After six decades in showbusiness, Jean Smart is finally cementing her 'star' status.

The 70-year-old actress was the latest legend to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a ceremony filled with laughter and tears.

The leggy blonde arrived wearing a demure black and white gingham dress, with a black belt and balloon hem.

Certified star: Jean Smart received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in an emotional ceremony Monday

She wore black pumps, simple pearl earrings and a pendant, and kept her makeup looking natural with hint of pink lipstick.

The four-time Emmy winner was honored for her on-screen accomplishments, but those who spoke at the ceremony told tales of the woman behind the camera.

According to her friends and co-stars, she is nothing like the tough as nails Deborah Vance character she plays in the award winning series Hacks.

Old friends: She was joined at the ceremony by longtime friend, actor Joe Mantegna, who stepped in when Designing Women writer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason was unable to attend

Emotional day: Both Jean and Joe became emotional when speaking of the 2021 death of actor Richard Gilliland, to whom the actress was married for 34 years

Bittersweet: The Hacks star quietly wiped away tears as actor Joe Mantegna described his lifelong friend ship with her and her late husband. The Godfather III actor was best man at the couple's 1987 wedding

Designing Women writer and executive producer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason was scheduled to speak, but was unable to attend. She sent a message, which was read by Jean's friend, actor Joe Mantegna.

In her statement, Bloodworth-Thomason referred to the actress as 'tall, hot fudge sundae of a girl topped with sprinkles of Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall and Lucille Ball, or none of them at all.'

'This shameless scene-stealer, this genius for hire and five alarm thespian fire, this one in a million chameleon who can make ordinary seem normal and bring greatness down to human size as she soars like a glorious meteorite into the firmament of Hollywood's most legendary stars, shine on, sweet Jean, shine on.'

Close call: Hack's co-star Hannah Einbinder earned some laughter, as she appeared to confused during her speech and discovered she was reading from a wedding vows file and not the Jean star file

Me!: The funny lady joked, 'it's also a huge day for me, because Jean could have asked any co-star from her illustrious career and well, I won!... You hear that Reese, you hear that Kate Winslet, suck it Shatner. It's me!'

Thoughtful: The Designing Women star was praised for her thoughtfulness . Hacks co-star Hannah Einbinder revealed, 'I am blown away by the rarity of a person so talented who is equally as kind'

In speaking for himself, the Criminal Minds star spoke of meeting the 5'9" beauty when she was dating her future husband, Richard Gilliland, whom she met on the set of Designing Women. Both grew tearful when the Godfather III actor spoke of Richard's death in March 2021 from a heart condition at age 71.

'Jean has earned this star for her accomplishments as an actress,' Joe explained, 'but the story behind the star is that she is equally to be honored for who she has been as a beloved wife to my dearest friend, a fantastic mother to two wonderful children and loving, generous and compassionate friend to all of us who know and love her.'

With a shaky voice, the Tony award winner added, 'And I won't be ashamed for being Italian and shedding a few tears.'

Proud mom: The Watchmen star is mother to two sons, Connor, 32 and Forrest, 13, whom she shared with her late husband, Richard Gilliland

TV Family: Members of the Hack TV family made sure to show their support, seen l-r are Johnny Sibilly, Hannah Einbinder, Jean Smart, Kaitlin Olson, Chrisopher McDonald and Paul W. Downs

It was up to Hack's co-star Hannah Einbinder to replace the tears with some laughter, as she appeared to confused during her speech and discovered she was reading from a wedding vows file and not the Jean star file.

After the 'mix-up,' she claimed, 'It's a huge day for Jean, of course, I mean, selfishly, it's also a huge day for me, because Jean could have asked any co-star from her illustrious career and well, I won. I won! I am the co-star. You hear that Reese (Witherspoon,) you hear that Kate Winslet, suck it (William) Shatner. It's me!'

The actress also described her co-star as more than her many parts, 'Her humor comes from the light within her soul, not the darkness. It comes not from her ego, but from her desire to make others feel good. I can't tell you how rare that is.'

TV family: Hacks co-stars Johnny Sibilly and Christopher McDonald turned out for the big day

When speaking of life on the Hacks set, she shared that 'In between takes whenever we're doing scenes where Deborah is doing standup, Jean is riffing, she's doing bits, she's talking to the background actors sitting in the audience because she knows it's tough work and she wants them to have fun. I am blown away by the rarity of a person so talented who is equally as kind.'

The guest of honor kept her remarks short, thanking those who had helped her career along the way and thanking those who had 'jumped through Covid hoops' to attend.

Joining her in the unveiling were Hacks co-stars Kaitlin Olson, Christopher McDonald and Johnny Sibilly, along with her children, Connor, 32 and Forrest, 13.

Thank you: The guest of honor kept her remarks short, thanking those who had helped her career along the way and thanking those who had 'jumped through Covid hoops' to attend

The Mare of Easttown actress holds a rare place in television history, joining the late Betty White as the only actors to win an Emmy award in the comedy lead, supporting and guest categories.

A Designing Women movie is in the works and the former Charlene Frazier has said she would 'kill to play a part like that again.'

Hacks season two debuts on HBO May 12.

The brand new season of Hacks premieres May 13 only on Stan in Australia.
Ewan McGregor has reportedly married Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a low-key outdoor ceremony.

Sources told People the actor, 51, and actress, 37, exchanged vows over the weekend in front of 'close friends and family,' after first meeting on the FX series Fargo in 2016.

An insider told the publication: 'It was a small wedding for family and close friends. They had an outdoor ceremony. It was lovely and joyful.'

Husband and wife! Ewan McGregor has reportedly married Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a low-key outdoor ceremony

'The menu was farm-to-table. They are an adorable couple. They are pretty low-key and like their canyon life. They often hike and go to the beach,' the source added.

Representatives for Ewan and Mary have been contacted for comment by MailOnline.

It was previously reported that Ewan and Mary Elizabeth were set to wed in Los Angeles last week.

Loved up: Sources told People the pair exchanged vows over the weekend in front of 'close friends and family,' after first meeting on the FX series Fargo in 2016

A source told Page Six, 'They are more in love than ever  and having their first child together last year just strengthened their bond.'

Ahead of their big day, the pair's eco-canyon hideaway was spotted being prepared for their big day, with the couple covering their pool with chairs for 60 guests, indicating an intimate affair.

Trucks and other vehicles could be seen in the drive while workmen are pictured carrying tables to the property.

A number of other tables were seen dotted around, while strings of fairy lights are hung up and outdoor heaters set up, suggesting the couple opted for an outdoor reception with celebrations heading into the night.

He shares daughters Clara, 26, Esther, 21, and Anouk, 11, with ex-wife Eve. They split in 2017 after 22 years of marriage and their divorce was finalised in August 2020.

Couple: Ewan and Mary have been together since 2017 after they met on the set of Fargo (pictured in 2017)

The couple, who met on the set of the TV crime drama Kavanagh QC, first confirmed their split in 2017 amid claims Ewan had been seen kissing Mary in a London restaurant.

In 2020 Mary discussed her romance with Ewan after her own first marriage ended, telling Glamour UK: 'I got divorced a couple of years ago, which was a scary, crazy thing for me because I had been with the same person since I was 18 years old, and that was what I knew.

'I was really starting new as an adult for the first time in my life. For me that was a big turning point, being okay with changing, accepting that change is a good thing and that it's okay not to know where that change is going to take you.'

Happy: It was previously reported that Ewan and Mary Elizabeth were set to wed in Los Angeles last week (pictured in March 2020)

Eve was pictured without her wedding ring at around the same time.

The Star Wars actor  who blamed 'irreconcilable differences' for the split  then began dating Mary. The couple welcomed Laurie into the world in June.

In September Ewan also paid tribute to Mary during his acceptance speech at the Emmy Awards, saying: 'Mary, I love you so much. I'm gonna take this home and show it to our new little boy, Laurie.

'And to my beautiful girls, who I know are watching, Clara, Esther, Jamyan and Anouk, hello to you too. Thank you very much everybody.'

The couple, who never revealed they were expecting, had their baby news announced by Ewan's daughter Clara on Instagram.

Talented: The pair played a couple in the FX show's 2016 series (both pictured in-character)

Clara, whose mother is Eve, shared a heartwarming snap of herself cradling her brother in her arms as she congratulated her father and Mary Elizabeth.

She wrote: 'Welcome to the world little brother  congratulations to my Dad & Mary - this is the greatest gift'.

Esther also shared pictures cradling the newborn as she gushed: 'Met my little brother looking like a pirate. I recommend! Welcome to the family little Laurie'.

Despite Clara's well-wishes for the couple, she previously slammed Mary amid her blossoming relationship with Ewan following his spit from Eve.

She described the actress as 'a piece of trash' on Instagram in 2018, which accompanied a photograph of her father and Mary kissing at the Vanity Fair Oscars party.

In the post's caption, the fan had referred to Mary as 'the most beautiful and talented woman on earth' - something Clara was more than ready to refute.

'Most beautiful and talented woman on earth??? Oh man y'all are delusional. The girl is a piece of trash :),' wrote Clara in the post's comment section.

Soon after her reply, another Winstead fan urged her to 'say it to [Mary Elizabeth's] face not [on] social media.'

They added: 'It took TWO to undo this marriage. If a man OR woman is happy w/ their marriage no outside interference can destroy that!'

To the fan's surprise, Clara firmly agrees with their assessment. 'Yup it took two!! Mary & my father :),' she wrote.

In an interview with The Times in August that year, Clara openly acknowledged the immaturity of her Instagram banter, but claimed that her rage was justified.

'It wasn't the most mature way to go about things, but I was angry and upset.'

According to Clara, there were things going on behind-the-scenes that became 'a lot to deal with' and eventually sent her over the edge.

'There had been a lot building up to it and a lot to deal with - not to make excuses or anything - but, yeah, it wasn't my finest moment,' she admitted.

She also explained that she kept 'being tagged in the photograph' and was 'seeing negative things about [her] mom.'

'I said how I felt and I didn't want to apologise for it. It wasn't the right way to go about things, but it's a hard thing to wrap your head around when you feel you had this idea of what the family unit is and then to have that shift. It's very weird.'
Hamish Blake has denied rumours he and wife Zoe Foster Blake were paid an eye-watering $500,000 to appear on Celebrity Gogglebox earlier this year.

The Lego Masters host, 40, said on Tuesday the figure had been grossly inflated by the tabloids, and clarified they had actually been paid just $5,000.

Hamish also told The Kyle and Jackie O Show he and Zoe, 41, had donated their fee to charity, which they often do when they are paid for TV appearances.

Setting the record straight: Hamish Blake has denied rumours he and wife Zoe Foster Blake were paid an eye-watering $500,000 to appear on Celebrity Gogglebox earlier this year

New Idea had reported in March that the cast of Gogglebox was up in arms over the rumoured paychecks given to the Blakes and other stars of Celebrity Gogglebox.

Comedian Hamish and skincare entrepreneur Zoe filmed one episode of the spin-off series, for which - the magazine alleged - they were paid half a million dollars.

By contrast, the ordinary Goggleboxers were said to earn a $1,200 'location fee' per household for each day of filming.

Don't believe the hype: The Lego Masters host, 40, said on Tuesday the figure had been grossly inflated by the tabloids, and clarified they had actually been paid just $5,000

Rumours: New Idea had reported in March that the cast of Gogglebox was up in arms over the rumoured paychecks given to the Blakes and other stars of Celebrity Gogglebox

'Hamish and Zoe have apparently landed a paycheck that is simply unfair in the eyes of the entire cast  mostly the families who have been there since the start and get paid far less,' an anonymous cast member was quoted as saying.

'You can't pay one person half a million dollars and then someone else $1,200. I don't care who you are.'

Hamish and Zoe's paycheck reportedly reignited a long-running disagreement between the cast and producers over how much the Goggleboxers should be paid.

Claims: Comedian Hamish and skincare entrepreneur Zoe filmed one episode of the spin-off series, for which - the magazine alleged - they were paid half a million dollars

Zoe, a former magazine journalist and author, established Go-To skincare in 2012.

She sold off a 50.1 per cent controlling stake of the company to beauty giant BWX for $89million in August last year, making her one of the country's richest women.

Hamish is a well-known radio and TV personality, best known for co-hosting Nine's Lego Masters and Australia's most popular podcast, Hamish & Andy.
Girls star Allison Williams and actor Alexander Dreymon have secretly welcomed their first child together, a son named Arlo, according to a new report.

The couple welcomed their child this past winter, multiple sources have told People.

Allison, 34, Alexander, 39, and Arlo were recently seen vacationing at a private resort in Abaco in the Bahamas with their family, according to the site.

Baby makes three! Girls star Allison Williams and actor Alexander Dreymon have secretly welcomed their first child together, a son named Arlo, according to a new report; Willams pictured L in 2019 and Alexander R in 2018

Allison's journalist father Brian Williams was also on the trip.

'They seemed to be very happy and very much in love,' a source said of the couple.

Not only that, but Allison appeared to be wearing an engagement ring.

Allison and Alexander have reportedly been dating since the end of 2019, after meeting working on the 2020 film Horizon Line, a source told People.

Wedding bells in the air? Not only that, but Allison appeared to be wearing an engagement ring; pictured 2019

The duo played former lovers stuck on a single-engine Cessna plane after their pilot suffers a fatal heart attack.

'They are both private people individually, and they made the decision to keep this happy news to just a small circle of family and friends,' the insider said of the couple, adding they were 'over the moon.'

Even though they began a romance during the pandemic, the couple 'haven't been hiding anything,' another source said.

Co-stars: Allison and Alexander have reportedly been dating since the end of 2019, after meeting working on the 2020 film Horizon Line

Action-packed: Alexander has been starring on The Last Kingdom since 2015 and also serves as producer

'They've just been doing their best to keep a low profile,' they explained.

Alexander was born in Germany and was raised in France, Switzerland, and the U.S., according to IMDb.

His credits include a role on American Horror Story, and more recently, The Last Kingdom. Alexander has been starring on the TV series since 2015 and also serves as producer.

The baby news comes almost three years after Allison announced her separation from CollegeHumor founder Rick Van Veen after nearly four years of marriage.

Life or death: The couple played former lovers stuck on an airplane after their pilot suffers a fatal heart attack

That was then: Williams was previously married to CollegeHumor founder Ricky Van Veen; pictured 2013

Van has since remarried, tying the knot with Caroline Kassie last year.

'They remain on good terms, but everyone who knows them agrees that it was for the best,' the insider told People of Allison and Ricky.

The exes released a statement in late June 2019 following their shock split.

'With mutual love and respect, we have made the decision to separate as a couple. We are grateful for the friendship that we have and will continue to have,' the pair said to Page Six.

Since ending Girls in 2017, Allison played Kit Snicket on A Series of Fortunate Events. She'll be starring in the 2023 horror film M3GAN.
Lucy Worsley has spoken out about female representation in crime dramas, saying it's 'distasteful' that women are often the victim.

The historian believes that placing 'dead, naked young women at the heart of crime dramas' is owing to the media looking at women 'through the eyes of men.'

The 48-year-old, who is often the face of BBC programmes on historical topics, wants to switch the focus from helpless young female victims to female murderers in history.

Historian: Lucy Worsley has spoken out about female representation in crime dramas, saying it's 'distasteful' that women are often the victim (pictured December 2018)

Lucy told Radio Times: 'It might surprise you to learn how important murderesses have been in the development of the whole idea of women's history.

'Sometimes a woman in the dock could say things that were otherwise unsayable in Victorian society, things like, "He shouldn't have hit me", or "I was desperate because my children were hungry".'

Last December, Lucy revealed she would put women in charge of money to avoid war and invest more in education, if she were in charge of the future.

Speaking out: The historian believes that placing 'dead, naked young women at the heart of crime dramas' is owing to the media looking at women 'through the eyes of men' (pictured 2020)

Interview: Lucy spoke to Radio Times about female representation in crime dramas

Speaking to Good Housekeeping as they celebrated their 100th anniversary, the British presenter looked at the last century of women's lives - delving into the history and how it has since developed.

The joint Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces also branded it 'unthinkable' that women were expected to give up their job on getting married in the 1920s, and admitted that would have 'bothered her'.

Speaking about what she'd like to see change for women in the coming decades, she said: 'I would actually put women in charge of the world's money: I think we'd see very different spending priorities, such as less on war, more on education.'

And addressing the lack of women's choices 100 years ago, Lucy said: 'People being worried about me working. I mean, that seems so restricting  giving up your job when you got married, which women used to have to do. It seems unthinkable.

Opinions: Last December, Lucy revealed she would put women in charge of money to avoid war and invest more in education, if she were in charge of the future

'This is what would bother me personally, but what about not having a vote, what about not having birth control? Things have really come on in 100 years.

'We feel like we know the 1920s because we see it depicted in films, but people had a very different mentality then.'

Lucy praised 'more choices in life' as the main change in women's rights - but argued it's 'not wide enough yet.'
David Walliams reportedly poked fun at Simon Cowell's age on Britain's Got Talent, but the gag was believed to have been cut from the final edit.

The comedian, 50, made a cheeky jibe about his fellow judge, 62, looking like a 'grandad' in the audition rounds of the talent show in January, according to The Sun.

The duo are known for their banter on camera, and they often got back and forth teasing each other and arguing.

Oh dear! David Walliams was said to have poked fun at Simon Cowell's age on Britain's Got Talent, but the gag was believed to have been cut from the final edit

But it appeared David, who is known for taunting Simon, went too far when he made the joke at Simon's expense while talking to dance troupe Born to Perform.

He reportedly quipped: 'Are you a fan of Simon Cowell? Does he look like your grandad?'

It is understood that Simon cut David's jibe from the final edit of the Britain's Got Talent episode, which aired on Saturday night.

A TV source told The Sun that Simon did not appear offended when the joke was first made, adding: 'It's odd the joke was taken out of the final cut as David has made far cheekier gags about Simon and they've stayed in.'

Jibes: The comedian, who is known for teasing Simon, made a cheeky joke about his fellow judge, 62, looking like a 'grandad' in the audition rounds of the talent show in January

MailOnline has contacted Britain's Got Talent, Simon Cowell and David Walliams' representatives for comment.

David often makes jibes at Simon's expense on the show and the pair are known for their on-screen repartee.

Simon recently hit back at a joke David made about his 'gastric band' as he cheekily suggested that the funnyman has had a hair transplant.

The music mogul, 62, hit back at the Britain's Got Talent judge's previous remarks by making a subtle dig, suggesting David, 50, had received the procedure.

In an interview with The Mirror, Simon was asked if the judges had changed over 10 years on the ITV talent show.

'You've obviously lost weight naturally!' It comes after David Walliams has playfully joked Simon Cowell, 62, (left) shed 20lbs with a gastric band (both pictured in 2020)

He replied: 'Actually, everyone seems to look identical to when we started. David seems to have more hair, funny that. Maybe he's got a new hairdresser.'

David - who is known for taunting Simon - admitted that fans enjoy his cheeky remarks directed at his fellow judge.

'Every single day when someone recognises me on the street, they say, 'Oh, we love it when you have a go at Simon',' he said.

'It seems to be the key thing people really like... so if I didn't give him a hard time, I think people would be disappointed.'

It comes after David playfully joked that Simon lost 20lbs with the help of a gastric band.

Healthy lifestyle: Simon' has overhauled his lifestyle since breaking his back in 2020, ditching his drinking and embarking on a fitness plan to lose 20Ibs (pictured right in September 2018)

He was reminiscing on a Simon-lookalike auditionee, who appeared in Saturday's episode, during a recent press conference for the show.

Retorting with a dig, the media mogul, 62, threw shade at the 'desperate' children's author for 'telling his followers' to vote for him when nominated for awards.

Speaking about the uncanny magician, the record executive admitted: 'I wasn't thrilled. He was what I would call probably a semi professional and we liked it because we have a lot of little magic acts, like playing cards.

'His was very big and I popped out of nowhere but our audience loves magic acts. That wasn't my favourite part of the show, though.'

The Little Britain star soon chimed in: 'You need to behave. He could only be your double if he had some plastic surgery,' before Simon let slip: 'I was thinking that.'

Uncanny: The comedian, 50, was reminiscing on a Simon-lookalike auditionee, who will appear in Saturday's episode, during a recent press conference for the show

A cheeky David added: 'Also a gastric band,' before his co-star insisted: 'I haven't got a gastric band!'

The children's author joked: 'I'm not saying you have, you've obviously lost weight naturally.'

David went on to quip that Simon had gone under the knife in order to achieve his age-defying visage.

He said: 'He looks younger and younger every year, I don't know how he does it,' with an irritated Simon hitting back: 'It's called exercise and eating well, David.'

And it was previously reported that Simon 'exploded' at David Walliams during filming for the Britain's Got Talent auditions after he made a lewd joke.

Clashing! Simon Cowell reportedly 'exploded' at David Walliams during filming for the Britain's Got Talent auditions after he made a lewd joke (the judges are pictured during filming)

Sources claimed the music mogul berated the comic for his cheeky comment in reference to a contestant, noting the programme is supposed to be 'a family show'.

According to The Sun, contestant handsome Tim Jones took to the stage dressed in police uniform for his audition, leading David to joke: 'Arrest me now!'

As Tim began to explain his talent the cheeky judge interrupted: 'Is it getting your c*** out?'

Simon was quick to interject as he ordered David to apologise which only fuelled David who then added: 'Do you swing it around?'

Furious Simon exclaimed: 'Get out, get out, this is supposed to be a family show!'

Jokes: Sources claimed the music mogul berated the comic for his cheeky comment in reference to a contestant, noting the programme is supposed to be 'a family show'

Turning to address the audience the BGT creator added: 'When we have a break well make him sit on his own for ten minutes.'

An audience member told the publication: 'It was clear that David was sailing close to the wind with his jibes. Then he went too far. Simon was visibly angry with him and exploded.'

The guest explained that David had been making jibes at Simon all day before he pushed it too far with the gag.

David's latest joke about Simon's age came before he dished out his golden buzzer after being blown away by dance group Born To Perform.

Great job: David's latest joke about Simon's age came before he dished out his golden buzzer after being blown away by dance group Born To Perform

The group, made up of people with disabilities from Northampton, lit up the stage with an energetic performance to You Can't Stop The Beat from the musical Hairspray, leaving everyone on their feet.

And the routine impressed the funnyman so much that he pressed his buzzer and showered the stage with gold, with the moment leaving fellow judge Amanda Holden in tears.

The fun-filled dance, featuring spins, cartwheels and lots of shimmying, left everyone with a huge smile on their faces, with host Dec declaring that it was 'Joyous, just joyous!'

Commenting after the performance, Alesha Dixon told the group, made up of 14-24 year-olds: 'Your passion is just pouring out, it's just wonderful to see, you did a fantastic job, each and every one of you.'

While Amanda said: 'I did not stop smiling for the whole of that performance, you were amazing!'

Wow: The group, made up of people with disabilities from Northampton, lit up the stage with an energetic performance to You Can't Stop The Beat from the musical Hairspray

Reverting to his famous catchphrase, Simon declared: 'I didn't like it, I loved it!'

The music mogul then added: 'I loved the fact that you were having such a great time, it was actually one of my favourite auditions.'

When it came to David, his excitement was clear to see as he announced: 'I absolutely loved it guys. In fact, I loved it so much that I'm gonna do this!'

He then reached over and pressed the golden buzzer, much to the shock of Born To Perform, with both cheers and tears coming from the group.

As David headed to the stage to congratulate them and greet them with fist bumps, Amanda was seen wiping away the tears at the emotional moment.
A new preview for Thursday's episode of The Kardashians on Hulu teases Kim Kardashian's hosting debut... while Kim ponders Scott Disick's ultimate reaction to Travis Barker proposing to his ex, Kourtney Kardashian.

Family matriarch Kris Jenner revealed to Khloe Kardashian that the Blink-182 drummer is planning to propose to Kourney, and he wants the whole family there in Santa Barbara, at the end of last week's episode.

The preview reveals one of Kim's first reactions to the proposal: 'Is Scott going to lose his s**t?'

Reaction: The preview reveals one of Kim's first reactions to the proposal: 'Is Scott going to lose his s**t?

The preview opens with Kim leaving the Ritz Carlton Hotel in New York City, as she says in confession, 'Today is the day that I'm hosting Saturday Night Live.'

She's seen leaving her dressing room in a hot pink bodysuit as she tells the camera, 'Alright. It's happening.'

She's seen walking out on stage to deliver her monologue to great applause from the crowd at Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center.

Hosting: The preview opens with Kim leaving the Ritz Carlton Hotel in New York City, as she says in confession, 'Today is the day that I'm hosting Saturday Night Live'

Happening: She's seen leaving her dressing room in a hot pink bodysuit as she tells the camera, 'Alright. It's happening'

On stage: She's seen walking out on stage to deliver her monologue to great applause from the crowd at Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center

Before she goes out, though, she has a chat with mother Kris, who is having her makeup done for the show.

'Travis came to see me, and he asked for her hand in marriage,' Kris tells Kim, as Kim responds, 'Is Scott gonna lose his s**t?'

The trailer then cuts to Kris riding with Kim while Kris talks to Kendall and Kylie, who are driving in separate cars.

Kris: Before she goes out, though, she has a chat with mother Kris, who is having her makeup done for the show

Kris and Kim: The trailer then cuts to Kris riding with Kim while Kris talks to Kendall and Kylie, who are driving in separate cars

'I'm just worried they're gonna see you guys on the freeway,' Kris says, while Kendall admits in confession, 'My mom would be so pissed if Kylie and I were the ones to ruin the surprise.'

Kim tells them over the phone, 'If you guys get off at the same exit and it's a red light, you're screwed. You'll be at the same exit.'

The trailer ends with Kris, Kendall and Kylie all saying, 'Oh s**t,' though we don't see exactly what they're reacting to.

Same exit: Kim tells them over the phone, 'If you guys get off at the same exit and it's a red light, you're screwed. You'll be at the same exit'

So pissed: 'I'm just worried they're gonna see you guys on the freeway,' Kris says, while Kendall, seen wearing an RtA sweater, admits in confession, 'My mom would be so pissed if Kylie and I were the ones to ruin the surprise'

Disick was only seen briefly in the series premiere, where he told Khloe he was upset about not being invited to an intimate family barbeque.

He also admitted that he treated Kourtney very badly during their decade together and that it has been difficult now that they're only co-parents with no romantic attachments.

Episode 3 of The Kardashians debuts on Hulu at 12 AM ET/9 PM PT on Thursday, April 28.
Parents have always asked their kids this question: College padhne jaate ho ya masti karne? Well, when the topics and the subjects are so boring, how can students not go for some masti?

When we heard of a college in the US which was offering its students a pornography class, which would require them to watch pornographic films together'', we wondered what other kinds of courses existed. Here are 7 weird ones we found:

1. WALKING IS NO MORE BORING

People often say that one must ''walk the talk''. If you thought that most college students know how to walk well, you were wrong. Professor Ken Keffer from Centre College, Kentucky, USA believes that their course "The Art of Walking'', can help students walk more consciously. Keffer feels that human beings take their existence and walking ability for granted and wants this course to transform the way people look at it. He intends for people to see walking and existence as an art.

"A book must be an axe for the frozen sea inside us." -- KafkaFor me, that book was Being and Time, by Martin Heidegger. But many more have chipped away at the ice over the years. pic.twitter.com/oWeHloVFrW   (@brightabyss) April 19, 2022

So, what do students do? In the morning, they all discuss a book by Martin Heidegger called "Being and Time''. ''Being and Time'' is a philosophical book which talks about group behaviour, human languages, authenticity, time and death etc. Then, in the afternoon, they go on hikes and walk around Central Kentucky and discuss the themes of the book, contest perspectives and talk about how to practically use the tools in real life.

2. HOW TO CHOOSE?

Photo : Pixabay

If you delay taking actions on your dreams because you can't decide, then this course might be for you. If you can't decide on what to do, which options are better, and so on, here is something that might be of help. Indiana University offers a course called " Decision Making and the Brain'', which can be the solution for those who can't decide. Why do students get a PhD in Decisional Sciences? Well, candidates learn a range of quantitative methods to make business decisions and learn skills to do research, data and analysis to solve problems in all kinds disciplines.

3. LOVE HORSES?

Photo : Pixabay

If you want to raise horses or bet on horses in those fancy horse races, you might want to learn more about how to take care of horses. But where do you learn stuff like that AND get a degree in it? Well, the Mesalands Community College in USA offers a course in Farrier Science to make you a well-qualified entreprenuer. Farrier Science is the study of horse hooves, shoes, and the fitting of shoes to the horse hooves.

The Farrier Science Occupational Certificate program provides a hands-on practical experience in dealing with all aspects of taking care of horses and running a horse farm business. The course involves teaching you everything: right from horse anatomy to physiology, to 'horse business' management.

4. NO MORE DATING WOES

China's Southwest Jiaotong University has launched a dating course, as many students entering college have seldom, if ever, dated. #NTVWeekendEdition @DennisOkari pic.twitter.com/V3bSe5g7uk  NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) December 14, 2018

In this course, students learned how to make a good first impression, meet the right person, and date. Why was it launched in the first place? Well, divorce rates in China were rising and the college realised that in their culture, students face a lot of pressure to get high grades in school. Thus essential knowledge and communication skills are often left out, especially the soft skills. Thus the course's founder aimed to create this course to help narrow the gap between knowledge and practice and to better prepare these students.

5. THE ART OF INTIMACY

Photo : Pixabay

When it comes to intimacy, we might only talk to close friends and ''Google'' a lot of our questions and doubts. Well, it looks like some international colleges have a good number of solutions for addressing these solutions.

a. Occidental College in Los Angeles, USA offers a course called ''The Phallus'' which covers a broad study on the relation between the phallus and the penis, the meaning of the phallus, phallologocentrism, the lesbian phallus, and the relation of the phallus and fetishism. There is another course called ''The Phallus and The Siren'' which examines intersectional gender representations in films, television and literature.

b. Westminster College in Utah, USA is offering a course titled ''Film 3000: Porn'', which will require students to watch pornographic films together and discuss the sexualization of race, class and gender." Though this news caused a social media backlash and the college deleted the listing from the website, the college has said that it would conduct the class.

I thought this was a jokeit isnt. This is a pornography class that you can enroll in at Westminster College in Salt Lake City. The class description reads that porn is as American as apple pie and students will watch pornographic films together and discuss sex as an art form. pic.twitter.com/ZxcWP8J2jB  Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) April 20, 2022

6. ANYONE UP FOR WRESTLING?

Photo : Pixabay

Any WWE fans in the house? Well, we have all loved watching the likes of The Rock, Kane and Big Show fight in WrestleMania, and if you are one of those who wants to take this passion seriously, we have found a course to help you do exactly that. Massachusetts Institute of Technology has a course called ''American Pro Wrestling'' which asks students to think about the cultural implications of the often-theatrical wrestling world. Beginning with wrestlings roots in sport, the class examines how new technologies and changes in the TV industry led to evolution for pro-wrestling style and promotion. It also explores how shifts in wrestling characters demonstrate changes in the perception of ''American masculinity''.

7. LOVE SURFING?

Photo : Pixabay

Who said Surfing the waves was just a holiday pastime? Well, if surfing is your thing, The Cornwall College offers a Surf Science foundation degree which will help you create a career in environmental sustainability, event management and surfing retail. But mind you, there will not be any practical teaching on how to surf! So weird. Students will learn about the culture of surfing, the geographical influences of surfing and a variety of surf practices.

So, how will students learn? Students will learn through practical examples, demonstrations and active practicipation in workshops, lectures, and optional field trips. But practice khud karna padega.

Now that we have seen all the weird courses, we wonder what the job prospects for students will be? Have you come across any such weird courses?
A military judge has convicted an Air Force major general of one sexual misconduct charge on Saturday, the first-ever conviction of a general in the history of the branch.

The suspect was identified to be Maj. Gen. William Cooley was found guilty of forcibly kissing a woman, a civilian, who was not part of the Department of Defense or one of its employees. The judge acquitted Cooley of two alleged forcible touching incidents during a weeks-long court-martial conducted at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

Air Force Sexual Misconduct

A staff judge advocate for Air Force Materiel Command, Col. Eric Mejia, said that the case clearly demonstrated the commitment of Air Force leaders to fully investigate the facts and hold Airmen of any rank accountable for their misconduct. Cooley faces seven years in jail as well as a loss of rank, pay, or benefits.

In a statement, the victim's attorney, Ryan Guilds, said that the day of the conviction marked the first time that an Air Force general officer has been held responsible for his heinous crimes. He added that the conviction would hopefully mean the same struggles will not be passed down to future victims, as per Fox News.

Based on the statement of the Air Force, the victim, who was not named, said in her court testimony that Cooley asked for a ride after a backyard day-long social event. It continued that during the short ride, the major general allegedly told the woman that he fantasized about having sex with her.

Read Also: NYC Mayor Eric Adams Tackles Homelessness Crisis by Investing Additional $171 Million to Help New Yorkers Living on Streets, Subways

The victim claims that the Air Force general pressed her up against the driver's side window, forcibly kissed her, and groped through her clothes. While the Air Force does not name sexual assault victims, the woman consented to allow news organizations to disclose her relationship with Cooley without revealing her identity.

According to CNN, Guilds praised the military judge's ruling and said that the court-martial process in this particular case was "fair." He also commended his client's bravery through the trial and facing her abuser who held authority and power in the Air Force.

Victims of Sexual Abuse

The victim said after the verdict that "the price for peace in my extended family was my silence, and that was too high a price to pay." She added that doing the right thing and speaking up and telling the truth about sexual abuse should not be this difficult.

Guilds noted that many changes made over the last 10 years have made it less daunting for sexual misconduct victims assaulted by military personnel to come forward and speak about their experiences. The changes include policy developments that better support accusers, greater sensitivity by the military leadership to sexual assault, increased procedural protections for victims and prosecutors who are inclined to believe survivors.

The victim's attorney added that despite the conviction, future victims will have to come face to face with the challenging justice system. Cooley's case began after the woman and her spouse reported the assault to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations in December 2019, the New York Times reported.



Related Article: Hunter Biden Probe: GOP Pushes More To Find The Truth as President Joe Biden Allegedly Met with Son's Business Partner at the White House

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Turkey Hunting

New York State has both spring and fall hunting seasons. The most successful turkey hunters use a variety of calls (e.g., box calls, slate calls, mouth calls) to bring a bird within gun range (usually 30 yards or less). Head-to-toe camouflage helps hunters to stay undetected prior to the shot. Movement must only occur when the bird is behind a tree or other obstacle. Few hunting experiences can rival the excitement as a turkey approaches a hunter. Turkey hunters need to be extremely careful, however, before taking a shot.

The excitement of a turkey hunt should sharpen the hunter's awareness of key safety rules: Always identify the target before shooting, and be sure that no other person is in harm's way. Some people are tempted to try to stalk a wild turkey. Forget it! First, it is extremely difficult to approach a turkey undetected. You will be much more successful calling the bird to you. Second, stalking turkeys puts both you and other hunters at risk. Let the bird do the walking.

Tips for a successful and safe turkey hunting season

Don't stalk. More than half of turkey hunting injuries happen when one hunter stalks another.

Always assume any call or footsteps you hear are from another hunter. Don't shoot until you clearly see the whole turkey and know its sex.

If you see another hunter, talk to him or her clearly, and don't move. Never wave or use a turkey call to alert another hunter.

Turkeys are tough. You need to be close (30 yards or less is best). You need to get a clear head and neck shot. Do not try to shoot them in the body or when they are flying.

Smaller shot, no. 4, 5, and 6, work better than larger shot, due to denser shot patterns.

When calling, sit still with your back against a big tree, to hide you from turkeys and stalkers.

Never wear turkey colors -- red, white, or blue.

Wear hunter orange when going in or out of the woods and when walking around.

When sitting still waiting for a turkey, put hunter orange on a tree near you.

If you take a turkey or carry a decoy, wrap it in hunter orange.



An orange marker on a

nearby tree identifies a

camouflaged hunter to others. An orange marker on anearby tree identifies acamouflaged hunter to others.

Here are some rules you need to know:

You will need a hunting license and a turkey permit.

You may hunt with a bow or crossbow, but you may not hunt turkey with a crossbow in the fall in the Northern Zone if you are using dogs. A crossbow may not be used in Westchester or Suffolk counties.

You may hunt with a shotgun or handgun only when using shot no larger than #2 and no smaller than #8.

You may not take a turkey with a rifle, or with a handgun firing a bullet.

You must fill out the tag which comes with your permit and attach it to any turkey you shoot immediately.

Be sure to consult your hunting regulations guide for other rules.





More about Turkey Hunting:
Bengaluru: Ahead of the meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will hold a meeting to review the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the state on Monday at 12.30 pm.

The meeting will be held at the Chief Minister's home office, Krishna.

Bommai will meet ministers of his Cabinet, Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) chairman Sudarshan and other TAC members.

On Sunday, Bommai said that the state government will bring guidelines after a video conference meeting with PM Modi on Wednesday.

In view of increasing COVID-19 cases in the country over the last two weeks, the Prime Minister will chair a meeting to assess the situation with Chief Ministers on Wednesday via video conferencing.

"The Union government has already issued a caution alert," Bommai had told reporters.

"A slight increase in cases has been recorded in Kerala and Maharashtra in the last 8-10 days. Based on the experience of the last three waves, experts too have suggested suitable precautionary measures," he added.

Karnataka on Sunday reported 60 new cases of the virus with zero fatalities and a positivity rate of 0.72 per cent. The active cases in the state stood at 1,676.
VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy sought a national policy for natural farming and sought weightage in the Finance Commission to states with large areas under natural farming. He was speaking online at a Niti Aayog meeting on natural farming on Monday.

The CM said 6.31 lakh farmers tilling 2.9 lakh hectares in AP  five per cent of the land under cultivation  had enrolled for natural farming in 2021-22 and the government was encouraging the practice.

He said farmers practising natural farming should be rewarded. The process of certification of natural and organic farming should be farmer-friendly, and the practice should be added to the curriculum of agriculture universities.

Institutional research should be conducted on natural farming and its benefits, he said. The allocations of sponsored projects were being done in 60:40 ratio by Central and state governments and it should be changed to 90:10 for natural farming.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said there was a need for quality harvest to keep society healthy by reducing dependency on synthetic chemicals in agriculture. Natural farming was a critical innovation for improving the livelihood of the farmers, for protecting food and nutrition security of the people, avoiding chemical intake through the food, regenerating soil, enhancing water conservation and also for a wide range of eco friendly benefits.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said natural farming was being practiced in 3,009 of 10,778 Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) and. He said RBKs are playing a vital role in extending support to the farmers practising natural farming. They were also holding programmes.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said the German government had agreed in principle to provide financial aid of Euro 20 million over five years to promote natural farming. The Indo-German Global Academy on Agro Ecology Research and Learning would be set up, which would work to impart knowledge of scientific methods in natural farming.

He said partnership with international institutions like FAO, UNEP, ICRAF, University of Reading, University of Edinburgh, CIRAD ( France), GIZ, KFW and certification to the natural farming products at RBK level will increase natural farming.

Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Dr Rajeev Kumar thanked the Chief Minister for taking measures to implement natural farming methods and creating a separate division for it in the agriculture department. He said he had visited RBKs and praised the Chief Minister for its services.

Chief Secretary Dr Sameer Sharma, Chief Minister's Special Chief Secretary Dr K.S. Jawahar Reddy, Agriculture Special Commissioner C.H. Hari Kiran and other officials were present in the meeting.
RCEP trade to benefit recovery of world economy

By ZHONG NAN in Beijing and ZHANG LI in Nanning (China Daily) 11:29, April 25, 2022

Benjamas Tanvetyanont (right), consul-general of Thailand in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, promotes products via livestreaming in Nanning on March 28. [Photo/China Daily]

Almost four months after the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership came into action, China-stationed foreign diplomats said the forms of intraregional trade will be further diversified and facilitated, enriching the Asia-Pacific region's economic vitality through inclusive and sustainable economic recovery amid the pandemic.

As the RCEP is a trade deal between the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand, they said the pact will reinforce regional trade and investment and help companies, especially small and medium-sized businesses, gain better access using both traditional and new foreign trade formats, including cross-border e-commerce and international trade, and boost global gross domestic product in a sizable market that covers a third of the world's population.

Eager to ship more products to China in the coming years, consul-generals of Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, participated in a livestreaming event in late March to promote trade-related innovation and business ties between China and the ASEAN.

These diplomats promoted such products as Vietnamese coffee, Thailand's latex pillows and Malaysia's Musang King durian to domestic consumers and interacted with audiences online by partnering with a TikTok livestreamer.

The three consul-generals also recommended Guangxi specialties, such as jasmine tea, tangerines, edible bird's nests, medical supplies and luosifen rice noodles to Southeast Asian countries via Lazada, a cross-border e-commerce platform.

"Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, more Thai consumers have taken a liking to online shopping. This event will further enhance trade ties between Thailand and Guangxi, as well as support the tangible growth of the RCEP," said Benjamas Tanvetyanont, Thailand's consul-general in Nanning.

According to Peng Jian, the organizer of the event and director of the foreign affairs office of the Nanning municipal government, the event was designed for diplomats to experience the development of cross-border business in Nanning and promote mutual prosperity with the implementation of the RCEP.

"Taking into account the pandemic situation, there is no better time for us to dive into the e-commerce sector where we are able to shop and also have a glimpse of the world around us and understand how other people live their lives by the products they use," said Azlimi Zakaria, consul-general of Malaysia in Nanning.

He said the cross-border e-commerce cooperation between Malaysia and China, particularly in Guangxi, is set to expand even further as both sides are fairly serious about the growth of this sector.

Backed by Malaysia's favorable natural conditions, the official added that the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Parkthe flagship project of investment cooperation between the two countrieshas already established a processing trade base for edible bird's nests in Guangxi.

At present, there are three preprocessing centers in Malaysia that have been registered overseas by China's General Administration of Customs. The trade base for edible bird's nests in the park is operated by 15 bird's nest production and processing companies, and 11 of them have been approved by the Chinese government for deep processing qualifications.

Do Nam Trung, consul-general of Vietnam in Nanning, said he would like to promote mutual understanding by displaying Vietnam's coffee culture to Chinese consumers.

As a new form of foreign trade, cross-border e-commerce has become an important driving force for stabilizing China's imports and exports, and has witnessed rapid growth despite the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. It surged from less than 1.2 trillion yuan ($187.05 billion) in 2018 to 1.98 trillion yuan in 2021, according to the General Administration of Customs.

With the China (Nanning) Comprehensive Cross-Border E-Commerce Pilot Zone starting operations in 2018, the park to date has attracted more than 100 companies to establish businesses within the zone. They reported a transaction volume of 7.77 billion yuan in 2021, up 259 percent year-on-year, according to the government of Guangxi.

Zhang Jianping, director-general of the Beijing-based China Center for Regional Economic Cooperation, said closer ties among the RCEP signatory countries will not only have a far-reaching impact on regional trade, investment and market integration but also help the recovery of the global economy.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
A man from the United Kingdom was diagnosed with bowel cancer after he repeatedly passed off his rapid weight loss to "working too hard" and "not eating properly."

The individual, identified to be 40-year-old Rob Gore, ignored the symptoms of his illness, which includes passing blood when he went to the toilet until his wife Kirsty urged him to visit the GP. The supply chain logistics manager from Warrington then said that by the time he received his diagnostics, he resigned himself to the fact that it was something severe.

Bowel Cancer Diagnosis

He revealed that the doctors told him he had bowel cancer and that it had already spread throughout his body, with nodules inside his liver and lung. The charity Bowel Cancer UK showed data that revealed there were nearly 43,000 people diagnosed with bowel cancer every year. This means that it is the fourth most common cancer and the second biggest cancer killer in the region.

Most of the cases, roughly 90%, are found in people 50 years of age and it is more common in men than in women. However, the disease is still known to affect anyone regardless of their age or gender, as per the Daily Record.

Read Also: Bird Flu Outbreak Results in Death of 1.4 Million Avians, Forcing Experts To Anticipate What Comes Next

Gore revealed that he had six rounds of chemotherapy at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre's outreach clinic located in Halton Hospital's CanTreat unit. He also got treatment to help stop the cancer from spreading further throughout his body. The man still visits the Clatterbridge team to collect cancer medication and get regular scans and check-ups.

A scan that was conducted on the patient a year ago detected potentially cancerous growths called nodules in his lung, which forced him to undergo the six rounds of chemotherapy. Later on, he also had a lung ablation at Royal Liverpool Hospital. The procedure, which is non-surgical, uses heat to kill cancer cells inside a patient's body, allowing medical professionals to treat a nodule they suspect could be coming back.

Ignoring Symptoms

According to the Liverpool Echo, three years since Gore's diagnosis in March 2018, he has gone back to working full-time and recently visited London and Belfast with his family to celebrate his 40th birthday. He said that his wife and children have been "brilliant." He said that his two stepchildren and birth daughter raised money for a charity that supports children who have family members with cancer.

Gore said that he and his family were just trying to make the most of their time trying to get out and have fun and enjoy life together. He also said that he was glad to have gone back to work and met other people because he was not fond of just sitting around doing nothing.

During Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, Gore shared his story to encourage other people not to ignore possible symptoms of cancer. He said that he would always tell his friends, family, or anyone that if they experienced any sort of symptoms to immediately get checked to see if there is something wrong, Wales Online reported.



Related Article: COVID-19 Cases in China: Beijing Reveals 'Grim' Situation Amid Several Outbreaks

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Hyderabad: TPCC President and MP A Revanth Reddy on Monday said that I-PAC mentor and political strategist Prashant Kishor would join the Indian National Congress and act under the guidance of AICC leader Sonia Gandhi.

Speculations are rife among the political circles over an amicable alliance between Telangana Congress and ruling TRS in Telangana, in the context that Kishor has already signed a deal with the latter to work for the upcoming assembly polls scheduled for December 2023, and further rumours tell that the political strategist might also join hands with the Indian National Congress as well.

Revanth Reddy asserted that Kishor met Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao earlier this week to withdraw the decision to work with the TRS party. "I-PAC will work with TRS party in general elections but Prashant Kishor will not have any association with the TRS party. The political strategist will organise a meeting with the TPCC leaders, giving a call to people to defeat the TRS party in Telangana," Reddy said.

Meanwhile, Sangareddy MLA Turpu Jayaprakash Reddy alias Jagga Reddy said that another political strategist, Sunil Kanugolu, would work with the Telangana Congress party in the 2023 general elections. "The high command will take care of Prashant Kishor's issue in joining the INC. Rahul Gandhi told us that Sunil Kanugolu will work for the Congress party in Telangana," Jagga Reddy said.

Jagga Reddy, blaming the BJP party for making baseless allegations, said "The Congress party will not get any political alliance including the TRS party in general elections. Rahul Gandhi has given clear instructions to the TPCC leaders during the meeting held recently in Delhi that the TS Congress party will contest in all seats in Telangana without alliance to any political outfits."
New Delhi: Terming the Uniform Civil Code a "good step", Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday said the state government is examining the concept and is open to implementing it.

He also commented on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerging as the third political player in the state where the assembly polls are scheduled later this year.

"Himachal Pradesh is a peaceful state. AAP's style of politics will not work there. The state will not accept any third alternative," he told reporters at the Himachal Bhawan here.

The ruling BJP is facing a new challenger in AAP which had recently won the neighbouring state of Punjab.

Asked to comment on BJP-ruled Uttarakhand's willingness to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Thakur said,"UCC is a good step. It is being examined in the state. We are open to implement it in Himachal Pradesh."
New Delhi: On the second day of her two-day India visit, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when both leaders agreed to establish an EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC) to ramp up trade and security ties, even as the EC president later in the evening blasted Russia for its severe violation of law in the invasion of Ukraine, adding this Russian aggression goes against the core security of Europe which will make sure this aggression becomes a strategic failure.

Speaking about her visit to the Ukrainian town of Bucha, where she saw the mass graves, she added the core principles that underpin peace and security are at stake in both Asia and Europe, adding that the economic sanctions imposed by the West on Russia arent a standalone solution.

The EC chief, who praised India as democracys largest home, further pointed out that Russia and China have forged an unrestrained pact with no limits and no forbidden areas of cooperation, while describing China as a negotiation partner, economic competitor and systemic rival of the EU, but added that Europe would encourage China to play its part in a peaceful Indo-Pacific region.

In the bilateral talks earlier in the day, both leaders urged an immediate end to the violence in Ukraine, with Mr Modi stressing the importance of giving peace a chance, and the need to return to dialogue and diplomacy as the only way to achieve peace. The two also discussed bilateral cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and agreed to resume negotiations for proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which needs to be negotiated by both sides. Both also agreed the two sides would start talks on an Investment Protection Agreement and an Agreement on Geographical Indications, for which the first round of negotiations will take place in June. Jointly combating climate change was also discussed, with Mr Modi inviting the EUs increased participation in green energy in India, with its focus on green hydrogen.

Both sides described the TTC as a strategic coordination mechanism (that) will allow both partners to tackle challenges at the nexus of trade, trusted technology and security, to provide the political steer and the necessary structure to operationalise political decisions, coordinate technical work, and report to the political level to ensure implementation and follow-up in areas that are important for the sustainable progress of the Indian and European economies.

Ms Von der Leyen said the EU and India would strengthen their partnership and deepen bilateral cooperation with a focus on upholding the rules-based global order, supporting economic recovery, fighting climate change and charting the digital transition. She added: Today, we are taking steps to deepen our strategic ties with India -- on trade, trusted-technology and security, notably in respect of challenges posed by rival governance models. This will help us diversify and secure our supply chains, boost economic opportunities for our businesses, and bring significant benefits to our citizens.

Soon after the talks with Mr Modi on Monday morning, Ms Von der Leyen said: I am thinking of three main topics -- trade, technology and security. That is why I am pleased that today Prime Minister Modi and I have agreed to establish an EU-India Trade and Technology Council. The EU has only one TTC so far -- with the US, and I think it is telling that we now establish the second one with India. Also, because India is technologically a powerhouse, and in the trade sector we need to unleash an enormous amount of untapped potential. She also referred to the cooperation with India in tackling climate change.

Addressing the Raisina Dialogue conference in the in the presence of Mr Modi later in the evening, the EC president, asking whether the principle of right of might would dominate the world or else the rule of law, said (Russian President Vladimir) Putins war of choice in Ukraine would impact and deeply affect the Indo-Pacific region too.

As Mr Modi listened, the EC president told the delegates at the Raisina Dialogue: Two weeks ago, I visited Bucha, the suburb of Kyiv which was devastated by Russian troops as they withdrew from north of Ukraine. I saw with my own eyes the bodies lined up on the ground. I saw the mass graves. I listened to survivors of atrocious crimes the Kremlins soldiers committed. I saw the scars of bombed schools, resident houses and hospitals. These are severe violations of international law. Targeting and killing innocent civilians. Redrawing borders by force. Subjugating the will of a free people. This goes against core principles enshrined in the UN Charter.

She also made what appeared to be a veiled reference to cash-strapped Sri Lanka, which has got huge Chinese debt, adding investment cannot be at the cost of independence.

She added: In Europe, we see Russias aggression as a direct threat to our security. We will make sure that the unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine will be a strategic failure. This is why we are doing all we can to help Ukraine fight for its freedom. This is why we immediately imposed massive, sharp and effective sanctions. Sanctions are never a standalone solution. They are embedded in a broader strategy that has diplomatic and security elements.

And this is why we have designed the sanctions in a way to sustain them over a longer period of time. Because this gives us leverage to achieve a diplomatic solution that will bring lasting peace. And we urge all members of the international community to support our efforts for lasting peace.

The EC president added: This is a defining moment. Our decisions in these days will shape decades to come. Our response to Russias aggression today will decide the future of both the international system and the global economy. Will heinous devastation win or humanity prevail? Will the right of might dominate or the rule of law? Will there be constant conflict and struggle or a future of common prosperity and lasting peace? What happens in Ukraine will have an impact on the Indo-Pacific region. It already has. Countries battered by two years of the Covid-19 pandemic must deal now with rising prices for grain, energy and fertilisers as a direct result of Putins war of choice. Thus, the outcome of the war will not only determine the future of Europe but also deeply affect the Indo-Pacific region and the rest of the world. For the Indo-Pacific region, it is as important as for Europe that borders are respected and that spheres of influence are rejected.

Praising Indias democracy, the EC chief said: Every five years, when Indians cast their vote in parliamentary elections, the world watches with admiration as the worlds largest democracy charts its future path. Because the outcome of decisions made by 1.3 billion people resonates around the globe. This is especially true for Europe. As vibrant democracies, India and the European Union share fundamental values and common interests. Together, we believe in each countrys right to determine its own destiny. Together, we believe in the rule of law and fundamental rights. And together, we believe that it is democracy that best delivers for citizens. So, despite our geographic distance and despite the different languages we speak -- when we look at each other, we do not meet as strangers but as close friends. Democracy was born more than 2,000 years ago in Europe. But today, its largest home is India.

In a statement, New Delhi said: The leaders had an extensive discussion on climate related issues, including on possibilities of collaboration between India and the EU in areas like Green Hydrogen. In addition, several geopolitical issues of topical importance were discussed during the meeting, including the situation in Ukraine and developments in the Indo-Pacific region.
Hyderabad: TRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Sunday expressed concern that women journalists were being harassed and trolled for being fearless and raising their voice. She said that it was important that people, especially women, supported each other.

While addressing a gathering of over 250 women journalists at a workshop here, Kavitha said that a party had harassed leading women journalists via an app called Tek Fog. Kavitha said that trolling was gender-based.

She urged journalists to speak the truth and not let the threats of any political party keep the people away from the truth.

She said that the state government valued the contribution of every journalist. Under the leadership of Chief Minister K.Chandrashekar Rao, Telangana is the only state to have accredited 18,000 journalists. She added that the government had supported the media fraternity with a welfare fund of Rs 100 crore. On the death of a journalist, the government provides Rs 1 lakh support, Rs 3,000 pension per month to the kin for five years and Rs 1,000 towards fee of children until class 10.

Kavitha further added that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the government had supported the families of deceased journalists by providing a Rs 2 lakh compensation.
HYDERABAD: Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, MPs K. Uttam Kumar Reddy and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy alleged on Sunday that the BJP and TRS governments were adopting anti-farmer policies.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will give confidence to the distressed farmers during the Rythu Sangharshana Sabha in Warangal on May 6, they said.

The Congress MPs and MLAs told a press conference at CLP office here that the TRS government cheated farmers by assuring them a Rs 1 lakh crop loan waiver. The farmers had incurred a Rs 4 lakh debt as the TRS government failed to implement the loan waiver, they said.

They said the Congress had promised a Rs 2 lakh crop loan waiver in the last Assembly elections. Earlier, the Congress government had provided Rs 1 lakh interest-free crop loan, Rs 3 lakh loan for 25 paise interest, as also subsidized fertilizers, seeds, tractors, agriculture tools to farmers, they recalled. When CM Chandrashekar Rao introduced the Rythu Bandhu scheme, he stopped all welfare schemes for farmers, they said.

The Congress leaders said the TRS government promised to sanction 3 acres of land to each Dalit family. But after coming to power, it began taking over assignment lands from Dalits and engaged in real estate business.
Kishan Reddy, accompanied by former minister and Huzurabad BJP MLA Etala Rajendar, first offered prayers at Ramalayam temple in Rupireddy Palli village of Regonda mandal. (DC Image)

HYDERABAD: A call to involve the youth in developmental activities was made by Union Minister Kishan Reddy during his visit to Jayashankar Bhupalpally district on Monday.

Kishan Reddy, accompanied by former minister and Huzurabad BJP MLA Etala Rajendar, first offered prayers at Ramalayam temple in Rupireddy Palli village of Regonda mandal.

Later, he visited the PHC in the mandal and interacted with patients.

Kishan Reddy said the central government has identified three districts  Jayashankar Bhupalpaly, Bhadradri Kothagudem and Asifabad  as backward in Telangana state and would extend full support for providing better education, medical services and basic facilities to the people under the Aspiration Districts programme.

The BJP government identified the Corona warriors and gave them prime importance for their excellent services during the hard pandemic times. The central government is going to take steps for administration of Covid-19 vaccination for those in the age-group of 5 to 12 soon, he said.

As there are chances of a fourth wave, the people must follow the precautionary measures of wearing face masks without fail, Kishan Reddy suggested.

Later, the minister visited the Pandavula Gutta in Regonda mandal.

District forest officer Lavanya explained to the Union minister about the significance of the Pandavula Gutta.

Holding a review meeting with officials of the Mulugu and Bhupalpally district in Bhupalpally, Kishan Reddy said that the central government identified around 112 districts across the country as most backward and would develop them under Niti Ayog and with help from corporate companies.

MLAs of Manthani and Mulugu assemblies Sridhar Babu and Seethakka, district collector Bhavesh Mishra, additional collectors Tripati, Diwakar and Mulugu DRO Rama Devi were present.
The optics of Prime Minister Narendra Modis first visit to Kashmir after August 5, 2019, may have been impressive, particularly since the major event was held at Palli, a village near the Pakistan border, on National Panchayati Raj Day. It was meant to convey the message that democracy had reached the nooks and corners, encompassing 30,000 villages in the Valley. But what the Prime Minister did not commit to was a timeline as to when the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will regain statehood.

The fanfare of the visit notwithstanding, the Prime Minister may have missed an opportunity in not offering a glimpse of the political future of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh when a concrete road map was expected to be laid out. In nearly three years since its abrogation, the debate surrounding Article 370 may have faded, but anticipation of the return of democracy remains as keen as ever, certainly in the Valley.

A greater reassurance on the timeframe for Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir would have been welcome. In fact, India, with its commitment to the worlds largest electoral democracy, in which all people make their choice of leaders and governments, should also commit itself to creating an Assembly for the Union Territory of Ladakh.

The Union Territory may lie in a sensitive border area where the focus is on India-China tensions, especially post-2020 skirmishes in the Galwan valley. But its up to India to expand on its commitment to democracy by showing that it can have a responsible elected government even in such a forward area and setting. The Ladakhis would also love their share of democracy, which may have reached the grassroots in Kashmir but is yet to get to Ladakh.

The increased connectivity that the Prime Minister promised in signalling the start of Rs 20,000 crore schemes to enhance connectivity and electricity generation through traditional and renewable sources comes at a time when the footfall of international tourists increased manifold in the Kashmir Valley last winter, the harsh security environment notwithstanding and with even the separatist sections calling for free access for tourists.

Funds for development, electricity, water and toilets would always be welcomed in a region that suffered through decades of violence and mayhem and from which there is a promise of a liberated future and jobs for the youth of today, as the Prime Minister assured. But only an end to the political uncertainty can lead to a better future and it is in this regard that the call for a return to elections should be paid heed to.

The politics of delimitation, etc., will run its course given the historical differences between Jammu and Kashmir. One of the main objectives of the abrogation of Article 370 may have fructified as about 175 central laws have become applicable in the Valley, as the PM took pride in pointing out. It is, however, truly democratic only if the people can have their say, even in the Valley where the Gupkar Alliance members are major players.

No one believes the security risks will go away with the return of democracy as militancy in the Valley also has a history to it now. Statehood for J&K and democracy for Ladakh may not end the problems but, historically, democracy has been the Indian way. To set a timeframe now for statehood would be forward-looking and more fruitful than delving into the historicity of the agreement that brought Jammu and Kashmir into the Indian fold and the subsequent change to the status of J&K and Ladakh.
In a joint operation, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Monday apprehended nine Pakistani nationals with 56 kg of suspected heroin worth about Rs 280 crore from their boat in a mid-sea operation off the Jakhau coast in the Kutch district.

ATS officials said that they haven't determined yet where the consignment was headed. State police chief Ashish Bhatia said that all of the boat's crew were brought to the shore for questioning. "We will be able to find details only after their questioning," he said.

The operation came after Deputy Commissioner of Police Bhavesh Roziya received information that a Pakistani national, identified as Mustafa, was about to send a consignment of drugs to North India by a boat identified as Al Haj. Based on this information, a team of ATS and ICG officials intercepted the Pakistani boat about 14 nautical miles inside the International Maritime Boundary Line.

Officials said that ICG officials had to open fire at the Pakistani boat to prevent its escape. One crewman suffered an injury while two others sustained bruises.

The operation was carried out in the wee hours on Monday.

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In a new twist, the Rana-coupleAmravati MP Navneet Rana and MLA Ravi Ranahas been booked for charges of sedition even as they have been sent to a 14-day judicial custody by the Holiday and Sunday court of Metropolitan Magistrate, Bandra in Mumbai.

The MLA-MP couple filed their bail application, which will be heard on April 29. The prosecution has been asked to file its say by 27 April.

While Ravi Rana, the three-time Independent MLA from Badnera is likely to be shifted to the Arthur Road prison, Navneet Kaur Rana, the Independent MP from Amravati, is expected to be moved to the Womens Jail in Byculla.

They are now in Santacruz police station awaiting the report of the mandatory Covid-19 test.

Read | Hanuman Chalisa row: BJP leader Kirit Somaiya attacked

The Rana couple was represented by senior lawyer Rizwan Merchant, the Mumbai Police was represented by special public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat.

The police had on Saturday evening arrested the Ranas for allegedly "creating enmity between different groups" after the couple cancelled their plan to recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's private residence 'Matoshree'. They dropped the plan later due to PM Modi's scheduled visit to Mumbai.

Hundreds of Shiv Sena workers undertook a night vigil of Matoshree and also camped outside the Khar residence of the Ranas to perform abhishek and give maha-prasad.

Earlier, Ranas were booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), and section 135 of the Mumbai Police Act (violation of prohibitory orders of police). The police later also added IPC section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) in the FIR registered against Ranas, the official said.

Gharat told the court that section 124(A) of IPC (sedition) has been added. The prosecutor has not been able to explain the reason to the court on the addition of the fresh section, said Merchant.

After the BJP raised the issue of their arrest, Shiv Sena chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said, When central agencies probe or raid our leaders, they (BJP) always say there must be something which is why the action is taken. One must trust the police. The Mumbai police never register a false report or an FIR.

Reacting sharply to the arrest, leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis, What is the issue with reciting Hanuman chalisa? If not in Maharashtra, should it be chanted in Pakistan? The MVA (government) slapped IPC 153(A) on Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana who just came to chant Hanuman chalisa. Absolutely shocking. A lady cant be kept in custody at night. This is an utter disregard of Supreme Court orders about detention of women. Such extreme dictatorship? No right to speak on rampant corruption of MVA? Why are those completely silent who often speak on democratic values?."

Earlier this month, Ravi Rana had demanded that Thackeray, who heads the Shiv Sena, recite the Hanuman Chalisa at his residence on Hanuman Jayanti, and announced that if the CM did not do so, he would go to 'Matoshree' and recite it.

(With agency inputs)

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A controversy has erupted over the mandatory teaching of the Bible at a private school in east Bengaluru.

In the application form for admission to grade 11, Clarence High School in Richards Town has asked parents to give an undertaking that they have no objection to the study of the Bible.

The application form reads: Clarence High School provides sound moral and spiritual instruction, in addition to academic knowledge, in order for students to become good and useful citizens of India and the world. Such instruction is given through the study of the Bible. Only those parents and students who have no objection to this need apply. The possession of the Bible and Hymn Book and attendance at the Morning Assemblies and Scripture Classes are mandatory (sic).

Also Read  Karnataka to include Bhagwad Gita in school syllabus

The school has also asked parents to give a declaration that, We understand that my child requires sound moral and spiritual instruction, in addition to the academic knowledge, in order to become a good and useful citizen of India and the world. We understand that in Clarence High School, such instruction is given through a study of the Bible, and we have no objection to this.

Some parents criticised the move on social media, tagging the chief minister and the minister for primary and secondary education and seeking their intervention. They also uploaded the application form and the declaration to Twitter and other social media.

A parent who is looking to enrol his son at the school said: It should be the parents choice. It should not be compulsory.

Also Read  Bhagavad Gita to be part of school syllabus for Classes 6 to 12 in Gujarat

The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti said it would file a complaint with the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, B C Nagesh, seeking an inquiry against all schools run by Christian missionaries.

Mohan Gowda, the state spokesperson for Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, called it a clear violation of the Constitution and the Karnataka Education Act.

Sri Ram Sena founder Pramod Muthalik on Monday asked the school management to keep the Bible at their homes and churches. "Why is Bible being preached to Hindu students who comprise 90 per cent of the total student population in the school?" he questioned. The school must be seized and students transferred to other schools, he demanded.

Speaking to DH, Nagesh said no educational institution can forcibly teach religious books. We have not received any official complaint (about the matter) but got to know about it through social media. No educational institution can force religious books on students. I have asked the officials to find out more.

Phone calls and text messages sent to the school authorities seeking comment did not elicit a response.

George Mathew, the school Principal, had earlier stated to the media that he is sad over the development. The Bible has been taught for 100 years. He maintained that advocates will answer all questions raised against the institution. Mathew said, "We're aware that some people are upset about one of the policies of our school. We're a peace-loving and law-abiding school. We've consulted our advocates on this matter and we'll follow their advice. We won't break law of the land."

(With inputs from agencies)

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Russian forces launched missile attacks on train stations in central and western Ukraine, 24 hours after the United States Top Officials traveled to Kyiv via railway.

According to Ukrainian media, Russian missiles targeted stations in the Lviv, Rivne, Vinnytsia, and Kyiv areas in the early morning hours, including one in Krasne, just 70 miles from the Polish border.

The head of Ukraine's train service, Alexander Kamyshin, claimed the strikes all happened within an hour of one another on Monday. He confirmed that there were fatalities from the attack, but he didn't elaborate, according to Daily Mail.

The strikes were reportedly so near the Polish border that some interpreted it as a threat from Moscow to the West as it happened 24 hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Ukraine.

US Top Officials Assure Further Assistance To Ukraine

Blinken and Austin headed to Kyiv, where they met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials, making them the highest-ranking US officials to visit Ukraine since the Russian war started in late February, according to a report from CNN.

According to a senior State Department official, Blinken and Austin met with Zelensky, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, and Interior Minister Denys Monastrysky during their visit to Kyiv.

Among the issues covered during the three-hour meeting were defense aid, more sanctions on Russia, and financial support for Ukraine, as per Ukrainian President Zelenksyy's staff.

Zelensky expressed his appreciation for the "unprecedented assistance" that the US extended to Ukraine.

"I would like to thank President Biden personally and on behalf of the entire Ukrainian people for his leadership in supporting Ukraine, for his personal clear position," Zelensky said.

The Top US officials told Zelenskyy that the US would provide Ukraine with $322 million in additional assistance. While Austin told Zelenskyy that the first of the new Howitzers arrived in Ukraine as part of the increased support to Ukraine announced last week.

Read Also: President Macron Beats Rival Le Pen, Becomes First French Leader To Win Re-election

Blinken also informed Zelenskyy that the US would start sending diplomats back to Ukraine this week. According to a senior US official, the US would reopen offices in Lviv, western Ukraine, with diplomats coming there daily from Poland, to have "our diplomats return to our embassy in Kyiv as soon as possible."

A senior State Department official disclosed that President Joe Biden also would officially nominate Bridget Brink, the current US ambassador to Slovakia, to be the US ambassador to Ukraine.

Saw the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people firsthand during my visit to Kyiv with @SecDef Austin. During our meeting with President @ZelenskyyUA, we reaffirmed our unwavering support for Ukraine as it withstands Russian aggression.  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) April 25, 2022

Blinken: Russia "Failed" To Conquer Ukraine

Blinken held a press conference in an undisclosed location in Poland near the Ukrainian border following his visit to Kyiv. He disclosed to journalists that the Russian attempts to "subjugate Ukraine" and destroy its sovereignty had "failed."

According to Blinken, Russia's "principal aim" is to subjugate and take away the independence of Ukraine completely.

"It has sought to assert the power of its military and its economy, we, of course, are seeing just the opposite, a military that is dramatically underperforming and an economy ... as a result of sanctions that is in shambles," The US Secretary of State said, per ABC News report.

Related Article: Volodymyr Zelensky Wife: Who Is Olena Zelenska, the First Lady of Ukraine?

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The Karnataka government on Monday decided to make masks and social distancing mandatory in public places amid signs of a possible fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The government has also decided to push for more and more citizens to get the Covid-19 vaccination.

Briefing reporters after a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to review the situation, Health Minister K Sudhakar said fresh guidelines will be issued on wearing masks and maintaining social distance, especially in crowded places. For now, we have not taken any decision on imposing penalties for not wearing masks. But we want people to mask up for which guidelines will be issued, Sudhakar said.

The minister also urged all citizens to take the Covid-19 booster dose. Even the World Health Organisation has identified that the majority of those getting infected now have not been vaccinated. The number of people who have taken the precaution dose is less. We urge everyone to take the booster dose now and not wait for the fourth wave to hit us," he said.

Also read: The world of vaccines, before and after Covid

While Karnataka has not seen any alarming increase in cases, the government seems to be worried over the test positivity rate in Bengalurus municipal limits rising up to 1.9 per cent. The government will specially monitor the BBMP jurisdiction. In addition, the government will also increase vigil at airports and track passengers coming from high infection countries such as South Korea, Japan and Thailand, Sudhakar said.

Further, the government is also collecting information from Delhi where the cases have increased. "There are no severe cases at present," the minister pointed out.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to chair a video conference with chief ministers and health ministers on April 27. Following this meeting, we will hold another meeting to discuss the measures to be taken in Karnataka, Sudhakar said.

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Many of the finest Super Cars and Muscle Cars in Ireland will take part in a tour of the North West this Bank Holiday Weekend in a special event to raise funds for the Foyle Down Syndrome Trust.

The Bear Run 74 will begin at Applegreen in Lifford this Saturday April 30 at 9am and take in Derry, Inishowen and Donegal on a two day tour that will allow car fans to get up close to the impressive vehicles.

The Bear Run is an upcoming car running group with all types of vehicles and personalities catered for.

To date, the Bear Run 74 initiative has raised 36,440 for 10 different charities and Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council has thanked the event organisers for selecting his charity for his year in office for the latest event.

Mayor Warke said: On behalf of the Foyle Down Syndrome Trust, I would like to thank everyone at the The Bear Run 74 for choosing my charity to be the beneficiaries of this exciting event and to Applegreen who are generously sponsoring the fuel.

Ive attended some of the previous events and some of the vehicles on show have been breathtaking.

"If you are interested in cars, this is a brilliant opportunity to see some of the best cars in the world so Id encourage you to get involved.

The last event in Lifford last September raised over 10,000 for the Donegal Hospice which is a phenomenal amount of money for one day.

"Id appreciate it if those in attendance this weekend can donate what you can and there is an option to donate online if you cant attend.

While the VIP visit to City of Derry Airport is sold out there are a number of events which are open to the public over the two days.

The Bear Run will start at Lifford Applegreen at 9am on Saturday April 30 before the cars travel in convoy to a VIP event at City of Derry Airport at 11am and a run to Applegreen Carndonagh at 2pm.

From there they will travel via Buncrana to Wild Ireland animal sanctuary in Burnfoot at 4pm before finishing the day in Downings at 6.30pm.

On Sunday morning they will begin at Downings at 10.30am before a Photo stop at the Poisoned Glen and lunch in Mountain Top Letterkenny at 12.30pm.

They will be at Halfway Karting at 2.30pm and finish at Downings at 6.30pm.

You can get updates and further information from the Bear Run 74 on their Facebook page of the same name.

You can donate to the Mayors Charity the Foyle Down Syndrome Trust at derrystrabane.com/mayor
April 25, 2022 -- Menta will present its eFPGA soft IP for its first participation to ChipEx (May 10, 2022 in Tel Aviv), the major annual event of the Israeli semiconductor industry.

Menta is the eFPGA provider that offers a revolutionary soft IP eFPGA technology. It can be mapped by the end user to any foundry and technology node, on any foundry or third party standard cells libraries, enabling customers to do the physical implementation in their own environment with their own EDA (Electronic Design Automation) tool flow. As a result, Mentas Soft IP offers ASIC/SoC designers more flexibility, higher control of their IP implementation, high energy-performance, and lower costs.

eFPGA IP is increasingly in demand because it allows hardware to be reconfigured after manufacturing, giving end products more upgradeability and longer life cycles. The eFPGA IP acts as design insurance for SoCs and ASICs that include algorithms which are evolving faster than the chip manufacturing cycle. Mentas Soft IP is available immediately.

Menta will now be represented in Israel by TBS Technologies, a leading representative of Semiconductor IPs, Electronic Design Automation and products to the Israeli embedded markets.

 The Israeli market is demanding more programmability, higher security, lower costs, and more flexibility than the eFPGA vendors have been able to deliver to this point. Menta is revolutionizing the eFPGA market with a 100% standard cell, soft IP offering, which I am bringing to our market. 

Moty Hermann, Chairman, TBS Technologies

 We have seen for several years the growing demand from the Israeli market for our unique technology. I am thrilled to be part of ChipEx, as its the key event for Israeli semiconductor industry, and very proud to be represented in the Israeli Market by TBS Technologies, which has a strong track record in Electronic Design Automation and embedded technologies. This is a big step forward for Menta. 

Vincent Markus, Chairman, Menta

ChipEx2022 | May 10, 2022 - Tel Aviv, Israel chipex.co.il

ChipEx is the major annual event of the Israeli semiconductor industry. It showcases companies including manufacturers, developers and suppliers of advanced hardware technologies & services.

The event is produced by ASG Ltd. in cooperation with SIA, Semiconductor Industry Association and with Semi, the largest global industry association. The goal of ChipEx2022 is to update all professionals involved with the Israeli semiconductor industry with the latest technological innovations and future directions of the industry.

ABOUT MENTA

A privately held company based in Sophia-Antipolis, France, Menta is the proven eFPGA pioneer for ASIC and SoCs designers who need speed, accuracy, performance and efficiency. eFPGAs' design-adaptive standard cells-based architecture and state-of-the-art tool set provide the highest degree of design customization, best-in-class testability, and fastest time-to-volume for SoC design at any foundry.

For more information: menta-efpga.com

ABOUT TBS TECHNOLOGIES

TBS Tech is a leading representative of IPs, Design services, EDA and products to the Israeli VLSI (Very large-scale integration) and embedded markets. TBS prides itself with its customers relationships and with a top quality line of represented companies. Located in Tel Mond, TBS Technologies was formed in 2003 in order to answer the growing need for professional IP, Design services and embedded sales in Israel.

For more information: tbstech.com






The telecoms sectors of emerging markets have evolved rapidly and in step with their counterparts in more developed countries, and consumers demand similarly high standards. It is therefore vital for operators in these regions to deliver on network performance.

Pan-African group MTN currently operates in over 20 countries across Africa and Asia. Headquartered in its home market of South Africa, the group has long sought to push the envelope in terms of expectations of African markets, and it has achieved demonstrable success; according to two recent reports, the operator offers the best network performance in South Africa.

Based on 375,577 speed tests, MyBroadband Insights Q4 2021 Mobile Network Quality Report rank MTN as having the highest upload and download speed in the market. According to the research firm, MTN Groups substantial network investments have led to it dominating the South African network performance rankings for the past few years.

Meanwhile, Rohde & Schwarz SwissQuals Network Performance Score findings also rated MTN as having the best network quality and performance in South Africa, as well as offering the best data services.

MTN South Africa executive for corporate affairs Jacqui OSullivan said: The quality of experience delivered to our customers is very important to MTN. We are consistently working to upgrade and modernise our network infrastructure to ensure customers enjoy the best user experience, and results such as these work to help us benchmark ourselves against the quality and competitive position of other networks, using the scores as a basis to deliver optimal quality of experience to our customers.

For us, a high-performing network means connecting the previously unconnected; enhanced connectivity for those already connected; and more digital opportunities for all, enabling customers to take advantage of the range of applications that are available on the market today  and we will keep working to ensure this access continues, she added, noting that MTN South Africa plans to invest over R50 billion into its network across the next five years.

Having secured a leading position across its footprint, MTN Group is dedicated to ensuring that it continues to offer the best network experiences, emphasised in its ambition to deliver Technology platforms second to none. The group currently has 10 operating units with the top network NPS (net promoter score) in their market  including its South African, Nigerian, Ugandan, Ghanaian, Cameroonian and Zambian units  and it aims to increase this to 17 operators by 2025.

With Technology platforms second to none, MTN aims to offer one network, one API layer and one data lake to enable the success of the core business & growth platforms. This will deliver superior customer experience, improving loyalty and therefore customer retention and lifetime value, as well as broadening its commercial addressable base. These strategies are aimed at supporting structurally sustainable growth.

These goals stem from the groups belief that consumers in emerging markets deserve the benefits of a modern connected life just as much as those in developed markets  and indeed, they stand to gain even more from being connected. The impact of digital and financial inclusion in Africa is evident, and MTN is committed to further this, advancing the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through its core business activities and its support to governments, communities and customers.

The group is pursuing initiatives focused around the value that telecommunications can bring to various levels of society  whether this is via eco-responsibility, sustainable societies or governance and economic value. One recent example is MTN South Africas Modernisation of Network South Africa (Monza) project, which aims to deploy an additional 100 rural sites nationally in highly underserved areas by the end of 2022. Providing network and connectivity services to people in the most remote rural settlements of South Africa, and across all provinces, will greatly improve access to data for those not yet connected and improve the customer experience of MTNs network.

In the long-term, this will close the digital access gaps in South Africa and other markets, driving digital and financial inclusion, access to education, and opening the door to new and exciting opportunities for individuals, communities and regional economies to grow.

For operators in emerging markets, MTNs strong business performance can be seen as an indication of the value in pursuing such strategies. The groups 2021 results showed increases in revenue from services, data and fintech, as well as a 2.6% increase in return on equity to 19.6%. MTN Groups share price also topped R200/share in early March, which is the first time the JSE-listed emerging markets telecommunications giant has touched these levels in nearly seven years.

Leading brand valuation consultancy Brand Finances South Africa 100 2022 report stated that MTN has retained the number one place on the ranking of the most valuable South African brands in the world, with a brand value of R59.8 billion - almost two times that of the second placed company.

Jeremy Sampson, Managing Director at Brand Finance Africa, summarised MTNs position thus: South African brands are powering our economy, and as the world looks towards life after COVID-19, MTN has cemented its leadership role as our most valuable brand. MTNs brand value has grown considerably. With the current refresh of the brand, it is well positioned and reenergised for the future.
MTN Mobile Money Uganda Limited and Jumo, a technology company building next-generation financial services for emerging markets, have launched MoSente, a new service that allows MTN customers to access credit facilities.

Described as easily accessible, real-time, and easily available to registered MTN subscribers and mobile money users, MoSente allows customers to borrow from Shs10,000 (just under US$3) at a variable term that suits their circumstances. Would-be borrowers simply dial a specific code and follow a series of prompts.

MTN currently represents more than half the mobile subscribers in Uganda, enabling it to target somewhere in the region of 15 million people with MoSente.

One focus of the offer is said to be supporting entrepreneurs who need simple, quick access to working capital to grow their businesses. Equally, given that large segments of the population are still unbanked, in large part due to lack of access to easy and convenient credit, this initiative could help to advance financial inclusion.

This isnt a first for either company. MTN has operated a similar credit service called MoKash on its Mobile Financial Services Platform since 2016, while Jumo has operated mobile lending products in partnership with other mobile network providers for the last five years.

For example, late last year it partnered with Absa Bank and Tigo in Tanzania to increase the availability of the existing short-term credit product Tigo Nivushe, a mobile lending product.
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There are currently about 5 million more jobs than there are unemployed people to fill them.



By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON  Chair Jerome Powell isn't as pleased with the robust U.S. job market as you might think he'd be, and he and the Federal Reserve plan to do something about it: Take it down a notch.

On Thursday, Powell described the job market as extremely, historically tight and unsustainably hot. Available jobs are near record highs. Wages are rising at their fastest pace in decades. The unemployment rate is flirting with a half-century low, and layoffs are sparse.





. . .
Apple's M3 chip and upcoming iMac Pro are both reportedly in the works already, Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman revealed in his latest newsletter.

Although Apple fans are still waiting for the successor of the first-generation M1 system on chip (SOC), it turns out that the Cupertino-based tech giant is already working one step ahead.

Apple's M3 Chip

As per a news story by 9to5Mac, the iPhone maker is secretly testing out the supposed successor of the 2nd gen Apple silicon chip, the M3, the Bloomberg newsletter of Mark Gurman said.

However, Gurman did not disclose details that focus on what upgrades to expect from the unreleased M3 chip.

Instead, the Bloomberg journalist went on to reveal more about its potential release date, which as expected is still far away from today. But, despite that, Apple is reportedly gearing up for it even if its debut is still predicted to be a year away from now.

Apple M3 iMac

Gurman also mentioned the M3 chip in his newsletter as he mentioned the much-awaited iMac, saying that an M3 iMac is already in the works.

He further added, though, that the next-gen chip and the all-new iMac will not be seeing the light of day in 2022.

Instead, Gurman offered that both Apple offerings would perhaps launch sometime "until the end of next year at the earliest," or in 2023, according to a recent report by Apple Insider.

What's more, the Power On newsletter author also opined that he predicts that Apple is still releasing a new iMac Pro. However, Gurman only suggested that its release timeline "just won't be anytime soon."

Apple Insider stated in its story that there have been previous rumors claiming the Cupertino giant is launching the new iMac Pro in 2022, sporting a mini LED screen.

It appears that Gurman is not so sure when Apple is releasing its next iMac Pro, but he still believes it is coming out in a still unknown timeline.

Read Also: Apple Watch 6 Blank Screen Issue Now Has a Repair Program - Which Models are Supported

Apple M2 Chips

On the other hand, Gurman also blurted out information about the new M2 Macs that the iPhone maker is reportedly working on these days.

The journalist claimed that Apple is currently keeping its hands busy with multiple M2 devices. It includes a new MacBook Air, a next-gen Mac Mini, and even a base-level MacBook Pro.

The tech giant is already reportedly working on upcoming powerful M2 Pro and M2 Max chipsets, which power the next-gen 16-inch MacBook Pro and the 14-inch MacBook Pro.

That's not all.

Apple is also testing a new dual M2 Ultra for the rumored Mac Pro.

Related Article: Apple Gaming Controller? NEW Patent Shows Various Concepts for iPhone, iPad, Mac
An online group dedicated to raising awareness about the rights and safety of sex workers has told An Garda Siochana that hundreds of men claiming to be gardai have allegedly been abusing sex workers nationwide.

The organisation, named Ugly Mugs Ireland, claim that multiple men have allegedly attacked, robbed, and sexually assaulted mostly female sex workers from between 2016 up until as recently as last month.

It appealed to investigating officers to brief Garda Commissioner Drew Harris on the number of people allegedly abusing sex workers while claiming to be either a garda or have friends in the force.

According to a recent report from the Irish Examiner, Ugly Mugs Ireland is in touch with an estimated 1,000 sex workers in Ireland and met with the Garda inspectorate in 2019.

The alleged offences detailed in the group's reports include impersonators demanding free sex 'or else they will arrest' the worker, to violent abuse; including rape, choking, and assault.

The Examiner added in its report that at least two complaints from Ugly Mugs Ireland allege that men falsely impersonating gardai produced handcuffs and attempted to restrain the women against their will.

In response, a garda spokesperson said: "No formal complaints were made by any individual complainants. An Garda Siochana cannot investigate anecdotal or anonymised reports."

They added that anyone who believes they have been subject of any criminal or inappropriate activity by a member of the force can make a complaint to the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission.

BACKGROUND:

Irelands laws on selling sex changed in 2017.

Under the reformed law, paying for sexual services a criminal offence, but not the sale of sex.

The law was designed to protect human trafficking victims and sex workers from exploitation.

However, an Amnesty International Ireland report last year found the law is facilitating the targeting and abuse of sex workers, and the state is failing to protect them from violence.

If you have been affected by this article, you can find resources to help you by contacting Women's Aid at 1800 341 900.

Additionally, you can email Samaritans Ireland at jo@samaritans.ie or ring 116 123, or visit the Rape Crisis Centre at drcc.ie.
The Ax-1 crew of the aerospace startup company Axiom Space is now bound to return to Earth.

Due to unpredictable delays, Axiom's first astronauts on their all-private mission experienced an extended amount of time spent in the International Space Station.

The Ax-1 crew will begin its return to Earth on Sunday evening after experiencing a mission delay that lasted a week longer than expected.

Ax-1 Mission Delay: When Will the Crew Return?

Axiom's Ax-1 return was met by a week's worth of delay. Due to predictable current weather conditions for undocking and landing, the Ax-1 crew's short-duration mission to the International Space Station has been prolonged by a few additional days.

The Ax-1 crew members consist of four members: Michael Lopez-Alegra, a former NASA astronaut who now works for Axiom; Eytan Stibbe, an Israeli billionaire; Mark Pathy, a Canadian investor; and Larry Connor, an Ohio-based real estate businessman.

Before 7:30 p.m. ET, astronauts strapped into their spacecraft closed the hatch that keeps the space station safe when a vehicle leaves.

According to Axiom, "The integrated teams at Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX have agreed on a plan for the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) crew to undock from the International Space Station at 8:55 p.m. ET Sunday, April 24, for a splashdown off the coast of Florida about 1:00 p.m. Monday, April 25."

Axiom stated that the return schedule was a decision made based on the best weather conditions for the splashdown of the first private astronaut mission as well as the return trajectory required to safely return the crew and SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft to Earth.

The hatch closure, undocking, and splashdown parts of the Ax-1 return will be broadcast in three different segments over the course of two days. On AxiomSpace.com, space enthusiasts will be able to access all parts of the live coverage.

Ax-1's return to Earth live coverage will begin on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET, with the hatch closure scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET. Coverage of the undocking will continue at 8:30 p.m. local time. It will resume on Monday at 12 p.m. ET for Dragon's re-entry and splashdown.

Read Also: #SpaceSnap: The Solar Orbiter's First Images of the Sun

Axiom's First Space Mission

As Axiom's first ever crew to the ISS are all paying individuals, numerous people are curious as to how much the Ax-1 crew was paid. On top of that, another question people are curious about is regarding circumstances like this. Will the crew still be charged for additional payment with the days extended due to the weather delays?

As CNN reported, NASA stated that " the extra days the AX-1 crew spent in space due to weather won't add to their own personal overall price tag."

Since the ISS is government-funded and operated, the mission was made feasible by close collaboration between Axiom Space, SpaceX, and NASA.

Ax-1 was launched on April 8 to the ISS with a planned 10-day mission. The days spent on the ISS by the Ax-1 crew were originally scheduled to be packed with scientific research and testing.

In order to keep up with their demanding schedule of scientific study, technology demonstrations, and public outreach engagements, the Axiom Space astronauts have learned to operate on little sleep and with little downtime in between.

In the meantime, as they prepare to depart, the team is continuing to work while also taking some additional time to take in the breathtaking vistas of the blue planet and reflect on the enormous amount of work that was successfully performed throughout the trip.

Related Article: NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly Releases 'Dreams Out of this World' NFT to Support Ukraine Donation Efforts
Louth TD Fergus ODowd has welcomed news that over 540k has been approved for two local ports under the Local Authority Marine Infrastructure Scheme 2022-23, which is funded through the EU Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR).

Deputy O'Dowd said that "a total of 352k has been approved for Port Oriel and 190k has been approved for Annagassan Port which will then topped up by Louth County Council creating a total of 637k investment. These monies will be used to upgrade and rejuvenate the ports.

At Port Oriel the project aims to upgrade the electrical systems including the power, lights and waters systems, along with works to the pier landing area and accessibility safety works. At Annagassan Port the majority of the funding is being spent on general safety upgrade works.

The Fine Gael TD added The news was confirmed to me by the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue T.D. as part of a 32.7m national funding announcement for 110 projects around the Irish coast which will see projects worth over 40m in total once the local authorities have added their contribution.

The Minister also confirmed to me that Louth County Council submitted a total of five application and all five have been approved. Im delighted to see that we have secured such healthy investment for two of our local ports in particular as the Brexit Adjustment Reserve funding is only available until the end of 2023 so it was critical time to maximise our return before it closes.
Google is woke!

Google users will now be flagged for using politically incorrect words while searching as the technology giant launched an "inclusive language" function. This move by Google is for people to avoid the use of politically incorrect words.

In a report by The Sun, if a user uses terms deemed politically incorrect by Google, a message pops up that reads: "Inclusive warning. Some of these words may not be inclusive to all readers. Consider using different words."

Google Moves Towards a More Gender-Sensitive Language

Google moves toward a more gender sensitive language. For example, gender specific terms such as "policemen" or "housewife" will be replaced by "police officers" and "stay-at-home spouse."

This is according to the new Google Document style programme, which is now being rolled out to what the firm calls enterprise-level users, as per a Daily Mail report.

Users, who are using the word "landlord" will be given a suggestion to use the more gender-sensitive "property owner" or "proprietor."

Likewise, "mankind" is suggested to be replaced with the alternative "humankind" instead.

Critics, however, are skeptical about the technology giant's move. They believe that pushing users towards woke language is a step too far. According to a Daily Mail report, tests on the system have also thrown up major flaws.

The Sun reported that Silkie Carlo of Big Brother Watch called Google's move toward inclusive language "deeply intrusive." Carlo further stated that "Google is not only reading every word you type but telling you what to type."

"This speech-policing is profoundly clumsy, creepy and wrong, often reinforcing bias. Invasive tech like this undermines privacy, freedom of expression and increasingly freedom of thought." Carlo said.

The Daily Mail reported that Sam Bowman of online magazine Works in Progress said, "It feels pretty hectoring and adds an unwanted political/cultural slant to what I'd rather was a neutral product [as] a user."

On the other hand, a Google spokesman said, "Our technology is always improving, and we don't yet [have] a solution to identifying and mitigating all unwanted word associations and biases."

Read Also: Is Google Assistant Secretly Spying on Conversations? Safety and Security Features Revealed

Google's Move Towards a More 'Inclusive Language' Function Started Last Year With Google Docs

Last year, a new feature in Google Docs prompted users to write in gender-neutral language to avoid offending colleagues or friends, as per The National.

Using the words such as "chairman" or "fireman" in the online word processor triggered the feature to suggest "chairperson" or "firefighter" instead.

According to the National, the feature was introduced as part of Google's new Smart Canvas, which is a collaboration tool designed to make working between Google's major platforms Docs, Sheets, and Slides easier.

After a number of humiliations as a result of its predictive autocomplete algorithms, Google strives to associate itself with more inclusive and conscientious language.

In 2018, after many users noticed the technology's biased suggestions, Google prevented its autocomplete feature on Gmail from proposing gender pronouns.

In 2016, after Google was found making racist and offensive suggestions, the company tweaked the autocomplete function on its search engine.

Related Article: Cybersecurity Expert Warns Google Android Exposes Users 'Private Information, More: How to Protect Yourself
CORK hoteliers are battling a tsunami of rising costs but experiencing a stronger industry recovery than expected, chairperson of the Cork IHF branch Joe Kennedy has said.

Mr Kennedy, who has been in the industry for more than 20 years and manages the Maldron Hotel in Shandon, said from a business demand perspective, things are looking up.

Demand has come back much quicker than the industry expected. Tourism numbers for the summer are looking a lot stronger than anticipated, especially from the American market, along the Wild Atlantic Way.

Mr Kennedy said the hotel industry has been revamped in recent years to cater for a more holistic outdoor experience.

In relation to the rising costs of living, Mr Kennedy said the reality is the cost of doing business has increased twofold, particularly around utilities.

In my own hotel, utilities are up 100% from 2019, we are under savage pressure from food costs, utility costs, paper and linen charges, huge tsunami of costs coming at the industry. So its great we have the numbers we have because if we didnt it would be a disaster for hoteliers. Focusing on recruitment, the IHF Cork representative said the hotel industry was no different to any other industry in some ways.

Every industry is looking for people, but the difference is we are actually in a rebuild phase.

We are rebuilding teams, and getting people back to work, its a process and it will take time.

The problem is we are competing with other industries, the unemployment rate at the moment is very low and there are technically more jobs than people, so that is going to be a massive challenge for all industries.

Cork Airport is also predicting a strong season ahead.

Cork Airport signage on carpark building. Pic; Larry Cummins.

Cork is well connected which gives great access, a spokesperson said.

They added that work is always ongoing to try and secure connectivity to the East coast of the US.

Looking ahead, the spokesperson said Cork Airport is expecting an extremely strong and busy summer, both outbound and inbound. There is a huge pent up demand for travel that has shown in the past month or so, from Patricks Day onwards.

Easter was very busy, 60,000 passengers through Cork Airport.
Korea Development Bank (KDB) Chairman Lee Dong-gull speaks during a press conference at KDB's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul in January. Yonhap



By Yi Whan-woo



Korea Development Bank (KDB) Chairman Lee Dong-gull appears to be pushed further into the corner following a series of botched business deals that could possibly be used as an excuse by the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol administration to sack him.



The state-run bank failed last week in its plan to sell subsidiary KDB Life to JC Partners after the private equity firm was found to fall short of meeting conditions for the takeover.



The private equity firm has been the controlling shareholder of MG Non-Life, which was classified as an insolvent financial institution by financial authorities, April 19. The law bans a controlling shareholder of an insolvent financial institution from acquiring a new business.



The collapsed sale of KDB Life adds to two unsuccessful deals for KDB  Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) in January and SsangYong Motor in March.



DSME, SsangYong Motor and KDB Life are all under KDB's control after becoming heavily indebted, while the state-run lender injected trillions of won in taxpayers' money over the years.



Additionally, KDB is the main creditor of Asiana Airlines, whose planned acquisition by bigger rival Korean Air has dragged on for years.



Against this backdrop, the management capabilities of KDB is being called into question.



Accordingly, critics are holding Lee responsible for mismanaging the state-run lender and are calling for its restructuring, with its relocation to Busan being brought up as a possible measures.



"Large-scale M&A cases involving DSME, SsangYong Motor and KDB Life have failed repeatedly under KDB," said Rep. Yun Chang-hyun of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) during a discussion he hosted on April 20.



The discussion dealt with problems associated with financing by state-run financial institutions, including KDB, and ways to resolve such problems.



The PPP lawmaker noted the recovery rate of the money injected by KDB is merely in the range of 20 to 30 percent, saying, "Such a low rate is drawing public criticism that KDB is increasing the financial burden on the government rather than reducing it."



Park Chang-gyun, a Korea Capital Market Institute researcher who joined the discussion, cited the need to overhaul KDB's functions.



He suggested having KDB focus on corporate restructuring while handing over financial support for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and commercial financing to other financial entities



The possible privatization of KDB was also brought up, after such an idea was raised during the 2008-2013 Lee Myung-bak administration.



"KDB may undergo structural changes, whether it is relocation to Busan or privatization under the new government," a finance industry source said.



A loyalist of outgoing President Moon Jae-in, Lee has been against President-elect Yoon's pledge to move KDB's headquarters from Seoul to Busan, calling it, "a plan to regress, not progress."



Although not intended, Lee also found himself as the target of Yoon's transition committee when DSME appointed a new CEO in late March.



The dispute was extended from rows between the outgoing and incoming governments, as KDB has been DSME's main creditor while the new CEO turned out be a longtime friend of the president.



Lee is serving his second three-year term since September 2020, after being appointed by Moon in 2017.


An environmental activist named Wynn Bruce died after setting himself on fire outside the Supreme Court on Earth Day, apparently to draw attention to the climate crisis.

Bruce, who was 50 years old and hailed from Boulder, Colorado, was airlifted to a hospital after his action, which took place around 6:30 p.m. on Friday. However, he sadly died the next day, the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC told The New York Times.

This act is not suicide, Zen Buddhist priest and Environmental Defense Fund scientist Dr. Kritee Kanko, who described herself as Bruces friend, wrote on Twitter. This is a deeply fearless act of compassion to bring attention to climate crisis.

This guy was my friend. He meditated with our sangha. This act is not suicide. This is a deeply fearless act of compassion to bring attention to climate crisis. We are piecing together info but he had been planning it for atleast one year. #wynnbruce I am so moved. https://t.co/bHoRaLK6Fr  Dr. K. Kritee (@KriteeKanko) April 24, 2022

Kanko said that Bruce had been planning the act for at least one year. Bruces Facebook posts also reveal evidence of his concern about climate change and his plans to self-immolate. In October 2020, he posted a link to a free course on the climate crisis, The Denver Post reported. Then, on April 20, 2021, he added a comment to the post that just said, 4-1-1. He edited this comment to include a fire emoji in October of 2021. Finally, he placed the date 4/22/22 after the emoji on April 2 of this year, in an apparent announcement of his plans. The final comment, which is still visible on his page, reads, 4-1-1 4/22/2022.

Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC spokeswoman Brianna Burch told The Denver Post that, as far as she knew, no note or manifesto was found near Bruces body and that the police were still investigating his motive. Kanko also told The New York Times that she was not certain of Bruces intentions but added that people are being driven to extreme amounts of climate grief and despair.

[W]hat I do not want to happen is that young people start thinking about self-immolation, she added.

Bruce, who identified as Buddhist, may have been inspired by the Vietnamese Buddhist monks who set themselves on fire to protest the Vietnam War.

Bruce is not the first person to choose this form of protest in response to the climate crisis. Gay-rights lawyer and environmental activist David Buckel died after setting himself on fire in New York in April, 2018, The Guardian reported.

Most humans on the planet now breathe air made unhealthy by fossil fuels, and many die early deaths as a result  my early death by fossil fuel reflects what we are doing to ourselves, Buckel said in a note.

An act of self-immolation also set off the Arab Spring protests, when Tunisian fruit and vegetable seller Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire to protest the confiscation of his scales, as Al Jazeera recounted.

If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255.
By Carly Nairn

Climate change and global food demand could drive a startling loss of up to 23 percent of all natural habitat ranges in the next 80 years, according to new findings published in Nature Communications.

Habitat loss could accelerate to a level that brings about rapid extinctions of already vulnerable species. Shrinking ranges for mammals, amphibians and birds already account for an 18 percent loss of previous natural ranges, the study found, with a jump expected to reach 23 percent by this centurys end. Global food demand currently fuels agricultural sectors to increase land use, moving into habitats previously untouched. What results  deforestation  leaves more carbon dioxide in the air, increasing greenhouse gas emissions, the main driver of climate change. In the U.S. alone, agriculture-related emissions measure 11.6 percent of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions, which include carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.

Deforestation and habitat loss also harms the natural cycles of ecosystems, affecting all stages of animal life from reproduction, to migration, to mating. For most species, survivability depends on geographic range. The study, which analyzed changes in the different habitats of 16,919 species from 1700 onward, found that with the increase in habitat destruction due to agriculture and climate change, more species will die sooner than previously expected. The tropics are biodiversity hotspots with lots of small-range species. If one hectare of tropical forest is converted to agricultural land, a lot more species lose larger proportions of their home than in places like Europe, said Dr. Robert Beyer of the University of Cambridges Department of Zoology, one of the authors of the study.
The Biden administration has set a goal of creating a carbon-free electricity sector in the U.S. by 2035, and expanding solar energy will play an important role in making that possible.

Now, a new report from the Frontier Group, and the Environment America Research & Policy Center reveals which U.S. cities are leading the way on solar energy.

Americas major cities have played a key role in the clean energy revolution and stand to reap tremendous benefits from solar energy, the report authors wrote. As population centers, they are major sources of electricity demand and, with millions of rooftops suitable for solar panels, they have the potential to be major sources of clean energy production as well.

The report, Shining Cities 2022, is the eighth report from the two groups to look at solar capacity in U.S. cities. Its findings reflect the major growth in solar energy nationwide. The U.S. now has 121.4 gigawatts of solar capacity, which is enough to supply electricity to more than 23 million homes. Fifteen of the 56 cities surveyed in the report have increased their solar capacity by a factor of 10 between 2014 and 2022. In 2014, only eight cities were considered solar stars, meaning they had more than 50 watts of solar capacity per person. Now, 34 cities have reached this milestone.

When I think back to when we first released [this report], solar energy was still in the cradle; it was in its infancy in the United States, report co-author and senior director for Environment Americas Campaign for 100% Renewable Energy Johanna Neumann told CNN. And now, this report really just shows how far major cities have come to tapping the immense power of the sun.

Some cities are shining brighter than others, however. A total of nine cities have more solar panels installed than the entire country did a decade ago. Those cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Honolulu, San Antonio, New York, Phoenix, San Jose and Albuquerque, Grist reported.

The report ranked cities by both their overall solar capacity and their solar capacity per capita. For overall solar capacity, the top 10 cities are:

Los Angeles San Diego Las Vegas Honolulu San Antonio New York Phoenix San Jose Albuquerque Washington, DC

The City of Angels has once again earned the title of the United States top Solar Superstar, Laura Deehan, state director for Environment California Research & Policy Center, said in a statement reported by The Hill. As Earth Day approaches, Im struck by how far weve come toward tapping the suns immense power since this environmental holiday first began back in 1970. L.A.s leadership on solar to date means a cleaner environment, healthier community and more resilient future.

For solar capacity per capita, the top 10 are:

Honolulu Las Vegas San Diego Albuquerque San Jose San Antonio Burlington, Vermont New Orleans Phoenix Washington, DC

While many of the top solar cities are located in sunny, warm states, the presence of northeastern cities in the top 10 lists show that climate does not have to limit a citys solar potential.

One of the most critical things on this report, Neumann told CNN, is that solar power can meet our needs anywhere you find cities leading the way on solar, even in the rainy Pacific Northwest or in the snowy Northeast. And the truth is the sun shines down on every city in America, and regardless of how sunny it is, any city can position itself to harvest that abundant, free, non-polluting solar power if they adopt pro-solar policies.

The report offered suggestions for policies to support solar growth, including making the permitting process easier, expanding community solar projects for people who live in apartments or low-income housing, bolstering research and development and incentivising solar investment through tax credits, rebates and other means, according to Grist.

Edwin Cowen, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Cornell University who was not involved with the report, told CNN that solar growth in the U.S. has been more or less linear so far, when it really needs to be exponential in order to tackle the climate crisis.

Given the geopolitical situation, Ukraine-Russia war, and the role fossil fuels have played currently and historically in geopolitical tensions, it is imperative that the U.S. does all in its power to accelerate the transition to renewables, he told CNN. The call for the continuation and expansion of financial support for solar energy, particularly the Solar Investment Tax Credit, is vital.
Your next flight to Hawaii might come with speedy in-flight internet access. CNBC reports Hawaiian Airlines has signed a deal to offer SpaceX's Starlink service aboard all its Transpacific flights. Fly aboard an Airbus A321neo, Airbus 330 or Boeing 787-9 and you'll have free, relatively low-latency WiFi that should be quick enough to stream media and play online games.

Hawaiian will start deploying Starlink broadband with "select" aircraft in 2023. There aren't any plans to add satellite access to the Boeing 717 airliners that provide short-hop flights between Hawaii's islands.

The agreement makes Hawaiian the first major airline to use Starlink. SpaceX signed its first airline deal earlier this month with charter carrier JSX, which operates shorter, smaller-capacity flights. Delta has conducted Starlink tests, but it's not clear if or when the company might adopt the technology.

The Hawaiian Airlines arrangement won't necessarily guarantee more in-flight business for SpaceX. Some major airlines already offer satellite internet service to passengers, and might not be in a rush to replace equipment that sometimes took years to install. The new deal gives SpaceX a significant foothold, however, and it won't be surprising if more airlines try Starlink before long.
Meta will open its first physical retail store next month, in a sign of the increasing importance of its hardware business as the company pivots to the metaverse. The Meta Store opens May 9th in Burlingame, California, close to the headquarters for Metas Reality Labs division. The store will showcase the companys VR headsets, Ray-Ban Stories glasses and Portal devices; and will offer interactive demos for shoppers.

For Meta, physical retail stores are meant to help the company not just sell more hardware, but expose more people to its VR and AR technology. In-store virtual reality demos will play on a massive wall-to-wall LED display that broadcasts content from participants' headsets. Mark Zuckerberg teased the display in a recent post on his Facebook page.

In a post Monday, Zuckerberg said the new store would help people get a sense of what's coming as we build towards the metaverse. In addition to its existing products, Meta is also working on augmented reality glasses, a high-end VR headset and possibly a smartwatch .

Meta




President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's delegation had a meeting with Japan's top diplomat Monday and the two sides agreed on the need to strengthen cooperation between the neighboring countries, the head of the team said.







The seven-member delegation, led by Rep. Chung Jin-suk of Yoon's conservative People Power Party, arrived in Tokyo the previous day for a five-day stay two weeks ahead of his inauguration.







The delegates met with Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and agreed to "reach a conclusion" on pending bilateral issues "through dialogue," Chung told reporters.







During the meeting, however, Yoon's team did not raise any specific proposal related to such high-profile matters as wartime forced labor and sexual enslavement of Korean women, which are longtime sources of diplomatic stand-offs between Seoul and Tokyo, he added. (Yonhap)






It seems a silly little thing like being arrested for assault with a deadly weapon isn't enough to deter A$AP Rocky from enjoying a quiet dinner with the mother of his child Rihanna last Saturday. Showcasing her baby bump with an open blouse, she and A$AP went out for a subdued night out with some acquaintances at Georgio Baldi in Santa Monica, California.

A source told People,

"It was a happy and relaxed group. Rihanna looked great. She sat next to A$AP and they were affectionate. They dined for a couple of hours. The focus was very much on Rihanna and the baby."

It only makes sense the conversation would be about their child. It would seem pretty uncouth to sway the narrative toward A$AP, who is presently out on a whopping $550,000 bail for an alleged felony assault charge involving a gun stemming back to an incident which happened back in November of 2021. As the story goes, for those not in the know, A$AP Rocky allegedly had a run in with a man who the F**king Problems rapper shot. The victim told authorities that Rocky ran from the scene accompanied by two men. A$AP was arrested on Wednesday at LAX while deboarding a private plane after visiting Barbados with Rihanna.

The rapper has yet to appear in court over the assault charge, though the case has been sent to The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for filing consideration, according to The L.A. Police Department.

Rihanna is expecting her first child with A$AP, though she has not divulged the due date at this time.
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to intensify a crackdown on illegal oil refineries, after an explosion in the Niger Delta killed more than 100 people.
The Pound to South African Rand (GBP/ZAR) exchange rate shot higher this week, with the pairing briefly climbing to a six-week high of ZAR20.2423.

South African Rand (ZAR) Exchange Rates Slump amid Power Cuts, Flooding and Covid Woes

The South African Rand (ZAR) found took a beating through this weeks shortened session as a result of power cuts, flooding and a resurgence of Covid cases.

In terms of South Africas power shortages, state utility Eskom announced it will be expanding its scheduled power cuts, also known locally as loadshedding following failures at two of its coal-fired power plants.

The implementation of stage 4 loadshedding came as a major blow to the Rand as these power cuts it is estimated to cost the South Africa roughly ZAR700million in lost economic activity for each day they are in place.

Further undermining ZAR exchange rates were concerns over catastrophic flooding in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province. In addition to causing billions in damage the floods also disrupted freight transport networks in the region.

Analysts warned that funding a recovery in the region could add to the countrys already sizable deficit.

Brendan McKenna, a currency strategist at Wells Fargo Securities in New York, commented: There were some pretty severe floods in South Africa recently that caused a fair amount of damage. Looks like the government is asking for funds to start rebuilding, which could add to the debt burden and fiscal deficit.

To top it all off, South Africa reported that the countrys Covid test positivity rate hit a three-month high alongside a jump in hospital admissions.

While there was no suggestion that South Africa would return to lockdown at this time, the governments stringent response to previous waves of the virus still caused alarm amongst some ZAR investors.

Pound (GBP) Exchange Rates Undermined by Abysmal Retail Sales Figures

At the same time, the Pound (GBP), while able to rise against a weakened Rand, was unable to replicate this success elsewhere.

Sterling sentiment was undermined by UK political uncertainty through the first half of the session.

This came amid fresh doubts over Boris Johnsons premiership as it was confirmed the PM would face an inquiry into whether or not he mislead parliament over the partygate scandal.

Further limiting demand for the Pound was the situation in Ukraine, as Russias new offensive in the east weighed on market sentiment.

However, the majority of the pressure Sterling faced last week came at the very end of the session with the release of the UKs latest retail sales and PMI releases.

According to data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) sales growth in March plummeted from 0.5% to a three-month low of 1.4%. At the same time Aprils preliminary manufacturing and services PMI both undershot expectations.

The lacklustre data gave rise to fresh concerns over the impact the UKs cost-of-living crisis may be having on the economy.

Dean Turner, economist at UBS Global Wealth Management, commented: A disappointing set of PMIs, coming on the back of a very weak retail sales release, highlights that the cost-of-living squeeze is hitting economic activity hard. Meanwhile, price pressures continue, but there is some evidence that firms passing these on to consumers is starting to negatively impact demand, offsetting the boost from the end of covid restrictions.

GBP/ZAR Currency Rate Forecast: Prolonged Loadshedding to Continue to Drag on the Rand?

Turning to next weeks session, we could see the Pound to South African Rand (GBP/ZAR) exchange rate continue to push higher so long as Eskom is forced to keep its loadshedding measures in place.

Also continuing to influence the GBP/ZAR exchange rate will be the war in Ukraine, with the pairing potentially facing fresh volatility so long as peace talks remain at an impasse.

In terms of data the Confederation of British Industrys (CBI) industrial trends and distributive trades indexes will be in focus for GBP investors with a lacklustre performance in April potentially dragging on Sterling.

Meanwhile South Africas latest producer price index could buoy ZAR exchange rates if Marchs figures report another rise.
Monday, April 25, 2022

The French voters have rendered their verdict. Emmanuel Macron has won a second term, an accomplishment which the previous two presidents, Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy failed to achieve. In fact, the last incumbent president to win reelection was Jacques Chirac twenty years ago. I also find it noteworthy that a candidate with a clearly pro-EU and pro-market economy platform won a decisive reelection in France. It is also a great victory at a personal level for Macron, who has never run for office before running for president, and who entered the palais d'Elysee as the youngest president in recent history.

During the campaign, Macron was criticized for not campaigning. Well, that's actually exactly how incumbent presidents should run, by transforming themselves from a challenger candidate to a statesman. Reelection campaigns are fundamentally different from challenger campaigns for that matter. Much of what an incumbent president does during the campaign does not look like a campaign. Reelection bids are therefore often less colorful; there is less enthusiasm, and admittedly, they are rarely the start of a new youth movement. But I disagree with several commentators: 58.5% is not close. And while there is obviously a minority in France who sees things very differently, 58.5% is a decisive victory, both historically, internationally, and compared to pre-election surveys.

As for the traditional parties that have long dominated French polity, their collapse from five years ago, has been confirmed. The right is now fighting for (financial) survival. The Socialist Party in particular pays the price for never really reinventing itself and leaving a space in the political center.

With respect to Le Pen, it has been a while now that, if anything, polls overestimated her support. Back in 2002, it was a huge success and political earthquake when her father made it into the runoff. But that is twenty years ago. She has to ask herself where her journey (and the one of her political movement) leads to? France is a winner-take-it-all system. Unlike in a proportional system, you don't achieve all that much politically when you come in second. As a result, Le Pen has struggled to translate her scores from the presidential election into parliamentary seats or local wins.

Last year in Germany, the voice of the political right was by and large missing in the chancellor debates. This year in France, the left was missing in the runoff. I think it is unhealthy for democracy if an important voice from the party spectrum is entirely absent in the political arena.

In June, French voters will head to the polls for the parliamentary election. In the past, French voters were quite coherent in their voting and gave their president a majority in parliament. There might be some major realignment in the next few weeks. Affaire a suivre.
(Bloomberg) -- Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk agreed to buy Twitter Inc. for $44 billion, using one of the biggest leveraged buyout deals in history to take private a 16-year-old social networking platform that has become a hub of public discourse and a flashpoint in the debate over online free speech.

Investors will receive $54.20 for each Twitter share they own, the company said in a statement Monday. The price is 38% more than the stocks close on April 1, the last business day before Musk disclosed a significant stake in the company, sparking a share rally.

Musk, one of Twitters most-watched users with more than 83 million followers, began amassing a stake of about 9% in January. By March, he had ramped up his criticism of Twitter, alleging that the companys algorithms are biased and feeds cluttered with automated junk posts. He also suggested Twitters user growth was inflated by bots. After rejecting an invitation to join the companys board, on April 14 he offered to take Twitter private, saying hed make the platform a bastion of free speech and dropping other hints about the changes hed make as owner.

The ideas verged from the practical -- say, letting users edit tweets and combating the spread of bots -- to the peculiar, such as a proposal to turn the companys San Francisco headquarters into a homeless shelter.

Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated, Musk said in the statement on Monday. Twitter has tremendous potential  I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it.

The deal was unanimously approved by the companys board, and is expected to be completed later this year. Musk, the worlds richest person, secured $25.5 billion of debt and margin loan financing and will provide about $21 billion in equity to fund the deal, according to the statement.

Musks deal to buy Twitter includes a provision that the billionaire is required to pay the company a fee if he were to walk away or the deal falls apart, according to people familiar with the matter. The deal does not include a go-shop provision, meaning Twitter isnt allowed to solicit offers from other potential bidders. When they resumed trading after a halt for the news, Twitter shares jumped 5.7% to $51.70 at the close in New York.

Chief Executive Officer Parag Agrawal sent an email to Twitter employees as the news was announced, informing them of a companywide meeting scheduled for 2 p.m. to talk about the deal. I know this is a significant change and youre likely processing what this means for you and Twitters future, he wrote.

Though Musk hasnt outlined a specific plan to change Twitters policies around speech and content moderation, his acquisition of the company means one of the internets thorniest problems is now his own. Musk has spoken openly about his plans to make the platform a haven for unfettered speech online and has complained that the service is too heavy-handed when it comes to moderating user tweets.

The debate around free speech on social media has been raging for years -- some political conservatives say Twitter, Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. and other internet companies have too many rules, while liberals dont think social networks go far enough to prevent hate speech and attacks on their services. Its a conflict that has led to numerous congressional hearings over the years and a movement to overhaul U.S. regulations around online content.

Read more: Acquiring Twitter vaults Elon Musk into the realm of media moguls

Going private marks a dramatic turnabout for a company that got its start as a messaging service for sharing your status updates with friends, but quickly blossomed into a way for people to broadcast short posts of 140 characters or less to a public following. Twitter caught fire among politicians, celebrities and journalists and took its place alongside social media stalwarts Facebook and YouTube as a standard bearer of a new, more interactive way of using the web that came to be known as Web 2.0.

Following its birth in 2006, the company weathered a series of crises, including management upheaval that saw the removal of co-founder Jack Dorsey in Twitters early days and his eventual return in 2015. After an initial public offering in 2013, the company considered selling itself in 2016, drawing the interest of companies from Walt Disney Co. to Salesforce Inc. Dorsey in 2020 tangled with an activist investor that forced Twitter to set specific growth targets and add greater board accountability. That served as a catalyst for Dorseys eventual second departure so he could focus on his other company, the digital-payments company Block Inc. Agrawal, formerly the companys chief technology officer, took the helm in November.

Read more: Jack Dorseys post-Twitter quest to become Bitcoins spiritual leader

As recently as last week there was little clarity on whether Musks bid would succeed. The 50-year-old billionaire himself mused at a TED event the day it was announced that even he had doubts about its prospects. Though the stock initially jumped on news of Musks stake in the company, shares have traded well below the original offer price of $54.20 since its announcement -- a sign investors were skeptical a deal would come to fruition.

Twitter on April 15 adopted a shareholder rights plan -- a measure known as a poison pill -- to fend off unwanted bidders. The plan is exercisable if a party acquires 15% of the stock without prior approval, and sought to ensure that anyone taking control of the social media company through open market accumulation pays all shareholders an appropriate control premium, the company said when it disclosed the plan.

But a turning point came last week when the Tesla Inc. CEO pulled together a financing plan that included 12 banks, led by Morgan Stanley. Just days after revealing the plan, Musk met with Twitter executives as the company turned more receptive toward a deal, a person with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg News on Sunday.

After accepting Musks bid, Twitter locked down changes to its platform through Friday, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the situation is private. Twitter imposed the temporary ban to keep employees who may be miffed about the deal from going rogue, according to one of the people. Many of the companys employees have expressed uneasiness about the idea of Musk taking charge.

As part of the deal announcement, Twitter said it will report first-quarter earnings as planned on April 28 before the market opens in New York, but wont host a call to discuss the results.

While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will have to review the plan once Twitter files a preliminary proxy statement, the regulator doesnt have the power to block the merger outright.

Still, the SEC can slow the process down by asking Twitter for clarification on aspects of the deal, according to Kenneth Henderson, a partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner in New York. The companys shareholders will vote to approve the transaction only once all of the agencys questions are answered.

2022 Bloomberg L.P.
A delegation representing President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol heads to the departure gate at Incheon International Airport, April 3. Korea is working closely with a U.S. advance team to prepare for a successful first summit between President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden. Yonhap





Korea is working closely with a U.S. advance team to prepare for a successful first summit between President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden, officials said Monday.







Yoon and Biden are expected to hold their first summit in Seoul around May 20 to 22 before the U.S. president travels to Japan to attend a Quad meeting. A U.S. advance team, including senior White House official Edgard Kagan, is currently in Seoul to coordinate the details.







"We are getting fully ready to successfully host the first South Korea-U.S. summit after the launch of the new administration, through close consultations with the U.S. advance team," a delegation of Yoon's aides said in a statement on the result of their nine-day trip to Washington.







During the visit, the seven-member delegation, headed by Foreign Minister nominee Park Jin, held wide-ranging policy consultations with members of the U.S. government, Congress and think tanks.







"Through our U.S. visit, we were able to affirm our country's heightened status and capability, as well as the United States' changed expectations for our expanded regional and global role," the delegation said.







"The U.S. side assessed South Korea to be a true 'core ally,' and expressed high expectations for cooperation with the new government and our expanded role as a 'global leading nation,'" it added.







The delegation also said the two sides agreed on the need to upgrade their military and security alliance to a comprehensive strategic alliance covering economic security, technology, regional and global cooperation, with special focus on making economic security cooperation a key axis of the alliance. (Yonhap)






A critically acclaimed Dallas-based barbecue chain was ordered to return $867,000 to hundreds of employees after the U.S. Department of Labor investigated its employment practices.

Hard Eight BBQ, a family-owned North Texas restaurant, failed to pay tipped employees all their tips and hourly managers werent paid the correct time and a half for overtime hours worked, the department said in a news release.

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The restaurant violated the law by including managers in their tip pool, the agency said. By doing so, the employer denied tipped workers some of their tips and managers proper overtime wages.

The Fair Labor Standards Act does not allow an employer or their managers and/or supervisors to keep employee tips for any reason.

Matt Perry, the restaurants chief operating officer, told the Dallas Morning News that the issue stemmed from a misunderstanding of the law.

Sarah Crabill

Our people are just the most important thing to us, and we thought we were doing the right thing by including our store managers in the tip pool, Perry told the newspaper. Our restaurant isnt a normal restaurant with wait staff, and so there was a gray area (in the law). Once we were made aware of the issue, we ceased doing that and have been in compliance since.

Juan Rodriguez, a Department of Labor spokesman, said the investigation took place between June 2019 and April 2021. The probe included all five of the restaurant's locations.

On ExpressNews.com: H-E-Bs grip on the San Antonio market tightened in 2021, but a new competitor is on the way

Out of the 910 employees, only about 219 were found and paid directly by Hard Eight BBQ, Rodriguez said. The company gave the Department of Labor the rest of the funds to find the remaining employees. The department is in the process of locating them.

To check if you are owed lost wages, call the U.S. Department of Labor at 1-866-487-9243 or visit the agency's website.

Hard Eight BBQ opened in Stephenville in 2003. It now operates restaurants in Roanoke, Coppell, The Colony and Burleson, according to its website. All are in the Dallas area.

Daniel Vaughn, Texas Monthlys barbecue editor, wrote in a recent review that the restaurant was a quintessential barbecue experience.

Its the North Texas version of the Salt Lick, the famous barbecue restaurant in Dripping Springs that people from Austin have long taken their out-of-state guests to, an almost required rite of passage for giving guests a Texas experience.

timothy.fanning@express-news.net
HOUSTON (AP)  In a story published April 24, 2022, about the planned execution of Melissa Lucio, The Associated Press erroneously reported that Lucio would be the first Latina executed by Texas. Lucio would be the first Latina executed by Texas since 1863.
A South Texas mother of 14 who was days from her execution date has been granted a stay from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

The news of her stay on Monday offered long-awaited relief to Melissa Lucios family members, who for 15 years have watched and waited and dreaded the day state officials might administer a lethal injection, the penalty a jury set in the death of her toddler.

I thank God for my life," Lucio said in a statement Monday. "I have always trusted in Him. I am grateful the Court has given me the chance to live and prove my innocence. Mariah is in my heart today and always. I am grateful to have more days to be a mother to my children and a grandmother to my grandchildren. I will use my time to help bring them to Christ. I am deeply grateful to everyone who prayed for me and spoke out on my behalf.

RELATED: How many innocent people are executed in Texas? Melissa Lucio case spotlights a troubling list

The court has ordered the 138th Judicial District Court of Cameron County to consider new evidence of her innocence, according to a release.

The court's decision comes after lawmakers, anti-domestic violence groups, faith leaders, exonerees and even reality TV star Kim Kardashian came to Lucios defense. Grassroots protests were held across the country Saturday, and more were scheduled over the next three days until Lucios life is no longer in imminent danger. Lucios supporters also planned to mobilize outside the governors mansion throughout the day Monday.

All of Lucios children have asked the government to halt their mothers execution. Her relatives have spent the last several months traveling across Texas, standing vigil with FREE MELISSA LUCIO signs and flyers asking the public to watch a 2020 documentary that makes the case for her innocence  an argument that the well-known Innocence Project has also joined. The family has led rallies, vigils and press conferences; attended legislative hearings; met with lawmakers; and planted themselves outside the Cameron County District Attorneys office for days on end, pleading with him to spare Lucios life.

Marie D. De Jesus, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

The district attorney, Luis Saenz, had the power to unilaterally withdraw her death warrant and issue a new trial. But he never intervened, although he said at a previous legislative hearing that he would do so if the courts and other officials did not take action.

Now that the state appeals court has recommended a stay to Gov. Greg Abbott, he has broad power to decide Lucios fate. Abbott could commute her sentence to time served, life in prison, or grant a reprieve for a period of up to 120 days for the board to consider exculpatory evidence that wasnt presented at her 2008 trial.

FREED FROM TEXAS DEATH ROW: 12 Texans who narrowly escaped execution after being wrongfully convicted

Texas has relied on the death penalty more than any other state and has carried out 573 executions since 1982. Nationally, executions have declined in recent years, with 17 in 2020 and 11 in 2021. The last person to be executed by the state was Carl Wayne Buntion, who was killed by lethal injection April 21 for his role in the 1990 slaying of a Houston police officer.

If Lucio receives another death warrant or the stay is lifted, she could become the first Latina put to death by Texas in the modern era and the first woman since 2014.

Abbott now faces mounting pressure from more than half of the elected leaders in the Texas House and Senate, some of whom have gone to Mountain View Unit in Gatesville to pray with Lucio and dozens of others who have signed letters pleading for her execution to be delayed.

Melissa Lucios case

A Cameron County jury sentenced Lucio to death in 2008 in the death of her two-year-old daughter, Mariah Alvarez. The bulk of the evidence was testimony from medical examiners who said significant bruising on Mariahs body indicated she died from child abuse. The most damning evidence came from her tearful statement  after five hours of interrogation the night her child died  in which she took responsibility for the girl's bruises, saying, I guess I did it.

Lucio recanted, but her subsequent statements fell on deaf ears. She and several family members maintain that Mariahs death was a tragic accident precipitated by injuries the young girl sustained two days prior to her death when she fell down a rickety flight of stairs outside their run-down apartment.

Several of the younger children said they witnessed Mariah fall down the stairs, and that their mother had never been abusive. But the children  including one who specifically asked to testify  were never called to the stand. This daughters pleas to the defense lawyer were ignored, according to Lucios clemency petition. The petition also notes that recordings of another child saying he witnessed the fall were never presented to a jury.

The only family member who testified was one of Lucios sisters, Sonya Valencia Alvarez. Alvarez previously told the Houston Chronicle that she felt her sister was not given a fair trial, that her attorney had done a poor job of presenting exculpatory evidence and that she believed the DA sought a capital conviction for his own political gain.

She had nobody to defend her, it was just horrible, Alvarez said. She was the perfect bait.

Lucios case was prosecuted by a former district attorney who later ended up in federal prison on bribery charges. Supporters also question the effectiveness of her defense attorney who they say ignored key evidence and swiftly joined the DAs office following the trial.

Lucios post-conviction lawyers argue if Texas executes her it would be a historic miscarriage of justice. They believe her prosecution under a corrupt DA should be enough to warrant her at least a new trial that could lead to her acquittal. But theyve also found the evidence presented in a stack of state and federal motions that they say proves Mariahs death was consistent with an accidental fall down the stairs.

A FIGHT FOR LIFE: Melissa Lucio's lawyers file petition with new evidence they say proves the mother of 14's innocence

They say Lucios statement to police is the hallmark of a coerced confession, one she made under duress and in part to shield one of her older daughters  who had had some conflicts with her little sister  from being grilled about Mariahs death. The defense at her trial also never presented evidence about the years of sexual abuse and domestic violence Lucio endured as a child and an adult, which could have made her more susceptible to being coerced.

Four jurors and one alternate who served at her trial have said they support her clemency and they would have decided differently had they been presented with evidence now available that was never introduced at trial. In Texas, a jury must be unanimous in its decision for capital punishment for the judge to impose a death sentence.

Lucio was sexually abused as a young girl by family members and strangers, and the abuse continued into her adult life, according to her clemency petition. She lived most of her life in abject poverty; at times her household had no electricity and no running water. Her family would use ice chests to store food and trash cans to hold water theyd use to flush toilets, wash dishes and bathe. They would frequent soup kitchens and were sometimes homeless.

Courtesy the Innocence Project

She struggled with drug addiction and lost custody of her children twice due to neglect. But over years of records, CPS never received reports of abuse by Lucio. She has said that she knows she was not a perfect mother, but says that doesnt make her a murderer.

BACK IN HARLINGEN: With Melissa Lucio's execution just days away, her family hopes and prays for a miracle

Attorneys say the evidence theyve amassed demonstrates Lucio is not the heartless abuser the prosecution painted her as, but rather a victim of a broken justice system that has come too close to executing an innocent woman.

(Lucios case) exposes and shines a bright light on the problems within our criminal justice system, State. Rep Joe Moody said. It encapsulates the problems throughout our process and in her case, every single one of them happened.

At least 10 people in Texas and 20 nationally have been executed despite strong evidence of innocence, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, a nonpartisan group that tracks capital cases across the country.

In all, 186 death row inmates have been exonerated in the last 50 years  one for every eight people executed, according to DPIC.



Lucio said in a statement on Monday, "If I get a new trial, I am ready for the fight. I am not the same person I was in that interrogation room. I would stand up for my rights today. I want other survivors of domestic violence and assault to stand up for their rights too."

Edward McKinley contributed to this report.
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Um guys, we need to talk about dog poop.

Members of the citys Linear Creekway Parks Advisory Board recently discussed complaints from residents that users of the greenway trails system have not been picking up after their dogs or properly disposing of waste.

People often use a mutt mitt to pick it up, then leave it by the trail, Brandon Ross, the citys special projects manager overseeing the greenways, told the panel. The San Antonio Parks & Recreation Department provides the lightweight animal waste bags through about 200 dispensers in the parks and trail systems.

On ExpressNews.com: Cyclists death prompts closer look at dangerous spot on greenway

Under city ordinance, dog owners and keepers are required to have those pets on leashes in public and carry a container for the sanitary removal of the animals fecal matter. Its especially important for the environment when using the greenway system to carry such waste to a trash can and not leave it on the trail.

It really is on the trail users to do that, Ross said.

Since the trails run along creeks that flow into the San Antonio River, especially during heavy rains, dog waste thats left there carries E. coli, salmonella and other bacteria into the waterways, making them unsafe for swimming or fishing and robbing native fish and plants of the oxygen they need to survive.

The city provides trash containers at higher elevations, but it cant place them along the creeks because of potential contamination during storms. Ross said hes hoping the spread of trail watch and dog park ambassador volunteer programs will help educate trail users with gentle reminders that responsible pet ownership helps the environment.

The problem is widespread, having prompted the city of Sacramento, California; the Regional Stormwater Protection Team in Minnesota; and Virginias Hampton Roads Planning District Commission to produce lighthearted videos reminding pet owners that theres no poop fairy to remove dog waste that pet owners leave behind.

On ExpressNews.com: Survey explores potential dark-hour usage on greenways

Likewise, the San Antonio parks department has a 38-second animated video on YouTube with a focus on parks and trails that tells of the fictitious poop fairy in storybook form.

Dispose of pups poop in the trash, not the trail. Your neighbors will thank you  without fail, the videos narration says.

Greg Hammer, chairman of the linear parks board, said he shares residents concerns about the unsightliness, mess and smell on the trails. As with rules of etiquette on the trails, which are shared by cyclists and pedestrians, public education is critical, especially as use of the greenway system increases. Since the city began a local greenway initiative in 2000, about half of the planned 180 miles of paved trails have been built.

Were relying on the people to do the right thing and be responsible on our trails, and thats always a challenge, Hammer said.

shuddleston@express-news.net
Olmos Park residents can cast their ballots for mayor and City Council Place 5 starting this week. Whomever they select for mayor will be a familiar face at City Hall, while the council member will be a newcomer on the dais.

Kenneth Farrimond, 79, is seeking the mayors post, which he held from May 2012 until May 2016. Since then, its been held by outgoing Mayor Ronald Hornberger, who decided not to run again this year. Place 5 Councilwoman Deanna Rickabaugh, 58, is seeking the position, too.

Robert M. Adelman, a project manager at Motorola Solutions, and criminal defense attorney Will Brooks are vying for the Place 5 seat.

Kenyon McDonald is running unopposed for the Place 4 seat, which he has held since 2014.

The mayor and council member terms are two years long. There are no term limits.

Olmos Park residents also will weigh in on whether to reauthorize the local sales and use tax rate of one-fourth of 1 percent. The rate, which goes before voters every four years, has been the same in Olmos Park since 2002.

More Information About the candidates Mayoral race Kenneth Farrimond Age: 79 Occupation: Retired general surgeon Family: Widower, two adult children, four grandchildren, three great grandchildren Education: Bachelor's degree at Trinity University, M.D. at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School Time living in Olmos Park: 49 years What is the one phrase you want people to think of when they see your name on the ballot?: "I've done it before. It worked pretty well. I think I can do it again." Deanna Rickabaugh Age: 58 Occupation: Real estate agent with Phyllis Browning Company Family: Married, two young adult children Education: Bachelor of Business Administration in finance with a concentration on real estate from Texas A&M University Time living in Olmos Park: 12 years What is the one phrase you want people to think of when they see your name on the ballot?: "A strong, independent leader." Place 5 race Robert M. Adelman Age: 53 Occupation: Project manager at Motorola Solutions Family: Married, no kids Education: Bachelor of Arts from St. Mary's University in criminal justice and sociology Time living in Olmos Park: Lifelong resident What is the one phrase you want people to think of when they see your name on the ballot?: "Down to earth, no nonsense kind of guy that loves partnerships and looks at how we can make things better for everyone." Will Brooks Age: 40 Occupation: Private practice criminal defense attorney Family: Married, two young children Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration from Texas Christian University, St. Mary's Law School graduate Time living in Olmos Park: Nine years What is the one phrase you want people to think of when they see your name on the ballot?: "I love Olmos Park, and I want to serve the community." See More Collapse

Although Terrell Hills canceled its general election because incumbents are running unopposed, the city will have a special election to reauthorize its own local sales and use tax rate of one-fourth of 1 percent. Similar to Olmos Park, Terrell Hills puts the item before voters ever four years and has had the same rate since 2014.

Alamo Heights also canceled its general election, as it had no contested race.

Election Day is May 7. Early voting begins Monday and ends May 3.

Olmos Park Mayoral Race

Farrimond, a retired general surgeon, was an Olmos Park councilman for four years in the 1980s and again just prior to being elected mayor in 2012. Farrimond said he stepped down from his time as mayor partly in the spirit of term limits  he felt that two terms was an adequate amount of time to serve.

During Farrimonds time as mayor, the city replaced its city manager and its police chief with Celia DeLeon and Rene Valenciano, respectively. They still hold the titles. Farrimond said he was happy with those hires, and hes pleased overall with the leadership in the city, across multiple departments.

Farrimond said he decided to run again when his friends mentioned that nobody else was running for the seat. He filed his application in January, and Rickabaugh filed in February.

This fall, Farrimond will have lived in Olmos Park for 50 years. He mainly worked at hospitals in the Medical Center throughout his career. He was president of the Bexar County Medical Society in 1989 and was chief of staff at Methodist Hospital in the 1980s.

His No. 1 goal if re-elected is to ensure that city functions run smoothly and that we get things done properly, and that the ordinances that get passed really do help the people who live here.

Farrimond said he also wants to make attending council meetings more attractive by ensuring that the meetings are tolerable by keeping them to one hour.

Rickabaughs service in Olmos Park began with her time on the citys planning and zoning commission from 2014 to 2018. Since 2018, the real estate agent has held the Place 5 council seat.

Rickabaugh said she is running because the city deserves a strong mayor.

Im familiar with the current state of our city, Rickabaugh said. Weve got programs and projects that weve been considering of late, and I think that its good to have some continuity, someone who understands what weve been working on.

One such project took a look at the citys aging sewer system  officials recently scoped the entire system to find out what needed to be fixed. The city is in the early stages of looking into ways to fund repairs, such as issuing a certificate of obligation bond, down the road.

Rickabaugh said it is important to her that there is good stewardship of tax dollars in Olmos Park.

I want my neighbors to know that their council is not wasting our tax money, Rickabaugh said. So thats my platform. I dont look around and think, Oh, this is broken. Were not broken; our city is in a good place.

Rickabaugh has lived in the city for 12 years. Outside of her time with the city, she has served on the Appraisal Review Board in Travis County. She said that gives her a strong understanding of the states property tax system, which is where cities get the bulk of their funding. She was president of the Alamo Heights High School PTSO from 2014 to 2016.

Olmos Park Place 5 Race

Adelman, 53, takes pride in being a lifelong resident of Olmos Park, which he feels equips him with a unique perspective that would be beneficial if elected.

As a volunteer reserve officer in the Olmos Park Police Department, Adelman looks into how to secure grant funds for the department. Two such grants that he sought out  one for license plate readers and another for a platform that would make obtaining surveillance video during investigations easier  look like they will come through in the near future, he said.

Most of Adelmans career was spent in law enforcement at various local agencies. Moving into his job at Motorola has given Adelman more flexibility with his job, which he said is part of why he feels like he is able to take on a role at City Council.

I bring a huge amount of value in terms of technology experience and public safety experience to council, he said. Maybe I can act as a universal translator between the actual operational aspects of the city in regards to those kinds of areas.

If he wins the election, Adelman wants to focus on enhancing public safety. Adelman also said he wants to improve transparency, in part by pushing for council meetings to be streamed online.

He also wants to find more ways for people to volunteer in city government, though not necessarily sitting on committees and commissions.

Id like to see how we can bolster the reserve program (in the police department), the volunteer program in the fire department, and more citizen engagement.

Brooks, 40, has lived all over the San Antonio area throughout the years, but he said he and his wife see their family staying in Olmos Park for the long haul. They have lived in the city since 2013. Brooks said he enjoys the small town feel.

Brooks was on the planning and zoning commission for two years starting in 2018. In 2019, he was the commissions chair. He said he loved serving so much that he decided to run for City Council.

I think the thing that spurred me to want to do this is that I just love learning about Olmos and I love serving the community, he said. I hope that I get the opportunity to continue to serve its citizens.

If elected, Brooks said he looks forward to learning more about his community and familiarizing himself with the challenges that Olmos Park faces, noting that as an elected official he would be confronted with more topics to consider than he is as an average citizen.

Brooks, who said he tends to be fiscally conservative, has served on an HOA board in Port Aransas, where he owns a rental property.

But his daily work as an attorney is a big part of what Brooks feels makes him fit for council. His job requires him to interact with elected officials, county and city employees and a wide variety of people each day. He said helping people work through challenges is rewarding.

My job requires listening to others, learning from others and drawing from my own experiences, he said in an email. Although I have never served as a council member I believe my skill set from work may translate well into serving on council.

megan.rodriguez@express-news.net
The Texas National Guard on Sunday identified the soldier who went missing after trying to rescue two migrants crossing the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass as Spc. Bishop E. Evans.

Meanwhile, the search for Evans continued Sunday afternoon, the guard said.

Evans, 22, of Arlington, was assigned to A Battery, 4-133 Field Artillery Regiment in New Braunfels and joined the Texas Army National Guard in May 2019. He returned in fall 2020 from a mobilization to Operation Spartan Shield in Kuwait.

During this mobilization, his dedication, talents and tactical prowess led his leadership to regularly assign him to operations in Iraq in support of Special Operations Forces for short periods of time, while then rotating back into Kuwait, the guard said in a statement.

On ExpressNews.com: Missing soldier tried to rescue 2 migrants in Rio Grande

The guard said swift currents forced divers to stop working in a muddy, treacherous part of the Rio Grande but that others continued searching for the soldier. It said teams had resumed search and rescue operations early Sunday, with the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and U.S. Border Patrol involved in the effort along with three DPS airboats.

Evans went missing Friday morning in a section of the river in Eagle Pass known for its treacherous currents after rushing to help two migrants. They survived and were placed in Border Patrol custody.

Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber said he believed the soldier had drowned, while the guard initially insisted that reports of his death were inaccurate. The Border Patrol did not return phone calls.

The guard reported that authorities believe that the migrants were involved in the drug trade, saying in a statement issued Saturday that the service member selflessly attempted to help two migrants who appeared to be drowning as they illegally crossed the river from Mexico to the United States.

Initial reports from the Texas Rangers have determined that the two migrants were involved in illicit transnational narcotics trafficking, the statement continued.

The statement said the Rangers are the lead investigating agency. DPS, Parks and Wildlife, and the Border Patrol were assisting in the recovery operation, and Evans family had been notified, the guard said.

The search for our missing soldier continues, a guard tweet said Saturday. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family of the soldier.

sigc@express-news.net
William Luther, Staff / Staff

The National Weather Service is predicting a 70 percent chance of some badly needed rain in San Antonio on Monday, with up to 2 inches and a possibility of some minor flooding in the forecast.

A steady temperature in the low 70s and wind gusts up to 20 mph are expected Monday as a cold front moves across South Texas, according to the weather services Austin-San Antonio forecast office in New Braunfels. The weather service downgraded an earlier prediction Sunday of up to 3 inches of rain in Bexar County.
A 75-year-old man was arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run near the Medical Center that left a bicyclist dead last year.

Ramesh Patel, believed to the driver in the incident, was charged Friday with failure to stop and render aid resulting in death. He is being held on $50,000 bail.

Police said the victim, 64-year-old Carlos Flores Gonzales, was riding a bicycle on June 4, 2021, in a crosswalk at the intersection of Huebner and Babcock roads when he was hit by a maroon Toyota Avalon.

On ExpressNews.com: Hit-and-run killer of San Antonio doctor gets 15 years in prison; family confronts her in court

The impact sent Gonzales into the oncoming traffic lanes, where he hit two other vehicles that were idling at the traffic light, an affidavit supporting Patels arrest said.

The Avalon fled, hitting a pedestrian crosswalk pole at the next intersection.

Gonzales was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Police found the Avalons sideview mirror at the intersection.

On ExpressNews.com: San Marcos police arrest man in hit-and-run that left Houston teen dead

Days later, Patel reported that an unknown vehicle hit his Toyota Avalon on June 4 and fled from Eckhert and Bandera roads, close to the initial crash site, the affidavit said. Patels insurance company told police that the vehicle had been totaled and was sold at a vehicle auction in Dallas.

Police were able to locate the vehicle and determined that the damage was consistent with the Avalon hitting the crosswalk pole.

taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway
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Models and fashion designers hit their marks on the spotlit runway at the show called FashionAble 2022. Backed by upbeat, booming music, they crossed the stage to rounds of applause at the Stevens High School Auditorium.

One young girl blew kisses from her wheelchair. Another tossed her hair over a shoulder. And they posed  a palm on a cheek here, a tilt of the chin there.

The 10th pair followed with a flair. Twelve-year-old Ariana Gutierrez matched steps with Amberlyn Reyna-Martinez, 17, who co-designed her outfit. Ariana wore ripped mom jeans and a burgundy crop top Amberlyn altered to allow movement of her arm affected by Erbs palsy.

Amberlyn lifted Arianas hand and twirled her with a flourish, a move far from her first time on stage several years ago.

Carlos Javier Sanchez, Muiltimedia Production Manager / Teachstone

I was nervous, Ariana said two days before the event. My heart starts pumping, but after 10 minutes of practice, Im okay.

An estimated 200 people attended the 14th annual fashion show sponsored by Spina Bifida Texas on Saturday. This year, 26 children with disabilities modeled garments they co-created with 37 fashion design students from six local high schools.

Matthew Guinn, 14, won Best in Show for his Harry Potter ensemble he designed with Josselin Garza, 18, from Wagner High School. Marithza Rangel, 9, won Best Modification for a pink dress with a floral overlay she designed with Ana Roman, 17, that featured a secret pocket where her mother could access her feeding tube.

Roseanne Gonzales, Spina Bifida Texas executive director, said the event is more about adaptive fashion rather than style.

Our number one goal is for them to have something that makes sense for their life, Gonzales said. And something thats medically safe and fashionable. Its so exciting to see the modifications on the runway.

Josie Norris / San Antonio Express-News

The children work with design students to create adaptive clothes that can be worn with ease and comfort. Together, they create garments to fit any models body type. They agree on material that can be worn comfortably with the use of a wheelchair, brace or attached medical device.

Gonzales said in 2007, the nonprofits former director Nora Oyler thought of creating the event after attending a fashion show at University of the Incarnate Word with her daughter Cynthia, who has spina bifida.

When her daughter asked if she could be a model one day, Oyler replied, Of course, you can be a model.

Oyler contacted Sandy Starr, a fashion design teacher at Jefferson High School, for help in creating the project.

The first show featured 16 designers and 10 models on the runway. In 2019, 10 schools participated and featured 93 garments. Saturdays show was the first in-person show since 2020, when COVID-19 shut production down.

Josie Norris / San Antonio Express-News

Gonzales and board president Jacqueline Perez pivoted in 2021. They delivered the garments to 50 models for photos at their homes.

We gave them the photoshoot that they deserved, Gonzales said. It was a chance for the students to receive their garment and have a fashion show experience without being in danger of being sick.

On Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., they rang the models doorbells, wore masks, and handled all the stage props with gloves. Family and friends cheered as models strolled out of homes onto decorated front lawns. They set up at community playgrounds for models who lived in apartments.

This year, design students at Wagner High School made their last changes to outfits two days before the show.

Josie Norris / San Antonio Express-News

Ariana met with Amberlyn and opted to have the sleeves of her top removed and rhinestones added to match silver gems on her jeans.

It feels good and satisfying to help someone, Amberlyn said over the hum of sewing machines. I really hope she likes it  thats my main goal.

Arianas grandmother Imelda Gutierrez, 54, looked on as the pair conferred at Amberlyns sewing station.

I think its awesome what theyre doing with the kids, she said. Its good for the girls. Their work gets to be seen. Im very grateful.

Students wheeled mannequins, fitted with in-work patterns, to instructor Laura Rohm for guidance. Rohm, who has taught fashion design at Wagner for 14 years, said most people dont think about how others dress.

This opens their eyes, Rohm said. There are good teaching moments.

She said because of class numbers and COVID delays, this could be the final year for the design class at Wagner. The fashion design instructor said theres a plan for a survey to assess numbers for the class.

Kristina Thompson, 16, said she attended Wagner for the design program. She said the class has made her think about the impact of designing clothes for people who use adaptive equipment.

FashionAble has been really mind-changing for me, Kristina said. I hope they understand what theyre doing, taking away this program. This is a home for a lot of people. Its kind of heartbreaking.

Months of planning, designing and alterations took shape Saturday as the followers of fashion returned to the runway.

Backstage, Rohm helped the teams prepare. Amberlyn looked on as a hairdresser styled Arianas hair in the glam room. After the last touch-ups were made, the models and designers lined up in the hallway. As the pairs made their way to the stage, the master of ceremonies, San Antonio Riverwalk Queen Michelle Bononcini, welcomed the audience to witness the magic!

vtdavis@express-news.net
A San Antonio man was arrested after allegedly hitting a 3-year-old with a phone charging cord over potty training issues, court documents said.

Michael Lodge, 28, was charged Saturday with injury to a child.

Police were called to Lodges home in October 2021 after his girlfriend reported that he had choked her when she intervened as he was was whipping her daughter with the cord, an affidavit supporting his arrest said.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio couple accused of beating 12-year-old to death

Police reported that the child had welts on her torso and two black eyes.

The victims mother said Lodge started beating the child because she urinated on the bed and that he used a phone charging cord because he couldnt find a belt, the affidavit said. Lodge allegedly whipped the child for about five minutes.

Lodge continued to spank and whip the child over the next two days, leaving welts across her body, the affidavit said.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio couple accused of locking three children in kitchen cabinet for days

The victims mother said she tried to leave Lodge but that he threatened to hurt her if she did so.

It is unclear why Lodge was not arrested for several months.

taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway
South Korea's Deputy National Assembly Speaker Chung Jin-suk, left, who heads President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's delegation for policy consultations with Japan talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, second from right, during their meeting at the Japanese foreign ministry in Tokyo, Monday. Yonhap



Delegation to meet with Japanese PM Kishida Wednesday



By Kang Seung-woo



President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's policy consultation delegation and Japan's top diplomat concurred on the need, Monday, to bolster relations between South Korea and Japan on the occasion of Seoul's leadership change, according to the head of the team.



However, the delegates did not go into detail about thorny issues over wartime history such as sexual slavery and forced labor that have prevented the neighboring countries from getting along with each other for years.



The seven-member delegation, led by Vice National Assembly Speaker Rep. Chung Jin-suk, who flew to Tokyo on a five-day trip, Sunday, sat down with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, who was accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister Takeo Mori.



"The two countries agreed that the cooperative relationship should be closely maintained and strengthened as neighboring countries that share the values of liberal democracy, market economy and shared future tasks," Chung said following its meeting with Hayashi.



"Bilateral efforts are required to resolve key issues between South Korea and Japan, so I suggested that the South Korean and Japanese governments make diplomatic efforts to live up to public expectations by taking advantage of new momentum (from the inauguration of a new South Korean government)."



During the meeting, the delegation also delivered Yoon's message on South Korea-Japan ties to Hayashi.



"In a word, Yoon wants to restore bilateral relations to their heyday as soon as possible and I made this clear to the foreign minister," Chung said.



The Japanese foreign ministry also announced that Hayashi had received a courtesy call from the delegation earlier in the day.



"In the exchange of opinions with the vice foreign minister, candid discussions were made on how to proceed with Japan-South Korea relations under the next South Korean administration and how to deal with North Korea," it said in a press statement.



Currently, ties between South Korea and Japan have slumped to their worst level in years due to Tokyo's imposition of export controls on three key materials critical for the semiconductor and display industries here, in an apparent retaliation against a ruling by South Korea's Supreme Court ordering Japanese companies to compensate surviving Korean victims of wartime forced labor.



In that respect, there was speculation that the delegation might negotiate with the Japanese side on the pending issues.



The Japanese government has insisted that the South Korean government comes up with solutions to the sexual slavery and forced labor issues in order to normalize bilateral ties, because Japan believes the two issues have already been resolved by bilateral agreements signed decades ago.



However, Chung rejected the conjecture, saying that the meeting was aimed at signaling Yoon's diplomatic direction with Japan.



"We did not make any suggestion to the Japanese government regarding the issues," the five-term lawmaker said.



"They could be resolved through intensive talks and negotiations via an official diplomatic channel," he added.



The delegation is expected to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Wednesday, and ask him to attend Yoon's inauguration ceremony, scheduled for May 10.



Chung said South Korean officials will warmly welcome and host him if he decides to attend the event.


A Texas man was sentenced last week to 18 months in federal prison after cyberstalking, threatening and swatting a Maryland woman who rejected his advances, the Department of Justice said.

Desmond Babloo Singh, 20, from Temple was arrested in December 2020 and pleaded guilty to two counts of cyberstalking. In addition to his prison sentence, he must serve one year of house arrest and two years of probation.

Prosecutors said that from April to November 2020, Singh used 69 Instagram accounts, two TikTok accounts, five Google accounts, four Snapchat accounts, and multiple phone numbers and other electronic communication tools to send harassing messages to the woman. Many of the accounts used the victims name and photos to make it appear as though she owned and operated them.

He even sought to endanger her life through a so-called swatting attempt  referring to a potentially life-threatening tactic intended to cause a police SWAT team to respond to a targeted location.

On ExpressNews.com: Live Oak man accused of using ex-girlfriend's nude selfies, charged with cyberstalking

Singh started messaging the victim on Instagram professing his love for her in February 2020, and she rejected his advances, asking him not to contact her anymore, a federal complaint said.

The victim was a friend of Singhs older sister for one year during middle school before Singhs family moved from Maryland to Texas, the complaint said. The victim was not close with the Singh family and didnt stay in contact after the move.

Officials said the victim never met Singh in person and never had a relationship with him.

When Singhs family moved to Texas, he sent the woman multiple requests to follow her on multiple social media platforms that the woman accepted. From 2014 to 2020, the two had brief messaging conversations, and she occasionally received strange and sometimes offensive messages from Singh, the complaint said.

In April 2020, Singhs messages turned violent, including death threats, sexualized violence and racial slurs, the complaint said.

One of the fraudulent accounts contained an image with the faces of the victim and her family members superimposed on people hanging from nooses, the DOJ said. On other accounts, Singh encouraged people to harass her and solicited users to rape, murder and decapitate her in exchange for Bitcoin, the complaint said.

On ExpressNews.com: Texas deputy sheriff charged with cyberstalking Massachusetts girl

Singh used the numerous Instagram accounts to publicly post her birthdate, address, phone number and other sensitive information to social media sites  a practice known as doxing.

In July 2020, after the victim petitioned for a peace order against Singh, he emailed police that there was a bomb in her Maryland residence in a swatting attempt.

In addition to harassing the woman, Singh harassed a man connected to the victim whom he saw as a romantic rival. Singh also posted that mans personal information on social media sites.

taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway
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For Northside Independent School District voters who live within the city limits, the May 7 election ballot will host two important bond elections: one called by the city of San Antonio and the other called by the Northside ISD.

The two proposals share many similarities. For both, the process of putting the proposal together involved the input and feedback of hundreds of stakeholders. Both proposals address critically important improvements and enhancements. And both the city of San Antonio and NISD have said, very clearly, that neither bond election will call for any increase to the existing tax rate.

Despite the similarities, there is one significant difference between the two bond proposals. The bond election that Northside ISD voters will decide must include ballot language that says: THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE.

On ExpressNews.com: Northside ISD board agrees to ask voters to OK nearly $1B in bond debt

That ballot language, required by a law passed in the 86th Session of the Texas Legislature in May 2019, applies only to school districts. Voters for the citys proposal will not see similar language. The language is mandatory for school districts even when the proposed bond election calls for no tax rate increase, as is the case for the NISD 2022 bond issue.

This ballot language requirement creates much confusion for voters. On one hand, voters hear their school district promising zero tax rate increase and yet will see this wording, in all caps, on the ballot.

Even worse than the confusion, the requirement creates an environment of distrust.

Voters, especially those disabled or older than 65 who have filed for an exemption to freeze their taxes, are left wondering who and what to believe.

In Northside ISD, the tax rate has not gone up in nearly 12 years  and, in fact, the Maintenance & Operations tax rate, beginning in tax year 2019, has gone down and will continue in that direction as property values increase, per current law.

As appraisals rise, the potential for an increase in overall taxes looms. Voters must know that school districts have no influence on a propertys appraised value. School districts only set the tax rate. For the more than 250 members of our Citizens Bond Committee, district leaders and the NISD board, it was critical that any bond election proposed to our voters NOT include a tax rate increase.

My fellow NISD trustees and I are committed to ensuring sound financial stewardship of the district, and we have demonstrated this commitment in the responsible management of previous school bonds; 95 percent of Northsides School Bond 2022 will provide for improvements, renovations and enhancements at existing neighborhood schools; the remaining amount will address student growth without any increase to the existing tax rate. We encourage voters to learn more about NISDs 2022 Bond and to vote.

Karen Freeman is the president of the Northside ISD board of trustees. She was elected in 2005 and re-elected for her fifth term in May.
Re: Roy votes no  again, Your Turn, Tuesday:

Surely there are many Republicans who favor reasonable gun control measures, and plenty who support freedom of choice for women considering abortion. I bet many Republicans prefer a compassionate approach to immigration, tolerance for LGBTQ+ and an abhorrence for racism.

Most conservatives are not members of QAnon, and of course most do not really believe that former President Donald Trump won the election or that former President Barack Obama was born in Kenya. The unifying concept for virtually all Republicans is an overwhelming dislike for liberal policy and a desire to ensure the failure of the Democratic Party.

Case in point is Chip Roy, U.S. representative from District 21. His strident, mean-spirited voice can be heard daily catastrophizing about our porous Southern border and the evils of immigration or mask mandates, or demanding the impeachment of President Joe Biden. At every opportunity in the House of Representatives, Roy votes against the proposed legislation.

This guy should be replaced with a representative who explores the issues in depth and who delivers thoughtful and meaningful votes for his constituents.

Neal S. Meritz, M.D.

Affordable housing a need

Re: Reject housing bond; thats not taxpayer duty, Another View, Thursday:

Christopher Baecker trivializes the need for affordable housing by citing reasons such as people simply wanting their own space.

Remember that San Antonio is the poorest large city in the nation, which means our median income is also the lowest of the large cities. The Express-News reported last December that 95,000 households in San Antonio are at 30 percent or less of that low median income and are housing-insecure.

Never mind the moral imperative to shelter the homeless; everything in our local economy depends on affordable housing, from the ability to work, safety, social determinants of health, crime and a solid foundation for the next generation with education, jobs, health and the ability to buy their next home without assistance.

Deborah McNabb

Kids can handle the truth

In the 1992 movie, A Few Good Men, a court-martial lawyer (played by Tom Cruise) believes the testimony of a colonel (played by Jack Nicholson) is false. When pressed to tell the truth, the colonel yells, You cant handle the truth! Today, white parents are pressuring teachers to not discomfort their kids by telling the truth about our racial history.

As a teacher, I found that my students had the ability to handle a little discomfort and didnt shy away from important questions. I believe its the parents who cant handle the truth.

In Texas, the GOPs push to obscure or omit the states history of slavery and racism has, unfortunately, led to the retirement of some of our most qualified and dedicated teachers.

Carl Lloyd
WASHINGTON  Top congressional Republicans toured portions of the border on Monday as the GOP tries to keep pressure on President Joe Biden over his plan to end a COVID-era public health order his administration has used to turn away migrants.

A group of nine Republicans, including House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, met with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Army National Guard in Eagle Pass, where a Texas National Guard soldier drowned on Friday after trying to rescue two migrants crossing the Rio Grande.

At a press conference afterward, which doubled as an early campaign stop ahead of this falls midterms, McCarthy thanked Gov. Greg Abbott for sending troops to the border and vowed that if Republicans take back the House 197 days from now, we can secure this border once and for all.

The trip came as a federal judge in Louisiana indicated he would grant a request by nearly two dozen states to preempt the end of the health order, known as Title 42. Judge Robert R. Summerhays told attorneys for the states and the Biden administration to try to reach an agreement on terms of a temporary restraining order, which he said he intended to grant.

Meanwhile, Biden met with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus at the White House as the group urged him to keep the planned May 23 end date for the order. Under the rule, migrants are denied the opportunity to plead their asylum cases. It has been used to expel migrants more than 1.7 million times.

Related: Texas sues to keep COVID-era border expulsion policy in place

In Eagle Pass, McCarthy said the Republicans met with a rancher who broke down in tears talking about the situation.

He told us he and his wife cant leave the lights on to his house at night because people will come, McCarthy said. His fear is that people are going to get killed. Thats whats happening right now.

McCarthy said Biden should make the same trip before ending Title 42, which is set to lift on May 23.

He should look the border agents in the eye and ask them, What is the best decision to make? McCarthy said. He should spend the time with the mayors and the ranchers and the city workers that we just had lunch with.

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, a San Antonio Republican who led the tour, said conditions along the border were worsening for local communities. Officials on Monday recovered the drowned body of the Spc. Bishop E. Evans, 22, of Arlington.

It just feels like a gloomy, sad day, Gonzales said. Theres a lot of us that live here, that work here, that this is home, and that gloomy day doesnt go away.

The trip was meant to keep attention on the upcoming end of Title 42, a health order the Trump administration issued in 2020, arguing that it was necessary to combat the spread of COVID-19. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky this month determined that the order was no longer necessary, given lower infection numbers and the increased availability of COVID vaccines and therapeutics.

Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Republicans and a growing number of Democrats have urged the president to reconsider the plan. They argue the administration is not prepared to handle a possible surge in migration after the order lifts.

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, an Austin Republican, urged Democrats to sign onto a petition he has led that could force a House vote on Title 42 if it gets enough signatures.

An entire year its been sitting there, Roy said. Now we get attention, a month out.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that Congress would have to take action to keep the order form lifting.

This is a CDC decision and authority about when we had the health conditions to lift Title 42, it wasnt an indication of an immigration policy, she said. Congress gave the CDC authority to determine when the conditions would be met to lift Title 42.... They make decisions based on health and data, not based on politics or where members of Congress sit.

Psaki said it was premature to speculate on whether the president would sign any legislation Congress passed to change the Title 42 plan.

Many Democrats and immigrant advocates say the order is no longer justifiable with declining COVID cases, and that it runs counter to Bidens campaign promise of building a more humane immigration system.

We must work to address the real issues, root causes of migration, border efficiency, legal pathways to citizenship, and update our outdated immigration laws through immigration reform to address cyclical migration patterns, said U.S. Rep. Nanette Barragan, deputy chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, after the groups meeting with Biden.

The Department of Homeland Security has laid out a plan to handle a post-Title 42 surge that includes sending more officers to the border, pulling in the Federal Emergency Management Agency to offer emergency food and shelter and working to more swiftly process asylum-seekers. The agency is also working to scale up a program to vaccinate as many as 6,000 migrants crossing the border per day.

The border trip comes at a politically fraught time for McCarthy, who spent much of the weekend under fire after audio was released of him telling fellow Republicans that Trump should resign in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

The first question asked at the press conference in Eagle Pass was about the recording and McCarthys initial denial that he said what was on the tape. McCarthy denied that he lied about it, before trying to shift back to the border.

Whats more important than something that happened 15 months ago on a private conversation with about four other people is whats happening here right now, he said.

ben.wermund@chron.com
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear a case brought by Rodney Reed, convicted in Bastrop County in 1998 of capital murder, over his attempts to win new DNA testing of crime-scene evidence.

Modern DNA testing is more sophisticated than what existed when the killing was initially investigated, and Reed and his lawyers want to test items that the killer would have touched, including the woven belt found near Stites body that was used to strangle her.

A local trial court denied Reeds initial efforts for the DNA testing in 2014. The prosecution argued the DNA tests wouldnt be reliable as the evidence was handled by many people who could have contaminated it.

The statute of limitations on such a decision is two years. But Reeds appeal of the ruling took years to progress, and when it did, the federal appeals courts said it was too late for them to decide anything.

On HoustonChronicle.com: How many innocent people are executed in Texas? Melissa Lucio case spotlights a troubling list

The question the court will consider is whether the statute of limitations pauses during the appeals process, or continues ticking on.

"Rodney Reed has steadfastly maintained his innocence for more than 20 years, and a substantial body of evidence has emerged supporting his innocence, said Jane Pucher, a senior staff attorney with the Innocence Project, speaking for Reeds lawyers. She added, We look forward to having the Supreme Court consider our arguments."

JAY JANNER, MBR / TNS

If the court rules in Reeds favor, he could ask lower federal courts again to consider the request for DNA testing, a process that would delay his execution further and could take years.

It comes as Texas prepares to execute Melissa Lucio Wednesday against a wave of bipartisan opposition. Lucio would become the first Hispanic woman executed in modern history.

So far, Reeds appeals and attempts to win a new trial have been unsuccessful, but his execution is delayed indefinitely while the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals considers granting a new trial. That case is still pending, and its separate from the U.S. Supreme Court case.

Reed, a Black man, was sentenced to death by an all-white jury for raping and murdering Stacey Stites, leaving her body in bushes next to a dirt road near Bastrop High School. His semen was found in the body, and police said no witnesses at the time knew of any relationship between Reed and Stites.

Ralph Barrera / Austin American-Statesman

Reed claimed at trial that he and Stites had secretly had an affair, and that the real killer was Stites fiance, a local policeman named Jimmy Fennell.

Witnesses have come forward since the conviction to attest that Reed and Stites knew each another, although none testified in the original trial. Other police officers who worked with Fennell have said he made racist comments, was violent toward Stites and knew she was sleeping with a Black man. Fennell was convicted in 2007 of sexually assaulting a woman while on-shift as a police officer.

Fennell has denied he killed Stites and that Stites and Reed were having an affair.

The case inspired a 2008 documentary and a 2018 CNN special, and it has spurred national attention as a number of celebrities and politicians of both parties called for a retrial for Reed.

edward.mckinley@chron.com
(The Center Square)  U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, a senior member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, is leading a coalition of Republican senators demanding that President Joe Biden not prioritize illegal immigrants over U.S. veterans.

The senators are demanding that the administration not divert Veterans Affairs Department health-care personnel away from helping veterans to facilitate an expected surge of illegal immigration at the southern border.

The administration is preparing an interagency response in anticipation of a surge of 500,000 people initially expected to illegally cross the U.S. southern border next month once Title 42 is lifted. The plan includes diverting resources and personnel from a range of federal agencies to help process and release illegal immigrants into the U.S. instead of complying with a U.S. Supreme Court and lower court ruling to reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols, otherwise known as the Remain in Mexico policy. This policy requires those seeking asylum or applying to enter the U.S. to wait in Mexico as their case progresses through the immigration process.

The public health authority, which allows federal agents to quickly expel illegal immigrants during a public health crisis, is slated to end May 23, unless its halted by the courts.

The Biden administration has been sued over halting Title 42, the MPP and over several other immigration-related policies. Title 42 has been viewed as the last measure in place limiting illegal entry as the administration has disbanded most immigration laws and policies, resulting in Border Patrol agents encountering at least 2 million people from over 150 countries in Bidens first year in office.

The administrations plan to allow in even more illegal immigrants would be facilitated by using VA personnel through an agency directive called the Fourth Mission. According to the agency, the Fourth Mission allows personnel to be used to "improve the nation's preparedness for response to war, terrorism, national emergencies, and natural disasters by developing plans and taking action to ensure continued service to Veterans, as well as to support national, state, and local emergency management, public health, safety, and homeland security efforts."

Sending VA personnel to the southern border is a misuse of the Fourth Mission, the Republican senators argue.

We write to express disapproval of any contingency plan which uses personnel from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to deal with the inevitable escalation of the border crisis once your Administration rescinds its Title 42 Order, the senators write. The VA is currently experiencing major staffing shortages and high workforce turnover rates. The deployment of VA personnel in a "Fourth Mission" capacity will impact veterans' ability to receive timely care from the VA and should not be a consideration while developing your Administration's plan as a result of the failure to implement and maintain commonsense border security policies.

The Fourth Mission isnt a tool to clean up the mess from a foreseeable and avoidable crisis, especially while the VA is already experiencing record-high turnover rates and issues of workforce resiliency amongst its health care employees, they add.

The VA is also experiencing a 15-year high turnover rate with its nursing staff and increased vacancies for a wide variety of health care professionals, Boozman notes.

The burden of addressing this Administration's abject failure to contain the crisis at the southern border should not come at the expense of our nations veterans. Prioritizing the care of illegal immigrants before the needs of veterans is inconceivable and wrong. We have an obligation to provide quality and timely care to the men and women who bravely served our country. We strongly disapprove of any decisions which hinder successfully fulfilling that mission, the senators argue.

The letter was signed by fellow Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton as well as Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Marco Rubio of Florida, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, John Cornyn of Texas, Steve Daines of Montana and Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma.

Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also sent a letter to the president in early April expressing similar concerns and the direct impact the administrations policies will have on Texas veterans in light of VA facilities recommended to be closed by a recent VA report.
Farmers are being encouraged to take advantage of a generous government 'super-deduction' before it disappears.

The potential 130% tax deduction can cover a broad range of farms and agricultural business investments, but farmers will have to move quickly.

The tax giveaway for major capital investments is due to expire at the end of March 2023.

Its main focus is on business 'plant and machinery', an extensive catch-all that can cover everything from tractors and lorries to foundry equipment and refrigeration units.

Firms that apply in time could see taxes cut by up to 25p for every 1 that they invest, meaning a 1m investment could see a corporation tax saving of 247,000, compared with just 190,000 under the previous system.

Victoria Ivinson, director at accountancy firm Douglas Home & Co said: Remarkably this potential tax break has flown under the radar.

"Many people and businesses have simply missed it, but it could be of particular interest to the farming community.

The super-deduction is the main element of a range of capital allowance sweeteners launched by the government in April 2021 to boost business investment.

She added: A recent court ruling confirmed that cold rooms and cold stores should be regarded as plant with regards to qualifying for HMRC allowances.

"In this particular case, a tribunal ruled that expenditure incurred on constructing a potato store qualified for plant and machinery capital allowances, as the store fell within the definition of a cold store.

I would guess that there are farms up and down the country, that may be swithering on committing to this kind of investment, but who are unaware of the potential tax savings if they act sooner rather than later."

However, Ms Ivinson highlighted that the super deduction is only available to companies that pay corporation tax  sole traders and partnerships dont qualify - and that traditionally many farms are not structured in a company format.

"It is essential that any company that wishes to take advantage of these tax savings is getting advice from experts who fully understand the system and can make the process worthwhile."

While the building of structures is generally not included, what is less widely known is that the super deduction extends to cover a host of fixtures and fittings - including electrical fittings, computer equipment, office chairs and desks, toilets, kitchen areas and a host of other workplace assets.

And assets must be bought brand-new - items cannot be used, second-hand or leased.

Ms Ivinson said: It could be catastrophic for a farmer investing large sums of money in a second hand combine harvester  only to find out after purchase that it doesnt qualify for the super-deduction.
Irish pig producers will receive a further aid package worth around 13m (10.9m) as farmers there continue to see losses due to surging costs.

The new package will provide farmers up to 70,000 (58.9k), but access to it is conditional on them cutting production by 10%, according to Irish media reports.

The Teagasc Forecast Cashflows estimate that the average pig farm is losing nearly 60,000 (50.5k) each month.

This is largely due to the unprecedented and rapid escalation of feed costs since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

While the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) welcomed the aid, it said a mandatory reduction on farmers would be 'totally opposed'.

The body also raised concerns that the aid amount would not be enough to sustain the sector.

The IFA appeared before the Joint Oireachtas Committee recently to discuss the income crisis.

It said that 7% of pig farmers had already been forced to exit, with a further 2030% at serious risk of going out of business.

Producers had already incurred exceptional losses, the IFA added, and it was expected that in total, these losses would exceed 160m from late 2021 to early 2023.

IFA President Tim Cullinan said the Irish pig sector was one of the most important sectors in the Irish agricultural economy, supporting around 8,000 jobs.

Mr Cullinan said: While any funding is welcome, I am concerned that it will not be enough to stop departures from the sector."

We need to see a substantial increase in the price of pigmeat urgently. If retailers are serious about having Irish pigmeat on the shelves, the increase needs to be passed back along the supply chain to keep farmers viable."

He warned: "We are in real danger of losing a whole sector."

The aid package comes as pig producers in England continue to press the UK government for more support.

Other nations, competing in the same markets, have supported their own pig sectors.

The Scottish government has introduced two packages, including a 'Pig Producers Hardship Support Scheme', totalling 1.4 million.

And in Northern Ireland, a similar compensation package has allowed pig farmers to access 3.6 million in emergency funding.

Defra Secretary George Eustice was urged last week to provide "urgent, direct support" for producers suffering from the worsening financial situation.

The National Pig Association (NPA) and the NFU said the Ukraine war had moved the sector "from a very challenging financial situation to a critical one from which we fear many will not recover."




Korea's military on Monday took custody of a Marine draftee who flew to Poland without approval about a month ago apparently to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia.







The military police captured him upon his arrival back home earlier in the day, according to the Marine Corps.







The man, whose name was withheld from the media, left for Poland on March 21. He later attempted to enter Ukraine via the Polish border but was denied access to the war-torn country.







Korean military officials and diplomats had since tried to persuade him to return home. They could not force him to fly back home in a region outside Korea's jurisdiction.







"We will take steps in a stern manner in accordance with law and regulations, after investigating why he had left his area of duty," the Marine Corps said in a statement.







By law, active service members must get prior approval before traveling overseas during vacation. Otherwise, they can be punished for desertion.







Korea has banned its citizens from traveling to Ukraine since mid-February amid safety concerns. (Yonhap)






Two Scottish farming co-ops are backing a project that wants to tackle the spread of plant parasitic nematodes in daffodils and potatoes.

The three-year research project will look at sustainable ways to effectively suppress pests and pathogens using cover crops.

Plant-parasitc nemotodes are microscopic and difficult to control because they live underground or inside of plants.

They can seriously damage or even kill crops, but there is no widely available varietal resistance.

The UK produces the largest volume of narcissus in the world grown over more than 4,500ha, with the vast percentage grown in Devon, Cornwall, Lincolnshire, and Scotland.

In Scotland, daffodil production is mostly concentrated on the east coast where 390 hectares are grown.

The project is backed by Grampian Growers and Scottish Agronomy alongside the James Hutton Institute, Harper Adams University and HL Hutchinson Ltd.

Annually, Grampian Growers exports 4,000 tonnes of daffodil bulbs and crops 60 million stems of flowers, with flower production split 60/40 export to UK retail.

Eric Anderson, senior agronomist at Scottish Agronomy, said growers were seeing a rapid rise in land infected by plant parasitic nematodes, posing a real threat.

He said: "Through this project we are looking for the most robust alternative solutions through IPM to secure the future of the bulb and potato growing industry.

Narcissi are susceptible to a variety of pests and pathogens. Stem and bulb nematodes cause foliar lesions and bulb decay, while root lesion nematodes can stay in the soil causing issues in future rotations.

This causes issues not only for narcissi, but it also reduces yield and quality in following crops of cereals, oilseed rape and potatoes.

While not a pest directly affecting narcissi, potato cyst nematodes (PCN) are a major concern to the bulb industry as the cysts can adhere to soil and attach to bulbs, potentially act as a source of transmission.

The presence of PCN cysts, alive or dead, poses a phytosanitary risk and can prevent the valuable exports of bulbs.

It is also a challenge for the potato industry. In the last decade, SASA (Science & Advice for Scottish Agriculture) has recorded a 187% increase in land infested, from 2,411ha in 2010 to 6,929 ha in 2021, while 15,737ha was found to be infested in the same year.

Surveys of land used for ware potato production show 41% of ware fields are infested with PCN.

The new project aims to investigate alternative cover crop options for managing soil borne nematode populations and reducing the viability of PCN.

Most nematode management strategies are pre-cropping treatments, and the planting of cover crops, which are grown between harvest and sowing the next main cash crop, can reduce nematode populations.

The field trials will evaluate brassica biofumigants and nematode trap crops which are poor plant hosts that can significantly limit nematode multiplication and substantially reduce existing soil populations.

Performance is dependent on a variety of agronomic factors which we will be exploring, explains PhD student, Vongai Chekanai, who is leading the research in Scotland, as well as carrying out experiments in England and the Isles of Scilly.

We know, for example, that French marigolds increased bulb yield in root lesion nematode-infested sites on the Isles of Scilly, but it doesnt work for all species of nematode infecting narcissus.

Field experiments are currently underway at Grampian Growers sites near Montrose.
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China marks 7th Space Day amid busy mission schedule

By Deng Xiaoci and Fan Anqi (Global Times) 13:26, April 25, 2022

Poster of the 2022 Space Day of China Photo: Courtesy of CNSA

Having bagged numerous milestones in the space sector in 2021 and in the middle of a busy schedule for China's space station construction missions, China kick-started its annual Space Day of China celebrations themed "Space inspires dreams" on Sunday in South China's tropical island province of Hainan, home to Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, known as the home port of space station launch missions.

China designated April 24 as Space Day of China in 2016 to mark the anniversary of the country's first satellite launch, Dongfanghong-1 in 1970.

During an inspection tour in Wenchang prior to the Shenzhou-13 crew's return from a six-month mission in the Tiangong Space Station, Chinese President Xi Jinping demanded efforts to elevate the spacecraft launch site into world-leading standards on April 12.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspected the launch tower and other facilities. He spoke highly of a series of key space missions launched from the site, including the launch of the space station's core module, the Tianhe, the Chang'e-5 lunar mission and the Tianwen-1 Mars probe.

Xi noted that Wenchang is the launch site for China's new-generation of high-thrust carrier rockets and the bridgehead of the country's deep-space exploration.

Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of China's Tianwen-1 Mars probe, Wang Yaping, the star-picking mom and a member of the just-returned Shenzhou-13 mission crew, and Shan Jixiang, former curator of the Palace Museum, were named as ambassadors for China's space industry.

The United Nations Under-Secretary-General Atul Khare, Director General of the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites Phil Evans, Russia's space agency Roscosmos Director Dmitry Rogozin, and officials with Pakistan's space agency Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission sent congratulations to China for Space Day on Sunday.

One launch per week

China successfully conducted 55 orbital launches in 2021, and China will further advance its pursuit of space dreams, planning more than 60 launches in 2022, Wu Yanhua, deputy head of the China National Space Administration (CNSA,) told the Global Times on the sidelines of the event.

The 2022 launch schedule includes six for the in-orbit building of the country's first space station including launches for the Tianzhou-4, Tianzhou-5 cargo spacecraft and Wentian and Mengtian laboratory modules. China plans to launch space infrastructure satellites including the Gaofen-01A remote sensing satellite as well as ones tasked for environment monitoring services, per the CNSA deputy head.

Wu revealed that China will officially launch research and studies for its Phase-4 lunar explorations, including the launches of the Chang'e-6, -7, and -8 probes to the moon, during which work on tackling key technology issues and those related to the construction of the China-Russia proposed International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) would be carried out.

Chang'e-6 is planned as a lunar sampling and return mission from the dark side of moon and China will invest in efforts in the proposition of building a satellite constellation around the moon with the functions of both communication and navigation in space.

Chang'e-7 will probe the lunar polar region, especially looking into water distribution on the moon. These two missions will be launched around 2025, during which the development for the Chang'e-8 mission will start simultaneously, Liu Jizhong, director of the China Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center, said during a press conference in January with the release of the long-anticipated fifth edition of a new white paper, titled China's Space Program: A 2021 Perspective.

China's Chang'e-7 mission includes an agreement with Russia's Luna-26 mission, and the two sides will explore the moon together, Liu said.

Chang'e-8's launch, according to Liu, could be expected before 2030, and would involve verifying key technology for the lunar station.

Pang Zhihao, a Beijing-based senior space expert, predicted that to meet such requirements, multiple relay satellites with communication and navigation functions would be launched into lunar orbit. They are to support the future Long March-8 carrier rocket for the building of the ILRS.

China, in the next five years, plans to complete key technology work for major missions such as an asteroid probe and a Mars sampling and return missions. The development of a heavy-lift carrier rocket and a new-generation manned launch vehicle will also be carried out in this period.

China is also planning to explore the edges of the solar system and other more distant space in the long term, including sample retrieval from Mercury, and probing Jupiter's satellite moons, Wu added.

Wu stressed that China's space exploration would always adhere to the principle of joint consultation, joint construction and sharing, with an emphasis on openness and win-win purpose, and always be devoted to the building of a shared future of mankind in space.

Graphic: Deng Zijun/GT

Eyeing asteroid defense

To practice these principles, Wu told the Global Times that China is eyeing building a system for near-Earth asteroid defense, organizing the drafting of development plans and developing near-Earth small celestial body defense simulation software.

"It is to contribute China's wisdom to the human beings' joint response to the threat of small near-Earth objects, taking on the responsibility of a great country and safeguarding the safety of Earth and peaceful development of humanity together with other countries," Wu underscored.

A ground-based and space-based monitoring and warning system for asteroids will be set up to catalog and analyze asteroids that pose a threat to humanity's space activities, and then relevant technology and engineering will be developed to dispel the threats.

China will hopefully carry out a technical experiment as early as 2025 on a threatening asteroid by closely tracking and attacking it to change its orbit, Wu disclosed on Sunday.

Mission insiders revealed to the Global Times on Sunday that the system is currently at the project establishment phase and being reviewed for approval, which involves the close coordination of multiple departments.

Song Zhongping, a military expert and space observer, told the Global Times on Sunday that currently the US and Russia are also building asteroid monitoring systems, and China's defense system could be an important supplement in addressing the threats of asteroids hitting Earth.

"This is another practical solution that China proposes to build a community with a shared future for mankind, and it is the duty for a major space power to protect mankind from possible disasters that could end the entire human civilization," Song said.

The latest asteroid impact incident happened in 2013 in Russia's Chelyabinsk, when an approximately 18 meter-diameter near-Earth asteroid entered the atmosphere and exploded 30 kilometers above the ground. Its power equaled to about 30 atomic bombs, which caused over 1,500 injuries and damaging over 3,000 houses.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)




A Youtuber who was arrested for attacking former ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Song Young-gil with a hammer was found dead in an apparent suicide in a Seoul prison Sunday, according to correctional authorities.







The 70-year-old, only identified by his last name Pyo, was found dead at around 3 a.m. by a fellow inmate at the Seoul Nambu Detention Center, prison officials said. He was sent to a hospital but was pronounced dead.







Prosecutors are considering an autopsy to figure out the exact cause of death, as Pyo reportedly left behind a note, officials noted.







Pyo struck Song's head several times with a hammer while he was campaigning in Seoul's Sinchon area, March 7, three days before the presidential election, causing him injuries that required stitches.







The man was known to have opposed Korea-U.S. military exercises on his Youtube channel and targeted Song after he said last year the joint drills should be conducted as planned. (Yonhap)






In conversation with Charithra Chandra who played the role of Edwina Sharma in the highly celebrated period production by master storyteller Shonda Rhimes. She highlights the rising trend of South Asian breakthrough performers in the West, the organic camaraderie shared between her fellow co-star of Tamil origin  Simone Ashley (Kate Sharma in the show) and the man of the hour  Jonathan Bailey (Anthony Bridgerton in the show). So much done, so much to look forward to, here is how a fairytale replete with a culturally diverse ensemble cast, has become a phenomenon of sorts for leading the way to embrace a colour-conscious practice both visually and aesthetically.

From being on the brink of being a management consultant to having your world change completely by being cast in Bridgerton - the feeling must be phenomenal right?

When I sort of look back on the journey or the life that I couldve led, its almost overwhelming right cause its such a change. I always think its almost like a fairytale you think to yourself like okay what if I tried this and what if it just about happened, and Im definitely lucky to say that it has for me. On a day-to-day basis, I was just so focused on the job at hand and what I had to do, and I was working hard and hustling so yeah. Its only when I kind of reflect retrospectively but on a day-to-day basis, I don't really think about it that much.

Your parents were doctors who moved from India, to be taking that plunge of becoming an actor of colour in a foreign country - what was their reaction like?

The thing is obviously it is super scary for them just because all my family have all doctors or businessmen. So yeah, of course, that was super frightening but I think that all my life Ive worked really hard and Ive always just kind of gone for what I wanted and they sort of respect me and respect my judgement enough to support me. Ive also had the immense privilege of a great education, so I think in the back of their heads theyre like well this isnt going to be all or the end for her, she has other options', and I think that provides them great comfort.

Tell us a little about your Bridgerton journey, how did it come to be?

In the most traditional way like my agent says they want you to audition for the show, have a read, and let me know what you think, and the thing is when we auditioned it was done all in secrecy so we did not get to know it was Bridgerton, we didnt know what part it was but it was more about the feel of the script and the characters. But yeah it was just like any other audition really.

What was your initial feeling when you auditioned for your part and got the role?

For me, my process was so long. That's why I just presumed I didnt get the part. That is why it felt like a massive relief. I just sort of wanted them to start filming as soon as possible so they cant change their mind.

Season 2 had two South Asian talents in the lead - how did you deal with the expectations?

It feels so revolutionary to have two dark-skinned south Asian leads in a period drama so you really want to do a good job. So I definitely felt the pressure and Im just so relieved that people loved it.

Tell us about some endearing moments shared with your South Asian co-star Simone Ashley

Basically you never expect to work with another brown woman right in this industry, there are so few of us. And so in my second job working with a fellow Tamilian the chances of that feel so minuscule. So Im really grateful because theres always a feeling like, Were in this together, we are carrying this thing on our shoulders.' It was nice to have someone to sort of share that with.

What are your feelings regarding the colour-conscious practice that Bridgerton has brought in with the diversity of cultural backgrounds in its ensemble cast?

I think it makes for an exciting show. In Hollywood, in film and TV, theres always been this old-fashioned notion that shows with lots of people of colour wont be popular. Bridgerton is the perfect example of how that is just absolutely not true. I think it just makes the story more interesting and exciting and I believe that everybody deserves to see themselves represented on screen. I have to admit until I saw some of the messages I had received after brown women saw the show, I didnt even realize how important representation was. Isn't that what we are all craving? To feel like we belong and have a place in this world and I think thats what Bridgerton does.

Would you term Bridgerton to be a show that stands as a classic example of how to embrace this growing advent of South Asian actors?

I think Bridgerton is a major milestone but truthfully I think there have been so many people that have been working for years that are finally getting their well-deserved recognition. Obviously, theres Mindy Kaling, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Riz Ahmed theres Maitreyi from Never have I ever. There are a lot of people popping up and Im just glad that Simone and I can join that group. So I would never say that were the first, we are standing on the shoulders of people that really had to work hard to make a name for themselves.

Recently during the Oscars - Priyanka Chopra Jonas represented South Asian Talent and it was indeed a matter of pride - what would you say about this evolution?

I think it's so exciting. So Priyanka and my friend Shruti Ganguly, who is a director and a writer, and obviously Riz Ahmed, all hosted a Pre-Oscars event just highlighting South Asian talent. An event like that I could not imagine happening five years ago. And the fact that Riz, who is a desi British man, won an oscar; it was such a proud moment and it was so exciting. And I think that what we have to remember is that the change is so recent.

How was it working with Jonathan Bailey on such a mega-production?

I mean he is our number one champion. He always supported us and he was so proud of us. And the thing is, for us what we represent is obvious- the colour of our skin. But what Jonathan had was a big responsibility on his shoulders too; he represented an openly gay actor playing a straight lead in a period drama. That is also really revolutionary. So I think between the three of us, we all felt this privilege to be representing our respective communities. But yeah Johnny was always our number one champion.

How much of Edwina do you relate to in real life?

Id say like our personality, Id like to think we are both kind. Were both generous towards people and were both people's person, we love people. Other than that I dont think Edwina and I are very similar at all. I think that we both really love our families, were probably both quite girly but yeah not similar at all but it was a wonderful challenge and opportunity to play her.

The character arc and evolution of Edwina are very interesting in the show, how did you prepare for it?

It feels really organic to her growth you know, it was never a struggle cause I think that's where she was heading. She is this character whos been so controlled and manipulated throughout the show that it was like a volcano that was ready to erupt. So I think it flowed really naturally.

Has the show opened up a lot more avenues for you with its wild popularity?

In life, I dont think that any project or any situation, any relationship, or ever will make or break you. I think that it is really dangerous for an actor to feel entitled to anything. Im so grateful to get the opportunity of Bridgerton in and of itself and I am ready to work hard to secure the next thing. But I don't expect anything else from it.

Future projects that you are currently busy with, any future plans in branching out to Bollywood?

I think thats a question for Bollywood. The reality is Simone and I got cast in Hollywood. We are dark-skinned actors. Im not sure Bollywood will be entirely welcoming of us. Who knows? Id love to do something like a fun dance number or something.

Recently a video went viral on social media of you making the much-hyped Lady Whistledown (played by Nicola Coughlan) react to scenes from Shah Rukh Khan's films. Are you a fan of SRK?

Im a huge fan of Bollywood in general, I really enjoy the movies. And it was just really fun, you know I think Nicola had never seen any Bollywood films before so it was enjoyable to show her that part of our culture.






In another post captioned A #Bawaal birthday for @varundvn as Producer #SajidNadiadwala along with his Directors @niteshtiwari22 and #RaviUdyawar join in the celebrations in Lucknow! Varun Dhawan can be seen sharing a cake with the filmmakers of Bawaal. Dhawan also shared a picture delving into details from his birthday treat. The drool-worthy special menu, tailored for the occasion included dishes like Murgh Zafrani Tikka, Niloferi Kebab, Galawat Ke Kebab and Paneer Achari Tikka, among others.In another post captioned A #Bawaal birthday for @varundvn as Producer #SajidNadiadwala along with his Directors @niteshtiwari22 and #RaviUdyawar join in the celebrations in Lucknow! Varun Dhawan can be seen sharing a cake with the filmmakers of Bawaal.

Filming for Bawaal began earlier in April this year. The project which is his first collaboration with Janhvi Kapoor is just one of Dhawan's upcoming films. The actor is also attached to star in Jug Jugg Jeeyo, a dramedy backed by Karan Johar which also features Kiara Advani. He will also be seen in Bhediya alongside actress Kriti Sanon. Meanwhile, Janhvi Kapoor has a packed sale of films as she is set to appear in Mr and Mrs Mahi, Dostana 2 and Takht, among other projects.









Bollywood star Varun Dhawan had a working birthday this year. The actor who just turned 35 celebrated the special occasion on the sets of his upcoming film Bawaal in Lucknow. Joining him was his co-star Janhvi Kapoor, filmmakers Nitesh Tiwari and Ravi Udyawar and producer Sajid Nadiadwala who made a surprise visit to the film's set. The film's cast and crew pampered the birthday boy with a cake-cutting ceremony and a "specially crafted menu.Varun Dhawan took to Instagram to share a picture and video to give fans glimpses of his birthday celebrations. In another Instagram story, Jahnvi Kapoor shared a video of what looks like his dinner party. Dressed in a simple blue shirt, the actor can be seen smiling and posing with a cake.
"This is a despicable case which highlights the devastating impact pension scammers have on their victims."

Following a prosecution brought by The Pensions Regulator (TPR), Alan Barratt and Susan Dalton were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Friday after admitting charges of fraud by abuse of position arising from their roles as trustees of pension schemes.

Barratt received a sentence of five years and seven months while Dalton was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison. The pair were also banned from acting as company directors for eight years following a request by TPR.

The court heard how Barratt  who was extradited to the UK from Spain in 2021 in connection with the fraud  and Dalton were key participants in a high-value pension liberation fraud between 2012 and 2014.

The pair were part of a criminal enterprise which persuaded 245 members of legitimate occupational pension schemes to transfer their pension savings, worth about 55,000 on average and with a total value of 13.7 million, into scam pension schemes under the control of the defendants.

Once the savings had been transferred, the pair then passed the lions share of the money to mastermind David Austin who used it for his own personal benefit, to fund his businesses, pay others involved in the pension liberation operation and enrich himself.

Once independent trustees had been appointed by TPR to review scheme investments and assets, it became apparent that it was very unlikely that any pension funds would be restored for scheme members.

A civil trial brought by TPR against Barratt, Dalton and others, took place at the High Court in 2018 after which Barratt was ordered to repay c.7.7 million and Dalton c.5.9 million. Following the end of the trial TPR began a criminal investigation. Austin was part of TPRs investigation into the allegations but died in 2019, before it completed.

Delivering his judgement, His Honour Judge Perrins, said: What is the most striking is the impact on others which has been utterly devastating. I have read 13 victims personal statements, they each tell a similar story, which Im sure is representative of all. People who had worked hard, saved for their future and have been robbed of their financial security. I heard about depression, anxiety, divorce and suicide attempts. Each account is a story of a life ruined and you should be ashamed of bringing such misery to so many innocent people."

Nicola Parish, executive director of frontline regulation at TPR, said: This is a despicable case which highlights the devastating impact pension scammers have on their victims. Barratt and Dalton were part of a criminal enterprise that tricked hundreds of savers into transferring their hard-earned pension pots into scam schemes under their control. In their role as trustees, the pair enabled millions of pounds to be taken from the schemes and channelled offshore, where it was used to enrich others involved in the criminal enterprise and to profit themselves.

This prosecution and substantial custodial sentence sends a clear message that TPR and the courts will take tough action against fraudsters. Our successful extradition of Barratt from Spain also shows theres no haven for scammers."




NEW YORK, Apr 23, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - Uno Re (http://unore.io/), a decentralized insurance platform, launched its Cover Portal on April 23, 2022. Accessible through Uno Re's dApp, the Cover Portal addresses an underemphasized need in DeFi space: easy access to insurance. For the first time, DeFi users can insure their crypto-assets in a few simple steps thanks to Cover Portal's clear and simple UI.The danger of hacker attacks keeps growing within the DeFi space (case study: https://bit.ly/3jYokl7) causing drastic losses for users and protocols alike. The total sum lost to hacks in the first quarter Q1 2022 is up 695% from Q1 2021 losses. With both the quantity and severity of attacks on the rise, skepticism surrounding the DeFi space is also growing.One of the leading players in DeFi insurance, Uno Re launched its Cover Portal which aims to grant users easy access to insurance coverage through its user-friendly UI.What is Uno Re's Cover Portal?Cover Portal is Uno Re's latest dApp - scanning users' wallet, detecting insurable assets within as well as staked in staking and farming pools across chains, measuring possible risks using an AI-based algorithm, and allowing users to secure their on-chain assets instantly.Cover Portal is optimizing the insurance purchasing experience for users by simplifying all steps as much as possible. Upon connecting their wallets and detecting their insurable assets, users can simply choose the token(s) and how much to insure. Cover Portal allows users to pay their premiums in USDC."The launch of our Cover Portal marks the beginning of a new era in the DeFi insurance industry. We are steadily building and improving our platform to make hassle-free insurance service possible for DeFi users. Cover Portal is the final step towards fulfilling our true potential and makes our platform a complete ecosystem of multiple services and mechanisms, working like clockwork. We are delighted to have achieved this and look forward to improving the overall security of DeFi space." stated Jaskanwar Singh, CEO and Co-founder of Uno Re.About Uno ReUno Re is the protocol behind Cover Portal. An insurance provider for DeFi users and partner of numerous DeFi platforms, Uno Re successfully provided compensation to Umbrella Network hack victims in March 2022. As the insurer, Uno Re has processed the claim in a few days and ensured that 91% of affected wallet addresses are covered and appropriately compensated.Uno Re is the world's leading decentralised insurance and reinsurance platform, allowing the community to invest and trade in 'risk' and receive sizable returns on their investments in one of the safest asset classes in the world. The platform will break barriers to entry for the retail investor, doing away with the historic pre-requisite of absurdly high capital generally needed to invest in the market while also introducing much-needed transparency into the industry as a whole. Uno Re will also allow the community to propose innovative insurance products to the space, thus propelling a new generation of Insurtech companies powered by the Uno Re ecosystem.Media ContactMedia team, Uno ReE: misbah@unore.ioU: https://unore.io/SOURCE: Uno ReSource: Uno ReCopyright 2022 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
JAKARTA, Indonesia, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- G20 members have urged the World Bank to immediately prepare for the establishment of the Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF), Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati stated.

FIF should be formed immediately in the framework of pandemic preparedness and response (PPR) in the future, the minister emphasized.

"The (G20) presidency concluded that the World Bank should start exploring the process for developing and establishing FIF," Indrawati remarked at the second meeting of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Banks Governors (FMCBG) press conference here on Thursday.

According to the minister, G20 members view FIF as being the most effective choice for new financial mechanisms, especially in preparing for other potential pandemics in future.

Indrawati believes this is because the establishment of FIF is viewed as being able to overcome the financing gap in the health sector as what had occurred during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

"Most (G20) members agree on the need for a new financial mechanism dedicated to addressing the financing gap in PPR," she stated.

Hence, she explained that G20 members hope that the establishment of FIF would mitigate the health financing needs in line with the World Health Organization's (WHO's) expectations.

Moreover, G20 members called on the World Bank to explore discussions on the governance and operational regulations of FIF by involving the WHO.

"There is widespread support for WHO and the World Bank regarding the assessment of significant financing gaps that need to be addressed," Indrawati remarked.

Earlier, on April 1, the Indonesian finance and health ministries resumed the third G20 Joint Finance and Health Task Force (JFHTF).

At the meeting, JFHTF co-chair Wempi Saputra invited G20 member countries to draw up a financing action plan for pandemic preparedness and response (PPR).

"The third JFHTF meeting is an important step for all member countries in drafting the financing strategies for prevention, preparedness, and response to the pandemic or PPR," Saputra stated.

Meanwhile, one of the main agendas of Indonesia's G20 Presidency is global health architecture.
TAIPEI, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With a value of US$200 million, the "Central and Eastern Europe Investment Fund," aka the CEE Fund, established by the National Development Fund of the Executive Yuan of Taiwan, has been officially entrusted to Taiwania Capital, a national venture capital firm, for management. The fund targets major strategic sectors, such as semiconductor, biotechnology, aerospace, fintech, electric vehicle, and laser optics, in both Taiwan and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), with a special focus on Lithuania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. The CEE Fund is designed for equity investment, not a loan or a grant. Priority will be given to Taiwanese companies interested in investing in CEE and companies in CEE that would like to set up joint ventures, technological collaboration, or supply chain partnerships with Taiwanese companies. Besides cooperation in building solid supply chains, the vision is also to buttress Taiwan's economic and investment ties with democratic allies in Europe.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan and CEE strengthened their diplomatic relations through mutual donations of epidemic prevention supplies. In October 2021, a cross-ministerial delegation of 66 people including representatives from industry, academia, and research visited Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania. Led by Kung Ming-Hsin, the Minister of the National Development Council, the delegation signed 18 memorandums of cooperation, covering a wide spectrum of issues ranging from science parks, aerospace, electric vehicles, smart city, semiconductor, biotechnology, and finance. The US$200 million "Central and Eastern Europe Investment Fund" will further consolidate the efforts.

David Weng, the CEO of Taiwania Capital, highlighted abundant opportunities for bilateral cooperation. He stated that it was evident from the tour that startups and enterprises in CEE have taken a great interest in Asia and Taiwan. At the same time, Taiwanese companies would like to develop a presence in the EU market by investing in CEE. Equipped with four years of experience in domestic and foreign investment, Taiwania Capital hopes to mediate the needs and strengths of industries from both sides to foster partnerships among enterprises in CEE and Taiwan. The current plan includes inviting CEE startups to visit Taiwan for apprenticeships or set up shop at the incubators, organizing bilateral business investment and trade delegations, and hosting events promoting investment in CEE to other exchanges. Taiwania Capital has recently recruited Mitch Yang, highly experienced in entrepreneurship, international business development, and corporate mergers and acquisitions, as the Managing Partner of the "Central and Eastern Europe Investment Fund."

For investment process and further information, contact us at:

+886-2-2720 1968 CE-Europe@taiwaniacapital.com www.taiwaniacapital.com

About Taiwania Capital

Taiwania Capital is a venture capital firm that was founded in August 2017 by the National Development Fund of the Executive Yuan of Taiwan and private enterprises. It is a national venture capital firm that has raised four funds in the fields of technology and biotechnology. As of the end of 2021, the total size of funds reached US$465 million. The firm has invested in 41 enterprises and startups at home and abroad, five of which have been listed in Taiwan and America. Taiwania Capital has assisted seven foreign enterprises in starting partnerships or building plants in Taiwan. Taiwania Capital has offices in Taiwan and the United States and plans to set up offices in Central and Eastern Europe in the future.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1802552/CEEFund_Taiwaniacapital.jpg
The fleet utilisation rate in the first quarter of 2022 was 68.1 per cent (Q1 2021: 25.7 per cent).This is the highest first quarter utilisation since 2015.

Safe Zephyrus started operations for bp at ETAP in the UK North Sea on 22 January 2022. The vessel is on a 10-month contract with up to four months of options.

Safe Caledonia, after a period of in-field standby, resumed full operations for TotalEnergies at the Elgin platform in the UK on 7 March 2022. The vessel will be on contract until December 2022. In addition, there is a 30-day option.

Safe Boreas was in the yard to prepare for a contract on the Norwegian Continental Shelf starting in Q2 2022. This contract has a firm duration of three months and two additional one-month options.

Safe Eurus has been providing safety and maintenance support to Petrobras in Brazil since November 2019 and was in full operation in the quarter. The contract has a firm duration until February 2023. Safe Eurus is attractively placed in the bidding round for a new four-year contract with Petrobras and the post-bidding process is underway with conclusion expected in Q2 2022.

Safe Notos has been operating for Petrobras in Brazil since December 2016 and was in full operation in the quarter. The contract has a firm duration until mid-July 2022. Safe Notos was declared the winner of a four-year contract bidding process by Petrobras. The appeal process is over and bidders are awaiting Petrobras to award the contract. The contract has a firm period commitment of four years, with commencement in Q3/Q4 2022 following on from the expiry of her current contract.

Safe Concordia has been operating in Trinidad and Tobago since July 2021 and was fully utilised during this quarter. The vessel was awarded a 160-day contract by BP Trinidad and Tobago with start-up in direct continuation of her current contract at Cassia C, 24 March 2022. The contract has a firm duration until 31 August 2022 and four one-week options.

Safe Scandinavia was idle in the quarter and is laid up in Norway.

Prosafe is a leading owner and operator of semi-submersible accommodation vessels. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange with ticker code PRS. For more information, please refer to https://www.prosafe.com (https://www.prosafe.com)

Stavanger, 25 April 2022

Prosafe SE

For further information, please contact:

Jesper K. Andresen, CEO

Phone: +47 51 65 24 30 / +47 907 65 155

Stig Harry Christiansen, Deputy CEO and CFO

Phone: +47 51 64 25 17 / +47 478 07 813

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act
Growing European capabilities to support Open RAN end-to-end delivery

Mavenir, the Network Software Provider building the future of networks with cloud-native software that runs on any cloud and transforms the way the world connects, has expanded its European capabilities with the establishment of an Open RAN Centre of Excellence in Germany.

Centred in Bonn, with satellite teams in Dusseldorf and Munich, the Centre of Excellence will support European Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) with Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) engineering, planning, design, system integration and deployment.

Germany is a strong advocate for the development and adoption of Open RAN technologies. Open RAN is playing a key role in the country's Mobile Network Transformation strategy: all German MNOs have committed to adopting Open RAN. The technology is also backed by Germany's Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, which announced 300 million ($344 million) in funding to develop and test Open RAN technology in the country.

Vishant Vora, President, Global Operations and Managed Services at Mavenir, said, "Mavenir's Centre of Excellence in Germany is developing advanced Open RAN end-to-end skills, and supporting our German customers with localised support to accelerate Open RAN deployments."

Puneet Sethi, Senior Vice President and General Manager of RAN Business at Mavenir, said, "This latest Centre of Excellence further extends access to Mavenir's Open RAN expertise across Europe and complements existing R&D design centres of excellence in Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom."

This announcement builds on Mavenir's leadership in Open RAN. Earlier in the year, Mavenir launched the comprehensive OpenBeam portfolio of O-RAN compliant radio products, which provide MNOs with Open RAN solutions spanning micro, macro, millimeter wave (mmWave), and massive MIMO (mMIMO) use cases.

Mavenir is a multinational organisation delivering a regional focus through its globally placed offices and centres of excellence, driving the knowledge and innovation across the regions. The Centre of Excellence in Germany builds on Mavenir's growing global presence with its network of dedicated Centres of Excellence and Innovation. It joins the Open vRAN, 5G, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML), open virtualized Multi Radio Access Technology (vMRAT), and software/system design for Open RAN Radio Units Centres located across EMEA, as well as the NFV/SDN Cloud Innovation Centres in North America, India, and Asia Pacific.

About Mavenir:

Mavenir is building the future of networks and pioneering advanced technology, focusing on the vision of a single, software-based automated network that runs on any cloud. As the industry's only end-to-end, cloud-native network software provider, Mavenir is focused on transforming the way the world connects, accelerating software network transformation for 250+ Communications Service Providers and Enterprises in over 120 countries, which serve more than 50% of the world's subscribers. www.mavenir.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220424005026/en/

Contacts:

Emmanuela Spiteri

PR@mavenir.com




Pet owners could face jail time starting next year if they starve their pets to death, the agricultural ministry said Monday, as the government seeks to prevent abuse and better protect animals in line with the growing number of owners.







Under the revision of the Animal Protection Act, pet owners will face up to three years in prison or a maximum fine of 30 million won ($24,000) if they are found to be responsible for the deaths of their pets by not feeding them.







The revision is set to be promulgated Tuesday, though it won't take effect until April 27, 2023, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.







Currently, such acts of negligence are not subject to punishment as they are not deemed animal abuse.







In addition, starting April 2024, those who want to raise five "dangerous" breeds of dogs must get state approval, as the country has seen a growing number of incidents caused by pet canines, according to the ministry.







The five breeds of canines are the tosa, rottweiler, American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier and Staffordshire bull terrier.







Last year, the government required the owners of the five types of canines to take out insurance for potential injuries to others and damage caused by their pets.







KF Financial Group said 6.04 million households  29.7 percent of Korea's total households  were raising pets, mostly dogs, as of the end of 2020, citing data from the agricultural ministry and surveys. (Yonhap)






Cambridge Innovation Capital Raises 225million ($300 million) Fund II

CIC'sfirst fund made more than 30 investments in potentially world-leadingdeeptech and life sciences companies

Cambridge, UK: April 25, 2022 - Cambridge Innovation Capital(CIC), the venture capital investor focused on building world-leading deeptech and life sciences businesses connected with the Cambridge ecosystem, has raised 225 million ($300 million) for its oversubscribed second fund (Fund II).

Andrew Williamson, Managing Partner of CIC, commented: "Cambridge, UK is one of the fastest-growing science and technology innovation ecosystems in the world. Since our inception, CIC and our co-investors have invested more than 2 billion in sectors as diverse as robotics, semiconductors, genomics, gene therapy, therapeutics, liquid biopsy, artificial intelligence, and edge computing. We are delighted to launch our new fund and to work with a dynamic group of entrepreneurs and investors to capture the full potential within the thriving Cambridge ecosystem."

With Fund II, CIC now manages in excess of 500 million, giving it the scale to support its portfolio companies throughout their life cycle, providing investment capital as well as strategic and operational support.

Investors in Fund II include a geographically diverse group of around 50 institutional and strategic investors, with almost half of the capital raised having come from UK-based investors.

CIC has invested in c. 40 deeptech and life sciences companies to date, with Fund II already having made six investments. These include Riverlane, a quantum computing software provider; Pretzel Therapeutics, a leading developer of mitochondrial therapeutics; Salience Labs, the photonic compute company; and Epitopea, a cancer immunotherapeutics company.

CIC's first fund portfolio companies include CMR Surgical, which closed the largest medtech private financing round in the world in 2021emiconductor, which recently raised $80 million to build its second manufacturing facility in the North of England.

CMR's next generation Versius robotic system is bringing the benefits of keyhole surgery to patients around the world, while Pragmatic has launched a low-cost flexible electronics manufacturing process which is disrupting the existing silicon chip manufacturing market and enabling a whole new class of innovative electronics.

CIC was founded to improve the success rate of businesses originating from the University of Cambridge and the broader Cambridge ecosystem, to encourage more academics and entrepreneurs from the area to build businesses. In addition to its portfolio companies, CIC has co-founded two Cambridge-based business accelerators, DeepTech Labs and Start Codon. The goal here is to support deeptech and life science entrepreneurs develop their commercialisation and technology strategy, bridging the gap between translational research and Series A-ready businesses.

END

About Cambridge Innovation Capital

Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC) is a leading venture investor backing and building category-leading deep tech and life sciences companies. CIC was founded to improve the success rate of businesses originating from the University of Cambridge and the broader Cambridge ecosystem, to encourage more academics and entrepreneurs from the area to build businesses. CIC currently manages in excess of 0.5 billion and has invested in around 40 companies. CIC is a preferred investor for the University of Cambridge, Europe's top source of founders for venture-backed start-ups.

Cambridge Innovation Capital Manager Limited (FRN:918898) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. For more information, please visit www.cic.vc or follow us on Twitter at @CIC_vc and LinkedIn.

Contacts:

Cambridge Innovation Capital

Andrew Williamson, Managing Partner

enquiries@cic.vc

Media Enquiries:

Consilium Strategic Communications

Mary-Jane Elliott / Sukaina Virji

CIC@consilium-comms.com










-Drilling commenced at Pepas

-Two additional rigs being imported for deep drilling

LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / April 25, 2022 / Orosur Mining Inc. ("Orosur" or the "Company") (TSXV:OMI)(LSE:OMI), is pleased to announce an update on the progress of the drilling campaign underway at the Company's Anza project in Colombia.

The Anza project is currently the subject of an Exploration Agreement with Venture Option (Exploration Agreement) with Colombian company Minera Monte Aguila (MMA). MMA is itself a 50/50 JV between Newmont Corporation ("Newmont") (NYSE:NEM, TSX:NEM) and Agnico Eagle Mines Limited ("Agnico") (TSX:AEM), and is the Colombian vehicle by which these two companies jointly exercise their rights and obligations with respect to the Exploration Agreement over the Anza Project.

MMA is the operator of the Anza Project after exercising its right to assume operational control in the second half of 2021.

Drilling recommenced at Anza in October 2020, and since that time, 35 holes (MAP-072 to MAP-105) have been drilled at the central APTA project for a total of 15,195 metres.

Following completion of hole MAP-105, that rig has now been mobilised to the NE of the project area and has commenced work at the Pepas prospect (figure 1).

Preparations for drilling at Pepas had been underway for some time, with all necessary permitting processes having commenced some months ago. The area is rugged and has required a substantial degree of preparation for access including a minor degree of helicopter support to move the rig into the vicinity of the Pepas target, after which it can then be moved by hand.

In addition to this move to Pepas, two more rigs are currently in the process of being imported into Colombia to drill at APTA and the northern prospects of Pepas and Pupino. It is hoped they will be on site in several weeks.

These rigs are man portable as is the current rig, but with more power and a different configuration that allows them to drill to depths in excess of 1,200 metres. The current and previous rigs used at APTA were constrained to depths of roughly 800 metres. As announced on March 8th, 2022, recent drilling at APTA had demonstrated substantial depth extents to mineralisation, well beyond what had been previously understood. MMA has thus decided to bring in new rigs capable of exploring these depth extents more efficiently.

http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/1270J_1-2022-4-24.pdf

Figure 1. Prospect locations.

Pepas has been selected as the first new target for drilling not only because of extremely positive geochemical assay results as outlined in the March 8th announcement, but the prospect has also recently seen the completion of ground Induced Polarisation (IP) geophysical surveys.

IP surveys were trialled effectively at APTA in late 2021 but were halted due to difficulties in sourcing local labour during the coffee harvest. IP work recommenced in early 2022, starting in the northern extents and gradually being extended southward toward Pupino.

Details of this new drill program at Pepas will be released as the work progresses.

Samples from five holes (MAP-101 to MAP-105) are in the laboratory for assay. Results from these holes will be communicated to the market when they are available.

Exercise of Options

Two of the Company's employees have exercised a total of 100,000 options over the Company's common shares at an exercise price of 0.05 Cdn$ each. Application will be made for these 100,000 shares, which will rank pari passu with the existing common shares, to be admitted to trading ("Admission"). It is expected that Admission will become effective at 8:00am on or around 28 April 2022.

Following the issue of the 100,000 shares noted above, the total number of common shares of no par value in the Company will be 188,520,300. There are currently no shares held in treasury. The total number of voting rights in the Company is therefore 188,520,300. This figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company.

Orosur CEO Brad George commented:

"It is exciting to be finally seeing drill rigs move into the wider region. Almost all drilling to date has been concentrated at APTA, and while this has at times returned spectacular results, it only represents about 5% of the strike length of the Aragon fault."

For further information, please contact:

Orosur Mining Inc

Louis Castro, Chairman,

Brad George, CEO

info@orosur.ca

Tel: +1 (778) 373-0100

SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP - Nomad & Joint Broker

Jeff Keating / Caroline Rowe

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3 470 0470

Turner Pope Investments (TPI) Ltd - Joint Broker

Andy Thacker

Tel: +44 (0)20 3657 0050

Flagstaff Communications and Investor Communications

Tim Thompson

Mark Edwards

Fergus Mellon

orosur@flagstaffcomms.com

Tel: +44 (0)207 129 1474

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation ("MAR"). Upon the publication of this announcement via Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

About Orosur Mining Inc.

Orosur Mining Inc. (TSX: OMI; AIM: OMI) is a precious metals developer and explorer focused on identifying and advancing projects in South America. The Company operates in Colombia, Argentina and Brazil.

About the Anza Project

Anza is a gold exploration project, comprising three exploration licences, four exploration licence applications, and several small exploitation permits, totalling 207.5km2 in the prolific Mid-Cauca belt of Colombia.

The Anza Project is currently wholly owned by Orosur via its subsidiary, Minera Anza S.A.

The project is located 50km west of Medellin and is easily accessible by all-weather roads and boasts excellent infrastructure including water, power, communications and large exploration camp.

The Anza Project is subject to an Exploration Agreement with Venture Option dated September 7th, 2018, as announced on September 10th, 2018, (the "Agreement") between Orosur's 100% subsidiary Minera Anza S.A ("Minera Anza") and Minera Monte Aguila SAS ("Monte Aguila"), a 50/50 joint venture between Newmont Corporation ("Newmont") (NYSE:NEM, TSX:NGT), and Agnico Eagle Mines Limited ("Agnico") (NYSE:AEM, TSX:AEM).

Qualified Persons Statement

The information in this news release was compiled, reviewed and verified by Mr. Brad George, BSc Hons (Geology and Geophysics), MBA, Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (MAIG), CEO of Orosur Mining Ltd and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

Forward Looking Statements

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this news release constitute "forward looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including but not limited to the "safe harbour" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on expectations estimates and projections as of the date of this news release.

Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the exploration plans in Colombia and the funding from Monte Aguila of those plans, Monte Aguila's decision to continue with the Exploration and Option agreement, the ability for Loryser to continue and finalize with the remediation in Uruguay, the ability to implement the Creditors' Agreement successfully as well as continuation of the business of the Company as a going concern and other events or conditions that may occur in the future. The Company's continuance as a going concern is dependent upon its ability to obtain adequate financing, to reach profitable levels of operations and to reach a satisfactory implementation of the Creditor's Agreement in Uruguay. These material uncertainties may cast significant doubt upon the Company's ability to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business and accordingly the appropriateness of the use of accounting principles applicable to a going concern. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward looking statements. Such statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties including, but not limited, those as described in Section "Risks Factors" of the MDA and the Annual Information Form. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events and such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Orosur Mining Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/698584/Orosur-Mining-Inc-Announces-Colombia-update-and-Exercise-of-Options
Novel Cryptigen technology unlocks full potential of Tumour Specific Antigens

CAMBRIDGE, England and MONTREAL, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Epitopea, a transatlantic cancer immunotherapeutics company and global leader in exploiting a new class of untapped tumour-specific antigens (TSAs), announces a $13.6M (10.3M) seed investment from a transatlantic syndicate of top-tier life sciences investors, including Advent Life Sciences, CTI Life Sciences, Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC) and Fonds de solidarite FTQ. The seed round was also supported by Novateur Ventures and the Harrington Discovery Institute/University Health Holdings. The funding will leverage Epitopea's ground-breaking Cryptigen approach to create transformational immunotherapies that target broad cancer patient populations in both solid and haematological cancers.

The company's proprietary technology provides an innovative approach to identifying shared, aberrantly expressed tumour specific antigens, known as Cryptigens, that it has exclusively licensed from the Universite de Montreal (UdeM). The licensing deal was catalysed by IRICoR, a Canadian Centre of Excellence in Commercialization and Research, which supported and incubated the development of the technology. Cryptigen TSAs are uniquely and broadly presented across cancer types, providing tumour-specific targets for immunotherapies that are predicted to kill malignant cells while sparing non-cancerous cells, potentially delivering significant therapeutic benefit across broad patient populations with minimal side effects.

The seed round funding will be used to build the company's executive team, advance further research on this new class of antigens, and catalyse their translation into novel cancer immunotherapeutics, including therapeutic vaccines, cell therapies, and TCR-based biologics.

Dr Jon Moore, CEO, Epitopea and Operating Partner at Advent Life Sciences, said, "The outstanding work of Epitopea's co-founders, Universite de Montreal scientists Drs. Claude Perreault, and Pierre Thibault, has opened a tremendous and potentially transformative opportunity for future cancer patients. With this significant seed financing by a syndicate of world-class investors from Canada and the UK, we can start translating these discoveries into novel therapeutics. We will be guided by science, deploying the best modalities available to help cancer patients achieve durable benefits."

Dr Laurence Rulleau, Partner, CTI Life Sciences, said, "CTI is delighted to co-lead the seed round of Epitopea, which is the first investment from our third fund, CTI LSF III. We are convinced that Epitopea has the potential to fundamentally change the paradigm of how cancer patients can be treated with therapeutics vaccines and other immunotherapies to significantly improve their quality of life. Epitopea will explore a variety of early and longer-term value creation strategies including partnerships with third parties as well as developing its own therapeutic modalities based on its Cryptigen TSAs."

Contact information

Epitopea

Dr Jon Moore, CEO

jon.moore@epitopea.com

Scius Communications

Katja Stout

katja@sciuscommunications.com

About Epitopea

Epitopea is a transatlantic biotechnology company developing transformational immunotherapies to treat cancer by targeting a new class of antigens that are broadly shared between patients with the same cancer indication. Cryptigen TSAs are discovered by a proprietary approach deploying immunopetidomics, mass spectrometry, genomics, and bioinformatics, which allows the identification of conserved, aberrantly-expressed, tumour-specific antigens, hidden in cancer's 'junk' DNA. These hidden Cryptigen TSAs have been identified by research led by Drs. Claude Perreault and Pierre Thibault at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer at Universite de Montreal.

The company has an extensive proprietary library of Cryptigen TSAs that will drive the development of transformational off the shelf cancer immunotherapies. Epitopea is backed by leading life science investors including Advent Life Sciences, CTI Life Sciences, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Le Fonds de Solidarite FTQ, the Harrington Discovery Institute and Novateur Ventures. The company has raised over US$13.6 million in seed financing. Epitopea was founded in 2021 and consists of sister companies based in Cambridge, UK and in Montreal, Canada. Please see www.epitopea.com for more information and follow us on LinkedIn.

For more information about our investors please see the following links:

Advent Life Sciences: www.adventls.com

CTI Life Sciences: https://www.ctisciences.com

Cambridge Innovation Capital: www.cic.vc

Fonds de solidarite FTQ: https://www.fondsftq.com

Novateur Ventures: https://www.novateur.ca

Harrington Discovery Institute/University Health Holdings: https://www.harringtondiscovery.org

For more information about the Universite de Montreal, please see here: https://www.umontreal.ca/en/

For more information about IRICoR, please see here: https://www.iricor.ca
SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Vobile Group Limited (SEHK: 3738; OTCQX: VOBIF), a global leader in Software-as-a-Service for online video content protection and monetization, has secured more than US$127 million in facility for its proposed acquisition of Particle Culture Technology Group in mainland China. Solely led by HSBC, the bespoke financing package is comprised of senior bilateral facility as well as private credit funds, supporting Vobile to drive its innovation and growth strategy in mainland China amid the fast-changing technology landscape.

"Having the full support of HSBC, one of the largest global banking and financial services organizations, is opening up a world of growth opportunities for Vobile," stated Yangbin Wang, Chairman and CEO of Vobile Group, "The financing solution provided by HSBC Commercial Banking enables us to move forward with the closing of the announced major acquisition, which will further accelerate our business growth in China. We look forward to expanding our collaboration with HSBC in the future."

Frank Fang, General Manager and Head of Commercial Banking, Hong Kong and Macau, HSBC, said: "Technology and innovation are one of the key drivers of the Mainland's economy. HSBC is delighted to arrange a tailored financing solution for Vobile, elevating our relationship by further supporting its business ambition to expand into mainland China. This transaction also reflects the Bank's strategic commitment to helping entrepreneurs and new economy sectors connect to new opportunities through our global network and financial expertise. "

As its key banking partner, HSBC has supported Vobile's growth journey from the outset since 2015, providing wide range of services throughout its business lifecycle. On top of acquisition financing, the Bank provided capital expenditure facility under the HSBC GBA+ Technology Fund last year, a debt financing scheme that supports high growth companies in the new economy in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

For media and investor inquiries, please contact: PR@VobileGroup.com

About Vobile Group

Vobile is a worldwide leader in Software-as-a-Service for online video content protection and monetization. Its best-in-class SaaS platforms are widely used by movie studios, television networks and record labels, enabling effective content protection for rightsholders and accelerating their revenue growth in digital economy. Vobile has global operations across continents in North America, Asia, Australia and Europe.

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LA GARENNE COLOMBES, France, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The French software provider Oxalys continues its internationalization by announcing a first establishment in Europe. This strategic announcement comes in the context of a strong acceleration for the company, which, after having successfully opened a subsidiary in South Africa two years ago, now wants to expand its geographical footprint in other countries.

Deployed in 35 countries around the world, Oxalys, specialist in the digitalization of procurement and spending, is the preferred partner of SMEs and mid-sized organisations. Its solutions make it possible to digitalize the entire procurement and spending process: Sourcing and Contracts, Purchasing and Invoices, Supplier Relations and Procurement Management. Oxalys stands out for its configurable and scalable solutions as well as its customer support based on proximity and agility, adaptable to the company's culture. The objective is to make it easy for any private and public organisation to digitalize their Procurement. So far, more than 100 customers are using Oxalys solutions.

On the strength of this position, Oxalys benefits from all the necessary resources to become a strategic partner for Italian SMEs and mid-sized organisations, especially in the north of the country where economic activity is particularly dynamic. To do this, the software provider can rely on a local team, but also on a network of partners (integrators and consulting firms) that will be formed in the short term.

Pierre Joudiou, President of Oxalys, "We are proud to develop our international business strategy and launch our operations in Italy. Through this establishment, we intend to quickly become an essential partner for Italian companies and public structures who wish to modernize and digitalize their procurement process with an optimal quality of service. We have all the resources we need to sustainably accelerate our growth, access new markets and then study new locations."

About Oxalys - https://www.oxalys.com

Oxalys is a French software provider, pure player in the procurement and spend management, created 30 years ago. It has developed a flexible, agile and ready-to-use SaaS solution to support any company or organization in digitalizing and managing the rise of Procurement. Its flagship e-Procurement software, resulting from more than 30 years of best procurement practices, expertise and innovation, makes it possible to dematerialize the entire procurement process of companies, from supplier sourcing to supplier invoices and their integration into accounting.

Its solutions have convinced more than 100 customers from all sectors of activity and all sizes (large groups, SMEs, public sector organisations).
STOCKHOLM, April 25, 2022 PRNewswire/ -- As part of the strategy to switch to large-scale renewable fuel production, Preem will sign a SEK 3 billion loan agreement with Swedish Export Credit Corporation (SEK). The loan is covered by the Swedish National Debt Office's program for green credit guarantees.

This is the first guarantee the Swedish National Debt Office issues within the framework of the central government's green guarantee program and intends to finance Preem's planned major investment at the Lysekil refinery for the production of biodiesel based on renewable raw materials. The biodiesel production will play a central role for the transport sector in the future and contribute to increased Swedish self-sufficiency in biofuels.

"Preem is making the biggest transition in the company's history, and right now a number of crucial projects are underway at our refineries that will transform us into a climate-neutral business. The loan will enable us to speed up our investments and secure an increased supply of sustainable biofuels for the Swedish transport sector," says Lina Stolpe, CFO at Preem.

The total cost of Preem's investment is SEK 3,525 million and the company will receive a green loan of SEK 3 billion. The loan tenor is 7 years and is guaranteed by the Swedish National Debt Office with a green credit guarantee that covers 80 percent of the loan amount.

"Reducing the impact of climate change is one of the most important challenges of our time. The financing of Preem is part of SEK's investment to support the export industry's transition and competitiveness, and achieve Sweden's high climate ambitions," says Magnus Montan, CEO of Swedish Export Credit Corporation (Svensk Exportkredit).

The loan is earmarked for investment at the Lysekil refinery regarding the reconstruction of the so-called Synsat plant, which today produces diesel. The purpose of the reconstruction is to increase Preem's production of biofuels by up to 950,000 m3 annually, which will reduce fossil carbon dioxide emissions at the user level by at least 1.7 million tonnes per year.

To be able to take advantage of the government's green credit guarantees, it is required that investments contribute to Sweden's environmental and climate goals.

The loan agreement with SEK is conditional on approval from the Preem Group's other external financiers and on Preem obtaining the necessary environmental permits. Decisions on environmental permits for the project are made by the Swedish Land and Environmental Court.

For more information, please contact:

Preem Press Office

press@preem.se

+46 (0)70-450 10 01

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/preem-ab/r/preem-signs-sek-3-billion-loan-agreement-with-swedish-export-credit-corporation,c3551380

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Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
TIP Trailer Services, a portfolio company of I Squared Capital through its ISQ Global Infrastructure Fund II, and a leading trailer leasing, rental, maintenance and repair provider across Europe and Canada, has signed an agreement with Ryder (NYSE: R), to acquire the trailer leasing and maintenance business of Ryder Ltd in the UK.1 TIP will integrate the Ryder assets and contracts into its existing business, increasing its fleet with approximately 3,550 additional trailers and expanding its workshops in the UK to eighteen. Many of the maintenance services employees are mobile technicians, who will enhance TIP's maintenance and repair capabilities.

"This is an example of how I Squared Capital builds its platform companies through strategic acquisitions of quality assets. Being a pan-European player, TIP is well positioned to capture the consolidation opportunities in a fragmented trailer leasing market and achieve operational synergies through economies of scale," commented Mohamed El Gazzar, Partner of I Squared Capital. "Since our acquisition, TIP has grown its fleet by more than 70 percent and added 31 workshops through organic and inorganic growth."

"This transaction is a great milestone for TIP on its growth path. It expands our footprint in the UK and Ireland, allowing us to improve service offerings and infrastructure in areas where we have gaps today," noted Enrico Del Prete, Fund Partner of I Squared Capital. "We continue to seek opportunities to grow the platform, including high-end specialized assets, while maintaining our established offerings and levels of service."

About I Squared Capital

I Squared Capital is an independent global infrastructure investment manager with over $34 billion in assets under management focusing on utilities, digital infrastructure, energy, transport and social infrastructure in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Headquartered in Miami, the firm also has offices in Hong Kong, London, New Delhi, Singapore, and Taipei.

About TIP Trailer Services

Headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, TIP is one of Europe and Canada's leading equipment service providers, specializing in trailer leasing, rental, maintenance and repair, as well as other value-added services and provides these to transportation and logistics customers across Europe and Canada. TIP services customers from more than 120 locations spread over 18 countries in Europe and Canada.

_______________________ 1 With the exception of trailers on lease to government agencies and on a specific logistics contract.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220425005284/en/

Contacts:

Andreas Moon, Partner and Head of Investor Relations

+1 (786) 693-5799 andreas.moon@isquaredcapital.com
BARCELONA, Spain, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The IOT Solutions World Congress (IOTSWC), the largest international event devoted to industry transformation through disruptive technologies, will hold its sixth edition from May 10 to 12 at Fira de Barcelona's Gran Via venue to give new impetus to the digital transformation of businesses and companies. Under the theme Game-changing technologies for industry transformation, IOTSWC will gather over 310 exhibitors with technological solutions that provide an edge to companies across many industries, and 200 speakers to discuss the latest trends in digital transformation through disruptive technologies.

Organised by Fira de Barcelona in partnership with the Industry IOT Consortium (IIC), the 2022 edition will showcase the solutions of 310 exhibiting companies including ABB, Altair, Amazon Web Services, BrainCube, Crowdstrike, Deloitte, Device Authority, EMnify, Faircom Corporation, Fiware, Hornet Security, Huawei, Kaspersky, KNX, Libellium, Palo Alto, Richardson RFPD, Relayr, Siemens, Sternum and Trellix, TXOne Networks.

Industry transformation reimagined

IOTSWC will structure its congress program in five themes that express a new cross-industry approach: Business optimization, Artificial Intelligence, Connectivity, Security and Customer Experience.

The list of speakers includes Ann Dunkin, Chief Information Officer at the US Department of Energy and author of Industrial Digital Transformation: Accelerate digital transformation with business optimization, AI, and Industry 4.0; Lucien Engelen, world-renowned innovator and founder and CEO Transform.Health; Shafi Ahmed, a colorectal surgeon, futurist and innovator; Hiroshi Yamamoto, Corporate VP of Digital Innovation Technology Center and Corporate Digitization at Toshiba; Mark Geckeler, DPP Alliance Head at the Volkswagen Group; Gunter Beitinger, Senior VP of Manufacturing & Head of Factory Digitalization at Siemens; Stuart Bashford, CTO at Buhler Group; Matthias Kuss, CEO, FMC Data Solutions at Fresenius Medical Care; Juha Pankakoski, Chief Digital Officer at Konecranes; and Jesper Toubol, VP of Operations - Moulding Production at Lego Group.

Testbed Area

IOTSWC will also feature a testbed with 10 examples of new services and solutions that are being developed and tested in real life conditions with the aim of being deployed in a scalable manner. The selected projects include solutions for the Automotive, Construction, Food, and Urban management sectors such as a smart refrigerator using AI cameras to reduce food waste and apply dynamic pricing, a digital twin service designed to implement a pay-per-use service for the Construction industry, and an intelligent heritage conservation system capable of anticipating asset maintenance needs through virtual reality and remote monitoring.

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Now in its second year, the initiative celebrates three powerful gamechangers in the hospitality community taking positive action

LONDON, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

Dieuveil Malonga - Chef of Meza Malonga in Kigali, Rwanda and founder of Chefs in Africa , on a mission to cultivate and nurture African culinary talent

- Chef of in and founder of Chefs in , on a mission to cultivate and nurture African culinary talent Koh Seng Choon - Social entrepreneur and founder of Dignity Kitchen in Singapore and Hong Kong , Asia's first community food court managed by people with disabilities

- Social entrepreneur and founder of Dignity Kitchen in and , first community food court managed by people with disabilities Olia Hercules and Alissa Timoshkina - London -based founders of CookForUkraine, a restaurants-powered fundraising initiative that also spreads knowledge about Ukrainian food culture

50 Best today announces its three Champions of Change 2022, heroes of hospitality who are creating a positive change for their communities through their work. An award launched last year to celebrate the industry's unsung heroes, in 2022 the accolade is given to two individuals and one pair who are driving meaningful action and creating blueprints for a better hospitality sector.

Champions of Change, part of the forthcoming The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022 programme, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, forms a key pillar in the organisation's ever-evolving '50 Best for Recovery' initiative. After the award was introduced in 2021 in response to the sector rebuilding and remodelling itself after a challenging 18 months, it continues this year to support the powerful work of individuals effecting positive change. 50 Best will make a substantial donation to each of the winners' causes, allowing the recipients to continue building their initiatives and supporting long-term progress in the restaurant and food sphere.

One of 2022's winners is Dieuveil Malonga, the 30-year-old chef of restaurant Meza Malonga in Kigali, Rwanda, which he opened in 2020. Malonga's mission is to "write a new story of gastronomy which has its roots in Africa and contribute to establish furthermore African cuisine as gourmet". Born in Congo, he moved to Germany aged 13, then later to Marseille. His quest to create a culinary bridge between African flavours and Western cuisine has seen him visit 38 of Africa's 54 states. Recognised as part of 50 Next 2021, he is also the founder of Chefs in Africa (created in 2016), an online platform that cultivates the talent and culinary passion found in Africa by helping cooks overcome barriers such as lack of training, employment and equipment, as well as discrimination. Chefs in Africa connects government institutions, training centres and businesses with professional chefs and young culinary students or apprentices from across the continent who are looking for work experience. It currently has over 4,000 African chefs as members.

Meza Malonga currently trains 10 young chefs each year as part of its culinary training programme, including offering scholarships to aspiring cooks and providing English classes to support them in spreading their message to the world. Malonga is planning to move Meza Malonga from Kigali to a bigger site in Musanze, also in Rwanda, in 2023, where he is working with local farmers to grow sustainable crops and ingredients, while also expanding his culinary training programme to 15 young cooks per year. The Champions of Change donation will support this endeavour. The new home also aims to promote culinary tourism development in rural areas through cooking classes and gastronomic events.

Malonga comments: "Transmission is a key for a better future. I'm honoured to be named a Champion of Change and will continue to nurture the passion and talent of African chefs."

Koh Seng Choon, based between Hong Kong and Singapore, is the founder of Dignity Kitchen, Asia's first community food court managed by people with disabilities. After studying engineering and business administration in the UK, Seng Choon returned to Singapore to set up his own management consultancy firm. In 2010, at the age of 50, he gave up his successful career to focus on social entrepreneurship and opened the first Dignity Kitchen in Singapore, followed by a Hong Kong location in December 2019.

Dignity Kitchen acts as a school to train the disabled and the disadvantaged to be hawker stall operators. Having pivoted to community service during the pandemic, providing warm food to homeless shelters and nursing homes, as well as food vouchers to minority groups, it offers customers a system to 'pay it forward' to give meals to the needy. Dignity Kitchen is part of Project Dignity, which supports people with disabilities through several other initiatives created by Seng Choon, including Dignity Mama, a second-hand book shop managed by mothers and their challenged children, and Dignity Meal, a food security initiative for the disadvantaged, among others.

In his free time, Choon lectures on the subject of entrepreneurship to MBA students and assists ex-inmates and pre-release prisoners to realise their entrepreneurial ambition. During this pandemic, Seng Choon provides a thousand meal boxes for the poor and needy every day in Hong Kong and Singapore including thousands of cookies and muffins as 'Morale Boosters" to the frontliners like nurses and cleaners in hospitals. On his work, Seng Choon says: "A person with disabilities is just differently abled; look at their abilities, not disabilities."

London-based friends Olia Hercules and Alissa Timoshkina launched a food fundraising initiative for UNICEF called CookForUkraine in response to the war in Ukraine, where Hercules was born. After leaving her hometown of Kakhova for university in the UK, she quit her job as a reporter after the 2008 financial crisis to pursue her dream to cook for a living, working at restaurants including Ottolenghi and as a recipe developer, before publishing her cookbook, Mamushka, celebrating her family recipes. Russian food writer, chef, cookery teacher and events curator Timoshkina moved to the UK to study film history and lectured about Russian and European cinema, before her passion for cooking led her to establish a cinema-supper club called KinoVino.

CookForUkraine aims to increase awareness of the humanitarian crisis and raise money to help children and families displaced by the war, as well as providing a platform for Ukrainian families and their supporters to share recipes, along with the stories behind those dishes. Through the campaign, the duo is collaborating with London restaurants to host special dinners and sell specific menu items to raise funds, which are sent to UNICEF to provide on-the-ground support and emergency care to refugee families. Since its inception, the campaign has nearly 900,000 to date. Hercules and Timoshkina plan to continue to develop the CookForUkraine campaign, currently working on a hospitality-focused workplace scheme for Ukrainian refugees, a cooking school staffed by Ukrainian cooks, and more.

The duo comments: "From the very start, Cook for Ukraine was a long term project for us. While we hope with all our hearts the war will end soon, our work in raising awareness about the beauty of Ukrainian food culture and in supporting those affected by the war will continue. And this wonderful award is a very important first step towards creating a new foundation."

William Drew, Director of Content for The World's 50 Best Restaurants, says: "After launching Champions of Change last year, we are thrilled to recognise the incredible work that Dieuveil, Koh Seng, and Olia and Alissa are doing for their communities. We have the utmost respect for the drive and passion they've shown for creating meaningful change and we're honoured to be able to support their brilliant work."

Champions of Change is one of several special awards which will be announced between now and July, as part of the lead-up to the event programme for The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022. These individuals have utilised challenges as a catalyst for positive action and long-term progress, whether they are helping others, improving the gastronomic sector or providing meaningful support during great hardship.

The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022 awards, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, will be hosted in London on Monday 18th July. An extensive event programme will culminate in this year's awards ceremony, to be held at Old Billingsgate market in the City of London.

For media centre registration access, please visit:

https://mediacentre.theworlds50best.com/

Follow 50 Best

Follow on Instagram: @TheWorlds50Best Worlds50Best

Worlds50Best Follow on Twitter: @TheWorlds50Best

Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/50BestRestaurants

Subscribe to the YouTube channel: 50 Best Restaurants TV

Visit the website: https://www.theworlds50best.com/

About The World's 50 Best Restaurants

Since 2002, The World's 50 Best Restaurants has reflected the diversity of the world's culinary landscape. The annual list of the world's most prestigious restaurants provides a snapshot of some of the best destinations for unique culinary experiences, in addition to being a barometer for and a pioneer of global gastronomic trends. The 50 Best family also includes Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants, Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, Middle East & North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants, The World's 50 Best Bars, Asia's 50 Best Bars, North America's 50 Best Bars and the #50BestTalks and 50 Best Explores series, all of which are owned and run by William Reed. 50 Best aims to bring together communities across the hospitality sector to foster collaboration, inclusivity, diversity and discovery and help drive positive change.

About the main sponsor: S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna

S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna are the main partners of The World's 50 Best Restaurants and 50 Best for Recovery. S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna are the leading natural mineral waters in the fine dining world. Together they interpret Italian style worldwide as a synthesis of excellence, pleasure and well-being.

Other Partners:

Estrella Damm - Official Beer Partner; sponsor of the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award

- Official Beer Partner; sponsor of the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award American Express Resy - Official Credit Card & Booking Platform Partner (Resy); sponsor of the American Express One To Watch Award

Gin Mare - Official Gin Partner; sponsor of the Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award

Flor de Cana - Official Rum Partner; sponsor of the Flor de Cana Sustainable Restaurant Award

Sosa - Official Ingredients Partner; sponsor of The World's Best Pastry Chef Award

Beronia - Official Wine Partner

Nude Glass - Official Glassware Partner; sponsor of The World's Best Female Chef Award

Nyetimber - Official Sparkling Wine Partner

Licor 43 - Official Liqueur Partner; sponsor of the Licor 43 Icon Award

Villa Massa - Official Limoncello and Amaretto Partner; sponsor of the Villa Massa Highest Climber Award

Illycaffe - Official Coffee Partner

Cinco Jotas - Official Iberico Ham Partner

The London Essence Co. - Official Mixers Partner

Aspire Lifestyles - Official Concierge Partner; sponsor of the Highest New Entry Award

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By Ko Dong-hwan







The Seoul Metropolitan Government rolled out a new policy on Monday to subsidize the public transportation fees of citizens aged 19 to 24.







The city government will return 20 percent of their public transit expenses through "traffic mileage." The mileage, redeemable up to 100,000 won ($80) per year for each beneficiary, has a monetary equivalent value and can be used for public transportation operated under the city government for the next five years.





Those interested in the service can apply at

which purports to provide "all" information for the age group living in the city. The government-run site opens to applications on April 27 and continues until May 27. The city government plans to launch the service during the second half of this year.







The city government introduced the policy to support the age group, most of whom have graduated high school and started pursuing their careers by going to university or working part-time. For those who just turned 19 and can no longer take advantage of the student discounts for public transportation: their price for each ride on a bus or a metro soars by up to 66 percent. When using a bus, it increases from 720 won to 1,200 won.







"For these young adults who mostly still have a very weak financial status, sudden hikes in public transportation fees can be a pretty serious burden," said Kim Cheol-hee, chief of the city government's Youth and Future Planning Bureau. "If this program can lift even a small portion of burden off their shoulders as they take their first steps toward their social battles, I would be glad."







The city's latest subsidy program, laden with a budget of 15.5 billion won, aims to help 150,000 applicants. It is the largest pool ever supported by the city government dedicated to people aged 19 to 24. The city government initially had half the budget prepared last year, aiming to help 75,000 applicants, but decided to expand it further.







"For those in the age group, this subsidy program might mean that it is the first government policy they experience as an individual adult," Kim said. "So we wanted to make its effects as broad and convincing as possible."







The program is part of a set of policies Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced in March to support the city's young voting population. The program came after the city government conducted a survey on young citizens in 2020 inquiring which daily living expenses they consider the biggest burden. Public transportation fees came third, preceded by buying food and paying bills at home.







The city bureau running the subsidy program said those aged 19 to 24 have so far fallen through the cracks: although the country's Youth Basic Law defines young people as those aged 9 to 24, ordinances under the country's Youth Welfare Support Laws have been covering only those aged 9 to 18 with discounts on public transit fees.







In addition to applying for the subsidy program, the city government urged the applicants to check boxes of a list of subjects of interest on its website so that it may inform each applicant about the latest welfare policies and initiatives related to their interests.


Bedford, Nova Scotia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 25, 2022) - Sylla Gold Corp. (TSXV: SYG) ("Sylla" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that reverse circulation (RC) drilling operations have recently commenced on its Niaouleni Gold Project ("Niaouleni"), located in southern Mali (Figure 1).

During the past month, meetings were held in Bamako, Mali with Touba Mining Consultants and the technical team to design the RC drilling program and determine sampling, laboratory analyses, and QAQC protocols. In addition, a site visit to the Niaouleni project area was undertaken to confirm exact drill site locations. Drilling access roads and drilling sites have been constructed, in addition to a field crew camp, to support drilling and logging/sampling activities.

The purpose of the Niaouleni Project RC drilling program is to:

Confirm previously defined wide zones of high-grade gold mineralization intersected in historical drilling programs completed by previous operators.

Define the structural characteristics of the interpreted Kobada Shear extension on the property; and

Test extensive termite mound and soil anomalies that lie on strike from the adjacent Kobada deposit owned by African Gold Group and in other areas of the property.

The drilling program is comprised of approximately 4,000 m of RC drilling followed by 11,000 m of air core (AC) drilling along several drill fences. In addition, further drilling is planned pending access during the rainy season in Mali, which commences in June and ends in October.

The RC component of the drilling program has been designed to expand upon previously identified mineralization within the interpreted Kobada Shear Zone. AC drilling will target historical soil and termite mound geochemical anomalies, which have not been previously drilled and potentially define the structural setting of the interpreted Kobada and Gosso shear extensions within the Niaouleni Property (Figure 2).

Regan Isenor, President and CEO of Sylla commented, "We're in a great position to build off previous drilling at Niaouleni that identified numerous zones of high-grade mineralization on strike of the Kobada deposit. Our team has a lot of experience in the general area, and they've put a great drilling plan in place that reflects their past successes in an effort to rapidly expand the Niaouleni deposit on the property."

Niaouleni Project

The Niaouleni Project is 92 square km in size and accessible by paved highway and includes extensive artisanal mining activity within the interpreted extensions of gold bearing structures. Past exploration at Niaouleni includes extensive termite mound and soil geochemistry surveys, and reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling that have identified several structural gold-bearing zones that appear to extend from the adjacent Kobada gold deposit. The Kobada gold deposit is situated approximately 3 km north of the northern limit of the Niaouleni exploration licence. Historical exploration and drilling results were compiled by Sylla into a digital database and interpreted for the purposes of designing an RC and AC drilling program to further test these interpreted structural gold-bearing zones and possibly extend them further into the project area.

Further information on the Niaouleni Gold Project is available in the Company's NI 43-101 technical report on the Niaouleni Project with an effective date of September 28, 2021, and available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.





Figure 1: Map of the Niaouleni Gold Project in southern Mali



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6472/121403_3616962e6427894b_001full.jpg









Figure 2: Planned air core (AC) drilling fences on the Niaouleni Property along the interpreted Kobada and Gosso shear extensions. Termite mound and soil geochemistry Au data compilation map shown as underlay.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6472/121403_3616962e6427894b_002full.jpg





Cautionary Statements and Data Verification

This news release contains scientific and technical information with respect to adjacent or similar mineral properties to the Niaouleni Project, which the Company has no interest in or rights to explore. Readers are cautioned that information regarding mineral resources, geology, and mineralization on adjacent or similar properties is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on the Niaouleni Project.

A Qualified Person has verified the historical information disclosed in this news release including any sampling, analytical, and test results underlying this information, including reviewing the geological information and exploration results disclosed in historical reports from previous operators of the Project, and NI 43-101 technical reports. Based on a recent review and data verification of this compiled historical information it appears drilling, surface exploration, and analytical results by previous operators on the Project were completed using mining industry best practices and QAQC protocols at the time. The historical scientific and technical information disclosed in this news release provides an indication of the exploration potential of the Project but may not be representative of expected results once the Company completes its own drilling programs on the Project.

Qualified Person Statement

All scientific and technical information contained in this news release was prepared and approved by Gregory Isenor, P.Geo., Director of Sylla Gold Corp. who is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101.

About Sylla Gold

Sylla Gold Corp. (TSXV: SYG) is a Canadian junior gold exploration company focused on the exploration and acquisition of gold properties in West Africa including Mali, and adjacent to known gold deposits.

For more information, please contact:

Regan Isenor

President and Chief Executive Officer

Tel: (902) 233-4381

Email: risenor@syllagold.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and includes those risks set out in the Company's management's discussion and analysis as filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/121403
PLAYA VISTA, California, Apr 25, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - American Premium Water Corporation (OTC:HIPH) (APW) is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has approved the acquisition of 100% ownership of CloudXchange DataCentre Inc. (CloudX), an entity that engages in crypto-mining related business through its wholly owned subsidiary CloudXchange DataCentre Pte Ltd (CloudX SG), to diversify the Company's earnings. The purchase price of the transaction will be at a consideration of US$45.6 million, which reflects a projected price-to-earnings ratio of 30. To fund the acquisition, the Company will issue restricted common shares of equivalent value to Mr Chan Heng Fai, Ambrose (Seller), the sole shareholder of CloudX.CloudX is engaged primarily in investment within the cryptocurrency space with a focus on crypto-mining and staking activities. Crypto-mining refers to the process that verifies and adds new transactions to the blockchain by solving complex mathematical equations for a cryptocurrency. The crypto miner that solves the complex mathematical equations first is rewarded with the respective cryptocurrency. Staking cryptocurrencies is a process that involves using crypto assets to support a blockchain network and verify transactions.For risk management purposes, CloudX's crypto-mining data centers will be strategically set up in locations such as Singapore, Malaysia (Sarawak) and Texas, United States with various service providers.Ryan Fishoff, CEO of APW commented "The Company is very excited to enter into the crypto-mining space. This acquisition is designed to provide APW with a stable and growing revenue stream, and position the Company for long-term growth and profitability. The acquisition of CloudX will be transformative for the Company as APW embarks on a new business strategy that is designed to enhance shareholder's value."As part of the terms of the acquisition agreement, the Seller has provided APW with a guarantee to generate a minimum of US$1.5 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") for CloudX SG within the first 12 months from June 2022 or upon the full delivery of the mining rigs (miners). In the event that the EBITDA of CloudX SG falls short of US$1.5 million, a guaranteed top-up for any shortfall amount up to US$1.5 million will be borne by the Seller.With the acquisition of CloudX, the Company will be focusing on the crypto-mining sector, and intends to change its name to "American Premium Mining Corporation". The Company has previously been focused on building brands that utilize cutting edge bioscience and nanotechnology in the CBD and wellness space.About CloudXchange DataCentre Inc.CloudXchange DataCentre Inc. is a holding company for CloudXchange DataCentre Pte Ltd which is engaged primarily in investment within the cryptocurrency industry with a focus on crypto-mining and staking activities. CloudX endeavors to leverage the potential of the cryptocurrency space to generate predictable revenues and operating income.About American Premium Water CorporationAPW is a diversified consumer products company focused on brands that utilize cutting edge bioscience technology. The Company is focused on harnessing the power of Nano technology that utilizes CBD and other compounds to help increase the quality of life for its consumers.Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release includes statements that may constitute "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, and are intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that are often difficult to predict, are beyond our control, and which may cause results to differ materially from expectations. For a discussion of the most significant risks and uncertainties associated with the Company's business, please review our filings with the SEC. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are based on our expectations as of the date of this press release and speak only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.Contact InformationAmerican Premium Water Corporation12777 Jefferson BoulevardBuilding DPlaya Vista, CA 90066Email: info@americanpremiumwater.comSource: CloudXchange DataCentre Pte LtdAmerican Premium Water Co.Copyright 2022 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.


PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Delivering victory speech in the Champs de Mars, Emmanuel Macron who has been re-elected as the French President, vowed to be the 'president for each and every one of you.' He promised supporters that 'no-one will be left by the wayside'.



Macron, who became the first sitting president to be re-elected in the last two decades, said he owns responsibility to find an answer to the anger and disagreements that led many of his party's supporters to vote for the extreme right.



Macron was re-elected French President with a convincing victory over far-right candidate Marine Le Pen.



In the runoff vote Sunday, Macron won 58.55 percent of the votes against Le Pen's 41.45 percent, a greater margin than expected.



It was a repeat of the 2017 presidential election after Macron, 44, and Le Pen, 53, were qualified for the presidential run off after winning the most votes among the 12 candidates in the first round of voting two weeks ago.



The turn-out was low in the run-off.



Macron promised to address all of France's current problems, which include the rising cost of living and immigration.



The centrist leader overcame a tough challenge from Le Pen, who secured the far right's highest share of votes yet in French presidential elections.



Marine Le Pen, who is the leader of the National Rally party founded by her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, won more than 13 million votes in the election.



Addressing supporters after the results, she said the 'match is not completely over', in apparent reference to parliamentary elections that are due in June.



European Union leaders, U.S. President Joe Biden, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were among the first to congratulate Macron for his victory over the far-right, eurosceptic Le Pen.







Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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UTRECHT, The Netherlands and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 25, 2022. The publication will be available at 11:00 a.m. ET today. The report describes the use of the company's Biclonics platform to perform a large-scale functional screen of bispecific antibodies resulting in selection of Peto, a bispecific antibody targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and the leucine-rich repeat containing G protein-coupled receptor (LGR5). Peto displayed potent growth inhibition of colorectal cancer (CRC) organoids, blockade of metastasis initiation and tumor outgrowth in preclinical models of different tumor types. Peto specifically triggered EGFR degradation in organoids expressing LGR5, while showing minimal toxicity towards normal LGR5-expressing organoids.



In October 2021, Merus reportedearly, interim clinical data in an ongoing trial of Peto in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

"This publication demonstrates the potential of our Biclonics platform to generate large numbers of diverse panels of antibodies, undertake high throughput functional screening of in-format bispecifics, and identify drug candidates that possess specific biology and characteristics for therapeutic applications," said Cecile Geuijen, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer. "We are encouraged by the preclinical and clinical data we have obtained to date, and look forward to the further clinical development of Peto."

The results published in Nature Cancer further describe Peto's results in preclinical models of solid tumors, including the following highlights:

Peto exhibits unique therapeutic properties such as potent growth inhibition of KRAS mutant CRC organoids, blockade of metastasis initiation, and inhibition of tumor outgrowth in preclinical models of different tumor types

Peto shows superior growth inhibition relative to cetuximab, an EGFR inhibitor used for treatment of metastatic CRC and HNSCC, in subcutaneous xenografts generated from inoculation of C31M, a patient-derived CRC organoid bearing a KRAS G12D mutation

Unlike cetuximab, Peto triggers EGFR internalization and degradation through LGR5

Peto shows in vivo anti-tumor activity in other tumor types that express LGR5 such as esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, gastric carcinoma and HNSCC

Peto is currently enrolling in a phase 1 open-label, multicenter study in patients with solid tumors. Merus is planning a clinical update for the second half of 2022.

Merus is the sponsor of the clinical trial, investigating Peto, and certain preclinical work described in the Nature Cancer paper was generated in conjunction with the suppresSTEM consortium, among other institutions and organizations cited in the publication.

About Petosemtamab (Peto, MCLA-158)

Peto is an ADCC-enhanced human IgG1 Biclonics designed to bind to cancer stem cells (CSCs) expressing leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). In preclinical models, Peto binding triggers EGFR degradation in LGR5+ CSCs and is designed to have two different mechanisms of action. The first entails blocking of growth and survival pathways in cancer initiating cells. The second exploits the recruitment and enhancement of immune effector cells to directly kill cancer initiating cells that persist in solid tumors and can cause relapse and metastasis.

About Merus N.V.

Merusis a clinical-stage oncology company developing innovative full-length human bispecific and trispecific antibody therapeutics, referred to as Multiclonics. Multiclonics are manufactured using industry standard processes and have been observed in preclinical and clinical studies to have several of the same features of conventional human monoclonal antibodies, such as long half-life and low immunogenicity. For additional information, please visit Merus' websiteand follow Merus on Twitterand LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including without limitation, statements regarding the content and timing of clinical trials, data readouts and clinical updates for our product candidate, MCLA-158 or Peto; the potential of our Biclonics platform to generates large numbers of diverse panels of antibodies, undertake high throughput functional screening of in-format bispecifics, and identify drug candidates that possess specific biology and characteristics for therapeutic applications; the potential of the design, activity and efficacy of Peto as described in preclinical studies and the impact, if any, on the development and clinical evaluation; the advancement of the phase 1 trial for Peto and the planned update in second half of 2022. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: our need for additional funding, which may not be available and which may require us to restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or antibody candidates; potential delays in regulatory approval, which would impact our ability to commercialize our product candidates and affect our ability to generate revenue; the lengthy and expensive process of clinical drug development, which has an uncertain outcome; the unpredictable nature of our early stage development efforts for marketable drugs; potential delays in enrollment of patients, which could affect the receipt of necessary regulatory approvals; our reliance on third parties to conduct our clinical trials and the potential for those third parties to not perform satisfactorily; impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; we may not identify suitable Biclonics or bispecific antibody candidates under our collaborations or our collaborators may fail to perform adequately under our collaborations; our reliance on third parties to manufacture our product candidates, which may delay, prevent or impair our development and commercialization efforts; protection of our proprietary technology; our patents may be found invalid, unenforceable, circumvented by competitors and our patent applications may be found not to comply with the rules and regulations of patentability; we may fail to prevail in potential lawsuits for infringement of third-party intellectual property; our registered or unregistered trademarks or trade names may be challenged, infringed, circumvented or declared generic or determined to be infringing on other marks; and risks related to our ceasing to qualify as an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company in 2022.

These and other important factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2021, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, on February 28, 2022, and our other reports filed with the SEC, could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent management's estimates as of the date of this press release. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change, except as required under applicable law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

Multiclonics, Biclonics and Triclonics are registered trademarks of Merus N.V.
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA / ACCESSWIRE / April 25, 2022 / SEATech Ventures Corp. (OTC PINK:SEAV) partners with The National Tech Association of Malaysia (PIKOM) to jointly organize the PIKOM SEADragon (https://www.pikom.org.my/seadragon/) pitching sessions from April to July 2022, to shortlist the top Malaysian tech startups to pitch to a panel of global judges and investors during the World Congress on Innovation & Technology (WICT) 2022 which will be held in Penang, Malaysia on September 13th to 15th, 2022. SEADragon, a sustainable Venture Pitch Platform, is specially designed for tech startups and scale-ups that are searching for investments, growth, and global market expansion.

The first SEADragon pitching session was held on April 7th, 2022. Three (3) Malaysian tech startup have been shortlisted by our panel of judges to progress to the final pitching round in WICT 2022. The judges unanimously decided that these three companies have the most potential in terms of disruptive innovation and perfectly embodies the qualities of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG). These are highly rated qualities by the judges and are deemed to be quintessential Unicorn characteristics. Our quest to hunt for the next Tech Unicorns of South East Asia continues when SEADragon returns for its second pitching session on the 28th of April 2022.

https://www.digitalnewsasia.com/startups/pikoms-seadragon-pitch-platform-returns-wcit-2022-malaysia

SEADragon is the first significant step SEATech has taken in the company's business transition journey, known as SEAV 2.0. Since its incorporation, SEATech has forged a name for itself in incubating and mentoring companies to prepare them for public listing in the international capital markets. SEAV 2.0 will see the company progress to become an incubator and corporate venture capitalists (CVC) of South East Asian Unicorns. Thus, programs such as SEADragon places SEATech in an optimum position to identify the most promising and highest unicorn-potential companies from the South East Asian region for incubation.

CEO of SEATech Ventures Corp, Mr Chin Chee Seong said, "The main purpose of the SEADragon program is to identify and develop Malaysia's next homegrown Tech unicorns, mentor them to pitch to potential local and global investors, and most importantly, provide them with a platform on which they are able to explore international business and market expansion opportunities and help facilitating their growth to be a Unicorn. Furthermore, it is also a golden opportunity for us to show the world including foreign investors the gems that are hidden in the Malaysian Tech industry."

Enquiries:

SEATech Ventures Corp.

CHIN Chee Seong, Chief Executive Officer, Director

Dr. SEAH Kok Wah, Chief Investment Officer, Director

Email: Info@seatech-ventures.com

About SEATech Ventures Corp.

Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, SEATech Ventures Corp. (OTC PINK:SEAV) (a Nevada corporation) aspires to nurture and incubate emerging growth technology companies in South East Asia that aim to become tomorrow's Asia unicorns. SEATech is an incubation and mentoring platform which pools together talents that are equipped with technical, market developmental and financial expertise. We provide mentoring and consultancy on growth strategy through business combination and integration for companies to expand their business across Asia. We advise companies to monetize, capitalize and securitize their businesses by providing funding strategies which include securitized equity crowd funding, private-placement and public listing. With a vast experience in business and ventures, our key management team possess formidable business acumen and have access to a network of managing partners across Asia who are committed in introducing high quality deal-flows to us. SEATech is well positioned to be recognized as an influential Asian Corporate Venture Capital firm in transforming, securitizing, capitalizing and internationalizing Asia's next technology Unicorns. For further information regarding the company, please visit https://www.seatech-ventures.com.

Forward Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risk and uncertainties involving the use of words such as "plans," "would be," "will allow," "intends to," "may result," "are expected to," "will continue," "anticipates," "expects," "estimate," "project," "indicate," "could," "potentially," "should," "believe," "think," "considers" or similar expressions are intended to identify "forward-looking statements". Investors should be aware that all forward-looking statements contained within this press release are good faith estimates of management as of the date that this press release is prepared based on current expectations that involve known and unknown risks. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements for numerous reasons as described in the company website.

SOURCE: SEATech Ventures Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/698608/SEATech-Ventures-Corp-Is-Hunting-for-the-Next-Tech-Unicorns
STOCKHOLM, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Malibu is launching a global brand refresh, spearheaded by a sun-soaked film from award-winning director Dave Meyers, introducing new energy, confidence and year-round summer vibes to the popular drink and encouraging everyone to get into the summer mindset and "Do Whatever Tastes Good."

When you think of Malibu, you instantly think of summer beach holidays. But why should that summer mindset be confined to three short months? Why should we ever feel like we can't do the things we like?

This global campaign titled "Welcome to Malibu", created with Wieden+Kennedy London, encourages consumers to live with the summer mindset all year. Whether that's sipping a pina colada in the summer while shamelessly enjoying the top pop hits, or mixing Malibu and Lemon Lime Soda at a holiday party. Malibu says: "Do Whatever Tastes Good."

Off the back of a stellar year of growth in 2021, this brand refresh aims to keep the momentum by moving Malibu firmly back into culture and into even more consumer's repertoires. The campaign features a wide range of moments and new ways in which to enjoy Malibu, from refreshing cocktails to flavours and ready to drink serves.

The new campaign will launch across all key markets including the US and Europe, led by a colour-drenched film, directed by the iconic Dave Meyers, famed for genre-defining music videos.

The spot, "Welcome to Malibu", takes viewers into the world of Malibu on "Coco" - the fabulous coconut horse, where they find a hyper real, inclusive space where everyone is doing what they like, whenever they like, with Malibu's summer vibe shining out across all seasons.

The film, which is produced by RadicalMedia, will be supported by a huge integrated campaign across online, digital, out of home and in-store. The brand refresh will also be unmissable on social channels, with an extensive range of assets including AV, GIFs, stickers and behind the scenes content.

Johan Radojewski VP Marketing, Malibu said: "The exciting thing about this campaign is that it reframes the traditional summer Malibu occasion from a time and place to a mindset you can find anytime. By inviting our consumers to 'Do Whatever Tastes Good' we are capturing the spirit of summer and making it relevant all year round. Giving our audience permission to enjoy whatever it is that they like, whenever they like."

Tad Greenough Chief Creative Officer, The Absolut Company said: "We knew that Malibu needed a creative and strategic step change, and I knew that there was no better agency than W+K for this reset. We are delighted with the campaign and the renewed energy and excitement it will give our brand."

Katy Edelsten and Rachel Clancy, W+K creatives, said: "Like a perfect pop track or your cushiest velour sweatpants, Malibu is unashamedly mainstream and deliciously uncomplicated."

"Our brief was to move Malibu beyond the confines of sun loungers and coconut cups, so we created an entire magical, musical world (which still has a prominent role for coconuts, don't you worry)."

"Malibu is a place where summer is a mindset, residents serve all sunshine and no shade, and where we invite all who visit us to Do Whatever Tastes Good."

Pam Forbus, SVP, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard North America, said: "Malibu knows that summer is a time when people feel most free to do the things they love and enjoy carefree fun. With our new campaign, Welcome to Malibu, we're embracing that energy and encouraging our fans to do the same. We look forward to welcoming consumers into our world and showing them that when you just add Malibu, you can do whatever tastes good - anytime, anywhere."

Watch the film here

Download assets and creds here

To learn more: www.maliburumdrinks.com/welcometomalibu

On social: @malibu_rum (Global account) & @maliburumUS (US account)

WelcomeToMalibu, DoWhateverTastesGood, MalibuRum

For more information, please contact:

Lee Gunther | PR Director | Wieden+Kennedy London

lee.gunther@wk.com | +44 7787 279015

Joanna Hein | Manager, Strategic Brand Communications | Pernod Ricard USA

joanna.hein@pernod-ricard.com |+ 1917-291-0177

Ulrika Lovdahl | Senior Manager Corporate Communications | The Absolut Company

Ulrika.lovdahl@pernod-ricard.com |+46 70 3477 187

Notes to Editors

The Absolut Company

The Absolut Company has the worldwide responsibility for the production, packaging innovation and strategic marketing of Absolut Vodka, Malibu and Kahlua.

Malibu is the number one rum-based coconut spirit in the world.

Absolut Vodka is one of the world's top ten international spirits brands. Every bottle of Absolut Vodka comes from one source, Ahus in southern Sweden.

Kahlua coffee liqueur is the world leader in its category.

The Absolut Company portfolio also includes Ahus Akvavit. The visitor center, Absolut Home, located next to the main production site for Absolut Vodka, was opened in 2018. The head office is located in Stockholm, Sweden. Chairman and CEO is Stephanie Durroux. The Absolut Company is a part of Pernod Ricard, the world's second largest wine and spirits producer (source: IWSR).

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is the No.2 worldwide producer of wines and spirits with consolidated sales of 8,824 million in FY21. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has developed through organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard, which owns 16 of the Top 100 Spirits Brands, holds one of the most prestigious and comprehensive brand portfolios in the industry, including: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine's, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jouet champagnes, as well Jacob's Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo, and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard's brands are distributed across 160+ markets and by its own salesforce in 73 markets. The Group's decentralised organisation empowers its 19,000 employees to be true on-the-ground ambassadors of its vision of "Createurs de Convivialite." As reaffirmed by the Group's strategic plan, "Transform and Accelerate," deployed in 2018, Pernod Ricard's strategy focuses on investing in long-term, profitable growth for all stakeholders. The Group remains true to its three founding values: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust, and a strong sense of ethics, as illustrated by the 2030 Sustainability and Responsibility roadmap supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), "Good times from a good place." In recognition of Pernod Ricard's strong commitment to sustainable development and responsible consumption, it has received a Gold rating from Ecovadis. Pernod Ricard is also a United Nations' Global Compact LEAD company. Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN Code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 and Eurostoxx 50 indices.

About Wieden+Kennedy London

Wieden+Kennedy London is a creatively-driven communications agency, part of the independent network of eight W+K offices around the world. Driven to do the best work of our lives with inspiring clients, we're proud to work with, and help build, great brands like Coca-Cola, Formula 1, Nike, Sainsbury's and TK Maxx.

We produce provocative, culturally influential work - reflected in our position as Fast Company's Most Innovative Company in Marketing and Advertising in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

We also work hard to create an environment which encourages and supports people of all kinds to do their best and are proud to be named in The Sunday Times' Best 100 Small Companies to Work For, the UK's only creative agency to make the list.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

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SHANGHAI, China, April 25, 2022- acclaimed Chinese developer of popular mobile games - announced today the launch of its new global game publishing brand, Farlight Games . The company's mission is to bring the very best games to players all over the world.



To date, Lilith Games has launched critically acclaimed titles such as Soul Hunters, Art of Conquest, AFK Arena, Rise of Kingdoms, and Warpath. Each of these games has explored new and exciting ways to bring Lilith Games' unique brand of fun to players worldwide. The establishment of Farlight Games is the company's next significant step in its ongoing mission.

"The launch of Farlight Games represents a significant upgrade to our strategy of 'global localization'," said Farlight Games Founder and CEO Kenny Wang. "We want to recruit top talent from around the world to provide more localized service to players around the world."

Utilizing Farlight Games as a new means of expansion and brand exploration, Lilith Games will continue broadening its horizons, actively pursuing different game genres and fresh gameplay experiences. In the near future, players will find these new experiences from Lilith Games published under the Farlight Games global brand. Right now, it is expected that Farlight Games will publish upcoming titles Dislyte, Farlight 84, Boom Party, an unannounced title codenamed "SAMO," and several others that are soon to be unveiled.

A press kit containing company logos is available here: https://uberstrategist.link/Lilith-Farlight-Games-pkit .

About Farlight Games

Based in Singapore, Farlight Games is currently poised to grow at a rapid pace. The company's global talent will support and facilitate the global distribution of Lilith Games' titles, as well as other global developers, going forward. By collaborating with global partners, Farlight Games will be able to provide refined, localized services and enhance gaming experiences for players worldwide. Learn more about Farlight Games at www.farlightgames.com .

About Lilith Games

Established in May 2013, Lilith Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (AKA "Lilith") is devoted to creating an unprecedented gaming experience for players around the globe via engaging and diverse mobile games.

Since its founding, Lilith has developed and published a variety of acclaimed games, such as Soul Hunters, Abi: A Robot's Tale, Rise of Kingdoms, Art of Conquest, AFK Arena, and Warpath. Lilith Games ranked 10th place in terms of global game publishing company revenue according to data from App Annie's State of Mobile 2021 report. In addition to commercial gaming success, Lilith creates and publishes compelling independent games, including popular titles Isoland 2: Ashes of Time Lite and Mr. Pumpkin 2: Walls of Kowloon. Visit www.lilithgames.com to learn more and explore Lilith's expanding catalog of titles.

PRESS CONTACT
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO / ACCESSWIRE / April 25, 2022 / Fortitude Gold Corp. (OTCQB:FTCO) (the "Company") today announced resource definition and expansion drill results from an ongoing drill campaign at its Golden Mile property in Mineral County, Nevada. High-grade intercepts include 7.62 meters grading 18.22 grams per tonne (g/t) gold within 38.10 meters grading 4.60 g/t gold. 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.

Golden Mile infill and step-out drill highlights include (m=meters, g/t=grams per tonne) (full drill table below):

Hole# GMRC-061 (step-out drill hole):

18.29 m of 1.24 g/t gold

incl.

1.52 m of 3.22 g/t gold

Hole# GMRC-062 (infill drill hole):

6.10 m of 2.84 g/t gold

incl.

1.52 m of 8.36 g/t gold

Hole# GMRC-065 (infill drill hole):

7.62 m of 2.42 g/t gold

7.62 m of 5.40 g/t gold

24.38 m of 0.83 g/t gold

Hole# GMRC-069 (infill drill hole):

27.43 m of 0.95 g/t gold

Hole# GMRC-081 (infill drill hole):

38.10 m of 4.60 g/t gold m of 18.22 g/t gold



incl.

16.76 m of 2.41 g/t gold

incl.

6.10 m of 4.09 g/t gold

Fortitude Gold released an initial mineral resource for its Golden Mile property in November 2021, which included 78,500 ounces at a 1.13 g/t gold grade in the indicated category, and 84,500 ounces at a 1.10 g/t gold grade in the inferred category. A fifty-three (53) hole reverse circulation delineation drill program was initiated during the first quarter of 2022 in preparation for upgrading and converting indicated and inferred resources into an initial probable reserve. To date, assays have been returned for twenty-one (21) holes with results pending for thirty-two (32) in this program. The Company targets conversion and upgrading of its resource into a reserve with the completion of a maiden Golden Mile prefeasibility study, technical report summary by December 31, 2022. Any future reserve conversion and prefeasibility study would add critical mass and transparency of all the studies completed by the Company to date on the project; however, the Company is moving towards making a near term Golden Mile project development decision based of the initial 2021 resource.

This drill program focused predominately on infill and step-down targets with results including 38.10 meters of 4.60 g/t gold, 16.76 meters of 2.41 g/t gold, and 7.62 meters of 5.40 g/t gold among numerous additional high-grade gold intercepts with mineralization remaining open on strike and at depth. Patented claims at Golden Mile currently host all the resources reported to date. Fortitude has received permits from the Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") to test the mineralized extensions trending beyond the patented claims. A step-out target intercepted 18.29 meters of 1.24 g/t gold approximately 100 meters southeast of the currently defined resource boundary. The Company plans to continue drilling Golden Mile for the foreseeable future with an increased focus on additional step-out drilling currently underway. Fortitude previously filed a Plan of Operations with the BLM and anticipates permitting an open-pit heap leach operation as the Company moves closer to a Golden Mile development decision.

"These additional high-grade drill results from Golden Mile are exciting as we continue to confirm and further delineate high-grade gold mineralization," stated Mr. Barry Devlin, Vice President of Exploration for Fortitude Gold. "This drill program has focused on infill and step-down targets with final assay results expected by the end of the second quarter. Once these delineation assays are received and incorporated into our resource model, we will begin working on our prefeasibility study for the Golden Mile resource, with a goal of completion by the end of 2022. We are also excited to have initiated drilling the mineralized extensions trending beyond our patented claims onto BLM land, with an opportunity to add ounces to this high-grade gold resource."

"These latest drill results including 38 meters of 4.60 grams per tonne gold underscores the high-grade gold present at this exciting project," stated Mr. Jason Reid, CEO and President of Fortitude Gold. "In addition, intercepting over 18 meters of 1.24 grams per tonne gold approximately 100 meters outside the currently defined resource area speaks to the potential to expand mineralization. Our team has worked diligently over the past year on project engineering, open-pit design, metallurgical heap leach test work as well as initiating the project permitting process. We are optimistic these and future drill results will add gold ounces to this project's first reserve estimate, but we are positioning to make a development decision based on our current initial resource estimate and are moving forward as such. With only a few due diligence items remaining to make an internal decision to develop Golden Mile, these recent high-grade gold drill results add excitement to the growing potential of Fortitude Gold's second open-pit heap leach gold mine in Nevada."

About the Golden Mile Project

The Golden Mile property is located in the Bell Mining District, Mineral County, Nevada, approximately 23 miles east-southeast of the Company's producing Isabella Pearl mine.

The property covers 11,811 acres consisting of 599 unpatented claims, 5 patented claims, 4 owned and 1 leased. Mineralization at the property is intrusion related, with primary gold and copper mineralization associated with skarn style replacement in carbonate units. Secondary mineralization is associated with structurally controlled stockwork and breccia zones. Two established mineralized zones have been drilled by previous operators on the property with the larger mineralized zone located within the 5 patented claims.

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/698574/Fortitude-Gold-Intercepts-762-Meters-of-1822-gt-Gold-within-3810-Meters-Grading-460-gt-Gold-at-Golden-Mile
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 25, 2022) - Argo Gold Inc. (CSE: ARQ) (OTCQB: ARBTF) (XFRA, XSTU, XBER: A2ASDS) ("Argo Gold") has identified a gold mineralized extension at the Raingold and HST Zone at the Uchi Gold Project. Raingold is located along the HST Zone (Hill-Sloan-Tivy) which also hosts the past-producing Grassett Mine to the north. The HST Zone is a parallel mineralized trend located one kilometre west of the main Uchi - Northgate gold mineralized trend at the Uchi Gold Project.

In 2020, 71 samples were taken over a strike length of 50 metres of diamond saw channels in the footwall, the hanging wall, and the mineralized zone at Raingold. Visible gold was identified in only one sample and 37 samples returned grades greater than 1 g/t Au. The best intersections at Raingold were 2.3 metres of 31.2 g/t Au, 1.9 metres of 29.8 g/t Au, 1.9 metres of 10.3 g/t Au, 2.65 metres of 5.4 g/t Au, 2.6 metres of 5.5g/t and 1 metres of 21.2 g/t Au. The mineralized zone is mainly hosted by silica-rich iron formation with siderite-ankerite alteration, disseminated pyrite-pyrrhotite and quartz-ankerite veining.

In Spring 2021, Argo Gold drilled a total of 399 metres at the Raingold and the HST Zone. Only anomalous gold was intersected at depth. A step-out drill hole located 100 metres to the north identified anomalous gold across two structures where the second mineralized structure is identified as a new mineralized trend 100 metres to the east of the HST Zone. In Spring 2021, Argo Gold also confirmed high-grade gold in channel sampling 32.84 g/t Au over 2.5 metres at Raingold.

In late 2021, Argo Gold also completed overburden stripping and washing for 280 metres south of the high-grade Raingold area along the near vertical HST Zone following quartz veining and sulphide mineralization along the sheared break. Sixty-two channel samples across 35 channels perpendicular to strike were taken along the south extension of the Raingold - HST Zone with an average spacing of 7.7 metres. Gold mineralization is associated with abundant quartz veins and veinlets, iron formation, pyrite or ankerite alteration. The Fall 2021 channel samples are shown on the Raingold map where the best intercept is 15.4 g/t Au over 0.9 metres. It is significant that this highest sample was the farthest sample to the south and the trench geologic structure remains open in that direction.





Map 1



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QA/QC

Samples were taken tagged and transported securely by Argo personnel to ActLabs, a certified assay lab, and all blanks, duplicates and standards were well within acceptable tolerances.

Chipped out channel samples were securely bagged and tagged on site by Argo Gold personnel. Argo instituted a rigorous program of inserted duplicates, blanks and standards. The total sample set of 65 rock samples included 3 sets of field duplicates, as well as 3 standard samples (two separate OREAS control standards representing low and medium -grade values; #238 x2 and #260 x1), and 3 blanks, for a total of 71 assays. Argo Gold ensured that a blank, duplicate or standard was included every ten samples. Samples were transported by Argo personnel to Activation Laboratories Ltd. (ActLabs) in Dryden, Ontario, which is ISO 17025 accredited.

At ActLabs, the samples were sorted and dried in a 60C oven. Each sample was crushed to 90% passing 10 mesh, riffle split, and a 250 g split was pulverized to 95% -150 mesh. Every pulverized sample was analyzed for gold using Fire Assay (FA) with an Atomic Absorption (AA) finish. Samples with FA-AA values were over 5.00 g/t, were re-assayed by Fire Assay with a gravimetric finish. To ensure high quality results, ActLabs has their own internal system of inserted blanks, duplicates and standards, which were also within acceptable tolerances.

All distances represented in the attached analytical table are measured perpendicular to the geological strike, and as the dip is essentially vertical in all cases, therefore represents true thickness. All gold results are as received from the analytical laboratory and any cutting factors have not been applied.

William Kerr, P.Geo., consulting geologist for Argo Gold, is the Qualified Person, as defined by National Instrument 43-101, who has approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release.

About Argo Gold

Argo Gold is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company, focused on gold exploration at the Uchi Gold Project in the Red Lake District. Argo Gold added the Talbot Lake Gold Project to its portfolio in June 2020. Information on Argo Gold can be obtained from SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on Argo Gold's website at www.argogold.com. Argo Gold is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (www.thecse.com) (CSE: ARQ), (OTCQB: ARBTF) and (XFRA, XSTU, XBER: A2ASDS).

For more information please contact:

Judy Baker, CEO

(416) 786-7860

jbaker@argogold.ca

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Forward-looking Information Cautionary Statement

Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the CSE. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/121539




The education ministry said Monday it has identified 96 university and college research papers with ethically problematic co-authorships by children of professors, or children of their colleagues, produced between 2017 and 2018.







The ministry said 69 professors and faculty members, and 82 minors, were credited as co-authors in problematic papers and conference proceedings in a sweeping probe of 1,033 published studies conducted since 2017.







In terms of schools, 22 were discovered at Seoul National University, followed by Yonsei University with 10. Konkuk University and Jeonbuk National University both reported eight cases.







Of those, five student admissions were revoked following revelations that the studies were used to their advantage for entrances. Three professors faced heavy disciplinary actions.







Among the students with their admissions revoked was Cho Min, the daughter of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk. Korea University announced this month that her acceptance at the prestigious school was nullified due to falsehoods in her high school records. (Yonhap)






HANGZHOU, China, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hikvision has released its full-year 2021 financial results, reporting a total revenue of RMB 81.42 billion, and achieving a year-over-year (YoY) growth of 28.21%. The net profits attributable to shareholders of the company was RMB 16.80 billion, reflecting a YoY growth of 25.51%.

Key accounting data of Hikvision full-year 2021 financial results

2021 2020 YoY Change

(%) Operating income (RMB) 81,420,053,539.27 63,503,450,891.78 28.21% Net profits attributable to shareholders of

the company (RMB) 16,800,411,032.05 13,385,526,714.15 25.51%

Overseas revenue in 2021 amounted to RMB 21.99 billion, with YoY growth of 24.23%, accounting for 27% of the total revenue of the company.

Hikvision also released its Q1 2022 financial results, and reported a revenue of RMB 16.52 billion, which represents a YoY increase of 18.11%. Net profits attributable to shareholders of the company was RMB 2.28 billion, representing a YoY growth of 5.29%.

Moving forward, the company will continue to focus on the innovation of technologies, products, and solutions to create value for customers and society. Hikvision is committed to serving various industries through its cutting-edge technologies of machine perception, artificial intelligence, and big data, leading the future of AIoT.

The full annual report 2021 and Q1 2022 report can be read here.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1803600/Hikvision_Full_Year_2021_Financial_Results.jpg
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - April 25, 2022) - Bloom Technology, one of the fastest-rising blockchain expert companies developed a fully decentralized blockchain "Locus Chain" even capable of operating on mobile devices with low computational power, announced that it has executed a strategic business partnership agreement with Kontur, an AI company in the U.S. to cooperate on all upcoming AI Smart City projects. The U.S.-based Kontur developed a "Mapping & Geospatial Data Solution" applied to smart cities, and also provides artificial intelligence data analysis and prediction solutions in response for natural disasters, which are increasing in scope and severity due to the overcrowded regions across the Earth.

Through the strategic partnership agreement, Kontur has agreed to cooperate as the leading technology partner for all smart city projects of Bloom Technology and also to appoint Locus Chain as the blockchain partner for all AI DATA solutions currently in service. Kontur currently supplies its technology to PDC (Pacific Disaster Center), an artificial intelligence big data analysis entity that provides disaster analysis prediction solutions to NGO and governments of over 70 different countries around the world, and has decided to co-develop various convenience solutions and technologies, necessary for smart city businesses where data authentication and effective data distribution is crucial, with Bloom technology's highly scalable blockchain.

The business partnership agreement between Bloom Technology and Kontur symbolizes the great significance of the companies entering the global AI smart city businesses, with plans to apply the next-generation blockchain Locus Chain to all smart city projects conducted by Kontur in the future.

Arben Kane, the CEO of Kontur, is an investor and advisor to several blockchain projects such as IOTA and BadgerDAO, and is acknowledged as an expert that leads the blockchain and AI industries.

Arben Kane said, "The technology that needs to be applied to the field of smart city must be a decentralized public blockchain that guarantees the highest scalability and performance, which is very rare to find. After reviewing several blockchain protocols around the world, I strongly believe 'Locus Chain' is the only solution that is stable and suitable for this project. The collaboration between Bloom Technology and Kontur will create an unprecedented ecosystem in unexplored blockchain territory." "With existing know-how and new technologies, we will definitely lead Bloom Technology's smart city project to success," he added, expressing his firm will and confidence.

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USA, New York 444 Madison Ave,

18th Floor, NY 10022

USA, Hawaii 1305 North Holopono St,

Ste 2 Kihei, HI 96753

Poland ul. Bitwy Warszawskiej

1920 r. 7, 02-366 Warszawa

Contact for PR:

misha@kontur.io

BLOOM TEHCNOLOGY :

Korea Office: RM 802, Pangyo Seven Venture Valley1 2dong, 15, Pangyo-ro 228beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (13487)

Contact for PR:

David Wang

david@bloomtechnology.co.kr

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/121529
CHICAGO, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a research report "Intelligent Process Automation Market with Covid-19 Impact Analysis by Component, Technology, Application, Business Function (IT, Finance & Accounts, and Human Resource), Deployment Mode, Organisation Size, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2027" published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Intelligent Process Automation Market size is expected to grow from USD 13.9 billion in 2022 to USD 21.1 billion by 2027, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.7% during the forecast period.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Intelligent Process Automation Market"

326 - Tables

51 - Figures

306 - Pages

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=23417145

Finance & Accounts segment to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

Automation is well-suited to finance & accounts. It reduces the strain that repetitive, low-value tasks put on human employees. Finance professionals can use IPA to assist with business decision-making, based on actionable insights derived from customer demographics, past transactional data, and external factors, all in real-time. It will enable accountants not just to look back but look forward with more clarity than ever before. Chatbots tackle everyday processes in the finance business function, freeing finance teams to finish their high-value work. IPA can help accountants be more productive and efficient. RPA enables machines or AI workers to complete repetitive, time-consuming tasks in business processes, such as document analysis and handling, which are plentiful in accounting. Once RPA is in place, the time accountants used to spend on these tasks gets available for more strategic and advisory work. IPA is a more sophisticated version of RPA. IPA can mimic human interaction in several cases, such as understanding inferred meaning in client communications and using historical data to adapt to an activity. There are multiple applications of RPA and IPA in accounting work.

Telecommunications and IT segment is expected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period

The telecommunications & IT industry is increasingly adopting intelligent process automation solutions to reduce operating costs and improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Benefits of IPA solutions include centralization and consolidation of request management systems for enhanced efficiency, improved transparency, and visibility for service functions; automation of Service Level Agreement (SLA) reporting; and reduction of manual efforts. The telecommunications & IT industry has benefited the most with advancements in technologies, such as 5G, IoT, AI, and ML. The demand for expanding infrastructure and automating operations in the telecommunications & IT domain has increased as these technologies have progressed. CSPs are transforming themselves from traditional communication service providers to IP broadband, cloud, and IT platform providers with a focus on the business segment. The telecom industry has largely evolved with next-gen services, including high-speed internet, wireless, OTT/IPTV, IoT, hosted VoIP, and others. This, in turn, has led the telecom companies to control content and the channels through which it is consumed. This is driving the growth of automation testing solutions across the telecommunications & IT vertical. Organizations are shifting to digital ways to manage workloads, which has led to an unexpected surge in fixed and mobile network traffic and access demands. Telecom network operators are needed to address this unprecedented situation to fulfill the increased networking requirements of customers globally.

Speak to Analyst: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=23417145

Latin America region to record the highest CAGR in the Intelligent Process Automation Market

The IPA market size in Latin America is small; the challenge is not a lack of jobs, but a shortage of qualified, skilled experts. The most significant challenges to the adoption of AI are the quality of education systems and weak research & innovation ecosystems at regional levels. In the coming years, it would be increasingly important for healthcare providers to be able to attract and retain top-tier talent. Hence, it is time for Latin American policymakers to pay attention to the potential impacts of AI technologies, especially on education and healthcare verticals, which are the largest employers in the region. The startup setup landscape in the region has evolved in the last few years due to public and private investments, major infrastructure projects, and entrepreneurial environment. The adoption of IPA business functions and services is still in its nascent phase in Latin America. The rapid growth of telecom, BFSI, oil & gas, and manufacturing industry verticals shows a significant adoption of technologically advanced IPA solutions. Latin America has witnessed a low technology adoption rate as compared to other regions.

Key Players:

Key and innovative vendors in the Intelligent Process Automation Market are Atos (France), IBM (US), Genpact (US), HCL Technologies (India), Pegasystems (US), Blue Prism (UK), Capgemini (France), CGI (Canada), Nice (Israel), Cognizant (US), Infobip (England), Accenture (Ireland), Infosys (India), TCS (India), Tech Mahindra (India), UIPath (US), Wipro (India), Xerox (US), Happiest Minds (India), WorkFusion (US), Automation Anywhere (US), Virtual Operations (UK), Hive (US), HyperScience (US), Laiye (China), Cognigy (Germany), Jiffy.ai (US), Infinitus (US), ElectroNeek (US), Snorkel AI (US), Vianai (US), Kryon (Israel), Rossom (UK), Autologyx (UK), Automation Edge (US).

Browse Adjacent Markets: Digitalization & IoT Research Reports & Consulting

Related Reports:

Business Process Automation Market by Component, Deployment Type, Organization Size, Business Function (Sales and Marketing, HR, Accounting and Finance, Supply Chain, Customer Service Support) Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026

Artificial Intelligence Market by Offering (Hardware, Software, Services), Technology (Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing), Deployment Mode, Organization Size, Business Function (Law, Security), Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026

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LONDON, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BAE Systems and distributed computing specialists Hadean will work together to develop next generation training for the military forces of tomorrow.

Under a Memorandum of Understanding signed this week at IT2EC 2022, BAE Systems will combine its expertise in military training with Hadean's technology to power a single synthetic environment, enabling air, land, sea, space and cyber forces to plug in to train collectively.

This would allow military forces to regularly and securely train in a virtual world as they would in the real world, using real software and tactics, without the challenges of live collective training.

Andy Kendall, Director of Training Strategy, BAE Systems - Air, said: "We are really excited to be collaborating with Hadean who are one of the world's leaders in harnessing the power of computational technology.

"By combining Hadean's computing expertise with BAE Systems' intimate understanding of our customer built on decades of working with the world's leading militaries, we believe we can prove the benefits of this technology and deliver real advantage to training systems of the future.

"The battlespace our customers are operating in is changing rapidly so we need to change with it and by partnering with agile companies like Hadean and others we can meet this challenge."

Craig Beddis, CEO and co-founder of Hadean, said: "In the current climate, the demand for data and technical superiority has never felt more pertinent.

"Our new partnership with BAE Systems represents a key milestone in digital transformation, where governments and militaries will be able to leverage our joint solutions to take advantage of the latest emerging spatial computing technologies to maximise their mission preparedness.

"Siloed, legacy training simulations will be overcome through Hadean's scalable infrastructure and BAE Systems' experience to achieve massive, cross-domain synthetic environments that truly represent the complexity of modern battle spaces."

The initial proof of concept delivered by BAE Systems and Hadean will see them integrate multi-domain synthetic environments to enable complex collective training scenarios in a secure environment whilst leveraging data analytics and insights to improve the training capability and output.

Both companies are attending IT2EC 2022, a leading showcase for training, simulation and education technologies, taking place in London this week.

Notes to Editors

About Hadean

Founded in 2015, Hadean are a venture backed startup, reimagining distributed, spatial and scalable computing for web3 and the metaverse. The distributed cloud platform provides the foundations of web3 applications for the metaverse, enterprise organisations and the defence sector. Customers include CAE, Microsoft, Minecraft, the Francis Crick Institute and Cervus.

Hadean are exhibiting at IT2EC. Stop by booth F14 to find out more.

www.hadean.com

About BAE Systems

At BAE Systems, our people provide decades of experience working with our customers across the globe to deliver and evolve training to meet their current and operational requirements.

Today we work throughout the training pipeline from the classroom, synthetic and live environments to deliver next generation effects-led training; producing the right skills to meet current and future operational requirements.

From the outset our approach is a partnership; we work to develop an intimate understanding of our customers' requirements and collaborate with our partners and suppliers to provide the best training services to meet their needs.

BAE Systems is exhibiting at IT2EC 2022 (Stand B3) taking place at the ExCel in London between 26-28 April.

Media Contact:

Hadean PR

Hadean@yourstorypr.com

+44(0)7867488769

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Changes in the composition of the Supervisory Board

Regulatory News:

The General Meeting of Publicis Groupe (Paris:PUB) [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40] will be held in person on May 25, 2022 at 10 a.m. at the Cinema Publicis.

It is the return to "normal" after the constraints imposed by the pandemic.

As is customary, the shareholders will be asked to vote on the various resolutions regarding the Group's business and financial results. On this occasion, changes in the composition of the Supervisory Board will also be put to a vote by the shareholders.

As the mandates of Mrs. Elisabeth Badinter and Mrs. Cherie Nursalim will expire at the end of the 2022 General Meeting, based on the recommendation of the Nominating Committee and the decision of the Supervisory Board, the shareholders' vote is requested

on the renewal of the term of office of Mrs. Elisabeth Badinter for a duration of four years, on the one hand,

and on the appointment of Mr. Tidjane Thiam as a new member of the Supervisory Board, for a four-year term of office, on the other hand,

The Supervisory Board recommends the reappointment of Mrs. Elisabeth Badinter who, throughout her terms of office, has provided unfailing support for the development and consolidation of the Group's activities.

The Supervisory Board wanted to express its warm thanks and appreciation to Mrs. Cherie Nursalim for her valuable contribution to the work of the Board and the Committees in which she participated throughout her term of office.

The Supervisory Board wishes to further strengthen the international dimension and the diversity of experiences and skills in its composition. It therefore unanimously decided, on the recommendation of the Nominating Committee, to submit to the vote of the Shareholders' Meeting the appointment of Mr. Tidjane Thiam, whose skills and previous experience as the head of major financial groups such as Prudential or Credit Suisse and initiator of major projects, particularly in China and Africa, will be a valuable contribution to the Group.

Born in 1962, Mr. Tidjane Thiam of French and Ivorian nationality. He is a graduate of the Ecole polytechnique and the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Mines of Paris, and holds a MBA from INSEAD. Mr. Tidjane Thiam worked for ten years with the strategy consulting firm McKinsey, where he was a Partner. Between 1994 and 1999, Mr. Tidjane Thiam joined Cote d'Ivoire as Director General of the BNETD (Bureau national d'etudes techniques et de developpement) and as the country's representative to the IMF and the World Bank. He led some of the largest privatisation and infrastructure projects in emerging countries.

He then held various management positions at Aviva in London from 2002 to 2007, including Managing Director Europe. He was also CEO of Prudential from 2009 to 2015 after having been its CFO from 2007 to 2009. From 2012 to 2014, he was Chairman of the Board of the Association of British Insurers. Then, Mr. Tidjane Thiam served as CEO of Credit Suisse from 2015 to 2020 where he implemented a three-year restructuring programme, recognised by Euromoney which named Mr. Tidjane Thiam "Banker of the Year" in 2019.

Mr. Tidjane Thiam is a member of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism and of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Since June 2020, he is a director of Kering, where he chairs the Audit Committee. And since November 2020, he has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rwanda Finance, in charge of promoting Rwanda as an international financial centre.

The Supervisory Board has also decided, on the proposal of the Management Board, to submit to the vote of its shareholders a dividend of 2.40 euros per share (corresponding to a payout ratio of 47,8%) for fiscal year 2021, to be paid in full in cash. The ex-dividend date will be July 4, 2022 and the dividend will be paid on July 6, 2022.

The Universal Registration Document of Publicis Groupe S.A. for 2021 was filed with the Autorite des Marches Financiers on April 25, 2022. It is available to the public under the conditions provided for by the regulations in force and can be consulted and downloaded from the Company's website www.publicisgroupe.com, and on the website of the Autorite des Marches Financiers (www.amf-france.org).

This Universal Registration Document includes the 2021 annual financial report, the Management Board's report, the corporate governance report and the statutory auditors' reports.

About Publicis Groupe The Power of One

Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40] is a global leader in communication. The Groupe is positioned at every step of the value chain, from consulting to execution, combining marketing transformation and digital business transformation. Publicis Groupe is a privileged partner in its clients' transformation to enhance personalization at scale. The Groupe relies on ten expertise concentrated within four main activities: Communication, Media, Data and Technology. Through a unified and fluid organization, its clients have a facilitated access to all its expertise in every market. Present in over 100 countries, Publicis Groupe employs around 90,000 professionals.

www.publicisgroupe.com Twitter: @PublicisGroupe Facebook LinkedIn YouTube Viva la Difference!

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220425005934/en/

Contacts:

Delphine Stricker

Directrice de la communication

+ 33 (0)6 38 81 40 00

delphine.stricker@publicisgroupe.com

Clarisse Fort-Hallereau

Responsable communication

+ 33 (0)6 33 50 05 74

clarisse.forthallereau@publicisgroupe.com

Alessandra Girolami

Relations Investisseurs

+ 33 (0)1 44 43 77 88

alessandra.girolami@publicisgroupe.com

Clemence Vermersch

Relations Investisseurs

+ 33 (0)1 44 43 72 17

clemence.vermersch@publicisgroupe.com
Aircraft Is First of Two Freighters on Lease to Lessor's Launch Customer, Mexico-based Cargo Carrier mas

CDB Aviation, a wholly owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co., Limited ("CDB Leasing"), today took delivery of the first freighter aircraft in the lessor's history, an A330-300 passenger-to-freighter ("A330 P2F").

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220418005398/en/

During a handover ceremony held at Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH's facility in Dresden, Germany, CDB Aviation's first A330-300 passenger-to-freighter ("A330 P2F") was delivered to Mexico-based cargo carrier mas, the lessor's launch customer for the aircraft type. (Photo: Business Wire)

The aircraft was converted by Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH ("EFW") and is the first of two A330 P2Fs leased to the lessor's launch customer, Mexico-based cargo carrier, mas. The carrier is expected to take delivery of the second aircraft in May.

"This is an important and historic day for CDB Aviation as we see the fruit of two years of intense work and collaboration, culminating in the delivery of our very first A330 P2F since we made the strategic entry into freighter aircraft leasing," asserted Patrick Hannigan, CDB Aviation's Chief Executive Officer. "We are grateful to the mas team for trusting CDB Aviation to be a partner in supporting their innovative fleet strategy and for being our very first A330P2F customer."

Luis Sierra, mas' Chief Executive Officer, remarked: "We feel honored that CDB Aviation trusted mas to be its first A330 P2F customer. For us, operating the -300 variant will open amazing opportunities in regional markets where there is a need for highly reliable aircraft, providing enough volume. Working together on this process was amazing, and we are already looking at ways to do more business with the CDB Aviation team."

"We are glad about the in-time, in-quality re-delivery of the first A330P2F to our customer CDB Aviation. With this first of many more to come conversions we proved meeting customer expectations in these very challenging times," commented Jordi Boto, Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH's Chief Executive Officer.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, beliefs or opinions, including with respect to CDB Aviation's business, financial condition, results of operations or plans. CDB Aviation cautions readers that no forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future performance and that actual results or other financial condition or performance measures could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate only to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements sometimes use words such as "may", "will", "seek", "continue", "aim", "anticipate", "target", "projected", "expect", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "goal", "believe", "achieve" or other terminology or words of similar or analogous meaning. These statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of CDB Aviation's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results and we do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, we do not undertake any obligation to, and will not, update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About mas

Aerotransportes Mas de Carga, SA de CV (formerly MasAir Cargo Airline and now dba as mas), is a cargo airline based in Mexico City that has been operating cargo aircraft since 1992, operating a fleet of Boeing 767s and Airbus330s. As an IATA member, mas holds IOSA, ISAGO, TCO-EASA and IATA CEIV Pharma certifications. Since December 2018, mas has launched an ambitious expansion plan under a new ownership and management structure, with Discovery Americas, a leading private equity fund in Mexico, as majority shareholder. mas has a scheduled and charter network spanning the Americas and is now expanding its new ACMI division with additional cargo aircraft. www.masair.com

About CDB Aviation

CDB Aviation is a wholly owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co., Limited ("CDB Leasing"), a 36-year-old Chinese leasing company that is backed mainly by the China Development Bank. CDB Aviation is rated Investment Grade by Moody's (A2), S&P Global (A), and Fitch (A+). China Development Bank is under the direct jurisdiction of the State Council of China and is the world's largest development finance institution. It is also the largest Chinese bank for foreign investment and financing cooperation, long-term lending and bond issuance, enjoying Chinese sovereign credit rating.

CDB Leasing is the only leasing arm of the China Development Bank and a leading company in China's leasing industry that has been engaged in aircraft, infrastructure, ship, commercial vehicle and construction machinery leasing and enjoys a Chinese sovereign credit rating. It took an important step in July 2016 to globalize and marketize its business listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX STOCK CODE: 1606). www.CDBAviation.aero

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220418005398/en/

Contacts:

Paul Thibeau

Paul.THIBEAU@CDBAviation.aero; +1 612 594 9844
Nuclear industry leader signs 12 Polish companies to MOU for future work

WARSAW, Poland, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bechtel, a trusted leader in engineering, construction, and project management, today signed Memoranda of Understanding with 12 Polish companies for the potential development of two new civil nuclear power plants as that nation seeks to transition to cleaner energy sources while retaining its independence. The MOUs were signed during a ceremony at the U.S. ambassador's residence in Warsaw.

The companies provide services ranging from earthwork and infrastructure construction to concrete, tunnelling, electrical installations, and heavy cranes.

"Construction of these power plants would require Polish expertise and thousands of skilled, Polish workers," said Ahmet Tokpinar, general manager of Bechtel's Nuclear Power business line. "As the EPC partner for these projects, Bechtel intends to join with a large number of Polish companies as key members of our subcontracting team. Now is the time to identify these future partners in the supply chain."

U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski said, "This signals another important step forward in a project that will bring our countries even closer together over a 100-year partnership. The U.S. Embassy in Poland is pleased to support Bechtel and Westinghouse as they select local Polish suppliers for this strategic project."

Bechtel and Westinghouse Electric Company are jointly preparing a front-end engineering design for the government's consideration for a three-reactor plant on the Baltic Sea coast. The plant, using Westinghouse AP1000 reactors, would be Poland's first civil nuclear power plant.

The first 12 companies signing the MOUs include some of Poland's largest and leading firms in heavy construction and engineering:

BAKS - Electrical cable route manufacturing.

Budimex - General contractor in infrastructure sectors: road, rail, airport; building construction, energy, industrial and environmental.

Doraco - General contractor, construction, tunnelling, and assembly.

Energoprojekt - Katowice SA - Engineering for power, chemical, petrochemical, and industrial installations.

Hitachi Energy Poland - Manufacture of transformers, high voltage products, enterprise software, and substation automation systems

ILF - Engineering of industrial and infrastructure projects

KB Pomorze - Engineering, procurement, construction of refineries, petrochemical plants, handling and storage terminals

Mostostal Warzsawa - General contractor across all sectors

Polimex Mostostal - General contractor and engineering in the energy, petrochemical, and environmental protection sectors.

Protea Group - Cranes, lifting, and handling equipment

Vistal Gdynia S.A. - Stell fabrication and module assembly

Zarmen - Electrical installations, manufacture of power equipment

More agreements will follow in the future.

Bechtel and Westinghouse bring hands-on expertise to nuclear construction. Bechtel has built or serviced more than 80 reactors in the U.S. and 150 worldwide in all major designs. Bechtel is currently completing construction of the only nuclear power plant expansion underway in the United States, at Plant Vogtle in the state of Georgia. That two-unit expansion also employs Westinghouse AP1000 reactors.

About Bechtel:

Bechtel is a trusted engineering, construction and project management partner to industry and government. Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers' objectives to create a lasting positive impact. Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world's infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place.

Bechtel serves the Infrastructure; Nuclear, Security & Environmental; Oil, Gas & Chemicals; and Mining & Metals markets. Our services span from initial planning and investment, through start-up and operations. www.Bechtel.com

Media contact:

Fred deSousa

tfdesous@bechtel.com

tel. +1 703-429-6435

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Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 25, 2022) - Parkit Enterprise Inc. (TSXV: PKT) ("Parkit"), has agreed to acquire three industrial assets from three vendor groups (collectively, the "Vendors") for an aggregate purchase price of $40,280,000, subject to customary adjustments (the "Acquisitions"). Two of the Acquisitions are arm's length and one is non-arm's length with SRS Realty Group Inc. ("SRS"), a company wholly owned by Steven Scott, a director and chair of Parkit, as the Vendor (the "Related Party Acquisition"). It is anticipated that the Acquisitions will close in Q2 2022.

The Acquisitions total 139,704 square feet on 13.8 acres of land in Burlington and Ottawa, Ontario.

Purchase Price and Payment

The aggregate purchase price for the arm's length Acquisitions is $23,780,000, subject to adjustments, and is payable by the assumption of a mortgages and new mortgage financing of up to $11,400,000 with the remainder of the aggregate purchase price being paid with funds on hand.

The aggregate purchase price for the non-arm's length Acquisition is $16,500,000, subject to adjustments, and is payable by the assumption of a mortgage of approximately $4,500,000, by the issuance of up to approximately $8,000,000 of Parkit common shares based on an agreed upon VWAP ending three days prior to closing, and the remainder of the aggregate purchase price being paid with funds on hand.

Iqbal Khan, CEO of Parkit, states, "These acquisitions continue Parkit's momentum by adding three high quality assets to our core markets. The acquisitions provide in-place cash flows with the ability to expand on excess land."

Conditions Precedent to the Acquisitions

The obligations of Parkit to complete the Acquisitions are subject to conditions including, but not limited to: satisfactory due diligence, mortgage assumption approvals and satisfactory environmental site assessment reports. The obligations of both Parkit and the Vendors to complete the closing of the Acquisitions are subject to the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions and include, for the Related Party Acquisition, acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"). None of the three Vendor group Acquisitions are conditional or contingent on the completion of the other Acquisitions.

Exemption from MI 61-101 and TSXV Policy 5.9

As SRS is a non-arm's length party to Parkit, the Related Party Acquisition is considered a "related party transaction" under MI 61-101 - "Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions" and TSXV Policy 5.9. Parkit will rely on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 and TSXV Policy 5.9, in respect of the Related Party Acquisition pursuant to Section 5.5(b) (Issuer Not Listed on Specified Markets) and Section 5.7(a) (Fair Market Value Not More Than 25% of Market Capitalization) of MI 61-101, respectively.

Other Information

There can be no assurance that the Acquisitions will be completed as proposed or at all. The TSXV has in no way passed upon the merits of the Acquisitions and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. No new insiders will be created, nor will any change of control occur, as a result of the Acquisitions.

About Parkit Enterprise Inc.

Parkit is an industrial real estate platform focused on the acquisition, growth and management of strategically located industrial properties across key markets in Canada, with a focus on the Greater Toronto Area+ ("GTA+"), Ottawa and Montreal, to complement its parking assets across the United States. Parkit's Common Shares are listed on TSX-V (Symbol: PKT).

For more information, please contact Mr. Carey Chow, Mr. Iqbal Khan or Mr. Steven Scott:

Investor Relations

Contact Number: 1-888-627-9881

Email: ir@parkitenterprise.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein is forward-looking information. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information in relation to: statements regarding the proposed Acquisitions, including the closing and the timing thereof, the method of payment for the proposed Acquisitions, including the issuance of Parkit common shares, mortgage assumption and new mortgage financing, and the satisfaction of conditions in relation to the proposed Acquisitions, including TSXV acceptance of the Related Party Transaction; and Parkit's strategy and focus regarding acquiring high-quality and strategically located industrial properties with a focus on the GTA+, Ottawa and Montreal. This forward-looking information reflects Parkit's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Parkit and on assumptions Parkit believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to: the completion of satisfactory due diligence by Parkit in relation to the proposed Acquisitions; execution of purchase agreements for certain of the proposed Acquisitions; the satisfactory fulfilment of all of the conditions precedent to the proposed Acquisitions including satisfactory due diligence, mortgage assumption approvals, obtaining estoppel certificates and satisfactory environmental site assessment reports; the receipt of all required approvals for the proposed Acquisitions , including TSXV acceptance and any board approvals or third party consents (including for mortgage assumptions); the issuance of Parkit common shares as disclosed above as part of the purchase price for certain of the proposed Acquisitions; market acceptance of the proposed Acquisitions; the receipt of, and accuracy of the value of, appraisals received for the proposed Acquisitions; the level of activity in the industrial real estate business and the economy generally; consumer interest in Parkit's services and products; and Parkit's continued response and ability to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic being consistent with, or better than, its ability and response to date . Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks, uncertainties, and 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; delay or failure to receive board of directors, third party or regulatory approvals; the actual results of Parkit's future operations; competition; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation, affecting Parkit; the timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; conclusions of economic evaluations and appraisals; lack of qualified, skilled labour or loss of key individuals; risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic including various recommendations, orders and measures of governmental authorities to try to limit the pandemic, including travel restrictions, border closures, non- essential business closures, service disruptions, quarantines, self-isolations, shelters-in-place, social distancing and mandatory vaccination policies, 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 the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic may have on Parkit which may include: a short-term delay in payments from customers, an increase in accounts receivable and an increase of losses on accounts receivable; decreased demand for the services that Parkit offers; and a deterioration of financial markets that could limit Parkit's ability to obtain external financing. A description of additional risk factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking information can be found in Parkit's disclosure documents on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Although Parkit 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 risks, uncertainties and factors is not exhaustive. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. 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. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. 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 Parkit as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. However, Parkit 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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/121614
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 25, 2022) - Centaurus Energy Inc. (TSXV: CTA) ("Centaurus" or the "Corporation") provides this default announcement indicating Centaurus's anticipated failure to file its annual financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021 and related management discussion and analysis and certifications (collectively, the "Financial Statements") before the prescribed filing deadlines.

The Corporation's failure to file its Financial Statements on time is due to the following circumstances:

During the last occurring financial year, the Corporation has engaged in (i) the sale of its most valuable asset, (ii) the negotiation and retirement of its largest and most complex liability and (iii) the sale of its remaining Argentine operations. The transactions consumed most of the Corporation's attention and resources, leading to a delay in the commencement of the Corporation's audit procedures.





In April 2021, the Corporation announced an agreement to sell its most valuable asset in exchange for forgiveness of debt and an overriding royalty interest emanating from the same asset.





In October 2021, the Corporation announced an agreement to settle and retire its largest and most complex liability, which enabled the closing of the aforementioned asset sale. The asset sale and the liability settlement finally closed in late March 2022.





In connection with the sale of the Corporation's Argentine operations, in March 2021, the Corporation was notified by its purchaser of termination of the purchase agreement. Since March 2021, the Corporation has been in diligence and negotiations with alternative purchasers. In September 2021, the Corporation announced a new sale, which is conditional on the closing of the transactions described in the preceding paragraphs.

As stated above, the Corporation's operations are located in Argentina. Due to COVID-19 restrictions in Argentina, the Corporation's auditors were unable to access the operations sites of the Corporation for the purposes of the audit.





Beginning on March 20, 2020, in Argentina, places of business and offices were closed and free circulation for business purposes was prohibited pursuant to Federal Government Decree. Such Decree was amended and extended numerous times, culminating with Decree 235/21, which was issued on August 4, 2021. Even for those activities that were granted a special permit for being considered essential, it was strongly recommended that activities that be carried out by teleworking, avoiding in-person work.





Only on October 1, 2021, was the gradual return to offices and place-of-work permitted and even then, under broad guidelines. The Government charged each enterprise with developing appropriate and specific protocol.





The year-end holidays of 2021 registered a spike in COVID-19 cases in Argentina, which restored previous preventive measures, including home office modality.

In consideration of the foregoing factors, it is Centaurus's submission that the present circumstances warrant the imposition of a Management CTO, rather than a CTO, as contemplated under National Policy 12-203 - Cease Trade Order Orders for Continuous Disclosure Defaults ("NP 12-203").

Centaurus's Financial Statements are required to be filed on or before June 30, 2022. Centaurus's failure to file by June 30, 2022 may result in the securities commissions or regulators imposing an Issuer Cease Trade Order.

Centaurus fully expects to file its Financial Statements on or before June 30, 2022 as prescribed by NP 12-203. Further, Centaurus confirms that it intends to satisfy the requirements to provide Default Status Reports as prescribed by NP 12-203 so long as it remains in default of its requirements to file its Financial Statements within the prescribed period of time. Should Centaurus fail to file the appropriate Default Status Reports as prescribed by NP 12-203, the securities commissions or regulators may, as a result of such failure, impose an Issuer Cease Trade Order.

Centaurus confirms that there are no insolvency proceedings against the Corporation as of the date herein. Centaurus also confirms that there is no other material information concerning the affairs of Centaurus that have not been generally disclosed as of the date herein.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

David Tawil, Interim Chief Executive Officer

email: info@ctaurus.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/121615
TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - South Korea will on Tuesday release an advance estimate for Q1 GDP, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. GDP is expected to rise 0.6 percent on quarter and 2.8 percent on year after gaining 1.2 percent on quarter and 4.2 percent on year in the three months prior. Japan will provide March figures for unemployment, with the jobless rate expected to hold steady at 2.7 percent. The jobs-to-applicant ratio is expected to tick up to 1.22 from 1.21 in February. New Zealand will see March numbers for credit card spending; in February, card spending was up 1.0 percent on year. Singapore will release March figures for industrial production, with forecasts suggesting a decline of 3.9 percent on month and an increase of 3.5 percent on year. That follows the 16.6 percent monthly surge and the 17.6 percent yearly jump in February. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Around 100 journalists from 60 countries gathered in Seoul Monday to discuss self-regulatory activities of the media and effective fact-checking systems at the World Journalists Conference 2022, hosted by the Journalists Association of Korea. Courtesy of Journalists Association of Korea



By Lee Hyo-jin



Around 100 journalists from 60 countries gathered in Seoul Monday to discuss self-regulatory activities of the media and effective fact-checking systems at the World Journalists Conference 2022, hosted by the Journalists Association of Korea (JAK).



The conference, which kicked off Sunday for a three-day run, was held in a hybrid format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Overseas journalists were invited to participate online, while Korean journalists and foreign correspondents joined offline at the Korea Press Center in Seoul.



Since 2013, the annual event has gathered journalists from around the world to discuss a variety of media-related and other pending issues, becoming one of the major journalism events worldwide.



This year's event was held under two themes: "Current status of fact-checking by global journalism and the operation of media's self-regulatory organization" and "A society changed by journalism," looking into each country's best practices in journalism that have brought changes to their respective society.



"We may have differences in country of origin, gender, ethnicity and ideology, but we all have one thing in common. We all work hard for freedom and peace by spreading the truth with cool heads but warm hearts," JAK President Kim Dong-hoon said in his opening remarks.



He expressed regrets that the event has been held online for three consecutive years due to the pandemic, saying, "Once the COVID-19 situation recedes, I would like to invite you all to Korea to show our beautiful traditional culture and the lifestyle of peace-loving Koreans."



Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said in his congratulatory message that the World Journalists Conference has played a vital role for the past decade in bringing journalists around the world together and sharing their ideas on prominent global issues.



"In particular, for the past two years, under the COVID-19 crisis, journalists have played a critical role in protecting people's lives by sharing news about quarantine policies and pandemic experiences of each country. I hope all participants of today's conference will pave the way to create a 'healthy community' by sharing your knowledge under the spirit of solidarity and cooperation," he said.





Participants attend World Journalists Conference 2022, hosted by the Journalists Association of Korea at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Journalists Association of Korea
Enervee, a Los Angeles, CA-based provider of a marketplace for energy products, raised $35M in funding.

The round was led by Kerogen Capital and J.P. Morgan.

The company intends to use the funds to grow its e-commerce and data platform offerings and the further build-out its team.

Led by Matthias Kurwig, Enervee is a climate tech company that combines data science, behavioral science, and digital marketing to drive energy-related buying decisions across dozens of consumer product categories.

With the launch of Enervee Commerce featuring retail partners like Best Buy and offering Eco Financing with government support in California and New York, the company simplifies the purchase transaction, instantly deducts utility and government incentives, and provides inclusive and affordable online financing.

FinSMEs

25/04/2022
MitoRx Therapeutics, an Oxford, England, UK-based biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics that reverse mitochondrial dysfunction to arrest the progression of degenerative diseases, closed its seed financing.

The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Backers included the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund, Wren Capital, Longevitytech.fund, The Fink Family Office, the Science Angel Syndicate Network, Oxford Technology Management, as well as angel investors.

The company intends to use the funds for pre-clinical proof-of-concept platform development and explore research collaborations and partnerships.

The company also announces the appointment of Glyn Edwards MBE as Chair, who brings specialist industry experience developing therapeutics for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and progressing these to late-stage clinical trials.

Led by academic founder, and CSO, Prof Matt Whiteman of the University of Exeter, Dr Norman Law, Co-founder, and Dr. Jon Rees, CEO, MitoRx is a global developer of medicines arresting the progression of degenerative diseases driven by mitochondrial dysfunction. The preclinical research stage biotechnology company is developing its first-in-class, orally delivered, mitochondrial protective therapeutics targeting rare neuromuscular disorders, rare metabolic diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases.

FinSMEs

25/04/2022




Korea on Monday conferred state decorations and citations on 15 military officers for their participation in last year's humanitarian mission to rescue nearly 400 Afghan coworkers and family members.







Defense Minister Suh Wook presented the awards to them and praised their successful completion of "Operation Miracle" under which they brought to Korea the Afghans that had faced Taliban threats for having supported Korea's operations.







The awardees included Air Force Maj. Yang Jin-woo, the pilot of a C-130J transport plane mobilized for the mission, and Army Col. Chang Se-geun who led the on-the-ground operation. Yang received an order of national security merit while Chang got a national security medal.







During the awarding ceremony, the minister said that the rescue operation highlighted the importance of "strong power" needed to protect the nation and its citizens.







"The duty of the military is to do its utmost by establishing strong security and a robust defense posture so as to ensure citizens can rest assured and lead their day-to-day lives in peace," he was quoted as saying. (Yonhap)






Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
Yoon's spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin speaks during a press briefing in Seoul, April 25. Yonhap



President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol urged lawmakers Monday to pool their wisdom over a controversial bill aimed at reducing the prosecution's investigative powers, his spokesperson said.



Yoon's remark could be seen as a rejection of last Friday's compromise deal under which the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and his main opposition People Power Party (PPP) agreed to curtail the prosecution's investigation right to two types of crime  corruption and economic  before removing it completely.



Yoon "urged the entire political circle to reflect deeply on the right answer when it comes to defending the values of the Constitution and protecting the people's lives, and to pool their wisdom," Bae Hyun-jin, his spokesperson, said during a press briefing.



When asked if Yoon was rejecting the compromise deal, Bae simply said Yoon was watching the discussions at the National Assembly unfold.



"I believe the Democratic Party is also well aware of the deep concerns the majority of the people have regarding (the push to strip the prosecution of its investigative powers)," she said. "No politics can win against the people. And I believe the majority ruling party will not press ahead with legislation in the midst of people's concerns."



Yoon's stance has been closely watched as the president-elect is a former prosecutor general who quit his post last year in protest of the current administration's push to strip the prosecution of its investigative powers in the name of reform.



Since Yoon's election last month, the DPK has pushed to use its majority in the National Assembly to pass the necessary amendments to the Prosecutors' Office Act and the Criminal Procedure Act, and to get them signed into law before Yoon could get a chance to veto them after taking office May 10.



In the face of fierce opposition from the PPP and the prosecution, National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug brokered a compromise deal, and both the DPK and the PPP accepted it with the aim of passing it through the National Assembly later this week.



But the compromise deal also came under criticism, with some PPP-affiliated officials especially denouncing the removal of the prosecution's right to investigate elected and public officials.



The DPK has argued the reform measures are necessary to address longstanding concerns about the prosecution's abuse of power for political and other purposes.



Opponents claim it would run counter to the Constitution and hurt ordinary people while protecting members of the outgoing Moon Jae-in administration from potential criminal investigations.



In addition to reducing the number of crime types that the prosecution is allowed to investigate, the compromise deal calls for eventually scrapping the prosecution's investigative power after the capabilities of other investigative authorities improve.



It also calls for creating a special judiciary reform committee to discuss the establishment of a major crime investigative unit such as the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. (Yonhap)




People Power Party (PPP) floor leader Kweon Seong-dong, left, speaks during the party's supreme council meeting at the National Assembly, Monday. Sitting next to him is PPP Chairman Lee Jun-seok. Joint Press Corps



President-elect expresses opposition indirectly



By Nam Hyun-woo



The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has unilaterally withdrawn its endorsement of the compromise version of a controversial prosecutorial reform bill it had agreed to previously with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). The prosecutorial reform bill is aimed at stopping prosecutors from investigating crime cases involving corruption, economic affairs, government employees, elections, the defense industry and large-scale incidents that take the lives of many people.



During the party's supreme council meeting, PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong said that people were particularly worried about sections of the bill that would restrict prosecutors from investigating election crimes and crimes involving public servants. The ruling and opposition parties need to sit down again to discuss the matter and consider the public's worries over the bill, he said.



The move came just days after the PPP and the DPK agreed on the draft bill proposed by National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, which was seen as an exit to their month-long confrontation over the DPK's efforts to strip the prosecution of its investigative powers.



According to the compromise version, it strips the prosecution of the powers to open investigations in four out of six major crimes categories within four months from the time when the bill is passed in the Assembly. For the two other categories, corruption and economic crimes, prosecutors will lose their investigative powers after the establishment of an investigative agency similar to the FBI in the U.S.



The compromise plan, however, has drawn a severe backlash from the prosecution and the PPP.









President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol indirectly expressed his concerns over the bill.



"President-elect Yoon asked politicians to think seriously about constitutional values and people's livelihoods, and then collect their wisdom," Yoon's spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin said Monday.



Bae said Yoon is unable to express his opinion on the issue from a partisan perspective, but added that "politics cannot beat the public" and that Yoon believes "the massive ruling party (the DPK) will not force through legislation while ignoring public concerns."





Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of the presidential transition committee, enters the committee's office in Jongno District, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
Tokyo, April 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global hydropower generation market size was valued at US$ 219.14 billion in 2021. There are no hazardous chemicals, such as greenhouse gases, released during the hydropower generation process. Over the forecast period, this aspect will boost the worldwide hydropower generation market's growth. Hydropower generation is a viable long-term and short-term energy generation alternative. Hydro power is also considered to be a cost-effective and efficient source of energy.



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Hydropower can be used for a variety of purposes, including agricultural and recreational activities. Furthermore, the government is aggressively investing in energy projects, supporting the worldwide hydropower generation industry. The hydropower generating industry is expected to rise as a result of technological advancements and the adoption of new technologies.

Report Scope Details Market Size in 2021 USD 219.14 Billion CAGR 5.1% from 2022 to 2030 Small Hydro Power Plant (Up to 1MW)

Medium Hydro Power Plant (1MW - 10MW)

Large Hydro Power Plant (Above 10MW) Commercial

Industrial

Residential By Region North America

Europe

APAC

Latin America

MEA

Report Highlights

On the basis of capacity, large hydro power segment holds the largest market share in the global hydropower generation market. A hydro power facility with a capacity of more than 10 MW is referred to as a large hydro power plant. The large hydro power facilities create electricity that can be stored for a long time. The low-cost operation and maintenance are required for this type of plant. The segments growth is aided by an increase in the number of hydro powers producing projects.





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Regional Snapshot

Europe is the largest segment for hydropower generation market in terms of region.The UK. is dominating the hydropower generation market in the Europe region. The growth of the hydropower generation business in the region is being fueled by tough and advantageous government regulations imposed by the European Union and government. Rapid urbanization and industrialization are driving up hydropower generation needs in Europe.

Asia-Pacific region is the fastest growing region in the hydropower generation market.In order to establish hydropower plants in undeveloped areas, government agencies are partnering with local stakeholders. Furthermore, the government is extensively investing in hydropower and energy generation projects in the region, which is fueling the expansion of the hydropower generation industry. As a result of all of the aforementioned causes, the hydropower generation market in the Asia-Pacific area is expanding.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Surge indemand for electricity

The demand for electricity is rising at a rapid pace especially in developing and underdeveloped regions. As per the statistics issued by International Energy Agency (IEA), the demand for electricity has increased over a period of time. The electricity is being generated with the help of renewable energy sources. The hydro power is one among them, which is very efficient in nature. As a result, surge in demand for electricity is driving the growth of the global hydropower generation market over the forecast period.

Restraints

High capital investments for hydropower generation plants

To set up the hydro power generation plants, lots of resources are required. Some of these resources are quite expensive in nature. The plant set up requires land and this land should be mostly river side. For this, the government approval is mandatory. Sometimes this also requires good amount of money. In addition, labor cost is also added to the overhead cost of the plant. As a result, high capital investments for hydropower generation plants are hindering the growth of the global hydropower generation market.

Opportunities

Growing government initiatives

The government of various nations has understood the importance and necessity of power generation. For this, they are constantly taking efforts by collaborating and partnering with power generating companies. Moreover, the government is also investing in energy projects on a large scale. Thus, growing government initiatives is creating new opportunities for the growth of the global hydropower generation market over the forecast period.

Challenges

Lack of resources to generate hydropower

The developing and underdeveloped regions face plenty of issues. One such issue is lack of resources for the power generation. These regions take help from other developed regions in terms of resources. The government also collaborate major industry players of developed nations for this. As a result, lack of resources is a major challenge for the growth of the global hydropower generation market.

Related Reports

Recent Developments

Isagen SA, a Columbian power provider received a contract to buy two 19.9 MW small hydro power plants in the Antioquia region in February 2021. Isagen is growing its non-conventional renewables footprint with this project, which has a total expenditure of roughly $ 194.8 million.

Artistic Milliners spent roughly $ 370 million in two river hydropower projects in Pakistan in March 2021. Artistic Hydro II and Hydro I, the companys hydro power projects will generate a total of 521 GWh per year.

As per the developer of Uzbekistans state hydropower, the Zarchobsmall hydro power plant was successfully commissioned in March 2021. The initiative is a part of Uzbekistans national energy policy, which calls for the country to produce all of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The project also plans to generate 5 gigawatts of solar energy, 3.8 gigawatts of hydropower, and 3 gigawatts of wind power.





Key Players

Andritz Hydro USA Inc.

GE Energy

CPFL Energia S.A.

Sinohydro Corporation

IHI Corporation

Alstom Hydro

China Hydroelectric Corporation

China Three Gorges Corporation

ABB Ltd.

Tata Power Corporation

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, April 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Miniaturization of integrated circuits and microchips elevated wafer production, and consistent growth of the semiconductors industry is anticipated to propel the adoption of EUV lithography into chip manufacturing across the globe. EUV lithography market is estimated for a staggering CAGR of 21.5% during the forecast period of 2022-2029.



Key Takeaways

The reduction of microchip sizes to incorporate them into shrinking semiconductors is one of the prime factors that resulted in the development of EUV lithography technology.

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, industrial IoT (IIoT), and autonomous driving has been driving the miniaturization of microchips, subsequently creating the need for EUV lithography in chip manufacturing.

Constant innovation, R&D, and retrofitting of installed systems to improve wafer production, are anticipated to remain key trends in the EUV lithography market.

Integrated device manufacturers (IDM) and foundries are projected to create the bulk of the demand for EUV lithography systems, as they are responsible for the majority of the microchip and integrated circuit (IC) demand across industries.

Acquisition of stakes in key technology-based companies to complement product development is anticipated to remain a prominent trend in the market.



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Currently, many IDMs and foundries are cautious in the adoption of EUV lithography in chip manufacturing, given the infancy of the technology and high upfront costs. However, with continuous innovation and R&D, products are expected to become more efficient and cheaper.

A list of Key Players Covered in the EUV Lithography Market are:

ASML

Nikon

Canon

Carl Zeiss

Toppan Printing

NTT Advanced Technology

Intel

Samsung

SK Hynix

Toshiba

TSMC

Global Foundries

Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/euv-lithography-market

EUV Lithography Market  A Monopoly

A single manufacturer leads the EUV lithography market. ASML is the sole manufacturer of EUV lithography systems in the world today and holds a monopoly in the market. The company is focused on acquiring stakes in key companies, which provide supporting technology for the manufacturing of EUV lithography systems. It is also engaged in collaborations with solution providers to help in the R&D and development of future generations of EUV lithography systems.

Will EUV Dominate Lithography Systems?

In the present lithography market, EUVs are a new and upcoming technology, with the first commercial product being sold in 2016. Given their ability to process light onto microchips of very small surfaces and with the growing adoption of technologies demanding miniaturization of microchips, the EUV lithography market is anticipated to capture a huge market share of lithography systems in the coming years.

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Know More About Report Inclusions

Future Market Insights new market research report on the EUV lithography market includes a global industry analysis for 20142021 and an opportunity assessment for 20222029. The report details EUV lithography market demand by end-use across three different regions, the Americas, EMEA, and the Asia Pacific.

The research report also offers global consumer electronics demand trends, the impact of wide-scale 5G technology and IoT adoption, wafer production trends, the installed base of EUV lithography systems as well as market demand patterns across the mentioned regions.

Table of Content

1. Executive Summary

1.1. Global Market Outlook

1.2. Demand Side Trends

1.3. Supply-Side Trends

1.4. Technology Roadmap

1.5. Analysis and Recommendations

2. Market Overview

2.1. Market Coverage / Taxonomy

2.2. Market Definition

3. Key Market Trends

3.1. Key Trends Impacting the Market

3.2. Product Innovation / Development Trends

4. Key Success Factors

5. Global EUV Lithography Market Demand Analysis 2014-2021 and Forecast, 2022-2029

5.1. Historical Market Volume (Units) Analysis, 2014-2021

5.2. Current and Future Market Volume (Units) Projections, 2022-2029

5.3. Y-o-Y Growth Trend Analysis

6. Global EUV Lithography Market - Pricing Analysis

6.1. Regional Pricing Analysis

TOC Continued!

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Future Market Insights (ESOMAR certified market research organization and a member of Greater New York Chamber of Commerce) provides in-depth insights into governing factors elevating the demand in the market. It discloses opportunities that will favor the market growth in various segments on the basis of Source, Application, Sales Channel and End Use over the next 10-years.

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Dublin, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Financial Guarantee Market (2022-2027) by Product Type, Enterprise Size, End-User, Geography, Competitive Analysis and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Global Financial Guarantee Market is estimated to be USD 32.7 Bn in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 50.5 Bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 9.08%.



Market Dynamics

Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the Global Financial Guarantee Market stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.



As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding the growth and reducing the risks.



Market Segmentation

The Global Financial Guarantee Market is segmented based on Product Type, Enterprise Size, End-User, and Geography.

Product Type, the market is classified into Bank Guarantees, Documentary Letter of Credit, Standby Letter Credit, Receivable Financing, and Others.

Enterprise Size, the market is classified into Small Enterprises, Medium-Size Enterprises, and Large Enterprises.

End-User, the market is classified into Exporters and Importers.

Geography, the market is classified into Americas, Europe, Middle-East & Africa and Asia-Pacific.

Company Profiles

The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for the publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario. Some of the companies covered in this report are Asian Development Bank, BNP Paribas, HSBC, SINOSURE, Royal Bank of Scotland plc, ICICI bank Limited, etc.



Countries Studied

America (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, United States, Rest of - Americas)

Europe (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Rest of - Europe)

Middle-East and Africa (Egypt, Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Rest of MEA.

Asia-Pacific (Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan, Rest of Asia-Pacific)

Competitive Quadrant

The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.



Ansoff Analysis

The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Financial Guarantee Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.



The analyst analyses Global Financial Guarantee Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.



Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.



Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Financial Guarantee Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains the competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's competitive positioning tool.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Report Description



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Increase in Financial Risk Involved in Business Transactions

4.1.2 Increasing Adoption of Financial Guarantees by SMEs

4.1.3 Digitalization of Banking Procedures to Obtain a Financial Guarantee

4.1.4 Quick Processing of Documents by Banks

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 Collateral Demanded by Banks

4.2.2 Strict Assessment by The Banks Before Providing Financial Guarantee

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Individuals and Businesses Improving Financial Credibility

4.3.2 Rise in Import and Export Activities in Developing Countries

4.4 Challenges

4.4.1 Risk Exposure



5 Market Analysis

5.1 Regulatory Scenario

5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis



6 Global Financial Guarantee Market, By Product Type

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Bank Guarantees

6.3 Documentary Letter of Credit

6.4 Standby Letter Credit

6.5 Receivable Financing

6.6 Others



7 Global Financial Guarantee Market, By Enterprise Size

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Small Enterprises

7.3 Medium-Size Enterprises

7.4 Large Enterprises



8 Global Financial Guarantee Market, By End-User

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Exporters

8.3 Importers



9 Americas' Financial Guarantee Market

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Argentina

9.3 Brazil

9.4 Canada

9.5 Chile

9.6 Colombia

9.7 Mexico

9.8 Peru

9.9 United States

9.10 Rest of Americas



10 Europe's Financial Guarantee Market

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Austria

10.3 Belgium

10.4 Denmark

10.5 Finland

10.6 France

10.7 Germany

10.8 Italy

10.9 Netherlands

10.10 Norway

10.11 Poland

10.12 Russia

10.13 Spain

10.14 Sweden

10.15 Switzerland

10.16 United Kingdom

10.17 Rest of Europe



11 Middle East and Africa's Financial Guarantee Market

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Egypt

11.3 Israel

11.4 Qatar

11.5 Saudi Arabia

11.6 South Africa

11.7 United Arab Emirates

11.8 Rest of MEA



12 APAC's Financial Guarantee Market

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Australia

12.3 Bangladesh

12.4 China

12.5 India

12.6 Indonesia

12.7 Japan

12.8 Malaysia

12.9 Philippines

12.10 Singapore

12.11 South Korea

12.12 Sri Lanka

12.13 Thailand

12.14 Taiwan

12.15 Rest of Asia-Pacific



13 Competitive Landscape

13.1 Competitive Quadrant

13.2 Market Share Analysis

13.3 Strategic Initiatives

13.3.1 M&A and Investments

13.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations

13.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements



14 Company Profiles

14.1 Asian Development Bank

14.2 BNP Paribas

14.3 Barclays

14.4 Bank of Montreal

14.5 Citibank

14.6 HSBC

14.7 ICBC

14.8 National Bank of Canada

14.9 SINOSURE

14.10 Scotia Bank

14.11 Deutsche Bank

14.12 Wells Fargo

14.13 Royal Bank of Scotland plc

14.14 ICICI bank Limited

14.15 JPMorgan & Chase

14.16 Federal Bank



15 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vmwsk0

Attachment
HOUSTON, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Archrock, Inc. (NYSE:AROC) (Archrock) today announced that it has agreed to acquire for cash a minority equity stake in Ecotec International Holdings, LLC (ECOTEC), a global leader in methane emissions monitoring and management. In addition to the strategic investment, Archrock will also begin offering ECOTECs suite of solutions to its customers in support of their sustainability goals.



ECOTEC provides a comprehensive ecosystem of methane solutions for its customers, helping them identify, quantify and manage their emissions. The combination of cutting-edge instrumentation and software provides accurate and directly measured emissions data, which is auditable by third-party organizations. ECOTEC has more than thirty years of expertise in the natural gas, biogas, carbon credits and air quality industries and Archrocks investment is expected to be used to accelerate ECOTECs recent expansion into the oil and gas industry.

We are excited to partner with ECOTEC and advance our shared vision for helping the oil and gas industry decarbonize, said Brad Childers, Archrocks President and Chief Executive Officer. The expansion of our services to include direct emissions detection, management and mitigation is a significant step in our strategy to develop a suite of solutions that supports our customers sustainability goals. ECOTECs management team has an impressive track record of building emissions management businesses in other sectors and this partnership connects their proven technology with our leading U.S. natural gas compression infrastructure and customer network. This investment provides a unique opportunity to deliver value for our customers and shareholders as we position Archrock to reduce emissions across the oil and gas industry.

Tim Novick, President and Chief Executive Officer of ECOTEC, said, We are thrilled to partner with Archrock as an increasing number of oil and gas companies commit to thoughtful ESG strategies to measure and reduce their methane emissions. In particular, methane leak mitigation will be critical in solidifying the important role natural gas will play in energy transition. With over 67 years of operating history, Archrocks deep industry understanding and long-standing customer relationships will be fundamental to accelerating ECOTECs growth in oil and gas and creating value for ECOTEC and its stakeholders.

Intrepid Partners, LLC served as financial advisor to ECOTEC.

About Archrock

Archrock is an energy infrastructure company with a pure-play focus on midstream natural gas compression. Archrock is the leading provider of natural gas compression services to customers in the oil and natural gas industry throughout the U.S. and a leading supplier of aftermarket services to customers that own compression equipment in the U.S. Archrock is headquartered in Houston, Texas. For more information, please visit www.archrock.com .

About ECOTEC

ECOTEC specializes in the design and development of specialty equipment and software solutions for the natural gas, biogas, renewable natural gas, carbon credit and oil and gas markets through its ECOTEC, AQMESH, GAS DATA, and GAZOMAT brands. With offices around the globe, ECOTEC's comprehensive solutions have been deployed around the world to help companies, organizations and municipalities identify, quantify, and remediate their environmental footprint, particularly through reductions in methane emissions. Learn more at www.ecotecco.com .

For information, contact:

Megan Repine

Vice President, Investor Relations

(281) 836-8360

investor.relations@archrock.com
Vancouver, British Columbia, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Asante Gold Corporation (CSE:ASE | FRANKFURT:1A9 | U.S.OTC:ASGOF) (Asante or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a share purchase agreement with Kinross Gold Corporation (Kinross) to acquire Kinross 90% interest in the Chirano Gold Mine (Chirano) for a total consideration of US$225 million (the Chirano Acquisition). The Ghanaian government retains a 10% carried interest in Chirano.



The upfront consideration for the Chirano Acquisition will be comprised of US$115 million in cash and US$50 million in common shares of Asante (Asante Shares) based on the 30-day volume-weighted average price of the Asante Shares prior to closing of the Chirano Acquisition (Closing) and provided the issuance of the Asante Shares will not result in Kinross exceeding a 9.9% share ownership in Asante. Kinross will also receive a total deferred payment of US$60 million in cash, with 50% payable on the first anniversary of Closing and the balance payable on the second anniversary of Closing. If the 9.9% share ownership limit is reached, the remainder of the US$50 million in share consideration will be paid by increasing the deferred cash payments in equal portions. Kinross has agreed that it will hold its Asante Shares for at least 12 months following the Closing.

The transaction is expected to be completed on or around May 31, 2022. The Government of Ghana has issued a Letter of No Objection to the change of control of Chirano and the transaction is not subject to a financing condition.

Dave Anthony, President and CEO of Asante, stated: We are excited to add the Chirano operation to our base of gold production in Ghana. It presents an excellent opportunity for synergy with our other Ghanaian assets and represents the next step for our vision to build a leading gold mining company in Ghana and West Africa. Asante has deep ties to Ghana and is committed to sharing the benefits of its activities with the local community and Ghana. Chirano is a well-run operation and our intention is to retain its employees, to ensure a smooth transition of ownership, with uninterrupted production.

Douglas MacQuarrie, Non-Executive Chairman of Asante, stated: The Bibiani and Chirano assets will be combined under one ownership, to cover an entire district scale gold trend exceeding 53km in length and with past gold production of more than 8 million ounces. With two modern process plants located 20km apart, exploration success anywhere along the gold trend can be efficiently accessed. Our recent exploration success at Bibiani-South Russel is indicative of the discovery potential that remains along the trend.

Canaccord Genuity Corp. and Durose Asset Management Inc. are acting as financial advisors to Asante, with Bennett Jones LLP acting as legal advisor, for the transaction.

About the Chirano Gold Mine

Chirano is an operating open-pit and underground mining operation located in southwestern Ghana, immediately south of the Companys Bibiani Gold Mine. Chirano was first explored and developed in 1996 and began production in October 2005. The mine comprises the Akwaaba, Suraw, Akoti South, Akoti North, Akoti Extended, Paboase, Tano, Obra South, Obra, Sariehu and Mamnao open pits and the Akwaaba and Paboase underground mines. Gold Equivalent Production in 2021 was 154,668 oz on a 100% basis (source Kinross Gold Corporation).

About Asante Gold Corporation

Asante is a gold exploration, development and operating company with a high-quality portfolio of projects in Ghana, Africas largest and most reliable gold producer. Asante is currently focused on developing to production its Bibiani and Kubi Gold mines located on the prolific Bibiani and Ashanti Gold Belts. Asante has an experienced and skilled team of mine finders, builders and operators, with extensive experience in Ghana.

Asante is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and has announced plans to co-list its shares in Ghana. Asante is also exploring its Keyhole, Fahiakoba and Betenase projects for new discoveries, all adjoining or along strike of major gold mines near the centre of Ghanas Golden Triangle. Additional information is available on the Companys website at www.asantegold.com.

About the Bibiani Gold Mine

Bibiani is a historically significant gold mine situated in the western region of Ghana, with previous gold production close to 5 Moz. It is fully permitted with available mining and processing infrastructure on-site consisting of a 3 million tonne per annum mill and processing plant, and existing surface and mining infrastructure. Mining commenced in late February and first gold production is on track for Q3 2022.

The Current Mineral Resource Estimate for Bibiani, as reported in the Technical Report on the Bibiani Gold Mine, Ghana, by Principal Author Ian M Glacken FAusIMM (CP), FAIG, CEng and Qualified Person Dan Bansah MSc, MAusIMM (CP), FWAIMM, MGIG, dated November 7, 2021, and filed on SEDAR, is Measured and Indicated 20.1 million tonnes at 2.71 grams of gold per tonne for 1.81 Moz of gold, plus Inferred 8.41 million tonnes at 2.78 grams of gold per tonne for 0.75 Moz of gold from an open pit mine. The Mineral Resource has been reported above a 0.65 g/t gold cut-off and has been depleted for both historical open pit and underground development as of August 31, 2017. The Bibiani Main Pit mineral resource has been prepared by Competent Persons (Optiro, 2017) using accepted industry practices and have been classified and reported in accordance with the JORC Code (JORC, 2012). There are no material differences between the definitions of Measured, Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources under the CIM Definition Standards and the equivalent definitions in the JORC Code. The Satellite pit resource is an update completed in 2018 by Resolute Mining Limited. The Satellite pit resource is also reported above a cut-off grade of 0.65 g/t gold inside a pit shell defined at a gold price of US$1,950. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

For further information please contact:

Dave Anthony, President & CEO: +1 647 382 4215 (Canada) or +233 55 879 3309 (Ghana) or dave@asantegold.com

Malik Easah, Executive Director, malik@asantegold.com

Alec Rowlands, Capital Markets Consultant, alec@asantegold.com

Valentina Gvozdeva, Manager IR, valentina@asantegold.com

Kirsti Mattson, Media Relations, kirsti.mattson@gmail.com

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the structure and terms of the Chirano Acquisition, timing for completion of the Chirano Acquisition, the ability of the Company to complete the Chirano Acquisition on the terms announced, anticipated synergies, the resources, reserves, exploration results, and development program at Chirano, Bibiani and Kubi, including timing of future mine development and the start of production. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the inability to satisfy any condition required to complete the Chirano Acquisition, termination of the share purchase agreement, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, the Company's inability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its planned activities, and the Company's inability to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies. The reader is referred to the Company's public disclosure record which is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Except as required by securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

LEI Number: 529900F9PV1G9S5YD446. Neither IIROC nor any stock exchange or other securities regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Production volumes from the important Rawson season in Argentina were 21% down on Q1 last year adding to negative development in key areas



Draft Q1 2022 figures for Iceland Seafood International indicate a breakeven result at Normalised PBT level in the period. Significant rapid price increases in all areas impacted the results, especially in the Value Added N-Europe division. In that division the business is more reliant on sales to retail customers than to foodservice. It takes longer to pass on price increases to customers within the retail sector than to foodservice customers. Since the Covid19 outbreak in 2020, the Group has focused on improving its sales balance between retail and foodservice customers, as part of that strategy investments have been made during the last two years to increase the Groups retail presence in both UK and Ireland. The results in Ireland were especially affected by increased salmon prices in the period which comes on top of challenging sourcing of whitefish. In UK the business was still loss making in the period where price increases of all input factors significantly impacted the results. Challenges in the production operation in UK continued in the period, impacted by the Omicron Covid19 outbreak and disruptive supply chain.



Iceland Seafood has increased prices to its customers to balance the input prices but the pace of price increases has been unprecedented. Clearly, price increases have started to influence demand of seafood products. However, with increased political risk and instability Iceland Seafood is well positioned with its production sites and capabilities close to its customers. There are signs which indicate that prices are leveling off in certain areas

In the Value Added S-Europe division, results of the Rawson Season in Argentina were not as good as expected. Lower fishing volumes and unstable labour environment in Argentina negatively impacted the results. Overall production volumes were 21% lower during Q1 2022 than same period last year. Sales and profits of IS Iberica were good in the period, where the business is once again benefiting from its strong market position. Results of the S&D division were also good, benefiting from strong demand of all production categories out of Iceland.

Iceland Seafood will publish its Q1 results after closing of markets on May 17th. At the same time the company will host a meeting for investors and market participants, where management will present and discuss the results as well as presenting an outlook range for Normalised PBT for the year.
Pune, India, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global cosmetic surgery market size was USD 44.55 billion in 2020. The market is expected to grow from USD 46.02 billion in 2021 to USD 58.78 billion in 2028, exhibiting a CAGR of 3.6% during the forecast period. Availability of technologically advanced services and products and the rising popularity of new cosmetic procedures may fuel industry growth. Fortune Business Insights provides this information in its report titled Cosmetic Surgery Market, 2021-2028.

Notable Industry Development

June 2020: Venus Concept Inc. received an FDA clearance for its Venus Epileve laser hair reduction product. This development may boost the demand for the technology.

Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/cosmetic-surgery-market-102628





Report Scope & Segmentation

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2021 to 2028 Forecast Period 2019 to 2026 CAGR 3.6% 2028 Value Projection USD 58.78 Billion Base Year 2020 Market Size in 2020 USD 44.55 Billion Historical Data for 2017 to 2019 No. of Pages 125 Segments covered Procedure, Gender, Provider and Geography Growth Drivers Growing Awareness among General Population Towards New Cosmetic Procedure Surgical procedures is expected to be the leading segment in this market Presence of an Unregulated Market to Hamper Growth





Entry of Various Licensed Medical Spa Companies to Fuel Market Growth

The emergence of several licensed key players offering advanced cosmetic surgical products is may enhance the product demand. Robust demand for products with minimal effects may nurture product sales. Furthermore, strong demand for surgical procedures and innovative products from consumers may enhance the industry growth. Moreover, a rising focus on aesthetics and exponential healthcare spending are likely to boost the demand for advanced cosmetic surgeries globally. These factors may drive the cosmetic surgery market growth.

However, the presence of an unregulated market and the spike in the number of illegal vendors may impede market progress.





For more information in the analysis of this report, visit:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/cosmetic-surgery-market-102628





Report Coverage

The report provides a detailed analysis of the top segments and the latest trends in the market. It comprehensively discusses the driving and restraining factors and the impact of COVID-19 on the market. Additionally, it examines the regional developments and the strategies undertaken by the market's key players.













Regional Insights

High Per-capita Income and Per Surgery Costs to Bolster Industry Growth in North America

North America is projected to dominate the cosmetic surgery market share because of its high per-capita income and per surgery costs. The market in North America stood at USD 13.45 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow rapidly during the forecast period. Furthermore, evolving consumer preferences and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle are expected to boost the adoption of the product. These factors may propel market development.

In Asia Pacific, growing medical tourism activities in India may foster the adoption of cosmetic surgery among the population. These factors may influence the market growth during the pandemic.





Quick Buy - Cosmetic Surgery Market Research Report:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/check-discount/cosmetic-surgery-market-102628





Competitive Landscape

Adoption of Acquisition Strategies by Companies to Boost Market Position

The prominent companies operating in the market adopt acquisition strategies to strengthen their market stance. For example, AbbVie Inc. completed the acquisition of Allergan to reinforce its stance globally. Further, companies invest in research and development to offer best-in-class product offerings and enhance annual revenues. Moreover, the adoption of expansions may allow companies to reach a larger audience and boost sales performance. Additionally, players incorporate advanced production machinery for the reduction of resources, product quality enhancement, fulfillment of organizational aims.

List of the Companies Profiled in the Global Cosmetic Surgery Market:

S.TETIK

Westlake Dermatology

Long Island Plastic Surgical Group, P.C.

ALLERGAN

Merz Pharma

Galderma Laboratories

Cleveland Clinic

Other key market players





Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/cosmetic-surgery-market-102628





Table of Contents:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Cosmetic Surgery Market Drivers Market Restraints Cosmetic Surgery Market Opportunities

Key Insights Total Number of Procedures, Key Countries Top 10 Countries, By Surgical & Non-Surgical Procedures Distribution of Cosmetic Procedures, By Type Distribution of Cosmetic Procedures, By Gender (Surgical & Non-Surgical) Key Procedures, By Indication (Surgical & Non-Surgical) Medical Tourism for Cosmetic Procedures, Key Countries Number of Cosmetic / Plastic Surgeons, By Key Countries Pricing of Key Procedures, Key Countries Impact of COVID-19 on the Market

Global Market Analysis, Cosmetic Surgery Market Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Procedures Surgical Procedures Breast Augmentation Liposuction Eyelid Surgery Abdominoplasty Rhinoplasty Others Non-surgical Procedures Botulinum Toxin Hyaluronic Acid Hair Removal Nonsurgical Fat Reduction Photo Rejuvenation Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Gender Females Males Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Provider Hospitals & Specialty Clinics Spas & Cosmetic Surgery Centres Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Geography North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa



TOC Continued!





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TORONTO, CANADA, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Superette, a leading local cannabis retail and lifestyle brand, and DoorDash Technologies Canada Inc. (DoorDash), have entered into a partnership to provide cannabis pickup in Toronto, Canada. As the market leader for its differentiated approach to cannabis retail, Superette was a natural choice for DoorDashs first foray into cannabis. With a proven track record for transforming cannabis retail shopping into an immersive experience, Superette will apply their creative approach to cannabis retail on the DoorDash marketplace app.

Superette and DoorDash Canada both recognize the growing expectations of customers who want to access the best of their neighborhood through the convenience of an app. This partnership will address that growing demand by bringing Superette's in-store shopping experience onto the DoorDash app. The partnership will give consumers access to curated menus and special collections that reflect the best of the locale in which each store is based.



We are super excited to be able to partner with DoorDash to continue to transform how consumers engage with cannabis! In true Superette fashion, every element of the experience has been carefully considered with the goal of making our retail experience digital on the DoorDash platform.

- Drummond Munro





Superette embodies DoorDashs mission to grow and empower local communities and partners with local restaurants and food banks, as well as sourcing from sustainable vendors. This launch brings together the best of both companies: the convenience of pre-ordering and picking up cannabis at your local store, while also expanding Superettes reach to DoordDashs large customer base of DoorDash across Toronto.

DoorDash and Superette will offer a compliant product to ensure that consumers are able to access the best of their neighborhood. Customers are age-gated, so only those customers who confirm that they are aged 19+ can view cannabis retail store information, cannabis products, or anything related to cannabis. Superette will verify IDs and strictly enforce maximum possession amount at the store during pickup.

About Superette

Superette is French for mini supermarket and all of their shops pay homage to similarly familiar and nostalgic retail environments from bodegas to flower shops and subway newsstands. Led by a team of retail experts who bring a welcome perspective to the cannabis sector, Superette ingeniously adapts each new location for the neighborhood it opens in, drawing influence from familiar brick and mortar environments to create immersive retail experiences. Their best-in-class product curation brings together the most sought-after brands both in and out of cannabis. Each store is a retail destination in its own right, even if you remove cannabis from the equation. Superette is known for their inclusive, fun-loving world of weed and fashion. Community is at the core of everything Superette does.Their support of local businesses has raised thousands of dollars in addition to long-standing community action partnerships with the Toronto and Ottawa food banks. For more information, visit superetteshop.com and @superette_shop.

About DoorDash Canada

DoorDash Technologies Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of DoorDash Inc. is a technology company that connects consumers with their favorite businesses across Canada. DoorDash enables local businesses to address consumers' expectations of ease and immediacy and thrive in today's convenience economy. By building the logistics infrastructure for local commerce, DoorDash is bringing communities closer, one doorstep at a time.

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The Ministry of National Defense headquarters in Yongsan District, Seoul / Yonhap



President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's temporary office will be set up on the fifth floor of the defense ministry headquarters before a permanent office is established on the second floor, officials said Monday.



Yoon will be the first president to work from what is now the defense ministry compound, as he decided to move the presidential office there to keep his campaign promise to return Cheong Wa Dae to the public.



"Starting May 10, President-elect Yoon will work from the fifth floor, and the permanent office will be set up on the second floor," Rep. Yoon Han-hong, who heads a relocation task force, said during a press briefing, referring to Yoon's inauguration date.



"Once the defense ministry moves out after the combined Korea-U.S. military exercises, the second to fourth floors will be remodeled," he said.






Miami, Florida, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grand Havana, Inc (OTC Pink: GHAV) the fast casual coffee shop, announces today the launch of its new revamped menu featuring the new Havana Vieja Sandwich and Honey Ice Coffee.

 The Havana Vieja is a traditional classic sandwich made with Shredded Steak, Swiss Cheese and Caramelized Onions.

 The Honey Ice Coffee is made with Cuban Style Espresso poured over ice with honey and milk.

"Grand Havana Cafe is a culinary food-focused cafe. As we move forward, we continue to take an aggressive approach into menu innovation and product development. The launch of our two new menu items is a true testament of our commitment to deliver greatness," said Hugo Gutierrez, President at Grand Havana, Inc.

In addition to the new menu items, Grand Havana designed new uniforms with the branded menu item names in a bright neon font printed on the back of the t-shirts to promote the new products.

The new menu is now available in our flagship store located at 1075 Duval St, Key West and coffee products are available online at www.Grandhavanacoffee.com .

About Grand Havana, Inc.

Grand Havana is a coffee company headquartered in Miami, Florida The Capital of Espresso in the US.

Grand Havana products are distributed by Sysco, Ambassador Foods and Amazon. We proudly serve our coffees in corporate offices, airports, universities, non-traditional avenues, supermarkets, convenience stores, hotels, online marketplaces and in our fresh and exciting chain of Grand Havana Cafe coffee shops across the US. With more than 10 million cups of coffee served nationwide, Grand Havana is the choice of consumers when it comes to delving into the nostalgia and essence of the best cup of Cuban coffee, thus offering a b2b solution that provides our high-quality coffee product delivered and reliable with timely technical service.

Safe Harbor Statement: The information posted in this release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by use of the words may, will, should, plans, explores, expects, anticipates, continue, estimate, project, intend, and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties include, but not limited to, general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and marketing, and various other factors beyond the Companys control.
English Lithuanian

To give a new impetus to the renovation of apartment buildings, the SB Modernization Fund established by Siauliu Bankas has started operations. Loans to the EUR 275 million Fund were provided to the fund by Lithuanian and foreign financial institutions.



SB modernizavimo fondas, UAB, a subsidiary of Siauliu Bankas, has signed agreements with the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), Nordic Investment Bank (NIB), INVL Asset Management, Swedbank and Siauliu Bankas. The 275-million-euro fund administered by Siauliu Bankas will consist not only of investors, but also of the Lithuanian state and the European Structural and Investment Fund (ESIF).

"Investors focused on the newly established fund are ready to accelerate the renovation apartment buildings. We have set ourselves the ambitious goal of funding the renovation of more than half a thousand apartment buildings, which would allow residents to reduce the burden of rising heat costs and improve their quality of life. Rapid renovation of apartment buildings would reduce Lithuania's dependence on fossil fuels, and would also make a significant contribution to the fight against climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions, - said Vytautas Sinius, CEO of Siauliu Bankas.

According to V. Sinius, the new fund is a unique financial instrument designed to attract private funding for renovation not only in Lithuania but also in Europe. The structure of this fund allows to obtain significant synergies - by attracting private capital to increase the state funds allocated for funding renovation projects up to 5 times.

The fund plans to renovate 600 old apartment buildings improving the living conditions of 16,000 households. The project is expected to save 200 gigawatt hours (GWh) of heat and about 50,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. Renovation of old apartment buildings can significantly reduce the consumption of energy resources and strengthen Lithuania's energy independence.

Lithuania's long-term renovation strategy envisages the renovation of most old apartment buildings by 2050, of which as many as 66% are in energy classes D and lower. The strategy aims to reduce primary energy consumption by 60% and eliminate the carbon footprint.

Siauliu Bankas, in cooperation with the EIB, has been participating in the modernization programs of apartment buildings for more than ten years and occupies more than 60% of this market. During this period, modernization loans were signed for more than 720 million euros (of which more than 520 million euros are own funds of Siauliu Bankas), and the bank has provided funding to 2,380 apartment buildings.

Additional information:

Monika Rozyte

Lead of Communication Group

+370 686 79234, monika.rozyte@sb.lt




PASCAGOULA, Miss., April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- All-domain defense and technologies partner HII (NYSE:HII) announced today that Stephen Fitts has been promoted to vice president of contracts and pricing at its Ingalls Shipbuilding division. Fitts succeeds Eric Crooker who assumed a new role in March as vice president of infrastructure and sustainability.



Fitts will have overall responsibility for contracts, estimating and pricing, and export/import licensing and compliance for the Ingalls shipyard, and will report to Keith Munn, Ingalls vice president of business management and chief financial officer.

Stephens extensive background in legal and contract administration forms a solid foundation for his transition into this important leadership role, Munn said. He has been committed to building trusting relationships while ensuring an equitable approach to solving complex agreements for all parties. We look forward to him leading, mentoring and developing the organization in his new position.

A photo available for download is available at: https://newsroom.hii.com/releases/stephen-fitts-contracts-pricing.

Fitts began his career with HII in 2013 and has served as senior counsel for the Ingalls Shipbuilding. Since 2018, Fitts served as director of contract administration, where he supported the growth of Ingalls Shipbuildings historic backlog of contracts, including the negotiation of several amphibious and U.S. Coast Guard ships and numerous guided missile destroyer awards.

Fitts holds a bachelors degree from Auburn University and a juris doctor degree from the University of Alabama. Prior to joining HII, Fitts was an equity partner practicing in the areas of commercial litigation, employment law, outside general counsel and IP litigation.

HII is an all-domain defense and technologies partner, recognized worldwide as Americas largest shipbuilder. With a 135-year history of trusted partnerships in advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities ranging from the most powerful and survivable naval ships ever built, to unmanned systems, ISR and AI/ML analytics. HII leads the industry in mission-driven solutions that support and enable an all-domain force. Headquartered in Virginia, HIIs skilled workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information please visit:

HII on the web: https://www.hii.com/

HII on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII

HII on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/wearehii

HII on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearehii

Contact:

Kimberly Aguillard

Kimberly.K.Aguillard@hii-co.com

(202) 580-9086

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/93bb280f-83c0-4c12-9bea-af5fd706b55c
English French

JCDecaux wins 15-year exclusive advertising street furniture contract with Aalborg in Denmark with a strong focus on sustainability

Paris, 25 April 2022 - JCDecaux SA (Euronext Paris: DEC), the number one outdoor advertising company worldwide, announced today that its Danish JV company AFAJCDecaux won the 15-year exclusive street furniture contract with Aalborg which is the third largest city in Denmark. This agreement which will start on 1/08/2024 includes both analog and digital advertising faces with the possibility to display full motion content in the pedestrian area.

The new eco-friendly range of equipment with a high degree of recyclability includes bus-shelters equipped with sensors increasing the light intensity when passengers are around as well as a new specific Plusbus shelter designed by the renowned Danish Architect Knud Holscher for the new BRT public transport system and automatic public toilets.

The maintenance of all street furniture will be performed exclusively with electric scooters and hybrid vehicles.

Jean-Francois Decaux, Chairman of the Executive Board and Co-CEO of JCDecaux, said: We are very pleased to continue our long-term partnership with Aalborg which started in 1992. With 90% of the awarding criteria based on quality of design, maintenance and functionality, Aalborg is a very good example of street furnitures positive contribution to carbon neutrality. This is why Denmark is one of the most advanced country in the reduction of carbon emissions.

Key Figures for JCDecaux

2021 revenue: 2,745m (a)

N1 Out-of-Home Media company worldwide

A daily audience of more than 850 million people in more than 80 countries

957,706 advertising panels worldwide

Present in 3,518 cities with more than 10,000 inhabitants

10,720 employees

JCDecaux is listed on the Eurolist of Euronext Paris and is part of the Euronext 100 and Euronext Family Business indexes

JCDecaux is recognised for its extra-financial performance in the FTSE4Good (4.2/5), CDP (A Leadership), MSCI (AAA) and has achieved Gold Medal status from EcoVadis

1st Out-of-Home Media company to join the RE100 (committed to 100% renewable energy)

Leader in self-service bike rental scheme: pioneer in eco-friendly mobility

N1 worldwide in street furniture (530,143 advertising panels)

N1 worldwide in transport advertising with 154 airports and 215 contracts in metros, buses, trains and tramways (340,753 advertising panels)

N1 in Europe for billboards (72,611 advertising panels)

N1 in outdoor advertising in Europe (596,831 advertising panels)

N1 in outdoor advertising in Asia-Pacific (232,268 advertising panels)

N1 in outdoor advertising in Latin America (64,893 advertising panels)

N1 in outdoor advertising in Africa (20,808 advertising panels)

N1 in outdoor advertising in the Middle East (14,177 advertising panels)

(a) Adjusted revenue

For more information about JCDecaux, please visit jcdecaux.com .

Join us on Twitter , Linkedin , Facebook , Instagram and Youtube .

Communications Department: Albert Asseraf

+33 (0) 1 30 79 35 68  albert.asseraf@jcdecaux.com

Investor Relations: Remi Grisard

+33 (0) 1 30 79 79 93  remi.grisard@jcdecaux.com

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English French

Glengo Teknoloji joins forces with Lectra Turkey

The two organizations will combine

to develop Lectras business in the booming Turkish market

Paris, April 25, 2022 - Lectra is pleased to announce Glengo Teknoloji (Glengo), the exclusive distributor of Gerber solutions in Turkey, will join forces with Lectra Turkey. Bringing Lectra Turkey and Glengo together provides an opportunity for both organizations to expand their footprint in Turkey, Central Asia and the Middle East, and better serve their customers. Lectra Turkey will become Glengo Lectra Teknoloji and distribute the entirety of the Lectra Groups product portfolio. This union is the logical next step after Lectras acquisition of Gerber Technology (Gerber) in June 2021.

Glengo was established in 1986. The Istanbul-based company has been providing sales, installation, training and after-sales services for Gerber solutions since its founding. Apart from the head office in Istanbul, Glengo has offices in Adana, Ankara, Bursa, Denizli, Izmir, Kayseri, Malatya, Ordu, Urfa, Sivas and Tokat Erbaa, with over 120 staff members. Glengo primarily serves the Turkish and Central Asian markets. It also sells Gerber solutions to Turkish companies in Bulgaria, Moldavia, Romania and the Balkans.

We are proud to have more customers benefiting from our 36 years of experience in providing top-tier solutions, technical assistance and support. Being part of Lectras organization gives us access to Lectras state-of-the-art offers, based on Industry 4.0 technology, which will enable us to help our customers to accelerate the digital transformation of their operations, states Mehmet Aykut Vural, founder of Glengo and now Chairman and CEO of Glengo Lectra Teknoloji.

Turkey ranks as the sixth-largest apparel supplier in the world. In addition to the flourishing local industry, many international brands are considering moving their manufacturing ecosystem to Turkey. As supply disruptions continue to hit the fashion industry, shipping costs are becoming the biggest cost driver. Therefore, 71% of fashion and apparel companies are planning to increase their nearshoring share by 2025, according to experts. Turkey is one of the top three most promising locations for nearshoring, especially for European countries.

Joining forces with Glengo will allow Lectra to reinforce its position in a country where our business is growing, and benefit from the Glengo teams excellent knowledge of the regional market and their technological expertise. says Jerome Viala, Executive Vice President of Lectra.

The transaction consists in the acquisition by Lectra Turkey of the business assets of Glengo for approximately 4 million euros and 25% of shares in Glengo Lectra Teknoloji.

About Lectra:

As a major player in the fashion, automotive and furniture markets, Lectra contributes to the Industry 4.0 revolution with boldness and passion by providing best-in-class technologies.

The group offers industrial intelligence solutions - software, equipment, data and services - that facilitate the digital transformation of the companies it serves. In doing so, Lectra helps its customers push boundaries and unlock their potential. The group is proud to state that its 2,400 employees are driven by three core values: being open-minded thinkers, trusted partners and passionate innovators.

Founded in 1973, Lectra reported revenues of 388 million euros in 2021 and is listed on Euronext (LSS).

For more information, visit lectra.com.

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Eugenie Dautel - t: +33 (0)1 43 12 55 52

Alexis Bletsas - t: +33 (0)1 43 12 55 71

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e: lectrafr@hotwireglobal.com

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Newark, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smoking tobacco is a persistent health issue across the globe. The adverse economic and safety effects of smoking need to be given more attention. Tobacco contains addictive nicotine which contributes to serious health concerns. Smoking cessation helps primarily include nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)and drugs, which can be paired with counselling and psychotherapy.The worldwide demand for nicotine replacement products is mainly driven by the rising incidence of diseases such as lung cancer, cardiac disorder and respiratory disorders. It, in effect, is caused by increasing tobacco use in multiple ways that place a significant strain on public safety across the globe. Smoking prevention programs have proved to be a significant influence in the nicotine replacement therapy market.



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Policy measures to increase tobacco taxes ban smoking in public spaces, and other related initiatives have significantly affected the nicotine replacement therapy market. However, the efficiency of nicotine replacement therapy is also uncertain, and that may impede the growthfor nicotine replacement products market. Also, the drugs used in nicotine replacement therapy have several adverse effects and are another limiting factor for nicotine replacement products market.The global nicotine replacement products market is anticipated to grow from USD 2.11 billion in 2020 to USD 3.5 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 5.61% during the forecast period 2021-2028, according to the new report published by The Brainy Insights.

Nicotine replacement therapy is a medically approved procedure for removing nicotine through methods other than tobacco. Replacement nicotine drugs come in several forms: gum, nasal spray, transdermal patch, oral inhaler, and tablet. It helps to either quit smoking or chewing tobacco. This raises the likelihood to quit smoking by around 55%. It can also be used along with other therapeutic approaches.



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Key players operating in the global nicotine replacement products market include Alchem International Pvt. Ltd., Cipla Ltd., British American Tobacco Plc, FertinPharma, GlaxoSmithKline plc, Johnson & Johnson, Inc., Glenmark, Perrigo Co. plc and Pierre Fabre Groupamong others.The key players are now concentrating on implementing strategies such as adopting new technology, product innovations, mergers & acquisitions, joint venture, alliances, and partnerships to improve their market position in the global nicotine replacement productsindustry.



 In June 2019, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals declared the introduction of Kwitz, a medically approved nicotine replacement therapy that lets smokers start on a step-by-step path to a smoke-free lifestyle. Kwitz nicotine gum comes in two kinds. Kwitz 2 mg will be available as an OTC for smokers smoking less than 20 cigarettes a day and Kwitz 4 mg as a prescription medicine for smokingmore than 20 cigarettes per day.

 In June, 2015, Perrigo Company plc disclosed that it has entered into a deal to buy a portfolio of over the-counter from GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare ("GSK") in compliance with GSK's undertakings with the European Commission and other authorities to divest thesefirms in the light of the establishment of a joint venture between Novartis International AG ("Novartis") and GSK.Perrigo will acquire GSK's Nicotine Replacement Therapy ("NRT"), mainly in the Brazil and European Economic Area ("EEA"), andNovartis's legacy Australian NRT business, comprising theNicotinell brand.

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The chewing gums segmentled the nicotine replacement products market with a market share of around 42.13% and a market value of around USD 0.89 billion in 2020



The type segment is divided intochewing gums, lozenges, patches, others. In addition to their therapeutic effects, the chewing gums are accessible at a cost-effective price, thereby leading to the growing acceptance of these products. In addition, the manufacture of flavor-induced gums also increases the demand for such products. Thus, thechewing gums segment emerged as the leader in the global nicotine replacement products market with a market share of around 42.13% and a market value of around USD 0.89 billion in 2020.



The online segment is anticipated to record a significant growth over the forecast period



The application segment includes supermarket and hypermarket, pharmacies and online.The increasing ease of access, 24/7 availability, fast-paced lifestyle, internet users, accessibility and various choices to choose from are some of the factors anticipated to drive demand for nicotine replacement products from online media. Therefore, the online segment is anticipated to record significant growth over the forecast period. Also, the pharmacies segment is projected to grow at a considerable CAGR over the forecast period because this distribution channel offers strong assurance of quality standards and customer trust.



Regional Segment Analysis of the Nicotine Replacement Products Market



 Europe (Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain, Rest of the Europe)

 North America (U.S. , Canada, Mexico)

 South America (Brazil and Rest of South America)

 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan India, Rest of APAC)

 Middle East and Africa (UAE, South Africa, Rest of MEA)



Due to rising awareness of smoking risks and the high availability of therapy products, North America region led the global nicotine replacement productsmarket with a market share of 34.53% and a revenue of USD 0.73 billion in 2020.As the demand for lifestyle-related drugs is rising increasingly owing, to factors such as expanded health awareness, demographic growth and the expansion of public health care systems, the Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest-growing region over the forecast period.



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About the report:



The global nicotine replacement products market is analysed based on value (USD billion).All the segments have been analyzed on global, regional and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each segment. The report offers in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining the key insight of the market. The study includes porters five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, supply, demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution and marketing channels analysis.



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WASHINGTON, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Citizens of the wealthiest nation in Africa endure assaults, kidnappings, and the threat of murder daily, yet their authorities stand down. In today's Nigeria, citizens no longer believe in their government or its security forces. Instead, they are calling for help from the international community. A joint petition from the International Committee on Nigeria (ICON) and the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Roundtable's "Generation NEXT" mobilized concerned citizens, calling on the US and UK governments to meet with them and listen to their concerns.

"Foreign governments, like the US and UK, have refused to hold the Nigerian government accountable to protect human rights and religious freedom," stated Ishaya Inuwa, host of the youth wing of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable in Nigeria. He added, "We are using this petition to demand that these foreign governments listen to us and respond to the facts on the ground." Generation NEXT, the youth of the IRF Roundtable, were instrumental in spreading the petition and garnering nearly 10,000 signatures both online and in-person.

"We have to act now before Nigeria no longer exists," declared Dr. Gloria Puldu-Samdi, IRF participant and Leah Foundation President. "If we fail to make our voices heard," she added, "thousands more Nigerians will die at the hands of radicalized terrorists who are slaughtering unarmed citizens."

This petition will be delivered by their leaders on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, to the US Embassy in Abuja and then move to the UK High Commission at 10:30 am WAT. The event will also be streamed live on the ICON-PSJ Media YouTube Channel (https://youtu.be/EMAMLFb5kj0).

Nigeria's crisis of insurgency coupled with lawlessness due to Fulani militant attacks (also Fulani bandits), and Boko Haram / ISWAP/ Ansaru terrorists who are murdering thousands of defenseless Christians each year. Compounding the problems of insecurity and perpetual corruption, Nigeria is facing an election in 2023. Instability in West Africa requires a stable Nigeria, but experts warn of Nigeria becoming a failed state.

ICON advocates to help the oppressed and minority groups in Nigeria and argues that a destabilized and crisis-ridden Nigeria has a negative impact on development, international security, and the stability of the entire region.

Contact:

Kyle D. Abts, ICON Director

Kyle.Abts@iconhelp.org

405 N. Washington St, Ste 300,

Falls Church, VA 22046

Related Images











Image 1: Concerned Nigerian citizens signing petition





ICON and IRF Roundtable circulated the petition around Nigeria gaining nearly 10,000 signatures.









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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By Robert Skidelsky





LONDON  Through persuasion, exhortation, legal processes, economic pressure, and sometimes military force, American foreign policy asserts the United States' view about how the world should be run. Only two countries in recent history have had such world-transforming ambitions: Britain and the U.S. In the last 150 years, these are the only two countries whose power  hard and soft, formal and informal  has extended to all parts of the world, allowing them plausibly to aspire to the mantle of Rome.



When the U.S. inherited Britain's global position after 1945, it also inherited Britain's sense of responsibility for the future of the international order. Embracing that role, America has been an evangelist of democracy, and a central U.S. foreign-policy objective since the fall of communism has been to promote its spread  sometimes by regime change, when that is deemed necessary.



In fact, this playbook dates back to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's time. As historian Nicholas Mulder writes in The Economic Weapon: The Rise of Sanctions as a Tool of Modern War, "Wilson was the first statesman to cast the economic weapon as an instrument of democratization. He thereby added an internal political rationale for economic sanctions  spreading democracy  to the external political goal that  European advocates of sanctions have aimed at: inter-state peace." The implication is that, where the opportunity offers, military and non-military measures should be used to topple "malign" regimes.



According to democratic peace theory, democracies do not start wars; only dictatorships do. A wholly democratic world thus would be a world without war. This was the hope that emerged in the 1990s. With the end of communism, the expectation, famously expressed by Francis Fukuyama's 1989 article, "The End of History?," was that the most important parts of the world would become democratic.



U.S. supremacy was supposed to ensure that democracy became the universal political norm. But Russia and China, the leading communist states of the Cold War era, have not embraced it; nor have many other centers of world affairs, especially in the Middle East. Hence, Fukuyama has recently acknowledged that if Russia and China were driven together, "then you would really be living in a world that was being dominated by these non-democratic powers  [which] really is the end of the end of history."



The argument that democracy is inherently "peaceful," and dictatorship or autocracy "warlike," is intuitively attractive. It does not deny that states pursue their own interests; but it assumes that the interests of democratic states will reflect common values like human rights, and that those interests will be pursued in a less bellicose manner (since democratic processes require negotiation of differences). Democratic governments are accountable to their people, and the people have an interest in peace, not war.



By contrast, according to this view, rulers and elites in dictatorships are illegitimate and therefore insecure, which leads them to seek popular support by whipping up animosity toward foreigners. If democracy replaced dictatorship everywhere, world peace would follow automatically.



This belief rests on two propositions that have been extremely influential in international relations theory, even though they are poorly grounded theoretically and empirically. The first is the notion that a state's external behavior is determined by its domestic constitution  a view that ignores the influence the international system can have on a country's domestic politics. As the American political scientist Kenneth N. Waltz argued in his 1979 book, The Theory of International Politics, "international anarchy" conditions the behavior of states more than the behavior of states creates international anarchy.



Waltz's "world-systems theory" perspective is particularly useful in an age of globalization. One must look to the structure of the international system to "predict" how individual states will behave, regardless of their domestic constitutions. "If each state, being stable, strove only for security, and had no designs on its neighbors, all states would nevertheless remain insecure," he observed, "for the means of security for one state are, in their very existence, the means by which other states are threatened."



Waltz offered a bracing antidote to the facile assumption that democratic habits are easily transferable from one location to another. Rather than trying to spread democracy, he suggested that it would be better to try to reduce global insecurity.



Though there is undeniably some correlation between democratic institutions and peaceful habits, the direction of causation is disputable. Was it democracy that made Europe peaceful after 1945? Or did the U.S. nuclear umbrella, the fixing of borders by the victors, and Marshall Plan-fueled economic growth finally make it possible for non-communist Europe to accept democracy as its political norm?



The political scientist Mark E. Pietrzyk contends that, "Only states which are relatively secure  politically, militarily, economically  can afford to have free, pluralistic societies; in the absence of this security, states are much more likely to adopt, maintain, or revert to centralized, coercive authority structures."



The second proposition is that democracy is the natural form of the state, which people everywhere will spontaneously adopt if allowed to. This dubious assumption makes regime change seem easy, because the sanctioning powers can rely on the welcoming support of those whose freedom has been repressed and whose rights have been trampled underfoot.



By drawing superficial comparisons with postwar Germany and Japan, the apostles of democratization grossly underestimate the difficulties of installing democracies in societies that lack Western constitutional traditions. The results of their handiwork can be seen in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, and many African countries.



Democratic peace theory is, above all, lazy. It provides an easy explanation for "warlike" behavior without considering the location and history of the states involved. This shallowness lends itself to overconfidence that a quick dose of economic sanctions or bombing is all that is needed to cure a dictatorship of its unfortunate affliction.



In short, the idea that democracy is "portable" leads to a gross underestimation of the military, economic, and humanitarian costs of trying to spread democracy to troubled parts of the world. The West has paid a terrible price for such thinking  and it may be about to pay again.





Robert Skidelsky, a member of the British House of Lords and professor emeritus of political economy at Warwick University, was a non-executive director of the private Russian oil company PJSC Russneft from 2016 to 2021. This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org).


Whereas Ferrari still dominated in Australia, at the Imola Grand Prix it was Red Bull Racing that was in control. The team has a good explanation for the difference with the previous race.

In Melbourne Max Verstappen could not keep up with the pace of Charles Leclerc, but in Imola the roles were reversed. The Dutchman quickly managed to build a gap towards the rest of the field. Leclerc was mainly concerned with Sergio Perez during the race, but the Monegasque spun in the closing stages of the race when he tried to get closer to the Mexican.

It is clear that there are considerable fluctuations from race to race. One time Leclerc dominates, two weeks later it's suddenly Verstappen again. Yet Red Bull's strong return after the Dutchman's DNF had a good explanation. Helmut Marko and Christian Horner commented after the race that the updates the team introduced in Italy worked out well. The result was more downforce and a lighter car.

Red Bull more cautious

The key to the double podium was therefore mainly in the set-up according to the Red Bull team boss. In Australia, the team was completely wrong and Verstappen complained several times about the balance of the RB18. "We were much more careful with the tyres here in Imola than Ferrari", Horner is quoted by Auto, Motor und Sport.
Xi visits Renmin University of China ahead of Youth Day

Xinhua) 13:26, April 25, 2022

BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Monday visited Renmin University of China in Beijing, ahead of China's Youth Day which falls on May 4.

Xi went to an intelligent classroom for ideological-political courses to learn about the reform and innovation of ideological-political education.

He went to the university's museum and library to learn about the school's history, its achievements in teaching and research, and efforts to protect and use literature and ancient books as well as to promote application of research results.

Xi then chaired a symposium with the university's teachers and students.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Exchange of letters ignores North's provocations



President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un exchanged letters last week just before Moon's five-year term ends on May 9. The exchange is meaningful at large as it came amid stalled inter-Korean relations since the summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump ended in failure in Hanoi in February 2019. In the letter, Moon emphasized the need for both Koreas to break the deadlock through dialogue rather than confrontation, according to Cheong Wa Dae.



In his reply letter, Kim said he highly appreciated Moon's efforts toward the "great cause of the nation," the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The exchange was an expression of "deep trust" between the two leaders, it added. "The top leaders mutually extended warm greetings to the compatriots in the North and the South," KCNA said.



It is good to see the two leaders exchange such letters especially amid growing security concerns during a power transition in the South. Yet, it is regrettable that Moon is full of self-praise for what he has done, without mentioning the growing tension on the peninsula, prompted by the North's 13 missile tests since the beginning of the year. On March 24, the North scrapped its self-imposed moratorium by test-firing what it claimed was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).



Just three days before Moon sent the letter Wednesday, the North also fired short-range missiles, alleging it would greatly enhance the capabilities of its tactical nuclear weapons. As South Korea is included in the potential target of the North's tactical nuclear warheads, the test has further intensified security concerns here. Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un's sister, threatened to use tactical nuclear weapons against a possible pre-emptive attack from the South.



Kim also did not refer to the North's military provocations. The KCNA said the leaders shared the same view that inter-Korean relations would improve and develop as desired and anticipated by the nation if the North and the South make relentless efforts with hope. Moon said the next government of Yoon Suk-yeol is responsible for progress in inter-Korean relations, calling on Kim to double down on promoting cooperation between the two Koreas and peace on the peninsula.



As Kim noted in the letter, he should put what he called for into action if he wants to improve relations between the North and the South. He should stop making any attempt that may raise tensions as it has previously done during times of power transition in the South. The first step will be for Pyongyang to return to dialogue soon. Kim said he would continue to "respect President Moon" even after his retirement. If he wants to prove this to be true, Kim should resume talks with the United States without further delay.


Pony.ai, a global autonomous driving technology company, announced it is the first autonomous driving (AD) company to obtain a taxi license in China. Pony.ai was awarded a permit to operate 100 autonomous vehicles as traditional taxis in Nansha, Guangzhou.





In May, Pony.ai will start charging fares in the entire 800 square kilometers of Nansha with 100 robotaxis and intends to gradually expand the scale and scope of service to other areas of Guangzhou to benefit more residents.

Passengers can hail rides and pay for the service through the PonyPilot+ App. The robotaxis will operate in both daytime and nighttime with service hours from 8:30 to 22:30 and with fares based on the standard taxi pricing in Guangzhou. While the Pony.ai robotaxi currently retains a safety driver, the company expects to remove the driver over the short- to intermediate-time frame.

This signals the Guangzhou governments formal implementation of AD mobility services similar to traditional taxi and ride-hailing platforms. The announcement reinforces Pony.ais progress toward commercial autonomy; with the robotaxi fee-charging permit received in Beijing in November 2021, Pony.ai is now the sole company approved for AD commercialization services in two Tier-1 cities in China.

With successful commercialization in Beijing and Guangzhou, Pony.ai plans to expand its commercialized robotaxi footprint to the other two Tier-1 cities in China next year and to more cities by the start of Pony.ais mass commercialization planned for 2024/2025. Pony.ai currently has autonomous vehicle testing and operations in all four of Chinas Tier-1 cities and in California.

To qualify for the license, Pony.ai had to pass stringent safety and other multifaceted vehicle qualification tests set forth by national inspection institutions, such as having at least 24 months of AD testing in China and/or other countries, at least 1 million kilometers of testing mileage, at least 200,000 kilometers of AD testing within Guangzhous designated test area, and no involvement in any active liability traffic accidents.

Pony.ai is the first autonomous driving company to have met all of these requirements and standards.

From the launch of Pony.ais robotaxi app in December 2018 through the commercialization of robotaxi services in both Beijing and Guangzhou, Pony.ai has continuously improved and upgraded all aspects of the consumer experience of robotaxi services. As of mid-April 2022, Pony.ais Robotaxi service has completed more than 700,000 orders, with nearly 80% repeat users and 99% of the passengers giving positive comments after completing their tripsand a service satisfaction rating reaching 4.9 on a 5-point scale.
POSCO has broken ground for another electrical steel plant. South Koreas top steelmaker will spend 1 trillion won (US$805 million) in building the plant in the southwestern port of Gwangyang, which will have an annual production capacity of 300,000 tons of non-oriented electrical steel.

Electrical steels (earlier post) are special steels optimized for specific magnetic properties, including a small hysteresis area for low power loss per cycle, low core loss and high permeability. Electrical steels are found throughout a modern vehiclefrom the small motors which drive mirrors and seats to the larger machines that are used in the propulsion systems of hybrid or full EVs. Traction motors and generators in those alternative drive trains are particularly dependent on highly efficient electrical steels.

The commercial electrical steel market is divided in two major categories: the grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES) market and the non-oriented electrical steel (NOES) market. GOES is used in static machinery such as transformers, which require unidirectional magnetization, while NOES is used in rotating machinery such as motors and generators, which require multidirectional magnetization.

NOES is a direct material input used in electric motor manufacturing for both hybrid and electric vehicles.

Steps in the production of non-oriented electrical steel include:

Preliminary Annealing. In this process, scales on the surface of the hot-rolled coil are removed by scale breaker and hydrochloric acid cleaning. This process improves cold rolling properties of steel as well as its magnetic properties.

Cold Rolling. To obtain specific thickness and material properties, POSCO uses a cold rolling process. For uniform thickness and width of strip, this process is controlled automatically.

Annealing. Annealing is a recrystallizing process of hardened cold-rolled structures by heat treatment. There are two annealing processes for grain-oriented electrical steel: decarbonization and high temperature annealing. During decarbonization annealing, excess carbon in the steel is removed and a MgO coating is applied on the surface of the steel. High-temperature annealing produces secondary recrystallized structures having superior magnetic properties. Non grain-oriented electrical steel is recrystallized and insulation coating is applied during the annealing process.

Insulation Coating. In this process, insulation coating is applied continuously to minimize eddy current losses, which are proportional to the sheet thickness. Grain-oriented electrical steel has two layers of coating; one is base coating with dark brown color which consists of Forsterite(Mg 2 SiO 4 ), and the other is transparent insulation coating containing phosphates. For non grain-oriented electrical steel, there are various types of coatings according to final usage and customers requests.

The new NOES plant in Gwangyang will boost Poscos capacity to produce NOES to 400,000 tons annually from its current 100,000 tons. POSCO currently produces more than 1 million tons of both types of electrical steel every year.

According to market tracker IHS Markit, demand for non-oriented electrical steel from automakers will rise at an annualized rate of 20% to 4 million tons in 2033, from 320,000 tons in 2020.

POSCOs existing integrated steel mill in Gwangyang is the largest in the world. The company reportedly will invest 5 trillion won (US$4.1 billion) in Gwangyang over the next three years.
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CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Large crowds gathered in Australia on Monday to pay tribute to their war dead on Anzac Day largely free of pandemic restrictions for the first time since 2019.

Australia and New Zealand commemorate Anzac Day every April 25  the date in 1915 when the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps landed in Turkey in an ill-fated campaign that was the soldiers first combat of World War I.

Monday was the first such commemoration of casualties of all wars since both nations withdrew troops from Afghanistan last year.

The dawn service in New Zealands largest city Auckland was initially planned to be closed to the public due to pandemic restrictions. But a veterans' association intervened and a smaller-than-usual crowd was allowed to attend. A Ukrainian flag was flown above the Auckland War Memorial Museum ceremony.

In Australias largest city, Sydney, downtown Martin Place was filled to capacity with tens of thousands gathered for its dawn service.

There were no restrictions on numbers attending most Australian services, although some, including at the west coast city of Perth, were ticketed events to reduce crowds.

Those who could not attend the Perth service in Kings Park were urged to pay their respects from their driveways at dawn as Australians have done on the previous two Anzac Days.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and deputy opposition leader Richard Marles acknowledged Ukraines fight for freedom when they spoke at a dawn service in the northern city of Darwin, which was devastated by Japanese bombing during World War II.

Marles was standing in for opposition leader Anthony Albanese who is isolating at his Sydney home after testing positive to COVID-19 last week.

Morrison is campaigning for a fourth three-year term for his conservative government at elections on May 21.

Anzac Day has focused attention on a new security threat to Australia, a bilateral security treaty between China and the Solomon Islands announced last week that could potentially result in a Chinese military presence 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) from the northeast Australian coast.

Morrison said at the Darwin ceremony that Australias freedom had been secured by the sacrifices of previous generations in war.

An arc of autocracy is challenging the rules-based order our grandparents had secured, Morrison said, referring to China, Russia and North Korea. And democratic, free peoples are standing together again."

Australia is the Solomon Islands main security partner and largest donor of foreign aid. The opposition center-left Labor Party has described the Chinese security pact with the island nation as Australia's biggest policy failure in the Pacific since World War II.

President Joe Biden's administration has warned that the United States will take unspecified action against the Solomon Islands should the Chinese pact pose a threat to the U.S. or allied interests.

Cases of the highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus, which was first detected in Australia in December, have peaked across the country in recent weeks.

Australia began relaxing pandemic restrictions late last year when 80% of adults were fully vaccinated. Australia has one of the most vaccinated populations in the world, with 93% of adults fully vaccinated.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Is it OK for free-range chickens to not range freely?

Thats a question free-range egg producers have been pondering lately as they try to be open about their product while also protecting chickens from a highly infectious bird flu that has resulted in the death of roughly 28 million poultry birds across the country.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that chickens be moved indoors to protect against the disease, but while some are keeping their hens inside, not everyone agrees.

John Brunnquell, the CEO of Indiana-based Egg Innovations, which contracts with more than 50 farms in five states to produce free-range and pasture-raised eggs, said any of his chickens in states with bird flu cases will stay in confinement mode" until the risk passes.

We will keep them confined at least until early June," Brunnquell said. If we go four weeks with no more commercial breakouts then well look to get the girls back out.

Bird flu cases have been identified in commercial chicken and turkey farms or in backyard flocks in 29 states, according to the USDA. Spread of the disease is largely blamed on the droppings of infected migrating wild birds.

The farms Brunnquell contracts with are in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Wisconsin, all of which have had at least once case of bird flu.

But some, like Mike Badger, the executive director of the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association, are taking a different approach.

Badger, whose Pennsylvania-based nonprofit group has about 1,000 members across the country, believes birds kept outdoors are at less risk of infection than chickens and turkeys raised amid thousands of others in large, enclosed barns.

We put them outside and they get in touch with the environment so I think they have a better immune system to be able to fight off threats as they happen, Badger said.

Research has not clearly proven significant immune system differences in chickens housed outdoors versus indoors. And Badger speculates that lower density of animals, air movement and less sharing of equipment and staff in pasture-raised operations may contribute to a lack of virus infections.

He said the decision whether to bring hens inside to wait out the annual migration of wild waterfowl is a farm-to-farm decision based on the comfort level with the risk acceptance.

Commercial outdoor flocks make up only a small percentage of U.S. egg production. About 6 million hens, or 2% of national flock, are free-range and about 4.2 million hens, or 1.3% of U.S. egg production, are from pasture-raised chickens.

Chickens are categorized as free-range or pasture-raised primarily by the amount of time they spend outdoors and space they are provided.

Free-range chickens typically must have at least 21.8 square feet (2 square meters) of roaming space outdoors and remain out until temperatures drop below around 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 1 Celsius), according to the American Humane Association, which certifies egg operations. Pasture-raised chickens typically must have 108 square feet (10 square meters) outdoors each and remain outside most of the year except during inclement weather.

The certifying organizations have protocols for high-risk situations and allow for temporary housing indoors  a time period not specifically defined  once a farm documents an outbreak near an outdoor flock. Certification agencies monitor farms to ensure they dont use bird flu as an excuse to keep birds inside too long.

Brunnquell said none of his farms had infections during the last big outbreak in 2015, and he hasn't had any cases this year.

Farmers in Europe have been dealing with the bird virus longer than those in the U.S., with cases reported as early as last December.

The United Kingdom has ordered free-range hens to be housed inside to protect them from the avian flu, and that has forced changes to how those eggs are labeled in stores. Free-range packaging is still used but must be marked with an added label of barn eggs, according to a communications representative for the British Free Range Egg Producers Association. Each egg also is stamped with a No. 2 that denotes barn rather than No. 1 for free-range.

For U.S. consumers, it means the free-range eggs they buy at a premium price could come from a chicken being temporarily kept inside. But producers say they think people who pay more for pasture-raised or free-range eggs have animal-welfare concerns and don't want the chickens to be endangered the virus.

Brunnquell also noted that the certification agencies monitor farms to ensure they don't use bird flu as an excuse to keep birds inside too long.

Eggs of all kinds have grown costlier recently thanks to bird flu concerns and a national spike in food costs.

Last week, prices for conventional eggs increased by 40 cents per dozen to $1.47 while cage-free egg prices rose 3 cents to $2.40 per dozen, according to the USDA. Organic eggs, which are from chickens required to have access to the outdoors, were selling for a national average of $4.39 a dozen last week, up from $3.65 the week before.

The price of eggs used by bakeries and other food products soared to a record high on April 8.

So-called breaker eggs, which will later be broken by processors and sold in containers weighing up to 50 pounds, peaked at $2.51 per pound, said Karyn Rispoli, egg market reporter for Urner Barry, a New Jersey-based food commodity market research and analytics firm. Many of the egg layers that have died from bird flu were on farms contracted to provide breaker eggs used as food product ingredients, Rispoli said.

Bird flu likely will remain a problem for at least several more weeks as migrating waterfowl will remain on the move in the Mississippi Flyway until June. In the past, warmer weather and the end of migration brought an end to bird flu cases, allowing turkey and chicken farmers to begin the monthslong process of replenishing flocks and resuming production.

___

Associated Press writer Courtney Bonnell contributed to this report from London.

___

This story was first published on April 21. It was updated on April 24 to make clear that bird flu has led to the deaths of about 28 million poultry birds in the U.S., but that most of those were killed to prevent the disease from spreading and didnt die of the disease.
Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

GREENWICH  Visitors explored the new space at the official grand reopening of the Greenwich Audubon Center in Greenwich on Sunday.

The building has been closed to the public for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, Audubon has started to hold events there again.
By Andrew Hammond





It was not just much of the French populace which held its breath Sunday as the presidential election saw incumbent Emmanuel Macron beat off the right-wing challenge of Marine Le Pen.



While Macron won comfortably in the end, becoming the first president to be re-elected for some two decades, he now faces his toughest challenge yet amidst a record-high abstention rate of almost 30 percent, and lower support than in 2017. At stake is not just the future direction of the eurozone's second-largest economy but also wider governance too in the only EU state with a U.N. Security Council veto, plus nuclear weapons.



With Macron winning out, there could now be significant change on the horizon, both in foreign and domestic policy. For instance, a second term for the young liberal spells the growing likelihood of increased cooperation with the EU on issues such as Schengen and eurozone reform.



Moreover, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the recent AUKUS spat with the United Kingdom, United States and Australia, security and defense will also be key  especially with a new German government with a similar policy orientation. Under Macron's presidency, France's defense spending has already risen by 7 billion euros with a target to raise it to 2 percent of gross domestic product. In his second term, Macron will want to build up a significantly stronger, joint European response to head off wider Russian threats.



Outside of these first-order policy issues, there is wider international political symbolism in Macron's victory. For the stand-off between the liberal, centrist and his nationalist, far-right opponent was watched closely globally too given its potential ramifications beyond the continent.



While it is very concerning that support for Le Pen was well over 40 percent on Sunday, Macron's second term has nonetheless defied the march of conservative populism in many industrialized countries. For years, it has been populists who made the running across much of the world revolting against the political center ground.



His victory therefore underlines, yet again, that the political center ground can still potentially hold out against conservative, anti-establishment forces despite the populist mood in much of the world. Moreover, his success may offer lessons to other leftist and centrist politicians in coming years.



What Macron's victory appears to underline is that politicians of the center ground benefit electorally from having an optimistic, forward-looking vision for tackling complex, long-term policy challenges like stagnant living standards, to help build public consensus and confidence around solutions to them. France has been suffering from economic pain for years as shown not just in the more than 40 percent of voters opting for far-right Le Pen on Sunday, but also the over 20 percent voting for the far left in the first-round ballot earlier this month.



Tackling tough-to-solve, first-order challenges in this context is a significant hurdle that centrist politicians across much of the world are widely perceived to have failed on, helping give rise to perceptions of a broken process and that democracy itself is failing.



The perceived failure of conventional politics, of course, created not just the political window of opportunity for Macron, but also Le Pen too with the simplistic agendas she and other populist politicians often champion. Contrary to what some of this ilk assert, there is no "silver bullet" agenda that can address, overnight, complex challenges such as stagnant living standards.



Instead, long-term, concerted efforts are needed to better address these issues in what may be a generational effort. As Macron appears to appreciate, such an agenda can move towards demonstrating more effectively how a fair, inclusive democratic politics can help overcome or ameliorate the challenges that many people are experiencing in the world today.



However, if Macron fails to make ground on this agenda, Le Pen (or another right-wing populist such as Eric Zemmour) could yet spring a surprise in 2027 or later that would rock the political mainstream. On Sunday, Zemmour said it is "not inevitable" that the forces of nationalism lose every election and called for a "grand union" of the far right ahead of the 2027 presidential ballot which Macron cannot contest given the two-term limit.



The shock of such a far-right presidential victory in 2027 would be huge, potentially reshaping France's post-war identity. While Le Pen claims no longer to support Frexit (France's departure from the eurozone and wider EU), she and Zemmour are unapologetic pro-Putin, Euroskeptic populists, even questioning the need for NATO asserting that it exists to serve U.S. objectives in Europe, and calling instead for closer ties with Russia.



So the fact that the far right remains so strong underlines that its political defeat cannot be taken for granted in the future given the spread of anti-establishment politics in Western democracies. Macron's second term could now therefore be key in determining the longer-term direction of the nation in the generation to come.





Andrew Hammond (andrewkorea@outlook.com) is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.






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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  With violent crime increasing in many parts of the U.S., Republicans see a winning strategy in portraying Democrats as soft on crime ahead of this year's elections. In ads, campaign appearances and interviews, the GOP has ripped liberal policies and blamed Democratic lawmakers from the White House to city councils for the violence.

But in Oklahoma, where Gov. Kevin Stitt is being targeted for mass commutations and a crime that involved cannibalism, the attacks are different: Stitt is a Republican.

In one ad, a woman's voice says Stitt commuted the prison sentence of a man who later "brutally murdered his neighbor, then tried to feed her organs to his family." The ad, paid for by a group called Conservative Voice of America, concludes, Oklahomans deserve a governor who cracks down on violent criminals, not one who lets them go.

Democrats have borne the brunt of the political blame for the increase in homicides and other violent crime in recent years. In some cases that's meant backpedaling on major criminal justice overhauls or insisting they don't want to defund police departments, as some activists have advocated.

But now the attacks on some fellow Republicans are intensifying a split within the GOP between hard-liners and those conservatives who have shifted to support alternatives to prisons, largely as a way to save money. Groups that advocate various types of criminal justice reform worry the attacks could jeopardize meaningful changes that have occurred, many in heavily Republican states, such as Oklahoma, which has one of the highest incarceration rates, and Texas.

"We had been seeing sort of growing bipartisan consensus on reforms," said Kevin Ring, president of Families Against Mandatory Minimums. But that's gotten tougher because of rising crime and politics.

Theres still some of those old holdouts who just are lock them up, throw away the key types," Ring said. "Theyve always been there, and I think that they have used the increase in crime to argue for a return to that posture by the party.

Brett Tolman, executive director of the conservative criminal justice advocacy group Right on Crime, said the accusation of being weak on crime gets thrown around very quickly," causing a lot of hesitation" in Congress. The former U.S. attorney said he now has to work with people mostly behind the scenes.

Republicans who support the changes say they can reduce crime as well as costs to taxpayers. When Stitt approved the 2019 mass commutation of more than 450 inmates in a single day, he said the release would save Oklahoma an estimated $11.9 million over the cost of keeping them behind bars. The commutations primarily benefited those convicted of drug possession or low-level property crimes.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, says his state saved billions of dollars by investing in alternative sentencing and closing prisons. He's now defending Stitt, who's facing an avalanche of attack ads as he seeks a second term as Oklahoma governor.

I see the Texas reforms have proven tough on crime but soft on the taxpayer, as any conservative policy should be, Perry wrote in a newspaper column defending Stitt.

The attack ads targeting Stitt were paid for by dark money groups, which don't have to make their donors public. They criticize Stitt for signing off on the parole of a man now accused of three killings, including those of a 4-year-old girl and a neighbor whose heart he cut out and tried to feed to relatives, according to authorities.

Donelle Harder, a spokesperson for Stitts reelection campaign, said its not clear who is funding the groups.

The undisclosed, special interest groups are not conservatives, and they are not being honest about their intentions, Harder said. Gov. Stitts commitment to lead as a conservative political outsider is clearly upsetting a small few.

Trebor Worthen, a GOP political consultant who is running one of the dark money groups, Sooner State Leadership PAC, said it is dedicated to public safety and has raised $10 million. Worthen declined to identify specific donors.

We are funded by business and community leaders who care deeply about our future and wish to exercise their First Amendment rights to advocate for policy changes that Oklahoma needs and deserves," Worthen said.

The issue also has surfaced in the GOP primary for governor in Nevada. Former Sen. Dean Heller has criticized Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, saying he wants to defund the police. Lombardo told The Associated Press and other media outlets that he has no problem with his department losing funding if the money is used in another area that would benefit law enforcement.

Who goes on NPR and says they want to defund the police? Heller told a Nevada TV station during an interview, comparing Lombardo with progressive Democrats who often draw conservative ire, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. AOC, the Squad, and Sheriff Lombardo. They're the ones that say that.

In Illinois, Democrats who control state government hurriedly worked this spring to provide more funding to law enforcement after passing a major criminal justice overhaul last year that set strict standards for police behavior and eliminated cash bail beginning next year. Republicans have blasted the criminal justice legislation.

Among the most vocal critics is GOP candidate for governor Richard Irvin, a former prosecutor and defense attorney who is now mayor of Aurora, a Chicago suburb. Irvin, who faces several Republicans in the GOP primary, often touts his prosecutorial background as he blasts Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The Democratic Governors Association and Irvin's GOP rivals have questioned his tough-on-crime credentials, however. In an ad, the DGA criticized Irvin's work as a defense attorney, and fellow Republicans have attacked Irvin, who is Black, for expressing support for Black Lives Matter.

A spokesperson for Irvin dismissed the attacks. Eleni Desmertzis said Pritzker is running scared" and facing "a former criminal prosecutor, tough-on-crime-mayor and strong supporter of law enforcement who has proven hes not afraid to stand up for all lives in Illinois.

___

Burnett reported from Chicago.
WATERTOWN  The community is reeling after the death of a child who police say became trapped under a farm tractor on a local field this weekend.

Watertown police said the 4-year-old child died after becoming trapped under a farm tractor on a field on Barnes Road between Lake Winnemaug and Bunker Hill roads on Saturday. The child had died by the time first responders arrived, police said.

Police did not respond Sunday to questions about the childs death. The childs name has not been released and police have not said whether any charges will be filed.

On Monday, officials said the child's death was due to "blunt force trauma" and ruled the death an accident.

Town Manager Mark Raimo said Sunday the Watertown community is in shock following the incident, with condolences for the family pouring in over social media.

No townwide vigil has been planned yet, Raimo said.

Incidents involving children are far and few between (in Watertown), Raimo said. This hits home for everybody.

He said he is also concerned for the towns first responders who witnessed the aftermath of the incident. First responders will meet with a trained officer to discuss how they are processing the incident, Raimo said.

Its everybody sitting down and kind of baring their souls, how they are feeling, Raimo said. Everybody does differently with these things.

The scene at the farm has been cleared and all evidence gathered, Raimo said, adding that officials will likely have more updates Monday.
While senators during a Mondays session at the Guam Legislature generally were supportive of redeveloping Hagatna, some were wary of the impact that adopting a master plan for the village will have on landowners.

Members of the Hagatna Restoration and Redevelopment Authority, the Department of Land Management, and the Department of Public Works spoke to lawmakers about Bill 246  a measure that would approve the Redevelopment Authoritys years-old Hagatna Master Plan to develop the islands capital into a true city.

Several government offices would be relocated to the capital, and four separate districts serving different purposes would be created. According to Lasia Casil, executive director for the Redevelopment authority, new zoning areas are being planned for the village and will be available later in the year.

Im very worried about this  about whether all the Hagatna landowners are really aware that this is whats going on today, Speaker Therese Terlaje said.

The Redevelopment Authority has broad powers within the capital, according to the Speaker, including rezoning, imposing taxes on building improvements, and the right of eminent domain  taking private land for public use.

Sen. Chris Duenas noted that an attachment to the plan that included interviews with those who would be affected by the plan mostly included businesses and government agencies, very few individual landowners here.

He and others suggested that the plan be presented for more community roundtables and input before being approved.

Casil asserted that the Redevelopment Authority had held all required public hearings and had numerous charrettes with the community.

While the final plan will optimistically take 15 years and $550 million to implement, the Redevelopment Authority already has a portfolio of around 30 projects that they can begin to seek funding for.

All the projects have identified public land. The authority has no intention to condemn private lands, Casil said.

Officials said the government of Guam owns about 35% of the land in Hagatna.

As for zoning, the capital wont be permitted for industrial or manufacturing use or cemeteries, among other things, she said. A number of businesses exist that are not in compliance, including a junkyard and several commercial offices, but will be grandfathered in.

If a landowner that isnt in compliance with the new zoning requirements sells their property, the purchaser will still be able to continue whatever activity the land was used for but will have to seek review to change it, according to Joseph Santos, a former planner with the Redevelopment Authority. He said that landowners will have to get approval from the agency before moving forward through the normal permitting process with the government.

Lawmakers recessed on Monday afternoon and will continue discussions on Bill 246 at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

Floodplains

Sen. Frank Blas meanwhile questioned whether a study had ever been done on the floodplain area of the Hagatna River.

According to Casil, the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers had conducted a study of the Hagatna River and surrounding floodplain in 2020, but were bound by a federal executive order that prevented them from actually working to mitigate flooding, or reducing the size of the floodplain area.

Their suggestion was that a number of buildings be coated with waterproof paint to prevent damages. The Redevelopment Authority now is seeking funding to conduct another study.

Blas doubted rezoning work for the village without first addressing flooding issues.

Funding

Maria Eugenia Leon Guerrero, chairwoman for the Redevelopment Authority, said the master plan needed to be approved before much of the funding for restoring Hagatna could be found.

One of the baseline requirements for us to even go for some of this funding is that we need to have an approved master plan in the first place, Leon Guerrero said. The whole idea is that we want to attract people to live, work and play in Hagatna. So a project like that, if done correctly, could be a huge win. But it takes a lot of money.

Casil said that the plan, first started in 2005, was as close to being approved as it ever had been.
A 22-year-old woman faces a felony vehicular negligence charge after she told officers she and others were traveling about 40 mph while they were all dancing in the vehicle, according to a magistrates report filed in Superior Court.

Brianna Belle Lizama was also charged with driving while impaired, driving while impaired BAC and reckless driving, all misdemeanors.

Passenger Bruce Christopher Lizama, 24, was charged with reckless conduct as a misdemeanor.

On Sunday night, police were called to Route 30 by Onward Beach Resort where a white Ford F-150 crashed into a utility pole. When officers arrived, Bruce Lizama was outside the vehicle, covered in blood and suffering from head injuries, the complaint stated.

Brianna Lizama, who said she had been driving, told police she didnt have a drivers license. When asked if shed been drinking she said Yes, weve all been drinking tonight, according to the complaint.

She told police that she, Bruce Lizama and a third occupant were all dancing in the vehicle, and Bruce Lizama suddenly grabbed the steering wheel, causing her to lose control, according to the complaint.

When Bruce Lizama overheard her statement, he told officers, It was my fault. Im sorry. I grabbed the wheel. He said the three had been goofing around, according to the complaint.

He and the other passenger were taken to Guam Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Brianna Lizamas blood alcohol level was tested at 0.183, more the twice the legal limit of 0.08, the complaint stated.

She told police that while she was driving, a song came on and everyone started getting hype and things got out of control before Bruce Lizama grabbed the steering wheel, the complaint stated.
TSMC's new N2 node will be used by Apple and Intel, according to reports and sources in the financial world. N2 is TSMC's first manufacturing process to use the GAAFET (Gate-All-Around Field-Effect Transistor) design. By the end of 2025, it should be in wide use.

TSMC will be late to the GAAFET party. Samsung's 3GAE node will come out in 2023, and Intel's first Angstrom-era process, Intel 20A, will come out in 2024.

"We also see more clarity around TSMC's N2 expansion schedule in Fab 20 (Hsinchu)," Sze Ho Ng, an analyst with China Renaissance Securities, wrote in a note for clients. "Tool move-in is expected to start by end-2022, based on company plans, ahead of risk production in late 2024E with Intel (client PC Lunar Lake's graphic 'tiles', while the CPU 'tiles' are fabbed using Intels 18A) and Apple being the anchor customers for dedicated capacity support."

Intel's own slide that talks about the graphics tiles of Meteor Lake, Arrow Lake, and Lunar Lake processors clearly says that the latter's GPU will be made outside of the computer. This is because Intel's own technology is better than N3.

AMD, Broadcom, Nvidia, and MediaTek have all said that they will use different nodes from TSMC's N5 family (N5, N5P, N4, N4P, N4X). MediaTek has already formally announced its Dimensity 8000/8100 application processors and Dimensity 9000 SoC. Nvidia, on the other hand, will use a custom 4N fabrication process for its Hopper and presumably Ada Lovelace GPUs, which will be made in a different way. Also, AMD will make its Genoa and Raphael processors with a 5 nm process.

In a report from DigiTimes, all of these companies are in talks with TSMC about getting N3-capable capacity from the company in late 2020 or early 2024. In addition, these companies are also expected to start talking about N2-capable allocations next year. Apple and Intel, on the other hand, will be the first to use N2.

First, TSMC will use gate-all-around field-effect transistors (GAAFET) in its N2 technology. This is years after Samsung's 3GAE and more than a year after Intel's 20A technology, which both used this type of technology (2024). In terms of power, performance, and area/transistor density, the world's largest contract chip maker hasn't said what to expect from N2 over N3. However, because this will be a new node, it is reasonable to think that it will be better than its predecessors. The new process will still use the same extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography scanners that have a 0.33 numerical aperture. Intel's 18A, on the other hand, is set to use ASML's Twinscan EXE EUV scanners with High-NA (0.55NA).






A Coupang Eats' delivery worker delivers food on his bicycle in Seoul on Jan. 29, 2021. Courtesy of Coupang Eats



By Kim Jae-heun



Restaurant owners expressed their frustration, Sunday, toward Coupang Eats as the online food delivery platform suffered nearly three hours of server malfunction during the busy lunch period. The malfunction was first reported around noon and lasted until 3 p.m., making it impossible for restaurants to receive online orders through one of Korea's largest food delivery sites.



Customers kept placing orders, but they did not connect to the restaurant owners, they said. Many even waited an hour until they realized that the mobile application server went down and cancelled their purchases. Coupang Eats' platform showed a message that said "the page couldn't be found due to an unknown error."



The food delivery firm made an apology later, saying its mobile application malfunctioned.



"We apologize for causing inconvenience to our customers. We will contact every individual to notify our online system error," a Coupang Eats official said.



In response, restaurant owners are demanding compensation from Coupang.



"Sunday afternoon is one of the busiest times of the week. Coupang Eats ruined our business, but it is trying to weasel its way out by simply apologizing. It has to compensate us for our loss during those three hours" a salad restaurant owner surnamed Kim said.



A local union of self-employed people also issued a statement.



"We request reasonable compensation from Coupang Eats (for its server malfunction on Sunday). We will analyze our expected sales and various fixed costs including rent, electricity usage and labor expense during the system error period and ask Coupang Eats to reimburse our loss," the union said in a statement.



Meanwhile, restaurant owners have been complaining about Coupang Eats' commission fee hikes, which inevitably increased the costs of food delivery.



"Before asking for more money, they should do their job. If their server continues to malfunction in the future, we will see no reason to use Coupang Eats," Kim said.






Haiti - Education : Creation of the Commission for textbooks and teaching materials





Friday, April 22, 2022, on the sidelines of the book festival at the Holy Trinity School of the Episcopal Church (Port-au-Prince), Nesmy Manigat, the Minister of National Education who was present at this celebration, published a circular establishing the Ministerial Commission for School Textbooks and Teaching Materials.



This Commission's main mandate is to develop a national policy for textbooks and teaching materials.



Among the other points of her mandate, she ensures, together with the National Scientific and Curricular Commission (CNSC), that the curriculum and textbooks do not reproduce patterns of social inequality at school. It also ensures the equitable allocation of resources financing the implementation of the national policy on school materials and teaching materials.



Circular creating the ministerial commission for textbooks and teaching materials :



"The Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training, informs the public in general, publishers and authors of textbooks, in particular, of the creation of the Ministerial Commission for textbooks and teaching materials.



Mandate of the Commission :



Develop a national textbook and teaching materials policy;



Assess textbooks and learning materials for accreditation;



Ensure the application of the laws and conventions in force in this area, in particular respect for copyright, and all other ethical standards in their preparation;



Work together with the private and associative sectors of the book trades with a view to implementing the national policy for school textbooks and teaching materials;



Define the mandate of each actor in the implementation of the national policy on textbooks and teaching materials;



Work together with the National Scientific and Curriculum Commission (CNSC) to ensure that textbooks and teaching materials comply with the curriculum;



Ensure the equitable allocation of resources financing the implementation of the national policy on school materials and materials. didactics (endowment subsidy, loans of textbooks and didactic materials, etc...);



Ensure together with the CNSC that the curriculum and textbooks do not reproduce patterns of social inequalities in school such as: linguistic, cultural, religious discrimination, discrimination on the basis of disability, gender-based violence. historical distortion or omission, etc...;



Proposing, in consultation with the National Office for Partnership in Education (ONAPE) and the National Fund for Education (FNE), financing mechanisms for the National Policy on textbooks and teaching materials.



Members of the Commission :



A representative of the Curriculum and Quality Department (DCQ) who coordinates it;



A representative of the Office of Preschool Education (BUGEP);



A representative of the Department of Basic Education (DEF);



A representative of the Department of Secondary Education (DES);



A representative of the Training and Development Department (DFP);



A representative of the National Institute for Professional Training (INFP).



Are added in an advisory capacity :



A representative of the General Directorate of the MENFP;

A representative of the Minister's Office;

A representative of the General Coordination of the Education and Quality Center (CG PEQ).



The Commission has two years to carry out its mandate."



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - NOTICE : 7th edition of the Pleading Competition, call for candidacies





The Human Rights Office in Haiti (BDHH) is pleased to launch the 7th edition of the Human Rights Pleading Competition. The competition comprises two distinct phases : the written pre-selection and the oratorical contests. It is open to students from all universities in the country who have completed at least three years of law studies - and those who graduated less than a year ago.



After the role of lawyers in strengthening the rule of law, prolonged preventive detention, the responsibility of the State in deaths in prison, the prosecution of acts of corruption, the place of the victim in the criminal trial, the written pre-selection wishes this year to highlight a crucial issue, too often neglected : "the right to identity and civil status in Haiti"



Submit application online : https://forms.gle/iYqmjVw43sUmU7oU7



Competition deadline : Monday, May 23, 2022, 9:00 p.m.



All the details, terms and rules of the contest : https://bdhhaiti.org/archives/1044



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - History : Commemoration of the massacre of April 26, 1986 at Fort Dimanche





The Office for the Protection of the Citizen (OPC), an independent National Institution for the promotion and protection of human rights, makes it its duty to remind public opinion that we are on the eve of the commemoration of the 59th anniversary of the massacre perpetrated on April 26, 1986 at Fort Dimanche on many citizens, women, men, old people, children and infants...



To this end, a presidential decree published on April 21, 2015 in the official newspaper "Le Moniteur", devotes April 26 as "National Day of Remembrance in memory of the victims of Fort Dimanche".



According to this decree, "During the day of April 26, the national flag will be lowered to half-mast, radio and television stations are invited to program of programs and music for the occasion, the private and public sectors, the families, educational, social, commercial, religious and other institutions are encouraged to observe periods of recollection."



However, since the publication of this decree, the date of April 26 has never been commemorated in accordance with legal provisions. The OPC wishes to emphasize that this date represents a pivotal date in the history of our country which reminds us of the bloody and painful moments of the Duvalier regime.



"No society can be built on oblivion and impunity. Teaching rising generations to know the sad moments of our history is a patriotic duty."



Consequently, the OPC recommends that State authorities and vital sectors of national life take all necessary measures to ensure that the day of April 26 is respected and commemorated with dignity, with special attention for this year, dedicated to the centenary of the birth of the writer Jacques Stephen Alexis, one of the martyrs of the Duvalier regime.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Samsung Group labor union displeased with wage negotiations between union and management holds protest in front of the Samsung building in Seoul in this Feb. 23 photo. / Yonhap




Haiti - News : Zapping...





Diplomacy : PM congratulates Emannuel Macron

"I would like to congratulate, on behalf of the Haitian people and on my own behalf, President Emmanuel Macron on his re-election this Sunday, April 24, 2022. I hope to see the decades-old bonds of friendship between our two countries strengthened," Ariel Henry.



Fuel : the BMPAD reassuring

"The Office for the Monetization of Development Aid Programs (BMPAD) is closely monitoring the situation of the national oil market. It intends to reassure all consumers that the current stock of fuel available in the Thor and Varreux terminals will be able to supply the gas stations until the receipt of the last orders placed by the Oil Companies (the Martissant terminal is dysfunctional)."



Air Caraibes / Sunrise Airways partnership

The Ministry of Tourism welcomes the partnership between Air Caraibes and Sunrise Airways which facilitates access to cities like Jeremie, Les Cayes and Cap-Haitien to the European diaspora https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36378-haiti-news-zapping.html "This is very good news that will contribute to the revival of tourism in these destinations which are full of extraordinary sites, and which will thus allow our compatriots living abroad to take advantage of this summer's country festivals in the country," emphasizes the Ministry.



44th anniversary of the Church of the Evangelical Community of Haiti, remarks by the PM

Sunday, April 24, 2022, during the 44th anniversary of the founding of the Church of the Evangelical Community of Haiti, Prime Minister a.i. Ariel Henry attended a solemn ceremony of celebration, alongside the leaders and faithful of this great Christian community of Delmas. "I take this opportunity to salute the contribution and support of the Church of the Evangelical Community of Haiti, to the strengthening of education in our society and to the development of the children and young people of the community of Delmas," declared the Prime Minister.



ANAMAH declines an invitation from the CSPJ

The National Association of Haitian Magistrates (ANAMAH) declined an invitation from the Superior Council of the Judicial Police (CSPJ) related to the process aimed at filling vacancies at the Court of Cassation. ANAMAH disagrees with this process and threatens to mobilize the magistrates of the 18 jurisdictions to oppose this decision.



New Orleans : Ambassador Edmond meets Haitian religious leaders

Saturday, April 23 at the restaurant "Rendez-vous Creole", the Ambassador of Haiti in Washington Bocchit Edmond met in the evening with religious leaders of the Haitian community in New Orleans "We passionately discussed everything concerning our dear Haiti . Thank you all."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















By William Schwartz | Published on 2022/04/24

With ratings of 1.792% in its second episode, "Shooting Star" is on a very slight uptick. But aesthetically the drama is still at a bit of a loss as to what it wants to actually do. I was a bit perplexed when the second half of the first episode ended up being focused on the potty humor inherent to a weirdly invasive workplace physical exam. And the second episode has more of the same, with our heroine being chased into a bathroom by the leading man.

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Top stars at some talent agencies might be a bit aggressive and full of themselves. But Tae-seong takes this to an unreasonable extreme. The rumormongering we see about him either being romantically into or even dating Han-byeol is actually one of the more charitable explanations of his behavior. The more obvious alternative is that he's simply a huge jerk, and the Africa trip was just a means to head off the inevitable hit to his reputation.

I actually do better understand why the first episode had so many Africa scenes now. Without them, Tae-seong is too unsympathetic to work as the lead character. Unfortunately the Africa scenes remain horribly irrelevant to the actual story, not to mention patronizing. I'm still bristling at how the trip keeps being described as the Africa trip. Africa's a pretty big place! And it's pretty clearly implied that Tae-seong spent most of his time at just the one village!

Tae-seong's just too flawed conceptually as a character to really work. As the lead, we see too much of him to be able to write off his behavior as thoughtless. He's clearly being malicious, to no actual purpose. We don't even really know what motivates him in terms of his career, which is weird. If you've ever read any of the many interviews published on HanCinema, you know that actors love talking about their creative motivations as artists.

There are still fleeting glimpses of an actual good use of the premise. Take the opening, where Han-byeol advises an older actor to choose a project with a director he doesn't like rather than a writer he doesn't like. This is because a hostile writer might try to kill off his character. Now, presumably this is a soap opera actor, since actors in other kinds of genre dramas can't be killed off so easily. That's my deduction, not the drama's, which is showing frustratingly little attention to genuinely interesting details.

Review by William Schwartz

___________

"Shooting Star" is directed by Lee Soo-hyun-II, written by Choi Yeon-soo-II, and features Lee Sung-kyung, Kim Young-dae, Yoon Jong-hoon, Kim Yoon-hye, Park Sojin, Lee Jung-shin. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2022/04/22~Now airing, Fri, Sat 22:40 on tvN.


By Kim Hyun-bin



Five business lobby groups are calling on the Moon Jae-in administration to grant special pardons for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin.





Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong

The groups are arguing for such measures saying that Korea Inc. needs such business leaders in order to fully exert its potential amid an increasingly uncertain global economic outlook. The groups said Monday that they sent the joint request to the government.



"We earnestly ask to unfold the politics of healing and integration through the restoration of amnesty for those who deeply reflect on their past mistakes and for the desperate need for social integration," the group said in a letter to Cheong Wa Dae.



The business community has started petitioning for an amnesty and the reinstatement of some businessmen ahead of Buddha's birthday  a national holiday on May 8  as the last special amnesty of the Moon Jae-in government is being discussed.



Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin were included on the list of people for the amnesty petition.





Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin
A GRANT of 1 million has been awarded to regenerate high streets in Oxfordshire as part of the governments levelling up agenda.

The funding has been awarded to South Oxfordshire District Council, which will decide how best to spend it in line with its priorities.

Another 2,578,456 has also been pledged for the Oxfordshire area.

Henley MP John Howell said the money demonstrates the governments commitment to match previous funding from the European Union on social and regional development.

He said: I welcome the investment of 1 million for the district council and 2,578,456 for Oxfordshire, which can be used across a range of projects from supporting adults who lack basic numeracy skills, helping young people into good jobs, and regenerating our high streets.

This investment will help to local residents to fulfil their potential, while reducing regional inequalities that have been left untouched for too long.
A PLAQUE dedicated to a former mayor of Henley has been unveiled at Townlands Memorial Hospital.

Terry Buckett led the action group which campaigned for the old Townlands Hospital to remain open.

The Save Townlands group organised a march around the town in 2005 and delivered a petition with 11,800 names to then prime minister Tony Blair at No 10 Downing Street.

The campaign succeeded and led to the hospital being totally rebuilt in 2016.

Mr Buckett, who was a postman, served as a councillor from 1995 until his death in 2009 and was Mayor twice.

His widow Pauline, who served as a councillor after his death, unveiled the plaque during a small ceremony in the hospitals reception area with current Mayor Sarah Miller.

Friends and family of Mr Buckett attended together with former mayors and councillors who had worked with him.

Jeni Wood, a former mayor who now lives in Peppard, said: Terry was an extremely kind man. Anything you wanted to know about Henley he would tell you. The work he did for the hospital was so necessary. We wouldnt have had anything without it. Its such a godsend not having to go all the way to somewhere like Reading. Her husband Barry, also a former mayor, described Mr Buckett as a tower of strength in the action group.

Councillor Ken Arlett, a childhood friend of Mr Buckett and also a former mayor, said: He was an excellent town councillor. I think being a local lad helped in that regard. He was very hands-on.

He thanked Susan Dougall, senior property manager at NHS Property Services, who helped with the plaques installation, saying: Youve made a lot of people, especially Terrys family, very proud and we all appreciate what you have done.

Mrs Dougall said of Mr Buckett: Without his work, without his dedication, I dont think this hospital would be here. Mrs Buckett said: Im very proud to see the plaque unveiled. We all worked so hard to save the hospital and this marks that. Im not sure what hed have made of it if he was still alive. I think he would have been a little embarrassed.

Mr Buckett worked as a postman for more than 30 years and was made an MBE for his services to Royal Mail in 1998.

After his death, he was given a full civic funeral by Henley Town Council which 600 people attended.
A POSTBOX has appeared on the side of Sonning Bridge for a second time.

The red letterbox was installed on a buttress on the downstream side of Sonning Bridge, which crosses the River Thames.

The bridge is Grade II listed and so any alterations should be agreed with Wokingham Borough Council, the planning authority.

The prank is the latest in a series performed by an artist calling himself Impro.

He first installed a postbox on the bridge in 2013, which made international headlines and sparked the interest of illusionist Uri Geller, who used to live in Sonning.

This was then replaced by a sign warning boat drivers of the risks of skidding. Then in 2016 a black door, along with floating doormat underneath it, popped up overnight.

The door had a letterbox, knocker and keyhole and resembled that of 10 Downing Street, which at the time was home of Prime Minister and Sonning resident Theresa May.

In June last year an old-fashioned dial-up telephone appeared on the bridge and above it was a sign which read Emergency Flood Line.

In response, the borough council posted on Facebook: If you ever have flooding concerns call Floodline (no, not on that phone).

The artist has also set up installations on the Reading Road roundabout at Playhatch, including a giant Google Maps-style pin in 2014, which was followed months later by an empty tent and clothes line.

In 2016 a pair of mannequin legs with white socks disappearing into a toilet bowl appeared in the same spot. This was followed by a rocket and a giant humbug sweet, both in 2019, and a London underground station sign and Santa, who appeared to have crash landed, last year.
A WOMAN from Peppard Common dropped off more than 200 chocolate eggs to refugee children for Easter.

Barbara Grimm, who volunteers for the charity Care4Calais, spent a week delivering the eggs, which had been donated by a supermarket that asked not to be named.

Mrs Grimm, who is retired and lives with her partner, approached supermarkets across South Oxfordshire and Berkshire asking for donations, eventually receiving more than 90 Easter eggs. The rest of the eggs were made up by individual donations.

She said: The parents have no right to work while they are in the process of claiming asylum, so they dont have the money to buy treats for their children.

Their kids are all in local schools and will have been learning about Easter eggs and Easter egg hunts over the last week, which could have been really hard for them. A lot of the children havent had any treats since they came to this country.

They were so overjoyed to receive these gifts. The eggs were personalised, and so it was lovely to see them searching for one with their name on it.

These families all had their own lives, homes and jobs before they were forced to flee their countries, and doing something like this, no matter how small, is just a reminder of that to them. Show me a child who isnt happy to get an Easter egg.

Mrs Grimm has been volunteering for Care4Calais for the last six months. The charity helps to settle refugees fleeing from war-torn countries like Afghanistan, Syria, and more recently Ukraine, into their local communities.

Her role is in family support, which includes registering children at local schools and helping them with school uniform.

The charity supports a network of around 1,000 refugees in the area, including more than 200 children.

Mrs Grimm and other volunteers also gave presents to refugees at Christmas and often do the same for birthdays.

She said: The parents love their kids so much and are so proud of them. They will often send me pictures of them in their school uniforms over WhatsApp. They are so grateful whenever their children receive gifts.

We are always in need of more volunteers. There are many ways to help, such as providing admin support, collection and distribution.

Meanwhile, the charity needs donations of new underwear for men, women and children. They can be dropped off at Jonkers Rare Books in Hart Street, Henley.

For more information about Care4Calais, email Reading@care4calais.org
French President Emmanuel Macron celebrates on the stage at the Champs-de-Mars, Paris, after winning the second round of the French presidential elections, April 24. EPA-Yonhap



Emmanuel Macron comfortably defeated his far-right rival Marine Le Pen, Sunday, heading off a political earthquake for Europe but acknowledging dissatisfaction with his first term and saying he would seek to make amends.



His supporters erupted with joy as the results appeared on a giant screen at the Champ de Mars by the Eiffel tower.



Leaders in Berlin, Brussels, London and beyond welcomed his defeat of the nationalist, eurosceptic Le Pen.



But even as exit polls showed a solid 58.5 percent of the vote, Macron in his victory speech acknowledged many had only voted for him only to keep Le Pen out and he promised to address the sense of many French that their living standards are slipping.



"Many in this country voted for me not because they support my ideas but to keep out those of the far-right. I want to thank them and know I owe them a debt in the years to come," he said.



"No one in France will be left by the wayside," he said in a message that had already been spread by senior ministers doing the rounds on French TV stations.



Two years of disruption from the pandemic and surging energy prices exacerbated by the Ukraine war catapulted economic issues to the fore of the campaign. The rising cost of living has become an increasing strain for the poorest in the country.



"He needs to be closer to the people and to listen to them," digital sales worker Virginie, 51, said at the Macron rally, adding he needed to overcome a reputation for arrogance and soften a leadership style Macron himself called "Jupiterian."



Le Pen, who at one stage of the campaign had trailed Macron by just a few points in opinion polls, quickly admitted defeat. But she vowed to keep up the fight with parliamentary elections in June.



"I will never abandon the French," she told supporters chanting "Marine! Marine!"





Far-right leader Marine Le Pen gestures as she arrives to speak after the early result projections of the French presidential election runoff were announced in Paris, April 24. AP-Yonhap



No grace period



Macron can expect little or no grace period in a country whose stark political divisions have been brought into the open by an election in which radical parties scored well. Many expect the street protests that marred part of his first term to erupt again as he presses on with pro-business reforms.



"There will be continuity in government policy because the president has been reelected," Health Minister Olivier Veran said. "But we have also heard the French people's message."



How Macron now fares will depend on the looming parliamentary elections. Le Pen wants a nationalist alliance in a move that raises the prospect of her working with rival far-rightists like Eric Zemmour and her niece, Marion Marechal.



Hard-left Jean-Luc Melenchon, who emerged as by far the strongest force on the left of French politics, said he deserves to be prime minister  something that would force Macron into an awkward and stalemate-prone "cohabitation."



"Melenchon as prime minister. That would be fun. Macron would be upset, but that's the point," said Philippe Lagrue, 63, technical director at a Paris theatre, who voted for Macron in the run-off after backing Melenchon in the first round.



Outside France, Macron's victory was hailed as a reprieve for mainstream politics rocked in recent years by Britain's exit from the European Union, the 2016 election of Donald Trump and the rise of a new generation of nationalist leaders.



"Bravo Emmanuel," European Council President Charles Michel, wrote on Twitter. "In this turbulent period, we need a solid Europe and a France totally committed to a more sovereign and more strategic European Union."



"The financial markets will breathe a collective sigh of relief following Macron's election victory," said Seema Shah, chief strategist at Principal Global Investors.





Supporters of French President and candidate for re-election Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) celebrate at the Champs-de-Mars in Paris after he won the second round of the presidential elections, April 24. EPA-Yonhap
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, second from left, listens as Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, third from right, speaks during their meeting at the State Department in Washington, April 22. AFP-Yonhap





The United States' top diplomat and defense chief were in Kyiv, Sunday, Ukraine's presidency said, making the first high-level visit by US officials since Russia invaded its neighbor two months ago, and as fierce fighting cast a shadow over Orthodox Easter.







The trip by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin comes as the war enters its third month, with thousands dead and millions displaced, and as Kyiv desperately sought relief for Ukrainians trapped in the battered city of Mariupol.







Presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych said Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the US officials Sunday, as Mariupol's defenses were "already on the brink of collapse" and Ukraine was in dire need of offensive weapons.







"As long as there are no 'offensives,' there will be a new Bucha every day," he said in an interview on a Russian former lawyer's popular YouTube channel, referring to the town where UN officials said they had documented the unlawful killings of around 50 civilians.







"Maybe they can help," Arestovych added of the US envoys. "They wouldn't come here, if they weren't ready to give (weapons)."







While the visit remained unconfirmed by Washington and details were kept under wraps, Zelenskyy tweeted later Sunday that the "Ukraine-US friendship and partnership are stronger than ever!"







The United States has been a leading donor of finance and weaponry to Ukraine and a key sponsor of sanctions targeting Russia, but had not sent any top officials to Kyiv, while several European leaders had travelled there to underscore their support.







Servicemen of the militia from the Donetsk People's Republic walk past damaged apartment buildings near the Illich Iron & Steel Works Metallurgical Plant, the second-largest metallurgical enterprise in Ukraine, in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Mariupol, Ukraine, April 16. Mariupol, which is part of the industrial region in eastern Ukraine known as the Donbas, has been a key objective for Russia since the start of the invasion, Feb. 24. AP-Yonhap









The highly sensitive trip by two of President Joe Biden's top cabinet members coincided with Easter celebrations in the largely Orthodox country.







"Our souls are filled with fierce hatred for the invaders and all that they have done," Zelenskyy said in a statement marking the holiday. "Don't let rage destroy us from within."







As Ukrainians marked a somber Easter, with many braving bombardment for blessings, Russian forces showed no sign of easing their attacks.







Five civilians were killed and another five wounded in Donetsk, Sunday, the besieged eastern region's Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said. Authorities also reported a death in northeastern Kharkiv.







The day before, a missile strike on the southern city of Odessa left eight dead and at least 18 wounded, according to Zelenskyy, who said five missiles hit the historic city.







"Among those killed was a three-month-old baby girl," Zelenskyy said. "How did she threaten Russia? It seems that killing children is just a new national idea of the Russian Federation."







Russia's defense ministry said it had targeted a major depot stocking foreign weapons near Odessa, attacks that upended the relative calm the city has enjoyed since the war began.







Zelenskyy accused Russia of being a terrorist state, one that has devastated the port city of Mariupol with weeks of unrelenting bombardment.







Yet, with thousands of Ukrainian fighters and civilians in Mariupol facing increasingly dire conditions, Kyiv invited Moscow to talks near the sprawling Azovstal steel plant where Ukrainian fighters are still holding out, Ukraine said Sunday.







"We invited Russians to hold a special round of talks on the spot, right next to the walls of Azovstal," the last Ukrainian stronghold in the strategic port, said Arestovych.







There was no immediate response from Russia. Its president, Vladimir Putin, had ordered his forces not to assault the plant, but Ukrainians say the attacks continue unabated.






An aerial view shows damaged buildings, amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, in Mariupol, Ukraine in this handout picture taken with a drone released, April 24. Reuters-Yonhap





Russian forces in Ukraine tried to storm a steel plant housing Ukrainian soldiers and civilians in the southern city of Mariupol, Saturday, in an attempt to crush the last corner of resistance in a place of deep symbolic and strategic value to Moscow, Ukrainian officials said.







The reported assault on the eve of Orthodox Easter came after the Kremlin claimed its military had seized all of the shattered city except for the Azovstal plant, and as Russian forces pounded other cities and towns in southern and eastern Ukraine.







A 3-month-old baby was among six people killed when Russia fired cruise missiles at the Black Sea port city of Odessa, officials said.







''The war started when this baby was one month old. Can you imagine what is happening?'' President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. ''They are just bastards. ... I don't have any other words for it, just bastards.''







Zelenskyy also announced he would meet Sunday in Kyiv with the U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, and secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin. The White House declined comment. Zelenskyy gave little detail about logistics of the encounter but noted he was expecting concrete results  ''not just presents or some kind of cakes, we are expecting specific things and specific weapons.''







The fate of the Ukrainians in the sprawling seaside steel mill in Mariupol wasn't immediately clear; earlier Saturday, a Ukrainian military unit released a video reportedly taken two days earlier in which women and children holed up underground, some for as long as two months, said they longed to see the sun.







''We want to see peaceful skies, we want to breathe in fresh air,'' one woman in the video said. ''You have simply no idea what it means for us to simply eat, drink some sweetened tea. For us, it is already happiness.''







As the battle for the port ground on, Russia said it had taken control of several villages elsewhere in the eastern Donbas region and destroyed 11 Ukrainian military targets overnight, including three artillery warehouses. Russian attacks also struck populated areas.







Associated Press journalists observed shelling in residential areas of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city; regional Gov. Oleh Sinehubov said three people were killed. In the Luhansk area of the Donbas, Gov. Serhiy Haidai said six people died during the shelling of a village, Gorskoi.







In Sloviansk, a town in northern Donbas, AP witnessed two soldiers arriving at a hospital, one of them mortally wounded. Nearby, a small group of people gathered outside a church where a priest blessed them with water on Holy Saturday.







While British officials said Russian forces had not gained significant new ground, Ukrainian officials announced a nationwide curfew ahead of Easter Sunday, a sign of the war's disruption and threat to the entire country.







Local civilians stand in line to take a shower inside a tent set up by the Donetsk People Republic Emergency Situations Ministry in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Mariupol, Ukraine, April 23. AP-Yonhap





Mariupol has been a key Russian objective since the invasion began Feb. 24 and has taken on outsize importance in the war. Completing its capture would give Russia its biggest victory yet, after a nearly two-month siege reduced much of the city to a smoking ruin.







It would deprive the Ukrainians of a vital port, free up Russian troops to fight elsewhere and establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow seized in 2014. Russia-backed separatists control parts of Donbas.






Neighbourhood residents (top) wait for a bus during the Covid-19 lockdown in the Jing'an District in Shanghai, April 24. AFP-Yonhap





Shanghai authorities battling an outbreak of COVID-19 have erected fences outside residential buildings, sparking fresh public outcry over a lockdown that has forced much of the city's 25 million people indoors.







The largest district in Beijing, meanwhile, will require everyone living or working in the area to take three COVID tests this week, and put more than a dozen buildings under lockdown, after the Chinese capital reported 22 new cases for Saturday. The district, Chaoyang, is home to 3.45 million people.







In Shanghai, images of workers in white hazmat suits sealing entrances of housing blocks and closing off entire streets with green fencing  roughly two metres tall  went viral on social media, prompting questions and complaints from residents.







"This is so disrespectful of the rights of the people inside, using metal barriers to enclose them like domestic animals," said one user on social media platform Weibo.







One video showed residents shouting from balconies at workers trying to set up fencing. The workers relented and took it away. Other videos showed people trying to pull fences down.







"Isn't this a fire hazard?" asked another Weibo user.







Many of the fences were erected around compounds designated "sealed areas"  buildings where at least one person tested positive for COVID-19, meaning residents are forbidden from leaving their front doors.







It was not clear what prompted authorities to resort to fencing. A notice dated Saturday from one local authority shared online said it was imposing "hard quarantine" in some areas.







Reuters was not able to verify the authenticity of the notice or all of the images, but saw green fencing on a street in central Shanghai, Sunday.







In recent days, Reuters has also seen police in hazmat suits patrolling Shanghai streets, setting up road blocks and asking pedestrians to return home.







The Shanghai government did not respond to a request for comment.







An officer wearing personal protective equipment gestures to residents on a street during a Covid-19 coronavirus lockdown in the Jing'an District in Shanghai, April 23. AFP-Yonhap









Shanghai is China's most populous city and most important economic hub. It is battling the country's biggest COVID-19 outbreak since the coronavirus first emerged in Wuhan in late 2019 with a policy that forces all positive cases into quarantine centers.







The lockdown, which for many residents has lasted over three weeks, has fuelled frustration over lost wages, family separation and quarantine conditions as well as access to medical care and food.







Supermarket Freshippo, backed by Alibaba Group Holding, said Sunday it was adding couriers to meet demand in the city.







The lockdown has also dragged on China's economy, the world's second-largest, with factory production disrupted by snarled supply chains and difficulties faced by locked-down residents returning to work.







Shanghai is carrying out daily citywide COVID tests and accelerating transfer of positive cases to central facilities to eradicate virus transmission outside quarantine areas.







In the past week, authorities have also transferred entire communities, including uninfected people, saying they need to disinfect their homes, according to residents and social media posts.







Many residents have vented on the internet about the lockdown and expressed dissent, using euphemisms and other means to battle government censors who often remove content critical of the authorities.







Videos of "Do You Hear The People Sing?" a protest anthem from "Les Miserables," have been widely reposted, with the title of the French musical receiving over 90 million mentions on WeChat, Saturday, the chat app's data showed.











Shanghai reported 39 COVID deaths for April 23, versus 12 a day earlier and by far the most during the current outbreak.







It did not report any deaths in the first few weeks, fueling doubt among residents about the figures. It has since reported 87 fatalities, all in the past seven days.







The city recorded 19,657 new locally transmitted asymptomatic cases, versus 20,634 a day prior, and 1,401 symptomatic, versus 2,736.







Cases outside quarantined areas totaled 280 from 218 on the previous day. Other cities that have been under lockdown began easing restrictions once cases hit zero.







In Beijing's Chaoyang District, where officials urged people to reduce public activities, residents stocked up on groceries Sunday evening, fearing a lockdown could be coming.







One middle-aged resident, who declined to give his name, carried five large bags of rice and three large bottles of cooking oil amongst other items in his shopping trolley.







"The lockdown could happen in a couple of days. That's what people are saying. But really, we don't know," he said.







China largely succeeded in keeping coronavirus at bay following the Wuhan outbreak, with a "dynamic zero" policy aimed at stamping out chains of infection.







That approach has been challenged by the spread of the highly infectious but less deadly Omicron variant, which has prompted cities to impose various levels of restrictions on movement.







Nationwide, China reported 20,285 new asymptomatic coronavirus cases for Saturday, versus 21,423 a day earlier, with 1,580 symptomatic cases, versus 2,988. (Reuters)






Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre has announced the appointment of Zalan Schuster as its new Chief Concierge. Impassioned about his profession, experience at luxury hotels, and a member of Les Clefs d'Or, the international organization of the creme de la cremeof hotel concierges, Schuster arrived at the sky-high Hotel in the Saudi Arabian capital on a mission to curate enriching and exciting destination experiences for guests.

Appointed in late 2021, Schuster quickly set about learning every detail of Riyadh and making connections with fine-dining restaurants, upscale retailers, and local transportation and tour operators to ensure his team can satisfy all guest requests. He also got his name around to hotel concierges throughout the city, better to have a reliable network of experts to tap as necessary.

Key to those connections is Schuster's membership in Les Clefs d'Or, which he joined in early 2021 based on his experience and testing. An "elite fraternity," of globally-connected hotel concierges, the non-profit association counts some 4,000 members in 80 countries and 530 destinations all over the world, including Riyadh.

Schuster started his hotel career as a bellboy in 2011 at a hotel on the island of Crete in Greece where, along with aiding guests with baggage, he began studying the concierge concept and decided to make membership in Les Clefs d'Or his career goal. He relocated to England in 2013 to work as a hall porter and took his first position as a concierge the following year at Alexander Hotels. In 2016, Schuster moved on to Guernsey, Channel Islands, where he became head concierge at Red Carnation Hotels, and one year later returned to mainland England for the same role on the pre-opening team of University Arms Hotel in Cambridge, part of Marriott's Autograph Collection.

Now on his first assignment with Four Seasons, Schuster is excited to be part of the top luxury brand as well as in the Middle East.
Seatrade Cruise Global returns to Miami 25-28 April 2022, ready to bring the cruise community together once more - safely and securely - and we can't wait to welcome you back on board!

Re-uniting the visionaries, the experts, and thousands of like-minded cruise professionals for four days of business and networking, Seatrade Cruise Global is the one destination everyone looks forward to.

Framed beneath the theme 'resilience', our world-class Conference will once again feature many of the leading names set to shape the future of the cruise industry. And our 500 exhibitors are looking forward to sharing the very latest in cruise tech, design, and services from the show floor.

Whatever your cruise sector, whatever your role, wherever in the world you operate, let's re-connect at Seatrade Cruise Global. Cruise professionals form over 65 countries have already registered.

This event is organized by Informa Markets
MANILA, Philippines - The World Travel & Tourism Councils latest Economic Impact Report (EIR) reveals the Travel & Tourism sector is expected to create nearly 126 million new jobs within the next decade.

The bullish forecast from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, also shows the sector will be a driving force of the global economic recovery, creating one in three of all new jobs.

The announcement was made today by Julia Simpson, President & CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council, in her opening speech at its prestigious Global Summit in the Philippines.

The prediction was delivered in the capital, Manila, before more than 1,000 delegates from across the global Travel & Tourism sector, including CEOs, business leaders, government ministers, travel experts and the international media.

The EIR report shows Travel & Tourisms GDP is forecasted to grow at an average rate of 5.8% annually between 2022-2032, outstripping the 2.7% growth rate for global economy, to reach US$ 14.6 trillion (11.3% of the total global economy).

And in additional grounds for optimism, the report also shows global Travel & Tourism GDP could reach pre-pandemic levels by 2023 - just 0.1% below 2019 levels. The sectors contribution to GDP is expected to grow a massive 43.7% to almost US$ 8.4 trillion by the end of 2022, amounting to 8.5% of the total global economic GDP - just 13.3% behind 2019 levels.

This will be matched by a boost in Travel & Tourism employment, which is expected to approach 2019 levels in 2023, only 2.7% below.

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: Over the next decade Travel & Tourism will create 126 million new jobs worldwide. In fact, one in three of every new job created will be related to our sector."

Looking to this year and the next, WTTC forecast a brighter future with both GDP and employment set to reach pre-pandemic levels by next year."

The recovery in 2021 was slower than expected due in part to the impact of the Omicron variant but mainly due to an uncoordinated approach by governments who rejected the advice of the World Health Organization, which maintained that closing borders would not stop the spread of the virus but would only serve to damage economies and livelihoods.

Looking back a year, WTTCs latest EIR report also revealed that 2021 saw the beginning of the recovery for the global Travel & Tourism sector.

Its contribution to GDP climbed an impressive 21.7% year on year, to reach more than US$5.8 trillion.

Before the pandemic, the Travel & Tourism sectors contribution to GDP was 10.3% (U.S. $9.6 trillion) in 2019, falling to 5.3% (nearly U.S. $4.8 trillion) in 2020 when the pandemic was at its height, which represented a staggering 50% loss.

The sector saw a recovery of more than 18 million global Travel & Tourism jobs, representing a positive 6.7% rise in 2021.

The sectors contribution to the global economy and employment would have been higher if it werent for the impact of the Omicron variant, which led to the recovery faltering around the world, with many countries reinstating severe travel restrictions.

The WTTC 2022 EIR report also shows Travel & Tourism GDP is forecast to leap ahead by an average annual rate of 5.8% over the next decade.

This compares to the more modest 2.7% average annual growth rate for the global economy during the same period.

Global Travel & Tourism employment is expected to grow in 2022 by 3.5%, making up 9.1% of the global job market, lagging behind 2019 levels by 10%.

A look at Asia Pacific

WTTCs 2022 EIR report makes clear that Travel & Tourism sector across Asia Pacific is set to rebound significantly and over the next decade is estimated to create almost 77 million new jobs.

At the same time the sectors contribution towards GDP is forecast to grow at an average annual rate of 8.5% between 2022 and 2032, more than double the 4% growth rate for the regions overall economy.

Last year the Travel & Tourism sectors contribution to GDP rose 16% to US$ 1.58 trillion after a collapsing by 58.8% in 2020 due to the impact of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, job creation in 2021 was boosted by 6.2%, accounting for 8.6% of all the regions jobs, after falling by nearly a fifth (18.9%), the previous year.

The 2022 EIR report marks a vast change in fortune for the once struggling global Travel & Tourism sector which was left reeling by the impact of the pandemic, due to the widespread introduction of unnecessary and hugely damaging travel restrictions.

About WTTC

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) represents the global travel & tourism private sector. Members include 200 CEOs, Chairs and Presidents of the world's leading travel & tourism companies from all geographies covering all industries. For more than 30 years, WTTC has been committed to raising the awareness of governments and the public of the economic and social significance of the travel & tourism sector.

According to WTTC's 2021 Economic Impact Report, during 2020, a year in which it was devasted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Travel & Tourism made a 5.5% contribution to global GDP and was responsible for 272 million jobs.

WTTC Press Office

WTTC

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Manila, Philippines - The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and its knowledge partner ForwardKeys, forecast a major increase in global international flights bookings as international travel takes off.

The booking bounce back was revealed at WTTCs prestigious 21st Global Summit, taking place this year in Manila, as the world continues to reopen from the pandemic.

News of the strong recovery highlights a promising prospect ahead for summer holiday travel, with sun and sea destinations, such as the Caribbean and Latin America, leading the international inbound bookings.

According to ForwardKeys, leading travel and analytics company, the countrys leading the ranking of top 20 best performing destinations for the summer are Costa Rica, Aruba, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica, all of which rely heavily upon international travel.

These destinations lead the pack with bookings already surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

Last year, the industrys gradual recovery was significantly slowed by the surge in Omicron cases. However, the future is looking brighter for 2022 with positive booking data worldwide.

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said: WTTC 2022 booking data from ForwardKeys is a firm signal of the strong recovery of the global Travel & Tourism sector."

Travel to the Asia-Pacific region shows impressive signs of improvement as destinations gradually reopen their borders to visitors, in line with customer demand.

Olivier Ponti, ForwardKeys Vice President Insights, said: It is very encouraging that Asia has finally begun re-opening, which is driving the return of both travel to Asia and within the region, both of which are clearly going to be instrumental in driving the global economic recovery.

According to the data, Q1 and Q2 figures for this year are showing triple-digit growth for inbound flight bookings around the world, compared to last year, including the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Travellers are eager to spend more on travel following the loosening of restrictions, with heightened demand for premium cabin classes in 2022. Other trends seen include stronger last-minute bookings.

Further evidence of the resurgence in travel is shown in arrivals in Europe, with a massive 350% surge in international arrivals for Q1 in 2022 compared to last year.

Asia-Pacific countries also saw an increase in arrivals for Q1 of this year compared to 2021, with bookings for the region up 275%.

In Q2 we see further acceleration of the continuing recovery with a significant rise in international bookings, which have soared by 264% on the year before.

This acceleration is particularly notable in Asia where travel restrictions are being removed. Host to the WTTC Global Summit, the Philippines is the fastest growing single destination in South East Asia, 29% up in Q2 this year compared to Q1.

The summer travel outlook is led by the resurgence of travel to the Caribbean and Latin America, which includes seven out of the top 10 travel destinations.

India and Pakistan are also highly popular, thanks to travel mainly for visits to family and friends.

Meanwhile in Europe, destinations such as Iceland, Greece, Portugal, Spain and France are showing a strong resurgence with travel bookings just slightly behind pre-pandemic levels.

Africa and the Middle East also feature in the top 20 list with Tanzania, Qatar and Egypt also reaching close to pre-pandemic levels of travel.

The continued recovery of the Travel & Tourism sector in the Asia-Pacific region looks set to accelerate as destinations gradually reopen throughout 2022.

About WTTC

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) represents the global travel & tourism private sector. Members include 200 CEOs, Chairs and Presidents of the world's leading travel & tourism companies from all geographies covering all industries. For more than 30 years, WTTC has been committed to raising the awareness of governments and the public of the economic and social significance of the travel & tourism sector.

According to WTTC's 2021 Economic Impact Report, during 2020, a year in which it was devasted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Travel & Tourism made a 5.5% contribution to global GDP and was responsible for 272 million jobs.

WTTC Press Office

WTTC

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Key Takeaways

Airbnb.org is working with nonprofits to offer free, temporary housing to people from marginalized communities who are fleeing Ukraine, from African students to families affected by a rare disease.

These organizations include Global Empowerment Mission, EURORDIS-Rare Diseases Europe and Planting Peace.

Recently, Airbnb.org has announced collaborations with Refugees Welcome Italia in Italy, Rescate, Red Acoge and Diaconia Madrid in Spain, and Bienvenida in Berlin, Germany to offer housing to refugees.

Nearly 11,000 people have now received temporary accommodations through Airbnb.org in Europe as part of Airbnb.orgs efforts in Ukraine.

Airbnb.org is announcing that it is working with a number of new international and regional nonprofits active on the ground to offer free, temporary housing to up to 100,000 refugees fleeing from Ukraine. To date, nearly 11,000 people have now received temporary accommodations through Airbnb.org in Europe as part of Airbnb.orgs efforts to help those fleeing Ukraine.

While Airbnb.org collaborates with organizations that are supporting all refugees, regardless of nationality, race, ethnicity, or how they identify, these nonprofits which with Airbnb.org is now working are specifically dedicated to assisting people from marginalized communities who are fleeing Ukraine, including African students, people with rare diseases and their families, and those who identify as LGBTQIA+.

Global Empowerment Mission

Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) aims to provide grassroots efforts with a large institutional impact for the most vulnerable populations affected by disasters around the world. Currently on the ground in Hungary, GEM is using the support of Airbnb.org to provide housing to African students who are fleeing Ukraine.

Were so grateful for our partnership with Airbnb.org in this tragic Ukraine crisis. Thanks to this incredible program, GemBstrong has been able to already place 1,257 people in comfortable homes. Many of them are young students that would have been homeless in freezing temperatures if it wasnt for them, - Michael Capponi, President of Global Empowerment Mission.

EURORDIS-Rare Diseases Europe

EURORDIS is a non-governmental patient-driven alliance of patient organizations, representing 995 rare disease patient organizations in 74 countries. With the support of Airbnb.org, they will be coordinating with the medical care provider community, to connect patients with a wide range of rare diseases who are fleeing Ukraine to housing.

This partnership will provide real value for people with rare diseases who were living in Ukraine and who were displaced by the war. Very often people living with a rare condition need extra care and support. We hope this initiative will give hundreds of vulnerable families breathing space to find their feet, - Michael Wilbur, Chief Operating Officer of EURORDIS-Rare Diseases Europe.

Planting Peace

Planting Peace is a global nonprofit organization founded for the purpose of spreading peace in a hurting world, through humanitarian and environmental initiatives ranging from a network of orphanages and safe havens in developing countries and rainforest conservation efforts in the Amazon to LGBTQIA+ rights advocacy and Equality House and Transgender House. Planting Peace is currently on the ground at the border of Poland and Ukraine delivering aid to refugees, with a particular focus on those with nowhere to go, no family to offer them safe, long-term housing or those with pets.

This builds on Airbnb.orgs work with a number of other organizations worldwide. Recently, Airbnb.org has announced collaborations with Refugees Welcome Italia, Bienvenida, a project of the NGO PxP Embassy e.V, and Rescate, Red Acoge and Diaconia Madrid, to offer housing to refugees in Italy, Germany and Spain, respectively. Airbnb.org continues to support the International Organization for Migration, HIAS, Nova Ukraine and Save the Children Sweden and work with the government of Germany, to connect people fleeing from Ukraine to free, short-term housing across Europe. Airbnb.org is also coordinating directly with the US federal government to support their commitment to welcome up to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine to the US.

Airbnb.org is grateful for the continuing, overwhelmingly generosity from Hosts on Airbnb as well as other individuals around the world looking to assist this effort. To date, more than 33,000 people have signed up to offer their homes to refugees through Airbnb.org, including more than 20,000 across Europe and nearly 7,000 in the US.

Anyone who is interested in supporting Airbnb.orgs initiative to help refugees fleeing Ukraine can go to airbnb.org/help-ukraine to get involved, including by offering free or discounted stays or donating to Airbnb.org. Airbnbs co-founders  Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, Nathan Blecharczyk and his wife Elizabeth  personally committed to match up to $10 million in donations to Airbnb.org from March 15, 2022 through April 30, 2022.

Airbnb.org does not offer housing directly to individuals at this time. Airbnb.org is working with other nonprofit partners who facilitate stays for refugee guests. Additional updates on the program will be shared at airbnb.org/help-ukraine.

About Airbnb

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals across over 220 countries and regions. Travel on Airbnb keeps more of the financial benefits of tourism with the people and places that make it happen. Airbnb has generated billions of dollars in earnings for Hosts, most of whom are individuals listing the homes in which they live. Among Hosts who report their gender, more than half are women, and one in five employed Hosts are either teachers or healthcare workers. Travel on Airbnb also has generated more than $4 billion in tax revenue around the world. Airbnb has helped advance more than 1,000 regulatory frameworks for short-term rentals, including in 80% of our top 200 geographies. In late 2020, to support our continued expansion and diversification, we launched the City Portal to provide governments with a one-stop shop that supports data sharing and compliance with local registration rules. We continue to invest in innovations and tools to support our ongoing work with governments around the world to advance travel that best serves communities.

About Airbnb.org

Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating temporary stays for people in times of crisis around the world. Airbnb.org operates independently and leverages Airbnb, Inc."s technology, services, and other resources at no charge to carry out Airbnb.org"s charitable purpose. The inspiration for Airbnb.org began in 2012 with a single host named Shell who opened up her home to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. This sparked a movement and marked the beginning of a program that allows Hosts on Airbnb to provide stays for people in times of need. Since then, the program has evolved to focus on emergency response and to help provide stays to evacuees, relief workers, refugees, asylum seekers, and frontline workers fighting the spread of COVID-19. Since then, Hosts have offered to open up their homes and helped provide accommodations to 100,000 people in times of need. Airbnb.org is a separate and independent entity from Airbnb, Inc. Airbnb, Inc. does not charge service fees for Airbnb.org supported stays on its platform.

Airbnb Press

Airbnb Press Office

Airbnb
The hotel sector has faced stormy weather the last couple of years. CWT data shows that whilst hotel bookings throughout 2021 were up from the previous year, Delta & Omicron curtailed 2021 bookings by roughly 50%. Although Russias invasion of Ukraine is causing shockwaves around the world theres light on the horizon. Recent CWT data showed that there is pent-up demand for business travel in regions where testing and quarantine requirements have been relaxed.

The changed hotel landscape, combined with unclear volume predictions hasnt made the negotiation process any easier for travel managers either. Buyers are left with a lack of insights on which to hinge predictions for the year ahead.

RoomIt by CWT manages hotel programs for some of the worlds leading global businesses, and noticed that where historically, lengthy and complex hotel negotiation processes taking place every year was the norm, travel buyers are now looking for a more flexible way to manage their programs and costs; whilst demand, volumes and budgets remain fluid. Hotel programs tend now to be smaller, strategically negotiated, closely managed, and adjusted throughout the year.

Travel buyers are achieving great efficiencies concentrating their hotel program portfolio with fewer more strategically negotiated - hotels , augmented with their travel management companys negotiated properties.

Continuous control of hotel programs is expected to become the new norm as hotel experts have developed new ways of auditing supplier contracts. RoomIt is continuously reviewing corporate negotiated rates availability and competitiveness at the point of purchase allowing us to measure missed savings and identify the strongest partnerships for our clients.

Continuous tracking of the hotel program performance, combined with a progressively clearer visibility of future travel, enables travel managers to revise and update their hotel portfolio throughout the year to achieve savings and programme stickiness.

Here are three tips to optimize your continuous hotel sourcing strategy in 2022 and beyond:

Focus on savings

Well negotiated corporate rates or chain wide deals may look good on paper, but only drive optimized savings if managed correctly. There is a difference between negotiated savings and booked savings, and this is why continuously reviewing competitiveness and availability at the time of booking is important:

A well negotiated rate that is recurrently not available at the time of booking will lead travelers to book higher rates at uncompetitive properties;

Public rates can fluctuate throughout the year, sometimes reaching low levels that travelers focusing on their negotiated rates will not take advantage of.

We recommend our clients use their static negotiated rates as a cap when public rates are high; and leverage their TMCs dynamic rates when public rates are lower. TMCs extensive negotiated content will also offer alternative choices when availability is missing at preferred properties.

Define your end-to-end strategy for targeted results

Ensure your stakeholders are crystal clear on your companys priorities with regards to savings, traveler wellbeing and sustainability. Travel programs, policy, display settings and rebooking rules must constantly align with your companys expectations and priorities.

Strengthen your partnerships

Avoid diluting your volume with too many preferred properties or chain-wide deals at any given location. Instead, identify your most important partners and channel your volume toward those. In return, preferred hotels will give you the best rates, while ensuring competitiveness and availability at time of booking. Last but not least, choose suppliers that drive savings, offer the right coverage at key destinations and support your company and travelers goals.

Media Contact CWT

CWT

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World Heritage Day, also known as the International Day for Monuments and Sites, is celebrated on the 18th of April every year to raise awareness about the importance of preserving our heritage and culture. Several events and exhibitions were held across India last week to commemorate the occasion. With 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and another 49 on the tentative list, India ranks sixth in the world in terms of the number of UNESCO sites. In addition to these, the country has nearly 3,700 centrally protected monuments/sites under the ASI, which showcase India's fascinating history, rich heritage, and culture, attracting a large number of domestic and international visitors each year.

Heritage tourism has grown rapidly in India in recent years, but it has yet to realize its full economic potential. Consider the case of the Taj Mahal, India's most visited UNESCO Heritage site, which drew over 6-7 million visitors annually prior to COVID, 15% of whom were foreign tourists. In stark contrast, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt attracted over 14 million visitors per year prior to COVID, the Great Wall of China welcomed over 10 million visitors yearly, and Australia's Sydney Opera House received over 8 million visitors each year.

With international travel picking up now, several countries are going above and beyond to promote heritage tourism and attract tourists of all ages to their shores. For instance, last year Italy launched a video game, Italy  Land of Wonders, to showcase the countrys cultural heritage and wonders on a global platform in an interactive and fun way. Meanwhile, a EUR17 million renovation of Egypt's Giza Pyramids, including the construction of the first-ever restaurant on the Pyramid Plateau, is underway to make the site more accessible.

Over the years, the Indian government and other tourism stakeholders have worked hard to propel the growth of heritage tourism. Effective marketing campaigns have been implemented and activities ranging from light & sound shows, heritage/cultural walks, and cycle tours to culinary events and festivals have been introduced at the various heritage destinations to attract tourists. However, there is still much more that can be done, especially now that international travel is making its long-awaited comeback.

The first step would be to ensure that visits to monuments and archaeological sites are exciting for tourists. Thinking outside the box to create memorable and unique experiences for visitors rather than just a viewing or visiting experience is crucial. For instance, at Japans Edo Wonderland, tourists can relive the Japanese Samurai era by dressing up in the traditional attire of the period, while enjoying live performances and culinary delights popular during that era. Indian tourism stakeholders  government bodies, tour operators, and hotels  should collaborate to introduce such specially curated experiences at various heritage sites, which, along with tour guides trained in the art of storytelling, can help bring Indias rich and diverse history to life, creating a unique tourism experience.

While most heritage sites now have contact-less transaction facilities, investments in creating advanced reservation apps and setting up daily visitor limits, among other things, are needed to proactively reduce overcrowding at the monuments and make tourism more sustainable in the future. The government's 'Adopt a Heritage' program, which encourages public-private partnerships to develop and maintain heritage sites in a sustainable manner, has increased the emphasis on conservation, preservation, and restoration of heritage sites. However, one of the major challenges is that not all heritage sites are being developed equally. There are several lesser-known heritage gems that are not mapped on popular tourism circuits and, as a result, remain overlooked and unexplored. Additionally, only a limited number of heritage buildings can be used as tourist attractions; other structures may be repurposed as hotels, libraries, museums, or even schools so that they are not forgotten and can be effectively conserved for future generations.

Mandeep S Lamba

President (South Asia), New Delhi

+91 (124) 488 5552

HVS

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Background

A recent, very heated, discussion on LinkedIn about direct online vs OTA distribution prompted this article. Some of the direct distribution detractors claimed that the direct channel was, quite often, more expensive than the OTA channel, pointing toward ROIs from metasearch marketing, so why bother? Proponents of direct distribution insisted that the direct channel was more than just ROIs that allowed the property to own the customer.

Why are we even talking about the direct online channel? Fish where the fish are! Today, the average travel consumer spends almost 7 hours on digital media a day vs 19 minutes on print media (newspapers and magazines). Overall consumers spend more time with digital media than with TV, radio and print media combined (Hootsuite). So, forget about spending your precious marketing dollars on print brochures and collateral, print ads, direct snail mail, etc.

In my view, the question is not about choosing one vs another channel, in this case direct online vs OTA channel, but how to balance your distribution so that your property is the least susceptible to seasonality, group cancellations and calamities, or over dependence on any single distribution channel.

Who owns the customer matters!

Lets face it: there have always been intermediaries in hotel distribution, the question is: to what extent? Even in the pre-Internet era, back in 1995, 25% of roomnights were generated by intermediaries vs 75% were direct. In other words, direct vs indirect ratio was 4:1. Fast forward to today: PhocusWright reported that 52% of U.S. gross online hotel bookings in 2021 came from OTAs. In Europe the OTA contribution is even higher, due to the higher market share of independent properties, known to have much higher OTA dependency.

For many independents direct vs indirect (OTAs, bedbanks and other intermediaries) ratio is negative 1:3 and even 1:4. Compare this to major hotel chains positive 2.5:1 to 3:1 ratio. Why do the independents have such an over dependence on the OTAs? Systemic underinvestment in talent, technology and digital marketing are the main reasons.

So, is it worth to own the customer if you are an independent hotel? Doesnt customer lifetime value provide benefits only to the major hotel chains?

Outside of the once-in-a-lifetime guests that visit your destination, there are plenty of domestic leisure and business travelers, travelers from neighboring counties, provinces or countries that frequent your destination. These travelers from short- and mid-haul feeder markets are your potential repeat and direct guests, yet very few independents are doing anything to engage, acquire and retain them.

Is the direct channel cheaper than the OTAs?

At NextGuest, now part of Cendyn, we tracked the cost of direct online distribution in the course of 20 years across our more than 5,000 plus primarily independent hotel clients. You know what? The average cost has stayed consistently in the range of 4.25% - 4.5%, including website cost amortized over 36 months, website maintenance, hosting, analytics, digital marketing (Content Marketing, SEO, metasearch, online media, social media, email marketing, CRM marketing, omnichannel marketing campaigns, etc.), consulting fees. Compare this to OTA commissions of 18%-25% plus increased visibility commission add-observations, OTA loyalty member discounts, etc.

The caveat? You have to invest adequately in digital marketing and technology and maintain a very comprehensive, year-round digital strategy, not just embark on occasional, one-off initiatives. Your digital marketing strategy must aim to engage, acquire and retain travel consumers throughout the Digital Customer Journey and its five phases: Dreaming, Planning, Booking, Experiencing and Retention/Sharing.

In my view the cost of acquisition in the direct online channel is only a small part of the equation. Ownership of the customer and their first party data, and increasing repeat business are equally important. The hotels own their direct online customers - first party data, preferences, pre-, during and post engagements and communications, which enable them to market efficiently in this era of increased privacy regulations, and significantly increase repeat business via CRM and guest appreciation programs, marketing automation, drip campaigns, etc.

Calculating all the benefits above and comparing to the cost of OTA distribution paints a very attractive picture of the direct channel, no doubt about it!

The Direct Channel is the engine that powers repeat business

Repeat guests are 5-15 times cheaper than acquiring new guests, all costs and benefits accounted for. The direct online channel is the engine that generates the propertys repeat business, and repeat business reciprocates by fueling the direct online channel.

Systemic underinvestment by independent hotels in digital marketing, technology and CRM is the reason why less than 10% of roomnights at independents on any given night come from repeat guests (leisure and business combined). Compare this to 58.5% for the major hotel chains and 62% for Marriott and Hilton.

Your past guests already know your propertys location, hotel product and value proposition, and are much cheaper to re-acquire compared to new guests. In the post-pandemic era, success in bringing repeat business will make or break any property. Naturally, you cannot have a meaningful repeat business without investing in digital marketing and technology, including CRM technology and program in place.

CRM not only ensures deep engagement with your past and future guests but allows the property to use your CRM first party data about your best guests to launch similar audiences marketing on Google, Facebook, Instagram, etc. to target potential customers with similar characteristics as your best guests. In addition, CRM initiatives, in combination with ORM (Online Reputation Management) technology, can turn your happy guests into brand ambassadors and avid social media influencers.

CRM technology has become widely available and reasonably priced via hospitality-specialized vendors like Cendyn CRM, Revinate CRM, TravelCLICK GMS, etc., yet less than 10% of independent hotels have implemented CRM programs in place.

Systemic underinvestment = poor direct channel results

How serious is the marketing underinvestment by hoteliers? In normal years like 2019, hotels spend on marketing less than 2.5% of net room revenue. STR/CoStar recently released data clearly shows that marketing spending in U.S. hospitality during the pandemic shrank significantly compared to 2019, dropping to as low as 50% in 2020 and rebounding slightly to 54% in 2021 of the pre-pandemic level. In other words, hoteliers spent on marketing 1.35% of net room revenue (54% of 2.5%).

Similar is the situation in technology investments. STR/CoStar data clearly shows that IT spending in U.S. hospitality has declined significantly throughout the pandemic to an average 50% level, compared to before the crisis.

Hoteliers marketing and technology spending in Europe and APAC is even worse than in North America.

Google - your hotel direct channels best friend in 2022

Your direct channel starts with your website and Google: This search engine now controls 91.42% global search engine market share (2022, Hootsuite). Google now owns the travel consumer and has become the shepherd of the digital customer journey by engaging the traveler at each of the five phases of the Digital Customer Journey.

Google has become a fully integrated advertising ecosystem, where all advertising formats are intertwined and work in concert. User engagements in the upper funnel (SEO, content marketing, YouTube TrueView, Gmail Ads, etc.) influences conversions in the lower funnel (Google Business Profile, Google Ads, Google Hotel Ads, Google Display Network, RLSA, Customer Match, etc.), and a campaign in one advertising format directly influences the results from all other formats.

Here are the must-do initiatives on Google for 2022:

Overhaul your website SEO

Ensure your property has a mobile-first website and mobile-first content. Make sure the download speed of your website on mobile devices is below 2.5 seconds to avoid your site being penalized by Google and reduce its bounce and abandonment rates.

Install automated schema markup on your property website, which helps search engines understand the content and intent of your site, especially dynamic content elements such as events and happenings pages, special offers, opening hours, and star ratings.

Invest in content marketing, which elevates your hotel website importance in the eyes of Google via the inbound links and citations it creates.

Update your Google Business Profile (GBP): Make sure your GBP is fully optimized with your property information, amenity and services descriptions, business hours, your COVID cleanliness programs, hotel images and videos, etc.

Google Reviews: Google now has more hotel customer reviews than all of the review and OTA websites combined! Make sure you respond daily to the reviews via the management dashboard on GBP.

Join Google Hotel Ads (GHA): both free and paid PPS (Pay Per Stay) listings

Launch Google Ads (GA): Launch hotel-branded keyword terms campaign to target past guests in the short-haul and drive-in feeder markets

Google Display Network (GDN): Launch a GDN Retargeting campaign, targeting users who have visited your website and are already familiar with your product, offerings and location.

Should metasearch be considered a direct channel?

Metasearch has not been a direct online channel for some time now, at least since Google introduced their PPS model (Pay per Stay) model where hotels pay a commission only if the guest actually stays at the property. Trivago recently adopted a similar model. All these metasearch channels: Google HPA, Tripadvisor Metasearch, Trivago, Kayak Hotels, etc. have become pure commission-based distribution channels, same as Booking.com, Expedia, etc. API connectivity is done in most cases by the CRS, channel managers or cloud PMS. Many hotels have already transferred responsibility for these channels to the revenue management team, in charge of third-party distribution.

Conclusion

So, is there a direct online channel dilemma? No, there isnt! It is of utmost importance to balance your distribution portfolio and the direct online channel plays a crucial role in this strategy. If you invest adequately in digital marketing and technology, including CRM, and improve your propertys website, you can significantly increase revenues from the direct online channel and repeat business. In this way you can balance your distribution, decrease your OTA dependency, and add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the bottom line, making your property less susceptible to seasonality, group cancellations and calamities, or over dependence on any single distribution channel.

Max Starkov

NYU
Uber became the latest player to enter the OTA space in its pursuit of the "seamless journey" with plans, which they just announced, to add flights, trains and hotels to its app, for the time being in the United Kingdom. This latest attempt to create a travel "superapp", a full-blown OTA mobile app, comes in addition to similar incursions into OTA territory by Airbnb and Hopper, both of which have already added local experiences and contracted with channel managers like SiteMinder, RateGain and RateTiger to enable them to offer hotel bookings. Some hoteliers think that these new OTA-like superapps are good for the industry since they break the duopoly of Expedia and Booking.com. Others are skeptical and believe these moves will further erode the direct online channel. The question is, is the new crop of OTA-like superapps a threat or an opportunity for hoteliers?

Any entity that wedges itself between hotels and guests and charges a hefty premium for the privilege is a threat to hotels. However, if newer platforms help to create a competitive environment that drives commission rates down, that's a win for hotels. But we all know that's not going to happen. So it's more about distribution. In theory, more distribution channels bring more opportunities for hotels to build awareness and attract bookings. This includes accessing traveler segments and international markets hotels can't hope to reach on their own. However, the value and profitability of bookings can vary significantly among booking channels. So we'll have to see what these new OTAs bring to the table in terms of commissions, terms of service and business practices. Generally, I think hoteliers should embrace any new entrants that threaten to disrupt the status quo and will keep legacy OTAs on their toes. However, hotels must avoid the mistakes of the past and build new relationships that are better balanced in their favour, while at the same time strengthening direct booking strategy to ease dependency on intermediaries entirely.

As hotel distribution is dominated by Booking.com and Expedia, any new opportunities that come to market should be seen as positive, at least in the mid-term, for chipping away at the monopoly. In the long-term, however, any vertical-specific channels are likely to be consumed by Booking.com and Expedia, making no lasting change to the industry concentration.It's the non-vertical specific channels that are really interesting. The apps that are fully intertwined in people's daily lives have the greatest potential to become a super-app winner. For some people, Uber ticks this box, but it's the new breed of fintech apps that I think we should be watching. It's a small step to add hotel booking to these apps, especially as they're already intertwined with our daily payments and loyalty kickbacks. We can already see Revolut has hotel bookings available in-app and so it's safe to assume others will follow suit.

Tim Peter Founder & President, Tim Peter & Associates

It would be amazing if a new entrant came along that would outsell existing OTAs, do so at a significantly reduced cost, and guarantee these terms forever. It also would be amazing if someone would hand me, no strings attached, a couple billion dollars in cash. But I don't expect either to happen anytime soon. New entrants don't represent an either/or situation. Instead, they are an opportunity and a threat. More competition among distribution partners is almost always a good thing. Increased competition for inventory among OTAs and other distribution players typically tends to provide access to new customers, reduce costs of distribution, or both. At the same time, new entrants also often compete for at least some of the same guests that you, Booking.com, and Expedia do. They're going to use SEO and PPC and social media and email and broadcast and on and on and on to attract those guests, which likely will increase the difficulty and cost for hoteliers competing in those marketing channels. And that's before considering whether their agreements charge excessive fees or impose onerous inventory restrictions such as LRA. Savvy hotel owners and commercial teams understand this reality and instead look to use OTAsexisting or newas a complement to their direct bookings investments. They use OTAs to reach guests they can't easily connect with on their own. They assess the pros and cons of each new distribution deal to make sure it fits into their overall distribution strategy. They recognize that new entrants represent both opportunity and threat and plan accordingly. That's the most effective approach. And like not waiting around for a bundle of cash to fall in your lap, it's grounded in reality.

Simone Puorto Founder | CEO | Futurist

According to a Little Hotelier' survey, 45% of travelers use mobile apps to book their accommodations and tours, so we're talking about a gigantic market, which is, understandably, very tempting. Moreover, remember that Uber's current CEO spent over a decade in Expedia, so I am not particularly shocked by the news. Personally, I love closed ecosystems and one-stop-shops. The booking journey, as it is today, it's way too fragmented, and it's not uncommon for travelers to search dozens of sites before making a decision. Sure, the situation is not as dire as it used to be ten years ago. I distinctly remember a research by Samantha Shankman which highlighted how some users looked at 150 websites before booking a hotel room (sic!). So no, I don't think a super app would be bad news for the industry (well, surely not for the travelers). The question is: who may pull it off? My two cents have always been on Google Maps, but I have doubts about it as well. My concerns go in the opposite direction: with dozens of super apps being developed every month, there may be the risk of oversaturation: Hopper, Uber, and Google Maps are just the tip of the iceberg. According to Travel Agent Central, on average, U.S. leisure travelers use "7-8 apps throughout their searching, booking and in-destination travel experience." That's pretty far from the "super app utopia" we're commenting on this viewpoint. The problem is that the whole super app concept is still, at least to a certain extent, alien to the western world, especially when you compare it to countries such as China. As of 2020, 78% of people in China were using WeChat. The same year, Uber had 93 million users, which is pretty impressive, but it's still just a little over 1% of the world population. What most see as a duopoly still looks like over-fragmentation to me but, honestly, I doubt a super app could actually work outside of Asia. "Western economies," Nick Cooper, Global Executive Director at Landor & Fitch recently stated, "have a long record of breaking up, or limiting the growth of, companies that become powerful. If a super app were to appear here and do incredibly well, in all likelihood it would be challenged and broken up." I agree. So, even though I'd love to have a European WeChat-ish travel super app, I doubt the model will ever become mainstream in the West.

Max Starkov Adjunct Professor NYU Tisch Center for Hospitality and Hospitality & Online Travel Tech Consultant

Can the new crop of OTA-like superapps become viable hotel booking channels? Previous attempts by Google (Book on Google), Tripadvisor (Book on Tripadvisor) and three attempts by Amazon to enter the OTA space all failed due to one simple reason: these players were not considered as credible hotel booking channels by the traveling public. Google and Tripadvisor are important information and planning channels used extensively in the Dreaming and Planning Phases of the Digital Customer Journey, but are NOT considered as booking channels in the Booking Phase by the traveling public. Amazon is not even considered a travel related site, and naturally, not a booking channel. Both Booking and Expedia have succeeded in becoming travel consumer's top of mind when booking a trip by investing billions of dollars in brand and performance marketing over the past decades. The perception of whether a site is or isn't a booking channel is crucial: I have planned and researched my trip, I have coordinated my trip, now it is time to book. What comes to mind. Amazon or EBay? No! Tripadvisor or Google? No! But Booking..com or Expedia? Yes, by all means! Unlike all of the above. AirBnB, Hopper and Uber have established themselves as booking channels in the traveling public's psyche. Adding local experiences, hotels, rail, air, etc. will be accepted by travelers as a natural and convenient extension of the existing travel offerings on each of these mobile apps. Where can Uber get inventory? Becoming an affiliate of an OTA like Expedia is one of the options, for sure (The CEO of Uber, after all, was the long time CEO of Expedia before joining Uber) or they can go the Hopper route by using channel managers like SiteMinder and RateGain to get access to hotel ARI (availability, rate, inventory). So, can the new crop of OTA-like superapps become viable hotel booking channels? With adequate investment in brand and performance marketing (hundreds of million and billion dollars) and persistence, yes they can.

Frederic Gonzalo Travel & Hospitality expert. Digital Marketing & Strategy Speaker and Consultant

For hoteliers, this new crop of OTA-like superapps is merely an extension of their online distribution options. From opaque sites to bedbanks to metasearch and mainstream OTAs like Booking, Trip.com or Expedia, not to mention GDS sales with travel agencies, there are already numerous possibilities. Amazon even tried to enter travel distribution a few years ago, right? And then you have these newer players, like Airbnb and Hopper, and now Uber moving into this realm. For hoteliers, more options to get their name and inventory in front of potential customers. What's there not to like? With the billboard effect still a reality, it can only lead to more sales, even direct sales in some cases, for these hoteliers. (The challenge will be to ensure these sales are incremental, not sales you could have, and should have, gotten direct) Now, it's a different thing for OTAs. For them, I believe the emergence of these superapps is certainly a threat, specially when that app is already on your phone and used regularly. Herein lies its competitive advantage. We use Uber and UberEats regularly, certainly on a weekly basis, sometimes even daily. How often do we use Hopper? Or Airbnb? Or even Expedia, for that matter? Unless you are a very frequent traveler, these regular travel OTA-apps are used a few times of year whenever planning a getaway or trip. But Uber... (and Google, or Amazon, should they ever decide to re-enter this sphere) Interesting times ahead, indeed.

Just like other technological advances in the industry, the emergence of OTA-like superapps have both upsides and downsides for hoteliers. On the positive side, it's always a good thing to have additional competition in the market for OTAs, as it provides another channel for consumers to discover your property during the research phase and book travel. On the other end of the spectrum, a more fractured market can make it harder for hotels with smaller or more limited budgets to break through the noise and compete against the hotels that can afford more prominent listings. Moving forward, the goal for hotels is to find the right distribution mix, which will likely include allocating additional resources to maintain visibility on the key channels that drive guest research and bookings  like OTAs and their superapps. At the same time, the main goal should (as always) be a continued focus on driving direct bookings through your own website, which is typically the most cost-effective channel due to the absence of commission fees. One of the best ways for hoteliers to have the right balance and increase direct bookings through their website is to build up their own first-party data centrally with either a CRM or CDP (customer data platform) and integrate that with their website and other marketing channels to create more personalized communications and experiences at every touchpoint throughout the guest journey. By understanding who your guests are, how they spend, and what they want out of their travel experience, you can curate offers targeted to specific segments and drive ancillary spend by offering the upsell opportunities that directly reflect that guest's preferences and interests. While it can demand an initial investment at the outset, the pivot to personalization can be the most cost-effective long-term strategy for competing with hotels that have the larger marketing budgets and more reach on OTA channels.

Hopper is one to watch, but may align more with the demographics of select arms of larger players, like HotelTonite and Kayak. Since they are leaning into social, they seem to target a younger audience. Per PhocusWire in March 2022, "Hopper was the fastest-growing app in 2021, growing 494% and overtaking Airbnb as the leader in market share by monthly active users beginning in June 2021." But, it is hard to tell if people are using mainly for airfare. In the same article, while Uber tries to expand its offerings, it has other competition to watch including Didi, Bolt and Grab. While I would like to see some healthy competition for Expedia and Booking, my concern is they will soon go through an M&A.

Peter OConnor Professor of Strategy at University of South Australia Business School

Success in the platform spaces is highly dependent on scale, particularly on offering an extensive and relevant selection of products for sale. Few of the companies entering the travel space are likely to invest the time, money and other resources necessary to build direct relationships with suppliers (at least initially) and thus will need to source supply from existing players on some sort of white-label, revenue sharing, basis. And who has the most comprehensive supply? The major OTAs by a long shot! Thus while these developments might increase the perception of choice on the demand side, if they are to scale beyond the experimental stage in specific markets, they will reinforce, not challenge, the power of the OTAs who will undoubtedly act as the back end powering such initiatives.

The age-old question that will always remain unanswered until hotel CEOs, CMO, and CROs take their destiny into their own hands. As long as hotel companies continue to invest below 2% of their turnover, in marketing, technological and digital development, data management, data privacy & CRM, they will remain eternally subject to the dictates of OTAs and their outrageous commissions. It is so much easier to pay a commission every month, no matter how high it is, and have outside providers do the work in your place, rather than working hard to understand and manage your direct consumers. It requires considerable investments, competent and knowledgeable teams, paid at their real value, and a real digital strategy and leadership! Why bother? We are even in a time where hotel leaders are paying a fortune to consult expensive experts to build their OTA strategy while reducing their direct marketing budgets. Are we falling on our heads? Don't get me wrong, I have always seen the OTA as an opportunity for our industry. They help us to acquire and diversify our consumer base. They do not help us to drive retention and loyalty and this is where the industry needs to invest heavily! How would you ask? Disrupt significantly the way your brand engages with its most valuable customers, how they build one-to-one hyper-personalization giving back the control of personal data to the end consumer, deliver exceptional value-for-money services and products, follow and entertain these customers throughout their journey from search to post-stay. Make these customers yours. There is light at the end of the tunnel: the new consumer behaviors. They trust more and more the end-provider of the service or the product and realize that 3rd parties do not always bring value to their journey. Capitalize on this and build the right technology!

Linchi Kwok Associate Professor at The Collins College of Hospitality Management
Secretary of State Antony Blinken boards a plane for departure, April 23, at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. AFP-Yonhap





The United States announced new military assistance for Ukraine and a renewed diplomatic push in the war-ravaged nation as President Joe Biden's secretary of state and Pentagon chief completed a secrecy-shrouded trip to Kyiv.







In the highest-level American visit to the capital since Russia invaded in late February, top envoy Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Ukraine's president, Volodomyr Zelenskyy, and his advisers that the U.S. would provide more than $300 million in foreign military financing and had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition.







They also said Biden would soon announce his nominee to be ambassador to Ukraine and that American diplomats who left Ukraine before the war would start returning to the country this coming week. The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv will remain closed for the moment.







Zelenskyy had announced Saturday that he would meet with the U.S. officials in Kyiv, Sunday, but the Biden administration refused to confirm that and declined to discuss details of a possible visit even though planning had been underway for more than a week.







Journalists who traveled with Austin and Blinken to Poland were barred from reporting on the trip until it was over, were not allowed to accompany them on their overland journey into Ukraine, and were prohibited from specifying where in southeast Poland they waited for the Cabinet members to return. Officials at the State Department and the Pentagon cited security concerns.







Austin and Blinken announced a total of $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries; some $322 million is earmarked for Kyiv. The remainder will be split among NATO members and other nations that have provided Ukraine with critical military supplies since the war with Russia began, officials said.







Such financing is different from previous U.S. military assistance for Ukraine. It is not a donation of drawn-down U.S. Defense Department stockpiles, but rather cash that countries can use to purchase supplies that they might need.







The new money, along with the sale of $165 million in non-U.S. made ammunition that is compatible with Soviet-era weapons the Ukrainians use, brings the total amount of American military assistance to Ukraine to $3.7 billion since the invasion, officials said.







Zelenskyy had urged the Americans not to come empty-handed. U.S. officials said they believed the new assistance would satisfy at least some of the Ukrainians' urgent pleas for more help. New artillery, including howitzers, continues to be delivered at a rapid pace to Ukraine's military, which is being trained on its use in neighboring countries, the officials said.







On the diplomatic front, Blinken told Zelenskyy that Biden will announce his nomination of veteran diplomat Bridget Brink to be the next U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. A career foreign service officer, Brink has served since 2019 as ambassador to Slovakia. She previously held assignments in Serbia, Cyprus, Georgia and Uzbekistan as well as with the White House National Security Council. The post requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate.







Blinken also told Ukraine's foreign minister that the small staff from the now-shuttered U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, which has relocated to Poland from temporary offices in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, would begin making day trips to Lviv in the coming days. Officials said the U.S. had accelerated its review of security conditions in the capital and that the State Department will reopen the embassy there as soon as the situation allows.







Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses a press conference with international media in an underground metro station in Kyiv, April 23, 2022. AFP-Yonhap





Biden has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of genocide for the destruction and death wrought on Ukraine. Just this past Thursday, Biden said he would provide a new package of $800 million in military aid to Ukraine that included heavy artillery and drones.







Congress approved $6.5 billion for military assistance last month as part of $13.6 billion in spending for Ukraine and allies in response to the Russian invasion.







From Poland, Blinken plans to return to Washington while Austin will head to Ramstein, Germany, for a meeting Tuesday of NATO defense ministers and other donor countries.







That discussion will look at battlefield updates from the ground, additional security assistance for Ukraine and longer-term defense needs in Europe, including how to step up military production to fill gaps caused by the war in Ukraine, officials said. More than 20 nations are expected to send representatives to the meeting.







The Ukrainian officials participating were Zelenskyy, Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Defense Minister Olexiy Reznikov, Ambassador Oskana Markarova, presidential administration head Andriy Yermak, chief of defense Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and Andrii Sybiya of Zelenskyy's office.







Representing the United States in addition to Blinken and Austin were State Department deputy chief of staff Tom Sullivan, senior military assistant Lt. Gen. Randy George and Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Laura Cooper. (AP)


Tuesday, 26 April 2022 - 11 am CET

MICE & Group Sales - Wheres the Innovation at?

Live on Linkedin & Youtube: Informal, open live think-tank for the Meetings & Events, and MICE Industry.

Marion Gosweiner (Vienna House), and Joost Doevendans (Proposales) join Co-Hosts Rita Machado (Great Hotels of the World) and Lea Jordan (techtalk.travel) for this session to discuss innovation in MICE and Group Sales.

What's to come?

What's long overdue to change in convention hotels and venues' sales process and strategies?

What are the main pain points?

Who will drive innovation in that sector?

What are best practices and use cases?

Read more about the COLLECTIVE MICEbeat series here.

The COLLECTIVE #MICEBEAT sessions are open online-think tanks for hospitality & MICE professionals, event managers, and convention sales teams to discuss trends and developments impacting the industry. The audience is invited to actively join by adding their views, comments and questions, which will The Collective #MICEBEAT sessions are open online-think tanks for hospitality & MICE professionals, event managers, and convention sales teams to discuss industry trends and developments. The audience is invited to actively join by adding their views, comments, and questions, which will be included in the session.

This webinar is hosted by techtalk.travel

For more information please contact Lea Jordan
A critically acclaimed Dallas-based barbecue chain was ordered to return $867,000 to hundreds of employees after the U.S. Department of Labor investigated its employment practices.

Hard Eight BBQ, a family-owned North Texas restaurant, failed to pay tipped employees all their tips and hourly managers werent paid the correct time and a half for overtime hours worked, the department said in a news release.

The restaurant violated the law by including managers in their tip pool, the agency said. By doing so, the employer denied tipped workers some of their tips and managers proper overtime wages.

The Fair Labor Standards Act does not allow an employer or their managers and/or supervisors to keep employee tips for any reason.

Matt Perry, the restaurants chief operating officer, told the Dallas Morning News that the issue stemmed from a misunderstanding of the law.

Sarah Crabill

Our people are just the most important thing to us, and we thought we were doing the right thing by including our store managers in the tip pool, Perry told the newspaper. Our restaurant isnt a normal restaurant with wait staff, and so there was a gray area (in the law). Once we were made aware of the issue, we ceased doing that and have been in compliance since.

Juan Rodriguez, a Department of Labor spokesman, said the investigation took place between June 2019 and April 2021. The probe included all five of the restaurant's locations.

MORE: H-E-Bs grip on the San Antonio market tightened in 2021, but a new competitor is on the way

Out of the 910 employees, only about 219 were found and paid directly by Hard Eight BBQ, Rodriguez said. The company gave the Department of Labor the rest of the funds to find the remaining employees. The department is in the process of locating them.

To check if you are owed lost wages, call the U.S. Department of Labor at 1-866-487-9243 or visit the agency's website.

Hard Eight BBQ opened in Stephenville in 2003. It now operates restaurants in Roanoke, Coppell, The Colony and Burleson, according to its website. All are in the Dallas area.

Daniel Vaughn, Texas Monthlys barbecue editor, wrote in a recent review that the restaurant was a quintessential barbecue experience.

Its the North Texas version of the Salt Lick, the famous barbecue restaurant in Dripping Springs that people from Austin have long taken their out-of-state guests to, an almost required rite of passage for giving guests a Texas experience.

timothy.fanning@express-news.net
Q. In a recent column, you discussed having to go to court to change one's name, but you did not mention a woman changing her name when she gets married. Does she need to go through the same legal process? When I got married in 2003, I drove to the Social Security office and filled out documents. Once I received my new Social Security card, I then changed my driver's license, passport, and other documents.

A. In Texas, it is easier to change your name when you get married because the marriage certificate which shows a person's newly adopted name is used to change the person's driver's license, passport, and other documents. There is no need to go to court and seek a judge's approval.

You would still need to take the time to change your name on your Social Security card, driver's license, and the other forms.

Q. Before my mother went into assisted living last year, she signed a power of attorney giving my sister control of her finances. My mother now wants to change the power of attorney to name me as her agent. How would she do that?

A. Your mother can revoke her existing power of attorney two ways. One way is by signing a document called a revocation of power of attorney. The other easier way is by mentioning in her new power of attorney that she is revoking the old power or attorney.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Answers to your legal questions

If your mother signs a new power of attorney without revoking the old one, then she will have two powers of attorney, both of which will be valid.

Sometimes a person's lawyer will record a power of attorney with the county clerk. If your mother's old power of attorney was recorded, then she should sign both the revocation and the new power of attorney and then record the revocation with the same county clerk. The new power of attorney needs to be recorded only if, and when, it will be used in a real estate transaction.

For your mother, it might be best to sign a revocation separate from her new power of attorney so that she or you can present the revocation to all of her banks, brokerage firms, and other businesses to let them know she has revoked her power of attorney.

If your mother is worried that your sister may try to use the revoked power of attorney illegally, she may even want to mail certified letters to the institutions alerting them to the existence of the revocation.

Your father should be sure to destroy her old power of attorney as well as all copies. If she decides to keep any copies, she should write REVOKED across each page.

The information in this column is intended to provide a general understanding of the law, not legal advice. Ronald Lipman of the Houston law firm Lipman & Associates is board-certified in estate planning and probate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Email questions to stateyourcase@lipmanpc.com.
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The fossil fuel industry is trying to rebrand itself as a clean energy provider, and nowhere is that more apparent than in natural gas marketing.

Gas burns cleaner than other fossil fuels, and gas turbines can respond quickly when electricity supplies get tight. But clouds literally hang over the industrys future, and companies are reaching for new technologies to clean up their act.

The clouds come from massive leaks of methane, a potent, short-lived greenhouse gas. The leakage from drilling wells, pumping gas through compressors and down pipelines and into turbines collectively make gas more damaging to the climate than burning coal, scientists argue.

Methane leakage is a significant problem in Texas. Drillers vent gas when they fracture a well, operators routinely burn excess gas, and regulators do few inspections and rarely force companies to fix leaks.

Many natural gas buyers, though, care about the climate. The French energy company Engie canceled a gas contract because of the industrys sloppy practices in West Texas. If companies want to meet the growing demand in Europe, they need to prove their gas was responsibly produced.

Context Labs, an artificial intelligence firm operating from Cambridge, Mass. and Amsterdam, promises to expose the truth about each natural gas shipments origins. The company collects data from the well to the customer that reveals all the leaks and what companies can do to plug them.

More auspiciously, Context Labs can generate a public, auditable report on each shipment that is protected against tampering through a cryptographic blockchain, the same technology used for cryptocurrencies.

Context also relies solely on emissions data collected from the source, not estimates based on industry guesses. Neither does the company rely strictly on a fossil fuel companys sensors. Contexts artificial intelligence combines its data with satellite observations, regulator reports and other independent sources.

When you combine all those things with this technology, youve got a higher degree of reliability and certainty in the data. Therefore transparency is encouraged, Dan Harple, CEO of Context Labs, told me. Thats a better representation of the environmental, social and governance performance of a company.

Harple is a newcomer to the energy industry, having made his name inventing the internet streaming protocol that underly YouTube, RealPlayer, Skype, and others. But his new tools for live streaming data from the natural gas supply chain have attracted $28 million in strategic investment from BP (Boone Pickens) Energy Partners, the venture arm of Norwegian oil company Equinor, accounting firm KPMG, and the environmental arm of the Grantham Foundation.

An early customer is pipeline giant Williams, which transports 30 percent of the nations natural gas. The company has pledged to cut emissions by 56 percent by 2030. Chad Zamarin, senior vice president for corporate strategic development, said the industrys future relies on meeting climate goals.

I expect us to be totally transparent, he told me. Were convinced weve got to demonstrate that were a part of the solution, and I frankly think we can.

Zamarin summarized the challenge for the entire industry: how can oil and gas companies prove that, despite their past behavior, they can provide energy in ways consistent with mitigating climate change? Because climate activists are convinced the industry must die for the planet to survive.

Context Labs offers what Harple calls Decarbonization as a Service. Context can provide immutable data if a company wants to know where it leaks methane and wants a continuous audit of its performance. But how many executives want to know the size of their leaks if no one is forcing them to look for them, and they dont want to spend the money to plug them?

The American Petroleum Institute, the industrys leading lobby group, campaigns against every effort to require companies to audit their performance. Many companies install sensors to track emissions, but most keep the data to themselves.

Groups like the Environmental Defense Fund, meanwhile, monitor emissions from afar, and the data shows that emissions are far greater than oil and gas companies let on.

Texas officials refuse to hold the industry to higher standards. Wayne Christian, chairman of Texass oil and gas regulator, slammed Engie for boycotting Texas gas due to drillers reckless practices. Such rhetoric only sullies the entire industrys reputation.

Context Labs has an innovative, reliable and trustworthy service to certify responsible natural gas production. But the only reason for a company to use it right now is to make customers happy. Zamarin said some are willing to pay a premium for certified clean gas, but not all.

The industrys test is how quickly they will take advantage of these tools because climate change is not waiting.

Chris Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and politics.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
Economic indicators on the health of Western economies against the backdrop of high inflation and high commodity prices could set the tone for crude oil prices this week, analysts said.

Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, crude oil prices were stuck in what former BP CEO Bob Dudley said was a lower-for-longer cycle of $50 per barrel crude oil. Resurgent demand, investor pressure to shun fossil fuels during the energy transition, along with sanctions that greeted Russias military invasion of Ukraine, sent oil prices spiraling to 14-year highs.

Crude has since retreated, but still settled Friday at $102.07 per barrel, up 35 percent from the start of the year.

Runaway prices are a growing concern for traders. Giovanni Staunovo, a commodities strategist at Swiss investment bank UBS, said crude oil prices may be high enough to start curbing demand. In addition, lockdowns in China to stop the spread of COVID-19 are also undercutting the demand in the worlds second largest consumer of oil.

The softening of global demand, however, is offset by tight supplies and the inability of producers to add much more supply as sanctions and boycotts block Russian oil from the market. The International Energy Agency said it expects as much as 3 million barrels per day of Russian crude oil to eventually become untradeable.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Schlumbergers profits jump as the war in Ukraine pushes drilling demand

The oil market is caught between bearish and bullish news, Staunovo said.

Russia is the largest fuel supplier to the European Union, supplying 25 percent of its oil and 45 percent of its natural gas. The French government suggested an EU ban proposal could materialize as soon as the victory for President Emmanuel Macron over challenger Marine Le Pen is confirmed.

The Biden administrations 45-day deadline to end trading of Russian fuels, meanwhile, expired Friday.

Marianne Kah, a research scholar and board member at Columbia Universitys Center on Global Energy Policy, said shes watching if U.S. crude production can fill the void. U.S. output has increased by about 300,000 barrels a day since mid-March, according to the Energy Departments weekly estimates.

The big question is whether oil supply is eroding faster than demand, she said. Another factor is how quickly U.S. oil production ramps up.

First-quarter earnings season could also provide something of a clue about the health of the economy the energy sector. Oil field services company Schlumberger set the mood last week, reporting that revenues climbed 14 percent from the same period a year ago and profits jumped 70 percent.

The confluence of elevated commodity prices, demand-led activity growth and energy security are resulting in one of the strongest outlooks for the energy services industry in recent times, said CEO Olivier Le Peuch.

Energy services companies drill and frack wells, and a pickup in their activity is an early indicator of increased production. The U.S. rig count rose by two last week to 695, up nearly 60 percent from a year ago.

On HoustonChronicle.com: U.S. rig count continues its climb as Ukraine war drives prices higher

Well get a broader sense of the industrys outlook this week from earnings releases from Chevron, Exxon Mobil and other energy companies. Al Salazar, a managing director at energy data firm Enverus, said readings on U.S. consumer confidence, Russian industrial production and European economic sentiment could also move markets.

We will be paying close attention to the release of several key economic indicators and the potential impact on oil demand, he added. Such measures will help inform us on the state of the global economy, amidst a war in Ukraine and high commodity prices.
In trying to appear neutral on some current hot-button issues, experts say, Houston-based Exxon Mobil has done the opposite.

The company will not allow social-rights flags  like those used by LGBTQ and Black Lives Matter supporters that are not tied to Exxon workers groups  to be flown at company buildings, though last year some Exxon offices flew the well-known rainbow flag during LGBTQ pride month in June. In an email to its employee LGBT group seen by Bloomberg, which first reported the news, Exxon said it wanted to remain neutral on what could be viewed as a politically divisive social issue.

Publicly, the company says the updated flag protocol is meant to clarify use of the company branded flag.

We support the display of flags and banners with employee resource group (ERG) logos, said Tracey Gunnlaugsson, Exxon's vice president of Human Resources, in a statement. It is a long standing practice at our facilities around the world that ERG flags can be flown during signature months. The flags are directly related to our business and company support of our ERGs, including PRIDE for LBGTQ+ employees.

Exxons LGBTQ employee resource group was started in 2008 and has more than 3,000 members worldwide, according to the company.

Instead Exxon appears to be rejecting rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer workers, a former employee says.

Inclusion isnt about the comfort of the majority, its about supporting, listening to, and ultimately incorporating the views and voices that have been suppressed for way too long, wrote J. Chris Martin, a former Exxon employee and former president of the companys LGBTQ PRIDE group, on LinkedIn. Not easy, not always comfortable, but necessary.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

Exxons decision comes after Disney opposed a new Florida law in March that essentially bans discussions of sexual orientation in schools. The company had earlier declined to take a public stance.

In retaliation, the Florida Legislature stripped Disney of its self-government status in and around the theme parks.

Both situations point to challenges companies often face when taking a stand on a social or political issue, and how that decision can influence investment and public opinion.

CHRIS TOMLINSON: Dont do like Disney, oppose Texass anti-LGBT laws now

Exxons flip might be in reaction to backlash among Republican lawmakers about so-called woke companies chiming in on public social issues, said Brandon Rottinghaus, Political Science Professor at the University of Houston. Given Exxons interests, allying with conservatives on this issue is both a political and a business decision.

Companies hope that their publicly stated values will attract a broader workforce and appeal to customers, Rottinghaus said, but taking sides on social issues will alienate some as well.

The best thing a firm can do is have some core values it bases decisions on, said John Daly, professor at University of Texas-Austins Moody College of Communications. They are what you stand for, what you will fight for. They are what I know I can depend upon you for. These values preference certain behaviors and dispreference others. It is hard work to define them and even harder to apply them. It takes courage. Too often, firms offer very general, platitudinous values that are so vague that when tested they fall apart.

The political climate and any upcoming elections likely contribute to a business' decision to take a public stance. President of Houston-based Public Relations firm Thirty6Five Christina Ferraz said they were not surprised by Exxon Mobil's banning of the rainbow flag in part because it's a midterm election year.

It seems as if a lot of organizations  especially in industries that generate a lot of capital like oil and gas or technology  first came out with a statement in support of marginalized communities, after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Ferraz said. Now that the hysteria around that has died down a little bit and people have gone back to normal ways of operating, people are also wanting to go back to the normal ways that they had been excluding certain marginalized communities.

Thanks in part to social media, Ferraz said, a corporation's decision to reverse course and withdraw public displays of support for a marginalized community wont go unnoticed.

Exxon Mobil created a situation where they said that they had made a commitment to more equity and inclusion, Ferraz said. And now to be able to take a different stance and backtrack now means that what they had said was lip service. It was a performative action to not necessarily silence critics, but to appease them for that moment because of what was happening in the social climate.

In response to the updated flag policy, members of Exxons employee pride group in Houston said they won't participate in the citys June 25th pride parade, according to an email seen by Bloomberg.

It's hard to think of any good reason that they (Exxon Mobil) would backtrack on this issue, said Doug Schuler, associate professor at Rice Universitys Jones Graduate School of Business.

Schuler adds that it sends a message to employees that management was never committed to this cause. Meanwhile, Schuler doesnt see any upside to refusing to fly the rainbow flag outside corporate offices.

It just seems preposterous that they would be backtracking on gay rights and pride," he said.

Gunnlaugsson, Exxon's VP for human resources insists it isn't.

We remain focused on building a diverse workforce and productive work environment where individual and cultural differences are respected, where every individual is challenged to deliver their best, and has the opportunity for unrivaled personal and professional development, Gunnlaugsson said. Diversity is not a stand-alone activity; it is embedded in our core values, our approach to how we develop talent, and the culture to which we aspire.
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP)  Two men were killed and four people injured Sunday during a shooting at a block party in Indiana, authorities said.

Lafayette Police said officers were called about 4:20 a.m. to a report of multiple shots fired at an apartment complex, where a block party attended by more than 100 people was being held. Police said a fight broke out inside one of the apartments and shots were fired.
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.
Jay R. Jordan / Jay Jordan, Staff

A shooting at a self-service car wash in Aldine left one man dead as Harris County sheriffs deputies searched for his killer Sunday.

Deputies responded to the car wash at Westfield and Aldine Mail on reports of a shooting shortly after 7 p.m., Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said on Twitter.
Village in central Chinas Henan develops fried dough twist industry, boosts rural vitalization

People's Daily Online) 13:27, April 25, 2022

The fried dough twist business is now a shiny signboard of Mahuazhuang village in Minquan county, central Chinas Henan Province, helping boost rural vitalization.

Photo shows villagers making fried dough twists in Mahuazhuang village, Minquan county, central Chinas Henan Province. (Photo/Bi Jingjin, Song Ming)

The village has a history of about 300 years of making crispy fried dough twists. Hence, the traditional craft for making the well-known regional snack in the village has since become a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage item in Henan.

But it has not been an easy task to develop a small fried dough twist business into a thriving industry in the village.

In 2017, the village was home to 252 impoverished residents, which led to a poverty incidence rate of 13.9 percent, recalled Yang Yongfeng, the first secretary assigned to fight poverty in the village, who believed that developing distinctive local businesses would be the best way for the village to shake off poverty.

However, Yang found that fried dough twist plants and home-based workshops in the village were troubled by poor sanitary conditions, potential safety hazards, the lack of a unified brand and standards, and packaging that was too simple.

Yang also observed that they were trapped in a vicious circle of low price competition, which had been the main barrier that hindered the development of the villages fried dough twist business.

To change the situation, Yang presided over a meeting on boosting the villages fried dough twist industry with persons in charge of eight fried dough twist plants and five home-based workshops in March 2018.

Yang called on them all to give up on their low price competition strategy and instead sell their products for the same agreed price while creating a unified brand, adopting the same specifications and forming a unified sales network.

However, nobody bought into Yangs idea at first. To reassure them, Yang said the village could turn its fried dough twist business into a larger-scale industry as long as they were united in ensuring quality and a scale up in production. The official even vowed to distribute 30,000 boxes of fried dough twists himself personally. In the end, they all agreed with Yangs suggestion.

The village then set up a committee for stricter quality supervision. In less than two months, the village was able to guarantee the sanitary conditions for the production of the local snack.

Besides, the wholesale price of a box of fried dough twists was set at 28 yuan (about $4.3), double the previous price.

The villages efforts paid off. Between the time that the meeting was held in 2018 and the Spring Festival in 2019, the village garnered a combined sales value for fried dough twists of over 7 million yuan and raked in net profits of more than 1 million yuan, generating a collective income of more than 200,000 yuan for the village. Most fried dough twist plants and home-based workshops in the village saw their profits double.

Yang then went on to create a unified brand and adopt the same production and packaging specifications for the snack, which specifies that each bag should include four 12-cm-long fried dough twists.

Meanwhile, the village set up a food company and turned the original fried dough twist plants and home-based workshops into the companys workshops.

The company purchases raw materials and guarantees product quality, in addition to having formed its own unified sales network. Fifty percent of the companys profits are distributed to the manufacturers of the snack, while the rest is included in the villages collective income, which is then used for conducting research and development into new fried dough twist products, market and production expansion, as well as the villages construction.

As a result of all these efforts, the village realized impressive sales for its fried dough twists, which rose to reach 10 million yuan in 2019, bringing a collective income of 500,000 yuan and providing over 300 direct jobs for villagers.

When Song Ming, a successor to Yang, came to the village, the official managed to further promote the fried dough twist industry in the locality.

In June 2021, the village dispatched Zhang Yabo, a college graduate who returned to the village, alongside another villager to the Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences to learn how to develop fried dough twists with different flavors with the support of food experts. The village eventually succeeded in producing fried dough twists with different taste profiles to meet the various demands of consumers, Song introduced.

The village has also opened online stores to sell its fried dough twists on several e-commerce platforms. In addition to inviting live-streamers to sell the snack, the village has also turned villagers, especially younger ones including Zhang Yabo and his younger brother, into live-streamers, according to Song. Last year, the two brothers sold over 2 million yuan of fried dough twists online, reporting a net profit of 300,000 yuan.

At present, Mahuazhuang village has built two new plants to scale up the production of fried dough twists, Song said, adding that it will build a fried dough twist industrial park and further expand its sales channels moving forward.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Japan's Emperor Hirohito of Japan poses for a photograph in September 1967. / AP-Yonhap



Ukraine's government has apologized and removed a photo of Japanese wartime Emperor Hirohito from a video showing him with Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini after Japan protested, officials said Monday.



Japan will continue to support Ukrainians who are defending their country from Russia's invasion despite the ''completely inappropriate'' portrayal of Hirohito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki said.



The video, posted by the Ukrainian government on Twitter on April 1, criticized Russia's invasion as ''rashism.'' Underneath the photos of the three World War II-era leaders were the words ''Fascism and Nazism were defeated in 1945.''



Japan fought World War II in the name of Hirohito, who was revered as a god until he renounced his divinity after Japan's defeat. Historical evaluations of his role in the war remain divided. He is known posthumously in Japan as Emperor Showa.



''Portraying Hitler, Mussolini and Emperor Showa in the same context is completely inappropriate,'' Isozaki told reporters. ''It was extremely regrettable.''



Isozaki said Japan lodged a protest and demanded the removal of the emperor's image, which Ukraine has done.



''Our sincere apologies to Japan for making this mistake,'' the Ukrainian government tweeted Sunday. ''We had no intention to offend the friendly people of Japan.''



Ukraine Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky also apologized in a tweet Monday, saying the creator of the video lacked an understanding of history.



Hirohito's son, former Emperor Akihito, devoted his reign to atoning for the impact of the war in and outside Japan.



The video has been replaced with one without Hirohito's photo, but many Japanese on social media continued to criticize the original as an insult and said Japan should stop supporting Ukraine. Others said Hideki Tojo, the Japanese wartime prime minister who was later convicted of war crimes and hanged, would have been a better choice than Hirohito for the video.



Some, however, raised concern that Japan's demand that the video be revised was censorship and said Ukraine's concession set a bad precedent that would embolden Japanese conservatives to further rewrite Japan's wartime history.



Japan has worried that Russia's invasion of Ukraine could have an impact in East Asia, where China's military has grown increasingly assertive and has threatened to unite with Chinese-claimed Taiwan by force if necessary. Japan has tried to play a greater role as part of the Group of Seven industrialized nations in response to the invasion, joining a series of sanctions against Moscow and providing support for Ukraine in line with other members.



Japan provided $300 million for Ukraine and neighboring countries that have accepted displaced Ukrainians, and has also accepted hundreds of evacuees since Russia's invasion in late February. (AP)




Jay R. Jordan / Jay Jordan, Staff

At least eight people have died this year in Houston-area incidents connected to police pursuits, according to police statements and news reports.

The latest occurred Friday when a teen fleeing police crashed into multiple vehicles in west Harris County, killing rugby star Pedrie Wannenburg.
Melissa Lucio has spent the last 15 years on death row after she was convicted of capital murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah. But she and her family have long maintained that Lucio is actually innocent and that no murder ever occurred.

Lucio was scheduled to be killed by lethal injection on April 27 before the Texas Court of Appeals issued a stay. Here's what to know about the case that's been catapulted into the national spotlight.

TEXAS RALLY: Melissa Lucio supporters plan to rally outside DA office Wednesday to demand her immediate release

What did the Texas Court of Appeals decide?

On April 25, two days before her scheduled execution, the Texas Court of Appeals granted a stay in Lucio's case. The judges remanded the case to the trial court, indicating that they are open to the argument that she is actually innocent.

Lucios legal team raised nine different claims in her petition for clemency, a form of legal relief that would spare her from death row. The court found merit in four of those nine arguments:

If the prosecution had not used false testimony, no juror would have convicted Lucio;

Previously unavailable scientific evidence would preclude her conviction;

Lucio is actually innocent; and

Prosecutors suppressed favorable material evidence in violation of federal law.

Lucio will not be executed as scheduled. The court's decision takes away the need for the governor, the Board of Pardons or the local district attorney to take action. Gov. Greg Abbott will no longer have a choice to make in Lucio's case.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles said in a statement that it will not be making a recommendation in Lucio's request for clemency either. Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz had said if no one took action, he would consider staying the execution himself.

EXPLAINER: What is a stay of execution? Key legal terms in death row cases like Melissa Lucio's, explained

There are two pending motions in the trial court asking to recuse the presiding judge. The judge assigned after that decision will decide whether Saenz should be disqualified from prosecuting the case, if his office does not recuse itself beforehand, according to Tivon Schardl, one of Lucios attorneys. A decision on those motions could come in the next three days or so, he said.

Who is Melissa Lucio?

Lucio is a 53-year-old Harlingen mother of 14 who has struggled with a history of poverty, addiction and violence. She endured years of sexual abuse at the hands of family members and, later, sexual and domestic abuse from her partners. She experienced homelessness and extensive drug abuse and the household had been visited by Child Protective Services.

While family admits Lucio was not a perfect mom, her lawyers contend that she never physically abused any of her 14 children. They point to decades of CPS records as proof that she never physically harmed them amid the struggles that brought social workers to her door.

Courtesy/The Innocence Project Courtesy/The Innocence Project Courtesy/The Innocence Project Family photos of Melissa Lucio and her children. (Courtesy) Family photos of Melissa Lucio and her children. (Courtesy)

The Cameron County jury at Lucio's capital murder trial never heard testimony about her background as a victim of extensive sexual and domestic abuse who faced homelessness and poverty.

Would Melissa Lucio have been the first Latina put to death in Texas?

Technically, yes. If Lucio had not been granted a reprieve or a stay of execution, she would have been the first Latina to be put to death in Texas in the modern era, and the first Texas woman executed in nearly a decade. The last woman to be put to death in Texas was Lisa Coleman in 2014, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. The first was Josefa "Chipita" Rodriguez, who was hanged in San Patricio County in 1863. The Texas Legislature passed a resolution more than a century later that Rodriguez did not receive a fair trial.

What happened to Melissa Lucio's daughter?

Lucio's family says that Mariah fell down a rickety flight of stairs outside their Harlingen apartment in 2007 while the family was in the process of moving. Two days later, she died in her sleep.

Innocence Project Innocence Project Innocence Project Mariah Alvarez was just two years old when her family says she fell down this hazardous set of stairs outside their Harlingen apartment in 2007. (Innocence Project) Mariah Alvarez was just two years old when her family says she fell down this hazardous set of stairs outside their Harlingen apartment in 2007. (Innocence Project)

The Cameron County medical examiner ruled Mariah's death a homicide, stating that the bruising on Mariah's body was the worst case of child abuse she had ever seen. On the night of Mariah's death, Lucio, who was pregnant with twins, was questioned by investigators for a prolonged period. Her lawyers say police coerced her to give a false confession and her conduct during the interrogation, which they described as cold and detached, was unjustly used to build a case against her. Her lawyers say her history as a victim of sexual and domestic abuse could have made her more susceptible to being coerced by investigators.

What has Melissa Lucio said about her case?

Lucio has long maintained her innocence. On the night of Mariah's death, she told investigators both verbally and nonverbally she was innocent more than 100 times, according to her lawyers. In a 2020 Hulu documentary that argues for her innocence, Lucio contends she would never hurt her children and says she made the false confession under duress, in part to shield one of her older daughters from being blamed for Mariah's death. The older daughter told a private investigator she was the one to blame for Mariah's fall, according to deleted scenes from the documentary that have been viewed by the Houston Chronicle.

What does Melissa Lucio's family say?

Lucio's family members have traveled across the state, holding rallies, where they encouraged residents to see the documentary and sign an online petition calling for her release. They also held daily prayer vigils outside the Cameron County courthouse, calling on Saenz to review Lucio's case and withdraw her death warrant. Saenz's intervention was the safest and swiftest method for a reprieve, according to Death Penalty Action, an advocacy group that has traveled with the family and helped to spread awareness about her case.

But Lucio's relatives were torn apart in the wake of her incarceration. Most of her adult children are living their own lives with children of their own. After the documentary suggested an older daughter was a possible culprit in Mariah's death, that daughter and a few other siblings took to social media to make claims against Lucio.

They argued that the older daughter had nothing to do with Mariah's death as the documentary implies, but these daughters did not wish to see their mother executed. They signed a document alongside their other siblings pleading with Abbott and the Board to spare their mother's life.

Most of Lucio's family, including her elderly mother, her son, John Lucio, and her sister, Sonya Valencia Alvarez, have been relentless in their mission to shed light on Lucio's case and get her off of death row.

Yi-Chin Lee, Photographer / Staff photographer Denise Cathey, MBI / Associated Press Melissa Lucio's son, John Lucio (left) and sister, Sonya Valencia Alvarez (right). (Denise Cathey, MBI / Associated Press) (Yi-Chin Lee, Photographer / Staff photographer) Melissa Lucio's son, John Lucio (left) and sister, Sonya Valencia Alvarez (right). (Denise Cathey, MBI / Associated Press) (Yi-Chin Lee, Photographer / Staff photographer)

My sister is innocent, Sonya Valencia Alvarez said at a Houston rally on a chilly February day. This is an innocent woman. This is a loving mother of 14 children who was sent to death.

What new evidence is there in the Melissa Lucio case?

Lucio's legal team raised nine different claims in her clemency petition. Specifically, the court found merit in her lawyers arguments in four of those nine arguments.

Lucio's lawyers from the Innocence Project filed a clemency petition with evidence they said proves her innocence. Included in that petition were statements by five jurors at her capital murder trial who said they would have decided differently had they known about Lucio's personal history or seen other evidence that was not presented at trial.

[T]he fact that you cant pinpoint what caused Mariahs death means that [Melissa] shouldnt be executed, juror Johnny Galvan said in his statement.

Galvan wrote in an Op-Ed in the Houston Chronicle that he felt pressured to sentence Lucio to death and that he "wished I had never done so."

A forensic expert stated in Lucio's clemency petition that Mariah's bruising was likely caused by head trauma the child sustained when she fell down the stairs. The expert said the medical examiner's ruling that the girl died as a result of child abuse was a rush to judgment. Anti-domestic violence organizations, faith leaders in Texas, death row exonerees and wrongfully convicted people have shared statements of support as part of her request for relief.

LUCIO CASE: Catholic leaders urge Abbott to stop execution of Hispanic mother in childs death

Beyond the unexplored evidence, Lucio's lawyers also argue her trial was unfairly influenced by bigotry and corruption from both sides of the courtroom, including the case brought by a DA who was later sentenced to prison. They say her trial lawyer failed to present evidence on hand that could have helped the jury acquit Lucio, and questioned his motives when he swiftly joined the DA's office after the trial.

What were Melissa Lucio's options?

Lucio's lawyers requested her death sentence be commuted to life in prison, or that she be granted an evidentiary hearing and a chance to prove her innocence. Her lawyers said that it's typical for the board of pardons not to decide about a clemency petition until just days before a person is set to be executed.

The governor also has the authority to stop an execution, grant clemency or reduce a person's sentence. Lucio's third route was for Saenz to withdraw her death warrant and reinvestigate the case. Saenz remained silent for years, but Lucio's oldest son spoke with him briefly after stopping him in the courthouse parking lot during a protest in late March. Saenz was captured on video telling John Lucio he "would be glad to take a look" at his mother's case. He later testified before a legislative committee in Austin that if the board of pardons and Abbott didn't take action in Lucio's case, he would step in.

Lucio also had an array of legal motions pending, one of those resulted in a stay on April 25. Her case has been remanded to a lower court to consider multiple arguments for possible dismissal.

Who has spoken out about the Melissa Lucio case?

Texas lawmakers and big-name celebrities asked the state to take action in Lucio's case. By late March, more than 80 Texas lawmakers requested clemency for her, pleading with Abbott and the board to intervene. Another group of Texas lawmakers later met privately with Lucio to hear her case and discuss efforts to stop her execution, the Associated Press reported.

Kim Kardashian shared information about Lucio's case with her more than 70 million followers, calling her situation "heartbreaking."

Death Penalty Action hosted weekly live streams with celebrity guests that include Carmela Zumbado from the Netflix show "You"; Sherry Cola from Freeform's "Good Trouble"; and Julissa Calderon from Netflix's "Gentefied," according to a representative from the organization.

Where can I watch the Melissa Lucio documentary?

The 2020 documentary, The State of Texas vs. Melissa, is available on Hulu and Amazon Prime.

How did Melissa's Lucio react to the news of her stay?

Lucio erupted in sobs the moment she heard the news her life would be spared. Texas Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, who has become one of her most outspoken advocates, delivered the news. Listen in here.

rebecca.hennes@chron.com
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Texas A&M University is home to more than 70,000 students and 500,000 alumni  many of whom hope to maintain the myriad traditions central to the institutions identity.

But rapid growth in A&Ms population means that change is occurring at the traditionally conservative university in College Station. Some students and faculty say several recent administrative decisions were unilateral and regressive, however, highlighting A&Ms struggle to weigh the desires of mounting liberal voices against those of a still-larger group of conservative students and alumni.

Heres what you should know about the latest conflict at A&M.

Texas A&M is growing  fast.

The school had more than 73,000 students in fall 2021, compared to under 50,000 students in 2010.

The alumni population is similarly large. More than 550,000 people have attended Texas A&M University, and more than 505,000 of them are still alive. Thats because more people graduated from the school in the past 20 years than in the first 120 years of the institution combined, according to the Association of Former Students.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas A&M climate lab, other agreements ended in wake of questions over China ties

Some students say they feel alumni have outsized impact.

Students and faculty say they have noticed a trend over the past year, especially since President M. Katherine Banks took the helm in summer 2021. The former engineering dean has ushered in several new changes, and not all of them were made with student and faculty input, those stakeholders say.

Faculty are noticing, too.

Some of the overarching changes involve Banks attempts to reorganize the universitys academic structure. A&M last year commissioned a study to address organizational efficiency, and in response to the findings, Banks identified several areas that will see transformation. She called her response, "The Path Forward."

One of the biggest recommendations that the university accepted is the merging of the College of Liberal Arts, College of Science and the College of Geosciences into a new College of Arts and Science. Another is the reorganization of the provosts office  despite faculty concerns that changes might impact their freedom to teach on topics they choose. And University Libraries will no longer serve as a tenure home for faculty.

The university is also working to align the management practices of student organizations, although it received markedly split feedback on the suggestion.

The university recognizes the 'competing priorities.'

"We are pleased to hear from different voices, even though sometimes we all dont agree on the outcome of a decision," Kelly Brown, vice president of marketing and communications, said in a statement. "Texas A&M has 72,000-plus students, more than 1,200 student organizations and countless competing priorities."

"Earlier this year, President Banks commissioned 41 working groups to review and make recommendations related to the Path Forward," the statement continues. "She asked for the direct input of students, faculty, staff and former students. She is seeking other opinions and is most definitely listening. Hard decisions are being made based on whats best for the university and those decisions are arrived at through research, careful thought and input from all stakeholders. Not all decisions will be favorable to everyone, however, the administration is committed to continue working together and listening to all campus voices."

Fish Camp is changing.

In the fall, the university moved the three-day summer camp for incoming freshmen under a new umbrella. Formerly an independently run student organization, it is now a student organization that supports a university program  meaning student leaders report to the university. The selection of leaders and counselors also has to be approved by the vice president of student affairs.

A&M further changed the camps mission statement to remove a phrase about creating an accepting environment, head director Mikayla Slaydon said. The university then aligned Fish Camps official values with the A&Ms official values, resulting in the loss of a camp value stressing diversity.

Slaydon said she found out about these decisions after the fact.

Conflict came to an on-campus drag show.

The university disaffiliated from "Draggieland" in the fall without providing an explanation, students said.

Students formerly managed the drag show through MSC Town Hall, a student organization supporting a university program that brings events to campus. That group held the money in a university coffer, so A&M's disaffiliation meant the show couldn't access its funding.

Several LGBT groups fundraised themselves and held the pageant to a sold-out crowd. They suspect conservative lobbying groups influenced the administration. Several organizations heavily protested the event in 2020 and 2021, even though it was still a rousing success those years.

Other students fear censorship.

Another controversial decision came when the university in February gave editors of the student newspaper The Battalion an ultimatum to stop printing immediately. If they didnt move to an online-only format, they would lose several resources including their building space and faculty adviser, the newspapers editor-in-chief previously told the Chronicle.

Several students said they feel that The Battalion has covered more contentious issues on campus this year, such as sexual assault at Fish Camp. The Battalion is a registered student organization, which means it doesnt report to university administration. The threat led students and faculty to immediately raise concerns about censorship.

After news of the decision went viral, administration walked back the ultimatum and formed a working group to determine the future of the publication. Vice President of Student Affairs Gen. Joe Ramirez also issued a formal apology about several decisions madeon campus without student input.
A Galveston Independent School District employee resigned last week after administrators discovered that he installed unauthorized technology devices at six school campuses that could have breached student and employee data, according to the district.

The employee attached his privately-owned devices to the districts network, according to a statement from Galveston ISD, but members of the information technology department detected the threatening operation before any damage was done.

Board president Anthony Brown said during last Wednesdays board meeting that the culprit was acting for personal reasons.

I cant describe it in any more detail because Ill be way over my head to exactly what it was and what they did, he said. Fortunately, it was discovered before it could breach our firewalls  which it could have done  and made all of our students, all of our employees, and all of their familys data available for the taking.

FROM CHRIS TOMLINSON: Crypto could raise Texas electricity prices if not planned well

The devices were cryptocurrency-mining machines, according to The Galveston County Daily News, which first reported the story.

Staff discovered the devices in early April. The district launched an investigation and soon placed the employee on administrative leave, according to a Galveston ISD statement. The unidentified employee resigned April 18.

Although, the investigation related to the employees misuse of district property is ongoing, it has been confirmed that there was no breach of data resulting from this incident, the district said. We are pleased that the security measures put in place by the district were effective in detecting and preventing any potential issues.

Cryptocurrency mining requires specialized computer hardware and an Internet connection, so that a computer can rapidly compute an algorithm in exchange for a reward, or crypto. Individuals often set up "rigs" that require exceptional amounts of electricity.

MORE: Melissa Lucio gets stay of execution 2 days before scheduled killing by lethal injection
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The death of a rugby star in a west Harris County crash Friday evening was preceded by at least seven other deaths this year tied to police pursuits in the Houston region, according to a review of police statements and media reports.

Pedrie Wannenburg, a 41-year-old retired professional rugby player, died of injuries he suffered when a teen fleeing authorities crashed into three vehicles near Greenhouse Road and Kieth Harrow Boulevard, according to the Harris County Sheriffs Office.

The driver, only identified as a 16-year-old, has been charged with felony murder and several counts of aggravated assault, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

Wannenburgs 8-year-old son was flown to a hospital in critical condition. The status of his condition was not available Sunday.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Rugby star Pedrie Wannenburg killed after pursuit ends with multi-vehicle crash in Harris County

A sheriffs deputy had tried to stop the teen for allegedly blowing through a traffic signal near the intersection of Greenhouse and Little York. The teen, according to authorities, sped off instead  nearing 100 mph  before losing control.

The wreck was the latest in the Houston-area to result in death after authorities tried to stop a driver due to various suspicions.

-On April 15, a man died in Conroe when he crashed while being pursued by police.

-On April 15, an individual died in a chain-reaction crash in northwest Houston that began as a high-speed pursuit.

-On April 9, two individuals died after being thrown from their vehicles during a car chase in Spring.

-On April 1, a man was struck by a vehicle being chased by police in west Houston. The man died April 15 following a hospital stay.

-Feb. 7, a driver evading police crashed into another vehicle in west Houston, killing a man not involved in the pursuit.

-On Jan. 12, a woman died when a Harris County sheriffs deputy chasing a driver suspected of an armed robbery spree collided with her car.

More Houston news: Dozens of Heights residents mourn beloved gas station clerk killed in shooting

Fridays crash that killed Wannenburg remained under investigation. A family friend created a GoFundMe fundraiser for his children and wife, Evette Wessels.

Pedries family, friends, neighbors, athletes, fans, and the world have lost one of the kindest and genuine souls. He was robbed of his life too soon in a tragic car accident, the fundraisers description states. Pedrie, you are so missed. We are wrapping our loving arms around your family and lifting them up in our prayers.

alejandro.serrano@chron.com
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Holocaust survivor Rose Rosenthal was a child when she and her mother escaped Nazi-occupied France by gaining passage on a ship to Baltimore. It was July 1942, just six months after Nazi officials finalized their plan to exterminate Europes Jews known as the Final Solution.

For Rosenthal, the year 1942 marked a harrowing escape and the beginning of a new life in America. But for millions of others, it was a death sentence  a fact the 93-year old has never forgotten.

We were very lucky, she said Sunday, one of Houstons dwindling number of Holocaust survivors who gathered at Congregation Beth Israel to mourn the 6 million people killed by the Nazi regime during World War II.

Organizers of Houstons Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance ceremony, selected 1942 as their theme to highlight the pivotal year when the Nazis codified their deadly plan.

Fewer than 80 Holocaust survivors are thought to remain in Houston. Holocaust Museum Houston, an institution dedicated to bringing awareness to the dangers of hatred, prejudice and apathy, hosts the annual remembrance ceremony to mourn the Nazis victims and celebrate the strength of those who survived.

Because of the pandemic, Sunday was the first time since 2019 that survivors could share their stories in person. Hundreds attended to listen, mourn and light candles for all those who were lost.

For Bill Orlin, the ceremony was an opportunity to reflect on his lifes unlikely path. Born in 1932 to a Jewish family in Poland, Orlin and his family were expelled from their village at the outset of the war.

Orlins circuitous route to America took him from Uzbekistan, to Ukraine, and finally to a displaced persons camp in Germany, before he and his family were granted asylum in Canada, later landing in Houston in 1951. Within months, as a 19-year old, was drafted in to the Army and shipped off to Germany in a tank division.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would come back to Germany as a G.I. in 1951, Orlin said Sunday.

Reflecting on the oddities of fate, Orlin said his lifes motto is a simple one: Forgive, but never forget. He does not resent the children and grandchildren of those who perpetrated the Holocaust, he said, but he wants to ensure its atrocities are not relegated to history.

His sentiments come at a time of rising anti-Semitism, with attacks, harassment and vandalism against Jewish people at record highs, according to data from the Anti-Defamation League.

I want people to know the Holocaust happened, Orlin said. It happened. I was there.
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The first all-private crew to visit the International Space Station landed in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday, completing the first mission a Houston company organized as a precursor to building its own space station.

Axiom Space brought home its four-person crew at 12:06 p.m. CDT. Larry Connor, 72, Mark Pathy, 52, Eytan Stibbe, 64, and Michael Lopez-Alegria, 63, spent 17 days in space, including 15 days living and working alongside NASA astronauts on the International Space Station.

Their mission was originally planned for 10 days, with eight days on the space station, but bad weather at the landing site off the coast of Florida helped extend the trip  giving the crew their millions of dollars worth with a few extra days in microgravity.

SPACE CITY: Houston company sends first all-private crew to ISS in bid to keep Houston's title as Space City

This mission, Ax-1, is the first of many missions planned by Houston-based Axiom Space. The company is sending paying customers to the International Space Station to generate revenues and learn how to operate in microgravity. It plans to launch the first segment of its commercially owned and operated space station in late 2024.

Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

It's like the first chapter of many chapters, said Axiom Space co-founder Kam Ghaffarian. A beginning of many beginnings. We will have private astronauts going to space as part of democratizing low-Earth orbit and creating this new ecosystem.

The Ax-1 crew launched inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For Lopez-Alegria, one of his favorite moments occurred shortly after liftoff when the crew looked out the window for the first time. The former NASA astronaut had been to space before; the others had not.

Their reactions were so genuine and so precious and so full of joy, he said, that it brought almost a tear to my eye. It was a wonderful, wonderful experience to have for all of them and vicariously for me.

Connor, who is now the first person to reach both space and the deepest parts of the ocean within one year, described liftoff as a bit more rambunctious.

We were hooting and hollering a little bit on the way up, he said.

But after this adrenaline surge, the crew got to work. Connor, an American real estate and technology entrepreneur, Pathy, a Canadian investor, and Stibbe, an Israeli impact investor and former fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, filled their time with more than 25 experiments and frequent video calls with students.

NASA

One call included more than 300 elementary to high school students at Space Center Houston. The kids asked about training for the mission (750 to 1,000-plus hours), sleeping in space (its quiet and you can sleep upside down) and if theyd go to the moon (yes!).

One student asked about adjusting to microgravity, and Connor said they had adapted very well.

He also kicked the camera while demonstrating a front flip.

That part has been fun for the NASA astronauts. Raja Chari, who was a rookie when he arrived at the ISS in November, said hes enjoyed teaching the newcomers how to control their bodies.

We take for granted how much weve adapted to being up here, Chari said. Its actually kind of fun to relive that.

The private astronauts all had research projects.

Mark Pathy

Connor, for instance, brought human cells to the space station so he could test the effects of microgravity on the heart.

Stibbe studied electrical phenomena that occurs above thunderstorms. He took pictures from space that will be compared with images of those storms taken from the ground.

Pathy used augmented reality lenses to test two-way holoportation. While speaking with Canadian astronauts on Earth, Pathy would have seen three-dimensional images of these astronauts on the International Space Station.

Lopez-Alegria worked on a research program exploring self-assembly methods for in-space construction. He also used a keyboard to play a duet with pianist BLKBOK.

The men wanted to set a good example of what everyday citizens can do in space. They tried not to be a nuisance  their presence expanded the stations crew to 11 people  and they contributed to a database examining how commercial astronauts (who may or may not be as fit as NASA astronauts) react to microgravity.

Houstons Translational Research Institute for Space Health, a NASA-funded organization at the Baylor College of Medicine, is collecting this data. Connor is now the oldest person to participate in the database. And last year, the organization gathered information from a childhood cancer survivor who went into space on the Inspiration4 mission.

Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

The diversity here is key, said Dr. Emmanuel Urquieta, chief medical officer for the Translational Research Institute for Space Health. They really provide the data that we need to know so we can safely send any human into space.

Before and after their mission, the crew had their eyes examined and provided physiological data, including heart rate variability and blood oxygen saturation. They also used tablets to participate in cognitive tests and sensory motor tests. The latter could help researchers understand who might get motion sick and how that might be prevented. This could be particularly helpful on shorter missions.

MORE TRISH RESEARCH: Scientists want to see if humans can hibernate like squirrels while traveling in deep space

If you get space motion sickness, youre going to be feeling bad for pretty much half of your mission, Urquieta said.

Axiom is partnering with SpaceX for its next three missions to the International Space Station. Ax-2 could launch early next year, perhaps a year from now.

Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Two crew members have already been identified for that flight: former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner, a champion racer who formed a GT3 motorsports endurance racing team with his wife, Janine. The other crew members have been selected but not yet unveiled to the public.

The company is also training professional astronauts from other countries. Earlier this year, Axiom announced that it would train Col. Walter Villadei of the Italian Air Force using NASAs Johnson Space Center.

This is such a big historic time for us simply because the Axiom 1 crew is opening the door, NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn said from the space station. We hope future private astronaut missions will continue to open the door to more spaceflights, getting more people into space, getting more science done on the space station.

andrea.leinfelder@chron.com

twitter.com/a_leinfelder
The body of a Texas National Guard soldier who went missing as he tried to rescue two migrants in the Rio Grande last week has been recovered, the guard said.

A multi-agency search had run for three days following the disappearance of Spc. Bishop E. Evans, 22, of Arlington after he dived into the water to attempt to help the migrants, who were struggling in a dangerous stretch of the river.

The two survived and were placed in Border Patrol custody. The guard said swift currents forced divers to stop their search Saturday, but others continued to look for the missing soldier.

Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber said the body was placed in a hearse near a U.S. port of entry on the river in Eagle Pass around 9:30 a.m. and taken to a local funeral home, escorted by guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers.

Courtesy

The body was later taken to another funeral home, in Laredo, the sheriff said.

Gov. Greg Abbott, who on social media had called Evans a hero who risked his life in service to Texas and America, said Monday that the confirmation of his death was heartbreaking, asking Texans to pray for his family and friends.

Our National Guard soldiers risk their lives every day to serve and protect others and we are eternally grateful for the way SPC Evans heroically served his state and country, Abbott said in a prepared statement that thanked state, federal and local agencies working around the clock to locate this soldier.

Evans was on the border as part of Operation Lone Star, a large-scale deployment of guard and DPS personnel that Abbott ordered last year in response to increasing numbers of migrants crossing illegally into Texas.

Abbott has said it was made necessary by an ongoing crisis caused by the Biden administration. The mission has been criticized as political theater by Democrats and its execution has been faulted by the governors Republican opponents. The soldiers themselves have complained about its open-ended nature and problems with pay, housing and field conditions.

We are devastated by the loss of a member of our guard family, said Maj Gen Tom Suelzer, the guards commander, in a statement released Monday. We recognize the selflessness of this heroic soldier who put his life above others in service to our state and national security. The Texas Military Department sends our deepest condolences to the family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.

sigc@express-news.net
Melissa Lucios life was spared on Monday, just two days short of her scheduled execution for the murder of her 2-year-old daughter. The ruling from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals could in fact clear a path for the mother of 14 to move from death row to freedom.

The panel indicated in its extraordinary decision that the 53-year-old, who spent more than 15 years on death row, may actually be innocent.

EXPLAINER: What to know about Melissa Lucio, Texas mom on death row whose execution was halted by a Texas court

The judges flagged several concerns about Lucios 2007 prosecution that could lead to her conviction being thrown out. They sent her case back to the trial court so new evidence can be considered. Lucios lawyers could not say how long that process might take.

The news that the court had halted Lucios execution offered long-awaited relief to her family, who for years had dreaded the day state officials might administer a lethal injection, the penalty a jury imposed for killing her toddler, Mariah Alvarez.

At their home in Harlingen, Lucios family shed joyful tears during an online press conference. Her mother, Esperanza Correa Trevino, broke down repeatedly while fielding questions.

Marie D. De Jesus, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

We are so excited, and we cant wait to see our sister, Lucios sister, Sonya Valencia Alvarez said. We cant wait to share this with her.

Lucio learned her life would be spared from Texas Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, who has become an outspoken advocate for her innocence. Had she not earned a reprieve, Lucio could have become the first Latina put to death by Texas in the modern era and the first woman since 2014.

Lucio sobbed upon hearing the news, her lawyers said.

Associated Press

She was within essentially 48 hours of her potential death and to hear that the court had issued a stay, that there was a halt to her execution, and that she would finally have a day in court to present the evidence of her innocence, she was just overwhelmed, said one of her lawyers, Vanessa Potkin, director of special litigation at the Innocence Project. She was sobbing and beyond words, and just has an immense amount of appreciation.

I thank God for my life, Lucio said in a statement Monday. I am grateful the Court has given me the chance to live and prove my innocence. Mariah is in my heart today and always. I am grateful to have more days to be a mother to my children and a grandmother to my grandchildren. I will use my time to help bring them to Christ. I am deeply grateful to everyone who prayed for me and spoke out on my behalf.

On HoustonChronicle.com: How many innocent people are executed in Texas? Melissa Lucio case spotlights a troubling list

In its ruling, the Texas appeals court ordered the 138th Judicial District Court of Cameron County to consider new evidence of Lucios innocence, her lawyers explained. An unsigned per curiam or unanimous decision by the court said the trial judge must consider several new issues before requesting any further action.

Lucios legal team raised nine different claims in her petition for clemency, a form of legal relief that would spare her from death row.

The court found merit in four of those nine arguments:

If the prosecution had not used false testimony, no juror would have convicted Lucio;

Previously unavailable scientific evidence would preclude her conviction;

Lucio is actually innocent; and

Prosecutors suppressed favorable material evidence in violation of federal law.

The courts decision means that Lucios case will not be a consideration for Gov. Greg Abbott. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles said in a statement Monday that it also will not be making a recommendation in Lucios request for clemency now that the appeals court issued a stay.

Lucios family and supporters had been waiting on a possible stay or ruling in favor of clemency from the board when the ruling came down.

The courts decision comes after lawmakers, anti-domestic violence groups, faith leaders, exonerees and even reality TV star Kim Kardashian came to Lucios defense. Grassroots protests were held in Boston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Atlanta and in cities across Texas on Saturday. Lucios supporters held a prayer vigil in the state capitol building in Austin on Monday, which turned to a celebration the moment the decision was made.

Jay Janner/Associated Press

In addition, all of Lucios children asked the government to halt their mothers execution. A crew of her relatives also spent the last several months traveling across Texas, holding vigils with FREE MELISSA LUCIO signs and flyers asking the public to watch a 2020 documentary that makes the case for her innocence  an argument that the Innocence Project has also joined.

Yi-Chin Lee, Photographer / Staff photographer

The family had led rallies and press conferences; attended legislative hearings; met with lawmakers; and planted themselves outside the Cameron County District Attorneys office for days on end, confronting him gently in the parking lot, and pleading with him to spare Lucios life.

Marie D. De Jesus, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

District Attorney Luis Saenz had the power to unilaterally withdraw her death warrant and issue a new trial. But he never intervened, although he stated at a legislative hearing that he would do so if the courts and other officials did not take action.

Lucios lawyers said that two motions are pending before the trial court  one to dismiss the presiding judge and the other to exclude Saenz from involvement in future court proceedings. Within the next three days, the trial court judge must decide whether to recuse herself or ask another judge to decide if she should be recused. The judge assigned after that decision will decide whether Saenz should be disqualified from prosecuting the case, if his office does not recuse itself beforehand, according to Tivon Schardl, one of Lucios attorneys.

FREED FROM TEXAS DEATH ROW: 12 Texans who narrowly escaped execution after being wrongfully convicted

Melissa Lucios case

A Cameron County jury sentenced Lucio to death in 2008 in the death of her 2-year-old Mariah. The bulk of the evidence was testimony from medical examiners who said significant bruising on Mariahs body indicated she died from child abuse. The most damning evidence came from her tearful statement  after five hours of interrogation the night her child died  in which she took responsibility for the girls bruises, saying, I guess I did it.

Lucio recanted, but her subsequent statements fell on deaf ears. She and several family members maintain that Mariahs death was a tragic accident precipitated by injuries the young girl sustained two days prior to her death when she fell down a rickety flight of stairs outside their run-down apartment.

Several of the younger children said they witnessed Mariah fall down the stairs, and that their mother had never been abusive. But the children  including one who specifically asked to testify  were never called to the stand. This daughters pleas to the defense lawyer were ignored, according to Lucios clemency petition. The petition also notes that recordings of another child saying he witnessed the fall were never presented to a jury.

LUCIO CASE: Melissa Lucio's lawyers file petition with new evidence they say proves the mother of 14's innocence

The only family member who testified was Alvarez, one of Lucios sisters, who later rallied for her release. Alvarez previously told the Houston Chronicle that she felt her sister was not given a fair trial, that her attorney had done a poor job of presenting exculpatory evidence and that she believed the DA sought a capital conviction for his own political gain.

She had nobody to defend her, it was just horrible, Alvarez said. She was the perfect bait.

Lucios case was prosecuted by a former district attorney who later ended up in federal prison on bribery charges. Supporters also question the effectiveness of her defense attorney who they say ignored key evidence and swiftly joined the DAs office following the trial.

Lucios post-conviction lawyers argued her prosecution under a corrupt DA should be enough to warrant her a new trial, that could lead to her acquittal. They also said the evidence presented in a stack of state and federal motions that they say proves Mariahs death was consistent with an accidental fall down the stairs.

They say Lucios statement to police is the hallmark of a coerced confession, one she made under duress and in part to shield one of her older daughters  who had had some conflicts with her little sister  from being grilled about Mariahs death. The defense at her trial also never presented evidence about the years of sexual abuse and domestic violence Lucio endured as a child and an adult, which could have made her more susceptible to being coerced.

Lucio was sexually abused as a young girl by family members and strangers, and the abuse continued into her adult life, according to her clemency petition. She lived most of her life in abject poverty; at times her household had no electricity and no running water. Her family would use ice chests to store food and trash cans to hold water theyd use to flush toilets, wash dishes and bathe. They would frequent soup kitchens and were sometimes homeless.

Courtesy the Innocence Project

She struggled with drug addiction and lost custody of her children twice due to neglect. But over years of records, CPS never received reports of abuse by Lucio. She has said that she knows she was not a perfect mother, but says that doesnt make her a murderer.

Attorneys said the evidence shows Lucio is not the heartless abuser, but rather a victim of a broken justice system.

Her lawyers are hopeful her conviction will ultimately be vacated and that the charges against her be dropped. Only the court of criminal appeals can make that decision before she could be released.

Lucio said in a statement on Monday, If I get a new trial, I am ready for the fight. I am not the same person I was in that interrogation room. I would stand up for my rights today. I want other survivors of domestic violence and assault to stand up for their rights too.

Edward McKinley contributed to this report.
National Weather Service

The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory for a portion of north Harris County as heavy rain and thunderstorms move across Southeast Texas.

Rain started falling Monday afternoon in Houston due to a cold front, according to meteorologists. The flood advisory remains in effect until 5:45 p.m., according to the weather service.
Several recent Houston ISD headlines had us wondering: How are things going over there at the largest school district in Texas? Between PUAs and audits, we think its time for a bit of a report card, but which rating system to use? Is it Met Standard or Improvement Required? Or A-F?

Lets try this: Confident but concerned.

And well start with some good news first.

We take it as a good sign that Superintendent Millard House II heeded panicked criticism of an initial proposal to partly reshape the districts decentralized system that may have led to big cuts at certain campuses, including Bellaire High School. The pushback was intense, and House wasnt the first superintendent to go into the community on a listening tour and come out with a plan that elicited sharp criticism. His response, though, seems different. House quickly came up with a five-year compromise plan instead. Schools would continue to receive whats called per unit allocation, or essentially, funding per student including weights for certain characteristics such as learning disabilities, limited English or homelessness.

And principals will still have discretion over their budgets but, finally  finally!  the district will ensure some key basic staffing necessities are met at every campus.

Nurses, librarians and counselors will, under the plan, be common to all schools. In a series of listening sessions last year, the community split on the matter of decentralized funding but found relatively common cause in supporting calls for these key staff positions. While the quick redirect from his initial proposal might signal a misreading of public sentiment on the superintendents part, it seems the willingness to engage and heed the public is sincere. We are encouraged that, at last, students will be supported by these important campus roles, including nurses, counselors, librarians and fine arts and physical education teachers.

This back and forth has also exposed deeper frustrations, notably in regards to teacher pay and retention. Across the state, districts are struggling with teacher shortages. In the first half of the 2022 fiscal year alone, teachers quitting mid-year was up 60 percent over the previous year, according to the Texas Tribune. Teacher pay in HISD lags behind neighborhood districts. The district has proposed a nearly 7 percent increase for teachers along with additional stipends based on criteria including types of classes, length of commitment to the district and others. According to the district, some teachers could see pay increases of up to $10,000 to $20,000.

Some who are unhappy with teacher pay have pointed to the findings of a preliminary audit completed in November at Houses request. It found that, over a five-year period, the district was regularly overestimating expenses and underestimating revenue to the tune of some $300 million.

Theres good news and bad news here, too.

An outside audit is an important bit of housekeeping, especially for a district that has faced questions about its management in recent years. For those keeping track: This year, a former HISD chief operating officer and a former board trustee were indicted for a bribery scheme revealed by an FBI investigation. During the pandemic, enrollment in the district dropped by the thousands. Many teachers left too, or say they will. In 2019, the Texas Education Agency recommended a takeover of the board, citing a walking quorum that violated state law and chronically low-performing schools. In short, HISD has been in trouble in terms of its governance, finances, staffing and student outcomes all in recent months.

An outside audit is good, but it should be just the first step.

The firms initial findings suggest that the district has budgeted with a scarcity mindset that hasnt served kids best. The report suggested that the same decentralized approach that remains largely in place is partly to blame for these wonky forecasts.

A lack of transparency around campus-level decisions combined with the districts approach to overestimating staffing costs in its general fund compound concerns at multiple levels, according to the audit. In addition, its been clear for some time that principals in Texas largest school district could use some basic training and support in managing their budgets. House argued that the initial proposal included that support  by centralizing some budgeting decisions, but thats back in the principals hands in the compromise plan. House should look for other ways to support that decision making. We cant expect every school leader to become a whiz with finances on their own time.

That said, were not quite as concerned about the surplus as some people are, particularly the figures from the most recent school years, which were, to say the least, tumultuous. Amanda Brownson, associate executive director of policy at the Texas Association of School Business Officials, shared that budget forecasting has been a challenge for districts across the state lately. Budgeting is more challenging in the world we face today in part due to COVID, she said.

Houston in particular had its own exceptional circumstances even before COVID. In the 2018-2019 school year, the district received $133 million in Hurricane Harvey funds from the state, per the district, as well as a bump in the states per-capita revenue and a vacancy and hiring freeze.

All of that helped contribute to the surpluses over the audits study period, and House has said hes committed to changing the districts approach to budgeting.

More concerning? The more recent mishandling of COVID relief funds. Only 7 percent of the districts $315 million had been spent a third of the way into the school year, per the audit, which the Houston Chronicle reviewed thanks to a public information request. The district has promised to unveil a tracker online, likely in May, where community members can track how those dollars get spent. While some immediate expenses, including food drives and virtual learning support, received funds, longer-term projects such as upgrading HVAC systems have faced supply chain issues. The district has until September 2024 to spend those funds, but we are eager to see that money in action as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, both the COVID relief funds and the surplus identified in the audit dont represent long-term funding solutions to chronic problems such as poor pay for teachers that need more dedicated and sustained solutions. While the stipends might help allay concerns about teacher retention, theyll come from that pot of one-time COVID money. The district said it has an unassigned fund balance of $224 million, which will go toward covering the structural deficit and funding the compensation plan.

Part of the challenge is also the cognitive dissonance here: Does the district have money or not? While the surplus identified in the audit seemed promising, its largely due to those one-time sources of disaster relief, and the district still has to address this structural deficit that comes from expenses, driven in part by recapture, generally outpacing revenue. Thats an issue the district says it will address beginning around the second year of its five-year plan.

Stabilizing the budget moving forward has been one of Houses top priorities, and he has said that growing student enrollment and improving teacher retention are also high on the list. Just under one year into his tenure, hes got his work cut out for him.
Regarding Column: New Mexico is the hot new spot for Texans buying weed. It shouldn't be that way. (April 20): I agree one hundred percent with Chris Tomlinson regarding the legalization of marijuana in Texas. The vast majority of Texans agree legalization is way overdue. Even Republicans are pretty evenly split on this issue. Unfortunately the Republican leadership led by Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and Attorney General Ken Paxton continues to ignore the will of most Texans. If they really believed in personal freedom, as they claim, they would legalize marijuana and allow individuals to make their own choice. Texas has always been a pro-business state. Approving recreational marijuana in Texas along with accompanying dispensaries will create thousands of jobs. Not to mention the hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax revenue.

Luke Rifkin, Houston

In the Business section, staff writer Chris Tomlinson wrote about Texas legalization of marijuana being long overdue. I agree totally. I would also like to go on record as a non-user  though I did inhale long ago in my college years.

A larger question I have is, why are our elected officials turning a deaf ear to this issue  whether on a local, state or federal level? Various legitimate polls tell us there is popular support; a 2020 Gallup poll found 68 percent of Americans favor a form of legalization. Numbers dont lie. To further support legalization, among many reasons, are the unquestionable economic pluses, which hopefully Mr. Tomlinson and the Houston Chronicle can bring forth in additional articles.

Again, the big question we should ask our elected officials is simply this: if you wont serve and support the majority on this issue, then whom do you serve, yourself?

Greg Armstrong, Richmond

I read the column this morning by Chris Tomlinson about legalizing marijuana in Texas. I would like to see a column with the facts about legalizing casino gambling. Our leaders in Austin think it is okay for almost any untrained and unlicensed adult to carry a weapon, thus greatly increasing the chances of innocent people getting shot and killed. They also say it is okay to make much more difficult the option of voting by mail in Texas  but they must protect us from the horror of legal casino gambling? Every time I drive over to Lake Charles in Louisiana with friends or family, it is sad when I walk through the parking garage and 80 percent of the vehicles have Texas license plates.

Glenn Miller, Katy

City Council districts

Regarding Houston is redrawing its City Council districts. Heres how to get involved., (April 19): The Pledge of Allegiance is one outstanding set of words honoring this great nation and that beautiful red, white and blue flag that flies over our Capitol and has been draped over so many thousands of coffins honoring those who gave their life for us to live in a free country. But it is under attack on a daily basis.

The last words read: with liberty and justice for all. It does not say Black, Hispanic, white  it says all. I am old enough to remember World War II, when all really meant everyone, united. Now, the City Council will need to address redrawing district boundaries to meet the changes in population numbers. Immediately we heard what Black residents wants, same for Hispanics and others.

Just look at the current boundaries, snaking all over the place. The map should be re-drawn to square off areas according only to population numbers. Maybe that way we would have better representation and a more level playing field.

James E. Muecke, Houston
Beto ORourke, the Democratic candidate for Texas governor, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.

The former congressman from El Paso is experiencing mild symptoms and will be following public health guidelines, he said in a statement. ORourke has been roadtripping across the state for more than a dozen town halls in recent weeks, as his campaign targets the young voters who propelled his 2018 campaign for U.S. Senate.

Since Friday, he has held events in Livingston, Fort Bend, Canyon Lake and San Antonio, according to his campaign website.

ORourke said he regularly tests for COVID while traveling, and he tested negative on Sunday. He is fully vaccinated and received a booster shot.

Gov. Greg Abbott, meanwhile, is out and busy on the campaign trail. The Republican governor, who is seeking his third term in office, also had COVID last August.

cayla.harris@express-news.net
Twitters board is negotiating with Tesla CEO Elon Musk over his bid to buy the social media platform and a deal could be announced as early as Monday, according to media reports.

Twitter and Musk spoke into the early hours Monday, The New York Times reported, less than two weeks after the billionaire first revealed a massive stake in the company.

Musk said last week that he had lined up $46.5 billion in financing to buy Twitter, putting pressure on the companys board to negotiate a deal.

The Times, citing people with knowledge of the situation who it did not identify, said the two sides were discussing details including a timeline and fees if an agreement was signed and then fell apart. The people said the situation was fluid and fast-moving.

Shares of Twitter Inc. rose 4% Monday.

Twitter had enacted an anti-takeover measure known as a poison pill that could make a takeover attempt prohibitively expensive. But the board decided to negotiate after Musk updated his proposal to show he had secured financing, according to The Wall Street Journal, which was first to report the negotiations were underway.

Musk has said he wants to buy Twitter because he doesnt feel its living up to its potential as a platform for free speech. Twitter, he said, 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.

Musk has described himself as a free-speech absolutist but is also known for blocking or disparaging other Twitter users who question or disagree with him.

In recent weeks, he has voiced a number of proposed changes for the company, from relaxing its content restrictions  such as the rules that suspended former President Donald Trumps account  to ridding the platform of fake and automated accounts.

A rival bidder to Musk may not be stepping up any time soon, fearful of the byzantine task of moderating content on the platform, something that Musk has vowed to do less of.

The Twitter Board could not find a white knight and with Musks financing detailed the clock has essentially struck midnight for the board which is why negotiations have begun to get a deal done, said Dan Ives, who follows Twitter for Wedbush Securities.

While Twitters user base remains much smaller than those of rivals such as Facebook and TikTok, the service is popular with celebrities, world leaders, journalists and intellectuals. Musk himself is a prolific tweeter with more than 83 million followers, rivaling several pop stars in the ranks of most-followed accounts.

On April 14, Musk announced an offer to buy the social media platform for $54.20 per share, or about $43 billion, but did not say at the time how he would finance the acquisition.

Last week, he said in documents filed with U.S. securities regulators that the money would come from Morgan Stanley and other banks, some of it secured by his huge stake in Tesla.

Twitter has not commented.

Musk is the worlds wealthiest person, according to Forbes, with a nearly $279 billion fortune. But much of his money is tied up in Tesla stock  he owns about 17% of the electric car company, according to FactSet, which is valued at more than $1 trillion  and SpaceX, his privately held space company. Its unclear how much cash Musk has.

Twitter's board has flexibility in judging Musk's proposal not just on the finances but also the specifics of whether his plans for the company are in its best interests, said Kevin Kaiser, a finance professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

__

AP Business Writer Kelvin Chan reported from London.
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9 great ways to promote music on Twitter

If youre going to promote your music on social media (and you should be), Twitter can be a great place to do it. Heres how.

A guest post from DITTO MUSIC.

Twitter is HIGH in the rankings as one of the best places to promote music on social media in 2022.

Why? Twitter is basically like the beating pulse of all things newsworthy, trending or interesting  if its being talked about, youll find it on Twitter. So how can music artists make the best out of what the platform has to offer in terms of bigging up their online presence and joining in on some of these BIG conversations? Lets find out.

Best Twitter music marketing strategies

1. Get verified

2. Tailor your content for Twitter

3. Link up

4. Follow with intention

5. Beef out your profile

6. Go live

7. Stay active

8. Use hashtags

9. Track your progress

Before we jump into the hows of promoting music on Twitter, first lets consider the why  more specifically the benefits of using Twitter as a musician. Why should you bother?

Twitter is an especially great platform for musicians considering most of the trending or favourited topics on Twitter are centred around music. On Twitter, a Favourite refers to topics or subjects that users are most interested in. Whether thats people searching for genres, specific artists or new music generally, chances are, itll be being talked about on Twitter.

Its hardly surprising then why countless songs and artists have risen up over the years on Twitter. And many big artists now use the platform as a focal part of their digital persona, including the likes of Kanye West, Katy Perry and Cher.

A lot of this comes down to the personalised, POV-like character that Twitters whole premise is built on. Twitter is a place where artists can show off their voice, their music and their personalities  all at once.

This makes Twitter a budding place for new music and artist discovery, whether thats listening to new tracks from artists a user already follows or finding new artists to listen to.

From an SEO perspective, Twitter can also really help to boost your online visibility as a musician when someone searches for you via Google. Twitter ranks highly in Google search results, so chances are your Twitter profile will usually appear higher in the ranks than any other social media profile.

So yeah  Twitter should definitely be a big part of every artists social media marketing strategy. So now lets turn to those all important hows.

9 ways to promote your music on Twitter

1. Get verified

Itll come as no surprise that getting verified on Twitter will boost your profile almost instantly  especially as a musician.

Why?

Getting the little blue seal of approval can do amazing things for your profile in terms of increasing the credibility of your music brand & and establishing your authority on the platform as an artist.

All the big names on Twitter boast a nifty blue tick next to their name, so its definitely something youll want to secure early on in your Twitter music marketing strategy.

If youre unsure about the verification request process, do not fret! Weve got a whole step-by-step guide on how to get verified on Twitter that you can check out to get started with your submission!

Getting verified on Twitter isnt necessarily a done deal, but there are definitely things you can do to improve your chances throughout the verification process, including:

 Be active on the platform: interact and engage with your followers and other users on a regular basis

 Include an up-to-date & relevant cover photo: ideally this should be an image of you performing or some album artwork from your latest release

 Have an embedded follow button on your artist website: lead followers directly from your website to your Twitter profile

 Write a great pitch: in your verification submission form, tell Twitter why verification would benefit you AND other Twitter users too.

 Submit more than 2 links: while 2 is the minimum number of links required in your verification request form, the more links the better.

2. Twitter-tailor your content

Great content should form the backbone of all your music social media marketing. Thats a given. And only the top-notch kind will get you noticed.

But when it comes to your music marketing strategy on Twitter, youll need to fine-tune your content so it not only meets the requirements of the platform, but the practicalities of it as well  i.e altering your material for a better user experience for your followers.

So for example, your full official music video might be racking up the likes on YouTube (woohoo!) but Twitter is better suited to short-form, quickly digestible content  in terms of things like videos, images, as well as the length of tweets and statuses.

So a 3 and half min long music vid wouldnt work in terms of both Twitters video requirements (all videos on Twitter are limited to 2mins 20 seconds), and neither would it pull in the best engagement from users simply looking for a quick Twitter high during their rushed morning commute.

Now thats not to say you cant still promote your longer-form content via Twitter  and in fact, you should! It simply means you should tailor your content to cater for a Twitter-based audience. So sticking with the music vid example, a trailer type cut video would be a better option, or even a link to the track on YouTube embedded in a tweet and pinned to the top of your profile.

Heres the general guide to content requirements for Twitter:

Captions/Tweets: 280 characters or less

Images (in tweets): Recommended 10801080 or 19201080

Videos: Recommended 10801080 or 19201080 and no longer than 140 seconds in duration

For more specific info about the imagery sizes you should use for your Twitter profile picture, banner image & more, check out our full social media image sizes cheat sheet.

3. Link up

Unlike Instagram, links are a lifesaver when it comes to Twitter. Theyre a great way to direct followers from your Twitter account to your music and other social media profiles, turning them into followers elsewhere too!

Plus links are ideal for promoting an upcoming release, event, project or like we mentioned earlier, any kind of material that isnt necessarily best-suited to direct promotion on the platform.

You can feature links on Twitter in a couple of different ways

 In your Twitter bio

As the first port of call for someone who lands on your profile, this will immediately draw them into whatever it is youre promoting.

 In a direct tweet

When you add a link to a tweet directly, you have 2 options. You can choose whether you want it to appear as a link exclusively within the tweet, like so:

If youre opting to include a link like this, make sure you keep it short  with only 280 characters to play with, long links will eat up your tweet text count. Bitly is a great online tool you can use to generate shortened links that you can alter or customise the text on too.

You also have the option to create a Twitter Card using the link URL. Twitter Cards will appear below the original tweet, usually formatted with a customisable thumbnail image that forms a kind of preview of the link material.

4. Follow with intention

Following other Twitter users is how youll essentially build out your Twitter network in the first place. And while weve got nothing against you following your friends, family, (your pets account) and so on, youll need to go a step further and source out accounts that are similar to yours.

This might be a fellow artist who makes music of the same genre, artists whove had their come-ups in the same area as you, or even artists whore performing at a gig, festival or lineup that youre also featuring on.

Whats crucial is the commonality factor.

If you have something in common with these types of accounts and/or artists, it usually means your audience and theirs will share that common bond too. This means their audience is more than likely made up of the kind of people you want to be targeting and putting your content out in front of.

Once you start following people with a proven interest in your kind of music and content, you can lead them back to your Twitter profile, introduce them to your music, maybe even get them to your website and before you know it, theyre your next superfan.

At a grassroots level, this is also an ample opportunity to network, collaborate and take inspiration from some of your favourite independent artists by observing how theyre using the platform themselves.

5. Beef out your profile

On Twitter, your profile is made up of your profile picture, a banner/header image and a bio. These 3 things are the first things a user will see when they come across your profile  and first impressions count.

Profile picture  This might be a recent press shot or head shot type picture. Twitter will automatically crop this image into a circle when you hit save so bear this in mind when youre choosing which pic to opt for.

Banner image  This is essentially a background image for your profile, similar to a Facebook cover photo. You can customise this image to promote your latest project or release. Its good to switch this image up from time-to-time based on what youre promoting at the time.

For example, Harry Styles uses his banner image to big up his most recent album.

Twitter bio  Write an exciting bio about yourself in 160 characters or less, telling people who you are & what youre about. If you have the space, its a good idea to try and get a link in here too, either to your website or to your latest release on your chosen streaming platform.

TOP TIP: If youre running out of characters or youve got more than one link you really want to share, you can opt to use a LinkTree or list your website in the space Twitter provides directly under your bio.

Like so

6. Go live

Download the Twitter app to go live with a performance or Q&A session on the platform. Live-streaming saw a massive influx during the COVID-lockdown era, and with videos now the no.1 kind of consumed content online, it seems live-streaming is here to stay.

How to setup a live stream on Twitter:

1. Download the Twitter app and login to your profile.

2. Tap the camera icon when you go to compose a Tweet and swipe right to LIVE to start a live video.

3. You can type in Whats Happening? to include a Tweet with your video.

4. Tap Go LIVE when youre ready.

Beyond live performances, you could use your live-stream to take fans behind the scenes of your recent music video, a tour of your at-home recording setup, a song-writing session and more.

7. Be an active Twitterer

The best kinds of users on Twitter are the active kind.

As well as posting content regularly, being active on Twitter also means interacting with your followers through liking, replying and retweeting content.

Tweets themselves are short and fleeting. Once theyre out, theyre already in decline. So in keeping with that theme, by a general rule of thumb, keep your tweets short, concise and regular.

Not sure where to start? Heres a few ideas you could tweet about to get you started

 Personal tasters of your life  The point of tweeting is to showcase your own, unique voice. Share a playlist youre loving, tell users what youre up to or tweet about a random shower thought you had.

 New music/gig announcements  Your Twitter should be a place where your followers know theyll be the first to know about any big news from you.

 UGC prompts  Asking users for their input and involvement will make them feel much more connected to you online, for example, What should I call my next album?

 Start a poll  Start a conversation with your followers through the Twitter Polls feature. This allows followers to vote on a customised topic of your choice with up to 4 voting choices. Keep your poll open for between 5 mins  a week long.

 Reposting your fans tweets  Be selective and repost any tweets that are relevant to you or your music. For example, if a fan tweeted some footage of you from your recent gig, thats prime content that you can run with.

 Tagging/mentioning other artists, events, streaming platforms, venues  Engaging with other Twitter accounts give you the chance to be part of the bigger and wider Twitter community. For example, It was great playing alongside @artistname last night at @venuename!  this also gives these accounts the chance to retweet you to their followers too!

While its great to use your Twitter as a platform for promoting your upcoming music, projects and gigs, avoid excessive self-promotion  too much sellings and retweeting will all just clutter your fans feeds and start to resemble spam.



TOP TIP: Aim for a 70/30 rule  70% personal tweets and around 30% promotional type tweets.

8. Use hashtags effectively

While you definitely should use hashtags on Twitter to play the algorithm, make sure youre using them effectively to get the best out of what the platform has to offer.

Using relevant hashtags that other people are tweeting about means users whore tracking a specific hashtag will be able to see your post, even if they dont follow you.

And the best part is, you dont have to try and figure out what people are talking about on Twitter  Twitters handy Trending feature eliminates all the guesswork!

How to find out which hashtags are trending on Twitter:

1. From your Twitter dashboard, head to the #Explore tab

2. From here, select the Trending tab

3. Customise the results to find a list of hashtags and trending topics according to your own interests

Avoid using too many hashtags otherwise your account might start to look a bit spammy  aim to use around 3 max per tweet post.

9. Track your progress

Twitter analytics is a great in-platform tool to actively see how your Twitter social media strategy is working (or not working).

Navigate to Twitter analytics from a desktop to view the full report. Here, Twitter will give you a full, 28 day summary of your insights along with specific tweet highlights. You can also customise the time frame if you want to check out the stats over a specific period.

From the Audience Insights page, youll be able to see a breakdown of your audiences

 Top interests

 Country

 Region

 Demographics

You can filter this to view it by your followers, all Twitter users or your organic audience.

From the Tweets page, youll be able to monitor things like

 Your impressions

 Engagement rate

 Link clicks

 Retweets

 Likes & replies over a certain period of time





While tracking social media metrics and data can sometimes feel a bit daunting, its something you should definitely make part of your Twitter in-app marketing strategy in order to make decisions about the type of content your users want to see. Like anything, its a lot of trial and error. But in terms of gaining long-term success, the data dont lie.

Before you go one last thing  Twitter favours the bold.

So whatever you do, do it with confidence, creativity and style. Theres a lot of big personalities on the platform. If you really want to make your presence and brand stand out, youll need to really lock-in to the platform and spend time crafting your twitter marketing strategy to find your audience and ultimately  your flow.

Happy tweeting!

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Andrew Garcia, longtime musician and owner of Berkshirecat Records, is organizing a daylong record show at the Stationery Factory.

Dalton Record Store Owner Organizes Record Show



BerkshireCat Records opened in the Stationery Factory in 2020.

DALTON, Mass.  Turntables will be spinning at the Stationery Factory next weekend for the first Central Berkshire record show.

On Sunday, May 1, vinyl enthusiasts will be able to browse hundreds of crates of records, CDs, cassettes, and more from several dozen dealers while enjoying live DJs. Food trucks and a full bar will also be available to refuel while browsing.



The event runs from 10 to 4 but those looking to find a rare gem before others, VIP admission is available at 8 a.m.



The event is being organized by Andrew Garcia, longtime musician and owner of Berkshirecat Records, on the second floor of the factory. He describes it as a "premium record show experience" in an airy light-filled venue rather than a cramped, dark hall.



Garcia also wanted to create an event that allows people to make a day out of it with multiple activities. He was happy to report that vendors have flocked to the show and that it is completely booked with sellers.



"There's a lot of local interest but instead of having the locals have to travel far, I thought 'let's give it a go right here in Berkshire County and see how it goes," Garcia said.



"As far as I can tell, it's going to be a good day."



General admission at 10 is $3 and VIP admission at 8 is $10.



There is a mix of local and out-of-town vendors from Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and New York. One of which is Bell Tower Records in North Adams.



Record prices start at a few dollars and the median prices for the event will be around $20 to $25. Rare and highly sought-after vinyl is more costly, as with any collectible item.



"This gives us a nice one-day intensive, there's going to be so much variety," Garcia said, adding that a large part of it is the "fun of the dig" for items of interest.



Berkshirecat Records records had a soft opening in September 2020 and have been successful since. It has repeat customers from larger cities on a regular basis and has really grown, Garcia reported.



"Its been great to meet new people and see a community that's very interested in records," he added.
Pittsfield City Council to Decide $84K for Cell Tower Attorney

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The Board of Health is requesting $84,000 from the city for legal counsel to shut down a Verizon cell tower at 877 South St.



The City Council will vote Tuesday on a request to acquire attorneys Andrew Rainer of

Brody, Hardoon, Perkins & Kesten, LLP in Boston and Robert J. Berg of Robert J. Berg, PLLC in Scarsdale, N.Y., to assist in legal action following the issuance of a cease-and-desist order for the tower.



This breaks down into $12,000 for representation and advice to the board if a hearing is requested by Verizon, $12,000 for representation in negotiations to resolve the matter if Verizon agrees to that, and $60,000 for representation of the board in litigation challenging the issuance of the cease-and-desist order if the matter is not negotiated.



In early April, the board voted to act on the order nearly two months after first approving it. This vote was conditioned on the order being withdrawn without prejudice if the board is unable to retain legal counsel prior to an administrative or judicial proceeding.



The order states that the cellular company has one week to respond or come to the table with a solution that pleases the panel, which would be to remove or turn off the tower. The board had planned on meeting on April 20 to follow up on the order but never met.



Since the tower's erection in August 2020, Alma Street resident Courtney Gilardi and her daughter have spoken during open microphone about negative health effects they say are from electromagnetic fields (EMF) generated by the antennae on the 115-foot pole.



Gilardi says her family has had to leave their home and has provided documentation from a physician to the board. Other residents have joined her protests.



"The Board of Health is responsible for disease prevention and control, for protecting human health and the environment, and for promoting a healthy community. Based upon this responsibility, and the evidence presented of the harm to public health being done by the 877 South Street Cell Tower, the Board of Health voted 4-0 on April 6, 2022 to unanimously issue a cease-and-desist order to Verizon Wireless requiring suspension of the operation of the cell tower," Chair Bobbie Orsi wrote to the council.



"Thus, as a formal response to the original petition, the Board of Health reports that there is harm being done to the residents in the vicinity of the 877 South Street Cell Tower, that the Board has taken action to protect those residents, and that the Board anticipates it may require legal assistance to defend that action. Specifically, the Board of Health requests the petitioner (City Council) to allocate funds in the event that there is litigation by Verizon, and also place the City's liability insurer on notice of a possible claim. The Board of Health has done preliminary work in seeking expert legal representation. The Board of Health has identified two attorneys who have extensive experience in environmental law, and who are prepared to enter into a contract to represent the Board of Health with the approval of the City Council."



Reported side effects have included nausea, dizziness, tinnitus, sleep disruption, irritability, headaches, extreme fatigue, brain "fog," difficulty concentrating, heart palpitations, skin rashes, and memory problems.



The board received medical records from three members of the Gilardi household from Dr. Sharon Goldberg, a physician in the study of electromagnetic hypersensitivity, and the three have been diagnosed with the condition.



Rainer's resume states that he has represented businesses, states and local governments, and individuals in many environmental use matters including oil spills, air pollution, PCBs, and lead paint. Berg has experience in the Wireless Telecommunications Law.



Both attorneys have offered reduced rates.



"Mr. Berg's normal billing rate is currently $650/hour. However, given the great public importance of this matter and the fact that the Board of Health, a municipal government department, will be the client, Mr. Berg will be pleased to lower his billing rate for this matter to a special discounted rate of $400/hour. Mr. Rainer's normal billing rate is currently $750/hour. Like Mr. Berg, Mr. Rainer will be pleased to lower his billing rate for this matter to a special discounted rate of $400/hour. Mr. Rainer may, from time to time, as appropriate, utilize other attorneys or professional staff employed by his firm to perform necessary work, and they will charge special hourly rates discounted from their normal billing rates at the same discounted percentage as used by Mr. Berg and Mr. Rainer," The request reads.



"The attorneys anticipate that, if Verizon is unwilling to reach a negotiated resolution, it could bring litigation in a number of different forums. The $60,000 estimate set forth above is based on a challenge to the Board's cease-and-desist order brought in the Massachusetts trial court. If Verizon were to bring suit in federal court, or in another forum, the Board may need to present a revised budget, and will, in any event, return to the Council before incurring any other or different expenses from those set forth above."



The board met with Mayor Linda Tyer in mid-April to request the funds. Because it is for city dollars, the allocation has to be passed by the council. Information has not been released on how the meeting went or if Verizon has responded to the order.
Cheshire Selectmen, Finance Committee Review FY23 Budget

CHESHIRE, Mass.  Town officials are finalizing figures for the fiscal 2023 budget, which is around $6,850,000.

This year's proposal is roughly $200,000 more than this year's budget of around $6.6 million.

"I think we're in the neighborhood," Selectman Shawn McGrath said at Thursday joint meeting with the Finance Committee. "We need to tweak a few things but I think at least we've got a lot of data to get there."

The major goal for the coming fiscal year is to use less free cash, which was discussed at multiple points during the meeting while analyzing different line items. The panels mulled an informal goal of about $150,000 in free cash usage.

The town has around $656,000 in free cash, $448,000 in its general fund, and about $114,000 in its capital fund. Cheshire has not yet allocated any of the approximately $916,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) monies it received.

For FY23, the town's maximum allowable levy is about $4.7 million and it expects to raise about a little over $2 million in local receipts and other revenue sources.

One part of the budget that will require additional conversation is the town's educational budget, as the town was requested a six percent increase from its participating school districts and is proposing only a three percent increase.

The Selectmen feel that Hoosac Valley Regional School District has not been transparent with its asks and has not provided detailed information about the budget breakdown. McCann Technical School, on the other hand, has done so according to the panel.

"All we did was ask for the kind of clarity and transparency that again, the Northern Berkshire Vocational Regional School District provided us and we get blocked," Chair Michelle Francesconi said.

"We get told No, that's inappropriate for you to ask.'"

The town's budget meetings started in February and it will be presented for a vote at the annual town meeting on June 13. The panels also discussed changing the town's bylaw to have the annual meeting earlier, as the current date is just a couple of weeks before the new fiscal year on July 1.

This will be on the agenda for the next joint meeting on Tuesday.
Simon's Rock Awarded Early College Full School Impact Planning Grant

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. Simon's Rock announced that the institution was awarded an Early College Full School Impact Planning Grant of $150,000 from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

"The purpose of this competitive grant is to provide significant planning and resources to support a district and/or high school and college partner in designing and developing an impactful, large scale, or "full school" immersive Early College program model."

The grant will support a three-year pilot program for Simon's Rock to partner with Southern Berkshire Regional School District (SBRSD) to develop a shared immersive whole-school model Early College program beginning in fall 2022 (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education).

The whole-school model partnership was specifically created for Mount Everett Regional High School (MERHS) and draws upon elements from Simon's Rock and Bard Early Colleges. Simon's Rock has partnered with SBRSD since the fall of 2019 in providing students at MERHS with the opportunity to take Early College courses and earn credits towards their associate degrees while still enrolled in public education. In the whole-school model, which is the first whole school partnership in Massachusetts in a rural district, students at MERHS will have increased educational opportunities in a school district with only one comprehensive high school option. The Simon's Rock and MERHS whole-school partnership is an innovative approach for rural students, who have been underserved by Early Colleges, and can be a model for small comprehensive districts, particularly rural ones.

The curriculum in the Simon's Rock and MERHS whole-school model draws from Simon's Rock courses such as "Mathematics and its Applications" and "Philosophical Problems," as well as the Pathways to the American College Experience (PACE) program, College Experiential Learning & Research Workshops from Bard High School Early Colleges in Newark and Cleveland, and the Civic Engagement Capstone from Bard Early College Hudson.

The whole-school model will blend Early College with career pathways and includes 3 plus credit levels for 5 different pathway options with only 35-50 students per grade. Teacher training will also be provided through the Early College Research Institute to further expand Early College access.

The Bard College network has 8 high schools that utilize the Early College model in urban areas including New York City, Cleveland, Baltimore, Washington D.C, New Orleans, and the Hudson Valley. As the founding site of Early College, Simon's Rock is leading the future in building rural Early College access.




iciHaiti - PNH : 1 gang member killed, 2 criminals arrested





Saturday April 23, 2022, the so-called "Tigason" was fatally injured in exchanges of fire with the police. "Tigason" was an active member of a gang based in the locality of "Nan Rezen" commune of Croix-des-Bouquets, led by the gang leader "Reziye".



According to initial information, Tigason was involved in several thefts and rapes of a minor in the town of Croix-des-Bouquets.



In addition, the same day in the department of the Center, the police arrested two individuals, during a checkpoint at the level of the national road #3.



They are : Roberto Carlixe (17 years old), from the locality of "Fonten" (municipality of Victoire, North Dept.). The latter is accused of robbery and criminal association and had in his possession a homemade weapon at the time of his arrest.



Fanel Leyanne (19), a native of the locality "Savann long" 2nd rural section "Mamon" (Dept. Artibonite), is accused of alleged involvement in a case of embezzlement of minors.



Read also about the actions of the PNH (Partial) :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36500-icihaiti-pnh-2-racketeers-arrested.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36498-icihaiti-croix-des-bouquets-a-gang-leader-killed-by-the-pnh.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36490-icihaiti-pnh-3-members-of-the-400-marozo-gang-mortally-wounded.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36458-icihaiti-pnh-2-new-members-of-the-5-secondes-gang-arrested.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36446-icihaiti-pnh-in-action-2-members-of-the-5-seconds-gang-killed-several-others-injured.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36442-icihaiti-security-2-other-bandits-fall-under-the-bullets-of-the-pnh.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36416-icihaiti-pnh-a-terrifying-bandit-and-one-of-the-trusted-men-of-gang-leader-zian-killed.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36389-haiti-pnh-10-bandits-killed-a-policewoman-injured.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36380-haiti-security-the-pnh-scores-points-against-bandits-and-gangs.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36372-ici-haiti-pnh-kidnapping-defeated-a-kidnapper-killed.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36276-icihaiti-insecurity-panic-at-saint-boniface-hospital.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36264-icihaiti-pnh-kidnapping-attempt-foiled.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36256-icihaiti-pnh-arrest-of-2-members-of-the-400-mawozo-gang.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36219-haiti-flash-the-police-in-action.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36216-icihaiti-security-positive-results-for-the-pnh.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36201-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36195-icihaiti-cap-haitien-7-arrests-seizure-of-weapons-and-ammunition.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36110-icihaiti-turgeau-6-individuals-arrested-8-weapons-seized.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36098-icihaiti-center-department-4-bandits-arrested-in-24-hours.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-35987-icihaiti-justice-2-haitians-arrested-for-drug-trafficking.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-35651-icihaiti-security-seizure-of-more-than-10kg-of-marijuana-2-haitians-and-a-jamaican-arrested.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-35637-icihaiti-security-the-border-police-increase-its-staff.html



IH/ iciHaiti






















iciHaiti - Sainte-Trinite School : Minister Manigat celebrates World Book Day





Friday, April 22, 2022 Nesmy Manigat the Minister of National Education participated in the book festival at the Private School Sainte-Trinite (Port-au-Prince) of the Episcopal Church of Haiti which celebrated a day in advance World Book and Copyright Day.



A book promotion activity, an initiation to reading which took place around the theme "Traveling through the pages" in the presence of several hundred students, from the youngest to the oldest.



Minister Manigat praised the tenacity of the management of the Sainte-Trinite School which, despite the difficult conditions in downtown Port-au-Prince, continues to work for the education of young people.



Manigat spoke words of great encouragement to parents, many of whom were present at the activity, because they continue to support this school institution "Parents need to be more involved in the school life", advised the Minister who promotes an active presence of parents in the councils of public and non-public schools.



One of the highlights of this day of "travel through the pages" was the presentation of prizes to the winners of the reading and spelling contests;



In the same vein, the Minister complimented Nellanda Presendieu, a secondary I student, for her small canvas which was very noticed among the most successful drawings of her comrades, exhibited on the occasion.



Let's recall that the Sainte-Trinite School celebrates in 2022 its 109 years of service to the Haitian community. Its workforce is around 600 students, from preschool to secondary school.



IH/ iciHaiti


















The final round of the French presidential elections will be held on Sunday 24 April. The French electorate will be called upon to chose between Emmanuel Macron or Marine Le Pen  two sides of the same pro-boss, viciously anti-worker and reactionary capitalist coin! While the so-called leaders of the French left and trade union bureaucrats have capitulated to bourgeois pressure, calling for workers and youth to form a Republican Front behind Macron to beat Le Pen, we say: neither one, nor the other!

In the podcast we publish below, Joe Attard, writer and activist for the International Marxist Tendency, discusses the significance of the election, the need for an independent class-based policy for the French left, and what lies in store for the struggle in France.
The repression of journalists and censorship are intensifying in Russia. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) condemn this wave of massive repression.

While the censorship law adopted after the invasion of Ukraine criminalised the exercise of journalism in Russia, new and even more restrictive provisions are being considered. On 6 April 2022, Russian lawmakers proposed new legislation allowing the Prosecutor Generals Office to close media outlets that disrespect the countrys government, without a court order. The draft bill proposes to amend Article 57 of the Russian Mass Media Law so that journalists will be liable in case of reproduction of information, which contains so-called fakes about the Russian Armed Forces, as well as information aimed at discrediting the Russian army.

The bill also holds Russian journalists responsible for reproducing information from other media, which contain information that offends human dignity and public morality, a clear disrespect for society and the state. The proposed amendments would also bar Russian journalists from quoting foreign publications that call for organisation and participation in unauthorised actions, or calls for sanctions against the Russian Federation and Russians.

In addition, arbitrary blocking of the broadcasting of foreign media continues. On 15 April, Russia blocked the websites of Radio France Internationale (RFI), which broadcast news in some 15 languages, including Russian. The website www.rfi.fr is now listed among the blocked websites in Russia by the telecommunications state regulator Roskomnadzor (RKN). In March, Eutelsat SA, the French satellite provider hosting nearly 7,000 televisions channels, has allowed two Russian pay-TV platforms, Trikolor and NTV-Plus (Gazprom-Media Holding), to stop the broadcasting of eight Western TV channels in the Russian Federation: Russian viewers have no longer access to BBC World, CNN, Deutsche Welle, Euronews (in Russian), France 24, NHK World, RAI News 24, and TV5 Monde.

This accumulation of measures against the media in Russia has led to an increase of attacks on Russian journalists since the beginning of the war. To date, at least six journalists are or have been detained, prosecuted or fined because of their dissenting views on the war in Ukraine:

The Kremlin has also added to its list of foreign agents many people including journalists Artur Asafiev (Idel.Realii), Aleksei Venediktov (former Ekho Moskvy editor in chief), Aleksandr Nevzorov (TV journalist), Sergei Parkhomenko (RedKollegia co-founder), Vladimir Voronov, Artur Asafiev (RFE/RL journalist), Yekaterina Lushnikova (RFE/RL journalist), Ekaterina Schulmann, Yuri Dud, cartoonist Sergei Yelkin, Roman Dobrokhotov, Karen Shainyan The list forces these journalists and media workers to disclose their sources of funding and to label their social media posts as foreign agents.

Other journalists were arrested while covering anti-war protests in different cities across the country. Journalists Arden Arkman and Elena Lukyanova (Novaya Gazeta), Fedor Orlov, Viktoria Arefyeva, Pyotr Ivanov, Polina Ulanovskaya and Mikhail Zhulin (SOTA), Anna Shushpanova (Activatica), Andrey Okun (Zaks. ru), Maksim Kondratyev (Avtozak LIVE), Pavel Nikulin and Artyom Drachev (moloko.plus), Marina Ponomarenko (RusNews) and photojournalist Nika Samusik, were arbitrarily arrested or fined.

Moscows repressive measures are not confined to journalists on Russian territory. Russian journalists in exile, notably in Turkey and Georgia, have had their bank accounts frozen. As a result, they cannot live abroad and are forced to ask for support in their daily lives to survive.

We call on the Russian authorities to stop this wave of repression and let journalists inform the Russian public about the war in Ukraine and its consequences, said IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger.

The Russian authorities are trying to silence journalists through war crimes in Ukraine and unprecedented censorship in Russia. Those responsible must be punished, added EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutierrez.
Nineteen organisations defending press freedom and journalists, including the IFJ, have urged on 22 April UK Home Secretary Priti Patel to reject the US government's request to extradite Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange.

The Rt. Hon Priti Patel

Secretary of State for the Home Department

2 Marsham Street

London

SW1P 4DF

22 April 2022

Dear Home Secretary,

We, the undersigned press freedom, free expression and journalists' organisations are writing to express our serious concern regarding the possibility of extradition of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange to the United States and to ask you to reject the US governments extradition request. We also request a meeting with you to discuss these points further.

In March, the Supreme Court refused to consider Mr Assanges appeal against the High Court decision, which overturned the District Court ruling barring extradition on mental health grounds. We are deeply disappointed with this decision given the high public interest in this case, which deserved review by the highest court in the land.

However, it is now in your hands to decide whether to approve or reject Mr Assanges extradition to the US. The undersigned organisations urge you to act in the interest of press freedom and journalism by refusing extradition and immediately releasing Mr Assange from prison, where he has remained on remand for three years despite the great risks posed to his mental and physical health.

In the US, Mr Assange would face trial on 17 counts under the Espionage Act and one count under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which combined could see him imprisoned for up to 175 years. He is highly likely to be detained there in conditions of isolation or solitary confinement despite the US governments assurances, which would severely exacerbate his risk of suicide.

Further, Mr Assange would be unable to adequately defend himself in the US courts, as the Espionage Act lacks a public interest defence. His prosecution would set a dangerous precedent that could be applied to any media outlet that published stories based on leaked information, or indeed any journalist, publisher or source anywhere in the world.

We ask you, Home Secretary, to honour the UK governments commitment to protecting and promoting media freedom and reject the US extradition request. We ask you to release Mr Assange from Belmarsh prison and allow him to return to his young family after many years of isolation. Finally, we ask you to publicly commit to ensuring that no publisher, journalist or source ever again faces detention in the UK for publishing information in the public interest.

We request to schedule a meeting at your earliest convenience, and would be grateful for a prompt response. Please reply via Azzurra Moores at Reporters Without Borders (RSF) at amoores@rsf.org.

Sincerely,

Sarah Clarke, Head of Europe and Central Asia, ARTICLE 19

Mark Johnson, Legal and Policy Officer, Big Brother Watch

Dr Suelette Dreyfus, Executive Director, Blueprint for Free Speech

Daniel Gorman, Director, English PEN

Laurens Hueting, Senior Advocacy Officer, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)

Ricardo Gutierrez, General Secretary, European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)

Ralf Nestmeyer, Vice-President and Writers-in-Prison Officer, German PEN

Index on Censorship

Anthony Bellanger, General Secretary, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)

Seamus Dooley, Assistant General Secretary, National Union of Journalists

Romana Cacchioli, Executive Director, PEN International

Christine McKenzie, President, PEN International Melbourne Centre

Kjersti Lken Stavrum, President, PEN Norway

Zoe Rodriguez, joint President, PEN Sydney, and Chair of the PEN International Women Writers Committee

Peter Tatchell, Director, Peter Tatchell Foundation

Ricky Monahan Brown, President, Scottish PEN

Tanja Tuma, President, Slovene PEN

Jesper Bengtsson, President, Swedish PEN

Rebecca Vincent, Director of Operations and Campaigns, Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
Launch of the 2022 Annual Report of the Council of Europes Safety of Journalists Platform

On Wednesday 27 April 2022, the Platform to Promote Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists will launch its report Defending Press Freedom in Times of Tension and Conflict. The annual report, which is written by the Platforms Partner Organisations, highlights key areas of law, policy and practices affecting media freedom and safety of journalists in Europe and identifies actions required to improve effective protection of journalists.

With the participation of:



Sarah Clarke, Head of the Europe and Central Asia team, Article 19



Nicola Frank, Head of Institutional and International Relations, European Broadcasting Union



Ricardo Gutierrez, General Secretary, European Federation of Journalists



Flutura Kusari, Senior Legal Advisor, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom



Oliver Money-Kyrle, Head of Europe Advocacy and Programmes, International Press Institute



Jessica Ni Mhainin, Policy & Campaigns Manager, Index on Censorship



Maria Ordzhonikidze, Director, Justice for Journalists

Ernest Sagaga, Head of Human Rights and Safety, International Federation of Journalists



Other partners will take part in the discussion

Moderator:



Tom Gibson, EU Representative, Committee to Protect Journalists

Join the Press conference in person at the Premises of the Brussels Press Club (Rue Froissart 95, 1040 Brussels).

You can also join it online via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81709511227?pwd=MUNBOEkrL2RyclhkdWkreGRTcHMxZz09

Or watch it live on YouTube: Safety of Journalists Platform - Council of Europe - YouTube

Click here for more information
Nothing grabs anyones attention more than the four-letter word, SALE.

It used to be that Filipinos had to wait for yearly mega sale events to get the best price for that shirt or kitchen tool theyve long been wanting to buy. With frequent seasonal sale events that take place these days through digital platforms, customers would always find a reason to shop for everything from gadgets to groceries to plants.

But when theres an online activity, cybercriminals will not be far behind.

Phishing remains an effective way to lure online shoppers into handing over their personal data and financial information to cybercriminals. Well-known brands in the retail and banking sectors are most often used as bait.

One common tactic that hackers use is sending out mass amounts of fake promotional materials disguised as legitimate messages from retailers through email or social network sites. Once you click on the link to view a seemingly too-good-to-be-true offer, you will be redirected to a malicious site instead of the retailer. This will put your device and financial information at risk while the malicious link will spread itself to all your friends to victimize them, too.

In 2021, Kaspersky products detected more than 40 million phishing attacks globally targeting e-commerce, e-shopping platforms and banking institutions. The introduction of more e-payment systems and its popularity among customers for unmatched convenience also attracted cybercriminals that financial phishing attempts targeting e-payment systems more than doubled last year an increase by 208%.

In Southeast Asia, the Philippines recorded the highest number of users exposed to phishing attempts in 2021 at 9.90% followed by Malaysia (8.49%) and Thailand (7.93%). Singapore was monitored to have the lowest number for this type of threat (3.30%).

Phishing attacks 2021 and 2020

However, data from Kaspersky showed last year that the Philippines experienced a 38.31% decrease in the number of users exposed to phishing attempts compared in 2020 at 16.05%.

The lesser number of phishing attacks does not necessarily mean our data and online finances are safer. Decrease in number of attacks are observed last year across different threats such as mobile malware and phishing. This is because spray and pray is not the preferred method for cybercriminals anymore. Our data shows that they are now opting for a more targeted approach, aligning their attack with the current local trends and holidays, and even making personalized phishing email or fake websites, and delivering them to their targets, says Yeo Siang Tiong, General Manager for Southeast Asia at Kaspersky.

Since the pandemic, online shopping and e-payments have been embraced by Filipinos. So, we urge Filipinos to be on guard especially towards sales announcements delivered through emails, text messages, social media posts, or even calls. Threats can come from anywhere, but we can protect ourselves with vigilance and a robust security solution installed in our devices, he adds.

According to Kaspersky, no matter who the victim is or how sophisticated the phishing scam may be, there is always a way to sniff out fraud before its too late.

In Kasperskys recent study, eight out of 10 Filipinos surveyed said they are now aware of digital payment scams. This is good news because vigilance against cyberattacks starts with becoming aware about risks.

To avoid getting scammed, you need to know what to watch out for. As you wait for the next online sale event, here are 10 ways you can do to stay safe and secure while shopping online:

Type the URL directly into the address bar. It may take a little more effort, but this simple action can help to prevent you from visiting a fake or malicious website. Shortened URLs, often used because they are phone-friendly, can also trick you into visiting risky sites. With the new memorandum from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, clicking on malicious links would hopefully be avoided. Use a credit card. Your purchases will usually be insured and disputes are easier to settle when using a credit card than a debit card. Use a separate card dedicated to online shopping with a low limit. Or opt for a prepaid credit card that is not connected to your savings account. Some banks also offer virtual credit cards which generate a random account number for each purchase, preventing hackers from using the number again. If possible, dedicate a device and email address to online banking and shopping. By avoiding the use of the same computer for other internet activities such as browsing, social networking, emailing, and downloading, you create a clean computer. A dedicated email address will limit the number of spam messages you receive and reduce the risk of opening potentially malicious emails disguised as sales promos and other notifications. Be wary of coupon or freebies sites. Scammers use the lure of great deals to con bargain hunters. Watch out for sites that ask you to create a lengthy profile with really personal information. Manage and protect your online passwords. You can use a password manager to help. Some security solutions like Kaspersky Total Security include password management and password security features which would come in handy if youre struggling with remembering passwords for all your online accounts. Avoid using public WiFi. Using free WiFi provided by coffee shops, hotels, restaurants and other public areas to sign into your private account is a security risk. Savvy hackers could hijack the WiFi signal or set up their own to trick you into using it then they can see everything you do on your device. If you need to access the Internet when shopping, its safer to do so via your mobile phone network. If using a public network is the only option, make sure to install a virtual private network (VPN) first so that your data will be encrypted and hackers cant intercept it. Stick to familiar brands you know or have heard of. Where possible, try to buy from retailers you know, especially those with a good reputation. If youre buying from a new vendor, research it carefully. A good test is to see if you can contact the seller  look for an email, phone number or address plus a returns policy. A vendors feedback history/online reviews is another indicator of reliability and integrity. Always log off after shopping online. Do this especially if you share a computer with someone else. Use a reliable security solution. Choose one that has behavior-based anti-phishing technologies such as Kaspersky Total Security which will notify you if youre visiting a phishing website. Having one is also a safety net as it can catch your accidental slips especially when youre shopping last-minute and internet safety is no longer the first thing on your mind. Read your credit card statements. Go through them and check for unauthorized charges. Report it immediately to your bank if there is anything unusual.

To learn more about Kaspersky 2021 spam and phishing reports, click on the following link.
You don't have to be a mind-reader to make a good deal. But it can pay to think like one.

By using a psychological technique called the Forer effect (named after psychologist Bertram Forer), which often involves making flattering but general statements about the person you're trying to influence, you can quickly develop a rapport with people--and you can get them to open up. It's a trick that Washington, D.C., publicist Adele Cehrs and New York City-based former FBI crisis hostage negotiator Chip Massey commonly teach clients through their consulting firm, Convincing Company.

The applications for the technique in business are manifold. Picture high-stakes moments from making a sales pitch and managing a difficult employee to negotiating a big deal or landing an investor. "From a business perspective, using this kind of technique can give you an incredible competitive advantage," Cehrs says.

Her first experience with the Forer effect came as a New Jersey teenager, when a fortune teller spoke to her high school English class. (It's a long story that has to do with Bruce Springsteen, she says.) The woman picked Cehrs out of her class by chance, and made a bold claim: "I'm seeing someone with the letter J, and they're clutching their chest." Cehrs was struck. Her father, John, had recently had triple bypass surgery. At the time, she believed that this meant the fortune teller was the real deal--so she bought into everything she said thereafter. Because she personally connected to the statement the woman made, Cehrs quickly trusted her.

It was years later before Cehrs would recognize that what she experienced that day was the Forer effect. While doing research for an in-progress book about negotiation tactics, Cehrs and her business partner, Massey, tried to think of occupations that involve excellent persuasion skills. Cehrs remembered her experience with the fortune teller and started Googling around to learn about the secrets of the trade--and she found her answer in the Forer effect.

The technique involves making a statement that's broad, firm, and yet specific enough for listeners to think that it applies to them. The goal is for the listener to feel seen by the statement--and this, in turn, increases her trust and emotional openness. In his work with the FBI, Massey long utilized the same technique. He'd deploy it in tense situations like corruption investigations and hostage negotiations. "It's a way of making people feel that they are understood and heard, and [that] even their inner lives are being recognized," he says.

Cehrs and Massey teach this trick, among others, to their clients, who include executives from companies like Samsung, McDonald's, and DuPont, as well as officials at universities like Columbia and Princeton. Here's how you, too, can use this fortune teller technique to benefit your business--no gift of precognition necessary.

Make broad statements.

How did the fortune teller know that Cehrs's father had a J name? "I'm Italian and from New Jersey," she says. "She started by saying she sensed the letter J or M--and that covers a lot of potential names." If Cehrs didn't respond to either letter, the fortune teller could have easily followed up with another suggestion that may have stuck: "What about P?"

What seemed to Cehrs, as a teenager, as a magical moment, was actually incredibly strategic. The probability of her having a connection to a man with a J name was fairly high, and the image of a person clutching their chest could be read in a number of different ways--it just so happened that the most literal reading resonated with Cehrs at the time. "When you make a statement that a person agrees with, they get hooked on everything you say after that," she says.

Create an emotional appeal.

The key to using the Forer effect is making statements that might inspire a person to open up. Usually, that means making an emotional connection, Massey adds: "It's a shortcut to establishing a rapport and creating a bond." Examples of statements that could encourage a business contact to open up include: "I know you pride yourself as an independent thinker," and "You have a great deal of unused capacity." Compliments, when used strategically, can help sway someone to your side--just don't overdo the praise so it seems like you're throwing around baseless flattery.

Pay attention to non-verbal cues.

When you're making a Forer statement, look at the body language of the person with whom you're talking; that will help you determine if you're on the right track. "If you see subtle facial expression of disinterest, or closed-off body language, then you can throw out some other ideas," Massey says. "You have to have a very keen sense of perception." Maybe the person didn't respond to your comment about their being highly individualistic, but if you say, "I know a lot of people depend on you," they'll start to open up.

Personalize it.

While the Forer effect is an incredibly helpful tool to use when talking to someone you don't know, Cehrs says, it's also beneficial for those you already know. And when you do have enough background information on a person, you can make your statements even more personal, to greater result. "Think about whatever thing is most important to that person, and why that would bring them to your brand," she says. In a business meeting, that might be as simple as saying, "I know how much you value XYZ," and allowing the other person to agree with you--and then moving along with how that information relates to your pitch.
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Prevent Unauthorized Transactions in your demat / trading account Update your Mobile Number/ email Id with your stock broker / Depository Participant. Receive information of your transactions directly from Exchanges on your mobile / email at the end of day and alerts on your registered mobile for all debits and other important transactions in your demat account directly from NSDL/ CDSL on the same day." - Issued in the interest of investors.

KYC is one time exercise while dealing in securities markets - once KYC is done through a SEBI registered intermediary (broker, DP, Mutual Fund etc.), you need not undergo the same process again when you approach another intermediary.

No need to issue cheques by investors while subscribing to IPO. Just write the bank account number and sign in the application form to authorise your bank to make payment in case of allotment. No worries for refund as the money remains in investor's account."

www.indiainfoline.com is part of the IIFL Group, a leading financial services player and a diversified NBFC. The site provides comprehensive and real time information on Indian corporates, sectors, financial markets and economy. On the site we feature industry and political leaders, entrepreneurs, and trend setters. The research, personal finance and market tutorial sections are widely followed by students, academia, corporates and investors among others.
The future of the internet has been the subject of much speculation and debate in the past few years. From the rise of virtual worlds and immersive experiences to the explosive growth of social media, the internet has become a ubiquitous medium for communication and commerce. With the rise of blockchain, the internet is about to go through a major transformation.

This isnt the first transformation of the internet. Since its public emergence nearly 30 years ago, the internet has gone through two major evolutions and is about to go through a third. These transformations not only have changed how we use the internet and what we use it for, but they have impacted the world at large, changing how we live and work and interact with others.

Web 1.0: The static internet

The first iteration of the public internet was the age of the website. Every company needed a website, and that website primarily contained static data and information that the owner of the website thought was important. The corporate website had information about the companymostly marketing collateral. News and reference websites also had a stockpile of information. But all of these sites pushed information to the consumera one-way communications path. This was similar to how traditional media of the day (newspaper, magazines, radio, television) communicated information to the public.

Whether the company was an existing news agency such as NBC or CNN, or was a corporate brand such as McDonalds, every company soon had a website that conveyed information to the public. Figure 1 illustrates this internet. A website was an entity that a company created and owned. It had mostly static data, and the data was controlled and managed by the company. The information flowed in one direction, outward to the users of the website.

IDG Figure 1. Web 1.0the static internet.

In this model, data personalization was extremely limited, given the one-way nature of the information. Users could select and filter the information they wanted to consume, but they typically had very little ability to influence what the information communicated contained. Users had virtually no ability to influence other users. Information-sharing among users was typically limited to your local friends or bulletin board groups. These represented very focused and limited audiences.

Web 2.0: The web application

The second iteration of the public internet, the internet youre using right now, is the age of the web application. Here, companies focus on providing a forum for individual users to share information with one another. Web 2.0 ushered in the trend of creating personal blogs, and later expanded into todays social media landscape.

Companies such as Twitter and Facebook led the way to the democratization of data. They created applications that allow anyone to post virtually anything on any topic, and share it with a potentially huge audience. In our current iteration of the internet, illustrated in Figure 2, web applications and social networks, owned by companies such as Facebook, provide a forum for users to enter data into the application and share it privately with friends or publicly with anyone who might be interested. Todays web applications allow people to communicate across the world with people they never met.

IDG Figure 2. Web 2.0web applications and user-contributed data.

When the smartphone became ubiquitous, the use of the internet grew substantially. Now everyone could stay connected to the internet all the time. They could talk to anyone they wanted, whenever they wanted, wherever they were. The internet exploded.

While users found they could communicate with people around the world, the companies who owned these applications found they could collect huge quantities of information about users and their likes and dislikes. This data became a valuable source of information and a major source of revenue for the internet giants. Companies like Facebook grew to be multibillion-dollar megacorporations, and the founders of these companies became some of the wealthiest people in the world.

Then these companies discovered something else they could docuration. Rather than randomly presenting information from one user to other users, they could use information they gathered about peoples likes and dislikes to cater information sharing to peoples interests. The social algorithm was born, and web application companies wielded huge power in influencing what information the people of the world received.

This control over information has made these companies enormously powerfulmany believe too powerful.

Web 3.0: Authoritative data

Now we are on the precipice of the third iteration of the public internet.

In this third generation, data is no longer stored and maintained by the web applications. Instead, data and information is stored in the fabric of the internet itself. In Web 3.0, data becomes available for any application that needs access and is authorized to use it. The data is no longer owned by an application, or controlled by a web platform company such as Facebook. In fact, web applications play a much less significant role in the management of the information. No single application can play the role of information curator, so there is no uber-powerful social media company to influence what information people are allowed to see.

Figure 3 shows this internet. End users directly manage and control their data and information, and that data is used and managed outside of the control of a single company. The web applications are consumers of the information, but none of them own or manage the information. So the web applications are now of secondary importance to the data itself. Data and information instead is stored in a distributed blockchain that is not managed by any one single company. All of the information in the blockchain is distributed across all internet companies equally, unable to be controlled by any central organization (company or government).

IDG Figure 3. Web 3.0distributed, authoritative data.

The goal is to enable shared, uncensored, uncurated, authoritative information that is independent of web applications and the undue influence they put on the information. The information is owned and managed by the real owner of the datathe userrather than by the web applications and their creators.

The result will be a more authoritative and trusted internet, because data will be sourced, referenceable, and uncensored.

Web 3.0 should create a more distributed power structure on the internet than was ever possible with the web platform companies of Web 2.0.

The value of blockchain

This revolution leading to the third generation of the internet is enabled by a single piece of technologyblockchain. A blockchain is central to this distributed, data-first, authoritative internet. What is it about blockchain technology that makes it central to this revolution? Blockchain has several features that will enable this transformation:

A blockchain is distributed ownership. There is no single source of ownership for the data in a blockchain. Anyone can contribute to a blockchain, and anyone can read from it. Anyone can participate in the distribution of a blockchain.

Data stored in a blockchain is immutable, irrevocable, and cryptographically signed, so provably authentic and authoritative (or provably inauthentic and unauthoratative). Everyone knows who the owner and originator of all data is, and all data can be confirmed as to its source and authenticity. This increases trust in the reliability of the data.

No single company can curate, moderate, prioritize, or filter the data in a blockchain. As there is no single owner of the data, no one can manipulate how the data is consumed by users. This means there are no data power brokers, such as social media companies, that control and manage the information that is shared.

In short, blockchain encourages trust in data and its source by making all transactions transparent and data verifiable.

Blockchain is similar to the IP transportation infrastructure of the internetthere is no single owner of the communications backbone of the internet. There are companies, such as AT&T, Verizon, Deutsche Telekom, and NTT Communications, that contribute to the backbone. But there is no single owner that can isolate, filter, or block internet traffic completely. Even powerful countries that want to block parts of the internet from their citizens, such as China and Russia, find the job to be a constant struggle. All it takes is a new, unfiltered provider to create a new communications path and all the filtering is worthless.

Blockchain will accomplish for internet data what the internet backbone has accomplished for disseminating information. It will create a trusted, unfilterable, uncensorable repository of data and information that is accessible worldwide. It is this characteristic that will drive the creation of the third generation of the internet.

And this is why the blockchain is the future of the internet.

What blockchain means for enterprises

The most obvious piece of advice is to learn and understand as much as you can about blockchain. Please dont confuse blockchain with Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. Bitcoin uses a blockchain, but blockchain is not Bitcoin. The value of blockchain goes far beyond the initial implementation used by cryptocurrencies.

Next, realize that blockchain is not just a technology, but a fundamentally new way to think about data that will create a new iteration of the internet. It is as fundamental to data as the internet backbone is to information transmission.

As you start thinking about your future application architectures, keep blockchain in mind. Blockchain will be as important to the next generation of internet applications as the public cloud, microservice architectures, and devops are to the current generation. Make sure you consider the influence of blockchain in all of your application architecture plans for current and future applications.
Google Cloud has submitted its popular open source service mesh technology Istio for donation to the vendor-neutral Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF).

Today we are excited to announce that Google and the Istio Steering Committee have submitted the Istio project for consideration as an incubating project, Chen Goldberg, VP of engineering at Google Cloud wrote in a blog post.

Launched in 2017, Istio allows developers to manage network traffic, telemetry, and security for applications deployed in containers and orchestrated with Kubernetes, which was itself donated to the CNCF by Google in 2015.

Other popular service mesh options include Linkerd and Consul by HashiCorp. Microsoft also announced in 2020 that it would release its own open source service meshcalled Open Service Mesh (OSM)  and transfer it to the CNCF.

Google says that if Istio is accepted by the CNCF it will continue to invest in the project as a key maintainer and through upstream contributions.

Google had initially announced during KubeCon in 2019 that it wasnt planning on donating either its popular serverless platform Knative or Istio to the CNCF any time soon, preferring to manage Istio itself under its Open Usage Commons foundation.

Google changed direction by donating Knative in November 2021, an application that was accepted by the CNCF as an incubating project in March 2022. Now the company has followed suit with Istio.

Istio is the last major component of organizations Kubernetes ecosystem to sit outside of the CNCF, and its APIs are well-aligned to Kubernetes. On the heels of our recent donation of Knative to the CNCF, acceptance of Istio will complete our cloud-native stack under the auspices of the foundation, and bring Istio closer to the Kubernetes project, Goldberg wrote.
Remember when open source was all about peace, love, and Linux? When the movement was small but impassioned and fought over GPL versus BSD/Apache, free software versus open source? When seeing Linux or other open source software running in the wild was a big deal, worthy of a blog or Twitter? Some might pine for those good old days, but the world has moved on. Open source has become essential to how all software gets built, which comes with great opportunity and risk.

The opportunity may be obvious, but the risk often isnt. This isnt a question of open source being more buggy/whatever than proprietary software. It isnt, and the process behind open source arguably makes it more likely to be secured faster when errors are discovered. No, this is fundamentally about the risk inherent in the new economics of open source, as Thoughtworks Ken Mugrage calls out.

Open source has changed

Early on we celebrated a lone hacker such as Linus Torvalds creating a big project like Linux and then growing a community around it. Other examples include Dries Buytaert (Drupal), Salvatore Sanfilippo (Redis), and more. Those were the days when hackers built open source projects for fun or as a creative outlet like Jens Axboe (Fio) or others. That still happens, of course, but it happens in the midst of a very different open source market.

As Mugrage highlights, early open source often tried to create an open source alternative to a big proprietary software package (think OpenOffice as a replacement for Microsoft Office or GIMP instead of Adobe Photoshop). However, today theres a proliferation of open source software. That proliferation takes at least two primary forms: On one side, we have internet giants churning out all manners of tools, frameworks, and platforms. On the other side, teams using OneDev, an open source software development platform, have created small but critical parts that support a huge number of businesses.

This is great, right? We have both big and small projects fostering immense innovation. Whats not to like?

The lack of diverse contributors, for one thing, which concentrates risk. True, it has always been the case that open source software (no matter the project) is developed by a small handful of contributors. Although we like to mythologize open source as being about large, global communities, its much, much more common for it to be the work of one or two people. When community comes, its usually after years of success and great personal cost, as Envoy creator and maintainer Matt Klein once described to me. (Open source is a f-ing lot of work.)

So thats one part of the puzzle. Mugrage argues another point, that often the code bases for open source packages are simply too large to allow meaningful inspection. The kissing cousin to this problem of BigCo projects is that other packages are distributed by internet titans that dont expect anyone else to contribute to them. The code is single threaded to one big entity without the ability for a community to impact development.

On the other hand, other releases are distinct, targeted releases that may only do one relatively minor task but do it so well that theyve spread across the internet. See where this is going? However, rather than an active community of maintainers, theyre often just one or two committed developers working on a passion project.

The answer to the BigCo open source problem has tended to be rage against the corporate open source machine, which has largely proved futile. One response to such projects has been for startups to emerge to further support (and monetize) the project, which fixes one aspect of open source largesse with another perceived problem. The answer to independent developers creating essential but unsupported open source infrastructure has been to loudly demand that the BigCos pay to support these independent code artisans.

This suggestion is usually offered by those who simply dont know any better. Ask people who work for foundations or other orgs designed to fund open source development, and theyll echo what Mugrage says: Throwing money at the problem is hardly a solution. Why? Because many open source enthusiasts who maintain their software personally while leading busy professional lives  [dont want] the responsibility of a service-level agreement because someone paid them for their creation.

What to do?

Hedging open source bets

Many enterprises have sought to make their open source lives easier by buying into managed services. Its a great short-term fix, but it doesnt solve the long-term issue of sustainability. No, the cloud hyperscalers arent strip miners, nefariously preying on the code of unsuspecting developers. But too often some teams fail to plan to contribute back to the projects upon which they depend. I stress some, as this tends to not be a corporation-wide issue, no matter the vendor. Ive detailed this previously. Regardless, the companies offering these managed services tend to not have any control over the projects road maps. Thats not great for enterprises that want to control risk. Google is a notable exceptionit tends to contribute a lot to key projects.

Nor can they necessarily contribute directly to projects. As Mugrage indicates, for companies like Netflix or Facebook (Meta) that open source big projects, these open source releases are almost a matter of employer brandinga way to show off their engineering chops to potential employees, which means youre likely to have very little sway over future developments. They dont really need your contributions.

What about projects maintained by hobbyists? Once you start looking at crucial parts of your software stack where youre reliant on hobbyists, your choices begin to dwindle. Why? Because youre unlikely to have the time or resources to contribute code, they may not want your cash, and there are significant projects (like Log4J) where you need to rely on their projects, regardless. In this case, Mugrage suggests, just being aware of the risk via an audit of the software you depend on can be helpful.

None of this should be taken as an indication that relying on open source is unwise. Open source is inevitable and is amazingly good. Rather, the advice from Mugrage seems wise: Be aware and thoughtful about the open source you use, and plan accordingly. As with cloud services, sometimes the absolute correct strategy for your company is to be locked-in to certain services or software. The key is to make this choice with eyes wide open.
A state judge has ruled that the intertidal zone belongs to beachfront property owners but the judges ruling didnt specify what activities, if any, might be allowed there.

The ruling was a setback for plaintiffs who sued last year to overturn private ownership of the waterfront land between the high and low tide marks.

Most coastal states own the land between the low and high tide marks on their beaches, but the Maine Supreme Judicial Court previously ruled that private ownership stretches to the low-water mark. However, the public is given limited use of the intertidal zone for fishing, fowling and navigation.

The ruling by Superior Court Justice John ONeil Jr. upheld the status quo, but the judge suggested that future court orders could expand the allowed uses for the public on the intertidal zone thats in question, the Portland Press Herald reported.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit included seaweed harvesters, clammers, wormers and oyster farmers, along with several people who own property near Moody Beach in Wells, which was subject to the original state Supreme Court ruling on the intertidal zones in the the 1980s.

Attorney Ben Ford, who represents the plaintiffs, took note of the ambiguity over activities allowed in the intertidal zone.

Todays decision proves what every Mainer who relies on our shoreline knows to be true  Maines intertidal problem is far from settled, Ford told the newspaper in an email.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation Maine
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill into law Thursday that will allow people exposed to toxic substances to sue the culpable facility for medical testing or procedures to monitor for diseases from the exposure.

The governors bill signing came three days after U.S. District Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford gave final approval to a $34 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit against a plastics company over toxic chemical contamination of soil and groundwater in the Bennington area. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corporation will pay $26.2 million into a fund to compensate Bennington area property owners for alleged damages and $6 million for a program to monitor the health of those exposed to perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA.

The legislation was based on Crawfords decision to allow medical monitoring as a remedy, said Sen. Dick Sears of Bennington.

It will make a huge difference for people that suffer the kind of contamination that folks down here in Bennington did and North Bennington, Sears said of the legislation. Its taken  at least five years for the suit to wind its way through the federal courts and for Judge Crawfords decision.

The law, which takes effect in July, exempts small businesses with less than 10 full-time employees, he said. Scott had twice vetoed medical monitoring legislation. The legislation also allows the state to sue manufacturers of hazardous material who knew or should have known that the material presented a threat of harm to human health or the natural environment for the costs of the cleanup of a release of such material.

Judge Approves Settlement Over PFOA Contamination of Vermont Community

Signing this bill is an important step towards holding polluters responsible and signals support for families and communities who should no longer bear the financial burden as victims of toxic pollution, said Jon Groveman of the Vermont Natural Resources Council in a statement.

Emily Joselin, an attorney representing the Bennington area residents in the class-action lawsuit, said it will still be costly and challenging to bring claims.

These cases take years to litigate, she said in written testimony filed with the legislature. The defendant companies either have insurance coverage, or internal financial resources, sufficient to hire the most expensive and best equipped defense law firms available, as well as to retain as many high-priced expert witnesses as necessary.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Vermont
Climate change produced another record-breaking year of extreme weather in Europe in 2021, triggering catastrophic flooding and the hottest summer on record, according to scientists at the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Summer temperatures in Europe last year were one degree Celsius above the average of the previous 20 years, and the rainfall that battered Germany and Belgium broke records, the scientists said in their annual European State of the Climate report. Globally, the last seven years have been the warmest since records began in 1850, with 2021 ranking sixth. There were worrying findings in terms of greenhouse emissions, too: concentrations of carbon dioxide and particularly methane continued to rise in the atmosphere.

Climate Change Exacerbates Africa Cyclones: Study

The continued increase in greenhouse gases is the main driver behind the global increase in temperatures, said Freja Vamborg, senior scientist at Copernicus and the lead author of the report. The key messages are forever repeated and will not change in the near future unless something changes radically.

The report also painted a stark picture of climate change in the Arctic, with wildfires mostly from eastern Siberia contributing to the fourth highest amount of carbon emissions from such events in the region. At the same time, sea ice retreated to its 12th lowest since 1979, while the Greenland Sea saw its lowest coverage ever.Still, Arctic temperatures were less extreme than 2020 and were even colder than usual in some areas at certain times of the year.

Methane  which has 84 times the warming potential of CO2 over a short timeframe  jumped by 16.5 parts per billion, marking a second consecutive year of sharp increases. The cause of the rise was unclear, the scientists said, though a large portion was likely attributable to rice and cattle farming, as well as the gas escaping from natural sinks.

Its certainly a big concern to see the rate of growth of methane almost double from what it was before 2020, said Vincent-Henri Peuch, who heads the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. He added that it was very worrying there was no sign of a reduction of CO2 concentrations either.

The Copernicus findings  based on measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world  come less than a month after Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that the world may be on track to warm by more than 3 degrees Celsius  twice the Paris Agreement target. Such a rise in temperatures would painfully remake societies and life on the planet and flies in the face of years of net-zero commitments by countries in Europe and around the globe.

Those dramatic impacts were on full display last year, with floods in Western Europe causing hundreds of deaths and billions of euros worth of damage. The report said that those were triggered by record rainfall on July 14 landing on already saturated soils. The Mediterranean region, meanwhile, was buffeted by wildfires and some of the highest temperatures ever recorded, including a likely record of 48.8C in Italy.

2021 was a year of extremes including the hottest summer in Europe, heat waves in the Mediterranean, flooding and wind droughts in western Europe, said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

There were also some worrying signs that wind speeds fell, hampering the regions ability to produce renewable electricity from turbines. The problem was particularly pronounced in parts of Western and central Europe, with some areas experiencing the lowest wind speeds for at least 42 years.

Scientists from Copernicus described 2021 as a year of contrasts with annual surface air temperatures barely above the average, yet the sea over parts of the Baltic and Mediterranean hit the highest warmest levels in almost three decades. Still, they said that the long-term trend was skyrocketing thermometer readings. The European continent has warmed by around 2C from pre-industrial levels, while global temperatures have risen between 1.1C and 1.2C, the scientists said.

Scientific experts like the IPCC have warned that we are running out of time to limit global warming to 1.5C, said Mauro Facchini, an official at the European Commission, referring to the stretch goal of the Paris Agreement. This report stresses the urgent necessity to act as climate related extreme events are already occurring in Europe.

Photograph: View of the flooded city of Tartas, Landes, southwest of France. Photo credit: Mehdi Fedouah/AFP/Getty Images

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Europe Climate Change
The worlds biggest technology companies could face billions of dollars in fines for breaches of new European Union legislation after lawmakers reached an agreement on its scope early Saturday.

The landmark Digital Services Act is the EUs answer to what it sees as a failure by tech giants to combat illegal content on their platforms. Noncompliance could cost companies as much as 6% of global annual sales when the rules go into effect, in 2023 or 2024 depending on their size.

Failures could be extremely costly. Based on their reported 2021 annual sales, Amazon.com Inc, for instance, could face a theoretical fine of as much as 26 billion euros ($28 billion) for future noncompliance with the DSA. Repeat offenders could be barred from operating in the EU.

Facebook whistle-blower Frances Haugen said the DSA could represent a global gold standard for regulating social media companies. After more than a year of internal wrangling, key rules will include:

A ban on using sensitive data such as race or religion for targeting ads

A ban on targeting any ads to minors

A ban on so-called dark patterns, specifically tactics to push people into consenting to online tracking

All websites will be accountable to the DSA, but platforms with more than 45 million users in the EU will have to abide by stricter rules such as paying Brussels a supervisory fee of as much as 0.05% of their global annual revenue to enforce the law  the figure was reduced in the final negotiations  and providing regulators with annual reports about illegal and harmful content on their sites.

With the DSA, we help create a safe and accountable online environment, Margrethe Vestager, the EUs competition chief, said in a statement on Saturday. With todays agreement we ensure that platforms are held accountable for the risks their services can pose to society and citizens.

The deal still needs to be signed-off by parliamentarians and the 27 EU countries before being made official later this year. Large companies will then have four months to comply with the rules, and all other companies will have 15 months. Smaller companies can apply to be exempt from certain rules.

Google said it welcomed the DSAs goals and looked forward to working with policymakers to get the remaining technical details right to ensure the law works for everyone.

The DSA is the second major piece of legislation in Brussels digital rulebook to be cemented in a month. On March 24, the EU finalized its Digital Markets Act, a related framework that requires gatekeepers to adhere to strict antitrust rules.

Both laws were designed to address market dominance and internet safety. But while the previously announced DMA targets about a dozen major, mostly U.S.-based tech companies, the DSA sets basic standards for all websites.

Large companies  including the likes of TikTok Inc and Pornhub  will face additional obligations including opening their algorithms to enforcers and designated researchers. Social media companies and search engines will also have to offer a product not based on profiling, while e-commerce sites will have to conduct random checks of products sold on their sites.

Theyll also have to explain to Brussels what they are doing to combat harmful content, such as propaganda or misinformation during emergencies, often seen during the COVID-19 pandemic and Russias war in Ukraine.

The EU could issue fines or require changes made to policies if companies cant show theyre doing enough to combat harmful content.

The new fines are in addition to penalties applicable under the DMA. Under that law, the worlds biggest tech companies face fines of as much as 10% of their global annual sales for an initial breach, rising to 20% for repeat infringements. Those routinely violating the rules could be temporarily banned from conducting mergers and acquisitions.

Still, its highly unlikely the EU would issue such massive fines. Its never applied the maximum penalties possible under its General Data Protection Regulation laws, for example. Those rules have been in force since 2018 and allow for fines of as much as 20 billion euros or 4% of a companys global sales. The largest issued to date was a 746 million-euro penalty handed to Amazon in July, which the company is appealing.

Amazon and Google have long been targets of antitrust investigations from Brussels, but these cases drag out for years in courts and have had little impact on behavior. Officials say they need tools like the DSA and DMA to break what the EU states is a stranglehold on digital ecosystems and platforms by a handful of giants.

But questions remain over how Brussels will enforce the two new laws, as both combined require over 200 people in the European Commission to oversee compliance. Its for this reason that companies with more than 45 million users will have to pay the annual supervisory fee.

If successful, the EUs rules could be a model for other countries to rein in tech platforms. Though Washington initially pushed back against the EUs plans to regulate big tech, some U.S. lawmakers now are looking to Brussels to enact similar restrictions. Former U.S. presidential candidate and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endorsed the DSA ahead of the final negotiations.

For too long, tech platforms have amplified disinformation and extremism with no accountability. The EU is poised to do something about it.

I urge our transatlantic allies to push the Digital Services Act across the finish line and bolster global democracy before its too late.

 Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 21, 2022

The UKs recently proposed Online Safety Bill goes even further by imposing bigger fines and possibly jail time for executives who fail to comply.

With assistance from Renee Bonorchis.

Photograph: A person uses a laptop computer. Photo credit: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics InsurTech Tech Europe
Three of the 23 defendants in a lawsuit filed after a University of Missouri fraternity party left a student with serious brain injuries have reached a settlement.

The attorney for the family of Daniel Santulli, of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, filed a motion Wednesday to approve settlements with Collin Clark, Chris Palermo and Jeffrey Wagoner, the Columbia Missourian reported.

Terms of the settlement, which still must be approved by a court, were not released.

Santulli was found in cardiac arrest inside a car at University Hospital in Columbia on Oct. 20 after a pledge party at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, according to court records.

The lawsuit alleges Santulli and his pledge class at Phi Gamma Delta were each forced to drink a bottle of hard liquor. Santullis blood alcohol content was 0.486%, more than six times the legal limit for driving.

Clark was a secretary on the student executive board of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity chapter. Palermo and Wagoner were part on the board of chapter advisers.

The national fraternity and university both suspended the Missouri chapter following Santullis hospitalization.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Missouri
More than two years after the Boy Scouts of America sought bankruptcy protection to stave off a flood of lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by Scout leaders and volunteers, a Delaware judge is weighing whether to confirm the BSAs reorganization plan.

After a three-week evidentiary hearing and nearly a week of closing arguments, the judge is expected to rule within the next few weeks. The issues facing Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein are controversial and complex. No matter how she rules, the case will head next to a federal district court, with appeals likely to follow. Here is a brief look at bankruptcy case.

THE PLAN

The reorganization plan calls for the BSA and its 250 local councils, along with settling insurance companies and troop sponsoring organizations, to contribute some $2.6 billion in cash and property to a fund for abuse victims.

In return for those contributions, those entities would be released from further liability, meaning they could not be sued for Scout-related abuse claims. But the plan allows abuse claimants to sue insurance companies and local troop sponsoring organizations that do not enter into their own settlements within one year.

The settlement trust would be overseen by Barbara Houser, a retired Texas bankruptcy judge who served as lead mediator in Puerto Ricos bankruptcy. She would be assisted by retired federal judges Diane Welch and Michael Reagan, who would serve as claims administrators. Houser would be required to consult with a 7-member advisory committee consisting of attorneys representing abuse claimants.

THE CLAIMS

When it filed for bankruptcy, the BSA was facing about 275 filed lawsuits, and was aware of roughly another 1,400 pending claims, but more than 82,200 abuse claims are before the bankruptcy court.

Attorneys for BSA insurers, including those that have since reached settlements and now support the plan, have said the sheer volume of claims is an indication of fraud and the result of aggressive client solicitation by attorneys and for-profit claims aggregators.

Although there are more than 82,000 abuse claimants in the case, only 56,536 voted on the plan, with 86% voting to accept.

THE SETTLEMENT FUND

The Boy Scouts of America is contributing less than 10% of the proposed settlement fund, offering property valued at about $80 million, an $80 million promissory note, and roughly $20 million cash.

The 250 local BSA councils, which run day-to-day operations for troops, would contribute at least $515 million in cash and property, and an interest-bearing note of at least $100 million.

The BSAs two largest insurers, Century Indemnity and The Hartford, would contribute $800 million and $787 million, respectively. Other insurers have agreed to contribute about $69 million. The BSAs former largest troop sponsor, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, would contribute $250 million for abuse claims involving the Mormon church. Congregations affiliated with the United Methodist Church would contribute $30 million.

CHARTERED ORGANIZATIONS

A key issue in the bankruptcy has been the treatment of local troop sponsoring organizations, known as chartered organizations, and their rights under BSA insurance policies. Those organizations, numbering in the tens of thousands, include religious entities, civic associations and community groups.

Under the plan, virtually every Roman Catholic entity nationwide, including parishes, schools and dioceses, would be released from liability for all Scouting-related abuse claims from 1976 to the present. They also would be protected from all pre-1976 claims covered by the BSAs settling insurers and would be granted 12 months to negotiate financial contributions to the settlement fund in exchange for a full release.

In exchange, Catholic entities would release their insurance rights and agree to work with the Boy Scouts through at least 2036 to improve and support Scouting and increase enrollment. A similar support provision was included in the United Methodist settlement. Those provisions could prove critical for the Boy Scouts after decades of steady membership declines.

INSURANCE

While some BSA insurers have negotiated settlements for a fraction of the billions of dollars in liability exposure they potentially faced, other insurance companies continue to challenge the plan. They contend the fund distribution procedures violate their rights and would result in grossly inflated payments of abuse claims, including tens of thousands otherwise barred by the passage of time. Opposing insurers also say the findings plan supporters want the judge to make would bind them and make it difficult to challenge claim decisions. In an email, one attorney for abuse claimants described such binding trust distribution procedures as a Holy Grail that mass tort lawyers have been chasing for years. Insurers say approval by the judge would set a dangerous precedent tort lawyers would use to their advantage in future lawsuits.

THIRD PARTY RELEASES

Perhaps the most contentious issue in the bankruptcy, and the one most fraught with legal difficulty, is whether third parties, including insurers, local BSA councils and troop sponsors, should be allowed to escape future liability by contributing to the victims fund, or at least not objecting to the plan.

Some survivors argue that releasing their claims against non-debtor third parties without their consent violates their due process rights. The U.S. bankruptcy trustee, the governments watchdog in Chapter 11 bankruptcies, argues that such releases are not allowed under the bankruptcy code.

Such third-party releases, spawned by asbestos and product-liability cases, have been criticized as an unconstitutional form of bankruptcy grifting, where non-debtor entities obtain benefits by joining with a debtor to resolve mass-tort litigation in bankruptcy.

Federal courts in some jurisdictions, including Delaware, have allowed third-party releases, while courts in other jurisdictions have rejected them.

In December, a New York judge rejected a proposed settlement in the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy because members of the Sackler family, which owns the maker of OxyContin, would be protected from civil liability in exchange for paying billions of dollars. A federal appeals court will hear arguments on that ruling next week.

Unlike the Purdue case, however, the BSA plan provides broad, nonconsensual releases to thousands of entities, many of which have not contributed to the settlement trust, or even been identified.

Thousands of unknown persons will receive participation trophies without even having to participate, said David Buchbinder, an attorney for the U.S. trustee.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation
McDonalds Corp. on Friday defeated a union-backed organizing groups challenge to a settlement with a U.S. labor agency over claims that the company helped franchisees across the country suppress workers demonstrations calling for higher wages.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected claims by the group, Fight for $15, that the 2019 settlement was inadequate because it did not resolve the key question of whether McDonalds could be held liable for unlawful labor practices by its franchisees.

Fight for $15 also argued that a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) who took part in approving the settlement had a conflict of interest and should have been recused. The D.C. Circuit on Friday said those claims were not properly presented to the court.

Illinois-based McDonalds and the NLRB did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Nor did a lawyer for Fight for $15.

Demonstrations organized by Fight for $15 swept the country in 2012, with workers calling for minimum pay of $15 an hour. The group that year began filing complaints with the NLRB on behalf of McDonalds franchise workers claiming they were fired or disciplined for participating in labor organizing.

The NLRB brought a case against McDonalds and many franchisees in 2014. It was seen as a major test of the Obama-era NLRBs attempt to expand the circumstances in which companies could be considered joint employers of franchise or contract workers, requiring them to bargain with unions and exposing them to liability for labor law violations.

McDonalds has denied wrongdoing and maintained that it does not exercise enough control over franchises to be considered a joint employer.

The NLRB opted to settle the case after former President Donald Trump took office, disappointing unions and worker advocates. The settlement required more than two dozen McDonalds franchisees to pay up to $50,000 to individual workers, but did not address McDonalds liability.

Under federal labor law, the board can settle claims against businesses over the objections of unions or workers involved in a case.

Topics USA
The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers Compensation (DWC) is accepting public comments on a proposed new form: DWC Form-033, Request to Reduce Income Benefits Due to Contribution.

Adopting this form is necessary to allow insurance carriers a way to reduce the amount of income benefits they pay to an injured employee if there was a past work-related injury to the same body part or parts.

The new form is not a formal rule proposal under the Administrative Procedure Act. DWC will not treat comments as formal public comments. However, DWC will consider any substantive comment before adopting the new form. The proposed form is on the TDI website. Those who want to submit written comments on the form can email RuleComments@tdi.texas.gov or mail comments to:
The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) Boards Legislative & External Affairs Committee will meet on April 27 at 10:00 a.m. CT. At this meeting, the Committee will begin planning the Associations Biennial Report to the Texas Legislature. The agenda for the meeting is available on TWIAs website.

The Committee will develop recommendations to present to TWIAs Board of Directors regarding the content of the Biennial Report. The Biennial Report must be submitted to the Texas Legislature in the year before a legislative session. By statute, the report must include:

Any proposed changes in the laws relating to the regulation of TWIA ,

, A statement of the reasons for the changes, and

Any information regarding TWIA operations or procedures that is requested by the Texas Department of Insurance to be addressed in the report.

The most recent TWIA Biennial Report, published in 2020, is available on TWIAs website.

All meetings of the TWIA Board of Directors and its committees are open to the public. The public may attend and make public comment in person at TWIAs office in Austin or virtually via Zoom. Members of the Committee and staff may participate in the meeting in person or virtually. The meeting will also be livestreamed on YouTube.

Source: TWIA
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton obtained an agreed judgment against DRINK UVO, a California company that sold a drinkable sunscreen product that was promoted as providing hours of sun protection which misled consumers with false and grossly exaggerated claims.

The judgment orders DRINK UVO to pay a total of $42,500 in favor of Texas within 10 days, with $12,500 in attorneys fees and $30,000 in civil penalties.

The Attorney Generals lawsuit alleged that DRINK UVO violated the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and Texas health and safety laws, by marketing, advertising and promoting the product without reliable scientific evidence. DRINK UVO claimed its product protected users against the damaging effects of solar radiation for at least three hours, was suitable for everyone exposed to the sun, and marketed it with an SPF30 rating  despite never having conducted FDA-compliant research to determine the products Sun Protection Factor. Citing a purported scientific study, they also claimed that the drinks 30-plus vitamins, antioxidants, and phytonutrients were scientifically proven to work and repair skin from sun damage. But the company failed to disclose that its study was not peer reviewed and was in fact conducted by its founder, with only a small number of subjects.

Source: Texas Attorney General Office

Topics Texas
Two people died in a casino fire in a small town in south-central Montana, Carbon County Sheriff Josh McQuillan said.

Marla Murray, 71, and John Ahles, 33, died Wednesday morning in the fire at Honest Toms Saloon and Casino in Bridger, McQuillan said.

Murray was a casino employee and Ahles was a customer, McQuillan said. Both are from Bridger, which is southwest of Billings.

The fire was reported at around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Fire crews were not able to enter the building due to heavy smoke, Bridger Fire Chief Mike Buechler told The Billings Gazette.

The fire was under control in about 30 minutes, but the building was a total loss due to smoke damage, McQuillan said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but arson is not suspected, the sheriff said.

Murray and Ahles were the only two people in the casino at the time of the fire, McQuillan said. Autopsies are planned.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The parents of a man killed in Washington by Auburn police have filed a federal wrongful death and civil rights lawsuit alleging an officer shot Enosa Strickland Jr. in the back of the head while he was lying in a parking lot.

The lawsuit also contends officer Kenneth Lyman has an extensive history of using force and was carrying an unapproved and illegal dagger that he later claimed Strickland had grabbed and refused to drop during a struggle, The Seattle Times reported.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle, alleges that Lyman and another officer identified only with the initials DM, responded to a domestic disturbance in an apartment parking lot around 1 a.m. on May 20, 2019, where a woman had apparently rejected Stricklands romantic overtures.

EJ was not engaged in any illegal activities or violating any laws, according to the complaint. EJ was unarmed. EJ was not arrested.

The officers, concerned that Strickland, 26, had had too much to drink, allowed him to call his mother, Kathleen Keliikoa-Strickland. They spoke and she agreed to come pick him up, according to the claim.

The lawsuit alleges that the interaction between the man and the officers became strained and Lyman struck him in the face. According to the lawsuit and the familys attorney Edward Moore, No warnings, admonitions or cautions were issue before Lyman hit Strickland.

The lawsuit alleges the officers then tackled Strickland, who wound up facedown on the ground, and one minute later Lyman shot him. Stricklands mother and father arrived four minutes later.

Moore said the complaint is based on police reports, witness statements and dash-camera audio and video.

Tiffany Lieu, a spokeswoman for Auburn, said the city was aware of the lawsuit but otherwise declined to comment.

The case was referred for review to Snohomish County, where prosecutors determined Lymans actions were legal.

Earlier this year, Auburn resident Peter Manning sued Lyman and the city, alleging the office crashed a SWAT van into Mannings work truck, injuring him, and then fled the scene. An internal investigation found Lyman guilty of misconduct, according to the Auburn Reporter newspaper, its unclear whether he was disciplined.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Washington Law Enforcement
News

Global graphite market trend 2022-2027 Lithium batteries like to use graphite anode materials by Newsintegra927

The European Union recently approved sweeping new sanctions against Russia, including bans on imports of coal, timber, chemicals, and other graphite.

Lithium-ion battery refers to a secondary battery system in which two different lithium intercalation compounds that can reversibly intercalate and deintercalation lithium ions are used as the battery's positive electrode and negative electrode, respectively. During charging, lithium ions are deintercalated from the positive electrode through the electrolyte and separator and embedded in the negative electrode; on the contrary, lithium ions are deintercalated from the negative electrode through discharge of the electrolyte the separator and embedded in the positive electrode. The negative electrode of the lithium-ion battery is made of harmful electrode active material, binder, and additives mixed to make a paste glue, which is evenly spread on both sides of the copper foil, dried, and rolled.

Advantages of graphite as anode material

Graphite is an allotrope of carbon, and the two are closely related. Graphite is the most stable form of carbon. (Diamond is a metastable allotrope of carbon. Although its hardness is much higher than graphite, it is the hardest substance in nature, but its stability is lower than that of graphite.)

The word "graphite" comes from the Greek word "graphein," which is resistant to high temperature and corrosion, has good electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and stable chemical properties, and is lighter than aluminum. In addition to being used as anode material for lithium-ion batteries, high-quality graphite can also be used in different fields such as fuel cells, solar cells, semiconductors, light-emitting diodes, and nuclear reactors.

In general, graphite has the advantages of high electronic conductivity, the small volume change of layered structure before and after lithium intercalation, high lithium intercalation capacity, and low lithium intercalation potential, and has become the mainstream commercial lithium-ion battery negative electrode material.

How to get graphite?

There are two ways to obtain graphite: one is natural ore, and the other is the synthesis of coal tar. The graphite materials used in lithium-ion batteries are generally prepared by blending 55% synthetic graphite and 45% low-purity natural graphite.

Manufacturers once favored synthetic graphite because the uniformity and purity of synthetic graphite were better than natural graphite. Now it is not the same. The application of modern chemical purification methods makes it possible to obtain 99.9% pure natural graphite after heat treatment. In contrast, synthetic graphite is 99% pure, making the former more popular.

Compared with synthetic graphite, purified natural flake graphite has higher crystallinity and exhibits better electrical and thermal conductivity. In addition, natural graphite is expected to reduce the production cost of lithium-ion batteries while achieving equal or better battery performance.

High-quality graphite supplier

Luoyang Moon & Star New Energy Technology Co., LTD, founded on October 17, 2008, is a high-tech enterprise committed to developing, producing, processing, selling, and technical services of lithium-ion battery anode materials. After more than 10 years of development, the company has gradually developed into a diversified product structure with natural graphite, artificial graphite, composite graphite, intermediate phase, and other negative materials (silicon-carbon materials, etc.). The products are widely used in high-end lithium-ion digital power and energy storage batteries. If you are looking for Lithium battery anode material, click on the needed products and send us an inquirysales@graphite-corp.com





Important discoveries have been made in the study of anticancer drugs inhibiting the growth of gastric cancer cells in my country. According to "Science and Technology Daily", a research report provided by Ai Jun and others from the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University showed that seven anticancer drugs including cisplatin had obvious inhibitory effects on gastric cancer cells (BGC-823) in vitro. However, there are certain differences, and it is ideal to use a medium concentration for 48 hours.The nano-gold provided by our company can be used in various medical technologies such as flow cytometry, immunochromatography, etc. Nano-silver has strong inhibition and Killing effects without developing drug resistance. We also provide graphite. For more information on graphite, please consult us.

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Global Spherical Molybdenum Powder market trend 2023-2027 3D Printing Alloy Spherical Molybdenum Powder Mo CAS 7439-98-7 by Newsintegra927

Europe's largest economy, Germany, recently activated an emergency plan to manage gas supplies that the natural gas could be rationed if supplies are disrupted or disrupted by a stand-off over Russian demands to pay for fuel in rubles.

German Vice-Chancellor, minister of economy and climate protection, said Germany's gas supplies were secure for now, but he urged consumers and businesses to reduce consumption, saying "every kilowatt of electricity counts."

Germany's gas network regulator can ration gas if supplies run short. Plants would be the first to be affected. Special treatment will be provided to private families, hospitals, and other important institutions.

Half of Germany's 41.5 million households use natural gas for heating, and industry consumption accounts for a third of the country's 100 billion cubic meters of gas demand in 2021.

The price of many energy and commodities like the Spherical Molybdenum Powder could be affected.





About 3D Printing Alloy Spherical Molybdenum Powder:



Product name: Spherical Molybdenum Powder

Product specifications: 5-25m, 15-45m, 15-53m, 45-75m, 45-105m, 75-150m. (Various granularities can be customized according to customer requirements)

Powder characteristics: high purity (99.9%), ultra-low oxygen (200ppm), high sphericity (98%), uniform particle size distribution, excellent flow properties (12.0s/50g) and high bulk density (6.0g/cm3) and tap density (6.5g/cm3).

Applicable processes: laser/electron beam additive manufacturing (SLM/EBM), laser direct deposition (DLD), powder hot isostatic pressing (HIP), metal injection molding (MIM), powder metallurgy (PM), laser cladding ( LC) and other processes.

Powder application: Rf plasma molybdenum spheroidized powder has the characteristics of high sphericity, good fluidity, high purity, large loose density, full density inside the particle, no hollow powder and so on. It is widely used in thermal spraying, powder metallurgy, electronic industry, contact materials, aircraft high temperature resistant parts, target materials and so on.



Composition (percentage by mass) of Spherical Molybdenum Powder:





Storage Condition of Spherical Molybdenum Powder:

Damp reunion will affect Spherical Molybdenum powder dispersion performance and using effects, therefore,Spherical Molybdenum Powder should be sealed in vacuum packing and stored in cool and dry room, the Spherical Molybdenum Powder can not be exposure to air. In addition, the Spherical Molybdenum powder should be avoided under stress.

Packing & Shipping of Spherical Molybdenum Powder:

We have many different kinds of packing which depends on the Spherical Molybdenum Powder quantity.

Spherical Molybdenum Powder packing:vacuum packing, 100g, 500g or 1kg/bag, 25kg/barrel, or as your request.

Spherical Molybdenum Powder shipping:could be shipped out by sea , by air, by express as soon as possible once payment receipt.





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3D Printing Alloy Spherical Molybdenum Powder Properties Other Names Molybdenum Powder CAS No. N/A Compound Formula Mo Molecular Weight N/A Appearance Gray metallic solid in various forms (ingot, tubing, pieces, powder) Melting Point N/A Solubility in water N/A Density NA Purity N/A Particle Size 0-20m, 15-45m, 15-53m, 53-105m, 53-150m, 105-250m Boling point N/A Specific Heat N/A Thermal Conductivity N/A Thermal Expansion N/A Young's Modulus N/A Exact Mass N/A Monoisotopic Mass N/A 3D Printing Alloy Spherical Molybdenum Powder Health & Safety Information Safety Warning N/A Hazard Statements N/A Flashing point N/A Hazard Codes N/A Risk Codes N/A Safety Statements N/A RTECS Number N/A Transport Information N/A WGK Germany N/A

If you are looking for 3D printing metal powder, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry, email address: sales2@nanotrun.com

The development of the Russia-Ukraine conflict will continue to dominate the commodity prices such as the Spherical Molybdenum Powder in the future. If the conflict eases or cools, Russia and Ukraine go back to negotiate, commodity prices would fall. However, if the situation between Russia and Ukraine deteriorates further, or evolves into a full-scale war, the price of the Spherical Molybdenum Powder is predicted to see further improvement over the coming days.



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Gardai have been given hundreds of reports of men claiming to be members of the force and abusing and harassing sex workers.

The incidents brought to gardai by Ugly Mugs Ireland, an online safety platform to protect sex workers, include men violently attacking, robbing, and sexually assaulting their mainly female victims, from 2016 up until as recently as last month.

Ugly Mugs, which says it is in touch with an estimated 1,000 sex workers in Ireland, met with the Garda inspectorate in 2019.

It appealed to investigating officers to brief Garda Commissioner Drew Harris on the number of people abusing sex workers while claiming to be either a garda or have friends in the force.

The reports, seen by the Irish Examiner, range from demanding free sex or else they will arrest the worker, to violent abuse, including rape, choking, and assault.

One woman was robbed in a Dublin hotel when three men who claimed to be gardai arrived and stole her money and phone.

Another woman reported that a client showed her a Garda badge and threatened her to get out of his town or he will be back with his mates.

She said he demanded oral sex, before leaving when she called out for help.

Men alleging to be gardai

There have been at least two reports that men alleging to be gardai produced handcuffs and attempted to restrain the women against their will.

There have been numerous reports about one such alleged garda officer, operating in the Midlands, who targets foreign sex workers due to their particular vulnerability and demands free services in order to save them from deportation.

The Irish Examiner has seen notification of the Garda Commissioners office receiving such reports.

Gardai have confirmed that correspondence received by the commissioner was examined by the Garda National Protective Services Bureau (GNPSB), which is responsible for the policing of sex work and sex trafficking.

No formal complaints were made by any individual complainants. An Garda Siochana cannot investigate anecdotal or anonymised reports, a garda spokesman said adding that anyone who believes they have been subject of any criminal or inappropriate activity by a member of the force can make a complaint to the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission.

He also pointed out that in 2021, the force published an Anti-Corruption Policy which included a specific policy on Professional Boundaries and Abuse of Power for Sexual Gain.

Irelands laws on selling sex changed in 2017, making paying for sexual services a criminal offence, but not the sale of sex.

The law was designed to protect human trafficking victims and sex workers from exploitation but an Amnesty International Ireland report last year found the law is facilitating the targeting and abuse of sex workers, and the state is failing to protect them from violence.

Rise in crime against sex workers

While there are no official statistics available, Sex Workers Alliance Ireland (SWAI) says its own reporting has found crimes against the workers have risen by 92% since the law change.

Ugly Mugs, versions of which operate all over the world, has stopped working with the GNPSB, due to what it claims are ongoing issues around the harassment of workers.

SWAI has confirmed its organisation regularly receives reports from sex workers of gardai or people impersonating gardai harassing sex workers.

Its spokeswoman, Linda Kavanagh confirmed an incident as recently as April 18.

Is there any wonder there is a culture of fear within the sex worker community when sex workers are harassed by Gardai, or people impersonating them, and when they try to report through a third party this is dismissed? she said.

In 2021 gardai established the Organised Prostitution Investigation Unit (OPIU). A spokesman said as well as regularly meeting with those in the sex trade and carrying out safeguarding, wellbeing and exploitation checks, the unit provides contact numbers, advice and assistance to those involved.
Two American octogenarians have gone on trial accused of criminal damage and trespass at Shannon Airport on St Patrick's Day three years ago, leading to the closure of a runway.

Ken Mayers, aged 85, and Tarak Kauff, aged 80, both with addresses in the US, are accused of damaging a perimeter fence before allegedly trespassing the lands of the airport in Co Clare, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard today.

The pair, who were wearing high-vis vests bearing the words 'Veterans for Peace', walked on to a taxiway at the airport, causing airport personnel to close the runway for a period of time, Tony McGillicuddy, prosecuting, told the jury.

A plane which was due to land at the airport was unable to do so for the course of that warning, the court heard.

Mr Mayers, of Monte Alte Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico, pleaded not guilty to criminal damage to a perimeter fence, with a value of 590, at the airport on March 17, 2019.

He also pleaded not guilty to trespassing the curtilage of a building with the intent to commit an offence or unlawfully damage property. He further pleaded not guilty to interfering with the operation, safety or management of an airport, namely by entering a runway area and causing it to close.

Mr Kauff, with an address at Arnold Drive, Woodstock, New York pleaded not guilty to the same charges.

Opening the case, Mr McGillicuddy told the jury it would hear evidence that the two men broke through the perimeter fence between 10 and 10.20am on the day in question, with gloves and bolt cutters later found inside the grounds.

The court heard airport personnel were alerted to the incident and shortly afterwards, staff members saw two men in high vis jackets on a taxiway in the airport. One of them was carrying an Irish flag.

The jury was told that the men were not aggressive or awkward in any way when approached by airport personnel.

They were wearing hi-vis jackets with 'Veterans for Peace' written on them and they were engaged in a protest of some kind, Mr McGillicuddy said. Anti-war activities of some nature, he said.

The men were arrested and taken to the local garda station for questioning, the court heard. Mr McGillicuddy said:

The runway had been forced to close because of their presence on the runway and that had a knock-on effect on the management of the airport.

He said it was the prosecution case that both of the accused men were involved in the criminal damage of the fence and that both men were involved in the unlawful interference with the operation and management of the airport.

He said it was the prosecution's case that both men trespassed on the land of the airport with the intent or giving rise to the reasonable inference that they intended to commit an offence or unlawfully interfere with property in the airport.

Michael Hourigan, defending Mr Mayers, said his client has admitted he was involved in making an opening in the fence at Shannon airport.

He said his client also admits that he entered the curtilage, or lands, of the airport on the day in question. He said his client was treated respectfully and courteously by airport staff and gardai.

Carol Doherty, defending Mr Kauff, said her client made the same admissions as Mr Mayers.

The trial continues before Judge Patricia Ryan and a jury.
Vileda mops speak to me. Nothing inanimate other than Vileda mops speaks to me or triggers me into reliving times of trouble. But every time I see the Vileda brand in the supermarket, it transports me back to when, returning home after school, I would be put by my mother sitting at the kitchen table with a sheet of paper across the top of which she had written: I love my Vileda cloth because.

My mission, whether or not I accepted it, was to finish that first sentence in no more than 15 words in order to win some competition.

Since I had no particular relationship with household cleaning, other than generating the need for it, I hated this task and fruitlessly asked why my brainy sister wasnt doing it, especially as she was naturally cleaner than me, although this wasnt hard. A deranged skunk would be cleaner than me.

The answer, crisply delivered by my mother, was that my sister was good on facts and data, but that I was creative. You might think my sister would be offended to be portrayed as a mathematical savant, but not by the smirk on her. I had to produce 10 assertions of undying love for Vileda cloths before I was allowed to resume my own life.

This was part of the phase in my mothers life when she set out to win every competition that offered anything, even if winning filled up our box room with prizes nobody would be seen dead with.

The same applied to competitions in school. In one year, I won a fortnight in the Gaeltacht and a week in Butlins holiday camp.

The prospect of being sent to the Gaeltacht terrified me to such an extent that my mother did plea-bargaining with the organisers and got cash instead. After the week in Butlins, my father muttered that my mother would have been better off to plea-bargain her way out of that too, but I didnt know why, since all the meals included chips and custard. In separate courses.

In general, though, the prizes I won by being a mother-driven over-achiever were pretty ropy, with the outstanding exception of one LP awarded in an essay competition.

My sister owned the record player and regarded any LP other than Flight of the Valkyries (when she was in a bad temper, which wasnt rare) or Pat Boone (when she was in a good temper) as not worth a needle. I produced the LP for its inaugural spin and we all sat in judgement.

Even my sister thought it was blindingly good, even if wed never heard of the jazz band involved, called The Left-Bank Bearcats.

The Left-Bank Bearcats, according to the sleeve notes, were Parisian musicians who were taking an American-born form of jazz and owning it for La France. None of the young male musicians, the writer explained, had undergone formal musical training, with the exception of Marcel Durand.

Marcel was offered up in the reverential tones you might expect if the reference was to King Oliver or Satchmo. He was the trombonist and led the Bearcats as they played at cool coffee shops and bistros in Montmartre.

The album had been recorded in Maison Diabolique, 'after hours'. We guessed that we had never heard of Maison Diabolique because we were not cosmopolitan and also had to spend so much of our time writing love letters to Vileda washcloths, but the idea of recording 'after hours' lent a flavour of the illicit and possibly illegal to the LP.

The big cover carried no photographs of the players. Just a growing-up-on-Frys illustration of upright bears playing instruments, each standing on a slanted letter of the bands brand.

It was like being knighted or being visited by an archangel, our family relationship with the Bearcats. Because we knew jazz, we knew these guys were good. Because wed never been to Paris, they were something to aim at seeing in the future, like the Eiffel Tower. And because nobody else had ever heard of them, we felt extra special, up to the point of being insufferable.

Except we were codded up to the two eyes, the whole lot of us.

They never existed, those talented young Frenchmen (one of them allegedly a former ocean liner deck-hand) who adopted and developed the jazz of their time. Mon cher ami, Marcel Durand, was really a Philadelphian trombonist named Al Leopold, and nothing supports the notion that he or his fellow Philadelphian musicians ever went near a Paris cafe.

The recordings were undoubtedly done in a clandestine way, but they were made in Philadelphia, using well-established jazz musicians of the day. They played around with musical standards as jazz musicians do when they get together, most notably breathing vividness into the compositions of George M Cohan.

They had fun, secretly making those recordings, and that fun is evident in every groove. The first album sold well and generated two more.

The Left Bank Bearcats created a minor cult, with people flattering themselves with the knowledge that this French band was doing some of the contemporaneously most interesting work in jazz.

One fan even told Al Leopold that he, the fan, had witnessed one of the Bearcats performances in Paris and had been blown away by it. Leopold did not destroy the fans illusion by revealing the identity of the real Marcel Durand.

It was not, however, a complete secret. Other Philadelphian musicians, listening to the LPs, picked up on aspects of style peculiar to players they knew, and kidded them about it, but never had their suspicions confirmed. Over time, the Bearcats became an aspect of jazz history, and when no new albums emerged from Maison Diabolique, fans like me figured that the young Frenchmen had grown out of their early musical love affair and moved on to other things.

And then, a few years ago, the False Ducks Blahg, which researches early-20th-century bands, exploded the whole Bearcats myth, right down to presenting audio interviews with Al, the trombonist, AKA Marcel Durand.

My sister, who keeps the family vinyl collection, got squirrelly when I asked her recently to find my school prize album. She was not sure she ever had it, but she was sure she didnt have it now.

I accused her of incompetence or wanting to make a fortune on the web by flogging my prize. She told me to get over it. I told her I bet she still has the Pat Boone LPs and she got even more squirrely, as you would if you were on the cusp of being revealed as a life-long Pat Boone fan.

I have bought a replacement copy online. Anyone whos seriously into jazz might do likewise.
The number of Ukrainians who have fled the country since Russias began on February 24 is approaching 5.2 million, the UN refugee agency has said.

More than 1,151,000 Ukrainians have left during April so far, compared with 3.4 million in the month of March alone.

Beyond the refugee figures, the UNs International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates more than 7.7 million people have been displaced within Ukraine.

Almost two-thirds of Ukrainian children have had to flee their homes, including those who remain in the country.

Here is a breakdown of how many Ukrainian refugees have fled to neighbouring countries, according to UNHCR:

Poland: 2,899,713 (nearly six out of 10 Ukrainian refugees have crossed into Poland).

Russia: 578,255 (in addition, 105,000 people crossed into Russia from the separatist-held pro-Russian regions of Donetsk and Lugansk).

Romania: 774,074.

Hungary: 489,754.

Moldova: 433,214.

Slovakia: 354,329.

Belarus: 24,084.

Refugees wait in a line after fleeing the war from neighboring Ukraine at the border crossing in Medyka, southeastern Poland. Picture: AP Photo/Sergei Grits

Meanwhile, UNs Ukraine crisis coordinator, Amin Awad, called for an immediate stop to fighting in Mariupol so that civilians trapped in the city can be evacuated today, AFP reports.

The lives of tens of thousands, including women, children and older people, are at stake in Mariupol, he said in a statement this afternoon.

We need a pause in fighting right now to save lives.

The longer we wait the more lives will be at risk.

Mr Awad said the civilians must be allowed to safely evacuate "now, today" because "tomorrow could be too late.

His call came after an attempted evacuation from Mariupol by Ukraine had failed on Saturday, with Kyiv saying it was thwarted by Russian forces.

The UN statement said there were an estimated 100,000 civilians trapped in the city, which has been heavily bombarded after being besieged by Russian forces for weeks.

Awad said Orthodox Easter, which is celebrated in both Russia and Ukraine, provided an opportunity to halt hostilities.

Local residents walk near a damaged military vehicle in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Mariupol. Picture: AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov

At a time of a rare calendar alignment of the religious holidays of Orthodox Easter, Passover and Ramadan, it is the time to focus on our common humanity, setting divisions aside, Awad said.

earlier this month, UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, had urged a pause in fighting for Orthodox Easter.

Here are some of today's other developments:

Women and children sheltering in a giant steel works in Mariupol that is the last holdout of Ukrainian defenders of the southern port city, said in a video released on Saturday they are desperate to get out and are running out of food. - READ MORE

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin were set to visit Kyiv on Sunday to discuss Ukraine's call for more powerful weapons, two months after Russia's invasion began. - READ MORE

A new Russian intercontinental ballistic missile is capable of carrying several hypersonic weapons, a senior Russian military officer said on Sunday. - READ MORE

A top human rights lawyer in charge of gathering evidence to prosecute Russia for war crimes has said troops have tacit permission to rape civilians. - READ MORE

What else has been happening in Ukraine?

A part of a destroyed tank and a burned vehicle sit in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Mariupol, Ukraine. Picture> AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov

Ukraine says hundreds of its forces and civilians are trapped inside the Azovstal steel plant in the city of Mariupol.

Russia has been trying to take Mariupol for nearly two months, and the city on the Sea of Azov has seen some of the wars worst deprivations.

Its capture would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, free up Russian troops to fight elsewhere, and establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow seized in 2014.

Although Moscow had earlier declared victory in Mariupol and said its forces did not need to take the factory, the Ukrainian authorities say Russian forces have resumed air strikes and are trying to storm the plant.

Some 2,000 troops have been fighting tenaciously to the plant, which is virtually the last Ukrainian outpost in the city.

More than 100,000 people  down from a pre-war population of about 430,000  are believed to remain in Mariupol with scant food, water or heat. Ukrainian authorities estimate that over 20,000 civilians have been killed in the city.

Further attacks in Donbas

Elsewhere, Russia pressed its attacks in the eastern Donbas region, where Moscow-backed separatists controlled some territory before the war and the Russians are aiming to gain full control over Ukraines eastern industrial heartland.

The Russian military reported hitting 423 Ukrainian targets overnight, including fortified positions and troop concentrations, while its warplanes destroyed 26 Ukrainian military sites, including an explosives factory and several artillery depots.

Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Haidai said on Sunday that eight people were killed and two others were wounded in a Russian barrage on Saturday.

The Russians also have shelled the Dnipro region west of Donbas, where at least one person was killed by a Russian missile, according to regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko.

Via: GraphicNews

Russia has pulled back forces from Ukraines capital, Kyiv, and the north of the country to feed into the Donbas offensive, but the British Ministry of Defence said on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had repelled numerous assaults in the past week.

Despite Russia making some territorial gains, Ukrainian resistance has been strong across all axes and inflicted significant cost on Russian forces, the ministry said in an intelligence update.

Worshipers stand next to their traditional cakes and painted eggs prepared for an Easter celebration during a religious service at a church in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv. Picture: AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti

Poor Russian morale and limited time to reconstitute, re-equip and reorganise forces from prior offensives are likely hindering Russian combat effectiveness, it said.

The Ukrainian military said on Saturday it destroyed a Russian command post in Kherson, a southern city that fell to Russian forces early in the war.

The command post was hit on Friday, killing two generals and critically wounding another, the Ukrainian military intelligence agency said in a statement. The Russian military did not comment on the claim, which could not be confirmed.

If true, at least nine Russian generals have been killed since the start of the invasion, according to Ukrainian reports.
Travellers from Australia and New Zealand joined Turkish and other nations dignitaries at the former First World War battlefields at Gallipoli for a solemn service at dawn on Monday to remember troops killed during an unsuccessful British-led campaign that aimed to take the Ottoman Empire out of the war.

As the sun rose, participants held a minute of silence to reflect on the sacrifices of tens of thousands of soldiers from the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps, known as Anzacs, who landed on the beaches at Gallipoli, in north-west Turkey.

The dawn service remembered troops killed during the unsuccessful British-led campaign that aimed to take the Ottoman Empire out of the First World War (Emrah Gurel/AP)

At this time 107 years ago, on ships that covered the ocean off this tiny bay, thousands of Australians and New Zealanders were preparing to land on this rugged coast, New Zealand army chief Major General John Boswell said during the ceremony. For all but a few, this was to be the first experience of the horrors of combat.

He continued: Most were convinced that, as one New Zealand soldier wrote in his story It will be the greatest day in our lives. The sunrise they witnessed that day was for all too many to be the last they ever saw. Across our countries, home after home was plunged into mourning.

The Gallipoli campaign aimed to secure a naval route from the Mediterranean Sea to Istanbul through the Dardanelles, and knock the Ottomans out of the war. The landings on April 25 1915 marked the start of a fierce battle that lasted for eight months.

More than 44,000 Allied soldiers and 86,000 Ottoman soldiers died.

A piper at the ceremony at Anzac Cove beach, site of the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey on April 25 1915 (Emrah Gurel/AP)

The battlefields and cemeteries at the site in Canakkale, in north-western Turkey, have become a place of pilgrimage for many Australians and New Zealanders who sleep on the beaches until the start of the dawn service. But the ongoing coronavirus pandemic kept the number of visitors low.

Among those who made it to the ceremony was 27-year-old Taylor Murphy, from Victoria, Australia, who said the pros of being at Gallipoli outweighs the cons of the pandemic.

It feels quite surreal to be here, she said. We are feeling quite emotional.

In Australias largest city, Sydney, Martin Place was filled to capacity with tens of thousands at its dawn service.

Veterans parade during the Anzac Day march in Sydney (/Rick Rycroft/AP)

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and deputy opposition leader Richard Marles acknowledged Ukraines fight for freedom when they spoke at a service in the northern city of Darwin, which was devastated by Japanese bombing during the Second World War.

Australia did not restrict the numbers attending its commemorations for the first time during the pandemic.

The service in Auckland, New Zealand, was initially planned to be closed to the public, but a veterans association intervened and a smaller-than-usual crowd was allowed to attend. A Ukrainian flag was flown above the Auckland War Memorial Museum ceremony.

Monday was the first such commemoration of casualties of all wars since both Australia and New Zealand withdrew troops from Afghanistan last year.

The tragic fate of troops from Australia and New Zealand in the Gallipoli campaign is believed to have inspired the two nations to carve national identities distinct from the British. Anzac Day is marked as a coming of age for the two nations.

Turkish soldiers at the international service to commemorate the Gallipoli campaign at Mehmetcik monument in the Gallipoli peninsula, Turkey (Emrah Gurel/AP)

Gallipoli is also considered to be an important turning point in the history of modern Turkey. It was at Gallipoli that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk rose to prominence as a commander of the Turkish forces and went on to lead Turkeys War of Independence and found the Turkish Republic.

On Sunday, the remains of 17 missing French soldiers were handed over to French military officials and put to rest alongside other fallen comrades during separate remembrance ceremonies that were held for French, British and other soldiers. Their remains were found during restoration work on a castle and surrounding areas on the Canakkale Peninsula.

Only one out of the 17 French soldiers  Corporal Paul Roman, of the 1st Engineers Regiment  has been formally identified.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said Russia is failing in its war aims and Ukraine is succeeding.

His secrecy-shrouded visit to Kyiv along with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin was the highest-level American visit to the capital since Russia invaded in late February.

They told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his advisers that the US will provide more than 0m in foreign military financing and had approved a $165m sale of ammunition.

Mr Blinken told reporters near the Polish-Ukrainian border on Monday: We had an opportunity to demonstrate directly our strong ongoing support for the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people. This was, in our judgment, an important moment to be there to have face-to-face conversations in detail.

Mr Austin said Mr Zelenskyys response to the aid was deep appreciation for what was being given but he has the mindset that they want to win and we have the mindset that we want to help them win.

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin and secretary of state Antony Blinken meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/AP)

In footage later released by the Ukrainian presidency of the meeting, Mr Blinken praised the extraordinary courage and leadership and success that youve had in pushing back this horrific Russian aggression.

We got used to seeing you on video around the world, but its great, its good to see you in person, he said with a smile.

Mr Blinken also said US diplomats returning to Ukraine are likely to restaff the consulate in Lviv in western Ukraine before returning to Kyiv. They previously said the diplomats would start returning this week. The US Embassy in the capital will remain closed for the moment.

Mr Austin said at the news conference that the world has been inspired by Ukraine in the war and that America will continue its support. What youve done in repelling the Russians in the Battle of Kyiv is extraordinary, he said.

Mr Zelenskyy had announced on Saturday that he would meet the US officials in Kyiv on Sunday, but Joe Bidens administration refused to confirm that and declined to discuss details of a possible visit even though planning had been under way for more than a week.

Journalists who travelled to Poland with Mr Austin and Mr Blinken were barred from reporting on the trip until it ended, were not allowed to accompany them on their overland journey into Ukraine, and were prohibited from specifying where in south-east Poland they waited for the Cabinet members to return. Officials at the State Department and the Pentagon cited security concerns.

Mr Austin and Mr Blinken announced a total of 713 million dollars (555 million) in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries; some 322 million dollars (251 million) of that is earmarked for Kyiv. The remainder will be split among Nato members and other nations that have provided Ukraine with critical military supplies since the war with Russia began, officials said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr had urged the Americans not to go empty-handed (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/AP)

Such financing is different from previous US military assistance for Ukraine. It is not a donation of drawn-down US Defence Department stockpiles, but rather cash that countries can use to purchase supplies that they might need.

The new money, along with the sale of $165m in non-US made ammunition that is compatible with Soviet-era weapons the Ukrainians use, takes the total amount of American military assistance to Ukraine to $3.7bn since the invasion, officials said.

Mr Zelenskyy had urged the Americans not to go empty-handed.

US officials said they believed the new assistance would satisfy at least some of the Ukrainians urgent pleas for more help. New artillery, including howitzers, continues to be delivered at a rapid pace to Ukraines military, which is being trained on its use in neighbouring countries, the officials said.

On the diplomatic front, Mr Blinken told Mr Zelenskyy that Mr Biden will announce his nomination of veteran diplomat Bridget Brink to be the next US ambassador to Ukraine.

A career foreign service officer, Ms Brink has served since 2019 as ambassador to Slovakia. She previously held assignments in Serbia, Cyprus, Georgia and Uzbekistan as well as with the White House National Security Council. The post requires Senate confirmation.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken boards a plane to return to Washington (Alex Brandon/Pool/AP)

Mr Blinken also told Ukraines foreign minister that the small staff from the US Embassy in Kyiv, which has relocated to Poland from temporary offices in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, will begin making day trips to Lviv in the coming days.

Officials said the US had accelerated its review of security conditions in the capital and that the State Department will reopen the embassy there as soon as the situation allows.

Mr Biden has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of genocide for the destruction and death wrought on Ukraine. On Thursday, the US leader said he would provide a new package of $800m in military aid to Ukraine that included heavy artillery and drones.

Congress approved $6.5bn for military assistance last month as part of $13.6bn in spending for Ukraine and allies in response to the Russian invasion.

From Poland, Mr Blinken plans to return to Washington while Mr Austin will head to Ramstein in Germany for a meeting Tuesday of Nato defence ministers and other donor countries.

(PA Graphics)

That discussion will look at battlefield updates from the ground, additional security assistance for Ukraine and longer-term defence needs in Europe, including how to step up military production to fill gaps caused by the war in Ukraine, officials said. More than 20 nations are expected to send representatives to the meeting.

The Ukrainian officials participating are Mr Zelenskyy, Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Defence Minister Olexiy Reznikov, Ambassador Oskana Markarova, presidential administration head Andriy Yermak, chief of defence Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and Andrii Sybiya from Mr Zelenskyys office.

Representing the United States in addition to Mr Blinken and Mr Austin were State Department deputy chief of staff Tom Sullivan, senior military assistant Lieutenant General Randy George and Deputy Assistant Defence Secretary Laura Cooper.
Burma ASEANs Myanmar Peace Plan Condemned for No Significant Progress

Protesters prepare to burn the ASEAN flag during a flash mob demonstration against the militarys coup in Yangon on June 14, 2021. / AFP

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) peace plan for Myanmar has proved a failure after 12 months of no significant progress, and has become a pretext for the international community to delay real action under the guise of waiting for ASEAN leadership, said a group of former United Nations (UN) experts on Myanmar and a human rights organization.

ASEANs peace plan, known as the Five-Point Consensus, was agreed by ASEAN leaders and Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing on 24 April 2021. The plan calls, among other things, for an immediate cessation of violence [against civilians by the regime] and constructive dialogue between all stakeholders. The agreement was reached two months after the coup, and following the juntas subsequent brutal crackdowns on anti-regime protesters.

The Five-Point Consensus was hailed by the international community, including the UN and United States, as a rare example of ASEAN taking a leading role in solving the problems of one of its member states. One year on, though, the military regime has failed to honor the agreement. The number of civilians killed by the junta rose to over 1,700 this month, while more than 300,000 people in anti-regime strongholds in the countrys west and northwest have been displaced by the Myanmar militarys air and artillery strikes, raids and the burning of villages, according to the UN.

Given this reality, all ASEAN has been able to do is ban Min Aung Hlaing from its meetings. And western countries have dragged their feet on taking any tangible action against the junta, while cozying up to ASEAN for its initiatives on Myanmar. Western sanctions have proved ineffective, too, thanks to the regimes close ties to China and Russia.

Last Friday, the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M), a human rights group made up of former United Nations (UN) experts on Myanmar, said that ASEAN needs to change its approach to dealing with the junta, as it has failed to honor a single point of the Five-Point Consensus.

The agreement has failed and a change of course from ASEAN is needed, said SAC-Ms Marzuki Darusman, a former chair of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that ASEAN has failed to fulfill its pledges or take meaningful steps toward pressing the regime to end its human rights violations.

Myanmars junta has spent the past year committing atrocities in utter disregard for its commitments to ASEAN, said Elaine Pearson, acting Asia Director at HRW.

The rights group said that the Five-Point Consensus has become a pretext for governments such as the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and European Union member countries to delay real action under the guise of waiting for ASEAN to show leadership.

The junta has exploited the international communitys deference to the regional bloc, which has a long record of neglecting its responsibility to protect the people of Southeast Asia under its principles of non-interference and consensus, said HRW.

SAC-Ms Yanghee Lee, a former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, said that ASEANs peace plan has failed because ASEAN engaged with the wrong party, referring to the blocs engagement with the regime instead of Myanmars shadow National Unity Government (NUG). The NUG was formed in the wake of the coup by elected lawmakers from the ousted National League for Democracy government and its ethnic allies to challenge the regimes legitimacy at home and abroad. The majority of Myanmar people regard the NUG as their legitimate government and many western countries support it, despite their reluctance to treat it as an official administration.

The NUG represents Myanmar and is the proper party to lead engagement with ASEAN. The NUG has demonstrated that it is the constructive partner that ASEAN needs to make any progress towards resolving the crisis, said Yanghee Lee.

SAC-M is calling on the UN Security Council to take responsibility for international action in response to the growing crisis in Myanmar, as ASEAN and its Five-Point Consensus has failed. The Security Council cannot continue to ignore the cries of the people of Myanmar for international action to end the militarys violence, said SAC-M.

HRWs Elaine Pearson said that governments around the world have stalled on taking action on Myanmar for a year by standing behind ASEANs hollow words  and have nothing to show for it.

They need to adopt strong measures to deter further atrocities and hold the military accountable, not a flimsy consensus thats proven its futility, she said.

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Burma Ethnic Armed Groups Reject Myanmar Junta Chiefs Peace Talks

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing. / The Irrawaddy

Myanmars junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has invited the leaders of ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) for talks to end armed conflict in the country. Observers said only a few EAOs would attend.

In his televised address on the juntas mouthpiece Myawady TV on Friday, Min Aung Hlaing proposed face-to-face talks with EAO leaders.

However, the invitation for peace talks excludes the countrys shadow National Unity Government (NUG) and its armed wing, the peoples defense forces (PDFs), as Min Aung Hlaing has previously refused to talk to either group. On Armed Forces Day last month, he vowed that the regime would crush the PDFs.

The Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), which is engaged in heavy fighting with junta troops in Kayah State, rejected the invitation.

KNPP secretary Khu Daniel said: It is very likely that we will not join the talks. The population is revolting against the junta. We have nothing to discuss after it has committed many arbitrary killings. There are clashes every day in Kayah State.

Padoh Saw Taw Nee, the Karen National Unions (KNU) head of foreign affairs, said the regime must first withdraw its troops from Karen State and leave Myanmars politics before the KNU will hold talks.

There must also be justice. We called for transitional justice in previous talks that we attended. The military didnt accept it then. But this time, there must be transitional justice. We cant just forget that they killed so many. We must ensure justice and truth, said Padoh Saw Taw Nee.

Colonel Naw Bu, spokesman for the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which is also fighting the regime, said the central executive committee of the KIAs political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization, has not decided whether to attend peace talks, but he said dialogue with the regime was pointless.

They have held talks with the EAOs for more than 70 years and there were never good results. And there wont be good results this time too, he said.

The KIA has not attended talks with the regime since the 2021 coup and senior KIA figures have delivered addresses at the events organized by the NUG.

Vice-chairman of the Chin National Front (CNF) Salai Lian Hmung Sakhong said the group condemns the regime and would not attend talks.

We will consider attending talks if Min Aung Hlaing and his regime admit it was wrong to have staged a coup and that they will honor the 2020 general election results and transfer power to the winning party and that they want us to help with the transfer of power. But even if they say so, will they keep their promise? Salai Lian Hmung Sakhong said.

They must admit that they were wrong to kill civilians and destroy property and that they want to compensate. But if they want to bluff to maintain their grip on power, the ethnic armed revolutionary organizations and international community will not accept them, he added.

Any individual and organization that attends the peace talks will go down as national villains along with the regime, Salai Lian Hmung Sakhong said.

The National Ceasefire Agreement was signed between the government and EAOs and not between the military and EAOs. Min Aung Hlaing does not have the authority to implement a peace process. He has unlawfully seized power. He has seized power from the people and he has also seized peace, he added.

By proposing talks with the EAOs the regime is buying time to crush the PDFs, said observers.

An analyst said: It is unlikely that EAO leaders will accept his invitation and join the talks. The regime is under growing military pressures and if it does not have to fight the EAOs, it will halve its military pressures.

But the problem is the EAOs and PDFs are not operating separately in Kachin, Chin, Karen, Karenni [Kayah] and Shan states. The regime is wrong to think of the EAOs and PDFs as separate forces. Its offer of talks is unlikely to succeed.

Some members of the Peace Process Steering Committee, whose leaders recently received honorary titles from the regime, are likely to join the talks, said analysts.

Colonel Khun Okkar, the patron of the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), said the groups committee will meet on Monday to discuss whether to meet the junta boss.

By inviting EAOs for dialogue, the junta chief has admitted that he is losing, said Bo Nagar, the leader of the Myanmar Royal Dragon Army resistance group in Pale Township, Sagaing Region.

He has publicly admitted he is being defeated. He excluded PDFs from talks because he previously called for their annihilation. His statement means his defeat will come soon, he said.

He urged EAOs to reject the junta chiefs invitation and to continue fighting until the junta is defeated and all ethnic groups can enjoy political equality.

Then we will know it was worth taking up arms in the revolution, said Bo Nagar.

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Burma Myanmar Regime Forces Accused of Serial Sexual Assaults

Junta soldiers pictured in Yangon. / The Irrawaddy

Myanmar junta soldiers have raped women in Taung Tha Township, Mandalay Region with impunity since last years coup, according to local residents.

Members of the pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia have also committed sexual assaults, said Ko Zaw Htwe, information officer for the Taung Tha Township National League for Democracy branch.

As far as we know, junta soldiers have committed two sexual assaults and a Pyu Saw Htee leader one sexual assault since the coup. Victims still cant file complaints. There might be more rape cases that went unreported. We heard that there have been eight sexual assaults committed by junta soldiers, police and Pyu Saw Htee, he said.

In early April, a junta soldier guarding a school in Za Jan Village in Taung Tha raped a 21-year-old woman with mental health problems.

Her father, a cousin and at least two women witnessed the rape. But police refused to open a case when they filed a complaint at the local police station. Family members also filed complaints with the Myanmar military, who responded by hiding the perpetrator.

Witnesses said that the rapist was a soldier, but [police] did not open the case because he was a soldier. We want justice for the victim whoever the perpetrator is. This case is worse because the victim has mental health problems. We ordinary people have had to bite the bullet under the military dictatorship, said Ko Zaw Htwe.

In November last year, a woman from Nat Saunk Village in Taung Tha was gang-raped by regime soldiers. She was taking cattle out to pasture with her uncle when four junta soldiers appeared. They beat and threatened her uncle to leave before raping her.

The victims family dared not file a complaint out of fear of retaliation and the perpetrators are still at large, said Ko Zaw Htwe.

In February, a 30-year-old widow from San U Village was raped by the leader of the Pyu Saw Htee group in the village, and was unable to file a complaint.

The widow first reported the rape to the village administrator, who is an ex-military officer, in order to file a complaint with the police station. The administrator told her not to file a complaint, and pressured her into settling the case in the village. Now the widow doesnt dare to file a complaint out of fear that she might get killed, Ko Zaw Htwe said.

Taung Tha consists of six urban wards and 77 village-tracts with 243 villages. The township has a population of more than 310,000 people, and over 250 of them have been detained since the coup, according to local activists.

Junta supporters largely outnumber resistance forces in Taung Tha. The regime has therefore formed and armed Pyu Saw Htee groups in the township.

A local resident remarked: Locals want to help rape victims, but they dare not because they will have to bear the consequences themselves. They keep clear of the regime. They have seen many people detained by the regime who have died during interrogation or been shot dead in public. So they are gripped by fear, and stay clear of the regime as much as they can.

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Burma Pro-Junta Militia Kills NLD Supporters in Myanmar

U Khin Maung Thein and seriously injured Daw Kha Kha were found dumped at a National League for Democracy office on Sunday night. / Voice of Mandalay

A pro-regime militia killed two National League for Democracy (NLD) supporters and wounded another in Mandalay on Sunday in response to an anti-junta groups vow to attack regime supporters, security forces and their family members.

Sources close to the victims said U Tin and Daw Kha Kha were seized by the Thwe Thout militia in the evening. U Khin Maung Thein, U Tins brother, searched for them and also went missing.

U Khin Maung Thein and Daw Kha Kha, both in their 50s, own Sein Win Win teashop in in Mandalay and are strong NLD supporters. U Khin Maung Thein is a ward chairman in Chanayethazan Township.

U Khin Maung Thein, who was dead, and Daw Kha Kha, who was still alive at the time, were dumped outside an NLD office on Sunday night. A Thwe Thout lanyard was left around U Khin Maung Theins neck. U Tins body was found with the groups logo near the Sabel housing complex near Kannar Road.

A Mandalay Region NLD member confirmed the deaths to The Irrawaddy.

U Tin had been stabbed in the throat and U Khin Maung Thein was shot in his waist. Their bodies are being prepared for funerals, she said.

She added that Daw Kha Kha was shot in the head and had knife wounds on her throat and head. She is being treated at hospital and her condition is unknown.

Thwe Thout posted graphic images of the victims with lanyards on its Telegram channel.

It follows the launch by Mandalay guerrilla group Black Hades of its Operation Zeya, pledging to hunt regime soldiers and police but also their families.

Thwe Thout said on Thursday that they will launch Operation Red to counter Operation Zeya. Pro-regime Telegram accounts, such as Han Nyein Oo, distributed the statement.

Since late March last year, numerous regime informers, officials and allies have been killed by guerrilla groups.

Daw Soe Soe, 50, the wife of the vice-chairman of the NLD in Mandalay, U Ko Ko Lay, was killed during interrogation and her body was dumped beside a Mandalay road on Friday.

On Monday, Thwe Thout updated its hit list to include peoples defense force supporters, journalists and diaspora members supporting attacks on the regime. The list included family members.

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Analysis Myanmar Junta Chief Reveals His Egotism by Awarding Himself Honorary Titles

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing confers an honorary title on an individual on December 1, 2021. / Cincds

While Myanmar has descended into chaos since the February 2021 coup, junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is busy blowing his own trumpet. His egomania was exposed again on April 17, Myanmars New Years Day, when he awarded himself titles traditionally given to people who make huge contributions to the country.

Min Aung Hlaing gave himself two titles on April 17: Sadoe Thiri Thudhamma  The Most Glorious Order of Truth  and Sadoe Maha Thray Sithu  the Order of the Union of Myanmar. He also conferred honorary titles on former dictators. In doing so, he made himself a laughing stock with the Myanmar people.

He conferred the same titles he gave himself on former general and Vice President Myint Swe, who transferred power to Min Aung Hlaing on the day of the coup that ousted the civilian National League for Democracy (NLD) government that Myint Swe had previously served.

The highest titles in Myanmar are known as Thingaha Orders and are divided into two groups: Thudhamma Thingaha and Pyidaungsu Thingaha.

Agga Maha Thiri Thudhamma is the first class order in Thudhamma Thingaha and Agga Maha Thray Sithu is the first class order in Pyidaungsu Thingaha.

Min Aung Hlaing conferred both these titles posthumously on former Prime Minister U Nu, U San Yu, the puppet president during the Ne Win era of military rule, and Senior General Saw Maung, who took over as Prime Minister following the failed 1988 pro-democracy uprising.

The junta chief also gave former dictator Senior General Than Shwe, who handpicked Min Aung Hlaing as his successor as head of the Myanmar military, the Agga Maha Thray Sithu title, as well as awarding it posthumously to General Ne Win, who overthrew U Nus government in a 1962 coup.

Naypyitaw sources said that by giving out the titles to former dictators, Min Aung Hlaing is attempting to enhance his own status.

He wants to show that Than Shwes era is over and that he is the boss now, remarked a retired military officer.

Despite the fact that his regime faces intense armed resistance across most of the country, Min Aung Hlaing apparently believes that he is better than his mentor Than Shwe.

That was revealed by the fact that he awarded himself a higher title, Sadoe Thiri Thudhamma, than the one he conferred on Than Shwe.

Typically, the eligibility criteria is the same for both orders, and there is nothing that says one title is better than the other. However, the insignia for Thudhamma Thingaha titles are more lavish than the insignia for Pyidaungsu Thingaha titles.

The Sadoe Thiri Thudhamma title comes with a medal made with nine ticals of gold, and a salwe, or belt, which goes across the right shoulder and chest, made with 31 ticals of gold. The medal also has an 8.8 mm-diameter ruby surrounded by eight 5.8 mm rubies.

In contrast, the Agga Maha Thray Sithu title comes with a medal made with eight ticals of gold and without a salwe. And the medal has only a piece of jade and no rubies.

Min Aung Hlaing is expected to be seen wearing his new salwe at upcoming state occasions and when he receives credentials from newly-appointed foreign ambassadors.

A look at the list of honorary title recipients reveals that many appear to have been picked at random.

Former vice senior general Maung Aye, who was the second man in the former military regime led by Than Shwe, was not awarded any title. In fact, none of the top brass of the former military regime, five of whom are Than Shwes neighbors in Naypyitaw, were awarded titles.

It is safe to assume that U Thein Sein was excluded because he already has two Thingaha titles, awarded when he was President between 2011 and 2016. But Maung Aye, former Vice President U Tin Aung Myint Oo, former parliament speaker U Shwe Mann and former Union Election Commission head U Tin Aye were also not on the list. Nor was former military intelligence chief Khin Nyunt.

National League for Democracy patron U Tin Oo, who is a former military chief, was also not awarded a title.

Four former navy chiefs were given Sithu titles, but well-known navy chiefs U Soe Thein, U Thet Swe and U Nyan Tun were excluded. Five former air force chiefs were also given Sithu titles, but U Myat Hein, from Than Shwes era, and U Khin Aung Myint, who served during U Thein Seins time in power, were excluded.

Oddly, former air force chief Lwin Oo, who was in charge when the Myanmar Air Force bombed Chinas Yunnan Province in 2015 during fighting in northern Shan State, was given a Sithu title.

Lwin Oo was appointed as Myanmars Ambassador to Russia after the 2021 coup, and sources in Naypyitaw suggested his title is for his contribution to the juntas bilateral ties with Russia.

In the name of peace, Min Aung Hlaing also gave the Wunna Kyawhtin title to 25 leaders of ethnic armed organizations.

Controversial militia leader Zahkung Ting Ying from Kachin State Special Region 1 and U Aung Kham Hti from Special Region 6 in northern Shan State, who has close ties with Than Shwe, were among the Wunna Kyawhtin recipients.

Ethnic leaders who signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement were also given the Wunna Kyawhtin title. Among them were General Mutu Say Poe of the Karen National Union (KNU), General Yawd Serk of the Restoration Council of Shan State, Khun Okkar of the Pa-O National Liberation Organization, U Khaing Soe Naing from the Arakan Liberation Party and U Naing Shwe Kyin from the New Mon State Party.

Sources suggest that Min Aung Hlaing is attempting to split the KNU by awarding KNU chairman General Mutu Say Poe a title while the KNU is engaged in fierce fighting with the military regime.

Some ethnic leaders might be secretly happy that they were given the Wunna Kyawhtin title. But they might be disappointed if they know the precedence of the awards.

Wunna Kyawhtin is an award for outstanding performance. It is a lower ranking award than Thingaha titles and ranked below the Thiri Pyanchi and Zayya Kyawhtin titles.

Deputy junta ministers were given the Wunna Kyawhtin title on Armed Forces Day last month, and awarding it to ethnic leaders may be a sign of how the regime regards them. The Myanmar military attaches great importance to protocol and is well aware that the Wunna Kyawhtin title is less prestigious.

Deputy junta chief Vice Senior General Soe Win is mainly responsible for scrutinizing individuals for honorary awards, along with deputy home affairs minister Major General Soe Tint Naing. Min Aung Hlaing reviews the list of nominees and signs off on them.

While Min Aung Hlaing is to be criticized for awarding himself titles, his deputy Soe Win cant be spared criticism either. He awarded himself the Thray Sithu title on Independence Day in January.

Min Aung Hlaing also holds the Thray Sithu title, which was conferred on him by former President U Thein Sein. He was awarded no titles under the NLD government, but has given himself two titles one year after he seized power.

A retired military officer said he could not help laughing after he read about the award of the titles on April 17.

A little over a year after the coup, the regime has already given out thousands of titles, a display of egoism that is a considerable waste of public funds. On Independence Day alone in January, the regime awarded more than 1,200 medals, many of them posthumously. Another 1,009 people received titles, medals and badges on Armed Forces Day and on April 17.

The regime plans to spend 850 billion kyats on pensions and honorary awards in the current fiscal year, according to its budget. In stark contrast, the electricity budget is less than 700 billion kyats. That alone reveals that satisfying his own ego is more important to Min Aung Hlaing than providing electricity to the Myanmar people who have to endure daily power cuts.

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Guest Column ASEANs Peace Efforts Dead in the Water

Fires rage in Thantlang in Chin State on October 29, 2021, amid junta shells, leaving more than 160 buildings destroyed. / AFP

Burmas decline into failed state status began on February 1, 2021. Amid overwhelming public opposition to the coup detat, the military resorted to indiscriminate violence and terror. The deteriorating situation got so bad, with international pressure and media reports, that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was forced to call an urgent meeting with the regimes leader, Min Aung Hlaing, in Jakarta on April 24.

The escalating deaths in the crackdowns leading up to the meeting made the junta directly refute the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)s internationally recognized fatality statistics as fake and hoax news in an absurd leaked 118-page briefing to diplomats.

Burmas democratic representatives in exile were not invited and a five-point consensus was a tentative starting point which ignored the detention of thousands of political prisoners. ASEANs focus on returning the country to a 2008 Constitution status-quo meant the five-point consensus did not reflect the peoples wishes.

The people are not resisting a brutal regime to restore an undemocratic constitution. The younger generation is fighting the regime for a truly federal, democratic charter formulated by the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC).

Last year, Marzuki Darusman of the pressure group Special Advisory Council for Myanmar said: The consensus must be followed by swift action.

But a year later, the five-point consensus is dead in the water.

Following that ASEAN meeting, the junta has murdered at least 1,007 people, including 89 children. It is increasingly detaining relatives and friends of activists as hostages, with 282 seized since the meeting.

It did not take long for the junta to break the first point on the immediate cessation of violence. On the day of the Jakarta meeting, 56-year-old Hinn Oo from Naypyidaw was killed by the junta during a motorbike demonstration in Pyinmana Township.

The AAPPs documentation of the killings and detentions are recognized as the credible figure, even though we maintain the actual number will be much higher because of our strict verification criteria and there are plenty of other human rights violations.

Entire villages are being burned and destroyed whilst humanitarian aid is used as a weapon of collective punishment by the military. Aid workers are attacked across the country. In Kayah State, at least 37 people, including two international aid workers, were massacred on December 24, 2021, in Hpruso, and their bodies found burned to ash.

On April 3, junta troops forced a World Food Program delivery for displaced people in Magwe Region to return. The junta does not provide humanitarian assistance under the fourth part of ASEANs consensus as it benefits a civilian population overwhelmingly resistant to military rule.

ASEAN was founded to promote economic and security integration. It needs to understand military-sponsored terrorism will have profound implications for the region. All our neighbors want stability. The military and its aligned militias will scramble to crush resistance whatever the cost.

No ASEAN envoy has had success with the third or fifth points to facilitate mediation and meet with all parties. Bruneis envoy, Erywan Yusof, could not even visit the country. Cambodia is the current chair of ASEAN but is beholden to China. Our unneighborly superpower hedged its bets with the National League for Democracy before the coup but has since pressured Cambodia to engage with the junta and ignore the peoples wishes.

Beijing must see the National Unity Government (NUG) as the viable and authentic stakeholders if it really wants stability.

Two key stakeholders, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint, remain detained in secret locations in Naypyidaw, facing kangaroo courts. Burma has representatives from the NUG, NUCC and Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw not in torturous prisons and available for talks.

However, on Armed Forces Day this year, Min Aung Hlaing pledged to annihilate to the end resistance to the military junta. He meant Burmas democratic representatives who he labeled as terrorist organizations on May 8, 2021. Hardly the constructive dialogue among all parties envisioned in the second point of ASEANS consensus.

The world can see the juntas State Administrative Council is committing crimes against humanity and war crimes. Just recently, the United States formally determined Burmas military committed genocide against the Rohingya people.

This authoritarian organization cannot create stability because it causes the disorder. We need democratic allies to push ASEAN to revisit the five-point consensus as it is plainly going nowhere as it is.

Bo Kyi is a former political prisoner and current joint secretary of the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners Burma.

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The Florida home insurance crisis has seen nine property insurance companies in the state -- the latest Orlando-based St. Johns Insurance and Tampa-based Avatar Property and Casualty - liquidate their holdings, leaving consumers, in many cases, without coverage.

There also have been multiple reports of homeowners policies doubling, or being canceled, in some cases just for a 10-year-old roof.

Living near the ocean in a Key Biscayne condominium, Fausto Gomez became increasingly concerned when his and the neighbors windstorm insurance premiums were easily going up 20% every year.

The double-digit increases, frankly, are unsustainable, he said.

So, the Key Biscayne Condominium Presidents' Council, decided to do something.

Earlier this year, they brought in Sha' Ron James, Florida's former Insurance Consumer Advocate, to educate the public during an interactive presentation in the Crossbridge Church auditorium, where she offered advice and a warning of what was to come.

The issue is dire, Gomez said this past week. We knew about the crisis (developing). We understand it. Before folks were talking about the insurance problem that we have now, we knew what was (happening) and that's why we were proactive.

It's one of the most important issues (facing consumers and legislators) in Florida ... accessibility to get coverage and affordability to pay for it.

Gomez had known James from her work when she represented insurance consumers before the Office of Insurance Regulation.

I suggested she educate the Key Biscayne residents on the insurance market and what we can do to ameliorate the rates and continue to afford it, Gomez said. It's not only (affecting) condo owners, but single-family homeowners as well.

James, a Tallahassee-based attorney for Gunster, Florida's law firm for business, said: Property risk in Florida might be one of the most challenging insurance markets in the world.

Among some of the statistics she mentioned:

- There are more than 4,400 insurance-related entities in Florida writing over $154 billion in premiums;

- There are 7.5 million property insurance policies in force;

- Florida has the third-highest property insurance rates in the nation; and

- Roughly 12% of U.S. coastal exposure is in Florida, yet over 50% of related losses come from Florida.

James said through the first nine months of 2021, Florida's market carriers had a reported net loss of $438 million, and that Citizens, the state-created insurer of last resort, is projecting it will have more than 1 million policyholders this year, putting it in financial peril in the event of a catastrophic storm.

Prior to Hurricane Irma in 2017, she said, Florida had gone 10 years without a major storm and reinsurance rates were very low. Since that time, rates have increased significantly.

James said reinsurance carriers insure risks both nationally and globally, so storms, fires or other disasters in other states -- or even countries -- can have a rippling effect on Florida's rates. Now, reinsurance rates have jumped into the double digits, 10% per year over the past few years, she said.

So, when insurance companies have to take a 10% or more increase on insuring their hurricane risk exposure, they always try and pass that through to the insured, through rate increases, she explained.

Gomez said reinsurance is the real argument in soaring prices, snubbing the idea that Floridas rates have been predominantly linked to complete roof replacements and countless lawsuits on those types of claims, as David Altmaier, the Commissioner of the Office of Insurance Regulation, explained to the Florida Cabinet last week.

Insurance companies have to buy their insurance from reinsurers (to protect their risks), Gomez said. A fire in Paris, let's say, affects the rates in New Castle, PA.

James said several factors also are involved when it comes to insurance companies risk-taking business.

The age and location of coastal condominiums play a huge factor, she said, adding that many are from the condo boom of the 1980's, and those that are 40 years and older is when we start to see a lot of plumbing-related issues.

And now, especially since the condo collapse in Surfside last summer, more insurance companies are requiring updated (county-mandated) inspections.

Another factor, James said, that plays into what she calls Underwriting or Market Uncertainty is the crystal ball factor" driven by data, analytics and meteorologists' predictions, for example.

Consider the fact there have been more than 100 named storms over the past five years.

In the 2021 hurricane season, there were 21 named storms, seven of which were hurricanes, four that were Category 3 or stronger, and three that made landfall in Florida -- Elsa, Fred and Mindy. Only two other Atlantic hurricane seasons have had more than 21 named storms (28 in 2005 and 30 in 2020).

James said the Florida insurance market is very fragile, meaning that the balance between supply (insurance companies in the market) and demand (consumers in the market) is delicate.

Insolvencies, a significant risk exposure, less policy counts (on the demand side) and the growth in population have all contributed to a shrinking private market in Florida, she said.

A recent report, titled Priced Out of Paradise from WPTV in West Palm Beach, showed that in 2021, the average homeowners policy in Florida soared to $3,643, while the national average was $2,305 (based on data from insurance.com).

Lee Burke, president and CEO of the insurance agency Burke, Bogart & Brownell, Inc., in Boca Raton, said there would be a much more competitive market providing options, if we didnt have the fraud and abuse.

He went on to say that legislators need to take drastic action now, or else we may not have any insurance market for a large portion of homeowners insurance buyers in the near future.

James did recommend working with your agent or a broker; consider increasing your deductible; and consider paying off smaller claims with your reserves, or savings, so a relatively inexpensive claim wont count against you.

Along those lines, independent insurance agent James Cleveland of Lake Mary's Insurance Services of Central Florida offered other suggestions in a report last week by NBC affiliate WESH-TV in Orlando.

When it comes to roofs, insist on a policy with a replacement value, rather than getting a depreciating, cash offer, Cleveland said.

He also said that paying for a four-point and a wind mitigation inspection might cost a couple hundred dollars up front, but it could make you more attractive to a new company as, of course, a new roof would.

Sometimes it doesnt net the premium savings we want it to, but in most cases it does, Cleveland said.

Finally, he said, read past the deductible and premium page to know what's actually covered and what's not.

You're buying a promise. It's a piece of paper, a promise. But you want to make sure it's the right promise, Cleveland said in his interview.
Chinas home-built aircraft carrier Shandong starts 1st maintenance, refurbishment: media reports

By Liu Xuanzun (Global Times) 13:33, April 25, 2022

The picture shows aircraft carrier Shandong berths at a naval port in Sanya. China's first domestically-made aircraft carrier Shandong (Hull 17) was officially commissioned to the PLA Navy at a military port in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province, on the afternoon of December 17, 2019, making China one of the few countries in the world that have multiple carriers. Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the commissioning ceremony for the new aircraft carrier, which was named after China's eastern province of Shandong, and handed military flag to Senior Captain Lai Yijun, commander of the ship. Photo:China Military

The Shandong, China's second aircraft carrier and the first developed domestically, reportedly started its first scheduled maintenance and refurbishment that is expected to enhance the flattop's usability after more than two years of active service. The procedure could involve the painting of new non-skid coating as well as repairs and upgrades for some subsystems, and the carrier would come back stronger than ever in a few months, observers said on Sunday.

Moored in a berth at Dalian Shipyard in Northeast China's LiaoningProvince where the carrier was constructed, the Shandongwas receiving painting of new non-skid coating to its flight deck on Saturday, the 73rd founding anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, Hong Kong-based news website wenweipo.com reported on the day.

This is the first scheduled usability enhancement maintenance of the Shandongback at its shipyard since its commissioning into the PLA Navy in December 2019 in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province, and the workers at the shipyard are working extra shifts for the refurbishment, according to the wenweipo.com report.

The main dock of the Dalian Shipyard has been cleared after a civilian ship left on April 13, but the Shandonghas not yet entered the dock, the report said.

On March 18, the Shandongsailed through the Taiwan Straits from south to north without aircraft on its flight deck, Reuters reported at the time, citing the island of Taiwan's defense authority and an anonymous source. Analysts said then that the carrier was likely on its way from its homeport in Sanya to its shipyard in Dalian for a regular maintenance.

In addition to refreshing the non-skid coating of the flight deck, the maintenance could also feature the refurbishment, repair and upgrade of some subsystems that tends to wear and tear, like the arresting gear, the power system, pipelines and electronics systems, a military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday.

A comprehensive examination to the carrier could be carried out, and upgrades and overhaul could be made to those parts that encountered problems or can be optimized based on the experiences gained over the past two years, the expert said.

It is totally normal for aircraft carriers to conduct this kind of regular maintenance, and this procedure could take a few months, the expert said, noting that the Shandongwould become more powerful and combat-ready after the refurbishment.

A refurbishment to the Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, took about six months, from July 2018 to January 2019, also in the Dalian Shipyard, according to media reports.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
: WangLimin (), : NewYork

 : My Call Response to "Social Worker" "Danielle Heckman" ---

: social worker Danielle Heckman,Bronx High School of Science,My Daughter Alexandria Wang,Been Seduced and Abducted,American Evil System

: BBS  (Mon Apr 25 16:46:38 2022, )

My Call Response to the Missed Call & Voice Message Left by "Social Worker"

"Danielle Heckman" from Bronx High School of Science

--- My Daughter Alexandria Wang Has Been Seduced and Abducted by the

Humanscums of the American Evil System

by Limin Wang

April 25, 2022



The missed call showed a number of +17188177700 on my phone screen at 9:52

AM, April 25, 2022. When I checked the voice message, the caller was calling

her "phone receiver" as "Sha" or "Shia", then identifying herself as "

Danielle Heckman, social worker at Bronx High School of Science (Bronx

Science, or BS)", claiming she met with Alexandria today, and claiming a

little "worry" about Alexandria, and so asking a call-back at (718)817-7803.

On this live broadcast, I would first show the recorded voice message, and

then call (718)817-7803. BECAUSE IF I DID NOT CALL BACK AT "DANIELLE HECKMAN

" DUE TO MY CHILD'S TEXT-MESSAGES CLAIMING "DANIELLE" MEANT TO CALL "ANOTHER

PERSON" NAMED SALLY, SOON THE HUMANSCUMS OF THE AMERICAN EVIL SYSTEM,

INCLUDING THE NYC "ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN'S SERVICES" AND "QUEENS

COUNTY FAMILY COURT", WOULD ONLY DISTORT THE FACT TO A VICIOUS ALLEGATION

THAT THE PARENT HAD NOT RESPONDED TO THESE HUMANSCUMS! THE NYC ACS'S "

ATTORNEY" "RACHEL RADOMSKI" WAS OPENLY SAYING SUCH VICIOUS LIES IN "VIRTUAL"

"COURT" AT 10:00 AM, APRIL 05, 2022, TUESDAY, FOR THEIR SCHEDULED "PERMANCE

HEARING" OF THIS "CHILD NEGLECT CASE" NN-09918-21. People, please check out

my live broadcasts on Facebook during these SHAM AND SHAME "Court" "

Hearings"! ANYTHING EVIL THE HUMANSCUMS OF THE AMERICAN EVIL SYSTEM COULD DO!



As I had expected, that BS "social worker" HUMANSCUM "Danielle Heckman"

first responded to my call without a surprise, then would not answer whom

she referred to as "Sha" or "Shia", and then stated that she was NOT going

to call me today at all, and would not tell me what's going on with my

daughter Alexandria Wang today, and would claim the situation of Alexandria

had been "taken care of" by the "foster care", and would even further assert

her PROSTITUTE IDEA of "privacy" over the SERIOUS MATTER THAT MY DAUGHTER

ALEXANDRIA WANG HAS BEEN DE FACTO SEDUCED AND ABDUCTED BY THE HUMANSCUMS OF

THE AMERICAN EVIL SYSTEM. "Danielle Heckman" would not engage with a

discussion with me about the AMERICAN EVIL SYSTEM'S "LAWS", so she soon hung

up my call.



What "Danielle Heckman" from BS had "communicated" with me before this 04/25

/2022 "accident" "misplaced" call to me? Only ONE PHONE CALL from (718) 817-

7700, On October 1st, 2021, a National Day to Chinese, during which "

Danielle Heckman" claimed she needed to ask my "permission" for the BS to

send homework to Alexandria Wang who had been forcefully strapped and

transferred and de facto jailed to/in South Oaks Hospital, WITHOUT either

parent's CONSENT or ACCOMPANY, even the SHAM ACCOMPANY. Other than that,

there was only ONE voice message FOUND in my phone voice message box but NOT

NOTIFIED by the phone or phone service, from "Danielle Heckman", left ONLY

AFTER the HUMANSCUMS at BS had already seduced and arranged Alexandria to

desert into a undisclosed "friend's" home basement on and after Sept. 20,

2021, and ONLY AFTER Alexandria had been seduced and abducted by the two

Precinct 109 HUMANSCUMS as cops on the night of Sept. 24-25, 2021 when I the

father was the caller to 911 in the first time point when Alexandria had

already packed her backpack and gone outside of the building. My 911 calls,

twice, about 15 minutes apart, were meant to see whether the STATE

TERRORISTS AS COPS WOULD DO THE FAMILY ANY GOOD. Please check out my other

posts online about the NYC police. "Danielle Heckman" did not provide any

content about the matter of my daughter Alexandria Wang in that prior voice

message. There has been NO OTHER communication at all, such as phone calls,

text messages, or emails, or even in person contacts, for the past SEVEN

MONTHS already.



What's the "privacy" those Humanscums of the American Evil System have

brainwashed into my children? Those AES Humanscums had made "legal decisions

" through the Queens County "Family Court" that as if Alexandria had the "

adult" wisdom and freedom to choose NOT to have any contact or communication

with the Parents, even phone calls or text messages. If the AES took

Alexandria, still <18-yr-old, as a legal adult now, then the AES HUMANSCUMS

should have stayed the fuck away from their so-called "Children's Services"

and "Family Court" against me the father. The AES Humanscums have put "

RESTRICTION" order with their STATE TERRORISTS AS NYC COPS to TOTALLY

ISOLATE THE CHILDREN AND THE PARENTS. Meanwhile, those AES HUMANSCUMS even

USED FRAUDSTERS' TRICKS AND even INCLUDED ON BODY-CAMERA VIDEOS, TO ASK MY

CHILDREN QUESTIONS OF REAL PERSONAL MATTERS, NONE OF THOSE HUMANSCUMS' "

BUSINESS", AND THEN THE AES HUMANSCUMS TWIST THEIR OWN THOUGHTS/WANTS AS MY

DAUGHTERS' WORDS AND THEN AS "REAL THINGS." Check out what those AES

Humanscums HAVE SAID and WRITTEN and DONE on this "child neglect case" NN-

09918-21. Why I should not present to the WHOLE ONLINE WORLD, if any human

cares about facts and truth and justice, by living broadcast THE ALMOST

IMPOSSIBILITY TO EVEN COMMUNICATE WITH MY OWN DAUGHTERS, OR TO KNOW THEIR

REAL SITUATIONS FROM ANY TRUSTABLE ONE? I recently also started to share

online WHAT A PSYCHIATRIC OR PSYCHOPATHIC ADULT WOMAN LI LI HAS BEEN TURNED

INTO BY THE AES HUMANSCUMS DURING LI LI'S TWICE DESERTIONS SEDUCED, COERCED,

AIDED AND ABETTED BY THE AES HUMANSCUMS, INCLUDING NYC PRECINCT 109 COPS,

IN YEAR 2014 AND THEN RETURN IN 2015. WE SHALL NEVER SUFFER LIKE THIS FOR

YEARS ANY MORE!!!!!! THE AES MUST PAY OR DIE!!!! THE AES HUMANSCUMS MUST PAY

OR DIE!!!!! It's not a violation of "privacy", just like I live-broadcast

the SHAM AND SHAME "Court Hearings" against the AES HUMANSCUMS' REPETITIVE

REMINDING OF PROHIBITION, IT'S ABOUT TRUTH AND JUSTICE!!!!!!



DOWN THE AMERICAN EVIL SYSTEM!!!!!!! DOWN THE AES HUMANSCUMS!!!!!



The audio recording of the voice message and then my phone call to "social

worker" "Danielle Heckman" was (live) recorded to Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/limin.wang.94651/videos/553464549729190





--

WangLimin People's Voice

http://blog.mitbbs.com/WangLimin

http://www.mitbbs.com/pc/index/WangLimin

 :WangLimin  Apr 26 12:40:16 2022 [FROM: 2603:7000:101:87]

 :WWW  mitbbs.com [FROM: 2603:7000:101:8]


Former TPG executive Dan Lloyd will join British communications service provider Ofcom as group director of its spectrum division.

Lloyd has more than 20 years of experience in the wireless and technology sectors, working across ten countries over his career.

He was group executive wholesale at TPG Telecom Australia. He was responsible for leading both the wholesale and intercarrier team and the cross-functional Spectrum strategy group.

Lloyd has also held senior management positions with Vodafone UK and India. He has chaired both the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) and the Vodafone Australia Foundation, and served as board director for the UK-India Business Council.

As group director, Lloyd will oversee Ofcoms spectrum division next month to ensure that the UK's wireless spectrum is deployed efficiently.

"The spectrum group has a critical role in managing exponentially increasing demand for innovative wireless services. The breadth and depth of expertise in Ofcoms spectrum group and senior management team is simply world-class, so it is a great pleasure to be joining Melanie and the team to lead this challenging area," Lloyd said on his appointment.

The role of group director for Spectrum needs a global outlook, as we work with other countries on spectrum policy and management. Dan has the international, commercial and spectrum experience Ofcom needs in this role, and Im very much looking forward to working with him, concluded Ofcom CEO Dame Melanie Dawes.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 8 April 2022.
Telecom giant Huawei has named chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, who returned to China in 2021 after nearly three years of detention in Canada, as its rotating chairwoman, according to the companys website.

The daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, Meng will act as the companys head honcho and will lead Huaweis board of directors when it is her turn, reported Nikkei Asia. The announcement did not mention when her term would start.

Huaweis rotating chairmen are Eric Xu and Ken Hu. The company has maintained that Meng will still be chief financial officer. Aside from leading the companys finances, Meng also holds the role of deputy chairwoman.

Reports also noted that she is first rotating chair since the company started the management system in 2018.

Mengs appointment comes more than six months after her arbitrary detention in Canada. ITWire reported she was detained in 2018 over alleged attempts by Huawei-linked companies to sell equipment to Iran in breach of US sanctions.

She was allowed to return to China in September after striking a deal with the US Department of Justice to end a bank fraud case.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 6 April 2022.
Swedish vendor Ericsson has suspended its business in Russia indefinitely to comply with European sanctions weeks after the country invaded Ukraine.

This suspension has consequences: in a statement, Ericsson noted it would record a loss of SEK900 million (US$95.5 million) in the first quarter of 2022, impairing its assets and other exceptional costs.

Ericsson is engaging with customers and partners regarding the indefinite suspension of the affected business. The priority is to focus on the safety and well-being of Ericsson employees in Russia, Ericsson explained.

The telecommunications vendor has worked with Russian mobile operators over the years prior to the invasion. According to Mobile World Live, the company recently partnered with MTS to develop 5G private networks, and has also collaborated with the operator on testing and deploying next-generation technology.

Nokia also suspended its deliveries last March temporarily.

In the same month, according to the same Mobile World Live report, Nokia refuted claims by The New York Times that it played a role in SORM, Russias lawful intercept system.

Nokia said it does not install SORM equipment or systems.

While the two telecommunications companies have suspended their business, Chinas Huawei continues to operate in Russia.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 12 April 2022.
Worldwide telecom capex, the sum of wireless and wireline telecom investments, increased by 9% year-over-year and remained on track to slow down by 3% in 2022 before tapering off in 2023 and 2024, according to research firm DellOro Groups Telecom Capex forecast report.

DellOro Group says that their preliminary readings confirm the positive momentum and the growth projections it previously communicated in its telecom equipment programs (broadband access, microwave transmission and mobile backhaul, optical transport, mobile core network, radio access network, service provider routers and switch).

"Telco investments, in general, have shown remarkable resilience to external factors including COVID-19 containment measures, supply chain disruptions, and economic uncertainties," explains DellOro Group vice president and analyst Stefan Pongratz.

"Surging wireless investments in the US taken together with non-mobile capex expansions in China will keep the momentum going in 2022," says Pongratz.

DellOro Group highlights the following in its three-year Telecom Capex forecast report:

Global capex growth is expected to slow down from 9% in 2021 to 3% in 2022, before tapering off in 2023 and 2024.

The coupling between carrier investments and manufacturing infrastructure revenues is expected to prevail over the short-termcapex and telecom equipment are on track to advance 3% and 4% in 2022, respectively.

Short-term output acceleration is expected to be relatively broad-based, with investments growing in China and the US. At the same time, challenging comparisons in the US are expected to drag down the overall capex in the outer part of the forecast.

Following a strong showing in 2021, capex growth prospects across Europe will be more muted in 2022.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 7 April 2022.
Today

Partly cloudy. Gusty winds diminishing after midnight. Low 58F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Gusty winds diminishing after midnight. Low 58F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph.

Tomorrow

Mostly sunny skies. High 86F. WNW winds at 5 to 10 mph, increasing to 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
MOTORISTS behind in their vehicle licence payments to Zinara have a lucky break from tomorrow to April 30 during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair where they will be allowed to clear arrears without incurring any penalties.

They can pay at any Zinara office or agent.

In an interview, Zinara public relations and marketing manager Mr Tendai Mugabe said this was part of the ZITF promotion held annually.

He urged motorists with arrears to take advantage of this window period to regularise their vehicle licences at minimum cost.

We want to encourage motorists who have arrears to take advantage of this window period to regularise their vehicle licences at Zinara offices or that of our licensing agents countrywide, Mr Mugabe said.

He urged motorists to clear their arrears as the money was necessary for the maintenance of national roads.

We have the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme 2 launched by President Mnangagwa that we are funding together with Treasury, said Mr Mugabe.

As Zinara, we salute all motorists who are paying their vehicle licences because this has enabled us to make timely disbursements to road authorities. We are also appealing to road authorities to expedite their acquittal processes to accelerate the refurbishment of our road network.

Mr Mugabe said apart from the amnesty, Zinara would give tollgate exemption coupons to motorists who are up to date with payment of their licences during ZITF. The Government is this year targeting to rehabilitate and reconstruct 840km of surfaced roads and to re-gravel 8 340km.

About 17 093km of road network is set to re-graded while 1 290km will be resealed. Masvingo Mirror
The Paramount Chamber Players ensemble will celebrate its Past, Present and Future with four performances in and around the Tri-Cities.
THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) yesterday said it was going after officials at the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, who it accuses of fuelling corruption at the borders.

The anti-graft body said the countrys borders had become enablers of high-level criminal activity, including drug trafficking, livestock theft, money-laundering and smuggling of minerals, which it says is costing the country about US$1,8 billion per annum in illicit financial flows.

Zacc has lately been targeting cross-border transporters to stop rampant smuggling of goods and human trafficking.

The sting operation has irked transport operators, who feel they were being unfairly treated.

Officially opening a capacity-building workshop on financial investigation and asset recovery, facilitated by the International Centre for Asset Recovery, Zacc chairperson Loice Matanda-Moyo said they were targeting the taxman and other law enforcement agencies for abetting corruption at the borders.

Investigations are underway, and we are investigating Zimra officials and the law enforcement agencies at the border posts to find out how those buses are actually bypassing regulations at the entry points, Matanda-Moyo said.

The buses are now being used to carry contraband from South Africa, and they are evading taxes. One of the cases we are fighting is smuggling, which has become so intense in the country, resulting in the loss of billions of dollars in revenue. Once we dwindle funds to the State, then there will be no funds to build infrastructure, no funds to provide drugs in the hospitals, no funds to build even schools, and so everybody needs to know that they must comply with the rules.

She said high-profile individuals would also be investigated if they were found to be involved in smuggling activities.

People must learn to follow the rules and thats why we are on a campaign right now to educate members of the public on the dangers of participating in corruption, which is expensive for the country, Matanda-Moyo said.

All assets seized will be forfeited to the State, she added. She, however, bemoaned lack of skills among law enforcement agents to help fight graft. Newsday
As described in great details by the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) in its recent final report, Gambias former autocratic ruler Yahya Jammeh presided over a regime that committed many human rights violations from 1994 to 2017, though under a veil of secrecy. In the dictators toolbox to muzzle the press and rights activists and target political opponents was a security outfit of ruthless enforcers: the Junglers. Little was known about the inner workings of the feared paramilitary group  their structure, missions and members  until the countrys TRRC investigated it and had several former Junglers coming forward and testifying about their deeds.

On April 25, the trial of an alleged member of the hit squad opens before a court in the city of Celle, near Hanover, in Northern Germany. It is the first trial of a Gambian under the principles of universal jurisdiction, that allows countries to try individuals for serious crimes committed abroad.

First self-confessed Jungler

Baboucar Bai Lowe, a class 2 warrant officer now 46-years old, was actually the first person to take Gambians beneath that veil of secrecy when he revealed his role a few years before Jammehs fall after going into exile to Germany.

Lowe joined the army in 1997, three years after Jammehs military coup, according to a 2013 interview he gave to an opposition US-based Gambian media, Freedom radio. He was posted at the State House and later became a driver in the military. In 2002 he left for commando training in Gaddafis Libya with 31 others. Upon his return, he was deployed to Kanilai, Jammehs stronghold. Thats when he said he became a driver of the Junglers. However, a few years later he joined the opposition to campaign against the dictator, left the country and started to disclose many state secrets to Gambian online media sites. He accused Jammeh to be behind a number of crimes and named several officials at the time, including Ousman Sonko, a former Minister of Internal Affairs who is now prosecuted in Switzerland.

Baboucar Bai Lowe, in an undated photo published in the Gambian newspaper The Standard.

Justice catching up

With revelations flowing before the TRRC after public hearings started in January 2019 German justice decided Lowe should be held to account. He was arrested in March 2021 and has been in pre-trial detention since then. He is charged with three counts of crimes against humanity for being allegedly involved in the attempted murder of lawyer Ousman Sillah in 2003, as well as in the murders of renowned journalist Deyda Hydara in 2004, and of Jammehs perceived political opponent Dawda Nyassi in 2006.

Ousman Sillah was one of the lawyers of Baba Jobe, a former close associate of Jammeh who was jailed for tax evasion. Jobe died while in prison. Before the Truth commission, former Jungler Omar Jallow confessed to participating in his execution. Sillah survived an attack on his life in 2005. In the TRRC report, the commissioners wrote that Bai Lowe who was a member of the Jungler squad sent to assassinate Lawyer Ousman Sillah would later reveal to Freedom on line newspaper how they were ordered by Yahya Jammeh to assassinate Lawyer Ousman Sillah. The Junglers attempted to carry out the plan, but they failed by divine intervention.

Dawda Nyassi was a Gambian citizen who had gone to Liberia to fight in that countrys civil war. When he came back to Gambia, Jammeh allegedly ordered his murder as he suspected Nyassi of having plans to overthrow him.

Lowe was also reportedly involved in the murder of Haruna Jammeh, a cousin of Yahya Jammeh although this killing is not included in the trial in Germany.

Gambias TRRC has also called for Bai Lowes prosecution in the murder of 59 West African migrants in 2005  a mass crime on which Lowe gave much details in earlier interviews  and groups have called for German authorities to investigate this massacre. 

Doubts on Gambian governments commitment to justice

The trial of Bai Lowe opens while more questions hover over Gambias president Adama Barrows commitment to ensure justice for Jammeh-era crimes. Last week, Barrow appointed as speaker of the National Assembly  the countrys third most powerful person  the leader of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction party (APRC), Fabakary Tombong Jatta. The new vice-president of the parliament, Seedy Njie, is a former Information Minister under Jammeh who declared Barrows election in December 2016 was stolen, left with the dictator to Equatorial Guinea before coming back, joining Barrow and helping him form theNational Peoples Party which he now serves at the deputy spokesperson.

While Jammeh still lives in exile in Equatorial Guinea, the APRC leadership has, for the last 5 years, run a relentless campaign against the TRRC. Gambias Justice Minister Dawda Jallow told Justice Info the government is still committed to justice. We are working with the German authorities on this issue. Because of the critical nature of mutual legal assistance, we will not be able to spell out details, he also said. But critics and victims have expressed their doubts.

The long arm of the law is catching up to Yahya Jammeh and his accomplices around the world, said Reed Brody of the International Commission of Jurists who works with Jammehs victims. Jammehs henchmen have been arrested in Germany, Switzerland and the United States, and the Gambian truth commission has called for the prosecution of his accomplices in The Gambia, and of Jammeh himself. In his view, the trial in Germany takes on even greater importance now as potential roadblocks to accountability have suddenly appeared in The Gambia, with the appointment of legislative leaders who have spoken out against the transitional justice process.

Baba Hydara is a son of murdered journalist Deyda Hydara and a plaintiff in the Bai Lowe case. It has been a relief. We have been waiting for 18 years for someone to be held accountable. We consider this a start for justice to be finally delivered for the victims. This is not the end. There are others involved, he told Justice Info. The trial of Bai Lowe is a wake-up call for the Gambia. If we cant find justice in our own country, we will go elsewhere. That is why this Bai Lowe trial symbolizes a lot. The main culprit is Yahya Jammeh. When Jammeh has a day in court, that day we will say we have done it. It will be a long journey but we are relentless, he said.
A Gambian man went on trial in Germany Monday, accused of belonging to a death squad that assassinated opponents of former dictator Yahya Jammeh, including an AFP journalist.

The suspect, identified by media as Bai Lowe, is accused of crimes against humanity, murder and attempted murder, including the 2004 killing of AFP correspondent Deyda Hydara.

Lowe, 46, wore a black hooded coat and hid his face behind a green folder as he arrived in court in the northern town of Celle.

The trial is the first to prosecute human rights violations committed in Gambia during the Jammeh era on the basis of universal jurisdiction, according to Human Rights Watch.

Universal jurisdiction allows a foreign country to prosecute crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, regardless of where they were committed.

Outside the courtroom, activists held a placard demanding that Jammeh and his accomplices be brought to justice.

Lowe is accused of involvement in two murders and one attempted murder while working as a driver for the hit squad known as the Junglers between December 2003 and December 2006.

This unit was used by the then-president of Gambia to carry out illegal killing orders, among other things with the aim of intimidating the Gambian population and suppressing the opposition, according to federal prosecutors.

Hydara, 58, was gunned down in his car on the outskirts of the Gambian capital Banjul on December 16, 2004.

Lowe is accused of having helped stop Hydaras car before driving one of the killers in his own vehicle.

 Controversial column 

Hydara was an editor and co-founder of the independent daily The Point and a correspondent for AFP for more than 30 years.

The father-of-four also worked as a Gambia correspondent for the NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and was considered a doyen among journalists in the tiny West African state.

In his newspaper The Point, he had a widely read column, Good morning, Mr President, in which he expressed his views on Gambian politics.

According to investigations by RSF, Hydara was being spied on by Gambian intelligence services just before his death.

Hydara was a tenacious and really stubborn journalist, according to his son Baba Hydara, 45.

This is a day we have been waiting for for 18 years, he told AFP outside the court.

Its an important day for justice but it is just the beginning of a long journey, he said, expressing a hope that Jammeh would also be judged.

The days hearing was mainly devoted to technical issues and Lowe, who kept his hooded coat on throughout, did not address the court.

But Baba Hydara said at the end of the hearing: It was good, this face to face with him.

Prosecutors also accuse Lowe of having driven members of the Junglers to a location in Banjul in 2003 to assassinate lawyer Ousman Sillah, who survived the attack with serious injuries.

 Important day for justice 

In a third incident in 2006, Lowe is accused of having driven members of the unit to a site near Banjul airport where they shot and killed Dawda Nyassi, considered an opponent of the president.

The court heard that he arrived in Europe via Senegal in December 2012, seeking asylum as a political refugee who feared for his life under president Jammeh.

The evidence against him includes a telephone interview he gave in 2013 to a US-based Gambian radio station, in which he described his participation in the attacks, according to police.

While he has refused to confirm his account in interviews with police, investigators found thousands of photos on his mobile phone which they say indicate his involvement in the killings.

Jammeh ruled Gambia with an iron fist for 22 years but fled the country in January 2017 after losing a presidential election to relative unknown Adama Barrow.

He refused to acknowledge the results but was forced out by a popular uprising and fled to Equatorial Guinea.

Lowe is the third alleged accomplice of Jammeh to be detained abroad.

The other suspects are Gambias former interior minister, Ousman Sonko, under investigation in Switzerland since 2017, and another former Jungler, Michael Sang Correa, indicted in June 2020 in the United States.

A statement from Gambias justice ministry and attorney general welcomed the German trial and said they were working closely with German officials to gather evidence related to the alleged offences.

The trial, which is the first of many, highlights the Governments commitment to accountability for crimes of the past, the statement added.

Patrick Kroker, a lawyer for Baba Hydara, told AFP outside the court that the opening of the trial was an important day for justice.

We hope it will be a signal to Switzerland and the United States, but also Gambia, he added.

dac-fec/jj/imm

UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP
The International Criminal Courts chief prosecutor will join an EU investigations team to probe possible international crimes committed in Ukraine, the EUs judicial cooperation agency said Monday.

It will be the first time the Hague-based ICC  set up in 2002 as an independent tribunal to probe the worlds worst crimes  will take part in a joint investigation with other countries.

The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague will become a participant in the joint investigation team (JIT) on alleged core international crimes committed in Ukraine, Eurojust said in a statement.

Chief prosecutor Karim Khan has signed an agreement with prosecutors general of Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine to take part in a joint investigative team to look into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed since Russias invasion on February 24.

The agreement aims to facilitate investigations and prosecutions in the concerned states as well as those that could be taken forward before the ICC, Eurojust said.

With this agreement, the JIT parties and the Office of the Prosecutor are sending a clear message that all efforts will be undertaken to effectively gather evidence on core international crimes committed in Ukraine and bring those responsible to justice, the Hague-based agency said.

Khan hailed the move as a landmark step.

He said the agreement would significantly enhance the joint investigative teams ability to access and collect information relevant to our independent investigations.

Critically, we will be able to conduct rapid and real time coordination and cooperation with the JIT partner countries, Khan said.

The chief prosecutor visited the town of Bucha almost two weeks ago  the scene of hundreds of civilian killings which Ukraine has blamed on Russian forces who occupied it for several weeks.

Ukraine is a crime scene. Were here because we have reasonable grounds to believe that crimes within the jurisdiction of the court are being committed, Khan said at the time.

Russia has denied responsibility for the deaths and President Vladimir Putin has dismissed reports of Russian soldiers shooting civilians as fake.

Brussels too supported the move, proposing to broaden Eurojusts mandate to allow the agency to collect, preserve and share evidence of war crimes to help bolster the probe in Ukraine.

The move envisioned establishing a central back-up storage in the EU where evidence unearthed in Ukraine can be preserved safely and permitting it to be shared with the ICC.

We need to reinforce Eurojust to make sure it has the necessary tools to deal with the scale of atrocities in Ukraine, said European Commission vice president Vera Jourova in a statement.
The United States believes Kyiv can win the war against Russia if it has the right equipment, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said Monday, as strikes on railway infrastructure in central Ukraine killed at least five.

A landmark visit by Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Ukraine came as the war entered its third month, with thousands killed and millions displaced by the fighting.

The conflict has triggered an outburst of support from Western nations that has seen weapons pour into Ukraine to help them beat back the Russian invaders.

The first step in winning is believing that you can win. And so they believe that we can win, Austin told a group of journalists after he and Blinken met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

We believe that we can win  they can win  if they have the right equipment, the right support.

The meeting between the two sides was very productive and detailed, according to a Pentagon spokesman, adding that Zelensky was also briefed on a security summit in Germany on Tuesday among Western allies.

After the talks, Austin said the US hoped the Russian military would be exhausted in Ukraine.

We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it cant do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine, said Austin.

For months, Zelensky has been begging for heavy weapons  including artillery and fighter jets  from Western countries, vowing his forces could turn the tide of the war with more firepower.

The calls appear to be resonating now, with a host of NATO countries pledging to provide a range of heavy weapons and equipment, despite protests from Moscow.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced Monday they would send Ukraine armoured vehicles able to fire missiles against Russian warplanes.

These Stormer vehicles will give Ukraine forces enhanced short-range anti-air capabilities both day and night, he said.

 Munitions and howitzers 

The US has been a leading donor of finance and weaponry to Ukraine and a key sponsor of sanctions targeting Russia, but had not yet sent any top officials to Kyiv. Several European leaders have already travelled there to underscore their support.

Many countries are going to come forward and provide additional munitions and howitzers. So were going to push as hard as we can, as quickly as we can, to get them what they need, Austin said.

Blinken and Austin also said US diplomats would begin a gradual return to Ukraine this week and announced $700 million (653 million euros) in additional military aid.

Forty German diplomats will however be heading home after Moscow announced their expulsion, following Berlins decision to kick out 40 Russian diplomats earlier this month.

The highly sensitive trip by two of President Joe Bidens top cabinet members came as fighting continued across swathes of Ukraine, casting a long shadow over Easter celebrations in the largely Orthodox country.

Following a weekend full of fighting, at least five people were killed and another 18 injured on Monday after a Russia rocket attack targeted railway infrastructure in the central Ukraine region of Vinnytsia.

Rescue operations are under way, investigators, prosecutors and other services are working at the scene, the office of the Ukrainian prosecutor general said in a statement on social media.

From The Hague, the International Criminal Courts chief prosecutor is to join an EU investigations team to probe alleged core international crimes committed in Ukraine, official said.

 Ceasefire 

The Vinnytsia attacks came as Russias defence ministry announced a ceasefire around the sprawling Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, following calls over the weekend to pause fighting to allow civilians to leave.

Ukraine says hundreds of its forces and civilians are holed up inside Azovstal, and Kyiv has repeatedly called for a ceasefire to allow civilians to safely exit the shattered city.

The Russian defence ministry said its troops would halt hostilities and ensure the withdrawal of civilians from early afternoon.

It urged the Ukrainian side to show readiness to start the humanitarian evacuations by raising white flags at Azovstal.

But Ukraine said Moscow had not agreed to its request for a humanitarian corridor to let wounded soldiers and civilians leave Azovstal.

Unfortunately, there are no agreements on humanitarian corridors from Azovstal today, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vershchuk said on Telegram.

Last week, President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces not to assault the steelworks, but the Ukrainians say land, sea and air attacks continue to rain down there unabated.

 No water, no food 

A video posted by the far-right Azov Regiment, whose fighters are based in Azovstal, showed war-weary women and children sheltering in the plants underground bunkers, pleading for relief.

There are 600 people here. No water, no food. What are we going to do here? How long will we stay here? asked one woman.

We havent been out for two months now. I dont even know what the weather is like there. It feels like its still February 28, said another woman.

Mariupol, which the Kremlin claims to have liberated, is pivotal to Russias war plans to forge a land bridge to Russian-occupied Crimea  and possibly beyond, as far as Moldova.

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Pressure was growing Monday inside Germanys Social Democratic Party (SPD) to expel their former leader and ex-chancellor Gerhard Schroeder over his apparent refusal to renounce his business ties with Russia.

Schroeder, who is a lobbyist for Russian gas and has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, sparked fresh outrage following remarks in an interview with the New York Times published this weekend.

Unrepentant over his business links with Russia, he told the newspaper: I dont do mea culpa. Its not my thing.

SPD co-president Saskia Esken was asked in an interview with state radio whether Schroeder should quit the party.

I think he should, she replied.

The party was currently examining 14 motions to have its former leader expelled, she told journalists later.

The final decision would come down to the partys arbitration body, she added.

But she also told journalists: He makes his money working for Russian state businesses.

Gerhard Schroeder has for many years been a businessman, and we should stop seeing him as a former honourable leader, a former chancellor.

Thomas Kutschaty, another senior party figure, was equally scathing.

He has to choose, he told Welt TV.

Either he keeps supporting Putin, or he is a member of the Social Democrats, but the two are not compatible.

Schroeder has been under pressure for months now because of his close ties to Russian business and Putin.

In his Times interview, he made it clear he had no intention of giving up his posts in Russian businesses and that he would only do so if Russia stopped delivering gas to Germany.

He also expressed scepticism over accusations that Putin had ordered the execution of civilians in Ukraine.

On Friday, the UNs High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said Russias actions in Ukraine might amount to war crimes.

Schroeder is president of the shareholders committee of Nord Stream AG, the controversial pipeline between Russia and Germany which for the moment does not have an operating licence.

He also has a senior position with Rosneft, Russias main oil company.

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While critics accused some Koreans of trying to look more Caucasian by going under the knife with procedures like nose jobs and double-eyelid surgery, these stars embraced their natural beauty through their monolid features.

They opted to flaunt their god-given features, flaunting their hooded eyes that are mostly common to people of Asian descent.

If you wonder who these beauties are, here is a rundown of monolid Korean actresses who looked charming with Asian eyes.

Kim Go Eun

The list of monolid Korean actresses will not be complete without Kim Go Eun.

Probably one of the K-drama stars who rocked hooded eyes, the "Goblin" star once spoke about her thoughts regarding plastic surgery.

As noted by Maeil Business News in 2016, she was asked if there is ever a time that she got insecure about her monolid eyes. She revealed that she thought about getting a double eyelid surgery before her debut.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Kim Go Eun Radiates Unique Energy in Chanel's Spring/Summer 2022 Collection

However, she learned to embrace it and decided to keep her natural beauty. She said that it made her unique, adding, "I have no plans to get plastic surgery. I like monolids."

Park So Dam

One of the monolid beauties is Park So Dam, who is often mistaken for Kim Go Eun.

What made them look alike were their monolid eyes. Like the "Yumi's Cells" star, Park So Dam has learned to appreciate this God-given beauty.

According to a local outlet, the actress expressed how grateful she is for being a monolid. She says that despite looking "plain to a lot of people," the "directors and audiences seem to like it."

Kim Da Mi

Recently appearing in the hit K-drama "Our Beloved" with Choi Woo Shik, Park So Dam rose to fame after landing the role of Jo Yi Seo in Park Seo Joon's "Itaewon Class."

This monolid beauty is rocking her features, gracing countless magazine covers, and being a muse to beauty brands such as Benefit Cosmetics, ETIQA, and fashion house Fendi.

Esom

Apart from her versatility as an actress, Esom mesmerizes her fans with her Asian eyelids.

In addition, her high cheekbones and porcelain skin make her a perfect muse for beauty companies.

Cho Ji Hyun

Interestingly, her labelmate Cho Yi Hyun made it to the list of monolid Korean actresses who embraced their natural beauty.

The 22-year-old actress made waves after landing the role of class president Choi Nam Ra in the blockbuster series "All of Us Are Dead."

Cho Yi Hyun recently graced the covers of Elle Magazine, flaunting her hooded eyes with a simple yet glam look.

Jung Ho Yeon

From one breakout star to another, Jung Ho Yeon is one of the beauties who looked stunning with monolid eyes.

The model-turned actress skyrocketed her popularity through her character, Kang Sae Byeok, in "Squid Game."

Interestingly, she also took home her first acting award and made history as the first South Korean actress who won at SAG Awards with co-star Lee Jung Jae.

KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
South Korean stars Kim Tae Ri, Han So Hee, and more are expected to be called the K-drama Queens after making headlines for their small screen comeback this year.

Kim Tae Ri

Though she doesn't have much dramas and movies like others, Kim Tae Ri earned praises for her comeback drama this 2022 with "Twenty Five, Twenty One." The recently-concluded romance series is her small screen comeback, tvN's "Mr. Sunshine," after four years.

The 32-year-old actress wowed many with her performance in the coming-of-age drama with Nam Joo Hyuk.

Meanwhile, her sci-fi movie with Song Joong Ki is nominated at the 2022 Hugo Awards and 57th Nebula Awards abroad.

Kim Sejeong

From being an idol to becoming one of the most promising actresses today, Kim Sejeong leveled up her acting career with her comeback drama "A Business Proposal." Through this romantic-comedy series, Sejeong earned praises for her impeccable acting and versatility.

She was also lauded for her portrayal in the OCN's record-breaking action-fantasy series "Uncanny Counter."

Han So Hee

Gorgeous and talented Han So Hee has been serving the viewers well with her wide range of acting. She captivated attention with "The World of the Married," "Nevertheless," and "My Name," where she played entirely different characters, proving her full potential as an actress.

Following the success of her action drama "My Name," Han So Hee met the viewers again with the romance-music series "Soundtrack #1" last March, where she teamed up for the first time with Park Hyung Sik.

Kim Da Mi

Following her drama "Itaewon Class," Kim Da Mi made an amazing transformation in her melo-romance drama "Our Beloved Summer," where she reunited with "Parasite" star Choi Woo Shik.

Her acting in the drama was outstanding, which made the viewers love her even more. Plus, her onscreen chemistry with Choi Woo Shik also stood out.

Seol In Ah

Despite not debuting as an idol after she trained, Seol In Ah's hard work paid off for choosing to pursue a career in acting. From her antagonist character in "Mr. Queen," Seol In Ah rose to stardom with her recent series "A Business Proposal."

Through this work, many loved the actress for her charming and funny character in the romance-comedy drama. Seo In Ah's chemistry with Kim Min Gyu also made the viewers swoon.

2022 is indeed a great year for these Kdrama actresses. Fans are now anticipating their next projects.

Have you watched their dramas? Which one is your favorite? Telll us in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, follow and subscribe to KDramastars.

KDramastars owns this article.

Reported by Shai Collins.
A-list actress Song Hye Kyo is currently filming her upcoming drama "The Glory." Amidst working on her project, lots of familiar celebrities send support to her including THIS famous actor.

Curious about him? Keep on reading the article to find out!

Song Hye Kyo Thanked Park Hyung Sik for the Gift

On April 24, Song Hye Kyo made an Instagram update where she shared photos of the coffee truck she received from idol-actor Park Hyung Sik on the filming set of her upcoming drama "The Glory."

The actress mentioned the "Hwarang" actor on the story post and captioned it "THANK U!!!." Meanwhile, In the messages written on the banner, Park Hyung Sik humorously stated, "Teacher Moon, is not scary. She's pretty."

On the other hand, more encouraging words filled the banner, which reads, "The Glory! Please drink a refreshing beverage and find strength!'

This is not the first time that Park Hyug Sik sent a coffee truck to the actress. He has been consistent in sending coffee and food truck on the drama set of Song Hye Kyo's previous projects.

The two started their friendship when they signed in the same agency United Artist Agency (UAA) before.

Song Hye Kyo takes the role of a former victim of violence during her school days. She takes revenge on the people who bullied her when she becomes an elementary school homeroom teacher for her bully's kid.

Aside from the actress, promising actor, Lee Do Hyun will join her in the lead cast. "The Glory" is a project reunion of writer Kim Eun Sook and Song Hye Kyo following the drama "Descendants of the Sun."

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Is It True? Song Hye Kyo & Hyun Bin To Collaborate on THIS Project

Song Hye Kyo is also busy with her multiple magazines and fashion shoots. Some snippets can be seen on her personal Instagram account.

Park Hyung Sik Finished His First Music-Romance Drama 'Soundtrack #1'

Meanwhile, Park Hyung Sik just finished his music romance drama "Soundtrack #1" alongside Han So Hee. The actor is currently on break and is preparing for his next small-screen return.

In addition, his previous thriller and zombie-themed series "Happiness," which received good feedback from viewers both in Korea and abroad is finally on the famous streaming giant, Netflix. Due to popular demand, Netflix partnered with tvN to produce the series to reach for a wider audience.

And just a week after "Happiness" made it on Netflix, it was already included on the Netflix TV Global Top 10 together with "A Business Proposal" and "Twenty Five, Twenty One."

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Park Hyung Sik, Han Hyo Joo's Zombie Drama 'Happiness' Comes To Netflix

Any thoughts about Park Hyung Sik and Song Hye Kyo's friendship? Share your comments with us!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars.

Kdramastars owns this article.

Shai Collins wrote this.
While working as a market research analyst for Robert W. Baird, Blair Pircon 16 was charged with researching macro trends in the education sector. As she studied K-12 education, in particular, she began seeing the depth and breadth of the problems plaguing the system, and it left her feeling troubled.

I was really disheartened by how pervasive the issues were and how little change seemed to be happening, despite the great efforts of many, Pircon recalls. It was also striking to me that technology had really not yet come to play much of a role in education because of a number of different barriers.

By the time she enrolled at Kellogg, Pircon had channeled those insights into a plan: She would start a technology company that would contribute to fixing what was broken in education.

That kernel of an idea has since blossomed into fully formed company. The Graide Network, co-founded by Pircon and former teacher Qinyuan (Chen) Liu 16 in 2015, connects K-12 teachers with qualified teaching assistants who provide on-demand grading services. Through the online platform, teachers can upload student work, find the appropriate Graiders for their assignments, review and download grades, and rate their grading-service providers.

By transferring the grading workload to the Graiders, Pircon explains, teachers have more time to focus on other key tasks, whether thats preparing classroom lessons, mentoring individual students or developing strategies to improve learning outcomes. Last year, teachers who participated in The Graide Networks pilot program reported an 88 percent reduction in time spent grading.

Teachers arent the only ones who benefit from this model, however. For students, receiving more feedback on their work in a shorter period of time positively impacts their learning, development and engagement.

Students are really excited that another adult is taking the time to read their essays in detail and given them thorough feedback, Pircon explains. And it helps align the student and the teacher to be on the same team to say, Okay, now how should we work through this feedback that youve gotten? It creates this really cool dynamic where the students are engaging a lot more in their own learning process.

In addition, this model also benefits the learning experience of Graiders, who are undergraduate students studying education at schools such as the University of Illinois or University of Michigan. Grading student work gives these aspiring teachers the real-world experience they need to better prepare for the classroom while also satisfying requirements for their college programs, Pircon notes.

Creating a business that integrates the interests of three disparate groups  teachers, students and teaching assistants  was a complex affair, but Kellogg played an instrumental role in the formation, says Pircon. She cites courses such as New Venture Development and New Venture Launch as giving her the structure to develop, test, iterate and launch her startup, and notes that the Zell Fellows Program gave her mentorship, resources and community support as she worked on getting her business off the ground. In addition, the NewDay Social Entrepreneurship Awards provided substantial resources as well.

As full-time CEO, Pircon is focused on expanding her partnerships with elementary and high schools, primarily in the Midwest region. She recently brought on a full-time partner and several other staff members, while her co-founder Liu has stepped into an academic advisory role.

Long term, this fourth-generation entrepreneur wants to expand the company globally, and shes already received some interest from schools in Germany. Short term, shes simply focused on keeping the company and its mission alive, even during the dark times when the challenges of running a startup as a lone CEO feel overwhelming.

I am planning for success, Pircon says. There is no Plan B.
Forget the proverbial garage. Paul Earle '99 only needed a janitors closet to launch his first startup.

Earle was still a high-school student at Noble & Greenough School in Dedham, Mass., when  frustrated by the editorial bent and business approach of the 100-plus-year-old incumbent newspaper  he convinced administrators to let him to start an independent alternative from inside a 10-by-5-foot closet on the schools property. There, under the glimmer of a single light bulb dangling from the ceiling, Earle and his two co-founders dug into investigative pieces and plotted strategies to raise funds for the paper, working without air-conditioning or financial support from the school. Not only did the paper succeed in earning the respect of teachers, students, and local advertisers, it caught the attention of the Governor of Massachusetts, who publicly recognized Earle and the team for their entrepreneurship; later, the Columbia School of Journalism honored the paper with a prestigious award for excellence.

The ability to create something from nothing is a recurring theme in Earles career, which has been punctuated by successes as both an entrepreneur and intrapreneur. In 2001, at age 30, Earle left a coveted brand-management job at Kraft Foods to start River West Brands, a company that acquired and redeveloped distressed brand properties. Eight years later, he built a creative works development company under his own name. And in 2011, he transitioned to the world of corporate innovation with the launch of Farmhouse, an innovation and new venture center housed within the advertising behemoth Leo Burnett.

That track record of innovation begs the question: How does Earle know when hes found a venture worth pursuing?

Im someone who goes on gut, he says. Im not someone who needs a ton of data to know whether to pick the green one or the blue one. If you really feel something in your innards  if you get goose bumps or a surge of emotion  thats an indicator that its the right thing to do.

Earle also has a keen eye for spotting business trends that present startup opportunities. He came up with the idea for River West Brands after noticing how valuable brands were falling through the cracks in the aftermath of mergers between conglomerates such as Nabisco and Kraft, or Pepsico and Quaker. These brands, which included Salon Selectives, Brim coffee and Eagle snacks, went away through no fault of their own, he says. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Earle and the teams strategy was to buy the intellectual property of dormant brands, update them (e.g., by fixing the brand strategy, visual identity, packaging or product), and then sell, spin or license them to another company. It was a revolutionary model that turned a great profit, and led to the sale of a large portion of the company to Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC).

Earle eventually translated a lot of the learning from River West into Farmhouse, a corporate-innovation engine born out of the observation that advertising agencies wanted to develop products and services that could complement their core marketing communications. Housed within Leo Burnett, Farmhouse successfully developed new products and services for clients such as Procter & Gamble, Pfizer, Allstate and McDonalds. It also helped create Publicis90, an innovation platform housed within Leo Burnetts holding company that invited employees and external enterprises to submit startup ideas and apply for funding. Farmhouse also worked with the Kellogg Innovation Network to redesign its identity system and develop an innovative app that helped KIN members identify and codify social problems to solve.

Since moving on from Farmhouse in April 2016, Earle founded Paul Earle & Co., a new, modern innovation consultancy and venture platform that helps leading corporations convert Mind Into Matter. He has also has been focused on hunting for his next big adventure while co-teaching Corporate Innovation & New Ventures (ENTR-903) at Kellogg. The role of adjunct faculty member comes naturally to Earle, but it carries a twist of irony: Decades ago, when Earle first applied to Kellogg, he was rejected; the second time, he was waitlisted. So I sent Kellogg samples of interesting work I was doing, he says. I wrote a fictional article about me as a Kellogg alum in the future. I kept after it. Im sure they were thinking, Whats with this guy?

His perseverance paid off, as Kellogg finally presented him with an admissions offer in 1997. Earle immediately reached out to Michele Rogers, the then-assistant dean of Admissions. I told Michele, Words cannot express how excited I am that I got in, he recalls. Im going to do great things. Im going to make this a great decision for you and the school.

As both an entrepreneur and corporate innovator, Earle has already fulfilled that promise. And hes just getting started.
Current Role: Vice President at TJM Capital Partners

Prior to Kellogg: Chief of Staff, High School Cube, LLC (start up)

Investment Banking Analyst, William Blair and Company



How did you become interested in a career as an operating executive?

After my first post-college job as an analyst at William Blair, I had an opportunity to join a San Francisco-based start-up as Chief of Staff. I loved the hands-on aspect of the role but felt that I personally could add more value at a company that was at a somewhat later stage. While at Kellogg, I was introduced to Tom McDonough 87, TJMs Managing Partner, and found the firms model and structure intriguing. TJM invests in lower mid-market manufacturing and service businesses in which it believes it can add value quickly via both operational improvements and growth strategies. We are a fundless sponsorraising capital on a deal-bydeal basiswith minimal internal structure of our own and a willingness to be flexible and try out new ideas. I loved the idea of essentially creating my own adventure, and Tom brought me on as his first CXO hirehe saw this as an opportunity to inject an MBA toolkit and younger perspective into the portfolio.



Tell us about your experience at TJM thus far.

The original plan was that I would be assigned to a specific portfolio company. When we didnt find the right full-time fit right away, we decided that I would tackle special projects across several of our investments. I continue to do some of this work (most recently assisted several of our companies with liquidity planning and accessing funding during the Covid pandemic), though my role has segued more onto the investing side.



TJM is a unique firm that is in many ways a growth stage story in itself. In addition to the operational work with do with portfolio companies, we also build an investor base and advisory team around each investment. My role touches on all of these areas; for someone people and relationship-focused like myself, it is a great match.



I should also say that Im excited about a number of strong next step options for me here, including potentially joining one of the portcos. There is clearly a difference between the breadth I have in my current role and the depth Id have at a single company. Great learning to be had either way!



What advice would you give to Private Equity firms that are thinking about launching a CXO program?

Id encourage them to work with the CXO and the portco CEO to structure the role up front in a way that gets everyone on the same page and gives the CXO an opportunity to put up some early wins. One way to do this would be to assign the CXO some initial project-based work that plays directly to MBA skill setse.g. financial reporting and analysis or evaluating CRM or ERP systems. Projects that require them to a) interact with a large number of people at the company and b) learn the ins and outs of the business tend to work well. Then start handing off more ongoing management duties so that the CXO can lead people and teams, take on increasing responsibility, and grow into a real complement to the CEO over time.



Being transparent about expectations here helps align goals, and having a true partnership between a highlyexperienced executive and an energetic younger one is a real value-add when it comes time to exit. Weve seen buyers place a premium on a well thought-out succession plan, and showcasing a talented CXO during the sale process creates a win-win-win for 1) the buyer (smooth transition, long term leadership), 2) the seller (increased valuation, higher likelihood to close) and 3) the CXO (potential for larger role and responsibility).



What would you like to say to Kellogg students who are interested in exploring this career path?

They need to ask themselves, What is really important to me? At TJM, we work with a lot of Midwest industrial companiesfar from glamorous but can really be hidden gemsif you are willing to put in the hard work to get them there. You need to be comfortable working in an unstructured environment and without a lot of support or resources. For someone who gets excited about this, it is a great place to be!
The Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI), the statutory body responsible for regulating the veterinary professions, has published a new research report examining the mental health of veterinary professionals in Ireland.

The research was conducted in collaboration with the HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) and the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF) in April 2021.

This is the first comprehensive study on the health of the veterinary professions in Ireland.

747 registered veterinary practitioners and veterinary nurses in both employee and managerial roles took part in the anonymized research, which covered the topics of depression, anxiety, stress, burnout, deliberate self-harm, suicide, mental health knowledge, stigma, help-seeking and sources of support.

This represents 18% of all registered vets and vet nurses in Ireland at the time of the survey which is a strong response.

Anxiety levels were high amongst respondents across all roles: 34.7% of participants were in the normal range for anxiety, 22.9% in the borderline abnormal range and 42.5% in the abnormal range.

The Research study shows the Irish Veterinary Professionals are at no greater risk of suicidality than the general population in Ireland, based on a comparable study carried out by Maynooth University in 2020. However, we know from UK based research that Vets experience higher level of anxiety and depression symptoms than the general population (Bartram et al 2009).

Vivienne Duggan, President of the Veterinary Council of Ireland said:

Mental health in the veterinary professions is an often overlooked topic.

The fact of the matter is that vets and vet nurses face a variety of stress factors in their day to day work including long hours and complex cases. By conducting this research, the VCI hopes to gain deeper insight into the factors affecting the mental health of Irelands veterinary professionals.

This report and its findings will help to inform and guide our actions in the future, and we hope it will be a valuable resource for the wider industry.

Participants were presented with a list of stress factors and asked to indicate which they are exposed to. The most commonly selected stress factors included struggling with work-life balance (74.5%), long working hours (66.4%), and out of hours care (38.1%). Salary (33.8%), recruitment (31.8%) and retention (24.6%) were also common stress factors.

Engaging with activities, such as hobbies, exercise, spending time outdoors and having strong social support were the main methods reported by veterinary professionals for looking after their mental health.

Veterinary nurses indicated higher levels of psychological distress, self-harm, and suicidal behaviour than other veterinary professionals.

This is related to the sex and age of the respondents also, with younger members of the professions more like to experience anxiety than older respondents.

Conversely, respondents who indicated that they work as veterinarians in a managerial position indicated significantly better mental wellbeing than their colleagues on several indicators.

Rachel Brown, Deputy President of the Veterinary Council of Ireland, said:

The mental health of veterinary professionals is one of the key issues facing the industry.

This new research is a positive step towards gaining deeper insight on this topic, but it is important that all stakeholders in the veterinary and agricultural sectors work together to try to ensure that Irelands vets and vet nurses can work in a sustainable way, so that we can continue to attract and retain people in this essential industry.

When asked about problems experienced over the past year, 56.9% of respondents reported that they had experienced problems but didnt feel they needed professional help, 20.1% reported that they had experienced problems and that they had received professional help and 23% reported that they had few or no problems in the past year.

Suggestions made by the participants to support the mental wellbeing of veterinary professionals include increased access to managerial, peer and professional support from therapists or counsellors, decreased on-call hours, and increased time off when needed, mental health awareness promotion, psychoeducation and suicide prevention training.

In the Veterinary Council of Irelands Corporate Strategy 2019-2023, the mental health and wellbeing of veterinary professionals was one of the main challenges cited for the veterinary professions. Since then, the VCI has launched the SafeVet Smart Handbook in an effort to raise awareness and support wellbeing and resilience in the veterinary professions.

The Veterinary Council has also developed a webinar on mental health and wellbeing which will carry Continuing Professional Development credits, which will be shared with all vets and veterinary nurses in Ireland, to mark the launch of the .

In conjunction with the National Office of Suicide Prevention, the VCI is also working to make available to every veterinary practice premises in Ireland, a specialist training programme for veterinary professionals, to raise awareness of mental health risk factors and support Irish vets and vet nurses in their mental health.

The VCI also makes a financial contribution to the Veterinary Benevolent Fund annually, to support the health supports and initiatives offered by the Irish Veterinary Benevolent Fund. These initiatives are being delivered in support of the Veterinary Councils strategic objective to support the health and wellbeing of veterinary professionals under its 2019-2023 Strategy.
The National Gallery of Ireland is inviting people from Kilkenny to use their Cupla Focal in an online Irish language event exploring the gallerys current exhibition Young Gainsborough: Rediscovered Landscape Drawings.

Ciorcal Comhra: Liniochtai Gainsborough nuair abhi se og takes place on Thursday, April 28 at 1pm, via Zoom. It is free of charge, but tickets must be pre-booked online, see nationalgallery.ie

Caomhan Mac Con Iomaire, Education Officer at the Gallery, commented: "Bigi linn le haghaidh comhra ar line tri Ghaeilge faoi thaispeantas camchuairte de liniochtai Thomas Gainsborough nuair a bhi se og. Sa taispeantas seo on mbailiuchan Rioga, ta liniochtai de thirdhreacha agus den dulra. Peinteir portraide ab ea Gainsborough a raibh an-toir air i Sasana san 18u haois. Bealaiontoir og a bhi ann nuair a rinne se na liniochtai seo. Leirionn se gur thaitin an dulra agus a bheith a tarraingt amuigh faoin aer leis. Leirionn siad freisin go raibh tionchar ag tirdhreach na hIsiltire sa 17u haois ar a chuid oibre ag an am."

This online conversation event in Irish is about a touring exhibition of drawings by the young Thomas Gainsborough.The exhibition from the Royal Collection features depictions of landscapes and nature. Gainsborough, who became a popular portrait painter in England in the late 18thcentury, was a young artist when he produced these drawings. It shows that he loved drawing nature in the open air and that his early work was influenced by Dutch landscape painting of the 17th century.

Twenty-five landscape drawings from the Royal Collection  recently attributed to English artist Thomas Gainsborough - are on display for the first time in Ireland. Produced in the late 1740s when Gainsborough was in his early twenties, the drawings offer an intimate glimpse into the early career of this master of portraiture and landscape. To place the works in context, the exhibition features other paintings and drawings from Gainsboroughs early years, along with works by the Dutch landscape painters who influenced him.

This touring exhibition is a collaboration between Royal Collection Trust; York Museums Trust; the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin; and Nottingham Castle. Additional works have been generously loaned by The National Gallery, London; The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester; and Colchester and Ipswich Museums.

The youngest son of a cloth merchant, Thomas Gainsborough displayed artistic promise from a young age, and much of his youth was spent producing landscape views of his home county of Suffolk, England. He later excelled in the more fashionable and lucrative genre of portraiture, becoming official court painter to George III.

Although portraiture brought Gainsborough wealth and fame, his preference for landscape remained a constant throughout his life. He famously wrote in the 1760s: Im sick of portraits and wish very much to take my Viol da Gamba and walk off to some sweet village where I can paint landscapes and enjoy the fag end of life in quietness and ease. Indeed, Gainsborough went on to develop a style of portrait where he integrated his sitter into the landscape.

Anne Hodge, curator of the exhibition, commented: "The 25 drawings at the heart of this exhibition represent an exciting new addition to Thomas Gainsboroughs known oeuvre. Rediscovered recently within the Royal Collection at Windsor, they give a sense of Gainsboroughs youthful enthusiasm for nature. The chalk drawings have an immediacy that allows us to imagine the young artist, sitting on a sandy bank, quickly sketching the trees and vistas near his home in rural Suffolk. The exhibition provides a rare opportunity for us to see his early drawings beside the famous landscape painting Cornard Wood that they inspired."

The re-discovered Gainsborough drawings were previously believed to be by the painter Sir Edwin Landseer, having been acquired by Queen Victoria from his studio in 1874. In 2013, art historian Lindsay Stainton identified one of the drawings as a study for Gainsboroughs most celebrated landscape painting, Cornard Wood (c.1748), leading to the reattribution of the drawings to Gainsborough. In this touring exhibition, the study for Cornard Wood hangs alongside the finished painting, newly conserved and loaned by The National Gallery, London, uniting the painting with its preparatory drawing for the first time since they were last together in Gainsboroughs studio.

Young Gainsborough: Rediscovered Landscape Drawings went on display at the National Gallery of Ireland from March 5, closing on June 12. A programme of events will complement the exhibition, including themed activities in the Gallery on National Drawing Day, May 16  see nationalgallery.ie

This exhibition has been organised in collaboration with Royal Collection Trust, York Museums Trust, National Gallery of Ireland and Nottingham Castle.

Find out more at www.nationalgallery.ie.
Xinjiang officials boost local development by attracting massive viewership on short-video sharing platforms

People's Daily Online) 13:47, April 25, 2022

Inspired by a pioneering official who has been promoting local development on short-video platforms, more officials in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have started following suit, attracting a huge audience online.

He Jiaolong, a former deputy head of Zhaosu county, rides a horse to promote the county in Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

Renagul Rehman, head of the culture and tourism bureau of Shaya county, Aksu prefecture, has continually worked to introduce tourism resources in the county on short-video platforms. In less than a year, she has accumulated over 900,000 followers online. Taken together, the 50 or more short-video clips she has uploaded online have garnered over 100 million views.

In one video, she dressed up in a traditional costume made of local Atlas silk and said that the best populus diversifolia forests of the world are in China, while the best of China are in Xinjiang, while inviting netizens to come enjoy the beautiful populus diversifolia trees in Shaya.

She started producing the videos after she was inspired by her pioneering colleague, He Jiaolong, who is the deputy head of the culture and tourism bureau of Kazak Autonomous Prefecture of Ili, Xinjiang, saying that He is a good example for those working on the culture and tourism front. He gained tremendous attention after uploading a short video of her riding a horse in the snow, which was used to advertise local tourism in the area. She then went on to promote industries with local features such as fruit, lavender, agricultural and husbandry. So far, her efforts have created over 2,800 job opportunities for local people and helped increase income for over 10,000 households.

Similarly, Alip Akimhan, deputy head of the culture and tourism bureau of Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, has recently introduced the beautiful apricot blossoms of the county in a short video clip, which gained nearly 40,000 likes in just a few hours after it was uploaded.

Besides, Yang Caixia, head of the culture and tourism bureau of Yumin county, invited netizens to visit the county to enjoy its local culture and beautiful landscape.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
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An Asiana Airlines' passenger jet is seen in this file photo. Korea Times file





Asiana Airlines said Monday it will reopen its route to India this week as eased virus restrictions unleash pent-up demand.







Asiana will offer one flight a week on the Incheon-Delhi route starting Friday after it suspended the route 33 months ago  July 8, 2019  due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company said in a statement.







The company will also expand the number of flights on routes to Sydney, Los Angeles, Osaka, Fukuoka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Manila from May, it said.







Its budget carrier unit Air Busan Co. said it will resume services on the routes from the southern port city of Busan to Fukuoka, Da Nang and Cebu. The routes have been suspended for the past 26 months.







The Busan-Fukuoka route will be available from May 31, with the routes to Da Nang and Cebu set to begin June 29 and July 15, respectively, the statement said.







Air Busan also plans to open five new international routes from Incheon to Osaka, Tokyo and Guam, Nha Trang in Vietnam, and Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia next month.







The Busan-Guam route is currently suspended due to low demand.







In January, Air Busan began to offer one flight a week on the Busan-Saipan route following a travel bubble agreement, a quarantine-free travel partnership between two or more cities or countries with similar levels of COVID-19 cases.







Currently, Air Busan provides two flights a week on the Saipan route and one flight a week on the Busan-Qingdao route on top of five domestic routes. It operated 25 international routes before the pandemic hit the airline industry two years ago.







Asiana operates 25 international routes, down from 71 before the pandemic, and seven domestic routes.







It has another low-cost carrier, Air Seoul, under its wing that currently serves three domestic routes and two flights a week on the Incheon-Saipan route. Air Seoul plans to gradually provide flights on the routes from Incheon to Guam, Da Nang, Boracay, and Nha Trang starting next month, a company spokeswoman said.







The company is considering resuming flights on the routes to Cebu and Kota Kinabalu depending on travel demand. It used to operate 19 international routes before the pandemic, she said. (Yonhap)


Attendees of the "Congressional Roundtable and Forum on US-ROK Alliance for Free and Unified Korea" watch the pre-recorded keynote speech by Moon Hyun-jin, better known in the United States as Hyun-jin Preston Moon, founder of the Washington D.C.-based non-profit group, Global Peace Foundation, on a screen set up at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Friday. The event is the 10th edition of the International Forum on One Korea, the first edition of which was in 2016. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk



Lawmakers, experts discuss ways to move ROK-US alliance forward to create conditions for reunification of two Koreas at 2022 International Forum on One Korea



By Kang Hyun-kyung



A nuclear-free North Korea has long been a policy vision that every South Korean president regardless of their political orientation has promised to pursue during their tenure.



It's a shared, bipartisan, yet unfulfilled commitment, although no president has succeeded in actually denuclearizing North Korea. In fact, perhaps the opposite is true. While South Korea, with its democratic system, has had various leaders representing the two main political parties, with policies on the North that often zigzag back and forth with the change of administration, North Korea has had sufficient time to advance its missile and nuclear technologies to intimidate the world.



Now, denuclearization in North Korea seems distant, if not unrealistic.



With President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration coming on May 10, some experts, who gathered at a security roundtable held on Friday, called for resetting South Korea's policy vision on the North by shifting its end goal from denuclearization to the reunification of the two Koreas in a manner that intends to benefit both. Some argued for the need for U.S.-led massive economic assistance equivalent to the U.S.-sponsored post World War II program, the Marshall Plan, which successfully helped the war-torn western and southern European economies recover, to persuade North Korea to join talks to build a shared, mutually-beneficial future for the peninsula.



Moon Hyun-jin, the founder of the Washington D.C.-based non-profit group, Global Peace Foundation, has ignited the discussion to advance South Korea-U.S. alliance to create the conditions for a unified Korea.



Moon, better known in the United States by his English name, Hyun-jin Preston Moon, encouraged President-elect Yoon to implement a durable policy for North Korea that can ultimately lead to peace on the Korean Peninsula.



"The United States and Republic of Korea to date have been piecemeal and reactive, with North Korea too often in the driver's seat," he said in a keynote speech for the "Congressional Roundtable and Forum on U.S.-ROK Alliance for Free and Unified Korea" held at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Friday. "I have long advocated that it be replaced by a broad, forward-looking strategy focused on the end goal of a free and sovereign nation. A unified Korea that upholds fundamental human rights and values, should become the clearly stated and actively pursued policy of (South Korea's) new Yoon administration, as well as of the U.S.' allies and the United Nations."





Rep. Lee Sang-min of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, center in front row, and other participants gesture as they pose for a group photo at Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk



The hybrid forum was held both online and in person. U.S. lawmakers, think tank analysts, Moon himself and some South Korean lawmakers participated in the event online via pre-recorded messages, while most of South Korea's participants attended physically.



Moon noted that South Korea's unification strategy must begin with the ideals that have motivated Korean people historically across the peninsula. "Their aspiration was to create a model nation, drawing upon a shared culture and identity that long predates the current division. In particular, it must look to Korea's foundational philosophy of 'Hongik Ingan,' or 'living for the benefit of all mankind,' which aligns with the highest ideals of the principles of democracy," he said. "I call this approach, the 'Korean dream,' and have explained it in my book with that title."



Reunification of the two Koreas would require a complicated process and sophisticated diplomacy necessitating the full support from the United States and neighboring countries of South Korea, as was the case for Germany, which, as a formerly divided European nation, achieved unification following the collapse of the Berlin Wall on Nov. 9, 1989.



Some who are familiar with German affairs argue the reunification of Germany is the combined result of West Germany's decades of policy consistency toward East Germany and the former's active diplomatic efforts.



In South Korea, the unification discourse seems to have lost momentum currently as regional security has become more unstable than before, with some experts referring to the current global situation as raising concerns of a "new Cold War."



Unstable geopolitics in East Asia, fueled mainly by North Korea's incessant provocations and reliance on brinkmanship as well as the U.S.-China rivalry in the region, have complicated the discourse on the reunification of the two Koreas more than ever before.



In particular, clashes of the United States and China in many issue areas, not to mention the security of the region, have led to growing skepticism about the possibility of a unified Korea, as the United States and China are two of the countries whose full support for the reunification of the two Koreas matters.



Moon, however, stayed hopeful. "It is in the interests of the United States to take the lead in this effort," he said. "Not only would a free and unified Korea diminish the nuclear threat to Korea, Japan and the United States; it will create, in effect, a new nation, which upholds liberty and democratic principles in a region where statist approaches are on the rise."





Edwin Feulner, the founder and chairman emeritus of the Washington D.C.-based conservative think tank, Heritage Foundation, is seen on the screen as he delivers a speech for the hybrid event held both online and in person. U.S. Congress members, think tank researchers and Korean lawmakers participated in the event online. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Edwin Fulner, the founder and chairman emeritus of the Washington D.C.-based conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation, showed his full support for Moon's vision for durable peace in East Asia, stressing the role of civil society as one of the core factors that could make Moon's "Korean dream" happen.



"Advancing freedom and democracy cannot just be left to our governments: it is in fact the work of all of us, working through private organizations collectively, like the sponsors of this forum, to promote those values of freedom around the world," he said.



Nicholas Eberstadt, the Wendt Chair of Political Economy at the Washington D.C.-based conservative think tank, the American Enterprise Institute, concurred with the idea of achieving a free and unified Korea, saying that the continued division of the Korean peninsula comes at "a very real price."



"It is being paid every day by North Korea's captive population. They suffer a human rights nightmare, an oppression exquisitely perfected under three generations of totalitarian rule by the Kim dynasty," he said.



Eberstadt called on South Korean and U.S. officials and politicians to jump-start policy planning to help with North Korea's smooth transition to a post-DPRK Korea. "Those who price the North Korean threat around zero may be making a fateful economic miscalculation. The longer unification is postponed, the greater the potential cost of that particular reckoning."



On top of international support, there is another, more daunting task for South Korea and like-minded countries: persuading North Korea to join the discussion.



Speaking in a pre-recorded message to the roundtable, Rep. Lee Gwang-jae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) claimed that the ball is in the U.S.' court, calling for a "Marshall Plan for North Korea."



He underscored the "will of the United States" as being a critical factor to convince North Korea to join any such talks on reunification.



"I think the United States needs to have the will and determination to transform North Korea into a country like Vietnam," he said. "Vietnam had a war with the United States in the past. Although Vietnam is close to China, their bilateral ties were once put to the test. Vietnam has introduced a socialist system but adopts some capitalist measures."



Rep. Lee argued that South Korea, and probably the United States as well, need to be specific about a roadmap to make sure North Korea joins the multi-lateral discussion for the reunification of the two Koreas.



"We need to give them (North Korea) trust I'm not saying that we should give them security assurance or vision for economic assistance  such as a promise that South Korea would help the North achieve an economy with per capita income of $5,000 or something  or both in return for their decision to denuclearize," he said. "What I'm saying is that we need to be specific. We should assure them with a detailed plan that says clearly when, how and which countries will help them rehabilitate their economy. We need to prepare a Marshall Plan for North Korea."



The 2022 International Forum on One Korea is the tenth such forum since it was first held in 2016. Friday's event was co-hosted by five organizations, namely Action for Korea United, Global Peace Foundation, One Korea Foundation, Alliance for Korea United and Leaders' Alliance for Korean Unification.



Consisting of two main events  a Congressional roundtable and a forum among think tank experts of Korea and the United States  lawmakers and experts shared their thoughts about the Korea-U.S. alliance and how it should adapt to the changing security environment of East Asia to achieve peace in the region through the reunification of the two Koreas.




Nongshim's shrimp snacks are displayed on the shelf at a supermarket in Seoul in May, 2020. Yonhap



By Kim Jae-heun



Local food companies are paying close attention to a move by Indonesia to stop exports of its palm oil as this could further raise prices of instant noodles, snacks and other processed food products here, according to company officials Monday. The companies have already increased prices in recent months, reflecting soaring raw materials costs as a result of global supply chain problems and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, putting a heavier financial burden on households.



"The Indonesian government has not yet revealed its specific plan on the ban of palm oil exports, so the Korean food industry is closely watching the issue. However, if the price of cooking oil increases, local companies will face higher costs in manufacturing their products," a food firm official said. Indonesian President Joko Widodo has banned the export of cooking oil and its source materials from April 28 until further notice.



In Korea, palm oil is not used to cook food at home. However, it is widely used at factories to produce processed foods like chips and instant noodles. Palm oil is also an important raw material to make cosmetics and detergent.



As Korea imports 56 percent of its palm oil from Indonesia, local food firms and cosmetics companies will inevitably raise prices of their products if the Southeast Asian country continues the export ban.





Lotte Foods' headquarters in Seoul / Courtesy of Lotte Foods
Travelers wait in a line at Incheon International Airport gate before takeoff, April 3. / Courtesy of Incheon International Airport Corp.



Asiana Airlines, South Korea's second-biggest carrier, said Monday it will reopen the route to India this week as eased virus restrictions unleash pent-up demand.



Asiana will offer one flight a week on the Incheon-Delhi route starting Friday after it suspended the route 33 months ago on July 8, 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company said in a statement.



The company will also expand the number of flights on routes to Sydney, Los Angeles, Osaka, Fukuoka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Manila from May, it said.



Its budget carrier unit Air Busan Co. said it will resume services on the routes from the southern port city of Busan to Fukuoka, Da Nang, and Cebu. The routes have been suspended for the past 26 months.



The Busan-Fukuoka route will be available from May 31, with the routes to Da Nang and Cebu set to begin on June 29 and July 15, respectively, the statement said.



Air Busan also aims to gradually open five new international routes from Incheon to Osaka, Tokyo, Guam, Nha Trang of Vietnam, and Kota Kinabalu of Malaysia from next month.



The Busan-Guam route, currently suspended due to low demand, will resume flights on April 30.



In January, Air Busan began to offer one flight a week on the Busan-Saipan route following a travel bubble agreement with Saipan, a quarantine-free travel partnership between two or more cities or countries with similar levels of COVID-19 cases.



Currently, Air Busan provides two flights a week on the Saipan route and one flight a week on the Busan-Qingdao route on top of five domestic routes. It operated 25 international routes before the pandemic hit the airline industry two years ago.



Asiana operates 25 international routes, down from 71 before the pandemic, and seven domestic routes.



Asiana, the country's No. 2 full-service carrier after Korean Air Lines Co., has another low-cost carrier Air Seoul Inc. under its wing.



Air Seoul currently serves three domestic routes and two flights a week on the Incheon-Saipan route. It plans to gradually provide flights on the routes from Incheon to Guam, Da Nang, Boracay, and Nha Trang starting next month, a company spokeswoman said.



The company is considering resuming flights on the routes to Cebu and Kota Kinabalu depending on travel demand. It used to operate 19 international routes before the pandemic, she said. (Yonhap)










By Sandip Kumar Mishra





President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is seeking to improve bilateral relations between South Korea and Japan. Unlike other Korean leaders, he is a neophyte and it is expected that he may reintroduce a "future-oriented" relationship with Japan.



Even in one of the presidential debates, Yoon ranked Japan second in terms of his priorities. His visit to former President Park Geun-hye on April 12, is also considered to be connected to his push for reconciliation with Japan.



South Korea and Japan signed two agreements  on the wartime sex slavery issue in 2015 and the intelligence sharing issue (the General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA) in 2016 during the Park administration.



Yoon has announced that he would honor the "final and irreversible" agreement on the comfort women issue and it would definitely please Japan in general and the Japanese prime minister in particular as Fumio Kishida was the foreign minister of Japan when the agreement was signed.



In an interview with the Washington Post on April 14, Yoon expressed his confidence that South Korea-Japan relations would "go well" during his term. He said that even though South Koreans have "traumatic memories of Japanese colonial rule," South Korea must "look forward in the future."



Yoon also connected South Korea-Japan relations with the improvement in trilateral relations between Seoul, Tokyo and Washington as well as bilateral Seoul-Washington relations.



Yoon's general foreign policy approach also appears to be closer to that of Japan. He has expressed that he would proactively remove all frictions from South Korea-U.S. relations and be more expressive against China's "assertive" behavior. It appears that he would harden South Korean approach toward North Korean nuclear-missile tests. These postures are definitely going to be appreciated by Japan.



Yoon's seven-member delegation is visiting Japan from April 24 to 28 to explore ways and means to improve relations with Japan. The delegation may have a meeting with the Japanese prime minister while there.



Until now, Japan has responded positively to Yoon's postures and Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on April 18 that Japan will "seize this opportunity to communicate well with the new South Korean administration."



Thus, it appears quite probable that South Korea-Japan relations will improve during the Yoon administration. However, there are several obstacles in the form of historical, territorial and political disputes, which also must be stressed.



Most importantly, popular sentiment in South Korea remains unfavorable toward Japan. As an opinion poll by the Korea Economic Research Institute in May 2021 points out, only 16.7 percent of South Koreans feel friendly toward Japan.



In the recent past also there have been several instances when Japan's actions have not been appreciated in South Korea. For example, when Japan recommended a gold and silver mine complex on Sado Island for the 23 UNESCO World Heritage list in February 2022, South Korea became upset as the island is a site of wartime forced labor.



In late March, Japan released new history and geography textbooks, which claim that the Dokdo islets are part of Japanese territory and changed some expressions such as Japanese "coercion" to Japanese "mobilization" during the colonial period. Naturally, the South Korean government expressed its displeasure, yet Yoon decided to keep silent on the matter.



It's important to note that previous leaders of conservative parties also tried to reach out to Japan but because of popular backlash, they had to change their positions. For example, former President Lee Myung-bak was secretly negotiating GSOMIA with Japan but when the news leaked, the process stalled.



To overcome his image of being a pro-Japan leader, Lee visited Dokdo after the controversy. His successor, President Park, did sign the agreements on the sex slavery issue and GSOMIA but she then faced popular opposition in the country.



Anyway, throughout her term, South Korea and Japan did not have any direct, bilateral and exclusive summit and the last such summit was in 2011 when President Lee visited Japan.



The trade restrictions have further led both countries to drift away from each other in recent years. South Korea has gradually been substituting its reliance on Japan in terms of its imports of key semiconductor materials. In fact, by June 2021 South Korea's reliance on Japan for the top 100 industrial items needed for its economy had declined to just 25 percent.



Amid all these challenges, President-elect Yoon has to work for the improvement of South Korea-Japan relations, and it will not be an easy task. However, even if he is able to halt deterioration in bilateral relations, it will definitely be positive for both countries and the region.





The author (sandipmishra10@gmail.com) is associate professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.








President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, second from right, greets employees of SK bioscience at the firm's headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, right, and Presidential Transition Committee Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo, third from right, also attended the event. Yonhap
Official campaign posters for 2022 French presidential election candidates, President Emmanuel Macron who is seeking reelection, and Marine Le Pen, the far-right Rassemblement National party candidate, are displayed on an official billboard in Henin-Beaumont, France, April 23. Reuters-Yonhap





French vote on Sunday in an election that will decide whether pro-European Union, centrist President Emmanuel Macron keeps his job or is unseated by far-right eurosceptic Marine Le Pen in what would amount to a political earthquake.







Opinion polls in recent days gave Macron a solid and slightly growing lead as analysts said Le Pen  despite efforts to soften her image and tone down some of her National Rally (Rassemblement National) party's policies  remained unpalatable for many.







But a surprise Le Pen victory cannot entirely be ruled out, given the high numbers of voters who were undecided or not sure if they would vote at all in the runoff presidential vote.







With polls showing neither candidate able to count on enough committed supporters, much will depend on a cohort of voters who are weighing up anxiety about the implications of a far-right presidency against anger at Macron's record since his 2017 election.







If Le Pen does win, it would likely carry the same sense of stunning political upheaval as the British vote to leave the European Union or the U.S. election of Donald Trump in 2016.







Polls open at 8 a.m. (local time) and close at 8 p.m. Initial projections by pollsters are expected as soon as polls close.







"Each of them has a huge weakness," Bernard Sananes of pollster Elabe said. "Emmanuel Macron is considered arrogant by more than one in two voters and Marine Le Pen remains scary for half of them."







Macron, 44 and the winner in the same matchup five years ago, has warned of "civil war" if Le Pen  whose policies include a ban on wearing Muslim headscarves in public  is elected, calling on democrats of all stripes to back him against the far-right.







Le Pen, 53, has focused her campaign on the rising cost of living in the world's seventh largest economy, which many French say has worsened with the surge in global energy prices. She has also zeroed in on Macron's abrasive leadership style, which she says shows an elitist contempt for ordinary people.







"The question on Sunday is simple: Macron or France," she told a rally in the northern French town of Arras, Thursday.







Le Pen's message has resonated with many voters.







"She is close to the people. She can really give purchasing power to the people, make the people smile, give the people oxygen," prison guard Erika Herbin, 43, said after the rally.











Others, such Ghislaine Madalie, a hairdresser in Auxerre, in central France, strongly disagree.







Madalie said she would vote for Macron after backing the far-left Jean-Luc Melenchon in the first round on April 10, for fear of what a Le Pen presidency would be like. But she added that many of her clients would vote for the far-right candidate because they dislike Macron.







"I find that disastrous because she is racist," Madalie, 36, whose family has roots in Morocco said of Le Pen. "I am anxious, for me and for my children."







Le Pen, who has also been criticized by Macron for her past admiration of Russian President Vladimir Putin, rejects accusations of racism. She said her plans to give priority to French citizens for social housing and jobs and scrap a number of welfare benefits for foreigners, would benefit all French, independently of their religion or origins.







Jean-Daniel Levy, of Harris Interactive pollsters, said opinion surveys showed Le Pen was unlikely to win, because that would require huge shifts in voter intentions.







If Macron does win he will face a difficult second term, with none of the grace period that he enjoyed after his first victory, and protests likely over his plan to continue pro-business reforms, including raising the retirement age from 62 to 65.







If she unseats him, Le Pen would seek to make radical changes to the country's domestic and international policies, and street protests could start immediately. Shockwaves would be felt across Europe and beyond.







Whoever wins, a first major challenge will be to win parliamentary elections in June to secure a workable majority to implement their programs. (Reuters)


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A prominent Northwest Indiana business owner and an aide to U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., are battling for the Republican nomination to represent the 4th District on the Lake County Council.

The winner of the May 3 GOP contest between Pete Lindemulder and Tony Ferraro, both of Schererville, will compete in the Nov. 8 general election for a four-year term against Nick Petrovski, of Crown Point, who is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

The 4th District spans nearly all of St. John Township, except its northeast corner, and also takes in the northwest corner of Center Township, including most of Dyer, Schererville, St. John and part of Crown Point.

Its current council member, Republican Dan Dernulc, of Highland, is giving up his seat on Lake County's financial governing body to run this year for Indiana Senate District 1.

Lindemulder, the owner of three local businesses, including Premier Porta Potty, said his management experience and service on multiple not-for-profit boards of directors make him ideally suited to oversee spending by Lake County government.

"Lake County has so much to offer those who live here," he said. "I want to make sure we continue building on the current momentum of the state of Indiana so that families from not only across the border in Illinois, but also from around the country, can look at Lake County as a great place to raise their families, open businesses and thrive."

In particular, Lindemulder said he wants to improve transparency by simplifying, consolidating and better organizing county financial documents to more easily compare the council's 500-odd pages of appropriations with how the money actually is being spent.

He also hopes to work with the county commissioners to make bidding on county government contracts more accessible to local businesses to attract more bidders and score better prices for the products and services purchased by Lake County taxpayers.

"I have owned and worked with multiple successful businesses that each had a budget ranging from a few hundred thousand dollars a year to a few hundred million dollars a year. I've also worked on several local and international not-for-profit boards of various sizes. The common denominator for each entitys success was consistent and easy to understand financials. I believe Lake County's citizens deserve the same," Lindemulder said.

Ferraro also is touting his experience as a small business owner, as well as his work alongside Indiana's junior U.S. senator, as the primary reason 4th District voters should pick him for the Lake County Council.

"Twenty-four years and counting of managing operations has taught me the value of hard work and strong principles," Ferraro said.

"Getting the opportunity to transition into the federal government and learn how to best affect and work with government agencies  on both sides of the aisle  to get things done has shown me that leadership is needed on every level to help our institutions provide cost-effective and real problem-solving solutions to our communities."

In addition, Ferraro is pledging as a council member to unreservedly support law enforcement "because these people put their lives on the line for us every day, and we owe them no less."

He said anyone who votes for him will be getting a council member who is serious, dedicated, experienced and capable.

"I've got the drive. I've got the enthusiasm. And I want to go to work," Ferraro said.
The Dane County Sheriffs Office plans to deploy 25 license plate reading surveillance cameras this summer as part of a yearlong pilot project aimed at studying whether the cameras are associated with less crime and better investigations.

While its nearly impossible to be out and about in any urban or suburban area without getting caught on private or government-owned surveillance cameras, the cameras provided to the Sheriffs Office through a partnership with the National Policing Institute would be the agencys first, according to agency spokesperson Elise Schaffer.

We are thankful for the opportunity to participate in this pilot program, Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a statement. This technology provides us with one more tool in our toolbox to be proactive and increase public safety here in Dane County.

Made by Atlanta-based Flock Safety, the motion-activated cameras run on power generated by solar panels installed with them. They dont collect video but rather images of license plates and other vehicle details even when the vehicles are very far away and traveling at speeds of 75 to 80 miles per hour, company spokesperson Holly Beilin said.

The images are uploaded to the cloud through a wireless connection, she said, and plate numbers are run through various law enforcement databases, with any matches sent to police in real time. About 1,300 police agencies in 40 states currently use the cameras, she said.

The cameras do not have facial-recognition technology, according to the company, a feature thats become a sore spot for some racial-justice activists who say the technology has problems accurately identifying nonwhite faces.

Schaffer said the Sheriffs Office hasnt yet decided where to put the cameras, but theyll only go in places where it has primary responsibility for law enforcement  so not in Madison, Sun Prairie or other municipalities with their own 24/7 police departments. Valued at about $2,500 each per year, the cameras would be provided free through Sheriffs Office participation in the NPI study. No staff would be added to administer the cameras, Schaffer said, and it was still unclear how much staff time the study would require.

In a two-page brief outlining its study, NPI says research suggests that LPRs  license plate readers  can benefit law enforcement, but that the technologys impact depends on its implementation. Specifically, they can be an effective tool for improving stolen vehicle recovery and arrests for auto thefts.

Factors affecting their usefulness include how many and how concentrated the cameras are, whether theyre in fixed spots or on squad cars, and what kinds of databases theyre connected to. The NPI study will focus on stationary cameras and whether they are associated with more arrests for vehicle-related and other offenses, as well as whether they improve the quality and speed of investigations and help close more cases.

At a time when about half of the American political spectrum is reexamining policing in the wake of several high-profile police killings, NPI also wants to know whether the cameras create a pathway for transparency, open discussion and engagement with the community by understanding how their data are used.

The Madison Police Departments cameras, however, are regular CCTV cameras, said spokesperson Stephanie Fryer, referring to closed-circuit television.

There is the possibility a license plate may be visible, like on any camera, but our cameras do not have that special technology, she said.

Going through footage recorded by traditional video cameras can take up significant officer time  a problem Flock says its system helps eliminate by letting officers search images based on vehicle characteristics such as make and color, Beilin said.

One possible location for one or more of the new Sheriffs Office cameras is an intersection north of Sun Prairie in the town of Bristol where one of the countys two strip clubs is located, according to town chairman Gerald Derr. Club Bristol at highways N and V saw four shootings in its parking lot or nearby last year. The most recent one, in November, resulted in felony charges against three men.
UW-Madison did not publicly advertise a newly created position before giving the $125,000-per-year post to a former executive with Foxconn, a company that has fallen far short of its promise to build a massive manufacturing plant in Racine County, recently released records show.

The universitys decision to waive the typical recruitment process followed university policy because the position is a temporary appointment lasting two years or less. Most UW-Madison jobs are required to be publicly posted for a period of time to allow all potential candidates an equal opportunity to apply.

UW-Madison earlier this year hired Alan Yeung, Foxconns former director of U.S. strategic initiatives, to be a professor of practice for entrepreneurship, according to the universitys offer letter. His official title is Internal Consultant I in the College of Engineerings research office.

Yeungs hiring, first reported in late March by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, has drawn criticism from Foxconn skeptics. He was deeply involved in a deal approved by state lawmakers in 2017 to build a massive manufacturing plant in Racine County with the help of some $4 billion in taxpayer incentives. The company in 2018 also pledged to donate $100 million to UW-Madison to help fund a new engineering building and company-related research.

So far, both commitments have faltered. Last year was the first time the company created enough jobs to begin tapping state tax credits, and records show Foxconn has so far only given $700,000 to the university  less than 1% of the companys commitment more than three years into the five-year agreement.

UW-Madison chancellor Rebecca Blank said last summer that she wasnt expecting the Taiwanese technology company to honor its pledge, citing the trade war between the U.S. and China and other problems taking place in markets where Foxconn operated as reasons why the gift fell through.

Foxconn representatives, provided more than two business days to respond to submitted questions, declined to say if the company ever plans to honor its promise to UW-Madison and whether Yeungs hiring changes its relationship with the university.

Yeungs position is expected to last a year or less and is being paid for with funding from the Grainger Institute for Engineering, a private gift from the Grainger Foundation, UW-Madison spokesperson John Lucas said.

Yeung, a 1984 UW-Madison alumnus who holds multiple patents and has served as a senior executive in Silicon Valley, started the UW-Madison job on April 1. The job description shows he will lend advice to the College of Engineering on commercializing university research.

Alan brings invaluable experience in new business venture and technology commercialization, College of Engineering Dean Ian Robertson said in a statement. Taking more of our world-class research to market more quickly is a top priority, and Alans leadership and expertise in addressing opportunities and achieving alignments make him the right person to begin this effort.

Expanding industry research is an area UW-Madison has long targeted for improvement. Among other institutions in the top 10 nationally for research spending, the level of business funding in the 2020 fiscal year ranged from $177 million at the University of Pennsylvania to $50 million at Harvard University. UW-Madison came in last with $30 million, according to National Science Foundation research spending data.

Yeung will help establish the College of Engineerings new Technology Entrepreneurship Office, which he said will collaborate with the College of Letters and Science and the School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences. He said he will help recruit and hire the offices director and work on other staffing.

He declined in an interview to explain why Foxconns promise to UW-Madison fell through and whether, as a UW-Madison employee, he is disappointed by Foxconns level of investment in the university. He said his new job doesnt entail working with large corporations partnering with UW-Madison on technology-related research, so it would not be (his) role to try and persuade Foxconn to honor its $100 million pledge.

Instead, Yeung said his work will focus on forming relationships with alumni and others affiliated with UW-Madison who have business experience. The new office plans to offer an entrepreneurship-in-residence program that will connect these executives or entrepreneurs with faculty, postdoctoral researchers and students.

Yeung also said hes hoping to build a fund to keep the entrepreneurship-in-residence program running so that it doesnt rely on grants in the long term.

Yeung isnt UW-Madisons first Foxconn hire. The university last year hired John Garnetti, the companys former deputy director of U.S. strategic initiatives, to lead the universitys Office of Business Engagement after a monthslong search that yielded a significant pool of applicants, officials said. Garnetti was hired at a $145,000 annual salary.

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New Delhi [India], April 25 (ANI/PR Newswire): On the International Day of Conscience, BodhiTrail Founder, Riaan Kumar, organized a 'National Conference on Faith and Policy' at the India Habitat Center. With keynote speakers Dr Kiran Bedi and UNESCO MGIEP Director, Dr Anantha Duraiappah, it strived to alleviate communal disharmony and improve public policy, by kick-starting a discussion on the impact of faith on policy making.

The first session discussed the theological foundations of communal relations in India. With Riaan as moderator, the diverse panel--Maulvi Dr Rizvi, Buddhist Leader Geshe La, Reverend. Roby K and ISKCON's Prabhuji Dasa - quoted various scriptures, pointing out how all religions are united in their quest for peace and fraternity. However, as Dr Rizvi pointed out communal disharmony is born when people practice faith in selfish and inauthentic ways and that needs to be addressed.

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The second session explored how communal relations bear upon policy formulation, ultimately affecting the economic and political well-being of citizens. Shedding light on this relation was Philosophy Professor Dr Rosenhagen, OP Jindal's Dr Pankaj Gupta, Economist Prof Santosh Mehrotra and SP Spokesperson Tiwari. They elaborated on how communal disharmony has negatively impacted investor confidence in the Indian market, and inattention to inter-faith harmony has tangible consequences on our country's GDP.

Both Prof Dr Rosenhagen and Dr Pankaj Gupta reiterated that our task really is to calibrate these (economic, religious and political) pressures in a consultative and participatory way.

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The event's audience consisted of students from Delhi-NCR who were specially invited by organizer, Riaan, a senior at the Shri Ram School, Aravali. A keen scholar of Buddhist scripture for four years, his passion for religion and policy inspired him to recently present his research paper on 'Reflections of Buddhism on Modern Democracy', at the International Society for Research, Malaysia. BodhiTrail organization through its workshops, podcasts, blogs, visits, and conferences, has spread the message of communal harmony to over 15,000 students.

As Dr Kiran Bedi rightly summarized at the end of the conference, "If youngsters like this (Riaan) start on BodhiTrail at this age, along with good quality education, we are in very safe hands. They will make better leaders."

BodhiTrail team is currently working to synthesize the conference's insights into policy briefs by working in tandem with academic experts and ThinkTanks.

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BodhiTrail is a global platform to promote peace and harmony, by evaluating the pervasive impact of faith on policy, economics, and politics of a nation. Bodhi Trail has partnered with NGOs, nation-wide foundations, practitioners at different faiths and their leaders, colleges, schools and local organizations to promote secular values and implement insights into action.

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This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PR Newswire)

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New Delhi, Apr 25 (PTI) The commercial flight operations of Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Akasa Air will be launched in July instead of June.

"As we get closer to the airline launch date, we can now confirm refined estimates on our timelines. We expect our first aircraft delivery by early June 2022, with the intention to start commercial operations in July 2022," Vinay Dube, CEO, Akasa Air, told PTI.

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Importantly, there will be no impact on "later aircraft induction" and Akasa Air remains on plan to fly 18 aircraft by the end of March 2023, said Dube, who is also Founder and Managing Director of the carrier.

On March 26, Dube had at an aviation event said that the airline is planning to launch its commercial operations in June.

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Akasa Air -- which along with Dube is backed by by ace investor Jhunjhunwala and aviation veteran Aditya Ghosh -- got the no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Civil Aviation in the first half of August 2021 to launch commercial flight operations.

With the aviation regulator DGCA giving its green light to Boeing Max aircraft in late August, Akasa Air signed a deal with Boeing on November 26 last year to purchase 72 Boeing 737 Max planes.

Dube said on Monday, "With respect to starting the airline, we are extremely thankful to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA for their guidance and support on all required regulatory clearances."

"We have received our NOC and our next key milestone is the Air Operators Permit. We are working closely with the regulatory authorities and following all the required processes to comply with the requirements to obtain this certification. We hope to satisfy all regulatory requirements for this certification at the earliest," he added.

Aviation consultancy firm CAPA said in November 2021 that the disruption in the Indian aviation sector due to Akasa Air will possibly be felt from 2024-25 onwards "once it has scale and achieves a competitive cost base".

(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 25 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya on Monday arrived at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to meet the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai.

Earlier in the day, he had tweeted, "Today 12.30 BJP delegation meeting Nityanand Rai Home Minister (State) in connection with Maharashtra Govt issue."

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A Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation consisting of five party MLAs on Monday met Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and submitted a detailed report on the alleged attack on former Lok Sabha MP Kirit Somaiya allegedly by Shiv Sena workers in Maharashtra.

Somaiya was also part of the BJP delegation.

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The memorandum submitted by the delegation stated that Somaiya on April 23 was assaulted by 70-80 activists of Shiv Sena at the gate of Khar police station premises in the presence of police personnel. He was attacked with stones, bottles and chappals while returning from the police station, alleged the BJP delegation, while also stating that during the assault the glass window of his car was broken and he was injured.

Somaiya alleged that the police supported the goons during the assault and the Central Industrial Security Force commandos were also beaten.

Somaiya requested for a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) of the Home Ministry while also asking that the CISF be asked to register another FIR with the Mumbai police.

Somaiya mentioned that the attack was the third assault on him, and thus his security arrangements should be reviewed and demanded actions against the culprits and also against the Khar police station officials.

The BJP delegation included MLAs Mihir Kotecha, Amit Satam, Parag Shah, Rahul Narvekar, and Vinod Mishra. The meeting with Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla was held in North Block, Delhi. (ANI)

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Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], April 25 (ANI): Shiromani Akali Dal leader Daljit S Cheema on Monday took a jibe at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over his scheduled visit to government schools in Delhi and said that the 'pseudo model' won't help.

Terming the visit a "political drama", the former Education Minister said that "this may be helpful in selling this pseudo model in poll-bound states but won't be of much help for Punjab".

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Cheema also advised the Punjab Chief Minister to first visit the schools in his own state to understand strength and weaknesses of the Punjab education system.

"Before planning a tour to study Delhi model of education, Bhagwant Mann should have toured his own schools to understand their strength and weaknesses," Cheema tweeted.

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Bhagwant Mann along with Delhi CM and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal will visit government schools and Mohalla clinics in the national capital on Monday.

During the visit, Education and Health ministers, as well as top officials of both the states, will also be present tomorrow.

"Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, along with Delhi CM and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, will visit Delhi government schools and mohalla clinics on April 25. Education and Health Ministers, as well as top officials of both the states, will also be present during the visit," said the Delhi CM office.

Kejriwal had earlier announced that his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann and his ministers will visit Delhi government schools on Monday to see the "remarkable improvement" the AAP regime has brought in them.

His remarks came days after opposition parties alleged that the Punjab government was being run through "remote control" from Delhi after Kejriwal held a meeting in the city with the state's top bureaucrats in Mann's absence. (ANI)

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Kolkata, Apr 19 (PTI) India, especially West Bengal could deepen its people-to-people ties with neighbour Bangladesh, said Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das, former Secretary-East in the Ministry of External Affairs, while pointing out that in the official domain, collaboration between the two governments had been strengthened significantly in all areas, in recent years.

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Ganguly Das in an interaction with PTI on Tuesday, suggested that there can be joint theatrical productions and ballets, collaborative writing of books and works on Rabindranath Tagore between people who share a common culture and language.

With a 4,096-km-long border, it is quite natural that there will be issues between India and Bangladesh. But many complicated problems have been resolved. Both countries now work together in many sectors including connectivity.

But there is not much public awareness regarding the collaboration and only issues such as border shoot-outs and illegal immigration are highlighted, she told PTI.

Ganguly Das, who served as India's High Commissioner to Dhaka before taking up her assignment as Secretary-East, said that deeper cultural ties will help in removing misconceptions and stereotypes that people of both Bangladesh and India, especially West Bengal harbour towards each other.

An average educated Bangladeshi looks to India and says we are blood brothers. He or she acknowledges India's role in their country's liberation, just as we acknowledge the gallantry shown by Bangladesh's freedom fighters. However, there will always be discordant notes  which can be isolated through frequent cultural exchanges, she said.

One Bangladeshi top Naval officer's wife once told me she goes to Kolkata to watch first-day-first-show of almost all movies. People come from there for education, medical treatment and even to shop as it should be, between neighbours. Similarly, many Indians do business or study medicine in Bangladesh, she said.

However, with both parts of Bengal sharing a common history for thousands of years, their present-day relationship should be much more vibrant, the former diplomat said.

Ganguly Das said that Bengali-language cinema is one area where there can be massive collaboration between the two countries. She pointed out over-the-top (OTT) platforms (net-based movie theatres such as Netflix and Hoi Choi) have made it easier for people from both sides of the border to see each other's movie offerings.

India-Bangladesh joint production movies such as Padma Nadir Majhi' (1993), Moner Manush' (2010) and Shankhachil' (2016) were widely popular in both the countries. The two countries are now working on a joint production of a bio-pic on Sheikh Mujibbur Rehman, the founder of Bangladesh, which is being directed by Shyam Benegal.

There can be joint production of dramas, ballets ... There should be collaborative writing of books. Works can be done on Rabindranath Tagoreso many Bangladeshi students come to Santiniketan for studies she said.

West Bengal and Bangladesh were part of a common homeland of Bengalis, which was partitioned in 1947 when Pakistan was carved out of India. The western part of Bengal became the Indian state of West Bengal, while the eastern half first became East Pakistan and subsequently, the independent nation of Bangladesh in 1971.

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Mumbai, Apr 25 (PTI) The Mumbai Police have shifted independent MP Navneet Rana to the Byculla women's jail here, while her MLA husband Ravi Rana was taken to Taloja jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai amid tight security, an official said on Monday.

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The couple was arrested on Saturday after they gave a call for the chanting of Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's private residence 'Matoshree' in Mumbai, which had triggered angry protests by Shiv Sainiks.

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The Mumbai Police later slapped the sedition charge on the politician couple. On Sunday, a Mumbai court remanded the Rana couple in 14-day judicial custody.

Subsequently, Navneet Rana, the MP from Amravati in Maharashtra, was late Sunday night taken to the Byculla women's jail.

Her husband Ravi Rana, the MLA from Badnera in Amravati, was first taken to the Arthur Road jail in Mumbai, but due to lack of adequate space there, he was taken to the Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai after completion of the legal formalities, the official said.

Earlier, a case was registered against Ranas under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, and sections 37(1) and 135 of the Bombay Police Act.

Later, the police also added IPC Section 124-A (sedition) in the case against them.

Under IPC Section 124-A, the offence of sedition is committed when any person by words or otherwise brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law.

The police had also registered another FIR against Ranas for allegedly obstructing police from performing their duty and resisting arrest at their residence in suburban Khar, the official said.

Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil had on Sunday termed "appropriate" the arrest of the Rana couple.

The police had also arrested 13 Shiv Sena workers on Sunday for allegedly protesting outside the Khar residence of Ranas on Saturday. The party workers were later released on bail, police earlier said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Srinagar, Apr 25 (PTI) PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said her party did not see any hope in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in Jammu, alleging that the BJP-led Centre has pushed the youngsters of Jammu and Kashmir towards despondency.

"What hope can we have? The prime minister spoke about the youngsters and the future of Jammu and Kashmir. What future do they have? As if the PSA (Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act) was not enough, youngsters are now being booked under the UAPA," the People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief told reporters here.

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She said Modi's statement was ironic as opportunities of employment and business in Jammu and Kashmir are being given to outsiders.

"Jobs are going out, mining leases and liquor licences are also given to outsiders. The electricity produced in Jammu and Kashmir powers homes and factories across the country, but the situation in Kashmir is terrible on this front as well," Mufti said.

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She said the Centre has put up the land of Jammu and Kashmir for sale, adding, "It is offering a 50-per cent stamp duty reduction for people buying land here."

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister also hit out at Modi for maintaining silence over Muslims facing violence across the country.

"The livelihood of Muslims, their homes and their dignity are being bulldozed in (Delhi's) Jahangirpuri, right near the prime minister's residence, but he is doing nothing about it," she alleged.

Mufti said as a Muslim majority state, Jammu and Kashmir had acceded to India based on the principles of secularism.

"We thought Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians will live together. But that is not happening now. Muslims, the largest minority in the country, are a scared lot," she added.

Mufti said the prime minister's visit to Jammu and Kashmir comes in the backdrop of him being a "silent spectator" when 20 crore Muslims were "facing bulldozers".

"He comes to visit Jammu and Kashmir, which he left no stone unturned to destroy. Our rights have been snatched.... We have been reduced from a state to a Union Territory. Outsiders are being given preference in jobs here, while people from Jammu and Kashmir are being dismissed," she alleged.

The PDP president further alleged that the BJP-led Centre has "not only bulldozed democracy, but the Constitution as well".

Asked about elections in Jammu and Kashmir, she said she has not heard anything about it.

"The way they (Centre) are controlling Jammu and Kashmir by a remote control, we do not foresee any news about elections," Mufti said.

In his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in August 2019, Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of several projects worth around Rs 20,000 crore for the Union Territory on Sunday.

In a message to the youngsters of Jammu and Kashmir, the prime minister said unlike their parents and grandparents, they would not have to live a life of trouble.

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Awantipora (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], April 25 (ANI): One hybrid terrorist of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), his accomplice was arrested in Awantipora by Police and security forces on Monday.

According to police and security forces, they were planning to target outside labourers.

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During preliminary interrogation, the suspect disclosed that he received a pistol with ammunition and instructions from a LeT terrorist code name Haji to attack and kill at least two outside labourers in Pampore town. Rayees was promised to be recruited as a terrorist after execution of the attack.

Rayees Mir (Hybrid terrorist) sought the aid of his friend namely Shakir Hamid Bhat son of Abdul Hamid Bhat resident of Alochibagh Samboora to identify the target and provide him a motorcycle for executing this terror act.

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The technical surveillance by police and swift action by the joint team not only led to the arrest of the hybrid terrorist and his accomplice but also prevented terror incident and saved precious lives of innocent civilians, the police said.

According to reports, a case was registered in police station Pampore and investigation is underway. (ANI)

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Udaipur (Rajasthan) [India], April 25 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday alleged that the prime accused of the Chhabra violence attended Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's Iftar party.

The state unit of the BJP has demanded an apology from the Chief Minister.

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The BJP leader and leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan legislative Assembly Gulab Chand Kataria accused Gehlot of following vote bank politics by "inviting the accused in the violence".

"Rajasthan Chief Minister held an Iftar party and to strengthen his vote bank, he invited prominent members of the Muslim community. The party was also attended by the key accused of the Chhabra violence whose photos have gone viral. It seems as if Ashok Gehlot has made up his mind to flare up communal tension in the state. Incidents from Karauli to Alwar, which involved the demolition of a temple, prove appeasement of the minority community for vote bank," Kataria said.

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"The Chief Minister should apologize to the people of the state. It is unfortunate for the state of Rajasthan," he added.

Terming it as a "matter of concern", Chhabra MLA Pratap Singh Singhvi demanded that there should be an investigation into the circumstances which led to the invitation to the Chhabra violence accused at the Gehlot residence, pointing out a breach in CM's security.

"The main accused of Chhabra violence was present in Iftar party organised at Chief Minister's residence. This is a matter of concern and should be investigated why was he allowed to enter Gehlot's residence. This amounts to compromise of the Chief Minister's security," Singhvi said.

The BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya accused Gehlot of "sheltering rioters".

Sharing the pictures of the Iftar party, Malviya tweeted: "Ashok Gehlot hosted an 'official' Iftar party on 23 April. In attendance was Asif Ansari, main accused of Chabbra riots, in which several homes and shops of Hindu's were burnt down. The man who should have been in jail was enjoying CM's hospitality! Sheltering rioters is secularism?"

In these pictures, the violence accused can be seen posing with Women and Child Development Minister Mamta Bhupesh and Water Resources Minister Mahesh Joshi.

On this, Joshi clarified, saying that "anyone can click a picture with me".

"There were thousands of people gathered (in Iftar party at CM's residence). We should move on from this issue. Anyone can click a picture with me, but if he is violating the law, he should be punished," Joshi said.

Police have said that the accused was out on bail.

"We were not given the list of invitees for the Iftar party. Asif Ali was accused of the Chhabra violence but he was out on bail. We have no information about who invited him there," said Kalyamnal Meena, Superintendent of Police, Baran.

Communal violence broke out in Baran's Chabbra of Rajasthan over car parking incident last year.

An altercation had broken out between groups of people and a man was stabbed. This reportedly led to communal clashes in the area. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Cuttack, Apr 25 (PTI) The Orissa High Court Monday directed three Union secretaries and the Chairman of the Railway Board to resolve the crisis of coal supply to National Aluminum Company's smelter plant at Angul and its Alumina refinery at Damanjodi in 24 hours.

A Division Bench headed by Chief Justice S Muralidhar ordered since the essential dispute concerns two Central PSUs-MCL and NALCO, and also involves the role of the Railways, the court considers it appropriate to direct that the Secretary, Power, the Secretary, Coal, the Secretary, Mines and the Chairman, Railway Board, will sit together in virtual or hybrid mode with the Managing Directors of the MCL and NALCO not later than 6 pm (April 26) to find the way for resolving the crisis to ensure that the smelter plant of NALCO at Angul and its Alumina refinery at Damanjodi are not pushed to the brink of a shutdown.

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The dry fuel scarcity issue was brought to the notice of the High Court by the Nalco Officers' Association and the court had directed the Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) last week to consider the request of the country's biggest aluminium manufacturer on a priority basis.

When the matter came up for adjudication on Monday, counsel for the NALCO informed the Court that coal supply from the MCL had come down by 60 per cent of the contracted demand and coal stocks available with the alumina major can keep its units going only for three more days.

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On the other hand, counsel for the MCL submitted that the coal company should not be compelled to supply dry fuel only to NALCO through rakes as MCL is also required to supply the fossil fuel to other power plants as well.

The MCL counsel also urged the Court to direct NALCO to lift coal from MCL's pit at Bharatpur, about 20 km from the smelter plant, either by road or by Merry Go Round' (MGR), a dedicated rail line connecting the coalmine pit head with NALCO's smelter plant.

Meanwhile, the HC received two other writ petitions in which the Utkal Chamber of Commerce and District Small Scale Manufacturing Enterprises expressed apprehensions that MSMEs in the state would suffer if the power supply was reduced due to the non-availability of coal for thermal power plants.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 25 (ANI): After the hijab in classrooms row in Karnataka, a new row has erupted in the state alleging that a school in Bengaluru had taken an undertaking from parents that they would not object to their wards carrying the Bible to class.

Hindu Janajagruti Samiti on Monday accused the administration of Clarence High School here of making it mandatory for students to carry the Bible. State spokesperson of the group, Gowda, alleged that the school has asked non-Christian students to compulsorily carry and read the Bible adding that it violated Articles 25 and 30 of the Constitution.

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Principal of Clarence High School, Jerry George Mathew told ANI that, "We are aware that some people are upset about one of the policies of our school. We are a peace-loving and law-abiding school. We've consulted our advocates on this matter and we'll follow their advice. We won't break law of the land."

The Block Education Officer also arrived at the school to take stock of the situation. "I have come here to get a report from the school authority," he said.

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Karnataka Primary and Secondary education Minister BC Nagesh said that no educational institution can force people to follow a certain religious practice and if institutions are found doing so strict action will be taken against them.

"No institution can teach religious textbooks. As you know Bible is a religious book of Christianity. Such things cannot be taught in our institutions. Whether it is a minority institution or other institutions. No religious practices are allowed" the minister told ANI.

"I have not seen what exactly it is. I'll ask my authorities to look into it and speak to management. I heard that they are law-abiding school. They have consulted their advocates on this matter and they will follow their advice. No institute can force anyone to practice something which is against their religious practices. ....The Department will take action if they have done so," the Karnataka minister said.

Meanwhile, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti said that they will meet the Karnataka Education Minister soon and raise the concern, according to Ramesh Shinde, national spokesperson of the group.

Recently, the state government had announced plans to introduce the Bhagavad Gita in schools, with education Minister BC Nagesh stating that if approved by experts, the Karnataka government, too, will include the epics like Bhagwad Gita in the syllabus for students. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], April 25 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Monday said it will list petitions for a hearing challenging the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir in the month of July.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said it will try to list a bunch of petitions challenging the validity of the law in the month of July.

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Senior advocates P Chidambaram and Shekhar Naphade mentioned the petitions before the court for early hearing.

"This is the Article 370 matter... the delimitation is also going on," Naphade told the bench.

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"Let me see after vacation. This is a five-judge matter. Give details we will list them. There are some issues with judges and bench composition," the CJI said.

Various petitions are pending before the top court challenging the validity of the law scrapping Article 370 of the constitution and special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating the state into two Union Territories.

Later, some petitions were filed against the government's action for delimitation in accordance with the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019.

These petitions said sweeping changes are being brought by the Centre that impacts the rights of a large number of people.

"Despite the fact that the petition is pending before the Supreme Court since 2019, the central government has taken some irreversible actions," petitions says.

Petitions have stated the Centre has constituted a delimitation commission to mark boundaries in the territory for all the constituencies before an assembly election can be held.

On August 5 2019, the Central government announced its decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir granted under Article 370 and split the region into two Union territories.

A five-judge Bench in March 2020 had declined to refer to a larger 7-judge bench a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Centre's decision to abrogate provisions of Article 370 on August 5, saying there were no reasons to refer the matter to a larger bench.

A number of petitions have been filed in the top court including those of private individuals, lawyers, activists and politicians and political parties challenging the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which splits Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], April 25 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to explain its stand on a petition seeking direction to prepare the layout and execute the work of construction of "Judicial Vista" over the land adjoining the present premises of the apex court.

A Bench of Justices Vineet Saran and JK Maheshwari asked the Centre to apprise its stand on the petition. The Court adjourned the matter for tomorrow.

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The top court also observed the need for judicial vista for proper establishment and remarked that the Centre Government shall consider the plea.

The top court said that judicial vista in a planned manner is a logical and correct thing

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The top court said that for doing proper work Supreme Court must have a proper establishment.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Ardhendumauli Kumar Prasad seeking to prepare the layout and execute the work of construction of "Judicial Vista" over the land adjoining the present premises of this Court enabling access to better and dignified working conditions for the Judges, the members of the Bar and the officials of the registry of this Court as well as to provide better facilities to the litigants visiting the premises of this Court for hearing of their cases.

The petition also sought to direct the Government of India to Constitute an independent Central Authority for the sole purposes of judicial infrastructure exclusively funded by the Consolidated Funds of India, for the purpose of ensuring that the infrastructure in the Courts/Tribunals in India is adequate for the Judges, Advocates and the Litigants, so as to ensure that the quality of dispensation of justice is further improved.

The present matter is being filed in the public interest, raising several important issues that are faced by the Court, the registry and the Advocates primarily practising at the Supreme Court of India. The petitioner said that he is seeking the realisation of the rights guaranteed under Article 14/19(1)(g)/21 of the Advocates, the staff and the litigants at large.

"The present writ petition in the public interest is being filed in view of the infrastructural deficit in this Court in terms of the space and other infrastructure for the smooth functioning of this Court, keeping in mind the needs of the Judges, the Registry and its staff, the Senior Advocates, Advocates on Record and the Advocates, their staff, and most importantly the Litigants, and seeks a direction for the construction and development of a "Judicial Vista", " the Court said.

The petition has sought to issue direction to the Centre to redevelop and construct a "Judicial Vista" and to constitute a Central Authority, fully funded by the Consolidated Fund of India, to cater to the peculiar and specific needs of judicial infrastructure at the Subordinate Judiciary, Statutory Tribunal, High Courts and this Court, under the Administrative Control of the Chief Justice of India.

The petitioner said that there is a grave need for a Central Authority dedicated to the infrastructural needs of the Judiciary at the Apex level, the High Court level, the Subordinate Judiciary level, the Statutory Tribunal level etc. He said that the Judicial Vista and other projects ought to be undertaken by such authority, in furtherance of the peculiar and specific need for judicial infrastructure. (ANI)

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Palakkad, April 25: Senior Congress leader who served as the governor of six states, K Sankaranarayanan passed away in Palakkad on Sunday. He was 89 when he breathed his last at his residence.

The minister served as the governor of Maharashtra, Nagaland and Jharkhand. Prior to his appointment as governor, he was a four-time minister of various ministries in the Kerala government.

He also held additional charges of governor in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Goa. Sankaranarayanan was elected to the Kerala assembly at least four times. He handled the portfolios of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development, Community Development, as well as Excise in a Congress-led government headed by K Karunakaran and A K Antony.

He was first elected to the 5th Kerala Legislative Assembly (KLA) from Thrithala, thereafter to the 6th KLA from Sreekrishnapuram to the 8th KLA from Ottappalam and to the 11th KLA from Palghat Constituency. He was also the Convener of the United Democratic Front (UDF) for 16 years. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed his condolences on the demise of K Sankaranarayanan. Uttar Pradesh Police Bids Emotional Goodbye To Vicon as Sniffer Dog Laid To Rest With State Honours.

"Express heartfelt condolences on the passing of senior Congress leader K Sankaranarayanan. He upheld a Nehruvian and secular outlook. He was a people-oriented politician. As governor, minister and legislator he undertook people-friendly measures, and stood for development," tweeted CM.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan, Governor Arif Muhammad Khan and many other leaders from different walks also expressed their condolences. (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 25 (ANI): Afghan diaspora in the United States, under the banner of "Free Afghanistan", organized a protest in front of the White House against the Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan.

Days after the April 16 airstrikes in Afghanistan by neighboring Pakistan, the protests were organized on Saturday. Airstrikes by the Pakistan military in the Khost and Kunar provinces of Afghanistan killed a number of civilians and escalated the already simmering tensions between the two countries.

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Speakers included prominent diaspora members Nisar Ahmad and Sharifullah Sharafat, a prominent Afghan social worker in DC. They condemned Pakistan's 'direct invasion' of Afghanistan in form of airstrikes in Khost and Kunar.

They also condemned fomenting of Hazara Genocide by Pakistan and its mercenaries. Speakers appealed to US Administration and the world community to intervene at the earliest and stop supporting the 'terrorist state' of Pakistan.

Also Read | Mumbai-Based Activist Jatin Desai Urges Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif To Release Indians Stuck in Pak Jails.

While sporadic cross-border shelling has killed Afghan civilians for years, the casualties due to the strikes mark a significant exacerbation in violence and the use of military force by Pakistani authorities as the strikes drew immediate criticism from Taliban officials, who said that Pakistani military aircraft carried out the airstrikes.

"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns Pakistan's attacks on refugees in Khost and Kunar. IEA calls on the Pakistani side not to test the patience of Afghans on such issues and not repeat the same mistake again otherwise it will have bad consequences," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement on Twitter.

Mujahid added that the problems between the two countries should be resolved through political means.

According to a statement from Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Taliban also summoned Pakistan's ambassador in Kabul to express their disapproval of the attacks and give him a diplomatic demarche to deliver to Islamabad.

However, Pakistani officials have not yet confirmed the strikes and instead urged the Taliban to curb increasing cross-border attacks from Afghanistan on their security forces.

"Pakistan has repeatedly requested Afghan Government in last few months to secure Pak-Afghan border region. Terrorists are using Afghan soil with impunity to carry out activities inside Pakistan," the media outlet quoted Pakistan's foreign office as saying in a statement earlier.

Notably, since the Taliban's takeover in Afghanistan last year, the country's eastern border with Pakistan has been a source of increasing tension between the two countries as Pakistani officials have claimed frequent attacks in Pakistan by militants harbored on Afghan soil. However, Taliban officials have refuted such reports of sheltering militants. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Karachi [Pakistan], April 25 (ANI): Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf continued their protest outside the residence of Pakistan Muslim League's(PML-N) supremo, Nawaz Sharif, for the third weekend in a row on Sunday, protesting against the ouster of Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan through a no-confidence vote.

An agitated mob of protesters consisting of both women and children gathered outside Avenfield flats in London, the residence of Nawaz Sharif for the third weekend, shouting slogans, reported the Dawn newspaper.

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Videos have emerged on social media which show the group of PTI supporters chanting slogans against the PML-N chairman Nawaz Sharif.

A protester in the Hyde Park of London was also seen thrashing a placard which constituted images of PTI dissidents, and members of the PML-N, including those of Aleem Khan, Tariq Bashir Cheema, Jahangir Tareen, and Rana Sanaullah, reported the Dawn newspaper.

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Earlier, PTI workers also held flags of Pakistan, during the demonstrations, accompanied by shouting slogans against the ouster of the ex-Prime and PTI chairman Imran Khan. Meanwhile, PML-N also reached outside Nawaz Sharif's residence to show solidarity with their leader.

Following the ouster of Imran Khan, on April 10, through a no-confidence vote, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) took out protests in several cities of Pakistan chanting slogans in the former Prime Minister's favour. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Colombo [Sri Lanka], April 25 (ANI): Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday said that he is willing to take immediate steps to form an interim government to curb and resolve the ongoing economic crisis in the country.

He conveyed this message to the Mahanayake of the three Chapters who are high-ranking Buddhist monks overseeing and regulating the Buddhist clergy in Theravada Buddhist countries, reported Daily Mirror.

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Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka has slipped into a dire economic crisis due to debt troubles, liquidity problems, and minimum foreign reserves leading to long power outages, and scarcity of fuel impacting manufacturing industries and the middle class. A series of protests can also be witnessed in the country as the citizens demand the resignation of Gotabya Rajapaksa for his inability to control the situation.

The Sri Lanka President has also agreed to present a new Constitution if the Parliament approves of it, Daily Mirror reported citing Ven. Medagama Dhammananda Thera, the Chief Registrar of the Asgiri Chapter.

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Earlier, Mahanayaka Theras had urged the President, Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and other parliament members to take necessary action to bring order to the country. He added that failure to do so will force the Mahanayaka Theras to issue a Sangha Convention.

The Mahanayaka Theras of Asgiri, Malwathu, Ramanya, and Amarapura chapters issued a statement insisting on the appointment of a multi-party Cabinet, by repealing the 20th Amendment, which removed checks and balances between the legislature and the executive and to refrain from suppressing mass protests, Daily Mirror reported.

Earlier, Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa asserted that if an interim government is formed, it should be led by him only.

Sri Lanka is gripped by one of the worst-hit economic crises since the country gained independence in 1948.

Due to energy shortages, some parts of Sri Lanka have rolled blackouts while the country's foreign debt is estimated at USD 51 billion. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Cairo, Apr 26 (AP) Sudan's military deployed further troops to West Darfur province to help stop tribal fighting that claimed the lives of more than 175 people over the past five days, officials and aid agencies said Monday.

The peak of the fighting between Arabs and the African Masalit tribe was Sunday in the town of Kreinik, 80 kilometers east of the provincial capital of Genena. The clashes eventually reached Genena where authorities declared a nightly curfew in the main market, according to the UN

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the violence which grew out of the killing of two Arab people Thursday in Kreinik by unknown assailants.

He called for the acceleration of the deployment of local joint security keeping forces as per a 2020 peace deal between Sudan's government and a rebel alliance in war-wrecked Darfur region.

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At least 168 people were killed, and 89 others were wounded on Sunday alone, according to the General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced in Darfur. Thursday-Friday clashes left 8 dead and 16 wounded, it said.

Darfur24 news website quoted Naser al-Zein, director of Kreinik municipality, as saying that the dead included at least 17 children and 27 women.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, said government buildings, a police station and Kreinik's sole hospital attacked and burned down in Sunday's hours-long clashes.

The fighting forced the UN food agency to suspend food distributions planned this week, affecting at least 62,850 displaced people in the town and two nearby villages, OCHA said.

The Genena Teaching Hospital, where wounded people were being treated, was also attacked Sunday with shooting took place inside the facility including the emergency department, the Doctors Without Borders charity said.

One hospital worker was killed, and healthcare workers were evacuated, said the group which is known by its French acronym MSF.

Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Yassin Ibrahim Yassin said they solidified security in the province and deployed troops to separate the warring parties.

Tensions between Arab and Masalit communities in Kreinik date back to December when a property dispute at a local market triggered clashes that killed at least 88 people.

The fighting has come at a critical time for Sudan, which has plunged into chaos since a military coup last year. The takeover upended the country's transition to democracy after a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.

The clashes raise questions over whether military leaders are capable of bringing security to Darfur, which has been wracked by years of civil war. In 2020, the UN Security Council ended its peacekeeping mission there. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, April 25: Tata Group-owned Air India has lost its preferential access to bilateral rights that are needed to operate flights to another country, according to a circular issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Air India had preferential access to bilateral rights, which are granted under air services agreements signed between two countries -- as it was a government-owned national carrier.

However, the Tata Group took control of Air India on January 27, after successfully winning the bid for the airline on October 8 last year.

Clause 3.6 of the previous DGCA circular stated, "Due consideration shall be given to the operational plans submitted by Air India Limited before allocation of the traffic rights to the other eligible applicants." The fresh DGCA circular, which was issued on April 19, removed the clause.

"The central government may at its discretion grant or deny allocation of traffic rights to any air transport undertaking having regard to its preparedness to undertake such operations, viability of the operations on a particular route, overall interests of the civil aviation sector etc.," the fresh circular read. Air India Jammu-Bound Flight Delayed Around 60 Minutes After Rat Seen On Plane at Srinagar Airport.

For the airlines of a particular country to operate international flights to another country, the two sides have to negotiate and sign a "bilateral air services agreement", which decides how many flights (or seats) per week can be allowed to fly from one country to the other. Once such an agreement is signed, each country is free to allocate the bilateral rights to its respective airlines.

Even after such flying rights are allocated to an airline, it must have slots at both the airports in order to start flight operations. A slot is a date and time at which an airline's aircraft is permitted to depart or arrive at an airport.

The slots are allocated by a committee that consists of civil aviation ministry and DGCA officials, airport operators and airlines, among others. The Tata Group is yet to appoint a chief executive officer (CEO) for Air India. However, its chairman N Chandrasekaran rejigged the top management of the airline earlier this month, bringing in senior executives who have worked in other companies of the group such as Tata Steel.
New Delhi, April 25: In yet another tragic incident involving an electric two-wheeler, a 40-year-old man has died after a blast occurred in an e-scooter belonging to Boom Motors while being charged at home.

The incident in Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh, also left the deceased Kotakonda Siva Kumar's wife and two daughters with severe burn injuries.

According to multiple reports, the police registered a complaint under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) against the EV maker and a notice was sent to the Boom Motors dealer that sold the e-scooter to Kumar.

Kumar, a DTP designer, had bought the e-scooter for nearly Rs 70,000 on April 22. The battery exploded within a day of purchase early on April 23, according to reports. Boom Motors was yet to respond to the deadly incident.

Ironically, the EV maker was among those selected under the government's automotive production linked incentive (PLI) scheme. To date, three Pure EV, one Ola, two Okinawa and 20 Jitendra EV scooters have caught fire in the country, raising burning questions about their safety.

The unabated deadly fires in the electric two-wheelers has shaken up the entire EV industry and its stakeholders, forcing the government to direct EV makers to immediately recall faulty batches that may trigger more such incidents.

Earlier, an 80-year-old man was killed and two others injured when the battery of a Pure EV electric two-wheeler exploded in their house in Telangana's Nizamabad district. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has warned EV makers that if any company is found negligent in their processes, "a heavy penalty will be imposed and a recall of all defective vehicles will also be ordered". Electric Two-Wheelers Catching Fire: Ola Electric Recalls 1,441 Units of Electric Scooters.

"We have constituted an Expert Committee to inquire into these incidents and make recommendations on remedial steps. Based on the reports, we will issue necessary orders on the defaulting companies," the minister said last week.

"We will soon issue quality-centric guidelines for Electric Vehicles," Gadkari added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 25, 2022 10:34 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
New Delhi, April 25: The Congress on Monday decided to constitute an Empowered Action Group to prepare for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The development follows a report submitted by an eight-member committee on April 21. According to sources, the group will be a window for political strategist Prashant Kishor, known as PK in political circles, to work for the party till 2024 elections but there is no official word on it.

"Congress President Sonia Gandhi received a report from the eight member group on April 21. Today she discussed the report with the group. Based on the discussions, the Congress President has decided to constitute an Empowered Action Group for 2024 in order to address the political challenges ahead," the party said in a official statement. Congress President Sonia Gandhi Calls Meeting of Senior Leaders; Prashant Kishor, Digvijaya Singh, Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi Join In.

Party General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said that he did not want to comment on the members till the Congress President has constituted the committee. "But as I have said that the Empowered Action Group is for general elections 2024 and the group will strategise and calibrate its strategy for the elections," he added.

Surjewala said that he will refrain from commenting on the members of the committee as it is yet to be formed, while its learnt that the action group will have a primary task to work for the elections.

On Monday, Sonia held consultation with senior leaders on the role of political strategist Prashant Kishor in the party. The group, which was constituted to discuss the issue, submitted its report last week.

The Congress wants Kishor to finish his previous commitments made to other parties and work solely as a Congressman and not as a consultant. The final decision may be taken after talks with Rahul Gandhi.

As the state units are pitched against regional parties in West Bengal, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, it does not want Kishor to have any truck with the regional parties.

The party leaders, who have submitted their report on the issue, admitted that there is no harm in the political strategist joining the party but there should be no conflict wherever the party is pitched against regional forces. Meanwhile, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Sunday signed a deal with Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) founded by the election strategist Kishor.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 25, 2022 04:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
New Delhi, April 25: Five labourers are feared trapped under the rubble of a house that collapsed in Delhi's Satya Niketan area on Monday, fire officials said. The house was undergoing repairs when it collapsed, they said.

Atul Garg, Director of Delhi Fire Services said, "We received a call around 1:24 pm about a house collapse in Satya Niketan building number 173 here. Six fire tenders have been rushed to the spot." Delhi: Under-Construction Building Collapses, 5 Feared Trapped; Rescue Operation Underway.

Five labourers are trapped under the debris and efforts are being made to rescue them, he said. Police said their team is also at the spot and helping with the rescue operation.
Kanpur, April 25: A 40-year-old man, who had come to Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, to attend a wedding, was found allegedly hanging from a tree, police said on Monday.

Virendra Singh Kallu, a resident of Kannauj, had come to the guest house located in Bilhaur area and on Sunday, he was found allegedly hanging from a tree with a towel.

The guests who had come to the wedding ceremony, identified the man and informed his relatives. Uttar Pradesh Police Bids Emotional Goodbye To Vicon as Sniffer Dog Laid To Rest With State Honours.

Bilhaur police station Inspector, on Monday, said, "Investigations are underway and the body of the deceased has been shifted to the mortuary. We are waiting for the family to arrive and we are also interrogating the guests to know more about the deceased."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 25, 2022 09:23 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Shab-e-Qadr or Laylat al-Qadr is an Islamic observance that is rendered in English as the Night of Decree, Night of Destiny, Night of Power, and Night of Value. Shab-e-Qadr is celebrated widely by Muslim communities on distinct dates. In Islamic tradition, people commemorate the occasion of Shab-e-Qadr as the night when the Holy Quran was first sent down from Heaven to the earth and also the night when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad, founder of the world religion of Islam. The occasion falls on an odd-numbered night in the last ten days of Ramadan, the month of fasting and prayers. To be precise, it is usually celebrated on the 27th of Ramazan. Shab-e-Qadr 2022 in India will be observed from the evening of Friday evening, i.e. April 28 till the morning of April 29, Saturday. Shab-e-Qadr is considered a public holiday in several countries. When Is Jamat ul-Vida 2022 in India? Know Date, Jumuatul-Wida Traditions and Significance of Celebrating the Last Friday of the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan.

Significance Of Celebrating Shab-e-Qadr

The occasion of Qadr Night is observed on different dates by distinct Islamic denominations. Many Sunni Muslims believe that the Night of Decree falls on the 27th night of Ramadan, while most Shiite Muslims consider it to have happened on the 23rd of the holy month. As the exact date of the Shab-e-Qadr is not mentioned in Quran, people usually observe the last ten days of the Ramazan, which are contemplated as the most blessed period. So, the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th or 29th night of Ramadan could be the Night of Power and Values.

It is stated in Quran (97:3) that "the Night of Decree is better than a thousand months". For the same reason, Muslim families mark the observance by reciting from the Holy Quran, offering special prayers at the mosques, holding zikr and other religious traditions to seek the blessing from Allah for contentment, happiness and success in life. Muslim believe that the Quran was revealed to Muhammad in two phases, the immediate revelation happened on the Qadr Night and then gradual revelation occurred over the next 23 years. Furthermore, devotees, on Shab-e-Qadr, usually visit graveyards to seek eternal blessings from the departed souls and ask for the mercy of Allah for all the sins.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 25, 2022 03:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Four Katyusha rockets landed near a Turkish military base in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, without causing casualties, a local official said.
In an untoward incident, an under-construction building in Delhi's Satya Niketan area collapsed on Monday. Six fire tenders have been rushed to the spot. Officials from Delhi Fire Service said, "5 labourers feared to be trapped; rescue operation underway." So far, no casualty has been reported yet from the accident.

Check tweet:

Delhi | A call about the collapse of an under-construction building in the Satya Niketan area has been received. 6 fire tenders rushed to the spot. 5 labours feared to be trapped; rescue operation underway: Delhi Fire Service pic.twitter.com/lZ3XgFTl7G  ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2022

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
Argentina is one of the most sought travel destinations in the Latin American region, with its beautiful landscapes, lively festivals, and delicious food it offers to every adventurer.

The South American country is also home to a colorful and vibrant culture that manifests in its surroundings. Festivals are one of the ways how to discover, unlock, and experience the authentic Argentine way of life.

If you are traveling to the country, you should not miss Argentina's festivals that may change your ideas on how festivals should be.

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Famous Argentina Festivals That Every Traveler Should Experience

Argentina has a tapestry of festivals occurring in the country across the year. To help you decide which festival you should check out, here are some of the best festivals in the country that will make you dive into their culture.

Cosquin Folk Festival

Getting to know Argentina's culture can be done by listening to the country's folk music. Cosquin Folk Festival is available to give you a fast-track lesson on the topic.

According to Green Mochila, the said festival is held in Cosquin village in the province of Cordoba, Argentina. It is usually celebrated during the second half of January.

Those who love folk culture and a lively, authentic event should attend this event that goes on for nine days. Cosquin Folk Festival is one of the most important folk festivals in Latin America.

Travelers should also look for yard parties, also known as Penas, coinciding with this event. Penas appear like mushrooms in every street with folk music, and dancers or anyone can join in anytime.

Festival of Tradition in San Antonio de Areco

If you love horses and western films, the Festival of Tradition is right up your alley. According to Culture Trip, this festival in San Antonio de Areco is a festivity held as the weather begins to heat up in November.

The said festival celebrates and honors local heroes in Argentina's cowboy town. Visitors are welcomed with delicious local food and drinks and horse shows with performances and tricks. Guacho clothing and memorabilia are also available at the festival to let you bring home that cowboy experience.

La Rural

Farm animals are also being celebrated in Argentina, with a festival dedicated to them being held in Buenos Aires. Every year, Capa World reported that a week-long livestock fair prompts owners to bring their cows, goats, sheep, and even bulls to the city to be sold.

Performances from Guacho riding their horses and rope sheep will entertain you during the fair, which is usually held in July.

National Grape Harvest Festival

If you want to try Argentine wines, then you might as well check the National Grape Harvest Festival. This week-long festival takes place in Mendoza, Argentina, and what makes it unique is that a queen is elected every year.

This festivity is celebrated not only with wine tasting but also with concerts. The said festival is usually celebrated in March.

Chocolate Festival

Who would say no to a festival dedicated to chocolates? Bariloche, a Patagonian city known for its chocolates, hosts the annual Chocolate Festival in Argentina.

Usually held during Easter, it allows visitors to feast on tasty treats that local chocolatiers offer during the festivity. A huge Easter chocolate egg is also placed in the main square of Bariloche, making it a perfect Instagram-worthy picture to wrap up your trip.

READ MORE: Costa Rica Tourist Spots: Best Places to Visit in the Central American Country

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: 10 Best Places to Visit in Argentina - Travel Video - From touropia
A coalition of anti-poverty organizations is urging California lawmakers to send a payment like a fourth stimulus check amid high gas prices and other rising costs of living.

The proposal sponsored by Assemblymember Miguel Santiago calls for the state to send a one-time payment of $2,000 per child to families making up to $30,000 a year.

According to Cal Matters, the proposal is intended to partly make up for the expiration of last year's expanded federal Child Tax Credit payments.

The said expansion gave as much as $3,000 per child and $3,600 per child under six to families making low and middle incomes.

Advocates cited the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities data showing that 1.7 million California kids are at risk of living in poverty with the program's expiration in December.

One of the several pandemic relief programs that expired last year includes California Gov. Gavin Newsom's Golden State Stimulus checks and the enhanced unemployment benefits.

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Stimulus Check California

The Golden State stimulus program was created to aid California residents affected by the pandemic and expanded help to immigrants left out of previous federal stimulus check rounds.

In April, the state announced that more payments were on the way, with more than 10,000 tax returns still being processed by the state eligibility, Forbes reported.

When the program was passed, it created a $3.8-billion deal that gave new stimulus checks to California residents with a one-time stimulus check for qualifying individuals.

Eligible taxpayers in the state will receive one-time payments of $600, while qualifying individuals with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers, covering immigrants and undocumented workers, will receive an additional $600.

Meanwhile, taxpayers with dependents will receive an additional $500. California's progressive income tax has contributed an additional $10.3 billion in revenue than projected in January.

Fourth Stimulus Check

The fourth stimulus check will not come from the federal government as the last three stimulus payments did. According to a Ramsey Solutions report, it will depend on your state.

The requirements for eligibility are all different for each state, with certain things in common such as income levels or levels of poverty.

Arizona will be giving fourth stimulus check payments to people going back to work. The state's Back to Work Program offers $2,000 to those who got a job after a period of unemployment.

However, eligible recipients must hold their new job for at least eight weeks to get the benefit.

The State of California is also one of the states to hand out huge amounts of stimulus checks that look similar to the ones the federal government issues.

Californians making $75,000 or less were sent a one-time check of $600 or $1,200 as part of the Golden State Stimulus II.

In New Mexico, $5 million is set to be given to people who did not qualify for the federal stimulus. In addition, New Mexico residents in a lower-income group will get a one-time payment of $750.

READ MORE: SNAP Benefits 2022: Schedule of April Payments in Oregon, Emergency Allotments Revealed

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Final California Stimulus Checks Being Distributed - From KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco






U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken and Defense Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday night in Kyiv.

According to USA Today, the announcement was made by Ukraine's presidential adviser, Oleksiy Arestovych, saying in an interview on Ukrainian TV late Sunday that talks are ongoing.

Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin's meeting with the Ukrainian president is the highest-ranking visit to Ukraine by a U.S. delegation since Russia started its invasion.

Zelenskyy earlier said he had plans to have a meeting with Blinken and Austin. However, he did not provide any other details regarding the matter.

Zelenskyy noted that he was looking for the U.S. to increase its arms shipments to Kyiv, according to Al Jazeera. A State Department spokesperson has declined to comment regarding the meeting that took place in Kyiv.

READ NEXT: Russia-Ukraine War: Pres. Joe Biden Warns China's XI Jinping of 'Consequences' in Aiding Russia

No White House Confirmation on Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin's Meeting With Volodymyr Zelenskyy Amid Russia-Ukraine War

President Joe Biden has committed $3.4 billion in assistance since the start of the Russia invasion, according to Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby.

NPR reported that the U.S. aid includes Howitzers, tactical vehicles, and artillery sounds. The Ukrainian president also plans to meet with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, aside from U.S. officials.

According to DW, Biden's top cabinet members' visit to Ukraine was kept under wraps, with the White House not confirming any visit. Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said he would ask Blinken and Austin for more "powerful weapons" during their meeting.

The White House has facilitated the supply of spare parts to Kyiv to get 20 warplanes back in the air, expanding the range of heavy weaponry it is delivering into the fight.

Ian Brzezinski, who headed Nato policy at the Pentagon during the Bush administration, said the Biden administration was very hesitant in the not too distant past to hand out equipment that would give the Ukrainians the capability to protect themselves.

According to Irish Times, Brzezinski noted that the administration was not providing armored personnel carriers, long-range howitzers, or helicopters six weeks ago. The U.S. has committed $1.6 billion since last week out of the $3.4 billion in lethal aid it has pledged since the start of the war.

Russia-Ukraine War

More than 2.9 million people have fled Ukraine and gone to Poland since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started in February, as announced by the Polish Border Guard on Sunday.

However, ABC News reported that the number of people crossing the border into Poland has decreased in recent days, while the number of refugees going back into Ukraine has increased.

Ukraine's losses have reached $1 trillion since Russian breached into the country, including destroyed homes and massive damage to the country's infrastructure.

Oleg Ustenko, the economic adviser to the Ukrainian president, noted that the figure of damage increased every day, with the "aggressor" having destroyed homes and infrastructures with their airstrikes.

Meanwhile, the opening of humanitarian corridors for people to escape Mariupol did not happen as scheduled on Sunday, as Russian forces in the area did not confirm a ceasefire.

READ MORE: Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelensky Says if Pres. Joe Biden Acted Sooner 'There Would Be No War'

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Zelenskyy Adviser: U.S. Secretaries Antony Blinken And Lloyd Austin Met With Ukraine President In Kyiv - From MSNBC






Hundreds of women from Mexico flooded the streets of downtown Mexico City and other parts of the country on Sunday to protest the dangers faced by their community. This is after the death of the missing 18-year-old girl, Debanhi Escobar.

The protests reportedly started on Friday, with different areas filled with demonstrators to contest Escobar's death, as well as their cry on the violence that occurs among women in the country, according to Fresnobee.

In Mexico City, Associated Press reported that the demonstrations were peaceful as the protesters taped small missing posters on an angel monumental shaft that commemorates the country's independence.

The outlet noted that most of the posts on the monument depicted Debanhi Escobar, a teenager who went missing for at least two weeks before she was found dead in Monterrey.

Reports claim that previous women's rights demonstrations spray-painted slogans on the said monument.

Protesters in the Attorney General's Office placed flowers and photographs of women who had gone missing or murdered.

Demonstrations also occurred in the suburb of Nezahualcoyotl, where protesters carried signs that read "No to harassment" and "Mexico is a Mass Grave." AP mentioned that at least two women from the said area were killed last week.

In Nuevo Leon's capital, Monterrey, at least 1,500 people, mostly women, marched demanding explanations of Debanhi's death.

READ NEXT: Orsolya Gaal Murder: Suspected Killer David Bonola an Illegal Immigrant in New York, Accused of Leaving 'Creepy' Notes for Baristas

Mexico: Death of Missing Teenager, Debanhi Escobar

The women's protests in Mexico erupted after Debanhi Escobar's decomposing body was found in a subterranean water tank in a motel, per NPR.

On Friday, Assistant Public Safety Secretary Ricardo Mejia said that the woman's body in the water tank matched the clothing and the crucifix necklace reported to be worn by the teenager the night she disappeared.

Mejia pointed out that the alert was sounded by the hotel workers because "fetid odors" were coming from the area. Escobar's body was reportedly submerged for nearly two weeks in the water.

AP noted that the teenager died from a blow to the head, which the outlet claimed happened after she was last seen on April 8, but Fresnobee reported that Escobar attended a party on April 9.

Fresnobee noted that Escobar left the party in a cab from which she got down.

Mario Escobar, Debanhi's father, said that prosecutors told him about surveillance footage that revealed the cab driver inappropriately touching the teenager. The father belied that the teenager did not put up with the situation, that's why she went out of the car.

The driver then took a photo of Debanhi on the outskirts of Monterrey.

Nobody saw the teenager since then until she was discovered in the water tank, per AP.

Dangers Against Women in Mexico

Debanhi Escobar was not the only woman who experienced violence in the country.

According to Fresnobee, more than 10 women are murdered in Mexico every day. The outlet reported that in 2021, over 1,000 women were killed in gender violence.

Mexico's National Search Commission revealed that there were 2,0148 missing or unaccounted for women in the country. Most of the victims were reportedly between 15 and 19 years old, per The Yucatan Times.

Debanhi Escobar is among the 2,000 women reported missing in Mexico so far in 2022, the outlet added, citing federal government figures and the registry of the National Search Commission.

"Mexico is a country where we have, effectively, almost 100 thousand missing persons. One-fifth are women, and I think it is important to remember that many of those reported missing are later victims of femicide," Amnesty International Mexico Director Edith Olivarez Perreto said, per Yucatan Times.

READ NEXT: Sinaloa Cartel and Beltran Leyva Operators in Mexico to Be Extradited to U.S. For Trafficking Cocaine, Methamphetamine

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Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Activists Work to Raise Awareness of Violence Against Women in Mexico - From CGTN America
Disney World has been invited to the state of Texas by a Texas judge amid the amusement park's ongoing feud with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Fort Bend County Judge KP George invited Disney World to consider moving to Fort Bend County in a letter addressed to Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek, Fox Business News reported.

The Texas judge also described Fort Bend County as a "welcoming and diverse place to do business." George said the county is a unique place with residents composing the most diversity in the U.S.

He added that it has delivered extremely high graduation rates and is "one of the top capita purchasers in Texas." The judge said that it has the best access to both inland and water ports in Texas.

George furthered that Disney World should visit Fort Bend County and see why their community "is the best place for a new Walt Disney World Resort."

He then noted that DeSantis is a "political extremist" in the copy of his letter that he shared on his Twitter account.

READ NEXT: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Calls for Removal of Disney World's Self-Governing Status

Ron DeSantis Vs. Disney World

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed on Friday a bill that revokes Disney World's self-governing status, delivering his promise to "punish" the company over its stances on social and education issues, according to an NPR report.

The Florida Senate's own financial impact analysis of the bill noted that in most cases, when a county takes over a special district, it is required to assume all indebtedness of the preexisting special district.

With Disney's self-governing status revoked, the local governments could pay about $1 billion in bond debt.

Orange County tax collector Scott Randolph said that the change would "shake up" the local tax scene.

Randolph said on Twitter that the $105 million Reedy Creek collects to operate services go away with the removal of its special district status.

Disney also taxes itself around $53 million each year to service its debt obligations, Randolph added.

Disney World's Self-Governing Status Removed

The Republican governor signed a bill prohibiting classroom instruction and discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity in March, which many opposed. The Florida law could also change how counseling and other mental health services operate in schools, according to The New York Times report.

Disney joined the opposition when its chief executive, Chapek, made remarks criticizing the Florida law.

DeSantis responded by writing in a fund-raising email to supporters that if Disney wants to pick a fight, "they chose the wrong guy."

The Florida governor then went on to describe it as "Woke Disney" politics.

Meanwhile, Disney has not yet addressed the loss of its self-governing status. However, several lawmakers and leaders from other states have responded to the state, urging the amusement park company to move to their respective states instead.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said that lawmakers in his state "don't meddle in affairs of companies."

It is not yet clear what Disney's next move would be, but they could apply to re-apply the special status.

READ MORE: Disney Stocks Falls by 33% After Governor Ron DeSantis Revokes Special Status

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Texas judge invites Disney World to relocate, calls Florida authoritarian & anti-business - from WFLA News Channel 8






El Salvador has extended the state of emergency in the country as voted by its Congress in the request of President Nayib Bukele to extend an anti-gang emergency decree for another 30 days.

The state of the emergency measure was approved with 67 votes in the 84-seat Congress as the country continues its gang crackdown efforts, according to a Miami Herald report. Bukele's party holds a majority in El Salvador's Congress.

The president of El Salvador has used emergency powers to round up about 16,000 suspected gang members after a series of killings in March. In addition, Bukele has established other measures, including lengthened sentences and reducing the age of criminal responsibility to 12.

El Salvador's Congress has also allowed prison sentences of 10 to 15 years for news media that reproduce or spread messages from the gangs, prompting concerns from freedom groups.

Gang members who are held at Salvadoran prisons have been placed under reduced food rations, denied mattresses, and frog-marched around.

READ NEXT: El Salvador Gang Crackdown Raises Alarm at U.N. Human Rights Office

El Salvador State of Emergency

On March 26, El Salvador reported 62 homicides, which is the most recorded cases on any single day since the country's bloody civil war in 1992, according to an Aljazeera News report.

Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-12, and Barrio 18 gangs were blamed for the spike in violence.

Bukele then took to Twitter later that night to pressure Salvadoran lawmakers to approve a "state of exception," which they approved of in the early hours of March 27.

The state of emergency implementation formally suspends "any residual hint of civil liberties in the nation" where the president self-proclaims to be the "coolest dictator." It also eliminates the right to association and legal defense while also increasing the period of detention without charge from 72 hours to 15 days. The state of emergency also authorizes the state to spy on private correspondence without any court order.

Bukele tweeted on March 31 that food ration in Salvadoran prisons had been curtailed and that 16,000 prisoners had "not left their cells or seen the sun."

El Salvador Gang Crackdown

The United Nations Human Rights Office has scrutinized the gang crackdown by El Salvador's government after declaring a state of emergency.

U.N. Human Rights Office reported that police and military forces used excessive force against gang members, noting that more than 5,700 people have been detained without an arrest warrant, according to a Voice of America News report. Some have reportedly been subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment.

Human rights spokeswoman Liz Throssell said certain amendments to criminal law and procedure seem to breach international law and weaken due process guarantees.

She noted criminal trials can now be held in absentia, wherein alleged gang members were presided over by so-called "faceless" judges.

Throssell said that teenagers associated with gangs who are found guilty of serious offenses may now be sentenced as adults. She added that those aged 12 to 16 must now serve 10-year terms of imprisonment instead of seven years, while those aged 16 to 18 years must serve 20-year terms.

READ MORE: El Salvador Travel: Best Tourist Attractions to Visit as the Central American Country Sees a Tourism Boom

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: El Salvador Claims State Of Emergency Over Deadliest Day In 30 Years - from NBC News






Former U.S. President Donald Trump said that the Queen of England should remove the royal titles of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. He earlier claimed that the actions of Prince Harry and Duchess of Sussex have caused pain to the monarch, according to a Daily Mail News report.

Piers Morgan asked Trump in an upcoming interview if the Queen should strip them of their royal titles, to which Trump replied, "I would." He added, that is the sole thing that he disagrees with the Queen. He explained Prince Harry has been so disrespectful to the country.

Trump also slammed Markle in an interview with GB News' Nigel Farage last year, saying that he was not a fan of the American actress, saying he "wasn't from day one." Trump added that he thinks that the British prince "has been used horribly."

The former president also said he thinks Markle has been "very disrespectful to the Royal Family, particularly to the Queen."

Trump's comments came after Trump released an audio recording that appeared to refute an edited video clip that appeared to show that he walked out of a sit-down interview with Morgan.

Trump's spokesman provided the audio recording, suggesting that Trump and Morgan were thanking each other for a "great interview."

READ NEXT: Donald Trump Walks Out of Piers Morgan Interview After Television Host Pressed On 2020 Election Fraud Claims

Donald Trump on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Marriage

Trump also said in his exclusive interview with Morgan that Harry and Markle's marriage will have a "bad ending," according to a New York Post report.

Trump said in an interview that Harry "is being led around by his nose" by his wife and that the Duke of Sussex is "whipped like no other person I think I've seen."

Trump said that he wanted to know what will happen when Harry decided that has had enough of "being bossed around."

Morgan asked the former Republican president if he thinks the Sussex couple's marriage will end. Trump then answered that he does, adding that he has been a "very good predictor" and that it will end badly.

Donald Trump and Piers Morgan

Piers Morgan claimed that his interview with Trump was almost ruined after Farage sent a document containing the TV host's criticisms of Trump over the years, according to a Business Insider report.

The document included a criticism of the former president as a "supreme narcissist," while also criticizing the former president for his refusal to admit defeat in the 2020 presidential election.

Morgan claimed that the criticisms were compiled by Farage. He then accused Farage of a "pathetic attempt to ruin" the interview with the former president.

The British broadcaster then wrote that it was done especially after he congratulated Farage after his interview with Trump.

Farage hosts a talk show on rival GB News, wherein he interviewed former U.S. President Trump.

Morgan said that he was nervous that the compiled criticisms would end the interview before it had even started.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Net Worth 2022: How Wealthy Is the 45th President of the United States?

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Leaked Audio Refutes Claims That Donald Trump Stormed Off Piers Morgan Set - from ET Canada






Stranded sperm whale returned to sea after a 21-hour rescue effort

(People's Daily App) 14:14, April 25, 2022

A sperm whale stranded on the shore of Shipu, Xiangshan county in Ningbo, East Chinas Zhejiang Province, was saved after a 21-hour rescue effort. At 5:49 am on Wednesday, the whale successfully returned to sea. The 19-meter sperm whale was stranded on the coast around 6 am on Tuesday. Given the difficulty of towing the whale out to sea at low tide, rescuers focused on helping the whale survive where it had beached.

Several municipal- and county-level departments and organizations, including local marine and fishery law enforcement, emergency responders, port police, aquatic wildlife rescue groups, Shipus town officials, and volunteers employed a variety of methods to keep the whale in stable condition.

Rescuers retreated further ashore as the tide began to swell at around 6 pm,. At 8:30 pm, when the water level had risen high enough, the marine and fishery law enforcement and emergency responders approached the whale on fishing vessels and prepared to tow it into deeper waters.

Around 9 pm, using special cables attached to the whale earlier in the day, a fishing vessel slowly pulled the whale out to sea.

At 11:50 pm, reaching 9-meter-deep waters, the sperm whale gradually regained its strength and began blowing spray out of its blowhole.

The fishing vessel continued to tow the whale, heading for waters with a depth of 20 me-ters, the minimum depth for a safe release. The vessel sailed at low speed to avoid injuring the whale.

After an 8-hour journey, the whale was released near Nanjiushan Island. At 5:49 am on Wednesday, the rescued whale dis-appeared into the sea, marking the successful conclusion of the 21-hour rescue effort.

Twelve rescue and law enforcement vessels and over 200 rescuers participated in the operation.

(Source: Ningbo Evening News)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
A public health expert has said he did not communicate the Covid-19 models as well as was necessary to Government ministers, weeks before Ireland had the worlds highest incidence of cases.

Professor Philip Nolan, who was a key member of the advisory group assisting the Government in the battle against Covid, made the comments at the University of Limerick on Monday.

The former head of National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) modelling said that as health experts, we need to be better at communicating the range of possibilities and uncertainties.

In January last year, Irelands rate of Covid-19 skyrocketed, was blamed on the lifting of restrictions over the Christmas period and the prevalence of the highly transmissible UK variant of the virus.

The Government, which was heavily criticised at the time, defended its decision to relax restrictions in December 2020, despite advice from Nphet warning against the move.

Prof Nolan, the Science Foundation Ireland director general, gave the keynote address at the event Learning from the Pandemic  the Power of Data in Public Health, taking place as part of UL Research Week.

Prof Nolan said Nphet went to Cabinet and outlined what they thought would happen if the country were to open up over Christmas 2020.

We made a couple of mistakes in presenting this slide. We were at 200 cases a day and falling and we were going in and saying, look, things could go badly wrong here, he added.

We said you could be back up through 400 cases a day in January, and that 400 cases a day stuck in the mind of the hearer as a reassuring figure, as opposed to youre accelerating through 400 massively.

Prof Nolan said they warned Government that opening up hospitality and household visits over Christmas would put the country absolutely in the wrong place.

In fact we even said it in the letter, he added.

What did that teach us? It taught us that we werent, I wasnt communicating the outputs of these models as well as was necessary to properly inform.

Theres a whole science around that actually, that again, we need to think about.

We need to be better at kind of communicating the range of possibilities and uncertainties and so on.

Not only that, as soon as this was over, we were starting to vaccinate people.

So we had to put the vaccination in prior immunity and, of course, what arrived in the middle of this? Only Alpha (variant).

Were sitting there going the only thing that could make this worse would be a more transmissible variant, and here it comes.

Prof Nolan was joined by panellists Dr Catherine Motherway, head of the intensive care unit at University Hospital Limerick, Professor Cathal Walsh, chair in statistics, Department of Mathematics and Statistics at UL, Professor Aedin Culhane, Professor of Biomedical Sciences (Cancer Genomics) at the UL School of Medicine and Dr Mai Mannix, director of Public Health, HSE Mid-West.

Prof Nolan also said that the pandemic has clearly demonstrated the value of public investment in research.

What I learned during that process about how we should fund research and in thinking about the world societal benefit, perhaps we should be thinking about ecological benefits, he added.

This pandemic was an ecosystem crisis that emerged out of ecological disturbance and it required a massive human behavioural and scientific response to respond to it.

Im thinking how do we fund research that cares for the ecosystem? is perhaps a useful way to think about it.

He added: We have to acknowledge that science simpliciter, the kind of science that wed be familiar with, in terms of laboratory science, did provide really important tools to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

However, the profession and practice of public health was what provided the pivotal expertise to take that science and in this specific instance control the harms of the pandemic, first to control the infection, because that was the only tool we had, and then we vaccination control the harms, he said.
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A Naas District Court judge was told by gardai that a man was found in possession of 'a substantial amount of drugs'.

The comments were made by Garda Sergeant Brian Jacob and allegedly relate to Daniel Knott, with an address listed as 7 Hillcrest, Kilcullen, who appeared in the courthouse on Thursday, April 21.

DETAILS

The 31-year-old defendant was accused of trespassing and criminal damage at the Old School Lane in Suncroft on April 8 last.

Gardai also alleged that Mr Knott threatened to set fire to the residence.

It was further alleged that the following day, April 9, the defendant was caught with a number of 'controlled substances', in addition to a firearm.

Gardai believe that the accused had intended to sell some of these drugs.

TO BE DECIDED

Sgt Jacob told Judge John O Leary it has yet to be confirmed if the drug offences that Mr Knott is accused of will go under Section 15 or Section 15-A of the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977.

Section 15 refers to possession of controlled drugs for unlawful sale or supply.

Meanwhile, Section 15-A relates to possession of drugs with a value of at least 13,000.

The judge remanded Mr Knott on bail until October 6 to allow for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The defendants barrister, Sarah Connolly, asked him to reduce his sign on for bail at his local garda station to once a week, which Judge O Leary agreed to do.

The defendant was also ordered to observe an 11pm to 6am curfew.



CONCERNS

When he expressed concerns that he would not be able to reach his children in the event of an emergency, as they live elsewhere, the judge reassured him that an exception would be made in his curfew for emergencies.

Gardai added that a ballistics report on the firearm allegedly attributed to Mr Knott is due to follow.
One of Irelands leading independent insurances brokers, The Dooley Insurance Group is looking forward to an exciting week of horse racing at the Punchestown Festival.

The Grade 1 Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase will run at Punchestown on the opening day, Tuesday, 26th of April. The group will also sponsor the Dooley Insurance Group WFA Cross Country Steeplechase on the closing day of the festival, Saturday, 30th of April.

Established over sixty-five years ago the Dooley Insurance Group is now one of Irelands largest independent insurance brokers with over 12,000 clients throughout the country.

The Dooley Insurance Group are also an official insurance partner of Punchestown Racecourse. Despite the challenges of the pandemic the group has grown and has acquired the long-established business of Padraic O Connor Insurances in Offaly in

December 2021 with further acquisitions on the cards.

We have teamed up with the Dooley Insurance Group and have 1 pair of general admission tickets up for grabs for Leinster Leader readers. The tickets are Flexi Tickets meaning you can use them for any day of the festival. To win simply answer the following question.

The Dooley Insurance Group have just opened a new office in which county?

A. Offaly

B. Cork

C. Wexford.

Email your answer, plus your name and phone number to editor@leinsterleader.ie by 9am on Tuesday, April 26. Winners will be notified via email or phone. Put 'Dooley Insurance Group' in the email subject line.
After a clash with his Government colleagues on the issue of banning the sale of turf, the Environment Minister Eamon Ryan has said that the ban due to come into force on September 1st will focus on commercial and retail activities.

The proposals were met with major public criticism

Rural communities with populations of under 500 people are to be exempt from new laws banning the sale and distribution of turf.

In an interview with the Irish Independent Eamon Ryan says there has been major misinformation and disinformation that the state would "arrest your granny for burning the wrong fuel."

Mr Ryan said regulations will be aimed at banning the commercial sale of turf and will only target retail outlets. He added that inspectors will not be sent out to police communities on the sale of turf.The solution to the ongoing turf war will be spelt out in a Government counter move to a Sinn Fein motion on the turf ban in the Dail this week.
As part of the Decade of Centenaries programme of events for 2022, Dr Padraig McGarty, author of Leitrim, The Irish Revolution 1912-23, will deliver a countywide lecture series commencing in Carrick and Mohill next Friday night, April 29.

The series follows last years highly successful War of Independence programme of events which took place in seven locations in north and south Leitrim.



This 2022 lecture series titled Leitrim 1922 - A county in transition will outline events taking place in the county one hundred years ago including the withdrawal of crown forces, the establishment of a new Irish state and the outbreak of the Irish Civil War.

According to Dr McGarty, widespread lawlessness including bank and post office robberies was a feature of life throughout the county in 1922. While the majority of Leitrims population was pro-Treaty, anti-Treaty forces led by Ned Bofin at Arigna and Billy Pilkington in north Leitrim and neighbouring Sligo provided major opposition to pro-Treaty forces led by General Sean MacEoin.



Many Leitrim republicans were also active in cross border raids including the attempted kidnapping of prominent loyalists in Co Fermanagh which resulted in the capture by B-Specials and subsequent jailing of five Leitrim IRA men-Bernie Sweeney, Joe Reynolds, John Griffin, John Kiernan and Charlie Reynolds.

Admission to the lectures is free and the series is funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in association with Leitrim County Council.



Early booking is advised by contacting Teresa OCallaghan at St Georges Visitor and Heritage Centre on 071 9621757 or stgeorgevisitorscentre@gmail.com for the Carrick lecture which commences at 7.15 p.m. The Mohill lecture will take place at the Peace Room in Mohill Library commencing at 9.15 p.m., and booking should be made by contacting Kim Taylor on 087 4194139 or by emailing mohillhistorysociety@gmail.com.

The lecture series will continue in September and October 2022 in Aughavas/Cloone, Ballinamore, Drumshanbo, Kiltyclogher and Manorhamilton.
Failte Isteach

Between eager migrant students and local volunteer teachers willing to help teach English, there was a great turn out at St Josephs Centre on Monday morning last.

This was the first class held in Leitrim Village in the Failte Isteach programme, which aims to help integrate migrants in the community, through teaching English and communication skills, in a relaxed and casual ambience.

Conversational Classes are provided by voluntary tutors and are open to new migrants, on Monday mornings from 11am- 12.30. For further information, contact Caillin on 085-7653152 or Caillin@Idco.ie

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the Bank Holiday next weekend, classes will be held on Tuesday of next week, otherwise classes will ordinarily be held on Mondays.

Concert for Ukraine

Leitrim Village will be very well represented in the upcoming Concert For Ukraine, in St Marys Church, Carrick-on- Shannon this coming Friday, April 29.

The concert will feature beautiful Kira Kolukhonova from Kyiv, who is a fourth-class pupil of Mr Mick Blakes at St Josephs Primary School in the village and has come from Ukraine with her mother, grandmother and cousins. Musical Maestro Mick will also be performing during the concert, providing keyboard accompaniment to many of the other artists.

The concert will be co-hosted by Carole Coleman and Enda Stenson and will feature St Marys Church Choir, Leitrim Male Voice Choir, Medley 32, Scoil Mhuire Choir and Moylurg Ceili Band. Donations may be made at the door, or on irelandforukraine.ie
The French Air Force loads UN relief supplies in Honiara, capital of Solomon Islands, on April 5, 2007. WILLIAM WEST / AFP

For decades, the visits have been following one another like a series of "firsts." By increasing high-level trips to the South Pacific, Australia, Fiji, Hawaii and Papua New Guinea, the American authorities have been trying to return to this strategic zone to counter China's advances. Beijing's most recent success being the signing, announced on April 19, of an unprecedented security agreement with Solomon Islands, which aims at enhanced police cooperation and authorizes the creation of a Chinese military base in the archipelago.

More on this topic Subscribers only China protects the security of the Solomon Islands and establishes itself in the Pacific

Kurt Campbell, a member of U.S. President Joe Biden's National Security Council, arrived in Solomon Islands on Friday, April 22, right in the middle of the front line between the two world powers. The Solomons' historical partner, Australia, was surprised by the agreement negotiated in secret by the Honiara authorities with Beijing. It did not fail to formalize its signature with Solomon Islands on the eve of the American trip, and a few months before the commemoration, in August, of the 80th anniversary of the battle of Guadalcanal between the United States and the Japanese Empire.

"The idea is creeping in that the Pacific islands are the place where a strategic surprise can emerge," said Christian Lechervy, current French ambassador to Myanmar after spending time as ambassador to the Pacific Community (SPC). He spoke "in a personal capacity" as an expert, on Tuesday, April 19, in a seminar of lInstitut de relations internationales et strategiques (the Institute of International and Strategic Relations). "France must accompany the American re-engagement" by being "a driving force in the next five years in the definition of concrete action for the benefit of the Pacific Island States," said this diplomat.

United with its American ally and also with Taiwan, France officially expressed concern about the consequences of this pact on Thursday, April 21. "The opacity of the provisions of the agreement, the first of its kind concluded by China in the region, is worrying in many respects, particularly with regard to Chinese ambitions as a participant in regional security," the Foreign Ministry told Agence French Presse (AFP).

Economic and assistance policy

Paris is directly concerned by the ongoing Sino-American confrontation. Its overseas territories have ocean borders with eight countries in the region  Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu, Samoa, Pitcairn (U.K.), Cook and Kiribati. According to Mr. Lechervy, Paris should not over-militarize its approach, but develop its economic and assistance policy in a zone that has already entered the climate emergency.

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OVER 70 artists connected to Limerick have donated thousands of euro worth of work to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees.

A total of 35 pieces will be auctioned on April 28 in the Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD), while a further 40 pieces will be up for direct sale.

Limerick Artists for Ukraine will feature work by renowned artists including LSAD graduate Donald Teskey and Limerick born John Shinnors.

There is also an exciting array of work from established Limerick artists, many of whom are represented by galleries around the world, as well as from emerging artists and recent graduates.

Moya Ni Cheallaigh, one of the organisers, as well as an artist and a member of Limerick Printmakers believes the auction may offer a little light in the darkness to those dealing with the terrible devastation this war has visited upon them.

This auction brings artists connected to Limerick and from many genres together in a collective creative response to raise much needed funds, she stated.

The event will be called SVITLO, the Ukrainian word for light.

This will be a wonderful opportunity to support those whose lives have been devastated by the war in Ukraine, Moya added.

All monies raised will go directly to an established and experienced refugee support organisation, the Irish Refugee Council.

The auction will take place in The Gallery, TUS Limerick School of Art and Design, at 7.30pm on April 28, with pre-viewing on April 27, from 4.30 pm to 9 pm and on April 28, from 10am to 6pm.

For more information or to view the artists and their work, visit: www.limerickartistsforukraine.com
A MAN who is accused of murdering school teacher Ashling Murphy in Tullamore will go on trial at the Central Criminal Court in June next year.

Jozef Puska, aged 31, with an address at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, County Offaly is charged with murdering the 23-year-old primary school teacher at Cappincur, Tullamore on the afternoon of January 12, 2022.

Ms Murphy, a recent graduate of Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, was fatally assaulted while she was out jogging along the Grand Canal in Tullamore.

At a procedural court hearing this Monday, Defence counsel Rebecca Smith BL told Mr Justice Paul McDermott that she was led by senior counsel Sean Gillane in the case and that her client Mr Puska was appearing by way of videolink.

Ms Smith said there was a Slovakian interpreter in court and a trial date was required for Mr Puska. She also informed the court that the defence required a Slovakian interpreter for all court dates going forward.

Mr Justice McDermott set June 6, 2023 as the date for Mr Puska's trial before a jury at the Central Criminal Court. The case is expected to last between three and four weeks.

The judge said all disclosure was to be made within four months of that date.

The Slovakian national appeared via video-link for today's brief hearing and he was remanded in custody until that date.

On April 6, Mr Puska was sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court after being served with the book of evidence. Free legal aid was also granted to include representation of junior and senior counsel at the trial.

Ms Murphy, a talented traditional Irish musician was working as a teacher at Durrow National School at the time of her death.
TWO American octogenarians have gone on trial accused of causing criminal damage and trespassing at Shannon Airport. leading to the closure of a runway.

Ken Mayers (85) and Tarak Kauff (80), both with addresses in the US, are accused of damaging a perimeter fence before allegedly trespassing on lands at the airport on March 17, 2019.

Their trial, which is taking place at Dublin Circuit Court, has heard the pair, who were wearing high-viz vests bearing the words 'Veterans for Peace', walked on to a taxiway at the airport, causing airport personnel to close the runway for a period of time.

Tony McGillicuddy BL, prosecuting, has told the jury a plane which was due to land at the airport was unable to do so for the course of that warning.

Mr Mayers and Mr Kauff have each pleaded not guilty to three counts in relation to the alleged incident.

Mr Mayers, of Monte Alte Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico, denies causing damage totalling 590 to a perimeter fence at the aiport. He also pleaded not guilty to trespassing and to interfering with the operation, safety or management of an airport, namely by entering a runway area and causing it to close.

Mr Kauff, with an address at Arnold Drive, Woodstock, New York has pleaded not guilty to the same charges.

Opening the case, Mr McGillicuddy told the jury it would hear evidence that the two men broke through the perimeter fence between 10 and 10.20am on the day in question, with gloves and bolt cutters later found inside the grounds.

The court heard airport personnel were alerted to the incident and, shortly afterwards, staff members saw two men in high vis jackets on a taxiway in the airport. One of them was carrying an Irish flag.

The jury was told that the men were not aggressive or awkward in any way when approached by airport personnel.

They were wearing hi-viz jackets with 'Veterans for Peace' written on them and they were engaged in a protest of some kind, Mr McGillicuddy said.

Anti-war activities of some nature, he said.

The men were arrested and taken to the local garda station for questioning, the court heard.

The runway had been forced to close because of their presence on the runway and that had a knock-on effect on the management of the airport, Mr McGillicuddy said.

He said it is the prosecution case that both of the accused men were involved in the criminal damage of the fence and that both men were involved in the unlawful interference with the operation and management of the airport.

He said it is the prosecution case that both men trespassed on the land of the airport with the intent or giving rise to the reasonable inference that they intended to commit an offence or unlawfully interfere with property in the airport.

Michael Hourigan BL, defending Mr Mayers, said his client has admitted he was involved in making an opening in the fence at Shannon airport.

He said his client also admits that he entered the curtilage, or lands, of the airport on the day in question. He said Mr Mayers was treated respectfully and courteously by airport staff and gardai.

Carol Doherty BL, defending Mr Kauff, said her client made the same admissions as Mr Mayers.

The trial continues before Judge Patricia Ryan and a jury.
NESTLED in the corner of one of Limerick's oldest pubs is a small area where the walls are adorned with photos depicting one of the biggest events to ever take place in Limerick, but one of the least well known.

Fennessy's Bar is often the meeting place for the Limerick Classic and Vintage Car Club, where members gather to share stories and reminisce.

However, Limerick's connections with motor racing spread much further than gatherings in the corner of the pub on New Street.

Formula One fans will be well aware of the esses of Maggotts and Becketts at Silverstone and the famous hairpins of Monaco, but what you may not know is that William Street in Limerick was once the site of the Pit Lane in our very own Grand Prix.

Back in the 1930s, the city was the setting of three Grand Prix races which saw high speed cars from across the world roar into Limerick.

The Limerick Grand Prix was held here in 1935, 1936 and 1938 with some of the biggest names in motorsport at the time taking part.

It is this historic event that is commemorated at Fennessy's and where the members of the LCVCC met last month to remember the races.

Darragh Collins, Owner of Fennessy's Pub, said the commemorative corner of his bar has become a popular meeting spot for fans of the sport.

They will often come here after a vintage car meet and we are hoping to hold more events here in the future too.

The races are a huge part of Limerick history and we have commemorated that here with photos from the time and an original map of the circuit.

F1 has become a lot more popular in recent years so people are more tuned in to motor racing which is great for the sport.

In 2011, the Limerick Classic and Vintage Car Club hosted an event to mark the 75th anniversary of the 1936 Grand Prix with some of the finest cars and drivers taking to the city streets in front of 50,000 spectators.

Martin Bourke is a member of the club who was instrumental in organising the event and who is still involved today.

We meet once a month and attend various car runs and shows, we organise numerous events too like the vintage car show at the Limerick Racecourse.

A few years ago Darragh got in touch with the club and said he wanted to dedicate a corner of his bar to the Grand Prix, he has been a keen fan of the races for years.

It was an important event for motor racing in Ireland that doesnt get the recognition it deserves, a lot of people would not be aware that it happened.

The club now has over 50 members and with a renewed interest in motorsport thanks to the likes of Netflix's Drive to Survive, the sport's following is continuing to grow.

Martin continued: Most of our cars date from the 1920s to the 1990s so there isn't a whole lot of crossover with F1 racing but a lot of our members have an interest in anything motorsport related.

The sport has gotten more exciting and there is definitely more interest across all levels of motor racing.
Ahead of the meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will hold a meeting to review the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the state today. The meeting will be held at the Chief Minister's home office, Krishna, at 12.30 pm, news agency ANI reported.

In view of increasing COVID-19 cases in the country over the last two weeks, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting to assess the situation with Chief Ministers on Wednesday via video conferencing.

On Sunday, Bommai said that the state government will bring guidelines after a video conference meeting with PM Modi on Wednesday.

Karnataka on Sunday reported 60 new cases of the virus with zero fatalities and a positivity rate of 0.72 per cent. The active cases in the state stood at 1,676.

India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,30,60,086 with 2,541 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, while the active cases increased to 16,522, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

The death toll climbed to 5,22,223 with 30 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

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Precaution or booster Covid-19 vaccine doses will help in curbing the spread of the virus and break the chain of transmission, the medical director of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital has stated.

"It (precaution dose) will have a huge impact on the surge. Precaution doses are available for free in the Delhi government hospitals and it will be important for breaking covid transmission chain. We have seen that after nine months immunity veins so precaution dose will be helpful to boost immunity," Dr Suresh Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The doctor also informed that most Covid patients admitted now are those who haven't taken both the doses of the vaccination.

"We have seen that after two doses, hospitalisation has reduced. Those who are admitted are those whose vaccination schedule is incomplete. The third dose is important to protect the family and society," he said.

The LNJP MD had earlier warned that if the parents do not take the vaccine, then their children are at a higher risk of the virus.

Covid situation in Delhi

Kumar's statement comes as the number of Covid-19 patients under home isolation across Delhi has seen an over six-fold jump between 11 to 24 April, according to official data.

While the city had 447 home isolation patients on 11 April, the number increased to 504 on 13 April and saw a significant increase to 574 the next day.

On 15 April, it stood at 685, it breached the 700 mark on 16 April and rose to 964 on 17 April. The numbers crossed the 1,000 mark on 18 April to settle at 1,188 and to 1,274 the next day.

As many as 1,574 patients were recuperating in home isolation on 20 April. while the numbers inched close to the 2,000 mark the next day.

In addition to this, the number of patients admitted to hospitals has also increased from 17 to 80 during the period.

Despite this, the Delhi government has assured people that the hospitalisation rate has remained low and accounts for less than three per cent of the total active cases.

Delhi on Monday reported 1,011 fresh Covid-19 cases and one death, while the positivity rate rose to 6.42%. The infection tally in the national capital now stands at 18,75,887 and the death toll at 26,170.
Boeing is planning to fly two Super Hornet fighter aircraft for an operational demonstration to Goa before its potential buyer the Indian Navy this summer. According to the news agency PTI, Boeing's India Business Development Alain Garcia made a strong sales pitch for F/A-18 Super Hornet. Gracia said the Super Hornet aircraft has been specifically designed from its inception for carrier operations, can operate from the Indian Navy aircraft carriers, and will meet or exceed the STOBAR performance requirements of the Indian Navy.

STOBAR (short take-off but arrested recovery or short take-off, barrier-arrested recovery) is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier.

Boeing is in talks with top Defence officials in the country about F/A-18 Super Hornet, P-8I, F-15EX, KC-46 tanker for aerial refueling and ISR capabilities as India plans to boost its defence capabilities.

Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet; All you need to know

1. According to a senior Boeing executive, the Super Hornet is suited to protect India's maritime interests. He said the Super Hornet and P-8I will open up opportunities for greater interoperability between the two navies for a secure Indo-Pacific.

2. The Block III Super Hornet comes with advanced networking and open architecture design that allows it to work jointly with the Indian Navy's P-8I and other US-origin assets and rapidly accept new technology to stay ahead of emerging threats

3. The US Navy operates more than 800 Super Hornets and EA-18 Growlers, the electronic attack version of the F/A-18.

4. Super Hornet F/A-18E weighs 14,552 kg, with a maximum takeoff weight of 9,937 kg. It flies at Mach 1.6 speed, which means 65% faster than the speed of sound. At present, the US, Australia, and Kuwait have F/A-18 Super Hornet customers.

The Super Hornet has an affordable acquisition cost and also costs less per flight hour to operate than any other tactical aircraft in the US forces inventory, including single-engine fighters.

Maria Laine, vice president of Boeing's International Business Development, said that India is one of Boeing's enduring partners where "we have made strategic investments and will continue to do so in the future".

The company has 3,500 employees in India and more than 7,000 people working with its supply chain partners.

"We are proud to support the many missions of the Indian armed forces that operate multiple Boeing aircraft...," she said.

In support of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India, Boeing sources over USD 1 billion from India, and Boeing's Indian supply chain partners are exporting products made in India for the global aerospace market," the company said.

Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited (TBAL), the joint venture between Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems, has been producing aero-structures for Boeing's AH-64 Apache helicopter and recently delivered its 140th AH-64 Apache fuselage from its 14,000 square metres state-of-the-art facility in Hyderabad.

TBAL is also manufacturing 737 Vertical Fin structures, a complex structural part, on a new production line that will utilize cutting-edge robotics and automation, said the Boeing official.
For several weeks now, Shanghai has been under lockdown as part of Chinas absolutist zero covid policy. What was intended to be a snappy freeze of the countrys financial hub has caused despair and anger among its residents barricaded at home. Haplessly locked in, with some families said to be short of food, the citys people have been under the watch of security patrols so harsh that only an autocracy could stomach it. What goes on in China tends to stay there, given its clamps on information, but outsiders with business contacts in the city have got wind of horrors that lend credence to tales of children kept apart from parents, police beatings and off-balcony suicides. State strictness was portrayed as an advantage held by Beijing over supposedly squishy administrations answerable to their electors. Till recently, zero covid also served as a global boast, with the so-called Peoples Republic basking in the illusion of superior pandemic control. While cases may not have fanned out across China yet, with Jilin the only hard-hit province other than Jiangshu and Hebei that host its two biggest mainland cities, the failure of its approach is now apparent.

Chinas covid wave was led by versions of Sars-CoV-2 so stealthy and infectious that experts had warned the misery of house arrest would far exceed the efficacy of its infection curbs. Driblets of data, while unreliable as absolute numbers, offer indicative trends. Local health authorities admitted 39 deaths in Shanghai on Saturday, a new peak. By casting what was claimed to be a wide testing net, the city also logged 21,058 new cases that day, 2,312 less than Friday. The point of putting out these figures, it would seem, was to signal an end in sight to a nightmare that could not be hidden. But Chinas official count of new cases, as reported elsewhere, was only a fraction of those figures. Even going by charts of the World Health Organization, it recorded only 5,508 cases nationwide on 22 April, with daily infections having peaked at a weeks rolling average of under 44,000 in early March. In other words, a drop-off had already been advertised. Shanghais relentless woes, however, point to quite another story. The countrys crisis is clearly much worse than Beijing has let on.

The trouble with masking reality is that even higher-ups who should know better can get foxed by masks, making the actual achievement of goals that much harder. President Xi Jinpings autocratic rule is seen to have tightened its grip, thwarted scientific efforts to pin down the deadly bugs origin and raised the overall premium on truth. The longer he now delays a covid glasnost, a new openness, the harder it may become to retain pretences of success. To be sure, India had been accused of covid undercounts too, and was called a nation with its own problems" by US President Joe Biden, but our broad covid trends from one wave to another have not really been in dispute. That makes a key difference. The risk of falling for a self-projected image tends to worsen once statistics get fudged out of policy-worthy shape, a folly that may have begun to take apart Chinese-crafted portrayals of health stability. What needs to be dispelled globally is the notion that a tough regime would do a more efficient job of keeping a lid on the viruss spread than the people-sensitive authorities of a noisy democracy; no reliable data exists to back that assertion. And the barricaded people of Shanghai surely deserve better.
The sun's visible-light corona, the inner part of which is only visible during a total solar eclipse, is seen here as a pearly crown of light surrounding the darkened, Earth-facing side of the moon, as seen on Aug. 21, 2017.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Earth, moon and sun are aligned in the same plane, and the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, partially or completely covering our closest star.

As one of the most dramatic celestial performances, solar eclipses  particularly total eclipses  entice droves of skywatchers; however, regardless of how much of the sun gets covered by the moon's shadow, you should never look directly at the sun.

"During this period when any of the disk is visible, one must use protective equipment to view the sun," William Teets, director of the Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory at Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Tennessee, told Live Science in an email. That could include sunglasses, specially filtered telescopes or binoculars, or by using a projection method, Teets said.

Solar eclipses come in four varieties: total, annular, partial and hybrid.

When is the next solar eclipse?

Solar eclipses Date Type of solar eclipse Visibility April 30, 2022 Partial Southeast Pacific, South America Oct. 25, 2022 Partial Europe, parts of Africa, Middle East, parts of Asia April 20, 2023 Total South/East Asia, Australia, Pacific, Indian Ocean, Antarctica Oct. 14, 2023 Annular Parts of Africa, N. America, S. America, Pacific & Atlantic, and Arctic April 18, 2024 Total Totality: Parts of Mexico, U.S. and Canada Oct. 2, 2024 Annular Parts of South America, Pacific & Atlantic, and Antarctica

What is a total solar eclipse?

All four varieties of solar eclipse are a happy accident of nature. The sun stretches some 864,000 miles (1.4 million kilometers) across, according to NASA, making our host star 400 times bigger thanEarth's moon, which measures just about 2,160 miles (nearly 3,500 km) in diameter. But the moon also happens to be about 400 times closer to Earth than the sun is (the ratio varies as the orbits of both the sun and moon are elliptical); and as a result, when the orbital planes intersect and the distances align favorably, the moon (called a "new moon" in this alignment) can appear to completely blot out the disk of the sun. As for how rare this phenomenon is: On average, a total solar eclipse is visible somewhere on Earth about every 18 months.

During a total solar eclipse, the moon casts two types of shadows. The umbra is the darkest part of the shadow where all sunlight gets blocked out. The umbra takes the shape of a dark, slender cone. It is surrounded by the penumbra, a lighter, funnel-shaped shadow from which sunlight is partially obscured.

In order to view a total solar eclipse, you must be located in the direct path of the umbra, which can sweep a third of the way around the planet in just a few hours. When in that direct path, you would see the sun's disk diminish into a crescent as the moon's dark shadow rushes toward you across the landscape.

Don't look directly at the sun REMEMBER: Looking directly at the sun, even when it is partially covered by the moon, can cause serious eye damage or blindness. NEVER look at a partial solar eclipse without proper eye protection.

During the brief period of totality, when the sun is completely covered, the beautiful corona  the tenuous outer atmosphere of the sun  is revealed. A total solar eclipse typically lasts for only a few minutes, NASA solar astronomer Mitzi Adams of the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, said in a NASA webchat . The longest solar eclipse, on June 15, 743 B.C., lasted about 7 minutes and 28 seconds, according to NASA .

Total eclipses are rarely seen because totality  when the sun appears totally hidden by the moon  only exists along a narrow path on Earth's surface, as opposed to partial eclipses, which can be viewed across a much wider region.

The next solar eclipse  on April 30, 2022  will be a partial eclipse and will be visible in South/West South America, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and parts of Antarctica, according to timeanddate.com .

The next total solar eclipse will occur on April 20, 2023, and it will be visible in South/East Asia, Australia, the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and Antarctica, where viewers can behold at least a partial sun covering. The now-named Great North American Eclipse will cross the mainland U.S. on April 8, 2024. The path of totality will trek through Mexico (from Sinaloa to Coahuila), the U.S. (from Texas to Maine) and Canada (from Ontario to Newfoundland), timeanddate.com reported .

What is a partial solar eclipse?

A partial eclipse is seen as the sun rises behind the United States Capitol Building, Thursday, June 10, 2021, as seen from Arlington, Virginia. (Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)

During a partial solar eclipse, the moon's penumbra (the partial shadow) passes between the Earth and the sun. In these cases, a part of the sun always remains in view during the eclipse. How much of the sun remains in view depends on the specific circumstances.

Usually the penumbra gives just a glancing blow to the planet over the polar regions; in such cases, places far away from the poles but still within the zone of the penumbra might not see much more than a small scallop of the sun hidden by the moon. In a different scenario, those who are positioned within a couple of thousand miles of the path of a total eclipse will see a partial solar eclipse.

The closer you are to the path of totality, the greater the solar obscuration. If, for instance, you are positioned just outside of the path of the total eclipse, you will see the sun wane to a narrow crescent, then thicken up again as the shadow passes by.

Annular solar eclipse

A composite image of the annular solar eclipse on Jan. 15, 2010 (Image credit: Siegfried Layda via Getty Images)

An annular eclipse is far different from a total one. The sky will darken ... somewhat, causing a sort of weird "counterfeit twilight" since so much of the sun still shows. The annular eclipse is a subspecies of a partial not total, eclipse. The maximum duration for an annular eclipse is 12 minutes 30 seconds.

The next annular solar eclipse will occur on Oct. 14, 2023, according to NASA . The eclipse will be visible to millions of people in parts of the U.S., Mexico and many countries in South America and Central America.

An annular solar eclipse is similar to a total eclipse in that the moon appears to pass centrally across the sun. The difference is, due to the moons position, during an annular eclipse the moon appears too small to cover the disk of the sun completely. Because the moon circles Earth in an elliptical orbit, its distance from Earth can vary from 221,457 miles to 252,712 miles (356,400 to 406,700 km). But the dark shadow cone of the moon's umbra can extend out for no longer than 235,700 miles (379,322 km); that's less than the moon's average distance from Earth.

So if the moon is at some greater distance than the umbra's limit, the tip of the umbra does not reach Earth. During such an eclipse, the antumbra, a theoretical continuation of the umbra, reaches the ground, and anyone situated within it can look up past either side of the umbra and see an annulus, or "ring of fire" around the moon. A good analogy is putting a penny atop a nickel, the penny being the moon, the nickel being the sun.

What is a hybrid solar eclipse?

Three partial solar eclipses are seen in this movie from ESAs Proba-2 Sun-watching satellite as it dipped in and out of the Moons shadow during a hybrid solar eclipse in 2013. (Image credit: ESA)

These are also called annular-total ("A-T") eclipses. This special type of eclipse occurs when the moon's distance is near its limit for the umbra to reach Earth. In most cases, an A-T eclipse starts as an annular eclipse because the tip of the umbra falls just short of making contact with Earth; then it becomes total, because the roundness of the planet reaches up and intercepts the shadow tip near the middle of the path, then finally it returns to annular toward the end of the path.

Because the moon appears to pass directly in front of the sun, total, annular and hybrid eclipses are also called "central" eclipses to distinguish them from eclipses that are merely partial.

Of all solar eclipses, about 28% are total; 35%are partial; 32% annular; and just 5% are hybrids. The next hybrid solar eclipse will occur on April 20, 2023, which will be a total eclipse in some areas.

How to view a solar eclipse

An astronomer in India projects the solar eclipse onto a white screen for safe viewing on Dec. 26, 2019. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Do not look directly at any part of the sun without protective equipment, even near totality.

"This equipment could be approved solar eclipse glasses (not sunglasses) or a properly filtered telescope or properly filtered pair of binoculars."

Teets added that a skywatcher should "never put on solar eclipse glasses and then use them to try to look through an unfiltered telescope or pair of binoculars  the unfiltered light will burn right through the glasses and start burning/blinding you as well."

Projection method: In addition to viewing an eclipse through specialty glasses, properly filtered telescopes/binoculars, you can also use a projection method to view a solar eclipse. To do so, you take out the eyepiece from a telescope and instead project the image onto a sheet of paper behind the telescope. By moving the sheet of paper back and forth, you can find the spot with the most focused image, according to Sky & Telescope .

Pinhole camera: A pinhole or small opening is used to form an image of the sun on a screen placed about 3 feet (1 meter) behind the opening, according to Sky & Telescope . Binoculars or a small telescope mounted on a tripod can also be used to project a magnified image of the sun onto a white card. The farther away the card, the larger you can focus the image. Look for sunspots. Notice that the sun appears somewhat darker around its limb or edge. This method of solar viewing is safe so long as you remember not to look through the binoculars or telescope when they are pointed toward the sun; put another way, never look directly at the sun when any part of its blindingly bright surface is visible.

Pinhole mirror: A variation on the pinhole theme is the "pinhole mirror." Cover a pocket-mirror with a piece of paper that has a quarter-inch hole punched in it. Open a sun-facing window and place the covered mirror on the sunlit sill so it reflects a disk of light onto the far wall inside. The disk of light is an image of the sun's face. The farther away from the wall the better; the image will be only 1 inch across for every 9 feet (or 3 centimeters for every 3 m) from the mirror, according to Sky & Telescope . Modeling clay works well to hold the mirror in place. Experiment with different-size holes in the paper. Again, a large hole makes the image bright, but fuzzy, and a small one makes it dim but sharp. Darken the room as much as possible. Be sure to try this out beforehand to make sure the mirror's optical quality is good enough to project a clean, round image. Of course, don't let anyone look at the sun in the mirror.

If you're around leafy trees, look at the shadow cast by them during the partial phases. What do you see? Is it worth a photograph? You will see scores of partially eclipsed suns projected through pinhole gaps between the leaves. This is caused by diffraction, a property of light. According to Vince Huegele , an optical physicist at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, the light rays do not shoot straight by the rim of the gaps, or a pinhole, but bend around the edge. This wave effect creates a pattern of rings that resembles a bull's eye.

Acceptable filters for unaided visual solar observations include aluminized Mylar. Some astronomy dealers carry Mylar filter material specially designed for solar observing. Also acceptable is shade 14 arc-welder's glass, available for just a few dollars at welding supply shops. Of course, it is always a good idea to test your filters and/or observing techniques before eclipse day.

Unacceptable filters include sunglasses, old color film negatives, black-and-white film that contains no silver, photographic neutral-density filters and polarizing filters. These materials have very low visible-light transmittance levels, but they transmit an unacceptably high level of near-infrared radiation that can burn your retinas. The fact that the sun appears dim, or that you feel no discomfort when looking at the sun through these types of filters, is no guarantee that your eyes are safe.

Sun features to look for during an eclipse

NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare  as seen in the bright flash in the upper left portion of the image on April 20, 2022. The image shows a subset of extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the extremely hot material in flares, and which is colorized in yellow. (Image credit: SDO/NASA)

Sunspots: These relatively cool patches on the sun's surface appear dark. They will look like black spots on the disk of the sun, Teets said. These spots can be alone or in clusters of several. To see these spots, you will likely need a properly filtered telescope, as they are too small typically to view through your solar eclipse glasses.

Prominences: If you are eclipse-viewing with a hydrogen-alpha solar telescope, you might catch a glimpse of more than sunspots. With this gear, you should be able to see prominences and the chromosphere, which is the second of the three layers of the sun's atmosphere.

"Prominences are clouds of material lofted up from the sun, and they sometimes look like flames on the edge of the sun," Teets said. "If they happen to be present across the disk of the sun, they will appear like slightly darkened streaks."

Chromosphere: With that same specialized telescope, you could also witness what might appear as undulating ruby gems dancing around the outer disk of the sun. That would be the chromosphere, the lower atmosphere of the sun that is about a million times less dense than Earth's atmosphere, according to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research . On typical days, the light from this atmospheric layer is drowned out by the much brighter photosphere underneath it, UCAR said.

Corona: There is one time when you can safely look directly at the sun: during totality in a total eclipse, when the sun's disk is entirely covered. During those few precious seconds or minutes, the magnificent corona  the outer atmosphere that lies just above the chromosphere  shines forth in all its glory like a halo around the darkened sun  a marvelous fringe of pearly white light. "It appears as a beautiful white wisp that completely encircles the sun," Teets told Live Science.

It differs in size, in tints and patterns from eclipse to eclipse. It is always faint and delicate, with a sheen like a pale aurora. Sometimes the corona appears as a soft continuous structure; at other times, long rays of it shoot out in three or four directions. The corona can also pop out from the disk in filmy petals and streamers. But when the sun begins to emerge into view again, the corona quickly disappears and you'll need to protect your eyes once again.

Additional resources

UCAR has a great compilation of sun and solar eclipse resources, along with some instructions for teaching activities.

If you're interested in photographing an eclipse, this Nikon guide provides instructions for how to do that for different types of solar eclipses.
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Prestige French distribution house Dulac Distribution has closed rights to France on 1976, one of the most awaited of films to come out of Chile this year, which will world premiere next month at Cannes Directors Fortnight.

The buzzed up title represents the first feature from young Chilean actor-turned-director Manuela Martelli, star of Andres Woods Machuca and Alicia Schersons Il Futuro.

Worldwide sales rights on 1976 are represented by Paris-based Luxbox, adding to its lengthening list of high profile pick-ups from Latin America which include Nathalie Alvarez Mesens Clara Sola, Alejandra Marquezs The Good Girls, Marcelo Martinessis The Heiresses and Benjamin Naishtats Rojo.

The acquisition in a key territory for non English-language art films comes just weeks after 1976 walked off with three of the biggest awards at the Toulouse Latin American Festivals Films in Progress, including the pix-in-post competitions Grand Prix and Cine Plus Award from French pay TV giant Canal Plus.

In a statement, producer Michel Zana, head of distribution for Dulac relayed he was very proud to distribute Manuela Martellis first film! Through its main characters intimate evolution, in an impressionistic way, 1976 offers a subtle and contemporary look on one of the darkest times of Chiles recent history.

The film mixes humanity, radical empathy and reinvention as our protagonist Carmen, played by Aline Kuppenheim (Fugitives), cares for a young man branded a political extremist, harbored by the priest of a small beachside town. While shes supervising the renovation of her home and hosting family, her good nature is pushed to the brink as she stands planted firmly between a world in which shes merely ornamental and one in which shes undeniably valued.

Co-written by Alejandra Moffat (The Wolf House), the cast is rounded out by Nicolas Sepulveda, Hugo Medina and Alejandro Goic (Pablo Larrains The Club).

Produced by Omar Zuniga (The Strong Ones) and Sotomayor at auteur-focused Chile-based Cinestacion (Too Late to Die Young) and Alejandra Garcia and Andres Wood at Wood Productions (Spider), and co-produced by Nathalia Videla Pena and Juan Pablo Gugliotta of Argentinas Magma Cine (The Ardor), 1976 touches on perplexing themes of self amidst an era of a profoundly entrenched militarized government.

Carmen becomes aware of herself through her troubles. She was used to asserting herself through negation, absence, and will finally feel alive. In our eyes, Manuela Martelli points to the porosity of a violent political environment and the malaise of women who have never been given a place. The film is located at the intersection of the history of the country and the history of this woman, commented Fiorella Moretti, CEO of acquisitions at Luxbox.

Hedi Zardi, CEO of Luxbox, went on: Manuela Martelli touched us with her desire to bring to the fore the intimate domestic and family space totally contaminated by what happened outside. In our eyes, she intelligently works on the idea of the border, a diffuse line between the private and the public. She starts from her own private space to go towards the other, the space of History. This duo of women, actress and director brings our attention to other stories of women who had neither name nor voice.

Having acted in 15 films, Martelli went on to write and direct acclaimed shorts after earning a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue a Masters in Film at Temple University. Her first short, Apnea, produced by Sotomayor for Cinestacion, anticipates in some ways 1976, picturing a small girl who washes her maids hair in a household somewhere in the U.S. Its a lovely intimate scene, but shot through by questions of class, ethnic origin, and economic subjugation.

Selected by Cannes Directors Fortnight program Chile Factory, Martelli co-directed the short film Land Tides with Amirah Tajdin, which premiered at the Fortnight in 2015.

Hailing what they consider the films immense appeal, Moretti and Zardi concluded: Our director and producer friend Dominga Sotomayor surprised us by introducing us to the young director Manuela Martella, who came with a proposal that was both original and personal: Treat this period under a new prism. The actress has already confirmed that this first feature film completes the promise of her debut as a filmmaker of several short films. Weve been following this project since the beginning as the rigorous and proactive work of the director confirmed our desire to accompany her.

John Hopewell contributed to this article.

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Local women leaders and entrepreneurs united together Wednesday night for a special event and mixer held by the MileOne International Business Assistance Center.

The event brought together many women who have served as entrepreneurs around the community and others aspiring to be part of the local business world. The event also featured a guest speaker and an opportunity for the women to network and talk about their experiences, whether good or bad, in the business world.

The Womens Entrepreneur Rock Series is a series that we started in 2018 to highlight the female entrepreneur, Cesar G. Hernandez, program director for MileOne International Business Assistance Center, said.

We want to provide technical assistance, mentoring, support to the women who own small businesses here in the community, and so we do a six-month series every year since 2018 that provides information on leadership skills, access to capital, basic accounting and understanding business accounting. Just really bringing female entrepreneurs to talk about their journey, to talk about their successes, their failures, what to do and what not to do and really to encourage entrepreneurs to take a chance and getting into the small business world.

Hernandez says events like these celebrating local women business leaders is essential considering the fact they make up a huge part of the local economy.

The female entrepreneur is a very important piece and a component of our economy, Hernandez said. There are so many female entrepreneurs out there, successful entrepreneurs that give so much value to people who are starting to make a business or just want to learn more about entrepreneurship. This is more important for us as it is an opportunity for us to keep the balance within the economy and to highlight the female entrepreneur and their successes.

The guest speaker at the event was Laredo Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Gabriela Morales, who spoke about how it feels leading the citys main business organization. She said she was also honored to be chosen to speak in front of the other local women leaders.

I am honored to have been chosen as the Kickoff Keynote Speaker for the Women Entrepreneurs Rock Series 2022, Morales said.

The engagement we had at the event was an intimate space for us to share our unique stories, help each other in our journey, and foster a community of sisterhood. Empowering women in our communities, must be at the forefront of our social and economic agendas, and we, at the Laredo Chamber of Commerce welcome women entrepreneurs who are seeking a path to success. I am thankful to Cesar at MileOne for inviting me and to the attendees who shared their stories with me.

Previous speakers for the event have also been women in leadership positions including Kathryn Flachbart, who was the former U.S. consulate to Nuevo Laredo, and Judith Zaffirini, who for decades has served as state senator of Texas State District 21.

Hernandez says showcasing women in leadership positions helps highlight how they can also climb the ranks and get to positions of leadership, which is a quality every entrepreneur must possess. He also said many of the attendees in the past have said they find value in hearing from other women about what led them to success in their careers.

One of those in attendance at the event Wednesday was Yvette Sanchez, who expressed great satisfaction at participating.

Its moving, attending events like these, Sanchez said. The connections you form with amazing and driven women inspires me to drive forward and continue pursuing my set goals and growing professionally. Im very proud MileOne supports such events that enable women empowerment, consciously encourages entrepreneurship in our community, and Im privileged to be a part of such an organization.

Hernandez said women have told him they enjoy these workshops due to its interactive nature. He said they have also said they enjoy expressing their own views and opinions about what it takes to be a good business leader.

I think they walked out of here feeling a little bit more empowered as far as what they are doing and a little bit more centered as far as their goals in terms of what they want to do personally as entrepreneurs or as professionals, Hernandez said. Overall, we learned that there are so many female entrepreneurs leaders, female community leaders that are out in our community that really move Laredo forward. They are very smart individuals, very talented and dynamic and it is something great to see when you see a room full of women, and they are all supporting each other (and) thats extremely important to us. We are very blessed to be able to spearhead these types of initiatives.

Hernandez said he believes more forums like this are needed as these leaders in business are the ones who will help inspire younger women and little girls to aspire to become something greater and start their own businesses.

We do our very best to highlight these female entrepreneurs and to foster the equal representation in the business sector and networking opportunities at all levels, Hernandez said.

Hernandez said this event is not the last one MileOne has prepared to showcase the women talent in the community. They have another event planned soon focusing not just on women leaders in business but rather on business leaders in all fields.

According to Hernandez, the business assistance organization is going to host an event May 11 in which MileOne will be hosting small businesses and the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Minority Business Development Agency. Additionally, there will be some local banking institutions present to speak to small business owners about how they might have access to capital.

jorge.vela@lmtonline.com
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a man wanted for a sexual offense involving a minor, authorities said.

CBP identified the suspect as Brian James McQuarrie, a 67-year-old male United States citizen.

McQuarrie arrived on April 21 at the pedestrian lane of the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge. A CBP officer referred McQuarrie to secondary inspection, where subsequent biometric verification confirmed he had an outstanding felony warrant for a third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor out of the Greensboro Police Department in Greensboro, North Carolina.

CBP officers turned over McQuarrie to the Webb County Sheriffs Office to await criminal proceedings.

Sexual offenses such as child exploitation occur daily in the U.S., said Port Director Alberto Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. CBPs combined efforts with federal, state, county and city law enforcement officials, as well as international counterparts, contribute to bringing those allegedly committing these offenses to justice.
A former U.S. Department of Agriculture lead animal health technician has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Roberto Adams, 68, of Laredo, pleaded guilty to accepting over $40,000 in bribery payments while employed as a USDA lead animal health technician.
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PARIS (AP)  After winning another five years in the French presidential palace, Emmanuel Macron intends to go back to work straightaway on domestic and foreign policy  but he will soon face crucial parliamentary elections where he may struggle to keep his majority.

Here's a look at what comes next for Macron and his leadership of France.

INAUGURATION CEREMONY

The Constitutional Council will publish the presidential election's official results on Wednesday and Macron will hold a Cabinet meeting.

Macron will then need to set a date for his inauguration ceremony, which must be held by May 13, at the Elysee Palace. He will receive the National Guards' honors and make a speech.

Usually, 21 cannon shots are fired to mark an inauguration, although Presidents Francois Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac both skipped that tradition for their reelections in 1988 and 2002. Macron is the only other leader of modern France to win a second term at the ballot box.

MACRONS FIRST MOVES

Like five years ago, Macron plans to quickly head to Berlin, in line with the tradition that newly elected French presidents make their first trip abroad to neighboring Germany to celebrate the countries' friendship after multiple wars. He will meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, with efforts to try to end the war in Ukraine topping the agenda.

At some point, he may also travel to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a trip he said he would only do on condition that it would have a useful impact. Macron spoke to both Zelenskyy and Scholz within hours of his victory.

U.S. President Joe Biden tried to congratulate Macron on Sunday night too, but told reporters, I spoke to his staff and he was at the Eiffel Tower having a good time. The two leaders spoke briefly Monday instead, and agreed to hold longer talks soon about support for Ukraine, pressure on Russia to negotiate an end to the war, food security and deepening U.S.-EU relations, according to Macron's office.

On May 9, Macron is expected to make a speech on Europe in Strasbourg, home to the EU parliament.

At home, he said one of his priorities will be to pass by summer a law to support purchasing power amid the surge in food and energy prices fed by the conflict in Ukraine.

PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

Prime Minister Jean Castex is expected to submit his governments resignation in the coming days. Macron will then appoint a new caretaker government, but ministers will only be in place for a few weeks.

France's nationwide parliamentary election, held in two rounds on June 12 and June 19, will decide who controls a majority of the 577 seats at the National Assembly. If Macrons party wins, he will name a new government and will be able to pass laws.

If another party gets a majority of seats, he will be forced to appoint a prime minister belonging to that new majority. In such a situation, called cohabitation in France, the government would implement policies that diverge from Macrons project. The French president would have sway, however, over the country's foreign policy.

___

Will Weissert in Washington contributed.

___

Follow APs coverage of the French election at https://apnews.com/hub/french-election-2022
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A raid in the Chacon neighborhood resulted in the arrest of two suspected street-level dealers, according to Laredo police.

In March, the Laredo Crime Stoppers received a tip indicating that a man and a woman were selling narcotics at a residence in the 500 block of North Stone Avenue.
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LONDON (AP)  Women from across British politics called Monday for action to tackle misogyny after a newspaper ran a story accusing the deputy opposition leader of trying to distract the prime minister during debates by crossing and uncrossing her legs.

The Mail on Sunday quoted an anonymous Conservative lawmaker as saying Labour Party Deputy Leader Angela Rayner tried to throw Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson off his stride as she sat across from him in the House of Commons. The article called it "a fully-clothed Parliamentary equivalent of Sharon Stones infamous scene in the 1992 film 'Basic Instinct,' in which Stone distracts police interrogators while wearing a short skirt.

Rayner accused Boris Johnsons cheerleaders of using desperate, perverted smears."

I stand accused of a ploy to distract the helpless PM - by being a woman, having legs and wearing clothes, she wrote on Twitter. Women in politics face sexism and misogyny every day  and Im no different.

Rayner, who comes from a working-class family in northern England, left school when she was 16 and got her political start in the trade union movement. That makes a sharp contrast with Johnson, who was educated at the elite private school Eton and Oxford University. Johnson has sometimes struggled to parry her attacks during debates.

The prime minister condemned the article, writing on Twitter: As much as I disagree with Angela Rayner on almost every political issue, I respect her as a parliamentarian and deplore the misogyny directed at her anonymously today.

Johnson said Monday he had gotten in touch with Rayner about the article, which he called the most appalling load of sexist, misogynist tripe.

He said the anonymous lawmaker who made the Basic Instinct comments would face the terrors of the Earth if identified.

Its totally intolerable, that kind of thing," Johnson told British broadcasters.

More than a century after the first female lawmaker was elected to Britains Parliament, women make up 34% of the 650 legislators in the House of Commons. Long known for its boozy, macho atmosphere, Parliament is now a more diverse place.

Still, some say change has not gone far enough. Many female U.K. politicians said the article was an extreme example of the sexism they encounter daily.

Labour legislator Rachel Reeves said she hoped the article would prompt people to "call out this misogyny and sexism for what it is (so) that we get some change, because Angela and no other MP should have to put up with this sort of rubbish.

Senior Conservatives also condemned the remarks. Health Secretary Sajid Javid tweeted: No woman in politics should have to put up with this.

Conservative lawmaker Caroline Nokes, who heads Parliaments Women and Equalities Committee, said she had asked the Speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, to censure Glen Owen, the journalist who wrote the article.

Hoyle said he had summoned the papers editor to discuss the article.

Hoyle told lawmakers that media freedom was one of the building blocks of our democracy, but that publishing such misogynistic and offensive comments can only deter women who might be considering standing for election, to the detriment of us all.

Associated Newspapers, which publishes The Mail on Sunday, declined to comment on the topic.
A Longford Garda who was the subject of false accusations over the shooting of dog has won his High Court challenge against the Commissioner's refusal to backdate his promotion to rank of inspector.

The action was taken by Inspector Tom Quinn against the Garda Commissioner which arose after his 2019 promotion to the rank of inspector was held up for seven months while the Garda Ombudsman, GSOC investigated what were held to be false and baseless allegations against him.

He was fully vindicated by GSOC after probed a shooting incident that occurred in December 2018,

In his judgement Mr Justice Charles Meenan ruled that the Commissioner was wrong to refuse to backdate Inspector Quinn's promotion.

Forklift driver hit with two year ban after Longford collision A man found to be over the drink driving limit after being involved in a road crash has been put off the road for two years.

The court said that given GSOC's findings not backdating the promotion would "wrongly penalise" the inspector over what amounted to be false accusations against him.

When the matter was before the High Court on Monday Mr Justice Meenan said he was making orders in favour of the inspector including one quashing the refusal to backdate the promotion and directed that the Inspector's legal costs be paid by the Commissioner.

He was due to attain the rank of Inspector in January 2019.

Due to the investigation his promotion was held up until late August 2019 after GSOC's probe had concluded.

The Inspector applied to have his promotion backdated to January 2019.

He claimed that the delay had pension, pay, seniority, reputational and future promotion implications for him.

The Commissioner, however, refused his application.

As a result, the Inspector, who is stationed in Mullingar Co Westmeath brought judicial review proceedings aimed at having the Commissioner's refusal to backdate his promotion quashed.

Represented by Paul McGarry SC, with John Berry Bl instructed by Sean Costello solicitors, also claimed that the failure to backdate it beaches natural and constitutional justice.

The Commissioner opposed the action and rejected his claims that the refusal breached the Inspector's rights or impugned his good name.

In his judgement Mr Justice Meenan said that when serving in the Roscommon-Longford Division in December 2018 the Inspector, who at that time held the rank of Sergeant, attended at a property at Ferriskill near Granard in Co Longford, with a civilian.

The Inspector claimed that that the property owner Mr Edward Stokes attacked him with a slash hook and attacked the civilian.

It was also alleged that Mr Stokes goaded a Belgian Shephard Malinos dog to attack the Inspector.

The Inspector, who warned the property owner that he was armed, drew his weapon.

Fearing for his own safety after the dog came at him, the Inspector fired one shot, wounding the animal.

A ricochet from that shot caused a minor injury to the property's owner's leg.

Mr Stokes made a complaint to GSOC, and strongly rejected the inspectors account of what happened.

The incident was recorded on a mobile phone, and extracts that suited the complainant's allegations were posted on social media resulting in the inspector being the subject of intense abuse online.

Mr Stokes had also complained to GSOC that the Inspector made some remarks, and laughed at him, when they met each other at a shop some months later.

GSOC, in dismissing all the complaints, determined that Inspector Quinn had discharged his firearm in a lawful and justified manner.

The inspector went through the promotion process and was informed he was successful.

He expected that he would be promoted along with the other successful candidates to the rank of inspector when the results of that process were published in January 2019.

It was accepted by the Inspector that the complaints against him had to be investigated.

Mr Justice Meenan said it was very clear that the reason why the applicant was not promoted in early 2019 was because of Mr Stokes' complaint.

It was reasonable, the Judge said, that the proposed promotion of any Garda who is the subject of a complaint should not proceed until the truth of the matter is ascertained.

Mr Stoke' complaint to GSOC was deemed false. but Inspector Quinn faced a penalty in terms of loss of salary, and general loss of standing because his promotion was delayed for seven months.

Mr Justice Meenan said the commissioner's refusal to backdate the promotion was unreasonable and flew in the face of fundamental reason and common sense.

Inspector Quinn the judge said had a Constitutional right to equality.

If that right is to mean anything, the Judge said, then the inspector must be put in a position that he would have been had the false complaint not being made.

This can be achieved, the judge said by backdating the promotion to the date in which it should originally have taken effect.

No rational reason he said had been identified by the Commissioner as to why the backdating cannot take place, he said.

The judge accepted that this would result in the applicant being renumerated as an inspector while he was Sergeant.

Longford mother and daughter lose an incredible 9.5 stone between them A mother and daughter from Longford town have turned their lives around by losing nine and a half stone between them in just eight months with Slimming World.

The judge said he was of the view that it would be "a greater wrong to penalise the applicant for being the subject of a false complaint. "

The judge added that if the inspector's promotion had not been backdated it would have the perverse effect that the date of Inspector's promotion would not have been determined by legislation, the Garda Disciplinary Code or the Commissioner but rather by Mr Stokes.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is warning consumers not to engage with a potential pyramid promotional scheme that is circulating within the African community in Ireland via social media.

This potential pyramid promotional scheme, known as the Amazing Grace Family and Friends Scheme, is first thought to have appeared in Ireland in 2021. The scheme describes itself as a gifting community that helps people meet their financial goals.

Longford mother and daughter lose an incredible 9.5 stone between them A mother and daughter from Longford town have turned their lives around by losing nine and a half stone between them in just eight months with Slimming World.

There are 4 stages in the scheme, Stage 1 (Fire), Stage 2 (Wind), Stage 3 (Earth) and Stage 3 (Water). An image of a board (below) may be used to illustrate the stages of the scheme.

To participate in this scheme, consumers pay 1,300 to get to Stage 1. To progress their way through the scheme, which may be described as a board, participants must recruit two other people to join the group. As further recruits join the scheme, earlier joiners supposedly move up through the 4 stages of the group to a final goal of stage 4 and receive 10,000.

In this particular scheme, on joining participants are invited to weekly online meetings for updates from the organisers on how the board (scheme) is progressing. At a certain point, participants reportedly find they are no longer invited to meetings and they are unable to contact the organisers of the group.

Pyramid schemes

Pyramid promotional schemes generally work by offering individuals the opportunity to buy into a scheme. This money goes to those above the individual in the pyramid. Participants in the scheme can supposedly recoup their original investments and qualify for a pay-out by recruiting new members who join the pyramid below them. In theory, the further up the pyramid a participant is, the more money they get.

In all pyramid promotional schemes, inevitably the supply of potential investors runs out and the pyramid promotional scheme collapses leading to the majority of those involved losing their money. Pyramid schemes are illegal and those who knowingly participate in them are liable for prosecution.

Under the Consumer Protection Act 2007, it is an offence for anyone to establish, operate, promote or knowingly participate in such a scheme. The CCPC investigates potential breaches of consumer protection law.

The CCPC is currently investigating this scheme and is warning consumers not to engage with it.

If a consumer is approached to join any kind of pyramid promotional scheme, please contact the CCPC immediately through our helpline on 01 402 5555 or by clicking here.

More information about pyramid schemes and other scams can be found on the CCPC Consumer Hub.
abrdn Private Equity Opportunities Trust PLC - Edinburgh-based investor in private equity funds focused on Europe - Increases net asset value in the quarter ended December 31, the investor's financial first quarter. Net asset value per share climbs by 4.7% to 705.2 pence from 673.8p the quarter before. Total net assets rise to GBP1.08 billion from GBP1.04 billion a quarter ago. Investment manager expects an indirect impact of the war in Ukraine on its portfolio, such as increased energy and raw material pricing.

The company changed its name from Standard Life Private Equity Trust PLC in early April.

Current stock price: 498.40 pence, down 1.1% on Monday

12-month change: up 4.3%

By Tom Budszus; tombudszus@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Bonhill Group PLC - London-based media company specialising in business information, events and data analytics - Launches open offer for up to 10.8 million shares at 5.5 pence per share, in order to raise around GBP600,000.

Company is also looking to raise the same amount through a conditional placing through the issue of the same amount of shares at the same price as the open offer.

Offer reflects a discount of 4.5% to Bonhill's closing price on Friday at 5.73p.

Proceeds from the fundraise will go towards working capital purposes.

Current stock price: 5.65 pence

12-month change: down 64%

By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Mila Resources PLC - London-based gold company focused on Australia - Notes assay results from 2022 diamond drilling programme at Kathleen Valley gold project in Australia, with assays for first five of the 11 core holes showing exceptional results.

Drilling has confirmed mineralisation over a zone 200 metres long and 220 metres down dip, open at depth and along strike.

Results should pave the way for Mila to raise its interest in the Kathleen Valley project to 55% ownership, while stage two of the programme will step out and target a new gold lode at depth.

"I am lost for words! The assay results from the first five diamond core holes have surpassed my expectations. We knew the core would deliver strong results based on the visual observations of the sulphide mineralisation and the Bellevue-Style veins we had intersected," says Chief Geologist Neil Hutchison.

"This deposit is really starting to take shape and from the observations in the recently completed drill holes, it only gets better. It's a massive achievement by the onsite personnel from Geolithic, DrillCore and PetriCore, who have all delivered such high-quality work over a short three-month period. We are all excited to commence with the Stage 2 & 3 drilling campaigns, which will chase this highly mineralised system at depth and along strike," Hutchison added.

Current stock price: 6.00 pence, up 25%

12-month change: up sharply since 2.95p

By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - A major shareholder in Just Eat Takeaway.com NV on Monday called upon fellow shareholders to reject the reappointment of the online food delivery firm's chief financial officer and members of JET's supervisory board, saying they have overseen a "catastrophic destruction of equity value" caused by the company's Grubhub Inc acquisition and a "misleading financial" outlook.

Cat Rock Capital Management LP, which has a 6.9% stake, said shareholders at JET's annual general meeting on Wednesday next week should vote against the reappointment of CFO Brent Wissink and "legacy members of JET's supervisory board".

Cat Rock said Just Eat needs a new CFO to "restore credibility". Wissink has held the role since 2012, having been CFO of Takeaway.com before the two companies merged.

"JET's Management and Supervisory Boards have overseen a catastrophic destruction of equity value in the past two years," Cat Rock Founder & Managing Partner Alex Captain said in an open letter to shareholders. He noted that shares have lost 75% of their value since the Grubhub acquisition in June 2020, even as JET delivered a strong operational performance.

"JET's equity value has decoupled from its fundamentals because of a complete loss of trust in the management and supervisory boards' capital allocation and financial management," Captain said, charging that this was caused by a "misleading outlook on the company's profitability" ahead of two Grubhub shareholder votes.

"These misleading financial disclosures led to two massive profit downgrades in 2021 and the complete loss of trust in the company's financial guidance," the activist investor said.

Last week, Just Eat Takeaway said it is exploring options for Grubhub. This could involve introducing a "strategic partner" in order to sell a stake, or even all of its holding in Grubhub, which JET had bought for USD7.3 billion. Back in October, Cat Rock had called upon the company's board to sell off Grubhub completely.

A Just Eat spokeswoman told PA in response to the Cat Rock letter on Monday: "Just Eat Takeaway.com's management shares investor disappointment in the recent share price performance of the company. However, the actions we are taking, including in relation to Grubhub, are intended to create significant shareholder value.

"We believe that Cat Rock's proposal to remove key supervisory and management board members, would be both value destructive and destabilising."

Just Eat Takeaway shares were down 3.8% at 2,028.00 pence early Monday in London. They are down 74% in the past 12 months. The former FTSE 100 constituent was removed from FTSE indices back in August after its nationality was reassigned to the Netherlands by FTSE Russell.

By Tom Waite; thomaslwaite@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Anglo American PLC said Monday it is aware a Chilean regulator has recommended the miner's environmental assessment process for its Los Bronces mine be rejected.

"The Environmental Assessment Service of Chile has confirmed that Los Bronces integrated project satisfies all relevant environmental regulation but bases its adverse recommendation on an alleged lack of information during the evaluation process to fully remove any doubts about a potential risk to public health," Anglo said.

Despite the negative recommendation, the miner noted "strong" support for the project offered to date by 23 of the 25 technical services bodies and government ministries that form part of the assessment process.

A decision on the permit application by the SEA is expected within the next week.

"Anglo American welcomes the SEA's confirmation that LBIP meets all the required environmental regulatory criteria," it continued. "Anglo American also firmly believes that all appropriate information has been provided throughout the evaluation process, and that this information has been appropriately socialised at every available opportunity within the regulated permitting process, including through formal meetings and via written submissions."

If the permit is rejected, Anglo stressed the process "allows for further review".

"Anglo American is committed to following the established process and is working with the Chilean authorities to demonstrate that all potential impacts have been fully mitigated and to secure approval for the project," it added.

Regardless of the outcome, Anglo has kept its current copper production guidance for 2022 and 2023 unchanged.

Shares in Anglo American were down 6.5% in London on Monday morning at 3,236.97 pence and down 7.9% in Johannesburg to ZAR647.98. Shares in diversified miners were struggling in early trade as China upped its Covid restrictions, leading to worries of suppressed metals demand.

By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com

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Music and anthropology major, Birdie Hadfield 24, became the first Lycoming College student to win a Fund for Education Abroad Scholarship (FEA) and full tuition scholarships to study ethnomusicology in Ireland.

FEA provides scholarships and ongoing support to students who are underrepresented among the U.S. study abroad population. Hadfield will travel abroad in the Spring semester of 2023 to study at the University College Cork in Cork, Ireland.

As a Violinist for the past nine years and avid musician, Hadfield became fascinated with ethnomusicology, the study of music in its social and cultural contexts, after taking cultural anthropology during her first semester at Lycoming. UCC has a thriving ethnomusicology program. As you'd probably imagine, very few schools worldwide have a program in ethnomusicology, particularly one that is accessible to an undergraduate, she said.

In combination with her previous interest in music and her first semester experience at Lycoming, she knew she wanted to be a double major and pursue ethnomusicology, with aspirations to learn at a higher level like graduate school. I was inspired by my anthropology classes to pursue ethnomusicology with the hopes of one day being able to teach it to other passionate students.

Hadfield is excited to venture outside of her comfort zone and leave the United States for the first time. In the upcoming months she will be working closely with the Center for Enhanced Academic Experiences and the faculty in the music and anthropology departments at Lycoming to prepare for her experience at an international university and looks forward to making connections with UCC Professors while there.

FEA remains the only national non-profit study abroad scholarship provider funded exclusively with philanthropic support.

Through Lycoming Colleges Office of Global Education, traditional classroom boundaries are expanded and designed to encourage global citizenship through faculty-led travel courses, field schools, study abroad, and other global learning opportunities. More information about the Office of Global Education is available at https://www.lycoming.edu/center-for-enhanced-academic-experiences/global-education.aspx.
Greg Sukiennik has worked at all three Vermont News & Media newspapers and was their managing editor from 2017-19. He previously worked for ESPN.com, for the AP in Boston, and at The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass.
Carlos Tevez believes Real Madrid should be concerned about facing Manchester City when the pair meet in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.

Premier League leaders City and LaLiga Santander front-runners Madrid last met in 2020 when the English side came out on top in their last 16 clash.

"It is very gratifying to see what City have become in these ten years," Tevez told ManCity.com. "It is something impressive. We have gone from fighting in the middle of the league table to going on an equal footing with the biggest [in Europe).

"Nowadays it is completely different. Today Real Madrid are the one that have to be concerned about facing City", he declared.

"This is the advantage that City now have. Today the opponents have to look at what City are capable of doing.

"With the players we have now and the infrastructure City have been building during these years we can fight as equals against any team in Europe."

Too close to call

Madrid stunned Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 and shocked Chelsea in the quarter-finals to reach this stage of the competition.

Many expected them to be knocked out against either of those two sides, but City could be their toughest challenge yet, although Tevez couldn't call which way the tie will go.

"It's a 50/50 tie", said Tevez. "I'm very happy to see City in this position, fighting against the greatest teams in Europe.

"It has not been possible to win the Champions League yet, but I think the most important thing is that after ten years City are playing as equals against teams like Real Madrid and as it did on the last tie against Atletico."

Tevez on Premier League title race

Tevez, who played for City from 2009 to 2013 and was part of the squad that won the club's first Premier League title in 2012, believes City face a big battle to defend their crown, pointing out that the mentality of the Sky Blues and their title rivals Liverpool will be key.

"It is going to be tough," added Tevez. "City and Liverpool know each other quite well.

"Both managers, Pep (Guardiola) and (Jurgen) Klopp, also do. It is almost like a chess game between them.

"In these circumstances, the one that shows more desire of winning, is going to get it. The one that gives it all, that shows more hunger, will succeed."
Terry Crews is a well-known actor, Emmy nominee, and writer that has been very popular over the last decades, he and Chris Rock have been friends for a long time, he played the part of Chris's father on the hit comedy "Everybody Hates Chris", the show created and written by Chris Rock.

He is friends with both Chris Rock and Will Smith

However, he mentions that he is not taking sides on the Oscars slap debacle that happened on the 94th Academy Awards show where Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock during the presentation of the Best Documentary award where he made a joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith

"Both Will Smith and Chris Rock are dear, dear friends of mine," he told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview while presenting his book. "I love them both as brothers, but there was a time in my life [where] I was Will Smith at that moment, and let me tell you, I've done worse than Will."

He believes that they were too hard on Smith

"Way overkill, just ... the punishment did not fit the crime. Like, people were like, 'What in the world are you doing?' My wife even had to be like, 'You got to promise me you will never go off like this. You did not need to pick this man up and put him on his head, on the concrete. " Terry mentions.

He also stated that Chris Rock saved Hollywood by not retaliating against Smith

Rock did not do anything after the aggression or even once the award ceremony was over.

"When I look back, by what Chris did, by just deciding to hold everything together, it actually, I think in a lot of ways saved Hollywood," Crews commented "Because if there would've been a brawl on that stage, I don't know if Hollywood would've ever gotten any respect again, you know? It's hard to even imagine what would've happened."

He has been in both Smith and Rock's shoes

"The definition of toughness where I grew up and the way I was, it was always the ability to strike, the ability to punch, the ability to set things straight, to even the score," he said. "But the true definition of toughness was what Chris did in taking a punch and then holding everything together and then showing tremendous endurance and resilience in the middle of obstacles."

When I look back, by what Chris did, by just deciding to hold everything together, it actually, I think in a lot of ways saved Hollywood Terry Crews

"I think it was a miracle what Chris did. I really do. I couldn't believe his poise at that moment. I thought, holy cow, we owe him a lot. I think every performer owes him so much because it just really saved Hollywood in that moment. I'm very thankful to Chris, but also I understand Will. I'm not [one] to demonize Will at all because I was there," Crews continued.

He was allegedly groped by a talent agent

He has also been in a situation where he could have chosen violence but decided to stay calm and not take the route of aggression when a talent agent named Adam Venit allegedly groped him during a party in 2016.

"I chose to be in control. I chose to hold everything together. It could have descended into chaos. It would've been the end of me," Crews stated.
The lawsuit that has the entire United States in which Johnny Depp has sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for $50 million, accusing her of defamation due to an article that the Aquaman star in the Washington Post in which she argued that she was a victim of domestic violence during their marital relationship.

Amber Heard's defense shows photos of drugs and a 'passed out' Johnny Depp

The lawsuit has taken a number of twists and turns, one of the latest being the rumor that Heard's lead attorney, Elaine Bredehoft, had resigned after the actress was caught in a lie in which she allegedly argued that she used makeup to cover up the wounds inflicted by Depp.

Elaine Bredehoft has not resigned

However, the news of Bredehoft's resignation is false, it is well known that the litigant is totally focused on winning the case and that she is planning the best strategies to avoid the defamation that Depp is claiming.

This whole mess started when during last week's hearing Heard said that she had used a cosmetic product of the brand Milani Cosmetics in order to go to work and not have to show the severe injuries that her then husband would have caused her.

The Heard makeup scandal

The reason that this argument has been proven to be false, is that the kit of products known as "All In One" of the Milani brand was not taken out to the market until the year of 2017, and the injuries that Heard had allegedly covered should have occurred in a period ranging from 2012 to 2016, this after the cosmetics brand revealed such information through a video published through its TikTok account.

According to the original report, this serious error would have caused the lawyer to decide not to pursue the case any further, however, this report is unfounded.
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The health organization has also made a "conditional (weak) recommendation" of US biotech firm Gilead's antiviral drug remdesivir for patients with mild covid infection. The body had previously recommended against the drug.Paxlovid is an oral COVID-19 antiviral pill that can be taken at home by high-risk covid patients with a mild infection, preventing the need for hospitalization. The pill is a combination of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir drugs.While nirmatrelvir inhibits a SARS-CoV-2 protein to stop the virus from replicating, ritonavir slows down nirmatrelvir's breakdown to help it remain in the body for a longer period at higher concentrations.WHO has strongly recommended the Paxlovid pill for patients with milder forms of the disease who were still at a high risk of hospitalization.The new recommendation is based on findings of two trials involving 3100 patients that showed that Paxlovid reduced the risk of hospital admission.The trials suggest no important difference in mortality and "".WHO has recommended the administration of the pill to people over the age of 18 years.And it had not recommended the COVID-19 antiviral pill for pregnant or breastfeeding women. The pill has also not been advised for people with a low risk of complications from the disease as the benefit would not be much.WHO has also not suggested the pill for patients with severe forms of the disease and declined to give an opinion on the same due to a lack of sufficient data to prove its efficiency in such cases.The Paxlovid pill is administered as three tablets: two tablets of nirmatrelvir and one tablet of ritonavir. These tablets have to be taken together orally twice daily for 5 days. In total, the patients will have to take 30 tablets over 5 days.The COVID-19 antiviral pill is not authorized for use for longer than five consecutive days. It is available by prescription only.The Paxlovid covid antiviral pill was found to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% compared to placebo in non-hospitalized high-risk adults with COVID-19.WHO has urged Pfizer to make Paxlovid pill's pricing and deals more transparent. Currently, a full course of Paxlovid costs $530 in the United States. Pfizer has agreed to allow some generic drug makers around the world to make cheaper versions of Paxlovid under an UN-backed scheme and make it available faster at affordable prices.The COVID-19 antiviral pills like the Paxloid pill are being seen as a potential step toward ending the COVID-19 pandemic. These pills can be taken at home upon prescription from the doctor. However, there are also concerns over whether the virus could build resistance to these treatments.The Paxloid COVID-19 antiviral pill can only be administered while the disease is at its early stages. This means that the pill has to be administered as soon as the patients test positive. Patients must start the course within 5 days of the onset of the first symptoms. The entire course will last 5 days. This would prove to be a challenge for the low- and middle-income countries.On the other hand, Remdesivir can be taken within 7 days of symptoms setting in, but it is administered intravenously over 3 days.Source: Medindia
April 25, 2022

On April 25, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) held the Asia Green Growth Partnership Ministerial Meeting (AGGPM) Public-Private Forum online for the first time.

In this forum, companies, governments, and academic institutions newly announced a number of initiatives contributing to the acceleration of energy transitions in Asia. Additionally, the forum opened up discussions on Finance and Innovation which support energy transitions.

More than 2,100 people from over 60 countries registered to participate.

Overview of the forum

(1) Opening Remarks and Keynote Speeches

Note: Archive videos of the entire meeting will be published on the official web page

Mr. Hagiuda, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, made opening remarks and highlighted the importance of promoting a well-balanced energy transition that addresses climate change while ensuring sufficient energy supply in the short term and energy security in the mid to long term, as the global energy situation is changing dramatically in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He reiterated his determination to steadily implement the support initiatives based on the "Asian Energy Transition Initiative (AETI)," and introduced its progress.

Keynote speeches were delivered by H.E. Arifin Tasrif, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia; H.E. Mr. Supattanapong Punmeechaow Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, Thailand; H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Group CEO and Managing Director of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), UAE Special Envoy for Climate; and H.E. Nguyen Hong Dien, Minister of Industry and Trade, Vietnam. They explained their efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, and the importance of public-private partnerships and international cooperation.

(2) Special Ceremony

A signing ceremony for the MOU and announcement of corporate alliances was held to announce projects and initiatives among private companies contributing to energy transitions in Asia, with Mr. Hosoda, State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry in attendance. 10 new projects and initiatives were announced, ranging from renewable energy, CCS, ammonia co-firing and mono-firing, and biomethane production, to the cooperation in financing and the formulation of a roadmap.

In addition, two presentations were made in the session. One was by the Asian Transition Finance Study Group, led by private financial institutions, regarding the interim report on the discussion of promoting Transition Finance in Asia. The other was by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ) regarding the final report on a roadmap analysis for the realization of carbon neutrality in ASEAN.

(3) Panel Discussion

Afterwards, prominent speakers from Asia and other countries, including representatives of international organizations and CEOs of private companies, were invited to two panel discussions focusing on Finance and Innovation supporting energy transitions in Asia.

In the first panel discussion on Finance, the panelists shared the need for financing from both public and private sectors to achieve realistic and just energy transitions. They also discussed the importance of positioning new technologies, such as ammonia co-firing, as available solutions, and the necessity for governments to announce each country's pathway and strategy through the formulation of roadmaps and other means in order to promote financing.

In the second panel on Innovation, the panelists shared the idea that all energy sources and technologies should be utilized in order to promote energy transitions in Asia, with due consideration given to the different circumstances in each country, and the need to develop technologies that will enable the combination of various options. They also discussed the idea that cross-border and cross-business partnerships, as well as the establishment of guidelines and large-scale financing by governments, will play an important role in promoting innovations that contribute to energy transitions and the diffusion of decarbonization technologies.











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BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)  Police in the Moldovan separatist region of Transnistria, where Russia has stationed troops, say several explosions hit the Ministry of State Security building Monday that are believed to be from rocket-propelled grenades.

No injuries were immediately reported in the alleged attack, which took place on the Orthodox Easter Monday holiday in the city of Tiraspol when the building would presumably be more empty than usual. The separatists' Interior Ministry said on Facebook that some of the building's windows were broken and that smoke was coming from the structure.
Two Beech Grove, Indiana men racked up numerous charges Monday during their arraignment in Midlands 75th District Court.

Paul Grimes, 37, and Andrew Baker, 20, are each facing several charges in connection with a police chase last Thursday morning along US-10. Both are lodged in the Midland County Jail. They were arraigned by Magistrate Gerald Ladwig.

Grimes was charged with four counts of felony firearm; discharging a firearm at a vehicle; delivering or manufacturing 45 kilograms or more than 200 marijuana plants; controlled substance delivery or manufacturing a non-narcotic; and fleeing a police officer third-degree. Grimes is jailed on a $400,000 cash/surety non-10% bond.

Baker is charged with three counts of felony firearm; discharging a firearm at a vehicle; delivering or manufacturing 45 kilograms or more than 200 marijuana plants; and controlled substance delivery or manufacturing a non-narcotic. Baker is jailed on a $300,000 cash/surety non-10% bond.

Grimes and Baker are charged in connection with allegedly firing weapons while they were driving at about 10:30 a.m. Thursday on US-10 from Coleman. They led deputies on a brief chase before being arrested.

Deputies located the vehicle in Sanford and a pursuit began. The vehicle was eventually stopped on US-10 near Eastman Avenue in Midland. After deputies searched the vehicle, a "large, illegal quantity of marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms, two firearms and cash" were seized.

Beech Grove, Indiana is about 330 miles southwest of Midland.
BALTIMORE (AP)  A Maryland police lieutenant won't be prosecuted in the death of a Black man he shot in the back during an exchange of gunfire in October, officials said Monday.

The shooting happened about 2 a.m. on Oct. 11 after Baltimore County police officers responded to a report of an armed robbery at a Woodlawn-area convenience store, according to a report from the Independent Investigations Division of the attorney generals office.

The report said the robber fled, crashed about a mile away and ran. Lt. Gregory Mead, who is white and has been with the department since 1996, responded to the area of the crash and saw Jovan Singleton, who was Black and resembled the description of the robbery suspect, the report states.

In a written statement, Mead said he asked Singleton to sit on the curb, but he took off and Mead followed. Seconds later, Mead said Singleton turned and Mead saw a muzzle flash, heard a gunshot and with a second muzzle flash, Mead fell to the ground in pain, feeling like a crow bar hit his knee cap. He said Singleton moved toward him and he fired.

About five hours later, Singletons body was found about 173 feet (53 meters) from the shooting scene and 50 feet (15 meters) from a firearm under a car, according to the report. Mead suffered an incapacitating knee injury, but was not shot, the report states.

An autopsy found that Singleton was shot in the back, indicating that he had turned away when Mead fired the shot that struck him and contradicting Meads account that Singleton was advancing, according to the report.

Mead had a body-worn camera, but did not activate it, the report states. In a written statement Mead said only that he left the precinct while trying to plug the body camera cord into the battery.

States Attorney Scott Shellenberger said in a release Monday that his office determined that the shooting was justified based upon all of the facts and statements provided in the interview and the investigation, The Baltimore Sun reported.

The investigative report is the first on a police-related death released since the division took over such investigations in the state on Oct. 1, according to Raquel Coombs, a spokeswoman for the attorney general.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources large fisheries research vessels are starting their annual fish surveys on the Great Lakes and will be making their way to several ports throughout the summer.

Enthusiasts can see the vessels in port and talk with the crews about their work. The vessels are based out of Marquette, Alpena, Charlevoix and Harrison Township harbors, and four different vessels will be out on the waters throughout the state.

The staff on these vessels are working on a wide variety of studies to better understand Great Lakes fish communities, population sizes and habitats, Gary Whelan, DNR fisheries research manager, said in a press release. Their work and the knowledge gained are essential to supporting current and future fisheries management.

Tanner

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Surveys on Lake Huron are conducted by the research vessel Tanner. The vessel will look in to the sunrise coasts lake trout, walleye, yellow perch and forage fish populations  this also includes time in Saginaw Bay and Les Cheneaux Islands in the Upper Peninsula.

The Tanner visits the St. Marys River every five years and analyzes fish communities in collaboration with partnering agencies. The next scheduled survey stop is in August 2022.

Channel Cat

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Research on lakes St. Clair and Erie is done by the Channel Cat. This vessel will examine walleye, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and lake sturgeon. Some of the highest fishing effort seen throughout Michigan and the Great Lakes.

There will be a predator fish survey on Lake St. Clair that is part of the recently initiated lake-wide fish community assessment  which includes the Michigan DNR, the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources, and Forestry, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Lake Char

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

The Lake Char will conduct surveys on Lake Superior and assesses the status of the lake's self-sustaining lake trout and lake whitefish populations along with other cold water fish.

Lake Char will take a trip to Isle Royale for deep water lake trout spawning habitat assessment, tag lake trout at Superior Shoals with archival tags that record depth and temperature and an assessment of lake trout populations at Big Reef. Lake Char is also going to assist with lake trout tagging in support of ongoing assessment of the Buffalo Reef stamp sands evaluation.

Steelhead

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

On Lake Michigan, Steelhead will focus in on yellow perch, lake whitefish, lake trout, Chinook salmon and forage fish populations. This year kicks off with the spring gill net survey. Surveys will be conducted at seven different ports throughout the state including St. Joseph, South Haven, Saugatuck, Grand Haven, Arcadia, Leland and Charlevoix.

Due to the broad scope and multispecies, the survey provides the DNR with a comprehensive picture of the status of adult Lake Michigan fish populations.

Steelhead will also go to Sault Ste. Marie for its five-year haul-out and dry dock work before returning to Lake Michigan in August to complete the lakewide acoustic survey, a multi-agency effort to collect data on large populations of alewife, rainbow smelt, bloater chub and additional prey fish throughout Lake Michigan using hydroacoustic measurements (a high-tech, recordable fishfinder).

Work in fall 2022 includes the annual lakewide bottom trawl survey and assessments of northern Lake Michigan reefs.
NEW MILFORD  A growing group of parents in the community has been very vocal in their insistence on the termination or resignation of School Superintendent Alisha DiCorpo.

A petition posted Friday afternoon to one of New Milfords Facebook pages, created by resident Brenden Farinha on Change.org called Calling for the resignation or termination of superintendent DiCorpo, had garnered 1,550 signatures as of Saturday.

The petition states that within the 18-month period since DiCorpo was hired in Feburary 2021, 10 members of the New Milford School District have left. The who have left include Director of Facilities Kevin Munrett, Information Technology Director Brandon Rush, Human Resouces Director Catherine Gabianelli, New Milford High School Principal Greg Shugrue and Schaghticoke Middle School Principal Chris Longo.

The latest staff member to resign is New Milford High School Principal Raymond Manka, who announced his news Friday, to go into effect June 30. Manka started his position in 2021.

In response to Mankas announcement, students at New Milford High School are planning a possible walkout Monday around 9 a.m.

New Milford senior Taylor Balzi, 17, said students will be walking to the front of the school parking lot, on Route 7.

We are going to be staying in the front parking lot and making signs to support Mr. Manka and everything thats going on, she said, adding that a group of students planned to meet *aturday evening to create posters to show their support of Manka.

Taylor, who has known Manka for 10 years, said he has put so much into the school and students like him very much.

He has become like a parental figure in my life and I was so excited when he became principal of our school. When I found out that he was resigning, I just got so upset thinking of all the underclassmen coming up to the high school in the next couple of years are going to be missing out, Taylor said. He has constantly supported his students and made it a comforting and welcoming environment for them. And he honestly has changed all of our lives.

She said Manka is someone students can go to if they just need to smile.

He is just such an amazing person. Everyone loves him, she added. I know a lot of people are going to be walking out in supporting him.

She said students will most likely wear green and white, the schools colors.

Additionally, another group of students are organizing the sale of clothing that say Bring Manka Back!

The clothing page, which says, help support principal Manka during these troubling times, also links to the petition.

The start and end dates of former staff members in the district are stated within the Board of Education meeting minutes, which can be found on newmilfordps.org.

Manka, who became principal in June 2021, did not indicate in his resignation announcement if he has taken on a new position and didnt comment as to the circumstances surrounding his resignation when reached by Hearst Connecticut Media.

In response to Mankas resignation, DiCorpo wrote she respects his decision in an email Friday evening.

I wish him the best, she added.

When asked about the petition, she said she had no comment.

New Milford Board of Education Chairman Wendy Faulenbach said staff additions and staff turnover are part of every months board meeting.

It is not unique to New Milford to have staff come and go, she said.

Faulenbach additionally said the board is aware of the petition that has been circulated, and the fact that it reflects the sentiment of a large segment of the community. We recognize the concerns that have been expressed.

However, she said that as much as she and other board members would like to comment on this issue, the board has to respect the legal protocols that require us to refrain from addressing specific personal matters while they are pending.

Farinha, caregiver of a child in the New Milford Public School District, said hes very concerned about the turnover  which he said is what prompted him to create the petition.

After the difficulties we have experienced during COVID, and so many leadership positions leaving, how can our community expect to recover and see change in our education system and kids? Farinha said. We as a community need to come together to support our education system and support our kids and our educators who are trying to do good in our town.
Hong Kong: Employment support scheme set

(To watch the full press conference with sign language interpretation, click here.)

Secretary for Labour & Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong announced today that the 2022 Employment Support Scheme will accept applications from April 29, with the first batch of subsidies to be disbursed in early May.

Introducing the implementation details of the scheme at a press conference today, Dr Law said the applicant must have participated in MPF schemes or set up ORSO schemes on or before 31 December 2021.

He said: The mechanism we applied here is basically relying on the MPF contribution records. For those records provided by the applicants through the trustees that we will receive, we will be able to tell how many employees and how exactly each one of the employees on the application list are receiving the subsidy from their employers.

In this particular scheme - the 2022 Employment Support Scheme - we actually require that if we have given each full-time staff an $8,000 wage subsidy, then as it appeared on those records, they will receive at least $8,000. And it will be nothing less than $8,000. So by checking the records, we can ensure that the employers are not pocketing the money on their own accounts, but are paying that amount to each individual employee.

The enterprise may employ new staff and staff may resign. So, there can be a natural turnover. So, we will not be checking individual account information per se. But at least we know that the enterprises are paying their employees, and each person is being given a minimum amount of subsidy.

There will be a restricted list covering sectors which are less affected by the fifth wave of the COVID-19 epidemic, such as supermarkets, pharmacies and property management firms.

Those enterprises belonging to sectors on the restricted list can only apply for the subsidy for at most 100 eligible employees.

Meanwhile, to ensure that the use of public funds can achieve the purpose of retaining employees, heavier penalties will be imposed in this round of the scheme to increase the deterrent effect.

Applicants have to undertake to use all subsidies for paying wages and employ a sufficient number of employees in each subsidy month.

Otherwise, apart from returning the subsidy amount, applicants are also required to pay a penalty equivalent to 10% of the subsidy amount to be returned.

The application period will last until May 12.

Click here for details.

This story has been published on: 2022-04-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Feature: With China's medical expertise, African island winning battle against malaria

Xinhua) 14:22, April 25, 2022

SAO TOME, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Sao Tome and Principe, an island country off the west coast of Africa, is on its way to eliminating malaria with the help of Chinese doctors and medicine.

The island country, home to over 200,000 people, has been seriously affected by malaria. It reported 2,000 cases in 2020.

The country is striving to eradicate the disease by 2025. "We still need to work hard to meet this goal, considering the tropical and humid weather here," Guo Wenfeng, chief advisor of China's expert team to the African island, told Xinhua.

Since March, Guo and his team have been in and out of the villages of the Agua-Grande district to conduct a mass treatment campaign against malaria, where a worrisome upward trend of malaria caseload has been reported.

The team, from the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, has the trick up its sleeve -- Artequick, a Chinese-developed drug made of artemisinin, piperaquine and a small dose of primaquine.

Its main ingredient artemisinin, now at the forefront of the world's battle against malaria, was discovered by renowned Chinese scientist and Nobel Prize laureate Tu Youyou from artemisia annua.

"Artemisinin has a swift effect against malaria parasites, while piperaquine has a longer-lasting effect, which makes the parasites less likely to build drug resistance," Guo said.

Besides fumigating households and handing out insecticide-treated bed nets, the Chinese team has come up with a strategy of mass drug administration (MDA), whereby residents simultaneously took Artequick to flush out the malaria parasites, a groundbreaking strategy that proves to be effective in Comoros and other African countries.

In the following years, with the efforts of the Chinese team, malaria incidence has dropped from 60 percent to 3 percent in the towns near the capital Sao Tome under the MDA pilot project.

In the town of Liberdade, which used to be one of the regions worst hit by the disease, not a single case had been reported for eight consecutive months since the MDA strategy was piloted in July 2019.

Liberdade, a town of 500 residents, once reported 1,000 malaria cases in a single year, recalled Guo, who now is on his third mission to the island. "Numbers donnot lie. Locals' approval shows us that our strategy works."

"We, the local population, want to collaborate with this Chinese team to fight malaria because we want to end this disease here in Liberdade and consequently in Sao Tome and Principe," said Vasco Guiva, a local resident.

The MDA strategy "is undoubtedly a preventive action that consists of administering medicines en masse to the entire population", said the Sao Tome Health Minister Filomena Monteiro in March.

The Chinese solution "undoubtedly helps in pursuing the country's goal of achieving the elimination of malaria in 2025," said Monteiro, while commending China's support in this arduous task.

For Guo and his team, the story still unfolds as the Chinese expert team will continue to fight alongside with the African island till the very end.

China was officially declared malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) last year.

"Last year, the WHO granted China a malaria-free certification. Many people on the island are still inspired by the news. It is our duty to help them get rid of the disease," said Guo.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Unit commanders in the Navy and Marine Corps will no longer have investigative authority over sexual harassment allegations, according to a department-wide message sent Friday by Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro.

Effective immediately, the message says, commanding officers must escalate complaints to the next higher-level commander, who will then appoint an investigating officer. That investigator should be from outside the command and "shall not be familiar with the subject or the complainant," the message says.

The interim policy includes a carve-out to allow an investigator from within the same command to investigate, however, if that next-level commander determines an outside investigation would "unreasonably interfere with the command's ability to complete its mission." Such a carve-out requires sign-off from at least a one-star admiral or general, the message says.

The change comes on the two-year anniversary of the murder of 20-year-old Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen, who complained about sexual harassment at Ft. Hood, Texas, before her killing.

Del Toro's policy will stand until the service funds and staffs independent investigators to handle sexual harassment complaints. However, those complaints are still to be handled within the military chain of command. Last year the military stripped sexual assault investigations from commanders but left harassment up to commanders.

A bill submitted in both chambers of Congress Friday seeks to address that discrepancy.

In a statement, California Rep. Jackie Speier, D- Hillsborough, who introduced the bipartisan Sexual Harassment Independent Investigations and Prosecutions Act in Congress, said it fixes the "massive oversight" of the 2022 budget.

"SPC Guillen was sexually harassed by a superior prior to her disappearance and dismemberment," Speier said in a statement. "No action was taken on her complaint. Many other victims of sexual assault and violent crimes in the military have shared with me how they also suffered from sexual harassment. As long as sexual harassment courts-martial continue to be handled through the military chain of command, victim's voices will be stifled and overwhelmed by a system stacked against them at every turn."

The Navy did not issue a statement or news release announcing the policy shift. On Friday, Lt. Cmdr. Devin Arneson, a Navy spokesperson, confirmed the change is in effect across the Navy department, including the Marine Corps.

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.

2022 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The white speck appears on the radar screen, bobbing in the surf far below as the waves crash into one another in the deep blue waters of the Florida Straits. A U.S. Coast Guard aviation electronics technician, manning the screen, leans forward for a closer look while cameras from the HC-144 turboprop airplane zero in.

A few minutes go by and the crew is still trying to determine if what is obviously a vessel is a fishing boat  or a migrant smuggling operation in process. Lt. Katrina Prout, the pilot, has already circled back once, and the crew decides its a false alarm. Its a fishing boat.

As the number of Haitians and Cubans risking their lives at sea to reach the United States surges, the U.S. Coast Guard is stepping up its patrols to respond to the influx. On Friday, a five-plus hour patrol by air yielded two false alarms in the Florida Straits and one possible smuggling boat, left abandoned on Anguilla Cay in the Bahamas, the same place where last year three Cubans were stranded for 33 days. Thats an unusually quiet day compared to recent flights, Prout said.

Every day, were seeing somebody coming over. So, were out here trying to proactively help anyone whos in vessels that arent in a very good state. A lot of times, people are coming over in vessels that can barely float, she said. So were trying to help them out by protecting their lives, because we know theyre risking their lives trying to come to the United States.

Some days its like this. Choppy waters, cloudy skies and no migrant vessels. Some days, there may be a boat out there, but it could easily be missed because of weather conditions and because the ocean is so vast.

Its the luck of the draw, Prout said, noting that when the crew of six does spot a boat, they will alert a nearby cutter while assessing the vessels stability from the air. It largely depends on our radar. When you have a lot of waves, a lot of noise on the radar, its hard to figure out sometimes whats a boat, and what is not.

Flying 300 feet above some of the Bahamian cays and 1,500 feet above the Florida Straits, the crew, which operates out of Coast Guard Air Station Miami in Opa-locka, keeps a watchful eye. While Prout and co-pilot Lt. Hannah Boyce fly the aircraft, two aviation electronics technicians monitor the radars and the two flight mechanics, doubling as spotters, watch the ocean from a window on each side of the plane. On Friday, a Miami Herald reporter and photographer were aboard.

The crew spotted the abandoned boat after opening the bay of the plane and dropping to just 300 feet above Anguilla Cay. Located just north of Cuba, the cay is near where the Coast Guard stopped an overcrowded wooden Haitian sailboat ferrying 123 passengers on March 4.

We always go take a look, Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer Nicole Groll said, after flight mechanic Petty Officer 3rd Class Mike Powell pointed out the boat.

Groll suspects the boat may have been used in a smuggling operation, because there is no reason for a vessel to be down there.

Fridays patrol turned out to be uneventful. But the number of migrants trying to reach South Florida has been on the rise since October, along with Coast Guard interdictions at sea.

The law enforcement agency has interdicted more than 3,500 Haitians at sea and nearly 1,400 Cubans since October.

The Florida Straits, and Windward and Mona Passages, are dangerous. ... The Coast Guard and our partners have increased air and sea patrols, and if you are stopped, you should expect to be returned to your country of origin, Groll said.

We are urging families in the U.S. to not encourage these dangerous and unsafe voyages, she added. The risk for loss of life is great and there is always the uncertainty of not knowing if your loved one made it or not.

Family members in the U.S. inquiring about possible family members interdicted at sea should contact their local U.S. representative. Relatives located outside the U.S. should contact their local U.S. embassy, the Coast Guard said.

2022 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Space Force has unveiled a wave of bonuses to lure recruits with highly specialized tech backgrounds to become Guardians.

Bonuses range from $12,000 to $20,000 for certain technology certifications that could be used for the Space Force's cyber career fields, according to a press release from the Department of the Air Force's Recruiting Service.

Earlier this month, the Department of the Air Force unveiled more than a dozen bonuses as a way to entice new recruits amid a national labor shortage and a pandemic economy.

Read Next: Dozens of Air Force and Space Force Jobs Now Eligible for Reenlistment Bonuses

But while the Air Force said it's facing headwinds to fill its ranks, the Space Force is having no problem getting recruits into the small number of spots it has, as interest continues to grow in the newest military service branch.

Maj. Gen. Ed Thomas, the Air Force Recruiting Service commander, told Military.com that last year they had more than 42,000 leads on people interested in joining to fill just 500 spots.

"Space Force recruiting is on very solid ground right now," Thomas said.

The Space Force is the smallest of the military service branches. It has grown to 8,400 Guardians since being created at the behest of former President Donald Trump in 2019 and is expected to grow by 200 new recruits in 2023.

For Space Force Guardians who have already joined the ranks, the Department of the Air Force is also offering reenlistment bonuses for a dozen careers, such as cyber intelligence analysts and communications specialists, to retain their specialized knowledge and skills.

Unlike other services, the Space Force does not have a reserve or National Guard component; Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall is floating a proposal to have Guardians either be part-time or full-time instead.

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 talent from the private sector to fill the highly specialized roles in the Space Force's ranks.

"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 earlier this month. "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."

The Space Force will make history next month when 72 men and women start the first Guardians-only boot camp at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.

-- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly.

Related: Air Force Now Offering Up to $50,000 Enlistment Bonuses for its Most Dangerous Jobs
The body of a Texas Guardsman on the southern border mission who dove into the Rio Grande River to rescue drowning migrants was found Monday morning, the state's governor's office announced.

Spc. Bishop Evans, 22, was a field artilleryman, assigned to A Battery, 4-133 Field Artillery Regiment, in New Braunfels, Texas. He joined the National Guard in May 2019 and served in Kuwait and Iraq, according to his service record.

Evans went into the Rio Grande River near Eagle Pass, Texas, while attempting to rescue two drowning migrants. The two survived and are currently in custody, according to a statement from the Texas National Guard.

Read Next: Air Force General Found Guilty of Forcible Kissing in Historic Ohio Court-Martial

The news of Evans' death comes after a statement from the Texas National Guard on Friday called early reports of the fatality "inaccurate."

The Rio Grande has become a major, and dangerous, crossing point for migrants. On Saturday, dive teams attempting to recover Evans' body were forced to halt their search due to the river's strong current.

Last month, two North Dakota National Guardsmen went into the river to save a drowning migrant with no incident. However, National Guard soldiers traditionally have no swimming or water rescue training. Commanders sent out an order over the weekend to troops in Texas that under no circumstances are they allowed in the river, according to a message reviewed by Military.com.

"None of our soldiers are to get in the river," the message to troops said. "None."

Origin APNews

Evans was serving with the Texas Guard's mission on the U.S.-Mexico border, which has gone on for more than a year. That mission, part of Gov. Greg Abbott's key efforts to combat illegal migration into the state, has been plagued with numerous issues for Guardsmen, including alcohol abuse, reports of suicides and systemic problems with pay and benefits.

"Our National Guard soldiers risk their lives every day to serve and protect others and we are eternally grateful for the way Spc. Evans heroically served his state and country," Abbott said in a statement.

Editor's note: This story was updated to correct which state's Guardsmen performed a river rescue last month.

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: Meet the Soldier Working to Unionize Texas Guardsmen Amid Troubled Border Mission
4:30pm: Boston announced that Garrett Whitlock will get the start for Thursdays contest. The Red Sox also reinstated catcher Kevin Plawecki from the COVID-19 injured list this afternoon, optioning fellow backstop Connor Wong to Triple-A.

2:57pm: The Red Sox announced this afternoon theyve added right-handers John Schreiber and Tyler Danish to the major league roster as replacements for Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford, both of whom have been placed on the restricted list. Schreiber had not previously been on the 40-man roster, while Danish had.

The Sox are kicking off a series in Toronto this evening, and players who arent vaccinated against COVID-19 are barred by the Canadian government from crossing the border. Under the terms of the 2022 health and safety protocols agreed upon by MLB and the Players Association, players who miss games because of their vaccination status are placed on the restricted list and dont receive pay or service time.

Schreiber returns to the active roster, where he could get an opportunity to suit up in the big leagues for a fourth straight year. He made 18 appearances with the Tigers from 2019-20, posting an ERA above 6.00 in both seasons. Boston added him on a minor league deal during the 2020-21 offseason, and he spent the bulk of last season at Triple-A Worcester. He tossed 66 1/3 innings over 33 appearances, posting a 2.71 ERA with average strikeout and walk numbers and a strong 50% ground-ball rate. Boston selected him for one three-inning MLB appearance during their late-season COVID outbreak, then returned him to the minors.

This season, Schreiber has allowed four runs (two earned) in 10 1/3 frames with the WooSox. Hes punched out 13 batters against just two walks and will temporarily replace Crawford as a right-handed bullpen option for acting skipper Will Venable. The Red Soxs press release noted that Schreiber had been added to the active roster, not that his contract had been selected. That could indicate hes up as a designated COVID substitute, in which case Boston would be able to return him to Worcester and off the 40-man roster without clearing waivers. Danish could be assigned back to Worcester but would remain on the 40-man, since he was on there prior to todays call.

Houck and Crawford figure to return to action when the Sox come back stateside Friday, beginning a weekend series at the Orioles. Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta and Michael Wacha are lined up for the first three games of this weeks set in Toronto, with their starter for Thursdays game yet to be determined.
The Royals announced that right-hander Matt Peacock has been acquired from the Diamondbacks in exchange for cash considerations. To make roster space for Peacock, Kansas City has designated righty Domingo Tapia for assignment.

Arizona designated Peacock for assignment earlier this week, and hell now head to the Royals Triple-A affiliate after spending his entire pro career in the Diamondbacks organization. A 23rd-round pick in the 2017 draft, Peacock made his Major League debut last season and posted a 4.90 ERA over 86 1/3 innings, starting eight of his 35 appearances. In 2022, Peacock made two appearances out of Arizonas bullpen before getting DFAed.

Peacock is a grounder specialist who regularly topped the 60% groundball-rate threshold during his time in the minors, and he also has respectable walk totals, though he doesnt record many strikeouts. The DBacks regularly used Peacock as a starter prior to the canceled 2020 minor league season, and he hasnt recorded a minor league start since (albeit in limited action at Triple-A), so it will be interesting to see how the Royals will opt to deploy the righty. Conceivably, the Royals might use Peacock in a flexible swingman role depending on their needs, and his grounder-heavy arsenal could be particularly effective on a solid defensive team like K.C.

Tapias resume is pretty similar to Peacock, as both are right-handed groundball specialists who pitched in their first big league game in 2020. Tapia took a longer path than Peacock, as Tapia was an international signing for the Mets back in December 2009. After long stints in the New York and Cincinnati farm systems, Tapia finally broke into the Show with the Red Sox in 2020, then posted a 2.67 ERA over 33 2/3 combined innings with the Mariners and Royals in 2021.

Over 718 1/3 career innings in the minors, Tapia has a 4.12 ERA and 17.68% strikeout rate. Tapia has been more or less a full-time reliever since 2018, and his efforts to win a job in the K.C. bullpen this spring were hampered by a lack of control (six walks in 5 1/3 Cactus League innings).
Over the past fortnight, Hindu religious processions have descended into violence and chaos across India, giving rise to concerns the country is becoming more polarised than ever.

In the capital New Delhi police have arrested at least 24 people since communal violence broke out last weekend during a Hindu religious procession in the suburb of Jahangirpuri.

According to authorities, Hindu and Muslim groups threw stones at each other during the procession marking the birth date of the Hindu god Hanuman.

Eight police officers and one civilian were injured.

A familiar pattern across states

It was almost like what was played out elsewhere in the country, where a bunch of Hindu fanatics brandishing swords and holding saffron flags pass through Muslim neighbourhoods shouting anti-Muslim slogans, Majid Khan, a shopkeeper in Delhi told RFI.

They issued open threats to kill the members of the minority community.

Meanwhile Noor Jahan, a homemaker, added: This procession takes place every year in our neighbourhood. But why did they (Hindus) stop in front of the mosque this year where people were holding evening prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan?

Police managed to bring about a semblance of calm by forming a human chain between the two groups. However, tempers allegedly flared up over sloganeering, leading to violence.

Action will be taken against any person found guilty irrespective of their class, creed, community and religion, said Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana.

In Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, which saw some of the worst rioting, officials later bulldozed the homes of Muslims accused of throwing rocks.

The events in Delhi were far from isolated.

More than 120 people were arrested in connection with incidents of communal violence and rioting between Hindus and Muslims in the states of Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka during celebrations of Hanuman Jayanti.

Videos posted on social media showed scenes similar to those that played out in Delhi where crowds of men, brandishing swords and tridents marched around mixed neighbourhoods to fiery chants hailing Lord Ram.

The new Hinduism is about widespread acceptance of vile prejudice, alignment of state with majoritarian power, contempt for rights, glorification of violence,
Rwanda's President Paul Kagame arrived in Uganda Sunday, making his first visit to the country in four years as the relationship between the two East African nations improves following long-simmering tensions.

Public broadcaster Rwanda Broadcasting Agency said Kagame had arrived in Kampala to meet his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni and attend the 48th birthday party of Museveni's powerful son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who has been instrumental in the rapprochement between the two neighbours.

Kainerugaba has played a key role in repairing long hostile relations with Kigali, including holding talks with Kagame that led to a reopening of the land border in January after three years of closure.

The Ugandan high commission in Kigali said Kagame was on "a private visit", adding that Kainerugaba and Security Minister Jim Muhwezi were among the senior government officials who received the Rwandan leader.

Kainerugaba, who heads Uganda's land forces and serves as a special presidential adviser, has previously referred to Kagame as "my uncle" on Twitter.

"Those who fight him are fighting my family. They should all be careful," he wrote in January.

The visit comes weeks after Uganda announced the deportation of a leading figure belonging to the banned opposition group Rwandan National Congress (RNC), which Kigali considers a terrorist outfit.

The reported presence on Ugandan soil of rebels seeking to topple Kagame has been a long-running sore in relations between the two neighbours.

Kainerugaba had promised to crack down on the RNC, which was founded in 2010 by former Rwandan army chief Kayumba Nyamwasa and ex-spy boss Patrick Karegeya who both became fierce Kagame critics.

Kagame last visited Uganda in March 2018 on Museveni's invitation for private talks on bilateral, regional and international issues.

Although the two men were close allies in the 1980s and 1990s, the two countries later fell out over mutual accusations of espionage, abductions and support for rebels.

The Uganda-Rwanda border was abruptly closed in 2019 as tensions spiralled, but was reopened in January this year in a major sign of warming ties.

Although Kainerugaba has repeatedly denied claims he intends to succeed his 77-year-old father -- one of Africa's longest-serving leaders -- observers point to his rapid rise through Uganda's army ranks as proof that he is being groomed for the top job.

burs-amu/raz
25.04.2022 LISTEN

A fatal accident has left four persons dead at Kwame-Kwasi, a community on the Bole-Bamboi stretch in the Savannah Region.

The accident occurred after an ESP bus with registration number AP 7778-21 rammed into a moving trailer with registration number GR2703-P loaded with goods en route to Mali.

Eye witnesses say the driver of the ESP Bus was over speeding but failed in an attempt to overtake the Mali bound trailer killing the four onboard.

The Bole District Police Commander, DSP Benjamin Buxton who confirmed the accident to press men, said the remaining passengers who sustained various degrees of injury, have been rushed to the Bamboi Polyclinic for medical attention while the bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the Wenchi hospital morgue.

The ESP Bus has been towed to the Tinga police station.

Meanwhile, police personnel have been dispatched to the scene to direct traffic.
Six soldiers were killed and 20 injured in simultaneous attacks targeting three army bases in central Mali Sunday, the Malian army said.

Targets in Sevare, Niono and Bapho were all hit by "armed terrorist groups (who) used suicide vehicles packed with explosives", the army said in a statement.

A group linked to the firebrand preacher Amadou Koufa claimed the attacks, according to audio sent to AFP Sunday from a source close to the suspected attackers.

The group, Katiba of Macina, belongs to the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM), an Al-Qaeda-linked alliance and the biggest jihadist network in the Sahel.

"On Sunday morning, the mujahideen of the Katiba of Macina struck three camps of the (Malian armed forces)," a member of the group told AFP in an audio message.

The source said Bapho and Niono were hit, in line with information from Mali's army.

It also said Segou was attacked, which was not among the targets mentioned by the Malian army.

"We hit these camps at the same time within five minutes of each other. (Apart from the) deaths, we caused material damage to them," the audio recording said.

Military sources told AFP the attacks occurred in Sevare, Niono and Bapho, all in central Mali. By AFP

Military sources earlier told AFP the attacks occurred at 0500 GMT in Sevare, Niono and Bapho, all in the centre of the country.

The Malian army said six soldiers died and 15 were injured in Sevare, while 11 attackers including the suicide vehicle driver were killed.

Another soldier was injured in Bapho and a further four in Niono.

"The situation is under control. The FAMa (Malian armed forces) are combing through the target sectors and security measures are being reinforced in all rights of way," it said in its statement.

In Sevare, "there was a double terrorist attack with shots fired and machinery exploded. The army retaliated," one of the military sources said.

"We have asked MINUSMA (the UN Mission in Mali), as part of our collaboration, to send a rapid intervention force near the Sevare camp to help secure it," the source continued.

A separate military source within MINUSMA confirmed the information.

The collapse of a police station caused most of the soldiers' deaths, the army statement said, adding that a helicopter and two vehicles were damaged.

The army said it collected two AK-47 assault rifles, mobile phones and military equipment from the attackers.

Regional instability

One of the poorest countries in the world, Mali is struggling with a decade-long jihadist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes.

Unrest caused by groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group has also spread into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

The latest assault on the Malian military came as Burkina Faso on Sunday reported that five of its soldiers died in a jihadist attack that killed around 10 people in the north of the country.

Public anger at elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's failure to roll back the insurgency provided the spark for a military takeover in Mali in August 2020.

The insurgency's southward advance from northern Mali prompted France to intervene in 2013 as violence increased with the formation of ethnic-based self-defence groups and criminal gangs.

But Paris in February announced it would end its almost decade-long military operation in Mali amid a diplomatic crisis with the Bamako junta over its alleged use of Russian mercenaries.

The Malian government denies the accusations and says it is using Russian military instructors.

France and the United States have said they are fighters from the private paramilitary group Wagner, whose presence has been recorded in other conflict-torn African nations such as the Central African Republic and Libya.
25.04.2022 LISTEN

This week the UN General Secretary is going to meet with the leaders Erdogan of Turkey, Putin of Russia, and Selensky of Ukraine to stop the war in Ukraine. Ministers Blinken and Austin of the USA arrive in Ramstein near Frankfurt am Main to discuss further steps to stop the Russian offense.

The war most likely is not going to end soon but possibly last for years. The scenario of the future must be discussed on many levels in the opposing nations. Ukraine might push the Russians out of their territory maybe Russia will win a corridor along the Black Sea with access to Crimea and a port as a strategic basis for further advances toward Moldova and beyond.

The winner takes it all so the financial burden of rebuilding destroyed infrastructure is a vital aspect of the war in the first place. Very costly. To repay the much-needed investment taxpayers have to foot the bill. Taxpayers back home heavily affected by sanctions for years to come and the isolation of much-needed trade will not be able to find the funds necessary. The burden will be tried to put on the shoulders of the Ukrainians.

In history occupying opposing people was only sustainable for a foreseeable future when besides human capital natural resources or trading opportunities were available none of which exists in the corridor. A KGB agent turning President is a blueprint for the hunger for power but never a foundation of intellectual achievement to see beyond the possibilities of today in the book of history.

When the corridor eventually is agreed upon only simple workers with fewer opportunities will remain in the corridor while a highly qualified and intellectual workforce will be absorbed gladly by the Western world. The elite abroad in foreign lands thinking about how to take their nation back will make the people remaining in the corridor even suffer more while the West will be strengthened. The low qualified workforce left behind will not work for the occupying force with happiness reducing the productivity of the corridor and ability to finance the destroyed corridor.

For a long time, the corridor will be a financial disaster for Russia. The rising of separatists groups in the fragile society of the corridor is the most likely scenario. To make an "investment" pay off the fundamentals must be right so the willingness of the locals to fully cooperate with the occupying forces. If this can not be achieved in time workforce from the mainland needs to be sent which causes further internal opposition and rejection.

In the years before the war, Vladimir Putin had saved funds and increased the military arsenal while forgetting to address the future of Ukraine under the feet of the Russians. His hunger for historic greatness made him forget the complexity of the war and its reactions from the West. As he will not live forever but is already old most likely his war and consequences are short-lived.

His successor can only prove himself as a great leader when he stands against Vladimir Putin otherwise he will not be great but an ordinary follower.
Life changed when Covid 19 hit. Since then, people have found innovative ways to adjust to the new normal; wearing face masks and leaning more into the virtual world. Schools, churches and other organisations have since learnt to join this new movement.

In more ways than one, the pandemic has challenged many people into thinking outside the box. We see that in many industries, and the healthcare system is not left out.

With limited access to health services as a result of the pandemic, health has been a major concern for people with limited resources particularly those in the rural areas. This is what has birthed telemedicine and in turn, telehealth.

Telemedicine started it all. The problem with this innovation includes limited diagnostic capabilities, poor data security and not accessible to everyone. Adding real robostic and diagnostic capabilities and complying with all the laws is the way forward, Mr Antonio Baldassarre, the CEO of UniDoc shared with me in an interview.

While many African countries have had their health systems stagger from the pandemic, telehealth is reshaping the narrative in Ghana.

Ghana is a vibrant and free society, the internet is growing, it's a younger demographic. And because the internet use has doubled since 2017, we felt that this is the right country to work with before we can offer it to other countries in the Sub-Saharan region, Mr Baldassarre said.

Healthcare is a human right and should be accessible to everyone irrespective of gender or economic status. However, the healthcare system in Ghana has somewhat focused on urban centres. Mr Baldassarre intends to change that with mobile virtual health kiosks. The kiosks, shaped in cubes, enable a low-cost, real-time, remote doctor visit with full diagnostic capabilities, replacing the need for an in-person doctor's visit.

We have an MoU with Her Royal Highness, Nana Hemaa Kwasi Bozoma III, Ndweafo Royal Stool, Ekpu, Western Region, Republic Of Ghana, and Nana Angate Kpanyinli III to test these systems in rural areas. Our target is 2 million people.

There is the issue of the amount of time people spend at the hospital, there are long lineups in Ghana to the hospital. What were doing is trying to alleviate people going to the hospital for emergencies, so now they can walk into a cube and get whatever medical attention they seek , Mr Baldassarre said.

Ghana is not the only country looking to enjoy the dividends of technology. Sierra Leone, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia and Ivory Coast are also in line for this new wave of virtual care kiosks.

By tapping into telehealth solutions, African countries can channel their resources and realign them with the potential to spread primary diagnostic assessment more across the nation.

Afterall, the pandemic has created a new normal for us - virtual living.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday vowed to find a response to the anger of voters who backed his far-right rival Marine Le Pen in elections, saying his new term would not continue unchanged from the last five years.

"An answer must be found to the anger and disagreements that led many of our compatriots to vote for the extreme right. It will be my responsibility and that of those around me," he told a victory rally in front of the Eiffel Tower after projections showed he had been re-elected.

Macron also pledged a "renewed method" to govern France, adding that this "new era" would not be one of "continuity with the last term which is now ending".

Macron's victory

Cheers of joy erupted as the results appeared on a giant screen at the Champ de Mars park at the foot of the Eiffel tower, where Macron supporters waved French and EU flags. People hugged each other, danced and chanted "Macron!".

European leaders also welcomed the news that pro-European Union Macron and not nationalist eurosceptic Le Pen had won.

Pollsters projected Macron securing around 58.5% of the vote. Such estimates are normally accurate but may be fine-tuned as official results come in.

"I am very relieved - it had looked very close and populism was at our door," 42-year old Alessandro Paleni told the Reuters news agency at the Macron rally. But he stressed the president faced a difficult task given how many votes went to the far-right.

Le Pen, who at one stage of the campaign had trailed Macron by just a few points in opinion polls, quickly admitted defeat but vowed to keep up the fight, with parliamentary elections looming in June.

"I will never abandon the French," she said to supporters chanting "Marine! Marine!"

Parliamentary elections

Macron can expect little to no grace period after many, especially on the left, only voted for him reluctantly to block the far-right from winning. Protests that marred part of his first mandate could erupt again quite quickly, as he tries to press on with pro-business reforms.

"We will not spoil the victory ... but (Le Pen's) National Rally has its highest score ever," Health Minister Olivier Veran told BFM TV.

"There will be continuity in government policy because the president has been reelected. But we have also heard the French people's message," he added, pledging change.

The nature of Macron's second term will be heavily influenced by the outcome of parliamentary elections in June. Le Pen said she aimed for a strong contingent in the assembly while hard-left Jean-Luc Melenchon said he wants to be Prime Minister, something that would force Macron into an awkward and stalemate-prone "cohabitation".

European reactions

Sunday's victory for Macron was immediately hailed by allies as a reprieve for mainstream politics that have been rocked in recent years by Britain's exit from the European Union, the 2016 election of Donald Trump and the rise of a new generation of nationalist leaders.

"Bravo Emmanuel," European Council President Charles Michel, wrote on Twitter. "In this turbulent period, we need a solid Europe and a France totally committed to a more sovereign and more strategic European Union."

"The financial markets will breathe a collective sigh of relief following Macron's election victory," said Seema Shah, Chief Strategist at Principal Global Investors

Macron will join a small club - only two French presidents before him have managed to secure a second term. But his margin of victory looks to be tighter than when he first beat Le Pen in 2017, underlining how many French remain unimpressed with him and his domestic record.

That disillusion was reflected in turnout figures, with France's main polling institutes saying the abstention rate would likely settle around 28%, the highest since 1969.

(with wires)
President Nana Akufo-Addo has prayed for long life, strength, good health and wisdom for the National Chief Imam, Shiekh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu as the Muslim cleric turns 103 years.

The Chief Imam turned 103 years-old on Saturday, 23 April 2022.

The Chief Imam is widely recognised across the country as an exceptional leader and an epitome of peace.

For his part, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia described the Chief Imam as a driving force for religious harmony and peace in Ghana.
The trial began in Germany on Monday of a Gambian man accused of being part of a death squad that assassinated opponents of former dictator Yahya Jammeh, including an AFP journalist.

The suspect, identified by media as Bai Lowe, is accused of crimes against humanity, murder and attempted murder, including the 2004 killing of AFP correspondent Deyda Hydara.

Lowe was arrested in Hanover in March 2021 and will appear in court in the nearby town of Celle.

The trial is "the first to prosecute human rights violations committed in Gambia during the Jammeh era on the basis of universal jurisdiction", according to Human Rights Watch.

Universal jurisdiction allows a foreign country to prosecute crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, regardless of where they were committed.

Outside the courtroom on Monday, activists held a placard demanding that Jammeh "and his accomplices be brought to justice".

Lowe is accused of being involved in two murders and one attempted murder while working as a driver for the hit squad known as the Junglers between December 2003 and December 2006.

"This unit was used by the then-president of Gambia to carry out illegal killing orders, among other things" with the aim of "intimidating the Gambian population and suppressing the opposition," according to federal prosecutors.

Yahya Jammeh ruled Gambia with an iron fist for 22 years but fled the country in January 2017 after losing a presidential election. By ISSOUF SANOGO AFP

Hydara, 58, was gunned down in his car on the outskirts of the Gambian capital Banjul on December 16, 2004.

Lowe is accused of helping to stop Hydara's car and driving one of the killers in his own vehicle.

Controversial column

Hydara was an editor and co-founder of the independent daily The Point and a correspondent for AFP for over 30 years.

The father-of-four also worked as a Gambia correspondent for the NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and was considered a doyen among journalists in the tiny West African state.

In his newspaper The Point, he had a widely read column, "Good morning, Mr President", in which he expressed his views on Gambian politics.

According to investigations by RSF, Hydara was being spied on by Gambian intelligence services just before his death.

Hydara was a tenacious and "really stubborn" journalist, according to his son Baba Hydara, 45.

"This is a day we have been waiting for for 18 years," Baba Hydara told AFP outside the court.

"It's an important day for justice but it is just the beginning of a long journey," he said, expressing a hope that Jammeh will also "be judged".

Prosecutors also accuse Lowe of driving members of the Junglers to a location in Banjul in 2003 to assassinate lawyer Ousman Sillah, who survived the attack with serious injuries.

His daughter Amie Sillah told a press conference ahead of the trial that she hoped it would shed light on "why, who and how they tried to kill my father".

'Signal'

In a third incident in 2006, Lowe is accused of driving members of the unit to a site near Banjul airport where they shot and killed Dawda Nyassi, a suspected opponent of the president.

Jammeh ruled Gambia with an iron fist for 22 years but fled the country in January 2017 after losing a presidential election to relative unknown Adama Barrow.

He refused to acknowledge the results but was forced out by a popular uprising and fled to Equatorial Guinea.

Lowe is the third alleged accomplice of Jammeh to be detained abroad.

The other suspects are Gambia's former interior minister, Ousman Sonko, under investigation in Switzerland since 2017, and another former Jungler, Michael Sang Correa, indicted in June 2020 in the United States.

Patrick Kroker, a lawyer for Baba Hydara, told AFP outside the court that the opening of the trial was "an important day for justice".

"We hope it will be a signal to... Switzerland and the United States, but also Gambia", he said.

"It is commendable that the German justice system is leading the way and a signal for the leaders in Gambia."

Germany has been particularly active in pursuing cases under universal jurisdiction, most notably in connection to the Syrian regime.
World leaders rushed to congratulate French President Emmanuel Macron for his re-election on Sunday in a second round marked by a rise in the far-right vote.

The first political leaders to congratulate Emmanuel Macron for his election victory over his far-right rival Marine Le Pen were France's European partners.

"We can count on France for five more years," European Council President Charles Michel wrote on Twitter.

"I am delighted to be able to continue our excellent cooperation," tweeted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

In English and then in French, Boris Johnson also congratulated Emmanuel Macron. In a tweet, he said he looked forward "to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two countries and to the world" calling France "one of our closest and most important allies".

Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said French voters had made a "strong choice", opting for "certainty and Enlightenment values".

"I look forward to continuing our extensive and constructive cooperation within the EU and NATO, and to further strengthening the excellent relationship between our countries," Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.

After Britain's surprise vote to quit the EU and the election of Donald Trump in the United States in 2016, the European bloc was alarmed by Le Pen's potentially explosive social and economic reforms, even if polls showed Macron winning in Sunday's second round.

In Germany, Finance Minister Christian Lindner said Europe was the biggest winner. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said French voters "have sent a strong vote of confidence in Europe today. I am happy that we will continue our good cooperation".

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who along with Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is seen as forming a powerful trio of pro-EU leaders, also said the re-election was "wonderful news for all of Europe".

"The citizens have chosen a France committed to a free, strong and fair EU. Democracy wins. Europe wins," tweeted socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. "Congratulations Emmanuel Macron."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has spoken with Macron several times since Russia's invasion on 24 February, congratulated his French counterpart by phone.

On Twitter, Zelensky called Macron a "true friend of Ukraine."

"I wish him further success for the sake of the (French) people. I appreciate his support and I am convinced that we are moving together towards new common victories," he wrote in both Ukrainian and French.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Emmanuel Macron a message of praise for his re-election, Russian news agencies reported, citing the Kremlin. "I sincerely wish you success in your activities, as well as good health and well-being," he said.

Outside of Europe

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among the first to congratulate Macron, saying he was "looking forward to continuing our work together on the issues that matter most to people in Canada and France  from defending democracy, to fighting climate change, to creating good jobs and economic growth for the middle class".

Joe Biden also welcomed the victory of the outgoing president. "France is our oldest ally and a key partner in addressing global challenges," US President Joe Biden tweeted. "I look forward to our continued close cooperation -- including on supporting Ukraine, defending democracy, and countering climate change."

In Africa, President Ali Bongo hailed Macron's "brilliant re-election". "More than a shared past, our two countries have a future to build," he said in online comments.

Senegalese president Macky Sall sent Macron his "best wishes for success in his second term of office".

Ivorian president Alassane Ouattara sent Macron his "warm congratulations" in a Facebook post, saying he looked forward to "continuing with him to strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation between Cote d'Ivoire and France".

UN bodies

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi sent his "warm congratulations" and said his organisation would continue to count on Macron's support on the European and world stage "as humanitarian challenges and refugee crises become more serious and complex every day".

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he looked forward to "continuing the important partnership" with France "for a healthier, safer, fairer world".

(with wires)
25.04.2022 LISTEN

The proud son of Kumawu/Asiampa, Rockson Adofo, after thoughtful consideration, has decided to wade into the never-ending ongoing hullabaloo about that Ghanaian lady called Serwaah Broni. There has been a lot of hype around her alleged intimate friendship, sexual of course, with His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Is it of any much importance to concern most Ghanaians, let alone, a whole political party and her members of parliament, if President Nana Akufo-Addo had ever bedded Serwaah Broni? If he had, or still does, what is its relevance or criminality to you and I, as citizens of Ghana?

Is there any law in Ghana, be it traditional or constitutional, barring Ghanaian married men, or to be precise, presidents, from having girlfriends, or concubines or even marrying a second wife? The last time I held a telephone conversation with my senior brother in Canada, he raised the issue of morality to condemn the president, if indeed, he had had an affair with Serwaah Broni.

I did not hesitate to shoot his view bordering on accusatory immorality down.

Had the president spent state money on her as allegedly done by former president John Dramani Mahama on his numerous slay queens, for example, Miss Tracey Boakye and Ms Mzbel? If Nana Akufo-Addo had spent his personal money, if at all he had, but not state money, on Serwaah Broni, what has it got to do with me, or you?

Does the bible not admonish us in Matthew 7:5 thus, Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye? The beam implied here is a fault that is greater in yourself than in the person you are finding fault with.

As long as the president, even if he had had sexual intimacy with Serwaah Broni, had not spent State money on her but his own, who are we as Ghanaian males to condemn him when we are always over women and following them like male goats hence the Ghanaian market flooded with sexual enhancing bitters?

My main motive behind this publication is to query the overzealousness of the NDC hierarchy and their parliamentarians in this Serwaah Bronis issue to the point of taken steps towards eventually impeaching His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Are they mad? Who are the NDC kidding, if not themselves?

Do they think I, Rockson Adofo, and other discerning Ghanaians have forgotten how they used one imaginary Madame Giselle Yazji, a supposed Lebanese woman, to fool Ghanaians to make former President John Agyekum Kufour and NPP government unpopular at some point to wrestle power from the NPP?

They accused President Kufour of having twin children by the woman and continued to misinform the nation as such, almost every day. In the end, they could not bring the woman to Ghana, citing flimsy excuses that President Kufour had put in secret measures to kill her if she came to Ghana. They spewed all sorts of balderdash to convince Ghanaians that President Kufour has twin white children.

Finally, then NDC Central Regional Chairman, Mr Bernard Allotey Jacobs, has come out boldly to tell Ghanaians that all that the NDC said about President Kufour in relation to Madame Giselle Yazji was false. It was mere propaganda cooked by their leaders as a strategy to make the president and the NPP unpopular in order to win election 2008 which indeed, succeeded.

Are they not doing same with this nonsense about Serwaah Broni, an alleged Ghanaian bisexual residing in Canada to make President Akufo-Addo and the NPP unpopular to obtain same results as they did with President Kufour in 2008?

The only effect the allegation by Serwaah Broni can have on President Akufo-Addo, if it were true, is his wife giving him headaches as does many a Ghanaian woman becoming aware of her husband or boyfriend going out with another lady. Period!

The NDC involvement and keen interest in this Serwaah Bronis case, exponentially cast doubt on the credibility of the whole story.

Serwaah Broni is a blackmailer and a gold digger.

The NDC, as incompetent, clueless and myopic as they are with governance, still desire to rule Ghana, coming to power riding on the back of stupid propaganda and false stories as that of Serwaah Bronis.

Come out with policies and programmes to win the support of the masses but not smearing as you are strategically better at.

I shall be on the case of the NDC from today forward, until I see a new face as their leader who will chastise their stupid infatuation with propaganda to give it a facelift worthy of a political party ready to govern Ghana.

Bring Dr Kwabena Duffour who believes in policies and programmes to winning the heart, soul and minds of the Ghanaian electorate but not corrupt John Dramani Mahama who rather relies on lies churned out by people like Kevin Taylor, Serwaah Broni, etc. to winning the affection of Ghanaians.

I shall be back stronger than todays to condemn those giving currency to the falsehoods in perpetration by Serwaah Broni, for their parochial interests.

Ghanaians, please dont forget the NDC agenda of No Contribution, No Chop (NCNC) for election 2024! Their top brass is coming to care for themselves, they have said hence their NCNC. If you are not among their top brass, and again, cannot contribute financially immensely, towards their 2024 campaign, you had better think properly as a human being before entrusting your hopes in John Mahamas NDC for their election 2024 win.

Rockson Adofo

Sunday, 24 April 2022
25.04.2022 LISTEN

Secular religions are hard to battle in terms of their misplaced assumptions. In some ways, they are even harder to fight than those based on mythical gods and superstitious foundations, many drawn from desert religions and sandy practice. ANZAC, the name of the Australian New Zealand Army Corps, hardly sounds promising as the basis of a religion. But since the needless, bungled operation in the Dardanelles that led to the slaughter of Australian and New Zealand Troops in April 1915, along with Turkish, British and French soldiers, the acronym has become scented, meaningful and powerful.

At first, it all seems rather daft. These troops, for the most part ignorant of geography and certainly of the myriad nature of European power relations, found themselves invading the Ottoman Empire in a chess move thought up by Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty. If the Ottoman Empire could be defeated, Imperial Germany would lose a key ally and be exposed on its flank. The mission failed in spectacular fashion and allowed Kemal Ataturk, future leader of secular Turkey, to distinguish himself.

During the First World War, Australia, with a population of 5 million, lost 62,000 men from 416,809 enlistees. Of those, 156,000 were wounded or taken prisoner. Over 3,000 men returned with tuberculosis and infected the population accordingly. The debilities of unrecognised shellshock reigned. This loss disfigured the country irreparably, dulling its optimism for reform. Australian communities turned inward, solemnly pouring savings into the creation of memorials across the country.

In its modern sense, Anzac Day has become, over the years, a parade for amnesia rather than reckoning, a ritual that rejects peace makers and conciliators in favour of the war mongers and undertakers. Disturbingly, the war mongers are allowed to skip merrily away from responsibility and celebrate character before the bullet and the shell.

Before Turkish fire, Australian soldiers were performed heroically and foolishly, adventurers in invasion meeting their demise before the ill-planned stratagems of their superiors. They were material for the empire, dolts for the cause, and discharged their roles well. They proved themselves suitably unthinking for the purpose of slaughter. These raw colonial troops, wrote British war correspondent Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett, proved worthy to fight side by side with the heroes of Mons, the Aisne, Ypres and Neuve Chapelle.

The geography, loyalty, and circumstances of the Anzac Myth have troubled a number of Australian historians over the years. Marylyn Lake, in a public lecture given at Melbourne Universitys free public series in 2009, was convinced that, Australias identity shouldnt be built on deaths in foreign fields.

For Lake, the myth is an umbilical cord and retardant, a bar to the realisation of maturity. The myth will remain our creation story until the nation is reborn, until we have the courage to detach ourselves from the mother country, declare our independence, inaugurate a republic, draw up a constitution that recognises the first wars of dispossession fought against indigenous peoples.

Anzac might have disappeared after seemingly running out of oxygen during the 1960s and 1970s. The divisive Vietnam War, with its various opponents in Australia, did not help. Then came the decades of revival, which also saw a scrubbing of complexity as to why Australians had ever volunteered in the first place for craven leaders guided by paranoia.

The Anzac myth became bound to notions of noble, stoic mateship, characterised by Peter Weirs 1981 film Gallipoli. There were cruel and mentally vacant officers, and strikingly brave foot soldiers going to their death with an unquestioning valour. It was all about, as one implausible assessment goes, brave soldiers keen to prove themselves as representatives of a fledgling nation, albeit one with an ignominious convict past.

After 1996, during the years of the conservative Howard government, commemorations and war time lessons (or mis-teachings), became the norm. The Department of Veteran Affairs became a big fan of ahistorical instruction and hagiographical slurry. In padding and developing the myth, it was important to exclude a number of things. Anti-war movements vanished. The records of criminally incompetent generals and politicians were nowhere to be seen. The misogyny underlying the ideology could also be left alone.

Anzac traditions must, in their calling, resist self-examination and questioning. They are grotesque sentiments about mangled bodies and foolish decisions, sparing of military leadership and dooming the bloodied soldier. And if questions are asked, they often end up in the kind of execrable analysis that John Roskam of the Institute of Public Affairs offered in 2007. War is often necessary, he wrote with faux meaning, and Australians have answered the call. Even if the call is misguided or an incitement to unlawful conduct.

Roskam mentions the Iraq War, which began as an illegal invasion in 2003, and refuses to accept the awkward reality that Australian soldiers were inculpated by the operation. He can only offer a dottily pathetic observation: One of the things that Anzac Day represents is the willingness of Australians to stand up for what they believe in. How utterly noble.

Future unthinking Australian soldiers are likely to supply the raw material for more wars, including one in the Pacific. It is bound to be a foolish encounter, most likely led by the United States, and likely to result in few returns. Defence Minister Peter Dutton has been very happy to promise the laying down of Australian lives so that the US may feel secure, even if he is not entirely sure what the whole business about Taiwan is about.

The Australian Prime Minister of the day will be able, along with the cabinet, to say that it was all a job well done, presuming they survive such a conflict. And any moral twinge of sadness will be remedied by ceremonial, tear-soaked largesse, in addition the $498 million pencilled in for converting Canberras Australian War Museum into a militarist wonderland. The unaccountable will continue to send the unthinking into battle.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He currently lectures at RMIT University. Email: [email protected]
25.04.2022 LISTEN

Allegations of blasphemy by Muslim and Christian believers have been in the news. In the past few years, persons accused of insulting Christian or Islamic religious gods or prophets have been threatened, attacked, killed, or imprisoned. These allegations have generated so much controversy and tension because allegers seek judicial or extrajudicial sanctions for supposed blasphemers. Allegations of blasphemy by Christians and Muslims in Nigeria are clear testimonies of the lack of knowledge and understanding of their faith (ignorantia fidei). Let us examine two recent ones. First, in its Easter message, Sterling Bank made a post that compared the resurrection of Jesus to Agege Bread: "Like Agege Bread, he arose". In its reaction, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) described the message as "provocative, ungodly, insensitive and wicked". CAN has called for the removal of the chief executive officer of Sterling bank.

In a related development, a court in Kano convicted Nigerian Humanist Mubarak Bala, over a post wherein he compared Prophet Muhammad and Prophet T B Joshua. He described the prophet of Islam as a terrorist. He was also convicted for making other statements that disparaged the religion of Islam. Some Islamist lawyers led by S S Umar petitioned the police over the post. In their petition, they stated that refusal to prosecute and sanction Bala would lead to a breach of law and order. After almost two years of arbitrary detention, the court convicted Mr. Bala after a sham trial. Anyone who understands the history of these two religions would shudder at the penchant to accuse, penalize, threats to sanction or kill those who supposedly insult Christian and Muslim faiths, Gods, or prophets.

First, both Christianity and Islam are foreign religions introduced to Africa and Africans by those who demonized and disparaged African traditional religious icons, practices, gods, and prophets. Christian missionaries did not treat African traditional religion with the respect and sensitivity that CAN and many Nigerian Christians are demanding today. Look, Christian missionaries denounced African indigenous religious worship. They treated it with uttermost contempt. And the tradition of contempt for indigenous religious beliefs persists in the Nigerian, African Christendom to date. Truth be told, Christians lack the moral basis to accuse anybody of blasphemy because speaking disparagingly of other religions is the main driver of the growth and spread of Christianity.

Christian clerics often describe African traditional religious worship as a fetish, and African indigenous gods as demonic and human-made idols, that have eyes but cannot see, ears but cannot hear. I mean, who makes provocative, insensitive, and insulting declarations about other religions and other gods, more than Christian pastors and believers? One of the popular songs in Christian churches is: Jesus na you be Oga. Jesus na you be Oga. All other gods na so so yeye. Every other god na so so yeye. Going by the christian and muslim standards of blasphemy accusations, is this song not insulting? Is this song not provocative?

Similar Christian songs rendered during services unequivocally disparage other religions and other gods. The Christian scripture is replete with verses that 'insult' other faiths and gods including non-believers in god. Psalm 14 verse 1 states: "The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God". Many Christians allude to this verse when arguing with atheists and non-believers. They read and declare this verse as the word of their God at assemblies and fellowships. Christians do not regard this verse as insulting, provocative or insensitive. But when someone compares the resurrection of Jesus to Agege bread they become incensed. Christians accuse the person of blasphemy and want the person sanctioned. Meanwhile, blasphemy is at the root and origin of African Christianity. Blasphemy constitutes part of everyday Christian worship and practice.

The same applies to Islam and Muslims. The case of Muslims is even worse because, unlike Christians, violent attacks and killings, are part of the Islamic package. Muslim scholars who introduced Islam to Africa spoke disparagingly about traditional religious gods and personalities. Muslim clerics still do. Jihadists denounced indigenous African gods; they attacked and killed those who professed other religions or revered other gods apart from Allah. Muslim clerics insult', blaspheme and make offensive remarks as part of their everyday preaching at various mosques and worship centers. The Muslim holy book, the Quran, is filled with 'offensive' propositions that 'insult' other religions and other gods; statements that are critical of other prophets, and injunctions that provoke or incite violence against non-Muslims, and non-believers. So, Nigerian Christians and Muslims who accuse others of blasphemy are ignorant of their various religions and how they spread. Hence, they have refused to apply the same standards of provocation and insensitivity that they ascribe to others to their religions. If they do, they would surely understand that allegations of blasphemy are senseless. These allegations are rooted in mischief, oppression and tyranny. Without blasphemy or speaking disparagingly about other religions and other gods, there would be no religion, no Christianity or Islam, as we know it in Nigeria today.

Another name for this culture of blaspheming or making critical comments about other religions, gods and prophets is freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression. Christianity and Islam owe their dominance to the exercise of these rights. Now they are in the majority, Christian and Muslim believers seek to outlaw these human rights. Christians and Muslims should not be allowed to criminalize the exercise of these freedoms anywhere in Nigeria. Instead, let us all join efforts to stop allegations of blasphemy and repeal all blasphemy laws.
25.04.2022 LISTEN

The insousiance of our hard-of-hearing ruling-elites, especially the big-thieves-in-high-places ripping Mother Ghana off, so carelessly, in the face of ever increasing hardship being experienced by so many in Ghana, is beyond belief.

Take the stupidity of not realising that social media, whatever its ills, offers a safety-valve for a thoroughly fed-up population, to vent their anger, virtually - instead of launching violent attacks on the percieved-oppressors they feel are responsible for the unbearable cost of living crisis ruining countless families across Ghana, today.

In that light, can someone please tell Ghana's current Attorney General that it is those selfsame social media platforms (which he clearly seeks ways and means to shut down, within Ghana, if possible), that ordinary people will leverage, someday, to fight tomorrow's dictatorships? Haaba.

(Talk about an acute case of the not-seeing-beyond-flat-nose-syndrome that afflicts so many arrogant African politicians. Hmmm, ey3asem piiiiii, oooo...)

It is shortsighted, in the extreme, for our hard-of-hearing ruling-elites, to continue to think that democracy in Ghana, cannot ever be overthrown, even if political parties governing our country, mess up big time, at any given point in time, and turn the lives of the masses of the Ghanaian populace upside down, making them suffer unbearable hardship, while a lucky few quaff champagne, copiously, regularly, amidst acute potable water shortages nationwide, oooo.

The symbolism in that should not be lost on discerning-folk who love Mother Ghana passionately, oooo, Ghanafuo. Yabr3 y3n mpaninfuo asuodinfuo, oooo. Yoooooo...
Cheng Huang

25.04.2022 LISTEN

1. Introduction

In 2005, a girl named Rashida was born in Dingxi, a poor region in northwestern China. Dingxi has long been one of the most poverty-stricken regions in Gansu province, and China as a whole. The region's economy is based on the agricultural and natural resource industries. The area hosts three hundred plus Chinese medicinal plants and herbs that are exported along with dried exports such as walnuts and wild apricots. Despite her family's poverty, she grew up with a thirst for knowledge and a curiosity about the world. However, she does not yet know how many difficulties she would face as she grew up. Rashidas brother was not asked to do farm work like Rashida but has been fully supported by the family to go to school. By contrast, the family was opposed to Rashida completing her education, and encouraged her to drop out of school as soon as possible to help the family to make ends meet. This transition to a place of work often results in other forms of discrimination in that context.

In the short years that Rashida did attend school, it was not easy. The teacher often used violence to solve the problem, leading to the intimidation of classmates. She would often be bullied by the boys. Moreover, relatives in the family advised Rashida not to continue studying, saying that girls do not need to study so much; they just need to marry. The family's lack of support for her, teachers who demonstrated preference in educating males, and the local community discrimination against women made her a slave in this poor mountainous region. Her only recourse was to get married and have children at the age of fifteen or sixteen years old.

This story about Rashida illustrates the challenges that many women continue to face in poor areas in different regions of the world today. These challenges include family, bullying at school, and discrimination in work. There is tremendous pressure for women only to remain in school until marrying age, which is usually about fifteen or sixteen years old. Rashidas story is not representative of northwest China only, but also illustrates the challenges for many young women in rural settings throughout the world. For example, young girls are forced to drop out of school as they reach the age for marriage, bullied by boys and even teachers at school, and discriminated against for pregnancy in the workplace.

With the rapid development of society, more people are becoming aware of the issue of gender inequality in regions such as western China and southern Sudan. However, in the poor rural areas of western China in the twenty-first century, many women are still unable to receive the education they deserve due to lack of educational resources and gender discrimination. Women in South Sudan face the same problem in many cases. Lack of education for women in both regions is a crucial issue that needs to be fixed as the society keeps developing quickly. Whether a woman is educated or not is important for the whole family, because studies show that a well-educated woman can impact her children and the whole family since she is the principal provider of care that the child needs as the child grows up. According to a case study on the Impact of Educated Mother on Academic Achievement, Academic performance of highly educated mothers children is better than those whose mothers are not well educated. The evidence shows that 87% children, whose mothers are educated, are academically successful while the ratio of academically unsuccessful ratio was only 13 percent.[1] Therefore, educating women is a problem that needs to be noticed and solved in order to make the society better. In this paper, barriers that post challenges for women to receive education will be discussed along several different avenues. My paper will examine the challenges of discrimination and bias that women are often presented within their family, school and finally the workplace. Furthermore, this paper will compare the problem of lacking education for women in western China and southern Sudan.

2. Analysis

The problems of lacking education that women face in western China stems from the family dynamic within the traditional Chinese culture where males carried the honor of the family name and were seen as the core of the family. For this reason, women were viewed as secondary and often looked over or unwanted. This mentality of thinking towards females is ingrained in Chinese culture, especially in western China, where the traditional folk atmosphere is stronger than that in the eastern China. For example, some Chinese rural areas have such a custom that women are not allowed to eat at the table, they can only squat or sit in the kitchen to eat. Such customs have lasted for thousands of years.

Historically, a womans role in the family dynamic was one of servitude. There were extremely strict doctrines in place, doctrine established in the Confucian era, that clearly divided not only the role between the man and woman but the hierarchy of importance between the two. Confucianism established a patriarchy in which women held no roles of authority and were powerless against women. Within Confucian literature, called The Analects, the five relationships are stressed which are father-child, ruler-subject, husband-wife, elder-brother -younger brother and friend-friend. Males were deemed the prize. If a woman could not give birth to a male, she was seen as damaged. (Le, 2019) It was the expectation that women were to be subordinate to men. Daughters were expected to be subordinate to their fathers. Wives were expected to be subordinate to their husbands. From youth, girls were trained for their role of wifehood. Education was not anticipated nor was it a requirement. The role of the woman was to remain at home in service to her husband and family. Her desire was to be pleasing only unto her husband. Therefore, the advancement of self was rejected and not embraced.

In the current generation within rural areas in western China, these same teachings that have been taught from generation to generation have remained. The idea of young women that are ambitious for an educated life is dismissed. This is in stark contrast to urban areas in which young girls have more opportunity. Confucianism plays a weaker role in rural areas than in cities, because in the past few decades, China has experienced urbanization, a large number of infrastructure construction and the development of the real estate market have attracted rural young people to work in cities, leaving only the elderly and children with low education level in rural areas. These old people have experienced the era of the cultural revolution, resulting in the low level of education. Moreover, the reason behind the division in thinking is because wealthier families that have resources that enable girls to attend school will give the opportunity. Rural areas are poor and without resources that will extend educational tools to girls. As a result, families will opt to invest in male children.

In China, family is the foundation of society. It is the idea that families are to have a collective identity which is filtered through one person, the head of household, the male. The advancement and interest of the family overwhelmingly takes priority and precedence over individual wants. The parental perception is that girls are devalued. The attitudes towards young women are often discriminatory. Therefore, the lack of education faced by western Chinese women is also influenced by the Chinese concept of family. Education is insisted upon males as they are seen to bring respect and advance the family legacy. The choice to send the male to school over the female is in direct response to the overall societal view of women and their role in the family unit. Although in many of the Chinese urban cities, women may hold positions, there is a wide pay gap which is in direct response to the educational gap between the two sexes. The low educational investment into young women is a norm in Chinese culture. The perspective of females in the workforce also contributes to the low educational investment. Parents understand the politics that plague the Chinese workforce. Women are told that they will only work in certain positions. They will only make a certain amount of money, strictly based on the fact that they are female. According to a survey report on the current situation of Chinese womens workplace in 2020, the overall salary of working women is 17% lower than that of men. (Ifeng, 2020) Parents have a clear understanding of the treatment of women and choose to place their investment in the male who has a higher rate of success to bring the family financial prosperity. Males are thought to fuel the economic environment where women are thought to stagnate or hinder progress based on their lack of skill. Statistically, the proportion of women in technical posts is generally lower than that of men. Technical jobs seem to be exclusive to men, showing obvious characteristics of occupational gender deviation. Even if men and women work in the same work unit, when women's educational level, marital status, age, work experience and other personal characteristic variables are the same as men, the possibility of womens access to power is still significantly lower than men, and the incidence of womens access to power is only 43.3% of men. (cnwomen.com, 2021)

This is in stark comparison to Chinese women in urban areas. This point demonstrates that women of urban origin still have a certain advantage in access to higher education in comparison with women of rural origin. However, in comparison with women students at private institutions, the difference between urban and rural women students at public institutions is fairly small. At public institutions, aside from the top universities, the difference in urban and rural womens opportunities to attend school is on average less than 10 percent (Chinese Education and Society, 2010).

Young Chinese women's education comes from within the home. Due to the ideology of the role of women to serve, elder women are often noted to train the younger women in becoming good wives and mothers. Young women are not empowered and are ill-advised to form a self-identity outside the role within their homes. Education motivates students to form opinions of how they see themselves in relation to the world around them. Education gives hope and an identity that belongs to oneself. Young Chinese women are not given that opportunity due to the doctrine that they are to become who their family, especially the males, have deemed them to be.

Young women in rural Sudan, located in the northeastern region of Africa face similar discrepancies. The area is south of the Sahara. The family structure involves immediate and extended family members. The father is the head of household and the official leader. He is responsible for all financial responsibilities. Young women are completely regarded as an afterthought, segregated from male counterparts within village events as well as their homes. Women and men are apart from one another. Young women are viewed as inferior to men, therefore, to hold the same space is to suggest that they are equal. Young women commune in group settings with one another. The role of the woman was that she is to tend to the activities of the children and household. The house is considered her domain. However, the womans main purpose was decided by her husband. Her role was to be a servant to her and his subject to his authority. This ideal of a womans role was upheld in such a way that most Sudanese women endure female circumcision to ensure that sex was purely enjoyed by the husband. Her complete identity is overshadowed by his perspective of who she is and what she is to become.

Education is not a requirement for young Sudanese women, The husband is the financial provider which stunts the womans potential to obtain financial independence. (Lutaaya, and Grawert, 1999) A woman is thought to have little to no choice which restricts her education, her independence, and her potential to thrive outside her lineage.

Family, what is to be the symbol of comfort, is a discouraging symbol of tormented doctrine that is a thief to both a Chinese and Sudanese womans ability to thrive.

In the event that a young Chinese girl can attend school to receive an education, we must examine the difficulties of receiving an education in a society that negates a female's value outside of her home. First, we must understand that in rural China, poverty is overwhelming. Education is not free and comes with its financial burdens on an already strained family income. The young girl who is fortunate to attend, understands her responsibility to not only attend but to also excel and use those learned skills as a tool to assist her family into a more prosperous life.

However, the subculture in schools is not favorable to young girls. A report in 2016, stated that bullying in rural China was up by 26.10 percent. Although most of the bullying is done to males, because they are the majority, when it occurs to young girls, emotional scars are long-lasting. Young females are often the targets of bullying for a few reasons. The obvious, the family structure that males are preferred to females, perpetuates a superior complex in which Chinese boys unleash hatred of females being in a space that is not made for them. Secondly, girls outperform males in school. Girls are more apt to take schooling more seriously because of the financial burden taken on by their parents. School is viewed as a privilege; therefore, the majority of females understand the accountability in having a chair in the classroom. In many cases, bullying will lead to depression due to the feelings of isolation. Bullying will also bring about anxiety. However, many of the young women who attend school form a sisterhood or a bond and tend to stick together which helps to combat the effects of bullying (Jung Lee, 2014). Also, because young girls tend to outperform their male counterparts, teachers more than likely pay them extra attention and become more involved in protecting them from experiencing these incidents.

Although bullying also takes place in rural Sudan, it happens in a very different context. Education remains inaccessible due to the cultural norms in the nation to maintain traditional gender roles. Early-age marriage is dominant in keeping women from receiving an education. 10.7% of women aged 15 to 49 were married before the age of 15, and 38% were married before the age of 18. (Michelsen, 2017)

Once a young girl is married, her home becomes her priority, and she is under the jurisdiction of her husband. The husbands use financial dependency and physical violence to have their young wives submit to their demands.

The other form of bullying that takes place in rural villages is that of female circumcision. This is the process of removing the females clitoris from her vagina so that she does not experience pleasure during sex. In many villages, this is seen as a rite of passage before a young woman is married. However, it is often used as a tactic by the male to maintain his rule in the home. Most sexual violence occurs in this way. Painful sexual activities are stopped, but less painful forms of sexual contacts and activities are maintained. Exploring alternatives to penilevaginal intercourse can be beneficial for the woman. However, such flexibility might be limited in some cultures where vaginal penetration is seen as the only acceptable form of sex (Abdulcadir, 2021).

In many of these villages, these violent rituals and early marriages are not stopped due to the accepted norm that has been passed down through generations.

In the workforce, Chinese women are adversely affected by marriage and having dependent children. They are more likely than men to experience (involuntary, in particular) job exit to fulfill their roles as wives and mothers and less likely to move up in the career ladder (Guangye, Wu, 2021). As rural China faces economic reform, the culture is still inundated with discrimination against women in the workforce. With the resurfacing of old values and capitalism, women are impacted by a huge wage gap, directly impacted by the inequality of education. Due to the disparities in the distribution of education, women are not given elaborate positions in companies. The hierarchy of the family has also played out in the corporate work culture. Men are dominant controls in the workforce. There are women who are highly educated. They are often overlooked, dismissed, and viewed passively when it comes to top-tier promotions and positions.

Due to the high rate of poverty in rural China, both the man and woman in the home are workers. However, the woman is expected to leave her position if she becomes pregnant to focus on raising the children. Society does not embrace the woman who can have a career and raise a family.

The workforce in Sudan is very similar in that the women make up 57 percent. Women hold jobs both in the home and in the field if approved by her husband. However, the family home remains the focus in the many villages. Women tend to lean towards more social roles than labor roles simply because it is more accepted in the family unit.

What would be the solution to the inequality of women in these areas? The easy answer is for men to view women as the equal or at the very least as human. This answer is complex and layered. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UHDR), the root document from which subsequent international human rights treaties have grown, reflects an integrated conception of human rights. The UHDR declares that everyone has civil and political rights, such as the right to life, liberty, and security of the person, to freedom from slavery to freedom from torture, and to freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile. It also declares the right of everyone to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion and to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association with others. It sets out the democratic rights to take part in the conduct of public affairs, to vote, and to be elected in genuine periodic elections (Day, 2000). Again, the simple answer is to have males view women as equals. Women should have the ability to have reproductive rights, voting rights, equal pay, etc. Yet, the idea is more psychological than it is logical. In human interaction, there is one that must be superior. The perspective of women must change. The way in which inequality is resolved is by giving all females access to education. Education is power. When a female has knowledge, she can create a life for herself, her family and contribute to the advancement of this world. Allow women platforms of power and influence. Women are intelligent beings. Women are great nurturers because they are intuitive. In allowing women to have platforms, her voice can reach hearts and provoke thought. The biggest solution to end gender inequality is to stop violence against women. Death should not meet a woman because she wants an education or become her own person. Violence is not a vehicle to keep a woman in submissive harmful positions. Violence against women should be condemned and be subjected to dire consequences.

1.2.1 Conclusion

In conclusion, Chinese and Sudanese women are facing an extreme crisis. In the year of 2021, these women are enduring horrific torture physically, emotionally, and mentally just t be seen as human. The basic right to have an education without ridicule is what most desire. The idea that these women would like to have the ability to be a rev-thinking individual outside of family and culture. The horror in having to suppress the truth of who you are and what you need for yourself because you are not seen is incomprehensible. The social and cultural norms are creating generations that are suffocated by the ideologies of their ancestors. Freedom is a right that should not have to be bargained for. Inequality hinders growth. It stagnates progression and it stops the production of creativity in a society. The contribution of women is vast and shouldnt be denied or taken for granted. There is power in the voice of a woman.

About the author:

Cheng Huang of the Canadian Branksome Hall (RoK, Asia branch) is a junior scholar specializing in developmental issues. Topping in her professional interests are the field and hermeneutical studies on rural development, empowerment of vulnerable categories (women and children) as well as the creative economies of the indigenous.

Abstract

This paper examines the problem of lacking education in two regions: western China and southern Sudan. The paper will mainly discuss three problems that young women face: the role that discrimination in the workplace plays in such villages, the role that family plays in promoting education of males more than females, and the problem of school bullying.

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To deepen the protection of human rights in Africa, judges of the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights and the East African Court of Justice have adopted strategic principles to ensure respect for the rights of the people.

The two judicial bodies have, therefore, embarked on knowledge sharing to enrich judicial jurisprudence and the protection of human rights across Africa.

Lady Justice Imani Daud Aboud, President of the African Court, and Justice Nestor Kayobera President of the East African Court jointly led a team of experts from their respective Courts to meet in Arusha, Tanzania to further deepen cooperation between the two Arusha-based courts.

Lady Justice Aboud in a document made available to the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Tema at the weekend, stressed that the Court which is the judicial arm of the African Union was established to protect the human and peoples rights in Africa principally through the delivery of judgments.

She said the African Court by virtue of Article 1 of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples Rights (the Protocol) is to complement and reinforce the functions of the African Commission which is a quasi-judicial body charged with monitoring the implementation of the Charter.

Lady Justice Aboud noted that the African Court applies the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and other human rights instruments ratified by the States concerned.

African Court does not have criminal jurisdiction like the International Criminal Court, she said.

The President of the African Court explained that its mission is to enhance the protective mandate of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights by strengthening the human rights protection system in Africa and ensuring respect for and compliance with the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, as well as other international human rights instruments, through judicial decisions.

The Court bases its core values on the African Charter and other internationally recognized principles of human rights and the promotion of the rule of law, she said.

Lady Justice Aboud stressed that the African Court continues to foster and uphold judicial independence from any partisanship, bias, or influence, whether it comes from States, NGOs, funding agencies, or individuals.

Fair and impartial application and interpretation of the provisions of the African Charter, the Protocol, the Rules, and other relevant international human rights instruments continues to be the hallmark of the court, she said.

The African Court President said, transparent and ethical accountability in the operations of the Court anchored the fundamental rights of every individual to enjoy basic civil, political, social, economic, and cultural rights are upheld.

She said the African Court also collaborates with relevant stakeholders in pursuance of its objective of protecting human and peoples rights.

Non-discrimination and equality in performance of its work, based on the integrity of the Judges and staff working, it provides equal access to all potential users and it is responsive to the needs of those who approach it, Lady Justice Aboud stated.

She said the African Courts Strategic Objectives include the exercise of jurisdiction in all cases and disputes brought before it concerning the interpretation and application of the Charter, the protocol, and any other relevant human rights instruments ratified by the States concerned.

Collaborate with sub-regional and national judicial bodies to enhance the protection of human rights on the continent, and to enhance the participation of the African People in the work of the Court.

Lady Justice Aboud said the African Court also seeks to enhance the capacity of the Registry of the Court to be able to fulfill its mandate and to enhance the working relationship between the Court and the African Commission.

Justice Kayobera, President of the East African Court of Justice explained that the eastern bloc court is one of the organs of the East African Community (EAC) with major responsibility to ensure the adherence to law in the interpretation and application of and compliance with the EAC Treaty.

He said the Judges of the Court are appointed by the EAC Summit of the Heads of State or Government from among persons of proven integrity, impartiality, and independence holding high judicial office, or jurists of recognized competence, upon the recommendation of the Partner States.

Currently, eleven judges are serving in both the First Instance Division, which is headed by a Principal Judge and an Appellate Division whose work is directed by the President.

The Summit designates the President of the Court from among Judges of the Appellate Division on a rotational basis. The President heads the Court and presides over its sessions.

The Vice President, Principal Judge, and Deputy Principal Judge are similarly designated by the Summit on a rotational basis. The Judges so appointed shall not be nationals of the same Partner State.

All Judges except the President and Principal Judge serve on an ad hoc basis and they hold office for a maximum period of seven years or upon attaining seventy years. The current Judges of the Court are as follows:

The Court has jurisdiction over the interpretation and application of the Treaty. It also provides: Advisory Opinions; Preliminary Rulings to National Courts; and Arbitral awards if contracts and agreements confer jurisdiction

Rules of Procedure

The work of the Court is guided by rules including Rules of Procedure, Arbitration Rules, and Guidelines on Preliminary Rulings.

Registrar

The Registrar is a judicial officer responsible for the day-to-day administration of the business of the Court and oversight over other staff of the Court.
The Kuntenase District Court on Monday, April 25, 2022 remanded a 25-year-old tailors apprentice, Emmanuel Boateng into police custody for allegedly killing his friend over GHs 100 debt at Esreso in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti Region.

The suspect whose plea was not taken has been caged for further investigations.

He will re-appear before the court on May 9, 2022.

Narrating the facts of the case to the court presided over by His Worship Francis Asakiah, the prosecution who doubles as Kuntenase District Police Commander, DSP Eric Akwaboah, said the suspect allegedly lured the deceased friend into a bush near Sewuah where he was said to have hit him with a stick and made away with his iPhone 11 pro max.

According to the prosecutor, the suspect allegedly committed the dastardly act in an attempt to avoid payment of debt he owes the deceased.

DSP Eric Akwaboah added that Police inspection of the body revealed a swollen neck and blood oozing from the nostrils.

He revealed that the stick suspected to have been used to hit the deceased was also found about twenty meters away from the body.

Police later arrested Emmanuel Boateng and during interrogations, reportedly confessed to having committed the crime.

He also confessed owing the deceased Gh100.

Emmanuel reportedly told the police he lured the deceased to the bushes and murdered him.

He also stole an iPhone 11 Pro Max phone from the deceased, which has been retrieved by the police.

Meanwhile the mother of the deceased, Maame Pokuaa in an interview with this reporter on Monday, April 24, 2022 disclosed that the suspect started stalking her son immediately after her son started using the iPhone.

Maame Pokuaa added that she warned her son to stay away from the suspect on several occasions after sensing danger, but the suspect managed to lure her son and killed him.

The family of the deceased have called on the Ghana Police Service to ensure that the suspect faces full rigorous of the law to serve as a deterrent to others.
Dr. Fred Nana Opoku, Director of Technical Service, Ghana AIDS Commission at the weekend stated that Ghana has adopted the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 which was aimed at ending AIDS by the year 2025.

To ensure that the nation achieves the aim, the Ghana AIDS Commission has gone through several reforms to guarantee that copious provisions were made to safeguard the rights of persons living with HIV and also establish HIV and AIDS funds and promote resource mobilization.

Dr. Opoku stated this during the Ashaiman Municipal Assemblys nine Member HIV AIDS Committee in Ashaiman which was monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) at Ashaiman at the weekend.

The members are Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive, Municipal Director of Health Services, and representatives from the Network of Persons Living with HIV (NAP+ Ghana), Civil Society Organization (CSO) in HIV and AIDS, and Christian Groups.

Other representatives are from the Federation of Muslims and Ahmadiyya Mission, Traditional Council, Municipal Director of Education, and Municipal HIV Focal Person.

Dr. Opoku mentioned that the District AIDS Commission (DAC) has been replaced with the Municipal Committees of the Ghana AIDS Commission saying its membership has been slightly modified under section 9 of the Commission Act 938 (2016).

According to him the agenda 95, 95, 95 was still on course and the government was working assiduously to establish the national HIV and AIDS funds to ensure that the national response was financially independent.

Dr. Opoku charged the committee to work harder to complement the governments effort in the fight against HIV AIDS disease.

Mr. Albert Boakye Okyere the Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive, noted that the committee has a big task to perform within the municipality due to the outbreak of the deadly Coronavirus pandemic the public seems to have lost its grasp on issues relating to HIV AIDS over the years.

Mr. Okyere whose speech was delivered on his behalf by Mr. Saaka Dramani Ashaiman Municipal Coordinating Director, therefore, called on the members of the committee to discharge their duties professionally to re-echo the need for the citizens to be worried about the rate at which HIV cases were being recorded within the various communities.
Dr Boakye addressing the residents with Ms Pobee

25.04.2022 LISTEN

Residents have been charged to get involved in the management of the Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) in their respective jurisdictions to ensure sustenance and better community health delivery services.

When the community members are engaged in the operations of such initiatives, the overall outcome of the project is enhanced and access to quality health care services is improved, Dr. Kofi Baokye, Ada East Health Director, who made the statement challenged residents to get involved in the management and sustenance of CHPS Compounds

Dr. Boakye explained this during a community durbar organized by the Ada East District Assembly to educate the resident on some basic rights and also to draw the community closer to the assembly as monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) at Ada.

He described the CHPS compound as a key component in health delivery service at the community level as such, it was important to be managed and sustain to render effective service to the community members.

The Health Director indicated that the CHPS compound concept was based on the principles that the community owns and manages within the framework of a community-based health facility.

Dr. Boakye said the original concept of the CHPS compound was to be built by the members of the community.

He said, however, that the government wanted to attain a certain goal in terms of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), the CHPS compound was now being constructed through the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDCAs).

He said the government's attempt to uplift health care delivery services did not take out the responsibility of the community members to maintain and sustain such initiatives.

Going forward, everything that concerns the facility, the welfare of nurses, security, upkeep in terms of electricity, water, everything has to be provided for by the community, Dr. Boakye added.

Ms. Sarah Dugbakie Pobee, the Ada East District Chief Executive used the occasion to advise residents to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols to curtail its spread in the communities even though the restrictions have been removed.

She said the pandemic was still present and called on the residents to support the governments efforts in curbing the spread of the virus, adding; We must work together to fight COVID-19.

Ms. Pobee said protocols such as the washing of hands, application of hand sanitizer, and social distancing not only reduce the viral spread but also improved health as they prevented the body from contracting other diseases.

She said the Assembly had organized numerous campaigns to sensitize the people on the need to adhere to the protocols but, unfortunately, the response had not been encouraging.

Ms. Pobee expressed concern over the perception by some people that the disease was not in existence while others believed that the virus only existed in Accra and other major cities, saying: This is not encouraging but we will continue to educate our people to follow the protocols.

She said the country was suffering a third wave of the COVID-19 hence the need to strictly adhere to the safety protocols.
It is illegal for churches and religious leaders to demand HIV tests from potential couples before blessing their marriage. Love is bigger than HIV, and no church or pastor has the right to deny a potential couple the right to marriage because they have tested positive for HIV.

It is illegal for pastors and churches to demand mandatory HIV screening before the potential marriage of couples are blessed, and such affected persons could seek legal redress, Dr Stephen Ayisi Addo, Programmes Manager, National AIDS/STI Control Programme has stated categorically.

Monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Tema, he added,Ones HIV status was not the standard to measure their ability to love and procreate, Dr Ayisi Addo made the remarks at the Ghana News Agency -Tema Regional Offices Stakeholder Engagement.

The monthly stakeholder engagement is a progressive media caucus platform created to allow state and non-state stakeholders to interact with journalists, and address national issues.

Speaking on the topic: Workplace policy on HIV/AIDS, who enforces it: Legal basis for churches demanding HIV/AIDS test from would-be partners? Role of partners of an infected individual, Dr Ayisi-Addo questioned the rationale for such mandatory screenings for only HIV and not for other STIs or other health problems.

Why would any pastor reckon that it was appropriate for such demands to be made before blessing couples. Under the current laws, no one, especially pastors, could demand a couples status before going ahead to join them in holy matrimony.

If there is someone negative but still wants to marry a partner who is positive, you must not prevent them, in any way it is their responsibility to own their results and not forced to disclose it to anyone, he said.

He indicated that several serodiscordant couples were married and have had children with negative HIV status, and said, Imagine if such persons were denied marriage just because they were HIV positive, that would have been denying them a life.

He noted that it was also illegal to surreptitiously ask a medical person to take samples of would-be coupled for HIV test before blessing their marriages. He stresses that, nobodys status should be disclosed to a third party without their consent.

Dr Ayisi Addo said, as a programme, they were interested in many people knowing their status because it was the only way for persons who have tested positive to be put on treatment and have viral suppression in the context of the current aspirational target of the programme.

This, he said, was based on the principle and the science that when somebody has viral suppression, the person would not transmit, emphasizing that undetectable viral is non-transmissible and that was the only way the chain of transmission could be broken.

Mr Francis Ameyibor, GNA Tema Regional Manager said the GNA-Tema Stakeholder Engagement health segment is anchored on responsive communication as a weapon for attitudinal change advocacy which hinges on an amalgamation of HIV prevention, and encouragement for a healthy lifestyle.

Mr Ameyibor said GNA-Tema seeks to support the works of the National HIV/STI Control Programme to achieve maximum impact through consistent public advocacy and sensitization to demystify the myth surrounding HIV.
A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) christened, Climate Change Advisors Ghana (CCAG) that seeks to promote climate change mitigation, adaptation and environmental sustainability and renewable energy in Africa has been inaugurated in Cape Coast.

The NGO further seeks to assist the country's attempts to conserve biodiversity, enhance smallholder farmer livelihoods, and reduce emissions from land-use changes in Ghana's high forest and transition zones

Speaking at the inauguration, the Co-founder and Executive Director of CCAG, Dzifa Ahadzi observed that climate change had received a little attention in the country, and that it required special effort to counteract negative environmental practices that further harmed the environment.

He said it was past time for stakeholders to move rapidly because of the devastating consequences of climate change on the country's agriculture and other sectors of the economy.

"The impact of climate change on our environment is very huge and we need to put measures in place to mitigate such impact soonest and this NGO is ready to take up climate change matters by providing advocacy, research policy analysis, capacity development, training and policy direction for governments and other stakeholders to realise the goal."

Collaboration

Mr. Ahadzi emphasized the importance of multi-stakeholder engagement in order to improve education on climate-friendly initiatives.

He stated that stakeholders must collaborate closely in order to provide timely inputs and avoid calamities.

Guest speaker for the event, Dr Samuel Ofori urged essential players in the agriculture sector to immediately implement measures to offset the impact of climate change on agriculture.

He observed that agriculture in Africa was heavily reliant on natural weather and that climate change constituted a big threat to the sector.

Dr. Ofori went on to say that in order for the government to dramatically lessen the impact of climate change on the country's agricultural sector, stakeholders must respond promptly to the growing threat and comprehend the concerns surrounding what to do in terms of survival."

"The agriculture that we do on Africa depends on the natural weather and this is the situation where the natural weather is changing gradually and so you cannot really plan on what to do or plan for agriculture because of what will happen, the more reason why we must act promptly to avert any mishap."

He advised that the government and other stakeholders take practical steps such as passing rules to ramp up the fight against environmentally harmful activities, educating people in the agriculture industry, and adopting local ways that encourage healthy farming practices.
The Akrofuom District Assembly in 2021 was able to collect an amount of Seven Hundred and Twenty-Six- Thousand, Two Hundred and Forty- Five Ghana Cedis Eighty- Eight Ghana presents ( GH 726,245.88) out of the budgeted Six Hundred and Eight Thousand Cedis (GH680,000) representing 106.8%.

The District Chief Executive Hon. Maurice Jonas Woode announced this when he addressed Assembly members at a General Assembly meeting held at Akrofuom.

This performance he said represented remarkable improvements in revenue mobilised by the Assembly since 2018 when the Assembly was created.

"We have improved and exceeded our revenue targets as a result of prudent measures we have put in place to collect revenue. Pragmatic measures such as resourcing revenue collectors, addressing grievances of collectors timeously, distributing demand notices on time, setting of targets for collectors and judicious use of revenue, have been put in place by the Assembly to maximise revenue".

Hon Woode further stated that as a result of the strides they have made in revenue mobilization, the Assembly does not owe its contractors. He added that the ability of the Assembly to raise the needed revenue has put to bed the phenomenon of over-reliance on Common Fund from central government.

AGENDA 111

The DCE lifted the lid on the current state of the Government's flagship program in the Health sector Agenda 111. He said, " as a beneficiary of the project, funds have so far been released to the three contractors to pave way for the execution of this monumental project within the allocated 18-month period".

Still on the health sector, Hon. Maurice Jonas Woode said the Assembly was liaising with the Japan Embassy to construct CHPS compound and nurses quarters at Yaadome which will also serve the people of Betenase, Bredi, Oforikrom, Abusa and Dampanyaw, all in the district.

On electricity extension, the DCE said the Assembly is currently extending electricity to communities in Akrofuom, Okyerekrom,Ampunyase, Wamase and other places in the District where illegal electricity connection is on rampant. He assures that," by the end of the year 85% of such communities will be covered ".

The meeting was chaired by Hon. Peter Amponsah, the Presiding Member.
President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has extended his condolences to the people and government of Kenya over the death of former President, Mwai Kibaki.

His Excellency Mwai Kibaki, the third president of the Republic of Kenya passed on the 21 st of April, 2022.

In a tweet extending his condolences today, President Nana Addo shares I extend, on behalf of the people and government of Ghana, my heartfelt sympathies and condolences to President Uhuru Kenyatta, the people and government of Kenya, over the death of the historic, third President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency Mwai Kibaki. We take the occasion to renew the ties of friendship between the Ghanaian and Kenyan peoples. May his soul rest in perfect peace.

He has been laid in state today in the Kenyan Parliament building as members of the public and leaders in the state troop in to pay their last respects.

The former President died at age 90.

He served as President of Kenya from December 2002 to April 2013.

He had held various positions from Vice president to Minister of Finance in his pursuit to serve his nation.
Leading Member of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), Kwame Jantuah has insisted that President Nana Akufo-Addo must take steps to ensure his name is cleared from the allegations made by his alleged mistress Serwaa Broni.

The Canada-based Ghanaian in the last few months have been in the news after she claims to have had an affair with the President of the Republic.

In her recent engagement with social media activist, Kevin Taylor, Serwaa Broni showed screenshots of chats she insists are between herself and H.E Akufo-Addo.

Besides the alleged affair, Serwaa Broni has disclosed that the President once sent national security operatives after her to retrieve some evidence of their affair from her phones and other gadgets.

Speaking to Starr FM in an interview, Kwame Jantuah has emphasised that such allegations against the President are a dent on Ghana.

According to him, it is important that the President through his lawyers and his office take the necessary steps for his name to be cleared.

I am not saying it is right but the high office of the President should not be allowed to go through this type of accusation. So I will have felt that the fact that this lady has said what she said, the President should also take action because you are pointing at his conduct.

If he stays silent, some will deduce that silence means consent. He has lawyers. I dont think the President should be silent about this because it covers everybody in Ghana. He is our President and his conduct is key, Mr. Jantuah said.

He continued, Kelvin Taylor must be interviewed by whoever set up the inquiry if it should happen. For me the President needs to be absolved from this, whatever the case is, be it President Akufo-Addo, be it, President Mahama, be it any President. It doesnt look good for a country.

In the heat of affairs, the Minority in Parliament has taken an interest in the allegations by Serwaa Broni and vowed to look into the matter.

Meanwhile, three Ghanaians have also petitioned Parliament to inquire into the allegations and impeach the President if the claims are found to be true.
Recently South Africa has experienced heavy rains which resulted in floods in some parts of the country. In the coastal city of Durban hundreds of people have died and families have been displaced in the aftermath. Water pipes, sewerage systems and roads have also been damaged. Public health experts, Juno Thomas and Linda Erasmus from the country's National Institute for Communicable Diseases explain what kind of health risks can emerge as a result of flood disasters and what actions can be taken.

What health risks do floods create?

Flood disasters result in five categories of health risks:

Acute events: drowning and trauma

Noncommunicable diseases: people with chronic health conditions may not be able to access health services or take the medication they need

Healthcare infrastructure: damage or disruption to healthcare infrastructure and systems

Mental health: anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder

Infection

Pasha 15: The unhealthy aftermath of Cyclone Idai. The Conversation Africa , CC BY-NC-ND 5.88 MB (download)

How do floods result in a risk of infections?

Damage to or disruption of environmental health infrastructure and services (water supply and sewage systems) increases the risk of water-borne and food-borne disease. The displacement of people and overcrowding that often results from flooding provides optimal conditions for outbreaks of respiratory and gastrointestinal illness. Contributing factors in such settings include poor standards of hygiene, close contact among people, poor sanitation, poor nutrition, and poor food safety.

There are four main kinds of infections: cutaneous; respiratory; gastrointestinal; and zoonotic (transmitted between animals and humans) or vector-borne (transmitted by the bite of an infected arthropod species such as mosquitoes or ticks).

Cutaneous infections: Skin and soft tissue infections can follow trauma, for example if someone is cut by a fallen branch of a tree while cleaning up after the floods. These infections are often caused by typical bacterial causes of skin and soft tissue infections; however, fungal infections may also occur.

Respiratory infections: Acute respiratory infections like coughs, colds, influenza and pneumonia are common following flood disasters. Disruption of housing and overcrowding increase the risk of sharing the bacteria and viruses that cause these illnesses.

Gastrointestinal disease: These include cholera, shigellosis and enteric fever . They are caused by taking in food or water that is contaminated with bacteria. The contamination often comes from the faeces of infected people.

Most people who are infected with the bacteria that cause cholera don't develop symptoms. About 10% will get very sick with diarrhoea and can soon be severely dehydrated. If left untreated, cholera can result in death. Mild cases are treated with oral fluids. More severe cases may require intravenous fluids and appropriate antibiotics.

Symptoms of shigellosis , a bacterial infection, include watery or bloody diarrhoea (dysentery), fever, nausea and sometimes vomiting and abdominal cramps. Severe infection and high fever may cause seizures in young children. There can also be complications later.

Enteric fever has symptoms like fever, headache, abdominal pain, nausea, and constipation or diarrhoea.

Contaminated water can also contain other bacteria, viruses and parasites. Children are typically at increased risk of the infections these can cause. Symptoms include diarrhoea, vomiting and fever.

Hepatitis A is caused by a virus which is transmitted through the faecal-oral route, through ingestion of contaminated food and water or through close contact with an infectious person. Symptoms include fever, malaise, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal discomfort, dark urine and jaundice.

Zoonoses and vector-borne diseases : Flood disasters can change the physical environment to favour an increase in the breeding of some animals and disease vectors. For example, stagnant waters provide breeding sites for mosquitoes.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease transmitted to humans through direct contact with animal hosts (rodents, domestic pets and livestock) or through an environment contaminated by animal urine. It is increasingly recognised as an important infection associated with flood disasters.

People who come into direct contact with flood water (for example, by swimming or wading) that is contaminated with the urine of infected animals are at high risk of being infected. Symptoms include fever, headaches, muscle aches, chills, red eyes, abdominal pain, jaundice, vomiting, diarrhoea and sometimes a rash.

Malaria is caused by Plasmodium spp. parasites transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Common symptoms include fever, sweats, cold shivers, headache, muscle or joint aches, malaise, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. Urgent diagnosis and treatment according to national guidelines are important to prevent complications and death. Malaria transmission areas in South Africa include north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal and low altitude areas of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, particularly those bordering Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Eswatini.

Rift Valley fever primarily affects domestic animals, but people can be infected through the bites of the Aedes mosquito. It can also be transmitted through the consumption of unpasteurised milk or the meat of infected dead animals, or contact with the blood or tissues of these animals. Heavy rains and floods can trigger outbreaks of this fever among animals. Most affected people present with a flu-like illness.

West Nile virus disease is transmitted to humans through the bites of Culex mosquitoes. Most infected patients don't show symptoms, but common symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, muscle or joint aches, diarrhoea and a rash. Encephalitis or meningitis can occur.

How can infections be prevented after floods?

It is critical that the affected communities have access to safe drinking water. Uninterrupted safe water supply, safe wastewater disposal and solid waste handling are key to preventing large outbreaks of waterborne disease.

Health education is an important preventive measure. Messaging should focus on safe water, hand hygiene, and food safety.

Water can be made safe for drinking and cooking by boiling it for a minute in a clean container. Another way is to mix a teaspoon of household bleach (containing 5% chlorine) into 20-25 litres of water and leave it to stand for at least 30 minutes before use.

It's important to wash hands with soap and safe water before, during, and after preparing food, and before and after eating. Also wash hands before and after caring for a sick person, after using the toilet and after cleaning up a child.

The World Health Organization's five keys to safer food are: keep clean; separate raw and cooked; cook thoroughly; keep food at safe temperatures; and use safe water and raw materials.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

By Juno Thomas, Head: Centre for Enteric Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases And

Linda Erasmus, Medical epidemiologist: Centre for Enteric Diseases,, National Institute for Communicable Diseases
Students chanting slogans during a protest in Johannesburg in 2021. - Source: Photo by Michele SPATARIAFP via Getty Images

25.04.2022 LISTEN

South Africans believed that the introduction of democracy in 1994 would transform their lives for the better through equality of opportunities. This hasn't happened.

Socio-economic inequality and job scarcity , as well as unequal opportunity to quality education have created a view that democracy has not delivered a better life for all.

The country celebrates 28 years of democracy at a time when democracy is under threat globally , in the context of growing inequality and mistrust in democratic institutions.

Increasingly, scholars focus on what makes democracy valuable amid its decline. This is important given the global rise in populist and anti-democratic politics and authoritarianism .

The Human Science Research Council's South African Social Attitudes Survey , conducted annually, show that South Africans are increasingly dissatisfied with democracy. In 2004, when the country celebrated a decade of democracy, 59 % were satisfied with democracy. Now only 32 % are satisfied with how democracy is working in South Africa. Democratic Satisfaction. Constructed from the Human Science Research Council South African Social Attitudes Survey

Are South Africans giving up on democracy, as some are asking. And what's to be made of some political elites who are speaking out against the value of the country's constitutional democracy?

After almost three decades of democracy, it is important to ask: What meaning do South Africans attach to the idea of democracy? This is important considering that democracies endure when there is an intrinsic commitment to democratic values and principles, even during economic hardship.

Based on my research , as well as the results of recent surveys, it's clear that there is a sense of disempowerment among South Africans, most notably among young people. This sense of disempowerment is premised on the view that their voice, life choices, and sense of freedom are undermined by a lack of equality of opportunity.

This inequality of opportunity is seen as a form of continued oppression informed by the view that the quality of life has not necessarily improved for most South Africans.

Views of democracy

South Africans attach an instrumentalist value to democracy. This is evident in the views that democracy does not deliver , most notably among the youth. Democracy is valued more because of delivering socio-economic goods such as social welfare, housing, and income grants. They don't necessarily view democracy as having intrinsic value as the best political system to achieve a just society based on human rights, dignity, freedom and equality.

In other words, they value democracy based on what it can do for them, not because they believe it is the best form of government. This is evident in the growing levels of institutional mistrust and growing political disengagement from formal democratic processes like voting.

This creates a weak foundation for the sustainability of the country's democracy in that in times of economic hardship, the legitimacy of democracy as a political system declines in the public view. Therefore, democracy becomes 'illegitimate' because it cannot deliver social and economic goods to create equality of opportunity.

It is not surprising that citizens place a high value on equality as an essential democratic principle given that South Africa is still the most unequal society globally .

Why do South Africans hold a strong instrumentalist attachment to democracy? The answer may lie in the expectations of what freedom and democracy meant in 1994, when apartheid came to an end.

Tales of despair

My research shows that the 'Dream of 1994' was the restoration of human dignity, something centuries of settler colonialism and apartheid had denied the black majority. Indeed, asked what 1994 meant for them, an interviewee said:

I was very happy. I felt extremely happy because this was the first time that black people gained freedom  And it made me feel free as a person as well. Even just strolling around I felt free; I didn't have to be so conscious around white people. There was no longer any fear  I felt good, really good. What I was thinking. I was thinking that now we are free. That you can talk with everybody, you can walk with everybody. You know, that you can be friends with everyone that you want to be friends with. I thought that now that the party {the ANC} would take over, they'd know what we had gone through then.

Equality of opportunity was an essential characteristic of what the 'Dream of 1994' meant for South Africans. An interviewee reflected:

Talking of expectations, because I grew up in that old era, in that old regime. So my intention was, should Nelson Mandela be free, we would be living in a free country  our expectations were that we would gain free education and that there'd be lots of jobs, that everyone would be employed, things like that. And that everyone would have his or her own house, things like that  and those were the things that we expected, which I expected.

The sense that freedom and democracy remain an illusion was more palpable among the youth. An interviewee said:

I think, in my own opinion for those who lived before 1994, their aim of freedom was to free Mandela, then after it was to have their own black government. But for me, who was born in 1987, the word freedom for me is still an idea  the reason I say that is because for me the word freedom is too big for South Africa. If education was free, then I would say yes, we have freedom.

Historical patterns

South Africans see a continuation of historical patterns of exclusion and marginalisation where equality of opportunity is not a lived reality for many. And, given that South Africans may continue to delegitimise democracy on the basis that it has not delivered on the expectations of the Dream of 1994, stronger populist and anti-democratic rhetoric are likely to take root in the future.

Joleen Steyn Kotze receives funding from the National Research Foundation.

By Joleen Steyn Kotze, Chief Research Specialist in Democracy and Citizenship at the Human Science Research Council and a Research Fellow Centre for African Studies, University of the Free State
25.04.2022 LISTEN

The Right to Information (RTI) Commission instructed the Minerals Commission in July 2021 to release information to The Fourth Estate at a cost of GH1.90 through the PDF format the media entity requested the information.

If the Minerals Commission was to release the information in hard copy, it was instructed to charge GH1.80 per page, according to the ruling of the RTI Commission.

But the Minerals Commission felt aggrieved and went to court to challenge the RTI Commission's ruling. The High Court dismissed the Minerals Commission's case and instructed it to release the information at the GH1.90 cost determined by the RTI Commission.

The Minerals Commission says it spent almost GH 27,000 of public funds on the legal challenge.

The Minerals Commission had demanded one thousand dollars ($1,000) from The Fourth Estate in order to release the information, but both the RTI Commission and the court shot down that demand.

The cost incurred in challenging the RTI Commission's ruling is almost four times what it had asked The Fourth Estate to pay for the information.

The Minerals Commission said it mounted the legal challenge as part of our legal and constitutional right to seek a judicial review of the RTI Commission's decision.

The Minerals Commission disclosed the legal cost it incurred when The Fourth Estate filed an RTI request to ask for how much it spent in court.

Kindly be informed that the cost incurred in pursuant of our legal and constitutional right of seeking the judicial review of the ruling of the RTI Commission in the High Court amounts to GH 26, 831.25, inclusive of GTFL levy of 2.5%, NHIL/COVID levy of 3.5% and VAT of 12.5%, the Minerals Commission said.

The RTI request that sparked the legal battle The Fourth Estate had requested a list of licenced mining companies and those whose licences had been revoked. The media entity, through an RTI request, also wanted to know how much the Minerals Commission had raised from charges on the importation of earth-moving equipment.

Kindly be informed that in accordance with section 75 of Act 989, Section 103 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as well as Regulation 4 of the Minerals and Mining (Licensing) Regulations,2012 (LI 2176), the application fee payable is the Ghana Cedi equivalent of five hundred US Dollars (US $500) per request. Thus, the applicable fee payable for the above information is the Ghana Cedi equivalent of one thousand US Dollars (US$1000), the mining regulator said in response to the RTI request.

RTI advocates described the Minerals Commission's demand of almost GHS 7000 for the information as outrageous and a financial roadblock to access to information.

The RTI Commission agreed with the advocates when The Fourth Estate wrote an appeal for a review of the Minerals Commission's fees for information.

The Commission directs the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Mr. Martin K. Ayisi, to ensure the application of a charge or fee of either 1.80 pesewas multiplied by the number of pages of information to be printed or 1.90 pesewas, if the information in its entirety is to be emailed to the Applicant in PDF format, the RTI Commission ruled in July 2021.

The Minerals Commission described the ruling as irrational, illegal, unconstitutional and flawed in court.

High Court tussle and judgment In its writ, the Minerals Commission argued that in so far as the information requested by the Interest Party relates to mineral rights, any information from the Register of the Mineral Rights, is to be furnished in accordance with the prescribed legal requirement which includes payment by the Interest Party of the statutory fee.

It insisted that The Fourth Estate's request fell under the Minerals and Mining Act 2006 (Act 703), which says the Commission shall maintain a register of mineral rights in which shall be promptly recorded applications, grants, variations and dealings in, assignments, transfers, suspension, and cancellation of rights.

The Minerals Commission said the $1,000 charge was from Parliament's L.I 2176, titled Minerals and Mining (Licensing) Regulation, 2012, an institution, the Minerals Commission argued, is clothed with more powers than the RTI Commission.

The RTI Commission said while it acknowledges the existence of regulation, L.I 2176, it does not apply to ordinary Ghanaians or journalists seeking statistical information, hence making the charge of $1,000 illegal.

The RTI Commission's lawyer, Kwadwo Addeah-Safo, argued that in arriving at GH1.90 (approx. GH2) as the fee to be charged for PDF copies and GH1.80 per page for an A4 photocopy, the Commission relied on the reasonable man's test since Parliament was yet to approve fees and charges under the RTI law.

The RTI Commission also noted that since citizens had a right to information, whatever fees charged should be pegged at an amount only to cater for the cost of reproducing that information to the applicant.

The High Court agreed with the RTI Commission. I cannot, but be bound by this sound reasoning of the highest court of the land that the inaction of Parliament should not prevent a constitutionally guaranteed right of a person to be violated. While it is within the remits of Parliament to engineer the necessary legislation to effectuate the demands and payment of fees under Act 989, the failure thereof, respectfully, cannot be a penal code for an applicant such as the instant, Justice Gifty Adjei Addo ruled on March 17,2022.

It continued: From the foregoing, I cannot accede to the contention of the applicant [Minerals Commission] that the respondent [RTI Commission] acted in excess of its jurisdiction, neither do I find any illegality, unreasonableness, or arbitrariness occasioned per the decision of the Respondent.

Besides, I do not find the conduct of the Respondent in arriving at the impugned decision any error on its part patent on the face of the record, which error has occasioned a miscarriage of justice, to permit this Court to set aside the decision of the Respondent dated 19th July 2021.

Accordingly, the instant action is dismissed for want of any merit, leaving intact the RTI Commission's ruling in July 2021.

Source: The Fourth Estate
Four Police officers charged with attempt to commit robbery and abetment have been denied bail by the Accra Circuit Court 10 again.

Lawyers of Constable Yaro Affisu Ibrahim(A1), Constable Albert Ofosu (A2), Constable Richard Boasu(A3) and Constable Rabiu Jambedu(A4) filed for a bail application for the third time having been denied in their previous attempts.

Lawyer Justin Teriwajah told the court that the accused officers have been in court for 2 months already and it appeared the prosecution was using detention before trial as punishment.

He noted that sureties had been prepared and ready if the bail application was granted.

Prosecution led by DSP Sylvester Asare told the court when admitted to bail the accused persons will not appear. He prayed the court to dismiss the bail application.

The presiding judge, Evelyn Asamoah denied the bail application citing the severity of the case.

Clad in white T-shirt and black jeans trousers, Constable Yaro Affisu Ibrahim(A1) clenched his fist and hit the wall as tears welled up in his eyes.

He bowed down his head and wiped the tears which trickled gently down his cheeks.

Behind him Constable Albert Ofosu raised his head to the heavens to fight back the tears which had welled up in his eyes.

The remaining two accused officers, Constable Richard Boasu(A3) and Constable Rabiu Jambedu(A4) looked on disbelief as the reality of spending another 2weeks set in.

Presiding judge Evelyn Asamoah adjourned the case to May 17.

---3news.com
25.04.2022 LISTEN

Some Senior High School students in the Upper East Region have expressed worry over the poor food usually served to them.

They said often than not, Gari Jollof and Donkey Saliva are predominantly on their menu.

Gari Jollof, as they called it, is a mixture of gari, palm nut oil and salt with little pepper while the Donkey Saliva is a mixture of wheat flour, groundnut paste and other ingredients to form groundnut soup served with plain rice.

Some of the students who spoke to Class News Moses Appiah said although they disapprove of the meals being served to them, they prefer the Gari Jollof to the Donkey Saliva.

This is a result of food shortage across senior high schools in the country.

Some affected schools include Bolgatanga Senior High School, Zamse Senior High/Technical School, Bolgatanga Technical Institute, Bongo Senior High School, and Zuarungu Senior High/Technical School.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Mali's biggest jihadist coalition says it has captured a Russian fighter with Wagner, the Kremlin-linked security firm allegedly hired by the country's military junta.

The claim was made in a statement sent to AFP late Sunday by the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM), although it provided no evidence to support the assertion.

"In the first week of April, (we) captured a soldier of the Russian Wagner forces in the Segou region in central Mali," the GSIM said.

The group said the Russians had taken part in a massacre in Moura, central Mali, last month -- an event whose outlines have been reported by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

"These murderous forces participated with the Malian army in an airdrop operation on a market in the village of Moura, where they confronted several mujahideen before encircling this locality for five days and killing hundreds of innocent civilians," it said.

It is the first time the GSIM, an Al-Qaeda-linked alliance and the biggest jihadist network in the Sahel, has announced the capture of a Wagner operative.

In another operation, the GSIM statement said, "the mercenaries" carried out two parachute drops at Bandiagara in central Mali.

Jihadist fighters seized weapons "from the mercenaries, who fled," it said.

The United States, France and others say Mali has hired Wagner to help its armed forces, which are struggling to roll back a decade-long jihadist insurgency.

Mali's military-dominated government says the Russians in the country are military instructors. It has also started receiving combat helicopters and radar from Russia.

HRW says Malian soldiers and white foreign soldiers, who did not speak French, executed 300 civilians in Moura between March 27-31.

Mali says it "neutralised" 203 jihadists in Moura. The United Nations says the Malian authorities are preventing its investigators from gaining access to the area.

Wagner has also been accused of abuses in the Central African Republic.

Brutal conflict

Vast swathes of Mali lie beyond government control due to the jihadist insurgency, which began in 2012 before spreading three years later to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Pan-Africanist demonstrators hold up a banner reading 'Thank you, Wagner' at a rally in Bamako on February 19. By FLORENT VERGNES AFP

France, Mali's former colonial power and traditional ally, intervened in 2013 and deployed a large force to support the Malian armed forces.

But in February, it decided to pull out its troops after falling out with the military junta, especially over its rapprochement with the Kremlin.

The Sahel country is led by a military junta that seized power in a coup in August 2020.

The junta initially promised to restore civilian rule, but it failed to meet an earlier commitment to West Africa bloc ECOWAS to stage elections in February this year, prompting regional sanctions.

Last week an army document and officials said that a Russian national operating alongside Malian soldiers was killed by a roadside bomb in the centre of the conflict-torn Sahel state.

A Malian army unit accompanied by a "Russian advisor" struck an improvised explosive device near the town of Hombori last Tuesday, according to a military memo seen by AFP.

The death marked the first confirmed Russian fatality in Mali.

On Sunday the Malian army announced the deaths of six soldiers in simultaneous attacks targeting three army bases in central Mali.

The army statement added that a helicopter and two vehicles had also been damaged.

Mali. By AFP

According to a diplomatic document seen by AFP, almost all Malian military helicopters are currently being flown by Russians with Malian co-pilots.

Overall, the conflict in Mali has said to have led to thousands of military and civilian deaths and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

Jihadist violence has spread from the north of the country to the centre and south, where conflict is also being inflamed by ethnic frictions and criminal gangs.
The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), is set to hold its annual Constituency Delegates Conference from April 28 , 2022, to May 4.

A statement from the party said the congress will come off despite the statutory holidays of May Day and Eid-Ul-Fitr.

It thus entreated the Constituency Elections Committee to determine the appropriate day within the given period to conduct the conference and hold the elections under the supervision of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, in accordance with the partys rules and regulations.

The affirmation of the dates was made by the partys National Steering Committee at an emergency meeting held on Sunday 24th April 2022 pursuant to Article 10 (10)(1) of the partys constitution.

Nominations

The NPP has already opened nominations for persons seeking to lead the party at the constituency level.

It has also indicated that the date for its National Delegates Congress which is expected to come off from July 14, 2022, to July 16, 2022, remains unchanged.

The [national] election will be held on the initial date. We do not intend to change the dates. Reports of any change in date are untrue, the General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu said.

---citinewsroom
25.04.2022 LISTEN

The NDC-UK and Ireland Chapter is calling for a full-scale investigation into what it calls scandalous allegations levelled against President Akufo-Addo by Evelyn Serwaa Poku Aidoo popularly known as Serwaa Broni.

The Canada-based Ghanaian woman in a recent interview with US-based Ghanaian journalist Kevin Ekow Taylor on Loud Silence Television made additional revelations about the fallout from her alleged sexual relationship with President Akufo Addo and her subsequent state-sponsored harassment by security operatives.

She has claimed that a robbery was staged in an attempt to seize evidence of Akufo Addos sexual escapades with her through the use of national security operatives.

In a press release from the NDC-UK and Ireland, it stressed that the allegations if indeed are true are inhuman and unacceptable.

We believe that as a president who should champion the protection of women, it is unforgivable that he is the person who is being alleged to be at the forefront of abusing a woman using state officials who should rather be working hard to protect the citizenry, solve the numerous armed robberies and security challenges facing our country, parts of the press release reads.

According to the NDC-UK and Ireland Chapter, President Akufo Addo must do the needful by responding to Serwaa Broni's allegations and clear the air on these claims that have brought so much shame and embarrassment upon the country.

We call on all womens groups and human rights organisations in Ghana and beyond to speak up against such abuse of women by people in authority.

We would also like to appeal to the minister for gender, women and children affairs to investigate this matter just as the NDC Minority Caucus in Parliament has decided to do, parts of the release adds.

Below is the NDC-UK and Ireland Press Release in full:

THE NDC-UK & IRELAND CHAPTER CALLS FOR A FULL INVESTIFATION INTO THE PRESIDENT AKUFO ADDO - EVELYN AIDOO (SERWAA-BRONI) SCANDAL.

The NDC UK and Ireland Chapter has noted with revulsion and disbelief the recent revelations by Evelyn Serwaa Poku Aidoo popularly known as Serwaa Broni in an interview she granted to United States based Ghanaian journalist Kevin Ekow Taylor on Loud Silence Television about the fallout from her alleged sexual relationship with President Akufo Addo and her subsequent state sponsored harassment by security operatives.

At a time when Ghanaians are struggling with bad roads, lack of beds at our health facilities where patients including babies and mothers sleep on the floor, high rate of unemployment and many more challenges that face us as a people for which he was elected, sadly President Akufo Addo once again brings dishonour to the high office he occupies and by extension the government he leads.

The Ghanaian economy has recently been downgraded by reputable international financial institutions for over borrowing and poor performance.

Surprisingly, none of these weightier matters of national interest seem to be the primary preoccupation of our president but rather he uses the national security apparatus to cover up the fall outs from a scandal he has brought upon himself.

Evelyn Serwaa Broni Aidoo also alleged that she and her friend were harassed by National Security Operatives. She further alleges that a robbery was staged in an attempt to seize evidence of Akufo Addos sexual escapades with her. This is inhuman and unacceptable to say the least, if her accounts are really true.

We believe that as a president who should champion the protection of women, it is unforgivable that he is the person who is being alleged to be at the forefront of abusing a woman using state officials who should rather be working hard to protect the citizenry, solve the numerous armed robberies and security challenges facing our country.

Social media is awash with receipts of alleged private chats President Akufo-Addo has had with Serwaa Broni. As if that is not enough, Serwaa Broni has also stated that our Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia was involved in negotiating compensation in an effort to cover up such heinous conduct by President Akufo Addo.

We call on all womens groups and human rights organisations in Ghana and beyond to speak up against such abuse of women by people in authority.

We would also like to appeal to the minister for gender, women and children affairs to investigate this matter just as the NDC minority Caucus in Parliament has decided to do.

Finally, we call on President Akufo Addo to do the needful by responding to Serwaa Broni's and clear the air on these allegations that have brought so much shame and embarrassment upon our beloved country, Ghana.

Simon Aworigo

Communication Officer

NDC UK and Ireland Chapter
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday directed the prosecution of the Wenchi Senior High School in the Bono Region for breaching the Public Procurement Act.

The school was indicted in the 2018 Auditor-General's Report for non-competitive procurement for goods and services.

Accordingly, Mr Twumasi Ampofo, the Headmaster and Mr Joseph Awuah, Accountant are expected to represent the school in Court.

At its sitting in Sunyani, the PAC found the school was culpable for issuing 12 Payment Vouchers amounting to GH25,546.25, a breach of the PPA Act 2016 (Act914) as amended.

Mr James Avedzi, the Chairman of the Committee indicated the indictment as contained in the AG's Report was a breach of section 92 of the procurement Act.

He said if the school was arraigned, the Court would determine those culpable for prosecution.

The Committee also ordered Mr Paul Nsiade, the former Headmaster of the Menji SHS in the Tain District of the Region to submit documentation covering the expenditure of GH15,394 with immediate effect.

Though Mr Nsiade was not at the hearing, Mr Joseph Arhin, the current Headmaster of the School could not provide any documentation to account for the spending.

Mr Avedzi asked the Auditor-General to ensure payment into government chest by the former headmaster, if he failed to provide the documents to justify that expenditure.

The PAC has commenced sittings in Sunyani, the Bono Regional capital, and members of the Committee are considering the 2018 Auditor-General's Report for some Polytechnics in its six-day sitting.

It would also consider the Auditor-General's Report on the management and utilization of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) and the Internally Generated Funds (IGFs) for the same period.

Witnesses were drawn from the Kumasi Technical University and Sunyani Technical University as well as some pre-university educational institutions in Bono, Bono East, Ahafo and Ashanti Regions.

GNA
President Nana Akufo-Addo has congratulated his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron on his successful reelection over the weekend.

Macron won his second five-year term in a keenly contested poll. He beat his far-right opponent, Marine Le Pen, to win re-election in the French presidential election.

"Warm congratulations to His Excellency Emmanuel Macron on his historic re-election, for a 2nd term, as President of the French Republic," President said in a message.

"I wish him well in the discharge of his mandate, and in the crucial tasks of uniting the French nation and helping to weather the buffeting storms confronting Europe and the world.

" I am confident that the future of the French people is secure in his hands. I assure him of my and Ghana's co-operation and continuing friendship," President Akufo-Addo said.

Macro took 58.8% of the vote ahead of Marine Le Pen's 41.2%.

GNA
A long-awaited court set up to prosecute suspected war criminals in the Central African Republic began its maiden trial in Bangui on Monday before swiftly adjourning proceedings until May 16.

The Special Criminal Court, a hybrid body of local and foreign magistrates set up in 2015 with UN backing, has been struggling for years to get going in the face of logistical hurdles, lack of money and local hostility.

Its first trial had already been postponed from April 19 due to a lack of defence lawyers.

The court faced a seven-year odyssey before it was able to launch its first trial. By Barbara DEBOUT AFP

In the dock are three members of a powerful militia called the 3R -- Issa Sallet Adoum, Ousman Yaouba and Tahir Mahamat -- who are accused of the massacre of 46 villagers in northwest CAR in May 2019.

The three men, dressed in orange prison jumpsuits, did not wear handcuffs but were kept behind thick glass and had their backs turned to the public.

Wearing anti-Covid masks, the trio appeared impassive as the court clerk read out a long list of charges, which included murder and torture.

The court rejected a request by defence attorneys for their clients to be released on bail but accepted their request to adjourn until May 16.

"On that date, the opposing debates will be opened, questions will be put to the accused and witnesses heard," said presiding judge Aime-Pascal Delimo.

"We are all aware that time is against us," he warned.

One of the poorest and most volatile countries in the world, the CAR plunged into civil war in 2013 largely along sectarian lines.

Central African Republic. By AFP

Violence fell back in intensity in 2018 but as recently as early 2021, two-thirds of the country lay in the hands of armed groups spawned in the conflict.

President Faustin Archange Touadera is accused by France and its allies of turning to Moscow and the Russian private security company Wagner to shore up his position in exchange for a share of the CAR's mineral wealth.

The 3R (Return, Reclamation and Rehabilitation) is one of the CAR's most powerful armed groups, drawn mainly from the Fulani ethnic group, also called Peuls.

The mandate of the Special Criminal Court applies to war crimes and crimes against humanity dating back to 2003.
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has announced that interested Ukraine medical students in his paid internship have commenced work in his constituency.

In a tweet today, April 25, he stated that this was the first batch of students who fled from war-torn Ukraine to intern at the Battor Catholic Hospital in North Tongu.

Mr. Ablakwa shared his excitement on Twitter saying happy to hear that the first batch of our paid internship and free accommodation initiative for interested medical students who fled Ukraine have commenced work today at the reputable Battor Catholic Hospital in my beloved constituency.

His words suggest that more students will be joining this batch to work at the hospital.

On March 28, 2022, the MP who was outspoken when the Ghanaian students in Ukraine were stranded and had to be evacuated as a result of the war, shared that he had secured an opportunity to keep 20 medical students who fled from Ukraine busy while they wait for things to settle in the war-torn country.

The initiative he said, would allow the students practice and hopefully take their minds off the harsh realities they had to face while on the run.
Government has agreed to pay the Neutrality Allowance to members of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG).

But the government wants the name Neutrality Allowance changed.

Head of Local Government Services, Dr Nana Ato Arthur, told TV3s Daniel Opoku in interview on Monday, April 25 that Both parties government and CLOGSAG have shown a very good faith as far as this is concerned. Government was very transparent

We are pleading with you CLOGSAG, we can only implement that allowance that we say we are going to give to you, forget about the terminology that we call it. Because today, that terminology, that nomenclature doesnt sit well with us as government.

So let us have a team to look at how it is going to be called however, that allowance, we will give to you effective the last quarter of the year, from October.

CLOGSAG accepted the offer, that was last Friday.

Members of CLOGSAG began an indefinite strike on Thursday, April 21 over the nonpayment of the neutrality allowance.

CLOGSAG said it was noted that payment of the Neutrality Allowance they demanded had not been effected as agreed in spite of official reminders and follow-ups to the Ministry of Finance.

---3news.com
The Ofaakor Circuit Court has remanded a 31-year-old labourer in prison custody for allegedly stealing his pastor's 12 gold rings valued at GH120,000.

The accused, Danladi Abass, pleaded not guilty to the charge of stealing when he appeared before the court presided over Mr Ebenezer Osei Darko.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Charles Annobil, said the complainant, Rev Kelvin Bour, a pastor at the Seventh Day Good News Ambassadors Church and Abass were both residents of Everlip in Kasoa.

He said about a year ago, Abass, who was a church member of the complainant told him (complainant) that he (Abass) had dreamt about someone gifting him gold and was directed to deal in gold business.

The pastor cautioned Abass against engaging himself in the gold business because it was full of fraudsters, the prosecutor said.

Chief Inspector Annobil said the pastor, during the conversation, dashed to his room and brought out 12 gold rings valued at GH120,000 to demonstrate to the accused the quality of real gold.

He said Abass after the meeting, secretly went and stole all the 12 gold rings from his pastor's room and sold them at Adabraka.

The prosecutor said investigation was ongoing to retrieve the gold rings.

GNA
25.04.2022 LISTEN

The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, has said the request of Seychelles government seeking to recruit more Ghanaian teachers has both positive and negative consequences, as it may deepen the attrition rate in the teaching field.

The President of Seychelles is requesting for more Ghanaian teachers to be sent to his country to boost their education system after the first batch of five Ghanaian teachers were sent there.

In an interview with Citi News, the President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers, Angel Carbonu, outlined the advantages and disadvantages of the latest development.

It is a factor of demand and supply, and where the teacher gets fulfilment by way of remuneration, better working conditions, and what enhances his/her wellbeing in life. We have a lot of professors and doctors working all over the world. If any country wants the services of a Ghanaian teacher and the teacher does his analysis and feels he/she will be fine outside the country, nothing stops him/her from resigning from the Ghana Education Service and joining wherever that needs their services.

I dont think it is anything out of place, it does happen. So far as your citizens are protected, you can then as a government engage in an official arrangement. Nonetheless, we should not come to a conclusion that we have a glut of teachers in this country, it would be a wrong conclusion because the class sizes are still very enormous.

---citinewsroom
The founder of the Danquah Institute (DI), Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko has described the Minoritys decision to file an injunction at the Supreme Court to stop the implementation of the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) as a political gimmick.

According to the known member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Minority even knows the application for the injunction wont go anywhere.

I dont want to pre-empt it [the outcome of the case] but I think that legal move was just made...It is what I call takashi because really, what is a quorum today? Is it 137 or 138?

So, Im saying that they themselves [Minority] know that the case that they have before the court is not likely to go anywhere, Mr. Gabby Otchere-Darko told Asaase Radio in an interview.

He continued, It is a political gimmick if you ask me, but of course, they have to show it to their grassroots that theyre doing something about it. But anyway, allow it. Lets wait to see what the court will have.

The Minority led by its Leader Haruna Iddrisu together with members Mahama Ayariga, and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa filed an application at the Supreme Court last week seeking an injunction to stop the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) from commencing the implementation of the controversial E-Levy.

Per the arrangements between the Ministry of Finance and the GRA, the implementation of the levy will kick start on May 1, 2022.

If it goes according to plan, all financial transactions via electronic means that exceed GHS100 per day will be charged a tax of 1.50%.
25.04.2022 LISTEN

A fire outbreak has for over an hour destroyed wholesale items in a storey building located at Opera Square, close to the Central Bank in Accra.

From the information gathered, the fire started around half past 4pm.

The building gutted by fire is opposite the Melcom building.

Although the affected building also houses GT Bank and the Bank of Africa, the two financial institutions have not really been affected.

The only cause for worry is that the server room of GT Bank has been affected by the fire.

Currently, personnel from the Ghana Fire Service are on scene with five fire tenders trying to douse the fire.

Firefighters are unable to enter the building but trying to get the situation under control from the outside.

Reports suggest that an electrician who was welding something on top of the building may have caused the fire.

However, the actual cause of the fire can only be determined when the fire service launches an investigation into the cause of the inferno.
The Paediatric Society of Ghana (PSG), has urged mothers to treat malaria infection in children under five after testing to prevent disability.

Dr Cyprian Birmeh, Chairman of the Greater Accra Paediatric Society, said malaria in children could affect all organs of the body including the brain known as cerebral malaria, which could result in disability.

Cerebral malaria is the most severe neurological complication of infection with plasmodium falciparum. With over 575,000 cases annually, children in sub-Saharan Africa are the most affected.

Dr Birmeh who made this known during an outreach programme to commemorate the World Malaria Day celebration in Accra, said severe malaria could also cause kidney failure, which was also a form of disability, and advised parents not to joke with it.

He noted that, about 77 per cent of all malaria related diseases occurred in children under five years because their immunity was weak compared to adults.

It is for these reasons we are targeting mothers to educate them on prevention of malaria rather than treating it after being infected," Dr Birmeh stated.

He noted that the insecticide treated bed net had proven to be very useful in controlling and preventing mosquito bites and urged that people, especially mothers, must make good use of it.

The Chairman advised mothers to take their children for malaria vaccination especially in districts where the vaccines were available to fight against the disease.

The exercise, organised by the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate in collaboration with the Paediatric Society of Ghana saw people of Ga North Constituency screened for malaria, distribution of insecticide treated bednets, and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.

Dr Charity Sarpong, the Regional Director of Health Services, speaking at the event said malaria remained a major public health threat and one of the leading causes of morbidity in pregnant women and children under five.

She said Ghana was among the top 15 countries with high burden of malaria in the world, adding that, in Greater Accra Region, the Ga North district was the most endemic district with 14, 895 cases representing 20 per cent of all out patients department cases in the region in 2021.

Dr Sarpong noted that despite these challenges among others some successes have been made so far.

The Director noted that with interventions in place, so far, the country had been able to increase testing rate from 95.1 per cent in 2020 to 97.08 per cent in 2021, malaria in pregnancy reduced from 1.5 per cent in 2020 to 1.1 per cent in 2021, IPT3 coverage improved from 48.4 per cent in 2020 to 59 per cent in 2021.

The country has also been able to reduce untested malaria cases from 3.6 per cent in 2020 to 1.9 per cent in 2021, LLIN issued to registrants at the ante natal clinic improved by three per cent over the previous year adding that, as significant as these achievements were, more needed to be done to attain zero malaria, she stated

The Regional Director called for the support of all to fight against malaria by not-self-medicating and report to the nearest health facilities when they feel unwell and suspect it may be malaria.

Health professionals must ensure that all patients suspected of having malaria were first tested using RDT, and that only positive cases should be treated with an effective anti-malaria medicine with the guidelines and protocols, Dr Charity stated.

She urged all to endeavor to use a combination of the available interventions at any point in time to stay on track for elimination.

Dr Maame Yaa Nhyira Essel, the Municipal Director of Health Services, Ga North, appealed to the public to cooperate with health officials to make the policy implementation easier.

Dr Essel mentioned that pregnancies were likely to have more severe complications resulting from malaria and advised pregnant women take their SP to reduce the risk of malaria in pregnancy.

Nii Kortey Boye II, Ofankor Mantse, expressed gratitude to the health officials for bringing the health screening exercise to their door steps and admonished the people to adhere to malaria education given to reduce the number of cases in the community.

He advised the people to report to health facilities early for testing when they have symptoms of malaria to commence early treatment.

GNA
In March, 2019, the Government of Ghana under the leadership of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR) with support from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), launched the Establishment of Child Labour Free Zones (CLFZs) Protocols and Guidelines as part of recommendation in the National Plan of Action Phase 11 towards achieving Target 8.7 of the Global Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs), to reduce Child Labour to the barest minimum by 2025.

After the launch, the National Steering Committee on Child Labour (NSCCL) commissioned a Technical Working Group (TWG) to draft, design and develop assessment tools and relevant documents for the implementation of the CLFZ process.

Series of technical workshops were organised for the TWG, however, the one organised between 9th February and 11th February, 2022 at the Timber and Wood Workers Centre, Kumasi led to finalisation of the assessments tools and relevant documents for the implementation of the CLFZ.

As part of efforts to operationalise the CLFZ process, the JICA Study Team together with ministry representatives and the Child Labour Unit staff agreed to commence the piloting of the protocols and guidelines to prove its efficiency and effectiveness.

In line with the move, the JICA Study Team from February, 2021 up to date, April 2022, has embarked on a study to test the protocols and guidelines developed by the country towards the implementation of the CLFZ. Typically, the essence was to test the indicators in the protocols and guidelines and to see how realistic and feasible the findings will be to measure up to standard.

The indicators for the study were as follows: regular awareness raising activities on Child Labour in the community at least one in a quarter, formulation of community regulation on Child protection including child labour, establishing community register in the community and continuous update at least a quarter, setting up of CCPC in the community with regular monthly meetings and school workplace monitoring with report, training and or technical supports for CCPC members, formulation of CAP contributing to the eliminate child labour and or protection of childrens rights, community accessible to referral, provision of remediation package and conducive technical and learning environment.

Several other activities undertaken during the period also included training of data collators and conduct of assessment, actual assessment procedures, main assessment (sampling, data collectors, data analysis, report writing and finalisation of assessment book. In addition was the actual assessment procedures, grading and scoring, preparation for conduct of data collection for the assessment, selection of the community and finalisation of assessments tools (questionnaires).

Consequent to limited time and financial constraints, JICA limited its study to 2 communities each in AMBA and BABMA. These are areas where the project has interventions, namely Atwima Mponua District Assembly (AMBA) and Bibiani Anhwiaso Berkwai (BABMA).

Accordingly, out of over 500 communities in AMBA, the study chanced on 110 Epic Centres and limited the study to only 11 communities for close marking because they met the criteria under which there were selected. Also out of the 11 communities, only 2 communities namely Nsuoatem  Agennia and Pataboaso were selected for the pilot activities and sharing of experiences. In the case of BAMBA, 84 communities were identified, where the study was limited to 10 communities and further zeroed on to 2 communities only for experience sharing. The 2 communities in BABMA were Botorampa at Agogo and Atuntuma at Adobewura .

Following the findings and results from the study, and in order to promote and facilitate the implementation of CLFZ in Ghana as possible, the MELR in collaboration with JICA organised a two day experience sharing workshop for regional, Municipal Metropolitan, and District Assemblies (MMDA) stakeholders on the testing of Child Labour Free Zone (CLFZ) in Ghana.

The workshops, held on Thursday, 21st April at the Methodist Church and Friday, 22nd April, 2022 at the Catholic Church in Atwima Mponua District Assembly (AMBA) and Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai Municipality Assembly (BABMA) respectively in the Ashanti Region, was aimed among others to share the findings from the pilot activities at the MMDA, communities as well as district levels and further to share the result of the testing of the assessment and to discuss the way forward.

In her presentation, the JICA representative, Madam Akane Totani indicated that the pilot activities at the MMDA Level was intended to help the participants understand the current situation of the system which is required to be functioning and identify bottleneck against the smooth implementation of CLFZ, and also to provide technical inputs for the line agencies to conduct pilot activities at community level.

The Second presenter of JICA, Madam Yuki Akahori also revealed the pilot activities at the regional and district levels were aimed at raising awareness on compilation of community registers, enactment of Community Regulations, Referral systems and functionality of Child Community Protection Committee (CCPC) and Remediation Packages.

Additionally, it was geared at educating stakeholders on the understanding of Child Labour and how to eliminate it, strengthening community structures like Child Community Protection Committee (CCPC), School Monitoring Committee (SMC) and Parents Teacher Associations (PTA). Others were to ensure regular monitoring and community surveillance, school monitoring and workplace monitoring, adherence to designed Community Action Plans (CAP), improvement in referral systems and supporting access to remediation packages among others.

Again, the awareness was further to take way the misconception and myths that Child Labour is a way of collapsing the farming activities of their ancestors, that child labour is not occultism but backed by the Law and thereby draw the attention of the communities on how the Government through an integrated Area based approach is trying to collaborate with stakeholders at the local and district levels to help handle issues of Child Labour holistically.

The two Municipalities represented by regional and district line agencies also presented for and on behalf of the municipality, while field consultants from JICA Study team also presented their findings, results and recommendations for the way forward.

According to findings at the community and district levels, community surveillance, school monitoring and workplace monitoring revealed that out of 110 communities, 23 cases were found to be in child labour, between October and November, 2021, representing 2%, while 87 cases representing 7% were at risk. In terms of those compelled to go to school through the counselling of CCPC, 62 cases representing 56% were reported and those who promised to back to school and enrol stood at 5 cases, representing 4%.

The report said after the study that about 202 pupils have returned to school within the AMBA district as well as the BABMA District with 155 returned to school. It was also realised that several changes have taken place in the communities. Some of the changes are there is currently the formulation of CCPCs and reactivation of defunct ones, community regulation has been formulated, school enrolments has increased tremendously as a result of monitoring community register, improvement in the referral systems by line agencies, communal labour revived, supporting access to remediation packages identified , among others.

However, at the MMDA level, the under listed were found such as: coordination among relevant line agencies and with development partners highly recommendable. Also, District Assembly is highly expected to issue district bylaws and allocate necessary resources especially for operating referral system properly, and there was no regular meeting called to share information and discussion among line agencies. Further, although several stakeholders are supporting communities in AMDA, information is not well shared with district officials and approaches and tools were not well standardized as well as continuous monitoring and technical support for CCPCs are required.

On the whole, while JICA conducted the study to assess its preparedness to declare its intervention areas as CLFZ, the ministry looks forward to using the findings to determine its preparedness as a nation going forward to expand to other areas thereby leading to the achievement of target 8.7.

On Tuesday, April 26th and Wednesday, 27th April, 2022 a national workshop on same sharing experiences on the piloted study will be held at the Coconut Groove Hotel in Accra.

The writer is the Head of the Public Affairs Unit of the MELR & staff of ISD.
The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) has kicked off a five-day training on Leadership & Governance under its Tobacco Control Programme in Accra.

The training which is Phase II of the Tobacco Control Programme aims to provide targeted support to existing partners in areas of Monitoring & Evaluation, Financial Management, Leadership, Governance, and Resource Mobilization, so as to address human and institutional capacity gaps.

This phase of the training funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation covers 10 beneficiary countries: Benin, Botswana, Cote dIvoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Kenya, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal and 4 additional countries where the investment has been conducted, namely Zimbabwe (ACBF), Uganda (CTCA), South Africa (UCT and SMU) and Togo (ATCA).

Giving his opening remarks at the start of the training on Monday, April 25, 2022, ACBF Regional Director and Director of Programmes, Prof. Sylvain Boko underscored the importance of the training.

Referencing data from the World Health Organisation (WHO), he lamented how 13 million women use tobacco products in Africa with 13% of them being young adult girls.

Disclosing how about 22,000 women die yearly from tobacco use on the continent, Prof. Sylvain Boko stressed that this weeks training is very necessary.

This training is not in a vacuum. This training which is bringing institutions put together by the ACBF is seeking to strengthen the governance and leadership skills of all of you so that you may play the role of fighting tobacco use in Africa even better, he emphasised while adding We [the ACBF] will continue to invest in capacity building Programme both in Ghana and all over the country, especially our member states.

Prof. Sylvain Boko

Prof. Sylvain Boko in a charge called on participants to take advantage of the training so it reaches its intended purpose to help fight the growing use of tobacco on the continent,

We are all excited about this training and look forward to a successful programme over the next five days. I strongly encourage you all to become actively engaged in the various sessions as we have among the participants a vast knowledge that I sincerely hope will enrich discussions to the benefit of all of us. I sincerely hope we will take advantage of this opportunity, Prof. Sylvain Boko told participants on the opening day of the training.

Representing the Finance Minister, Mr Emmanuel Fordjour who is the Chief Economist at the Ministry raised concern over the growing use of tobacco products not only in Ghana but on the continent.

He said despite regulations and efforts of those in authority, tobacco use has come under serious threat from the use of social media.

Mr. Emmanuel Fordjour

He condemned celebrities that use social media to influence their large following to use tobacco while calling on law enforcement agencies to go after such celebrities.

Mr Emmanuel Fordjour while commending the ACBF for putting together the training, added that he has no doubt it will help in the fight against the crazy use of tobacco and its products.

I have no doubt that this workshop will come up with a roadmap that will enable us as a continent to be a step ahead of the negative thread of tobacco advertising on social media...This calls for collaboration and experience sharing, such as you will engage in during this workshop...I look forward to reading the report of the training and more importantly, strategies on how you intend to apply the tools that would be learned in the coming days.

On behalf of the Minister of Finance I wish you a fruitful workshop, Mr Emmanuel Fordjour said in his remarks.

Over the years, more than 700 million has been invested and robustly managed by the African Capacity Building Foundation to build capacities across Africa.

For over 2 decades, ACBF has supported Africa to strengthen a public policy and bolster parliaments action for development, improve regional trade, produce highly-skilled economists and public sector managers, set up over 40 impact-making think tanks, and much more.

This weeks training workshop is taking place from today to Friday, April 29, 2022, at the ACBF West and Central Regional Office in Accra, Ghana.

The 2022 Annual Training Workshop specifically aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of sub-grantees on leadership and governance.
April 25, 2022 Ukraine - Railway Hits, U.S. War Aims, Ops Report Updated below at 17:45 UTC Last Thursday the first destruction of bridges along Ukrainian railway routes in eastern Ukraine took place. These were important for Ukraine's war effort and especially for the resupplies flowing from west towards the eastern front: The Ukrainian military, like Russia's, depends on railways for all long distance mass supplies as both have relatively few logistic trucks. The U.S. and others have said they would give the Ukraine dozens of 155mm towed artillery guns plus tens of thousands of shells with them. The U.S. guns come with one truck each to tow the gun. That is all manageable so far but now let's look at the logistics (especially without railways). ... I have estimated that the Ukraine does not have enough trucks to replace railway logistics and those logistics are now falling apart: The Eurasianist @Russ_Warrior - 10:09 UTC  Apr 25, 2022 The Russian Armed Forces hit 7 substations in western #Ukraine:

_ Zdolbunov (trains stopped in Dubno area, delay of the trains to Kovel), _ Kazatin-2, _ Krasnoye, _ Podolskaya, _ Sknilov, _ Slavuta (decommissioning of the entire area of Zdolbunov and Slavuta stations), _ Fastov

bigger The attacks have been confirmed: Christopher Miller @ChristopherJM - 12:07 UTC  Apr 25, 2022 Ukraine state railway head Oleksandr Kamyshin on Telegram: Russian troops continue to systematically destroy railway infrastructure. This morning, within an hour, 5 railway stations in central and western Ukraine came under fire. 19 trains delayed; unknown number of injuries. The 'substations' Russia destroyed are the electric ones which supply the electrified long range train routes. Woofers @NotWoofers - 12:02 UTC  Apr 25, 2022 Electrical substation in Krasne, near Lviv was hit by a Russian missile earlier today. Much damage was caused and a large fire was started.

Picture The substations transform higher voltage to whatever the rail network needs. Without the substations, which are not easy to replace, most of Ukraine's locomotives will not run. Some traffic will continue by using diesel locomotives. However, those are relatively rare as the Wikipedia entry for Ukrainian railways explains: Number of locomotives  1,944 (electric - 1,627, diesel - 301) Diesel locomotives are slower than electrified ones. They also need a lot of diesel which has become rare in Ukraine and must be imported by rail(!) from Slovenia. Supplying additional diesel locomotives from other countries in eastern Europe will not be possible. The Ukraine has, like Russia, wide gauge tracks of 1,524 mm (5 ft). Most other European countries use a normal gauge of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in). Meanwhile the U.S. announced a vague new aim for its proxy war against Russia: Austin was in Poland, answering questions from reporters after a brief trip Sunday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Kyiv, where the pair met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials. The defense secretary was asked how he defined Americas goals for success in Ukraine. He first said Washington wants to see Ukraine remain a sovereign country, a democratic country, able to protect its sovereign territory. Then, he said, the United States hopes Russia will be weakened by the war. It has already lost a lot of military capability and a lot of its troops, quite frankly, and we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability, Austin said.

...

Speaking in a hangar in Poland filled with crates of humanitarian aid, including diapers, destined for Ukraine, the top Biden administration officials announced more than $700 million in new military aid to Ukraine and other countries, and said the United States intends to resume diplomatic operations in Ukraine this week. All the diapers, weapons and munitions the U.S. and other countries supply to Ukraine will now mostly be stuck in west Ukraine where they will rot until some clever Ukrainian oligarch manages to sell them off to some third country. The fall out from the railway attacks will also hit civilian supplies in Ukraine. It will hinder civilian passenger traffic especially for people who have fled towards the west and now have less transport available to return home. Since the war started Russia has intentionally avoided to hit civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Electricity and communication networks as well as water supplies have all stayed intact. (In recent U.S. wars those were the first things it destroyed.) The attacks on the Ukrainian railway became only necessary after the U.S. and others provided more and more war materials to the Ukraine. Russia will not allow its troops to come under fire from those newly delivered weapons. Despite warnings from Russia to Ukraine to not attack on Russian ground Ukrainian sabotage groups seem to have some success with destroying Russian infrastructure: IWN @A7_Mirza - 14:22 UTC  Apr 25, 2022 #Russia #Ukraine

Large fire in #Druzhba oil depot in Russia's #Bryansk. Russia said it would investigate the cause of a large fire that erupted in the early hours of the morning at an oil storage facility in the city of Bryansk 154 km northeast of the border with Ukraine.

Pictures This is the second large oil storage facility that in recent weeks suffered from such an accident or potential attack. However it is unlikely that this will hinder any Russian operation. Unlike Ukraine Russia has many refineries, very significant reserves and it can move large amounts of diesel by train throughout its country. Next to its attacks on the Ukraine's traffic infrastructure to impede 'western' resupplies the Russian military continues to soften up the Ukrainian defense lines along the Donbas front. From this mornings 'clobber list' as published by the Russian Defense Ministry: High-precision sea- and air-based long-range weapons on the northern outskirts of Kremenchuk destroyed fuel production facilities of an oil refinery, as well as storage facilities for oil products to supply military equipment of Ukrainian troops. During the night, 6 enemy assets were hit by high-precision air-based missiles. Among them: 3 strong points and areas of concentration of manpower and military equipment, as well as 3 ammunition depots in Barvenkovo and Novaya Dmitrovka in Kharkov Region. Operational-tactical and army aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces hit 56 military assets of Ukraine. Among them: 2 command posts and 53 areas of manpower and military equipment concentration, as well as 1 fuel storage facility near Novaya Dmitrovka.

...

Missile troops carried out 19 strikes during the night. Destroyed: 4 command posts of the nationalists, including the 81st Separate Airborne Assault Brigade and the 110th Territorial Defence Brigade, and three ammunition depots. 21 areas of Ukrainian manpower and military equipment concentration were hit.

...

Artillery units carried out 967 fire missions during the day. Destroyed: 33 command posts, 929 strong points, areas of manpower and military equipment concentration, as well as 5 missile and artillery weapons and ammunition depots. Russian air defence means shot down 13 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles near Mezhurino, Balakleya, Borodoyarkoe, Nevskoe in Kharkov Region and Vysokoe and Chernobaevka in Kherson Region. In addition, Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and cannon system shot down 1 Ukrainian Tochka-U missile and 18 rockets of a multiple-launch rocket system over Chernobaeka. Since phase two of the war started last week there have been no larger battles. What we have seen so far from the Russian side does not amount to more than armored reconnaissance. The nearly 1,000 artillery missions in the last 24 hours and on the days before speak of intense preparations for upcoming attacks by Russian mechanized forces. Over all artillery will do the most damage to the Ukrainian troops. In World War II and other modern mechanized wars some 65% of all casualties were caused by artillery strikes. The recent rate on the Ukrainian side will likely be higher. I have said several weeks ago that the Ukraine has not chance to win in this war. It is losing more and more people and its economy has nearly ceased to exist. But the U.S. wants to 'weaken' Russia by fighting it to the last Ukrainian. Ukraine's president Zelensky is obviously willing to go with that program. He should instead agree to Russia's reasonable peace conditions. He is destroying the Ukraine by not doing that. Update 17:45 UTC A Politico piece about the situation in Ukraine confirms my above take: Heavy weaponry pours into Ukraine as commanders become more desperate Western countries are rushing heavy weaponry to Ukraine as the war enters what promises to be a deadly, and potentially protracted, new phase. Those deliveries are coming amid increasingly desperate pleas from Ukrainian battlefield commanders as they endure withering Russian artillery and rocket fire that could last weeks or months. Here is a realistic view of how the war feels on the ground: Eighty miles north of [Mariupol], First Lt. Ivan Skuratovsky, serving in the 25th Airborne Brigade, told POLITICO that help needs to come immediately. The situation is very bad, [Russian forces] are using scorched- earth tactics, the 31-year-old married father of two said via text. They simply destroy everything with artillery, shelling day and night, he said via text. He fears that if reinforcements in the form of manpower and heavy weaponry  particularly air support  dont arrive in the next few days, his troops could find themselves in the same position as those in Mariupol. Skuratovsky described his soldiers situation as very desperate. I dont know how much strength we will have, he said, adding that the troops under his command around the city of Avdiivka, near Donetsk, have gone without rest since the start of the war. At least 13 of them have been wounded in recent weeks, he said, and they are running dangerously low on ammunition, reduced to rationing bullets. The day before, he told POLITICO his soldiers were being bombarded with Russian howitzers, mortars and multiple-launch rocket systems at the same time. Just hours earlier, he said, they had been attacked by two Su-25 warplanes, and our day became hell. Skuratovsky had a message for the United States and other NATO countries: I would like to tell them that grenade launchers are good, but against airstrikes and heavy artillery we will not be able to hold out for long. People can no longer endure daily bombardments. We need air support now. We need drones. I feel bvery sorry for these soldiers and curse their leaders who pushed them into this. Alastair Crooke warns that the 'west' might escalate when it finally recognizes that its proxy war against Russia is lost. The conviction that the European liberal vision faces humiliation and disdain, were Putin to win, has taken hold. And in the Obama-Clinton-Deep State nexus, it is unimaginable that Putin and Russia still regarded as the author of Russiagate for many Americans, might prevail. The logic to this conundrum is inexorable  Escalation. For Biden, whose approval ratings continue to tank, disaster looms in the November mid-terms.

...

The only possible path out from this approaching cataclysm would be for Biden to pull a rabbit from the Ukraine hat (one that, at the very least, would distract from soaring inflation). The Neo-cons and the Deep State (but not the Pentagon) are all for it. ... I hope that Biden is still competent enough to recognize that any escalation will lead to a much larger war and, in the end, to a much bigger defeat of 'western' forces than the one that will come in Ukraine. Posted by b on April 25, 2022 at 15:28 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
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Pilot projects testing continuous monitoring for emissions are ongoing throughout the Permian Basin as operators work to capture emissions and improve their environmental footprint.

Canadian company Qube Technologies has recently announced a commitment with TRP Energy to deploy emissions monitoring technology at all 25 of TRPs facilities in the Midland Basin. The company also announced in early April an agreement with ConocoPhillips to pilot Qubes emissions monitoring technology at its facilities across the Lower 48 states, including the Permian Basin. It is part of ConocoPhillips climate risk strategy.

ConocoPhillips has been a pioneer of continuous monitoring, said Eric Wen, Qubes chief operating officer.

Qubes technology was born from co-founder Tej Gewals immigrant roots, according to Wen. He explained that the familys house backed onto an abandoned well and the founder, a student at the time, developed a sensor to monitor air from the well and included an alarm to warn his grandparents if it wasnt safe to enter their home.

The idea was presented to several schools, and the company founders received seed funding to develop the technology.

We realized methane is a global issue, said Wen of the company, which has grown to include offices in Calgary as well as Houston and has sensors deployed around the world.

Its sensors are placed around the site and measure gas concentrations and other environmental factors and calculate where the emissions are coming from, Wen said, while advanced algorithms help locate the biggest emissions sources and prioritize alerts.

We find most producers want to do the right thing, said Alex MacGregor, Qube co-founder and chief executive officer. He said the companys technology lets clients take a more proactive approach as well as giving them what he called contextual data. Having that historical data creates an emissions profile, lets the producer take a proactive approach and keep track of performance improvements, he said.

Wen added that it also lets producers be more efficient in repairing leaks.

If you have 10 sites and theyre all leaking a little bit, the regulations say if you find a leak you have to fix it. Operators are spending a lot of money and time to find and fix leaks, Wen said. If 90 percent of the emissions are coming from a small number of sites, you can fix the biggest source.

The companys strategy is to provide low-cost monitoring that is accurate and reliable, he said. He acknowledged there are other continuous monitoring systems with more resolution, but they are more expensive. You dont need to know parts per billion when parts per million gives you a good idea of where the emissions are.

Both Wen and MacGregor worked as petroleum engineers, which is why Qube targets the oil and gas industry, where there are a lot of emissions. A majority of its sensors are deployed in the Permian Basin, MacGregor said.

Operators fixing leaks is not just an environmental benefit but every Mcf thats not emitted is an Mcf they can sell, Wen said. Theyre burning money by not fixing leaks.

He continued, Were seeing a big shift, as Alex mentioned, in the industry realizing this has not just an environmental impact but theres also a lot of value being left on the table.

Continuous monitoring to reduce emissions is gaining traction globally, Wen said, citing interest from the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Australia.

The company is also expanding beyond oil and gas to landfills, Wen noted.
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TOKYO (AP)  Rescuers searching since a tour boat carrying 26 people sank off far northeastern Japan have found the body of an 11th victim  a child  as questions intensified about why the vessel sailed in rough weather at a known hazardous location.

The child was found late Sunday and later confirmed dead, the Coast Guard said Monday. The bodies of seven men and three women were recovered earlier Sunday.

The Kazu 1 with two crew was taking 24 passengers, including two children, on a scenic tour at Shiretoko National Park on the northern side of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island, when it sent a distress call Saturday afternoon saying it was sinking from its bow.

The location was near Kashuni Waterfall, which is known as a difficult place to maneuver boats because of its rocky coastline and strong tide.

The Transport Ministry is investigating the boat's operator, Shiretoko Pleasure Cruise, which had two accidents last year, including one that also involved the captain of the sunken boat. The ministry said it was looking into safety standards and the decision to conduct the tour despite rough weather on Saturday.

The Coast Guard said it is prioritizing the search and rescue of those still missing, while gathering evidence toward making a criminal case on suspicion of professional negligence.

Shiretoko Pleasure Cruise had been instructed to improve its safety following the earlier accidents. In June, a boat ran aground without causing injuries, and in May, a boat collided with an object, causing three passengers to suffer minor injuries. The June accident involved the same captain of the sunken boat. The June case has been pending at local prosecutors for further criminal investigation, the Coast Guard said.

We will thoroughly investigate what caused this situation and what kind of safety oversight was involved to allow the tour in order to prevent another accident, Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito, who visited the area Sunday, told reporters.

Shiretoko Pleasure Cruise says its three-hour tour offers views of the western coast of the Shiretoko Peninsula and a chance to see whales, dolphins and brown bears. The national park is a UNESCO World Heritage site known as the southernmost region to see drifting sea ice.

So far, company officials have not appeared publicly to explain the accident. The tour company declined to comment over the weekend, and phone calls Monday by The Associated Press to its office went unanswered. Shari town, where the boat operator is based, says company officials are meeting with the passengers' families at a facility in town.

The father of one of the passengers told NTV television that his son was supposed to propose his girlfriend on the boat as a surprise. The father said the accident is too painful and he has trouble forgiving the operator for taking away a young life. Reports also said the child found Sunday was a 3-year-old girl whose parents were still missing.

Average April sea temperatures in the area are just above freezing. Experts say the low temperature and strong wind make the chances of survival low.

The bodies recovered Sunday were found in the same area near the tip of the peninsula, about 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) north from where the boat sent a distress call. Some were plucked from the sea, and others were found where they had washed onto the rocky coast.

Orange, square lifesaving floats with the boats name on them were also found on the rocks, the coast guard said. The coast guard said the operator told them that everyone on the boat was wearing a life vest but some of the victims found were without them.

Experts and local fishermen and boat operators also say they believe the boat was likely to have run aground after it was tossed around in high waves and damaged.

High waves and strong winds were forecast when the boat left port, and Japanese media said fishing boats had returned to port before noon Saturday because of the bad weather.

Local fisheries cooperative head Kazuhiko Fukayama told NHK television that it was unthinkable for the tour to have gone ahead in weather that was so rough passengers would have found it difficult just to stand still.

A tour boat crew belonging to another operator told NHK that he warned the Kazu 1 crew of rough seas and told them not to go. He also said the same boat ran aground last year and suffered a crack on its bow.

Accounts of local fishermen and tour boat operators suggest Kazu 1 was the only boat in the area, where no other boat was around to help the sinking boat until the first Coast Guard rescuers arrived at the scene from elsewhere on Hokkaido three hours later.

Saturdays tour was reportedly the first by the operator this season, and the accident just before Japans Golden Week holidays starting late April could dampen local tourism, which slumped during the pandemic. Japan is still largely closed to foreign visitors.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara told reporters Monday that the government has instructed sightseeing tour operators nationwide to conduct emergency inspections of their boats to ensure their safe operation.
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NEAR THE POLISH-UKRAINIAN BORDER  The United States is giving new military assistance to Ukraine and renewing a diplomatic push in the war-ravaged nation as President Joe Bidens secretary of state and Pentagon chief complete a secretive trip to Kyiv.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin informed Ukraines president of a more than $300 million package of foreign military financing and a $165 million sale of ammunition.

They also said President Joe Biden would announce his pick for a U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and that American diplomats who left ahead of Russias invasion in February would start returning to the country this coming week.

Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelenskyy said he planned to meet with the U.S. officials in Kyiv on Sunday, but the Biden administration refused to confirm that or discuss any details of a possible visit.

It was the highest-level American visit to the capital since Russia invaded in late February.

Austin and Blinken announced a total of $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries. Some $322 million is earmarked for Kyiv.

Officials say the remainder will be split among NATO members and other nations that have provided Ukraine with critical military supplies since the war with Russia began.

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LVIV, Ukraine __ A fire has erupted at a Russian oil depot near the border with Ukraine.

The Tass news agency reported the fire early Monday in Bryansk. The Russian report said oil storage tanks at the facility caught fire around 2 a.m. local time.

NASA satellites that track fires show a burning fire at coordinates that correspond to a Rosneft facility some 110 kilometers (70 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.

Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the head of Ukraines Ministry of Internal Affairs, was cited by the Ukrainian news agency Unian as saying that people who live near the burning oil depot were being evacuated.

Moscow previously has blamed Ukraine for attacks on the Russian region of Bryansk, which borders Ukraine.

Ukraines top security officials have denied that Kyiv was behind an earlier airstrike on an oil depot in the Russian city of Belgorod, about 60 kilometers (35 miles) from the border.

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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 Civilians in Mariupol steelworks beg for aid in newly released video

 Ukraine official: Zelenskyy meets top-level US delegation

 Ukrainians mark Orthodox Easter with prayers for those trapped

 Far from home, Ukrainian refugees pray at Easter for peace

 Ukrainian village faces a churchless Easter

 Sanctions hit Russian economy, though Putin says otherwise

 Follow all AP stories on Russia's war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

MARIUPOL, Ukraine  A newly released video shows Ukrainian children in an underground bunker receiving Easter presents.

The video was released Sunday by the far-right Azov Battalion, which is among Ukrainian forces at the Azovstal steelworks where soldiers and civilians have been holed up under a Russian attack.

The groups deputy commander, Sviatoslav Palamar, says the video was shot Sunday at the plant.

One toddler is seen wearing homemade diapers made of cellophane. People are hanging laundry on makeshift hangers.

One of the women in the video begs for help from world leaders and says she and others stuck under the plant are tired of the bombing and are desperate for their freedom.

We want to live in our city, in our country. We are tired of these bombings, constant airstrikes on our land. How much longer will this continue? she says through tears.

The children are constantly crying here -- they want to play and live, she adds. Stop this aggression. I ask everyone, help please, free us!

Another woman says there are 600 civilians sheltering under the plant, without food and water.

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KYIV, Ukraine  An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the U.S. secretaries of state and defense are meeting with the Ukrainian leader in the highest-level visit to Kyiv by an American delegation since the start of Russias invasion.

The adviser, Oleksiy Arestovych, said in an interview on Ukrainian TV late Sunday that the talks are going on right now.

Zelenskyys meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin comes as Ukraine presses the West for more powerful weapons in its fight against the Russian invasion, which began 60 days ago.

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SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates  Hundreds of Russians and Ukrainians crowded into the only Russian Orthodox Church on the Arabian Peninsula on Sunday to celebrate Easter  far from home and in the shadow of a war that has brought devastation to Ukraine and international isolation to Moscow.

Although the two nationalities, united in language and history, typically celebrate Easter in harmony in this corner of the world where theyve forged new lives as expats, this year there was unspoken tension.

I dont have any problems with Russians as people, said Sergei, a Ukrainian businessman from Kyiv and Dubai resident of five years, who like others interviewed declined to give his last name for privacy reasons. But war changes people. Children are dying. The Russians now hate my country.

A few Russians interviewed said they did not support the war and felt sick or guilty about it. But to avoid any confrontation in the pews, they stuck to small talk with Ukrainians about the festivities and warming weather, they said.

Ordinary Russians say Dubai has become an increasingly rare haven as anti-Russian hostility escalates around the world over the grinding war, which has rocked the stability of Europe, sent oil prices soaring and triggered the continents worst refugee crisis since World War II.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has discussed the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol in a call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Zelenskyy said on Twitter that he stressed the need for immediate evacuation of civilians from Mariupol, including Azovstal, and immediate exchange of blocked troops in Sundays call with Erdogan. He noted that the call came before Erdogans planned conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine has urged Russia to allow the evacuation of civilians holed up at the giant Azovstal steel plant, the last remaining Ukrainian pocket of resistance in the strategic Sea of Azov port. It also has pushed Russia to conduct talks on a safe exit for the Ukrainian defenders of the plant, but Moscow has stonewalled the demands.

Zelenskyy said he and Erdogan also discussed the course of the negotiation process and possible security guarantees for Ukraine from Turkey and other nations.

Erdogans office said he told Zelenskyy in their call that Turkey is ready to mediate and assist in talks between Ukraine and Russia.

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VATICAN CITY  Pope Francis has renewed his call for an Easter truce as Orthodox Christians celebrated Easter Sunday, when the faithful mark the resurrection of Jesus.

Without naming countries, Francis urged aggressors to stop the attack to help the suffering of the exhausted people.

Francis told a crowd gathered in St. Peters Square that two months had passed since Russias invasion of Ukraine and said that instead of stopping, the war got worse. It is sad that in these days that are the holiest and most solemn for all Christians, the deadly clamor of arms is louder than the sound of bells announcing the Resurrection.

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BERLIN  Switzerland has rejected two requests by Germany to export Swiss ammunition to Ukraine, citing the Alpine nations strict neutrality.

The decision was first reported Sunday by Swiss weekly Sonntagszeitung.

Switzerlands State Secretariat for Economic Affairs confirmed that both requests from Germany, whether the ammunition received from Switzerland can be passed on to Ukraine, were answered negatively with a reference to Swiss neutrality.

Germany needs Switzerlands consent for the arms delivery as part of the original sale contract. The Swiss office declined to specify what type of ammunition Germany had sought to export to Ukraine.

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MOSCOW  The Russian military says it has struck a Ukrainian explosives factory, several artillery depots and hundreds of other targets.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Sunday that the Russian military used precision-guided missiles to destroy a factory making powder and explosives near Pavlohrad in the Dnipro region in central Ukraine.

Konashenkov said Russian forces also struck several depots with artillery munitions and rockets in Barvinkove, Nova Dmytrivka, Ivanivka, Husarivka and Velyka Komyshuvakha in the Kharkiv region.

He added that the Russian artillery hit 423 Ukrainian targets overnight, including fortified positions and troops concentrations, while Russian warplanes destroyed 26 Ukrainian military targets.

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ISTANBUL -- The spiritual leader of the worlds Orthodox Christians has called for the opening of humanitarian corridors in Ukraine, saying a human tragedy was unfolding in the country.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I spoke Saturday night in Istanbul during midnight mass marking the resurrection of Jesus Christ ahead of Orthodox Easter Sunday.

Let us ask the Risen Redeemer that this year, (Easter) will be the impetus to open humanitarian corridors, safe passages to truly safe areas for the thousands of people surrounded in Mariupol, civilians, among them the wounded, the elderly, women and many children, Bartholomew said. The same applies to all other regions of Ukraine, where an indescribable human tragedy is unfolding.

Istanbul-based Bartholomew is considered first among equals among Eastern Orthodox patriarchs, which gives him prominence but not the power of a Catholic pope.

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BERLIN  The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe says it is extremely concerned about the detention of several Ukrainian members of its monitoring mission in the east of the country.

The Vienna-based body said in a brief statement Sunday that it is using all available channels to facilitate their release. A spokesperson declined to specify how many national mission members were detained, when or by whom.

Several OSCE observers have been killed or injured since the bodys 57 participating states established a mission to monitor the conflict in eastern Ukraine eight years ago. Russia recently vetoed an extension of the mission.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken of hope and victory for his nation during an Easter Sunday address.

Speaking from the ancient St. Sophia cathedral, Zelenskyy said that the great holiday today gives us great hope and unwavering faith that light will overcome darkness, good will overcome evil, life will overcome death, and therefore Ukraine will surely win!

He said that the Lord and the holy heavenly light are on our side, adding: We are going through very difficult ordeals. Let us reach a just end on this path  the beginning of a happy life and prosperity of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said that on Easter, we ask God for great grace to make our dream come true - this is another great day -- the day when great peace will come to Ukraine.

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KYIV, Ukraine  A Ukrainian presidential adviser has urged Russia to allow civilians to leave a steel mill in Mariupol besieged by the Russian forces.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, appealed to Russia to announce a truce in Mariupol on Orthodox Easter Sunday and immediately open a humanitarian corridor for civilians holed up at the giant Azovstal steel plant. He also challenged Russia to conduct a round of talks to negotiate an exit for the Ukrainian defenders of the plant.

Podolyak tweeted that the Russian military is attacking the plant with heavy bombs and artillery barrage and is accumulating forces and equipment for an assault.

Sviatoslav Palamar, an officer with the Azov Regiment defending the plant, said in a video that on Eastern Sunday the Russians are continuing to shower the plant with bombs and shell it with heavy artillery.

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KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian military says Russian forces have continued to press their attacks in the east.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said Sunday that the Russians fired on Ukrainian positions along the entire line of contact on the wars 60th day. It also said the Russian military intensified its offensive and assault operations in the Siverodonetsk, Kurakhiv and Popasna directions.

A regional official in eastern Ukraine says at least eight people have been killed by the Russian shelling.

Luhansk regional Governor Serhiy Haidai said Sunday that two others were wounded by the Russian barrage in the past 24 hours.

The General Staff added that Russian forces have also continued to pummel the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, hitting it with air strikes, including by long-range aircraft.

The shelling comes as the Russians are pressing their offensive in a bid to gain full control over Ukraines eastern industrial heartland called Donbas.

The Russians have also shelled the Dnipro region west of Donbas, where at least one person was killed by a Russian missile, according to Dnipro regional Governor Valentyn Reznichenko.

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KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian military said Saturday it destroyed a Russian command post in Kherson, a southern city that fell to Russian forces early in the war.

The Ukrainian military intelligence agency posted a statement saying the command post was hit on Friday and two generals were killed and one was critically wounded.

Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said in an online interview that 50 senior Russian officers were in the command center when it came under attack. He said their fate was unknown.

The Russian military did not comment on the claim, which could not be confirmed.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said new evidence is emerging that shows Russian troops killed tens of thousands of civilians in Mariupol and then tried to cover it up. He said Ukraine has intercepted Russian conversations about how they are concealing the traces of their crimes. Satellite images have shown what appear to be mass graves dug in towns to the west and east of Mariupol.

Zelenskyy said the Russians set up filtration camps near Mariupol for those trying to leave the city, which has largely been reduced to rubble. He said those who survive these camps are sent to areas under Russian occupation or to Russia itself, often as far as Siberia or the Far East. Many of them, he said, are children.

He said he spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday about the situation in Mariupol and the general course of the war.

Zelenskyy promised to find and punish those responsible for the missile attack on Odesa, which he said killed eight people and wounded 18.

Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians to observe a curfew and not attend Orthodox Easter services overnight. The lengthy services traditionally begin late Saturday and run through Sunday morning. But starting from 5 a.m. you may go to the church in your city, town or community, he said.
MC program provided chance for second career

I am sad to learn of the planned future closure of the Aviation Maintenance program of Midland College. I graduated from the program in May 2019, and my A&P License has been the key to an exciting second career. I hope that this decision will be reconsidered and reversed to allow the program to continue. My first career brought me to West Texas in 1998, moving from Houston. I was a board-certified orthodontist; my staff and I were privileged to provide many patients with beautiful smiles for 21 years until I retired in 2019.

My interest in aviation began when I earned my private pilot license, while I was in the Army. When my wife and I moved to Midland, we bought a home that was very close to Midland Airpark. I began working on my instrument rating and completed that upgrade in 2001. My IFR instructor invited me to join him in a partnership to purchase a Cessna 182 RG. During the next 15 years, my love for flying really grew, and I began to wish I knew more about our plane. I was wanting to become an A&P Mechanic. That opportunity became a reality for me when I enrolled in the program in August 2017.

Two years, later, I completed the program and received my A&P License along with an Associate of Applied Science degree. I retired from orthodontics the same month that I graduated from the Midland College Aviation Maintenance program. There are not many people my age who return to college, full time, but I am so thankful that I chose that path and that I could complete the A&P program while living at home.

Instead of closing the Aviation Maintenance program at Midland International Airport, I would recommend that Midland College and the city of Midland pursue companies like Beechcraft, Mooney, Cessna, Lear, Lycoming or Continental to bring an aviation manufacturing component to the Permian Basin.

David Turner

Dropping maintenance program will be blow to young people

In year past, Midland lost the Vet Tech Program and the Pilot Training Program. That was a loss of money to the people of Midland, especially the young people that had to leave home to go to another school.

Now, Midland will be losing the Aviation Maintenance Technology course. Midland will end up losing money over this one. Airlines, FBO's, space programs and wind farms all have grabbed students who graduated from Midland's Aviation Maintenance Program.

It used to be that instructors would go to various towns and speak to high school students. That was stopped. This school had a Chinese woman student who with one other student were hired in Washington state.

A young Stanton boy was hired after graduation by a company that eventually sent him to New York. I do not know where the young Russian girl went, nor any of the young men From Africa, there have been quite a few. One student drove from Lamesa to school every morning and back to Lamesa every afternoon after school. Those that drove back and forth daily from Big Spring has been many. Midland had the FAA-designated examiner to give these students their test for their A&P License.

Now anyone wanting to be an aircraft mechanic can go to East Texas, Roswell, New Mexico or Oklahoma. How much money will Midland lose by space companies going elsewhere because we no longer have future employees for them? There is a shortage of A&P mechanics in the U.S.

Young people in this area, I am sorry this is happening to you.

Sylvia O. Bailey

Aviation Maintenance program would help diversification

Just a short message to say that the Midland (and Odessa) airport area should be an aviation center for this part of the country.

We have very long history of aviation from World War II, and we really should be building on that and not cancelling the programs for airplane maintenance and pilot training.

Our area needs to diversify so very much from the dominant oil industry, and aviation would be one of the best alternatives. The city could buy used oil-field housing and put up students that come for training in maintenance and pilot training programs.

And you know that many of them would start up small businesses after their training, some being right here. And they would rather train here, instead of going to the big DFW airport area to train. Maybe we could get some federal money to help with the pilot shortage in the country.

Please let the MC president know that we need to diversify and aviation would be excellent choice.

Bartley Wilson

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Those wanting to submit a letter to editor for publication should use the following email address  sdoreen@hearstnp.com.

The old email address is no longer in use. Letter-writers should include a phone number and address.

There is a 350-word limit; candidate letters have a 200-word limit. The deadline for letters is noon Thursdays for the following Saturday.
The Exchange Club of Midland awards area high school students at the annual Exchange Club of Midland Awards luncheon 04/25/2020 honoring top seniors at the Petroleum Club.
VIRGINIA  The Virginia school board is scheduled to meet in regular session at 7 p.m. today at Virginia Elementary School, 651 S. Morgan St.

Among the items on the agenda are:
The pandemic upended what it meant to be a college student as newfound barriers to learning cropped up in spring 2020: In-person classes were forced online, family obligations became more pronounced and economic difficulties spread.

All of these factors just came together to create this perfect storm, says Mamie Voight, president and CEO of the Institute for Higher Education Policy, a nonprofit focused on college access. She says that students from low-income backgrounds and those with responsibilities outside of school  like jobs and kids  faced the steepest challenges.

There were 5.1% fewer students enrolled in fall 2021 than fall 2019 , according to estimates from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. And between fall 2019 and fall 2020, the percentage of students who reenrolled fell the most since 2009.

Yet, it may be time to return, especially if you had to sit out any of the last two years. A strong job market and earnings increases for low- wage workers can, at face value, make higher education less appealing. But the long-term picture remains clear.

Those with no college education see median lifetime earnings of $1.6 million, according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Thats $1.2 million less than the $2.8 million of median lifetime earnings for those with a bachelors degree. The median associate degree holder sees lifetime earnings of $2 million.

For students, the answer is pretty clear that going to college is a better choice economically, than not going, says Voight. And reenrolling, if you stopped out  will make a world of a difference in terms of job opportunities and wage growth over a persons lifetime.

The longer you wait to go back, the less likely you are to attain a degree, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. And for those who have delayed going to college, it comes with a cost: The Federal Reserve Bank of New York estimates that postponing college for a year results in a potential $90,000 loss in lifetime earnings.

Although the difficulties of the pandemic havent disappeared, colleges have become better equipped to help students overcome barriers.

Students have returned to campuses, but many colleges are keeping the changes theyve made.

Community and four-year colleges have adjusted to better reach students, says Matt Bergman, an associate professor of organizational leadership at the University of Louisville.

We have so many opportunities for students to come back in ways that they wouldnt have been able to as recent as five years (ago), adds Bergman, who studies adult learning and degree completion.

Course offerings have become more flexible, with in-person and virtual classes and also hybrid formats, Bergman says. Theyre also becoming available in synchronous (learning with a class) and asynchronous formats (learning at your own pace).

Community colleges made many changes to meet the needs of their students, according to Martha Parham, the senior vice president of public relations for the American Association of Community Colleges. These lasting transformations can make it easier for students to return to school.

I do think the pandemic has changed the landscape in the course offerings and that change is going to stick, Parham says. So that looks different in different places, in different students, in different colleges, but a lot of services and programs were put into place to ensure student success at every level.

This fall, college students have more federal financial support available than in years past.

The annual maximum Pell Grant, aid you dont have to repay, has increased $400 to $6,895 for the coming academic yea r. Pell Grant eligibility is determined by your financial situation and the cost of attendance at the institution youre considering. To be eligible, you need to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as the FAFSA.

Many colleges also have more financial resources available than in years past, thanks to $76.3 billion in federal pandemic assistance funds provided to institutions across the nation.

Right now, in particular, is a great time to go to community colleges because they have a lot of resources that are directly available to students, says Parham, including funding for tuition and books, transportation, food and housing assistance, and technology.

If you need child care, pick the school that offers it, Bergman says. If you have work experience, look for colleges that offer prior learning assessments, giving you college credit for the skills youve gained. The important thing is to pick a school that best fits your needs, Bergman adds.

Finding the right school can be as easy as visiting a schools website or calling the admissions office to ask about the resources they offer.

Application deadlines for fall have largely passed at four-year colleges, but you can often enroll in community college shortly before the semester begins. If a bachelors degree is your goal, going to community college, then transferring can save you money  but be careful to plan out your classes to make sure the credits transfer to a bachelors degree-granting institution.
Boonchai Wedmakawand/Getty Images

CARLINVILLE  Two Carlinville men have received an award from the Illinois State Historical Society for a study of the states oldest public institution of higher learning.

Tom Emery and Carl Kasten earned the Certificate of Merit for "Abraham Lincoln and the Heritage of Illinois State University," a comprehensive 288-page volume on the 16th presidents connections to the school.
Federal prosecutors and defense attorneys have offered starkly different explanations for the fatal beating of an Illinois prison inmate four years ago in closing arguments before a jury began deliberating in the trial of two former correctional officers.

Todd Sheffler, 53, of Mendon and Alex Banta, 30, of Quincy are charged with violating Larry Earvin's civil rights in the brutal 2018 beating at Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mount Sterling. Earvin, 65, died five weeks later.

They beat him up and then lied to cover it up, assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene Miller told the eight-man, four-woman jury in his closing argument. This case is really that straightforward.

Defense attorneys, however, blamed other guards, including a third former correctional officer, former Sgt. Willie Hedden, who pleaded guilty last year to violating Earvin's civil rights and testified for the government at the trial for Sheffler and Banta.

Sheffler and Banta are charged with depriving Earvin of his civil rights, conspiracy to deprive civil rights, tampering with a witness, destruction or falsification of records and intimidation or force against a witness. They face up to life in prison.

Hedden, 43, of Mount Sterling, testified during the four-week trial that he, Sheffler and Banta punched, kicked, stomped and jumped on Earvin in the vestibule of Western's segregation unit, where there are no security cameras.

The jury met briefly Friday evening before adjourning for the weekend. Deliberations will continuetoday.

The incident began when Earvin allegedly refused to return to his cell in the housing unit known as R-1. He was taken to the ground and handcuffed by guards who sent out an alert for assistance  a call that summoned dozens of officers including Banta and Hedden. Testimony indicated guards began kicking and punching Earvin in R-1.

Banta and Hedden were among officers who escorted Earvin to the segregation unit, with Sheffler joining along the way.

The government's case rests largely on what assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Bass characterized as compelling, if circumstantial, evidence. The last security camera to record Earvin shows him bent over, but walking into segregation. Minutes later, photographs and testimony revealed that he had to be carried into a holding cell and that he was bleeding from a head wound, nearly unresponsive and vomiting, Bass said.

Earvin died June 26 at a southern Illinois prison infirmary. His autopsy revealed he had 15 rib fractures; at least two dozen abrasions, hemorrhages and lacerations; a torn aorta; and abdominal injuries so severe a portion of his bowel was surgically removed.

Medical professionals testified that such injuries typically are seen in high-speed car crashes or falls from great heights.

However, defense attorneys argued that testimony also showed that such injuries could be cumulative  starting small when Earvin was roughed up in R-1 and growing worse as he was forcibly moved to segregation.

Sheffler attorney Sara Vig pointed to security footage and testimony about what happened inside R-1.

They (the government) have got a great case in R-1, they haven't proved anything in segregation, Vig said. The only thing they can say about segregation is might have, could have been, maybe  and that's not beyond a reasonable doubt. You can't guess a man into prison.

Vig and Banta attorney Stanley Wasser said as many as six witnesses who testified for the government  including Hedden and others who recounted a severe beating in the segregation unit vestibule  admitted lying to the Illinois State Police, FBI or both before changing their stories at the trial.

Wasser asked repeatedly why those witnesses, some of whom acknowledged punching or kicking Earvin, were not on trial.

But Bass asked the jury what motive any of the witnesses had to admit under oath that they had lied, risking their jobs and more. He said Hedden explained that he was hoping for a lighter sentence through cooperation, and he wouldn't get leniency from U.S. District Judge Sue Myerscough if she found him untruthful.

You have two stories here, Bass said. It's up to you to determine which is common sense and which is utter nonsense. Hold Alex Banta and Todd Sheffler accountable for what they did to this man, how they assaulted him, the bodily harm, causing his death.
Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 David Z.K. Morris, 30, of 1024 S. Clay Ave. was arrested at 12:24 p.m. Saturday on a theft charge after being accused of taking a trampoline from a residence in the 1000 block of South East Street. He was also charged with resisting or obstructing a peace officer after police said he ran away while being arrested. In addition, he was charged with burglary in a March 27 theft in the 600 block of Capitol Way.

 Kelly J. Woodrome, 59, homeless, was arrested at 11:24 a.m. Saturday on a battery charge. She was accused of spitting in a girl's face and striking her in the 900 block of West Morton Avenue.

 Tyler S. Royer, 23, of 222 W. Pennsylvania Ave. was arrested at 10:49 p.m. Friday in the 1200 block of South Main Street on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

ACCIDENTS

 Jessica M. Vestel, 33, of Roodhouse was cited on a charge of failing to yield after the car she was driving and one being driven by Dennis L. Bradshaw, 66, of Jacksonville collided at 9:05 p.m. Friday at South Main and Kentucky streets.

 Brighton A. McNeese, 18, of Jacksonville was cited on charges of disobeying a traffic control device and operating an uninsured vehicle after the car he was driving and one being driven by Gena A. Lyons, 65, of South Jacksonville collided at 4:06 p.m. Friday at West Morton Avenue and Diamond Street.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  A Turkish court on Monday sentenced prominent Turkish civil rights activist and philanthropist Osman Kavala to life in prison without parole, finding him guilty of attempting to overthrow the government with mass protests in 2013. Western governments and rights groups strongly criticized the ruling, with one calling it a travesty of justice of spectacular proportions.

The court in Istanbul also sentenced seven other defendants, including 71-year-old architect Mucella Yapici, to 18 years in prison each for aiding the attempt. It ordered that the activists, who were not in custody, be immediately arrested, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The verdict, which is likely to harm Turkey's ties with Western nations, comes as Europes top human rights body, the Council of Europe, launched infringement procedures against Turkey for refusing to abide by a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, which in 2019 called for Kavalas release on grounds that his rights had been violated.

Kavala, 64, has been jailed in Silivri prison, on the outskirts of Istanbul, since he was detained Oct. 18, 2017, accused of financing the protests. He and other defendants denied all the accusations and are expected to appeal the verdicts.

Human rights groups say Kavala was prosecuted with flimsy evidence and that the case is politically motivated. Kavala is the founder of a nonprofit organization, Anadolu Kultur, which focuses on cultural and artistic projects promoting peace and dialogue.

Supporters of Kavala and the seven other defendants immediately protested the verdicts Monday, shouting slogans in support of the 2013 protests that morphed from a dispute over building a mall in an Istanbul park into wider demonstrations against the government of then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the verdict blatantly contradicts the constitutional standards and international obligations that Turkey commits itself to as a member of the Council of Europe and EU accession candidate.

"We expect Osman Kavala to be released immediately -- the European Court of Human Rights has bindingly obliged Turkey to do so, Baerbock said.

The rights group PEN America called the verdict a dark moment for Turkey while Nils Muiznieks, Amnesty Internationals director for Europe, said it amounted to a travesty of justice of spectacular proportions.

The courts decision defies all logic. The prosecuting authorities have repeatedly failed to provide any evidence that substantiates the baseless charges of attempting to overthrow the government, Muiznieks said in a statement. "We continue to call for Osman Kavalas and his co-defendants immediate release as they appeal these draconian verdicts.

Ozgur Ozel, an opposition legislator whose party frequently questions the independence of Turkey's courts, accused the judiciary of allegedly meeting the wishes of Erdogan, who is now president.

Justice did not prevail here today  the will of the person who rules this country was carried out, he told reporters outside the courthouse.

Ozel also denounced the trial as an attempt by Erdogan to demonize the protests that were extremely peaceful and were staged out of environmental concerns."

Asked for his final words in court on Monday, Kavala said: The aggravated life sentence demanded against me is an assassination that cannot be explained through legal reasons, according to the Media and Law Studies Association group which has been monitoring the trial.

In his defense statements Friday, Kavala rejected the accusations once again, insisting that he had merely taken pastries and face masks to the protesters. He said allegations that he directed the protests are not plausible.

The fact that I spent 4.5 years of my life in prison is an irreparable loss for me. My only consolation is the possibility that my experience will contribute to a better understanding of the grave problems of the judiciary, Kavala told the court by videoconference from Silivri.

Kavala was initially acquitted in February 2020 of charges that connected him with the 2013 Gezi Park protests. As supporters awaited his release, Kavala was rearrested on new charges linking him to Turkey's 2016 coup attempt. The acquittal was later overturned and the case was merged with that relating to the coup attempt, which the Turkish government blames on the network of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. Gulen denies any links to the attempted coup.

The court on Monday acquitted Kavala of charges linked to the coup attempt, saying there was insufficient evidence, Anadolu reported.

In October, Kavalas continued detention sparked a diplomatic crisis between Turkey and 10 Western countries, including the United States, France and Germany, after they called for his release on the fourth anniversary of his imprisonment.

Erdogan has accused Kavala, of being the Turkish branch of billionaire U.S. philanthropist George Soros, whom the Turkish leader alleges has been behind insurrections in many countries. He has threatened to expel Western envoys for meddling in Turkeys internal affairs.

The European Court of Human Rights 2019 decision said Kavalas imprisonment aimed to silence him and other human rights defenders and wasnt supported by evidence of an offense.

The lengthy infringement process by the Council of Europe, a 47-member bloc that upholds human rights, could lead to the suspension of Turkeys voting rights or membership in the organization.

Erdogan has dismissed the infringement process, saying Turkey would not recognize those who do not recognize our courts. Turkey had argued that Kavalas detention was linked to the 2016 attempted coup and not the previous charges that were reviewed by the European court.
"One call away": Shanghai volunteer convoy rushes to aid local residents

14:38, April 25, 2022 By Zhang Cong, Shi Yiqi ( People's Daily Online

Aerial photo taken on April 21, 2022 shows staff members disinfecting living materials outside a business office of Bank of China in Shanghai, east China.

"A large batch of PPE just arrived. Might need some help to unload them."

At 10:30 p.m., a task popped up in the WeChat group of "Jingjuli," a volunteers' convoy based in Shanghai.

In less than fifteen minutes, volunteers assembled at the site.

At 2 a.m. the next morning, the medical supplies were unloaded, before they were stacked neatly inside a warehouse.

At 4 a.m., the convoy regrouped at the rallying spot to escort medical workers to residential communities to conduct nucleic acid testing.

Similar urgent tasks have become all too common for the volunteers, who hail from Yangjing street, Pudong New Area in Shanghai. Among them, there are veterans, civil servants, social workers, small business owners, bank clerks, and those who work at state-owned enterprises. The oldest of the volunteers is nearly 70 years old and the youngest was born in the 1990s.

To answer the call of the Party organization in their local community, Party members and local residents have enthusiastically formed a team of over 30 volunteers and 25 vehicles on short notice.

"We are not only drivers who pick up and transfer the people involved, we are also the 'delivery men' who are just one call away," said Qiang Rong, who assumed the temporary role of the Party branch secretary for the volunteers' convoy.

The paramount task every day, he told People's Daily, is to distribute daily necessities and epidemic-prevention supplies to residential areas, including milk powder, vegetables, medicines, protective clothing, etc.

As we were speaking, another truck laden with daily supplies pulled into the yard at the Party-Mass Service Center of Yangjing street. Soon afterward, the volunteers came together and became preoccupied with the tasks at handunloading, sorting, repacking items for deliveryfinishing in just over 20 minutes. It seems they have already become something like a team of "skilled laborers," one person quipped.

Staff members carry supplies for residents in a community of Pudong New Area, east China's Shanghai, April 19, 2022.

According to rough estimates, they said that during the single day of April 19, they distributed around 215,000 COVID-19 rapid antigen test kits, 192,000 face masks, and handed over pre-ordered medicines to nearly 200 local residents.

"Medicines, above all, can't be delayed," one volunteer said. Whenever they arrive with the medicine at the receiving site, they will send a message to the prescribers to remind them to fetch the medicine in time and tell them the exact location where to get it.

"The more we deliver those supplies, the more local residents get familiar with our convoy," Rong Qiang said. "Every so often, they will bring delicacies to us."

"Yesterday, some brought us 30 bowls of noodles with mustard and shredded meat. Today, we received chive pies, bao, and eggs," he added. "Our hearts have been warmed."

This story originally appeared in the April 25, 2022, print edition of People's Daily, written by Zhang Cong and Shi Yiqi, and translated by Meng Bin.

(Web editor: Meng Bin, Liang Jun)
NORTHFORK, W.Va. (AP)  Several communities in West Virginia's southern coalfields celebrated the completion of a long awaited project to bring clean water to local communities last week.

The Elkhorn Water Project began in 2015 and included a new 400,000 gallon water storage tank on Elkhorn Mountain. The recently completed phase two brings county water to 112 McDowell County Service District customers in Upland, Kyle and Powhatan; 163 customers in Northfork and Algoma; and 101 in Keystone, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph reported.
Produce and Bakery Giveaway: 9 a.m.-noon, Jacksonville Food Center, 316 E. State St. Free | For Morgan County residents.

Free Noon Meal: 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., The Salvation Army, 331 W. Douglas Ave. | Meals in to-go containers can be picked up at side door.

Walking for Wellness: 12:30-3 p.m., First Christian Church, 2106 S. Main St. Free | Indoor walking program offered year-round Monday-Thursday. For more information, call 217-243-6445.

Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen: 3:30-4 p.m., Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen, 105 E. Dunlap St. Free | Serving meals to go for anyone in need.

NAACP Meeting: 6 p.m., Jacksonville Municipal Building, 200 W. Douglas Ave. | First floor, in mayor's conference room. Masks optional.

Tuesday

Produce and Bakery Giveaway: 9 a.m.-noon, Jacksonville Food Center, 316 E. State St. Free | For Morgan County residents.

Story Time: 10 a.m., Carlinville Public Library, 510 N. Broad St. Free | Story time with Hannah Crawford, children's librarian.

Free Noon Meal: 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., The Salvation Army, 331 W. Douglas Ave. | Meals in to-go containers can be picked up at side door.

Flower Sale: Noon-6:30 p.m., Knights of Columbus, 320 E. State St. Prices vary. | Presented by Morgan County Right to Life. Variety of plants and planters. For pre-orders, call Evelyn Gonzalez at 217-243-4940 or 217-473-2234.

Walking for Wellness: 12:30-3 p.m., First Christian Church, 2106 S. Main St. Free | Indoor walking program offered year-round Monday-Thursday. For more information, call 217-243-6445.

Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen: 3:30-4 p.m., Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen, 105 E. Dunlap St. Free | Serving meals to go for anyone in need.

Author Event and Book Signing: 4-6 p.m., Pike County All Wars Museum, 320 N. Illinois St., Pittsfield. | Author Barry Swanson will discuss his book, "Still Points," the life story of Philip Zumwalt, who served in World War II. For more information, call 217-242-4253.

Ulysses S. Grant and Race: 6 p.m., Illinois State Museum virtual event. Free | Featured speaker is park ranger Nick Sacco. Registration required at bit.ly/GrantTalk. For more information, contact events@illinoisstatemuseum.org or 217-782-5993.

Morgan County Republican Club Meeting: 6 p.m., Jacksonville Municipal Building, 200 W. Douglas Ave. | Meeting will include Morgan County and local Republican candidates running in the primary election. Meeting on second floor.
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - Military detachments in Gaskinde and Pobe-Mengao in Soum province in Sahel region were the targets of terrorist attacks on Sunday morning, killing 15 people, including nine Burkinabe soldiers, the army said in a statement
Review: Actor Viola Davis bares soul on way to Finding Me View Photo

Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis (HarperOne)

Brutally honest and honestly brutal, actor Viola Davis looks back on her childhood like the victim of a disaster still dazed by the experience but remembering every terrible moment.

Her alcoholic father routinely beat and bloodied her mother. Viola and her five siblings lived in a rat-filled house that lacked dependable heat and plumbing. Often unwashed, they attended school in dirty clothes. Lunch at school was their only reliable meal.

Other children in the predominantly white town of Central Falls, Rhode Island, tormented Viola, shouting anti-Black epithets as they chased her after school and threw rocks. All the school kids watched the day the fire engines came to save her home from a blaze. The humiliations were unending. Later, sexual abuse joined the list.

Today, Davis is a celebrated actress, winner of an Oscar (Fences), two Tonys (King Hedley II and Fences), an Emmy (How to Get Away with Murder) and many other honors. Yet her self image as a fleeing 8-year-old  ugly, stupid and unwanted because she was told so  never left. What changed for Davis was how she looked back, seeing that child now as a survivor and appreciating the adult she became as one who had found joy, love and accomplishment.

To an observer, Davis had courage even if she didnt know it at the time. The introvert made a place for herself in school theater. The troublesome student earned a scholarship for college and then a place at Juilliard. The theater-struck but small-town girl endured life in New York with all the auditions and rejections facing an actor. Working with the best when she was unsure of herself  Meryl Streep!  took some pluck. And when love finally opened its door, she stepped inside.

And now Davis writes a blistering memoir, not a rueful remembrance told in the kind of polished prose that suggests, well, it wasnt all that bad. Finding Me is raw in its anger, shocking in its frankness, often downright vulgar  and wonderfully alive with Davis passion poured into every page.

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Douglass K. Daniel is the author of Anne Bancroft: A Life (University Press of Kentucky).

By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL

Associated Press
Live updates | Russia-Ukraine War View Photo

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Monday that Ukraine risks provoking World War III and said the threat of a nuclear conflict should not be underestimated.

In an in-depth Russian TV interview, Lavrov blamed Ukraine for stalled talks between the two countries, and accused the United States and Britain of pressuring Kyiv not to reach agreement.

Everyone is reciting incantations that in no case can we allow World War III, Lavrov said, and accused Ukrainian leaders of provoking Russia by asking NATO to become involved in the conflict.

By providing weapons, NATO forces are pouring oil on the fire, he said, according to a Russian transcript on the Russian Foreign Ministrys website.

Lavrov apparently made the remarks after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States wants to see Russia weakened to the point where it cant do things like invade Ukraine.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview Monday that only discussions between Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin would bring resolution.

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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 US promises new aid to Ukraine in fight against Russia

 To Europes relief, Frances Macron wins but far-right gains

 Russian officer: Missile to carry several hypersonic weapons

 Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

NEW YORK  The Metropolitan Opera and the Polish National Opera are organizing a Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra to tour Europe and America from July 28 to Aug. 20.

The orchestra is to gather in Warsaw on July 18 for rehearsals and will include musicians from Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv and Odesa plus Ukrainian members of European orchestras, the companies said Monday.

Keri-Lynn Wilson, a Canadian-Ukrainian conductor who is married to Met general manager Peter Gelb, will lead musicians who include members of the Kyiv National Opera, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra and Kharkiv Opera plus the Tonkunstler Orchestra of Vienna, the Belgian National Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

The tour will open at Teatr Wielki, the Polish National Opera, on July 28 and include a televised performance at the BBC Proms in London on July 31.

That will be followed by stops at the Choregies dOrange Festival in France (Aug. 2); Berlin (Aug. 4); Edinburgh, Scotland (Aug. 6); Snape Maltings in England (Aug. 8); Amsterdam (Aug. 11); Hamburg, Germany (Aug. 13); New York (Aug. 18 and 19), and Washington (Aug. 20).

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines foreign minister on Monday urged the U.N. chief to press Russia for an evacuation of the besieged port of Mariupol, calling it something the world body is capable of achieving.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview he was concerned that by visiting Moscow on Tuesday before traveling to Kyiv, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres could be vulnerable to falling into a Kremlin trap in the war.

Kuleba said Guterres should focus primarily on one issue: evacuation of Mariupol.

An estimated 100,000 people are trapped in the seaside city while a contingent of Ukrainian fighters hold out against Russian forces in a steel mill where hundreds of civilians also are taking shelter.

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MARIUPOL, Ukraine  Officials in the embattled Ukrainian city of Mariupol say a new mass grave has been identified north of the city.

Mayor Vadym Boychenko said authorities are trying to estimate the number of victims in the grave about 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) north of Mariupol.

Satellite photos released over the past several days have shown what appear to be images of other mass graves.

Mariupol has been decimated by fierce fighting over the past two months. The capture of the city would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

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ZAGREB, Croatia  Moscow is accusing Croatia of having an anti-Russian policy for failing to provide humanitarian passage for 24 Russian diplomats and embassy staff who were expelled from the country over the war in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Monday that the government of Croatia is systematically destroying bilateral relations, according to the Russian TASS news agency.

The inhumane, cynical attitude towards our fellow countrymen wont go without an answer, she added.

Croatia has followed several other European Union states in expelling Russian diplomats for the bloody Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Monday that Zakharovas claims are Russian propaganda and that the expelled Russians already left the country, probably via neighboring Serbia. He added that Russia attacked Ukraine, which is our friendly country, killed women and children and we responded to it like most other countries.

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UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are stressing the urgent need for effective access through humanitarian corridors to evacuate Ukrainian civilians and deliver humanitarian aid to communities impacted by the war.

Guterres met Erdogan on Monday in Ankara and expressed support for Turkeys ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding that they agreed to stay in contact to follow up on ongoing initiatives.

The U.N. chief and the Turkish president reaffirmed that their common objective is to end to the war as soon as possible and to create conditions to end the suffering of civilians, Dujarric said.

During the meeting, Erdogan also said Turkey would continue to work closely with the U.N. to end the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and to help in the evacuation of civilians, .

Guterres is scheduled to travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and will then head to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday. The Ukrainian leader has criticized the secretary-general for visiting Moscow before going to Kyiv.

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LONDON  The British government says it believes 15,000 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine since Moscow launched its invasion two months ago.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said 25% of the Russian combat units sent to Ukraine have been rendered not combat effective, and Russia had lost more than 2,000 armored vehicles and more than 60 helicopters and fighter planes.

Russia has acknowledged 1,351 military casualties.

Wallace said Russia had failed in most of its military objectives so far. He told British lawmakers that we anticipate this next phase of the invasion will be an attempt by Russia to occupy further the Donbas in order to connect it via Mariupol to Russian-controlled Crimea. He said international aid and weapons are crucial to help Ukraine withstand the anticipated onslaught.

Wallace said Britain had sent more than 5,000 antitank missiles, as well as air-defense systems and anti-air missiles, and would soon send a small number of Stormer armored vehicles equipped with missile launchers.

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STOCKHOLM  Two newspapers  one Swedish, the other one Finnish  are reporting that the governments of Sweden and Finland have agreed to submit NATO applications at the same time and that it will happen in the middle of next month.

The Finnish newspaper Iltalehti said that the Swedish government has expressed a wish to Finland that they apply together in the week ending May 22, and Swedish government sources confirmed the information to Swedens Expressen tabloid.

Russias invasion of Ukraine has led to growing support in Sweden and Finland, a Russian neighbor, for joining NATO.

Though not members, both Nordic countries closely cooperate with NATO, allowing, among other things, the alliances troops to exercise on their soil. Helsinki and Stockholm have also substantially intensified their bilateral defense cooperation in the past years.

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WASHINGTON  The U.S. State Department says it has approved the sale of $165 million in legacy Warsaw Pact ammunition and other non-standard ammunition to Ukraine to help in its defense against Russia.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency approved the potential sale and has provided the legally required notification to Congress. Lawmakers can block weapons sales but are unlikely to do so because of strong support for Ukraine following the Feb. 24 invasion.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe, the State Department said in announcing the potential sale Monday.

The sale came at the request of Ukraines government and includes rounds for mortars, automatic grenade launchers and howitzers.

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Russia is expelling 40 German diplomats in response to Germany expelling the same number of Russian diplomats earlier this month.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday that it had summoned German ambassador Geza Andreas von Geyr for a strong protest at the clearly unfriendly decision to expel the Russian diplomatic staff.

The ministry said von Geyr was told that 40 members of staff at German diplomatic missions in Russia would be officially declared unwelcome in Russia.

Germany announced the expulsion of 40 Russian diplomats on Apr. 4 following mounting evidence of civilian killings and mass graves in Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Environmental campaigners have used kayaks and a dinghy to stop a Russian oil tanker from unloading its cargo south of Norways capital, saying Norwegian companies are financing Russias warfare.

Greenpeace says its members chained themselves to the Hong Kong-registered Ust Luga, leased by Russian oil company Novatek, as it arrived at its destination, an Essos terminal near Toensberg.

The tanker with 95,000 tonnes of fuel had left St. Petersburg.

Esso spokeswoman Anne Fougner told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet that the oil had been bought before Russia invaded Ukraine. She added that Esso Norway does not have other contracts for the purchase of products from Russia.

Several other activists were stopped by police before they could take part in the action, Norwegian news agency NTB reported.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands  The International Criminal Courts prosecution office is joining a joint investigation team set up by Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland to probe atrocities committed during the war in Ukraine.

The ICCs Prosecutor Karim Khan signed an agreement Monday to participate in the multinational effort that aims to facilitate investigations and cooperation.

Eurojust, the European Unions judicial cooperation agency, says the agreement sends a clear message that all efforts will be undertaken to effectively gather evidence on core international crimes committed in Ukraine and bring those responsible to justice.

Khan said last month he was opening an investigation in Ukraine and has sent investigators there and visited crime scenes himself.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian authorities say at least five people have been killed by Russian strikes on the central Vynnytsia region.

The Vynnytsia regional prosecutors said another 18 people were wounded in Mondays Russian missile strikes on the towns of Zhmerynka and Koziatyn.

Vinnytsia regional Governor Serhiy Borzov said earlier that the Russian missiles targeted critical infrastructure, but didnt elaborate.

The Vynnytsia region is fully controlled by Ukraine and is far behind the front lines.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraine has said the United Nations should step in to oversee an evacuation route for civilians from the besieged steel mill in Mariupol which is Ukrainian troops last stronghold in the port city.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on the Telegram messaging app that a Russian announcement of a humanitarian corridor out of the Azovstal plant to operate later Monday was not agreed to by Ukraine. Vereshchuk added that Ukraine does not consider the route safe for that reason and said Russia had breached agreements on similar evacuation routes before.

Ukrainian officials have said that up to 1,000 civilians have sheltered at the sprawling steel plant.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to visit Russia and Ukraine this week. Vereshchuk called on Guterres to be the initiator and guarantor of a humanitarian route out of Azovstal and for U.N. and International Committee of the Red Cross personnel to accompany any evacuees.

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MOSCOW  Russias Energy Ministry says a massive fire at an oil depot in western Russia will not cause fuel shortages.

The ministry said in a statement that Mondays fire inflicted damage to a depot containing diesel fuel in Bryansk, and authorities are dealing with the consequences of the blaze.

The ministry said fuel supplies to consumers havent been interrupted and noted that the region has enough diesel fuel for 15 days.

The Emergencies Ministry said earlier that a huge blaze erupted overnight at the depot owned by Transneft-Druzhba, a subsidiary of the Russian state-controlled company Transneft, which operates the western-bound Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline carrying crude to Europe. It wasnt immediately clear what caused the blaze, and whether it could affect deliveries to Europe.

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MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the U.S. and its allies of trying to split Russian society.

Speaking Monday at a meeting with top officials at the Prosecutor Generals office, Putin said Russia has come under unprecedented Western sanctions amid its military action in Ukraine.

He charged that the U.S, and its allies have sought to split the Russian society and to destroy Russia from within, adding that their plans have failed.

Putin urged Russian prosecutors to act more quickly to block unsanctioned demonstrations organized from abroad. He also noted that they should focus on exposing open provocations against the Russian military allegedly involving international media and social platforms.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has hailed talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as encouraging and effective.

Speaking in Mondays video address, he said the U.S. is offering powerful support to his country. Zelenskyy added that they agreed on further steps to strengthen the armed forces of Ukraine and meet all the priority needs of our army. He noted that ramping up sanctions against Moscow also was on the meetings agenda.

Blinken and Austin said the United States had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition for Ukraines war effort, along with more than $300 million in foreign military financing.

Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine would expect the United States to lead other allies in offering a set of security guarantees in the future.

The Ukrainian president also denounced Russia for launching strikes on Orthodox Easter Sunday, describing them deliberate destruction of life in Ukraine.

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MOSCOW  The Russian military says it will open a humanitarian corridor for civilians to evacuate from the besieged steel plant in Mariupol.

The Russian Defense Ministry said a humanitarian corridor will open at 2 p.m (1100 GMT) Monday for all civilians to leave the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. It said Russian troops will cease fire to allow civilians to safely exit the plant.

The mammoth steel plant, which has a sprawling maze of underground channels. has remained the last bulwark of Ukrainian resistance in the strategic Sea of Azov port city.

Ukrainian officials have said that up to 1,000 civilians have sheltered there. They have repeatedly urged Russia to offer them a safe exit.

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MOSCOW  Russian authorities say a fire has engulfed an oil storage facility in western Russia.

The Emergencies Ministry said a huge blaze at the depot in the city of Bryansk erupted early Monday. Its cause wasnt immediately clear.

The oil depot is owned by Transneft-Druzhba, a subsidiary of the Russian state-controlled company Transneft that operates the western-bound Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline carrying crude oil to Europe. It wasnt clear if the depot was part of the pipeline infrastructure and whether the blaze could affect the deliveries.

Russian news reported that another oil storage facility in Bryansk also caught fire early Monday, and that the cause wasnt immediately known.

Bryansk is located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of the border with Ukraine, where Moscow has waged a military campaign for two months. Last month, two Ukrainian helicopter gunships hit an oil reservoir in Russias Belgorod region that borders Ukraine, causing a fire.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian officials say the Russian military has unleashed a series of strikes on the countrys railways.

Lviv region Governor Maksym Kozytskyy said a Russian missile hit a railway facility in Krasne, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Lviv, early Monday, sparking a fire.

Oleksandr Kamyshin, the head of the state-run Ukrainian Railways, said a total of five rail facilities in central and western Ukraine have been hit by the Russian strikes. He said the attacks have delayed at least passenger 16 trains.

There was no immediate information about the damage from the strikes.

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NEAR THE POLISH-UKRAINIAN BORDER  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Russia is failing in its war aims after invading Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Following meetings Sunday in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Blinken told reporters in Poland on Monday that, with Russia having pulled back its troops from around Kyiv and the north of Ukraine to focus on the eastern Donbas region, When it comes to Russias war aims, Russia is failing, Ukraine is succeeding.

In footage of the meeting later released by the Ukrainian presidency, Blinken praised the extraordinary courage and leadership and success that youve had in pushing back this horrific Russian aggression.

We got used to seeing you on video around the world, but its great, its good to see you in person, Blinken said with a smile.

Austin said that the world has been inspired by Ukraine in the war and that America would continue its support.

By The Associated Press
California Republican Party View Photo

Sonora, CA  The California Republican Party is endorsing a candidate in the local Congressional District Five race, but not the crowded Senate District Four competition.

The party held its annual convention over the weekend in Anaheim.

In the US House District Five race, incumbent Tom McClintock is facing three fellow Republicans, Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig, El Dorado Hills physician David Main and Modesto businessman Keisten Charles Obert. The party voted to endorse the incumbent, McClintock.

In the Senate District Four race, which covers the Mother Lode, there are six Republicans running, but none are incumbents. They are retired El Dorado County Judge Steven Bailey, former US Congressman George Radanovich, Modesto small business owner Jeff McKay, retired Turlock combat Engineer Jack Griffith, Modesto mental health therapist Jolene Rehana Daly, and El Dorado Hills businessman/school board member Michael Gordon. The party leaders declined to take a stance on the race.

The party did endorse the lone Republican running for Assembly District Eight, James Patterson. He is seeking the redistricted seat that merged with the area currently represented by Frank Bigelow, who is not seeking re-election.

Also of note, the California GOP will back Brian Dahle for Governor and Mark Meuser for US Senate.
North Dakota lawmaker quits after child porn suspect texts View Photo

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  North Dakotas longest-serving state senator announced Monday that he would resign following a report that he had traded scores of text messages with a man jailed on child pornography charges.

Republican Ray Holmberg, who rose to become one of the states most powerful lawmakers in a career that spanned 46 years, said he would resign effective June 1. His term was scheduled to end on Nov. 30 and he already had announced in March that it would be his last.

Recent news stories have become a distraction for the important work of the legislative assembly during its interim meetings, Holmberg, 79, said in a statement announcing his resignation. I want to do what I can, within my power, to lessen such distractions.

Holmberg did not immediately return messages from The Associated Press on Monday. His attorney, Mark Friese, said he didnt have anything to add beyond Holmbergs statement.

Friese, a prominent North Dakota criminal defense attorney, said Tuesday that Holmberg hasnt been charged with any crime, and there is no indication that he will.

GOP Gov. Doug Burgum said in a statement he supports Sen. Holmbergs decision to resign. He did not elaborate.

Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner said he spoke with Holmberg earlier about his future in the Legislature.

No charges have been brought against Sen. Holmberg at this time  he felt it was in the best interest to resign at this time, Wardner said.

Days after the published report about his text messages, Holmberg had announced that he would step down as head of a powerful panel that oversees the Legislatures business between sessions.

The Forum of Fargo reported April 15 that Holmberg exchanged 72 text messages in August with Nicholas James Morgan-Derosier. Prosecutors allege Morgan-Derosier possessed several thousand images and videos depicting sexually abused children. He also is accused of taking two children under the age of 10 from Minnesota to his Grand Forks home, with the intent of sexually abusing them.

Holmberg first told the Forum that he had read a newspaper story about the charges, then in a later interview said he had not, the Forum reported.

He told the Forum that his text messages with Morgan-Derosier were related to a variety of things, including patio work Morgan-Derosier did for him. He also told the newspaper that he no longer has the text messages.

Theyre just gone, he said.

Holmberg has been one of the Legislatures most powerful lawmakers for decades, serving as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He chaired the Legislative Management committee, which decides committee assignments and chooses study topics that often inspire legislation, four times.

He also sat on the states Emergency Commission, which allocates funding and resources in times of an emergency, and served on or chaired several GOP-led redistricting committees.

When he announced in March that this would be his last term, he said the stress of a session and a campaign would only exacerbate a weakened ability to concentrate on the matters at hand and effectively recall events.

Many North Dakota Republicans, including Burgum, showered Holmberg with accolades at the time.

Holmberg will remain on the Legislatures payroll through May and on its state-funded health insurance plan through July, a benefit that is worth about $1,425 monthly.

By JAMES MacPHERSON

Associated Press
Live updates |U.S. pledges new Ukraine aid, diplomatic surge View Photo

NEAR THE POLISH-UKRAINIAN BORDER  The United States is giving new military assistance to Ukraine and renewing a diplomatic push in the war-ravaged nation as President Joe Bidens secretary of state and Pentagon chief complete a secretive trip to Kyiv.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin informed Ukraines president of a more than $300 million package of foreign military financing and a $165 million sale of ammunition.

They also said President Joe Biden would announce his pick for a U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and that American diplomats who left ahead of Russias invasion in February would start returning to the country this coming week.

Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelenskyy said he planned to meet with the U.S. officials in Kyiv on Sunday, but the Biden administration refused to confirm that or discuss any details of a possible visit.

It was the highest-level American visit to the capital since Russia invaded in late February.

Austin and Blinken announced a total of $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries. Some $322 million is earmarked for Kyiv.

Officials say the remainder will be split among NATO members and other nations that have provided Ukraine with critical military supplies since the war with Russia began.

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LVIV, Ukraine __ A fire has erupted at a Russian oil depot near the border with Ukraine.

The Tass news agency reported the fire early Monday in Bryansk. The Russian report said oil storage tanks at the facility caught fire around 2 a.m. local time.

NASA satellites that track fires show a burning fire at coordinates that correspond to a Rosneft facility some 110 kilometers (70 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.

Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the head of Ukraines Ministry of Internal Affairs, was cited by the Ukrainian news agency Unian as saying that people who live near the burning oil depot were being evacuated.

Moscow previously has blamed Ukraine for attacks on the Russian region of Bryansk, which borders Ukraine.

Ukraines top security officials have denied that Kyiv was behind an earlier airstrike on an oil depot in the Russian city of Belgorod, about 60 kilometers (35 miles) from the border.

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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 Civilians in Mariupol steelworks beg for aid in newly released video

 Ukraine official: Zelenskyy meets top-level US delegation

 Ukrainians mark Orthodox Easter with prayers for those trapped

 Far from home, Ukrainian refugees pray at Easter for peace

 Ukrainian village faces a churchless Easter

 Sanctions hit Russian economy, though Putin says otherwise

 Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

MARIUPOL, Ukraine  A newly released video shows Ukrainian children in an underground bunker receiving Easter presents.

The video was released Sunday by the far-right Azov Battalion, which is among Ukrainian forces at the Azovstal steelworks where soldiers and civilians have been holed up under a Russian attack.

The groups deputy commander, Sviatoslav Palamar, says the video was shot Sunday at the plant.

One toddler is seen wearing homemade diapers made of cellophane. People are hanging laundry on makeshift hangers.

One of the women in the video begs for help from world leaders and says she and others stuck under the plant are tired of the bombing and are desperate for their freedom.

We want to live in our city, in our country. We are tired of these bombings, constant airstrikes on our land. How much longer will this continue? she says through tears.

The children are constantly crying here  they want to play and live, she adds. Stop this aggression. I ask everyone, help please, free us!

Another woman says there are 600 civilians sheltering under the plant, without food and water.

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KYIV, Ukraine  An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the U.S. secretaries of state and defense are meeting with the Ukrainian leader in the highest-level visit to Kyiv by an American delegation since the start of Russias invasion.

The adviser, Oleksiy Arestovych, said in an interview on Ukrainian TV late Sunday that the talks are going on right now.

Zelenskyys meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin comes as Ukraine presses the West for more powerful weapons in its fight against the Russian invasion, which began 60 days ago.

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SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates  Hundreds of Russians and Ukrainians crowded into the only Russian Orthodox Church on the Arabian Peninsula on Sunday to celebrate Easter  far from home and in the shadow of a war that has brought devastation to Ukraine and international isolation to Moscow.

Although the two nationalities, united in language and history, typically celebrate Easter in harmony in this corner of the world where theyve forged new lives as expats, this year there was unspoken tension.

I dont have any problems with Russians as people, said Sergei, a Ukrainian businessman from Kyiv and Dubai resident of five years, who like others interviewed declined to give his last name for privacy reasons. But war changes people. Children are dying. The Russians now hate my country.

A few Russians interviewed said they did not support the war and felt sick or guilty about it. But to avoid any confrontation in the pews, they stuck to small talk with Ukrainians about the festivities and warming weather, they said.

Ordinary Russians say Dubai has become an increasingly rare haven as anti-Russian hostility escalates around the world over the grinding war, which has rocked the stability of Europe, sent oil prices soaring and triggered the continents worst refugee crisis since World War II.

-

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has discussed the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol in a call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Zelenskyy said on Twitter that he stressed the need for immediate evacuation of civilians from Mariupol, including Azovstal, and immediate exchange of blocked troops in Sundays call with Erdogan. He noted that the call came before Erdogans planned conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine has urged Russia to allow the evacuation of civilians holed up at the giant Azovstal steel plant, the last remaining Ukrainian pocket of resistance in the strategic Sea of Azov port. It also has pushed Russia to conduct talks on a safe exit for the Ukrainian defenders of the plant, but Moscow has stonewalled the demands.

Zelenskyy said he and Erdogan also discussed the course of the negotiation process and possible security guarantees for Ukraine from Turkey and other nations.

Erdogans office said he told Zelenskyy in their call that Turkey is ready to mediate and assist in talks between Ukraine and Russia.

__

VATICAN CITY  Pope Francis has renewed his call for an Easter truce as Orthodox Christians celebrated Easter Sunday, when the faithful mark the resurrection of Jesus.

Without naming countries, Francis urged aggressors to stop the attack to help the suffering of the exhausted people.

Francis told a crowd gathered in St. Peters Square that two months had passed since Russias invasion of Ukraine and said that instead of stopping, the war got worse. It is sad that in these days that are the holiest and most solemn for all Christians, the deadly clamor of arms is louder than the sound of bells announcing the Resurrection.

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BERLIN  Switzerland has rejected two requests by Germany to export Swiss ammunition to Ukraine, citing the Alpine nations strict neutrality.

The decision was first reported Sunday by Swiss weekly Sonntagszeitung.

Switzerlands State Secretariat for Economic Affairs confirmed that both requests from Germany, whether the ammunition received from Switzerland can be passed on to Ukraine, were answered negatively with a reference to Swiss neutrality.

Germany needs Switzerlands consent for the arms delivery as part of the original sale contract. The Swiss office declined to specify what type of ammunition Germany had sought to export to Ukraine.

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MOSCOW  The Russian military says it has struck a Ukrainian explosives factory, several artillery depots and hundreds of other targets.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Sunday that the Russian military used precision-guided missiles to destroy a factory making powder and explosives near Pavlohrad in the Dnipro region in central Ukraine.

Konashenkov said Russian forces also struck several depots with artillery munitions and rockets in Barvinkove, Nova Dmytrivka, Ivanivka, Husarivka and Velyka Komyshuvakha in the Kharkiv region.

He added that the Russian artillery hit 423 Ukrainian targets overnight, including fortified positions and troops concentrations, while Russian warplanes destroyed 26 Ukrainian military targets.

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ISTANBUL  The spiritual leader of the worlds Orthodox Christians has called for the opening of humanitarian corridors in Ukraine, saying a human tragedy was unfolding in the country.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I spoke Saturday night in Istanbul during midnight mass marking the resurrection of Jesus Christ ahead of Orthodox Easter Sunday.

Let us ask the Risen Redeemer that this year, (Easter) will be the impetus to open humanitarian corridors, safe passages to truly safe areas for the thousands of people surrounded in Mariupol, civilians, among them the wounded, the elderly, women and many children, Bartholomew said. The same applies to all other regions of Ukraine, where an indescribable human tragedy is unfolding.

Istanbul-based Bartholomew is considered first among equals among Eastern Orthodox patriarchs, which gives him prominence but not the power of a Catholic pope.

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BERLIN  The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe says it is extremely concerned about the detention of several Ukrainian members of its monitoring mission in the east of the country.

The Vienna-based body said in a brief statement Sunday that it is using all available channels to facilitate their release. A spokesperson declined to specify how many national mission members were detained, when or by whom.

Several OSCE observers have been killed or injured since the bodys 57 participating states established a mission to monitor the conflict in eastern Ukraine eight years ago. Russia recently vetoed an extension of the mission.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken of hope and victory for his nation during an Easter Sunday address.

Speaking from the ancient St. Sophia cathedral, Zelenskyy said that the great holiday today gives us great hope and unwavering faith that light will overcome darkness, good will overcome evil, life will overcome death, and therefore Ukraine will surely win!

He said that the Lord and the holy heavenly light are on our side, adding: We are going through very difficult ordeals. Let us reach a just end on this path  the beginning of a happy life and prosperity of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said that on Easter, we ask God for great grace to make our dream come true  this is another great day  the day when great peace will come to Ukraine.

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KYIV, Ukraine  A Ukrainian presidential adviser has urged Russia to allow civilians to leave a steel mill in Mariupol besieged by the Russian forces.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, appealed to Russia to announce a truce in Mariupol on Orthodox Easter Sunday and immediately open a humanitarian corridor for civilians holed up at the giant Azovstal steel plant. He also challenged Russia to conduct a round of talks to negotiate an exit for the Ukrainian defenders of the plant.

Podolyak tweeted that the Russian military is attacking the plant with heavy bombs and artillery barrage and is accumulating forces and equipment for an assault.

Sviatoslav Palamar, an officer with the Azov Regiment defending the plant, said in a video that on Eastern Sunday the Russians are continuing to shower the plant with bombs and shell it with heavy artillery.

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KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian military says Russian forces have continued to press their attacks in the east.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said Sunday that the Russians fired on Ukrainian positions along the entire line of contact on the wars 60th day. It also said the Russian military intensified its offensive and assault operations in the Siverodonetsk, Kurakhiv and Popasna directions.

A regional official in eastern Ukraine says at least eight people have been killed by the Russian shelling.

Luhansk regional Governor Serhiy Haidai said Sunday that two others were wounded by the Russian barrage in the past 24 hours.

The General Staff added that Russian forces have also continued to pummel the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, hitting it with air strikes, including by long-range aircraft.

The shelling comes as the Russians are pressing their offensive in a bid to gain full control over Ukraines eastern industrial heartland called Donbas.

The Russians have also shelled the Dnipro region west of Donbas, where at least one person was killed by a Russian missile, according to Dnipro regional Governor Valentyn Reznichenko.

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KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian military said Saturday it destroyed a Russian command post in Kherson, a southern city that fell to Russian forces early in the war.

The Ukrainian military intelligence agency posted a statement saying the command post was hit on Friday and two generals were killed and one was critically wounded.

Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said in an online interview that 50 senior Russian officers were in the command center when it came under attack. He said their fate was unknown.

The Russian military did not comment on the claim, which could not be confirmed.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said new evidence is emerging that shows Russian troops killed tens of thousands of civilians in Mariupol and then tried to cover it up. He said Ukraine has intercepted Russian conversations about how they are concealing the traces of their crimes. Satellite images have shown what appear to be mass graves dug in towns to the west and east of Mariupol.

Zelenskyy said the Russians set up filtration camps near Mariupol for those trying to leave the city, which has largely been reduced to rubble. He said those who survive these camps are sent to areas under Russian occupation or to Russia itself, often as far as Siberia or the Far East. Many of them, he said, are children.

He said he spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday about the situation in Mariupol and the general course of the war.

Zelenskyy promised to find and punish those responsible for the missile attack on Odesa, which he said killed eight people and wounded 18.

Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians to observe a curfew and not attend Orthodox Easter services overnight. The lengthy services traditionally begin late Saturday and run through Sunday morning. But starting from 5 a.m. you may go to the church in your city, town or community, he said.

By The Associated Press
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FAIRFAX, Va. (AP)  Actor Johnny Depp concluded a grueling four days on the witness stand Monday, telling jurors in a calm voice that he filed his libel lawsuit against his ex-wife because it was his best chance to reclaim his reputation, just hours after they heard audio clips of him berating his wife with coarse vulgarities.

It was the only time I was able to fight back and use my own voice," Depp said of his decision to sue Amber Heard for a 2018 op-ed piece in The Washington Post in which she refers to herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse."

He continued to deny that he ever hit Heard, and accused her of hitting him and throwing items including paint cans and vodka bottles at him. And jurors heard an audio clip of a conversation between Depp and Heard in which she seems to taunt him and suggests he won't be believed or respected if he were to publicly cast her as an abuser.

Tell them, I, Johnny Depp, I'm a victim of domestic abuse ... and see how many people believe or side with you, Heard says on the recording.

Earlier Monday, though, they heard recordings in which Depp referred to the violence that could ensue if their arguments were allowed to escalate.

The next move, if I don't walk away ... it's going to be a bloodbath, like it was on the island, Depp says on the recording.

In other clips, Depp loudly shouts vulgarities at his wife, calling her a degrading name and yelling, You stupid f- at her.

Depp winced on the stand as one of the clips was played; Heard appeared to fight back tears at several points as she listened to the recordings.

Heard's op-ed never mentions Depp by name, but he argues that he was defamed nonetheless because parts of the piece clearly refer to allegations of abuse she made in 2016 when she filed for divorce and obtained a temporary restraining order.

The clips were part of a lengthy cross-examination of Depp that began last week and concluded late Monday morning.

Heard's lawyers focused throughout the cross-examination on Depp's drinking, drug use and charged interactions with Heard during their relationship.

During Monday's cross-examination, Depp actually said very little. Most of the questioning consisted of Heard's lawyer playing audio clips or reading vulgar text messages sent by Depp and asking Depp if he'd read them correctly.

Throughout the cross-examination, Depp showed his displeasure with Rottenborn's questions. When Rottenborn interrupted one response, Depp said, I was talking. When Rottenborn said he considered the question to be fully answered, Depp responded, as long as you're happy.

Depp also expressed disapproval as Rottenborn read headlines from a series of negative articles written about the actor, some dating back to 2014.

These are all hit pieces. These are dreck, Depp said.

Rottenborn introduced the articles to try to demonstrate that it was Depp's long history of bad behavior, not the 2018 Post article, that damaged his reputation.

While the libel lawsuit is supposed to center on whether Depp was defamed in the article, most of the trial has focused on ugly details of the couple's brief marriage. Heards attorneys say Depp physically and sexually abused her and that Depp's denials lack merit because he was often drunk and high to the point of blacking out.

On redirect Monday afternoon, Depp sought to explain some of his coarse language. He said he was often speaking figuratively or making inside jokes with friends, but added, I'm ashamed that that has to be spread on the world like peanut butter."

And he again denied that he cut off his own finger during a fight with Heard, even though he told people as much at the time. He now says the finger was severed when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him.

Why would I start lopping off digits in my 50s? he said, showing his right hand to the jury. I cant take responsibility for what I now call Little Richard, my chopped finger.

The jury has seen dozens of Depp's texts to friends regarding his drinking, drug use and interactions with his then-wife, as well as his notes of contrition to Heard and her father.

He called the drug addiction accusations against him grossly embellished, though he acknowledged taking many drugs.

Depp says the Post article contributed to an unfairly ruined reputation that made him a Hollywood outcast and cost him his role in the lucrative Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. Heard's attorneys say only Depp is to blame for his marred career.

___

Associated Press writer Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, contributed to this report.
MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP)  Sundays at the Bullock home in rural Kentucky were filled with lasting memories: big family dinners, cornhole, basketball and karaoke.

Those gatherings ended the night of Dec. 10, when a massive tornado obliterated their Dawson Springs house, trapping Chris Bullock, 17-year-old son Stevie and miniature poodle Dewey under a crumbled brick wall in the basement. Her husband pulled them from the rubble with minor injuries, but the house where she and her family lived for 26 years was gone.

There were things we were never able to find, Bullock told The Associated Press recently. Our neighbor's dryer was in our yard. We found our ketchup but we couldn't find our refrigerator.

Four months after the tornado upended her family's lives, Chris Bullock and hundreds of other Kentuckians are arduously reconstructing their pre-storm existence. Thanks to a vast network of municipal workers, contractors, churches, charities and volunteers, communities like Dawson Springs, Mayfield and Bowling Green are edging toward recovery.

The storm system that spawned the deadly tornado tore through a handful of states. The National Weather Service recorded 41 tornadoes on Dec. 10 and 11, including 16 in Tennessee and eight in Kentucky. Eighty-one people died in Kentucky alone, state officials said. Thousands found shelter with relatives and friends, or in emergency facilities, hotels and state parks.

In Mayfield, a candle factory, a nursing home and government buildings were destroyed. Homes were ripped from foundations and splintered by fierce winds. Crews worked day and night to clear debris and restore power.

Audible evidence of rebuilding in Mayfield has been difficult to miss: the cracking and crashing of excavators breaking apart wood and glass, the beep-beep-beep of heavy machinery reversing, the popping of roofers' nail guns.

In an AP interview, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said removing debris and finding temporary housing were early priorities after the tornado. More recently, attention has turned to keeping residents in Kentucky.

These are towns that have almost been wiped off the map, Beshear said. We will continue to be concerned about getting people back on their feet and concerned about not losing the population of these towns.

Some have moved to more permanent shelter, including travel trailers, the governor said. In Graves County, tiny homes were approved for displaced residents, and several larger homes are being built in Mayfield, emergency management Director Tracy Warner said.

We really hold the future of Mayfield and Graves County in our hands, Warner said. And that is scary, yet exciting."

Although there's cause for optimism, progress remains slow in places. In Dawson Springs, where Bullock and her family now live in a camper, the 54-year-old registered nurse said she has seen just a few houses being rebuilt, and some friends say they won't stay.

Bullock and her husband had paid off their home but didnt have insurance. A disaster-response charity is helping them build a new house on their property, and Bullock hopes to see a day when their family gatherings resume.

Sundays were fun days. ... I just want to have that again, she said.

Beshear, a Democrat, said millions in housing assistance payments from a state relief fund are being distributed. About $64 million in federal assistance has been approved for storm victims in Kentucky, with some aid targeting temporary housing, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.

Recovery will take a couple of years, but it shouldnt take any longer, Beshear said. There are days that its a little more frustrating, ... but we are going to get this done.

After the storm, bottled water, diapers and other supplies poured in from across the country. Heartland Church in Paducah became a collection point as volunteers with trucks and trailers made deliveries. The Rev. Marc Glass and volunteers loaded a church outbuilding and a donated warehouse with everything from paper towels to toys.

Herschel Evans, a driver for the American Trucking Associations Share the Road program, volunteered to drive a bright blue, 53-foot-long semitrailer full of supplies from Atlanta to Paducah.

I dont have a lot of money, but Ive got skills," Evans said. "Ive got the ability to move that truck around the country.

Heartlands relief efforts have shifted to rebuilding, with donated furniture and beds for those who have found new places to live. But Glass said the churchs community spirit goes further than that.

We don't simply care about your physical needs, but we care about you as a whole person. We care about your soul, he said.

In Dawson Springs, charity group Gods Pit Crew is rebuilding Chris Bullocks home free of charge.

The nonprofit, based in Danville, Virginia, uses donated equipment and volunteer workers to rebuild houses after disasters ranging from hurricanes to forest fires, said Chris Chiles, a staff member with the group.

Chiles led a convoy carrying about $1 million worth of heavy machinery, tree removal tools and a shower to Kentucky in January. Gods Pit Crew also brings volunteers who counsel victims.

Theres more healing that goes on with that than putting a tarp on their roof. They can sit with someone and let them know that somebody cares about them, Chiles said.

Bullock and her husband thought briefly about leaving Dawson Springs or finding an existing home rather than rebuild on their property, but we lived in that house for 26 years and we raised five children there.

It's just home, she said. It just didn't feel right to be anywhere else.

___

Schreiner reported from Frankfort, Kentucky.
ATLANTA (AP)  The top two Republicans running for governor in Georgia launched the first of three debates Sunday by bickering over who was responsible for 2020 and 2021 Republican election losses, with former U.S. Sen. David Perdue pressing his attack that incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp is to blame for Democratic control in Washington, while Kemp fired back that Perdue was trying to pass the blame for his own loss to Democrat Jon Ossoff.

Perdue continued to showcase support for debunked claims that Democrats fraudulently won the 2020 presidential election and the 2021 U.S. Senate runoffs in Georgia.

The election in 2020 was rigged and stolen," Perdue said during a debate sponsored by Atlanta's WSB-TV. "All the madness we see today ... all that started right here in Georgia when our governor caved and allowed out radical Democrats to steal our elections.

Kemp said he followed the law, that Perdue was lying to voters about his claim that Kemp permitted a settlement agreement over how signatures on absentee ballots were verified, and that the secretary of state and State Election Board have primary responsibility for investigating election wrongdoing.

I was Secretary of State for eight years," Kemp said, and I don't need to be lectured by someone that lost their last election about what our voting laws are and who has responsibilities for those in our state.

Kemp was not a party to the settlement agreement, but Perdue claims Kemp should have called a special session and asked lawmakers to reverse it. He also says Kemp should have done more to investigate fraud claims, saying Kemp is the top cop in Georgia.

Kemp was required by state law to certify the results and has repeatedly said any other course would have invited endless litigation. Federal and state election officials and Donald Trumps own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former presidents allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed.

You have a candidate that is going to attack my record, unfortunately, all night tonight, because they didnt have a record there to beat Jon Ossoff in 2020, Kemp said.

The debates come as voting nears in for the May 24 primary. Counties can begin mailing absentee ballots Monday and early in-person voting begins May 2. Kemp and Perdue are scheduled to meet Thursday in Savannah and May 1 in Atlanta.

Besides Kemp and Perdue, the primary includes Republicans Catherine Davis, Kandiss Taylor and Tom Williams, who were excluded from Sunday's debate. A runoff would be held June 21 if needed.

Kemp, facing a Republican primary electorate that polls show widely believes that Trump did not lose fairly, didn't say he thought the 2020 and 2021 elections were fair, and didn't say he thought there was no fraud.

Look, I was as frustrated as anybody else, Kemp said. Thats why we passed the strongest election integrity act in the country, because a lot of things were done by other people.

Perdue is endorsed by Trump, who has been focused on defeating Kemp. But Kemp has maintained a lead in fundraising and in the polls as he seeks a second term. That dynamic played out in the debate, with Perdue attacking and Kemp by turns defensive and dismissive.

The incumbent sought to highlight his record, including raising teacher and state employee pay, cutting taxes and quickly lifting restrictions after Georgias brief COVID-19 lockdown. Kemp said that's a better way to defeat Democrat Stacey Abrams than endless litigation of past elections.

That is a record that will beat Stacey Abrams in November, not looking in the rearview mirror, Kemp said.

Perdue, though, argues only he can win votes from Trump diehards to beat Abrams.

"He has divided us," Perdue said of Kemp. He will not be able to beat Stacey Abrams. And if we want to protect our freedom and our values, we have to vote and we have to make sure that Stacey is never our governor.

Kemp repeatedly deflected when asked if he supports the affluent, mostly white Buckhead neighborhood seceding from the poorer, Blacker city of Atlanta. That effort died in the state legislature this year amid opposition from business groups, some Republican lawmakers and Atlanta city leaders. Kemp said instead he was focused on reducing crime in Atlanta.

"I think the debate needs to continue," Kemp said Im going to continue to keep my powder dry. Let this movement come forward or not. Thats a decision that the legislature is going to make.

Perdue said that was an example of Kemp being a weak governor, supporting Buckhead's exit from Atlanta.

Theyre trying to protect themselves, Perdue said of his support for letting Buckhead split off. And the only way to do that is to get control of their own government. Keep your powder dry? People are getting killed up there right now.

Perdue also rapped Kemp for not doing more to arrest people in the country illegally, noting a 2018 ad where Kemp pledged to round up criminal illegals and transport them in his big truck, if needed.

What happened, governor? Pickup break down? Perdue asked.

Kemp defended his record, noting he has stationed Georgia National Guard members near the Mexican border. But he said said adding to the jail population would have been a bad idea at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I dont know how going around picking up people that might have COVID when our law enforcement was sending ventilators and PPE supplies to hospitals would have been a good strategy, Kemp said.

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MERIDEN  High-risk patients who test positive for COVID-19 should notify their doctor or clinician immediately to begin treatment options that could prevent serious illness, health care advocates say.

But the increase in COVID-19 positivity, widespread mask removal and the proliferation of at home rapid tests may work against the most vulnerable getting access to early care.

An average of 880 cases per day were reported in Connecticut in the last week. Cases have increased by 70 percent from the average two weeks ago. Deaths have decreased by 5 percent, a total of 10,834 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

January 2022 was the month with the highest average cases, while April 2020 was the month with the highest average deaths in Connecticut.

They take the masks off and its going through the roof, said pharmacist Greg Hancock about the states positivity rate. Hancock owns Hancocks Pharmacy in Meriden, where the spike in COVID-19 positivity has led to an increase in demand for the second booster shot.

But Hancock hasnt seen as much demand for antiviral treatments such as Paxlovid to prevent severe COVID, despite an increase in supply. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized Paxlovid for people age 12 and up who weigh at least 88 pounds. But in order to qualify for a prescription, a patient must also have had a positive COVID-19 test result and be at high risk.

That means patients must either have certain underlying conditions  including cancer, diabetes, obesity, or others  or be an older adult (more than 81% of COVID-19 deaths occur in people over age 65). The more underlying medical conditions a person has, the higher their risk for developing a severe case of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The FDA granted the Emergency Use Authorization in December, just as a staggering number of people were infected with the Omicron variant and the need for care skyrocketed, leading to supply issues.

However, the supply has improved so that patients who meet the criteria for Paxlovid can now easily receive it, according to the Yale School of Medicine. Manufacturer Pfizers data show that participants who were given Paxlovid were 89% less likely to develop severe illness and death compared to trial participants who received a placebo.

Community Health Center Inc., which has a branch in Meriden, has been providing anti-viral treatment to socially disadvantaged patients for several months.

We are a test to treat site, and are providing the anti-viral treatment Paxlovid to patients testing positive for COVID, said CHC spokeswoman Leslie Gianelli in an email. We were among the first to receive the treatment so eligible patients have had ready access since it became available. Treatment must begin within five days of the onset of symptoms. Any patient testing positive is assessed and informed about the treatment if eligible.

But a lack of awareness about the available treatment could be preventing medical intervention for the neediest patients. This is particularly acute for those who administer at-home rapid tests and dont report a positive result to a physician, or those who got a false negative.

Everything is so new its become confusing, Hancock said. The problem with the home testing is, its not always accurate. Thats where its at right now.

Hancock predicts that if the number of confirmed cases ticks up, the demand for second boosters will continue to climb.

mgodin@record-journal.com203-317-2255Twitter: @Cconnbiz
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ' deepening feud with Walt Disney World is testing the limits of his combative leadership style while sending an unmistakable message to his rivals that virtually nothing is off limits as he plots his political future.

The 43-year-old Republican has repeatedly demonstrated an acute willingness to fight over the course of his decadelong political career. He has turned against former aides and rejected the GOP Legislature's rewrite of congressional maps, forcing lawmakers to accept a version more to his liking and prompting voting rights groups to sue. He's also leaned into simmering tensions with Donald Trump, which is notable for someone seeking to lead a party where loyalty to the former president is a requirement.

But DeSantis' decision to punish Disney World, one of the world's most popular tourist destinations and one of Florida's biggest private employers, took his fighter mentality to a new level. In retribution for Disney's criticism of a new state law condemned by critics as Don't Say Gay, DeSantis signed legislation on Friday stripping the theme park of a decades-old special agreement that allowed it to govern itself.

To critics, including some in his own party, such a raw exercise of power suggests DeSantis is operating with a sense of invincibility that could come back to haunt him. Others see an ambitious politician emboldened by strong support in his state and a mountain of campaign cash grabbing an opportunity to further stoke the nation's culture wars, turning himself into a hero among Republican voters in the process.

When you listen to Ron DeSantis, it's righteous indignation: 'Here's why you're wrong and here's why I'm right,'' said Florida Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, a former state GOP chairman. And it is that righteous indignation and that willingness to fight back that endears people to Ron DeSantis' message. As long as he keeps on showing that he's willing to fight, people are going to continue to keep flocking to him."

DeSantis is up for reelection in November. But in the wake of his scrap with Disney, he will introduce himself to a key group of presidential primary voters this week when he campaigns for Nevada Senate candidate Adam Laxalt. The appearance marks his first of the year in a state featured prominently on the presidential calendar, although DeSantis aides insist it is simply a trip to help out a longtime friend.

Disney drew DeSantis wrath for opposing a new state law that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. The DeSantis-backed bill has been condemned by LGBTQ activists nationwide as homophobic, although the measure, like others dealing with transgender athletes and racial history in schools, has emerged as a core piece of the GOPs political strategy.

The Disney legislation, which does not take effect until June 2023, could cause massive economic fallout for the company, the surrounding communities and the millions who visit the Orlando amusement park every year.

There are risks to DeSantis' embrace of the legislation, particularly if his antagonism towards Disney threatens the GOP's standing with independents and women, who could play crucial roles in the fall campaign. Jenna Ellis, a former Trump administration attorney, called the DeSantis-backed legislation vengeful.

Democrats who are facing a tough election year are eager to highlight DeSantis' moves as a way to portray the GOP as a party of extremists. In an interview, Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison described DeSantis attack on Disney as a continuation of a divisive agenda geared toward booking interviews on conservative media at the expense of his constituents.

The people of Florida deserve a governor whose first priority is them, not his own political ambition, Harrison said.

President Joe Biden said at a party fundraiser in Seattle that this is not your father's Republican Party.

I respect conservatives, Biden told donors on Thursday. Theres nothing conservative about deciding youre going to throw Disney out of its present posture because ... you think we should be not be able to say, gay."

In a statement, DeSantis' spokesperson Taryn Fenske, called the governor a principled and driven leader who accomplishes exactly what he says he will do.

Indeed, DeSantis' friends and foes in the GOP agree that his crackdown on Disney is a major political victory among Republican base voters already enamored by his pushback against pandemic-related public health measures over the past two years. They suggest it also taps into a growing Republican embrace of anti-corporate populism and parental control of education that resonates with a wider swath of voters.

Republican pollsters have been privately testing DeSantis' political strength beyond Florida for several months, finding that the only Republican consistently with more support than DeSantis among GOP voters is Trump himself. At the same time, DeSantis is sitting on more than $100 million in campaign funds.

Hes a very smart guy in what hes doing and how hes doing it, Republican strategist David Urban, a close Trump ally, said of DeSantis.

Those close to the Florida governor say there is one message above all to take away from the Disney fight: that DeSantis, one of the few high-profile Republicans who has not ruled out running against Trump in a 2024 presidential primary, is not afraid of anybody, anything or any fight.

Tensions between the two men have been building for months.

In a Washington Post interview last month, Trump took credit for DeSantis' rise. And last weekend, longtime Trump loyalist Roger Stone released a video clip in which Stone calls DeSantis an expletive while greeting Trump at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida club.

So far, Florida voters seem to be on DeSantis' side.

Nearly 6 in 10 Florida voters approved of DeSantis' job performance in a February poll conducted by the University of North Florida. The poll also asked registered Republicans about a hypothetical presidential primary between Trump and DeSantis. The result? Trump and DeSantis were about even.

Brian Ballard, a Florida lobbyist and a major Republican fundraiser, said DeSantis has a combination of popularity and instincts that is shaping the modern-day GOP.

No other elected official, maybe in the country, has the Republican base support that Ron DeSantis has. So hes incredibly powerful, not only a powerful politician, but a powerful government leader, Ballard said. The guy really has the reins of power in his hands.

___

Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writer Anthony Izaguirre contributed to this report.
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Wimberley joins more than 30 Texas cities identified as a "Music Friendly Community" and the city is set to celebrate this weekend. Wimberley completed the multi-step process on April 18, earning the designation from the Texas Music Office, which seeks to foster music business-related economic development in Texas cities and communities, according to a news release.

"Music is a big part of the Texas brand and is deeply rooted in the cultural traditions of our great state," said Gov. Greg Abbott in a news release. "With support from the Texas Music Office, the music industry in Texas created more than 210,000 direct and indirect permanent jobs in communities all across the Lone Star State and generated $27.3 billion in economic activity in the pre-pandemic year of 2019. Music Friendly Communities certified by the Texas Music Office are serious about attracting and developing the local music industry to spur job creation and economic growth. I congratulate the City of Wimberley on earning the Music Friendly Community designation, and I look forward to amplifying their continued success."
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  A Kentucky arson unit is investigating after a fire destroyed a synagogue and worship center on the final day of Passover.

Rabbi Avrohom Litvin is regional director of Chabad of Kentucky. He said the blaze started as a grease fire in a building adjoining Louisville's Chabad House early Saturday morning, WDRB-TV reported. Firefighters brought it under control, but it apparently rekindled around noon and the Chabad House caught fire.
With more than 20,000 miles of rail and hundreds of trains operating daily, Amtrak connects cities across the U.S. and Canada, offering travelers views across 46 states and three Canadian provinces. That said, a new report ranks the most scenic Amtrak routes in the U.S. and a stretch of railway traversing the Lone Star State made the cut.

Most scenic Amtrak routes in U.S.

On Tuesday, the finance website FinanceBuzz published a roundup highlighting 10 "incredibly scenic" Amtrak routes in the U.S. Overall, the Adirondack route claimed the top spot. The line starts in New York City, runs through the Hudson Valley and ends in Montreal, Canada. California's Pacific Surfliner is listed at No. 2. The route offers views of the Pacific Ocean as it shuttles riders from San Luis Obispo to San Diego and vice versa.

The California Zephyr comes in at No. 3 and runs from San Francisco en route to Chicago with stops in Reno, Salt Lake City, Denver and throughout the Great Plains.

The roundup lists the City of New Orleans route at No. 4 and highlights the historical views of this particular journey as the trip runs from Chicago and then follows the Mississippi River through Memphis into the Big Easy in Louisiana. The Southwest Chief route comes in at No. 5 and runs from Chicago to Los Angeles with stops in Kansas City, Albuquerque and Flagstaff.

As for Texas routes, the Sunset Limited is listed at No. 9. The route starts in New Orleans en route to Los Angeles. In Texas, the line includes stops in Beaumont, Houston, San Antonio, Del Rio, Sanderson, Alpine and El Paso.

"Instead of waterfalls and forests, this is the train ride for desert and mountain aficionados. Starting in New Orleans the Sunset Limited cuts west, out of the Gulf and into Houston and San Antonio, mixing both historic sites with modern attractions," reads a portion of the report. "Then its into the desert, moving through the valleys of the Southwest and into the Rocky Mountains."

On the westward journey, other major stops include Tucson and Phoenix before the end of the line in the City of Angels.

"While onboard the Sunset Limited, settle back and watch the Bayou Country, Mexican border, southwestern deserts and California mountains pass by your window," reads a portion of the Amtrak page describing the route.

Sunset Limited trains depart three times each week in either direction. Learn more about the route here.

Full list of the most scenic Amtrak routes
WASHINGTON (AP)  A former White House official told the House committee investigating the Capitol riot that President Donald Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, had been advised of intelligence reports showing the potential for violence, according to just-released transcripts.

Cassidy Hutchinson, a special assistant in the Trump White House, told the committee there were concerns brought forward to Meadows before the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but it was unclear what Meadows did with that information.

I just remember Mr. Ornato coming in and saying that we had intel reports saying that there could potentially be violence on the 6th, Hutchinson said, presumably referencing Anthony Ornato, a senior Secret Service official. And Mr. Meadows said: All right. Lets talk about it.

The exact nature of what Meadows was told is not clear from Hutchinson's testimony. Though law enforcement had been bracing for potential violence on Jan. 6, officials had not properly accounted for the prospect that a violent mob would attack the Capitol.

The filing late Friday is the latest in a long legal fight over the extent to which Meadows, whose proximity to Trump has made him a key target of House Democrats, can be forced to cooperate with the committee's investigation. Meadows has handed over thousands of text messages, but he has refused to sit for an interview, has argued that he is immune from having to testify by virtue of his White House position, and has sued the committee.

The filing seeks a court ruling in the committee's favor that Meadows has no valid basis to refuse to testify. It says the committee has refined the scope of its request to focus on seven specific topics, including testimony about communication with Congress before Jan. 6, 2021; White House plans to replace the leadership of Justice Department so the department could pursue Trump's bogus claims of election fraud; and efforts to create alternate, or fake, slates of state electors who could change the outcome of the vote of the 2020 election that Democrat Joe Biden won.

The committee released excerpts of testimony from multiple witnesses it has interviewed, including Hutchinson. Besides describing warnings of potential violence provided to Meadows, Hutchinson revealed how the White House counsel's office cautioned against plans to enlist fake electors in states, including in meetings involving Meadows and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

The filing also includes new text messages that Meadows turned over, including several from House Republicans who were pushing the former North Carolina congressman to act. Meadows close friend, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, suggests in a late text on Jan. 5, 2021  the day before Congress was due to certify Biden's victory  that Vice President Mike Pence should call out all electoral votes that he believes are unconstitutional as no electoral votes at all.

Meadows texted back in the early hours of Jan. 6: I have pushed for this. Not sure it is going to happen. Pence ultimately resisted the overwhelming pressure from Trump and his allies and did not attempt to object to Biden's certification.

Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., was texting Meadows as early as Dec. 26, 2020: Mark, just checking in as time continues to count down. 11 days to 1/6 and 25 days to inauguration. We gotta get going!

In the texts released by the committee, Perry encouraged Meadows to talk to Jeffrey Clark, an assistant attorney general who was sympathetic to Trumps bogus claims of election fraud. A week later, on Jan. 3, Clark attended a meeting at the White House with Trump, where the prospect of elevating Clark to the role of acting attorney general was discussed  but adamantly resisted by Justice Department officials, who threatened to resign, and White House lawyers. Trump ultimately backed down.

Hutchinson said Meadows talked frequently to Clark, and Hutchinson recalled Clark's presence at the White House and his frequent outreach and communications.

In another interview released by the committee Friday, former Justice Department official Steven Engel, then the head of the Office of Legal Counsel, said Clark had suggested that the department provide a legal opinion to Pence regarding the vice president's authority to object to the certification of the presidential election. Engel said he told Clark that was absurd and reminded him that Pences role was a ceremonial one as president of the Senate.

The testimony released Friday also reinforced how certain Republicans in Congress were deeply involved in White House discussions about overturning the election in the months leading to the deadly insurrection.

Hutchinson, for instance, described several calls involving Meadows and members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus in late November and early December in which participants discussed what Pences role could be on Jan. 6, besides the ceremonial role he was required to play.

On those calls, according to Hutchinson, were representatives from Trump's legal team, including Giuliani, Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell, as well as Jordan and Perry.

Meadows' lawsuit asked a judge to invalidate two subpoenas that he received from the committee, alleging they were overly broad and unduly burdensome. The suit accused the committee of overreaching by subpoenaing Verizon for his cellphone records.

After the complaint was filed, the House committee sent a contempt of Congress charge against Meadows to the full House, where it passed on a near-party-line vote. It was the first time the chamber had voted to hold a former member in contempt since the 1830s.

While an earlier contempt referral against former Trump adviser Steve Bannon resulted in an indictment, the Justice Department has been slower to decide whether to prosecute Meadows.

Any criminal case against Meadows would be more complex than that presented against Bannon, in part because Meadows was a White House chief of staff and because he had begun to cooperate with the committee, even providing documents to the nine-member panel.

Meadows' attorney, George Terwilliger, has previously defended his client by noting that due to Meadows' willingness to turn over records, he should not be compelled to appear for an interview. Terwilliger did not immediately return an email seeking comment about the latest disclosures.
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  The sun came out as Ukrainians marked Orthodox Easter in the capital, Kyiv, on Sunday with prayers for those fighting on the front lines and others trapped beyond them in places like Mariupol.

St. Volodymyrs Cathedral in Kyiv was ringed by hundreds of worshippers with baskets to be blessed. Inside, a woman clutched the arm of a soldier, turning briefly to kiss his elbow. Other soldiers prayed, holding handfuls of candles, then crossed themselves. An older woman slowly made her way through the crowd and stands of flickering candles. One young woman held daffodils.

Outside the cathedral, a soldier who gave only his first name, Mykhailo, used his helmet as an Easter basket. He said he didnt have another.

I hope Ill only have to use the helmet for this, he said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a service elsewhere in Kyiv urged Ukrainians not to let anger at the war overwhelm them.

All of us believe our sunrise will come soon, he said.

The spiritual leader of the worlds Orthodox Christians called for the opening of humanitarian corridors in Ukraine, saying a human tragedy was unfolding in the country.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I spoke Saturday night in Istanbul during midnight Mass. He is considered first among equals among Eastern Orthodox patriarchs, which gives him prominence but not the power of a Catholic pope.

With the Orthodox church split by the tensions between Russia and Ukraine, some worshippers hoped the holy day could inspire gestures of peacemaking. The church can help, said one man who gave only his first name, Serhii, as he came to a church in Kyiv under the Moscow Patriarchate.

He and others brought baskets to be blessed by priests for Easter, with flicks of a brush sprinkling holy water over offerings of home-dyed eggs, lighted candles and even bottles of Jack Daniel's.

Residents of rural villages battered by the war approached the holiday with some defiance.

Well celebrate Easter no matter what, no matter much horror, said Kateryna Lazarenko, 68, in the northern village of Ivanivka outside Chernihiv, where ruined Russian tanks still littered the roads.

How do I feel? Very nervous, everyone is nervous, said another resident, Olena Koptyl, as she prepared her Easter bread. The Easter holiday doesnt bring any joy. Im crying a lot. We cannot forget how we lived. She and 12 others spent a month sheltering from Russian soldiers in the basement of her home before the soldiers withdrew.

In eastern Ukraine, the scene of Russias latest offensive, worshippers expressed unease along with hope for negotiations.

God will make them understand and they will reach an agreement, because this should be stopped, said Aleksandra Papravkina in Bakhmut. Otherwise, Ukraine will not exist.

Ukraine, meanwhile, prepared for the first high-level U.S. trip to Kyiv since before the war began on Feb. 24 after Zelenskyy announced he would meet in Kyiv on Sunday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Zelenskyy in a news conference Saturday night gave few details but said he expected results  not just presents or some kind of cakes, we are expecting specific things and specific weapons.

Pope Francis renewed his call for an Easter truce. Without naming the aggressors, Francis urged them to stop the attack to help the suffering of the exhausted people.

___

Oleksandr Stashevsky contributed to this report from Ivanivka.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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The Great Texas Airshow made its return after years to Randolph Air Force Base this weekend, entertaining over half-a-million people and leaving residents stranded outside the base unable to get home for hours. Joint Base San Antonio's Facebook page blew up when the base reported that the event had reached max capacity on Saturday, April 23, saying gates would reopen on Sunday, April 24 at 9 a.m. The gates were then closed to outgoing traffic only.

It's unknown exactly how many people were on base to reach max capacity. One visitor in the comments sections said their family drove over two hours to see the show, only to be turned away. Another posted a video in the comments of vehicles parked alongside Farm to Market Road 78.
As early voting kicks off Monday, April 25, many Bexar County residents stunned by skyrocketing property values can push for some property tax relief. There are two propositions on the ballot for the May 7 general election proposed by Texas State Sen. Paul Bettencourt that could help lessen the impact on those high property values that residents all over Bexar County are protesting.

Proposition 1 expands the school district tax relief measures that were originally set out by House Bill 3 to residents over the age of 65 and those with a disability.

Billy Calzada /Billy Calzada

HB 3 required all school districts to reduce Tier I M&O tax rates from $1 per $100 valuation to 93 cents per $100 valuation. This would apply to any disabled or elderly citizens. Those eligible could see a reduction on their tax ceilings and an estimated savings of $233.73 over the next two years, according to a report from Bettencourt's office.

Proposition 2, if passed, will increase the homestead exemption for school district property taxes from $25,000 to $40,000. This would mean that the average resident will pay $175 less in school property taxes using the statewide average rate of $1.17 per $100 valuation as a result.

"If passed, both of these propositions will cut independent school district property tax bills by increasing homeowner exemptions that will save money for all 5.67 million homesteads in the state of Texas," Bettencourt says in the report.

The propositions come as Bexar County residents were shocked when their property values jumped by an average of 23.2%, from $250,806 to $309,118, the Express-News reported.

The appraisal district's Chief Appraiser Michael Amezquita told the Express-News that the jump is unprecedented in his 18 years with the district.

Bettencourt says in the report that no school district will lose funding if the propositions pass as any lost local revenue will be replaced by the state.

Early voting continues until May 3. See a full breakdown of what you should know about early voting here.
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The Bexar County Sheriff's Office is investigating what they are calling a "heinous murder attempt" after a man was found tied up and critically injured on the far Eastside of San Antonio over the weekend. Deputies found the man tied up with multiple severe injuries to his face and upper body in the 11000 block of La Vernia Road on Saturday, April 23. During a media briefing, Sheriff Javier Salazar said it's unclear if the man was stabbed or shot, but believes he was stabbed.

"We're out here at the scene of what appears to be a pretty heinous attempt at murdering a young man," Salazar said. "...These folks, whoever did this to him, there seems to be a lot of hate, anger that went into this. I mean to leave somebody tied up and stabbed, just to leave them out here to die on a country road. It's a pretty heartbreaking situation."
The body of the Texas Army National Guard soldier, who went missing while attempting to rescue two migrants in the Rio Grande River, has been found, the Texas Military Department confirmed on Monday, April 25.

Specialist Bishop E. Evans, 22, was missing since Friday, April 22, when he tried to rescue the migrants who appeared to be drowning as they crossed the river from Mexico into the U.S, according to the Texas Military Department. Search efforts continued throughout the weekend after the Texas Military Department notified the family Friday evening that he was missing.

"We are devastated by the loss of a member of our Guard family," Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer, Adjutant General for Texas, stated in a news release. "We recognize the selflessness of this heroic Soldier who put his life above others in service to our state and national security. The Texas Military Department sends our deepest condolences to the family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time."

Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statement after the body was recovered, writing he is "heartbroken" by the news.

"Our National Guard soldiers risk their lives every day to serve and protect others and we are eternally grateful for the way SPC Evans heroically served his state and country," Abbott wrote. "I thank the members of the Texas National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Border Patrol, and local law enforcement for working around the clock to locate this soldier. The Texas Military Department will continue to provide more updates to the public as they become available. I ask that Texans join Cecilia and me in praying for the family and friends of SPC Evans as they grieve this heartbreaking loss."

Texas Department of Public Safety told the Washington Post that river currents resulted in 10 drownings last week alone. Officials said that in recent weeks they have seen an increase in crossings from Piedras Negras, Mexico, which is the city on the opposite side of the Rio Grande from Eagle Pass.
Multiple agencies are still searching for a Texas Army National Guard soldier who went missing along the river in Eagle Pass Friday during a mission-related incident, according to the Texas Military Department (TMD). The multi-agency search includes the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Rangers and Border Patrol.

The missing soldier was identified Sunday as 22-year-old Bishop E. Evans, a Texas Army National Guard specialist. Evans went missing after allegedly trying to rescue two migrants who appeared to be drowning while crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into the U.S., according to the TMD. Evans's family was notified Friday evening, the agency said.

Dive teams were forced to halt rescue operations Saturday evening due to the river's strong, fast current, according to the TMD. Rescue efforts resumed Sunday morning with the addition of three airboats from the Texas DPS.

"The search for the missing TMD soldier will continue until we have exhausted all available resources," the TMD wrote in a statement Saturday. "The Texas Military Department is thankful to all interagency partners for their continued support in this operation to locate our missing soldier. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family of the soldier."

Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin on Sunday posted photos on Twitter of Evans, courtesy of his family. Evans, a field artilleryman from Arlington, is assigned to A Battery, 4-133 Field Artillery Regiment in New Braunfels and joined the Texas Army National Guard in May 2019. He joined Operation Spartan Shield in Kuwait in the fall of 2020, according to the TMD.

"During this mobilization, his dedication, talents, and tactical prowess led his leadership to regularly assign him to operations in Iraq in support of Special Operations Forces for short periods of time, while then rotating back into Kuwait," the statement said.

Though initial reports on Friday indicated that Evans had drowned, the TMD later released a statement that day saying that a body recovered was likely that of a migrant and that the soldier had still not been found.

On Friday, Texas DPS Lt. Christopher Olivarez told the Washington Post that Evans was carried away by a swift current while attempting to rescue a migrant in the water. Powerful river currents have resulted in at least 10 drownings this week alone, Olivarez added.

Evans was assigned to Gov. Greg Abbott's controversial Operation Lone Star. The now multi-billion-dollar border security program was launched by the Republican leader in March 2021 to try to stop the flow of drugs and undocumented immigrants into Texas through Mexico.

Abbott released a statement saying his office continues to work with the Texas National Guard and other law enforcement agencies to search for Evans and would provide updates as more details become available.

"Texas National Guard Specialist Bishop Evans is a hero who risked his life in service to Texas & America," Abbott posted Sunday on Twitter along with a photo of Evans. "Law enforcement & rescue teams continue a relentless search for him. Join us in prayer for a successful recovery."

The incident comes as the state grapples with migrants crossing the border. Customs and Border Protection recorded 221,303 migrant encounters in March, according to a monthly report. In addition, U.S. border authorities arrested 210,000 migrants in March, the highest monthly total in two decades. This number marks a 24-percent increase from the same month in 2021 when 169,000 migrants were arrested at the border.
By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She is currently writing a book about textile artisans.

Recent months have seen progress on the right to repair front, with new legislation introduced at both state and federal legislation, and litigation planned, pending, or ongoing

I previously posted on some of these developments in March, in Senators Introduce Right to Repair Legislation.

Last week, Motherboard (Vice) reported that smartphone manufacturers Google, Samsung, and even longstanding right to repair opponent, Apple, have made some concessions on the right to repair in Corporate Repair Initiatives Dont Replace the Need for Right-to-Repair Laws.

Will these concessions suffice to accord consumers a meaningful right to repair, and therefore render further legislation (and litigation), unnecessary?

In a word, no.

The first problem with these corporate concessions is that they are incomplete. They concern smartphones only. To be sure, planned obsolescence for consumer electronics products generates enormous quantities of unnecessary e-waste. And any initiative that might reduce such waste should be welcomed. But these products comprise only one component of the right to repair problem. Concessions made by their makers dont apply to other product categories. Autos. Tractors. Air conditioning systems. And other home appliances, including those touted as smart.

Another big problem with relying on corporate sweet nothings is that like all sweet nothings, theyre unenforceable. A company may promise to embrace the right to repair and then simply choose to ignore its promise. Last week, Kevin OReilly, right to repair campaign director for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S PIRG) shared some details about farmer Ken Helts recent troubles with tractor maker John Deeres record, Will corporate repair policies alone solve Right to Repair? Im skeptical.

OReilly focused primarily on John Deere. But his account also mentioned in passing that Apple failed to follow through on a much ballyhooed right to repair program it promised to roll out early in 2022 (see this April reviewgeek discussion for further details, Apple Promised Us a Repair Program, Where the Hell Is It?)

Back to U.S. PIRG and John Deere:

 Farmers cant make many repairs on their half-a-million-dollar tractors without intervention from a manufacturer-affiliated dealer. In addition to inflating costs, that can mean repair delays of up to a month. Such delays during planting season can have a huge impact on farmers bottom lineseach day farmers dont get seed in the ground, their profits evaporate with the morning dew. Ive worked closely with farmers such as Ken Helt, who grows corn and soybeans in southeastern Iowa, to show lawmakers how we need Right to Repair reforms to address farmers problems in the same way we need them to address the problems with consumer electronics. So, when John Deere announced last month that it would sell its Customer Service ADVISOR repair software directly to consumers, why didnt Ken and I celebrate? For one, the announcement is long overdue: Deere and other manufacturers promised in 2018 to make diagnostic tools available to farmers at the beginning of 2021. Deere failed to meet its own deadline. But the problem goes beyond unmet commitments. Customer Service ADVISOR wont free farmers such as Ken from being shackled to the dealer for many repairs.

In a nutshell, the Deere commitment is incomplete. Limited in scope. And ties farmers too closely to working with its dealerships only. Over to U.S. PIRG again:

Take the year-long repair saga that Ken finally solved last April. Ken says his John Deere 7280 tractor was rolling to a stop as often as once an hour. It disrupted his work and was a safety hazardone night his tractor stopped in the middle of a four-lane highway, exposing him to oncoming traffic. Ken told his dealer technician that he thought his transmission was faulty, but the tech insisted that wasnt the case. Without access to the Dealer Technical Assistance Center (DTAC), a database of common failures, the Product Improvement Programs (PIPs) designed to address them, or the dealer-level Service ADVISOR, which provides additional diagnostic information and the ability to pair a serialized part to the machine at the end of the repair process, Helt had to take the techs word for it. Farmers and independent mechanics cannot buy these tools. To make the problem worse, John Deere has pushed many of its dealerships to consolidate into chain networks. Our research found that there is one Deere chain for every 12,018 American farms and every 5.3 million acres of American farmland. Most of the dealerships in Kens area are owned by the same chainthe closest competitor is a 100-mile roundtrip away. Helt finally got the full story when he stopped at a Nebraska dealership during a family road trip. The tech pulled up DTAC and found that there were 9 PIPs on his tractors transmission. A year and some $27,000 in repair fees later, Ken finally could use his tractor normally again. If you have a dealer who doesnt give a hoot, they dont bother to tell you, Ken told me. Farmers should be able to go in, get the software, and see whats wrong with the thing so they can get it fixed. Even if Ken had access to Deeres less-comprehensive Customer Service ADVISOR, it would have been of little help. He would need access to DTAC to find the problem and dealer-level Service ADVISOR to finalize the repair by pairing a part to the tractor, or the option to hire an independent mechanic who has access to those tools.

A further problem: Even if the corporate promises are sincere (and implemented in a timely fashion), theyre just promises. Theyre reversible and by no means permanent. Whats to prevent corporate executives from in future reneging on a previous commitment made  perhaps in all sincerity -today?

Nothing.

Now, some may say that a similar objection also might apply to any right to repair statute or regulation that may be adopted. Laws can also be changed, regulations overturned, litigation results appealed and reversed. All true. But although by no means impossible, its more difficult to overturn a statute than reverse a corporate policy. Further, changing laws is usually a matter for public debate of which theres a record. And therefore, the political process provides right to repair advocates a chance to save a statute  at least in theory.

So, I say, we should applaud the apparent conversion of corporations to the right to repair cause. But these corporate commitments should set a floor, not cap the ceiling, for what to expect.

Right to repair advocates have certainly made great strides. But the movement is still far from the finish line.

That means that either federal Fair Repair Act  as mentioned in the first paragraph above and discussed further in my March post  or something similar, along with parallel Federal Trade Commission (FTC) actions, and state initiatives, are all still necessary.
(Natural News) The Biden regime is using the mass influx of migrants it has created with open border policies in a way that will allow Democrats to steal elections for decades, if not forever.

As reported by The National Pulse, the regime has been conducting secret flights  deemed ghost flights  into key states for months, and while many of those aliens being flown into battleground states are minors, they nonetheless represent a boost in population count that Democratic operatives can use to pad voter registration efforts and, thus, illegal votes like they did in the 2020 election.

Republicans in GOP-controlled states have begun implementing new laws designed to prevent the kind of fraud that allowed them to steal the last election from President Donald Trump, but the bigger plan is to create mass mail-in voting so that Democrats can inundate ballot-counting facilities they run with forged ballots filled out by masses of illegal aliens, even if theyre not adults. Also, padding battleground states with more occupants in Democrat-held areas means more power for the party in the next census (Democrats are long-term planners).

It is sinister but it was absolutely taking place, as The National Pulse reveals, in Pennsylvania over the holidays:

Congressman Dan Meuser as well as gubernatorial candidate Lou Barletta have urged immigration authorities as well as Governor Tom Wolf to explain what one source told The National Pulse were ghost flights into Scranton International Airport over the course of December.

The term ghost flight was used to describe the secretive nature of the flights, some of which arrived at night, without passenger manifests being made available.

Beginning on December 11th and set to conclude on December 30th, hundreds of what are believed to be underage, illegal immigrants have been flown into  Pennsylvania by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The flights originated in Texas, with at least some of them landing in Cincinnati, according to Jim Gallagher, president of Aviation Technologies Inc., the airports fixed-base operator.

In an interview with a local media outlet, Gallagher said that he witnessed mostly young people who could not speak English get off the planes and then get aboard busses in nearby hangars, destinations unknown. Gallagher called them ICE flights  for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

We dont know their status, Gallagher said. It seems that all of the vetting should take place at the border, but it appears that there isnt much transparency there. More information needs to be provided. There needs to be more control.

The regime is also flying illegal aliens to other key battleground states including Florida, leading Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to declare earlier this month that Biden is running a human smuggling operation.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham set the segment up with a video of DeSantis joking earlier by saying if illegal immigrants were being sent to Delaware, Bidens homes state, or Marthas Vineyard, that the wide-open southern border would be secure the next day.

The border is obviously a disaster and some people say, Well, thats a problem for Texas or Arizona. Well, actually, the Biden administration puts people on planes and flies them into Florida in the wee hours of the morning, DeSantis told Ingraham. Theyve done over 70 flights in the last six months, dump people here. And we had  a few weeks ago  one of those people that Biden dumped, ended up committing a murder in northeast Florida. So, these are crimes that would not have happened but for Bidens recklessness.

Our view is, if theyre going to be dumping  we want to be able to facilitate transfer to places like Delaware, and we have $8 million in my new budget to be able to do that, he continued. But we also look to these carriers that the federal government is contracting with, and we are going to pass legislation that says, if you are facilitating Bidens policies, which is effectively a mass human smuggling operation, you are not going to be able to do business with the state of Florida or other local governments, and we are going to charge you restitution for each individual that you are bringing, he added.

Democrats cannot win national elections without cheating. We know that now with certainty.

See more stories like this at OpenBorders.news.

Sources include:

TheNationalPulse.com

AmericanWireNews.com
(Natural News) Russian state TV aired a video on Monday of a pair of British soldiers who it claims were captured fighting for Ukraine. In the video, the two men, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, asked Boris Johnson to arrange for the release of a wealthy Ukrainian businessmen and pro-Russian politician who is an ally of President Vladimir Putin, Viktor Medvedchuk, in exchange for their own release.

The format of the recordings was an interview with journalist Andre Rudenko of Russian state broadcaster VGTRK. The video shows Rudenko presenting each man with a video from Medvedchuks wife, Oksana, that was published last week demanding her husband be exchanged for the pair.

The two men then asked in English to be exchanged for Medvedchuk. It is not clear if they were coerced into making the statement, and the men spoke separately after being prompted by an unidentified party.

Pinner, who appeared nervous and tired, said: I understand the situation. Id like to appeal to the (British) government to send me back home. Id like to see my wife again.

He then directly appealed to Johnson, saying: We look to exchange myself and Aiden Aslin for Mr. Medvedchuk. Obviously, I would really appreciate your help in this matter.

The 48-year-old former British Royal Anglian Regiment soldier had been fighting alongside Ukrainian marines when Mariupol was invaded by Putins forces. He said he had been fighting in the besieged city for five to six weeks before being brought to Donetsk Peoples Republic, although it is not clear what led to his capture. He had been living in Ukraine for around four years with his wife in Donbas.

Aslin, who also looked nervous, said: I think that Boris (Johnson) needs to listen to what Oksana (Medvedchuks wife) has said.

If Boris Johnson really does care like he says he does about British citizens, then he would help pressure Zelensky to do the right thing and return Viktor to his family and return us to our families.

The British Foreign Office has not commented on the footage, but a statement by the Pinner family indicated that they are working with the Foreign Office to ensure the mens rights as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention are being upheld.

Aslins mother said that her 28-year-old son had been serving in the Ukrainian armed forces and is therefore a prisoner of war who must be treated with humanity. He is believed to have surrendered to the Russian military after his battalion ran out of ammunition.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky previously proposed exchanging Medvedchuk for Ukrainians who are being held in Russia. Medvedchuk is the leader of the Ukraine Opposition Platform  For Life party and has long advocated for closer ties between Ukraine and Russia. He had been confined to his home since May 2021 and charged with high treason and aiding terrorism. Three days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities said Medvedchuk escaped house arrest. Last week, he was captured by Ukraine. Medvedchuk has denied wrongdoing and claims to be a victim of politically motivated repression.

Former U.S. marine fears captured soldiers are being mistreated

Jayson Pihajlic, a former U.S. marine who fought alongside the men in the past and spoke to them when they joined the Ukrainian resistance, expressed his concerns about their treatment.

Its horrible to see. Theyre obviously being beaten up and thats the least we can say  who knows what else is going on. Theyre being labelled as mercenaries, but these guys are not mercenaries  they are proper, uniformed, Ukrainian soldiers, he said, pointing out that Putin has already made it clear he does not respect the Geneva conventions by cluster-bombing cities filled with civilians.

Sources for this article include:

France24.com

TheGuardian.com
(Natural News) Lawmakers in the Golden State are pushing new legislation that would codify the legalized murder of children days or even weeks after they leave the womb.

New language added to Assembly Bill 2223 would shield a woman from civil and criminal charges for actions or omissions related to her pregnancy, including miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion, or perinatal deaths.

Although definitions of perinatal death vary, all of them include the demise of newborns seven days or more after birth, warns the California Family Council (CFC). (Related: Gavin Newsom recently signed legislation forcing all Californians to pay for the states free abortions).

Proposed by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, AB 2223 would also protect anyone who aids or assists a pregnant person in exercising these rights.

It also allows a woman to sue any police department or legal authority which arrests or charges her for hurting or killing her child under provisions of the bill, CFC further explains.

For years, pro-life advocates have argued there is no moral difference between ending a childs life days before birth or days after birth. Californias pro-abortion legislators now seemingly agree, says CFC President Jonathan Keller.

A political culture that justifies killing millions of children in the womb is now declaring open season on unwanted newborns. Every Californian must oppose this heinous bill.

Gavin Newsom formed Future of Abortion Council last year to turn California into a sanctuary state for baby murder

The organizers behind AB 2223 have also created a 45-point action plan as part of the legislative package that would expand and protect access to abortions in California.

Newsom also formed a Future of Abortion Council last year to try to turn the Golden State into a sanctuary state for abortions, where women can travel to receive the procedure for free.

Similar legislation was recently proposed in Maryland to decriminalize neglecting newborns to death. In other words, a woman could leave her child to die, and this would be lawful in Maryland.

According to reports, a hearing on the Maryland bill was recently canceled, though it could still be resurrected at some point. California, meanwhile, is moving full-steam ahead to become a destination for legalized abortion and infanticide.

The first stop for AB 2223 is the Assembly Judiciary Committee, though legislators have yet to announce a hearing date, CFC says.

Alexandra Snyder of the Life Legal Defense Foundation issued a statement about AB 2223 saying that not only is it a pro-abortion bill, but it also removes all civil and criminal penalties for killing babies born alive under any circumstances.

The bill expressly authorizes any person to facilitate late-term abortions and infanticide without legal repercussions, she added. Life Legal condemns the use of euphemisms like personal reproductive decisions and reproductive justice to justify and encourage the killing of babies in and outside the womb.

Matthew McReynolds from the Pacific Justice Institute also condemns AB 2223, warning that California lawmakers have crossed a red line by seeking to legitimize the killing of hours-old and even weeks-old infants.

This is not about expanding abortion rights; this is a degree of evil that the overwhelming majority of Americans, regardless of how they identify politically, cannot stomach, he added. We will be working to defeat this insane and diabolical bill.

Dean Broyles, an attorney and president of the National Center for Law and Policy, also says that depending on how the term perinatal is interpreted by the courts, AB 2223 could make it legal in California to murder a child possibly as late as their first birthday.

If this barbaric bill is enacted, there will be no criminal or civil liability for the mother or those who assist her with killing her baby post-birth, Broyles warns.

More related news can be found at Abortions.news.

Sources for this article include:

CaliforniaFamily.org

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Todays Situation Update podcast covers several key stories, including the worsening of food shortages around the world (with Indonesia now banning all exports of edible oils, including palm oil) and Russias claim that the United States is about to launch a false flag chemical attack in Kiev or Kharkov in order to escalate the war by blaming Russia.

But the main discussion in todays podcast centers around a Jeffrey Prather interview that aired on Brighteon.TV last week, when Prather invited guest attorney Todd Callender to offer his latest intel on what he believes is about to take place on the pandemic front.

If you watch the following interview video from 15:00  18:00, youll get the most relevant part of that information, in which Callender explains what he thinks is coming:

This is all extremely important to understand for a couple of reasons. First, Jeffrey Prather carefully vets his guests, so this isnt some hare-brained fringe theory from an unknown source. Secondly, Callenders claims have a basis in fact, found in CDC documents and even terms of service contracts from Amazon, among other companies. While the claims may sound outlandish, they are plausible and need to be considered.

Chimeric Marburg payloads to be unleashed by 5G signals?

In his interview with Prather, Callender states that he believes people injected with mRNA vaccines (which arent really vaccines) were actually installed with nanotechnology carrying chimeric virus payloads that may include elements of Marburg virus. According to Callender, a broadcast from 5G cell towers at 18 MHz, for a specific duration and sequence, will cause affected cells to rupture, unleashing Marburg payload bioweapons into the blood of those who took the mRNA injections.

This, in turn, would instantly unleash a Marburg pandemic and produce a sudden rush of symptoms including bleeding out (hemorrhagic fever isnt pretty), cardiovascular deaths, seizures and more.

Some of the symptoms that could appear would even resemble classic zombies as depicted in pop culture: Biting, loss of cognitive function, aggression, confusion and extreme alterations in the appearance of skin and eyes, among other similarities. (Such symptoms may also appear to be Libs of TikTok, so dont be confused)

Callenders claim that the CDC has produced zombie apocalypse warning documents is confirmed and true. We covered the CDC zombie story a decade ago, and since then, similar zombie apocalypse warnings have shown up in terms of service documents from companies like Amazon. See this real headline, Kansas governor declares October Zombie Preparedness Month; urges citizens to prepare for zombie apocalypse.

If this theory pans out, the obvious timeframe for the powers that be to release the binary weapon would be before the mid-term elections taking place later this year. With a whole new pandemic hitting the scene  with far more serious symptoms and a higher death rate compared to covid  the elections could either be cancelled or altered into a universal vote-from-home format which would favor the highly organized vote rigging and ballot counterfeiting of the Democrats (who are only in power because they stole the last election, of course).

Critics might say this all smacks of science fiction. But we are living through a science fiction dystopian scenario right now, with extreme censorship, an Orwellian global cabal trying to exterminate the human race, the rise of the robots and the mass injection of billions of people with exotic nanotechnology that seems to have a rather nefarious purpose, far from merely offering immunity.

The use of external signals to control neural implants using nanotechnology is well described in patents and the medical literature

It is also easily confirmed that modern medical science has run many medical experiments on using external electromagnetic fields to control nanowire neurological implants in mammals. Look up the research on Super Paramagnetic Iron-Oxide Nanoparticles (SPIONs), or Magneto nanoparticles used in mice experiments. See this story from 2021: Graphene-based neuromodulation technology is REAL: Press release from INBRAIN Neuroelectronics describes brain controlling biocircuits using AI-powered graphene.

Or check out the numerous patents from Dr. Charles Lieber, and youll discover a deep rabbit hole of exotic technology that describes nanostructure neurological implants with self-assembling circuitry that can interface with human biology. See my article and podcast, Harvard scientist Dr. Charles Lieber, nanowires, DoD, CCP, Wuhan, covid, 5G, carbon nanotubes (CNT), military vaccines, SpFN Spike Ferritin Nanoparticles and more.

None of that is science fiction. Its all science FACT, as evidenced by the USPTO (patent office) records. Heres a partial list of patents from Dr. Charles Lieber, starting with the USPTO patent number, then the title for each patent:

10,436,747 Nanopore sensing by local electrical potential measurement

10,435,817 Controlled growth of nanoscale wires

10,369,255 Scaffolds comprising nanoelectronic components for cells, tissues, and other applications

10,355,229 Methods and systems for scaffolds comprising nanoelectronic components

10,119,955 High-resolution molecular sensor

10,049,871 Anisotropic deposition in nanoscale wires

9,903,862 Nanosensors and related technologies

9,786,850 Methods and systems for scaffolds comprising nanoelectronic components

9,702,849 Nanopore sensing by local electrical potential measurement

9,638,717 Nanoscale sensors for intracellular and other applications

9,595,685 Nanoscale wires, nanoscale wire FET devices, and nanotube-electronic hybrid devices for sensing and other applications

9,541,522 Nanoscale field-effect transistors for biomolecular sensors and other applications

9,535,063 High-sensitivity nanoscale wire sensors

9,457,128 Scaffolds comprising nanoelectronic components for cells, tissues, and other applications

9,297,796 Bent nanowires and related probing of species

9,252,214 Apparatus, method and computer program product providing radial addressing of nanowires

9,102,521 Nanosensors and related technologies

9,029,836 Controlled synthesis of monolithically-integrated graphene structure

8,883,568 Method providing radial addressing of nanowires

8,698,481 High-resolution molecular sensor

8,586,131 Liquid films containing nanostructured materials

8,575,663 High-sensitivity nanoscale wire sensors

8,471,298 Nanoscopic wire-based devices and arrays

8,399,339 Nanosensors

8,232,584 Nanoscale sensors

8,178,907 Nanoscopic wire-based electrical crossbar memory-devices and arrays

8,154,002 Nanoscale wire-based data storage

8,153,470 Doped elongated semiconductors, growing such semiconductors, devices including such

semiconductors, and fabricating such devices

8,072,005 Apparatus, method and computer program product providing radial addressing of nanowires

8,058,640 Branched nanoscale wires

7,956,427 Nanosensors

7,918,935 Transition metal oxide nanowires

7,915,151 Doped elongated semiconductors, growing such semiconductors, devices including such semiconductors and fabricating such devices

7,911,009 Nanosensors

7,858,965 Nanowire heterostructures

7,772,543 System and method for processing nanowires with holographic optical tweezers

7,666,708 Doped elongated semiconductors, growing such semiconductors, devices including such semiconductors, and fabricating such devices

7,619,290 Nanosensors

7,595,260 Doped elongated semiconductors, growing such semiconductors, devices including such semiconductors, and fabricating such devices

7,500,213 Array-based architecture for molecular electronics

7,476,596 Doped elongated semiconductors, growing such semiconductors, devices including such semiconductors, and fabricating such devices

7,399,691 Methods of forming nanoscopic wire-based devices and arrays

7,385,267 Nanosensors

7,301,199 Nanoscale wires and related devices

7,274,208 Nanoscale wire-based sublithographic programmable logic arrays

7,256,466 Nanosensors

7,254,151 Nanoscale coherent optical components

7,211,464 Doped elongated semiconductors, growing such semiconductors, devices including such semiconductors and fabricating such devices

7,172,953 Methods of forming nanoscopic wire-based devices and arrays

Analyzing the risk of a 5G-activated bioweapons release

In todays Situation Update podcast, I analyze the claim of 5G-activated bioweapons stemming from injected technology via the vaccine cover story. I also cover the latest on Ukraine, including a media report claiming that over 50 high-ranking French military officials are trapped in Azovstal and are about to be either captured, suicided or murdered by their own allies.

Brighteon.com/1ef696f1-be0b-41e6-87a6-84b2ada31997

Discover more information-packaged podcasts each day, along with special reports, interviews and emergency updates, at:

https://www.brighteon.com/channels/HRreport

Also follow me on:

Brighteon.social: Brighteon.social/@HealthRanger

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A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
(Natural News) While calls to curb online censorship have been growing on the right, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is officially pushing for even more online censorship  which is not surprising when you consider that it helped them win the last election.

A document recently published by the DNC entitled, Recommendations for Combating Online Misinformation has some very disturbing recommendations that some observers fear could jeopardize bipartisan Big Tech bills and casts doubt on the true goals of the Congressional Democrats backing these bills.

For example, in their 14-point plan, they recommend tech companies enforce rules on hate speech consistently and comprehensively, enforce what they term a comprehensive political misinformation policy, and promote authoritative news over highly engaging news in content algorithms.

One of the most alarming recommendations, however, is the one to establish a policy against the distribution of hacked materials. After all, this was the excuse that was used by Big Tech platforms like Twitter to suppress the New York Posts bombshell story about Hunter Bidens laptop in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.

The story exposed evidence from Hunters laptop that Joe Biden was aware of his sons corrupt business dealings with Ukraine and that Hunter sold influence while his father was vice president. Twitter almost immediately blocked links to the expose and locked the accounts of people who shared it, including that of then-White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, on the false grounds that the story was based on hacked material.

Now, some of the same outlets that conspired to suppress that story now admit it was indeed true  but the damage has already done. Polls have shown that the story could have swayed the election had the public been aware of it, illustrating the significant power that Big Tech censorship wields over our democracy.

The DNC admitted in the document that it was partnering with Big Tech platforms to combat platform manipulation and train our campaigns on how best to secure their accounts and protect their brands against disinformation.

They wrote: Social media companies are ultimately responsible for combating abuse and disinformation on their systems, but as an interested party, weve compiled this comparative policy analysis to present social media companies with additional potential solutions.

Big Tech censorship helps Democrats

The recommendations make it clear that the DNC is firmly in favor of censorship, despite some Democrats in the House and Senate sponsoring or cosponsoring more than a dozen bills related to social media and tech apps. In fact, some of the bills that appear to be pro-free speech on the surface could ultimately prove to be anti-free speech in practice.

The Open App Markets Act, for example, will prevent a covered company from placing certain restrictions on apps unless it is deemed necessary to achieve user privacy, security or digital safety. Two of the bills cosponsors, Senators Richard Blumenthal and Amy Klobuchar, are Democrats who have claimed that online misinformation is dangerous  terminology that is often used to justify restricting free speech.

The founder and president of the Internet Accountability Project, Mike Davis, told MRC Free Speech America that more free speech is the solution to misinformation.

He said: While leftists want to censor and de-platform those deemed problematic to their interests  A competition of ideas will lead to a more informed American public. Silencing one sides political opposition leads down a dangerous road. In China, the communist government has complete control over news and informationthis is the logical conclusion of the effort by so-called progressives to censor those with whom they disagree.

Sources for this article include:

BlacklistedNews.com

TheIAP.org
(Natural News) It is also important for the State to inculcate in its subjects an aversion to any conspiracy theory of history; for a search for conspiracies means a search for motives and an attribution of responsibility for historical misdeeds. If, however, any tyranny imposed by the State, or venality, or aggressive war, was caused not by the State rulers but by mysterious and arcane social forces, or by the imperfect state of the world or, if in some way, everyone was responsible (We Are All Murderers, proclaims one slogan), then there is no point to the people becoming indignant or rising up against such misdeeds. Furthermore, an attack on conspiracy theories means that the subjects will become more gullible in believing the general welfare reasons that are always put forth by the State for engaging in any of its despotic actions. A conspiracy theory can unsettle the system by causing the public to doubt the States ideological propaganda.

Murray N. Rothbard, Anatomy of the State

(Article by Michael Rectenwald republished from Mises.org)

This essay represents a conspiracy theory (or better, a conspiracy hypothesis) about the uses of the term conspiracy theory itself. I acknowledge that the term is one of the most potent epithets that can be hurled at a writer or speaker, that it is mostly used to delegitimize and dismiss its target, and that it serves not only to discredit the claim that a writer or speaker makes but also the very investigation into purported conspiracies. The phrase represents a condensed, shorthand means of labeling a claim negatively and humiliating the claimant, disqualifying the claimant and the claim a priori. Likewise, in writing of the conspiracy behind the use of the phrase, I am hereby opening myself up to the charge of conspiracy theory. I submit that the terms conspiracy theory and conspiracy theorist are used most frequently by those on the left, who usually associate the phrases with right-wing arguments and interlocutors. Therefore, in writing this essay, I am openly inviting the condemnation of leftists. But this is intentional. In the US, the term conspiracy theory is often credited to a disinformation or deflection campaign of the CIA in connection with the assassination of US president John F. Kennedyto discredit all but the official narrative concerning that event. But the Oxford English Dictionary finds the first usage in a 1908 article in the American Historical Review and defines the compound noun as the theory that an event or phenomenon occurs as a result of a conspiracy between interested parties; specifically, a belief that some covert but influential agency (typically political in motivation and oppressive in intent) is responsible for an unexplained event. In The Open Society and Its Enemies (1952), Karl Popper was apparently the first to elaborate on the conspiracy theory idea, and the philosopher discussed it again in Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge (1962). In volume 2 of The Open Society, Popper introduced the phrase the conspiracy theory of society in his discussion of Karl Marxs historicist method, which he believed was grossly mistaken for its assumption that the main task of sociology is the prophecy of the future course of history (306). He defined the conspiracy theory of society as follows:

It is the view that an explanation of a social phenomenon consists in the discovery of the men or groups who are interested in the occurrence of this phenomenon (sometimes it is a hidden interest which has first to be revealed), and who have planned and conspired to bring it about. (306)

Popper called the conspiracy theory of society a typical result of the secularization of a religious superstition, an explanation of historical causality that replaces the causal agency of the gods or God with that of sinister pressure groups whose wickedness is responsible for all the evils we suffer fromsuch as the Learned Elders of Zion, or the monopolists, or the capitalists, or the imperialists (306). Poppers problem with the conspiracy theory of society was not that conspiracies do not exist but rather that they are seldom successful. The conspiracy theory, he suggested, grants too much credence to the power of the human actors involved. Instead of understanding conspiracy theory, Popper argued, the main task of the social sciences should be to explain why intentional human actions (including conspiracies) often result in unintended outcomes:

Why is this so? Why do achievements differ so widely from aspirations? Because this is usually the case in social life, conspiracy or no conspiracy. Social life is not only a trial of strength between opposing groups: it is action within a resilient or brittle framework of institutions and traditions, and it createsapart from any conscious counter-actionmany unforeseen reactions in this framework, some of them perhaps even unforeseeable. (307)

Actions, Popper noted, have unintended as well as intended consequences. This is because they take place in a social context that cannot be fully understood by social actors. The conspiracy theory of society is wrong because it claims that the results of actions are necessarily those intended by those interested in such results. I will return to Poppers analysis below. But first I want to note a historical irony. That is, the first extended refutation of the conspiracy theory of society, Poppers, came in the context of treating Karl Marxs method and was associated with theories about monopolists, capitalists, and imperialistsleaving aside for the moment the Learned Elders of Zion. The charge of conspiracy theory is often levied by socialists and other leftists. Yet Popper suggested that historicism, or Marxs method, is a derivative of the conspiracy theory. Poppers claim that a genetic relationship exists between historicism and conspiracy theory begs the question: Is Marxism a conspiracy theory, and if so, how? A partial answer involves Marxs idea of class consciousnessthe notion that all members of an economic class share the same mentality, worldview, and intentionalityand particularly his claim that all members of the capitalist class entertain and act upon the same ideanamely, a secret, hidden intention to extract value from workers at the point of production, value which Marx measured (mistakenly) in terms of the socially necessary labor time embedded in a commodity. As Marx wrote in Capital, volume 1, chapter 7, section 2:

The fact that half a days labour is necessary to keep the labourer alive during 24 hours, does not in any way prevent him from working a whole day. Therefore, the value of labour-power [what the capitalist pays the laborer to sustain his life], and the value which that labour-power creates in the labour-process [the value of the commodities he produces], are two entirely different magnitudes; and this difference of the two values was what the capitalist had in view, when he was purchasing the labour-power. (emphasis mine)

In other words, all capitalists cheat all members of the working class of approximately half a days pay every single day. Marx called this methodical, routine theft the production of surplus value, which the capitalist extracts at the point of production and which is the sole source of the capitalists profit. That all capitalists hold this hidden intention and separately act upon ita fact that supposedly awaited Marx to reveal to the worldinvolves a conspiracy that is breathtaking in its scope and effect, but no more breathtaking than Marxs accusation that such massive, ongoing, intentional fraud is the basis of capitalism. The very idea of an economic class acting in concert to exploit workers is no less a conspiracy theory than the belief that a Jewish cabal runs the world. In fact, it is more suspect than the latter because it ascribes a collective, secret intention to the entire capitalist class, one that is not even voiced between the conspirators. This is simply something that every capitalist knows to do and does, regardless of any communication with other capitalists. It discounts the fact that capitalists do not, in fact, act collectively but rather in competition with each other, and that part of this competition is the competition for the resource of labor. This latter competition drives up the price of labor when it is in shorter supply, rather than depressing it. It cannot be overestimated how central this supposed phenomenon is to the Marxist project; exploitation is the basis of the Marxist requirement that the working class unite, rise up, and overthrow its capitalist overlords. It is the basis of the need for communist revolution. This need is based on a conspiracy theory (and the false labor theory of value). Yet curiously, socialists are probably the group most apt to level the accusation of conspiracy theory. As a contemporary example, take this 2017 essay in CounterPunch, written by an avowed Marxist, entitled A New Dawn for Fascism: the Rise of the Anti-establishment Capitalists. Heres the first paragraph:

The world rests on a precipice. On the one hand is institutionalized exploitation and imperialist violence. The well-being of humanity continues to be severely hampered by the priorities of a small unstable capitalist class, who would prefer that the rest of usthose who must engage in a daily struggle to purchase the essentials for living (like food and a roof over our heads)remain unorganized as a cohesive class. And on the other hand, there are those who believe that the fundamental class division between the rulers and the workers is both intolerable and unsustainable, and so seek to participate in and organize mass movements for social change that will bring an end to the domination of one class of people over another. (emphasis mine)

We see Marxs claim of surplus value extraction embedded in the first sentence, followed by the belief that a small unstable capitalist class intentionally aims at keeping the rest of us  unorganized as a cohesive class. Likewise, the conspiracy of the capitalists is largely, contra Popper, successful. The article goes on to complain about problematic and conspiratorial, but ostensibly anti-establishment, ideas [that] have been able to sometimes temporarily supplant class-based analyses about how and why social change happens. In the rant, these are right-wing and fascist ideas that are characterized no less than thirty-six times as conspiracy theories and conspiratorial thinking engaged in by conspiracy theorists. I could point to hundreds if not thousands of examples of Marxists leveling the charge of conspiracy theory and conspiracy theorist against those who hold opposing views. This is explicable in terms of the need on the part of Marxists to divert attention away from the fact that an unsubstantiated and illogical conspiracy theory lies at the heart of Marxism itself. I return now to Poppers discussion in The Open Society and Its Enemies by noting that in referring to the conspiracy theory of society, Popper meant a thoroughgoing theory meant to explain all outcomes:

The conspiracy theory of society cannot be true because it amounts to the assertion that all results, even those which at first sight do not seem to be intended by anybody, are the intended results of the actions of people who are interested in these results. (307, emphasis mine)

It is clear from this formulation that Poppers charge does not apply to all conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories that do not purport to explain everything are not included in Poppers indictment. After all, Popper admitted, conspiracies are typical social phenomena (307). Popper claimed that most conspiracies fail, which implies that some conspiracies succeed. Further, conspiracy theories might explain not only conspiracies that are successful but also those that ultimately fail. Conspiracy theories, or better, conspiracy hypotheses, are merely attempts to explain outcomes in terms of attempted conspiracies. Those theories that do not aim at explaining everything in terms of a singular, overarching conspiracy are based on an acknowledgement that conspiracies do transpire and that some outcomes are the results of successful conspiracies. An attempted bank robbery is technically a conspiracy, and explaining the plot to rob a bank is technically a conspiracy theory. Likewise, conspiracy hypotheses cannot be dismissed in advance. They must remain one of the modes for understanding social reality. Why, then, are conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorists so categorically dismissed and denounced? As Murray N. Rothbard suggested, the campaign against conspiracy theories is a part of a conspiracy to protect conspiracists themselves. All those who conduct conspiracies, including bank robbers, have every reason to divert and deflect attention away from their activities; only some conspirators have the power to do so. The latter have invented the taboo against conspiracy theories and propagated it. Their vassals in academia, the media, and society at large obediently enforce the taboo and routinely denigrate offenders. This is one way of keeping conspiracies hidden and conspirators off the hook. Instead of exposing them, the enforcers of the conspiracy theory taboo exonerate their felonious lords and laud them to the ends of the earth. Thus, those who aim to destroy all conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorists are servants of the powerful and the enemies of truth. Read more at: Mises.org
(Natural News) Dr. Sam White has called on other doctors to stop vaccinating people with the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) experimental injections and speak out.

I maintain that when governments act unlawfully, doctors are duty-bound to do something about it  not to be the pawns in their game to subvert the rights and liberties of every man, woman and child in this country. Now, come forward. Stop what youre doing and speak out. Youll more than amply be supported, White said.

The United Kingdom-based general practitioner mentioned the numerous aspects of what he believes are COVID crimes and talked about his legal action against the British government.

According to White, he had been hunted by medicine regulators since speaking out about the perils of the COVID injections and was tagged by colleagues as being mentally ill.

But Whites claims are backed by numbers. In the U.K. alone, more than 2,000 COVID injection-associated deaths have been listed in the governments own Yellow Card reporting scheme  with the real figure likely to be more than 20,000 owing to the schemes widely known underreporting factor. (Related: British government faces police investigation over covid vaccine safety violations)

Interestingly, the Office of National Statistics stopped reporting on stillbirths in early 2021 despite known fears for pregnant women in relation to the injections.

The National Health Service (NHS) still has no official treatment for COVID and doctors are barred from recommending or prescribing Vitamin D as a preventive nutrient that could massively reduce COVID mortality rates. Treatments like ivermectin, which White said would have saved tens of thousands of lives in the U.K. alone, were blocked to ensure that the emergency authorization of the COVID vaccines would be accepted.

Meanwhile, a research into the contents of the vaccines revealed the presence of highly toxic substances, including graphene oxide. Spike proteins produced by the vaccines, meanwhile, are leading to destructive neurological illnesses and heart disease for young men and women along with sudden death from strokes and heart attacks.

The COVID vaccines have negative efficacy, meaning those getting the treatment were more likely to become sick with the disease.

Tribunal tried  and failed  to silence White

Last December, the High Court ruled that a tribunal made an error of law when it ordered White, who was accused of spreading misinformation, to stop talking about COVID on social media.

The tribunal concluded in August last year that Whites way of sharing his opinions may have a real impact on patient safety. It found that White supposedly shared information to a wide and possibly uninformed audience and did not give an opportunity for a holistic consideration of COVID-19, its implications and possible treatments.

The High Court said this decision was wrong under human rights law. The court had earlier been told that White, in the videos posted to Instagram and Twitter, mentioned why he could not work in his former role at the Denmead Health Center in Waterlooville.

In his ruling, Justice Ian Dove stated that under provisions of the Human Rights Act 1998, the tribunal was compelled to ask itself whether the General Medical Council would probably succeed at any subsequent tribunal hearing in imposing the restrictions which were now sought.

The judge added that it was clear that the tribunal had not conducted itself to the tests required under the act.

In his controversial video post, White said the lies surrounding the NHS and government approach to the COVID pandemic were so vast that he could no longer stomach or tolerate them.

He claimed doctors and nurses had their hands tied behind their backs, prohibiting them from using safe and proven treatments such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, which he said were a form of early intervention in the disease.

White challenged the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines, saying 99 percent of people who got infected with the virus have survived. He also raised concerns about the mask mandates. Masks do nothing, by the way, they do absolutely nothing. They dont help you, they dont help anyone else. Take off the mask, White said in the video.

Follow VaccineInjuryNews.com to know more about the injuries caused by the COVID vaccines.

Watch the video below to know why Dr. Sam White said that real heroes tell the vaxx truth.

This video is from the Excellent PODCASTS & Real NEWS channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

UK Government refuses to publish further COVID-19 Data because it suggests the Triple Vaccinated are developing AIDS & the Double Vaccinated are suffering ADE.

COMPLIANCE MIND GAMES: United Kingdom to change definition of fully vaccinated to require COVID-19 booster shots.

NEEDLES FOREVER: United Kingdoms NHS launches FIFTH COVID jab.

Sources include:

DailyExpose.uk

BBC.com

New.com.au

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) We cannot even donate $10,000 to a political candidate, but if you are Mark Zuckerberg, you can help to manipulate elections. He was able to prevent the break up of his company by pouring hundreds of millions into the election and then blamed Russia for buying advertisements on Facebook during the 2016 election. Mark Zuckerberg dumped more than $400 million into manipulating the 2020 presidential election where the money was typically funneled by Democratic operatives. These were often areas where there was voter canvassing in the get-out-the-vote effort for Biden.

(Article by Martin Armstrong republished from ArmstrongEconomics.com)

The deep concern here is that the DOJ will NOT investigate Zuckerberg but when the Republicans get back in, Zuckerberg could find himself in prison for interfering in the election where the districts targeted were far too often voting in excess of the normal trend. It has been acknowledged already that private funds were distributed on a truly historical level. I, for one, will NEVER advertise anything on Facebook.

When a public company allows itself to be a political activist, which ONLY reflects the decisions of the board, as Disney is doing in its feud with Florida, then this is an abuse of its fiduciary duty to shareholders when the company is being usurped for personal political agendas. Another one is Salesforce pushing Schwabs Great Reset.

These companies are violating the very principle of shareholder investment. If I went public and then used company money and policy for a personal objective or gain, that is considered fraud. Merely the fact that such an objective is politics makes no difference  it is using corporate funds for personal gain.

Read more at: ArmstrongEconomics.com
(Natural News) During a Wednesday airing of MSNBCs Deadline: White House, anchor Nicolle Wallace made a bizarre remark while trying to slam recently-passed GOP parental rights bills.

(Article by Kelen McBreen republished from Infowars.com)

Labeled the Dont Say Gay bill by the left, Floridas allegedly controversial legislation simply makes it illegal for educators to discuss sexuality with kindergartners through third-graders.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) supported a similar bill that passed in his state back in February.

According to Wallace, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) and Gov. Youngkin are dehumanizing these young children by preventing adults from sexualizing them on campus.

The truth is dehumanization as a tactic for politics is from war, she said. Dehumanization is a tactic that is being used right now. Russians get the soldiers to rape children by dehumanizing them. Its being deployed in our politics.

MSNBCs Nicolle Wallace compares Youngkin and DeSantis legislation to Russian soldiers raping children. The truth is dehumanization as a tactic for politics is from war. Russians get the soldiers to rape children by dehumanizing them. pic.twitter.com/kFrQ5gDUWE  Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) April 20, 2022

The MSNBC anchor is echoing claims by Ukrainian politicians like President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russian soldiers have been molesting children in Ukraine.

Later, Wallace definitively told her audience, Kids will die, due to the GOP legislation before asking, How do we bring it back to the substance of the harm that is done by any strategy, in war or in politics, of dehumanizing people?

This is a laughable question considering the massive dehumanization campaigns waged by the left-wing media complex from painting conservatives as retarded Drumpf supporters in flyover country to dangerous, anti-mask, Qanon conspiracy theorists.

This type of strange rhetoric is why the Dinosaur Media networks are taking their last gasps of air.

Read more at: Infowars.com
(Natural News) By now, most people who have followed the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine know that Western governments and media are portraying Moscow as inherently bad for invading and Kyiv as leading the good guys in the countrys fight for survival.

But many also understand how false that narrative is, given that Ukraines government, led by former comedian Volodymyr Zelensky, is not an innocent bystander and is guilty of many atrocities  pre-war and post-war  itself.

Before the war, Ukraine officially and unofficially sanctioned violence and murder against Russian-aligned citizens in the east, including the mistreatment of gypsies, including the rape and assault of their women.

Big Tech has gotten into the act now as well, helping clamp down on reports that expose the Ukrainians for who they really are, as reported by the Organic Prepper, which received a message from Google indicating that any content critical of Ukraine would be demonetized:

Dear Publisher,

Due to the war in Ukraine, we will pause monetization of content that exploits, dismisses, or condones the war.

Please note, we have already been enforcing on claims related to the war in Ukraine when they violated existing policies (for instance, the Dangerous or Derogatory content policy prohibits monetizing content that incites violence or denies tragic events). This update is meant to clarify, and in some cases expand, our publisher guidance as it relates to this conflict.

This pause includes, but is not limited to, claims that imply victims are responsible for their own tragedy or similar instances of victim blaming, such as claims that Ukraine is committing genocide or deliberately attacking its own citizens.

In other words, any reports like this pointing out that Ukraine is equally guilty for this war or that Ukrainian militants or regular armed forces have also committed atrocities wont be monetized as punishment for speaking the truth that the gatekeepers at Google dont want to be told, for some reason.

Obviously, not all Ukrainians are bad people nor are all Ukrainian forces committing atrocities. By the same token, not all Russians are great people and not all Russian troops have behaved admirably. But thats the point: Media outlets should be able to report both sides of this conflict honestly and accurately, and yet, Google refuses to monetize any truthful content that does so if it falls outside of the above-mentioned parameters.

Also, this letter is as deliberately kept as vague as possible. Say anything that challenges the mainstream media narrative  even if that narrative has turned a 180  and youre now to be erased from the internet by means of hitting you in the wallet, the Organic Preppers Aden Tate noted.

Almost every ad network uses Google to serve ads. Not only is Google AdSense impacted by this decision, but nearly every major ad network that exists. The majority of the internet has just been hammered by Google  forced to comply with the mainstream narrative, Tate added.

Google knows how pervasive it is, and so do most members of Congress, but the latter refuse to do anything to stop Googles near-monopoly because the Big Tech behemoth is generous with lobbying and campaign dollars. Plus, Google, like all major tech platforms, no doubt has all the goods on our precious little lawmakers and knows where all of the corruption lies, where all of the dirty deals have been made and who is implicated in them. So theres no way that Congress as it is currently comprised is going to address this naked censorship.

The end result is predictable: More mistrust of the American and Western media and governments as both works to push a singular narrative at the expense of the truth.

Our society simply cannot withstand this continuing assault on our institutions.

Sources include:

TheOrganicPrepper.com

NationalSecurity.news
(Natural News) When our founders insisted on a free press uncontrolled by governments, they envisioned a media free to report facts, hold the powerful accountable and keep the people informed.

If they could somehow come back for a brief visit, they would be mortified, angry and disgusted by what our media has become in the modern age: Nothing but a propaganda organ for a political party that hates our country as founded and seeks to change it into an anti-liberty nightmare.

One of the ways the legacy media works to accomplish this is through acts of commission  actively pushing false information on behalf of the deep state  and omission, which is when outlets leave out critical information because it doesnt fit their left-wing political narratives.

Case in point: The recent terrorist incident that occurred on a New York City subway.

For most of the 24 hours before the suspect was captured, the legacy media refused to report a very important characteristic, even as the NYPD was seeking help from the public in locating him: That he was black. How New Yorkers were supposed to help cops locate the shooter is not clear given that most important of identifying traits was missing.

You see, the left-wing media want Americans to believe only whites are domestic terrorists  not blacks, Muslims, Hispanics, or any other race.

The Washington Free Beacon did an analysis of the media coverage and found: Frank James, the man arrested for Tuesdays New York City subway shooting, is a black nationalist and outspoken racist who railed against whites, Jews, and Hispanics. A careful reader of the New York Times could be forgiven for overlooking that. In a nearly 2,000-word article on the attack, Jamess race is not mentioned. The same is true for the coverage offered up by Reuters; the Washington Post only mentioned Jamess race in relation to his condemnation of training programs for low-income Black youths.'

Media critics on the right say that the conspicuous omission of Jamess race from these news reports illustrates a trend among prestige papers, which deemphasize or omit the race of non-white criminals while playing up the race of white offenders. But is it a real pattern? the Free Beacon continued.

The answer is a resounding yes.

The outlet reported that it reviewed hundreds of articles published by major papers over the course of two years and found that they routinely downplayed the race of offenders who were not white, often mentioning race much farther down in the articles than the same outlets did for white offenders. In addition, the same major outlets were three to four times more likely to mention the race of a suspect at all if he or she was white, a disparity that grew the wake of George Floyds death in 2020 and the protests that followed.

The Free Beacon examined data from nearly 1,100 articles about murders from a half-dozen papers, all of which were written between 2019 and 2021. The papers included the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Star-Tribune in Minneapolis (the Free Beacon added that no one from any of those papers returned requests for comment).

For each article examined, the outlet collected offender and victim names and race, noting where in each article the offenders race was mentioned, if it was mentioned at all.

The data suggest an alarming editorial trend in which major papers routinely omit information from news reports, presenting readers with a skewed picture of who does and doesnt commit crime, the Free Beacon noted.

These editorial choices are part and parcel with the racial reckoning that swept newsrooms in the wake of Floyds murder, which saw journalists dramatically overhauling crime coverage to emphasize the view that the criminal justice system is racist at the root  perhaps at the expense of honesty about individual offenders crimes, the outlet continued.

It is the Free Beacons polite way of saying that the legacy media is purposely downplaying or refusing to identify the race of non-white perps because doing so reaffirms the fact that persons of color are committing crimes at higher rates than their percentage of the U.S. population, and that doesnt fit the whites are at the root of all evil in American society lie they are pushing.

Our institutions have failed not because they are faulty but because they have been taken over by unscrupulous people.

Sources include:

FreeBeacon.com

NewsFakes.com
(Natural News) Under the guise of a supposed zero COVID policy, the Chinese Communist government has once again locked down the major port city of Shanghai at a time when the worlds supply chain crisis is at a peak, leading many to believe that Beijing seeks to collapse it for tactical advantage before invading Taiwan.

According to a piece published on the Quoth The Raven Substack page, the perpetual lockdown of the strategically important port to the point of starving citizens who live there and risking major unrest and destabilizing riots is likely purposeful.

Growing lockdowns in China have me believing more and more that the country isnt exactly crestfallen about the supply chain crisis it is creating for the rest of the world, the writer says.

Days ago, I wrote about suspicions I had about Chinas latest round of Covid lockdowns. In that piece, I drew the conclusion that the countrys Covid Zero plan is irrational and egregious, and that Chinas lockdowns may have to do with something more than Covid, the writer continued, laying out three potential scenarios for overshooting the mark with the enduring lockdowns:

The CCP may be trying to usurp more power There may be something about Covid that China knows that the rest of the world still doesnt know China is looking for an excuse to slow its production to put pressure on the Western world at a time when it is trying to separate further, economically, from the West

The writer then said No. 3 is the more likely scenario, noting that just days ago, China began expanding the mandatory lockdowns across a wider swath of the country. In addition, the column notes that Chinas top oil and gas producer  remember, no business or industry in that country is without ties to the ChiCom government  has also made the decision to stop doing business with most Western nations but especially the U.S., Canada and Britain.

The manner in which the lockdowns are being implemented is also telling for the particular industries that are being affected, the writer noted, referencing a recent report.

Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone, a central Chinese manufacturing area that includes Apple Inc supplier Foxconn, announced a 14-day lockdown on Friday to be adjusted according to the epidemic situation, according to Reuters.

The central government in Beijing has also expanded control over much of northwest China, where residents in the city of Xian were ordered to avoid unnecessary trips outside their residential compounds and encouraged companies to have employees work from home or live at their workplace.

Officials in the city of Suzhou also told residents that all employees capable of working from home must do so, and residential compounds and company campuses should avoid unnecessary entry of people and vehicles, according to the Reuters report.

Taken collectively, its obvious that China is increasing the intensity of lockdowns around the country  which is the same type of actions the government took during 2020 that created the supply chain crisis in the first place (remember stores running short of things like toilet paper for months?).

This is before much of the world has failed to fully recover from those initial shortages, which means the current supply chain crunch is only going to get worse, and yes, thats very possible.

Automakers globally are still mired in a semiconductor shortage, store shelves in the U.S. remain sparsely stocked, commodities and goods that would be normally available have multiple-month backlogs and prices have gone through the roof, Quoth The Raven noted.

And nothing the Biden regime is doing will mitigate any of this. In fact, Bidens policies are worsening shortages and driving up prices even further for everything ordinary Americans need  food, housing, transportation, gasoline, natural gas, electricity, clothing and more.

We cant do much about China but we can uninstall a Democrat-controlled Congress in November and replace those members with lawmakers who will stop Bidens madness cold.

We have to if we want to save our country from collapse.

Sources include:

QuothTheRaven.Substack.com

NewsTarget.com
(Natural News) Kayleigh McEnany is calling on White House press secretary Jen Psaki to cry about the millions of babies who have been killed since Roe v. Wade instead of about the protection of children from LGBT indoctrination in the classroom.

(Article by Emily Mangiaracina republished from LifeSiteNews.com)

The former Trump White House press secretary pointed to her successors emotional complaint about the slew of harsh and cruel anti-LGBTQIA and trans bills being proposed and passed across the country.

If you wanna cry about one issue in this country right now, I think the press secretary should cry about the 62 million children that do not exist, that have been aborted because of Roe v. Wade, a heinous, heinous decision in this country that has exterminated about one fifth of the United States population, McEnany told Hannity on his Fox News show.

So if you wanna cry, dont cry about forcing sexuality on kindergartners. That is sick. Cry about the 62 million children who cant even go to kindergarten, McEnany said.

In a News Not Noise podcast discussion with host Jessica Yellin released Tuesday, Psakis voice broke as she lamented what she saw as the harmful impact of the so-called anti-LGBTQIA bills such as the Parental Rights in Education (dubbed by liberals Dont Say Gay) bill passed in Florida, after she and Yellin accused the legislation of being used as a political wedge.

Im going to get emotional about this issue because its horrible! Psaki said. She went on, audibly distressed, But its kids who are bullied, and all these leaders are taking steps to hurt them, and hurt their lives and hurt their families! And you look at some of these laws in these states and whos going after parents who are in loving relationships, who have kids. Its completely outrageous! Sorry, this is an issue that makes me completely crazy.

Almost half of the anti-LGBTQIA bills Psaki and Yellin referred to propose prohibitions on the exposure of young children to discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom or through books, according to a Washington Post count, reported Mediaite.

What the Post referred to as a historic wave of bills targeting the rights of LGBTQ youth also includes many bans on transgender surgeries or treatments for minors, such as those passed in Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Such sex-change operations and puberty blockers prescribed to kids was found to be child abuse under Texas law, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced in February.

Following McEnanys comments, Fox News contributor Douglas Murrary remarked to Hannity that Psaki was breaking down in tears for a ridiculous and insignificant reason. Its ridiculous, because shes crying  at something that isnt happening, Murray said.
(Natural News) There exists plenty of science behind the weakening of variants when it comes to a pandemic entering the endemic phase. More contagious, less dangerous is the saying for the weakening of variants as pandemics play themselves out. Omicron was said to have brought a fresh wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections, along with some anxiety and false-PCR tests, but never-the-less, more cases. Some call it a casedemic, because there are little-to-no reported deaths, limited hospitalizations, and most people come down with what seems no more dangerous than a common head cold.

That was sub-variant omicron, which followed sub-variant delta. Omicron was so weak its actually good to catch because humans build immunity from omicron to ALL things COVID, according to science. Thats better immune-boosting-function than any vaccination could ever hope to provide, and for MUCH longer. Now comes the XE variant. Calling all MSM (fake news mainstream media)  sound the alarms. Its the endemic variant XE!

Science has recently proven, through an in-depth study, that natural immunity confers the best protection against COVID now that the sub-variant Omicron is going around, as the virus STILL infected the fully vaccinated, those with 2 doses of Pfizer or Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Nearly 40,000 employees of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio were participants, offering their complete medical records to ensure accurate data.

The dominant strain Omicron proved itself to be more of a blessing than a burden, and the pandemic silently entered the endemic phase, even though the medical-industrial complex was not ready to admit it, science was proving otherwise.

It was inevitable that other weakened variants would follow Omicron, and viral evolution wouldnt have it any other way. Though these variants may spread faster, they have more trouble evading natural immune responses. This could be the REAL reason that the Communist government in China has 27 million people locked down and starving to death because they dont want them to catch and spread XE variant, that could END the pandemic. This requires careful consideration.

CCP wants complete control of its citizens in Shanghai, so the forced starvation-lockdown solved two problems

Operation starvation lockdown is in full effect in Shanghai, as residents leap from tall building windows because they would rather die that way than by starvation. Nobody who knows the truth about the plandemic is worried at all about variant XE or the moronic omicron, but the communist government is making an example of the trapped populace in Shanghai, and its not a pretty sight.

The Communist Chinese Partys (CCP) plan is two-fold: Keep the citizens from catching a variant that will make them all immune to all things COVID, or simply scare them into submission using deadly force with the military, propaganda about deadly variants, and all food supply lines cut off and cut out. Either way, complete control is in order to reduce the population by at least 50 percent using deadly vaccines, lockdowns, and dwindling survival supplies, including food.

Drones are flying around Shanghai, like a dystopian science-fiction movie, yelling at the trapped peons that they are RESTRICTED from leaving their homes, and will be shot on sight for disobeying.

Most Americans dont believe this could happen in the USA, but the government running Washington DC right now, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, are in compliance with CCP-rule-of-law and tyrannical regime tactics that were employed in this country like a litmus test during the first two years of COVID-19.

If you ever hear drones in America with loudspeakers telling you to stay in your house or face arrest, you will KNOW that the government wants you dead, either way. Heres a just a sample of what the drones in Shanghai are telling the trapped people: Control the souls desire for freedom and do not open the window to sing. This behavior has the risk of spreading the epidemic. During the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, the CCP enforced the same rigid lockdown measures at ground zero in Wuhan saying the same propaganda control mantra, Control the souls desire for freedom.

Do your own research, and do NOT use Google. Try the search engine Brave BETA and get more truth news and real information. Bookmark Vaccines.news to your favorite independent websites for updates on experimental Covid mandates intended to kill people at a faster rate than the virus and vaccines combined.

Sources include:

JPost.com

NaturalNews.com

Dossier.Substack.com
(Natural News) The Russian Federations permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) office in Geneva have said that the extensive and highly dangerous biological military weapons and research programs discovered in Ukraine point to the country being a bioweapons playground for NATO.

Gennady Gatilov claims that much of the research is funded by the United States (a.k.a. taxpayers), and specifically the Pentagon under its Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). Others are funded and steered by Germanys Foreign Ministry and the German Armed Forces, suggesting strong NATO member involvement in the scheme.

Mike Whitney from UNZ.com published a piece claiming that the crisis in Ukraine is not actually about Ukraine but rather about Germany, and these new revelations seem to support that. Extensive research, including numerous well-documented sources, strongly suggest that Ukraine is NATOs biological weapons research and development destination of choice.

This would explain why most of the Deep State players want everyone to support Ukraine, and why they are constantly vilifying Russia as the bad guy in all of this. If Russia really is independent of NATO and not some kind of controlled opposition entity, then what the country is doing really is blowing the lid on NATOs criminal activity in Ukraine.

It has now been confirmed and demonstrated that the U.S. Department of Defense and its subsidiary DTRA are funding offshore defense biological and scientific research projects, reported the Daily Expose.

The evidence suggests that these activities are dual-use whereby biosafety research is interchangeable with the development of internationally prohibited bioweapons. Because of the inherent ambiguity of this area of research, such programs and their facilities have proven to be impervious to any meaningful oversight or international inspection regime.

Germany has been quietly sending billions to Ukraine over the years

As a little background into their relationship, Germany and Ukraine have been in partnership for quite a while now. Germany is Ukraines largest civilian bilateral donor with payments reaching somewhere in the vicinity of $220 million  comparatively, the U.S. contributed about $200 million.

Germany also contributes to operations in Ukraine via the European Union (EU). Between 2018 and 2019 Germany made the largest contribution to Ukraine of 400 million (about $432 million) through the EU.

Since 2014, Germany has also been funding Ukraines political and economic transformation to the tune of about 771 million (more than $832 million), with an additional 96.5 million (more than $104 million) in new commitments pledged last fall during intergovernmental negotiations.

Added to the above is a loan guarantee scheme with a total value of 500 million (about $542 million) launched by the German government in 2014, the Expose added.

Germany has also been supporting Ukraines military medical service. Since 2014, Germanys military medical donations have been more than 13 million. And Germany is funding a deployable field hospital with a procurement cost of 5.3 million (about $5.7 million), plus a training component, with an estimated delivery date of February/March 2022.

In 2013, the Germany Federal Foreign Office launched the German Partnership Program for Excellence in Biological and Health Security that was supposed to last just three years initially, but that was extended until 2022 under the banner of the German Biosecurity Program.

The stated purpose of this program is to mitigate biological security hazards and improve biosecurity. However, the names involved with the program and the details that have been uncovered point to the program being more about creating more bioweapons, not mitigating existing ones.

Now we know at least one of the reasons why the Deep State hates Russian President Vladmir Putin to the degree that they do: he is exposing their massive bioweapons operations, which amount to treason and crimes against humanity.

The latest news about the situation in Ukraine can be found at WWIII.news.

Sources include:

DailyExpose.uk

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The Biden administration and many in Congress have gotten the United States into a proxy war against Russia without our consent and without any formal declaration, and in doing so has put our country at risk of retaliation.

That would be bad enough, of course, but worse is the fact that were depleting our own military stockpiles at a time when we are not able to reproduce them quickly enough.

There are several reasons why providing assistance to Ukraine may be in our and Europes interests  but there are more reasons why we should sit out that conflict and let the chips fall where they may. Among the reasons for taking a neutral approach: America has no vital national security interests in Ukraine; the country has historically fallen within Moscows sphere of influence; many ethnic Russians live there, too; and finally, because our own national security interests are not being threatened, there is no reason to provoke a fight with a well-armed nuclear power.

And yet, once again without the consent of the governed, our leaders have involved our country in a fight that does not concern us, and at grave risk to our own military preparedness.

According to multiple reports, the U.S. has been sending billions of dollars worth of supplies and weapons to Ukraine as forces there battle the Russian invaders. One of the most prolific weapons we are sending is highly effective Javelin anti-tank missiles, which reportedly have inflicted heavy losses on Russian armor. And while its good to know our weapons are effective, whats not good is that the Pentagon is running out of them and worse, has no ability to rapidly replace the dwindling stockpiles.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies notes in a white paper:

The United States has supplied Ukraine with thousands of Javelins, the anti-tank missiles that have become the iconic weapon of the war, but the U.S. inventory is dwindling. The United States has probably given about one-third of its stock to Ukraine. Thus, the United States is approaching the point where it must reduce transfers to maintain sufficient stockpiles for its own war plans. Production of new missiles is slow, and it will take years to replenish stocks.

The Russians have numerous armored vehicles, but their supply of trained crews and level of morale are declining. Will Ukrainian anti-tank weapons inflict enough Russian combat losses to produce a battlefield stalemate before Ukraine runs out of its most effective anti-tank weapons?

The white paper noted that the Javelin is a long-range precision-guided anti-tank weapon that can be carried by a lone infantryman. They have become legendary and iconic in the Russo-Ukrainian War  so much so that a picture of Mary Magdalene holding one of the weapons and being dubbed St. Javelin have emerged, along with a Javelin song. In fact, the missile is the most capable of its kind in NATOs arsenal; the U.S. has reportedly supplied Ukraine with around 7,000 of the weapons.

The missiles have allowed Ukraines forces, most of which are light infantry, to beat back Russian mechanized assaults even though the latter possess greater firepower. That said, while the Javelin is the most capable and best-known anti-tank system in the world, it is not the most numerous. That goes to the NLAW, another anti-tank system that is precision-guided as well but not as sophisticated as the Javelin and with less range. Also, other nations have provided the Ukrainians with anti-armor systems including the German Panzerfaust 3 and Swedens Carl Gustav.

The CSIS white paper goes on to note that while the U.S. Army buys around 1,000 Javelins per year, the lead time is 32 months, meaning missiles ordered this fiscal year wont be delivered until sometime in 2024. And while the Army is taking delivery this year of missiles ordered in 2020, the rate of expenditure by providing thousands to Ukraine is much higher than normal, so stocks are becoming depleted faster.

This war is between Russia and Ukraine, not NATO. The U.S. should sit it out; its not worth putting our own national security at risk.

Sources include:

CSIS.org

NewsTarget.com
LONDON, ENGLAND - July 06: A Rosemary beetle (Chrysolina Americana) sits on Lavender in a garden in South East London July 6, 2019 in London, England. The Rosemary Beetle, that normally lives in the Mediterranean and Africa, was first seen in London in 1994, and now thrives across much of the UK due in part to warmer weather which can be attributed to Climate Change. (Photo : Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Insects are essential pollinators. Without them, humanity would lose majority of its crops and more people would basically go hungry.

Unfortunately, we are slowly losing a large population of our little pollinators, or "the little things that run the world", according to E.O. Wilson.

The renowned ecologist said that these small invertebrates greatly outnumber vertebrates, as high as 30 million, yet studies suggested they are hardly surviving on our planet.

It is commonly held that insects are so diverse due to their small size and correspondingly divide up the environment into many more little domains.

However, a new study identified major drivers of massive insect population die-offs, in the form of human-created disturbances, ScienceAlert reported.

Humans' disruption of their natural habitat, use of toxic chemicals into their environments, and unprecedented rising temperatures drove the species into widescale declines, according to ScienceAlert.

Moreover, a study published in Nature Ecology and Evolution reported dramatic changes in insect abundance, resulting in grave consequences for global ecosystems and human society.

Agricultural Intensity

University College London ecologist Charlie Outhwaite and colleagues used data on insect abundance and biodiversity in more than 6,000 different locations worldwide, which trended across 20 years and identified two primary drivers of insect die-offs: agricultural intensity and climate warming.

"We found that in high intensity agriculture that has also seen substantial warming, abundance and richness are reduced by 49% and 27% relative to primary vegetation where there has been little warming," Outhwaite said.

On the other hand, areas where natural habitat remains intact shows reduction in nearby insect declines.

In areas with three-quarters of natural habitat still intact, insect die-offs dropped at only 7% on average and the numbers of different species only by 5%.

Meanwhile, there was 63% and 61% total in areas with less than a quarter of remaining natural habitat.

Ecologist Tim Newbold, also from the University College London, explained that "careful management of agricultural areas, such as preserving natural habitats near farmland, may help to ensure that vital insects can still thrive."

Also read: Greyhound Racing 'Beyond Reform' in Scotland, Campaigners Call for Ban

Climate Warming

The rising temperature is also proving too much for many species to handle, combined with habitat disturbance, with hardest impacted places in the tropics and the Mediterranean.

For instance, in Brazil, orchid bee population has declined by around 50%.

The year 2011 was the most sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances of all Atlantic Forest orchid bees when habitats no longer held suitable.

Temperate areas on the other hand have experienced an increase in biodiversity with warming, which means not all species are exactly unbenefited.

"Many of these positive trends have been reported in non-tropical regions such as the UK and Europe, where a lot has been done, for example, to improve the water quality of rivers in recent years, following past degradation," Newbold and Outhwaite explained.

Making up massive chunk of all the existing life we know of in the Universe, it is urgent that we determine where we did the insects wrong and mitigate as soon as possible.

This includes "actions to preserve natural habitats, slow the expansion of high-intensity agriculture, and cut emissions to mitigate climate change," said Outhwaite.

Related article: Rare Tick-Borne Virus Kills a Resident in Maine
French farmer Nicolas Denieul holds earthworms in a wheat field in Piace, northwestern France, on November 30, 2015. Denieul plants his spade in the ground and turns over a clod of soil to reveal a mass of earthworms seething around plant roots -- fat ones and thin ones, delicate translucent violet and dark brown. (Photo : Photo credit:JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP via Getty Images)

In an unexpected happening in a property in Thailand, where swarms of worms have entirely enveloped the ground property; seems to be nothing but a sight right out of a scary film.

The sudden occurrence of these resulted to speculations and inquires of residents and even researchers. Clearly what in the world drove these dreadful swarming to the ground?

Thousands of Swarming Worms Emerge

Worms. As near as the sight might view, everything is slippery, sinuous, and mushy. If the appearance of creepy-crawly invertebrates bothers you, thank the heavens you were not in Tak, Thailand, this week.

As Tak homeowners awoke early Tuesday to a sight seemingly out of a scary film, but it took place in their residential streets and public lawns instead of on the big display.

After a downpour of heavy downpours on the 19th of April, millions of worms appeared in one particular yard in a buzzing look. In a KameraOne multimedia recording shows mounds of the about 6-inch-long invertebrates slithering beyond one another and skulking down pavements in the region of northern Thailand.

An apparently infinite buzz of maggots was shown when the camcorder moves around the main yard and throughout the roadway. The clip next shows a native peasant, who appears to be in amazement, gazing at the maggots. As per accounts, several residents were concerned that the cluster of maggots was a foreshadowing of bad events to come. Unsurprisingly, the crawler infestation was followed by torrential downpours.

In the official statement provided by the authorities and as per to AccuWeather Weather forecaster Renee Duff, Tak received 3.13 inches or about 79.6 mm of rainwater as intense downpours shifted through the geographical area in the 24-hour duration preceding when the footage was filmed.

Fortunately for those who aspire not to see a swarm of parasites like that again real soon, Duff noted, relatively dry climate shifted into the geographical area and will stay until early coming weeks.

Although it remains unclear why earthworms surface from their dwellings after a downpour, researchers suggest that the appearance might be a life-saving mechanism.

Also read: Rare Tick-Borne Virus Kills a Resident in Maine





After a Deluge of Rain Showers, A Thai Property was Enveloped with Worms

As per the claim of Penn State University scientists, earthworms collect and shed wetness using their epidermis and can survive in immersed liquid as much as the oxygen concentration of the waters is quite sufficient.

Furthermore, the investigators of the study also noted that nonetheless, throughout majority of situations, earthworms ultimately perish when subjected to significant flash flooding. To prevent hypoxia, worms ascend to the exterior when the ground becomes wet.

Late last month, invertebrates grabbed headlines in a separate Thailand county. A strange, round band of wiggling worms was recorded on videotape in the state's southwestern part. According to specialists, the larvae were fungal fly caterpillars that create a concentric circle with one another to defend themselves from attackers.

Those insects, which were spotted on April 12 in the county of Trang, also appeared within about an inch (23 mm) of rain poured on April 11 and 12.

Related article: Smaller Bees? Climate Crisis Could Bring Some Species with Lower Heat Tolerance in Danger




An ancient arachnid that illuminates in UV irradiation has revealed the mystery of its extraordinary 23-million-year life.

Investigators were shocked to discover the delicate shape of the spiders abruptly explode over their surroundings when they examined the specimen underneath the high magnification on a curiosity.

23-Million-Year-Old Fossilized Spider

According to the interview of ScienceAlert with the University of Kansas geologist Alison Olcott, in researchers' astonishment, the specimen illuminated, and so experts were extremely curious in what the mutual attraction of these artifacts was that rendered them illuminate.

Investigations utilizing various types of imaging technologies, such as energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic, indicated that silicon was present in the majority of the minerals that made up the remains and their surroundings.

However, the darker spots on the remains had high levels of two other components: carbon as well as sulfur. In a note provided by the authors, experts mentioned that the notion even these carbon-sulfur compounds are exclusively observed in combination with spider morphological features suggests that arachnid are most presumably the origin of the molecular substance engaged in sulfurization.

Similar researchers have previously claimed that burying delicate skin cells with single-celled microalgae, such as dinoflagellates, might safeguard the fragile substance from the damaging consequences of carbon.

There were literally millions and untold numbers of algae across the artifacts, covering the specimens directly. Researchers had been examining the bug and fish remains unearthed in this part of France for generations, yet hardly recently are researchers are trying to grasp how these delicate organisms were stored for so long, as shown in the journal of Communications Earth and Environment.

This might set off a main purpose is to improve reaction, in which carbon molecules from the spider's exterior cross-link with sulfate from the algal matting. Among the remaining remarkable Cenozoic Era specimen storage locations in the globe, something around 80% of them are discovered in combination with these phytoplankton.

The carbon-heavy silk prevalent in arachnid carapaces appears to interface notably proficient with the goo of phytoplankton. If microalgae create plenty of a sticky outer membrane material in their patterns, it may engage with synthetic polymers present in the sensitive structure of another creature.

As scientists examined the specimen, they discovered something completely surprising, something none other has documented, notwithstanding years of investigation on Aix-en-Provence remains.

Also read: Sea Urchins in the Caribbean are Mysteriously Dying at Quick Rates





Fossilized Spider Placed Under Ultraviolet Light

As the catastrophic event halted experimental activity in this case, experts seized the opportunity to investigate the arachnid remains at an infinitesimal resolution.

Whenever specimens like these are analyzed, they are frequently solely evaluated on a macroscopic level, rather than a light microscope level, however the outcomes of this latest analysis imply that this is a mistake. More so, experts working on the study speculated that the mutual attraction of those cyanobacteria and the material they were extruding created it conceivable for this reaction mechanism to maintain the creatures.

Although there are some carbon-rich zones beyond the spider fossil too, this does not really demonstrate carbon-sulfur condos like those shining yellow on the interior.

The scientists are actively investigating this concept, but when they looked through the publications on comparable old specimens, researchers discovered that the bulk of them were superbly sustained in diatom-rich sections.

Diatoms may be responsible with some of the extremely delicate remains that's present nowadays. The following approach is to apply similar approaches to additional sediments to investigate if diatom mats are associated with conservation.

Such phytoplankton produce the sticky, viscous glop, which is how they adhere collectively. Sensitive material, with exception of seashells, dentition, as well as skeleton, seldom fossilizes.

Related article: Greyhound Racing 'Beyond Reform' in Scotland, Campaigners Call for Ban




A solar storm impact in the form of a geomagnetic storm is expected to hit Earth by Tuesday, April 26.

In the latest space weather event, a recent solar explosion has emitted highly energized particles that have been forecasted to disrupt Earth's radio and satellite signals again.

Geomagnetic Storm Warning

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) on Sunday, April 24, issued a geomagnetic storm warning that may primarily affect poleward of 65 degrees in latitude, causing weak power grid fluctuations and northern lights visible in Alaska and Canada.

The approaching solar storm was associated with a solar flare event that also released a coronal mass ejection (CME).

The US space weather agency also made a follow-up update on Sunday, April 24, that the solar events may also bring solar radiation storms and radio blackouts until Wednesday, April 27.

The latest space weather forecast followed the occurrence of a major radio blackout in Asia after it disrupted aviation, some shortwaves, and other radio and satellite-dependent technology, as per the Solar Dynamics Observatory of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as cited by CNET.

Also Read: Can a Solar Flare Be Powerful Enough to Wipe Out All Life on Earth?

Measurements and Scales

The magnetic storm impact of a solar flare, CME, or other manifestations of a solar storm like solar winds will depend on the direction and amount of charged particles that will reach Earth, as previously claimed by space authorities and enthusiasts.

Similar to a weather forecast on the atmospheric and climatic behavior of the planet, space meteorologists also issue their own space weather measurements and scales to relay the impact of our Sun's solar activities and its space weather effects to the general public.

Solar storms and other solar activities, in general, are the main source of space weather phenomena in our solar system.

Based on the NOAA Space Weather Scales, the main contributors to space environmental disturbances are geomagnetic storms, solar radiation, and radio blackouts.

The NOAA - SWPC compared these contributors to storms like hurricanes and natural disasters such as tornadoes and earthquakes on Earth.

With this the following classifications of the solar event types are provided below:

Geomagnetic storm - primarily affects power systems and spacecraft operations, as well as satellite navigation, radio navigation, and the global positioning system (GPS).

Solar radiation storm - similar to magnetic storms, this type poses biological hazards to most living forms, notably astronauts and passengers on an aircraft at high altitudes.

Radio blackout - both high frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF), as well as radio communications, are affected by radio blackouts and satellite navigation. The disruption caused by this solar event type ranges from several minutes to hours.

Solar Storm Alert

In line with the current solar storm alert of the NOAA - SWPC for the next 48 hours, the recent solar explosion emitted not only a geomagnetic storm but also a solar radiation storm and radio blackouts.

However, the solar storm forecast did not indicate that a significant transient or recurrent solar wind will occur but it mentioned the potential impact of both magnetic storm and radio blackout will range from minor to moderate.

Power outages, internet connection loss, and radio signal fluctuations are likely.

Related Article: Solar Storm Alert: Sun Releases Strongest Solar Flare in Almost Five Years; Geomagnetic Storm Causes Radio Blackout
A tour boat collided with a whale or a whale shark in the Pacific Ocean, located off the coast of Mexico, injuring half a dozen people.

Local authorities have launched an investigation as the vessel was not supposed to be in the said area of the water.

Collision Incident

Mexican authorities on Saturday, April 23, stated a small Mexican tour boat "hit something" in the open water just near the coastal city of La Paz, Baja California, in Mexico on Friday, April 22.

The authorities, as cited by multiple media reports, suggested that the Mexican-owned vessel hit a certain whale species due to its large size, as per the Associated Press.

Among the casualties, three children sustained light injuries and at least one person was "overthrown" into the vessel's awning or into the sea.

Two adults have required hospitalization, while another aboard the craft was taken by members of the navy to a clinic for treatment following the incident.

Also Read: Iceland to Promote Whale Watching as Part of its Plan to End Commercial Whaling

Investigation: Whale Watching

Under Mexico's maritime laws and regulations, boats involved in whale watching are required to maintain a safe distance from the creatures.

However, the vessel involved in Friday's supposed accidental collision is not part of the whale sight-seeing activity, as per ABC News.

An undisclosed video posted by the civil defense office, as cited by both ABC News and the Associated Press, showed that the boat was moving at a high-speed rate before hitting the massive marine mammal.

No immediate details were provided as to what happened to the suspected whale creature.

Due to the unconfirmed aspects of the incident, the civil defense office is reportedly investigating the circumstances that led to the collision.

Whale watching is a recreational activity associated with observing not only whales but also other cetaceans in their marine habitat.

Vessel-Whale Collisions

Contrary to popular belief, the occurrence of incidents similar to the one in Mexico last week is not rare.

In fact, collisions between a marine craft and cetaceans also referred to as vessel-whale collisions or a ship strike, are a common and increasing occurrence on a global scale, as per the Australian Marine Mammal Centre.

However, a majority of vessels involved in such incidents belong to marine industrial activities like oil and gas exploration, shipping, and cruise lines.

Due to the increasing threat posed by ship strikes for both humans and cetaceans, the International Whaling Commission intends to reduce such incidents as a priority and impose various measures, including the creation of a standardized global database of related collisions and the creation of the Scientific and Conservation Committees.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries states that a vessel strike also pertains to the collision between a boat and any marine animal, such as dolphins, sea turtles, fish, seals, sea lions, or whales.

The NOAA Fisheries highlighted that a ship strike can occur in any part of the world, especially in regions where both maritime traffic and marine animal population are high.

In Florida alone, the US agency states that injuries in 20% or 30% of stranded sea turtles are consistent with vessel strikes.

Related Article: 5 Reasons Why You Should Not Go Whale Watching
A lesser-known type of ozone has been found as playing a significant role in heating the Southern Ocean, one of Earth's primary cooling systems, according to a new study.

According to new research, fluctuations in ozone levels in the upper and lower atmosphere were responsible for roughly a third of the warming observed in ocean waters adjacent to Antarctica in the second half of the twentieth century.

Ozone in the Southern Ocean

Ozone is a gas that is made up of three oxygen atoms. Many types of research have been conducted to investigate ozone in the stratosphere and its function in protecting people from the sun's damaging UV radiation.

Ozone is detrimental to people in the troposphere, which is closer to ground level.

According to a new study headed by UC Riverside researchers, this relatively low-level ozone is providing far more heat to the Southern Ocean than scientists previously thought.

"People haven't given much attention to tropospheric ozone in regards to ocean heat uptake in the past, but based on our models, they should," said Wei Liu, principal author of the new study and a UCR climate scientist.

The oceans absorb the overwhelming bulk of the carbon and warmth that people emit into the atmosphere when they burn fossil fuels.

The Southern Ocean, commonly known as the Antarctic Ocean, gathers one-third of all extra carbon in the world's atmosphere, as well as an estimated 75% of all surplus heat gathered by the world's seas, as per ScienceDaily.

It is critical to comprehend this warmth to regulate it.

Increased ocean warming is contributing to the well-documented issue of rising sea levels.

Liu and an international group of specialists investigated weather simulation studies using variations in ozone concentrations between 1955 and 2000 to advance this knowledge.

These climate models separated stratospheric and tropospheric ozone from other impacts on Southern Ocean temperatures, allowing them to examine how each component affects temperatures.

Although both stratospheric and tropospheric ozone influence Southern Ocean warming, the researchers discovered that the latter contribute significantly more.

Also Read: New Research Reveals Ozone Gas is Heating Earth More Than We Previously Thought

Antarctica's response to ozone depletion

Sea ice particularly includes a large section of the ocean surface in the polar regions, helps to regulate world temperatures by reflecting incoming solar energy.

Reduced sea-ice coverage is thus projected to increase greenhouse-gas-induced global warming.

Changes in sea ice also have an impact on energy exchanges between the ocean and the atmosphere, carbon absorption by the ocean, ecosystems, and thermohaline oceanic circulation.

Constant satellite data, which began at the end of the 1970s, show that Arctic sea ice has decreased significantly during the satellite period, which is consistent with the global warming trend.

In contrast, tiny but rising trends have been recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly between 1979 and 2014.

Furthermore, while climate models can substantially recreate reported Arctic sea-ice declines, the majority of them fail to reflect the Antarctic sea-ice increase from 1979 to 2014.

"For more than a decade, climatologists have been confused by observed Antarctic sea-ice extension and model-observation mismatch," said lead author Eui-Seok Chung of the Korea Polar Research Institute, as per Phys.org.

It is critical to track long-term changes in global sea ice and verify that the physical mechanisms that cause such changes are appropriately represented in climate estimation techniques.

Related article: Scientists Shows the Ozone Layer Was Harmed by Smoke From Australia's Wildfires in 2019 and 2020
Satellite pollution has marked the early 21st century, especially in recent years. Long before advances in space technology, particularly the creation of satellites, our ancestors have reportedly relied on ancient star knowledge to observe not only the celestial objects and celestial events of the night sky.

Ancient Star Knowledge

Interstellar knowledge allowed people to navigate through land and waters using the constellations as a guide or a map. This is made possible as indigenous people worldwide observed, monitored, and memorized almost all visible objects in the night sky, as per the online media and research network The Conversation.

Since the onset of satellite technology, which also yielded multiple benefits to human civilization, including in the areas of digital communication, aircraft navigation, and internet access, a myriad of downsides are perceived to be embedded in this technological feat.

In the Oceania continent and its surrounding regions, indigenous astronomy practices are at risk since not only do satellites physically block the pathway view of the Australian night skies, but they also resemble dark patches or a dark constellation, as per The Conversation.

Furthermore, mega-constellations are also a source of artificial night sky brightness, as per research published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

For instance, the Martu people of Western Australia used Jukurrpa or Dreaming which is embedded to detect the 'Seven Sisters constellation' located 410 light-years from Earth.

Due to the mega-constellations astronomers and space enthusiasts are concerned that it will no longer be possible one day to observe these celestial bodies.

Also Read: AI and Satellites Can Help Identify Pollution Hotspots, Researchers Show

Mega-Constellations

The company Dewesoft, a leading provider of high-end data acquisition systems, previously stated that there are several tens of thousands of small satellites orbiting the Earth. These space objects have been utilized for various usage for long-range communication, aviation, space exploration, and others.

Collectively known as mega-constellations, the number of satellites around the planet over the years is causing satellite pollution or significant blockage of the night sky. Although the term is not similar to other environmental pollution, the large number of satellites may block celestial bodies and events in the future.

Aside from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), various private companies, including tech billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX, have engaged in a competition to dominate the sky through theoretical space exploration and the installation of satellites.

Starlink Satellite Internet Project

Although there has been applause surrounding SpaceX's satellite internet project Starlink, various concerns have been raised recently that the vast number of the satellite network will be detrimental not only to our night sky view but also to astronomical observations as a whole.

In the coming short-term future, SpaceX is hoping to send as many as 42,000 satellites into Earth's orbit in addition to the mega constellation, as per the space and astronomy news site Space.com. As early as January 2015, Musk had proposed and expressed initially sending 4,000 satellites in low Earth orbit.

Following the proposal, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted SpaceX to fly 12,000 Starlink satellites. The space company is filing documentation for approval of an additional 30,000 Starlink satellites.

Related Article: Satellite Pollution: Overcrowded Satellites Pose Risk to Night Sky View and Asteroid Monitoring
Human foraging response on the Atlantic coast of Europe was able to adapt to the abrupt climate change linked to the cooling and drying temperatures of the so-called "8.2 ka event," according to a new study.

The event was long believed by climate scientists and the wide scientific community to have impacted human societies during the Early Holocene.

Previous research has indicated that some civilizations have struggled to survive in this sudden change of climate in other parts of the world.

In light of the new discovery, our understanding of the relationship between societies with their environment will show that the latter also significantly influences how human activities are governed in ancient times.

Climate Shift and Survival

A novel geological and archeological study suggests that survivors of the climate shift were able to adapt by eating specifically the shell of an invertebrate of the phylum Mollusca, a calcareous exoskeleton.

In the new research published in the journal Scientific Reports on Wednesday, April 20, researchers were able to arrive at their findings by collecting archaeological samples from 23 of the 25 stratigraphic units in El Mazo, located off the northern coast of Spain and in the Atlantic Ocean.

Using the methods called the Bayesian chronological modeling and radiocarbon dating, the research team was able to determine that marine mollusc shells have helped prehistoric humans in the Atlantic region in their quest for food search during the intense climate change, as per the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Furthermore, the shells also revealed evidence that humans engaged in increased harvesting in dangerous coastal areas and other methods for survival.

The scientists were able to determine this since the mollusc species contain archaeological deposits of data on temperature during the time.

Moreover, the shells also showed a high-resolution chronological sequence of how humans used the cave, likely as a form of shelter from the changing environment and climate.

The scientists were also able to find a large number of fossils from the bone of terrestrial animals and micro-botanical remains.

Also Read: Earth Warmest in 11,300 Years and Steadily Rising, Scientists Warn

Global Climate Warming

Scientists of the novel study acknowledged that the current global climate warming will continue and will yield large-scale consequences for humans.

They confirmed long-held notions that some climatic and environmental changes in the past have shaped human behavior and evolution.

Amongst these natural phenomena, the "8.2 ka event" is the largest and most fast-paced climactic event of the Holocene Epoch or Holocene period, which approximately started 11,500 years ago.

The study cited suggestions by climate scientists that the event was triggered by the impact of melting glacial water in the Laurentide lakes or the Laurentide Ice Sheet in North America. Even before the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, global warming has already occurred, contrary to conventional knowledge.

Also called the 8.2-kiloyear event, the 8.2 ka climate occurrence transpired approximately 8,000 years ago in the North Atlantic region also caused the decreased speed of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, and eventually the poleward pattern of heat transport, as per the Royal Meteorological Society (RMETS).

The said environmental effect in relation to the heat transport caused by the event may have allegedly contributed to the current stability of the climate in contemporary times.

However, the increasing emission of fossil fuels and greenhouse gases over the past 200 years is endangering such stability.

Related Article: Radiocarbon Dating on Prehistoric Cemeteries Reveals Social Response to Climate Stress
While the country is celebrating 'Amrit Mahotsav' on the completion of 75 years of Independence, societal evils like untouchability and social boycott still exist here.

Recently, a newly married Dalit couple in Rajasthan's Jalore district was not only stopped from entering a temple here, but were also publicly humiliated. The police have registered a case in this regard.

Ukaram Rathod from Sadan village of Ahor tehsil had come to Neelkanth village under Bhadrajun police station here, to marry Santu.

As per information, after the wedding ceremony on April 21, when the couple, along with some relatives, went to the Neelkanth Mahadev temple the following day to offer a coconut, they were stopped outside by the priest and asked to pray and make their offerings from outside.

The aggrieved party alleged that the priest stopped them from entering the premises citing village rules like people of his community cannot enter there, so they should offer prayers from a distance. This led to an argument between some youths, who were accompanying the couple, and the priest. But they were still not allowed to enter the temple.

As matters escalated, people near the temple also asked the people accompanying the bride and groom to follow the village rules and stop insisting that the priest allow them inside. They even warned the couple of the village panchayat's wrath.

A video of the the bride pleading with the priest with folded hands has now gone viral on social media. In the video, the Dalit couple and their relatives are clearly seen being abused and stopped from entering the temple. Later, Tararam Meghwal from the bride's side, lodged a complaint in the Bhadrajun police station.

Station House Officer (SHO) Pratap Singh said that the victim had alleged that the priest of Neelkanth Mahadev temple prevented her from entering there and also abused her. A case has been registered under sections of the SC/ST Act, he added.

The issue of not allowing Dalits to enter the temple came to the fore.
Every decade, states are responsible for redistricting, which takes place after the data from the decennial census is released in the year ending in 1 and before the next years primary elections take place, and in fact before candidates can file nominating papers.

After redistricting is over and new congressional and legislative maps are handed off to election officials, several actions must be completed before the primaries can be held, and in fact before nominating petitions are circulated.

Each states processno surpriseis different. All states rely on both state and local election officials, but the level of centralization varies. Many of these actions are defined by state law, and others are in regulation or are conducted at the discretion of local jurisdictions.

Still, it is possible to generalize, and this webpage details the workflow that begins once redistricting is completed and before the first election is held. Ask your local election official about how the specifics of this work are managed in your state.

Why the Post-Redistricting, Pre-Primaries Work Matters

It is the job of state and local election officials to prepare for every election, but the election that follows redistricting has more change (and therefore more work) than others throughout the decade. The first elections are likely to be the primaries held in the year ending in 2. In 2022, the first primary is scheduled for March 1, in Texas.

Accuracy in elections starts well before Election Day, especially when new electoral districts for Congress and state legislative chambers are handed off from the states entity that is responsible for redistricting (mostly state legislatures but sometimes a redistricting commission) to election officials. Accurate information about each electoral districtcongressional, legislative, local and special districtsmust be determined so each voter is accurately assigned to the appropriate districts.

As districts are being finalized, election officials are also checking the physical address for each voter. Its from this address that the voters ballot is determined: which contests (state, federal and local) and ballot measures are they entitled to vote on? Its a matter of geography.

In fact, it is the overlaying of these two kinds of dataelectoral districts boundaries and voters residential locationthat must be completed before new elections can be held based on those new maps. And this work is step one in ensuring election accuracy.

The fewer the errors in election administration, the greater public confidence in the integrity of elections, according to the Local Election Officials Guide to Redistricting, from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Those errors can be reduced with attention to the details that start long before Election Day.

Even though newly redistricted congressional and legislative maps are expected to be final for the next 10 years, other district boundaries will change throughout the decade as municipalities grow, developments are added, rivers change course and highways are built, for instance. And of course, voters move in and out of jurisdictions. It is not possible to ever align all boundaries and voter databut it is the aim.

The core way that is done is by assigning voters to precincts (also known as wards), which are the building blocks of electoral districts. Unfortunately, it is easy to make mistakes; some say that 12 percent of voters are placed in the wrong district, based on unpublished reviews of manually-maintained voter lists. As more states and counties are using GIS for election purposes, we can expect the error ratewhatever it might beto go down, said Richard Leadbeater, of Esri.

Sometimes, errors have consequences. For instance:

In the 2017 legislative elections in Virginia, an extremely tight race for state delegate came down to a tie, with the winner being chosen by picking a name out of a bowl. The result determined not just who would be sworn in, but also which party would control the Virginia House of Delegates. It turns out that some voters in this district were misassigned, and it will never be known how the race would have turned out if only the right voters had been able to vote in this race. See this Washington Post article for more.

In Franklin County, Ohio, 2,000 residents received ballots with the wrong congressional race on it for the 2018 election, because of confusion about a district boundary, which led to 56 votes being wrongly cast in a special election primary.

Poorly identified and publicized districts can have consequences for candidates as well. In 2011, Deseret News released an article detailing a longstanding mix-up between county maps and state district maps which led to a representative inadvertently running in the wrong district. (Since then Utah has become a leader among states in using GIS for election administration as well as redistricting.)

In 2019, a Greenville, N.C., a city council candidate learned at the polling booth he did not live in the district he was running to represent . He had successfully filed to run in Greenvilles District 2, but an audit conducted by the Pitt County Board of Elections after the filing period found that he actually lived in District 1. The street had been coded incorrectly for 20 years.

Reviewing and Updating District Boundaries

The entity within the state responsible for redistricting (usually the legislature, occasionally a commission of some sort) provides new congressional and legislative maps to local jurisdictions.

Those maps are brand new, but even so its not unheard of for technical fixes to be required when simple definitional errors are made. Local jurisdictions may be able to point those out. In Maine, for instance, the secretary of state is authorized to resolve ambiguities concerning the location of election district lines consistent with a set of standards included in the state law (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 21-A,  1207).

From there, election officials make sure all other district boundaries are as clean as can be. School districts, hospital districts, fire districts, etc. can change at any point in the decade, and after redistricting is a likely time to closely review these.

By looking at the many district maps overlayed upon one another, it is not uncommon to find minor discrepancies based on cul-de-sacs, rivers, new highways, etc. Election administrators work with representatives of these other entities to find and fix anomalies. Any time one of these districts is changed, the boundaries for its neighbors must be reviewed as well. This job goes on throughout the decade, but the changes are greatest right after redistricting.

When boundaries can be reviewed with a geographic information system (GIS), errors are more easily spotted and fixed. GIS is not always available at the local level. Washington provided its state-level expertise to assist all local jurisdictions in a recent revamp of elections management.

Some states require that all district maps be submitted to the state, although most do not. In Arkansas, the county clerk is required to submit written, printed and digital copies of the map and boundaries to the secretary of state and Arkansas Geographic Information Systems Office within 30 days of any changes (Ark. Code Ann.  7-5-101).

Local Redistricting

All levels of government that elect representatives from geographically-defined districts, and in which only voters from those districts may vote, must redistrict periodically. Federal law is clear that states must redistrict every decade after the decennial census. It is less clear on when, or how often, local redistricting must take place. In places that use at-large elections to fill local commissions, redistricting is not necessary. Population growth or annexations can trigger municipalities, school districts, fire districts, or other special districts to redraw their districts.

Still, if a county or other local jurisdiction does not redistrict occasionally, it can be sued based on the one-person, one-vote principle.

Californias law requires counties to redistrict and specifies the criteria to be used. Additional sections of California statute apply to cities, schools and special districts.

States with caps on population or other criteria would have those requirements. Arizona caps the Justices of the Peace/Constables district size as a way to monitor court workloads for example.

In Indiana, after the 2011 congressional and legislative redistricting process was over, very few county councils followed suit, according to a study from DePauw University. The same is likely true across the nation.

These local entities may have other reasons to change their boundaries or their names and any of these changes must be captured by election officials in their election management systems. If the local election office has access to GIS, it is better equipped to help local entities undertake local redistricting.

A schedule for local redistricting could be established by statute. In Minnesota, local redistricting begins when new precinct boundaries are set (Minn. Stat. Ann.  204B.14 (3)); and ends 20 days later (Minn. Stat. Ann.  204B.135 (2)). The full Minnesota list of key dates and laws that impact redistricting for local governments is here.

How each entity conducts its local redistricting varies. In California, some counties have their own independent redistricting commissions. In other California counties, local election officials make maps for approval by the governing body of the jurisdiction in question or assist the governing body with that work. Other states vary too, and legal requirements based on state law or local ordinance must be followed. These might pertain to public input, public outreach, and notification requirements.

No matter when local redistricting takes placeimmediately following congressional and legislative redistricting or at other timesthe same steps relating to district boundaries, precinct boundaries and voter assignment outlined below pertain.

Reprecincting

Election officials are responsible for reprecincting, or moving precinct lines. Precincts, also known as wards in some parts of the country and parishes in Louisiana, can be thought of as the building blocks for all other electoral districts.

State-level redistricters try to adhere to existing precinct lines, but that is not always possible. One way a legislature can address this is to set a cutoff date in statute, after which local jurisdictions are prohibited from making new precinct changes prior to redistricting. New Mexico, for instance, requires all precincts be updated prior to redistricting (N.M. Stat. Ann.  1-13-12).

Once redistricting is done, election officials can and frequently do change precinct lines to ensure they fit within new congressional and legislative boundaries. As an example, Iowa requires local jurisdictions shall make any necessary changes in precincts as soon as possible after the redistricting of congressional and legislative district become law (Iowa Code  49.7) and prohibits counties or cities from making additional changes to precincts until after the next decennial census, with some exceptions (Iowa Code  49.8).

Because one person, one vote doesnt apply to administrative units like precincts, election officials can determine when splitting a growing precinct is warranted, or when merging two underpopulated districts may make sense. Texas addresses combining precincts when the number of registered voters is less than 500 (Tex. Elec. Code  42.0051). If district lines from different kinds of districts dont follow the same path (a street, river, canal, etc.), there may be strips of land that are unaccounted for; the goal is to have coterminous lines, and when these situations are found, the lines will need to be redrawn for proper alignment.

Local election officials are likely to draft new precinct maps, which are submitted to the governing body, such as the county commission, for adoption.

States may have laws requiring that:

Precincts do not cross district boundaries, at least for some types of districts. It is common to prohibit precincts from overlapping more than one congressional or legislative district, for instance.

In California, election results are required to be reported by precinct (Cal. Elec. Cde  15321), so to do this, and also to report results by municipalities, precinct boundaries cant cross city boundaries. In Colorado, precincts must not overlap legislative or congressional districts (Colo. Rev. Stat.  2-2-506). Kentucky also prohibits precincts from overlapping legislative and congressional districts, and adds county lines and other local district lines as well (Ky. Rev. Stat.  117.055).

Precincts do not exceed a certain number of voters; Michigan sets the maximum number for consolidated precincts at 5,000 (Mich. Comp. Laws  168.659).

New precinct maps must be determined a certain time prior to Election Day. In California, precincts cant be changed within 125 days of the election (Cal. Elec. Code  12262, 10524). In Illinois, the cutoff is 60 days prior to an election (10 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 5/11-1).

The state can maintain a continuously updated map of all precincts and can require state-level review of local changes. Kentucky requires both. The Legislative Reference Commission, a nonpartisan organization within the legislature, shall maintain and continuously update a computerized map of Kentucky containing census geography and election precinct boundaries ( Ky. Rev. Stat.  7.550 ) and reviews all proposed precinct establishment orders from the State Board of Elections (Ky. Rev. Stat.  117.0556).

Like with district boundaries and local redistricting, using GIS can increase accuracy and efficiency in developing precinct maps. Inyo County, Calif., uses a county-wide GIS department to create its precincts. Virginia requires GIS mapping be used for establishing district and precinct boundaries, and if the local jurisdiction doesnt have that capacity, the state department of elections will do it for them.

Avoiding Split Precincts (And Split Census Blocks)

State redistricters prefer not to split city and counties between congressional or legislative districts, and many times state law requires these and other political subdivisions be kept whole if possible. In the same way and for similar reasons, election officials prefer to avoid split precincts. If new congressional and legislative maps do split existing precincts, election officials are likely to redraw the precincts to avoid the inherent problems associated with splits.



Examples of those problems:

In states where precincts are split between two districts for any reason, the number of ballot styles multiplies, which has a financial cost associated with extra design and printing costs.

Split precincts may reduce voter confidence, because neighbors who expect to get the same ballot are now getting ballots that are different for at least one minor race.

Splits may lead to so few voters getting the exact same ballot that the secrecy of an individuals ballots may be hard to maintain.

Precincts are made up of even smaller geographic units, called census blocks. Census blocks are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, and generally, census blocks are kept whole. States can work with the bureau to improve their accuracy through the Block Boundary Suggestion Project, the Local Update of Census Addresses Operation and the Boundary and Annexation Survey.

Some states require local jurisdictions to provide updated precinct maps to the state on a regular basis. Nevada does so, with a requirement that maps be submitted by the end of March in even-numbered years (Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann.  293.206). California requires that precinct maps be submitted after each general election (Cal. Elec. Code  17501).

Assigning Voters to the Correct Districts

After all geographic boundaries are aligned as best as possible, the next job is to place voters in the correct precinct. In most cases, it is that precinct that then defines the many electoral districts the voter is incongressional, legislative, etc. Districts nest within each other, but not always neatly, as is the case when a school district overlaps two municipalities. In some cases, even a single precinct can be "split" and contain multiple electoral districts, particularly for more local offices. Since the creation, maintenance, and naming of precincts and electoral districts happens across varying levels of government, it can be helpful to use a standardized naming schema such as Open Civic Data Division Identifiers in addition to more colloquial names. That way, different systems can know they're both talking about the same "School District 1" or "Western Precinct," should they need to communicate across governmental departments or levels.

Each voters address can be thought of as a geographic point, one that could be defined by latitude and longitude; this is similar to how your location can be pinned on a Google map or other map app. If GIS is available for use by local election officials, then each voters address is assigned a point, which is immediately and automatically assigned to the right precinct. This is called geocoding, and states can adopt different strategies to do it. See NSGICs Best Practices for Geo-Enabling Elections for more.

Note, too, that Next Generation 911 (aka NextGen 911 or NG911) is being adopted by states and localities to better provide emergency services. Getting NextGen 911 up and running means each residence will be geo-coded. It could be possible for this information to be shared with election officials.

It is all but certain that the states redistricting entity has its new maps and data available in a digital format, even if the bill adopting the new maps uses some other system, such as metes and bounds, to identify the plan.

It is less likely that election officials have the capacity to receive the maps geographically and work with them in GIS. In 2021, the Geo-Enabled Elections projecta part of the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC)surveyed state election directors on how their states used geographic information systems to manage elections processes and received 27 responses. Of those, three-fourths indicated their voter registration systems did not support GIS data.

In the many jurisdictions where GIS is not available, voter assignment to precincts is done by hand, based on tabularnot spatialinformation about voter addresses. This process leaves room for error.

Some local election offices may simply have maps on a wall, with district and precinct boundaries superimposed on it, possibly with marker on an acetate overlay, although in Shasta County, Calif., the old paper maps are hand-colored with colored pencils at least through the 2010 post-redistricting cycle. A clerk looks at a voters address, finds the corresponding precinct, and assigns the voter to that precinct in the voter registration database. This generally works, but, according to Election Data Services, some residences are on borders of precincts, leading to 12% of voters being misassigned. Also, if a voter gets a ballot that doesnt include the races they expect, that is a problemand it hurts voter confidence.

Many offices have moved to keeping street segment files in a database to determine what districts a given voter is in. A street segment is a range of addresses on a single street where all voters within the range are assigned to the same precinct or district. All addresses within a jurisdiction should be able to be placed within a defined street segment, and an address should never be in more than one segment. Since precinct or district lines often run through the middle of streets, some voters with similar addresses may be assigned differently depending on the side of the street they live on. Typically, this is represented by adding an odd, even, or both parameter to a street segment.

For jurisdictions with addresses that do not follow normalized naming or numbering conventions, individual address points may be represented as street segments, though having a high number of such single-residence points can make lists harder to maintain and more likely to introduce accidental inaccuracies.

A street segment file containing the following segments to assign addresses to precincts:

Start House Number End House Number Street Name Street Suffix Odd, Even, Both Precinct ID 1500 2000 7th Avenue Both C 1651 1959 12th Avenue Odd C 453 453 Elm Street Both C 1901 1999 Main Street Odd C 1900 1998 Main Street Even G

Which in turn can be used to place voters into their correctly updated districts as below:

ID Last

Name First Name Street Number Precinct Old District New District 3931154 Smith John 7th Avenue 1858 C 1 3 4420947 Adams Samuel 12th Avenue 1659 C 1 3 3342913 Adams Martha Elm Street 453 C 1 3 4301660 Rodriguez Edward Main Street 1901 C 1 3 4404091 McDonald Michael Main Street 1902 G 1 1

Maintaining geographic information in a list format is not wrong, but it can introduce errors because address changes and additions cannot be viewed spatially. For instance, if there is an error in translating geography into a list, it will likely not be identified. And updating street segment files after redistricting (or reprecincting) is laboriousbut also necessary for added assurance and transparency. An election management system may manage much of this work, but without an audit (see below) it is hard to find misassignments. New or extended segments may be needed to be regularly created to reflect new construction or changes to land use, even outside of a redistricting cycle, so offices should be prepared to regularly implement these procedures for maintaining and assuring accuracy of assignments between elections.

Still other states may produce their redistricting maps as block equivalency files, in which each census block is assigned to congressional, state Senate and state House districts. This is more precise for redistricting purposes since census blocks account for all geography in the nation. When election officials receive data in these files, they can use the same census blocks to create precinctsbut it doesnt solve the need to assign voters addresses to the right precinct.

Verifying (or Auditing) Voter Assignments

Throughout the decade, but especially during the post-redistricting phase, election officials double check everything they can.

First, they check for any voters who are not assigned to a precinct or have an incomplete district profile. Then election officials will look for incomplete addresses; incorrect road designations such as lane instead of street; overly long address ranges in a street segment file; and addresses that appear to be duplicated between two street segments. Experienced election officials know this work is time- consumingbut it is this detailed work that leads to voters getting the correct ballot, which leads to more accurate elections and improved voter confidence.

This can be done by cross-checking voters addresses against U.S. Postal Service lists, U.S. Census Bureau address lists, or lists maintained by other parts of local or state government. No list will be perfect, but comparisons can point out inconsistencies for manual review. In the Geo-Enabled Elections survey, two-thirds of respondents reported not having access to, or not knowing if they had access to, a universal address list such as data from 911 address databases or the National Address Database (NAD).

The comparison can also be done by using GIS. In North Carolina, local election boards submit their precinct maps to the state board of elections (SBE). The SBE periodically uses its GIS capacity to run the state voter registration database against those local maps. The SBE then returns to the local officials a list of anomalies for review and correction, if needed.

Candidate Filing

Voters are paramount, but candidates are important too. Once districts are finalized, the candidate filing period can begin (and this period can be months before the first election is held with new districts). Election officials are responsible for communicating new district boundaries to candidates and ensuring the candidates are qualified to run and serve in the district they have indicated; is their address indeed inside the district? Worst case scenario: a candidate files in the wrong district. This is bad for voter confidence as well as for politics.

When lines are in dispute after filing deadlines have passed, states are likely to have a remedial process; it would be common to allow candidates to circulate nominating petitions based on existing boundarieseven though those voters may not be the ones able to vote for the candidate after final lines are adopted.

Fortunately, assigning voters to precincts and checking candidate addresses can be done simultaneously.

A Timeline for Post-Redistricting Work

Election officials plan backwards, starting with the date of the first election where the new districts will be usedgenerally the primary election in the year ending in 2.

Ballots must be ready in time to meet the federally mandated mailing date for ballots going to overseas voters: 45 days before Election Day. That requirement was established in the Military and Overseas Voters Empowerment (MOVE) Act of 2009, to ensure overseas voters wont be disenfranchised because of slow international mail delivery.

The printer needs a week or two to print before that.

Ballot design takes a week or two before printing. Design is mostly about determining which races belong on each precincts ballot, which candidates have qualified for those races, and any ballot questions that have qualified. Primary elections create twice the number of ballot styles because separate ballots are prepared for each major party, or even more if there are more than two recognized major parties. Many jurisdictions have dozens of distinct ballot designs based on the number of races and precincts; large jurisdictions can have thousands. Split precincts mean even more ballot styles.

Good ballot design also includes attention to usability, literacy level and creating audio ballots for those with visual impairments. The Center for Civic Design provides advice on ballot design.

Candidate filing dates, both the start and end dates, are set by state law. Many start in the first few months of the new year, but some begin in October or even September in the year before the election. The calendar also specifies when signature-gathering can take place for citizens' initiatives and popular referendums; if these are local measures, as opposed to statewide measures, voter eligibility will be part of the equation.

Election officials are also engaged in all the usual election preparation steps:

How many polling places will be required?

Where are they located, and is the distribution equitable based on demographics?

Are resources such as equipment and supplies in place?

How many poll workers will be needed? How will they be recruited and trained?

What is the anticipated level of absentee, or mail, voting?

What communications to the public will be used, especially to notify voters of changes to their districts and precinct, which often translates into a different polling location?

What safety and security procedures will be followed?

The list goes on, and each of these jobs is more complex right after redistricting, and timing is of the essence.

Additional Resources
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have captured a striking photo of the ultra-diffuse galaxy GAMA 526784.

Ultra-diffuse galaxies are objects as large as our Milky Way Galaxy but with 100-1,000 times fewer stars.

First discovered in 2015, they are extremely faint and lack star-forming gas, which makes them appear almost like a fluffy cosmic cloud.

Their origins remain uncertain, but astronomers speculate that they could be failed galaxies that lost their gas supply early in their lifetimes.

Ultra-diffuse galaxies such as GAMA 526784 have a number of peculiarities, Hubble astronomers said.

For example, their dark matter content can be either extremely low or extremely high  ultra-diffuse galaxies have been observed with an almost complete lack of dark matter, whereas others consist of almost nothing but dark matter.

Another oddity of this class of galaxies is their anomalous abundance of bright globular clusters, something not observed in other types of galaxies.

The ultra-diffuse galaxy GAMA 526784 is located approximately 4 billion light-years away in the constellation of Hydra.

It was discovered in 2015 by astronomers using the Anglo-Australian Telescope as part of the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey.

The new image of GAMA 526784 comes from a set of Hubble observations designed to shed light on the properties of ultra-diffuse galaxies.

Hubbles keen vision allowed astronomers to study this galaxy in high resolution at ultraviolet wavelengths, helping to gauge the sizes and ages of the compact star-forming regions studding the galaxy.

The color image was made from separate exposures taken in the visible and near-infrared regions of the spectrum with Hubbles Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS).

Two filters were used to sample various wavelengths. The color results from assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.

The ACS instrument was installed in 2002 by astronauts during Hubble Servicing Mission 3B, the researchers said.

Since then, the instrument has played a pivotal role in some of Hubbles most impressive scientific results, including capturing the Hubble Ultra Deep Field.

The ACS has also photographed Pluto in advance of NASAs New Horizon mission, observed gargantuan gravitational lenses and found fully formed galaxies in the early Universe.
The directors of Goodwood Capital Limited (NZX: GWC ) announce that GWC has reached agreement to acquire 100% of WasteCo Holdings NZ Limited (WasteCo), a diversified waste, refuse and industrial services business with operations in Christchurch, Ashburton, Timaru, Oamaru, Dunedin and Balclutha.

The business operations of WasteCo comprise:

* Environmental services, which comprise the following operations:

- Waste collection via front load bins, hook bins, skip bins and wheelie bins from both commercial and private customers.

- A large gantry collection operation in Christchurch.

- Road sweeping for Councils and commercial customers. WasteCo operates an extensive sweeping operation in the South Island.

- Waste sorting and diversion. WasteCo operates a 3,600 square metre dedicated sorting facility in Christchurch with a strong focus on diversion from landfill. WasteCo is currently achieving global diversion in excess of 50% of waste away from the landfill.

- WasteCo has recently implemented a new specialised facility for the collection and treatment of medical and quarantine waste.

* Industrial services, which comprise the following operations:

- High pressure water blasting, urgent spill response services, septic tank cleaning and portaloos. These services are offered on a 24/7/365 basis. WasteCo is one of the largest providers of industrial services in the South Island.

- Port services. WasteCo provides maintenance, cleaning and auxiliary services to several Ports and shipping companies in the South Island.

- Training services. WasteCo provides internal and external training courses to its own staff and to third party organisations.

WasteCo commenced its business operations in 2013 and has continued to grow progressively and consistently since its inception[1].

The unaudited results for FY 22 (31 March year) are anticipated to comprise consolidated revenues in excess of $19 million (FY21: $10.9 million), and EBITDA in excess of $4 million (FY21: $2.8 million)[2].

Transaction Structure

The transaction agreed between the parties values WasteCo at $31 million, whilst the listed shell of GWC has been valued at circa $1.2 million (post the capitalisation of the existing indebtedness of GWC to Mounterowen Limited discussed below).

Prior to the transaction completing (and the capitalisation of the Mounterowen indebtedness), GWCs share capital will be consolidated on a circa 2.5 to one basis, such that the total number of shares on issue in GWC will be consolidated from 33,409,809 shares to approximately 13,360,000 shares after completion of the consolidation.

All references in this announcement to the quantum of new GWC shares to be issued, are provided on an after consolidation basis.

If the transaction completes:

* the existing shareholders of WasteCo will be issued 560,000,000 fully paid ordinary shares at an issue price of NZ$0.05 per share as consideration for all of the shares in WasteCo. In addition, GWC will issue 60,000,000 fully paid ordinary shares to the holders of $3 million of Mandatory Convertible Notes previously issued, or to be issued by WasteCo prior to completion of the transaction.

* the principal indebtedness of GWC (anticipated to be circa $530,000 as at the date of the completion of the transaction) will be capitalised into circa 10,600,000 fully paid ordinary GWC shares at an issue price of NZ$0.05 per share. This will extinguish the principal GWC indebtedness and ensure that GWC is largely debt free, with the exception of certain trade creditors incurred in the ordinary course of business as at the completion of the transaction.

* GWC will undertake a capital raising to raise $3 million of new capital through the issue 60,000,000 fully paid ordinary shares to wholesale investors (as defined in the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013) at an issue price of $0.05 per share to raise additional new capital for GWC post completion of the transaction. Due to the regulatory framework associated with reverse listing transactions, GWC is not able to raise new capital through an offer to all existing shareholders, or other members of the public, in conjunction with completion of the transaction. As discussed further below, NZX will also suspend trading in GWC shares pending completion of the transaction.

After completion of the transaction, the WasteCo shareholders will own approximately 80% of the ordinary shares in GWC.

80% of the new GWC shares to be issued to the existing WasteCo shareholders will be placed in escrow (with restrictions on trading) up until the date after GWC announces its preliminary result to the market for the financial year ending 31 March 2023.

Shareholder approval and timing

The transaction is subject to approval by the shareholders of GWC under the NZX Listing Rules and the Takeovers Code. GWC expects to send information to shareholders before the end of June 2022, to enable them to vote on the transaction at a shareholders meeting shortly thereafter.

The information made available to shareholders will include a listing profile of WasteCo and an independent adviser report prepared to comply with requirements of the Takeovers Code and Takeovers Panel guidance.

Subject to the appropriate approvals, the completion date is expected to be within one week of the date of the shareholders meeting. At this time GWC would change its name to WasteCo Group Limited and its ticker code to WCO. At completion, GWC is expected to have approximately $3 million in cash or undrawn facilities, which would be used to fund further growth of the WasteCo business operations.

The board of GWC, post completion of the transaction, will consist of three of the current WasteCo shareholders  Co-founders Carl Storm and James Redmayne together with Shane Edmond. In addition, there will be two independent directors appointed.

Suspension of trading in GWC shares pending the release of the Notice of Meeting and Profile to the market

The transaction constitutes a reverse listing which, in accordance with NZ RegCos usual practice, triggers a suspension of quotation of GWC shares.

GWC would plan to seek a release of the suspension once GWC has released the Notice of Meeting and Listing Profile relating to the transaction to the market. This process is as contemplated by the NZ RegCo Guidance Note on Reverse Listings, and is designed to ensure that the shares in an Issuer can only be traded where the market is fully informed about all material aspects of a potential acquisition, in the context of a reverse listing transaction.

[1] See also https://wasteco.co.nz/.

[2] EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial reporting measure. Further details of the financial position, performance and prospects of WasteCo will be set-out in the Listing Profile to be prepared in relating to the transaction. The stated financial metrics are subject to finalisation of the consolidated financial statements for the respective financial years, and are subject to audit.

ENDS

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Champaign, IL (61820)

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A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low near 65F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph..

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A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low near 65F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers examined the accuracy of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) forecasting models.

Accurate predictive modeling of pandemic outcomes plays a critical role in developing strategies and policies to curb the extent of the pandemic. While several prediction models have been considered, their accuracy and robustness over time and different models are unclear.

About the study

In the present study, the researchers analyzed all US CDC COVID-19 forecasting models by categorizing them as per model type and estimating their mean percent error over different COVID-19 infection waves.

The team compared several US CDC COVID-19 forecasting models according to their quantitative characteristics by measuring their performance over various periods. The US CDC compiles COVID-19 case-related weekly forecasts in four different time periods, including one week two weeks, three weeks, and four weeks. The models make a new forecast every week for new COVID-19 cases incident in each of the four subsequent weeks. The forecast horizon was considered as the time span for which the forecast was to be prepared. The present study focused on assessing the performance of four-week forecast models.

The forecasting models were differentiated into five categories namely, ensemble, epidemiological, hybrid, and machine learning. The team examined a total of 51 models. The CDC model uses an ensemble model and the researchers assessed if this model was more accurate than any individual model. Mean absolute percent error (MAPE) was evaluated and reported for each model studied and the models were compared according to their performance in each wave. The team defined waves as (1) Wave I: 6 July 2020 to 31 August 2020; (2) Wave II: 1 September 2020 to 14 February 2021; (3) Wave III: 15 February 2021 to 26 July 2021; and (4) Wave IV: 27 July 2021 to 17 January 2022.

The performance of the forecasting models was calculated according to two baselines. Baseline-I was the CovidHub-Baseline (or CDCs baseline) that evaluated the most recent infection incidence as the median prediction of future horizons. Baseline-II took into account the extrapolation of the linear predictor in reported active COVID-19 cases between two weeks before the date of the forecast. The team only considered the models that had made predictions for a minimum of 25% of the target dates studied.

Results

The study results showed that during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the MAPE values were 14% for the Columbia_UNC-SurvCon, 17% for the USACE-ERDC_SEIR, and 25% for the CovidAnalytics-DELPHI models. Among the four models that performed better as compared to the two baselines, three were epidemiological models and one was a hybrid model. The team also inferred that the hybrid models performed better than the rest and had the lowest MAPE, followed by the epidemiological and subsequently the machine learning models. In contrast, the ensemble models had the highest MAPE in the first wave while none of the models crossed the threshold of the MAPE of baseline-I.

During the second COVID-19 wave, the IQVIA_ACOE-STAN model performed the best with a 5.5% MAPE. A total of 13 models surpassed both the baselines with a MAPE between five and 37. The best-performing models in this wave included five ensemble models, four epidemiological models, two machine learning models, and two hybrid models. Notably, all the ensemble models surpassed the performance of the first baseline with a MAPE of 37%, except the UVA-Ensemble model. Also, a staggering distribution in MAPE values was observed for the epidemiological models. Furthermore, as opposed to wave I, the ensemble models predicted the most accurate forecasts in wave II while the hybrid models were the least accurate.

During wave III, the performance of the ensemble models was comparable to the first wave. Moreover, the baselines models reported a comparatively higher MAPE with the MAPE values at baselines I and II being 74% and 77%, respectively. In this wave, the best performing model was the USC-SI_kJalpha which had a MAPE of 32%. A total of 32 models showed better performance than that of the baseline models, including 12 compartment models, three machine learning models, four hybrid models, eight ensemble models, and five un-categorized models.

In the fourth wave of the pandemic, a few models had a MAPE of 28% while the baseline MAPE was 47%. While the ensemble models performed the best in this time period, the epidemiological models showed the highest MAPE. The MAPE scores of baseline I and II were 47% and 48%, respectively.

Conclusion

To summarize, the study findings showed that there were no significant differences in the accuracy of the different CDC COVID-19 forecasting models. Furthermore, the error rate in the models increased over time through the pandemic. The researchers believe that the present study can serve as a foundation for the development of more accurate and robust forecasting models.

*Important notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Analyzing sodium levels in breast cancer tumors can give an accurate indication of how aggressive a cancer is and whether chemotherapy treatments are taking effect, new research has shown.

In a study, by the universities of York and Cambridge and funded by charities Cancer Research UK and Breast Cancer Now, researchers developed a technique using sodium magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect salt levels in breast cancer tumors in mice.

Using this technique, the researchers looked at breast cancer tumors and discovered that salt (sodium) was being accumulated inside cancer cells and that more active tumors accumulate more sodium.

The researchers then took a group of 18 tumors and targeted some of them with chemotherapy treatment. When they scanned the tumors a week later they found that sodium levels had reduced in the tumors treated with chemotherapy.

There are currently around 55,920 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in the UK each year and it is the leading cause of cancer-related death in women worldwide.

Imaging salt levels could be a vital new tool to help diagnose and monitor breast cancer, the researchers say. The team is now conducting an observational study to see if their results can be replicated in human breast cancer patients.

Senior author of the study, Dr William Brackenbury from the Department of Biology at the University of York, said: "We have known for a while that solid tumors are high in salt, but this research brings us a step closer to understanding why. Our findings show that the high levels of sodium in breast cancer tumors is coming from inside the cancer cells rather than the surrounding tissue fluid, meaning that there is something strange about their metabolic activity which leads to them accumulating more salt than healthy cells do.

"There are currently only a handful of sodium MRI scanners across the country, but our study paves the way for them to be used as a new technique for diagnosing breast cancer, monitoring the success of treatments and improving survival rates for patients."

According to the authors of the study, there is also the potential for the development of drugs to block sodium channels in cancer cells, slowing the growth and spread of tumors. Previous research led by Dr Brackenbury identified a drug currently used to treat epilepsy which showed promise in targeting sodium channels and slowed cancer progression in laboratory models of breast cancer.

The researchers would also like to explore ways to improve the resolution of sodium MRI, which currently produces a relatively pixelated image in comparison to a normal MRI scan. The team wants to develop new technologies  such as the design of new radiofrequency coils and associated cooling systems  to improve the signal quality of sodium imaging. This would enable them to do further research including investigating whether there are sodium hotspots in tumors where growth is most active.

Clinical co-author on the study, Professor Fiona Gilbert from the University of Cambridge said,: "We are excited about using these techniques in the clinic."

This interesting study demonstrates that using sodium MRI could be a powerful new way to improve detection of breast cancers. The technique also holds the potential to provide us with deeper insights into how breast cancers respond to treatments. What's more, these techniques could be applied to other cancer types. The study is at an early stage, however, and more research will be needed before sodium MRI can begin to benefit patients."' Dr Charles Evans, Research Information Manager, Cancer Research UK

Dr Simon Vincent, Breast Cancer Now's Director of Research, Support and Influencing, said: "It's vital breast cancer is diagnosed quickly and accurately, and its response to treatment closely monitored, to ensure patients receive the best possible care. This innovative early-stage research into sodium MRI has the potential to improve patient care, giving medical teams more in-depth information. We look forward to scientists building on this discovery to understand how it can work in practice to benefit patients in the clinic. The way that breast cancer can accumulate sodium should also be investigated further as it may help discover new ways to treat this devastating disease."
To better understand how dementia develops in Asians and to advance new strategies that will one day help to predict and delay the progression of the disease, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) today launched the Dementia Research Centre (Singapore).

The research center at NTU Singapore's Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) will work with hospitals here to recruit 1,500 patients with mild cognitive impairment - the earliest stage of dementia - to shed light on 'Asian dementia' and capture the changes in the brain before dementia sets in.

Aside from this five-year longitudinal study, the research centre will also work with NTU's computer scientists and mechanical engineers to develop artificial intelligence-powered diagnostic solutions, such as using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to help clinicians accurately predict or assess dementia progression.

Worldwide, around 55 million people have dementia. This number is expected to more than double by 2050 as the proportion of older people in the population increases.

Studies have found that the condition affects western and Asian populations differently. Asian patients with dementia are more likely to have lesions in the brain's white matter, which connects and supports the cells in the brain. Patients with moderate to severe white matter lesions are known to deteriorate much faster.

The research center was launched today at an event by its Guest-of-Honour Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, Director of Medical Services at Ministry of Health Singapore.

The Dementia Research Centre (Singapore) promises to offer us new avenues for developing a better understanding of neurodegenerative diseases. The research from this Centre will also point to potential pathways to ensure a healthier ageing population, and benefit NTU's efforts in shaping the future of medicine, continuing to improve medical education, and transforming healthcare. Besides working closely with local healthcare institutions, the Centre will also foster collaborations among scientists from many disciplines at NTU and our partner institutions to develop innovative solutions for dementia. This is very much aligned with the NTU 2025 strategic plan - to address Singapore's national priorities and some of humanity's grand challenges through strong interdisciplinary collaborations." Professor Subra Suresh, NTU President

Professor Joseph Sung, Dean of NTU LKCMedicine and NTU's Senior Vice President (Health & Life Sciences) said: "NTU's initiative to advance research into dementia is very timely as the global population continue to age. Given that most of existing dementia literature is built on the western population, it is worthwhile for the University, led by its medical school, to focus on how dementia affects the Asian population and develop strategies that are tailored for this group. These findings could contribute to the national healthcare policy on dementia and the health economics of dementia.

"By working closely with healthcare institutions in Singapore, as well as with experts from other disciplines within NTU, the Dementia Research Centre (Singapore) can serve as a platform where clinicians and scientists from different fields can come together to find solutions to address dementia."

NTU LKCMedicine Vice-Dean of Research Professor Lim Kah Leong, himself a neuroscientist who in 2020 led a multi-institutional team to secure a $10 million grant to delve into regenerative medicine for Parkinson's disease, is confident the opening of the Centre will amplify the medical school's research in neurodegenerative diseases.

Focusing on early detection

Dementia is a syndrome, usually of a chronic or progressive nature, caused by a variety of brain illnesses that affect memory, thinking, behavior and ability to perform everyday activities.

While the pathologies underlying dementia can begin decades before the symptoms emerge, the early stage of the condition, called mild cognitive impairment, is often overlooked because the onset is gradual. Common signs at this stage include forgetfulness, losing track of time, and becoming lost in familiar places.

The research center is headed by its Director, NTU LKCMedicine's Associate Professor of Neuroscience Nagaendran Kandiah. The team is advised by a panel of renowned neuroscientists from Canada, Australia, and the UK.

Assoc Prof Kandiah said: "The challenge with treating dementia is that if it is not picked up early, you miss the boat. Once you lose brain cells, there is nothing we can do to reverse that. What we do know now is that there are certain mechanisms that could take place in the brain as early as 30 years before someone develops dementia."

Assoc Prof Kandiah, who is also a clinician scientist with the National Medical Research Council, added: "For patients with mild cognitive impairment, the risk of developing dementia increases by 10 to 15 per cent every year. This is why we are focusing on mild cognitive impairment - to allow for early detection and intervention."

To this end, the research centre has embarked on the Biomarker and Cognitive Impairment Study (BioCIS), a five-year longitudinal study to look at what is happening to the brain at the very earliest stages of dementia and even before brain changes set in.

Participants will go through a comprehensive cognitive assessment, which includes brain MRI scans, a neuropsychological assessment, and blood sample collection to measure markers in blood that are associated with cognition. These participants will be followed up over a five-year period to identify changes in cognition and health status.

A combination of these tests and the blood biomarkers, digital biomarkers and neuroimaging markers can help researchers detect early brain changes and determine whether the person is at risk of developing dementia.

The 1,500 Singapore participants the study aims to recruit will be aged between 30 and 95 years old. The research centre is partnering hospitals here, including the Institute of Mental Health and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, to recruit patients with mild cognitive impairment.

Members of the public who are keen to find out if they are at risk of developing dementia can do a simple online self-assessment and use the risk calculator on the research center's website (www.drcs.sg). Those who meet the criteria for the study will be invited to participate in the study.
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The risk of major complications for people who donate a kidney via laparoscopic surgery is minimal. That is the conclusion of a 20-year Mayo Clinic study of more than 3,000 living kidney donors. Only 2.5% of patients in the study experienced major complications, and all recovered completely.

"The results of this study are extremely reassuring for individuals who are considering being living kidney donors. We found that this lifesaving surgery, when performed at experienced transplant centers, is extremely safe," says Timucin Taner, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Division of Transplant Surgery at Mayo Clinic's William J. von Liebig Center for Transplantation and Clinical Regeneration in Minnesota. Dr. Taner is a co-author of the study.

The study was published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

The results are significant, given that nearly 90,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a lifesaving kidney transplant. Patients who receive a kidney from a living donor generally have better outcomes. Living donor kidneys usually function longer than those from deceased donors.

The retrospective, single-center study is believed to be the largest research study to date to examine the risks associated with living kidney donation via laparoscopic surgery. The study involved 3,002 living kidney donors who underwent laparoscopic living kidney donor surgery at the transplant center from Jan. 1, 2000, to Dec. 31, 2019. The study tracked complications that occurred up to 120 days after surgery.

Overall, 12.4% of patients had postsurgical complications, with most of them experiencing an infection or hernia related to the incision. Most of these complications occurred in the earlier era of the study. No patients died. Researchers discovered 76% of those complications happened after the patient was discharged.

"While this study reinforces the safety of this surgical procedure, it does highlight the importance of following up with the donors after donation. That ensures any complications can be treated quickly without any long-term damage," Dr. Taner says.
Thought Leaders Jerome Kim M.D. Director General International Vaccine Institute (IVI)

As part of World Immunization Week 2022, News Medical speaks to the International Vaccine Institute about their fight against vaccine inequity, as well as what a Long Life for All means to them.

Please can you introduce yourself and tell us about what the International Vaccine Institute is and the work that you do?

My name is Jerome Kim, M.D., and I am the Director General of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), an OECD-recognized international organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). IVI is now an independent entity with 38 countries and the World Health Organization as member states.

We work with governments, vaccine developers and manufacturers, philanthropies and foundations, other international organizations and public-private partnerships, policymakers, universities, hospitals, and the private sector to make safe and effective vaccines available and accessible for global public health.

Image Credit: International Vaccine Institute

As an organization, your mission is to discover, develop and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global public health. Can you tell us more about how you are working towards this goal?

IVI focuses on vaccines that are critically needed to prevent and eradicate infectious diseases that disproportionately and widely affect low- and middle-income countries. These diseases are often associated with poverty, such as cholera, typhoid, schistosomiasis, and other Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), resulting in a lack of financial incentive for major vaccine developers to invest in vaccine development. IVI aims to close this gap, advocating for, gaining funding, and developing new and improved vaccines that will save and improve hundreds of thousands of lives every year.

IVI works at every stage of vaccine development, from the prerequisite epidemiology research to understand the burden of infectious diseases in particular regions; pre-clinical development in the lab to discover and test vaccine candidates; clinical trials to assess safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy in human volunteers; vaccination campaigns to evaluate how well vaccines protect populations in real settings; and advocacy to educate governments and the general public on the importance of vaccines and vaccination.

IVI also recognizes that health is a precondition to living a full and productive life. We see our work to prevent and eradicate infectious diseases as innately linked to achieving other global goals (what the UN calls Sustainable Development Goals), such as Quality Education (immunized children dont miss school due to preventable illness), No Poverty (parents dont have to miss work to care for sick children), and Reduced Inequalities (helping to close income gaps), among others.

Image Credit: MariaKGraphicDesigner/Shutterstock

The approach of the International Vaccine Institute has three components: research, partnerships, and capacity-building. Please could you tell us more about what each of these components means for accelerating vaccines for public health?

As a research institute, we identify the need for a vaccine through epidemiology and begin testing new vaccine candidates for diseases with a high burden and little financial incentive. For instance, IVI developed the worlds first affordable oral cholera vaccine and transferred the technology to two vaccine manufacturers, Shantha Biotech in India and EuBiologics in South Korea, to bring them to the global public market. These WHO-prequalified vaccines were available at $1.85 per dose, in contrast to Dukoral, an existing cholera vaccine that was also purchased by the public sector though used primarily as a travelers vaccine due to its cost and delivery requirements.

Achieving WHO Prequalification, the only global medicines quality assurance program enables agencies such as UNICEF to purchase vaccines for global public use. Were pursuing a similar pathway for a new typhoid conjugate vaccine (Vi-DT) which has now completed Phase III clinical trials, and were in the early stages of developing vaccines for invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS) and Shigella, two infectious diseases that may kill 500,000 people every year with no licensed vaccines to protect against them.

Our distinctive model as both a research institute and product development partner affords us unique capabilities to seamlessly transition from the lab to technology transfer to clinical development and all the way to licensure and delivery.

Beyond the laboratory stage, we conduct epidemiology research and disease surveillance as well as vaccine clinical trials, prioritizing settings with a high disease burden but limited opportunities to participate in clinical development. We evaluated Vi-DT in Nepal, for example, a country with one of the highest burdens of typhoid in the world but little capacity or infrastructure to carry out clinical trials. Capacity-building has been one of IVIs core mandates since its founding, and this Phase III trial was an opportunity to tap into and strengthen Nepals research capabilities.

IVI strongly believes that building up research capacity is one of the most effective and sustainable avenues for advancing health and development in LMICs. Since the typhoid Phase III trial, Nepalese investigators, armed with this capacity, have executed a Phase III cholera vaccine trial and a Phase III trial of Sanofi's COVID-19 vaccine  a great example of creating and building upon the capacity in a low/middle-income country.

In our increasingly globalized world, why do you believe that vaccination is crucial for global public health?

This quote from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has become the universally accepted mantra of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its very apt: In an interconnected world, none of us is safe until all of us are. In a pandemic setting, inequitable distribution of vaccines between high and low-income countries is a humanitarian crisis as well as a health and financial one.

Not only is vaccinating with equity a moral imperative, but uneven coverage also prolongs the pandemic and creates new variants in settings with uncontrolled outbreaks. The unprecedented speed at which the scientific community developed novel vaccines is truly remarkable, but it is ultimately vaccination that saves lives.

Image Credit: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

The International Vaccine Institute has a global impact, with project sites all over the world. In what parts of the world has the organization made the most impact thus far?

With headquarters in Seoul, Republic of Korea, and a new regional office in Stockholm, Sweden, IVI is currently engaged in over 20 field programs in 33 countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Over the last decade, weve built up a robust disease surveillance network across sub-Saharan Africa to assess the burden of typhoid fever in the region, with the ultimate goal of introducing typhoid vaccination into routine immunization programs on the continent.

In Asia, particularly South and Southeast Asia, we have longstanding partnerships at every stage of vaccine clinical development for diseases such as typhoid, dengue, HPV, Hepatitis A and B, tuberculosis, COVID-19, and more.

Which age groups do you believe are most affected by vaccine-preventable diseases, and what can be done to improve vaccine coverage in these groups?

Infectious diseases affect all age groups, but many of IVIs target disease areas profoundly affect young children. The most immediate barrier to vaccine coverage is lack of access due to limited availability, cost, health care infrastructure, and societal obstacles such as stigma and gender inequality. In other scenarios, there is insufficient demand for vaccines to necessitate the supply.

For instance, part of IVIs work is to present the disease burden (through field epidemiology) and vaccine investment cases to governments. A core component of our oral cholera vaccine development program was collecting and presenting the evidence of disease burden to convince governments of the need to include cholera vaccines in routine immunization.

Beyond the discovery, development, and delivery of new and improved vaccines to cover younger age groups, vaccine advocacy and positive messaging from public health programs are crucial for increasing vaccine coverage.

Vaccine hesitancy is an issue in many countries globally. Such hesitancies are often the result of misinformation spread online or by word of mouth. How do you believe that we can increase vaccine confidence in those hesitant to get immunized?

In 2020, during an upswing of COVID-19 cases worldwide, the WHO released a report outlining key behavioral considerations for acceptance and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. We can apply these considerations to increasing vaccine confidence for other life-saving vaccines. In addition to having the necessary knowledge, the report identifies three drivers for vaccine uptake: 1) an enabling environment 2) social influences 3) motivation. What may present as vaccine hesitance may actually be a response to the burdens, inconvenience, or stigma of getting vaccinated.

Increasing vaccine confidence requires removing physical barriers (costs, location, time, etc.); amplifying endorsements from key community figures; and communicating consistently, transparently, and proactively.

The theme of this years World Immunization Week is a Long Life for All. What does a Long Life for All" look like to you and what role does immunization play in such a life?

Child deaths have decreased by more than 50% in the past 30 years, in large part due to vaccines in addition to other WASH initiatives including the availability of safe drinking water and hygienic facilities. I would also add that immunization ensures not only a longer life but potentially a more fulfilling and productive one. Immunization not only extends life spans but prevents disability and other factors that impact ones ability to work and participate in society.

For instance, IVI is helping to develop two vaccines against schistosomiasis and chikungunya, two NTDs that may not have a mortality rate as high as other infectious diseases but disable children and adults for extended periods of time. This years theme of Long Life for All is very complementary with IVIs vision of a world free of suffering from infectious diseases.

Image Credit: nednapa/Shutterstock

As a society, how can we work towards global vaccine equity and strive towards a Long Life for All?

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed our capacity to discover and develop novel vaccines at previously unthinkable speed and efficiency. Where we fell short is manufacturing these vaccines at scale and getting them to every corner of the world in an equitable manner. A concerted effort to commit to global vaccine equity will require an empowered, accountable global health leadership with the appropriate funding, tools, and personnel to enable, execute, and inspire multilateral action; and building national and regional capacities to develop vaccines, manufacture them, and license and distribute them.

What is next for the International Vaccine Institute, and what are your hopes for the future of vaccination?

2022 marks the 25th anniversary of IVI. This year, were looking forward to launching our first regional office in Stockholm, Sweden, which will significantly expand our network and research capacity in Europe and enable closer collaboration with our partners in Africa.

Several new member states joined IVI in the past couple of years, with two committing state funding, and we hope to engage with more governments and other global health stakeholders to multiply our impact.

WHO and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, note that full use of existing vaccines (i.e., complete vaccination) would save 2.5 million lives per year (not including COVID-19-associated deaths!). At the same time, infectious diseases for which no vaccines exist (HIV, TB, malaria, Group A Strep, non-typhoidal Salmonella, et al., kill 4-5 million per year). Put together, these statements summarize the future of vaccination: We must use the vaccines we have fully and equitably while adequately resourcing and prioritizing the development of vaccines for high-burden infectious diseases of poverty.

Ending Cholera 2030 Mozambique Cholera Prevention and Surveillance in Africa Play

Where can readers find more information?

Learn more about IVI here, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

About Jerome Kim M.D.

Jerome H. Kim, M.D., is the Director General of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI). He served as the Principal Deputy, MHRP as well as the Chief of the Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Pathogenesis and the Project Manager, HIV Vaccines Project Management Office, U.S. Army Medical Material Development Activity. He led the Armys Phase III HIV vaccine trial (RV144), the first demonstration that an HIV vaccine could protect against infection.

He is an adjunct Professor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University and an adjunct professor at Yonsei University Graduate School of Public Health.

Dr. Kim graduated from the Yale University School of Medicine in 1984 and completed his training in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Duke University Medical Center. He has authored over 300 publications and was recently awarded the Korean Medal of Honor for Civic Merit.
Thought Leaders Professor Karine Le Roch Director of the Center for Infectious Disease and Vector Research University of California, Riverside

As part of World Malaria Day 2022, we interview Karine Le Roch PH.D., about her latest research into how novel antimalarial therapeutic strategies could be on the horizon after identifying two proteins that are critical to the survival of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum.

Please can you introduce yourself, tell us about your background in Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, as well as what inspired your latest research?

I am Karine Le Roch, a Professor of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). I am also the director of the Center for Infectious Disease and Vector Research (CIDVR) at UCR. The center contains over 35 faculties from 10 Departments in 3 colleges, working together to provide practical solutions to combat infectious diseases, which are still the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, including those transmitted by mosquitos.

My expertise in drug discovery and molecular biology techniques, as well as in-depth experience acquiring, handling, and analyzing large genome-wide datasets from a wide array of samples and techniques, has allowed my laboratory to make major discoveries that may eventually lead to new antimalarial therapeutic strategies.

Despite the approval of the first malaria vaccine in October 2021, the vaccine has limited efficacy with less than 50% protection against the most severe form of malaria in the first year - an efficacy that drops significantly to nearly zero by year four post-vaccination.

With the huge impact on social and economic issues, the absence of an efficient vaccine, and the spread of parasite resistance to all anti-malarial drugs, there is a dire need for the development of new cost-effective and resistance-free antimalarial strategies.

My laboratory is working on the discovery of new molecular pathways that are specific to the parasite and can be targeted by novel medicines.

Image Credit: Justinboat.29/Shutterstock

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were an estimated 241 million new cases of malaria worldwide in 2020 alone. Can you tell us more about what causes malaria and how it infects humans?

Despite significant progress in the last decade, malaria remains the deadliest parasitic disease in the world with 241 million cases and over 600,000 deaths reported in 2020. Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by a protozoan Plasmodium. Five species can infect human: P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale, P. knowlesi, and P. falciparum, the latter being the deadliest because of its ability to escape the host immune system and sequester in capillaries and venules of vital organs including the brain.

People who have malaria usually feel very sick with a high fever and shaking chills. While the disease has been eradicated after the second world war in temperate climates, malaria is still common in tropical and subtropical countries.

These Plasmodium species possess a complex life cycle involving various stages and two hosts: female Anopheles and humans. The infectious life cycle of Plasmodium starts when a mosquito injects the infectious parasites, called sporozoites, into humans during a blood meal. Sporozoites quickly invade hepatocytes in the liver where they differentiate and replicate multiple times to generate thousands of merozoites. This phase of the disease is generally asymptomatic.

After 7 to 10 days, the merozoites leave the liver to invade red blood cells where they initiate the intraerythrocytic developmental cycle (IDC). In P. vivax and P. ovale, a dormant stage, hypnozoite, can persist for months, and sometimes years, in the liver before being reactivated and released into the bloodstream.

In the red blood cell, the parasite matures through ring, trophozoite and schizont in 48 to 72 hours - depending on the species - to produce 16 to 32 new daughter cells, called merozoites that are then released to infect new red blood cells. This phase of the parasite life cycle is symptomatic and can cause fever, headache, vomiting, anemia, hallucinations, coma, and eventually death.

The pernicious parasite growth inside red blood cells can continue until recovery or death. However, for the maintenance of the life cycle and transmission of the disease, the parasite needs to escape the human body in its sexual form. It is believed that following exposure to stress, such as fever or anemia, parasites undergo sexual development to form mature female and male gametocytes.

When a mosquito takes a blood meal from an infected individual, gametocytes are ingested. In the mosquito midgut, the parasites reproduce sexually. They form zygotes and develop into ookinetes then oocysts. The oocyst grows and divides into thousands of sporozoites which migrate to the salivary glands to ensure a new full cycle.

To survive in such different conditions, tight regulation of gene expression is crucial for coordinated and controlled transition between the different parasitic stages. Deciphering the mechanisms controlling gene expression at the molecular level is an important aspect of my research. The end goal is to identify novel therapeutic strategies to hamper parasite transmission.

Image Credit: solar22/Shutterstock

Plasmodium falciparum is a parasite that causes malaria. Your latest research identifies two proteins that are critical to the survival of this parasite. What are these proteins, and why is it significant that these proteins have been linked to Plasmodium falciparum?

As described above, my work focuses on understanding the mechanisms that control gene expression in malaria parasites. This includes a better understanding of RNA-binding proteins or RBPs that are essential to regulate massager RNAs (mRNAs) that will be translated into proteins. They control all biological processes including growth and survival.

Although the regulation of RNA, as well as their binding proteins, are essential biological processes in all eukaryotic cells, mechanisms regulating these molecular components remain unclear in Plasmodium.

We as well as other researchers have recently identified a family of RNA-binding proteins enriched in Apicomplexan parasites and designated as "RNA-binding domain abundant in Apicomplexans" (RAP). Apicomplexa are a phylum of diverse obligate intracellular parasites that include Plasmodium species, or, Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptosporidium parvum, two opportunistic parasites infecting immunocompromised individuals.

Despite the potential of these RAPs as novel drug targets for several parasitic diseases, they remained poorly characterized. Defining the essentiality and function of these RAPs in Plasmodium is not only important in validating the role of this protein family in parasite survival but also their potential as novel drug targets against malaria and other parasitic diseases.

In your research, you used advanced genome editing technology to show that RAP01 and RAP21 are intimately linked to the mitochondria of Plasmodium falciparum. Please can you provide us with more information as to how you conducted your research and the findings that you discovered?

In our research, we used CRISPR-Cas9, an RNA-guided targeted genome editing tool to modify the malaria parasite genome. CRISPR-Cas9 is a microbial adaptive immune system used by bacteria to cleave foreign genetic elements. It was discovered by Dr. Jennifer Doudna and Dr. Emanuel Charpentier in 2011. They were both awarded the Nobel prize for their discovery in 2020, as their work has been adapted to edit the genome of any organism in a faster, cheaper, and more accurate manner than ever before.

We, therefore, used this system to modify our target genes to add a specific tag to two of the 23 RAPs present in the Plasmodium genome and were able to visualize the localization of these two proteins in the parasites' mitochondrion. In malaria parasites, mitochondria have some unusual evolutionary and functional features. They have a drastic reduction in the size of their genome, encoding just three proteins.

Most importantly, they have uncommon translational machinery, including highly fragmented mitochondrial ribosomal RNA genes. As this translational machinery is very different from its human counterpart, it could present attractive targets for antimalarial drugs.

Furthermore, since we were also able to add an inducible system to target these two RAPs for degradation on-demand, we demonstrated that without any of these two RAPs, the parasites died in just a few days.

Image Credit: Pingpoy/Shutterstock

The RAP01 and RAP21 proteins you studied during your research belong to the RNA-binding domain abundant in Apicomplexans (RAP) protein family. However, the main biological function of RAP proteins is not yet fully understood. Why do you think this is the case?

The P. falciparum RAP01 and RAP21 proteins that we studied belong to the "RNA-binding domain abundant in Apicomplexans" (RAP) protein family. Because this protein family was mainly identified in understudied organisms, very little is known about it. Furthermore, until very recently, technologies available to study these proteins were minimal.

Recent advances in genome editing technologies as well as new genome-wide technologies including eclip-seq, a method based on crosslinking and identifying the interaction between RNA-binding proteins and their RNA targets, provided us with a robust framework to not only identify RAP RNA targets but also gave us a hunch into their function.

Humans have fewer RAP proteins than parasites like Plasmodium falciparum, and the mitochondria in humans differ significantly from the mitochondria in Apicomplexan parasites. Can you provide us with an example of one of the key differences? Moreover, how are these differences beneficial when looking at novel therapeutics for malaria?

Mitochondria are vital organelles in all eukaryotic cells. They largely generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cell's biochemical reactions and are participants in key metabolic processes such as cellular respiration, calcium homeostasis, thermogenesis, cell signaling, and cell death. Many of these functions are performed by proteins encoded in the nucleus and imported into the mitochondrion, or by proteins encoded in the mitochondrial genome, as they also possess their own genome.

The mitochondrial genome encodes 37 genes in humans, including mitochondrial-specific tRNAs, and large and small ribosomal RNAs that are critical for the translation of transcripts into proteins.

In apicomplexan parasites, including the Plasmodium species, the mitogenome sizes are extremely small (~ 6 kb), contain only three protein-coding genes, and also contain numerous fragmented rRNAs. It is unclear how these small RNA fragments come together to form a functional ribosome that can translate mitoribosome genes into proteins.

Because the expansion of the RAPs seems to be linked to organisms that possess fragmented rRNAs, we can imagine that RAPs might aid in the assembly of rRNA fragments into a functional ribosome. The function of these RAPs will therefore be specific to the parasites. Novel drugs targeting this specific molecular pathway will most likely be less toxic in humans.

How do you believe we can use the findings of your latest research to potentially develop novel antimalarial therapeutic strategies in the future?

Now that we have validated both proteins' essentiality as well as their functions, it will be easier to develop specific screening assays to identify novel and specific drugs targeting RAPs in apicomplexan parasites.

Image Credit: YanzStudio/Shutterstock

The WHO theme for World Malaria Day 2022 is Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives. What does this statement mean to you, and why do you believe it is important to harness innovation to reduce the burden of malaria?

Malaria is a treatable disease. However, with the lack of an efficient vaccine and the spread of parasite resistance to all antimalarials, we need new tools to not only combat the diseases but also to combat parasite drug resistance.

When I started working on malaria 25 years ago, malaria was responsible for over 3.4 million deaths annually. We came a long way, thanks to the use of bed nets and Artemisinin-based combination therapies.

Today, we are facing a race against time. We need to introduce novel drugs and a combination of new therapeutic strategies to the market if we want to save the lives of countless people around the world!

How do you believe your latest research contributes to the theme of harnessing innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives?

Comparative genomics analyses, as well as genome-wide technologies, including genome editing, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and eclip-seq, may be a perfect combination of innovative strategies to identify drug targets that can lead to novel antimalarial therapeutics.

What are the next steps for you and your research?

We now need to better understand the function of these proteins at a structural and atomic level, as well as develop novel drug screening assays designed to identify specific inhibitors against parasitic RAPs.

Image Credit: GrooveZ/Shutterstock

Where can readers find more information?

Malaria WHO / World health organization: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria

More malaria cases and deaths in 2020 linked to COVID-19 disruptions: https://www.who.int/news/item/06-12-2021-more-malaria-cases-and-deaths-in-2020-linked-to-covid-19-disruptions

Functional genomics of RAP proteins and their role in mitoribosome regulation in Plasmodium falciparum: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28981-7

Identification and phylogenetic analysis of RNA binding domain abundant in apicomplexans or RAP proteins: https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/mgen/10.1099/mgen.0.000541#tab2

Genome-Wide Analysis of RNA-Protein Interactions in Plasmodium falciparum Using eCLIP-Seq: https://link.springer.com/protocol/10.1007/978-1-0716-1681-9_9

About Karine Le Roch

Dr. Le Roch is a Professor of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology and the director of the Center for Infectious Disease and Vector Research (CIDVR) at the University of California Riverside (UCR). She has participated in the review of numerous manuscripts (~250+), grant applications (~200+), and student fellowships (~300+) from different agencies/universities/governments worldwide.

Her teaching expertise includes advanced molecular biology, genetics, epigenetics, and functional genomics. In her lectures, she includes real-world data and assigns readings to provide students with extensive research and critical thinking experiences.

Professor Karine Le Roch. Image Credits: Stan Lim, UC Riverside

Research interests

One of the main areas of research at Professor Le Rochs laboratory is understanding the mechanisms of gene regulation in human malaria parasites at the transcriptional and translational levels. Professor Le Roch has used several systems-level approaches including cutting-edge genomics and computational methods to elucidate these mechanisms. This includes experimental and mathematical modeling of the genome organization in seven related apicomplexan parasites, which improved the genome assembly and annotation of these parasites and identified common features of genome organization and spatial connections between genome architecture and pathogenicity.

Several of Professor Le Rochs publications have now illustrated the importance of 3D chromatin structure and epigenetics in gene regulation and have corrected the dogma in the field that transcription factors are the only critical players in controlling gene expression. This result is consistent with previous reports that indicated that the malaria parasite genomes encode for very few predicted transcription factors.

In addition to discovering the key role that chromatin structures play in gene expression, Professor Le Rochs laboratory has also embarked on the identification of RNA-binding proteins that control gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. While many RNA-binding proteins are well-curated in the Plasmodium database (PlasmoDB), a systematic overview and functional characterization of these RNA-binding proteins were lacking.

Using complementary computational and experimental approaches, Professor Le Rochs laboratory identified over 900 RNA-binding proteins in the malaria parasite genomes that were further classified into functional categories. The data generated in her lab presented the most complete overview of RNA-binding proteins in the malaria parasite P. falciparum. The identification of these proteins was the starting point of the functional characterization of P. falciparum RAP01 and RAP21 proteins that belong to the RNA-binding domain abundant in the Apicomplexans (RAP) protein family.

In addition to the fundamental aspects of Professor Le Roch's research, her laboratory is working on the identification of new lead compounds to inhibit parasite growth. She is also developing a drug screening assay as well as Systems Biology approaches to understand the mode of action of some selected compounds.

Professor Le Roch's major goal is to translate new compounds as a next-generation treatment and transmission-blocking strategy for drug-resistant malaria parasites.

Publications

Professor Le Roch is an author of over 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals, most of which relate to studies on malaria. These publications can be found at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/karine.le%20roch.1/bibliography/public/
(Newser)  Update: The political operative who was the key player in a North Carolina absentee ballot fraud probe that led to a do-over congressional election died Sunday morning. Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr., who was in his mid-60s, had advanced lung cancer, the AP reports. His trial on more than a dozen state criminal counts related to absentee ballot activities for the 2016 general election and the 2018 primary and general elections was set to start this summer. Dowless had pleaded guilty last year to benefits fraud and was sentenced to six months behind bars, but his reporting date was changed from last December to April 1 after his health issues came up. The Federal Bureau of Prisons ultimately never reported Dowless as being in custody. Our original story from Feb. 27, 2019, follows:

The political operative accused of absentee ballot fraud in a North Carolina congressional race that's now getting a do-over has been indicted. Leslie McCrae Dowless, who was arrested Wednesday, faces charges over the collection of absentee ballots in the 2016 and 2018 elections, the Charlotte Observer reports. Republican Mark Harris led the 9th District race last fall by 905 votes, but the state elections board never certified the election and last week ordered a new one. Dowless worked on the Harris campaign. He faces three felony charges of obstruction of justice, two charges of conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice, and two charges of possession of absentee ballots. His lawyer's office had no comment on the indictment.

Dowless did not speak at the elections board hearing last week. But his employees testified that he paid them to collect absentee ballots, and one said the workers sometimes completed them, per WRAL. She said Dowless knew that she'd forged her mother's signature as a witness on ballots. It's illegal in North Carolina for anyone other than the voter or a close relative to handle a mail-in ballot, per PBS. Four people Dowless is accused of paying to collect ballots from voters also were charged. A date has not been set for the new election, but Harris says it won't include him. The criminal investigation isn't over, per the Observer. The elections board will send its findings to the State Bureau of Investigations next. (Florida faced suspicions of election fraud, too.)
(Newser)  While the words "Beam up Schmiddy" probably weren't spoken, NASA flight surgeon Dr. Josef Schmid did give a Vulcan salute as he appeared on the International Space Station through a process called "holoporting." NASA recently disclosed that in October, Schmid and other team members became the first humans holoported from Earth to space, CNET reports. Schmid described holoportation as "a type of capture technology that allows high-quality 3D models of people to be reconstructed, compressed, and transmitted live anywhere in real time." The team members were able to see and speak to ISS astronauts, and they had the first "holoportation handshake."

Schmid was joined by Fernando De La Pena Llaca, CEO of software provider Aexa Aerospace. NASA says that while the technology has been around since 2016, this is the first time in "such an extreme and remote environment such as space," and "we'll use this for our private medical conferences, private psychiatric conferences, private family conferences and to bring VIPs onto the space station to visit with astronauts. NASA is also looking at combining the technology with augmented reality, which would let holoporters move around the space station, and haptics, which can simulate touch through vibrations or motors, Space.com reports.

"This is completely new manner of human communication across vast distances," Schmid said a statement. "Furthermore, it is a brand-new way of human exploration, where our human entity is able to travel off the planet. Our physical body is not there, but our human entity absolutely is there." NASA says the technology could be used in future missions to Marsand on Earth, in extreme environments like Antarctica. (Read more NASA stories.)
(Newser)  Sen. Elizabeth Warren provided assessments of both parties on Sunday, with her harshest words reserved for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. The California Republican had denied a report that he said he'd call on President Trump to resign days after the attack on the Capitol, per the Hill, only to have a recording surface that contradicted him. "Kevin McCarthy is a liar and a traitor," Warren said in an appearance on CNN's State of the Union. "That is really the illness that pervades the Republican leadership right now," she added, "that they say one thing to the American public and something else in private."

The Massachusetts Democrat said that Republicans know that the Jan. 6 riot was an attempt to overthrow the government, and was wrong, but their interest is in reversing the results of 2020 presidential election instead of trying "to make this country work better for the people who sent us to Washington." Warren added, "Shame on Kevin McCarthy." Republicans cut McCarthy slack on Sunday, per USA Today. He might have been just thinking out loud, Sen. Roy Blunt suggested on NBC's Meet the Press. On Fox News Sunday, Rep. Michael McFaul said McCarthy's resignation comment came at an emotional, shocking time. "What Kevin was doing was gaming out various options," McFaul said.

Warren had a warning for her own party on Sunday, per CNN. The party can't rest on past accomplishments if it wants to win this year's midterm elections, she said: "Democrats win when they ... work on behalf of working people." That includes solving the economy's problems, Warren said. Democrats have to "get up off our rear ends and bring down prices, she argued, while they're in control of Congress. Warren added that she isn't planning a presidential campaign. "I'm running for Senate," she said. "President Biden is running for reelection in 2024, and I'm supporting him." (Read more Elizabeth Warren stories.)
(Newser)  Sources say Twitter's board is seriously considering Elon Musk's bid to purchase the social media company. Sources spoke to both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and said the "turning point" came when Musk revealed he had $46.5 billion in financing to cover the $43 billion unsolicited bid. Prior to that disclosure, Twitter was expected to turn the offer down, and had put a "poison pill" in place to keep Musk from increasing his stake. Now, however, the board met Sunday morning among themselves and later Sunday with people on Musk's side to discuss what to do.

The Times calls the board's willingness to engage with Musk "a step forward," and the Journal calls it "a dramatic turn of events." Even so, there's a long way to go before anything close to certainty can be reached, and Twitter is not commenting on the latest news. Musk has told the company this is his best offer and he won't go higher, and as CNN notes, "one big unknown" is, "What is the Twitter board's estimation of the company's value? Is it in the same ballpark as Musk?" Among the topics discussed at Sunday's meetings, sources say, are what fees would be paid if an agreement was reached and then fell apart before being finalized. (Read more Elon Musk stories.)
(Newser)  Death and destruction isn't all that's been left in the wake of Russia's unrelenting war on Ukraine. Contamination of the nation's water, air, and soil are also now a concern, and it's an issue that could take years to remedy. Fires, explosions, building collapses, and even emissions from military vehicles are spewing toxic gases (think methane and carbon dioxide), asbestos, and heavy metals like lead and cadmium into affected areas, which experts say could lead to increased risk of cancer and respiratory diseases, as well as kids suffering from developmental delays. "We're facing a huge environmental problem," Stefan Smith of the UN's Environment Program tells the Wall Street Journal, which notes inspections being carried out at "sites of concern" around Ukraine.

Those sites include military installations, refineries, coal mines, water-treatment facilities, and nuclear power plants like the one in Chernobyl, with contamination especially problematic in and around cities such as Kyiv, Luhansk, and Kharkiv, a rep from the Ukrainian environmental group Ecoaction tells the Journal. But this isn't an issue only Ukraine has to worry about. The invasion "raises a host of unique and potentially profound environmental concerns for not only the people of Ukraine, but the wider region, including much of Europe," Carroll Muffett, CEO of the Center for International Environmental Law, tells ABC News, which details how the pollutants could affect Ukraine's industrial, agricultural, and urban areas, as well as its wildlife and ecosystems.

Damage to Ukraine's nuclear plants is particularly worrisome, with 15 active nuclear reactors that could pose a danger not only in Ukraine but outside of its borders, Muffett says. "As we saw with the [1986] Chernobyl disaster, these impacts can last years to decades," he tells NPR. With inspectors still having trouble gaining access to certain areas in the war-torn country, it's an overarching conundrum that may take a while to fully grasp the scope of, and that could lead to other long-term ripple effects such as a malnourished population (due to the wrecked agricultural landscape) and delays in rebuilding as costly, complex environmental remediation efforts take place. "The environmental consequences of war are simply consequences in human impacts of war that can continue long after the shells have stopped exploding, long after the bullets and the guns have ceased," Muffett says. (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
Over a dozen migrants injured after police chase in U.S. Texas

Xinhua) 14:44, April 25, 2022

HOUSTON, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Sixteen people, including 15 migrants and a truck driver, were injured following a high-speed police chase on Sunday in the U.S. state of Texas bordering Mexico, authorities said.

The truck driver lost control during the chase from Medina County into Bexar County, leaving the truck to roll over several times, according to Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown.

Fifteen migrants were found in the truck, at least two of them in critical condition and flown to a San Antonio hospital by helicopter, said an ABC News report. The others were rushed to nearby hospitals.

The report said the driver, who had a gun in the truck, faces several charges.

Crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have peaked in recent weeks. It is widely expected that more migrants will arrive with the May 23 rescission of a public health policy called Title 42, which allows the rapid expelling of migrants due to the coronavirus pandemic.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
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(Newser)  "Historically, law enforcement has not been thought of as a profession  and has little of the characteristics of what is typically considered a profession," according to Judge Stephen Hopkins of the Maricopa County Superior Court, per NPR. The judge rejected the latest appeal effort by lawyers for Clarence Wayne Dixon, who is scheduled to be executed May 11. They argued their client could not receive a fair clemency hearing because the board is overloaded with law enforcement professionals. Under Arizona law, no more than two members from the same professional discipline can serve on the five-seat board. The current board includes a former attorney general, a former federal agent, a retired cop, and a current detectivebut theyre not members of the same profession, according to Judge Hopkins, and so the execution will proceed.

Per ABC News, the Arizona Supreme Court issued an execution warrant for Dixon back on April 5. He is the first Arizona prisoner to face the death penalty since 2014, after the lethal injection of Joseph Wood, who was given 15 doses of a two-drug combination over two hours in what lawyers described as a botched execution. Arizona has since established new lethal-injection protocols to prevent the use of expired chemicals. Alternatively, prisoners can choose the gas chamber, which the state overhauled in 2020 in response to federal objections to its "brutal" nature.

Dixon was already in jail for murder in 2002 when DNA testing linked him to a 1978 rape and murder, for which he was convicted and sentenced to death. Native News Online notes that Dixona Navajohas a long history of mental illness linked to paranoid schizophrenia. He was arrested for assault in 1977 but found not guilty by reason of insanity by then-Judge Sandra Day OConnor. While Attorney General Mark Brnovich says hes fulfilling his promise to voters that "people who commit the ultimate crime will get the ultimate punishment," someincluding columnist EJ Montini of the Arizona Republicsay executing a mentally ill man violates the Eighth Amendment against cruel and unusual punishment, as decided by the US Supreme Court in 2002. (Read more death penalty stories.)
(Newser)  The National Labor Relations Board is suing Starbucks, alleging the coffee chain retaliated against three employees for their union-organizing efforts. "Among other things, Starbucks disciplined, suspended, and discharged one employee, constructively discharged another, and placed a third on an unpaid leave of absence after revoking recently granted accommodations," the NLRB says in a statement. It is asking for the workers to be immediately reinstated, among other things, NPR reports. For its part, Starbucks says the employees in question violated company policies and, in some cases, state law. "The intimidation, bullying and harassment we're seeing from some union organizers is not acceptable," it says in its own statement.

Per CNBC, the legal fight between Starbucks and the increasing number of its workers who wish to unionize is expected to be long and costly. More than 200 locations have filed paperwork to unionize under Workers United, though only 24 stores have so far voted to unionize. Starbucks says it has filed its own unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB against Workers United "to protect the physical safety and emotional wellbeing" of employees and customers; it says the union broke federal labor laws. Starbucks is "grasping at straws," per a Workers United spokesperson, who says, per Axios, the chain is "launching an unprecedented and aggressive anti-union campaign against workers, including terminating over 19 union leaders across the country." (Read more Starbucks stories.)
(Newser)  To give her mom a break Saturday, Brandy Wilson, 14, and her 15-year-old boyfriend took Brandy's younger siblings, 8-year-old Ally and her 5-year-old brother, to the park at the foot of the Crescent City Connection bridge, which connects the east and west banks of New Orleans, in the city's Algiers neighborhood. As they played along the west bank of the Mississippi River around sunset, one of the children fell in the water and two others went in to try to rescue her. Onlookers believe the current carried all three away, WDSU reports. The 5-year-old boy ran to get help, but the children have not been found. After searching more than 93 miles of the river, the Coast Guard on Sunday suspended the search, WWL reports.

"I need my kids. They know I need them," Brandy and Ally's mom says. "My daughter said she was trying to give me a break. I dont need a break. I need my children." Helicopters, boat crews, and police assisted with the search, but rainy weather made it difficult for a dive team to assist. "The decision to suspend any search and rescue case is never easy but considering the extensive search efforts of our Coast Guard men and women, in conjunction with other response agencies, Ive made the difficult decision to suspend our active search for the three children," said the Coast Guard Sector New Orleans commander. Our prayers are with the families during this difficult time. (Read more New Orleans stories.)
(Newser)  Top American officials promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hundreds of millions of dollars in new aid during the highest-level US visit to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion two months earlier, while Britain said Monday that Moscow has yet to achieve a significant breakthrough in its offensive in the eastern industrial heartland of the country. In meetings with Zelensky in Kyiv, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition for Ukraines war effort, along with more than $300 million in foreign military financing. The pledges came Sunday, the 60th day since the start of the invasion, as Ukraine pressed the West for more powerful weapons against Russia's campaign in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Moscow's forces sought to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops in the battered port of Mariupol.

Zelenskyy's meeting with US officials, his first face-to-face talks with a top American official since a Feb. 19 meeting in Munich with Vice President Kamala Harris, took place as Ukrainians and Russians observed Orthodox Easter, the AP reports. Speaking from Kyiv's ancient St. Sophia Cathedral, Zelensky, who is Jewish, highlighted its significance to a nation wracked by nearly two months of war. The great holiday today gives us great hope and unwavering faith that light will overcome darkness, good will overcome evil, life will overcome death, and therefore Ukraine will surely win! he said. The visit by Blinken and Austin was unannounced, per CNN, and along with the promises of new aid came an announcement that US diplomats will return to Ukraine this week.

Britain's Ministry of Defense said Monday that Ukrainian troops holed up in a steel plant in the strategic city of Mariupol were tying down Russian forces, and keeping them from being added to the offensive elsewhere in the Donbas. Many Russian units remain fixed in the city and cannot be redeployed, the ministry said in a statement posted on Twitter. Ukraine's defense of Mariupol has also exhausted many Russian units and reduced their combat effectiveness. The ministry added that, so far, Russia has only made minor advances in some areas since shifting its focus to fully occupying the Donbas." Without sufficient logistical and combat support enablers in place, Russia has yet to achieve a significant breakthrough, the ministry said.

(Read more Volodymyr Zelensky stories.)
(Newser)  Ukraine has a brand-new word"ruscism," roughly translated as "Russian fascism"to describe what's happening now within its war-torn borders. But its thoughts on defeating fascism went a little awry over the weekend, after a government account tweeted a video that compared Japan's Emperor Hirohito to two other World War II-era leaders, Hitler and Mussolini, per the South China Morning Post. View the current incarnation of the videowhich describes "ruscism" as a combo of autocracy, repression, Stalinism, and totalitarianism, all at the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putinand toward the end you'll see photos of Hitler and Mussolini, accompanied by the words: "Fascism and Nazism were defeated in 1945."

The original video, however, which the Mainichi notes was posted on April 1, included Hirohito's photo next to Hitler's and Mussolini'sdrawing backlash from Japanese officials after it went viral. Masahisa Sato, a member of Japan's parliament, called it a "problem video" and demanded action from the European Affairs Bureau of Japan's Foreign Affairs Ministry. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki called the video "extremely regrettable" and "completely inappropriate," per the AP, which notes that "historical evaluations of [Hirohito's] role in the war remain divided."

Ukraine's government took Hirohito's photo out of the video and is now saying sorry after the pushback from Japan, which has given $300 million to help Ukraine and other nations assisting its refugees. "Our sincere apologies for making a mistake in the previous version of the video," the nation's official Twitter account posted Sunday. "We had no intention to offend the friendly people of Japan." Isozaki says Japan will continue to support Ukraine, despite the offending post. (Read more Ukraine stories.)
(Newser)  Jon Stewart collected one of the rarest honors in comedy Sunday night, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. It was mostly a night of laughs, notes the Washington Post, though Stewart himself delivered a more serious message about comedy and the modern world:

Comedy survives every moment," said Stewart. It "doesnt change the world, but its a bellwether. Were the banana peel in the coal mine. When society is under threat, comedians are the ones who get sent away first.

"Having Bassem here is an example of the true threat to comedy," said Stewart, referring to Egyptian comedian Hassem Youssef, per NPR. (Youssef's Stewart-inspired show got him in trouble with authorities in Egypt.) The real threat, Stewart said, is "not the fragility of audiences" or "the pronoun police," but "the fragility of leaders."

Youssef: "I called Jon and said, 'I'm so scared. I don't know what to do. The new authority is too powerful.'" Youssef said Stewart suggested he "make fun of the fact that you cannot say anything. Make fun of the fact that you are afraid. People will feel you, and fear will be your satire." Youssef says he "did exactly that and people felt it and it was the most popular episode ever."

"I called Jon and said, 'I'm so scared. I don't know what to do. The new authority is too powerful.'" Youssef said Stewart suggested he "make fun of the fact that you cannot say anything. Make fun of the fact that you are afraid. People will feel you, and fear will be your satire." Youssef says he "did exactly that and people felt it and it was the most popular episode ever." Dave Chappelle: It is a miracle to watch you work," he said of Stewart, per the AP. "You are a cure for what ails this country."

It is a miracle to watch you work," he said of Stewart, per the AP. "You are a cure for what ails this country." Steve Carrell: He recalled an early Daily Show assignment "to visit a venom research facility in Nebraska." Carrell said he discovered upon arrival that "the research facility was a mobile home full of snakes," which Stewart loved. "As he watched it he jokingly said over and over it would've been 'great' if I'd actually been bitten by a snake."

(Read more Jon Stewart stories.)
(Newser)  For the first time, an Air Force general has been convicted of sexual assault. Two-star Gen. William Cooley was found guilty in a court-martial of forcibly kissing a woman in a verdict described as "historic" by outlets including NPR and the Washington Post, and in a news release from the Air Force itself. The woman Cooley assaulted was his own sister-in-law, who allowed media outlets to describe her as such but not to name her or provide other details that might identify her. Cooley was convicted of forcibly kissing her on the lips and tongue, with an intent to gratify his sexual desire, per the New York Times, and he was acquitted of charges that he groped her and forced her to touch him over his clothes.

The assault took place after a family barbecue in the summer of 2018, says the Air Force. The woman told investigators that Cooley had been drinking and asked her for a ride home, during which he told her that he fantasized about having sex with her. At one point, she said he pressed her up against the drivers side window, forcibly kissed and groped her through her clothes, per the Air Force statement. Cooley, who was previously relieved of his command of the Air Force Research Laboratory, faces up to seven years in prison and dismissal from the military when he is sentenced on Monday.

"The price for peace in my extended family was my silence, and that was too high a price to pay," said the woman in a statement issued through her attorney. Doing the right thing, speaking up, telling the truth, shouldnt be this hard, she said. Hopefully it wont be this difficult for the next survivor. Cooley issued no statement after the verdict. This is not only the first conviction of an Air Force general, it's "the first time sexual assault charges have led to criminal prosecution for someone so high up in the chain of command," according to the Air Force Times. (Read more Air Force stories.)
(Newser)  The city of Philadelphia is more than happy to offer info on how residents can file a report on abandoned cars in the metro area. "Glad you asked!" reads the city's page devoted to "one of our most frequently submitted service requests." And they're not kidding on that "most frequently submitted" part: Per an analysis by the Philadelphia Inquirer of data from the city's 311 nonemergency call center, there's a "historic deluge" of abandoned-car complaints currently in limbomore than 34,000 of them, in fact, without a good system in place to handle the backlog. The average number of cars towed before the pandemic began came out to about 10,000 to 12,000 cars a year, but towing activity has since dropped, while complaints of vehicles neglected within the city's boundaries spiked fivefold between April 2020 and the beginning of 2022.

After a report is filed, it might now take six months to see a vehicle towed; in 2020, it took about two months. And it's not just forlorn SUVs and sedans left lingering, though there are plenty of those: The Inquirer also documented abandoned speedboats; cherry pickers; flatbed trailers; trucks used by snack company Tastykake, headquartered in the city; and a campaign van once used by Scott Wagner, who ran for governor of Pennsylvania in 2018. One of the possible causes cited by the city for the rising number of complaints includes high unemployment during the pandemic that may have led people to simply ditch their wheels, as well as more people idling at home to report the abandoned vehicles.

There also haven't been enough cops to handle the complaints and authorize removal of the vehicles, with many police officers reassigned to other units for more pressing matters during the pandemic, such as fighting crimea fact residents say is ironic, as the abandoned cars are often broken into and used for prostitution or drug deals. Things don't look to improve much in the near future, either: There are no immediate plans for any mass-towing efforts, nor to put cops en masse back on abandoned-car detail, per a city spokesperson. "We've created an environment of lawlessness," leaving locals "feeling like the city doesn't care about them," Philly Council member Maria Quinones-Sanchez tells the Inquirer. (Read more Philadelphia stories.)
(Newser)  Nearly half of the jurors who sentenced a Texas woman to die for the 2007 death of one of her 14 children have called for her upcoming execution to be halted and for her to get a new trial. Melissa Lucio, 52, is set to be executed Wednesday for the death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah in Harlingen, a city of about 75,000 on Texas' southern tip. The AP provides a look at the broad issues:

Her lawyers say new evidence shows that Mariah's injuries, including a blow to the head, were caused by a fall down a steep staircase, and many lawmakers and celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, an advocate for criminal justice reform, and Amanda Knoxan American whose murder conviction in the death of a British student in Italy was overturnedhave rallied to Lucio's cause.

Her lawyers have filed various legal appeals seeking to stop her execution. She also has a clemency application before the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, which is set to consider her case Monday. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott could play a role in deciding Lucio's fate.

If put to death, Lucio would be the first Latina ever executed by Texas and the first woman the state has put to death since 2014.

Prosecutors continue to maintain that the girl was the victim of child abuse. Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz, whose office prosecuted the case, has said he disagrees with Lucio's lawyers' claims that new evidence would exonerate her. Prosecutors say Lucio had a history of drug abuse and at times had lost custody of some of her 14 children.

More than half the members of the Texas Legislature have asked that her execution be halted. A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers traveled this month to Gatesville, where the state houses female death-row inmates, and prayed with Lucio.

Five of the 12 jurors who sentenced Lucio and one alternate juror have questioned their decision and requested she get a new trial.

(Read more death row stories.)
(Newser)  Officials in the embattled Ukrainian city of Mariupol say a new mass grave has been identified north of the city. Mayor Vadym Boychenko said authorities are trying to estimate the number of victims in the grave about 6 miles north of the city, the AP reports. Satellite photos released over the past several days have shown what appear to be images of other mass graves. Mariupol has been decimated by fierce fighting over the past two months. Ukraine said Monday that the United Nations should step in to oversee an evacuation route for civilians from the besieged steel mill in Mariupol which is Ukrainian troops last stronghold in the port city.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on the Telegram messaging app that a Russian announcement of a "humanitarian corridor" out of the Azovstal plant to operate later Monday was not agreed to by Ukraine. Vereshchuk added that Ukraine does not consider the route safe for that reason and said Russia had breached agreements on similar evacuation routes before. Ukrainian officials have said that up to 1,000 civilians have sheltered at the sprawling steel plant. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to visit Russia and Ukraine this week. Vereshchuk called on Guterres to be the "initiator and guarantor" of a humanitarian route out of Azovstal.

Russia's Energy Ministry meanwhile, says a massive fire at an oil depot in western Russia will not cause fuel shortages. The ministry said fuel supplies to consumers havent been interrupted The Emergencies Ministry said earlier that a huge blaze erupted overnight at the depot owned by Transneft-Druzhba, a subsidiary of the Russian state-controlled company Transneft, which operates the western-bound Druzhba pipeline carrying crude to Europe. It wasnt immediately clear what caused the blaze at the facility in Bryansk around 60 miles north of the border with Ukraine. (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
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Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Rain and snow showers this evening transitioning to snow showers overnight. Low 31F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 80%..

Tonight

Rain and snow showers this evening transitioning to snow showers overnight. Low 31F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 80%.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The pension rise to the salaries of retirees from January 2021 to April 2022 has been deposited in their bank accounts.

This was announced by Social Insurance Organisation (SIO) Chief Executive Officer Eman Mustafa Al Murbati in implementation of the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

The directives align with reforms to the retirement and social insurance pensions that will consolidate the funds sustainability and preserve the rights of retirees and participants.

The CEO expressed her gratitude to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for ratifying and promulgating Law No. 13/2022 amending some provisions of Law No. 13/1975 with regards to the Regulation of Pension and Retirement Benefits for Government Employees, and Law No. 14/2022 on amending some provisions of the Social Insurance Law issued by Decree-Law 24/1976, following the approval of the Shura and Representatives Councils.

She thanked HRH Prince Salman for his attention to retirees rights and enhancing the sustainability of pension funds. Al Murbati praised the legislative branchs cooperation with the government in discussing and approving the pension reforms that culminated in disbursing an increase of 3% for retirees for the past two years.

She explained that the increase included all pensions paid to beneficiaries on behalf of the deceased as well, with a total of more than 95,000 retirees and qualified citizens. The amounts were retroactively deposited in their accounts within the pensions of the current month.

They will be disbursed monthly starting in May. She pointed out that the increase will be disbursed at a rate of 3% for 2021 and 2022, but it will not exceed BD30.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain Chamber for Commerce and Industry (BCCI) Chairman Sameer Nass has hailed the historical relations between Bahrain and the US as well the steadily growing trade. This came as Nass received the American Ambassador to Bahrain, Steven C.Bondy.

The BCCI head pointed out that the bilateral relations exceeded $2 billion in 2021, and highlighted the potential to expand partnerships and encourage more investments. He stressed the importance of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Bahrain and the US, noting the need to capitalise it, particularly by encouraging and empowering Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to engage in trade activities.

Nass highlighted the promising opportunities in the aluminum downstream industry, and voiced the keenness of the BCCI on liaising with the embassy to raise awareness about business opportunities in both countries. Easing of the visa requirements and expanding exchange programmes were discussed.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain has one of the best wage protection laws and investor-friendly laws, but its inheritance rules need a tweak to facilitate the easy transfer of funds to legal heirs in case a labourer or resident dies, say legal professionals.

As per the existing system, in the event of the death of an expatriate, all bank accounts, including any joint accounts are immediately frozen until an order is issued by the court here.

A duly notarised/apostilled certificate to confirm the legal heirs or a court order issued by the passport issuing country of the deceased should be produced to the court here.

On an average for most countries this takes anything between three and six months. Add to this, an additional four-six months are usually lost in waiting for the Bahrain Court Order to release these funds, said Bahraini Advocate Wafa Al Ansari, who is a leading lawyer at the Court of Cassation and Indian Advocate V K Thomas, a legal consultant in Bahrain.

Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Ms Wafa said there are as well many additional hurdles. Even Wills attested in Bahrain need to be executed through the court. From a humane perspective, for several expatriates this can mean no access to any funds, sometimes even for funeral proceedings or repatriation of the body. To make this worse, there are oftentimes children involved and living expenses of families or even tickets home that cannot be paid for due to a complete lockdown of all family funds.

She highlighted that the law in focus for expatriate families that dealt with inheritance is the one issued in 1971 dealing with the Inheritance and Settlement of Estates of Non-Muslims in Bahrain, Commercial Procedure Code of 1971, combined with the rules and regulations of the Central Bank of Bahrain.

If you see, approximately 52 per cent of the Kingdoms population are expatriates. However, the laws that govern the personal and inheritance matters are the same since 1971 when the expatriate proportion was a mere 17.5pc.

The leading lawyers suggested immediate amendments to the existing rule that could include allowing operation of bank accounts with either or survivor or nominations; or (ii) exempt salary or joint accounts from needing a court order; or (iii) limiting the amount of money that can be withdrawn per month till the court order or (iv) allowing Wills to be notarized, which should allow the executor to operate bank accounts without any further process or court order.

With globalisation and banking systems so well connected, perhaps the time is right now to ease the very painful process of gathering up ones life after losing an earning member. A change in the law and rules that govern the settlements of estates of non-Muslims in Bahrain is an urgent need of the hour. In times of grief, a compassionate look at the process of helping people living away from home is becoming a necessity, they pointed out.

Whether expatriates or citizens, the money earned in Bahrain has been through hard work and families and lives depend on the same. For a country as benevolent and welcoming of expatriates as Bahrain, it seems surprising that residents who spend their lives earning for and adding to the Bahrain ecosystem, should be denied a basic comfort that their loved ones will be given what is rightly theirs without a legal battle, she added.

The lawyers also highlighted the immediate requirement to establish a simple and clear procedure for making Wills and their execution. Wills issued outside Bahrain must be probated and a copy of the Probate duly legalised by Bahrain Embassy or apostilled should be submitted to the courts to get judgement and release funds.

Non-Muslim expatriates and non-Muslim Bahrainis are now able to make Wills in Bahrain. Wills must be signed in front of a religious leader e.g. Wills written by Christian expatriates must be witnessed or signed in front of a priest and then attested by a notary.

This process defects the purpose of a Wills, as it loses its confidentiality. Wills are kept confidential and registered in some countries.

Execution of the Wills requires approval by the Court or confirmation of appointment of the executor pursuant to Article 5 of the Decree Law No. 11 of 1971. It is high time the authorities establish a simple and clear procedure for making Wills and their execution by the Court or allow authorities to accept Wills issued in Bahrain for all purposes without any court order/judgement confirming the executor as this will avoid delay in the process Indian Advocate V K Thomas, a long-term resident in Bahrain told The Daily Tribune that the formalities and procedures in the countries of origin including India are complicated, difficult, time consuming and expensive.

If an Indian expatriate dies here, his legal heir will have to spend huge amounts and time in India to prove his/her legal heirs before the authorities there. The process could take up to six months, worsening the plight of the distressed family.

He suggested that a register of Wills of non-Muslim expatriates and non-Muslim Bahrainis may also be maintained.

As in certain other GCC countries, a separate court with proceedings in English should be established to deal with personal matters like, marriage, divorce and inheritance of non-Muslim expatriates and non-Muslim Bahraini nationals.

He said the Kingdom has been witnessing a surge in investments from expatriates in many sectors including real estate and amendments to the existing inheritance laws would further boost the inflow of investments from abroad.

Golden Visa is another latest scheme initiated to attract foreign talent and foreign investors into the Kingdom.

The Daily Tribune could learn that there are a few expatriate business families, who have been engaged in long legal procedures in the country of their origin to establish legal heirship following the sudden death of their family head.
Kanagawa prefectural police are searching for a man who uses a motorbike to come up behind pedestrians and snatch their bags.

The man is believed to have been involved in at least 20 thefts in Yokohama, Kawasaki, Ebina and Fujisawa so far this month.

The most recent thefts occurred on Saturday, Kyodo News reported. At around 8 a.m., a motorcyclist yanked a bag from a 48-year-old man in Kohoku Ward. Fifteen minutes later, police believe the same man snatched a handbag from a 27-year-old woman in Kawasaki. The woman was dragged to the ground and suffered a broken collarbone.
The envoy explained that China had supplied 19 shipments supplying a total of 730,000MT of fuel to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) at the most economical prices from last July till this January.

by Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema

The government of Sri Lanka is yet to settle payments amounting to $ 390 million for 12 fuel shipments that were delivered to the country between July last year and January this year, Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Qi Zenhong said.

The Chinese envoy revealed this today (25) during a discussion with a group of senior journalists in Colombo.

The envoy explained that China had supplied 19 shipments supplying a total of 730,000MT of fuel to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) at the most economical prices from last July till this January.

Sri Lanka had made payments only for seven fuel shipments out of the total 19 shipments.

The letters of credit (LCs) for the shipments were opened by Peoples Bank and Bank of Ceylon, Zhenhong observed.

The Ambassador added that China had remained silent about these dues without publicizing the matter until now since the Chinese believed in maintaining a low profile in its assistance.

Source: The Morning
Members of sexual minority groups and their supporters have paraded in central Tokyo for the first time in three years, and called for a society free of discrimination and prejudice.

Tokyo Rainbow Pride events were held online in 2020 and 2021, due to the spread of the coronavirus.

On Sunday, 2,000 people marched along the streets of Shibuya. They had all applied to attend the event in advance. Many held rainbow-colored flags representing the LGBTQ community. They also chanted "Happy Pride."

One member of a lesbian couple in her 20s said she was excited to be part of the gathering. She said that she wants a society where everyone can live happily and equally.

A gay man in his 50s carried a Ukrainian national flag in protest against Russia's invasion.

He said that he wants people to understand that wars can create circumstances, which are difficult for sexual minorities.
GPgu6jyl9tc - May 02

After two years struggling against the coronavirus, Japanese tour companies were hoping for the best in the ongoing Golden Week holiday. But their first big test of post-pandemic demand has been marred by a deadly tragedy at sea.
Sri Lanka was classified as a middle-income country at the start of the pandemic. Sitharaman argued that given the nature of Sri Lanka's economy - dependence on income from the tourism sector, and the resultant dip in national revenues due to the pandemic - the country might be categorised as a lower-income country and helped accordingly. At the start of the pandemic, the World Bank and the IMF worked together with the G20 countries to set up the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI).

Sri Lanka could be given temporary classification as a lower-income country  from the current middle-income status  to help it restructure its debt. And, it should also be given emergency funding similar to the one granted to Ukraine.

These were the recommendations made by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank last week, according to sources. This comes as Indias southern neighbour deals with its worst-ever economic crisis.

Sitharaman had actively engaged with various representatives of the multilateral institutions, including World Bank president David Malpass and IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva in support of Sri Lanka. This was done in order to alleviate the countrys ongoing financial predicament and help it better navigate the maze of international financing rules and criteria, sources aware of the discussions said. The ministers interventions have been on several fronts, including the classification of Sri Lanka as a low-income country, and the treatment of Sri Lanka on par with other countries facing dire emergencies, such as Ukraine. She also made use of her position on the board of governors of the IMF to put forward Sri Lankas case, said an official.

Accoding to sources, one of the key interventions made by Sitharaman was to argue that, although Sri Lanka was classified as a middle-income country at the start of the pandemic, the nature of its economy, its dependence on income from the tourism sector, and the resultant dip in national revenues due to the pandemic, has meant that the country might possibly be categorised as a lower-income country, and should be treated accordingly.

Classification as a lower-income country would ease the process of restructuring Sri Lankas debt, said one of the sources.

The official clarified that the process of reclassification by the IMF and World Bank is a time-consuming one, and hence, this could be done on a temporary basis to help Lanka come out of its current crisis.

The reclassification into a lower-income country will help Sri Lanka restructure its debt under the Common Framework for debt treatment beyond DSSI. DSSI is Debt Service Suspension Initiative that was set up by the IMF and World Bank after the pandemic and expired in December 2021.

In November 2021, IMF and World Bank had set up the common framework. The countries eligible for these initiatives are low-income nations with unsustainable debt.

Sitharaman is said to have argued that due to Sri Lankas dependence on the tourism sector, the shock to the countrys economy was largely exogenous in nature and caused by the pandemic.

On March 9, 2022, the IMF executive board greenlit $1.4 billion in additional financing for Ukraine under an emergency support programme known as the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI).

Sitharaman is believed to have argued that Sri Lanka could be given assistance under this provision as well.

RFI opens up quick access to financial assistance to countries that urgently need to eliminate mismatches in their balance of payments, particularly those arising due to war and is designed for cases where it is impossible to launch a full-fledged programme of economic reforms.

Sources said that the IMF and World Bank brass have assured the finance minister that her proposals for Sri Lanka are being examined in detail.

So far, aid from India has been in the form of a line of credit worth $1 billion to help Lanka procure food, medicines and essential items. There was another LoC worth $500 million to help it purchase petroleum products. Also, Indian state-owned oil companies released large quantities of diesel to help Sri Lanka fight its ongoing power shortage. ( Agencies)
Legislation that would require police to notify the families of deceased relatives within 24 hours was narrowly approved Monday in the legislative Public Safety and Security Committee over complaints from active and former police officers on the panel that it could make one of their hardest jobs even tougher.

Citing that the impetus for the bill was two cases in Bridgeport last year, state Sen. Dan Champagne, the mayor of Vernon and a retired police officer with 22 years of service, said the General Assembly is being asked to respond to the failure of that citys police administration to do their job.

This should have been the chiefs issue, Champagne said. The chief should have disciplined those officers. The chief should have taken care of it.

The bill passed 13-10, mostly along party lines, following an earlier 37-2 vote in the Judiciary Committee before the bill was referred to the Public Safety Committee. The legislation now goes back to the House calendar, where it will join more than 240 pending pieces of legislation vying for the focus of lawmakers as the May 4 adjournment date looms.

Champagne, who voted against the bill, said the legislation should have originated in the Public Safety Committee, and warned the unintended consequences could be less human contact with grieving families at critical times.

Instead of a uniformed officer arriving at the homes of next-of-kin to give them news of a death in the family, officers could have to make phone calls to make the notification within 24 hours of the discovery of the deceased. Without a best effort to make the notification, the inspector general within the state Office of Criminal Justice could order investigations and possible disciplinary action.

There was a large-scale public backlash after the unrelated deaths of two Bridgeport women last December when there were delays in notifying the families of Lauren Smith-Fields, 23, who died from an accidental overdose, and 53-year old Brenda Lee Rawls, whose death was from natural causes.

If I have to make sure this notification is made, or I can to face some sort of discipline, up to termination, or the loss of my certification, Im going to make sure Im doing this myself, said Champagne, noting that often a fatality in one part of the state will result in local police elsewhere knocking on the doors of families in their towns as a courtesy to law enforcement where the death occurred. In the case of no one answering a door, a note is made for the next shift to make the notification, further delaying direct contact.

I only have 24 hours, so personally, its easier for me to make a phone call, Champagne said. If I make the call and tell the next-of-kin over the phone, then I have met my obligations.

But without face-to-face contact at the moment of notification, unforeseen medical issues could occur, he warned.

What this is saying is that you have to make that notification so you are covered under law, he said. This should happen in person.

State Rep. Rick Hayes, R-Putnam, a retired police chief, agreed that death notification is one of the worst things police officers do, but knocking on the door, and asking if families need assistance, is an important public-service moment.

This bill is going to take away in-person death notifications, said Hayes, who also voted against the bill, as did state Rep. Greg Howard, R-Stonington, a police detective.

State Rep. Antonio Felipe, D-Bridgeport, who voted for the bill, said there have been other instances throughout the state of prolonged periods when families have not been informed of deaths.

The right to grieve, the right to know that your family member is gone, is a human right, Felipe said. To say we cant do it just because there are a few instances, I think is short-sighted. I dont think this is going to have this over-arching effect on our police departments. He doubts there would be many police officers decertified or fired over it.

We need to have as much faith in our police officers and our departments that this will get done, and unfortunately, there are multiple municipalities around the state, not just mine, that have these policies that are very robust and talk about everything that you need to do, but unfortunately one thing that isnt mentioned is the timeliness in which that needs to happen, Felipe said.
BRIDGEPORT  A jury of eight women and four men began deliberating the fate of Brandon Roberts Monday afternoon in Superior Court.

The jurors deliberated for roughly two hours before Judge Alex Hernandez sent them home for the day, with deliberations to resume Tuesday morning in Roberts murder trial in the killing of 25-year-old Emily Todd of Bethel on Dec. 8, 2018.

Earlier Monday, closing arguments in the trial focused on Roberts differing explanations for his state of mind when he pulled the trigger, killing Todd with a single gunshot to the back of the head as the two walked along a narrow strip of beach near the public boat launch off Seaview Avenue.

States Attorney Joseph Corradino said Roberts motive was money. He pointed to the suspects interview with police following his arrest at his fathers house in Shaker Heights, Ohio, as well as texts between Roberts and Todd during their three-week, turbulent relationship that began, the prosecutor said, with Roberts trolling on an online dating site.

He always seems to bring it back to his need for money, Corradino said of the texts. She wanted a relationship with him. He wasnt into it.

Roberts lawyer, Public Defender Joseph Bruckmann, pointed to his clients testimony in the case Friday, asking the jury to find Roberts guilty of first-degree manslaughter, saying he was suffering from extreme emotional disturbance at the time of the shooting.

On the stand Friday, Roberts said cops interviewing him in Ohio pressured him to say he killed Todd for money, so he agreed with them at the time, but couldnt actually offer any explanation for the shooting.

Roberts, Bruckmann said, was stressed by an emotional whirlwind caused by the death of his mother the year before, his homelessness, and the on-again, off-again relationship with Todd.

Bruckmann asked jurors not to be swayed by sympathy for the victim or grisly autopsy photos showed by the prosecutor.

A lot of the evidence is just plain ugly, he said, calling the case difficult, horrible, and tragic.

Looking back at the events of that evening, we know by his actions that this was not about money, Bruckmann said.

Corradino disagreed, saying the evidence showed the killing to be deliberate, intentional, and planned.

Everyone breaks up, he said. Everyone will lose their parents. Is that really extreme emotional disturbance?

The trial began last week. On its second day, Todds mother took the stand for roughly three hours and recounted her daughters brief relationship with Roberts.

Corradino played for the jury of video of Roberts confession to police following his arrest at his fathers house in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Roberts testified Friday.

He is also charged with felony murder, first-degree robbery and carrying a pistol without a permit.

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 homicide.
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BRIDGEWATER  Two people were transported to the hospital Sunday after the motorcycle they were riding was hit by a car on Route 133.

The crash happened about 200 feet north of the Northrup Street intersection shortly before 4:20 p.m., when a 2010 Chevy Impala failed to yield while exiting the town boat launch onto South Main Street.
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BROOKFIELD  A new and improved Portobello Restaurant & Pizza plans to open down the road from its longtime location near Brookfields Four Corners.

After nearly 25 years at 782 Federal Road, the popular pizzeria has found a new home in the former Hearth Restaurant building at 756 Federal Road. A grand opening was held Wednesday.

Its going to be bigger and better than before, said Ilir Junior Alka, whos owned Portobello since 2017.

His father, Kenny Alka, opened the restaurant at its original Federal Road location in 1997 after moving his family to Connecticut.

Alka said he remembers going to the restaurant and learning the ropes as a kid, and he hopes to do the same for his own children.

I took over five years ago, and now were preparing for the next generation, he said.

Portobellos move was one of the necessary steps to grow the business so that the future is successful for (his) children, Alka said.

Alka said his father no longer owns the restaurant but remains very much involved in the family business, and helped design the new space.

Portobello shares its new home at 756 Federal Road with Dunkin Donuts  the owner of which purchased the former Hearth building after the ionic restaurants closing in 2018 and completely gutted the inside, Alka said.

The Hearth was a very well-known restaurant  everybody in this area knew about it, he said. A lot of our clientele remembers The Hearth, so we wanted to make sure to keep an original piece of that history  the fireplace  right in the middle, and we designed everything else around that.

Not only is the new space about 1,350-square-feet larger than the last, but it will have a bar  something the old Portobello did not have.

At the old place, we had BYOB (bring your own beverage), so thats going to be a big difference, Alka said.

Not only does the size of the new space allow for the addition of a bar, he said, but revenue and patrons were drivers in the decision to go from BYOB to an alcohol-serving establishment.

Part of the reason weve added a bar is so that the business can continue to succeed and compete, Alka said. Another reason is there were some customers who just didnt feel comfortable bringing in their own bottles.

Alka said the new Portobellos food will not change.

Were keeping the same menu, he said. The food has not changed  the only difference will be the location and addition of a bar, where well have some very talented bartenders serving some good cocktails.

The new Portobello, he said, will have a patio with seating and a firepit.

We want to thank our customers, who have been so loyal to us all these years, for their continued support and we welcome them  as well as new customers  to the new Portobello, he said.

With a bigger space, Alka and his father said more staff is needed at the restaurant and hes looking to hire waitstaff and cooks and bartenders.

Anybody whos interested is welcome to apply, Kenny Alka said.
CALGARY, AB, April 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Canada's livestock producers and processors have built a strong reputation for delivering high-quality, safe and delicious beef. Today, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced an investment of up to $3.6 million to ensure the beef industry has the necessary resources to seize new export opportunities to remain competitive and continue to be a sustainable driver of economic growth.

Under the AgriMarketing Program, this funding will be used to support Canada Beef's efforts to boost beef and veal exports globally through initiatives that aim to increase trust in Canada's beef sector. Project activities will help to bolster Canada's global beef brand and build stronger relationships with global trading partners. This will help producers become more competitive and grow beef sales in important international markets, while supporting the continued growth and success of the Canadian beef industry, which contributes billions to Canada's GDP.

In addition, this project will support training and e-learning activities at the Canadian Beef Centre of Excellence (CBCE), a state-of-the-art training facility. These activities will help industry increase knowledge around the advantages of Canadian beef, enable it to promote the excellence of Canadian beef and help to increase public trust in beef products.

Despite many challenges, Canada's beef industry has shown great resiliency and continues to look for opportunities to grow in new and existing global markets. The Government of Canada remains committed to investing in growth for Canadian beef producers and this vital industry.

Quotes

"Canadian cattle producers deliver high-quality, internationally recognized products. Building on this reputation, our government's investment will help the industry capture opportunities for growth and ensure that Canada's beef sector remains a driver of our economy."

- The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

"The government-industry development funding that Canada's beef producers are able to leverage with their own national check-off investment is essential for positioning the industry for growth and success in international markets. The ability to partner with the Government of Canada to fund and deliver important programs is appreciated especially as the pandemic and world events contribute to an ever-evolving marketplace."

- Michael Young, President, Canada Beef

Quick Facts

Beef production contributes approximately $21.8 billion to Canada's GDP (2018-2020 Statistics Canada/Canfax averages).

to GDP (2018-2020 Statistics Canada/Canfax averages). In 2021, Canada exported 508 million kilograms of beef to international markets, valued at $4.47 billion .

exported 508 million kilograms of beef to international markets, valued at . Canada Beef provides market development and promotion services to the Canadian beef and veal industry. It is a division of the Canadian Beef Cattle Research, Market Development and Promotion Agency.

The funding announced today builds on a previous AgriMarketing investment for Canada Beef of up to $4.9 million to build consumer loyalty to the Canadian brand, address market access issues and strengthen trading relationships.

to build consumer loyalty to the Canadian brand, address market access issues and strengthen trading relationships. In May 2021 , Canada was officially recognized by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) World Assembly of Delegates as a country with negligible risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which provides opportunities for Canada in new and existing markets.

, was officially recognized by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) World Assembly of Delegates as a country with negligible risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which provides opportunities for in new and existing markets. The AgriMarketing Program, under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, aims to increase and diversify exports to international markets and seize domestic market opportunities through industry-led promotional activities that differentiate Canadian products and producers, and leverage Canada's reputation for high-quality and safe food.

reputation for high-quality and safe food. The Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a five-year, $3 billion investment by federal-provincial and territorial governments, which will strengthen the agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector, ensuring continued innovation, growth and prosperity.

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Web: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

For further information: Marianne Dandurand, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, [email protected], 343-541-9229; Media Relations, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, 1-866-345-7972, [email protected]
GATINEAU, QC, April 25, 2022 /CNW/ - The goal of a barrier-free Canada, one that is inclusive from the start, is at the heart of the Accessible Canada Act (Act). That is why the Government of Canada continues to implement the Act and is introducing strong measures to ensure this goal becomes reality.

Today, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced the appointment of Michael Gottheil as Canada's first Accessibility Commissioner to the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC), effective May 9, 2022, for a term of 5 years.

Paired with the recent announcement on April 4, 2022, naming Stephanie Cadieux as Canada's first Chief Accessibility Officer, these two historic appointments support the Government's continued commitment to increasing the accessibility and inclusion of Canadians with disabilities.

The Accessibility Commissioner is a full-time Governor in Council (GIC) appointment, under the Canadian Human Rights Act on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice. Reporting to the Chief Commissioner of the CHRC, the Accessibility Commissioner will provide executive leadership and direction within their jurisdiction for the administration and enforcement of the Accessible Canada Act and its regulations. This includes:

promoting compliance with the Act;

ensuring that federally regulated organizations meet their accessibility obligations; and,

receiving, investigating and ruling on complaints filed under the Act.

The Accessibility Commissioner will also advise and inform the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion and submit an annual report to the Minister, for tabling in Parliament, on their activities under the Act.

Quote

"Michael Gottheil's vast experience in justice and human rights issues are a huge asset to Canada on our mission to become a more inclusive, barrier-free country. As Canada's first Accessibility Commissioner, he will help the Government of Canada administer, implement and enforce the Accessible Canada Act. Mr. Gottheil's leadership will ensure that the rights and measures outlined in the landmark Act are not just declarations, but that they become a lived reality for persons with disabilities in Canada."

 Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough

"Building a barrier-free and accessible Canada means ensuring our laws and regulations are understood and enforced. Michael Gottheil is an outstanding choice for the position of Accessibility Commissioner and the important role he will play in enforcing and administering the Accessible Canada Act. This appointment marks a comprehensive step forward in advancing human rights in Canada."

 Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, David Lametti

Quick Facts

According to the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability, more than 6 million Canadians aged 15 and over (22% of the population) identify as having a disability, and more than 1 in 10 youth in Canada have one or more disabilities.





have one or more disabilities. The Accessible Canada Act came into force on July 11, 2019 , and focuses on proactively identifying, removing and preventing barriers to accessibility. A major milestone of the Act was realized on December 13, 2021 , with the coming into force of Accessible Canada Regulations that require federally regulated organizations to report to the public on their policies and practices to identify and remove existing barriers.





came into force on , and focuses on proactively identifying, removing and preventing barriers to accessibility. A major milestone of the Act was realized on , with the coming into force of Accessible Canada Regulations that require federally regulated organizations to report to the public on their policies and practices to identify and remove existing barriers. The Act also established new structures and positions, including:

the Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization, responsible for developing accessibility standards in collaboration with the disability community and industry;



a Chief Accessibility Officer, to advise the Minister of Accessibility and monitor accessibility issues; and,



an Accessibility Commissioner, to spearhead compliance and enforcement activities under the legislation.





The Government is committed to open, transparent and merit-based processes for selecting GIC appointees, who play a fundamental role in Canadian democracy.





In 2019, out of 1129 filed complaints to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, disability was the most commonly cited ground of discrimination, representing 52 % of all complaints received.





The Government is developing a Disability Inclusion Action Plan to meet the Act's objective of realizing a barrier-free Canada . Its focus will be on reducing poverty among persons with disabilities, getting them into good quality jobs and making it easier to access federal programs and services while fostering a culture of inclusion.

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Backgrounder

A committed justice sector leader, Michael Gottheil has over 35 years experience serving as a tribunal chair, mediator, lawyer, advocate, mentor and business leader. He is a strong believer in the public service and strives to work collaboratively across all sectors, upholding values such as dignity, respect and the active participation of all members of the Canadian society.

Mr. Gottheil's experience extends beyond legal advocacy and dispute resolution. He has successfully led a number of adjudicative tribunals over the past 18 years. He played a key role in the implementation of major government policy initiatives, including the transformation of Ontario's human rights system and the modernization and reform of Ontario's administrative justice sector.

From 2018 until early 2022, Mr. Gottheil was the Chief of the Commission and Tribunals at the Alberta Human Rights Commission. From 2011 to 2018, he was the Executive Chair at the Social Justice Tribunals of Ontario. Between 2009 and 2011, he acted as the Executive Chair of the Environment and Land Tribunals of Ontario. From 2005 to 2009, he was a Chair at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. From 1992 to 2005, he was a managing partner of an Ottawa law firm specializing in labour, employment and human rights.

Michael Gottheil is blind and has deep roots in the disability community.

SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

For further information: For media enquiries, please contact: Jane Deeks, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
President Caron is attending the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII)

OTTAWA, ON, April 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Representatives of the Metis National Council (MNC) have travelled to New York City to take part in the UNPFII, including the MNC's president, Cassidy Caron and its Governing Members.

"I am honoured to have the opportunity to represent the Metis National Council at this meeting of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Since 1983, the MNC has been the national and international voice of the Metis Nation, and I am looking forward to bringing Metis perspectives to an international forum. It is an invaluable opportunity to speak about the Metis peoples across our Homeland."

The theme of this year's UNPFII is "Indigenous peoples, business, autonomy and the human rights principles of due diligence including free, prior and informed consent". President Caron will be attending meetings about the preservation of Indigenous languages, economic development, pandemic recovery, and the rights of Indigenous peoples around the world. This coincides with the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, alongside the development of the National Action Plan with the Governing Members of the Metis National Council. This National Action Plan will be launching in the coming months.

While attending these meetings, President Caron will be meeting with federal officials as well as foreign dignitaries to advance the priorities of the Metis Nation. These meetings will largely focus on the same issues that are being discussed at this forum, and will allow President Caron to revisit, develop potential partnerships, and strengthen relationships with Indigenous peoples and organizations around the world.

"I am looking forward to meeting with both Canadian and international officials to share the work that the Metis National Council is doing to support our governments, communities, and citizens. This is a unique opportunity to demonstrate the work being done through the Canada-Metis Nation Accord and to continue to advocate for Metis citizens across the nation."

Since 1983, the Metis National Council has been the national and international voice of the Metis Nation within Canada. Through the Canada-Metis Nation Accord, the MNC advocates on behalf of its Governing Membersthe democratically elected Metis Governments of Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbiato advance Metis rights and interests within their respective jurisdictions, including the implementation of the Metis Nation's inherent right to self-determination and self-government. The MNC is committed to accountability and transparency within its operations, and to its relationships with MNC Governing Members. Cassidy Caron is the President of the Metis National Council.

SOURCE Metis National Council

For further information: Steve Sutherland, [email protected]
TSAWWASSEN FIRST NATION, BC, April 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Honouring Canada's legal obligations to First Nations and working collaboratively to renew relationships are fundamental to addressing historical wrongs and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

Today, Chief Ken Baird and the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, announced that the Tsawwassen First Nation and the Government of Canada have concluded negotiations and reached a settlement agreement of the English Bluff Specific Claim. As part of the settlement, the Tsawwassen First Nation will receive $7.7 million in total compensation.

Submitted by Tsawwassen First Nation in July of 2013, this specific claim concerns a breach of Canada's obligations when it failed to obtain full and fair compensation for the sale of reserve lands in the 1950s and for Canada's failure to protect the First Nation from entering into an exploitative agreement.

This agreement between Tsawwassen First Nation and Canada represents a mutual understanding and addresses a historical wrong to the community. The successful resolution of this settlement is a key part of Canada's commitment to reconciliation  one that shows our commitment to build trust, acknowledges and respects the Treaty relationship, and helps build a better future for all Canadians.

Quotes

"We at Tsawwassen First Nation are pleased to bring closure to this long-standing issue. Addressing the historical harms done to our people is key to reconciliation and we hold our hands up to all the leaders and staff who worked over the years to settle this claim."

Chief swnnset Ken Baird

Tsawwassen First Nation

"Today's announcement is an important milestone in Canada's relationship with Tsawwassen First Nation. This negotiated settlement was made possible through the efforts of the community's leadership and their commitment to work with Canada to address its failure to protect the First Nation's interests. We are looking forward to building on our continued partnership and the future of our nation-to-nation relationship."

The Honourable Marc Miller

Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

"Congratulations to Chief Baird and all of Tsawwassen First Nation on this historic settlement. Thank you for working with Canada to right this historic wrong, and for your commitment to our nation-to-nation relationship. This is one step on our shared journey of reconciliation, but a very important one."

The Honourable Carla Qualthrough

Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion

Quick Facts

The Tsawwassen First Nation, a Coast Salish Nation, is located in the Greater Vancouver area of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia , adjacent to the South Arm of the Fraser River.

area of the Lower Mainland of , adjacent to the South Arm of the Fraser River. After a ratification vote, Tsawwassen First Nation signed the English Bluff Specific Claim settlement on November 9, 2021 , and Canada signed on January 18, 2022 .

, and signed on . Canada has a longstanding policy and process in place to resolve these claims by negotiating settlements with First Nations. Since January 1, 2016 , we have settled more than 183 specific claims with First Nation partners, totaling $8.9 billion in compensation.

has a longstanding policy and process in place to resolve these claims by negotiating settlements with First Nations. Since , we have settled more than 183 specific claims with First Nation partners, totaling in compensation. In fiscal year 2020-2021, 56 claims were filed, 46 claims were assessed and 36 claims were resolved through negotiations.

Working in partnership with First Nations, Canada has settled over 592 specific claims through negotiated settlements since 1973.

Associated links

Tsawwassen First Nation

Specific Claims

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SOURCE Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

For further information: media may contact: Justine Leblanc, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, [email protected]; CIRNAC Media Relations: Email: [email protected], Phone: 819-934-2302
Mumbai court on Monday granted bail to sixteen Shiv Sena workers who were arrested by Khar Police yesterday

Mumbai court on Monday granted bail to sixteen Shiv Sena workers who were arrested by Khar Police yesterday for allegedly causing a ruckus outside the residence of Amravati MP Navneet Rana and her husband Ravi Rana, an MLA.

Workers from the Shiv Sena have been released. The Shiv Sena workers were detained for allegedly causing a commotion outside the Rana couples home.

On Saturday, the MP-MLA pair announced their intention to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Matoshree, the state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackerays private residence.

The MP-MLA couple, however, were unable to carry out their plan after being detained by the police and sentenced to 14 days in judicial imprisonment by a local court.

However, they canceled their plans to recite Hanuman Chalisa in the face of Shiv Sena workers protests, which resulted in their detention on charges of inciting hatred between different groups. A local court ordered Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana to be held in judicial detention for 14 days on Sunday.
In a circular for its members, the IATA announced that India has canceled tourist visas for Chinese nationals

In a circular for its members, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that India has canceled tourist visas for Chinese nationals.

Tourist permits issued to nationals of China (Peoples Republic) are no longer valid, the IATA stated in a circular sent to its member carriers on Wednesday.

The circular further states that nationals of Bhutan, India, the Maldives, and Nepal, as well as travelers having an Indian residence permit, visas, or e-visas, are permitted to enter India.

However, passengers carrying an overseas citizen of India card or booklet, such as a Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card or a diplomatic passport, are also allowed to enter India.

IATA announced that tourist visas with a 10-year validity period are also no longer valid.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is a global airline association with roughly 290 members who account for more than 80% of global air travel.

Meanwhile, India raised its concern with China on the issue of Indian students studying in China who have been denied permission to return home due to COVID-19 restrictions but no actions were taken by the Chinese Government.

Following discussions with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed optimism that China would take a non-discriminatory approach to the problem, which affects the future of many young people.

I also raised the plight of Indian students studying in China who have been denied permission to return due to COVID limitations. We believe China would take a non-discriminatory stance because the future of many young people is at stake Jaishankar expressed his thoughts.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, these students had no choice but to leave China and relocate to India.
Anze Logar, Slovenia's foreign minister, arrived in India on Monday for the Raisina Dialogue

Anze Logar, Slovenias foreign minister, arrived in India on Monday for the Raisina Dialogue.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Twitter that Logars visit to India is a new opportunity for the two countries to deepen their cooperation.

MEA sent out a tweet  Welcome to India, Foreign Minister of Slovenia Anze Logar. Our partnership with Slovenia encompasses sectors like infrastructure and emerging technologies. The visit is a renewed opportunity to further deepen our collaboration .

Following this visit, S Jaishankar, the Minister of External Affairs of India will meet with Slovenias Foreign Minister.

Minister @AnzeLog will attend the international conference @raisinadialogue and meet with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam @DrSJaishankar on his official visit to India. Hell also take part in a cultural event to commemorate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries Slovenias Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed through a tweet.

On April 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be a part of the seventh edition of the Raisina conversation, according to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokeswoman Arindam Bagchi, who spoke at the MEA weekly briefing on Thursday.

The Raisina Dialogue 2022 will be built on six thematic pillars, with the topic Terranova- Impassioned, Impatient, Imperilled. Communities Inc: first responders to health, development, and the planet; Achieving Green Transitions: common imperative, diverging realities; Samson vs Goliath: the persistent and relentless technology wars; End of Multilateralism: a networked global order; Water Caucuses: turbulent tides in the Indo-Pacific; Communities Inc: first responders to health, development, and the planet.

Raisina Dialogue which began in 2016, is Indias flagship geopolitics and geo-economics conference dedicated to tackling the worlds most pressing challenges. MEA is hosting the conference in cooperation with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

However, the Raisina dialogue is planned to have around 100 sessions with over 210 speakers from 90 countries.
THOMASTON  Landmark Community Theatre is holding auditions for the rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, 6-9 p.m. May 1, and 6-8:30 p.m. May 2 on the main stage of the Thomaston Opera House.

Auditions will be given on a first come, first served basis and no appointments are required.

Foster Evans Reese will direct and choreograph the show, with music direction by Sean Lewis. Show dates are July 16-17, 22-24 and 29-31, for eight performances.

Rehearsals begin May 9, continuing two to three times a week, depending on cast availability.

All auditioning must be fully vaccinated. Auditioners must bring sheet music with them and be prepared to sing 32 bars (about a minute) of a fully memorized musical theater song showcasing the style and vocal range of the character for which they are auditioning.

Songs from Jesus Christ Superstar will be allowed. Additional vocalizing may also be a part of the audition to determine vocal range and harmonizing skills. An accompanist will be provided; no recorded accompaniment is permitted. This production is comprised entirely of movement and song. Therefore, all people auditioning should be expected to dance at their audition. Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear. Auditioners will be required to wear a mask or face covering until they are seen. Vocal warmups will not be allowed inside the building.

LCT is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. As such, we encourage performers of all races and ethnicities, gender identities, sexualities, abilities, and ages to attend every audition. To performers with disabilities, you are encouraged to audition. Please indicate if you need special services, assistance, or appropriate modifications to fully participate in this event by contacting Andrea Bingham, Production Manager, andrea@landmarkcommunitytheatre.org

Plot Summary: A timeless work, the rock opera is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary and universally-known series of events but seen, unusually, through the eyes of Judas Iscariot. Loosely based on the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Superstar follows the last week of Jesus Christs life. The story, told entirely through song, explores the personal relationships and struggles between Jesus, Judas, Mary Magdalene, his disciples, his followers and the Roman Empire.

The iconic 1970s rock score contains such well-known numbers as Superstar, I Dont Know How to Love Him and Gethsemane. A true global phenomenon and perfect pick for schools, community theaters and professionals alike, Superstar continues to touch new generations of audiences and performers.

Roles:

Jesus Christ - Tenor - Protagonist of the story, leader of the twelve Apostles, and son of God, Messiah and King of the Jews.

Judas Iscariot - Tenor - One of the twelve apostles of Jesus; concerned for the poor and for the consequences of Jesus' fame. A tragic figure, a conflicted man, and a powerfully passionate guy. Most certainly not a bad guy he's as desirous of being pure as Jesus is, and believes he is doing the right thing.

Mary Magdalene- Alto - A female follower of Jesus who finds herself falling in love with him. She's a prostitute, and she tries in her way to care for Jesus, so there is tenderness, and desire, but this is a woman of great strength.

Pontius Pilate -Baritone - Governor of Judea who foresees the events of Jesus crucifixion from beginning to aftermath in a dream and finds himself being presented with that very situation. A man of his time and a leader capable of great brutality, yet also a man of a certain conscience.

Caiaphas- Bass - Joseph Caiaphas was the high priest of Jerusalem who, according to Biblical accounts, sent Jesus to Pilate for his execution.

Annas- Tenor - Fellow priest at the side of Caiaphas who is persuaded by Caiaphas into seeing Jesus as a threat.

Peter- Baritone - One of Jesus' 12 apostles; denies Jesus three times upon the night of Jesus' arrest to save himself.

Simon Zealotes - Tenor - One of Jesus' 12 apostles; urges Jesus to lead his followers into battle against the Romans.

King Herod - Baritone - The King of Galilee; Jesus is brought to him for judgment after first being taken to Pilate.

Ensemble: Apostles, Priests, Soul Girls, Lepers, Merchants, Soldiers.
ORANGE  Jim Hassenmayer, owner of Orange Ale House & Grille, is known throughout the region for hosting extraordinary fundraisers for good causes and soon it will be Ukraines turn at the bar/restaurant.

Hassenmayer has enlisted two activists with family in the war-torn country  Larysa Czerepacha Persano and Chrystyna Centore  to organize an event for May 1 that will include food, raffles, music and a silent auction. Both women live in Orange and Centore is Hassenmayers longtime former neighbor.

We had a huge desire to do something and they were all about it. This was one of those fundraisers that you really, really get behind. Not that we dont stand behind all that we do but its just such a travesty of whats going on, Hassenmayer said. That shouldnt be happening in todays world.

Although Persano is no stranger to being visible at rallies and decrying the invasion publicly any chance she gets, this is her first time organizing a fundraiser and she was grateful for the opportunity from Hassenmayer, who is donating the venue, food and a generous raffle prize. Guests can come in any time between 1 and 7 p.m., she said. The tickets are $25 at the door and Orange Ale House will update its website on other means of payment and donating, she said.

Its devastating.  Its a very emotional time, Persano said of the war in Ukraine. I feel compelled because my family is there. Theyre desperate for medical aid.

When she speaks with family members in Ukraine they tell her, You cant unsee what I have seen, followed by silence, Persano said.

Centore, who also has family in Ukraine, said its an important fundraiser as first and foremost its a senseless war.

Its heartbreaking, its unimaginable, Centore said. She said her family is in the west of Ukraine, so theyre not feeling the brunt of it, but she said even there its impossible to get in and out of the airport.

Persano said every penny taken in will go to the New York-based organization Razom, which means together in Ukrainian. Formed about eight years ago in response to Russias attack and annexing of Crimea, Razom helps fund many types of aid to Ukraine through short- and long-term projects and collaboration on existing projects with partner organizations, according to its website. The aid includes humanitarian, medical and military.

Persano said anyone who wants to use a check for the fundraiser, or just to donate, can write checks to Ukrainian America Veterans, Post 33, and the money will go to the organizations medical supply and equipment efforts for Ukraine. Persano said that is to avoid the complications of cashing checks out of state.
Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

The United States is on track by June to reach 1 million COVID deaths since the start of the pandemic.

According to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 988,707 deaths as of Monday attributed to COVID since the start of the pandemic, an average of 314 per day. At that rate, the U.S. will likely see another 11,293 deaths in the next 36 days to reach the 1 million mark, data shows.
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  The judge overseeing jury selection for a man who murdered 17 people at a Florida high school declared that the process will start over Monday, after prosecutors and defense attorneys argued that she erred when she didn't question 11 potential jurors who said they would not follow the law before she dismissed them.

In granting the motion filed by Nikolas Cruz 's prosecutors over the strong objection of his attorneys, Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer nullified two weeks of work by prosecution and defense lawyers, forcing them to begin the entire process anew Monday.

As a result, almost 250 potential jurors who had said they could sit for a four-month trial will not be called back next month for further questioning over whether they could fairly judge Cruz, who pleaded guilty in October to murdering 14 students and three staff members at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018. More than 1,200 candidates had been screened.

The 12-member jury that will be selected after a two-month winnowing process will decide if Cruz, 23, is sentenced to death or life in prison without parole. The restart will push back opening statements from June 14 to June 21. They had already been delayed from May 31.

Prosecutor Carolyn McCann made her argument after the 11 jurors who were improperly dismissed by Scherer two weeks ago werent told to return to court for more questioning Monday  as had been planned  due to a miscommunication error.

Scherer said they would be brought in next week, but McCann argued that more time would be wasted if the potential jurors had to be struck anyway. She said the prosecution has just as much right to question potential jurors and to an untainted final panel as the defense.

Neither side has been able to talk to these jurors. In a capital case, the questioning of jurors is important. It is of the utmost importance," McCann said. "This is not harmless error.

Melisa McNeill, Cruzs lead public defender, said Scherer should wait until next week to see if the 11 jurors returned and could be questioned.

We believe you are committing more error" by dismissing the potential jurors now, McNeill said.

Scherer sided with the prosecution, but gave the defense until Wednesday to conduct research in an effort to change her mind.

Scherer told both sides that while they think she made a serious error by not questioning the 11 jurors, she disagrees. She said she was only deferring to their opinion to move the case forward.

Having to start again has been a possibility since April 5 after Scherer's questioning of a group of 60 potential jurors, the fifth of 21 panels screened before Monday.

With every other group, Scherer only asked if the potential jurors had any hardships that would make it impossible for them to serve from June through September. With the fifth group, however, she also asked if any would not follow the law if chosen. Eleven hands went up.

Scherer dismissed them without further questioning, drawing an objection from Cruzs attorneys. They wanted to make sure they were not simply trying to avoid jury service. Florida jury candidates are always questioned before dismissal.

Scherer tried to have the jurors returned, but all except one had left the courthouse. She said the Broward County Sheriffs Office would deliver summonses to them, but that was not done for unexplained reasons. Even if all returned, they still might have been disqualified because they had not been given the order that Scherer gave to other potential jurors to not discuss or read about the case.

I will never make that mistake again, Scherer told attorneys the next day.

David Weinstein, a Miami defense attorney and former prosecutor, said Monday that the prosecutors are correct, to a point. They, the victims and their next of kin all have a right to a fair trial, but that right cant trump the rights of a criminal defendant.

What the state is seeking to prevent, more than anything else, is a penalty phase that has been tainted at this early stage, he said. If Cruz receives a death sentence, that could result in it being thrown out on appeal, he said. From their perspective, the judge can wipe the slate clean and start over."

But the defense, he said, will argue on appeal that by restarting over their objection, Cruz is being subjected to double jeopardy and cannot be sentenced to death.

Robert Jarvis, a law professor at Nova Southeastern University, said the prosecution is correct that a restart is necessary. But, he said, the dispute is another error by a judge who is in over her head. This is Scherer's first capital case.

The jurors eventually selected will decide whether aggravating factors  the multiple deaths, Cruz's planning and his cruelty  outweigh mitigating factors such as the defendants lifelong mental and emotional problems, possible sexual abuse and the death of his parents.

For Cruz to receive the death penalty, the jury must vote unanimously for that option. If one or more vote against it, he will be sentenced to life without parole.

Given Cruzs notoriety and the hatred many in the community have for him, finding jurors who can be fair promises to be an excruciatingly long process. Jurors who can serve four months complete questionnaires about their backgrounds and their beliefs on the death penalty. The answers are given to both sides, and then prospects are brought back in several weeks for further questioning.

Both sides then can try to rehabilitate jurors who they believe might be favorable for their side. For example, jurors who are morally opposed to the death penalty would normally be dismissed as unfair to the prosecution, but the defense can ask whether they could vote for the death penalty if the law required it. If the judge is convinced that they could, the juror could be seated.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  Intelligence officials had gathered to brief select members of Congress on future threats to U.S. elections when a key lawmaker in the room, No. 3 House Republican Elise Stefanik of New York, tried to move the discussion to a new topic: Hunter Bidens laptop.

Stefanik, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, asked the officials during the April 1 briefing whether they had any evidence of Russian involvement in the release of Bidens laptop to the news media in the fall of 2020  a possibility floated by high-ranking former government officials in the weeks before the presidential election. Intelligence officials told Stefanik the question would be better answered by law enforcement.

Stefaniks query, shared with The Associated Press by a person who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the classified meeting, reflects a widespread sentiment in the GOP that questions about the financial dealings of President Joe Bidens son remain unanswered. And they say they intend to do something about it.

As Republicans prepare for a possible return to power amid rising hopes of winning the House and the Senate in the November elections, they are laying the groundwork to make Hunter Biden and his business dealings a central target of their investigative and oversight efforts.

Republican lawmakers and staff have discussed analyzing specific messages and financial transactions found on the laptop and have also discussed issuing congressional subpoenas to foreign entities involved in paying Hunter Biden, according to people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The conversations have been in the early stages but have included talks of bringing on Republican lawyers and former Justice Department officials to help lead the investigations, the people said.

The White House in turn is preparing to defend the Democratic president from any allegations of wrongdoing and make the case that Republicans are driven by opportunism. Democrats are likely to point out how Republicans did not seek investigations into President Donald Trump's own business pursuits in Russia and China or into the foreign dealings of his children and son-in-law while they held key campaign or White House roles.

It all raises the possibility of a messy, politically explosive showdown between a GOP-controlled Congress and the White House, one that could delve deeply into the affairs of the presidents family and shape the contours of the 2024 race for the White House.

Hunter Bidens taxes and foreign business work are already under federal investigation, with a grand jury in Delaware hearing testimony in recent months. While he never held a position on the presidential campaign or in the White House, Hunter Biden's membership on the board of a Ukrainian energy company and his efforts to strike deals in China have long raised questions about whether he traded on his fathers public service, including reported references in his emails to the big guy.

Joe Biden has said he's never spoken to his son about his foreign business. And there are no indications that the federal investigation involves the president in any way. The White House declined to comment, and a lawyer for Hunter Biden did not respond to an email.

Republican leaders see Hunter Biden as a unifying force that can bring together different factions of the GOP and potentially satiate those calling for more dramatic action. Some members of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus have said the first order of business for a Republican majority should be an impeachment trial of Joe Biden in retaliation for the two impeachments of Trump.

Theres also increasing discussion among Republicans about urging the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel, said people familiar with the matter.

Hunter Bidens fair game because I believe Hunter Biden is a national security risk, said Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, who is in line to take over the House Oversight Committee if Republicans win the House. Hopefully, when I get the gavel, well take it a step further.

In preparation, Comer's oversight staff has already begun to make document requests and archived information related to the presidents son.

The New York Post first reported in October 2020 that it had received from Trumps personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, a copy of a hard drive of a laptop that Hunter Biden had dropped off 18 months earlier at a Delaware computer repair shop and never retrieved.

The story was greeted with skepticism due to questions about the laptop's origins, including Giuliani's involvement, and because top officials in the Trump administration had already warned that Russia was working to denigrate Joe Biden ahead of the November election. The Kremlin had also interfered in the 2016 race by hacking Democratic emails that were subsequently leaked.

Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee now want to probe the origins of a widely shared letter from 50 former intelligence officials released a week after the New York Post story. The letter claimed the laptop carried "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation and suggested that the Russians are involved in the Hunter Biden email issue.

Joe Biden in the second presidential debate, responding to Trumps reference to the laptop from hell, said there are 50 former national intelligence folks who said that what hes accusing me of is a Russian plant. That statement went further than the letter, though it was immediately and widely reported as having labeled the laptop as disinformation. Trump and many Republicans accused Biden of invoking Russia to avoid scrutiny about his son.

No evidence has emerged since of any Russian connections to the laptop or the emails. A declassified U.S. intelligence assessment of the 2020 election alleged that Russian leader Vladimir Putin authorized multiple efforts in support of Trump. Russian state media amplified disparaging content about Biden including stories centered on his son, the assessment said, which also alleges Putin had purview over the activities of a Ukrainian lawmaker who met with Giuliani.

Giulianis attorney, Robert Costello, called allegations that the Russians were behind the laptop absurd. Stefanik in a statement said any alleged attempt by the intelligence agencies or intelligence community leadership to portray the facts surrounding Hunter Bidens laptop as misinformation needs to be investigated and prosecuted.

Meanwhile, GOP Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who in 2020 issued a report on Hunter Biden and his work on behalf of Ukraine gas company Burisma, recently made a presentation on the Senate floor laying out allegations they say the media have ignored but the Justice Department and Congress need to investigate.

The Biden administration has been totally unresponsive to our oversight requests, Grassley said.

For now, the Biden administration and many top Democrats are not commenting publicly on Hunter Biden. But the White House has already reassigned communications staff to prepare to respond to GOP investigations of Hunter Biden and other likely targets, including the origins of the coronavirus and the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Democrats are expected to argue that Hunter Biden is ultimately a distraction to most voters concerned about domestic issues. The current House Oversight chair, Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York, previewed that argument in a statement responding to Comer, her Republican counterpart.

Said Maloney: "Id hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would be more focused on delivering for the American people than on phony outrage.

___

Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo contributed to this report.
AP

TOKYO (AP)  Japan is sending a vice foreign minister to the Solomon Islands on Monday amid worry over a recent security agreement that the South Pacific nation struck with China that could increase Beijing's military influence in the region.

Vice Foreign Minister Kentaro Uesugi's three-day trip to Solomon Islands comes on the heels of a visit by a senior U.S. delegation, who warned that Washington would take unspecified action against the South Pacific nation should the security deal with China pose a threat to U.S. or allied interests.
NEW YORK (AP)  A New York judge found former President Donald Trump in contempt of court and set in motion $10,000 daily fines Monday for failing to adequately respond to a subpoena issued by the state's attorney general as part of a civil investigation into his business dealings.

Judge Arthur Engoron said a contempt finding was appropriate because Trump and his lawyers hadnt shown they had conducted a proper search for records sought by the subpoena.

Mr. Trump, I know you take your business seriously, and I take mine seriously," Engoron said in a Manhattan courtroom that was packed with reporters, but absent of Trump. "I hereby hold you in civil contempt and fine you $10,000 a day until the terms of the subpoena are met.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, had asked the court to hold Trump in contempt after he failed to produce any documents to satisfy a March 31 court-imposed deadline to meet the terms of the subpoena.

Trump, a Republican, has been fighting James in court over her investigation, which he has called a politically motivated witch hunt. During oral arguments Monday, Trump attorney Alina Habba said that Donald Trump does not believe he is above the law.

Habba said in a statement that the ruling will be appealed.

We respectfully disagree with the court's decision. All documents responsive to the subpoena were produced to the attorney general months ago, she said.

James has been conducting a lengthy investigation into the Trump Organization, the former presidents family company, centering around what she has claimed is a pattern of misleading banks and tax authorities about the value of his properties.

Today, justice prevailed, James said in a release after Engorons ruling. For years, Donald Trump has tried to evade the law and stop our lawful investigation into him and his companys financial dealings. Todays ruling makes clear: No one is above the law.

The contempt finding by the judge came despite a spirited argument by Habba, who insisted repeatedly that she went to great lengths to comply with the subpoena, even traveling to Florida to ask Trump specifically whether he had in his possession any documents that would be responsive to the demand.

The judge, though, criticized the lack of detailed explanation in the Trump team's formal response to the subpoena, telling Habba: You can't just stand here and say I searched this and that.

And after saying he felt like there's an 800-pound gorilla in the room here, he asked why the response to the subpoena didn't include an affidavit from Trump.

Habba noted that Trump does not send emails or text messages and has no work computer at home or anywhere else. She described the search for documents as diligent.

The contempt motion is inappropriate and misleading, she said. He complied. ... There are no more documents left to produce by President Trump.

She also derided the James probe as a political crusade and truly a fishing expedition, saying Trump and his companies had turned over more than 6 million documents and paperwork related to 103 Trump entities for an eight-year period.

We've turned over everything as fast as possible. This is a waste of judicial resources, Habba added.

She also defended Trump's character, saying: My client is an honest person much to the dismay of certain people in this room.

Trump spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Investigators for James have said in court filings that they uncovered evidence that Trump may have misstated the value of assets like golf courses and skyscrapers on his financial statements for more than a decade.

At the hearing, Assistant Attorney General Andrew Amer said the investigation was being hampered because we don't have evidence from the person at the top of this organization.

And he said the failure to turn documents over in response to the subpoena was effectively Mr. Trump thumbing his nose at this court's order.

Still, Assistant Attorney General Kevin Wallace signaled the probe was about to move to a new phase, saying: We plan to bring enforcement action in the near future.

A parallel criminal investigation is being conducted by the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, also a Democrat.

Monday's contempt finding was not the first for someone who has held the nation's highest office.

While in the White House, then-President Bill Clinton was found in civil contempt of court in April 1999 in connection to his deposition in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against him in Arkansas by Paula Jones.

Judge Susan Webber Wright held him in contempt for his testimony, where he falsely said he hadnt had a sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. That contempt citation came two months after his acquittal in Congress on articles of impeachment over his testimony.

___

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in Washington and Deepti Hajela in New York contributed to this story.
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NEW HAVEN  The city will appeal a Superior Court judges decision ordering acting Police Chief Renee Dominguez to vacate her position and will keep Dominguez in the job on an acting basis while the appeal is pending, Mayor Justic Elicker said Monday.

The Elicker administrations response appears to fly in the face of Judge Michael Kamps nine-page ruling in the case, brought by the Rev. Boise Kimber and others, which reads in part, While the mayor has the authority to nominate an individual to be Police Chief, the Board of Alders eventually has to approve the individual if she is to serve as the permanent holder of that office. Although the defendant was rejected by the Board of Alders on Dec. 6, 2021, she has continued in office for nearly five months without any definite end date in sight.

Such a course of events is simply not authorized by the current New Haven charter, the decision states.

Kamp wrote in the decision that Dominguez has failed to meet her burden to establish that she is entitled to hold her current office as New Haven chief of police. Therefore, she is ordered to vacate the position.

The administrations response also conflicts with the desires of Board of Alders President Tyisa Walker-Myers, who said in a written statement, Todays decision in Boise Kimber, et al. v. Renee Dominquez regarding the interpretation of the charter language is clear. The authority to approve or deny a police chief sits solely with the Board of Alders.

The city should respect the decision of the judge and name an interim chief or submit a name for consideration as chief, Walker-Myers said. Again, the City Charter is clear about the powers of city officials and should be followed and respected. 

Kimber, pastor of First Calvary Baptist Church and president of the New Haven Clergy Assocciation, did not immediately return requests for comment.

But Elicker and Corporation Counsel Pat King, flanked by Chief Administrative Officer Regina Rush-Kittle and Assistant Corporation Counsel Blake Sullivan, who defended the case for the city, both said they believe the administrations response is consistent with the charter.

In todays decision, the Connecticut Superior Court Judge ruled against the citys position, Elicker said in an afternoon press conference at the front entrance of Police Headquarters, 1 Union Ave. Were disappointed by the decision, strongly disagree with the decision and have a different interpretation of the citys charter.

We have kept Chief Dominguez in this position to ensure continuity and stability as we work to identify a new chief of police, and strongly believe we have followed the charter in doing so, Elicker said. The Charter of the City of New Haven requires us to run an organized and efficient city government and that is exactly what we are doing.

The city will appeal the judges decision and officials believe they have strong legal grounds on which to appeal, Elicker said.

Second, as we go through the appeal, Chief Dominguez will remain as acting chief. It will be business as usual at the NHPD, Elicker said. Id like to express my gratitude to Chief Dominguez for her professionalism, leadership and steady hand, even with all the politics going on in the background.

Id also like to thank the members of the New Haven Police Department for not letting a politically motivated lawsuit distract them from the important work they do to keep our community safe, he said.

Having acting Chief Dominguez remain in her position while we pursue the appeal is consistent with the charter, said King. The charter does not tolerate open city department head positions.

Were trying to maintain ... stability in city government, King said.

The courts reasoning was that once the (alders) did not approve Dominguez nomination and Elicker did not resubmit her name (with Dominguez choosing to retire, instead), the chief should have vacated the position, King said.

But the City Charter requires department heads to stay in their positions until their replacements begin work, she said.

In my view, to have a merry-go-round of acting chiefs every six months is not in the best interests of the city, King said.

I think its clear that Dr. Kimber does not like Chief Dominguez, said Elicker. But the mayors job and the police chiefs job is to keep the city safe, he said.

Clearly, we have been working very hard to hire a new police chief, he said, adding that he believes the city is on solid ground keeping Dominguez in place while the process plays out.

The city has hired a consultant to guide its search and has held two community meetings seeking input on what the community would like to see in a new police chief. Applications for the position close May 8, Elicker said.
NEW YORK (AP)  A New York City firefighter and a civilian died Sunday in a Brooklyn house fire where a ceiling partially collapsed, injuring several other firefighters, authorities said.

Firefighter Timothy Klein, 31, had been on the job six years and his father and other relatives were also members of the Fire Department of New York, Acting Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said.

I cannot describe the heartbreak of the FDNY today to have lost a member doing what our members do best: putting their lives on the line to save others, Kavanagh said.

A person's body was recovered from the scene, an FDNY spokesperson said late Sunday. Earlier, the department said a person was unaccounted for after the fire, however a medical examiner will need to confirm the identity of the person found in the building.

Eight firefighters were injured in the blaze and another resident sustained minor injuries, the spokesperson said. Klein was killed when the second floor of the building in the Canarsie neighborhood became engulfed in flames, bringing down the ceiling, officials said.

Mayor Eric Adams mourned Klein's death at a press briefing Sunday evening.

It gives us great pain and sorrow to announce that New York City has lost one of its bravest, Adams said.

Acting Chief of Department John Hodgens said firefighters worked feverishly despite very difficult conditions to reach Klein but could not get to him in time.

Fire units responded to the home Sunday afternoon and found visible flames that escalated to a three-alarm fire. More than 130 fire department personnel were involved in the response, Newsday reported.

The FDNY said its most recent line-of-duty death was in February, when 33-year-old Jesse Gerhard collapsed at a firehouse and died a day after responding to a fire in Queens. His death was determined to be in the line of duty.
ANSONIA  A local man was charged Monday with fleeing from police after crashing a car into a pedestrian and another vehicle in July 2021, according to the Ansonia Police Department.

Roland Collier, 49, was charged with first-degree assault, reckless driving, engaging in a pursuit, evading responsibility, first-degree reckless endangerment and third-degree criminal mischief, police said. He is being held on a $70,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court in Derby Tuesday.

Police said there was also a male passenger in Colliers car who also fled. They have not been identified.

The incident took place on July 16, 2021. Police attempted to stop a silver Audi, driven by Collier, on North Main Street at Liberty Street just before 2 p.m. that day. The Audi sped off and the officer did not pursue the vehicle, police said.

The Audi, which was now traveling north in the southbound lane, crashed into a Hyundai attempting to turn left onto Third Street near North Main Street. The Audi then drove onto the sidewalk, struck a fire hydrant, a pedestrian and a tree before stopping at the entrance to the parking lot of a Daily Mart, according to police.

The pedestrian suffered injuries to her head, arm and leg, and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. The driver of the Hyundai and an infant passenger were also taken to a local hospital for evaluation. Two other Hyundai passengers were treated at the scene, according to police.

The driver, identified as Collier, and his passenger ran from the car, through the parking lot and toward Fourth Street. Police determined that the Audi was not stolen.

Collier was arrested shortly after the crash in Massachusetts for unrelated charges. He remained in custody there until Monday.
When the federal transportation mask mandate was shot down Monday, I had friends who said they were no longer comfortable flying if face coverings were optional. Others were overjoyed the mask rule was gone. I fell somewhere in the middle, feeling privileged to be considered low-risk for severe coronavirus but also unsure about disregarding guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The ruling came just before I was scheduled to take an international trip. Even with coronavirus restrictions dropping in many destinations, I had assumed the mask mandate would stick around until May 3, if not longer. Now I was about to travel to Europe like it was 2019. Because I'm vaccinated, boosted and recently recovered from a coronavirus case, the situation didn't feel as nerve-racking as it could have. But I still debated: Was this a good or bad change?

With that conflicting stance, I headed to Baltimore International Airport to catch a flight on the new Icelandic budget carrier, Play Airlines, to London by way of Reykjavik, Iceland - my first trip post-mask-mandate.

A barefaced new world

The milestones started the moment I walked out of my apartment into my Lyft ride to the airport. Even though a text alert from the ride-hailing company reminded me to wear a face covering, despite dropping their requirement this week, my driver was mask-free. I followed suit - sort of. For the first 10 minutes of the ride, I kept taking my mask off and putting it back on before ultimately deciding to go barefaced.

Since it was a Wednesday afternoon past the spring break rush, the airport was much quieter than when I flew out of Reagan Airport the week before (a Sunday night and still spring break season). There were a few idling travelers and a lone masked janitorial worker walking around the drop-off zone outside. Inside felt like a similar scene: quiet.

- - -

An airport experience like it's 2019

In the short line for security, most travelers didn't have masks. I had mine around my arm instinctively, as if someone was about to demand I wear it. No one did. After two years of pulling down my face covering to confirm my identity, I just walked up to the masked TSA agent, handed over my passport, had my face scanned by a biometric machine and kept on down the line.

When I asked the cashier at Starbucks if he liked seeing people's faces again, he laughed and said "Uhhhhmmm . . . it's fine." I posted up at an empty gate - another pandemic instinct - to keep some distance and also get a better people-watching spot. Travelers rushed by in a kaleidoscope of mask combinations. Sometimes the parents were wearing them and the kids were not, or one kid was wearing one and the rest of the family was maskless. My best estimate was that about a quarter of people were still masking.

- - -

Conflicting feelings in the sky

At my gate, airport employees were wearing face coverings, but on board, Play flight attendants were not. I had expected this, as Iceland had already dropped its coronavirus restrictions and Play had announced at the end of March that most routes did not require masks.

Still, I masked by default as I have on dozens of flights before. My brain toggled between keeping my mask on and thinking I was being overly cautious. As I inched down the plane aisle, there were plenty of people in both camps; I wouldn't be an outlier either way.

"You're fine, I don't care," I overheard. In a row near me, two travelers were discussing their mask preferences as they settled into their seats. Both decided on going maskless for the flight before launching into more small talk. It reminded me of smoking etiquette, like someone asking if a person minds if they light up.

The plane to Reykjavik seemed to be chatty in general, with people swapping travel plans ("There's a whale museum; you can walk to that") and life stories ("So why did you become a personal trainer?").

Not everyone was relaxed and conversational. To my left, a traveler sat with her masked face nearly glued to the window as we waited to take off, sitting perfectly upright, arms clenched together in a grip. Because she was already sitting down by the time I got to our row, I followed her lead and wore my mask, too.

Because I was on an uncharacteristically empty flight, once the "fasten seat belt" sign turned off, I grabbed my carry-on bag and found an empty row. Alone as one could be in economy, I de-masked and ate some Cheez-Its. It felt exciting - and a little illicit - like finally being old enough to drink at a bar.

There were reasons to feel both relieved and worried.

On a recent flight from Miami to D.C., my masked face got so swampy while we waited on the tarmac for takeoff that I felt like I was suffocating. Even as someone who doesn't mind the mandate, I couldn't wait to rip mine off.

But I could also count on two hands the number of people I knew with the coronavirus at that very minute. I questioned my choice to skip the mask when I went to the airplane lavatory after a double-masked family with young children - even if it's not required, what do we owe our at-risk neighbors?

- - -

Going with the maskless flow

It didn't feel like we're in a pandemic at Reykjavik-Keflavik Airport in Iceland, where I had a short layover on the way to London. Even fewer people were wearing face coverings here compared to Baltimore, plus there were zero coronavirus restrictions. We didn't have to mask or show test results and vaccination records, as I did connecting through the same airport in July 2021. I took a deep, maskless inhale to smell the fresh baked pastries from a cafe, then felt less great about that decision when the guy next to me sneezed.

My next flight was full, and for the first time in two years, there wasn't a face covering in sight, including on the flight crew. By now, I had fully embraced being mask-free. For a 7 a.m. flight, the plane was buzzing with energy. I watched people flirt, joke, scowl and laugh. It was almost overwhelming to observe all of the emoting.

I was barely hanging on by a thread after my red-eye flight, and I fell asleep pretty deeply for being crammed in a tiny budget airline seat. I would wake up from my fitful naps with my jaw cranked open, tongue exposed to the elements. Once upon a time, I thought it would look strange to wear a mask to cover up my open-mouth sleeping style. Now I'll probably do it as a courtesy to the people around me and for future coronavirus concerns.

On the tram to passport control in the London Stansted Airport, a woman who had also departed from Baltimore told me she had worried about flying without a mask. She said she took the risk over the discomfort of masking on a long-haul flight. We commiserated, both hoping for the best, yet concerned.
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has summoned all aspirants jostling to contest for various political positions in 2023. They were all ask...





Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has summoned all aspirants jostling to contest for various political positions in 2023.





They were all asked to report to a meeting scheduled to hold at the Oyo State Government House.





It was learnt that the governor summoned the aspirants due to some disagreements that have characterised the forthcoming primary of the party.





It was gathered that leaders and aspirants of the party in some constituencies are yet to agree on the candidates to flag the partys flag due to some internal wrangling.





Makinde has now mandated all the aspirants to attend a meeting where the issues would be resolved.





The meeting is expected to commence at 11.am today (Monday).





Some of the aspirants, who spoke, said that they would attend the meeting.





They described the meeting as a bold step aimed at resolving all the pending issues ahead of 2023.





The State Secretary of the party, Alhaji Wasiu Adeleke, confirmed the invitation in a statement obtained by newsmen Sunday evening.





Adekeke said, This is to inform all aspirants for different elective political offices under Oyo State PDP that His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Oyo State and the leader of our party will like to meet with us all tomorrow Monday 25/04/2022 by 11am prompt at the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan.
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Sunday, replied his critics that he is not responsible for the deaths in quick succession of three for...

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Sunday, replied his critics that he is not responsible for the deaths in quick succession of three foremost monarchs in the state.

He also vowed that the state will not spare anything to give the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi 111, a state befitting burial.

Makinde made the disclosure, while addressing family members of Oba Adeyemi and the Oyomesi, during his official condolence visit to the palace of the departed monarch in Oyo.

He, equally, charged the Oyomesi, who are saddled with the responsibility of choosing the next Alaafin not to allow a vacuum for too long, noting that his government would ensure that the wishes of the late Alaafin come to pass.

The governor said this was necessary so that some wishes of the late Alaafin, which he was privy to can be fulfilled.

Makinde, while reacting to social media rumor in a comical manner, said he was not the one responsible for the d3aths of foremost monarchs in the state.

Oba Adeyemi was the latest of the First Class monarchs who have joined their ancestors in the last five month in Oyo State.

The Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Oyewumi died on December 12, 2021 while Olubadan Saliu Adetunji died January 2, 2022.

However, Makinde said all monarchs who have joined their ancestors in the state were ripe in age and have made impact on the people.

He said: No matter how old the Alaafin was, we would not have wanted him to join his ancestors. When he ascended the throne of his forefathers, I was very young. But because of the way Kabiyesi was to us, we would have loved to have him with us forever if it was possible.

For that, we are sad but we are also happy because Kabiyesi lived long on the throne of his forefathers

Secondly, since we heard about the news of his d3ath, throughout yesterday, I received calls from the Presidency and a lot of my colleagues. Sultan of Sokoto and Emir of Kano have called me personally.
The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has warned of an impending war between China and Taiwan. Pr...

The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has warned of an impending war between China and Taiwan.

Primate Ayodele urged world leaders to be at alert due to the impending war between China and Taiwan.

The clergyman revealed that he sees a serious problem between the two countries that will replicate what is happening in Ukraine.

In a statement released by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Ayodele made it known that China wants to make a move to start the trouble, adding that if world leaders are not fast in salvaging the situation, a war is going to erupt.

The man of God also said the crisis will affect the United States of America if it is allowed to happen.

He said: There will be a problem between Taiwan and China if the world leaders dont work on it fast. China will want to start another trouble just like Russia. The world leaders need to watch China in order to avert this because the issue of Taiwan, China and America may also lead to what is happening in Ukraine.

Furthermore, he warned the US of an imminent attack on the country.

America must be careful because there is an imminent attack on the country, they must be careful with steps they are taking, I see an attack, he said
Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has pardoned a civil servant in the State, who was suspended for spreading death rumour about t...









Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has pardoned a civil servant in the State, who was suspended for spreading death rumour about the Governor.





Akeredolu directed the Head of Service, HoS, Pastor Niran Adeyemo to recall the suspended civil servant back to service.





The HoS had last week disclosed the suspension of the civil servant who was accused of spreading the false information on his Facebook page.





While breaking the Ramadan fast, Iftar, with the muslim faithful in Akure, the State capital, the Governor said father forgive them for they know not what they were doing.





The Governor, who was making his first public appearance in the State after his vacation, frowned at the high rate fake news.





He also challenged journalists to always cross-check and confirm stories.





Akeredolu added that civil servants should channel their energy into more meaningful conversation of sharing good news in the State, rather than spreading fake news.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it arrested Afam Ukatu, chairman of Mallinson group of companies, over an alleged N3 b...





The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it arrested Afam Ukatu, chairman of Mallinson group of companies, over an alleged N3 billion tramadol deal linked to Abba Kyari, suspended deputy commissioner of police (DCP).

NDLEA, in a statement on Monday, said Ukatu was arrested on a flight to Abuja from Lagos airport on April 13.

Billionaire drug baron behind the N3billion tramadol deal involving the embattled suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari-led Intelligence Response Team, IRT, Chief Afam Mallinson Emmanuel Ukatu has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, the statement reads.

After months of surveillance and evading arrest, Ukatu who is Chairman of Mallinson Group of Companies was eventually nabbed onboard a flight to Abuja at the MM2 terminal of the Lagos airport, Ikeja on Wednesday 13th April.





Femi Babafemi, spokesperson of the NDLEA, alleged that Utaku owns pharmaceutical and plastic manufacturing companies, which he uses as a cover up to import illicit drugs into the country.

The NDLEA spokesperson said Utaku has been under the watch of the agency since 2021 after undercover police officers from Kyaris team seized five cartons of tramadol from one of his staff.





Billionaire drug baron behind the N3 billion Tramadol deal involving the embattled suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari-led Intelligence Response Team, IRT, Chief Afam Mallinson Emmanuel Ukatu has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, the statement reads.





After months of surveillance and evading arrest, Ukatu who is Chairman of Mallinson Group of Companies was eventually nabbed onboard a flight to Abuja at the MM2 terminal of the Lagos airport, Ikeja on Wednesday 13th April.





Investigations reveal hes been a major importer of large consignments of different brands and high dosages of Tramadol Hydrochloride, ranging from 120mg, 200mg, 225mg and 250mg, all of which are illicit.





Ukatu owns pharmaceutical and plastic manufacturing companies, which he used as a cover to import illicit drugs into Nigeria. This is in addition to operating 103 bank accounts, most of which are used to launder money.





Ukatu came under watch last year after five cartons of Tramadol 225mg were seized from his staff on 4th May 2021 when he sent them to sell to undercover police officers (unknown to Ukatu) from the then Kyari-led IRT of the Nigeria Police, Ikeja Lagos.





The price of a carton of Tramadol was negotiated at N17million each as against the then black market value that ranged between N18 million and N20 million a carton in Lagos.





After the arrest of Ukatus staff: Pius Enidom and Sunday Ibekwete, Kyaris men were then led by the suspects to Mallinsons warehouse at Ojota in Lagos where 197 additional Cartons of Tramadol 225mg were seized by the IRT Team. The monetary value of the 202 cartons of Tramadol seized from Mallinson in one day was over N3 billion.





Three weeks after the seizure, the Kyaris IRT team transferred only 12 Cartons of the Tramadol with one truck and a suspect to the Lagos Command of the NDLEA, leaving 190 cartons unaccounted for.





On February 14, the NDLEA declared Kyari wanted over alleged link to an international drug cartel.





The NDLEA alleged that Kyari is a member of a drug cartel that operates the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline.





A few hours after the NDLEA declared Kyari wanted, the police arrested the suspended officer and four other officers and handed them over to the anti-drug agency.





Subsequently, NDLEA arraigned Kyari and four others over allegations of drug trafficking.





The officers were remanded at Kuje correctional centre.
A Rivers State Governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress, Sen. Magnus Abe has declared that no amount of gang up can chan...

A Rivers State Governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress, Sen. Magnus Abe has declared that no amount of gang up can change the will of the people of the State.

The Senator made the declaration in Okrika Local Government Area of the State while addressing his supporters during the inauguration of BATS Vanguard in the LGA on Sunday.

Sen. Abe was responding to the endorsement of Lagos State businessman, Tonye Cole as the consensus governorship candidate of the APC.

Abe noted that the Rivers people cannot be enslaved by anyone.

He advised his supporters to brace up for the fight ahead, which he said would not be easy.

In his words, let me assure you all that the road ahead will not be easy. Challenging the powers that have been established will not be easy, but you have the power, you have the capacity, you have the audacity if youre willing to stand up and fight for what you believe.

We are not afraid, I know that no amount of gang-up can over take the will of Rivers people if we make up our mind.

I have said before and I want to say it again, Rivers people have never been slaves to anybody and nobody no matter the amount of money you have, nobody can enslave us here in Rivers State. We can chart our own destiny.

We are having an election and people are already bringing in their partner; you all should look for your own partners so you can enjoy the dividends of a good leadership when the time comes and that is the reason I am here today to tell you that I am ready to serve you and I pledge that my kind of government will make sure you eat before I eat.

Also speaking, the former Attorney-General of Rivers state, Wogu Boms said the endorsement of Tonye Cole as the consensus governorship candidate of the party will not work.

Do not tell me anything; I know everything, we experimented with Dakuku, we failed spectacularly, we experimented with Tonye Cole, he could not even enter the ballot, we used Awara, we failed woefully again, now we still want to experiment with Tonye Cole again, it will not work, he said.
At least, nine men suspected to be kidnappers, have been apprehended in Ogun State. The Ogun State Police Command said the suspects were me...





At least, nine men suspected to be kidnappers, have been apprehended in Ogun State.





The Ogun State Police Command said the suspects were members of a notorious kidnap syndicate terrorising residents of Ogun State.





The commands spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the syndicate used to operate along the Abeokuta-Ayetoro road, where many residents had been kidnapped and made to pay millions in ransom.





According to Oyeyemi, the suspects were arrested Sunday at their hideout in Abule Oba, off Ayetoro Road, Abeokuta.





They were captured by policemen, who Oyeyemi said, were supported by local hunters, operatives of the So-safe Corps, Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), the Amotekun Corps and local vigilantes.





Oyeyemi identified the suspects as Hammed Taiwo, Kehinde Jimoh, Ali Morandu, Sanda Aliu, Umar Sanda, Usman Mohammed, Usman Abubakar, Umaru Ahmadu and Umaru Momodu.





It was gathered that the suspects arrest followed credible intelligence at the disposal of policemen at Sabo/Ilupeju divisional headquarters.





The police had garnered information that two of the suspects, Hammed Taiwo and Kehinde Jimoh, were the kidnappers errand boys, operating on motorcycles.





He disclosed that the suspects were sighted somewhere in the Rounder area of Abeokuta North, to where the DPO of Sabo/Ilupeju, SP Mustapha Opawoye, quickly mobilised his men and got them arrested.





During interrogation, Oyeyemi said the duo of Taiwo and Kehinde confessed to being part of the syndicate, but their own role is to run errands and watch the environment to prevent law enforcement agents from getting to them unawares.





Their confession, Oyeyemi explained, led to the discovery of the groups hideout at Abule Oba, where they always meet after collecting ransom from their victims.





Having discovered the hideout, the DPO mobilized his men, So-safe corps, OPC men, local hunters and men of Amotekun corps and subsequently stormed the place where all the nine members of the syndicate were arrested, Oyeyemi said.





It was learnt that some kidnap victims have identified the suspects as their abductors.





Meanwhile, the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the Anti-kidnapping section of the State CIID, appreciating the security agencies for the success of the intelligence-based operation.
The detained leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has gone to court to challenge the practice direction of the Federal ...

The detained leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has gone to court to challenge the practice direction of the Federal High Court which ordered that his trial should be done in secret.

He asked the court to declare that the provisions of Order III of the Federal High Court Practice Directions (On Trial of Terrorism Cases) 2022, were already the subject of Section 36 (4)(a) and (b) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, and consequently, they areotiose, inoperative and outrightly ultra vires.

Kanu in the origination summons filed by his lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, asked the court to declare it invalid, null, void and of no effect whatsoever.

The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, and its Chief Registrar were listed as defendants in the suit which processes were obtained by journalists on Monday.

Justice John Tsoho had released a new practice direction for the trial of terrorism cases before the court.

The cases of Nnamdi Kanu, Bureau de Change operators indicted over sponsorship of terrorism, and Boko Haram suspects are currently before the court.

Justice Tsoho said the new practice direction was in the exercise of his constitutional powers as enshrined in Section 254 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

Under the new arrangement, the court said media coverage of proceedings is strictly prohibited.

Coverage of proceedings under these practice directions is strictly prohibited, save as may be directed by the court. A person who contravenes an order or direction made under these practices shall be deemed to have committed an offence contrary to Section 34(5) of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011 as amended, the document stated.

The IPOB leader also wants an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants , whether by themselves, servants, agents, privies, and all other officers and agents of the Federal High Court of Nigeria from applying and enforcing the provisions of the Federal High Court Practice Directions (On Trial of Terrorism Cases) 2022.

Others reliefs were A declaration that the failure of the 1st defendant to first seek and obtain the approval of the Federal Executive Council (or the National Council of Ministers) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria prior to enacting the Federal High Court Practice Directions (on Trials of Terrorism Cases), 2022, as required by Section 44 of the Federal High Court Act renders the Federal High Court Practice Direction (On Trial of Terrorism Cases) 2022, ultra vires, null and void.

A declaration that Order III Rules 3(b) and (d) of the Federal High Court Practice Directions (On Trials of Terrorism Cases) 2022, which respectively empower a Federal High Court trying terrorism cases to receive evidence by video link, and to receive written deposition of expert witness are inconsistent with Items 23 and 68 of the Exclusive Legislative List as well as Paragraph 2(b) of Part III of the 2nd Schedule to the Constitution which confers on the National Assembly the exclusive power to make rules of evidence, both substantive and adjectival and are therefore ultra vires, null and void to the extent of the inconsistency

A declaration that Order IV Rule 2 of the Federal High Court Practice Direction (on Trial of Terrorism Cases) 2022, which provides that a person who contravenes an order or direction made under these Directions shall be deemed to have committed an offence contrary to Section 34(5) of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011, (as amended) isotiose and inoperative because the National Assembly had already covered the field vide Section 34(5) of the Terrorism Prevention Act 2011, as amended.

A declaration that the rule-making powers of the 1st Defendant under Section 254 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, is limited to the premises of the Federal High Court and do not extend to outside its perimeters, which are under the exclusive responsibility of law enforcement agencies such as the Police, DSS, etc; and

An order of this Honorable court declaring the Federal High Court Practice Directions (On Trial of Terrorism Cases) 2022, unconstitutional ultra vires, invalid, null, void, and of no effect.
The Peristyle at New Orleans City Park is the place to be for an outdoor concert by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra Tuesday.

Assistant conductor Chelsea Gallo takes the baton to lead the orchestra in a roster of music than runs from the national anthem to Bernstein's "Candide," Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," Saint-Saens' "Bacchanale" from "Samson and Delilah" to the rousing strains of Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever."

Joining the orchestra as guest pianist will be Dr. Quinn Peeper in conjunction with Touro Hospital's centennial celebration of delivery babies.

The evening will start with students from the LPO Music for Life mentorship program, featuring the Music for Life String Orchestra, Homer Plessy Community School, Bricolage Academy and a composition premiere from Plessy student composers.

The Music for Life program starts at 5:45 p.m. and the LPO takes the Peristyle at 7 p.m.

Chairs and or blankets are encouraged at the free outdoor concert, 42 Dreyfous Drive. Rain date is Wednesday. lpomusic.com.
DakhaBrakha

1:40 p.m.-2:40 p.m. Cultural Exchange Pavilion

Formed in 2004 in Kyiv, DakhaBrakha calls itself a world music quartet, and it has both a unique sound built on Ukrainian folk music with stirring percussion, sometimes haunting vocals and art rock. Accordionist Marko Halanevych and cellist Nina Garenetska drive the band and Olena Tsybulska and Iryna Kovalenko add percussion.

Lakou Mizik

1:40 p.m.-2:40 p.m. Jazz & Heritage Stage

4:45 p.m.-5:45 p.m. Cultural Exchange Pavilion

Haitian roots music collective Lakou Mizik came together after the 2010 earthquake that struck the Caribbean country. They had a mission: To share Haitian culture around the world and dispel misconceptions about their home while preserving the countrys music and passing it on to the next generation. In 2019, Lakou Mizik released its sophomore album, HaitiaNola, a collaboration with a number of New Orleans-based musicians, including Arcade Fires Win Butler and Regine Chassagne, 79rs Gang, Leyla McCalla, The Soul Rebels and Trombone Shorty. The collectives latest album is Leave the Bones.

Jazz Fest: Lakou Mizik Lakou Miziks first appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival sparked an album. The Haitian music collective had just release

Tim Laughlin

1:45 p.m.-2:45 p.m. Economy Hall Tent

Early during the pandemic, clarinetist Tim Laughlin delivered short, socially distanced, solo concerts from his French Quarter balcony to raise spirits during the initial shutdowns. Laughlin was a protege of Pete Fountain and championed traditional jazz styles and New Orleans players. In 2020, he released an album of originals titled New Standards, and its full of beautiful tones and melodies.

Mia X

2:15 p.m.-3:20 p.m. Congo Square Stage

In recent years, Mia Young, better known as Mia X, has been spreading the word on healthier food and living, and she released a cookbook-memoir Things My Grandma Told Me, Things My Grandma Showed Me. But shes still one of the fiercest women in hip-hop. She helped propel No Limit Records in the 1990s and was central to several collaborations with other No Limit artists. She climbed to the top of the hip-hop world by herself with the albums Unlady Like and Mama Drama.

Jazz Fest: Mia X Mia X has a recent promo track on her website with the text, Mia X Certified Rap Freak; right next to it is an offer for her cookbook. The f

Martha Redbone Roots Project

3:05 p.m.-4:10 p.m. Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do-Do Stage

Martha Redbones repertoire of folk, blues, soul and more stems from her roots growing up Kentucky  drawing on her mothers Cherokee culture and her fathers gospel singing. Redbone honed her roots and soul sound in New York, and has blended traditional and indie music sounds.

Tank and the Bangas

3:50 p.m.-5:05 p.m. Congo Square Stage

In May 2019, Tank and the Bangas released their major label debut, Green Balloon, and the bands Jazz Fest featured a burst of green balloons and costuming. The album leaned into Tarriona Tank Balls vocal talents with singing and spoken word over the bands only-from-New Orleans mix of jazzy funk, soul and rock. This set falls just before its May 13 release of Red Balloon, which features contributions from Trombone Shorty, Big Freedia, Lalah Hathaway and others.

The Gospel Soul of Irma Thomas

3:50 p.m.-4:50 p.m. Gospel Tent

Irma Thomas walked away from her R&B singing career for a few years, but shes never stopped singing gospel. For years, shes held down two big Jazz Fest shows  one built on R&B, and another in the Gospel Tent.

The Cookers

4:15 p.m.-5:30 p.m. WWOZ Jazz Tent

Donald Harrison Jr. will appear several times at Jazz Fest, including his own headlining set and with young musicians he is mentoring on Friday, April 29. Here, he performs with The Cookers, a septet focused on post-bop jazz. The all-star lineup features veterans of some of the best-known bands and names in jazz. Billy Harper played alongside Herbie Hancock and Max Roach. Pianist George Cables backed Sonny Rollins and Freddie Hubbard. The lineup also includes Eddie Henderson, David Weiss, Billy Hart and Cecil McBee.

Jazz Fest: Tank and the Bangas Tank and the Bangas make a triumphant return to Jazz Fest, enthused to show off tracks from the groups forthcoming album, Red Balloon due o

Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit

5:40 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Shell Gentilly Stage

Jason Isbell is one of the best songwriters in contemporary rock and country music, which is reflected in the fact that his albums Something More than Free, The Nashville Sound and Reunions  the latter two with The 400 Unit  all reaching the No. 1 spot on Billboards rock, country and folk charts. While his early years with the Drive-By Truckers might have been more raucous, hes honed his songwriting since his 2007 solo debut, Sirens of the Ditch. His most recent release with the 400 Unit is Octobers Georgia Blue, a collection of his favorite Georgia songs, which he pledged to record for charity if Joe Biden won the state in the 2020 election.

The Who

5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Festival Stage

Pete Townshend spilled the beans about a Jazz Fest date in a 2019 video to fans, but they obviously didnt get to enjoy that 2020 appointment. Now, the legends of British rock are scheduled to hit the stage Saturday. Roger Daltrey and Townshend perform with a full backing band, including Petes younger brother Simon Townshend, and on their current North American tour have been augmenting it with local orchestras. The group has been drawing on hits spanning its career and tunes from its 2019 studio album, Who.
As the name implies, Dawn Richards Second Line: An Electro Revival is a moving, roving celebration.

On her sixth solo album, released just around this time last year, Richard finds inspiration in many things: her mother, Debbie; their family history; the Black pioneers of electronic music; Afrofuturism; her own artistic freedom; breaking genre boundaries; creating space for Black girls and non-binary folk in the electro revival; and  at the root of it all  New Orleans.

Richard dives deep into the culture on Second Line and celebrates the traditions she grew up with in New Orleans  and reframes them for the present and future.

What does it mean to second line? Richard asks early on the song Nostalgia. To give the good footwork with the good work. Its a celebration. An opportunity for us to do us, she replies over the bouncy synthesizer. And as the beat picks up: Im gonna get you to move.

Second Line appeared on several best albums of 2021 lists, including Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and NPR  and Gambits list of New Orleans albums we just couldnt stop thinking about. Richard has taken the album on tour, albeit not as much as she would have liked, she says, given the ongoing pandemic.

Now, she brings it home for a performance on the opening day of Jazz Fest.

You can expect to see a spectacle, Richard says. I always try to bring something a bit unique. Lots of glitter, lots of disco balls, lots of attitude, and the pop and electronic sound. We have multiple genres that come out of our city, and I just want to bring something thats new and refreshing to the Jazz Fest stage.

Like the music on her recent albums, Richard wants to respect the traditional sounds of New Orleans but bring a futuristic take on things. I want to bring the aspect of pop culture that sometimes people miss that we have here, Richard says. We are the now.

Richards family has had a long history in Black Masking Indian culture, particularly with the Washitaw Nation, and Richard plans to pay homage to the culture in her live show, she says. Richard explored her familys history of masking Indian and the cultures traditions on the 2019 album New Breed. And similar to how Richard features her mother on Second Line, her previous record focuses on her father, Frank, and sampled his New Orleans funk band, Chocolate Milk.

After more than a decade living on the West Coast  during which she co-founded Danity Kane and Dirty Money, a duo with Kalenna Harper that performed closely with Diddy  Richard decided to return to her hometown. She moved back to New Orleans permanently while working on New Breed, visiting Los Angeles for certain projects, and within the last two years, she has moved her Recording Academy membership from Los Angeles to the Memphis chapter (which covers Louisiana).

I was also talking to a lot of my peers, my friends, and they were saying, We can make a hub in New Orleans, Richard says, citing PJ Mortons move back to New Orleans, working with Trombone Shorty and getting to know Tank and the Bangas.

Its been a beautiful journey in the last three years, she says. It is a new city  its not the one I grew up in, but its not a bad thing, its just an evolved one. Its been a lovely opportunity to re-meet it. To see how it has changed, but also feel the ancestral and heritage still rooted.

The move back to New Orleans has come with challenges, Richard says, particularly as a woman working in electronic and pop. I am not doing the traditional sound of what you would think a New Orleans artist is being respected for, she adds.

There also are the obstacles that come with a lack of music industry infrastructure in New Orleans  access to more management teams, publicists, business resources and other national industry professionals.

But Richard sees opportunities in the challenges. Shes fighting the stereotype of what people think is a New Orleans sound. She wants to show listeners that not only do all musical roads start in New Orleans but the city will lead the way in the future. And New Orleans already has the talent to build an industry hub.

Weve always been the base of things, but to really see [Jon Batistes Grammy recognition] happen, its a full circle moment where youre seeing popular culture understand the presence and the beauty of what we can offer, Richard says. Its just a good time for New Orleans, and Im hoping I can show the female aspect when things tend to be a little male heavy.

Friday, April 29

12:30 p.m.-1:10 p.m. Congo Square Stage
The big stage headliners

All the Louisiana acts

The food  I ate my way through the festival

Just being on the Fair Grounds with friends again

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Dr. David Lucas Luke Glancy, a cardiologist at LSU Health Sciences Center who not only taught hundreds of medical students but also was twice chief of cardiology, died Sunday at his Folsom home, said his wife, Cynthia Glancy. He was 87.

The cause, she said, was ischemic cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the hearts ability to pump blood is decreased because the left ventricle, the hearts primary pumping chamber, is enlarged, dilated and weak.

He was truly the best of us, said Dr. Steve Nelson, LSU Health Sciences Centers interim chancellor, who described Glancy as a gifted educator and physician (who)  inspired an abiding love of medicine, compassion and excellence in the hundreds of students and residents whose careers he shaped and who will carry on his legacy.

Glancy came to New Orleans in 1972. From then until his retirement in 2014, he was at LSU Health Sciences Center, where he started as the medical schools chief of cardiology for two years. In 1992, after serving as medical director of cardiology and cardiac catheterization laboratories at Hotel Dieu Hospital (now part of University Medical Center), he became cardiology chief once again and held that post until 1999.

During his time in New Orleans, he was seeing patients from every ward in the city  from so many walks of life, his son David L. Glancy Jr. said. That and teaching young people were his juice.

When Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, Glancy was the acting cardiology chief. Because the storm and the ensuing floodwaters had forced Charity Hospital  the medical schools principal teaching hospital  to shut down, he was responsible for finding spots around the state for the 15 fellows he had been teaching, his wife said.

That came relatively easy, she said, because he had trained so many of the fellows that were practicing around the state.

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To ensure that everything went well, Glancy drove all over Louisiana to check on the fledgling physicians, his son said. He didnt have to  he was 70 years old  but that was his style. Im super-proud of him for that.

A native of Cincinnati who grew up in Atlanta, Glancy earned a bachelors degree at Emory University in Atlanta, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the scholastic honor society. He earned a medical degree at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and did his residency in internal-medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.

From 1966 to 1972, he worked in cardiac pathology at the National Heart Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, where he was chief of cardiovascular diagnosis in the institutes cardiology branch for four years.

In addition to practicing medicine in New Orleans, Glancy was editor-in-chief of The Journal of the Louisiana State Medical Society for 20 years, and he received the societys Hall of Fame Award in 2019. He also published more than 400 articles in medical journals.

A former president of the Louisiana affiliate of the American Medical Association, Glancy has been honored with a lectureship and professorship at LSU Health Sciences Center.

In addition to his wife and son, survivors include another son, Harrison Mark Glancy, of London; a daughter, Helen Craig Glancy, of River Ridge; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

The memorial service and burial will be private.

Greenwood Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Brad Ewell, a veteran police sergeant in Plano, Texas, received quite a shock a few years ago after a DNA test and a surprise phone call. It turned out his natural father wasnt the pilot he knew growing up in Dallas, he said, but a long-imprisoned member of the Bandidos, a violent motorcycle and drug gang.

In 1972, Jimmie Ray Graves killed a National Guard sergeant with two bullets to the back of the head on Interstate 20 in Caddo Parish. The guard, Charles Overfield, had interrupted a burglary at a National Guard armory in Shreveport and was set to testify against one of the suspects.

Graves pleaded guilty months later to avoid a death sentence in an era when life prisoners in Louisiana were commonly granted release after 10 years, 6 months with good behavior. The law began to change in 1973, limiting parole eligibility to lifers who had served 20 years. By 1979, life meant life, with no parole.

While Graves remains in prison at age 78, among the longest-tenured inmates in Louisiana, the son he never knew is now hoping to convince the Legislature to grant him and a few dozen other 10/6 lifers a shot at parole.

If you ask me, how long should you have to stay in prison after youve killed somebody, I dont know, said Ewell, 51, as he drove across Texas on Monday. I do believe, regardless of that, when the state enters into a contract with you, the state should honor that contract.

Ewell is scheduled to speak Tuesday before a state Senate Judiciary Committee as it weighs a pair of bills aimed at relief for those Vietnam War-era lifers  or at least some of them.

The two bills, authored by Democratic Sen. Regina Barrow and Republican Sen. Franklin Foil, both from Baton Rouge, each would grant parole eligibility to life prisoners convicted of crimes committed on or before July 2, 1973, when the state abandoned the 10-6 rule.

Foils bill would limit parole eligibility to those, like Graves, who pleaded guilty to earn their life sentences.

Advocates with the Louisiana Parole Project have pressed district attorneys across the state over the past year to grant relief to the 10/6 lifers, a costly sliver of a lifer population in Louisiana that numbers more than 4,000 inmates.

An initiative by Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams office has led to the release of a half-dozen of them, said Kerry Myers, the group's deputy director. Two others were released recently from other parishes. Eleven others have died in prison over a little more than a year.

Only 41 of those elderly lifers remain in prison, said Myers.

Several district attorneys are reluctant to modify their sentences on their own, preferring to leave it to the parole process, he said.

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Myers said about half of the remaining 10/6 lifers pleaded guilty to land their sentences, which have run for half a century or more.

Myers argued for Barrows bill, which would grant parole eligibility to all of those pre-1973 lifers. Foils bill, limiting it to those who pleaded guilty, was the result of opposition from the states district attorneys, he said.

Bringing this bill is just going to give everybody an opportunity to go in front of the parole board, Myers said. Theyre the longest-serving, among the most expensive. Whether they pleaded guilty or were convicted (at trial), theres no reason to distinguish. It was the same.

Loren Lampert, executive director of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association, said Monday that the group is opposed to granting parole eligibility to any 10-6 lifers who were convicted at trial. He said many of them received death sentences that were converted to life after the U.S. Supreme Court effectively suspended executions in 1972.

But Lampert said the group would not oppose parole hearings for the old lifers who pleaded guilty with the understanding they could seek release after 10 1/2 years, even if it wasn't an explicit promise.

Ewell described Graves, his newfound father, as a prison success story. After an early escape attempt and other misconduct, Graves settled down, took prison classes and has helped lead a Vietnam War veterans group at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

I murdered Mr. Overfield for money for drugs, Graves wrote in a 2019 confessional. I took an innocent mans life for the sole purpose of being able to continue acquiring the drugs I had been using for the 3 years leading up to my crime.

Graves applied three times for executive clemency and was approved twice by a board, but those applications died on the governors desk, Ewell said.

Ewell said his support for Graves came after they met and the imprisoned man made no excuses.

There was never anybody he blamed for being there but him. He owns who he was and what he did, Ewell said. He should have gone to prison when he went to prison. He should have stayed in prison for awhile, because he was not a good person. Now hes done exactly what prison hopes to do, which is to reform you.

Efforts to reach Overfields family for this story were not successful.
Information about the new Realme Smart TV X Full HD series has been unveiled ahead of the scheduled April 29th launch in India. The almost bezel-less HD TV will come with 43-in and 40-in options. The gadget will have Dolby Audio and Realme Chroma Boost technologies, with Android OS enabling Chromecast and Google Assistant.

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Details about the new Realme Smart TV X Full HD have been revealed ahead of the product launch in India on April 29th. Listings on Realme and Flipkarts websites describe some specifications, with an industry source confirming further details to MySmartPrice.

The TV will come in two screen sizes, 43-in and 40-in. The gadgets are billed as having a bezel-less design, with a 5.76 mm (~0.23-in) bezel. A full HD LED display brings a 1920 x 1080 px resolution and support for HDR 10 content. Its worth noting that the device will not support Dolby Vision or HDR 10+ media.

The gadget has Realmes Chroma Boost picture technology to enhance the images brightness and color. Also included is a 24W four-speaker system with Dolby Audio technology. A MediaTek quad-core processor will power the devices with ARM Cortex-A55 CPU and Mali-G31 MP2 GPU. Plus, the TVs have 1 GB RAM and 8 GB of storage.

The new Realme Smart TV X Full HD is expected to have Android TV OS and support Chromecast and Google Assistant, similar to the 32 Realme Smart TV Full HD. The TV series is expected to retail in India for between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 (~US$326 and US$391). Given the pricing, this device is expected to rival the upcoming Xiaomi Mi TV 5A, which will launch on April 27th.

Buy the TCL 40-in 1080p Smart LED Roku TV on Amazon
Dramatic CCTV video captured the moment a commuter fainted and fell into the gap of a moving train at an Argentina railway station.

Security camera footage from March 29 shows a woman passing out on the platform at the Independencia station near Buenos Aires. She loses her balance, falls towards the moving train and collapses into the gap between the carriage and platform.

The commuter survived the fall. Security personnel rescued and assisted the victim, who was treated at a local hospital for injuries sustained from the trauma and impact of the accident.
Xi in my eyes | To him, there is no self. There is only the people

Xinhua) 14:45, April 25, 2022

After nearly half a century, President Xi met with his old schoolmate Sommano Pholsena. Hear what Sommano said about his experience with Xi, and what makes the Communist Party of China successful.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
A new finance program at Purdue University's business school will be named after the late Region billionaire Dean White, a hotel and billboard magnate who amassed a great fortune.

Purdue Universitys School of Management is launching the Dean V. White Real Estate Finance Program after the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation made the largest monetary donation in the school of management's history. The foundation has pledged $20.8 million.

Deans true love  second to his family  was real estate and the creative nuances of crafting the perfect deal, a deal that starts with a new vision for an area and that results in new businesses, jobs and a stronger community," said Bill Hanna, executive director of the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation. "This program will help cultivate a similar passion in students aspiring to do great things in business and in their communities.

Purdue will offer the Dean V. White Real Estate Finance Program as an academic minor in the 2022-23 school year. It will be available to management. business and other students.

It will focus on teaching students how to plan, develop and manage commercial real estate projects to prepare them for a career in the real estate industry.

The donation will help fund four new faculty positions and create space at the Krannert Center for Executive Education and Research to house the program.

We are seeing fascinating changes in real estate markets to how and where people live, work and recreate. These changes represent a fundamental challenge and opportunity for business, said David Hummels, the Dr. Samuel R. Allen Dean of the Krannert School of Management. We have brought together an outstanding group of faculty with deep subject matter expertise and significant experience leading and teaching in some of the worlds best real estate programs. Graduates from this program will be ready to take a leadership role in confronting these challenges and seizing these opportunities."

White, a World War II veteran, attended the University of Nebraska and the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York before spending most of his life in Crown Point, where he became one of Indiana's wealthiest business leaders and a prominent philanthropist.

He and his family have been longtime supporters of Purdue University. His son Bruce White's company White Lodging recently helped renovate Union Club Hotel at Purdue, turning it into a boutique hotel and a learning laboratory for Purdue hospitality students. Dean White died at the age of 93 in 2016.

We are grateful for the foundations generosity and will ensure the program positively represents Deans legacy, Hummels said.

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Nearly every day in the pages of The Times, you can read about the ongoing acceleration of new residents and businesses in Northwest Indiana. Based on the volume of these stories, it is clear that the Region has, without question, arrived.

In March, the Times featured a three part Region of Relevance Progress series that showcased the tremendous development and visionary plans for over 50 Northwest Indiana organizations. The Times was very proud to bring those stories to our readers, but those impressive accomplishments and plans are not just happening in March.

Almost any day you read The Times in print or online, you can find impressive economic, educational and social services development news that showcases the Regions aggressive growth trajectory.

While the Region is expanding and showing signs of innovation across every zip code, our business-focused magazine, InBusiness, is at a crossroads. InBusiness Magazine publishes 20 Under 40 and Business & Industry Hall of Fame issues that are well received, and hosts corresponding events that are very popular for the Regions business community. However, there is simply too much exciting and positive news to wait for one our bi-monthly InBusiness editions to bring these stories to the people of Northwest Indiana.

So, to ensure The Times is capturing all of the emerging economic, educational and social services developments in the Region, the Times will re-imagine what InBusiness should be to the Northwest Indiana community. Starting in April, InBusiness has been highlighting these stories as they happen in the daily print editions and on NWI.com.

The goal is for anyone within earshot of Northwest Indiana to learn about the exciting economic development for the Regions local business community as it happens, and to associate the InBusiness brand delivering that exceptional news. This community is very aware of the exciting advancement underway, but its time to bring that message to the rest of the Midwest.

The Times is committed to delivering stories that feature all sizes of business across every industry. The Times will also be putting a focus on the entrepreneurial undercurrent that is bringing so much energy to the Region.

Utilizing the same distribution strategy that has propelled our readership growth over the last five years, InBusiness will utilize our multi-platform content strategy of print, digital, video, social and events.

The Times would love to be able to dig out all of these tremendous developments on our own, but we could use your help. The Times invites the business community to share their exciting news as it happens, and well do our best to amplify your story for all to see.

This reimagining of InBusiness will also explore mutually beneficial partnerships that highlight existing events and networking opportunities, and introduce new ones. A perfect example of such an event includes the Workforce Innovation series, put on by Center of Workforce Innovations and WorkOne of Northwest Indiana, where business leaders can receive relevant data, innovative best practices and engaging dialogue to prepare the Region to embrace what experts are calling a new way of work.

These are exciting times in Northwest Indiana, and this Region is poised to shed its image as the Heart of the Rust Belt and become the shiny new engine of the Midwest. We hope youll join us for the ride.

Tom Schager is president of The Times Media Company.

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There was a time when rivers were the highways of America, and the Ohio River, as it stretched along the southern border of Indiana separating the state from Kentucky, was no different. It is why, for a long stretch of time in the 1800s, Floyd County was the richest spot in the state of Indiana.

In both Floyd and neighboring Clark County ship owners and captains and all the kings of industry who contributed to what was necessary to build and keep those boats afloat erected elaborate mansions.

As is the way of all things, one form of transportation was eclipsed by another, and with the advent of railroads, and later trucks and cars, steamships were scuttled and fortunes disappeared.

But some of these magnificent mansions remain in both New Albany and Jeffersonville, and its worth a drive to Southern Indiana to visit what are now house museums and to experience what else is going on in these lovely riverfront towns just across the river from Louisville.

When we talk about mansions, were very serious indeed. The Richardsonian-Romanesque-style Howard Steamboat Museum in Jeffersonville is a whopping 22 rooms. And that doesnt include the carriage house, which was transported across the river from where it was used as part of the 1883 Southern Exposition in Louisville and set upon the 20 acres that would eventually be the site of the Howard home.

Open for tours, the red stone house with its turrets, gables, arches and Palladian style windows is the only steamship museum in the country, and its full of wonderful artifacts harkening back to the era when the family owned the Howard Shipyard, which produced over 3,000 boats. It was the largest inland shipyard in America, which, when you think about it, was really amazing. I mean Jeffersonville, Indiana, not the Eastern seaboard or in Florida, but in Southern Indiana. I say good for them.

This isnt the only great home opened for tours, but before leaving Jeffersonville, theres another bit of history to appreciate, and this one is very sweet.

In 1891, Gus Schimpf Sr. and Jr. opened a candy store at 347 Spring St. in downtown Jeffersonville. That was the beginning of a family business that is still going strong 132 years later, surviving two world wars, floods, the Great Depression and numerous recessions. But the Schimpfs really love candy making, having started in Louisville, Kentucky in the 1850s and then spinning off another store in Jeffersonville 20-some years later.

Now run by Warren Schimpf and his wife Jill, Schimpf Confectionary is not only a place to buy candy, but to watch it being made during frequent free demonstrations. Afterwards, take a look at the candy museum, and then grab lunch, or at least an ice cream soda, at their old-fashioned soda fountain.

Choose from among their many candies, including such specialties as the caramel-covered marshmallows created for Madame Modjeska, a famed Polish actress who starred on stage in Louisville in the late 1800s. There are also Cinnamon Red Hot Hearts, and fish shaped candies that come in a variety of flavors including butter rum, cherry, chocolate, coconut, orange, peach, pina colada, pineapple, sour apple, spearmint and sweet birch. But dont forget about the Chocolate Cordial Cherries, Cinnamon Red Hot Creams, and Chocolate Dipped Caramels with Sea Salt. All come in milk and dark chocolate.

Fortified with confections, head over to the Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site in New Albany. The threestory Second Empire-style mansion, built in 1867 by the richest man in Indiana, shows how exquisitely you lived back then if you were rich  and William S. Culbertson was decidedly so. At his death in 1892 at age 78, he was worth, in todays money, about $61 million.

Like Jeffersonville, New Albany was a steamboat town. Between 1817 and 1854, the shipyards there built 249 steamboats. The citys Mansion Row Historic District on Main Street, between State and 15th streets, is filled with wonderful old homes, most of which are privately owned.

As marvelous as they all are, the Culbertson Mansion stands out with its arches, columns, balconies and semi-circular bay windows. Inside, its just as lush. Artisans were hired to paint the designs of both the walls, ceilings and cornices on the first and second floors, and even some of the floors were hand-painted. Trompe loiel, the French term for "deceives the eye," was used in some of the rooms to replicate paneling, textured surfaces and molding. In other words, William, or at least one or more of his three wives, didnt skimp on the interior.

Take a walk along the historic district, checking out such residences as 714 E. Main St., built in 1873 for Washington C. DePauw. If the last name sounds familiar, DePauw donated so much money to the university in Greencastle that they changed its name to honor him. Its also a Second Empire-style, and DePauw was also one of the richest men in the state. It was that kind of neighborhood.

Of course, this one isnt a museum, so you can only look. The same is true for 904 E. Main St., which Culbertson built for his son as a wedding present, and the Italianate-style Sloan-Bicknell-Paris House at 600 E. Main St.

Downtown New Albany is trendy and happening, so check it out. Habana Blues Tapas Restaurant features Cuban-inspired cuisine, so you can order mojitos and margaritas to go with the three versions of paella they serve. Baers City Winery has a nice selection of wines, including sangria, as well as a brick pizza oven. If beer is your thing, then you are in luck. Floyd County Brewing Company is a Medieval-inspired brewpub, and Donum Dei Brewery serves sandwiches and soup. The menu at New Albanian Brewing offers pizza, pasta, sandwiches and appetizers. Theres a coin-operated arcade with plenty of cabinet and pinball games.

For more information, contact the Clark-Floyd Counties Convention Tourism Bureau at 812-280-5566 or www.gosoin.com.

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VALPARAISO  After multiple delays and failed attempts to dismiss charges and move his case out of Porter County, former Porter County police officer Curtis Jones will face a jury beginning this week on charges of beating his infant son nearly six years ago, leaving the boy disabled and with a much shorter life expectancy.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday, and nine days have been set aside for the trial by Porter Superior Court Judge Mike Fish.

Jones, who recently turned 52 and is now living in Florida, faces felony counts of battery resulting in serious bodily injury to a person less than 14 years of age and two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury. Each of the felony counts carry a potential sentence of three to 16 years behind bars.

He had worked as a county police officer from April 1996 through October 2005, Porter County Sheriff Dave Reynolds had said.

A doctor at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago said the child suffered "the worst brain injury I have ever seen," according to court documents. The doctors determined the injuries were consistent with being shaken and must have occurred July 24, 2016, when he was in the care of Curtis when his former wife and the boy's mother was at her overnight nursing job.

The child, Braxson Jones, was 6 months old when the alleged abuse is said to have occurred and is now 6 years old. The boy's mother, Susan Jones, had in 2018 shared on social media the 911 call placed by Curtis Jones on the night in question.

Among her concerns was that Curtis Jones was casual enough during the roughly 13-minute call to chat and laugh with the dispatcher and tell her to "tell everyone I said hi" while his son makes noises in the background that Susan Jones, a registered nurse, said was agonal or was evidence of troubled breathing.

"They were talking like old friends," she said at the time.

Curtis also tells the dispatcher "to kill the Signal 10. I don't think the Signal 10 is necessary. I don't need no lights and sirens waking up the neighbors over here."

Earlier in the call, Curtis tells the dispatcher of his son, "It's just that he's cold, and he's not waking up. That's just the weird thing."

At another point, he says of his son, "He's really stiff too."

Curtis said his wife, who was away at work, wanted him to call 911.

The latest defense team in the case  attorneys John Vouga and Nicholas Barnes  made a failed pitch last year to dismiss the case, arguing prosecutors failed to provide the necessary evidence to back up the charges.

The charges claim the offense occurred on or about July 24, 2016, but prosecutors say the injuries suffered by the child "'must have happened 'near' the time that Mr. Jones called 911," the motion to dismiss read. "The phrase 'must have' provides zero degree of sufficient certainty. Additionally, the word 'near' is equally vague and provides no certainty."

"There is no scientific test to determine when these injuries occurred, just guesses," the defense said. "As this Court is aware, our criminal justice system is not intended to convict individuals based on guesses, but rather facts."

The judge responded that state code has held since 1884 "that the time of the offense need not be pled perfectly unless time is of the essence of the offense."

Jones also made a failed attempt last year to move his case out of Porter County, arguing he will be unable to receive a fair trial locally as a result of prejudicial news coverage of the case and the disclosure of inadmissible evidence.

Vouga and Barnes took over the case in January 2021 from one attorney who died in 2019 and another who was disbarred a year prior.

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A Hammond man convicted of murder last year and sentenced to 60 years in prison for the "execution-style" slaying of his cousin potentially has a chance to reduce his prison term by up to 10 years.

The Indiana Court of Appeals recently struck down the 10-year firearms enhancement added to the 50-year prison term issued to Shaun A. Whitelow, 33, for shooting to death 30-year-old Darvell L. Smith, of Hammond, on Nov. 3, 2019, as Smith sat in his parked car in the 2300 block of White Oak Avenue in Hammond's Robertsdale neighborhood.

In a 3-0 ruling, the appeals court determined Whitelow did not personally waive his right to a separate jury trial on the firearms enhancement as required by law.

Instead, Lake Superior Judge Diane Ross Boswell merely asked Whitelow's attorney whether the firearms enhancement should be tried by the jury or the judge and accepted the attorney's request for a bench trial without asking Whitelow himself, according to court records.

"In Indiana felony prosecutions, waiver is valid only if communicated personally by the defendant," said Appeals Judge Margret Robb on behalf of the court.

"The trial court failed to confirm Whitelows personal waiver before proceeding to a bench trial. Accordingly, we reverse Whitelows firearm enhancement and remand for further proceedings."

Records show a hearing has not yet been scheduled for Whitelow to decide whether he wants a jury trial or bench trial on the firearms enhancement.

Both he and the attorney general's office also still can request the Indiana Supreme Court review the Court of Appeals' decision.

According to court records, Whitelow and Smith initially clashed over seating at a family birthday party.

Subsequent taunting on Facebook and over the telephone eventually spurred Whitelow to fire three shots into Smith's parked car while Smith sat in the driver's seat, records show.

Records show Whitelow's other claims that his murder conviction was based on improper and inadequate evidence were unanimously rejected by the appeals court.

As a result, both his murder conviction and the associated 50-year prison sentence remain intact, according to court records.

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A prominent Northwest Indiana business owner and an aide to U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., are battling for the Republican nomination to represent the 4th District on the Lake County Council.

The winner of the May 3 GOP contest between Pete Lindemulder and Tony Ferraro, both of Schererville, will compete in the Nov. 8 general election for a four-year term against Nick Petrovski, of Crown Point, who is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

The 4th District spans nearly all of St. John Township, except its northeast corner, and also takes in the northwest corner of Center Township, including most of Dyer, Schererville, St. John and part of Crown Point.

Its current council member, Republican Dan Dernulc, of Highland, is giving up his seat on Lake County's financial governing body to run this year for Indiana Senate District 1.

Lindemulder, the owner of three local businesses, including Premier Porta Potty, said his management experience and service on multiple not-for-profit boards of directors make him ideally suited to oversee spending by Lake County government.

"Lake County has so much to offer those who live here," he said. "I want to make sure we continue building on the current momentum of the state of Indiana so that families from not only across the border in Illinois, but also from around the country, can look at Lake County as a great place to raise their families, open businesses and thrive."

In particular, Lindemulder said he wants to improve transparency by simplifying, consolidating and better organizing county financial documents to more easily compare the council's 500-odd pages of appropriations with how the money actually is being spent.

He also hopes to work with the county commissioners to make bidding on county government contracts more accessible to local businesses to attract more bidders and score better prices for the products and services purchased by Lake County taxpayers.

"I have owned and worked with multiple successful businesses that each had a budget ranging from a few hundred thousand dollars a year to a few hundred million dollars a year. I've also worked on several local and international not-for-profit boards of various sizes. The common denominator for each entitys success was consistent and easy to understand financials. I believe Lake County's citizens deserve the same," Lindemulder said.

Ferraro also is touting his experience as a small business owner, as well as his work alongside Indiana's junior U.S. senator, as the primary reason 4th District voters should pick him for the Lake County Council.

"Twenty-four years and counting of managing operations has taught me the value of hard work and strong principles," Ferraro said.

"Getting the opportunity to transition into the federal government and learn how to best affect and work with government agencies  on both sides of the aisle  to get things done has shown me that leadership is needed on every level to help our institutions provide cost-effective and real problem-solving solutions to our communities."

In addition, Ferraro is pledging as a council member to unreservedly support law enforcement "because these people put their lives on the line for us every day, and we owe them no less."

He said anyone who votes for him will be getting a council member who is serious, dedicated, experienced and capable.

"I've got the drive. I've got the enthusiasm. And I want to go to work," Ferraro said.

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VALPARAISO  Porter County is winnowing the list of applicants for the $33 million American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Of the 53 proposals from 48 applicants, at least nine have already been knocked out of the running, said County Auditor Vicki Urbanik, who is leading the steering committee.

The Nonprofits and Employers Subcommittee heard more than 25 requests and has reduced the number to 16. Those applicants have been invited to a series of four meetings to make their pitch for their projects.

Thats the biggest number of applicants for any of the subcommittees.

The Infrastructure and Facilities Subcommittee received 13 proposals from nine applicants. The Behavioral Health and Social Services Subcommittee received 10 requests from nine applicants. The County COVID-19 Response Subcommittee got 15 proposals from six applicants.

If the subcommittees stay on track, as they have so far, their recommendations will be ready for the steering committee by the end of May, Urbanik said.

The steering committee plans to meet at 5 p.m. June 16 to hear presentations from each of the subcommittees. A week later, at 5 p.m. June 23, the committee plans to formulate its own proposal from the subcommittees recommendations and hold a public hearing on the plan. The next step will be to offer the steering committees own presentation to the Board of Commissioners for its approval.

We are now up to a total of 24 meetings with more to go, Urbanik said.

At the recommendation of County Attorney Scott McClure, the steering committee decided to set a deadline of July 1, 2024, for the money to be obligated for each of the projects. If a project isnt going to make the later federal deadline of the end of that year for contracts to be approved, or if it looks like the project wont be finished and money spent by the end of 2026, the steering committee could withdraw money from a project and spend it elsewhere.

Everyones doing projects, so the engineering and architectural world is feeling that, he said.

If a building project doesnt already have plans drawn and money raised from other sources, theyre going to be in a tight timeline, he said.

If the county doesnt meet the federal deadlines, any unspent money will have to be returned to the U.S. Department of Treasury.

Returning the money is probably our least preferred option, McClure said.

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I would rather fail at something interesting than do something boring.

That quote, from an interview with Pam Tanowitz in Dance Magazine last year, came to mind during the premiere, on Friday, of Law of Mosaics, her third work for New York City Ballet. Set to a string score of the same name by the contemporary American composer Ted Hearne, this odd, convention-bending ballet is a lot of things; boring is not one of them.

Not long ago, it was a big deal to see even one Tanowitz work on the David H. Koch Theater stage. Her first City Ballet commission, in 2019, arrived in the wake of multiple rejections from the companys in-house choreographic institute. And with her downtown roots and firm interest in deconstructing the classical, she remains something of an outsider. But City Ballet is letting audiences get to know her. Showing us two sides of Tanowitz, Fridays program, under the heading Visionary Voices, also included the company premiere of her poignant Gustave le Gray No. 1  a 2019 dance created for members of Miami City Ballet and Dance Theater of Harlem  alongside recent additions to the repertory by Jamar Roberts and Justin Peck.

Law of Mosaics begins jarringly, with three dancers, momentarily still and silhouetted, activated into busy motion by the emphatic first note of the score. The opening section of the music (conducted here by Hearne) is titled Excerpts from the middle of something, and thats how the dancing feels: like part of a story thats been unfolding before we arrived, presented without introduction. We just have to catch up.
Putting additional funding behind his efforts to move homeless people off New York City streets, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Sunday that he would propose a $171 million investment in homeless services that would include funding for 1,400 specialized shelter beds.

The spending comes as the city carries out an aggressive plan to remove homeless people from encampments and the subway system.

Mr. Adamss plan would expand on a program begun under the previous mayor, Bill de Blasio, that provides temporary specialized shelter beds for New Yorkers coming off the street  beds in high-quality facilities that offer more services and have fewer restrictions, including no curfew. Some have private rooms rather than barracks-style beds.

Mr. Adams had previously announced the addition of 500 beds to the program as part of his push to remove homeless people from the subways; the proposal unveiled on Sunday would expand the total number of such beds to more than 4,000, city officials said.
KHARTOUM, Sudan  Hundreds of Arab militia fighters, many riding motorbikes or driving vehicles mounted with guns, attacked a village in Sudans western Darfur region on Sunday, torching homes and shops and killing at least 150 people, aid groups and United Nations officials said.

The violence, which later spread to a nearby town, was the latest in a series of clashes involving Arab and ethnic African groups in Darfur in recent months, and one of the countrys deadliest episodes in years. The attack highlighted the growing security vacuum that experts say has worsened in tandem with a political crisis in Sudan, where the military seized power in October.

The General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced in Darfur, an aid agency, said 168 people had been killed and another 98 injured in the violence around Kereneik in West Darfur.

A United Nations official in Sudan confirmed that account, saying the U.N. had received reports of 150 and 200 deaths. The attack started at dawn, when hundreds of armed men encircled Kereneik before opening fire, later going house to house and killing civilians, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the lack of permission to speak publicly.
The outbreak in Beijing is another blow to the already stumbling Chinese economy. Waves of selling hit the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets on Monday, driving down by 4.9 percent in a single day the CSI 300 Index of large Chinese companies share prices.

While the entire city of Shanghai has been locked down for nearly a month, Beijing is experimenting initially with a more selective approach. A handful of neighborhoods have been locked down, and residents of apartment complexes adjacent to these neighborhoods have been strongly discouraged from leaving their homes.

The largest area where residents are locked down or discouraged from leaving their homes covers about a square mile of southern Chaoyang District, across a wide avenue from the Beijing University of Technology. Shops on the universitys side of the avenue were still open early Monday evening, but apparel stores, convenience stores, eateries and many other businesses on the far side of the avenue were all dark and empty.

A half dozen police squad cars were parked with blue, white and red flashing lights at one corner of the area. Several more squad cars were parked along the road. A couple of ambulances stood ready to whisk away anybody found to be infected. But there was no easily visible sign of the high green security fences being used in Shanghai to cordon off homes and neighborhoods.

Li Haiqing, a 27-year-old resident of a locked-down neighborhood several miles farther east, said he had stocked up on instant food, snacks, water and paper towels on Saturday and so had been ready when he awoke Sunday morning to find that no one was allowed to leave his apartment complex.

It took me by surprise, he said. I wonder why it happened so suddenly  it feels as if it had nothing to do with me, adding, Because there are confirmed cases after all, I think safety is the first priority.

Cases have been spreading in Beijing for a week, with multiple rounds of transmission, Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing, said at a news conference on Sunday.
IN POLAND, NEAR THE UKRAINIAN BORDER  Nearly 48 hours since leaving Washington on what was supposed to be a clandestine mission, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III met with reporters to discuss an operation that was nearly over before it began.

This was an important time to be there, Mr. Blinken said Monday morning. An important time for Ukraine, for the war, and an important moment to have face-to-face conversations in detail.

The visit also resulted in a striking redefinition of success for Americas goals in Ukraine.

We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it cant do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine, Mr. Austin said. It had already lost a lot of military capability and a lot of its troops, quite frankly, and we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability.

The two cabinet secretaries spoke in a warehouse standing in front of tall stacks of humanitarian aid, while across from them were green-painted wooden boxes of munitions for Soviet-designed weapons used by Ukrainian troops  striking visual reminders of the kinds of aid the United States is providing Kyiv.
KYIV, Ukraine  Two top American officials, in a trip shrouded in secrecy, made a wartime journey to Kyiv on Sunday, where President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine planned to urge them to provide more aid in his nations battle against Russian invaders, a top Ukrainian official said.

The U.S. government had been at extraordinary pains to keep everything about the trip by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III under wraps until the men were safely out of Ukraine, declining even to confirm that it was taking place.

But it was an open secret.

A day earlier, Mr. Zelensky disclosed plans for the highest-level U.S. delegation to visit Ukraine since Russia invaded two months ago. And in an interview broadcast on Sunday, as the U.S. government remained silent, an adviser to Mr. Zelensky, Oleksiy Arestovych, said on Ukrainian television that the men were there.

Theyre right now in Kyiv, talking to the president, Mr. Arestovich said. Maybe something will be decided regarding how they can help.
Europes once surging movement of nationalist populists suffered a significant setback in Slovenia on Sunday, in the formerly communist east, on the same day French voters rejected the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in their presidential election.

In parliamentary elections in Slovenia, a noteworthy test for the appeal of right-wing populism, preliminary results indicated that the prime minister, Janez Jansa, an ardent admirer of former President Donald J. Trump, lost to centrist rivals. Liberal democracy has come under particularly intense pressure in the region over the past decade.

With 95 percent of the vote counted in an election that the opposition called a referendum on democracy, results indicated that Mr. Jansas Slovenian Democratic Party, competing against 19 rival parties, had won around 24 percent of the vote. That is far behind the 34 percent of its main rival, the centrist Freedom Movement, meaning that Mr. Jansa is highly unlikely to keep his post as prime minister.

The results, showing that no single party won a clear majority, presage a period of political haggling as rival groups try to stitch together a stable coalition in parliament. That should be within reach of the Freedom Movement, led by a political newcomer, Robert Golob, a former energy company executive, with help from the Social Democrats and other smaller parties.
It is always emotional when an item belonging to the Bronte family is returned home and this final little book coming back to the place where it was written after being thought lost is very special for us, she said.

According to a news release, the book will be put on public display and also digitized, making poems that have been virtually unseen since they were written accessible to readers around the world.

The miniature books and magazines created by the young Charlotte. Emily, Anne and Branwell Bronte in the 1820s have long been objects of fascination for ordinary people and deep-pocketed collectors alike. Initially created to entertain their toy soldiers (and sewn together from sugar packets, wallpaper scraps and other stray bits of paper), the tiny volumes reflected the rich imaginary world they created in the isolation of the family home, which fed into novels like Charlottes Jane Eyre and Emilys Wuthering Heights.

A Book of Rhymes, a 15-page volume smaller than a playing card made in 1829, was last seen at auction in 1916 in New York, where it sold for $520. It then disappeared from view, its whereabouts  and even its survival  unknown.

The titles of the 10 poems inside had been listed in the 1857 biography of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell. But the poems themselves have never been published, photographed, transcribed or even summarized, making them what some scholars say are the last of her unread poems.
Six months after Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer on the set of the movie Rust, raising questions about who was culpable and how live ammunition got onto the set, the Santa Fe County sheriffs office said Monday it still lacked key pieces of evidence, including ballistics analysis, that it said it needed to complete its criminal investigation.

The sheriffs office discussed the wait for evidence as it took the step of releasing a trove of files relating to the Rust investigation, including witness interviews; lapel and dash camera footage; crime scene photos; text messages between members of the crew in the days before and after the shooting; and videos of Mr. Baldwin practicing with the gun in the church where the deadly shooting occurred.

The office has been investigating the death of the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, 42, who was shot and killed in New Mexico on Oct. 21 during the rehearsal for a scene that required Mr. Baldwin to draw a replica old-fashioned revolver from a shoulder holster that he had been told contained no live ammunition.

The gun went off, discharging a bullet that killed Ms. Hutchins and injured Joel Souza, the films director. Since then, the sheriffs office in Santa Fe has been gathering evidence and investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The hours are not based on what workers want or the workers need, said Ms. Wesley, who works at LDJ5. Its based off of what Amazon has figured out to be most efficient at the expense of the workers.

Amazon did not respond to a request for comment on the workers complaints about scheduling.

In an interview at the rally, Ms. Wesley said that the union had expected to have an easier time organizing LDJ5 after its victory at the warehouse but that Amazon had been aggressively trying to persuade workers to vote no.

Although the unions prospects looked bleak a couple of weeks ago, no one gave up, Ms. Wesley said. They persevered and kept talking to their co-workers. The vibe has changed significantly in the building. I think we got a good shot at it.

But the union faces obstacles in the election, including the shorter time that it has been organizing workers at the sorting center and the fact that most of the groups top officials and organizers work at the larger facility, known as JFK8, giving them less direct access to workers at LDJ5.

Many unions also find it more difficult to organize workplaces with a large proportion of part-time workers, who can be less invested in organizing campaigns.
The tweets may be a glimpse at how Twitter would run under Musks ownership. Critics say they were just the latest example of Musk using the platform, and his enormous following on it, as a bully pulpit, whether directed at billionaires or others. Musk has said he wants Twitter to fulfill its societal imperative as a platform for free speech. But as DealBook has reported, that raises real questions of what might happen to Twitter under his watch, given the tone he is setting and the problems that plagued the networks previous C.E.O., Jack Dorsey, before he embraced a more rules-based approach to content moderation. Dorsey had said that he didnt fully predict or understand the real-world negative consequences of a more unfettered service. To what extent will Twitters board weigh the potential for more real-world negative consequences against the money put forward by Musk?

Image

HERES WHATS HAPPENING

Emmanuel Macron comfortably holds off Frances far right. Marine Le Pen yesterday conceded to Macron, the first French president to be re-elected in 20 years, after he won 58.5 percent of the vote to Le Pens 41.5 percent. The result was a relief for officials in the U.S. and Europe, who were wary of Le Pens hostile views toward NATO and the E.U.

Chinese authorities order mass Covid testing in Beijing. As the coronavirus spreads in an affluent district of the capital, residents are waiting in long lines for tests and rushing to supermarkets to stock up on food in case the city goes into another lockdown.

Tech giants including Apple, Amazon and Microsoft report earnings this week. The quarterly updates will come after stocks tumbled last week for a third week; Friday was the S&P 500s worst day since early March. Recent comments from Fed officials have signaled that interest rates will climb far faster than previously expected because of persistently high inflation.

The National Labor Relations Board sues Starbucks for retaliating against union organizers. U.S. labor officials petitioned a federal court to make Starbucks reinstate three workers who they say were forced out for union campaigning. Meanwhile, workers organizing in the tech industry are finding that their companies responses are often from the standard anti-union playbook.
But the vote tally could still be embarrassing to Mr. Buffett if it signals that most shareholders disagree with him.

The activist investors contend that their proposal last year won majority support among the many shareholders, including large investment firms like BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street, that are not part of a Berkshire inner circle made up of Mr. Buffett and people and entities he has longstanding ties to.

Some analysts who follow the company say they are not surprised Mr. Buffett is opposed to the climate change proposal because they have long felt that Berkshire doesnt disclose enough details about its corporate empire.

This is just a continuation of a corporate style  and a corporate style that is becoming antiquated, said Cathy Seifert, an analyst at CFRA Research who follows Berkshire. And I think were going to see just how antiquated with the shareholder vote.

The activist investors said that if Mr. Buffett was set in his ways, so were they. Their playbook is well honed and relatively straightforward. First, they try to compel companies to rigorously estimate and disclose their carbon emissions under the principle that you cant improve what you dont measure. Once companies know roughly how much carbon they are releasing, activists pressure them to release a plan to cut emissions over the medium and long term. Companies can then be judged against those plans, and more pressure can be applied when businesses fail to meet targets.

So far, the activists are stuck at the first stage with Mr. Buffett  Berkshire does not disclose its comprehensive emissions across its businesses, though some subsidiaries, like Berkshire Hathaway Energy, provide some information. Others, like its insurance businesses, which invest in companies that may produce and consume fossil fuels, provide very few details about their impact on the planet.

As companies take measures to become greener, they have pledged to cut emissions from their own operations and the power plants from which they buy electricity. Some go even further and intend to reduce the carbon footprint of their suppliers and customers, known as Scope 3 emissions.
Good morning. Kevin Noble Maillard has a terrific story in The Times this week about the evolution of grape dumplings (above), a favorite dessert of various Native tribes in the southeast for centuries. Originally made with cornmeal and possum grapes, the dumplings have over generations come also to be made with wheat flour and Concord grape juice. The older ones used corn, Kevins mother, the late Shermaine Noble Maillard, a citizen of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, used to tell him. So his recipe does, too.

Will you give that a try this week? Maybe after a dinner of smothered chicken, braised greens and rice? Thats my plan, anyway.

Id also like to come up with a new breakfast strategy. I was cutting chunks of cold navel orange into plain yogurt throughout citrus season, then scrambling eggs to eat on buttered floured tortillas, then daubing apricot preserves onto store-bought croissants. All that eventually grew tiring, as can happen when you eat the same thing every morning for any length of time.

So now Im thinking banana granola with cinnamon, nutmeg and walnuts? Or avocado toast? I might return to the joys of egg-in-a-hole, which some people call a Guy Kibbee, for the actor who cooked one in the 1935 film, Mary Janes Pa. Maybe ham omelet sandwiches? You let me know: foodeditor@nytimes.com. Id love to hear about your breakfast plans.
Government involvement, Dr. Hardeman said, is also key. While she tries to get congressional support, she is leading up a work group with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, where we are tasked with developing a tool to help maternal mortality review committees identify racism as a contributing factor in maternal deaths, she said.

Dr. Hardeman hopes to inspire others to think bigger about policies that hamstring women of color, and in turn, to think of solutions that protect mothers and babies: We have to be thinking about the complexities of how this all shows up right to be able to have the impact. (The following interview has been condensed and edited.)

When and how did you determine where you wanted to focus?

At Xavier University of Louisiana, a historically Black college in New Orleans. I was actually on the pre-med path. I talked a lot about health disparities, but I didnt have the language for what I was seeing, right within my family and my community and certainly in New Orleans. Xavier is surrounded by some really poor and underresourced neighborhoods and a lot of marginalized folks, and so I knew  even in undergrad I knew  that I was really interested in asking: How do we change this reality?

And your path to that was through academia?

I went into my Ph.D. program with the intention of getting the training I needed to go work for a policy institute to use evidence to inform policy. And somewhere along the way, I started looking around at who I learned from and who taught me as a doctoral student, who was saying the words that I wanted and needed to hear about racial inequities and health and who wasnt.

What did you learn from that assessment?

I realized that as a doctoral student or in the School of Public Health that Id never taken a class from someone who was Black. So I thought to myself, If not me, then who? What could my place be in academia? What would that look like? Can I occupy space in academia and still be true to who I am?
When you go somewhere new in your city or town, how do you get there?

Can you guess where something is based on the address or cross streets alone? If someone were to reference a local landmark, such as mountains, the ocean or a distinctive building, would that help to situate you? Or do you primarily depend on your smartphone map to get yourself places?

In Keep Getting Lost? Maybe You Grew Up on the Grid. Benjamin Mueller writes about new research that shows how your childhood environment shapes your navigational skills:

As a child in Chicago, Stephanie de Silva found that the city helped her get where she was going. Streets included directional names like West or North, and they often met at neat right angles. If all else failed, Lake Michigan could situate her. But when Ms. de Silva, 23, moved to London, where she now studies cognitive science, she suddenly could not navigate to a restaurant two blocks from home without a smartphone map. The streets were often crooked. Sometimes, they seemed to lead nowhere. I dont think the cardinal directions exist here, she said. Ive lived here for six months now, and I dont know which direction Im facing. Scientists in Ms. de Silvas lab at University College London, along with colleagues in Britain and France, have now arrived at an explanation: People who grow up in predictable, gridlike cities like Chicago or New York seem to struggle to navigate as easily as those who come from more rural areas or more intricate cities. Those findings, published in Nature, suggest that peoples childhood surroundings influence not only their health and well-being but also their ability to get around later in life. Much like language, navigation is a skill that appears to be most malleable when peoples brains are developing, the researchers concluded. The authors hope the findings eventually lead to navigation-based tests to help diagnose Alzheimers disease. Getting lost can sometimes occur earlier in the course of the illness than memory problems, they said. Researchers have developed virtual navigation tests for cognitive decline, but they can interpret the results only if they know what other factors influence peoples way-finding abilities. Among the forces shaping peoples navigation skills, the study suggested, was what kind of places they experienced as a child. The environment matters, said Hugo Spiers, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London and one of the studys lead authors. The environment were exposed to has a knock-on effect, into the 70s, on cognition.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

How good is your sense of direction? Do you often use your own internal compass to get from place to place? Or do you depend on a smartphone map?

What kind of environment have you grown up in? Do you live in a gridlike city? Or do you live in place that is laid out less predictably, such as a rural area or an older and more winding metropolis?

Are there particular landmarks where you live that you rely on to help you know where you are? What are they and how do you use them? When you go someplace new, do you feel lost without them?

The study described in the article found that people who grow up in predictable, gridlike cities like Chicago or New York seem to struggle to navigate as easily as those who come from more rural areas or more intricate cities. Is this true to your experience? How do your navigational abilities fare when you travel someplace outside of your hometown?

In your opinion, how much does having a good sense of direction matter in the age of smartphones? The article mentions that it can have a positive influence on ones cognitive abilities later on in life. What do you think might happen if you were to try to navigate without a smartphone? What would be the benefits? The drawbacks?

Want more writing prompts? You can find all of our questions in our Student Opinion column. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate them into your classroom.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, as well as 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
The following afternoon, as the police arrested a 62-year-old man in the subway attack, dozens of East Flatbush teenagers stood outside their middle school and wept. They were mourning a 12-year-old who had recently been killed  shot in a case of mistaken identity.

I find it really hard to admit that Im in pain, said Tatiana Barrett, 14, a student at the school, the Brooklyn Science and Engineering Academy, and a friend of the slain 12-year-old. As the days go by, I get angrier and angrier.

It is well known that the pandemic created new mental health problems for the young. Medical groups declared an emergency in child and adolescent mental health last fall, a crisis compounded by uncertainty and grief. More than one in every 200 children in New York lost a parent or caregiver to the virus, almost double the nationwide rate, a recent analysis found.

And when shootings rose during the pandemic, so did the number of young people caught in the violence. Children and teenagers already make up one in every 10 victims this year, and the overall toll is on track to match or exceed the number of youth victims last year, when 138 were struck by bullets.

That has made the grief only more acute for children and teenagers.

Experts have long warned of long-term setbacks in schooling and health for students exposed to gun violence. Dr. Aditi Vasan, a pediatrician at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, where gun violence reached new highs last year, said the ramifications could arrive much sooner.
After Ms. James subpoenaed Mr. Trump in December, lawyers for the former president argued that they conducted a thorough search for the records being sought by her investigators and found no new documents to provide. But Justice Engoron said Monday that the lawyers had not provided sufficient detail about how they had conducted the search.

The contempt order could be short-lived. If Alina Habba, one of Mr. Trumps lawyers, files a sworn statement detailing every step that was taken to locate potential documents, the judge might be satisfied, lawyers close to the case said. Ms. Habba said after the hearing ended that she intended to file such a statement.

Ms. Habba also said she intended to appeal the ruling.

All documents responsive to the subpoena were produced to the attorney general months ago, Ms. Habba said. This does not even come close to meeting the standard on a motion for contempt.

Mr. Trump has denied wrongdoing and lashed out at Ms. James, who is Black, calling her racist and accusing her of carrying out a politically motivated witch hunt against him.

At the hearing, Justice Engoron objected to an earlier statement from Mr. Trumps lawyers regarding their efforts to search for documents, calling it woefully insufficient and boilerplate.

It failed, he said, to outline what, who, where, when and how any search was conducted.

The ruling and Justice Engorons comments represent a significant victory for Ms. James, whose office is conducting a civil investigation into whether Mr. Trump falsely inflated the value of his assets in annual financial statements.

In a statement, Ms. James applauded the contempt order, saying, For years, Donald Trump has tried to evade the law and stop our lawful investigation into him and his companys financial dealings.
To the Editor:

Re In France, Macron Defeats Le Pen for Presidency (front page, April 25):

That the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen came as close as she did to defeating Emmanuel Macron in France is further confirmation that extremists are successfully normalizing autocrat-friendly nationalist messaging.

Ms. Le Pen, a longtime sympathizer of President Vladimir Putin of Russia, said in her concession speech, The ideas we stand for are reaching new heights, Le Monde reported.

As chilling as that sounds, shes correct, and the world should pay closer attention. But for now, those in the West who embrace free thinking, democracy and even just a scintilla of globalism can breathe a very brief sigh of relief.

Cody Lyon

Brooklyn

To the Editor:

My dear French friends, you may have won a battle by re-electing Emmanuel Macron, but you are losing the war. So long as the reach of the bigoted right wing grows, France is losing.
In reality, the C.D.C. claims no power that Congress had not explicitly given it. An agency tasked with slowing the interstate spread of a highly infectious virus would regulate interstate travel, which occurs because diverse places like airplanes and train stations are often crowded, and passengers are confined for long periods of time.

Under Judge Mizelles logic, the agency would also have no authority under existing law to impose a mask mandate in a future pandemic  say if a new and more dangerous variant of the coronavirus strikes, as it might. It wouldnt matter how deadly the future variant or pandemic was. Or how communicable the disease was in airplanes or trains. Or the effectiveness of masks in slowing spread. Or whether the pathogen evaded vaccines. Her peculiar reading of the statute restricts the C.D.C.s ability to respond to a future health crisis, handcuffing it when the agency is most needed.

Judge Mizelle lacks experience or expertise in public health. The C.D.C., conversely, is staffed by virologists, epidemiologists and other highly respected scientists accountable to the president, who in turn can be held to account by the public. A constitutional democracy is challenged when a lone judge, lacking competence in public health, can unilaterally dismantle a nationwide public health policy during a crisis. We cant think of a worse way for Covid-era masking to end than at the hand of a single federal judge sitting in the Middle District of Florida.

Judge Mizelle is among a cadre of Trump appointees to the federal bench who are using the foil of pandemic public health regulations to dismantle the national governments legal authority to solve problems. They have sought to change underlying principles of administrative law, limiting the type of regulations that agencies can create and letting individual judges substitute their policy views for agencies reasoned interpretations. Their push includes eliminating the legal doctrine of Chevron deference, laid out in a unanimous 1984 Supreme Court decision that gives federal agencies leeway when interpreting ambiguous or unclear laws.

This campaign starts at the top, with a Supreme Court transformed by Mr. Trumps three appointments. In August 2021, as the Delta variant surged, the Supreme Court blocked the C.D.C. from enforcing a federal eviction moratorium, which was intended to prevent mass evictions and keep people out of congregate settings where Covid spreads most easily. In January, as the Omicron variant strained hospitals across the country, the Supreme Court barred the Occupational Safety and Health Administration from imposing a vaccination-or-test requirement for large employers.

In these decisions and others, the Supreme Courts most conservative justices have displayed a blase disregard for precedents and the exigencies of a deadly pandemic, which had killed nearly one million Americans as of late last week.

The Justice Departments decision to appeal Judge Mizelles decision was welcome news. The C.D.C. must have the legal authority to protect public health. But should the appellate court uphold her ruling, the C.D.C. will be seriously hobbled and a ruinous precedent will be set for the entire federal regulatory apparatus. Worse, the Supreme Court might review the case and use it as part of its larger crusade to deconstruct the administrative state.
Emmanuel Macrons victory in the French presidential election on Sunday was not just a victory for the young presidents vision of France and its role in the world, or centrism versus the far-right wing, though it was both of those things.

It was also a victory for fashion, especially high fashion, and the role it plays in reflecting French culture and heritage to the world.

If in doubt, simply consider the election night outfit of Brigitte Macron: a custom-made cropped Louis Vuitton navy jacket with silver military detailing and matching pants, perfectly coordinated with her husbands navy suit. It was a choice that reflected the couples united front as well as the ideological battleground the election had become. And it acted as a subtle signal from an administration with a bent toward big business and the free market that those relations will continue to flourish in its second term.
Regulators may examine Elon Musks purchase of Twitter but are unlikely to sue to block it, former antitrust officials said on Monday.

Bill Baer, who led the Justice Departments antitrust division during the Obama administration, said enforcers would look hard to see whether there is a risk to competition and to consumers. The big price tag, roughly $44 billion, will require Twitter and Mr. Musk to submit the deal for review by the Justice Department or the Federal Trade Commission, the two agencies that regulate acquisitions.

Officials at both have pledged to take a closer look at how mergers and acquisitions fuel concentration in the technology industry. The F.T.C. has sued Facebook on the grounds that the companys purchase of Instagram and WhatsApp stamped out possible future competitors.

But Mr. Musks acquisition of Twitter isnt the kind of deal the government usually challenges. The government most commonly intervenes when a company is buying a competitor. It also sometimes challenges deals when the acquisition will unfairly benefit the purchaser in another part of its business. Mr. Musks two major holdings  the electric carmaker Tesla and the rocket company SpaceX  dont compete with Twitter, and it is not clear that he will try to link them to the social network in any way.
In January 2020, thousands of Twitter employees gathered in Houston for a corporate summit called #OneTeam. During the event, Jack Dorsey, Twitters chief executive at the time, revealed he had invited a surprise guest. Then, with a wave and a smile, Elon Musk appeared on giant screens above the stage. The crowd cheered, clapped and pumped fists. We love you, one employee shouted.

Inside Twitter today, surprise announcements about Mr. Musk land differently. Employees said they had largely stopped celebrating the richest man in the world since he declared his intent this month to buy Twitter, scrap its content moderation policies and transform the publicly traded company into a private one. On Monday, Twitter announced it had accepted Mr. Musks offer to buy the company for about $44 billion.

As the takeover fight played out over the last two weeks, Twitter employees said they were frustrated that they had heard little from management about what it meant for them, even as Twitter closed in on a deal with Mr. Musk on Monday morning. They asked their chief executive, Parag Agrawal. They asked Mr. Musk himself in questions sent on Twitter. Some even went to Charles Schwab, the financial firm that manages their stock options, for clarity about the impact a sale of the company would have on them.

But they were not getting very many answers before Mr. Musks bid succeeded, said 11 Twitter employees who asked to not be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly, even as it became clear that they could soon find themselves reporting to Mr. Musk.
When the federal mandate requiring masks to be worn on planes and other public transportation crumbled last week, it was not because of lobbying by established trade organizations, or the strident calls of Republican lawmakers, or even a determination by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that masks were no longer necessary.

Instead, the mask mandates demise was brought about by an unlikely confluence of individuals: Leslie Manookian, a former Wall Street analyst living in Idaho who had founded an anti-Covid-regulation nonprofit; two Florida women who said their anxiety prevented them from wearing masks and, therefore, traveling; and a Trump-appointed federal judge who the American Bar Association said was too inexperienced to be appointed to the bench.

Within 24 hours of Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelles ruling on April 18 that the federal government had overstepped its authority by requiring masks, which the Justice Department has since appealed, flight attendants, pilots and passengers were free to fly without masks, and public transit systems across the country were no longer requiring them. Even people who had been closely watching efforts to overturn the rule were surprised.

It was a shocking event, said Zane Kerby, the president of the American Society of Travel Advisors, which represents more than 14,000 people who work in the travel industry.
From 1995 to 2001, the Family was connected to more than 40 criminal acts amounting to more than $45 million in damages, prosecutors said. One of the members most significant arson attacks occurred in October 1998 at the Vail Ski Resort in Colorado, causing an estimated $26 million in damage, according to the F.B.I.

The Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front were described in 2004 by John E. Lewis, then the deputy assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as the most active criminal extremist elements in the United States and a serious domestic terrorist threat. Founded in Britain in the mid-1970s, the A.L.F. employed violent tactics and engaged in direct action against people or entities that the group believed to be abusing animals, Mr. Lewis said at the time in remarks to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

In court documents, Mr. Dibee is named as a participant in three attacks in three different states: the destruction of a meatpacking plant in Redmond, Ore., in 1997; a 1998 fire at a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection facility in Olympia, Wash., that members said was part of the great cleansing process to stop this war on wildlife and nature; and a 2001 attempt to burn a government-owned facility that had been used to remove wild horses from public lands near Litchfield, Calif.

In December 2005, Mr. Dibee fled the United States to evade arrest ahead of federal indictments in Oregon, the Eastern District of California and the Western District of Washington that followed a domestic terrorism investigation led by the F.B.I., federal prosecutors said.

The F.B.I. previously suspected Mr. Dibee might have fled to Syria. Thirteen years later, in the summer of 2018, he was arrested by local authorities in Cuba before boarding a plane headed to Russia and was returned to the United States.
HOUSTON  The highest criminal court in Texas on Monday ordered a halt to the execution of a Hispanic mother of 14 convicted of killing her 2-year-old child more than a decade ago in a case that has drawn bipartisan outrage.

The mother, Melissa Lucio, has long maintained her innocence, and calls for leniency have become widespread in Texas, including among dozens of Democratic and Republican state legislators, as new evidence and expert testimony emerged that cast strong doubt on her guilt.

In a three-page decision ordering a stay to the execution that had been set for Wednesday, the Court of Criminal Appeals found that several of the claims raised by her lawyers needed to be considered by a trial court, including that prosecutors may have used false testimony, that previously unavailable scientific evidence could preclude her conviction and that prosecutors suppressed other evidence that would have been favorable to her.

The case now returns to a lower court to resolve those issues, postponing the execution indefinitely. Ms. Lucio would have been the first Hispanic woman executed in Texas since the Civil War.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  The 11 a.m. service at Church for All Nations, a large nondenominational evangelical church in Colorados second-largest city, began as such services usually do. The congregation of young families and older couples swayed and sang along to live music. Mark Cowart, the churchs senior pastor, delivered an update on a church mission project.

Then Mr. Cowart turned the pulpit over to a guest speaker, William J. Federer.

An evangelical commentator and one-time Republican congressional candidate, Mr. Federer led the congregation through an hourlong PowerPoint presentation based on his 2020 book, Socialism  The Real History from Plato to the Present: How the Deep State Capitalizes on Crises to Consolidate Control. Many congregants scribbled in the notebooks they had brought from home.

I believe God is pushing the world to a decision-making moment, Mr. Federer said, building toward his conclusion. We used to have national politicians that held back the floodgates of hell. The umbrellas been ripped after Jan. 6, and now its raining down upon every one of us. We had politicians that were supposed to certify that  and instead they just accepted it. And, lo and behold, an anti-Christian spirits been released across the country and the world.

Evangelical churches have long been powerful vehicles for grass-roots activism and influence on the American right, mobilized around issues like abortion and gay marriage. Now, some of those churches have embraced a new cause: promoting Donald J. Trumps false claim that the 2020 election was stolen.
Republicans in other states have taken unfavorable gerrymandering rulings to the federal courts, which have proved sympathetic to the partys redistricting efforts in recent months. It was not immediately clear whether Republicans in the Kansas Legislature would take that path.

The Kansas ruling follows a flurry of state court decisions striking down partisan gerrymanders of congressional maps, largely in reaction to a 2019 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that barred federal courts from addressing the issue.

This year alone, state courts have invalidated House maps in North Carolina, Maryland, Ohio and New York. Additionally, state supreme courts in Virginia and Pennsylvania adopted balanced House maps after redistricting efforts became deadlocked in those states.

The final impact on the political balance in the closely divided House of Representatives, however, remains unknown. A state court reinstated a Republican-leaning map in Ohio after a federal court intervened, and challenges in state courts to the Democratic gerrymander in New York and a new Republican gerrymander in Florida have yet to be resolved.

The Kansas decision was the first in the state to reject a political map on partisan grounds. Should it be upheld, it would in all likelihood keep intact the existing partisan balance in the states House delegation, which consists of three Republicans and one Democrat.

The Legislatures map would have threatened the re-election prospects of that sole Democrat, Representative Sharice Davids, whose district includes the western half of Kansas City.

Judge Klapper waxed lyrical in the first pages of his ruling, citing an anthem about the moral strength of the residents of the flat plains of Kansas and musing on the meaning of democracy. But the bulk of his opinion made the case that the maps violated not only minority voting rights but also free speech, equal protection and voting rights clauses in the Kansas Constitution and the state Bill of Rights.
During a recent swing through the South, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland chatted up participants in a police program in Georgia aimed at redirecting youth who had sold bottled water on interstate highways into less dangerous work. He announced funding to address policing problems like the use of excessive force. He talked about mental health support, an issue he has thought about since he saw firsthand how officers who responded to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing struggled to process the horror.

For all of the attention on the Justice Departments investigation into the Jan. 6 attack, the trip was focused on the everyday work of being the attorney general, fighting crime and serving as a steward of law enforcement. Over two days in Georgia and Louisiana, Mr. Garland, in interviews with The New York Times on his plane and later in Baton Rouge, would say only that the assault on the Capitol completely wiped out any doubts he had about taking the post.

I felt that this was exactly why I had agreed to be attorney general in the first place, he said. Jan. 6 is a date that showed what happens if the rule of law breaks down.

By most accounts, becoming attorney general was a tough adjustment for a former appeals judge who had last worked at the Justice Department in the late 1990s. But more than a year into his tenure, colleagues say that a cautious leader has found some footing, more a prosecutor now than a deliberator.
The school, among the best in the nation, is in Fairfax County, outside Washington, and accepts students from the county and from several surrounding counties and cities. Like admissions criteria at other elite public high schools across the country, the schools policies have been at the center of fierce debates among politicians and parents about whether and how to diversify enrollment.

A related issue is already before the Supreme Court, which will hear challenges to admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina in the fall. Those programs explicitly take account of race as one factor among many.

The high schools new program, by contrast, uses race-neutral criteria. In addition to doing away with standardized tests, the program sets aside spots for the top 1.5 percent of students from each public middle school in the area, leaving about 100 openings for everyone else, including applicants from private schools and students who have been home-schooled.

Admissions administrators also consider experience factors, such as whether students are poor or are learning English or are attending a middle school that was historically underrepresented at the high school. The administrators are not told the race, sex or name of any applicant.

After the changes went into effect in 2021, the percentage of Asian American students dropped to 54 percent from 73 percent. The percentage of Black students grew to 7 percent from no more than 2 percent; the percentage of Hispanic students grew to 11 percent from 3 percent; and the percentage of white students grew to 22 percent from 18 percent.
Jane Pucher, a senior staff attorney at the Innocence Project, said in a statement on Monday that Mr. Reeds legal team was looking forward to arguing his case before the Supreme Court.

When Mr. Reed sought access to DNA testing in federal court, the federal courts wrongly threw out his claims as untimely, reasoning that he could have started his federal action while the state-court proceedings were still pending, she said.

It was unclear on Monday when the Supreme Court would hear Mr. Reeds case. Lawyers in Texas who had fought to reject his claim did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday.

Heres what to know about Mr. Reeds case.

What happened to Stacey Stites?

Ms. Stites, 19, was reported missing on April 23, 1996, after she did not show up for her morning shift at a grocery store. A passer-by found her body along a rural road later that day, according to court documents. Prosecutors said she had been strangled and also raped. Mr. Reed was arrested based mostly on DNA tests.

Mr. Reed has said that he was having an affair with Ms. Stites, which would explain why his DNA was recovered from her body. Mr. Reeds lawyers say that witnesses have corroborated that the two were having an affair and that new evidence has emerged in recent years that indicates Ms. Stitess fiance could be a suspect in her murder.
A month ago, when Kyiv was surrounded, it was, What do we need in the next 48 hours? Mr. Herring said. But now the Ukrainians are digging in for a long fight and its, How do we get enough to sustain us in this fight?

So its a longer view about what they now need, he added.

The Pentagons nonstandard ammunition program was built in direct response to an investigation by The New York Times in 2008 that exposed illegal sales of Chinese-made arms to the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, a scandal that became the subject of the 2016 movie War Dogs.

According to Mr. Herring, after that scandal, the Pentagon contracted with large defense firms to provide nonstandard ammunition for Afghanistan and later allowed small companies like his to offer bids for the same kinds of services.

Whether certain European nations that still make Soviet-designed munitions will sell their wares to Ukraine is a political decision  one that may depend in part on whether they value maintaining a good relationship with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.

Representative Jason Crow, Democrat of Colorado, a former Army Ranger who serves on the House Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, said in an interview last week that much of Ukraines nonstandard ammunition very rapidly will be depleted because of the current pace of combat with Russia.

The Ukrainian military will ultimately need to transition to NATO-standard weapons in the future, he said, so that it can further take advantage of the Wests vast stockpiles of ammunition sitting in bunkers across Europe and the United States.

That move is already underway, in part, through the Pentagons provision of five battalions worth of 155-mm howitzers to fulfill Ukraines pressing needs for what it calls long-range fires, which are similar in capability to the Soviet-designed 152-millimeter guns that Ukraine has been using against Russia.
President Biden nominated Bridget Brink as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine on Monday, which would fill a position that has remained empty for more than a year despite the critical importance of the American relationship with Ukraine.

The news was relayed to the Ukrainian government on Sunday as Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III met with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The delegation also said the United States would move to reopen its embassy in Kyiv, according to the officials.

Ms. Brinks nomination will end a delay that career diplomats have said would be baffling even in more tranquil times. The Ukraine ambassadorship has lacked a full-time occupant since 2019, when President Donald J. Trump unceremoniously removed Marie L. Yovanovitch. Shortly after, William B. Taylor Jr., a retired veteran diplomat, stepped in on a temporary basis until early 2020. The post has remained empty during the Biden administration even as dire warnings were issued last year that Russia was planning to invade Ukraine.
On Friday, a Russian general said one of Moscows current aims in Ukraine is to establish yet another point of access to Transnistria, a claim that echoed Ukrainian fears that Russia wants to seize Ukraines entire Black Sea coast, including Odesa, linking itself to Transnistria. Military experts questioned whether the generals comments reflected Kremlin policy, and whether the Russian military could carry out such a mission.

During the buildup to Russias invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian officials warned of Russian provocations, including in Transnistria  attacks that it said Moscow might stage but blame on Kyiv as a pretext for military action.

Transnistria, a thin strip of land with fewer than 500,000 people, broke away from Moldova with support from Moscow in a brief war in the early 1990s. It has a repressive government, heavily dependent on Russia, and Russian state-run television is dominant there.

Since the Ukraine war erupted, the Moldovan and Ukrainian militaries have been concerned about whether Transnistria would enter the fighting as a base for attacking Ukraine from the west.
Videos from the scene in Bryansk, corroborated by the news agency Storyful, showed giant plumes of smoke billowing from two separate fires, about a mile away from each other.

Aleksandr Bogomaz, the governor of Bryansk region, confirmed only the fire at the civilian oil depot. The military facility with oil tanks next door was described by a local state-run job search website as a warehouse for missile and other fuel.

No injuries were reported, according to the Russian emergency situations ministry, which dispatched firefighters and rescue services to the scene, the Russian news agency Tass reported. Russian investigators launched an inquiry into the incident.

The fires in Bryansk followed a string of similar incidents in Russian regions bordering Ukraine.

In early April two Ukrainian helicopters struck an oil depot in Belgorod, less than 20 miles from the Ukrainian border, the first such strike in Russian territory to be made public since the start of the war more than two months ago. Russian officials also accused Ukraine of an attack that hit residential buildings in Bryansk two weeks ago. Ukraines defense ministry, which has generally declined to discuss reports of attacks on Russian soil, had no immediate comment on Monday.

The fires on Monday occurred hours after two senior American officials, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, met with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in Kyiv, the capital, in the highest-level visit by American officials to Ukraine since the start of the war.
ISTANBUL  A Turkish court on Monday convicted a prominent Turkish philanthropist of trying to violently overthrow the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and sentenced him to life in prison without parole, in a case that has been denounced by human rights organizations and has heightened tensions with the West.

In a very crowded and stuffy Istanbul courtroom the man, Osman Kavala, a well-known activist, was convicted on charges related to popular protests in 2013 against Mr. Erdogan, which the president still sees as among the most significant challenges to his power.

The court also sentenced seven other defendants to 18 years in prison for aiding in an attempt to overthrow the government and ordered them to be immediately arrested. Among the seven is Mucella Yapici, a well known architect and urban rights activist.

The verdict caused an uproar and tears in the courtroom among the defendants family members and friends.
We want to see Russia weakened to the degree it cannot do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine, Mr. Austin said.

The United States has agreed to provide not only advanced American-made weapons to Ukraine but also newly made ammunition for Soviet-designed arms, since the Ukrainian forces still use many weapons dating to that time. On Monday, the State Department said the United States was giving Ukraine $165 million in artillery shells, rockets and grenades compatible with Soviet-designed weapons.

Mr. Blinken, who said that Russia had already been thwarted in its goal of destroying the Ukrainian state, told reporters that he expected the American Embassy in Kyiv to reopen in a few weeks. The administration nominated Bridget Brink, the current U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, as the new envoy to Ukraine.

Russia is failing, Mr. Blinken said. Ukraine is succeeding.

There was every sign on Monday that Russia saw the visit as a provocation to escalate the conflict. Besides the rocket assaults on Ukraines railways, Russian attacks in the east knocked out electricity for the entire province of Luhansk, leaving tens of thousands without power, local government officials said.

Elsewhere, an Orthodox Easter lull was shattered in the northeast city of Kharkiv, where Russia resumed shelling and widened the devastation. And on the other side of the country, explosions shook Transnistria, a Russia-aligned breakaway region of Moldova that borders Ukraine. Hundreds of Russian troops are deployed in Transnistria, and Ukrainian defense officials accused Russia of causing the explosions as a pretext to invade Ukraine from that direction.
To much of the world, Mr. Zelensky is best known for appearing by video link with a daily message of courage and defiance, to rally his people and exhort allies to provide weapons, money and moral support. On Sunday he commanded global attention again in a meeting in Kyiv with two top American officials, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, who pledged more military support and  in a move of symbolic importance  said the United States would seek to reopen its embassy in Kyiv.

But behind the scenes, Mr. Zelenskys success so far is also rooted in the governments ability to operate smoothly and take measures to help people cope, such as sweeping deregulation to keep the economy afloat, and to provide essential goods and services.

By loosening rules around transporting cargo, for instance, the government was able to address a dire risk of food shortages in Kyiv, the capital, in the early days of the war. And in March he dropped business taxes to 2 percent  and then only if the owner wanted to pay.

Pay if you can but if you cannot there are no questions asked, Mr. Zelensky said at the time.

More contentiously, he combined six television stations that previously competed against one another into one outlet for news. The merger, he said, was necessary for national security, but it frustrated political opponents and free speech advocates.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and state lawmakers have revoked a 55-year-old arrangement that gave Disney a special tax status and allowed it to essentially self-govern its 25,000-acre Disney World complex. The loss of that designation is the latest development in an ongoing battle between Mr. DeSantis and the states largest private employer over a recently passed education bill. How did the rift get to that point? Here is some background.

What Are Mr. DeSantis and Disney Fighting Over?

In March, the governor signed a bill that prohibits classroom instruction and discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity in certain elementary school classrooms.

The Parental Rights in Education law, often referred to by critics as the Dont Say Gay bill, has led to debate around the nation over the impact that law and others like it could have on schoolchildren. The Florida law could also change how counseling and other mental health services operate in schools.

The legislation has been heralded by conservatives and scorned by L.G.B.T.Q. activists and many schoolteachers. Although initially silent, Disney joined the debate when its chief executive, Bob Chapek, made several remarks criticizing the bill.
A mother and daughter from the Midlands have turned their lives around by losing nine and a half stone between them in just eight months with Slimming World.

Laura Monaghan, 45, and her daughter Jessica, 19, both from Longford Town, joined their local Slimming World group in July 2021 and they say that supporting one another on their weight-loss journeys has been key to their success.

Laura, who has lost 4 stone, explained, When we first joined Slimming World, we couldnt believe how much food we could eat and still lose weight.

Making small changes to the way we cooked our meals meant we could still enjoy all of our favourites like Spaghetti Bolognese, and they taste so much better. We also enjoy the Slimming World meals from Iceland if we are short of time.

We never have to miss out and dont have to worry about weighing and measuring everything we eat or counting calories.

Before we started, we worried eating healthily might limit us, but we try more new recipes now than we ever did before and have found Food Optimising fits around our lives, rather than the other way around.

Laura added, As weve lost weight weve enjoyed being more active as well, which means we do more together like getting out and about enjoying long walks, like the canal walk in Longford town.

Daughter Jessica, who is 5st 7lbs lighter since joining Slimming World, says: Were lucky because as well as the support we had from each other, the rest of the group have also been there for us.

We look forward to seeing everyone from our group each week, and we swap recipes and strategies for staying on track.

If we've ever struggled there has always been someone ready to suggest a new idea or remind us why we started this journey.

Its listening to others and talking about our own motivations and challenges that has, week by week, helped us to understand ourselves as slimmers better so we can make changes that were confident we can keep up for life.

I dont think we could have achieved all we have without the support of our Consultant Tona and the rest of the Longford town group.

Local lady Tona Daly, who runs Slimming World groups in the Temperance Hall, says, Laura and Jessica are proof that slimmers are more successful when they lose weight together and get support and motivation from others.

This past couple of years have been incredibly difficult for so many of us, but Laura and Jessicas determination to reach their goals has never faded.

Theyre always the first ones to offer support and encouragement to others in the group too  theyre a real inspiration and I couldnt be more proud of them!

Seeing Laura and Jessicas weight come down week after week has been a joy. I really hope their weight loss can inspire people to get started on their own journey and show them that theres a whole group of people waiting to support them every step of the way  and absolutely no judgement.

Tonas Slimming World groups are held in the Temperance Hall Longford town every Wednesday at 8.30am & 10am or every Thursday at 5.30pm & 7pm. To join or to find out more contact Tona on 087 3400600 or click on www.slimmingworld.co.uk
A 31-year-old man accused of murdering school teacher Ashling Murphy in Tullamore will go on trial at the Central Criminal Court in June next year.

Jozef Puska, with an address at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly is charged with murdering the 23-year-old primary school teacher at Cappincur, Tullamore on the afternoon of January 12, 2022.

Ms Murphy was fatally assaulted while she was out jogging along the Grand Canal in Tullamore.

Defence counsel Rebecca Smith BL told Mr Justice Paul McDermott today that she was led by senior counsel Sean Gillane in the case and that her client Mr Puska was appearing by way of videolink.

Ms Smith said there was a Slovakian interpreter in court and a trial date was required for Mr Puska. She also informed the court that the defence required a Slovakian interpreter for all court dates going forward.

Mr Justice McDermott set June 6, 2023 as the date for Mr Puska's trial before a jury at the Central Criminal Court. The case is expected to last between three and four weeks.

The judge said all disclosure was to be made within four months of that date.

The Slovakian national appeared via video-link for today's brief hearing and he was remanded in custody until that date.

On April 6, Mr Puska was sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court after being served with the book of evidence. Free legal aid was also granted to include representation of junior and senior counsel at the trial.

Ms Murphy, a talented traditional Irish musician and recent graduate from Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, was working as a teacher at Durrow National School at the time of her death.
The first highlight of the year for all Comhaltas people is the County Fleadh and thankfully after two years of inactivity in the traditional music scene and Irish culture we can finally look forward to catching up and meeting old friends.

There is no doubt that this Fleadh will bring back great memories and create some new ones for all followers of our Irish music, song and dance.

Ballyboy C.C.E. was formed in 2000 and hosted the County Fleadh in 2013, they were again to host the Fleadh in 2020 but unfortunately Covid-19 put a stop to it, but they are delighted to return this year to Colaiste Naomh Cormac in Kilcormac where all competitions will be held.

Sincere thanks to Mr Kenneth Crann, Principal of Colaiste Naomh Cormac and the schools management for the use of this superb facility to host this prestigious event and to the people and businesses of both Ballyboy and Kilcormac for their support.

Ballyboy C.C.E. have a great working group. There is a great sense of community in the area and all the local clubs come together at times like these, the KDA, Kilcormac / Kiloughey GAA and Camogie and Ballyboy Tidy Towns to name just a few. This weekend will be no different.

Starting at 6pm on Friday there will be the Traditional four and eight hand Dance Competitions along with Sean Nos Dancing where you will see top class dancers performing in their colourful dance costumes.

Comhra Gaeilge competitions are on Saturday at 11am. Also beginning at 11am on both Saturday and Sunday are the solo, duets, trios and group competitions and run right through until evening. There will be competitions in ladies and mens traditional singing and storytelling in both Irish and English.

The highlight of the Sunday evening is the Ceili Band Competitions.

On Saturday evening at 7pm there will be the Aifreann Fleadh Chontae Uibh Fhaili in The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Kilcormac where traditional music and dance will be performed by the host branch  Ballyboy C.C.E.

Best of luck to all competitors taking part over the weekend and to those who will qualify for the Leinster Fleadh which will be held in Portlaoise in July.

Also best of luck to a very talented group of ladies who are dancing in the Scor na nOg All-Ireland Finals in Killarney on Sunday 1st May, all are members of Ballyboy C.C.E.

This is a traditional weekend and there will be Fleadh sessions in the pubs in Ballyboy and Kilcormac from Friday evening right through until Sunday night.
Russia's foreign ministry says it has made 40 German diplomatic staff "persona non grata." US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made a visit to Kyiv. Follow DW for the latest.
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An adviser to President Zelenskyy says the US secretaries of state and defense are holding talks with the Ukrainian leader. Meanwhile, Kyiv blames Russia for Mariupol evacuation failure. Follow DW for the latest.
Saudi Arabias Rawabi Holding, a market leader in the kingdom serving major sectors including oil and gas, marine, industrial, contracting and manufacturing services, has announced its foray into the country's real estate sector with the launch of its new unit Magnom Properties.

Through Magnom Properties, the real estate vertical of the company, Rawabi will oversee the construction of high-value commercial, residential and lifestyle projects in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the wider Mena region.

The ambitions evinced by Rawabi Holding was evident during the high-level board meeting that took place at the companys headquarters in Al Khobar, which was also attended by the world-renowned American architects Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill, representing their firm AS+GG Architecture.

Prior to starting their firm, Smith was the Design Partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) that was responsible for the design of the world's tallest structure, Burj Khalifa, as well as the masterplan for The King Abdullah Economic City, Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago, the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai and the Zifeng Tower in Nanjing.

AS+GG Architecture also designed the Jeddah Tower, which when completed will become the worlds tallest structure, as well as the Al Wasl Plaza's dome, which was the center piece for the Expo 2020 held recently in Dubai.

Additional notable projects include Astana World Expo 2017, Burj Vista in Dubai, and Central Park Tower in NYC, which is currently the worlds tallest residential tower.

On the strategic move, Abdulaziz Al Turki, the Group Chairman of Rawabi Holding and Nesma & Partners; aand Chairman of Magnom Properties, said: "Our venture into real estate will focus on creating dynamic environments and developments, which will cater to the rapidly evolving lifestyles, aspirations of businesses, industries, and future generations."

"We will also be conscious of Quality, Reliability, Timely Delivery and Sustainability of our projects. These values are intrinsic to Rawabi Holding, through its 40 years of existence and will be reflected in Magnom Properties," added Al Turki.

Othman A. Ibrahim, CEO of Rawabi Holding and Vice Chairman of Magnom Properties, said: "We understand how crucial it is to keep developing our business sectors, and expanding into real estate has been a part of our growth strategy. With Magnom Properties, we will ensure to maintain an unwavering compliance to the core principle of sustainability, which has been the driving force behind the development of our high-profile projects, aligned with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, as stipulated by the Kingdoms leadership."

"We will focus on projects fashioned by world-class, contemporary design solutions, and attention to the environment," he stated.

Magnom Properties CEO Maged Marie said: "Real estate and construction continue to be key drivers for a non-oil economy in the region. As countries are focused on achieving their Net Zero goals, Magnom Properties aspires to be part of the solution on climate change."

"With Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill as our architects, we are confident we have the right expertise to do so. AS+GG architectural designs have evolved tremendously over the years to become more versatile and sustainable, exploring newer technologies, eco-friendly materials and other energy-efficient practices in their design concepts that will help build a more sustainable future for generations to come," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
An intimate short documentary about the growing crisis of Americans held hostage by foreign governments, "Bring Them Home" follows one family's desperate effort to free their loved one from being used as a geopolitical pawn by Iran.
India has suspended tourist visas for Chinese citizens after Beijing refused to allow stranded Indians back into the country since 2020.
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Britain has proposed changes to legislation that would ban its health service from buying medical supplies made in China's Xinjiang region, after pressure from rights groups over Beijing's treatment of the Uyghur people.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson hails the victory of Emmanuel Macron on his re-election after polls predict that he will defeat competitor Marine Le Pen.
Signaling renewed support for Ukraine, the U.S. says it will slowly return diplomats back to the Ukrainian capital. It also promised new military aid for the besieged country.
The US secretaries of state and defence met on Sunday night with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the highest-level visit to the country's capital by an American delegation since the start of Russia's invasion.The meeting...
U.S. officials say Washington had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition for Ukraine's war effort, along with more than $300 million in foreign military financing.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it will open a humanitarian corridor for civilians on Monday, but Ukrainian officials said they had not agreed with Russia on a route and leaving would not be safe.
South Africa is dealing with the impact of floods in KwaZulu-Natal, which left thousands homeless, over 400 dead and 72 people still missing.
The value of Bahrains exports of national origin increased by 83% to BD1.255 billion ($3.3 billion) during first quarter 2022, compared to BD684 million for the same quarter of the previous year, said the Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) in a new report.



The top 10 countries in terms of the value of exports of national origin purchased from Bahrain accounted for 74% of the total value, with the remaining countries accounting for 26%, according to the iGAs foreign trade report of first quarter 2022, which encompasses data on the balance of trade, imports, exports (national origin), and re-exports.



Saudi Arabia ranked first among countries receiving Bahraini exports of national origin, importing BD217 million from Bahrain. Meanwhile, the US was second with BD207 million and Italy third with BD92 million.



Unwrought aluminium alloys emerged as the top products exported during first quarter 2022 with BD496 million, Agglomerated iron ores and concentrates was second with a value of BD168 million, and aluminium wires (not alloyed) third with BD64 million.



The total value of re-exports decreased by 14% to reach BD159 million first quarter 2022, compared to BD185 million for the same quarter of the previous year. The top 10 countries accounted for 87% of the re-exported value, while the remaining countries accounted for the 13%. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranked first with BD45 million, the United Arab Emirates second with BD33 million, and Singapore third with BD26 million.



Turbo-jets of a thrust emerged as the top product re-exported from Bahrain with BD13 million, parts for aircraft engines came in second place with BD10 million, and apparatus for wrist watches control came third with BD8 million.



The value of imports increased by 4%, reaching BD1.363 billion during first quarter 2022 compared to BD1.312 billion for the same quarter the previous year. The top 10 countries accounted for 69% of the value of imports, with the remaining countries accounting for 31%.



According to the report, China ranked first when it came to imports to Bahrain, with a total of BD214 million, Brazil was second with BD130 million, and Australia was third with BD118 million.



Non-agglomerated iron ores and concentrates emerged as the top product imported into Bahrain with a total value of BD135 million, while aluminium oxide was second with BD111 million, and four-wheel drive cars third with BD32 million.



The trade balance, which represents the difference between exports and imports, it amounted to (51 million dinars), recording a surplus in the value of the trade balance in first quarter 2022 compared to it in the same quarter of the previous year, which amounted to (442 million dinars), recording a deficit in the value of the trade balance, which It reduced it by 111%.  TradeArabia News Service
Director Michel Hazanavicius changed the name for the Cannes opener after Ukrainian protesters noted that the letter Z has come to symbolize support for Russia's war in Ukraine.
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Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia:

Trive Capital closed on its fourth signature fund and a new, structured capital fund with nearly $2 billion together, double the committed capital from its last major raise.

The Dallas, TX-based private equity firm said in a press release that both - Trive Capital Fund IV (Fund IV) and Structured Capital Fund I (SCF I) - experienced very strong investor demand, each significantly exceeding their initial targets and hitting their hard caps of $1.6 billion and $350 million, respectively.

The firm will use its signature fund for controlled buyout investments and the structured capital fund for non-control positions.

Conner Searcy, Managing Partner of Trive said: "In Fund IV and Structured Capital Fund I, our team will continue to invest in strategically viable middle-market businesses with the ability to tailor bespoke, creative solutions across the capital structure."

Fund IV and SCF I closed amid a record-breaking period for Trive. The firm experienced its highest annual activity, capital deployment, and value creation in 2021 with strong momentum continuing into 2022, said the release.

According to the company, in 2021 the team closed 5 new platform investments, executed more than 60 add-on investments, and completed 12 exits and dividend recapitalizations, which yielded over $1.2 billion in distributions to investors. Trive also deployed almost $500 million of capital and created $2.6 billion in incremental value across the p......................

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TOKYO  Japan welcomed the reelection of French President Emmanuel Macron as key to the unity of Group of Seven at a time when its members need to work together to end Russias invasion of Ukraine as soon as possible.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida congratulated Macron in his Twitter messages in both Japanese and French, saying, I hope to closely work with President Macron in a wide range of issues, including Russias invasion of Ukraine and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki on Monday extended heartfelt congratulations to Macron on his reelection.

As we face a critical moment to end Russias outrageous aggression and defend the peaceful world order, the G-7 unity is required more than ever, and we plan to continue working closely with France led by President Macron, Isozaki said.

Japan, worried about the impact of Russian invasion of Ukraine in the East Asia where China is increasingly taking assertive military actions, has tried to play a greater role as part of G-7 and has joined in sanctions against Moscow and provided support for Ukraine in line with other members.

Isozaki called France an important, special partner for Japan that shares universal values including freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. He said Tokyo intends to strengthen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

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CANBERRA, Australia  Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is welcoming President Emmanuel Macrons reelection to a second term in France as a great expression of liberal democracy.

Macron was scathing of Morrison after Australias conservative government canceled a 90 billion Australian dollar ($66 billion) submarine contract in September.

Macron accused Morrison of lying to him about the state of the French contract before a deal was announced for the United States and Britain to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. Morrison denied misleading Macron, who refused to take the Australian leaders phone calls.

On Monday, Morrison tweeted: Congratulations Emmanuel Macron on your reelection as President. Another great expression of liberal democracy in action in uncertain times.

We wish you & France every success, in particular your leadership in Europe and as an important partner to Australia in the Indo-Pacific, Morrison added.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines leader has congratulated Emmanuel Macron on winning a second term as president of France  and beating a far-right rival seen as close to Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelenskyy called Macron a true friend of Ukraineon Sunday and expressed appreciation for his support.

Tweeting in French, Zelenskyy said: Im convinced that we will advance together toward new joint victories. Toward a strong and united Europe!

Macron has sought a diplomatic solution to Russias war in Ukraine. France has also sent significant weapons to Ukraine and Macron is planning more.

In a TV debate ahead of Sundays runoff, Macron assailed challenger Marine Le Pens past ties to Russia, notably a loan her party got from a Russian-Czech bank in 2014.

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PARIS  Watching Frances presidential election results was especially stressful for Yasmina Aksas.

The 19-year-old law student could have been forced to remove her headscarf if far-right leader Marine Le Pen had won instead of incumbent Emmanuel Macron.

Speaking to AP as the first projections came in showing Macron in the lead, Aksas was visible relieved  but far from overjoyed.

Its still 40% of people voting for Le Pen. Its reassuring that its Macron but its not a victory, said Aksas, who is active in feminist and social justice organizations. It reflects nothing of what I think and what I identify with.

She expressed concern about extremist language and ideas that used to be limited to militant far-right groups but have now entered the mainstream.

Under Macrons presidency, she described encroaching limits on Muslims in the name of fighting extremism. They made it a problem for everyone while remaining vague about who the menace is.

So if you feel concerned about what theyre doing, like closing mosques, associations, when they say theyre targeting jihadists, you shouldnt feel targeted, otherwise you are suspected of not being part of the republic.

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MORE STORIES:

 Macron vs Le Pen: France votes in tense presidential runoff

 Frances presidential rivals: Key moments, private lives

 EXPLAINER: How Frances old-school voting system works

 Follow all AP stories on France's 2022 presidential election at https://apnews.com/hub/france-election-2022

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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

LONDON  A European economist says that if exit polls hold true and Emmanuel Macron wins the election against his right-wing challenger Marine Le Pen, France will most likely remain an engine of growth and progress in Europe for the next five years.

Economist Holger Schmieding says France has outperformed Germany for the past five years. He says France under Macron would likely remain on track for a sustained period of faster gains in employment and per-capita GDP. He says a dynamic France next to a still somewhat strong Germany is a major positive for Europe.

The economist says Macron has strengthened the French economy by more than any of his predecessors since Charles de Gaulle.

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BERLIN  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was the first foreign leader to call President Emmanuel Macron and congratulate him on his reelection, Scholz office said.

The Federal Chancellor and the President confirmed their intention to continue the close and trusting relationship between Germany and France, not least in view of the current challenges such as the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, Scholz office said in a statement.

It also said the result signified a clear commitment to Europe and the European unification process, adding that Scholz and Macron agreed to meet as soon as possible.

The Czech prime minister also sent his congratulations to Macron.

France is our vital partner, we are keen on developing our great relationship further, Petr Fiala tweeted.

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PARIS  Rights groups have breathed a sigh of relief at Marine Le Pens failure to become French president, but warned against complacency and urged the victor, Emmanuel Macron, to fight racial profiling and discrimination against Muslims, and better protect migrants.

Cecile Coudriou, head of Amnesty International France, cited egregious human rights failings under Macrons presidency including Frances treatment of refugees and asylum at its borders, systemic discrimination in the form of ethnic profiling by police, disproportionate and dangerously vague counter-terror laws, curbs to the right to protest, intrusive surveillance that impacts the right to privacy, failing to uphold climate commitments and selling arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Antiracism group SOS Racisme said : This victory, which might look large in a cursory analysis, is not so much a victory as a relief. The reality is that Marine Le Pen ... has progressed by about eight points in five years.

It criticized Macrons law against so-called separatism by radical Muslims and government ministers criticism of wokeism or Islamo-leftism. It blamed Macrons arrogance, (economic) liberalism, brutalization of the social movement and nods to the far right for worsening tensions in France. It is definitely not neutral to help trivialize the far right by choosing it as its opposition and winking at it, it said.

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PARIS  President Emmanuel Macron said a simple Thank you! after winning reelection, and praised the majority who gave him five more years at the helm of France.

Macron also thanked people who voted for him not because they embrace his ideas but because they wanted to reject far-right rival Marine Le Pen.

Im not the candidate of one camp anymore, but the president of all of us, he said.

Macron comfortably won reelection to a second term Sunday, according to polling agencies projections.

He arrived on the plaza where his supporters gathered, beneath the Eiffel Tower, to the sound of the Ode to Joy, the European Unions anthem, hand in hand with his wife, Brigitte.

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PARIS  Supporters of far-right candidate Marine Le Pen gathered at her election-night even in Paris Bois de Boulogne booed loudly as provisional results were announced.

But they quickly looked ahead to June legislative elections  as did Le Pen in her concession speech.

Francois Denormand, a retired dentist planning to run for a seat as a lawmaker for Le Pens National Rally party in Junes legislative elections said that what he called the third round starts tomorrow.

We must continue to fight, he said. We can lose the battle but not the war.

Nineteen-year-old Paul Renkert, waving a French flag, admitted that Im sad.

Renkert, who had traveled from the eastern Alsace region, said he had invested time in Le Pens campaign because I believe in the future of France.

He is looking ahead to the legislative elections and five years in the future when a new president is elected. Le Pen has not made known her intentions, but I dont think shell abandon us, he said.

Guests from abroad were among those invited to the soiree. Among them was Tom Lamont, with Belgiums far-right Vlaams Belang party, an ally of Le Pens National Rally. He, too, sent out a message of hope. Its a disappointment she lost but we see the right-wing movements is growing in France  and maybe in five years we will have a right-wing president here, he said.

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MADRID  Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says that with the victory of Emmanuel Macron as projected by polling agencies, Democracy wins, Europe wins.

Citizens have chosen a France committed to a free, strong and fair EU, Sanchez, who is also leader of Spains Socialist Party, wrote, referring to the 27-nation European Union.

Sanchez, Portugals Antonio Costa and Germanys Olaf Scholz had published a joint open letter ahead of Sundays election presenting the vote as a choice between Macron, a defender of democracy in a strong European Union, and Marine Le Pen, an extreme-right candidate who openly sides with those who attack our freedom and democracy, values based on the French ideas of Enlightenment.

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PARIS  French far-right figure Eric Zemmour, who failed to reach the runoff in the presidential election, has called for a nationalist coalition to be created in France's parliament.

Zemmour spoke after polling agencies projected that far-right leader Marine Le Pen, head of the National Rally party, had lost the presidential election to centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron.

Zemmour, who created his own party, Reconquest, in recent months, said the national bloc must get united.

He suggested such a coalition ahead of Junes parliamentary elections, with the aim to fight both Macrons party and the left.

Zemmour received 7% of the votes in the first round of the presidential election on April 10.

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European leaders have been quick to congratulate French President Emmanuel Macron on his re-election.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has often sparred with Macron over Brexit and other issues, swiftly congratulated the re-elected president.

Calling France one of our closest and most important allies, Johnson said he looked forward to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two countries and to the world.

Italian Premier Mario Draghi said that Macrons victory is splendid news for all of Europe.

He said France and Italy are working side by side, along with the other European partners, to construct a stronger, more cohesive, more just European Union, capable of being a protagonist in the greatest challenges of our times, starting with the war in Ukraine.

Portugals Prime Minister Antonio Costa says that, by voting for Emmanuel Macron, French people have demonstrated once again their commitment to the European project.

Costa, a socialist who was re-elected earlier this year in a landslide victory, wrote Sunday in a tweet that he was enthusiastic about working together with the centrist politician during the next four years.

The Portuguese prime minister made a case for voting to elect Macron in an open letter also signed by his Spanish and German counterparts, Pedro Sanchez and Olaf Scholz.

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PARIS  Leftist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon said Sunday that Marine Le Pens defeat in the French election is very good news for the unity of our people, and vowed to lead the fight against Emmanuel Macrons party in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Melenchon, who failed to reach the second round by a few hundred thousand votes and had urged his supporters not to vote for Le Pen, said Macrons presidential monarchy survives by default and under the constraint of a biased choice.

In his address, Melenchon exhorted Macrons opponents to vote in Junes parliamentary elections to choose a different path and elect a majority of leftist lawmakers. Melenchon said he would be prepared to lead an opposition government.

Courage, action, determination, always refusing fatality and resignation, Melenchon said.

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BRUSSELS  Several European leaders and politicians have swiftly congratulated French President Emmanuel Macron for his reelection, as his far-right rival Marine Le Pen conceded defeat in Sundays presidential election.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted in French, together we will make France and Europe advance.

The Dutch prime minister also tweeted in French his hope to continue our extensive and constructive cooperation in EU and NATO.

In Germany, politicians around the political spectrum offered support, including from the pro-business Free Democrats, the environmentalist Greens and conservative Christian Social Union.

Many in Europe had worried Le Pen would undermine European unity and its post-war order.

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PARIS  French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has conceded defeat in the presidential runoff, handing victory to incumbent Emmanuel Macron.

She said her unprecedented score in a presidential election represents a shining victory in itself.

The ideas we represent are reaching summits, she said.

French polling agencies are projecting that centrist Macron has won the runoff against Le Pen that took place Sunday.

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PARIS  French polling agencies are projecting that centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron will win Frances presidential runoff Sunday, beating far right rival Marine Le Pen in a tight race that was clouded by the Ukraine war and saw a surge in support for extremist ideas.

If the projections are borne out by official results, Macron would be the first French president in a generation to win a second term, since Jacques Chirac in 2002. But he would face a divided nation and a battle to keep his parliamentary majority in legislative elections in June.

Five years ago, Macron won a sweeping victory over Le Pen to become the youngest French president. The margin is expected to be way smaller this time: Polling agencies Opinionway, Harris and Ifop-Fiducial projected that Macron would win between 57% and 58.5% of the vote, with Le Pen getting between 41.5% and 43%.

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PARIS  Voter turnout is lower than usual in Frances presidential runoff Sunday, apparently reflecting voter frustration with both candidates, centrist President Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen.

Turnout at 5 p.m. Paris time (1500 GMT) stood at 63%, the Interior Ministry said. That was below the 65% at the same time in the last presidential runoff in 2017, when Macron overwhelmingly beat Le Pen, and the 72% in when Socialist Francois Hollande won the presidency in 2012.

Polls before Sundays election gave Macron a solid lead over Le Pen, but to keep it he needs the support of many left-wing voters who shunned both him and Le Pen in the first-round election on April 10. Many of those voters may choose to stay home this time instead.

Polling agency projections and early official results are expected after final voting stations close in France at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT).

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LE TOUQUET, France  The two candidates for Frances presidential runoff have cast their ballots  and basked in adoring crowds outside their polling stations.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen went first, cheerily greeting election workers in the northern town of Henin-Beaumont, in Frances struggling former industrial heartland. She emerged from the ballot booth beaming to drop it in a transparent box. Outside, she took selfies with supporters.

Then came incumbent Emmanuel Macron, who shook dozens of hands  and was handed a small child to hold up  on his journey from his family home in the resort town of Le Touquet on the English Channel to his voting station.

Inside, he greeted yet more people, posed for photographs with his wife Brigitte, and cast his ballot with a wink for the cameras. The voting booths were shielded by curtains in the red-white-and-blue of the French flag.

About 48.8 million voters are eligible to take part in the runoff, which is being watched around Europe. Early results are expected Sunday night.

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PARIS  France began voting in a presidential runoff election Sunday with repercussions for Europes future.

Centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron is the front-runner, but he's fighting a tough challenge from far-right rival Marine Le Pen.

The centrist Macron is asking voters to trust him for a second five-year term despite a presidency troubled by protests, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. A Macron victory in this vote would make him the first French president in 20 years to win a second term.

The result of voting in France, a nuclear-armed nation with one of the worlds biggest economies, could also impact the conflict in Ukraine, as France has played a key role in diplomatic efforts and support for sanctions against Russia.
Agility, a global leader in supply chain services, said that its digital freight forwarding arm, Dubai-based Shipa Freight will merge with Barcelona-based iContainers, a pioneer in online freight platforms.



Shipa Freight and iContainers will combine technology platforms and operations. The combined company, wholly owned by Agility, will be one of the top-five most-visited online freight forwarding platforms globally.



The merger will create one of the most comprehensive suites of digital forwarding services available, including:



 Standard air and ocean freight shipments for business customers, ranging from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to multinational companies requiring spot shipments.

 Household relocation services for individuals moving from one country to another.

 Agent services for local forwarding companies that are looking for international partners in key markets.

 White label digital forwarding services that can be seamlessly integrated into B2B e-commerce platforms.



The digital forwarding market has spiked with the rapid acceleration of e-commerce, and the desire of merchants, B2B sellers and entrepreneurs to have self-service tools that provide them with greater control and visibility of their supply chain.



Digital forwarding was growing before the pandemic, and the pandemic has accelerated digital adoption. This is especially true among small businesses looking to find a trusted partner to support them through the supply disruptions of the last couple of years, said Henadi Al-Saleh, Agilitys Chairperson.



We expect the digital freight forwarding market to grow by over 40% a year over the next few years. The Shipa Freight - iContainers merger will create a stronger company to serve these customers.



Carlos Font, CEO of the combined Shipa Freight - iContainers entities, said: By uniting two of the industrys leading digital forwarders, we can bring tremendous value to customers. Both have deep expertise, and joining forces will strengthen the technology platform, improve customer experience, and help expand the service offerings and geographic coverage for customers around the world.  TradeArabia News Service
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Central Michigan University has decided to pause a proposed $134 million residential housing project on the university's campus.

The university board of trustees voted Thursday to temporarily delay a decision on the potential Washington Commons student-housing community project after the finance and facilities committee met Wednesday.

The board agreed to revisit plans on the four-building residential community by the end of September, according to a press release issued Thursday. Associate Director of Executive Communications Ari Harris wrote that this will allow the university to focus on the "budget process and to address concerns raised by students, faculty and staff."

University Trustee Edward Plawecki, Jr. said the decision to postpone will allow the university to pursue the most prudent path forward.

We will continue to take in meaningful information to make an intelligent decision, which will be in the best interest of Central Michigan University, he said.

The proposed Washington Commons project plans include 179 units of apartment-style, independent living spaces for students, located in the central campus area. During its February meeting, the board approved funding to complete the design phase on the Mount Pleasant campus.

Photo Provided Central Michigan University

Students have made it clear they are interested in modern, more independent living options, said Jennifer DeHaemers, vice president of student recruitment and retention, in February. If we do not offer those options at CMU, they may seek them elsewhere.

In March, the university announced it would temporarily close four student housing facilities on campus, citing last fall's enrollment numbers.

CMU President Bob Davies noted during the Thursday meeting that the university anticipates an increase in enrollment in first-time-in-any-college, transfer, and international students, as well as increases for both undergraduate and graduate students in CMU Global Campus and online programs.

Davies plans to present a balanced budget proposal to the board at its June meeting.

Our university is strong, he said. It is strong because of the efforts of our faculty, staff, students, alumni, supporters and partners. We are viable, and the work taking place at our university every day is vital to our community, our state and the people we serve.

The board also voted Thursday to move forward with previously approved projects, including demolition of Kewadin Village apartments, which is located near West Campus Drive, just off of the CMU campus.
Jurors have heard  and rejected  an array of excuses and arguments from the first rioters to be tried for storming the U.S. Capitol. The next jury to get a Capitol riot case could hear another novel defense this week at the trial of a retired New York City police officer.

Thomas Webster, a 20-year veteran of the NYPD, has claimed he was acting in self-defense when he tackled a police officer who was trying to protect the Capitol from a mob on Jan. 6, 2021. Webster's lawyer also has argued that he was exercising his First Amendment free speech rights when he shouted profanities at police that day. Jurors were selected Monday and are expected to hear attorneys opening statements Tuesday.

Webster, 56, is the fourth Capitol riot defendant to get a jury trial. Each has presented a distinct line of defense.

An Ohio man who stole a coat rack from a Capitol office testified he was following presidential orders from Donald Trump. An off-duty police officer from Virginia claimed he only entered the Capitol to retrieve a fellow officer. A lawyer for a Texas man who confronted Capitol police accused prosecutors of rushing to judgment against somebody prone to exaggerating.

Those defenses didn't sway the juries at their respective trials. Collectively, a total of 36 jurors unanimously convicted the three rioters of all 17 counts in their indictments.

Webster faces the same fate if a federal judge's blistering words are any guide. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who will preside over Webster's trial, has described his videotaped conduct as among the most indefensible and reprehensible that the judge has seen among Jan. 6 cases, with no real defense for it.

You were a police officer and you should have known better, Mehta told Webster during a bond hearing last June, according to a transcript.

But a dozen jurors, not the judge, will decide the case against Webster, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who retired from the NYPD in 2011.

A wealth of video evidence and self-incriminating behavior by riot defendants has given prosecutors the upper hand in many cases. Mary McCord, a Georgetown University Law Center professor and former Justice Department official, said jurors often won't have to rely on witness testimony or circumstantial evidence because videos captured much of the violence and destruction on Jan. 6.

When I was a prosecutor trying cases, I would have loved to have had cases where the entire crime was on video. That just doesnt happen that often. But for jurors, it can be very powerful, she said.

Webster's trial is the sixth overall. In a pair of bench trials, a different federal judge heard testimony without a jury before acquitting one defendant and partially acquitting another.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump nominee who acquitted Matthew Martin of all charges, said it was reasonable for the New Mexico man to believe that police allowed him to enter the Capitol. In the first bench trial, McFadden convicted New Mexico elected official Couy Griffin of illegally entering restricted Capitol grounds but acquitted him of engaging in disorderly conduct.

Stephen Saltzburg, a George Washington Law School professor and former Justice Department official, said it may be difficult for prosecutors to secure convictions against defendants who merely entered the Capitol and didnt exhibit any violent or destructive behavior.

I think the people with the best chances are those who say, I was just there and I got swept up with everybody else. The government is going to have to have some way to show theres more than that or the government will lose," Saltzburg said.

Webster brought a gun and a Marine Corps flag attached to a metal pole when he traveled alone to Washington from his home in Florida, New York, a village approximately 70 miles northwest of New York City. He wore his NYPD-issued bulletproof vest but says he left the pistol in his hotel room when he headed to the Jan. 6 rally where Trump spoke.

Police body camera video captured Websters confrontation outside the Capitol with a line of officers, including one identified only as Officer N.R. in court papers.

The unnamed Metropolitan Police Department officer described the encounter in a written statement. The officer said Webster swung the flagpole at him in a downward chopping motion, hitting a metal barricade, then charged at him with clenched fists.

He pushed me to the ground and attempted to violently tear away my gas mask and ballistic helmet. This caused me to choke and gasp for air before another participant at the riot helped me to my feet, the officer wrote.

The officer said he retreated behind a police line after Webster pinned him to the ground.

His actions, attack and targeted assault caused me to fear for my life and could have easily left my wife and two small children without a husband and father, the officer wrote.

Defense attorney James Monroe has claimed the unnamed officer gestured toward Webster, inviting him to engage in a fight, before reaching over a police barrier and punching Webster in his face. Webster "used that amount of force he reasonably believed necessary to protect himself" by tackling the officer to the ground, Monroe said in a court filing.

Mehta, however, said the video doesn't show Webster getting punched in the face. The judge described Webster as an instigator.

It was his conduct that sort of broke the dam, at least in that area, Mehta added.

Webster, now a self-employed landscaper, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1985, was honorably discharged in 1989 and joined the NYPD in 1991. His department service included a stint on then-Mayor Michael Bloombergs private security detail.

Monroe claimed Officer N.R. had reached over a metal barrier and pushed a peaceful man who was blinded by pepper spray.

As a former U.S. Marine and a member of law enforcement, Mr. Websters moral instinct was to protect the innocent, Monroe wrote.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Hava Mirell has argued that Webster should be held to a higher standard given his professional experience.

If he were there to protect the innocent, then he should have been fending other rioters off from the barricade, not the other way around, Mirell said at the bond hearing.

Webster faces six counts, including assaulting, resisting or impeding an officer using a dangerous weapon. He's the first Capitol riot defendant to be tried on an assault charge. He isn't accused of entering the Capitol.

More than 780 people have been charged with riot-related federal crimes. The Justice Department says over 245 of them have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. More than 250 riot defendants have pleaded guilty, mostly to nonviolent misdemeanors.

Jurors convicted two rioters of interfering with officers. One of them, Thomas Robertson, was an off-duty police officer from Rocky Mount, Virginia. The other, Texas resident Guy Wesley Reffitt, also was convicted of storming the Capitol with a holstered handgun.

The third Capitol rioter to be convicted by a jury was Dustin Byron Thompson, an Ohio man who said he was following Trump's orders.

Even if jurors accepted that (Thompson) felt like he was doing what the former president wanted, that still wouldnt be a legal excuse, said McCord, the Georgetown professor. When juries are able to witness what happened, they can make that assessment relatively easily.
File photo

MANISTEE  Manistee Catholic Central students were treated to four-day weekend after a boiler failure at the school necessitated the building being closed until Wednesday.

Principal Catherine Grinn said one of the parts needed for the boiler was in Indiana, but the repairs should be completed sometime Tuesday.
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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP)  The Michigan police officer who killed Patrick Lyoya with a shot to the head has been with the Grand Rapids department for seven years, after starring as a pole vaulter at a small college and marrying his longtime girlfriend during a church mission trip to Africa.

Christopher Schurrs name had been circulating since his face was seen in videos of the April 4 confrontation with Lyoya, a Black man. But his identity wasnt publicly acknowledged until Monday when the police chief changed course and released it, three days after passionate demands at the funeral of the 26-year-old native of Congo.

Chief Eric Winstrom said he was acting in the interest of transparency, to reduce ongoing speculation, and to avoid any further confusion," though no other information about Schurr's service with the department was released.

Lyoya, who was unarmed, was face down on the ground when he was shot in the back of the head, moments after a traffic stop in Michigan's second-largest city. Schurr was on top of him and can be heard on video demanding that he take his hand off the white officers Taser.

A forensic pathologist who conducted an autopsy at the familys request said the gun was pressed to Lyoyas head when he was shot.

The Associated Press left a phone message Monday seeking comment from Schurr, who remains off the job while state police investigate the shooting. The AP reached out to him several times over the past week, including knocking at the door of his suburban home. There was no answer.

Schurr, 31, grew up in Byron Center, just south of Grand Rapids, and joined the police in 2015 after attending Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan, where he studied accounting and was a star pole vaulter.

He won an NAIA national championship with a vault clearing 17 feet,  inches and, as a junior, the universitys scholar-athlete award, according to Siena Heights' alumni magazine.

Schurr was active in his church when he was younger, taking missionary trips for Corinth Reformed Church in Byron Center, according to a 2014 story in Vaulter Magazine, a publication dedicated to the sport.

Schurr said he was getting married that year, and couldnt afford to have a wedding celebration and take a separate trip to Kisi, Kenya, to build homes, so he decided to get married there.

Were going to do a wedding their style, Schurr told the magazine. I have an African outfit already and my fiancee will pick out some fabric and shell make a Kenyan-style dress.

A Twitter account with his name that appears to belong to the officer follows a few national track and field athletes, including a pole vaulter. There are no Tweets associated with the account. A Facebook page with Schurr's name appears to have been taken down.

A college teammate, Ryan Hopson, said Schurr was mild-mannered and quiet in college, friendly and quick with a smile.

He always had a good vibe, Hopson said. I cant say nothing bad about him. I really cant. ... I was shocked to see it was him, but I dont know what its like to be a cop and have my life on the line."

Lyoya's family wants Schurr fired and charged. Prosecutor Chris Becker said he's waiting for the state police report.

I want to do the right thing. But I realize even if I do the right thing, there is a segment of the population that is not going to be happy, Becker told MLive.com.

The police department's decision to reveal Schurr's name was a reversal. After the release of video of the shooting, Winstrom insisted he would withhold the officers name unless he was charged with a crime. It was described as a long-standing practice that applied to the public as well as city employees.

But Lyoya's family and Black leaders, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, repeatedly pressed for it, including at Lyoya's funeral, which drew 1,000 people Friday.

We want his name! Sharpton shouted, saying authorities cannot set a precedent of withholding the names of officers who kill people unless the officer is charged.

Ven Johnson, an attorney for the family, said its important that Lyoyas parents now know Schurr's name, though he scoffed at the police chief citing transparency.

Its not transparent when you hide something for three weeks. Its quite the opposite, Johnson said. Its cops taking care of the cops instead of treating it like a normal investigation.

After Lyoya's funeral, Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington acknowledged the demand for the officer's name and said he would discuss the matter with Winstrom and city employment officials.

Grand Rapids, population about 200,000, is in western Michigan, 160 miles (257.5 kilometers) west of Detroit.

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Find the APs full coverage of the fatal police shooting of Patrick Lyoya: https://apnews.com/hub/patrick-lyoya

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Condon reported from New York. White reported from Detroit. AP reporter Corey Williams in West Bloomfield, Michigan, and AP researchers Rhonda Shafner and Randy Herschaft in New York also contributed.
BIG RAPIDS  Residents along Pemberton and Gilbertson streets in Big Rapids can breathe a sigh of relief, for now, as the planning commission voted to recommend denial of a request to close two alleyways in the neighborhood during its meeting this week.

The city commission received a request from Big Rapids Products to discontinue the two alleys that enter Maple Street adjacent to the business earlier this month and approved a resolution directing the planning commission to look into the matter and make a recommendation.

During the planning commission meeting, community development director Paula Priebe told the planners that the two alleys come from Elm Street along the now discontinued streets of Pemberton and Gilbertson with access to Maple Street, and Big Rapids Products is stating that because those alleys are in use and they have heavy vehicle traffic that uses the street, they find it to be unsafe.

In a letter to the planners from Big Rapids Products, the owner explains his reasoning for closing the alleys stating that it will reduce litter and garbage, reduce maintenance costs, and improve safety with traffic flow and elimination of dust.

According to the letter, when the two streets were closed at the Maple Street end, it was always the intention of the city to close the alleyways, as well, and that has not been done. It states they have seen increased traffic in the last 40 years, and many incidences of traffic speeding in and out of the alleys raising dust and throwing gravel creating a safety hazard.

They ask that the city close the alleys to reduce the citys maintenance costs, make the neighborhood safer and make the traffic flow on Maple smoother and safer, Priebe said.

Priebe added that staff had received input from the department of public works and the police department regarding possible closing of the alleys as part of the review process.

Heather Bowman, public works director, said in her statement that closing the alleys would require the ADA pads and alley approaches located on Maple Street be removed and replaced with continuous sidewalks and curbs costing approximately $5,000 per alley.

She added that if the alleys were closed, they would need to request a row on private property in the amount of 60 feet to allow for proper maintenance, such as snow plowing.

Sgt. Ryan Meyers, with the Big Rapids Police Department, reported that as far as the issue of traffic coming from the alleys creating a dangerous situation for the trucks and traffic, he did not fully see the danger.

I realize that there is a significant presence of traffic on Maple and the surrounding streets due to the factory, but this can be attributed to the overall increase in traffic and not a contributing factor to the issue of the alleys, Meyers said. The more I have looked at the area, the more I am seeing that the alleys have limited use overall and that more issues could be present from the adjacent Maple Street off-street parking and the parking lot on the corner of Maple Street and North Bronson.

He added he had reviewed crash data for the last 12 months, and they did not provide any evidence that the alleys are a traffic hazard.

The other concern would be the overall cost burden, he said. If the requestor is not willing to fund the project, then it falls solely on the city. I am not in support of spending city money on this issue that I cannot fully quantify in terms of need and data.

Meyers offered an alternative to closing the alleys, saying the city could implement signage to control the flow of traffic, or implement dictated specific times when people were or were not able to turn off the side streets onto the main street.

Priebe explained that when deciding to vacate a piece of public property, several things needed to be consider: the current use of the property; future possible use of the property; improved use of abutting properties; negative impacts on surrounding properties; and use panned for the vacated parcel. When vacating public land, it is removed from public use permanently.

The alleys are currently being used by the residents in the surrounding neighborhood for access to their properties, and there are no clear plans for how, or if, the abutting properties will be used in the future, she said.

After reviewing the proposal and the considerations for vacation, and talking with other staff, staff recommends denial of the request for vacation, she said.

Planner Rory Ruddick said it did not look as if closing the alleys would reduce traffic speeds or maintenance cost for the city.

I dont see any good reason for it, Ruddick said. I find that neighborhood area problematic to get into and out of. It doesnt flow well, and I think reducing the traffic allowed on Maple Street would create more traffic problems.

Planner Sarah Montgomery agreed saying, I think it would harm the neighborhood. They (Big Rapids Products) seem to be reaching for reasons to close them and I feel like I would need more evidence and facts to support this.

Vice-chair Megan Eppley said she is for supporting industry, but agreed she did not see a compelling reason to change the traffic flow at this point.

The planners agreed unanimously to recommend the city commission deny the request to close the two alleys.

REZONING APPROVED

In other business, the planners voted to recommend the city commission approve a request to rezone a parcel of land along DeKraft Avenue from R1 residential to I industrial.

The applicant who applied for this rezoning is Kimberly Yob, on behalf of Michigan Pipe Dreams, LLC., who own the property at 126 S. DeKraft, as well as the three other parcels on the block, Priebe told the planners. There is currently nothing on the property.

The properties to the west, north and northeast are zoned industrial, while the properties to the east and south are zoned residential, she said.

Yob told the planners the main reason for the request is for possible future expansion.

Primarily, all the lots in that area have been zoned industrial except for the house on the corner that we own, Yob said. We feel it would be in our best interest if we had future expansion options there. Looking a couple of years down the road, if we need more space we would want to go out into that back area.

Priebe said the staff recommended approval because it meets the standards that are required.
CAIRO (AP)  Sudans military deployed further troops to West Darfur province to help stop tribal fighting that claimed the lives of more than 175 people over the past five days, officials and aid agencies said Monday.

The peak of the fighting between Arabs and the African Masalit tribe was Sunday in the town of Kreinik, 80 kilometers east of the provincial capital of Genena. The clashes eventually reached Genena where authorities declared a nightly curfew in the main market, according to the U.N.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the violence which grew out of the killing of two Arab people Thursday in Kreinik by unknown assailants.

He called for the acceleration of the deployment of local joint security keeping forces as per a 2020 peace deal between Sudans government and a rebel alliance in war-wrecked Darfur region.

At least 168 people were killed, and 89 others were wounded on Sunday alone, according to the General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced in Darfur. Thursday-Friday clashes left 8 dead and 16 wounded, it said.

Darfur24 news website quoted Naser al-Zein, director of Kreinik municipality, as saying that the dead included at least 17 children and 27 women.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, said government buildings, a police station and Kreiniks sole hospital attacked and burned down in Sundays hours-long clashes.

The fighting forced the U.N. food agency to suspend food distributions planned this week, affecting at least 62,850 displaced people in the town and two nearby villages, OCHA said.

The Genena Teaching Hospital, where wounded people were being treated, was also attacked Sunday with shooting took place inside the facility including the emergency department, the Doctors Without Borders charity said.

One hospital worker was killed, and healthcare workers were evacuated, said the group which is known by its French acronym MSF.

Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Yassin Ibrahim Yassin said they solidified security in the province and deployed troops to separate the warring parties.

Tensions between Arab and Masalit communities in Kreinik date back to December when a property dispute at a local market triggered clashes that killed at least 88 people.

The fighting has come at a critical time for Sudan, which has plunged into chaos since a military coup last year. The takeover upended the countrys transition to democracy after a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.

The clashes raise questions over whether military leaders are capable of bringing security to Darfur, which has been wracked by years of civil war. In 2020, the U.N. Security Council ended its peacekeeping mission there.
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russia unleashed a string of attacks Monday against rail and fuel installations deep inside Ukraine, far from the front lines of Moscows new eastern offensive, as Russias top diplomat warned against provoking World War III and said the threat of a nuclear conflict should not be underestimated.

The U.S., meanwhile, moved to rush more weaponry to Ukraine and said the assistance from the Western allies is making a difference in the 2-month-old war.

Russia is failing. Ukraine is succeeding, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared, a day after he and the U.S. secretary of defense made a bold visit to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Blinken said Washington approved a $165 million sale of ammunition  non-U.S. ammo, mainly if not entirely for Ukraine's Soviet-era weapons  and will also provide more than $300 million in financing to buy more supplies.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin took his comments further, saying that while the U.S. wants to see Ukraine remain a sovereign, democratic country, it also wants "to see Russia weakened to the point where it cant do things like invade Ukraine.

Austins comments about weakening Russia appeared to represent a shift in broader U.S. strategic goals. Previously, the U.S. position had been that the goal of American military aid was to help Ukraine win and to defend Ukraines NATO neighbors against Russian threats.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said weapons supplied by Western countries will be a legitimate target," adding that Russian forces had already targeted weapons warehouses in western Ukraine.

Everyone is reciting incantations that in no case can we allow World War III, Lavrov said in a wide-ranging interview on Russian television. He accused Ukrainian leaders of provoking Russia by asking NATO to become involved in the conflict.

By providing weapons, NATO forces are pouring oil on the fire, he said, according to a transcript on the Russian Foreign Ministrys website.

Regarding the possibility of a nuclear confrontation, Lavrov said: I would not want to see these risks artificially inflated now, when the risks are rather significant.

The danger is serious," he said. "It is real. It should not be underestimated.

When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, its apparent goal was the lightning capture of Kyiv, the capital. But the Ukrainians, with the help of Western weapons, thwarted the push and forced President Vladimir Putin's troops to retreat.

Moscow now says its goal is to take the Donbas, the mostly Russian-speaking industrial region in eastern Ukraine. While both sides say the campaign in the east is underway, Russia has yet to mount an all-out ground offensive and has not achieved any major breakthroughs.

On Monday, Russia focused its firepower elsewhere, with missiles and warplanes striking far behind the front lines in an effort to thwart Ukrainian efforts to marshal supplies for the fight.

Five railroad stations in central and western Ukraine were hit, and one worker was killed, said Oleksandr Kamyshin, head of Ukraine's state railway. The bombardment included a missile attack near Lviv, the western city close to the Polish border that has been swelled by Ukrainians fleeing the fighting elsewhere around the country.

Ukrainian authorities said at least five people were killed by Russian strikes in the central Vynnytsia region.

Russia also destroyed an oil refinery in Kremenchuk, in central Ukraine, along with fuel depots there, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said. In all, Russian warplanes destroyed 56 Ukrainian targets overnight, he said.

Philip Breedlove, a retired U.S. general who was NATOs top commander from 2013 to 2016, said the latest strikes against fuel depots are part of a strategy to deplete key Ukrainian war resources. The strikes against rail targets, on the other hand, are a newer tactic, he said.

I think theyre doing it for the legitimate reason of trying to interdict the flow of supplies to the front, he said. The illegitimate reason is they know people are trying to leave the country, and this is just another intimidation, terrorist tactic to make them not have faith and confidence in traveling on the rails.

Phillips P. OBrien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, said the war is, for now, settling into a campaign of incremental battlefield losses and gains.

The two sides are sort of every day weakening each other, he said. So its a question of what can you bring in thats new and what can you destroy on the other side.

In Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova that sits along the Ukrainian border, several explosions believed caused by rocket-propelled grenades hit the territory's Ministry of State Security. There was no immediate claim of responsibility or reports of injuries. Transnistria is a strip of land with about 470,000 people and about 1,500 Russian troops based there.

Moldova's Foreign Ministry said the aim of todays incident is to create pretexts for straining the security situation in the Transnistrian region." The U.S. warned previously that Russia may launch false-flag attacks against its own side to create a pretext for invading other nations.

Last week, Rustam Minnekayev, a Russian military commander, said the Kremlin wants full control of southern Ukraine, which he said would open the way to Transnistria.

An estimated 2,000 Ukrainian troops holed up in a steel plant in the strategic southern port city of Mariupol are tying down Russian forces and apparently keeping them from being added to the offensive elsewhere in the Donbas. Over the weekend, Russian forces launched new airstrikes on the Azovstal plant to try to dislodge the holdouts.

Some 1,000 civilians were also said to be taking shelter at the steelworks, and the Russian military pledged to open a humanitarian corridor Monday for them to leave.

The Russian offer was met with skepticism by Ukraine. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on the Telegram messaging app that Ukraine does not consider the route safe and added that Russia had breached agreements on similar evacuation routes before. She called on the United Nations to oversee an evacuation.

The city council and mayor of Mariupol said a new mass grave has been identified about 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of the city. Mayor Vadym Boychenko said authorities were trying to estimate the number of victims. It was at least the third new mass grave discovered in Russian-controlled areas near Mariupol in the last week.

Mariupol has been gutted by bombardment and fierce street fighting over the past two months. In addition to freeing up Russian troops, the capture of the city would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said his country's goal is to maintain resistance and make the occupiers stay in our land even more intolerable, while Russia drains its resources.

A top Ukrainian official cast doubt on the prospect of further talks between the two countries. Recent sessions in Istanbul ended without resolution earlier this month.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview that any negotiations other than talks between Zelenskyy and Putin would bring little resolution.

Britain said it believes 15,000 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine since Moscow began its invasion. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said 25% of the Russian combat units sent to Ukraine have been rendered not combat effective."

Ukrainian officials have said about 2,500 to 3,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed as of mid-April.

___

Associated Press journalists Yuras Karmanau and Jon Gambrell in Lviv, Ukraine, and AP staff around the world contributed.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Storm Prediction Ctr, Norman, OK Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, April 25, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WS 154

NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK

213 AM CDT MON APR 25 2022

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 154 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 AM CDT

FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

TX

. TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

CROCKETT EDWARDS KERR

KIMBLE MENARD REAL

SCHLEICHER SUTTON VAL VERDE

The National Weather Service in Austin San Antonio has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northeastern Kerr County in south central Texas...

Southwestern Gillespie County in south central Texas...

* Until 315 AM CDT.

* At 213 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Mountain

Home, or 21 miles northwest of Kerrville, moving east at 30 mph.

HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail

damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect

wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Kerrville, Fredericksburg, Ingram, Cypress Creek, Mountain Home,

Center Point, Tivydale, Kerrville-Schreiner Park, Waltonia and

Harper.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Large hail, damaging winds, and continuous cloud to ground lightning

are occurring with this storm. Move indoors immediately. Lightning is

one of nature's leading killers. Remember, if you can hear thunder,

you are close enough to be struck by lightning.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libya has seen a slight decrease in confirmed coronavirus cases, but the National Centre for Disease Control is urging the public not to drop their guard while precautionary measures in workplaces, shopping centres and public places should be maintained
Photo: (Photo : Alex Wong/Getty Images)

A Texas mom in an Easter bunny costume allegedly gave out condoms to some elementary students at the Gullett Elementary School after classes were dismissed Thursday, April 14. School officials asked her to leave the premises, but they said she continued with her activity by the sidewalk.

A spokesperson for the Austin Independent School District told CBS Austin that the mother's action was "incredibly careless and inappropriate," which prompted the school principal, Tammy Thompson, to write a letter to the school community. Thompson wanted to let the other parents know that this was an unsanctioned and unplanned distribution amid reports from the other parents whose kids were confused about why their Easter treats had another item other than candies.

The Austin ISD is considering filing charges against the Texas mom in an Easter bunny costume. They are also looking into how the safety protocols were breached on campus.

Read Also: Egg Prices Up By 25% Due to Bird Flu Outbreak, Spoiling Easter for Some Families

AISD Has No Sex Education Subjects

Currently, the school district does not have any curriculum about human sexuality and responsibility. The school previously had programs on sex education, which were introduced by the second grade and taught during health or P.E. classes between November and December.

However, the lessons were put on hold this school year as Austin ISD has been working on some revisions and updates on the sex education subjects to comply with new state laws, per WFLA. The school district said it will be implementing the revised lessons for the 2022-2023 school year if the Board of Trustees approves the changes.

Reports also cited that the mom in an Easter bunny costume works as a pharmacist and takes part in the safe sex drive of a local clinic. She came to the school that day to pick up her child, just like other parents.

Her actions drew criticisms from politicians, including George P. Bush, the state's attorney-general, who described her as a "radicalized leftist parent." Bush wrote on Twitter that the school district must be accountable for its failure to protect the school kids.

Not only is this against the law, its disgusting. Radicalized leftist parents & school admins are out of control, attempting to exploit our children while in school. As AG, Ill hold school districts accountable for their failures to protect our kids. https://t.co/V6FYEs1BLZ  George P. Bush (@georgepbush) April 15, 2022

An Easter Egg Mix-Up?

However, Nathan Jensen, a professor at the University of Texas who is also a parent of one of the kids attending Gullett Elementary School, probed into the issue further after his kids got the condoms. The mom was in an Easter bunny costume because her safe sex clinic was conducting an Easter-theme celebration and didn't change when she picked up her child.

The mother was also "mobbed by the kids" because they thought she was giving away candies. When she ran out of it, she asked her husband to give her some more from their car. She didn't realize her husband gave her the wrong batches of eggs, according to Jensen's Twitter update.

Some netizens, however, do not believe the explanation about the Easter egg mix-up, but Austin ISD has not issued any more statements after Jensen's clarification.

Related Article: Ferrero Recalls Kinder Surprise Chocolate Eggs Due to Salmonella Outbreak
A report from Taiwan states that although Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, mainland China suddenly announced the implementation of static management (city closure) due to COVID, Hon Hai issued a statement yesterday that its Zhengzhou factory, the largest iPhone production base in the world, was not included in the static management list, and the operation of the factory was not affected and production was still normal.

Regarding the closure and control measures of the Zhengzhou Airport Area, Hon Hai Group responded yesterday: "Zhengzhou Park continues to cooperate with the local official epidemic prevention work, and it still maintains normal operations."

As the Pegatron Shanghai Plant, Kunshan Plant, and Luxshare Kunshan Plant have been continuously disrupted by the epidemic in East China, the supply chain has been disrupted, and logistics such as incoming materials and shipments have been affected.

Hon Hai Zhengzhou Plant has become Apple's only production line that has remained unaffected by COVID shut down schedules. The company is now operating to assist Apple make up for the supply gap caused by the shutdown of Pegatron and Luxshares production lines. This has made Hon Hais "traditional off-season very busy" this season.

The Henan Provincial Health and Health Commission notified on the 24th that six new local confirmed cases of the new crown and 26 local asymptomatic infections were added in the province the previous day. of students and a number of local company employees.

In order to prevent the spread of the epidemic, Zhengzhou Airport announced that from the 23rd to the 29th, nucleic acid testing will be carried out for all employees in the area in batches and time periods from 6:00 a.m. every day. 24-hour static management, no flow, no aggregation.

Hon Hai has three factories in Zhengzhou, namely Zhengzhou Airport Factory, Economic Development Zone Factory, and Zhongmu County Factory. The Zhengzhou factory is also the main base for Hon Hai to produce iPhones for Apple. There are more than 90 production lines and about 350,000 workers. About half of the world's Apple phones come from Hon Hai's Zhengzhou factory.
Earlier this month The Verge posted a report titled "Mark Zuckerberg's Augmented Reality." It's not a secret that Zuckerberg wants to beat Apple to market and lead the future metaverse market. Zuckerberg calls AR goggles a "holy grail" device that will redefine our relationship with technology," akin to the introduction of smartphones, especially the Steve Jobs moment in time when the iPhone rocked the world.

Metas CEO also sees the AR glasses, dubbed Project Nazare, as a way to get out from under the thumb of Apple and Google, which together dictate the terms that apps like Facebook have to abide by on mobile phones. The first version of Nazare is designed to work independently from a mobile phone with the assistance of a wireless, phone-shaped device that offloads parts of the computing required for the glasses to operate. A marquee feature will be the ability to communicate and interact with holograms of other people through the glasses, which Zuckerberg believes will, over time, provide people with a more immersive, compelling experience than the video calling that exists today.

A former Facebook employee stated that "Zucks ego is intertwined with the glasses. He wants it to be an iPhone moment." I find that Zuckerberg is a big dreamer trying to be at Apple's level in the industry and beyond. I don't put much stalk in what his vision is for the metaverse at the moment, but if you happen to, then the report by The Verge is worth reading. The report ends with someone involved with Meta's Nazare project stating: "You have to really be a missionary to see this through," because "It will take decades."

With that said, Meta will likely be a major player in the AR smart smartglasses sector when it realistically hits the market. Though other major players including Apple, Google and Samsung (at minimum) are hard at work to make sure that they take a chunk of this next-gen killer consumer smart device.

While Apple's hardware and software prowess is legendary and likely to capture a major chunk of this next-gen consumer device, Google wants to resurrect Google Glass as a leading brand.

Google Smartglasses Patent

Over the weekend, Patently Apple discovered one of Googles' latest smartglasses patents. Google states in their filing that smartglasses add information alongside what the wearer sees through the glasses. Superimposing information (e.g., digital images) onto a field of view may be achieved through smart optics such as an optical head-mounted display (OHMD), or embedded wireless glasses with a transparent heads-up display (HUD), or augmented reality (AR) overlay. Modern smart eyewear are effectively wearable computers which can run self-contained mobile apps. Some may be handsfree and can communicate with the Internet via natural language voice commands, while others may use touch buttons.

Google's patent FIG. 1 below illustrates an example sketch of example smartglasses. The smartglasses add information alongside what the wearer sees through the glasses. For instance, the eyewear #100 can have virtual image displays or "virtual displays" that add information to what a wearer sees through the glasses. A virtual display may, for example, be an in-lens micro display, or a display projected on a lens surface, or a display projected on a plane of a lens-less frame, etc. The eyewear 100 may be an AR headset.

Electronic components for controlling the eyewear may be disposed within the eyewear. For example, the electronic components may be disposed in the first temple #106a and/or the second temple #106b and/or the frame #102. Flex circuits and/or wires may be used to connect the electronic components disposed within the eyewear including to the first lens #104a and the second lens #104b. The eyewear may include a power or reset button #116 to power on/off or reset the eyewear. The eyewear may also include one or more sensors such as a camera #118. The camera may provide information to the electronic components within the eyewear for use and processing of captured images and videos.

Google's patent application was published last Thursday by the World Intellectual Property Organization under #WO2022081192. You could review the details here.

Earlier this month a Korean IT News report posted a report claiming that LG Innotek was in discussions with Google to supply 3D sensing and camera modules for Google's future smartglasses to be released as early as next year. LG is reportedly working with Apple, Microsoft and Oculus on similar technologies.

LG Innotek is known to have been conducting research and development (R&D) for key components of Google's AR Glass for more than a year. LG Innotek and Google are discussing core functions and specifications of camera and 3D sensing module. LG Innotek is working hard to become the primary supplier of Google's AR Glass.

AR Glass, which is being developed by Google, creates augmented reality (AR) by mixing real and virtual images. Next year's product is known to have better usability compared to Google's previous AR glasses. A high-quality camera module and 3D sensing module play a key role in the blending virtual images with the real world.

LG Innotek is a major supplier of camera modules for Google's Pixel Phone. It has supplied smartphone camera modules to Google for several years. For more, read the full report by Korea IT News

Samsung Smartglasses Patent





Last Thursday the World Intellectual Property Organization also published an AR smartglasses patent from Samsung. The focus of the patent covers how their glasses will integrate communication antennas.



According to Samsung, when an overlap between antennas occurs in an electronic device including a plurality of antennas, interference between the antennas can be prevented by switching at least one antenna, and thus the radiation performance of the antenna can be prevented from deteriorating.

In addition, the radiation performance of the antenna can be improved by turning on or off at least one antenna on the basis of the use state of the electronic device including the plurality of antennas, connecting to the ground, or moving at least one resonant frequency.

Furthermore, in addition to an electronic device for providing augmented reality, an electronic device providing virtual reality can have the same effect.

For more on this, read Samsung EU patent filing here. Note, in order to read the patent, WIPO offers a Translation button to translate the Korean patent into English. Once you choose the language you want, scroll slowly down the pages and the translation will happen in real-time.

While the next short term battle ground will be about hybrid 17" tablet-notebooks (01, 02, 03 and 04), the longer term battle will be smartglasses that could possibly replace smartphones for many. Check out our archives covering Apple's work on next-gen smartglasses here. Below is a patent figure from an Apple patent published in February 2021.
It was rumored all morning that Twitter would accept Elon Musk's offer for the company and CNBC is now reporting that it's official.

CNBC reports that "Twitters board has accepted an offer from billionaire Elon Musk to buy the social media company and take it private, the company announced Monday.

The cash deal at $54.20 per share is valued around $44 billion, according to the press release. Twitter will become a private company once the deal is complete.

The announcement ends a weeks-long saga Musk kicked off when he disclosed a large stake in the company. Soon after, the company said he would join the board, only for Musk to reverse course on that plan several days later. Then, he offered to buy the company at $54.20 per share, his best and final. That offer valued Twitter at about $43 billion.

Assuming the deal closes and Musk takes ownership of Twitter, the company will be controlled by the worlds richest person and someone whos been a heavy critic of the platform while using it in legally contentious ways, mostly through sensitive posts about his car manufacturer, Tesla."

Reuters reported earlier that "Twitter has not been able to secure so far a go-shop provision under its agreement with Musk that would allow it to solicit other bids once the deal is signed, the sources said. Still, Twitter would be allowed to accept an offer from another party by paying Musk a break-up fee, the sources added." Whether Democrats will attempt to stop Musk with a higher bid remains a distinct possibility.

Though Musk has indicated that his primary interest in Twitter has to do with what he views as the companys censorship of free speech, Musk critics are justifiably concerned that the opposite will happen. Musks interest in Twitter to date comes from his own frequent use of the platform. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO often uses his large platform to share jokes, engage with followers and make business announcements. For more on this, read the full CNBC report.
On Monday, the Twitter board agreed to accept Elon Musks offer to buy the social media company. Musk said he will take Twitter private amid an effort to restore free speech to the social platform.

Twitter shareholders will receive $54.20 in cash for each share of Twitter common stock, which will value the agreement at $44 billion, or a 38 percent price premium to Twitters share price on April 1, when Musk disclosed his 9 percent stake in the company. Musk secured $25.5 billion of fully committed debt and margin loan financing and is himself providing an approximately $21 billion equity commitment, according to a statement by Twitter. He will take the company private.

The deal is expected to close in 2022 subject to the approval of Twitter shareholders and regulatory agencies.

Musk, who is already the chief executive of SpaceX and Tesla, and the founder of the underground tunnel company the Boring Company, now adds the social media giant Twitter to his stable. Musks commitment toward Twitter was never fully established until now. His on-again, off-again stance begun in 2018 with a tweet Musk issued that claimed that he was securing financing to buy Twitter and take it private, a tweet he later said was a joke after an SEC investigation. Of course, those are the very actions Musk took today.

Musk later posted a December tweet that Bloomberg described as depict[ing] [Twitter CEO Parag] Agrawal as Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and Dorsey as Soviet secret police head Nikolai Yezhov being shoved into water. Musk also asked, via tweet, whether his followers believed that Twitter preserved free speech.

Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated, Musk said in a statement. I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans. Twitter has tremendous potential  I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it.

Twitter will not hold a conference call to announce the move, but will issue its first quarter earnings on April 28.
CEO of Aidens Homes and Apartment, Mr Frank Agyapong has urged the Ghanaian youth to patronise the real estate dream as the business leads to financial freedom as many other careers.



Launching his newly fully-furnished decorated homes over the weekend at Two Streams, Mangoase Junction in Koforidua, the businessman recounted his journey, adding that, he has never regretted toeing the line.



Talking about one of his business strategies, he said apartments are not supposed to be strictly conformed to the one-year-two-year advance payments as his business entity allows booking of a fully furnished one bedroom apt & studio room for days, weeks and even months.



According to him, not all clients would like to lodge for years hence it will be apt if landlords consider those who will stay for days and at least months.



[ https://youtu.be/qaHPHiHBCp4 ]



When you are doing business, you have to have many targets. The idea of giving out apartments and rooms on yearly basis shouldnt be the only focus if you want to make money.



He further expressed the need for those interested in the real estate business to have modern facilities at their premises to entice people who lodge for business, fun among other reasons.



We have air-conditioning units, free Wifi, DSTV among other things such as a private balcony with a mountain view, double size bed, fully furnished kitchen among other enviable elements to make our guest comfortable.



The aim is to let them have these simple modern house technologies to keep things up in the real estate world, he said.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, has said that students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) who allegedly used their school fees for gambling must be taken through therapy.



The MP said that the rehabilitation is needed because the student might be addicted to gambling which may lead to them eventually dropping out of school.



For the category of students allegedly addicted to betting, we owe them therapy and an improved regulatory climate by the Gaming Commission of Ghana - ending their education cannot be an option, a tweet shared by the MP on April 23, 2022, read.



Also, the MP commended the KNUST management and the government for reviewing the decision to defer the programmes of the 6000 students who failed to pay 70 percent of their school fees.



He said that it was his hope the students who have still not been able to pay their fees will get the needed support before the grace period provided by the university elapses.



It is absolutely gratifying that 6,000 KNUST students didn't have to reluctantly return to their various homes this weekend against their will only because they owe fees.



For their empathy and show of humanity by responding positively to our appeals - I commend the management of KNUST and the Minister for Education. I hope we all do our best to assist those we can before the new deadline of 20th May 2022, the MP said.



The MP added that the government should put measures in place to ensure that it pays arrears owed to students in the forms of student loans and the university's GETFund support.



Meanwhile, the management of the KNUST has disclosed that it has reinstated over 3,550 of the 6,000 students whose programmes were deferred due to their inability to pay 70 percent of their fees.



It said that the students were reinstated after paying the required amount of fees, adding that the fees of 2,200 students were paid through the Dean of Students Scholarship Scheme while 1350 paid the fees on their own.



Read the tweet shared by the MP below:













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Economic Counsellor at the Embassy of the United States of America, Stephanie Hutchison has hinted of the United States partnership with the government aimed at Economic recovery as Ghana bounces back from the Covid-19 scourge.



She intimated that the US government is re-launching the prosper Africa initiative which is targeted at inclusive economic growth for the country.



The US is partnering with Ghana to support economic recovery and economic activity and more broadly, on a long term scope, inclusive economic growth. And there are a number of resources that we have available and tools for businesses to explore and you can find that on our website at the US Embassy website.



In a bid to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 scourge on socio-economic indicators of the country, the US Ghana alumni association through its stakeholder dialogue brought together key industry players to discuss solutions for businesses that suffered from the shock of the global pandemic.



Speaking to Starr News, the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the association of Ghana industry Tsonam Akpaloo said Businesses need to be allowed to isolate ideas that will enable them to expand in order to absorb the teeming employed youth



What is needed now is to isolate ideas that will allow us to expand our businesses in order to absorb these huge teeming young people who are finishing our universities. Otherwise, the consequences might have an effect on national security.



The dialogue was themed Post Pandemic Recovery; Socio-Economic Prospects amidst the chaos.





Source: GNA









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The presidential advisor on HIV/Aids, Dr. Mokowa Blay Adu-Gyamfi, has indicated that the country will soon have to deal with an HIV/AIDS epidemic if care is not taken.



According to her, an HIV/AIDS epidemic might be eminent because even though the number of cases of the disease keeps rising and the fact that it is fatality there is very little education on it.



She explained that because Ghanaians are not aware of the mode of transmission of the virus, they fail to take the necessary precautions, which is making a lot of people get the disease, asaaseradio.com reports.



HIV/Aids is still a problem. With COVID now, we dont even hear about HIV/Aids at all. Im sure we are going to have a big epidemic very soon; because we dont hear of it [HIV/Aids]. People are not being cautious of it people need [continuous] education on HIV.



HIV/Aids cannot be cured. You can only suppress it  once you are positive, you are positive till you die, Dr Adu-Gyamfi is quoted to have said on Asaase Radio.



Also, the presidential advisor on HIV/Aids said that another issue facing the fight against HIV/AIDS is the issue of funding.



Weve talked about it [funding for Aids]. We need funding and I hope very soon the president will consent to the Aids fund because now money is not coming from outside.



The Global Fund is there but thats not sufficient for our needs. So very soon we shall be having the Aids fund launched. Ill be at the Presidency [to ensure] its launched quickly because he [the president] is the head of the Ghana AIDS Commission, she said.



The Ghana AIDS Commission has disclosed that 346,120 Ghanaians have been infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS with 66 percent being females while the rest are males.



Data also indicates that only 88 percent of people living with HIV know their status, of which 29 percent of them are women.



The Ghana AIDS Commission has set a new target of having 95 percent of people living with HIV knowing their status, 95 percent of people who know they are HIV positive going for treatment and 95 percent of those who are on treatment achieve viral suppression by 2025, to help eradicate the disease in Ghana.

















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Xi congratulates Macron on re-election as French president

Xinhua) 15:23, April 25, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Emmanuel Macron on his re-election as French president.

In his message, Xi said over the past five years, the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership has maintained a high level of development under the guidance of the two heads of state.

The two sides have continued to deepen practical cooperation in various fields, combated the COVID-19 pandemic shoulder to shoulder, jointly upheld multilateralism and improved global governance, injecting new impetus to the development of China-European Union relations and making new contributions to world peace, stability and prosperity, Xi said.

Noting that both China and France are major countries with a tradition of staying independent, Xi said the strategic significance of the sound and stable development of China-France relations has become ever more prominent as the international situation is undergoing profound and complex changes.

Xi said he always views the bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective, and stands ready to continuously work with Macron to uphold the original aspiration of the establishment of the diplomatic relations featuring independence, mutual understanding, foresight, mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, work together to push China-France relations to new heights and bring benefits to the people of the two countries and the rest of the world.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
The Ghana Chapter of the Young President Organisation (YPO) has set up an Emergency Paediatric Unit to prevent avoidable and needless deaths and bring the rising cases of child mortality at the Sunyani Regional Hospital under control.



YPO is a United States-based global leadership community of extraordinary chief executives, with more than 30,000 members from 142 countries.



In that regard, the Ghana chapter has presented modern medical devices and equipment valued US$100,000 to the unit.



They include brand new patient monitors, infusion pumps, suction machines, hospital beds, several consumables, portable autoclaves, gun thermometers, examination lights, soap dispensers and others.



In addition, the Chapter presented three incubators, two radiant warmers, baby courts and phototherapy machines to the Neonatal Intensive Unit (NICU) of the hospital.



Mrs Emefa Awuah-Darko, the Spouse Partner Officer, Ghana Chapter, YPO expressed worry about the lack of modern medical devices and equipment in health facilities, contributing to rising cases of child mortality in the country.



She therefore stressed the readiness of the Chapter to make a significant impact towards preventing mortality and infant deaths in the country, saying the chapter intended to extend the gesture to other deprived regional hospitals.







Mrs Awauh-Darko expressed the hope that with the setting up of the unit and the medical devices, the child mortality rate would be brought under the barest minimum.



Dr Cardinal Newton, the Medical Director of the Hospital, described the items as mind blowing, and promised to ensure that they were used for the intended purpose and maintained as well.



He expressed appreciation to the YPO for the gesture, saying we never thought this could be a reality, and appealed to other organisations and corporate bodies to come to the aid of the hospital.



Dr Newton expressed discomfort that many of the medical devices and machines at the hospital were now obsolete, saying the facility was also going through serious financial stress and appealed for support.



Dr Mrs Esinam Ama Nyarko, a Paediatrician and the Head of the Paediatric Unit of the Hospital later told newsmen that only one of the three incubators at the NICU was functioning.



As a referral facility, she indicated child mortality remained high, but added the unit had put in place interventions to control the situation.



We have intensified public education in the airwaves and in the local communities on the need for pregnant women to attend regular antenatal and post-natal clinics so as to prevent childbirth complications.



Dr Nyarko also appealed for a child friendly ambulance, indicating that many parents could not afford the cost of the ambulance when peculiar cases were referred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Nigeria's president has said the country is in "shock and trauma" following the deaths of at least 100 people from an explosion at an illegal oil refinery.



President Muhammadu Buhari described the incident in Imo state, southern Nigeria, as a "catastrophe and a national disaster".



Many victims were burnt beyond recognition.



The police are now looking for the owner of the illegal refinery.



The damage to fishing and farming caused by the oil industry over the decades and the failure to share its wealth has led some to find other ways to make money.



Illegal refining is attractive in parts of the oil-rich Niger Delta as it is seen as being relatively easy to pull off, despite efforts to halt the practice.



Dozens of people were thought to have been working at the refining plants when they were caught in the huge fire.



The death toll has risen as emergency workers go through the scene. Ifeanyi Nnaji of the National Emergency Management Agency told BBC Igbo that the number killed now stood at 109.



"We learnt many bodies are in nearby bushes and forests as some illegal operators and their patrons scampered for safety," he earlier told the AFP news agency.



In a statement on Sunday, Mr Buhari offered his condolences to families of the victims and said those responsible for the explosions must be caught and brought to justice.



The authorities have been struggling to curb the proliferation of illegal plants where stolen crude oil is refined. The president ordered security forces to intensify efforts to shut these refineries.



It is not yet clear what caused the explosion that happened sometime overnight into Saturday, but accidents have been common in the past at similar dangerous sites where safety measures are not enforced.



There have been concerns over a lack of precautions at such facilities as well as over the environmental pollution they cause.



But Nigeria's official oil refineries do not work to capacity, causing frequent fuel shortages and price increases across the country.

Source: BBC









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Works and Housing Minister, Hon. Francis Asenso-Boakye has extended an invitation to private developers, including members of the Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA) to embrace the revised strategy of the government in the provision of mass affordable housing to the middle to low-income earning Ghanaians.



The Minister disclosed this when he addressed a gathering at the grand opening of Rehoboth Knightsbridge, Kwabenya, an affordable housing project by Rehoboth Properties Limited in Accra this weekend.



He narrated that due to the huge housing deficit in the country, the government has revised its strategy on affordable housing by providing free land banks with requisite infrastructure to the designated sites. 



Apart from the free land and infrastructure services to these sites, the government is providing tax incentives to participating developers with the aim of making the cost of construction much lower, thereby making the houses truly affordable. I, therefore, charge all private developers, especially members of GREDA to collaborate with the government in this course, added Asenso-Boakye.



The Minister also commended the management and staff of Rehoboth Properties Limited for their contribution to the provision of affordable housing in Ghana with the opening of Knightsbridge Kwabenya.



I commend the management and staff of Rehoboth Properties Limited for staying committed to the noble cause of providing affordable homes to our people, said Asenso-Boakye.



He concluded that as a government, we are committed to creating the enabling environment for the housing sector to thrive.



Managing Director of Rehoboth Properties, Mr Gideon Ayiku Akrofi indicated that the Knightsbridge Kwabenya affordable housing project is a strategic move to provide decent homes for all Ghanaians and to bridge the gap between high-income earners and middle to low-income earners.



The event was highly attended by notable dignitaries, including Rt. Hon. Prof. Mike Aaron Oquaye, former Speaker of Parliament; the ArchBishop of Action Chapel International, His Eminence Nicholas Duncan Williams; Prof. Mrs. Angela Ofori-Attah, a renowned clinical psychologist; Mr Dan Sackey, Managing Director of ECOBANK; and Mr. Patrick Ebo Bonful, the President of Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA).

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has rolled out a series of activities nationwide to mark 30 years of uninterrupted constitutional rule in Ghana, beginning April 28.



The success of constitutional rule in Ghana is classified as a fundamental accomplishment of all Ghanaians, Mr Samuel Asare Akuamoah, the NCCE Deputy Chairman in charge of Operations, said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema on Sunday.



He explained that the Commission, judging from the chequered democratic history of the country, set out to protect the Fourth Republic with the setting up of the Annual Constitution Week Celebration.



The Week was instituted in 2001 to commemorate the countrys return to constitutional democratic rule, significantly on April 28, 1992, when the electorate voted in a referendum to adopt the draft Fourth Republican Constitution, which subsequently came into force on January 7, 1993.



Since its inception, April 28 to May 4 has been observed as the Annual Constitution Week. This year marks 30 years of uninterrupted constitutional rule in the Fourth Republic, although it is relatively young when compared to developed democracies, Mr Akuamoah said.



As such, Ghanaians must work hard to consolidate the fledgling democracy towards the common good.



The NCCE would hold public lectures and dialogues on the theme: After Three Decades of Democratic Rule under the 1992 Constitution: Revisiting the Agenda for Constitutional Reforms.



Mr Akuamoah explained that democracy grew when people identified the shortfalls in its practice and took the appropriate remedial measures to set things right.



The Constitution is a living document and must be nurtured to grow. The nurturing of a living constitution is vital for the sustenance of Ghanas fledgling democracy and the promotion of sustainable development, he said.



In the course of operating the 1992 Constitution for the past 30 years, various segments of the Ghanaian society, including government officials, legislators, political parties, academics, civil society organisations, and constitutional experts have called for a thorough review of the document.



The NCCE Deputy Chairman acknowledged that concerns raised over the past 30 years were relevant to the effective functioning of the Constitution.



Some of the concerns related to the reapportionment of power, political authority, and the revitalisation of the various institutions of state with the requisite architecture and resources to make them work to make the Constitution a truly living document.



Mr Akuamoah said some stakeholders argued that there are several ambiguities and nebulous provisions that had hindered the Constitution to be an effective tool for promoting development.



It is plausible to posit from these concerns that the people are determined to secure basic rights, realise a vision of equality of opportunities and enhance the governance system that reflects their aspirations, he stated.



The lectures and dialogue will enlighten participants on how the 1992 Constitution had fared, over the years, and if there is truly a justification for its amendment.



They would also create a platform for the citizens to share their views on ways to sustain and consolidate the democratic successes chalked even in the face of a possible amendment of the 1992 Constitution, he said.

Source: GNA









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Majority Chief Whip of the 8th Parliament of Ghana, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has stated that the opposition NDC should not fret over the fate of cases they have presented at the Supreme Court.



According to the legislator, Okudzeto Ablakwa is worried about the majoritys press confabs on the minoritys actions at the Apex Court.



In a Twitter post on Saturday, April 23, 2021, he wrote, My good friend Hon. Ablakwa I am told is expressing deep worries on our Press Confab. on their actions at the Apex Court. You shouldn't be worried brother; we only expressed our usual caution to your often 'hurried' actions at the law Court."



"The Court will certainly do its job! he added.



The Minority in Parliament is currently in court over the passage of the electronic transfer levy by parliament.



The Minority staged a walkout when the finance minister presented the electronic transfer bill in parliament for approval, to show their entrenched position on their disapproval of the levy.



The Majority, however, went ahead to pass the levy in the presence of 136 MPS, which the Minority says does not constitute a quorum.



Led by the Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, the Supreme Court has been petitioned to render the passage of the bill null and void.



Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has assented the bill into law.



The GRA has thus announced that the implementation of the bill will commence on May 1.



It was after this announcement that the Minority filed another case seeking an injuction on the implementation of the said bill.



Hon Okudzeto Ablakwa has, however, stated that the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority will be in contempt of court if he goes ahead with the bills implementation before the court case is heard.



The electronic transfer levy is a 1.5% levy that will be charged on electronic transfers above 100.





Source: ghanaweb.com









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Former President John Dramani Mahama has urged the founder of Perez Chapel International, Charles Agyinasare, not to be silent but always speak truth no matter who gets galled.



This was contained in a speech the former President delivered on Sunday, April 24, at the church premises during an event marking the elevation of Charles Agyinasare to the status of Archbishop.



According to him, Agyinasare merited the elevation due to his continuous shepherding of Gods flock for the greater part of his life.



You truly deserve the elevation having ministered to the flock for 31 good years. That is more than half of your life[Arch]bishop for 31 years but have ministered for almost all your life. 40 years ministering Gods flock I think is worthy of the position of Archbishop, he told the congregation, he said.



Mahama added that his family was grateful to the now Archbishop for his immeasurable support and counsel over the years of their friendship.



He described the man of God as someone whose voice has become the moral conscience of the country.



Mahama, therefore, charged Agyinasare to continuously speak the truth no matter who gets irritated by it.



We wish to express our profound gratitude to you and we take this opportunity to thank you and your congregation for your prayers and support you have given us over the years. You continue to be one of the moral voices of our society that will not be silenced or intimidated. May God continue to give you divine auction so that you can continue to speak truth to the whole country no matter whose ox is galled, he stressed.



Charles Agyinasare was elevated from a Bishop to Archbishop by the authority of the Episcopalian Council of Perez Chapel International and the leadership of the Global Charismatic Ministers Network at a ceremony in Accra on Saturday, 2 April 2022.













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Deputy Finance Minister, Dr. John Kumah, has refuted suggestions that the Neutrality Allowance being demanded by the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) is compensation for them not engaging in political activities.



According to him, Neutrality Allowance is a term a committee set up by the government came up with to address the demands of the association in 2019.



He said that the public should not focus on the name of the allowance but on its purpose which is to address the salary disparity CLOGSAG members faced compared to other workers.



 the name Neutrality Allowance is not something that CLOGSAG demanded, it was a term. To be fair to CLOGSAG this negotiation started since 2019, it ended in the early part of 2021. I think the agreement was signed in early part of January with effective date of February, so this is about two years of engagement led by the Senior Presidential Advisor, Fair Wages Commission and the sector minister (Ministry of Employment) as well as the Ministry of Finance.



CLOGSAG did not come on the negotiation table with Neutrality Allowance, they come with all kinds of allowances and demands which they justified  if the government accepted those demands that could triple what they are getting at the moment. So, the government and the negotiation team said something had to be done for CLOGSAG because CLOGSAG was the lowest-paid group on the single spine salary structure, he said in a JoyNews interview monitored by GhanaWeb.



But in doing something for them, it did not want to create a situation that once you do something for one group it does not open the flood gate for demands for other groups and there will not be enough resources to pay. So, I believe it is the reason why in trying to clutch a term that they thought at the time could limit to only CLOSAGG came up with the word Neutrality Allowance, he added.



Kumah further stated that the government was engaging CLOGSAG and will change the name of the allowance since it has created a lot of confusion in the public.



Members of the CLOGSAG have been on strike since Thursday, April 21, over the inability of the government to pay their neutrality allowance.



CLOGSAG in a press statement directed its members at the Ministries Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) as well as the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to stop going to work.



It explained that the government has failed to honour an agreement [payment of allowance] they had on January 20, 2022.



A lot of Ghanaians are questioning the demands of CLOGSAG, saying that public servants are required to be neutral, therefore, they should not be paid for not engaging in political activities.















Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A former Head of the Monitoring Unit of the Forestry Commission, Charles Owusu, has chided the ruling New Patriotic government for failing to settle debts owed fertilizer contractors after distributing fertilizers to farmers in the country.



Over two years now the government is said to owe fertilizer contractors of which farmers are the ones feeling the impact.



Framers across the country especially those under the government flagship project Planting for Food and Jobs have been complaining bitterly over the shortage of fertilizers for their crops in this farming season.



Charles Owusu commenting on the recent shortage during Peace FMs 'Krokokoo' discussions with host Nana Yaw Kesse, he asked the government not to attribute the shortage of the fertilizer to the RussiaUkraine war but rather settle the debts owed to these contractors.



He said the accumulated debt show the duration of which these contractors have not been paid.



Now Ghanaians cannot purchase food crops produced from our own country, and the impact of the shortage would be hugely felt, he added.



We are all aware of how our soil have gradually become infertile and need fertilizers to improve its nutrients for farming purposes, but here is the case farmers cannot have access to fertilizers.



He said the current problem facing the farmers is not about running mouth but making efforts to address the problem.



Where is the success story of Planting of Food and Jobs when we dont have fertilizer for farming, he quizzed



Reaction From The Agric Ministry



The Press Secretary for the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Ridwan Issah Alhassan reacting to the situation said one cannot blame the Agric Minister for not paying the debts though they are the implementing ministry.



We should not make things look like we are deliberately keeping the money for these contractors but the issue is funds have not been released for payment, he explained.



He disclosed that fifty percent of these contractors have been paid and that the ministry is making efforts to pay the rest.



Commenting on the shortage, he said the shortage of fertilizers is due to the RussiaUkraine war since factories are not able to produce the fertilizers following the impact.



Gov't Owes Suppliers GHc 436 Million Estimated Debts



Recent checks conducted by Peace FM News has revealed that the Government of Ghana owes Fertilizer Suppliers an estimated debt of 436 million Ghana cedis after supplying farmers with fertilizers for the 2020 and 2021 farming seasons.



According to some of the companies Hello FM's Sampson Kwame Nyamekye spoke with, the government only paid them part of the money leaving arrears of 86 million Ghana cedis in 2020. In 2021 too after supplying farmers with fertilizers for the farming season, government failed to settle these companies 350 million Ghana Cedis debts therefore accumulating the debts.



Currently, some fertilizer suppliers who have stock with some of the fertilizers are planning to sell to neighboring countries to clear their debts since the implementing Ministry is not showing any readiness to settle outstanding debts.

Source: Sampson Kwame Nyamekye/ Hello FM/Kumasi









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Deputy Education Minister, John Ntim Fordjour, has advised against the youth using their monies for betting.



Some 6,000 students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have been asked to defer their courses after delay in payment of their tuition fees.



The students were reported to have used their fees to start up online taxi business like Uber and go into other ventures.



Some also were said to have used their fees for betting in hope of doubling the money for their personal gains.



This behavior of the students has become a matter of concern which is called for the intervention of the Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, as he's asked the affected students to take advantage of the government's student loan package to remit their arrears in order to avoid the deferment.



Touching on the issue, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'' Monday morning, expressed worry that some of the students used their fees to gamble.



To him, it is very disturbing to find the youth of today develop interest in staking to the extent that they would risk their school fees.



He noted that betting is a ''business for some people but it is going to be killing the society'', therefore cautioned the youth to know where to place their priorities.







Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources responsible for Lands and Forestry, Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio has received on behalf of the Sector Minister, reports on Terms of Reference 1 and 2 from the Sole Inquirer, who was tasked to investigate the circumstances surrounding the true ownership of some parcel of land in dispute between the Bulgarian Embassy and a private developer.



Upon receiving the report, Hon. Benito expressed his profound gratitude to the Sole Inquirer saying that the Ministry together with the Lands Commission and other stakeholders involved in the land case would peruse the reports provided and make available the contents in due course.



He hoped that per the expertise of the Sole Inquirer, the findings of the reports provided will indeed be a great asset which will guide matters to do with Bulgarian Embassy Land Case.



In a brief background to the reports received, the Deputy Minister spelt out the Terms of Reference of the Sole Inquirer, adding that due to the urgency of the issue relating to the Bulgarian Embassy, the Minister gave the Sole Inquirer an ultimatum of seven (7) days to present a Report on his Terms of Reference (1) and (2), however, due to the voluminous nature of the work, he said the Sole Inquirer sought for an extension which was granted by the Sector Minister for the proper scrutiny into the case.



Hon. Benito says the Sole inquirer still has some grace period out of the one (1) month given him to present a full Report on Terms of Reference (3) to (5).



He also assured the public that the recommendations obtained in the report would be considered by the Ministry and appropriate directives issued for further implementation.



On his part, the Sole Inquirer, Justice Retired Kwasi Anto Ofori-Atta said with the support of the Ministry and Lands Commission, he commenced his investigative work on 21st March 2022 with letters sent out to various entities and professional bodies involved in the case to source information which will aid his investigative work.



He added that in response to these letters, 11 witnesses appeared to testify on the case and some had to be recalled for re-examination, all in an effort to arrive at the very truth on the case.



He said per his Terms of Reference, the current reports present findings and recommendations for the Terms of Reference (1) and (2 )which he hoped will inform the Ministrys decision making on the case.



Justice Retired Ofori-Atta, a retired Justice of the High Court and a one time Chairman of the Ashanti Regional Lands Commission in his submission also expressed his gratitude to Government and the Minister for the confidence reposed in him and asked for continuous support to deliver reports on the other 3 terms of references.



The Sole Inquirer was inaugurated on Friday 18th March 2022 to investigate the circumstances surrounding the true ownership of some parcel of land in dispute between the Bulgarian Embassy and a private developer with terms of reference as follows;



1. Undertake a full and impartial inquiry into the alleged encroachment and/or demolishing of property on the land being used as the Bulgarian Embassy,



2. Make appropriate recommendations relating to the land being used as the Bulgarian Embassy



3. Inquire into the nature of interest in any land held or occupied by Diplomatic Missions in Ghana



4. Inquire into any matter relating to land in which Diplomatic Missions in Ghana have an interest whatsoever



5. Make recommendations to Government.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The 26th/27th Meetings of the SAFE Working Group (SWG) were held successfully from 11 to 14 April 2022. The virtual meetings brought together more than 260 delegates representing Customs administrations, the Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG), other international organizations and academia.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Pranab Kumar Das, WCO Director of Compliance and Facilitation, highlighted that the SWG had reached an important juncture as the new three-year SAFE review cycle 2021-2024 was about to enter into discussions. It was pointed out that 17 years after it was first published, the SAFE Framework of Standards (FoS) had garnered substantial interest from WCO Members. During the meetings, Guyana became the 172nd WCO Member to express its interest in implementing the SAFE FoS.

With a view to continued enhancement of the AEO criteria and provisions to strengthen the SAFE FoS, WCO Members made several new proposals to revise the Framework. The SWG also received feedback from the private sector on the urgent need to enhance the harmonization of SAFE and AEO implementation. In this context, the SWG heard a presentation by the WCO Anti-Corruption and Integrity Promotion (A-CIP) Programme on maintaining the integrity and transparency of AEO implementation.

On this occasion, the SWG reviewed and adopted the new Work Plan for 2022-2024, which reflected the critical activities the SWG will carry out over the next two years until 2024, in parallel with the SAFE review cycle. The SWG also received an update on the development of new features for the Online AEO Compendium (OAC) and the other extensive work underway in collaboration with other international organizations in the areas of security and facilitation.

Against the backdrop of the WCOs theme for 2022, the panel discussion on "Scaling up Customs Digital Transformation by Embracing a Data Culture and Building a Data Ecosystem" attracted significant interest from Members and the private sector. The experienced speakers from Member Customs administrations, the private sector and the Secretariat enriched the discussions by sharing their best practices on using data for enhancing risk management and monitoring AEO programmes.

As a way forward, the SWG agreed that efforts will be reserved for a comprehensive review to assess and monitor SAFE implementation for greater harmonization of AEO programmes globally.
Dr Kingsley Nyarko, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwadaso, has called on the constituents to support the police to weed out criminals from the community by offering vital information that will lead to their arrest.



He said it was important for the people to collaborate effectively with the police to enhance social order and peace at all times.



Dr Nyarko made the call at a sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of an ultra-modern police station at Pokukrom, a community in the Kwadaso Municipality of the Ashanti Region.



The project, estimated to cost GHC 500,000.00, is being funded by the MP from his share of the Common Fund and expected to be completed in six months.



It will have a male and female cells, washrooms, as well as offices for police officers.



Nana Banahene Company Limited, a local contractor in the Kwadaso Municipality, is handling the construction.



Dr Nyarko said complaints from community members gave the indication of rampant robbery attacks in the area but getting the police to intervene on time was a challenge.



The police station would, therefore, ensure proper security in the community and its environs, he said, to enhance the welfare of inhabitants, which was his major focus.



Speaking on the project being awarded to a local contractor, the MP said a local contractor would employ people from the community, thereby creating jobs for the residents, and also speed up work through constant monitoring.



He urged the people to cooperate with the contractor to ensure the project was completed on schedule.



Superintendent Vitus Napen, the Abuakwa District Police Commander, said it was time the community got its own police station to save the people from traveling long distances to report cases.



The choice of Pokukrom for the police station was strategic since the area had, in recent times, reported an upsurge in criminal activities, he said.



With the construction of the station, it would help bring relief to the Command, which had been burdened with the task of overseeing a very large area in its operations, Supt. Napen said.



He commended the MP for the initiative, which would help strengthen police operations to reduce criminal activities in the area.



He called for public support in volunteering information to the police to help weed out criminals.

Source: GNA









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Mrs Vivian Ama Aubyn, a mental rights advocate, has urged journalists to promote positive words of description when reporting on Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and Persons with Mental Health Conditions (PMHCs).



This is a step towards changing the narrative of derogation, stigmatization and discrimination against PWDs and PMHCs, Mrs Aubyn, a Board Member of PsyKforum, a non-governmental organisation that promotes mental well-being, said on Saturday.



Mrs Aubyn gave the advice at a workshop in Cape Coast to train journalists on the need to end derogatory languages against PWDs.



It formed part of the Social and Behavioural Change Communication and Stigma Reduction for Mental Health and Disability inclusion under the Ghana Somubi Dwumadzi Project.



It was funded by the UKAID with Hope for Future Generations as its implementing partner.



Ms Aubyn said language, religion and culture remained the topmost factors influencing stigmatization and discrimination, which had a huge impact on self-esteem, adding that the media had a major role to play in those areas.



Sometimes disability is a perspective, lets address them by their personality and not by their condition, our reportage can help break the barrier and build an all-inclusive system.



Journalists must be the agenda setters ensuring that laws around disability were functioning as stated in the Constitution, she said.



Ms Aubyn urged the media to charge duty bearers, conscientise the people, and commend those doing well to indirectly create the needed awareness to put everyone on his or her toes.



Mr David Yarboi Tetteh, the Central Regional Vice-Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), said many great stories about disability were left unpublished, adding that the challenges, woes and stories of PWDs needed to be heard.



PWDs must be given the opportunity to express their thoughts and emotions and be given fair and equal opportunity in the media, he said.



Lets allow them to speak for themselves other than allowing their guardians to speak for them, they have a story to tell, some of the stories are very revealing, Mr Tetteh said.



Treat adult PWDs as adults, ask them how they want to communicate, dont just assume. Be patient with them and understand their position as PWDs, dont even offer to help when they have not asked for it.



Words like; confined in a wheelchair, handicapped, afflicted, abnormal, and deformed were all derogatory languages that made them feel less of themselves and must never be included in media reportage, he 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.

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The Rent Control Department has advised tenants to report their landlords who have restricted their movements in the houses they have rented.



Public Relations Officer for the Department Emmanuel Kporsu said landlords have no right to infringe on the rights of their tenants.



Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm, he stated that landlords who are infringing on the rights of their tenants are in breach of the law.



He advised tenants to go and look at the rooms they want to rent, and know their boundaries before they pay their rent to their landlords.



He said it would be difficult in dealing with such incidents, adding it is proper to demand an agreement, read it and agree to them before paying.



He said: "We are appealing to landlords restricting their tenants to stop. Everyone is entitled to their fundamental rights.



"You cannot infringe on the rights of tenants because they have rented from you. Tenants who are going through such experiences should report so we deal with them.



He stressed the Rent Law mandates landlords to give agreements to their potential tenants to read and agree on them before paying.



After they agree, there should be a witness who will sign. The landlord will then go to the Department and register the agreement before taking the tenants money after the agreement has been stamped.



"The majority of people in need of rooms and houses to rent do not have the patience to go through this process.



"We understand the pressure and need for a place to lay your head. But before you rent, do due diligence before you pay your rent, he added.

J

Source: GNA









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Dr Kofi Boakye, the Ada East Health Director, has challenged the residents to get involved in the management and sustenance of Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds to improve outcomes.



When the community members are involved in the operations of such initiatives, the overall outcome of the project is enhanced and access to quality health care services is improved, he said.



Dr Boakye said this at a durbar organised by the Ada East District Assembly to educate residents on some basic rights and draw them closer to the Assembly.



He described the CHPS compound as a key component in health delivery service at the community level, hence the importance of community members to manage and sustain it to render effective services to them.



The CHPS compound concept was based on the principle of community ownership and management but due to governments objective to attain Universal Health Coverage, the CHPS were now being constructed through the metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies.



Going forward, everything that concerns the facility, the welfare of nurses, security, supply of electricity and water among other things has to be provided for by the community, Dr Boakye said.





Source: GNA









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A former General Secretary for the Christian Council of Ghana Reverend Dr. Kwabena Opuni Frimpong has warned against what he calls majority dictatorship and politicization of state institutions in the country stating that it is as dangerous as military rule.



He said state institutions such as the judiciary and security agencies must not be politically influenced to perpetuate majority dictatorship but rather must be allowed to operate freely without fear or favor.



Rev.Dr.Kwabena Opuni Frimpong, therefore, stressed the recent comment by the National Security Minister Albert Kan Dapaah who warned that the perception of judicial bias in favour of the government is a threat to the peace and stability of the country, must be taken seriously and addressed.



We must be careful about the politicization of state institutions. We are aware the recent statement by the Hon. Minister of National Security is causing trouble here and there.



But I want to take it as a caution statement that we must be very careful. Our judiciary, the legislature, security agencies, academic institutions we must make sure that our democracy is strong, strong to the point that it serves all but if we give the impression that if you belong to this class of people or group of people you will always get what you want but if you dont belong to this class of people that is what we call dictatorship of the majority it is as dangerous as a dictatorship from, say military.



He added, So we should not only have our eyes on dictatorship coming from the military but dictatorship coming from the majority is equally dangerous and Ghana must avoid dictatorship from the majority and the way to do it is to free state institutions from over politicization.



Rev.Dr. Opuni Frimpong said this during a public lecture organized by the Presbyterian Church of Ghana Akuapem Presbytery Ascension Congregation in Koforidua under the theme The Church as an Agent for Consolidating Democracy, Economic Transformation and Social Equity in Ghana: Prospects and Challenges.



He said some African countries that went on that tangent are currently facing political instability and democratic crises.



He stated that such countries deviated from the practice of democracy as the ruling governments use their majority advantage in parliament to impose their political will and their parochial interest on the people to the extent of amending aspects of the constitution to prolong the tenure of office of their presidents.



Rev.Opuni Frimpong sounded caution that political actors in the country should not drive Ghana into such a political majority dictatorship to jeopardize the countries striving for democracy.





Source: starrfm









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A 33-year-old taxi driver identified as Wonder Afetorgbor has found himself on the wrong side of the law for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy, a motor rider.



The culprit, who drives around Adutor near Dabala in the South Tongu Municipality of the Volta Region, has been jailed for indecently assaulting the teenager contrary to section 103 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), Dailyguidenetwork.com reports.



Wonder Afetorgbor, popularly known as Paro, was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment in hard labour by the Sogakofe Circuit on Thursday, April 21, 2022.



Chief Inspector Victor Somoah, the Prosecutor, giving details of the case, told the court presided by Judge, Isaac Addo, that the complainant, a motor rider, usually runs errands for Wonder.



"On February 4, 2022, at about 11:30pm, the complainant (name withheld) who was in the company of his friends received a phone call from Wonder asking the complainant to go and pick his girlfriend from Dabala to him at Adutor.



"The complainant told the accused that his motorbike had developed a fault and suggested that the complainant uses one Mawusis motorbike.



"Wonder refused and stated that Mawusi would charge him more because they are not on good talking terms.



"He then invited the complainant to his house and advised him to ensure his hair (dreadlocks) was well kept at all times and not to stay out too late in the night due to Police swoops and crime related arrests in the community," the news portal reported.



Chief Inspector Victor Somoah further gave a vivid description of how the 17-year-old motor rider was assaulted.



"In the process of advising the complainant, the accused removed his dress and the complainants dress and started making romantic advances at him.



"He touched him, kissed the complainants mouth, armpit, and forehead, and sucked his breast. He asked the complainant to turn his back for anal sexual intercourse. The complainant started crying and when the accused realized the complainants scream could attract neighbours, he asked him to wear his dress and leave."



Wonder, the accused, tried bribing the victim with GHC20 to keep whatever transpired a secret, but the victim rejected his offer.



The suspect followed his request with a plea via a phone call.



"While on his way, the accused called him (complainant) on phone and asked him not to tell anybody because he loved him. The complainant narrated the ordeal to his sister and father upon reaching home. The case was reported to the police and the accused person was arrested. He was then charged with Indecent Assault and Abduction. He pleaded not guilty to the charges," the portal reported.



Though Wonder pleaded not guilty, the court, however, found him guilty of the offence of Indecent Assault after a full trial.



He was acquitted of a second offence of Abduction due to lack of evidence and was sentenced to a prison term of 24 months in hard labour.



The Judge, Isaac Addo, in sentencing the accused person, considered the fact that he was a first time offender and young.





Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A US-based Ghanaian woman has disclosed that she helped her husband and pastor secure a green card to the States, but he left her for another woman in a few months.



In an exclusive interview on Daily Hustle Worldwide, Maame Afua (fictitious) revealed that her husband got paralyzed after their marriage in Ghana. Soon after he got better, Maame Afua began processes to help him.



However, two months after he arrived, his attitude changed. According to Maame Afua, they had a little misunderstanding, and he left for a different state.



I called him, and he said he was in a different state, but I know it was a lie. I called his family, and they didnt say anything. Weve been married for eight years, but hes been here for three years. Weve only lived together for two months. He says he hasnt divorced me, but I dont know where he is, she narrated.



Maame Afua added that she applied for a loan to begin the process for him to travel to the US. According to her, he did not pay or support her in paying off the debt.



The mother of three revealed that her husbands family has refused to accept their divorce until their son has approved it. She further indicated that her lawyer served him the divorce papers, but he refused to sign them.



When we met, he was every ladys dream man. We spoke often and had great conversations. I would say he was my soulmate, Maame Afua added.





Source: svtv









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DGN Online has gathered that the Savannah Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Salisu Be-Awurbe escaped a robbery attack along the Damongo-Sawla-Fulfulso road while he was en route to Tamale.



The Secretary and his entourage were returning from a handing over ceremony of the Damongo Nurses Training College wing of the Tertiary Education Institution Network (TEIN) in Damongo when the incident happened.



The incident occurred on Sunday, April 24 along the Damongo-Sawla-Fulfulso road about 3km to Fulfulso near Janikura in the Central Gonja District.



The Police when had the information rushed to the scene and managed to kill one of the suspected robbers with the help of some Fufulso Junction community members.



A pump-action gun was retrieved from the wasted robber.



Police are yet to identify the armed robber, whose accomplices are on the run.

Source: Daily Guide









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One of the major components in food crop production globally, which was badly hit last year because of COVID-19 and exacerbated this year by the Russia invasion of Ukraine, is fertiliser.



Farmers globally rely heavily on fertilisers to grow their crops. All fertilisers are made up of either nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium.



Nitrogen, which is 98 per cent of the world fertiliser is made from natural gas, but unfortunately, the prices of natural gas have more than doubled and in some places, four times higher than the previous year, making the future market look gloomy.



Consequently, the price of ammonia fertiliser, which is nitrogen-based, has shot up from $200 per tonne last cropping season to $1,000 per tonne currently on the global market.



The other two types are equally not spared, especially as a result of the crisis in Ukraine.



It is estimated that about 10 per cent of the world's phosphate comes from Russia and 25 per cent of the world's potassium also comes from Russia, both of which have been blocked because of the sanctions imposed on Russia.



As a result, the price of potassium has gone up from $200 to $700 per tonne, while that of phosphorus has increased from $250 to $700 per tonne.



Implications



Surely, this is a big challenge for farmers globally, making it extremely expensive to grow a crop, and the likely result is that a lot of farmers around the world would be forced to reduce the acres of production.



This means that the farmers are going to grow less this year than they would have otherwise, because of the high cost of the commodity and the fact that the farmers cannot access fertiliser.



Ghana definitely is going to be hardest hit and the reason is simple: Ghana is caught up in this global web, as we do not produce fertiliser and therefore, rely on 100 per cent import of the commodity annually for local farmers.



Impact on PFJ



This surely places great burden on both the farmers and the government as any development on the global market has direct implications locally.



Even before the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, gave a hint last year that the fertiliser subsidy under the government's flagship Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) for 2022 cropping season would suffer a cutback.



He said there was a general shortage of fertiliser on the world market because of high demand for natural gas production in fertiliser manufacturing countries.



Poor yields are likely to be experienced this year due to the absence of fertilisers and climate change



The Minister said for instance, that the high prices of natural gas, a key raw material for the manufacturing of fertiliser, had halted some production in Europe and the US, while other countries like China and Russia were imposing restrictions on exports to try and safeguard local supplies as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.



The CF Industries, the American group that together supplies about 40 per cent of UK fertiliser needs, and another major fertiliser producer, Yara, both raised concerns of record-high natural gas prices in Europe.



These are the stack realities and Dr Akoto did not mince words when he made it clear that the government would not be able to meet the subsidy demand under the PFJ as it did over the last five years.



It is, therefore, obvious that many farmers would not be able to purchase fertiliser this year as the prices would be far and above their reach and Ghanaians need to beware of the current development and brace themselves up for the worst.



This can have serious implications on food security and food sufficiency in the country.



Projections



According to Cadre Harmonise, a regional framework to prevent food crisis, millions in Africa are expected to have a worsening nutritional situation in a matter of a few months, expectedly six weeks after the war in Ukraine began.



According to the March 2022 analysis of Cadre Harmonise, 38.3 million people in 33 African countries will experience food and nutrition crisis between June and August 2022, an increase of 40.2 per cent from 27.3 million during the same period in 2021.



It said that based on projections for June-August 2022, the projected number of people in phases three to five in the most affected countries is 19.5 million in Nigeria, 3.5 million in Burkina Faso, 4.4 million in Niger, 2.0 million in Chad and 1.8 million in Mali.



It must be noted that the mere fact that Ghana was not mentioned here does not mean that we are out of the woods, after all, we live in a global world.



Currently, with the exception of Chad in the worst affected African countries, all these affected countries are beneficiaries of our PFJ because truckloads of our food items are a common sight at our Burkina Faso border as well as the other borders of our neighbouring countries.



Restrictions



I think the decision of government to ban the exportation of soya beans and maize is one of the brilliant ideas to have been mooted.



A number of countries started a deliberate selective restriction of food exports since COVID-19 struck and are still doing so in spite of whatever agreements and conventions governing such restrictions and it is good we follow suit.



In spite of all the threats of food insecurity in the country, a deliberate policy to ensure that the little produced in the country remains here would be sufficient to ensure that there is enough on our dining tables all year round while we anticipate better days ahead.









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.

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The Election Committee of Manhyia South Constituency of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has disqualified a Civil Servant working with the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) from contesting for the constituency chairmanship position.



Owusu Sekyere who works as a Technician Engineer at the KMA filed to contest for the position but was disqualified following a petition filed by the Ashanti Regional First Vice Chairman of the NPP, Kwabena Nsenkyire.



This allows his main contender, Richard Adjei Mensah Ofori Atta, popularly known as Tom Tom to go unopposed in the constituency elections in Manhyia South.



Petition



In his petition to the Chairman of the Constituency Elections Committee, Kwabena Nsenkyire said Owusu Sekyere fell within Civil Service regulations and state laws that barred Civil Servants from engaging in active politics including holding party positions.



That the neutrality principle of the Civil Service embedded in the laws of this state precludes any civil servant from partaking in partisan politics except he or she resigns.



"That Owusu Sekyere is still at post and currently on strike as a member of CLOSSAG. I, therefore, pray that your committee disqualifies him on the grounds aforementioned,  the petition said.



Constitutional Provision



The Election Committee report stated that, per the 1992 Constitution, Owusu Sekyere who is a Civil Servant is proscribed from contesting for a political position.



The Applicant is a worker at Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly as a Technician Engineer. He is a Civil Servant. He is proscribed from contesting under Article 94 (3) of the 1992 Constitution, the Election Committee stated in its report.



Signed by the chairman of the Committee, Dr Oheneba Owusu-Danso, the report cited the court case, Local Government Staff Association vs. Attorney General and 2 others ( Writ No. 11/16/2016 delivered on 14/6/2017 to buttress its position of disqualification of the applicant.



Other alleged infractions



Peacefmonline.com also learnt that all the Constituency Executives, the Six Electoral Area Coordinators, Patrons and Council of Elders of the Manhyia South Constituency of the NPP, signed a joint petition to the Election Committee indicating that they did not know the applicant as a party member in the constituency.



According to the petitioners, on record, Owusu Sekyere had never attended any party event.



Curiously, during his vetting, he took some supposed supporters from Atonsu to Manhyia South in a bid to hoodwink the Committee members into believing that he had a strong support base in Manhyia South.



Owusu Sekyere is also alleged to have used a fake official receipt to show that he paid his party dues.



Consequently, peacefmonline.com is reliably informed that the Manhyia South Constituency Communications Director of the party had reported the conduct of Owusu Sekyere to the Police CID for further investigation.



Petition and other reports attached







Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Actor, Prince David Osei, spent the Easter festivity lending a supporting hand to the needy in society.



On Saturday, the award-winning actor donated some items worth hundreds of Ghana cedis to orphans at Potters Village at Dodowa.



Items donated included bags of rice, cartons of soft drinks, water, gallons of cooking oil, and soap, among others.



The activity was followed by distributing food to underprivileged persons on the streets of Accra on Sunday.



He and his team shared food, water, and soft drinks with both children and adults on the street.



Among the recipients were porters at the Tema Station in Accra, and deprived persons at Circle, a suburb of Accra. The team also made a stop at Nima to share food in the evening, after folks there broke their fast.



The charity activity was made possible by Prince David Oseis PDO Foundation, in collaboration with the charity arm of the National Lottery Authority, with support from Verna Mineral Water.



The Easter activity was dubbed, Operation Feed The Street, and it was the third of its kind in Easter. It is the actors way of giving back to society.



Over 2,000 children and adults were feted as part of the Easter charity.

Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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SINCE outspoken radio presenter Blakk Rasta exited Zylofon FM in December last year, he has had a number of good offers from radio stations but he has had to turn them down because he feels he would not have the freedom to operate.



After deliberations with the radio stations that want to snap him up into their fold, he realises he has no plans of exchanging his freedom to work the way he wants for even the mouth-watering offers coming his way.



Speaking in an interview with Graphic Showbiz, Blakk Rasta said the last thing I want is distraction from my employers. I want to free my mind on any issue without any restrictions.



I had the liberty to free my mind for four years at Zylofon FM, thus any intrusions from my new employers will not allow me to function well.



"I did my checks at all the stations that have reached out to me and I discovered it just wont work for me, he said.



According to Blakk Rasta, he has built his portfolio to a standard where he wouldnt want anyone to bring it down.



For years now, Blakk Rasta has been very consistent with whatever he does. I speak my mind on issues and it yields results. I do it without fear or favour and because I am not a bootlicker, everyone likes what I do.



"No one can say that he or she has given me money to keep quiet and due to this, I go all out on issues bothering Ghanaians.



 You see, Blakk Rasta has never gone on leave or taken a break before. I work from January to December. I even work on holidays and that should tell anyone how passionate and serious I am when it comes to radio he said.



Before moving to Zylofon FM, Blakk Rasta said any radio station willing to work with him must be ready to give him a car, pay him a monthly salary of Gh10,000 among other conditions of service which he got from Zylofon Media.



Now Blakk Rasta has gone some notches higher. He is asking his next employers to pay him more than Gh10,000 a month because he is worth it.



I work whole-heartedly and the Blakk Rasta brands has grown bigger and has moved up.



"So any radio station that wants to work with me must be able to pay me more than Gh10,000 in addition to other benefits and most important of all also give me the freedom to operate, he said.



Touching on other matters, Blakk Rasta, who is currently running his Taxi Driver show on Pan African TV and on Youtube, said he had plans to establish his own radio and TV station.



It is my plan to establish my own radio and television station and I know it will happen no matter how long it takes he stated.

Source: graphic.com.gh









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Jameson Irish Whiskey was named the International Spirit of the Year at the Ghana Beverage Awards 2021 at the 6th edition of the event which took place at the Kempinski Gold Coast City Hotel on April 8, 2022. The award scheme saw a host of brands gather to honour excellence.



Jameson Ghanas Irish Whiskey won over finalists in the category of International Spirit of the Year including Johnny Walker, Chivas Regal and Absolut Vodka.



Jameson Irish Whiskey is produced by the Irish Distillers, a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard. It is a triple-distilled blended Irish Whiskey that is versatile and smooth and boasts of a perfectly balanced flavour profile with spicy, nutty and sweet notes. These attributes make it a standout spirit, worthy of its acknowledgement at the Ghana Beverage Awards.



Speaking on the win, Jameson Ghanas Brand Manager Miss Jeannette Quashie said:



Jameson is proud of this milestone and appreciates the recognition accorded to it by the Ghana Beverage Awards as the International Spirit of the Year 2021. We have won this award for four conservative times. Jameson thanks all consumers and the public of their continues support. We will continue to serve Ghanaians with memorable moments and a great tasting smooth whiskey. So Join in and enjoy Jameson with friends and family responsibly Wherever you are!



Organizers of the Ghana Beverage Awards acknowledged the progress recorded over six years of the event ceremony with Chief Executive Officer of Global Media Alliance Ernest Boateng saying:



It truly feels like yesterday when the first edition of the Ghana Beverage Awards was held in 2016. Being in the sixth year, we believe as organizers that Ghana Beverage Awards has indeed come a long way.



Jameson Irish Whiskey is a blended Irish whiskey produced by the Irish Distillers subsidiary of Pernod Ricard. Jameson Irish whiskey is a triple-distilled blended Irish whiskey. It is versatile and smooth. Whiskey like Jameson isn't just born smooth and balanced but also boasts a perfectly balanced flavor profile with spicy, nutty and sweet notes. So Join in and enjoy Jameson with your friends and family. Drink Jameson Responsibly. Not to be sold to persons below 18 years. Not recommended for pregnant women and lactating mother.



Jameson is available in all leading stores like Shoprite, Melcom, Saycheers and in your favourite bar or restaurant. You can also order Jameson online at Jumia Party or Mall.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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People wait to get their COVID-19 vaccinations at Soweto's Baragwanath hospital Monday Dec.13, 2021.With pandemic restrictions being lifted across Canada, a House of Commons committee was warned Monday that disruptive new variants of COVID-19 will continue to emerge every few months unless the low vaccination rate rises in poorer countries. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP /Jerome Delay
Huge Scores at GGPoker as Badziakouski Banks $330K

April 25, 2022 Matthew Pitt Editor

The final Sunday of April saw some gigantic prizes awarded at GGPoker as the Omaholic Series concluded and the Super MILLION$ Week got underway. An event from the latter produced one of the biggest prize pools of the day, the $25,500 buy-in Sunday Million SHR.

Some 44 players bought in and created a $1,100,000 prize pool. Only the top five finishers won a slice of this ample pie, so spare a thought for Justin Bonomo who bowed out in sixth place, burst the bubble, and missed out on a $114,043 payout.

Aleks Ponakovs, a recent winner of the Super MILLION$, finished in fifth place and got his hands on the aforementioned $114,043 payment. Yuri Dzivielevski crashed out one place later and received $152,079.

Then came the elimination of GGPokers very own Fedor Holz. Third place came with a $202,800 prize; Holz only fired a single bullet in this event so enjoyed a healthy ROI.

Holzs exit left two of pokers greats heads-up. Mikita Badziakouski and Wiktor Malinowski have locked horns on the biggest stage on numerous occasions, usually in the live arena. This online heads-up clash was short-lied because the pair struck a deal which split the remaining prize money. The deal resulted in Malinowski finishing in second place for $300,781 while Badziakouski became the tournaments champion and reeled in the $330,294 top prize.

$25,500 Sunday Million SHR Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize 1 Mikita Badziakouski Thailand $330,294* 2 Wiktor Malinowski Macau $300,781* 3 Fedor Holz Austria $202,800 4 Yuri Dzivielevski Brazil $152,079 5 Aleks Ponakovs Latvia $114,043

rivfun4me Bests a Super-Talented Deepstack Final Table

Niklas Astedt fell at the final hurdle and finished second

This weekends $5,250 Sunday Deepstack High Roller attracted a crowd of 72 entrants who created a $360,000 prize pool. The high stakes affair drew in some of the most recognizable names from the poker world.

Just as he did in the $25,500 Sunday Million, Justin Bonomo bubbled this event when he busted in tenth place. This meant everyone at the nine-handed final table locked up a payout.

Elio Fox was the first finalist to cash. His ninth-place exit saw $13,180 wing its way to his GGPoker account. Wiktor Malinowski and Mikita Badziakouski, who early chopped the $25,500 Sunday Million, were the next casualties. They banked prizes of $16,649 and $21,031 respectively.

Then came the exit of Pablo Navarro in sixth, a finish worth $26,566, and Biao "d7777" Ding; Ding won $33,558. The final four became three when Rodrigo Sirichuk crashed out. The Brazilian turned his $5,250 investment into $42,390.

Heads-up was set when Thomas Muehloecker ran out of steam in third. Although disappointed to be the penultimate bust out, the $53,546 he collected will go some way to numbing the pain of defeat.

"rivfun4me," fresh from a final table appearance in last weeks Super MILLION$, defeated Swedish legend Niklas Astedt heads-up to secure the title and the $85,438 top prize. Astedt had to make do with a $67,637 consolation prize.

$5,250 Sunday Deepstack HR Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize 1 rivfun4me Macau $85,438 2 Niklas Astedt Norway $67,637 3 Thomas Muehloecker Austria $53,546 4 Rodrigo Sirichuk Brazil $42,390 5 Biao "d7777" Ding China $33,558 6 Pablo Navarro Andorra $26,566 7 Mikita Badziakouski Thailand $21,031 8 Wiktor Malinowski Macau $16,649 9 Elio Fox Mexico $13,180

Other GGPoker Scores In Excess of $40,000

Eelis Parssinen reeled in an $88,610 score
Family, friends and fellow Aiken County firefighters are grieving the loss of a Monetta Fire Department captain who was killed in the line of duty in Cayce early Sunday morning.

Officer Roy Andrew Drew Barr, 27, of Monetta, was shot and killed while responding to a domestic dispute, according to a release from the Cayce Police Department.

At approximately 2:48 a.m., the department received a call about a domestic disturbance, according to the release. The suspect opened fire and shot one of the Cayce police officers, who has now been identified as Barr.

Sunday evening, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) released a statement saying agents from SLED are investigating the incident.

The suspect, identified as 36-year-old Austin Leigh Henderson, "barricaded himself inside a residence where a 7-hour standoff ensued," according to the release. "The subject died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

"He'd do anything for the community"

Barr started volunteering with the Monetta Fire Department in 2014 and commuted to Cayce for police shifts, according to Monetta Fire Department Chief Nathan Shuler.

"We saw somebody shared a post on Facebook about a Cayce officer being shot and I tried to call him because I had a sick feeling," Shuler said. "I went home and called everybody after I found out and everybody's just shocked."

Before volunteering at Monetta Fire Department, Barr volunteered with a number of other volunteer fire departments in the area. He was also an EMT in Lexington County before attending the police academy.

"Drew goes above and beyond, he'd do anything for the community," Shuler said.

Lt. Bryan Rudd, a fellow firefighter and close friend, said Barr's outgoing personality captured the hearts of everyone he came in contact with.

"Drew and I grew up together - we played ball together from tee-ball up to minor league, went to school together and graduated together." Rudd said. "Drew was an outgoing person, there wasn't a day you didn't see Drew with a smile on his face. You could call him at any time of the night and he'd be there."

Rudd said Barr started fighting fires when he was just 15 years old and described him as a "go getter."

"He works a 12 hour night shift [in Cayce], drives an hour home, goes to bed - and then when that tone drops, he goes to that," Rudd said. "There's not a time that you did not see Drew in bunker gear and air pack fighting fire."

Barr was about to be nominated for Assistant Chief of Monetta Fire Department, Rudd said. He leaves behind his family, two roommates - "who are like brothers to him," and his beloved K-9, Molly.

"We didn't only lose a firefighter - we lost a best friend, we lost our brother, we lost a hero," Rudd said. "He got killed doing something that he loved. He wouldn't want us to back down, he would not want us to grieve - I know he's looking down on us right now and smiling."

Several Aiken County fire departments ran their sirens and lowered their flags at half staff Sunday morning in honor of Barr.

Shuler said Monetta firefighters are grieving, but they're still putting their lives on the line for people in the community on days like this.

"A lot of other departments in the county said they'd be willing to cover today while we mourn," Shuler said. "I know we'll get through this, it's just going to take some time."

Breaking news. This story will be updated as new information becomes available. (Last updated: Monday at 11:15 a.m.)
Registration for Aiken County Public Schools for the 2022-23 school year is now open.

According to a news release from the school district, the registration is open to all students, including those in kindergarten, new students who are not currently enrolled, returning students, and students applying for the 4K Child Development Program.

For students who are currently enrolled with the school districts, a parent or guardian can register through their Powerschool Parent Portal account. The parent portal is the primary source of information about a student, and it includes schedules, grades, attendance information, fee payments and parent surveys. If a parent or guardian does not have a parent portal, they need to contact the child's school to set one up. The portal can be found at https://aiken.powerschool.com/public.

New student registration is also done online. The parent or guardian will need an active email to register the child. The school zone locater, which can be found at acpsd.net and clicking About Us > School Zone Locator. This will automatically default to the school the child will attend based on the home address that is entered. If a school is not automatically assigned, complete and submit the registration, and the parent or guardian will be contacted with the zoned school.

There are several documents needed to register a new student, and those include the childs birth certificate, immunization record, and two proofs of residency which may include mortgage contract or statement, S.C. Driver's license or ID card, property tax bill or receipt, utility bill (electric, water or gas), cable/satellite, internet or telephone bill, homeowners/renters insurance policy, or a notarized letter from the landlord.

Items can be uploaded as either .doc or .pdf or the parent or guardian can take a photo and upload the image in .jpg or .png format.

The parents or guardians will be asked to enter any health information that is critical, along with the name of the child's pediatrician and dentist.

The form also includes emergency contacts and the contacts of the people authorized to meet the child at the bus. Any student who is in pre-k through second grade and riding an ACPSD school bus must be met by an adult at the bus stop and will not be left alone at the stop. However, an exception to this rule is if a younger student is riding a bus and getting off with an sibling in grade 3 or higher.

The parent or guardian will be asked to identify up to five people who can meet the child at the bus. The name and telephone numbers of each person will need to be provided.

For questions or more information, contact the school the child is zoned for.
Starbucks employees in South Carolina are joining their peers across the country in attempting to establish labor unions with the end goal of creating better conditions for workers.

Three Starbucks stores  one each in Anderson, Greenville and Columbia  are among the 212 locations of the Seattle-based coffee chain with open petitions for unions. The cafes make up about 2 percent of the nearly 9,000 company-owned Starbucks locations in the United States.

Among the requests of the more than 5,500 employees represented by the stores working to unionize are better pay, hours, benefits and more support from district managers.

The movement started in December 2021 at a Buffalo, N.Y., Starbucks, the first to unionize under Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union.

At least 23 others have followed suit since, including a Manhattan store that operates one of just three Starbucks roasteries in the country. Nearly half of the unionized stores are located in New York, where many more stores have open petitions.

In the Palmetto State, a Greenville Starbucks at 3905 Pelham Road has turned in its ballots and will soon find out if it received enough votes to establish a union. The Anderson and Columbia stores are also moving through the process.

To form a union, employees must form a committee to help relay information to the stores other staff members, referred to by the company as partners. After this, each person is asked if they would like to sign a union card, and if they garner enough support, the store enters the ballot phase of the process. At least 50 percent of the stores partners must check yes on their ballot in order for the store to unionize.

A 2021 Gallup poll found that 68 percent of Americans approve of labor unions, the highest total since 1965. But in South Carolina, it could be an uphill battle.

In 2021, the Palmetto State retained its title as the least-unionized place in the nation, with labor unions representing just 3.8 percent of the workforce.

Starbucks barista trainer Sophie Ryan worked at a small Columbia coffee shop before joining the Columbia Starbucks at 3009 Millwood Ave. at the end of 2020. That store started the unionization process in late February.

In all, 22 out of 28 partners signed their union cards, and Ryan, who currently attends the University of South Carolina, said they will receive their ballots in the beginning of May.

I genuinely do think its one of the better places to work at, Ryan said. Just because its better than everything else doesnt mean its as good as it should be.

According to Ryan, Starbucks has revoked many of the benefits it added at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the free daily drink and food item the company once offered. Pay is another concern, along with the fact that employees do not receive tips paid on credit cards. A lack of flexibility in work schedules has also caused problems, Ryan said.

If one person calls out, the entire shift is disastrous, Ryan said. Its kind of detrimental to the whole atmosphere of what Starbucks seems to stand for.

Aneil Tripathi started out as a barista at a Columbia Starbucks in 2019. In the three years since, shes worked her way up to shift supervisor at an Anderson Starbucks at 4686 Clemson Blvd., another Starbucks seeking unionization.

According to Tripathi, a student at Clemson University, Starbucks employees have been put second to the companys profits. Her store has been understaffed for the majority of the pandemic, when workers have risked their health to work for the company.

Tripathi recalled one Sunday in particular when she asked her boss to temporarily suspend mobile orders so they could manage in-store customers.

I sent a message to our district manager and she basically said that they could not take away mobile orders, Tripathi said. It really shows the disconnect that they have in the stores.

A vote deciding the fate of the Clemson Boulevard Starbucks union will take place April 29. After more than 90 percent of the stores partners signed union cards, Tripathi is confident that 50 percent of their employees will vote yes.

Were overly excited that we finally have the chance to have our voices heard, Tripathi said. Were pretty confident in our store that were going to pass a 'yes' vote.

Longtime Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, is attempting to mend the company's relationship with its employees.

According to a Starbucks spokesperson, Schultz, who took over as interim chief executive officer this month following Kevin Johnson's retirement, recently sent a letter addressing union organizing to the companys employees.

We are listening and learning from the partners in these stores, the spokesperson told The Post and Courier. We absolutely respect our partners' right to organize.

In the letter, Schultz acknowledged employees right to unionize, but cautioned partners of the efforts at disruption by union organizers.

With significant pressures leading to the fracturing of our partner and customer experiences, Ive been transparent about our missteps and the reason for my return  to reimagine Starbucks  built on our core values and guiding principles, Schultz wrote. I have complete confidence that together we will restore the trust and belief of our partners and deliver an elevated Starbucks Experience to our partners and customers.

Since Schultz took over, Starbucks shares have fallen by 12 percent.
DORCHESTER  Executives with some of South Carolina's largest businesses met last week to talk about how the state can improve its environmental stewardship while maintaining its lure as an attractive place for industry.

The first summit held by Sustain SC, a group that aims to improve the economy and environment, was organized in response to South Carolina's No. 37 ranking among 50 states in a recent U.S. sustainable development report. Sustain SC has hired consultant Ernst & Young to help create initiatives that will improve the state's ranking.

"We need to understand that sustainability is a critical piece of the business model," Ethel Bunch, president and CEO of Sustain SC, said during the April 25 conference, which included representatives from Volvo Cars, Boeing Co., the State Ports Authority and others, including Harry Lightsey, the head of the S.C. Commerce Department.

Norfolk-Southern held the summit  the first for the railroad and Sustain SC  at its Brosnan Forest corporate retreat in Dorchester County. The Atlanta-based railroad, which provides a key link between the Port of Charleston and the Upstate via an inland port in Greer, announced Monday that it will permanently protect 1,105 acres of ecologically significant land at the site. The land is part of the Coldwater Branch Stream and Wetland Mitigation Bank and adds to nearly 13,000 acres of Brosnan Forest property that Norfolk Southern has placed under conservation easements that are managed by the Lowcountry Land Trust over the past 14 years.

"Restoration projects like Coldwater Branch reflect Norfolk Southerns long-term vision of how conservation and business can work together to benefit local communities, our stakeholders and the environment  bringing together the three pillars of sustainability," Josh Raglin, the railroad's chief sustainability officer, said in a written statement.

The project, which will be completed next year, includes the restoration of more than six miles of streams and 1,105 acres of wetlands and adjacent buffers.

Lightsey of the Commerce Department said more industries are adding environmental goals to their business plans and many of those looking to locate within South Carolina want to know how well the Palmetto State stacks up with others.

"Sustainability is a very mainstream issue in business," he said. "We have to understand the pressures that our businesses are under to achieve sustainability goals and, as a state, react to that."

He added that environmental issues and sustainability are "tremendously important to companies as they look to our state" for location opportunities.

"We're seeing prospects that are looking at our state, and they want to know things like where the energy is going to come from, how much access is there to green energy, how wastewater is going to be handled and what is their access to water resources," Lightsey said. "Sustainability itself is an incredible vector for our state. We're seeing new businesses and new types of doing business for old businesses. It's creating incredible opportunities and I think South Carolina is well-positioned to be a leader in those areas."

Sustain SC said it hopes the Ernst & Young study will improve the state's ranking  it has set a goal of a No. 25 ranking by next year  and give businesses the information they need to attain sustainability goals identified by the United Nations, such as responsible production and consumption, land and water conservation, combatting climate change and the use of clean energy.

Alan Shaw, the incoming Norfolk Southern CEO, said the freight hauler is reducing South Carolina's carbon footprint by taking cargo that normally would travel on trucks between the port and the Upstate and putting them on trains, which he said are four times more fuel efficient.

"We estimate that's saving about 200,000 truck (trips) per year," said Shaw, who succeeds Jim Squires as CEO on May 1. "That's wonderful for the environment and it certainly saves on fuel."

The ports authority, which ships about 25 percent of the cargo moving through Charleston's terminals by trains, is looking to boost that amount with construction of a $400 million near-dock rail yard in North Charleston. The rail yard, which will be used by Norfolk Southern and CSX Corp., is expected to open in 2025.

"Rail is the future of how to move freight  it's a much more sustainable mode of transport," said Jim Newsome, the SPA's president and CEO.

Newsome said the port also is investing in more environmentally and energy-friendly equipment, such as electric and hydroelectric cranes, trying to move trucks faster through its terminals to minimize emissions and donating land and money toward environmental causes, including $5 million for land preservation that will offset impacts of the Charleston Harbor deepening project.
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An aspiring Army pilot from Fort Mill on April 25 became the seventh South Carolina resident convicted of storming the U.S. Capitol as part of a violent mob on Jan. 6, 2021.

Elliot Bishai, a 21-year-old graduate of Nation Ford High School, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge before a federal judge in Washington, D.C. He will be sentenced in July and must pay $500 in restitution to help cover the more than $1.5 million in damage the riot caused to the Capitol building.

Decked out in all red, Bishia entered the Capitol on Jan. 6 through a broken window alongside two acquaintances and amid a crowd of thousands who marched on the seat of U.S. democracy to protest the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The masses overpowered the small police force that guarded the Capitol building and flooded into the building. They did so after listening to erroneous claims, including from then-President Donald Trump, that Democrats had stolen the presidency with voter fraud in battleground states.

Rioters battered police with fists and makeshift clubs, smashed windows and ransacked Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosis office. Members of Congress, who were in session to formally certify Democrat Joe Bidens election victory, fled to safety just before the mob swept onto the Senate floor.

Bishai, like the majority of the 11 South Carolinians to face criminal charges for their involvement, is not accused of assaulting police or vandalizing the Capitol. His charge amounts to trespassing in a restricted building. But prosecutors have said defendants like Bishai added to the mobs strength in numbers and helped foster the historic violence that day.

According to court documents read aloud during Bishai's April 25 plea hearing, he filmed several cellphone videos during the assault on the Capitol. In those clips, Bishai can be heard cheering on other rioters as they scaled the walls of the Capitol complex and pushed toward the building's entrances, those documents state.

"Come on guys, keep pushing, keep pushing," Bishai said in one video, according to federal judge Tanya Chutkan.

"Let's go, let's go, Civil War Two," he said in another.

Bishai and six other S.C. defendants now have pleaded guilty in deals meant to hold them accountable while also clearing the Washington, D.C., court systems severe case backlog.

Four have been sentenced, most getting probation, house arrest or some combination of the two. Just one, Little River construction worker Nicholas Languerand, received prison time.

A judge sentenced Languerand, a QAnon conspiracy theorist with a history of drug abuse and threats to law enforcement, to 44 months behind bars for hurling a series of objects at police who guarded a Capitol entrance on Jan. 6.

Another four S.C. defendants are still deciding whether to plead guilty or fight the charges against them. Among them is Elias Irizarry, a Citadel cadet charged with entering the Capitol with Bishai.

The federal investigation into Jan. 6 has quickly become the largest criminal probe in American history, plodding on even as Democrats seek to hold Trump and his allies accountable for the violence that day and as many Republicans look to downplay the riot and move on.

Authorities have apprehended nearly 800 suspects from almost every U.S. state with the help of surveillance footage, cellphone GPS data, social media posts and hundreds of thousands of tips. Still more arrests are expected.

Nearly 250 of those defendants have pleaded guilty to federal charges, most of them to misdemeanors, and about 140 have been sentenced. Judges have sent more than 50 to prison and subjected another 40 to house arrest.

Bishai had enlisted in the U.S. Army and planned to begin training at Fort Jackson in April 2021. But the Army has delayed his training  at least until his criminal charges are resolved.

Bishai is working as a firefighter in the meantime, according to his attorney, Donald Brown of Charlotte.
Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations.
COLUMBIA  Legislators have just a few weeks to figure out how to fix South Carolina's lifetime sex offender registry that the state Supreme Court declared unconstitutional.

While justices' official deadline is June 9, only eight days remain in this year's regular legislative session.

If lawmakers can't reach an agreement, all 17,000 sex offenders required to check in with law enforcement at least twice annually for life will become eligible June 10 to seek a court hearing to be removed from the list.

No one actually expects everyone enrolled to petition the courts immediately. But legislators agree that doing nothing would further overwhelm South Carolina's already severely backlogged court system.

"If we don't act, I can guarantee you there are a bunch of folks out there who want off the sex offender registry and will pay big fees to lawyers like me to file a petition," Sen. Dick Harpootlian, D-Columbia, said during last week's Senate Judiciary meeting. "Even if they're not entitled, without the criteria, it's going to be wide open, so I suggest we get something done before the drop-dead date or we're going to flood the system."

Though the Judiciary Committee did not reach a consensus on how the process would work, senators nevertheless advanced a bill to the full Senate as a placeholder to move the process along as they continue to hash out a compromise. Floor debate is not expected until at least next week, since senators' top priority this week is passing their $12.6 billion state budget proposal.

Negotiations come 10 months after the state's high court told the Legislature to "correct the deficiency" in state law that requires sex offenders to register for life with no ability to seek removal. Justices called it an arbitrary requirement unconnected to the goal of protecting the public from those at high risk of re-offending.

Their June 2021 unanimous order immediately took Dennis Powell Jr. off the registry, five years after he sued the state over the lifetime requirement. According to court documents, in 2008 he had a graphically sexual conversation in an internet chatroom with an undercover officer he thought was a 12-year-old girl. He was arrested after agreeing to meet her at a skating rink in Lexington. He pleaded guilty and completed his probation and 60 hours of group therapy in 2011. An assessment ordered by a circuit court found he was at low risk of re-offending.

That 2019 hearing provided Powell his due process rights, but it's "by no means the only acceptable process," justices wrote in delaying the effective date of their order by a year. But legislators didn't tackle it in the off-session.

What legislators have generally agreed to recently is a three-tiered system ranking sex crimes. People committing low-end offenses  like Powell's computer crime, which never actually involved a child  would be eligible for removal 15 years after completing their punishment, including probation and any required counseling. People who committed the worst sex crimes wouldn't be eligible until 30 years after completing their sentence. That could in essence be lifetime registration for those who must first spend decades in prison, said Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg.

How to remove ex-cons from the registry once they hit eligibility is the sticking point, he said.

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Unresolved questions include which cases could be handled through an administrative process, which require a hearing and who, or what agency, would handle either.

The simpler and less expensive way to do it, Hutto said, would be to let at least the lowest-tier offenders automatically come off the registry if they've met all criteria, including staying out of trouble and diligently registering as required since their conviction. On the other end, requiring a hearing for every case would be time-consuming and expensive for taxpayers, he said, noting that's what will happen anyway if legislators can't agree.

Advocates for crime victims want prosecutors to have authority to require a hearing on any case, to account for plea deals.

"We're very much opposed to just a paper trail," said Laura Hudson, director of the S.C. Crime Victims' Council and the Victim Assistance Network. "What people end up being convicted of doesnt reflect what they did from a crime victims standpoint."

She also wants to ensure crime victims are notified and have the right to protest their attacker's removal from the list.

Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey said legislators shouldn't craft such important policy on the fly.

"I think well get it done, but I'm frustrated that its taken so long, and I think the court is frustrated its taken so long. We cant adjourn without passing something," the Edgefield Republican said.

He worries a rush job will result in people coming off the registry who shouldn't.

"Some things are more serious when dealing with assault and crimes against children. Im willing to have that conversation, but thats a committee conversation so we dont screw it up on the floor," he said. "This is something we've really got to pay attention to so we dont mess this up."

South Carolina has required a lifetime registry for sex offenders since 1994. Generally, sex offenders must go to their local sheriffs department twice a year, though some crimes require registration every 90 days. The public can search the online database by the offender's name or a geographic area. Information provided includes offenders' name, address, convictions, vehicle and most recent photos.
WOODRUFF  A referendum is scheduled Aug. 11 in Spartanburg County School District 4 asking voters to allow the district to issue up to $100 million in general obligation bonds to build a new Woodruff High School to open in fall 2025.

The existing high school at 710 Cross Anchor Road has a capacity of 825 students. A new high school to be constructed near Allendale Road and Highway 146 would have a capacity of 1,500 students. The Board of Trustees agreed in March to place the referendum on the ballot for voters to decide. If approved, property owners in the district would pay an extra $120 annually for 10 years on property valued at $100,000, according to Superintendent William Rallie Liston.

The population in Woodruff is expected to more than double over the next five years. More than 5,000 new single- and multi-family homes are scheduled for construction with the city's population of 4,500 expected to increase to 11,000 by 2026.

Liston said planning has started and the district plans to spend $3 million to purchase 100 acres for the new school site. Nearly 3,000 students are enrolled in the district in this year, with an increase of 4,400 students expected over the next five years.

"The district might not double in size but it will come close to it," Liston said. "More space is the biggest issue we need right now."

In October, the Board of Trustees approved a realignment plan. A plan was developed to move second grade students from the primary school into the elementary school, move fourth and fifth grade students from the elementary school into the middle school and move middle school students into the existing high school once a new high school is built.

"The plan creates 12 (additional) classrooms in each of the existing schools," Liston said. "We will have about 50 (total additional) classrooms using this model."

McMillan Pazdan Smith would design the new high school, with Spartanburg-based Harper General Contractors constructing the new multi-story facility. Liston said representatives visited several high schools in South Carolina to help decide on the design. The new high school on Highway 146 would be about a half-mile from the existing high school.

The district has a primary, elementary, middle and high school. It has been 32 years since a new school was built in the district. If approved by voters, construction would begin in October 2022 and be completed by May 2025.
Guams protracted rebound of its tourism industry is expected to get another much-needed boost soon, as a budget-friendly Korean airline announced it will resume direct flights to the island next month.

According to multiple reports out of South Korea, including by the Korean Times and Yonhap News Agency, Air Busan, the lower-cost unit of Asiana Airlines, plans to open five new international routes in May, taking passengers from Incheon to Guam; Osaka; Tokyo; Nha Trang, Vietnam and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

The Busan-Guam route is currently suspended due to low demand, the reports note.

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The Guam Visitors Bureau clarified the low demand referenced by media reports is due directly to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and not a reflection of travelers appetites to visit the island specifically.

Guams economy was extremely reliant on vacationers spending their money here before the global COVID-19 health emergency upended international travel.

GVB is employing a number of strategies and initiatives to attract more tourists back to the island, as the local treasury braces for an end to unprecedented pandemic bailouts and private sector financial assistance authorized by Congress.

Air Busan is one of five airlines that have applied for a local government-funded subsidy through GVB, which is offering business partners a chance at a $100-per-seat financial incentive for bringing flights to Guam.

The islands monthly air seat capacity is expected to increase to more than 107,000 in June, as more international travel restrictions get lifted in Guam's major tourism markets of South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, according to GVB.

Air Busan, along with Jin Air, T'way, Philippine Airlines and Korean Air applied for the program, GVB said during an Air Services Development Committee meeting this month, adding that more airlines could apply.

If these five airlines are the only ones that avail themselves of the incentive, however, GVB anticipates spending about $1 million of the programs $1.7 million budget.`

Air Busan has an aggressive promotion for Guam by offering incentives for their passengers and added value with local hotels for the month of May, which coincides with tourism month, Gerry Perez, GVB vice president said. Were pleased the airline is resuming service and appreciate our continued partnership. This good news is another example of Koreas recovery in the market. We anticipate more flights in the coming months as demand continues to build up from our marketing programs.

Lagging arrivals, more flights planned

South Korea was a critical component of Guams tourism boom prepandemic, overtaking Japan in recent years as the islands top source market for tourists. The island enjoyed record-busting arrival statistics in 2019, and was heading for another annual arrival milestone in 2020 before the COVID-19 outbreak began.

According to data published by the Guam Visitors Bureau, just 311 tourists came from South Korea in February, compared to 40,022 who visited in February 2020, shortly prior to the start of the local COVID-19 public health emergency.

A planned bump in flights from the country was derailed last December after thousands of trips were canceled amid a spike of the COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant.

Fewer than 50,000 people have visited the island in the first half of the current fiscal year, and any extension of pandemic restrictions in tourist markets like South Korea and Japan could mean Guam ends the fiscal year with fewer than 100,000 annual visitors.

The six-month arrival numbers were the equivalent of about three weeks of arrivals prior to the pandemic, based on a review of 2017 to 2019 GVB data.

Air Seoul, another low-cost carrier under the Asiana banner, also plans to gradually provide flights from Incheon to Guam, Da Nang, Boracay and Nha Trang starting next month, the company said.

United Airlines recently announced it would take the risk of increasing weekly flights from Japan to Guam to 11 come June, predicting that pent-up demand for travel will begin to result in increased bookings during the peak summer vacation season.
There have been contradictions about our local government's strategy on COVID-19 testing and limitations for those who have come in close cont Read more
Our go-to thinker on civil rights issues, University of San Diego law professor Gail Heriot, is out with a new paper (with co-author Carissa Mulder) on The Sausage Factory of college admissions. Here is the abstract:

The Supreme Court assumes that race-preferential admissions policies are the result of a careful academic judgment by colleges and universities that racial diversity has pedagogical benefits for students generally. But evidence shows that the usual motivation for these policies is quite different. In part it is ideological: Such policies are an effort to pay a debt for past or present societal discriminationa motivation the Supreme Court has rejected as unconstitutional in the past. In part it is practical: Pressure for these policies comes from state legislatures, private foundations, the federal government, accreditors, and other similar sources. Why respond to such pressure? Frequently, thats where the money is. There is little reason to suspect that the Court would be deferential to academic institutions on this matter if its members understood how admissions policies are really made. The American poet John Godfrey Saxe wrote in 1869, Laws, like sausages, cease to inspire respect in proportion as we know how they are made. He could have been speaking of modern admissions policies.

The complete 41-page paper is much more explicit and damning than this summary. Some excerpts:

[T]he University of Michigans College of Literature, Science, and the Arts was adding twenty extra points, based entirely on race, to students admissions scores. Those twenty points were equivalent to an entire letter grade: An African American student with an unspectacular 2.99 high school GPA would thus be admitted over an Asian American or white student with a near-perfect 3.98 GPA, all other things being equal. Or, to look at those twenty points another way, the most an applicant could get for achieving a perfect score on the SAT was twelve points. Being African American was thus enough to overcome even the most disappointing scores on the SAT.

The Supreme Court curtailed this direct extra-point bonus practice in the Grutter case, but the real message of that case was that the college . . . needed to hide what it was doing better. But as long as it avoided mathematical formulae, it could go on discriminating.

One very interesting aspect of this paper is its long discussion of how legislative pressures, as much if not more than simple ideology, has driven the diversity admissions regimes at public universities that are beholden to state governments for much of their funding. This is an aspect of the scene that is largely overlooked.

It is unlikely that the Court in Grutter would have approved the University of Michigans race-preferential admissions policy if the universitys explanation for it had been This is what our state legislature wants, and it is our judgment that without the legislatures support, our educational mission will suffer or The Ford Foundation is very enthusiastic about race-preferential admissions, and thats where the money is. Yet explanations like these are more consistent with aggressive efforts to enroll minority students despite large gaps in academic credentials than is any effort to capture diversitys educational benefits for all students. It is beyond comprehension that a college or university would neglect to consider the pedagogical problems created by the inevitable gaps in academic credentials if the educational benefits of diversity were, in fact, its primary concern.

The paper notes that despite the relentless efforts of the diversicrats and the media to promote the ideology of diversity, it remains highly unpopular with Americans.

Its not just that most Americans find the justification for race-preferential admissions fails to rise to the level of compelling. They dont find it convincing at all. Theyre against such policies. And they have consistently opposed them for decades. For example, Gallup polls asked the following question of Americans in 2003, 2007, and 2013: Which comes closer to your view about evaluating students for admission into a college or universityapplicants should be admitted solely on the basis of merit, even if that results in few minority students being admitted (or) an applicants racial and ethnic background should be considered to help promote diversity on college campuses, even if that means admitting some minority students who otherwise would not be admitted? Every time, the response has consistently been at least 2 to 1 in favor of merit only. Similarly, Pew Research asked the following question in 2019: When it comes to decisions about hiring and promotions, do you think companies and organizations should take a persons race and ethnicity into account, in addition to their qualifications, in order to increase diversity in the workplace (or) should only take a persons qualifications into account, even if it results in less diversity in the workplace? The latter alternative was chosen by 74 percent of the respondents This is consistent with the polling results throughout the 1980s and 1990s. During that period, too, polls offered consistent results opposing race-preferential admissions, causing public-opinion experts Paul Sniderman and Thomas Piazza to write that the race-preferential policy agenda is controversial precisely because most Americans do not disagree about it. There is even evidence that a majority of college and university faculty members oppose race-based admissions policies.

Finally, there is a long section about the insidious role of accrediting agencies that will make your blood boil.

The Supreme Court can put a stop to this once and for all in the Harvard/UNC case before it next term.
Bob Dylan expressed rage over the racist murder of Hattie Carroll and the official complacency related to it in The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll. Thanks to the song, although William Zantzinger is deceased, he lives in infamy. As Dylan tells the story, he repeatedly intones in the chorus: You who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears / Take the rag away from your face / Now aint the time for your tears. It was time to be ashamed.

Texas National Guardsman Bishop Evans set out to rescue illegal aliens crossing the Rio Grande last week. He is missing and presumed drowned. His body has yet to be recovered.

Although Evans is presumed drowned, the illegals survived. It turns out that they were not only illegal, they were also involved in illicit transnational narcotics trafficking and have been taken into custody by Customs and Border Protection officers. Bill Melugin reports the story here.

Like the lonesome death of Hattie Carroll, Evanss death is an outrage. Like Hattie Carrolls death, it signifies. It is a perfect representation of the Age of Biden. However, Evanss death wont be called out in song. Indeed, the New York Times story on Evanss identification as the missing Guardsman barely mentions the drug-running sequel on which Melugin reported. One wonders if it will even be commented on beyond the world of FOX News.

Via Andrea Widburg/American Thinker.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) country representative, Walter Mulombo, has said Nigeria is expected to receive approximately nine million doses of Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCV).

Mr Mulombo said this while speaking at the opening ceremony of the Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC) training on OCV request and campaign planning in Abuja on Monday.

The training organised by WHO aims to integrate OCV into the emergency and preventive measures of cholera in Nigeria.

Mr Mulombo said the expected vaccines will ensure the implementation of two campaigns in 14 LGAs across nine states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He said this would significantly mitigate the risk of an upsurge of cholera cases, especially during the rainy season.

He explained that over 1.7 million persons are already vaccinated with two doses of OCV across seven LGAs in four states; Bauchi, Jigawa, Yobe and Zamfara.

He noted that the training of the task force is not only timely but also a good opportunity for everyone to remember the goal of eradicating cholera.

We are calling upon all member states to embrace the one health approach to respond to cholera outbreaks, he said.

Endemic in Nigeria

Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera.

It appears periodically in countries unable to secure access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation like Nigeria.

Although a preventable and treatable disease, the number of cholera cases tends to increase with the outset of the rainy season.

Mr Molumbo said Nigeria has degraded its biggest Cholera outbreak which commenced in 2021 with over 100,000 suspected cases reported.

In 2021 alone, Nigeria lost no fewer than 3,604 persons to Cholera, according to data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Early allocation of vaccines

Mr Mulombo reiterated the need for early allocation and shipment of these vaccines to ensure the vaccinations are timely.

He advised that all opportunities for vaccination campaigns are used to specifically target areas with huge zero doses and ensure that those often-missed children are not only offered OCV but opportunities for all routine vaccination.

He said some challenges identified during the 2021 annual GTFCC stakeholder meeting include poor-quality reactive and preventative OCV campaign requests, lack of OCV use as an outbreak response in some settings, and inadequate monitoring and evaluation of OCV campaigns.

He said all of these challenges must be urgently addressed for countries to win the fight against cholera.

We are confident that the opportunity of this training will not only help improve on the gaps identified but also ensure that countries are better prepared to request, plan and implement quality campaigns with OCV as part of their national cholera control plans and further contribute to the long-term goal of ending cholera by 2030, he said.

Adopting OCV for prevention, control

In his remarks, Nigerias health minister, Osagie Ehanire, commended WHO for what he described as a laudable and desirable initiative.

Mr Ehanire described the OCV as a tool for prevention and control of cholera outbreaks, which has become a recurrent seasonal public health challenge in many low and lower-middle-income countries, like ours, despite efforts at control.

He said the traditional measures for cholera prevention and control have been to provide potable water and improve hygiene and sanitation.

He said the OCV is an additional tool in fighting cholera outbreaks in the country.

Science has over the years risen to the task, with the development of OCV, now certified as effective enough to be recommended for disease prevention and control, he said.

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Mr Ehanire, however, lamented the limited doses of cholera vaccine in the country. He said this had restricted its use and the much-expected impact.

I, therefore, welcome this training as a prelude to equitable access to this vaccine and another step towards our goal of better health for all.

I believe it will strengthen our health system by reducing, or even removing one more public health nuisance by vaccination, he said.

Malika Bouhenia, a member of the task force, said the use of the cholera vaccine is important and has a huge impact on the control of the disease.

Ms Bouhenia said since the creation of the vaccine, its use has continued to increase in various countries.

She, however, said the task force needs to key into its use to completely eradicate cholera by 2030.
To realise Nigerias quest to earn the needed foreign exchange; diversify its economy and make locally-produced goods competitive, globally, Polaris Bank has commenced a nationwide business forum to sensitize exporters on inherent benefits of Central Bank of Nigerias (CBN) RT200 non-oil export proceeds repatriation rebate scheme.

The CBN scheme, which is aimed at raising $200 billion in foreign exchange (FX) earnings from Non-Oil Proceeds over the next 3-5 years, is designed to incentivize exporters in the Non-Oil export sector to encourage repatriation and sale of export proceeds into the FX market.

Speaking at the sensitization seminar held in Akure Ondo State on Tuesday and Kano on Thursday, the Banks Group Head, Corporate Banking Group, Mr. Anthony Uba, highlighted the various benefits of the scheme to non-oil exporters and what they stand to benefit partnering with Polaris Bank.

He disclosed that CBNs guidelines for the scheme stipulates that for every US$1 repatriated and sold at the I & E Window to Authorised Dealer Banks (ADBs) for other third-party use, N65 will be paid to the exporter, while for every US$1 repatriated and sold into I & E for own use on eligible transactions only, N35 will be paid.

Mr. Uba who was represented by the Banks Group Head, Ondo/Ekiti Region, Mr. Rasheed Yusuf, explained that Polaris Bank had deployed various technology platforms in ensuring delivery of excellent service to her customers, including small and large scale exporters and is ready to support their different needs.

Similarly, Mr. Macpherson Fred-Ileogben, Head, Trade Promotion Advisor at the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) emphasised the important role NEPC will play in supporting the success of the scheme.

According to the NEPC Advisor, the present administration is poised to diversify the Nigerian economy, and the non-oil exporters will play a significant role in achieving this objective. He advised participants to embrace the regulatory CBN initiative to derive maximum benefit from same.

ALSO READ: Polaris Bank unveils activities to commemorate 2022 Global Money Week

Speaking on behalf of participants and other key stakeholders at the conference, Dr. Jibayo Oyebade, a member of the Ondo State Export Cluster, expressed enthusiasm about the scheme and pledged readiness of the states export cluster to work with Polaris Bank as their preferred banker for the scheme.

The seminar attracted a large turnout of participants comprising key players and exporters of cocoa beans, cashew nuts, sesame seeds and palm oil in the non-oil exports sector in Ondo and Kano States.

According to available report in the media, in 2021, the fortunes of the non-oil export sector brightened. Total exports were estimated at N19.057tn, with the non-oil segment valued at N4.194tn, representing 22.07 per cent of total export receipts.

Polaris Bank, adjudged the Digital Bank of the year, is a future-determining bank committed to delivering industry-defining products and services to individuals and businesses.
On a recent afternoon, a dozen smallholder farmers gathered at Eziokwu village in Anambra State, alongside their colleague, Emmanuel Osondu, who was billed to share his experience after participating in the genetically modified cowpea farming experiment.

Mr Osondu, an indigene of the densely populated farming community of Eziokwu in Ndikelionwu town of the South-east state, was among farmers selected from across Nigerias 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to participate in the trial phase of the Pod Borer Resistant (PBR) cowpea project.

Last August, the farmers were given cowpea seeds genetically modified (GM) to resist the destructive pod-borer insect pest and improve yield to experiment on their farms.

Mr Osondu said his farm became the centre of attraction a few weeks after he planted the cowpea. As you can see, I planted the beans at a roadside where everybody can see it, the farmer said. He was quick to point out the sharp contrast between the traditional cowpea the farmers are used to and the new variety.

I used to spray insecticides at least five times on the normal cowpea yet the crop will still be eaten by insects before harvest. But this one I sprayed only once, and it did very well. I harvested about two months after planting and the yield was impressive.

They gave me half a cup and I harvested three painter buckets. If I planted the same amount of normal beans, I would have harvested only one painter, the farmer said, adding that the new cowpea variety does not only look good in the eye but is also delicious to eat.

He said many farmers around the area witnessed the high performance of the crop hence the gathering that Sunday afternoon. The rapid growth of the crop amazed everybody, he said.

We saw it with our own eyes. The beans (BT cowpea) did very well. I would like to plant it myself, a bearded young man among the group of farmers said as others took turns to give mostly positive reviews about the Bt cowpea.

Amid the upbeat mood, there was an awkward silence when the farmers were asked what they knew about the new variety of cowpea, where it came from, and how it was engineered.

Because none of the farmers in Eziokwu had grown GM cowpea, it was difficult for them to say anything about it. Any concerns with the new technology had not yet reached them.

Pro GMOs vs Anti-GMOs

Within the past decade, the adoption of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), commonly referred to as GM seeds by crop farmers has been a subject of debate among scientists, environmentalists and even food activists in Nigeria and globally.

The question of what role, if any, GMOs should play in helping to address a range of agriculture, nutrition, and climatic challenges in developing countries like Nigeria has been at the centre of discussions.

Concerns have been raised over the environmental and health impacts of GMOs, as well as their impact on traditional farming methods and issues around seed patents, and farmers being dependent on corporations.

Governments in developing nations are responding to those concerns in a variety of ways with some banning GMOs outright, some embracing the technology, and others attempting to find balance between the concerns and needs of all sides.

According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), at least 33 major food crops have been genetically modified globally. Of these, four (maize, cowpea, cotton and soybean) have been officially approved for commercialization by the Nigerian authorities, with Nigeria listed among the six African countries leading in biotech crop adoption in the continent.

Some experts have argued that planting GM seeds will help to produce enough food for the teeming global population, hence achieving food security at a fast pace. Others have also argued that food productivity can be improved through natural methods.

In Nigeria, the debate around GM food is highly polarised, as it is elsewhere in the world, even in the U.S., where resistance has paralleled a growing demand for organic foods and clear labelling of genetically modified products.

These debates have created two distinctive divides that have come to be commonly known as pro and anti GMO groups.

The National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), an agency established under Nigerias ministry of science and technology to promote, implement, and coordinate biotechnology and GMO development  and the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB), an advocacy arm of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)  are working to change the publics negative perception and increase positive awareness of GM products.

Considered as pro GMOs, the duo organises meetings and workshops between scientists, farmers, and the media.

In sharp contrast, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria and several other civil societies who are at the forefront of criticisms against the technology for safety concerns are regarded as anti GM groups.

NABDA and OFAB would often disregard safety concerns by HOMEF and their allies for lack of scientific proof, insisting that GMOs are scientific, and research based with years of rigorous safety procedures before commercialization.

While the pro GM groups welcome Western support and believe the international partnerships serve the interests of local farmers. Anti-GM groups, however, do not trust the companies or their technology. They are playing God. No patented seed can be compared with natural ones. This is a new form of colonisation. They want to replace our food system and culture, said Nnimmo Bassey, founder of HOMEF, the most active anti-GM group in the country.

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The position of HOMEF and others is that genetic engineering is proposed mostly on myths that are readily acceptable because they claim to be scientific. These groups insist that GMOs do not necessarily yield better than natural varieties, and that they erode or diminish biodiversity due to their dominant traits.

They also argue that most of Africas genetic modification projects are closely targeted at staple crops that are of local and international corporations and organisations. Licences for the patented genes that African scientists use to modify cowpea crops, for example, were provided royalty-free by biotech companies such as Monsanto (acquired by Bayer in 2016)  inviting questions about whether their goals are purely humanitarian.

In 2013, a report published by the UK Guardian revealed how Monsanto sued hundreds of farmers in the U.S in attempts to protect its patent rights on GM seeds that it produces and sells.

The study outlined what it says is a concerted effort by the multinational company to dominate the seeds industry in the U.S. and prevent farmers from replanting crops they have produced from Monsanto seeds.

The report jointly produced by the Centre for Food Safety and Save Our Seeds Campaign and titled Seed Giants vs US Farmers that tracked lawsuits Monsanto brought against farmers found some `142 infringement suits against 410 farmers and 56 small businesses. In total, the firm had won more than $23 million from its targets, the report said.

While promoters of GMO are working tirelessly to counter these criticisms and reassure safety, over a month-long investigation by PREMIUM TIMES on Bt cowpea farming in Nigeria shows that safety concerns are not the only challenge standing in the way of implementation of the new variety. Poor awareness of GMO among not just lay people but even many informed Nigerians fuels scepticism which is making it difficult for Nigerians to make informed decisions on whether to accept or reject GM cowpea in Nigeria, our findings revealed.

Different strokes

Here in this rural village of Eziokwe, Mr Osondu and other poor farmers have not been following the controversies surrounding GMOs.

All I know is they told us the beans have been treated to perform well, said Mr Osondu who admitted he does not know what it means for a crop to be genetically modified and if there are possibilities of health and environmental implications in planting such crops.

Elsewhere in Alor town of Anambra State, another farmer selected for the PBR cowpea trial project said rodents ate up her BT cowpea before she could harvest them.

I was very happy with how the crop performed but unfortunately rats ate most of them before harvest, Eucharia Obiorah, a mother-of-five who mainly plants vegetables, said adding that the BT cowpea had no negative effect on the other crops within her farm.

After a rigorous selection process, Emmanuel Amaechi is among the two farmers that participated in the PBR cowpea project in Delta State.

Mr Amaechi farms inside the Delta Agricultural and Rural Development settlement located in Ibusa, Oshimili North LGA of the state.

The farmer explained how they were given the BT cowpea after a seminar for them to practise in their farms. He said they were told the new varieties were treated to resist pests and improve yield.

But when probed further on what he knows about GMOs, the farmer said, I dont really know anything about all these things. I cant remember if they thought about it during the training, I honestly dont understand how they were made or where they are from.

Mr Amaechi however insisted he preferred the new variety to the old one. He said the only downside he noticed was that the BT cowpea takes longer time to cook but the test was excellent. Many farmers in my area indicated interest in planting the GM crop.

Juliet Elumere, another farmer selected for the PBR project in Delta State seemed enchanted by the performance of the BT cowpea.

I was given half a cup of the cowpea, but I harvested 48 cups, Juliet explained. The seed grew very fast and looked healthy. Just as I thought, it was sweet. I prefer it to the normal one.

The farmer said she made several delicacies from the Bt Cowpea including Akara and moi moi (bean cakes) and they all turned out delicious.

One thing is common in experiences gathered from these farmers: they are open to new approaches that would minimise pests, allowing them to grow enough cowpea to feed their families with a surplus to sell even though they know little or nothing about the Bt cowpea.

Similar tales in Nigerias South-West region

Like Mr Osondu and his co-farmers in the South-eastern region, crop farmers in Southwestern part of the country who planted the beans were enthusiastic to share their Bt cowpea farming experience with our reporter.

Whenever we are given seeds like that, we are told it is an improved variety and we are usually trained on how to plant it so as to get the right results, Idowu kazeem, a cowpea farmer in Akindin village of Olaoluwa Local Government Area of Osun state said.

Mr Kazeem is one of several farmers selected for the trial phase of the Bt Cowpea by the Osun State Agricultural Development Programme (OSSADEP) in September last year. He farms crops such as Cassava, maize, beans among others to make ends meet.

I planted the beans on September 4 last year and the beans produced very well, he said in Yoruba language, adding that he observed the beans from the first stage of germination until it got to its flowering, pod bearing and harvesting stages respectively.

The farmers alleged that a major motivation and excitement for them while growing the new variety of beans lies on the fact that they sprayed plots planted with pesticide only twice unlike the indigenous variety of beans they are used to which they would have to spray more than five times before they can harvest something significant from their farms.

With this new variety given to us, I sprayed the farm only twice before harvesting, in fact, I am thinking if we dont spray the new variety at all, one will still have a good harvest, Mr Kazeem said.

After harvest, the farmer said he observed that Bt Cowpea bore more pods than the previous beans he had been planting.

The Bt Cowpea seeds are bigger, and the pods are longer than the old variety I have been cultivating, he added, noting that he observed about 60- 50 per cent increase in yield during harvest when compared to the previous type of variety he is used to.

While the farmer believed that the beans are good for consumption, he said it does not come out well whenever it is used for bean cake (Moi-Moi).

The peels are difficult to remove, and it makes the moi-moi turn black, Mr Kazeem said.

Sulaiman Adijat, a cassava, and beans farmer at Ileoluwa-Iwara settlement, just like Mr Kazeem, narrated a similar experience about the seeds performance she got from OSSADEP.

The seeds sprouted well Mrs Adijat said, explaining that it bore more pods than the type of beans she used to grow before, making other farmers ask where she got the seeds from?

Some farmers even stole from the ones planted, she said.

However, she bemoaned the beans inability to turn brownish quickly when cooked.

Ahmad Sulaiman, another farmer at Olaoluwa Amere settlement said he was also given the seeds to plant which he did.

He said the seeds given to him were fast to germinate, and that he harvested the beans within two months.

With this, Mr Sulaiman explained that a farmer can grow the Bt Cowpea three times annually if they want to because it does not give much stress like the conventional variety they have been planting all these years.

Ogungbenro Ebenezer, a seasoned crop farmer at Iwo farm settlement in Osun state, explained that he was given the Bt cowpea seeds by OSSADEP for trial on September 7 last year.

He said the seeds were planted the day he was given, and that the first germination was observed on the third day unlike the conventional beans that would sprout after five days.

He said weed control was minimal because of the spacing adopted, ( 5m x 5m rectangular). This he said made weed control to be very effective and that he sprayed his farm with pesticide just once before harvest, which implies the degree of pest invasion was minimal.

At 35 days, Mr Ebenezer said he observed the first flowering of the beans and that at exactly two months, it was harvested.

Unlike the conventional beans whose pods do not mature uniformly, Mr Ebenezer said the Bt cowpea beans matured all at once and they were all harvested at the same day.

At germination, I observed about 98- 99 per cent germination, the seeds were so viable, the farmer who himself is a graduate of agriculture from the Federal University of Abeokuta said.

Due to the spacing method adopted on the 200g of seeds he was given, he explained that the cost of weeding was minimal, insect pest control on the farm too was minimal, and it made the use of insecticides more efficient and effective.

Bamigbola Kehinde, OSSADEPs agric extension deputy director in Iwo, who coordinated and monitored the farmers that planted the Bt cowpea seeds in the state, said during the monitoring and evaluation phase of the crop, they noticed that it was quite different from the varieties their farmers have been planting in the area of insect infestation.

If we dont spray the old varieties we have been planting 3-4 times, we may not be able to achieve a reasonable yield, but with the PBRC variety, even with no spraying, we achieved a good yield, the OSSADEP official said.

Online survey on perception, awareness

In the past two weeks, our researchers put questions on social media platforms including WhatsApp and Facebook asking Nigerians if they have been following the GMO debates; what they know about Bt Cowpea and whether GMO crops should be generally accepted as a solution to the countrys farming challenges.

Respondents are mainly civil servants and corporate workers who can be classified as the literate public.

About 70 per cent of over 200 respondents admitted they basically have no knowledge of what GMOs are all about. I dont even know what genetically modified crops are. I will have to google it, said Tega Okene, a loan company staff in Abuja.

As a medical practitioner, I know nothing about this subject. Oh God! exclaimed Bissallah Ekele, the Chief Medical Director, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada.

About 20 per cent who said they have basic information on the technology preferred natural crops and farming solutions. Their reasons differ but can be linked to rising safety concerns.

No (GMOs should not be accepted). I think its horrible and can be harmful to our biodiversity in the long run, Jessica Oduh, a journalist said. On the reason for her answer, she said, Monsanto is horrid. I have read several reports linking the companys products to health and environmental hazards.

Miss Oduhs reservations for Monsanto are not unfounded. The American agro-chemical and biotechnology company (acquired by German company Bayer in 2016) has over the years been engaged in controversial high-profile lawsuits over its products health and environmental effects.

Chinenye Nwabueze, a lecturer and media expert, believes several allegations and safety concerns about GMOs should not be treated with levity in Nigeria. Theres a sharp increase in the price of wheat and some other foodstuffs across the globe because of the Ukraine and Russia war. Both countries, which are the largest producers, stopped exporting. So, ask yourself, why cant they use GMO versions to solve the problem, he said.

The lecturer hinged his argument on the strong hostility GMOs are facing in many parts of Europe where the technology is perceived as very unfavourable due to a general lack of confidence and health concerns about the product.

Only 10 per cent of the respondents think GMOs should be accepted in Nigeria citing its usefulness in solving the countrys food crisis. Nigeria should accept GMO because it can prove food production although a lot of awareness and sensitization is needed to allay fears of safety concerns and instil confidence among about the crop, said Osita Onyeji, a Lagos-based banker.

Inadequate labelling in grocery shelves & poor awareness subsist

Despite their irreconcilable difference, pro and anti GMO groups acknowledged the poor awareness of the technology among Nigerians and inadequate shelf labelling of GM in groceries has been argued to be an infringement on peoples right to know what they buy and consume.

Rose Gidado, director of OFAB agreed that there is still very little awareness on GMOs, attributing the situation to the fact that some of the farmers growing the crops are not lettered and funding challenges her organisation is facing.

Most of them (farmers) didnt go to school, we just give them the seeds and tell them that the seeds have been improved, she explained, adding that  when you tell them GMO, theyve never heard about it, so I dont know how you expect us to go about it.

Usually, she said, when you give improved seeds to farmers you dont have to feed them with all the information, let them be the one to give you the feedback.

What we just need to do is to teach them those agronomic practices, even if you improve the seeds, if good agronomic practices are not put into use it will not work, Mrs Gidado said.

She said good farm management practices are critical that is why farmers are educated on how, when and at what stage to do what and what to achieve the best results.

However, she said the awareness level on GMOs among Nigerians is still very low because it is capital intensive.

Being a government agency there is paucity of funds. When we go to a media house, especially television, to sponsor a programme they will say N30 million and without the media we cannot go anywhere, but we are doing our best, she said.

HOMEF on its part says it agrees on the need for Nigerians to have knowledge of GMOs to make informed choices. For many years now, we have tried to sensitise the public of the safety concerns of GMOs and possible dangers of its introduction into our Environment and country, Mariann Bassey- Orovwuje, the Coordinator for Food Sovereignty Program for Friends of the Earth Nigeria and Africa and the Chair of the Agroecology and Land Working Group of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA, said.

Whenever we carry out such awareness and sensitization workshops and visits to communities, we still hear people say they do not know what GMOs are. When it comes to BT Cowpea, I can categorically confirm that the awareness level is quite low. The terminology used BT Cowpea alone is misleading. Most people dont know it is the same thing as Beans.

For Mr Bassey of HOMEF, the fact that farmers do not know what they are given to plant and GMO promoters admitting to not providing sufficient information to Nigerians should be enough reason not to allow GMOs into the country.

Even if they go around the country and tell everybody about GM foods, when it gets to the market it will still mix up with organic products because it is almost impossible to label GMOs in Nigeria, he said.

We are in a situation where we are ambushed to eat what we know nothing about. It is the fundamental right of a consumer to know what he or she is consuming.

Edwin Kwaku, leader of Food Sovereignty Ghana (FSG), an anti-GMO group leading Ghanas battle against approval of GMOs said the poor awareness on GMOs is deliberate.

A lot of media has been compromised Nigerians are tough people everywhere in the world and if they really know the dangers of GMOs and why it should be rejected, they will kick against it, he said.

NBMA: Free pass for GMOs?

Nigerias Biosafety Management Agency  NBMA has been inundated with accusations of handing a free pass to western companies bringing in GMOs into the country despite safety concerns and poor awareness of the technology in the country.

The NBMA Act is defective, according to Mr. Bassey, because its governing board is filled with GMO promoters such as NABDA and the Biotechnology Society of Nigeria.

The speed with which Nigeria is permitting GMOs is highly suspicious and offers no assurance that the government is concerned about safety and the preservation of our biodiversity, he said.

In 2016, NBMA allowed the first set of GMOs into Nigeria by issuing two permits for commercial release of GM cotton, and the confined field trial of GM maize to Monsanto.

The NBMA approved the glyphosate herbicide resistant maize despite safety concerns including the International Agency for Research on Cancer report that linked the active ingredient glyphosate to cancer.

But Monsanto had argued theres overwhelming weight of evidence against IARCs classification of glyphosate as a carcinogen.

Nigerias foremost investigative newspaper, PREMIUM TIMES in its Editorial of August 29, 2016, titled, The Growing Menace of the Monsanto-induced Pro-GMO Lobby in Nigeria, raised concerned about what it described as a determined march by Monsanto to impose GMOs into agricultural production in Nigeria.

The publication noted that Monsanto found two willing accomplices in NABDA and NBMA who are taking the lead in opening doors to GMOs.

The Governing Board of the NBMA is composed largely of biotech promoters and Monsanto advocates. Neither farmers nor consumers are represented on the board. The present Act allows for the display and receipt of comments on GMO applications to be made within only 21 days. In the case of the approval for Monsantos GMO cotton, the application was displayed only at Zaria and Abuja. There was no public hearing or consultation before the approval was given. The Agency was acting as empowered by the clearly deficient Act, the Editorial read.

After the approval of BT cotton, HOMEF and other anti-GMO activists sued NBMA and NABDA, losing in 2018 on technical grounds of not filing the case within stipulated time boundaries. They have since filed the case again as a fundamental rights issue.

Meanwhile, Nigeria in 2019 amended the biosafety law by expanding the scope of the NBMA Act to include evolving aspects of biotechnology such as gene drives, gene editing, and synthetic biology.

Rufus Ebegba, director general of the NBMA in an interview last week said the agency has the capacity and competence to handle the advanced genetic technology, an assertion Mr Bassey of HOMEF contested. We are still battling with ordinary GMOs, and they are given a mandate to handle advanced ones.

Mr Egbeba however urged critics to remember that his agency was not established to stop GMOs, but rather to ensure they are safe to the environment and human health.

He explained the process the Bt cowpea underwent before approval. What we found was that it does not cause harm to health and biodiversity. Its as safe as its conventional counterparts and environmentally friendly. If they are not safe, we will not confirm them.

On the poor awareness of the technology, Mr Egbeba said Nigeria is a big country and therefore the media also have a role to play with regards to sensitization.

You must trust your government. Those against GMOs, their minds are already fixed, thats why there is a lot of sensationalism about GMOs, the official said.

Every new technology is bound to face suspicion and concerns. But Ebegba said Nigeria shouldnt let fear keep it from taking advantage of new technologies that could benefit current and future generations, particularly when there are safety measures put in place by the government.

Bt Cowpea reignites GMO debate

After the approval of the genetically modified Bt cowpea for commercial production by the Nigerian authorities in 2019, seeds of the new variety were distributed to officials of relevant agricultural agencies across the 36 states of the country for cultivation by farmers under their supervision so as to further ascertain the efficacy of the new GM seed. But most of these farmers are not lettered to know what a GM seed is.

The approval means Nigeria became the first country to approve Bt Cowpea in west Africa, a region where beans, commonly called a poor mans meat, is the cheapest source of protein subscribed to by many homes.

Nigeria is also the worlds largest producer of cowpea but still has to import around 500,000 tonnes to meet internal demand because of the potential loss in yield as insects  specifically the Cowpea Pod Borer  destroys anywhere between 20 and 80 per cent of cowpea crops yearly.

In response, the government approved and allowed the Bt cowpea genetically modified by western scientists along plant lines to resist the Pod Borer pest.

Advocates for the technology  which involves altering an organisms DNA against adverse conditions in ways that arent possible through traditional breeding  believe the new variety can solve the countrys cowpea farming challenges and give farmers an additional choice about what to grow.

But the GM cowpea contains the Cry1AB gene developed by Monsanto which can potentially be toxic for human liver cells and alter immune systems of lab animals, anti-GM groups said.

In South Africa, cultivation of Monsantos GM maize containing the same transgene was banned because of massive pest resistance and infestations, they argued.

Critics also argue that the GM cowpea risks contaminating local varieties and exposing Nigerians to avoidable risks. For them, the pesticide reduction and 20 percent yield improvements promised by the new seed do not offset what they see as the potential for new health risks. These, among other reasons, reignited protracted dispute on GMO among environmentalists in the country.

If not GMOs, what then?

The best solution is investing in agricultural research in the country. Our governments should engage its research institutions and bodies at different locations in the country in conducting research for increased agricultural productivity and in making the research results available to farmers and other actors in the agricultural development of the states, the PREMIUM TIMES had written in its 2016 editorial.

Meanwhile, Alex Abutu who works with the AAFT argued that GMOs are not meant to be a solution for Nigerias food challenge but a tool that can help solve the issues that conventional breeding methods cannot solve.

Most importantly, if Nigeria fails to develop and release GM crops, she will become a dumping ground for GMOs, Mr Abutu warned.

For Mr Bassey, the solution is simply to work with Nature and not to imagine that we can successfully fight against it. Nature has been good to Nigeria. We are the centre of origin of Cowpea. To genetically engineer this crop at its centre of origin has the implication of making the natural varieties go extinct and this has global implications.
The hope of ending malaria, a disease that kills thousands of people annually, received a boost in late 2021 when the World Health Organisation (WHO) approved the use of the first-ever malaria vaccine.

The vaccine, RTS,S or mosquirix, is not just the first for malaria, but also the first developed for any parasitic disease. Parasites are much more complex than viruses or bacteria, and the quest for a malaria vaccine had been underway for many years.

This vaccine was found to surpass the 75 per cent efficacy goal set by the WHO for a malaria vaccine to receive a nod.

Health experts, caregivers, and government officials describe the development as a breakthrough in the fight against the scourge that has plagued humans for decades.

The long-awaited malaria vaccine is a breakthrough for science, child health, and malaria control, WHO director-general, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said following the vaccine endorsement.

Malaria burden

Malaria, although preventable and treatable, continues to have a devastating impact on the health and livelihood of people around the world.

In 2020, there were estimated 241 million new cases of malaria and 627,000 malaria-related deaths in 85 countries. More than two-thirds of deaths were among children under the age of five living in the WHO African region.

Children under five are one of the most vulnerable groups affected by the disease, accounting for 67 per cent of all malaria deaths worldwide, said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

Ms Moeti said for centuries, malaria has stalked sub-Saharan Africa, causing immense personal suffering.

Nigeria, Africas most populous nation accounts for the highest malaria burden in the region and also contributes to 23 per cent of malaria deaths worldwide.

Although WHO said the vaccines could save tens of thousands of young lives each year, there are concerns it may not get to children who are most vulnerable to the disease.

Health experts say children mostly miss out on vaccination due to inaccessibility of vaccines and poor awareness about their importance.

There are lots of communities unaware of free health services provided by the government. This is an issue of human rights because access to quality health is a right issue, Ayo Ipinmoye, the national coordinator, Civil Society on Malaria Immunisation and Nutrition (ACOMIN), told PREMIUM TIMES in an interview.

Missing out

A mixture of stench from several pools of stagnant water; flying insects and smoke from burning firewood, was the atmosphere at Dape area of Gwarimpa, a district in Nigerias Federal Capital Territory when our reporter visited recently while researching for this report.

Shanties erected with wood and cement sacks are what residents of the community call home. No proper drainage to channel away water from the makeshift bathroom next to the living area or from washing and other chores.

Sweating from the heat of the afternoon and her own cooking area, Amina Isah, a resident of the community, smiled as she wiped her face with her arm.

Asked if she was aware of any vaccination programme and if she ever allowed her children to take vaccines, Ms Isah said; I do not know anything about immunisation and I have never taken my children to the hospital.

Speaking in Hausa language, the middle-aged mother of four, who is popularly called Mama Aisha in the neighbourhood, said her children were delivered in her living room with the help of a friend and neighbour.

Memunat Gamboa, a resident of Naibawa area of Kano State, said she knew there are hospitals where she could be delivered of her babies, but said she could not withstand the stress of being ordered around by hospital officials. Thus like Ms Isah, she had all her babies at home.

On her part, Hannatu Usman, a resident of Baran-Goni, a community in Bwari area of the FCT, said in her village in Borno State, where she had all her children before insurgency forced her to relocate to Abuja, there was no public healthcare facility.

For you to see a health centre, you will walk several kilometres or take a bike when you see one, she said.

The cases of these three women who had babies either delivered by traditional birth attendants or by their relations and neighbours are common across the 774 local government areas in the country. By having their children outside accredited health facilities, these children miss out on key national immunisation programmes of the government.

Over the years, immunisation has proven to save millions of lives globally. Vaccines reduce risks of getting a disease by working with the bodys natural defences to build protection, WHO said.

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However, despite its numerous benefits, far too many people around the world including nearly 20 million infants each year, are said to have insufficient access to vaccines.

The 2018 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) states that the countrys immunisation coverage rate is very low.

According to the survey, only 31 per cent of children between the ages 12 to 23 months received all basic vaccinations at the time before the survey, while 28 per cent received the basic vaccination by the appropriate age of 12 months and 19 per cent received no vaccination at all.

Possible game changer

The WHOs endorsement of the vaccine was based on the results of more than 2.3 million doses administered since 2019 to about 800,000 children in Kenya, Malawi, and Ghana.

The vaccine, developed by GlaxoSmithKline is said to reduce cases of clinical malaria by 40 per cent and severe cases of malaria by 30 per cent. It is given in three doses between ages five and 17 months, and a fourth dose is given 18 months later.

To have a malaria vaccine that is safe, moderately effective and ready for distribution is a historic event, said Pedro Alonso, director of the WHOs global malaria programme.

Health experts across the globe said the introduction of the RTS,S vaccine to existing malaria control interventions could help drive down child mortality in Africa- a continent that bears the brunt of the disease.

Vaccines roll-out, funding

It is unclear how soon the vaccine will be widely available in Africa, said John Nkengasong, the director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at a news conference.

Mr Nkengasong said the vaccine roll-out may take a while as the pilot programme is still ongoing.

GSK, the vaccine developer, said it has donated 10 million doses for the study and so far only a quarter of those have been used.

The company also committed itself to providing 15 million doses a year but health authorities said this may be insufficient to cover malaria-endemic countries.

What we know for now is that the vaccines that will be available in the near future will not be sufficient to go round, so there has to be some prioritisation, national coordinator of NMEP, Perpetual Uhomoibhi, said.

Ms Uhomoibhi said there are plans to ensure Nigeria, being a high burden country, gets prioritised when distribution begins.

On funding, she said the government will purchase the vaccines at the right time with support from development partners.

If there is a funding gap, the government will come in.

The director, disease control and immunisation at NPHCDA, Bassey Okposen, said there is a process to follow before any new vaccine can be introduced into the country.

Mr Okposen said countries are also expected to make decisions and express interest on whether to adopt the vaccine as part of national malaria control strategies.

He said the immunisation agency is working with the NMEP team and others to develop a proposal for submission to GAVI for consideration when allocations commence.

Gavi, the vaccine alliance, in late 2021 announced that it will invest $155.7 million to help roll out the RTS,S vaccine in sub-Saharan Africa between 2022 and 2025.

It said this is an initial investment to support the vaccine introduction, procurement and delivery for Gavi eligible countries, which includes Nigeria.

Mr Ipinmoye, the national coordinator of ACOMIN said the government must invest its funds in the vaccines which will serve as a useful tool in protecting children from dying of malaria.

He said malaria is endemic in Nigeria and for pregnant women and children to be in a community with no access to vaccination could be saddening.

He said persons especially those in rural communities need to be enlightened on the importance of childhood vaccinations.

The malaria vaccine has the potential to be a game-changer in the fight against malaria but those at the grassroots must have access to it, he said.

We are hopeful that the new vaccines, when fully implemented, will help reduce deaths and malaria cases, Tim Obot, the Deputy Director National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), said.

Mr Obot said the vaccines are meant for children under five, so other persons above this age will continue to make use of alternative interventions available for malaria.

Before the vaccine breakthrough, insecticide-treated bednet was considered the most widespread preventive measure for malaria and that it reduces deaths in children under five by about 20 per cent.

Unfortunately, every household visited by PREMIUM TIMES in the course of this report, including that of Ms Isah lacks an insecticide-treated net.

While some residents at Baran-Goni, a community in Bwari said they have never seen a mosquito net, others claim its too expensive.

I wanted to buy sometime in 2020 but I was told its N5,000. I dont have that much and even if I have, it wont be for an ordinary net, Hannatu Usman said.

Equitable distribution

The main challenge that may face the vaccine will be how to achieve equitable distribution, not just to regions with high transmission, but also to conflict zones where malaria is endemic, said Gbemiga Aina, head, Centre for Research in Traditional Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, Lagos.

Mr Aina said there should be a distribution plan in place before the vaccines get into the country.

Ms Uhomoibi of NMEP said the agency is in discussion with partners to achieve a decent distribution of the vaccines when they are available.

According to her, the government is considering taking the vaccines to various households instead of integrating it into the routine immunisation schedule.

We have to work with partners to identify where the few doses of vaccines we would get are more needed within the country, she said.

World Malaria Day

In commemoration of 2022 World Malaria Day, the WHO estimates that the vaccine could save the lives of an additional 40,000 to 80,000 African children each year.

WAD is marked on April 25 every year to highlight global efforts to control malaria and celebrate the gains that have been made.

Themed, Harness Innovation to Reduce the Malaria Disease Burden and Save Lives, this years activities aim to draw attention to the critical role innovation plays in helping to achieve global elimination goals.

Therefore, Nigerians are expectant of the massive contributions of vaccines against the countrys most common albatross.
As the nation nears the end of a governance cycle early 2023, it is to be expected that the political marketplace will be abuzz with ideas around which popular choices may be made next year. Still, a sense that the Buhari administration has been less than effective across every facet of its interaction with the polity has gotten the political commentariat in a funk.

It is in this context that Chief Afe Babalola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria, put forward two dangerous propositions, at a major press briefing in Ado-Ekiti on Monday, April 18.

The first is that the 2023 general elections should be postponed. The second, that an interim government should be constituted to manage the affairs of the country, draft a new constitution and organise the next round of elections.

At the heart of Chief Afe Babalolas call is the belief that:

 There is the need to develop a new-look peoplesconstitution;

 Politics has become a lucrative enterprise in Nigeria; and

 Any election that holds under the present scenario will end up producing transactional and recycled leaders with no ability to turn things around.

PREMIUM TIMES is of the strong opinion that none of these reasons is cogent enough to warrant the dismantling of the democratic structures erected since the exit of the military in 1999. As in need of root-and-branch reforms as Nigeria is, down Chief Afe Babalolas route lies the worsening of the myriad crises that have left the country wanting a good leg to stand on.

Even if it is arguable that the current constitution lies against itself when it says in its introductory chapter that We the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Do hereby make, enact and give to ourselves the following Constitution (since it is common knowledge that it was imposed by the military with hardly any input from the people), it would, however, amount to a coup to suddenly set the constitution aside. While the current constitution is not a perfect document, the path out of the cul-de-sac that the country is in today does not pass through a process of undermining the evolving order, especially after twenty-three years of uninterrupted civil rule.

The difficulty in understanding why Chief Afe Babalola, a well respected legal authority who should know better, is proposing that a democratically elected government should be replaced with an unelected interim one, is worsened by his preference for the interim governments composition. It is common knowledge that many among the ranks of former presidents, former vice-presidents, former governors and a few selected leaders, have been accused of being architects of or contributors to the decadent state of the economy and the unstable polity. Indeed, with all the human and material resources invested in getting the military out of power to pave way for democracy, what sense would it make to return to another undemocratic dispensation?

In addition, against the background of the unresolved problems of nationality, ethnicity and religion, which have fueled agitations for self-determination and secession in some parts of the country, what gives Chief Afe Babalola the audacity to hope that even the ordinary issue of the ethnic or geo-political origin of the leader of an interim government would not cause further acrimony and chaos?

If the constitution is suspended, under what law will the so-called interim government operate? Would the constitution of such an interim government not amount to the introduction of a quasi-dictatorial government that will rule according to its whims and caprices? Given the age-long sit-tight leader syndrome plaguing African nations, what guarantee is there that the interim government would not seek to extend its illegal rule? If a democratically elected President Olusegun Obasanjo had the temerity to seek a third term, what assurance can be given that an unelected interim government would not seek to perpetuate itself in office?

For want of useful responses to this litany of questions, PREMIUM TIMES believes that the idea of an interim government is a time-bomb that no one should toy with. It is not worth debating and should, therefore, be completely jettisoned.

Chief Afe Babalola was equally being disingenuous when he tied the concern over the lucrativeness of politics and the need to stop transactional and recycled leaders, to his call for the suspension of the 2023 elections.

Again, it is an open fact that money-politics and corruption are banes of political advancement and the deepening of democracy in Nigeria. That is why, among other reasons, President Muhammadu Buharis pardon of two former governors serving jail terms following conviction for corrupt practices, has been condemned by this newspaper. And just like other concerned organisations and individuals, we have equally supported legal and policy measures against the undue monetisation of politics, especially the hijack of Nigerias political parties by super-rich political godfathers.

Be all this as it may, the solution to the problems that the country is up against does not lie in suspending the 2023 elections. Indeed, despite the enormous crisis facing the nation, especially the confounding state of insecurity, it is encouraging to see prospects of more credible future elections following the signing into law of the new Electoral Act 2022 by President Muhammadu Buhari. Although not a perfect document, some of the provisions address the concerns of Chief Afe Babalola, as they seek to promote internal party democracy and guarantee the sanctity of votes with the power granted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to electronically transmit results from polling units. The Electoral Law also makes it mandatory for INEC to be allocated funds at least a year before the next elections.

Amidst these positive signals, PREMIUM TIMES expects Chief Afe Babalola and other elder statesmen to lend their voices to the clamour for politicians to play by the rules, so that the electoral process would not be jeopardised. The beauty of democracy is that through elections voters are empowered to boot governments and politicians that fail to meet their expectations out of office and vote into power credible alternatives.

If Chief Afe Babalola is therefore that concerned that the next elections could produce transactional and recycled leaders, then he should throw himself into the political fray by joining forces with those working assiduously to ensure that the political parties produce flag-bearers that do not have questionable credentials. On the other hand, Chief Afe Babalola, can also align forces with civil society, the media and professional groups, in their constant quest to defend democracy and democratic values.

We urge Chief Afe Babalola, and others who may share his views, to toe these honourable paths and discontinue their dishonourable quest for the suspension of the 2023 elections and the imposition of an undemocratic interim government.
Out of respect for his former boss, the governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, said he may drop his presidential ambition if the immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan, declares to run for the position.

Mr Mohammed disclosed this on Sunday night while featuring on Politics Today a programme on Channels Television.

The governor served as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the Jonathan administration. He was a senator when he was appointed minister in 2010.

After months of speculations, there are strong indications that the former president, who ruled the country on the ticket of the PDP between 2010 and 2015 when he was defeated by the incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari, may join aspirants under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the coming days.

Mr Jonathan, at a meeting with some youth on Friday in Abuja, asked them to watch out for his next political moves.

Yes, you are calling on me to come and declare for the 2023 presidency, yes I cant tell you am declaring, the political process is ongoing, just watch out.

But the key role you must play is to pray that Nigeria gets a president that will carry the young people along and work very hard to see that some of the countrys problems raised are dealt with.

I believe that collectively, we can work together, the former president said.

But Mr Mohammed said if Mr Jonathan joins the race, it would pose a big problem for him.

He is one of those persons I respect most in this country. He is the most respected person I have because I emerged and came to national limelight through him. Certainly I have come to establish a family relationship with him and to me, he cannot be in the race and I will be in the race, out of respect and modesty.

I have given him enough time and he has urged me to go ahead and I have gone ahead and even gotten another burden now; the mandate of my elders to continue. So if Jonathan is running, it is a very big problem to me, he said.

Mr Mohammed, who was endorsed alongside former Senate President, Bukola Saraki as the northern presidential consensus candidates of the PDP by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) on Friday, said the outcome of the exercise has boosted his chances against other aspirants.

Aspirants

There are about 17 person jostling for the PDP presidential ticket. They include former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; a former Anambra governor; Peter Obi; Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike; ex-Senate president, Pius Anyim; and former Ekiti governor, Ayo Fayose.

The Bauchi governor, who dismissed the possibility of stepping down for Mr Abubakar, said he would be more than willing to step down for Mr Jonathan whether the former president is contesting under APC or PDP.

I dont believe in zoning

The former FCT minister also said he does not believe in zoning but on the need to select the most capable hands for the seat.

I dont believe in sectionalism or zoning. I believe in Nigeria first. I believe that Nigerians should be given the opportunity to get the best, but put that aside about merit and rotation which is the key because were a federating entity country.

We must look at how zoning came into being in PDP. I am PDP man to the core. I dont look at this aberration or APC administration as having any effect on me as a PDP man, he said.

The PDP has not publicly declared where it will zone its presidential ticket to. However, there are strong indications that the party may end up throwing the ticket open, a decision that may jettison its rotation tradition.

While stylishly advocating for the north to produce the next president, Mr Mohammed condemned the current Buhari administration, declaring it as inefficient.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a suspected billionaire drug baron allegedly behind the N3 billion Tramadol deal involving the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari-led Intelligence Response Team, IRT.

The NDLEA named the alleged drug baron as Afam Mallinson Emmanuel Ukatu, who is the Chairman of Mallinson Group of Companies.

A statement by the Director Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, on Monday in Abuja, said they arrested Mr Ukatu on April 13 after months of surveillance and evading arrest.

The agency said they eventually nabbed the suspect aboard a flight to Abuja at the MM2 terminal of the Lagos airport.

Mr Babafemi said that investigations revealed that he had been a major importer of large consignments of different brands and high dosages of Tramadol Hydrochloride, ranging from 120mg, 200mg, 225mg and 250mg, all of which are illicit.

According to him, Mr Ukatu owns pharmaceutical and plastic manufacturing companies, which he used as a cover to import illicit drugs into Nigeria.

This is in addition to operating 103 bank accounts, most of which are used to launder money.

Ukatu came under watch last year after five cartons of Tramadol 225mg were seized from his staff on May 4, 2021 when he sent them to sell to undercover police officers (unknown to Ukatu) from the then Kyari-led IRT of the Nigeria Police, Ikeja Lagos.

The price of a carton of Tramadol was negotiated at N17 million each as against the then black market value that ranged between N18 million and N20 million a carton in Lagos.

After the arrest of Ukatus staff: Pius Enidom and Sunday Ibekwete, Kyaris men were then led by the suspects to Mallinsons warehouse at Ojota in Lagos where 197 additional Cartons of Tramadol 225mg were seized by the IRT Team.

The monetary value of the 202 cartons of Tramadol seized from Mallinson in one day was over N3billion, he said.

According to the spokesperson, three weeks after the seizure, the Kyaris IRT team transferred only 12 Cartons of the Tramadol with one truck and a suspect to the Lagos Command of the NDLEA, leaving 190 cartons unaccounted for.

After over eight months of following the lead, anti-narcotic officers of the agency eventually arrested Ukatu at the Lagos airport on April 13, 2022.

Kyari and four top members of his team are already facing trial for a different but similar offence at a Federal High Court in Abuja, he said.

(NAN).
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has disclosed that the death toll in the illegal refinery explosion in Abaeze community Ohaji/Egbema Local Government of Imo had risen to 110.

The Acting Head of Imo/Abia Operations Office of the agency, Ifeanyi Nnaji, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.

Mr Nnaji said they recovered more dead bodies in Orashi River, near the scene of the incident on Sunday, while some died at various hospitals to increase the total casualty figure so far.

An illegal refinery at the Abaeze forest in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government exploded on Friday night and killed over 100 people.

Emergency workers in Imo led by Mr Nnaji had been on the ground since the incident to carry out rescue operations and evacuate dead bodies.

The NEMA boss further disclosed to NAN that arrangements were on to carry out a mass burial of the corpses.

When asked about the cause of the disaster, Mr Nnaji said we are yet to ascertain what led to the fire disaster.

Those who should tell the story and give insight to the incident are all dead, we are still on ground, we will soon come out with a report on the incident, he said.

Mr Nnaji further appealed to the government to create an enabling environment for genuine business to flourish within the oil-producing communities in Imo, to discourage youths from engaging in illegal activities.

He also appealed to oil companies in the area to assist the government in job creation for their host communities.

(NAN)
Residents of Mada community in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State have deserted their homes for fear of more attacks from bandits after the killing of seven vigilante members on Sunday, in what some residents say was a reprisal attack.

Confirming the incident, the police authorities in the state told this newspaper on Monday that officers have been sent to ensure that residents of the community are safe.

Yusuf Anka, a resident with deep knowledge of the conflict in the area, said the vigilante commander, Danmudi Na Mada, led his colleagues to attack a hideout of the bandits and killed one notorious bandit known as Malaikan Hausawa (Angel of death in Hausa).

Mr Anka said the killing of the bandit angered other bandits which led to the reprisal.

Last week Dan-Mudis group recorded the killing of a notorious bandit leader nicknamed Malaikan Hausawa, he was also recently accused of setting ablaze homes of innocent Fulani in Tsafe, Mr Anka said.

The slain Vigilante leader was praised for securing Hausa communities, especially Mada and Wonaka but it was also alleged that he was involved in the killing of innocent Fulanis in the area.

A local source who asked not to be named over concern for his safety told this newspaper that they attacked the vigilante members around 10:47 pm.

The bandits wanted to take over Mada town Wanakat stiff resistance from the vigilante members. The exchange of gunfire between them lasted for hours before they overpowered the vigilante and killed seven of them. They however couldnt get into the town after the arrival of soldiers and policemen, he said.

PREMIUM TIMES learned that most of the residents of the community have fled.

We dont know what will happen this night because they (bandits) may decide to return to take over the town. They are angry with the way some of our people are providing information to vigilante members which sometimes leads to the capture and Killing of the bandits. Even last week, some of them were captured and killed by the vigilante members. They (bandits) see us as their enemies, he said.

Zamfara, like in other areas in Nigerias North-west region, is convulsing under the attacks by gunmen locally called bandits who attack mostly rural communities and travellers.

These bandits have been blamed for killing thousands of people. They have also abducted many more in what is shaping to become one of the worst kidnap-for-ransom syndicates in the history of the country.

In the face of the failure of the government to protect residents of the area, many communities have set up vigilante groups to protect residents from attacks by bandits but this has worsened the security challenges in the area as it has given rise to an explosion of tit-for-tat killings between the bandits (who are mostly of Fulani extraction) and the vigilante groups set up by the majority Hausa communities in the area.
The police in Ondo State, on Sunday, said that its officers were not responsible for the death of three indigenes of Kajola in Odogbo Local Government Area of the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a hit-and-run driver fatally hit the indigenes, including a village head, who were on a motorcycle Saturday evening at Kajola area on the Lagos-Ore expressway.

The commands Police Public Relations Officer, Funmilayo Odunlami, in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that the victims death was not due to police recklessness but flouting of traffic rules.

She said the deceased used a motorcycle without a headlamp, adding that they were riding on a one-way route, thus leading to a head-on collision with a speeding vehicle.

The death of the victims was not caused by the police, as being circulated. They died as a result of flouting traffic rules, said the police spokesperson.

The deceased were riding a motorcycle with no headlamp on a one-way route and had a head-on collision with a speeding vehicle. They have died now and are not able to tell the story.

Youths should find a way of registering their grievances. Lynching police officers or burning down police station at every slightest opportunity is barbaric.

Police are there to protect them, while there are several emergency numbers through which they can report issues to the police headquarters. They should not take laws into their hands, Odunlami said.

NAN reports that youth in the area had accused the police of extortion at a checkpoint in the area which they described as illegal.

A witness, Funmi Olowogboye, told journalists that the accident occurred while the police officers were trying to extort the victims when a speeding vehicle trying to escape arrest crushed them to death.

NAN reports that the youths had, in their large numbers, swooped on Kajola police station with the corpses of the deceased, even as they attempted to burn it down.

It took the combined efforts of police operatives and other security agents to prevent the youth from lynching the personnel and razing the police station and restoring normalcy in the area.

NAN also reports that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Oyeyemi Oyediran, had, upon assumption of duty, ordered the immediate dismantling of all illegal roadblocks and checkpoints on the Ore-Benin expressway.

(NAN)
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has lifted the suspension on the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in three local council areas of Imo State, Governor Hope Uzodinma has said.

INEC had suspended the exercise in the areas after one of its officials was killed when gunmen attacked a polling unit where the exercise was being held.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the attack happened on April 15, in Ihitte Uboma Local Government Area of the state.

The three local government areas where the exercise was suspended include: Orsu, Njaba and Ihitte Uboma Local Government Areas of the state.

The decision to lift the suspension comes less than two weeks after the attack on the INEC officials in the state.

Mr Uzodinma said the electoral umpire has agreed to resume the exercise on Monday (today) in the council areas of the state.

Graciously, the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC) has agreed to resume, tomorrow (Monday), the suspended Continuous Voter Registration Exercise at the three affected Local Government Areas in the state, the governor posted on his verified Facebook page on Sunday.

He urged residents to avail themselves of this opportunity by registering with INEC in preparation for the 2023 general election in the country.

Our right to vote remains the only means of contribution towards national polity, Mr Uzodinma added.

Efforts by PREMIUM TIMES to confirm the development with INEC were unsuccessful.

The spokesperson of the Commission, Festus Okoye, did not respond to calls and text messages seeking comments from him.

Also, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, also declined comments.

Effort on insecurity

Meanwhile, the governor condemned the illegal crude oil refining activities in Imo State after the recent explosion that rocked an illegal crude refinery in the state killing scores of people.

He described the explosion at an oil illegal refinery as consequences of criminality and its associated trades.

Mr Uzodinma said the South-east security outfit, Ebube Agu, as well as the local vigilante group has been improved to ensure maximum security in the state.

With the improved Ebube Agu, our vigilante group, and a synergy with security agencies, our approach against banditry has been beefed up for maximum safety of lives and properties, he said.

Like other states in the South-east, attacks by gunmen have increased recently in Imo State. The attacks often target security agencies and government facilities.

The Nigerian government has accused the outlawed Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for the attacks in the region. But the separatist group has repeatedly denied involvement in the attacks.

IPOB is leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra to be carved people the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.

Leader of the separatist group, Nnamdi Kanu, is currently detained in Abuja where he is facing trial for alleged treason.
The Education Writers Association of Nigeria (EWAN) on Monday mobilised other stakeholders in the countrys education sector to demand immediate reopening of Nigerian universities.

Other participants in the protest included a rights activist and former national secretary of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Jiti Ogunye; convener of Concerned the Parents and Educators (CPE) Network, Yinka Ogunde, and representatives of the National Parent-Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), among others.

The association, a body of journalists across print, broadcast and online media organisations who report education in the country, said the intervention came necessary following the nonchalant attitude of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to the continued shutdown of universities for almost three months.

During its season careful walk to the office of Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, EWAN presented a list of demands contained in a letter addressed to Mr Buhari through the governor.

The letter was received on behalf of the governor by the special adviser on education, Tokunbo Wahab, while a lawmaker representing Ikeja 2 constituency, Ademola Kasumu, received another copy on behalf of the speaker of the states house of assembly, Mudasiru Obasa.

Speaking on behalf of the group, its chairman, Mojeed Alabi, said EWAN is worried by the large-scale rot in the nations education sector.

He said both the government and the striking universities workers have contributed significantly to the rot.

Demands

Members of the association in their tens carried placards with inscriptions that included No to incessant strikes; Save education from total collapse; No to corruption on campuses, Fund education adequately, No to sexual harassment, among others.

Mr Alabi said universities in Nigeria, like other academic institutions, have been abandoned to suffer infrastructural decay, dearth of facilities, poor teacher-student ratios, poor funding, and moral and academic corruption.

The chairman, who is also the head of development desk at PREMIUM TIMES, said the crisis in the countrys education sector has been linked largely to the politicisation of the sector.

In the associations letter to Mr Buhari, EWAN wrote: More worrisome is the almost the ree-month prolonged strike by both Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) over unresolved disagreement, and the dangerous silence of the government under your watch.

After 11-month prolonged industrial action by the universities workers unions of 2020, and the coronavirus-induced shutdown of 2021, no nation an desirous of a brighter future should allow her ivory towers to be thrown into another round of avoidable crisis as we currently have.

EWAN said Nigeria does not need a soothsayer to know that the consequences of the governments deliberate neglect of education over the years are already here.

With the cacophony of bomb blasts far and near, abductions of innocent people, brigandage and armed robberies, ritual killings and indecent conducts among adults and children, it will not be out of place to conclude that this beloved country is fast degenerating to the Hobbesian state of nature, the letter added.

Ogunye, Ogunde speak

Mr Ogunye said Nigeria has reached conduct where things have gone very bad, and that Nigerians lost hope and are behaving like a conquered people.

But we cannot be silenced by the enormity of our problems. And that is why we must commend EWAN for this bold step. Others must emulate this by making use of the civic space to demand good governance at all levels of education, Mr Ogunye said.

He added that the problem in public universities took a dangerous dimension when the political class started to share university licences among themselves and their cronies.

He said, in the past, Nigerian graduates were accepted abroad just by presenting their certificates, but today they are made to take examinations when they travel abroad because the certificates can no longer guarantee productivity.

He said: This is because our graduates are half-baked today. We must continue to fight. It can be a generational battle. So you are not going to be dismayed if you dont achieve the objective or achieve it in trinkles. We know that things are getting worse but we must keep pushing.

What you are doing is very important, efforts like yours should be appreciated and saluted and supported because of the crisis in our educational system.

On her part, Mrs Ogunde said CPE is disturbed by the turn of events in Nigerias education sector. She said from basic to tertiary level the system has been bastardised and pledged the commitment of her group to building networks of stakeholders to ensure that the desired reform is achieved.

I represent a network of parents with more than 241,000 members nationwide who are passionate about reforming the education sector as the basic step towards addressing the multifaceted challenges facing the country, Mrs Ogunde said.

Governors aide receives letter

Speaking on behalf of Governor Sanwo-Olu, Mr Wahab, said the strike by the workers unions is not the way out of the crisis in the sector.

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He said the tertiary institutions owned by the Lagos State Government have not shut down in the last five years or more, and commended the successive administrations in the state for prioritising education.

The governor of Lagos state doesnt believe in strike actions, and that is why our old and new universities have continued to function even as universities in other states are on strike. We will pass your message to the governor and ensure that the letter gets to President Muhammadu Buhari, he said.

He commended the journalists for their peaceful conduct and the civility of the approach. He said whatever good efforts that would make the schools to be reopened, the Lagos State government would be a proud contributor.
The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, on Monday, reiterated the agencys commitment towards combating money laundering and terrorism financing in the real estate sector of the economy.

Mr Bawa said this in Abuja at a workshop organised by the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), the commissions spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said.

According to him, a Nigeria Evaluation Report reveals that Nigerias real estate sector is the second most vulnerable to money laundering.

The report, Mr Bawa said, placed Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Lagos, among the major cities where property is regularly purchased, mostly in cash and often in foreign currencies.

He said no one has been questioning the legality of such transactions.

The EFCC chairman, in June last year, said the commission would be going all out to investigate money laundering in the real estate sector.

He said billions of naira were being laundered in the sector.

A 2020 report by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), a Transparency International (TI) affiliate, cities such as Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt are Nigerias major black spots for high-level capital flights, with media and court reports pointing to the involvement of criminals running fraud syndicates, drug trafficking, and property buying and development.

The report explained that money launderers and criminals used third parties, professionals, family members, and close acquaintances to obtain high-value real estate.

It added that the buyers commonly opened accounts using pseudonyms to transfer illegal monies into high-value real estate purchases.

No stone would be left unturned

At Mondays event, Mr Bawa, who spoke through his Chief of Staff, Hadiza Zubairu, said EFCC would leave no stone unturned in combating money laundering practices in the real estate sector.

Just last year in July, the EFCC launched an App called The Eagle Eye which has eased the processes of reporting economic and financial crimes and also exposed the flow of illicit funds in the real estate sector. This indeed has provided useful intelligence and goes to show the level of commitment that EFCC has in the real estate sector, she said.

She restated the readiness of the EFCC to collaborate with relevant stakeholders in its efforts toward combating the menace, while also strengthening the capacity of the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML) to effectively discharge its responsibilities in enforcing compliance in the real estate sector.

The EFCC boss added that loopholes being exploited to launder funds in the real sector are weak regulations, lack of strict parameters for business practices by the regulatory bodies, and poor compliance with laws, among others.

Also, the Director of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Modibbo Tukur, called for collaboration and coordination among agencies, locally and regionally, in combating money laundering and illicit financial flows.

He proposed stronger legislative regulations, including the need for every citizen in GIABA member states to be linked to a unified identification number, in order to make it easier to track culprits.

In his own submissions, the secretary, Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Yunusa Shuaibu, called for stricter regulation and coordination in the real sector, stressing that the sector is currently free for all.

We are ready to cooperate at all times to an of achieving this feat and this is why we decided to sponsor a bill at the National Assembly, he said.

Director of Evaluation and Compliance, GIABA, Bruno Nduka, thanked Mr Bawa for taking interest in the activities of GIABA and supporting the body.

He said the real estate sector is one of the main drivers of economic growth and the engine of social development across GIABA- member states.
Anything short of a Goodluck Jonathan ticket will cause the All Progressives Congress (APC) to lose the 2023 presidential election, a political group, Citizens Network for Peace and Development in Nigeria (CNPD) Citizens Network for Peace and Development in Nigeria (CNPD), has said.

The group advised the APC leadership to use the former president  whom it described as the best man  for the job of retaining power in 2023.

The CNPD made the call at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday.

The call comes barely three days after Mr Jonathan told some youth that he is yet to make a decision regarding the presidential poll.

The group had visited the former president to persuade him to run.

Mr Jonathan was president on the ticket of the PDP between 2010 and 2025 when he was defeated by the incumbent, President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC.

The message of the CNPD is no different. While the group stressed the need for Mr Jonathan to be persuaded to run, it said such decision takes a lot of consultation and commitment.

Addressing journalists, the groups National Cordinator, Raphael Okorie, expressed worry at Mr Jonathans delay in joining the presidential race and vowed that the CNPD will not sit down without taking some strategic steps to ensure this vision is achieved.

Allowing candidates without clear cut vision especially those who have indicated interest so far to get into the Villa in 2023, will not only be suicidal but we would be as guilty as those that aid and support incompetence over competence, he said.

He also assured that Mr Jonathan, if elected, would not only enhance the economic, foreign policy and security situation but will also provide a favourable environment for national engagement and dialogue.

Going critically through the list of presidential aspirants from the two major political parties, we are convinced that all other candidates are regional champions.

therefore, it is imperative that Dr Adamu will use the best man for the job to win this election bearing in mind that anything short of a GEJ ticket will cost APC the presidency in 2023.

He, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to endorse the Jonathan project because of his experience and the need for continuity.

When asked if the former president has informed the group of his decision to join the APC, Mr Okorie said he could not confirm the situation because he has yet to see Mr Jonathans APC membership form.

He, however, assured that consultations are ongoing to make sure he (Jonathan) joins the APC and gets the ticket.
Nigerian stocks were up two per cent last week, reaching a height last seen some fourteen years ago as a great deal of investors cash poured into equities.

A couple of first quarter financial reports were issued during the week and some came with strong earnings performance, raising hopes that the development could help sustain the positive momentum in the market a little while.

PREMIUM TIMES has assembled a number of stocks with fundamentals and other potential, adopting key analytical approaches to save you the hassle of randomly picking equities for investment.

The selection, a product of analytical market watch, offers a guide to entering the market and taking strategic positions in hopes that equities will gain value with the passage of time, particularly in the short term.

This is not a buy, sell or hold recommendation but a stock investment guide. You may have to involve your financial advisor before taking investment decisions.

LAFARGE AFRICA

Lafarge Africa topped this weeks selection on the basis of recording a 92.2 per cent jump in after-tax profit in the three months to March, lifting bottom line to N17.6 billion.

The cement manufacturers earnings per share (EPS) at the end of the last trading session was N3.17, with a price-to-earnings (PE) ratio of 7.34x.

INDUSTRIAL & MEDICAL GASES NIGERIA

Industrial & Medical Gases appears on the pick for recording a 116.8 per cent surge in post-tax profit to N130.6 million for first quarter 2022

Its EPS at the close of the last trading session was 9.65x, while its EPS is N0.90.

STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS

Stanbic IBTC makes this weeks selection for recording an after-tax profit of N15.1 billion for the first quarter, more than a third higher that its figure for the same period of 2021.

The lenders PE ratio as of the last trading session was 7.33 with an EPS of N4.54.

AFRICA PRUDENTIAL

Africa Prudential made the pick for posting a net profit of N403.1 million for the first quarter of this year, translating to a 5.7 per cent improvement over what was recorded a year earlier.

The firms EPS at the end of the last trading session was N0.71 with a PE ratio of 8.62x.

NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS

Neimeth features on the pick for trading at its lowest price level in 52 weeks, brightening its chances of seeing a good price appreciation in future.

The drug-makers PE ratio was 18.42x as of the end of the last trading session, while its EPS is N0.07.

CONOIL

Conoil features in the pack for currently trading significantly below its intrinsic value. The companys EPS as of Friday was N4.45 with a PE ratio of 5.89x.
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed Nigerias security agencies to intensify the clampdown on illegal refineries in the country.

The directive follows the explosion that rocked an illegal refinery, Friday night, at Abaezi forest in Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that scores of people were killed and several other persons injured in the incident.

In a statement by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, on Sunday, Mr Buhari described the incident as a catastrophe and a national disaster.

The president emphasised that security agencies have been directed to intensify clampdown on illegal refineries.

He said the responsibility for the loss of lives and property must squarely lie with the sponsors of the illegal refinery, assuring that they must all be caught and made to face justice.

The president conveyed the condolences and the full depth and range of the nations shock and trauma to families of the victims, the community and the people of the state.

Mr Buhari urged community leaders and the personnel of the Nigerian Police Force to take steps to ensure that such heartbreaking incident is not allowed to occur again in any part of the country.

Illegal crude oil refining has become a lucrative business, mainly among residents of oil producing states, despite its dangerous consequences.

Over 100 persons were burnt beyond recognition during the Friday explosion.

The incident came months after scores were reportedly killed in an oil explosion at another illegal refinery in Rivers State in October.

Oil theft, known as bunkering in local parlance, has been a source of concern to many stakeholders across the country.

The Nigerian government is reported to be losing an estimated $4 billion yearly due to oil theft activities.

In Rivers State, air pollution, especially the soot in Port Harcourt, the state capital, and its environs, has been attributed to the operation of illegal oil refineries.
The Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Felix Ajakaye, has appealed to the striking workers of Nigerias universities and the government to resolve the lingering crisis that has led to the closure of all public universities.

For more than 60 days, the striking lecturers and their non-academic counterparts have grounded learning activities at the nations public universities due to disagreement over welfare issues, among others.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is requesting the immediate deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solutions (UTAS) to replace the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) as its payment platform.

Mr Ajakaye appealed to both parties to resolve the crisis as soon as possible, saying it will be in the interest of the students, parents and the country.

He made the call on Friday at the funeral mass held in honour of the immediate past vice-chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Adebiyi Daramola, a professor, at St Peters Peters Catholic Church, Okemesi, Ekiti State.

The clergyman said the crisis is causing serious discomfort, suffering and uncertainty among students and parents.

He, therefore, appealed to both sides to resolve the crisis in the interest of the students and future of the country.

He said: Students, parents and the country are being adversely affected because of the fight between ASUU and FG. Both sides should devise a new way to resolve the crisis and save the countrys university system.

He added that the time has come for the managers of the country and Nigerians in general to have the right attitude and get our priorities right.

Meanwhile, Mr Ajakaye described the former vice-chancellor as a God-fearing person who he said made his mark in the world of academics and contributed immensely to the development of his country.

Mr Daramola, who served as the vice-chancellor of FUTA between May 2012 and May 2017, died on Friday, March 25, at the age of 64.

He left worthy legacies of excellent services in all his stations in life and particularly at FUTA where his legacies live on, Mr Ajakaye said.

Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.
The Traditional Worshippers Association of Nigeria, Oyo State branch, have expressed displeasure over the open display of the remains of the late Alaafin of Oyo, Lamidi Adeyemi III.

The group in a statement on Sunday said it was disappointing to see Alaafin Adeyemis corpse all over the internet.

It is saddening and we want this to be on record that we as a body are protesting this act, we do not want our children and grandchildren to question us in the future that we did not act or talk, read the statement.

Afedabi Dasola and Fakayode Fatunde, the groups chairman and secretary, respectively, signed the statement.

Death

Alaafin Adeyemi joined his ancestors on April 22.

He was 83.

During his funeral rites, videos shared on social media showed his remains were wrapped in white cloth. After the Muslim prayers, Sango devotees took custody of the body.

The same disparaging act was witnessed during the burial of the late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji, and we made our minds known as well, the traditionalists said.

This is a trend that must stop or we will all be contributing towards the total annihilation of our tradition and culture, our Yoruba monarchs and kingmakers should please make efforts at remedying this malady.

While alive, Alaafin Adeyemi had frowned at the display of dead bodies of monarchs on social media, according to a piece by columnist Festus Adedayo, a former editorial board Chairman of the defunct National life newspaper.

The traditionalists hailed the Sango devotees tolerance, by allowing the Muslims and Christians to do the initial prayers before the final rites commenced.

It is a good sign of religious tolerance that we have been advocating, they said.

We also use the opportunity to enjoin all the Obas in Yorubaland to emulate Oba Lamidi Adeyemi in the promotion of Yoruba Traditional Religion which is the basis of the crowns on their heads.
At least one person was killed and seven others injured in an explosion in Gashua, Bade Local Government of Yobe State.

Gashua is the hometown of the Senate President of Nigeria, Ahmed Lawan.

Sources said the explosion occurred at a bar in the Abacha area of the town at about 8.00 p.m.

The explosion came on the heels of a bomb attack by Islamist group, Boko Haram, on Wednesday at another bar in the Geidam areas of the state. At least 12 people were killed in that attack.

A resident of Gashua, Mohammed Adamu, had told PREMIUM TIMES that the sound of the explosion was heard across the town.

The sound was so loud that almost everyone that was awake at that time could hear it, Mr Mohammed said.

He suggested that the explosion was carried out by Boko Haram.

The police confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES.

Army speaks

The spokesman of Sector 2 Operation Hadin Kai of the Nigerian Army, Kennedy Anyanwu, who confirmed the incident, said contrary to what some residents think, the explosion was caused by a cooking gas cylinder.

Our men on the ground have told us that the preliminary investigation shows its a cooking gas that caused the explosion.

Due to the current heat being experienced in the state, the possibility of a gas explosion is high especially if its not well attended to. Its not a Boko Haram attack, Mr Anyanwu said.

He also said that Gashua is calm and people are going about their normal business.
An affiliate of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), has refused to restore the employment of 17 workers it sacked in March 2019, despite presidential and parliamentary directives.

Similarly, the National Industrial Court in Abuja, in 2018, ordered DBI to pay all financial entitlements to the affected workers. But the institute has not complied with the court decision, the workers say.

NCC established DBI in May 2004 to train personnel in the wake of the phenomenal worldwide growth of telecommunications and Information Communications Technology (ICT).

The staff of the new organisation enjoyed the same conditions of service with the NCC from the outset.

But trouble started in 2006 when an upward review of the conditions of service was done to the exclusion of DBI staff members.

Ahamefuna Agbo and 16 of his colleagues protested the exclusion and demanded equal conditions of service with their counterparts at the NCC.

But both NCC and DBI were unable to resolve the crisis. This led Mr Agbo and his colleagues to file a suit at the National Industrial Court in 2014.

After hearing all parties in the suit, the judge, Z.M. Bashir, held that the 17 claimants were entitled to all rights, privileges, emoluments, salaries and perquisites of office pertaining to the conditions of service of the DBI.

Delivering judgement on July 11, 2018, the judge ordered the institute to compute and pay to the claimants all outstanding entitlements including salaries, allowances and all other employment benefits accruing to the claimants.

Aggrieved employees petition presidency, SGF

In response to the judgement, however, the board of DBI dismissed the 17 workers on March 6, 2019.

The workers protested the decision. They petitioned the residency through the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), calling for their intervention.

They quoted the DBI board as justifying sacking them for their failure to accept the 50% increase in salaries and allowances offered to them in order to placate them, and their failure to withdraw their suit from the court.

But after considering the issues, the SGF in two separate letters to the executive vice-chairman of the NCC, Umaru Danbatta, and the acting administrator of the DBI, directed them to immediately reverse the termination of the employment of the affected staff.

According to the letters dated September 13, 2019, Emmanuel Akissa, the legal adviser to the SGF, said, no staff should lose his job or be victimised as a result of this case.

The Nigerian Communications Commission and the Digital Bridge Institute should immediately reverse the termination of the employment of the affected staff.

Copies of the letters obtained by PREMIUM TIMES showed the DBI was directed to report compliance with the above directives to the SGF.

Nearly three years after the directives, the DBI has yet to comply with the affected workers decrying the socioeconomic hardships occasioned by their dismissal.

Senates intervention ignored

Determined to have their plight addressed, Olaniyan Muhib, on behalf of his colleagues, wrote the Senate, drawing its attention to the refusal of the NCC and DBI to implement the SGFs directives.

The Senate read Mr Muhibs petition on the floor of the parliament, and they referred the matter to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.

During the committees investigation of the petition, Ayo Akinyelure, who chaired the Senate committee on petitions, invited all the parties.

In his testimony before the committee, Mr Muhib, urged the Senate to direct the NCC and the DBI to regularise issues pertaining to proper placement, upgrading and promotion of the affected staff of DBI in according with the terms of engagement with the NCC.

He recalled that NCC established the DBI in 2004 and recruited the affected workers whose employment ranged from 15 to 10 years.

The staff of the institute and those of the commission used to have the same salary structure, but later, the commission (NCC) increased the salary of its staff, but the same increment was not extended to DBI staff, Mr Muhibs petition disclosed.

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Recommendations

In its recommendations, the Senate urged the Digital Bridge Institute to reinstate Mr Olaniyan Muhib and the other affected staff (members) of Digital Bridge Institute and pay all their outstanding salaries and allowances up to 2019 in according with the NCC staff conditions of service 2003.

The parliament also advised the protesting workers to accept and sign the staff conditions of service of the DBI if they desire to continue their service with the institute.

In the Senates February 2021 report, the parliament directed the DBI to revert to its conditions of service, after it must have cleared all the arrears of salaries and allowances of the affected workers.

A year after the parliaments directives, the institute has yet to comply.

Workers write Malami

The sacked workers also detailed their plight in another letter of appeal to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

We have been badly oppressed and cheated by the management of the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Digital Bridge Institute, the disengaged staff lamented.

For the reason that we dared asked (sic) for our rights, the workers said they had suffered extreme hardships.

In their petition dated June 29, 2021, the dismissed staff members, appealed to the AGF to direct the two organisations to enforce the SGF and Senates directives reinstating them.

They attached copies of the judgement of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria and the directives from the SGF and the Senate, urging the NCC and the DBI to re-absorb them.

Institute reacts

The DBI says it is considering the Senates recommendation, urging it to re-absorb the sacked workers.

In a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES, DBIs head of legal services, Tonia Ansa-Otudor, said the institutes board was working on reinstating the workers.

Mrs Ansa-Otudor, however, denied any knowledge of a presidential directive for the dismissed workers to be reinstated.

Well, I dont know of any (presidential) directive in respect of that issue. What I know is that there was an urging by the Senate to reinstate the people, and the board is still working on it, she said.

Speaking on Mr Malamis directive to reabsorb the staffers, the head of legal services said, We are law-abiding here and if there was any express directive from the (Justice) Minister, Im sure we would have implemented it.

The court judgement has been implemented; the workers were not owed salaries, Mrs Ansa-Otudor explained.

On the SGF offices directive for the reinstatement of the workers, the official said, The board of the DBI is looking at the directives to reinstate workers.

We are not in breach of any directives; there is a process for everything.

Confronted with Mrs Ansa-Otudors claim that the court judgement had been implemented, Fyin Afolayan, one of the dismissed staff members, said it was false.

Its a lie, sir. Let her (Mrs Ansa-Otudor) provide the computation as ordered and the date the payments were made. They have not complied (with the court judgement), Mr Afolayan said.

Our reporter called Mrs Ansa-Otudor on the phone, again, on Monday, to seek further clarification, but she declined to comment.

The spokesperson for the NCC, Ikechukwu Adinde, was contacted on the phone by our reporter, but he declined to comment on the matter.
In what has been criticised as deepening systemic corruption, Nigerias ruling party APC last Wednesday fixed the cost of its presidential expression of interest and nomination forms at an exorbitant N100 million, nearly two times higher than the cumulative legitimate salaries of a president for four years.

The cost of the forms is higher than the sum of seven years salaries of a Nigerian president, checks by PREMIUM TIMES have shown. A president can serve a maximum of two terms of four years each.

Many Nigerians have queried APC: how do you ask people to apply for a job with a fee higher than the salary? Are you inviting them to steal or make illegitimate incomes to cover the gap?

The Nigerian president receives a total salary package of N1.17 million monthly. This sum is inclusive of a basic monthly salary of N292,892, a hardship allowance of N146,446 monthly, and a consistency allowance of N732,230 per month, according to the public officials salaries regulator, RMAFC.

From basic arithmetic, the annual salary of a Nigerian president stands at N14.05 million. In seven years, the figure would jump to N98.5 million. In four years, the maximum a president can serve except if re-elected, the cumulative salaries amount to N56.2 million, nearly half of what APC is asking presidential aspirants to pay to get the countrys top job.

Many Nigerians believe the imposition of such exorbitant costs will embolden corruption and become a vehicle to completely marginalise and exclude some people from the presidential race.

The cost of the forms is different from the several billions of naira aspirants will incur to campaign around the country. They fly chartered aircraft and pay high accommodation costs to lodge their guests and mobilisers.

Typically, they also pay delegates to the primaries.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who rode into office in 2015 on the promise to fight corruption, has kept mum about the outrageous cost of forms. He was in attendance when the APC NEC decided on the fees on Wednesday at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja.

In 2014, Mr Buhari described the N27.5 million levy for the forms as exorbitant, saying he had to take out a bank loan to purchase his partys intent form for the presidential race.

The N100 million pegged for the 2023 presidential intent form is 300 per cent higher than what the party collected for the 2015 election.

So far, none of the 10 aspirants who have declared interest to join the 2023 presidential race under the APC has expressed disquiet about the cost.

Those who have declared interest include a former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige.

Others are Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, his counterpart in Ebonyi, Dave Umahi, former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, and others.

Nigerians including civil groups have condemned the APC for the outrageous prices.

The main opposition party, the PDP, said the prices are insensitive and mind-boggling.

The party added that anybody buying the N100m and N50m nomination forms should be investigated for fraud.

The APC has defended its decision and said Nigerians make enough money to afford it. A former chairman of the party, John Oyegun, once explained that the prices are set so high to separate the men from the boys.

Other positions

On the other hand, the cost of governorship forms in the ruling party exceeds the six years salary of a Nigerian governor.

The APC NEC approved N50 million for the nomination and expression of interest forms.

Based on RMAFC data, a Nigerian governor takes home N7.8 million annually, consisting of a modest base salary plus several large allowances and gratuities.

At N50 million, the cost of APC governorship intent form is higher than six years of annual earnings of a governor which is N46.8 million.

Similarly, the ruling party is asking for N20 million from its members who had expressed interest in senatorial positions.

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The cost of the forms is four times the pay package of a Nigerian senator.

Campaign spendings

Aside from the cost of nomination and expression of interest forms, aspirants have already begun consultation across the country wooing traditional rulers and party stakeholders.

The aspirants and their entourage usually travel with a private chauffeur. A single trip on the private jet costs between $10,000 and $17,000, according to Avante fly, a private company that rents out private jets.

The new campaign spending ceilings have been jacked up from between 150 per cent to 400 per cent.

The spending limit signed into law by President Buhari, will now allow presidential candidates to increase their cash haul from the current N1 billion to N5 billion (4per content increase), while governorship candidates will be able to rake in N1 billion from the current N200 million.

For senatorial candidates, they are poised to be able to legally raise N100 million from the previous N40 million (15per cent increase), while candidates for the House of Representatives are set to accept N70 million from the current N30 million (1per content increase). And for the State Assembly, candidates would be free to fork out N30 million from the previous N10 million (200 per cent increase).

One of Africas largest think-tanks, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD West Africa) said increments like this may congeal the problem of moneybag politics and the highest bidder.

The group also noted that it may relegate citizenry with little means and dwarf inclusiveness in the political process.

Marginalised groups like women, youths, and persons with disabilities would potentially find it more difficult to run for office.

It said that its experience has shown that the expensive nature of politics in Nigeria is a major hurdle to the political advancement of women and young candidates.

Where such high limits on campaign financing are maintained, the group said, major political parties are highly likely to be disinclined toward nominating individuals deemed incapable of making significant contributions to their campaign or attracting heavy donations to fund the campaign.
Nigeria recorded more than 100,000 suspected cases of cholera in 2021, its highest in recent times, the WHO declared in Abuja on Monday.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control had said earlier in the year that Nigeria recorded 111,062 cases of cholera in 2021 with 3,604 deaths, figures exceeding the number of cases and deaths recorded in 2020.

WHO Country Representative in Nigeria, Walter Mulombo, corroborated the figure at a training session on oral cholera vaccine request and campaign planning organised by the Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC).

The GTFCC is an agency of the WHO.

Mr Mulombo acknowledged the role of the GTFCC and its Country Support Platform (CSP) in the global roadmap for cholera control, especially in endemic countries.

He said the agency had proved to be effective in the development of National Control Plans, which included vaccination and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) activities.

We are mindful of the support by different partners and donors through the WHO, for the response.

These include reactive vaccination with more than 1.7 million persons vaccinated with two doses each of Oral Cholera Vaccination (OCV) in Bauchi, Jigawa, Yobe, and Zamfara states.

We believe that the recently approved GTFCC application for Nigeria will significantly mitigate the risk of and upsurge of cholera cases during this rainy season.

The application covers approximately nine million doses of OCV to implement two campaigns in 14 local government areas in nine states and the FCT, Mr Mulombo said.

He stressed the need for speedy shipment and allocation of the vaccines to ensure early vaccination.

The WHO representative said Nigeria had demonstrated the capacity to implement vaccinations in difficult settings like insecurity, as experienced in two local government areas in Zamfara.

He noted that the country had also addressed and improved vaccination data quality through the use of real-time reporting by campaign teams using handheld mobile phones.

We believe that the vast experience built in Nigeria over the years in implementing mass vaccination campaigns will come to bear as we prepare for the next preventive campaigns.

Mr Mulombo challenged Nigeria to seize all opportunities for vaccination in specific target areas with zero doses and ensure that often-missed children were offered OCV and all routine vaccinations.

This, he said, was necessary so that the country would meet the global target of ending cholera by 2030

There is the need to improve coordination of cholera control efforts and ensure that clean and safe water as well as improved hygienic practices are implemented sustainably to achieve the desired goal, he said.

(NAN)
A former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has described himself as a man with the intellectual capacity and boldness to rescue Nigeria from its current challenges if voted into power.

Mr Saraki, a presidential aspirant in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stated this during his visit to Akure to canvass support from the delegates of the party in the state.

He said the 2023 elections would be a turning point for the country, saying that Nigeria needed a president with understanding of the economy and that could sacrifice in rescuing Nigeria from its current challenges.

Mr Saraki said Nigeria needed a president with energy that could administer the country for 24-hours or more if the situation n necessitated it.

According to him, his political career and antecedents have shown that he has capacity to be president of the country.

He recalled that he was able to transform Kwara positively when he was the governor of the state.

Mr Saraki promised that he would replicate his achievements when he was a Senate President if voted as a president of the country.

Speaking at the event, Fatai Adams, the state chairman of PDP, said the former Senate President during his tenure turned around the National Assembly.

Mr Adams added that during Mr Sarakis term, he made the country proud and did not make legislature an appendage of the executive arm of government.

He described Mr Saraki as a son of the state because his wife and mother are from the state.

According to him, Mr Sarakis antecedents speak volume, saying he is one of the best and a true and worthy ambassador of the country.

The PDP chairman said though he should not give the presidential aspirant a scorecard, the state would not let him down.

Also, Earl Osaro, Director-General of the Saraki Campaign Organisation, asked delegates of the party and the people of the state to give Mr Saraki good support.

Mr Osaro said the aspirant was a good product to sell, considering his capacity.

The Director-General said Mr Saraki was a bridge between the North and the South, Muslims and Christians that could rescue Nigeria from its current challenges.

( NAN)
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday, said it would be an injustice if he did not contest the 2023 election with his vast experience in the last seven years in office.

Mr Osinbajo said this when he visited Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State in his office in Akure.

The vice president hailed President Muhammadu Buharis open-mindedness in delegating to him serious tasks that had aided his experience.

He said that it was God that put people in power, but noted that it would be a betrayal of his country for him to retire with all his exposure in government.

He commended Mr Akeredolu for the giant strides of achievements in the state.

It is such a special privilege to be called to serve, it is a very special privilege to serve either as ecxo, house of assembly, even as NWC member.

I am sure that everybody knows that I have formally declared my intention to run as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

I did so on Monday, April 11th, 2022 and I did so because, first of all there is nobody that can be anything God does not decide that he would be, only God can make a person president, vice president, governor, anything whatsoever.

So, I believe the hand of God must be on anything we are doing, but I declared my intention based on first, the fact that I have served, again by the sheer grace of God, I have served for seven years and some months.

President Muhammadu Buhari, just out of his open-mindedness and his own generosity ensured that I was given very serious responsibilities as vice president and I also acted as president.

 In those capacities, I got to know so many things that most people will never come across, even people in government will never come across and I gained a lot of experience on that account.

Many times the President, when he was away, said pointedly to me that look, I dont want to feter your discretion in any way, as acting president, you are president, just make sure you are fair and just, dont refer anything to me, dont ask me any questions, just do whatever you need to do.

I think It will be a betrayal to our country, to our nation, this is a nation that many people died for, people died for this country, if I, with all that has been given to me by the grace of God, retire quietly either to Lagos or Ikenne and go and be writing my memoirs.

It will be a great injustice to our country, that is why I throw my hat in the ring and ensure I make the best case for the position of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he said.

Earlier, Mr Akeredolu appreciated the vice president for the visit.

(NAN)
There are over 250 female aspirants in the the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vying for different elective positions in the 2023 general elections.

They are aspirants for presidency, governorship, senate, House of Representatives and state houses of assembly and are drawn from different states across the country.

The National Women Leader of the party, Stella Effah-Attoe, disclosed this when she met with the aspirants in Abuja on Monday.

The figure, she noted, was made of aspirants who have filled and submitted their nomination forms.

The interactive meeting, which held at the PDP National Secretarial, was aimed at enhancing womens participation in politics as well as creating avenues for female aspirants to win tickets and subsequently, elections at various levels.

In her welcome address, Ms Effah-Attoe said the meeting was necessitated by the desire to take the bull by the horns and ensure that the women do not only come out to participate in politics but participate meaningfully and win elections.

It also sought to allow aspirants and women leaders of the party to share ideas with veterans and tap from their wealth of experience and understand the pros and cons of women participation in politics with a view to proffering solutions.

She also hoped that the meeting will help the party plan for the future and monitor performance of women.

While she urged women to take politics seriously like the men, the leader also stressed the need to identify ways to make more women emerge after the primaries.

A former PDP National Woman Leader, Josephine Anenih, urged the aspirants to do a soul-searching.

Some aspirants, she said, get the nomination form because it is free, settle with other aspirants for juicy appointments, some get it for the sake of the title aspirant, while other get the forms to actually run and win.

The first two categories give our struggle and party a bad name, she said.

The aspirants were also asked to learn public speaking, seek funds and respect the local zoning arrangement in their areas or risk wasting the ticket.

She also emphasised the importance of working with political gatekeepers like governors and state party chairmen and not just rely on the 35 per cent Affirmative Action to get more women into elective positions.

If you are not qualified and nobody knows you in your place, you wont get the seat you are looking for The 35 per cent affirmative action we are clamouring for is not magic. We must work hard for it. Dont give PDP a bad name by saying women are marginalised. If you are qualified you will be given a chance.

You must learn to involve your local leaders and recognise them. Even if the chairman does not like you, there are people you know who he respects. Use them to get to him, Mrs Anenih, a former Women Affairs Minister, said.

Speaking with journalists after the event, a female presidential aspirant, Teriela Diana, expressed confidence and determination to win the ticket and eventually, the main election in 2023.

She however, frowned at the idea of zoning  a tradition, she described as unfair.

We have over 200 ethnic groups in this country and we are talking about zoning. When are you going to zone to over 200 ethnic groups. What policies are we putting in place?

At the end, aspirants were assured of the support of the party even as they were urged to attend political meetings regularly as part of the decision-making process.
Polaris Bank Limited has reaffirmed its commitment towards improving the standard of education in Nigeria through its Corporate Social Responsibility interventions.

The Bank made the commitment in Eruwa, Oyo State on Thursday at the presentation of a cheque of N2million to the management of Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa.

Polaris Banks Group Head, Ibadan Business Area, Mrs. Adebukola Ogidan, stated that, Polaris Bank and Adeseun Ogundoyin, Polytechnic, (formerly Ibadan Polytechnic, Ogundoyin Campus, Eruwa) have come a long way spanning decades in business relationship.

Mrs. Ogidan explained that, Following the cordial and mutually-beneficial relationship that has existed between the two great institutions, management of Polaris Bank deemed it fit to contribute to strengthening the bursary and administrative operations of the school through provision of modern office equipment and tools.

We are considering this partnership for the long term benefit, and not just for the profits alone. We want to give back in our own little way, in line with the Banks CSR strategic pillar of Education to ensure the sustainability of both the school and Polaris Bank, she added.

The Regional Boss, who represented Polaris Banks Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Innocent C. Ike, said, Today, in furtherance to Sustainable Development Goal number 4, that focuses on quality education for all, we make this presentation to give back to the society, especially for institutions like Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic.

Mrs. Ogidan also used the opportunity to urge staff of the Polytechnic to take advantage of value-adding products and services the Bank offers like; Polaris Salary Advance that could enable them access up to 50% of their salary as quick cash to sort pressing issues before payday. Students, according to the Banker, could also open CampusPlus Account to access mouth-watering incentives, while business owners could secure funding to run their business or use to acquire assets through Polaris Business Loans.

Polaris Bank will continue to contribute to the growth of the Polytechnic and the local economy of Eruwa by providing efficient and adequate banking services to staff, students of the Polytechnic Community and residents of Eruwa town, Mrs Ogidan assured.

Continuing she disclosed that the Bank, has made similar donations and a lots more interventions across institutions of higher learning in Nigeria. We recently donated towards construction of distance learning center in Kwara State Polytechnic; we did for University of Maiduguri, University of Ibadan, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTEC) Ogbomoso, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) to mention a few.

In his response, the Acting Rector of the school, Dr. Gbade Akinteye, welcomed the Bank, saying that it was the first time such was happening in the school. After receiving the cheque, he thanked the management of the Bank for supporting the school, noting and further appreciating the long term relationship between the two institutions.

Dr. Akinteye noted that the school would always be open to receiving more from Polaris Bank to help it meet its numerous needs.
Police in Anambra State, on Monday, said they have rescued nine of the 10 abducted members of the Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN).

The South-east Chairman of MACBAN, Gidado Siddiki, had raised an alarm that 10 of their members were abducted by gunmen in Obene Community, Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state on Saturday.

The gunmen, who also stole over 300 cows, had demanded N4 million ransom and a gun from the families of the victims.

But, the police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, said nine of the abducted herders have been found.

Mr Ikenga disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

He said they were rescued in a joint operation with the military on Sunday.

The spokesperson said the herders were found in a bush unharmed and that some of the stolen cows were also discovered in the bush.

He did not, however, give the number of cows that have been discovered.

On April 24, 2022, some of the victims of the abduction were seen in the bush unharmed while one of the abductees is still missing, he said.

Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, said efforts were being intensified to locate the missing herder and some of the cows that are yet to be found.

Attacks by armed men have increased in the South-east in recent times. The attacks often target security agencies and government facilities. The attack on the cattle breeders appears to be a novelty.

The Nigerian government has accused the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the South-east. But the group has repeatedly denied their involvement in the attacks.

The separatist group is leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra to be carved out from the South-east and some parts of South-south Nigeria.

The leader of the group, Nnamdi Kanu, is currently being detained in Abuja where he is facing trial for alleged treason.
The development will deliver on the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals of its stakeholders, with the majority of the superstructure constructed by prefabricated modules, minimising environmental effects and disruption thanks to fewer site deliveries, reducing noise and pollution.

The scheme will be delivered with less embodied and operational carbon than a traditionally designed scheme, having reduced waste levels and increased levels of fabric first insulation performance when compared to traditional construction methods. The office space aims to achieve 'Excellent' BREEAM certification, underlining the project's sustainability credentials.

Elements Europe, which secured significant investment through majority acquisition by the giant South Korean Conglomerate GS E&C, is positioned with a strong balance sheet and backers to achieve its vision of becoming a world leader in the creation of future sustainable, technologically advanced manufactured construction solutions.

"We look forward to working with our partners in this prime, central London location, on this advanced scheme. Elements Europe has considerable experience as a leading large scale modular manufacturing and construction company, having been founded over 17 years ago. Now supported by one of the world's leading construction and engineering Group's - GS E&C - it enables us to provide certainty and security for our customers in today's difficult markets. The environmental aspects of this scheme are important to us as a business and are another example of how the industry can continue to modernise for our sustainable future" said Simon Underwood, CEO of Elements Europe.

For more information: info@elements-europe.com / www.elements-europe.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1802837/Motel_One_4_hotel.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1802836/Elements_Europe_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Elements Europe
STOCKHOLM, April 25, 2022 PRNewswire/ -- As part of the strategy to switch to large-scale renewable fuel production, Preem will sign a SEK 3 billion loan agreement with Swedish Export Credit Corporation (SEK). The loan is covered by the Swedish National Debt Office's program for green credit guarantees.

This is the first guarantee the Swedish National Debt Office issues within the framework of the central government's green guarantee program and intends to finance Preem's planned major investment at the Lysekil refinery for the production of biodiesel based on renewable raw materials. The biodiesel production will play a central role for the transport sector in the future and contribute to increased Swedish self-sufficiency in biofuels.

"Preem is making the biggest transition in the company's history, and right now a number of crucial projects are underway at our refineries that will transform us into a climate-neutral business. The loan will enable us to speed up our investments and secure an increased supply of sustainable biofuels for the Swedish transport sector," says Lina Stolpe, CFO at Preem.

The total cost of Preem's investment is SEK 3,525 million and the company will receive a green loan of SEK 3 billion. The loan tenor is 7 years and is guaranteed by the Swedish National Debt Office with a green credit guarantee that covers 80 percent of the loan amount.

"Reducing the impact of climate change is one of the most important challenges of our time. The financing of Preem is part of SEK's investment to support the export industry's transition and competitiveness, and achieve Sweden's high climate ambitions," says Magnus Montan, CEO of Swedish Export Credit Corporation (Svensk Exportkredit).

The loan is earmarked for investment at the Lysekil refinery regarding the reconstruction of the so-called Synsat plant, which today produces diesel. The purpose of the reconstruction is to increase Preem's production of biofuels by up to 950,000 m3 annually, which will reduce fossil carbon dioxide emissions at the user level by at least 1.7 million tonnes per year.

To be able to take advantage of the government's green credit guarantees, it is required that investments contribute to Sweden's environmental and climate goals.

The loan agreement with SEK is conditional on approval from the Preem Group's other external financiers and on Preem obtaining the necessary environmental permits. Decisions on environmental permits for the project are made by the Swedish Land and Environmental Court.

For more information, please contact:

Preem Press Office

press@preem.se

+46 (0)70-450 10 01

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/preem-ab/r/preem-signs-sek-3-billion-loan-agreement-with-swedish-export-credit-corporation,c3551380

The following files are available for download:

https://news.cision.com/preem-ab/i/lina-stolpe--cfo-preem,c3040761 Lina Stolpe, CFO Preem https://news.cision.com/preem-ab/i/lina-stolpe--cfo-preem,c3040762 Lina Stolpe, CFO Preem

SOURCE Preem AB
ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. today announced the acquisition of Greenwood Village, Colorado-based Ryan Insurance Strategy Consultants. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1990, Ryan Insurance Strategy Consultants assists financial advisors with insurance recommendations for their clients. With its research focused on life, disability and long-term care insurance planning, the Ryan team performs due diligence on new and existing insurance plans prior to recommending any insurance solution. Ryan also helps administer association group insurance benefit programs that insure thousands of financial advisors for their own personal insurance needs. John Ryan and his associates will continue operating from their current location under the direction of Kevin Garvin, head of Affinity North America for Gallagher's retail property/casualty brokerage operations.

"Ryan's strong relationships with leading financial planning associations will help us deepen and expand our existing footprint in professional lines programs into new and growing segments," said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO. "I am excited to welcome John and his colleagues to Gallagher."

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE: AJG), a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. The company has operations in 68 countries and offers client service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.

Investors: Ray Iardella VP - Investor Relations 630-285-3661/ [email protected] Media: Linda J. Collins VP - Corporate Communications 630-285-4009/ [email protected]

SOURCE Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
Blackstar Director of Operations, Jadi Mwendo, not only runs operations, but he's also a trusted mentor to at-risk New Orleans youth.

NEW ORLEANS, April 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackstar Diversified Enterprises , headquartered in New Orleans, has once again partnered with the Pathways Program of the Gracefully Mindful Wellness Institute to accept another group of young New Orleans interns. The Pathways Program teaches life skills and work readiness to system involved youth through mindful meditation, mentorship, creative arts, and applied internships. Blackstar values the future aspirations and ambitions of our New Orleans youth and are happy to contribute to a program in Pathways designed to help our young people maximize their potential.

Last year, our Director of Operations, Jadi Mwendo, worked directly with three system involved teenagers to teach them not only job skills related to electronics and manufacturing, but life skills, including punctuality and responsibility. Blackstar is thrilled to begin a new cycle with a new group of young people who are the future of this city.

@Jadi has been with Blackstar for 3 years, and has recently taken the helm of VP of Sales. He can be contacted via email or called @ 504-265-9919 for any traffic related questions.

About Blackstar

@Blackstar is a system integration and infrastructure lifecycle firm, founded by Howard University alum @Hugh , with a sales office in Baltimore and manufacturing operations in New Orleans. Specializing in UL508 and UL845 distribution equipment along with engineered customization of electrical and traffic control equipment, Blackstar is positioned perfectly for a surge in infrastructure spending. Blackstar's vision is Powering the Future of Construction with an intense focus on manufacturing hardware for renewable power distribution and process improvement software for small businesses in the public infrastructure sector.

Connect with Blackstar

Follow Blackstar on Twitter

Connect with Blackstar on LinkedIn

See Blackstar in work on YouTube

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Blackstar Diversified Enterprises, LLC
Press Conference: 2:00 pm ET, April 27 in Titusville

TITUSVILLE, Fla., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time, Crosley Green and his Crowell & Moring pro bono legal team will outline their plans to keep Green free as they ask the full 11-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a recent three-judge panel decision that holds Green's freedom in the balance. The impact of their decision could re-affirm that prosecutors should not hide evidence directly pointing to a defendant's innocence and therefore impact how prosecutors handle evidence of all crimes in the future. The court will decide whether to grant reconsideration in the coming weeks.

In March, a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Green, reversing a 2018 landmark habeas victory that overturned his conviction because prosecutors withheld exculpatory evidence that the first-responding officers concluded another individual was the murderer.

Green now faces the possibility of having his freedom snatched away and being thrown back in prison for a murder he did not commit. Green served nearly 32 years in prison, including 19 years on Florida's death row, while steadfastly maintaining his innocence. He was released in April 2021 on house arrest while his case is pending appeal. Lawyers for Green filed a petition to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals for a rehearing on April 21. Crowell & Moring has represented Green pro bono since 2008 on referral from the ABA Death Penalty Project.

Green's attorneys will address:

The significant implications of the panel's decision, which allows prosecutors to conceal critical evidence from defense counsel.

What's next in Green's long fight for justice as the 11 th Circuit Court of Appeals considers whether the full 11-judge court will rehear the case, and what happens if they do not.

Circuit Court of Appeals considers whether the full 11-judge court will rehear the case, and what happens if they do not. A look at the trail of exonerations and other Brevard County cases from the late 1980s and 1990s that demonstrate a pattern of prosecutorial misconduct.

"If prosecutors are allowed to conceal and hide evidence pointing to innocence from defense counsel, it could impact every criminal defendant going forward throughout the 11th CircuitFlorida, Georgia, and Alabama," said Crowell & Moring partner Keith J. Harrison, pro bono counsel to Green.

Green will be joined by members of his family. Green will address:

How he is handling the possibility of returning to prison.

What it has meant to live outside prison for the past year as he has reconciled with his family, kept a job, and met grandchildren for the first time.

Green and his family will answer questions.

"Prosecutors pushed me to plead guilty. But I refused because I was innocent, and I believed that the truth would come out in the justice system. Now, it is my faith in God and the love of my family that keeps me going. Everyone should be afraid of what happened to me because it could happen to anyone," said Green.

Members of the media, please RSVP via [email protected]. Exclusive interviews with Green and his lawyers will be provided before and after the press conference as requested prior to the conference. Please advise special requests in advance.

Press conference:

2:00 pm ET, April 27

Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church

801 Dummitt Ave., Titusville, FL 32780

*Built in 1889, Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church is the largest African-American church in Brevard County.

Speakers (Lawyers):

Speakers (Green Family):

Crosley Green

Shirley White (sister to Green)

(sister to Green) O'Connor Green (brother to Green)

Additional Speakers:

Kenneth B. Nunn , Professor of Law and Dr. Patricia Hilliard-Nunn Memorial Racial Justice Term Professor (2021-22), University of Florida , Levin College of Law

More details of the case can be found here.

About Crowell & Moring LLP

Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with offices in the United States, Europe, MENA, and Asia that represents clients in litigation and arbitration, regulatory and policy, and transactional and corporate matters. The firm is internationally recognized for its representation of Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes litigation and government-facing matters, as well as its ongoing commitment to pro bono service and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Media Contact:

Nicole Quigley

Senior Communications Advisor

+1 202.624.2489

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Crowell & Moring LLP
DUBLIN, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Laboratory Equipment Services Market (2021-2026) by Equipment Type, Type, Service Provider, Contract Type, End-User, Geography, Competitive Analysis and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Laboratory Equipment Services Market is estimated to be USD 13.8 Bn in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 26.8 Bn by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 14.2%.



Key factors such as improvement in healthcare infrastructure, rising number of chronic diseases, and an increasing number of asset management companies are boosting the market growth. Advancements in laboratory equipment and rising investments provide growth opportunities to the market.



However, factors such as the high cost of services and shift of focus towards home-based/POC testing from lab-based diagnosis are likely to restrain the market growth.

Company Profiles

Some of the companies covered in this report are Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waters Corporation, Danaher, PerkinElmer, Pace Analytical Services, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Siemens, etc.



Countries Studied

America ( Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Mexico , Peru , United States , Rest of Americas)

, , , , , , , , Rest of Americas) Europe ( Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Russia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , United Kingdom , Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Rest of ) Middle-East and Africa ( Egypt , Israel , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , United Arab Emirates , Rest of MEA)

and ( , , , , , , Rest of MEA) Asia-Pacific ( Australia , Bangladesh , China , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Taiwan , Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Competitive Quadrant

The report includes a Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.



Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Laboratory Equipment Services Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains the competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's competitive positioning tool.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Report Description



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Market Influencers

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Increase in Research and Development in Pharmaceutical Industry

4.1.2 Rising Number of Chronic Diseases and Need of Diagnosis

4.1.3 Increasing Number of Asset Management Companies

4.2 Restraint

4.2.1 High Cost of Service

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Advancement in the Laboratory Equipment

4.3.2 Rising Investments

4.4 Challenges

4.4.1 Increasing Shift Towards Home Based Testing



5 Market Analysis

5.1 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.2 Impact of COVID-19

5.3 Ansoff Matrix Analysis



6 Global Laboratory Equipment Services Market, By Equipment Type

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Analytical Equipment

6.3 General Equipment

6.4 Specialty Equipment

6.5 Support Equipment



7 Global Laboratory Equipment Services Market, By Type

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Repair and Maintenance Services

7.3 Calibration Services

7.4 Validation Services

7.5 Others



8 Global Laboratory Equipment Services Market, By Service Provider

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Original Equipment Manufacturers

8.3 Third-Party Service Providers



9 Global Laboratory Equipment Services Market, By Contract Type

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Standard Service Contracts

9.3 Customized Service Contracts



10 Global Laboratory Equipment Services Market, By End User

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies

10.3 Clinical & Diagnostic Laboratories

10.4 Academic & Research Institutions



11 Global Laboratory Equipment Services Market, By Geography

11.1 Introduction

11.2 America

11.2.1 Argentina

11.2.2 Brazil

11.2.3 Canada

11.2.4 Chile

11.2.5 Colombia

11.2.6 Mexico

11.2.7 Peru

11.2.8 United States

11.2.9 Rest of Americas

11.3 Europe

11.3.1 Austria

11.3.2 Belgium

11.3.3 Denmark

11.3.4 Finland

11.3.5 France

11.3.6 Germany

11.3.7 Italy

11.3.8 Netherlands

11.3.9 Norway

11.3.10 Poland

11.3.11 Russia

11.3.12 Spain

11.3.13 Sweden

11.3.14 Switzerland

11.3.15 United Kingdom

11.3.16 Rest of Europe

11.4 Middle East and Africa

11.4.1 Egypt

11.4.2 Israel

11.4.3 Qatar

11.4.4 Saudi Arabia

11.4.5 South Africa

11.4.6 United Arab Emirates

11.4.7 Rest of MEA

11.5 Asia-Pacific

11.5.1 Australia

11.5.2 Bangladesh

11.5.3 China

11.5.4 India

11.5.5 Indonesia

11.5.6 Japan

11.5.7 Malaysia

11.5.8 Philippines

11.5.9 Singapore

11.5.10 South Korea

11.5.11 Sri Lanka

11.5.12 Thailand

11.5.13 Taiwan

11.5.14 Rest of Asia-Pacific



12 Competitive Landscape

12.1 Competitive Quadrant

12.2 Market Share Analysis

12.3 Strategic Initiatives

12.3.1 M&A and Investments

12.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations

12.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements



13 Company Profiles

13.1 Abbott Laboratories

13.2 Avantor

13.3 Agilent Technologies

13.4 Becton, Dickinson Company

13.5 Bio-Rad Laboratories

13.6 C&M Scientific

13.7 Danaher

13.8 Eppendorf

13.9 Hettich Instruments

13.10 Hitachi High-Technologies

13.11 Labochema

13.12 Labx Media

13.13 Merck

13.14 Nordic Service

13.15 Pace Analytical Services

13.16 PerkinElmer

13.17 Shimadzu

13.18 Siemens

13.19 Thermo Fisher Scientific

13.20 Waters Corporation



14 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/w737uh

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Workers will flood the streets to call on the Board to #StaffUpContraCosta and invest in the vital services our County depends on

MARTINEZ, Calif., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- County workers are urging the Board of Supervisors to address Contra Costa's staffing crisis, as hundreds of workers plan to march to the Board of Supervisors on April 26, during the regularly scheduled Board meeting. The march will include workers who staff our public hospital, clinics, COVID test sites, as well as workers who maintain our streets, safeguard our environment, and keep our libraries and courts open. A rally outside of the County Administration Building will feature speeches from frontline and essential workers, as well as a speech by Lorena Gonzalez, former State Assemblywoman (San Diego) and the incoming Secretary-Treasurer of the California Labor Federation.

What: "Staff Up Contra Costa!" March & Rally

When: Tuesday, April 26, 2022



March begins at 11:30am

Rally begins at 12pm

Where: Departing from 1 Ferry St., Martinez and marching to 1024 Escobar St., Martinez.

Who: Lorena Gonzalez, Contra Costa County Employees, and community allies. Unions include: SEIU Local 1021, IFPTE Local 21, Deputy District Attorneys Association, Western Council of Engineers, AFSCME Local 1, AFSCME Local 512, AFSCME Local 2700, Contra Costa Defender Association, and Teamsters 856, Contra Costa County Labor Council. The nine unions rallying together represent 6,200 county employees, and more than 2/3 of the county's total workforce.

Visuals: Hundreds of union members in union t-shirts and apparel with banners and signs, people giving speeches, marching and chanting, and spokespeople available for interviews.

BACKGROUND

In Contra Costa County, there are nearly 2,000 county job positions unfilled. With 1116 unfilled positions, the majority of vacancies are in the Health Services department. One of the departments hardest hit by vacancies is also tasked with addressing some of our county's most pressing challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vacancies have an undeniable impact on the quality and speedy delivery of services from County departments. For further background, see StaffUpContraCosta.org

"We see in many cases, in the public sector in particular, individuals have one job but they're actually doing the job of two or multiple people," said Lorena Gonzalez, former CA Assemblywoman (San Diego) and incoming Secretary-Treasurer of the California Labor Federation. "One person's job should not be the job of two people and that's what we're seeing throughout Contra Costa County. Rather than being adequately staffed in public services in emergency situations, the government contracted work out that could've and should've been done by public sector workers had leaders built a workforce that could sustain tough times like a pandemic."

The Contra Costa Labor Council is the local body of the AFL-CIO. Over 85 unions are affiliated with the CCLC, representing more than 80,000 union members and their families. The mission of the Contra Costa Labor Council is to improve the lives of workers, their families, and our community  to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to the nation.

SOURCE IFPTE Local 21; SEIU 1021
Medicinal cannabis oil was developed by Vietnam Veteran Bob "Natural" Luciano to provide relief for people suffering from PTSD, chronic illness and pain.

LAS VEGAS, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Australis Capital Inc. (CSE: AUSA) (OTC: AUSAF) ("AUSA", "AUDACIOUS", or the "Company"), today announced that Mr. Natural , an AUDACIOUS brand, is pleased to launch its first product in Nevada: Full Spectrum Hash RSO. The powerful medicinal oil  rich in major and minor medicinal cannabinoids including THC, CBD, and CBN  is known for its therapeutic benefits and potential to provide relief for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic illness and pain.

Mr. Natural Full Spectrum Hash RSO Launches in Nevada (CNW Group/Australis Capital Inc.)

The Mr. Natural brand was developed by U.S. Vietnam Veteran Bob "Natural" Luciano beginning more than 50 years ago. Like many of his compatriots, Luciano discovered the therapeutic benefits of cannabis during his service. But when he returned home, he and his fellow veterans discovered that access to cannabis  the only viable treatment they had found for their ailments  was no longer available. Since its founding, Mr. Natural has gained a large following of veterans who rely on Mr. Natural products to help manage symptoms from PTSD and other ailments.

That experience inspired Luciano to pursue his lifelong mission to educate people on the benefits of medicinal cannabis. A strong advocate for the medical use of cannabis for veterans, Luciano cultivates strains specifically for treating PTSD, chronic illness and pain to enable other veterans to gain relief. He has actively worked with the U.S. Veterans Administration since 1972 to educate others on cannabis and its use for treating PTSD.

"Bob has dedicated his life to being an advocate for the medical use of cannabis for veterans, and we are honored to help further his efforts by bringing Mr. Natural Full Spectrum Hash RSO to patients in Nevada," said Terry Booth, CEO of AUDACIOUS.

Named after the Canadian cancer patient Rick Simpson who developed it, RSO or "Rick Simpson Oil," is a full extract, high-potency cannabis oil meant to be ingested orally or applied topically. Mr. Natural Full Spectrum Hash RSO is a mix of cannabinoid-rich cultivars and tests high for several major and minor cannabinoids, as well as numerous terpenes. The company uses a proprietary extraction method that provides a product that is closer to full spectrum, the way nature intended.

"Mr. Natural was founded on the universal principles of positivity and healing," said Mr. Natural. "Our Full Spectrum Hash RSO is made with cannabis that is grown in premium soil, rich in terpenes and cannabinoids, and cured to perfection. We have dedicated our lives to cultivation, which lets us offer a final product that is exceptional."

Mr. Natural Full Spectrum Hash RSO is available at Jardin, Vegas Tree House, and Exhale dispensaries in Las Vegas and in other dispensaries across Nevada. Small Batch Mr. Natural Craft Cannabis Flower is also available now at dispensaries in California.

About Mr. Natural

Founded by industry pioneer and military veteran Bob "Mr. Natural" Luciano, the Mr. Natural brand of cannabis products are handcrafted, the way nature intended. Informed by his experience as a veteran, he cultivates medical grade cannabis and advocates for the healing power of nature's medicine and affordable access to those who need it most. Learn more about Mr. Natural here .

Housekeeping

As part of its senior executive ongoing compensation plan, the Company issued 126,411 common shares.

About AUDACIOUS

AUDACIOUS is a next-generation MSO growing the cannabis industry of tomorrow from the ground up, led by industry pioneer Terry Booth and an accomplished management team with proven industry track records. With operations that range from providing industry-leading sustainable cultivation design and optimization to retail storefronts, growing flower in-house, and manufacturing award-winning brands, AUDACIOUS has products and solutions for everyone. Quickly expanding through innovative partnerships and collaborations, AUDACIOUS is forging the inclusive cannabis community of tomorrow, today. Learn more about AUDACIOUS here .

AUDACIOUS common shares trade on the CSE under the symbol "AUSA" and on the OTCQB under the symbol "AUSAF."

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, including statements regarding future estimates, plans, objectives, timing, assumptions or expectations of future performance, are forward-looking statements and contain forward-looking information. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or "occur". Forward-looking statements are based on certain material assumptions and analysis made by the Company and the opinions and estimates of management as of the date of this news release. These forward-looking statements are 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 statements or forward-looking information. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Australis Capital Inc.
Plans to Announce First Quarter 2022 Financial Results on Thursday May 19, 2022

Conference Call to be held on the same day at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time/ 3:30 p.m. Israel Time

HERZLIYA, Israel, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nayax Ltd. (TASE: NYAX), a global commerce enablement and payments platform designed to enable retailers to provide consumers with digital, cashless, connected commerce experiences, and enhance consumer loyalty and conversion, today announced that it will release its financial results for the first quarter 2022 on Thursday, May 19, 2022. Details of the call can be found below.

"In the first quarter of 2022, Nayax connected an additional 36,000 devices in accordance with our internal plan and reflecting the increased demand for the company's solution, despite the disruptive global component shortages. Also, in Q1, we continued our momentum of increasing both our diverse customer base and the number of transactions processed, resulting in record recurring revenue of over 22 million dollars. Based on our preliminary results and the high visibility we have from the growing backlog of orders for the rest of the year, we are confident in reaffirming our mid-term revenue growth target of 35%", said Yair Nechmad, Chief Executive and Chairman.

Revenue for Q1 2022 is expected to be between $33 .5 million and $34.5 million , an increase of ~50% over Q1 2021. For all related revenue calculations, the mid-point was taken, for Q1 revenue, at $34.0 million .





Q1 2022 Q1 2021 YoY/ %

Q1 2022 Q4 2021 QoQ/ % Recurring Revenue ($M) (*)

$22.4 $13.5 $8.9 / 66%

$22.4 $20.8 $1.6 / 8% POS Devices Revenue ($M)

$11.6 $9.3 $2.3 / 24%

$11.6 $13.6 -$2 / -15% Total Revenue ($M)

$34.0 (**) $22.8 $11.2 / 49%

$34.0 (**) $34.4 -$0.4 / -1%

(*) Recurring Revenue is comprised of SaaS revenue and payment processing fees.

(**) For all related revenue calculation, mid-point was taken for Q1 revenue, at $34.0M.

Number of Managed and Connected Devices was approximately 553,000, an increase of approximately 37% over Q1 2021.



As of Mar 31, 2022 As of Mar 31, 2021 YoY/ %

As of Mar 31, 2022 As of Dec 31, 2021 QoQ/ % # Of Managed and Connected Devices 553,000 403,000 150,000 / 37%

553,000 517,000 36,000 / 7%

Number of Customers grew to approximately 34,000, an increase of 62% over Q1 2021.



As of Mar 31, 2022 As of Mar 31, 2021 YoY/ %

As of Mar 31, 2022 As of Dec 31, 2021 QoQ/ % # Of Customers 34,000 21,000 13,000 / 62%

34,000 30,000 4,000 / 13%

Number of Processed Transactions during Q1 2022 was 269 million, an increase of approximately 87% over Q1 2021.



Q1 2022 Q1 2021 YoY/ %

Q1 2022 Q4 2021 QoQ/ % Processed Transactions Volume (M) 269M 144M 125M / 87%

269M 247M 22M / 9%

Conference Call

Nayax will host a conference call and webcast to discuss first quarter 2022 results on May 19, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, 3:30 p.m. Israel Time and 5:30 a.m. Pacific Time. Hosting the call will be Yair Nechmad, Chief Executive Officer and Sagit Manor, Chief Financial Officer.

We encourage participants to pre-register for the conference call using the link below. Callers who pre-register will be given a unique PIN to gain immediate access to the call, bypassing the live operator. Participants may pre-register any time, including up to and after the call start time. You will immediately receive an online confirmation, an email with the dial in number and a calendar invitation for the event.

To pre-register, go to: https://dpregister.com/sreg/10166383/f275765d71

For those who are unable to pre-register, kindly join the conference call by using one of the dial-in numbers or clicking the webcast link below.

U.S. TOLL-FREE: 1-866-777-2509

ISRAEL TOLL-FREE: 1-809-212-373

INTERNATIONAL TOLL-FREE: 1-412-317-5413

WEBCAST LINK: https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1544960&tp_key=2f65d63c01

Participants may also register and join the conference call by visiting the Events section of the investor relations website, found here: Events

A replay of the conference call will be available from May 19, 2022 following the call, until June 2, 2022. To access the replay, please dial one of the following numbers:

Replay TOLL-FREE: 1-844-512-2921

Replay TOLL/INTERNATIONAL: 1-412-317-6671

Replay Pin Number: 10166383

An archive of the conference call will be available on Nayax's Investor Relations website Nayax Investors - Nayax.

ABOUT NAYAX

Nayax is a global commerce enablement and payments platform designed to help merchants scale their business. Nayax offers a complete solution including localized cashless payment acceptance, management suite, and consumer engagement tools, enabling merchants to conduct commerce anywhere, at any time. With foundations and global leadership in serving unattended retail, Nayax has transformed into a comprehensive solution focused on our customers' growth across channels. Today, Nayax has 8 global offices, over 600 employees, connections to more than 80 merchant acquirer and payment method integrations and is a recognized payment facilitator worldwide. Nayax's mission is to improve our customers' revenue potential and operational efficiency. Visit www.nayax.com for more information.

The securities referred to in this announcement have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") or under the securities laws of any state of the United States, and may not be offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. In the United States, any offer of the ordinary shares will be made only to "qualified institutional buyers" as defined in and in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act or another available exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Outside the United States, any offer will be made in accordance with Regulation S of the Securities Act.

Forward looking statement

The information included in this press release contains, or may be deemed to contain, forward-looking statements (as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the Israeli Securities Law, 1968). Said forward-looking statements, relating to the initial public offering, are subject to uncertainties and assumptions and the actual results may materially differ. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Nayax on the date hereof. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Nayax are expressly qualified in their entirety by the factors referred to above. Nayax does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

Investor Relations Contact:



ICR, Inc.

[email protected]



SOURCE Nayax
NEW YORK, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Saudi Arabian fragrance market is expected to reach $3,500.9 million by 2030 from $2,049.7 million in 2021, with a CAGR of 6.1% from 2021 to 2030, according to the market research firm P&S Intelligence. The market is being pushed by the expanding significance of grooming and personal cleanliness in the country, as well as the growing number of gym-goers. Saudi Arabia is among the most-significant markets for cosmetics and fragrances in the Middle East because of its sizable economy.

With the rise of the e-commerce industry, the Saudi Arabian fragrance market growth is likely to accelerate over the next decade. The internet is playing a significant role in raising the consumer awareness of scent items. Numerous platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, register the highest usership in the region from Saudi Arabia.

Get the sample pages of this report at: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/saudi-arabia-fragrance-market/report-sample

Key Findings of Saudi Arabia Fragrance Market Report

Shower gels, shampoos, body lotions, and shaving creams are all examples of cosmetics and personal care items that contain fragrant chemicals. Thus, the rising consumer fascination with health and wellness has created a new potential for scent development. While purchasing personal care items, people consider an attractive smell to be a significant element.

A successful scent is also one that favorably reflects the company and ideally caters to the target users from a marketing standpoint. As a result, the majority of the personal care firms are reinventing their products by employing pleasant and organic aromatic components, which boosts the Saudi Arabian fragrance market advance.

Perfumes are worn by both men and women, and they express the wearer's style, uniqueness, and personality. Due to the changes in taste, people in Saudi Arabia are shifting to Western brands, which are setting up shop in the kingdom, thus contributing to the expansion of the fragrance industry.

are shifting to Western brands, which are setting up shop in the kingdom, thus contributing to the expansion of the fragrance industry. Women consider perfumes an important part of their identity. With the rise of the female workforce, scents are becoming more fashionable. Ladies love fragrance, and they are one of the most-important and appealing personal grooming accessories for them.

Men are also becoming more interested in scented items. Fragrances increase self-esteem and have a positive impact on the overall perception. Some men apply perfume to enhance their sense of personal hygiene, while others do it merely to emit a pleasing odor. As a result of the shifting view to scents being an important aspect of personal care among adult males, there has been a rise in the demand for them.

In the Saudi Arabian fragrance market, luxury goods accounted for roughly 80% of the total sales in 2021. Because of the high levels of income and the country's thriving oil & gas and BFSI industries, Saudi Arabia is one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

Ajmal Perfumes teamed with SAP SE, a multinational technology business, to promote digital transformation in September 2021. The firm would operate on the RISE, on the SAP S/4HANA real-time business suite, with the platform of SAP, and with the SAP SuccessFactors human experience management suite, increase staff experience, in collaboration with channel partner Accely.

Browse detailed report on Saudi Arabia Fragrance Market Size and Growth Forecast Report, 2030

Other key players are Al Majed 4Oud Company, Bath & Body Works Direct Inc., Candle-Lite Company LLC, Johnson & Johnson, Rasasi Perfumes Industry LLC, The Procter & Gamble Company, Christian Dior SE, Unilever Group, Victoria's Secret & Co., Arabian Oud, and Abdul Samad Al Qurashi.

Market Size Breakdown by Segment

By Category

Luxury

Mass

By Product Type

Perfumes

Body Oils

After Shaves

Candles

Fragrance Sets

Body Wash

Body Creams/Lotions

By Gender

Men

Women

Unisex

Browse More Related Reports

U.A.E. Fragrance Market Growth Forecast Report, 2030

Bio-Based Cosmetics and Personal Care Ingredients Market Growth Forecast Report, 2030

U.S. Beauty and Personal Care Products Market Growth Forecast Report, 2030

About P&S Intelligence

P&S Intelligence is a provider of market research and consulting services catering to the market information needs of burgeoning industries across the world. Providing the plinth of market intelligence, P&S as an enterprising research and consulting company, believes in providing thorough landscape analyses on the ever-changing market scenario, to empower companies to make informed decisions and base their business strategies with astuteness.

Contact:

Prajneesh Kumar

P&S Intelligence

Phone: +1-347-960-6455

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.psmarketresearch.com

Follow Us: LinkedIn Twitter

SOURCE P&S Intelligence
NEW YORK, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In the mission to spread "hidden regional tastes" of Japan, TGAL has proudly built an unorthodox combination model Japanese restaurant that incorporates notable local establishments in a single New York location, including "Fukuyoshi" Torokeru-style hamburger steak restaurant of Sagamihara city, "Jinbou Town Feef" roast beef restaurant of Tokyo, "tonkatsu kagura" of Tochigi prefecture, and more.

TGAL INC. (PRNewsfoto/TGAL INC.) TGAL INC. (PRNewsfoto/TGAL INC.)

J's Kitchen provides the enjoyment of experiencing signature regional tastes from all over Japan. We plan to cycle through different specialty brands. Our strength is a business model that nimbly responds to market trends based on customer tastes.

TGAL established J's Kitchen New York as our united states flagship to fulfill the vision of spreading Japanese regional tastes globally. TGAL leads Japan's food delivery industry as the largest food-tech company in Japan. Utilizing our unique food delivery model, we successfully led over 100 brands, 100 franchise stores, and 1,400 virtual restaurants in expanding.

J's Kitchen New York is our model restaurant to demonstrate the specialty dishes of our regional partners in Japan. By demonstrating our menu offerings and supply model, we will continue our vision of expanding worldwide.

Media Contact:

Atsushi Yoneda

9172620434

[email protected]

https://tgal.jp/

https://jskitchen.nyc

SOURCE TGAL INC.
True Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners and Shasta Ventures Back Social Connection Platform

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wisq, the first platform designed for the social connection needs of employees, announced today that it closed $20 million in Series A funding led by Norwest Venture Partners with participation from True Ventures and Shasta Ventures. Following a seed round that closed in May 2021, Wisq has raised more than $40 million to fuel its growth and expand its platform and team.

"The decline in social well-being in the workplace was significantly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic  and the cost to U.S. companies and their people is staggering," said Jeff Crowe, managing partner at Norwest Venture Partners. "Wisq is tackling this problem head-on with a platform that employers and employees have been missing  a mechanism to build social connections among our co-workers, no matter where they are. With a founding team from Glint that includes CEO Jim Barnett, who I worked with at three different ventures, Wisq is on an exciting mission to radically transform the way we work together."

Workplace Connections Lacking Amid a Social Well-Being Pandemic

Studies show that building close relationships with colleagues and having a strong sense of belonging at work are among the most important drivers of employee engagement and can be solutions to overcoming feelings of disconnection and isolation. As we have moved to more digital work collaboration and remote and hybrid work environments, the workplace has fundamentally changed and profoundly impacted its people and culture. Consider the following:

According to Pew Research, 65% of workers who rarely or never teleworked before the pandemic say they feel less connected to co-workers now.

who rarely or never teleworked before the pandemic say they feel less connected to co-workers now. The cost of this employee disconnection to U.S. companies is $406 billion . Cigna research revealed that lonely employees have a higher risk of turnover, lower productivity, more missed days at work and lower quality of work.

. Cigna research revealed that lonely employees have a higher risk of turnover, lower productivity, more missed days at work and lower quality of work. Generation Z workers , who have grown up accustomed to digital social interactions, are twice as likely than Gen Xers and Baby Boomers to look for a new job within a year if they do not feel connected or like their workplace culture, a Bankrate survey revealed.

, who have grown up accustomed to digital social interactions, are twice as likely than Gen Xers and Baby Boomers to look for a new job within a year if they do not feel connected or like their workplace culture, a Bankrate survey revealed. Employees who feel a high level of belonging are less likely to leave their job, will perform better in their job, take fewer sick days and give higher employer promoter scores, according to BetterUp.

Wisq Fosters Stronger Social Connections and Feelings of Belonging

"Social connections increase employee engagement, job satisfaction and employer loyalty and are critical factors at a time when people are quick to jump ship to the next opportunity," said Wisq's Barnett. "It is incumbent that business leaders foster authentic social moments as an essential part of the workday. It's time for business leaders to adopt new technology, new behavior patterns and new business culture values that align with today's workforce. We designed Wisq to be the platform that makes all of this possible, to provide a space for life at work."

The Wisq platform enables social connections and enhances a sense of belonging and social well-being for both virtual employees and those in physical locations, actively working to mitigate the feelings of isolation and contributing to an organization's performance, culture and retention rates. Unlike traditional work productivity and engagement tools or consumer social media platforms, Wisq has created the only comprehensive platform that fosters social well-being at work and supports the basic needs of employees, like connection, belonging and community.

With smart profiles, intuitive sharing, community building and audio lounges for informal hangouts, Wisq helps organizations build happy work cultures. The artificial intelligence (AI) discovery platform facilitates connections and fuels authentic engagement for employees, creating a supportive environment across hallways and continents.

There are various work and social entry points into the Wisq platform. Early beta customers whose employees are engaging with Wisq are seeing benefits in four key areas:

Belonging: Cultivating a sense of belonging by allowing employees to connect, share and build relationships.

Cultivating a sense of belonging by allowing employees to connect, share and build relationships. Onboarding: Quickly instilling a sense of community and belonging during the new hire onboarding process.

Quickly instilling a sense of community and belonging during the new hire onboarding process. Growth: Consistently building, maintaining and growing employee relationships to foster social connections, develop friendships and improve team dynamics.

Consistently building, maintaining and growing employee relationships to foster social connections, develop friendships and improve team dynamics. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): Enabling the formation of communities around shared interests, values, identities and backgrounds while providing the support and resources needed.

"Remote team members are now a massive part of the workforce and they crave  more than ever  human connection and a sense of belonging at work," said Jon Callaghan, co-founder of True Ventures. "We've recommitted to Wisq's Series A after leading the team's seed round because the market is in need of a platform that fosters social connection, camaraderie and better team collaboration whether those team members are in an office or working from elsewhere. The Wisq team is deeply committed to the employee experience and growing this space in the right direction."

"As Generation Z enters the workforce, they come with expectations of making digital connections in all aspects of their lives, even day-to-day on the job, whether they're working remotely or in the office," said Jason Pressman, managing director at Shasta Ventures. "Providing a platform like Wisq is no longer a 'nice-to-have.' It's a 'must-have' benefit for the future of work in a competitive market where companies are seeking unique ways to attract and retain the next generation of employees."

Companies interested in beta participation can sign up here .

About Wisq

Wisq is a space for life at work. The Wisq platform helps employees improve social well-being by enabling them to connect, share and build relationships at work. Organizations increase employee engagement, improve belonging and retention and build happy work cultures. Wisq enables smart profiles, intuitive sharing, community building and audio lounges for informal hangouts. Based in Redwood City, CA, the company was founded by three former Glint executives: Jim Barnett, chief executive officer; Goutham Kurra, chief product officer; and Chih-Po Wen, chief technology officer. Wisq has raised more than $40 million and is backed by True Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners and Shasta Ventures. For more information, visit www.wisq.com .

About Norwest Venture Partners

Norwest is a leading venture and growth equity investment firm managing more than $12.5 billion in capital. Since its inception, Norwest has invested in more than 650 companies and currently partners with more than 200 companies in its venture and growth equity portfolio. The firm invests in early- to late-stage businesses across a wide range of sectors with a focus on consumer, enterprise, and healthcare. The Norwest team offers a deep network of connections, operating experience and a wide range of impactful services to help CEOs and founders scale their businesses. Norwest has offices in Palo Alto and San Francisco, with subsidiaries in India and Israel. For more information, please visit www.nvp.com . Follow Norwest on Twitter @NorwestVP .

About Shasta Ventures

Shasta Ventures puts entrepreneurs first. A leading early-stage venture capital firm, Shasta partners with bold creative entrepreneurs who are passionate about building great products that deliver amazing work experiences. Founded in 2004, Shasta Ventures has more than $1B under management and specializes in enterprise software startups. Our portfolio features Anaplan, Appsheet, Apptio, Glint, Zuora and many promising start-ups. Find out more at www.shastaventures.com .

About True Ventures Founded in 2005, True Ventures is a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm that invests in early stage technology startups. With more than $2.8 billion under management, True provides seed and Series A financing to entrepreneurs in today's fastest growing markets. To learn more, visit www.trueventures.com .

SOURCE Wisq
Revenue Up 71.2% Year-Over-Year to RMB8,474 Million

Net Profit Attributable to Owners of the Company Up 9.5% Year-Over-Year to RMB1,643 Million

Diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS) Up 3.9% Year-Over-Year to RMB0.53

Adjusted Non-IFRS[1] Net Profit Attributable to Owners of the Company Up 85.8% Year-Over-Year to RMB2,053 Million

Adjusted Non-IFRS Diluted EPS Up 81.6% Year-Over-Year to RMB0.69[2]

SHANGHAI, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WuXi AppTec (stock code: 603259.SH / 2359.HK), a global company that provides a broad portfolio of R&D and manufacturing services that enable companies in the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries to advance discoveries and deliver groundbreaking treatments to patients, is pleased to announce its financial results for the first quarter ending March 31, 2022 ("Reporting Period").

This release provides a summary of the results and is not intended to be a comprehensive report. For additional information, please refer to the 2022 First-Quarter Report and other relevant announcements published on the websites of the Shanghai Stock Exchange (www.sse.com.cn) and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (www.hkexnews.hk), and the designated media for dissemination of the relevant information. Investors are advised to exercise caution and be aware of the investment risks in dealing in the shares of the Company.

All financials disclosed in this press release are prepared based on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), in currency of RMB.

The 2022 First-Quarter Report of the Company has not been audited.

[1] To better reflect the operation results and key performance, we adjusted the scope of Non-IFRS, and the comparative financial figures for the comparable periods have been adjusted to reflect this change. [2] In the first quarter of 2021 and 2022, WuXi AppTec had a fully-diluted weighted average share count of 2,950,787,250 and 2,952,655,854 ordinary shares, respectively.

First-Quarter 2022 Financial Highlights

Revenue grew 71.2% year-over-year to RMB 8,474 million. This is primarily attributable to the Company's continued focus on leveraging its unique CRDMO business model to achieve synergy and strong growth across our business segments:

WuXi Chemistry revenue grew 102.1% to RMB 6,118 million and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit grew 89.8% to RMB 2,466 million , with a gross profit margin of 40.3%.

and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit grew 89.8% to , with a gross profit margin of 40.3%. WuXi Testing revenue grew 31.7% to RMB1,279 million and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit grew 36.9% to RMB456 million , with a gross profit margin of 35.7%.

and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit grew 36.9% to , with a gross profit margin of 35.7%. WuXi Biology revenue grew 26.2% to RMB533 million and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit grew 40.4% to RMB220 million , with a gross profit margin of 41.4%.

and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit grew 40.4% to , with a gross profit margin of 41.4%. WuXi ATU revenue grew 37.0% to RMB299 million and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit declined to RMB-22 million , with a gross profit margin of -7.5%.

and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit declined to , with a gross profit margin of -7.5%. WuXi DDSU revenue declined 21.6% to RMB241 million and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit declined 45.1% to RMB80 million , with a gross profit margin of 33.1%.

Unit: RMB million

Segment Revenue Change Adjusted

Non-IFRS

Gross Profit Change Adjusted

Non-IFRS

Gross Profit

Margin WuXi Chemistry 6,117.97 102.1% 2,466.43 89.8% 40.3% WuXi Testing 1,279.39 31.7% 456.45 36.9% 35.7% WuXi Biology 532.61 26.2% 220.42 40.4% 41.4% WuXi ATU 298.65 37.0% (22.35) Note 1 -7.5% WuXi DDSU 240.63 -21.6% 79.68 -45.1% 33.1% Others 5.18 1.6% 1.80 -37.4% 34.7% Total 8,474.42 71.2% 3,202.43 65.3% 37.8%

Note: 1. Adjusted Non-IFRS Gross Profit of WuXi ATU was RMB(22.35) million in the first quarter of 2022,

compared to RMB(0.42) million in the first quarter of 2021, decreased by RMB(21.93) million. 2. Any sum of the data above that is inconsistent with the total is due to rounding.



IFRS gross profit increased 64.0% year-over-year to RMB3,015 million . Gross profit margin was 35.6%. [3]

. Gross profit margin was 35.6%. Adjusted Non-IFRS gross profit increased 65.3% year-over-year to RMB3,202 million . Adjusted Non-IFRS gross margin was 37.8%.

. Adjusted Non-IFRS gross margin was 37.8%. EBITDA increased 16.8% year-over-year to RMB 2,441 million .

. Adjusted EBITDA increased 67.5% year-over-year to RMB2,854 million .

. Net profit attributable to owners of the Company increased 9.5% year-over-year to RMB1,643 million .

. Adjusted non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners of the Company increased 85.8% year-over-year to RMB2,053 million .

. Diluted EPS increased 3.9% year-over-year to RMB0.53 , while adjusted diluted non-IFRS EPS increased by 81.6% year-over-year to RMB0.69 .

[3] If prepared under Accounting Standard for Business Enterprises of PRC, the gross profit grew 65.1% year-over-year to RMB3,033 million. Gross profit margin was 35.8%.

First-Quarter 2022 Business Highlights

- In the first quarter of 2022, demand for our services was strong and we grew our customer base to more than 5,800 active accounts by adding more than 320 new customers. We continued to optimize cross-platform synergies to better serve our customers worldwide, strengthen our unique competitive advantage as a fully integrated CRDMO (Contract Research Development and Manufacturing Organization) and CTDMO (Contract Testing Development and Manufacturing Organization), and provide one-stop services for our clients from discovery to development and manufacturing. Revenue growth was demonstrated across our expanding global customer base:

Revenue from US-based customers grew 84% to RMB5,278 million ; revenue from Europe -based customers grew 83% to RMB1,217 million ; revenue from China -based customers grew 37% to RMB1,587 million ; and revenue from other regions grew 51% to RMB393 million .

; revenue from -based customers grew 83% to ; revenue from -based customers grew 37% to ; and revenue from other regions grew 51% to . We continued to expand our customer base and retain existing clients. During the Reporting Period, revenue from existing clients grew 75% to RMB8,322 million and new clients contributed RMB153 million in revenue.

and new clients contributed in revenue. During the Reporting Period, revenue from the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies grew 140%, up to RMB3,807 million in revenue; revenue generated from all other customers grew 39% to RMB4,668 million .

in revenue; revenue generated from all other customers grew 39% to . Our unique positioning across the pharmaceutical development value chain drove our "follow-the-customer" and "follow-the-molecule" strategies and enhanced synergies across our business segments. Customers using services from multiple business units contributed RMB7,392 million in revenue, growing 87% year-over-year.

- WuXi Chemistry: CRDMO integrated business model drives revenue to double

Revenue grew 102.1% to RMB6,118 million and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit grew 89.8% to RMB2,466 million , with a gross margin of 40.3%. Excluding COVID-19 commercial projects, WuXi Chemistry revenue grew 52.3%.

and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit grew 89.8% to , with a gross margin of 40.3%. Excluding COVID-19 commercial projects, WuXi Chemistry revenue grew 52.3%. Revenue from small molecule discovery services ("R") grew 46.6% to RMB1,745 million .

i. Our industry-leading small molecule drug discovery platform delivered more than

90,000 custom synthesized compounds to our clients in first quarter 2022. Through

our small molecule discovery services, we enabled our customers to accelerate

their research while generating opportunities for our downstream business units.

As part of our "follow the customer" and "follow the molecule" strategies, we

established trusted partnerships with our global customers, which helped sustain

support for clinical and commercial projects and opportunities for the company.

The small molecule discovery service provided a solid foundation to support the

rapid and sustainable growth of our CRDMO business.

ii. We continued executing our "long-tail" strategy, and those customers continue to

have strong demands for our discovery services in small molecules, oligonucleotides

and peptides.

. i. Our industry-leading small molecule drug discovery platform delivered more than 90,000 custom synthesized compounds to our clients in first quarter 2022. Through our small molecule discovery services, we enabled our customers to accelerate their research while generating opportunities for our downstream business units. As part of our "follow the customer" and "follow the molecule" strategies, we established trusted partnerships with our global customers, which helped sustain support for clinical and commercial projects and opportunities for the company. The small molecule discovery service provided a solid foundation to support the rapid and sustainable growth of our CRDMO business. ii. We continued executing our "long-tail" strategy, and those customers continue to have strong demands for our discovery services in small molecules, oligonucleotides and peptides. Revenue from our small molecule development and manufacturing ("D&M") service grew 138.1% to RMB4,373 million .

i. During the Reporting Period, the Company added 217 new molecules to our 'D&M"

pipeline funnel for a total of 1,808 molecules, including 42 in commercial stage, 49

in phase III, 271 in phase II and 1,446 in phase I and pre-clinical stages.

ii. D&M service for new modalities is also gaining strong momentum. During the

reporting period, the number of oligonucleotide and peptide D&M clients increased

72% to 86, and the number of oligonucleotide and peptide molecules increased 98%

to 121. Revenue from oligonucleotide and peptide D&M reached RMB251 million .

. i. During the Reporting Period, the Company added 217 new molecules to our 'D&M" pipeline funnel for a total of 1,808 molecules, including 42 in commercial stage, 49 in phase III, 271 in phase II and 1,446 in phase I and pre-clinical stages. ii. D&M service for new modalities is also gaining strong momentum. During the reporting period, the number of oligonucleotide and peptide D&M clients increased 72% to 86, and the number of oligonucleotide and peptide molecules increased 98% to 121. Revenue from oligonucleotide and peptide D&M reached . Capacity expansion of WuXi Chemistry continued to accelerate in first quarter 2022. During the reporting period, we began to operate our facility in Changshu for drug substance manufacturing, and also began to operate part of Changzhou Phase 3 facility including a new R&D center and 2 plants.

- WuXi Testing: strong growth in lab testing services

Revenue from WuXi Testing grew 31.7% to RMB1,279 million and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit grew 36.9% to RMB456 million , with a gross margin of 35.7%.

and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit grew 36.9% to , with a gross margin of 35.7%. Revenue from lab testing services grew 39.9% year-over-year to RMB909 million .

i. The Company provides a full range of laboratory testing services to our customers,

including DMPK (drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics), toxicology, and

bioanalysis for drug development testing as well as medical device testing. We

leveraged our integrated WuXi AppTec Investigational New Drug (IND) program

(WIND) to generate preclinical data and prepare global regulatory submissions of

IND packages, expediting the IND application process for many of our customers

worldwide. Customers signed 47 WIND service packages with us in the first quarter

of 2022.

ii. Drug safety evaluation services achieved strong revenue growth of 53% year-over-

year. We maintained our industry-leading position in Asia for drug safety evaluation

services that meet global regulatory requirements.

iii. Our largely US-based medical device testing business has turned around and grew

27% year over year.

. i. The Company provides a full range of laboratory testing services to our customers, including DMPK (drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics), toxicology, and bioanalysis for drug development testing as well as medical device testing. We leveraged our integrated WuXi AppTec Investigational New Drug (IND) program (WIND) to generate preclinical data and prepare global regulatory submissions of IND packages, expediting the IND application process for many of our customers worldwide. Customers signed 47 WIND service packages with us in the first quarter of 2022. ii. Drug safety evaluation services achieved strong revenue growth of 53% year-over- year. We maintained our industry-leading position in for drug safety evaluation services that meet global regulatory requirements. iii. Our largely US-based medical device testing business has turned around and grew 27% year over year. Revenue from clinical CRO & SMO (site management organization) grew 15.2% year-over-year to RMB370 million .

i. For clinical CRO, the Company provided services to around 160 projects, enabling

our customers to obtain 4 IND approvals.

ii. For SMO, the Company continued its rapid expansion. Our SMO maintained more

than 4,600 staff in around 150 cities in China , providing services in over 1,000

hospitals. The team size increased 26% year-over-year, demonstrating strong

market demand for our SMO services. In the first quarter of 2022, SMO enabled 4

new drug approvals.

- WuXi Biology: new modalities biology services drive growth

Revenue from WuXi Biology grew 26.2% to RMB533 million and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit grew 40.4% to RMB220 million , with a gross margin of 41.4%.

and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit grew 40.4% to , with a gross margin of 41.4%. The Company has the largest discovery biology enabling platform, with more than 2,500 experienced scientists who provide comprehensive biology services covering all stages and therapeutic areas of drug discovery. The Company has established 3 centers of excellence for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), anti-viral, neuroscience & aging.

The Company has a leading DNA Encoded Library (DEL) and compound generation platform. More than 1,100 customers globally now use our DEL services. We leverage our global network of sites in China , US and Germany to develop and use new technologies such as OBOC ("One-Bead-One-Compound") to drive growth and maintain business continuity.

, US and to develop and use new technologies such as OBOC ("One-Bead-One-Compound") to drive growth and maintain business continuity. The Company continues to build new biology capabilities related to new modalities, including target protein degradation, nucleic acid based and conjugated modalities, vector platform, and novel drug delivery vehicles. During the Reporting Period, revenue from new modalities and large molecules in WuXi Biology grew 110%, and its revenue contribution rose to 17.6% in the first quarter of 2022, from 14.6% in 2021, suggesting that new modalities-related biology services have become an increasingly important growth driver.

- WuXi ATU: CTDMO business model drives growth

Revenue from WuXi ATU grew 37.0% to RMB299 million and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit declined to RMB-22 million , with a gross margin of -7.5%.

and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit declined to , with a gross margin of -7.5%. During the Reporting Period, the Company focused on improving our CTDMO integrated enabling platform and strengthened testing services, capabilities, and capacities. We provided development and manufacturing services for 74 projects, including 59 pre-clinical and Phase I projects, 7 Phase II projects, and 8 Phase III projects (4 projects are in BLA preparation stage).

The Company announced the launch of Tetracycline-Enabled Self-Silencing Adenovirus (TESSA) in March 2022 . TESSA technology is a revolutionary and novel process for transfection-free, scalable manufacturing of adeno-associated virus (AAV), and the new data recently published in Nature Communications supports the benefits of this technology. It highlights that in the same manufacturing volume, TESSA vectors produced 10 times more AAV than plasmid-based technology. By end of first quarter 2022, we have 14 TESSA evaluation projects.

. TESSA technology is a revolutionary and novel process for transfection-free, scalable manufacturing of adeno-associated virus (AAV), and the new data recently published in supports the benefits of this technology. It highlights that in the same manufacturing volume, TESSA vectors produced 10 times more AAV than plasmid-based technology. By end of first quarter 2022, we have 14 TESSA evaluation projects. Gross profit declined in Q1-2022 largely due to under-utilized capacities of the newly built Shanghai Lin-gang site and the new testing facility in Philadelphia . With capacity utilization ramping up in the coming quarters, gross profit is expected to turn positive and increase.

- WuXi DDSU: business evolving to focus more on innovative drug discovery

Revenue from WuXi DDSU declined 21.6% to RMB241 million and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit declined 45.1% to RMB80 million , with a gross margin of 33.1%. DDSU's revenue decline was mainly attributed to business adjustments that aim to better serve the growing needs of clients in China for novel and differentiated products that will take longer to deliver INDs.

and adjusted non-IFRS gross profit declined 45.1% to , with a gross margin of 33.1%. DDSU's revenue decline was mainly attributed to business adjustments that aim to better serve the growing needs of clients in for novel and differentiated products that will take longer to deliver INDs. During the Reporting Period, our success-based drug discovery service unit filed INDs for 2 drug candidates and obtained 16 CTAs on behalf of China -based customers. As of March 31, 2022 , we have cumulatively submitted 146 new chemical entity IND filings with the NMPA and obtained 126 CTAs, with 1 project in NDA review stage, 3 projects in Phase III clinical trials, 16 projects in Phase II clinical trials, and 74 projects in Phase I clinical trials. Upon these products' successful launch to the market by our customers, we will begin receiving royalty income.

-based customers. As of , we have cumulatively submitted 146 new chemical entity IND filings with the NMPA and obtained 126 CTAs, with 1 project in NDA review stage, 3 projects in Phase III clinical trials, 16 projects in Phase II clinical trials, and 74 projects in Phase I clinical trials. Upon these products' successful launch to the market by our customers, we will begin receiving royalty income. Among the 146 projects for which INDs were filed or are currently in clinical stage, about 70% of them rank in the top three in China in terms of drug development progress among same-class drug candidates.

Continuous Improvements in ESG Management and Performance

As an enabler of innovation, a trusted partner, and a contributor to the global healthcare community, WuXi AppTec is deeply committed to sustainability and actively practices global corporate citizenship.

In the first quarter of 2022, WuXi AppTec was recognized as a "Top Rated" ESG company by Sustainalytics, a leading ESG research, ratings and data firm. In the same assessment, WuXi AppTec was placed in the top 4 percent of companies in the global pharmaceutical industry with a "Low Risk" of experiencing material financial impacts from ESG factors.

Looking forward, we remain committed to "doing the right thing and doing it right." We will continue to focus on delivering on our ESG commitments and ensuring that sustainability remains a priority across our business operations today and in the future.

Management Comment

Dr. Ge Li, Chairman and CEO of WuXi AppTec, said, "We achieved record growth in the first quarter of 2022. Our revenue increased 71.2% YoY and our adjusted Non-IFRS net profit increased 85.8% YoY. WuXi AppTec's performance during the first quarter of 2022 underscores that our unique CRDMO and CTDMO business models continue to drive the rapid growth for our company and allow us to better enable customers worldwide."

"After the outbreak of Omicron in Shanghai at the end of the first quarter, we quickly implemented our business continuity plan to ensure the health of our employees whilst operating our business continuously. We effectively leveraged our global capacities and comprehensive capabilities to meet project delivery timelines and capture new business opportunities. If the Omicron outbreak in Shanghai can be largely contained by April, we expect 63-65% YoY revenue growth for the second quarter and 65-70% revenue growth for the full year of 2022. Our management team will closely monitor the development of the outbreak and will provide business updates when appropriate."

Consolidated Statement of Profit or Loss[4]



RMB Million Year Ended

March 31, 2022 Year Ended

March 31, 2021 Year-

over-Year

Change Revenue 8,474.4 4,950.5 71.2% Cost of services (5,459.6) (3,112.3) 75.4% Gross profit 3,014.8 1,838.2 64.0% Other income 95.7 106.5 -10.1% Other gains and losses 119.0 679.0 -82.5% Impairment losses under expected credit

losses ("ECL") model, net of reversal (36.4) (15.1) 141.3% Selling and marketing expenses (173.2) (158.6) 9.2% Administrative expenses (618.9) (486.1) 27.3% Research and development expenses (280.0) (204.6) 36.9% Operating Profit 2,121.1 1,759.3 20.6% Share of losses of associates (96.2) (24.4) 295.0% Share of profits (losses) of joint ventures 2.3 (4.1) -157.5% Finance costs (28.6) (35.0) -18.4% Profit before tax 1,998.7 1,695.9 17.9% Income tax expense (342.7) (188.8) 81.5% Profit for the period 1,656.0 1,507.1 9.9% Profit for the period attributable to:





Owners of the Company 1,642.9 1,499.8 9.5% Non-controlling interests 13.0 7.3 78.2%

1,656.0 1,507.1 9.9%

[4] If the sum of the data below is inconsistent with the total, it is caused by rounding

Consolidated Statement of Profit or Loss (continued)[5]



Year Ended Year Ended Year-over- March 31, 2022 March 31, 2021 Year



Change







Weighted average number of ordinary





shares for calculating EPS (express in shares)  Basic 2,930,914,718 2,899,791,459 1.1%  Diluted 2,952,655,854 2,950,787,250 0.1%







Earnings per share attributable to





ordinary shareholders of the Company (expressed in RMB per share)[6]  Basic 0.56 0.52 7.7%  Diluted 0.53 0.51 3.9%

[5] If the sum of the data below is inconsistent with the total, it is caused by rounding [6] In 2021, pursuant to the 2020 Profit Distribution Plan considered and approved by the shareholders' general meeting, the Company issued 2 shares for every 10 shares of the Company by way of capitalization of reserve. In accordance with the regulations of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the Company has adjusted the basic earnings per share and diluted earnings per share for the comparative period according to the 2020 Profit Distribution

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position[7]



RMB Million March 31, December 31,

2022 2021





Non-current Assets



Property, plant and equipment 17,293.8 15,848.7 Right of use assets 1,883.2 1,779.5 Goodwill 1,906.7 1,925.6 Other intangible assets 869.6 889.8 Interest in associates 520.6 619.4 Interest in joint ventures 61.2 58.9 Deferred tax assets 418.7 389.8 Financial assets at fair value through profit or

loss ("FVTPL") 8,564.5 8,714.1 Other non-current assets 2,201.0 2,182.4 Biological assets 824.0 733.5

34,543.3 33,141.7





Current Assets



Inventories 4,946.0 4,554.6 Contract costs 597.0 594.9 Biological assets 871.8 755.5 Amounts due from related parties 320.5 343.3 Trade and other receivables 7,860.9 5,968.5 Contract assets 843.8 773.4 Income tax recoverable 0.2 0.2 Financial assets at FVTPL 276.3 527.3 Derivative financial instruments 296.3 229.1 Pledged bank deposits 0.4 63.4 Bank Balances and Cash 7,026.5 8,175.3

23,039.6 21,985.6





Total Assets 57,582.9 55,127.4

[7] If the sum of the data below is inconsistent with the total, it is caused by rounding.

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position (continued)[8]

RMB Million March 31,

2022 December 31,

2021





Current Liabilities



Trade and other payables 6,479.1 6,856.0 Amounts due to related parties 16.9 21.4 Derivative financial instruments - 3.7 Contract liabilities 3,296.0 2,986.4 Borrowings 2,692.7 2,261.5 Income tax payables 724.6 459.3 Lease liabilities 208.1 220.2 Other current liabilities 177.9 176.2

13,595.3 12,984.6





Non-current Liabilities



Deferred tax liabilities 299.9 324.1 Deferred income 763.8 770.6 Lease liabilities 1,094.4 1,019.0 Convertible bonds-debt component 606.3 607.1 Convertible bonds-embedded derivative

component 567.9 657.3 Other long-term liabilities 7.5 7.2

3,339.8 3,385.3





Total Liabilities 16,935.2 16,369.9





Net Assets 40,647.8 38,757.5





Capital and Reserves



Share capital 2,955.8 2,955.8 Reserves 37,408.7 35,535.7 Equity attributable to owners of the Company 40,364.5 38,491.5 Non-controlling interests 283.3 266.0 Total Equity 40,647.8 38,757.5

[8] If the sum of the data below is inconsistent with the total, it is caused by rounding.

Reconciliation of Non-IFRS and Adjusted Non-IFRS Net Profit Attributable to the

Owners of the Company[9]

RMB Million Year Ended

March 31, 2022 Year Ended

March 31, 2021 Profit Attributable to the owners of the Company 1,642.9 1,499.8 Add:



Share-based compensation

expenses 180.5 126.3 Issuance expenses of convertible

bonds 0.4 1.0 Fair value (gains)/losses from derivative

component of convertible bonds (82.8) 451.1 Foreign exchange related losses 5.8 35.5 Amortization acquired intangible

assets from merge and acquisition 14.5 11.2 Non-IFRS Net Profit Attributable the

owners of the Company 1,761.3 2,124.9 Add:



Realized and unrealized losses/(gains)

from venture investments 293.7 (1,024.3) Realized and unrealized share of (gains)/

losses from joint ventures (2.3) 4.1 Adjusted non-IFRS net profit attributable

to the owners of the Company 2,052.6 1,104.7

[9] If the sum of the data below is inconsistent with the total, it is caused by rounding.

EBITDA[10] RMB Million Year Ended

March 31, 2022 Year Ended

March 31, 2021





Profit before tax 1,998.7 1,695.9 Add:



Interest expense 28.0 35.0 Depreciation and amortization 414.2 359.4 EBITDA 2,440.9 2,090.3 % EBITDA margin 28.8% 42.2% Add:



Share-based compensation expenses 216.2 153.5 Issuance expenses of convertible bonds 0.6 1.3 Fair value (gains)/losses from derivative

component of convertible bonds (82.8) 451.1 Foreign exchange related losses 7.0 41.8 Realized and unrealized losses/(gains)

from venture investments 275.1 (1,038.2) Realized and unrealized share of

(gains)/losses from joint ventures (2.3) 4.1 Adjusted EBITDA 2,854.5 1,703.9 % Adjusted EBITDA margin 33.7% 34.4%

[10] If the sum of the data below is inconsistent with the total, it is caused by rounding.

The Company has adjusted the scope of the foreign exchange related gains or losses in the calculation of non-IFRS measures, by

adjusting only the gains or losses that the management believes are irrelevant to the core business. The comparative financial

figures for the comparable periods has been adjusted to reflect the change of scope.

About WuXi AppTec

As a global company with operations across Asia, Europe, and North America, WuXi AppTec provides a broad portfolio of R&D and manufacturing services that enable the global pharmaceutical and healthcare industry to advance discoveries and deliver groundbreaking treatments to patients. Through its unique business models, WuXi AppTec's integrated, end-to-end services include chemistry drug CRDMO (Contract Research, Development and Manufacturing Organization), biology discovery, preclinical testing and clinical research services, cell and gene therapies CTDMO (Contract Testing, Development and Manufacturing Organization), helping customers improve the productivity of advancing healthcare products through cost-effective and efficient solutions. WuXi AppTec received an AA ESG rating from MSCI in 2021 and its open-access platform is enabling more than 5,800 collaborators from over 30 countries to improve the health of those in need  and to realize the vision that "every drug can be made and every disease can be treated." Please visit: http://www.wuxiapptec.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain certain "forward-looking statements" which are not historical facts, but instead are predictions about future events based on our beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to our management. Although we believe that our predictions are reasonable, future events are inherently uncertain and our forward-looking statements may turn out to be incorrect. Our forward-looking statements are subject to risks relating to, among other things, the ability of our service offerings to compete effectively, our ability to meet timelines for the expansion of our service offerings, our ability to protect our clients' intellectual property, unforeseeable international tension, competition, the impact of emergencies and other force majeure. Our forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law or listing rules. Accordingly, you are strongly cautioned that reliance on any forward-looking statements involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements contained herein are qualified by reference to the cautionary statements set forth in this section. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release and are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of this date, and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

Use of Non-IFRS and Adjusted Non-IFRS Financial Measures

We provide non-IFRS gross profit, exclude the impact in revenue and cost from effective hedge accounting, share-based compensation expenses and amortization of intangible assets acquired in business combinations, and non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners of the Company, which exclude share-based compensation expenses, issuance expenses of convertible bonds, fair value gain or loss from derivative component of convertible bonds, foreign exchange-related gains or losses, amortization of intangible assets acquired in business combinations and goodwill impairment. We also provide adjusted non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners of the Company and earnings per share, which further exclude realized and unrealized gains or losses from our venture investments and joint ventures. Neither is required by, or presented in accordance with IFRS.

To better reflect the operation results and key performance, the Company has adjusted the scope of the foreign exchange related gains or losses by adjusting only the gains or losses that the management believes irrelevant to the core business. The comparative financial figures for the comparable periods have been adjusted to reflect the change of the scope.

We believe that the adjusted financial measures used in this press release are useful for understanding and assessing our core business performance and operating trends, and we believe that management and investors may benefit from referring to these adjusted financial measures in assessing our financial performance by eliminating the impact of certain unusual, non-recurring, non-cash and non-operating items that we do not consider indicative of the performance of our core business. Such adjusted non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners of the Company, the management of the Company believes, is widely accepted and adopted in the industry the Company is operating in. However, the presentation of these adjusted non-IFRS financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with IFRS. You should not view adjusted results on a stand-alone basis or as a substitute for results under IFRS, or as being comparable to results reported or forecasted by other companies.

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Kyler Lei (for investors)

IR Director

Email: [email protected]

Mr. Davy Wu (for media)

PR Director

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE WuXi AppTec
MADRID , April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A Ruling by the Civil Chamber of Spain's Supreme Court, issued last March 15th, and regarding appeal sentence 5444/2019, has forced the successors of the Banesto Enisa SEPI Desarrollo FCR fund to sell 3,413,680 shares of Lleida.net to the CEO, founder, and majority shareholder of Lleida.net (BME:LLN) (EPA:ALLLN) (OTCQX:LLEIF), Mr. Francisco Sapena, at 1.7761 euros per share.

These 3,413,680 shares represent 21.27 percent of the total in the listed company.

The legal representatives of Mr. Francisco Sapena have already started requesting the enactment of the final judgment.

As a result, in the coming weeks, Cantabro Catalana de Inversiones SAU, SEPI Desarrollo Empresarial SAU, and Empresa Nacional de Innovacion S.A. will have to make available to Mr. Francisco Sapena or to whomever he may indicate those 3,413,680 shares of Lleida.net, who in exchange for them will have to pay a total of 6,063,037.048 Million Euros.

At the closing price of last Friday, April 21, the market value of these shares is 11,162,733.6 euros.

Background

Below, and given the effect that this Supreme Court Order has on the life of the company and the legitimate interests of its shareholders, we inform the market of the background of this situation.

On June 1st, 2015 , before the general meeting that ratified the listing of the company's shares, the Banesto Enisa Sepi Desarrollo FCR fund through its management Santander Capital Desarrollo SGEIC made the listing of Lleida.net conditional upon Mr. Francisco Sapena signing before a notary a put option for all the shares belonging to the fund, which became 3,413,680 shares at the time of the listing on BME Growth (formerly MAB) or 21.27% of the total shares of Lleida.net. Under the put option, the initial share price was finally set at 1.37 euros per share, to which interests would be applied until its effective exercise.



Lleida.net began trading on the former MAB on October 9, 2015 , at 1.18 euros per share.



On October 4, 2016 , Mr. Francisco Sapena filed a lawsuit before the courts of Lleida to have the put option declared Null and Void. The courts admitted this lawsuit of Lleida under proceeding number 957/2016.



On November 17, 2016 , the fund Banesto Enisa SEPI Desarrollo FCR, now called Santander Capital Desarrollo SGEIC, SAU, stated its irreversible will to exercise the put option against Mr. Francisco Sapena , demanding 4,675,688.69 euros , even though case is sub judice.



On October 5, 2017 , the Court of First Instance No. 2 of Lleida ruled in favor of the fund in the ordinary proceeding 957/2016.



On January 16, 2018 , Mr. Francisco Sapena appealed the judgment before the Provincial Court of Lleida, at appeal 19/2018. In this case, the courts also ruled again in favor of the Banesto Enisa Sepi Desarrollo FCR fund and recognized as valid the put option.



Subsequently, Mr. Francisco Sapena filed an appeal in the Civil Chamber of the Supreme Court, which ruling 5444/2019 of March 15, 2022 , dismissed, thus declaring the judgment of the Provincial Court of Lleida as final, ruling in favor of the successors of the Banesto Enisa Sepi Desarrollo FCR fund, and considering as valid the put option, thus obliging Sapena to buy 3,413,680 shares of Lleida.net at a 1.7761 euros price per share.

In compliance with the ruling and complete and absolute respect for the Courts0 decision, Mr. Francisco Sapena's representatives have already contacted the representatives of Cantabro Catalana de Inversiones SAU, SEPI Desarrollo Empresarial SAU, and Empresa Nacional de Innovacion S.A. in order to exercise the put option.

SOURCE Lleida.net
Loan to fund the development of multifamily building with 83 residential units

MINNEAPOLIS, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ACRES Capital Corp. (together with its subsidiaries, "ACRES"), a leading commercial real estate middle-market lender, has originated a $19.25 million loan to fund the development of Sawyer & Huck (the "Property") in Minneapolis.

The proposed 46,504-square-foot multifamily building will house 83 luxury rental units and include 47 on-site covered parking spaces. The property will also provide premier community amenities such as a fitness center, roof deck, and bike parking.

Located within walking distance of downtown Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota, the property is situated in the historic St. Anthony West area, which lies on the east bank of the Mississippi River. The trendy area features an abundance of nearby recreational activities and cultural attractions.

"Home to 18 Fortune 500 companies, Minneapolis has a rapidly growing multifamily market characterized by healthy occupancies and a strong tenant demographic driving demand," said ACRES Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Fogel. "Given the property's location and high-quality finishes, it will rank at the upper end of the luxury multifamily market."

The loan was provided to Charles Street Development Company based in Denver and Drew Miller of ACRES' Uniondale, N.Y. office originated the loan.

About ACRES

ACRES is a nationwide direct lender and SEC-registered investment adviser that provides construction, bridge and permanent debt capital solutions for the commercial real estate industry. ACRES partners on targeted opportunities in the $10 million to $100 million range, including multifamily, student housing, retail, office, hospitality, and industrial. Contact us at www.acrescap.com or at (516) 535-0015.

Media Contacts:

Doug Allen / Maya Hanowitz

Dukas Linden Public Relations

(646) 722-6530

[email protected]

SOURCE ACRES Capital, LLC
Agora Awards is one of the world's leading digital art platforms and a meeting point of creators and art investors

The start-up has recently signed partnership agreements with blockchain platform Zilliqa, Ethereum software company ConsenSys, and QuiverTree Media

BARCELONA, Spain, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Agora, one of the world's leading and most far-reaching digital art platforms, has closed a financing round of more than 2 million euros led by international key investors in crypto-asset markets.

First launched in 2016, Agora Awards is rapidly becoming one of the most important online meeting points of artistic talent and art investors, where the best creations are voted worldwide. Started as an online platform where users could upload their creations  photographs, video, and audio  and participate in worldwide awards voted worldwide, Agora has recently launched a series of projects aimed to develop the NFT market with the best content of high artistic value.

As such and in the past months, Agora Awards has announced new partnerships with international companies such as Zilliqa, one of the world's most trusted blockchain platform, sponsoring the World NFT Festival developed by Agora, building the Agora Awards Metaverse and creating its token. Agora also partnered with ConsenSys, the leading Ethereum software company, to back the launch of Agora Award's own NFT marketplace. Agora Awards' best content will also be displayed in airplanes thanks to a new collaboration with QuiverTree Media, a company specialized in media services for the aviation industry.

The round has been supported by Chris Bouwer, an international investor with a strong track investing record, and a member of the founding team of Adyen, an e-commerce payment company that has achieved huge success. Bower has also participated in renowned international operations like Delivery Hero, Fanly, Airhelp or Pr.co among others.

Perfecting the digital art curation process

Agora Awards has created a curation process which selects and recognizes the best global talent in different creative categories including photography, digital art, music, films, illustration, among others. The company's recent arrival to the world of NFTs, has allowed for this talent and their global winning artworks to become high-value NFTs. Worldwide art collectors will have access to globally renowned digital works, making Agora Awards an ultra-curated market for new international art talent.

Agora's most recent NFT drop sold out with 21 photos raising over $80,000 on the Agora Awards NFT Marketplace platform. This NFT collection 'We, the Women' was launched in March and exposed physically at the Dubai Expo2020 and virtually at Metaverse.

"We have more than 14 million creations uploaded to the Agora Awards platform, including the works of over 13,000 finalists and winners of the awards. These are the only works that are made into NFT drops," explains Octavi Royo, CEO and founder of Agora Awards. According to him, this process will build up a collection which will be unique, beautiful and of long-lasting value. "An authentic jewel," he adds. Royo believes that the Agora Awards model is "global, digital, scalable, unlimited, and successful, as we have already shown in our launch drop. This revolution has just begun."

Today's new investment will support further development of its marketplace and other initiatives which aim to elevate the value given to NFTs not just as a financial investment detached of artistic merit, but as works of art whose value will grow over time, like fine art.

"Our mission is to empower talent and grant access to that talent to anyone anywhere in the world," says Octavi Royo, founder of Agora. "NFT marketplaces provide value to investors and an opportunity to established and up-and-coming artists to show their works and get the financial value they really have," he adds.

A growing start-up

Agora Awards is present worldwide, and its app has been downloaded by over 3.5 million people. The company is undergoing impressive growth and will be launching new and exciting initiatives including:

- The World NFT Festival

- Agora NFT Marketplace

- Agora's Metaverse

- Agora TV

- Agora Token

- Agora's new project with the United Nations

"Our vision of the future is to keep growing our community of artists, art lovers and investors and create a new vision for the future of art," says Octavi. A vision, he explains, that will further democratize the creative world. "Our awards are open to anyone, anywhere and our voting process ensures that the very best win getting a chance to sell their work through our and our partners' marketplaces," he adds.

About Agora:

Founded in 2016, Agora is a one of the world's leading and most far-reaching digital art platforms bringing together artists, collectors and patrons, experts, as well as everyday art lovers. Agora, which can be accessed through its app on iOS and Android, and through web, features millions of photographs, graphic designs, music, and videos developed by people from all around the world from renowned artists to regular individuals. This impressive digital art gallery is available to enjoy, but also to purchase making it one of the largest marketplaces for art NFTs in the world.

With 3.5 million users from over 190 countries, Agora was founded by Octavi Royo with the mission to empower talent from across the world and to democratize access to such talent and their creations through its app and the Agora Awards. The Agora Awards are open to content creators from around the world who can participate in different categories ranging from topics like love, water, or climate change. After a pre-selection from Agora experts, the shortlist is put to all users who vote the final winner ensuring that the best works get maximum exposure and, with it, a fair NFT valuation. Some of the awards have been included in international campaigns such as #TheWorldWeWant, launched by United Nations at the Agora Awards platform.

SOURCE Agora Awards
Aldous \ Walker LLP Partners Charla Aldous and Brent Walker have been named to D Magazine's 2022 Best Lawyers in Dallas list.

DALLAS, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Charla Aldous and Brent Walker, Partners at the Dallas-based civil trial firm Aldous \ Walker LLP, were named to the 2022 edition of D Magazine's Best Lawyers in Dallas!

Published annually in May, Best Lawyers in Dallas recognizes attorney in North Texas who've demonstrated unparalleled success in their areas of practice. As Partners of a firm that's recovered millions for victims and families in complex civil injury and wrongful death cases, Aldous and Walker were recognized in the areas of personal injury, products liability, and medical malpractice.

What it Means to Be the Best

To compile its annual list, D Magazine solicits nominations from thousands of local lawyers, asking them to nominate up to three attorneys whom they view as the best in their fields. Votes are tallied by editorial staff and vetted by a panel of esteemed lawyers who have earned recognition of their own.

Because its selection process is based entirely on peer review, D Magazine is able to ensure that honorees who make the final cut are those who've earned the undeniable respect and esteem of their colleagues. For attorneys like Aldous and Walker, that's precisely the case.

As Partners of Aldous \ Walker LLP, the two have helped victims and families across Texas navigate a range of complex civil claims, including those involving defective products, wrongful death, and sexual abuse. They've litigated against some of the largest corporations in the country and have recovered millions in verdicts and settlements for their clients.

For their successes, Aldous and Walker have both earned widespread recognition, earning repeat selections to prestigious listings like Super Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America and leading the firm to continued inclusion in the U.S. News  "Best Law Firms" rankings. Earlier this year, Charla Aldous was also included among an inaugural class of elite lawyers inducted into D Magazine's Best Lawyers in Dallas Hall of Fame.

For more information about Aldous \ Walker LLP, visit www.AldousLaw.com.

Media Contact:

Charla Aldous

[email protected]

SOURCE Aldous Walker LLP
US low profile over Ukraine visit exposes differences between Kiev, Washington

By Yang Sheng (Global Times) 15:29, April 25, 2022

Milking the crisis Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit Kiev on Sunday, while the US didn't give an official response or confirmation as of press time, with analysts saying this has to some extent exposed the differences between Washington and Kiev after Russia launched the second phase of its military operation.

Kiev's unilateral high-profile announcement of the visit shows that the Ukrainian government wants to push the US to be more involved and highlight Ukraine's image as a "frontline" that the whole Western world must defend at all costs, and the low profile taken by the US side was not just based on security concerns, but also showed that the US doesn't want to be dragged into the mess as Russia is taking massive actions that aim to control the south of Ukraine, said experts.

"I don't think this is a secret that people from the US are coming to us tomorrow, State Secretary Mr Blinken and the Defense Secretary (Lloyd Austin) who are coming to us," Zelensky said at a press conference held in an underground subway station in the Ukrainian capital on Saturday.

Zelensky gave few details about the logistics of the encounter but said he expected concrete results - "not just presents or some kind of cakes, we are expecting specific things and specific weapons".

White House press secretary Jen Psaki reiterated during a news conference on April 18 that there are no plans in place for US President Joe Biden to travel to Ukraine. "That has not changed - what our focus continues to be on is providing Ukraine, the Ukrainian government, Ukrainian leaders, a historic amount of security assistance," Psaki told CNN.

Psaki said that if an administration official were to visit Ukraine, the White House would not publicly disclose that information ahead of time, citing "security concerns." The White House and State Department declined to comment Saturday on Blinken and Austin's possible trip to Ukraine, CNN reported.

Analysts said it wouldn't be surprising if Blinken and Austin finally arrive in Ukraine, but the differences between the US and Ukraine remain, and the visit won't have a significant impact on the current situation.

Russia plans to take full control of Donbas and southern Ukraine during the second phase of its special military operation, Rustam Minnekayev, deputy commander of Russia's central military district, said on Friday, according to Russian media.

Russia's ongoing actions could significantly change the situation in the next few weeks, and considering the military advantage held by the Russian side, Kiev understands it might not be able to resist for long, so it desperately hopes the US will show more direct and decisive support to save the situation, but Washington is probably planning for the next stage, such as how to talk with Russia after Russian forces accomplish their missions or how to effectively extend the conflict on Ukrainian soil to keep Russia bleeding, analysts said.

"They should not come here with empty hands," Zelensky said during the news conference. "We are expecting specific things and specific weapons."

Expectations too high?

At this stage, the weapons won't bring about a significant change to the situation, said Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, noting that Ukrainian forces have no effective control of the air, so even if the US has agreed to provide heavy weapons like howitzers and tanks, any mass transportation of those weapons into the country by railway or trucks could be spotted and destroyed by Russian warplanes or missiles.

Most Ukrainian troops are in the battle zones of the east, and many of them are engaged or surrounded by Russian forces, so transportation would be extremely difficult, and other advanced Western-made weapons are useless because Ukraine doesn't have personnel able to use them effectively, experts said.

Lu Xiang, an expert on international relations and a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that Zelensky wants a high-profile political show that makes his government look like "the center or a frontline that all Western countries must defend. He wants to shape an image for himself: a brave leader that can speak tough not only to Russia but also to Western major powers."

Song echoed the view, saying that such visits by US senior officials or other Western leaders are in fact meaningless in terms of changing the situation of the battlegrounds in the east and south of Ukraine, and Zelensky's high profile remarks sent another signal - "if Ukraine loses the war, the US and maybe the whole Western world should be blamed, because they didn't provide enough support."

Chinese analysts said the US' support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia will continue with or without such visits, but the US cares about different issues compared to Kiev.

Lu said many Western countries including the US, UK, France and Germany have found that Ukraine is asking too much, and are worried that those supplies, including humanitarian aid, weapons and money, could end up "in the wrong hands."

Compared to what "specific weapons" will be provided, Blinken and Austin might be more interested in how those weapons will be used and who are receiving the US supplies.

Escalation to come?

Cui Heng, an assistant research fellow from the Center for Russian Studies of East China Normal University, told the Global Times that the low profile approach taken by the US sent another signal: the US doesn't want to be too provocative toward Russia. "Because a high-profile visit with the top diplomat and the defense chief could make Moscow think that the US is preparing for more direct intervention."

"The US wants the conflict to continue, but it also fears the spillover to countries around Ukraine, especially NATO members, so keeping the conflict at a low intensity and within Ukrainian soil is what the US wants," Cui said.

Lu said if NATO members like Poland strengthen military supplies at this time, Russia could strike the transportation hubs at the borders, and this could easily lead to escalation. "Russia needs to be tough and decisive, so escalation is a choice for Moscow to deter Western intervention, and this could also give more bargaining chips to Russia in talks for a ceasefire in the future."

If the West shows more intention to intervene in the Russia-Ukraine conflict at this moment, escalation will be more likely, and the Ukraine government needs to be aware of the price of accepting US supplies, "because those supplies are not free, they are conditional," Song said. This means the more Kiev receives, the more Ukrainian people will need to pay the US back in the future, and Kiev would become a complete proxy of Washington after the war, he noted.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
MONTERREY, Mexico, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ALFA, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: ALFAA) ("ALFA"), a company that has developed a diversified portfolio of leading businesses with global operations, announced today its unaudited results for the first quarter of 2022 ("1Q22"). All figures have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS").

1Q22 HIGHLIGHTS

ALFA 2022 EBITDA Guidance revised up 17% to US $2.283 billion

Record first quarter Revenues of US $4.191 billion and EBITDA of US $644 million

US $196 million dividend approved at Annual Shareholders' Meeting and paid in 1Q22 Alpek 2022 EBITDA Guidance revised up 32% to US $1.365 billion

Record quarterly EBITDA driven by strong reference margins across core products

Signed agreement to acquire Octal for US $620 million; transaction expected to close in 2Q22 Sigma 2022 Guidance maintained, supported by solid performance outside Europe

Europe EBITDA impacted by abrupt increases in energy prices and other input costs

Formed new Advisory Board comprised of 13 members; 62% independent Axtel 1Q22 results negatively impacted by semiconductor shortage; Gover. segment sales; and lower revenues from large wholesale customer

2022 EBITDA Guidance maintained; subject to potential revision depending on future market developments

Initiatives to accelerate strategic agenda include active discussions with interested parties to evaluate potential partnerships

Message from ALFA's President

"We hope you and your families are remaining safe and healthy. 2022 has started off strongly; with double-digit growth in first quarter Revenue and EBITDA that exceeded our expectations.

Consolidated EBITDA of US $644 million was a record high first quarter for ALFA. The good performance was driven by Alpek which continues to capitalize on high reference margins across its core products of polyester, polypropylene and expandable polystyrene.

Sigma and Axtel faced unexpected headwinds which resulted in lower EBITDA at both companies. Sigma's European operations were negatively impacted by abrupt increases in energy prices and other input costs, as well as lower pork exports to China. In Mexico, Axtel's results were affected by project delays caused by the global semiconductor shortage, lower Government segment sales and lower revenues from a large wholesale customer.

Taking into consideration Alpek's outstanding performance year-to-date and optimistic outlook, ALFA's 2022 EBITDA Guidance increased to US $2.283 billion from US $1.949 billion. We fully acknowledge the volatile global macroeconomic and geopolitical environment impacting energy prices, raw material costs and exchange rates, among others. However, certain favorable trends that boosted ALFA's first quarter results are expected to continue and outweigh the foreseeable headwinds.

At the subsidiary level, Alpek increased its 2022 EBITDA Guidance 32% to US $1.365 billion driven primarily by higher reference margins for its core products. Sigma's Guidance remains unchanged supported by better-than-expected performance in regions outside of Europe. Axtel also maintained its 2022 Guidance but is subject to potential revision depending on future market developments.

We remain fully committed to taking actions that address ALFA's conglomerate discount through consistent progress of our Unlocking Value plan, focused on three key implementation directives:

1. Reducing leverage is an important precondition to achieve the independence of ALFA's subsidiaries. Strong performance over the past two years has driven significant improvement in financial ratios. This trend continued in 1Q22 with consolidated Net Debt to EBITDA of 2.3 times, a 64-basis point improvement year-over-year. Reflecting its strong financial performance, Alpek's Net Debt to EBITDA reached 1.0 times at the close of the first quarter.

Deleverage may also be complemented through strategic alternatives. Even though this front has not resulted in a transaction, we continue seeking options in our Shareholders' best interest.

2. Strengthen the businesses via growth and profit-enhancing initiatives is important to continue boosting their underlying value while ALFA's transformation process is completed. Alpek announced the acquisition of Octal, a major global producer of PET sheet. As described recently, this is a transformational investment that forward integrates Alpek into an adjacent, high-value business and accelerates the Company's progress towards its ESG goals, among other benefits. Importantly, Alpek has the financial strength to fund the acquisition and continue distributing cash to shareholders. Sigma launched the third edition of Tastech by Sigma to extend its collaboration with the entrepreneurial ecosystem, and continued rolling out Better Balance, its global plant-based brand. Axtel's mobility project "Alestra Movil" added more enterprise mobile customers during the first quarter, offering an attractive service alternative supported by its intelligent, multi-operator connectivity feature to end- users. Axtel is also actively engaged in discussions with interested parties to evaluate potential partnerships in certain parts of its business to capitalize on attractive market opportunities.

3. Enhanced business independence will allow a seamless transition from ALFA's legacy conglomerate structure towards an independent business management model. Sigma announced the formation of an Advisory Board, comprised of an extraordinary group of individuals with diverse areas of expertise, including retail, healthcare & nutrition and entrepreneurship. We are excited by the prospects of the Advisory Board's new perspectives as Sigma strives to remain at the leading edge of evolving consumer preferences.

At the ALFA level, Paulino Rodriguez, Senior Vice President of Human Capital and Services, has retired after a successful 18-year career. We greatly appreciate Paulino's enthusiasm and dedication as a driving force in ALFA's development of Human Capital, leaving a long- lasting legacy in the Company's culture and values. Following Paulino's retirement during the first quarter, the Human Capital function was combined with the Finance function.

Our approach to capital allocation maintains a balance between deleveraging, investing for growth, and returning value to our shareholders through dividends and a share repurchase program. We held our Annual Shareholders' meeting in March, where shareholders approved a dividend payment equivalent to US $196 million and a maximum amount of Ps. 5,800 million (approximately US $290 million) for share repurchases.

Shareholders also received an update on ESG-related initiatives at the Annual meeting. ALFA, Alpek and Axtel published their respective, integrated 2021 sustainability reports. Sigma recently published an Executive Summary in anticipation of its extended GRI version. Key highlights include Sigma reaching three of its 2025 Sustainability Goals ahead of plan. We invite you to learn more about our progress through the recently published reports, available on each company's website.

Consolidated first quarter results put us on a path for another strong year in 2022. Yet, we remain vigilant amid a fluid global macro environment."

Keep well/Stay safe,

Alvaro Fernandez

SELECTED FINANCIAL INFORMATION (US $ MILLION)





1Q22 4Q21 1Q21 Ch. % vs. Ch. % vs. 4Q21 1Q21 ALFA Revenues 4,191 4,086 3,388 3 24 Alpek 2,332 2,152 1,614 8 45 Sigma 1,711 1,768 1,613 -3 6 Axtel 124 136 140 -8 -11 ALFA EBITDA1 644 505 535 27 20 Alpek 456 269 324 70 41 Sigma 161 201 181 -20 -11 Axtel 35 40 45 -12 -22 ALFA Comparable EBITDA2 520 534 414 -3 26 Alpek 333 300 203 11 64 Sigma 161 199 181 -19 -11 Axtel 35 40 45 -12 -22 Majority Net Income 210 -166 154 227 37 CAPEX & Acquisitions 92 159 79 -42 17 ALFA Net Debt 4,906 4,677 4,864 5 1 Alpek 1,310 1,225 1,219 7 7 Sigma 1,795 1,691 1,781 6 1 Axtel 585 574 627 2 -7 ALFA Net Debt/LTM*EBITDA 2.3 2.3 2.9



ALFA LTM*Interest Coverage 6.4 5.4 4.3









* Times LTM = Last 12 months. 1 EBITDA = Operating Income + depreciation and amortization + impairment of assets. 2 Excludes extraordinary items.

1Q22 EARNINGS CALL INFORMATION

Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2022







Time: 1:00 p.m. EDT (NY) / 12:00 p.m. CDT (CDMX)



By Phone: United States: +1-877-451-6152

International: +1-201-389-0879

Mexico: 800-522-0034





Conference ID: 13728372







Webcast: https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1539469&tp_key=9a11854d7d



Replay: https://www.alfa.com.mx/RI/conference.htm

About ALFA

ALFA manages a diversified portfolio of leading businesses with global operations: Sigma, a leading multinational food company, focused on the production, marketing and distribution of quality foods through recognized brands in Mexico, Europe, United States and Latin America. Alpek, one of the world's leading producers of polyester (PTA, PET, rPET and fibers), and the leader in the Mexican market for polypropylene and expandable polystyrene (EPS). Axtel, a provider of Information Technology and Communication (ITC) services for the enterprise and government segments in Mexico. In 2021, ALFA reported revenues of Ps. 308,060 million (US $15.2 billion), and EBITDA of Ps. 41,050 million (US $2.0 billion). ALFA's shares are quoted on the Mexican Stock Exchange and on Latibex, the market for Latin American shares of the Madrid Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit www.alfa.com.mx

Disclaimer

This release may contain forward-looking information based on numerous variables and assumptions that are inherently uncertain. They involve judgments with respect to, among other things, future economic, competitive and financial market conditions and future business decisions, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately. These uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic, such as the scope and duration of the outbreak, government actions and restrictive measures implemented in response, availability of workers and contractors due to illness and stay at home orders, supply chain disruptions and other impacts to the business, or on the Company's ability to execute business continuity plans, as a result thereof. Accordingly, results could vary from those set forth in this release. The report presents unaudited financial information. Figures are presented in Mexican Pesos or US dollars, as indicated. Where applicable, Peso amounts were translated into US dollars using the average exchange rate of the months during which the operations were recorded. Financial ratios are calculated in US dollars. Due to the rounding up of figures, small differences may occur when calculating percent changes from one period to the other.

SOURCE ALFA, S.A.B. de C.V.
MIAMI, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- America First Political Committee Chairman KW Miller will primary RINO Carlos Gimenez in Florida's 28th Congressional District which includes a portion of southern Dade County and all of Monroe County Florida.

RINO Carlos Gimenez has openly voted with Nancy Pelosi and the radical leftists in Congress on critical 'Unconstitutional Issues' far too many times and continues to support a socialist agenda.

Vote KW Miller For Congress August 23, 2022 Carlos Gimenez Voted for Hillary Clinton and Obama

RINO Gimenez openly supported and 'Voted for Hillary Clinton ' in 2016. Gimenez also defended disgraced RINO Liz Cheney after she voted in favor of the 'Sham Impeachment' against Donald Trump .

' in 2016. Gimenez also defended disgraced RINO Liz Cheney after she voted in favor of the 'Sham Impeachment' against . RINO Gimenez also defended Cheney after the Republican Caucus censored and removed her from Republican Party Leadership. Gimenez, like RINO Liz Cheney continues to openly vote and side with the Socialist and Radical Democrats.

RINO Gimenez also voted for the ' January 6 ' Democrat 'Witch Hunt' against American Citizens and Republican voters.

'Witch Hunt' against American Citizens and Republican voters. RINO Gimenez voted with Nancy Pelosi on H.R. 550, to allow the federal government to create a database, track unvaccinated Americans, who could be targeted, segregated, discriminated against, and forced to comply with vaccination mandates;

on H.R. 550, to allow the federal government to create a database, track unvaccinated Americans, who could be targeted, segregated, discriminated against, and forced to comply with vaccination mandates; RINO Gimenez voted with Nancy Pelosi on Anti-Second Amendment legislation HR-8, making it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to purchase, own, carry, and use a firearm;

on Anti-Second Amendment legislation HR-8, making it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to purchase, own, carry, and use a firearm; RINO Gimenez voted with Nancy Pelosi on H.R. 6 for 'Open Borders and Amnesty' to over 20 million criminal illegal aliens, which would permanently avoid deportation, obtain a pathway to citizenship, and full voting rights;

on H.R. 6 for 'Open Borders and Amnesty' to over 20 million criminal illegal aliens, which would permanently avoid deportation, obtain a pathway to citizenship, and full voting rights; RINO Gimenez also voted with Nancy Pelosi to strip Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of all Congressional Committee positions.

About America First Political Committee:

Our mission is to protect the integrity of the U.S. Constitution, promote conservative political candidates and policy that puts America First.

America First Contact:

Contact: J. Stephens

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.americafirstpc.org Phone: 202-495-1505

SOURCE America First Political Committee
With EV searches up nearly 200% on Cars.com, experts discuss the pros and cons of EV ownership, highlight popular models and answer consumer questions during live virtual event1

CHICAGO, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The car-shopping marketplace Cars.com  (NYSE: CARS) is pleased to announce the return of its popular event: Guide for the EV Curious . As interest in electric vehicles continues to grow, this free, live virtual event features Cars.com's automotive experts sharing their perspectives on the EV market, reviewing popular EV models and answering questions live from consumers. The event will be held April 28 at noon CDT and requires registration at Live.cars.com .

The event follows the recent unveiling of Cars.com's EV Buying Guide , the announcement of its Best Electric Vehicle of the Year , and the release of its EV Top Picks in categories including Value, Families, Luxury and Commuters. The company's industry-leading, consumer-education-focused EV content combined with unprecedented public interest, makes Cars.com as No. 1 in search results for electric cars.

"For more than a decade, we've been on the front lines of the EV-olution, and the success of last year's first-ever Guide for the EV Curious event demonstrated that consumers are hungry for greater education and resources," said Jenni Newman, Cars.com editor-in-chief. "As we witness EV interest skyrocket in our marketplace, and with more electric models hitting the market than ever before, we are excited to bring consumers more of the information and insight they're craving. This event is extra special for us because of the live participation from people across the country."

This year's event comes during a period of peak consumer curiosity, with searches for EVs on Cars.com nearly doubled year-over-year.1 Driving increased interest are elevated gas prices combined with recent geopolitical issues as well as an influx of new EV models from automakers in popular segments including pickup trucks and SUVs.

Recent launches such as the Kia EV6 and Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning have led search traffic on Cars.com, with the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Volvo XC40 Recharge Twin and Volkswagen ID.4 also contributing significant volume. Among searches for used EVs on the marketplace, Tesla models dominate.1

"Despite the momentum, and even as approximately a third of active car shoppers on Cars.com say they're considering an EV purchase, sales have not yet caught up to consumer enthusiasm,1" said Newman. "As more automakers unveil electric versions of the most popular vehicles, consumers may be more likely to move from 'EV curious' to 'EV serious.'"

To learn more about EVs and EV ownership, join Cars.com April 28 at 12 p.m. CDT for Cars.com's Guide for the EV Curious. Registration is required at Live.cars.com. For more EV reviews, news and car-buying advice, visit Cars.com/electric-cars.

1 Cars.com internal data

ABOUT CARS.COM

CARS is the leading automotive marketplace platform that provides a robust set of digital solutions that connect car shoppers with sellers. Launched in 1998 with the flagship marketplace Cars.com and headquartered in Chicago, the Company empowers shoppers with the data, resources and digital tools needed to make informed buying decisions and seamlessly connect with automotive retailers. In a rapidly changing market, CARS enables dealerships and OEMs with innovative technical solutions and data-driven intelligence to better reach and influence ready-to-buy shoppers, increase inventory turn and gain market share.

In addition to Cars.com, CARS brands include Dealer Inspire, a technology provider building solutions that future-proof dealerships with more efficient operations and connected digital experiences; FUEL, which gives dealers and OEMs the opportunity to harness the untapped power of digital video by leveraging Cars.com's pure audience of in-market car shoppers; DealerRater, a leading car dealer review and reputation management platform; automotive fintech platform CreditIQ and Accu-Trade a vehicle valuation and appraisal technology.

The full suite of CARS properties includes Cars.com , Dealer Inspire , FUEL , DealerRater , CreditIQ , Accu-Trade.com , Auto.com , PickupTrucks.com and NewCars.com . For more information, visit www.Cars.com .

SOURCE Cars.com Inc.
The researchers  which include Myles Leslie, PhD, Nicole Pinto, MSc, and Raad Fadaak, PhD  document the process their team used to create and disseminate a conversation guide for health care providers in a new publication now available in Annals of Family Medicine . The paper, titled, "Improving Conversations with COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitant Patients: Action Research to Support Family Physicians" can be found on AnnFamMed.org here: https://www.annfammed.org/content/early/2022/04/22/afm.2816

The online guide was created for and with family medicine practitioners, who often serve as the first point of contact for patients seeking COVID-19 treatment or have questions about how to protect themselves and their loved ones. To ensure the guide was relevant to health care providers, Leslie et al conducted qualitative interviews with primary care doctors in multiple Canadian provinces. The data gathered through these interviews was then used to identify commonly held beliefs, attitudes and perceptions that impact a patient's willingness to receive the vaccine. "This attention to clinical experience was central to achieving buy-in from our participants," the team wrote.

The research team found that clinicians were frequently encountering many of the same reasons for hesitancy from their patients including concerns around safety; interactions with comorbidities; conspiracy theories; religious or moral obligations; and past traumas experienced in the medical setting.

Using this information, researchers created several provider resources to better counsel vaccine-hesitant patients, in direct response to each potential concern. These are free to the public and include tips for clinicians, patient-provider conversation scripts, and resources to help navigate conversations about COVID-19 vaccines with hesitant patients.

The guide also outlines four steps to help practitioners have better conversations with vaccine hesitant patients, emphasizing the physician's role as an ally on the patient's health journey. Steps include engaging with patients; affirming patient concerns; asking permission before sharing information; and evoking future risks to motivate patients to reconsider vaccine hesitancy.

The guide is available at www.vhguide.ca.

Improving Conversations With COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitant Patients: Action Research to Support Family Physicians

Myles Leslie, Nicole Pinto and Raad Fadaak

SOURCE Annals of Family Medicine
HOUSTON, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Global energy and commodity price reporting agency Argus has introduced daily assessments for heavy sour Oriente and Napo crude grades from Ecuador. The prices were launched on 18 April after the ending of some term contracts led to a revival of spot market activity.

Argus first started publishing prices for Oriente and Napo in the early 2000s, but suspended the assessments in 2014 because a lack of market activity rendered it impossible to establish a fair value for the crude streams. At this time, the majority of Oriente and Napo was exported to Asia-Pacific under long-term contracts, limiting the amount available for spot trade and reducing price visibility.

Some of those long-term contracts have expired recently, while others have been renegotiated. This means more cargoes are available on the spot market, enabling Argus to provide real transparency based on trade and bid and offer data.

State-owned oil company PetroEcuador has praised Argus' decision to reintroduce daily price assessments for Oriente and Napo crude. PetroEcuador general manager Italo Cedeno said: "The restart of the publication of the differentials in Argus is an important step to recover the presence of Ecuadorean crude oil and revalue it in the international arena. The availability of this data allows our clients to make informed decisions and ratifies our commitment to transparency and efficiency in the area of international marketing."

"Argus is committed to bringing transparency to commodity markets," Argus Media chairman and chief executive Adrian Binks said. "As soon it was clear that spot trade would resume, we were pleased to work with PetroEcuador and other companies involved in the market to reintroduce the Oriente and Napo price assessments. At Argus we pride ourselves on reacting quickly and effectively to market developments."

The relaunched Napo and Oriente prices will be published daily in the Argus Crude and Argus Americas Crude reports. They are assessed as differentials to Nymex light sweet crude futures and Ice Brent crude futures.

Argus contact information

London: Seana Lanigan

+44 20 7780 4200

Email Seana

Houston: Matt Oatway

+1 713 968 0000

Email Matt

Singapore: Tomoko Hashimoto

+65 6496 9960

Email Tomoko

About Argus Media

Argus is an independent media organisation with more than 1,100 staff. It is headquartered in London and has 26 offices in the world's principal commodity trading and production centres. Argus produces price assessments and analysis of international energy and other commodity markets and offers bespoke consulting services and industry-leading conferences.

Companies in 140 countries around the world use Argus data to index physical trade and as benchmarks in financial derivative markets as well as for analysis and planning purposes.

Argus was founded in 1970 and is a privately held UK-registered company. It is owned by employee shareholders, global growth equity firm General Atlantic and Hg, the specialist software and technology services investor.

Trademark notices

ARGUS, the ARGUS logo, ARGUS MEDIA, ARGUS DIRECT, ARGUS OPEN MARKETS, AOM, FMB, DEWITT, JIM JORDAN & ASSOCIATES, JJ&A, FUNDALYTICS, METAL-PAGES, METALPRICES.COM, INTEGER, Argus publication titles and Argus index names are trademarks of Argus Media Limited.

SOURCE Argus Media
OSLO, Norway, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Asetek will release its financial results for the first quarter of 2022 on Thursday, 28 April at 10:30 CEST.

CEO Andre Sloth Eriksen and CFO Peter Dam Madsen will present the Company's results at 12:30 CEST and invites investors, analysts and media to join the presentation. The presentation is expected to last up to one hour, including Q&A, and can be followed via live webcast or conference call.

Webcast - audio and slide presentation:

Please join the results webcast via the following link:

https://streams.eventcdn.net/asetek/2022q1/

Conference call - audio only:

Please dial in 5-10 minutes prior using the phone numbers and confirmation code below:

Denmark: +45 3271 4988 Norway +47 2198 4292 United Kingdom: +44 (0) 203 059 58 69 Germany: +49 (0) 69 566 037000 United States of America: +1 760 294 1674





The first quarter report and presentation will also be made available online at www.asetek.com and www.newsweb.no, as well as through news agencies.A recorded version of the presentation will be made available at www.asetek.com approximately two hours after the presentation has concluded.

Q&A: The conference call lines will be opened for participants to ask question at the end of the presentation. Questions can also be submitted through the online webcast during the presentation.

For further information, please contact:

Peter Madsen, Chief Financial Officer

Mobile: +45 2080 7200

[email protected]

About Asetek:

Asetek (ASTK.OL), a global leader in mechatronic innovation, is a Danish garage-to-stock-exchange success story. Founded in 2000, Asetek established its innovative position as the leading OEM developer and producer of the all-in-one liquid cooler for all major PC & Enthusiast gaming brands. In 2013, Asetek went public while expanding into energy-efficient and environmentally friendly cooling solutions for data centers. In 2021, Asetek introduced its line of products for next level immersive SimSports gaming experiences. Asetek is headquartered in Denmark and has operations in China, Taiwan and the United States.

www.asetek.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/asetek/r/asetek-presents-first-quarter-2022-results-on-thursday--28-april,c3552049

The following files are available for download:

SOURCE Asetek
Increase in demand for improved video and voice quality along with high-speed internet and surge in investment in VoLTE have boosted the growth of the Asia-Pacific voice over LTE market.

PORTLAND, Ore., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Asia-Pacific Voice Over LTE Market by Technology, (Voice over IP multimedia subsystem (VoIMS), Circuit Switched Fallback (CSFB), Dual radio or Simultaneous Voice and LTE (SV LTE), Voice over LTE via Generic Access Network and Single Radio Voice Call Continuity), End User, (Corporate, Commercial and Government), and Countries (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Rest of Asia Pacific): Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030". As per the report, the Asia-Pacific voice over LTE industry was pegged at $3.61 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $179.56 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 47.7% from 2021 to 2030.

Major determinants of the market growth

Increase in demand for improved video and voice quality along with high-speed internet, presence of leading VoLTE market players in Asia-Pacific, and surge in investment in VoLTE have boosted the growth of the Asia-Pacific voice over LTE market. However, delayed acceptance in developing economies hinders the market. On the contrary, the advent of 5G and surge in demand for mobile UC would open new opportunities in the future.

Download Report Sample (184 Pages PDF with Insights) at:

Request Sample - Asia Pacific Voice Over LTE Market by Technology, (Voice over IP multimedia subsystem (VoIMS), Circuit Switched Fallback (CSFB), Dual radio or Simultaneous Voice and LTE (SV LTE), Voice over LTE via Generic Access Network and Single Radio Voice Call Continuity), End User, (Corporate, Commercial and Government), and Countries (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Rest of Asia Pacific): Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030

Covid-19 scenario:

The Covid-19 pandemic had a limited impact on the market as several private companies and government worked together to speed up the development of 5G and VoLTE infrastructure during the pandemic.

The pandemic encouraged companies and businesses to shift their business operations on the cloud and adopt work from home culture, which increased the demand for high internet speed. This favored market growth.

Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on the Asia Pacific voice over Lte market:

Request Customization - Asia Pacific Voice Over LTE Market by Technology, (Voice over IP multimedia subsystem (VoIMS), Circuit Switched Fallback (CSFB), Dual radio or Simultaneous Voice and LTE (SV LTE), Voice over LTE via Generic Access Network and Single Radio Voice Call Continuity), End User, (Corporate, Commercial and Government), and Countries (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Rest of Asia Pacific): Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030

The voice over IP multimedia subsystem segment held the lion's share

By type, the voice over IP multimedia subsystem segment held the largest share in 2020, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the voice over LTE industry, as it is lower-cost network infrastructure as compared to other networks. However, the voice over LTE via generic access network segment is projected to register the highest CAGR of 50.7% during the forecast period, as it allows smooth transition of global roaming.

The commercial segment to manifest the highest CAGR through 2030A

By end user, the commercial segment is estimated to portray the highest CAGR of 49.8% during the forecast period. This is due to rise in awareness about improved customer services and quality of voice services. However, the corporate segment held the largest share in 2020, contributing to nearly two-thirds of the market, owing to rise in need to enhance customer satisfaction and provide solutions at lightning speeds.

China held the largest share

By country, the market across China dominated in 2020, accounting for nearly half of the market. This is due to the presence of high number of subscribers of mobile phones. However, the market across India is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 52.0% during the forecast period, due to penetration of LTE smartphone makers such as Samsung and Huawei.

For Purchase Enquiry: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/16266

Major market players

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

SK Telecom

LG Uplus Corp.

KT Corporation

Cisco Systems, Inc.

Nokia Networks

Ericsson

Bharti Airtel

Vodafone Group Plc

China Mobile Limited

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Similar Reports:

Voice Over LTE (VoLTE) Market is Expected to Garner $34.8 Billion, Globally, by 2022

Near Field Communication Market Expected to Reach $54.52 Billion by 2028

GPON Equipment Market Expected to Reach $55,551 Million by 2023

About Us:

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

Pawan Kumar, the CEO of Allied Market Research, is leading the organization toward providing high-quality data and insights. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

Contact:

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
With the acquisition of PipeCandy, Assembly is poised to be the authority of omni-channel ecommerce market intelligence. Tweet this

PipeCandy analyzes the complex data sets of the global DTC market and delivers comprehensive insights to marketers, investors, analysts and and sales teams at leading logistics, tech, and financial institutions. PipeCandy's deep market data and insights power strategic decisions, and their analytical models estimate that nearly $500B in GMV is cleared by 5.4 million ecommerce companies.

"We are the first and largest, vertical-focused data company out of India - covering 5.4 million ecommerce companies, of which 250,000 are DTC brands," explained Ashwin Ramasamy, co-founder of PipeCandy. "We quintupled our coverage through 2021 and our customers include some of the most prominent companies and brands in the lending, financial services, SaaS, and logistics industries," continued Ramasamy. "Being a product in the Assembly platform will allow us to solidify our position as the largest, cleanest and most accurate dataset on ecommerce and DTC companies, and scale our product and business insight offerings for brands and ecommerce operators."

In addition to the acquisition, PipeCandy recently launched a first-of-its-kind Data Center of Excellence, where product managers, data scientists, data UI designers, and application developers are rapidly building omni-channel insight products. To lead the center, PipeCandy hired Bharath Moro as Principal Product Manager, and Hemant Kumar as Principal Data Scientist. Moro founded two tech startups in the travel and public policy space, and he brings large-scale data platform and product experience to the table. Kumar, who holds multiple patents in recommendation systems, was most recently an entrepreneur in residence at Antler Global. Prior to Antler Global, Kumar was a data science architect at IBM Watson.

About Assembly

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Assembly is a global ecommerce platform bringing best-in-breed software, content and community across platforms including Amazon, Walmart, Instacart, and Shopify  helping businesses of all sizes and kinds simplify and scale. For more information, visit: https://www.withassembly.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/withassembly/

Assembly PR Contact

Brynn Whitfield; [email protected]

About PipeCandy

PipeCandy is a vertical data-as-a-service (DaaS) product tracking more than 5.4 million ecommerce companies across North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Middle East, India and Australia. Being the largest, cleanest dataset on ecommerce and DTC companies, PipeCandy is considered the industry standard for ecommerce market intelligence. PipeCandy's deep market data and insights power strategic decisions at the world's leading lending, financial services, SaaS, and logistics companies. For more information, visit: https://pipecandy.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pipecandy/

SOURCE Assembly
AUSTIN, Texas, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Entrepreneurs Grant Mitterlehner and Brendon Kelley have already made a huge mark in business over the last few years. Together they are forming a new startup, building security tailored for crypto, NFT, and metaverse companies. Mitterlehner and Kelley, co-founders of CryptoArmor, are bringing runtime protection that can prevent breaches and ransomware in real-time, the industry's first crypto runtime protection software.

Kelley is the founder of RRcybersec, a cybersecurity firm in Austin. He's also the Co-author of Tribe of Hackers Blue Team. He led cybersecurity efforts for Patientco through its acquisition to Waystar. Previously he was a part of Bazaarvoice, where he built security tools for a team of forty plus distributed teams. Kelley, Co-founder of CryptoArmor, says he is confident they're building a need for the market, "We're trying to prevent the headlines you see today with daily crypto breach headlines. We're building security that actually works."

Mitterlehner is the CEO of MittGroup, which is one of the fastest growing solar companies in the nation. MittGroup recently was listed as the #1 Best Place to Work by the Houston Business Journal. Then at the end of 2020, Mitterlehner founded Mitt Blockchain, which is a crypto mining company that focuses on Bitcoin and Ethereum mining. Mitterlehner is a regular on Cavuto Coast to Coast on Fox Business where he discusses the crypto industry multiple times a month.

The two noticed a huge lack of cybersecurity effort in the crypto space. Just last week nearly $600 million in Ethereum was stolen from NFT Gaming Blockchain. Mitterlehner & Kelley believe that crypto security is key for the industry's future. They believe that it is essential for investors to be protected from hackers and criminals so the industry will continue to grow.

CryptoArmor specializes in cybersecurity protection for NFT projects, crypto miners, wallets, exchanges and more. Their goal is to give crypto investors and companies an opportunity to protect their assets and customers. CryptoArmor's services include crypto runtime protection, privacy & compliance, vCISO, penetration tests, and more. For more information on CryptoArmor, visit CryptoArmor.net

SOURCE CryptoArmor
NOV03 Met Both Primary Endpoints for Signs and Symptoms of Dry Eye Disease

VAUGHAN, ON and LAVAL, QC and HEIDELBERG, Germany, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bausch + Lomb, a leading global eye health business of Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE/TSX: BHC) ("Bausch Health"), and Novaliq GmbH, a biopharmaceutical company focusing on first- and best-in-class ocular therapeutics, today announced that data from the first pivotal Phase 3 trial (GOBI) of NOV03 (perfluorohexyloctane), which is being investigated as a first-in-class eye drop with a novel mechanism of action to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease (DED) associated with Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), was presented yesterday as part of a podium presentation on April 24, 2022, at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

"The data show that NOV03 met both primary endpoints of total Corneal Fluorescein Staining, a measure that assesses damage to the eye, and visual analogue scale dryness score at day 57," said Joseph Tauber, M.D., founder of Tauber Eye Center in Kansas City, Mo., and leading NOV03 trial investigator. "The fact that NOV03 met both primary endpoints in a single study, which is a rare event in clinical trials in dry eye disease, reinforces its potential as a treatment for addressing both the signs and symptoms of the disease. The unique mechanism of action makes NOV03 an exciting investigational treatment for the signs and symptoms of dry eye."

DED is one of the most common ocular surface disorders, causing discomfort for millions of Americans. MGD is a major cause of the development and progression of evaporative DED, which is caused by a deficient tear film lipid layer that leads to increased tear evaporation.1,2

"There is currently no pharmaceutical therapy in the United States approved for the treatment of dry eye disease associated with Meibomian gland dysfunction, and these data support NOV03 as a potential first-in-class option for the treatment of dry eye disease associated with Meibomian gland dysfunction," said Joseph C. Papa, chairman and CEO, Bausch Health. "We intend to submit for approval during the second quarter of 2022."

The data from the Phase 3, multicenter, randomized, hypotonic saline-controlled, double masked GOBI study was based on results from 597 participants ages 18 years and older who were randomized to either receive treatment with NOV03 four times daily or hyptonic saline solution four times daily (n=303 NOV03; n=294 saline). The key points of the study include:

On day 57, change from baseline in total Corneal Fluorescein Staining (tCFS) was statistically significant in the NOV03 arm compared to the control saline group (-2.0 [2.6] vs. -1.0 [2.7]) (P<0.001) (primary endpoint).

Additionally on day 57, eye dryness VAS score was statistically significantly improved in the NOV03 arm compared to control group (-27.4 [27.9] vs. -19.7 [26.6]) (P<0.001) (primary endpoint).

tCFS and eye dryness VAS score was also statistically significant at day 15 (secondary endpoint).

In the study, NOV03 was well tolerated with few subjects experiencing ocular adverse events (AE) (8.3% NOV03 group, 5.1% control group). Blurred vision, mostly mild and transient, was the only AE that occurred in a higher proportion of subjects treated with NOV03 versus control (3.0% vs 0.3%).

"With its novel mode of action, NOV03 is specifically designed to alleviate the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease associated with Meibomian gland dysfunction, and if approved, has the potential to address an unmet medical need," said Christian Roesky, Ph.D., CEO, Novaliq. "We look forward to our continued collaboration with Bausch Health and Bausch + Lomb as we work together to potentially bring this novel treatment option to patients in the United States."

About NOV03 (perfluorohexyloctane) Ophthalmic Solution

NOV03 is an investigational, proprietary, water-free, single-component preservative-free eye drop.3 In 2019, Bausch Health and Bausch + Lomb acquired an exclusive license for the commercialization and development of NOV03 in the United States and Canada. In addition to the GOBI trial, positive topline data was announced from the second Phase 3 study (MOJAVE) in September 2021. Additional data from MOJAVE will be shared later this year during a future medical congress and scientific publication.

About Novaliq

Novaliq is a biopharmaceutical company focusing on the development and commercialization of first- and best-in-class ocular therapeutics based on EyeSol, the worldwide first water-free technology. Novaliq offers an industry-leading portfolio addressing today's unmet medical needs of millions of patients with eye diseases. Novaliq GmbH is headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany and Novaliq Inc. has an office in Cambridge, MA, USA. The long-term shareholder is dievini Hopp BioTech holding GmbH & Co. KG, an active investor in Life and Health Sciences companies. More on www.novaliq.com.

About Bausch + Lomb

Bausch + Lomb, a leading global eye health business of Bausch Health Companies, Inc., is dedicated to protecting and enhancing the gift of sight for millions of people around the world  from the moment of birth through every phase of life. Its comprehensive portfolio of more than 400 products includes contact lenses, lens care products, eye care products, ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter products and ophthalmic surgical devices and instruments. Founded in 1853, Bausch + Lomb has a significant global research and development, manufacturing and commercial footprint with more than 12,000 employees and a presence in nearly 100 countries. Bausch + Lomb is headquartered in Vaughan, Ontario with corporate offices in Bridgewater, New Jersey. For more information, visit www.bausch.com and connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

About Bausch Health

Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE/TSX: BHC) is a global company whose mission is to improve people's lives with our health care products. We develop, manufacture and market a range of pharmaceutical, medical device and over-the-counter products, primarily in the therapeutic areas of eye health, gastroenterology and dermatology. We are delivering on our commitments as we build an innovative company dedicated to advancing global health. For more information, visit www.bauschhealth.com and connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn .

Forward-looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements, which may generally be identified by the use of the words "anticipates," "hopes," "expects," "intends," "plans," "should," "could," "would," "may," "believes," "estimates," "potential," "target," or "continue" and variations or similar expressions. These statements are based upon the current expectations and beliefs of management and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties discussed in Bausch Health's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and detailed from time to time in Bausch Health's other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Canadian Securities Administrators, which factors are incorporated herein by reference. They also include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties caused by or relating to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, and the fear of that pandemic and its potential effects, the severity, duration and future impact of which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, and which may have a material adverse impact on Bausch Health, including but not limited to its project development timelines, launches and costs (which may increase). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Bausch Health undertakes no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release or to reflect actual outcomes, unless required by law.

Novaliq Media Contact:

Simone Angstmann-Mehr

[email protected]

Bausch Health Investor Contact:

Arthur Shannon

[email protected]

(514) 865-3855

(877) 281-6642 (toll free)

Bausch Health Media Contact:

Lainie Keller

[email protected]

(908) 927-1198

References

Leonardi A, Modugno RL, Salami E. Allergy and Dry Eye Disease. Ocul Immunol Inflamm. 2021 Feb 5:1-9. doi: 10.1080/09273948.2020.1841804. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33544639. Available at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33544639/. Accessed 3/23/22. Findlay Q, Reid K. Dry eye disease: when to treat and when to refer. Aust Prescr. 2018;41(5):160-163. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2018.048. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6202299/. Accessed 3/23/22. In December 2019 , Bausch Health acquired the rights from Novaliq GmbH to pursue development and commercialization of NOV03 for DED and combination products based on NOV03 in additional ophthalmic indications in the United States and Canada .

 2022 Bausch & Lomb Incorporated or its affiliates.

BLNP.0029.USA.22

SOURCE Bausch Health Companies Inc.
Additional services include equity SRA reports, ASCE 41 Seismic evaluations, seismic policy and scope or work consulting (for lenders, owners, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac), seismic retrofit consulting and design services, and seismic risk peer review services.

The group's structural consulting services include structural conditional assessments, structural specialty consulting for property condition assessments (for both equity and debt), structural forensic investigations, and engineering peer review services.

The Seismic Services team includes:

Managing Director Joshua Marrow, P.E., SECB  Mr. Marrow, who will lead the group, brings more than two decades of experience in structural engineering and seismic risk consulting. His expertise focuses on structural design for new and existing buildings, seismic risk assessments, structural/ forensic investigations and litigation consulting, and construction engineering.

Throughout his career, Mr. Marrow has conducted several thousand seismic risk assessments. Additional experience includes construction and defect and budget analysis, and reviews of insurance claims for residential and commercial structures.

Mr. Marrow has participated in building code development committees for national and regional building code standards, served as the technical chair for a task group on seismic risk assessments, and authored seismic policies for lenders, investors and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Director Andy Yiu, P.E.  An expert in the field of seismic and structural engineering, Mr. Yiu has focused on structural design for existing buildings, seismic rehabilitation and retrofit of existing buildings, seismic risk assessments, construction engineering and building plans review.

Mr. Yiu has conducted seismic risk evaluations for commercial lenders, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, property owners and developers. Mr.Yiu has authored over 1,000 site-specific and portfolio seismic risk assessments.

Director Eddy Yau, P.E.  With a nearly decade-long career in seismic and structural engineering and construction management, Mr. Yau has expertise in structural design, seismic risk consulting, and seismic risk evaluation of existing buildings.

His construction management experience includes the city and county of San Francisco Department of Public Works, which included working on numerous projects such as the renovation of Heron's Head Park and Glen Canyon Park. He has authored numerous seismic risk assessment reports of various construction types of new and existing buildings.

Project Coordinator Ellen Wang  Ms. Wang has experience in project coordination and management of structural risk assessments and related assessment due diligence services. Earlier, she served as a business analyst and patent litigator.

Bill Britain, President of BBG Assessment, commented on the new practice group: "We are pleased to announce the formation of our Seismic Services team, which further strengthens our market-leading assessment capabilities for our expanding client base. We are thrilled that Joshua, Andy, Eddy and Ellen have joined the team, as their deep knowledge of and extensive experience in structural engineering and seismic risk will provide an important layer of technical expertise, while enhancing our reputation of providing unparalleled client service."

About BBG

BBG offers comprehensive due diligence services including valuation, advisory, assessment, desktop evaluation, energy services, cost segregation, zoning, and ALTA surveys. Headquartered in Dallas, the firm has 48 offices in key US markets and serves more than 2,800 clients. As one of the Big Five national commercial real estate valuation firms, BBG has achieved a reputation for personal attention, on-time delivery and deep expertise in multi-family, office, retail and industrial sectors. For more information about BBG and the Seismic Services Group, please visit www.bbgres.com and seismic.bbgres.com.

Media Contact

Marc Weinstein

Ascent Communications

[email protected]com

(908) 967-9958

SOURCE BBG
LONDON, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BenevolentAI (Euronext Amsterdam: BAI), a leading, clinical-stage AI-enabled drug discovery company, announces that trading in its shares is expected to begin today, following completion of the business combination of BenevolentAI Limited with Odyssey Acquisition S.A. ("Odyssey") on 22 April 2022 (the "Business Combination").

Highlights

The combined company now operates under the name BenevolentAI and will trade on Euronext Amsterdam under the ticker symbol BAI

Gross proceeds from the Business Combination of 225 million will put BenevolentAI in a strong position to accelerate the development of its clinical pipeline and deliver multiple value inflection points in the near future

BenevolentAI also intends to continue investing in its technology platform and consolidate its position in AI-enabled drug discovery

Olivier Brandicourt , the former CEO of Sanofi, and Jean Raby , the former CEO of Natixis Investment Managers, have joined the board of BenevolentAI

Background

BenevolentAI is a leading, clinical-stage AI-enabled drug discovery company headquartered in London, with a research facility in Cambridge (UK) and an office in New York. BenevolentAI, employs a total of over 300 people.

Through the combined capabilities of its AI platform, scientific expertise, and wet-lab facilities, BenevolentAI aims to deliver novel drug candidates with a higher probability of clinical success than those developed using traditional methods.

The Benevolent Platform is a disease-agnostic drug discovery platform that powers a growing in-house pipeline of over 20 drug programmes, spanning from target discovery to clinical studies across multiple therapeutic indications. BenevolentAI also maintains successful collaborations with leading pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, alongside collaborations with research and charitable institutions.

The Business Combination provides BenevolentAI with a multi-year cash runway to continue development of the Benevolent Platform and progress its pipeline of drug candidates. In particular, BenevolentAI aims to complete the Phase I/II trial for BEN-2293 (atopic dermatitis) to make it ready for out-licensing, as well as to complete the Phase I trial for BEN-8744 (ulcerative colitis) in 2023 before commencing a Phase II trial.

The BenevolentAI business model leverages the Benevolent Platform to generate new drug IP at scale and accelerate multiple novel assets to IND stage to commercialise in-house or through out-licensing agreements. Separately, BenevolentAI will seek to enter into selective strategic platform collaborations to drive greater shareholder value in disease areas that it would not currently select for in-house clinical development.

Joanna Shields, Chief Executive Officer of BenevolentAI, said: "At BenevolentAI, we set out to build a company that can bring about real transformation in drug R&D by leveraging AI and advanced technologies to improve drug efficacy, decrease failure rates and accelerate the development of new medicines. BenevolentAI is well on its way to achieving this mission.

Our revolutionary approach empowers scientists to better understand disease biology and discover more effective therapies. Today, the Benevolent Platform is fully operational, scientifically validated, and producing results, demonstrated by our in-house pipeline of over 20 platform-generated drug candidates and successful collaborations. This listing underscores our commitment to becoming a key player in the global drug discovery sector."

Dr Francois Nader, Chairman of BenevolentAI, said: "BenevolentAI is strongly positioned to unlock a new level of growth as a public company and advance its ambitious plans to scale its innovative R&D platform. The next chapter for BenevolentAI is a compelling one, as we look to strengthen our position within the AI-driven drug discovery sector and advance our mission to deliver life-changing medicines to patients. I also take pleasure in welcoming Olivier Brandicourt and Jean Raby to our Board  they bring immense experience and expertise, which will be invaluable as we pursue our value creation strategy."

Michael Zaoui, former Chairman of Odyssey, said: "The completion of the Business Combination and BenevolentAI's listing on Euronext Amsterdam marks the final step of Odyssey's journey. Again, we would like to thank our shareholders as well as all those who contributed to this result. BenevolentAI now starts its life as a public company, and we have every confidence that it will thrive in the important and exciting space of AI-led drug discovery."

Transaction summary

Through the Business Combination, BenevolentAI has received gross proceeds of 225 million.

The issued share capital of BenevolentAI now amounts to 145,126.303, divided into 137,626,303 Ordinary Shares and 7,500,000 class B shares (the "Sponsor Shares"). Following redemption of Ordinary Shares by their holders prior to closing, BenevolentAI will hold 25,137,581 Ordinary Shares in treasury.

On 25 April 2022, 5,000,000 Sponsor Shares automatically converted on a 1-to-1 basis into 5,000,000 Ordinary Shares. As a result, the share capital of BenevolentAI remains 145,126.303, divided into 142,626,303 Ordinary Shares and 2,500,000 Sponsor Shares.

Certain BenevolentAI shareholders that were shareholders in BenevolentAI Limited prior to the Business Combination and certain shareholders of Odyssey's Ordinary Shares are subject to a 180-day lock-up until 19 October 2022 and Odyssey's sponsor entity is subject to a 365-day lock-up until 22 April 2023, subject to terms set forth in the respective lock-up agreements. For more details on transaction rationale, transaction structure, and lock-up terms, please refer to the prospectus dated 22 April 2022, which can be found on the Investor section of www.benevolent.com.

ABOUT BENEVOLENTAI

BenevolentAI (AMS: BAI) is a leading, clinical-stage AI-enabled drug discovery company listed on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange. Through the combined capabilities of its AI platform, scientific expertise, and wet-lab facilities, BenevolentAI is well-positioned to deliver novel drug candidates with a higher probability of clinical success than those developed using traditional methods. BenevolentAI has a consistently proven track record of scientifically validated discoveries. The BenevolentAI Platform powers a growing in-house pipeline of over 20 drug programmes, spanning from target discovery to clinical studies, and it maintains successful collaborations with AstraZeneca, as well as leading research and charitable institutions. BenevolentAI is headquartered in London, with a research facility in Cambridge (UK) and a further office in New York.

ADVISORS

Goldman Sachs International served as exclusive financial advisor to BenevolentAI in connection with the business combination. Goldman Sachs International also acted as placement agent on the PIPE. Latham & Watkins (London) LLP, NautaDutilh Avocats Luxembourg S.a r.l. and NautaDutilh N.V. served as legal advisors to BenevolentAI.

J.P. Morgan SE and Zaoui & Co served as financial advisors to Odyssey. J.P. Morgan SE also acted as placement agent on the PIPE. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (UK) LLP, ELVINGER HOSS PRUSSEN, societe anonyme and Stibbe N.V. served as legal advisors for Odyssey.

Linklaters LLP served as legal advisor to the placement agents on the PIPE.

DISCLAIMER:

These materials may not be published, distributed or transmitted in the United States, Canada, Australia or Japan. These materials do not constitute an offer of securities for sale or a solicitation of an offer to purchase securities of BenevolentAI (the "Securities") in the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or any other jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. The Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). There will be no public offering of the Securities in the United States. The Securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act. The Securities referred to herein may not be offered or sold in Australia, Canada or Japan or to, or for the account or benefit of, any national, resident or citizen of Australia, Canada or Japan, subject to certain exceptions.

This publication constitutes neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy securities. An investment decision regarding the Securities should only be made on the basis of the prospectus, which has been approved by the Financial Sector Supervisory Commission (Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF)) and is available free of charge on the Odyssey website.

This announcement does not constitute a prospectus. BenevolentAI has not authorised any offer to the public of Securities in any Member State of the European Economic Area. With respect to any Member State of the European Economic Area (each a "Relevant Member State"), no action has been undertaken or will be undertaken to make an offer to the public of Securities requiring publication of a prospectus in any Relevant Member State. As a result, the Securities may only be offered in Relevant Member States (i) to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Regulation; or (ii) in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation. For the purpose of this paragraph, the expression "offer of securities to the public" means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the Securities to be offered so as to enable the investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for the Securities and the expression "Prospectus Regulation" means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 and includes any relevant delegated regulations.

This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and may be identified by words such as "plans", "targets", "aims", "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "will", "may", "continues", "should" and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements reflect, at the time made, BenevolentAI's beliefs, intentions and current targets/aims concerning, among other things, BenevolentAI's and its group's results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth and strategies. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding: objectives, goals, strategies, outlook and growth prospects; future plans, events or performance and potential for future growth; lease-up potentials; economic outlook and industry trends; developments of BenevolentAI's or its group's markets; the impact of regulatory initiatives; and the strength of BenevolentAI or any other member of its group's competitors. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, management's examination of historical operating trends, data contained in BenevolentAI's records (and those of other members of its group) and other data available from third parties. Although BenevolentAI believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond BenevolentAI's control.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors could cause the actual outcomes and the results of operations, financial condition and liquidity of BenevolentAI and other members of its group or the industry to differ materially from those results expressed or implied in the Information by such forward-looking statements. No assurances can be given that the forward-looking statements will be realised. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. BenevolentAI expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in their expectations with regard thereto or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any forward-looking statements are based. No representation or warranty is made that any of these forward-looking statements or forecasts will come to pass or that any forecast result will be achieved. Undue influence should not be given to, and no reliance should be placed on, any forward-looking statement.

SOURCE BenevolentAI
MIAMI, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Blockchain technology is now playing a key role in helping corporations boost their compliance program to fight corruption. One of the largest anti-corruption monitoring companies in Latin America has partnered with a blockchain solution provider to help multinationals operating worldwide keep corruption at bay.

BH Compliance, which just opened a US office in Miami, is adopting innovative technology to ensure data integrity in the fight against corporate corruption.

"We are excited to bring a new level of tech innovation to our monitoring services so our clients can rest assured our monitoring program is one of the world's best," said BH Compliance CEO Susana Sierra in Miami. "When it comes to corporate compliance, we are changing history with the implementation of blockchain. Moving forward, every piece of evidence our program generates to show a company is doing everything in its power to prevent corruption will have a digital 'fingerprint' and be guarded in our server by blockchain technology. This new level of security further adds credibility and authenticity to evidentiary documents that may be needed in the event a multinational is caught in a compliance investigation five to 10 years down the road."

A recent annual report by Transparency International revealed that the fight against corruption is stagnant worldwide, with little or no progress in the last 10 years. This grim scenario was exacerbated by the pandemic, which led to relaxing controls and increase procurement via direct deals.

About BH Compliance

BH Compliance was co-founded by entrepreneur Susana Sierra in Chile in 2011 to monitor corporation compliance programs and shed light on a company's business and financial risks. Over the years, the firm has worked with companies with a strong culture of regulatory compliance to create evidentiary reports on their best practices to protect their reputation and financial future. Some of its current and past clients include Walmart Chile, GM Financial, BCI, Itau, MetLife, Liberty Seguros, Principal and Telefonica. As an impartial third-party, BH Compliance analyzes the quality and effectiveness of a company's risk-based compliance program, the metrics a company collects and uses to help detect misconduct, and whether a compliance program is regularly reviewed to update policies, procedures and controls to meet the US Department of Justice guidelines and in-country anti-corruption laws. For more information, visit https://www.bh-compliance.com/en/

Media Contact:

Paola Iuspa-Abbott

305-726-5848

[email protected]

SOURCE BH Compliance
LONDON, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bio-Lubricants Market size is expected to Reach USD 2754.3 Million by 2027 , Registering to Accelerate at a +4.2% CAGR , According to the most recent study by Brandessence Market Research & Consulting Pvt ltd.

The Global Bio-Lubricants Market size was Valued at USD 2065.1 Million in 2020 . Increasing demand of bio-lubricants, rising environmental awareness regarding the use of conventional lubricants and growing research & development for new applications of the bio-lubricants are some of the factors anticipated to the drive the growth of the global bio-lubricants market over the forecast period. "Bio-Lubricants Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (Vegetable Oil, Animal Oil), By End-Users (Industrial Use, Commercial Transport, Consumer Automobile, Other) Based On Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2028"

Get Sample of [email protected] https://brandessenceresearch.com/requestSample/PostId/1749

Bio-lubricants market: Market Scope

The global market of the bio-lubricants has been expected to maintain growth at a modest rate in the coming few years. These lubricants are bio-based better for the environment and don't have a bad effect on the climate. The lubricants are ones which don't cause any skin inflammation that are generally caused by the lubricants that are petroleum-based.

Bio-lubricants market Key Drivers

Bio-based lubricants are friendly for skin and also have many advantages like the reduced energy usage. There is also an advantage while manufacturing the product as it requires lower cost of labor and is safer for employees too. This helps in achieving better conditions for the environment and have a better machine life and increase production. This augments growth of the global bio-based lubricants market. The bio-lubricants are manufactured by fatty acids esterification or vegetable oil trans-esterification. This kind of a process is held with alcohol with a homogenous acid catalyst being present or by the use of ion-exchange resin. It is a process which raises the cost of a lubricant. This will restrain the growth of this market.

Many research and development projects have already been completed for improving the properties of the bio-based lubricants. There are research that have found bio-lubricants to be used as substitutes for the petroleum-based oils. This provides a massive growth opportunity for the future. Among the most important sectors in the economy of our world is power generation. This is the one sector which drives the operations of every single of the manufacturing industries. There are advancements taking place in manufacturing sector and that has resulted in many new plants being commenced. This is also adding to the increase in demand for electricity in different end-user industries.

Bio-lubricants Companies

Binol Biolubricants

Total S.A.

UBL

Shell

British Petroleum

ExxonMobil

Chevron & British Petroleum

Exxon Mobil

Shell

Chevron

Renewable Lubricants

Statoil Lubricants

Panolin

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Bio-lubricants market: Recent Developments:

In March 2020 , Royal Dutch Shell announced the expansion of the lubricant production facility located at Marunda Centre, Indonesia . After the expansion, the plant will be capable of 300-million-liter lubricant production

, announced the expansion of the lubricant production facility located at Marunda Centre, . After the expansion, the plant will be capable of 300-million-liter lubricant production In December 2019 , FUCHS Group acquired 50% shares of three distributor companies based in Zimbabwe , Zambia , and Mozambique to enhance its presence in the sub-Saharan Africa region.

, FUCHS Group acquired 50% shares of three distributor companies based in , , and to enhance its presence in the sub-Saharan Africa region. In January 2018 , ExxonMobil launched Mobil SHC Aware HS (Hydraulic System) Series hydraulic oils, which provides protection in challenging marine operating environments and meet VGP requirements for EAL. This will provide the company with a competitive advantage over others in the bio-lubricants market in the marine application segment.

Bio-lubricants Market Segmentation Analysis

Segmentation of the bio-lubricants market has been done on the basis of product type into transmission, engine oil, metalworking fluid, general industrial oil, process oil, grease, gear oil and hydraulic fluid. In terms of the end-user industry, the power generation, automotive, heavy equipment, metallurgy, food and beverage and chemical manufacturing sector has been showing the greatest growth. In terms of base oil, it is expected that vegetable oil segment will be growing in the market the most.

The most dominant market position of the vegetable oil segment is attributed to the fact that it is highly biodegradable, less in toxicity and higher in lubricity. This is a growth may be attributed to the availability of the vegetable oil seeds which might be used for the raw materials. The industrial segment consists of the marine industry and the construction and agriculture industry. These are two industries which are the biggest consumers of the bio-lubricants. Further, many regulations have made it necessary that the bio-lubricants are used and are therefore used in the shipping vehicles as per the guidelines given by the world. This drives the market significantly.

Bio-lubricants Market Key Trends

Turbines here are playing a major role in the energy sector for the generation of electricity, irrespective of this source of electricity, that is the wind, hydro, solar, thermal etc. The turbines are also used in the power generation. Apart from turbines, the significant components in the sector of power generation includes the bearings, pumps, compressors, fans, hydraulic systems and gears. The wind turbines get subjected to different factors such as high pressure, humidity high loads, temperature and vibrations. The turbine and gear oils have wide usage in the sector for the purposes of lubrication.

Companies are aware already supporting the fact that the reduction of the total ownership cost across lifetime of this machinery is important for extracting the best value possible from this investment. Though, the impact of this cost is underestimated too often. Generally, the lubricant cost is going to account for a very less portion of the company's operational cost in their total expenditure.

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Reginal Analysis:

China along with the US are two powers which dominate the market. In the region of Asia-Pacific, the third largest consumer is China in the region with a growth economically. The demand sees an increase in China which is led by the development in the iron, steel, construction and cement sectors along with the demand for cooling which is also going to grow. The power demands of India will also be increasing significantly. This is coming from the high demands of buildings which comes from the air conditioning along with the high access to electricity in the country.

Government in Japan has also planned the building of many new power plants which are coal powered in the country. They are going to do this by the used of technology that is high-energy and low-emission and uses the quality black coal. There is an increase in the number of power plants and that has had a consequent effect of the use of bio-lubricants in the power plants in the coming few years. The increase all over across the region is going to drive the market in the Asia-Pacific region.

On Special Requirement Bio-lubricants Market Report is also available for below region:

North America

U.S, Canada

Europe

Germany , France,U.K., Italy, Spain, Sweden, Netherland, Turkey, Switzerland, Belgium, Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific

South_Korea, Japan, China, India, Australia, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Rest Of APAC

Latin America

Mexico , Colombia , Brazil , Argentina , Peru , Rest of Latin America

Middle East and Africa

Saudi Arabia , UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Rest Of MEA

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DETROIT, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) today announced a joint venture with Nashville-based Honest Medical Group to offer physicians comprehensive operational, clinical, and financial support for shared accountability Medicare contracts. The joint venture is the first of its kind for BCBSM and aligns with the organization's continued expansion of Blueprint for Affordability, its member-focused, value-based care and payment models.

Physician organizations can choose to work with Honest Medical Group for support in making administrative and operational changes needed to be successful in full financial-accountability Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage agreements with payers. When providers choose to enter these agreements, they often need significant resources to add or upgrade electronic medical record systems, billing systems, virtual care and other practice capabilities. Honest can provide financial and human resources to assist practices in this transformation.

"Our Medicare Advantage population typically has more chronic conditions or multiple health issues that require a higher level of coordination and management. So, we're advancing our value-based models to help members receive appropriate, high-quality, personalized health care that is more affordable. And we're making partnership decisions like this one with Honest to best support the physicians who care for our members," said Daniel J. Loepp, president and CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

Honest Medical Group was created specifically to improve the care experience and reduce costs for people with Medicare. The new partnership will transform the way care is delivered for a physician's whole Medicare patient panel, permitting physicians to use Honest Medical Group for its Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage members in any health plan. The partnership enables physicians to be successful as Blue Cross and other private and government health plans accelerate the transition to more comprehensive value-based payment models that add a deeper level of shared financial accountability among physician practices.

"This is just the beginning of a long-term partnership that we know will serve as a new model for health care companies and health plans across the country. The excitement around Honest and BCBSM stems from our belief that we can revolutionize care for people who need it most," said Adam Boehler, executive chairman and co-founder of Honest Medical Group. "We have confidence under the leadership of Dr. Aric Coffman and team that we will be successful."

As the largest health insurer in the state, Blue Cross is leading transformative change in developing and facilitating value-based care arrangements in Michigan while ensuring physicians can be successful in these arrangements. This partnership builds upon the growing spectrum of value-focused initiatives that are part of Blueprint for Affordability, a collection of value-based payment models with varying levels of physician financial accountability.

For more information, go to bcbsm.com

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit mutual insurance company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. BCBSM provides health benefits to more than 4.7 million members residing in Michigan in addition to employees of Michigan-headquartered companies residing outside the state. The company has been committed to delivering affordable health care products through a broad variety of plans for businesses, individuals and seniors for more than 80 years. Beyond health care coverage, BCBSM supports impactful community initiatives and provides leadership in improving health care. For more information, visit bcbsm.com and MiBluesPerspectives.com.

About Honest Medical Group

Honest Medical Group is a Nashville-based, privately-owned company that partners with physicians to improve their patients' care experience and to reduce costs for people with Medicare. Honest provides financial backing, real-time insights, care management teams and administrative staff so physicians can put their patients first. Honest was founded by health care innovators Adam Boehler, founder and CEO of healthcare investment firm Rubicon Founders; Abe Sutton; and Matt Kim. For more information, visit HonestMedicalGroup.com.

SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
"Those taking part enhanced their out-of-the-classroom digital learning while also focusing on community service." Tweet this

"We wanted those taking part to look at ways to enhance their out-of-the-classroom digital learning while also focusing on community service," said Heather Gate, Vice President, Digital Inclusion, CN. "The hope is that these projects will help students grow their digital skills in new ways, while also providing a strong foundation for creating positive and proactive change within their own communities."

The teams had to first earn their spot in the finalssubmitting applications earlier this year to take part. All final four teams to take part in the Kids Tech Summit earned prize money to help make their projects a reality. This is how the judges placed the competitors:

C5 Youth Foundation of Southern California located in Los Angeles, CA - $7,500 Pi515 located in Des Moines, Iowa - $5,000 Computers 4 People located in Hoboken, New Jersey - $3,500 Kahauiki Village located in Honolulu , Hawai'i - $2,000

C5LA provides students with support and guidance through high school and into their first college years. The program requires a high level of commitment from students  even requiring them to attend summer and weekend programs. The organization's community project is focused on introducing STEM to younger populations.

"Our idea is to connect STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) to the interests that kids already have," Mariela Cruz-Suarez, who is a 10th grader at Abraham Lincoln High School, said about the project. "Before last summer, I didn't know what STEM was or what to craft with it. But I've since learned that, as someone who is an aspiring entrepreneur, I use STEM to actually go from coming up with the idea to creating it myself."

If you missed the competition, you can still watch it with your kids or students by heading to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peYFIY_YwXE. You can also learn more about all the teams taking part by heading to https://connectednation.org/kids-tech-summit/.

The Kids Tech Summit is a continuation of AT&T's $10 million commitment to helping the nation's most at-risk children. Through this commitment, AT&T and Connected Nation delivered hotspots to 150 schools and nonprofits across the country in 2021, which provided connectivity for more than 40,000 vulnerable students.

SOURCE Connected Nation
MIAMI, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cano Health, Inc. (NYSE: CANO or the "Company"), a leading value-based primary care provider and population health company, will host a conference call on Monday, May 9, 2022, at 8:30 AM Eastern Time (ET) to review the Company's business and financial results for the first quarter 2022 ended March 31, 2022. A press release announcing the results will be issued earlier that morning.

To access the earnings live call and webcast, please dial (844) 684-0650 for U.S. participants, or (343) 761-2594 for international participants, referencing the Cano Health First Quarter 2022 Earnings Conference Call and Conference ID 6284596. The earnings conference call will also be webcast live in the "Events & Presentations" section of Cano Health's investor relations website (investors.canohealth.com). A replay will be available in the same section of the Cano Health website for on-demand listening shortly after the completion of the call and will be available for 30 days.

Cano Health will also host an Investor Day on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, in New York City beginning at 9:30 AM ET. During the event, Cano Health's executive leadership will make a number of presentations focusing on the Company's strategic priorities, business model, growth drivers, and financial outlook. A live webcast of the investor day presentation, along with supporting materials, will be available on the day of the event on Cano Health's investor relations website at investors.canohealth.com. A replay of the webcast and presentation materials will be available under the 'Events & Presentations' section of the company's website shortly following the completion of the event.

About Cano Health

Cano Health (NYSE: CANO) is a high-touch, technology-powered healthcare company delivering personalized, value-based primary care to more than 250,000 members. With its headquarters in Miami, Florida, Cano Health is transforming healthcare by delivering primary care that measurably improves the health, wellness, and quality of life of its patients and the communities it serves. Founded in 2009, Cano Health has more than 4,000 employees, and operates primary care medical centers and supports affiliated providers in eight states and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit canohealth.com or investors.canohealth.com.

SOURCE Cano Health, Inc.
NEW YORK, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Castle Harlan, Inc. ("Castle Harlan"), the New York-based private equity firm, today announced that it has successfully completed its sale of Tensar Corporation, a portfolio company of funds managed by Castle Harlan, to Commercial Metals Company (NYSE: CMC) ("CMC"), headquartered in Irving, Texas, for a cash purchase price of $550 million, subject to customary purchase price adjustments.

Tensar was a portfolio company of funds managed by Castle Harlan for seven years. Under Castle Harlan's ownership, Tensar grew worldwide, entered new geographies and introduced new products and technologies that can support its ongoing growth. Tensar became a leading global designer and manufacturer of geogrids products and foundation improvement technologies for infrastructure, transportation and construction markets with a positive impact on addressing the world's infrastructure needs.

"Tensar was a successful investment and a wonderful company with which to work," said Marcel Fournier, Senior Managing Director of Castle Harlan.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC was the financial advisor, and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP was legal counsel to Castle Harlan and Tensar.

About Tensar Corporation

Tensar is a leading global maker of geogrid products and Geopier foundation improvement solutions for soil reinforcement in a large variety of infrastructure and construction projects. The Company serves a broad range of markets from public roads through marine and waterways, ports, railways, energy, commercial/industrial, airports, military, residential, waste and mining. Tensar is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia.

About Castle Harlan

Castle Harlan, founded in 1987, invests in controlling interests and the development of middle-market companies throughout North America, Europe and Australia. Its team of senior investment professionals has completed over 55 acquisitions since its inception, worth an aggregate enterprise value in excess of $11 billion. The firm traces its roots to the start of the institutionalized private equity business in the late 1960s. Additional information about Castle Harlan is at www.castleharlan.com .

SOURCE Castle Harlan
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, stressed following the Party's leadership and passing down revolutionary traditions in running universities.

His visit to the university in Beijing came ahead of the country's Youth Day, which falls on May 4. On behalf of the CPC Central Committee, Xi extended festive greetings to young people of all ethnic groups nationwide.

Xi calls for more ideological-political courses for fostering students' morality

Xi went to a smart classroom for ideological-political courses, where he sat with students, listening attentively and joining their discussions.

Stressing that ideological-political classes should play their due role in fostering morality, Xi called for tailoring such education to the needs of young people at different developmental stages.

Xi expressed hopes that all young people in the country can keep in mind the Party's instructions, strive for national rejuvenation, and work hard for the best results possible.

Xi also called for strengthening the building of the instructors.

Xi tells college students to go all-out in life

When talking to the students, he told them to go all-out in life and achieve "the best performance."

Xi compared life with running, saying he hopes the students can "run as hard as they can in the track of their youth" and to "live up to the expectations of their youth, the times and the people."

Renmin University of China is among the top 10 universities in China, according to the latest ranking by independent Chinese university service Cuaa.Net. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He is among the university's famous alumni.

The history of Renmin University of China can be traced to Shanbei Public School, founded in 1937. The university has grown over the decades, with a focus on humanities and social sciences, as well as Marxism studies.

During his visit, Xi also learned about the efforts to strengthen the protection and utilization of ancient books and promote the application of theoretical research achievements.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-04-25/Xi-Jinping-inspects-Renmin-University-of-China-19w3bavqqD6/index.html

SOURCE CGTN
DENVER, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - (TSX: CWEB) (OTCQX: CWBHF) Charlotte's Web Holdings, Inc., ("Charlotte's Web" or the "Company"), the market leader in full-spectrum cannabidiol ("CBD") hemp extract wellness products, today announced management changes in finance and operations.

Charlotte's Web Board of Directors has appointed Lindsey Jensen as Chief Financial Officer replacing Wes Booysen who is departing the Company to pursue other opportunities. These changes are effective today. Ms. Jensen was most recently Vice President of Finance Sales & Operations. Ms. Jensen joined Charlotte's Web in 2019 and has more than a decade of executive financial leadership experience in the consumer-packaged goods industry at companies including Whitewave Foods and Patagonia, Inc.

Jared Stanley, Charlotte's Web co-founder and Chief Cultivation & Innovation Officer has been appointed Chief Operating Officer. Ray Kunkel, Vice President of Supply Chain, will report to Mr. Stanley. Mr. Kunkel joined the Company in 2019 and has years of experience in supply chain, including over twenty years with Procter & Gamble, and six years at Perrigo.

"I am thankful for the service and stewardship Wes has provided Charlotte's Web," said Jacques Tortoroli, CEO of Charlotte's Web. "I look forward to the incredible future we have ahead at Charlotte's Web 2.0. I couldn't be happier that Jared will serve as our Chief Operating Officer and continue to provide inspiration to our 200+ employees. He has been at my side setting our ambition and vision for CW2.0. and is the right person to take on supply chain in addition to his responsibilities leading cultivation, NPD, quality, and innovation. I am equally excited to have Lindsey leading finance. She has a keen understanding of our business and our economics that can be leveraged across the Company in her new role."

Subscribe to Charlotte's Web investor news.

About Charlotte's Web Holdings, Inc.

Charlotte's Web Holdings, Inc., a Certified B Corporation headquartered in Denver, is the market leader in innovative hemp extract wellness products under a family of brands which includes Charlotte's Web, CBD Medic, CBD Clinic, and Harmony Hemp.

Charlotte's Web was founded by the seven Stanley Brothers in 2013 when they famously developed a unique CBD hemp extract to help a little girl in need, and forever changed global perceptions around the wellness benefits of hemp. With its storied origins, Colorado-based Charlotte's Web is widely recognized around the world for its patented hemp cultivars which provide full spectrum entourage effects from its whole-plant extracts. Charlotte's Web is often referred to as "The World's Most Trusted Hemp Extract".

Charlotte's Web branded premium quality products start with proprietary hemp genetics that are 100-percent American farm grown and manufactured into hemp extracts containing naturally occurring phytocannabinoids including cannabidiol ("CBD"), CBC, CBG, terpenes, flavonoids, and other beneficial hemp compounds. The Company's CW Labs R&D division, advances hemp science at two centers of excellence in Louisville, Colorado, and the Hauptmann Woodward Research Institute at the University at Buffalo, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) network. Charlotte's Web product categories include full-spectrum hemp CBD oil tinctures (liquid products), CBD gummies (sleep, stress, exercise recovery), CBD capsules, CBD topical creams and lotions, as well as CBD pet products for dogs. Through its vertically integrated business model, Charlotte's Web maintains stringent control over product quality and consistency. In the United States, Charlotte's Web products are distributed to more than 15,000 retail, over 8,000 health care practitioners, and online through the Company's website at www.CharlottesWeb.com.

Forward-Looking Information

Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking information"). In some cases, but not necessarily in all cases, forward looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "targets", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "an opportunity exists", "is positioned", "estimates", "intends", "assumes", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate" or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances contain forward-looking information. Specifically, this news release contains forward-looking information relating to, among others: the future of Charlotte's Web and the impacts of management changes.

Statements containing forward-looking information are not historical facts but instead represent management's current expectations, estimates and projections regarding the future of our business, future plans, strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Forward-looking information is necessarily based on a number of opinions, assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the date of this news release, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. The material factors and assumptions used to develop the forward-looking information herein include, but are not limited to, the following: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; the regulatory climate in which the Company currently operates and may in the future operate; consumer interest in CBD; successful sales of the Company's products; and the success of sales and marketing activities. Important factors that could cause actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking information include, among others, the factors discussed throughout the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 available on www.SEDAR.com and www.sec.gov , and other risk factors contained in other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission available on www.sec.gov and filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities available on www.sedar.com. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking information, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

SOURCE Charlotte's Web Holdings, Inc.
DUBLIN, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "China Around View System (AVS) Suppliers and Technology Trends Report, 2021 - Chinese Brands" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Research on Chinese Brands' Around View System: AVS Going to Integrate with Features of ADAS and Transparent Chassis

The report "China Around View System (AVS) Suppliers and Technology Trends Report, 2021 - Chinese Brands", sorts and analyzes the Chinese OEMs' around view functions, Chinese AVS suppliers' technologies, typical Chinese manufacturers of AVS components, and the AVS development tendencies.

AVS (Around (Surround) View System) serves as a system that delivers real-time imaging to the driver in a 360-degree range around the vehicle at low speeds (excluding systems with only rear cameras).

Chinese Brands Dominate the Market in Terms of AVS Installations

From January to November of 2021, AVS was available onto 4.266 million vehicles in China, an upsurge of 49.2% year-on-year; the installation rate of AVS registered 23.6%, a rise of 6 percentage points on an annualized basis, according to the publisher. Elaborately, local Chinese brands' AVS installations accounted for 62.0%, an increase of 5.6 percentage points year-on-year, among which Haval, Changan and BYD stand at the first tier; while Geely, Hongqi, Roewe and Lynk&co were in the second echelon.

By price, from January to November 2021, Chinese brand models priced between RMB100,000-RMB150,000 constitute the largest part of AVS installations, reaching 1,366,000 vehicles, sharing 51.7%, and the local brands AVS installation rate in this range is 48.1%, up 4.3 percentage points year-on-year, followed by the Chinese brand models priced at RMB150,000-RMB200,000 and a total of 496,000 vehicles installed with AVS, accounting for 18.8%, and the local brand AVS installation rate in this range is 67.0%, up 8.3 points year-on-year.

By models, from January to November 2021, the top three Chinese brands' models in terms of installation were Haval H6 (208,000 units), Changan CS75 (156,000 units) and Hongqi HS5 (100,000 units).

In future, AVS installation rate will rise further with the cost reduction brought by gradual integration of AVS into the cockpit domain as well as the popularization of parking solutions combining surround view and ultrasonic.

Chinese OEMs' around view function gets continuously optimized, expanding to transparent chassis and ADAS function

The AVS of Chinese OEMs is functionally evolving from a single 360 panoramic view in the past to rich ADAS features (such as moving object detection and warning (MOD), lane departure warning (LDW), and driving recorder, etc.) and transparent chassis.

For instance, Haval H6S (launched in October 2021) is added with 180-degree transparent chassis based on 360-degree panoramic image, which can realize 0%, 50% and 100% transparency settings; Trumpchi GS8 (unveiled in December 2021) has the AVS not only enabling 2D/3D panorama, MOD (moving object detection), driving recorder, and transparent chassis functions, but with a fusion of ultrasonic to achieve APA automatic parking.

Surround view cameras move toward higher pixel and more powerful perception

For clearer imaging, Chinese AVS suppliers are aggressively developing high pixel surround view cameras.

Ofilm, for example, spawned 2-megapixel HD surround view cameras in September 2021 and is working on 5-megapixel (to be launched in 2023) and 8-megapixel. SOE, a subsidiary of Minth Group, has upgraded its camera pixels from traditional VGA and current popular 1.3-megapixel HD camera to 2-megapixel FHD products, also with a plan for improvement to 8 megapixels in future.

CalmCar, in cooperation with ZF, provides 192 fisheye cameras embedded with deep learning-based garage position recognition to enable higher perception capability in the AVP system based on surround view.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Overview of AVS in China

1.1 Definition of Automotive AVS System

1.2 Automotive AVS System Composition

1.3 AVS Installations and Installation Rate of Passenger Vehicles in China, 2020-2025E

1.4 AVS Installations, Installation Rate and Percentage of Local Brands in China, 2020-2021

1.5 Chinese Brands' AVS Installations and YoY, 2020-2021 (by Month)

1.6 Chinese Brands' AVS Installation Rate and YoY, 2020-2021 (by Month)

1.7 Chinese Brands' AVS Installations and Installation Rate, 2020-2021 (by Price)

1.8 Chinese Brands' AVS Installations and Installation Rate, 2020-2021 (by Brand)

1.9 Chinese Brands' AVS Installations and Installation Rate, 2020-2021 (by Model)



2 Chinese OEMs' Around View Functions

2.1 Comparison of Around View Functions

2.2 Changan Automobile

2.3 Great Wall Motor

2.4 BYD

2.5 GAC Trumpchi

2.6 Geely

2.7 NIO

2.8 FAW Hongqi

2.9 HOZON

2.10 Lixiang Automotive

2.11 Xpeng Motors



3 Chinese AVS Suppliers

3.1 Summarized Analysis - Basic Information

3.2 Summarized Analysis - Comparison of Surround View Cameras (for Passenger Vehicles)

3.3 Summarized Analysis - Comparison of Surround View Systems (for Passenger Vehicles)

3.4 ZongMu Technology

3.6 INVO

3.7 HSAE

3.8 Hikvision

3.9 BYD

3.10 Voyager

3.11 oToBrite

3.12 Longhorn

3.13 Minth Group

3.14 Ofilm

3.15 Softec

3.16 Coligen

3.17 TungThih Electronic

3.18 Dahua Technology

3.19 ADAYO



4 AVS Industry Chain and Components Suppliers in China

4.1 Upstream and Downstream Composition of Around View Camera Industry Chain

4.2 Upstream and Downstream Composition of the Overall AVS Industry Chain in China

4.3 Representative Chinese Suppliers of AVS Components

4.4 Typical Chinese Suppliers of AVS Components - In-vehicle Lens and Camera Module Field: Sunny Opotech

4.5 Typical Chinese Suppliers of AVS Components - In-vehicle Lens and Camera Module Field: Lianchuang Electronic

4.6 Typical Chinese Suppliers of AVS Components - In-vehicle CIS Field: Will Semiconductor

4.7 Typical Chinese Suppliers of AVS Components - In-vehicle CIS Field: SmartSens Technology



5 AVS Development Tendencies in China

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/zdrzmv

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets
While most people instinctively run away from a fire, Dr. Monzer Yazji is the kind of person who runs into one

PARK RIDGE, Ill., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- While most people instinctively run away from a fire, Dr. Monzer Yazji is the kind of person who runs into one. There are millions of people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, but Dr. Yazji has already made three trips to Eastern Ukraine to use his medical skills to help people injured in the war. Despite shortages of water, electricity, and medical supplies, Dr. Yazji and his Ukrainian colleagues perform as many as half a dozen surgeries a day, including skin grafts to victims of bombings. Dr. Yazji is no stranger to conflict-related injuries. In the past he has run missions in Haiti and as well as over 30 missions in Syria. Through those experiences, he has become a specialist in providing care to patients in conflict zones.

Dr. Yazji is the Clinical Dean of Saint James School of Medicine and an accomplished physician in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. He owns and operates several medical practices in the region and sits on the boards of directors of various associations and organizations such as South Texas Health Systems and Cornerstone Regional Hospital.

"As physicians, it is our first duty and ethical responsibility to help every needy person in the world," said Dr. Yazji. However, the risk and peril he undertakes is not lost on him. "Whenever I leave my home and travel to a war zone, I get a one-way ticket," says an emotional Dr. Yazji.

In Ukraine, he not only provides medical support, but also provides mental nourishment to local doctors as well by showing them they are not alone and not forgotten. Being Syrian American, Dr. Yazji can relate very well to what his Ukrainian colleagues are going through.

"Dr. Yazji may be the closest thing the medical profession has to a superhero," said Kaushik Guha, Executive Vice President of Saint James School of Medicine. "Through his actions and his leadership as a medical educator, he is inspiring a next generation of doctors who will emulate his actions. We deeply appreciate his ability to inspire students to selflessly help people in need, because we certainly need more doctors like him in this world."

Saint James School of Medicine (SJSM) is a Caribbean Medical School that offers an affordable medical education to individuals throughout the world who wish to pursue their dream of a career in medicine. SJSM is committed to training students to think, solve problems, and apply their knowledge to the care and wellbeing of their patients, and society. SJSM believes that a high-quality medical education should be affordable and accessible to everyone.

Related Links:

Website: https://www.sjsm.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mdsjsm

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaintJamesMed

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/SaintJamesMed

SOURCE Saint James School of Medicine
Buy or Sell Bitcoin in Dubai at Coinsfera Bitcoin store. The most reliable cryptocurrency exchange shop in UAE.

DUBAI, UAE, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Coinsfera is a local bitcoin shop in Dubai that specializes in cryptocurrency exchanging with cash. It now works in four cities: Dubai, Istanbul, Kosovo, and London. Since 2015, Coinsfera has helped thousands of people to transfer their cryptocurrencies to cash and vice versa.

Coinsfera is a Bitcoin store in UAE where you can Buy or Sell Bitcoin in Dubai

Coinsfera has been awarded by the largest blockchain conference in the MENA and Eurasia area. The Coinsfera Bitcoin store in Dubai, the UAE's capital, provides access to the NFT space. Coinsfera is a well-known business in Dubai, offering a comprehensive range of crypto services. Coinsfera is an OTC crypto exchange which is in the city center. It makes sell or Buy Bitcoin in Dubai more accessible.

Sell Bitcoin (BTC) in Dubai

You can buy and trade Bitcoin, which is one of the most popular cryptocurrencies, at Coinsfera. When it comes to selling bitcoin, Coinsfera stands out from other exchanges in Dubai because of its competitive price, ability to convert huge amounts of bitcoin, and quick transactions. Coinsfera allows users to exchange over 2000 cryptocurrencies, in addition to selling Bitcoin in Dubai.

During all this time, Coinsfera has built a reputation as a reliable exchange, with thousands of users exchanging Bitcoin for cash and other cryptocurrencies. If you are based in Dubai and want to buy or sell Bitcoin in Dubai with cash which is nowadays very important worldwide, Coinsfera is your best shot.

Buy and sell Bitcoin in Dubai at Coinsfera Bitcoin Shop after new laws

The new policy change that is announced back will result in a surge in demand for a wide range of cryptocurrency services. Anyone who wants to exchange Bitcoin to cash in Dubai can do so at Coinsfera Bitcoin shop , which is equipped with the latest equipment. Professional personnel will assist not just individuals who are already involved in crypto, but also those who have recently entered the digital currency revolution, given their years of experience. Coinsfera will serve them to sell bitcoin in Dubai and sell USDT in Dubai fast and securely.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai's vice president, has introduced the new crypto law. Even after the new rule takes effect, Coinsfera Bitcoin Shop will continue to help crypto fans safely and quickly purchase and sell Bitcoin in Dubai . Dubai has declared that new cryptocurrency restrictions will be implemented. In the national markets, this trend has been going on for a long. The new legislation will not apply to the Dubai International Financial Center, often known as the Dubai Free Zone, because the governing body is different.

The significance of cryptocurrency exchange in Dubai

New digital currency regulations are adopted almost every year. Those rules are being adopted to regulate or enable bitcoin transactions in a safe and legal way. To name a few, the Dubai administration declared sanctions for crypto scams late last year, prior to the new regulation. All this time, crypto enthusiasts could Buy Bitcoin in Dubai without any hassle.

The unavoidable necessity for crypto assets is the major motivation for regulation. The popularity of crypto services has exploded in recent years. Enacting policies that make it easier for customers and businesses to utilize crypto safely is the only way to keep track of transactions. Coinsfera is one of the best exchanges in Dubai for addressing both parties' needs by allowing them to buy and sell Bitcoin in Dubai.

https://www.coinsfera.com/buy-bitcoin-in-dubai/

https://www.coinsfera.com/sell-bitcoin-in-dubai/

Company Name: Coinsfera

Email: [email protected]

Phone. +971 58 535 0505

Address. Jumeirah Lake Towers, Cluster F, Indigo-Icon tower, Office # 501, 5th floor  Dubai, UAE

About Coinsfera

Coinsfera is an OTC cryptocurrency exchange shop where you can securely buy and sell any cryptocurrency with cash in Dubai, Istanbul, London and Kosovo.

PRESS CONTACT

NAME

Coinsfera

PHONE

0585350505

WEBSITE

https://www.coinsfera.com

SOURCE Coinsfera
The city's 1,725 projects with the investment volume over CNY 100 million each achieved commencement and resumption. The projects cover many fields, such as industrial structure adjustment, scientific and technological innovation, new urbanization, ecological environmental protection and social undertakings.

Shenyang paid attention to the epidemic prevention and control of project start-up and resumption, formulated the work plan of project start-up and resumption during the epidemic, implemented the zoning, classification and localized management of project resumption, balancing epidemic prevention and control and project resumption. Shenyang has issued a series of policies to benefit enterprises to support their operation and development.

In 2022, Shenyang plans to promote the commencement and resumption of over 2,000 projects with the investment volume over CNY 100 million each, and complete an investment of over CNY 205 billion, an increase of 15% year on year. Shenyang will strive to commence and resume over 2,200 projects with the investment volume over CNY 100 million each, complete an investment of over CNY 225 billion, an increase of 20% year on year. Shenyang also plans to reserve more than 3,000 projects with the investment volume over CNY 100 million each, with a total investment of CNY 2.9 trillion.

Shenyang will take the construction of these projects as the top priority to promote revitalization and development, and contribute to economic and social development.

Image Attachments Links:

Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=419746

Caption: Concentrated commencement of major projects in Shenyang

SOURCE The Information Office of Shenyang People's Government
SALT LAKE CITY, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CoNextions Inc. (www.conextionsmed.com), an innovator in tendon repair, is pleased to announce that CoNextions TR Tendon Repair System has received FDA 510(k) Clearance. Expected to launch in May 2022, the novel system addresses traumatic tendon lacerations in the hand, wrist, and forearm. "We are pleased with the outcome of the FDA's review of our 510(k) submission supported by a ninety patient clinical trial and are excited about the upcoming introduction and commercial launch of the product," said Jeffrey Barnes, President and CEO of CoNextions. Dan Gruppo, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, explained, "Our network of independent sales distributors is well positioned to offer the CoNextions TR device to orthopaedic surgeons both in the US and abroad as a better alternative to the current standard of care." Studies have demonstrated the CoNextions TR enables a stronger, faster and smoother repair of tendon lacerations. A prospective randomized clinical trial also showed a lower rate of treatment failure and rupture compared to conventional suture repairs. The CoNextions TR device is another example of CoNextions' commitment to providing innovative and advanced solutions for soft-tissue repair leading to improved patient outcomes and surgeon experience. CoNextions Medical continues to revolutionize tendon repair.
Planet Awards Support Projects in Southeast Michigan and Kalamazoo Area

JACKSON, Mich., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Consumers Energy Foundation celebrated Earth Month today by providing $500,000 for three projects that will make a significant impact on Michigan's environment  preserving freshwater resources, planting 1,000 trees and protecting habitat for Michigan's wildlife.

The Macomb County Department of Planning & Economic Development, Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority and Oshtemo Charter Township are the recipients of the Foundation's third Planet Awards. The grants aim to preserve, restore and protect Michigan's natural resources.

"Consumers Energy is committed to ensuring Michigan has world-class natural resources. Our Planet Awards represent that commitment in action," said Brandon Hofmeister, president of the Consumers Energy Foundation. "We're excited to support these projects and confident they will significantly help preserve Michigan's natural beauty."

The three winning projects are:

Macomb County , $250,000  The Green Macomb Urban Forest Partnership will enhance the county's urban tree canopy and plant 1,000 trees, 1,500 native shrubs, and 40 acres of pollinator habitat on public land throughout communities that include Mount Clemens , Harrison Township and Clinton Township . Additional planting opportunities will be offered to Shelby Township , Macomb Township , Roseville , Eastpointe , Warren , St. Clair Shores , Sterling Heights , Utica and Center Line .

The Green Macomb Urban Forest Partnership will enhance the county's urban tree canopy and plant 1,000 trees, 1,500 native shrubs, and 40 acres of pollinator habitat on public land throughout communities that include , and . Additional planting opportunities will be offered to , , , , , , , and . Oshtemo Township ( Kalamazoo County ), $150,000  Oshtemo Charter Township and the Kalamazoo Nature Center will team up to restore the ecological health of a two-mile section of the historic Fruit Belt Rail Corridor and provide hands-on environmental education and stewardship opportunities focused on climate resilience.

Oshtemo Charter Township and the Kalamazoo Nature Center will team up to restore the ecological health of a two-mile section of the historic Fruit Belt Rail Corridor and provide hands-on environmental education and stewardship opportunities focused on climate resilience. Brighton , $100,000  The Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority's "Healing the Huron River Headwaters" project will restore the forested wetland and floodplain habitats that make up the headwater area of the Huron River. The two-year project will include planting native replacement trees in areas where ash and oak trees were killed by pests and disease. It will also include restoration and enhancement of native pollinator habitat in nearby prairies and meadows.

Planet Awards winners in 2021 were Huron Pines Resource Conservation & Development Council, Au Sable Institute, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy and Bay Area Community Foundation.

The Consumers Energy Foundation is the charitable arm of Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest energy provider. The Foundation enables communities to thrive and grow by investing in what's most important to Michigan  its people, our planet and Michigan's prosperity. In 2021, the Consumers Energy Foundation, Consumers Energy, its employees and retirees contributed over $17.5 million to Michigan nonprofits. For more information, visit www.ConsumersEnergy.com/foundation.

Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest energy provider, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.8 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

For more information about Consumers Energy, go to ConsumersEnergy.com .

Check out Consumers Energy on Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/consumersenergymichigan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/consumersenergy

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/consumersenergy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consumersenergy

SOURCE Consumers Energy
WASHINGTON, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency's SpaceX Crew-4 mission, which will send astronauts to the International Space Station.

The launch is targeted for 3:52 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 27, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft, dubbed Freedom by the mission's crew, is scheduled to dock to the space station at 8:15 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 27.

Prelaunch activities, launch, and docking will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency's website.

The Crew-4 flight will carry Mission Commander Kjell Lindgren, Pilot Bob Hines, and Mission Specialist Jessica Watkins, all NASA astronauts, and Mission Specialist Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency).

The mission is the fourth crew rotation to fly on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket, and the fifth SpaceX flight with NASA astronauts  including the Demo-2 test flight in 2020 to the space station  as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program.

All media participation in the following news conferences will be remote except where specifically listed below. The deadline has passed for media accreditation for in-person coverage of this launch. More information about media accreditation is available by emailing: [email protected].

NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern):

Tuesday, April 26

7 a.m. (approximately)  Prelaunch news teleconference at Kennedy (no earlier than one hour after completion of the launch readiness review) with the following participants:

Steve Stich , manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy

, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy Joel Montalbano , manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson

, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson Zeb Scoville , chief flight director, Flight Operations Directorate, NASA Johnson

, chief flight director, Flight Operations Directorate, NASA Johnson Jessica Jensen , vice president, customer operations and integration, SpaceX

, vice president, customer operations and integration, SpaceX Josef Aschbacher , director general, ESA

, director general, ESA Arlena Moses , launch weather officer, U.S. Space Force 45th Weather Squadron

Media may ask questions via phone only. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 6 a.m. on April 26 at: [email protected].

9 a.m.  NASA administrator media briefing on NASA TV with the following participants:

Bill Nelson , NASA administrator

, NASA administrator Bob Cabana, NASA associate administrator

Kathryn Lueders , associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington

, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Josef Aschbacher , director general, ESA

, director general, ESA Heidi Parris , associate program scientist for the International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson

Media may ask questions in-person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 8 a.m. on Tuesday, April 26, at: [email protected].

Wednesday, April 27

12 a.m.  NASA Television mission commentary coverage begins

3:52 a.m.  Launch

5:30 a.m. (approximately) - Postlaunch news conference

Bill Nelson , NASA administrator

, NASA administrator Kathryn Lueders , associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters

, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters Steve Stich , manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston

, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA's Johnson Space Center in Joel Montalbano , manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson

, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson Jessica Jensen , vice president, customer operations and integration, SpaceX

, vice president, customer operations and integration, SpaceX Josef Aschbacher , director general, ESA

Media may ask questions in-person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27, at: [email protected].

8:15 p.m. (approximately)  Docking

9:45 p.m. (approximately)  Hatch Opening

Thursday, April 28

2:40 a.m. (approximately)  Welcome Ceremony from the International Space Station

NASA TV Launch Coverage

NASA TV live coverage will begin at 12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135. A "clean feed" of the launch without NASA TV commentary will be carried on the NASA TV media channel.

NASA Website Launch Coverage

Launch day coverage of NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 mission will be available on the agency's website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our launch blog at:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz and UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, FM mode, heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

Attend the launch virtually

Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. NASA's virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following a successful launch.

Watch and engage on social media

Let people know you're following the mission on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Dragon and #NASASocial. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:

Twitter: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab, @SpaceX

Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab

Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab, @SpaceX

Did you know NASA has a Spanish section called NASA en Espanol? Make sure to check out NASA en Espanol on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for more coverage on Crew-4.

Para obtener informacion sobre cobertura en espanol en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en espanol, comuniquese con Antonia Jaramillo 321-501-8425 [email protected].

NASA will provide a live video feed of Launch Complex 39A beginning Monday morning. Pending unlikely technical issues, the feed will be uninterrupted through launch.

Once the feed is live, you will find it here:

https://youtube.com/kscnewsroom

NASA's Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is changing the arc of human spaceflight history by opening access to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station for more people, more science, and more commercial opportunities. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.

For NASA's launch blog and more information about the mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

SOURCE NASA
MOORESTOWN, N.J., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Denton Vacuum LLC today announced it has won a new system order for encapsulation from a leading North American OLED display manufacturer. The system is based on Denton's production level Discovery sputtering platform utilizing Denton's patented Inverted Cylindrical Magnetron (ICM) architecture. The system provides dense, optically clear films with unparalleled uniformity on 200mm wafers.

Dr. David Douglass, Senior Product Manager at Denton Vacuum, comments, "our ICM technology provides unique capabilities for both flat film and 3 dimensional coatings. For OLED encapsulation, we can deposit films with excellent optical quality that minimizes light loss while being dense enough to provide an oxygen barrier."

He adds, "For flat films, we can achieve less than 0.5% non-uniformity over a 200mm wafers. This uniformity is inherent in the architecture and requires no masking or beam shaping, and it enables multiple applications including precision optical filters and ultra-high uniformity seed layers. We can also achieve similar uniformity on curved optics."

Denton's unique patented PVD and CVD technologies enable it to provide display manufacturers with solutions to their most challenging manufacturing requirements. Frank Cumbo, President and CEO of Denton Vacuum, explained, "We are engaged in technology demonstration programs with several tier one companies. We're adding expanded demo capabilities for both ICM sputtering applications and Plasma Ion Beam based CVD using our patented, new-to-the-world linear plasma ion beam technology. This enables us to enter new markets such as glass and plastic displays, wear-resistant coatings, and automotive glass."

These sources and technologies are suitable for high volume production and are compatible with Denton's Versa cluster tool platform for wafer-based applications. Their lengths are scalable to over a meter in the Phoenix linear transport platform for large area substrate manufacturing. For pilot production and industrial R&D, Denton Vacuum offers a versatile drum style batch system and single substrate modules.

For more information, contact Dr Douglass at [email protected]

About Denton Vacuum LLC

Denton Vacuum empowers the optoelectronic and semiconductor markets, helping engineers optimize processes and solve production challenges while improving manufacturing yields and gaining efficiency and throughput. Denton enables predictable, repeatable performance in a wide process window. Denton's breadth of technologies pave the way in advancing diverse applications from electron microscopy and microanalyses to providing market-leading solutions for IR detectors, semiconductor lasers and precision optics.

Visit our website at www.dentonvacuum.com or call toll free 1-800-666-6004.

SOURCE Denton Vacuum LLC
A young girl chases her dreams and becomes a veterinarian in this imaginative and playfully illustrated picture book with an empowering message.

AMHERST, Mass., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Young Rosie loves watching her mom, a veterinarian, take care of all kinds of animals. She especially enjoys learning about the animals and helping them get better. When Rosie takes a rest from asking lots of questions, she finds herself in a dream where she meets an octopus, a crocodile, a giraffe, and more. One by one, Rosie uses her knowledge to help each animal, often using natural remedies she learned from her mother. Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals, published by Waterbear Publishing, is a clever and spirited debut picture book from author Jennifer Welborn and illustrator Rozillia MH.

Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals cover Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals

The story of Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals is fictitious, but is based on the experiences of real-world veterinarians, who also provided information about the animal symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments. Artist Rozillia MH was inspired to illustrate the story's main character through her own vision of what the young child would look like: a smart, curious, caring, and empowered girl.

Jennifer, a veteran teacher with a degree in wildlife management, and Rozillia, an educator with a degree in linguistics, both feel strongly about the lack of female representation in STEM professions, which is particularly true of BIPOC women. For their picture book, it was important to create relatable, accessible, diverse characters as role models for children. They hope readers see themselves in the characters and are inspired to chase after their dreams.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, approximately 2% of veterinarians in the U.S. are African American. To help redress this underrepresentation, some of the proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the Dr. Jodie G. Blackwell Scholarship Fund, which has been set up to support African American veterinarian students [ https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/535153068/why-are-veterinarians-always-white ].

Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals' launch date is April 30, 2022 (World Veterinary Day).

For more information about the author Jennifer Welborn, illustrator Rozillia MH, and Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals, please contact us via email: [email protected] or visit the website: https://www.jenniferwelbornauthor.com/ .

Contact: Jennifer Welborn, M.Ed.

Email: [email protected]

Website: jenniferwelbornauthor.com

SOURCE Waterbear Publishing
MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Systems With Intelligence, (SWI), has announced a partnership with Util-Assist to provide a complete, turn-key, monitoring and security response service for electric power utilities.

One of the many challenges utilities have is securing their remote sites and equipment.

With their skilled workers already at capacity and consistently shrinking budgets, utilities will often choose to channel their resources to perform more urgent maintenance tasks over monitoring their remote sites and assets.

Preventing unauthorized access to these sites increases the safety of workers and the public while decreasing utility costs due to theft, vandalism, and the resulting outages. Depending on location and other unique circumstances, utilities may not have the personnel or skill set to handle unauthorized access incidents which may lead to injuries and damage to the system.

"With growing needs for security and mandates coming from government regulations, utilities are being forced to increase their security measures," said Angelo Rizzo, president and CEO of Systems With Intelligence. "Many utilities don't have the security training and prefer to focus on their core competency which is delivering power. Partnering with Util-Assist, we now have a complete utility monitoring and security responsive system to offer our customers."

SecureAssist is Util-Assist's advanced video security monitoring solution. The 24/7 service leverages SWI's leading edge, substation grade monitoring system to detect and identify security threats.

SecureAssist sets itself apart from regular video monitoring services as its only customers are in the utility and critical infrastructure space.

"Every substation intrusion results in some type of damage, with repair costs ranging from several hundred to several hundred thousand dollars," said Mark Henderson, President of Util-Assist. "SecureAssist is a proactive security solution, specifically designed for utilities to protect mission-critical infrastructure. Coupled with SWI's leading edge technology, the SecureAssist real-time monitoring, deterrence, and response system delivers multiple protective layers to keep our utility customers' infrastructure secure."

SecureAssist is staffed with specially trained and skilled agents who understand utility systems, processes, and equipment, and can effectively triage and respond to site-initiated intrusion alarms.

The team includes experts with decades of experience in the utility sector and specifically the utility security space. The senior team has Canadian government security clearances and participates at the highest levels of the industry in developing security standards for utilities.

"Util-Assist has extensive utility security experience and has developed procedures to handle any situation, from talking down intruders or escalating to the local authorities," said Angelo Rizzo. "With the cutting-edge monitoring services from SecureAssist, we can support the customer with security action based on what the SWI motioning system relays to the SecureAssist team. Together we provide the utility with a complete monitoring and security package."

Specific SWI products include the ability to add on the SecureAssist service from Util-Assist. Pricing and service support levels are unique to each customer's requirements.

Since its beginning, Systems With Intelligence has been supplying remote monitoring solutions to utilities that automatically detect intrusions and equipment anomalies that provide alarms to operators and the control center. These alarms can happen at any time and require the utility to investigate and respond. That is where Util-Assist comes in with their SecureAssist monitoring service.

Quick Facts  Util-Assist

Founded in 2005, Util-Assist began by supporting 50+ Ontario utilities move to advanced metering infrastructure

utilities move to advanced metering infrastructure Util-Assist expanded its offerings to include fully managed utility services, such as PowerAssist and SecureAssist, and innovative software and smart grid solutions

With over 150 employees, Util-Assist serves utility customers throughout Canada and the U.S.

Quick Facts  Systems With Intelligence

Systems With Intelligence is a Canadian company, founded in 2009

Systems With Intelligence Touchless monitoring systems are installed in over 100 utilities worldwide

Systems With Intelligence senior management team has over 100 years of collective experience in utility asset monitoring and communications technologies

For more information contact:

Angelo Rizzo - President & CEO Systems With Intelligence

+1-289-562-0126

About Util-Assist

Established in 2005, Util-Assist has been at the forefront of the smart grid movement since the very beginning. Util-Assist's solutions merge technology with strategy to streamline processes, boost productivity, enable data-driven business decisions, and deliver enhanced customer experiences, transforming how utilities operate and deliver value to their customers.

Util-Assist's mission is to develop simplified solutions to position our clients as leaders in efficiency, innovation, and conservation. With professional and managed services for electricity, water, and gas, utilities rely on us to help them drive digital innovation.

Util-Assist understands the utility perspective and has developed innovative, compelling solutions to address utility needs, increase efficiencies, and ensure best value. By continually monitoring the evolving industry and keeping pace with technological advances, Util-Assist has been able to develop new products and services that allow us to consistently stay one step ahead of utilities' emerging needs.

For more information, please visit www.util-assist.com.

About Systems With Intelligence

Systems With Intelligence Inc. is a global provider of Touchless monitoring solutions for electric utility applications. SWI systems collect and analyze the data that allows utilities to increase safety and reliability while reducing operating costs. Coupling thermal monitoring and visual imaging technology with advanced analytic algorithms, Systems With Intelligence solutions automate remote site monitoring. Systems With Intelligence products are engineered to operate in the harshest environments, withstand high levels of electromagnetic interference, static discharge and voltage surges found in industrial applications to ensure uninterrupted operation. Providing a monitoring system that operates reliably and connects seamlessly allows customers to remain focussed on their operations.

The Systems With Intelligence management and technical teams are comprised of professionals with extensive experience in advanced technology for mission critical applications in harsh environments. With domain expertise in substation and industrial automation, communications and utility operations our team is uniquely positioned to deliver effective and intelligent monitoring solutions.

For more information on Touchless monitoring solutions by Systems With Intelligence, visit the company's official website at www.SystemsWithIntelligence.com.

SOURCE Systems With Intelligence
SAN FRANCISCO, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an entity wholly owned by Elon Musk, for $54.20 per share in cash in a transaction valued at approximately $44 billion. Upon completion of the transaction, Twitter will become a privately held company.

Under the terms of the agreement, Twitter stockholders will receive $54.20 in cash for each share of Twitter common stock that they own upon closing of the proposed transaction. The purchase price represents a 38% premium to Twitter's closing stock price on April 1, 2022, which was the last trading day before Mr. Musk disclosed his approximately 9% stake in Twitter.

Bret Taylor, Twitter's Independent Board Chair, said, "The Twitter Board conducted a thoughtful and comprehensive process to assess Elon's proposal with a deliberate focus on value, certainty, and financing. The proposed transaction will deliver a substantial cash premium, and we believe it is the best path forward for Twitter's stockholders."

Parag Agrawal, Twitter's CEO, said, "Twitter has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire world. Deeply proud of our teams and inspired by the work that has never been more important."

"Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated," said Mr. Musk. "I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans. Twitter has tremendous potential  I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it."

Transaction Terms and Financing

The transaction, which has been unanimously approved by the Twitter Board of Directors, is expected to close in 2022, subject to the approval of Twitter stockholders, the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.

Mr. Musk has secured $25.5 billion of fully committed debt and margin loan financing and is providing an approximately $21.0 billion equity commitment. There are no financing conditions to the closing of the transaction.

For further information regarding all terms and conditions contained in the definitive transaction agreement, please see Twitter's Current Report on Form 8-K, which will be filed in connection with the transaction.

First Quarter 2022 Earnings Results

Twitter plans to release its first quarter fiscal year 2022 results before market open on April 28, 2022. In light of the pending transaction announced today, Twitter will not hold a corresponding conference call.

Advisors

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan, and Allen & Co. are serving as financial advisors to Twitter, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP are serving as legal counsel. Morgan Stanley is acting as lead financial advisor to Mr. Musk. BofA Securities and Barclays are also acting as financial advisors. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is serving as legal counsel.

About Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR)

Twitter is what's happening and what people are talking about right now. To learn more, visit about.twitter.com and follow @Twitter. Let's talk.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

Twitter, its directors and certain executive officers are participants in the solicitation of proxies from stockholders in connection with the pending acquisition of Twitter (the "Transaction"). Twitter plans to file a proxy statement (the "Transaction Proxy Statement") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") in connection with the solicitation of proxies to approve the Transaction. Additional information regarding such participants, including their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be included in the Transaction Proxy Statement and other relevant documents to be filed with the SEC in connection with the Transaction. Information relating to the foregoing can also be found in Twitter's definitive proxy statement for its 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the "2022 Proxy Statement"), which was filed with the SEC on April 12, 2022. To the extent that holdings of Twitter's securities have changed since the amounts printed in the 2022 Proxy Statement, such changes have been or will be reflected on Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC. Promptly after filing the definitive Transaction Proxy Statement with the SEC, Twitter will mail the definitive Transaction Proxy Statement and a WHITE proxy card to each stockholder entitled to vote at the special meeting to consider the Transaction. STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE TRANSACTION PROXY STATEMENT (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT TWITTER WILL FILE WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Stockholders may obtain, free of charge, the preliminary and definitive versions of the Transaction Proxy Statement, any amendments or supplements thereto, and any other relevant documents filed by Twitter with the SEC in connection with the Transaction at the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov). Copies of Twitter's definitive Transaction Proxy Statement, any amendments or supplements thereto, and any other relevant documents filed by Twitter with the SEC in connection with the Transaction will also be available, free of charge, at Twitter's investor relations website (https://investor.twitterinc.com) or by writing to Twitter, Inc., Attention: Investor Relations, 1355 Market Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, California 94103.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding: the Transaction, including the expected timing of the closing of the Transaction; considerations taken into account by Twitter's Board of Directors in approving the Transaction; and expectations for Twitter following the closing of the Transaction. If any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if any of Twitter's assumptions prove incorrect, Twitter's actual results could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Additional risks and uncertainties include those associated with: the possibility that the conditions to the closing of the Transaction are not satisfied, including the risk that required approvals from Twitter's stockholders for the Transaction or required regulatory approvals to consummate the Transaction are not obtained; potential litigation relating to the Transaction; uncertainties as to the timing of the consummation of the Transaction; the ability of each party to consummate the Transaction; possible disruption related to the Transaction to Twitter's current plans and operations, including through the loss of customers and employees; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in the periodic reports that Twitter files with the SEC, including Twitter's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 16, 2022, which may be obtained on the investor relations section of Twitter's website (https://investor.twitterinc.com). All forward-looking statements in this communication are based on information available to Twitter as of the date of this communication, and Twitter does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by law.

Contacts

Investors:

[email protected]

Press:

[email protected]

SOURCE Twitter, Inc.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Encompass Health Corp. (NYSE: EHC) today announced it will participate in the BofA Securities 2022 Healthcare Conference being held in Las Vegas May 10-12 and virtually on May 13, 2022.

Encompass Health's President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Tarr will present during a fireside chat on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, at 3:20 p.m. PT.

The presentation will be webcast live and available at http://investor.encompasshealth.com.

About Encompass Health

As a national leader in integrated healthcare services, Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC) offers both facilitybased and homebased patient care through its network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, home health agencies and hospice agencies. With a national footprint that includes 147 hospitals, 251 home health locations, and 96 hospice locations in 42 states and Puerto Rico, the Company provides highquality, cost-effective integrated healthcare. Encompass Health is ranked as one of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit encompasshealth.com, or follow us on our newsroom, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Media Contact

Erin Wendel-Ritter | 205 970-5912

[email protected]

Investor Relations Contact

Mark Miller | 205 970-5860

[email protected]

SOURCE Encompass Health Corp.
Novel Cryptigen technology unlocks full potential of Tumour Specific Antigens

CAMBRIDGE, England and MONTREAL, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Epitopea, a transatlantic cancer immunotherapeutics company and global leader in exploiting a new class of untapped tumour-specific antigens (TSAs), announces a $13.6M (10.3M) seed investment from a transatlantic syndicate of top-tier life sciences investors, including Advent Life Sciences, CTI Life Sciences, Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC) and Fonds de solidarite FTQ. The seed round was also supported by Novateur Ventures and the Harrington Discovery Institute/University Health Holdings. The funding will leverage Epitopea's ground-breaking Cryptigen approach to create transformational immunotherapies that target broad cancer patient populations in both solid and haematological cancers.

The company's proprietary technology provides an innovative approach to identifying shared, aberrantly expressed tumour specific antigens, known as Cryptigens, that it has exclusively licensed from the Universite de Montreal (UdeM). The licensing deal was catalysed by IRICoR, a Canadian Centre of Excellence in Commercialization and Research, which supported and incubated the development of the technology. Cryptigen TSAs are uniquely and broadly presented across cancer types, providing tumour-specific targets for immunotherapies that are predicted to kill malignant cells while sparing non-cancerous cells, potentially delivering significant therapeutic benefit across broad patient populations with minimal side effects.

The seed round funding will be used to build the company's executive team, advance further research on this new class of antigens, and catalyse their translation into novel cancer immunotherapeutics, including therapeutic vaccines, cell therapies, and TCR-based biologics.

Dr Jon Moore, CEO, Epitopea and Operating Partner at Advent Life Sciences, said, "The outstanding work of Epitopea's co-founders, Universite de Montreal scientists Drs. Claude Perreault, and Pierre Thibault, has opened a tremendous and potentially transformative opportunity for future cancer patients. With this significant seed financing by a syndicate of world-class investors from Canada and the UK, we can start translating these discoveries into novel therapeutics. We will be guided by science, deploying the best modalities available to help cancer patients achieve durable benefits."

Dr Laurence Rulleau, Partner, CTI Life Sciences, said, "CTI is delighted to co-lead the seed round of Epitopea, which is the first investment from our third fund, CTI LSF III. We are convinced that Epitopea has the potential to fundamentally change the paradigm of how cancer patients can be treated with therapeutics vaccines and other immunotherapies to significantly improve their quality of life. Epitopea will explore a variety of early and longer-term value creation strategies including partnerships with third parties as well as developing its own therapeutic modalities based on its Cryptigen TSAs."

Contact information

Epitopea

Dr Jon Moore, CEO

[email protected]

Scius Communications

Katja Stout

[email protected]

About Epitopea

Epitopea is a transatlantic biotechnology company developing transformational immunotherapies to treat cancer by targeting a new class of antigens that are broadly shared between patients with the same cancer indication. Cryptigen TSAs are discovered by a proprietary approach deploying immunopetidomics, mass spectrometry, genomics, and bioinformatics, which allows the identification of conserved, aberrantly-expressed, tumour-specific antigens, hidden in cancer's 'junk' DNA. These hidden Cryptigen TSAs have been identified by research led by Drs. Claude Perreault and Pierre Thibault at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer at Universite de Montreal.

The company has an extensive proprietary library of Cryptigen TSAs that will drive the development of transformational off the shelf cancer immunotherapies. Epitopea is backed by leading life science investors including Advent Life Sciences, CTI Life Sciences, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Le Fonds de Solidarite FTQ, the Harrington Discovery Institute and Novateur Ventures. The company has raised over US$13.6 million in seed financing. Epitopea was founded in 2021 and consists of sister companies based in Cambridge, UK and in Montreal, Canada. Please see www.epitopea.com for more information and follow us on LinkedIn.

For more information about our investors please see the following links:

Advent Life Sciences: www.adventls.com

CTI Life Sciences: https://www.ctisciences.com

Cambridge Innovation Capital: www.cic.vc

Fonds de solidarite FTQ: https://www.fondsftq.com

Novateur Ventures: https://www.novateur.ca

Harrington Discovery Institute/University Health Holdings: https://www.harringtondiscovery.org

For more information about the Universite de Montreal, please see here: https://www.umontreal.ca/en/

For more information about IRICoR, please see here: https://www.iricor.ca

SOURCE Epitopea
DUBLIN, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "European Cannabis Report with Market Sizing Data & Adult-Use Cannabis Supplement" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

2021 was another huge year for the liberalisation and mainstreaming of cannabis in Europe.



Legislation, regulations and market developments continued to evolve for the better. Many countries continued to improve their medical cannabis access schemes, and the publisher estimates that 354 million worth of unlicensed medical cannabis will be sold in Europe in 2022, and this could reach to 2.3 billion in 2026.



CBD products are continuing their path towards recognition as fully-legal consumer packaged goods (CPGs). As of 2022, several novel foods applications for CBD have been validated by the European Commission.



But, the story which is drawing most international attention is the upcoming liberalisation of adult-use cannabis in Europe, with the ruling coalition of Germany promising full legalisation and commercialisation of adult-use cannabis in this legislative term. Legal sales are set to start in Switzerland by the end of 2022 followed shortly by those in the Netherlands.



Key Topics Covered:



Market Sizing

Unlicensed Medical Cannabis Sales in Europe

Projected Sales of Adult Use Cannabis in Europe

CBD Sales in Europe

Country Focus

Expert Interviews

Benedikt Sons , Cansativa Group

, Cansativa Group Jakob Sons , Cansativa Group

, Cansativa Group Timo Bongartz , Fluence EMEA

, Fluence EMEA Dr Anne Schlag , Project Twenty21

, Project Twenty21 Bek Muslimov & Nikolay Tretiyakov, Leafy Tunnel

& Nikolay Tretiyakov, Leafy Tunnel Denise Fatischek, Tilray

CBD

Fragmented European Markets

CBD Legislation in Europe

CBD as a Cosmetic

CBD as a Medicine

Ingestible CBD

CBD Flowers

Trends

Medical Cannabis Pilot Trials

Supply Chain

Product Shortages in Europe

Countries Allowing Cultivation in Europe

Patients and Products

Expert Interviews

Country Focus

Germany

Italy

The Netherlands

Poland

United Kingdom

Switzerland

Czechoslovakia

Companies Mentioned

4C Labs

Brains Bio

Canna-X

Cannabis Europa

Cannavigia

Cansativa Group

Cantourage

CBDepot.eu

Fluence

Linnea

MGC Pharma

Perfect Plants

SOMAI Pharmaceuticals

Storz & Bickel

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ctabgo

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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SOURCE Research and Markets
New saaslogic Platform Revolutionizes Subscription Billing and Revenue Management and Product Development for SaaS Products, Helping Companies Launch Products Quicker and Manage Them Efficiently

WORTHINGTON, Ohio, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Expeed Software, a leading custom software development and data and advanced analytics company founded in 2008, is pleased to announce the launch of its new SaaS management solution, saaslogic.

saaslogic provides a comprehensive solution for SaaS product companies, helping align product and customer success teams and get new SaaS products to market quicker.

saaslogic logo saaslogic home page

The platform provides features to help SaaS businesses quickly adapt to changing market conditions and scale. Customers get everything they need to manage their SaaS product with one solution. It provides many powerful features and flexibility, helping SaaS companies get their products 'market-ready' faster. The revolutionary subscription management and product integration platform offers user profile management, license management, security, and integrations as a service.

saaslogic features include:



Pricing package editor

Subscription management

Revenue recognition

Contract management (Coming soon)

Billing & invoicing

Integration with Avalara for Tax calculation (more in progress)

Integration with Stripe (more payment gateways in progress)

Integration with Accounting systems/ERPS (coming soon)

Reports & analytics

User management

Security to any SaaS product (SSO, RBAC, etc.)

"saaslogic is not just another subscription and revenue management platform, we are on a mission to change how SaaS products are built and operated through our platform of continuous innovation. Regardless of the stage a given SaaS product is at, saaslogic can bring instant gains", says Rao Chejarla, founder and CEO of Expeed Software.

saaslogic is going to be operated as another brand under Expeed Software.

To learn more about saaslogic or to schedule a demo, please visit saaslogic.io.

About Expeed Software

Expeed Software is an IT consulting company that helps businesses of all sizes modernize, integrate, and optimize their applications and processes. They're experts in software application development, UX, data analytics, digital transformation strategy, creating flexible digital platforms empowering clients to quickly adapt to the ever-changing marketplace. Their solutions increase efficiency, minimize risk, and invent new business models using actionable reliable insights. Expeed is a privately held company headquartered in Worthington, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, with two additional offices in India.

Related Links: https://www.saaslogic.io

For more information, please contact Beth Powell at [email protected]

Media CONTACT: Beth Powell

EMAIL: [email protected]

Phone #: (614) 559 8592

SOURCE Expeed Software
TORONTO, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Cruz, Founder and CEO of Citysurfing.com and author of The Experiential Travel Guide along with several members of the Citysurfing team will visit Toronto in June to participate in North America's largest tech conference - Collision.

The festival dubbed "the Olympics of tech" is attended by at least 33,000 entrepreneurs, startups and investors and has attracted presentations from tech heavyweights at Amazon, Facebook and Apple and other stars including David Beckham, Ryan Reynolds.

Citysurfing is a peer-to-peer marketplace that connects travelers with friendly "like-minded" local pals willing to show them around their city, so both traveler and local can do things together that they both enjoy. Travelers can also connect with locals for drive-arounds, relocation assistance, lessons, tours and more.

"We are excited to participate in the Collision tech conference," says Cruz. "It's a great way to spread the word on Citysurfing while networking with CEOs of the world's largest tech giants, founders of exciting startups, leading investors, and media from around the world."

For impromptu meetings at the Collision Conference, Cruz and members of the Citysurfing team will be available on the conference floor between Monday, June 20th and Thursday, June 23rd. Private appointments can be scheduled by sending an appointment request to Citysurfing via the Collision App or sending a message via the Citysurfing platform.

MEDIA CONTACT INFO:

Citysurfing LLC

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 001 714 408 1979

Citysurfing.com

SOURCE Citysurfing.com
The Leading Sign, Graphics and Visual Communications Franchise Was Named a Top 100 Recession-Proof Franchise for 2022

CARROLLTON, Texas, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- FASTSIGNS International, Inc. , franchisor of FASTSIGNS, the leading sign, graphics and visual communications franchise in the nation, was recently identified by Franchise Business Review as being one of only 100 franchises to qualify as a 2022 Recession-Proof Franchise .

"FASTSIGNS is proud to be recognized by Franchise Business Review as one of the most recession-proof franchises globally," said Mark Jameson, chief support and development officer at Propelled Brands. "This award is a recognition of FASTSIGNS providing our franchisees the tools and systems to run a successful small business even during turbulent times, while also delivering a service that almost every business or organization will need, even during times of crisis."

Franchise Business Review (FBR), a franchise research firm that performs independent surveys of franchisee satisfaction, provides the only rankings of franchises based solely on actual franchisee satisfaction and performance. Franchise Business Review publishes its rankings of top franchises in its annual Guide to Today's Top Franchises and quarterly reports that rank the top franchises in specific sectors throughout the year.

"FASTSIGNS has a broad range of products and services that are needed in all kinds of economic environments by a large variety of businesses and organizations," said Al Cothern, FASTSIGNS franchisee of West Palm Beach, Florida, who opened his first franchise during the previous recession in 2009. "While a recession is generally bad for business, it creates opportunities as well. Having the drive to work hard and seize every good opportunity is the key. FASTSIGNS helped me just by standing behind all the things they promised. The business model does work as they said it would, the marketing support is excellent, and the operational support provided by the business consultants is always there."

FASTSIGNS was among thousands of franchises that participated in Franchise Business Review's research on the Best Recession-Proof Businesses to start. FASTSIGNS franchisees were surveyed on many benchmark questions about their experience and satisfaction regarding critical areas of their franchise systems, including leadership, training & support, financial opportunity and work/life balance. To be considered for this award, companies have outstanding satisfaction among their owners and hold a strong advantage to outperform their competitors in the years ahead.

To view FASTSIGNS's recognition, visit FranchiseBusinessReview.com and see the complete list of the 2022 Top Franchises .

For more information about owning a FASTSIGNS franchise, visit https://www.fastsigns.com .

About FASTSIGNS:

FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is the leading sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, and is the worldwide franchisor of more than 750 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS centers in eight countries including the United States and Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Grand Cayman, Malta, the Dominican Republic and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE). FASTSIGNS locations provide comprehensive signage and graphic solutions to help companies in all industries communicate their message and extend their branding across all of their customer touchpoints.

FASTSIGNS is consistently ranked as a top franchise opportunity and recognized as an invaluable resource for potential franchisees. In 2021, Propelled Brands was formed, the corporate umbrella that includes FASTSIGNS, SIGNWAVE in Australia, NerdsToGo, an emerging IT services franchise brand acquired in September 2020, and Suite Management Franchising, LLC, the parent company of MY SALON Suite and Salon Plaza in June 2021. With a focus on business-to-business franchises and the people behind those businesses, Propelled Brands will help each franchise confidently navigate forward based on their unique position, momentum and purpose.

Learn more about sign and graphic solutions or find a location at fastsigns.com . Follow the brand on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/fastsigns , Twitter @FASTSIGNS or Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS . For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or call 214.346.5679).

SOURCE FASTSIGNS International, Inc.
Ferrous Sulfate Procurement report explains key category management objectives that should form the base for sourcing strategy, including:

Top-line growth

Scalability of inputs

Green initiatives

Category innovations

Supply base rationalization

Demand forecasting and governance

Minimalization of ad hoc purchases

Adherence to regulatory nuances

Cost savings

Customer retention

Reduction of TCO

Supply assurance

Sign Up for a Sample Ferrous Sulfate Procurement Market Report: www.spendedge.com/report/ferrous-sulfate-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report

This report evaluates suppliers based on provision for applicable insurance policy, real-time analysis, pipeline software solutions, and conduct pipeline surveys. In addition, suppliers are also shortlisted based on business needs, technical specifications, operational requirements, security compliance, regulatory mandates, legal requirements, quality control, change management procedures, pricing models, penalty clauses, SLA nuances, acceptance criteria, and evaluation criteria.

Best Selling Reports:

Asset Recovery Services - Forecast and Analysis: The asset recovery services will grow at a CAGR of 9.49% during 2021-2025. Asia Asset Recovery Pte Ltd., TES-Amm Singapore Pte Ltd., and Iron Mountain Inc. are among the prominent suppliers in asset recovery services market. Click the above link to download the free sample of this report. Vulnerability Management Sourcing and Procurement Report: Vulnerability Management Procurement Market, prices will increase by 4%-6% during the forecast period and suppliers will have a Moderate bargaining power in this market. Click the above link to download the free sample of this report. Celebrity Talent Management Services - Sourcing and Procurement Intelligence Report: This report offers key advisory and intelligence to help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their celebrity talent management services requirements. Click the above link to download the free sample of this report.

Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

About SpendEdge:

SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

Contact

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us

SOURCE SpendEdge
Food products wholesaler reduces provisioning time, sees 10% less demand on IT support

NEW YORK, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Infor, the industry cloud company, today announced that leading American food manufacturer Frontier Co-op has implemented Infor Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC) to manage business process risk.

"When you modernize your ERP, you need precise business process controls to avoid risk, especially in the manufacturing process," said Eduardo Pulido, Frontier Co-op vice president of IT. "You can take the path of doing it manually, but it's resource intensive, slow, and error prone. With Infor GRC, the entire process is automated, with industry standard controls available out of the box, so we can immediately start to monitor violations and resolve."

Frontier Co-op is a member-owned cooperative manufacturer of natural and organic products, founded in 1976 and headquartered in Norway, Iowa. It sells products under the Frontier Co-op, Simply Organic, Plant Boss and Aura Cacia brands. Products include culinary herbs, spices and baking flavors; bulk herbs and spices; plant-based organic meal solutions; and aromatherapy products with a wide selection of organics. Frontier Co-op manufactures and distributes products throughout the United States and Canada.

Frontier Co-op has been an Infor customer for three years, after swapping out its legacy ERP solution for Infor CloudSuite Food & Beverage in 2019. Modern ERP systems require precise business process controls to reduce errors during the manufacturing process and help mitigate the risk of theft or fraud. Frontier Co-op's small IT team knew that manually performing audits and user provisioning was time intensive and error prone. Working with Infor, Frontier Co-op implemented Infor GRC in less than three months and has seen 10% less demand for IT support.

"The goal with Infor GRC is to provide customers more automation so they can efficiently and effectively manage security access," said Infor Chief Technology Officer & President of Products Soma Somasundaram. "We do this by integrating with applications to continuously monitor segregation of duties within and across applications, run what-if scenarios and generate alerts and audit reports. With Infor GRC, we are pleased that customers such as Frontier are finding it easier and less costly to diagnose business risks and make decisions to remediate and mitigate violations."

Infor GRC provides Frontier Co-op out-of-box risk and compliance software, enabling finance, audit, and IT users to share a common platform to monitor controls for Infor CloudSuite Food & Beverage. In addition to the lower demand on IT resources, Frontier Co-op has realized a number of other benefits from Infor GRC, including:

User provisioning was reduced from days to minutes

Industry-specific business process compliance controls and segregation of duties

Simplified audit preparation with centralized repository and real-time reporting

Employees protected from creating errors in the new ERP system

"What's great about GRC is that it's integrated in our platform, and our business users can easily see what they need to see without leaving the application," explains Rick Ledford, Frontier Co-op IT operations and infrastructure manager. "GRC was very easy to deploy. Infor helped us configure and walked us through the basics, but the rest of it was just understanding the rule books, which are created by Infor and are industry standard. So, we didn't have to recreate the wheel. We could just run analysis against the rule books and find out violations. It was very simple to implement. We could add additional components easily because they're intuitive, like the approval process or adding a rule to the rule book. GRC was really easy to implement, and we were able to get value from it almost from day one."

Watch this video to learn more about how Frontier Co-op is lowering costs and minimizing risk with GRC automation.

Learn more about Infor Governance Risk and Compliance: https://www.infor.com/technology/governance-risk-and-compliance

Learn more about Infor CloudSuite Food & Beverage: https://www.infor.com/products/cloudsuite-food-and-beverage

About Frontier Co-op

Frontier Co-op is a cooperatively-owned American manufacturer of natural and organic products, founded in 1976 and headquartered in Norway, Iowa, U.S. It sells products under the Frontier Co-op, Simply Organic, Plant Boss and Aura Cacia brands. Products include culinary herbs, spices and baking flavors; bulk herbs and spices; plant-based organic meal solutions; and aromatherapy products with a wide selection of organics. Frontier Co-op manufactures and distributes products throughout the United States and Canada. For more information, please visit www.frontiercoop.com.

About Infor

Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry. We develop complete solutions for our focus industries, including industrial manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, food & beverage, automotive, aerospace & defense, and high tech. Infor's mission-critical enterprise applications and services are designed to deliver sustainable operational advantages with security and faster time-to-value. We are obsessed with delivering successful business outcomes for customers, and we are continually innovating to quickly solve emerging business and industry challenges. Over 60,000 organizations in more than 175 countries rely on Infor's 17,500 employees and their deep industry expertise to help overcome market disruptions and achieve their business goals. As a Koch company, our financial strength, ownership structure, and long-term view empower us to foster enduring, mutually beneficial relationships with our customers, employees and partners. Visit www.infor.com.

Media contact:

Scott Matulis

Infor

[email protected]

(818) 451-8918

Copyright 2022 Infor. All rights reserved. The word and design marks set forth herein are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Infor and/or related affiliates and subsidiaries. All other trademarks listed herein are the property of their respective owners. www.infor.com

SOURCE Infor
NEW DELHI, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the study undertaken by Astute Analytica, the Global Spa Market is estimated to witness a major leap forward in its revenue from US$ 95 Bn in 2021 to US$ 185.5 Bn by 2030. The market is registering a growth at a CAGR of 7.6% over the forecast period. Spas helps in stress relieving, health management and body relaxation. Spas provide various services such as massages, body scrubs, steam baths, facials, waxing, and nail care among others. According to the World Health Organization, depression is a common illness worldwide, with an estimated 3.8% of the population affected, including 5% among adults and 5.7% among adults older than 60 years. Thus, rising health concerns such as anxiety, depression and stress due to changing & hectic lifestyles is triggering the demand for spa services across the globe.

Request a Sample Report of Global Spa Market: https://www.astuteanalytica.com/request-sample/spa-market

The growing impetus of the market is attributed to factors such as increasing shift towards health & wellness activities and increase in lifestyle-related ailments. Due to urbanization, rising working population, and hectic lifestyles more and more individuals are switching towards wellness and other personal care activities like spa therapies, sauna treatments, and other body therapies. Spa services offers tremendous benefits such as - helps to de-stress, make skin more radiant, enhances sleep, releases dopamine & serotonin, helps with anti-aging issues, reduces headaches, helps to relive pain, improves blood flow & circulation, and enhances confidence, among others. Furthermore, rising disposable income and increasing tourism activities is also accelerating the market growth. Moreover, rising mental & physical health issues; such as depression, dementia, cardio vascular diseases; have further propelled the market growth as people are more and more aware about their wellbeing. However, the spread of diseases and other health risks associated with spa treatments are hindering the overall market growth.

Segmentation Analysis

Bootcamp Spa type has the highest share in the Global Spa Market in 2021

Based on spa type, the market is segmented into ayurvedic spa, bootcamp spa, day spa, destination spa, medical spa, mineral spring spa, mobile spa, thalassotherapy spa, and others. Among these, the bootcamp spa has the highest share in the Global Spa Market in 2021 as it involves more of physical activities in a natural surrounding that helps in weight loss and detoxification. However, the destination spa segment registers the highest CAGR over the projection period. Destination spa, a small group of all-inclusive health spas, offer good nutrition and exercise balanced with relaxing spa treatment.

Hotel/hospitality application leads the Global Spa Market in 2021

In terms of application, the spa market is categorized into hotel/hospitality, Gym/fitness and spas, household, and others. The hotel/hospitality segment holds the highest share in the Global Spa Market in 2021. This is because hotels offer luxurious spa treatments to their guests. Rising tourism related activities helps propel the growth of this segment. Further, the gym/fitness segment has the highest CAGR over the projection period as these centers offer dual benefit to their customers by offering both physical activity programs and relaxing spa treatments at one place.

Renovation/replacement market type holds the highest share in the spa market

Based on market type, the spa market is divided into new and renovation/replacement. Out of these, the renovation/replacement segment has the highest market share in 2021, whereas, the new segment has the highest CAGR over the projection period. It is often seen that old hotels and fitness centers are renovating or restoring their infrastructure to meet the growing demand of their clients.

Europe dominates the Global Spa Market in 2021

Europe has the highest share in the Global Spa Market in 2021 and is further expected to continue its dominance over the projection period. This is due to increasing popularity of wellness among ordinary people. Further, six of the top 10 wellness tourism destinations worldwide are in Europe. However, Asia Pacific registers the highest annual growth rate over the forecast period, due to rising disposable income and growing awareness on wellbeing.

Directly Purchase a copy of report with TOC @ https://www.astuteanalytica.com/request-sample/spa-market

Report Attribute Details Market Size Value in 2021 US$ 95 Billion Market Outlook for 2030 US$ 185.5 Billion Expected CAGR Growth 7.6% from 2022  2030 Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 2022-2030 Top Market Players Planet Beach, Hot Springs Resort & Spa, Bannatyne Spa, Marriott International, Massage Envy, Rancho La Puerta, Banyan Tree, Marilyn Monroe Spas, Miraval Resorts, Massage Green Spa, Siam Wellness Group, Four Fountains, The Ritz - Carlton Spa, Windsor Hotel, Lspas SPA, and Hyatt Hotels Corporation Segments Covered By Type, By Application, By Market Type, By Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, South America Customization Options Get your customized report as per your preference. Ask for customization

Competitive Insight

Hot Springs is a 100-acre Resort & Spa located in North Carolina that feature jetted hot tubs, primitive camping cabins, more than hundred tent sites & Full RV Hookups. The health-giving properties of Hot Springs Resorts & Spa resort's hot mineral waters have been renowned since 1778. The resort offers spa service hours and mineral bath hours. Further, Hot Springs , offers a wide variety of outdoor recreation activities such as Whitewater Rafting, Tree Top Zip-line Tours, Hiking, Biking and Horseback Riding.

is a 100-acre Resort & Spa located in that feature jetted hot tubs, primitive camping cabins, more than hundred tent sites & Full RV Hookups. The health-giving properties of Hot Springs Resorts & Spa resort's hot mineral waters have been renowned since 1778. The resort offers spa service hours and mineral bath hours. Further, , offers a wide variety of outdoor recreation activities such as Whitewater Rafting, Tree Top Zip-line Tours, Hiking, Biking and Horseback Riding. Marriott International, Inc. encompasses a portfolio of more than 7,000 properties in 30 leading hotel brands spanning 131 countries and territories. The brand portfolio of the company offers the most compelling range of brands and hotels in hospitality - Luxury, Premium, and Select. Marriott brand hotels feature some of the world's most luxurious spas. The company owns 172 spa hotels in the U.S. and over 300 Marriott spa hotels outside of the U.S. The company operates through three reportable segments U.S. & Canada , Asia Pacific and Europe , and MEA.

, and , and MEA. Four Fountains De-Stress Spa is India's chain of affordable day spas. The company has over 28 spas and 500 employees across Mumbai , Bangalore , Pune and Delhi and have offered their professional and De-stress spa therapies to over 4,00,000+ guests from all around the world. Generally, their spa treatments are affordably priced and their membership discounts makes these treatments even more affordable by their strong customer base across India and others.

chain of affordable day spas. The company has over 28 spas and 500 employees across , , and and have offered their professional and De-stress spa therapies to over 4,00,000+ guests from all around the world. Generally, their spa treatments are affordably priced and their membership discounts makes these treatments even more affordable by their strong customer base across and others. Hyatt Hotels Corporation is a hospitality company that offers its luxurious hotels and accommodations made with sophisticated architecture, luxury spas, superior service and amenities for grand gatherings and various other purposes. The company encompasses a portfolio of more than 1,000 hotels and all-embracing properties in 69 countries worldwide. The company's resorts and spas under various brands like Secrets, Dreams, Breathless, Zoetrys, Sunscape and Alua Hotels & Resorts.

Siam Wellness Group Public Company Limited is a wellness spa company based in Thailand . The company largely operates under two business segments; Day Spa under Let's Relax and Destination Spa under RarinJinda Wellness Spa.

Segmentation Overview

By Type

Ayurvedic Spa

Bootcamp Spa

Day Spa

Destination Spa

Medical Spa

Mineral Spring Spa

Mobile Spa

Thalassotherapy Spa

Others

By Application

Hotel/ Hospitality

Gym/ Fitness and Spas

Household

Other

By Market Type

New

Renovation/Replacement

By Region

North America

The U.S.



Canada



Mexico

Europe

The UK



Germany



France



Italy



Spain



Poland



Russia

Asia Pacific

China



Taiwan



India



Japan



Australia & New Zealand

&

ASEAN



Rest of Asia Pacific

Middle East & Africa (MEA)

& (MEA) UAE



Saudi Arabia



South Africa



Rest of MEA

South America

Brazil



Argentina



Rest of South America

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About Astute Analytica

Astute Analytica is a global analytics and advisory company which has built a solid reputation in a short period, thanks to the tangible outcomes we have delivered to our clients. We pride ourselves in generating unparalleled, in depth and uncannily accurate estimates and projections for our very demanding clients spread across different verticals. We have a long list of satisfied and repeat clients from a wide spectrum including technology, healthcare, chemicals, semiconductors, FMCG, and many more. These happy customers come to us from all across the Globe. They are able to make well calibrated decisions and leverage highly lucrative opportunities while surmounting the fierce challenges all because we analyze for them the complex business environment, segment wise existing and emerging possibilities, technology formations, growth estimates, and even the strategic choices available. In short, a complete package. All this is possible because we have a highly qualified, competent, and experienced team of professionals comprising of business analysts, economists, consultants, and technology experts. In our list of priorities, you-our patron-come at the top. You can be sure of best cost-effective, value-added package from us, should you decide to engage with us.

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SOURCE Astute Analytica
BEIJING, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --At present, the Shanghai epidemic prevention and control battle is at a critical stage. As an international trading and communicating hub with a wide range of cultures, the pause in this cosmopolis has tugged at the heartstrings of the world.

Meanwhile, people in Shanghai have shown their unique attitude toward this sudden change in their lives. Be they foreign volunteers who joined the comprehensive anti-epidemic action in local communities, or those who tried to follow recommended protocols with optimism, or people who have continued to live their Shanghai-style lives, the city offers examples of resilience and a determination to fight at every turn.

When in Shanghai, do as the Shanghainese do. In the following days, the Global Times will present different stories unfolding during the anti-epidemic battle in Shanghai, to showcase the city's tenderness, optimism, and diversity.

During the current COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai, some foreigners in Shanghai have joined forces with the city to overcome difficulties and lend a hand to the comprehensive anti-epidemic effort as community volunteers, providing practical help as an international force to Shanghai's "dynamic zero" vow.

As an important window of China, Shanghai has attracted a large number of foreigners with its cosmopolitan atmosphere. According to data provided by the Shanghai government, currently 215,000 foreigners live and work in Shanghai, accounting for 23.7 percent of the country's total, ranking first in terms of foreign populations in the country.

Reporters from the Global Times recently contacted several international volunteers who have offered to help in the fight against the epidemic in Shanghai and listened to their thoughts and stories in the process.

They said that the experience of fighting against the epidemic with the people of Shanghai helped them better understand China and love Shanghai even more. In their opinion, they are a part of the city, and it is their duty to defend "Shanghai."

'My experience gave a distinct feeling of the bond between comrades during the Long March'

Jacob von Bisterfeld from New Zealand sprang to action as a community volunteer in Shanghai's Songjiang district during the city's lockdown.

Now, his typical day begins with ushering residents out of their respective houses to receive a nucleic acid test in his imperfect Putonghua, assisting in testing arrangements, collecting trash from door to door, and delivering supplies with his makeshift airport luggage carriers and a four-wheel push-trolley.

"He is the very energetic who always rushes to the front over many younger volunteers," Lu Yifan, his neighbor, told the Global Times. "Residents affectionately call the aged expat 'Lao Luo,' as he has given himself the Chinese name Luo Jiangqiang."

A video clip of gray-haired Luo bending over to arrange grocery supplies on a rainy day, wearing a thick protective suit and holding an umbrella, has been widely shared and liked online.

Luo, a retired professor from Shanghai Jiaotong University, has been living in China for about three decades and has gotten involved in many voluntary projects while in the education sector.

Omicron-hit Shanghai falling into unprecedented difficulties makes him feel heart-broken.

After Shanghai's lockdown, he was one of the first to sign up as a multilingual volunteer. When receiving his green volunteer vest, Lao Luo felt excited and relieved to finally be able to "give back" to the community, with at least three hours put in every day as a volunteer.

"What motivates foreigners to volunteer in their adopted country to do important but mostly menial tasks that used to be done for them is an inborn sense of responsibility, the knowledge that essential services might collapse and endanger the lives of the larger community. And that the financial capacity of the government during these enormous calamities is not unlimited," Luo told the Global Times. "Volunteering is also a good way of making friends and getting fully integrated into the local scene."

"My experience of working with my comrades gave a distinct feeling of the bond between comrades during the Long March in the 1930s and living in the cave houses of Yan'an. Sometimes, when the rain was pelting down on us on a cold night and we volunteers were filling shopping bags with vegetables I felt as if I was experiencing some of the deprivations of the Long March," said Luo.

"The camaraderie of a group of volunteers shouldering arduous or menial tasks together, and our team of volunteers have cemented a solid bond among each other and I am happy to be accepted as a comrade," said Luo.

Luo believed that time will tell if the "zero-COVID tolerance" course taken by the Chinese government was the best solution.

"The current short-term discomfort for many and suffering for some will ultimately be of great benefit for the people's wellbeing and the economy. And last but not least, of course, the most important benefit for every one of the 25 million Shanghai residents will be an absolute minimum of fatalities and untimely deaths," Luo said.

'Balcony music cheered people up'

The megacity of 25 million residents has been making efforts to combat the virus and people's sentiments have fluctuated depending on the COVID-19 epidemic situation. Hungarian Steven Back, who has been living in Shanghai for about 18 years, also felt the same as his community was put under closed-loop management.

Like many residents living in the city, Back felt surprised in the beginning when the city was put under a citywide "static management." Living in a nice compound with about 5,000 people, Back was quite familiar with some neighbors and became a volunteer two days later after his compound was put under lockdown on April 1.

Holding a loudspeaker, he encourages residents to come down and queue up for tests. Even while having to stand for periods of six to nine hours a day in hot weather wearing a protective suit, he still considers it fun. "It was very natural for me to do it," Back told the Global Times, noting that he wanted to help his neighbors to relax and feel less nervous.

He was also warned by his volunteer peers that some people may have a very bad temper and would not cooperate. "However, I've never had this situation and everybody is very friendly."

Back was also quite proud that his daughter would paint on his "Da Bai" clothes (protective suit) every night with Chinese and Hungarian flags to cheer them up. "It's very showy," he said, believing that it might also be fun for others.

As infections rose, some residents began to believe that taking a nucleic test might increase their chances of getting infected and would refuse to cooperate. Despite this, Back would still try his best to cheer his neighbors up and encourage them to be positive and happy.

Together with about 40 other neighbors, they held a successful balcony concert to help people relax and elevate their moods. When seeing people dancing, singing, and using electric torches to make a light show, Back felt the great comradery alive and well in his community. "Everybody was having a very good time," Back said, noting that all the work they have done has been well worth it.

Through the dynamic zero-COVID policy, "China has been very successful at saving lives and maintaining relatively high productivity compared to other countries," Back said. He also mentioned that in his country, many people chose to receive China-made COVID-19 vaccines as they trusted the products.

Back has made an appointment with his new friends who he had met during his volunteer work to go out for a drink once the restrictions are lifted. "We plan to go out and celebrate!"

'Shanghai has become my second hometown'

At a residential community in Shanghai's Hongqiao Town, Korean resident Park Chang-joo, who created three WeChat groups for some 1,200 Korean neighbors in early 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, was busy communicating the latest local anti-epidemic policies, answering questions, and offering helps to Korean residents on WeChat all day amid the current city lockdown.

A Putonghua-speaking entrepreneur who has been running a business in Shanghai for decades, Park now serves as an anti-epidemic volunteer in his community, where more than 30 percent of the residents are Korean. Since residents were asked to self-quarantine at home from April 1, each day, Park receives WeChat messages from 30-50 of his Korean neighbors asking for help.

"How to get a new QR code for a nucleic acid test; how to buy daily necessities at home; what rules to be followed during at-home quarantine; where to get a laptop charging cable... For their questions or requests, I either directly answer or send them to the Chinese community staffers," Park told the Global Times.

The unexpected weeks of quarantine may have worried expatriates in Shanghai, including some Korean residents of Park's community. To help them relax and cheer up, Park shares with them pleasant music or funny videos via WeChat, and more importantly, explains to them Shanghai's anti-epidemic policies and goals in detail.

"I told them that the policies are for all of our safety and health," said Park. He said that some Korean residents in Shanghai have experienced some pressure during the lockdown, but most of them understand and respect the city's efforts in fighting against the virus.

Park is the head of a 60-member Korean volunteer team serving several residential communities. As a bridge linking Korean residents and the Chinese, the team assists community staffers in organizing nucleic acid tests and delivering daily supplies like rice and vegetables to the homes of Korean residents.

"Last week, we helped a Korean food enterprise in Shanghai send free tofu products to all the residents," Park recalled. "It's so glad to see our neighbors, both Korean and Chinese, who later shared the dishes they made with the tofu and expressed their thanks on social media."

Coming to Shanghai with his children in 2002, Park, who has been living in this city with his family for 20 years, does charity work to help people with disability. "Shanghai has become my second hometown," he told the Global Times. "I want to try my best to help the people in need here."

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202204/1260194.shtml

SOURCE Global Times
Hydrofuel's licensing of Micro Ammonia Production System (MAPS) from Georgia Tech to combine with its Kontak Hydrogen from Ammonia Separation Modules

Our mission to provide Green Hydrogen from ammonia to end users with lower costs and life cycle pollution than any other fuel is now within our reach"

 Greg Vezina, Hydrofuel Canada Chairman and CEO

MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Hydrofuel Canada Inc. ("Hydrofuel"), a company engaged in delivering Green Ammonia and Hydrogen along the last mile to its customers, has completed an exclusive licence agreement with Georgia Institute of Technology ("Georgia Tech") for their patent pending MAPS system which enables high-yield, sustainable ammonia synthesis from air and water with unprecedented efficiency using a gas-phase electrochemical process.

Source: Nazemi, M. and El-Sayed, M.A., 2021. Managing the Nitrogen Cycle via Plasmonic (Photo) Electrocatalysis: Toward Circular Economy. Accounts of chemical research, 54(23), pp.4294-4304. (CNW Group/Hydrofuel Canada Inc.) Figures Schematic of the gas-phase (photo) electrochemical cell for nitrogen fixation using hybrid plasmonic nanocages. (center top) In this setup, the catalyst materials are painted on both sides of the membrane surface, as shown in the top right image. (CNW Group/Hydrofuel Canada Inc.) Hydrogen and Ammonia made from Electricity at $.02 to $.10 kWh, with Gasoline & Diesel Equivalent Costs. (CNW Group/Hydrofuel Canada Inc.)

Utilizing MAPS technology with renewable energy to produce cost effective green ammonia is a major development. Using that ammonia with Kontak's technology, which Hydrofuel has previously acquired, is a game changer.

Combined, these technologies allow Hydrofuel to produce Green NH3 using $.02/kWh electricity for as low as $220 a tonne, whereas fossil-fuel derived NH3 is currently selling at $1,500 to $2,000 a tonne.

Green Hydrogen can be separated out from this ammonia to sell at about $1.50 a kg, compared to traditional green H2 which sells for up to $15 a kg. Even at $.08/kWh the production of green Ammonia and releasing Hydrogen from it will be lower cost than any hydrocarbon fuel.

The MAPS ammonia production technology uses hollow hybrid plasmonic nanocages to create a highly effective electrocatalyst for ammonia synthesis from nitrogen (N2) and electrolyzed water (H2O) under ambient temperatures and pressure in the gas- and liquid-phase system.

Ammonia is a significant energy carrier and is an essential ingredient in fertilizer production, globally. Georgia Tech researchers have developed a sustainable and environmentally friendly production method that enables a high ammonia yield rate with unprecedented energy efficiency.

Ammonia (NH3) molecules contain one part nitrogen, and three parts hydrogen. NH3 is a promising and environmentally friendly fuel source because it is carbon free, it contains 1.5 times more hydrogen than liquid hydrogen (H2), and it can reduce global GHG emissions substantially by displacing fossil fuels.

Storing hydrogen energy in ammonia is more efficient than pure hydrogen as it doesn't leak through the walls of containers and pipelines. The atomic weight of the fuel makes it a perfect carrier of hydrogen for commuter, eVTOL, drone, and regular aircraft travel, as well as for marine, transport truck, agricultural and industrial and power generation uses.

The MAPS technology can decentralize the production of ammonia and hydrogen while it consumes significantly less energy than current methods, permitting local or on-site production with renewable electricity sources and long-term energy storage.

Hydrofuel and MAPs co-inventor Reza Nazemi are negotiating an agreement with Colorado State University to complete a commercial application and demonstration of the MAPS technology, commencing in July of 2022.

Benefits/Advantages of MAPs Technology

Simplified process: Enables production of ammonia via gas-phase system with few or no additional steps for separation and purification

Reduced carbon footprint: Enables decentralized production so that farmers can make their own fertilizer on site, eliminating the need to transport it

Long-term energy storage: Stored renewable energy in the form of liquid ammonia containing hydrogen that can easily be transported and delivered to end-users for various applications in the energy and transportation industries (e.g., power, combined heating

Kontak's technology can efficiently release hydrogen from a dozen potential carrier molecules identified so far. Of the carriers, the highest storage capacity is anhydrous ammonia, with (17.3% hydrogen by weight) stored in liquid form like propane.

Kontak's patented reactor is the most effective method to date for releasing hydrogen. The hydrogen is filtered and sent directly to a fuel cell or internal combustion engine. The technology was developed under a National Science Foundation Grant. The Hydrogen Release Module is USPTO #10,207,241B2 with patents pending in multiple countries.

Kontak also has patents pending on a modular low-cost combined hydrogen, ammonia, and battery energy station technology that can store as much as three times the energy of conventional systems.

Hydrofuel's Ammonia Solutions aftermarket multi-fuels engine retrofit systems will be used for a low emission combination of diesel and ammonia fuel, and zero emission hydrogen oxygen assisted NH3 fuel.

Toronto, Ontario-based TFX International SPECIALIZED VEHICLE TRANSPORT will provide two diesel fuelled generators and transport trucks to be converted to use Hydrofuel ammonia/hydrogen fuel over three years, beginning in 2023.

About Hydrofuel Canada Inc.:

Located in Mississauga, Ontario, Hydrofuel Canada Inc. is focused on providing low cost, last  mile Green Ammonia and Hydrogen solutions to its customers. Hydrofuel's proprietary technologies include modular re-fueling stations for Hydrogen and EV charging, MAPS technology for low-volume, low cost production of Green Ammonia and Hydrogen separation Module for highly efficient separation of Hydrogen from Ammonia. Hydrofuel has over 40 years of experience in Ammonia energy and fuel systems technologies. Hydrofuel and Ammonia Solutions are registered Trademarks and Copyrighted. https://nh3fuel.com

Ammonia for a cleaner, greener, energy future with Greg Vezina | Eggs! The Podcast, Aug. 26, 2021

https://youtu.be/KhtWiK9A4ww

SOURCE Hydrofuel Canada Inc.
GrubMarket acquires Salix Fruits, a global fresh fruit provider with operations in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand, Spain, India, the U.S., and other regions, to expand into South America and other parts of the world.

SAN FRANCISCO, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GrubMarket today announced it has completed the acquisition of Buenos Aires, Argentina-based Salix Fruits, a global fresh fruit importer and exporter with a wide portfolio of produce items ranging across apples, lemons, oranges, tangerines, pears, grapes and more. The company has hundreds of growers in more than 20 countries and serves over 450 customers across 50 countries worldwide, including Argentina, Chile, Brazil, South Africa, Spain, India, and the U.S.

Founded nearly 10 years ago by fresh fruit industry veterans Juan Gonzalez Pita and Luis Elortondo, Salix Fruits is still managed by Pita (COO), alongside Alejandro Moralejo (CEO) and Daniel Calvo (CFO). Today, Salix Fruits is a leading company in the import and export of fresh fruit globally, shipping thousands of containers of product in 2021 and generating double-digit year-over-year revenue growth over the last several years. Salix Fruits also has a strong reputation as a proactive adopter of technology. After the acquisition, the business will continue to be managed by its current experienced and mission-driven leadership team.

"We are excited to join the GrubMarket team and welcome the opportunities brought forth by GrubMarket's robust technology platform and strong eCommerce supply and demand network. We strive to offer superior service, reliability and quality, as an importer and exporter of fresh fruit for our global customers, and also seek to further tap into a best-in-class grower network. We are thrilled to learn that GrubMarket shares this same goal and has built out such a well-integrated and much-needed eCommerce and technology-enabled platform to bring fresh food to so many important customers across the country. We have had the same vision about the need for a global fruit marketplace for many years. By joining with GrubMarket, we can make that vision come true. We are proud to be GrubMarket's first South American acquisition and look forward to being a part of the continued South American expansion journey. We sincerely look forward to joining the GrubMarket team and bringing more organic and farmer-direct fresh food to GrubMarket's end customers," said Juan Gonzalez Pita, co-founder and COO of Salix Fruits.

According to Mike Xu, CEO of GrubMarket: "The acquisition of Salix Fruits marks our official expansion into South America, which shows our rapid and profitable growth capabilities in both domestic and international markets. We already have strong relationships with growers and producers in most South American countries, which have allowed us to become one of the largest suppliers of South American fruits in the U.S. Now through our acquisition of Salix Fruits, we will bring our eCommerce network effects and software technology capabilities to enable digital transformation on a global scale. Juan and the incredible team at Salix Fruits have scaled the company to achieve strong revenue growth and profitability. In addition, they are a forward-thinking team, with experience adopting new technology to their fresh fruit producers and customers. We are thrilled to welcome the Salix Fruits team to the GrubMarket family."

As a part of GrubMarket's portfolio, Salix Fruits will now utilize GrubMarket's innovative and proprietary WholesaleWare software suite, the company's software-as-a-service platform that provides food industry wholesalers and distributors with seamless financial management, powerful sales capabilities, intuitive online ordering, precise inventory management, lot traceability and tracking, grower accounting, automated routing and logistics support, and mobile applications.

About GrubMarket

Founded in 2014, GrubMarket is a San Francisco-based food technology company operating in the space of food supply chain eCommerce for both business customers and end consumers, as well as providing related software-as-a-service solutions to digitally transform the American and global food supply chain. Currently, GrubMarket operates in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, Ontario and British Columbia (Canada), Argentina, Chile and Brazil (South America), South Africa, Spain, New Zealand and India, with plans to expand to the rest of the U.S., Canada, South America, and other parts of the world.

For Media Inquiries:

GrubMarket Media Team

[email protected]

(510) 556-4786

GrubMarket Inc.

1925 Jerrold Ave.

San Francisco, CA, 94124

SOURCE GrubMarket
Continues Buildout of Newly Renamed Heritage Distribution Holdings, a Leading Multi-Region HVAC/R Parts and Equipment Distribution Platform

SAN FRANCISCO, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Gryphon Investors, a leading middle-market private equity firm, today announced it has acquired Ed's Supply Company, Inc. ("Ed's Supply" or "the Company"), a wholesale distributor of HVAC/R (heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration) equipment, parts and supplies with 19 locations across Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Gryphon plans to operate the Company as an independent division of its Heritage Distribution Holdings platform, which recently rebranded from Wittichen Supply Holding Company. Ed's Supply will join two existing companies, Benoist Brothers Supply Company, a Midwest-based regional distributor of HVAC/R equipment, parts and supplies, and Wittichen Supply Company, a wholesale distributor of HVAC/R equipment, parts, supplies, and customer service to residential and commercial customers based in the Southeastern United States.

Craig Nikrant, Gryphon's dedicated Operating Partner to its Heritage Fund team, said, "We are excited to add Ed's Supply to our multi-region distribution platform as we continue to expand. The Company's proud history and focus on top-quality customer service makes it a great fit with our family of brands. With a growing multi-regional reach, we see a bright future for Heritage Distribution Holdings in an industry with a long runway for growth."

Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, Ed's Supply serves both the commercial and residential markets and features one of the largest inventories of HVAC/R parts, equipment and air distribution products in the Southeast. Steve Byram, former president of Ed's Supply, will become an advisor to the Heritage Distribution Holdings management team. His son Tucker Byram, most recently Vice President of Operations, Nashville, will become President, and the current management team will remain with the Company.

Alex Averitt, CEO of Heritage Distribution Holdings, said, "We are thrilled to welcome the entire Ed's Supply team. Their robust product and service offerings are highly complementary to our existing lines and their strategic footprint will help us round out our presence in the attractive Southeast market."

Steve Byram noted, "We are delighted to become part of Gryphon's Heritage Distribution Holdings platform with its broad financial and operational resources. As part of a larger organization with a reputation for superior customer service, Ed's Supply will continue to deliver premium service as we take advantage of additional growth opportunities."

Heritage Distribution Holdings was advised by legal counsel Kirkland & Ellis. Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP served as legal counsel to Ed's Supply, PNFP Capital Markets, Inc. served as exclusive financial advisor to Ed's Supply, and Lakoff & Co. served as accounting advisor to the Company.

About Ed's Supply

Founded in 1957 and based in Nashville, Ed's Supply (www.edssupply.com) has been a leading wholesale distributor and service provider for over 60 years, committed to serving the unique needs of the local contractor community. With 19 locations in three distinct regional markets covering Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas, the company boasts one of the largest inventories of HVAC/R parts, equipment and air distribution products in the Southeast. Serving both the residential and commercial markets, Ed's Supply offers products and services ranging from refrigeration system design and compressor solutions to temperature control, air purification systems, and professional training seminars.

About Heritage Distribution Holdings

Heritage Distribution Holdings platform is an umbrella company that encompasses several brands of leading HVAC/R distributors across eight states. The platform currently includes three brands: Wittichen Supply Company, a wholesale distributor of HVAC/R equipment, parts, supplies, and customer service to residential and commercial customers based in the Southeastern United States; Benoist Brothers Supply Company, a Midwest-based regional distributor of HVAC/R equipment, parts and supplies; and Ed's Supply Company, a wholesale distributor of HVAC/R equipment, parts and supplies across Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

About Gryphon Investors

Based in San Francisco, Gryphon Investors (www.gryphoninvestors.com) is a leading private equity firm focused on profitably growing and competitively enhancing middle-market companies in partnership with experienced management. The firm has managed over $8.3 billion of equity investments and capital since 1997. Gryphon targets making equity investments of $50 million to $300 million in portfolio companies with enterprise values ranging from approximately $100 million to $600 million. Gryphon prioritizes investment opportunities where it can form strong partnerships with owners and executives to build leading companies, utilizing Gryphon's capital, specialized professional resources, and operational expertise.

Contact:

Lambert

Caroline Luz

203-656-2829

[email protected]

or

Jennifer Hurson

845-507-0571

[email protected]

SOURCE Gryphon Investors
DUBLIN, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "HealthQuest Online Directory Database Subscription" database has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The subscription provides searchable and exportable online 24/7 access to four HealthQuest directory databases: The National Managed Care Leadership Directory, Accountable Care Directory, Medicaid Managed Care Directory and the Medicare Managed Care Directory.



All data fields incorporated in each of the four directories are accessible with the online subscription. Searches may be organized by Companies, Parent Companies, Employees, or for organizational summary information by each Directory.



The HealthQuest Online Directory Database includes over 1,900 organizations and over 13,000 employees listed. All companies are categorized by company type and include full company contact information. All employees are classified by standardized job functions. 44% of employees have direct phone numbers or extensions, and 25% of employees have email addresses indicated.



Search criteria include standardized selections such as by Directory or State for Companies or Employees; Job Function by Employees or Company Type for applicable Directories. Search criteria can also be input by keyword, company or employee names, or additional criteria.



The HealthQuest Directory Online Database reflects updates made to applicable HealthQuest directories throughout the year, as opposed to the annual or semi-annual updates published for release with each individual directory.



With a HealthQuest Directory Database Online Subscription, you can target your information using powerful searches for records contained in all four HealthQuest directories, and access and export selected records from these databases anyplace, any time online.



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Accountable Care Summary Information for Applicable Companies includes:

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Medicare ACO#

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For more information about this database visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/en69ve

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets
Noordam returns to cruise service for Holland America Line. Tweet this

"We are excited to welcome guests aboard Noordam once again as we continue the pace of having all 11 of our ships back in service by June," said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. "With each relaunch we are able to bring more of our team members back on board and into the Holland America Line family. They have been waiting for this day to welcome our guests and get back to cruising."

Since Holland America Line restarted cruising in July 2021, Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Nieuw Statendam, Rotterdam and Zuiderdam have returned to service with cruises in Alaska, the Caribbean, Europe, Mexico, California Coast and South Pacific. Volendam currently is under charter by the government of the Netherlands, positioned alongside in Rotterdam accommodating Ukrainian refuges.

Following the Panama Canal transit, Noordam will spend the summer in Alaska, offering seven-day cruises between Vancouver and Whittier, Alaska, along with one special 14-day Great Alaska Explorer roundtrip from Vancouver in September. With a strong cruise presence in Vancouver, Holland America Line is set to position four ships out of the Canadian homeport in 2022. Noordam also will offer longer Cruisetours that combine a three-, four- or seven-day Alaska cruise with an overland exploration of Denali National Park. Holland America Line is the only cruise line that extends land tours up to the unspoiled reaches of Canada's Yukon Territory.

After the Alaska season, Noordam departs on an epic sojourn westward with a 34-day Pacific Ocean crossing from San Diego, California, to Sydney, Australia, and a 35-day Australian Circumnavigation roundtrip from Sydney with 15 calls around the continent and scenic cruising in the Great Barrier Reef. The ship will sail into 2023 with 12- to 15-day cruises roundtrip from Sydney that explore New Zealand through March 2023, before crossing back over to North America for another season in Alaska.

Holland America Line will complete the restart of the remaining ships in the fleet through June with Oosterdam (May 8 in Trieste [Venice], Italy), Zaandam (May 12 in Fort Lauderdale) and Westerdam (June 12 in Seattle, Washington).

For more information about Holland America Line, consult a travel advisor, call 1-877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425) or visit hollandamerica.com.

Editors note: Photos are available at https://www.cruiseimagelibrary.com/c/mh0inunv.

Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook and the Holland America Blog. Access all social media outlets via the home page at hollandamerica.com.

About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE: CCL and CUK)]

Holland America Line has been exploring the world since 1873 and was the first cruise line to offer adventures to Alaska and the Yukon nearly 75 years ago. Its fleet of premium ships visits nearly 400 ports in 114 countries around the world, offering an ideal mid-sized ship experience. A third Pinnacle-class ship, Rotterdam, joined the fleet in July 2021.

The leader in premium cruising, Holland America Line's ships feature innovative initiatives and a diverse range of enriching experiences focused on destination exploration and personalized travel. The best live music at sea fills each evening at Music Walk, and dining venues feature exclusive selections from Holland America Line's esteemed Culinary Council of world-famous chefs.

CONTACT: Bill Zucker, Erik Elvejord

PHONE: 800-637-5029, 206-626-9890

EMAIL: [email protected]

SOURCE Holland America Line
Humble invests US$8 million into Joint Venture to distribute Cannabis in the United States with an initial focus on California .

into Joint Venture to distribute Cannabis in with an initial focus on . Green Acre Distribution Corp. completes a US$2 million investment to further fund Joint Venture for a 20% interest in the Joint Venture.

investment to further fund Joint Venture for a 20% interest in the Joint Venture. The Joint Venture and its resulting formation agreements are part of the previously announced Private Placement with Green Acre.

Both Green Acre investments funded by an option agreement with Johnson Brothers , a leading wine, spirits, and beer distributor.

TORONTO, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Humble & Fume Inc. (CSE: HMBL) (OTCQX: HUMBF) ("Humble" or the "Company"), a leading North American distributor of cannabis and cannabis accessories, announced today that, further to the Company's press release of November 15, 2021, it has formed HC Solutions Holdings Inc., a Joint Venture ("JV") with Green Acre Capital Distribution Corp. ("Green Acre"), for the purpose of distribution of cannabis throughout the United States, initially focused on accelerating the Company's expansion into cannabis distribution operations in California. Subsequent the formation of the JV, Green Acre completed a US$2 million investment directly in the JV. Green Acre has funded its investment through an option agreement with Johnson Brothers, a leading wine, spirits and beer distributor in the United States. Further information on the JV, Green Acre and Johnson Brothers are set out in the Company's November 15, 2021 press release.

"The additional $2 million investment by Johnson Brothers, funded through their Green Acre option agreement, demonstrates continued support for our US expansion strategy. Humble is excited to launch in the California market, delivering something new to the cannabis brands in that area," said Joel Toguri, Chief Executive Officer of Humble. "We are actively executing on our growth strategy. As our business evolves and expands, we continue to be hyper focused on sustainable profit generation and positive cash flow to deliver long-term shareholder value."

Humble brings a new approach to the sales and distribution market in the California cannabis market. California is currently one of the largest adult-use market globally, worth approximately US$4.4 billion and expected to double over the next 10 years1. With over 6,000 cultivators and over 700 retailers Humble believes that cannabis brands are looking for a new and innovative ways to support ambitious sales targets and build strong retail relationships and brand awareness directly with consumers2.

1 Source: BDS Analytics

2 Source: Bureau of Cannabis Control

About Humble & Fume Inc.

Humble & Fume Inc. is a leading North American distributor of cannabis and cannabis accessories, supported by a customer-centric sales team and strong fulfillment infrastructure. As the only fully integrated cannabis distribution solution, Humble bridges the gap for retailers, licensed cannabis producers, multi-state operators, and cannabis consumers to maximize sales penetration, and increase financial performance. With over 20 years of North American operating experience, Humble has cultivated extensive vendor and customer relationships, distributing premium cannabis consumables and consumption devices. The Company is comprised of four subsidiaries that represents its vertical integration across North America; B.O.B. Headquarters Inc. / Humble+Fume, Windship Trading LLC, Humble Cannabis Solutions and Fume Labs Inc.

Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to, the Company's assessment of the cannabis market in United States generally and specifically, the state of California, and the expected results for brand partners of the Company. Any such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "contemplates", "believes", "projects", "plans" and similar expressions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Statements about, among other things, the potential for Johnson Brothers, through Green Acre, to increase its ownership percentage in the JV, the potential impact on brands that engage Humble for their distribution and / or sales agency and the future of the cannabis industry in California and across the United States, including the anticipated ongoing consumer demand, are all forward-looking information. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will occur as described herein. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances or actual results unless required by applicable law. Readers are encouraged to refer to the Company's disclosure available on its SEDAR profile (at www.sedar.com) for information as to the risks and other factors which may effect the Company's business objectives and strategic plans.

SOURCE Humble & Fume Inc.
Hunt Military Communities is recognized by SatisFacts for excellence in resident satisfaction. Tweet this

The SatisFacts scores serve as a benchmark for gauging performance and are also used to enhance resident satisfaction, retention, and overall resident experience. Hunt Military Communities reviews the survey scores on a monthly basis and uses the feedback to continue making adjustments and improvements.

About Hunt Military Communities

Hunt Military Communities, the largest military housing owner, offers unsurpassed quality and service to more than 165,000 residents in approximately 52,000 homes on Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Army installations across the USA. We do this through our pillars: excellence, accountability, customer commitment, continuous Improvement, and integrity and our 5-Star Service commitment. With a 50-year legacy and a partnership with the Department of Defense, HMC strives to ensure the integrity of our military communities and the families who live there. For more information, visit www.huntmilitarycommunities.com .

About Satisfacts

SatisFacts is the leading provider of resident surveys focusing on multifamily retention and reputation management. Our goal is to create a robust platform to attract, understand and retain renters all through delivering leading-edge technology, data, and unrivaled education. www.satisfacts.com

SOURCE Hunt Military Communities
New African American Creative Showcases the Convenience of an Electrified Lifestyle

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor America and its African American marketing agency of record, Culture Brands, have launched a new campaign for the award-winning, all-electric 2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5. Building on the OKAY Hyundai theme, the campaign, titled "Leading by Example," showcases the convenience of an electrified lifestyle.

"We wanted an IONIQ 5 spot that illustrated a lifestyle without limits," said Angela Zepeda, CMO, Hyundai Motor America. "This latest creative demonstrates how the IONIQ 5's advanced features and technology allows for great family fun with zero emissions."

The OKAY Hyundai marketing theme was first launched last fall and is designed to strengthen the connection between Hyundai and the African American community through the embedding of cultural references and nuances in the creative messaging. "Leading by Example" brings the same approach to demonstrating an electrified lifestyle.

"Leading By Example" tells the story of Uncle Miles as he picks up his nephew Blake from school for a guys' night. The IONIQ 5 is the hero of the journey, impressing all of Blake's friends at school. Showcasing the IONIQ 5's ultra-fast charging capabilities and innovative vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging technology, the two are off to pick up snacks while the vehicle charges from 10-80% in 18 minutes, before culminating in the vehicle powering an outdoor video game night.

The IONIQ 5 campaign was developed by Culture Brands under the leadership of Eunique Jones Gibson, founder and chief creative officer of Culture Brands. For the spot, Culture Brands enlisted director Jenn Shaw and tinygiant, a woman-owned and certified production company. The character of Blake is played by Marvin Winans III, grandson of Pastor and gospel legend Marvin Winans.

"We are continuing to push for representation and dynamics that showcase African American lifestyle and relationships not prominently shown in the media," said Gibson. "The IONIQ 5 is an award-winning vehicle with sustainability and eco-friendly innovations. Through Uncle Miles and Blake, we're reminded that there is hope for the future when we lead by example."

The IONIQ 5 campaign, which includes video, radio, digital and influencers executions, will use a variety of media platforms to amplify the messaging and vehicle features such as driving range, comfort, spacious interior, styling and technology. There are 15-, 30- and 60-second versions of the spot available for broadcast and digital channels.

Culture Brands

Culture Brands is an independent, minority and female-owned agency that exists to authentically celebrate, reflect and represent African Americans in media. Founded in 2017, by 15-year advertising veteran Eunique Jones Gibson, we create culturally relevant and affirming campaigns and content that inspire African American audiences by ensuring they feel seen, heard and valued. At Culture Brands, we are constantly engaged in a two-way conversation with the African American community through our owned and operated media platforms and consumer brands such as the award-winning Because of Them We Can, Because of Them We Can Box (Just For Kids), #CultureTags and Dream Village. Culture Brands is headquartered right outside of the nation's capital in Hyattsville, MD. www.culturebrands.co

Hyundai Motor America

Hyundai Motor America focuses on 'Progress for Humanity' and smart mobility solutions. Hyundai offers U.S. consumers a technology-rich lineup of cars, SUVs, and electrified vehicles. Our 820 dealers sold more than 620,000 vehicles in the U.S. in 2020, and nearly half were built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. For more information, visit www.HyundaiNews.com.

Please visit our media website at www.HyundaiNews.com

Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram

SOURCE Hyundai Motor America
PITTSBURGH, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "I wanted to create a system to protect police officers during riot and protest situations," said an inventor, from San Jose, Calif., "so I invented the PERSONAL DEFENSE. My design would increase defense measures while enabling police to combat violence through aggressive crowd control."

The patent-pending invention provides a more aggressive defense of police officers who are involved in keeping peace and protecting persons or property in the midst of protests. It also protects against crude incendiary bomb or grenade-like devices. As a result, it enhances safety and security. The invention features a portable design that is easy to use so it is ideal for the police force.

The original design was submitted to the San Francisco sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 20-SNF-135, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp
To celebrate 313 Day, Jet's hid a secret message in their March TV commercial. The commercial briefly displays a 313 phone number on the sign of one of the pizza shops. A total of nine viewers picked up the phone and dialed the number and were greeted with the below message:

"Well, well,well. Looks like you found our little secret. Congrats! You must be a big fan of Jet's Pizza to have been paying such close attention to our commercial. That kind of dedication isn't common. We think it's worth rewarding"

The first call came in from Metro-Detroit native and longtime Jet's Pizza fan, Dave Acosta. Acosta was surprised with a years' worth of free pizza, along with some Jet's branded gear.

"I'm overwhelmed and so excited," said Dave Acosta, Jet's Pizza's Year of Free Pizza Winner. "Jet's is a family tradition for us. We get it every week so winning this is incredible."

A handful of other eagle-eyed viewers called the number as well and were rewarded with gift cards and Jet's branded gear.

"This was a fun way to interact with our customers in a way we never have before," said John Jetts, President of Jet's America. "It might make you look twice when you see one of our future commercials."

To find a Jet's Pizza near you, go to jetspizza.com.

About Jet's Pizza

Jet's Pizza is based in Sterling Heights, Michigan. It was founded as Jetts Party Shoppe and Pizzeria in 1978 by brothers, John and Eugene Jetts. Since then, it has now grown to nearly 400 stores in 19 states. Jet's Pizza is known for its Detroit-style, deep-dish pizzas, and fresh, high-quality ingredients. Every morning the dough is prepared by hand, premium mozzarella is grated, vegetables are hand-cut, and sauce is made with fresh vine-ripened tomatoes mixed with Jet's proprietary spice and herb blend.

Media Contact: Gabriella Galloway

Jet's America

586-795-8403

[email protected]

SOURCE Jet's Pizza
KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kansas City Life Insurance Company (the "Company") announced today that the Board of Directors has elected Walter E. "Web" Bixby, LLIF, as President and Chief Executive Officer of Kansas City Life Insurance Company. He is currently also Vice Chairman of the Board of Kansas City Life, President of Old American Insurance Company, President and Chief Executive Officer of Grange Life Insurance Company.

Mr. Bixby has worked in various roles during his 40 years with the Company. He was elected Assistant Vice President of the Company in 1985; Vice President, Marketing in 1990; Vice President, Marketing Operations in 1992; President of Old American in 1996, Vice Chairman of the Board in 2005; Executive Vice President in 2012; Chief Executive Officer of Grange Life in 2018, and President of Grange Life in 2022.

Mr. Bixby is a fourth-generation member of the Bixby family that has led the Company since 1904. He also serves as a Director of Old American Insurance Company, Grange Life Insurance Company, and Sunset Financial Services, subsidiaries of Kansas City Life.

Mr. Bixby is succeeding the positions of President and Chief Executive Officer after the announcement of the retirement of his brother R. Philip Bixby.

Kansas City Life Insurance Company (OTCQX: KCLI) was established in 1895 and is based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Company's primary business is providing financial protection through the sale of life insurance and annuities. The Company operates in 49 states and the District of Columbia. For more information, please visit www.kclife.com.

SOURCE Kansas City Life Insurance Company
The federal trial will examine the role of opioid manufacturers Allergan and Teva, distributor Anda, and Walgreens pharmacy in fueling the opioid epidemic in the City and County of San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, trial begins with the People of the State of California, acting by and through San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu, against opioid manufacturers Allergan and Teva, distributor Anda, and Walgreens pharmacy. The bench trial will take place before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California with Judge Charles R. Breyer presiding.

Brought on behalf of the People of the State of California, the lawsuit alleges that opioid manufacturers Allergan and Teva engaged in deceptive marketing practices that misrepresented the dangers of their pills and that all defendants, including Anda and Walgreens, failed to identify, divert, and report suspicious orders as required by law. Walgreens pharmacy is also accused of over-dispensing opioids without proper due diligence against fraud and diversion.

The People allege that these corporate practices fueled a widespread surge of opioid-related addiction and overdose in San Francisco, thereby creating an ongoing public nuisance in the region. From 2006 to 2014, San Francisco County saw 163,645,704 opioids distributed, enough for 22 pills per person per year. Between 2015 and 2020, San Francisco saw a 478% increase in opioid-related overdose deaths, and in a typical day at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG) Emergency Department, approximately 25 percent of visits are opioid-related. The lawsuit seeks funds to abate the public nuisance, as well as injunctive relief and civil penalties to repair the damage caused from the opioid epidemic and prevent such practices in the future.

"This trial will give voice to the tragic experiences and ongoing needs of our community on the front lines of the opioid epidemic," said San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu. "For too long, the people of San Francisco have had to shoulder the burden of the opioid epidemic. It's time for these companies to pay for the crisis they created. We look forward to presenting our case and securing the funds we need to heal."

This trial is the fourth bellwether case in the federal opioid litigation proceeding involving more than 3,000 American cities, towns, and counties, bringing opioid manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacy chains to court for fueling the opioid epidemic. This case will serve as a test trial to help reach resolutions and seek accountability for the destruction these companies caused. For San Francisco and communities around the country decimated by the opioid epidemic, litigation is a vital tool to secure the resources they need now to implement specific programs required at the local level and sustain the costly, decades-long recovery process ahead.

In a joint statement, National Prescription Opiate Litigation MDL Plaintiffs' Executive Committee co-leads Paul T. Farrell Jr. of Farrell & Fuller Law LLC, Jayne Conroy of Simmons Hanly Conroy, and Joe Rice of Motley Rice LLC, said:

"The manufacturers' false marketing campaigns and Walgreens' failure to report and prevent suspicious opioid orders has led to an unprecedented, unyielding public health crisis in San Francisco and across the United States. The federal opioid litigation exists to facilitate the long overdue process of corporate accountability we have seen occur in courts across the country over the past several months. We look forward to seeing the same process unfold in San Francisco in the days to come. This trial serves as an opportunity to provide financial relief to support local recovery efforts while shedding light on the defendants' concerted efforts to sidestep their obligations under law."

This trial follows a jury verdict from November 23, 2021 in the federal trial in the Northern District of Ohio that found CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart liable for fueling the opioid crisis in Lake County and Trumbull County of Ohio. A judge will determine the value of the opioid epidemic abatement funds owed by pharmacy chains to these communities in May of 2022.

The general public and members of the media can find information about how to listen to the proceedings here .

The case is City and County of San Francisco, et al., v. Purdue Pharma L.P., et al., Defendants (Case No. 3:18-cv-07591-CRB).

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE National Prescription Opiate Litigation
"Ethan has a strong reputation in the market and is known for innovative, practical, and commercially-oriented solutions," said Dan Lennon, Office Managing Partner of the Washington, D.C., office. "As our M&A footprint continues to grow, Ethan will further expand our current offerings both locally and globally. We are excited to have him on board."

Schultz regularly advises private equity firms and infrastructure funds, as well as US and global strategic investors, in transactions across a wide range of infrastructure asset classes, with a focus on renewable energy, including solar, wind, hydro, and renewable fuels.

Added Justin Stolte, Global Chair of the Energy & Infrastructure Industry Group: "We are thrilled to welcome Ethan to Latham as a partner in our global M&A Practice and Energy & Infrastructure Industry Group. As demand continues to rise in the renewables, energy transition, and de-carbonization sectors, his experience will further differentiate us from our peers in these areas, and further underscores the firm's commitment to being the market leader in energy and infrastructure."

"Ethan has a terrific track record representing leading energy companies across the full spectrum of M&A transactions," said Justin Hamill, Global Co-Chair of Latham's Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. "His deep experience in the energy and infrastructure market expands our current M&A offerings. He'll be a strong asset to our clients locally, nationally, and globally."

Schultz added: "I have been a long-time admirer of Latham's strength in the energy and infrastructure sector, including in the renewables space. I very much look forward to using my skills to build upon the firm's strong market presence and outstanding reputation for client service."

Schultz is the ninth partner to join Latham's Energy & Infrastructure Industry Group in 2022. Other recent additions include Bruce Herzog, Jason Webber, Christopher Peponis, Hamad Al-Hoshan, Caroline Blitzer Phillips, Scott Miller, Sarah Fortt, and Betty Moy Huber.

Schultz received his JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and his BA from Rice University. He joins Latham from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Washington, D.C. and Houston.

About Latham & Watkins (lw.com)

Latham & Watkins delivers innovative solutions to complex legal and business challenges around the world. From a global platform, our lawyers advise clients on market-shaping transactions, high-stakes litigation and trials, and sophisticated regulatory matters. Latham is one of the world's largest providers of pro bono services, steadfastly supports initiatives designed to advance diversity within the firm and the legal profession, and is committed to exploring and promoting environmental sustainability.

Notes to Editors

1 Latham & Watkins operates worldwide as a limited liability partnership organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (USA) with affiliated limited liability partnerships conducting the practice in France, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, and the United Kingdom and as an affiliated partnership conducting the practice in Japan. Latham & Watkins operates in Israel through a limited liability company. Latham & Watkins operates in South Korea as a Foreign Legal Consultant Office. Latham & Watkins works in cooperation with the Law Office of Salman M. Al-Sudairi in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Contacts

Dan Lennon, Washington, D.C. Office Managing Partner, +1.202.637.2347

Justin Stolte, Global Chair, Energy & Infrastructure Industry Group, +1.713.546.7966

Justin Hamill, Global Co-Chair, Mergers & Acquisitions Practice, +1.212.906.1252

SOURCE Latham & Watkins
"We are excited for EJ to serve as the CEO of Europe," said Ron Lockton, Chairman. "He is a proven leader, and he is respected by our clients, the markets and our people. EJ will continue to build on Lockton's success in Europe."

As part of our planned succession, Neil Nimmo, currently CEO of Lockton International, will become the Chairman of Lockton International, reporting to Peter Clune. In addition to his overall responsibilities for Lockton International, Neil will focus on the growth and success of Lockton's international regions  Asia, Australia, Europe, LATAM and MENA  supporting them in taking care of their clients and their people.

Chris Brown, current CEO Europe, is transitioning to a newly created role of President of Lockton International, reporting to Ron Lockton. In this new role, he will build on the work he has done to develop the Lockton Global Partners, develop Lockton's international growth strategy and focus on the globalization of Lockton's key industry practices.

"These changes are a testament to the incredible work of the entire Lockton International team and the growth they have created for Lockton," said Peter Clune, Lockton CEO. "We are evolving our leadership team to ensure our long-term focus and commitment to our Associates and clients."

About Lockton

What makes Lockton stand apart is also what makes us better: independence. Lockton's private ownership empowers its 9,000 Associates doing business in over 125 countries to focus solely on clients' risk and insurance needs. With expertise that reaches around the globe, Lockton delivers the deep understanding needed to accomplish remarkable results.

For 13 consecutive years, Business Insurance magazine has recognized Lockton as a "Best Place to Work in Insurance." Lockton was named among the 2021 Best Managed Companies by Deloitte and the Wall Street Journal, a program that recognizes excellence and honors private companies for their strategy, execution, culture, and financials. For more information, visit www.lockton.com.

SOURCE Lockton Companies
Now more than ever, delivering a frictionless shopping experience is critical as retailers look to shift window shopping and price comparison visits to confirmed sales. And, while consumers enjoy the convenience of shopping online, fraudsters also seek to develop new methods to use these same channels for ill-gotten gains. One of the growing types of digital fraud is first-party fraud, where a legitimate purchase is made online but later disputed. First-party fraud is estimated to be a $50 billion global issue.

Mastercard has directly addressed these needs by enhancing its Digital Transaction Insights solution with next-generation authentication and real-time decisioning intelligence capabilities. The solution pairs Mastercard's network insights with the merchant's own data to confirm the consumer is who they claim to be, providing financial institutions with the additional intelligence needed to optimize their authorization decisions and approve more genuine transactions. Digital Transaction Insights is used across a wide range of online checkout instances, from click-to-pay functionality and wearables to digital wallets and in-app purchases.

Ajay Bhalla, president, Cyber and Intelligence at Mastercard, said, "Shopping online should be simple, quick and secure. But that isn't always the case. We're committed to developing advanced identity and fraud technology to help enhance the real-time intelligence we provide to financial institutions around the globe. This builds on our longstanding commitment of working across the industry to provide advanced technologies that enable trust, and help build a safe and thriving digital ecosystem for all."

Microsoft will be the first partner to share its insights and integrate with the new Digital Transaction Insights solution across several lines of business. Building on a long history of cross-collaboration, Microsoft's Dynamics 365 Fraud Protection's proprietary risk assessment, which leverages adaptive AI to assist in real-time fraud detection by identifying risky behaviors across purchase, account and in-store activities, has been integrated with Mastercard's Digital Transaction Insights to better enable real-time intelligence sharing in an easily consumable and actionable format. This will enable issuers to enhance their decision-making processes for authorizations, chargebacks and refunds. Moreover, organizations can improve transaction acceptance rates with insights that help them balance profitability and revenue opportunities against fraud loss and checkout friction.

Charles Lamanna, corporate vice president of Business Applications and Platforms at Microsoft, said, "We are excited to partner with Mastercard to leverage our cloud-native, cutting-edge fraud assessment tools to empower issuers and merchants to prevent more fraud and approve more genuine users. This partnership lays the foundation for the future of global fraud prevention where data silos are no longer a barrier to security."

Digital Transaction Insights is enabled by EMV 3-D Secure and Mastercard Identity Check, a global authentication solution built on the enhanced industry standard. Both elements support GDPR requirements and other related regulations. In 2021 alone, Mastercard Identity Check delivered a 14% uplift in transaction approval rates across billions of transactions.

Additional resources

For more information about Microsoft Security solutions, visit Microsoft Security. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow @msftsecurity for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.

About Mastercard (NYSE: MA)

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all. www.mastercard.com

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
Rise in number of diagnostic imaging procedures, high prevalence of chronic diseases, and decline in costs of storage platforms drive the growth of the global medical imaging informatics market.

PORTLAND, Ore., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Medical Imaging Informatics Market by Component (Software, Hardware, Services), by Application (Mammography, CT, MRI, Combined Modality, Ultrasound, Radiographic, Nuclear Imaging), by Deployment (Standalone, Integrated), by End User (Hospitals, Specialized Clinics, Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2030." According to the report, the global medical imaging informatics industry generated $2.6 billion in 2020, and is expected to reach $4.8 billion by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 6.2% from 2021 to 2030.

Download Sample PDF at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/1750

Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities

Rise in number of diagnostic imaging procedures, high prevalence of chronic diseases, and decline in costs of storage platforms drive the growth of the global medical imaging informatics market. However, lack of expertise to operate IT integrated imaging modalities and high cost of installation restrain the market growth. On the other hand, continuously evolving healthcare ecosystems present new opportunities in the coming years.

Covid-19 Scenario

Owing to lockdown measures and delay in production activities of software during the Covid-19 pandemic, the development activities of informatics products used in specialty clinics, hospitals, and maternity clinics have been affected. This impacted the overall medical imaging informatics market.

The investments in new informatics products were stopped due to economic uncertainties. Companies operating in the sector received no new consignments. This affected the overall revenue in the market.

The software segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period

Based on component, the software segment accounted for the highest market share in 2020, contributing to nearly two-thirds of the global medical imaging informatics market, and is expected to maintain its lead position during the forecast period. This is due to the focus on production of customer-centric software and customer engagement in the product development process. However, the hardware segment is estimated to manifest the largest CAGR of 6.9% from 2021 to 2030, owing to increase in number of agreements and collaborations.

Specific Requirement on COVID-19? Ask to Our Industry Expert: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/1750

The ultrasound segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

Based on application, the ultrasound segment held the highest market share in 2020, accounting for nearly one-third of the global medical imaging informatics market, and is expected to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. This is attributed to various benefits such as improved image quality, decreased duplicate studies and imaging costs, and preservation of image quality for billing requirements. However, the mammography segment is projected to witness the fastest CAGR of 7.6% from 2021 to 2030, owing to rise in usage for diagnosis of breast cancer in women who have no signs or symptoms of the disease.

North America to maintain its dominance in terms of revenue by 2030

Based on region, North America contributed the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2020, accounting for nearly half of the global medical imaging informatics market, and is expected to maintain its dominance in terms of revenue by 2030. This is due to rise in adoption rate of healthcare IT systems, innovative and advanced applications of medical imaging informatics software, and increase in investment in healthcare IT. However, LAMEA is projected to portray the highest CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period, owing to rise in number of agreements and collaborations for the installation and integration of imaging informatics hardware with the imaging modalities.

Leading Market Players

Koninklijke Philips N.V.

General Electric Company

Siemens AG

Agfa Gevaert N.V.

Medtronic, Inc.

McKesson Corporation

Lexmark International, Inc.

Toshiba Corporation

Esaote SpA

Dell Technologies Inc.

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About Us

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

Pawan Kumar, the CEO of Allied Market Research, is leading the organization toward providing high-quality data and insights. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

Contact:

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#205, Portland, OR 97220

United States

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Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/reports-store/life-sciences

Follow Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/life-sciences-industry-research/

SOURCE Allied Market Research
EINDHOVEN, Netherlands, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- STENTiT, a medical device company bringing a novel class of regenerative endovascular implants for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, has closed a 1.8 million seed investment round. The funding facilitates further pre-clinical development and batch production of a regenerative stent (see video) for peripheral indications. The investment was made by Dutch investors NextGen Ventures, Brabant Development Agency (BOM) and the Ten Cate Investment Company.

STENTiT is an emerging player in the field of regenerative medical devices, offering a breakthrough solution for cardiovascular interventions by developing first-of-its-kind endovascular implants with regenerative capacity. Using a catheter-based approach, these devices provide the ability to restore arteries without the need for an invasive surgical intervention. The aim is to ultimately restore the affected blood vessel from the inside out to provide a lifelong solution.

As a first target indication, the company wants to improve the treatment of critical limb ischemia. This progressive form of peripheral artery disease affects almost 5 million people in the EU and the US in which the blood flow to the foot is severely being compromised. Unfortunately, current treatment options are ineffective, resulting in amputation within 6 months in 40% of these patients.

With the regenerative stent, blood flow to the foot will be maintained by securing vascular patency using temporary mechanical support and improving long-term efficacy by inducing vascular repair, thereby preventing thousands of amputations each year.

Bart Sanders, CEO of STENTiT, said:

"We are excited to receive the support of these esteemed Dutch early-stage investors. This financing round validates our vision to bring a novel class of implants that can rebuild the affected blood vessels. We are looking forward taking the next steps getting our regenerative stents ready for clinical trials. With our first product, we aim to treat millions of patients suffering from peripheral artery diseases, and save their limbs from amputation."

About STENTiT

STENTiT is a medical device spin-off company from the Dutch Eindhoven University of Technology, focusing on the development of regenerative endovascular implants. These bioresorbable devices trigger a natural healing response by the circulating blood cells, in which the implant is being replaced by new vascular tissue to restore the artery from the inside-out.

Since the establishment of the company, STENTiT has received broad international recognition and awards for its high-potential approach, covering world leading stages. As the company is currently going through the next translational phases, STENTiT is on its way to fulfill its ambition to become the new standard in endovascular treatment, providing a life-changing solution for millions of cardiovascular patients around the world.

More information is available at www.stentit.com

About Nextgen Ventures

Nextgen Ventures is an investment fund investing in knowledge-intensive companies that enable transformation in health care. We actively work with our portfolio companies to develop and market potential breakthrough innovations in health care IT and medical technology that provide meaningful results for people, patients, and professionals.

Please visit Nextgen's website for more info: www.nextgenventures.nl

About BOM Brabant Ventures

Entrepreneurship is the driver of change. From sustainable food sources to a healthy future, climate-neutral energy, and developing promising key technologies. The Brabant Development Agency (BOM) ensures that startups playing a role in these fields receive the right support and funding to get off to a flying start and grow into scaleups, and that companies that aspire to go global can actually do so. Every year BOM works with dozens of companies to create this impact. BOM is an executive body of the Province of Brabant and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy.

Please visit BOM's website for more info: www.bom.nl

For further enquiries, please contact:

STENTiT | Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Dr. Bart Sanders, CEO

T: +31 40 247 2445

E: [email protected]

For media:

LifeSpring Life Sciences Communication | Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Leon Melens

T: +31 6 538 16 427

E: [email protected]

SOURCE STENTiT
Dr. Laura Mauri will drive integration of medical and scientific intelligence and patient safety and engagement as chief scientific, medical and regulatory officer

DUBLIN, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) today announced that Laura Mauri, M.D., M.S.c. has been appointed Medtronic Chief Scientific, Medical and Regulatory Officer. This appointment adds to Dr. Mauri's prior responsibilities as chief clinical and regulatory officer, aligning and integrating the company's scientific, medical, clinical research and regulatory affairs under her leadership. It leverages her deep expertise and understanding of the interaction between patients and medical technology to accelerate innovation that puts patients first. Dr. Mauri will also continue to serve as a member of the Medtronic Executive Committee.

"With this appointment, we're enabling a patient-centered approach to healthcare technology innovation at every stage of the product lifecycle," said Geoff Martha, chairman and CEO, Medtronic. "Dr. Mauri's expertise and leadership connects medical and scientific intelligence, ensuring we have a clear appraisal of the medical and scientific landscape as we make investment decisions, and helping to deliver effective and reliable innovations for patients and healthcare providers."

Priorities for Dr. Mauri include delivering a transformative approach to both patient safety and patient engagement. She recently hired Olaf Hedrich, M.D., B.Ch., a patient safety, risk and analytics industry expert to serve as the company's Chief Medical Safety Officer, responsible for leading an independent medical safety organization that will provide expert input to assure patients safety and quality across Medtronic products. She will also lead the integration of robust and independent medical expertise into the company's business processes, including investment decisions, business development, exploration of therapeutic areas and development of novel technologies.

"Medtronic is fortunate to have world-leading experts across diverse scientific and medical fields who provide unique insights and breakthrough discoveries. I'm excited to integrate this expertise across our company, to connect technology innovation with better health outcomes for patients." said Dr. Mauri. "A strong scientific and patient-centered mindset across all stages of device development will enable innovation that saves and improves lives."

Dr. Mauri joined Medtronic in September 2018 and became a member of the company's Executive Committee in August 2020. In her time with the company, she has provided innovative leadership to trial design and data science, created new evidence pathways, provided medical and scientific input to investment decisions, delivered leadership to patient safety, and sponsored regulatory advances that have positively impacted patients worldwide.

Prior to joining Medtronic, Dr. Mauri was a practicing interventional cardiologist at the Brigham and Women's Hospital for 15 years and an internationally renowned investigator and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Mauri succeeds Richard Kuntz, M.D., M.S.c. as Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, who previously announced his retirement, effective April 29.

About Medtronic

Bold thinking. Bolder actions. We are Medtronic. Medtronic plc, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is the leading global healthcare technology company that boldly attacks the most challenging health problems facing humanity by searching out and finding solutions. Our Mission  to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life  unites a global team of 90,000+ passionate people across 150 countries. Our technologies and therapies treat 70 health conditions and include cardiac devices, surgical robotics, insulin pumps, surgical tools, patient monitoring systems, and more. Powered by our diverse knowledge, insatiable curiosity, and desire to help all those who need it, we deliver innovative technologies that transform the lives of two people every second, every hour, every day. Expect more from us as we empower insight-driven care, experiences that put people first, and better outcomes for our world. In everything we do, we are engineering the extraordinary. For more information on Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), visit www.Medtronic.com and follow @Medtronic on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

Contacts:



Erika Winkels Ryan Weispfenning Public Relations Investor Relations +1-763-526-8478 +1-763-505-4626

SOURCE Medtronic plc
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ministry Brands, the leading provider of software, services and information platforms for churches, ministries and those they serve, is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Bacon as Chief Operations Officer and Holly McGiboney as Senior Vice President of Human Resources.

Bacon brings 25 years of experience in operational and executive leadership to Ministry Brands. He will guide strategic growth and cross-functional alignment to support the mission of advancing faith-based organizations through technology. Bacon joins Ministry Brands from Fiserv where he served as Head of Open Solutions overseeing processing, cyber security and depository solutions for financial institutions.

McGiboney's 20 years of experience in human resources and talent acquisition will continue to drive cohesion around the mission while fostering employee growth, supporting team expansion and elevating the people experience. Her past roles include leadership positions at FLEETCOR and Newport Group.

"Chris Bacon and Holly McGiboney are filling critical roles that will enhance our ability to rally around innovation as a unified team and drive digital engagement forward for our ministry partners," said Pat O'Donnell, CEO of Ministry Brands. "We look forward to their combined experience and expertise supporting the growth of the company, our customers and associates."

"The strong foundation Ministry Brands has built through its expanding software solutions and high-performing, mission-driven team sets the stage for promising growth opportunities, and I am thrilled to be a contributor," said Bacon.

"It is a privilege to join this collaborative team of forward-thinkers who have a true sense of a greater purpose in the work they do every day," said McGiboney. "I look forward to aligning our people strategy with our culture of innovation and excellence."

About Ministry Brands

Serving more than 95,000 customers, Ministry Brands is the leading provider of SaaS platforms for churches, parachurch ministries and other faith-based organizations in the United States and Canada. Under the leadership of a mission-driven management team, the company seeks to equip the 21st-century church with technology that empowers pastors, church executives, technology professionals and administrators to proactively carry out their mission with excellence, reverence, and efficiency. Ministry Brands' suite of solutions includes church management, online giving, accounting, mobile applications, website development, background checks, content, streaming, and messaging. Learn more at www.ministrybrands.com.

Contact: Pam Junot

Telephone: 888-400-1451 x 1158

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Ministry Brands
Application NFTs to be introduced soon as new use case

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia, April 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Zetrix, the newly-introduced Layer 1 blockchain that connects across chains and across borders, including to China, is now powering the minting of non-fungible tokens ("NFTs") on global marketplace NFT Pangolin.

Having launched its mainnet recently on April 15, Zetrix provides the backbone infrastructure that integrates seamlessly with the International Supernodes of China's Xinghuo Blockchain Infrastructure ("Xinghuo BIF"), its largest national-level blockchain network, led by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology ("CAICT"), under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ("MIIT") of China. Xinghuo BIF is supported by all levels of the Chinese government and runs both governmental and commercial applications. It has been successfully deployed in various major cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing and Guangzhou, with investments surpassing billions of Renminbi-Yuan.

The commencement of the minting of Zetrix-based NFTs on NFT Pangolin brings a host of significant and distinct advantages for all market participants. For one, minting NFTs with Zetrix entails a lower carbon footprint due to the blockchain's Proof of Stake (POS) PBFT+DPOS consensus mechanism, which minimizes the computing power required to validate blocks onto the chain. This is in stark contrast to the minting of NFTs with Ethereum, which is highly energy-intensive. It is estimated that minting an NFT on Zetrix would consume 100,000 times less energy than minting the same on Ethereum. Furthermore, not only will the payment of gas fees be comparatively much lower when minting NFTs with Zetrix, market participants will also enjoy the benefit of compatibility with Xinghuo BIF.

The topic of NFTs has surged in popularity in recent years, following various celebrities' involvement in the NFT community. The NFT community originally evolved around Ethereum, utilizing its smart contracts to make any digital artifact a unique copy, while allowing content creators to benefit from their art as every transaction will be able to generate a portion of income for the original content creator. While Zetrix fully supports digital creators' NFTs and is committed to fostering the continued growth of this market segment, moving forward, it will also be focusing on enabling the introduction of Application NFTs as a new use case for NFTs. Digital creators' NFTs are valued based on the unique content owned whereas Application NFTs will be valued based on their utility in a specific process. Zetrix's inherent advantages, namely its low energy consumption, low gas fees and high processing speeds, will make Application NFTs viable. NFT Pangolin will be introducing these in the near future as it aims to make NFTs a part of everyday life.

For more information on Zetrix, please visit https://zetrix.com/

To participate in the minting of Zetrix-based NFTs, please visit NFT Pangolin at https://nftpangolin.com/.

About NFT Pangolin

NFT Pangolin is a global marketplace for regional creators in Asia to issue and sell their unique crypto secured assets to global collectors.

NFT Pangolin aspires to be the leading regional marketplace driving creative, innovative collaborations and boundary pushing campaigns in the NFT space globally for issuers and collectors alike, while making a difference for those in need by funding social causes and charitable campaigns to pay it forward.

SOURCE MY E.G. Services Berhad
"Since our inception, MIP Fund Accounting has adapted through four decades of changing technology to become the leading solution for nonprofits, public service organizations, government, education, and K-12 schools," said Neil Taurins, MIP General Manager. "We continue to serve mission-driven communities while continuously evolving to meet their needs as a best-in-class fund accounting solution. Our innovation and growth are success stories worthy of celebrating and we are excited to include our customers, both long-term and new partners, in this special occasion."

MIP Fund Accounting by Community Brands is celebrating 40 years by setting aside $1 million on a first come, first-serve basis beginning today through June 30 as part of a technology grant to new customers. New agreements signed on or before June 30 by 501(c) nonprofit organizations are eligible to receive a 20 percent discount off the cost of MIP software in the form of a grant. To learn more about details of the grant fund, visit www.mip.com/40th-anniversary.

MIP's celebration also includes a series of planned promotions and contests throughout the year. Current MIP customers have an exclusive celebratory offer through June 30 where they can select either three months free on a new MIP Cloud subscription with a 15-month contract or 20 percent off one module during the initial term of the contract.

Additional anniversary details will be announced on MIP's social media sites (Twitter @MIP_FA; LinkedIn at mip-fund-accounting; Facebook @MIPbyCommunityBrands) and its newly redesigned website (www.mip.com) and blog (www.mip.com/blog/).

MIP began in 1982 in Houston, Texas, as MIP Micro Information products. Through a 40-year journey, it became the nation's leading nonprofit cloud-based SaaS fund accounting software offering from Community Brands. Navigating an assortment of mergers, acquisitions, and rebranding along the way, MIP evolved into a leader earning "Best Usability," "Best Feature Set," and "Best Customer Support" from Trust Radius in 2021 and "Most Loved" in 2022. Today, over 5,600 MIP customers, including one continuous partner of 39 years, are part of over $1 billion raised each year using Community Brands software.

About Community Brands

Community Brands is the leading provider of cloud-based software and payment solutions to associations, nonprofits, and K-12 schools. Specifically for charitable nonprofits and schools, the Community Brands Education and Nonprofit portfolio provides the industry's most complete set of software solutions for nonprofits and K-12 schools of all sizes. Nonprofits benefit from award-winning fund accounting and fundraising solutions, purpose-built from the ground up to empower them to achieve and grow their impact in our communities. Paired with a complete set of K-12 solutions encompassing enrollment management, financial aid, student information systems, and digital payments, schools are empowered to raise funds and deliver on their missions. To learn more, visit communitybrands.com or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About MIP Fund Accounting

MIP Fund Accounting is the gold standard for true fund accounting and an industry-leading solution from Community Brands. As a comprehensive, configurable solution, MIP Fund Accounting enables associations, nonprofits, K-12 schools, and government entities to better achieve their missions by providing complete financial oversight and robust payroll and human resource management solutions. Organizations can make better financial decisions, track, report, manage finances, and execute financial management with greater precision. For more information, visit mip.com.

Media contact:

David Brauer

[email protected]

SOURCE Community Brands
Appoints Industry Veteran Glyn Edwards MBE as Chair

OXFORD, England, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- MitoRx Therapeutics (MitoRx), a biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics that reverse mitochondrial dysfunction to arrest the progression of degenerative diseases, announces the close of its seed financing. Financial details are not disclosed.

The company also announces the appointment of Glyn Edwards MBE as Chair, who brings specialist industry experience developing therapeutics for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and progressing these to late-stage clinical trials.

The company's first-in-class therapeutic pipeline targets mitochondria, the power stations of the cell. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been linked to the progression of rare diseases such as the neuromuscular disorder Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the neurodegenerative disorder Huntington's disease, and it has also been implicated in common neurodegenerative diseases.

MitoRx's academic founder, and CSO, Prof Matt Whiteman of the University of Exeter, and collaborators have recently demonstrated the complete reversal of loss-of strength due to mitochondrial dysfunction in a C. elegans model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. They also demonstrated neuroprotection in a mammalian model of Alzheimer's disease, through the restoration of sulfide-signalling. (1, 2)

Dr. Jon Rees, CEO of MitoRx, said, "I've long been fascinated by how reversing mitochondrial dysfunction could arrest the progression of degenerative diseases, which place great burdens on patients and healthcare systems. This seed financing will enable us to advance MitoRx's first-in-class therapeutic pipeline. We are the first biotech to address dysfunction of sulfide-signalling, a fundamental part of life's energy systems. I'm also delighted to welcome Glyn to the team whose wealth of experience will be a great asset as we accelerate our novel pipeline of small molecule mitochondrial protective therapeutics towards the clinic."

Dr Norman Law, Co-founder of MitoRx, said, "I'm excited to have this opportunity to use Prof. Whiteman's ground-breaking research on mitochondria to develop novel medicines for indications where there is a long-standing clinical need. Notably we already have data for our compounds in additional therapeutic areas such as respiratory and dermatology, which we would look to partner or out-license, as we focus on progressing our pipeline of mitochondrial-targetted therapeutics for degenerative diseases."

Oliver Sexton, Investment Director at the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund, said, "We're delighted to be supporting MitoRx Therapeutics' journey in creating innovative therapeutics for degenerative diseases. The company's platform for reversing mitochondrial dysfunction has great potential to benefit people suffering from both rare and common forms of degenerative disease. "

Professor Hideo Kimura, of Sanyo-Onoda City University, Japan, who is considered the father of the sulfide-signalling field welcomed MitoRx's emergence saying, "One year after celebrating the 25th anniversary of our paper having discovered hydrogen sulfide was a signalling molecule in the brain, it is satisfying to finally welcome the emergence of the biotechnology company which seeks to treat diseases of impaired sulfide-signalling." (3)

The seed financing was backed by a broad range of investors including the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund, Wren Capital, Longevitytech.fund, The Fink Family Office, the Science Angel Syndicate Network, Oxford Technology Management, as well as angel investors. The seed financing will be used to fund pre-clinical proof-of-concept platform development and explore research collaborations and partnerships.

References

(1) January 2021 - Mitochondrial hydrogen sulfide supplementation improves health in the C. elegans Duchenne muscular dystrophy model. Ellwood et al. PNAS. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2018342118

(2) January 2021 - Hydrogen sulfide is neuroprotective in Alzheimer's disease by sulfhydrating GSK3 and inhibiting Tau hyperphosphorylation. Giovinazzo et al. PNAS. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2017225118

(3) February 1996 - The possible role of hydrogen sulfide as an endogenous neuromodulator. Abe and Kimura. J Neurosci. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8558235/

Media Contact (Scius Communications)

Katja Stout, Daniel Gooch

Email: [email protected]

Email: [email protected]

Company Contact (MitoRx)

Jon Rees, CEO

Email: [email protected]

About MitoRx

At MitoRx our mission is to become the leading global developer of medicines arresting the progression of degenerative diseases driven by mitochondrial dysfunction. We are a preclinical research stage biotechnology company developing our first-in-class, orally delivered, mitochondrial protective therapeutics targeting rare neuromuscular disorders, rare metabolic diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Located in Harwell Oxford, we have raised seed financing from a broad range of investors including the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund, Wren Capital, Longevitytech.fund, The Fink Family Office, the Science Angel Syndicate Network, Oxford Technology Management, as well as angel investors. For more information visit our website at www.mitorxtherapeutics.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

About UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (UKI2S)

UKI2S is a national seed investment fund that nurtures innovative businesses from great UK science to leverage private investment and grow jobs. The Fund is backed by UKRI, Dstl and other public bodies and is independently managed by specialist venture capital firm Midven, part of Future Planet Capital , the impact-led, global venture capital firm built to invest in high growth potential companies from the world's top research centres.

UKI2S provides the patient, long-term committed capital and strategic advice these companies need to flourish. Over the past decade and more, the fund has built a substantial track record of companies that between them have attracted over 600m of later stage investment. Learn more at https://ukinnovationscienceseedfund.co.uk/ or follow us on Twitter

SOURCE MitoRx
Leading Neuroscientist Joins High-Performance Company to Grow Product Portfolio and Promote Continued Innovation

PARK CITY, Utah, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Momentous  a leader in human performance through supplementation and nutrition  announced today that Dr. Andrew Huberman, one of the most reputable scientists in the world, will join the company's Scientific Advisory Board. In addition, Momentous and Dr. Huberman's #1 Health & Fitness podcast, the Huberman Lab Podcast, are entering into a multi-year partnership together. Through this partnership and his advisory role, Dr. Huberman will leverage his scientific knowledge across multiple disciplines of brain and body health to support Momentous' growing stature in the human performance industry.

Momentous and Dr. Huberman will collaborate to develop products and protocols designed to optimize mental health, physical health, and performance in all aspects of life. "Momentous is passionate about creating the best possible supplements, while also helping people understand how to properly use supplementation to achieve the best health effects. I am excited to partner with them to help expand their product portfolio and speed the pipeline from peer-reviewed data to product development, while also helping to remove the guesswork that exists around supplementation," says Dr. Huberman. "With six Department of Defense innovation contracts and 150+ professional and college teams using their products, Momentous has already proven itself as an industry leader that continuously creates best-in-class human performance supplements."

Momentous' mission is to be at the forefront of human performance. Dr. Huberman joins that mission alongside the Momentous Scientific Advisory Board leaders, including Dr. Kelly Starrett, Jordan Mazur, Brandon McDaniel, Allison Brager, and others. Dr. Huberman and the Advisory Board will innovate new protocols for human optimization with their continued research around neuroscience, gut health, muscle and other tissue physiology, immune system and overall human health.

"We are beyond excited to partner with Dr. Huberman and the Huberman Lab Podcast. As the leading expert in human optimization, Dr. Huberman is changing the way people go about their daily lives for the better. His deep understanding of human health and physiology, combined with his passion for sharing science and science-based tools, allow him to bring actionable information to the world at tremendous scale. His commitment to share this powerful scientific information will continue to help people improve their sleep, focus, longevity, and more," says Momentous CEO and Co-Founder Jeff Byers. "Our partnership with Dr. Huberman allows us to innovate and lead in ways never seen before. The ability to pair science-backed protocols with clinically validated products is a movement we believe will transform human performance. We're excited to lead that movement by formulating reputable products with Dr. Huberman."

About Dr. Huberman and the Huberman Lab

A neuroscientist and tenured professor, Dr. Huberman continues to make numerous contributions to the scientific community. Dr. Huberman is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award in 2017. His most recent studies and clinical trials focus on neural regeneration and visual restoration in diseases that cause blindness. Dr. Huberman is a frequent guest on the world's most popular podcasts and a contributor to the increase in understanding around cognitive performance. In 2021, Dr. Huberman launched the Huberman Lab podcast with the objective of bringing free information around science to the masses. The show is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness and in the top 25 of all podcasts, irrespective of category.

About Momentous

Momentous is a high performance supplement and sports nutrition company whose mission is to provide consumers with the highest quality and innovative products possible combined with the knowledge and insights of why and how to use them. They have been awarded 6 innovation contracts from the Department of Defense to create human optimization products that can benefit our armed forces. In addition, the Momentous product portfolio is actively purchased by over 150 professional and collegiate sports teams because they are formulated with scientifically backed and the highest quality ingredients, plus have been rigorously tested by independent 3rd parties, including NSF-Certified for Sport. The company is headquartered in Park City, Utah. Learn more at livemomentous.com .

SOURCE Momentous
TSX andOTCQX: MPVD

TORONTO and NEW YORK, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. ("Mountain Province" or the "Company") (TSX: MPVD) and (OTCQX: MPVD) is pleased to provide the details of its Q1 2022 earnings release and conference call.

Earnings Release and Conference Call Details

The Company will host its quarterly conference call on Wednesday May 4th, 2022 at 11:00am EST. Prior to the conference call, the Company will release Q1 2022 financial results on May 3rd, after-market.

Conference Call Dial-in Details:

Title: Mountain Province Diamonds Inc Q1 2022 Earnings Conference Call

Conference ID: 29875964

Date of call: 05/04/2022

Time of call: 11:00 Eastern Time

Expected Duration: 60 minutes

Webcast Link: https://produceredition.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1545143&tp_key=bd339f39e9

Participant Toll-Free Dial-In Number: (+1) 888-390-0546

Participant International Dial-In Number: (+1) 416-764-8688

A replay of the webcast and audio call will be available on the Company's website.

About Mountain Province Diamonds Inc.

Mountain Province Diamonds is a 49% participant with De Beers Canada in the Gahcho Kue diamond mine located in Canada's Northwest Territories. The Gahcho Kue Joint Venture property consists of several kimberlites that are actively being mined, developed, and explored for future development. The Company also controls 107,373 hectares of highly prospective mineral claims and leases surrounding the Gahcho Kue Mine that include an Indicated mineral resource for the Kelvin kimberlite and Inferred mineral resources for the Faraday kimberlites. Kelvin is estimated to contain 13.62 million carats (Mct) in 8.50 million tonnes (Mt) at a grade of 1.60 carats/tonne and value of US$63/carat. Faraday 2 is estimated to contain 5.45Mct in 2.07Mt at a grade of 2.63 carats/tonne and value of US$140/ct. Faraday 1-3 is estimated to contain 1.90Mct in 1.87Mt at a grade of 1.04 carats/tonne and value of US$75/carat. All resource estimations are based on a 1mm diamond size bottom cut-off.

For further information on Mountain Province Diamonds and to receive news releases by email, visit the Company's website at www.mountainprovince.com.

Qualified Person

The disclosure in this news release of scientific and technical information regarding Mountain Province's mineral properties has been reviewed and approved by Tom E. McCandless, Ph.D., P.Geo., and Matthew MacPhail, P.Eng, MBA, both employees of Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. and Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Caution Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian and United States securities laws concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to operational hazards, including possible disruption due to pandemic such as COVID-19, its impact on travel, self-isolation protocols and business and operations, estimated production and mine life of the project of Mountain Province; the realization of mineral reserve estimates; the timing and amount of estimated future production; costs of production; the future price of diamonds; the estimation of mineral reserves and resources; the ability to manage debt; capital expenditures; the ability to obtain permits for operations; liquidity; tax rates; and currency exchange rate fluctuations. Except for statements of historical fact relating to Mountain Province, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "anticipates," "may," "can," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "targets," "intends," "likely," "will," "should," "to be", "potential" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "should" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of Mountain Province and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct.

Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward-looking statements include the development of operation hazards which could arise in relation to COVID-19, including, but not limited to protocols which may be adopted to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and any impact of such protocols on Mountain Province's business and operations, variations in ore grade or recovery rates, changes in market conditions, changes in project parameters, mine sequencing; production rates; cash flow; risks relating to the availability and timeliness of permitting and governmental approvals; supply of, and demand for, diamonds; fluctuating commodity prices and currency exchange rates, the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated.

These factors are discussed in greater detail in Mountain Province's most recent Annual Information Form and in the most recent MD&A filed on SEDAR, which also provide additional general assumptions in connection with these statements. Mountain Province cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. Investors and others who base themselves on forward-looking statements should carefully consider the above factors as well as the uncertainties they represent and the risk they entail. Mountain Province believes that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release.

Although Mountain Province has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Mountain Province undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered as the property is developed. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.

Further, Mountain Province may make changes to its business plans that could affect its results. The principal assets of Mountain Province are administered pursuant to a joint venture under which Mountain Province is not the operator. Mountain Province is exposed to actions taken or omissions made by the operator within its prerogative and/or determinations made by the joint venture under its terms. Such actions or omissions may impact the future performance of Mountain Province. Under its current note and revolving credit facilities Mountain Province is subject to certain limitations on its ability to pay dividends on common stock. The declaration of dividends is at the discretion of Mountain Province's Board of Directors, subject to the limitations under the Company's debt facilities, and will depend on Mountain Province's financial results, cash requirements, future prospects, and other factors deemed relevant by the Board.

SOURCE Mountain Province Diamonds Inc.
Sponsored by The Remy Healthcare Foundation, Mossor Writing Camp is the first of its kind to give back through a unique charitable partnership. The inaugural camp featuring top songwriters and producers will take place in Girona, Spain from April 27-May 4, 2022, and will directly benefit the Remy Healthcare Foundation's Autism initiatives.

LOS ANGELES, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Songwriting collective Mossor is partnering with The Remy Healthcare Foundation to host an inaugural songwriting camp at Estudis Ground Studios in Girona, Spain. The camp will kick off during Autism Awareness Month, taking place April 27-May 4, 2022 and bringing together a massively talented and highly curated group of songwriters, artists and producers to create a catalog of demos that, when placed, will benefit the Autism initiatives of the foundation by allocating a portion of the publishing of each song to the cause.

Mossor's ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between non-profit initiatives and the music industry. Through providing an immersive and collaborative environment where creatives can thrive as well as the necessary infrastructure for foundations to profit from music publishing, Mossor hopes to make a measurable impact and start new waves of change in the music industry.

Founded by music industry veterans Julia Ross and Andreas Moss, the Mossor songwriting camps are designed to put purpose above politics.

"We believe that music is a powerful and healing force," says Ross. "Connecting that energy to important causes makes the creation of music that much more rewarding."

Mossor aims to create an incredible experience for songwriters and producers alike with camps in stunning locations all over the world. Says Moss, "Music is ingrained in our DNA and has always been a part of us. We are committed to preserving that beauty and shining a bright light on the value of the songwriters, producers and creators."

The Mossor Writing Camp (Spain 2022) will consist of 6 producers and 10 songwriters who will gather for 7 days to collaborate and ultimately give back. 10% of every song that emerges from Mossor will be donated.

The following songwriters, artists and producers are confirmed to participate in Mossor Writing Camp (Spain 2022):

Julia Ross , Songwriter / Artist

, Songwriter / Artist Andreas Moss , Songwriter / Artist

, Songwriter / Artist Saint Wade, Artist / Songwriter

Maurice Moore, Artist / Songwriter

Tish Hyman, Artist / Songwriter

Alma Goodman , Songwriter

, Songwriter Tone Jonez, Producer / Songwriter

Nina Nelson , Songwriter / Artist

, Songwriter / Artist Kaedi Dalley, Artist / Songwriter

Kyle Reynolds , Songwriter / Artist

, Songwriter / Artist Yonatan Watts, Producer / Songwriter

Synematik, Producer

Truls, Producer / Songwriter

Nick Lee, Producer / Songwriter

Mark Maxwell, Producer

For more information, visit www.Mossor.us .

About THE REMY HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION: The Remy Foundation's mission is to discover the unmet needs of the special needs community. At The Remy Foundation, we provide consultation services and make the pharmaceutical, emotional and physical needs of the special needs community available at the lowest possible cost.

CONTACT: Brian Mayes, [email protected]

SOURCE Mossor
SUWON, South Korea, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The NanoScientific Symposium 2022, an international event that brings together researchers and entrepreneurs in the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology, will begin accepting registrations on April 26, 2022. To register, go to https://event.nanoscientific.org/

Registration is open for Global NanoScientific Symposiums 2022. Register at: https://event.nanoscientific.org/ Tweet this Global NanoScientific Symposium 2022

First launched in 2018, NanoScientific Symposium has brought together thousands of attendees in both live and virtual events for engaging and interactive discussions with leading experts in nano-related fields. This year, NanoScientific is hosting six events bringing leading experts on scanning probe microscopy from around the world: Korea, Europe, SE Asia, Japan, China, and the United States.

This year's featured topics will cover the ever-growing field of SPM, including nanoelectronics, 2D devices, 3D-AFM techniques, photovoltaic technologies, electrochemical imaging and the intersection of nanotechnology and biology.

The NanoScientific Symposiums sponsored by Park Systems have given attendees the latest updates in SPM, opportunities to present their research papers, attend demos on atomic force microscopy and build ongoing relationships with those within the field of nanotechnology. Nanoscientific Symposium presents insights on the rapidly evolving R&D and innovations in nanotechnology. This event provides a wonderful opportunity for you to enhance your knowledge of the newest interdisciplinary approaches in nanomaterials.

The nanoscience and nanotechnology are fields of growing in importance, which includes surface science, organic chemistry, molecular biology, semiconductor physics, and micro-manufacturing and those who strive to acquire the technology is the foundation for NanoScientific.

NanoScientific is sponsored exclusively by Park Systems Corp., the world leading manufacturer of atomic force microscopy systems. It is offered freely to everyone to promote the nanoscientific exploration. NanoScientific Symposiums are offered globally both online and in-person partnering with its host institutions that offer their facilities to promote and showcase their nano-related research.

Park Systems sponsors NanoScientific to foster the nanoscientific community and bring products and solutions that they require--in line with its mission to enable nanoscale advances for scientists and engineers solving the world's most pressing problems.

NanoScientific Symposium brings together scientists, engineers, industry experts, and business leaders to share the latest discoveries and trends in nanoscience and nanotechnology.

We invite you to register the NanoScientific Symposium 2022 today to secure your place in the forum. Join the nanoscientific community of leading scientists and get an opportunity to present your research.

To sign up, please visit https://event.nanoscientific.org/

About NanoScientific

NanoScientific Magazine has been published since 2014 and has a global distribution of over 30,000 in North America, Europe, and Asia. NanoScientific Symposiums are held annually around the world to share scientific knowledge and foster ongoing relationships in the field of nano science and technology. NanoScientific Magazine showcases advancements in the field of nano across a wide range of multi-disciplinary areas of research. The NanoScientific Community is a group of global researchers who gather to expand the knowledge of scanning probe microscopy in today's rapidly evolving global economy. Please visit www.nanoscientific.org for more information.

About Park Systems

Since going public and listing on KOSDAQ in 2016, Park Systems's stock has quadrupled as it continues to lead the world in growing the atomic force microscopy market share. Park Systems, a global AFM manufacturer, has Nanoscience Centers in key cities worldwide, including Santa Clara, CA; Albany, NY; Beijing, China; Tokyo, Japan; Bangalore, India; Singapore; Heidelberg, Germany; and Suwon and Seoul, Korea. Park Systems offers a complete range of products for researchers and industry engineers in the chemistry, materials, physics, life sciences, and semiconductor and data storage industries. Park's products are used by thousands of institutions and corporations worldwide, and they provide the highest data accuracy at nanoscale resolution, superior productivity, and low operating cost. Please visit www.parksystems.com for more information.

SOURCE Park Systems, Inc.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA's Human Exploration Rover Challenge will host a virtual awards ceremony for its competing teams Friday, April 29, at 9 a.m. CDT. Media wishing to attend the ceremony should contact Christopher Blair of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, by 5 p.m. on April 28.

The student competition  one of seven Artemis Student Challenges  tasks high school and college teams from around the world to design, build, and test a human-powered rover capable of traversing simulated terrain from the Moon, Mars, and other rocky planets. Along the way, teams are also required to complete scientific tasks, reflecting spacewalks that were completed during NASA's Apollo Program and may be completed during NASA's Artemis Program.

Although NASA will not be able to host teams in person this year, the students have gained significant value from the engineering, teamwork, and project tasks they have already completed.

Awards will be given for Overall Winner, Project Review, Social Media, Task Challenge, Videography, Ingenuity, Phoenix, Safety, and STEM Engagement. Teams should reach out to the HERC staff with any questions or for more details.

For more than 25 years, the annual NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge and its sponsors have encouraged student teams from the United States and around the world to push the limits of innovation and imagine what it will take to explore the Moon, Mars, and other worlds.

The Human Exploration Rover Challenge is managed by the Office of STEM Engagement at Marshall. The competition reflects the goals of the Artemis program, which seeks to put the first woman and first person of color on the Moon. NASA's Office of STEM Engagement uses competitions to further the agency's goal of encouraging students to pursue degrees and careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.

For more information about NASA's Artemis Student Challenges, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/stem/artemis.html

SOURCE NASA
Certification Supports Law Enforcement in how to Identify Legal Operators from Illicit

DENVER, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Upon the close of the Attorney General Alliance's (AGA) Cannabis Project Conference in Denver, attorneys general from across the nation have recognized the completion of a cannabis pilot and now launch of an official two-part cannabis certification program called "The Public Health & Safety Cannabis Financial Service Certification."

The Public Health & Safety Cannabis Financial Service Certification helps law enforcement and state regulators distinguish legal cannabis operators from illicit. It also determines both outstanding U.S. monetary banking protocols among cannabis and hemp operators as well as those who are meeting good manufacturing practices.

The certification began as a pilot program overseen by the Policy Center for Public Health & Safety (PH&S) in collaboration with state attorneys general. It is also being implemented by ASTM international and the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH) and is now available for wide-scale, national use by cannabis and hemp companies.

"In absence of federal regulation and oversight, the need for an independent versus self-certification is imminent. As the cannabis industry grows, we must have banking safeguards to mitigate illicit and criminal conduct. This is an important first step to give guidance to state attorneys general and lawmakers while raising the bar for the industry," said Karen White, AGA Executive Director. "The certification brings banking and financial transparency to ensure the safety of the monetary system for institutions banking hemp and cannabis."

The certification is endorsed by Safe Harbor Financial, a subsidiary of Partner Colorado Credit Union, which is leading the industry in developing financial systems in accord with the U.S. Department of Treasury and FinCEN.

"It is crucial to know where cannabis and hemp operators are banking to maintain a level of compliance. This certification will give regulators that insight. Additionally, hemp and cannabis operators can stand by their own financial and operational integrity as they subject themselves to volunteer audits," said New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas, who presented the official certifications to recipients at the AGA cannabis conference.

The overall certification is now accepted by state and federal regulators as the standard of compliance and implementation of general risk mitigating strategies.

PH&S: PH&S is a 501(c)(4) company addressing the challenges facing law enforcement, regulators, cannabis investors & operators as well as financial institutions.

About ASTM International: Committed to serving global societal needs, ASTM International positively impacts public health and safety, consumer confidence, and overall quality of life. We integrate consensus standards  developed with our international membership of volunteer technical experts  and innovate services to improve lives. Helping our world work better. Visit www.astmcannabis.org

ATACH: The American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH) is the leading United States 501(c)(6) cannabis industry trade organization promoting the expansion and protection of legal sales of cannabis and hemp for industrial, medical, and adult use.

Contact:

Monica McCafferty

(303) 903-3394

[email protected]

SOURCE Policy Center for Public Health and Safety
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Developing countries will access new climate funding and finance tools to address climate change, thanks to a Finance Strategy launched by the NDC Partnership in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

The Most Honourable Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica, launched the new Strategy with NDC Partnership Co-Chairs, Senator the Honourable Matthew Samuda of Jamaica, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, and The Right Honourable Alok Sharma of the United Kingdom, COP President and Member of Parliament, to support developing countries implement their climate commitments.

The Finance Strategy targets money and support for developing countries, harnessing a unique cooperation model to drive sustainable national, regional and international transformation.

The Strategy will:

Strengthen country capacity, deploying specialist advisors to sectoral ministries and national development banks,

Guide countries developing NDC financing strategies with Development and Implementing Partners to align NDCs with wider development plans, and

Facilitate private sector buy-in on financing strategies to enable the implementation of NDCs.

The new Finance Strategy builds upon the Partnership's recent work, which has seen USD1 billion mobilized to support developing countries' climate action. Yet, much more is needed. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 's Sixth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change, warns that we are not on track to meet the 1.5C target above pre-industrial levels established in the Paris Agreement.

Following COP26, countries have shifted their focus to implementation of climate commitments, but climate action requires unprecedented speed and scale. In its World Energy Transition Outlook, NDC Partnership Member, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates USD51 trillion is needed in cumulative energy investments alone to achieve the 1.5C scenario (2021-30).

"As a small island developing state, the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Agreement is not an abstract target but a matter of survival," said Prime Minister Holness. "That is why the development and launch of the NDC Partnership's Finance Strategy is so important and timely."

"The Partnership's Finance Strategy provides a strong signal to members and global leaders that raised ambition in developing countries must be urgently matched with large-scale, predictable and timely financing," added Minister Samuda.

COP President Alok Sharma added: "At COP26 we made significant progress, but now is the time to turn commitments into action. The Partnership has shown that by combining countries' leadership with a coordinated response from international partners, technical and financial support can be mobilized effectively."

About the NDC Partnership

The NDC Partnership brings together more than 200 members - including 115 countries, developed and developing, and 80 institutions - to deliver ambitious climate action that helps achieve the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Governments identify their NDC implementation priorities and the support needed to produce actionable policies and programs. This informs a tailored package of expertise, technical assistance, and funding, for members.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1687000/NDC_Partnership_Logo.jpg

SOURCE NDC Partnership
Financial Highlights

$6.0 million in cash as at December 31, 2021

Total assets increased by $7.5 million while total liabilities increased by $0.6 million compared to December 31, 2020

Working capital surplus of $5.5 million compared to a working capital deficit of $0.06 million compared to December 31, 2020

VANCOUVER, BC, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Northstar Clean Technologies Inc. (TSXV: ROOF) (OTCQB: ROOOF) ("Northstar" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that today it has filed its audited annual financial statements and management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") on SEDAR for the year ended December 31, 2021. These documents are also available on the Company's website at www.northstarcleantech.com. The Company has scheduled a virtual investor webcast to discuss these financial results and to provide a business update to the investment community on Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 2:00 pm PST / 5:00 pm EST. Details are provided below.

Mr. Aidan Mills, President & CEO of Northstar, commented, "In 2021, the Northstar team did an excellent job of laying the groundwork for Northstar's future. 2021 was the most progressive and successful year for our Company to date. Our $12.24 million financing completed in July 2021 funded the development of our Empower Pilot Facility in Delta, British Columbia and supported the development of our planned Calgary Empower Facility in Calgary, Alberta. We are now in steady state production at our Empower Pilot Facility and progressing towards commercial production. We also recently completed our independent front-end engineering design ("FEED") for our planned Calgary Empower Facility. The completion of the FEED design was a significant milestone for us and validated our cost estimates allowing us to move forward with even more confidence as we begin work on our Calgary Empower Facility."

Mr. Mills continues, "Putting all of this together, we are confident that Northstar will play a pivotal role in the circular economy and that we are well positioned to capitalize on the triple bottom line: people, planet and profit. These past six months have been defined by an independent third-party validation of our business, confirmation that we are producing specification product with our technology, and establishing the foundation to build a low carbon, circular economy business across North America. The independent life cycle assessment validated strong carbon dioxide emission savings of 60%, cementing our view that the reprocessing of asphalt shingles is significantly greener than the landfill alternative. 2022 is shaping up to be an exciting year for our Company."

Q4 2021 Highlights

October 2021 - Northstar announced the successful completion of commissioning runs at its Empower Pilot Facility and completed an assessment of Request for Proposal ("RFP") submissions.

Northstar announced the successful completion of commissioning runs at its Empower Pilot Facility and completed an assessment of Request for Proposal ("RFP") submissions. November 2021 - Selected BBA Engineering Ltd. ("BBA") as consulting engineering firm to conduct the FEED study producing the detailed engineering design of a modular facility to be deployed across expansion facilities.

Selected BBA Engineering Ltd. ("BBA") as consulting engineering firm to conduct the FEED study producing the detailed engineering design of a modular facility to be deployed across expansion facilities. November 2021  Completed an independent life cycle assessment for the Empower Pilot Facility, confirming that the facility has the capacity to reduce carbon dioxide equivalent ("CO 2 e") emissions of liquid asphalt production by 60%.

Completed an independent life cycle assessment for the Empower Pilot Facility, confirming that the facility has the capacity to reduce carbon dioxide equivalent ("CO e") emissions of liquid asphalt production by 60%. December 2021 - Appointed Ms. Rosemary Pritchard as Chief Financial Officer and lead for the Company's human resources and information technology.

Appointed Ms. as Chief Financial Officer and lead for the Company's human resources and information technology. December 2021 - Announced the adoption of corporate governance initiatives, including a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, Disclosure Controls and Procedures Policy, and Insider Trading and Blackout Policy.

Significant Events Subsequent to the Quarter Ended December 31, 2021

January 2022 - Northstar's common shares commenced trading in the United States on the OTCQB under the symbol 'ROOOF'.

Northstar's common shares commenced trading in on the OTCQB under the symbol 'ROOOF'. February 2022 - Appointed Ms. Kellie Johnston as Chief Sustainability Officer and General Counsel.

Appointed Ms. as Chief Sustainability Officer and General Counsel. February 2022 - Initiated steady state production at the Empower Pilot Facility, processing discarded shingles into "green asphalt", fiber, and aggregate, confirming that these products can enter the circular economy while diverting waste from landfills.

Initiated steady state production at the Empower Pilot Facility, processing discarded shingles into "green asphalt", fiber, and aggregate, confirming that these products can enter the circular economy while diverting waste from landfills. March 2022 - Validated two of its outputs, high quality liquid asphalt and aggregate, through positive third-party test results. The testing confirmed that the Company's products meet its end product specification objectives and can be used in a variety of applications.

Validated two of its outputs, high quality liquid asphalt and aggregate, through positive third-party test results. The testing confirmed that the Company's products meet its end product specification objectives and can be used in a variety of applications. March 2022 - Selected Calgary, Alberta as the location for its expanded-capacity asphalt shingle reprocessing scale up facility.

Selected as the location for its expanded-capacity asphalt shingle reprocessing scale up facility. March 2022 - Secured grant funding from Alberta Innovates for the engineering costs of the proposed Calgary scale up facility. This application to Alberta Innovates was Northstar's first of a broad range of government funding applications Northstar is progressing related to the Calgary Empower Facility.

Secured grant funding from Alberta Innovates for the engineering costs of the proposed scale up facility. This application to Alberta Innovates was Northstar's first of a broad range of government funding applications Northstar is progressing related to the Calgary Empower Facility. March 2022 - Received an independent front-end engineering design from BBA for the planned scale up asphalt shingle reprocessing facility. The FEED study outlined a total capital cost estimate of $11.75 million for the Calgary Empower Facility, which includes $9.75 million in direct and indirect costs, plus an additional $2.0 million contingency.

Received an independent front-end engineering design from BBA for the planned scale up asphalt shingle reprocessing facility. The FEED study outlined a total capital cost estimate of for the Calgary Empower Facility, which includes in direct and indirect costs, plus an additional contingency. April 2022 - Announced project economics for its Calgary Empower Facility based on the FEED design and detailed internal management-prepared financial analysis of the planned facility. Highlights include $7.6 million in potential annual revenue per facility(1), $4.9 million in potential annual gross profit per facility(1), and $4.0 million in potential annual EBITDA per facility(1)(2) with clear achievable upside identified for asphalt price, sustainability ("green") premium, operational performance and yield and tipping fee revenue.

Virtual Investor Webcast Call Details

Topic: Northstar Clean Technologies Annual Financial Results Webcast

Date: April 28, 2022

Time: 14:00 PST / 17:00 EST

Webcast URL: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/9016497132073/WN_u_xNkBZATnmLvtWyYwM9Mw

Approximately two hours after the Q&A session has ended, an archived version of the webcast will be available via the webcast URL above.

Notes:

(1) Based on anticipated first full operational year.

(2) Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") is a Non-GAAP financial measure and refers to earnings determined in accordance with IFRS, before depreciation and amortization, interest expense (finance costs) and income tax expense. EBITDA should not be construed as alternatives to net income/loss determined in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). EBITDA does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. The Company believes that EBITDA is a meaningful financial metric as it measures cash generated from operations which the Company can use to fund working capital requirements, service future interest and principal debt repayments and fund future growth initiatives.

About Northstar

Northstar Clean Technologies Inc. is a Vancouver-based clean technology company focused on the sustainable recovery and reprocessing of asphalt shingles. Northstar has developed a proprietary design process for taking discarded asphalt shingles, otherwise destined for already over-crowded landfills, and extracting the liquid asphalt, aggregate and fiber for usage in new hot mix asphalt, construction products and other industrial applications. Focused on the circular economy, Northstar plans to reprocess used or defective asphalt shingle waste back into its three primary components for reuse/resale at its Empower Pilot Facility in Delta, British Columbia. As an emerging innovator in sustainable processing, Northstar's mission is to be the leader in the recovery and reprocessing of asphalt shingles in North America, extracting the recovered components from asphalt shingles that would otherwise be sent to landfill.

For further information about Northstar, please visit www.northstarcleantech.com .

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

Aidan Mills

President & CEO, Director

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The TSXV has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

This press release may contain forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which forwardlooking information reflects the Company's current expectations regarding future events. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this press release include statements concerning the Company's scheduled virtual investor webcast, its confidence that it will play a pivotal role in the circular economy and that it is well positioned to capitalize on the triple bottom line, its belief that the FEED design can be deployed across expansion facilities, its belief that its products can enter the circular economy while diverting waste from landfills, and its projected project economics for its proposed Calgary scale up facility. Forwardlooking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forwardlooking information. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in the final prospectus of the Company dated June 18, 2021. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update such forwardlooking information whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended and such changes could be material. The Company does not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update the forward-looking statements except as otherwise required by applicable law.

SOURCE Northstar Clean Technologies Inc.
Film examines the health, social and cultural challenges nurses face in America's diverse communities

PRINCETON, N.J., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Who Cares: A Nurse's Fight for Equity, is a landmark documentary illustrating the life-changing role nurses play in supporting the health and well-being of their communities, far beyond providing care at the bedside. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)the country's largest philanthropy focused solely on healththe documentary highlights how important it is that nurses factor patients' social, cultural and spiritual backgrounds into their care.

Who Cares centers around psychiatric nurse practitioner Whitney Fear, who practices at a federally qualified health center in Fargo, ND. She's a Lakota nurse who grew up on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation. For the past decade, Fear has drawn from her personal background to elevate awareness about the unique needs and experiences of patients in her community. The film aims to capture the dramatic and difficult nature of nursing through the passionate and often dry-humored lens through which nurses like Fear view the profession.

"Nurses have unique insights into the challenges that patients, families and communities face, far beyond their medical conditions," said Beth Toner, RN, MJ, MSN, senior communications officer at RWJF. "As the COVID pandemic made clear, nursing doesn't just happen in hospitals and physicians' offices. Nurses often provide care to communities and populations who have been marginalized and left behind. The people we care for need us to meet them with support wherever they are. Healthcare leaders should consider how to support nurses with the training, resources and systemic structures that allow us to deliver the best possible care to everyone."

The conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age all affect their health, Fear says. The documentary highlights these complex, yet addressable challenges in the Fargo community. According to Fear, achieving health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. In her role as a nurse, she routinely sees how poverty, race/ethnicity, discrimination, access to health care and educationotherwise known as the social determinants of healthaffect longevity, vulnerability to chronic conditions and more.

"The needs in rural, underrepresented communities can feel overwhelming, especially in the face of issues like COVID, but a little compassion goes a long way in caring for people in need," said Fear. "Nurses can have a positive impact on the health and overall wellness of our patients. That impacts lives for generations."

The documentary is the latest offering from SHIFT Nursing, an online community for nurses that first launched in 2020 with SHIFT Talk, a podcast 'for nurses, by nurses'where nurses 'get real' about the challenges they and their patients face. The documentary and podcast are supported by RWJF as part of the foundation's 50-year commitment to nurses and the leading role they play in achieving health equity for their patients. Directed by Jordan Fein and produced by Alkemy X, the film captures the difference Fear makes with personalized, empathetic and holistic care.

The documentary focuses on different aspects of caring for vulnerable people and the challenges that result when it seems like no one cares about a community. It illustrates how Fear and her colleagues care for people with substance use disorders, provide culturally competent care to Native communities and identify and address sex trafficking.

Since launching during the Year of the Nurse and Midwife in August 2020, SHIFT has given voice to America's nearly 4 million nurses during a global pandemic that's taken an incalculable toll on the profession.

Who Cares: A Nurse's Fight for Health Equity, SHIFT Talk and related resources can be found at SHIFTNursing.com. Follow conversations about the film on social media at the following hashtags: #WhoCaresNursesCare #WhoCaresAboutHealthEquity #WhatNursesCareAbout #NursesCareAboutHealthEquity.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is committed to improving health and health equity in the United States. In partnership with others, we are working to develop a Culture of Health rooted in equity that provides every individual with a fair and just opportunity to thrive, no matter who they are, where they live or how much money they have. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.

Contact: Gisela Rosende, 786-239-8679

[email protected]

SOURCE Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
GETTYSBURG, Pa., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On Monday, May 9, 2022, from 9:30 a.m.  3:00 p.m. PT, OPEN MINDS will be presenting two sessions at the Provider Sustainability Forum: Emerging Business Trends in Behavioral Health Non-Profits, at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento, CA, hosted by California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies (CBHA)

The forum will focus on trends in California's changing behavioral health system and the business strategies and practices providers need to know for sustainability in the era of the California Innovating & Advancing Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative.

Attendees will hear from the OPEN MINDS industry experts Richard Louis, III, Vice President West Region, and Ray Wolfe, JD, Senior Associate at two sessions.

Mr. Louis will present, Business Management Best Practices for Specialty Provider Organizations to Prepare for CalAIM. As a former psychiatric hospital administrator, Mr. Louis brings over 30 years behavioral health administration, business, and service line development experience to OPEN MINDS. Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Louis was the Director of Strategic Partnership Development at Southern California Hospital System  Prospect Medical Group, one of California's largest IPA/medical groups. He also served as Vice President of Government Operations at the Los Angeles based College Health Enterprises (College Hospital System), a leading psychiatric/acute care hospital and long-term care company.

The session Strategic Partnership Development in an Integrated Market: Mergers & Acquisitions, Strategic Alliances and Collaborations, will be presented my Mr. Wolfe who brings over 40 years of experience in the health and human services sector to the OPEN MINDS team. His areas of expertise include managed care and value-based reimbursement models, financial analysis and management, mergers and acquisitions, CCBHC certification, integrated care, performance improvement, and strategic planning. Before joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Wolfe served in a 22-year tenure with Pittsburgh Mercy Health System in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Most recently, Mr. Wolfe served as the organization's Chief Operating Officer (COO), where he was responsible for oversight of all system operations, strategic planning, and performance management.

After the forum there will be a reception from 4:00 pm  6:00 pm with the California Legislative Women's Caucus, the California Legislative Black Caucus and Special guest, former NYC First Lady Chirlane McCray.

This event is open to CBHA members and non-members and sponsored by Qualifacts .

To register for this even, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/emerging-business-trends-in-behavioral-health-non-profits-tickets-307225619097

For questions please contact Shelby Dewberry, Legislative and Program Coordinator, CBHA, [email protected] , (949) 444-1746

ABOUT OPEN MINDS

OPEN MINDS is a national market intelligence, management consulting, and marketing services firm specializing exclusively in the markets of the health and human service field that serve consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs. OPEN MINDS' mission is to provide payers, service provider organizations, and technology and scientific firms that serve these consumers with the market and management knowledge needed to improve their organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

Media Contact:

Stacey Fox

[email protected]

SOURCE OPEN MINDS
Estimates suggest one in three pets goes missing in their lifetime  that's a staggering 10 million annually  and many never return home. This heartbreaking number is why Petco Love created the national database, which simplifies and shortens the lost pet search by using just one photo of a pet. Facial recognition technology enables Petco Love Lost's national database  populated by more than 1,800 shelter locations  to identify and bring home these lost pets.

Petco Love created the national database, which simplifies the lost pet search by using just one photo of a pet.

Reuniting missing pets is an industry-wide challenge, one that often takes an entire community to aid in the search effort. It's Petco Love's mission to unite pet parents, animal welfare organizations, veterinary clinics, and other industry partners to make reuniting with a lost pet a simpler process.

Last week at one of the animal welfare industry's largest conferences, national nonprofit leader Petco Love issued an industry challenge for animal shelters to reunite more than 50% of stray animal intake by 2024. Current estimates suggest fewer than 32%** of lost pets who enter shelters make it back home nationally.

"It's tragic for both the animal and its family when a pet goes missing," said Petco Love president Susanne Kogut. "And Petco Love understands that when the unthinkable happens, families need help  quickly." She adds, "Across the animal welfare sheltering industry in the past 10 years, there has been little improvement in the number of lost pets in shelters reunited with their families, and that is unacceptable. We can simplify the search by working together on a single platform that connects shelters, pet parents, and neighbors. Pets, like Fallon, are family and deserve our best efforts to bring them back home. We believe that together, we can do better."

Over the last year, the searchable database has grown to include more than 1,800 shelters and rescues in cities, and rural areas across the U.S. using facial recognition technology to help reunite lost pets with their families.

Petco Love Lost celebrates this achievement together with its partners. Other milestones include:

Reuniting more than 1,000 pets a month

Searchable database has reached more than 100,000 found pets from shelter partners and users

Growth of industry support and collaboration from partners such as Tractive, 24PetWatch, HABRI and more

Improved user experience

Additional educational content on steps to take if your pet is lost

Seamless sharing of lost pet posters across social platforms and email

96% of users recommend Petco Love Lost

Visit petcolovelost.org or join the conversation @PetcoLoveLost on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via hashtags #PetcoLoveLost and #LoveAndFound. Corporations, animal welfare organizations and pet industry participants seeking to join us in Doing the Reunite Thing to help drive awareness of this important solution can contact [email protected].

*According to American Pet Products Association National Pet Owners Survey 2021-2022

**According to 24PetWatch Stray Shelter Intake/Outcomes Data

About Petco Love

Petco Love is a life-changing nonprofit organization that makes communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since our founding in 1999 as the Petco Foundation, we've empowered animal welfare organizations by investing $330 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. We've helped find loving homes for more than 6.5 million pets in partnership with Petco and organizations nationwide.

Our love for pets drives us to lead with innovation, creating tools animal lovers need to reunite lost pets, and lead with passion, inspiring and mobilizing communities and our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners to drive lifesaving change alongside us. Join us. Visit petcolove.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to be part of the lifesaving work we lead every day.

Media Contact:

Lisa Lane Cardin, Petco Love, [email protected]

SOURCE Petco Love
OKLAHOMA CITY, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PHX Minerals Inc. (NYSE: PHX) ("PHX" or the "Company") today announced a mineral and royalty acquisition targeting the Haynesville play in Louisiana. PHX has agreed to acquire approximately 477 net royalty acres located in three contiguous sections operated by Chesapeake for aggregate consideration of $4,300,000 in cash from a private seller subject to customary closing adjustments (the "Acquisition"). The Acquisition is in addition to the Company's $5,100,000 acquisition in the Haynesville announced on April 19, 2022 and will also be funded with a combination of cash on hand and borrowings under our existing credit facility. The Company continues to expand its presence in the Haynesville while preserving the strength of our balance sheet. The transaction is subject to certain closing conditions and is expected to close by May 13, 2022.

Acquisition Highlights

Approximately 477 net royalty acres in Louisiana primarily located in Caddo Parish , focused on the Haynesville play;

primarily located in , focused on the play; Includes 3 PDP gross wells, 2 gross drilled uncompleted wells (DUCs) and an additional estimated 10 gross undrilled locations;

Acquisition averages 1.8% NRI across three sections, providing impactful future cashflows;

No drilling rigs currently running on the Acquisition assets with an additional two drilling rigs within 2.5 miles of the Acquisition assets 1 ;

; Estimated net reserves of 3.0 Bcf;

Estimated next 12 months net production totaling between 350 to 450 mcf/d, comprised of 100% natural gas; and

Acquisition assets are operated by Chesapeake.

__________________________________

1 As of 4/01/2022

PHX Minerals Inc. (NYSE: PHX) Oklahoma City-based, PHX Minerals Inc. is a natural gas and oil mineral company with a strategy to proactively grow its mineral position in its core areas of focus. PHX owns approximately 251,000 net mineral acres principally located in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, North Dakota, and Arkansas. Additional information on the Company can be found at www.phxmin.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Words such as "anticipates," "plans," "estimates," "believes," "expects," "intends," "will," "should," "may" and similar expressions may be used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical fact and reflect PHX's current views about future events. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to: PHX's ability to execute its business strategies; the volatility of realized natural gas and oil prices; the level of production on its properties; estimates of quantities of natural gas, oil and NGL reserves and their values; general economic or industry conditions; legislation or regulatory requirements; conditions of the securities markets; the ability to raise capital; changes in accounting principles, policies or guidelines; financial or political instability; acts of war or terrorism; title defects in the properties in which PHX invests; and other economic, competitive, governmental, regulatory or technical factors affecting our properties, operations or prices. Although the Company believes its expectations reflected in these and other forward-looking statements are reasonable, the Company can give no assurance its expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause the results to differ materially from those expected by the Company's management. Information concerning these risks and other factors can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, available on the Company's website or the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update the forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE PHX MINERALS INC.
ZUG, Switzerland, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Qontigo has licensed the STOXX USA ETF Industry Index to Kiwoom Asset Management in Korea to be used as an underlying for an exchange-traded fund (ETF). This new index is the first to track the US ETF market through a thematic approach.

The index identifies US companies that are expected to benefit from the growth of the ETF market globally, including companies involved as ETF issuers, trading venues, and index providers.

"ETFs have been the fastest-growing investment vehicle in recent years, and we expect this global trend to continue as more investors seek out ETFs for their convenience, cost efficiency and transparency. Amid this trend, we are very excited to launch an ETF that is the first of its kind in South Korea and that provides exposure to US companies leading the flourishing ETF industry worldwide. Beyond this second collaboration with Qontigo, we expect many more innovative products to come from this partnership," said Kihyun Kim, Chief Investment Officer at Kiwoom Asset Management.

"The ETF industry uses indices to construct their products, and we in turn constructed an index which reflects the growing ETF industry. We are proud to say that this fund is the first of its kind, and we look forward to further collaboration with Kiwoom Asset Management," said Rick Chau, Qontigo's Head of Asia/Pacific.

The STOXX USA ETF Industry Index is comprised of 20 companies from the US exposed to the global ETF ecosystem. FactSet Revere (RBICS) data allow a detailed breakdown of the revenue sources of the eligible companies, helping the index gain accurate exposure to the targeted theme. The index universe is defined by all the stocks included in the STOXX USA Total Market Index.

This index is the latest addition to Qontigo's wide range of STOXX thematic index solutions. Find out more.

About Qontigo

Qontigo is a leading global provider of innovative index, analytics and risk solutions that optimize investment impact. As the shift toward sustainable investing accelerates, Qontigo enables its clientsfinancial-products issuers, asset owners and asset managersto deliver sophisticated and targeted solutions at scale to meet the increasingly demanding and unique sustainability goals of investors worldwide.

Qontigo's solutions are enhanced by both our collaborative, customer-centric culture, which allows us to create tailored solutions for our clients, and our open architecture and modern technology that efficiently integrate with our clients' processes.

Part of the Deutsche Borse Group, Qontigo was created in 2019 through the combination of Axioma, DAX and STOXX. Headquartered in Eschborn, Germany, Qontigo's global presence includes offices in New York, London, Zug and Hong Kong.

www.qontigo.com

About STOXX

STOXX Ltd. is Qontigo's global index provider, currently calculating a global, comprehensive index family of about 13,000 strictly rules-based and transparent indices. Best known for the leading European equity indices EURO STOXX 50, STOXX Europe 50 and STOXX Europe 600, STOXX Ltd. maintains and calculates the STOXX Global index family which consists of total market, broad and blue-chip indices for the regions Americas, Europe, Asia/Pacific and sub-regions Latin America and BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) as well as global markets.

STOXX is the administrator of the STOXX and DAX indices under the European Benchmark Regulation and exercises control over all benchmark administration processes within Qontigo.

STOXX indices are licensed to more than 600 companies around the world as underlyings for Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), futures and options, structured products and passively managed investment funds.

Legal disclaimer:

STOXX, Qontigo GmbH, Qontigo Index GmbH, Deutsche Boerse Group and their licensors, research partners or data providers do not make any warranties or representations, express or implied, with respect to the timeliness, sequence, accuracy, completeness, currentness, merchantability, quality or fitness for any particular purpose of its index data and exclude any liability in connection therewith. STOXX, Qontigo GmbH, Qontigo Index GmbH, Deutsche Boerse Group and their licensors, research partners or data providers are not providing investment advice through the publication of indices or in connection therewith. In particular, the inclusion of a company in an index, its weighting, or the exclusion of a company from an index, does not in any way reflect an opinion of STOXX, Qontigo GmbH, Qontigo Index GmbH, Deutsche Boerse Group or their licensors, research partners or data providers on the merits of that company. Financial instruments based on the STOXX indices, DAX indices or on any other indices supported by STOXX are in no way sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by STOXX, Qontigo GmbH, Qontigo Index GmbH, Deutsche Boerse Group or their licensors, research partners or data providers.

SOURCE Qontigo
Refersion's hand-curated network of 30+ premium publishers is designed to produce high quality content, connect with wide audiences, and drive the most conversions for ecommerce brands. "Our goal with Refersion's Premium Publisher Program highlights how we cultivate long term publisher relationships and drive both brand growth and meaningful revenue for ecommerce brands" said Regina Fischedick, Head of Publisher Partnerships at Refersion. "Enterprise brands that work with Refersion's premium publishers generate an annual average of nearly $2 million in new revenue, proving the value behind Refersion's Premium Publisher Program."

Publishers in the Refersion Premium Publisher Program build direct relationships with ecommerce brands and achieve higher commissions than traditional influencer and affiliate networks. The relationship allows publishers to find new brands and promote exciting and innovative products to their audience, who get matched with brands that are relevant to publisher content and resonate with your audience. "Partnering with Refersion was one of the fastest and easiest ways to help us get access to new ecommerce brands in the US market. Refersion has been a great contributor for us with a highly engaged and active team", said Benjamin Boucher, digidip Head of Sales. "We value Refersion as a responsive partner in the ecommerce marketing industry with an excellent account management team."

Ecommerce brands in the Refersion's VIP Publisher Program accelerate affiliate-generated revenue with premium publishers by reaching new audiences. The strategic partnerships forged on the Refersion affiliate marketing platform help brands promote products to relevant audiences that are more likely to convert. With paid media acquisition facing headwinds and lack of targeting due to privacy issues, Refersion's VIP Publisher Program helps brands scale a high-ROI sales channel with top performing affiliate programs achieving 5x ROAS. Exposing products to larger audiences and partnering with premium publishers with proven performance allows for more predictable affiliate-generated revenue.

Ecommerce brands looking to grow their established affiliate marketing programs can learn more about Refersion's VIP Publisher Program here .

Publishers interested in joining Refersion's Premium Publisher Program can contact the partnerships team here .

About Refersion

Refersion , the leading performance marketing platform, accelerates influencer and affiliate marketing success for thousands of ecommerce brands like Princess Polly, Magic Spoon, Blenders Eyewear, and Pura Vida Bracelets to reach new audiences, drive conversions, and increase revenue. Refersion enables ecommerce brands to improve affiliate recruiting and retention with trusted and direct relationships, unlimited affiliate onboarding & offers, custom commission structures, first party tracking, direct affiliate payments and integrated tax management.

Refersion drives ecommerce growth for performance marketers with industry-leading data attribution and performance insights. We integrate with all major commerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Stripe and ecommerce marketing platforms like Klaviyo, Attentive, Yotpo & more. Refersion, an Assembly company, is headquartered in New York City.

Contact

Raj Nijjer

CMO, Refersion

[email protected]

SOURCE Refersion
With increasing number of cardiovascular surgeries and treatments, demand for low-cost equipment is also expected to rise, which is likely to bolster growth of the global market





Growing public awareness as well as a stringent regulatory system focused at protecting patient safety is expected to drive the need for high-quality reprocessed equipment

ALBANY, N.Y., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global reprocessed medical devices market was valued at US$ 2.05 Bn in 2020. The global market is projected to rise at a CAGR of 14.9% during the forecast period, from 2021 to 2028. It is likely to surpass the value of US$ 5.9 Bn by 2028. A key growth factor for the global reprocessed medical devices market is the rising clinical necessity to reduce medical waste in hospitals as well as other healthcare facilities. The global market is likely to be fueled by increasing consumer knowledge regarding the products' advantages, such as low cost.

The global reprocessed medical devices market is being driven by rise in incidence of cardiovascular illnesses, growing geriatric populace, and developments in healthcare infrastructure. Furthermore, positive government initiatives to promote awareness regarding equipment reprocessing are expected to open up significant commercial opportunities for the global reprocessed medical devices market in the years to come.

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North America is projected to hold major share of the global reprocessed medical devices market during the projected period. Due to rising adoption of reprocessed medical devices and supportive regulatory frameworks, the U.S. is expected to lead the market in North America. The key driver of the North America market is the increasing demand to minimize trash generation and potential environmental impact caused by the region's expanding rubbish landfills. The growing need to decrease healthcare costs as well as a paucity of facilities for appropriate waste disposal is likely to drive the North America reprocessed medical devices market.

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Key Findings of Market Report

Cost-effectiveness of recycled medical equipment, mounting demands to decrease medical waste, and greater knowledge of such products in healthcare institutions are likely to drive the global market. The market is expected to develop in response to rising pressure on healthcare institutions to save costs.





The global reprocessed medical devices market is expected to grow steadily due to rising preference among healthcare professionals to utilize single-use reprocessed devices (SUDs) as a method to better patient safety by minimizing the risk of infection whilst also cutting costs. These products fulfill the same high standards as the original equipment, ensuring patient safety and meeting the demand for these items.





As the volume of cardiovascular surgeries and treatments grows, the demand for low-cost alternatives is also expected to grow, thereby propelling the global market. The emergence of low-cost, single-use reprocessed cardiovascular equipment has increased usage, which is likely to add to the growth of the segment in the years to come.

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Global Reprocessed Medical Devices Market: Growth Drivers

Substantial cost savings from the use of reprocessed medical devices, increasing demand to decrease medical waste, and adoption of these products are likely to drive the global reprocessed medical devices market. As per the Association of Medical Device Reprocessors (AMDR), employing reprocessed medical equipment can help a standard hospital save between US$ 500,000 and US$ 2 Mn per year. As such, rising demand on healthcare institutions to save costs is expected to propel the global reprocessed medical devices market.





and per year. As such, rising demand on healthcare institutions to save costs is expected to propel the global reprocessed medical devices market. Technological breakthroughs and growing acceptance of innovative products are expected to drive the reprocessed medical devices market in Middle East & Africa , Latin America , and Asia Pacific

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Global Reprocessed Medical Devices Market: Key Competitors

Centurion Medical Products Corporation

Hygia Health Services Inc.

Suretech Medical Inc.

Philips Healthcare

LUMITOS AG

Medline Industries Inc.

Global Reprocessed Medical Devices Market: Segmentation

Device Type

Cardiovascular Devices

General Surgery Devices

Laparoscopic Devices

Orthopedic External Fixation Devices

Gastroenterology Biopsy Forceps

Modernization of healthcare in terms of both infrastructure and services have pushed the healthcare industry to new heights, Stay Updated with Latest Healthcare Industry Research Reports by Transparency Market Research:

Home Care Medical Devices Market: Home care medical devices are intentional for use in any location outside a professional health care facility. A user could be a caregiver, patient, or family member who directly uses a home care medical device or offers assistance in using it. A skilled health care professional is a licensed health care professional with expert skills and proficiency in the use of the home care medical devices such that they can aid or train caregivers and recipients to use and maintain the device.

Ingestible Medical Devices Market: Ingestible medical devices are clinically relevant technology which combines with circuits and sensing techniques. The medical devices technique expand the capabilities of ingestible capsules and enable a new diagnostic and treatment applications for the patients. The ingestible medical device system handles the routine upgradeable design which creates a new platform and possibilities for treatment application among colorectal cancer patients.

Self-diagnostic Medical Devices Market: Self-diagnostic medical devices are devices used for monitoring and measurement of important parameters of health diagnosis such as hypertension, blood pressure, sugar level, heart rate, temperature, and other conditions. These devices include blood pressure monitoring devices, blood glucose level measurement devices, cholesterol measurement devices, nebulizers, thermometers, and insulin pumps.

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Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

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SOURCE Transparency Market Research
Last weekend, over a hundred of RoboMarkets employees and their family members gathered at the Monument of the Volunteer in Limassol to clear out one of the biggest green areas in the city, the Garyllis River Linear Park. The company team got into several groups and in three and a half hours cleared out the 5-kilometre park grounds, collecting over 300 bags of rubbish. After the event, the company staff and their loved ones had a photoshoot with municipal officials and the mayor of Limassol and then went to a special brunch to summarise the results of their work.

Denis Golomedov, Chief Marketing Officer at RoboMarkets comments on the event: "We at RoboMarkets believe that preserving the environment is a great and responsible initiative for the benefit of the city where we live and work. No matter how big or small the area you've cleared out is, you do your part and it's a really big deal".

"It's really important for us to contribute, to do something beneficial to society  it's one of the company's values. We're very happy to be here today and I think RoboMarkets will hold such events more often. It's a great opportunity for our employees to have a good time outside work and, at the same time, take part in preserving the environment of the city we all live in".  adds Konstantin Rashap, Chief Business Officer at RoboMarkets.

Limassol's local authorities expressed their gratitude to RoboMarkets for this initiative. They especially focused on teamwork and commitment, which is quite rare when it comes to the involvement of businesses in social activities. They also expressed interest in further cooperation on social events important for the nature and people of Cyprus.

About RoboMarkets

RoboMarkets is an investment company with the CySEC license No. 191/13. RoboMarkets offers investment services in many European countries by providing traders, who work on financial market, with access to its proprietary trading platforms. More detailed information about the Company's products and activities can be found on the official website at www.robomarkets.com.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1802082/RoboMarkets.jpg

SOURCE RoboMarkets
HAMILTON, Bermuda, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Seadrill Limited ("Seadrill") is pleased to announce a new contract has been secured by Sonadrill Holding Ltd ("Sonadrill"), Seadrill's 50:50 joint venture with an affiliate of Sonangol E.P. ("Sonangol"). Sonadrill has secured a ten-well contract with options for up to eight additional wells in Angola for the West Gemini drillship.

Total contract value for the firm portion of the contract is expected to be approximately $161 million (inclusive of mobilization revenue and additional services), with further meaningful revenue potential from a performance bonus. Commencement is expected in Q4 2022 with a firm-term of approximately 18 months, in direct continuation of the West Gemini's existing contract.

The West Gemini is the third drillship to be bareboat chartered into Sonadrill, along with two Sonangol-owned units, the Sonangol Quenguela and Sonangol Libongos. Seadrill will manage and operate the units on behalf of Sonadrill. The West Gemini is an ultra-deepwater drillship with an operational history offshore Africa. Together, the three units position the Seadrill joint venture as the premier rig operator in Angola, furthering the goal of building an ultra-deepwater franchise in the Golden Triangle and driving efficiencies from rig clustering in the region.

Seadrill's Chief Executive Officer, Simon Johnson commented "Our strategic partnership with Sonadrill is critical to the development of the Angolan oil and gas sector and to Seadrill's position as the number one rig operator in Angola. We're grateful for the Seadrill crew aboard the West Gemini who deserves the lion's share of the credit for this contract."

About Seadrill

Seadrill is a leading offshore drilling contractor utilizing advanced technology to unlock oil and gas resources for clients across harsh and benign locations around the globe. Seadrill's high-quality, technologically-advanced fleet spans all asset classes allowing its experienced crews to conduct operations from shallow to ultra-deep-water environments. The Company owns and/or operates 30 rigs, which includes drillships, semi-submersibles, and jack-ups.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release includes forward-looking statements. Such statements are generally not historical in nature, and specifically include statements about the Company's plans, strategies, business prospects, changes and trends in its business and the markets in which it operates. These statements are made based upon management's current plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs concerning future events impacting the Company and therefore involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risks described from time to time in the Company's regulatory filings and periodical reporting. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of these factors. Further, the Company cannot assess the impact of each such factor on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to be materially different from those contained in any forward looking statement.

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

SOURCE Seadrill Limited
NEW YORK, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against C3.ai, Inc. ("C3.ai" or the "Company") (NYSE: AI) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and docketed under 22-cv-01413, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired: (a) C3.ai Class A common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the Offering Documents issued in connection with the Company's initial public offering conducted on or about December 9, 2020 (the "IPO" or "Offering"); and/or (b) C3.ai securities between December 9, 2020 and February 15, 2022, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"). Plaintiff pursues claims against the Defendants under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act") and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act").

If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired C3.ai Class A common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the IPO; and/or securities during the class period, you have until May 3, 2022 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

C3.ai operates as an enterprise artificial intelligence ("AI") software company. The Company offers a variety of software-as-a-service applications for enterprises and software solutions and integrated turnkey enterprise AI applications for oil and gas, chemicals, utilities, manufacturing, financial services, defense, intelligence, aerospace, healthcare, and telecommunications market segments. The Company also purports to have strategic partnerships with Baker Hughes related to oil and gas markets; FIS related to financial services markets; Raytheon; and AWS, Intel, and Microsoft.

The complaint alleges that the Offering Documents were negligently prepared and, as a result, contained untrue statements of material fact or omitted to state other facts necessary to make the statements made not misleading and were not prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations governing their preparation. Additionally, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, the Offering Documents and Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) C3.ai's partnership with Baker Hughes was deteriorating; (ii) C3.ai's was employing a flawed accounting methodology to conceal the deterioration of its Baker Hughes partnership; (iii) C3.ai faced challenges in product adoption and significant salesforce turnover; (iv) the Company overstated, inter alia, the extent of its investment in technology, description of its customers, its total addressable market, the pace of its market growth, and the scale of alliances with its major business partners; and (v) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On February 16, 2022, during pre-market hours, Spruce Point Capital Management ("Spruce Point") issued a report and strong sell research opinion regarding C3.ai (the "Spruce Point Report"). Specifically, Spruce Point alleged that it had uncovered, inter alia, "[e]vidence of a severely challenged partnership with Baker Hughes, a related-party and C3.ai's largest customer"; "[s]igns of problematic financial reporting and accounting regarding the Baker Hughes joint venture and a revolving door in C3.ai's Chief Financial Officer position"; that "[c]hallenges in product adoption and significant salesforce turnover make it unlikely that C3.ai will meet aggressive analyst estimates"; "[e]vidence of exaggerated or irreconcilable claims made by C3.ai[,]" including "numerous discrepancies" regarding "the value of and cumulative investment made by C3.ai in its technology, description of its customers, its total addressable market, the pace of its market growth and the scale of alliances with companies such as Microsoft, Hewlett Packard Enterprises, Google Cloud, Intel and Amazon Web Services"; and "[w]orrisome corporate governance practices and insider enrichment." As a result, Spruce Point "conservatively estimate[d] 40% - 50% downside risk to C3.ai's share price."

Following publication of the Spruce Point Report, C3.ai's stock price fell $1.01 per share, or 3.93%, to close at $24.70 per share on February 16, 2022.

As of the time this Complaint was filed, the price of C3.ai Class A common stock continues to trade below the $42.00 per share Offering price, damaging investors.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
MILWAUKEE, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ademi LLP is investigating PS Business Parks (NYSE: PSB) for possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law in its transaction with Ergon.

Click here to learn how to join the action: https://www.ademilaw.com/case/ps-business-parks-inc or call Guri Ademi toll-free at 866-264-3995. There is no cost or obligation to you.

Ademi LLP alleges PS Business Parks' financial outlook and prospects are excellent and yet PS Business Parks holders will receive only $187.50 per share. The transaction agreement unreasonably limits competing bids for PS Business Parks by prohibiting solicitation of further bids, and imposing a significant penalty if PS Business Parks accepts a superior bid. PS Business Parks insiders will receive substantial benefits as part of change of control arrangements.

We are investigating the conduct of PS Business Parks' board of directors, and whether they are (i) fulfilling their fiduciary duties to all shareholders, and (ii) obtaining a fair and reasonable price for PS Business Parks.

If you own PS Business Parks common stock and wish to obtain additional information, please contact Guri Ademi either at [email protected] or toll-free: 866-264-3995, or https://www.ademilaw.com/case/ps-business-parks-inc.

We specialize in shareholder litigation involving buyouts, mergers, and individual shareholder rights throughout the country. For more information, please feel free to call us. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contacts

Ademi LLP

Guri Ademi

Toll Free: (866) 264-3995

Fax: (414) 482-8001

SOURCE Ademi LLP
NEW YORK, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of AbbVie Inc. ("AbbVie" or the "Company") (NYSE: ABBV). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether AbbVie and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On September 1, 2021, the United States Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") announced that final results from the safety trial of Xeljanz, an anti-inflammatory drug manufactured Pfizer Inc., 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, an anti-inflammatory drug manufactured by AbbVie, 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, AbbVie's stock price fell $8.51 per share, or 7.04%, to close at $112.27 per share on September 1, 2021.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of CIRCOR International, Inc. ("CIRCOR" or the "Company") (NYSE: CIR). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether CIRCOR and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On Feb. 6, 2020, CIRCOR announced its CFO resigned effective Mar. 2, 2020. Then, on Mar. 2, 2020, CIRCOR announced it would not timely file its year end 2019 financial report, it had identified material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting, and it was investigating accounting and reporting matters at one of its domestic business units that has been classified as discontinued operations. Further, on Mar. 14, 2022, within months of the abrupt departures of the Company's new CFO and its CEO, CIRCOR announced that it and its auditor "uncovered accounting irregularities in the financial statements with respect to the Company's Pipeline Engineering business unit, which is a part of its Industrial reporting segment." The Company said (1) the irregularities preliminarily appear to account for balance sheet and income statement entries in the range of $35 to $45 million of pre-tax income on a cumulative basis over a period of at least five years, and (2) it would restate its 2019 - 2021 financial statements. Most recently, on Apr. 6, 2022, CIRCOR announced preliminary adjustments to 2021, 2020, and Q4 2020 revenues of $8.7 million, $6.2 million, and $2.2 million, respectively, that are related to Pipeline Engineering accounting irregularities.

On this news, CIRCOR's stock price fell $0.53 per share, or 2.09%, to close at $24.74 per share on April 6, 2022.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. ("IIPR" or the "Company") (NYSE: IIPR). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether IIPR and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On April 14, 2022, Blue Orca Capital ("Blue Orca") published a short report on IIPR, which it described as "a marijuana bank masquerading as a REIT." The Blue Orca reported asserted, among other things, that "[i]n the last 17 months . . . IIPR's loan book appears to have degraded significantly as the sector has become more competitive and IIPR stretched for lower quality tenants in search of continuing growth", that "IIPR's largest tenant is a failed SPAC that appears to be in severe financial distress and was recently sued by investors", and that "[u]nlike with other REITs, IIPR cannot expect to recover the lost income from defaulting tenants because it appears that the actual values of its properties are substantially below their carrying value on IIPR's balance sheet."

On this news, IIPR's stock price fell $13.76, or 7.50% to close at $169.68 per share on April 15, 2022.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 9980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Twitter, Inc. ("Twitter" or the "Company") (NYSE: TWTR). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether Twitter and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On April 4, 2022, Elon Musk ("Musk") disclosed in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filing that he owned 9.2% of Twitter stock. On this news, Twitter's stock price rose $10.66 per share, or 27.12%, to close at $49.97 per share on April 4, 2022.

Then, on April 5, 2022, in another SEC filing, Musk disclosed that he had purchased more than 5% of Twitter stock on March 14, 2022, which, per applicable SEC rules, should have been disclosed by March 24, 2022. The same April 5, 2022 filing also indicated that Musk had acquired approximately 13.1 million Twitter shares at an average price of $39.06 per share after March 24, 2022, and before Twitter's stock price rose to $49.97 per share on April 4, 2022, thereby potentially saving him millions of dollars at the expense of other investors that could have sold their Twitter stock at a higher price, had they been similarly and timely informed of Musk's large stake in the Company.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
Shrimp market report key highlights

Estimated year-on-year growth rate: 1.02%

Key market segments: Product (frozen shrimp, canned shrimp, and others) and geography ( Europe , North America , APAC, South America , and MEA)

, , APAC, , and MEA) Key Consumer Region & contribution: North America at 32%

Shrimp Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2019 Forecast period 2020-2024 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 3% Market growth 2020-2024 USD 4.89 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 1.02 Regional analysis Europe, North America, APAC, South America, and MEA Performing market contribution North America at 32% Key consumer countries US, China, Spain, Japan, UK, and France Competitive landscape Leading companies, Competitive strategies, Consumer engagement scope Key companies profiled Caribbean Shrimp Co. Ltd, Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc, Cooke Aquaculture Inc., Grand Ocean Seafoods Co. Ltd, Liveris Afentoulis & Co., Maruha Nichiro Corp., Mazzetta Co. LLC, Ocean More Foods Co. Ltd, Rich Products Corp., and Thai Union Group PCL Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID 19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, Market condition analysis for the forecast period Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Do reach out to our analysts for more customized reports as per needs. Speak to our Analyst now!

Shrimp market trend

Increasing merger and acquisition activities



Large vendors in the market acquire smaller ones to gain access to new products and technologies at a low cost. For instance, in February 2019 , Cooke Inc. ( Cooke ) announced the completion of the acquisition of Seajoy Seafood Corp . group, a vertically integrated, premium shrimp farm in Latin America . In March 2019 , Cooke announced that it had acquired Farallon Aquaculture de Nicaragua SA ( Farallon Nicaragua ), a vertically integrated producer of farmed shrimp and a supplier of branded fresh-frozen shrimp to major markets in Asia , Europe , and the US.

Shrimp market challenge

Adverse climatic conditions and contamination



Climate change has significantly disrupted the natural patterns and processes in aquatic ecosystems. The conditions under which seafood is produced in aquaculture impact the environment in many ways. Exotic aquaculture specimens may escape and interbreed with the native wild fish, resulting in disease spread. Vaccines and antibiotics are often administered to farmed species, which become a threat to wild fish.

View a report sample for extensive insights on key market Drivers, Trends, and Challenges influencing the market.

Key market vendor insights

The shrimp market is fragmented, and the vendors are deploying organic and inorganic growth strategies to compete in the market. Some of the key market vendors are:

Caribbean Shrimp Co. Ltd

Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc

Cooke Aquaculture Inc.

Grand Ocean Seafoods Co. Ltd

Liveris Afentoulis & Co.

Maruha Nichiro Corp.

Mazzetta Co. LLC

Ocean More Foods Co. Ltd

Rich Products Corp.

Thai Union Group PCL

For more detailed highlights on products offerings and the growth strategies adopted by other vendors, Download a sample report

Key Segment Analysis by product

Frozen shrimp



The frozen shrimp segment will have significant market share growth during the forecast period. The demand for frozen shrimp is rising among consumers due to their long shelf life. Frozen shrimp can be stored in a freezer for up to nine months. The increasing import and export of frozen shrimp will also help in the growth of the segment during the forecast period.

Canned shrimp

Others

Regional Market Analysis

North America will contribute to 32% of the global shrimp market share growth during the forecast period. The US is the major market in the region. Market growth in this region will be faster than the growth of the market in Europe, MEA, and South America.

Request our report sample for additional highlights and key segments that are expected to impact the market during the forecast period.

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Tortilla Market by Product and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026

Fermented Food and Drinks Market by Distribution Channel, Product, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2019

Market outlook: Forecast for 2019 - 2024

Five Forces Analysis

Five forces summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Product

Market segments

Comparison by Product

Frozen shrimp - Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Canned shrimp - Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Others - Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by Product

Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel

Supermarkets and hypermarkets

Convenience stores

Others

Customer landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

Europe - Market size and forecast 2019-2024

- Market size and forecast 2019-2024 North America - Market size and forecast 2019-2024

- Market size and forecast 2019-2024 APAC - Market size and forecast 2019-2024

South America - Market size and forecast 2019-2024

- Market size and forecast 2019-2024 MEA - Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers  Demand led growth

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Competitive scenario

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Caribbean Shrimp Co. Ltd

Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc

Cooke Aquaculture Inc.

Grand Ocean Seafoods Co. Ltd

Liveris Afentoulis & Co.

Maruha Nichiro Corp.

Mazzetta Co. LLC

Ocean More Foods Co. Ltd

Rich Products Corp.

Thai Union Group PCL

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contacts

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
CALIFORNIA, Md., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sierra Management and Technologies, Inc. (Sierra), an industry-leading provider of technologies in software engineering, application development, and logistics for the nation's defense, federal, and commercial sectors, today announced that, together with its bidding partner Advanced Concepts and Technology International (ACT1), it was awarded a new contract for Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment (ALRE) by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD).

The new ALRE contract, with a total value of approximately $6 million for Sierra, will generate annual revenue of approximately $1.2 million for the firm. It marks a significant achievement for Sierra as it focuses on generating growth organically and through acquisitions of companies that share its values and customer-centric focus.

The new ALRE contract win comes on the heels of a separate, significant contract award for Sierra from the U.S. Navy in February 2022. This $25 million prime contract awarded to Sierra keeps Sierra performing the Central Kitting Activity (CKA), a vital role in support of the NAWCAD Air Group, Supply and Materials Division, Property Management Department, Centrally Managed Programs, Kit Management mission as it serves as a central hub for assembly, storage, distribution, and reclamation of Technical Directive (TD) change kits for all naval aviation systems and subsystems.

"Together, the ALRE and CKA wins and the effort to achieve them align with Sierra's philosophy of taking care of our people, expanding into new markets, and being fluid, transparent, and engaged in our professional relationships with other companies to maximize our bottom line and stakeholder experience, and deliver exceptional value to our customers," Jeff Wynne, CEO of Sierra, said. "Critically, these contracts allow us to build experience, capabilities, and references for future work as we serve our customers and help them achieve their critical missions."

"The ALRE win is significant in several ways. First, this is a new contract, not a follow-on to existing work. Second, this ALRE assignment is in a new area beyond Sierra's previous contracts, which will fuel future growth beyond our legacy business," said Wynne. "This reflects the work of our business development team to track this opportunity, identify and build a successful relationship with a teaming partner in ACT1, and then writing and pricing a winning proposal."

"Sierra is well-positioned to execute on our strategy, grow organically and through acquisitions, and serve our customers with superb performance and results," Wynne said.

ALRE Contract Details

NAWCAD Lakehurst provides full life-cycle programmatic support for ALRE, which includes Catapults (Steam & EMALS), Arresting Gear (Mk7 and AAG), Shipboard Aviation Information Systems, Visual Landing Aids (VLA), and other related systems on Aircraft Carrier Vessels (CV/CVN), Amphibious Assault Ships (LHA/LHD), and Air Capable Ships (ACS). Customers include the Naval Air Systems Command (PMA-251), Fleet, Type Commanders, Naval Sea Systems Command (PMS-312), PMSs supporting air capable ships, US Navy, and Foreign Military Sales to other nations. ALRE also includes Expeditionary Air Field (EAF) systems and subsystems. EAF includes Arresting Gear systems, Lighting systems, Surfacing systems, and Geotechnical systems. Customers are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Marine Air Wings (MAW), 13 Marine Wing Support Squadrons (MWSS), Naval Air Systems Command, Type Commanders, and the Chief of Naval Operations.

CKA Contract Details

Through the assembly of the Technical Directive change kits, the CKA directly supports Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Operational, Safety, and Improvement Program (OSIP) initiatives. The scope of the effort will provide support to all NAVAIR Program Manager Air (PMAs) with the implementation of approved Engineering Change Proposals (ECPs) involving retrofit kits for naval aviation weapon systems and subsystems.

"We are proud to continue supporting the NAWCAD Kit Management Team and provide support to the warfighter by ensuring they have the material necessary to maintain product support for aircraft weapons systems," Wynne said.

About Sierra Management and Technologies, Inc:

Sierra Management and Technologies, Inc. provides industry leading technologies in software engineering, application development, and logistics for the nation's defense, federal, and commercial sectors.

SIERRA MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGIES, INC., IS A SMALL, DISADVANTAGED, MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESS.

Contact for Sierra Management and Technologies:

Douglas Kiker

(202) 903-6739

[email protected]

Contact for ACT1:

Claudio Monticelli

[email protected]

ACT1 VP, Aviation Line of Business

SOURCE Sierra Management and Technologies
Key vendors insights

The smart healthcare market is fragmented, and the vendors are deploying growth strategies such as using low pricing strategies and strengthening the local customer base to compete in the market. Some of the key market vendors are:

Abbott Laboratories

Alphabet Inc.

Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc.

Cisco Systems Inc.

General Electric Co.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.

International Business Machines Corp.

Microsoft Corp.

Koninklijke Philips NV

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Key Offerings

Alphabet Inc. - The company offers cloud-based smart healthcare solutions that include telehealth solutions, collaboration and productivity tools, healthcare API management solutions, healthcare data interoperability-based solutions, patient service and support solutions, healthcare analytics, and remote working solutions, among others.

The company offers cloud-based smart healthcare solutions that include telehealth solutions, collaboration and productivity tools, healthcare API management solutions, healthcare data interoperability-based solutions, patient service and support solutions, healthcare analytics, and remote working solutions, among others. Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc. - The smart healthcare solutions offered by the company include EMRs, population health management systems, and patient engagement systems.

For more detailed highlights on products offerings and the growth strategies adopted by the vendors, Download a sample report

Parent Market Outlook

Technavio has categorized the global smart healthcare market as a part of the global healthcare technology market. Our report extensively covers external factors influencing the parent market growth potential in the coming years, which will determine the levels of growth of the smart healthcare market during the forecast period.

Smart Healthcare Market trend

Growing application of IoT in healthcare



The growing use of IoT and connected medical devices is a major trend in the market. IoT helps in bridging the gap between physical and digital data sources by monitoring patients in real-time. IoT infrastructure helps in improving the accessibility of patients to services, reducing the operational burden on healthcare facilities, and supporting the development of digital ecosystems in healthcare organizations. Healthcare organizations are moving to connected hospital infrastructure to provide timely and improved care. IoT has a wide range of applications in healthcare settings, with the potential to expand within and outside healthcare facilities. Some of the key applications of IoT are telemedicine , connected imaging, clinical workflow and operations management, medication management, and inpatient monitoring.

Geography

North America : North America will account for 42% of the market's growth during the forecast period. The growing awareness, expanding mobile coverage, and rising chronic diseases will drive the smart healthcare market growth in North America during the forecast period. Market growth in this region will be slower than the growth of the market in Europe and Asia . The US is a key market for smart healthcare in North America . In North America , the majority of the geriatric population suffers from mental and chronic disorders and is unable to visit hospitals frequently. Thus, remote patient monitoring and home monitoring using wearable devices have increased significantly in the region.

will account for 42% of the market's growth during the forecast period. The growing awareness, expanding mobile coverage, and rising chronic diseases will drive the smart healthcare market growth in during the forecast period. Market growth in this region will be slower than the growth of the market in and . The US is a key market for smart healthcare in . In , the majority of the geriatric population suffers from mental and chronic disorders and is unable to visit hospitals frequently. Thus, remote patient monitoring and home monitoring using wearable devices have increased significantly in the region. Europe

APAC

South America

MEA

View a report sample for extensive insights on key market Drivers, Trends, and Challenges influencing the smart healthcare market.

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Tangential Flow Filtration Market by Product and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026

Cancer Registry Software Market by Type and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025

Do reach out to our analysts for a more customized report as per needs. Speak to our Analyst now!

Smart Healthcare Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2019 Forecast period 2020-2024 Growth momentum & CAGR Decelerate at a CAGR of 24% Market growth 2020-2024 USD 224.86 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 28.09 Regional analysis North America, Europe, Asia, and ROW Performing market contribution North America at 42% Key consumer countries US, Germany, France, Japan, UK, and China Competitive landscape Leading companies, Competitive strategies, Consumer engagement scope Key companies profiled Abbott Laboratories, Alphabet Inc., Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., General Electric Co., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., International Business Machines Corp., Microsoft Corp., Koninklijke Philips NV, and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID 19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, Market condition analysis for the forecast period Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2019

Market outlook: Forecast for 2019 - 2024

Five Forces Analysis

Five forces summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Solution

Market segments

Comparison by Solution

Telemedicine - Market size and forecast 2019-2024

mHealth - Market size and forecast 2019-2024

EHR - Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Smart pills - Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Others - Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by Solution

Customer landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America - Market size and forecast 2019-2024

- Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Europe - Market size and forecast 2019-2024

- Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Asia - Market size and forecast 2019-2024

- Market size and forecast 2019-2024 ROW - Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Competitive Scenario

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Abbott Laboratories

Alphabet Inc.

Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc.

Cisco Systems Inc.

General Electric Co.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.

International Business Machines Corp.

Microsoft Corp.

Koninklijke Philips NV

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contacts

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
MANCHESTER, England, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SmartKem, Inc. (OTCQB: SMTK), a company seeking to reshape the world of electronics with a revolutionary semiconductor platform that enables a new generation of displays, sensors and logic, will be presenting its unique technology at this year's Touch Taiwan conference on Thursday, April 28th 2022 at 2:00pm local time.

SmartKem's Technology Transfer Manager, Steven Tsai, will be providing a presentation titled, 'Over 100,000 Nits Mini-/u-LED Driven by Organic TFT Backplanes with maximum 80C process temperature', which will interrogate the benefits behind using miniLEDs displays on plastic such as lighter, thinner, bendable, and rollable product features.

For more information on the conference, please visit: https://www.touchtaiwan.com/en/

About SmartKem

SmartKem is seeking to reshape the world of electronics with a revolutionary semiconductor platform that enables a new generation of displays, sensors and logic. SmartKem's patented TRUFLEX inks are solution deposited at a low temperature, on low-cost substrates to make organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) circuits. The company's semiconductor platform can be used in a number of applications including mini-LED displays, AMOLED displays, fingerprint sensors and integrated logic circuits. SmartKem develops its materials at its research and development facility in Manchester, UK, and its semiconductor manufacturing process at the Centre of Process Innovation (CPI) at Sedgefield, UK. The company has an extensive IP portfolio including approximately 120 issued patents. For more information, visit: www.smartkem.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @SmartKemTRUFLEX

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release that are not historical are forward-looking statements, including, among other things, statements relating to the SmartKem's expectations regarding its market position and market opportunity, expectations and plans as to its product development, manufacturing and sales, and relations with its partners and investors. These statements are not historical facts but rather are based on SmartKem Inc.'s current expectations, estimates, and projections regarding its business, operations and other similar or related factors. Words such as "may," will," "could," "would," "should," "anticipate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "believe," "estimate," and other similar or elated expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult or impossible to predict and, in some cases, beyond the Company's control. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update information in this release to reflect events or circumstances in the future, even if new information becomes available.

SOURCE SmartKem, Inc.
Drury joins influential leaders of companies from 25 different countries

LOS ANGELES, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced its Chief Executive Officer, Scott Drury, was recently selected to join the Wall Street Journal's CEO Council. The Wall Street Journal CEO Council brings together the most influential decision makers from around the world. Members of the CEO Council represent companies from a cross-section of industries that collectively employ more than 11 million people and generate more than $3 trillion in annual revenue.

"At SoCalGas we are leveraging our vast infrastructure, skilled workforce and our relationships with the business, academic, labor, and environmental communities to bring positive and lasting change to the communities we serve and to accelerate the transition to clean energy in California," said Scott Drury, SoCalGas Chief Executive Officer. "It is an honor to serve on the Wall Street Journal CEO Council alongside other top leaders who are working to shape a healthy and prosperous future for people here and around the world."

"To tackle big issues from climate change to energy security we need bold, dynamic and inclusive leadership; and that is exactly what Scott Drury brings to the table," said former Governor Gray Davis. Davis is the 2022 Co-Chair of the Southern California Leadership Counsel. "Scott's commitment to sustainability, innovation and community have positioned SoCalGas as a national leader on the path to net zero emissions and have contributed to California's reputation as a forerunner in a clean energy transition."

"Under Scott's leadership, SoCalGas is developing real solutions  like the Angeles Link green hydrogen proposal - to decarbonize sectors of the economy that wind and solar can't reach and help to increase the amount of reliable clean energy available in the region," said Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Los Angeles County's Fifth District. "Thanks in part to Scott's efforts, L.A. County is well positioned to continue to grow sustainably without increasing greenhouse gas emissions or jeopardizing grid reliability."

Scott Drury became chief executive officer (CEO) of Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), a Sempra regulated California utility in 2020. Previously, Drury was the president of San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), another Sempra regulated California utility. Under his leadership, SDG&E made significant strides in modernizing the energy grid to enhance safety and reliability, while providing customers with increasingly sustainable energy choices and creating long-term value for all stakeholders.

To learn more, click here.

About SoCalGas

Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas is North America's largest gas distribution utility, serving 21.8 million consumers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California with affordable, reliable, and increasingly renewable gas service.

SoCalGas's mission is to build the cleanest, safest and most innovative energy company in America. SoCalGas has committed to the goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions in its operations and delivery of energy by 2045 while keeping bills affordable for customers.

SoCalGas' recent economy-wide technical analysis shows how clean fuels like green hydrogen can help California achieve its net zero goals more affordably and with less risk than other energy pathways.

SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra (NYSE: SRE). For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.

SOURCE Southern California Gas Company
Long Awaited Two-Part Documentary Featuring the Early Days of Trap Music Icon Gucci Mane and His Former Rap Group S.Y.S. is Set to Preview for Major Streaming Platforms for Distribution

LOS ANGELES, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In the spirit of Jeen-Yuhs, the popular Kanye West driven documentary now showing on Netflix, Southumentary is an intimate and revealing portrait of rap star Gucci Mane's formative days with S.Y.S. and their quest for fame and fortune in the competitive music industry as they hustled in the rough streets of Eastside Atlanta, Georgia during the early 2000s. S.Y.S. which stands for Sign Ya Self was a five man group consisting of Gucci Mane, 4Tre, Bolo, Cold Blooded Da Don and honorary member South Boy, who also directed and produced this two-part documentary. South Boy is best known for his popular 2003 underground album Fed Time, which features numerous S.Y.S. tracks. Well-known Atlanta visionaries, H.B. and Mojo, formed Sign Ya Self Records back in 2002. In that same year S.Y.S. released their underground classic single "Misery Loves Company" which prominently features Gucci Mane. The gritty yet popular music video is available on YouTube and was the first one ever made by the hip-hop icon.

From 2002, a young Gucci Mane (right) shakes hands with 4-Tre (left) in the early days of the S.Y.S. rap group.

Southumentary blends together two decades of never-before-seen footage of the groundbreaking rap group S.Y.S. and delves into the pitfalls and successes of their untold journey. Former S.Y.S. member Gucci Mane, now an ambassador for the GUCCI brand, has released 14 studio albums and over 71 mixtapes throughout his iconic career as a solo artist. The original S.Y.S. group was together for five years from 2002 to 2006 at the start of the trap music movement. All five members of S.Y.S. spent time in prison which gives this documentary a raw, gut wrenching in-your-face experience that is not found in most films of this genre.

In 2020, Gucci Mane's popularity reached unseen heights as his rap battle with Jeezy on the Verzuz platform pulled in a whopping 5.5 million total viewers, 126.8 million in-stream likes and over 7 billion impressions online. According to VerzuzTV, the former S.Y.S. lead rapper's rap battle attracted more viewers than the MTV Music Video Awards and The Billboard Music Awards that year. Gucci Mane currently has 15.8 million Instagram followers. "This film contains the humble beginnings of one of the biggest entertainers in the world", says Raymond Forchion, Producer of Southumentary and Associate Producer of the Oscar-nominated film Last Breeze of Summer. "We are excited to bring this entertaining and passionate piece of underground hip-hop story with tons of unseen footage and unheard music to the world." Emmy-award winning cinematographer, Ben Mesker, shot the candid interviews for the two-part film. No platform has been set for the documentary.

About Southumentary

A Southumentary explores the trials and successes of established hip hop artists through never-before-seen footage plus unreleased music and untold stories. This film focuses on the S.Y.S. rap group that launched the careers of rap superstar Gucci Mane, hit music producer Zaytoven and award-winning filmmaker South Boy.

"S.Y.S. with Gucci Mane "Misery Loves Company"

Media Contact:

Aziza Clayton

213-260-0452

[email protected]

SOURCE Southumentary Productions
Established industry professional will oversee the company's operational functions

DALLAS, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwestern Asset Management ("Southwestern" or "SwAM"), a Texas-based farm and farm-related real estate fund manager, announced today that Nick Davis, MBA, has joined the firm as a partner and its vice president of operations. In this role, Davis will manage all logistics associated with running the company and lead a team responsible for carrying out all of SwAM's essential duties.

Bringing more than a decade of financial services industry experience to his new role, Davis will work to ensure that the company's business plan and overall strategic vision is achieved. Partnering directly with Southwestern's executive management and staff, he will create, implement, and oversee the strategies for operational processes, internal infrastructures and other company policies that will continue to drive Southwestern forward as the organization expands.

"Nick and I have known each other since attending college together at Texas Tech," said Cole Gilliam Parks, president and managing member of Southwestern. "The trust and confidence that I have in him would typically take years to build, but Nick and I have already been through that before joining our firm. Pair that with Nick's history of operational success and track record of achieving clear and measurable results, and I am confident that he will play a pivotal role in helping to ensure Southwestern continues to provide innovative farm and agriculture investment opportunities to our investors."

Prior to joining Southwestern, Davis served as vice president for Oakwood Bank, where he oversaw the operations of a $100 million loan portfolio and worked to identify prospects for the organization's loan and deposit business. Davis also previously served as a senior associate for PrimaLend Capital Partners where he managed another sizable loan portfolio, along with Prosperity Bank where he was a senior credit analyst. Throughout his career, Davis has also served as a sales consultant at Invesco, Ltd and Resolute Investment Managers, where he received the "Top Gun" award for the highest overall sales of any two-person team.

Davis holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Additionally, he is FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities licensed. He is also very active in the local community, working with non-profit groups such as Habitat for Humanity and Junior Achievement.

About Southwestern Asset Management

The Founders of Southwestern Asset management have deep roots in the agriculture industry, coming from at least six generations of farming, livestock production, and agribusiness services. The firm currently manages multiple limited partnerships and real estate investments. SwAM is a Southwestern Group subsidiary.

Contact: Rebecca Cleary

Spotlight Marketing Communications

(949) 427-1462

[email protected]

SOURCE Southwestern Asset Management
Teamsters Members and Their Qualifying Family Learn about Exclusive Benefits available for Aviation Training at Spartan College.

TULSA, Okla., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

WHAT: The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is sponsoring Open Houses at all four Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology campuses as well as a virtual event. The Open Houses are informative events where Teamsters' members and their qualifying family can learn how to use exclusive Teamsters benefits to train for a pilot or aviation maintenance career. Spartan College hosts on campus and virtual events in Tulsa, Denver, Los Angeles, and Inland Empire Areas. The events include a walking tour of the classrooms and labs, Training 101 Presentations, industry outlook discussions, faculty introductions, and admissions representatives onsite to answer any questions. Teamsters and their families will learn about the exclusive benefits and scholarships for those who qualify. The event is open to the public and there is no cost to attend.



WHO: Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology

4 on campus locations and 1 virtual event



WHEN: Saturday, April 30, 2022



WHERE: Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology





Tulsa Main  On Campus - 10:00 am  1:00 pm CST

8820 East Pine Street

Tulsa, OK 74115

https://www.spartan.edu/events/tsoht-043022/





Tulsa Flight Facility - 2:00 pm  3:00 pm CST

Online event

https://www.spartan.edu/events/tsohv-043022/





Denver Area - On Campus - 10:00 am  1:00 pm MST

10851 West 120th Avenue

Broomfield, CO 80021

https://www.spartan.edu/events/tsohd-043022/





Los Angeles Area - On Campus - 10:00 am  1:00 pm PST

8911 Aviation Boulevard

Inglewood, CA 90301

https://www.spartan.edu/events/tsohla-043022/





Inland Empire Area  On Campus - 10:00 am  1:00 pm PST

4130 Mennes Avenue

Hangar 8

Riverside, CA 92509

https://www.spartan.edu/events/tsohie-043022/

About Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology

Established in 1928, Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology has trained over 100,000 pilots and technicians. We have campuses located in the following areas: Tulsa, OK; Los Angeles, CA; Inland Empire, CA; and Denver, CO. Spartan students have come from across the United States and over 40 countries. Spartan offers programs in the areas of Aviation Flight, Aviation Maintenance Technology (Airframe & Powerplant), Aviation Electronics Technology, Nondestructive Testing Technology, and Quality Control Management, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Technology Management. (Programs vary by location). The Tulsa Campus is licensed by the O.B.P.V.S. Tulsa and Broomfield locations are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). Both California locations are accredited by the Council on Occupational Education (COE). Riverside is a branch of the Inglewood Campus. Spartan Education Group, LLC, is the parent company of Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology.

About The International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Theresa Moriarty

(c) 239-451-0312

(e) [email protected]

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters
TORONTO, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSX: SLF) (NYSE: SLF) today announced that its Annual Meeting of shareholders and the Annual Meeting of voting policyholders of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada scheduled for Wednesday, May 11, 2022 has been changed to a virtual-only format. Shareholders, voting policyholders, and members of the public will not be able to attend the meeting in person.

This change is being made based on ongoing developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic and reflects Sun Life's commitment to prioritize the health and safety of our shareholders, voting policyholders, employees, Clients and the broader community.

Shareholders and voting policyholders will have the opportunity to attend the meeting online and in real time regardless of their location, submit questions and vote on a number of important matters.

Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Time: 5 p.m. (Toronto time)

Virtually: https://web.lumiagm.com/422392842

Password: sunlife2022 (case sensitive)

For detailed instructions on how to join the webcast and vote at the virtual meeting, shareholders should refer to the 2022 Management Information Circular and voting policyholders should refer to the Information for Voting Policyholders' Booklet and their proxy form or voting instruction form.

The meeting materials can be accessed electronically on:

SEDAR at https://www.sedar.com

EDGAR at https://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml

Our website at www.sunlife.com/2022agm

Our transfer agent's website at www.meetingdocuments.com/TSXT/slf

Shareholders and voting policyholders are encouraged to vote in advance by one of the methods described in the 2022 Management Information Circular or Information for Voting Policyholders' Booklet, as applicable. Registered shareholders are asked to return their completed proxies or exercise their vote by the voting deadline on Monday, May 9, 2022 at 5 p.m. (Toronto time). Voting policyholders are asked to return their proxies no later than 5 p.m. (Toronto time) on Wednesday, May 4, 2022.

About Sun Life

Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing asset management, wealth, insurance, and health solutions to individual and institutional Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of December 31, 2021, Sun Life had total assets under management of $1.44 trillion. For more information please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

Note to editors: All figures in Canadian dollars

Media Relations Contact: Krista Wilson Director Corporate Communications T. 226-751-2391 [email protected] Investor Relations Contact: Yaniv Bitton Vice-President, Head of Investor Relations & Capital Markets T. 416-979-6496 [email protected]

SOURCE Sun Life Financial Inc.
Seasoned Healthcare Executive Brings Extensive Life Sciences Experience to Company

VERNON HILLS, Ill., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Antylia Scientific, a global leader of Molecular Diagnostic Reagents and Specialty Chemicals, Water and Air Quality Testing Equipment and Consumables, and Laboratory Products for the pharma, healthcare and environmental markets, announced today that Syed Jafry has joined its Board of Directors. Antylia is a portfolio company of GTCR, a leading private equity firm.

Mr. Jafry is a veteran of the healthcare industry and most recently served as SVP & President, Asia Pacific, EMEA & Emerging Markets at Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO), a global leader in Life Sciences Solutions, Analytical Instruments, Specialty Diagnostics, and Laboratory Products and Services. Under Mr. Jafry's leadership, these markets achieved above plan growth with an exceptional double digit revenue growth CAGR in Asia Pacific and China over a decade. Mr. Jafry's career with TMO began in 2005 and for the last 17 years, Mr. Jafry has served in numerous capacities including GM of Air Quality Instruments, President of TMO China, President of TMO Global Environmental Instruments, and SVP of Global Customer Excellence.

Prior to TMO, Mr. Jafry held leadership positions in various General Electric (GE) businesses, including plastics, energy and infrastructure, and was based in various locations across the US, the Netherlands and Switzerland. His broad global background across GE and TMO will provide extensive knowledge of Antylia's customer base, product portfolio and regional strategies for customer delivery. Mr. Jafry also serves on the Board of Directors of Zimmer Biomet, a global leader in orthopedics.

"We are excited and honored to have Syed join our Board of Directors," said Bernd Brust, Antylia's Executive Chairman of the Board. "Syed's extensive industry experience will serve Antylia well in achieving its future goals in the Molecular Diagnostic and Life Science Tools market segments".

Mr. Jafry commented: "I am truly honored to join the Board of Antylia Scientific and to partner with the GTCR team. What attracted me to the company is its incredible leadership talent. I look forward to supporting Bernd as an advisor and expanding Antylia Scientific's presence in life sciences and diagnostics solutions."

About Antylia Scientific

Antylia ScientificTM is a global leader of life science reagents, diagnostic controls, reference materials, and lab solutions for the pharma, healthcare and environmental markets. For more than 65 years, Antylia has enabled science that transforms research and discovery into real life applications through our premier suite of product brands including; Zeptometrix, Spex, Traceable, Cole-Parmer, and Environmental Express.

Media inquiries

Kellie Kennedy

312-933-4903

[email protected]

SOURCE Antylia Scientific
This webinar series will focus on key topics related to the workforce and staffing industry

BOSTON, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today TalentBurst, Inc., a leading talent workforce solutions provider, announced it will host a new educational webinar series focusing on key topics in the workforce and staffing industry. Each month TalentBurst will partner with industry and subject matter experts for live discussions and Q&A sessions about these important issues facing the industry today. The most pressing challenge identified by industry professionals in 2021 was clear: finding qualified candidates. This might be a surprise to some, particularly given how many people are trying to re-enter the workforce post-COVID.

The first webinar, to be held on May 10th at 1:00pm EST, will address the topic of Engaging with a Multi-Generational Workforce in the Healthcare Industry. In response to new data published by the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges), the United States could see an estimated shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians by 2034, including shortfalls in both primary and specialty care. With that said the staffing industry will need to leverage the generational work force strengths and differences which will give health care system leaders an edge as the health care field moves from an operational volume-based environment to a value-based care system and business model.

The idea for a monthly series came after TalentBurst saw an overwhelming demand for real time industry updates from subject matter experts that are actively involved in this dynamic growth industry. Brad Talwar, TalentBurst's CEO, stated, "We believe that a webinar series, with expert advice and a live Q&A for attendees, is the best way to address the wide range of communication concerns in our industry at the present time." Planned future topics in TalentBurst's webinar series include:

Diversity and Inclusion

Employee & Client Retention

Workforce challenges in supporting High Risk Jobs and Payroll Costs

New speakers will be announced monthly.

To register for our webinar on May 10th at 1:00pm EST: CLICK HERE

For complimentary resources, webinar updates, and other information, visit www.talentburst.com

About TalentBurst, Inc. Since 2002, TalentBurst has established itself as one of the most respected names in the staff augmentation, payroll, and employer of record (EOR) space. TalentBurst provides total workforce talent solutions to Fortune 500 companies in the United States and Canada, including, but not limited to, staff augmentation, high hazard payrolling, and employer of record services. TalentBurst is headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts and has satellites offices in San Francisco, Portland, Toronto, Florida, New York, Bangalore, and New Delhi, India. TalentBurst has expertise in information Technology Consulting; Accounting & Finance; and Compliance Consulting in the areas of Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) under the USA Patriot Act. TalentBurst has a global workforce of 2,400 people with estimated revenues of $145 million for the year (2021). TalentBurst is certified by the National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. (NMSDC). TalentBurst was ranked by Inc. magazine for over nine years as one of the United States' fastest growing companies. TalentBurst is also recognized as a Top 50 Diversity Owned Business in Massachusetts and Top 50 Privately held Business in Massachusetts.

SOURCE TalentBurst, Inc.
The launch of the Phantom UL Anterior to the Psoas Surgical Access System elevates traditional ATP surgical access with on-demand independent retraction as well as patent-pending technology advancements. Featuring a modular ring configuration to accommodate various patient anatomies and multifaceted blade designs that incorporate visible screw deployment, integrated lighting, and evolving technology delivery, Phantom ATP sets a new standard in surgical access to the lumbar column offering an all-in-one surgical access system for surgeons around the world seeking a complete solution for implant agnostic ATP access.

"Phantom UL ATP Surgical Access System is the first of its kind offering a true universal approach to the lumbar spine column with an expandable platform leveraging established product design concepts," stated Ed Asturias, Vice-President, Business Development for TSI. "With this product introduction, TSI remains committed to enabling surgeons a simple, yet comprehensive access solution, independent of the surgeon implant of choice."

Phantom UL ATP Surgical Access System will be featured at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA, April 29  May 2, 2022.

To learn more about TSI's Phantom UL Anterior to the Psoas Surgical Access System visit https://tedansurgical.com/phantom-ul-anterior-to-the-psoas-surgical-access-systems or call 877-726-0886.

About TeDan Surgical Innovations

TeDan Surgical Innovations, Inc. (TSI) is a global leader in surgical access systems with a specialty focus in spine, neuro, orthopedic and cardiothoracic surgery. For over fifteen years, TSI has been at the forefront of innovation in surgical access and instrumentation recognized by global industry leaders, teaching institutions and clinician thought leaders around the world. Its company founders, with a combined market experience of over 75 years, have driven numerous successful initiatives resulting in profitable business.

Phantom UL and Phantom ATP are trademarks from TeDan Surgical Innovations Inc.

For more information:

https://tedansurgical.com/phantom-ul-anterior-to-the-psoas-surgical-access-systems

Contact:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 713-726-0886

Fax: 713-726-0846

SOURCE TeDan Surgical Innovations
Mark Limbaugh shared federal resources critical to Idaho and the Western US' water future.

BOISE, Idaho, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mark Limbaugh, President of The Ferguson Group (TFG), returned to his alma mater to serve as a featured panelist at the University of Idaho's Challenges and Opportunities for Idaho Water Resources Workshop. This meeting convened subject matter experts such as researchers, industry professionals, and political leaders to address pressing challenges facing water resources in Idaho. Prior to joining TFG, Mr. Limbaugh served as Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the Department of the Interior and Deputy Commissioner for External and Intergovernmental Affairs at the Bureau of Reclamation in the George W. Bush Administration.

"Adapting to the accelerating impacts of climate change on water resources will be challenging. But the potential for technological innovation and implementation is exciting. The recent influx of federal dollars in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides a vital opportunity to reinvest in water infrastructure that will have a ripple effect for generations." Mr. Limbaugh said.

"Idaho is in an advantageous position. A vast number of federal programs potentially could bring millions of dollars to support the state's already extensive water resource innovations in water management and stakeholder cooperation."

"Water is a critical resource and with the opportunities before us, we can forge a positive future in water for Idaho."

An Idaho native, Mr. Limbaugh has specialized in federal advocacy and funding for water resources, infrastructure, and resiliency at TFG since 2007. Prior to his federal service and time at TFG, he accumulated over 22 years of on-the-ground experience in production agriculture, water, and natural resource issues, and has been actively involved in various state and federal water organizations throughout his career. Other key positions Mark has held include President of the Family Farm Alliance, Watermaster of Idaho's Payette River Basin, and Executive Director of the Payette River Water Users Association.

For more information about TFG, please visit our website at www.thefergusongroup.com.

Contact: Alexandra Yiannoutsos

The Ferguson Group

1901 Connecticut Ave. NW Suite 700

Washington, D.C. 20006

Phone: (202) 331-8500

[email protected]

SOURCE The Ferguson Group, LLC
Patents and trademarks increase as nation looks to become 'powerhouse' The quality and quantity of Chinese intellectual property continued to rise in 2021, with 696,000 invention patents authorized throughout the year, a senior official said. China's intellectual property industry has developed rapidly over the past five years. Shen Changyu, head of the National Intellectual Property Administration, told a news conference on Sunday that last year, the number of authorized invention patents reached 2.53 million, with an average annual growth rate of 13.4 percent over the past five years. The number of registered trademarks hit 27.7 million, with an average annual growth rate of 29 percent over the same period. There were also record-high numbers of copyrights issued for new plant varieties and integrated circuit layouts last year, and the number of high-value invention patents reached 7.5 per 10,000 people in 2021, up from 6.3 per 10,000 in 2020. Furthermore, the number of international patent applications filed in China via the Patent Cooperation Treaty hit 69,500 in 2021, ranking first in the world for the third consecutive year. The PCT is a widely used indicator for innovative activity. China ranked 12th in the Global Innovation Index 2021 released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, a rise from 22nd in 2017. Data also show that in 2020, the added-value of patent-intensive industries reached 12.13 trillion yuan ($1.87 trillion)a year-on-year increase of 5.8 percentaccounting for 11.97 percent of GDP. China has also reinforced IPR protection in the past five years. Since 2019, the National People's Congress, the nation's top legislature, revised the Trademark Law, Patent Law and Copyright Law and established a punitive damages system with the highest international standards. The State Council, China's Cabinet, has also issued 16 reform measures that have helped increase the quality and efficiency of the intellectual property review process. The country has actively sought to participate in global intellectual property governance. China has joined The Hague System for the International Registration for Industrial Designs, meaning a non-Chinese resident can secure international design protection in China, and the Marrakech Treaty, which gives over 17 million blind and visually impaired people in China easier access to copyrighted works. Both treaties will take effect in May. The country has also stepped up efforts to build itself into an intellectual property powerhouse. Last year, the central government released the Outline of Building an Intellectual Property Rights Powerhouse (2021-35) and the 14th Five-Year Plan for the Protection and Utilization of National Intellectual Property Rights (2021-25). Shen said the two documents serve as important milestones in the development of the nation's intellectual property system. He said the administration has formulated a detailed plan and has arranged for 29 provincial-level regions to issue supporting IPR policies. China will continue to leverage intellectual property to drive innovation, particularly meeting the demand of new technologies and industries such as big data, artificial intelligence, gene technology and blockchain, according to Shen. The nation will also look to participate more in global intellectual property governance, strengthen international cooperation in intellectual property protection and further raise public awareness, he added.


First Quarter Same Store Revenues Increased 9.6% on a Two-Year Basis

Lease Portfolio Size Ended First Quarter Up Year-Over-Year

Diluted EPS of $0.68 ; Non-GAAP Diluted EPS of $0.87

2022 Aaron's Core Business Outlook Remains Unchanged

Updated Consolidated Outlook for 2022 Includes BrandsMart U.S.A. , Acquired April 1, 2022

ATLANTA, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Aaron's Company, Inc. (NYSE: AAN), a leading, technology-enabled, omnichannel provider of lease-to-own and retail purchase solutions, today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022.

"I am pleased to announce a strong start to 2022. Our customer lease portfolio continues to perform well, and the Aaron's core business remains on track with the outlook shared last quarter," said Douglas Lindsay, Chief Executive Officer of The Aaron's Company. "The investments we continue to make in our key strategic initiatives, including our fast-growing e-commerce channel, digital origination and servicing platforms, and high-performing GenNext stores, have enabled us to deliver financial results consistent with our expectations for the quarter.

"In addition, I could not be more excited about the acquisition of BrandsMart U.S.A., which closed earlier this month, and the meaningful value creation opportunities it will provide. We continue to believe the consolidated company is capable of delivering strong revenue and double digit annual adjusted EBITDA growth over the next five years and beyond."

First Quarter 2022 Financial Highlights

Financial and operating results for the first quarter of 2022 and prior periods do not include BrandsMart U.S.A. ("BrandsMart"). As the acquisition of BrandsMart occurred on April 1, 2022, results for BrandsMart will be included in the Company's consolidated financial statements commencing in the second quarter of 2022.

Total revenues were $456.1 million in the first quarter of 2022, a decrease of 5.2% compared to the first quarter of 2021, primarily due to lower lease revenue attributed to the expected normalization in the lease renewal rate and lower exercise of early purchase options, which were partially offset by the increased size of our lease portfolio. At the end of the first quarter of 2022, our overall lease portfolio size was $131.7 million, an increase of 2.3% compared to the end of the first quarter of 2021. The lease renewal rate for the first quarter was 89.4%, compared to 92.5% in the government stimulus-aided first quarter of 2021. E-commerce revenues increased 3.9% in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, and represented 15.4% of lease revenues. During the quarter, the Company opened 19 GenNext locations. Combined with the 116 locations open at the beginning of the quarter, GenNext stores contributed 13.2% of lease and retail revenues in the first quarter of 2022, with lease originations in GenNext stores open less than one year continuing to grow at a rate of more than 20 percentage points higher than our average legacy stores.

Same store revenues increased 9.6% as compared to the first quarter of 2020. In the first quarter of 2022, same store revenues decreased 4.3% as compared to the first quarter of 2021, versus a 14.8% increase in the first quarter of 2021 as compared to the first quarter of 2020. The decrease in the first quarter of 2022 was primarily driven by the expected normalization in the lease renewal rate and lower exercise of early purchase options by our customers. These factors were partially offset by the increased size of our same store lease portfolio.

Net earnings for the first quarter of 2022 were $21.5 million compared to $36.3 million in the first quarter of 2021. First quarter 2022 net earnings included acquisition-related costs of $3.5 million, restructuring charges of $3.3 million, and separation costs of $0.5 million. Net earnings in the first quarter of 2021 included separation costs of $4.4 million and restructuring charges of $3.4 million.

Adjusted EBITDA was $54.7 million in the first quarter of 2022, a decrease of 25.9% compared to the first quarter of 2021. As a percentage of total revenues, adjusted EBITDA margin was 12.0% in the first quarter of 2022 compared with 15.4% in the prior year first quarter. The declines in adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin were primarily due to the expected lower lease renewal rates and higher provision for lease merchandise write-offs compared to the government stimulus-aided levels in the first quarter of 2021, partially offset by lower personnel and other operating expenses.

Diluted earnings per share were $0.68 in the first quarter of 2022 compared with $1.04 in the first quarter of 2021. On a non-GAAP basis, diluted earnings per share were $0.87 for the first quarter of 2022 compared with $1.24 in the first quarter of 2021.

Share Repurchase Program and Dividend Activity

During the first quarter, the Company repurchased 261,924 shares of Aaron's common stock for a total purchase price of approximately $5.7 million. The total shares outstanding as of March 31, 2022 were 30,963,018, compared to 34,169,998 as of March 31, 2021. On March 3, 2022, the Company's Board of Directors increased the share repurchase authorization to $250.0 million from the original $150.0 million plan and extended the maturity to December 31, 2024. The remaining authorized share repurchase amount was $141.2 million as of March 31, 2022. In addition, the Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.1125 per share which was paid to shareholders on April 5, 2022.

Full Year 2022 Outlook

The Company has updated its full year 2022 outlook to reflect the acquisition of BrandsMart that closed April 1, 2022. For the full-year 2022, we expect consolidated total revenues between $2.32 and $2.39 billion, adjusted EBITDA between $200 and $215 million, and non-GAAP earnings per share between $2.65 and $2.90.

Excluding the BrandsMart acquisition, the Aaron's core business outlook for total revenues, adjusted EBITDA, and annual same store revenues remains consistent with the outlook provided on February 23, 2022. Due to global supply chain challenges, we are revising our forecast of new GenNext store remodels and repositionings to be completed in 2022 to 100 locations. We expect to complete the remaining 20 locations originally scheduled for the current year in 2023.

We are assuming an effective tax rate for 2022 of approximately 26%, depreciation and amortization of $80 million to $85 million, and a diluted weighted average share count of approximately 32.0 million shares. This outlook assumes no significant deterioration in the current retail environment, state of the U.S. economy, or global supply chain, as compared to its current condition.



Current Outlook1, 2

Low High Consolidated - Total Revenues $2,320 million $2,390 million Consolidated - Adjusted EBITDA $200 million $215 million Consolidated - Non-GAAP EPS $2.65 $2.90 Consolidated - Capital Expenditures $100 million $125 million Consolidated - Free Cash Flow $45 million $55 million





BrandsMart - Total Revenues $545 million $565 million BrandsMart - Adjusted EBITDA $20 million $25 million



1 See the "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information" section accompanying the press release. 2 BrandsMart outlook represents expected results for the nine months ended December 31, 2022.

Conference Call and Webcast

The Company will hold a conference call to discuss its quarterly results on April 26, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The public is invited to listen to the conference call by webcast accessible through the Company's investor relations website, investor.aarons.com. The webcast will be archived for playback at that same site.

About The Aaron's Company Inc.

Headquartered in Atlanta, The Aaron's Company, Inc. (NYSE: AAN) is a leading, technology-enabled, omnichannel provider of lease-to-own and retail purchase solutions of appliances, electronics, furniture, and other home goods across its brands, Aaron's and BrandsMart U.S.A. Aaron's offers a direct-to-consumer lease-to-own solution through its 1,300 Company-operated and franchised stores in 47 states and Canada, as well as its e-commerce platform. BrandsMart U.S.A. is one of the leading appliance retailers in the country with ten retail stores in Florida and Georgia. For more information, visit investor.aarons.com, aarons.com, and brandsmartusa.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this news release regarding our business that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, such as "remain," "believe," "outlook," "expect," "assume," "assumed," and similar terminology. These risks and uncertainties include factors such as (i) any ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic due to new variants or efficacy and rate of vaccinations, as well as related measures taken by governmental or regulatory authorities to combat the pandemic, including the impact of federal vaccine mandates on our workforce and whether additional government stimulus payments or supplemental unemployment benefits will be approved, and the nature, amount and timing of any such payments or benefits, (ii) the possibility that the operational, strategic and shareholder value creation opportunities expected from the separation and spin-off of the Aaron's Business into what is now The Aaron's Company, Inc. may not be achieved in a timely manner, or at all; (iii) the failure of that separation to qualify for the expected tax treatment; (iv) the risk that the Company may fail to realize the benefits expected from the acquisition of BrandsMart, including projected synergies;

(v) risks related to the disruption of management time from ongoing business operations due to the acquisition; (vi) failure to promptly and effectively integrate the BrandsMart acquisition; (vii) the effect of the acquisition on our operating results and businesses and on the ability of Aaron's and BrandsMart to retain and hire key personnel or maintain relationships with suppliers; (viii) changes in the enforcement and interpretation of existing laws and regulations and the adoption of new laws and regulations that may unfavorably impact our business; (ix) legal and regulatory proceedings and investigations, including those related to consumer protection laws and regulations, customer privacy, third party and employee fraud, and information security; (x) the risks associated with our strategy and strategic priorities not being successful, including our e-commerce and real estate repositioning and optimization initiatives or being more costly than anticipated; (xi) risks associated with the challenges faced by our business, including the commoditization of consumer electronics and our high fixed-cost operating model; (xii) increased competition from traditional and virtual lease-to-own competitors, as well as from traditional and online retailers and other competitors; (xiii) financial challenges faced by our franchisees; (xiv) increases in lease merchandise write-offs, and the potential limited duration and impact of government stimulus and other government payments made by Federal and State governments to counteract the economic impact of the pandemic; (xv) the availability and prices of supply chain resources, including products and transportation; and (xvi) the other risks and uncertainties discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. Statements in this press release that are "forward-looking" include without limitation statements about: (i) the execution of our key strategic priorities; (ii) the growth and other benefits we expect from executing those priorities; (iii) our 2022 financial performance outlook; (iv) the Company's goals, plans, expectations, and projections regarding the expected benefits of the BrandsMart acquisition; and

(v) the impact on our 2022 financial performance of additional rounds of government stimulus payments. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances after the date of this press release.

THE AARON'S COMPANY, INC. Consolidated Statements of Earnings (In thousands, except per share amounts)





(Unaudited) Three Months Ended

March 31,



2022 2021 REVENUES:





Lease and Retail Revenues

$ 421,925 $ 444,087 Non-Retail Sales

27,827 29,949 Franchise Royalties and Other Revenues

6,330 7,018



456,082 481,054 COST OF REVENUES:





Cost of Lease and Retail Revenues

145,779 151,495 Non-Retail Cost of Sales

25,356 26,491



171,135 177,986 GROSS PROFIT

284,947 303,068 OPERATING EXPENSES:





Personnel Expenses

121,110 124,863 Other Operating Expenses, Net

104,359 108,366 Provision for Lease Merchandise Write-Offs

21,957 13,417 Restructuring Expenses, Net

3,335 3,441 Separation Costs

540 4,390 Acquisition-Related Costs

3,464 



254,765 254,477 OPERATING PROFIT

30,182 48,591 Interest Expense

(350) (344) Other Non-Operating (Expense) Income, Net

(927) 402 EARNINGS BEFORE INCOME TAX EXPENSE

28,905 48,649 INCOME TAX EXPENSE

7,373 12,326 NET EARNINGS

$ 21,532 $ 36,323







EARNINGS PER SHARE

$ 0.69 $ 1.06 EARNINGS PER SHARE ASSUMING DILUTION

$ 0.68 $ 1.04 WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING

31,062 34,262 WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING ASSUMING DILUTION

31,760 34,919

THE AARON'S COMPANY, INC. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (In thousands)



(Unaudited)





March 31,

2022

December 31,

2021 ASSETS:





Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 13,518

$ 22,832 Accounts Receivable (net of allowances of $5,251 at March 31, 2022 and

$7,163 at December 31, 2021) 26,930

29,443 Lease Merchandise (net of accumulated depreciation and allowances of

$432,842 at March 31, 2022 and $439,745 at December 31, 2021) 769,018

772,154 Property, Plant and Equipment, Net 230,945

230,895 Operating Lease Right-of-Use Assets 288,131

278,125 Goodwill 13,022

13,134 Other Intangibles, Net 4,288

5,095 Income Tax Receivable 2,711

3,587 Prepaid Expenses and Other Assets 97,799

86,000 Total Assets $ 1,446,362

$ 1,441,265 LIABILITIES & SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY:





Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses $ 242,702

$ 244,670 Deferred Income Taxes Payable 98,565

92,306 Customer Deposits and Advance Payments 56,203

66,289 Operating Lease Liabilities 317,984

309,834 Debt 

10,000 Total Liabilities 715,454

723,099







Shareholders' Equity:





Common Stock, Par Value $0.50 Per Share: Authorized: 112,500,000 Shares at

March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021; Shares Issued: 35,968,806 at

March 31, 2022 and 35,558,714 at December 31, 2021 17,984

17,779 Additional Paid-in Capital 727,842

724,384 Retained Earnings 116,494

98,546 Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (347)

(739)

861,973

839,970 Less: Treasury Shares at Cost





5,005,788 Shares at March 31, 2022 and 4,580,390 at December 31, 2021 (131,065)

(121,804) Total Shareholders' Equity 730,908

718,166 Total Liabilities & Shareholders' Equity $ 1,446,362

$ 1,441,265

THE AARON'S COMPANY, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS



(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended March 31, (In Thousands) 2022

2021 OPERATING ACTIVITIES:





Net Earnings $ 21,532

$ 36,323 Adjustments to Reconcile Net Earnings to Cash Provided by Operating Activities:





Depreciation of Lease Merchandise 134,713

139,212 Other Depreciation and Amortization 18,149

17,067 Provision for Lease Merchandise Write-Offs 21,957

13,417 Accounts Receivable Provision 6,753

3,763 Stock-Based Compensation 3,611

3,593 Deferred Income Taxes 6,241

8,741 Impairment of Assets 1,585

2,272 Non-Cash Lease Expense 23,971

23,030 Other Changes, Net (4,576)

(831) Changes in Operating Assets and Liabilities:





Lease Merchandise (153,711)

(160,895) Accounts Receivable (4,190)

2,265 Prepaid Expenses and Other Assets (11,610)

1,440 Income Tax Receivable 876

270 Operating Lease Right-of-Use Assets and Liabilities (27,009)

(37,776) Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses 846

(21,563) Customer Deposits and Advance Payments (10,086)

(10,129) Cash Provided by Operating Activities 29,052

20,199 INVESTING ACTIVITIES:





Purchases of Property, Plant, and Equipment (25,103)

(27,032) Proceeds from Dispositions of Property, Plant, and Equipment 8,136

2,695 Acquisition of Businesses and Customer Agreements, Net of Cash Acquired (286)

(1,062) Proceeds from Other Investing-Related Activities 190

1,974 Cash Used in Investing Activities (17,063)

(23,425) FINANCING ACTIVITIES:





Repayments on Revolving Facility, Net (10,000)

 Repayments on Debt 

(492) Dividends Paid (3,110)

(3,430) Acquisition of Treasury Stock (4,722)

(5,727) Issuance of Stock Under Stock Option Plans 52

543 Shares Withheld for Tax Payments (3,541)

(2,729) Cash Used in Financing Activities (21,321)

(11,835) EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH AND CASH

EQUIVALENTS 18

2 Decrease in Cash and Cash Equivalents (9,314)

(15,059) Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Period 22,832

76,123 Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Period $ 13,518

$ 61,064

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information:

Non-GAAP net earnings, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share, EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are supplemental measures of our performance that are not calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP"). Non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share for 2022 exclude certain charges including amortization expense resulting from acquisitions, restructuring charges, separation costs associated with the separation and distribution transaction that resulted in our spin-off into a separate publicly-traded company, and acquisition-related costs. Non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share for 2021 exclude certain charges including amortization expense resulting from acquisitions, restructuring charges and separation costs associated with the separation and distribution transaction that resulted in our spin-off into a separate publicly-traded company. The amounts for these pre-tax non-GAAP adjustments, which are tax-effected using estimated tax rates which are commensurate with non-GAAP pre-tax earnings, can be found in the Reconciliation of Net Earnings and Earnings Per Share Assuming Dilution to Non-GAAP Net Earnings and Non-GAAP Earnings Per Share Assuming Dilution table in this press release.

The EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA figures presented in this press release are calculated as the Company's earnings before interest expense, depreciation on property, plant and equipment, amortization of intangible assets and income taxes. Adjusted EBITDA also excludes the other adjustments described in the calculation of non-GAAP net earnings above. Adjusted EBITDA margin is defined as EBITDA as a percentage of revenue. The amounts for these pre-tax non-GAAP adjustments can be found in the Quarterly EBITDA table in this press release.

Management believes that non-GAAP net earnings, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provide relevant and useful information, and are widely used by analysts, investors and competitors in our industry as well as by our management in assessing both consolidated and business unit performance.

Non-GAAP net earnings and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share provide management and investors with an understanding of the results from the primary operations of our business by excluding the effects of certain items that generally arose from larger, one-time transactions that are not reflective of the ordinary earnings activity of our operations or transactions that have variability and volatility of the amount. This measure may be useful to an investor in evaluating the underlying operating performance of our business.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA also provide management and investors with an understanding of one aspect of earnings before the impact of investing and financing charges and income taxes. These measures may be useful to an investor in evaluating our operating performance and liquidity because the measures:

Are widely used by investors to measure a company's operating performance without regard to items excluded from the calculation of such measure, which can vary substantially from company to company depending upon accounting methods, book value of assets, capital structure and the method by which assets were acquired, among other factors.

Are a financial measurement that is used by rating agencies, lenders and other parties to evaluate our creditworthiness.

Are used by our management for various purposes, including as a measure of performance of our operating entities and as a basis for strategic planning and forecasting.

The Free Cash Flow figures presented in this press release and in the press release dated February 23, 2022 are calculated as the Company's cash flows provided by operating activities and proceeds from real estate transactions, less capital expenditures. Management believes that Free Cash Flow is an important measure of liquidity provides relevant and useful information, and are widely used by analysts, investors and competitors in our industry as well as by our management in assessing liquidity.

Non-GAAP financial measures, however, should not be used as a substitute for, or considered superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP, such as the Company's GAAP basis net earnings and diluted earnings per share, the Company's GAAP revenues and earnings before income taxes and GAAP cash from operating activities, which are also presented in the press release. Further, we caution investors that amounts presented in accordance with our definitions of non-GAAP net earnings, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow may not be comparable to similar measures disclosed by other companies, because not all companies and analysts calculate these measures in the same manner.

Reconciliation of Net Earnings and Earnings Per Share Assuming Dilution to Non-GAAP Net

Earnings and Non-GAAP Earnings Per Share Assuming Dilution (In thousands, except per share)



(Unaudited) Three Months Ended

March 31,

2022 2021 Net Earnings $ 21,532 $ 36,323 Income Taxes 7,373 12,326 Earnings Before Income Taxes $ 28,905 $ 48,649 Add: Acquisition-Related Intangible Amortization Expense 641 1,507 Add: Restructuring Expenses, Net 3,335 3,441 Add: Separation Costs 540 4,390 Add: Acquisition-Related Costs 3,464  Non-GAAP Earnings Before Income Taxes 36,885 57,987





Income taxes, calculated using a non-GAAP Effective Tax Rate 9,409 14,692 Non-GAAP Net Earnings $ 27,476 $ 43,295











Earnings Per Share Assuming Dilution $ 0.68 $ 1.04 Add: Acquisition-Related Intangible Amortization Expense 0.02 0.04 Add: Restructuring Expenses, Net 0.11 0.10 Add: Separation Costs 0.02 0.13 Add: Acquisition-Related Costs 0.11  Tax Effect of Non-GAAP adjustments $ (0.06) $ (0.07) Non-GAAP Earnings Per Share Assuming Dilution(1) $ 0.87 $ 1.24





Weighted Average Shares Outstanding Assuming Dilution 31,760 34,919



(1) In some cases, the sum of individual EPS amounts may not equal total non-GAAP EPS calculations due to rounding.

The Aaron's Company, Inc. Non-GAAP Financial Information Quarterly EBITDA (In thousands)



(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended

March 31, 2022

March 31, 2021 Net Earnings $ 21,532

$ 36,323 Income Taxes 7,373

12,326 Earnings Before Income Taxes $ 28,905

$ 48,649 Interest Expense 350

344 Depreciation 17,385

15,383 Amortization 764

1,684 EBITDA $ 47,404

$ 66,060 Separation Costs 540

4,390 Acquisition-Related Costs 3,464

 Restructuring Expenses, Net 3,335

3,441 Adjusted EBITDA $ 54,743

$ 73,891

Reconciliation of 2022 Current Outlook for Adjusted EBITDA (In thousands)



Fiscal Year 2022 Ranges

BrandsMart U.S.A.1 Consolidated Total2 Estimated Net Earnings

$75,000 - $81,000 Income Taxes

26,000 - 28,000 Projected Earnings Before Income Taxes $13,500 - $16,500 $101,000 - $109,000 Interest Expense  9,000 - 10,000 Depreciation and Amortization 4,000 - 5,000 80,000 - 85,000 Projected EBITDA $17,500 - $21,500 $190,000 - $204,000 Projected Other Adjustments, Net 2,500 - 3,500 10,000 - 11,000 Projected Adjusted EBITDA $20,000 - $25,000 $200,000 - $215,000





(1) Amortization related to the acquired BrandsMart intangible assets has been excluded from this Outlook as the respective fair values are pending the completion of the purchase price valuation and cannot be reasonably estimated. Projected Other Adjustments, Net includes one-time integration and other acquisition-related costs. (2) Projected Other Adjustments, Net includes the projected non-GAAP charges related to restructuring charges, separation costs associated with the separation and distribution transaction that resulted in our spin-off into a separate publicly-traded company and BrandsMart one-time integration and other acquisition-related costs. Amortization related to the acquired BrandsMart intangible assets has been excluded from this Outlook as the respective fair values are pending the completion of the purchase price valuation and cannot be reasonably estimated.

Reconciliation of 2022 Current Outlook for Earnings Per Share Assuming Dilution to Non-GAAP Earnings Per Share Assuming Dilution



Fiscal Year 2022 Range

Low High Projected Earnings Per Share Assuming Dilution $ 2.39 $ 2.57 Add Sum of Projected Other Adjustments1 0.26 0.33 Projected Non-GAAP Earnings Per Share Assuming Dilution $ 2.65 $ 2.90









(1) Includes the projected non-GAAP charges related to restructuring charges, separation costs associated with the separation and distribution transaction that resulted in our spin-off into a separate publicly-traded company and BrandsMart one-time integration and other acquisition-related costs. Amortization related to the acquired BrandsMart intangible assets has been excluded from this Outlook as the respective fair values are pending the completion of the purchase price valuation and cannot be reasonably estimated.

Reconciliation of 2022 Current Outlook for Free Cash Flow (In thousands)



Fiscal Year 2022 Ranges

Consolidated Total Cash Provided by Operating Activities $139,000 - $173,000 Add: Proceeds from Real Estate Transactions $6,000 - $7,000 Less: Capital Expenditures (100,000 - 125,000) Free Cash Flow $45,000 - $55,000

SOURCE The Aaron's Company, Inc.
Plans provide 24/7 access to a 5-step success method. Includes weekly access to Q&A session, and mini courses, all searchable by keywords, beginning April, 2022

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Potty training season is almost here, and we are happy to provide eager parents around the globe with easy-access to an effective plan, resources and support to increase their family's potty training success. The most commonly asked questions of "When should I start potty training?" and "How do I potty train my child?" are answered with the click of a few buttons. Personalized responses to questions are provided by employed, trained and background checked potty training experts. Gone are the days of wondering "Is this working?" Here are the days of using a method that meets your family at your level and leads you through a 5-stage potty training process for success.

Know a child in diapers? Now is the time to gift (yourself or another caregiver!) the support loved ones will appreciate their whole journey through, from Diapers-to-Flush, conveniently the name of the new membership offering by The Potty School . This membership is geared for caregivers of children ages 18 months - 5 years, who are both typical and special needs children.

We help parents who are at a loss of where to start, feeling overwhelmed and/or are discouraged to gain the confidence, know-how and support needed in order to get their children out of diapers.

This new offering is in addition to The Potty School's previous offerings serving parents with children ages 0-17 months (Elimination Communication), 18 months - 5 years (Potty Training for neurotypical children) and 0-9 years (Special Needs), via Consultation Calls, Home Consults and Online Courses.

Diapers-to-Flush online membership is $49/month, with discounts on multi-month purchases. For 50% off your first month use code: D2F50OFF at checkout (Eligible for first-time orders only with a minimum retail purchase price of $49.00).

Diapers-to-Flush online membership is $149/3-months, with discounts on multi-month purchases. $249/6-months (+ a Potty Box!) and $949/Lifetime-access (+a Potty Box!). For 10% off your order, use code D2F10 at checkout (Eligible for first-time orders only. Expires 5/31/22, 11:59 pm PDT).

About The Potty School LLC

The Potty School is a leader in teaching, consulting and encouraging parents to successfully potty their children via phone, virtually and in-person. Families and caregivers can choose from consultations, courses or a membership. From diaper to flush, we'll have a way to support you. For more information about the Diaper to Flush membership, visit www.thepottyschool.com/diapers-to-flush . For more information about the company The Potty School, visit www.thepottyschool.com , or follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ThePottySchool or Instagram: @ThePottySchool

Contact:

Michelle Swaney

[email protected]

SOURCE The Potty School
Dieuveil Malonga is the chef of restaurant Meza Malonga in Kigali, Rwanda, and founder of Chefs in Africa, an online platform that cultivates culinary talent in Africa by helping cooks overcome barriers such as discrimination and lack of training or equipment. Malonga's mission is to "write a new story of gastronomy which has its roots in Africa and contribute to establish furthermore African cuisine as gourmet".

Koh Seng Choon, based between Hong Kong and Singapore, is the founder of Dignity Kitchen, Asia's first community food courts managed by people with disabilities, which also act as schools to train the disabled and disadvantaged to run hawker operations. Dignity Kitchen is part of Project Dignity, which supports people with disabilities through several initiatives, including a second-hand book shop managed by mothers and their challenged children, and Dignity Meal, a food security initiative for the disadvantaged.

London-based friends Olia Hercules and Alissa Timoshkina launched food fundraising initiative #CookForUkraine in response to the war in Ukraine, where Hercules was born. #CookForUkraine aims to increase awareness of the humanitarian crisis and raise money to help displaced children and families, while providing a platform to share and promote Ukrainian recipes, along with the stories behind those dishes.

William Drew, Director of Content for The World's 50 Best Restaurants, says: "We are thrilled to recognise the incredible work that Dieuveil, Koh Seng, and Olia and Alissa are doing for their communities and we're honoured to be able to support their brilliant initiatives." Each of the three winners will also receive a substantial financial donation to their project as part of the prize.

Champions of Change is one of several pre-announced awards in the lead up to The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022 awards ceremony on 18 July.

Media Centre:

https://mediacentre.theworlds50best.com/

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SOURCE 50 Best
50 Best today announces its three Champions of Change 2022, heroes of hospitality who are creating a positive change for their communities through their work. An award launched last year to celebrate the industry's unsung heroes, in 2022 the accolade is given to two individuals and one pair who are driving meaningful action and creating blueprints for a better hospitality sector.

Champions of Change, part of the forthcoming The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022 programme, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, forms a key pillar in the organisation's ever-evolving '50 Best for Recovery' initiative. After the award was introduced in 2021 in response to the sector rebuilding and remodelling itself after a challenging 18 months, it continues this year to support the powerful work of individuals effecting positive change. 50 Best will make a substantial donation to each of the winners' causes, allowing the recipients to continue building their initiatives and supporting long-term progress in the restaurant and food sphere.

One of 2022's winners is Dieuveil Malonga, the 30-year-old chef of restaurant Meza Malonga in Kigali, Rwanda, which he opened in 2020. Malonga's mission is to "write a new story of gastronomy which has its roots in Africa and contribute to establish furthermore African cuisine as gourmet". Born in Congo, he moved to Germany aged 13, then later to Marseille. His quest to create a culinary bridge between African flavours and Western cuisine has seen him visit 38 of Africa's 54 states. Recognised as part of 50 Next 2021, he is also the founder of Chefs in Africa (created in 2016), an online platform that cultivates the talent and culinary passion found in Africa by helping cooks overcome barriers such as lack of training, employment and equipment, as well as discrimination. Chefs in Africa connects government institutions, training centres and businesses with professional chefs and young culinary students or apprentices from across the continent who are looking for work experience. It currently has over 4,000 African chefs as members.

Meza Malonga currently trains 10 young chefs each year as part of its culinary training programme, including offering scholarships to aspiring cooks and providing English classes to support them in spreading their message to the world. Malonga is planning to move Meza Malonga from Kigali to a bigger site in Musanze, also in Rwanda, in 2023, where he is working with local farmers to grow sustainable crops and ingredients, while also expanding his culinary training programme to 15 young cooks per year. The Champions of Change donation will support this endeavour. The new home also aims to promote culinary tourism development in rural areas through cooking classes and gastronomic events.

Malonga comments: "Transmission is a key for a better future. I'm honoured to be named a Champion of Change and will continue to nurture the passion and talent of African chefs."

Koh Seng Choon, based between Hong Kong and Singapore, is the founder of Dignity Kitchen, Asia's first community food court managed by people with disabilities. After studying engineering and business administration in the UK, Seng Choon returned to Singapore to set up his own management consultancy firm. In 2010, at the age of 50, he gave up his successful career to focus on social entrepreneurship and opened the first Dignity Kitchen in Singapore, followed by a Hong Kong location in December 2019.

Dignity Kitchen acts as a school to train the disabled and the disadvantaged to be hawker stall operators. Having pivoted to community service during the pandemic, providing warm food to homeless shelters and nursing homes, as well as food vouchers to minority groups, it offers customers a system to 'pay it forward' to give meals to the needy. Dignity Kitchen is part of Project Dignity, which supports people with disabilities through several other initiatives created by Seng Choon, including Dignity Mama, a second-hand book shop managed by mothers and their challenged children, and Dignity Meal, a food security initiative for the disadvantaged, among others.

In his free time, Choon lectures on the subject of entrepreneurship to MBA students and assists ex-inmates and pre-release prisoners to realise their entrepreneurial ambition. During this pandemic, Seng Choon provides a thousand meal boxes for the poor and needy every day in Hong Kong and Singapore including thousands of cookies and muffins as 'Morale Boosters" to the frontliners like nurses and cleaners in hospitals. On his work, Seng Choon says: "A person with disabilities is just differently abled; look at their abilities, not disabilities."

London-based friends Olia Hercules and Alissa Timoshkina launched a food fundraising initiative for UNICEF called #CookForUkraine in response to the war in Ukraine, where Hercules was born. After leaving her hometown of Kakhova for university in the UK, she quit her job as a reporter after the 2008 financial crisis to pursue her dream to cook for a living, working at restaurants including Ottolenghi and as a recipe developer, before publishing her cookbook, Mamushka, celebrating her family recipes. Russian food writer, chef, cookery teacher and events curator Timoshkina moved to the UK to study film history and lectured about Russian and European cinema, before her passion for cooking led her to establish a cinema-supper club called KinoVino.

#CookForUkraine aims to increase awareness of the humanitarian crisis and raise money to help children and families displaced by the war, as well as providing a platform for Ukrainian families and their supporters to share recipes, along with the stories behind those dishes. Through the campaign, the duo is collaborating with London restaurants to host special dinners and sell specific menu items to raise funds, which are sent to UNICEF to provide on-the-ground support and emergency care to refugee families. Since its inception, the campaign has nearly 900,000 to date. Hercules and Timoshkina plan to continue to develop the #CookForUkraine campaign, currently working on a hospitality-focused workplace scheme for Ukrainian refugees, a cooking school staffed by Ukrainian cooks, and more.

The duo comments: "From the very start, Cook for Ukraine was a long term project for us. While we hope with all our hearts the war will end soon, our work in raising awareness about the beauty of Ukrainian food culture and in supporting those affected by the war will continue. And this wonderful award is a very important first step towards creating a new foundation."

William Drew, Director of Content for The World's 50 Best Restaurants, says: "After launching Champions of Change last year, we are thrilled to recognise the incredible work that Dieuveil, Koh Seng, and Olia and Alissa are doing for their communities. We have the utmost respect for the drive and passion they've shown for creating meaningful change and we're honoured to be able to support their brilliant work."

Champions of Change is one of several special awards which will be announced between now and July, as part of the lead-up to the event programme for The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022. These individuals have utilised challenges as a catalyst for positive action and long-term progress, whether they are helping others, improving the gastronomic sector or providing meaningful support during great hardship.

The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022 awards, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, will be hosted in London on Monday 18th July. An extensive event programme will culminate in this year's awards ceremony, to be held at Old Billingsgate market in the City of London.

For media centre registration access, please visit:

https://mediacentre.theworlds50best.com/

Follow 50 Best

About The World's 50 Best Restaurants

Since 2002, The World's 50 Best Restaurants has reflected the diversity of the world's culinary landscape. The annual list of the world's most prestigious restaurants provides a snapshot of some of the best destinations for unique culinary experiences, in addition to being a barometer for and a pioneer of global gastronomic trends. The 50 Best family also includes Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants, Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, Middle East & North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants, The World's 50 Best Bars, Asia's 50 Best Bars, North America's 50 Best Bars and the #50BestTalks and 50 Best Explores series, all of which are owned and run by William Reed. 50 Best aims to bring together communities across the hospitality sector to foster collaboration, inclusivity, diversity and discovery and help drive positive change.

About the main sponsor: S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna

S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna are the main partners of The World's 50 Best Restaurants and 50 Best for Recovery. S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna are the leading natural mineral waters in the fine dining world. Together they interpret Italian style worldwide as a synthesis of excellence, pleasure and well-being.

Other Partners:

Estrella Damm  Official Beer Partner; sponsor of the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award

 Official Beer Partner; sponsor of the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award American Express Resy  Official Credit Card & Booking Platform Partner (Resy); sponsor of the American Express One To Watch Award

Gin Mare  Official Gin Partner; sponsor of the Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award

Flor de Cana  Official Rum Partner; sponsor of the Flor de Cana Sustainable Restaurant Award

Sosa  Official Ingredients Partner; sponsor of The World's Best Pastry Chef Award

Beronia  Official Wine Partner

Nude Glass  Official Glassware Partner; sponsor of The World's Best Female Chef Award

Nyetimber  Official Sparkling Wine Partner

Licor 43  Official Liqueur Partner; sponsor of the Licor 43 Icon Award

Villa Massa  Official Limoncello and Amaretto Partner; sponsor of the Villa Massa Highest Climber Award

Illycaffe  Official Coffee Partner

Cinco Jotas  Official Iberico Ham Partner

The London Essence Co.  Official Mixers Partner

Aspire Lifestyles  Official Concierge Partner; sponsor of the Highest New Entry Award

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SOURCE 50 Best
TORONTO, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Classical, contemporary designers and artists Mayson Heald, Akoa, and Nestor Andreev have launched their new NFT collections with FabriikX.

The three artists have each created works that include their individuality, experiences, and understanding of the world around them. They have taken inspiration from nature, repeated patterns, cryptocurrencies, and even emojis.

Nestor Andreev's series is titled Pastels of Freedom. The collection is made up of twelve sensory and emotional pieces. Each piece can be customized to the buyer's specification, whether that is in a recurring tile pattern or singular print.

Nestor's collection is inspired by Bitcoin: "The patterns I have created  for example, Interconnected or Bright Mosaic  are like connected nodes, validating transaction hashes (TX's)."

Mayson Heald's work is also inspired by Bitcoin, specifically the BSV blockchain. She curated the series, Reflections, which takes inspiration from key historic-artistic periods and how they collide with the modern world today. These are uniquely drawn characters in a quiet reverie of calm, the series observes a single, moment in time. She said: "I take inspiration from Renaissance artists, as well as impressionists, contemporary, and abstract masters. However, for this collection, I also took inspiration from new creative media aligned with the blockchain and web3.0"

Akoa created a unique series of characters designed in modern 3D style, with expressive and meaningful looks inspired by text emojis. His colourful, fun, and adorable NFT collection has been titled Cute Characters Series.

"The series I created is heavily influenced by Social Network emoji and sticker collections, The characters present a minimalistic and expressive picture at bold events."

FabriikX's Lior Cyngiser, Business Operations Director, said: "Working with such creative and talented people has been a pleasure; to see their artistic process and watch them explore NFTs and digital artistry is fantastic. FabriikX believes in letting its artists grow and explore their fields. This is only possible when they feel secure with the marketplace they've chosen. "

The NFT market is currently booming with artists and celebrities producing and creating pieces on several platforms. But FabriikX is the only curation-focused marketplace built on BSV (Bitcoin Satoshi Vision), where everyone can create, mint, and list NFTs. FabriikX offers on-chain storage, low costs, and expert content from within the community.

On FabriikX, customers can buy, sell, and re-sell NFTs directly with other collectors and get paid instantly. There are no minting or transfer fees, and all data lives directly on-chain.

When it came to choosing where to launch their NFTs, Akoa, Nestor, and Mayson agreed that it was not even a question.

Mayson: "FabriikX is a professional and well-designed platform that works with the BSV blockchain, which allows for secure scaling. By using BSV, FabriikX enables access to the creative NFT communities without substantial fees, unlike others. The addition of a connected secondary market is a major advantage to artists and collectors too, allowing the sale of NFTs to be easy and lucrative. All really important features for new creators."

Nestor adds:" I think FabriikX as a marketplace will be successful. As a creative freelancer, FabriikX allows me an opportunity to gain experience with great support. Providing access to the blockchain means we, as artists, can upload and create more."

All collections are available to view and buy now at FabriikX

About FabriikX

FabriikX is a new kind of NFT marketplace built on the power of the BSV blockchain. It offers curated-focused, exclusive NFTs from top creators within arts, sports, and music, as well as content from the best inventive minds in the digital collectibles' community. To Fabriik, NFTs are much more than just digital collectibles; they are experiences that connect collectors with the creators and communities they care about most.

FabriikX offers a secondary marketplace so customers can buy, sell, and re-sell NFTs directly with other collectors and get paid instantly. Plus, there are no minting or transfer fees, and all data lives directly on-chain.

About Fabriik

At Fabriik, we believe everyone, everywhere, should be able to reimagine prosperity in the w3b economy. It is our mission to unlock the power of blockchain technology to make participating in the future of money a reality today. We are creating the tools and services that empower people and businesses to buy, sell, store, and trade digital assets easily, securely, and transparently.

SOURCE Fabriik
BANGALORE, India, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Titanium Metal Market is Segmented by Type (Plates, Bars, Tube, Forgings, Wires), by Application (Airframes, Aeroengines, Petrochemical, Medical, Desalination, Automotive, Energy): Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212027. It is published in Valuates Reports under the Chemicals Industry Category.

The global Titanium Metal Market was valued at USD 4659 Million in 2020 and it is expected to reach USD 6703.2 Million by the end of 2027, growing at a CAGR of 5.3% from 2021 to 2027.

Major Factors Driving the Growth of Titanium Metal Market

The rise in aerospace development expenditure and R&D initiatives from governments across countries provides immense potential for the Titanium alloy market. Growing air travels lead to expansion in the global aviation industry.

Moreover, the rapid use in the petrochemical, medical, automotive, and energy sectors will propel the Titanium metal market forward during the forecast period.

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TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF THE GLOBAL TITANIUM METAL MARKET

The global titanium market will be impacted positively by the aerospace industry. As air travel is growing the demand for titanium is soaring. Due to its high tensile strength, corrosion resistance, lightweight, bigger strength to density ratio, and ability to absorb high-temperature pressure the metal is used widely in compressor blades, aero-engines, firewalls, and landing gears, exhaust ducts of helicopters, rotors, missiles, spacecraft, and hydraulic systems. Titanium forms a major part of the airframes and engines. Moreover, the ongoing R&D initiatives by governments in the aviation sector will further boost the titanium metal market size.

Titanium is elastic and biocompatible making it suitable for use in the medical industry. The growing number of surgeries and implantations require titanium to be used in surgical devices and pacemaker cases. It aids in osseointegration, hip replacements, and joints. They are also used in microsurgical procedures and military field trauma relief kits. This in turn will spur the demand for the Titanium metal market in the coming years.

The global titanium market will grow rapidly due to huge opportunities in the automotive industry. The metal is used in the replacement of aluminum for making valves, springs, camshafts, wrist parts, connecting rods, and in-car engines. It reduces noise, boosts fuel efficiency, and promotes sustainability.

Oil gas exploration and refining is an energy-intensive process. Pipelines are built with titanium to boost corrosion resistance in underwater operations. As the search for hydrocarbon reserves grows the wells for extraction run deep. In these situations, titanium helps as it has huge tensile loading and the capacity to withstand high temperatures. These factors will contribute significantly to the growth of the Titanium metal market during the forecast period.

The power industry utilizes titanium in plant condenser pipes and nuclear waste storage. It is durable, long-lasting, lightweight, and thinner allowing efficient heat transfer. The pipes become easier to maintain. The metal is also used in seawater desalination. Hence the above factors will surge the expansion of the Titanium metal market during the review period.

Browse The Table Of Contents And List Of Figures At: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-0188/global-titanium-metal-titanium-alloy

TITANIUM METAL MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS

Based on application, the airframes and aero-engines segment are expected to witness considerable growth in the titanium metal market share as the aerospace industry is growing rapidly. Titanium is exclusively used in the manufacturing of aircraft engines and frames.

Based on region, Asia-Pacific will be the dominating segment in the titanium metal market share with 35% followed by Europe and North America.

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Key Players

TIMET

ATI

VSMPO-AVISMA

Western Superconducting

BAOTAI

Western Metal Materials

Carpenter

Arconic

OSAKA Titanium

Titanium Toho Titanium

Advanced Metallurgical Group

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SUGAR LAND, Texas, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Trecora Resources (NYSE: TREC), a leading provider of specialty hydrocarbons and waxes, today announced the planned release of its first quarter 2022 financial results after market close on Wednesday, May 4, 2022. President and Chief Executive Officer, Patrick D. Quarles, and Chief Financial Officer, Sami Ahmad, will host a conference call on Thursday, May 5, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Central Time/11:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the results.

Date: Thursday, May 5, 2022 Time: 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time Toll-free dial-in number: +1-866-417-5724 International dial-in number: +1-409-217-8234 Conference ID: 2060048 Webcast: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/vi42iivi

The conference call will be simulcast live and available for replay via the investor relations section of the Company's website at http://www.trecora.com/

The presentation slides will be available before the call begins under the investor relations section of the Company's website at https://ir.trecora.com/presentations

A replay of the conference call will be available approximately two hours following the conclusion of the call through May 7, 2022.

Toll-free replay number: +1 855-859-2056 International replay number: +1 404-537-3406 Replay PIN number: 2060048

About Trecora Resources (TREC)

TREC owns and operates a specialty petrochemicals facility specializing in high purity hydrocarbons and other petrochemical manufacturing and a specialty wax facility, both located in Texas, and provides custom processing services at both facilities.

Investor Relations Contact: The Equity Group Inc.

Jeremy Hellman, CFA (212) 836-9626

[email protected]

SOURCE Trecora Resources
Philadelphia Entrepreneurs Sign Popular Brunch Concept's First Franchise Deal, Expands Presence in Pennsylvania

EATONTOWN, N.J., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Turning Point Restaurants, the award-winning breakfast, brunch and lunch concept, has announced its first franchise agreement. The brand's first franchise location will open in May, just four months after the brand launched its franchise opportunity. Dave T. Vazquez and Eric Brandow of RNF LLC are expanding Turning Point's footprint in Pennsylvania, with plans to open a location in Upper Dublin Township. The newest restaurant will mark 22 total Turning Point locations across New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

"Nowadays, it's rare to find a quality brand you can trust. Turning Point is a proven concept that is executed in an extraordinary way," said Turning Point franchisee, Eric Brandow. "This company is dedicated to opening new restaurants that prove to be profitable, manageable, and well-loved by the community; we just knew this concept would be a great addition to Upper Dublin."

Vazquez and Brandow met in 1997 while working for a restaurant operator in Philadelphia. Since then, they've worked on larger teams to open several high-end restaurants, including Buddakan, a well-known Asian fusion restaurant in Philadelphia and New York City. Independently, Vazquez worked for KC Prime Steakhouse, Striped Bass, and also opened 22 Bowen's Wharf in Newport, Rhode Island. Brandow himself opened Serpico with James Beard award-winning chef Peter Serpico, and managed two Capital Grille locations in the Philadelphia area. After decades of honing their skills, the pair is ready to take their industry experience to Turning Point.

"We are so excited to have Dave and Eric join the Turning Point family as our first franchise owners," says Kirk Ruoff, Founder and CEO of Turning Point Restaurants. "Their combined industry experience and desire to pursue a better work / life balance for themselves and their families is a great fit for Turning Point."

Graham Buckley, VP of Franchise Development says he continues to see interest coming from experienced operators looking to exchange the evening grind for a more accommodating daytime-only opportunity. "These operators are still very passionate about hospitality but crave more personal time. Turning Point enables them to do what they love without giving up time with their loved ones," says Buckley.

The Upper Dublin location will bring Turning Point's creative breakfast and lunch menu items to Montgomery County. Their delicious offerings include Avocado Smash Benny, Yankee Shrimp & Cheddar Grits, 'OMG' French Toast, along with French press coffee that is ground per order.

For interested entrepreneurs, the main attraction to the Turning Point brand is the ability to provide an enhanced quality of life for franchisees, staff and their families. Locations are open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., allowing owners the opportunity to work daytime hours, providing personal time after work. With a commitment to their employees' work / life balance, the genuine hospitality at each restaurant transpires organically.

"For the last 23 years, we have perfected our skill to create this special concept, and we are seeking talented, hard-working people to help us grow," said Ruoff. "We are looking for high-performing, family-oriented restaurant operators with deep ties to the community to represent and carry out Turning Point's values."

ABOUT TURNING POINT

Founded in 1998 in Little Silver, NJ, Turning Point currently has 21 locations throughout the American Northeast including New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Turning Point reimagines the breakfast, brunch, and lunch experience by offering unique, creatively designed, seasonal options in an environment that feels like home. The award-winning brand has accumulated multiple awards over the years including being named the Best Breakfast  Lunch for over 10 consecutive years by New Jersey Monthly Magazine, Reader's Choice Best Breakfast by Philly Magazine, and Gold Plate Award Winner by the New Jersey Restaurant Hospitality Association. For more information on franchising opportunities, please visit www.theturningpointfranchise.com or by emailing [email protected].

Media Contact: Isabella Caruso, [email protected], Fishman Public Relations

SOURCE Turning Point Restaurants
Consolidated Results of Operations - Three-Month Periods Ended March 31, 2022 and 2021:

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Health Realty Income Trust (NYSE:UHT) announced today that for the three-month period ended March 31, 2022, net income was $5.4 million, or $.39 per diluted share, as compared to $5.6 million, or $.41 per diluted share, during the first quarter of 2021.

As calculated on the attached Schedule of Non-GAAP Supplemental Information ("Supplemental Schedule"), our funds from operations ("FFO"), were $12.4 million, or $.90 per diluted share, during the first quarter of 2022, as compared to $12.7 million, or $.92 per diluted share, during the first quarter of 2021.

The decrease in our net income of $181,000, or $.02 per diluted share, during the first quarter of 2022, as compared to the first quarter of 2021, was due primarily to: (i) a decrease of $884,000, or $.06 per diluted share, related to a vacant specialty hospital located in Chicago, Illinois, on which, as discussed below, the lease expired on December 31, 2021, partially offset by; (ii) a net increase of $431,000, or $.03 per diluted share, resulting from the asset purchase and sale agreement with Universal Health Services, Inc. ("UHS") that occurred on December 31, 2021, as discussed below, and; (iii) an increase of $335,000, or $.02 per diluted share, resulting from the impact of the fair market value lease renewal on Wellington Regional Medical Center, which became effective on January 1, 2022.

During the first quarter of 2022, as compared to the first quarter of 2021, our FFO decreased $326,000, or $.02 per diluted share. The decrease was due to the above-mentioned $181,000, or $.02 per diluted share, decrease in net income experienced during the first quarter of 2022, as compared to the first quarter of 2021, as well as a $145,000 decrease in depreciation and amortization expense incurred on our consolidated and unconsolidated investments.

Dividend Information:

The first quarter dividend of $.705 per share, or $9.7 million in the aggregate, was declared on March 9, 2022 and paid on March 31, 2022.

Capital Resources Information:

At March 31, 2022 we had $275.1 million of borrowings outstanding pursuant to the terms of our credit agreement and $96.7 million of available borrowing capacity as of that date, net of outstanding borrowings and letters of credit.

Property Acquisitions During the First Quarter of 2022:

During the first quarter of 2022, we completed the following acquisitions utilizing qualified third-party intermediaries as part of a series of anticipated tax-deferred-like-kind exchange transactions pursuant to Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended:

In March, 2022, we acquired the Beaumont Heart and Vascular Center, a medical office building with 17,621 rentable square feet, located in Dearborn, Michigan , for a purchase price of approximately $5.4 million . The building is 100% leased to a single tenant under triple-net leases that expire in November, 2026.

, for a purchase price of approximately . The building is 100% leased to a single tenant under triple-net leases that expire in November, 2026. In January, 2022, we acquired 140 Thomas Johnson Drive, a medical office building with 20,146 rentable square feet, located in Frederick, Maryland , for a purchase price of approximately $8.0 million . The building is 100% leased to three tenants under the terms of triple-net leases. Approximately 72% of the rentable square feet of this MOB is leased pursuant to a 15-year lease, with a remaining lease term of approximately 14 years at the time of purchase, with three, five-year renewal options.

Disclosures Related to Certain Facilities:

Asset Purchase and Sale Agreement with UHS on December 31, 2021 :

As previously disclosed on Form 8-K as filed on January 4, 2022, on December 31, 2021, we entered into an asset purchase and sale agreement with UHS and certain of its affiliates. Pursuant to the terms of the asset purchase and sale agreement, which was amended during the first quarter of 2022, a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS purchased from us the real estate assets of the Inland Valley Campus of Southwest Healthcare System (at its fair market value of $79.6 million), and two wholly-owned subsidiaries of UHS transferred to us the real estate assets of Aiken Regional Medical Center (at its fair market value of $57.7 million) and Canyon Creek Behavioral Health (at its fair market value of $26.0 million). In connection with this transaction, since the $83.7 million aggregate fair market value of Aiken Regional Medical Center ("Aiken") located in Aiken, South Carolina, and Canyon Creek Behavioral Health ("Canyon Creek") located in Temple, Texas, exceeded the $79.6 million fair market value of the Inland Valley Campus of Southwest Healthcare System, we paid approximately $4.1 million in cash to UHS. Aiken Regional Medical Center includes an acute care hospital and a behavioral health pavilion.

The properties acquired by us in connection with the asset purchase and sale agreement with UHS were accounted for as financing arrangements and our consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2022 includes an $83.7 million financing receivable related to this transaction. Pursuant to the leases, as amended, the aggregate annual rental during 2022 on the acquired properties, which is payable to us on a monthly basis, amounts to approximately $5.7 million ($3.9 million related to Aiken and $1.8 million related to Canyon Creek). The portion of the lease payments that will be included in our consolidated statements of income, and reflected as interest income on financing leases, is expected to be approximately $5.5 million during the full year of 2022. Pursuant to the terms of the previous lease on the Inland Valley Campus of Southwest Healthcare System, we earned $4.5 million of lease revenue during the year ended December 31, 2021 ($2.6 million in base rental and $1.9 million in bonus rental).

Vacant Specialty Facilities:

Also as previously disclosed, the lease on the specialty hospital located in Chicago, Illinois, expired on December 31, 2021 and the facility is currently vacant. During the first quarter of 2021, we earned $390,000 of lease revenue in connection with this property. The operating expenses incurred by us in connection with this facility during the first quarter of 2022 were $494,000. Prior to 2022, the former tenant was responsible for the operating expenses on this facility. Pursuant to the terms of the lease that expired in December, 2021, we earned approximately $1.6 million of lease revenue during the 2021 full year.

We estimate that the aggregate operating expenses for the three vacant specialty facilities, including the facility located in Chicago, Illinois, as well as facilities located in Evansville, Indiana, and Corpus Christi, Texas (which have been vacant since 2019), will approximate $1.9 million during the remaining nine months of 2022. Future operating expenses related to these facilities will be incurred by us during the time they remain owned and vacant. We continue to market these specialty facilities to potential interested parties. However, should these properties continue to remain vacant for an extended period of time, or should we incur substantial renovation costs to make the properties suitable for other operators/tenants, our future results of operations could be materially unfavorably impacted.

General Information, Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors and Non-GAAP Financial Measures:

Universal Health Realty Income Trust, a real estate investment trust, invests in healthcare and human-service related facilities including acute care hospitals, behavioral health care hospitals, specialty facilities, medical/office buildings, free-standing emergency departments and childcare centers. We have investments or commitments in seventy-six properties located in twenty-one states.

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on current management expectations. Numerous factors, including those disclosed herein, those related to the anticipated impact of COVID-19 on our financial results, as well as the operations and financial results of each of our tenants, those related to healthcare industry trends and those detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (as set forth in Item 1A-Risk Factors and in Item 7-Forward-Looking Statements in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021), may cause the results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements which reflect management's view only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Many of the factors that could affect our future results are beyond our control or ability to predict, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Future operations and financial results of our tenants, and in turn ours, could be materially impacted by developments related to COVID-19. Such developments include, but are not limited to, the length of time and severity of the spread of the pandemic; the volume of cancelled or rescheduled elective procedures and the volume of COVID-19 patients treated by the operators of our hospitals and other healthcare facilities; measures our tenants are taking to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of government and administrative regulation and stimulus on the health care industry; declining patient volumes and unfavorable changes in payer mix caused by deteriorating macroeconomic conditions (including increases in uninsured and underinsured patients as the result of business closings and layoffs); potential disruptions to clinical staffing and shortages and disruptions related to supplies required for our tenants' employees and patients; and potential increases to expenses incurred by our tenants related to staffing, supply chain or other expenditures. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and its impact on the economy, we may experience a decrease in prospective tenants which could unfavorably impact the volume of new leases, as well as the renewal rate of existing leases. The COVID-19 pandemic may delay our construction projects which could result in increased costs and delay the timing of opening and rental payments from those projects, although no such delays have yet occurred. The COVID-19 pandemic could also impact our indebtedness and the ability to refinance such indebtedness on acceptable terms, as well as risks associated with disruptions in the financial markets and the business of financial institutions as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic which could impact us from a financing perspective; and changes in general economic conditions nationally and regionally in the markets our properties are located resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. We are not able to quantify the impact that these factors will have on our future operations, but developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic could have a material adverse impact on our future financial results.

We believe that, if and when applicable, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per diluted share (as reflected on the Supplemental Schedule), which are non-GAAP financial measures ("GAAP" is Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States of America), are helpful to our investors as measures of our operating performance. In addition, we believe that, when applicable, comparing and discussing our financial results based on these measures, as calculated, is helpful to our investors since it neutralizes the effect in each year of material items that are non-recurring or non-operational in nature including items such as, but not limited to, gains on transactions.

Funds from operations ("FFO") is a widely recognized measure of performance for Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs"). We believe that FFO and FFO per diluted share, which are non-GAAP financial measures, are helpful to our investors as measures of our operating performance. We compute FFO, as reflected on the attached Supplemental Schedules, in accordance with standards established by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts ("NAREIT"), which may not be comparable to FFO reported by other REITs that do not compute FFO in accordance with the NAREIT definition, or that interpret the NAREIT definition differently than we interpret the definition. FFO adjusts for the effects of certain items, such as gains on transactions that occurred during the periods presented. FFO does not represent cash generated from operating activities in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered to be an alternative to net income determined in accordance with GAAP. In addition, FFO should not be used as: (i) an indication of our financial performance determined in accordance with GAAP; (ii) an alternative to cash flow from operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP; (iii) a measure of our liquidity, or; (iv) an indicator of funds available for our cash needs, including our ability to make cash distributions to shareholders. A reconciliation of our reported net income to FFO is reflected on the Supplemental Schedules included below.

To obtain a complete understanding of our financial performance these measures should be examined in connection with net income, determined in accordance with GAAP, as presented in the condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto in this report or in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including our Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. Since the items included or excluded from these measures are significant components in understanding and assessing financial performance under GAAP, these measures should not be considered to be alternatives to net income as a measure of our operating performance or profitability. Since these measures, as presented, are not determined in accordance with GAAP and are thus susceptible to varying calculations, they may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. Investors are encouraged to use GAAP measures when evaluating our financial performance.

(more)

Universal Health Realty Income Trust Consolidated Statements of Income For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 (amounts in thousands, except share information) (unaudited)





Three Months Ended





March 31,





2022



2021

Revenues:















Lease revenue - UHS facilities (a.)

$ 7,426



$ 7,132

Lease revenue - Non-related parties



12,895





13,092

Other revenue - UHS facilities



229





226

Other revenue - Non-related parties



255





249

Interest income on financing leases - UHS facilities



1,370





-







22,175





20,699

Expenses:















Depreciation and amortization



6,709





6,787

Advisory fees to UHS



1,224





1,062

Other operating expenses



6,867





5,602







14,800





13,451

Income before equity in income of unconsolidated limited liability companies ("LLCs") and interest expense



7,375





7,248

Equity in income of unconsolidated LLCs



252





471

Interest expense, net



(2,222)





(2,133)

Net income

$ 5,405



$ 5,586

Basic earnings per share

$ 0.39



$ 0.41

Diluted earnings per share

$ 0.39



$ 0.41



















Weighted average number of shares outstanding - Basic



13,764





13,750

Weighted average number of shares outstanding - Diluted



13,785





13,771



















(a.) Includes bonus rental on McAllen Medical Center, a UHS acute care hospital facility of $678 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2022 and includes bonus rental on three UHS acute care hospital facilities of $1,695 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2021.



Universal Health Realty Income Trust Schedule of Non-GAAP Supplemental Information ("Supplemental Schedule") For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 (amounts in thousands, except share information) (unaudited)

Calculation of Adjusted Net Income





Three Months Ended



Three Months Ended





March 31, 2022



March 31, 2021





Amount



Per Diluted Share



Amount



Per Diluted Share

Net income

$ 5,405



$ 0.39



$ 5,586



$ 0.41

Adjustments



-





-





-





-

Subtotal adjustments to net income



-





-





-





-

Adjusted net income

$ 5,405



$ 0.39



$ 5,586



$ 0.41



Calculation of Funds From Operations ("FFO")





Three Months Ended



Three Months Ended





March 31, 2022



March 31, 2021





Amount



Per Diluted Share



Amount



Per Diluted Share

Net income

$ 5,405



$ 0.39



$ 5,586



$ 0.41

Plus: Depreciation and amortization expense:































Consolidated investments



6,709





0.49





6,787





0.49

Unconsolidated affiliates



295





0.02





362





0.02

FFO

$ 12,409



$ 0.90



$ 12,735



$ 0.92

Dividend paid per share









$ 0.705











$ 0.695



Universal Health Realty Income Trust Consolidated Balance Sheets (amounts in thousands, except share information) (unaudited)





March 31,



December 31,





2022



2021

Assets:















Real Estate Investments:















Buildings and improvements and construction in progress

$ 622,757



$ 608,836

Accumulated depreciation



(231,459)





(225,584)







391,298





383,252

Land



56,631





54,897

Net Real Estate Investments



447,929





438,149

Financing receivable from UHS



83,741





82,439

Net Real Estate Investments and Financing receivable



531,670





520,588

Investments in and advances to limited liability companies ("LLCs")



9,960





10,139

Other Assets:















Cash and cash equivalents



8,879





22,504

Lease and other receivables from UHS



4,397





4,641

Lease receivable - other



7,763





7,109

Intangible assets (net of accumulated amortization of $14.8 million and $14.2 million, respectively)



11,175





9,972

Right-of-use land assets, net



11,486





11,495

Deferred charges and other assets, net



17,119





11,971

Total Assets

$ 602,449



$ 598,419

Liabilities:















Line of credit borrowings

$ 275,100



$ 271,900

Mortgage notes payable, non-recourse to us, net



56,346





56,866

Accrued interest



343





346

Accrued expenses and other liabilities



11,779





12,157

Ground lease liabilities, net



11,486





11,495

Tenant reserves, deposits and deferred and prepaid rents



10,421





10,328

Total Liabilities



365,475





363,092

Equity:















Preferred shares of beneficial interest, $.01 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding



-





-

Common shares, $.01 par value; 95,000,000 shares authorized; issued and outstanding: 2022 - 13,786,277; 2021 - 13,785,345



138





138

Capital in excess of par value



268,792





268,515

Cumulative net income



794,964





789,559

Cumulative dividends



(833,717)





(823,998)

Accumulated other comprehensive income



6,797





1,113

Total Equity



236,974





235,327

Total Liabilities and Equity

$ 602,449



$ 598,419



SOURCE Universal Health Realty Income Trust
U.S. Ambassador to China R. Nicholas Burns, participating virtually from Beijing, joined Chinese Ambassador Qin Gang and former U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad as featured speakers at the Dialogue

DES MOINES, Iowa , April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "With the unprecedented participation of three Ambassadors from and to China, the U.S. - China Agricultural Dialogue in Des Moines showed that agriculture provides an opportunity for positive developments during an otherwise difficult and contentious bilateral relationship," stated Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, Strategic Advisor to the United States Heartland China Association (USHCA) who moderated the Dialogue that took place at the Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Hall of Laureates in Des Moines.

In his remarks, former Ambassador Branstad, recalled his personal role as Governor of Iowa in meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his two historic visits to Iowa. Speaking next, Ambassador Qin Gang and Ambassador Burns offered comments on current agricultural trade and ideas on how it could be improved and expanded.

The USHCA, a bipartisan American non-profit organization, co-hosted the April 21 (April 22 in China) event in conjunction with the China Agriculture Association for International Exchanges. The Hon. Bob Holden, former Governor of Missouri and Chairman of the USHCA who gave opening remarks at the event, said that "having all three ambassadors appear live on the program today illustrates the importance of agricultural collaboration in US-China relations." He also applauded Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, who was instrumental in bringing the ambassadors together, for his tireless effort to advance peace through diplomacy even in his retirement.

Close to 200 high level participants, including an array of governmental, educational, national and international agri-business leaders attended this dialogue. Many traveled to Iowa from across the country and overseas just to attend this unique event.

One of those participants, Craig Floss, the CEO of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, formally announced that two recent purchases of corn this month by China represented a combined value of over $700 million, "one of the largest purchases of corn ever by China or any other country."

Included among other executives attending were the CEOs of Continental Grain, Syngenta, the U.S. Grains Council, and the U.S. Soybean Export Council, who joined with the Vice President of China Agricultural University on a panel discussion about steps to increase both U.S. - China two-way trade and enhance global collaboration in feeding the 9 to 10 billion people who will soon be on our planet.

Other speakers during the event were a Vice Governor of Hebei Province, Iowa's Sister State and representatives of the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

At the conclusion of the Dialogue, the USHCA and the CAAIE signed a Memorandum of Understanding committing the two organizations to "consult and collaborate ... in support of the annual U.S. - China Agriculture Dialogue."

"We are really excited to see long term commitment from both Associations to carry forward the legacy of agricultural collaboration for the benefit of both countries and our world." commented Min Fan, Executive Director of USHCA.

The USHCA also wishes to thank the following sponsors who made this High Level Dialogue possible: Iowa Corn Growers Association, US Soybean Export Council, U.S. Grains Council, China Certification & Inspection Group (North America), and Tyson Foods.

(A full recording of the U.S. - China Agricultural Dialogue is available here.)

Contact: Andrew Bates

515-201-5860 (cell)

[email protected]

SOURCE United States Heartland China Association
Company ranks No. 57 on U.S. EPA's Fortune 500 list of green power users

AUSTIN, Minn., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), a global branded food company well known for its corporate citizenship, is pleased to announce that, for the first time, it appears as No. 57 on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Fortune 500 list of the largest green power users from the Green Power Partnership (GPP). Hormel Foods recently joined the EPA's Green Power Partnership and is offsetting more than 53 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which represents 7% of its operations' total power needs. The company's choice to use green power helps advance the voluntary market for green power, as well as the development of those sources.

"It is an honor for our company to be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for our green power use," said Mark Coffey, group vice president of supply chain for Hormel Foods. "We continue to make strides in accomplishing our robust 20 By 30 Challenge, and this recognition is a testament to the dedication of our 20,000 inspired people, all working toward a more sustainable operation."

The company's 20 By 30 Challenge goals follow its previous set of sustainability goals that Hormel Foods focused on as it achieved significant reductions in its packaging, nonrenewable energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, water use and solid waste sent to landfills. Additionally, the company has worked with experts in the field of renewable energy to identify and execute off-site wind and solar projects, as well on-site solar power and energy reduction projects.

"We know that as a good corporate citizen in our communities in the United States, and all over the world, it's vitally important to constantly work toward implement green power solutions throughout our company," said Tom Raymond, director of environmental sustainability at Hormel Foods.

Hormel Foods has been named one of America's Most Trustworthy Companies and one of America's Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek. The company has also been recognized as one of the World's Top Female-Friendly Companies by Forbes and has received several Impact Awards from Progressive Grocer for its educational support and food security programs.

"This list of the largest users of green power across the nation is proof that good business practices can also benefit the environment," said James Critchfield, Program Manager of EPA's Green Power Partnership. "The U.S. EPA applauds the leading organizations in the Green Power Partnership's Top Partner Rankings for their notable commitment to expanding their use of green power and protecting the environment."

According to the U.S. EPA, the company's green power use of more than 53 million kWh is equivalent to the annual electricity use of nearly 5,000 average American homes.

ABOUT HORMEL FOODS  Inspired People. Inspired Food.

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $11 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters, SKIPPY, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, Wholly, Hormel Black Label, Columbus, Jennie-O and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "The 100 Best Corporate Citizens" list for 12 years, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement  Inspired People. Inspired Food.  to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.

About EPA's Green Power Partnership

The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that helps increase green power use among U.S. organizations to advance the American market for green power and development of those sources as a way to reduce air pollution and other environmental impacts associated with electricity use. In 2020, the Partnership had more than 700 Partners voluntarily using nearly 70 billion kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500 companies; small and medium sized businesses; local, state, and federal governments; and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit www.epa.gov/greenpower.

Contact: Media Relations

507-434-6352

[email protected]

SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation
WASHINGTON, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors will meet May 5, 2022, in open session at Postal Service headquarters, 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, DC. The public is welcome to observe the meeting beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET in the Benjamin Franklin Room on the 11th floor. The Board is expected to discuss the following items:

Remarks of the Chairman of the Board of Governors Remarks of the Postmaster General and CEO Approval of the Minutes Committee Reports Quarterly Financial Report Quarterly Service Performance Report Approval of Tentative Agenda for Aug. 9 Meeting Adjournment

A public comment period will begin immediately following the adjournment of the open session on May 5. During the public comment period, which shall not exceed 45 minutes, members of the public may comment on any item or subject listed on the agenda for the open session. Additionally, the public will be given the option to join the public comment session and participate via teleconference. Registration for participation in the public comment period is required. Should you wish to participate via teleconference, you will be required to give your first and last name, a valid email address to send an invite and a phone number to reach you should a technical issue arise. Speakers may register online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/bog-05-05-2022. No more than three minutes shall be allotted to each speaker. The time allotted to each speaker will be determined after registration closes. Registration for the public comment period, either in person or via teleconference, will end on May 3 at 5 p.m. EDT. Participation in the public comment period is governed by 39 C.F.R. 232.1(n).

Open session meetings of the Board of Governors are available on live audio webcasts at http://about.usps.com/who/leadership/board-governors/briefings/welcome.htm. Three hours after the conclusion of the open session meeting, a recorded audio file will be available for listening. In compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, the audio webcast will be open-captioned.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Please Note: For U.S. Postal Service media resources, including broadcast quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel, like us on Facebook and enjoy our Postal Posts blog. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com.

Contact: Dave Partenheimer

202-268-2599

[email protected]

usps.com/news

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service
WYNYARD, UK, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Venator Materials PLC ("Venator") (NYSE: VNTR) today announced that it received $85 million in cash from Tronox pursuant to its settlement agreement with Tronox related to the recent Superior Court of Delaware judgement in favor of Venator for $75 million. The settlement amount of $85 million includes an additional $10 million of value representing a negotiated amount of interest originating from 2019 when conditions were met that required Tronox to pay a $75 million "Break Fee" to Venator. The settlement agreement resolves all legal disputes between the parties contested in the Superior Court of Delaware.

About Venator

Venator is a global manufacturer and marketer of chemical products that comprise a broad range of pigments and additives that bring color and vibrancy to buildings, protect and extend product life, and reduce energy consumption. We market our products globally to a diversified group of industrial customers through two segments: Titanium Dioxide, which consists of our TiO 2 business, and Performance Additives, which consists of our functional additives, color pigments and timber treatment businesses. Based in Wynyard, U.K., Venator employs approximately 3,500 associates and sells its products in more than 110 countries.

Social Media:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/VenatorCorp

Facebook: www.facebook.com/venatorcorp

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/venator-corp

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward- looking statements represent Venator's expectations or beliefs concerning future events, and it is possible that the expected results described in this press release will not be achieved. These forward looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of Venator's control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward looking statements, including the impacts and duration of the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy and all aspects of our business, including our employees, customers, suppliers, partners, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, global economic conditions, our ability to maintain sufficient working capital, our ability to access capital markets on favorable terms, the costs associated with the closure of our Pori facility and execution of our business improvement programs and initiatives, our ability to realize financial and operational benefits from our business improvement plans and initiatives, changes in raw material and energy prices, interruptions in raw materials and energy, industry production capacity and operating rates, the supply demand balance for our products and that of competing products, pricing pressures, technological developments, legal claims by or against us, changes in government regulations, including increased manufacturing, labeling and waste disposal regulations and the classification of TiO 2 as a carcinogen in the EU, management of materials resulting from our manufacturing process, including the ability to develop commercial markets in the regions that we manufacture and our ability to dispose of these materials if necessary, the impacts of increasing climate change regulations, geopolitical events, cyberattacks and public health crises.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as required by law, Venator does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Venator to predict all such factors. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in Venator's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC. The risk factors and other factors noted therein could cause its actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement.

SOURCE Venator Materials PLC
CALGARY, AB, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Top Strike Resources Corp. d.b.a. "Vencanna Ventures" (the "Company" or "Vencanna") (CSE: VENI) (OTCQB: TPPRF) is pleased to announce that it entered into a definitive unit exchange agreement ("Definitive Agreement") with Cannavative Group LLC ("Cannavative") on April 25th, 2022, pursuant to which Vencanna would acquire all of the issued and outstanding membership units of Cannavative in an all-share exchange (the "Transaction"). Vencanna will acquire all the common shares in the capital of Cannavative through the issuance of 240,000,000 Shares and the issuance of 120,000,000 Share purchase warrants ("Warrants"), each such Warrant being exercisable for one Share at an exercise price of US$0.075 for a period of 18 months following the date of issuance. Further, pursuant to the Transaction, approximately US$4.0 million of Cannavative's debt will convert into 80,000,000 Shares and 32,000,000 Warrants, of which 16,000,000 will be exercisable for one Share at an exercise price of US$0.05 for a period of 9 months following the date of issuance and 16,000,000 will be exercisable for one Share at an exercise price of US$0.075 for a period of 18 months following the date of issuance. The remaining Cannavative debt of approximately US$2.1 million will be paid out at closing.

The Transaction is expected to constitute a "Fundamental Change" pursuant to the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") and will be subject to the acceptance of the CSE and the approval of shareholders of Vencanna. Vencanna intends to seek approval of the Transaction by way of written resolution from shareholders holding not less than 50% plus one Share. It is anticipated that the Transaction will be completed the summer of 2022.

Management and the board of directors will be comprised of professionals from both parties, creating a dynamic, integrated team, with the full capability to execute the go-forward business plan, which includes further market penetration in the state of Nevada, acquisition opportunities both in-state and out-of-state, and applying for licenses in new markets. The Transaction is truly transformative to Vencanna, converting the company from an investment company into a U.S. based cannabis operating company.

Transaction Attributes

An attractive transaction price equal to the estimated twelve-month forward revenue;

Vencanna's deemed share price of US$0.05 equal to its estimated net asset value per share;

equal to its estimated net asset value per share; The all-share exchange closely aligning the shareholders of both parties;

A significant portion of Cannavative's debt converting to Vencanna shares being a testament to Cannavative's stakeholders' commitment and belief in the Company's continued success; and

Relative to its peer group, the merged company's balance sheet will be one of strongest in the industry.

Post Transaction, it is expected that the Company will have 536 million common shares and 209 million warrants outstanding, no debt, and over $5 million in cash. The estimated common shares outstanding assumes the Company elects its Forced Conversion Right upon a change of control, at a conversion price of US$.05, regarding its US$1.3 million Convertible Debenture issued July 3, 2020. It is anticipated that at closing of the Transaction, the board and senior management of the merged company will hold 33% of the common shares and 36% on a fully diluted basis.

David McGorman, Vencanna's CEO, commented "It's been our goal to convert from an investment company to a well-established cannabis operating company, and Cannavative is the transformative transaction that Vencanna has been looking for. Being one of the first companies in Nevada to be awarded both a cultivation and manufacturing license, they've developed deep roots in one of the most dynamic recreational states in the U.S. Their product development and talent pool will be easily exportable into new markets as cannabis reform in the U.S. continues to expand. We look forward to onboarding the Cannavative team."

Jason Crum, Cannavative's President and Chief Revenue Officer, commented "Cannavative is thrilled to join forces with Vencanna, a partner that brings capital to fuel our continued growth and industry expertise to expand our footprint beyond Nevada. Vencanna's relationships, such as their recently announced opportunity in New Jersey, the newest state to initiate recreational sales, is a perfect example of how together we can exploit new frontiers. Combined, we'll be able to push the boundaries of innovation in cannabis, with a continued focus on delivering the highest quality products to consumers."

Post-Transaction Management

David McGorman, CEO & Director.

Mr. McGorman is a co-founder, and current CEO and director of Vencanna. He has over 25 years of experience in the financial industry providing M&A and corporate structuring advice to his clients, as well as leading their equity issues and debt placements. Prior to Vencanna, Mr. McGorman held senior positions at The Chase Manhattan Bank, and numerous Canadian investment banking firms including CEO of Jennings Capital Inc., and Vice-Chairman of Research Capital Corp. Mr. McGorman holds a Hon's B.Sc. in Theoretical Physics from the University of Guelph, and an M.B.A. from the DeGroote School of Business.

Jason Crum, Chief Revenue Officer

Mr. Crum is the current President and Chief Revenue Officer of Cannavative. He has over 20 years of diversified CPG/FMCG background in alcohol sales management, including beer and wine with MillerCoors and Treasury Wine Estates, where he was directly responsible for supply, distribution, and brand building. His skill set includes developing high performing teams, maximizing strategic analytics, and streamlining efficiencies. Since joining Cannavative in 2019, Jason has been instrumental in increasing Cannavative's Nevada dispensary penetration and sales growth. Mr. Crum is a graduate of UT Austin.

Post-Transaction Board of Directors

Ross Kline

Ross Kline is a co-founder of Cannavative and is currently the business's CEO and Chairman. Prior to establishing the business in 2013, Ross was the founder & CEO of Logistics & Distribution Services, a freight brokerage and trucking business serving blue chip clients including Nestle, PetSmart and Amazon. In 2016, Logistics & Distribution Services was sold to Arcbest Company, a $1.75 billion freight and premium logistics company. Mr. Kline holds a B.S. in Logistics from Penn State University.

Jon Sharun

Mr. Sharun is the current Executive Chairman and interim CFO of Vencanna. He has over 20 diverse years of international investment, real estate, branding and business development experience. He is the founder and Managing Partner of Venexo Capital, a boutique private equity firm that has raised in excess of $100 million with investments in healthcare, hospitality and real estate. Venexo has been an early investor into the cannabis sector with over 50 international placements. Jon sits on many private, public and NFP boards, and is both a Top Forty Under 40 and a Top 100 in Finance award winner. Mr. Sharun holds an MBA, CPA, CSA, LEED AP, and ICD.D

W. Scott McGregor, Independent Director

Mr. McGregor is currently a director of Vencanna and the Managing Director at Invest Alberta Corp., a Crown corporation dedicated to attracting investment and supporting trade to the province of Alberta. He's a seasoned corporate finance professional with over 20 years of investment banking and corporate development experience. Mr. McGregor holds a B.A. from Queens University and a M.B.A. from the Rotman School of Management.

Dr. Scott Wrye MD, Independent Director

Dr. Wrye is a private practicing physician and co-founder and director of Cannavative. Scott was an early supporter of medical cannabis, educating and working directly with many patients in northern Nevada for their legal access of medical cannabis. In addition to his community support, Scott has been instrumental in helping Cannavative develop their products and brands. Dr. Wrye is a Cosmetic, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Specialist based in Reno Nevada. He's a graduate of New York State University, College of Medicine.

Cannavative will also nominate one additional independent director, acceptable to the parties, for consideration.

About Cannavative

Cannavative is a multiple award-winning cultivator and processor in Nevada, including winning Leaflink's Top Brand in Nevada in 2021, a gold and silver medal at the 2020 Las Vegas Cannabis Awards, the 2019 Jack Herer Cup for their vape pen, and Leafly's Best Flower Products brand in 2018. Cannavative has been operational since 2016 (they were the first in Nevada to hold both a cultivation and processing license), and are now selling in over 85% of the state's retail outlets. Cannavative produces a wide variety of flower and extracted products, including its award-winning infused pre-roll, the Motivator, one of Nevada's top selling vapes, Resin8, and their high-quality flower, Cannavative Private Reserve. In addition, Cannavative has recently launched a partnership with WynkTM THC & Seltzer, through which they have the exclusive sales and distribution rights for the state of Nevada. WynkTM is the most widely distributed THC Seltzer in the US.

Cannavative operates out of a 40,000-sf facility, situated on 8.5 acres. The facility includes a 10,000 square foot state-of-the-art, pharmaceutical-grade extraction lab and kitchen. In addition, there is a 2,800 square foot high-tech light deprivation greenhouse on site, with significant ability to expand on the property.

Travel restrictions due to Covid-19 adversely effected Nevada's tourism in 2020 and 2021. However, tourism did rebound in 2021 and that looks to be continuing in 2022. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, tourism in 2021 was 69% higher than 2020, and January through February 2022 tourist numbers were 80% higher than the same period the previous year. In spite of lower-than-average tourist numbers, cannabis sales in 2021, as published by the State of Nevada Department of Taxation, exceeded $1 billion for the first time.

About Vencanna

On September 24, 2018, the Corporation announced the completion of a recapitalization financing, the appointment of a new management team and board of directors and commencement of trading on the CSE. The transactions have transitioned the Corporation from an oil and gas issuer to a merchant capital firm, rebranded as "Vencanna Ventures". The recapitalized Corporation aimed to be a go-to capital provider for early-stage global cannabis initiatives with an emphasis on strong management operating in state compliant jurisdictions with barriers to entry. The Corporation looked to provide investors with a diversified, high-growth, cannabis investment strategy through strategic investments focused throughout the value chain (cultivation, processing and distribution, and including ancillary businesses). In addition, the Corporation worked alongside community leaders and social equity-owned organizations to develop grassroot partnership initiatives. These initiatives include the joint submission of cannabis business applications to be considered for jurisdiction compliant cannabis licenses.

Top Strike Resources Corp.

Suite 310, 250 6th Ave. S.W.

Calgary, AB T2P 3H7

Reader Advisories

Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including, but not limited to, the execution of the Definitive Agreement, acceptance of the CSE and shareholder approval. The Transaction cannot close until the required CSE acceptance and shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of Vencanna should be considered highly speculative.

The CSE has in no way passed upon the merits of the Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this news release.

Neither the CSE nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The use of any of the words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "objective", "ongoing", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information or statements. More particularly, and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements and information concerning the signing of a Definitive Agreement in respect of the Transaction, including the terms thereof; timing for completion of the Transaction; required approvals for the completion of the Transaction and the expected receipt thereof; the business plan of the Corporation and Cannavative, including the business plan of the go-forward entity after completion of the Transaction; the anticipated benefits of the Transaction; the market for adult-use cannabis in the United States; the state of the adult-use cannabis market and U.S. regulatory changes in respect thereof; the evolving effects of COVID-19 on the operations of Cannavative and the Nevada cannabis industry, generally The forward-looking statements are founded on the basis of expectations and assumptions made by the Corporation, including expectations and assumptions concerning: the Transaction, including CSE acceptance and shareholder approvals, the execution of the Definitive Agreement in respect thereof and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions in accordance with the terms of the Definitive Agreement; the future operations of, and transactions contemplated by, the Corporation and Cannavative; the impact of increasing competition; timing and amount of capital expenditures; the legislative and regulatory environments of the jurisdictions where the Corporation will carry on business, have operations or plan to have operations; the ability of the Corporation to enter into contracts with companies to provide financing on acceptable terms; conditions in general economic and financial markets; the ability of the Corporation's investments to execute on their business plan; and the Corporation's ability to obtain additional financing on satisfactory terms or at all. Forward-looking statements are subject to a wide range of risks and uncertainties, and although the Corporation believes that the expectations represented by such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will be realized. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which have been used.

Although Vencanna believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information because Vencanna can give no assurance that they will provide to be correct. By its nature, such forward-looking information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, which could cause the actual results and expectations to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed. Without limitation, these risks and uncertainties include: the parties being unable to obtain CSE acceptance or shareholder approval; risks inherent in manufacturing and product development; actions and initiatives of federal, state and local governments and changes to government policies and the execution and impact of these actions, initiatives and policies; uncertainty caused by potential changes to regulatory framework; regulatory approval and permits; environmental, health and safety laws; risks associated with the cannabis industry in general; the ability of the Corporation to implement its corporate strategy; the state of domestic and international capital markets; the ability to obtain financing; and changes in general market conditions and current global uncertainty with respect to the evolution and spread of the COVID-19 virus and its effect on the broader global economy and other factors more fully described from time to time in the reports and filings made by the Corporation with securities regulatory authorities.

Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of forward-looking information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise. Actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and accordingly there can be no assurance that such expectations will be realized. Vencanna undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. The forward-looking information contained herein is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Certain information contained herein has been obtained from published sources prepared by independent industry analysts and third-party sources (including industry publications, surveys and forecasts). While such information is believed to be reliable for the purposes used herein, Vencanna does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy of such information. Some of the sources cited in this news release have not consented to the inclusion of any data from their reports, nor has Vencanna sought their consent.

To the knowledge of Vencanna's management, Vencanna's investments, including its loan to Cannavative, are not in any material non-compliance with applicable licensing requirements and the regulatory framework enacted by the states in which such investments operate.

SOURCE Top Strike Resources Corp.
WASHINGTON, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 27, 200 veterinary professionals will meet with senators, representatives, and their staffs to highlight the importance of legislation that will help increase access to veterinary services in rural areas and reduce the spread of diseases that pose a threat to animal and public health.

As part of the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) annual legislative fly-in, attendees, who represent 48 states and 20 veterinary schools, will educate congressional offices about the need to pass the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) Enhancement Act and the Healthy Dog Importation Act.

"The veterinary community stands united in advocating for Congress to help alleviate Veterinarian Shortage Situations in rural areas by assisting with the significant obstacle of student debt, and to ensure that dogs entering the country are healthy, thus reducing the potential for the spread of diseases that can endanger animal and public health," said Dr. Jose Arce, AVMA President. "Expanding the VMLRP means increased access to veterinary services for rural populations across the country and strengthening dog importation standards will decrease the chances of future disease outbreaks from the more than 1.2 million dogs imported into the U.S. each year. As veterinary constituents, we look forward to educating Congress about how vital the VMLRP Enhancement Act is to maintaining vibrant rural communities and the importance of strengthening our nation's animal and public health infrastructure by passing the Healthy Dog Importation Act."

The AVMA-endorsed VMLRP Enhancement Act would end federal taxation on VMLRP awards, thus enabling more veterinarians to participate in a program that offers up to $25,000 a year for student loan repayment in exchange for service in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-designated Veterinarian Shortage Situations. This would make the tax treatment of the awards the same as for the analogous program for physicians. Under the AVMA-championed Healthy Dog Importation Act, the USDA and other federal agencies would receive the necessary resources to monitor and safeguard the health of dogs being brought into the U.S., while ensuring they do not endanger animal and human health.

Co-chairs of the Congressional Veterinary Medicine Caucus, Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) and Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), issued the following statements:

"As the only veterinarian serving in Congress, I take issues of animal health and safety very seriously. I am proud to serve as co-chair of the Congressional Veterinary Medicine Caucus and will continue to champion efforts aimed at the health, welfare, and protection of animals," said Rep Schrader. "I appreciate the work that AVMA is doing and look forward to meeting with them and other veterinary professionals during this year's fly-in to discuss the importance of expanding access to veterinary services, mitigating the spread of zoonotic diseases, and working to get our bipartisan legislation, the Healthy Dog Importation Act, across the finish line."

"The USDA continues to face a rural veterinarian shortage  we need a strong veterinary industry to ensure the health of livestock and pets across America," said Rep. Johnson. "I'm grateful for the AVMA's focus on animal health and dedication to veterinary services in rural states like South Dakota."

For more information on the AVMA's advocacy efforts, subscribe to the AVMA Advocate newsletter.

About the AVMA:

The AVMA is the nation's leading representative of the veterinary profession, speaking for more than 99,500 member veterinarians who care passionately about protecting animal health, animal welfare, and human health. Informed by its members' unique scientific training and knowledge, the AVMA advocates for policies that advance the practice of veterinary medicine and support the crucial work of veterinarians.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Colin MacCarthy

Media Relations Specialist

American Veterinary Medical Association

Cell/Text: 202-641-2533

[email protected]

SOURCE American Veterinary Medical Association
LOS ANGELES, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Springtime is in full swing which means it's time for light, healthy, and delicious dishes. Why not get inspired by phenomenal Pomodoro San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino DOP?

(PRNewsfoto/I  San Marzano DOP)

These are the kings of canned tomatoes for good reason: the DOP is your assurance that these tomatoes are the highest quality fruit due to the geographical environment (climate, soil, and traditional production techniques) in which they are grown, and then minimally processed. Learn more about the DOP/PDO certification on the I  San Marzano DOP website: https://ilovesanmarzanodop.com/quality/?lang=en Not only will your tomato dishes be even more delicious than usual, but you can be assured that the quality of the tomatoes inside the can is what is promised on the label.

Do yourself a favor and try a taste test with a can of Pomodoro San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino DOP against your regular canned tomatoes. Taste each one directly from the can and decide for yourself. Their sweetness and low acidity will win you over with love at first taste, not to mention the bright red color of these beautiful fruits!

Now you're ready to start enjoying the incredible flavor of these truly delightful tomatoes. What about fried mozzarella sandwiches with San Marzano tomatoes? Discover delicious pennette with vodka sauce, or a marvelous amatriciana sauce using only a few stellar ingredients. These fresh spring flavors are only minutes away in your own kitchen!

Find all these recipes and more here: https://ilovesanmarzanodop.com/recipes/?lang=en

EATALY, DALLAS - May 2022

If you're in the Dallas area from May 16th to May 22nd, head over to Eataly for a delicious giveaway! Each day, one person will be randomly chosen from that day's entries to win a $50 Eataly gift card! Winners can use them to buy cans of Pomodoro San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino DOP to taste the difference in quality for themselves.

Looking for San Marzano DOP canned tomatoes? Find them at quality grocery stores, specialty shops, Italian grocery markets, and online. (Be sure to look for the "DOP" and the quality seals.)

I  San Marzano DOP is a campaign co-financed by the European Commission - promoting San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino DOP tomatoes in the USA. www.ilovesanmarzanodop.com #iLoveSanMarzanoDOP Enjoy - It's from Europe!

SOURCE I Love San Marzano DOP
To satisfy the crave of White Castle fans, the Orlando Castle plans this summer to move to 24-hour operations and launch online ordering with pickup and delivery service from a new in-line store

ORLANDO, Fla., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- White Castle, America's first fast-food hamburger chain, opened its restaurant in Orlando, Florida, to much fanfare on May 3, 2021, and the excitement has yet to subside. In nearly 12 months since the grand opening, the restaurant has become the top performer among White Castle's more than 350 restaurants, on pace to sell 5 million Sliders by its anniversary date.

White Castle's restaurant in Orlando, its only location in Florida, is the top performer among all of its locations after just one year in business.

Besides selling a record number of hot-and-tasty Sliders of all varieties, the Orlando location used 40,000 freshly cracked eggs to make its tantalizing breakfast Sliders, which are sold all day long  a new White Castle record. If stacked end to end, the eggs used since last May would encircle Lake Eola more than once.

"We had so many loyal fans in Central Florida who were eagerly anticipating White Castle's arrival, but the response this past year has far exceeded our expectations," said Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle. "Everyone in the Orlando area has been so warm and welcoming, and they have a Crave the size of the Sunshine State."

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said, "We salute White Castle on a record-breaking first year in Central Florida and thank them for creating jobs for our residents. White Castle's presence has added to a blockbuster year for our hotels and convention business, and we expect that pace to continue this summer."

The opening of the Orlando Castle  the largest free-standing White Castle in the world  marked the beloved brand's return to Florida since operating four restaurants in Miami in the 1960s. White Castle, a 101-year-old family-owned business, has more than 350 restaurants in 13 states.

Located in southwest Orlando at Unicorp's $1 billion The Village at O-Town West mixed-use development, White Castle employs 120 team members and managers, accommodates 200 guests, and features televisions, free WIFI and a kitchen that's entirely visible from the dining room. It has a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine that has served over 63,000 gallons of Coca-Cola Freestyle soft drinks the past year  enough to fill the average residential swimming pool 3 times!

"Our vision at White Castle is to 'feed the souls of craver generations everywhere' and our mission is to 'create memorable moments every day,'" Richardson continued. "We have loved every minute meeting our new neighbors, whether long-time Cravers or new to the Castle."

Those minutes with Cravers --- along with ordering options --- are about to expand, said company officials. To satisfying the crave of White Castle fans morning, noon and night, the Orlando Castle is scheduled to shift to 24-hours-per-day operations this summer, a customer benefit for which White Castle is famous. The Orlando Castle is currently open for take-out, dine-in and drive-through service seven days per week from 7 a.m. to 4 a.m.

In addition, and in response to the overwhelming popularity of the Orlando location, White Castle plans to launch online ordering with pickup and delivery service out of approximately 1,800 square feet of in-line space located directly behind the Orlando Castle. When ordering online, customers can opt to pick up their orders by parking and entering the new store or have one of four delivery partners (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub and Postmates) bring the Crave to their door. Dine-in, take out and drive-through options will continue to be available at the adjacent Castle.

The new in-line store adds to the existing White Castle Virtual Kitchen located at 18 N. Dollins Ave. near downtown Orlando in operation for online ordering, delivery and carryout service.

"We are so glad to have a Castle in Orlando," Richardson said. "Even through and beyond the height of the pandemic, we continue to renew acquaintances and make new friends every day. We're so thankful for our team members and all they do to serve up that one-of-a-kind, steamed-grilled taste our customers love and crave."

About White Castle

White Castle, America's first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty Sliders as a family-owned business for 101 years. Based in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle started serving The Original Slider in 1921. Today, White Castle owns and operates more than 350 restaurants dedicated to satisfying customers' cravings morning, noon and night and sells its famous fare in retail stores nationwide. The Original Slider, named in 2014 as Time magazine's "Most Influential Burger of All Time," is served alongside a menu of creatively crafted Sliders and other mouthwatering food options, including White Castle's Impossible Slider, named by Thrillist in 2019 as the "Best Plant-Based Fast-Food Burger." White Castle's commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen-food processing plants. In 2021, 100 years after the first Slider was sold, Fast Company named the fast-food pioneer one of the "10 Most Innovative Dining Companies." White Castle is known for the legendary loyalty of its team members, more than 1 in 4 of whom have worked for White Castle for at least 10 years, and also for its faithful fans ("Cravers"), many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app, available at iTunes App Store or Google Play, makes it easy for Cravers to access sweet deals and place pickup orders at any time. They can also have their orders delivered using one of White Castle's delivery partners. For more information on White Castle, visit whitecastle.com.

SOURCE White Castle
Khartoum, April 25 : The armed clashes among tribal groups in the Kirainik area in Sudan's west Darfur state renewed, according to local authorities.

No official reports on the casualties were released, but informed sources said at least 15 people have been killed, dozens wounded, and hundreds of houses burned in the recent clashes that started on Friday.

This is the third time in two years that tribal conflict broke out in the Kirainik area, nearly 80-km east of El Geneina, the capital city of west Darfur state, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Kirainik was attacked from all directions. The situation inside the area is very difficult," Mohamed Zakaria, Acting Secretary-General of west Darfur state government, said in a statement.

The clashes reportedly erupted after two herdsmen were killed on Friday by an unknown assailant, leading to a revenge attack by the victims' families in the area, according to the Darfur Bar Association.

The latest conflict has displaced nearly 20,000 residents in the area, the association said.

On Saturday, the Sudanese authorities sent military forces and warplanes to resolve the conflict.

The Sudanese resistance committees, an opposition group in the country, said in a statement on Sunday that gatherings and movements of militias were still seen around Kirainik, adding, "the repeated violations reflect the government's failure to perform its duties toward the citizens".

Governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minnawi stressed on his Facebook account the need for the regular forces to perform their duties in maintaining security and stability in Darfur.

For years, efforts have failed to end the tribal conflicts in Darfur, which have become a nagging concern for the people and authorities of the troubled region.

Sudan has been suffering a political crisis after the General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan declared a state of emergency on October 25, 2021, and dissolved the Sovereign Council and the government.
Baghdad, April 25 : Four Katyusha rockets landed near a Turkish military base in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, without causing casualties, a local official said.

The rockets, fired by unknown militants on Sunday evening, targeted the Bashiqa base housing Turkish forces in the Zlikan area, nearly 400-km north of Baghdad, Mohammed Amin Gharib, Mayor of the Zlikan area, told Xinhua news agency.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, Xinhua news agency reported.

Iraq has repeatedly accused Turkey of violating its sovereignty by entering its territory without permission, including Turkey's military presence in the Bashiqa base.

On April 18, Turkish forces launched a new ground and air cross-border operation against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for more than 30 years.

Turkey regularly conducts cross-border operations on the PKK bases in northern Iraq, despite Iraq's repeated protests.
Beirut, April 25 : The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) have called for continuous international support for Lebanon and the refugees and migrants hosted in the country, according to a joint press release they sent to Xinhua news agency.

The appeal by the two UN agencies on Sunday came a day after a boat reportedly carrying 84 people capsized off the coast of Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli, killing at least six, including a 40-day-old baby, according to the press release.

"The tragic event underscores the shockingly high risks that many people are resorting to out of desperation ... It is crucial that continuous support is mobilised to help Lebanon as living conditions worsen for refugees and Lebanese alike," said Ayaki Ito, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon.

For his part, Mathieu Luciano, Head of IOM Lebanon, warned that Lebanon's economic crisis has triggered one of the largest waves of migration in the country's history, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Driven by increasingly desperate economic circumstances, a growing number of people are leaving Lebanon through unsafe means. Safe and legal alternatives to irregular migration are urgently needed, including support to local livelihoods and improved access to services in communities at risk," he said.
Lucknow, April 25 : The prestigious La Martiniere Girls' College in Lucknow has been shut for two days after two students tested positive for Covid-19.

The students are of classes 2 and 6 and are siblings.

Parents of the students informed the school principal Ashrita Dass about their children testing Covid-positive on Sunday.

"We have closed the school for two days. No online or offline class of any standard will be held for two days. We are requesting the Lucknow Municipal Corporation for complete sanitisation of the campus," Dass said.

She added that the board examination scheduled on Monday will be held after complete sanitisation of the school campus.

However, the State Health department will be conducting contact tracing of the two infected students and testing all those persons who came in contact with them.

"We will be conducting deep sanitisation of the premises on Monday and Tuesday when the school is shut. The principal will also provide us with the list of people the children may have come in touch for contact tracing," said Lucknow Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Milind Wardhan.

"The parents of the students are also Covid-positive but there is no travel history associated with either of the four people. The students had mild symptoms of cold after which the family got tested and all four of them tested positive," he added.
Kanpur, April 25 : A 40-year-old man, who had come to Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, to attend a wedding, was found allegedly hanging from a tree, police said on Monday.

Virendra Singh Kallu, a resident of Kannauj, had come to the guest house located in Bilhaur area and on Sunday, he was found allegedly hanging from a tree with a towel.

The guests who had come to the wedding ceremony, identified the man and informed his relatives.

Bilhaur police station Inspector, on Monday, said, "Investigations are underway and the body of the deceased has been shifted to the mortuary. We are waiting for the family to arrive and we are also interrogating the guests to know more about the deceased."
Seoul, April 25 : A senior White House official is in Seoul as part of a US advance team to prepare a summit between American President Joe Biden and his incoming South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk-yeol next month, a diplomatic source said.

Edgard Kagan, senior director for East Asia and Oceania at the National Security Council, has been in Seoul since Saturday for meetings with the transition team's key members in charge of foreign policy to discuss details for the proposed summit, Yonhap News Agency reported citing an informed source as saying.

Biden has widely been expected to visit South Korea before or after he travels to Japan to attend a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue meeting around May 24, with May 20-22 considered the likely dates of his visit.

Details are still being set up, including the schedule and the summit venue, as Yoon will have relocated the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae and into what is now the Defence Ministry compound.

The summit is set to become the earliest-ever to take place following a South Korean President's inauguration.

Yoon will take office on May 10.
Sanaa, April 25 : The first commercial flight scheduled to depart the Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport in Yemen's capital in over six years has been delayed indefinitely amid accusations between the country's warring sides.

A flight of the flag carrier Yemenia Airways was scheduled to take off on Sunday morning, to transport passengers in need of medical treatment to Jordan's capital Amman, as part of an essential step in the ongoing two-month truce, reports Xinhua news agency.

Just hours before the flight, the airline said it had not received permits and had to postpone the flight indefinitely, expressing "deep regret to the travellers".

Raaid Jabal, deputy of the Houthi-controlled aviation authority in Sanaa, blamed the Yemen government for refusing to issue permits for the flight.

"This is considered a violation of the truce that was announced by the UN envoy for Yemen," Jabal was quoted by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV as saying.

Meanwhile, Yemen's Minister of Information Moammar al-Eryani said in a tweet that the internationally-recognised government refused to greenlight the flight because some of the passengers do not possess "passports issued by the legitimate government".

The government agreed to allow 104 passengers to board the plane, while the Houthi militia insisted on adding another 60 passengers with "unreliable passports", said the Mnister, urging the UN to exert pressure on the rebels to "expedite the flight".

The Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport has been closed to commercial flights since August 2016.

The group captured the ground area of the airport, and the Saudi-led coalition controlled the airspace over the Houthi-held city and its airport.

Only UN aid planes have been allowed to land and take off from the airport.

Also on Sunday, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg expressed his concern over the postponement of the flight.

"I urge the parties to work constructively with me and my office to find a solution that allows the flights to resume as planned," Grundberg said in a tweet.

Yemen's warring sides agreed to implement from April 2 a UN-brokered ceasefire that was meant to last two months.

The truce includes the halt of all ground, aerial and naval military offensive operations; allowing the entry of 18 fuel ships into the Houthi-held port of Hodeidah and two commercial flights a week to and from the Sanaa airport; as well as lifting the siege to allow humanitarian aid access to the government-held Taiz city.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government out of Sanaa.
New Delhi, April 25 : India reported 2,541 fresh Covid cases in the past 24 hours, a marginal decline against previous day's count of 2,593, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday.

Also in the same period, an additional 30 Covid fatalities increased the nationwide death toll to 522,223.

The number of India's active caseload has increased to 16,522, accounting for 0.04 per cent of the country's total positive cases.

The recovery of 1,862 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,25,21,341. Consequently, the recovery rate stands at 98.75 per cent.

Also in the same period, a total of 3,02,115 tests were conducted, increasing the overall to 83.50 crore.

While, the weekly positivity rate stood at 0.54 per cent, the daily positivity rate reported a considerable spike at 0.84 per cent.

As of Monday morning, India's Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 187.71 crore, achieved via 2,30,40,984 sessions.

Over 2.66 crore adolescents have been administered with a first dose of Covid-19 jab since the beginning of vaccination drive for this age bracket.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
In Persian there is an old proverb: "Amad'an, nashist'am, ghuft'am, barkhas'tam'", meaning "they came, they sat, they talked and then dispersed". It actually means to say that nothing substantial was achieved by the visit or the talks. The same could be said about UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's recent visit to India, after his two previous trips scheduled last year were cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic.

BoJo in India The diplomacy nowadays, thrives on optics. On this count the BoJo visit clicked all the boxes, but was also marred by angry reactions on the social media on photos showing him in the driver's seat at a JCB bulldozer. Perhaps his advisers were unable to connect the continuing controversy over bulldozers being used by the establishment against the minorities across India, or his close connections with the owner of the JCB, Anthony Bamford, an old Conservative Party donor and supporter, overweighed the local sensibilities.

The Gujarat leg of his visit, a carbon copy of his Home Secretary Priti Patel's 2015 trip to the state, was in essence aimed at garnering the support of the Gujarati electorate back home, keeping an eye on his uncertain political future.

In Gujarat he also met Gautam Adani at his company's head quarters. BoJo described the feeling of being in Ahmedabad similar to as those of Sachin Tendulkar and Amitabh Bachchan, two Indian icons used for boosting his own public image and trying to resonate or connect with the Indian audiences.

In New Delhi, he referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "khaas dost" and continuously as Narendra during his speech at Hyderabad House. But no more "khaas" treatment to the Indian demands of a relaxed visa regime and post study work for the Indian students, an indication towards which was given in Ahmedabad, but not granted finally.

Bilateral Cooperation His main focus remained the FTA between the two countries, as he expected to take back home something substantial in economic terms, particularly after his failed Brexit strategy. He urged the negotiators on both sides to hasten the pace of negotiations so as to have a final document ready for signing by Diwali in October. Certainly an over ambitious demand for an agreement, which has been under negotiations for more than last ten years.

Though the Indian side stated that it would demonstrate the same speed and urgency that it did in concluding recent FTAs with the UAE and Australia in recent months, yet nothing can't be said for sure about an Indo-UK FTA, as there are many thorny issues on both sides.

British trade with India, the world's second-most populous country with nearly 1.3 billion people, was worth 23 billion pounds ($29.93 billion) in 2019, much lower than the UK's trade with some much smaller economies such as Ireland and India's trade with smaller countries like Belgium which stands at 18 billion pounds.

Russian-Ukraine War In addition, though not expressed overtly by the British side and neither by BoJo, the Russia-Ukraine war had an ominous shadow over the visit. Though his foreign secretary was very firmly told by New Delhi just 22 days before his visit that India is not going to change stand on its ties with Russia, BoJo thought he might be able to convince New Delhi to do so.

However, predicting the Indian response he had set the tone for this when even before meeting Modi he had said that he understands India's historic ties with Russia, but still chose to lecture New Delhi on its relationship with 'autocratic' states, though this time also New Delhi politely stood its ground.

The manner in which the visit was seen by both sides, was remarkable by the manner in which the two prime ministers delivered their speeches at Hyderabad House. While BoJo avoided mentioning Russia, Modi reaffirmed the ties with Russia.

India-focussed issues Though the British side is referring to a host of agreements signed in different sectors, and BoJo's statements on counter-terrorism task force being constituted and against the Indian economic fugitives currently at home in the UK, everyone is certain that they are just mere words, nothing substantial. His announcement of One billion pounds trade deals and creating 11,000 jobs is just peanuts for India.

Both sides also agreed to deepen bilateral defence and security cooperation. India welcomed Britain's Indo-Pacific tilt and joining the Indo-Pacific Economic Initiative; on its part Britain announced the decision to ease the transfer of defence equipment and technology for India and also for developing an advanced jet fighter. But overall, nothing concrete was inked down by both the sides and the technology transfer could be viewed as just a gimmick to wean India away from Russia.

Overall, the two sides showed commitment to joint research, development and production of advanced weapons and related technologies. The two Prime Ministers also issued a statement on strengthening partnership in cyber-security domain, and plans to boost cooperation on mitigating climate change and promoting clean energy. But these agreements should be seen as just part of a normal bureaucratic visit.

The visit seems to be a hastily stitched plan, with no long-term goals and no narrative setting, and was unable to achieve anything bilaterally. In the end BoJo was unable to get anything substantial from India and his political troubles back home persists. The coming days will show how he'll be able to deal with them and survive as even his closest Asian origin lieutenants like Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel, who were predicted to take over from him, are facing politically damaging controversies of their own.

(Asad Mirza is a political commentator based in New Delhi. The views expressed are personal)

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Singapore, April 25 : Nearly 5,500 dengue cases have been reported in Singapore so far this year, exceeding the total number of cases for the entirety of 2021, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu.

"This is a worrying trend as we are only in April, and we expect a surge in the number of dengue cases in the coming months," Xinhua news agency quoted the Minister as saying on Sunday at the 'Keep Clean, Singapore! 2022' launch event.

"We must take urgent collective action, and do our part to ensure good housekeeping, to prevent mosquito breeding." She added that dengue is a serious health threat and called on Singaporeans to stay on guard even as they see improvements in the Covid-19 situation.

Statistics from the National Environment Agency (NEA) show that Singapore's cumulative number of dengue cases for 2022 had reached 5,459 so far.

Last year, Singapore recorded 5,258 dengue cases in total.

NEA said the surge in dengue cases this year is caused by three key factors -- high Aedes aegypti mosquito population, the primary dengue vector, detected in the community, previously uncommon dengue virus serotype 3 (DENV-3) circulating, and a sizeable proportion of people still staying in and working from home.

In March 2022, the Aedes aegypti mosquito population was high in some areas of Singapore, and was about 48 per cent higher than in the same period last year.
New Delhi, April 25 : Amid the strong buzz on metaverse, the augmented reality/virtual reality (AR-VR) headset market in the Asia-Pacific region is likely to grow at a compounded growth rate of 51 per cent in the next five years, a new report showed on Monday.

In 2021, the Asia Pacific AR/VR market for headsets Grew by 60 per cent, with shipments reaching 2.19 million units, according to the IDC.

"With vendors pushing consumer-specific models and more quality content such as AAA games or assistant applications, consumer shipments should continue to grow in the long term," said Yexi Liao, market analyst for AR/VR and gaming research.

In the commercial sector, demand for education and training use cases will continue to lead the way, "but more segments will start to explore AR/VR headsets as an option to help increase work efficiency, not to mention piggyback on the recent hype around the metaverse", Liao added.

AR/VR shipments are expected to continue to grow at a healthy rate as contents become more enriched under the influence of new vendors/developers and more options of AR/VR headsets become available to the market.

"While the Asia/Pacific region benefited from Meta's Quest 2, the bigger push was from brands such as DPVR, Pico, iQiyi, Nolo, etc," said Liao.

Chinese brands contributed more than 60 per cent of AR/VR headsets in the Asia Pacific region in 2021.

Meta recorded the largest growth (year-on-year) among the top 5 vendors at 276.2 per cent.

This is largely due to the Quest 2 that continued to ramp up throughout 2021 with high demand in mature markets such as Australia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, the report showed.

HTC grew by 70.0 per cent YoY and enjoyed substantial growth in 2021 thanks to its new models, the Vive Focus 3 and Vive Pro 2, which shipped at high volumes in the PRC market.
New Delhi, April 25 : The Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi on Monday is likely to hold consultation with senior leaders on the role of political strategist Prashant Kishor in the party.

The group, which was constituted to discuss the issue, submitted its report last week.

The Congress wants Kishor to end his previous commitments made to other parties and work solely as a Congressman and not as a consultant. The final decision may be taken after talks with Rahul Gandhi.

The state units are pitched against regional parties in West Bengal, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Hence, it does not want Kishor to have any truck with the regional parties.

The party leaders, who have submitted their report on the issue, admit that there is no harm in the political strategist joining the party but there should be no conflict wherever the party is pitched against regional forces.

Meanwhile, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Sunday signed a deal with Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) founded by the election strategist Kishor.

During an interaction with a select group of journalists, TRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao confirmed that his party is working with I-PAC, but claimed that this has nothing to do with Kishor. "PK (as Kishor is popularly known) is the founder, but I don't know who is running it. PK introduced us to I-PAC and it is working with us," he said.

He said PK has disassociated himself from I-PAC, which is working with multiple parties across the country. "It's not just PK we had interactions with. We had multiple iterations of discussions with several others. We spoke to Sunil and others. I-PAC is what we narrowed down to." The TRS leader, however, was evasive on whether the agreement is only for 2023 Assembly polls or 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as the nature of discussions they are holding with PK. "If a gentleman who is into politics, who is into advisory or helpful roles in other places, offers you some inputs, would you not take them?" he asked.
New Delhi, April 25 : History has unmistakably shown that every great thing was once spawned from someone's inquisitive imagination, but innovation only comes to life when it is brought to life.

Bombay Sapphire honours the concept of ingenuity with these cocktails.

Ras-beer-y Collins Ingredients:

45ml Bombay Sapphire

25ml Lemon Juice

20ml Sugar Syrup

Top up with Raspberry Beer (or any fruit beer)

Garnish with raspberries.

Method: Fill a balloon glass with ice.

Add 45ml Bombay Sapphire, 25ml Lemon Juice and 20ml Sugar Syrup Top up with Raspberry Beer or any fruit beer

Garnish with Raspberries

Winter Citrus Twist

Ingredients:

25ml Bombay Sapphire

25ml Martini Rosso

100ml Tonic Water

Garnish with:

Orange Slice

Lemon Wheel

Star Anise

Method:

Fill a balloon glass with ice.

Add 25ml Bombay Sapphire, 25ml Martini Rosso Top up with Tonic Water

Garnish with Orange Slice, Lemon Wheel and Star Anise

Red Snapper

Ingredients:

50ml Bombay Sapphire

100ml Tomato Juice

2 Dashes Hot Sauce

1 Teaspoon Horseradish

Pinch of celery salt

Pinch of pepper

2 Lemon wedges

1 Celery stalk

1 Olive

1 Cocktail onion

Method:

Fill a balloon glass with ice.

Add 50ml Bombay Sapphire, 100ml Tomato Juice Add 2 dashes of hot sauce, 1 tsp horseradish, 1 pinch of celery salt, 1 pinch of pepper

Garnish with 2 lemon wedges, 1 celery stalk and 1 olive

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
New Delhi, April 25 : A 30-year-old man was bludgeoned to death by his coworker in the national capital over money related issues, the police said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Aalam, was arrested while he was trying to flee from the city.

Furnishing details, Deputy Commissioner of Police Brijender Kumar Yadav said a call was received at 10.27 a.m. on Sunday stating that a man was lying dead at Krishna Vatika, Street No 8, Bhatta road, Swarup Nagar.

The police immediately rushed to the spot and found the body with injuries on his face and head and was only identified as Rakesh.

Accordingly, the police registered a case under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and began enquiring the matter.

Preliminary findings revealed that the deceased was last seen with Aalam while both were arguing on money related matters as per the statement of one complainant.

The suspect was nowhere to be found. It was difficult to trace Aalam as he did not have a mobile phone.

So therefore a constant vigil was made in railway stations, bus stands, metro stations as the accused was a vagabond and could flee to his native place in Bihar's Siwan district.

Acting on an information, which was received from the tent owners and workers, a raid was conducted at the Badli Metro Station where the alleged accused was found, trying to leave the Delhi after committing the murder.

"He was apprehended from the spot," DCP Yadav said.

On interrogation, it was revealed that on the fateful night both the victim and the perpetrator were consuming liquor and had an argument over money related matters which soon turned violent.

Aalam then picked an iron pipe and rapidly struck Rakesh on his face and head and thereafter left the place.

The police have recovered the weapon of offence.
Vijayawada, April 25 : Andhra Pradesh Police on Monday arrested scores of teachers heading towards Amaravati and Vijayawada to foil their planned protest at the chief minister's official residence to demand repeal of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

In view of the 'Chalo CMO' call given by Andhra Pradesh Teachers' Federation (APTF), all the roads leading to the chief minister's official residence at Tadepalli were sealed with heavy deployment of police.

The entire area was out of bounds for outsiders while the locals were also advised to remain indoors as the police have made it clear that there was no permission for any protest.

Some protesters who managed to sneak into the high security area were arrested by the police. They demanded that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy fulfill the promise made during elections to repeal CPS.

The roads leading to the chief minister's camp office were barricaded and police were using drones to monitor the situation.

Teachers heading towards Vijayawada from surrounding districts and other places in the state were stopped at checkposts and taken into custody.

The police were keeping a tight vigil at hotels, lodges, railway stations and bus stations to prevent gathering of protesters. Special checkposts were set up on roads leading to Vijayawada for checking of vehicles.

The police also imposed curbs on the national highway, Guntur-Vijayawada road and service roads and people are being allowed after checking vehicles and their identity cards.

Police are not taking any chances in the wake of massive protests by the government employees in support of their demands in Vijayawada in February. Despite police denying permission for 'Chalo Vijayawada' and erecting checkposts, thousands of employees had managed to reach Vijayawada for the massive protest on February 3. The police failure to prevent protests had led to the transfer of then Director General of Police Gautam Sawang.

Meanwhile, APTF leaders condemned the arrests of teachers across the state. They alleged that the government was adopting undemocratic means to suppress a peaceful protest.

The APTF leaders alleged that the government was going back on its promise to repeal CPS and revive the old pension scheme. They demanded immediate steps for compensation of losses being incurred by teachers.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Botsa Satyanarayana said the government has formed a committee on CPS and a decision would be taken after the committee looks into the issue. He said it was not proper on the part of APTF to give a call for laying siege to the chief minister's camp office.
Mumbai, April 25 : Bollywood actor Akshay Oberoi has kicked off the first schedule of the crime-thriller 'Varchasva' in Ranchi.

The film is being helmed by Manish Singh. Akshay, who received positive response for his work in the web series 'Flesh', will be seen playing the role of a labourer for the first time.

The project will also star Ravi Kishan and Tridha Chaudhary in key roles. Embarking on the first leg of the shoot, the actor is excited about exploring a new facet of his craft through the crime thriller. Akshay took to his social media and posted a picture of a clapperboard that announced the mahurat of 'Varchaswa'.

He wrote in the caption, "#Varchasva - Yahan rishto ki koi keemat nahi (#Varchasva - where relationships hold no value). Koyla aur Dhanbad, jitna kaala yahan ka koyla usse jyada kaali yahan ki hawa. (Coal and Dhanbad, the air here feels darker than the coal). Filming now!" The story of the upcoming movie revolves around the rise of a labourer who begins working for a don. Spilling the beans on the character he'll be seen essaying in it, Akshay shares "I will be playing the character of a guy from Bihar who comes to Dhanbad to seek work in 'Varchaswa'. This is an important film because for the first time my work will mirror the unspoken realities of the common man. What excites me are the themes of morality, greed, materialism and integrity in the crime thriller." Apart from this, Akshay will also be seen in 'Cold' penned by Mahesh Bhatt and directed by Vikram Bhatt and in Pawan Kripalani's 'Gaslight'.
Islamabad, April 25 : The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has started taking steps to shift terrorist groups away from the regions along the country's border with Pakistan to other parts after a series of recent attacks drew strong reaction from Islamabad.

Officials familiar with the development told The Express Tribune on Sunday that Pakistan after recent spate of cross-border terrorist attacks conveyed to the Afghan Taliban in clear terms to take action against terrorist groups or face the consequences.

In response to Islamabad's strong message, the Taliban have decided to persuade the banned terror outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates to move from border regions to other areas of Afghanistan.

"Some of the groups have already been moved out of our border regions," said a senior Pakistani official, who deals with the issue.

Pakistan, the official said, though doesn't agree with the approach but accept the Taliban's decision to at least to stop immediate cross-border terrorist attacks.

"Our demand is clear that these groups must be eliminated or dealt with in a manner that they never pose threat to us again," the official added.

There has been a surge in cross-border terrorist attacks in recent weeks with scores of Pakistani soldiers being killed.

Pakistan reportedly carried out air strikes in Kunar and Khost provinces of Afghanistan to eliminate the terrorist hideouts.
Kiev, April 25 : US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev, marking the first visit by top American officials to the war-torn nation since Russia began its invasion on February 24.

Zelensky on Monday put out several pictures on Instagram, in which he said that the "visit of a delegation of high-ranking US officials to Kiev at this crucial moment for the Ukrainian state is very valuable and important".

The visit on Sunday came unannounced and the US government is yet to make an official statement on it.

The President added that he discussed with Blinken and Austin about "defense assistance, strengthening sanctions against Russia, financial support for Ukraine and security guarantees".

A CNN report said that Blinken and Austin also met Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, and Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky.

Citing a senior State Department official, the report said that Blinken told Zelensky about the return of American diplomats to Ukraine.

According to the official, the diplomats will "start with day trips into Lviv" and "graduate to potentially other parts of the country and ultimately, resume (their) presence in Kiev".

Blinken added that President Joe Biden will nominate Bridget Brink, the current American envoy to Slovakia, as the US Ambassador to Ukraine, CNN quoted the official as saying.

The post has been without a confirmed Ambassador since Marie Yovanovitch was recalled in May 2019.

Another Defense Department official said that Blinken and Austin "discussed the deliveries of recent US military assistance to Ukraine, the ongoing training for Ukrainian soldiers, and the Biden administration's intention to provide $713 million in additional foreign military financing to help Ukraine transition to NATO-capable systems", CNN reported.

During a press conference on Friday, Zelensky had announced that the two American officials would visit Kiev, but the US administration remained silent on it.
Houston, April 25 : Sixteen people, including 15 migrants and a truck driver, were injured following a high-speed police chase in the US state of Texas, authorities said.

The truck driver lost control during the chase late Sunday from Medina County into Bexar County, leaving the truck to roll over several times, Xinhua news agency quoted Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown as saying.

Fifteen migrants were found in the truck, at least two of them in critical condition and flown to a San Antonio hospital by helicopter, said an ABC News report.

The others were rushed to nearby hospitals.

The report said the driver, who had a gun in the truck, faces several charges.

Crossings at the US-Mexico border have peaked in recent weeks.

It is widely expected that more migrants will arrive with the May 23 rescission of a public health policy called Title 42, which allows the rapid expelling of migrants due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Bengaluru, April 25 : Making non-Christian students read Bible compulsorily in Clarence High School here has created a controversy with Hindu organisations demanding cancellation of its license.

Sri Ram Sena founder Pramod Muthalik on Monday asked the school management to keep the Bible at their homes and churches. "Why is Bible being preached to Hindu students who comprise 90 per cent of the total student population in the school?" he questioned. The school must be seized and students transferred to other schools, he demanded.

Hindu Jana Jagruthi Samithi has alleged that the students are made to read the Bible everyday compulsorily. All the students have been given a Bible which is in the form of a booklet, they are told to carry it every day. If anyone objects, they are threatened with cancellation of admissions, they alleged.

The Samithi has further alleged that the school has violated and misused Article 25 of the constitution. The move amounts to violation of the guidelines of the Supreme Court, the Karnataka Education Act and Child Protection Laws. The Samithi would approach Education Minister B.C. Nagesh on this matter and demand cancellation of license of the school for forcefully imposing the Christian religion preaching to non-Christian students.

Reacting to the development, the education minister clarified that there is no provision for making the Bible reading compulsory in schools, if it is found to be true, action will be initiated against the school, he said.

George Mathew, the school Principal, has stated to the media that he is sad over the development. The Bible has been taught for 100 years. He maintained that advocates will answer all questions raised against the institution.
New Delhi, April 25 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur said on Monday that his government is examining the possibility of implementing Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state.

Interacting with the media here, Thakur said: "I think UCC is a good decision. We are examining how to implement the UCC in the context of Himachal Pradesh. A decision will be taken in the future." Thakur, however, is non-committal on whether UCC will be implemented before the Assembly polls or not. "We are not ruling out, we are examining how it will be implemented or how it can be better. We have not constituted a committee for the purpose but told the official to examine it to find out how it will be done. Decision will be made after properly studying it.

He said that after Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh started active consideration to implement implement UCC.

Hitting out at Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Thakur said that AAP has no acceptance in Himachal Pradesh. "AAP has left nothing in the name of leadership in the state. AAP state president and its women wing state president joining BJP. AAP has nothing in the name of leadership in the state. One must understand that Himachal Pradesh never accepted a third alternative," Thakur said.

He alleged that in absence of leadership, the AAP is importing leaders from Punjab and Delhi and they insulted people of Himachal Pradesh by not allowing any of their state leaders to share the vehicle in Kejriwal's road shows. "They have failed to form a state unit after their leaders left the party and sent leaders from Punjab and Delhi to manage its affairs in Himachal Pradesh. During road shows in Mandi Kangra, no AAP leaders allowed to share 'rath' with Kejriwal. Himachal is a small state but people have self-respect and will take any insult from others," the chief minister said.

Referring to Kejriwal's promise to give corruption-free administration, Thakur said: "In the last four-and-a-half-years, there has not been a single allegation of corruption against our government. AAP's style of politics will not work there. Talking about recent Assembly polls in five states, Thakur said: "In recent Assembly polls, the BJP has formed a government in four out of five states by winning a second consecutive term. 'Riwaz Badal gaya hai' (tradition has changed) and in Himachal Pradesh also BJP will form the government for a second term." Commenting on the politics of freebies, Thakur said: "Within a month AAP will face huge challenges to implement freebies announced in Punjab. On Himachal Pradesh Day, we made an announcement which will be beneficial to some sections of people but not to everyone."
Moscow, April 25 : A fire broke out on Monday at an oil depot in Bryansk, a large Russian city near the Ukraine border.

The blaze occurred at a premises operated by Transneft-Druzhba JSC and at another location, officials told RIA Novosti.

No casualties have been reported and there is no threat to residential buildings, RT reported citing the Ministry of Emergency Situations as saying.

"The evacuation of the population is not planned. According to preliminary information, there were no victims," its press service stated.

Local residents have reported that explosions were heard and sirens are audible in social media videos, according to TASS News Agency.

Another fire was recorded in the Fokinsky district of the city, the causes of which have not yet been established, Moscow daily Kommersant has reported.

Bryansk is home to over 400,000 people, and is an important regional hub, RT reported.

An Interfax source revealed that a 10,000-tonne tank of diesel fuel was ignited.

State-owned Rossiya-24 TV has suggested that the second object that caught fire was a diesel fuel depot in a military unit.

Before Monday's incident, officials in Bryansk region had warned of a potential terrorist threat.

Similar fears were announced in parts of Voronezh and the entirety of the smaller Belgorod region, where Ukraine was accused of shelling an oil depot earlier this month.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Chennai, April 25 : The Idol Wing of the Tamil Nadu Police were on Monday conducting searches at the premises of several antique dealers across the state, sources said on Monday.

The sources told IANS that the raids come following tip-offs that some rare idols were being kept in the premises.

They added that the tip-offs from Central agencies also suggesr that internationally red-flagged antique dealers were trying to establish ties with the dealers in Tamil Nadu.

The raids will continue through the day and if necessary will be extended further, the sources told IANS "We are conducting these searches based on specific inputs and this may continue through the day and might extend further. The state government and the central government are keen that no further valuable idols with both archaeological and religious value be shipped out of the country. This can be considered as a major precautionary reaction by the department acting on inputs that are reliable," a senior official told IANS.

After the arrest and subsequent jailing of notorious idol smuggler, Sanjeev Kapur, there has been a reduction in the sale of antique idols to foreign countries.

On April 22, the Idol Wing had informed the Madras High Court that it had booked 49 idol theft cases, arrested 109 accused, and recovered 128 stolen idols since December 1, 2019.

It also said 13 idols were repatriated were from the US, Australia, and UK.

R. Dinakaran, Inspector General of the Idol Wing, informed the court that of the 22 idols recovered since 2014, 13 were given back to temples and nine are with the Archeological Survey of India.
New Delhi, April 25 : The rapid growth of the anthropogenic space object population, including satellite mega-constellations' that are placed in low Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet and other services, are increasingly threatening the orbital space, according to a team of international researchers.

The shell bound by the Karman Line at a height of about 80-100 km above the Earth's surface and geosynchronous orbit at about 36,000 km is defined as the orbital space surrounding the Earth.

Researchers including from universities of Edinburg (UK), Washington (US), British Columbia (Canada), and astronomers from the European Space Agency (ESA) have called for immediate action to protect the orbital space around Earth by rules and regulations similar to those that safeguard the planet's oceans and the atmosphere.

Writing in Nature Astronomy, the team argued that the rise in the number of satellites is polluting the night sky for astronomers and stargazers.

It is also increasing the risk of objects colliding in space and potentially even striking aircraft when they fall back to Earth.

"We rely on the orbital space environment by looking through it, as well as by working within it. Hence, we should consider damage to professional astronomy, public stargazing, and the cultural importance of the sky, as well as the sustainability of commercial, civic, and military activity in space," the researchers wrote.

"We urge decision makers and policymakers to consider the environmental impacts of all aspects of satellite constellations, including launch, operation and de-orbit, and to work with all stakeholders to co-create a shared, ethical, sustainable approach to space," they added.

In late 2018, about 2,000 active satellites circled Earth. The team warned that the number could exceed 100,000 by 2030.

While companies such as SpaceX and OneWeb are leading the way in placing satellite mega-constellations, others are interested, including Rwanda, which recently filed an application to launch 327,000 satellites in a single project, the Guardian reported.

"We really need to get our act together. This is about recognising that the problems we see in orbit are the same as those we see when we worry about the land, the oceans and the atmosphere. We need to knock heads together and say how can we solve this problem," Andy Lawrence, Professor of astronomy at the University of Edinburgh, was quoted as saying.

The scientists argue that while there is robust regulation to ensure satellites are launched safely and transmit signals only within certain frequency bands, there is almost nothing to govern the impact of satellites on the night sky, astronomy, Earth's atmosphere or the orbital environment.

The visible presence of so many satellites also undermines the ability to enjoy the night sky.

Further, they noted that light reflecting off satellites can ruin astronomical observations by leaving streaks across images, while their broadcasts can drown out the faint, natural radio signals that astronomers study to understand some of the most exotic objects in the cosmos, the report said.
New Delhi, April 25 : The Special Cell of Delhi Police has arrested an interstate sharp shooter of infamous Gogi-Bishnoi-Jathedi gang, two days after he escaped from the police custody while being produced at the Karkardooma court in east Delhi, an official said Monday.

The accused, an Under Trial Prisoner, was identified as Mohit alias Anuj (23), a resident of Jhajjar, Haryana. He escaped from the custody of a Delhi Police Constable when he was being escorted back to court lockup after being produced at Court room no -54.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Rajiv Ranjan Singh said accused Mohit was in jail in more than 15 cases of murder, attempt to murder, robbery, extortion, etc.

He was also involved and was a prime accused in the escape of Kuldeep Maan alias Fazza of Gogi gang from the custody of escort guards from GTB Hospital, Delhi.

It was learnt that within two days of his escape, the Special Cell team raided Mohit's identified and suspected hideouts in Delhi NCR & Haryana.

"The criminal was using all possible ways to remain elusive from the police. It was very difficult to keep a constant tab on his movements as he frequently kept on changing his communication method, mode of transport and hideouts to avoid arrest," the DCP said.

On Sunday, around 11 a.m., after specific input the police zeroed in on his location and apprehended him at GT Road, under Chowk Fly over, Delhi.

During the process of apprehension, despite being warned to surrender, accused Mohit whipped out a pistol, cocked the same and tried to fire on the police party to flee away. But the police team promptly snatched his pistol, not giving him any room to fire and overpowered him.
Jaipur, April 25 : Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has been targeted by well-known 'spiritual guru' and Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam, who is also considered to be close to party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

In his tweet on Sunday, Acharya Pramod commented on the Chief Minister's statement issued recently and said, "Threatening resignation before resigning is like blackmailing the high command, Chief Minister.

Two days back, Gehlot issued a statement in a programme saying, "My resignation is already with Sonia Gandhi." This tweet of Acharya Pramod Krishnam is being considered as a sign of increasing tussle within the Congress. This is not the first time, when Pilot supporter Krishnam has targetted Gehlot. Even before this, Krishnam has been openly raising the demand to make Sachin Pilot the Chief Minister of Rajasthan. This time, instead of raising a demand for making Pilot the CM, he has targeted Ashok Gehlot.

Sachin Pilot had a meeting with Sonia Gandhi last Thursday in which discussions were reportedly held to bring forward youth leaders on the formula shared by political strategist Prashant Kishor. There were discussions on strategies for the next elections too." However, Gehlot refuted these discussions as rumours.

In the meeting of the Revenue Service Council on Saturday, Gehlot said, "Rumours keep going on. You don't have to pay attention to them. Rumours say that the government is changing, the chief minister will change. But I am a person, who has been assigned as CM thrice by Sonia Gandhi. When I became the Chief Minister in 1998, I have authorised her since that time. My resignation (letter) is permanently with her (Sonia Gandhi)." Gehlot was speaking in the wake of ongoing rumours about a change of leadership in Rajasthan after the meeting of former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in Delhi recently.

He said: "You can imagine, it should not come again and again that the Chief Minister is changing. What is happening? When the Chief Minister has to be changed, then no one will even come to know about it. Rest assured, you don't fall for rumours. I have been hearing such rumours for two-three days. People get confused by rumours and governance gets affected too," he said.
New Delhi, April 25 : The Congress on Monday said that it will hold a three-day brainstorming session -- 'Nav Sankalp Shivir' -- in Udaipur from May 13 and the focus would be the 2024 elections.

The party said, "Congress President has decided to convene the Chintan Shivir of the Indian National Congress 'Nav Sankalp' in Udaipur on May 13th, 14th and May 15, 2022. About 400 Congressmen and women from every state will participate." "The focus of the deliberations will be on the current political and economic situation and the challenges they pose to our society. Issues relating to the welfare and well-being of kisans and khet mazdoors, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, religious and linguistic minorities, women social justice and empowerment and youth will also be discussed in detail.

"In addition, matters relating to organisational restructuring and strengthening will also be examined," said the statement.

The Chintan Shivir will also deliberate on the broad strategy of the party for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Bengaluru, April 25 : The initiative of the Embassy of France to make public spaces in Indian cities more accessible to women and transgender people by engaging the masses in public art projects will be inaugurated on Monday evening.

The week-long initiative has been taken up through an exhibition titled "The City for All?". The exhibition will be inaugurated at the Rangoli Metro Art Centre on M.G. Road in Bengaluru. Bonjour India's initiative 'The City for All?' is an artistic, cultural, educational, and social initiative by the French Embassy, its cultural service Institut Francais en Inde, the Alliances Francaises in India and the consulates of France.

At the inauguration, visitors will discover novel solutions that can make public spaces more accessible to women and transgender people. Also, at the inauguration, visitors will enjoy a live performance by the talented musician group Gopal Navale Music and go on a curated walk with artist and architect Swati Janu.

Five days before the exhibition, a pin-up map of the city had travelled across six Bengaluru neighbourhoods. The chosen neighbourhoods are diverse to allow people from different backgrounds to partake in an activity. People were asked where they like to go with family and friends. They had pink pins on these locations on the map.

Participants are asked questions like: Who are our cities designed for?, Who has the right to leisure in their cities? How can women and transgender people feel welcome, comfortable, and secure in public spaces? What barriers do transgender people encounter when they try to occupy public spaces? How can access to public spaces be increased for people of all ages, genders, sexual preferences, classes, and abilities? And what is needed, in their opinion, to compose an ideal public space? On April 29 and 30, the maps used in this project will be exhibited along with dialogues and stories that emerged from each neighbourhood.

As a result, more discussions around public spaces and how to make them more accessible to this vulnerable lot, will take place. Also, at the exhibition, there will be a photo booth that would display popular local and French landmarks in the background where visitors can click lifelike selfies.

The Consul General of France, Thierry Berthelot stressed that "France is a beautiful example of restructuring and revamping cities keeping in mind the criteria that fall under sustainable, innovative urban infrastructure. I take this opportunity to underline that France has come forward to partner India in the smart cities project in different cities across the country." "In Bengaluru, with the support of the French Agency for Development, we are working on an urban mass transportation system like the metro as well as having worked on initial zoning, mapping and analysis that fall under urban planning. France worked on the city's urban planning, always with a keen eye on accessibility of public spaces to all," he said.

Architect and artist Swati Janu stated: "Cities across the world have largely been designed by fully grown, able bodied, cis-heterosexual men. Hence, women and transgender people must navigate urban worlds that were never created with their needs in mind. We need to look more closely at urban landscapes and figure out how they can be thoughtfully designed, considering the concerns, comfort, safety and representation of women, non-binary and transgender people." "The City for All?" has so far travelled to Jaipur, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad and Pune and will be showcased in Delhi on May 7 and 8. At the end of the exhibit, it will travel to Lyon, France.
Seoul, April 25 : Hyundai Motor said on Monday that its first-quarter net profit rose 17 per cent from a year earlier as an improved product mix and a weak won helped offset the impact of chip shortages.

Net profit for the three months ended in March rose to 1.78 trillion won ($1.42 billion) from 1.52 trillion won a year earlier, the company said in a statement.

"A combination of increased sales of high-end Genesis and SUV models, friendly exchange rates and low inventory levels helped offset the impact of global chip shortage and higher raw materials prices," the statement said.

Hyundai expects parts supply shortages fueled by the lockdown in Shanghai and high raw materials costs driven by the Russia-Ukraine war will remain major woes for carmakers in the second quarter, reports Yonhap news agency.

"The company will make efforts to achieve this year's business guidance by taking a variety of measures, despite those global market uncertainties," Seo Gang-hyun, executive vice president in charge of Hyundai's finance and accounting division, said in the company's earnings conference call.

In 2022, Hyundai aims to sell 4.32 million vehicles, 10 per cent higher than its sales of 3.89 million units a year ago.

The maker of the Sonata sedan and the Palisade SUV plans to focus on expanding sales of Hyundai's independent Genesis brand and Hyundai SUV models in the US and environment-friendly cars in Europe.

In the US, the world's most important automobile market, Hyundai plans to gradually launch three fully electric Genesis models -- the GV60 SUV, the G80 sedan and the GV70 SUV -- this year. It sells the G70, G80, G90 sedans and GV70 and GV80 SUV models under the independent Genesis brand.

Record-low inventory levels and planned global launches of vehicles built on Hyundai Motor Group's EV-only electric-global modular platform (E-GMP) will help prop up the bottom line from the third quarter, analysts said.

E-GMP models include the IONIQ 5 launched last year and the IONIQ 6 sedan and IONIQ 7 SUV set to be released this year and in 2024, respectively.

But rising prices of lithium, nickel, and cobalt, key materials needed to make car batteries, will push up the manufacturing costs of electric vehicles.

Hyundai said it will purchase more car batteries in advance, through partnerships with battery manufacturers, to minimize the impact of growing price volatility on the bottom line.

It plans to spend 9.2 trillion won this year mainly on facility investments and research and development activities.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Kolkata, April 25 : The report of the special investigation team (SIT) of the West Bengal police probing the mysterious death of student leader Anis Khan at Amta in Howrah district on February 19, 2022 has hinted that it was suicide. This theory of the state police has been challenged by the counsel of Anis's father, Salem Khan.

On April 19, the SIT submitted an 82-page progress report on the investigation to the Calcutta High Court bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha, who directed that the report should be made available to the counsels of all the parties concerned in the case.

On Monday, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, the counsel for Anis Khan's father Salem, told the bench of Justice Mantha that although the SIT in its progress report has hinted at suicide as the reason of Anis Khan's death, in his opinion it was a case of pre-planned murder. Bhattacharya alleged that the suicide theory has been floated to obfuscate the reality.

Justice Mantha asked him to file an affidavit within a week citing the exact reasons behind his objections to the findings mentioned in the progress report by the SIT of the state police.

Since the beginning, Salem Khan has maintained that he has no faith in a probe by the special investigation team of the state police, as his son was killed by policemen and civic volunteers in uniform. He has been adamant on a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the matter. He said that, if necessary, he will approach the Supreme Court with his plea for a CBI probe.

A civic volunteer and a home guard have already been arrested in connection with Anis' murder. Both of them are in judicial custody.

However, the family members of the victim have alleged that the arrests were just an eyewash and senior police officers were involved in the crime.
Mumbai, April 25 : Delhi Capitals have called their opening batters Prithvi Shaw and David Warner 'pocket dynamos' after the duo has played a key role in the team's campaign in IPL 2022.

Delhi Capitals, placed sixth on the IPL points' tables after three wins and four defeats, are in with a chance to make the grade as the business end of the tournament approaches. And if DC succeed in their endeavour, they have no one else but their 'pocket dynamos' to thank, given that the young Indian and the Australian stalwart have forged a great partnership upfront.

They have been the livewire of the side, stitching together four half-century partnerships in the five previous outings, with the best being a 93-run stand against Kolkata Knight Riders, a match which the Delhi franchise won by 44 runs. The duo's partnership helped DC score a mammoth 215 and then restrict KKR to 171.

On Monday, DC posted an image of Warner and Shaw running between the wickets and wrote, "Pocket Dynamos for a reason", listing their five fruitful partnerships this season.

Warner, who stands 5'6" tall and Shaw at 5'5", make for a sensational opening pair, and before the start of IPL 2022, it was believed that they would be a force to reckon with pairing at the top of the batting order.

The two have not disappointed either, scoring 67 against Lucknow Super Giants, 93 vs two-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders, 50 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, 83 vs Punjab Kings and 43 against Rajasthan Royals.

Latest updates on IPL 2022
Bengaluru, April 25 : Karnataka police announced on Monday that they busted a fake kidney donation racket in Bengaluru and arrested three foreign nationals in connection.

According to police, the accused created fake websites of reputed hospitals in Bengaluru and targeted both kidney donors and recipients.

The arrested persons were identified as Mimi a.k.a Miracle, Kowa Collins, both from Nigeria; and Mathew Innocent from Ghana.

The accused persons had created a fake website of Sagar Hospital in Bengaluru and were fishing for kidney donors or recipients.

The hospital authorities had lodged a complaint with Cyber Economic and Narcotics Crime (CEN) Police station of HSR Layout in this regard.

The sleuths who took up the investigation arrested the accused from an apartment in Amrutalli locality.

The accused offered Rs 4 crore per kidney for donors and took lakhs of rupees as registration fee.

They also took money for various other processes and communicated with the victims via WhatsApp.

They cheated victims and donors by stating that their money has already been deposited but they were required to give 30 per cent of the deposit amount before they get payment transferred to their account.

The police have appealed to the victims to come forward and lodge complaints.
Chennai, April 25 : Continuing to keep his promise of lending a helping hand to mimicry artistes, Malayalam actor and politician Suresh Gopi on Monday said that he would be handing over a cheque for Rs 2 lakh to the Mimicry Artistes Association (MAA).

Last year, the actor, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, had announced that he would donate a sum of Rs 2 lakh from the remuneration he received for every film that he signed from that point on to the Mimicry Artistes Association.

The actor made the promise after getting to learn of the hardships caused by the pandemic to the mimicry artistes.

The actor has been consistently donating a sum of Rs 2 lakh for every film he signs.

On Monday, Suresh Gopi tweeted, "Received the advance amount for my upcoming film 'Ottakkomban'. As promised, I'll be handing over this cheque for Rs 2 lakh to the Mimicry Artistes Association (MAA) today." The actor's gesture has come in for widespread praise from various quarters of society.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Thiruvananthapuram, April 25 : The death of scriptwriter John Paul on Saturday in the absence of timely medical assistance at the time of his fall in January, has put the spotlight on the lackadaisical attitude of the health system of Kerala, otherwise rated as the best by NITI Aayog.

Recently, actor Kailash and another film personality Jolly Joseph said that in the third week of January, they received a frantic call from Paul.

Kailash recalled how he rushed to Paul's house only to find him lying helplessly on the floor.

"He had a huge frame (about 160 kilograms) and despite several efforts, my friends and I could not lift him up. We sought help from an ambulance service, but they refused. We then called the Fire Force, they too turned down our request. At last we approached the local police station and two officials came quickly but were unable to do anything. For around three hours, Paul was lying on the floor," said Kailash.

Meanwhile, Joseph said later that Paul was planning to write about his ordeal when he was somewhat better.

"He said perhaps it might help as such a service is badly needed in Kochi and that nobody else should suffer like him," said Joseph.

When contacted, the local Fire Force official attached to the Ernakulam office assured of action if anybody is found guilty.

"From our records so far we have not been able to find out if any such call was received that day. Meanwhile, we will again look into it and if there was any lapse on the part of anyone, action would be taken for sure," said the official.
New Delhi, April 25 : As many as five labourers were trapped under the debris of a house that collapsed in South West Delhi on Monday afternoon, a Fire Department Official said.

The rescue operation is currently underway.

Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg told IANS that they received a call about the incident around 1.25 p.m. at Building No 173, Satya Niketan, Delhi after which six fire tenders were immediately pressed into service.

The South West district police also rushed to the spot after they received information about the incident. Deputy Commissioner of Police Manoj C is also on the spot to assess the situation.

"A renovation work was being done on the ill-fated 3 storey building," the official said. As per latest reports, a JCB crane was clearing the debris while the firemen were trying to rescue people.

Even though there was panic in the area due to the house collapse, people could be seen in numbers at some distance from the site of the incident, watching as the firefighters rescued the trapped labourers.

The local police have set a perimeter for the people to keep them away from the incident site.

In the video shared by the Fire Department, a fireman could be seen handing over a water bottle, through a small hole over the debris, possibly to the labourers trapped inside.

The incident comes a month after four people were injured when a portion of a house collapsed in the city's Anand Parbat area.
New Delhi, April 25 : The Supreme Court on Monday stopped demolition of around 200 jhuggis at Sarojini Nagar area in Delhi, saying a model government should take humane approach as fundamental rights are involved.

The top court said no coercive action will be taken by the authorities till the next date of hearing, and scheduled the case for hearing on next Monday.

The top court sought central government response on the slum dwellers' prayer that there shall be no demolition without proper relief and rehabilitation plan.

A bench comprising Justices K.M. Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy said: "No coercive action. List on Monday." At the outset senior advocate Vikas Singh, representing the residents of jhuggis, submitted that some scheme should be there to rehabilitate the nearly a 1,000 people, which include school going children.

Singh said, "They cannot be asked to vanish in the air..." Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj, representing the Centre, contended that somebody has taken over a government land, and enrolled as a voter can not get a right to stay. A counsel representing the Delhi government submitted that the people should be protected.

Justice Joseph noted that the government notice said that 'hand over the land to the government', and told Nataraj the whole idea is that they have been residing there and the government should deal with people humanly. "When you deal with them, as a model government, you can't say you won't have a policy and simply throw them away. You're dealing with families...," he added.

Nataraj submitted that relief can be given to the petitioners, but they cannot espouse the cause of everyone in the garb of a PIL. "Being a petitioner himself he can't say he's seeking (relief) for others as well," said Nataraj.

The bench noted that some people have been living on the land in contention since 1995. Justice Roy said this case has implications on all people and queried Nataraj, "Should it be that only two persons before court are protected and others aren't?" The top court, citing a Delhi High Court judgment, noted that each jhuggi person has individual right, which goes to the fundamental rights.

After a detailed hearing in the matter, the bench said there should not be any coercive action till the next date of hearing. The top court said the copy of the petition should be served upon the ASG, as he sought time to address the court.

Three of the petitioners are minor school going children, and residents of the said slums. Two of them have to appear for Board exams commencing from April 26. "The residents of the said jhuggis are extremely indigent persons such as dhobis, daily wage labourers, rag-pickers, maids, street vendors, etc. and they do not have any other source of residence. Petitioner No. 1, 2 and 4 are minor school going children (attending school in Sarojini Nagar area itself) and residents of the said jhuggis, the petitioner No. 1 and 4 are also appearing for their Board Exams starting 26.04.2022 (as notified by the CBSE)", said the plea, filed through advocates Nitin Saluja and Aman Panwar.

The plea contended that the petitioners do not seek to hinder any of the development work/ public projects undertaken by the government, and are only seeking rehabilitation/relocation as per the policies of the state.
New Delhi, April 25 : Stock broking firm Ventura Securities has given a "buy" call for HBL Power Systems and Rana Sugars shares.

For HBL Power Systems, the target price is kept at Rs 100-135 with a stop loss of Rs 57, against its current market price of Rs 84.

Key indicators suggest a possibility of strong up move on positive side, it said.

For Rana Sugars, it pegged target at Rs 75 with a stop loss of Rs 30, against its current share price of Rs 40.6.

"The stock price started its upward move from Rs 2.60 (May 2020) to 38.30 (July 2021), making a series of higher bottoms and higher tops. There was huge volume support in the uptrend from Jan 21 to July 21," it said.
New Delhi, April 25 : 'Codes of a Future, Traces of the Ancient', a solo exhibition by contemporary artist Anni Kumari was recently inaugurated at the Treasure Art Gallery (TAG) here. Curated by Sanjana Shah and Inspired by how mathematical concepts intersect in nature, life, and the cosmos, the works will be on display till May 20.

The 10 works on display include three large-sized paintings in 7X5 feet scale that make up a series called intersections. These are based on her understanding of planetary positions, the interactions between the planets, and particularly the Sun, Moon, and the stars.

Through a process of working within vertical and horizontal grids using scales, protractors, and beam compasses, Anni traced the intersection points of these grids, creating a range of diagonals and spiral patterns. The process began with a set of drawings where she plotted natural numbers on square and spiral grids and then creating a pattern by selecting only the points corresponding to prime numbers.

As these unique patterns started emerging, the artist began exploring the relationships between specific patterns in geography and cosmology, particularly 'physical cosmology', by studying observations about the universe's origin, its large-scale structures and the dynamics between cosmic bodies. The two most prominent and prevalent shapes in her work are squares and circles, referencing cosmic phenomena like eclipses, and the Luni-solar calendar, also known as the Panchang.

Her works use only a single pigment - black - which is conventionally not part of the colour wheel, and also helps bring about high contrast. The white parts of her canvas, intentionally left blank, add to the duality of her compositions, which are both minimal and dynamic, and draw in the viewer by demonstrating both centripetal as well centrifugal properties.

Anni credits Indian traditional art and temple architecture as one of her most prominent inspirations, which emulate the primordial shapes of circles and squares, with calculated precision being used in even the simplest of designs like the Rangoli design pattern of Kolam in Tamil Nadu or the monochrome geometry in the Khovar folk art of Jharkhand. As such, she has observed that these patterns are inherently rooted in ideas of growth and consciousness, with these spaces and practices being energy centres for many people.

The artist shared: "I draw inspiration from my experience of regularly visiting ancient monuments and temples, which were often built using mathematical ratios and fractals, where singular patterns were repeated again and again to create large forms. My works are also inspired by the ancient floor drawing tradition from Tamil Nadu called 'Kolam', as well as geometrical motifs from the traditional folk art of Jharkhand's Hazaribagh area, known as Khovar.

"Each of these aspects has defined the palette, the concentric circles and lines, and the 'animated' quality of my works. However, beyond the conceptual frameworks that these helped create, my paintings also carry nuances of my personal interpretations based on my experiences, as well as narratives from mythology, ritualistic practices, the experience of living in different geographies of Jamshedpur, Delhi, and Rishikesh, and the socio-personal background I grew up with." Patterns and repetition are fundamental aspects of the world around us, carrying imprints of the past and signs of the future. Embodying exactly this unique balance by being both a native of methodological scientific temperament and a practitioner of fluid creativity, the artist expresses her deepest inner self and thoughts through her work.

While she has worked and continues to work with a range of mediums including graphite, charcoal, ink, and watercolour pencils on paper, the event focuses primarily on acrylic and oil on canvas as a medium. She is currently working on several large-scale drawings based on ancient astronomical instruments known as yantras, as found in the Jantar Mantar observatories in Delhi and Jaipur.
New Delhi, April 25 : A delegation of Maharashtra BJP leaders on Monday met Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai and raised the issue of the attack on former MP Kirit Somaiya who has 'Z' category security and other state government issues.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, after meeting Rai, said that the Minister has assured them that he would talk to Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla in detail and take a report on whatever is going on in Maharashtra.

Somaiya added that Rai has assured them that a special team of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) or if necessary, an officer from the Home Ministry will be sent to Maharashtra.

Earlier in the day, the BJP leaders including Kirit Somaiya met Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and apprised him of the prevailing situation in the state. They also demanded a central probe into the attack on Somaiya.

The delegation also demanded that a central team be sent to the state to review the situation where the BJP leaders are being targeted by the ruling party's cadre.

Somaiya, after meeting Bhalla, said the Home Secretary has been studying the situation in the state and if needed a special team would be sent to Maharashtra.

Somaiya, while talking to the media after the meeting, said that there was an urgent need to send a central team to Maharashtra. "From a slum dweller to the elected representative, all are being attacked in Maharashtra by the ruling party workers," Somaiya said.

Referring to the attack on him on Saturday evening in Khar police station in Mumbai, Somaiya said that despite his Z category protection, he was attacked in the police station premises on Sunday. "This was an attempt to kill me," Somaiya alleged.
New Delhi, April 25 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday discussed a wide range of regional and global issues while also agreeing to establish an EU-India Trade and Technology Council.

"We reviewed the full range of India-EU ties including economic and cultural linkages," Modi said.

After the meeting, Von Der Leyen said that strengthening the EU and India partnership is a key priority for this decade. "We will step up cooperation in trade, technology and security," she said.

It is the 60th anniversary of relations between the EU and India. "Today, our relationship is more important than ever. We have so much in common. We are vibrant democracies, we both support wholeheartedly the rules-based international order and we have both large economies, and we are both facing a challenging global landscape," she said.

Von Der Leyen stressed that for the European Union, the partnership with India is one of the most important relationships for the coming decade and strengthening this partnership is a priority.

"And here, I am thinking of three main topics - trade, technology and security. That is why I am pleased that today Prime Minister Modi and I have agreed to establish an EU-India Trade and Technology Council. The EU has only one TTC so far - with the US, and I think it is telling that we now establish the second one with India. Also because India is technologically a powerhouse, and in the trade sector we need to unleash an enormous amount of untapped potential," she said.

She said that she is glad that negotiations towards comprehensive trade and investment agreements have started.

"And yesterday, on another important topic that we share - climate change... I spent an exciting day at the International Solar Alliance. Energy security is one of the most pressing topics for India as well as Europe. The EU will diversify away from fossil fuels and will invest heavily in clean renewable energy. Therefore, cooperation with India not only on solar but also on green hydrogen is critical," she said.

Von Der Leyen had also met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

She arrived in India for a two-day official visit on Sunday to strengthen the India-EU strategic partnership. This was her first visit to India as the President of the European Commission.
Lucknow, April 25 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that his state will be promoting natural farming in a big way.

He said that a fund of Rs 82.83 crore has been approved for this by the Central government for 35 districts of the state under the centrally-funded scheme of Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati.

Delivering a speech virtually in a one-day National Workshop as a part of "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav" organised by the Niti Aayog on the subject of Cow-based Natural Farming and Innovative Agriculture, he said that the scheme will cover an area of around 38,670 hectares.

The programme will be implemented for three years starting from Kharif this year, he added.

Mentioning how the Bundelkhand region of the state has traditionally been practicing natural farming in different forms, the Chief Minister said that to promote it further, it is proposed to set up clusters of 500 to 1,000 hectares in all the 47 development blocks of all seven districts of the Bundelkhand region with the financial resources of the state.

"About 47,000-hectare area will be targeted in the next 5 years with the project cost of Rs 175.46 crore, benefitting 1.17 lakh farmers," he stated.

He further said: "The area of 128.73 lakh hectare and 129.32 lakh hectare comes under the cultivation of Kharif and Rabi, respectively. In the year 2020-21, Uttar Pradesh was the largest food grain producing State in the country by achieving record production of 619.47 lakh metric tonnes." Highlighting the importance of natural farming, the Chief Minister said that besides increasing production, the objectives of increasing the income of farmers have to be met along with conservation of natural resources, environment conservation, and providing proper nutrition to nurture human health.

One way to achieve all these multiple goals is through Cow-based Natural Farming.

"Cow-based natural farming means low cost and toxin-free farming. The rural economy has major dependence on 'Gau Vansh'. While agriculture is being mechanised, the utility of bullocks in the farm economy has also been realised," said Yogi Adityanath.

He said that the implementation of cow-based natural farming in the state will help in the protection and promotion of 'Gau Vansh' as well. The use of crop residue in natural farming and its use in mulching will also help curb the incidents of stubble burning.

"A campaign has been started to adopt natural farming within 10 km radius of river Ganga. Horticulture and agro-forestry have also been included in natural farming within 10 km of river Ganga in selected districts under the Namami Gange programme. This will benefit more than 2 lakh farmers," he added.

Talking further about the promotion of natural farming over chemical farming in the state, the Chief Minister said the demonstration programmes have been started by the state government for research and training in agricultural universities and Krishi Vigyan Kendras.

"It is suggested that ICAR takes lead by conducting co-ordinated research at agricultural universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendras as well as ICAR institutions. This will help in the identification of crops and the varieties, agro-climatic zone-wise, that are most appropriate for natural farming. These can then be disseminated among the farmers," he stated.
New Delhi, April 25 : The Delhi Fire Services have so far rescued four people from the debris of the building that collapsed in South West Delhi on Monday afternoon, a Fire Department Official said.

"We have so far rescued four labourers. The rescue operation is still underway to locate more people trapped under the debris," Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg told IANS.

According to the top official, the incident of house collapse at Building No 173, Satya Niketan, Delhi was reported to them at around 1.25 p.m. after which six fire tenders were immediately pressed into service.

The South West district police, along with Deputy Commissioner of Police Manoj C, also rushed to the spot.

"A renovation work was in progress on the three-storey building when the incident took place," the official said.

A JCB crane was deployed to clear the debris while the firemen were trying to rescue people.

Even though there was panic in the area, people could be seen in numbers at some distance from the site of the incident, watching as the firefighters rescued the trapped labourers. The local police set a perimeter for the people to keep them away from the incident site.

In a video shared by the Fire Department, a fireman could be seen handing over a water bottle, through a small hole over the debris, to the labourers trapped inside.

The incident comes a month after four people were injured when a portion of a house collapsed in the city's Anand Parbat area.
Yadgir : , April 25 (IANS) Refusing to take off their hijab, six students in Karnataka's Yadgir district returned home without writing their Class 12 exams on Monday.

The incident took place at the Government Pre-University College in Yadgir.

The girl students, who had come to write their economics exam, insisted with the authorities to let them write the paper wearing hijab. After their request was turned down, the students walked out from the examination centre, refusing to take off their hijab.

The crucial Class 12 exams are being conducted peacefully across the state. The students, especially the Muslim girls, are following the uniform rules and writing their papers without wearing hijab.

As many as 68,84,255 students have enrolled for the board exams, which began on April 22 amid tight security in the backdrop of the hijab row.

The special bench of the Karnataka High Court had earlier dismissed the petitions seeking to allow students to attend classes wearing hijab. It also mentioned that wearing hijab is not an essential part of Islam.

Following the court order, the Karnataka government banned hijab in classrooms and announced that hijab-clad students and teachers will not be allowed inside the examination centres.

Aliya Assadi, one of the petitioners, took to Twitter to slam the decision to ban entry of hijab-clad students.

"Again and again we face disappointment! BJP MLA Raghupathy Bhat had threatened us with criminal cases against us if we go to attend exams tomorrow. What is the crime here? Where is our country headed to," she had questioned.

On April 22, Assadi and Resham Farooq tried to enter the examination centre in Udupi clad in hijab. BJP MLA Raghupathy Bhat had lashed out at them for 'disturbing' other students, saying they were just trying to create a scene before the media.

Bhat had also warned that if the students repeat their act, they should be charged with a criminal case for contempt of court.
Kolkata, April 25 : A man was arrested on Monday for raping a differently-abled minor girl in West Bengal's West Midnapore district.

The accused, Sheikh Anwar Ali (40), is a resident of a village under Debra police station.

According to a district police source, Ali was arrested after a complaint was lodged against him by the victim's mother. It has been learnt that on April 22, the victim was sent by her mother to a local grocery shop to make some purchases.

Finding her alone, the accused took the victim to his residence nearby and raped her. The mother, who went out to look for her daughter, after she didn't return home for a long time, suddenly saw her standing outside Ali's residence in a distressed state.

By that time, Ali had run away through the backdoor of his house. On April 23, the victim's mother learnt she was raped and filed a complaint with the police.

The police filed charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, 2012 against the accused.

A number of incidences of rape, some of which involve minors, have been reported in West Bengal during the last one month. The most talked about case was the rape of a minor girl, who died in Hanskhali in Nadia district earlier this month. The son of a local Trinamool Congress leader is the main accused in this case.

The incident became more controversial after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gave a love-angle twist to the incident. The matter is being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following an order by a division bench of the Calcutta High Court.
Mumbai, April 25 : The Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed a plea filed by independent MP-MLA couple, Navneet Rana and her husband Ravi Rana, respectively, seeking to quash the second of two FIRs registered against them for resisting arrest on Saturday after a huge row over their plans to recite 'Hanuman Chalisa' outside the private home of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

A division bench of Justice P.B. Varale and Justice S.M. Modak also observed that there was considerable merit in the submissions made by Special Public Prosecutor Pradip Gharat.

The judges upheld his references to the FIR pertaining to chant religious verses near the personal home of the CM since such an act to recite the religious chants at the residence of another person or at a public place is a breach of personal liberty of the other person, and the Maharashtra government was justified in its apprehensions that it could lead to a law and order situation in Mumbai.

"Persons in public life are expected to act responsibly. With great power comes great responsibility... that those who are active in public life are expected to act responsibly is not an extra but a basic expectation," the court said in its strong observations.

The judges said that in case the state government wanted to initiate action against the Ranas for the second FIR, then they would give 72 hours notices to the petitioners (Ranas) before initiating any such measures.

The Ranas' lawyer Rizwan Merchant said that after they receive the notice, they would decide in 72 hours their next course of action.
Guwahati, April 25 : Assam police on Monday re-arrested Independent Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani soon after a court in Kokrajhar district granted bail to him, six days after he was arrested by Assam police in connection with an "objectionable" tweet against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The police from Barpeta district arrested Mevani again, but refused to disclose in which case the Gujarat MLA was re-arrested.

The Gujarat legislator was first arrested on Wednesday night in connection with an "objectionable" comment against the Prime Minister he made through a tweet on April 18.

Mevani was flown to Guwahati on Thursday morning from where he was taken to Kokrajhar by road.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate's court in Kokrajhar district on Thursday rejected the bail petition of the Dalit activist and sent him to three-day police custody.

On Sunday, after hearing his bail petition, the court reserved its order and sent him to one-day judicial custody and asked the police to produce Mevani again in the court on Monday.

Before his re-arrest, Mevani said that it is a deep-rooted conspiracy by the BJP and RSS.

"They (BJP and RSS) are doing this to tarnish my image and are doing this systematically. They did it to Rohit Vemula, they did it to Chandrasekhar Azad, now they are targeting me," he told the media outside the court complex.

The Gujarat legislator was arrested (on Wednesday night) from his home state following a complaint filed by an Assam BJP leader seeking action against him under the IT Act.

Ever since the arrest of Mevani, who had earlier pledged outside support to the Congress, the party has been holding demonstrations in different parts of Assam, terming the arrest as a 'conspiracy'.

It also sent its legal team to Kokrajhar to look into the matter.

Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah had alleged that it is a conspiracy and 'Goonda Giri' by the police, while accusing the BJP government of misusing the state's police force to deal with a simple tweet.

A delegation of the All India United Democratic Front also visited Mevani at the police station.

CPI-M legislator Manoranjan Talukdar and Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi too had met Mevani at the police station.

The 41-year-old lawmaker was charged with criminal conspiracy, offence related to place of worship, outraging religious feelings, and provocation that might cause breach of peace.

In his complaint, BJP leader Arup Kumar Dey had alleged that Mevani's comments could "incite a section of the people belonging to a certain community".
Tokyo, April 25 : Chinese smartphone brand Honor, which was spun off from its parent company Huawei in 2020 to evade US sanctions, is currently using at least 40 per cent of its parts from American companies like Qualcomm and Micron, media reports said on Monday.

The share of US components in Honor's latest 5G smartphone X30 has soared to 39 per cent, from just 10 per cent for the 30S model released in 2020 which was manufactured by Huawei, reports Nikkei Asia.

"Most of the X30's core components, including the processor and the 5G chipset, are supplied by the US makers such as Qualcomm, instead of Chinese suppliers such as HiSilicon, Huawei's chip developing arm, the report said.

It also means that China is struggling to develop next-generation electronics technologies for smartphones on its own.

"Honor mostly sells its products in China and the separation from Huawei has shielded the company from many of the sanctions," the report noted.

The estimated production cost of Honor X30 is around $217 and the US components "took the lion's share of the cost, accounting for 39 per cent of the total".

The share of Chinese parts plunged 27 points to about 10 per cent.

"The sharply expanded use of US components may mean that Honor has been unable to secure sufficient supplies of cutting-edge smartphone components made in China," the report noted.

In Honor's X30 handset, Japanese components like from Sony camera sensors constitute about 16 per cent of the total production cost, claiming the second largest share.

Nikkei, in collaboration with research specialist Fomalhaut Techno Solutions, took apart Honor's latest smartphone model X30 to figure out the hardware.

Hit hard by the US sanctions, Chinese conglomerate Huawei Technologies last month reported a 28.5 per cent dip in its revenue last year, along with a sharp downfall in its smartphone business.

The company said it was "readjusting" its business portfolio to tap new digital and 5G opportunities.
New Delhi, April 25 : The recent growth of People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has created anxiety in the existing geopolitical order of the Indo-Pacific. On April 23, the PLA Navy celebrated its 73rd anniversary and showcased its capabilities to its citizens and the world.

However, as the recent global events have shown -- quality always holds equal if not greater importance than the quantity in any warfare.

This is where the capabilities of PLA Navy have always been in doubt.

Are the men and machine behind the PLA Navy capable enough to make it a world class Navy or the focus of Chinese Admirals lies somewhere else? The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has always focused on its own power struggle inside China -- and even its foreign policy has been a tool to maintain its own relevance.

Thus Mao - with his plans for continental expansion gave negligible importance to the Chinese Navy - with even its nomenclature linked to PLA.

With China's emergence as global trader in 21st century, planners in Beijing wanted to change this outlook. This led them to copy 'Mahan's Naval Strategy' without any corresponding relevance to their actual strategic requirements or geopolitical realities of the existing World Order.

Thus, while the ship manufacturing is in full spree, there are gaping holes in PLAN's Strategy to effectively deploy these ships. The problem of abundance has led to PLAN belligerence in South China Sea.

The treatment of International Sea Lanes as their national 'lake' has led to their exaggerated territorial claims against the normal global conventions.

The over-militarisation of this Maritime Area has led to a threat to existing maritime order and threat to nearly all Chinese maritime neighbours.

Sub-optimal Equipment Frequent failures of ship machinery, weapons and sensors during long deployments combined with a disarrayed support system has ensured that most of the Chinese fleet is tied up in nearby seas - with several capability gaps required for a 'Blue Water' Navy.

The high cost of maintaining such sub-optimal machinery has also led to huge increase in revenue expenditure - eating up most of the increase in Defence expenditure.

The 'poor performance' of Chinese assets has been a major cause of worry for countries importing such equipment from Beijing.

'The Chinese Quality' has become synonymous with dud machinery, as experienced by Pakistan and Bangladesh Navies in sub-optimal performance of their newly acquired Chinese frigates.

The most famous phrase which defines state of PLA Navy machinery is from Myanmar - "Tayokeset tayet-soke" ("Chinese machine; broken in a day").

In return, China charges hefty amounts and make these countries completely dependent - through its predatory 'debt diplomacy'. No wonder developing countries which had earlier signed large ticket defence contracts with Beijing, are trying to renegotiate such contracts, demanding more reliable and lasting weapons.

Recently, Thailand PM had warned that Bangkok will scrap a deal to buy Chinese submarines if they are fitted with inferior Chinese MWM 620 engines instead of German engines.

Men Behind the Machine The biggest asset of any Armed Force is its experienced and motivated manpower - as amply demonstrated even in recent wars.

However, the biggest shortfall of the PLA Navy is the men behind its fancy machines. There is a lack of combat experience -- as the last war fought be Chinese forces was in Vietnam in 1979 -- with disastrous results for Beijing.

The present manpower -- which has been brought up in materialistically 'easy' conditions have nil combat experience. 'Single Child Policy' has had its negative impact on the available tool for PLAN - with most of the parents unwilling to send their 'single' child to the Armed Forces.

It is estimated that over 70 percent of Chinese soldiers are 'only children'. Further the turn of the society towards consumerism has left a low talent pool for the PLAN.

A Chinese saying: "Good steel doesn't become nails" means that respectable individuals don't become soldiers.

The situation is further aggravated by the graft in Armed Forces, which has heavily plagued PLA Navy -- with big ticket projects being adversely impacted due to cost overruns -- attributed to the graft at the topmost level.

The anti-corruption drive by President Xi Jinping turned out to be more of a cleansing of opponents, rather than any concrete attempt to root out corruption.

These purges have instead removed talented human resource - impacting the overall hierarchy and long term planning.

The Overall Purpose The inabilities brought out above pose the biggest question - is PLAN Strategy actually to develop a world class Navy with assets deployed across the world - or the sheer increase in assets numbers just a projection game for few to rise higher in CCP hierarchy.

The overall control of a single party has been a roadblock in the professional development of Chinese armed forces. The situation is further exacerbated with the concentration of power by President Xi Jinping - leading to purging of professionals - as had earlier happened during the disastrous Cultural Revolutions.

The undue unprofessional political interference has led PLA Navy Admirals to reconfigure their plans to please the top hierarchy -- which is evident in the teething operational problems being faced by sailors on ground.

As the present political leadership tightens its grip in each sphere of Chinese life -- the future of PLA Navy seems to be a numerically superior force, however lacking in any operational strategy and demoralized manpower.

(Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in)
San Francisco, April 25 : Despite internal disagreements, the Twitter board is reportedly inching towards finalising the hostile takeover deal worth $46.5 billion made by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and an announcement can come as early as this week.

The Washington Post reported, citing people close to the matter, that Twitter is in discussions to "sell itself to Elon Musk" and could "finalise a deal as soon as this week".

"The two sides met Sunday to discuss Musk's proposal and were making progress, though still had issues to hash out, the people said. There is no guarantee they will reach a deal," the report said.

The New York Times also reported that Twitter's board is seriously considering Musk's offer to buy the company.

Musk's initial bid of about $43 billion was seen as undervaluing the company significantly.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO last month further revealed his Twitter takeover plan that will see $25.5 billion in loans and $21 billion in personal equity -- taking the final bid to $46.5 billion.

In a fresh filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Musk said that the funding is provided through two debt commitment letters from Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, in which the bank commits to offering a series of loans worth $25.5 billion.

The remaining $21 billion will be managed by Musk on his own.

The filing had made it clear that Twitter has not formally responded to Musk's offer.

A Twitter spokesperson said the company has received Musk's offer and said it would conduct a "careful, comprehensive" review.

Musk, who had disclosed ownership in Twitter in a filing with the SEC earlier this month, has a 9.1 per cent ownership stake in the platform, which is worth over $3 billion currently.

The billionaire is willing to pay $54.20 per share to buy 100 per cent of the company.
Mumbai, April 25 : The Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed a plea filed by independent MP-MLA couple, Navneet Rana and her husband Ravi Rana, respectively, seeking to quash the second of two FIRs registered against them for resisting arrest on Saturday after a huge row over their plans to recite 'Hanuman Chalisa' outside the private home of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

A division bench of Justice P.B. Varale and Justice S.M. Modak also observed that there was considerable merit in the submissions made by Special Public Prosecutor Pradip Gharat.

The judges upheld his contention on the FIR pertaining to chant religious verses near the personal home of the CM since such an act at the residence of another person or at a public place is a breach of personal liberty of the other person, and the Maharashtra government was justified in its apprehensions that it could lead to a law and order situation in Mumbai.

"Persons in public life are expected to act responsibly. With great power comes great responsibility... that those who are active in public life are expected to act responsibly is not an extra but a basic expectation," the court said in its strong observations.

The judges said that in case the state government wanted to initiate action against the Ranas for the second FIR, then they would give 72 hours notices to the petitioners (Ranas) before initiating any such measures.

The Ranas' lawyer Rizwan Merchant said that after they receive the notice, they would decide in 72 hours their next course of action.

After two days of high political drama, police in suburban Mumbai's Khar on Saturday booked and arrested the Ranas under IPC's Section 153(A) (promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion race, etc), and the stringent Bombay Police Act's Section 124(A) pertaining to sedition.

On Sunday, the Mumbai Police also filed a second FIR around 2 a.m. against the Ranas under IPC's Section 353 for alleged assault of a public servant and obstructing public servant from discharging their official duties.

Merchant argued that the second FIR, was "an abuse" of the legal process and the subsequent addition of the offence of "sedition" was unsustainable.

SPP Gharat countered by saying that the second FIR was registered for a separate offence relating to obstructing police from discharging their duties, for which the court has granted relief to the extent of serving the Ranas a 72-hour notice for any action under it.

The Mumbai Police had served the Ranas notice on Saturday, requesting that the couplerefrain from carrying out their plans, and they did not listen after which they were detained and arrested that evening.

SPP Gharat said that despite the notice, the Ranas continued to give media and online interviews, creating apprehensions in society, and their statements posing a serious threat to the law and order situation after which the action was taken against them.

Amid high drama at their Khar home, the Rana couple was arrested on Saturday evening and produced before a Bandra holiday Magistrate Court which remanded them to 14 days' judicial custody while posting their bail plea for hearing on April 29.
London, April 25 : British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's "basic instinct" is under a scanner as a new, full-blown sexism controversy enveloped the United Kingdoms parliament.

A sensational piece in the right-wing Mail on Sunday newspaper headlined: "Tories (Conservative party members) accuse Angela Rayner (Deputy Leader of the Opposition Labour party) of Basic Instinct ploy to distract Boris" - a reference to the steamy 1992 film starring Sharon Stone. It further captioned: "MPs claim Labour deputy leader likes to put PM 'off his stride' by crossing and uncrossing her legs at PMQs (prime minister's questions in the House of Commons)".

The paper quoted a spokesman for Rayner, 41, as saying the suggestion was "categorically untrue". She does wear short skirts while sitting on the front bench next to the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer during PMQs, but this is generally considered in the western world today as smart rather than sexy dressing.

Johnson contacted Rayner on Sunday to convey that he considered claims about her misogynistic. Referring to the newspaper article, he tweeted: "As much as I disagree with Angela Rayner on almost every political issue, I respect her as a parliamentarian and deplore the misogyny directed at her anonymously today." On Monday, The Guardian daily reported: "Johnson is also understood to have written directly to Rayner. The contents of the letter have not been shared, except for one quote reported by the Telegraph (a pro-Johnson broadsheet) that stated: 'The comments were not in my name'." On BBC Radio, the shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: "I am sick and tired of the way that female MPs and women are treated in parliament." She described the incident as an "outrageous slur on Angela".

Thereafter appearing on the TV programme BBC Breakfast, she added: "She (Rayner)doesn't need to use her sex to win an argument or put the Prime Minister off, or whatever was suggested in that article. She does it by the strength of her argument." Chris Philip, Technology Minister in Johnson's government, told Sky News he expected government whips would investigate who had made the comments, and if their identity emerged he would "imagine they would be subject to discipline".

Glen Owen, political editor of Mail on Sunday, who wrote the story is facing questions over whether his Lobby pass should be withdrawn, the Press Gazette claimed. The UK's Independent Press Standards Organisation is said to have received 5,500 complaints within 24 hours about the article, which penned: "All is fair in love, war and Commons duels with Boris Johnson, if the claims of Tory MPs are to be believed."
Chandigarh, April 25 : Some districts in Haryana, especially Gurugram, have seen a spike in the Covid-19 positivity rate, Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal said on Monday. He added that strategies are being formulated for declaring micro containment zones along with increasing the Covid testing capacity per day.

Nine micro containment zones have been declared in Gurugram to break the virus chain.

Speaking virtually at a meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla to review the situation and preparedness in Delhi NCR, Kaushal said the state was strictly adhering to guidelines to contain its spread.

Assuring timely and regular updating of the positive cases on the portal, he said amid the recent surge in the number of infection cases, Haryana is doing several management preparations coupled with aggressive surveillance, stringent containment, swift contact tracing, focused clinical management along with proactive information, education and communication.

Kaushal said that increased testing capacity, especially in containment zones, along with aggressive efforts to reduce the positivity rate is being done across the state.

"Also, massive vaccination drives have already been run across Haryana. As per the official figures, around 72 per cent of the population between 15-18 years, have been administered the first dose of the vaccine, while inoculation of one-third of the population between 12-14 years has also been done." Stepping up the vaccination drive, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has already announced free booster dose for adult beneficiaries in the age group of 18-59 years in any government hospital or dispensary.

There are about 1.2 crore beneficiaries falling within this age group and the total cost of about Rs 300 crore will be borne by the state from the Covid Relief Fund, an official statement said.
Hyderabad, April 25 : Hyderabad's Genome Valley has established itself as a powerhouse of life sciences not just in India but globally as well, Telangana's Industries, Commerce and Information Technology Minister K T. Rama Rao said on Monday.

Stating that the next decade belongs to life sciences and healthcare, he said that the state government is committed to promote this sector to consolidate Hyderabad's position as an important life sciences destination in the world.

The state government is working with a clear goal to double pharma and life sciences ecosystem which is currently valued at $50 billion to $100 billion by 2030, he said while inaugurating the facility of the global biopharmaceutical group Ferring, established in Genome Valley with the total investment of about 30 million euros and total employment of around 110 people.

Headquartered in Switzerland, Ferring is a leader in reproductive medicine and maternal health and in speciality areas within gastroenterology and urology.

KTR, as the minister is popularly known, noted that Genome Valley has unique blend of companies across value chain of life sciences sector supported by extraordinary infrastructure including industrial knowledge parks, multi-tenanted dry and wet laboratories, incubation facilities, utility infrastructure, testing facilities and other ingredients required in discover, develop and manufacture policy.

"This is complemented by the thriving life science ecosystem in Hyderabad, which offers necessary linkages such as premier research institutions, highly skilled talent pool, favourable policies and consistent efforts of the government to promote the life sciences sector," he said.

The minister revealed that during his recent visit to the US, Telangana was able to secure investment commitments of Rs 7,500 crore across various sectors and more than half of this was in the life sciences sector.

He assured that government will continue to work with the companies in the life sciences sector ecosystem to consolidate the environment further "Hyderabad is that place where biology meets technology, where life sciences meets data sciences. Points of intersection of information and biotechnology is what makes for the exciting opportunities that lie in innovation and disruption and that is where Hyderabad offers a really great value proposition for innovators both in India and abroad with its rich network of scientific institutions. There are more than 50 strong scientific institutions based out of Hyderabad with a solid think force. There are a lot of opportunities to create intellectual property and to create solutions for the rest of the world," he said.

Ferring's facility was initially planned in Maharashtra but eventually shifted to Hyderabad. The minister said that this is a testament to the overall ecosystem of life sciences in Telangana and pro-business policies of the government of Telangana which continue to attract global R&D companies to Hyderabad.

The company, which is a leader in reproductive medicine and maternal health, will focus on developing manufacturing urology products based on Ferring's proprietary fast dissolving granules platform technology which will be followed by a range of manufacturing and R&D activities in urology and gastroenterology.

The company developing treatment for mothers and babies for over 50 years and has portfolio covering treatments from conception to birth KTR pointed out that recently Pune-based Bharat Serums and Vaccines Ltd, which is India's largest women's healthcare company, announced that it will set up a state-of-the-art injectable and vaccine manufacturing facility in Genome Valley with an investment of Rs 200 crore. The facility will produce women's health products, rabies vaccines, immunoglobulins hormones, among others.

He noted that Hyderabad is emerging as a leading destination for women's healthcare research and manufacturing besides its strong prowess in vaccines, pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

"Femtech is a new space that a lot of people are talking about and I am delighted this space is shaping up well in Hyderabad," he added.

The minister said two weeks ago, Jamp Pharma opened its centre of excellence in Genome Valley, its first facility of Jamp Pharma outside of Canada. He said Ferring has now added to the list of marquee companies in Genome Valley and Hyderabad.

Ferring Pharma's Vice President, Strategic Projects and Engineering, Francois Hosotte, Managing Director and Site Head, Anindya Ghosh, Principal Secretary, IT, E&C, Jayesh Ranjan, TSIIC VC and MD E.V. Narsimha Reddy, and Director, Life Sciences, Shakthi Nagappan, were present during the event.
New Delhi, April 25 : The Indian Navy on Monday sais that it carried out weapon engagement and missile firing drills from 15 warships and submarines on the Western Seaboard recently.

It said that the multiple ordnance on target missions included participation of 15 warships and submarines and a large number of maritime patrol aircraft, integral helicopters, fighter aircraft, and remotely-piloted aircraft. The ships at sea were under the tactical command of Flag Officer Commanding, Western Fleet.

The missile firings undertaken in mid April were focused on validating combat worthiness of various weapon systems deployed on the frontline units.

These included the potent Veer Class, Talwar Class and Brahmaputra Class warships carrying out anti-air engagements against high speed sea-skimming air targets in tactical scenarios.

In another long range engagement, the Brahmaputra class ship sank the target -- a decommissioned naval warship -- with precision in a sea skimming profile.

An underwater launched missile successfully hit its target at maximum range, proving the lethality and versatility of the Indian submarines "The pin point accuracy and successful execution of these firings showcased the effectiveness of the Indian Navy's arsenal. Yet again, the Navy demonstrated its ability and enduring commitment to safeguarding India's sea frontiers and maritime interests," the Indian Navy stated.

The weapon engagement drills were witnessed by Indian Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar, who was embarked onboard a flagship, along with Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command.
Bengaluru, April 25 : The Karnataka government is all set to strictly impose Covid guidelines in the state against the backdrop of fear of Covid's fourth wave as cases rise in Bengaluru and elsewhere, Health Minister K. Sudhakar said on Monday.

After attending the high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, he said that the Covid infection in Bengaluru is increasing and steps would be taken to contain the situation.

"The Covid positivity rate touched 1.9 per cent in Bengaluru. The situation needs to be monitored in the city and necessary instructions are being given. The people in the state will have to compulsorily wear masks. They won't be fined if they are not wearing masks now. Guidelines in this regard would be released soon," he said.

Those who are not been administered the vaccines will be at risk, the Minister said. "We don't know yet which Covid variant has affected patients. The samples have been sent for genomic sequencing. It will be known whether this is a new variant or the old one," he said.

Everyday 10,000 tests are being conducted, he said. "We are looking forward to the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Chief Ministers and the message. Presently, restrictions will not be imposed. It is opined that severity of the disease is less in the fourth wave," he said.

"In the meeting chaired by CM Bommai, a few things have been decided on a few things. Wearing a mask is mandatory in interior and crowded places. There will be tele-monitoring of foreign passengers from high-risk countries," Sudhakar said.

However, Health Department sources revealed that the government is seriously bothered about the evolving situation in Karnataka, and authorities are insisting on harsh decisions to defuse the fear of a fourth wave in the state.
New Delhi, April 25 : Amid increasing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean Region, Indian Navy commanders' conference began on Monday to review the major operational, material, logistics, human resource development, training and administrative activities. The Naval commanders will also review performance of weapons and sensors, and readiness of all the available platforms.

All operational and area commanders of the Indian Navy are participating in the conference.

It is the first edition of Naval Commanders' Conference of 2022. It is scheduled from April 25 to April 28.

The Conference serves as a platform for Naval Commanders to discuss important maritime matters at the military-strategic level as well as interact with senior government functionaries through an institutionalised forum.

The Chiefs of Indian Army and Indian Air Force will also interact with the Naval Commanders to address convergence of the three Services vis-a-vis a common operational environment, as well as discuss avenues of augmenting Tri-Service synergy and readiness.

The Conference will focus on addressing the contemporary security paradigms while seeking ways to enhance combat capability of the Navy and make operations more effective and efficient.

A detailed review of the performance of weapons and sensors, readiness of Indian navy platforms, ongoing Naval projects - with focus on ways to enhance indigenisation through 'Make in India' will be undertaken by the Commanders.

The Conference would also dwell upon dynamics of the geo-strategic situation of the region in the backdrop of recent international developments.

The Commanders' Conference is being conducted in the newly set up state of the art facility at the IHQ MoD (Navy) offices at Defence Offices Complex at Africa Avenue, New Delhi.
London, April 25 : Danish researchers have found evidence that pigs can spread dangerous antibiotic-resistant superbug Clostridioides difficile to humans.

A team from the University of Copenhagen and Statens Serum Institut in Denmark found samples of the superbug C.difficile more commonly in piglets and sows than slaughter pigs across 14 pig farms in Denmark.

The difference may be due to the younger pigs having a microbiota composition that makes them more susceptible to a successful colonisation, the researchers said.

C. difficile is a bacterium that infects the human gut and is resistant to all but three current antibiotics. Some strains contain genes that allow them to produce toxins that can cause damaging inflammation in the gut, leading to life-threatening diarrhoea, mostly in the elderly and hospitalised patients who have been treated with antibiotics.

"Our finding of multiple and shared resistance genes indicate that C. difficile is a reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes that can be exchanged between animals and humans," said Dr. Semeh Bejaoui from the varsity.

"This alarming discovery suggests that resistance to antibiotics can spread more widely than previously thought, and confirms links in the resistance chain leading from farm animals to humans," Bejaoui added.

The study was presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) being held in Portugal. In the study, the team investigated the prevalence of C. difficile strains in livestock (pigs) and the potential for zoonotic spread of antimicrobial resistance genes by comparing to clinical isolates from Danish hospital patients.

Stool samples were collected from 514 pigs in two batches from farms across Denmark between 2020 and 2021. Batch A included 330 samples from sows, piglets and slaughter pigs from fourteen farms in 2020. The 184 samples in batch B were collected during slaughtering in 2021.

Out of 514 pigs samples, 54 had evidence of C. difficile. Further analyses of 40 samples, found that C. difficile was more common in piglets and sows than slaughter pigs. The researchers speculate that this may be due to the difference in age between piglets and adult pigs -- with the younger pigs having a microbiota composition that makes them more susceptible to a successful colonisation.

In total, thirteen sequence types found in animals matched those found in patient's stool samples. ST11, an animal-associated strain, was the most common. In sixteen cases, ST11 strains in humans and animals were identical.

All isolates from animals were positive for the toxin genes and ten were also hypervirulent, with an even greater capacity to cause disease.

In total, 38 isolates from the animals contained at least one resistance gene and overall, resistance was predicted for seven classes of antibiotics, of which the most common were macrolides, beta-lactams, aminoglicosides and vancomycin -- which are important for treating severe bacterial infections.

The team blamed the overuse of antibiotics in human medicine and as cheap production tools on farms affecting efforts to cure bacterial infections.

"Of particular concern is the large reservoir of genes conferring resistance to aminoglycosides, a class of antibiotics to which C. difficile is intrinsically resistant -- they are not needed for resistance in this species. C. difficile thus plays a role in spreading these genes to other susceptible species," Bejaoui said.
New Delhi, April 25 : A major fire broke out at around 40 shanties located in the Jamia Nagar area of the national capital on Monday, a fire department official said.

"No casualties were reported from the incident. However, three buffaloes and two cows were charred to death in the inferno," Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg told IANS.

Garg said that they received a call about the incident around 3.15 p.m. at R 771 Joga Bai Extension, Batla House, Jamia Nagar, after which 11 fire tenders were immediately pressed into service.

The firemen took around one and a half hours to douse the flames. The blaze was extinguished at 4.40 p.m.

Officials said the situation is now completely under control, and as per latest reports, the cooling process was underway.
New Delhi, April 25 : The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has blocked 16 YouTube news channels, including six Pakistan and ten India based channels having a cumulative viewership of over 68 crore, for spreading disinformation related to the country's national security, foreign relations and public order. The ministry also blocked one Facebook account.

"It was observed that these channels were used to spread fake news over social media on matters related to national security, India's foreign relations, communal harmony in the country, and public order. None of the digital news publishers had furnished information to the Ministry as required under rule 18 of the IT Rules, 2021," the I&B ministry said.

Utilizing the emergency powers under the IT Rules, 2021, the Ministry vide two separate orders on April 22, issued directions for blocking of 16 YouTube based news channels and one Facebook account.

The ministry noted that the content published by some of the India based YouTube channels referred to a community as terrorists, and incited hatred among the members of various religious communities. Such content was found to have the potential to create communal disharmony, and disturb public order.

"YouTube channels based in Pakistan were found to have been used in a coordinated manner to post fake news about India on various subjects such as the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir, and India's foreign relations in the light of situation in Ukraine, etc," the ministry said.

It said that the content of these channels was observed to be completely false, and sensitive from the perspective of national security, sovereignty and integrity of India, and India's friendly relations with foreign states.

Multiple India based YouTube channels were observed to publish unverified news and videos having the potential to create panic among various sections of the society. Examples include false claims related to announcement of a pan-India lockdown due to Covid-19 thereby threatening the migrant workers, and fabricated claims alleging threats to certain religious communities, etc. Such content was observed to be detrimental to public order in the country.

On April 23, the ministry had also advised private TV news channels against making false claims and using scandalous headlines. "The Government of India remains committed to ensure a safe and secure information environment in India across print, television and online media," the ministry added.
Kolkata, April 25 : Trinamool Congress strongman Anubrata Mondal has set some conditions to appear for questioning by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the twin cases of cattle and coal smuggling and post-poll violence in West bengal.

At 5.30 p.m. on Monday, a letter from Mondal reached the offices of the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) and the Special Crime Branch (SCB) of CBI, wherein Mondal, the Trinamool district president for Birbhum, gave two conditions relating to the time and place of his appearance for central agency interrogation.

In the letter, Mondal said that he will be able to appear before the CBI sleuths only after May 21. As regards the place of integration, Mondal insisted that it would be decided only after mutual discussions.

A CBI official, who did not wish to be named, said the agency has forwarded the letter to the higher officials at the CBI Directorate in Delhi as well as to the agency's legal team.

"The matter is being discussed and we will shortly decide our next course of action," he said.

The fact that Mondal will not appear before the CBI for interrogation so easily became evident from a statement made by his counsel, Sanjib Daw, earlier in the day.

"My client has become extremely week and ill again and hence he had to go through a fresh round of medical advice," Daw said.

Mondal has avoided seven summons from the central probe agency, six of which were pertaining to the cattle and coal smuggling cases and one relating to post-poll violence in the state.

On April 6, he got admitted to the state-run SSKM Medical College & Hospital, where he spent 17 days before being discharged on April 22.

In the last two days, he received two summons from the CBI, but he avoided both on health ground, citing the prescription of the medical board of SSKM advising him four-week bed rest.
Chennai, April 25 : Director Nelson Dilipkumar has penned a heartfelt letter, thanking actor Vijay for hosting a dinner party for the entire team of 'Beast'.

Taking to Instagram on Monday, Nelson said, "Thank you Vijay sir for hosting us. It was a fun-filled and memorable evening with the whole team.

"I take this moment to thank Vijay sir for his love and support. You were a charm to work with sir. I am truly honored and I shall cherish this experience for life. Your charisma and super stardom has taken this film all the way sir.

"Thank you Sun Pictures Kalanithi Maran, Kavya Maran for the huge opportunity and bringing this film together.

"All of this would not have been possible without our wonderful cast & crew. You guys were a blast to work with.

"I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the audience for breaking barriers and showering us with love and support. As always, you all have stood with Vijay sir and the whole team and made this film a grand success. Cheers!"
New Delhi, April 25 : Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said "we are committed to two important aspects of the healthcare ecosystem -- Heal in India and Heal by India".

Addressing the 7th edition of International conference on Pharma and Medical Devices sector 2022 -- scheduled from April 25 to 27, Mandaviya said: "We are witnessing the rise of a 'New India' and all stakeholders have to ensure that the Pharma sector also becomes a part of this growth." "The healthcare sector in India is becoming affordable and accessible for everyone due to the relentless efforts and leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government has been working relentlessly to increase the number of doctors, medical institutions, health infrastructure including hospital, tertiary care centres, health and wellness centres in the country," he noted, adding that the conferences like India Pharma and India Medical Device 2022 provide a platform for industry, academia and policy makers to brainstorm and draft a plan for the next 25 years for the sector.

Congratulating the Pharma industry of the country in ensuring India's successful fight against Covid-19, the Union Minister said the way India has managed Covid pandemic is a global case study. Today, the entire world community is praising India's efforts in carrying out the world's largest vaccination drive.

"We have administered more than 187 crore doses in the country so far which is a commendable feat. When it comes to providing healthcare services, one should not think just for the nation but for the whole world. 'Seva' should always come first. Our approach of thinking is of totality and not token," he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Bhagwanth Khuba, Union Minister of State of Chemicals and Fertilisers said that we need to focus on R&D and innovation to ensure quality, accessibility and affordability in the Indian pharma and medical device sector.

"India is the pharma hub in the world with our production being 5th in the world. The government is also working to provide industry-friendly policies along with ease of doing business," he added.
New Delhi, April 25 : Grenade, hit & run attacks and incidents of standoff firing have increased in the Kashmir valley from January 1 to April 15 this year, officials in the security forces said here.

They said that encounters with terrorists have also increased during this period.

According to the official data, there were 17 grenade attacks by the terrorists till April 15 this year while there were only nine attacks in 2021 during the same period.

Similarly, the incidents of standoff firing and hit and run attacks also increased from five in 2021 to 26 during the above period.

As far as the recovery of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Device) is concerned, three IEDs were recovered in the last year while two have been found this year till April 15, with the latest recovery on April 13 in Doda in Kashmir valley. However, the number of encounters with terrorists have increased substantially. There were nine encounters from January 1 to April 15 last year whereas there were 34 during the same period this year.

Officials also said that a case of abduction was reported in this period in 2022 which was nil in 2021. Also, like the previous year, no case of arms snatching was reported in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to CRPF officials, 52 terrorists have been neutralised in this period, with four of them being killed on April 14 in Shopian in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to officials of the security forces, four terrorists of the proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed in an encounter with security forces at Badigam, Zainapora area of Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district.

There were 31 violent incidents against the security forces recorded in the period from January 1 to April 15.

On April 22 morning in Sunjwan area of Jammu two Jaish-e- Muhammad ultras opened fire and lobbed grenade at a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) bus killing one ASI and injuring several CISF personnel.

Later the two JeM ultras were neutralised by the security forces.
London, April 25 : An advisor to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has compared Russian troops to ISIS militants after Russian forces allegedly threatened to execute a captured soldier on video unless his mother paid a ransom, Daily Mail reported.

Ukrainian soldier Novikov Alexey Antonovich from Mariupol said he was captured on April 23, and was part of the 109th brigade of the Donetsk territorial defence.

He added that the Russian soldiers threatened to send a video of his execution if they didn't receive the money.

Footage showed the Ukrainian soldier being filmed as he was asked his name and how he was being treated, Daily Mail reported.

The video was sent to the young soldier's mother with a demand of 5,000 euros if she wanted her son to remain alive.

In the footage shared online by Podolyak, the Ukrainian soldier told his Russian captor he was being treated 'okay'. He said: "I have food here, water, a toilet." Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted his war in Ukraine to last just days and end with the toppling of its pro-Western government.

However, the war entered its third month last week as Russia continued to batter the southern port city of Mariupol and launched fresh attacks throughout the Donbas region.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi: An under-construction building collapsed at Satya Niketan area in New Delhi, Monday, April 25, 2022. Five labourers feared to be trapped, according to Delhi Fire Service. (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: NDRF team during a rescue operation after an under-construction building collapsed at Satya Niketan area in New Delhi, Monday, April 25, 2022. Five labourers feared to be trapped, according to Delhi Fire Service. (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, April 25 : Two people died while four sustained injuries after a three-storey building collapsed in South West Delhi on Monday afternoon, a police official said.

According to the official, a PCR call was received at 1.25 p.m. at the South Campus police station regarding the collapse of an under construction building at Satya Niketan. "On reaching the spot, the building was found collapsed and six people were stuck inside as per the information given by one of their co-workers," Deputy Commissioner of Police (south-west) Manoj C said. At the same time the Fire Department had also received the call about the incident, after which six fire tenders were immediately pressed into service.

"Renovation work was in progress in the three-storey building when the incident took place," Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg told IANS. One labourer, who was outside the building at the time of the incident, narrowly survived with injuries and was subsequently admitted to a hospital. A JCB crane was then deployed to clear the debris.

In a joint operation by the Delhi Police, the Delhi Fire Service and the National Disaster Response Force, five people who were trapped under the debris of the building were rescued and rushed to a hospital."Currently 4 people are under treatment and two have expired," the DCP informed. The rescue operation is now over.

The local people could be seen in numbers at some distance from the site of the incident, watching as the firefighters rescued the trapped labourers. The police set a perimeter to keep them away from the incident site. In a video shared by the Fire Department, a fireman could be seen handing over a water bottle, through a small hole in the debris, to the labourers trapped inside.

The incident comes a month after four people were injured when a portion of a house collapsed in the city's Anand Parbat area.
Islamabad, April 25 : Cuba's Ambassador to Pakistan, Zener Caro, on Monday called out Pakistan's Minister for Planning and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, for his "disrespectful" remarks on Cuba made during a press conference in Lahore on Sunday, Dawn reported.

At a media talk, Iqbal had said that Pakistan wanted to become a strong country for which it needed a strong economy and positioning with the global economy.

He said he did not want Pakistan to turn into Cuba or North Korea.

"We have to set Pakistan on the path of development like Malaysia, Turkey, China and South Korea," the minister said.

Responding to Iqbal's comments, Caro tweeted on Monday, "Fortunately, Minister Ahsan Iqbal's disrespectful mention of Cuba in his press conference in Lahore does not represent and has nothing to do with Pakistanis' true respect and deep affection for Cuba." Earlier, journalists and activists on Twitter had also criticised the minister for his remarks, recalling Cuba's support for Pakistan in tough times, Dawn reported.

Following the Cuban ambassador's tweet, the federal minister took to Twitter and clarified that his remarks were made "only in the context of foreign policy".

"We have deep respect for the people of Cuba and our deep affectionate relations with Cuba," Iqbal said, adding that Pakistan couldn't forget how Cuban doctors played a heroic role during the aftermath of 2005 earthquake in Pakistan.
New Delhi, April 25 : The Congress has finally given space to 'G-23' leaders, like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Manish Tewari, Anand Sharma, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and Mukul Wasnik in the committees formed to devise agenda for the party's 'Chintan Shivir' (brainstorming camp) to be held in Rajasthan next month.

Hooda, a former Haryana Chief Minister, will be heading the committee formed for the farmers which is going to be prime focus of the party in the upcoming elections, while Azad, a former Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, has been appointed a member in the political matters committee.

Former Union Ministers Sharma and Tewari will be members in the committee on economy, and Wasnik will be heading the committee on organisations.

The foremost important committee on political matters will be headed by Mallikarjun Kharge, the economic matters committee by P. Chidambaram, the committee on social justice will be headed by Salman Khurshid and that on youth and empowerment by new Punjab unit chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring. Former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot has been given prominence by being appointed a member of the cconomic committee.

The Congress on Monday said that it will hold a three-day brainstorming session -- 'Nav Sankalp Shivir' -- in Udaipur from May 13 and the focus would be the 2024 elections.

"Congress President has decided to convene the Chintan Shivir of the Indian National Congress 'Nav Sankalp' in Udaipur on May 13th, 14th and May 15, 2022. About 400 Congressmen and women from every state will participate.

"The focus of the deliberations will be on the current political and economic situation and the challenges they pose to our society. Issues relating to the welfare and well-being of kisans and khet mazdoors, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, religious and linguistic minorities, women, social justice and empowerment and youth will also be discussed in detail.

"In addition, matters relating to organisational restructuring and strengthening will also be examined," said the statement.

The Chintan Shivir will also deliberate on the broad strategy of the party for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Lviv, April 25 : Russian strikes have hit five railway stations in central and western Ukraine, BBC reported.

One of those hit was Krasne, east of Lviv. Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the Lviv region, has posted on his Telegram channel that a missile hit an electrical substation there.

Footage posted online shows a thick black plume of smoke rising from the site.

Authorities here have announced a number of Russian missile hits on western and central Ukrainian stations.

The head of the central Vinnytsia region has announced on Telegram that there are dead and wounded there, after strikes on Zhmerynka and Kozyatyn stations.

Serhiy Borzov did not say how many casualties there were but said the Russians were trying to hit "critical infrastructure", BBC reported.

Ukrainian railways have cancelled or diverted trains in the west and centre after the attacks.

Russia's timing to strike railways in the centre and west of Ukraine hours after the US secretary of state and defence secretary left Kyiv by train back to Poland is almost certainly designed to be another warning shot from Moscow, BBC reported.

Five stations were hit by missiles, including one in Krasne, near Lviv, where a facility handling the power supply to overhead lines was struck. There are reports of injuries. The railway lines are integral to Ukraine's war effort, moving troops and military hardware in and out of Poland, which is Nato's logistics hub.

Targeting the stations appears to be an attempt to degrade Kiev's military supply route.

But it's also chilling for the refugees who continue to use train lines to escape the renewed Russian offensive in the Donbas. The station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk was hit earlier this month, killing dozens fleeing, BBC reported.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Kolkata, April 25 : Before long, Kalimuddin Mollah could have been languishing behind the bars in an overcrowded Indian prison. Worse still, he could have been shot in a skirmish between smugglers and the Border Security Force (BSF) and lying dead close to the Indo-Bangladesh border.

On Sunday, realisation seems to have dawned on Mollah, a resident of Dharkanda village of Hakimpur, Swarupnagar in the North 24-Parganas of West Bengal. He walked up to Border Outpost Bhitari and surrendered before troops of the 112BN BSF, praying for pardon.

"Mollah was wanted in several cases of Phensedyl smuggling from India to Bangladesh. After the BSF tightened the screws, he realised that a life of crime would no longer pay along the International Boundary (IB) with Bangladesh. With no earnings, he decided to return to the mainstream and earn a living the honest way. This was a major success for the BSF that has been relentlessly working to curb smuggling along the IB in the North 24-Parganas district of West Bengal. This used to be a hotbed of smuggling of cattle, gold, silver, narcotics and Phensedyl.

"Nowadays, due to greater surveillance and adoption of modern border management techniques by the BSF, several routes have been plugged. Smuggling is no longer viable and people like Mollah are trying to get back to normal life," a senior BSF official of the South Bengal Frontier said.

During the surrender, Mollah signed a confessional statement in which he admitted that he had been involved in the smuggling of Phensedyl. He stated that he will no longer get involved in any crime and lead the life of an honest citizen of the country.

Copies of this statement have been submitted to the local police station and authorities of the Block. Arvind Meena, company commander, BOP Bhitari and Bajlu Rahman Dafadar, member, Hakimpur Gram Panchayat, were present during the surrender.

Narayan Chand, CO, 112Bn BSF, welcomed this move and urged other smugglers to give up their lives of crime and return to the mainstream.

"We shall do our best to help them. Smugglers should realise that the BSF has taken stringent measures to prevent all sorts of crime along the IB. We know that many smugglers are returning to the mainstream. This is encouraging," he said.

While all this was going on, a villager from the Nadia district of West Bengal was nabbed by the BSF while attempting to smuggle out 17 kinds of medicines and 550 grams of silver ornaments to Bangladesh.

Zakir Ali Mandal (42) of Matiyari village confessed that he was to receive a meagre Rs 200 for his services. He had allegedly been given the items by Saddam Mandal and Namaz Mandal of Matiyari to take to the gate of the border fence. He claimed before troops of the 54Bn BSF at Matiyari BOP that he is a farmer but got attracted due to easy money.

"This attraction for easy money gets people into a lot of trouble. The BSF has clamped down on all activities of smuggling along the IB. We know that people involved in smuggling are facing a lot of trouble now due to the strict measures adopted by the BSF. Let them return to the mainstream and start making an honest living. We shall help them in any way we can," said Deshraj Singh, CO, 54Bn BSF.
New Delhi, April 25 : To stop Russian aggression in Ukraine, the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen, on Monday urged the international community to support efforts for lasting peace through imposition of sanctions on Russia for long period.

During the Raisina Dialogue here, Leyen said what happens in Ukraine will have an impact on the Indo- Pacific.

"In many ways, it already has. We, therefore, want a targeted vision for a free, resilient, prosperous, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region," she said.

She said that images coming from Ukraine have shocked the whole world.

"Two weeks ago, I visited Bucha, the suburb of Kiev which was devastated by Russian troops. I saw with my own eyes the bodies lined up on the ground. I saw the mass graves. I listened to the survivors of atrocious crimes. The crimes the soldiers committed," she said.

She also saw the scars of bombed schools, residences, houses and hospitals.

"These are severe violations of international law... Killing innocent civilians, redrawing borders by force, subjugating the world of a free people. This goes against the core principal enshrined in the UN charter," she said.

Leyen further pointed out that in Europe, they see the Russian aggression as a direct threat to security.

"We will make sure that the unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine will be a strategic failure. This is why we are doing all we can to help Ukraine fight for its freedom," she said.

She said that this is the reason why we need imposed massive short and effective sanctions.

"Sanctions are not standalone solutions. We have designed the sanctions in a way so that they sustain over a long period of time. We urge all the members of the international community to support our efforts for lasting peace," she said.

She further stated that if considered, what it means for Europe and Asia is that Russia and China have forged seemingly unrestrained pact and have declared that the friendship between them have no limit.

"There are no forbidden areas of cooperation. This was in February this year and then invasion of Ukraine followed," she said.

Earlier in the day, Leyen met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed a wide range of regional and global issues and agreed to establish an EU-India Trade and Technology Council.

"We reviewed the full range of India-EU ties, including economic and cultural linkages," Modi said.

After the meeting, Leyen said that strengthening the EU and India partnership is a key priority for this decade.

"We will step up cooperation in trade, technology and security," she said.

Leyen arrived in India for a two-day official visit on Sunday to strengthen India-EU strategic partnership. This is her first visit to India as the President of the European Commission.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, April 25 : Delhi Police on Monday filed a 762-page charge sheet against 21 people, including 12 women, in the horrific sexual assault case of a 20-year-old woman in the capital's Shahdara area.

The incident, that sent chills down the spine of the people, occurred on January 26 when the victim was allegedly attacked by a group of people, including women, who chopped off her hair, tore her clothes, blackened her face, and then paraded her on the streets of Shahdara area wearing a garland of slippers.

Apart from extreme humiliation, the woman was also allegedly gangraped.

The charge sheet has been filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including attempt to murder, dacoity, kidnapping, gang rape, assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and otherse. Section 201 (Causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) has been slapped against an auto-driver.

Of the 21 accused, 5 are juveniles - two girls and three boys. Of the other 16, 12 are women. The charge sheet was filed with the help of 48 witnesses that include public, police and doctors.
Chennai, April 25 : The YouTube videos of a Tamil Nadu government school mathematics teacher, Tamil Selvan have become a major hit among students of Classes X, XI and XII.

Students who are stuck with problems in mathematics avail of the YouTube videos of Tamil Selvan and find solutions.

The maths teacher told IANS, "I am a postgraduate in mathematics and have been teaching in government school, Kalapatti. After my school hours,I teach the concepts of maths interactively in the Tamil language in YouTube vidoes." He said that earlier it was tough for him to explain the concepts during the lockdown period in the online mode, but when he commenced uploading videos on YouTube, things became easier.

Sukanya, a class XI student of the Kalapatti school, told IANS, "The YouTube videos are awesome. They are in Tamil language and the concepts are explained in detail by Tamil Selvan Sir. Whenever I get doubts, I refer to YouTube and get answers. This revision exam I got 92 percent in mathematics, thanks to him." The teacher said that his YouTube videos have more than 13000 subscribers and students from all schools are viewing his videos. He clarified that he has not monetized the videos and he was clear that this was only a service to the student community and not for monetary purposes.

Tamil Selvan said, "I have uploaded more than 300 videos and students have commented to me that this is very helpful to them. I am thankful that the students are getting hold of the concepts of mathematics through my YouTube videos." He said that he would be uploading more than 1150 videos on the concepts and mathematical problems in the days to come and will try to reach out to more students across the state.

K. R. Kannan, a senior officer with the education department, told IANS, "The initiative is excellent and Tamil Selvan explaining mathematics in the Tamil language will help students understand the concepts well. The 13000 subscriber base is indeed clear proof that his YouTube videos have become a hit among the students. The department is contemplating supporting him and other teachers who can provide support to students in other subjects also in a simple manner."
New Delhi, April 25 : "Kashmiri food is more than Wazwan, and both Muslim and Pandit cuisines of the region need due recognition," says celebrity Sanjay Raina, who is on a mission to change traditional perceptions about Kashmiri food and its preparation.

A name to reckon with when it comes to the business of food -- be it as a restaurateur, a hotelier or an award-winning celebrity chef -- Raina's labour of love is to provide the finest quality home-cooked Kashmiri cuisine and make it available across the country without ever having to compromise on quality and taste.

"It has taken me a few years to put Pandit cuisine on the map... It took a lot of information sharing, educating customers and social media posts to achieve this. I feel vegetarians always feel short changed when it comes to eating out, so I have tried to change this.

"Whether it's at our restaurant, or food festivals or catering, the vegetarian components are as important as any other dish. With Kashmiri Pandit cuisine, I get the opportunity to highlight vegetarian options and really make them shine," states Raina.

The chef's culinary skills were shaped at the Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, New Delhi. Born and brought up in Srinagar, Raina is a self-confessed 'ambassador of Kashmiri cuisine'.

Quick to understand market dynamics, Raina notes that people now want to eat and explore regional cuisine; they're happy to have 'Nadru Yakhini' and 'Haak Saag' or try traditional lotus stem fritters.

Raina goes on to clear the misconception that Kashmiri food should be avoided in summers, clarifying, "When you think of Kashmiri food, you think of spices and oil. But think about it, Punjabi food like butter chicken is rich with cream and cashew nuts but it's eaten all year round.

"Kashmiris all over the world eat their food daily, so there is no such thing that it should be avoided in a particular season. Kashmiri food is unique, and the spices are local to the region, so the fennel powder or red chilli used in our food comes directly from Srinagar and is customised to meet specific requirements." Being optimistic about the restaurant industry, which was one of the worst hit during the pandemic, Raina states, "I hope the worst is behind us, but it gave us an opportunity to learn a lot. The business of food really evolved during that time and what we learnt will see us through the coming years." To take patrons on a delectable journey, the chef is hosting 'Paradise on a Platter', a food festival at Four Points by Sheraton, New Delhi, from April 27-30, a must try for all food lovers.
Panaji, April 25 : Days after unknown persons created a fake ID of Goa Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai and sent messages to various journalists seeking money, the Raj Bhavan on Monday has urged people who have been targetted by the scamsters to be cautious.

"The Governor's Secretariat has already filed a complaint with the Goa Police and the Crime Branch of Goa Police is investigating the matter. It is learnt that the impersonator has sent such WhatsApp messages to several journalists and VIPs," it said in a statement.

"Any persons who have received such messages are requested not to pay any heed and inform the police," it added.

The Crime Branch already started a probe last week after a person claiming to be Pillai had sent WhatsApp messages to several journalists, requesting urgent payment via Google or Amazon Pay.

In July last year, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's Facebook account too was cloned and requests for money via UPI were sent to several persons across Goa.

In November, unknown persons also tried to phish Sawant's bank details when the Chief Minister was on an official visit to Delhi.

"I was also surprised by this. I was wondering why? I flipped open my purse and even pulled out my Aadhar card, then it suddenly occurred to me, why should I share my Aadhar card number, let my account be frozen. No issues. So I did not share my Aadhar card number," the Chief Minister had said then.
Chennai, April 25 : Indian atomic power plant major, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) has approached the Supreme Court, seeking time till July 2026 for construction of the spent fuel facility or the Away From Reactor (AFR) for Units 1 and 2 at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu, said an anti-nuclear power activist, who is seeking withdrawal of consent for the subsequent units.

He also said that the NPCIL has sought Supreme Court's permission to store the spent fuel of functioning Units 1 and 2 in the AFR of Units 3 and 4 which is under construction, if for any reason beyond its control, it is not able to build separate AFR for the first two units.

Presently, the spent fuel of the two units is stored in the Spent Fuel Pools (SFP) located near the reactors with a capacity to store fuel equivalent to seven years of full power operation plus one core load.

G. Sundarrajan of Poovulagin Nanbargal, had waged a legal battle against the setting up of the nuclear power plants in Kudankulam, by the NPCIL.

He said, as per the Supreme Court's earlier orders, the NPCIL has to complete the construction of AFR by April 30, 2022 to store the spent fuel from Units 1 and 2.

"The public hearing for the setting up of the AFR for the first and second units is yet to be held," Sundarrajan said.

As regards the Units 3 and 4, the AFR was part of the overall power plant and got the environmental nod and hence, there is no need for public hearing.

Sundarrajan said the NPCIL has told the apex court that the spent fuel of Unit 1 can be stored in the SFP till 2026 and that of Unit 2 till 2028, the need for AFR will arise only in 2026.

The NPCIL has told the Supreme Court that by 2026, the AFRs for Units 1-4 would be ready. If there is any delay, then the power generation in the first two units will be stopped, Sundarrajan added.

Given this situation, Sundarrajan said the Tamil Nadu government should suspend the consent given by the state pollution control board to NPCIL to build the third and fourth atomic power reactors at Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district.

The NPCIL has two functioning 1,000 MW plants (Units 1 and 2) at Kudankulam, while four more are under construction (Units 3, 4, 5 and 6).

The first Unit was commissioned in 2013 and the second in 2016.

All the six units are built with Russian technology and equipment supplied by that country's integrated nuclear power operator, Rosatom.

Rosatom has already started supplying equipment for Units 3-6.
Hyderabad, April 25 : The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 3.129 kg of heroin, valued at approximately Rs 21.9 crore, from a Malawian woman at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here, officials said on Monday.

The seizure and arrest was made on Sunday. The Malawian national was travelling on a business visa by Qatar Airways from Nairobi to Hyderabad via Doha.

Acting on a specific intelligence input, sleuths of DRI, Hyderabad Zone intercepted her for checking. The contraband was found concealed in her trolley bag.

"Thorough examination of her checked-in baggage (trolley bag) by the DRI officers revealed a concealment of 3.129 kg of heroin, valued at approximately Rs 21.90 crore in the international grey market," the DRI said.

The contraband was tightly packed in two polythene covers and was ingeniously concealed in a specially created false bottom, at the base of the trolley bag.

The passenger was arrested by the DRI and produced before a court, which sent her to judicial custody. Further investigation is underway, the DRI said.
China's National Meteorological Center on Sunday renewed a blue alert for rainstorms in various parts of the country.

From Sunday night to Monday night, heavy rains are expected to lash parts of Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guizhou and Guangxi, with some areas experiencing up to 150 millimeters of rainfall.

Some regions are likely to encounter over 80 millimeters of hourly precipitation, accompanied by thunderstorms, gales and hail.

The center has advised local governments to make preparations for the rainstorms. Schools and kindergartens have been asked to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of children, and drivers have been alerted to watch out for flooding and traffic jams.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.




New Delhi, April 25 : An unclaimed toy lying on a roadside in south Delhi briefly triggered panic in the area on Monday evening, police said.

"We received a call around 6 p.m. regarding a bomb being planted at Jhandu Park, Mohammadpur, RK Puram," a Fire Department official said, adding that one fire tender was immediately pressed into service.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Southwest, Manoj C., however, told IANS that no explosives were found. "It just seems like an old toy of a round shape," he said, denying reports that a hand-grenade was found from the spot.

"We are still examining it," he said.

Meanwhile, the police personnel have cordoned off the area and a bomb disposal squad was called to examine the toy.
New Delhi, April 25 : In the latest development in connection with cattle smuggling through the Indo-Bangladesh border, involving Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said that it has arrested Satish Kumar, ex-commandment, 36 Battalion, BSF, for his alleged involvement in the matter.

The ED said that Kumar received Rs 12.8 crore as Proceeds of Crime (POC) from Md Enamul Haque in the accounts of his wife and father-in-law. This money was further laundered by purchasing immovable properties and investing in mutual funds.

He was produced before the Rouse Avenue Court here which remanded him to ED custody for 3 days.

This is the second arrest in this matter. Earlier, accused Md. Enamul Haque was arrested on February 18 and later remanded to judicial custody.

The ED had on April 16, filed a prosecution complaint (chargesheet) in this respect before the Rouse Avenue Court.

The ED filed the prosecution complaint against Md. Enamul Haque, Vinay Mishra and Vikas Mishra and three private firms, Hoque Industries Pvt. Ltd., Hoque Mercantile Pvt. Ltd and Anant Tradecom Pvt. Ltd.

In September 2020, the CBI lodged an FIR against Satish Kumar, Md. Enamul Haque, Md. Anarul SK, Md. Golam Mustafa and other officials of the BSF and the Customs and unknown persons under sections 120B of the IPC, Section 7, 11 & 12 of the PC Act accusing them of smuggling cattle through the Indo-Bangladesh border. The ED initiated a money laundering probe on the basis of the CBI's FIR.

In November 2020, Enamul was placed under arrest by the CBI. He was accused of bribing BSF officials to keep his cattle smuggling business running. The CBI chargesheeted Haque accusing him of being the kingpin in the cross-border smuggling racket.

The CBI had learnt during its investigation that Haque had allegedly been running a hawala racket worth Rs 1000 crore. He was paying fat bribes to BSF officials; one of the officials was also arrested by the federal probe agency.

TMC leader Vinay Mishra and his brother Vikas Mishra are also involved in the matter. In March 2021, the Enforcement Directorate had arrested Vikas and attached the property of Vinay.

It had been alleged that they had been receiving money from Enamul Haque through the hawala channel.

During the course of investigation in this PMLA case, 24 searches have been conducted so far. Till date properties worth more than Rs 18.5 crore has been attached.

Further investigation in the matter is on.
Srinagar, April 25 : A man collecting funds in the name of banned Jamaat-e-Islami J&K was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, officials said on Monday.

Police said acting on a specific information about collection of money in the name of banned organisation in Baramulla town, Baramulla police and army's 46 RR arrested one person, identified as Mohd Amin Ganie, resident of Microwave colony, Kanlibagh, Baramulla, going around on a two-wheeler.

"Three receipt books of Jamaat-e-Islami, one mobile phone and Rs 15,900 in cash, which was collected by him from the general public in the name of banned organization JeI, was recovered," police said.

Police said during further investigation, a search was also carried out at his house at Kanlibagh from where two JK Bank passbooks, three cheque books and a blank booklet of the banned group was recovered.

Police have registered a case and investigations have been taken started.
Mumbai, April 25 : The Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed a plea filed by independent MP-MLA couple Navneet Rana and her husband Ravi Rana, respectively, seeking to quash the second of two FIRs registered against them for resisting arrest on Saturday after a huge row over their plans to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside the private home of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

A division bench of Justice P. B. Varale and Justice S. M. Modak also observed that there was considerable merit in the submissions made by Special Public Prosecutor Pradip Gharat.

The judges upheld his contention on the FIR pertaining to chant religious verses near the personal home of the CM since such an act at the residence of another person or at a public place is a breach of personal liberty of the other person, and the Maharashtra government was justified in its apprehensions that it could lead to a law and order situation in Mumbai.

"Persons in public life are expected to act responsibly. With great power comes great responsibility... that those who are active in public life are expected to act responsibly is not an extra but a basic expectation," the court said in its strong observations while dismissing the Rana couple's plea.

The judges said that in case the state government wanted to initiate action against the Ranas under the second FIR, then they would give 72 hours notice to the petitioners (Ranas) before initiating any such measures.

The Ranas' lawyer Rizwan Merchant said that after they receive the 72-hour notice from the police, they would decide their further course of action, and moved sessions court for bail.

After two days of high political drama, police in suburban Mumbai's Khar booked and arrested the Rana couple on Saturday under Indian Penal Code Section's 153 (A) (promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion race, etc), and the stringent IPC Section 124 (A), pertaining to sedition.

The Mumbai Police also filed a second FIR around 2 a.m. on Sunday, against the Ranas invoking IPC's Section 353 for alleged assault of a public servant and obstructing public servant from discharging their official duties.

Merchant argued that the second FIR was "an abuse" of the legal process and the subsequent addition of the offence of sedition was unsustainable.

SPP Gharat countered this, saying that the second FIR was registered for a separate offence relating to obstructing police from discharging their duties, for which the court has granted relief to the extent of serving the Ranas a 72-hour notice for any action.

On Saturday, the Ranas were served with a notice under Bombay Police Act's Section 149, requesting them to refrain from carrying out their plans, but they did not heed, after which they were detained and arrested that evening.

SPP Gharat said that despite the notice, the Ranas continued to give media and online interviews, creating apprehensions in society, and their statements posing a serious threat to the law and order situation after which the action was taken against them.

Later, amid high drama at their Khar home, the Rana couple was arrested on Saturday evening and produced before a Bandra holiday Magistrate Court which remanded them to 14 days' judicial custody while posting their bail plea for hearing on April 29.

Through her lawyer, Navneet Rana has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla about alleged harassment by the police, even as the couple moved a bail plea before the Sessions Court which is likely to be heard on Tuesday.

Later, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis alleged that in police custody, she was mistreated, abused, subjected to casteist slurs, and even denied water or permission to go to the washroom.

However, Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil denied the allegations as totally "baseless".
Bengaluru, April 25 : With Akshaya Tritiya round the corner, Hindu outfits in Karnataka have urged people not to purchase gold from jewellery shops owned by Muslims on the day of the festival.

Akshaya Tritiya is a Hindu festival which is believed to bring good luck, and people believe that buying gold on this day will turn their fortunes. The festival will be celebrated on May 3.

However, the auspicious occasion has been given a communal tone this time with Hindu outfits urging people not to make any purchase from jewellery shops owned by Muslims. Posts and messages to this effect have gone viral on social media.

Pramod Muthalik, founder of Sri Ram Sena, said on Monday that people should make purchases only from shops owned by Hindus on Akshaya Tritiya.

"The money which you pay for gold jewelleries at Muslim shops will reach organisations working against Hindus. The money will find its way to organisations based out of Kerala, where scores of Hindus have been killed by fundamentalist groups. Your money will help them commit more atrocities on Hindus in Kerala," he said.

T.A. Sharavana, the President of Karnataka Jewellers Association, said that the statements are being made to create unrest in the society.

"It should be left to the discretion of the customer to make purchase of their choice," he said.

According to sources, about 30 per cent of gold merchants in Karnataka are Muslims and in Bengaluru, 50 per cent of reputed gold jewellery shops are owned by Muslims. The shops have already started making attractive offers for the upcoming festival.

The state government is yet to react to the development.
New Delhi, April 25 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Monday described the Congress as leaderless and directionless and claimed that the people of his state will never accept the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) either. He added that his government is contemplating to implement the Uniform Civil Code in the state and a study is also being carried out in this regard.

On Sunday, Thakur while speaking with IANS, answered several important questions on issues like the state's political situation, preparations for Assembly elections, political attack by the AAP, challenges faced by the Congress and implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in the state.

Q: Since Himachal Pradesh will go to the polls soon and no government has been voted to power for two consecutive times here, do you think this jinx will be broken this time? A: It is true that after 1985, no government has been voted to power twice in a row, in this state, but this time, we will break the jinx. There was a similar custom in all the five states were polls concluded recently. But the BJP was then voted to power for the second consecutive term in Uttarakhand.

After almost 37 years in Uttar Pradesh, a government has been repeated. That's why the custom has changed and this change is not only restricted to Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa, but all over India. Hence, the BJP government will win the elections in Himachal Pradesh again.

Q: Till now, the main contest here has been between the BJP and the Congress, but this time the AAP is also competing as Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal has been visiting Himachal Pradesh frequently.

A: See, Himachal Pradesh has never accepted any third option, so there's no room for doubt here. They are trying to prove their presence in the state but they will not get any success. The people of Himachal will not accept AAP's strategies of making offensive comments and unparliamentary allegations about others. No matter what he says, there's no place for him in Himachal Pradesh.

Q: However, Arvind Kejriwal is constantly targeting your government. They are even saying that you have copied their political roadmap? A: It is not that he only considers himself intelligent, he deserves to believe that no one else has that much brains. The schemes that we are running in the state are not from today but for years we have included new things in some of the schemes. He (Kejriwal) should understand that BJP is the biggest party not only in the country but in the world. We have the leadership of visionary Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and National President JP Nadda. We don't need to copy anyone.

Q: How big a challenge do you consider the Congress to be? Can Prashant Kishor also play a big role in deciding the election strategy of the Congress? A: Naturally, the Congress is the oldest party in the country and has been in power in the state for years but at present it has become a leaderless and directionless party. As far as Prashant Kishor is concerned, he is only advising the Congress, but we have a strong organisational structure and a strong leadership at the central level. Our Prime Minister is Narendra Modi and our party's national President is JP Nadda, who is from Himachal and we have also the support of Amit Shah. Due to these reasons, a strong BJP government will be formed in the state.

Q: The BJP had three core agendas: Article 370, construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya and Uniform Civil Code. Article 370 has been removed from Kashmir, the work on the construction of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya is going on and many states with the BJP government are also considering the Uniform Civil Code. What do you think about this in Himachal Pradesh? A: This is a good decision (a step taken by some BJP state governments), it has sent a message in a good direction. The state government is contemplating, studying to implement Uniform Civil Code in Himachal Pradesh also. We have asked the officials to examine what kind of law can be brought in the context of Himachal Pradesh. We don't want to take any hasty steps as we want to bring it to the state in a better way.

Q: You have been continuously claiming to form the government again in the state. But what do you have to say about anti-incumbency in the state? It is also being said that the party is going to cut the tickets of about 20 per cent of the MLAs? A: See, in the government, sometimes, due to various reasons, there can be slight disappointments or disagreements among the party workers or in the public. In this regard, the central leadership will conduct a survey, study according to the seat and after that, the party leadership will decide on ticket distribution. But I can say that there is no such period of anti-incumbency in Himachal Pradesh.

Q: Have you set any target regarding seats? A: I will only say that the BJP government will be formed again in Himachal Pradesh and it will be formed with a good majority.
New Delhi, April 25 : The attack on a Hanuman Jayanti procession in Delhi's Jahangirpuri on April 16 was pre-planned, and stones and bottles were arranged at rooftops in advance, a fact-finding team said in its report said on Monday.

The fact-finding was undertaken by the Group of Intellectuals and Academicians (GIA). The GIA describes itself as "a group of empowered Indian women, intellectuals & academicians working together to elevate the position of women in our society, committed to work in the service of the nation".

One of the key members of the group include Supreme Court advocate Monika Arora.

The report titled 'Jahangirpuri 2022: A Ticking Bomb of Illegal Immigrants, Encroachment, Demographic Stress, Radicalisation' said there was heavy assembly of crowds armed with stones, petrol bombs and swords waiting to attack the procession.

"The procession was enroute as planned and informed in advance that it will start at around 4.30 p.m. on April 16 from Jahangirpuri EE Prayas to Babu Jagjeevan Ram ED Block road to ITI road, BC road, G Block Kushal Chowk and will end at A-ONE auto market. The procession was accompanied by a tableaux," the GIA said in its report.

The report further stated that the layout of the area is such that there is a Masjid (Jama Masjid), and adjoining it, there are a few houses of the local Muslim community next to a bylane.

As soon as the procession neared the Masjid at C Block, Kushal Chowk, stones were pelted at the tableaux from the adjoining houses of the Masjid.

"The stone pelting widened with women, children and men from the adjoining houses near the Masjid premises joining in the attack. Within minutes, a crowd of local Muslim residents (including alleged Bangladeshi immigrants and Rohingyas) wielding swords, lathis, iron rods and some carrying pistols came out from the Kushal cinema bylane. There were chants of 'Allah hu Akbar'," the GIA report claimed.

"The Jahangirpuri violence was a pre-planned street rioting by Muslim residents along with Bangladeshis, Rohingyas (as informed by local residents) of the area against the Hanuman Jayanti procession. Unlike the fake news and misinformation campaign, there is no evidence of any attack on the local mosque by those involved in the procession. No flag was planted on any mosque in the area," the fact-finding team underlined in its report.

The report also raises the question about illegal encroachment in the area.

"This is a crime-prone area due to thriving encroachment and illegal trade. The local police have turned a blind eye to such activities despite constant complaints from the local residents. This area is a no-go zone and extremely unsafe for women," the report claimed.
New Delhi, April 25 : Preparing for the next general election in 2024, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has formed a four-member committee to draw up a strategy to win over 73,000 'weak' polling booths where the party has not performed well in the previous election.

The first meeting of the four-member committee was held on Monday in the national capital. The four members of the committee are BJP national vice presidents -- Baijayant Jay Panda and Dilip Ghosh, national general secretary C.T. Ravi and national president of SC morcha, Lal Singh Arya.

If required, more members will be included in the committee.

Ghosh told IANS that the BJP has failed to perform well in 73,000 booths out of 10.40 lakh polling booths across the country.

"Today four members of the 'Weak Booth Committee' met for the first time to draw the strategy to win these 73,000 polling booths in the next general election. The sole objective of this committee is to make party presence felt in the polling booth where it is weak. We discussed steps needed to take to win these polling booths. Our focus is to win these booths in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," Ghosh said.

The strategy drawn by the committee will be conveyed to the state unit and workers will be trained to reach out to the voters with the party ideology and development agenda of BJP government at centre and states.

Ghosh noted that there are many factors for the party's poor show in these 73,000 polling booths across the country.

"Most of these booths are in the states where BJP is not in power like West Bengal and some southern states. Some of these booths are minority dominated. We will work to win people's support in these weak booths across the country before the next Lok Sabha polls and it will help in improving our performance," Ghosh added.
New Delhi, April 25 : Amid heatwave and expectation of rising power demand, Union Power Minister R.K Singh and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw held a meeting here on Monday to discuss short term and long term strategies for dealing with the situation.

Power Secretary Alok Kumar, Coal Secretary A.K Jain and senior officials from Ministries of Power, Coal, and Railways were also present, while representatives from coal and power PSUs and Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra joined virtually.

Singh urged all stakeholders at the Centre and state level to work hand in hand for unhindered power supply. He urged the power gencos to own freight rakes under the Railways Ministry scheme to deal with logistic constraints in coal supply. Issues discussed included increasing operational efficiency for loading and unloading of coal, increasing percentage of rakes allotment for power sector, and other logistics issues.

The meeting comes in wake of reports that coal stock position at the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) supervised 173 power plants was lower than the prescribed level.

Media reports have suggested that coal inventories had dipped to the lowest since 2014 at the beginning of the financial year to nine days as against the Centre's mandated 24 days' worth of stocks.

The CEA daily coal report said last week that coal stock at 81 out of the 150 government owned power plants is low, on the other, the power demand has increased from 106.6 billion units (BU) in 2019 to 124.2 BU in 2021 to 132 BU in 2022.
New Delhi, April 25 : Of the less than 100 remaining Great Indian Bustard, yet another has died. It died of collision with a power line in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, the home territory of this large, fascinating bird.

Incidentally, the death of this "critically endangered" bird three days ago comes exactly a year after the Supreme Court had, in April 2021, directed the power firms and the government to lay underground wires for all new power projects in Rajasthan and go for diverters for existing lines.

However, both the government and the multiple agencies continued to fight their way out, prompting the apex court to recently give the power companies of Gujarat and Rajasthan a deadline of July 20. Incidentally, the majority of these projects are either solar power plants or wind power plants in these two states.

The Great Indian Bustard (GIB), or Ardeotis nigriceps, is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and as 'Critically Endangered' on the IUCN Red List and the National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016). A large bird of about 1 metre height, the GIB has a wing span of almost 2 metres with the adult weighing between 15-18 kg.

In 2018 count, there were only 150 GIBs left in the country, 122 of them in the Jaisalmer area in Rajasthan. The remaining 28 were sighted in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. However, wildlife conservationists have claimed that the number of GIBs is below 100 as of 2022 in the wild.

"Why are the power lines (still) coming up in Thar and Kutch, the last strongholds of the Great Indian Bustards? Ironically because of green power - the wind and solar. We must site these projects away from endangered bird habitat, consider de-centralised solar and at the earliest, take the existing lines underground," said Neha Sinha, a conservation biologist with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and author of a book "Wild and Wilful".

Earlier, hearing a case filed in 2019 by a conservationist, even the National Green Tribunal had on December 23, 2020 ordered all power transmission lines to go underground, especially for the then upcoming renewable power projects in identified habitats of the GIB in Rajasthan.

At that time, disposing of the case, it had also asked the Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry to install bird diverters on "existing solar and wind power lines." The Ministry had claimed that it was impressed upon by the Ministry of Renewable Energy that the main areas of conservation of GIB in western Rajasthan overlaps with one of the main renewable energy hubs of the country and ultimately, had submitted details of the major works done under the project 'Habitat Improvement and Conservation Breeding of Great Indian Bustard - an integrated approach'.

But with any considerable results and actions on the ground, the death of the latest GIB has led to further anger among the conservation circles.
New Delhi, April 25 : The Lanjigarh unit of Vedanta Limited, Indias premier producer of metallurgical grade alumina, has kickstarted a week-long health sensitisation campaign for local communities on World Malaria Day.

In line with the theme 'harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives', the company is reaching out to nearly 12,600 people residing in 28 villages of Lanjigarh in Odisha's Kalahandi district through rallies, public participation, intervention in schools, audio-visual messages, and more.

A hilly and forested area, nestled among mountains, the Lanjigarh block used to a malaria-prone area, the incidence of which has significantly reduced since Vedanta Aluminium joined forces with the Kalahandi district administration's efforts to eradicate the disease.

Looking at the lack of awareness about the disease and preventive measures among local residents, Vedanta Aluminium has been running an intensive Malaria Control Programme in the region. The programme aims to empower individuals and communities to protect themselves from malaria through grassroots level campaigns, and in the process save valuable lives.

To that end, the company is scaling up prevention and control measures along with sustained efforts for reliable case-detection through robust surveillance, sustained investments for better case management through testing, treating and tracking. Vedanta Aluminium's interventions have helped reduce the number of malaria positive cases in the region significantly.

Speaking about the programme, G.G. Pal, Dy CEO, Vedanta Limited, Lanjigarh, said, "We cannot let malaria be a barrier to the socio-economic development in the communities around us. With the belief that our future generations should be able to grow in a malaria-free world, Vedanta has been mobilizing resources to beat malaria by covering the last mile to reach the most vulnerable people. In this fight, we have deployed into action an entire ecosystem of levers, that includes the Vedanta Hospital, our Mobile Health Unit, community development officers, partners and community institutions." Appreciating the initiative, Kamlakant Barik, Secretary, Punaruthan Voluntary Organisation, the implementing partner for the malaria control programme, said, "Commemorating the World Malaria Day, Vedanta organised various programmes such as rally, drawing competition, demonstration of mosquito net use etc. at the Government Primary School in Raghunathpur to make school children and local communities aware about the disease. The company is committed to making Lanjigarh a malaria-free region and we are proud to partner with the company in such a cause." Vedanta Aluminium Business, a division of Vedanta Limited, is India's largest manufacturer of aluminium, producing half of India's aluminium, i.e., 1.97 million tonnes, in FY21.

It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. The company operates a 2 MTPA (million tonnes per annum) capacity alumina refinery in Lanjigarh since 2007 and an associated 90 MW captive power plant.

With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the 'Metal of the Future' for a greener tomorrow.
Hyderabad, April 25 : The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) may not give tickets to some MLAs in the next year's Assembly elections following a suggestion by election strategist Prashant Kishor based on a preliminary survey by his team.

During the two-day discussions with Chief Minister and TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao, the strategist is believed to have suggested that TRS field new faces in 20-25 per cent of constituencies where the voters are said to be unhappy with the performance of sitting MLAs.

PK, as Prashant Kishor is popularly known, had detailed discussions with Chief Minister KCR during his stay at the chief minister's official residence Pragati Bhavan on Saturday and Sunday.

They are believed to have discussed the TRS strategy for the upcoming Assembly polls. PK made certain suggestions based on a preliminary survey done by his team in all 119 constituencies.

The PK team had initially done a survey in 30 constituencies. The findings of the survey in remaining constituencies were shared by PK during the meeting with KCR.

TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, who also had a meeting PK, did not agree that most of TRS MLAs and MPs were facing anger from their constituents. He ruled out a total revamp.

"We would definitely make amends by making minor changes if required," he said.

PK has reportedly prepared a roadmap for TRS to achieve its goal of a hat-trick in Telangana. He told KCR that a three-cornered contest will help the ruling party as anti-establishment votes will split between the Congress and the BJP.

PK and KCR also exchanged views on how TRS can drive maximum political mileage by educating voters on BJP government at the Centre discriminating against Telangana during last eight years.

The TRS plans to take this message to every household.

TRS sources said from not fulfilling the commitments made in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014 to the refusal to procure paddy from the state, TRS will try to expose BJP before the people and thus counter the attempts by the saffron party to woo electorates with new promises.

Based on inputs given by PK, KCR is likely to give a clear message to the party cadres at the party plenary scheduled in Hyderabad on April 27 to mark 21st foundation day of the party.

At the general body meeting of the party to be attended by 3,000 leaders, KCR is likely to guide the leaders on how to bring the party back to power in the state.

The TRS chief is also likely to clear the air about TRS 'stand towards Congress. As the meeting with PK came at a time when he is planning to join Congress party, this triggered speculations that TRS may work with Congress in the ensuing elections.

KCR is likely to reiterate that TRS will remain equi-distance with both BJP and Congress.

KCR is understood to have made this clear to PK when the latter suggested that if all non-BJP parties come on a common platform they will have a better chance of defeating the saffron party at the Centre.

The TRS chief also discussed with PK his national ambitions. He has reportedly ruled out any pre-poll alliance of the proposed front of regional parties with the Congress.

The TRS on Sunday announced that it has signed a deal with the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) founded by PK. The party, however, claimed that PK has disassociated with I-PAC.

K.T. Rama Rao said I-PAC would complement the efforts of TRS by helping the party develop outsider perspective and in reaching out to voters especially in the age group of 18-30 through digital mediums of communication.

In 2018, TRS retained power by winning 88 seats in the 119-member Assembly. The ruling party's tally reached 100 with a dozen legislators from Congress party switching loyalties.
New Delhi, April 25 : Delhi on Monday reported marginal decline in fresh Covid cases, at 1,011 against 1,083 the previous day, as well as one more death, according to the Health Department bulletin.

The Covid positivity rate rose to 6.42 per cent, while the number of active cases in the city has risen to 4,168 - out of which, 3,067 are being treated in home isolation.

With 817 patients recovering in the last 24 hours, the total number of recoveries has gone to 18,45,551.

With the new cases and death, the cumulative caseload tally stands at 18,75,887 and the death toll at 26,168. The Covid fatality is 1.39 per cent, as per the bulletin.

The number of Covid containment zones stand at 670 in the city.

Meanwhile, a total of 15,742 new tests -- 13,529 RT-PCR and 2,213 Rapid Antigen - were conducted in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 3,77,05,789, while 8,979 vaccines were administered - 954 first doses, 2,520 second doses and 5,505 precaution doses. The total number of cumulative beneficiaries vaccinated so far stands at 3,31,83,143 according to the health bulletin.
Kiev, April 25 : US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that he hopes Russian losses in Ukraine will deter its leadership from repeating its actions elsewhere, BBC reported.

Ukraine can still win the war if given the right support, he added.

He also announced that the US would allocate an extra $713 million of military aid to Ukraine and other European nations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the West of attempting to "split the Russian society and destroy Russia from within".

Austin, a retired four-star general, was speaking after meeting Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev. Also involving Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the visit marked the highest-level trip to Ukraine by US officials since the invasion began over two months ago, BBC reported.

The meeting between the US and Ukrainian parties, which ran for over three hours, came as Russia escalates its military campaign in the south and east of the country.

At a news conference in Poland after the visit, Austin told reporters that the US wants to see "Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done by invading Ukraine".

The Pentagon chief added that US officials still believed Ukraine could win the conflict with "the right equipment" and the "right support".

Austin's comments calling for a weakened Russia were unusually strong for a US Defence Secretary.

It is one thing to help Ukraine resist Russian aggression, it is quite another to speak of weakening Russia's capabilities, he said, BBC reported.

Putin's accusations of the West attempting to "destroy Russia", made during a speech on Monday, appeared to be in response to Austin's comments.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, April 25 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has planned a big outreach programme on the third anniversary of the second term of the Narendra Modi government.

A team of senior leaders including Union Minister Anurag Thakur met on Monday to discuss the programme at party national headquarters here.

A committee has been formed by the BJP for the purpose.

Union ministers Thakur and Rajeev Chandrashekhar, BJP general secretaries Arun Singh, C.T. Ravi and D. Purandareswari and chief spokesperson Anil Baluni, Member of Parliament Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Rajdeep Roy and Aparajita Sarangi besides other party leaders Shiv Prakash and Lal Singh Arya are part of the committee.

The committee is expected to draw plans for the celebration by May 5.

The Covid outbreak in 2020 ruled out any major celebration and public programmes during the first two anniversaries of the second term of Modi government.

A party source said that as of now, a draft has been prepared, and the list of programmes and activities will be finalised in the coming days to highlight various achievements of the government.

Prime Minister Modi took oath for the second term on May 30, 2019.

In his second term, several of BJP's core ideological issues including the removal of Article 370 and the starting construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya has been fulfilled.

With the Covid situation under control despite a recent spike in its numbers in a few states, the ruling party hopes that it can finally mark the government's eighth anniversary, including Modi's first term, at a much grander scale.
London, April 25 : UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson lashed out at the Tory MP who likened Angela Rayner to Sharon Stone in 'Basic Instinct' on Monday, saying whoever was behind the 'sexist, misogynist tripe' would suffer 'the terrors of the earth' if identified, Daily Mail reported.

The UK Prime Minister lashed out amid controversy over the anonymous Conservative backbencher who accused Labour's deputy leader of putting the PM off at Prime Minister's Questions by crossing and uncrossing her legs.

A Conservative MP suggested Rayner likes to distract the Prime Minister when he is at the despatch box by deploying a Parliamentary equivalent of Sharon Stone's police interview scene in the 1992 erotic thriller, Daily Mail reported.

They said Rayner "knows she can't compete with Boris' Oxford Union debating training, but she has other skills which he lacks".

On the election trail in Bury, Johnson was asked whether there was a cultural problem in the Parliament.

He told reporters: "It's hard to say on the basis of that particular story. But I have to say I thought it was the most appalling load of sexist, misogynist tripe.

"I immediately got in touch with Angela and we had a very friendly exchange. If we ever find who is responsible for it, I don't know what we will do, but they will be the terrors of the earth. It's totally intolerable, that kind of thing."
New Delhi, April 25 : Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Monday said that he hopes that his worst critics should remain on Twitter, amid reports that the board of the company has decided to accept his $46.5 billion takeover bid.

"I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means," he tweeted.

"And be my love in the rain," Musk added, posting from famous American poet Robert Frost's poem "A Line-storm Song".

The tweet indicated that Musk has won against the Twitter board.

His tweet came as reports surfaced that the company's board has decided to give in to his hostile takeover bid with his "best and final" offer at $54.20 per share.

The Washington Post reported, citing people close to the matter, that Twitter is in discussions to "sell itself to Elon Musk" and could "finalise a deal as soon as this week".

"The two sides met Sunday to discuss Musk's proposal and were making progress, though still had issues to hash out, the people said. There is no guarantee they will reach a deal," the report said.

The New York Times also reported that Twitter's board was seriously considering Musk's offer to buy the company.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO last month further revealed his Twitter takeover plan that will see $25.5 billion in loans and $21 billion in personal equity -- taking the final bid to $46.5 billion.
Chennai, April 25 : BJP workers protested in front of the Coimbatore Collectorate on Monday in protest against the removal of a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Vellalor panchayat office near here a few days ago.

The party workers raised slogans against Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and condemned the DMK government for having removed the photograph of the Prime Minister.

The protesters, led by the party's state treasurer S.R. Segar and Coimbatore south district vice-president K. Vasantharajan, demanded that the photograph of the Prime Minister is reinstated in the panchayat office. The BJP workers also demanded action against DMK councilor Kanagaraj and party worker Kannan.

Vasantharajan in his petition demanded the Coimbatore district collector to install photograph of the Prime Minister in all panchayat offices in the district. He said that otherwise the district administration must grant permission to the BJP to install the photograph of the Prime Minister in all panchayat offices.

The BJP leader said that the district administration must initiate action against DMK councilor Kanagaraj and party worker Kannan for removing the photograph of the Prime Minister.

He said that the party had approached the town panchayat executive officer and only with his permission they had hung the photograph in the room. He said that it was removed and thrown away by the DMK councilor and party worker.
New Delhi, April 25 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the inaugural ceremony of the yearlong joint celebrations of the 90th anniversary of Sivagiri pilgrimage and golden jubilee of Brahma Vidhyalaya here on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister will also launch the logo for the joint celebrations. Both Sivagiri pilgrimage and Brahma Vidhyalaya were started with the blessing and guidance of great social reformer Shri Narayana Guru.

Sivagiri pilgrimage is held every year for three days from December 30 to January 1 at Sivagiri, Thiruvananthapuram.

"According to Narayana Guru, the aim of the pilgrimage should be the creation of comprehensive knowledge among the people and the pilgrimage should help in their overall development and prosperity. The pilgrimage, therefore, focuses on eight subjects viz education, cleanliness, piety, handicrafts, trade and commerce, agriculture, science & technology and organised endeavour," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

The pilgrimage started with a handful of devotees in 1933 but has now become one of the major events in south India. Every year, lakhs of devotees from all over the world visit Sivagiri to participate in the pilgrimage.

"Narayana Guru had also envisioned a place to teach the principles of all religions with equanimity and equal respect. The Brahma Vidyalayam of Sivagiri was set up to realise this vision. Brahma Vidyalaya offers a seven-year course on Indian philosophy, including the works of Narayana Guru and scriptures of all important religions of the world," the PMO added.
Jaipur, April 25 : The Rajasthan High Court on Monday issued notice to 18 Congress MLAs including former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, seeking their response on the petition filed by them challenging the notice of the Speaker issued under the anti-defection law during their rebellion against the state leadership.

Hearing the PR Meena vs Assembly Speaker case on Monday, the court issued notice, returnable by May 25, when it will next hear the matter to find out if the petition can be dismissed on the basis of conciliation.

Among the MLAs issued notice are five supports of Sachin Pilot who are now ministers - Vishvendra Singh, Ramesh Meena, Hemaram Chaudhary, Brijendra Ola, and Murarilal Meena.

During the rebellion of the Sachin Pilot camp, the Assembly Speaker had issued notice to the rebel MLAs under the anti-defection law, and P.R. Meena, on behalf of the Pilot camp, challenged that matter in the High Court.

During the hearing on Monday, it was argued on behalf of the party's advocate, Vimal Chaudhary, that all the MLAs have returned to the Congress and many of them have also become ministers again, so pursuing this case now is of no use.

As the high court asked the petitioners' side, but counsel Divyesh Maheshwari said that he did not have any instruction from his client, had contacted many times but did not get any response. In such a situation, the court itself should collect the answer by issuing notice to them, he said.

Thereupon, the high court has issued notice.

During the rebellion, the Pilot camp MLAs did not appear before the Speaker after his notice and challenged thise in the High Court in July 2020 and subsequently, the matter went to the Supreme Court too.

However in August 2020, Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot reconciled and the rebels returned to the party fold. However, the case remained pending in the high court but no one showed interest in taking it forward as the political situation had changed.
Bengaluru, April 25 : As the Bengaluru Tech Summit is approaching its Silver Jubilee Year, the state government has decided to raise the flagship tech event this year to international level, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.

Speaking to media persons after participating in the curtain raiser for 'Bengaluru Tech Summit 2022', Bommai said: "I had an interaction with entrepreneurs of various sectors as part of the preparations for the Bengaluru Tech Summit scheduled to be held in November." "I have received many suggestions pertaining to policies conducive to industrial growth, creating ideal ecosystem and technological aspects. They will be implemented," he said.

"Bengaluru Tech Summit will give a new dimension to the technology sector. Today's meeting is very successful. The government will give a boost to various industrial sectors in the coming days," he said.

"The state government is keen to develop Bengaluru as the number one Silicon City in the world. Action is being taken to improve the infrastructure in the outskirts of Bengaluru as well," Bommai said.
Amaravati, April 25 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has called for a national policy on natural farming.

Addressing the NITI Aayog virtual meet on Natural Farming on Monday, Reddy said that while there has been a quantitative increase in the production of food grains through the green revolution, there is a need for qualitative measurement to keep the society healthy by reducing the usage of synthetic chemicals in agriculture, in the present time.

Noting that it would take 3-5 years for farmers to follow the natural farming methods, Reddy emphasised on the need for a national policy for natural farming to ensure that more incentives are given to the farmers, thus facilitating their gradual and smooth transition.

He also spoke in favour of setting up mechanisms to reward states that are actively taking up natural farming.

"I request that states having larger areas in natural farming should be given higher weightage in finance commission recommendations. Since they are helping the country in climate change mitigation and carbon neutrality goals. Further, the syllabus in agriculture universities should include natural/organic farming in the curriculum. There is a need for systematic research for natural farming," said Jagan Mohan Reddy.

He also noted that funding for state governments transmitting into natural farming should be liberal and norms should be different. At present, the centrally sponsored schemes are at 60-40 ratio but I would strongly recommend it should be 90-10 at least, Reddy said.

Andhra Pradesh has enrolled 6.31 lakh farmers utilising natural farming techniques in 2021-22, covering 2.9 lakh hectare and these initiatives are being implemented through 3,009 out of 10,778 Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBK) in the state, the chief minister said.

"After seeing the efforts of Andhra Pradesh in natural farming, the German government has agreed to fund setting up Indo-German Global Centre for Agro-Ecology Research and Learning (IGGARL) and the project is in the final approval stage. The German government has agreed in principle to provide a grant of 20 million euros over a period of five years. Together, we have committed to set up world-class agro-ecological research and learning centre which would produce graduates and post-graduates to integrate scientific knowledge with natural farming," said the Chief Minister.
New Delhi, April 25 : Visiting Singaporean Minister Dr. Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman on Monday met Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur and discussed various issues related to digital media, youth exchanges and bilateral relations, an official statement said.

Dr Maliki, who is the Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, as well as the Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs, informed him about the regulatory framework of digital platforms and digital media in Singapore and Thakur, discussing India's version of regulations, told him that India has a three tier mechanism for regulation, an Information and Broadcasting Ministry statement said.

Thakur also apprised him of India's experiment with fact checking in form of a dedicated Fact Check Unit under Press Information Bureau and said that this is easily accessible to anyone on WhatsApp or email.

He also told Maliki that India was in its 75th year of independence and since Singapore got independence on August 9, 1965, both the countries could explore celebrating a week as India-Singapore Independence Week and this could include cultural and knowledge exchange, among other things.

"India is a country with a huge youth population with aspirations and I believe it is the actions taken by the youth today that will transform India for the next hundred years," Thakur said, and also informed the visiting dignitary about India's efforts to skill its young population through various skilling initiatives.

Dr Maliki also invited Thakur to pay a visit to Singapore.
Patna, April 25 : Bihar Education Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary on Monday objected to the change in the syllabus of the history of Class 10 and 12 of the Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE).

Chaudhary said that he has not seen the original notification regarding the change of syllabus in History subject. "If such a development has taken place, I would say the Bihar government will not change the syllabus of history," the JD-U leader said.

"We cannot ignore the history of our country and world. It helps us to rectify the mistakes by referring to the past incidents. For instance, the 1971 India Pakistan war was an important part of our history when then prime minister late Indira Gandhi took the decision... and Indian forces defeated Pakistan, a new country Bangladesh was created. If we remove it from our history, how would our coming generation learn about it," Chaudhary said.

"Similarly, the Mughal era of ruling our country is also a fact. We cannot ignore it. If we remove it from history, how could we learn from it? Such incidents are an integral part of our history which we cannot ignore. The Bihar government is not going to change any lesson from history," Chaudhary said.

Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav also said that the change in the syllabus of history was an "unfortunate" move by the Central government.

"The Narendra Modi government wants to impose RSS syllabus in the academic class and change the constitution. We strongly object to the move of the Centre," Yadav, an RJD leader, said.

Meanwhile, BJP leader and Cabinet Minister Jibesh Mishra said: "At present, the students are learning 'false history' which attributes to humiliation of the country. Now, the children will learn the original history of the country. We welcome the move of the Centre." According to the sources in CBSE, lessons like Non-Aligned Movement, history of Mughal Darbars, Cold War, rise of Islamic empire in Asian and African countries, Industrial Revolution etc have been changed on the recommendation of the education ministry (HRD ministry).
Itanagar, April 25 : Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday inaugurated a "Satellite Centre" of Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Shillong at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh kick-starting a venture in capacity building of administrative officers, especially in management skills and necessary policy interventions.

The "Satellite Centre" was set up following a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Arunachal Pradesh Government and the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Centre for Policy Research and Analysis, IIM Shillong.

This is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between IIM Shillong and any state government in the northeast region. Speaking on the occasion virtually from New Delhi, Pradhan congratulating IIM Shillong and Arunachal Pradesh Government, said it is a big step towards professionalism in governance and public delivery.

"With the expertise of a reputed institution like IIM Shillong capacity building of administrative officers will pave the way in successful governance bringing happiness to citizens, which is the objective of the government," he said.

Pradhan suggested that the Centre, in the long run, become a hub of learning and gaining skills that will eventually turn the youths from job seekers to job providers.

He said the new National Education Policy has been conceived and implemented to achieve these goals. As IIM Shillong has an important role in successful implementation of the policy, he expressed hope that this Satellite Centre will emerge as a boon for the process.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, was present at Tawang, expressed optimism that IIM Shillong will provide critical managerial interventions to help the State government in implementing its flagship projects as policy makers and administrators would be trained to improve efficiency and leadership skills.

"Through this collaboration we also expect training and entrepreneurship development programmes to promote the start-up ecosystem in the state. As a think tank to the government of Arunachal Pradesh, I am sure that IIM Shillong will provide quality inputs for a more inclusive sustainable development in the state," he said.

Khandu also suggested that in future, the Centre can also provide capacity building and training to officers of the Indian Army, paramilitary forces and central government agencies like Border Road Organisation to enhance their skills on working in Arunachal Pradesh.

"Not only officers, we also plan to provide training to our legislators in this centre," he added. The first training for deputy commissioner for five days began on Monday.

Local MLAs TseringTashi and Jambey Tashi, Shishir Kumar Bajoria, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIM Shillong, Prashant Lokhande, Director, IIM Shillong, DP Goyal, among others were present on the occasion.
New York, April 25 : Shares of Twitter, arguably the worlds most influential social media platform, jumped after the Wall Street Journal reported that the company is nearing a deal with Elon Musk, the worlds richest man, and that the announcement could come as soon as Monday night.

Earlier this month, Musk offered to buy Twitter for $54.20 a share, or about $43 billion. Twitter's board of directors met on Sunday to discuss Musk's financing plan.

The board negotiated with Musk into the early hours of Monday, The New York Times said.

Twitter shares fired up nearly 6 per cent in the afternoon, chiefly because of media speculation that the deal was expected after market close, if not sooner.

So far, the social media giant was expected to decline a deal, which includes Musk's plan to take it off the stock market.

So far, Twitter had adopted a so-called poison pill to fend off a potential hostile takeover. However, the company betrayed greater receptivity after Musk revealed he secured $46.5 billion in financing.

The company's board met on Sunday to discuss Musk's financing plan for his proposed bid, a source told CNBC.

Bloomberg and Reuters reported that the two sides could reach an agreement as soon as Monday.

It's unclear what a final deal could look like. As if to hedge its bets somewhat, Reuters also said that an agreement could still fall apart.

Twitter has not been able to secure a "go-shop" agreement yet, which would allow it to look for other bids once it signs an accord. The company could still accept another bid if Musk pays a break-up fee, Reuters said.

Wall Street was likely to view the news of Twitter's openness to a bid "as the beginning of the end for Twitter as a public company with Musk likely now on a path to acquire the company unless a second bidder comes into the mix", said a note by Wedbush analyst Dan Ives.

"I think they almost have to take the deal," CNBC's Jim Cramer said.

Twitter is set to report first-quarter earnings on Thursday.

"Locking a deal up today or tomorrow may sound pretty appealing for someone who knows they are in possession of bad news," a note by Gordon Haskett said.

Musk, who owns Tesla and SpaceX, built up more than 9 per cent in Twitter stock and turned down an offer to join the board before putting in a bid.

An avid Twitter user, Musk claims it needs to be "transformed" into a private company so it can become a forum for free speech.

He has also said that Twitter's board members' interests "are simply not aligned with shareholders" and that the board "owns almost no shares" of the company.

Consequent disarray is palpable. While welcoming Musk till the foray was limited to a single digit control of Twitter stock, CEO Parag Agarwal has gone off his own platform since the last 18 days.

On his part, co-founder (and former CEO) Jack Dorsey, whose Twitter bio states that he is a "romantic moron and 1/8 hippie", is no longer the CEO of Block (his not-so-famous venture once called Square) either.

"Titles like 'CEO' get in the way of doing the right thing. Respect to the people who ignore titles, and fight like hell for what is right," Dorsey had once tweeted.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, Block said Dorsey has changed his title to 'Block Head'.

Block updated its bylaws to reflect Dorsey's new role, removing the requirement to have an officer holding the titles of CEO and President.

Dorsey and Musk have sparred in multiple theatres. Titles is one of them.

In its filing some months back, Tesla had said Musk would henceforth be known as "Technoking" and Tesla CFO Zach Kirkhorn would be referred to as "Master of Coin".

(Nikhila Natarajan tracks Big Tech and tweets @byniknat)
Mumbai, April 26 : A clinical bowling performance after a fighting unbeaten 88 by seasoned opener Shikhar Dhawan helped Punjab Kings subdue Chennai Super Kings by 11 runs in Match 38 of IPL 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium here on Monday.

Dhawan carried his bat as he scored an unbeaten 88 off 59 deliveries, hitting 9 fours and 2 sixes and shared a 110-run partnership with Bhanuka Rajapaksa to guide Punjab Kings to a competitive 187/4 in 20 overs after being asked to bat first.

Kagiso Rabada (2/23), Rishi Dhawan (2/39) and Arshdeep Singh (1/23) bowled superbly as they denied Chennai Super Kings many chances in the last four overs.

Chennai Super Kings had reached a good position thanks to Ambati Rayudu, who blazed to 78 of 39 balls and had taken Chennai from 40/3 to a stage when they needed 47 off 24 deliveries. But Rabada cleaned up Rayudu with a superb yorker and Arshdeep bowled a superb 19th over, leaving Chennai Super Kings needing 27 off the final six deliveries.

Despite the presence of MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja, Chennai Super Kings fell short by 11 runs, ending up with 176/6 off their 20 overs.

This was their sixth defeat in eight matches and they remained in 9th place. Punjab Kings were placed sixth with eight points from eight matches.

Chasing a target of 188 set by Punjab Kings largely boosted by a brilliant 88 not out by Shikhar Dhawan, Chennai were in trouble soon Rayudu came in to bat with Chennai struggling at 40/3 and took them to safety with a blazing 78 off 39 balls, hitting seven fours and 6 sixes to raise hopes for a CSK victory. He raised 64 runs off 32 deliveries for the fifth wicket partnership.

But in the end, Jadeja (21 off 16 balls) could not guide his team to victory as from needing 47 off 24 balls, they reached a stage where they needed 27 off the last six deliveries with Jadeja and M.S Dhoni at the crease.

Dhoni struck Rishi Dhawan for a six off the first ball but was out off the third legal delivery and Jadeja could manage only a six and a single off the final two deliveries as CSK slumped to their sixth defeat in eight matches -- ending with 176/6 in 20 overs.

Chennai got off to a poor start and lost opener Robin Uthappa with 10 runs on the board, top-edging a length ball by Sandeep Sharma to Shikhar Dhawan. It soon became 40/3 as Mitchell Santner (9) and Shivam Dube (8) got out cheaply.

But just when it looked like they will suffer a collapse, Rayudu got together with the other opener, Ruturaj Gaikwad to pull them out of the woods. Both Rayudu and Gaikwad started cautiously but struck some fine boundaries on the right occasions to keep Chennai's hope alive.

They added 49 runs for the fourth wicket and just when it was looking like they will raise the tempo, Gaikwad, who despatched Rabada to the boundaries off successive deliveries in the first over, was out, caught by Mayank Agarwal while trying to hit Rabada for a second successive four in the 13th over.

Rayudu however, kept up the good work. He struck Sandeep Sharma for fours off successive deliveries as the bowler strayed on legs and blasted Rahul Charar for a four and a six in the 15th over before hammering Sandeep Sharma for 23 runs in the 16th over, blasting three sixes and a four.

He and skipper Ravindra Jadeja raised 64 runs for the fifth wicket in 32 balls, Rayudu doing the bulk of the scoring. He got out just when it looked he was good for a century, cleaned up by Rabada with a superb yorker backing away from the leg side but missing the ball completely to see his leg stump re-arranged. Rayudu's brilliant 78 off 39 balls left CSK needing 47 off 24 balls.

Shikhar Dhawan carried his bat through as he scored an unbeaten 88 off 59 deliveries, hitting 9 fours and 2 sixes as he helped Punjab Kings to 187/4 after they were asked to bat first by Chennai Super Kings skipper Ravindra Jadeja.

After he lost his opening partner and skipper Mayank Agarwal (18) with the score reading 37, Dhawan found a willing partner in Sri Lankan batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa as they raised 110 runs for the second wicket partnership off 71 deliveries, setting the platform for PBKS's late assault.

The former India opener despatched Mukesh Choudhary for two superb boundaries off successive deliveries and repeated the act a ball later, shuffling across the stumps and chipping away a delivery sent down the leg side as he completed his half-century in 37 deliveries, hitting five fours and one six.

He also struck Dwayne Bravo for two successive fours the first off a free-hit after the West Indian bowler landed the first delivery of his over outside the return crease outside off attempting to bowl a wide yorker. In the 19th over, the Delhi opener struck Pretorius for a neat four over short fine leg and also planted Bravo into the stands over the short leg-side boundary for a six, helping Punjab Kings to a good total.

Brief scores: Punjab Kings 187/4 in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 88 not out, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 42; Dwayne Bravo 2/42) beat Chennai Super Kings 176/6 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 30, Ambati Rayudu 78, Ravindra Jadeja 21 not out; Kagiso Rabada 2/23, Rishi Dhawan 2/39) by 11 runs.

Latest updates on IPL 2022

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Tehran, April 26 : Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh has said Iran does not recognise "unilateral sanctions" against Russia, official news agency IRNA reported.

As a country targeted with unilateral sanctions for many years, Iran cannot recognise such similar sanctions and embargoes against other countries, Khatibzadeh added on Monday at a weekly press conference.

Stressing that Iran is not a proponent of war, he urged dialogue and diplomacy to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Iranian Spokesman also said the US invaded Iraq "on the basis of a lie" but no country sanctioned Washington.

"The United States cannot be the police, the judge, the jury, and everything in the world," the Spokesman added.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
BGW Architects (Building Gods Way) is excited to announce the recent completion of its 1,000th ministry-based facility design. An industry leader in faith-based architecture, BGW has worked almost exclusively with churches and Christian schools nationally since 1998. During that time, BGW has helped ministry organizations across 47 U.S. states and 3 foreign countries to realize their God-given vision through innovative, stewardship-driven facility design.

Each of the 1,000 designs completed over the last 24+ years began with BGWs signature 3 day on-site charrette, a uniquely collaborative and cost effective design exercise that has become a distinctive element of the BGW approach. Included among these 1,000 projects are more than 830 churches and 170 Christian schools and colleges, representing a wide range of different faith denominations. From the first ministry design project for Lakeland Christian Academy in Winona Lake, Indiana to the 1,000th design that is currently being completed for New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Radcliff, Kentucky, BGWs focus has been on delivering the highest level of stewardship, God-honoring relationships and intentional ministry focus.

This is such a significant milestone for our firm, said Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer, Derek Johnson. Over the past 24 years since the founding of BGW, we have learned so much from each of our ministry clients that has helped us to become better architects along the way. We are so blessed to be able to work with organizations that share the same heart for the Kingdom. At BGW, it has always been and will always be about designing and building facilities that can become effective ministry tools in reaching people for Christ.

An employee-owned company headquartered in Ogden, Utah, BGW has experienced tremendous growth in the professional development of its staff in recent years, expanding from 2 licensed architects to 10, along with a staff of highly trained designers, drafters, project managers, as well as personnel in the areas of business development, accounting, and administration. In addition to its industry-leading design services, BGW is aligned with a nationwide network of faith-based contractors, as well as strategic partners in the areas of funding, strategic planning, building supplies and more.
Looking for a fun way to see San Francisco but still maintain some social distancing? Pile into an open-air, hyper-green, custom-built Jeep that takes you on a tour designed just for your group!

Named after parks in the Golden Gate Recreation Area (Point Reyes, Point Bonita and Lands End), this fleet of jaunty Jeeps is ready to take your group of six on the adventure of your choosing. Commandeered by an entertaining, knowledge guide, your Jeep will take you on one of four different tour routes that include off the beaten track destinations where larger tour vehicles dare not go (think Lombard Streets hairpin turns and the serpentine roads of the Marin Headlands).

San Francisco Jeep Tours owner Brian Huber conceived of these tours when the pandemic first hit in 2020. Post-pandemic travel has changed what today's travelers are looking for. Families and groups of friends want a unique private tour experience that can easily explore all of the city. The Jeeps are the perfect choice because theyre the only open-air convertible vehicle that can seat six guests. He says that as electric powered Jeeps become available, the fleet will be expanded and upgraded.

These tours range in duration from 2 hours to full day experiences. Jeep riders can customize any of the following itineraries: City Tours, Evening & Sunset Tours, Muir Giant Redwoods and Sausalito Tours, and Full Day Muir Woods and City Tours.

Every tour includes a memorable ride over the Golden Gate Bridge. Hotel pick-up/drop-off is available.

The Jeep experience was exactly what I hoped it would be: fun, safe and different, read one 5-star review on TripAdvisor. Fantastic experience! Our tour guide Susan mapped out the day perfectly, was fun and knowledgeable, and a very safe driver. We had an incredible day and A-plus weather, read another fans accolade. The best part was having a private tour geared towards our personal interests, raved another Jeep Tour patron.

Skip the crowds and book an unforgettable Jeep Tour of the City by the Bay!

About San Francisco Jeep Tours

San Francisco Jeep Tours builds upon our years of welcoming visitors and creating memorable experiences. Our amazing staff has been delivering top-rated, guided tours with the Electric Tour Company and Lucky Tuk Tuk Tours in San Francisco for more than 19 years.

The idea for this type of tour adventure started (mid-pandemic) in 2020. Guests told us they wanted a small, open-air vehicle for a private tour experience for their familiesand Jeeps are the perfect 6 passenger open-air vehicle to explore the Bay Area.

Fishermans Wharf Tour Office: 757 Beach Street San Francisco CA 94109
Based on the survey data we obtained from EIA, we developed our private 5G networks market size and market forecast for the US market, said Alex Besen, Founder and CEO of The Besen Group LLC. We estimate the serviceable addressable market (SAM) for private 5G networks market will reach to $3.2 Billion by 2026 in the US.

The private 5G market size and market forecast includes the following segments:

Warehouse/Storage, Office Space, Service, Mercantile, Public Assembly, Religious Worship, Education, Food Service, Hospitality, Healthcare, Food Sales, Public Order/Safety and Other.

The private 5G market size and market forecast includes the following data:

-Square Feet by Market Segment

-Small Cells by Market Segment

-Subscribers by Market Segment

-Devices by Market Segment

-Subscribers Revenue by Market Segment

-Devices Revenue by Market Segment

The Besen Group offers the market size and market forecast in PDF format on a corporate license basis.

The corporate license fee includes one hour telephone consultation with the senior wireless analyst to explain the methodology and assumptions.

The Besen Group can also develop customized market research based on its client requirements and target market segments.

For any questions or license information, please send an email with contact details including name, title, company name, phone number to research@thebesengroup.com.

The Besen Groups Private Networks Brochure contains an overview and our methodology and can be downloaded at:

http://www.thebesengroup.com/downloads/Private.Networks.Brochure.pdf.

About The Besen Group

The Besen Group is an international management consulting practice to the mobile industry headquartered in the Washington DC area, with representatives in Paris and Tokyo. Its mission is to provide mobile players with tools, knowledge, and services enabling them to perform optimally in their mobile environment. The Besen Groups competitive edge is based on practical experience with mobile operators, mobile vendors and a mobile data laboratory.
HSO, author of the aec360 business management suite, today announced that SmithGroup, one of the nations largest integrated design firms, has selected Microsoft Dynamics 365 and aec360 as the firms new cloud-based business management platform. The organizations will begin working together immediately to deploy an integrated marketing, business development, project management, accounting, and business intelligence platform based on the Microsoft cloud and aec360.

Founded in 1853, and with over 1,200 employees working out of 15 office locations, SmithGroups integrated practice offers depth in all disciplines serving the built and natural environment, including architecture, engineering, planning, landscape architecture and urban design. The firms experts develop solutions for healthcare providers, science and technology organizations, higher education and cultural institutions, urban environments, diverse workplaces, mixed-use and waterfront developments, and parks and open spaces.

SmithGroup has a long track record of delivering innovative solutions that help our clients solve their most complex challenges, explained Derek White, Chief Information Officer for SmithGroup. With our legacy software platform nearing its end of life, we surveyed the market for new business platforms that would help us continue to innovate and serve our clients for the next 10 to 15 years and beyond. Microsoft Dynamics 365 and aec360 stood out from the crowd, offering not only a best-in-class cloud technology platform, but a business solution that was purpose built for our industry.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is Microsofts next-generation business application suite, built to leverage the power of the Microsoft cloud, Office 365 (now Microsoft 365), the Power Platform, and Microsofts advanced intelligence tools. aec360 is an industry-specific solution that pre-configures and extends Dynamics 365 to meet the unique needs of the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, helping firms like SmithGroup gain a 360-degree view of their finances, projects, clients, and people within a single cloud platform.

SmithGroup has long been recognized as an industry leader, explained Andy Yeomans, Executive Vice President of HSOs professional service industry practice. Their selection of Microsoft Dynamics 365 and aec360 reinforces the unique value that our solution provides AEC firms and speaks to the continued migration of AEC firms to the Microsoft cloud. Through the implementation of Dynamics 365 and aec360, we look forward to helping SmithGroup drive better integration, collaboration, and insights across their business, while enabling a platform that will help them grow their business well into the future.

About aec360

Microsofts leading Dynamics 365 based solution for the AEC industry, aec360 by HSO is a cloud-based business platform designed to meet the unique needs of architecture, engineering, and construction firms. aec360 provides an integrated industry solution for marketing and business development, project management, accounting, and human resource management, and was built to leverage the best of the Microsoft cloud, helping AEC firms drive productivity, collaboration, and insights across their organization. For more information, please visit our website at https://www.aec360.com.

About SmithGroup

SmithGroup is one of the worlds preeminent integrated design firms. Working across a network of 15 offices in the U.S. and China, our team of 1,200 experts is committed to excellence in strategy, design and delivery. The scale of the firms thinking and organization produces partnerships with forward-looking clients that maximize opportunities, minimize risk and solve their most complex problems. SmithGroup creates exceptional design solutions for healthcare, science and technology organizations, higher education and cultural institutions, urban environments, diverse workplaces, mixed-use and waterfront developments, and parks and open spaces. For more information, please visit https://www.smithgroup.com.
The Customer Experience & Telco Sales Association (CETS), an international organization dedicated to bringing together professionals from the service provider and vendor communities within the Telecom industry, recently elected its Board of Directors for 2022-2023 at the CETS 2022 Annual Meeting held in San Jose, CA on April 5, 2022.

The CETS Board of Directors for 2022-2023 includes:



Shelly Fowlie, Skill Dimensions

Nicole Joraanstad, TDS

Robert Josey, Bell Canada

Justin Nucci, Tbaytel

Tiffany Shurr, Calix

William Spear, MTA

Mark Thomas, SaskTel

Executive Director: Ellis D. Hill, ResearchFirst, Inc.

CETS provides a valuable opportunity to share best practices that relate directly to the needs, challenges, and opportunities that we all encounter on a daily basis. I am looking forward to working with the board to contribute to our members and learn from such a terrific team of sales leaders, said Shelly Fowlie, President of Skill Dimensions.

TDS greatly values our partnership with CETS. CETS provides value to our organization in many ways. It provides networking opportunities with peer companies and vendors, a place to share best practices and discussions around new challenges or changes in our industry. Our world is very dynamic and keeping pace with change is important. CETS has been a sounding board and a place to learn from one another to take things to the next level, added Nicole Joraanstad, Senior Manager of Contact Center & Sales for TDS.

CETS is more than an organization of telco professionals. It is a collective think tank of connoisseurs of the industry who gather in a safe space to share ideas and best practices. Together we analyze what is working and what is not to aid in our collective success in our home territories, said William Spear, Sales Manager at MTA.

CETS provides the forum to share best practices and learn from industry leading peers. It allows you to build a network of contacts, many experiencing the same challenges you are trying to overcome. Having been a CETS member since 2015, the value our organization has garnered far exceeds the cost of membership, added Justin Nucci, Director of Sales at Tbaytel.

Collaborating with industry peers to get perspective on how they are dealing with similar situations is important to be able to quickly adapt to an ever-changing marketplace. CETS provides that platform and I feel fortunate to participate, said Robert Josey, Senior Manager of Sales Operations at Bell Canada.

I've learned the importance of connecting with people across the industry you support and work with. The broader your network, the more perspective you gain and the more opportunities you have to learn. CETS is an organization made up of unique backgrounds and a breadth of experience, at my first event I had many opportunities to evolve my perspective, ask questions, and, importantly, have some fun! I am eager to continue in partnership growing and learning from such a fine group of people, added Tiffany Shurr, RVP of Cloud Solutions at Calix.

CETS member companies: altafiber previously Cincinnati Bell, Bell Canada, Calix, CloudKettle, DIRECTV, MTA, SaskTel, Smithville, Tbaytel, TDS, and Skill Dimensions.

For more information, visit http://www.cets.org or contact Ellis Hill, Executive Director at ellis@researchfirst.com.
Derlimax The fund seeks to invest primarily in Land Development and Existing Real Estate. A portion of the fund will be deployed into a Cybersecurity IT Company and Gas to Liquid Plant.

New Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund DerliMax Launches Seeking Accredited Capital Gains Investors. The Fund is raising their Series A Round of $20,000,000.

Executive Summary

DerliMax is offering a $200 Million Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund with a triple-bottom-line approach to investing: generating return on investment; creating a positive social impact; stimulating economic activity and job creation.

The DerliMax Opportunity Fund will invest in a diversified portfolio of primarily tangible assets (or businesses with significant tangible assets) in Opportunity Zones. These investments can include (but are not limited to) new real estate development projects, redevelopment of existing projects, business expansions, and new business development. In addition, business and tangible asset investments can vary widely, from redevelopment and repurposing of existing buildings to organizations that create additional economic activity for the new development of single-family, multifamily, senior living and hospitality projects. In many cases, the fund will have a direct ownership interest in tangible assets in the Opportunity Zone.

DerliMax brings a multi-disciplinary institutional investment strategy to investing in Opportunity Zones. The DerliMax Opportunity Fund offers a diversified portfolio of investments in underserved and less appreciated markets.

The DerliMax Opportunity Fund intends to diversify its investments across a variety of industry sectors, geographic locations, and types of investments. The Fund has built an investment team of seasoned professionals with institutional investment experience in a variety of industry sectors including real estate, energy, retail, manufacturing, technology, hospitality, transportation, financial services, infrastructure and industrial.

Investment Thesis

The Fund intends to balance risk by virtue of underpinning the investment with income-producing assets whilst simultaneously ensuring that investments made in Qualified Opportunity Zone Businesses (QOZBs) are largely underwritten by tangible assets. In addition, intends only to work with highly experienced, top-performers in their respective fields regarding leadership of the QOZBs.

The Fund's strategy is to provide customized, concierge-level service to investors by employing the services of specialized professionals who provide investment analysis, due diligence, and full documentary support on a deal-by deal-basisall supported by an administration technology platform providing the investors ready access to their investment performance, financial statements and tax reports.

DerliMax Investment Projects

The DerliMax fund management team is developing relationships with various state and community governments, economic development agencies, real estate developers, business organizations, nonprofits and foundations to identify investment opportunities.

The Fund's objective is Real Estate development in Opportunity Zones with a focus on helping Veterans by providing a standard of quality, affordable housing options in underserved and less appreciated markets. Additional consideration is given to Qualified Opportunity Zone businesses interested in creating jobs to build a brighter, sustainable future for local communities.

Investment #1 Foster Development (Opportunity Zone)

This ground-up construction project consists of two (2) single-family residential properties in a Houston, Texas neighborhood minutes from the Medical Center. The Fund is currently waiting for the permits to be approved, then we will complete the project with debt financing.

Investment Strategy: Ground-up Construction; Hold for Rental

Investment #2 Clearwater Village (Opportunity Zone)

This rental portfolio consists of five (5) single-family residential properties with a contemporary design and many upgraded features. Located near the highly sought after Houston Texas Medical Center and several new developments to enhance future market values.

Investment Strategy: Buy New Construction; Hold for Rental

Investment # 3 - Augustine Square (Opportunity Zone)

This new construction real estate development consists of six (6) single-family residential properties minutes from downtown Houston in the Opportunity Zone. The focus is to set a standard for quality, affordable housing options in underserved markets. The Fund is coordinating with a local developer to bring this project to completion with an expected delivery date of late August 2022.

Investment Strategy: Buy New Construction; Hold for Rental

Investment # 4 - Silverline Midrise (Opportunity Zone)

This new construction mixed-use real estate development consists of thirty (30) residential units and six (6) retail pads in the Opportunity Zone. This project is in the due diligence phase.

Investment Strategy: Ground-Up Construction; Hold for Rental

OZ Advantage

Opportunity Zones are designed to spur economic development by providing tax benefits to investors. First, investors can defer tax on any prior Capital Gains deposited into a Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund (QOF) for up to four years. Then, after four years, they will only be required to pay taxes on the original amount". Additionally, those deferred taxes will only be assessed at the current rate of 23.5% and therefore are likely to avoid far higher future capital gains tax rates. Finally, after a required ten-year minimum term, the initial amount deposited plus all of the accrued interest derived from QOF property (real estate and business stock) can then be withdrawn from the QOF entirely tax free.

Investor Opportunity

Today 0% Tax Due - One million dollars invested today will appreciate tax free for four years.

10 Years Tax Free - If Opportunity Zone investment generates another 9 million in profit over the ten-year term, the entire 10 million can then be withdrawn tax free.

Qualified Opportunity Zones

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 created Qualified Opportunity Zones ("QOZs") to provide potentially significant tax benefits to investors who re-invest capital gains in long-term investments in communities designated for economic development. There are over 8,500 QOZs across all US states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico. They offer investors the ability to positively impact communities struggling to attract capital to generate sustainable economic opportunity for their community.

Status: Open To Investors

Type of Fund: LLC

Asset Classification: Multiple Assets

Active Potential Investments: 3

Fund Administration: OZInvested.com

Anticipated Returns: +20%

Fund Terms:

Round A $20,000,000

Total Fund $200,000,000

Minimum Subscription $50,000

Invest Today!

Contact:

DerliMax LLC

Deborah Livingston, CEO and Fund Manager

Phone: (832) 406-6259

Email: Info@DerliMax.com

For more information, please visit http://www.DerliMax.com

Disclaimer:

Articles featured on this page are for informational purposes only. This is not an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy DerliMax LLC. That can only be done by our current Confidential Private Placement Memorandum ("CPPM"). Securities offered by DerliMax LLC. For accredited Investors only. Limited liquidity. The shares being sold in this offering have not been approved or disapproved by the Securities and Exchange Commission or any state's securities division. Nor has the Securities and Exchange Commission or any state securities department passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the CPPM or the disclosures provided therein. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by DerliMax LLC. and while we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
I look forward to continuing the ICA vision to advocate for and be a champion for Iowas community-based broadband providers," stated Marcie Boerner, 2022 ICA Board President, and COO Webster-Calhoun Cooperative Telephone Association.

Boerner was announced as the new ICA Board President during the ICA Annual Meeting and Expo held in Des Moines on March 28-30 with more than 900 in attendance. ICA celebrated Boerners milestone of being the first female Board President in ICAs short history. ICA was formed in 2013 as a result of the unification of two entities known as ITA and RIITA, and during her speech to Annual Meeting attendees, Boerner gave accolades to the female Board Presidents of ITA and RIITA. Boerner looks forward to forging her path and vision to expand ICAs influence in the coming board year.

"I look forward to continuing the ICA vision to advocate for and be a champion for Iowas community-based broadband providers," stated Marcie Boerner, 2022 ICA Board President, and COO Webster-Calhoun Cooperative Telephone Association.

Webster-Calhoun Cooperative Telephone Associations headquarters is located in Gowrie, Iowa. They provide telephone, Internet, and digital TV to 20 communities in north-central Iowa on a Fiber to the premise (FTTP), gigabit certified Fiber network.

Dave Duncan, ICAs CEO, welcomed Boerner to her new role, saying, Since I met Marcie Ive seen first-hand the positive impact and influence she exhibits across the state through her outstanding character, integrity, and leadership capabilities. Marcie has distinguished herself in countless leadership roles and accomplishments on ICA committees and on the Board, and I look forward to helping implement her vision for the year.

Joining Boerner on the executive board are Tim Fencl from Danville Telephone as First Vice President, Jamie Daubendiek of Jefferson Telecom as Second Vice President, and Jeff Roiland of Western Iowa Networks as Immediate Past Board President.

The Iowa Communications Alliance is the nations largest state-based association of community-based broadband providers. Its 250+ members provide and enable high-quality, state-of-the-art communications services to Iowans, leading the state to be among the nations leaders in fiber-optic deployment.

ICA firmly believes that broadband communications is the tool and industry capable of growing and transforming Iowa and our association is the advocate, catalyst, educator, and resource for Iowas community-based communications providers. We empower education, agriculture, healthcare, and other industries to thrive and succeed.
I have been working in global health for 20 years, and this crisis is of a magnitude Ive never seen. - Karla Prentiss, International Medical Relief

International Medical Relief, a non-governmental organization based in Denver, Colorado, has dispatched a team of medical volunteers to Poland to provide medical and dental care at a temporary housing shelter for 6,000 Ukrainian refugees.

We have been told nearly five million refugees have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries since Russia invaded the country in late February, said Karla Prentiss, International Medical Relief Vice President of Development and Sustainable Education, who is one of the IMR team leaders in Poland. According to the UNHCR, the UN agency for refugees, the number of arrivals into Poland surpassed the two million mark within three weeks. Most of these refugees were women and children.

I have been working in global health for 20 years, and this crisis is of a magnitude Ive never seen, said Prentiss.

Approximately 400-800 refugees arrive at the shelter on buses from Ukraine each day. They are registered and given food, shelter, medical and dental care, and access to laundry and showers.

Working in partnership with organizations from around the world, the International Medical Relief team of volunteers provides acute medical and dental care, OB-GYN and specialty medical care, and wound care for refugees. Medical providers also help patients manage chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

The International Medical Relief team currently serving is made up of primary care providers, emergency physicians, nurses, dentists, dental assistants, EMTs, and social workers. The teams capabilities will vary each week as a new set of volunteers arrives, depending on their specialties.

In addition to providing hundreds of volunteers to staff the shelter in Poland over the course of the organizations current six-week commitment to Polish officials, International Medical Relief is collecting donations to purchase medications and supplies their patients need.

Donations will help us purchase specialized equipment such as AEDs and a portable EKG machine, as well as medications for acute and chronic conditions our patients may have, and educational materials our volunteers can share to help improve patients overall health, said Shauna King, International Medical Relief President and Founder. They will also help to pay for qualified translators so we can ensure gold standard communication with each of our patients.

International Medical Relief is actively recruiting volunteers to serve weeklong assignments and is collecting donations. Information on how to volunteer and donate is available on the organizations website, internationalmedicalrelief.org.

About International Medical Relief: International Medical Relief (IMR), a non-governmental organization based in Denver, Colorado, contributes to the worlds communities by improving the overall health and wellness of the people via medical and dental diagnosis and treatment, partnerships with local medical designees, community training, and fostering the principles of prevention. IMR recruits highly skilled, credentialed volunteers for medical, dental, and disaster relief trips throughout the year to deliver a much-needed suite of impactful services. Learn more at internationalmedicalrelief.org.
I have seen it all and firmly believe that performance, not vanity metrics, needs to be the primary objective of any agency. Creating value for our clients is only achievable with true partnership, one that is focused on innovation, accountability, and communication," said John Sorto.

Media Culture, an independent brand performance agency, announced today that John Sorto has joined its leadership team to spearhead the agencys digital marketing initiatives.

In the role of Senior Digital Director, Sorto will elevate the agencys profile in the U.S. market and beyond. He has a proven track record across a gamut of U.S. and global industry brands including Coca Cola, Samsung, HSBC, Disney Parks, U.S. Marines, Vitamin Shoppe, Goldman Sachs, and more.

John brings a wealth of expertise, adaptability, and strategic thinking to our agency. His depth of knowledge across Search, Social, and Digital advertising make him a key component of the companys plans to broaden our footprint in the multichannel marketing space, said Christena Garduno, Chief Executive Officer of Media Culture.

Sorto has previously held senior-level positions at Dentsu, Starcom, GroupM, and Ogilvy. He will report to Nuno Andrade, Media Cultures Vice President of Strategy.

Less than a year after our strategic rebrand, Johns arrival is a testament to Media Cultures commitment to our clients and our continued investment in our people, said Andrade. Johns diverse experience and leadership will play a vital role in the growth of the business.

I believe that Im joining Media Culture at a pivotal time, said Sorto. I have seen it all and firmly believe that performance, not vanity metrics, needs to be the primary objective of any agency. Creating value for our clients is only achievable with true partnership, one that is focused on innovation, accountability, and communication.

Since its founding in 1995, Media Culture  formerly known as Koeppel Direct  has existed at the forefront of change in the performance marketing industry. And as technology and media consumption has evolved, so have its capabilities. Media Culture has developed leading analytic expertise, expanded its proven, nimble brand response and demand generation approaches across a variety of channels, and built a track record of success. Through it all, Media Cultures clients have remained priority number one.
The Customer Experience & Telco Sales Association (CETS) recently announced the winners of the CETS 2022 Best in Class Awards.

Each year, CETS (http://www.cets.org) recognizes teams and companies that demonstrate innovation and excellence related to customer experience and telco sales, said Ellis Hill, President of ResearchFirst, Inc., CETSs management firm. This years awards went to two service providers, MTA and Bell Canada, and one vendor company, Calix, each of which executed best in class practices over the last year."

The winners are:

1. Calix (http://www.calix.com) Subscriber Quality of Experience (QoE) Score

Subscriber Quality of Experience (QoE) Score is a new holistic measure that gives customer support representatives (CSRs) an at-a-glance understanding of the entirety of a customers experience. Introduced in November 2021 within Calix Support Cloud, a purpose-built solution for telecom customer care/support organizations, the Subscriber QoE Score captures a customers end-to-end network experience from premises to the access. Because the Subscriber QoE Score automatically collects a range of experience-related data, it does not depend on input from the subscriber. This objective, holistic measure gives broadband service providers (BSPs) a more accurate representation of satisfaction. This measure can capture a moment in time or extend over a longer period, based on historical data. Armed with this information, BSPs can focus on specific areas and can take action (as needed) to ensure a positive subscriber experience.

The Subscriber Quality of Experience (QoE) Score within Calix Support Cloud is the worlds first comprehensive measure that makes support teams smarter, faster, and better, said Martha Galley, Executive Vice President of Customer Engagement and Services at Calix. The actionable data about the performance of both the Wi-Fi and the WAN service, helps streamline support operations, bolster subscriber satisfaction and loyalty, and proactively address potential issues before they become a problem.

2. MTA (http://www.mtasolutions.com) Retail Rotate

MTA has historically prioritized maintaining a physical presence within their community in order to meet members where they are. During the pandemic, they made the difficult decision to close all physical locations, which left them to conduct business solely over the phone. The customer experience has always been at the forefront of their minds, so they sought to reestablish a physical presence for our members while abiding by local, state, and federal safety regulations. They began planning their retail approach in Q2 2021 and fully implemented the plan by Q3. When they first opened their retail location to the public, they did not initially see a large response. With each passing month, they saw an increase in customers who preferred to come into their retail location instead of interacting over the phone. Currently, their retail location is still successfully operating under this plan.

CETS is more than an organization of telco professionals. It is a collective think tank of connoisseurs of the industry who gather in a safe space to share ideas and best practices. Together we analyze what is working and what is not to aid in our collective success in our home territories. Our team at MTA is extremely honored to win the CETS Best in Class award for 2022, said William Spear, Sales Manager at MTA.

3. Bell Canada (http://www.bell.ca) Creating a new, innovative way for customers to buy

This program from Bell allowed for individuals or small businesses to visit the Bell website and schedule an on-site/in-person appointment with a Bell marketing agent at the location of a customers choosing. Based on a variety of factors, agents are assigned and the appointment confirmed in real time. During the visit, the Bell marketing agent has a conversation with the customer and ultimately recommends the appropriate Bell products for the customers needs. As these agents are 100% externally contracted teams, there were complex regulatory and compliance challenges around privacy to consider. These were overcome by due diligence on Bells end and the sophisticated use of technology available to them to ensure that all regulations were being strictly followed. This initiative launched in June 2021 and while initially spearheaded in Atlantic Canada, it continues to run in markets throughout Canada today.

This program was successful due to the valiant effort from multiple stakeholders and contributors. When there is a well put together team in place, you have the recipe for success, said Robert Josey, Senior Manager of Sales Operations at Bell.

About CETS

The Customer Experience & Telco Sales Association (CETS) brings together professionals from the service provider and vendor communities within the Telecom industry responsible for direct and indirect sales channels, customer care and the customer experience. Members share channel best practices and industry trends in these areas with respect to all products and services sold by Telco providers.

Please see our website at http://www.CETS.org for more information or to apply for membership.

Executive Director: ResearchFirst, Inc. (http://www.researchfirst.com)

Tags / Keywords: CETS, telecom, telco sales, internet telco, service provider, best in class, retail, call center, alternate channels, MTA, Calix, Bell Canada
"The state fiber broadband network is crucial to providing middle mile and broadband access to all areas of New Mexico," according to John Badal, Spokesman for the New Mexico Broadband Initiative Consortium and CEO of Sacred Wind Communications, Inc.

Eleven New Mexico telephone companies and internet providers announced today that they have joined together to form the NM Fiber Network, LLC. The new company announced the start of a multi-year, multi-million-dollar network across New Mexico to enhance capacity, improve internet access and dependability, and prepare New Mexicans for the future. The company's formation comes at a crucial time for the State of New Mexico as Federal and State agencies are gearing up to distribute billions of dollars in broadband grant monies under The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

This effort was initiated by the New Mexico Broadband Initiative Consortium, which the Governor's office tasked to develop a state broadband roadmap. The result was a group of Rural Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers who came together to create the new fiber network. It will provide a new foundation to address the digital divide within New Mexico.

"NM Fiber Network and current owner-member fiber systems span thousands of miles across New Mexico and are well-positioned to enable the expansion and extension of New Mexico middle-mile infrastructure to reduce the cost of connecting unserved and underserved areas," stated Josh Beug, General Manager, Tularosa Basin Telephone Cooperative.

"The state fiber broadband network is crucial to providing middle mile and broadband access to all areas of New Mexico," according to John Badal, Spokesman for the New Mexico Broadband Initiative Consortium and CEO of Sacred Wind Communications, Inc.

The New Mexico Fiber Network will partner with INDATEL which is a NATIONWIDE NETWORK dedicated to providing best-in-class, cost effective transport connectivity via fiber-optic routes in rural and metropolitan areas. INDATEL can deliver reliable bandwidth solutions in rural and underserved markets. INDATEL has connections to over 30+ other statewide networks and 700+ rural independent telephone providers.

"We are pleased that NM Fiber Network is establishing a statewide network in New Mexico and will collaborate with us," INDATEL Services CEO Mel Wagner Jr. said. "We are happy to work with and assist NM Fiber Network in monetizing and expanding its network. In addition, because of their state network, INDATEL is an essential partner for rural ILECs as INDATEL's footprint extends across much of the United States."

"By joining together, we will be able to harness our combined and complementary assets to attain statewide scale and promote broadband deployment," said Glenn Lovelace, CEO of Penasco Valley Telephone Cooperative and Chairman of NM Fiber Network. "We will work with the Connect NM Council, State Education Network, Tribal fiber networks, the New Mexico Exchange Carrier Group, and related departments within the state  i.e., Department of Information and Technology, State Broadband Office, and the Department of Transportation - to create an effective action plan."

About NM Fiber Network, LLC

NM Fiber Network, LLC founding companies are Baca Valley Telephone Company, Inc., Dell Telephone Cooperative, Inc., ENMR Telephone Cooperative, La Jicarita Rural Telephone Cooperative, Leaco Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc., Penasco Valley Telephone Cooperative, Inc., Roosevelt County Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc., Sacred Wind Communications, Inc., Tularosa Communications, Inc., Valley Telephone Cooperative, Inc., and Western New Mexico Telephone Company, Inc. NM Fiber Network will concentrate on offering high-speed fiber-optic backbone capabilities to owners and other telecommunications providers and direct business customers such as hospitals, schools, and government agencies. Visit http://www.nmfibernetwork.com to discover more about NM Fiber Network.
Alexandra Kay (photo by Curt Simhauser) We want music creators to know that TuneCore is where you go to make money and by announcing our artists have earned $2.5 billion, were showing receipts. While TuneCore is truly proud of reaching this immense milestone, all credit goes to our incredible artists.

Leading independent automated digital music distributor TuneCore, a division of global digital music company Paris-based Believe, has reached the record-breaking milestone of $2.5 Billion paid to artists (since the companys inception in 2006). The announcement was made today by Andreea Gleeson, Chief Executive Officer, TuneCore.

The massive number comes by way of downloads and streams on partner platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and Tidal. To date, the companys artists have achieved a whopping 500 billion streams and incredibly 700 million downloads. Currently, amongst genres, all time artist earnings are led by hip-hop, followed by pop, alternative, electronic and rock. Childrens music is also a high earner, led by the universally beloved childrens anthem, Baby Shark.

Besides digital music distribution, TuneCore also offers additional ways for artists to earn money including music publishing administration and YouTube Content ID, both areas that have grown by double digits over the course of the last year. Also in 2021, the company expanded its global footprint and now has operations in 14 countries across four continents, with the TuneCore website localized into 16 languages and supporting seven currencies. As a result of the emphasis on international growth, TuneCores creators outside the US have grown to represent 60% of its new artists and labels. The companys support of independent artists around the world is bolstered by its cutting edge technology and inspired music industry partnerships, including YouTube Shorts, Facebooks Independent Artist Program, Tidals Direct Artist Payments and Twitchs The Collective as well as the launch of distribution to Peloton and Qobuz.

Said Gleeson, TuneCores mission is to support self-releasing independent artists and provide them with the tools to grow their careers independently. We want music creators to know that TuneCore is where you go to make money and by announcing our artists have earned $2.5 billion, were showing receipts. While TuneCore is truly proud of reaching this immense milestone, all credit goes to our incredible artists.

In one of the most innovative initiatives of 2021, TuneCore launched a groundbreaking new service called Social Platforms which allows artists to upload their music  for no upfront cost  directly into the music libraries of social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Facebook and Instagram stories and Reels. The program has seen immediate success, with artists like Lauren Spencer-Smith, who scored a viral hit with her single Fingers Crossed (32 million views on TikTok). The song has become a bona fide smash with over 151 million streams on Spotify alone, hitting the Top 15 on the Billboard Global 200 and Top 20 on the Hot 100, while debuting at #5 on the Emerging Artist Chart. In the UK it climbed as high as #4 on the weekly UK chart, alongside Adele. Spencer-Smith, who has amassed 10 million monthly followers on Spotify said, I am grateful that social media and services like TuneCore enable me to get heard and connect with fans. I hope whats happening with me inspires other creators!

The companys artists share a passion for music and independence. Nashville-based Alexandra Kay turned down a full scholarship to college to pursue music. Alexandra has been self-releasing music through TuneCore since 2015. Over the pandemic she launched a Coffee Covers series on TikTok, which quickly became viral, growing her followers to 2.9M on the platform. Kay has gained 600k monthly listeners on Spotify and will be opening for Tim McGraw on his 2022 tour. She says, The time for independent artists is now. We have endless possibilities when it comes to creative control and more opportunities for growth than ever before. Because of TuneCore, artists like myself can keep 100% of their revenue and the skys the limit.

Queendom Come, the Houston-based rapper, scored a huge hit with Then Leave, reaching 56 million streams on Spotify and saw a massive 250,000% leap in royalties. She commented, To see my numbers go up like that, you get a reality check as things grow, and you start to ask yourself is this real? Then you look up and you got a whole gold plaque! TuneCore is for artists like myself: independent artists, and independent songwriters. Stay the course. Work hard. You don't know when your time may be but just stay ready for it.

According to MIDiA Research, independent labels, and artists direct (self-releasing artists) generated $10 billion and represented 34.7% of the market. Artists direct represented 5.3% of the market and $1.5 billion out of the $10 billion.

The $2.5 billion figure is the cumulative total of earnings by all TuneCore artists, who range from musical hobbyists and new creators, stretching all the way to top indie artists who tour and make a living from their music.

About TuneCore

TuneCore is the global platform for independent musicians to build audiences and careers  with technology and services across distribution, publishing administration and a range of promotional services. TuneCore Music Distribution services help artists, labels and managers sell their music through Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, TikTok, Tencent and more than 150 download and streaming stores worldwide, while retaining 100 percent of their sales revenue and rights for a low annual flat fee. TuneCore Music Publishing Administration assists songwriters by administering their compositions through licensing, registration, worldwide royalty collections, and placement opportunities in film, TV, commercials, video games and more. The TuneCore Artist Services portal offers a suite of tools and services that enable artists to promote their craft, connect with fans, and get their music heard. TuneCore, part of Believe, is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, with offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, Atlanta, and Austin, and operates globally through local teams based in the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, India, Japan and Singapore across 5 continents. http://www.tunecore.com

About Believe

Believe is one of the worlds leading digital music companies. Believes mission is to develop independent artists and labels in the digital world by providing them the solutions they need to grow their audience at each stage of their career and development. Believes passionate team of digital music experts around the world leverages the Groups global technology platform to advise artists and labels, distribute and promote their music. Its 1,430 employees in more than 50 countries aim to support independent artists and labels with a unique digital expertise, respect, fairness and transparency. Believe offers its various solutions through a portfolio of brands including TuneCore, Nuclear Blast, Naive. Groove Attack and AllPoints. Believe is listed on compartment A of the regulated market of Euronext Paris (Ticker: BLV. ISIN: FR0014003FE9).

http://www.believe.com

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The April 25 issue of Adweek was created entirely by Ukrainian talents The April 25 issue was created entirely by Ukrainian talents whose lives and livelihoods have been upended by war.

The newest issue of Adweek marks an unprecedented moment in the magazines 43 years of publication: Its editors have handed off control of the publication. The April 25 issue was created entirely by Ukrainian talents whose lives and livelihoods have been upended by war. On Ukraine, by Ukrainians was staffed by more than 20 Ukrainians working together from around the world, with several still operating from their homeland amid the invasion.

This issue, led by guest editor in chief Hanna Rudenko, is packed with insightful essays, interviews and articles about Ukraines captivatingly complex past, its bold modern culture and the hopes its people still carry for tomorrow.

Topics include personal stories of creative professionals adapting to war, a look at how Ukraine became a global hub of commercial production, and advice on why global brands should hire Ukrainian agencies right now. The issue also features an interview with Oleksandra Doroguntsova, creative director at Kyivs Banda Agency, which has been named one of the world's most effective creative marketing companies.

The entire staff is Ukrainian, including editors Rudenko, Sofiia Pylypiuk and Dasha Andriushchenko. Authors include Yurii Marchenko, Serhii Malyk, Oksana Gonchar, Anastasiia Zherebetska, Roman Hurbanov and more. Many of them are still living and working in Ukraine.

Illustrators who contributed from across Ukraine for the issue include Oleksandr Grekhov, Glib Kaporikov, Anton Abo, the duo known as We Bad and many more. The cover was designed by internationally acclaimed muralist Waone Interesni Kazki and marks his first work on a magazine cover.

All proceeds from the advertising revenue in this issue will cover the freelance fees of the Ukrainian talents who created it, with the remainderroughly $75,000being donated to Nova Ukraine and the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council, two 501(c)(3) humanitarian charities selected by the issues guest editors.

It is an honor to be partnering with these wonderful and resilient editors, reporters and artists on this special issue, said Juliette Morris, CEO of Adweek. To shine a light on what these courageous journalists are living and working through, while also giving back to a humanitarian organization that is helping those most in need, is what Adweeks community is all about.

About Adweek

Adweek is the leading source of news and insight serving the brand marketing ecosystem. First published in 1979, Adweeks award-winning coverage reaches an engaged community across platforms including print, digital, events, podcasts, newsletters, social media and mobile apps. As a touchstone of the advertising and marketing community, Adweek is an unparalleled resource for leaders across multiple industries who rely on its content to help them do their jobs better.
Their extensive experience in the construction industry provide a unique point of view that will be beneficial to clients. We are pleased to offer even more services and options and welcome them to AssuredPartners," said AssuredPartners President, Randy Larsen.

AssuredPartners, Inc. is pleased to announce that Alscott, Inc. (Alscott) of Lee's Summit, Missouri has joined AssuredPartners. The team of five will remain under the current operational leadership of David Salavitch. The agency currently reports $2 million in annualized revenues.

For over 35 years, we have been bridging the gap between the construction world and the surety world. We earn the trust and respect of our clients and carriers through the impact we make on their organizations, and now with AssuredPartners we are thrilled to expand our resource footprint for bond programs, while remaining focused on a high level of service for our clients, said David Salavitch.

Missouri Regional President at AssuredPartners Randy Russell said, We are delighted to welcome Alscott to AssuredPartners, and having their team join us is an exciting new partnership. Their expertise in the construction and surety industry will add additional perspective to our already robust specialty offerings in this space and in the Missouri region.

Having Alscott as a partner will allow us greater offering to clients in the construction, surety, and bonding space, stated AssuredPartners President Randy Larsen. Their extensive experience in the construction industry provide a unique point of view that will be beneficial to clients. We are pleased to offer even more services and options and welcome them to AssuredPartners.

For more information on Alscott, please visit: https://www.alscottinc.com/

ABOUT ASSUREDPARTNERS, INC

Headquartered in Lake Mary, Florida, AssuredPartners is a full-service insurance broker providing commercial insurance, risk management, employee benefits through consulting and services. With over 7,500 employees located in offices throughout North America, London, Belgium and Scotland, AssuredPartners is in the business of building relationships. While cementing powerful, lasting relationships built on trust earned from working openly and honestly with our partners. Thats what we call, Power through Partnership. For more information, call 513-624-1779, email jamie.reinert@assuredpartners.com or visit http://www.assuredpartners.com.
Utilizing over 30 years of experience as a shamanic guiding force and healer, LaOta Rassoull has written her newest book Call for the Truth. This resource is designed to guide readers to finding and speaking their truths, through unwavering respect and honor for the laws and principles of creation.

"I was inspired to write this book because of the absence of the hero within us," Rassoull said. "Who is it that stands for truth and liberty? Who will stand against injustice and tyranny? Who is willing to fight for us?

Call for the Truth encourages readers to understand the truth of who they are and the world they live in. It highlights the importance of seeing one's condition and aligning with the truth instead of falsehood. Rassoull is resolute that humanity must recognize the truth of the divine feminine which will show the way to balance in the world through honor, respect and gratitude.

All of humanity, women and children are being abused and aggressed, Rassoull said. It is us that we are waiting for! It is us that must stand up and fight for humanity. We are the inmates and the guards on a prison planet, destined to serve the off world anti-life wardens while we wait our turn on death row."

Call For The Truth

By LaOta Rassoull

ISBN: 9781982279073 (softcover); 9781982279080 (electronic)

Available at Balboa Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

About the author

LaOta Rassoull is the shaman guiding force, architect and CEO of Of The Sun: a business enterprise specializing in highly evolutionary products, services, and classes. She is also the inspiration for and owner of In LaKesh, LLC., which features Mind Your Mind & Body Studios and its franchise operation.

To learn more, please visit https://ofthesun.com/laota-of-the-sun-biography/.

Call For The Truth has a matching set of divination cards available to accompany the book. For more information, please visit https://ofthesun.com/product/call-for-the-truth-divination-deck/.

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General Inquiries:

LAVIDGE  Phoenix

Ashley Fletcher

afletcher@lavidge.com
We are extremely excited to welcome these key hires into Bite, further bolstering our senior management team, across technology, legal, finance and sales," said Farah Esmail, Bites Chief People Officer.

Bite Investments, an international alternative investments and technology company, today announced that it made four significant hires in support of its expansion. Bites mission is to utilize its technology platform to expand access to the alternative investment ecosystem.

Justin Mason will become the Global Head of Asset and Wealth Management Sales, effective April 25th. Justin joined Bite from Blackstones subsidiary, La Trobe Financial (recently sold to Brookfield Asset Management in March 2022), where he sat on top of client partnerships across the wealth management industry. Justin has a career spanning 20+ years, where he has held several senior management roles, located across North America, Europe and Asia, focusing on the build out of sales and business development initiatives. Justin began his career at Lehman Brothers in 1998, where he spent several years within their Pan European Equity Sales team.

Bite has a unique business model and value proposition for investors, said Justin Mason. The demand for alternative investments is skyrocketing. Im thrilled about joining the leadership team at Bite and furthering the companys mission to make alternative investments accessible to a wider audience.

Bite has named Matthew Purcell as Finance Director. Matthew spent the initial part of his career working in financial and business management roles in structured finance at Barclays Capital before moving into senior finance roles in several fast-scaling technology and Fintech companies. Qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG and a qualified Corporate Treasurer, Matthew previously graduated from Oxford University with a first-class degree in physics. He also holds a second degree in computer science.

Alex Seymour has joined Bite as Chief Legal Officer. He has more than 20 years of experience in financial services and joined Bite from JP Morgan Chase Bank where he was Head of Transaction Management, EMEA & APAC, Real Estate Finance. Previously, Alex held senior roles at Cheyne Capital and Deutsche Pfandbriefbank. Alex received a MA in Law from Oxford University before spending several years at Clifford Chance.

Tom Hamilton has joined Bite as Chief Information Officer. Tom has had a career spanning 30 years where he held senior leadership positions and worked across a range of information technology roles with an extensive list of blue-chip organizations, including JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, ABN Amro, BP, BJSS, GPG and Ernst & Young.

We are extremely excited to welcome these key hires into Bite, further bolstering our senior management team, across technology, legal, finance and sales, said Farah Esmail, Bites Chief People Officer. Together they bring years of knowledge and a wealth of relevant and valuable experience, which we have no doubt will have a significant impact on Bites continued growth trajectory.

Bite has recently been further supported by and invested in by key institutional and strategic investors across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. The senior management team and selected shareholders can be seen here.

About Bite Investments: Bite Investments is a financial technology company created to expand access to alternative investments. The companys enterprise solution helps fund managers utilize a digital platform to streamline their clients diligence, compliance, distribution, client onboarding and investor relations processes and workflows. Bites investment solutions bring alternative investments out of the institutional market, making them accessible to a larger audience. Bite Investments is a fintech company led by an international team with extensive experience in alternative investments, financial engineering, and technology. Bite has offices and customers in Asia, Europe, and is expanding within North America. Learn more at https://www.biteinvestments.com/ or follow us on Twitter.

# # #

Press Contacts:

Brigit Hennaman

Email: bhennaman@rubensteinpr.com

Phone: +1-212-805-3005

Anna Hellstrand, Head of Communications and Marketing

Email: anna@biteinvestments.com

Phone: +44 7481 280115
Poster for the Black Health Matters summit

Black Health Matters is hosting a summit and health fair on the 30th of April, 2022. This event will talk about common health issues the Black community faces, and also make youngsters aware of what they need to do to be healthier over time. This will be a hybrid event targeted at Black people in universities and over their 40s. Anyone interested can attend the event by simply registering, as it is free and open to the public.

This summit will use STEM education to offer live role models for the youth. In addition, top medical professionals will talk about what illnesses affect the Black community most commonly and adversely. There will even be Black celebrities present to talk about their health challenges, such as Malik Yoba and S. Epatha Merkerson.

The organizers decided to take the hybrid route this time for their event, so that they could spread awareness to a larger audience. So, these sessions will not only take place in person, but will also be streamed online, using various vFairs features.

Linette Roach, the Media Relations Director at Black Health Matters said, Black Health Matters is delighted to host the largest health fair in the nation. We are kicking off our program year in Harlem USA, with more than 10 revered Black fraternities, sororities and medical organizations galvanizing people to participate and watch the summit. Survey results show that our summits help individuals make the necessary changes to improve their health. More than $8K worth of medical advice will be shared through a faculty of 12 respected clinicians.

Muhammad Younas, the CEO & Founder of vFairs stated, This is quite an exciting event, especially as it highlights such an important issue as Black health. Such events help bring systematic problems to the limelight, and help communities gather together to help resolve them. We are glad to offer an easily accessible platform for these events.

The Black Health Matters Summit & Health Fair is free and open to the public. It will run from 9 AM to 5 PM EST on the 30th of April. Interested individuals can register at the event page, and log in at the day of the event.

About Black Health Matters

African Americans have poor health outcomes on nearly every disease index; the community is either at higher risk for developing an illness or die from it in greater numbers. While access to health insurance and socioeconomic status play a significant part in these health disparities, there is also a lack of awareness about preventive steps. Black Health Matters provides information about health and well-being from a service-oriented perspective.

About vFairs

vFairs is a virtual & hybrid events platform that helps organizations reach global audiences. We help organizations of all sizes host amazing online conferences, trade shows, job fairs & more. The platform offers an intuitive virtual experience along with interactive features such as audio/video chat, excellent scalability, and several customization options.
Brian has been affiliated with NC TECH for many years serving in various volunteer leadership roles, providing guidance and support to one of the nations premier state/regional tech associations, said Brooks Raiford, CEO of NC TECH.

RapidScale, a Cox Business company, announces that Director of Channel Sales, East Brian Baker, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the NC TECH Association. He plays an instrumental role in reviewing the organizations progress and helps make decisions that affect the Associations objectives. Baker will continue to support the organizations mission to uplift its members in the technology industry through education, brand development, network growth, and more.

Brian has been affiliated with NC TECH for many years serving in various volunteer leadership roles, providing guidance and support to one of the nations premier state/regional tech associations, said Brooks Raiford, CEO of NC TECH.

Baker is an accomplished leader, having developed his entire career in the technology sector within North Carolina. He has extensive experience in business development, new customer acquisition, sales leadership, and driving profitable results for any organization he is a part of. To recognize his business achievements and community involvement, Triangle Business Journal granted him the prestigious 40 Under 40 Award in 2010. He also previously served as president of the North Carolina chapter of AFCOM, an organization that develops individuals and organizations in the data center and IT infrastructure management field.

Within a year, Baker has been promoted from a senior cloud solutions consultant to the director of sales for the east region at RapidScale. During his time, he was responsible for new client acquisition, managed lead-generating initiatives, and developed strategic partnerships with key organizations that drove cloud opportunities for the business. His thought leadership, expertise in technology sales, and commitment to partner development benefit both executive roles he serves within RapidScale and NCTECH.

I am proud to have been selected to serve on the Board of Directors for NC TECH. My entire career has been within the technology sector, and I have had a relationship with NC TECH for more than 15 years. The organization has been a fantastic resource for learning and collaboration with fellow technology professionals. The team continues to lead as an advocate for our industry and I look forward to supporting their efforts. 

About NC TECH

NC TECH is a not-for-profit, membership-driven trade association and the primary voice of the technology industry in North Carolina. NC TECHs mission is to foster growth and champion innovation in North Carolinas tech sector while providing a voice for the tech community. NC TECHs membership includes 600+ member companies, organizations, and institutions employing more than 200,000 workers in North Carolina.

About RapidScale

For IT and business leaders looking to scale, secure, and simplify their IT, RapidScale, a Cox Business Company, is the next-generation managed cloud services provider that aggregates best-in-class cloud technology under a single management portal, enabling IT to accomplish more and providing an exceptional end-user experience. By delivering simple and secure access to company data and applications from anywhere, any time, on any device, RapidScale sets itself apart from other cloud providers by its team of technology experts, award-winning end-user customer support, flexible co-management options, and easy-to-use management portal. For more information on RapidScale, visit http://www.rapidscale.net.

About Cox Business

Cox Communications owns Cox Business and is a facilities-based provider of voice, video, and data solutions for commercial customers. More information about Cox Communications, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at http://www.cox.com.

The commercial division of Cox Communications, Cox Business, provides voice, data, and video services for more than 355,000 small and regional businesses nationwide, including health care providers, K12 and higher education; financial institutions; and federal, state and local government organizations. The organization also serves most of the top-tier wireless and wireline telecommunications carriers in the U.S. through its wholesale division. For more information, please visit http://www.coxbusiness.com.

Media Contact

Nikki Salazar

RapidScale, a Cox Business Company

nikki.salazar@rapidscale.net
Dr. Nicole Schrader Named As One of the Top-Three Vote-Getters in the Readers Choice Awards Dr. Schrader and her aesthetic nurse Sam are absolutely wonderful, meticulous, and friendly. They offer both educated and artistic suggestions, and it shows in the results. You can trust your face and skin to stay young with this dream team. - Former Patient

Each year, Town Topics, Princetons weekly community newspaper, encourages readers to vote for their favorite local businesses and services. In 2021, Town Topic readers voted to select their favorite plastic surgeon in Princeton. Dr. Nicole Schrader was named in the top three plastic surgeons by the community of Princeton, New Jersey. In the 2017 Readers Choice Awards, Dr. Schrader was also recognized as one of the top plastic surgeons in Princeton. Interested individuals can view the results of the 2021 and 2017 Readers Choice Awards at https://www.towntopics.com/wordpress/readers-choice-awards-results/.

As a community-driven individual residing in Princeton, New Jersey, Dr. Nicole Schrader is proud to receive this award. Among Dr. Schraders many achievements, her passion is serving Princeton and surrounding communities with respect, kindness, and expertise. Through Town Topics Readers Choice Awards, individuals can view Mercer Countys top picks for essential medical services. As a top-three winner, Dr. Nicole Schrader is known for high-quality patient care and services. Dr. Schraders practice provides plastic surgery along with non-surgical interventions, including injectables and laser services.

Dr. Schrader, the founder of Schrader Plastic Surgery, is a dual board-certified surgeon specializing in facial plastic, reconstructive surgery, otolaryngology, and head, neck surgery. Nicole Schrader MD brings over 15 years of experience to her practice and patients. As an expert in her field, Dr. Schrader has co-authored many scientific papers and presentations. With thorough consultations, Dr. Schrader empowers and educates her patients to achieve their aesthetic health goals. Facial rejuvenation, functional rhinoplasties, incision-less aesthetic services, and soft-tissue reconstruction are some of the highly specialized services available at Schrader Plastic Surgery. Individuals with questions or comments can contact Dr. Schrader and staff at https://www.schraderplasticsurgery.com/contact.

Dr. Schrader and her aesthetic nurse Sam are absolutely wonderful, meticulous, and friendly. They offer both educated and artistic suggestions, and it shows in the results. Looking forward to going back for laser skin resurfacing treatment in the Fall. You can trust your face and skin to stay young with this dream team. Not to mention, the staff is incredibly welcoming and kind. - Former Patient

Nicole Schrader MD is Princetons leading plastic surgeon that provides a wide range of professional procedures to patients in New Jersey and surrounding areas. As a double board-certified surgeon, Dr. Schrader empowers patients to boost their self-esteem and achieve their aesthetic goals. Patients enjoy her individualized care, thorough approach, and professional expertise. Whether it be facial plastic, otolaryngology, or head and neck surgery, Dr. Schrader is committed to excellence.

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If you would like more information about Schrader Plastic Surgery, please call (609)279-0009 or visit https://www.schraderplasticsurgery.com/facial-plastic-surgeon-office-new-jersey.
This partnership with Knowledge Unlatched not only enhances acquisition workflows for GOBI customers but supports the open community and helps bring resources to communities who might not have access otherwise.

GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO (GOBI Library Solutions) now supports the Knowledge Unlatched (KU) Open Access (OA) e-books funding model, providing the opportunity for academic libraries to support OA funding initiatives within their GOBI workflow. The addition of the Knowledge Unlatched Open Research Library E-Book platform will make the complete collection of Knowledge Unlatched OA crowdfunding products available to GOBI customers worldwide.

Knowledge Unlatched is a worldwide service provider that values the development and visibility of Open Access e-books and provides libraries with a convenient place to support OA collections and models. Knowledge Unlatched makes scholarly content freely available, supporting the development of the OA infrastructure and bringing scholarly content to communities who otherwise would not have access to such materials.

Beginning in May 2022, GOBI customers will be able to pledge toward more than 20 OA eCollections on KUs Open Research Library platform. Once the eCollection has reached a set pledge threshold determined by Knowledge Unlatched, it will become freely available to all readers worldwide starting January 2023. By participating in this model, libraries can support investment in OA content and workflows, helping to make quality OA e-books easily available to libraries around the world. Libraries who participate in this model will benefit from de-duplication, visibility of OA e-books in GOBI and a single point of invoicing and customer service.

Knowledge Unlatched Senior Manager, Sven Fund, says one of the companys key goals is to make open access easy for libraries. Our partnership with GOBI Library Solutions supports the streamlining of processes within libraries and institutions. The obvious advantages of this collaboration include the seamless integration of Open Access content into the acquisition landscape for librarians and avoiding unintended double dipping of titles.

EBSCO Information Services Director of Content Strategies, Jon Elwell, says this partnership will enhance and build upon GOBIs longtime commitment to providing library choice, highlighting the importance of an open community that values and supports the needs of libraries. This partnership with Knowledge Unlatched not only enhances acquisition workflows for GOBI customers but supports the open community and helps bring resources to communities who might not have access otherwise.

About Knowledge Unlatched

Knowledge Unlatched, a Wiley brand, offers free access to scholarly content for readers and researchers around the world. Its crowdfunding Open Access models and initiatives provide libraries worldwide with a central place to support the publishing of Open Access content from leading publishers in a wide range of HSS and STEM disciplines.

About GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO

GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO, formerly YBP Library Services, offers more than 17 million print and e-books to academic, research and special libraries worldwide. From streamlining workflows to partnering with library staff, GOBI Library Solutions is committed to providing the best solution for libraries acquisition, collection development and technical service needs. For more than 50 years, the mission has remained the same  to partner with libraries in providing access to the broadest selection of scholarly content available. For more information, visit the GOBI Library Solutions website at: gobi.ebsco.com.

About EBSCO Information Services

EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the preeminent provider of online research content and search technologies serving academic, school and public libraries; healthcare and medical institutions; corporations; and government agencies around the world. From research, acquisition management, subscription services and discovery to clinical decision support and patient care, learning, and research and development, EBSCO provides institutions with access to content and resources to serve the information and workflow needs of their users and organizations. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: http://www.ebsco.com.

For more information, please contact:

Erica Gilson

Senior Communications Specialist

egilson@ebsco.com

978-414-0385
We are excited about this collaboration as it directly benefits children with complex needs in our community. It provides access to collective expertise from two nationally ranked childrens hospitals, while maintaining care close to home. Caitlin Stella, CEO, Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital

Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital today announced the launch of a new complex care center to enhance access to highly specialized pediatric care in South Florida.

A new alliance with Boston Childrens Hospital will provide Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital patients throughout South Florida with more coordinated access to specialized and streamlined care planning among providers at both institutions. Both childrens hospitals will work together to provide a more unified team-based approach on diagnosis and treatments to manage the rarest and most complex conditions.

We are excited about this collaboration because it directly benefits children and adolescents with complex needs in the greater South Florida community. It provides access to the collective expertise from two nationally ranked childrens hospitals in the country, while maintaining care close to home, said Caitlin Stella, CEO, Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital. We continuously enhance and elevate the care we provide in order to give parents in our community the resources they need to help their children through their medical journey and give children the exceptional medical expertise and outstanding patient care that they deserve.

"Boston Childrens is dedicated to providing compassionate family-centered complex care, driven by life-changing science, said Dr. Kevin Churchwell, CEO of Boston Childrens Hospital. This alliance will strengthen the shared commitment of two great institutions to improving access to the highest-quality pediatric care, and to improving the entire experience for the patients and their families. We are looking forward to serving the children of South Florida together.

Under this alliance, Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital sees patients at its Center for Complex Care and can provide a direct referral to Boston Childrens Hospital for evaluation and treatment by its physicians. In turn, both childrens hospitals co-manage the care in an effort to keep patients and families closer to home and maintain collaborative clinical discussions for the greater benefit of the patients.

Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospitals Center for Complex Care also offers:



 Office visits for children with complex chronic medical conditions.

 Needs assessments for home and community-based medical services.

 Short and long-term medical planning for medically complex children.

 Second opinions for children with rare or difficult to diagnose health issues.

 Transition of care visits for medically complex children, including when children experience the following changes in care environments:

o Hospital to home

o Skilled nursing facility to home

o Geographic relocation

o Shift from one care provider to another

o Approaching adulthood

To learn more about The Center for Complex Care, call 954-265-4494.

In addition, the alliance allows for continuous medical education that provides opportunities for physicians to share knowledge and expertise through an annual pediatric symposium presented by Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital in collaboration with Boston Childrens Hospital. This years annual conference will be held on November 12-13 at the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, Florida.

About Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital:

Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital is one of the nations leading pediatric hospitals, offering a comprehensive scope of healthcare services and programs in a caring, compassionate setting designed specifically for children. A level one trauma center, it combines advanced technology, the expertise of board-certified pediatric specialists, and a patient and family-centered approach to heal the body, mind, and spirit of those it touches. The hospitals nonprofit foundation focuses on philanthropy to positively impact patients, families, and underwrite programs, facilities, and equipment that support the pediatric facilitys mission. Connect online at jdch.com and @jdchospital on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

About Boston Childrens Hospital:

Boston Childrens Hospital  the #1 childrens hospital in the nation, for eight years in a row, and highly ranked across all ten U.S. News & World Report ranked specialties  is the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Home to the worlds largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center, its discoveries have benefited both children and adults since 1869. Today, 3,000 researchers and scientific staff, including 9 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 23 members of the National Academy of Medicine and 12 Howard Hughes Medical Investigators comprise Boston Childrens research community. Founded as a 20-bed hospital for children, Boston Childrens is now a 415-bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care. For more, visit our Discoveries blog and follow us on social media @BostonChildrens, @BCH_Innovation, Facebook and YouTube.
Law Office of Blumenthal Nodrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against St. Paul's Episcopal Home, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

The San Diego employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action lawsuit against St. Paul's Episcopal Home, Inc., alleging the company violated the California Labor Code. The lawsuit against St. Paul's Episcopal Home, Inc. is currently pending in the San Diego County Superior Court, Case No. 37-2022-00013035-CU-OE-CTL. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here.

According to the lawsuit filed, St. Paul's Episcopal Home, Inc. allegedly (a) failed to pay minimum wages, (b) failed to pay overtime wages, (c) failed to provide legally required meal and rest periods, (d) failed to provide accurate itemized wage statements, and (e) failed to reimburse employees for required expenses, all in violation of the applicable Labor Code sections listed in California Labor Code Sections  226, 226.7, 510, 512, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 2802, and the applicable Wage Order(s), and thereby gives rise to civil penalties as a result of such alleged conduct.

St. Paul's Episcopal Home, Inc. allegedly failed to pay employees for all the time they were under the employer's control. This, allegedly, includes the time Plaintiff and other California Class Members had to submit to mandatory COVID-19 screening prior to clocking in for the day. The employer also allegedly required employees to complete mandatory unpaid training. To the extent that the time worked off the clock did not qualify for overtime premium payment, Defendant allegedly failed to pay minimum and overtime wages for the time worked off-the-clock.

For more information about the class action lawsuit against St. Paul's Episcopal Home, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and other types of illegal workplace conduct.

***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT***
This award marks the fifth-year in a row that Mercer Advisors has been recognized in the PAM awards with a winning initiative.

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. (Mercer Advisors), a national Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) firm, today announced that the firm has been recognized for the Best ESG Investment Offering in the 2022 Private Asset Management (PAM) Awards. This award marks the fifth-year in a row that Mercer Advisors has been recognized in the PAM awards with a winning initiative.

The PAM Awards* exist to recognize the top investment professionals, wealth advisers, legal firms, consultants and other key service providers in the private asset management space. Mercer Advisors came out on top in a very competitive and crowded field of major players in the ESG Investing marketplace.

Mercer Advisors ESG Offering:

Mercers Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) offering enables clients to customize their investment portfolios based on their individual preferences and beliefs. There are no additional platform or AUM fees for having access to this level of customization. Mercer Advisors veteran investment team incorporates ESG factors into the manager selection process and partners with the largest asset managers in the world to develop solutions and reporting frameworks to meet the growing ESG demands of high-net-worth (HNW) and ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) investors. The resulting portfolios are low-cost, tax-efficient, and truly customized solutions that are tailored to ESG investors needs, tastes, and preferences. Weve seen enormous interest and engagement from our clients in our ESG capabilities. Once clients understand that these are decisions that they can make, not decisions somebody else makes for them, and that weve designed a program that doesnt cost them more, they get excited about the possibilities, said Don Calcagni, Chief Investment Officer.

Mercer 2030  Mercers Commitment to Sustainable Growth and Development:

This award-winning ESG offering is part of Mercer Advisors commitment to the 2030 Sustainable Growth and Development Corporate Initiative, Mercer Advisors company-wide program to fulfill the mission of becoming a sustainable organization while contributing positively to the communities it serves through a Quadruple Bottom Line.

As part of the ambitious agenda for the United Nations Sustainable Growth and Development (UNSGD) framework, Mercer Advisors has identified 4 specific UNSDG goals that the company and its employees will focus on that align with its values as a firm and its commitment to providing the highest level of client service. These include Innovation and Responsible Growth; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI); Sustainable Environment; and Gender Equity.

We are delighted and honored with this continued recognition from the industry for our investment offerings, said Dave Welling, CEO of Mercer Advisors. Sustainability is a core theme of our commitment to our clients and community, and we look forward to continuing to expand our work in the ESG space.

*Candidates are invited to submit responses in several categories to demonstrate developments to their business model, financial progress in business performance and service offerings. Selection is determined by growth in clients and employees, client satisfaction, and product Innovation over the course of the previous year. Winners are determined by an independent panel of industry experts and the PAM editorial team. Mercer Advisors purchased a table at the 2022 awards ceremony. For more information on Private Asset Management (PAM), visit fundintelligence.global.

About Mercer Advisors

Established in 1985, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. (Mercer Advisors) is a full-service wealth management firm that specializes in providing investment advice, financial and estate planning, and taxes, and corporate trustee and trust administration services. It is one of the largest Registered Investment Advisers and financial planning firms in the U.S. with almost $38 billion in client assets. Headquartered in Denver, Mercer Advisors is privately held, has over 680 employees, and operates nationally across the country with over 60 locations. Mercer Advisors, Inc. is a parent company of Mercer Global Advisors Inc. (RIA), majority owned by both Oak Hill Capital and Genstar Capital. Mercer Global Advisors has a related insurance agency. Mercer Advisors Insurance Services, LLC (MAIS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercer Advisors Inc. Employees of Mercer Global Advisors serve as officers of MAIS. For Mercer Global Advisors clients who wish to purchase insurance products, MAIS has entered into a non-exclusive referral agreement with Strategic Partner(s). More information about MAIS and our Strategic Partners may be found in our Form ADV 2A. Visit us at http://www.merceradvisors.com.

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and delivers all investment-related services. Mercer Advisors Inc. is the parent company of Mercer Global Advisors Inc. and is not involved with investment services.

Mercer Advisors is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice to clients. All estate planning documentation preparation and other legal advice is provided through its affiliation with Advanced Services Law Group, Inc.

Data as of February 28, 2022. AUM includes affiliates and wholly owned subsidiaries announced to date.

Please note: Limitations. Neither rankings and/or recognitions by unaffiliated rating services, publications, media, or other organizations, should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if Mercer Advisors is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. Rankings published by magazines, and others, generally base their selections exclusively on information prepared and/or submitted by the recognized adviser. Rankings are generally limited to participating advisers (see participation criteria/methodology). No ranking or recognition should be construed as a current or past endorsement of Mercer Advisors by any of its clients.
Status as an accredited organization means Milestone Surgery Center has met nationally recognized standards for the provision of quality health care set by AAAHC. More than 6,100 ambulatory health care organizations across the United States are currently accredited by AAAHC.

1095 Strong is a transformational movement and call-to-action spearheaded by the AAAHC to equip ambulatory leaders with the best of what they need to operationalize quality practices. The three-year, or 1,095-day, period between accreditations is a critical time when ambulatory health organizations, with help from proven experts, can develop the kind of everyday habits that enable leaders in the industry to provide the utmost in quality care to their patients. Organizations, such as Milestone Surgery Center, that earn AAAHC accreditation embody the spirit of 1095 Strong, quality every day, an ongoing commitment to high-quality care and patient safety.

While the onsite survey is an important component of the process, ongoing compliance and continuous improvement are part of the accreditation maintenance mindset that a facility should integrate into its daily activities long after the survey has been completed. The intent of accreditation is for organizations to adopt policies and procedures that fuel ongoing quality improvement and self-evaluation every day.

Our state-of-the-art facilitythe only one of its kind in the regionspecializes in minimally invasive surgery for gynecologic, urologic and urogynecologic (pelvic floor) conditions. At Milestone Surgery Center patients can expect unique and personalized care and attention every step of the way to ensure their surgical experience will be as comfortable as possible, says Oscar A. Aguirre, M.D., Founder of Milestone Surgery Center. This experience begins with our friendly, experienced staff who will always make patients feel welcome and put their mind at ease from the moment they step into our spacious, contemporary waiting area. Dr. Aguirre, a double-board certified urogynecologist specializing in reconstructive and cosmetic vaginal surgery as well as neuromodulation for bladder and bowel control further elaborates - As a high-volume minimally invasive surgeon with two decades of experience Im excited to bring my patients to Milestone Surgery Center where they will receive more personalized care than they would otherwise in a large hospital complex. Furthermore, the data is clear - ambulatory surgery centers have a proven lower infection rate, complication rate and cost. This represents a tremendous value to both the patient and insurer.

Ambulatory health care organizations seeking AAAHC accreditation undergo an extensive self assessment and onsite survey by AAAHC expert surveyors  physicians, nurses, and administrators who are actively involved in ambulatory care. The survey is peer-based and educational, presenting best practices to help an organization improve its care and services.

About Milestone Surgical Center, LLC

Milestone Surgery Center is a physician-owned, multi-specialty ambulatory surgery center founded in December 2018 in Parker, Colorado. Our specialties include cosmetic/plastic surgery, general surgery, gynecology, pain management, urology and urogynecology. Our mission is to combine exceptional patient-centered care with the latest advances in healthcare technology. We are dedicated to womens functional and aesthetic needs by providing surgical services that meet high standards of quality and safety in an environment that nurtures the spirit of caring for every woman.

About AAAHC

Founded in 1979, AAAHC is the leader in ambulatory health care accreditation, with more than 6,100 organizations accredited. We accredit a wide range of outpatient settings, including ambulatory surgery centers, office-based surgery facilities, endoscopy centers, student health centers, medical and dental group practices, community health centers, employer-based health clinics, retail clinics, and Indian/Tribal health centers, among others.

AAAHC advocates for the provision of high-quality health care through the development and adoption of nationally recognized standards. We provide a valuable survey experience founded on a peer-based, educational approach to onsite review. The AAAHC Certificate of Accreditation, along with specialized programs including Advanced Orthopaedic Certification and Medical Home Certification, demonstrates an organizations commitment to providing safe, high-quality services to its patientsevery day of the 1,095-day accreditation cycle. AAAHC Accreditation and Certification Programs are recognized by third-party payers, medical professional associations, liability insurance companies, state and federal agencies, and the public. For more information on AAAHC, please visit http://www.aaahc.org.
NVTC Announces the Finalists of 2022 NVTC Greater Washington Technology CFO Awards This years finalists showcase strong business acumen and practical knowledge and have made invaluable contributions to our tech community," said Jennifer Taylor, president and CEO of NVTC.

The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC), the trade association representing the regions technology community, today announced the finalists of the 2022 NVTC Greater Washington Technology CFO Awards and the 2022 Class of NVTC Rising Stars. In its 26th year, these annual awards recognize chief financial officers and financiers for their extraordinary achievement and excellence in promoting the economic development of our region's technology community. The winners will be announced at the NVTC awards ceremony on June 6, 2022 at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner.

This years finalists showcase strong business acumen and practical knowledge and have made invaluable contributions to our tech community. Their financial leadership and commitment to growing financially-secure innovative businesses plays a critical role in making our region the largest and most influential tech hub in the nation, said Jennifer Taylor, president and CEO of NVTC. And, once again, this years rising stars represent our best and brightest NextGen leaders who will make great contributions in their careers. Congratulations!

This years program attracted over 50 nominations from companies, organizations and individuals.

We were very impressed with this years nominees. Our judges panel consisted of former CFO award winners who set the tone for this new wave of finalists. It comes as no surprise that the finalists selected are some of the most dedicated and innovative business leaders in the area, remarked Olivier Bouwer, Partner, PwC. Bouwer is the chairman of this years awards program.

Category finalists for the 2022 NVTC Greater Washington Technology CFO Awards include:

Emerging Growth CFO of the Year



Mark Cutler, Jazz Solutions Inc.

David Farnsworth, HawkEye 360

Isaac He, Verato

Daniel Lynam, Sanford Federal, Inc.

Shannan Winkler, IntelliDyne, LLC

Private Company CFO of the Year



Tricia Benedix, Higher Logic

Jeff Cook, Octo

Heather Paduck, STACK Infrastructure

Jill Streit, PenFed Credit Union

Wilson Wang, MITRE

Public Company CFO of the Year



Christian Gates, NextNav

Thomas Kramer, IonQ

William (Billy) Newman, Cvent

Ken Sharp, DXC Technology

Vit Vasista, REGENXBIO

Financier of the Year



Blue Delta Capital Partners

Clearsight Advisors, Inc.

Sam Maness, Raymond James

Jason Rigoli, Enlightenment Capital

NVTCs Rising Stars are mid-level financial professionals who have made a significant financial impact at their organizations and demonstrate strong leadership potential.

2022 Class of Rising Stars



Abby Clawson, Axios

Meghan Gifford, Octo

AJ Gollinger, Alarm.com

Ryan Heiling, Morning Consult

Lindsay Joyce, Booz Allen Hamilton

Jonathan Sabo, Unanet

To attend the Greater Washington Technology CFO Awards ceremony on June 6, please register here.
Mr. McSorley evaluates financial and economic evidence relating to the issue of commercial success, a secondary indicium of non-obviousness. In addition, he regularly evaluates claims of irreparable harm and the measures and amounts of damages for patent infringement.

Ocean Tomo Managing Director, Robert McSorley will be speaking at the American Conference Institutes 17th Annual Paragraph IV Disputes Conference taking place on April 26-27, 2022, in New York.

Robert McSorley will join Shashank Upadhye, Partner at Upadhye Tang LLP. They will be exploring related topics such as:



Evaluating damages in an at- risk-launch scenario

Exploring questions of royalties, lost profits, and exceptional findings

Retaining experts to address claims of commercial success and irreparable harm

Exploring when U.S. patent owners may recover foreign lost profits tied to domestic acts of infringement under  271(f)(2)

Robert McSorley is a Managing Director in the Intellectual Property Disputes Financial Expert Testimony practice, working out of the Chicago office of Ocean Tomo, a Part of J.S. Held. Mr. McSorley has 30 years of experience addressing the economic, financial, and accounting issues concerning commercial litigation. Mr. McSorley is regularly retained by generic pharmaceutical firms (defendants) involved with Hatch-Waxman litigation. Mr. McSorley has been involved in Paragraph IV disputes since 2005. In connection with these engagements, Mr. McSorley evaluates financial and economic evidence relating to the issue of commercial success, a secondary indicium of non-obviousness. In addition, he regularly evaluates claims of irreparable harm and the measures and amounts of damages for patent infringement.

Mr. McSorley holds a B.A. degree in Accounting from The Pennsylvania State University and a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a CPA and a licensed attorney. Mr. McSorley is a member of the Licensing Executive Society, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Federal Circuit Bar Association.

To learn more about Mr. McSorleys work focused on commercial success, irreparable harm, and economic damages related to Paragraph IV disputes, please visit https://www.oceantomo.com/services/hatch-waxman-disputes/or email Mr. McSorley at rmcsorley@oceantomo.com.

About Ocean Tomo

Established in 2003, Ocean Tomo provides Financial Expert, Management Consulting, and Advisory services related to intellectual property (IP) and other intangible assets; corporate accounting investigations; regulatory and reporting obligations; solvency and restructuring; and contractual or competition disputes.

Practice offerings address economic damage calculations and testimony; accounting investigations and financial forensics; technology and intangible asset valuation; strategy and risk management consulting; mergers and acquisitions; debt and equity private placement; and IP brokerage.

Subsidiaries of Ocean Tomo include Ocean Tomo Investments Group, LLC, a registered broker dealer. Ocean Tomo is a part of J.S. Held. With more than 100 offices globally, J.S. Held assists clients  corporations, insurers, law firms, governments, and institutional investors  on complex technical, scientific, and financial matters across all assets and value at risk.
The need for accounting and finance professionals is continuing to grow, so we are excited to expand our current offerings and better serve the community.

With unemployment nearing pre-pandemic levels, and seven percent projected job growth in the accounting sector between 2020 and 2030, PrideStaff, a nationally franchised staffing organization, is pleased to announce that their award-winning Sacramento (West) office has added a PrideStaff Financial Division to its existing operations.

Building on the tremendous success of PrideStaff Sacramento (West), the office's new division will specialize in accounting and financial staffing, offering expanded services for local companies seeking accounting and finance specialists. Owner/Strategic-Partner, Paul Basi, will be heading PrideStaff Financial Sacramento (West) and is looking forward to providing specialized solutions to even more employers and professionals in his market. "The need for accounting and finance professionals is continuing to grow, so we are excited to expand our current offerings and better serve the community," said Basi. "These increased capabilities will not only allow us to apply our subject-matter expertise to our clients' challenges; they diversify career options for our associates, direct-hire candidates and internal employees."

"PrideStaff Financial is an important part of The PrideStaff Companies, allowing us to meet clients' specialized finance and accounting staffing and hiring needs in an extremely tight candidate market," stated Ashli Fernandez, VP of PrideStaff Financial. "Paul and his team will leverage their extensive networks and PrideStaff's national recruiting resources to efficiently connect the right professionals with roles in which they can make a real impact."

PrideStaff Financial provides outstanding service and results by removing the guesswork from staffing. It was developed to meet the specific staffing needs and challenges associated with accounting and finance, from accounts payable and receivable staffing to executive recruiting.

By investing in the client and talent experience, PrideStaff Financial has received ClearlyRated's coveted Best of Staffing 10-Year Client and Talent Diamond Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates for at least ten consecutive years. The 10-Year Diamond Award is earned by fewer than .5% of all accounting and financial staffing firms in the US, placing PrideStaff Financial in a truly elite group of companies that lead the industry in satisfaction.

About PrideStaff Financial

A division of PrideStaff, PrideStaff Financial specializes in accounting and financial staffing. The parent company was founded in the 1970s as 100% company-owned units, and began staffing franchising in 1995. They operate over 85 offices in North America to serve more than 5,000 clients. With 40 plus years in the staffing business, headquartered in Fresno, CA, all PrideStaff brands offer the resources and expertise of a national firm with the spirit, dedication and personal service of smaller, entrepreneurial firms. For more information on PrideStaff Financial services, visit our website.

PrideStaff and PrideStaff Financial's shared Mission: Consistently provide client experiences focused on what they value most.


I would like to pass down my belief in God, my educational standard to anyone who is willing to read it and gain knowledge from it.

Author Rev. Matthias Walcott provides an easy-to-understand bible study to adult and young adult Christian readers in Insights on Theology($17.49, paperback, 9781662844515; $8.99, e-book, 9781662844522).

Rev. Walcott penned this book to help not only the Christian community but the general public as well. His refreshing, yet self-explanatory presentation provides a vast array of information about God and His relationship to mankind. In Rev. Walcotts studies, he found God to be a great and faithful Father that will never let his followers down  especially those who come to believe in his Son Jesus for their personal salvation.

The Holy Spirit inspired me to write this book, said Rev. Walcott. I would like to pass down my belief in God, my educational standard to anyone who is willing to read it and gain knowledge from it.

Rev. Matthias Walcott was born on the island of Grenada in the Caribbean. He migrated to the U.S. in 1972 and became a U.S. citizen in 1982. He was saved by grace through faith in his Son Jesus at the West Orange Church of God in 1983. He was saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Spirit, and believes in Jesus Christ as the only Son of God. He worked in different factories and attended night classes while working full time. Rev. Walcott received a Doctoral degree in Theology from the Christian Bible Institute. Upon graduation, he taught at the school for more than three years. He enjoys his calling from God to preach and teach His Word on all levels of the educational spectrum. Rev. Walcott also enjoys watching good programs on television, playing games, attending church, preaching the bible and traveling.

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Xulon Press, a division of Salem Media Group, is the worlds largest Christian self-publisher, with more than 15,000 titles published to date. Insights on Theology is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com.


Portney comments, There is a compelling and unique story to tell here, and I believe with my global network, I can introduce Shannon Family of Wines to the most important export markets.

Shannon Family of Wines, the leading is pleased to announce the appointment of Al Portney as International Export Sales Lead.

Al Portney brings more than forty-seven years of industry experience to his new role, with a history of exporting American wines to more than 100 countries. After retiring at the end of 2019 from a 25-year career as the VP of International Sales for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Portney set up his brokerage and consulting company. Al was inspired to work with the Shannon Family after seeing the incredible work they have done in Lake County, CA, including their commitment to producing top-quality wines by implementing the highest standards in organic grape growing, sustainable, and regenerative farming practices.

Portney comments, There is a compelling and unique story to tell here, and I believe with my global network, I can introduce them to the most important export markets.

Led by Al, Shannon Family of Wines will participate at ProWein Dusseldorf for the first time from May 15th - 17th, 2022.

The entire Shannon Family of Wines portfolio will fall under Portney, including Clay Shannon and Buck Shack Bourbon Barrel Wines.

The Shannon Family of Wines portfolio also includes Giannecchini, High Valley, OVIS, Shannon Ridge, Steele Wines, and Urgency.

For more information on Shannon Family of Wines visit http://www.shannonfamilyofwines.com and follow them on Facebook, and Instagram.
The Henry Ford today announced the June 25, 2022 opening of Heroes and Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume in partnership with the Walt Disney Archives. Through more than 70 original items including ball gowns, sorcerers capes, military uniforms, tiaras, and of course glass slippers, the exhibition immerses visitors into the world of Disney and shows how our understanding of its iconic characters is shaped through the artistry and creativity of its costumes.

Running through January 1, 2023, the exhibition includes costumes from some of Hollywoods preeminent designers, past and present, including Academy Award-winners Colleen Atwood, Sandy Powell, and Tony Walton, as well as Emmy winner Ellen Mirojnick and Emmy nominees Eduardo Castro and Penny Rose.

Visitors will experience Cinderellas Workshop, a gallery featuring the beloved fairy-tale characters dresses from her numerous Disney incarnations, including 1997s Rodgers and Hammersteins Cinderella; 2014s Into the Woods; the 2015 live-action reimagining of the animated masterpiece Cinderella; and the ABC hit series Once Upon a Time.

The exhibition is divided into three sections: Disney Heroes, Disney Villains, and Spaces Between, reserved for the antiheroes whose fascinating journeys make them among Disneys most complex characters. There will also be interactive elements and plenty of chances for photo-ops.

Among the costumes included in the Disney Heroes section are Belles village dress and ballgown from 2017s Beauty and the Beast; Giselle and Prince Edwards costumes from Enchanted; and two iconic Mary Poppins traveling dresses, one from the 1964 original film and the other from 2019s Mary Poppins Returns. Disney Villains ensembles include the trio of wonderfully wicked witches from 1993s Hocus Pocus, the duo of dresses worn by the stepsisters in 2015s Cinderella, and the dress worn by the incomparable Bette Davis in 1978s Return from Witch Mountain. And Spaces Between includes Maleficents gown from the 2014 film, as well as the Evil Queen and Hooks costumes from Once Upon a Time.

The Henry Ford is the second museum to show the exhibition following its run at MoPOP in Seattle. It originally premiered at the 2019 D23 Expo  the biennial event of the official Disney fan club. Admission to the exhibition is free for members and included in the general admission to Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. For updates on hours, tickets and more, visit thf.org or follow The Henry Ford on social media @thehenryford.

About The Henry Ford

Located in Dearborn, Michigan, The Henry Ford, a globally recognized destination, fosters inspiration and learning from hands-on encounters with artifacts that represent the most comprehensive collection anywhere focusing on innovation, ingenuity and resourcefulness in America. Its unique venues include Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village, Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Benson Ford Research Center and Henry Ford Academy, a public charter high school. Together with its online presence at thf.org, its national television series The Henry Fords Innovation Nation and Invention Convention Worldwide, the growing affiliation of organizations fostering innovation, invention and entrepreneurship in K-12 students, The Henry Ford inspires individuals to unlock their potential and help shape a better future.

About the Walt Disney Archives

For more than 50 years, the Walt Disney Archives has carefully safeguarded the most treasured items from The Walt Disney Companys history, including original scripts, movie props and costumes, Walt Disneys correspondence and script notes, theme park artifacts, merchandise, millions of archival photographs, and many of Walts personal effects. Founded by Disney Legend Dave Smith in 1970, the Walt Disney Archives is a vital resource for every part of Disney, as well as an important research center for Disney scholars, researchers, and writers. The Archives also shares its countless pieces with Disney fans everywhere through its exhibitions and close association with D23: The Official Disney Fan Club.
I firmly believe the only way to encourage people and offer them hope is to get back to basic discipleship.

Author Bruce Zavatsky equips Christian readers with the necessary motivation to return to discipleship in A Nation of No Fear of God ($12.49, paperback, 9781662846335; $5.99, e-book, 9781662846342).

Mr. Zavatsky penned this book based on the Corinthians scripture that says, " what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches." You see, he started to recognize that religion and culture were slowly making their way into the churches of today and this did not slow down. Mr. Zavatsky witnessed the authority of Christ and His Word being overwhelmed by todays world. His book explores what he considers the problem; the majority of people are hanging onto every word and being influenced by their false teaching. He believes the issue is clearly evident, even among many well-known leaders in the Christian community. Mr. Zavatsky will explain to readers how using the Word of God can actually provide much needed hope to persevere through tough times.

About a year ago, the Lord laid it upon my heart to write this book, said Mr. Zavatsky. Early in my Christian life, the Lord showed me the importance of Biblical discipleship. Most churches of today do not see this need as an essential part of spiritual growth. If that were true, then how could we possibly encourage and equip people today? I firmly believe the only way to encourage people and offer them hope is to get back to basic discipleship.

Bruce Zavatsky was not raised in a Christian home, but rather in a religious home. There was an atmosphere of morality, but it was subjective. Then, in 1989, Jesus Christ became real to him and his life started to change. He discovered the difference between religion and Christianity. Mr. Zavatsky explains that it was not about how good a man could be, but how much God has already done for the man, in and through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Mr. Zavatsky studied theology and Bible History at Frontier School of the Bible. Then God led him to earn a Bachelor of Divinity from Trinity Bible College. He has been blessed to serve as a teacher, deacon, interim pastor and currently the pastor of a small church in Wyoming. Mr. Zavatsky enjoys writing, playing with his dog, Sachi, and taking long walks in the neighborhood. He also enjoys traveling around the country, meeting new people and sharing Christ as opportunities arise. According to the author, it was Gods love for him that compelled him to share all He has given, with all who desire to know Him.

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Xulon Press, a division of Salem Media Group, is the worlds largest Christian self-publisher, with more than 15,000 titles published to date. A Nation of No Fear of God is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com.


Frederick County continues to show all the signs of a strong recovery in our tourism sector, and to continue that growth we need to be fully staffed this summer. - Dave Ziedelis, Executive Director, Visit Frederick

In what is believed to be the first statewide tourism and hospitality job fair in Marylands history, Visit Frederick is teaming up with destination marketing and tourism organizations from across the State and their workforce system counterparts are teaming up to address one of the travel and hospitality industrys biggest challenges  filling thousands of open positions and retaining talent to welcome back visitors for what is expected to be a robust summer travel season. A statewide virtual job fair to benefit the future of the travel industry in Maryland will take place during National Travel & Tourism Week (NTTW) May 1  7, 2022.

The statewide virtual job fair is presented by the Maryland Association of Destination Marketing Organizations, the Maryland Tourism Coalition, and their workforce system partners to assist the hospitality industry statewide.

Individuals seeking employment in Marylands hospitality and tourism industry will have the opportunity to meet virtually with employers from 19 Maryland counties, as well as Annapolis, the City of Baltimore, and Ocean City, on Wednesday, May 4, from 9:00 a.m. until noon.

According to a Tourism Economics report, the pandemic resulted in a net loss of more than 45,600 Maryland jobs that directly interact with visitors in 2020. That is more than 30 percent of all jobs directly supported by visitor activity. Even with those losses, visitor activity in Maryland continued to directly support 104,328 jobs, or 2.9 percent of all jobs in the state.

Frederick County continues to show all the signs of a strong recovery in our tourism sector, and to continue that growth we need to be fully staffed this summer, says Dave Ziedelis, Executive Director of Visit Frederick.

About the Virtual Statewide Job Fair on Wednesday, May 4, 2022:



In addition to Annapolis, Ocean City and Baltimore City, employers from the following counties will be recruiting travel and hospitality talent during the virtual job fair: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Queen Annes, Saint Marys, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, and Worcester.

Employers who are recruiting talent for positions within the 22 participating counties/cities are invited to register at: https://pvapi.premiervirtual.com/s/d7aZrW.

Individuals seeking employment in the participating jurisdictions are invited to register for the virtual job fair at: https://pvapi.premiervirtual.com/s/81rNrd.

About National Travel & Tourism Week: National Travel and Tourism Week 2022 (May 1-7) is an annual industry tradition celebrating the value travel holds for our economy, businesses, personal well-being and more. For more information, visit: https://www.ustravel.org/toolkit/national-travel-and-tourism-week.

Visit Frederick is the recognized Destination Marketing Organization for Frederick City and Frederick County, Maryland. It operates the Frederick Visitor Center and related Visit Frederick programs that include Destination Marketing and Group Tour Marketing. For more information about Visit Frederick, visit http://www.visitfrederick.org or call 301-600-4047.
Expert commentary by APS Fellow Steven C. Hayes, University of Nevada, Reno. Photo above: Encampment for internally displaced people in South Sudan.

We are all nearly traumatized watching what is unfolding in Ukraine. As difficult as it is to watch from afar, we know it must be 1,000 times worse for those in the war zone, who are facing the possibility of domination or death. Lets not forget the Russian soldiers carrying out horrific orders and suffering the moral injuries that will torment them for a lifetime.

Addressing a crisis like this means looking directly at the problem-solving needs that arise in times of war, danger, or difficulty and empowering ourselves to meet these needs. Taking human ownership of the trauma that results from such crises is not just a matter of instrumental action but also one of maintaining psychological resilience under unbelievable circumstances.

Steven C. Hayes

Here, I believe, we need to be guided by high-quality behavioral science. Based on literally thousands of psychological studies, we know some of what needs to be done. In the last decades, the world has faced situations somewhat similar to the war in Ukraine over and over again. Several years ago, in fact, the World Health Organization (WHO), the premier public health institution in the world, had the foresight to leverage psychological science to help us become just a bit more prepared for this awful moment.

In 2013, a civil war began in the new nation of the South Sudan and raged for several years. Famine and disease cruelly added to the misery. Refugees poured out of the country, mostly women and children, escaping horrific violence, sexual attacks, and starvation. One million of them arrived in Uganda, usually with nothing but the clothing on their backs.

WHO went looking for an intervention that could be of help. It made the wise decision not to focus on the usual methods that target psychiatric syndromes, given that war can produce almost every kind of psychological problem you can name. Instead, WHO looked for methods that fostered resilience, settling on a single set of processes called psychological flexibility and an intervention method that targets them, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; also known as Acceptance and Commitment Training). I originated ACT 40 years ago and have since spent decades at the University of Nevada, Reno studying how to use it to alter flexibility processes.

In a gold-standard, randomized controlled trial with nearly 700 South Sudanese refugees in Uganda, WHO delivered ACT in a group format using an audiotape and a graphic novel or cartoon book (necessary because the rate of illiteracy in the South Sudan is the highest in the worldonly about one quarter of the population can read). No single problem was targetedthese survivors struggled with every kind of psychological problem, from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to depression, from explosive anger to an inability to sleep. Instead, what was targeted was psychological flexibility itself.

The ACT self-help program, which WHO called Self-Help Plus (SH+), significantly reduced psychological distress across the board, leading to improvements in almost all monitored areas (e.g., depression, explosive anger, well-being, disability) with an overall effect size as large as or larger than that found for self-help in the developed world (Tol et al., 2020). Importantly, these effects occurred regardless of the extent of participants initial distress or exposure to violence. No adverse events were found to be linked to the programa major factor given the painful history of other well-meaning crisis intervention programs that inadvertently made problems worse, as controlled research revealed.

Encouraged, WHO then turned its eye to the prevention of mental disorders. It used SH+ with nearly 650 Syrian refugees in Turkey who were distressed but had not yet developed a mental health disorder. In the first randomized prevention trial ever conducted among war refugees who did not yet have a diagnosable disorder, the ACT self-help program was found to cut later emergence of mental disorders by nearly half (Acarturk et al., 2022).

These studies and others have led to a form of recognition by WHO that seems relevant to us all. WHO now distributes ACT self-help free worldwide in the form of Doing What Matters in Times of Stress: An Illustrated Guide, recommending this approach for anyone who experiences stress, wherever they live, and whatever their circumstances. The book and tapes are available in 21 languages, including English, Ukrainian, Russian, and Romanian.

This unique recommendation is based on WHOs own research, but it corresponds to more than 900 ACT randomized controlled trials (bit.ly/ACTRCTs) and several thousand other studies indicating that psychological flexibility is not only relevant to narrow areas of mental illnessit changes the trajectory of human lives. My book A Liberated Mind (2019) walks through the decades of behavioral science that make this point and show how to apply it. Scores of other ACT self-help books by excellent authors and researchers are available to back up that message in almost every area of life.

Becoming psychologically flexible means learning how to be more emotionally and cognitively open, focusing consciously on whats present inside and out, and then using that flexibility to focus on values and values-based actions. Flexibility processes do not just ameliorate or prevent psychiatric syndromesthey empower humans to respond to virtually every problem area. This flexibility can be learned in step-by-step fashion and applied to highly stressful situations, integrating the painful experiences that may arise into a pattern of post-traumatic growth.

As the world watches the current horror in Ukraine play out, it is time to consider how to put healthy psychological adjustments into our heads, hearts, and hands.

APS Fellow Steven C. Hayes is a Foundation Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno. A charter member of APS, he was the founding editor of the Observer and the associations first Secretary-Treasurer. See his 2018 article in Clinical Psychological Science, The Future of Intervention Science: Process-Based Therapy.

References

Acarturk, C., Uygun, E., Ilkkursun, Z., Carswell, K., Tedeschi, F., Batu, M., Eskici, S., Kurt, G., Anttila, M., Au, T., Baumgartner, J., Churchill, R., Cuijpers, P., Becker, T., Koesters, M., Lantta, T., Nose, M., Ostuzzi, G., Popa, M., Purgato, M., . . . Barbui, C. (2022). Effectiveness of a WHO self-help psychological intervention for preventing mental disorders among Syrian refugees in Turkey: A randomized controlled trial. World Psychiatry, 21, 8895. http://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20939

Hayes, S. C. (2019). A liberated mind: How to pivot toward what matters. Penguin/Avery.

Tol, W. A., Leku, M. R., Lakin, D. P., Carswell, K., Augustinavicius, J., & Adaku, A. (2020). Guided self-help to reduce psychological distress in South Sudanese female refugees in Uganda: A cluster randomised trial. Lancet Global Health, 8(2), E254E263. http://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(19)30504-2
The spring break season is upon us, but you wont need a break from these new titles. Follow a circus performer as he gets a second chance; join a crew of critters on their expedition for a new badge; discover the secrets kept at a magical traveling hotel; and more in our roundup of big books for young readers.

Picture Books

Armadillo Antics

Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson, illus. by Nathalie Beauvois. Brown, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-61254-547-9. Ages 48.

Armadillos take on an adventure before the break of dawn in this picture book by the late Martin and Sampson. The book received a starred review from PW.

Big and Small and In-Between

Carter Higgins, illus. by Daniel Miyares. Chronicle, $18.99 (98p) ISBN 978-1-4521-6650-6. Ages 35.

Higgins depicts the variations of size in this conceptual picture book about categorization. Its an abstract journey with many turns and surprises.

Children of the Forest

Matt Myers. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-8234-4767-1. Ages 25.

Invoking the vibe of classic childrens book protagonists, two brave siblings tackle the fantastical adventures of the outdoors, even if its only in their own backyard.

The Great Zapfino

Mac Barnett, illus. by Marla Frazee. S&S/Beach Lane, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5344-1154-8. Ages up to 8.

Circus performer the Great Zapfino might not always deliver on his big name, especially after he flees from a failed tightrope performance. But on his getaway, a new opportunity arises to prove just how great the stuntboy can be. The book received a starred review from PW.

Middle Grade

A Duet for Home

Karina Yan Glaser. Clarion, $16.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-544876-40-8. Ages 812.

Junes arrival at the Huey House, a Bronx shelter for unhoused people, follows both the loss of her beloved viola and the death of her father. Huey House resident Tyrell shows June the small joys and comforts her temporary home has to offer, but when the government threatens to evict the residents, the two come up with a plan to save their home. The book received a starred review from PW.

In the Key of Us

Mariama J. Lockington. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $16.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-374-31410-1. Ages 812.

A music summer camp brings together grief-stricken Andi and pressure-ridden Zora, the only two Black girls at the camp. The two bond over their shared love of music as they strive to figure out who they want to become. The book received a starred review from PW.

The Last Mapmaker

Christina Soontornvat. Candlewick, $17.99 (368p) ISBN 978-1-5362-0495-7. Ages 812.

Though mapmaker assistant Sai appears to be a budding lady of society, she harbors a secret about her family that could ruin her. When the opportunity to join a sea expedition arises, Sai jumps at the opportunity to make a name for herself, while learning of the mythical dangers of where shes headed. The book received a starred review from PW. See our profile on Soontornvat.

Lifeling

Kirsty Applebaum. Holt, $17.99 (272p) ISBN 978-1-250-31735-3. Ages 812.

Lonny has the magical capability to save a life, but at the cost of losing years of his own life. When the need for money forces Lonnys family to move to the town of Farstroke, where its residents are rumored to be villainous, Lonny is surprised to find the townspeople to be different than he thought, and questions if he can risk his life to save someone else. The book received a starred review from PW.

Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods

Catherynne M. Valente, illus. by Lauren Myers. S&S/McElderry, $17.99 (416p) ISBN 978-1-4814-7699-7. Ages 812.

Twining familiar folk and myth elements with an arch, quippy voice, Valente conjures an underworld odyssey that must be kept secret. The treaty between the Quidnunx and the people of Littlebridge is broken when the mother of Osmo Unknown kills a Quindunx. In return, Osmo must make the precarious journey to the Eightpenny Woods to make amends with the woodland creatures.

Out in the Wild (Bug Scouts #1)

Mike Lowery. Graphix, $22.99 (64p) ISBN 978-1-338-72632-9. Ages 71-0.

Bug Scouts Doug, Josh, and Abby are ready to earn the next bug badge for finding an edible plant and rush to the forest for their acquisition, where they meet a tricky frog who may eat them first. The book received a starred review from PW.

Young Adult

An Arrow to the Moon

Emily X.R. Pan. Little, Brown, $18.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-316-46405-5. Ages 14 and up.

In this YA novel inspired by Chinese mythology and Romeo and Juliet, Hunter and Luna arent supposed to befriend one another due to the ongoing feud between their families, but the magical phenomena that happen when theyre together draw them closer together, and closer to their fate. See our q&a with Pan.

Boys of the Beast

Monica Zepeda. Tu, $20.95 (304p) ISBN 978-1-64379-095-4. Ages 14 and up.

Matt, Ethan, and Oscar couldnt be more different, but the shared loss of their beloved grandmother brings the boys together to take an epic road trip in her 1988 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. Over the course of their journey, they find that they may have more in common than they thought.

Different Kinds of Fruit

Kyle Lukoff. Dial, $17.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-5931-1118-5. Ages 1014.

Sixth-grader Annabelle Blake welcomes new nonbinary student Bailey, and through their budding relationship learns that her own father is trans. Inspired by both her father and by Bailey, Annabelle takes to the task of fighting for real, progressive change.

High Spirits

Camille Gomera-Tavarez. Levine Querido, $18.99 (224p) ISBN 978-1-64614-129-6. Ages 12 and up.

In 11 interconnected stories of the Dominican Diaspora told from the perspective of different generations of the Belen family, Gomera-Tavarez explores identity, intergenerational memory, patriarchy, and toxic masculinity. The book received a starred review from PW.

Hotel Magnifique

Emily J. Taylor. Razorbill, $18.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-593-40451-5. Ages 12 and up.

Jani wants a better life for herself and her younger sister Zosa, and the opportunity to work at the Hotel Magnifique seems like their perfect chance. Only after their contracts are signed do they realize that the hotel is hiding dangerous secrets, which they must get to the heart of if they plan to ever escape. The book received a starred review from PW.

Moonwalking

Zetta Elliott and Lyn Miller-Lachmann. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $16.99 (244p) ISBN 978-0-374-31437-8. Ages 1014.

Despite their racial differences, JJ Pankowski and Pie Velez make a great duo in 1980s Brooklyn, bonding over their love of music and art, until an encounter with the police reveals the vast disparities between their worlds. The book received a starred review from PW.

Nothing Burns as Bright as You

Ashley Woodfolk. Versify, $18.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-358-65535-0. Ages 12 and up.

It takes only one day and a lit match to unravel the dark history, confusing present, and unknown future of two Black queer friends-turned-lovers in this YA novel. The book received a starred review from PW.

Scouts Honor

Lily Anderson. Holt, $18.99 (416p) ISBN 978-1-250-24673-8. Ages 14 and up.

It is a Ladybirds duty to protect humanity from monsters, but following the death of her best friend during battle, Prue is ready to put her monster hunting days behind her. However, when Prue finds herself training new Ladybird scouts and a new slew of monsters threaten the town, Prue must find it in herself to face her past fears. The book received a starred review from PW. See our q&a with Anderson.

This Rebel Heart

Katherine Locke. Knopf, $18.99 (448p) ISBN 978-0-593-38124-3. Ages 12 and up.

A magical river is what kept many residents safe in WWII Budapest, including Csilla and her family, until the Communist rise to power. When her parents are exonerated, protests begin across the city, and Csillas plans to escape to a new country are halted by the river calling out to her and the chance to fight for change at home.

Very Bad People

Kit Frick. S&S/McElderry, $19.99 (416p) ISBN 978-1-5344-4973-2. Ages 14 and up.

Six years after a car crash that ended with the death of her mother and two sisters, Calliope returns to her mothers alma mater, Tipton Academy. When she accepts a bid into the schools secret society thats dedicated to fighting for social justice, Calliope realizes the groups tactics for veer towards dangerous and discovers that the society may be linked to the death of her mother. The book received a starred review from PW. See our q&a with the author.
On April 21day two of its virtual conference, followed later this week by an in-person conference in OrlandoIBPA conducted a panel on The Battle for Free Expression: Indie Publishers and Libraries in the Fight Against Censorship. Organized by PW editor and IBPA board member John Maher, the discussion offered insights from digital media, public libraries, academic research, and online education.

Moderator John Chrastka, founder and executive director at EveryLibrary, he opened the conversation by acknowledging that with every generation comes an effort to limit access to information: What were seeing is an incredible number of book challenges at the local level, he said, amounting to around 1,500 attempted bans in schools alone, across 26 states.

Emily Knox, an associate professor of library and information science at the University of Illinois iSchool, believes the current animosity toward literary content was fueled by Covid isolation. School came home during the pandemic, said Knox. Usually, school is a black boxkids go to school and they come back laterbut in the pandemic, that wasnt true anymore. Caregivers listened in on lessons, and what they heard surprised them.

Education has changed a lot, Knox said. Theres much more about emotional intelligence, much more about teaching different histories instead of one history that was agreed upon, but not really. Parents and others sensed a loss of control over what children were learning, particularly in communities where residents experienced small but significant demographic changes, and in places where adults ran into their own difficult knowledge around sex-ed and racism. Knox finds that book challenges are reactionary and most challenges are not in large cities. I want to dig into this, because this smaller shift has made a big difference.

What were seeing is a coordinated effort to remove access to resources  in essence, removing access to knowledge, said Beth Thomas, immediate past president of the New Jersey Association of School Librarians and currently a library media specialist at Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School. Her mission is maximizing access to resources like e-books and print books and databases along with helping students develop empathy and critical thinking: we want them to be discerning users of the massive amount of information that they encounter every day. She worries about so-called soft censorship by school librarians who fear purchasing books with controversial content or who surreptitiously remove books blacklisted by politicians and activists.

Rivkah Sass, director of strategic partnerships at Smart Horizons online school district and former director/CEO of Sacramento Public Library Authority, remembers, There would be weeks when I would be called a communist by some outraged person, and I would be called a fascist by another outraged patron, because of something that was on the shelves. She expressed a concern that, under pressure, libraries might remove challenged titles, using weeding as a tool, as a weapon. Echoing Sasss point, Knox cited Lester Asheims influential 1953 Not Censorship but Selection, an essay on how librarians shelf selections and omissions can amount to censorship. Libraries should have fully vetted and constantly reviewed and updated policies for collection development that match their mission, Knox said, and she encourages independent presses to recommend titles for collection development too, in the manner of the Alternative Press Index.

Mitchell Davis, founder/CEO of digital community engagement and e-book platform BiblioLabs and founder of the Indie Author Project, believes, There has never been a more democratized environment in terms of publishing books about any topic. Yet he does receive emails and calls telling me to take books down, and a lot of times I dont know what processes [led to it]. It can be that someone whos influential saw a cover they didnt like. Davis thinks there is a flip side to soft censorship and political theater: My guess is, there are also thousands of acts of soft anti-censorship happening as well, knowing what I know about librarians mission orientation.

Thomas added, If a book is challenged, well go back to the review journals to establish connections between the book in question and student needs in the district. A challenge is not a done deal, and publishers and review journals support libraries missions through the information they provide."

Says Chrastka: Im nervous about the chilling effect [of censorship], but Im also confident that theres a lot of brave publishers on this call today.
After a three-year hiatus due to Covid-19, the 2022 Brooklyn Bookstore Crawl has returned to the borough. Starting Saturday, April 23, the Crawl will run for one week, culminating in a celebration of Independent Bookstore Day on April 30. This year, 21 bookstores across Brooklyn are participating, including Adanne in Dumbo, Cafe con Libros in Crown Heights, Community Bookstore in Park Slope, Mil Mundos Books in Bushwick, and Quimby's in Williamsburg.

On the first day of the Crawl, booksellers met the week's first crawlers and looked forward to the days ahead.

Ikwo Ntekim, general manager at Greenlight Books in Fort Greene, said people had been "stopping in all morning" and sensed palpable excitement from participants eager to enjoy the annual Crawl again after three years. "The support for indie bookstores is definitely still there," she said.

At Books Are Magic in Cobble Hill, bookseller Natalie Orozco noticed that most crawl participants who had come into the shop were on their second stop of the Crawl, having started their journey at Greenlight, which is located about a mile east. The warm and sunny day encouraged many crawlers to traverse the borough by foot.

In Greenpoint, Mindy Chen, events coordinator at WORD, said the bookstore was thrilled to participate, as it has many times in the past. For Brooklyn dwellers, the Crawl is a great opportunity to "check out your favorite bookstores and get to know new ones," Chen said. Within Brooklyn's "small community" of booksellers, Chen added, "we all know each other and want to support one another." Steven Warren, store manager of WORD's Jersey City location, who was visiting from across the river, agreed that the Crawl is a unique way "for bookstores to collaborate as a community effort."

Jory Southurst, bookstore manager at the Center for Fiction in Fort Greene, felt the Crawl was a great way to highlight Brooklyn's many independent booksellers. "I think people would be surprised by how many indies there are in Brooklyn," he said. He added that the Center for Fiction would also be hosting the Bookstore Day Afterparty on April 30, featuring a celebration and prizes for the week's most intrepid crawlers.

Customers who visit at least five bookstores, collecting signatures or stamps on their Bookstore Crawl passports, which can be picked up at any of the Crawl's 21 locations, will receive a 25% coupon to use at any participating store.
The German Publishers and Booksellers Association, the organization that oversees the Frankfurt Book Fair, has raised 21,000 ($22,000) for aid projects to support Ukrainians impacted by the Russian invasion of their country. Now the fair, together with the Ukrainian Booksellers and Publishers Association (UBPA), has launched an international campaign to raise more funds. Money can be donate via PayPal to ukraine-toloka@boev.de or via the PayPal website and will be delivered directly to the UBPA.

"The Frankfurt Book Fair has maintained close contacts with the Ukrainian book industry for many years. We want to support our Ukrainian colleagues right now, while they are withstanding the Russian attack, said Juergen Boos, director of Frankfurt Book Fair. As the annual meeting place of the international publishing industry, it is important to us to give the Ukrainian book industry global visibility. The commitment, openness and creativity of the Ukrainian publishing and bookselling scene have made a lasting impression on us. Several of our employees are currently in direct contact with Ukrainian colleagues. Through our joint fundraising campaign and many other initiatives, we want to show our unconditional solidarity with the people of Ukraine."

In addition to raising funds, the fair will be offering the members of the Ukrainian Book Institute a free booth during this years fair. Frankfurt has also collected a display of Ukrainian books that will be presented as part of the German collective stands at upcoming book fairs in Warsaw and Prague.

These latest developments are part of an ongoing campaign by Frankfurt to support Ukrainian publishing. Recently, Olia Zhuk, deputy director for contemporary art and museum affairs of the Mystetskyi Arsenal Museum in Kyiv, curated several days of stories on Frankfurts official Instagram account, which remain available for viewing. All aid projects and initiatives of the Frankfurt Book Fair and its international partners can be found on online.
Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation makes largest monetary contribution in schools history

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Purdue Universitys School of Management formally announced the Dean V. White Real Estate Finance Program on Friday (April 22) at its 2022 Krannert Alumni Awards Celebration Dinner. The new program, named in memory of the late Indiana entrepreneur in recognition of a $20.8 million pledge from the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation, was approved on April 8 by Purdue trustees. The gift is the largest monetary contribution ever made to the School of Management.

The Dean V. White Real Estate Finance Program will be launched as an academic minor in the 2022-23 school year and available to management students and students in other disciplines across the university.

Targeting the growing demand for talent within the rapidly evolving real estate industry, the program will provide an academic experience for students that equips them to plan, develop and manage successful commercial real estate projects. High-impact experiential learning opportunities  a key component of Purdues Next Moves: Transformative Education 2.0  will connect students with real estate experts and prepare them for industry-leading positions and careers. Four new faculty positions are created through the new programs funding.

A portion of the gift will be used to create or renovate space in or on the site of the Krannert Center for Executive Education and Research to house the program.

We are seeing fascinating changes in real estate markets to how and where people live, work and recreate. These changes represent a fundamental challenge and opportunity for business, said David Hummels, the Dr. Samuel R. Allen Dean of the Krannert School of Management. We have brought together an outstanding group of faculty with deep subject matter expertise and significant experience leading and teaching in some of the worlds best real estate programs. Graduates from this program will be ready to take a leadership role in confronting these challenges and seizing these opportunities.

We are grateful for the foundations generosity and will ensure the program positively represents Deans legacy.

Bill Hanna, executive director of the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation, said, Deans true love  second to his family  was real estate and the creative nuances of crafting the perfect deal, a deal that starts with a new vision for an area and that results in new businesses, jobs and a stronger community. This program will help cultivate a similar passion in students aspiring to do great things in business and in their communities.

Continued support from the White family

Dean White was a veteran of World War II, attended the University of Nebraska and was a graduate of the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. He spent most of his life in Crown Point, Indiana, where he developed a successful entrepreneurial career in advertising and real estate development, eventually becoming one of Indianas most prominent philanthropists and successful business leaders. He died in 2016.

Dean, his son Bruce and the White family have been generous contributors to Purdue over the past three decades. Their generosity includes a combined gift of $30 million that helped transform the Union Club Hotel at Purdue, Autograph Collection, which, in addition to being a luxury boutique hotel on campus, is used as a learning laboratory for Purdue hospitality students.

Bruce White is a Purdue graduate and past Purdue trustee who remains heavily involved in Purdues hospitality program through his company, White Lodging, based in Northwest Indiana. In 2021, Purdue renamed its hospitality school the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management in honor of the companys ongoing support and partnership.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last four years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/.

About the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation

The Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that exists to carry on the philanthropic legacy and values of Dean, Barbara and the White family. The foundation works with partners and communities to support catalytic projects and initiatives that cultivate a strong quality of life in Northwest Indiana and across the state. See more at www.dbwfamilyfoundation.org .

Media contact: Jim Bush, 765-336-1909, jsbush@purdue.edu
Citizen TV was the recipient of both the prestigious Communications Authority KUZA Award and the Culture Africa Style Award in 2021 and has been witnessing rapid expansion since its relaunch in 2006. It elected to build a new facility in Nairobi but faced challenges in budget and access to a reliable supply of products.We looked for technologies and partners that enable us reach millions of viewers across Kenya, said Citizen TV chief engineer Moses Waweru. We chose a 4K-ready system from FOR-A using HVS-490 production switcher at the heart of the production and a multiformat MFR-3232 router, as well as ClassX Mini on-air graphics. Despite the compact nature of the products, the solution offers significant engineering and operational benefits, which translated into a very short installation and commissioning time.The investment by Citizen TV was a part of large contract with systems integrator StreamPort Media based in the United Arab Emirates, which included studio camera systems and lighting. FOR-A, StreamPort Media and Citizen TV worked to meet project deadlines to get the studio on-air in a record time, with the first productions on 29 November 2021. The studio is now the home of popular discussion programme Mbak Ndalo and Thapki.Over the course of the last six months we opted for a consultative approach to identify Citizen TVs requirements" said Muhammad Mudassir of StreamPort Media. We identified their requirements and tailored a solution made up of best in class studio cameras, production system graphics, lighting and transmission.Through detailed discussions with the StreamPort Media and Citizen TV teams, we understood the clients priorities and objectives, and especially their drive for future scalability to 4K Ultra HD, remarked Khalid Sweidan, senior sales manager of FOR-A in the Middle East. This key reference clearly demonstrates our commitment to grow the African market with focused partners like StreamPort Media, who have successfully completed several installations in Africa over the last two years.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 04/25/2022



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

alum Maurissa Gunn insists she hasn't shaded her former fiance Riley Christian on social media.Maurissa, who first competed on Peter Weber 's The Bachelor season in 2020, got engaged to Riley, a New York-based attorney, on 's seventh season in Summer 2021.Following weeks of breakup speculation, Riley and Maurissa confirmed their split in a joint statement on January 24, three months after their engagement aired on 's October 2021 finale."We know that you've shaded him a little on social and so have your friends," Ashley Iaconetti noted on a recent episode of "The Ben and Ashley I: Almost Famous podcast," which she co-hosts with Ben Higgins "What?!" Maurissa replied in disbelief."Come on, I feel like it's been a little shady," Ashley said."I have not been shady in any sort of way," Maurissa insisted.Ashley reminded Maurissa how she recently conducted an interview in which the Montana native alluded to the fact some people hadn't signed up for to find love."You said, 'It's hard finding that out in the aftermath,'" Ashley claimed."I didn't say that they weren't there for love," Maurissa clarified. "I think that being in the circumstances we were in, it became reality, like, coming off of the show, you know?""And sometimes who you meet on the show is not who they are after the show, if that makes sense," she added.Maurissa said, however, she was "not trying to shade in any way" -- not even Riley."Everything [Riley and I went through] -- our whole relationship was legit, of course. I loved him from the bottom of my heart, I'm sure he loved me back. But it just didn't work out. There's no shade," Maurissa explained."It's a difficult situation."Maurissa moved from Atlanta to New York after to be with Riley, and she said she sacrificed a lot for their relationship, maybe too much of herself."I was kind of going down to make this person happy rather than meeting [in the middle] or helping each other grow," Maurissa told Ashley and Ben.But on the topic of being "shady," Maurissa argued that she was "completely genuine and authentic throughout the whole thing," which is probably why fans had an idea her romance with Riley was over before they announced it in January."Essentially, I think we both realized that this isn't it, and I think we both realized it a lot sooner than when [we announced the split]," Maurissa noted."We both tried. We really tried... The last two months have been really, really tough... but I feel great."Maurissa initially sparked the Riley breakup rumors in early January when she'd post cryptic messages such as "don't worry, be happy" and began slowly removing photos of Riley from her Instagram account, seemingly taking jabs at her ex-fiance.Maurissa also shared a video without her engagement ring and a cryptic quote that read, "All that glitters is not gold," which suggested Riley may not have been all that he was cracked up to be.In late February, The Bachelor alum Demi Burnett appeared to suggest Riley may have been at fault for the split, and Maurissa "liked" the tweet."Y'all got the Maurissa and Riley break up SO WRONG ," Demi tweeted on February 3, adding, "I'm mad at the BS being portrayed!... I don't want to talk about it bc it's stressful and not my business to tell! BUT LOOK DEEPER LISTEN TO UR INTUITION."And several weeks later, Maurissa appeared to slam Riley by retweeting two of The Bachelor alum Deandra Kanu 's Twitter posts that were also seemingly aimed at Riley."I'm not an inherently messy person, but when I see things in real time and then see someone skew that perception for social media it's very scary," Deandra wrote at the time."It's not okay by any means to be the catalyst of your own demise and then go onto socials and ask for the publics sympathy," she added in a second tweet. "There are always two sides to a story."While Deandra didn't name Riley directly, her tweets came only one day after Riley posted a lengthy statement on Instagram about how he was trying to "heal" and bounce back from his breakup with Maurissa.As far as Maurissa bouncing back goes, she actually went on a date a few weeks ago -- which apparently didn't work out -- and revealed, "I'm dating. I'm trying to date."Maurissa said her date earlier this month was with a man outside of Bachelor Nation and it was fun but it's definitely "over.""I'm older, I'm more mature now. I've been here and I know what I want in a man. I think I was unsure going in [to The Bachelor franchise]," Maurissa insisted.Maurissa said, however, she's not ruling out men from Bachelor Nation and would "be very open" to appearing on again."There are so many amazing people that come out of Bachelor Nation, okay? I would be up for it, yeah," Maurissa said, adding that she does believe The Bachelor process works.But Maurissa advised future contestants to trust your gut, be true to yourselves, and know what you deserve and really want."Make sure you're compatible with how you want to raise kids, how you want to have family, things like that, where you want to live. I made the mistake by trying to sacrifice everything going into it for love," said Maurissa."But I mean, I don't think it was really a sacrifice -- when you're in love, that's what you do... I'm still questioning it myself."Maurissa, who grew up in a small and rural town, is now back in Atlanta after the breakup."I clearly want love, I want marriage. I want babies," Maurissa shared.As for what she's looking for in an ideal partner, Maurissa disclosed, "I'm looking for someone that knows what they want, and doesn't just say they know what they want.""They're very ambitious. Someone that wants the same things I want... I know the right questions to ask, you know? I know not to just fall in love with somebody right away that says, 'Oh, you're pretty... and I want to take you on a date.'"Maurissa confessed that's "the mistake" that she made before with Riley, although she doesn't regret any of her decisions."I feel like I was just so ready for love that I would take anything at that point. And now I found myself -- I've done a lot of, like, [self]-help. I've been through therapy, a lot of things like that," Maurissa said. "And I just know my worth and myself now."Back in October 2021, Maurissa told People that she was planning to have a "wedding and then some babies" with Riley.When Maurissa accepted a pear-shaped diamond engagement ring from Riley on the beach in Mexico in Summer 2021, the pair became the franchise's first-ever Black couple to get engaged.Riley and Maurissa fell head over heels in love with each other in Paradise, but Riley was still a little unsure as to whether he was going to pop the question after the pair's overnight Fantasy Suite date.Riley assured People last year that it "was never a thought" to leave the resort alone but he had to take a moment or two to reflect on the idea of potentially making Maurissa his fiancee."[I thought to myself], 'This is everything that you've ever wanted -- having a fiancee and being able to start a family.' I knew where I was already leaning towards," Riley explained at the time."It's just like, 'This is a big decision, take some time to think about it. Okay, you thought about it.' It didn't take that long. 'And now, go propose and get your lady.'"Riley proceeded to call himself the "luckiest" man in the world to have Maurissa by his side.Prior to appearing on , Riley competed on Clare Crawley and Tayshia Adams ' edition of The Bachelorette in 2020.Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 04/25/2022



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

stars Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia have been spotted filming hometown dates as they near the end of their journeys to find love on Season 19.The initial cast for Season 19 comprised of 35 potential suitors was announced in late March, right around the time Gabby and Rachel began filming their season And the women are already at the stage in the process where they're meeting the families of their frontrunners, according to Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone.Carbone took to Twitter on Saturday, April 23 and posted a video -- which had been taken by a fan nearby -- showing Rachel enjoying a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride with Aven Jones in Salem, MA."Rachel on a hometown date with Aven Jones, taking a horse carriage ride in Salem, MA to Crow Haven Corner," Carbone tweeted alongside the video.Crow Haven Corner is Salem's oldest witch shop, according to its Facebook page, that offers psychic readings, incense, oils, brews and more.Carbone also posted three additional videos of Rachel and Aven, a 29-year-old from San Diego, CA.In one video, they were leaving the Salem store, and in another clip, the pair were cuddling near a dock outside of Finz restaurant.In the third video, Rachel could be seen laughing with Aven and a producer outside of Finz.On Sunday, April 24, Carbone posted another "hometown spoiler," sharing pictures of Gabby filming a hometown date in Bedminster, NJ, with Erich Schwer, a 29-year-old from Santa Monica, CA."They were at Natirar Park earlier and now at his family's house," Carbone tweeted.Carbone later revealed on Sunday that Rachel would be embarking on another hometown date in Wildwood, NJ, on Monday, April 25 "on the boardwalk" with bachelor Tyler Norris, a 25-year-old from Rio Grande, NJ.'s new season will be hosted by Jesse Palmer and premiere Monday, July 11 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.The format of 's upcoming nineteenth season has yet to be described, and when Gabby and Rachel were announced as dual stars in March, they didn't even know how the process was going to work."Everyone keeps asking," Gabby said on Good Morning America."We just got thrown in . But I have faith and a lot of trust and I love Rachel to death and I know we're gonna have each other's backs the whole way, so there's really not a doubt in my mind that it's gonna end up well."Given Gabby and Rachel had a heartbreaking journey competing against each other on Clayton Echard 's season of The Bachelor in which they had been strung along and dumped simultaneously, fans have voiced their dismay over the idea the women may be pitted against each other again Even Kaitlyn recently told E! News of Rachel and Gabby's joint casting, "I just want somebody to have their own season and I just don't want it to be them pitted against each other."But in March, Mike Fleiss, who also executive produces , reassured viewers on Twitter that the casting shakeup does not mean Rachel and Gabby will be at odds."I love Gabby and Rachel but there's no way this doesn't pit these two against each other," one fan tweeted at the time. "Every guy is gonna be asked the same question 'who do you like more!'"Mike replied at the time, "Not true! You'll see..."And in early April, Mike posted a happy photo of Gabby and Rachel sitting in a restaurant booth together."See, no drama...Just two friends helping each other find true love! Exclusive international photo!!!" Mike tweeted.The last time featured two stars in one season, Kaitlyn Bristowe and Britt Nilsson were forced to face off against each other for the role.'s Season 11 men were asked to vote for which woman they'd like to continue dating on Night 1, and Kaitlyn ended up winning the position over Britt, who was then immediately kicked off the show.Viewers watched Clayton break up with and devastate Gabby and Rachel in a group dumping session after sleeping with the both of them and also professing his love to three women.Clayton let Gabby and Rachel go in order to chase down the woman he was "the most in love with," Susie Evans , who had quit during Fantasy Suites due to Clayton's decision to be intimate -- both emotionally and physically -- with two other ladies.Gabby and Rachel were sent packing when they were both totally in love with Clayton and had met his family.Clayton made each girl feel like she was going to be the one at the end with him, but he is now dating Susie in the real world On the After the Final Rose special, Gabby said Clayton had known it would be a dealbreaker for her to find out that he loved Susie "the most."Gabby felt misled to have only learned that information well after Clayton convinced her to accept a rose following Fantasy Suites."As you said, you compartmentalized our relationships. Watching it back, everything is so muddled and you were clearly pitting us against each other. It really seemed like a competition, which I had expressed to you I didn't want to be a part of," Gabby explained."And it seemed like you had your mind set on Susie WAY before you wanted to tell us, and you kept going back to Rachel and I, 'Oh, I want to try this and I want you to meet my family -- but I can't stop thinking about Susie and I love Susie the most.'"Rachel also admitted to feeling betrayed and "cast aside" by The Bachelor 26 star. Rachel put Clayton in his place by saying he never loved her and ultimately didn't deserve her love.On 's official Instagram page, Season 19 is dubbed "dreamy, surprising, empowering, amazing, romantic and dramatic" in a promo.Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
NEWFANE  In an ongoing series of meetings aimed at figuring out the best use of federal Ame
Nader Hashim is a Dummerston resident and a Demo cratic candidate for state senate in Windham County. He previously served in the House of Representatives on the Judiciary Committee, and also formerly served as a Vermont State Trooper. Wichie Artu is a Democratic candidate for state senate in Windham County. He is second vice president of the Windham County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Artu and his husband own Magnetic Fields Farm in Athens, where they live. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media.
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CANAKKALE, Turkey (AP)  Travelers from Australia and New Zealand joined Turkish and other nations dignitaries at the former World War I battlefields at Gallipoli for a solemn service at dawn Monday to remember troops killed during an unsuccessful British-led campaign that aimed to take the Ottoman Empire out of the war.

As the sun rose, participants held a minute of silence to reflect on the sacrifices of tens of thousands of soldiers from the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps, known as Anzacs, who landed on the beaches at Gallipoli, in northwest Turkey.

At this time 107 years ago, on ships that covered the ocean off this tiny bay, thousands of Australians and New Zealanders were preparing to land on this rugged coast, New Zealand army chief, Maj. Gen. John Boswell, said during the ceremony. For all but a few, this was to be the first experience of the horrors of combat.

Most were convinced that, as one New Zealand soldier wrote in his story: It will be the greatest day in our lives. The sunrise they witnessed that day was for all too many to be the last they ever saw, he continued. Across our countries, home after home was plunged into mourning.

The Gallipoli campaign aimed to secure a naval route from the Mediterranean Sea to Istanbul through the Dardanelles, and knock the Ottomans out of the war. The April 25, 1915, landings marked the start of a fierce battle that lasted for eight months.

More than 44,000 Allied soldiers and 86,000 Ottoman soldiers died.

The battlefields and cemeteries at the site in Canakkale, in northwestern Turkey, have become a place of pilgrimage for many Australians and New Zealanders who sleep on the beaches until the start of the dawn service. But the ongoing coronavirus pandemic kept the number of visitors small this year.

Among those who made it to the ceremony was 27-year-old Taylor Murphy from Victoria, Australia, who said the pros of being at Gallipoli "outweighs the cons of the pandemic.

It feels quite surreal to be here, she said. We are feeling quite emotional.

Some 2,700 kilometers northwest of Gallipoli at the other extremity of Europes frontline of World War I, Australian and New Zealand officials gathered in Flanders Fields to remember, but equally to assess the present by centering on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

War has returned to Europe in the form of Russias brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine. Once again, our people, Belgians, Australians, New Zealanders and our friends and allies stand shoulder to shoulder with one another in our support for freedom, democracy, and the rule of law, said New Zealand ambassador Diana Reaich.

The war, which has entered its third month, was also on the mind of Australian envoy Caroline Millar, who said that the cornerstones of post-World War II were being put to the test.

We also recommit in the words of the 1945 Charter of the United Nations to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. Tragically, we are called to honor that commitment again today with the terrible violence of Russias unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine, Millar said.

In Australias largest city, Sydney, downtown Martin Place was filled to capacity with tens of thousands at its dawn service. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and deputy opposition leader Richard Marles acknowledged Ukraines fight for freedom when they spoke at a service in the northern city of Darwin, which was devastated by Japanese bombing during World War II.

Australia did not restrict the numbers attending its commemorations for the first time during the pandemic. The service in Auckland, New Zealand, was initially planned to be closed to the public, but a veterans association intervened and a smaller-than-usual crowd was allowed to attend. A Ukrainian flag was flown above the Auckland War Memorial Museum ceremony.

Monday was the first such commemoration of casualties of all wars since both Australia and New Zealand withdrew troops from Afghanistan last year.

The tragic fate of troops from Australia and New Zealand in the Gallipoli campaign is believed to have inspired the two nations to carve national identities distinct from the British. Anzac Day is marked as a coming of age for the two nations.

Gallipoli is also considered to be an important turning point in the history of modern Turkey. It was at Gallipoli that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk rose to prominence as a commander of the Turkish forces and went on to lead Turkeys War of Independence and found the Turkish Republic.

On Monday, hundreds of Turkish students marched along a 5-kilometer (3-mile) track to honor the soldiers of the Turkish 57th Infantry Regiment, who were among the first to defend against the Gallipoli landings.

Ataturk  who was Lt.Col. Mustafa Kemal at the time  is known to have commanded the regiment: I do not order you to attack, I order you to die.

On Sunday, the remains of 17 missing French soldiers were handed over to French military officials and put to rest alongside other fallen comrades during separate remembrance ceremonies that were held for French, British and other soldiers. Their remains were found during restoration work on a castle and surrounding areas on the Canakkale Peninsula.

Only one out of the 17 French soldiers  Cpl. Paul Roman, of the 1st Engineers Regiment  has been formally identified.

___

Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. AP journalists Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, and Mark Carlson in Zonnebeke, Belgium contributed to this report.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday cited drafting errors in vetoing legislation that had been intended to expand the use of state lottery-supported scholarship money.

The Democratic governor said he was supportive of the bill's original intentions  including expanding scholarship funding for proprietary education under the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship program. The popular state lottery-supported program allows students to earn money, based on academic performance, to help defray college expenses.

Beshear said he also shared the bill sponsors' desire to extend KEES scholarships to nonviolent offenders to support their transition back into society after incarceration.

However, acknowledged drafting errors will lead to unforeseen and unintended consequences that will undermine the bill and the goals it seeks to achieve, the governor said in his veto message. It is my hope that early in the next legislative session, those errors can be rectified.

The veto will stand since the measure  Senate Bill 163  passed on the final day of this year's legislative session. Lawmakers won't reconvene until January 2023 for their next regular session.

In recent days, several organizations had urged the governor to veto the measure. The groups said the final version sent to the governor would have reduced opportunities for formerly incarcerated people to access state scholarships, contrary to the bill's original intent.

The governor said another bill he vetoed Monday would have given the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources the authority to allow third party entities to sell licenses and permits for the agency without following a procurement process under state law and without competitive bidding.

In his veto message, Beshear objected to the unchecked authority he said the bill would have given the department. He said it would have broadened the eligibility of entities outside of the department to be agents for the sale of licenses and permits.

House Bill 344 would permit this result without following any procurement process, without requiring any written agreement between the department and the third party entity, and without any oversight of the actions of the third party entity, the message said.

Lawmakers also sent that measure to the governor on the final day of their 60-day session, denying them any opportunity to attempt an override of the veto. The governor also has signed into law a number of bills that cleared the Republican-dominated legislature before the session ended.
HARTFORD  Two people were shot and injured in the citys Asylum Hill neighborhood on Sunday, police said.

Officers responded to 18 Townley St. shortly before 7 p.m. due to a report of gunshots, according to Lt. Aaron Boisvert, a spokesperson for the Hartford Police Department.
For decades, China and the European Union have been on generally good terms in spite of the political vicissitudes in the international arena. Increasingly close economic engagement has brought real benefits to both sides, cementing what was a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Even at the most challenging moments during the recent upheavals in China-US relations, there was a general understanding in Beijing that the EU would be a sensible, reliable partner. And there was a lot of talk, on both sides, about the bright prospects ahead.

Sadly all that seems vulnerable in the face of the escalated geopolitical changes since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out. It turns out the EU is far from immune to the ideological virus that is wreaking havoc in international relations.

The April 21 and 22 meeting between US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino, for the third high-level meeting of the US-EU Dialogue on China, for instance, came as another blow to Beijing's confidence in its benign interaction with the EU. In the statement released after the meeting, the two sides warned China about the "consequences" of any form of support for Russia, accusing Beijing of the "amplification of Russia's disinformation". It also presented a litany of the allegations with which Washington habitually smears China: "economic coercion" against other countries, human rights concerns in Xinjiang, and "rules-based order" in the Indo-Pacific, as well as threatening the "status quo" in the Taiwan Straits.

"(China) has benefited enormously from the rules-based international order over the last several decades. But now they are increasingly seeking to undermine that very system" Sherman said.

Condemning the allegations as groundless attacks on China, a spokesperson of the Chinese Mission to the EU denounced the remarks as "nothing but blatant examples of bloc politics and ideological bullying". It is not China which is undermining the international system. Washington's fuse-lighting of the Ukraine conflict reveals which country is seeking to blow up the system and start again.

In an article published in People's Daily on Sunday, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi gave a detailed elaboration on the Global Security Initiative that China proposed at this year's Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference in a bid to further clarify China's position and reduce the trust deficit that Washington is fostering, aggravating and exploiting.

The initiative calls on all countries to act responsibly, resolve differences and disputes through dialogue and uphold the concept of shared, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. A repeat of the Cold War hurts all countries. The EU should not let the festering wounds of that time cloud its judgment and leave it susceptible to the snake oil that Washington is prescribing as the remedy for the world's ills.
Shoppers flooded stores and supermarkets in Beijing Monday amid rising COVID-19 cases, as the authorities sealed off a number of residential districts in the central Chaoyang district.



Store shelves in the Chinese capital were rapidly emptying of basic foodstuffs, fresh fruit and vegetables, sanitary supplies and Coca-Cola, as people scrambled to lay in stores for prolonged restrictions on their freedom of movement.



Pork, steak and burgers, onion, ginger and coriander were among the first to go, as online posts suggested buying a second refrigerator or freezer to store food in for the long haul.



Chaoyang district has launched a program of district-wide mass COVID-19 testing, to be repeated three times over the next week, a local resident surnamed Sun told RFA.



"There was an infection source traced to Chuiyangliu in Chaoyang district," he said.



"All staff will undergo PCR testing today, and again on Wednesday and Friday, three times in all," Sun said. "A lot of people are now buying food."



Another resident said many store shelves now stand empty.



"Residents rushed to buy food at various supermarkets in Beijing yesterday, all the food is gone, and the shelves are empty," the resident said.



Current affairs commentator Li Ang said the authorities have shown in their handling of the Shanghai lockdown that they are less concerned about COVID-19 than they are about potential social unrest.



"The main point is to strengthen their control of society in an all-round way, to prevent trouble, any unexpected incidents from happening," Li said. "The first thing they consider is the stability of the regime, and the second is the security of the regime."



"That is the top priority, and nothing else is seen as a problem."



Lockdowns were imposed on 14 areas in Chaoyang late Monday, with another 14 areas subject to less stringent restrictions on people's movements.





A resident of Beijing queues up for nucleic acid testing, April 25, 2022. Credit: Reuters 'April Voices'

In Shanghai, meanwhile, the creator of a viral video about the Shanghai lockdowna montage of audio clips, video and still photos of the past few weeks of life under the zero-COVID policy, said he has deleted it, and dismissed reports of his detention as untrue.

"Shanghai is not under lockdown, and doesn't need to be," an official voice is heard saying at the start, followed by images of deserted streets and soundbites about overcrowded hospitals and ambulances that never come and deleted complaints posted to social media.



The video, "April Voices, continues with audio of crying babies, complaints about undelivered groceries, rotting vegetables by the roadside, the scarcity of basic foodstuffs and water, wails and shouts from the windows of high-rise apartment buildings demanding officials hand out basic supplies.



In the middle is a tearful clip of an exhausted neighborhood committee official who laments the lack of sensible policies or even explanations about why some 25 million people have been confined to their homes since late March and forced to submit to round after round of mass COVID-19 testing, before either being sent to overcrowded and under-resourced quarantine facilities or walled up in their own buildings and apartments, often with welded metal barriers.



"Are they going to kill it? Oh my God!" says one woman, apparently witnessing officials dispatching a pet whose owners have been taken away after testing positive.



"Some nice police officers brought us food, because we hadn't eaten in several foods," a man's voice says, while another man talks about being unable to get admitted for urgent treatment in hospital owing to stringent testing requirements.



"People might not be dying of the virus, but they're starving to death," says a man's voice. "They haven't even put up beds so we're sleeping on the floor," a woman's voice says.



"Are you locking the door?" shouts a woman. "What if there's a fire?" a man demands to know.



"I'm sorry to disturb you ma'am but my kid has a fever!" yells another woman.



The viral video "April Voices" by Shanghai blogger and video-maker Strawberry Fields. The blogger and video-maker Strawberry Fields, who described themselves as "Shanghai born and bred," said via QQ.com that the video had now been deleted.



"There were online comments today about the maker of the video being taken away, and a lot of people have been asking what happened, so I need to clarify things," the blogger wrote. "My family and I are all fine, at home as usual, and no officials have contacted me."



"I felt that perhaps the meaning given to the video had been extended by its audience, and it spread far further and faster than is normal, so I deleted it myself at around 3 p.m. today," they wrote. "I don't want any more misunderstandings."



The video's disappearance came as residents of Pudong and Huangpu protested at officials who had come to seal them into their buildings with steel barriers and fences, which are springing up across the city, sometimes cutting off entire districts from each other by blocking main thoroughfares.



Shanghai authorities reported 51 deaths from COVID-19 in the past day, with 2,680 newly confirmed symptomatic cases and more than 17,000 asymptomatic cases.

Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
A newspaper backed by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has called on a prominent journalists' association in Hong Kong to disband, as the city's foreign correspondents' club said it had axed a prestigious award for journalists reporting on human rights issues.



Writing in the Wen Wei Po newspaper, pro-Beijing lawmaker Edward Leung called the Hong Kong Journalists' Association (HKJA) "a suspected anti-China organization that disrupts Hong Kong," saying it was a political organization in the guise of a press organization.



"The HKJA is ... fighting against the reality of Chinese rule in Hong Kong," Leung wrote, saying it had "incited fake journalists to spread rumors and incite violence."



"Just like the Professional Teachers' Union and the Confederation of Trade Unions and other anti-China, trouble-making organizations in Hong Kong, they must be held responsible for the damage they have caused," Leung wrote.

Meanwhile, the pro-CCP Ta Kung Pao published an opinion article titled "dissolution is the only solution for the HKJA."

If the HKJA thinks that it can continue to destroy Hong Kong with the support of foreign forces, then it's on a fool's errand," the paper said.



The association has previously been a vocal critic of police restrictions on journalists, particularly during the 2019 protest movement, which culminated in the police force refusing to tolerate the presence of anyone it decided was a "fake journalist."



Leung said city officials have demanded the HKJA "provide relevant information on activities not conforming to its articles of association," but the organization hadn't immediately complied, suggesting it had "ghosts" it was avoiding.



Chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association Ronson Chan (L) and Chris Yeung, chief editor of the organizations annual report Freedom in Tatters. in Hong Kong, July 15, 2021. Credit: AFP Dwindling freedom The association has previously been a vocal critic of police restrictions on journalists, particularly during the 2019 protest movement, which culminated in the police force refusing to tolerate the presence of anyone it decided was a "fake journalist."Leung said city officials have demanded the HKJA "provide relevant information on activities not conforming to its articles of association," but the organization hadn't immediately complied, suggesting it had "ghosts" it was avoiding.

HKJA president Ronson Chan told RFA that the organization hasn't yet decided whether or not to dissolve, as many trade unions and civil organizations have since the CCP imposed a draconian national security law on Hong Kong from , 2020, saying that was a decision for its members.



"I am disappointed in that article," Chan said. "The issues [around the articles of association] have been clarified, and I have said this many times, but their argument is still the same."



"It doesn't only reflect the views of the pro-establishment media, but also the views of the powerful establishment behind it," he said. "But whether we continue to exist is a matter ... for our members to decide."



The national security law ushered in a citywide crackdown on public dissent and criticism of the authorities that has seen several senior journalists, pro-democracy media magnate Jimmy Lai and 47 former lawmakers and democracy activists charged with offenses from "collusion with a foreign power" to "subversion."



Journalists laid off after the folding of a number of outspoken news organizations since the law took effect have told RFA they face an uncertain future amid dwindling freedom of expression in Hong Kong.



"National security education" -- which is being tailored to all age-groups from kindergarten to university -- is also mandatory under the law, while student unions and other civil society groups have disbanded, with some of their leaders arrested in recent months.



An online meeting of the HKJA on did discuss the possibility of disbanding, and whether or not it should change its articles of association, Chan said, adding that the HKJA will continue to exist "for the forseeable future."



The organization sent an email out to members on April 22 informing them that its executive committee are considering the organization's position, and calling for comments in a consultation exercise.



Any motion to disband must win the support of at least five-sixths of voting members in a secret ballot.



Pro-CCP hires
Critics slam ASEANs failure to implement year-old roadmap to peace and democracy in post-coup Myanmar.

Foreign minister of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) attend their retreat session in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Feb. 17, 2022.

Malaysias top diplomat has revealed hes had contact with the Burmese shadow government, the first ASEAN country to acknowledge such an interaction, as activists lambasted the bloc on the anniversary of its failed five-point plan to restore democracy in Myanmar.

Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah was responding Sunday to an open letter from a Southeast Asian parliamentarians group to the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. In it, they urged the bloc to immediately and publicly meet with the NUG  Myanmars parallel, civilian National Unity Government.

I have informally met [through virtual conference] the NUG Myanmar foreign minister and the NUCC chairman before the last ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat. Lets meet and discuss, Saifuddin said via Twitter, referring to a ministerial retreat that took place in a hybrid format in mid-February after being postponed from an earlier scheduled date amid reports of differences among member-states.

Myanmars National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) includes representatives of the NUG, civil society groups, ethnic armed organizations, and civil disobedience groups.

In the tweet, Saifuddin tagged the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), the group that sent the open letter on Sunday, the anniversary of the day when Southeast Asian leaders and the Burmese junta chief, agreed during an emergency summit to a so-called Five-Point Consensus for action on post-coup Myanmar.

Last October, Malaysias outspoken foreign minister had said he would open talks with the NUG if the Burmese junta kept stonewalling in cooperating with ASEANs conflict resolution efforts.

RFA contacted the foreign ministry of Cambodia, this years ASEAN chair, for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Meanwhile, Bo Hla Tint, the NUGs special representative to ASEAN, questioned the Southeast Asian blocs seriousness in solving the Myanmar crisis.

They have failed to implement, during the past year, the basic point of the ASEAN Common Agreements  to end the violence. And then, they failed to comply with the second point  systematic distribution of humanitarian aid, he told RFA.

Id say the ASEAN leadership does not take seriously the policy or framework set down by the ASEAN leadership itself, if the leaders do not take any effective action [against the junta].

This aerial photo taken by a drone shows Bin village in Mingin, a township in Myanmars Sagaing region, after villagers say it was set ablaze by the Burmese military, Feb. 3, 2022. Credit: Reuters A five-point failure

In Malaysia, two analysts praised Saifuddin for breaking from ASEAN and initiating separate action.

Malaysia takes lead on call to review ASEANs approach to Myanmar (after a year of failed ASEAN five-point consensus), acknowledging informal meetings with NUG Myanmar, Bridget Welsh, a political analyst with the University of Nottingham Malaysia, tweeted.

Another analyst, Aizat Khairi, a senior lecturer at Universiti Kuala Lumpur, agreed.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullahs reaction to the APHR open letter is something refreshing, he told BenarNews.

The five-point agreement reached between ASEANs leaders and Burmese military chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing on April 24 last year included an end to violence, the provision of humanitarian assistance, an ASEAN envoys appointment, all-party dialogue, and mediation by the envoy.

ASEAN has not succeeded in implementing any of these points, said Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington think-tank.

I think there is no doubt every part of [the consensus] has failed, and with Cambodia as the chair and the junta increasingly backed by China, there is no way the consensus will succeed, or that ASEAN will do anything at all serious about Myanmar, Kurlantzick told BenarNews.

Suspend Myanmar from ASEAN until a return to democratic rule. ... But ASEAN wont do that.

He was referring to Beijings support for Naypyidaw at international forums, including at the United Nations, since Min Aung Hlaing toppled the elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government on Feb. 1, 2021.

Under ASEANs long-standing policy that its 10 members take all decisions collectively through consensus, if one member-state opposes a proposed move, it is shelved. And not every ASEAN member is on board with stricter action against Myanmar other than barring junta representatives from attending top ASEAN meetings, analysts have noted.

A five-point failure is what the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M), a group of independent international experts, calls ASEANs consensus.

The junta has not held to a single point of the five-point consensus. The agreement has failed and a change of course from ASEAN is needed, SAC-M member Marzuki Darusman said in a statement issued Friday.

In fact, since joining the consensus, Min Aung Hlaing has escalated the militarys attack on the people of Myanmar, and continued to target and detain political opponents, SAC-M said. Nearly 1,800 people, mostly pro-democracy protesters, have been killed by Burmese security forces, since the coup.

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news service.
Meanwhile, programs are being set up online to push learning in Chinese in Tibetan schools.

Chinese officials in rural areas of Tibet are forcing village leaders to speak in Chinese, as authorities move forward with campaigns aimed at restricting the use by Tibetans of their native language, RFA has learned.

Workshops launched at the end of last year now order local administrators to conduct business only in Chinese, telling them they must support language policies mandated by Beijing and lead the Tibetan public by example, according to a source living in Tibet.

A 10-day workshop was held for local leaders in Kongpo in central-eastern Tibet to promote Chinese, both written and spoken, as their main language of communication, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Six workshops have now already been held in Kongpos Gyamda (in Chinese, Gongbujiangda) county, with others conducted in many other regions of Tibet, the source said, adding, And Tibetan village employees are being required to speak and communicate in Chinese at all times.

Speaking to RFA, Tibetan researchers living in exile called the move a further push by China to weaken the Tibetan peoples ties to their national culture and identity.

Pema Gyal, a researcher at London-based Tibet Watch, said that recent years have seen Chinas government impose the use of Mandarin Chinese in Tibetan schools and religious institutions. But now these policies are being enforced on all Tibetans.

This is an attempt to Sinicize Tibets language and culture, Gyal said.

Chinas programs mandating the use of the Chinese language in Tibets cities have already taken hold, added Nyiwoe, a researcher at the Dharamsala, India-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy.

So now they are going to implement these policies in the villages and rural areas, he said.

A new program supported by Chinas 5G network has meanwhile been launched to improve education in Tibet by the use of Mandarin Chinese in online teaching, research, and communications between schools, according to a Chinese state media report on April 8.

This program using the 5G network is aimed at expediting and expanding the already harsh ongoing policies of the Chinese government to Sinicize the Tibetan language inside Tibet, commented Kunga Tashi, an analyst of Tibetan and Chinese affairs now living in New York.

Teaching opportunities

Despite Chinese government policies restricting Tibetan children from learning their own language, many parents in Tibet are now creating teaching opportunities outside the schools, a Tibetan living in Tibets regional capital Lhasa said.

We now have small childcare centers in Lhasa where the children are taught the Tibetan language and Tibetan dances and songs, and where they are encouraged to wear Tibetan clothing, RFAs source said, also declining to be named.

No specific subjects are taught in Tibetan, though, because the Chinese government has imposed very tight restrictions on teaching in Tibetan. At least teaching these children Tibetan songs and dances will help to preserve our culture and language, he added.

Also speaking to RFA, another Lhasa resident said he has been teaching his child to read and write in Tibetan and also to recite Tibetan prayers. He can recite his prayers very well now, and he also has very good Tibetan handwriting.

I would like to take this opportunity to ask all Tibetans living in exile to preserve our language and to always speak in Tibetan with your children. Without our own language, we will have no identity, he added.

Chinese Communist Party efforts to supplant local language education with teaching in Chinese have raised anger not only among Tibetans, but also in the Turkic-language-speaking Uyghur community of Xinjiang and in northern Chinas Inner Mongolia.

Plans to end the use of the Mongolian language in ethnic Mongolian schools sparked weeks of class boycotts, street protests, and a region-wide crackdown by riot squads and state security police in the fall of 2020, in a process described by ethnic Mongolians as cultural genocide.

Formerly an independent nation, Tibet was invaded and incorporated into China by force more than 70 years ago.

Language rights have become a particular focus for Tibetan efforts to assert national identity in recent years, with informally organized language courses in the monasteries and towns deemed illegal associations and teachers subject to detention and arrest, sources say.

Translated by Tenzin Dickyi for RFAs Tibetan Service. Written in English by Richard Finney.
President Vladimir Putin has justified Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine as a necessary move for "defending the motherland," a claim Britain said mirrored the fascism and tyranny that sparked World War II, as Russian forces pressed ahead with their offensive in the east and south of the country.

In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy promised his war-ravaged nation that Ukraine will soon have two Victory Days, as the last Ukrainian defenders at the besieged Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol vowed to fight to the end against Russian troops who have surrounded them.

Putin, who presided over a military parade in Moscow's Red Square to mark the Soviet Union's role in the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, reiterated his accusation that NATO was creating threats right next to its borders and claimed that the invasion of Ukraine was a necessary preemptive action.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the major developments on Russia's invasion, how Kyiv is fighting back, the plight of civilians, and Western reaction. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

He also addressed soldiers fighting in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, which Russia has pledged to "liberate" from Kyiv.

"Defending the motherland when its fate is being decided has always been sacred," he said.

In his own speech marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, Zelenskiy on May 9 likened the Allies' fight against Hitler with his nation's struggle to repel Russia's aggression.

We will never forget what our ancestors did in World War II, where more than 8 million Ukrainians died. Every fifth Ukrainian didnt return home, Zelenskiy said, adding, Soon there will be two Victory Days in Ukraine. And someone will not have even one left. We won then. We will win now, too,'' he said.

Meanwhile, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace called out the "absurdity of Russian generals -- resplendent in their manicured parade uniforms and weighed down by their many medals," saying they were "utterly complicit in Putin's hijacking of their forebears' proud history of...repelling fascism."

"All professional soldiers should be appalled at the behavior of the Russian Army," as they not only have "engaged in an illegal invasion and war crimes, but their top brass have failed their own rank and file to the extent they should be court-martialed," he said in a speech at the British National Army Museum.

"Through the invasion of Ukraine, Putin and his inner circle of generals are now mirroring the fascism and tyranny of 77 years ago, repeating the errors of the last century's totalitarian regime," he added.

U.S. President Joe Biden on May 9 signed largely symbolic legislation to reboot the World War II-era lend-lease program that helped defeat Nazi Germany.



Before signing the bill, Biden said that Putins war was once more bringing wanton destruction of Europe, drawing a reference to the anniversary of the allied victory in 1945.

Although there had been speculation that Putin might officially declare war on Ukraine, his 11-minute speech offered no assessment of progress in the war and gave no indication of how long it might continue.

Russian forces have so far failed to complete the occupation of the strategic Sea of Azov port of Mariupol, where an estimated 2,000 Ukrainian fighters continue to resist in the sprawling network of underground tunnels and bunkers of the Azovstal steel mill.

Azovstal has achieved a symbolic value in the conflict, as Russian forces sought a celebratory win ahead of May 9. Zelenskiy warned of more intense attacks against the remaining defenders, who vowed to fight to the end.

The complete capture of Mariupol would also deprive Ukraine of a vital port, allow Russia to complete a land corridor to the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula, and free troops up for fighting elsewhere.

On the battlefield, intense fighting raged in Ukraine's east, the port of Odesa in the south came under missile attack, and Russian forces sought to finish off the Ukrainian defenders of the steel plant, who have vowed to fight to the end.



The Odessa City Council said late on May 9 that three missiles were fired from an aircraft, destroying five buildings. Two people were injured and taken to hospital, a statement from the council said.



According to the City Council, rescuers managed to save a dog from under the debris.



"This is how they celebrate their Victory Day. Apparently, the only thing the occupiers have won is common sense and humanity," said Maksym Marchenko, head of the Odessa regional military administration.



Russian troops earlier on May 9 fired four missiles into the Odesa region from occupied Crimea. The missile strike occurred as European Council President Charles Michel visited the city.



In Washington, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said there had been indications that Ukrainians have been taken against their will into Russia."



Asked about statements from Kyiv that more than 1 million Ukrainians were being sent to Russia and placed in camps, Kirby said: "I can't speak to how many camps or what they look like." He called these actions "unconscionable" and "not the behavior of a responsible power."

On May 8, the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) commemorated the anniversary of the end of World War II by pledging to "spare no effort" to hold Putin and the architects "and accomplices of this aggression," including the regime of Alyaksandr Lukashenka in Belarus, accountable for their actions.

The leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States said Putin's actions "bring shame on Russia and the historical sacrifices of its people."

WATCH: Fighting continues to rage near Vuhledar, a city in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. Because of the ongoing, unpredictable shelling by Russian forces, many people are living in basements. The buildings have been cut off from electricity, water, and gas. Civilian casualties are buried in an improvised cemetery.

The United States after the meeting announced sanctions against three Russian television stations and executives from Gazprombank along with a ban on Americans providing accounting and consulting services to Russians.

Zelenskiy also told the G7 leaders that 60 civilians had died in the bombing of a school on May 7 in the eastern Luhansk region.

"They were hiding from shelling in the building of a regular school, which was attacked by a Russian air strike," he said.

British officials announced an extra $1.6 billion in military aid for Ukraine, while Britain's Defense Ministry said in its regular bulletin on May 9 that Moscow's invasion "has revealed shortcomings in its ability to conduct precision strikes" on a large scale and has shown utter disregard for the lives of civilians.

"Russia has subjected Ukraine's towns and cities to intense and indiscriminate bombardments with little or no regard to civilian casualties," the ministry said.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, and dpa
ASHGABAT -- Rahim Esenov, one of the most well-known Turkmen writers who openly refused to follow the orders of the Central Asian nation's authoritarian leadership, has died in Ashgabat at the age of 95.

Esenov's relatives and friends told RFE/RL on April 25 that the writer died over the weekend. No cause of death was given.

Esenov openly rejected the cult of personality that was created by Turkmenistans first President Saparmurat Niyazov in the 1990s and was blacklisted for his refusal to go along with the leader.

He rejected Niyazov's demand to change the plot of his book The Crowned Wanderer which he worked on for 27 years. Because of this, he was deprived of his private house and had to move to a small apartment in the Turkmen capital.

In 2003, after Esenov published his book ignoring "recommendations" proposed by Niyazov, who wanted the book to be another tool to cement his power, the writer was arrested and spent several months in a detention center.

Esenov was released amid an outcry from international organizations.

In 2006, he was invited to New York, where he received the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award.

For many years, Esenov cooperated with RFE/RL's Turkmen Service.
Ukraine has denied that an agreement was reached with Russia to form a humanitarian corridor to allow civilians to escape a steel plant in the besieged port city of Mariupol, and said Russia continued to attack the plant on April 25 and also hit Ukrainian rail and fuel facilities far from the front lines.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said a Russian announcement on a humanitarian corridor for civilians to leave the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol had been announced unilaterally and did not exist.

"I declare officially and publicly: unfortunately, there are no agreements on humanitarian corridors from Azovstal today," Vereshchuk said. The corridor that Russia announced "does not provide security, and therefore, in fact, is not a humanitarian corridor," she said on Telegram.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the major developments on Russia's invasion, how Kyiv is fighting back, the plight of civilians, and Western reaction. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

She also asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres to "initiate and guarantee" a corridor for civilians to escape the Azovstal complex with representatives of the United Nations and the Red Cross present. Guterres is due to hold talks in Russia and Ukraine this week.

Shortly after she made the comments, an aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russian forces were attacking the steel plant.

"The enemy continues to attack our defenses in the area of the Azovstal plant using aircraft, artillery...firing with tanks and trying to advance with assault groups, violating the order of their own supreme commander," Oleksiy Arestovych said, referring to President Vladimir Putin's statement last week it was unnecessary to storm the plant.

The sprawling steel complex has remained the last bulwark of Ukrainian resistance in the strategic Sea of Azov port city.

Ukrainian officials say that up to 1,000 civilians are sheltering in the maze of underground tunnels there. They have repeatedly urged Russia to offer them a safe exit, but previous attempts at organizing evacuations have failed repeatedly.

Russia also struck targets far from the front lines in what Ukraine's military command said was an attempt to bomb Ukraine's rail infrastructure in order to disrupt arms supplies from foreign countries.

Oleksandr Kamyshin, head of the state-run Ukrainian railways, said five railway facilities in central and western Ukraine were hit early on April 25. That included a missile attack near the western city of Lviv.

"Russian troops continue to systematically destroy railway infrastructure. This morning, within an hour, 5 railway stations in central and western Ukraine came under fire," Kamyshin said on Telegram.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its missiles destroyed six facilities powering the railways and an arms depot near Slovyansk in the Donetsk region. The claims could not be independently verified.

The governor of the Donetsk region said four civilians, including chidren, had been killed in the region on April 25.

Meanwhile, Russia launched rockets at two towns in Ukraine's central Vinnytsya region on April 25, causing an unspecified number of deaths and injuries, regional Governor Serhiy Borzov said.

Russia said its military struck Ukraine's Kremenchuk oil refinery with long-range missiles and hit military installations in Ukraine. However, the Russian statement could not be independently confirmed. The governor of Ukraine's Poltava region had said the Kremenchuk refinery near the Dnipro River was destroyed earlier this month.

To Ukraine's north on the Russian side of the border, a fire erupted early on April 25 at an oil facility, but no immediate cause was given for the blaze in oil storage tanks.

Unverified social-media footage, however, showed what sounded like two explosions followed by a tower of flame, with one unverified video showing a fire raging around a giant fuel reservoir.

NASA satellites that track fires showed something burning at coordinates that corresponded to a Rosneft facility some 110 kilometers north of the Ukrainian border. Moscow has previously blamed Ukraine for attacks in the Russian region of Bryansk, which borders Ukraine.

The developments came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Kyiv and announced more than $700 million in additional direct and indirect military aid.

About half of the money will go to Ukraine, with the remainder to be split among NATO members and other regional allies.

In addition, Washington will sell $165 million worth of ammunition to Kyiv, according to the U.S. officials, who met with Zelenskiy.

After the trip, which was confirmed only after the two had left Ukrainian territory, Blinken said Russia was failing in its war aims and "Ukraine is succeeding," while Austin said the United States believes that Ukraine can win the war with Russia if it has "the right equipment."

The United States has sent some $4 billion in military aid since President Joe Biden's term began last year, and already announced last week a new $800 million aid package.

Blinken, speaking to reporters near the Polish-Ukrainian border, said he and Austin traveled by train from Poland into Ukraine.

He said the visit to Kyiv was an opportunity to directly demonstrate "our strong ongoing support for the Ukrainian government."

Austin, in turn, said the United States believes that Ukraine can win the war with Russia if it has "the right equipment."

"The first step in winning is believing that you can win. And so they believe that we can win," Austin told journalists.

"We believe that we can win, they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support," he said.

Biden on April 25 also nominated the current U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, Bridget Brink, as the new ambassador to Kyiv, a post that has been officially unoccupied since 2019. The nomination comes as officials say U.S. diplomats will soon return to Kyiv, which they evacuated when the war began.

The United States will reopen its Ukraine Embassy, Blinken said. He said U.S. diplomats would first come to the western city of Lviv and should be back in Kyiv within weeks.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said late on April 25 that the crisis will end with an agreement but its content will depend on the military situation, criticizing Kyiv for only imitating negotiations.

Speaking in an in an interview on Russian television, Lavrov said NATO was essentially engaging in war with Russia through a proxy and arming that proxy and weapons delivered to Ukraine from the West will be "legitimate targets" for the Russian military.

He also warned of the threat of a third world war. "The danger is serious, it is real, it must not be underestimated," Lavrov said.

Earlier, Russia's ambassador in Washington told the United States to halt arms shipments, warning that large Western deliveries of weapons were inflaming the conflict.

With reporting by AP, AFP, BBC, and Reuters
Chinas UnionPay will begin accepting applications from a new swathe of Russian banks for Union Pay debit cards sometime in Q3 this year. UnionPay have been active in Russia for several years and its logo and ATM terminals are familiar to most Russians, however the exit of US and EU card issuers from the Russia market, together with sanctions has necessitated a considered approach by the Chinese issuer over providing significantly increased services in the country.

Absolut Bank expects to start issuing in the third quarter of 2022, while Rosbank, Ak Bars Bank and Home Credit are all preparing to release plastic Union Pay cards. UnionPay has delayed expansion decisions over the service in Russia because of the risk of secondary sanctions. This could also, in some circumstances, delay the approval of applications. However, holders of such cards will be able to use them to withdraw cash, pay for goods and services both in Russia and abroad.

The next stage will be the issuance of co-badged cards with the existing Russia MIR payment system.

Union pay will also be made available at ten Russian credit institutions, including RSHB, GPB, Zenit, Post Bank, Solidarity, Bank St. Petersburg, RRDB, Primsotsbank, and CB Primorye.

In March 2022, the share of active UnionPay cards in Gazprombanks existing portfolio increased by more than ten times, with expectations of further rapid growth. Gazaprombank have been offering Union Pay services for a number of years, the increase was due to Western issuers pulling out.

MTS Bank began issuing plastic cards of the Chinese payment system at the end of March 2022, at the beginning of April the bank opened pre-orders for cards on the website and has received more than 56,000 applications.

However, Union Pay need to be careful. The system uses US dollars in its operations, and cooperation with Russian banks may threaten it with at least large fines or other consequences.

Some Western retailers are already refusing to accept cards issued by Russian banks. This is a violation of the rules of the international payment system, but it the West has ignored these protocols. This means that for some Russian nationals, an alternative option is either to apply for a UnionPay card or open a bank account in other countries such as Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, where Visa or Mastercard can still be issued to Russian nationals.

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Jacom Stephens/Getty Image

One driver died and another driver was injured in a head-on crash on State Route 1 in Bodega Bay on Sunday night, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Officers responded to the collision, which happened west of Estero Lane, at about 10:14 p.m. Sunday and found the two drivers, both men, trapped inside their vehicles, the CHP said in a news release.
A woman stranded for six days on a snowy dirt road in remote Northern California woods survived on yogurt, rationing one container a day, according to authorities in Lassen County.

Sheena Gullett, 52, of Little Valley, an unincorporated community in Lassen County, became separated from her companion after their truck stalled in the snow on a forest road off of Highway 44 on April 14, a report from the county Sheriff's Office said. She rationed a six-pack of yogurt and ate snow to stay hydrated before officials located her on Wednesday.

Gullett and her friend Justin Lonich, 48, had been driving to Little Valley on dirt forest roads when they got stuck, according to the account. They spent one night in their vehicle before they woke up to discover the trucks battery was dead. They then set off to walk back to Highway 44.

Lonich told deputies that Gullett fell behind after the soles of her boots detached, and that he could not locate her when he turned around due to heavy snowfall. After seeking shelter at night and building a campfire to stay warm, officials said, he reached Highway 44 on April 17 and hitched a ride to nearby Susanville, where he reported Gullett missing.

Because Lonich was unfamiliar with the area where the vehicle was stuck, sheriffs officials, U.S. Forest Service personnel and the California Highway Patrol conducted daily searches on the ground and via helicopter but were hampered by poor weather.

They found Gullett on Wednesday in the truck. She told rescuers she had seen the helicopter, but because the vehicle was in a heavily wooded area, the rescuers could not see her.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

She was very emotional, but physically OK, Lt. Dave Woginrich of the Lassen County Sheriffs Office said in a report, adding that she was evaluated by medical personnel. She related the same details as Justin did as to how they became separated. During the six days Sheena was stranded, she rationed a six-pack of yogurt, eating one per day. She did not have any water and had been eating snow.

Aidin Vaziri (he/him) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avaziri@sfchronicle.com
The Oakland Unified School District is threatening legal action against its teachers union if members proceed with the unions planned one-day strike Friday to protest the planned closing of district schools.

In a sharply worded letter sent Saturday to Keith Brown, president of the Oakland Education Association, the school districts chief governance officer, Joshua Daniels, demanded that the union immediately cease and desist from moving forward with this strike.

The union voted overwhelmingly in an electronic poll late last week to authorize the one-day walkout, and its going ahead on Friday, Brown confirmed to The Chronicle on Sunday.

Daniels letter said the school district had become aware of the plan, and To be clear, any strike, other withholding of unit member services, or other concerted activity that disrupts the education of District students would be unlawful and an unfair labor practice, a violation of the current collective bargaining agreement between the District and OEA, and a violation of the EERA, the Educational Employment Relations Act.

Brown said the action is an unfair labor practice strike to protest actions taken to close the schools in violation of an agreement made at the end of a 2019 teachers strike. That agreement called for one year of engagement between involved parties before any school would be closed. Brown said the district disregarded the agreement when it announced in February that, in the throes of a financial crisis, it would begin closing or merging schools as soon as this summer.

Brown said the one-day strike is legal, and It is the district that is doing illegal moves by closing schools in Black and brown neighborhoods without engaging stakeholders.

Brown said the teachers union, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, has filed an unfair labor practice complaint over the closures. It is scheduled to be heard by an administrative law judge in May. Brown said more than 70% of the 2,500 members had voted to authorize the single-day action.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The parents and teachers have banded together to say, Hands off our schools, and We must invest in our students, he said.

The dispute is over a decision by the school board reached in February to close or merge 11 district schools over the next two years in order to stave off financial ruin. The schools will begin closing this summer. The district said that without action, it faces a total fiscal collapse or state intervention due to mounting debts and a $90 million budget shortfall. The Oakland school district has lost 15,000 students over the past two decades. It operates twice as many schools, however, as some districts with similar student populations.

A one-day strike would likely cost the District funding it cannot afford to lose, stated the districts letter, which also requested that the union respond no later than noon Monday that the union will not proceed with a strike or withhold any services normally provided by the union on that day. The union didnt meet the deadline, and the district is looking to file an injunction, according to district spokesperson John Sasaki.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @samwhitingsf
This week, associate critic Cesar Hernandez and I released our mutual magnum opus: a list of the Top Fries in the Bay Area. Check it out for our thoughts on where to find excellent yuca fries, carne asada fries and Bay Area-style garlic fries, among many other habit-forming variations.

While doing my research for this story, I realized that I have a pretty strong bias when it comes to French fries. Creaminess, granted by the mealy texture of russet potatoes, is important; and the outside should be taut and golden. If served with sauces already layered on top, they should be crunchy enough to hold their own, like a log cabin roof in a blizzard. But one of the entries on the list  the brine-pickled fries at Als Place in San Francisco  defy that dogma.

Made from Yukon Gold potatoes, theyre the color of suede and a little softer than their cousins from Idaho. Kept in a brine for more than a week before frying, the potatoes produce the most surprising flavor. Take everything you love about salt and vinegar potato chips and transplant their essence into the vessel of a fry, and you have the fries at Als Place.

In an email, Als Place chef Aaron London wrote that his take on French fries are inspired by the many frite wagons hed visit on family trips to Montreal. They are amazing, he wrote. And seriously not crispy. Hes not into typical blonde American fries, which he says need to be drowned in ketchup to possess any kind of flavor. Montreal frites caramelize as they cook, and a dash of vinegar at the end adds sourness to the sweet and salty potatoes.

After a chance encounter with a leftover fermented potato at Ubuntu, his previous workplace, London was determined to put some version of that on the menu at his own restaurant, which he opened on 26th and Valencia Streets in 2015. The passion was there, but the technique, not so much. He spent the days leading up to its opening testing brines and fermentation times. "100% of them rotted, he wrote. I dont think anything out there smells worse than rotten potatoes. And I have a 14 month old, so Ive smelled some things.

The breakthrough came when London realized that the fermentation needed some help to get going. Now, the kitchen and walk-in at Als Place are filled with 5-gallon fermenting buckets, each filled with sliced potatoes layered with raw cabbage leaves and sauerkraut. Each night of their 7-10-day fermentation period, each batch is tasted to monitor their progress. When theyre ready to go, the fries are strained and blanched to get them set up for dinner service.

Years ago, I tried to replicate Londons process after the recipe, published in Bon Appetit, caught my eye. I got some incredible pickle-ish fries for my trouble, but my back wasnt happy about a week of hauling a brine-filled bucket to various low-temperature sections of my kitchen. I cant even imagine the amount of calories his team spends juggling their 20 fermentation buckets around every week.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

As a customer, all you need to do is pay $8 for a tray of those fries. Thats an incredible deal!

For more on dishes like this one, dont forget to read our new Top Fries list.

Al's Place. 5:30-10 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. 1499 Valencia St., San Francisco. 415-416-6136 or www.alsplacesf.com
The shift to personal choice on wearing a mask to protect against COVID is sparking new debate about whether mandates were ever as effective as advertised and what role they should play in future surges. Californians statewide have anticipated that their kids ultimately would face a COVID vaccine mandate at school, but the path to do it has been rockier than expected. In San Francisco, the rate of positive coronavirus tests is rising sharply and has passed whats considered a worrisome level.

Latest updates:

Stanford nurses strike: Thousands of nurses from Stanford and Lucile Packard Childrens hospitals walked off the job Monday morning amid stalled labor negotiations over salary and benefits, retiree health benefits, student loan reimbursements, access to mental health counseling and nurse-to-patient ratios. Nurses in the Bay Area and throughout California describe long shifts and strain that has been exacerbated during the coronavirus pandemic. Read the full story here.

Marin County art program aims at mental health awareness: Marin County officials are inviting young people to submit art works reflecting hopeful messages around mental health struggles and suicide prevention for an art and film showcase. The goal of of the May 12 showcase is to increase awareness and conversations around mental health. Submissions are due Mmay 9 for the Youth Art Showcase, which is spearheaded by the Marin Suicide Prevention Collaboratives Youth Action Team. Submission details are on the event website. We know that youth often talk with peers about their personal struggles, even before talking to an adult. Every young person can be equipped to help one another by directing them to resources and information to get help, said Kara Conners, senior program coordinator supporting the collaborative. Officials said county youth are dealing with anxiety and depression that increased with schools shutdowns and loss of peer access during the pandemic. "Some of my friends have had their fair share of mental health struggles, and just having a chance to be open about it helps to normalize the conversation so we can help each other," said Tawny Strotz, a high school student organizer of the event.



Test them all, says Beijing: Beijing will conduct mass COVID testing of most of its 21 million people, officials said Monday amid a new outbreak that surfaced on Friday and prompted people to stockpile food in fear of a Shanghai-style lockdown. The mass testing began in a Beijing district where most new cases have been identified. The city also imposed lockdowns on some residential buildings and one section of the city. While only 70 cases have been found since Friday, Beijing went into China's zero-COVID mode of attack.

First COVID drug for children wins federal approval: The Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval to the antiviral drug remdesivir for treating children under age 12. Though other drugs are available for children under emergency use authorization, remdesivir is the first to be fully approved. The drug is approved for children as young as 28 days, weighing at least 6.6 pounds, who are hospitalized with COVID or at increased risk of severe illness. Remdesivir is made by Gilead Sciences of Foster City.

California provides free tests after loss of federal funding: California is still offering free COVID testing to uninsured residents even though the federal government has not renewed money to pay for it. The state is turning to its existing programs, including special state coverage for those lacking insurance, school testing, and free tests at clinics, counties, and other groups, KHN reported. The uninsured would be otherwise stuck for as much as several hundred dollars out-of-pocket depending on where they get tested. In general, overall demand for community testing has dropped off significantly.

Pelosi used sick time to raise money: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn't just laze around during her recent bout with COVID. Besides watching Netflix, she spent her recovery time raising money for Democrats, she said. I did not have one symptom. All I did was stay home and raise money, in addition to watching all of the "Bridgerton" series, the San Francisco Democrat told ITK on Sunday when asked about getting infected with the coronavirus earlier this month. In addition, the Hill reported that last week the prolific money raiser brought in more than $4.4 million for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and other groups  a record amount for the DCCC by an individual donor  at a fundraising event in San Francisco.

S.F. COVID-19 hospitalizations nearly doubled since March: The number of patients in San Francisco hospitals with COVID-19 is ticking up. There were 35 people hospitalized with the virus as of Wednesday, the most recent day of confirmed data, up from 18 at the end of March. Among current patients, four are in intensive care unit beds. Hospitalizations are a lagging indicator of virus trends. The city's virus test positive rate topped 5% on Friday -- a level public health experts consider high risk for exponential growth -- and continues to rise. It reached 5.3% on Sunday.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Will California school vaccine mandates ever happen? The path toward school vaccine mandates for COVID has proved rockier than anticipated. With California announcing it would delay implementation of its mandate until at least July 2023, and lack of parental support prompting some school districts to stand down on their own planned mandates, health and legal experts say that vaccine mandates for school kids still makes sense. Read the full story from The Chronicles Erin Allday on the formidable barriers toward putting such mandates in place.

S.F. drops mask mandate in city meeting rooms Monday: As of Monday, San Franciscans no longer have to mask up at in-person city meetings in public commission or board hearing rooms. Indoor masking requirements had already been dropped for City Hall and other city facilities as of March 18, but were maintained for public hearing rooms, as well as in high-risk locales such as hospitals, health care facilities and jails, according to state law. Individual members of the public and employees who wish to continue to wear masks in indoor settings are encouraged to do so, San Francisco said in its public statement. Should local conditions change, masking requirements and other health precautions may need to be re-imposed.

Masks fuel ongoing debate over effectiveness: Masks in the emerging learning to live with it phase of the COVID pandemic are becoming a matter of personal choice versus government mandate  a shift that is raising debate over whether such mandates were ever as effective as advertised and what role they should play in future surges. Read about the complicating factors that go beyond the broad consensus that masks work at preventing disease.

Vaccines may have averted nearly 20,000 California deaths last year: During the first 10 months after being introduced in 2021, COVID-19 vaccines may have prevented more than 1.5 million cases, 72,000 hospitalizations and nearly 20,000 deaths in California alone, according to a study by UCSF and the California Department of Public Health and published Friday in the JAMA Open Network. The project tallied cases and illness from before the shots were available and extrapolated the probable impact if they hadnt been administered. The resulting projection provides evidence of the public health benefit of COVID-19 vaccination, and continuing the shots, authors said. A separate study from the Commonwealth Fund estimates that vaccines have saved 2.2 million American lives between Dec. 2020 and the end of March, 2022.

Women are less likely to recover from long COVID, study finds: A large study on the lasting effects of coronavirus infection found about 26% of those hospitalized with COVID-19 reported a full recovery after 5 months, and only 28.9% said they were back to normal one year after they were discharged. The study, published Saturday in the Lancet, found that women were 33% less likely than men to make a full recovery. Researchers tracked 2,320 patients who were hospitalized between March 7, 2020, and April 18, 2021, when the alpha strain of the virus was dominant.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Monday that Ukraine risks provoking World War III and said the threat of a nuclear conflict should not be underestimated.

In an in-depth Russian TV interview, Lavrov blamed Ukraine for stalled talks between the two countries, and accused the United States and Britain of pressuring Kyiv not to reach agreement.

Everyone is reciting incantations that in no case can we allow World War III, Lavrov said, and accused Ukrainian leaders of provoking Russia by asking NATO to become involved in the conflict.

By providing weapons, NATO forces are pouring oil on the fire, he said, according to a Russian transcript on the Russian Foreign Ministrys website.

Lavrov apparently made the remarks after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States wants to see Russia weakened to the point where it cant do things like invade Ukraine.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview Monday that only discussions between Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin would bring resolution.

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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 US promises new aid to Ukraine in fight against Russia

 To Europes relief, Frances Macron wins but far-right gains

 Russian officer: Missile to carry several hypersonic weapons

 Follow all AP stories on Russia's war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

NEW YORK  The Metropolitan Opera and the Polish National Opera are organizing a Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra to tour Europe and America from July 28 to Aug. 20.

The orchestra is to gather in Warsaw on July 18 for rehearsals and will include musicians from Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv and Odesa plus Ukrainian members of European orchestras, the companies said Monday.

Keri-Lynn Wilson, a Canadian-Ukrainian conductor who is married to Met general manager Peter Gelb, will lead musicians who include members of the Kyiv National Opera, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra and Kharkiv Opera plus the Tonkunstler Orchestra of Vienna, the Belgian National Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

The tour will open at Teatr Wielki, the Polish National Opera, on July 28 and include a televised performance at the BBC Proms in London on July 31.

That will be followed by stops at the Choregies dOrange Festival in France (Aug. 2); Berlin (Aug. 4); Edinburgh, Scotland (Aug. 6); Snape Maltings in England (Aug. 8); Amsterdam (Aug. 11); Hamburg, Germany (Aug. 13); New York (Aug. 18 and 19), and Washington (Aug. 20).

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines foreign minister on Monday urged the U.N. chief to press Russia for an evacuation of the besieged port of Mariupol, calling it something the world body is capable of achieving.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview he was concerned that by visiting Moscow on Tuesday before traveling to Kyiv, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres could be vulnerable to falling into a Kremlin trap in the war.

Kuleba said Guterres should focus primarily on one issue: evacuation of Mariupol.

An estimated 100,000 people are trapped in the seaside city while a contingent of Ukrainian fighters hold out against Russian forces in a steel mill where hundreds of civilians also are taking shelter.

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MARIUPOL, Ukraine  Officials in the embattled Ukrainian city of Mariupol say a new mass grave has been identified north of the city.

Mayor Vadym Boychenko said authorities are trying to estimate the number of victims in the grave about 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) north of Mariupol.

Satellite photos released over the past several days have shown what appear to be images of other mass graves.

Mariupol has been decimated by fierce fighting over the past two months. The capture of the city would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

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ZAGREB, Croatia  Moscow is accusing Croatia of having an anti-Russian policy for failing to provide humanitarian passage for 24 Russian diplomats and embassy staff who were expelled from the country over the war in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Monday that the government of Croatia is systematically destroying bilateral relations, according to the Russian TASS news agency.

The inhumane, cynical attitude towards our fellow countrymen wont go without an answer, she added.

Croatia has followed several other European Union states in expelling Russian diplomats for the bloody Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Monday that Zakharovas claims are Russian propaganda and that the expelled Russians already left the country, probably via neighboring Serbia. He added that Russia attacked Ukraine, which is our friendly country, killed women and children and we responded to it like most other countries.

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UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are stressing the urgent need for effective access through humanitarian corridors to evacuate Ukrainian civilians and deliver humanitarian aid to communities impacted by the war.

Guterres met Erdogan on Monday in Ankara and expressed support for Turkeys ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding that they agreed to stay in contact to follow up on ongoing initiatives.

The U.N. chief and the Turkish president reaffirmed that their common objective is to end to the war as soon as possible and to create conditions to end the suffering of civilians, Dujarric said.

During the meeting, Erdogan also said Turkey would continue to work closely with the U.N. to end the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and to help in the evacuation of civilians, .

Guterres is scheduled to travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and will then head to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday. The Ukrainian leader has criticized the secretary-general for visiting Moscow before going to Kyiv.

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LONDON  The British government says it believes 15,000 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine since Moscow launched its invasion two months ago.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said 25% of the Russian combat units sent to Ukraine have been rendered not combat effective, and Russia had lost more than 2,000 armored vehicles and more than 60 helicopters and fighter planes.

Russia has acknowledged 1,351 military casualties.

Wallace said Russia had failed in most of its military objectives so far. He told British lawmakers that we anticipate this next phase of the invasion will be an attempt by Russia to occupy further the Donbas in order to connect it via Mariupol to Russian-controlled Crimea. He said international aid and weapons are crucial to help Ukraine withstand the anticipated onslaught.

Wallace said Britain had sent more than 5,000 antitank missiles, as well as air-defense systems and anti-air missiles, and would soon send a small number of Stormer armored vehicles equipped with missile launchers.

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STOCKHOLM  Two newspapers - one Swedish, the other one Finnish - are reporting that the governments of Sweden and Finland have agreed to submit NATO applications at the same time and that it will happen in the middle of next month.

The Finnish newspaper Iltalehti said that the Swedish government has expressed a wish to Finland that they apply together in the week ending May 22, and Swedish government sources confirmed the information to Swedens Expressen tabloid.

Russias invasion of Ukraine has led to growing support in Sweden and Finland, a Russian neighbor, for joining NATO.

Though not members, both Nordic countries closely cooperate with NATO, allowing, among other things, the alliances troops to exercise on their soil. Helsinki and Stockholm have also substantially intensified their bilateral defense cooperation in the past years.

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WASHINGTON -- The U.S. State Department says it has approved the sale of $165 million in legacy Warsaw Pact ammunition and other non-standard ammunition to Ukraine to help in its defense against Russia.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency approved the potential sale and has provided the legally required notification to Congress. Lawmakers can block weapons sales but are unlikely to do so because of strong support for Ukraine following the Feb. 24 invasion.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe, the State Department said in announcing the potential sale Monday.

The sale came at the request of Ukraines government and includes rounds for mortars, automatic grenade launchers and howitzers.

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Russia is expelling 40 German diplomats in response to Germany expelling the same number of Russian diplomats earlier this month.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday that it had summoned German ambassador Geza Andreas von Geyr for a strong protest at the clearly unfriendly decision to expel the Russian diplomatic staff.

The ministry said von Geyr was told that 40 members of staff at German diplomatic missions in Russia would be officially declared unwelcome in Russia.

Germany announced the expulsion of 40 Russian diplomats on Apr. 4 following mounting evidence of civilian killings and mass graves in Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Environmental campaigners have used kayaks and a dinghy to stop a Russian oil tanker from unloading its cargo south of Norways capital, saying Norwegian companies are financing Russias warfare.

Greenpeace says its members chained themselves to the Hong Kong-registered Ust Luga, leased by Russian oil company Novatek, as it arrived at its destination, an Essos terminal near Toensberg.

The tanker with 95,000 tonnes of fuel had left St. Petersburg.

Esso spokeswoman Anne Fougner told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet that the oil had been bought before Russia invaded Ukraine. She added that Esso Norway does not have other contracts for the purchase of products from Russia.

Several other activists were stopped by police before they could take part in the action, Norwegian news agency NTB reported.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands  The International Criminal Courts prosecution office is joining a joint investigation team set up by Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland to probe atrocities committed during the war in Ukraine.

The ICCs Prosecutor Karim Khan signed an agreement Monday to participate in the multinational effort that aims to facilitate investigations and cooperation.

Eurojust, the European Unions judicial cooperation agency, says the agreement sends a clear message that all efforts will be undertaken to effectively gather evidence on core international crimes committed in Ukraine and bring those responsible to justice.

Khan said last month he was opening an investigation in Ukraine and has sent investigators there and visited crime scenes himself.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian authorities say at least five people have been killed by Russian strikes on the central Vynnytsia region.

The Vynnytsia regional prosecutors said another 18 people were wounded in Mondays Russian missile strikes on the towns of Zhmerynka and Koziatyn.

Vinnytsia regional Governor Serhiy Borzov said earlier that the Russian missiles targeted critical infrastructure, but didnt elaborate.

The Vynnytsia region is fully controlled by Ukraine and is far behind the front lines.

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KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraine has said the United Nations should step in to oversee an evacuation route for civilians from the besieged steel mill in Mariupol which is Ukrainian troops last stronghold in the port city.

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Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on the Telegram messaging app that a Russian announcement of a humanitarian corridor out of the Azovstal plant to operate later Monday was not agreed to by Ukraine. Vereshchuk added that Ukraine does not consider the route safe for that reason and said Russia had breached agreements on similar evacuation routes before.

Ukrainian officials have said that up to 1,000 civilians have sheltered at the sprawling steel plant.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to visit Russia and Ukraine this week. Vereshchuk called on Guterres to be the initiator and guarantor of a humanitarian route out of Azovstal and for U.N. and International Committee of the Red Cross personnel to accompany any evacuees.

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MOSCOW  Russias Energy Ministry says a massive fire at an oil depot in western Russia will not cause fuel shortages.

The ministry said in a statement that Mondays fire inflicted damage to a depot containing diesel fuel in Bryansk, and authorities are dealing with the consequences of the blaze.

The ministry said fuel supplies to consumers havent been interrupted and noted that the region has enough diesel fuel for 15 days.

The Emergencies Ministry said earlier that a huge blaze erupted overnight at the depot owned by Transneft-Druzhba, a subsidiary of the Russian state-controlled company Transneft, which operates the western-bound Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline carrying crude to Europe. It wasnt immediately clear what caused the blaze, and whether it could affect deliveries to Europe.

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MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the U.S. and its allies of trying to split Russian society.

Speaking Monday at a meeting with top officials at the Prosecutor Generals office, Putin said Russia has come under unprecedented Western sanctions amid its military action in Ukraine.

He charged that the U.S, and its allies have sought to split the Russian society and to destroy Russia from within, adding that their plans have failed.

Putin urged Russian prosecutors to act more quickly to block unsanctioned demonstrations organized from abroad. He also noted that they should focus on exposing open provocations against the Russian military allegedly involving international media and social platforms.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has hailed talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as encouraging and effective.

Speaking in Mondays video address, he said the U.S. is offering powerful support to his country. Zelenskyy added that they agreed on further steps to strengthen the armed forces of Ukraine and meet all the priority needs of our army. He noted that ramping up sanctions against Moscow also was on the meetings agenda.

Blinken and Austin said the United States had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition for Ukraines war effort, along with more than $300 million in foreign military financing.

Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine would expect the United States to lead other allies in offering a set of security guarantees in the future.

The Ukrainian president also denounced Russia for launching strikes on Orthodox Easter Sunday, describing them deliberate destruction of life in Ukraine.

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MOSCOW  The Russian military says it will open a humanitarian corridor for civilians to evacuate from the besieged steel plant in Mariupol.

The Russian Defense Ministry said a humanitarian corridor will open at 2 p.m (1100 GMT) Monday for all civilians to leave the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. It said Russian troops will cease fire to allow civilians to safely exit the plant.

The mammoth steel plant, which has a sprawling maze of underground channels. has remained the last bulwark of Ukrainian resistance in the strategic Sea of Azov port city.

Ukrainian officials have said that up to 1,000 civilians have sheltered there. They have repeatedly urged Russia to offer them a safe exit.

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MOSCOW  Russian authorities say a fire has engulfed an oil storage facility in western Russia.

The Emergencies Ministry said a huge blaze at the depot in the city of Bryansk erupted early Monday. Its cause wasnt immediately clear.

The oil depot is owned by Transneft-Druzhba, a subsidiary of the Russian state-controlled company Transneft that operates the western-bound Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline carrying crude oil to Europe. It wasnt clear if the depot was part of the pipeline infrastructure and whether the blaze could affect the deliveries.

Russian news reported that another oil storage facility in Bryansk also caught fire early Monday, and that the cause wasnt immediately known.

Bryansk is located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of the border with Ukraine, where Moscow has waged a military campaign for two months. Last month, two Ukrainian helicopter gunships hit an oil reservoir in Russias Belgorod region that borders Ukraine, causing a fire.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian officials say the Russian military has unleashed a series of strikes on the countrys railways.

Lviv region Governor Maksym Kozytskyy said a Russian missile hit a railway facility in Krasne, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Lviv, early Monday, sparking a fire.

Oleksandr Kamyshin, the head of the state-run Ukrainian Railways, said a total of five rail facilities in central and western Ukraine have been hit by the Russian strikes. He said the attacks have delayed at least passenger 16 trains.

There was no immediate information about the damage from the strikes.

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NEAR THE POLISH-UKRAINIAN BORDER  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Russia is failing in its war aims after invading Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Following meetings Sunday in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Blinken told reporters in Poland on Monday that, with Russia having pulled back its troops from around Kyiv and the north of Ukraine to focus on the eastern Donbas region, When it comes to Russias war aims, Russia is failing, Ukraine is succeeding.

In footage of the meeting later released by the Ukrainian presidency, Blinken praised the extraordinary courage and leadership and success that youve had in pushing back this horrific Russian aggression.

We got used to seeing you on video around the world, but its great, its good to see you in person, Blinken said with a smile.

Austin said that the world has been inspired by Ukraine in the war and that America would continue its support.
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  The U.S. secretaries of state and defense met Sunday night with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the highest-level visit to the countrys capital by an American delegation since the start of Russia's invasion.

The secretive meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin came as Ukraine pressed the West for more powerful weapons against Russia's campaign in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Moscow's forces sought to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops in the battered port of Mariupol.

Blinken and Austin told Ukraines president, Volodomyr Zelenskyy, and his advisers that the United States would provide more than $300 million in foreign military financing and had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition.

They also said that U.S. President Joe Biden would soon announce his nominee for ambassador to Ukraine and that American diplomats who left Ukraine before the war would start returning to the country this coming week

Reporters who accompanied Austin and Blinken to Poland were barred by Pentagon and State Department officials from reporting the Kyiv visit until the two men physically left Ukraine. U.S. officials cited security concerns.

Before the session with Blinken and Austin, Zelenskyy said he was looking for the Americans to produce results, both in arms and security guarantees.

"You cant come to us empty-handed today, and we are expecting not just presents or some kind of cakes, we are expecting specific things and specific weapons,'' he said.

Zelenskyys last face-to-face meeting with a top U.S. official was Feb. 19 in Munich with Vice President Kamala Harris, five days before Russias invasion. While the West has funneled military equipment to Ukraine, Zelenskyy has stressed repeatedly that his country needs more heavy weapons, including long-range air defense systems and warplanes.

In an apparent boost for Ukraine, polling agencies said French President Emmanuel Macron would win reelection over far right candidate Marine Le Pen, who has faced questions about her ties to Moscow.

The result was hailed by Frances allies in the European Union as a reassuring sign of stability and continued support for Ukraine. France has played a leading role in international efforts to punish Russia with sanctions and is supplying weapons systems to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy's meeting with U.S. officials took place as Ukrainians and Russians observed Orthodox Easter. Speaking from Kyiv's ancient St. Sophia Cathedral, Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, highlighted its significance to a nation wracked by nearly two months of war.

The great holiday today gives us great hope and unwavering faith that light will overcome darkness, good will overcome evil, life will overcome death, and therefore Ukraine will surely win! he said.

Still, the war cast a shadow over celebrations. In the northern village of Ivanivka, where Russian tanks still littered the roads, Olena Koptyl said "the Easter holiday doesnt bring any joy. Im crying a lot. We cannot forget how we lived.

The Russian military reported hitting 423 Ukrainian targets overnight, including fortified positions and troop concentrations, while its warplanes destroyed 26 Ukrainian military sites, including an explosives factory and several artillery depots.

Since failing to capture Kyiv, the Russians have aimed to gain full control over the eastern industrial heartland, where Moscow-backed separatists controlled some territory before the war.

Russian forces launched fresh airstrikes on a Mariupol steel plant where an estimated 1,000 civilians are sheltering along with about 2,000 Ukrainian fighters. The Azovstal steel mill where the defenders are holed up is the last corner of resistance in the city, otherwise occupied by the Russians.

Zelenskyy said he stressed the need to evacuate civilians from Mariupol, including from the steel plant, in a Sunday call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is scheduled to speak later with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Arestovych, the Zelenskyy adviser, said Ukraine has proposed holding talks with Russia next to the sprawling steel mill. Arestovych said on the Telegram messaging app that Russia has not responded to the proposal that would include establishing humanitarian corridors and the exchange of Russian war prisoners for the fighters still in the plant.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to travel to Turkey on Monday and then Moscow and Kyiv. Zelenskyy said it was a mistake for Guterres to visit Russia before Ukraine.

Why? To hand over signals from Russia? What should we look for? Zelenskyy said Saturday. There are no corpses scattered on the Kutuzovsky Prospect, he said, referring to one of Moscows main avenues.

Mariupol has endured fierce fighting since the start of the war because of its location on the Sea of Azov. Its capture would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, free up Russian troops to fight elsewhere, and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

More than 100,000 people  down from a prewar population of about 430,000  are believed to remain in Mariupol with scant food, water or heat. Ukrainian authorities estimate over 20,000 civilians have been killed. Recent satellite images showed what appeared to be mass graves to the west and east of Mariupol.

Children in an underground bunker were seen receiving Easter presents in a video released Sunday by the far-right Azov Battalion, which is among the Ukrainian forces at the steel plant in Mariupol. The groups deputy commander, Sviatoslav Palamar, said the video was shot at the plant.

One toddler is seen wearing homemade diapers made of cellophane and people are seen hanging laundry on makeshift hangers.

Please help us, one woman in the video said through tears, appealing to world leaders. We want to live in our city, in our country. We are tired of these bombings, constant air strikes on our land. How much longer will this continue?

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Mykhailo Podolyak, another presidential adviser, tweeted that the Russian military was attacking the plant with heavy bombs and artillery while accumulating forces and equipment for a direct assault.

Zelenskyy over the weekend accused Russians of committing war crimes by killing civilians and of setting up filtration camps near Mariupol for people trying to leave the city. He said the Ukrainians  many of them children  are then sent to areas under Russian occupation or to Russia itself, often as far as Siberia or the Far East. The claims could not be independently verified.

Zelenskyy highlighted the death of a 3-month old girl in a Russian missile strike Saturday on the Black Sea port of Odesa. The baby was among eight people killed when Russia fired cruise missiles at Odesa, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukrainian news agency UNIAN, citing social media, reported that the infant's mother, Valeria Glodan, and grandmother also died when a missile hit a residential area. Zelenskyy promised to find and punish those responsible.

The war started when this baby was 1 month old,'' Zelenskyy said. "Can you imagine what is happening? They are filthy scum; there are no other words for it."

For the Donbas offensive, Russia has reassembled troops who fought around Kyiv and in northern Ukraine. The British Ministry of Defense said Ukrainian forces had repelled numerous assaults in the past week and "inflicted significant cost on Russian forces.

A fire erupted early Monday at an oil depot in Russia near its border with Ukraine, but Russia's Tass news agency gave no immediate cause for the blaze in oil storage tanks.

NASA satellites that track fires showed something burning at coordinates that corresponded to a Rosneft facility some 110 kilometers (70 miles) north of the Ukrainian border. Moscow previously has blamed Ukraine for attacks on the Russian region of Bryansk, which borders Ukraine.

The spiritual leaders of the world's Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics on Sunday appealed for relief for Ukraine's suffering population.

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Associated Press journalists Yesica Fisch in Sloviansk, Ukraine, Mstyslav Chernov and Felipe Dana in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Yuras Karmanau in Lviv, Cara Anna, Inna Varenytsia and Oleksandr Stashevskyi in Kviv and AP staff around the world contributed.

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Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
On Thursday, UC Berkeley officials gave the order to shut down the sprawling campus. At 9:30 a.m. a warning went out over social media that nobody wants to see:

An Emergency has occurred near Campus-wide. Please go inside and move away from doors and windows. 04-21-202209:30:24 Police activity on campus. Shelter in place and stay tuned to WarnMe for updates.

The shutdown affected 193 buildings across 1,200 acres, and it curtailed teaching, research and administrative operations involving more than 30,000 students, faculty members and staff.

Naturally, many people concluded that the emergency involved an active shooter and was possibly another chapter in the cycle of mass killings that have unfolded around the country for the past two decades. In 2014, a shooter murdered six people at UC Santa Barbara.

The shutdown in Berkeley was officially lifted at 2 p.m. One arrest had been made, and nobody was harmed.

But the peaceful ending to the siege is hardly an occasion for UC Berkeley officials to take a bow. The whole affair was poorly handled. Many questions remain unanswered. The Regents of University of California and possibly state legislators should seek some answers.

We now know that the person taken into custody was arrested off campus. If thats the case, why was it necessary to shut down the whole university? And who gave the order? Nobodys name was attached to it. UC Police Department Chief Margo Bennett, as it happens, is set to retire in June, and a search is under way for her successor.

There were no updates throughout the incident. People locked in offices, classrooms and labs for hours on end had no idea what was happening. The Chancellor, Carol Christ, was not heard from until 5 p.m. in a campus-wide email:

This was an unsettling day for our community. While we are fortunate that no one was injured in this incident, we recognize the alarm and the anxiety this caused. Our sense of safety and security was threatened; our academic and research pursuits were interrupted; and, for some, past experiences with violence may have resurfaced. We recognize that the incident was especially trying for those in buildings where there was police activity.

Christ said officials withheld real-time updates in order to protect the integrity of the investigation and the safety of our community.

University researchers work under contract with the U.S. government, the state and many private companies on projects that bring in millions of dollars. When the workers in the bunny suits are locked out, or locked in, and the fabrication labs are forced to shut down, UC takes a hit deep in the purse. Shutting down the Berkeley campus might prove to have been a costly disruption.

The only other UC Berkeley shutdown happened in 1970, when then-Gov. Ronald Reagan closed all the UC campuses and the state college system, too, in the aftermath of the shootings at Kent State University during an anti-Vietnam War protest. The campuses remained closed four days, May 6-10.

Thursdays events indicate that UC Berkeley has failed to prepare the campus adequately for the active shooter emergency. Officials have paid way more attention to earthquake preparedness. The campuss active shooter preparedness website assures readers that UCPD officers have all received extensive training on what to do in this situation ...

But wheres the training for students, faculty and staff about how to survive?

In October 2016, as chair of the UC Berkeley Academic Senate, I appealed to campus officials to seek expert advice in preparing the campus for the active shooter emergency. I gave them the contact information for Dennis Cobb, recently retired deputy chief of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, who gave clients advice on handling such security issues as active shooters and conducted seminars on that topic. Cobb had spent time researching the May 2014 massacre at UC Santa Barbara that took six lives and injured 13 persons.

But my appeal died in the vastness of the UC Berkeley administrative bureaucracy.

Other colleges and universities in the state have been much more proactive. Cal State Northridge, for example, has a robust active shooter protocol.

By way of comparison, the response from UC Berkeley during the emergency was the equivalent of thoughts and prayers.

At 2:30 p.m. on the day in question, faculty members received this email, Some staff may be especially triggered by todays events and I would encourage you to respond with empathy and understanding if they need additional time before resuming regular duties. The email came from an official who has the title Chief People & Culture Officer. He assured employees that they would be paid for the days work, even if they were locked down or warned to stay away.

Later in the day the chancellors message included phone numbers directing students and staff to counseling or psychological services. We recognize that the incident was especially trying for those in buildings where there was police activity, the email said.

UC Berkeley mandates recurring training to promote safety in a number of areas: sexual violence and harassment, cyber security and ethical values and conduct. No training is required in dealing with an active shooter emergency.

Campus leaders need to address this omission before somebody gets hurt. It is not a question of whether the shelter-in-place warning will happen again, but when.

William J. Drummond is a professor at UC Berkeleys Graduate School of Journalism.
In January, Michael Odell, a fellow critical care nurse at Stanford Health Care, died after abruptly walking out of his shift at work. Although the investigation is ongoing, all signs point to suicide.

Michael was suffering quietly  something many health care workers understand all too well. As a critical care nurse in the first decade of my career, Im feeling very uncertain about the future of my profession.

The pressure, exhaustion and trauma of working within a broken system that fails to support the pandemics heroes is driving tens of thousands of nurses to reconsider our decisions to go into nursing  myself included. In California alone, there is already an estimated shortfall of 40,000 nurses.

At the core of nurses uncertainty about our futures is our working conditions, and whether we will have the requisite resources and support we need to take care of ourselves, and in turn, our patients.

At the hospital where I work  Stanford, as well as at our sister hospital, Packard Childrens  41% nurses report they are considering leaving within the next few years. This would be a tremendous loss. It is our expertise that has landed both Stanford and Packard a Magnet distinction for excellence in nursing practice. Rather than working to keep experienced nurses and recruit new ones by meaningfully improving working conditions, administrators approach has been to demand more of the core nursing staff and pay a premium for expensive contract travel nurses to try to fill the gaps.

During multiple waves of the pandemic, my unit saw critically ill COVID-19 patients every day for months at a time. We were chronically under-resourced and like many nurses, I worked shifts of 12 to 16 hours, often back-to-back, and sometimes going weeks without even a full 24-hour break.

Some of this I accepted as a natural outcome of working through a global pandemic. But while my world and the world around me was turning upside down, I needed support from my employer to address the mental health impacts of facing so much illness and death. When I sought counseling through the hospitals program, I was told I had to wait six to eight weeks before I could even schedule a first appointment. If I needed immediate support, I was directed to go to the emergency department or call a crisis hotline.

Michaels memory is top of mind when nurses ask Stanford and Packard for greater mental health support, more sustainable schedules and fixes for our understaffing. We need structural solutions to the conditions of overwork and exhaustion that are burning us out and straining us mentally and physically, especially in critical care units like mine.

More than half of the nurses in my unit are travel nurses  registered nurses who work in short-term roles in hospitals, clinics, and other health care settings. While I have the utmost respect for them  I myself was a traveler for a time  its not uncommon for travel nurses without the requisite intensive care unit experience to be hired to fill staffing gaps. That means that my colleagues and I have to orient new travel nurses while simultaneously caring for patients. Once they become integral members of the team after a couple months on the job, many leave, only to be replaced by new travelers. Then, the cycle begins anew.

It didnt always used to be like this. A fellow critical nurse, Bonnie Balfour, has been at the hospital for almost 50 years. She talks about how travel nurses were brought in to fill in parental leaves or surgery recovery or other long absences here and there. They were not a long-term solution. However, what shes seen recently at the hospitals is a startling increase in travelers, to fill in where the hospitals have been unable to recruit and retain core staff.

Nurses at Stanford and Packard have a long-term, sustainable solution: competitive wages and benefits that would incentivize nurses to take staff positions and stay at the hospitals. Across ICU and non-ICU units alike, nurses support additional pay for critical care nurses because when ICU units are not properly staffed, all nurses and units are impacted.

Staffing must be dependable to meet the intense needs of patients who come to our hospitals. Working at level-one trauma centers, we care for patients who need more than what the laws minimums might require. While Stanford claims there is no short staffing problem, I am receiving as many four to six texts per day to come in for overtime, as are countless others.

Nurses are the backbone of the hospitals, and we are simply asking for the resources we know the hospitals have to support us and our commitment to delivering excellent patient care. Travel nurses are generally paid substantially more than staff nurses, including here at Stanford. We also know that the hospitals joint operating surplus increased by $676 million from 2020 to 2021, according to Stanfords annual report. Stanford, which prides itself on being an health care leader, could put forward real solutions and invest in its nurses. It is choosing not to.

Thats why Im ready to go on strike Monday alongside up to 4,500 of my nurse colleagues in order to secure a better future of our profession and our patients.

The issues affecting nurses at Stanford Health Care are not unique. But thats not a reason to accept the status quo. Applauding nurses as heroes is not enough. We need our employers to listen to our solutions for improvements in safety, health and well-being and career sustainability. The future of our profession  and the quality of our countrys medical care  depends on it.

Brittaney West is an intensive-care unit nurse at Stanford Health Care.
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Elon Musks swift $44 billion deal to purchase Twitter could have major ramifications at its San Francisco headquarters, with the tech mogul previously expressing skepticism around remote work.

Musks stance could put him at odds with Twitters embrace of employees staying home forever under a policy started by former CEO Jack Dorsey. The company was one of the first to send workers home in the spring of 2020 as the pandemic closed the economy, and was slower to reopen its offices than other tech firms. Last summer, the delta surge shuttered the companys Market Street headquarters just two weeks after it reopened. It wasnt until March 3 that CEO Parag Agrawal said all offices were open again.

In December 2019, prior to the pandemic, Musk was asked on Twitter about his stance on remote work. Big communication penalty for remote work, which means the gain in talent that wont move has to be very high, Musk replied.

In the early months of the pandemic, Musk fought with Alameda County, defying health orders to close down his Fremont megafactory. Eventually, officials relented and allowed it to continue operations, a critical win for Tesla as it sought to meet demand.

But while building cars requires in-person work, writing code does not. The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Musk has floated the idea of shuttering Twitters headquarters building, along with layoffs, as a way of cutting costs.

On April 9, in a now-deleted Tweet, Musk ran a poll, Convert Twitter SF HQ to homeless shelter since no one shows up anyway. Over 90% of users who responded voted yes.

One person open to the idea was fellow tech billionaire Jeff Bezos, who suggested converting a portion, citing the Amazon-built homeless shelter attached to one of its Seattle office buildings. Great idea, Musk responded.

However, Twitter leases its headquarters space at 1355 Market St. and the adjacent 1 10th St., so Musk wont have any say over potentially converting the buildings to another use. JPMorgan Chase and Shorenstein own the property, which was formerly the Western Furniture Exchange and Merchandise Mart before Twitter signed an office lease there in 2011.

If Musk decides to close the office, Twitter would still be on the hook for paying rent unless it can break its leases or find subtenants, something its been unable to do for around 174,000 square feet at 1 10th St.

Musk said on Monday that he wanted to improve Twitter with new features, making its algorithms open source to increase trust, defeat spam bots and authenticate the accounts of humans. Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated, he said in a statement.

I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means, Musk said in another tweet on Monday.

There was speculation on social media that Twitters headquarters could move out of state, following Musks relocation last year of Tesla from Palo Alto to Austin, Texas, where its building what it calls a Gigafactory. At the same time, Musk said Tesla would continue to expand its Fremont plant, and it also expanded its offices in Silicon Valley. This is not a matter of Tesla leaving California, Musk said.

On Monday, a tweet by Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called on Musk to Bring Twitter to Texas to join Tesla, SpaceX & the Boring company.

Dan Ives, a tech analyst at Wedbush Securities, believes its not likely that Musk will try to close Twitters existing headquarters.

San Francisco is a core part of Twitter and its DNA, Ives said. Musk will view that presence as a key asset, not liability.

Some tech executives lauded Musks ownership, while others expressed concern.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Mark Pincus, founder of Zynga, said he was excited to see Musk steward Twitter and bring back founder DNA and deep care for product and mission.

Just prior to the deal announcement, former Reddit CEO Yishan Wong described being in the odd position of simultaneously feeling that 1) its a bad idea for Elon (and humanity overall) to buy Twitter but also that 2) if I were advising the Twitter board, Id say its a good idea for them to take the buyout offer.

Musks calls for free speech could lead to a reversal of the ban of former President Donald Trump, whose accounts were removed from Twitter in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, as well as other figures banished from the social network. But Trump said in an interview with Fox News that he wouldnt return to Twitter and is focusing on his own social network, Truth Social.

The embrace of remote work appears to have helped fuel a hiring spree at Twitter. The companys full-time workforce surged from more than 5,500 people at the end of 2020 to 7,500 people at the end of 2021, according to regulatory filings.

Last fall, Twitter signed a lease in Oakland, an indication that remote work wouldnt quash the opening of new offices.

Were continuing to look at ways to support a more distributed workforce and better meet our employees and talent where they are and where they want to be, Tracy Hawkins, Twitter vice president of work transformation, said last September.

But with the prospect of a new owner, the social media companys office strategy could now shift dramatically.

Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) _ Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. (ARE) on Monday reported a key measure of profitability in its first quarter.

The real estate investment trust, based in Pasadena, California, said it had funds from operations of $324.6 million, or $2.05 per share, in the period.
NEW YORK (AP)  Bitcoin's public profile grew six months ago when the first exchange-traded product tied to it hit the market.

It took just two days for the fund, the ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF, to amass more than $1 billion. Thats even though the fund, which often goes by its ticker symbol BITO, doesnt hold bitcoin itself. Instead it invests in futures for bitcoin, a regulated market where traders make bets on where the cryptocurrency is heading in the coming months.

But BITO allowed investors to get involved with bitcoin without having to learn how to hold a cryptocurrency.

Michael Sapir, CEO of ProShares, spoke recently with The Associated Press about the funds debut, what kinds of investors it's serving and about how bitcoin hasn't lived up to one of its initial pitches to investors. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: What do you personally think of crypto? How big a deal will it be, say, 30 years from now?

A: The truth is no one knows. My view is that in 30 years, cryptocurrencies are either going to be a central part of the financial system and integral to our day-to-day living, or cryptocurrencies will be a distant memory for most people, and their history will be taught at business schools.

Q: Do you personally own any crypto?

A: I do not personally. But my 15-year-old son does. Within the last six months, he has gotten interested in crypto investing, along with his friends.

Frankly, theres some of the more esoteric cryptocurrencies that hes taught me a thing or two on.

Q: Were you expecting as big a debut as BITO had?

A: The introduction actually exceeded our expectations. By a good amount, especially the first day. We were watching the volume traded, from the minute that we rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange. I was looking at the monitor on the floor of the exchange, and every minute after launch, we would see tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of shares being traded.

Q: Do you have a sense of who those investors are? Are they young or old? Big institutions or small-time investors?

A: We dont have a direct relationship with the shareholders, being a security traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

But about 16% of Americans have at some point bought a cryptocurrency. We think a large part of the other 84% are intimidated by the prospect of trying to figure out how to get exposure to cryptocurrency and dont want to open up a special account to do that and then figure out how to hold a cryptocurrency.

Venturing into the cryptocurrency world can be scary and intimidating. We think a big reason for the success of BITO is it took away a lot of those complications and fears.

Q: So the ones buying your fund are completely different from regular crypto investors?

A: Investors in cryptocurrency skew more toward people who are willing to be early adopters and willing to take on risk. I think the investors in BITO are probably similar to those investors, but we think BITO may be capturing investors who might be crypto hesitant because they can easily access bitcoin exposure through an existing brokerage account they already have and buy it in the way theyre used to buying stocks and exchange traded funds.

One of the advantages we see of BITO is that if you have an IRA, or if you have a 401(k) account that has a brokerage window to it, you have an easy way to get bitcoin exposure by buying a fund like BITO.

Q: The pitch for bitcoin used to be that it would protect an investors nest egg by not always moving up and down in the same direction as stocks, offering diversification. But that hasnt been the case in recent months. Will that scare people away?

A: I think youre right in the very recent past. Bitcoin seems to have correlated with the movements of stocks. I dont know if thats a permanent condition. And theres been substantial periods in the past where bitcoin has performed uncorrelated with stocks and bonds.

There seem to be two types of investors in cryptocurrencies. The first type are long-term holders who believe that the value of cryptocurrency will go up in value and that hopefully it will provide a diversifier for their portfolio. And the second type of investor is a short-term investor who isnt concerned about whether its correlated with another security or whether its diversifying a portfolio. Theyre trying to take advantage of short-term movements in the cryptocurrency markets.

Q: One of the criticisms of BITO is that it invests in bitcoin futures, not bitcoin itself. Do you feel customers understand the distinction?

A: In our communications, we made clear that BITO invests in bitcoin futures, not directly in spot bitcoin. That said, theres been about a 0.99 correlation with spot bitcoin in the futures since we launched, and the performance since we launched has been close to spot bitcoin itself.
Elon Musk reached an agreement to buy Twitter for roughly $44 billion on Monday, promising a more lenient touch to policing content on the social media platform where he  the world's richest person  promotes his interests, attacks critics and opines on a wide range of issues to more than 83 million followers.

The outspoken Tesla CEO has said he wanted to own and privatize Twitter because he thinks its not living up to its potential as a platform for free speech.

Musk said in a joint statement with Twitter that he wants to make the service better than ever with new features while getting rid of automated "spam'' accounts and making its algorithms open to the public to increase trust.

Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated, the 50-year-old Musk said, adding hearts, stars and rocket emojis in a tweet that highlighted the statement.

The more hands-off approach to content moderation that Musk envisions has many users concerned that the platform will become more of a haven for disinformation, hate speech and bullying, something it has worked hard in recent years to mitigate. Wall Street analysts said if he goes too far, it could also alienate advertisers.

The deal was cemented roughly two weeks after the billionaire first revealed a 9% stake in the platform. Musk said last week that he had lined up $46.5 billion in financing to buy Twitter, putting pressure on the companys board to negotiate a deal.

Twitter said the transaction was unanimously approved by its board of directors and is expected to close in 2022, pending regulatory sign-off and the approval of shareholders.

Shares of Twitter Inc. rose more than 5% Monday to $51.70 per share. On April 14, Musk announced an offer to buy Twitter for $54.20 per share. While the stock is up sharply since Musk made his offer, it is well below the high of $77 per share it reached in February 2021.

Musk has described himself as a free-speech absolutist but is also known for blocking or disparaging other Twitter users who question or disagree with him.

In recent weeks, he has proposed relaxing Twitter content restrictions  such as the rules that suspended former President Donald Trumps account  while ridding the platform of fake spambot accounts and shifting away advertising as its primary revenue model. Musk believes he can increase revenue through subscriptions that give paying customers a better experience  possibly even an ad-free version of Twitter.

Asked during a recent TED interview if there are any limits to his notion of free speech, Musk said Twitter would abide by national laws that restrict speech around the world. Beyond that, he said, hed be very reluctant to delete posts or permanently ban users who violate the company's rules.

It wont be perfect, Musk added, but I think we want it to really have the perception and reality that speech is as free as reasonably possible."

After the deal was announced, the NAACP released a statement urging Musk not to allow Trump, the 45th president, back onto the platform.

Do not allow 45 to return to the platform," the civil rights organization said in a statement. "Do not allow Twitter to become a petri dish for hate speech or falsehoods that subvert our democracy."

As both candidate and president, Trump made Twitter a powerful megaphone for speaking directly to the public, often using incendiary and divisive language on hot-button issues. He was permanently banned from the service in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol.

Advertisers, currently Twitters main customers, have also pushed for the stronger content rules Musk has criticized. Keeping them happy requires moderation limiting hate speech so that brands arent trying to promote their products next to calls for genocide, said Siva Vaidhyanathan, a media studies professor at the University of Virginia.

If Musk either fires or drives away the team at Twitter thats committed to keeping it clean and making it less hate-filled, hell see an immediate drop in user activity, said Vaidhyanathan. I think hes going to find pretty fast that inviting the bigots back in is bad for business.

Some users said Monday that they were planning to quit the platform if Musk took it over. To which he responded on Twitter: I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means.

Musk has also run into trouble with federal officials as a result of his own tweets, some of which he's used to taunt regulators at the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In one August 2018 tweet, for instance, Musk asserted that he had the funding to take Tesla private for $420 a share, although a court has ruled that it wasn't true. That led to an SEC investigation that Musk is still fighting. More recently, Musk appeared to have violated SEC rules that required him to disclose that he'd acquired a 5% stake in Twitter; instead he waited until he had more than 9%. Experts say these issues aren't likely to affect his Twitter acquisition.

While Twitters user base of more than 200 million remains much smaller than those of rivals such as Facebook and TikTok, the service is popular with celebrities, world leaders, journalists and intellectuals. Musk himself is a prolific tweeter with a following that rivals several pop stars in the ranks of the most popular accounts.

Last week, he said in SEC documents that the money would come from Morgan Stanley and other banks, some of it secured by his huge stake in Tesla, the electric-vehicle company he runs.

Musk has a fortune of nearly $268 billion, much of which is tied up in Tesla stock and SpaceX, his privately held space company. Its unclear how much cash Musk holds.

Musk began making his fortune in 1999 when he sold Zip2, an online mapping and business directory, to Compaq for $307 million. He used his share to create what would become PayPal, an internet service that bypassed banks and allowed consumers to pay businesses directly. It was sold to eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002.

That same year, Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, after finding that cost constraints were limiting NASAs interplanetary travel. The company eventually developed cost-effective reusable rockets.

In 2004, Musk was courted to invest in Tesla, then a startup trying to build an electric car. Eventually he became CEO and led the company to astronomical success as the worlds most valuable automaker and largest seller of electric vehicles.

Musks pledge to make Twitter a haven for free speech could dim the appeal of Donald Trumps troubled Truth Social app, which the former president has touted as a competitor to Twitter that would cater to conservatives. Truth Social is part of Trumps new media company, which has agreed to be taken public by Digital World Acquisition Corp. Shares of DWAC dropped 16.2% Monday and are down 46% since Musk revealed his stake in Twitter.

__

Krisher reported from Detroit. O'Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island. AP Business Writers Marcy Gordon in Washington, Barbara Ortutay in Oakland, Calif., and Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report.
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (AP) _ Sun Communities Inc. (SUI) on Monday reported a key measure of profitability in its first quarter.

The real estate investment trust, based in Southfield, Michigan, said it had funds from operations of $162.8 million, or $1.34 per share, in the period.
In January 2020, thousands of Twitter employees gathered in Houston for a corporate summit called #OneTeam. During the event, Jack Dorsey, Twitters CEO at the time, revealed he had invited a surprise guest. Then, with a wave and a smile, Elon Musk appeared on giant screens above the stage. The crowd cheered, clapped and pumped fists. We love you, one employee shouted.

Inside Twitter today, surprise announcements about Musk land differently. Employees said they have largely stopped celebrating the richest man in the world since he declared his intent earlier this month to buy Twitter, scrap its content moderation policies and transform the publicly traded company into a private one.

Twitter employees also said they are frustrated because they werent hearing much from their management about what was going on with the takeover fight and what it meant for them, even as Twitter closed in on a deal with Musk on Monday morning. They asked their CEO, Parag Agrawal. They asked Musk himself in questions sent on Twitter. Some even went to Charles Schwab, the financial firm that manages their stock options, for clarity about the effect a sale of the company would have on them.

But they were not getting very many answers, said 11 Twitter employees who asked to not be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly, even as it became clear that they could soon find themselves reporting to Musk. On Sunday, Twitters board met to discuss Musks offer and was said to be seriously considering it. Some employees vented their frustrations with the continued silence on Twitter on Monday morning, while others commiserated in private chats.

This kind of silence is routine in takeover fights. As the board of directors confers with bankers, lawyers and expensive public relations firms, employees are often kept in the dark. But for employees at Twitter, a company that has billed itself as the worlds town square, finding out what is happening to their company primarily through Twitter, the service they built, has been particularly embittering.

After years of leadership squabbles, demands for change from activist investors and the boundary-testing tweets of former President Donald Trump, Twitters more than 7,000 employees are accustomed to turmoil. But some of them say the takeover bid by the mercurial billionaire is hitting them in ways other company crises have not.

Employees said they worried that Musk would undo the years of work they have put into cleaning up the toxic corners of the platform, upend their stock compensation in the process of taking the company private, and disrupt Twitters culture with his unpredictable management style and abrupt proclamations.

But Musk also has fans among Twitters rank-and-file, and some employees have welcomed his bid. In an internal Slack message seen by The New York Times that asked if employees were excited about Musk, about 10 people responded with a Yes emoji. A Twitter spokesperson declined to comment.

If Twitter is worth buying, much of its value is in the employees who build and manage the service, said David Larcker, a professor of accounting and corporate governance at Stanford University. The wild card is, what if it becomes a very different company than they thought they were working for? Its an uncomfortable working relationship, he said.

Musk has made some of his intentions clear in regulatory filings, tweets and public appearances: The company must scrap nearly all of its moderation policies, which ban content like violent threats, harassment and spam. It must provide more transparency about the algorithm it uses to boost tweets in users newsfeeds. And it must become a private company.

Twitter has been expanding its content moderation policies since 2008, when its 25th employee was hired specifically to combat abuse on its platform. The teams overseeing moderation and safety have now grown to hundreds of employees.

Many Twitter employees feel personally invested in the companys effort to encourage healthy conversation  even if they do not directly work on content moderation  and have pressed executives to crack down further on hate speech and misinformation, six employees said. They see Musks proposal to revert to Twitters early, lax approach as a rebuke of their work.

But other employees have argued in internal messages seen by the Times that their co-workers have shifted too far to the left side of the political spectrum, making employees who support Musks plans too uncomfortable to speak up. In a worker-run survey of nearly 200 Twitter employees on Blind, an anonymous workplace review app, 44% said they were neutral on Musk. Twenty-seven percent said they loved Musk, while 27% said they hated him.

Although executives and employees at Twitter have agreed with Musk about changes to its algorithm, that work is in its earliest stages and could take years to complete. That could test something Musk is not particularly known for  patience.

One of the top concerns among Twitter workers is whether they will take a financial hit from Musks plans. Many Twitter employees make 50% or more of their total compensation from Twitter stock. If Musk succeeds in buying Twitter at his proposed price of $54.20 per share, employees said they feared missing out on the long-term value of their stock.

In an attempt to quell financial worries, Sean Edgett, Twitters general counsel, told employees that any potential buyer would likely be required to keep employee equity as is or provide equivalent compensation, like a cash award.

Edgett stressed that employees should not view his guidance as insight into the deal-making. This is meant to provide some peace of mind and explain how these things typically work, not because we believe there will be one outcome versus another, Edgett wrote in messages to employees reviewed by the Times.

Twitter has been on a hiring spree, spending $630 million on stock-based compensation in 2021, a 33% increase from the previous year. Twitter predicted in a February earnings report that it would spend between $900 million and $925 million on stock-based compensation this year.

But Musks campaign has also begun to undercut Twitters attempts to recruit new employees, according to internal documents outlining the companys hiring efforts that were viewed by the Times. Prospective hires have expressed skepticism about Musks plans to transform Twitter and upend its content moderation, those documents said.

Recruits have also fretted that the shares included in their offer letters could quickly become devalued if Musk succeeded in taking Twitter private.

Twitters recruiting problem could balloon further if current employees quit, as some have warned they would do if Musk takes over. Other employees worried about layoffs or the loss of work visas under Musk, and raised questions about these issues with Agrawal.

Managers responsible for hiring have been asked to keep track of how many prospective employees turn down job offers because of fears about Musk, according to internal communications reviewed by the Times.

Employees have also wondered: Could he also move Twitters headquarters to Texas, as he did with Tesla? Could he end the companys flexibility about returning to the office, which has become a selling point for employees and recruits? Musk, after all, fought with officials in California to keep his car factory open early in the pandemic.

Agrawal has tried to calm his workforce. In a Q&A session with employees held the day Musk announced he intended to buy Twitter, Agrawal declined to share details about how the company would respond to Musk but urged employees to remain focused on the things they could control, like their day-to-day work, according to employees who attended the meeting.

Agrawal has not addressed the entire company since then, two employees said. The company is set to report its first-quarter earnings Thursday.

The stress at the mention of Musk is a stark contrast to the welcome he enjoyed from employees two years ago. Although some employees said they were skeptical of Musk at the 2020 event, many of them listened attentively as he gave his advice for Twitter: The company should step up its moderation, he said, by doing more to weed out bots and scammers from the actual humans using the platform.

By the way, do you want to run Twitter? Dorsey asked Musk.

The assembled Twitter employees laughed. Musk did not immediately answer.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Twitter may be moving closer to a deal with Elon Musk.

The board of the social media service met Sunday morning to discuss Musks unsolicited $46.5 billion bid to buy the company, after he began lining up financing for his offer last week, two people with knowledge of the situation said. The financing was a turning point for how Twitters board viewed Musks bid of $54.20 a share, enabling the companys 11 board members to seriously consider his offer, the people said.

Twitters board planned to meet with Musks side later Sunday to discuss other contours around a potential deal, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss confidential information. Those details include a timeline to close any potential deal and any fees that would be paid if an agreement was signed and then fell apart.

Any deal remains far from certain, but the willingness of Twitters board to engage with Musk, the worlds richest man, represents a step forward. Musk, who has more than 83 million followers on Twitter and began amassing shares in the company this year, declared his intent to buy the company April 14 and take it private. But his proposal was quickly dismissed by Wall Street because it was unclear if he could come up with the money to do the deal. Twitter also adopted a poison pill, a defensive maneuver that would prevent Musk from accumulating more of the companys stock.

Musk updated his proposal last week, putting pressure on Twitter to more seriously consider his bid. In a securities filing Thursday, Musk detailed how he had put together financing from the investment bank Morgan Stanley and a group of other lenders, which were offering $13 billion in debt financing, plus another $12.5 billion in loans against his stock in Tesla, the electric carmaker that he runs. He was expected to add about $21 billion in equity financing.

Now what had appeared to be a highly improbable deal may be more probable. The situation involving Twitter and Musk remains fluid and fast-moving, the people with knowledge of the situation said.

A Twitter spokesperson declined to comment. In previous public statements, the company had said its board was continuing to conduct a careful, comprehensive and deliberate review to determine the course of action in the best interest of the company and all Twitter stockholders.

Musk did not respond to a request for comment. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported Twitters increased receptivity to Musks bid.

Wall Street was likely to view the openness of Twitters board to Musks bid as the beginning of the end for Twitter as a public company with Musk likely now on a path to acquire the company unless a second bidder comes into the mix, Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, wrote in a note Sunday.

Musks offer for Twitter is a 54% premium over the share price the day before he began investing in the company in late January. But Twitters shares traded higher than Musks bid for much of last year.

Several analysts have said they expected Twitters board to only accept a bid that valued it at a minimum of $60 a share. Twitters stock rose above $70 a share last year when the company announced goals to double its revenue, but it has since fallen to around $48 as investors have questioned its ability to meet those targets.

Musk, 50, has made clear that he sees many deficiencies in Twitter as a social media service. He has said that he wants to transform the company as a platform for free speech around the globe and that it requires vast improvements in its product and policies.

Musk has tried to negotiate with Twitter using the service itself, threatening in several tweets that he might take his bid directly to the companys shareholders in what is called a tender offer. A tender offer is a hostile maneuver in which an outside party circumvents a companys board by asking shareholders to sell their shares directly to them.

He has also acted erratically on the platform, raising concerns over how he might manage the service should he be in charge of it. On Saturday, Musk took aim at billionaire Bill Gates because Gates had taken a short position on the stock of Tesla, which meant that Gates was betting the carmakers shares would fall. On Sunday, Musk tweeted that he was moving on from making fun of Gates.

Even so, Musk maintains amicable ties with some high-ranking members of Twitter. Over the weekend, Musk traded friendly tweets with Jack Dorsey, company co-founder and a board member. Dorsey stepped down as Twitters CEO in November and soon will be leaving its board.

Both men share similar views on cryptocurrencies and on promoting more free speech online. When Musk briefly flirted with joining Twitters board this month, Dorsey tweeted, Im really happy Elon is joining the Twitter board! He cares deeply about our world and Twitters role in it.

On Friday, Block, a financial services company led by Dorsey, disclosed he had changed his title at the firm from CEO to Block Head. That shift appeared to resonate with Musk.

Your new title at Block is fire, Musk tweeted at Dorsey on Saturday, using two flame emoji to signify his approval. Last year, Musk had changed his title at Tesla from CEO to technoking.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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SAN FRANCISCO - Elon Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion on Monday, the company announced, giving the world's richest person command of a highly influential social media site that serves as a platform for political leaders, a sounding board for experts across industries and an information hub for millions of everyday users.

The acquisition followed weeks of evangelizing on the necessity of "free speech," as the Tesla CEO seized on Twitter's role as the "de facto town square" and took umbrage with content moderation efforts he views as an escalation toward censorship. He said he sees Twitter as essential to the functioning of democracy and said the economics are not a concern.

Ownership of Twitter gives Musk power over hugely consequential societal and political issues, perhaps most significantly the ban on former president Donald Trump that the site enacted in response to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Under the terms of the deal, Twitter will become a private company and shareholders will receive $54.20 per share, the company said in a news release. The deal is expected to close this year.

"Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated," Musk said in the release. "I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans."

"Twitter has tremendous potential - I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it," he added.

Musk's Twitter deal further expands his portfolio beyond rocket company SpaceX, which has aspirations of landing on Mars, and carmaker Tesla, which pushed electric vehicles into the mainstream.

"He's more powerful than countries now," said Ross Gerber, a Tesla investor close to Musk who said he had bought Twitter shares last week in hopes the deal went through. "He has the most important technology asset in America . . . probably one of the most strategic military assets in the world . . . and now he has one of the most important communications tools in the world."

Musk's positions on free speech and how to police the site have put him relatively at odds with current Twitter leadership, raising questions about how he will seek to steer his changes through and whether they will affect Twitter's current executive makeup.

That was a major topic at a town hall held by Twitter leadership Monday, during which employees questioned what Musk's ownership might mean for the company, according to a record of the call obtained by The Washington Post. Employees expressed fears about everything from layoffs to the future of the business to whether Twitter will continue to make money from advertising.

Employees asked why CEO Parag Agrawal "trusted" Musk, and how Musk "would be held accountable" when, as a private company, Twitter would have no board of directors. Executives offered assurances but few direct answers, and said that business would continue as usual until the deal goes through within three to six months.

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, who served as CEO until Agrawal succeeded him late last year, said of Musk, "Elon is the singular solution I trust" with regard to the "problem of [Twitter] being a company." Dorsey was arguing that Twitter should in fact be a public good, but said clawing it back from Wall Street was the right initial step.

"I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness," he wrote.

Musk has said he would open up Twitter's algorithm, putting content moderation decisions into clear view, although some researchers have said that would be difficult. He has also pushed for simple, broadly popular changes such as adding an edit button, as well as pledging to eliminate spam bots. And he has said he wants to open up Twitter's verification process to more users, so the authenticity of accounts can be determined more easily.

While it is unclear how Musk might address the Trump ban, he said at a TED conference this month he would want to be "very cautious" with permanent bans, preferring timeouts instead.

He and Trump have found areas of agreement in the past. Musk thanked Trump on Twitter for his support when Musk defiantly reopened Tesla's Fremont, Calif., manufacturing plant in May 2020, in violation of county-level coronavirus shelter-in-place orders.

Musk, an avid Twitter user with more than 83 million followers, earlier on Monday hinted that a deal was close, laying out his vision for the future of Twitter in a midday tweet. "I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means," he wrote.

The deal would rank among the largest activist takeovers of a publicly traded company, according to Dealogic, which tracks data on mergers.

"Twitter has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire world," CEO Agrawal said in the release. "Deeply proud of our teams and inspired by the work that has never been more important."

Twitter board chair Bret Taylor said the decision came down to the economics of the deal. "The proposed transaction will deliver a substantial cash premium, and we believe it is the best path forward for Twitter's stockholders," he said in the release.

Twitter's board completed its review of Musk's offer last week, including coming up with possible valuations of the company, according to a person briefed on the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them publicly.

Taylor spoke directly with Musk on Saturday to update him on the process, the person said. At the conclusion of Twitter's board meeting on Sunday, the company notified Musk it was ready to proceed with a deal around his proposed price, said that person and another person briefed on the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity for the same reasons.

The saga of Musk's Twitter ownership kicked off April 4 when Musk surprised investors by disclosing he had taken a more than 9% stake in Twitter.

Twitter responded by offering Musk a board seat, which it announced the next day. Musk turned the seat down a few days later. By April 13, according to financial filings, Musk expressed his intention to pursue a hostile takeover of the company.

Meanwhile, Twitter seemed poised to reject Musk's bid. The board adopted a "poison pill" plan the day after Musk's offer became public that would make it much more difficult for the billionaire to buy the company.

The strategy, known as a shareholder rights plan, would let investors buy Twitter stock at a discounted price unavailable to Musk. The flood of new shares would potentially make it prohibitively expensive for Musk to buy the company.

Musk then publicly outlined his financing, saying last week that he had secured $46.5 billion through loans by banks, including Morgan Stanley, and his own equity.

The company's board of directors met with Musk on Sunday, and negotiations went into the early hours of Monday, according one of the people familiar with the discussions. The two sides were focused on determining whether Musk had the financing to complete the acquisition, and they did not spend much time discussing Musk's strategy for the future of the social network, said the people familiar with the discussions.

Almost all of the key events took place over video calls, the people said.

Musk had also met privately with several large Twitter shareholders in recent days, with some expressing their support for his bid, one of the people said. The two sides did not see regulatory issues, such as an antitrust review, as likely roadblocks to closing the deal, the person added.

It's unclear whether Musk will retain other shareholders in the private company. Musk said previously that he would want to let the maximum allowable number of shareholders stay on.

One of the factors motivating the board's decision was the recent challenging environment for tech stocks, which have experienced losses this year after riding high during the pandemic. The tech-heavy Nasdaq stock index, which nearly doubled from early 2020 to late 2021, has declined 18% this year. Growing Twitter's value beyond Musk's offering price would probably require bucking this trend and outperforming most of the tech sector, the person said.

Musk taking control will probably reignite the debate over whether social media companies should do a better job of policing content such as hate speech and violence, or if they should take a hands-off approach - a difficult balance for all social media. Twitter started with a hands-off approach but has instated more content moderation and policing, including its banning of Trump.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement Monday that "lives are at risk, and so is American democracy."

"Mr. Musk: free speech is wonderful, hate speech is unacceptable. Disinformation, misinformation and hate speech have NO PLACE on Twitter. Do not allow 45 to return to the platform," he said, referring to Trump.

The Bloomberg Billionaire's Index puts Musk's worth at about $259 billion, but much of his wealth is tied up in stock.

Beyond the bank loans, it's unclear how Musk intends to pay for more than $21 billion of the deal which he described as "equity financing" from himself. He could borrow against or sell Tesla shares, though that path would raise risks for the share price of the carmaker.

"If Elon Musk were forced to sell shares of our common stock that he has pledged to secure certain personal loan obligations, such sales could cause our stock price to decline," Tesla warned in its annual filing.

As of Monday afternoon, the proposed deal did not include a "go shop" provision, a common term in large mergers that allows boards of directors to continue seeking a higher offer from other potential bidders, the person familiar with the deal said. The absence of this provision will probably speed the close of the deal.

Some Tesla investors have bristled at Musk's bid because they say it distracts from his responsibilities as chief executive and could slow momentum at one of the world's most valuable automakers. And internally, Twitter employees have raised concerns about Musk's potential effect on the company's culture.

Musk is very active on the platform, having tweeted more than 17,300 times. He averages 125,180 likes per tweet, according to Socialtracker. Musk has earned praise for his wide-ranging approach to the site: He toggles freely between crude memes targeting his rivals, polls on the state of free speech and critical business decisions.

His tweets have gotten him into trouble with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In 2018, he wrote that he had "Funding secured" to take Tesla private at $420 a share.

He said he chose $420 "because he had recently learned about the number's significance in marijuana culture and thought his girlfriend would find it funny, which admittedly is not a great reason to pick a price," according to the federal complaint.

The deal could raise new regulatory issues for Musk, too.

Because of the deal's size, Musk will be required under federal law to report his purchase of Twitter to the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department. Multiple legal experts said the deal does not present clear antitrust concerns because Twitter is not being purchased by a social media competitor. But given Democrats' focus on concentration of power, especially in the tech sector, it's possible that government regulators could open a review of the deal and slow it down.

"If you're sitting in the agencies, you're aware of that atmosphere," said William Kovacic, a former Republican chair of the FTC.

Regulators could raise objections to Musk potentially collateralizing the purchase with Tesla stock, according to former SEC lawyer Tyler Gellasch, who now runs Healthy Markets, a nonprofit organization advocating market reforms.

"This is buying a lot of one company by borrowing against billions of dollars in shares of another company, and that very concentrated collateral carries risks," Gellasch said. "If it leads the banks to say they're going to need more and different collateral, that wouldn't block Musk's purchase per se, but it could make the logistics of the deal dicier."

- - -

The Washingon Post's Reed Albergotti, Elizabeth Dwoskin, Cat Zakrzewski and Tory Newmyer contributed to this report.
Where the Children Take Us: How One Family Achieved the Unimaginable by Zain E. Asher (Amistad)

In recounting her familys struggle to carry on after her fathers unexpected death, Zain E. Asher has written a handbook for hope when none seems possible.

Ashers face is familiar around the globe as the anchor of CNN Internationals One World. So is her brothers, actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, the star of the Oscar winner 12 Years a Slave and praised for writing and directing the Netflix film The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Their sister, Kandibe, a medical doctor, and brother, Obinze, an entrepreneur, have made marks in their own fields.

However, the star of Ashers memoir, Where the Children Take Us, is their mother.

Obiajulu Justina Ejiofor was raising a family in London when a car accident killed her husband, Arinze, a medical student, and critically injured son Chiwetel, then 11. With a baby on the way, she had to cope with the loss of her childhood sweetheart, running a neighborhood pharmacy and, most importantly, the care of their young children. Grief-stricken and exhausted, even with help from relatives, she feared she was failing them.

But Obiajulu had faced challenges before. As a child, she lived through political and ethnic division during Nigerias bloody civil war, then moved with Arinze to London at 18 with little more than a desire to build a life together. Working at a laundry, she was inspired by another Nigerian woman to explore further possibilities. Soon, Obiajulu was setting her sights on earning a pharmacy degree, obtaining a loan and opening her own business, all thanks to the first uplifter in her new life.

In the wake of tragedy, Ashers mother became her familys uplifter by wielding the firm hand of a parent who would not allow her children to let themselves down. Even after long days at the pharmacy, Obiajulu would oversee their studies, engage them in a dinnertime book club, and put the baby to bed. She established the commitment to get ahead in the world through education and intense discipline.

Asher was often the only Black child in her classes, at times feeling unwanted as an outsider in terms of race and class. At age 9 her mother sent her to live in Nigeria with her grandparents to learn strength and resilience the old-fashioned way.

That crash course in survival lasted nearly two years. Cleaning the yard, scrubbing the toilet, balancing buckets of water from a river a mile from their village, Asher mastered what she calls the art of back-breaking endurance. At school in Nigeria she learned how to gain the respect of her classmates and teachers. She returned to London better able to adapt to adversity and exclusion.

Asher was pushed to visit Oxford University at 13, her mother pointing to students and telling her, That could be you someday. When her studies fell short of Oxford-worthy grades because of the distractions of television and telephone, Obiajulu took away the TV set and installed a pay phone in the hallway. In time Asher was accepted into Oxford  and later to Columbia University to study journalism. The lessons from her mother helped her forge a successful career in TV news.

You arent competing with them, her mother said when Asher talked about rivals and the drive to get ahead. Prepare as well as you can so you can be your best, not their best.

Her brother Obinze once remarked that Asher was set for life when she was accepted at Oxford, noting how she had achieved the unimaginable given their circumstances. He assured her, Theres nothing you cant do now.

With Where the Children Take Us, all can learn from Zain Asher, whose memoir adds her name to the newest of uplifters.

___

Douglass K. Daniel is the author of Anne Bancroft: A Life (University Press of Kentucky).
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NEW YORK (AP)  On a trip to New York in the early 1970s, Robert Evans, the former head of Paramount, discovered a dead rat in his hotel room bed. According to the new Paramount+ series  The Offer,  this was not an unfortunate travel experience that today would result in a scathing Yelp review, but a warning from the mafia.

Crime boss Joseph Colombo believed Mario Puzo's book The Godfather was an insult to Italian Americans and did not want Paramount to adapt it for the big screen.

The scene is both horrifying and hilarious as Matthew Goode as Evans high-tails it out of town, after ordering the movie's producer, Al Ruddy (played by Miles Teller), to make it right.

What's revealed in the 10-episodes of The Offer, debuting April 28, is that pressure from the mafia was just one of many hurdles that Ruddy, Evans and other players navigated to get the movie made.

I couldnt believe some of the stories," said Goode.

Adds Patrick Gallo, who plays Puzo: if you love the film, youre not going to believe the kinds of things that went into making it."

Although the The Godfather is an extreme example, Colin Hanks, who plays one of the suits at Paramounts then owner, Gulf + Western, says The Offer provides a window into just how hard it is to make anything in Hollywood.

Its an interesting show for the people that have watched The Godfather and love The Godfather because obviously theyre going to know locations, theyre going to know characters, and theres going to be some insight into the making of the film. But I think even if someone has not seen The Godfather, I think its a pretty interesting examination of just how difficult it is.

It also shows how fickle Hollywood can be.

I've talked to really acclaimed and accredited filmmakers who made an incredible film and then assumed that they would be able to make whatever they wanted to next. And they couldnt," said Teller. "Even some true-blue movie stars, youd be surprised how quickly the enthusiasm for them fades if theyre not coming off a hit. And somebody told me In this business, nobody cares what you did two years ago.' I think its nobody cares what you did seven months ago. It's a constant proving ground.

The Offer paints a heroic picture of Ruddy, who was steadfast in protecting director Francis Ford Coppola's creative vision, while taking heat from all sides. It depicts how Coppola desperately wanted to cast a then-unknown, off-Broadway actor named Al Pacino in the role of Michael Corleone, much to the initial dismay of Evans and Gulf + Western. He also thought Marlon Brando was perfect as Don Corleone, even though Brando was considered too unreliable at the time. Ruddy persisted and made it happen.

If he believed in somebody and if he told you he had your back, he did. He had it until the very end, said Teller.

Ruddy was the film's sole producer  a rarity in today's Hollywood, but his support system included his assistant Bettye McCartt, who was at his side every step of the way.

Juno Temple plays McCartt and calls it one of the greatest honors of her career to bring Ruddy and McCartt's partnership to the screen, a pair who trusted each other implicitly.

You always hear like, Men and women cant be friends.' Yeah, they can. They can be best friends and they can get such incredible (expletive) done together."

Dan Fogler, who plays Coppola, says The Offer is a reminder of the director's genius, and he would personally love his stamp of approval.

I wonder what he's going to think of all this. I hope he gives us his blessing," he said. (It should be noted that Coppola has dismissed the project, telling Variety in March that The Offer doesn't match his memory of what happened.)

And Hollywood isn't done with the story. A movie surrounding the rollercoaster to get The Godfather made, starring Oscar Isaac and Jake Gyllenhaal, called Francis and the Godfather is also in the works.
Willie Bird Turkeys, a venerable Santa Rosa deli and store known for its famous smoked goods, is gearing up for closure, as first reported by the Press Democrat.

The business, which is located at 5350 Sebastopol Road, will continue operating through the end of May before it eventually shutters its storefront operation and shifts its focuses to retail. According to the Democrat, the closure follows a financial downturn when the pandemic destabilized the business and fewer customers opted for in-person shopping.

It was a really difficult decision, as we know the storefront means a lot to the community, Heidi Orrock-Diestel, marketing manager at Willie Bird Turkeys, told the Democrat. So many local stores and restaurants also carry Willie Bird products that it makes more sense for us to support them, instead of compete. Orrock-Diestel added that the aged storefront, which first opened in 1975, was on track for major upgrades that would have been costly.

The long-standing business has deeper ties in Sonoma County starting in the early 1960s when fourth-generation rancher William Willie Benedetti envisioned a better turkey business for his family ranch, Benedetti Farms. The venture began when Benedetti gathered about 500 turkey eggs as part of a school project and successfully hatched the eggs and raised the young flock, which was later sold to locals during the holiday season. Benedetti Farms eventually blossomed into a successful enterprise, raising upward of 85,000 turkeys a year, the North Bay Business Journal reported in 2020.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Benedetti is credited for developing one of the countrys finest free-roaming birds. Willie Bird Turkeys was eventually sold to Diestel Family Ranch in May 2020, and after the sale, Benedettis processing plant located in Schellville, which was not part of the transaction, closed.

Throughout his tenure, Benedetti and his family also opened Willie Birds Restaurant in 1980 where hot plates of roast turkey and stuffing, slathered in thick gravy, kept customers returning. The restaurant was also featured on Guy Fieris hit show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, in its Talkin Turkey episode.

Following Benedettis death in 2018, the restaurant was promptly sold to a family friend, Joe Castro. Later, Castro changed the business name to The Bird, but the restaurant eventually shuttered last year.
Its a quiet Tuesday afternoon, and a group of Hotsy Totsy regulars have got me surrounded. The (at least) 83-year-old Albany bar decorated with a hodgepodge of dog paintings, pinup girl photos and black-and-white monster movies playing in the corner seems to have a way of making locals stick around.

Im a creature of habit, 73-year-old Richie Cortese, a former Hotsy Totsy bartender and their longest-running regular, told me. Its every day for me.

Cortese has been coming to the Hotsy for 51 years, and even has a designated chair with his name printed on the back. As were talking, someone stops by to inform me that Cortese is the mayor around here. Another comes up and hands him a hefty container of gumbo, which he accepts with a quiet nod of thanks.

Kevin Kelleher/Special to SFGATE

Sipping a tequila soda, Cortese and some other old-timer buddies tell me about what it was like in Albany back in the day, when shipyard workers used to come to the Hotsy at 6 a.m. for a drink after their shift.

Now, youre probably imagining the Hotsy Totsy as a very particular type of watering hole: that kind of skeevy local dive bar thats been a neighborhood staple for forever, serving up shot and beer specials and probably not carding anyone. And it was exactly that  until 13 years ago.

The Hotsy still very much feels like a homey dive, with its Dutch door, neon sign and eclectic artwork. But, as San Francisco Chronicle reporter Emma Silvers described with amazement a few years ago, the Hotsy Totsy is [now] one of the most charming bars in the entire Bay Area. (SFGATE and the San Francisco Chronicle are both owned by Hearst but operate independently of one another.)

Kevin Kelleher/Special to SFGATE

Uncovering the past

In 2009, co-owners Jessica Maria and Michael Valladares decided to buy the Hotsy Totsy. It felt like fate: The couple, whod already opened a bar together once before, spotted a for sale sign after a goofy night out with friends learning to pop and lock at an Albany Adult School dance class.

They remodeled the timeless bar while taking care to preserve its historic identity, Maria (who happens to be a very highly acclaimed bartender) created a world-class cocktail menu, and slowly but surely, they breathed new life into the neighborhood hideaway.

But it was not an easy undertaking.

When we took the spot over, it was really neglected, Valladares said. It was gross. There were carpets and cat piss and puke and just everybody's mistakes.

Valladares grew up in Albany and said he used to drink at the Hotsy underage. He recalls the Hotsy of his upbringing as having a bit of an unsavory reputation.

Kevin Kelleher/Special to SFGATE Kevin Kelleher/Special to SFGATE Kevin Kelleher/Special to SFGATE Kevin Kelleher/Special to SFGATE Kevin Kelleher/Special to SFGATE Decor at the Hotsy Totsy (clockwise from top left): the stained glass Hotsy Totsy sign, a portrait by artist Jennifer Kenworth of Jimmy (the late mascot of The Hotsy Totsy), a signed headshot of Three's Company legend Joyce DeWitt, and the bar's shuffleboard.

Growing up here, this was considered the problem in the town, he explained. ... There was this corner down there where something was happening, and it always seemed like it was something wrong.

Surely not all the town gossip about the Hotsy could be rooted in truth. When he and Maria took over, they grew curious about the bars lengthy history and started investigating.

Everybody's got a story, Valladares said. Some people in their 60s and 70s are like, Oh, I remember that time in the basement when they found that skeleton. There's no basement. Thats not even possible.

What they did find to be true, though, was that the Hotsy has been around a long damn time  since at least 1939, if not earlier. Thats just the first mention of a bar listed at 601 San Pablo Ave. they were able to uncover in the archives.

According to the 1939 Oakland Tribune article, a burglar broke into the pub and ransacked the pinball machine. The tavern owner, sleeping in the rear room, was awakened by the noise and quickly grabbed his rifle. He set off in hot pursuit of the robber, firing shots, but found himself outdistanced at the foot of Albany Hill. The robber got away.

Kevin Kelleher/Special to SFGATE

Lots of other seedy history haunts this neighborhood, too, from the rumored brothels to the dog racing track and gambling den at nearby El Cerrito Plaza in the 1930s.

This was the designated place to go and get drunk, maybe find a woman of ill repute and do some gambling, Valladares said. And there were a lot of juke joints that would play Southern music, so Southerners here working during the war could feel a little bit of home.

During the late 20s and early 30s, the San Pablo space belonged to a veterinarian. Valladares showed me a 1933 newspaper clipping he found that advertises the sale of guaranteed canaries for $3.50 a pop (thats $77 in todays dollars  canaries have held their marketplace value for like 90 years, he said, gleefully).

A mention of pet boarding in the wrinkled canary ad also gives some validity to Valladares theory: that the Hotsy was once a kennel for the El Cerrito Plaza race dogs.

That conjures a lot of sad doggy energy, which we've been combating with being a doggy friendly bar, he said.

Kevin Kelleher/Special to SFGATE

As we chatted, Valladares very friendly dog, Juniper (whom he introduces as his daughter), made herself comfortable on some cushioned seating. Dog decor is also widely present around the bar, from a mural of Valladares late dog Jimmy in the mens bathroom to another painting of him in the main bar area. Jimmy is the bar's mascot, with his furry face found on Hotsy Totsy T-shirts  longtime regular Cortese happens to be wearing one of them.

On a good day, well have five to six dogs running around, Valladares said. He explained that it helps keep the Hotsys vibes soft  its hard to get too worked up when there are puppies around.

A home for old and new

Today, the Hotsy Totsy still feels like a neighborhood dive with its jukebox, shuffleboard and tongue-in-cheek prescriptions received here sign hanging above the bar. But its not only grizzled old-timers that hang out here  young people show up, too.

We get a lot of queer young people, we get a lot of metal heads, Valladares said. And a lot of chemists. It's a very specific thing.

The youthful crowd is often drawn in by the cocktails, which they later soak up with tacos at the fantastic Tacos El Autlense truck right outside. Sure, you can still get your $3 PBR at the Hotsy, but youd be remiss not to sample one of Marias artfully crafted seasonal cocktails. While visiting, I ordered a $14 drink called the Carmen Miranda with no fewer than seven ingredients, including housemade pineapple and passion fruit syrup. It was exquisite.

Kevin Kelleher/Special to SFGATE

While my little group of longtime regulars seemed to be sticking to the basics this Tuesday afternoon (scotch, gin and tonic, tequila soda), they count themselves as fans of the creative drinks.

They test them out on us, said Mark Tscharner, a regular whos been coming to the Hotsy for 48 years. I like them!

Its a nearly impossible feat to attract a new clientele to your bar while not alienating your loyal regulars, but thats exactly what Valladares and Maria did. And they did it by staying authentic.

Ive always appreciated the honesty of it being an actual neighborhood bar, Valladares said. It's not a theme bar. It's not a hip bar. Its always catered to local blue collar cats, and we adopted most of them when we took this place over.

As Cortese, Tscharner and another buddy tell me about all the birthdays, anniversaries, wakes and weddings theyve seen at the Hotsy over the years, it occurred to me how vital this place is to the community. Its not only the place where Cortese once danced on a stripper pole for a group of cheering teachers (hes got video proof), but also the first place they come to mourn a loss. All of them have stories of coming here right after their wife or mother or someone else they loved passed away.

This is my home until I die, Cortese said.

Kevin Kelleher/Special to SFGATE

As the cost of living in the Bay Area skyrockets and the quaint town of Valladares youth fades further and further away, no matter what, he and Maria plan to keep the Hotsy Totsy alive. Owning both the property and the business means they arent going anywhere  even a global pandemic couldnt knock them down. And as for the more distant future, theyve already made their 10-year-old son promise to keep the bar going.

I believe in the future, well be considered a blemish, Valladares said. I could care less. I'm honoring something that's been around for at least 83 years. We have a chance to maintain that, so people can still talk about the dead people in the basement.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  A 20-year-old man and 17-year-old boy have been charged with murder in the deaths of two men found dead last month in a North Carolina cemetery, investigators announced Monday.

Northwest Police asked the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation for assistance on March 6 after the bodies of Demetrius Gibbs, 29, and Desmond Radford-Lee, 22, were found with gunshot wounds in a cemetery in Northwest, the bureau said in a news release.
MILWAUKEE (AP)  Authorities say a 13-year-old Milwaukee girl was killed and two other young people were injured in a triple shooting on the city's south side Sunday night.

Police responded to the shooting about 9:30 p.m. and discovered that a 13-year-old girl, a 10-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man had been shot. The 13-year-old girl died at a local hospital.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)  An adult and a child were killed and three others were injured in a stabbing at a home in Memphis, Tennessee, police said.

First responders found the victims early Saturday and pronounced one adult dead at the scene, Memphis Police tweeted. A child was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead there, police said. Three other victims were taken to a hospital in critical condition, police told news outlets.
BAMAKO, Mali (AP)  Islamic extremist rebels in Mali linked to al-Qaida said they have captured mercenary fighters from Russia's Wagner Group in fighting earlier this month.

It's the first time that Mali's extremist rebels known as JNIM have claimed to capture Russian fighters. The Wagner Group fighters were seized in the first week of April in the mountainous Segou region of central Mali, said the JNIM statement, which called the fighters criminals.

Since the beginning of the year, several European countries have denounced the presence of Wagners Russian mercenaries, estimated to be about 1,000, who fight alongside Malian soldiers. They have been blamed for killing about 300 civilians in the central town of Moura. They have also been blamed for staging burials of bodies near the Gossi military base and trying to blame French military forces for the graves.

However, Mali's ruling junta denies that Wagner's forces are fighting in the country, saying instead that they are training Malian soldiers as part of cooperation between Mali and Russia.

It's likely that JNIM delayed claiming responsibility for the kidnappings until the Wagner fighters could be transferred to a secure place before negotiations begin, Baba Dakono, a researcher at the Citizen Observatory on Governance and Security in Mali, told The Associated Press.

When these kinds of people are captured by armed groups like the JNIM, there is generally an opening of negotiations with the Malian authorities or the authorities of their country for their release. Very often this release is done through an exchange of prisoners and the payment of a ransom, he said.

However, he warned, when these negotiations do not succeed, the hostages will be executed with a staging of their execution which can serve as a communication campaign for the kidnappers.

The Wagner Group sends mercenary forces, many former Russian military soldiers, to several African countries and other places including Ukraine and the Mideast. Although the Kremlin officially denies any connection to Wagner, the group is strategically used to further President Vladimir Putins ambitions to increase Russia's influence and undermine democracy, say analysts.
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BERLIN (AP)  A Gambian man went on trial in Germany on Monday for his alleged role in the killing of government critics in the West African country over 15 years ago.

The 46-year-old suspect, who has been identified only as Bai L. in line with German privacy rules, is charged with crimes against humanity, murder and attempted murder.

German news agency dpa reported that the suspect didn't respond to the charges as the trial opened at the state court in the northern town of Celle. There are no formal pleas in the German legal system.

Federal prosecutors say that the suspect was a driver for a unit known as the patrol team, or Junglers, from December 2003 until December 2006. The unit is alleged to have been deployed by then President Yahya Jammeh to carry out illegal killings to suppress the opposition and intimidate the public.

The suspect is alleged to have been involved in two killings and one attempted killing. German prosecutors say that he drove other members of the squad to kill a lawyer in the Gambian capital, Banjul, in late 2003. The lawyer survived with serious injuries.

German prosecutors say the unit killed a journalist in the town of Kanifing in 2004, and in 2006 assassinated an alleged critic of the president near Banjuls airport.

Baba Hydara, the son of slain journalist Deyda Hydara  who was co-founder and managing editor of The Point newspaper and worked for Agence France Presse and Reporters Without Borders  has joined the trial as a co-plaintiff.

The suspect was arrested in March 2021 and has been detained since. Trial dates are scheduled into next year.

Jammeh ruled Gambia for 22 years. He lost a presidential election and went into exile in Equatorial Guinea in 2017 after initially refusing to step down.
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  For the first time in three years, Greeks were able to celebrate Orthodox Easter without the restrictions made necessary by the coronavirus pandemic.

Beyond the obvious religious messages, in Greece, Easter signifies a return to the countryside, often to people's ancestral homes, and a mass exodus from big cities.

Police and port authorities say that this years exodus was significantly higher than that of pre-pandemic 2019.

In 2020, there was a total lockdown; in 2021, some dared leave the cities, often in violation of long-distance travel rules. Police had set up roadblocks on national roads to turn offenders around and impose fines.

This year, churches were full and events fully attended, too. A variety of customs, some predating Christianity, were celebrated locally. Friday evenings solemn procession of decorated funeral biers, or Epitaphs, once again was fully attended.

Crowds lined the old city of Corfus narrow streets Saturday morning for one of the most spectacular events, called botides, that involves dropping clay jars full of water from balconies to crash with a loud bang on the streets below, spraying attendees with water. Locals consider it a miracle that there have been no serious injuries from flying clay shards. This ancient events original purpose was to ward off evil spirits.

This year, the Resurrection was celebrated once again at midnight Saturday after pandemic measures had brought it forward to 9 p.m. the previous year. By midnight, the Holy Light  lit miraculously, the faithful believe, at Jerusalems Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Saturday  had reached almost all parishes across Greece, having arrived by plane in Athens and greeted with all the honors due a visiting head of state.

Celebratory fireworks, often to excess, have become associated with the celebration of Resurrection. And nowhere are they more excessive than on the island of Chios, in the village of Vrontado, where two parishes throw a barrage of fireworks at each other. Injuries have been far from rare in the past, but none was reported this year. Participants agreed to limit the fireworks to between 11 p.m. Saturday and 12:15 a.m. Sunday. Still, more than 10,000 fireworks were launched; both churches and many homes had been protectively covered in chicken wire.

Police announced Sunday that they had arrested 11 individuals in the capital, Athens, for trying to light up fireworks; a recent variant involves throwing firebombs, or Molotov cocktails. Police say they impounded 27 such bombs, along with several butane canisters and containers full of gasoline.

Sunday involves the usual slow roasting of a lamb, sometimes venison, on the spit and the cracking of Easter eggs, traditionally painted red.

Easter Monday is also a full holiday, with authorities hoping that people will have recovered enough from Sundays carousing to drive safely back home.
BOSTON (AP)  A California man's online threats of violence against dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster Inc. over updated gender definitions have landed him in a Massachusetts federal court.

Merriam-Webster closed its main office in Springfield, Massachusetts, and another in New York City for five business days last year in response to comments from Jeremy David Hanson, prosecutors said. An email seeking comment was left Monday with a Merriam-Webster spokesperson.

Hanson, 34, of Rossmoor, California also allegedly made anti-LGBTQ threats to other organizations.

Hanson was charged last week with interstate communication of threats to commit violence, according to statement from the U.S. attorney's office in Boston. He is scheduled to appear in federal court on Friday in Springfield.

Prosecutors say Hanson threatened a shooting and bombing at the publisher, however the affidavit did not specify whether any weapons or explosives were found during the investigation.

If convicted, Hanson faces up to five years in prison.

In an interview with the FBI on Oct. 27, Hanson said he has obsessive-compulsive disorder, Aspergers syndrome, anxiety and depression, and struggles with impulse control. He said he understands the threatening remarks he makes online are illegal, but is unable to control himself. His mother said in an interview with the FBI in May 2021 that he had no access to weapons.

No defense attorney is listed in court records. A home phone number for Hanson had been disconnected.

Prosecutors say Hanson sent Merriam-Webster threatening messages and comments between Oct. 2 and Oct. 8 using the websites contact us function and in the comments section on its webpages that corresponded to word entries such as girl, woman, and female," prosecutors said.

One definition of female is having a gender identity that is the opposite of male."

It is absolutely sickening that Merriam-Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda, Hanson wrote in one comment, according to prosecutors. There is no such thing as gender identity. 

The statements were traced back to an IP address linked to Hanson, the FBI said.

Some statements expressed hostility toward different gender identities and some threatened bodily harm to people, according to an FBI affidavit in the case.

The investigation identified several related threats over the past few years, according to prosecutors, including to the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Land O Lakes, Hasbro, and the president of the University of North Texas.

Hate-filled threats and intimidations have no place in our society, U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement. We believe Hanson sent a multitude of anonymous threatening and despicable messages related to the LGBTQ community that were intended to evoke fear and division."
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  The mayors of Californias 11 largest cities asked Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature on Monday to approve $3 billion over three years in the state budget for flexible homeless funding to go directly to cities.

The mayors said flexible homeless funding is approved annually and they are asking for a three-year commitment from lawmakers and the governor.

They said Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention program funds have allowed them to come up with innovative ways to combat homelessness in their cities, including building tiny cabins and setting up lots for people living in RVs and other vehicles. The funds allowed mayors to add 9,000 new shelter beds and help 25,000 homeless people, they said at a joint news conference.

California approved $7.4 billion last year for about 30 housing and homelessness programs, according to the nonpartisan legislative analysts office. That money will be spent over three years. This year, Newsom has proposed $2 billion in new spending to address homelessness over the next two years, in addition to the money that has already been approved.

In San Jose and Oakland, the mayors used the funds to build tiny cabins to shelter homeless people who were not open to going to a congregate setting. In Fresno and Stockton, the mayors used some of the flexible funds to hire outreach and intervention workers. Oakland also built an RV safe parking site  the first city in the state to do so.

We are all using these dollars to actually improve how the entire homeless system is working and that will continue, and it must continue without discontinuing funding for roughly two-thirds of our existing shelter systems, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff said.

If the funding stops, these innovations will fall off a fiscal cliff, she added.

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said that about 16 months ago, there were 650 homeless people living near Fresno freeways but thanks to state funds he was able to hire a team of 18 outreach workers who have helped them move to shelters or permanent housing.

Today theres not a single homeless person living on our freeways. Theres not a single tent that is erected on our freeways, and its because of the funding that we received from the state of California through HHAP and Project Homekey he said.

Project Homekey funds helped cities buy and/or restore buildings that were used to house homeless people, but those funds cant be used for any other purposes, such as operating housing in new buildings, said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg.

Santa Ana Mayor Vicente Sarmiento said not getting the funds from the state would mean having to dip into the cities general funds, which would lead to cutting or delaying funding for other programs, including parks, public safety and infrastructure.

Even with state funding, the city of Santa Ana had to use more than $25 million from its general fund to address homelessness, he said.

Cities are not the agency vested with this responsibility, he said. But we also cant ignore the problem. We also cant evade the problem."
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WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by Kansas to revive a law, earlier struck down by lower courts, that banned secret filming at slaughterhouses and other livestock facilities.

The justices did not comment in leaving in place a ruling by a federal appeals court panel that the so-called ag-gag law violated the First Amendment by stifling speech critical of animal agriculture.
EAGLE PASS, Texas (AP)  Search crews on Monday recovered the body of a Texas National Guard member who went missing after jumping in the river on the U.S.-Mexico border to help a migrant who was struggling to swim across.

The body of Spc. Bishop Evans was found three days after he was reported missing in the Rio Grande near the border city of Eagle Pass. The local sheriff has said Evans jumped into the river without his jacket or radio to help a woman who appeared in distress while trying to swim over from Mexico.
SEATTLE (AP)  A 33-year-old off-duty Auburn police officer was arrested over the weekend after he reportedly hit and killed a pedestrian in Seattles Interbay neighborhood.

Around 11 p.m. Saturday, 911 got a report that a driver had hit a man, according to the Seattle Police Department.
PHOENIX (AP)  Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Monday signed legislation that prohibits government agencies from requiring COVID-19 vaccinations and bars schools from mandating masks for students under age 18 unless their parents approve.

The bills approved by the Republican governor are the latest measures backed only by GOP members of the Legislature responding to what they believe are overly-aggressive government actions during the coronavirus pandemic.

Ducey also signed bills declaring that religious services are essential even in an emergency, which allows clergy to make hospital visits if any visitation is allowed or if a person is near death. Ducey never limited religious services during early pandemic shutdowns. Many hospitals barred all visits to coronavirus patients.

The school mask ban replaces one that was included in last year's state budget but thrown out by the courts. The state Supreme Court agreed with lower courts that the Republican-controlled Legislature violated the state constitution by including a host of policy provisions unrelated to the spending plan in the budget.

It forbids school districts or any other government entity from forcing minors to wear a face mask, unless their parent or guardian gives their express permission.

The second bill prevents the state or any local government from requiring employees or anyone else to get a COVID-19 vaccination. The bill mirrors an executive order issued by Ducey last year.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says mask-wearing during times of high community transmission of COVID-19 greatly limits its spread. But opponents say parents should have the last say as to whether their children should wear masks.

The introduction of vaccinations against COVID-19 are credited with limiting deaths and serious injuries, but mandate opponents say that personal choice should outweigh government vaccination mandates.

Ducey recommended mask-wearing and vaccinations but opposed government mandates.

The mask and vaccination bills were opposed by all Democrats in the Legislature. The measures on religious services drew broad bipartisan backing, while the hospital visit bill drew a smattering of Democratic support.
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NEW DELHI (AP)  Russias aggression in Ukraine is a direct threat to Europe's security, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during a visit to India on Monday.

Targeting and killing innocent civilians. Redrawing borders by force. Subjugating the will of a free people. This goes against core principles enshrined in the U.N. Charter. In Europe, we see Russias aggression as a direct threat to our security," von der Leyen said in a speech to the Raisina Dialogue, a geopolitics conference in New Delhi.

She said Moscows unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine was bound to be a strategic failure" and the European Union was doing all we can to help Ukraine fight for its freedom.

This is why we needed to impose massive, sharp and effective sanctions, von der Leyen said.

She said that sanctions, however, were not standalone solutions but part of a broader strategy that gives the European Union leverage to achieve a diplomatic solution that will bring lasting peace.

Von der Leyen arrived in India on Monday for a two-day visit. She met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed trade, climate and digital technology, foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

Her visit to India is seen as part of Western efforts to encourage New Delhi to reduce ties with Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

Modi has called the situation in Ukraine very worrying and has appealed to both sides for peace. But India has so far refrained from condemning Russias invasion. It also abstained when the U.N. General Assembly voted this month to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council.

India has also resisted Western pressure to avoid buying oil from Russia.

India receives relatively little of its oil from Russia, but ramped up purchases recently because of discounted prices. India is also a major buyer of Russian weapons, and recently purchased advanced Russian air defense systems.

India was an ally of Moscow during the Cold War but has since sought to maintain ties with both Russia and Western nations.
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BRUSSELS (AP)  Former Ecuador president Rafael Correa said the political asylum he has been granted in Belgium is proof he is persecuted by his country's authorities and did not rule out a return to politics in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday.

Correa, who in 2020 was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to eight years in prison in absentia, has been living in his wifes native Belgium since 2017.

Though Ecuadorian authorities have demanded his arrest and extradition previously, thus far he has been allowed to stay in Belgium.

Ecuadors National Court of Justice sent a new extradition request for Correa last week, but it has since emerged that the Belgian Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons granted the former head of state asylum, with the status of refugee.

The agency has issued a certificate dated April 15 that has been seen by the AP.

Correa said he can now travel safely across the world, except in Ecuador.

I give conferences, I give economic advice, so I have to travel to work, to get an earning," he said.

Correa said the only way for him to stop what he perceives as political persecution would be to hold an elected position again.

So if I need to return to my country to win the election, I should do that," he said.

Ecuador's National Court of Justice president Ivan Saquicela said last week that he signed the order initiating the extradition process in relation with Correa's sentencing in the corruption case. At the time, prosecutors said the former president oversaw a plot in which foreign and local businesses made cash payments to his now defunct Alianza PAIS political party in exchange for lucrative public works contracts.

Correa keeps denying any wrongdoing and presents himself as the victim of political witch hunt.

We are persecuted people, not corrupted people," Correa said, adding that he and his family have been harassed since he moved to Belgium.

Correa, who identifies with the Latin American left-wing movement, left power in May 2017 after a decade at the helm of the Andean country.

He has since been wanted for extradition three times, once after being found guilty in a kidnapping case of one of his opponents and twice for the same bribery case.

Correa's lawyer, Christophe Marchand, said the asylum application was filed because the former head of State was targeted for political reasons.

Its not easy to get the status of political refugee for a former head of state, Marchand said. We had to convince them that we were confronted to an utterly serious problem related to justice independence in Ecuador."
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OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Firefighters across the country are battling multiple wildfires as tinder-dry conditions and high winds whip up flames from Arizona to Florida  including a prairie fire in rural southwestern Nebraska that has killed one person, injured at least 15 firefighters and destroyed at least six homes.

A break in the weather in parts of the Midwest and West allowed crews to make progress Monday on some of the nearly dozen new large fires that were reported in recent days across the nation  four in New Mexico, three in Colorado and one each in Florida, Nebraska, South Dakota and Texas.

With more than 1,350 square miles (3,496 square kilometers) burned so far this year, officials at the National Interagency Fire Center said the amount of land singed to date is outpacing the 10-year average by about 30%.

Hotter, drier weather has combined with a persistent drought to worsen fire danger across many parts of the West, where decades of fire suppression have resulted in overgrown and unhealthy forests and increasing development have put more communities at risk.

In northern New Mexico, evacuations remained in place for several communities Monday and conditions were still too volatile for authorities to assess the damage caused Friday and Saturday. The blaze has has grown into the largest wildfire burning in the U.S., charring more than 88 square miles (228 square kilometers).

Members of New Mexico's congressional delegation joined Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on a call Monday with officials from the White House and federal agencies to appeal for more federal ground resources ahead of another blast of strong fire-fueling winds expected later in the week.

Thanks to lighter winds in the Midwest on Monday, firefighters made significant progress on the fire that's burned about 70 square miles (181 square km) of mostly grasslands and farmland near the Nebraska-Kansas state line. It's now estimated to be about 47% contained.

They made the most of the opportunity Monday to dump water in dry creeks and draws filled with cottonwoods where dense fuels and brush has built up ahead of the return of more dangerous conditions expected on Tuesday, said Jonathan Ashford, spokesman for the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team.

It's supposed to be about 20 degrees warmer tomorrow, lower humidity and increased wind, he said Monday night.

In Arizona, firefighters also took advantage of lighter winds to boost containment of a more than 33-square-mile (85 square-kilometer) blaze that has been burning outside of Flagstaff for more than a week. Strong winds that had fueled the fire are expected to return later this week. Meanwhile, hundreds of evacuated residents were given the go-ahead on Sunday to return home.

About 160 firefighters, emergency management personnel and others  twice as many as the day before  were helping fight the fire in Nebraska by Monday evening.

Known as the Road 702 Fire, it has destroyed at least six homes and threatened 660 others, along with 50 commercial or farm buildings, Ashford said.

A retired Cambridge, Nebraska, fire chief who was helping as a fire spotter in Red Willow County died Friday night after his truck went off the road in a blinding haze of smoke and dust. The body of John Trumble, 66, of Arapahoe, was recovered around early Saturday.

Trumble was the second person in a month to die while fighting a wildfire in southwest Nebraska. Elwood Volunteer Fire Chief Darren Krull, 54, was killed in a collision with a water tanker on April 7 in Furnas County as smoke cut visibility to zero.

Nebraska remains critically dry, said Ashford, who urged residents to use caution when doing anything that could spark a fire.

The last thing we need is to have another fire started that we have to then fight, he said.

____

Susan Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Associated Press writer Scott Sonner contributed to this report from Reno, Nevada.
BERLIN (AP)  The co-leader of German Chancellor Olaf Scholzs party said Monday that former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, whose ties to the Russian energy industry have left him increasingly isolated at home, should leave the party.

Saskia Esken, one of two co-leaders of Scholzs center-left Social Democrats, said in an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio that Gerhard Schroeder has been acting for many years now only as a businessman, and we should stop seeing him as an elder statesman, as a former chancellor. He earns his money with work for Russian state companies.

Asked whether Schroeder should leave the party, Esken replied: He should.

Schroeder is chairman of the supervisory board of Russian state energy company Rosneft and also has been involved with the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline projects. He has ignored calls from the party, and from Scholz, to give up those posts. The head of his office recently quit, and Schroeder, 78  who led the country from 1998 to 2005  has few defenders left in Germany.

At a news conference later Monday, Esken made clear that comments by Schroeder to The New York Times on atrocities in the Ukrainian town of Bucha made Schroeders position even less tenable. Schroeder was quoted as saying that the matter has to be investigated but he didnt think the orders would have come from Russian President Vladimir Putin, a longtime friend.

His defense of Vladimir Putin against the accusation of war crimes is absurd," Esken said. Giving up his Russian energy posts would have been necessary to salvage his reputation as a former and once really successful chancellor, but unfortunately he didn't follow this advice, she added.

The Social Democrats' local branch in Schroeder's home city of Hannover said it has received 14 requests so far for expulsion proceedings against the ex-chancellor, German news agency dpa reported.

An arbitration committee of the Hannover branch will have to decide on those requests, but it isn't clear when it might make a decision. Esken noted that such proceedings face very high hurdles and need a lot of time.

___

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
WASHINGTON - Newly revealed text messages between then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and congressional Republicans including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene cast a renewed spotlight Monday on communication between the Trump White House and allies determined to overturn the results of the 2020 election or stoke chaos in its aftermath.

The newly unearthed texts involving dozens of GOP members of Congress prompted calls for a panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol to reconsider issuing subpoenas or other punitive measures against lawmakers who were involved with peddling dubious legal theories that might have contributed to the deadly assault.

But it was unclear whether that would happen. Such a move would mark a change of course for the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack by a pro-Trump mob, which until now has opted not to use such tactics against members of Congress.

"I think it will prompt a fresh look by the committee and by the world at what consequences these members should face, and that includes in Congress," said Norm Eisen, who served as counsel for the House managers in then-President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial. "That could include an effort to seek their testimony or have them appear at hearings. It could take the form of filing an ethics complaint and having hearings in that committee. Certainly censure or other forms of congressional discipline are a question. But this is not normal."

Greene, R-Ga., texted Meadows on Jan. 17, 2021, that some members of Congress were calling for Trump to impose martial law to remain in power, according to text messages Meadows recently provided to the committee.

News of the text messages, which was reported Monday by CNN, comes days after Greene testified in a separate case that she could not recall whether she had advocated for martial law at the time.

"In our private chat with only Members, several are saying the only way to save our Republic is for Trump to call for Marshall law," Greene texted Meadows, misspelling the word "martial." "I don't know on those things. I just wanted you to tell him. They stole this election. We all know. They will destroy our country next. Please tell him to declassify as much as possible so we can go after Biden and anyone else!"

The Washington Post has confirmed the exchanges involving Greene but has not independently verified other texts reported by CNN. Greene did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The new communications, along with testimony included in a 248-page court filing released last week, deepen the public record of the interaction between Republican lawmakers and Trump's White House as he and his allies pushed to overturn the results of the election.

Trump has repeatedly made false claims that the election was stolen, rhetoric that many Republican allies have echoed.

It's unlikely that House and Senate Republican lawmakers who were loyal to Trump and his cause will voluntarily appear before the committee, as most GOP members have sought to discredit the committee's work.

The committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack requested that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Reps. Scott Perry, R-Pa., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, appear before the panel earlier this year, but they have so far refused. Unlike the way it has handled other recalcitrant witnesses, the committee has not taken more aggressive measures against fellow members of Congress who refuse to comply with the requests.

The committee's reluctance to subpoena GOP lawmakers stems from a variety of issues, including time constraints - a complex and lengthy legal fight could last beyond the November midterm elections - along with fears of retribution in the likely case that Republicans win back the House majority in November.

"We are as a committee discussing a lot of aspects of the investigation," Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., told MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace last week, dodging the question of whether she supports subpoenaing members of Congress who have been asked to appear before the committee but have refused to do so. The committee did not comment.

Meadows's communications with more than 40 current and former Republican members of Congress reflect the extent to which false claims of voter fraud and conspiracy theories permeated the Republican Party in the aftermath of the election. In some instances, Meadows acknowledged receipt of messages voicing support for Trump and thanked the sender, according to CNN.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., was one of the first lawmakers to get in touch with Meadows soon after Election Day with a proposal to reverse Trump's fortunes. On Nov. 6, 2020, according to CNN, he texted of a plan to "encourage the state legislatures to appoint a look doors in the various states where there's been shenanigans," with "look doors" possibly a typo for "electors."

In another exchange obtained by CNN, Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., texted a group thread that included Meadows and other members of Congress on Dec. 21, 2020, about whether to share his "formulation of our January 6 strategies" with the media.

"If you believe discussion is a positive, I suggest message should be: 1. Progress is being made. 2. More are joining our fight. 3. We can't allow voter fraud & election theft occur if we are going to be a republic. Your choice. Let me know," Brooks texted.

Biggs, Brooks, Meadows and Perry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

On that same day, some members of Congress attended a meeting, according to a court filing released last week, where Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, advocated for preventing a joint session of Congress from convening and confirming Joe Biden's victory by having Pence unilaterally reject electors from battleground states that voted for Biden.

Cassidy Hutchinson, a top White House aide to Meadows, named Jordan, Perry and Greene as among those members who were closely involved in the effort to overturn the 2020 election early in the process, according to a released excerpt of her testimony.

"Good morning Mark, I'm here in DC. We have to get organized for the 6th," Greene texted Meadows on Dec. 31, 2020, according to the newly released communications. "I would like to meet with Rudy Giuliani again. We didn't get to speak with him long. Also anyone who can help. We are getting a lot of members on board. And we need to lay out the best case for each state."

Text messages between Perry and Meadows, according to the court filing, showed Perry lobbying Meadows to replace Justice Department leadership with Jeffrey Clark, an agency official receptive to Trump's efforts to overturn the election.

"Mark, just checking in as time continues to count down. 11 days to 1/6 and 25 days to inauguration," Perry texted Meadows on Dec. 26, 2020. "We gotta get going!"

"Mark, you should call Jeff," Perry texted that same day. "I just got off the phone with him and he explained to me why the principal deputy won't work especially with the FBI. They will view it as as [sic] not having the authority to enforce what needs to be done."

"I got it," Meadows replied. "I think I understand. Let me work on the deputy position."

When Perry followed up two days later to see if Meadows contacted Clark, Meadows did not appear to respond.

Eisen said the texts speak volumes: "It's clear that the Mo Brooks and Scott Perrys of the world went far beyond the normal cooperation that one expects between a president and members of his party in Congress and really approaches the verge of serious liability, whether civil or even criminal."

Hutchinson also told investigators that members of Congress were present during meetings in December 2020 when Trump's White House counsel expressed the opinion that the plan to have alternate electors meet and cast votes for Trump in states he had lost was not a legally sound one.

Meadows's communications with Greene on the day of the Capitol attack have also come under scrutiny by the Jan. 6 panel. According to the newly released texts, Greene that day quickly pivoted from urging the White House to call off the rioters to making baseless claims that left-wing extremists were responsible for the violence.

"Mark I was just told there is an active shooter on the first floor of the Capitol Please tell the President to calm people This isn't the way to solve anything," Greene reportedly texted Meadows at 2:28 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021.

Less than an hour and a half later, at 3:52 p.m., Greene texted Meadows again: "Mark we don't think these attackers are our people. We think they are Antifa. Dressed like Trump supporters."

FBI Director Christopher Wray testified last March that no evidence had emerged that "anarchist violent extremists or people subscribing to antifa" had been involved in the attack on the Capitol.

- - -

The Washington Post's Matthew Brown contributed to this report.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  Construction workers completed their feat of tearing down one bridge and replacing it with another over the weekend, allowing a key stretch of I-295 to reopen Monday morning in Maine's largest city.

The bridge closed Friday evening and reopened by 7:30 a.m., several hours ahead of schedule, for the morning commute.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israeli tanks fired into southern Lebanon early Monday in response to a rocket fired from the country, the Israeli military said.

The incident along Israel's northern border comes at a time of heightened tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. Recent weeks have seen a string of deadly attacks inside Israel, lethal arrest raids by Israel in the occupied West Bank and rocket attacks into Israel launched from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, as well as clashes in a key Jerusalem holy site.

It has been the worst violence to shake the region since an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza militants last year.

In a statement, the Israeli military said the rocket landed in an open area in northern Israel early Monday, causing no damage or injuries. Shortly after, the military said it struck the sources of the projectile launched and an infrastructure target in southern Lebanon. It said routine activity in northern Israel was continuing and there were no special precautions being asked of civilians in the area.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket fire, but Brig. Gen. Ran Kochav, the military spokesman, told Israeli Army Radio that he assumed the rocket was launched by Palestinian militants in Lebanon spurred on by the recent events in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

He said Israel's response was meant to make clear to all who are on the other side, whether it is Palestinian factions, Hamas, the government of Lebanon or Hezbollah that we wont allow Israeli sovereignty to be violated, he said.

Lebanons military said at least 50 artillery shells struck several areas in the south early Monday but reported no casualties or damages. It said Israel also launched 40 flare bombs.

The military also said special Lebanese units dismantled two 122-mm Grad rocket systems found in the southern town of al-Qulailah.

The U.N. peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, said in a statement that its investigation into the incident was underway.

Israel and Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group are bitter enemies that fought an inconclusive monthlong war in 2006. The border area has remained tense but mostly quiet since then.

Small Palestinian groups are also active in Lebanon and have been suspected in several rocket attacks in recent years.
One evening last April, an anxious and free-spirited 13-year-old girl in suburban Minneapolis sprang furious from a chair in the living room and ran from the house  out a sliding door, across the patio, through the backyard and into the woods.

Moments earlier, the girls mother, Linda, had stolen a look at her daughters smartphone. The teenager, incensed by the intrusion, had grabbed the phone and fled. (The adolescent is being identified by an initial, M, and the parents by first name only, to protect the familys privacy.)

Linda was alarmed by photos she had seen on the phone. Some showed blood on Ms ankles from intentional self-harm. Others were close-ups of Ms romantic obsession, the anime character Genocide Jack  a brunette girl with a long red tongue who, in a video series, kills high school classmates with scissors.

In the preceding two years, Linda had watched M spiral downward: severe depression, self-harm, a suicide attempt. Now, she followed M into the woods, frantic. Please tell me where u r, she texted. Im not mad.

American adolescence is undergoing a drastic change. Three decades ago, the gravest public health threats to teenagers in the United States came from binge drinking, drunken driving, teenage pregnancy and smoking. These have since fallen sharply, replaced by a new public health concern: soaring rates of mental health disorders.

In 2019, 13% of adolescents reported having a major depressive episode, a 60% increase from 2007. Emergency room visits by children and adolescents in that period also rose sharply for anxiety, mood disorders and self-harm. And for people ages 10-24, suicide rates, stable from 2000-07, leaped nearly 60% by 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The decline in mental health among teenagers was intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic but predated it, spanning racial and ethnic groups, urban and rural areas and the socioeconomic divide. In December, in a rare public advisory, the U.S. surgeon general warned of a devastating mental health crisis among adolescents. Numerous hospital and doctor groups have called it a national emergency, citing rising levels of mental illness, a severe shortage of therapists and treatment options, and insufficient research to explain the trend.

Young people are more educated; less likely to get pregnant, use drugs; less likely to die of accident or injury, said Candice Odgers, a psychologist at the University of California, Irvine. By many markers, kids are doing fantastic and thriving. But there are these really important trends in anxiety, depression and suicide that stop us in our tracks.

We need to figure it out, she said. Because its life or death for these kids.

The crisis is often attributed to the rise of social media, but solid data on the issue is limited, the findings are nuanced and often contradictory, and some adolescents appear to be more vulnerable than others to the effects of screen time. Federal research shows that teenagers as a group are also getting less sleep and exercise and spending less in-person time with friends  all crucial for healthy development  at a period in life when it is typical to test boundaries and explore ones identity. The combined result for some adolescents is a kind of cognitive implosion: anxiety, depression, compulsive behaviors, self-harm and even suicide.

This surge has raised vexing questions. Are these issues inherent to adolescence that merely went unrecognized before  or are they being overdiagnosed now? Historical comparisons are difficult, as collection of some data around certain issues, such as teen anxiety and depression, began relatively recently. But the rising rates of ER visits for suicide attempts and self-harm leave little doubt that the physical nature of the threat has changed significantly.

As M descended, Linda and her husband realized they were part of an unenviable club: bewildered parents of an adolescent in profound distress. Linda talked with parents of other struggling teenagers; not long before the night M fled into the forest, Linda was jolted by the news that a local girl had died by suicide.

You have no control over what theyre thinking, Linda said. I just want to tell people what can happen.

A Typical Outpatient

ANNIE FLANAGAN/NYT

M is one of dozens of teenagers who spoke to The New York Times for a yearlong project exploring the changing nature of adolescence in the United States. The Times was given permission by M and the family to speak with Ms school counselor; Ms medical records were shared with the Times and, with the familys permission, reviewed by outside experts not involved in Ms care.

This is a typical outpatient, said Emily Pluhar, a child and adolescent psychologist at Harvard University, describing M as an internalizer.

M, now 14, is tall, with red hair and blue eyes, and has a younger sister and older half brother. By turns shy and outspoken, M has thought extensively about pronouns and currently prefers they. At the beginning of seventh grade, M also asked to be called by the name of a popular Japanese anime character, whose first name starts with M. I think were similar in that shes, like, quiet and smart and plays electric bass, and I really like bass and guitars, M said.

When M was 4, a psychologist the family consulted to assess Ms school readiness concluded that their intellectual ability is in the very superior range, according to the report. M was enrolled in kindergarten as one of the younger class members.

At 10, M got a smartphone. Linda and her husband, Tony, both of whom had busy work schedules, worried that the device might lead to heavy screen time, but they felt it was necessary to stay in touch. At 11, M hit another adolescent milestone: puberty.

Over the past century, the age of puberty onset has dropped markedly for girls, to 12 years old today from 14 years old in 1990; the age of onset for boys has followed a similar path. Experts say this shift probably now plays a role in the adolescent mental health crisis, although it just one of many factors that researchers are still working to understand.

When puberty hits, the brain becomes hypersensitive to social and hierarchical information, even as media flood it with opportunities to explore ones identity and gauge self-worth. Laurence Steinberg, a psychologist at Temple University, said that ability to maturely grapple with the resulting questions  Who am I? Who are my friends? Where do I fit in?  typically lags behind.

The falling age of puberty, he said, has created a widening gap between incoming stimulation and what the young brain can process: "Theyre being exposed to this deluge at a much earlier age.

ANNIE FLANAGAN/NYT

Ms first hint of trouble came in sixth grade, with challenges focusing in class. The school called a meeting with Ms parents. One teacher suggested testing M for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but Linda and Tony were skeptical. The number of ADHD diagnoses in the United States rose 39% from 2003-16, according to the CDC, and Ms parents, both scientists in biomedical fields, were concerned that consulting an ADHD specialist would tilt the scales toward that diagnosis.

Instead, Linda tried to help M stay organized with an app that parents and students used to track assignments, test scores and grades. M felt put under a microscope.

She would say, Can you bring me your iPad so we can check Schoology? M recalled about Linda. I would literally have an anxiety attack because I was so scared.

By the fall of 2019  seventh grade  M was struggling socially, too. A close friend got popular, while M often came home from school and got into bed. I felt like a 'plus one,' M said. I just wanted to be unconscious. Other times, M said, I just sat in my room and cried.

The behavior seemed alien to Tony, who had lived a different childhood. As an adolescent in Vermont in the 1980s, he fished and played outdoors. By 15, he had his first serious girlfriend; in 1990, the summer before their senior year, he got her pregnant. Their son was born that December, and Tony and the mother shared custody.

Times have changed. Federal research shows that 38% of high school-age teenagers report having had sex at least once, compared with roughly 50% in 1990. The teen birthrate has plummeted.

So has cigarette and alcohol use. In 2019, 4% of high school seniors reported having a cigarette in the last 30 days, down from 26.5% in 1997. Alcohol use by high schoolers hit 30-year lows at the same time. Use of OxyContin and other illicit drugs among high schoolers is down sharply over the past 20 years. Vaping of both nicotine and marijuana has risen in recent years, although both dropped sharply during the pandemic.

Experts cite multiple factors: public awareness campaigns, anti-smoking laws, parental oversight and a changing social lifestyle that is no longer strictly in-person.

Nora Volkow, director for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, described drug and alcohol use as very much of a group dynamic. She added: To the extent that kids are not in the same place, one would expect a decrease in the behavior.

A Virtual Crush

ANNIE FLANAGAN/NYT

In the spring of 2020, M retreated further. Bewildered by online classes, M lied about participating, felt guilty and watched YouTube instead, devouring an anime series called Danganronpa. It is set in a high school where students learn from the evil headmaster, a bear, that the only way to graduate is to kill a peer.

M became enamored of one of the characters, Genocide Jack (sometimes known as Genocide Jill), who is described on one fan site as a witty murderous fiend who kills handsome men using scissors.

One night after dinner, M was upstairs and used scissors to cut both ankles. I was mad at myself for not doing homework, M said. I was kind of thinking, Oh, the pain feels good, like it was better than being stressed. M couldnt recall where the idea came from: I wanted to hurt myself with anything.

Ms parents noticed superficial scratches on Ms thighs that resembled cuts but did not raise the subject. Linda worried about the screen time, but it was pandemic, she said.

When school ended for summer break, Ms mood improved. Over the summer, M discovered the mobile version of the Danganronpa video game and how to override the parental screen limits. M played all day.

I was in front of my screen staring at Jack, M said. Then I was playing Trigger Happy Havoc, and I was, like, more in love.

I was kind of just lonely, M said. M fantasized about the future with Jack: Id want her to almost kill me but not, and then we could spend the rest of our lives together.

An obsession with a virtual character is not uncommon, experts said. This is a kid who is a bit lonely, a bit caught up in these narratives, said Nick Allen, a psychologist at the University of Oregon. Theres nothing new in coming up with stuff that freaks out their parents.

Nonetheless, he added, extremely powerful online experiences such as these can encourage users to think, That is going to be my identity, my sense of the future, my sense of where I belong socially, at a time when ones identity is a work in progress.

Pluhar of Harvard noted that the challenge and the progress of modern adolescence is there are so many types of identity  more choices and possibilities, which in turn could be overwhelming. Among the factors shaping mental health, Pluhar said, is the minds churning and obsessing: Rumination is a big piece of it.

M had a name for the main source of their mental health challenges: Loneliness.

Elaniv

ANNIE FLANAGAN/NYT

Health experts note that, for all its weight, the adolescent crisis at least is unfolding in a more accepting environment. Mental health issues have shed much of the stigma they carried three decades ago, and parents and adolescents alike are more at ease when discussing the subject among themselves and seeking help.

Indeed, Linda had begun having conversations with other parents who wondered whether the challenges their adolescents were facing represented typical moody teen behavior or something pathological. A colleague told Linda about her daughters eating disorder. A mother named Sarah confided that her middle school-age daughter was in therapy for anxiety and depression. I told her, I understand where youre at way better than you think, Sarah recalled.

In a nearby suburb, the parents of Elaniv Burnett were struggling to understand their daughters desperation. As a young child, Elaniv had been joyful, an eager student and graceful gymnast, her father, Dr. Tatnai Burnett, a gynecological surgeon at the Mayo Clinic, recalled: The kind of kid where you go, Huh, we should have more kids.

But in 2014, when Elaniv was 9, her parents marriage began to fracture, and Elaniv injured her ankle; she developed chronic pain, which sidelined her from gymnastics, and she went through a dark period. Then, in 2016, Dr. Burnett, who is Black, was held at gunpoint at home by the police, in full view of the family, after officers responded to a call of a possible intruder.

Recent research has found that wealth, education and opportunity do not shield Black families from mental health issues to the same degree they do for white families. From 1991 to 2017, suicide attempts by Black adolescents rose 73%, compared with an 18% rise among white adolescents. (The overall suicide rate remains higher among white adolescents.) The suicide rate leaped particularly for Black girls, up 6.6% per year on average from 2003-17, new research shows.

In the fall of 2019, Elaniv was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. In a poem in her journal, she wrote: Thoughts like race cars zoom constant in my head / Self-hate and worthlessness / Perpetual, they speed ahead.

Elaniv began therapy, took medications and enrolled in an outdoor inpatient program in Utah. We worked on ourselves, worked on our parenting, we changed so many things to try to help meet Elaniv where she was, Burnett said. We controlled electronics, monitored friendships.

Elanivs mother, Tania Gainza, a clinical social worker, saw a generational trend. She had counseled an adolescent for years who was terrified of not meeting expectations. She heard about a local boy who killed himself seemingly without warning.

Theres something different about this era or generation that makes them much more susceptible or vulnerable, Gainza said. Theres not that community, I guess.

A rise in loneliness is a key factor, experts said. Recent studies have shown that teenagers in the United States and worldwide increasingly report feeling lonely, even in a period when their internet use has exploded.

Theyre hanging out with friends, but no friends are there, said Bonnie Nagel, a psychologist at the Oregon Health and Science University. Its not the same social connectedness we need and not the kind that prevents one from feeling lonely.

Often, she said, online social connections amount to seeing pictures of people hanging out, flaunting it, as if to say, Hey, Im very socially connected and Hey, look at you by yourself.

The Pandemic Factor

ANNIE FLANAGAN/NYT

One day in the fall of 2020, with the pandemic in full swing and eighth grade having gone fully remote, Linda found M sobbing in bed. M confessed to wanting to die.

Linda found an online therapist. After several sessions, the therapist broke confidentiality, Linda said. She said, You need to know about the knife.

In Ms night stand, Tony found a pocketknife and a box knife with a cats paw image on the handle that M had surreptitiously bought on Amazon and was using to self-harm. One night, M went further, tightening a red hair tie around their neck. I was trying to see how far I could take it, M said.

The following February, M entered full-day group therapy. A psychiatrist at the clinic notified the family that M had admitted to being unable to stop cutting, medical records show. Linda de-knived the house, she said, and hid all the pills. Then M engaged in a different kind of self-harm: hitting their head with an 8-pound workout barbell.

Linda recalled feeling stunned: Oh, now I have to get rid of the blunt objects, too.

M was discharged with a diagnosis of depression and a prescription for antidepressants. From 2015-19, prescriptions for antidepressants rose 38% for teenagers compared with 15% for adults, according to Express Scripts, a major mail-order pharmacy.

Subsequently, M also received a diagnosis of attention deficit disorder, not ADHD, and given a prescription for methylphenidate, the generic name for medications including Ritalin and Concerta. Im still not sure I believe it, Linda said.

Ms middle school has a trained mental health counselor. In March 2021, M visited him for the first time. During that visit, on a scale of 0 to 10, M ranked hopelessness and anxiety at 9, expressing terror at returning to school, a fear of falling behind and a wish to die.

But Ms mood improved; at a meeting a month later, M ranked hopelessness and sadness at 5 and anxiousness at 2. M felt therapy was crucial but wasnt sure the medications helped; the school counselor credited Ms improvement to family support and getting back to school. He cautioned the parents, though, that the pendulum could swing back.

Into the Forest

ANNIE FLANAGAN/NYT

Around that time, Linda heard through the grapevine that a girl named Elaniv Burnett had died following an overdose. Im sorry, I cant take it anymore, Elaniv wrote in a note. Her mother rushed her, still conscious, to the hospital, where Elaniv expressed regret at the overdose and described her terror. She died four days later, at age 15.

The news was still on Lindas mind a few weeks later when M fled into the forest.

Ms family had recently returned from visiting both sets of grandparents. One set criticized Ms pronouns, the other Ms heavy screen use. Linda said she felt judged. She stole a look at Ms phone and saw the troubling photos.

Lets go for a walk, she said to M and went upstairs briefly. When she returned, M had vanished, so she followed M into the woods, texting as she frantically looked for flashes of Ms white dress.

Finally, M texted back: I dont want to talk to you.

Linda returned home, and Tony went out. He found M along a commonly used trail. They walked, mostly in silence. Then they were ready to come home, he recalled.

The school year ended, and M improved, the anxiety ebbing. M took joy spending time with a friend, in person, walking home, strolling the forest.

But a few weeks later, a hurtful text from the friend plunged M into despair again, like I was back to having no friends.

M used an exfoliating blade to cut both ankles. I dont know how to stop it, M said. I can bet $20 that Ill be in the hospital next year.

When Linda saw the cuts, she confronted M, who handed over the blade. M let Linda examine the wounds.

I think thats good, Linda said. They let me look.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  Jon Stewart, accepting the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, warned Sunday night that speculation about the future of comedy amid increased audience cultural sensitivity was ignoring a true and enduring threat: authoritarian governments around the world.

Comedy doesnt change the world, but its a bellwether, Stewart said. When a society feels under threat, comedians are who gets sent away first.

Stewart pointed to Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef, whose Stewart-inspired political comedy show earned him both fame and self-imposed exile. Youssefs story is an example of the true threat to comedy, Stewart said.

The intersection of comedy and politics was the main theme as celebrities and comedy royalty gathered to honor Stewart, who set the modern template for mixing the topics during his 16-year run hosting TV's The Daily Show.

Stewart, the 23rd recipient of the prize, was honored in testimonials from fellow comedians and previous Mark Twain Prize recipients. Stewart himself spoke during Dave Chappelles Mark Twain ceremony in 2019, and Chappelle returned the favor.

It is a miracle to watch you work. You are a cure for what ails this country, said Chappelle, who noted that Stewart stepped down from The Daily Show one year before the election of Donald Trump as president.

The 59-year-old Stewart  born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz  rose to prominence as a standup comic and host of multiple failed talk shows before taking over Comedy Centrals The Daily Show in 1999. He became a cultural and political force as he trained his satirical eye on politics and an increasingly polarized national media.

Several of Sundays speakers were former Daily Show correspondents, including Samantha Bee, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver.

Carell described his time on the show as full of excitement, fear, physical distress and laughter. He noted that Stewart seemed to delight in sending him on bizarre assignments that included eating Crisco, dealing with a trailer of snakes, and drinking Long Island ice tea until he vomited. Stewart, he said, was always supporting us and always cheering us from the comfort and safety of his office.

Oliver, meanwhile, sent in a video message noting that the real Jon Stewart would never spend two hours squirming in his seat listening to people tell him how much he means to them. Therefore, Oliver concluded, Stewart must be dead and he proceeded to deliver an extended eulogy.

Fellow New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen performed an acoustic version of Born to Run and praised Stewart as a patriot determined to speak truth to power.

Stewarts influence was felt far beyond Americas borders. Youssef, an Egyptian heart surgeon, started up a modest YouTube show that was directly modeled on Stewarts and became an iconic figure during and after the 2011 Egyptian revolution.

Describing his show as clearly a very cheap knockoff of The Daily Show, Youssef detailed how he appeared on Stewarts show in 2012 and Stewart came to Cairo to do the same in 2013.

Two weeks after that appearance, the Egyptian military overthrew a democratically elected Islamist president amid mass national protests. Youssef said he asked Stewart how to navigate the shifting political climate, and Stewart advised him to stick to his principles even if it caused trouble or cost him popularity.

Youssef, whose show was eventually cancelled and who now lives in the U.S., began cursing Stewart from the stage. I could have been a very rich sell-out by now! he yelled in mock anger.

Since retiring from The Daily Show in 2015, Stewart has become a vocal proponent of a number of social causes and one of the most prominent voices in support of health care for Sept. 11 first responders in New York City. He recently returned to television as host of The Problem with Jon Stewart on Apple TV+.

Stewarts political influence was apparent Sunday from a guest list that included House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

Pelosi, on the red carpet before the ceremony, said she had interacted with Stewart on multiple occasions while he was lobbying on different causes. She praised his level of commitment and knowledge that far outstripped the usual celebrity political involvement.

She also laughingly said that Stewart is not a patient man when he feels his cause is just.

This was the first Mark Twain ceremony since Chappelles in 2019. The award skipped 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from that two-year break, the prize has been presented annually since 1998, with Richard Pryor receiving the first honors.

Other recipients include Carol Burnett (the oldest recipient at age 80), Tina Fey (the youngest at age 40), Eddie Murphy, Jonathan Winters, George Carlin and Lily Tomlin. 2009 recipient Bill Cosby had his prize rescinded in 2018 amid multiple allegations of sexual assault.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  A Kansas district court judge on Monday struck down a new Republican-backed congressional map that would likely make it harder for the only Democrat in the state's delegation to win reelection this year.

It was the first time a court has declared that the Kansas Constitution prohibits political gerrymandering. The state attorney general's office notified the Kansas Supreme Court almost immediately to expect an appeal of the decision.

Lawsuits over new congressional-district lines have proliferated across the U.S. with Republicans looking to recapture a U.S. House majority in this year's midterm elections. State courts have issued decisions favoring Democrats in North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and a new GOP map in Florida is being challenged. A mid-level appeals court in New York recently declared its new districts drawn unfairly to favor Democrats.

Monday's decision from Wyandotte County District Judge Bill Klapper in the Kansas City area came a little more than five weeks before the state's June 1 candidate filing deadline. He ordered legislators to draft another map after declaring that the challenged one not only was too partisan but diluted minority voters' political clout.

The Buddha says the only consistent thing in the universe is change. One does not have to be a Buddhist to realize change is always taking place, Klapper wrote in his 209-page opinion. We must not be naive enough to believe change can be prevented by suppressing its voice.

Democrats have criticized the map as political gerrymandering. Lawsuits claimed it violated voting rights and constitutional guarantees of equal rights for all Kansas residents and freedom of speech and assembly. Critics also said the map was unacceptable under the state constitution because it diluted the political power of Black and Hispanic voters in the Kansas City area by splitting them up.

Top Republican legislators immediately dismissed the ruling as coming from a partisan judge because Klapper is an elected Democrat.

Nobody is shocked by that result, said Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican. So on to the next step, which we all expected to be at.

The map moved the northern part of Kansas City, Kansas, out of the 3rd District represented by Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids and into the larger 2nd District of eastern Kansas represented by Republican Rep. Jake LaTurner. Kansas City, Kansas, is among the few Democratic strongholds in the GOP-leaning state. Davids lost territory where she performs well, while the new map added several rural, heavily Republican counties to her district.

The map also moved the liberal northeast Kansas city of Lawrence  another Democratic stronghold and home to the main University of Kansas campus  out of the 2nd District. The city of 95,000 is now in the already sprawling 1st District of central and western Kansas with small conservative communities, some six hours away by car.

State Rep. Barbara Ballard, a Lawrence Democrat, jumped up and down with joy in a Statehouse elevator when she learned of the ruling. She noted that she had argued repeatedly that the map was gerrymandering that hurt minority voters.

Im glad they saw it for what it was, Ballard said.

Klapper ruled in three consolidated lawsuits filed by a voting rights group, Loud Light, and 20 voters in the Kansas City and Lawrence areas. Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, the state's top elections official, and local elections officials are the defendants.

The state argued that Davids' district emerged slightly more competitive than it had been. They also said the changes were driven by the need to satisfy past federal court decisions requiring districts to have as equal a number of residents as possible after 10 years of population shifts.

The state's attorneys also argued that nothing in the Kansas Constitution allows state courts  rather than federal courts  to review congressional maps or to consider political gerrymandering as an issue. Federal judges have decided challenges to Kansas' congressional redistricting in the past; the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that complaints about partisan gerrymandering are political issues and not for the federal courts to resolve.

Klapper wrote: "But when the Kansas Legislature violates the Kansas Constitution, including in its enactment of congressional redistricting legislation, Kansas courts have the power and duty to exercise judicial review and invalidate the Legislatures unconstitutional action.

Meanwhile, the Kansas Supreme Court has until May 25 under the state constitution to rule on a separate law redrawing Kansas House, Kansas Senate and State Board of Education districts.

___

Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna
As Russians and Ukrainians celebrated Orthodox Easter on Sunday, the bloody struggle in Mariupol continued, keeping thousands of civilians trapped in the besieged port city, their desperation and the fear of further war atrocities adding urgency to ongoing international efforts to aid Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in what was the highest-level visit by an American delegation since the start of the war.

The U.S. government had declined to confirm any details ahead of the meeting, citing security concerns. But a Ukrainian official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the meeting publicly, confirmed that the visit took place on Sunday afternoon.

European leaders visited Ukraine weeks ago to witness firsthand evidence of atrocities committed by Russian soldiers. But until Sunday, top U.S. officials had not visited the country since the invasion.

Top Biden administration leaders also are aiming to step up diplomatic efforts in support of Ukraine this week. Austin is convening a meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Tuesday with at least 20 countries to focus on the short- and long-term military and security needs of Ukraine, according to the Pentagon.

Exactly what the United States ought to provide to the Ukrainian war effort has remained a point of contention, however. Officials in Kyiv have strenuously argued that more must be done, while U.S. representatives have said that they have made ample contributions in what they describe as a winning effort.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said Sunday that the United States has provided "precisely what our Ukrainian partners need to fend off this Russian aggression."

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Appearing on BBC's "Sunday Morning" television program, Price praised Ukraine's war effort, saying its military has achieved "nothing short of victory on the battlefield."

In assessing the Ukrainians' position in the war, Price cited President Joe Biden's recent pledge of $800 million in military assistance to Kyiv, which will include howitzers, ammunition and tactical drones.

"Right now, they are winning the battle for Ukraine," Price said.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, meanwhile, is planning a trip to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and to Ukraine on Thursday to meet with Zelensky.

"He hopes to talk about what can be done to bring peace to Ukraine urgently," Guterres spokesman Eri Kaneko said.

But Several Ukrainian officials are denouncing Guterres's decision to meet with Putin, noting the reported crimes committed by Russian forces.

"We did not understand his intention to travel to Moscow and to talk to President Putin," Igor Zhovkva, a top adviser to Zelensky, said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine entering its third month, the presidents of both countries somberly marked one of the most sacred holidays on the Christian calendar. Orthodox Easter is widely celebrated in both countries, and the war has divided its adherents, too.

In Kyiv, Zelensky issued an Easter message to the nation from St. Sophia Cathedral, a national landmark.

"We are enduring dark times," said Zelensky, dressed in drab green military garb and standing before a glittering altar.

"And on this bright day, most of us are not in bright clothes. But we are fighting for a bright idea. On the bright side. And the truth, people, the Lord and the holy heavenly light are on our side."

In Moscow, Putin appeared at Christ the Savior Cathedral for a midnight service. He was dressed in a dark blue suit, a white shirt and dark purple tie, and he was holding a red candle.

Putin crossed himself several times during the ceremony. After Patriarch Kirill, the top Russian Orthodox bishop, intoned "Christ has risen," Putin replied along with the congregation by saying, "Truly he is risen," according to Reuters. He did not speak further.

The solemn Easter observances stood in stark contrast with the fierce battles in Ukraine as residents nationwide emerged from an overnight curfew.

Five people were killed in the Donetsk region in the east on Sunday, including children ages 5 and 14, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the military administration there.

In Luhansk, also in the eastern region of Ukraine, eight people were killed this weekend and at least seven buildings and a police station were destroyed by recent shelling, regional governor Serhiy Haidai said Sunday. Russia has escalated its attacks in eastern Ukraine in recent days in its attempt to capture the region.

The Russian defense ministry claimed Sunday that its air force "hit 26 military assets of Ukraine," while its missiles and artillery destroyed numerous sites containing Ukrainian forces and military equipment.

On Saturday, missile strikes killed at least eight people in the Black Sea port city of Odessa, prompting Zelensky to comment with disgust: "What a great Easter holiday we're having." He referred to Russian soldiers as "scumbags."

And in Mariupol, the bombardment by Russian forces continued, according to Ukrainian fighters.

Russia attacked the sprawling Azovstal Iron and Steel Works, where Ukrainian forces and civilians remain trapped as Russian forces deny humanitarian corridors, according to a deputy commander of the last remaining Ukrainian forces fighting for Ukraine in Mariupol.

Svyatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, a nationalist group that is part of the Ukraine national guard, called for public support via a message on the Telegram app.

"This Easter Sunday, I call on the entire civilized world to do everything" to help the soldiers and civilians in Mariupol, he said. "I want, on this day - whether at the front, or at one's home, or in displacement - everyone to think about values."

The siege of Mariupol, which echoes Russian tactics in Aleppo, Syria, is part of Moscow's larger plans of establishing a land bridge from Ukraine's breakaway regions in the east to the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed by force in 2014.

Palamar has vowed not to surrender, even though Putin last week had declared victory in Mariupol.

According to Ukrainian officials, up to 20,000 civilians may have been killed in Mariupol since the start of the invasion - in a city where the prewar population numbered about 450,000. An estimated 100,000 civilians remain in the city, according to the United Nations.

Mariupol is "almost wiped out," Zhovkva said on "Meet the Press."

"People are living without elementary conditions, without food, without water supply, without electricity," he said. "That's why we need the attention of the international community."

Mayor Vadym Boychenko called Mariupol a "new Babyn Yar" - a reference to the mass graves near Kyiv where the Nazis massacred at least 33,000 Jews.

"The biggest war crime of the 21st century was committed in Mariupol," Boychenko said.

Amid the devastation, there were rising pleas to allow civilians to escape the city.

On ABC News's "This Week," Yevheniia Kravchuk, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, said Russian soldiers were not allowing civilians to evacuate and instead were trying to forcibly move Ukrainians to Russian territory.

Efforts to evacuate civilians on Saturday had to be abandoned because of the dangers, Ukrainians officials said, and despite renewed efforts on Sunday there were still no working humanitarian corridors from Mariupol, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in televised remarks, blaming Russians for the failures.

During a Saturday news conference, Zelensky proposed that Pope Francis help with negotiations to try "to unblock the humanitarian corridors" into and out of the city, renewing a proposal for the pontiff to visit the war-torn country.

Francis said this month that he was considering an invitation from Zelensky and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko to visit the capital. The pope told a reporter on April 2 that the trip was "on the table," the Guardian newspaper reported.

Vereshchuk urged the United Nations to push for a cease-fire and to "ensure" that there is a humanitarian corridor from Mariupol in general, and specifically from Azovstal, where she said 1,000 women and children are holed up. She added that 500 people, and perhaps more, are injured there, with dozens requiring immediate medical attention. The Washington Post was unable to confirm those numbers Sunday.

The most important thing the United Nations can do, Vereshchuk said, referring to the U.N. secretary general by name, is to help open a humanitarian corridor.

"The longer we wait, more lives will be at risk," said Amin Awad, the U.N. crisis coordinator for Ukraine. "They must be allowed to safely evacuate now, today. Tomorrow could be too late."

Guterres last week also called for a four-day pause in the fighting for Orthodox Easter to allow civilians to be evacuated from the conflict areas and for humanitarian aid to be delivered. The pause was to start on Thursday, but it did not happen.

Ukrainian officials who met with their U.S. counterparts in Washington have emphasized that they continue to seek weapons and ammunition, more economic sanctions against Russia, and financial assistance to prop up the Ukrainian economy.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the visit by Biden administration officials on Sunday is a significant step that reflects the unity of the coalition of countries opposed to the Russian invasion.

"It's a very important political symbol and a symbol of uniting for the countries and politicians and nations when our partners go to Ukraine to see by their own eyes what's happened," Shmyhal said, appearing on CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

Zelensky also said over the weekend that he would be pressing Blinken and Austin for additional military assistance.

"They should not come here with empty hands," Zelensky said Saturday during a news conference in a subway station in Kyiv. "We are expecting specific things and specific weapons."

U.S. officials emphasized that they have been stepping up in providing assistance.

"In terms of 'empty hands,' I would point to the last two weeks and, really, the last 10 days, when the United States has announced $1.6 billion in additional security assistance that is having a significant effect on the ground in terms of enabling Ukraine to continue to hold off and push back Russian forces," deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said on "Meet the Press," hinting that more aid announcements would be coming this week.

The former U.S. ambassador to NATO, Douglas Lute, said that in some ways, the stock of Ukrainian weaponry may be gaining ground on that of the invaders.

By some estimates, Lute said, Ukraine will have as many tanks on the battlefield as the Russians.

"So this imbalance in quantitative factors like tanks, artillery and so forth is beginning to get righted in favor of the Ukrainians," Lute said on "This Week."

The prime minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, announced over the weekend that his country has signed an agreement with Ukraine in which Poland and Polish companies will help facilitate trade for Ukraine with the rest of the world as the war disrupts the Ukrainian economy.

Ukraine has a robust metals industry and is one of the world's top breadbaskets - known to some as the "breadbasket of Europe" - as it is a major source of wheat, barley, corn and sunflower oil. Some British supermarkets are limiting the sale of cooking oil amid fears of potential shortages.

- - -

The Washington Post's Miriam Berger, Julian Duplain, Amy B Wang, Annabelle Timsit, Hannah Knowles, Meryl Kornfield, Erin Cunningham, Lisa Rein, Kostiantyn Khudov, Isabelle Khurshudyan, Sammy Westfall, Annabelle Chapman and Robert Klemko contributed to this report.
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The legacy of Ulysses S. Grant isn't getting any less complicated 200 years after his birth.

Grant battered the slave-owning South into surrender as President Abraham Lincoln's top Union general, yet he owned at least one enslaved person before the war.

A Native American man was among Grant's best friends and Grant was sympathetic toward Indigenous people, but he let white settlers overrun their lands as president.

A relentless attacker on the battlefield, Grant failed to prevent corruption in his own administration.

Once widely viewed as a battlefield butcher and a drunk, Grant's life has undergone a reassessment in recent years. Grant is now considered by some to be Americas first civil rights president, a troubled leader who did his best to protect freed slaves during Reconstruction after the Civil War.

In the current memory wars, and boy are they raging, it seems particularly relevant that we revisit, revise and recast Ulysses S. Grant as a general who saved the Union and as a steadfast and essential president who both championed civil rights and made sure that the United States stayed together, said historian Joan Waugh, who wrote U. S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth.

But Grant also tried to expel Jewish people from a Southern military district he oversaw in an ill-fated attempt to crack down on illegal cotton trading. And he favored a policy of assimilating Native Americans into white culture rather than letting them maintain their own traditions  a practice some now view as cultural genocide.

Similar to Lincoln, who didn't view Black people as fully equal to white people yet issued the Emancipation Proclamation, its difficult to judge Grant based on today's norms, said Edna Greene Medford, a history professor at historically Black Howard University.

These are 19th century men and they were more progressive than average men during that period, but theyre still struggling with some very basic issues, Medford said.

Medford's and Waugh's comments came at a symposium held last month to kick off a series of events marking the 200th anniversary of Grants birth on April 27, 1822. It was held at the Grant presidential library  located, oddly enough, in Mississippi, the scene of Grant's epic, war-altering victory at Vicksburg.

Other bicentennial events include a living history weekend at the Grant historic site in St. Louis, where he lived before the war; a Grant birthday party in Clermont County, Ohio, where he was born; and a ceremony at Grant's tomb on the Hudson River in New York.

After serving in the Mexican War and failing repeatedly at business, Grant rejoined the U.S. Army and rose to become its top commander, a general whom Lincoln prized for his aggressiveness. Grant was elected to the first of two terms as president as a Republican in 1868, three years after Lincoln's assassination and the end of the war. He died in New York in 1885.

A reassessment of Grant that began more than 20 years ago has gained steam as the nation grapples with statues and monuments erected after the Civil War by Confederate descendants who tried to portray Southern leaders as noble, and the war's cause as something other than slavery.

While Grant was widely revered at the time of this death and is pictured on the $50 bill, promoters of the Lost Cause version of history reinforced the view that Grant sent troops to slaughter indiscriminately in a war that claimed 620,000 lives, and was a heavy-drinking dullard. Grant's standing has risen as Confederate statues have come down, historian Anne E. Marshall said.

"I dont think these monuments coming down causes people to reassess Grant. But its part of the same process, said Marshall, executive director of the Ulysses S. Grant Association and the Grant presidential library at Mississippi State University.

As the nation's values changed, other parts of Grant's life have gotten more attention, Marshall said. That includes his work to guarantee the civil and voting rights of freed slaves and his fight against the Ku Klux Klan, which murderously imposed white control in the South after the Civil War.

So has Grant's fight against what likely was alcoholism, considered a moral failing at the time but now recognized as a disease. Ron Chernow's best-selling 2017 biography, Grant, detailed the way Grant largely overcame an addiction to alcohol that threatened to derail his early military career.

I think now, on many different levels, people are willing to rethink these things," Marshall said.

Still, Grant doesn't get a pass on other troubling parts of his record, including his own ties to slavery.

Grant's father was an abolitionist, and the general came to see the necessity of eliminating the ownership of people through war. Yet he also was the last slave-owning president. Grant acquired a man named William Jones from his father-in-law and freed Jones two years before the war. He is given some credit for granting Jones freedom rather than selling him, particularly since Grant was all but broke at the time.

Despite that, some say Grant doesn't deserve a second chance, given the way he benefited from enslavement, his treatment of Native Americans or his order that attempted to ban Jewish people from part of the South. Some suggested removing Grants tomb from beside the Hudson River in Manhattan because of the wartime order, later rescinded by Lincoln. Protesters in San Francisco tore down a Grant monument in 2020.

Similar to Lincoln, Grant also worried about whether Black men who weren't educated while in bondage should be allowed to vote  women didn't have suffrage at the time  and it's difficult to judge his views in today's cultural climate, said Medford, who spoke at the symposium.

But Grant gets credit for the 1875 Civil Rights Act, she said, and he favored the 15th Amendment, which outlawed using race and past enslavement as a disqualification for voting.

Despite a policy to civilize Native Americans and the era's ongoing Indian wars, Grant also appointed a Native American aide, Ely Parker, to lead the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He opposed outright extermination of tribes, even as he let white settlers move on to Native lands despite treaties, and then deployed the Army to protect the interlopers.

Medford said that when it comes to Grant, there's a disconnect between the 1800s and 2022 that's difficult to bridge.

But I think we always have to remember the times, she said.

___

Reeves is a member of AP's Race and Ethnicity team.
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A Massachusetts man said in a lawsuit filed Monday that we was wrongfully charged with murder based on his race and what his attorneys called fabricated evidence.

Dana Gaul, 43, said in the federal suit against the city of Worcester and five city police officers that he was charged in the November 2020 stabbing death of Jehlon Rose, 19, based on coerced statements and because he is Black.

Witnesses at the scene described the perpetrator as a thin, light-skinned or white man, about 5 feet, 7 inches (1.7 meters) tall, while Gaul is Black, weighs 200 pounds (91 kilograms) pounds and is 5 feet, 10 inches (1.8 meters) tall, his lawyers said.

Plaintiff is a Black man, and but for his race, defendants would not have targeted him for unlawful arrest, imprisonment, and/or malicious prosecution based on the flimsy evidence it had, the lawsuit said. In fact, the witnesses to the murder described the assailant as white, a description that does not match plaintiff.

Investigators coerced some people  none of whom were actually at the scene of the stabbing  into saying that grainy surveillance video of the suspect looked like Gaul, according to the suit filed by Debra Loevy and Mark Reyes.

In addition, DNA found on the victims body and clothes was compared to Gauls DNA, but did not match, according to his lawyers. Gaul did not know Rose and was nowhere near the scene of the stabbing, his lawyers said.

The city will conduct its own investigation, according to a spokesperson for the city manager's office.

The complaint will be forwarded to the Worcester Police Departments Bureau of Professional Standards who will conduct an investigation, Robert Burgess said in an email.

Worcester police Lt. Sean Murtha said in an email that the department does not comment on pending litigation and the case remains open.

Gaul, a father of four from Leicester, was arrested last June and spent five months in prison before he was released. The Worcester district attorneys office dismissed charges against him in February and investigators have focused on a different suspect.

Plaintiff was entirely innocent and there was never any legitimate evidence connecting him to the murder, the lawsuit said.

Gaul is happy to be free but "lives his life in fear," Reyes said.

Defendants misconduct continues to cause plaintiff pain and suffering, humiliation, constant fear, anxiety, and other physical and psychological effects," the suit said.

The suit seeks a jury trial, unspecified damages, and attorney's fees.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  A new law in Maine is designed to prevent harassment and blockades outside abortion providers in the state.

Supporters said the new law gives health service facilities the ability to establish and mark a medical safety zone that extends 8 feet (2 1/2 meters) from the center of an entryway. The zone would prohibit people from intentionally blocking entrances or harassing and threatening patients, said supporters. Violations could be charged as a misdemeanor.

Rep. Jay McCreight, a Harpswell Democrat, said Monday she proposed the bill to provide important protections so that people will no longer be repeatedly and intentionally obstructed from receiving the health care they want and need.

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills announced Monday  the final day of the states legislative session  that she signed the proposal into law last week.

Maine is now one of four states with a law that creates a bubble zone that limits protests nears the doors of a medical clinic, according to a 2019 report by the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion access.

The language of the new law says it applies to a building in which patients receive health services, but a public hearing on the bill in March focused heavily on abortion facilities. The Maine Women's Lobby released a statement in support of the proposal at the time, saying the right to peacefully protest does not extend to interfering with the rights of others to access services.

The Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence testified that it could not support the expansion of the states criminal code. The groups spokesperson, Regina Rooney, testified that lawmakers should instead consider ways to improve civil enforcement on the rules.

Rooney testified that the state has only just begun reckoning with the unintended consequences of relying too heavily on the criminal legal system to solve societys problems.

Maine passed its bill as some Democratically controlled states are seeking to shore up abortion access in a time when Republican-controlled states have passed laws to restrict access. Vermont's House of Representatives approved a proposal in February to amend the state constitution to include a Reproductive Liberty amendment. It goes before voters in November.

In Kentucky, a federal judge last week temporarily blocked a state law that effectively eliminated abortions in the state. New Hampshire outlawed abortion after 24 weeks this year, but lawmakers recently added an exception to the ban for cases in which the fetus has been diagnosed with abnormalities incompatible with life.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  A lucrative deal that allowed an Oklahoma barbecue restaurateur to have the state subsidize more than $2 million in operational losses at new state park restaurants is being terminated due to suspected fraudulent activity," the state's tourism department said Monday.

We are continuing to cooperate with investigators and auditors to determine the extent to which unlawful behavior has been perpetuated against the state," the agency said in a press release.

The department is also exploring options to recover any taxpayer dollars paid to the operator for services or items for which the department was invoiced but ultimately not provided."

The multimillion-dollar contract between the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department and Swadley's Bar-B-Q to renovate and rebrand restaurants at state parks has come under increased scrutiny from lawmakers and investigators in recent weeks. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater, who already requested a state investigation into the deal, asked earlier this month for a forensic audit of allegations of potential criminal conduct."

Prater declined to discuss the matter Monday, citing the ongoing probe, but in an April 14 letter to Auditor & Inspector Cindy Byrd obtained by TV station KFOR, he wrote: The alleged conduct has resulted in at least $4.5 million in excessive payments to Swadley's by the State of Oklahoma. I have reviewed the complaint and have concluded that a criminal investigation should be conducted."

Messages left Monday for Brent Swadley, the owner of Swadleys Bar-B-Q, seeking comment on the termination of the contract were not immediately returned.

The executive director of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, Jerry Winchester, defended the exclusive deal with Swadley's during a legislative hearing last month, The Oklahoman reported.

We have seen an immense number of improvements," Winchester told lawmakers at the time.

Winchester also told lawmakers that Swadley's was the only restaurant to submit a bid for the project.

Winchester, a longtime oil and gas industry executive, was appointed to head the agency by Gov. Kevin Stitt in 2019.

A review of invoices by the nonprofit journalism outlet The Frontier showed Swadley's charged extra fees on top of some expenses, including $546,890 in additional management and consulting fees on invoices for equipment and renovation costs between May and August.
AURORA, Ore. (AP)  A man was killed and an officer was wounded in a shooting outside a truck stop south of Portland near Aurora, Oregon.

The Marion County Sheriffs Office said in a news release that at about 6:15 a.m. Monday, deputies were called to the Flying J Truck Stop after a man wanted for weapons offenses was seen outside.
TAYLOR, Mich. (AP)  A person taking part in a suburban Detroit police training program suffered a gunshot wound and was hospitalized, Michigan State Police said.

The shooting happened Sunday afternoon during the exercise at a Taylor city park for the citys volunteer auxiliary police program.

The civilian was a role player in a training scenario when an auxiliary officer in the training fired a shot from his service revolver, hitting the person in the abdomen, state police said. The person was taken to a hospital in stable condition.

State police investigators were reviewing the shooting at the request of Taylor police.

The volunteers with Taylors auxiliary police assist the city police force during emergencies and help with other duties such as home and business checks and anti-crime programs, according to the city website.
LONDON (AP)  Four people were found stabbed to death Monday at a home in south London, British police said. A man has been arrested.

The Metropolitan Police force said officers were called by neighbors to reports of a disturbance at around 1:40 a.m. and forced their way into a home in the Bermondsey area. Inside they found three women  in their 30s, 40s and 60s  and a man in his 60s suffering what are believed to be stab injuries.
BEIJING (AP)  A U.S.-based intelligence company says it uncovered a network of more than 600 inauthentic Twitter accounts that spread a positive narrative of China's far-western Xinjiang region, as Beijing was being accused of human rights abuses and locking up hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities there.

According to a report released Monday by Nisos, 648 Twitter accounts posted several thousand tweets with hashtags such as #xinjiang, #forcedlabor and #humanrights, with seemingly innocuous content such as traditional dancing and scenic photos, as well as videos with individuals denying that forced labor exists in Xinjiang.

The network and its tweets appear to be intended to promote a positive narrative regarding Xinjiang and Uyghur treatment within the Peoples Republic of China and actively targeted a foreign audience, the report found.

The report comes as China is being criticized internationally for its treatment of Uyghurs, a Turkic ethnic group native to the Xinjiang region. In recent years, China held hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs in what Beijing calls vocational education and training centers but are widely believed by experts and academics to be internment camps.

China has also been accused of using forced labor in programs that transferred Uyghurs out of Xinjiang and assigned them to different factories around the country. Global brands across the world including Nike and H&M expressed concern over the use of forced labor, confirming that they will not use products such as cotton from the region and will strengthen oversight of their supply chains.

While Nisos researchers did not reveal who is behind the network of inauthentic accounts, they said the majority of tweets were posted during business hours in China, between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Many of the accounts were created after August 2021, using stock images for their profile pictures, and the tweets were often posted within minutes of each other.

The accounts would often quote other accounts within the network to gain visibility on the platform, although at times they would also amplify content from Chinese diplomats, such as Zhang Meifang, the consul general of China in Belfast, as well as Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, Nisos said.

Many of the Twitter accounts mentioned in the Nisos report have since been suspended for violating Twitter rules.

This is not the first time that researchers have uncovered networks of inauthentic accounts posting propaganda to influence perceptions of China.

Last year, researchers at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute found that more than 2,000 Twitter accounts were pushing narratives by Chinas government on what was happening in Xinjiang, many of which expressed anti-Western sentiment or labeled the accusations against China as lies.

China often uses social media as a way to spread its messages, with an investigation last year by AP and the Oxford Internet Institute finding that armies of fake accounts amplify propaganda by Chinese diplomats and state media tens of thousands of times to reach a wider audience while masking the fact that the content is state-sponsored.

Earlier this year, China launched a discreet social media campaign in which it paid a U.S.-based agency to recruit influencers in the U.S. with the aim of promoting the Beijing Winter Olympics on social media platforms Instagram and TikTok.
BROWNSVILLE, Wis. (AP)  Republican Tim Michels, a multimillionaire construction company co-owner who last ran for office nearly two decades ago, cast himself as an outsider candidate in launching his campaign for Wisconsin governor Monday to take out Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

Michels, 59, joins a crowded field of GOP candidates, including former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, business owner Kevin Nicholson and state Rep. Timothy Ramthun.

Today begins a new era in Wisconsin, Michels told a crowd of about 200 supporters, family members, Michels Corp. employees and others gathered inside a company maintenance building in Brownsville on Monday.

Enough of the political bickering," Michels said. "Enough of the left and right not getting along. We need to bring people together.

Michels, who along with his brothers runs his family business Michels Corp., is expected to inject millions of his own wealth and shake up the primary race, which early polls have shown Kleefisch leading. Michels launched a $1 million statewide ad campaign Monday.

The winner of the Aug. 9 primary will take on Evers in what is expected to be one of the most hotly contested governor's races in the country. Evers won in 2018 by a little more than 1 percentage point, in the second-tightest governor's race that cycle behind Florida.

Michels focused on Evers, not any of his Republican challengers, in his first statement as a candidate.

Wisconsin is on the wrong track. From COVID to Kenosha, Tony Evers has been a terrible governor, Michels said, referring to sometimes violent protests that occurred after a white police officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, in August 2020. His instincts are awful and his policies are even worse.

Evers' campaign spokesman Sam Roecker said Michels would be in lockstep with the divisive agenda Republicans are pushing. The Wisconsin Democratic Party branded Michels a two-time failed candidate, referring to his losses in a 1998 run for state Senate and a 2004 U.S. Senate bid where he was defeated by Democrat Russ Feingold.

Kleefisch has been racking up endorsements from many Republican power brokers, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who had sought a clear field for Kleefisch to win the nomination.

But Nicholson and Ramthun have tried to run as outsiders, tapping into distrust of party leaders among some Republicans. Michels, despite his ties with Kleefisch and other politicians, his former runs for office and his companys history of being awarded state contracts, also tried to cast himself as an outsider.

Im a business owner and a veteran  not a politician. Michels said, promising to focus his campaign on the economy, education, public safety and election integrity.

Democrats noted that Michels previously served on the board of a conservative group Kleefisch ran before she got into the governor's race. He also served on the board of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state's largest business lobbying organization, which is running ads in support of her.

Michels' company has won more than $1 billion in state contracts since 2013. Democrats were quick to point out that Michels Corp. was one of three contractors that double-billed the state, and was paid twice, for work done on Milwaukee's Zoo Interchange in 2015.

Michels Corp. was also part of a coalition of business groups that joined with unions in fighting a right-to-work proposal in Wisconsin that was championed by then-Gov. Scott Walker and other Republicans in 2015. The business coalition also opposed ending the prevailing wage, which sets minimum salaries on state-funded construction projects.

Walker signed laws eliminating the prevailing wage and effectively banning mandatory union membership and the collection of dues. Kleefisch, who was Walker's lieutenant governor, joined him for the right-to-work bill signing.

Democrats on Monday branded Michels as an extremist, noting his past opposition to any exceptions for abortions and his stand against same-sex marriage. Because he has been away from politics for so long, however, Michels has not spoken on many of the current issues that the other candidates have, including Donald Trump's 2020 presidential election loss.

Ramthun is one of the loudest advocates for decertifying President Joe Biden's win in Wisconsin. Kleefisch and Nicholson have also danced around whether they believe Biden was fairly elected.

Michels told WISN-AM on Monday that he's met with Trump  as have Kleefisch and Ramthun. Michels also said he had questions about the 2020 election, but didn't elaborate. He didn't mention the 2020 election during his brief comments at his launch event.

Michels, a U.S. Army veteran, vowed to run an aggressive campaign and indicated he would largely self-fund, saying he would not accept donations from political action committees, lobbyists or more than $500 from any individual.
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DALLAS (AP)  The retrial of a man charged with killing 18 older women in the Dallas area over a two-year span began Monday, after the first jury to hear a case against him deadlocked last fall.

The start of the trial for Billy Chemirmir, 49, was delayed by several hours after a juror did not show up on time. Chemirmir faces life in prison without parole if he's convicted of capital murder in the March 2018 smothering of 81-year-old Lu Thi Harris.

Chemirmir's attorney entered a not guilty plea for him Monday on the charge. Chemirmir has maintained that he's innocent.

Though Chemirmir is only being tried in Harris death, prosecutor Glen Fitzmartin told jurors during his opening statements that they will also hear evidence that Chemirmir attacked 91-year-old Mary Annis Bartel the day before Harris was killed and that he killed 87-year-old Mary Brooks about six weeks earlier.

These are some of the most vulnerable people that we have in our community  three elderly women, Fitzmartin said.

Chemirmir faces capital murder charges in all 18 of the womens deaths  13 in Dallas County and five in nearby Collin County. However, hes currently only scheduled to stand trial in the death of Harris. Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot, who isnt seeking the death penalty for Harris killing, has said he plans to try Chemirmir for at least one more death, though he hasnt said whose.

The defense declined to make an opening statement on Monday.

Chemirmir was arrested after Bartel said a man forced his way into her apartment at an independent living community for older people and held a pillow over her face.

Fitzmartin said that after the attack on Bartel, police found that a few days before there had been a report of a suspicious person at the independent living center where she lived. A license plate number then led officers to Chemirmir.

Police detectives testified about going to his nearby apartment complex, watching as he drove into the parking lot. Detectives said he threw items into a dumpster and then, as they got him out of his vehicle, he was holding jewelry and cash in his hand.

Police have said that a large red jewelry box found in the dumpster contained documents that led them to Harris' home, where the widow was found dead in her bedroom, lipstick smeared on her pillow.

Fitzmartin said evidence will show that about two hours before Chemirmir was found with Harris' items, including her house keys, they had both been at the same Walmart.

Fitzmartin said evidence will show that Chemirmir listed jewelry that belonged to Bartel and Brooks on an online selling site. He said that Brooks and Chemirmir were also at the same Walmart prior to her death.

All of this evidence is going to be overwhelming for you all, Fitzmartin said.

As in the first trial, jurors on Monday were shown a taped deposition with Bartel, who died in 2020. She said that on the day she was attacked, she'd opened her door after hearing an insistent" knocking and immediately fixated on green rubber gloves the person was wearing.

Bartel said she tried to push the door shut but was overpowered. He said: Dont fight me, lie on the bed, she said. She said her attacker slammed the pillow to her face and used "all his weight to keep me from breathing.

Bartel, who lost consciousness during the attack and later discovered she was missing her wedding band, diamond engagement ring and other jewelry, said she couldnt remember details about the appearance of the man who attacked her.

The number of people Chemirmir was accused of killing grew after his arrest, with most of the families of his alleged victims only learning months or years after their loved ones death that authorities believed they had been killed.

Most of the people Chemirmir is accused of killing were found dead in their apartments at independent living communities for older people, where he allegedly forced his way in or posed as a handyman. Hes also accused of killing women in private homes, including the widow of a man he had cared for in his job as an at-home caregiver.
HANSON, Mass. (AP)  A Rhode Island man was arrested and charged with child rape over the weekend after police received a tip about a video posted on social media, police said.

Jared Soltys, 23, of Providence, was held on $5,000 bail at his arraignment Monday on charges of statutory child rape and procuring liquor for someone under 21. Not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  The head of Rhode Island's Division of Motor Vehicles won't face criminal charges in connection with an alleged prostitution operation that leased his rental property, the state's attorney general said Monday.

Attorney General Peter Neronha said his review of the Rhode Island State Police investigation into DMV Administrator Walter Bud Craddock is complete. His office concluded the evidence does not show beyond a reasonable doubt" that Craddock knew commercial sex activity was going on at his property in Cranston, Rhode Island.

When asked for comment from Craddock Monday, a DMV spokesperson did not provide it and directed questions to the governor's office. The governor's office is referring the matter to the state's human resources department, and said that two highly-respected organizations have done a thorough review and concluded there was no criminal activity or evidence of wrongdoing against Craddock.

Craddock has said he had no knowledge of any illegal activities at the site and had never heard any complaints.

Rhode Island's Republican Party said Craddock should still be fired from his job.

Although there may not be enough evidence to charge Craddock with a crime, there is certainly enough evidence to show that Craddock had bad judgment, the party said in a statement Monday.

Cranston Police shut down six unlicensed massage businesses in June that they alleged were fronts for human trafficking and prostitution, including one that rented property owned by Craddock through his real estate holding company.

Neronhas report to the State Police on Monday said it appears rent was paid in cash, garbage bags were taped over the windows, and Craddock likely had reason to suspect the business at his unit was not a legitimate commercial enterprise, given his law enforcement background. Craddock served as Cranston's police chief.

After receiving notice that his tenant engaged in or permitted prostitution to occur on the premises, Craddock took steps to evict them, the report states.

It concludes that while there is ample smoke regarding the critical issue of whether Craddock had knowledge of the activity, there is insufficient evidence to establish fire.

Gov. Dan McKee asked the State Police last year to investigate whether Craddock had any knowledge of, or involvement in, the alleged prostitution operation. He said then that the investigation was not criminal in nature and Craddock would continue to lead the DMV while it was underway.

The State Police concluded its review in October, finding there was no evidence that Craddock had any criminal liability in connection with the activities taking place in the first floor unit of his building. The State Police then asked Neronha's office to review the investigation.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP)  Authorities say a South Dakota prison inmate who walked away from a minimum-security facility is back in custody.

The state Department of Corrections said Phillip Richards left his work release job in Rapid City on Saturday without permission and didnt return to his housing unit. He was apprehended Monday in Pennington County.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Bulldozers were busy Monday scraping through New Mexico's high country as firefighters scouted more rugged terrain, looking for places where they could wield tools to dig lines that stop what has grown into the largest wildfire burning in the U.S.

Nearly a dozen new large fires were reported over the weekend across the nation  four in New Mexico, three in Colorado and one each in Florida, Nebraska, South Dakota and Texas. With more than 1,350 square miles (3,496 square kilometers) burned so far this year, officials at the National Interagency Fire Center said the amount of land singed so far is outpacing the 10-year average by about 30%.

Hotter, drier weather has combined with a persistent drought to worsen fire danger across many parts of the West, where decades of fire suppression have resulted in overgrown and unhealthy forests and increasing development have put more communities at risk.

In northern New Mexico, evacuations remained in place for several communities Monday and conditions were still too volatile for authorities to assess the damage caused Friday and Saturday as fierce winds pushed flames across tinder-dry mountainsides in multiple counties.

Fire officials said they were able to protect pockets of homes threatened by the largest fire, which had joined over the weekend with another blaze that was sparked in early April when a prescribed fire escaped containment. Together, they have charred more than 88 square miles (228 square kilometers).

Operation sections chief Jayson Coil said Monday that crews working on the complex were trying to take advantage of better weather to keep the flames from moving closer to the villages and homes that dot the valleys along the eastern side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

Theres a whole bunch of effort going on around this fire right now, Coil said during a briefing.

In Arizona, firefighters were taking advantage of lighter winds to boost containment of a more than 33-square-mile (85 square-kilometer) blaze that has been burning outside of Flagstaff for more than a week. Strong winds that had fueled the fire are expected to return later this week. Meanwhile, hundreds of residents who were evacuated were given the OK on Sunday to return home.

Crews in Nebraska continued securing fire lines Monday after a blaze that started last week near the Kansas border had spread rapidly  moving nearly 30 miles (48 kilometers) in a short period of time. The blaze killed one person and injured at least 11 firefighters.

Elected officials in Arizona and New Mexico have declared emergencies related to the latest wildfires, freeing up disaster aid. Meanwhile, local, state and federal land managers in some areas have started to impose burn bans and fire restrictions, citing the continued dry conditions that plague much of the region.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday signed an executive order urging municipalities and counties around the state to ban the retail sale of fireworks. While state statutes don't allow the governor to implement a statewide ban on fireworks, the executive order follows the implementation of statewide fire restrictions prohibiting fireworks, outdoor smoking, campfires and open burning for all non-municipal, non-federal and non-tribal lands.

Lujan Grisham called the situation extremely dangerous.

"Its essential that we mitigate potential wildfires by removing as much risk as possible, she said.

The latest blazes follow one earlier this month in southern New Mexico that destroyed more than 200 homes in the mountain community of Ruidoso. Two residents who were attempting to evacuate were found dead outside their charred home.

___

Associated Press writer Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Arizona, contributed to this report.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Irans state television said authorities have foiled massive cyberattacks that sought to target public services, both government and privately owned.

The report late on Sunday said Iran thwarted the attacks that planned to target the infrastructure of more than 100 public sector agencies. It did not elaborate or name specific examples of public sector agencies, organizations or services but said the incidents happened in recent days.
IN POLAND, NEAR THE UKRAINIAN BORDER  Nearly 48 hours since leaving Washington on what was supposed to be a clandestine mission, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with reporters to discuss an operation that was nearly over before it began.

This was an important time to be there, Blinken said Monday morning. An important time for Ukraine, for the war, and an important moment to have face-to-face conversations in detail.

The visit also resulted in a striking redefinition of success for the United States' goals in Ukraine.

We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it cant do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine, Austin said. It had already lost a lot of military capability and a lot of its troops, quite frankly, and we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability.

The two Cabinet secretaries spoke in a warehouse standing in front of tall stacks of humanitarian aid, while across from them were green-painted wooden boxes of munitions for Soviet-designed weapons used by Ukrainian troops  striking visual reminders of the kinds of aid the U.S. is providing Kyiv.

All of it would be inside Ukraines borders by the end of the day, Blinken said.

Last week, Blinkens and Austins staffs were planning a trip to an Air Force base in Ramstein, Germany, to meet with officials from other nations Tuesday to discuss ways they could help Ukraine in its fight against Russia. A handful of those same staff members worked in parallel, on a need-to-know basis, to plan a stop beforehand in Kyiv so the secretaries could personally inform President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine that President Joe Biden would quickly reestablish the U.S. embassy in the Ukrainian capital and provide hundreds of millions of dollars in additional military aid. It would be an unannounced trip by the highest-level delegation of U.S. officials since the Russian invasion began.

Participants who ended their week thinking they would be leaving for Germany on Monday morning were told Friday afternoon that plans had changed.

Both Blinken and Austin boarded military C-17 transport planes early Saturday morning at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, driving directly onto the tarmac and lifting off with the secrecy of their mission intact.

That secret held until about halfway through the nine-hour flight to Poland.

In an apparently unscripted remark Saturday afternoon during a news conference in the Ukrainian capital, Zelenskyy announced that Blinken and Austin would be arriving in Kyiv the next day. Shortly afterward, a senior defense official emerged from Austins quarters in the C-17s cargo hold and somewhat sheepishly informed the three reporters accompanying the defense secretary that Zelenskyy had blown the operations cover and the future of the trip was uncertain.

However, Pentagon officials had planned for a number of contingencies, and having details of the secret trip leak out was among them. So the two Cabinet members planes pressed on.

After arriving in Poland early Sunday morning, Blinken and Austin climbed into cars and were driven across the border into Ukraine to begin an 11-hour train ride to Kyiv. They were accompanied by just a few of their staff members, and their location was tracked minute by minute in a U.S. military tactical operations center in Poland.

While the secretaries were en route to Kyiv, a senior State Department official and a senior defense official offered reporters in Poland a preview of what Blinken and Austin would be offering to Zelenskyy.

The officials did not have any information on whether Marines would be posted to guard the embassy in Kyiv once it reopens, but they did add that Biden plans to quickly nominate an ambassador to lead it.

According to the senior defense official, the first group of more than 50 Ukrainian artillery soldiers Sunday completed their training on 155 mm howitzers provided by the U.S., which are slightly different in design from the Soviet-era 152 mm guns that have been used by Ukrainian forces since the country gained independence. A second group of Ukrainian artillery specialists would soon begin another six-day training course, the official added.

The Cabinet secretaries returned to Poland, near the Ukrainian border, Monday morning after traveling nearly nonstop over the previous two days.

Immediately after briefing reporters, Blinken and Austin met with soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division and thanked the troops for their service, then boarded Air Force cargo planes to head to Ramstein.

In Germany, Blinken and Austin will be joined by the NATO secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, and the Ukrainian defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, to offer a battlefield update to officials from more than 20 nations. They are also expected to discuss the deployment of new military aid to Ukraine and how each country can use their own defense industries to produce goods in high demand by Ukraine.

The first step in winning is believing that you can win, Austin told reporters. And so they believe that we can win, we believe that they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support.

Were going to do everything we can  continue to do everything we can to ensure that gets to them, he added.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
NEW YORK (AP)  Former President Donald Trump said Monday that he has no intention of rejoining Twitter even if his account is reinstated following Elon Musks agreement to buy the social media giant for roughly $44 billion.

Trump told Fox News that he will instead focus on his own platform, Truth Social, which has been mired in problems since its launch earlier this year.

I am not going on Twitter. I am going to stay on Truth, Trump was quoted telling the network. I hope Elon buys Twitter because hell make improvements to it and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on Truth.

Trump was barred from major social media platforms after the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection, with Twitter citing the risk of further incitement of violence." The decision denied him the megaphone he had used to generate media attention and speak directly to his followers, which had been integral to his political rise.

At the time, the former president had roughly 89 million followers on Twitter alone.

Musk, the worlds wealthiest person and a self-described free-speech absolutist, had said he wanted to buy and privatize Twitter because he believed it wasnt living up to its potential as a free speech platform. It raised questions about whether he might reinstate Trumps account as the former president lays the groundwork for another White House run in 2024.

Trump has continued to spread lies about his 2020 election defeat in speeches and statements since leaving office, and it is unclear how Musk would approach those statements if Trump were ever to return to the site.

In recent weeks, Musk has voiced a number of proposed changes for the company, including relaxing its content restrictions, and said he would be very reluctant to delete content and cautious of permanent bans.

After being kicked off social media platforms, Trump launched his own social media app and sued Twitter, Facebook and Google's YouTube, claiming he and other conservatives had been wrongfully censored, even though posts by conservative commentators are routinely the most widely shared.

On Monday, he said he welcomed Musk's purchase and told Fox News he didnt see Twitter as his own product's competition.

Truth Social will be a voice for me, he said. And thats something nobody else can get.

At a rally in Ohio on Saturday, Trump also urged his supporters to join him on Truth Social.

Go out and sign up now," he told them. "Have a lot of fun.
The Biden administration is compiling information about alleged war crimes in Ukraine that may be used to hold Russian leaders accountable, as federal prosecutors lay the groundwork for trials in European courts, or what could be the first trial for the senior officials of a major global power at the world criminal court.

While it is unlikely that President Vladimir Putin would end up at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, even an indictment of the Russian leader or his aides would represent a landmark moment for efforts to hold senior officials accountable for atrocities committed under their watch, officials and analysts said.

"It would be an enormous development in the field, harking back to the World War II Nuremberg era," said Beth Van Schaack, the American ambassador at large for global criminal justice, in an interview. She likened the impact of a trial to the shock waves caused by the 1998 arrest of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet on the orders of a Spanish judge.

Charging Putin, State Department officials argue, could prompt some Russian officials to reconsider their role in the war. Cities like Bucha, where the departure of Russian forces revealed a horrific scene of human suffering, including beheaded and booby-trapped corpses, have become synonymous with Russian brutality since the invasion began two months ago.

Van Schaack, who earlier in her career worked on tribunals set up to try crimes in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, heads a State Department team overseeing the effort to document Russian actions and assess whether they meet standards for crimes against humanity and genocide.

Already, the State Department has announced its determination that Russian troops have committed war crimes in Ukraine. The Biden administration is also supporting efforts by the Ukrainian prosecutor general, Iryna Venediktova, to investigate Russian actions in the war. Venediktova on Friday accused Russia of plotting the torture, rape and killing of civilians.

Clint Williamson, an attorney who served in Van Schaack's position from 2006 to 2009 and is now working on a joint American initiative with the European Union supporting the Ukrainian effort to pursue potential war crimes, said Venediktova's office is making progress.

As part of that effort, the United States is advising Ukrainian officials on how to put together a war crimes case, manage battlefield evidence and interview prisoners of war. Van Schaack said the federal government can also tap its vast intelligence apparatus to assist prosecutions, potentially circumventing the cumbersome declassification process by sharing commercially available satellite imagery that can mirror sensitive information. It is also possible the United States could assist foreign prosecutors in ways that fall short of providing evidence, pointing investigators in new directions based on intelligence.

Such information could also be shared with officials involved in parallel investigations outside of Ukraine, in countries including Poland and Sweden. Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania have launched a common investigatory effort, enabling easier information sharing and police cooperation. Officials caution, however, there are limits to what Kyiv can do at a moment when it is locked in a battle for the country's survival.

The Biden administration has welcomed an investigation by the ICC prosecutor into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity. Officials describe the ICC as a venue that could complement trials in Ukraine or other countries.

"Ukraine may want to manage these cases themselves, or they may say, 'Listen, we can't handle some of the big fish or defendants who whose crimes were committed across the entire country. We'd rather handle crimes that are dealt with on a regional basis,'" Van Shaack said. "And that would be an appropriate way for the ICC to potentially step in."

While some countries have laws that protect sitting heads of state from prosecution, the ICC can conduct such trials. That makes the ICC "the only game in town" for a potential trial of Putin while he remains in power, according to Stephen Rapp, who served as envoy for global criminal justice during the Obama administration.

Even an indictment of a top Kremlin official would be significant, said Ryan Goodman, a professor at the New York University School of Law who served as a Pentagon attorney during the Obama administration. "It will be a watershed moment, both in the life of the international court and in the crisis growing out of Ukraine, if and when the prosecutor indicts senior Russian officials, including potentially Putin himself," he said.

How far the Biden administration goes in any investigation will depend on whether the United States decides to abandon its past opposition to ICC cases targeting individuals from countries that are not parties to the global court, like Russia and the United States. While the United States helped establish the ICC, there has been domestic opposition to any step that exposes American military personnel to international courts.

After the ICC authorized an investigation into crimes in Afghanistan, potentially involving U.S. troops for the first time, the Trump administration authorized sanctions against the ICC prosecutor and other officials. The State Department declined to comment on a potential change in position.

Officials say they doubt Putin could tried at The Hague, at least while he remains in power. The court cannot conduct trials in absentia, and many ICC arrest warrants have remained outstanding for years. "Custody is key," Van Shaack said. "Putin could stay put within Russia, and effectively enjoy impunity because he is currently out of reach of any court that might want to exercise jurisdiction over him."

U.S. officials hope, however, that the specter of prosecution will lead other Russian officials to rethink their role in the war. Experts note that Ukraine has already captured a number of Russian officers who could now be subject to trial in Ukrainian or other courts. Van Schaack said it would be no simple matter to prove their responsibility for events carried out by the rank and file, "It's not a cakewalk," she said. "But the doctrine exists to do this."

Criteria for establishing such responsibility include whether senior officials discipline troops who commit crimes. Earlier this month, Putin awarded the unit accused of executing civilians in Bucha honors for "mass heroism and bravery, steadfastness and fortitude."

The Biden administration is also gathering information about potential transgressions by Ukraine. Kyiv has publicly paraded Russian prisoners of war in a way that appears to violate international humanitarian law. A recent assessment by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe noted other potential Ukrainian violations of the rules of war.

Van Schaack said the same standards would apply to forces reporting to Putin and those under Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, noting this is "where the equivalency" ends "because when it comes to scale and degree and lethality and brutality, it's totally disproportionate in what we're seeing on the Russian side versus the Ukrainian side."

She drew a further distinction between the response by Ukrainian officials, who she said had condemned reported violations and promised to investigate. Russia, she said, has responded "with a web of denial and disinformation."

Rapp that the slow pace of justice should not delay prosecutors from filing charges. He noted an international tribunal indictment of former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic about 45 days into ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, while a NATO air campaign was ongoing.

"Unless we're serious and prosecute those who are the true authors of these crimes and send a signal that there is no escaping this in this life, it may take a long time, but you're never going to have a good night's sleep, then these crimes are going to recur," he said.
POLAND, NEAR THE BORDER WITH UKRAINE - Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, on the heels of a trip to Kyiv, pledged ongoing American support to Ukraine as it faces the prospect of a protracted war against Russia.

Speaking in a hangar in Poland filled with crates of humanitarian aid destined for Ukraine, including diapers, the two top Biden administration officials said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had expressed "deep appreciation" to the United States.

"Our support for Ukraine going forward will continue . . . until we see final success," Blinken after the first high-level U.S. visit to the Ukrainian capital since Russia's invasion began. "The bottom line is this: We don't know how the rest of this war will unfold, but we do know that a sovereign independent Ukraine will be around a lot longer than Vladimir Putin is on the scene."

Officials described the hours-long visit in Kyiv, following stops there in recent weeks by a number of European leaders, as a symbolic show of support for Ukraine's leaders and a message of Western resolve to the Kremlin.

The officials, who travel from Poland by train, said they informed Zelensky of new military aid and the administration's intent to resume diplomatic operations in Ukraine this week, marking the return of U.S. diplomats for the first time since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion.

Diplomats will begin by making day trips from Poland to Ukraine's western city of Lviv, where Ukrainians and foreigners have sought shelter from the violence raging elsewhere in the country, a first step to reopening the U.S. Embassy that was shuttered before Russia's Feb. 24 invasion, officials said ahead of Blinken's remarks.

While other nations, including Britain, have announced a resumption of embassy operations in Kyiv, the United States has not yet taken that step. Blinken said the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv would likely reopen within weeks.

The two men said their three-hour visit to the Ukrainian capital, which Russian forces were unable to capture despite an attempt in the initial weeks of the war, highlighted the failure of Putin's aims in Ukraine.

Officials outlined additional steps that Blinken and Austin relayed to Ukrainian officials during their brief stay in the capital, where they also met with Ukraine's foreign and interior ministers. They asked reporters to withhold the name of the location in Poland that Blinken and Austin used as the jumping-off point for their visit because of security reasons.

Also this week, the Biden administration will announce the nomination of a new ambassador to Ukraine. Bridget Brink, a career diplomat, now serves as ambassador to Slovakia. There has been no confirmed U.S. ambassador to Ukraine since Marie Yovanovitch was ousted in 2019.

The officials also brought with them promises of additional security aid, including more than $300 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine, allowing it to buy more sophisticated air defense systems and stockpile arms compatible with those used by NATO nations instead of the Soviet-designed weapons. Around $400 million more goes to help other countries purchase new weapons to boost their stocks or, in some cases, replenish arms provided to Ukraine.

This new announcement brings the amount the Biden administration has given Ukraine in security assistance since the beginning of the war to about $3.7 billion.

Austin said the United States would respond to Ukraine's military needs as the war evolves. With the fight shifting to eastern and southern Ukraine, where Russia is seeking to cement control of areas around Crimea and in areas where Russians-backed separatists have been fighting Kyiv since 2014, Austin said Ukraine forces would now need more tanks and long-range munitions. "We going to push as hard, as quickly as we can to get them what we need," he said.

Another senior State Department official said the depletion of Russian hardware and forces in Ukraine, in combination with sanctions and commercial restrictions, were having an effect of Russia's ability to resupply itself in Ukraine and maintain military readiness at home.

"They're starting to get into a tradeoff between what they can put into Ukraine and what they need to hold in reserve as something to match up against NATO," the official said.

He noted that some non-member states in Europe, including Finland, now appear to be moving toward joining the alliance, which he described as another element Russia would be seen as a threat. "This is a strategic debacle for Putin."

The United States and other NATO nations have expanded the flow of weaponry to Ukraine in recent weeks but have stopped short of providing fighter jets or, as Zelensky demanded in the first weeks of the war, a NATO-enforced no-fly zone.

A senior U.S. defense official said Austin would update Zelensky on the promised deliveries of howitzers and the ongoing training of Ukrainian troops on U.S. artillery systems, part of a previously announced set of U.S. allocations. Officials declined to identify where the training is being conducted.

The Biden administration will also sell Ukraine up to $165 million in "nonstandard ammunition" it can use for its existing weapons systems.

"The first step in winning is believing you can win. They believe that [they] can win; we believe that they can win if they have the right equipment the right support," Austin said. "We're going to continue to do everything we can to ensure that that gets [done]."

After his Kyiv visit, Austin will travel to Germany for a meeting on Tuesday with defense officials from a number of countries, including Ukraine.

Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is also traveling in the region and will join Austin on Tuesday for the meeting with more than 40 NATO and non-NATO defense leaders at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The conference's aim, Milley said, is to solicit new military aid and "to coordinate, synchronize our efforts" over the next several weeks.

"I think it's accurate that the next several weeks will be very, very critical . . . for the outcome of this battle that's shaping up down in the south, the southeast of Ukraine," Milley told reporters at Ramstein, where he arrived Sunday night.

"What we want to do is make sure the right type of aid is getting to the right location at the right time, in the right quantities and make sure it's all properly synchronized to achieve the desired effect and outcome on the battlefield," he said.

Officials said reestablishing the diplomatic presence within Ukraine will allow embassy staffers to coordinate more closely with Ukrainian officials and, eventually, provide more consular services. The diplomats will begin by making day trips into Lviv from Poland.

"This is the first step, and we expect to be able to accelerate that in the coming days and weeks," the State Department official said.

The defense official said the Pentagon still views Ukraine's port of Mariupol as contested despite Russian statements about having completed a prolonged campaign to seize the city, which is on the Sea of Azov.

"For all the Russian claims that they've got, it is certainly not acting like an army that thinks they've got it because they continue to hit Mariupol," he said.

He said Moscow had assigned about a dozen Russian tactical groups to the key southern port. Mariupol, a major Russian objective, could help Russia secure a land bridge to Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014 and could be used as a jumping-off point for attempts to push north into other parts of Ukraine.

The official said fighting in the greater Donbas region, which includes Mariupol and areas held by Russian-backed separatists, remained inconclusive.

- - -

The Washington Post's Karen DeYoung contributed to this report.
VIDALIA, La. (AP)  An Australian companys Louisiana subsidiary can get up to $107 million in U.S. Department of Energy loans to expand a plant that produces materials for electric car batteries the department said Monday.

The loan to Syrah Technologies LLC would be the Biden administrations second clean energy loan.

The money is expected to enable the plant to produce enough graphite-based active anode material for about 2.5 million electric vehicles by 2040, saving an estimated 970 million gallons of gasoline, according to a department blog post.

It would reactivate a program last used more than a decade ago during the Obama administration to lend money to auto makers and would be the programs first use for a supply chain project, the department said. It said previous Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loans went to Ford, Nissan and Tesla.

Importantly, this project also provides a socially and environmentally responsible U.S. supply chain for graphite, the Energy Department said.

Syrahs plant is in Vidalia, a city of 4,000 on the Mississippi River about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Baton Rouge. It uses graphite from Syrah's huge mine in Mozambique.

Tesla signed a contract in December 2021 with Syrah Resources of Melbourne, Australia, and Syrah Technologies announced plans for a $177,000 expansion in Vidalia two months later. Gov. John Bel Edwards office said Syrah would add 36 jobs to the 19 employees it had at the time.

The federal loan will create 98 permanent and 150 construction jobs, the Energy Department said.

Several steps remain, and certain conditions must be satisfied before the Department issues a final loan, the blog post said. It did not say what those are.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A federal judge in Las Vegas said Monday hell decide in three weeks whether to dismiss a condemned Nevada killers lawsuit challenging the states plan for his lethal injection, because the state doesnt have one of the drugs it would use.

U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware II acknowledged during a brief hearing with attorneys for the state and the inmate, Zane Michael Floyd, that key questions about the execution method remain unanswered following weeks of testimony late last year.

But the Nevada Department of Corrections supply of the sedative ketamine expired on Feb. 28, and Randall Gilmer, chief deputy state attorney general, said prison officials have been unable to get more.

The prison execution method, or protocol, calls for using large doses of three or four drugs also including the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl or a substitute, alfentanil, possibly a muscle paralytic called cisatracurium and either potassium chloride or potassium acetate to stop Floyds heart.

Boulware said the question before him might have become moot.

There is no foreseeable likelihood that NDOC would be able to obtain one of the main drugs in the protocol, Boulware said, adding that there also is no current warrant for Floyds death.

State law calls for two weeks notice to schedule an execution, and for executions to be by lethal injection.

At this point, the court is not inclined to find that there is a live issue, Boulware said. He asked for written arguments from the state and Floyds attorneys by May 16.

Floyd, 46, was convicted in 2000 of killing four people and wounding a fifth in a shotgun attack at a Las Vegas grocery store. He does not want to die.

Daryl Mack was the last inmate put to death in Nevada, in April 2006, for a 1988 rape and murder in Reno. Mack asked for his lethal injection to be carried out.

Deputy federal public defenders David Anthony and Brad Levenson have tried to show Boulware that the never-before-used combination of drugs the state wants to use would cause Floyd so much pain that it would be unconstitutionally cruel and inhumane.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  As Virginia-based Dominion Energy seeks to build what it calls the country's largest offshore wind farm in the Atlantic Ocean, the company and its supporters have touted the economic development opportunities expected to accompany the 176-turbine project.

But state regulators, who are currently considering whether to grant approval for the massive project, say the economic picture might not be so rosy.

In testimony filed earlier this month, regulators said that in claiming the wind farm will create jobs and tax growth, the company relied on a stale study that didn't account for the impact of its Virginia electric utility ratepayers bearing the cost of the nearly $10 billion project. The State Corporation Commission's own analysis found the project was expected to come with an economic cost  including 1,100 lost jobs in the first five rate-years of the project  that might negate any speculative benefits.

Any economic benefits that are likely to arise will do so as a result of new investment in industries in Hampton Roads and Virginia that support offshore wind facility development. The degree to which this new investment occurs is speculative, according to the commission analysis from Mark Carsley, a utilities manager in the division of public utility regulation.

In a rebuttal filing Friday, Dominion took issue with Carsley's testimony and argued that under a 2020 law called the Virginia Clean Economy Act, or VCEA, that helped pave the way for the wind farm, such a cost-benefit analysis doesn't need to be considered.

Dominion's wind farm, which would be located about 27 miles (43 kilometers) off the coast of Virginia Beach, has been years in the making. The company announced its specific plans for the commercial-scale project in September 2019. At the time, Dominion had a two-turbine offshore wind pilot project underway.

Dominion then filed its application for the full project with the commission in November. Interested parties ranging from the Sierra Club to Walmart have since joined the case as intervenors, and an evidentiary hearing is set for May 17. The commissions decision on whether to approve the project and allow the costs of it to be recovered from ratepayers is due by Aug. 5, a spokesman said, and a separate federal review process is also underway.

The project will help Dominion meet the goals of the VCEA, a sweeping overhaul of the state's energy policy enacted by Democrats that included a number of renewable energy mandates intended to help address the threats of climate change. The wind farm will also help the company meet its own pledge to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The VCEA directed Dominion to submit a plan to the commission for review that addresses the economic development benefits the project is expected to bring to Virginia.

Instead of conducting an independent study, Dominion met that requirement by relying on a study prepared for a nonprofit economic development organization, the Hampton Roads Alliance, Carsley wrote.

The company, citing that report from 2020, estimated the project would support about 900 jobs annually and over $143 million in annual economic output during the construction phase. Once in operation, the report projected the wind farm would create 1,100 jobs and yield $209.8 million in annual economic output.

But SCC staff was not able to verify those results, Carsley wrote. They sought data supporting the conclusions of the report from Dominion and was told the company did not have any such models or data.

The SCC called the report Dominion relied upon stale and noted that the cost data it used was derived from data in the United Kingdom.

In a rebuttal, John Larson, Dominion's director of public policy and economic development, responded that claiming that the information is somewhat stale does not present an argument against reliability of the data or its substantive analysis.

Larson wrote that relying on UK data should not present a concern and was practical and necessary, given that the U.S. offshore wind industry is nascent. Larson also wrote that the commission's analysis relied on an overly simplified assumption that a rate increase will cause Virginia residents to reduce household spending in other areas.

Some customers might not change their spending if the increase is small, or some might just reduce their savings, he wrote.

Furthermore, nothing in the VCEA requires the company to perform its own analysis of "economic development costs" or requires the commission to consider such an analysis, Larson wrote.

"The General Assembly has established clean energy standards and goals for the Commonwealth and based on the inherent nature of public utility service, there will be customer-borne costs," he wrote.

Other testimony in the case from outside parties has raised concerns about the project's price tag and Dominion's relative inexperience in the offshore wind industry. There have been calls for the commission to consider a range of ratepayer protections, including a possible independent monitor, a performance guarantee and a cost cap.

In rebuttal testimony, a Dominion executive argued against each of those proposals and defended the company as an an acknowledged leader in the development of offshore wind in the United States.

Company spokesman Jeremy Slayton said in a statement Monday that Dominion was pleased all parties to the case have focused on ways to have the best possible project and none have opposed it.
IN SUMMARY

A key advocate left the PG&E wildfire victims fund after he was embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal at Sonoma State University.

By Emily Hoeven

CalMatters

All roads lead to Sacramento.

That's one takeaway from the convoluted series of events that led to tens of thousands of PG&E wildfire victims losing one of their top advocates in the state Capitol this week -- just one day after veteran lobbyist Patrick McCallum pitched Gov. Gavin Newsom's staff on the idea of a $1.5 billion loan to ensure survivors are fully compensated.

The PG&E Fire Victim Trust announced Wednesday that it and McCallum had "agreed to part ways, effective immediately, in light of certain recent publicly disclosed developments."

Those developments could pose problems not only for the already beleaguered Fire Victim Trust -- which a KQED investigation found has been slow to pay victims and quick to rack up big bills for lawyers and consultants -- but also for the California State University system. Here's why:

- McCallum, who is married to Sonoma State University President Judy Sakaki, allegedly sexually harassed several women at a party at his house. The women reported the incidents to then-provost Lisa Vollendorf, who in turn reported them to CSU officials, prompting retaliation from Sakaki, according to a claim Vollendorf lodged against CSU and which the system paid $600,000 this year to settle, according to investigations from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat and the Los Angeles Times. McCallum denies the allegations.

- Sakaki, who denies retaliating against Vollendorf, initially defended her husband but announced Monday that she is separating from McCallum. She's now facing challenges of her own: The executive committee of Sonoma State's academic senate voted Thursday to advance a vote of no confidence in her leadership, and Democratic state Sen. Bill Dodd of Napa said her response "deserves close scrutiny by the CSU chancellor and board of trustees as to how the interests of students and employees can be best served going forward."

- It's the latest scandal to embroil CSU, whose chancellor resigned in February amid accusations that he mishandled sexual harassment complaints against a high-ranking colleague while president of Fresno State. The system has since launched multiple independent investigations into its own policies.

But let's pivot back to PG&E -- and run through a rapid round of Thursday environmental news:

- PG&E, which has already raised customer rates twice this year, is seeking state approval to hike them yet again to help pay for a variety of projects, the Mercury News reports.

- Even as rain and snow soaked Northern California, lawmakers took a key step toward lowering the state's standard for residential indoor water use -- a move that could lead to higher rates despite lower consumption. Next week, the Bay Area's largest water agency is also set to consider capping household water use.

- Newsom administration officials said California may need as much as $30 billion over three decades to protect the Central Valley from floods.

- A scathing report from the California state auditor found that the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California -- the state's largest, supplying water to 19 million residents -- "must fundamentally change the way it approaches many personnel and ethics issues."

- An American Lung Association report found that California is home to most of the U.S. cities with the worst year-round particle pollution, short-term particle pollution and ozone pollution.

- But another study, from nonprofit Environment America and research firm Frontier Group, found that California is home to five of the country's top 20 cities with the most solar power per person.

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Approximately 5,000 nurses at Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford will go on strike Monday morning, the Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement announced Sunday evening.

Union officials said 93 percent of eligible nurses voted to authorize the strike.

"As one of the nation's top healthcare systems, Stanford and Packard have an opportunity to demonstrate leadership and work with nurses to solve the burnout and exhaustion that is driving many of us to reconsider our jobs and our profession," said Colleen Borges, union president and a pediatric oncology nurse at Packard Children's Hospital.

Nurses gave their hospitals notice of their intention to strike on April 13, union officials said, after Stanford management "failed to negotiate fairly over the union's proposals for addressing staff shortages, creating sustainable nursing careers and supporting world-class patient care."

Nurses' labor contracts expired March 31.

Bay Area residents with unused prescription medications sitting around the house can safely dispose of them at their local police department and other locations this Saturday during National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

The event, organized in partnership with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, helps keep harmful chemicals out of local water systems and out of the hands of anyone who might accidentally or intentionally consume someone else's medicine -- an issue that has become particularly of issue due to the opioid epidemic, the DEA said.

The Livermore City Council is set to hire a new city manager Monday.

Irvine Assistant City Manager Marianna Marysheva will likely replace retiring city manager Marc Roberts.

Marysheva is returning to the Bay Area, where she attended San Francisco State University and UC Berkeley. She served as budget director of Oakland from 2001-2005 and as an assistant city administrator from 2008-2011. She has also served as town manager of Mammoth Lakes. She served as Irvine's interim city manager from Sept. 2020 to Dec. 2021.

A staff report for Monday's meeting said the city received 27 applications from across the country, from which 13 candidates were identified as qualified.

The Antioch City Council on Tuesday will decide whether to delay implementing new restrictions on flavored cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, cigars, and "little" cigars.

Since passing the ordinance last month, the city has heard from retailers asking for a grace period to at least sell out the remainder of their stock, according to a staff report for Tuesday's meeting. "The city council could institute such a grace period by directing staff to draft an amendment to the ordinance that inserts a grace period prior to the commencement of enforcement activities," the report says. "The grace period would enable tobacco retailers and businesses to sell their existing inventory and prepare to come into compliance with the new ordinance.

The Contra Costa Board of Supervisors will hear an appeal of the county planning commission's approval of a 144-unit residential subdivision, on 78.2 acres just outside Martinez, east of Interstate 680 in the Vine Hill area.

The Bayview Estates Residential Project would consist of detached single-family homes and associated roads on 31.8 acres of the site. It would also include approximately 42 acres of open space, marshes, and undeveloped land, including 20.1 acres of the upper hill area. There would also be a 4.5-acre private neighborhood park.

Central Avenue would be the subdivision's main access road, though it could also be reached by Palms Drive.

Danville Police said it received calls Sunday reporting that someone left antisemitic flyers on residential driveways around town.

A statement posted to the Danville Police Facebook page said "These leaflets fly in the face of our values in Danville. Our town's mission statement focuses on providing services that make people's lives better. In pursuit of that mission, we are committed to inclusivity, welcoming families, and people from all backgrounds to live, work and visit."

"We value dialogue and respectful differences of opinion. Our differences can make us stronger; however, respect is the key. We will not condone or tolerate violence, intimidation, or hate in any form. We are committed to making Danville a safe place for all where we celebrate diversity, dignity, and equality for all members of our community," the statement said.

The California Highway Patrol reported a fatal head-on crash on State Route 1 on the east side of Bodega Bay late Sunday night.

Officers responded to a 10:14 p.m. report of head-on collision just west of Bay Hill Road. No further information was immediately available.

This is a developing story and more details will be shared when they become available.

The National Weather Service forecast for the San Francisco Bay Area calls for seasonably mild and dry conditions Monday. Highs are expected in the upper 50s on the coast, the low 70s around the bay and the upper 70s in the interior valleys of the East Bay. Overnight lows will range from the upper 40s to the lower 50s.

A slight cooling trend should develop by Tuesday as a cold front passes over Northern California, bringing dry weather through Friday.

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Copyright  2022 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
A sunny start to the week in Houston will be dashed by showers Monday afternoon, some of which could bring heavy rainfall and potentially severe storms through the evening.

A weak cold front pushing through Texas on Monday will bring storms to Southeast Texas starting in the Brazos Valley in the late morning, according to meteorologists with the National Weather Service (NWS) in League City. By early afternoon, those storms should hit the Houston metro. They'll be near the coast in the late afternoon and early evening hours, meteorologists said.

Here's where NWS meteorologists think the most rain will fall:

Much of the area will see rainfall totals between 0.5 to 2 inches, but meteorologists also say some areas could see 3 to 4 inches. As the rain falls, experts urge caution when driving.

The storms have already brought record-breaking rainfall to College Station, where rain gauges recorded 2.04 inches so far todaysurpassing the daily record 2.03 inches the city received on April 25, 1948.

Heavy downpours could lead to street flooding and ponding, which runs the risk for drivers to hydroplane. Meteorologists said bayous and creeks might rise quickly as the rain moves in, but none are expected to be pushed out of their banks.

Monday's storms could also turn severe in spots, according to the NWS. Meteorologists warn of potentially damaging wind with gusts up to 60 mph, small hail and frequent lightning could sweep in with stronger storms.

The threat of heavy rainfall and severe weather lasts through the night. Although storms should be mostly out of the Greater Houston area by Tuesday morning, some showers may linger near the coast, according to meteorologists.

After the front moves through, Houston has mostly sunny skies and warm temperatures in the forecast for the rest of the week. Temperatures will rise to the mid-70s Tuesday as clouds clear out. They'll dip to the low 60s overnight. By Wednesday, skies will be mostly sunny with temperatures in the low 80s during the day and in the mid-60s overnight. Houston will be in the mid-80s during the day and mid- to upper-60s during the night until at least Sunday.

Small chances of rain are likely to return this coming weekend.
WFO BUFFALO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, April 25, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

Severe Weather Statement

National Weather Service Buffalo NY

631 PM EDT Mon Apr 25 2022

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN CATTARAUGUS AND

SOUTHWESTERN ERIE COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED...

The storm which prompted the warning has moved out of the area.

Therefore, the warning has been allowed to expire.

A new Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for southeast Erie

and northeast Cattaraugus counties.

To report severe weather, contact your nearest law enforcement

agency. They will relay your report to the National Weather Service

Buffalo.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northern Wyoming County in western New York...

Northeastern Erie County in western New York...

Northwestern Livingston County in western New York...

East central Niagara County in western New York...

Orleans County in western New York...

Genesee County in western New York...

Western Monroe County in western New York...

* Until 715 PM EDT.

* At 633 PM EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from Middleport to 6 miles southeast of Wales Center,

moving northeast at 55 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to trees and power lines.

* Locations impacted include...

Batavia, Brockport, Medina, Albion, Darien Lakes State Park, Le

Roy, Pembroke, Bennington, Attica, Alexander, Akron and Alden.

This includes Interstate 90 between exits 48A and 47.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with these storms, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO BUFFALO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, April 25, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Western Wayne County in western New York...

Northeastern Livingston County in western New York...

Northeastern Genesee County in western New York...

Monroe County in western New York...

Ontario County in western New York...

* Until 800 PM EDT.

* At 707 PM EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from near Holley to near Mount Morris, moving northeast

at 40 mph.

HAZARD...70 mph wind gusts and penny size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect considerable tree damage. Damage is likely to

mobile homes, roofs, and outbuildings.

* Locations impacted include...

Churchville, Holley, Lima, Caledonia, Rochester, Greece,

Irondequoit, Chili, Canandaigua, Brockport, Geneseo, East

Rochester, Hilton and Webster.

This includes the following highways...

Interstate 390 between exits 6 and 12.

Interstate 90 between exits 46 and 43.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with these storms, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, April 25, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Austin San Antonio has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

East central Val Verde County in south central Texas...

* Until 1000 AM CDT.

* At 855 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 11 miles east of

Comstock, moving east at 15 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Devils Shores, Devils River State Nat Area Big Satan, and Pafford

Crossing.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Large hail, damaging winds, and continuous cloud to ground lightning

are occurring with this storm. Move indoors immediately. Lightning is

one of nature's leading killers. Remember, if you can hear thunder,

you are close enough to be struck by lightning.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, April 25, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Austin San Antonio has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northwestern Val Verde County in south central Texas...

* Until 1100 AM CDT.

* At 1005 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 9 miles northeast

of Pumpville, or 18 miles north of Langtry, moving east at 25 mph.

HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail

damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect

wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* This severe thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of

northwestern Val Verde County.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Large hail, damaging winds, and continuous cloud to ground lightning

are occurring with this storm. Move indoors immediately. Lightning is

one of nature's leading killers. Remember, if you can hear thunder,

you are close enough to be struck by lightning.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, April 24, 2022

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX

748 PM CDT Sun Apr 24 2022

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southeastern Reagan

County through 830 PM CDT...

At 747 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 7

miles south of Big Lake, moving northeast at 30 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 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...

Big Lake and Reagan County Airport.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm and may lead to

localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded

roadways.

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.

LAT...LON 3108 10156 3148 10128 3147 10126 3108 10127

TIME...MOT...LOC 0047Z 216DEG 25KT 3108 10144

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN

MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 830 PM CDT

FOR NORTHERN LAMAR COUNTY...

At 747 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 10 miles south of

Goodland, or 11 miles north of Paris, moving east at 40 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to

roofs, siding, and trees.

Powderly, Arthur City.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, April 24, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Midland has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southeastern Reagan County in western Texas...

* Until 845 PM CDT.

* At 756 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Big Lake,

moving northeast at 30 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Big Lake and Reagan County Airport.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

To report severe weather, contact your nearest law enforcement

agency. They will send your report to the National Weather Service

office in Midland.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, April 24, 2022

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX

911 PM CDT Sun Apr 24 2022

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of east central Pecos

and northeastern Terrell Counties through 1000 PM CDT...

At 911 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 12

miles west of Sheffield, moving southeast at 15 mph.

HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and nickel 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...

Sheffield.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm and may lead to

localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded

roadways.

LAT...LON 3052 10168 3047 10169 3046 10170 3047 10173

3044 10172 3042 10174 3040 10170 3038 10169

3059 10212 3073 10204 3071 10181 3065 10177

3065 10170 3062 10165 3059 10166 3055 10165

TIME...MOT...LOC 0211Z 293DEG 14KT 3062 10202

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN

MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

The National Weather Service in San Angelo has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northeastern Crockett County in west central Texas...

* Until 1015 PM CDT.

* At 912 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 14 miles northeast

of Ft Lancaster, or 17 miles west of Ozona, moving east at 10 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* This severe thunderstorm will be near...

Ozona around 1015 PM CDT.

Other locations impacted by this severe thunderstorm include The

Intersection Of Us 190 And Highway 163, The Intersection Of I-10 And

Highway 290 and The Intersection Of I-10 And Highway 405.

This includes Interstate 10 between Mile Markers 341 and 372.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO SAN ANGELO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, April 25, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in San Angelo has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Central Tom Green County in west central Texas...

East central Irion County in west central Texas...

* Until 900 AM CDT.

* At 818 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Sherwood,

moving northeast at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Half dollar size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Damage to vehicles is expected.

* This severe thunderstorm will be near...

Knickerbocker around 845 AM CDT.

Tankersley around 850 AM CDT.

Other locations impacted by this severe thunderstorm include Us-

67 Near The Irion-Tom Green County Line.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather




Vietnam's total tra fish export value reached US$646 million in the first quarter of 2022. VNA/VNS Photo Total tra export value reached US$646 million in the first quarter of 2022, posting year-on-year growth of 88 per cent, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

The association said pangasius exports to mainland China and Hong Kong have increased again. In the first three months of 2022, the total export value of pangasius to those markets reached US$183.4 million, an increase of more than 163 percent over the same period last year. Of which, the export value of pangasius in March reached $97.5 million, up 119 percent. The tra export to those markets is forecast to be even more optimistic in the next quarter.

During the first three months, the pangasius exports to Malaysia also recovered after more than two years being affected by the pandemic. The total export value of frozen pangasius to this market was US$7.45 million, up 138 percent over the same period last year.

At present, Malaysia is the destination of nearly 40 Vietnamese pangasius exporting enterprises with diversified export products. Vietnam and China are still the two leading suppliers of white fish products for Malaysia. Of which, Vietnam has taken the lead, accounting for nearly 50 percent of the total import value for white fish to Malaysia.

Vietnams pangasius exports to the US market also gained growth in the first quarter of this year. The total export value of pangasius to the US reached US$160 million, up 123 percent year on year.

The local enterprises have been promoting tra exports to the US after the final result of the 17th period of review in the period on anti-dumping tax for Vietnamese tra concluded no enterprises should be imposed the tax.

It is forecast that the demand for essential goods, including food and seafood, will increase sharply, which will be a good opportunity for the businesses to export frozen pangasius to this market, according to VASEP.

Meanwhile, after many years of reduction in pangasius exports to the EU, the pangasius export value to this market jumped by 86.2 per cent year on year in the first quarter of 2022 to $46.7 million. The pangasius export value to major markets in the bloc increased sharply, including the Netherlands (86 percent), Germany (97 percent), Belgium (120 percent), and Spain (67 percent).

The high world demand for pangasius has pulled the average export price of frozen pangasius fillets to $3.4 per kilo, an increase of $0.25 compared to January 2022.

In the second quarter of this year, the pangasius exports to these major markets are forecast to continue the high growth when consumer demand is estimated to surge due to competitive pangasius prices and a shortage of cod and pollock supply from Russia.

Duong Nghia Quoc, chairman of the Vietnam Pangasius Association, said that China was a potential market for Vietnamese pangasius. This is the leading market in pangasius imports from Vietnam , followed by the US and EU markets.

Now, China has a high demand to import Vietnamese pangasius. Therefore, along with the promotion of trade relations between the two countries, it is essential to provide information about the "Zero Covid" policy and food safety and hygiene regulations of China for local businesses, according to Quoc.

For the EU, this is a traditional market. Impacts from the pandemic and many other factors made the exports to this market decrease. However, the market has recently enhanced imports again.

Therefore, there are many export opportunities for Vietnamese pangasius and also local businesses this year.

The price of commercial pangasius in the domestic market recorded an increase of 40 per cent to VND30,000 per kilo compared to the beginning of the year.

According to experts, higher prices for raw materials of fish and feed by 10-20 per cent compared to 2021 have been one of the main reasons for increases in the price of finished fish products.

In addition, the pandemic caused tra farming area to shrink, and a shortage of commercial fish for export contributed to pushing up prices.

VNA
Of the figure, the revenue from Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day was VND4.5 billion (US$196,000).

During a week, the Vietnam Book, Reading Culture Day held 14 activities along with the participation of one million visitors and around 200,000 sold books while Ho Chi Minh City Book Street attracted over 30,000 arrivals through over 20 activities to introduce publications and mini-seminars on reading culture along with around 10,500 sold books.This is the first time that the Vietnamese Book and Reading Culture Day has been held in Ho Chi Minh City. The highlight of the event is the appearance of the Smart Library booth for readers with printed books, e-books and audiobooks to bring many interactions, experiences with models of audiobooks and e-books and good solutions for digital transformation applications connected with the publishing industry Previously, in 2014, the Prime Minister decided to replace the name of the Vietnam Book Day into Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day to continue to spread love and develop habits of reading books to everyone.

By Ho Son- Translated by Huyen Huong
Page Content

With the groundbreaking enactment of a new law relating to certain transportation network companies, rideshare drivers in Washington State will soon enjoy various benefits typically associated with employee status while retaining the independence and flexibility of their independent contractor status.

On March 31, Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law Engrossed Substitute House Bill (ESHB) 2076, which provides for minimum per-trip payments, paid sick leave, and workers' compensation benefits for rideshare drivers. The law also effectively ensures that these workers will maintain their status as independent contractors and that transportation network companies will be free from the imposition of additional requirements on their businesses by local governments.

ESHB 2076 includes the following provisions:



Minimum Trip Payments Beginning Dec. 31, transportation network companies are required to ensure a driver's total compensation is "not less than" $0.34 per passenger platform minute and $1.17 per passenger platform mile or $3.00 per dispatched trip, whichever is greater. Drivers with rides in cities with populations of more than 600,000, such as Seattle, will earn at least $0.59 per passenger platform minute and $1.38 per passenger platform mile or $5.17 per trip, whichever is greater. Workers' Compensation Coverage Beginning Jan. 1, 2023, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries will assess premiums for workers' compensation coverage for rideshare drivers. Paid Sick Leave Beginning Jan. 1, 2023, drivers will accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every forty hours worked, subject to the terms set forth in Washington's paid sick leave law. This puts rideshare drivers on par with other Washington workers in terms of accruing paid sick leave. Resource Center The law creates a driver resource center to educate drivers regarding benefits available to them under the law and assist drivers who want to appeal account deactivations. Passenger fees collected by the companies will fund the resource center.



The law also protects drivers from retaliation for exercising their rights under the law. The law does not appear to cover gig economy workers outside of the passenger platforms, such as those driving for grocery delivery companies, meal delivery or other delivery service providers.

The statute provides an effective date of June 9, 2022, but as noted in the table above, several key provisions of the statute do not take effect until Dec. 31, 2022, or Jan. 1, 2023. Companies with rideshare drivers may want to be aware of these upcoming obligations and plan accordingly.

Kathryn Fletcher and Emma Healey are attorneys with Ogletree Deakins in Seattle.  2022 Ogletree Deakins. All rights reserved. Reposted with permission.
The 53-year-old has been selected for the Global Leader in Defence & Aviation Sector award category

FREMONT, CA: The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce has nominated Vivek Lall, the CEO of General Atomics Global Corporation, for the prestigious Entrepreneur Leadership Awards in recognition of his contributions to the defense sector. The 53-year-old has been chosen for the Global Leader in Defense & Aviation Sector award category. Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, India's Civil Aviation Minister, will be the Chief Guest at the ceremony where the award will be delivered.

Indo-American Vivek Lall was born in Indonesia and had his technical education at Carleton University in Canada, where he earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He also worked for Canada's National Aeronautical Establishment on single-engine blade research and received his master's degree in aeronautical engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. He worked at NASA Ames Research Center after completing his master's degree and then went to Wichita State University in Kansas to complete his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering.

Vivek Lall joined the Boeing Company in 1996 as an aerospace engineer, and in 2003, he was promoted to managing director of Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Delhi. He joined Boeing Defense Space & Security as vice president and country head for India in May 2007. Lall was elected vice president of Aeronautics Strategy and Business Development, by Lockheed Martin, an American aerospace and defense firm, in 2018. He has been the chief executive of General Atomics Global Corporation since June 2020. Lall also serves on the Board of the Center for Advancing Global Business at San Diego State University and as a senior advisor to the University of California San Diego's Center for Commerce and Diplomacy.
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When Lordes music video for Mood Ring dropped in August last year, a tongue-in-cheek take on wellness culture, eagle-eyed fans spotted a Kiwi cameo in the cast: her friend, fellow New Zealand pop star Chelsea Jade was among the green-clad flower children, fanning herself with feathers.

But Jade owes Lorde more than a screen credit. Five years ago the art school graduate was sitting on a pile of pop songs when her exasperated friend gave her an embroidered writing-robe and an ultimatum: When are you going to be a lion and put out an album?.

Home is where the art is for NZ musician Chelsea Jade. Credit:Oscar Keys

She did. And now, with her second album Soft Spot released, Jade is firmly established as a bright star in a constellation of dazzling New Zealand musicians chasing pop careers far from home.

The Cape Town-born, New Zealand-raised singer-songwriter began writing Soft Spot in Los Angeles in 2019. A return trip to New Zealand in 2021 enabled her to complete it in Auckland, supported by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA).
Theres a video trending on social media at the moment. Originally posted by TikTok user @bob.reese, it shows a montage of a coach working with a child who wants to learn how to backflip. The voice-over talks briskly through the different steps, eventually leading to the child being able to backflip by himself within a day. While this is impressive, what has struck me most about the video is the teacher. He clearly explains what happens over the course of the montage, talking about the different levels of support given across the training period depending on the stage of learning. You can see him watching carefully, breaking the backflip down, letting the child take calculated risks. Hes positive, knowledgeable and supportive. The parents and the child clearly trust his expertise  a trust that leads to a great outcome. It can be easy to ignore, or forget, that there are many, many teachers in schools who are just like that backflip coach. They are positive and passionate about their subject and their students. They are experts in their field  not just knowing the content, but with a deep understanding of child development, curriculum, and effective teaching strategies. And they work every day to support the children in their care. Despite this, there has been an erosion of trust in the professional capacity of our teachers.

Research into public schools in Queensland shows that the datafication of teaching nowadays is part of the loss of faith in teachers professional judgment, where hard evidence is increasingly required to justify teachers evaluations of student learning. Educators know that data can be useful  it tells us what students need to learn, where critical funding needs to be allocated, and how we can modify and improve our practice. But it needs to be valued alongside  not instead of  the expert knowledge and practice of the teachers in the field. Loading Imagine being in a job that requires years of tertiary level training, as well as frequent in-service training, only to be constantly told by governments and communities that you are not getting the required results, or to hear from the federal education minister that dud teachers are somehow bringing everyone down. Add the pandemic, and no wonder 84 per cent of teachers considered leaving the profession last year. The number is still likely to be high  and at a critical time, when education is still reeling from COVID-19 and students need our expert teachers the most. As we head into Term 2, I want parents and policymakers to think about what its going to take to get our students to do the academic backflips, or cartwheels, or somersaults that all teachers know they can do. We have capable, knowledgeable, passionate teachers out there in classrooms, right now. But they can only take their students so far without community trust in their expertise. Give them the space and support for them to do what they know best  teach our kids. I want to see what can be achieved when teachers are trusted to be the expert in the room. Rachel White is a lecturer in the Sydney School of Education and Social Work, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Sydney.
Fashion can be cruel. Its supposed to make us feel better, but it so often makes us feel worse, its exclusionary tactics leaving us feeling the wrong age, size, shape or race. At some point in our lives, most of us have felt as though were in some sort of abusive relationship with clothes and the brands that sell them. Yet still, we go back for more because whatever we think about fashion, we still need clothes. Clothes are who we are and who we want to be.

Which is possibly why so many people are enthralled and enraged by a new Netflix documentary, White Hot: the Rise and Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch, which reveals shocking revelations about the systemic racism, sexism and sexual abuse allegations that ran rife throughout the company as we (or our children) blithely packed our shopping baskets with its clothes. In 2002, it was forced to withdraw T-shirts depicting racist slogans such as Two Wongs Can Make It White. In 2003, it faced a class-action racial discrimination lawsuit alleging that it turned down minorities for sales positions, relegated them to stockrooms and reduced their hours. In 2015, it argued before the US Supreme Court that it was legal to deny employment to a woman with a headscarf because the religious garment violated its look policy.

Abercrombie & Fitchs shocking exclusionary practices have been revealed in a new Netflix documentary. Credit:Getty Images

Not that any of this tarnished its reputation or success. On both sides of the Atlantic, A&Fs preppy aesthetic ruled the mid-nineties and early aughts. In 1996, it had 125 stores and sales of $335 million. By 2012, it had 1000 stores and sales of $4.5 billion. How did CEO Mike Jeffries explain the brands fiendish success? We go after the cool kids, he said in an interview in 2006. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people dont belong [in our clothes], and they cant belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.

At A&F, exclusion was an art form. They blithely sold size zero clothes but refused to sell plus-size ones until 2014, when Jeffries left the company. Despite systemic racism, they didnt even appoint a diversity and inclusion officer until 2011. As one of the interviewees put it in the documentary: They have absolutely crystallised everything I hated about high school, and put it in a store. But if discrimination was its brand, what does it say about us that we shopped there?
It turns out that most of the Wests experts were looking in the wrong place. While the noisiest commentators and politicians were fixated on Taiwan, China delivered its strategic masterstroke some 6000 kilometres away in the South Pacific instead.

An attack on Taiwan would be violent and obvious. Signing a security agreement with Solomon Islands was bloodless and obscure. Most of the world has no idea that its happened at all.

Illustration: Dyson Credit:

The family of the Australian man whose vigilance helped frustrate the Japanese Imperial Armys invasion of the Solomon Islands 70 years ago certainly has noticed. And theyre very upset.

To say I am disappointed and dismayed at the decision would be an understatement, says Alexandra Clemens from her home in Melbourne. I am the daughter of Martin Clemens who valiantly stood his ground on the allies behalf alone on Guadalcanal for years before the US finally arrived in 1942.
First published in The Sydney Morning Herald on April 27, 1992

LAE, Sunday: The Prime Minister bent to the ground today to kiss a memorial to 2,000 Australians who died at Kokoda and raised that campaign to a new eminence in the pantheon of Australian heroism.

Prime Minister Paul Keating kissing the Kokoda monument. 26 April 1992. Credit:Peter Morris

Mr Keating said that although Australians bad fought in many theatres, including Gallipoli, the New Guinea campaign, was the first and only time that we fought against an enemy to prevent an invasion of Australia.

Standing in a grassy clearing that was once a Kokoda battlefield, he said there could be no deeper spiritual basis for the meaning of the Australian nation than the blood that was spilled on this very knoll, this very plateau, in defence of Australia.
As school returns for term 2 across NSW, its anything but business as usual for many students in the Northern Rivers region.

The devastating floods that hit the region in February caused mass disruptions and meant thousands of children missed weeks of in-person learning.

Living School principal John Stewart and students on a school bus used as a learning room. Credit:Natalie Grono

For many students, school will not return to normal for months, or even years, after the flood forced classes off site for the foreseeable future.

Nine public schools were significantly damaged and earmarked for rebuilding along with several Catholic and independent schools. Many more were damaged.
A man is in custody charged with threatening an Australian Federal Police officer who was travelling with Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce on a NSW highway.

Police will allege the man verbally threatened an AFP officer and adopted a fighting stance during Fridays incident, the AFP said in a statement on Monday.

A man has been charged with threatening a police officer travelling with Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce on the federal election campaign. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The alleged confrontation occurred on the New England Highway between the regional cities of Armidale and Tamworth.

A 52-year-old man was arrested at his NSW home on Sunday by officers from Operation Wilmot, established to help ensure the security of high-office holders and parliamentarians during the 2022 federal election, the AFP said.
Warning: This story contains the name and images of a deceased Indigenous person.

Its Veronica Nelsons kindness that her partner of 20 years remembers the most.

She cared about people and she cared about life, Percy Lovett says. She would help people if she saw them in the street and she always made sure you were well-off, that you had everything you needed. If you didnt have it, she would go out and get it.

Percy Lovett says his partner Veronica Nelson opened my eyes about life and showed me how to ... take notice of everything around me. Credit:Chris Hopkins

A proud Indigenous woman with a fighting spirit, 37-year-old Nelson spent her life taking care of others before she died alone on the floor of a prison cell at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre as pain from an undiagnosed medical condition ravaged her body.
It was also a reunion for Bliim and Scanlan, who were roommates when they first joined the Navy, and are now in Melbourne doing a promotion course. The best thing about the Navy is meeting people  thats what gets you through, Bliim says. Its like your own little family out there. This year was also the first Anzac Day since Australia withdrew from Afghanistan in mid-June, pulling out the last of its 80 military personnel ahead of the final US troop withdrawal in late August. This ended an almost 20-year military commitment to the war-torn country that claimed 41 Australian Defence Force members lives and seriously injured another 260.

Among them was former soldier turned paralympic champion Curtis McGrath, who was in Uruzgan province in Afghanistan 10 years ago when he stood on an improvised explosive device that destroyed both of his legs at the knees. Paralympian Curtis McGrath lost his lower legs in Afghanistan. Credit:Joe Armao A trained combat engineer and medic, he recalls directing his fellow soldiers to carry out the initial first aid that he believes saved him from bleeding to death while lying in the dust and debris that day. I dont remember the actual bang itself, but I just recall opening my eyes and being flat on my back looking up at the sky listening to dust and rocks and crap falling and looking down at where my legs used to be and the blood and the carnage down there, McGrath said. He made a promise to himself to become a Paralympian if he could, going on to win three gold medals at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, in the sport of para canoe.

McGrath was not surprised the country fell back into the hands of the Taliban but says the speed with which it happened was quite shocking to everyone. Major Brendon Parslow, who served in Afghanistan between 2008 and 2011, is proud of what the Australian Defence Force achieved. Major Brendon Parslow is proud of what Australia achieved in Afghanistan. Credit:Joe Armao We started with a challenging set of circumstances, that we had to let the Afghans shape to be their own, and we were really starting to get there while we were there, he says. Parslow said it was not for the military to decide when it withdraws from countries. You cant stay there forever. At the end of the day, they are all political decisions that need to be made, he said.

He said this years Anzac Day was important for the 30,000 ADF personnel who served in Afghanistan because their campaign was no longer running. It is special to be part of this particular group, he said. Parslow has spent the past two years as an instructor training junior officers. The pandemic meant the army, like so many other professions, had to deliver much of its training online. It was a really sharp turnaround, he said. We had to rebuild most of our systems and the way we operated, and we had to do it pretty quickly. In 2008 Luke Colquhoun was part of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, which was created in 2003 after a request for international aid by the Solomon Islands Governor-General. Luke Colquhoun with his son Spencer, who is wearing his dads old shirt. Credit:Joe Armao

The missions mandate was to address civil unrest and lawlessness, economic decline, corruption and a dramatic drop in service delivery and government administrative standards. It was rewarding; our role was to provide support to the police force basically, Colquhoun says. Colquhoun was at Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance with his wife Rebecca and baby son Spencer, who wore an outfit his mother made from his camouflage shirt. Every year Ive marched since 2003, Colquhoun says. It was a long journey to Melbourne for Pamela Amber, who attended the march while working as a commandants driver in the armed forces.

Pamela Amber hopes to be a mentor to other young Indigenous people. Credit:Joe Armao Born on a small island in the Torres Strait and raised in Cairns, Amber is a proud Panaygal woman and the first in her family to serve in the military. It was challenging to leave her family and move down south, she said. Loading Currently stationed at Simpson Barracks in Greensborough, she takes inspiration from previous generations of Indigenous servicemen and women who served in wartime. Just to be an Indigenous Australian, Im proud to serve in the military, she said.
Perths podcast boom is gathering speed, with more and more locals jumping on the bandwagon.

WTF Is It Like? is the latest, launching Tuesday.

WTF is it like? host Rebecca Winyard with a podcast guest.

Creator Rebecca Winyard said it would involve sharing prominent peoples stories, and how they achieved their success.

Rather than just speaking about how well someones doing, I want to know what struggles they went through to get there, she said.
Amid higher fuel and food costs, and the spectre of looming interest rate hikes, Australian families are busily battening down the hatches on their household budgets.

How galling it is, then, to watch the nations politicians merrily traipsing around the country maxing out the national credit card on netball courts, surf lifesaver change rooms and boondoggle infrastructure projects to buy votes in marginal electorates.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the campaign trail yesterday. Credit:James Brickwood

Its called pork-barrelling and its time we had an urgent national conversation about how to stop it.

After all, we end up picking up the tab for these dubious projects via the taxes we pay. And how much tax we pay is, of course, a key driver of our cost of living.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Labor would storm home to victory in regional Queensland if Helga Smyth decided the May 21 election. Smyth, a grandmother in Gladstone, discovered the local hospital could not give her all the treatment she needed when she was diagnosed with breast cancer nine years ago. Like other Queenslanders outside the state capital, she was told to go to Brisbane for some of the more advanced treatment because the nearby hospitals and clinics could not provide the care. If I had to see a specialist, Id have to fly down to Brisbane every time and then back home, she says. And I would have to nearly argue with them because they will provide a patient with a subsidy for you to go, but theyll argue with you all the time. And when I was diagnosed with breast cancer I was too sick to work. Concern about the health system is probably the strongest issue for Labor leader Anthony Albanese in his bid to gain a swing of 8.7 per cent against the government in Flynn. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Smyth, who could cover some of the costs with help from her son and daughter, worries about federal support for health and does not hesitate when asked who she will vote for: Im definitely a Labor supporter. Gladstone, the main population centre in the federal electorate of Flynn, knows how much wealth it produces for Australia and senses that it does not gain enough in return. The industrial powerhouse, a six-hour drive north of Brisbane, exports billions of dollars in coal, gas, wheat, chickpeas, alumina, aluminium and more. Its coal-fired power station is the biggest in the state. Locals say they cannot find a GP and are sent to nearby cities such as Rockhampton for healthcare. One calls the hospital horrific while another says it is wonderful but the message from most is that the system needs fixing.

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Concern about the health system is probably the strongest issue for Labor leader Anthony Albanese and his candidate, former Gladstone mayor Matt Burnett, in their bid to gain a swing of 8.7 per cent against the government. Their mission looks unlikely on paper but the retirement of the Nationals member, Ken ODowd, has put the seat in play. The response from Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his candidate, former state member Colin Boyce, is all about the economy  and the risk of greater ambition on climate change. Coal and gas prices are high and jobs are easy to find  to the point where employers say they cannot find workers to fill shifts. Yet the stores are quiet along the main street because so many workers can fly in from homes in Brisbane or the Sunshine Coast and stay at camps just outside Gladstone  with housing, meals and gyms  when they clock on at the LNG terminals on Curtis Island. Loading Workers do not just want good jobs with good pay. They want reliable health, education and other services to make it worth settling in Gladstone and raising families. While jobs are readily available, housing is not. Theres definitely a feeling that services need to be improved, Gladstone Engineering Alliance general manager Peter Masters says. Gladstone as a community is happy to do the heavy lifting but when you have a look at it, and you break it down, we have trouble attracting and retaining staff into the regional areas. The future depends on the speed of the transition from fossil fuels. The government has announced major spending on hydrogen projects in the hope this can replace coal and gas, but Boyce, the Liberal National Party candidate, is openly sceptical about whether hydrogen will deliver. He has not signed up to the net zero target the government has set for 2050.

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Hydrogen has got some specific problems to it that are huge in terms of turning hydrogen into industrial production  specifically, water, Boyce says. If we want industrial quantities of hydrogen, we must have industrial quantities of fresh water. At the moment there just simply is not enough fresh water to produce those industrial quantities of hydrogen. The message from Boyce is out of tune with the talk from Energy Minister Angus Taylor about investments in hydrogen as a clean fuel source, and totally at odds with Labors policy to create 604,000 jobs nationwide by using renewable power to produce hydrogen and storing it as a clean fuel. But the essence of his argument is that the transition away from coal and gas must be slow  if it happens at all. Masters, who is not aligned in the political contest, says the community knows there has to be a shift towards new energy sources. Ive seen a bit of a change in the last little while where people understand that it doesnt matter what their personal beliefs are around climate change, the fact is that government, institutions and big industries are making policies that are going that way, he says. So its going to affect them anyway. So doing nothing isnt really an option. In Biloela, one hours drive inland from Gladstone, the speed of the transition is also critical. The town is near the Callide coal-fired power station and the Banana Shire mayor, Nev Ferrier, says the transition must not be rushed.

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Were getting assured that theyre not going to close Callide B before 2028 and Callide C by 2038, so we believe were going to have time for the transition, he says. Well see how good hydrogens going to be and whether its going to be as quick as some people say. Personally, I think its going to take a bit longer to get it all up and running. They havent put a lot of thought into where the water is going to come from for hydrogen. Biloela is best known in southern states as the home of the Murugappan family of Tamil asylum seekers now in community detention in Perth. Family friends Bronwyn Dendle and Angela Fredericks believe people are changing their vote because the government wont release them. Ferrier also says the community wants Nades and Priya Murugappan and their daughters, Kopika and Tharnicaa, back in Biloela. Most want them to come home, he says. Youve got to have rules and regulations but these people are no risk to anybody. You know, those little girls are Queenslanders. On climate, meanwhile, Ferrier sounds just as happy with jobs from solar farms as from power stations, as long as there are enough. He knows iron ore billionaire Andrew Forrest has pledged $3 billion for a green hydrogen industry in the region. Were happy to have renewables here in the shire, he says. If they close Callide B in 2028 then probably 110 jobs go there. By that time we hope these wind farms might be up and going, and some of the solar farms certainly will be up and going, but they dont employ many people, of course. Its going to happen but I dont think its going to be as quick as people think. We have to make sure we dont close coal-fired power stations down too soon.

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Asked whether Labor or the Coalition has a better approach to the energy transition, Ferrier says they appear to have similar approaches to net zero emissions. He takes Labor at its word that it would not move any faster to close down coal-fired power stations. Loading Yet voters are anxious about the speed of the transition and may gravitate to a message that is more sceptical than optimistic. Voters are sceptical about the two leaders and their parties to begin with. Will these Queensland voters stick with Morrison or embrace Albanese? Sack both of them, says one woman on the main street of Gladstone. One retiree refuses to vote for any politicians. Theyre a waste of space, he says. They talk big and they never deliver. The frustration with the two major parties is a big factor in an electorate where 19.6 per cent voted for Pauline Hansons One Nation at the last election. Support for Clive Palmers United Australia Party was much weaker, at 4.25 per cent, given the anger at the billionaire when he sacked staff at his nickel refinery. The last time Labor won Flynn, in 2007, the party rode a wave of enthusiasm for Kevin Rudd, the first Queenslander to lead the federal party since the early days of federation. The result was a 7.9 per cent swing. Albanese needs an even bigger one.

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The Coalition is up to a year behind delivering almost $20 billion worth of budget promises, including recommendations from the aged care royal commission to deliver a new funding model and its efforts to boost the digital economy.

Despite almost a year of parliamentary sittings, billions of dollars worth of promises dating back to last years budget are waiting for enabling legislation so they can be put into action.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg with the 2021-22 budget. Elements of that budget, and of last years mid-year update, are yet to be passed into law. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Caught up in the delay is one of the key arguments of the election campaign around providing registered nurses in aged care facilities 24 hours a day, every day. In the final sitting days before parliament was dissolved for the election, the Coalition was unwilling to pass amended legislation that had won support in the Senate, and Labor sat on its hands ahead of a major pre-election promise.

The result is likely a delay, potentially by months, in the implementation of the measures aimed at helping those in aged care.
How did the obscure matter of transgender childrens participation in sport become an issue of national prominence upon which politicians simply must have an opinion? Just like Ernest Hemingways quip about the descent into bankruptcy, it happened two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.

First, the gradual part. As the trans lobby has become more prominent, and younger generations adopt less stringent, more liberal attitudes towards gender identity, the inclusion of trans people has become a genuine issue with which societies must grapple. It is a change, an evolution, and if you talk to anyone under the age of about 30, the loosening of gender identity is only going in one direction, and its not the way gender-conservatives would like.

Scott Morrison visits a cafe in the seat of Forde, Queensland. Credit:James Brickwood

At a community and school level, as more children and adults present as gender non-conforming, or identify as trans, educators and parents have largely worked out the issue of inclusion among themselves. This is what is lost in the political debate, and what is so cynical about the likes of Warringah Liberal candidate Katherine Deves, who insist they are simply fighting for the rights of women and girls.

Deves, Morrison, Albanese, and anyone who says girls should play against girls are effectively advocating for the exclusion of some children from sport. A most un-Australian stance, I would have thought.
Beijing: Chinas coronavirus outbreak worsened as rising cases in Beijing sparked jitters about an unprecedented lockdown of the capital, with officials racing to avert a Shanghai-style crisis thats already wrought havoc on the financial hub.

Worries that the countrys strict adherence to COVID Zero sparked a bout of panic buying as Beijing residents - fearful of being caught unprepared in the event of a citywide shutdown - rushed to stock up on supplies after the government announced mass testing plans and put some areas under lockdown.

Many grocery stores in Beijings Chaoyang district ran out of items as residents stocked up. Credit:AP

The city of more than 20 million people and the countrys political centre has sealed off dozens of residential compounds and told inhabitants of the eastern district of Chaoyang to be tested three times this week after dozens of infections were found over the weekend. Officials have warned of more cases in coming days, with Beijing city government spokesman Xu Hejian saying late on Friday that the current outbreak is complex and stealthy while vowing to take further measures to prevent its spread.

The flareup comes as Shanghai reported a record number of fatalities and imposed stricter rules to try and stamp out infections. The twin outbreaks in two of Chinas most significant cities has become an unprecedented test for President Xi Jinping, who is likely to seek a third five-year term during a Communist Party congress later this year.
London: Australians who move to Britain to live and work could be asked to pay tax on their Australian earnings if the UK Labour opposition wins government.

At present, people who move to Britain from abroad can have income earned in their home countries and abroad exempt from British tax.

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy. Credit:Getty

The arrangement is called non-dom status and is often claimed by Australians who move to Britain to live and work, either temporarily or long-term.

While they pay taxes on all income earned in Britain, the non-dom status means they can choose not to pay taxes on pre-existing savings held in Australian bank accounts as well as Australian-based income such as interest, dividends from shares and capital gains.
Most of France woke up on Monday morning with a sense of massive relief: despite the presence of the far-right party for the third time in 20 years in the run-off phase of a presidential election, French voters chose to reject populism. They elected Emmanuel Macron for a second five-year term with 58.5per cent of the vote.

Its a relief Australia should share, particularly in regard to the Pacific, a region being brought into sharper focus thanks to Chinas new security pact with Solomon Islands.

French President Emmanuel Macron thumbs up after reports of his re-election. Credit:AP

Since his first election in 2017, Macron has taken a keen interest in the Pacific, and Chinas intentions there. He put massive effort into proposing the construction of an Indo-Pacific axis to his Indian and Australian partners to curb Chinas influence. Welcoming Prime Minister Morrison to the Elysee Palace in June 2021, Macron showed his Australian counterpart incredible support in the face of emerging Chinese interference, declaring: You are at the forefront of the tensions that exist in the Indo-Pacific region, of the threats, and sometimes of the intimidation. I want to reiterate here how much we stand by your side.

President Macron understands that the French presence in the South Pacific region is a way to contain Chinas expansionary projects. Whatever one thinks about the merits of independence, the failed independence referendum last year in New Caledonia, a French territory in the South Pacific, was to Australias advantage. Having New Caledonia sitting under the French flag means reduced Chinese influence in the South Pacific. China is by far New Caledonias top export destination, and its share in the archipelagos exports is growing at an impressive pace. In 2010, China accounted for 4 per cent of New Caledonian exports; it now buys 57 per cent. New Caledonias main export is nickel, accounting for around 86 per cent of all exports, and it is sent mostly to China.
Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron enjoyed no respite on Monday as, hours after he won re-election by defeating the far rights Marine Le Pen, political opponents called on voters to deny him a parliamentary majority.

If he fails to score another victory in the June 12 and 19 parliamentary elections, the pro-European, centrist president will struggle to advance with his pro-business agenda, including unpopular plans to push back the retirement age.

Emmanuel Macron, Frances president, waves to supporters Credit:Nathan Laine/Bloomberg

Voting isnt over, the legislative elections are the third round, said Jordan Bardella, a close Le Pen ally, telling voters: Dont put all the power in Emmanuel Macrons hands.

The hard lefts Jean-Luc Melenchon, who came third - just behind Le Pen - in the April 10 first round of the election, said Macron had been elected by default.
Over the weekend, Russian forces launched new airstrikes on the steel plant in a bid to dislodge the estimated 2000 fighters. Some 1000 civilians were also sheltering in the steelworks, and the Russian military pledged to open a humanitarian corridor on Monday for them to leave. The Russian offer was met with scepticism by Ukraine. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on the Telegram messaging app that Ukraine does not consider the route safe and added that Russia had breached agreements on similar evacuation routes before. She called on the United Nations to oversee an evacuation. Loading Mariupol has endured fierce fighting since the start of the war because of its strategic location on the Sea of Azov. In addition to freeing up Russian troops, its capture would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014. On Monday, Russia focused its firepower elsewhere, with missiles and war planes striking far behind the front lines, in an apparent bid to slow the movement of Ukrainian supplies toward the east and disrupt the flow of fuel needed by the countrys forces.

Oleksandr Kamyshin, the head of the state-run Ukrainian Railways, said five railway facilities in central and western Ukraine were hit early on Monday. That included a missile attack near the western city of Lviv. Ukrainian authorities said that at least five people were killed by Russian strikes in the central Vynnytsia region. A building heavily damaged by multiple Russian bombardments stands near a frontline in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Credit:AP Russia also destroyed an oil refinery in Kremenchuk in central Ukraine, along with fuel depots there, Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said. In all, Russian warplanes destroyed 56 Ukrainian targets overnight, he said. In Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova, several explosions believed to be caused by rocket-propelled grenades hit the Ministry of State Security. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and no injuries were immediately reported.

Transnistria is a strip of land with about 470,000 people along the Ukrainian border. Russia has about 1500 troops based there. Last week, Rustam Minnekayev, a Russian military commander, said the Kremlin wants full control of southern Ukraine, which he said would open the way to Transnistria. Loading Phillips P. OBrien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews, said the war is, for now, settling into a campaign of incremental battlefield losses and gains. The two sides are sort of every day weakening each other, he said. So its a question of what can you bring in thats new and what can you destroy on the other side. Meanwhile, a major fire erupted early on Monday at an oil depot in a Russian city about 100 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, Russias Emergencies Ministry said. No cause was given for the blaze. Photos showed a huge, churning plume of thick smoke.

The oil depot in Bryansk is owned by a subsidiary of the Russian state company Transneft, which operates the Druzhba pipeline that carries crude west to other European countries. The ministry said the blaze damaged a depot containing diesel fuel. It said the region has enough diesel for 15 days. Mariupol It wasnt clear if the depot was part of the pipeline infrastructure, but Polish pipelines operator PERN said deliveries to Poland have not been affected. A Russian news report said another oil storage facility in Bryansk also caught fire early on Monday.

Last month, Russia charged that two Ukrainian helicopter gunships hit an oil depot in Russias Belgorod region, close to the Ukrainian border. Ukraines foreign minister on Monday urged the UN chief to press Russia for an evacuation of the besieged port of Mariupol, calling it something the world body is capable of achieving. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview he was concerned that by visiting Moscow on Tuesday before travelling to Kyiv, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres could be vulnerable to falling into a Kremlin trap in the war. Many other foreign officials were trapped visiting Moscow and played around just to show the supremacy of Russian diplomacy and how great they are and how they dictate [to] the world how to behave, he said. Guterres should focus primarily on one issue: evacuation of Mariupol, Kuleba said, referring to the the seaside city where an estimated 100,000 people are trapped while a contingent of Ukrainian fighters hold out against Russian forces in a steel mill where hundreds of civilians also are taking shelter.

This is really something that the UN is capable to do. And if he demonstrates political will, character and integrity, I hope that will allow us to make one step forward, he said. US aid In a bold visit to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, the American secretaries of state and defence said Washington had approved a $US165 million ($229 million) sale of ammunition  non-US ammo, mainly if not entirely to fit Ukraines Soviet-era weapons  along with more than $US300 million in financing to buy more supplies. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday after the meeting that the Wests united support for Ukraine and pressure on Moscow are having real results. When it comes to Russias war aims, Russia is failing. Ukraine is succeeding, he added.
But without automated signalling, trains were forced to slow to a crawl and the number of them on the tracks at any one time would have been severely restricted, she said. Loading Given the Russian reliance on trains, Im sure it contributed to some of the problems they had in the north. It would have slowed down their ability to move, she said. They couldnt push further into Ukrainian territory and snarled their supply lines because they had to rely on trucks. The attacks also bought time for Ukrainian troops to formulate an effective response to the Russian invasion, said Yury Ravavoi, a Belarusian activist and trade unionist who escaped to Poland under threat of arrest during the anti-government protests that rocked Belarus in 2020. I cant say we were the most important factor, but we were an important brick in the wall, he said.

The saboteurs drew inspiration from an earlier episode in Belarusian history, during World War II, when Belarusians opposed to the Nazi occupation blew up railway lines and train stations to disrupt German supply lines. The Rail War, as it is known, is venerated as a moment of triumph for Belarus, taught in schools as the most successful of the tactics deployed by resistance fighters that eased the way for Soviet troops to drive the Germans out. Saboteurs helped slow then stop completely the 64 km-long convoy of Russian vehicles travelling to Kyiv. Credit:Maxar Technologies/AP Eight decades later, it is Russias presence in Belarus that has stirred dissent. The deployment of tens of thousands of Russian troops in Belarus in preparation for the invasion of Ukraine triggered widespread domestic opposition and rekindled opposition networks formed during the 2020 protests against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, said Hanna Liubakova, a Belarusian journalist living in exile in Lithuania. This second Rail War has taken a more benign form than its predecessor. The partisans were keen not to inflict casualties, Ravavoi said. So they focused their attacks on damaging equipment to stop the railways from functioning. We didnt want to kill any Russian army or Belarusian train drivers. We used a peaceful way to stop them, he said.

He and other Belarusians involved in organising the attacks decline to reveal precise details of how the attacks were carried out and by whom, citing the need for secrecy and concerns for the safety of the railway partisans, as the saboteurs are loosely known. Three main groups have been involved, representing railway workers, security force defectors and cyber specialists, said Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Azarov, a former security official living in Warsaw who heads the security force group called Bypol. Railway employees sympathetic to the partisans have leaked details of Russian movements and the locations of key railway infrastructure to a group called the Community of Railway Workers, which shares them on Telegram channels. Supporters on the ground link up to carry out the attacks, but there is no formal chain of command, Azarov said. Our movement is not centralised, he said. Its not like theres a leader of the resistance. Its horizontal, with dozens of groups working on the ground. The third group, the Cyber Partisans, is formed of exiled Belarusian IT professionals who have carried out several cyberattacks on the Belarusian government since joining in 2020.

The Cyber Partisans launched the first attack, hacking into the railways computer network in the days leading up to the invasion and snarling rail traffic before Russian troops had even crossed the border. Infiltrating the railway networks computers was relatively easy, said Yuliana Shemetovets, a spokesperson for the group, which is based in New York because the railway company is still using Windows XP, an outdated version of the software that contains many vulnerabilities. Starting on February 26, two days after the invasion began, a succession of five sabotage attacks against signalling cabinets brought train traffic to an almost complete halt, said Sergey Voitekhovich, a former railway employee now based in Poland who is a leader in the Community of Railway Workers. By February 28, satellite photographs began to appear of the 64 km convoy of Russian trucks and tanks ostensibly headed from Belarus toward Kyiv. Within a week, the convoy had completely stalled as vehicles ran out of fuel or broke down. The Belarusian authorities have since launched an intense effort to prevent attacks and hunt down the saboteurs. The Interior Ministry has decreed that damaging railway infrastructure is an act of terrorism, a crime that carries a 20-year prison term. Dozens of railway workers have been randomly detained and their phones searched for evidence that they were in touch with the partisans, the activists say. At least 11 Belarusians are in custody, accused of participating in the attacks, according to human rights groups.

In early April, security police captured three alleged saboteurs near the town of Bobruisk and shot them in the knees. State television broadcast footage of the bleeding men, their knees bandaged, and claimed they had been shot while resisting arrest. The shootings have had a chilling effect on the saboteur network, Azarov said. Belarusian troops are patrolling and drones have been deployed to monitor the railway lines. It has become too dangerous to do attacks, he said. But by the time of the police shooting, Russias withdrawal from the area around Kyiv was in full swing and the Kremlin had announced it would refocus its military effort on capturing the east of Ukraine. The majority of the Russian troops that entered Ukraine from Belarus are now in the process of being redeployed to the east, the Pentagon says. We believe the fact that the Russians gave up on taking Kyiv is a result of our work because the Russians didnt feel as safe in Belarus as they had expected, said Franak Viacorka, spokesman for Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. Thousands of Russian troops didnt receive food, they didnt receive fuel, and they didnt receive equipment on time. Now, a new phase in the rail war may be underway. In recent days the railway activists have posted on Telegram photographs of damage to signalling cabinets along Russian railway lines being used to transport troops into eastern Ukraine.
I intend quitting field works this year but likely to continue working from a home office while my men in the USA do all the field operations. Hence the reason why my company is still based in the US rather than in NZ  almost all my skilled engineers lived in the States. He said he wanted to spend the rest of his life enjoying the fruit of my labor. The Tinder swindlers used several photos of this man, who they said was Dale Plumides. It is not known whose photo the real scammers used. I want a woman who would be my best friend and partner in everything. Im talking about a relationship where we would continue to love each other more, as the days pass by, till we cant make love anymore and all we do is play bingo LOL. He sent a photo apparently of himself with his 17-year-old son.

Joanne replied, giving some of her background, and mentioned she was painting her rental property, which she was putting on the market. Plumides said he had been in Dubai for the past six weeks working on a bridge building project which was nearly completed; that he should be back in New Zealand within five weeks. Your prince charming He wrote, I dont need a super model, I rather need a very good friend who knows when I am tensed just by looking into my eyes lol a super woman. The whole world may be mad at me, but if she is smiling at me, I would care less. He referred to himself as Joannes prince charming, and called her his sugarpie and my ballerina lady. Joanne replied, You had so better be real.

Plumides said he believed the internet was the best and also the worst way to meet people. Best in the sense that, if two people meet and are as open as a book with each other with no lies, I promise it can never fail. The worst in the sense that if these two meet and there is even a single atom of lie in between, there comes disappointments, which is like a small stone that can bring down a big wall. I wouldnt ever lie for anything!! My mother brought up a better man than that LOL. The couple spoke on the phone multiple times a day. Plumides, who had an American accent, said he was unable to talk on Skype due to the laws in Dubai. The money

Tragedy appeared to strike on August 30, when Plumides emailed Joanne to say that four staff members had suffered serious injuries at work, delaying his return to NZ. He asked Joanne if she could contribute $NZ1000 ($918) for the injured workers. She sold some possessions and said yes. Joanne, lost $NZ540,000 ($500,000) to scammers going by the name of Dale Plumides, whom she met on Tinder. Credit:Mark Taylor/Stuff The pair continued talking on the phone, planning their lives in Auckland. Joanne shopped for her soon-to-be son-in-law, and helped with his application to the University of Auckland. On September 20, Plumides emailed that he was handing over the project he was working on and would be leaving the following week. He also sent her a fake news video showing a woman purporting to be a journalist discussing the Shindagha Bridge in Dubai, saying the construction was carried out by his construction company.

He said he could not wait to spend the rest of his life with Joanne. I love you with all my heart! Never thought you could ever feel the way I feel about someone youve never met but I do ... You are my everything and I will do anything for you, just name it. The Tinder swindlers used several photos of this man, who they said was Dale Plumides. It is not known whose photo the real scammers used. He said his Dubai project would pay him $NZ9 million, but he was worried about hackers and did not want to keep his money in Dubai. He wanted Joanne to log in to his bank account and transfer the money to one of his colleagues.

Uncomfortable, Joanne initially said no. When she relented, and logged in, she could see $NZ9 million in his bank account, with a list of other transactions. There was also a message from the bank saying his account was frozen due to unpaid taxes. He said he needed to pay a percentage of taxes for the job he was doing in Dubai for the money to be released. He wanted Joanne to pay some of it. About a week later, they spoke on the phone about this. Joanne ended up hanging up, upset. She then emailed, apologising, but reiterated she did not have any money until her property sold. The huge pressure you keep putting on me to get money for you to get you out of the situation that you put yourself into is dam unfair, she wrote.

I hope you find a way back to nz for you and your family. I doubt I will hear from you again good luck. Plumides called her a liar and cruel person. This will be the last time youd ever hear from me. Joanne blocked him, but he tracked her down at work. He said he had been under a huge amount of stress and was sorry.

But, he still needed financial help. Joanne did not want to send money overseas. But Plumides had a back-up plan. A friend in New Zealand had an account with Kiwibank that she could transfer the money to. She got an overdraft and agreed to send three payments totalling $NZ22,000 to help cover his tax debts. Hed sent legitimate-looking screenshots of the money he allegedly owed. The bank also confirmed to Joanne it was common for accounts to be frozen for tax debts. Dale Plumides sent copies to his romance scam victim Joanne of what he claimed showed his tax debt. He said that, in 48 hours, the money would clear and he could repay her.

But a month later, the account was apparently still frozen and Plumides said the IRS claimed he owed further taxes. Joanne had sold her rental home  the proceeds were intended for her child  and agreed to pay the money directly to the IRS. Plumides said that was too complicated. Eventually, she agreed to transfer $NZ228,000. In January 2022, Joanne reminded Plumides he owed her $NZ253,000, and asked for a copy of the payment to give to her accountant. He promised to repay her, and apologised. He later called her and said his accounts were still on hold and there were more taxes. He now needed a further $NZ290,000.

Im like are you f---ing kidding me? Seriously. This is your shit. You need to sort it out. Joanne by now had been made redundant. Nonetheless, she relented. Please, please make sure this is it before paying as we will lose our home otherwise. Plumides said all would be well. He was 100 per cent positive this time around. The death

Meanwhile, Joanne had been buying items for Plumides son, Nathan, who was flying to Auckland for university, supposedly on March 9. However, the trip was delayed when Plumides informed Joanne the teen had been hospitalised with COVID-19. Then, out of the blue, Plumides called with shocking news. He said his son had died, and obviously he was in hysterics and said he didnt see any point in living any more, and he just hung up. Joanne struggled to contact him again.

On April 1, she contacted private investigator John Borland to say she was worried about her partner who was overseas and wanted to see if he could help track him down, as he had talked about killing himself. She emailed Plumides telling him she had hired a PI. He replied shortly after. Private investigator John Borland believes multiple people are behind the online dating scam. Sorry for not responding sooner, Ive been busy with the funeral and all. Nathan will be finally laid to rest next week, hes been embalmed since. Ill get back to you after everything is sorted, he wrote. Miss you and love you.

It was his final communication. It was so convincing When Borland told Joanne it was all a scam, she felt sick. I looked up online are you being scammed and you just go down the 10 points its like yes, yes, yes  I can tick off every single one of them  It had been 10 months. It was phone calls three times a day and ongoing emails and plans to go on holiday and making plans so that the kids had trusts going forward ... We looked at houses  he was calling me his wife. It was so convincing.

She cries. Its my whole life savings. Ive worked two jobs the whole of my life. Im a single parent. I kept saying to him, I cant do this, if I do this Im going to lose our home, and hes like, Well why would I put us in a situation where were going to lose our own home? It was just a manipulation which I cant really describe. It just seems so stupid. Shes re-read the emails dozens of times asking herself where she went wrong. She points to the argument in September as when she should have stopped, and gone to the police. I just wanted my money back ... and I kept getting told it will be 48 hours.

Embarrassed, she has not told anyone. Shes also hoping, while knowing how unlikely it is, that the money might be returned. Joanne contacted the police on April 7. Too embarrassed to go into a police station, she filled out a form online. The Search for Dale Plumides Stuff attempted to track down Plumides. His LinkedIn account no longer exists, no one responded from his work email, and his mobile phone numbers are disconnected.

A number on his website went to someone in Big Bear Lake, California, who said they did not know him. Joanne confirmed the mans voice did not match his. The United States Securities and Exchange Commissions company register did not reveal any proof his company ever existed. As for the Shindagha Bridge, another company, Six Construct, had been appointed as the infrastructure contractor. A spokesperson for Dubais Roads and Transport Authority confirmed it couldnt find any record of Plumides or his company. Its registered address belongs to a restaurant and brewhouse renowned for its award-winning handcrafted beer. Borland, a former detective senior constable in the Queensland Police Service who also worked in the Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism Unit, has worked on multiple relationship fraud cases internationally.

The news video instantly concerned him. Alarm bells started ringing  I could tell it was fake straight away, he said. Quickly he realised there were no records for Dale Plumides. He doesnt have any involvement in the construction company, as he said. Once you look and you find Sheperd Construction it basically talks about residential builds, nowhere near anything to the scale of engineering multimillion-dollar bridges. Identifying the owner of the Kiwibank account was key to trying to track down who was behind the operation.

I think it is an international, with connections locally here. So theres no standalone offender, theres multiple offenders, a pseudo-ring. Theres been lengthy communications and multiple parties involved in it. Its quite obvious that its just not one person  its on too large a scale and I think the volume defrauded is too high. Those responsible knew what they were doing. If you look at the profile thats been used  you think success, well-manicured, middle-aged  its the full-corporate look and to a victim thats fallen on hard times, has gone through some traumatic events, thats going to be like a lifeline. Joanne is by no means alone. Borland often gets calls about romance scams, and is working on similar cases.

In this instance if you had done your due diligence you wouldve been able to identify some risk in terms of legitimacy, but at the same time if youre falling in love with someone youre going to look to turn a blind eye to it. Thats human nature. Ive got a lot of empathy for people defrauded in these kinds of ways. Their overall goal is to find love. Police confirmed they had received a complaint from Joanne. However, on Saturday, Joanne received an email from a police officer to say that, due to the nature of the transactions, there were no lines of inquiry available to police. Unfortunately, many of these types of transactions involve banks in countries where there is little or no ability for international police forces to investigate.

However, the international banking community is better placed in the first instance to follow this up. Joannes case was closed, and would be held by police pending any additional information. A Kiwibank spokesperson said it was investigating, but declined to comment further, citing privacy. Since COVID-19, the bank had seen an increase in romance and remote access scams with more people being connected to their devices. Kiwibank has partnered with IDCARE  an Australia and New Zealand support service that advises on how to respond to data breaches, scams, identity theft and cybersecurity concerns.

Joanne also complained to Tinder. On April 8, it said it took the safety of users extremely seriously. For privacy reasons, we cannot disclose the outcome of this investigation. However, please know that your report was evaluated, and has been actioned in accordance with our policies. A Tinder spokesperson told Stuff it thanked Joanne for coming forward. We have a zero tolerance policy for this type of behaviour and are constantly investing in ways to keep members safe while theyre using Tinder  including a robust suite of safety features and in-app safety education, fraud detection technology, and working directly with law enforcement when needed. Scams and frauds are the enemy of genuine connection, and exposing these offences makes our entire community stronger.

New Zealand cybersecurity agency Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERT) senior threat analyst, Sam Leggett, said romance scams were commonplace on social media or dating apps and websites. We want to be clear that no one should ever be embarrassed about being taken in. The scammers are very sophisticated, and their techniques closely mirror legitimate connections. Leggett inspected the purported bank website Plumides sent Joanne. The link he sent was allegianceb.com. The genuine banks URL is allegiancebank.com. Leggett was pretty certain the link was a phishing site  one of the most sophisticated dating scams Ive seen  set up for romance scams. The site was hosted by a small British company, and had been registered last year.

Someone has put some time and effort into this. Red flags for romance scams included matches asking for financial details or wanting to move off the original platform to another, such as WhatsApp. A Westpac spokesperson confirmed Joanne contacted the bank, concerned about money she had transferred to another person. Westpacs financial crime team was investigating. Becoming a victim of a scam is upsetting, especially when it involves someone you trust, and we sympathise with [Joanne] during this stressful time. Scams have become increasingly sophisticated, and we recommend customers contact us as soon as possible if they suspect they have been scammed.

New Zealand banking ombudsman Nicola Sladden said she was seeing a concerning rise in fraud and scam complaints. There were a few scam types where customers were tricked into sending their own money to a scammer  such as online purchase scams, investment scams and romance scams, she said. The sending bank was unlikely to be liable where a person instructs it to send money to a scammer. It is the customers responsibility to ensure the legitimacy of the person they are sending funds to. But banks may be liable if they fail to detect warning signs of a scam. She expected banks to take reasonable steps to identify and act on red flags such as a customer being evasive or unwilling to provide information about the purpose of a transaction, or where their description of the purpose had a hallmark of a scam.

In many cases the funds are sent to overseas banks, but sometimes they are transferred to another New Zealand bank account. She expected the New Zealand recipient bank to co-operate with the sending banks attempts to recover the funds once the sender has realised the scam. But unfortunately recovery is often not possible. Recipient banks are not usually able to share information about the recipient of the funds with scam victims due to the duty of confidence they owe to their customer. The New Zealand Police may be the more appropriate forum for victims to raise concerns about the actions of the person who received the money. Im never going to go on Tinder again Aside from the financial loss, Joannes mental health is suffering. She has barely slept, has trouble eating and has panic attacks.

Obviously Im never going to go on Tinder again, am I? I guess Im meant to be on my own. Ive lost everything and I dont know how to tell my child. Shes angry at herself and feels guilty for letting her family down. I just think its cruel what hes done  he knew I needed that money for a specific thing, to not let down my child. You shouldve taken the 30k and run. Its just cruel to keep leading someone on and then calling them your wife and you know saying we were going to get married  were going to mix both families together. She does not know what she would say if she could stand face-to-face with whoever is responsible.
PHILIPSBURG:--The Community Outreach Mentorship and Empowerment Center, better known as C.O.M.E Center, hosted its first annual Senior Citizens talent showdown at the Cultural Center on Friday, April 22, 2022. The lively event was part of the 10-year anniversary celebrations of the community center located on the Long Wall road. The talent showdown drew an audience ranging from seniors to young adults, to children. This event was one of the C.O.M.E Center's lists of fundraising activities that will be held in upcoming months, to assist in financing its many community outreach initiatives.

The night featured performances in three categories: dance, modeling, and signing. The mistress of ceremonies, Ms. Dorothy 'Rosa' Richardson, provided roaring laughter to the audience with her comedic stand-up and skits. Among the participants in the modeling category were Vera Gumbs, Lena Arrindell, Iris Philips, and Joan Scotland. The ladies wowed the crowd with their casual and formal wear, and exquisite gala gowns provided by New Birth Clothing Store owned by Hyacinth Prince. After much deliberation, Ms. Iris Phillips has been crowned the winner of the modeling category.

In the singing category, there was a tight count among Elsa Thomas, Earlene Groeneveldt, and Jessie Burton, who enamored the crowd with popular gospel songs and 50s classics. Winning the awe of the crowd and judges was Jessie Burton who shared her testimony of recently surviving a stroke. Special highlights of the evening were a liturgical dance performed by Idamise Schoop, followed by Vera Gumbs who spiced the crowd with her Tumba recital and cultural wear.

President and founder of the C.O.M.E Center, Marva Sam-Arrindell was elated with the turnout and support for the island's seniors and encouraged everyone to pledge and support the Center's upcoming events and ongoing programs. Along with her husband and co-founder, Apostle Leyland Sam, they presented awards to the two Senior Citizens in Action coordinators who with much dedication and commitment maintained the program during the 10 years. They thanked Mrs. Sandra Mercelina, the coordinator from 2012 to 2016, and Ms. Marcia Arrindell, who took over the role from 2016 to the present, as well as Patricia Flanders, the coordinator of Home Away from Home, another foundation catering to the needs of our elderly citizens.

Funds raised for the C.O.M.E Center will go towards sustaining its senior program, literacy and numeracy programs, as well as the recently launched H.O.P.E community. C.O.M.E. Center takes this opportunity to thank all of its donors who over the years made it possible to achieve its goals of assisting in meeting the needs of the most vulnerable members in the community. Among these are The St. Maarten Development Fund (SMDF), Samenwerkendefondsen, American University of the Caribbean (AUC), Cost-U-Less, the Netherlands Red Cross, SXM DOET, and other organizations such as K1-Brittania and Freegan Foundation. Finally, we want to thank our dedicated staff and volunteers who provide the best services to our clients.

For those who wish to assist and or partner with the C.O.M.E Center, you can email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or contact us at 520-7267.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Twelve enthusiastic new customs officers of the Class of 2022 took their oath in the presence of Honorable Minister of Justice Anna E. Richardson at a symbolic ceremony held on Friday, April 22, at the Government Administration Building. This is the first group of cadets to complete their training course carried out by the customs department on the directives of Minister Richardson.

Deputy Prime Minister Egbert Doran, Customs St. Maarten Management Team, Department Heads within the Ministry of Justice, Chief Prosecutor Hieke Buist, fellow colleagues, relatives, and friends of the cadets were present to witness the momentous occasion. The ceremony began with the cadets marching from Postal Services St. Maarten towards the entrance of the Government Administration Building where they were then inspected by Deputy Prime Minister Doran and Minister Richardson.

Deputy Prime Minister Egbert Doran stated, I am very proud of the 12 cadets who have all dedicated their time to undergo training in pursuit of a law enforcement career. Our country needs and appreciates the contributions these newly sworn-in customs officers will make in protecting our borders. I encourage them to continue striving for excellence as they now serve as role models within our community.

During the ceremony, Minister Richardson addressed the cadets expressing her profound gratitude for their decision to join the Justice Chain in the interest of safeguarding the country from harmful goods, drugs, or weapons intended to enter the border. You have a challenging journey ahead which you have been duly prepared for. Challenges where your integrity and call for duty will be greatly tested. Nonetheless, I encourage you to never stop learning and to lean on each other and your management team during challenging times, as it is only a matter of working together that we become stronger in moving this country forward, stated Minister Richardson.

Customs St. Maarten Management Team Member, Mr. Franklin Bernadina expressed that this was the first time the Customs Department had done its own recruitment and organized and executed its own training from start to finish. He stated, We have had much help along the way. Minister Richardson stepped in and gave us the go-ahead to do the customs training in-house with a deadline set for March 2022 which was met. We were committed to succeed as we gave our word to the Minister and failure was not an option.

After recounting the days of training experienced by the cadets, he encouraged the cadets to reflect on the words of the oath they would be taking and told them that if they abide by them, their integrity would never be questioned. During your journey as a customs officer, you will feel overwhelmed at times, things may not go as you would expect, but you must keep moving. Commit to achieving excellence in all that you do and never settle, Mr. Bernadina stated as he addressed the cadets.

After the oath was read by Mr. Bernadina, the 12 cadets were presented with their certificates and thereafter sworn in as Customs Officers and civil servants within the Government of St. Maarten by Minister Richardson.

I am more than elated that this is the first group of customs officers to have been part of a graduation ceremony that will be repeated for the next batch of cadets to undergo the customs training lasting six months. As such, I take this time to thank key persons who were instrumental in seeing this training through including Mr. Otto de Vries of Customs The Netherlands, Customs St. Maarten Management Team, Head of the St. Maarten Caribbean Coast Guard substation Mr. Roberto Levenstone, Chief of Police Carl John, Police Inspector Sharlon Cathalina, and the families of the newly sworn-in customs officers.

Over the past two years, Customs St. Maarten has been strengthened with the addition of new vehicles, x-ray scanning equipment, and the procurement of software to collect much-needed data on the import and transport of goods. The department, now consisting of a total staff of 44 officers, including office personnel, will be embarking on delivering refresher courses throughout the year as needed to ensure that all customs officers remain up to date on their training.
PHILIPSBURG:--- In the month of April, the Integrity Chamber provided information sessions to the Voluntary Korps Sint Maarten (VKS) on the importance of integrity in a law enforcement organization. The information was presented by Integrity Chamber members Hans Lodder and Rafael Boasman, with the assistance of communication officer Kevin James.

In light of the recent class of graduates in December 2021, the VKS requested information sessions for the professional development of their officers. The Integrity Chamber applauds the VKS for recognizing the importance of upholding integrity within the organization.

The presentations included information about the tasks and working methods of the Integrity Chamber, values of integrity in the workplace, and various aspects of integrity that were specific to the context of law enforcement. The officers were encouraged to be mindful of their actions as role models in the community. Tips were also provided on how to maintain integrity within the organization.

The Integrity Chamber was pleased to foster a connection with the VKS through Mr. Lodder, a military veteran, and Mr. Boasman, a former Minister of Justice. The sessions were interactive, allowing the participants to ask questions and share opinions.

The Integrity Chamber appreciates the opportunity to discuss integrity with members of the community and looks forward to future collaborations. For more information about the Integrity Chamber, visit the website at www.integritychamber.sx.
BONAIRE:--- The first week of April, the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance hosted a sea urchin (Diadema Antillarum) restoration workshop on Saba. This workshop was led by the University of Applied Sciences Van Hall Larenstein (VHL). During the workshop experts and representatives from the Dutch Caribbean and Jamaica came together to join forces toward coral reef restoration. This workshop helped 21 coral experts from the Caribbean region and more than 65 online attendants, to obtain a comprehensive view of the overall situation of the Diadema sea urchin in the Caribbean, including the current die-off events and restoration techniques. Important discussions have taken place to determine the next steps needed to mitigate the loss of Diadema sea urchins on a regional scale.

Coral Reef Restoration

Coral reef restoration methods are showing promising results in supporting regional efforts for restoring degraded coral reefs in the Dutch Caribbean. Coral reef restoration in the Dutch Caribbean has focused heavily on corals. This workshop was built upon research and innovation that introduces the restoration of the important algae grazer: Long-spined Sea urchins (scientific name Diadema antillarum).

Diadema sea urchins

Diadema sea urchins play a critical role in maintaining healthy coral reefs, which are essential for coastal protection and a crucial source of income for people in the Dutch Caribbean as they are a magnet for tourism. Diadema sea urchins help sustain the delicate balance within the reef by grazing on algae, which are the main competitors of corals. In the mid-1980s, a disease swept through the Caribbean, wiping out nearly the entire sea urchin population. In mid-February 2022, reports started getting in about new extensive die-offs in the Caribbean region. By restoring Diadema sea urchins alongside corals and solving local threats such as wastewater issues, corals will have a higher chance of survival.

Workshop outcomes



In the RAAK Pro Diadema project, VHL works closely together with other research institutes and local partners to restore long-spined sea urchin populations on the coral reefs around Saba and St. Eustatius. This project is showing promising results. The lead researchers Alwin Hylkema and Tom Wijers shared their impressive tools, techniques, and latest scientific findings to facilitate the restoration of Diadema in the Wider Caribbean region during the DCNA workshop.

Several topics were discussed, including the status of these reduced Diadema sea-urchins, recent Diadema die-off events, and Diadema restoration techniques. The participants also received hands-on training sessions, to improve practical skills related to Diadema restoration. Besides the 21 participants present on Saba, over 65 people followed the open presentations online.

Multi-island project

During the workshop, there was an intense dialogue between the Caribbean islands. Important partnerships have been established and knowledge and capacity gaps identified which need to be solved to restore the Diadema sea urchins in the Dutch Caribbean. VHL, DCNA, and the organizations present are now looking into the possibility of set-up a multi-island Diadema restoration project to accomplish a common goal: Restoring one of the most important and damaged marine ecosystems, the coral reefs.

This workshop was generously funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) as a support to the Nature and Environmental Policy Plan for the BES-islands, the Dutch Postcode Lottery, and SIA, part of the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

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If you would like to learn more about the Diadema workshop and DCNAs activities, follow DCNA through their free digital newsletter BioNews (https://dcnanature.org/news/), Facebook (Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance), or Instagram (DCNAnature). For more information about the RAAK PRO Diadema project follow https://www.facebook.com/reefrestorationVHL/ or contact project leader This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Those who believe in a rising gold price buy gold shares

Now gold mining companies just need to increase their reserves and attract new investors through mergers and acquisitions. In any case, dividend payments are a nice plus for investors. Whereas the prospects of success and the quality of the projects are certainly more important. Easily accessible gold has certainly been discovered today. Finding new precious metal deposits has thus become more difficult and more expensive. Companies that have growth are likely to be particularly popular with investors.

Of interest to investors could be OceanaGold, an established gold producer. The mines are located in the Philippines, New Zealand and the USA. Currently, OceanaGold  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYhTVvVWDi4  could close an important deal with environmentalists. Because then the historic Haile gold mine in the U.S. can be expanded more easily from 4,500 acres to nearly 5,400 acres. And that could generate many dollars in additional revenue. Gold mining stocks are always a useful addition to a portfolio. Gold can protect its investors\- wealth. That\-s because the crushing global debt burden is likely to weaken major fiat currencies, such as the U.S. dollar. Historically, gold prices have risen as U.S. government debt has risen. A look at the HUI gold mining index shows that gold mining stocks are showing strength even as the price of gold is trending somewhat lower. This is because currently gold mining stocks are still cheap and often still very undervalued given the gold price. So they can outperform the gold price itself. Perhaps Victoria Gold  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfNmop_SVu0  after all the leading gold producer in the Yukon, would be an option for investors. The company owns the large Dublin Gulch property there with the Olive and Eagle gold projects. Eagle is already producing gold.

Current corporate information and press releases from OceanaGold (https://www.resource-capital.ch/de/unternehmen/oceanagold-corp/ ) and Victoria Gold (https://www.resource-capital.ch/de/unternehmen/victoria-gold-corp/ ).

In accordance with A34 of the German Securities Trading Act (WpHG), I would like to point out that partners, authors and employees may hold shares in the respective companies addressed and that there is therefore a possible conflict of interest. No guarantee for the translation into German. Only the English version of this news is valid.

Disclaimer: The information provided does not constitute any form of recommendation or advice. Express reference is made to the risks involved in securities trading. No liability can be accepted for any damages arising from the use of this blog. I would like to point out that shares and especially warrant investments are generally associated with risk. The total loss of the invested capital cannot be excluded. All information and sources are carefully researched. However, no guarantee is given for the correctness of all contents. Despite the greatest care, I expressly reserve the right to make a mistake, especially with regard to figures and prices. The information contained is taken from sources that are considered reliable, but in no way claim to be correct or complete. Due to judicial decisions the contents of linked external pages are to be answered for (so among other things regional court Hamburg, in the judgement of 12.05.1998  312 O 85/98), as long as no explicit dissociation from these takes place. Despite careful control of the contents, I do not assume any liability for the contents of linked external pages. The respective operators are exclusively responsible for their content. The

disclaimer of Swiss Resource Capital AG applies additionally: https://www.resource-capital.ch/de/disclaimer-agb/.
IsoEnergy Provides Winter Exploration Update

IsoEnergy Ltd. (aIsoEnergya or the aCompanya) (TSXV: ISO; OTCQX: ISENF  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/isoenergy-ltd/ ) is pleased to provide an update on winter 2022 exploration activities on the 100% owned Larocque East, Geiger, Hawk and Ranger projects in the eastern Athabasca Basin (Figure 1). Larocque East hosts the Hurricane Zone (aHurricanea or the aProjecta), A a high-grade uranium discovery located in the Eastern Athabasca Basin of Saskatchewan. Winter 2022 drilling at Hurricane has now concluded and advanced planning is underway for the follow-up summer program.

Highlights:

30 drill holes totaling 12,147m completed at Larocque East;

36km of conductor strike mapped in two target areas at Geiger, and

Ground geophysical surveys completed at Ranger and Hawk.

Tim Gabruch, President and Chief Executive Officer commented: aIsoEnergy has successfully completed the winter drill program at Larocque East, and significantly advanced the understanding of Hurricanea?s current size and scope. Assay results are pending and based on these winter drill results at Larocque East and forthcoming geophysical survey results, planning is well underway for an upcoming summer exploration program.a

Andy Carmichael, Vice President of Exploration commented: aDuring the winter season, we continued to advance the Project while developing a pipeline of drill-ready projects and targets. At Larocque East, drilling evaluated Hurricane for the potential for additional significant mineralization as well as systematically explored the highly prospective Larocque Lake conductive trend. Concurrently, geophysical surveying has been completed at Geiger, Ranger and Hawk and successfully generated quality drill targets for future drill programs.a

Note:A Radioactivity is total gamma counts per second (CPS) from drill core measured with an RS-125 hand-held spectrometer (RS-125).

Larocque East Project

Drilling at Larocque East recently concluded and had two primary objectives: one, testing for step out mineralization at the Hurricane zone and, two, systematic exploration of the Larocque Lake conductive trend within the project. Winter drilling comprised 30 diamond drill holes totalling 12,147m.

At Hurricane, drilling followed-up mineralization intersected in LE21-101 (0.6% over 4.5m including 3.1% over 0.5m) which was open to the east and for 150m to the west. Testing comprised a series of systematic step outs to test for mineralization. Located 75m west of LE21-101, LE22-115A intersected 2.0m of radioactivity >500 CPS from 335.0m to 337.0m which included 0.5m >5,000 CPS from 335.5m to 336.0m. No significant radioactivity was intersected in the four remaining 2022 Hurricane-area drill holes. Geochemical results, including U3O8 assays from LE22-115A, are pending and will influence future drilling plans at Hurricane. Hurricane-area drilling results are presented in plan view in Figure 3.

The remaining 25 drill holes explored the fertile Larocque Lake conductive trend which extends for approximately 8km east of Hurricane.

Twelve drill holes were completed in Area A (Figure 4) to follow-up anomalous results in previous drilling and test basement electromagnetic conductors with coincident zones of decreased resistivity in the overlying sandstone. Anomalous alteration and structure were intersected in several drill holes along the southeastern margin of the Area A. Key results include drill hole LE22-116 which intersected radioactivity >500 CPS from 282.0 to 282.5m immediately above the unconformity. Like mineralization at Hurricane, radioactivity in LE22-116 is associated with strong, sandstone-hosted hydrothermal hematite and sulphide alteration. A wide zone of weak bleaching was intersected in the basement, but no major structures were intersected by LE22-116. One kilometre northeast of LE22-116, LE22-119 intersected metre-scale zones of massive clay with strong hydrothermal hematite and weakly elevated radioactivity in the basal sandstone. LE22-138 intersected two zones of moderate basement alteration with the upper zone extending from the unconformity at 277.2m to 292m and the second zone extending from 300m to 311m.

Eight drill holes evaluated a 1.2km long area interpreted to have geological and geophysical characteristics analogous to Hurricane (Figure 4, Area B). Completed as a series of two-hole fences, drilling defined a zone of significant sandstone structure and alteration rooted in variably altered basement structures. Follow-up will be guided by pending geochemical results.

Four drill holes evaluated the southern limb of the Larocque Lake conductive trend at wide spacing (Figure 4, Area C). As in Area B, zones of sandstone structure and alteration rooted in basement structures were intersected and follow-up will be determined based on geochemical results.

One drill hole tested the northernmost conductor along the Larocque Lake trend which intersected weak sandstone structure and failed to locate the targeted conductor.

Geiger Project Geophysical Results

Ten lines of Fixed Loop Transient Electromagnetic (FLTEM) surveying completed at the Geiger project mapped 36km of basement conductor strike and advanced two areas to a drill-ready state (Figure 5).

Four FLTEM profiles completed in the Q23 area identified >15km strike length of basement conductors, of which 13km are moderate to strong. The 2.5km-long Q23 survey area has been tested by only two historical drill holes, Q23-004 and Q23-011. Q23-004 intersected favourable alteration, structure, and anomalous uranium content in the sandstone but was lost prior to reaching the unconformity. The 2022 survey results indicate Q23-004 was poorly located, being collared 130m and 220m away from conductors located to the east and west, respectively. Four hundred metres to the southwest, Q23-011 intersected zones of anomalous uranium content in the sandstone and a narrow zone of anomalous radioactivity 10m below the unconformity attributed to fault-hosted uranium mineralization. The depth to the unconformity in the survey area is approximately 275m.

Six FLTEM profiles completed in the Q48 area identified >20km strike length of basement conductors, of which 14km are moderate to strong conductors. The 4.0km-long Q48 survey area lies 8km along strike from the Murphy Lake uranium occurrence (0.25% U3O8 over 6.0m in drill hole MP-15-03) and has been tested by a single drill hole, Q48-003, which intersected a major zone of alteration and structure in the sandstone with coincident anomalous uranium geochemistry. The depth to the unconformity is approximately 250m.

First-pass diamond drilling is planned for the second half of 2022 to follow-up the winter 2022 survey results.

Ranger Project Geophysics

Electromagnetic surveying at Ranger has been completed and interpretation of results is underway. The objective of the survey work has been to evaluate historical conductors and advance Ranger to a drill-ready state. The approximately 4.5km x 6.0km survey area has been tested by only five historical drill holes, all of which are in the smaller southeastern portion and indicate the depth to the unconformity is between 230m and 300m. Conductive stratigraphy in the larger northwest portion of the survey area is completely untested by drilling in the project. Figure 6 shows the Ranger survey area.

Hawk Project Geophysics

Electromagnetic surveying has also been completed at Hawk and interpretation of results is underway. The objective of the surveying has been to pinpoint historical basement conductors along widely spaced ground EM profiles to permit first-pass drill testing of the project. The Hawk project contains over 10km of magnetic low trends containing historical conductors. The sole drill hole within the project targeted a conductor mapped by airborne surveying and failed to intersect conductive basement; none of the prospective strike within the project has been tested by drilling. The depth to the unconformity is expected to be between 600m and 750m. Figure 7 shows the Hawk survey area.

The Larocque East Property and the Hurricane Zone

The 100% owned Larocque East property consists of 33 mineral claims totaling 16,780ha. Two of the projecta?s claims distal to the Hurricane zone are subject to a 2% Net Smelter Returns Royalty of which 1% may be bought back for $1 million at IsoEnergya?s discretion. Larocque East is immediately adjacent to the north end of IsoEnergya?s Geiger property and is 35km northwest of Orano Canadaa?s McClean Lake uranium mine and mill.

Along with other target areas, the Larocque East Property covers a 15-kilometre-long northeast extension of the Larocque Lake conductor system; a trend of graphitic metasedimentary basement rocks that is associated with significant uranium mineralization at the Hurricane zone, and in several occurrences on Cameco Corp. and Orano Canada Inc.a?s neighbouring property to the southwest of Larocque East. The Hurricane zone was discovered in July 2018 and was followed up with 29 drill holes in 2019, 48 drill holes in 2020, and 16 drill holes in 2021. Dimensions are currently 375m along-strike, up to 125m wide, and up to 12m thick. The zone is open for expansion along-strike to the east and to the north and south on some sections. Mineralization is polymetallic and commonly straddles the sub-Athabasca unconformity 320m below surface. The best intersection to date is 38.8% U3O8A over 7.5m in drill hole LE20-76. Drilling at Cameco Corp.a?s Larocque Lake zone on the neighbouring property to the southwest has returned historical intersections of up to 29.9% U3O8A over 7.0m in drill hole Q22-040. Like the nearby Geiger property, Larocque East is located adjacent to the Wollaston-Mudjatik transition zone  a major crustal suture related to most of the uranium deposits in the eastern Athabasca Basin. Importantly, the sandstone cover on the Property is thin, ranging between 140m and 450m in previous drilling.

Qualified Person Statement

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release was prepared by Andy Carmichael, P.Geo., IsoEnergya?s Vice President, Exploration, who is a aQualified Persona (as defined in NI 43-101 aA Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects). Mr. Carmichael has verified the data disclosed.A All radioactivity measurements reported herein are total gamma from an RS-125 hand-held spectrometer. As mineralized drill holes at the Hurricane zone are oriented very steeply (-70 to -90 degrees) into a zone of mineralization that is interpreted to be horizontal, the true thickness of the intersections is expected to be greater than or equal to 90% of the core lengths.A This news release refers to properties other than those in which the Company has an interest. Mineralization on those other properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization on the Companya?s properties.A All chemical analyses are completed for the Company by SRC Geoanalytical Laboratories in Saskatoon, SK. For additional information regarding the Companya?s Larocque East Project, including its quality assurance and quality control procedures, please see the Technical Report dated effective May 15, 2019, on the Companya?s profile atA www.sedar.com.

About IsoEnergy

IsoEnergy is a well-funded uranium exploration and development company with a portfolio of prospective projects in the eastern Athabasca Basin in Saskatchewan, Canada. The Company recently discovered the high-grade Hurricane Zone of uranium mineralization on its 100% owned Larocque East property in the Eastern Athabasca Basin. IsoEnergy is led by a Board and Management team with a track record of success in uranium exploration, development, and operations. The Company was founded and is supported by the team at its major shareholder, NexGen Energy Ltd.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulations Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of any securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities referenced herein have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the aU.S. Securities Acta), and such securities may not be offered or sold within the United States absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements thereunder.

Forward-Looking Information

The information contained herein contains aforward-looking statementsa within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and aforward-looking informationa within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. aForward-looking informationa includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including, without limitation, planned exploration activities. Generally, but not always, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of words such as aplansa, aexpectsa, ais expecteda, abudgeta, ascheduleda, aestimatesa, aforecastsa, aintendsa, aanticipatesa, or abelievesa or the negative connotation thereof or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results amaya, acoulda, awoulda, amighta or awill be takena, aoccura or abe achieveda or the negative connotation thereof.

Such forward-looking information and statements are based on numerous assumptions, including among others, that the results of planned exploration activities are as anticipated, the price of uranium, the anticipated cost of planned exploration activities, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms, that third party contractors, equipment and supplies and governmental and other approvals required to conduct the Companya?s planned exploration activities will be available on reasonable terms and in a timely manner. Although the assumptions made by the Company in providing forward-looking information or making forward-looking statements are considered reasonable by management at the time, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate.

Forward-looking information and statements also involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual events or results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future events or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or statements, including, among others: negative operating cash flow and dependence on third party financing, uncertainty of additional financing, no known mineral reserves or resources, the limited operating history of the Company, the influence of a large shareholder,A alternative sources of energy and uranium prices, aboriginal title and consultation issues, reliance on key management and other personnel, actual results of exploration activities being different than anticipated, changes in exploration programs based upon results, availability of third party contractors, availability of equipment and supplies, failure of equipment to operate as anticipated; accidents, effects of weather and other natural phenomena and other risks associated with the mineral exploration industry, environmental risks, changes in laws and regulations, community relations and delays in obtaining governmental or other approvals.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information or implied by forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.A The Company undertakes no obligation to update or reissue forward-looking information as a result of new information or events except as required by applicable securities laws

A

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BRIDGEPORT  When he was released from federal prison over a decade ago, Ernie Newton had a support system.

I was married. I had a family. A home to go to, Newton recalled Monday.

He is now in charge of a just-opened re-entry welcome center at 480 Bond Street for ex-offenders who do not have those same benefits. The ribbon cutting was Monday.

Theyre gonna bring them to me instead of just sticking them on the streets, Newton said. We have a booklet were gonna give to the prisons. So those people who are six months out (from release) will be able to fill out this booklet to begin to get them thinking, Im gonna get out. What are some of the things I want to do? Now they have a place to come to.

The center is a partnership between two prominent nonprofit agencies that already aid individuals with criminal backgrounds  Career Resources, Newtons employer for the past few years, and the Recovery Network of Programs.

Rob Hebert, Career Resources senior vice president of business development and re-entry affairs, said the goal is to provide immediate aid for returning citizens.

Were gonna help them with transportation. Certainly basic needs. Our partner, RNP, will be doing work around housing, substance abuse and people who are going to come out needing mental health treatment, Hebert said. And were going to have it right there in the center. Boom. Day One. If they need meds, thatll be taken care of.

Modeled after similar operations in Hartford and New Haven, the Bridgeport center has been an oft-stated goal of local officials like Newton, who want to help that population succeed.

A current member of the City Council, Newton in 2005 while a state senator was convicted of federal corruption charges for taking a bribe and diverting campaign contributions to himself. He received a five year prison sentence.

For the last six years Newton has been employed at Career Resources, which provides job training and work placement services, as the nonprofits returning citizen navigator. So shifting from that role to running the center is a natural transition. He will oversee a two-person staff.

The center will also, through its association with Career Resources, help with employment needs. Scott Wilderman, Career Resources president, said at Mondays ribbon-cutting event that, when it comes to the jobs market, two things are helping those with criminal records overcome that traditional stigma  changing attitudes and the low unemployment rate.

Businesses are now more likely to look at returning citizens as part of their workforce, and theyre actually making major accommodations, a lot of them, to be able to do that, he said. So I think employers right now are turning to non-traditional work forces that they would not normally tap and saying, Listen, from warehousing to transportation to customer service, returning citizens have an opportunity to work in all these areas.

And providing those opportunities is important if society wants to give people who have served their time a chance to make it outside of prison walls, he said.

You cant continue to incarcerate people at the rate that we were and not giving them the second opportunity to actually have redemption, Wilderman said.

He also noted how Bridgeport is unique because voters here not only re-elected Newton, but also current Mayor Joe Ganim, who helped lay the groundwork for the opening of the re-entry center in 2016 by establishing the Mayors Initiative for Re-Entry Affairs office in the downtown government center.

Ganim was convicted in 2003 after a dozen years as mayor of federal charges of running a pay-to-play operation out of City Hall. He waged a political comeback in 2015 and won his old job back. He was then re-elected for another four years in 2019 and just launched his 2023 campaign.

But MIRA got off to a slow start, with changes in leadership, little to no support staff, and no actual budget of its own. Things appear to have stabilized and improved under current director, Earl Bloodworth, the third individual to hold that position, who was hired in Septemer, 2019.

Bloodworth too has publicly advocated for a welcome center. And then last fall, when the Ganim administration was distributing millions of dollars worth of federal coronavirus pandemic relief to local non-profits and small businesses, Career Resources applied for and was awarded funds to help open its center.

Ganim was also at Mondays event.

My reentry was probably not as difficult as others, he said. But if you come back to your home, your society, your city, with a mental health issue or with a health issue or with the inability to even get a job, this is the one stop.

But does the city need both the welcome center and MIRA? Ganims current 2022-23 budget proposal pending before the council would spend $222,938 on MIRA.

Hebert said the welcome center and MIRA share similar goals, but the latter also provides additional services.

They have a pardons and expungement program, he said. They have money to help people secure IDs (from) the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The way Newton sees it, he will focus on people who are just getting out of prison, while MIRA can be a resource for individuals who have been released for a while but still have needs. Newton is also co-chairman of the councils budget committee, which is currently reviewing Ganims municipal budget proposal.

Its two different things, Newton said.
Viktoria Sundqvist / Hearst Connecticut Media

HARTFORD  A Bloomfield man pleaded guilty Monday to distributing drugs after police officers found about 114 grams of crack cocaine in his car during a traffic stop, according to federal prosecutors.

Bloomfield police stopped Jaime Holt, 39, on March 31, 2021. A police dog alerted officers to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle and police found about the crack cocaine, as well as marijuana, items used to package drugs to sell on the streets, five cell phones, and a loaded 9mm pistol, according to Leonard Boyle, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media

STAMFORD  The Red Cross provided assistance to Highview Avenue residents Sunday night after a stove fire erupted in the kitchen of an apartment.

City fire officials said around 11:35 p.m., the 911 center received a call reporting the stove fire at the apartment located in the 90 block of Highview Avenue.
BRIDGEPORT  One problem small business owners have is finding people who can relate to their challenges. Someone who, figuratively, speaks their language.

But with many area business owners, the language barrier is 100 percent literal. That is where the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Bridgeport comes in.

Chamber President Marisol Herrera said the group advocates for and assists Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking business owners in the region. One of the ways her organization stands apart from other chambers is the organizations ability to literally speak their language.

Any type of event, any type of training or capacity-building, its done in their language, she said. We meet them at at their level. So thats a very important piece.

The chamber has been around since 1972, but has recently stepped up its efforts at outreach as the organization is trying to not only build awareness of its mission, but according to Herrera and Vice President Andrea Torres Fodor, procure aid from corporate sponsors. The chamber stopped charging for its services during the worst of the COVID pandemic, but the result is now the organization is struggling to fund itself.

The chambers mission, they said, is crucial. In many cases, it is the only organization able not only to assist Spanish-speaking businesses, but also possessing the cultural awareness to build deep ties with them and the surrounding communities.

While the organization does assess membership dues to cover operating costs, both Herrera and Fodor said the dues arent enough to let the organization expand its outreach. The two would like to be able to fund a grant-writer position, who also would be able to help businesses with the numerous forms that need to be filled out such as business loan applications and paperwork that would allow small businesses to become state contractors.

Fodor said as of now, the chamber is sustaining itself with events.

We have a little bit of funds, but its not enough to do what we need to do, Fodor said. So anytime we have an event, we bring it up to the board members. We actually go out and connect with our business connections and ask on behalf of the Hispanic Chamber, are you willing to be part of our events? So that is truly the only way that were actually getting funding at this very moment.

According to a study released by Stanford University, minority-owned businesses closed at higher rates during the ongoing pandemic. The study stated the percentage of Latinx-owned businesses dropped by 32 percent across the country.

Fodor said the growth of the Hispanic population in the area has made the chambers mission more urgent. The group has 65 members that primarily communicate in Spanish.

The result Fodor said, is businesses potentially miss out on opportunities that could help them grow.

There is a great percentage of small business owners in the state of Connecticut, for whom Spanish is their first language, who lose on these opportunities mainly because there were no resources for them to be able to do this. The Hispanic Chamber is committed to doing that; we are the hand-holders for them, Fodor said

One business that has benefited from the chamber is Isabels Bakery in Milford, said owner Emiliano Dominguez.

They came over here and we were able to send them a mariachi group and they always come over to help us, she said. Theyre good people. Theyve helped us when theyve done conferences.

With Fodor and Herrera both working in the financial field, the chamber is a labor of love for them, Fodor said. While the work is hard, Herrera said she derives satisfaction from it partly because of the importance of her ethnicity to her identity.

I love being Hispanic. I love being Latina, I love being with this fierce Latina (Fodor), she said. Its meaningful, its a labor of love. I derive happiness from it. Its just something that you feel, and its important to me.
STAMFORD  A city man who pleaded guilty to attempt at felony assault while on probation will not serve any jail time as a part of an agreement with the state.

Parish Rowell, 24, pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree assault and violation of probation on Monday after his attorney, Howard Ehring, reached an agreement with state prosecutors.

Under the agreement, Rowell will receive a $5,000 fine, a 10-year suspended prison sentence and one year of probation for his role in a May 2021 three-on-one assault at a Stamford restaurant.

If Rowell pays his $5,000 fine and additional court fees by his sentencing date on Aug. 17, he will not serve any time in prison.

In the event Rowell fails to pay the fee on time or misses his August court date, he could face up to 24 years in prison.

As a part of the deal, Assistant States Attorney Elizabeth Moran also agreed to remove Rowells GPS monitoring bracelet, which he has been court-ordered to wear since his arrest in July 2021.

Rowell was one of three men arrested on July 6 in connection to an assault in the bathroom at Taco Daddy, a restaurant located at 121 Towne St. in Stamford.

According to their warrant, Rowell and two accomplices  Shyquinn Dix, 28, of Stamford, and Jordan Fields, 27, of Norwalk  allegedly followed a man into the bathroom at Taco Daddy and attacked him. Capt. Richard Conklin at the time said investigators believed the man may have been pistol whipped during the attack.

The man suffered a laceration on his head and possible facial fractures to his face during the attack, according to the warrant.

During the attack, one of the suspects allegedly fired a bullet into the bathroom wall, the warrant said. No one is believed to have been struck by the gunfire, police said at the time, adding that they believed the attack was a targeted effort by Rowell and his alleged conspirators.

At the time of his arrest, Rowell was on probation for a possession of a pistol without a permit conviction.

The cases against Dix and Fields are still ongoing. Both are expected back in court in June.
Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

STAMFORD  The 16th annual ARI Walk for Independence was held at Cove Island Park in Stamford on Sunday.

Hundreds of folks attended the walk, which serves as a fundraiser to benefit those with disabilities through employment services, housing, recreation and clinical care. Dance With El the Ha Ha Gang clowns from Stamford Hospital were on hand to entertain the crowd before the walk stepped off.
Connecticut lawmakers are looking to impose a shutdown on the annual harvest of horseshoe crabs in the states waters, citing fears over the species rapid decline in Long Island Sound.

The crabs, which are actually ancient ancestors of spiders, have long been the subject of concern from conservationists and scientists who study the Sound, who point to their critical role in supporting migratory bird populations that feed on their eggs.

Proposals to end the harvest of horseshoe crabs, however, have prompted pushback from fisherman, who collect the crabs each summer to be used as bait in traps set for eels and whelk.

Even the states Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which is proposing its own regulations to sharply curtail the annual harvest, came out in opposition to a full moratorium earlier this year, with Commissioner Katie Dykes telling lawmakers that the agency had engaged with stakeholders for months to develop an appropriate path toward sustaining the population of horseshoe crabs.

But at a public hearing earlier this month, researchers and concerned citizens spoke overwhelmingly in favor of an outright ban, prompting lawmakers to move in that direction as well, said state Rep. Joe Gresko, D- Stratford, who co-chairs the legislatures Environment Committee.

They are telling me that the population is effectively extinct in Long Island Sound, Gresko said. I just think we need to do a complete ban and repopulate the Sound now.

The legislation to impose a moratorium on commercial fishing appeared to suffer a setback last week, when it was passed over on the House floor following more than an hour of questioning by state Rep. Stephen Harding, R- Brookfield, regarding the need for a ban with DEEP already proposing to reduce the annual harvest by as much as 60 percent.

On Monday, however, Gresko said that the bill had merely fallen victim to an unrelated argument over legislative horsetrading between Democrats and Republicans. He expected it be called for another vote as early as Tuesday.

Harding also said that he and his fellow Republicans would relent on their opposition despite his previously-stated concerns about the need for a moratorium, adding that he expected the measure to pass the House with bi-partisan support.

At the end of the day, it is a declining population in our state and any measure that protects them from extinction in our state is one I intend to support, Harding said.

Fishermen too seem to have lost their willingness to fight the proposed ban. No one representing the fishing industry or any of the 16 individuals licensed to harvest horseshoe crabs testified against the bill during the public hearing last month.

Those fishermen land typically between 15,000 to 20,000 crabs in a given season, which lasts from May to July, according to DEEP. Across the Sound, meanwhile, New York State caps the annual catch at 150,000 crabs.

Bob Guzzo, a fisherman in Stonington who used to purchase hundreds of horseshoe crabs each year to help lure whelk into his traps, said that existing regulations have driven up the price for horseshoe crabs and led fishermen to find cheaper sources of bait.

The proposed DEEP regulations would further lower daily catch limits on horseshoe crabs from 500 to 150, along with other limitations. With such limits in place, Guzzo said harvesters will likely avoid going out at all.

Its so little its not worth our time, Guzzo said. Were probably going to move to alternative baits.

The legislation would allow DEEP to permit a limited number of harvesters each year for educational and bio-medical purposes. Pharmaceutical researchers use blood drawn from the crabs in vaccine research.

Scott Smith, a spokesman for the Darien-based Friends of Animals, said Monday that that few horseshoe crabs are taken for research purposes in Long Island Sound.

The time for harvesting horseshoe crabs for our use is long over, Smith said. Were a long-way off from having a functional ecosystem in Long Island Sound.
Independence Northwest, located in Naugatuck, is one of the states five nonresidential Independent Living Centers, created in 1987 to help people of any age, with any disability, live independently in the community. With the closing of state institutions, the centers were part of a nationwide movement to give people the tools and support they needed to live in their own homes with dignity.

The stated mission of the centers was not just the right thing to do for people with disabilities, but it was the right thing to do fiscally. By helping people to live independently  and for many, to also work  the centers save the state millions of dollars every year by averting the need for more expensive emergency and residential services.

Center services include support for developing independent living and advocacy skills, finding and maintaining housing; transitioning out of nursing facilities through Money Follows the Person; transitioning from school to work, connecting with appropriate technology, access to benefits counseling; learning soft skills and finding jobs. Each center also has dedicated staff, fluent in ASL, who make all services available to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

After 35 years of operation, despite successfully saving the state money and supporting thousands of people with disabilities, the centers are one of the biggest secrets in the states community-based nonprofit human service system, and funding has remained stagnant.

When the centers were established in 1987 with state and federal funding, plans called for the organizations to provide services in every one of the states 169 cities and towns, and in the early years they did. But over three decades, as the cost of living increased more than 200 percent, the centers have been forced to reduce access.

Today, the centers serve only 27 towns. While the centers work every day to continue to provide services, limited funding means that many of the states estimated 614,000 people with a disability are not getting the services they need.

The need for services has, not surprisingly, increased. Since the start of the pandemic, which disproportionately impacted people with disabilities, the demand for services is up 51 percent, and waiting lists are as long as six months.

When the pandemic hit, staff at Independence Northwest and the other four centers worked quickly to adapt to a new way to provide services remotely and to meet the new needs created by the pandemic. The centers adapted existing systems, created new systems and delivered the support services that people needed.

The total state funding for all five centers in the most recent state budget is $760,000 per year. Over the past three decades, when the state faced tough fiscal times, our funding was cut. In some years, we faced mid-year rescissions. In better years, the funding was not restored.

This year, at a time when the states fiscal health is the best in history, we are asking for additional $1 million. It is both reasonable and much-needed.

Independence Northwest makes the Naugatuck Valley a better place to live for the thousands of people we serve and the communities they live in, as do the states four other centers.

But we can do better, and we can do more. Our staff, at least 51 percent of whom are people with a disability, deserve a decent salary for the work they do. Connecticut has the resources to make the independent living centers flourish. I urge the governor and lawmakers to approve our funding request.

Maureen Mayo is chairwoman of the board of directors of Independence Northwest.
WFO BUFFALO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, April 25, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Wyoming County in western New York...

Northeastern Cattaraugus County in western New York...

Southeastern Erie County in western New York...

Western Livingston County in western New York...

Northwestern Allegany County in western New York...

* Until 715 PM EDT.

* At 621 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Chaffee, or

15 miles south of East Aurora, moving east at 45 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to trees and power lines.

* Locations impacted include...

Yorkshire, Geneseo, Letchworth State Park, Perry, Warsaw, Mount

Morris, Arcade, Chaffee, East Concord, and Portageville.

This includes Interstate 390 between exits 6 and 7.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
RTHK: Jumbo tender of Russian oil fails to find buyers

Russia's Rosneft failed to sell oil in a jumbo tender after demanding prepayment in roubles, five traders told Reuters on Monday, meaning the country's top oil company will need to find ways to divert more crude to buyers in Asia via private deals.

The failure of the tender highlights a growing struggle by the Kremlin oil major to sell oil due to sweeping Western sanctions on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow, which calls the invasion "a special operation", has publicly acknowledged it has faced some oil export problems since March due to sanctions but pledged to boost cooperation with Asia to divert some oil sales from the West.

Western sanctions on Russian oil are part of a broader effort to isolate Moscow politically and economically for the invasion that includes discussion of an EU-wide oil embargo.

The European Union also advised its members not to succumb to Russian President Vladimir Putin's demand to pay roubles for gas from Russian gas monopoly Gazprom.

The EU is much more dependent of Russian gas than on oil and analysts and economists have said a full embargo on Russian gas would plunge the continent deep into recession.

Last week, Rosneft followed on the footsteps of Putin's orders to Gazprom and asked for 100 percent prepayment and conversion of the payment into roubles for purchases of its oil.

Rosneft tendered to sell 6.5 million tonnes of Urals, Siberian Light, Sokol and ESPO Blend oil loading from Russian ports in May-June but no bids were submitted by Monday, the five traders said.

Rosneft did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

It was extremely hard to meet the tender terms, the traders said adding the sale would have been difficult enough without the updated terms as most European majors and even trading firms are winding down purchases from Rosneft.

India's state refiners did not submit bids while volumes of Far East oil grades, Sokol and ESPO Blend, were too prompt to gather interest.

"Specific terms and a thin timeframe require individual negotiations," a source with an Asian trading firm said, adding that some of the volumes offered could be sold in private deals.

China has not publicly condemned Moscow's actions in Ukraine and India has bought more than twice as much crude from Russia since the invasion despite pressure from Washington to cut sales.

Another source familiar with Rosneft's tender said that the main goal of the tender was to "announce a rouble payment requirement to the market", which had been achieved. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2022-04-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
By Lin Yuan

In recent years, the US has been pushing the military cooperation with ROK and Japan on the ground of the Korean nuclear issue and regional security threats, and trying to form a trilateral military alliance with them. With America's egging, the three countries have had frequent diplomatic and military interactions recently revolving around regional hotspot issues, but they still have major divergences on issues concerning their core interests, indicating how fragile the alliance is.

Frequent trilateral interactions

The US, Japan and ROK have had a series of diplomatic and military activities recently.

Intense diplomatic consultations

On March 10, the very day he was elected president, Yoon Seok-youl had a phone call with US President Joe Biden, and another one with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida the next day, which the Yonhap News Agency said showed the president-elect's commitment to rebuilding the US-ROK alliance and improving the relations with Japan.

Frequent joint exercises and training

It is reported that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln of the US Navy entered eastern waters off the Korean Peninsula on April 11, four years and five months after a US aircraft carrier made the previous entry. The US Navy Seventh Fleet later released a statement that the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group was having joint training with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force that was aimed to intensify conventional deterrence and reassure regional allies and partners. Besides, Yonhap News Agency reported that the US and ROK launched a nine-day springtime computer-simulated command post exercise on April 18.

Remaining conflicts and divergences

The internal conflicts and divergences within the trilateral alliance cannot even hide when the three countries try to put up a cooperative posture.

Transfer of ROK troops' OPCON

The transfer of wartime Operational Control Authority (OPCON) from the US side is postponed, again. Without OPCON, ROK troops have to follow America's lead regarding combat plans and military exercises. Moon Jae-in, ever since he took office in 2017, has repeatedly expressed his wish to take back the command within his term, but the US was dragging its feet.

Last year, the US and ROK agreed to hold the Full Operational Capability (FOC) test in 2022 as a preparation for the OPCON transfer, yet no such subjects were included in their springtime joint commanding exercise. ROK media, therefore, reckoned that Moon Jae-in's wish went unanswered.

Growing vigilance among allies

Washington and Tokyo recently proposed to hold a joint military exercise, together with ROK, in waters off the Korean Peninsula. In response to that, Yoon Seok-youl's spokesperson Kim Eun-hye said the government may seek to strengthen the security cooperation with the US and Japan, but rejects the idea of the trilateral military exercise, adding that the Yoon Seok-youl administration will consider effective and practical ways to achieve security cooperation among the three countries.

A Japanese website commented that Washington should fully consider the dynamic changes and complexity in the Indo-Pacific region when pushing its "Indo-Pacific strategy", and that its strategic goals will be hard to achieve given the different interest demands of its allies and partners.

ROK media also pointed out that although Yoon Seok-youl wants to improve the relations with Japan, how his wish will play out is uncertain yet judging by the two countries repeated tension in the past over historical and territorial issues.

Since Biden came into power, he worked hard to cement the US-Japan-ROK "iron triangle" and to build a sturdy forward position of deterrence in Northeast Asia, but the piled-up problems within the triangle are disrupting his plan.


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As many as 56,322 travelers of whom 3,189 Ukrainian nationals entered Romania on Orthodox Easter Sunday (by 37.8 pct less compared to the previous day), with 1,166 Ukrainian nationals crossing into Romania at the border with Ukraine (by 52 pct less), and 830 entering the country at the border with Moldova (down 21 pct), the General Border Police Inspectorate (IGPF) reports.

As many as 781,674 Ukrainian nationals had entered Romania as of April 24 at 24:00 hrs since the start of the military conflict in the neighboring country, IGPF said.
Defense Minister Vasile Dincu congratulated on Monday Romania's Land Forces on their dedicated anniversary day, wishing the active, reserve or retired military and civilian personnel of this force the best of health and success in fulfilling all missions, as well as "Many happy returns" to all those who bear the name of the Holy Great Martyr George.

"According to the rules of the Romanian Orthodox Church, we celebrate today, on Easter Monday, the Holy Great Martyr George, the Victory Bearer. In the calendar of our military traditions, this great Christian saint is the spiritual patron of the Romanian Land Forces, in recognition of the dedication, courage, and commitment of the servicemen who have served in the past, or are now serving in the units of this important army force. On this day, my thoughts go in the first place to all those on records or anonymous who have given their lives for the country over time," reads the Defense Minister's Facebook message.

With a rich history awash with bright moments but also with hard trials overcome with sacrifices and sufferings, but also with pride and glory, in the great battles fought ever since the creation of the Romanian Army, the Romanian Land Forces are once again faced with a challenging period that sees the security of the region severely tested by the conflict in neighboring Ukraine, Vasile Dincu states.

"Having honed their skills in the many international missions carried out over the last three decades under the auspices of NATO, the UN or the EU on several continents - in Europe, in the Western Balkans, or in Asia, where they fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, in Africa - in multiple peacekeeping missions, as well as in other large-scale missions or multinational exercises conducted abroad or at home together with the most advanced armies of the world, the Romanian Land Forces' military personnel, from foot soldiers to generals, have proven every day through their results that they are the most valuable resource of this service branch and that they deserve the reputation of perfect professionals they have built themselves," the Defense Minister writes.

According to him, the allocation, starting next year, of 2.5 percent of GDP for defense will allow the major modernization and equipping programs that are key for the adjustment of the Land Forces and all Romanian Army forces to the current security realities to pick up speed.

"At the same time, in order to achieve the strategic goal of providing Romania with the high-performance army so much needed at this time, in addition to ensuring state-of-the-art hardware which is already part of the equipment of the Romanian military structures, it is essential to focus on improving the living conditions of our active-duty, reserve or retired military personnel, of our Ministry's civilian staff, as well as their families. Top-level professional performance must be motivated through working conditions in line with those of the other NATO armies, through a decent wage system and fair pensions for all reservists, regardless of the date of transfer to the reserve. I have made this a major priority of my term as Minister and with each day we are getting closer to achieving this goal," said Defense Minister Dincu.
In a message sent on Monday on the occasion of Land Forces Day, President Klaus Iohannis states that this is "one of the most important Romanian Army service branches, which carries out complex missions that are key to ensuring our country's defense and security."

"The Land Forces personnel demonstrate very good training, and the ability to quickly and efficiently adapt within NATO structures. Due to their high level of professionalism, our troops make a substantial contribution to Romania's positive international image in the allied environment," the President wrote in his message, adding that with "the current complicated security context arising from the Russian Federation's armed aggression against Ukraine, additional special measures with a strictly defensive character are required."

"At the special NATO Summit on March 24, through Romania's active involvement and support, firm decisions were taken for the long-term strengthening of NATO's deterrence and defense posture along its eastern flank. One of the most important decisions for Romania is the establishment of a NATO battle group in our country, along with another three such structures on the eastern flank of the Alliance, an approach reflecting allied cohesion, solidarity and determination. As far as we are concerned, Romania is and will continue to be an important provider of security and stability in South-Eastern Europe, as well as at Euro-Atlantic level. Strengthening its defense capacity is a strategic priority for Romania, as proves the decision to increase defense spending from 2 percent to 2.5 percent of GDP starting next year," Iohannis said, according to agerpres.ro.

He also points out that, "under these circumstances, the Land Forces have an important role to play in increasing our army's operational capacity, as the intensive and efficient training of the military units in complex conditions, including in allied environments, require a constant and sustained effort."

The President stresses that armed forces equipping "will enter a fast-paced modernization process, to allow the successful fulfillment of the most complex missions."

"The Land Forces will continue to play a significant role in strengthening Romania's strategic profile, including by their participation in foreign missions. Dear servicepeople, through the professionalism, discipline, determination and spirit of sacrifice you show every day you prove that you are ready at all times to defend your homeland and the values we share with our allies and our European Union and NATO partners. Whether you exercise in in-country training grounds or take part in international missions, in various theaters of operations, you increase Romania and our army's prestige every day. I wish all the Land Forces military and civilian personnel on duty under the folds of our tricolor flag lots of success in accomplishing their missions. Many happy returns!," the head of the state concludes his message.
President Klaus Iohannis congratulated on Sunday evening Emmanuel Macron on his re-election for a second term as President of the French Republic.

"My warmest congratulations, dear President Emmanuel Macron, for your re-election! Looking forward to continuing to work with you on the Romania - France Strategic Partnership, on building a strong and united Europe and an enhanced cooperation on NATO's eastern flank," Iohannis wrote on Twitter in French.

France's incumbent President Emmanuel Macron was re-elected on Sunday for a second term with a solid 58.5 percent of the vote, as to 41.5 percent for his opponent Marine Le Pen - show projections at the close of the voting.
Romania's Land Forces have always been a reference both for the other service branches and for the entire nation, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca remarks in a congratulations message sent on Monday on the occasion of Land Forces Day.

"Romania's Land Forces are celebrated every year along with their patron saint, the Holy Great Martyr George, the Victory Bearer. The land force troops, who make up the bulk of the Romanian Army, have always been on duty, have always answered 'Present' to calls to whatever mission they had to carry out, be it on the national territory or in foreign theaters of operations. They have been constantly putting in efforts to rise above requirements and expectations and demonstrate professionalism and dedication. The Land Forces have always been a reference for the other categories of forces, and for the nation as well. At this celebratory time, we honor the sacrifice of the servicemen who laid their life in the battles against those who attacked Romania's independence, and we pay tribute to all the heroes fallen on duty in the European, African or Asian theaters of operation. We also express our gratitude to all the participants in domestic or foreign exercises and missions and who contributed to the improvement of the excellent image Romania enjoys among allies and partners," Nicolae Ciuca states in the message.

The Prime Minister also stresses that "in the context of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, the role and place of national security have returned to public attention."

"Robust defense can only be achieved with highly trained military personnel, as well as with high-performance equipment. For the servicepeople, the 2.5 percent increase in the budget of the National Defense Ministry represents more training, better equipment and superior logistics, and for the Romanians it means improved security. At this anniversary moment, I congratulate you, dear Land Forces personnel, for the way in which you fulfilled all the missions entrusted to you, I wish you best of health and personal and professional accomplishments. Anywhere, anytime, on duty," reads the Prime Minister's message.
As many as 321 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were recorded in the last 24 hours in Romania, by 173 less than on the previous day, on 7,248 RT-PCR and rapid antigenic tests performed, the Health Ministry informed on Monday.

Of the new cases, 32 were in re-infected patients who tested positive more than 90 days after the first time they recovered from the disease.

Most of the newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in Romania since the previous reporting were recorded in Bucharest City - 120, and in the counties of Braila and Galati - 13 each.

As of Monday, 2,888,639 cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus were confirmed in Romania.

- Hospitalisations -

As many as 1,228 people with COVID-19 are hospitalised at specialist care facilities across the country, by 36 more than the day before; 72 of this total are children.

Out of the total number of hospitalised patients, 221 are in ICUs (one child included), by five more compared to the previous day. Of the 221 ICU patients, 194 are unvaccinated for COVID-19.

- Deaths -

According to the Ministry, one man infected with SARS-CoV-2 was reported dead in the last 24 hours. The vaccinated patient was in the 60 - 69 age group and suffered from underlying conditions.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 65,428 people diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 infection have died in Romania.
Daniel Neman Daniel Neman is a food writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Daniel Neman 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

Last week, I wrote a column fondly recalling the 1987 Danish film Babettes Feast, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and which I had recently seen again.

What I did not know, but was quickly informed by many people, was that an area chef had a hand in the films making.

Lasse Sorensen is the host of the restaurant-based show Food is Love on local PBS channel KETC and is the chef-owner of Toms Place restaurant in De Soto, Illinois. He was an apprentice cook at La Cocotte restaurant in Copenhagen when the movie was being made.

At the time, La Cocotte was the only restaurant in Scandinavia with a Michelin star, Sorensen told me last week. With its emphasis on French food, which is what is served at the long and climactic banquet scene at the end of the film, it was naturally the place the filmmakers chose to prepare the movies featured seven-course feast.

Under chef Jan Pedersen, the restaurants entire cooking staff spent a week preparing the food that was then taken to the studio and filmed. At the same time, they were also doing their regular cooking for the restaurant.

We had a friendly little competition that our boss set up (to determine) who could debone a quail the fastest, Sorensen said. I was faster than anyone else. That meant I had to debone every damned quail (for the movie) while everyone else was laughing at me. Thats what I remember, having to debone every damned quail.

The quail dish is the highlight of the meal, and perhaps the entire film. Called cailles en sarcophage  quail in a coffin  it consists of a quail stuffed with foie gras and black truffles, cooked inside puff pastry and served with a truffle sauce. Sorensen and the rest of the kitchen had to prepare them for many different takes for each of the 12 actors at the feast.

It had to be real food  no Hollywood tricks  because the actors were really eating it. A year later, Sorensen helped to prepare the food for another movie from the same producer, The Girl in the Swing. The star, Meg Tilly, did not eat some of the foods in the script, such as escargot, so Sorensen had to fashion it all out of marzipan, he said.

Babettes Feast was a surprise arthouse hit. Now 55, Sorensen was just 20 when the movie came out. We thought the movie was good, but a lot of the young guys, including me, we didnt understand it, he said. And when it won an Academy Award, we all were like, What? When I saw it maybe 20 years later, that was the first time I truly understood it.

Whether audiences picked up on the transformative themes of sacrificing material goods for the sake of love and gratitude, of the virtues of artistic expression and of sensual pleasure defeating austere religious strictures, they certainly were entranced by the food.

Because of its association with the movie, La Cocotte began serving the cinematic feast as part of its regular menu. So did a lot of other restaurants around the world, though the rights to the menu were owned by the movies producer and only a few places  including La Cocotte  could legally call it Babettes Feast.

La Cocotte offered the feast for two years. When they said were finally going to stop it, I think everyone in the restaurant was happy we were stopping it, Sorensen said.

Even so, it was the movie that brought Sorensen to the United States. A restaurateur had the rights to bring the concept to a restaurant he was going to open in Los Angeles. Sorensen and others came to this country to cook there. The restaurant fell through and the other cooks went back to Europe, but Sorensen stayed here. He received a green card quickly because of his training as a pastry chef.

His father, Gert Srensen, was pastry chef to the queen of Denmark. While Lasse Sorensen was still in his teens, he followed in his fathers footsteps to become an apprentice pastry chef.

In Europe, you cant become a chef without first serving a 3 year apprenticeship. It was those years of experience, and his fathers good name, that got him hired at La Cocotte. He began work there as a pastry chef.

But then I fell in love with food, and I wanted to become a chef instead of a pastry chef, which was a big disappointment to my dad, he said.

That meant another 3 year apprenticeship, which is what he was serving when Babettes Feast was made.

After working in other restaurants, Sorensen and his wife, Maryjane, took over Toms Place in 1998, transforming it from a roadhouse to a destination for fine dining. De Soto is about 6 miles north of Carbondale, and Sorensen calls his place a culinary oasis in a culinary desert.

The restaurant is acclaimed, but the restaurant business is hard. Beginning June 1, he is going to make the restaurant a tasting menu only, with a set price for a specific seven-course meal. That way, he said, he can increase the quality of the food while cutting back on both food loss and labor costs. The menu will change each week, depending on what is fresh and available, and what he feels like cooking.

Were basically going to get a Babettes Feast here every day, he said.

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ST. LOUIS  The first months after America's entry in World War II were filled with bad news overseas and worry on the home front. German submarines roamed the Atlantic. The Japanese navy sank Allied cruisers in the Java Sea. Remnants of the U.S. Army in the Philippines retreated to Corregidor Island.

Just when Americans needed something to smile about, along came shy, grinning Edward H. "Butch" O'Hare, south St. Louis boy and Navy flying ace. St. Louis gave him a joyous ticker-tape homecoming parade on Saturday, April 25, 1942. Stories and photos ran four pages in Sunday's Post-Dispatch.

Two months earlier, O'Hare had flown his stubby Wildcat fighter into a formation of Japanese bombers and shot down five of them. A government hungry for heroes whisked O'Hare to Washington, where President Franklin D. Roosevelt presented him with the Medal of Honor. With O'Hare in the White House was his wife, Rita, a former nurse at old DePaul Hospital on North Kingshighway. They had been married for seven months.

The O'Hares flew into Lambert Field to adoring crowds. Seated on the back of a convertible Ford Phaeton, Lt. Cmdr. O'Hare rode with his wife and mother, Selma O'Hare, through streams of confetti along Washington Avenue and Broadway. The sidewalks were jammed with noisy admirers shouting, "Atta boy, Eddie!"

During a ceremony at Soldiers Memorial, Mayor William Dee Becker said O'Hare's courage and dash "give voice to our pride and joy in this hour."

Befitting the bravado of the times, O'Hare told reporters, "It will be a relief to get back to my real job, which is flying and fighting."

In a separate interview, Rita O'Hare said she was proud of her husband, adding, "I worried only when I didn't know where he was."

She had plenty more time for that. O'Hare returned to the Pacific and became lead fighter pilot on the carrier Enterprise. On the night of Nov. 26, 1943, he was shot down in his new Hellcat fighter near the Tarawa atoll. O'Hare was 29 and the father of an infant girl when he was killed. After the war, St. Louis leaders pondered building a new airport and naming it after O'Hare. Chicago scored a beat in 1949 by naming its airfield in his memory. Thus, O'Hare International Airport.

O'Hare had lived only occasionally with his father, Edward J. O'Hare, who divorced his mother in 1932 and moved to Chicago. The elder O'Hare ran a racetrack there and was gunned down by mobsters in 1939.
Here's a look at COVID-19 news for today, April 25.

China's COVID battle fluctuates again

Beijing will conduct mass testing of most of its 21 million people, authorities announced Monday, as a new COVID-19 outbreak sparked stockpiling of food by residents worried about the possibility of a Shanghai-style lockdown.

The Chinese capital began mass testing people in one of its 16 districts where most of the new cases have been found. The city also imposed lockdowns on individual residential buildings and one section of the city. Late in the day, health officials said the testing would be expanded Tuesday to all but five outlying districts.

***

Volunteers and government workers in Shanghai erected metal barriers in multiple districts to block off small streets and entrances to apartment complexes, as China hardens its strict zero-COVID approach in its largest city despite growing complaints from residents.

In the city's financial district, Pudong, the barriers  thin metal sheets or mesh fences  were put up in several neighborhoods under a local government directive, according to Caixin, a Chinese business media outlet. Buildings where cases have been found sealed up their main entrances, with a small opening for pandemic prevention workers to pass through. Read more details here:

CDC moves Caribbean island from low risk to high risk

After downgrading the risk level of many of the world's top destinations last week in conjunction with an overhaul of its travel assessments, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added just one location to its "high" risk category on Monday.

The tiny Caribbean island of Saba -- a special municipality of the Netherlands known for its rugged hiking terrain and having the world's shortest commercial runway -- was moved up to Level 3. Read about more high-risk countries here:

FDA approves antiviral drug to treat young children with Covid-19

The US Food and Drug Administration announced Monday that it has expanded approval of the Covid-19 drug remdesivir to treat patients as young as 28 days and weighing about 7 pounds.

This is the first Covid-19 treatment approved for children younger than 12.

To be eligible for treatment, the FDA said, children must be hospitalized or have mild to moderate Covid-19 and high risk for progressing to severe Covid-19, even if they are not hospitalized. Get more info and data here:

***

Check out more of today's COVID news here:

AP Photos: Greeks celebrate Easter without restrictions People throw a huge clay jar from a balcony as thousands of visitors watch the custom called "botides" on the Ionian Sea island of Corfu, nort Faithful follow the procession of Jesus' funeral bier, known as the "Epitaph" in Greek, at Agios Georgios church in Myrodafni village, Epirus  People attend a live concert, part of 62 cultural events of sacred music festival organized by the National Opera, at the Catholic Cathedral o Faithful wearing face masks to curb the spread of coronavirus, attend a church service in Athens, Greece, on Monday, April 18, 2022. For the f An elderly woman holds flowers as she enters the yard of Agios Georgios church in Monodendri village Zagorochoria, Epirus region, northwestern Christina Anastasopoulou holds her son Giorgos-Filippos as his sister Amelia stands next to them as they attend a liturgy in Agios Georgios ch Orthodox faithful take part in a ceremony of the Deposition of Jesus Christ at Saint Catherine church, in Athens, Greece, Friday, April 22, 20 Faithful follow the procession of Jesus' funeral bier, called the "Epitaph" in Greek, at Agios Georgios church in Myrodafni village, Epirus re Residents watch the procession of the relics of Saint Spyridon, patron saint of Corfu, during Easter celebrations on the Ionian Sea island of  People watch the procession of Jesus' funeral bier, called the " Epitaph" in Greek, during Easter celebrations on the Ionian Sea island of Cor A member of a philharmonic band performs during the procession of Jesus' funeral bier, called the "Epitaph" in Greek, during Easter celebratio People prepare to throw a huge clay jar from a balcony during the custom called "botides" on the Ionian Sea island of Corfu, northwestern Gree People throw a huge clay jar from a balcony as visitors use their cellphones to film the custom called "botides" on the Ionian Sea island of C Orthodox Archimandrite Rafael delivers the Holy Fire brought from Jerusalem, at the church of Agioi Anargyroi, in Athens, Greece, on Saturday, Faithful attend the Resurrection liturgy outside Agios Georgios church during celebrations for the Orthodox Easter in Myrodafni village, Epiru A volunteer sits next to bags containing food, which will be deliver to low income families, as he packs colored eggs for Easter at an Orthodo Eftichia Pliakou, 77, puts the Easter lamb under the gastra, a local traditional grill, in Myrodafni village, Epirus region, northwestern Gree The Easter lamb is spit-roasted as Alexandros Ehrmann, left, smiles to his son Giorgos-Filippos and Christina Anastasopoulou, right, holds her
MADISON COUNTY  Authorities on Monday released the identity of the man who died Friday in a fire at his home in the 1200 block of Franko Lane in Granite City.

Firefighters found the body of Tony M. Peterson, 56, after the fire was extinguished.

A preliminary autopsy report indicates the man died from smoke inhalation, according to Madison County Coroner Stephen P. Nonn. A final cause and manner of death will be released pending a routine toxicology test.

Someone called 911 to report the house fire shortly after 1 a.m. Friday.

Peterson was pronounced dead at 5:19 a.m., according to Nonn.

The fire is under investigation by the Madison County Sheriffs Office, Mitchell Fire Department, State of Illinois Fire Marshal and the Madison County Coroners Office.

Editor's note: The victim's age has been corrected.
ST. LOUIS  A Festus man pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to pilfering personal checks and using credit cards from stolen mail.

Ryan Kanzler pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, U.S. mail theft and access device fraud. Federal prosecutors agreed to dismiss four other counts in exchange for his guilty pleas.

Kanzler's plea agreement said that in 2020, he and another person stole mail from homes and businesses in search of bank checks that they would make payable to them and then cash them. Kanzler also obtained credit cards using personal information to make purchases in January 2021 at home improvement stores in the St. Louis area.

The plea agreement said total losses ranged between $15,000 and $40,000 involving more than 10 victims.

Kanzler's lawyer could not be reached.

Kanzler faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 when he is sentenced Aug. 10 by U.S. District Judge Sarah Pitlyk.

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ST. LOUIS  After balking twice, a St. Louis man on Monday admitted in court that he had strangled and stabbed a woman in 2020; he was immediately sentenced to 26 years in prison.

Zachary Taylor Kearnes, 23, admitted as part of a plea deal that he had killed Christina Hesselmeyer, 47, in her camping trailer on Nov. 14, 2020. The trailer was parked near the intersection of East Primm and Vulcan streets in the Patch neighborhood of south St. Louis at the time.

Kearnes lived nearby, in the 7900 block of South Broadway.

Hesselmeyer's brother, Robert Hesselmeyer found the body the next day. Hesselmeyer said police told relatives that Kearnes had beenusing drugs at the time and believed Christina Hesselmeyer had "snitched" on him.

Hesselmeyer's daughter, Kimberly Hesselmeyer, said her mother had a friend who was a police officer.

Police at the time Kearnes was charged said witnesses had seen him with Hesselmeyers purse and keys and with blood on his clothing. He was arrested with her cellphone and necklace.

In court Monday, Kearnes initially balked when Assistant Circuit Attorney Nicholas Lake said Kearnes had strangled Hesselmeyer and cut her throat.

After eventually admitting that he had, Kearnes said he was not going to go forward with his guilty plea when faced with the 26-year prison sentence.

At that point, Circuit Judge Rex Burlison said he was summoning a jury for a trial. Kearnes talked with his public defender, Erika Wurst, then pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action.

Kearnes did not apologize in court, but his older sister did, telling the Hesselmeyer family, "I'm so sorry."

"He's not a monster. He is a very good hearted person," she said.

Kimberly Hesselmeyer said her family was given a life sentence when her mother was killed, explaining, "We will forever live with this."

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ST. LOUIS  A woman died Sunday night after the car she was riding in crashed into a utility pole in the citys North Riverfront neighborhood.

Police said a 40-year-old man was driving a 1999 Ford Escort north in the 7000 block of Hall Street around 9 p.m. when the car left the road and struck a utility pole.

Witnesses told police they saw the man climb out of the vehicle through the broken windshield and then lie down on the ground next to the car.

According to a police report, fire crews had to remove the woman from the passenger seat.

Both people were taken to a hospital, where the woman was pronounced dead.

The driver was injured but was expected to survive.

Police have not identified the woman.
Tax-credit scholarships created under a new Missouri law will primarily go to students attending religious schools when the program gets underway this fall.

Missouri Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick has certified six religious groups as educational assistance organizations to manage and distribute the scholarship funds. Families will apply for the scholarships through the group connected to the school the student plans to attend. Home-schooled students can also use the scholarships for educational costs including tutoring or technology.

The groups approved to run the MOScholars program include:

 Agudath Israel of Missouri, which will primarily provide scholarships to attend Orthodox Jewish schools in St. Louis County. Agudath Israel will also partner with home-school students meeting the organizations requirements, according to the MOScholars website.

 Association of Christian Schools International Childrens Tuition Fund, providing scholarships to member schools and non-member and home schools as requested and needed.

 Bright Futures Fund for schools in the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph along with eligible home-schooled students.

 Herzog Foundation for Christian schools and secular and schools of other faiths as needed.

 The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, for students attending Lutheran schools and home-schooled students.

 Today and Tomorrow Education Foundation for private and parochial schools in the St. Louis region as well as home-schooled students.

The MOScholars program allows residents and businesses to receive a credit of up to 50% of state tax liability for donating to the educational assistance organizations. The groups will then grant the annual scholarships of up to $6,375, prioritizing those students with special needs or from low-income families. The scholarships will be offered starting in the 2022-2023 school year.

Under the state law signed last year by Gov. Mike Parson, private schools must not discriminate on the basis of race, color or national origin to receive the scholarship money. But federal law allows religious schools to discriminate in hiring and enrollment decisions on the basis of religion. The schools are also exempt from protections under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

In its first year, the program could divert up to $25 million in tax credits to private schools. The scholarships can only go to students in charter counties or cities with more than 30,000 people, including St. Louis city and St. Louis and Jefferson counties.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo.  After passing a law six years ago allowing convicted domestic abusers to carry firearms, Missouri lawmakers have again stalled on legislation that would close the loophole.

Rep. Tracy McCreery, D-Olivette, was in office in 2016 when the wide-ranging, contentious gun bill was signed into law. The legislation legalizing concealed carry without a permit also removed gun safety training classes and criminal background checks.

At the time, McCreery remembers talks with lawmakers who knew the domestic violence loophole would become a deadly problem. But her colleagues said not to worry, they would be back next session to fix it.

Now its 2022 and we are still talking about this and people are dying, McCreery said. Part of what makes our state stand out for homicides is because of intimate partner killings.

In 2021, 37 people were killed in domestic violence homicides and over 4,000 aggravated domestic assaults occurred, according to data from the Missouri Highway Patrol. In Kansas City, 13 people were killed in domestic violence incidents, according to the Kansas City Police Department.

A 2019 analysis on men killing women found that 81% of female victims were killed with a gun in Missouri, according to the Violence Policy Center.

There are fewer and fewer of us that are in the building, in elected office that were there when we were promised that the loophole would be closed, McCreery said. At the time, we knew that there was that deadly loophole in there.

McCreery is one of a handful of bipartisan lawmakers who have sponsored legislation every year since to close the loophole.

This session, Sen. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City, sponsored a bill that would do three things: make it a crime in Missouri for those convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor to possess or own a firearm, allow courts to require someone with a restraining order against them surrender their guns for the duration of the order and require courts to report a domestic violence conviction to the Missouri Highway Patrol, which then reports to the FBI.

Since February, her bill has remained in the Senates General Laws Committee. With less than a month left in the session, the measure is unlikely to pass.

This is an example of a policy that has hurt a lot of women and killed a lot of women and lawmakers can make it right, said Arthur, who represents parts of Clay County.

But at the end of the day, we are saying to victims in Missouri that their abusers right to own a gun is more valuable than their safety and their lives.

Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Defiance, is sponsoring legislation this year to close the loophole, but the bill has not gotten far since it was first introduced. Hicks has also put forward similar bills during previous sessions, as have other Republican lawmakers. Hicks did not respond to requests for comment.

While there is bipartisan support to close the loophole, there also appears to be a lack of political will to push for a stronger effort, said Matthew Huffman, the public affairs director for the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.

While we continue to debate how this needs to be fixed,  Missourians are losing their lives for a lack of action, Huffman said.

Enforcing the federal version

Closing the loophole would also mirror a federal law that prevents people convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor from having a gun.

While local and state law enforcement agencies can apply federal laws, creating a state law similar to the federal one allows for consistency and ensures that local police are enforcing it, Huffman said. His organization has found that jurisdictions havent consistently applied the federal law.

It also sends a larger message that theres investment in the state of Missouri to make sure that no one loses their life to intimate partner homicide, Huffman said. So if we do have those protections in place, survivors have options available and there are interventions in place to try and prevent a homicide from occurring.

But enforcing the federal law has been complicated by the Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA). The law, passed last year, makes it illegal for Missouri law enforcement to enforce certain federal gun laws, and among them is the law preventing convicted domestic abusers from possessing firearms.

SAPA has only widened the loophole, Huffman said. Last fall, the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence filed an amicus brief to challenge the constitutionality of SAPA.

Under SAPA, any law that prohibits a law-abiding citizen from possessing and using a firearm is an infringement on their rights, and any federal law doing so should not be recognized or enforced in Missouri. The law defines a law-abiding citizen as anyone who is not prohibited from having guns under state laws.

Because there isnt a state law preventing domestic abusers from possessing guns, the coalitions brief argues, SAPA deems abusers to be law-abiding citizens who are beyond the reach of federal laws.

Last session, when lawmakers were debating SAPA, Arthur offered an amendment that would close the loophole.

My argument was that Missouri doesnt have these protections in state law, and if the bill was intended to block local law enforcement to prevent them from enforcing federal law, then we need to have these protections in our state laws, Arthur said.

The amendment failed to get enough support.

Looking forward, Arthur is hopeful the loophole will be closed. Arthur and McCreery both plan to keep pushing the legislation until they leave office.

I have seen a group of bipartisan politicians looking for reasonable and common ground solutions, Arthur said. Its not out of the realm of possibility that this can get done.(tncms-asset)eea309c0-47c3-11ec-ac4c-00163ec2aa77[1](/tncms-asset)(tncms-asset)d2be1602-1c35-11ea-b2a2-00163ec2aa77[2](/tncms-asset)(tncms-asset)de9923ba-e418-11e7-b235-00163ec2aa77[3](/tncms-asset)
JEFFERSON CITY  Consultants backing an effort to convince Missouri voters to adopt a new way of conducting elections arent saying whether theyve collected enough signatures to put the question on the November ballot.

With two weeks to go before 170,000 valid signatures are due, a spokesman for Better Elections declined to address specific questions from the Post-Dispatch about the collection effort.

Better Elections has gathered voter signatures in every Missouri county from independents, Republicans and Democrats who are excited about having more choices, better ballot security and more integrity in elections, Scott Charton said.

Campaign finance reports, however, show supporters are spending big on an out-of-state company to organize and execute the collection of signatures.

Better Elections raised $1.4 million in the first three months of 2022, according to a quarterly report filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

The report notes that $1.6 million was spent, with $1.3 million of that going to FieldWorks LLC for signatures. The Washington, D.C.-based firm also is being paid to collect signatures for Legal Missouri, which is pushing a constitutional amendment to legalize the sale of marijuana for adult, recreational use.

Better Elections ended the first quarter with $690,000 in its account.

The political action committee has received most of its funding through the foundation of John and Laura Arnold, a wealthy Texas couple who also have backed similar voting changes in other states.

The proposed constitutional amendment would abolish partisan primary elections and allow voters to rank their top four choices, regardless of party.

The top four vote-getters would advance to a general election, and voters would again rank their top four choices or just vote for their top pick.

Supporters say the change would replace the practice of voting for a preferred candidate with voting for a candidate who has a more likely chance of overcoming their least-favorite candidate.

Critics say it could sow confusion and depress voting.

In 2021, the Pew Research Center identified 261 jurisdictions in the U.S.  ranging from the state of California to a Texas school district  that have adopted some voting method other than the standard single-winner, plurality system most American voters know.

Meantime, the push by Democrat-leaning groups to use Missouris ballot initiative process to effect change in the state is a reflection of the states strongly Republican majorities, who control the flow of legislation in the General Assembly.

Issues that arent addressed in the House or the Senate often become the subject of ballot questions, including issues like the minimum wage, Medicaid expansion and medical marijuana.

The presence of large amounts of out-of-state money in Missouris ballot initiative process has generated a number of Republican-sponsored bills in the Legislature this year designed to make it harder to use that route when seeking to alter state laws.

A proposal sponsored by Rep. J. Eggleston, R-Maysville, would raise the bar for passage of constitutional amendments from a simple majority to a two-thirds majority.

In addition, signatures needed to place a question on the ballot would have to come from all eight Missouri congressional districts, as opposed to the six currently required.

House Joint Resolution 91 also institutes a process for the General Assembly to vet proposed amendments by conducting hearings and potentially recommending changes.

Egglestons proposal won approval in the Missouri House in March and awaits action in the Senate as the Legislature works toward a May 13 deadline.

Originally posted at 2:30 p.m. Monday, April 25.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  A Kansas district court judge on Monday struck down a new Republican-backed congressional map that would likely make it harder for the only Democrat in the state's delegation to win reelection this year.

It was the first time a court has declared that the Kansas Constitution prohibits political gerrymandering. The state attorney general's office notified the Kansas Supreme Court almost immediately to expect an appeal of the decision.

Lawsuits over new congressional-district lines have proliferated across the U.S. with Republicans looking to recapture a U.S. House majority in this year's midterm elections. State courts have issued decisions favoring Democrats in North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and a new GOP map in Florida is being challenged. A mid-level appeals court in New York recently declared its new districts drawn unfairly to favor Democrats.

Monday's decision from Wyandotte County District Judge Bill Klapper in the Kansas City area came a little more than five weeks before the state's June 1 candidate filing deadline. He ordered legislators to draft another map after declaring that the challenged one not only was too partisan but diluted minority voters' political clout.

The Buddha says the only consistent thing in the universe is change. One does not have to be a Buddhist to realize change is always taking place, Klapper wrote in his 209-page opinion. We must not be naive enough to believe change can be prevented by suppressing its voice.

Democrats have criticized the map as political gerrymandering. Lawsuits claimed it violated voting rights and constitutional guarantees of equal rights for all Kansas residents and freedom of speech and assembly. Critics also said the map was unacceptable under the state constitution because it diluted the political power of Black and Hispanic voters in the Kansas City area by splitting them up.

Top Republican legislators immediately dismissed the ruling as coming from a partisan judge because Klapper is an elected Democrat.

Nobody is shocked by that result, said Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican. So on to the next step, which we all expected to be at.

The map moved the northern part of Kansas City, Kansas, out of the 3rd District represented by Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids and into the larger 2nd District of eastern Kansas represented by Republican Rep. Jake LaTurner. Kansas City, Kansas, is among the few Democratic strongholds in the GOP-leaning state. Davids lost territory where she performs well, while the new map added several rural, heavily Republican counties to her district.

The map also moved the liberal northeast Kansas city of Lawrence  another Democratic stronghold and home to the main University of Kansas campus  out of the 2nd District. The city of 95,000 is now in the already sprawling 1st District of central and western Kansas with small conservative communities, some six hours away by car.

State Rep. Barbara Ballard, a Lawrence Democrat, jumped up and down with joy in a Statehouse elevator when she learned of the ruling. She noted that she had argued repeatedly that the map was gerrymandering that hurt minority voters.

Im glad they saw it for what it was, Ballard said.

Klapper ruled in three consolidated lawsuits filed by a voting rights group, Loud Light, and 20 voters in the Kansas City and Lawrence areas. Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, the state's top elections official, and local elections officials are the defendants.

The state argued that Davids' district emerged slightly more competitive than it had been. They also said the changes were driven by the need to satisfy past federal court decisions requiring districts to have as equal a number of residents as possible after 10 years of population shifts.

The state's attorneys also argued that nothing in the Kansas Constitution allows state courts  rather than federal courts  to review congressional maps or to consider political gerrymandering as an issue. Federal judges have decided challenges to Kansas' congressional redistricting in the past; the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that complaints about partisan gerrymandering are political issues and not for the federal courts to resolve.

Klapper wrote: "But when the Kansas Legislature violates the Kansas Constitution, including in its enactment of congressional redistricting legislation, Kansas courts have the power and duty to exercise judicial review and invalidate the Legislatures unconstitutional action.

Meanwhile, the Kansas Supreme Court has until May 25 under the state constitution to rule on a separate law redrawing Kansas House, Kansas Senate and State Board of Education districts.

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Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
WASHINGTON  Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives welcomed reports that Twitter Inc. is poised to agree to a sale to Elon Musk and called on the Tesla chief executive to return former President Donald Trump to Twitter.

Hey, @elonmusk its a great week to free @realDonaldTrump, tweeted the House Republican Conference, which currently represents 209 lawmakers.

But a watchdog group, Media Matters for America, warned against exactly what some Republicans cheered.

There is still time for Twitters board to prevent some of the worst harms. Any negotiations to sell Twitter to Musk must include clear enforceable mechanisms to uphold and maintain existing community standards, including the removal of those who violate those standards, said Angelo Carusone, president of the nonprofit group.

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, a member of the Freedom Caucus of conservative House Republicans, said the deal would be good for shareholders and good for free speech.

Jordan and other Republicans have been critical of Twitter for banning Trump and other notable conservatives.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, whose personal account was permanently banned from Twitter for tweets that repeatedly violated the social medias misinformation policy on COVID-19, said on her congressional Twitter feed, I should get my personal Twitter account restored.

Twitter banned Trumps account due to the risk of further violence after the U.S. Capitol was stormed on Jan. 6, 2021.

I think this deal looks like its good for the shareholders; second, its good for free speech, its good for the First Amendment, Jordan said in an interview with Fox News, referring to the constitutional amendment guaranteeing freedom of speech.

Last week, a group of 18 U.S. House Republicans sent Twitter board members a letter asking them to preserve all records and materials relating to Musks offer to purchase Twitter, laying the groundwork for a potential investigation.

The Republicans are in the minority in the House, which is controlled by the Democrats.

Updated at 10:20 a.m. with a comment from Media Matters for America.
As the war in Ukraine continues, the United States is warning that Russia and aligned criminal groups may launch cyberattacks against critical American infrastructure, potentially including election systems ahead of Novembers midterms.

Election officials and cybersecurity experts worry that a disruption from Russia or other foreign actors may capitalize on plummeting confidence in election integrity among American voters, fueled by myths and disinformation that have saturated the country.

Even with new protections, heightened awareness and information-sharing across all levels of government, widespread skepticism about election integrity makes a potential Russian cyberattack more concerning, said Noah Praetz, co-founder of the Elections Group, which consults with state and local election officials.

An attack on a key jurisdiction, such as a county in a swing state, could put enough doubt in voters minds that the results cant be trusted, even if votes werent changed in the attack, he said.

The consequences of a cyber event, even if backup plans work, are probably worse than they were four years ago because confidence in elections is down, said Praetz, who previously ran elections in Cook County, Illinois. Its a pretty precarious situation for our country right now.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, told Stateline she has confidence in the security of her states election system, which she said is more strongly defended than ever before. But threats continue to metastasize, she said, because of the lies of former President Donald Trump and his allies, who claim the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

Because of a multiyear, multifaceted, nationally coordinated effort to delegitimize democracy, to spread misinformation, in many ways our system has a vulnerability now that its never had before, she said in an interview.

Last month, Benson announced $8 million in federal grant funding for jurisdictions to boost their election security efforts ahead of the midterms. In his annual budget plan, President Joe Biden proposed $10 billion over the next decade to bolster the countrys elections infrastructure.

Mike Hamilton, chief information security officer for the cybersecurity firm Critical Insight, does not expect there to be a widespread cyberattack against election infrastructure in November. Election systems are decentralized in the U.S., run by 10,000 separate jurisdictions around the country, making a large-scale attack unlikely.

However, disinformation campaigns will continue, he said, as will focused attacks against counties, where officials may be vulnerable to phishing attacks, which happen when a person clicks on a malicious link in an email.

We have to remember the people on the front lines are not real cyber savvy, said Hamilton, who previously served as Seattles chief information security officer and vice chair for the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Government Coordinating Council. (Foreign actors) are going to go after people and hang bait in front of them.

These attacks might not come just from the Russian government. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warned last week that Russian-aligned cybercrime groups have threatened Western nations, putting their critical infrastructure at risk.

Probing and phishing schemes by foreign actors such as Iran, North Korea and Russia are now a constant, background nuisance for American companies and government officials, said Matthew Schmidt, an associate professor and international affairs program coordinator at the University of New Haven.

Schmidt suggested that an escalation of the conflict between Russia and the West could inspire broader Russian cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure, including elections.

However, he said the U.S. has better defenses than it did during the 2016 presidential election, when Russia targeted election officials in every state, finding success in Florida and Illinois. Russia also has been behind large-scale disinformation efforts during U.S. election seasons.

We are more prepared for the threat than six years ago, Schmidt said. These things are much better protected than people think they are and have been hardened more and more.

Bill Ekblad, Minnesotas election security cyber navigator, echoed those comments. For the past three years, Ekblad has traveled the state advising local election offices about better cybersecurity practices, such as requiring multifactor authentication to gain access to email and election systems.

He also has connected Minnesota election officials, federal partners and election equipment vendors so they can share information and test election systems.

The war in Ukraine has not changed Ekblads approach to election security, he said.

We need to be ready for anything at any time, as best we can, said Ekblad, as he headed to a conference with the states election leadership in central Minnesota to discuss cybersecurity. Headlines dont change that.

This month, the office began distributing $3 million in election cybersecurity federal grant money. But there was a catch to receiving the funds: County election offices first had to demonstrate safe cybersecurity practices and investments.

These grants are especially helpful for counties with election equipment more than 15 years old, said Tyler Webster, the elections technology coordinator for Wright County, just northwest of Minneapolis.

Were just doubling down on our cybersecurity hygiene right now, he said. Were doing what we can on our side to make sure our protections are robust. Often, this comes down to human error.

2022 The Pew Charitable Trusts. Visit at stateline.org.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  The U.S. secretaries of state and defense met Sunday night with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the highest-level visit to the countrys capital by an American delegation since the start of Russia's invasion.

The secretive meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, which was confirmed by a senior Ukrainian official, came as Ukraine pressed the West for more powerful weapons against Russia's campaign in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Moscow's forces sought to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops in the battered port of Mariupol.

Yes, theyre meeting with the president. Lets hope something will be decided on further help, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych told Russian lawyer and activist Mark Feygin on his YouTube show Feygin Live. The United States has not yet commented.

Reporters who accompanied Austin and Blinken to Poland were barred by Pentagon and State Department officials from reporting the Kyiv visit until the two men physically left Ukraine. U.S. officials cited security concerns.

Before the session with Blinken and Austin, Zelenskyy said he was looking for the Americans to produce results, both in arms and security guarantees.

"You cant come to us empty-handed today, and we are expecting not just presents or some kind of cakes, we are expecting specific things and specific weapons,'' he said.

Zelenskyys last face-to-face meeting with a top U.S. official was Feb. 19 in Munich with Vice President Kamala Harris, five days before Russias invasion. While the West has funneled military equipment to Ukraine, Zelenskyy has stressed repeatedly that his country needs more heavy weapons, including long-range air defense systems and warplanes.

In an apparent boost for Ukraine, polling agencies said French President Emmanuel Macron would win reelection over far right candidate Marine Le Pen, who has faced questions about her ties to Moscow. The result was hailed by Frances allies in the European Union as a reassuring sign of stability and continued support for Ukraine. France has played a leading role in international efforts to punish Russia with sanctions and is supplying weapons systems to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy's meeting with U.S. officials took place as Ukrainians and Russians observed Orthodox Easter. Speaking from Kyiv's ancient St. Sophia Cathedral, Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, highlighted its significance to a nation wracked by nearly two months of war.

The great holiday today gives us great hope and unwavering faith that light will overcome darkness, good will overcome evil, life will overcome death, and therefore Ukraine will surely win! he said.

Still, the war cast a shadow over celebrations. In the northern village of Ivanivka, where Russian tanks still littered the roads, Olena Koptyl said "the Easter holiday doesnt bring any joy. Im crying a lot. We cannot forget how we lived.

The Russian military reported hitting 423 Ukrainian targets overnight, including fortified positions and troop concentrations, while its warplanes destroyed 26 Ukrainian military sites, including an explosives factory and several artillery depots.

Since failing to capture Kyiv, the Russians have aimed to gain full control over the eastern industrial heartland, where Moscow-backed separatists controlled some territory before the war.

Russian forces launched fresh airstrikes on a Mariupol steel plant where an estimated 1,000 civilians are sheltering along with about 2,000 Ukrainian fighters. The Azovstal steel mill where the defenders are holed up is the last corner of resistance in the city, otherwise occupied by the Russians.

Zelenskyy said he stressed the need to evacuate civilians from Mariupol, including from the steel plant, in a Sunday call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is scheduled to speak later with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Arestovych, the Zelenskyy adviser, said Ukraine has proposed holding talks with Russia next to the sprawling steel mill. Arestovych said on the Telegram messaging app that Russia has not responded to the proposal that would include establishing humanitarian corridors and the exchange of Russian war prisoners for the fighters still in the plant.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to travel to Turkey on Monday and then Moscow and Kyiv. Zelenskyy said it was a mistake for Guterres to visit Russia before Ukraine.

Why? To hand over signals from Russia? What should we look for? Zelenskyy said Saturday. There are no corpses scattered on the Kutuzovsky Prospect, he said, referring to one of Moscows main avenues.

Mariupol has endured fierce fighting since the start of the war because of its location on the Sea of Azov. Its capture would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, free up Russian troops to fight elsewhere, and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

More than 100,000 people  down from a prewar population of about 430,000  are believed to remain in Mariupol with scant food, water or heat. Ukrainian authorities estimate over 20,000 civilians have been killed. Recent satellite images showed what appeared to be mass graves to the west and east of Mariupol.

Children in an underground bunker were seen receiving Easter presents in a video released Sunday by the far-right Azov Battalion, which is among the Ukrainian forces at the steel plant in Mariupol. The groups deputy commander, Sviatoslav Palamar, said the video was shot at the plant.

One toddler is seen wearing homemade diapers made of cellophane and people are seen hanging laundry on makeshift hangers.

Please help us, one woman in the video said through tears, appealing to world leaders. We want to live in our city, in our country. We are tired of these bombings, constant air strikes on our land. How much longer will this continue?

Mykhailo Podolyak, another presidential adviser, tweeted that the Russian military was attacking the plant with heavy bombs and artillery while accumulating forces and equipment for a direct assault.

Zelenskyy over the weekend accused Russians of committing war crimes by killing civilians and of setting up filtration camps near Mariupol for people trying to leave the city. He said the Ukrainians  many of them children  are then sent to areas under Russian occupation or to Russia itself, often as far as Siberia or the Far East.

The claims could not be independently verified. But they were repeated by Ukrainian lawmaker Yevheniya Kravchuk on ABCs This Week.

They have pulled these people from Mariupol -- they are put to filtration camps ... its sort of something that cant be happening in the 21st century, Kravchuk said.

Zelenskyy highlighted the death of a 3-month old girl in a Russian missile strike Saturday on the Black Sea port of Odesa. The baby was among eight people killed when Russia fired cruise missiles at Odesa, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukrainian news agency UNIAN, citing social media, reported that the infant's mother, Valeria Glodan, and grandmother also died when a missile hit a residential area. Zelenskyy promised to find and punish those responsible.

The war started when this baby was 1 month old,'' Zelenskyy said. "Can you imagine what is happening? They are filthy scum; there are no other words for it."

For the Donbas offensive, Russia has reassembled troops who fought around Kyiv and in northern Ukraine. The British Ministry of Defense said Ukrainian forces had repelled numerous assaults in the past week and "inflicted significant cost on Russian forces.

A fire erupted early Monday at an oil depot in Russia near its border with Ukraine, but Russia's Tass news agency gave no immediate cause for the blaze.

NASA satellites that track fires showed something burning at coordinates that corresponded to a Rosneft facility some 110 kilometers (70 miles) north of the Ukrainian border. Moscow previously has blamed Ukraine for attacks on the Russian region of Bryansk, which borders Ukraine.

The spiritual leaders of the world's Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics on Sunday appealed for relief for Ukraine's suffering population.

Associated Press journalists Yesica Fisch in Sloviansk, Ukraine, Mstyslav Chernov and Felipe Dana in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Yuras Karmanau in Lviv, Cara Anna, Inna Varenytsia and Oleksandr Stashevskyi in Kviv and AP staff around the world contributed.

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.
TOKYO  Japan welcomed the reelection of French President Emmanuel Macron as key to the unity of Group of Seven at a time when its members need to work together to end Russias invasion of Ukraine as soon as possible.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida congratulated Macron in his Twitter messages in both Japanese and French, saying, I hope to closely work with President Macron in a wide range of issues, including Russias invasion of Ukraine and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki on Monday extended heartfelt congratulations to Macron on his reelection.

As we face a critical moment to end Russias outrageous aggression and defend the peaceful world order, the G-7 unity is required more than ever, and we plan to continue working closely with France led by President Macron, Isozaki said.

Japan, worried about the impact of Russian invasion of Ukraine in the East Asia where China is increasingly taking assertive military actions, has tried to play a greater role as part of G-7 and has joined in sanctions against Moscow and provided support for Ukraine in line with other members.

Isozaki called France an important, special partner for Japan that shares universal values including freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. He said Tokyo intends to strengthen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

CANBERRA, Australia  Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is welcoming President Emmanuel Macrons reelection to a second term in France as a great expression of liberal democracy.

Macron was scathing of Morrison after Australias conservative government canceled a 90 billion Australian dollar ($66 billion) submarine contract in September.

Macron accused Morrison of lying to him about the state of the French contract before a deal was announced for the United States and Britain to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. Morrison denied misleading Macron, who refused to take the Australian leaders phone calls.

On Monday, Morrison tweeted: Congratulations Emmanuel Macron on your reelection as President. Another great expression of liberal democracy in action in uncertain times.

We wish you & France every success, in particular your leadership in Europe and as an important partner to Australia in the Indo-Pacific, Morrison added.

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines leader has congratulated Emmanuel Macron on winning a second term as president of France  and beating a far-right rival seen as close to Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelenskyy called Macron a true friend of Ukraineon Sunday and expressed appreciation for his support.

Tweeting in French, Zelenskyy said: Im convinced that we will advance together toward new joint victories. Toward a strong and united Europe!

Macron has sought a diplomatic solution to Russias war in Ukraine. France has also sent significant weapons to Ukraine and Macron is planning more.

In a TV debate ahead of Sundays runoff, Macron assailed challenger Marine Le Pens past ties to Russia, notably a loan her party got from a Russian-Czech bank in 2014.

PARIS  Watching Frances presidential election results was especially stressful for Yasmina Aksas.

The 19-year-old law student could have been forced to remove her headscarf if far-right leader Marine Le Pen had won instead of incumbent Emmanuel Macron.

Speaking to AP as the first projections came in showing Macron in the lead, Aksas was visible relieved  but far from overjoyed.

Its still 40% of people voting for Le Pen. Its reassuring that its Macron but its not a victory, said Aksas, who is active in feminist and social justice organizations. It reflects nothing of what I think and what I identify with.

She expressed concern about extremist language and ideas that used to be limited to militant far-right groups but have now entered the mainstream.

Under Macrons presidency, she described encroaching limits on Muslims in the name of fighting extremism. They made it a problem for everyone while remaining vague about who the menace is.

So if you feel concerned about what theyre doing, like closing mosques, associations, when they say theyre targeting jihadists, you shouldnt feel targeted, otherwise you are suspected of not being part of the republic.

MORE STORIES:

 Macron vs Le Pen: France votes in tense presidential runoff

 Frances presidential rivals: Key moments, private lives

 EXPLAINER: How Frances old-school voting system works

 Follow all AP stories on France's 2022 presidential election at https://apnews.com/hub/france-election-2022

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

LONDON  A European economist says that if exit polls hold true and Emmanuel Macron wins the election against his right-wing challenger Marine Le Pen, France will most likely remain an engine of growth and progress in Europe for the next five years.

Economist Holger Schmieding says France has outperformed Germany for the past five years. He says France under Macron would likely remain on track for a sustained period of faster gains in employment and per-capita GDP. He says a dynamic France next to a still somewhat strong Germany is a major positive for Europe.

The economist says Macron has strengthened the French economy by more than any of his predecessors since Charles de Gaulle.

BERLIN  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was the first foreign leader to call President Emmanuel Macron and congratulate him on his reelection, Scholz office said.

The Federal Chancellor and the President confirmed their intention to continue the close and trusting relationship between Germany and France, not least in view of the current challenges such as the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, Scholz office said in a statement.

It also said the result signified a clear commitment to Europe and the European unification process, adding that Scholz and Macron agreed to meet as soon as possible.

The Czech prime minister also sent his congratulations to Macron.

France is our vital partner, we are keen on developing our great relationship further, Petr Fiala tweeted.

PARIS  Rights groups have breathed a sigh of relief at Marine Le Pens failure to become French president, but warned against complacency and urged the victor, Emmanuel Macron, to fight racial profiling and discrimination against Muslims, and better protect migrants.

Cecile Coudriou, head of Amnesty International France, cited egregious human rights failings under Macrons presidency including Frances treatment of refugees and asylum at its borders, systemic discrimination in the form of ethnic profiling by police, disproportionate and dangerously vague counter-terror laws, curbs to the right to protest, intrusive surveillance that impacts the right to privacy, failing to uphold climate commitments and selling arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Antiracism group SOS Racisme said : This victory, which might look large in a cursory analysis, is not so much a victory as a relief. The reality is that Marine Le Pen ... has progressed by about eight points in five years.

It criticized Macrons law against so-called separatism by radical Muslims and government ministers criticism of wokeism or Islamo-leftism. It blamed Macrons arrogance, (economic) liberalism, brutalization of the social movement and nods to the far right for worsening tensions in France. It is definitely not neutral to help trivialize the far right by choosing it as its opposition and winking at it, it said.

PARIS  President Emmanuel Macron said a simple Thank you! after winning reelection, and praised the majority who gave him five more years at the helm of France.

Macron also thanked people who voted for him not because they embrace his ideas but because they wanted to reject far-right rival Marine Le Pen.

Im not the candidate of one camp anymore, but the president of all of us, he said.

Macron comfortably won reelection to a second term Sunday, according to polling agencies projections.

He arrived on the plaza where his supporters gathered, beneath the Eiffel Tower, to the sound of the Ode to Joy, the European Unions anthem, hand in hand with his wife, Brigitte.

PARIS  Supporters of far-right candidate Marine Le Pen gathered at her election-night even in Paris Bois de Boulogne booed loudly as provisional results were announced.

But they quickly looked ahead to June legislative elections  as did Le Pen in her concession speech.

Francois Denormand, a retired dentist planning to run for a seat as a lawmaker for Le Pens National Rally party in Junes legislative elections said that what he called the third round starts tomorrow.

We must continue to fight, he said. We can lose the battle but not the war.

Nineteen-year-old Paul Renkert, waving a French flag, admitted that Im sad.

Renkert, who had traveled from the eastern Alsace region, said he had invested time in Le Pens campaign because I believe in the future of France.

He is looking ahead to the legislative elections and five years in the future when a new president is elected. Le Pen has not made known her intentions, but I dont think shell abandon us, he said.

Guests from abroad were among those invited to the soiree. Among them was Tom Lamont, with Belgiums far-right Vlaams Belang party, an ally of Le Pens National Rally. He, too, sent out a message of hope. Its a disappointment she lost but we see the right-wing movements is growing in France  and maybe in five years we will have a right-wing president here, he said.

MADRID  Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says that with the victory of Emmanuel Macron as projected by polling agencies, Democracy wins, Europe wins.

Citizens have chosen a France committed to a free, strong and fair EU, Sanchez, who is also leader of Spains Socialist Party, wrote, referring to the 27-nation European Union.

Sanchez, Portugals Antonio Costa and Germanys Olaf Scholz had published a joint open letter ahead of Sundays election presenting the vote as a choice between Macron, a defender of democracy in a strong European Union, and Marine Le Pen, an extreme-right candidate who openly sides with those who attack our freedom and democracy, values based on the French ideas of Enlightenment.

PARIS  French far-right figure Eric Zemmour, who failed to reach the runoff in the presidential election, has called for a nationalist coalition to be created in France's parliament.

Zemmour spoke after polling agencies projected that far-right leader Marine Le Pen, head of the National Rally party, had lost the presidential election to centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron.

Zemmour, who created his own party, Reconquest, in recent months, said the national bloc must get united.

He suggested such a coalition ahead of Junes parliamentary elections, with the aim to fight both Macrons party and the left.

Zemmour received 7% of the votes in the first round of the presidential election on April 10.

European leaders have been quick to congratulate French President Emmanuel Macron on his re-election.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has often sparred with Macron over Brexit and other issues, swiftly congratulated the re-elected president.

Calling France one of our closest and most important allies, Johnson said he looked forward to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two countries and to the world.

Italian Premier Mario Draghi said that Macrons victory is splendid news for all of Europe.

He said France and Italy are working side by side, along with the other European partners, to construct a stronger, more cohesive, more just European Union, capable of being a protagonist in the greatest challenges of our times, starting with the war in Ukraine.

Portugals Prime Minister Antonio Costa says that, by voting for Emmanuel Macron, French people have demonstrated once again their commitment to the European project.

Costa, a socialist who was re-elected earlier this year in a landslide victory, wrote Sunday in a tweet that he was enthusiastic about working together with the centrist politician during the next four years.

The Portuguese prime minister made a case for voting to elect Macron in an open letter also signed by his Spanish and German counterparts, Pedro Sanchez and Olaf Scholz.

PARIS  Leftist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon said Sunday that Marine Le Pens defeat in the French election is very good news for the unity of our people, and vowed to lead the fight against Emmanuel Macrons party in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Melenchon, who failed to reach the second round by a few hundred thousand votes and had urged his supporters not to vote for Le Pen, said Macrons presidential monarchy survives by default and under the constraint of a biased choice.

In his address, Melenchon exhorted Macrons opponents to vote in Junes parliamentary elections to choose a different path and elect a majority of leftist lawmakers. Melenchon said he would be prepared to lead an opposition government.

Courage, action, determination, always refusing fatality and resignation, Melenchon said.

BRUSSELS  Several European leaders and politicians have swiftly congratulated French President Emmanuel Macron for his reelection, as his far-right rival Marine Le Pen conceded defeat in Sundays presidential election.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted in French, together we will make France and Europe advance.

The Dutch prime minister also tweeted in French his hope to continue our extensive and constructive cooperation in EU and NATO.

In Germany, politicians around the political spectrum offered support, including from the pro-business Free Democrats, the environmentalist Greens and conservative Christian Social Union.

Many in Europe had worried Le Pen would undermine European unity and its post-war order.

PARIS  French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has conceded defeat in the presidential runoff, handing victory to incumbent Emmanuel Macron.

She said her unprecedented score in a presidential election represents a shining victory in itself.

The ideas we represent are reaching summits, she said.

French polling agencies are projecting that centrist Macron has won the runoff against Le Pen that took place Sunday.

PARIS  French polling agencies are projecting that centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron will win Frances presidential runoff Sunday, beating far right rival Marine Le Pen in a tight race that was clouded by the Ukraine war and saw a surge in support for extremist ideas.

If the projections are borne out by official results, Macron would be the first French president in a generation to win a second term, since Jacques Chirac in 2002. But he would face a divided nation and a battle to keep his parliamentary majority in legislative elections in June.

Five years ago, Macron won a sweeping victory over Le Pen to become the youngest French president. The margin is expected to be way smaller this time: Polling agencies Opinionway, Harris and Ifop-Fiducial projected that Macron would win between 57% and 58.5% of the vote, with Le Pen getting between 41.5% and 43%.

PARIS  Voter turnout is lower than usual in Frances presidential runoff Sunday, apparently reflecting voter frustration with both candidates, centrist President Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen.

Turnout at 5 p.m. Paris time (1500 GMT) stood at 63%, the Interior Ministry said. That was below the 65% at the same time in the last presidential runoff in 2017, when Macron overwhelmingly beat Le Pen, and the 72% in when Socialist Francois Hollande won the presidency in 2012.

Polls before Sundays election gave Macron a solid lead over Le Pen, but to keep it he needs the support of many left-wing voters who shunned both him and Le Pen in the first-round election on April 10. Many of those voters may choose to stay home this time instead.

Polling agency projections and early official results are expected after final voting stations close in France at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT).

LE TOUQUET, France  The two candidates for Frances presidential runoff have cast their ballots  and basked in adoring crowds outside their polling stations.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen went first, cheerily greeting election workers in the northern town of Henin-Beaumont, in Frances struggling former industrial heartland. She emerged from the ballot booth beaming to drop it in a transparent box. Outside, she took selfies with supporters.

Then came incumbent Emmanuel Macron, who shook dozens of hands  and was handed a small child to hold up  on his journey from his family home in the resort town of Le Touquet on the English Channel to his voting station.

Inside, he greeted yet more people, posed for photographs with his wife Brigitte, and cast his ballot with a wink for the cameras. The voting booths were shielded by curtains in the red-white-and-blue of the French flag.

About 48.8 million voters are eligible to take part in the runoff, which is being watched around Europe. Early results are expected Sunday night.

PARIS  France began voting in a presidential runoff election Sunday with repercussions for Europes future.

Centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron is the front-runner, but he's fighting a tough challenge from far-right rival Marine Le Pen.

The centrist Macron is asking voters to trust him for a second five-year term despite a presidency troubled by protests, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. A Macron victory in this vote would make him the first French president in 20 years to win a second term.

The result of voting in France, a nuclear-armed nation with one of the worlds biggest economies, could also impact the conflict in Ukraine, as France has played a key role in diplomatic efforts and support for sanctions against Russia.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
CAYCE, S.C. (AP)  A police K-9 officer, volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician in central South Carolina was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance early Sunday, police said.

Roy Andrew Drew Barr, 28, had just begun talking to a man outside the house when someone inside opened fire shortly before 3 a.m., said Chief Chris Cowan of the Cayce police department at a news conference. He said Barr was hit by one bullet.

The man who shot Barr killed himself after seven-hour standoff, said the South Carolina state police, which has been asked to investigate the shooting. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's statement listed Barr's age as 27.

Barr became a police trainee in 2016 and a K-9 officer in October 2020, Cowan said. He was paired with a black Labrador and posed with her for his official department photo.

He loved his dog, Molly, and he loved his job. He loved being a K-9 officer and he was good at it, Cowan said.

Barr didnt have a wife or kids and instead was committed to serving his community, he said.

He was married to this profession, Cowan said.

Barr had survived a shooting in 2017, when he was still a trainee, news outlets reported. The gunman in that case is serving a total of 30 years in state and federal sentences.

Cayce is a suburb of nearly 14,000 people just west of Columbia.

Our hearts are breaking in Cayce," Mayor Elise Partin told reporters earlier Sunday. Officer Drew Barr has been an important part of the Cayce family since 2016.

The Monetta Volunteer Fire Department said Barr was the captain of their department in Aiken County, WSPA-TV reported.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Its an unfortunate but seemingly inevitable reality that every day in St. Louis, people are arrested by police and charged by the circuit attorneys office with various crimes. These offenses range from violent felonies like first-degree murder to nonviolent, low-level misdemeanors like driving on a suspended license. But regardless of the seriousness of an alleged offense, its imperative to remember each criminal case carries its own set of unique circumstances and must be considered on its own.

With this in mind, our community deserves a more honest understanding of one of the frequently misrepresented duties of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court: deciding who does and doesnt remain detained in jail pending disposition of their case. Despite whats been asserted by opponents of the pretrial system, its not a duty thats easily summarized with a catchy slogan. Nor is it a duty intentionally designed to inflict harm or needlessly detain people. Its complex. Its nuanced. And its working.

Each week, judges make a series of informed decisions about newly arrested criminal defendants who prosecutors didnt release on a summons to appear at a later date. Judges consider all available evidence, including, but not limited to the circumstances and severity of the charge or charges, the strength of the evidence, and the alleged victims. Judges also weigh recommendations from prosecutors and the defendants counsel before ruling whether that individual will continue to be held pretrial or released on bond, and if so, what if any conditions like GPS monitoring or house arrest are appropriate.

In other words, is the defendant employed? Does the defendant have a reliable housing plan? Can we connect the defendant to mental health or substance abuse treatment to reduce chances of recidivism? Whats the potential danger to the victims or community? Is the person a flight risk? How serious are the charges? These are very real-life questions that speak to some factors that by law judges must consider when deciding whos held pretrial and whos not. Theyd be abandoning their duties if, as has been suggested by some, they released every defendant on supervision, regardless of the charges, and merely hoped it works out.

Similarly, theres also no one size fits all formula. As a city, we wouldnt, and shouldnt, want the same pretrial determinations being made about repeat violent offenders who pose continuing threats as are made for nonviolent, first-time offenders. And thats not whats happening. Judges rule strictly in accordance with Missouri Supreme Court Rule 33.01, which governs a criminal defendants right to release pending trial and the varying conditions that could be imposed.

Judges use this, and only this, as their guiding principle in concluding whether theres clear and convincing evidence to continue detaining a defendant pretrial or whether nonmonetary or monetary conditions, or some combination thereof, should be set for the defendants release. Further, not only are these decisions made within hours after a defendants arrest, but the defendants who remain in custody have continuing opportunities to challenge their detention status.

Of course, the court recognizes there remains public interest in pretrial detention. Its why the court began publishing monthly pretrial reports to provide a heightened level of transparency and to help educate the public.

These reports provide a factual analysis of the number of new criminal cases filed each month, the level and types of charges involved, the number of defendants detained and released pretrial, and the conditions the court imposed on those releases.

But perhaps most importantly, this information reveals some truth. Today, publicly available data shows the citys jail population is at its lowest point since tracking began in 1995, and of those detained, roughly 70% are being held on the most serious of felonies, and just seven on misdemeanors. At the same time, more defendants than ever are being adequately supervised and supported with services in the community as they await trial because the court expanded its funding and capacity to provide judges with options for safe pretrial release.

This shows in my opinion that our judges are justly applying Missouri law and fairly and responsibly balancing the presumption of innocence, the due process rights of the accused, and the safety of the community. Put another way, theyre doing the exact job weve retained them to do.

Jacob Long is chief communications officer for the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court.
Ukraine has received a lot of free military aid since 2014. Two of these purchases involved 8x8 wheel armored artillery vehicles. The first purchase was in 2020 when 26 used DANA-M2 8x8 armored self-propelled 152mm artillery vehicles bought from the Czech Republic for $1.54 million each. The second purchase is currently being negotiated with Slovakia for their new Zuzana-2, 155mm self-propelled howitzers. The problem here is that Ukraine needs these vehicles quickly and the only one with sixteen Zuzana-2 vehicles available is the Slovak Army, which ordered 25 in 2019/ Delievries began in 2021 and the last of them are arriving this year. This would mean taking them from the Slovak Army and building 16 more to be delivered in 2023. The Slovaks appear willing to work out a deal and have revealed that it would take only a week to train Ukrainian crews how to use the Zuzana-2, which is highly automated and requires a crew of three. What makes the Zuzana-2 so useful is that it can quickly move by road and halt, quickly fire several shells at a distant target and then move. Zuzana-2 can do this quickly enough to avoid Russian counter-battery fire that requires a special Russian radar to detect the shells and calculate where they came from and pass that data to nearby artillery that would fire back. Ukraine is also receiving Excalibur GPS guided 155mm shells from several NATO countries. Zusana-2 with a few dozen Excalibur shells and access to a counterfire radar (that calculates the GPS coordinates of where a shell or rocket is fired from) would be a formidable weapon against Russian artillery.

This earlier DANA-M2 wheeled artillery system was developed by the Czechs late in the Cold War and entered service in 1981. In the 1990s Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The original 23-ton DANA was designed and manufactured by ZTS, an artillery and ammunition manufacturer in Slovakia. Since many of the people who worked on the DANA were Czech, in 1995 a new Czech firm, Excalibur Army, was established to develop new artillery systems and manufacture a Czech version of the DANA. ZTS and Excalibur Army each offer their own versions of the DANA vehicle and now the system is available on several different chassis. There is even a version that travels on tank tracks. Meanwhile the Slovaks went ahead and developed the even more advanced Susana in the late 1990s and Zusana-2 fifteen years later.

Since 1981 over 800 DANA 152mm systems have been produced and there is a lot of demand for upgrades of older DANA systems. Armored self-propelled artillery on wheels is another new development made possible by improved automotive technology and new artillery fire-control and guidance systems that enable fewer guns to deliver firepower more quickly and accurately than a larger number of the older, tracked self-propelled artillery systems. The wheeled systems also made a lot of the older towed, by heavy trucks, artillery, obsolete.

Ukraine has been at war with Russia since 2014, and found all that combat experience gave their army a chance to see up close what modern combat was like and made some realistic decisions on how to eliminate a lot of obsolete Cold War era systems and replace them with fewer and more modern ones. Ukraine has long been a major developer and manufacturer of weapons. This was exploited by the communists during the Cold War when Ukraine was still a part of the Soviet Union. Much of the early work was destroyed during World War II but that was rebuilt and expanded from the 1950s on. When Ukraine gained its independence and freedom from the communists in 1991, it became a major manufacturer and exporter of weapons. Those defense industries played a major role in stalemating the Russian 2014 invasion and fighting the Russians. Seeing that, there followed support from NATO countries like the U.S. and Poland. At this point the Ukrainians realized that it was worth replacing most of the Cold War era weapons with more modern designs than even Russia had.

A good example of this was the realization that Ukraine doesnt need all the Russian-type artillery systems it had since 1991. Most of the thousands of Russian artillery systems Ukraine inherited were offered for export at very competitive prices. Ukraine also offered better tech support, including cheaper spare parts and better upgrades than Russia could or would supply. Russia didnt make a big deal about this because they needed Ukraine as a supplier of critical weapons and military systems components. Russia lost Ukraine as a supplier after 2014 and now has the Ukrainians demonstrating how a nation with a lot of Russian Cold War equipment is better off without a lot of that stuff. It is more effective to replace the older gear with fewer of the more modern and effective designs. That was the main reason for replacing hundreds of Russian towed 122mm and 152mm artillery weapons with far fewer truck mounted or wheeled self-propelled models like DANA.

Russia itself is still absorbing these lessons. An example of that occurred in mid-2020 when a Russian manufacturer delivered eight of their new 2S35 152mm self-propelled guns to the Russian army for further testing by different types of ground combat units. The 2S35, also known as the Koalitsiya-SV (Coalition SV) has been in development for over a decade as a replacement for the current 2S19 152mm self-propelled gun that entered service in 1989. The 2S19 was in production from 1988 to 2019 with over 1,100 built. A thousand were delivered to Russian forces while over a hundred were exported to seven countries. Russia has been discovering that export customers are less interested in tracked systems like the new 2S35 or older 2S19 and are more inclined to buy wheeled systems, with or without armor.

Initially, the 2S35 was built as the latest upgrade of the 2S19 but after 2010 it was decided to design a highly automated version of the 2S19. This design turned out to be so different that it was given a new designation; 2S35. This automated turret was intended for use with the new Armata chassis plus key components of the highly automated T-14 tank and T-15 IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle). The prototype 2S35 was first shown publicly during a 2015 military parade, but with the new turret, details were hidden. This version appeared to be using the T-90 tank chassis. In 2016 the first 2S35 prototypes were delivered, still using the T-90 chassis and revealing the larger size of the turret containing the longer 2A88 152mm (or 155mm for export) gun. The 2020 version has more of the automation features and that is what is apparently meant to be tested under realistic conditions.

The automation is meant to reduce the crew to two or three men with the ammo-selection and loading fully automated. There is also a 12.7mm RWS (remote weapons system) on top of the gun compartment. The 2A88 gun can fire guided (current laser or future GPS) shells at targets up to 80 kilometers distant. Unguided shells can be fired up to 40 kilometers. The 2S35 fire control system has a digital communications system that enables a 2S35 to be operated remotely to speed up delivery of fire from several 2S25s at once.

The main problem with the 2S35 is cost, especially with the highly automated Armata chassis. Another problem is how many self-propelled 152mm guns are actually needed. Of the thousand 2S19 vehicles delivered to the Russian army by the late 1990s, 270 are in storage. Hundreds of the late-model 2S19s were upgraded versions like the 2S19M1 and 2S19M2 that incorporated many of the features now standard in the 2S35. It is already understood that the 2S35 would complement, not replace, the 2S19.

The problem is how many of these heavy 42-ton 2S19s or 50-ton 2S35s are really needed? With so many guided rockets available, fired from cheaper trucks using modern fire control systems, is there really much need for a highly automated self-propelled gun firing guided shells that the Russian military cannot afford? The GPS guided rockets are cheaper and have longer ranges. Western armies, especially the Americans, have decided not to develop a new self-propelled gun like the 2S35. The Americans just kept upgrading their 1960s M109 self-propelled 155mm system and reduced the number in service. That has been found to be cheaper and more effective, especially since the U.S. artillery uses GPS guided shells most of the time and depends a lot more on GPS guided rockets as well as air delivered smart bombs and guided missiles. All these GPS guided weapons have a jam-proof INS backup guidance system.

Russia discovered how entrenched this new attitude was when they tried to market the 2S19 to export customers after 2004. That was the same time the American GPS guided shells and rockets were entering service. Most potential export customers saw the future and it was not the 2S19 or proposed 2S35. The 2S19 offered for export was basically a T-80 tank chassis, with a much larger turret and the 152mm artillery piece installed. This vehicle weighs 43 tons, has a five-man crew and carries fifty rounds of ammo with it. Equipped with GPS and other modern electronics, the 2S19 sells for much less (often half) than what Western firms are asking for similar systems. Russian tanks and artillery have a good reputation for reliability and getting the job done. The Russians have a wide array of modern 152 munitions available, including the laser-guided Krasnopol round. The vehicle has an auxiliary power unit, so the 2S19 can sit in one place, ready to fire on short notice. The gun can fire up to eight rounds a minute and is capable of "shoot and scoot" (stopping quickly, firing off a few rounds at a distant target, then moving on quickly before anyone can fire back.) Depending on the type of ammo fired, max range is up to 30 kilometers (or more.) The 2S19 entered service in 1989, just in time for the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the era of no-money-for-new-equipment. This means that few have been sold, even to the Russian army. But after 2000, factories were ready to produce the system for both the Russian forces and foreign customers. The customers, including the Russian Army, have not been enthusiastic. The 2S35 project continues because there are still industry and military proponents of the Armata system and its promise of highly automated armored combat vehicles. The T-14 tank and T-15 IFV are ready for service but no one, not even the Russian Army, can afford them. The 2S35 on an Armata chassis appears to be headed in the same direction.

Ukraine and other Eastern European nations that were, until 1990, occupied by Russian troops and run by local communists who did what Russia told them, have an incentive to stay ahead of Russia when it comes to weapons tech. The wheeled DANA and Zusana and the continued Russian reliance on systems like the 2S35 are an example of how you survive as neighbors of Russia; you evolve faster than your larger aggressive local bully.
On April 13 th Russia successfully carried out the first test launch of the production version of its new RS-29 Sarmat ICBM. This comes two years after Russia RS-28 ICBM was ready for service, along with its Avangard hypersonic warhead. RS-28 missiles were supposed to begin replacing older RS-18 missiles by the end of 2020 but that was delayed as a few more technical problems had to be fixed with the production model. The successful launch from a silo of a production missile allows those already built to begin replacing older ICBMs.

Design errors and quality control problems have become customary with Russian ICBM and SLV (satellite launch vehicle) rockets and the Russians have adapted. An example of this can be seen in the 2020 decision to delay acceptance of the solid-fuel SS-26, which is also supposed to carry the Avangard hypersonic warhead. The solid-fuel RS-26 had run into a lot more problems than the liquid-fuel RS-28. In 2019 Russia announced the suspension of the RS-26, one of the two ICBM projects that were designed to use the Avangard, a revival of a Cold War era hypersonic glide vehicle system. RS-26 was a solid fuel missile based on the Topol M, which was the first successful solid fuel ICBM missile Russia was able to deploy. It is comparable to the 1960s era U.S. Minuteman. Solid fuel is tricky to manufacture, and after many abortive attempts, the Russians stuck with liquid fuel until the 1980s. They finally perfected their solid fuel technology in the 1980s with the successful test launch of the 45-ton Topol in 1985. The 52-ton Topol-M followed ten years later. Both missiles have a range of 10,500 kilometers. This is the second time Russia ran into problems adapting the Topol M for other uses. The first effort was to turn Topol M into Bulava, an SLBM (Sea Launched Ballistic Missile) for the new Borei class SSBN ((ballistic missile nuclear subs). The Bulava problems were largely caused by a shortage of competent engineers and manufacturing specialists. Getting Bulava to work took a lot longer and cost a lot more than expected. Sensing the same pattern with the RS-26, Russia suspended work on this until 2027, or whatever future time when the personnel and manufacturing quality control problems can be solved.

The other new missile designed to carry Avangard, the 220-ton RS-28, had fewer problems but was still behind schedule and officially not expected to be ready until 2021. Realistically the mid-2020s was more likely and Russian officials seemed relieved to announce RS-28 ready to use in 2022. Because of several successful test launches in the last three years, Russia is declaring the Avangard/RS-28 missiles ready for deployment. That means these missiles are being taken off the production line, equipped with their Avangard third stage and headed for an existing R-36M (SS-18) base at Orenburg (1,500 kilometers southeast of Moscow) where those R-36M silos have been prepared to accept the RS-28 missiles. Satellite photos confirmed that many RS-28s were now in the R-36M silos. Given Russian production and budget problems, only a token number of RS-28s were in those silos by the end of 2019, with the number slowly increasing until the recent test. The Orenburg ICBM base has been in service since the 1960s and has 62 silos. Since the 1990s most have been taken out of service. Some of those silos were used for launching ICBMs modified to carry commercial satellites. A dozen or more silos are available for the RS-28s and loading a silo with a new missile is a very visible (from the air) and time-consuming process.

RS-28 development began as a replacement for Cold War era ICBMs that are rapidly becoming too old and unreliable to use. By 2016 the RS-28 had also evolved into the primary carrier for the new hypersonic glide vehicle project Russia announced in 2013 but was believed to have suspended because of budget cuts brought on by low oil prices and sanctions. That crisis is still active and the defense budget has undergone cuts for several years in a row. Yet the Avangard project remained quite active and has apparently received budget priority to get it into service as soon as possible.

The RS-28 was originally scheduled for testing before the end of 2016. That did not happen and there followed the usual succession of delays because of technical or manufacturing problems. RS-28 has been in development since 2009 and was originally scheduled to enter service in 2018. Russia has had a growing number of quality control problems throughout the Russian space problem and military tech development in general. The cause was the return of a market economy to Russia in the 1990s. At that point, most of the more talented people in defense industries found better-paying jobs in the commercial sector or overseas. No solution to this has been found, especially not with Russia suffering from an economic recession and pervasive corruption. Despite the fact that the government has devoted a lot more money and management talent (also in short supply) to nukes, ballistic missiles and nuclear subs, the problems and delays persist.

Russia believes the RS-28 is essential for state security because it can carry nine or more independently targeted warheads and will be the most important weapon in its ICBM arsenal. Moreover the missile RS-28 is replacing (R-36M), is aging to the point where refurbishment is no longer able to keep these decades old missiles operational. The Russians saw this problem coming and in 2003 decided to refurbish its force of 1970s era R-36M (SS-18 or "Satan" in the West) ICBMs so they could remain in service another 10-15 years (2013-18). Both the old (210-ton, 32.2 meter long and 3.05 meters in diameter) R-36 and new (210 ton, 36.3 meter long and 3 meters in diameter) RS-28 are similar in size. The new missile is longer and that will require some adjustments to the existing R-36 silos. Some of that work appears to have already been done.

The R-36M was designed in 1969, first tested in 1972 and entered service in 1975. It's the largest ICBM the Russians ever built, with a liftoff weight of 210 tons and a warhead weighing eight tons. While it's a liquid fuel rocket, storable liquid fuel is used. This avoids lengthy fueling procedures common with earlier Russian ICBMs. Modifications and upgrades for the missile produced six separate models, the last one entering service in 1990. Russia wanted to refurbish a hundred of the most recently built (in the 1980s, for the most part) R-36Ms. Shortages of cash and resources reduced the number refurbished and as of 2016 only about fifty were operational. By 2018 only about 30 will be usable and by 2020 none will. The RS-28 is very similar to the R-36M, weighing 220 tons and a warhead hauling up to ten tons of smaller warheads (up to 15) or 24 Avangard vehicles.

The secretive Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle project was something that began during the Cold War but never got into service. Suspicions that Russia had changed its mind may have been a side-effect of China revealing in early 2016 that they had perfected the technology for a maneuverable ballistic missile warhead. This came a little after it was revealed that since 2014 China had conducted six tests of a maneuverable gliding warhead for ballistic missiles. Five of the six tests were successful and this hypersonic glide vehicle was officially known as the DF-ZF.

In effect, this Chinese hypersonic glide vehicle is a warhead that can glide rather than simply plunging back to earth, and is maneuverable enough to hit small moving targets in space or down on the surface. The DF-ZF was initially developed as China sought to perfect a version of the DF-21 ballistic missile that could hit moving warships at sea. DF-21 is a 15 ton, two-stage, solid fuel missile. The DF-21D (the carrier killer version) missile using the DF-ZF warhead is also more difficult for anti-missile missiles to hit. This is what the Russian hypersonic glide vehicle is designed for.

Russia and the United States had developed this technology much earlier but neither has deployed it in the form the Chinese appear to favor. The original work in this area was by the Germans during World War II. The U.S. and Russia both investigated the concept more during the Cold War but never felt it worth building. In the 1990s the United States proposed reviving work on hypersonic glide vehicles for its Prompt Global Strike system. This would put hypersonic glide vehicle warheads, using high-explosive and not nuclear explosives, on ICBMs. This meant a very expensive weapon that could hit a target anywhere on earth in less than an hour of the order being given. In any event, the United States successfully tested its version of the hypersonic glide vehicle in 2011 but with the defense budget shrinking the project was halted. This was encouraged when a 2014 hypersonic glide vehicle test failed. Now, this effort has been revived, sort of.

The United States moved ahead with reviving its Cold War era hypersonic glide vehicle ballistic missile warheads. In late 2017 the U.S. revealed several active research projects like TBG (Tactical Boost Glide) and HAWC (Hypersonic Air-Breathing Weapon) which are similar in size and shape to the cruise missiles carried by bombers, and launched from high altitudes into orbit or remain in the atmosphere, but moving at hyper speeds (over 5,000 kilometers an hour). This is similar to the X-51A Waverider project that was halted in 2013 but not forgotten. The problem with the X-51A was that it could not be made reliable enough. A 2010 flight test had the 8 meter (36 foot) long, cruise missile-like X-51 aircraft boosted to 3,300 kilometers an hour, using a solid fuel rocket, at which point the scramjet engine took over, and successfully operated for over two minutes, achieving speeds of nearly 6,000 kilometers an hour. This was the longest a scramjet had ever operated (the previous best was ten seconds). By 2013 the 4th test got the liquid fuel engine going for five minutes.

What makes scramjets work is the compression of incoming air, without the use of a fan system (as in conventional jet engines). But while scramjets have been in development for half a century, the lack of adequate materials (that can handle the high heat and pressure), and adequate design tools, frustrated attempts to build workable and reliable scramjets. Scramjets have few moving parts but must cope with very extreme conditions and the design challenges have proved very frustrating. The recent X-51 tests, like all previous ones, ended with the aircraft crashing. The next step was to get longer hypersonic engine use, de-acceleration, and landing via parachute (and eventually an auxiliary engine.) Going beyond the 2013 test proved too expensive and time consuming to continue when there were cheaper alternatives available and these depended more on getting into orbit and letting gravity provide and maintain the high speed. It was definitely easier to achieve those high speeds with orbital technologies like TBG and HAWC. Or the new Chinese systems like DF-ZF.

Russia stresses the need for Avangard to deal with American missile defense systems. This doesnt make sense to Westerners because the American anti-ICBM systems are limited and meant to deal with small numbers of ICBMs from North Korea or Iran. Russia interprets it differently because Russian leaders since 2010 have blamed internal problems on the growing threat NATO. The reality is that the NATO threat is a myth but the growing economic problems are not. This is made clear via opinion polls and international economic surveys. The corruption rankings put Russia among the most corrupt nations, and those are the ones that have the worst economic and military performance. The most recent corruption surveys show Russia as more corrupt than China and getting worse. Avangard is an expensive defense against an imaginary threat. Meanwhile, the growing corruption and shortage of competent people (who are leaving Russia or avoiding defense industries) make it more and more difficult to complete high-tech weapons projects of any kind.
Cloud DX selected as a leading growth company and investment opportunity for the Proactive event

News in Summary

Cloud DX chosen as 1 of 5 presenting investment opportunities

An exclusive opportunity for attendees to meet the team and hear strategies for growth

KITCHENER, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 25, 2022 / Cloud DX (TSXV:CDX)(OTCQB: CDXFF), a leading Virtual Care platform, will present at the ONE2ONE Investors Forum, hosted by Proactive Events. One of the five selected companies, the event showcases the best investment opportunities' as selected by Proactive . Attendees can listen to Cloud DX's management discuss the company's story, management, and strategies for the coming year.

Robert Kaul, CEO and Founder at Cloud DX, states "Investors, new and experienced alike, can learn about cutting-edge companies and investment opportunities like Cloud DX at this virtual Investor Forum. As a leader in the Virtual Care space, Cloud DX is quickly expanding; Our innovative solutions have solved some of the industry's stickiest challenges, a reason both physicians and patients love us. This exclusive event offers the chance to engage directly with our management team. Take the chance to get in on the ground floor of a Virtual Care company that is here to stay - register for the ONE2ONE event today."

About Cloud DX

Accelerating virtual healthcare, Cloud DX is on a mission to make healthcare better for everyone. Our Connected Health TM remote patient monitoring platform is used by healthcare enterprises and care teams across North America to virtually manage chronic disease, enable aging in place, and deliver hospital-quality post-surgical care in the home. Our partners achieve better healthcare and patient outcomes, reduce the need for hospitalization or re-admission, and reduce healthcare delivery costs through more efficient use of resources. Cloud DX is the co-winner of the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, a 2021 Edison Award winner, a Fast Company "World Changing Idea" finalist, and was named a "New Innovator 2022" by Canadian Business magazine. Cloud DX is an exclusive virtual care partner to Medtronic Canada and Equitable Life

Cloud DX Investor Site https://ir.clouddx.com/overview/default.aspx

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For media inquiries please contact:

Janine Scott

Marketing Lead

888-543-0944

[email protected]

For investor inquiries please contact:

Jay Bedard

Cloud DX Investor Relations

647-881-8418

[email protected]

SOURCE: Cloud DX Inc.

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 25, 2022 / FinCanna Capital Corp. ("FinCanna") ("the Company")(CSE:CALI)(OTCQB: FNNZF) an investment company focused on the U.S. licensed cannabis industry, reports that following higher than anticipated demand the Company has increased the size of its previously announced non-brokered private placement financing from $2.0 million to $2.5 million.

FinCanna intends to issue up to 25,000,000 Units at a price of C$0.10 for total gross proceeds of up to $2,500,000 by way of a non-brokered private placement. Each unit will consist of one common share of FinCanna and one common share purchase warrant (a "Unit"). Each warrant will be exercisable to acquire one common share of FinCanna at an exercise price of $0.20 for a period of 24 months from the date of the closing of the private placement. The warrants will be subject to acceleration at FinCanna's discretion on the 30th day after FinCanna gives notice in the event that FinCanna's common shares trade on the CSE on a volume weighted average price ("VWAP") basis of C$0.30 or more for a period of 10 trading days. If at any time during the term of the warrants the closing price (or closing bid price on days when there are no trades) of FinCanna's common shares quoted on the Canadian Securities Exchange is equal to or greater than $0.30 per common share for 10 consecutive trading days, then FinCanna shall have the right to accelerate the Warrant expiry date to the 30th day after the date on which FinCanna gives notice to the subscriber in accordance with the certificates representing the warrants.

To review FinCanna Capital's recent investor presentation click here .

FinCanna has agreed to pay a finder's fee by way of cash and/or warrants equal to 7% of the aggregate Units subscribed for pursuant to the subscriptions arranged by such finders. Each warrant shall be exercisable for one common share at a price of C$0.20 for a period of 24 months following the closing date of the Private Placement.

The closing of the private placement is expected to occur on or about April 28, 2022 and is subject to be the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals. All securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to a four month hold in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. There is no material factor material change regarding FinCanna that has not been generally disclosed. FinCanna intends to use the net proceeds from the Private Placement to fund the launch of the new "manufacturer to retail" revenue strategy as well as ongoing working capital and general corporate purposes.

About FinCanna Capital Corp.

FinCanna is an investment company that provides growth capital to rapidly emerging private companies operating in the licensed U.S cannabis industry. FinCanna is focused on delivering high impact returns to its shareholders by way of a strategically diversified investment portfolio.

For additional information visit www.fincannacapital.com and FinCanna's profile at www.sedar.com

FinCanna Capital Corp.

Andriyko Herchak, CEO & Director

[email protected]

1.833.346.2266

Forward-Looking Information

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements or forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements herein include, without limitation, statements about the up to $2.5 million in private placement financing; the Company's new "manufacture to retail" revenue strategy; and future plans and strategies of the Company. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, risks that the Company may not be able to raise $2.5 million in private placement financing, or any funds at all; the Company may not receive approval for the $2.5 million financing; the new "manufacturer to retail" model and strategy may not result in the anticipated benefits to the Company, or at all; and the risks identified in the CSE listing statement available at www.SEDAR.com and other reports and filings with the applicable Canadian securities regulators. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made, and the respective companies undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: FinCanna Capital Corp.

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Organic growth of 7.0%

Continued investment and bolt on acquisitions

Launch of KORUS, the Groups first employee shareholding plan

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

Korian (Paris: KORI), the leading European care and support services group for the elderly and fragile, announces its 1st quarter revenue for 2022.

Sophie Boissard, Korian Group Chief Executive Officer, stated:

At our next Annual General Meeting in June 2022, we will be submitting for approval the transformation of Korian into a European company. We are also launching, through a close dialogue with our stakeholders, the transformation of Korian into a mission-led company by June 2023.

As an integral part of our ESG strategy and commitment to our teams we have announced our first employee shareholding plan across Europe this quarter. Through this scheme we are offering all our employees the opportunity to participate as a shareholder in the transformation and innovation projects of the Group, hereby contributing to the development of Korian over the long term. Together, we are building across Europe a community of professionals with strong values, working at the heart of our communities, in order to better respond to the growing needs of elderly and fragile people and their families and contribute to solutions for maintained autonomy. This plan will be finalized in July 2022.

Revenue of 1,093.9m in the first quarter of 2022, growing by 7.4% versus 2021, with an organic growth of 7.0%, driven by: A high activity level in Healthcare rebounding to pre-pandemic levels, Continued dynamic growth of Home Care activities, including co-living solutions Good contribution of Long Term Care activity, stabilising after strong rebound in Q4 2021 and despite the impact of the Omicron variant

Launch of KORUS, our first employee shareholding programme: Open to all employees across Europe Favourable conditions for staff with a fully protected structure Ongoing presentation of the plan in all facilities of the Group in Europe

Continued roll out of investment programme and targeted bolt-on acquisitions: Reinforcing mental health capacity within the Group through the acquisition of IHG, a specialised multidisciplinary platform in Italy, with around 1,000 beds and ambulatory capacities; Continued transformation of the French healthcare network with 16 sites under construction or renovation in 2022, including the opening of a specialised clinic in Livry Gargan and the start of construction of a new medical platform of 200 beds in the Paris area; Roll out of the Boost renovation project in the nursing home sector in France with 25 sites under renovation at present; Two high quality nursing homes in West England with 150 beds, a quality rate of 9.9/101 and Real Estate ownership

A 0.35/share dividend with a share payment option to be proposed to the Annual General Meeting, as compared to 0.30/share in 2021 and 0.60/share in 2019

2022 guidance: confirmation of an organic growth above 4%, progressive normalisation of the EBITDA margin and of the Operational Free Cash Flow

1st quarter 2022 revenue

Revenue (m) Reported growth Organic growth Country Q1 2021 Q1 2022 Variation % France, Spain, UK* 510.8 543.0 6.3% 7.2% Germany 259.3 269.4 3.9% 3.8% Benelux** 143.4 153.2 6.9% 8.9% Italy 104.7 128.4 22.6% 11.2% Total 1,018.2 1,093.9 7.4% 7.0%

* O/w France: 510.4m in Q1 2022 vs 501.2m in Q1 2021, Spain: 23.9m in Q1 2022 vs 7.8m in Q1 2021, United Kingdom: 8.7m in Q1 2022 vs 1.8m in Q1 2021

** O/w Belgium: 130.5m in Q1 2022 vs 125.2m in Q1 2021, Netherlands: 22.6m in Q1 2022 vs 18.2m in Q1 2021

Next Events:

22 June 2022  Annual general Meeting

28 July 2022  1st half-year 2022 Revenue and Results

About Korian

Korian, the leading European care services group for elderly and fragile people. www.korian.com

Korian has been listed on Euronext Paris Section A since November 2006 and is included in the following indices: SBF 120, CAC Health Care, CAC Mid 60, CAC Mid & Small and MSCI Global Small Cap

Euronext ticker: KORI - ISIN: FR0010386334  Reuters: KORI.PA  Bloomberg: KORI.FP

1 According to carehomes.co.uk

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220425005847/en/

INVESTOR RELATIONS



Sarah Mingham

VP Investor Relations

& Financing

[email protected]

Tel: +33 (0)1 55 37 53 55



Carole Alexandre

Deputy Head of

Investor Relations

[email protected]

Tel: +33 (0)7 64 65 22 44



MEDIA



Cyrille Lachevre

[email protected]

Tel. : 06 20 42 12 08



Pascal Jentsch

VP International communications

[email protected]

Tel. 07 65 18 58 55

Marjorie Castoriadis

Head of Media Relations

[email protected]

Tel: +33 (0)7 63 59 88 81

Source: Korian
WESTMINSTER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Maxar Technologies (NYSE: MAXR) (TSX: MAXR), provider of comprehensive space solutions and secure, precise, geospatial intelligence, today announced it was awarded U.S. Government mission support contracts in Q1 2022 worth up to $202 million over a six-year period.

The total includes 27 awards across nine U.S. government customerseight of which are Department of Defense or Intelligence Community organizationsfor work including artificial intelligence and machine learning applications, advanced data analytics, software development, data conditioning, geospatial production and dissemination, maritime domain awareness, and training and development.

Maxar is honored to support U.S. defense and intelligence customers by delivering a breadth of mission-critical geospatial intelligence and related technologies, said Maxar CEO Dan Jablonsky. We're proud to kick off 2022 with a flurry of new and renewed partnerships with our U.S. government partners, and we look forward to continue delivering precise, trusted products and technologies in support of national security missions throughout the year.

Maxar is exhibiting at the GEOINT 2022 Symposium in Aurora, Colorado, this week, highlighting how the company delivers speed and precision in support of demanding missions. Visit Maxar at booth #411 to learn more.

About Maxar

Maxar Technologies (NYSE: MAXR) (TSX: MAXR) is a provider of comprehensive space solutions and secure, precise, geospatial intelligence. We deliver disruptive value to government and commercial customers to help them monitor, understand and navigate our changing planet; deliver global broadband communications; and explore and advance the use of space. Our unique approach combines decades of deep mission understanding and a proven commercial and defense foundation to deploy solutions and deliver insights with unrivaled speed, scale and cost effectiveness. Maxars 4,400 team members in over 20 global locations are inspired to harness the potential of space to help our customers create a better world. Maxar trades on the New York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange as MAXR. For more information, visit www.maxar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements and other information included in this release constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") under applicable securities laws. Statements including words such as "may", "will", "could", "should", "would", "plan", "potential", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate" or "expect" and other words, terms and phrases of similar meaning are often intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements involve estimates, expectations, projections, goals, forecasts, assumptions, risks and uncertainties, as well as other statements referring to or including forward-looking information included in this presentation.

Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this presentation. As a result, although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. The risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, the risk factors and other disclosures about the Company and its business included in the Company's continuous disclosure materials filed from time to time with U.S. securities and Canadian regulatory authorities, which are available online under the Company's EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov, under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com or on the Company's website at www.maxar.com.

The forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. All such forward-looking statements are based upon data available as of the date of this presentation or other specified date and speak only as of such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this presentation as a result of new information or future events, except as may be required under applicable securities legislation.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220425005145/en/

Investor Relations Contact:

Jason Gursky

Maxar VP, Investor Relations and Corporate Treasurer

1-303-684-2207

[email protected]

Media Contact:

Kristin Quinn Cody

Maxar Media Relations

1-703-350-6753

[email protected]

Source: Maxar Technologies
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- MFS Investment Management (MFS) released today the distribution income sources for six of its closed-end funds for April 2022: MFS Charter Income Trust (NYSE: MCR), MFS Government Markets Income Trust (NYSE: MGF), MFS Intermediate High-Income Fund (NYSE: CIF), MFS Intermediate Income Trust (NYSE: MIN), MFS Multimarket Income Trust (NYSE: MMT) and MFS Special Value Trust (NYSE: MFV). This information also can be obtained by visiting MFS.com by clicking on Products & Strategies > Closed End Funds > Dividend Source Information.

MFS Charter Income Trust

Distribution period: April 2022

Distribution amount per share: $ 0.05142

The following table sets forth the estimated amounts of the current distribution and the cumulative distributions paid this fiscal year to date from the following sources: net investment income, net realized short-term capital gains, net realized long-term capital gains and return of capital or other capital source. The funds fiscal year begins each December 1st. All amounts are expressed per common share.

Total cumulative

distributions for the

fiscal year to date % Breakdown of

the total

cumulative

distributions for

the fiscal year to

date Current

distribution % Breakdown of

current distribution Net Investment Income $ 0.03702 72% $ 0.13536 50% Net Realized ST Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Net Realized LT Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Return of Capital or Other Capital Source 0.01440 28% 0.13536 50% Total (per common share) $ 0.05142 100% $ 0.27072 100% Average annual total return (in relation to NAV) for the five years ended 3-31-2022 4.81% Annualized current distribution rate expressed as a percentage of month end NAV as of 3-31-2022 7.97% Cumulative total return (in relation to NAV) for the fiscal year through 3-31-2022 -4.11% Cumulative fiscal year distributions as a percentage of NAV as of 3-31-2022 3.50%

MFS Government Markets Income Trust

Distribution period: April 2022

Distribution amount per share: $ 0.02447

The following table sets forth the estimated amounts of the current distribution and the cumulative distributions paid this fiscal year to date from the following sources: net investment income, net realized short-term capital gains, net realized long-term capital gains and return of capital or other capital source. The funds fiscal year begins each December 1st. All amounts are expressed per common share.

Total cumulative

distributions for the

fiscal year to date % Breakdown of

the total

cumulative

distributions for

the fiscal year to

date Current

distribution % Breakdown of

current distribution Net Investment Income $ 0.00245 10% $ 0.02170 17% Net Realized ST Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Net Realized LT Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Return of Capital or Other Capital Source 0.02202 90% 0.10593 83% Total (per common share) $ 0.02447 100% $ 0.12763 100% Average annual total return (in relation to NAV) for the five years ended 3-31-2022 2.15% Annualized current distribution rate expressed as a percentage of month end NAV as of 3-31-2022 7.34% Cumulative total return (in relation to NAV) for the fiscal year through 3-31-2022 -5.66% Cumulative fiscal year distributions as a percentage of NAV as of 3-31-2022 3.19%

MFS Intermediate High-Income Fund

Distribution period: April 2022

Distribution amount per share: $ 0.01705

The following table sets forth the estimated amounts of the current distribution and the cumulative distributions paid this fiscal year to date from the following sources: net investment income, net realized short-term capital gains, net realized long-term capital gains and return of capital or other capital source. The funds fiscal year begins each December 1st. All amounts are expressed per common share.

Total cumulative

distributions for the

fiscal year to date % Breakdown of

the total

cumulative

distributions for

the fiscal year to

date Current

distribution % Breakdown of

current distribution Net Investment Income $ 0.01091 64% $ 0.05416 60% Net Realized ST Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Net Realized LT Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Return of Capital or Other Capital Source 0.00614 36% 0.03610 40% Total (per common share) $ 0.01705 100% $ 0.09026 100% Average annual total return (in relation to NAV) for the five years ended 3-31-2022 4.03% Annualized current distribution rate expressed as a percentage of month end NAV as of 3-31-2022 9.47% Cumulative total return (in relation to NAV) for the fiscal year through 3-31-2022 -3.95% Cumulative fiscal year distributions as a percentage of NAV as of 3-31-2022 4.18%

MFS Intermediate Income Trust

Distribution period: April 2022

Distribution amount per share: $ 0.02401

The following table sets forth the estimated amounts of the current distribution and the cumulative distributions paid this fiscal year to date from the following sources: net investment income, net realized short-term capital gains, net realized long-term capital gains and return of capital or other capital source. The funds fiscal year begins each November 1st. All amounts are expressed per common share.

Total cumulative

distributions for the

fiscal year to date % Breakdown of

the total

cumulative

distributions for

the fiscal year to

date Current

distribution % Breakdown of

current distribution Net Investment Income $ 0.00600 25% $ 0.03767 25% Net Realized ST Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Net Realized LT Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Return of Capital or Other Capital Source 0.01801 75% 0.11300 75% Total (per common share) $ 0.02401 100% $ 0.15067 100% Average annual total return (in relation to NAV) for the five years ended 3-31-2022 2.64% Annualized current distribution rate expressed as a percentage of month end NAV as of 3-31-2022 8.60% Cumulative total return (in relation to NAV) for the fiscal year through 3-31-2022 -4.47% Cumulative fiscal year distributions as a percentage of NAV as of 3-31-2022 4.50%

MFS Multimarket Income Trust

Distribution period: April 2022

Distribution amount per share: $ 0.03702

The following table sets forth the estimated amounts of the current distribution and the cumulative distributions paid this fiscal year to date from the following sources: net investment income, net realized short-term capital gains, net realized long-term capital gains and return of capital or other capital source. The funds fiscal year begins each November 1st. All amounts are expressed per common share.

Total cumulative

distributions for the

fiscal year to date % Breakdown of

the total

cumulative

distributions for

the fiscal year to

date Current

distribution % Breakdown of

current distribution Net Investment Income $ 0.02962 80% $ 0.16098 68% Net Realized ST Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Net Realized LT Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Return of Capital or Other Capital Source 0.00740 20% 0.07576 32% Total (per common share) $ 0.03702 100% $ 0.23674 100% Average annual total return (in relation to NAV) for the five years ended 3-31-2022 5.03% Annualized current distribution rate expressed as a percentage of month end NAV as of 3-31-2022 7.95% Cumulative total return (in relation to NAV) for the fiscal year through 3-31-2022 -5.44% Cumulative fiscal year distributions as a percentage of NAV as of 3-31-2022 4.24%

MFS Special Value Trust

Distribution period: April 2022

Distribution amount per share: $ 0.04222

The following table sets forth the estimated amounts of the current distribution and the cumulative distributions paid this fiscal year to date from the following sources: net investment income, net realized short-term capital gains, net realized long-term capital gains and return of capital or other capital source. The funds fiscal year begins each November 1st. All amounts are expressed per common share.

Total cumulative

distributions for the

fiscal year to date % Breakdown of

the total

cumulative

distributions for

the fiscal year to

date Current

distribution % Breakdown of

current distribution Net Investment Income $ 0.00971 23% $ 0.06130 23% Net Realized ST Cap Gains 0.00000 0% 0.00000 0% Net Realized LT Cap Gains 0.01773 42% 0.13058 49% Return of Capital or Other Capital Source 0.01478 35% 0.07462 28% Total (per common share) $ 0.04222 100% $ 0.26650 100% Average annual total return (in relation to NAV) for the five years ended 3-31-2022 6.54% Annualized current distribution rate expressed as a percentage of month end NAV as 3-31-2022 9.91% Cumulative total return (in relation to NAV) for the fiscal year through 3-31-2022 -3.82% Cumulative fiscal year distributions as a percentage of NAV as of 3-31-2022 5.22%

The above funds have adopted a managed distribution plan. Under a managed distribution plan, to the extent that sufficient investment income is not available monthly, the fund will distribute long-term capital gains and/or return of capital to maintain its managed distribution level. Investors should not draw any conclusions about the funds investment performance from the amount of the funds distributions or from the terms of the funds managed distribution plan.

The Board of the fund may amend the terms of the plan or terminate the plan at any time without prior notice to the funds shareholders. The amendment or termination of a plan could have an adverse effect on the market price of the funds common shares. The plan will be subject to periodic review by the Board. With each distribution that does not consist solely of net investment income, the fund will issue a notice to shareholders and an accompanying press release which will provide detailed information regarding the amount and estimated composition of the distribution and other related information.

The amounts and sources of distributions reported above are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the funds investment experience during its full fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. The fund will send shareholders a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell them how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes. The fund may at times distribute more than its net investment income and net realized capital gains; therefore, a portion of the distribution may result in a return of capital. A return of capital may occur, for example, when some or all the money that shareholders invested in the fund is paid back to them. A return of capital does not necessarily reflect a funds investment performance and should not be confused with yield or income. Any such returns of capital will decrease the funds total assets and, therefore, could have the effect of increasing the funds expense ratio. In addition, to make the level of distributions called for under its plan, the fund may have to sell portfolio securities at a less than opportune time.

About MFS Investment Management

In 1924, MFS launched the first US open-end mutual fund, opening the door to the markets for millions of everyday investors. Today, as a full-service global investment manager serving financial advisors, intermediaries and institutional clients, MFS still serves a single purpose: to create long-term value for clients by allocating capital responsibly. That takes our powerful investment approach combining collective expertise, thoughtful risk management and long-term discipline. Supported by our culture of shared values and collaboration, our teams of diverse thinkers actively debate ideas and assess material risks to uncover what we believe are the best investment opportunities in the market. As of March 31, 2022, MFS manages US$636.9 billion in assets on behalf of individual and institutional investors worldwide. Please visit mfs.com for more information.

The Funds are closed-end Funds. Common shares of the Funds are only available for purchase/sale on the NYSE at the current market price. Shares may trade at a discount to NAV.

MFS Investment Management

111 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02199

15668.163

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Computershare Shareholders Services:

Shareholders (account information, quotes): 800-637-2304

MFS Investment Management:

Shareholders or Advisors (investment product information):

Jeffrey Schwarz, 800-343-2829, ext. 55872

Media Only:

Dan Flaherty, 617-954-4256

Source: MFS Investment Management
Automation industrys most prestigious honor to be presented to three at Automate 2022 in Detroit on June 8 and three at Automatica in Munich June 20

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) today announced six winners of the 2022 Engelberger Robotics Awards, the world's most prestigious robotics honor. At a special dinner in conjunction with the Automate 2022 Show and Conference in Detroit on June 8, Michael P. Jacobs of Applied Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) will be honored for his leadership in automation while Oussama Khatib of Stanford University will be awarded for education and Marc Raibert of Boston Dynamics for technology.

Three more winners will also be celebrated at Automatica in Munich on June 20:

Bertil Thorvaldsson of ABB for leadership

Bruno Siciliano of the University of Naples for education

Melonee Wise of Zebra Technologies for technology

The Engelberger Robotics Award is named after the late Joseph F. Engelberger, known throughout the world as the founding force behind industrial robotics. Since its inception in 1977, the Engelberger Robotics Award has been presented to 134 robotics leaders from 17 different nations for excellence in technology development, application, education and leadership. Each winner receives a $5,000 honorarium and commemorative medallion.

As the robotics industry grows, so does our list of extremely talented nominees deserving of this coveted Engelberger Award, said Jeff Burnstein, president of A3. In their unique ways, each of these six remarkable individuals have played prominent roles in shaping the robotics industry were a part of today, from educating future roboticists to advancing the role of mobile, industrial and collaborative robotics in manufacturing facilities and warehouses alike. We expect more great things from this years winners and look forward to celebrating them at Automate and Automatica.

2022 Engelberger Robotics Awards Winners

The six honorees were selected by the past chairs of the A3 Technology Strategy Board. Khatib, a roboticist and a professor of computer science at Stanford University, is credited with seminal work in areas ranging from robot motion planning and control, human-friendly robot design, to haptic interaction and human motion synthesis.

Joe Engelberger's farsighted vision of people and robots working together over the simplest or most complex of tasks is now within reach, and the potential of these emerging robots is being anticipated throughout the world's societies, Khatib said. Receipt of this award for my robotics work toward his vision -- an award bearing his name -- is a profound honor.

Wise, previously the CEO of Fetch Robotics until its acquisition by Zebra Technologies in 2021, now serves as the vice president and general manager of Robotics Automation for Zebra. For nearly 20 years, Wise has been designing, building, and programming robotic hardware and software. She was the second employee at Willow Garage, a research and development laboratory specializing in robotics, where she led a team of engineers developing next-generation robot hardware and software. In 2014, she and other members of Willow Garage founded Fetch Robotics, which is best known for its autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for warehouses.

Im truly honored to receive the Joseph Engelberger award for Technology, Wise said. Just as Engelberger forged the path of industrial robots in manufacturing automation, the Fetch Robotics team has followed in his footsteps to bring AMRs to the forefront of manufacturing and logistics automation. I am deeply inspired by Engelbergers work, and with Zebra, I hope to continue to push the boundaries of robotics technology to enable the adoption of robotics in new industries and applications.

Jacobs, the founder and CEO of AMT, is an expert in the robotic automation industry. Prior to AMT, at GMF Robotics (now FANUC), he pioneered the product development and market introduction of robot simulation and offline programming systems.

Recognition by industry leaders with an award that bears the name of Joseph Engelberger is a highlight of my career, Jacobs said. I am truly honored and deeply humbled.

The other Engelberger winners have led or been involved in advancing the automation industry in myriad ways:

Marc Raibert is the founder, former CEO and now chairman of Boston Dynamics, a robotics company known for creating BigDog, Atlas, Spot and Handle.

Thorvaldsson is the global product manager at ABB Robotics, a global leader in power and automation technologies. He joined the company in 1976

Siciliano, an Italian engineer, academic and scientific popularizer, is a professor of Automatic Control at the University of Naples Federico II, Director of the ICAROS Center, and Coordinator of the PRISMA Lab at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology.

Award Dinner

The award dinner at Automate will be held June 8 from 5:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at the Huntington Place Convention Center. Tickets for the event, which includes a cocktail reception and dinner, may be purchased when registering for the Automate 2022 Show and Conference. Produced by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), Automate returns to Detroit after two decades in Chicago. The event will bring more than 500 companies showcasing the latest in robotics, machine vision, artificial intelligence (AI), motion control, and smart automationand an expected 20,000 attendeesto the citys Huntington Place center.

Reminders about Automate:

Register for Automate 2022 at https://www.automateshow.com.

Automate 2022 at https://www.automateshow.com. Apply for a press pass at https://www.automateshow.com/form.cfm?form_id=151

Review the list of conference speakers at https://www.automateshow.com/conference/2022-conference-agenda

About Association for Advancing Automation (A3)

The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) is the leading global advocate for the benefits of automating. A3 promotes automation technologies and ideas that transform the way business is done. Members of A3 represent nearly 1,100 automation manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, academic institutions, research groups and consulting firms from throughout the world that drive automation forward.

A3 hosts a number of industry-leading events, including Automate Preview Series (Ongoing), the Automate Show & Conference (June 6-9, 2022, in Detroit, MI), The Autonomous Mobile Robot & Logistics Week (October 10-13, 2022, in Boston, MA) and The Vision Show (October 11-13, 2022, in Boston, MA).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220425005716/en/

Jackie Rose

Association for Advancing Automation

(734) 929-3264

[email protected]

Kelly Wanlass

HCI Marketing and Communications, Inc.

(801) 602-4723

[email protected]

Source: Association for Advancing Automation
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TransPerfect, the worlds largest provider of language and technology solutions for global business, today announced that it has been chosen by American Health Plans to streamline its document preparation process for enrollment. The solution consists of the GlobalLink Vasont Inspire CCMS platform and Vasont Inspires Medical Benefits Starter Kit, which combine to simplify the process of managing and updating documents for plan customers.

American Health Plans, a division of Tennessee-based American Health Partners, owns and manages Medicare Advantage institutional special-needs plans (I-SNPS) in 10 states for seniors who reside in long-term care facilities. Each year, the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires all Medicare Advantage providers to publish their plan documents before October 1. As American Health Plans continues to expand its membership into different states, it needed to scale its process for preparing mandatory documents (SBCs, EOCs, and ANOCs) in English and in other languages. American Health Plans required a solution that improved information consistency while minimizing unneeded changes.

Using GlobalLink Vasont Inspire, a component content management system (CCMS), American Health Plans will be able to provide its members clear and accurate plan booklets while meeting government-required deadlines through greater efficiency in preparing and translating plan documents.

GlobalLink Vasont Inspire is part of TransPerfects GlobalLink CCMS technology group, a division focused on facilitating automated document publication in English and other languages. With this new solution in place, American Health Plans can make changes in one place that propagate across all plan documents, increasing their capabilities to serve members from diverse populations and across multiple languages without increasing the effort to prepare content.

Robin Bradley, Chief Operating Officer at American Health Plans, said, TransPerfect is working with us to improve our process for document preparation, ensuring that all our content is up-to-date, accessible in multiple languages, and compliant with government regulations. These solutions allow us to focus less time on document preparation so we can invest more resources in providing the best possible healthcare and services for our clients to maintain their optimum health and wellness.

TransPerfect President and CEO Phil Shawe commented, TransPerfect is proud to provide technology that helps American Health Plans better serve seniors and others seeking affordable healthcare.

About GlobalLink CCMS

TransPerfects GlobalLink CCMS business unit provides the worlds best digital foundations for helping companies comply with regulations while delivering superior customer experiences with personalized content at scale. Health-related organizations large and smallfrom Bayer, Merck, and GE Healthcare to NeuroPace, LifeScan, and BioTekrely on GlobalLink CCMS solutions. As one of those solutions, GlobalLink Vasont Inspire reduces costs in content production by 63% and production timelines by 59%. GlobalLink CCMS solutions have received numerous awards, including several appearances on the EContent 100 list of best and brightest digital content companies. For more information, visit www.GlobalLinkCCMS.com.

About TransPerfect

TransPerfect is the worlds largest provider of language and technology solutions for global business. From offices in over 100 cities on six continents, TransPerfect offers a full range of services in 170+ languages to clients worldwide. More than 6,000 global organizations employ TransPerfects GlobalLink technology to simplify management of multilingual content. With an unparalleled commitment to quality and client service, TransPerfect is fully ISO 9001 and ISO 17100 certified. TransPerfect has global headquarters in New York, with regional headquarters in London and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit our website at www.transperfect.com.

About American Health Plans

American Health Plans, a division of Franklin, Tennessee-based American Health Partners is a leader in the provider-owned Medicare Advantage industry. Through Institutional Special Needs Plans (ISNPs) and Institutional-Equivalent Special Needs Plans (IESNPs), American Health Plans equips senior living providers with a business model that can reduce financial risk by improving clinical outcomes across all levels of care. This division currently has co-ownership and partnership agreements with long-term care providers in Georgia, Florida, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Utah, Texas and Tennessee and Idaho. For more information, visit AmHealthPlans.com or call (800) 766-9404.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220425006015/en/

Ryan Simper +1 212.689.5555

[email protected]

Source: TransPerfect
Public Storage (NYSE: PSA) today provided certain updates as to the impact on Public Storage of the agreed acquisition by affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate (NYSE: BX) of PS Business Parks, Inc. (NYSE: PSB), which was announced today. Upon consummation of the transaction, Public Storage, like all holders of PS Business Parks common shares and units, would receive $187.50 in cash per PS Business Parks common share or unit. Public Storage holds an approximate 41% common equity interest in PS Business Parks through approximately 7.2 million common shares and 7.3 million limited partnership units.

Public Storage expects to receive approximately $2.7 billion of cash proceeds and recognize a $2.3 billion tax gain on sale upon consummation of the transaction. Public Storage expects to distribute the $2.3 billion gain to its shareholders.

Public Storage estimates annual Core Funds from Operations would be lower following the consummation of the transaction to a degree approximating its $101 million pro rata share of PS Business Parks Core FFO in 2021, which comprised approximately 4% of Public Storages total Core FFO during the year.

Additional Transaction Details

The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2022, subject to approval by PS Business Parks stockholders and other customary closing conditions. Public Storage has agreed to vote its shares of PS Business Parks common stock, which represent 25.9% of the outstanding shares, in favor of the transaction, subject to the terms of a support agreement between Public Storage, PS Business Parks and an affiliate of Blackstone.

The merger agreement also includes a go-shop period that will expire 30 days from today on May 25, 2022, which permits PS Business Parks and its representatives to actively solicit and consider alternative acquisition proposals to acquire PS Business Parks. PS Business Parks has the right to terminate the definitive merger agreement with Blackstone to enter into a superior proposal, subject to the payment of a termination fee and certain other terms and conditions of the definitive merger agreement, and Public Storages support agreement will terminate automatically upon the termination of the merger agreement.

From the date of the merger agreement through the closing of the transaction, PS Business Parks is permitted to declare and pay regular, quarterly cash distributions to holders of its common stock and to holders of its operating partnerships units, in each case, including Public Storage, in an amount of up to $1.05 per share or unit, including a pro rata distribution in respect of any stub period.

Additional information regarding the transaction may be found in documents that PS Business Parks files with the SEC, available on the SECs website at sec.gov.

Company Information

Public Storage, a member of the S&P 500 and FT Global 500, is a REIT that primarily acquires, develops, owns, and operates self-storage facilities. At December 31, 2021, we had: (i) interests in 2,787 self-storage facilities located in 39 states with approximately 198 million net rentable square feet in the United States, (ii) an approximate 35% common equity interest in Shurgard Self-Storage SA (Euronext Brussels: SHUR) which owned 253 self-storage facilities located in seven Western European nations with approximately 14 million net rentable square feet operated under the Shurgard brand, and (iii) an approximate 41% common equity interest in PS Business Parks, Inc. (NYSE: PSB) which owned and operated approximately 28 million rentable square feet of commercial space at December 31, 2021. Our headquarters are located in Glendale, California.

Additional information about Public Storage is available on the Companys website at PublicStorage.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include statements relating to the consummation of Blackstones agreed acquisition of PS Business Parks and the impact such acquisition would have on the Company if consummated in accordance with its terms and all other statements other than statements of historical fact. Such statements are based on managements beliefs and assumptions made based on information currently available to management. All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements which may be identified by the use of the words outlook, guidance, expects, believes, anticipates, should, estimates, and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause our actual results and performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Factors and risks that may impact future results and performance include, but are not limited to, those described in Part 1, Item 1A, Risk Factors in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K that was filed with the SEC on February 22, 2022 and in our other filings with the SEC including: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement between PS Business Parks and Blackstones affiliates; the failure to obtain the approval of PS Business Parks stockholders of the proposed transaction or the failure to satisfy any of the other conditions to the completion of the proposed transaction; stockholder litigation in connection with the proposed transaction, which may affect the timing or occurrence of the proposed transaction; general risks associated with the ownership and operation of real estate, including changes in demand, risks related to development, expansion, and acquisition of self-storage facilities, potential liability for environmental contamination, natural disasters, and adverse changes in laws and regulations governing property tax, real estate, and zoning; risks associated with downturns in the national and local economies in the markets in which we operate, including risks related to current economic conditions and the economic health of our customers; risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic (the COVID Pandemic) or similar events, including but not limited to illness or death of our employees or customers, negative impacts to the economic environment and to self-storage customers that could reduce the demand for self-storage or reduce our ability to collect rent, and/or potential regulatory actions to (i) close our facilities if we were determined not to be an essential business or for other reasons, (ii) limit our ability to increase rent or otherwise limit the rent we can charge, or (iii) limit our ability to collect rent or evict delinquent tenants; the risk that there could be an out-migration of population from certain high-cost major markets, if it is determined that the ability to work from home, which has become more prominent during the COVID Pandemic, could allow certain workers to live in less expensive localities, which could negatively impact the occupancies and revenues of our properties in such major high-cost markets; the risk that more jurisdictions will reinstitute COVID Pandemic restrictions, which were previously eased, in response to increases in infections, including as a result of variants such as the Delta or Omicron variants, or if additional pandemics occur; the risk that we could experience a change in the move-out patterns of our long-term customers due to economic uncertainty and increases in unemployment resulting from changes in the macro environment, which could lead to lower occupancies and rent roll down as long-term customers are replaced with new customers at lower rates; the risk of negative impacts on the cost and availability of debt and equity capital as a result of the COVID Pandemic, which could have a material impact upon our capital and growth plans; the risk that the COVID Pandemic could adversely impact our ability to retain and hire employees, including as a result of vaccine or testing mandates; the impact of competition from new and existing self-storage and commercial facilities and other storage alternatives; the risk that our existing self-storage facilities may be at a disadvantage in competing with newly developed facilities with more visual and customer appeal; risks related to increased reliance on Google and Sparefoot as customer acquisition channels; difficulties in our ability to successfully evaluate, finance, integrate into our existing operations, and manage properties that we acquire directly or through the acquisition of entities that own and operate self-storage facilities, or to consummate announced acquisitions in the expected timeframe or at all; risks associated with international operations including, but not limited to, unfavorable foreign currency rate fluctuations, changes in tax laws, and local and global economic uncertainty that could adversely affect our earnings and cash flows; risks related to our participation in joint ventures; the impact of the legal and regulatory environment, as well as national, state, and local laws and regulations including, without limitation, those governing environmental issues, taxes, our tenant reinsurance business, and labor, including risks related to the impact of new laws and regulations; risks of increased tax expense associated either with a possible failure by us to qualify as a real estate investment trust (REIT), or with challenges to the determination of taxable income for our taxable REIT subsidiaries; risks due to ballot initiatives or other actions that could remove the protections of Proposition 13 with respect to our real estate and result in substantial increases in our assessed values and property tax bills in California; changes in United States (U.S.) federal or state tax laws related to the taxation of REITs and other corporations; security breaches, including ransomware, or a failure of our networks, systems or technology, which could adversely impact our operations or our business, customer, and employee relationships or result in fraudulent payments; risks associated with the self-insurance of certain business risks, including property and casualty insurance, employee health insurance, and workers compensation liabilities; difficulties in raising capital at a reasonable cost; delays and cost overruns on our projects to develop new facilities or expand our existing facilities; difficulties in our ability to hire and retain skilled management and staff; ineffective succession planning for our CEO, executive management and our other key employees; ongoing litigation and other legal and regulatory actions that may divert managements time and attention, require us to pay damages and expenses, or restrict the operation of our business; and economic uncertainty due to the impact of war or terrorism.

The acquisition of PS Business Parks by affiliates of Blackstone is subject to approval by PS Business Parks stockholders and other customary closing conditions. There is no assurance that the transaction will be completed as described in this document or at all. There can be no assurance that the Company will realize the anticipated benefits or results; actual results could differ materially from the expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements. Examples of material assumptions made by the Company in the forward-looking statements, including the Companys expectation that it will distribute the taxable gain from the transaction to its shareholders, as well as the Companys expectations regarding financial impact of the transaction, including the impact on the Companys Core FFO.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220424005107/en/

Ryan Burke



(818) 244-8080, Ext. 1141

Source: Public Storage
FILE PHOTO: SpaceX founder and Tesla CEO Elon Musk looks on as he visits the construction site of Tesla's gigafactory in Gruenheide, near Berlin, Germany, May 17, 2021. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi/File Photo

(Reuters) -Twitter Inc on Monday agreed to accept a $44 billion takeover bid from Elon Musk, giving the world's richest person control of the social media company once the deal closes.

Here's a chronology of developments, including some tweets from Musk, that shed some light on his views of the company and free speech:

Date Tweets and comments from company filing

"Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning

April 25, 2022 democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where

matters vital to the future of humanity are debated," Musk

tweeted https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1518677066325053441?t=uZkgCtHZTcwmuGPkh3loDQ&s=19

after the deal was announced. "I also want to make

Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new

features, making the algorithms open source to increase

trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all

humans."

April 21, 2022 "If our twitter bid succeeds, we will defeat the spam bots

or die trying!" Musk tweeted https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1517215066550116354.

"And authenticate all real humans," he added.

April 14, 2022 "Taking Twitter private at $54.20 should be up to

shareholders, not the board," Musk asked https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1514698036760530945

in a poll on Twitter in which 83.5% of the responders

said yes.

Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said that as one

April 14, 2022 of the major shareholders in Twitter he rejected a

takeover bid by Musk

April 14, 2022 "However, since making my investment I now realize the

company will neither thrive nor serve this societal

imperative in its current form. Twitter needs to be

transformed as a private company," Musk said in a filing https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001418091/000110465922045641/tm2212748d1_sc13da.htm

April 14, 2022 "My offer is my best and final offer and if it is not

accepted, I would need to reconsider my position as a

shareholder," Musk added in the filing

April 14, 2022 "Twitter has extraordinary potential. I will unlock it,"

Musk said in the filing

April 14, 2022 Musk tweeted https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1514564966564651008

saying "I made an offer", with a link to the company

filing

April 12, 2022 Musk was sued by former Twitter shareholders who claim

they missed out on the recent run-up in its stock price

because he waited too long to disclose a 9.2% stake in the

social media company

April 10, 2022 Musk polled followers on Twitter asking whether the

company's headquarters in San Francisco should be

converted into a homeless shelter. The tweet is now

deleted. Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos had backed Musk's

idea

April 10, 2022 Twitter CEO Agrawal shared a note https://twitter.com/paraga/status/1513354622466867201

on Twitter saying that Musk rejected the company's offer

to join its board. Musk deleted the tweet, where he

responded with an emoticon with a

face-with-hand-over-mouth

April 10, 2022 Musk started a poll asking if "w" should be deleted from

Twitter's name, leaving two voting options, "yes" and "of

course." He deleted that too

April 9, 2022 With respect to Twitter's business model, Musk tweeted

before deleting it: "And no ads. The power of corporations

to dictate policy is greatly enhanced if Twitter depends

on advertising money to survive"

April 9, 2022 Musk tweeted https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1512946176244473863,

"Everyone who signs up for Twitter Blue (ie pays

$3/month) should get an authentication checkmark" about

its subscription service that offers "exclusive access to

premium features" on a monthly basis. Later, he deleted

the tweet

April 5, 2022 Agrawal tweeted https://twitter.com/paraga/status/1511320953598357505?s=21&t=Is9i_R_hPKzFuUV5VhxUZQ

Musk is being appointed to Twitter's board. "He's both a

passionate believer and intense critic of the service

which is exactly what we need on

@Twitter, and in the boardroom, to make us stronger in the

long-term", a follow-on tweet said

April 5, 2022 Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey welcomed Musk to Twitter's board

in a tweet https://twitter.com/jack/status/1511329369473564677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1511329369473564677%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feconomictimes.indiatimes.com%2Fmagazines%2Fpanache%2Fto-celebrate-memelord-elon-musks-twitter-board-entry-netizens-flood-the-internet-with-jokes%2Farticleshow%2F90687616.cms,

added: "Parag and Elon both lead with their hearts, and

they will be an incredible team"

April 4, 2022 Musk posted a Twitter poll asking users if they wanted an

edit button. "Do you want an edit button?" Musk asked in

the tweet, in response to which Agrawal said the

consequences of the poll will be important. "Please vote

carefully," he tweeted

April 4, 2022 In his first tweet since the disclosure of his stake in

Twitter, he said, "Oh hi lol"

March 26, 2022 Musk said Twitter failing to adhere to free speech

principles fundamentally undermines democracy and asked if

a new platform was needed

(Reporting by Akash Sriram, Eva Mathews, Chavi Mehta, Tiyashi Datta and Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila, Shounak Dasgupta and Amy Caren Daniel)
American Premium Water Corp. to Change Focus to Crypto-mining Related Businesses, Will Change Name of Company to Reflect New Focus

PLAYA VISTA, CA, April 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  American Premium Water Corporation (OTC: HIPH) ("APW" or the "Company) is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has approved the acquisition of 100% ownership of CloudXchange DataCentre Inc. (CloudX), an entity that engages in crypto-mining related business through its wholly owned subsidiary CloudXchange DataCentre Pte Ltd (CloudX SG), to diversify the Companys earnings. The purchase price of the transaction will be at a consideration of US$45.6 million, which reflects a projected price-to-earnings ratio of 30. To fund the acquisition, the Company will issue restricted common shares of equivalent value to Mr. Chan Heng Fai, Ambrose (the Seller), the sole shareholder of CloudX.

CloudX is engaged primarily in investment within the cryptocurrency space with a focus on crypto-mining and staking activities. Crypto-mining refers to the process that verifies and adds new transactions to the blockchain by solving complex mathematical equations for a cryptocurrency. The crypto miner that solves the complex mathematical equations first is rewarded with the respective cryptocurrency. Staking cryptocurrencies is a process that involves using crypto assets to support a blockchain network and verify transactions.

For risk management purposes, CloudXs crypto-mining data centers will be strategically set up in locations such as Singapore, Malaysia (Sarawak) and Texas, United States with various service providers.

Ryan Fishoff, CEO of APW, commented, The Company is very excited to enter into the crypto-mining space. This acquisition is designed to provide APW with a stable and growing revenue stream, and position the Company for long-term growth and profitability. The acquisition of CloudX will be transformative for the Company as APW embarks on a new business strategy that is designed to enhance shareholders value.

As part of the terms of the acquisition agreement, the Seller has provided APW with a guarantee to generate a minimum of US$1.5 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for CloudX SG within the first 12 months from June 2022 or upon the full delivery of the mining rigs (miners). In the event that the EBITDA of CloudX SG falls short of US$1.5 million, a guaranteed top-up for any shortfall amount up to US$1.5 million will be borne by the Seller.

With the acquisition of CloudX, the Company will be focusing on the crypto-mining sector, and intends to change its name to American Premium Mining Corporation. The Company has previously been focused on building brands that utilize cutting edge bioscience and nanotechnology in the CBD and wellness space.

About CloudXchange DataCentre Inc.

CloudXchange DataCentre Inc. is a holding company for CloudXchange DataCentre Pte Ltd which is engaged primarily in investment within the cryptocurrency industry with a focus on crypto-mining and staking activities. CloudX endeavors to leverage the potential of the cryptocurrency space to generate predictable revenues and operating income.

About American Premium Water Corporation

APW is a diversified consumer products company focused on brands that utilize cutting edge bioscience technology. The Company is focused on harnessing the power of Nano technology that utilizes CBD and other compounds to help increase the quality of life for its consumers.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes statements that may constitute "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, and are intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that are often difficult to predict, are beyond our control, and which may cause results to differ materially from expectations. For a discussion of the most significant risks and uncertainties associated with the Company's business, please review our filings with the SEC. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are based on our expectations as of the date of this press release and speak only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact Information American Premium Water Corporation 12777 Jefferson Boulevard Building D Playa Vista, CA 90066 Email: [email protected]

Source: American Premium Water Co.
MONTREAL, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bombardier (TSX: BBD.B) today announced that it has received a notice from Alstom S.A. requesting arbitration before the International Chamber of Commerce pursuant to the agreement relating to the sale by Bombardier of its Transportation business (Transportation) on January 29, 2021 (the Transaction). In its request for arbitration, Alstom is alleging that Bombardier is in breach of certain contractual provisions.

Bombardier has good grounds to defend itself against Alstoms claim and intends to do so vigorously. As noted in its press release dated January 29, 2021, Bombardier also intends to challenge certain purchase price adjustments which resulted in proceeds from the Transaction being lower than initially estimated.

Arbitration proceedings could last several years. Given that Bombardier is subject to confidentiality obligations, it will abstain from commenting further on these proceedings unless required by applicable law.

About Bombardier

Bombardier is a global leader in aviation, focused on designing, manufacturing and servicing the world's most exceptional business jets. Bombardiers Challenger and Global aircraft families are renowned for their cutting-edge innovation, cabin design, performance and reliability. Bombardier has a worldwide fleet of approximately 5,000 aircraft in service with a wide variety of multinational corporations, charter and fractional ownership providers, governments and private individuals. Bombardier aircraft are also trusted around the world in special-mission roles.

Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Bombardier operates aerostructure, assembly and completion facilities in Canada, the United States and Mexico. The companys robust customer support network includes facilities in strategic locations in the United States and Canada, as well as in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, the UAE, Singapore, China and an Australian facility opening in 2022.

For corporate news and information, including Bombardiers Environmental, Social and Governance report, visit bombardier.com. Learn more about Bombardiers industry-leading products and customer service network at businessaircraft.bombardier.com. Follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.

Forward-looking statements

Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements based on current expectations. By their nature, forward-looking statements require us to make assumptions and are subject to important known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause our actual results in future periods to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Please refer to our note on Forward-Looking Statements contained in our latest published financial report.

For Information

Francis Richer de La FlecheVice President, Financial Planning and Investor RelationsBombardier+1 514 240 9649 Mark MasluchSenior Director, CommunicationsBombardier+1 514 855 7167

Source: Bombardier Inc.
RUSTON, La., April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Century Next Financial Corporation (the Company) (OTCQX: CTUY), the holding company of Century Next Bank, with $559.4 million in assets, today announced financial results for the 1st quarter ended March 31, 2022.

Financial Performance

For the three months ended March 31, 2022, the Company had net income after tax of $1.1 million compared to net income of $1.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021, a decrease of $195,000 or 15.2%. Earnings per share (EPS) for the three months ended March 31, 2022 were $0.62 per basic and diluted share compared to $0.74 per basic and $0.73 per diluted share reported for the three months ended March 31, 2021.

Balance Sheet

Overall, total assets increased by $5.9 million or 1.1% to $559.4 million at March 31, 2022 compared to $553.5 million at December 31, 2021.

The largest component of assets, loans, net of deferred fees and costs and the allowance for loan losses, including loans held for sale, increased $25.9 million or 5.9% for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to December 31, 2021. Total net loans at March 31, 2022 were $463.2 million compared to $437.3 million at December 31, 2021. Of total net loans outstanding for each period, Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loans were $2.3 million at March 31, 2022 compared to $4.3 million at December 31, 2021. Loans secured by commercial real estate were the primarily driver of loan growth with an increase of $16.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. Loans secured by multi-family properties, residential construction, residential 1-4 family, commercial non-real estate, other land, and agricultural land increased a total of $10.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increases were offset by a combined decrease of $523,000 in residential 1-4 family - held for sale, home equity lines of credit, other agricultural loans, and consumer loans for the three months ended March 31, 2022.

Total deposits at March 31, 2022 increased $5.1 million or 1.1% to $479.6 million compared to $474.5 million at December 31, 2021. Interest-bearing checking, noninterest-bearing checking, and savings accounts increased by a combined total of $9.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increases were offset by a combined decrease of $4.1 million in time deposits and money market accounts for the three months ended March 31, 2022.

Total long-term borrowings remained the same at $14.5 million at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.

Income Statement

Net interest income was $5.20 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to $5.23 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021. This was an decrease of $29,000, or 0.6%. PPP loan fees included in interest income decreased from $456,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2021 compared to $74,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2022 for a net reduction of $382,000 in PPP loan fees for the comparative quarterly period.

The provision for loan losses amounted to $126,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2022, compared to $202,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2021. The decrease reflects the analysis of projected inherent losses, risk factors, and credit trends.

Total non-interest income amounted to $918,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to $952,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2021, a decrease of $34,000 or 3.6%. Service charges on deposits and other income increased by $149,000 while income from mortgage activity decreased by $183,000.

Total non-interest expense increased by $239,000 or 5.5% to $4.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to $4.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021. The largest component contributing to the increase was an increase in salaries and employee benefits of $110,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021. Stock incentive plan expense related to grants of new options and equity awards increased $107,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to the same period in 2021.

The Companys efficiency ratio, a measure of expense as a percent of total income, increased to 74.81% for the year three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to 70.18% for the three months ended March 31, 2021.

Other Financial Information

Nonperforming assets, including loans past due 90 days or more, nonaccrual loans, and other foreclosed assets, increased from $1.15 million at December 31, 2021 to $1.97 million at March 31, 2022, an increase of $826,000. Total non-performing assets were 0.35% and 0.21% of totals assets as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.

Allowance for loan and lease losses was $5.42 million or 1.16% of total loans at March 31, 2022 compared to $5.24 million or 1.18% of total loans at December 31, 2021. Net recoveries for the three months ended March 31, 2022 were $57,000, compared to the net charge-off of $57,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2021. The ratio of net recoveries to average loans outstanding was 0.01% at March 31, 2022 compared to the ratio of net charge-offs to average loans outstanding was 0.01% for the same period of 2021.

Dividend Declaration

The Board of Directors has approved a cash dividend of $0.30 per share payable on June 7, 2022 to shareholders of record as of May 24, 2022.

Company Information

Century Next Financial Corporation is the holding company for Century Next Bank (the Bank) which conducts business from its main office in Ruston, Louisiana. The Company was formed in 2010 and is subject to the regulatory oversight of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary and is an insured federally-chartered covered savings association subject to the regulatory oversight of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The Bank was established in 1905 and is headquartered in Ruston, Louisiana. The Bank is a full-service bank with four locations in Louisiana including two banking offices in Ruston, one banking office in Monroe, one banking office in West Monroe, and four locations in Arkansas including two banking offices in Crossett and one banking office in Hamburg. The Bank emphasizes professional and personal banking service directed primarily to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals, and individuals. The Bank provides a full range of banking services including its primary business of real estate lending to residential and commercial customers.

On February 28, 2022, the Company closed its drive-through location with limited services in Fountain Hill, Arkansas.

Statements contained in this news release which are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include words like believe, expect, anticipate, estimate, and intend or future or conditional verbs such as will, would, should, could, or may. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Century Next Financial Corporation and SubsidiaryCondensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited)

(In thousands, except per share data)

March 31, 2022 December 31, 2021 ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents $ 44,034 $ 72,112 Investment securities 18,205 14,414 Loans, net 463,198 437,307 Other assets 33,943 29,637 TOTAL ASSETS $ 559,380 $ 553,470 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Deposits $ 479,553 $ 474,479 Long-term borrowings 14,454 14,454 Other liabilities 4,330 4,229 Total Liabilities 498,337 493,162 Stockholders' equity 61,043 60,308 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY $ 559,380 $ 553,470 Book Value per share $ 33.72 $ 33.36

Century Next Financial Corporation and SubsidiaryConsolidated Statements of Income (unaudited)

(In thousands, except per share data)

Three Months Ended March 31 2022 2021 Interest Income $ 5,760 $ 5,937 Interest Expense 564 712 Net Interest Income 5,196 5,225 Provision for Loan Losses 126 202 Net interest income after provision for loan losses 5,070 5,023 Noninterest Income 918 952 Noninterest Expense 4,574 4,335 Income Before Taxes 1,414 1,640 Provision For Income Taxes 322 353 NET INCOME $ 1,092 $ 1,287 EARNINGS PER SHARE Basic $ 0.62 $ 0.74 Diluted $ 0.62 $ 0.73

Century Next Financial Corporation Contact Information:

William D. Hogan, President & Chief Executive Officer or Mark A. Taylor, CPA CGMA, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer(318) 255-3733

Company Website: www.cnext.bank

Source: Century Next Bank
CALGARY, ALBERTA, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- De Beers Group is pleased to announce it will award 14 new scholarships to Canadian women entering science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) or similar subjects at universities and colleges in Canada.

Ten new scholarships, each worth CAD$4,500, will be awarded through Scholarships Canada annually as part of a three-year CAD$135,000 De Beers Building Forever commitment to accelerating opportunities for women in STEM.

Applications for these scholarships will be accepted at https://debeersgroup.scholarshipscanada.com between May 1-July 31, 2022 for applicants enrolling in September 2022. Priority for the awards is given to Indigenous women, and women living in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Northern Ontario.

In addition, De Beers Group will fund four new $5,000 entrance scholarships annually over the next four years to support women in STEM at the University of Calgary, two in science and two in engineering. Individuals interested in applying for these scholarships need to apply directly through the University.

This is a new program and builds on the success of the previous program between De Beers and UN Women which awarded USD$408,000 in scholarships to Canadian women in STEM from 2018-2021.

Moses Madondo, Managing Director of De Beers Group Managed Operations, said: Women continue to be under-represented in STEM fields in Canada and around the world. We are proud to have provided 72 scholarships to assist Canadian women advance their education over the past four years. This new program will continue to remove barriers to women pursuing STEM education in Canada, especially for those in our host communities.

This program supports De Beers goal globally of engaging 10,000 girls and women in STEM by 2030, and is part of our wider Building Forever strategy which also seeks to achieve gender parity across the De Beers workforce by 2030, in part by fostering greater diversity within the talent pipeline.

Building Forever is De Beers Groups commitment to sustainability, including 12 ambitious goals based around four pillars: leading ethical practices across industry; partnering for thriving communities; protecting the natural world; and accelerating equal opportunity. CLICK HERE to learn more about Building Forever.

Tom Ormsby De Beers Canada 403 930 0991 ext. 2703 [email protected]

Source: De Beers Canada
TORONTO, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- McEwen Mining Inc. (NYSE: MUX) (TSX: MUX) is pleased to provide an update on its 2022 exploration program at the Fox Complex properties near Timmins, Canada, and at the Gold Bar properties in Nevada. The programs are focused on expanding known mineral resources. At the Fox Complex, the objective is to shorten the payback period outlined in the Fox Complex PEA (Preliminary Economic Assessment). At Gold Bar, drilling is following up on mineralized trends in and around the Pick Pit, and on exploration opportunities around the nearby Atlas property that was acquired in 2020.



Fox Complex - Stock

Our Stock Property covers 4-miles (7 km) of one of Canadas best mining addresses, the Destor-Porcupine Fault Zone, which is home to a number of world class Archean gold deposits. Our 2019 discovery of the Stock West deposit and our recent exploration success in the area adjacent to the former Stock Mine have opened the potential to source relatively, near term production from a shallow depth and very close to our existing mill. The Stock property currently hosts a mineral resource estimate of 239,000 gold ounces in the Indicated category and 113,000 ounces of Inferred category, in addition to the 137,000 ounces of past production. These resources are largely within 1,650 feet (500 m) of surface. Stock is an Archean gold system, and the hallmark of world-class Archean gold systems is persistent vertical continuity measured in kilometres, allowing the very best of such deposits to remain in production for decades.

Based on previous high-grade drill intercepts, we have several deeper targets (see circled letter A in Figure 1). Mineralization measured by ounces per vertical metre is not a constant in Archean deposits, commonly varying by multiples as grade or volume of mineralization increase and decrease over lateral and vertical extents.

Stock Targets

Figure 1 below highlights our four priority target areas that are proximal to our operating Stock Mill. These targets have excellent potential to grow our mineral resources and impact positively the future development of the property.

Stock West and Stock East resource areas have not been fully tested. The A target area represented by hole S21-202 (4.29 g/t gold over 21 m) appears to be on trend with both the shallow east-plunge of mineralization coming from Stock West and steeper west-plunging mineralization observed in the Stock Mine mineralization. The Heat Map contouring shown 820 feet (250 m) below hole S21-202 remains an isolated but highly attractive target anchored by hole S19-95 (27.20 g/t gold over 7 m).

The B target area is located immediately below the base of the Stock West resource represented by hole S21-178A that includes 9.36 g/t gold over 3 m and 2.48 g/t over 15 m (core lengths) respectively. A further 500 feet (150 m) west, hole S21-203 intercepted 2.61 g/t gold over 6 m and 6.69 g/t gold over 2.9 m (core lengths). Precise structural controls on the Stock West deposit are yet to be determined.

The Target C area is at Stock East, where limited drilling has been conducted beneath a porphyry sill, the current base of mineralization. Drilling will test to determine if the gold mineralization continues at depth, as our geologists see possible.

The Target D area has shallow exploration targets that represent an opportunity to develop mineral resources proximal to potential Stock West development. Some 45 holes have been completed on this area since December 2021. These holes have been successfully expanding the known lateral extent of the green carbonate (CGR) unit located in the footwall to the former Stock Mine and which is also host to the Stock West deposit. Hole SM21-029 intersected 7.98 g/t gold over an estimated true width of 6.2 m within 100 metres from surface. Drilling is also returning encouraging results within the bleached mafic volcanic (BMV) unit that is host to Stock Mine mineralization.

Table 1 and Figure 2 below, summarize key results from shallow drilling in Target D area.

Figure 1  Heat Map of Longitudinal Section of the Stock Property



Figure 2 - Longitudinal Section Showing Location of Table 1 Intercepts



Table 1 - Selected Drill Intercepts from the Shallow Target Program



Hole-ID From (m) To (m) Length (m) Estimated

True Width (m) Au (g/t) Domain SM21-005A 377.0 380.8 3.8 3.3 2.64 BMV 439.8 442.2 2.3 2.0 2.69 HW CGR SM21-010 306.0 307.0 1.0 0.8 14.30 HW CGR 392.0 397.0 5.0 3.9 2.42 BMV 580.0 584.7 4.7 3.8 3.20 FW CGR SM21-011 341.0 342.1 1.1 0.8 3.14 HW BMV SM21-012 368.0 370.0 2.0 1.2 3.11 BMV SM21-015 124.9 126.0 1.1 0.9 6.66 MINE BMV 197.0 199.0 2.0 1.6 5.40 MINE BMV SM21-023A 459.0 464.0 5.0 4.5 7.18 N2 Shoot Including 461.1 462.0 0.9 0.8 23.98 SM21-026 147.0 150.0 3.0 0.9 1.22 FW CGR SM21-027 119.0 128.0 9.0 5.6 4.69 FW CGR Including 123.0 124.0 1.0 0.6 21.40 SM21-028 276.0 283.0 7.0 4.4 1.12 FW CGR SM21-029 93.6 101.5 7.9 6.2 7.98 FW CGR Including 94.1 95.0 0.9 0.7 35.20 SM21-030 168.0 182.1 14.1 5.9 2.51 BMV Including 173.0 174.0 1.1 0.4 13.24 353.0 357.0 4.0 2.0 1.26 FW CGR SM21-031 246.6 254.0 7.4 5.3 1.23 FW CGR SM21-035A 285.9 289.3 3.4 2.3 2.31 FW CGR SM22-037 157.6 158.3 0.8 ND 56.30 SM22-039 99.0 108.0 9.0 6.8 4.23 FW CGR Including 100.0 101.0 1.0 0.8 11.84 SM22-040A 153.9 162.0 8.1 ND 4.08 230.0 231.0 1.0 0.7 20.36 FW CGR SM22-041 119.7 121.2 1.5 1.1 19.45 FW CGR SM22-045 294.3 298.1 3.8 ND 3.93 SM22-046 62.0 62.4 0.4 0.3 14.54 MINE BMV SM22-047 126.9 128.0 1.1 0.7 9.04 FW CGR SM22-048A 219.0 220.0 1.0 0.7 53.00 BMV 279.9 285.6 5.7 ND 7.75 SM22-052 371.4 376.8 5.4 3.5 1.32 FW CGR

For a complete list of drilling results at Stock since December 20, 2021, click here:

https://mcewenmining.com/files/doc_news/archive/2022/20220400/Dec2021-April2022_holes.xlsx

Opportunity to Stocks Western Boundary

The 2-mile (3-km) strike length between the Stock Mine and the west property boundary appears to be a prospective trend. Holes S37 and S39, both drilled in 1964, host intercepts of 1.50 g/t gold over 7.3 m and 16.46 g/t gold over 1.5 m respectively that occur 1-mile (1.5 km) west of the Stock West deposit. This area warrants further work and will be tested this year.

Fox Complex - Grey Fox

Grey Fox hosts the largest and highest-grade mineral resources within the Fox Complex. Exploration prospectivity remains very good, with improved understanding of the deposit. The presence of the Gibson-Kelore and A1 fault zones created the conditions for the formation of the Black Fox, Froome and Grey Fox deposits. Continued exploration along these faults will remain a priority. Figure 3 shows a simplified geological plan view of the Grey Fox area.

Figure 3  Geology of the Grey Fox Deposit Area



Exploration targets at Grey Fox planned for 2022 follows up on two exciting intersections drilled last year.



Hole 21GF-1350 returned 7.29 g/t gold over 15.35 m (from 267 m), 100 m west of Whiskey Jack. Determining the potential extension or repetition of the Whiskey Jack mineralization into the sediments or northwest along the A-1 fault zone is a priority. Other examples of some sediment-hosted deposits in the Timmins area include the Pamour and Dome Mines. For those deposits the gold is preferentially found in the more clastic-rich sediments, while the more recent discoveries of gold are found in more greywacke-rich sediments found at Grey Fox and Froome.



Hole 21GF-1333 returned 4.75 g/t gold over 25.20 m (from 378.4 m) proximal to the Goldpost Ramp (shown above in the upper left half of Figure 3). Limited drilling in 2021 also demonstrated the potential for mineralization to be hosted with sedimentary rocks at Gibson North.



Exploration @ Gold Bar



The goal of exploration at the Gold Bar property near Eureka, Nevada is the same as at the Fox Complex, which is to replace what has been mined and expand the gold resource base. There are two areas on the property where we see this opportunity, at the Pick Pit and at the Atlas Pit. At the Pick Pit, a strong northeast structural control of mineralization has been observed. As a result, several areas of open mineralization have been identified extending beyond the current pit margins (see the target extension areas marked by ovals on Figure 4). Evaluation of these targets is in progress starting with the SW Pick Extension. Core drilling conducted at the SW Pick Extension has yielded multiple significant intercepts including GBS002, which returned 1.93 g/t gold over 38.6 m (126.5 feet) from drill depths of 51.2 m (168 feet)(see Figure 5). Cyanide solubility assays averaged attractive 80.1% recovery, suggesting mineralization could be heap leachable. Assay results are listed in Table 2.



Figure 4  Plan View of Drill Targets at the Pick Pit





Figure 5  Plan View of SW Pick Extension Core Drilling Results and In-Pit Blast-hole Data





Table 2 Selected Drill Intercepts from the SW Pick



Hole-ID From (m) To (m) Core Length (m) Au (g/t) CN Ratio GBSW001 14.5 28.2 13.7 0.32 54.3 43.9 49.7 5.8 0.49 54.5 72.1 75.9 3.8 0.72 68.9 GBSW002 51.2 89.8 38.6 1.93 80.1 GBSW003 46.9 48.8 1.9 0.58 74.7 82.5 89.6 7.1 0.71 64.8 GBSW005 6.1 10.1 4.0 0.31 92.9 31.4 36.0 4.6 0.54 80.2 43.4 50.6 7.2 1.35 54.1 50.6 59.7 9.1 1.22 85.5 GBSW006 27.1 46.6 19.5 0.93 65.5 Including 37.3 42.1 4.8 2.41 87.3 51.4 73.5 22.1 0.54 74.8

At the Atlas Pit, located three miles west of the Gold Bar mine, our team is evaluating the areas around this historic open pit mine. It operated between 1988 and 1994 and the cut-off grade used was 2 g/t. During an initial reverse circulation drill program completed in 2021, hole OGB010 encountered 3.10 g/t gold over 27.4 m (90 feet) in an area where historic drilling suggested limited mineralization existed. The intercept at Atlas East suggests good potential for additional oxide mineralization down-dip to the east below the pit bottom (see Figure 6 and 7 below).



Figure 6 - Plan View of Atlas Pit Showing Historic Gold in Blast Holes and Target Areas





Two other target areas have been identified for additional drilling, including the South Pit margin to identify the Gold Bar fault extension, and the Footwall fault zone to identify outcropping mineralization indicated in legacy drilling. Systematic rock chip sampling supports the potential of the Footwall fault zone, whose possible southern extension has also not been adequately drill-tested. Rock chip samples analyzed for cyanide solubility at the Gold Bar laboratory indicate the presence of anomalous mineralization.



Figure 7 Cross-section through Atlas pit (looking west)





TECHNICAL INFORMATION



Technical information pertaining to the Fox Complex exploration contained in this news release has been prepared under the supervision of Sean Farrell, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by Canadian Securities Administrators National Instrument 43-101 "Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects." Technical information pertaining to the Gold Bar geology and exploration contained in this release has been prepared under the supervision of Kevin Kunkel, P. Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by Canadian Securities national Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Fox Complex drilling (including the Stock Property) was supervised by McEwens Geology Department. All exploration drill core samples at the Stock Property were submitted as 1/2 core. Analyses reported herein were usually performed by the fire assay method by the independent laboratories: Pangea Laboratorio (NMX-EC-17025-IMNC-2018, ISO /IEC 17025:2017), Activation Labs (ISO 9001/ISO 17025) and AGAT Labs (ISO 9001/IEC17025 certified). In Nevada, McEwens Exploration supervises drilling. All exploration RC samples are split and submitted to Paragon Geochemical (ISO/IEC 17025) in Reno, Nevada for fire assay and geochemical analysis. McEwens quality control program includes systematic insertion of blanks, standard reference material and duplicates to ensure laboratory accuracy.

CAUTION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and information, including "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements and information expressed, as at the date of this news release, McEwen Mining Inc.'s (the "Company") estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations or beliefs as to future events and results. Forward-looking statements and information are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties, risks and contingencies, and there can be no assurance that such statements and information will prove to be accurate. Therefore, actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements and information. Risks and uncertainties that could cause results or future events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information include, but are not limited to, effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, fluctuations in the market price of precious metals, mining industry risks, political, economic, social and security risks associated with foreign operations, the ability of the corporation to receive or receive in a timely manner permits or other approvals required in connection with operations, risks associated with the construction of mining operations and commencement of production and the projected costs thereof, risks related to litigation, the state of the capital markets, environmental risks and hazards, uncertainty as to the calculation of mineral resources and reserves, and other risks. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information included herein, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to reissue or update forward-looking statements or information as a result of new information or events after the date hereof except as may be required by law. See McEwen Mining's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, under the caption "Risk Factors", for additional information on risks, uncertainties and other factors relating to the forward-looking statements and information regarding the Company. All forward-looking statements and information made in this news release are qualified by this cautionary statement.

The NYSE and TSX have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this news release, which has been prepared by the management of McEwen Mining Inc.

ABOUT MCEWEN MINING

McEwen Mining is a diversified gold and silver producer and explorer focused in the Americas with operating mines in Nevada, Canada, and Argentina. It also has a large exposure to copper through its McEwen Copper subsidiary, owner of the Los Azules copper deposit in Argentina.

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New York, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Open Society Foundations are appalled by todays Turkish court decision to sentence Osman Kavalathe business leader and philanthropistto life in prison, even though no credible evidence was ever presented to substantiate the baseless charges against him.

Today a Turkish judge ruled against Osman Kavala even though there is not a shred of legitimate evidence against him, said Mark Malloch-Brown, the president of the Open Society Foundations. This bogus trial has utterly failed to meet the most basic standards for fairness and procedural justice.

The court in Istanbul also sentenced seven other defendants to 18 years in prison each. The cases against these defendants were also without any merit.

Osman Kavala was first arrested and detained in October 2017. The government has held him, without conviction prior to today, for more than four years.

During that time, Turkish prosecutors have bent over backwards to try to keep Kavala in prison, even having him re-arrested in February 2020, after a previous trial ended with him being briefly released.

This is not about justice, added Malloch-Brown. It is about trying to intimidate and silence anyone who might speak up in defense of human rights in Turkey, including all independent civil society groups.

In December 2019, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Kavalas detention was unjustified, and that the case against him was designed to silence him and to dissuade other human rights defenders from speaking out.

Turkey has so far defied the ECHR ruling.

Kavala is an established businessman and philanthropist, known for his support of human rights, the arts, and culture in Turkey. He also served as a board member with Open Societys foundation in Turkey. (Open Society Turkey shut its doors in 2018 due to harassment from the Turkish government.)

Kavala is expected to appeal the court ruling.

It is long past time to end this legal farce, added Malloch-Brown. Osman Kavala should be released and his name cleared immediately.

Office of Communications Open Society Foundations (212) 548-0378 [email protected]

Source: Open Society Foundations
NEW YORK, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized stockholder rights law firm, has launched an investigation into whether the officers or directors of PS Business Parks, Inc. (PSB) (NYSE: PSB) breached their fiduciary duties or violated the federal securities laws in connection with the companys acquisition by affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate.



Click here to learn more and participate in the action.

On April 25, 2022, PSB announced that it had entered into an agreement to be acquired by Blackstone in a deal valued at approximately $7.6 billion. Pursuant to the merger agreement, PSB stockholders will receive $187.50 in cash for each share of PSB common stock owned. The deal is scheduled to close in the third quarter of 2022.

Bragar Eagel & Squire is concerned that PSBs board of directors oversaw an unfair process and ultimately agreed to an inadequate merger agreement. Accordingly, the firm is investigating all relevant aspects of the deal and is committed to securing the best result possible for PSBs stockholders.

If you own shares of PSB and are concerned about the proposed merger, or you are interested in learning more about the investigation or your legal rights and remedies, please contact Melissa Fortunato or Alexandra Raymond by email at [email protected] or telephone at (646) 860-9157, or by filling out this contact form. There is no cost or obligation to you.

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.
Carson City, Nevada--(Newsfile Corp. - April 25, 2022) - ACME Lithium Inc. (CSE: ACME) (OTCQB: ACLHF) (the "Company", or "ACME") is pleased to provide a corporate update on the exploration status of its Clayton Valley, Nevada lithium brine project, as well as projects in southeast Manitoba and Oregon.

Clayton Valley, Nevada

ACME is in the late stages of preparation of a planned multi-hole drill program at Clayton Valley, Nevada. The drill program will focus on the most prospective lithium brine targets as defined by geophysical work completed in the fall of 2021. ACME's project is contiguous to Albemarle's Silver Peak lithium resource and production facility.

Harris Drilling Exploration and Associates Inc. has been contracted to provide drilling services and related activities.

A Dissolved Mineral Resource Exploration Well Permit Application (DMRE) is in process to be submitted to the Nevada Division of Minerals (NDOM), in addition to the already approved Notice of Intent "NOI" permit to drill with the Bureau of Land Management.

The project geologist will be in Silver Peak before the end of April to meet with equipment operators to commence road grading and drill pad preparation to the first drill hole collar and drill pad locations. ACME will provide further updates once the drilling contractor has mobilized, and drilling commences.

Manitoba

ACME has contracted Norsemen Exploration Inc. to execute an extensive soil and till sampling program at ACME's two projects, Shatford Lake and Cat-Euclid Lake in south eastern Manitoba, Canada. This extensive program is expected to commence in late spring. These two projects include 27 claims totaling approximately 11,803 acres and are strategically situated in the pegmatite fields of the Bird River Greenstone Belt (BRGB). ACME's exploration strategy in the Bird River Greenstone Belt is to employ remote sensing, structural geology, ground-based geological mapping, and geochemical sampling to localize targets for drilling. Our exploration focus is on spodumene-bearing Lithium-Cesium-Tantalum (LCT) pegmatites that can be a source for lithium carbonate deposits.

Oregon

ACME has completed 29.1 line miles of the previously announced IP Survey at its prospective Warm Springs project in southeast Oregon. The IP Survey is currently being processed by KLM Geoscience. ACME has postponed its next phase of work on the Warm Springs project in Oregon pending clarification of claim status and permitting requirements with the Bureau of Land Management.

ACME's project location adjacent to or nearby lithium projects does not guarantee exploration success or that mineral resources or reserves will be defined on ACME's properties. Exploration, development and activities conducted by regional companies provide assistance and additional data for exploration work being completed by ACME.

William Feyerabend, Certified Professional Geologist is a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101 and has supervised the preparation of the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release.

About ACME Lithium Inc.

Led by an experienced team, ACME Lithium is a mineral exploration Company focused on acquiring, exploring and developing battery metal projects in partnership with leading technology and commodity companies. ACME has acquired or is under option to acquire a 100-per-cent interest in prospective lithium projects in the United States and Canada.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Steve Hanson

Chief Executive Officer, President and Director

Telephone: (604) 564-9045

[email protected]

Neither the CSE nor its regulations service providers accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur and in this news release include but are not limited to the attributes of, timing for and expected benefits to be derived from the drilling program to be carried out on the FLV property. Information inferred from the interpretation of drilling and other sampling results may also be deemed to be forward-looking statements, as it constitutes a prediction of what might be found to be present when and if a project is actually developed. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to fluctuations in metal prices; uncertainties related to raising sufficient financing to fund the planned work in a timely manner and on acceptable terms; changes in planned work resulting from weather, logistical, technical or other factors; the possibility that results of work will not fulfill expectations and realize the perceived potential of the Company's properties; risk of accidents, equipment breakdowns and labour disputes or other unanticipated difficulties or interruptions; the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated expenses in the work program; the risk of environmental contamination or damage resulting from the Company's operations and other risks and uncertainties. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/121485
1.1 Million Ounces Total Precious Metals, 111 Million Pounds Copper, 92 Million Pounds Nickel and 5 Million Pounds Cobalt in Indicated AND 1.1 million Ounces Total Precious Metals, 173 Million Pounds Copper, 152 Million Pounds Nickel and 8 Million Pounds Cobalt in Inferred

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 25, 2022) - Palladium One Mining Inc. (TSXV: PDM) (OTCQB: NKORF) (FSE: 7N11) (the "Company" or "Palladium One") is pleased to announce an updated Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") prepared the Company under the supervision of SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd. (formerly Roscoe, Postle Associates Inc.) disclosed in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI43-101") for the 100%-owned Lntinen Koillismaa ("LK") Project in north-central Finland (Figure 1).

"We are pleased to report important milestones that measurably de-risk our LK PGE-Cu-Ni Project in Finland. Namely, a) a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate at Kaukua South and Murtolampi which increases the Kaukua Area's indicated resources tonnes by approximately 250%; b) advanced metallurgical testing conducted by SGS (Lakefield) which demonstrates consistently repeatable metallurgical recoveries; and c) the ability to produce both a high-value copper and nickel concentrate using a conventional flotation recovery process.

"These milestones substantially improve the economic potential by confirming scale and by delivering clarity of recovery rates for various rock types.

"With a grade of 30% copper in the copper concentrate and a value of approximately US$4,200 per tonne for the nickel concentrate, both are highly marketable, which bodes well for future concentrate marketing negotiations.

"While continued exploration in 2022 to increase the size of LK is ongoing, we have accelerated baseline environmental studies and plan to advance a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA").

"The bulk of 2022's exploration efforts are expected to be in Canada and directed to the award winning Tyko Ni-Cu Project. Once drill permits are received, we plan to drill test several multi-line VTEM anomalies where highly anomalous soil sample values of copper nickel and cobalt were discovered in 2021. To date, additional drill permits have not been received," commented Derrick Weyrauch, President and CEO.

Highlights

In addition to the Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") which used US$1,700/oz palladium (Table 1a, 2b), a sensitivity analysis was completed with seven optimized open-pit constrained resource estimates, with palladium prices ranging from US$900/oz to US$2,500/oz (Table 2a, 2b).

Mineral Resource Estimate

1.1 million ounces Total Precious Metals (Pd+Pt+Au) ("TMP") (0.89 g/t), 111 Million Pounds Copper (0.13%) , 92 Million Pounds Nickel (0.11%) and 5 million Pounds Cobalt (65 g/t) are classified as Indicated, contained in 38.2 million tonnes (see Table 1b).

(Pd+Pt+Au) ("TMP") (0.89 g/t), (0.13%) (0.11%) (65 g/t) are classified as contained in (see Table 1b). 1.1 million ounces TMP (0.68 g/t), 173 Million Pounds Copper (0.16%), 152 Million Pounds Nickel (0.14%) and 8 million Pounds Cobalt (74 g/t) are classified as Inferred, contained in 49.7 million tonnes (see Table 1b).

(0.68 g/t), (0.16%), (0.14%) (74 g/t) are classified as contained in (see Table 1b). 248% increase in Indicated tonnes and a 14% increase in Inferred tonnes .

and a . 44% of the MRE is in the Indicated category.

A waste to ore ratio ("Strip Ratio") of 1.48:1 in the Kaukua Area (including Murtolampi) and a 0.58:1 Strip Ratio at Haukiaho.

of The MRE assumes a Net Smelter Return ("NSR") cut-off of US$12.50 per tonne, based on a 20,000 tonne per day milling rate.

Includes three open-pits in the Kaukua Area (including Murtolampi) and one at Haukiaho, 10-kilometers to the south of Kaukua.

Recovered, and payable metal assumptions are based on the 2022 Phase II Metallurgical Testing Program, and preliminary indicative copper and nickel smelter quotes.

Future Resource Expansion

LK remains open for additional resource expansion both along strike and at depth. The MRE covers approximately 5 kilometers of the 38-kilometer marginal series contact zone, for which reconnaissance historical drilling indicated mineralization along nearly it's entire length. The Company's near-term targeting includes two additional open-pit targets in the Kaukua Area and possibly multiple open-pit targets along the 17-kilometer Haukiaho Trend. Three areas of Target Potential have been defined for near term resource expansion representing an additional 2.4-kilometer of strike length along the favourable marginal series and could add between 21.6 million and 36.0 million tonnes of resource. Refer to Table 3, Figures 4 & 5.



2022 Phase II Metallurgical Testing Program

The Phase II Metallurgical Testing Program demonstrates the ability to produce BOTH a high-value copper AND a high-value nickel concentrate ("Con") utilizing conventional 3-stage flotation.

("Con") utilizing conventional 3-stage flotation. The Cons were readily and consistently reproduced.

Locked Cycle Test results: Locked Cycle Bulk Concentrate recoveries: 73.5% Pd, 56.1% Pt, 73.0% Au, 88.6% Cu, 30.3% Ni, and 18.6% Co (Table 5). Copper Concentrate: Grades of 30.0% Cu, 1.43% Ni, 0.1% Co, 38.3 g/t Pd, 13.1 g/t Pt, 11.2 g/t Au representing a value of US$6,300 per tonne of concentrate (Table 6). Nickel Concentrate: Grades of 4.8% Ni, 3.9% Cu, 0.2% Co, 40.8 g/t Pd, 11.0 g/t Pt, 2.9 g/t Au representing a value of US$4,200 per tonne of concentrate. Rhodium values up to 1.7 g/t and 1.0 g/t were reported in both the Nickel and Copper Concentrates respectively, while the MRE does not include rhodium values. Fortunately, both Cons are high in iron and sulfur and low in MgO, thereby improving marketability. A low mass pull of 1.2% was achieved, thereby suggestive of low transportation charges.



Other

In aggregate, there is 38 million tonnes of Indicated and 50 million tonnes of inferred in resources, thereby providing the opportunity for a large tonnage long-life mine to be developed.

The LK project has excellent infrastructure with paved roads, power, skilled labour and is less than 180 kilometers from the port of Oulu, thereby providing the opportunity for reduced initial capital cost estimates.

Mineral Resource Estimate:

Table 1a. 2022 LK MRE

MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATE - April 2022 Tonnes & Grade - US$1,700 Pd per oz

Strip Ratio Tonnes (Mt) Pd Pt Au TPM Cu Ni Co (g/t) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t) (%) (%) (g/t) Indicated

















Kaukua Area 1.50 38.2 0.61 0.22 0.07 0.89 0.13 0.11 64.56 Inferred

















Kaukua Area +Murtolampi 1.45 30.8 0.52 0.20 0.08 0.80 0.14 0.14 86.07 Haukiaho 0.58 18.9 0.27 0.11 0.10 0.48 0.18 0.14 54.30 Total Inf. 1.26 49.7 0.43 0.17 0.09 0.68 0.16 0.14 73.98

Table 1b: 2022 LK MRE In-situ contained metal

MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATE - April 2022 Contained Metal - US$1,700 Pd per oz

Strip Pd Pt Au TPM Cu Ni Co Ratio (M oz) (M oz) (M oz) (M oz) (M lbs) (M lbs) (M lbs) Indicated















Kaukua Area 1.50 0.74 0.26 0.08 1.09 110.7 91.6 5.4 Inferred















Kaukua Area +Murtolampi 1.45 0.52 0.20 0.07 0.79 96.5 93.9 5.8 Haukiaho 0.58 0.16 0.07 0.06 0.29 76.4 57.5 2.3 Total Inf. 1.26 0.68 0.26 0.14 1.08 172.9 151.5 8.1

Notes



CIM (2014) definitions were followed for Mineral Resources. The Mineral Resources have been reported above a preliminary open pit constraining surface using a Net Smelter Return (NSR) pit discard cut-off of US$12.5/t (which for comparison purposes equates to an approximately 0.65 g/t Palladium Equivalent in-situ cut-off, based on metal prices only). The NSR used for reporting is based on the following: Long term metal prices of US$ 1,700/oz Pd, US$ 1,100/oz Pt, US$ 1,800/oz Au, US$ 4.25/lb Cu, US$ 8.50/lb Ni and US$ 25/lb Co. Variable metallurgical recoveries for each metal were used at Kaukua and Murtolampi and fixed recoveries of 79.8% Pd, 80.1% Pt, 65% Au, 89% Cu, 64% Ni and 0% Co at Haukiaho. Commercial terms for a Cu and Ni concentrate based on indicative quotations from smelters. Total Precious Metals (TPM) equals palladium plus platinum plus gold. Bulk densities range between 1.8 and 3.23 t/m3. Numbers may not add up due to rounding. Mineral Resources, which are not Mineral Reserves, do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, sociopolitical, marketing, or other relevant issues. The quantity and grade of reported inferred resources in this estimation are conceptual in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define these inferred resources as an indicated or measured mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in upgrading them to an indicated or measured mineral resource category.

Palladium Equivalent (PdEq)

Palladium equivalent ("PdEq") is calculated using US$1,700 per ounce for palladium, US$1,100 per ounce for platinum, US$1,800 per ounce for gold, US$4.25 per pound for copper, US$8.50 per pound for nickel, and $25 per pound cobalt consistent with the calculation used in the Company's current Mineral Resource Estimate for the LK project. PdEq was used for wireframe construction and metallurgical test work only, and does not include metallurgical recoveries or smelter terms, and was not used for generation of the conceptual pit shells or Mineral Resource reporting. The Mineral Resource tabulation is based on a unit NSR value which includes metal prices, metallurgical recoveries and contract terms for Ni and Cu concentrates.

Mineral Resource Estimation Methodology

The Kaukua/Murtolampti drillhole database comprises 210 drillholes for a total of 44 km drilling. The Haukiaho drillhole database comprises a further 84 drillholes for a total of 13,392.3 m drilling . An updated 3D geological model has been constructed using Leapfrog software version (Figure 4).

Kaukua

For Kaukua, Key lithological units modelled include the basement gabbro and granodiorite as well as the intrusive or Marginal Series pyroxenite, peridotite and gabbronorite units. Major controlling structures have been used to split the deposit into three zones with subsidiary faults, major stratigraphic units, diabase dykes and the overburden modelled within these four zones. Faults outline the Pit, Gap and South Zones (sub-domains of the Kaukua deposit). A topographic surface has been generated using Lidar data.

Grade shells have been modelled at 0.3 g/t and 0.6 g/t PdEq thresholds using the vein system modelling in Leapfrog Geo within the geological constraints as determined.

Capping was completed on assays prior to compositing. A composite length of 6 m has been used, with the composites within each mineralized domain assessed for the need to apply grade caps. Continuity analysis (variography) has been completed on the composited samples within the various mineralization domains with the resultant variograms checked against the mineralization domain to ensure geological consistency.

A block model has been constructed in Hexagon Minesight software using a 6 m (X) by 6 m (Y) by 6 m (Z) block size. No sub-celling or rotation of the block model has been undertaken.

The block model has been coded by lithology and mineralization domain for each element. The later, cross-cutting diabase dykes and overburden have been coded into the block model with the grades for Pd, Pt, Cu, Ni, Co and Au set to background values in the block model.

The estimation of grade has been undertaken in two interpolation passes using ordinary kriging, with the 0.6 g/t PdEq mineralization wireframes used as firm-boundaries during the estimation. Dynamic anisotropy was used to accommodate local changes in dip and strike of the mineralization. Each subsequent interpolation pass has used an increased search ellipse size and a decrease in the minimum number of samples required:

Pass 1 estimations have been undertaken using a minimum of three and a maximum of 8 composites into a 120 m x 120 m x 60 m search ellipse, with a maximum of 2 composites per drillhole,





Pass 2 estimations have been undertaken using a minimum of one and a maximum of 8 composites into a 200 m x 200 m x 60 m search ellipse, with a maximum of one composite per drillhole,

Final grade estimates for Pd, Pt, Ni, Cu, Co and Au have been validated by statistical analysis and visual comparison to the input drillhole composite data. The estimated Pd, Pt, Cu, Ni, Co and Au grades validate within acceptable limits to the input declustered composite grades. Therefore, the block model accurately reproduces the input grades at a global scale. Swath plots show that there are negligible local biases. Change of support validation shows that the kriged model grades contain a suitable amount of internal dilution for the anticipated mining selectivity.

Blocks were classified as Indicated and Inferred in accordance with CIM Definition Standards 2014. Blocks were classified to the Inferred category if the block fell within 80 m of a composite. Indicated category blocks were classified using a drill-spacing of 50 x 50 m in the Pit area and 100 x 50 m in the South area.

Murtolampi

A grade shell has been modelled at a 0.3 g/t PdEq threshold using the vein system modelling in Leapfrog Geo within the geological constraints as determined.

Capping was completed on assays prior to compositing. A composite length of 6 m has been used, with the composites within each mineralized domain assessed for the need to apply grade caps. The variogram modelled for Kaukua was used at Murtolampti as there are an insufficient number of composites to model a robust variogram.

A block model has been constructed in Hexagon Mineplan software using a 6 m (X) by 6 m (Y) by 6 m (Z) block size. No sub-celling or rotation of the block model has been undertaken.

The block model has been coded by lithology and mineralization domain for each estimation of grade has been undertaken in two interpolation passes.

The estimation of grade has been undertaken in two interpolation passes using ordinary kriging. Anisotropy directions were selected based on the geometry of the mineralization. Each subsequent interpolation pass has used an increased search ellipse size and a decrease in the minimum number of samples required:

Pass 1 estimations have been undertaken using a minimum of three and a maximum of 8 composites into a 120 m x 120 m x 60 m search ellipse, with a maximum of 2 composites per drillhole,





Pass 2 estimations have been undertaken using a minimum of one and a maximum of 8 composites into a 200 m x 200 m x 60 m search ellipse, with a maximum of one composite per drillhole,

Final grade estimates for Pd, Pt, Ni, Cu, Co and Au have been validated by statistical analysis and visual comparison to the input drillhole composite data. The estimated Pd, Pt, Cu, Ni, Co and Au grades validate within acceptable limits to the input declustered composite grades. Therefore, the block model accurately reproduces the input grades at a global scale. Swath plots show that there are negligible local biases.

Haukiaho

Key lithological units modelled include the basement, gabbro/peridotite/pyroxenite and diabase. A fault divides the mineralization into eastern and western blocks. A topographic surface has been generated using Lidar data.

A grade shell has been modelled at a 0.25 g/t PdEq thresholds using the vein system modelling in Leapfrog Geo within the geological constraints as determined.

Capping was completed on assays prior to compositing. Several historic drillholes are missing Au, Pt and Pd assays. Linear regression (RMA) with high correlation coefficients against Cu and Ni assays has been used to assign Au, Pt and Pd grades to these drillholes. A composite length of 5 m has been used, with the composites within each mineralized domain assessed for the need to apply grade caps.

A block model has been constructed in Hexagon Mineplan software using a 10 m (X) by 10 m (Y) by 10 m (Z) block size. No sub-celling or rotation of the block model has been undertaken.

The block model has been coded by lithology and mineralization domain for each element. The later, cross-cutting diabase dykes and overburden have been coded into the block model with the grades for Pd, Pt, Cu, Ni, Co and Au set to background values in the block model.

The estimation of grade has been undertaken using inverse-distance weighting to the power of three in two interpolation passes, with the 0.25 g/t Pd-equivalent mineralization wireframes used as a hard-boundary during the estimation. Dynamic anisotropy was used to accommodate local changes in dip and strike of the mineralization. Each subsequent interpolation pass has used an increased search ellipse size and a decrease in the minimum number of samples required:

Pass 1 estimations have been undertaken using a minimum of three and a maximum of 8 composites into a 200 m x 200 m x 50 m search ellipse, with a maximum of 2 composites per drillhole,





Pass 2 estimations have been undertaken using a minimum of two and a maximum of 8 composites into a 300 m x 300 m x 50 m search ellipse, with a maximum of two composites per drillhole,

Final grade estimates for Pd, Pt, Ni, Cu, Co and Au have been validated by statistical analysis and visual comparison to the input drillhole composite data. The estimated Pd, Pt, Cu, Ni, Co and Au grades validate within acceptable limits to the input declustered composite grades. Therefore, the block model accurately reproduces the input grades at a global scale. Swath plots show that there are negligible local biases. Change of support validation shows that the kriged model grades contain a suitable amount of internal dilution for the anticipated mining selectivity.

Blocks were classified as Inferred in accordance with CIM Definition Standards 2014. Blocks were classified to the Inferred category if the block fell within 120 m of a composite.

Table 2a: 2022 LK MRE Sensitivity to Palladium Price - Grade

SENSITIVITY TO CUTOFF GRADE - Mineral Resource Estimate - March 2022

Pd Price Strip Tonnes (Mt) Pd Pt Au TPM Cu Ni Co (US$/oz) Ratio (g/t) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t) (%) (%) (g/t)

$ 900 1.69 26.8 0.67 0.24 0.08 0.98 0.14 0.12 67.9 Total Indicated $1,400 1.54 35.2 0.62 0.22 0.07 0.91 0.13 0.11 65.2

$1,600 1.51 37.3 0.61 0.22 0.07 0.90 0.13 0.11 64.8

$1,700 1.50 38.2 0.61 0.22 0.07 0.89 0.13 0.11 64.6

$1,800 1.48 39.1 0.60 0.21 0.07 0.88 0.13 0.11 64.4

$2,000 1.54 46.5 0.58 0.21 0.06 0.85 0.12 0.11 65.6

$2,500 1.44 55.3 0.55 0.19 0.06 0.80 0.12 0.11 66.4 Total Inferred $ 900 1.39 31.2 0.47 0.18 0.10 0.75 0.18 0.15 75.2 $1,400 1.29 43.8 0.44 0.17 0.09 0.70 0.16 0.14 74.4 $1,600 1.27 47.7 0.43 0.17 0.09 0.69 0.16 0.14 74.0 $1,700 1.26 49.7 0.43 0.17 0.09 0.68 0.16 0.14 74.0 $1,800 1.24 51.2 0.42 0.16 0.09 0.67 0.16 0.14 73.5 $2,000 1.30 56.6 0.42 0.16 0.08 0.67 0.15 0.14 73.7 $2,500 1.23 68.1 0.40 0.15 0.08 0.64 0.15 0.13 73.2

Notes:

Total Precious Metals (TPM) equals palladium plus platinum plus gold. Only the Palladium Price is varied, all other commodity prices remained fixed at the 2022 MRE price deck. Each Palladium price point is tabulated using a conceptual pit specific to that price point.

Table 2b: 2020 LK MRE Sensitivity to Palladium Price - contained metals

RESOURCE SENSITIVITY TO PALLADIUM PRICE (US$ / OZ) IN-SITU CONTAINED METAL- Mineral Resource Estimate - March 2022

Pd Price Strip Pd Pt Au TPM Cu Ni Co (US$/oz) Ratio (M oz) (M oz) (M oz) (M oz) (M lbs) (M lbs) (M lbs) Total Indicated $ 900 1.69 0.58 0.21 0.07 0.85 83.3 67.9 4.0 $1,400 1.54 0.70 0.25 0.08 1.03 104.4 85.6 5.1 $1,600 1.51 0.73 0.26 0.08 1.07 108.8 89.9 5.3 $1,700 1.50 0.74 0.26 0.08 1.09 110.7 91.6 5.4 $1,800 1.48 0.75 0.27 0.08 1.11 112.5 93.4 5.5 $2,000 1.54 0.87 0.31 0.09 1.27 127.0 112.1 6.7 $2,500 1.44 0.97 0.34 0.11 1.42 143.8 133.6 8.1 Total Inferred $ 900 1.39 0.47 0.19 0.10 0.75 120.6 102.8 5.2 $1,400 1.29 0.62 0.24 0.13 0.99 158.9 137.4 7.2 $1,600 1.27 0.66 0.26 0.13 1.06 169.7 147.4 7.8 $1,700 1.26 0.68 0.26 0.14 1.08 172.9 151.5 8.1 $1,800 1.24 0.70 0.27 0.14 1.11 179.1 156.2 8.3 $2,000 1.30 0.77 0.30 0.15 1.21 192.6 170.9 9.2 $2,500 1.23 0.88 0.34 0.17 1.39 220.8 200.6 11.0

Notes:

Total Precious Metals (TPM) equals palladium plus platinum plus gold. Only the Palladium Price is varied, all other commodity prices remained fixed at the 2022 MRE price deck. Each Palladium price point is tabulated using a conceptual pit specific to that price point.

Table 3: 2022 LK Target Potential

LK Target Potential - April 2022 Target Potential

Tonnes Low (Mt) Tonnes High (Mt) TPM Low TPM High Cu Low Cu High Ni Low Ni High (g/t) (g/t) (%) (%) (%) (%) Kaukua Far East 8.1 13.5 0.6 0.9 0.09 0.13 0.08 0.12 Haukiaho East 13.5 22.5 0.4 0.6 0.12 0.19 0.09 0.15 Total 21.6 36.0 0.5 0.7 0.11 0.17 0.09 0.14

Table 4: Commodity Price Assumptions used in the MRE

COMMODITY PRICES - Mineral Resource Estimate - April 2022

Unit of Measure 3-Year Trailing Average (1) 2-Year Trailing Average (1) Spot Price (2) Prices Used in Mineral Resource Estimation Percentage of Spot Price Palladium US$/oz $ 2,132 $ 2,305 $ 2,358 $ 1,700 72% Platinum US$/oz $ 964 $ 1,007 $ 1,011 $ 1,100 109% Gold US$/oz $ 1,713 $ 1,829 $ 1,947 $ 1,800 92% Copper US$/lbs $ 3.42 $ 3.82 $ 4.67 $ 4.25 91% Nickel US$/lbs $ 7.73 $ 8.43 $ 15.04 $ 8.50 57% Cobalt US$/lbs $ 19.39 $ 21.71 $ 37.11 $ 25 67%

(1) Source: As of April 19, 2022. As quoted on the LBMA & LME for precious & base metals, respectively.

(2) Source: S&P Capital IQ. 2026 estimates used as a proxy.

Metallurgical testing (2022 Phase II program) results:

Variability testing for five main lithologies and a Master Composite of similar grade to the Kaukua resource area was conducted.

Results: Concentration by conventional floatation produces a saleable bulk concentrate with no deleterious elements, irrespective of lithology. A clean, high value saleable Copper Concentrate can be produced. A clean, high value saleable Nickel-PGE Concentrate can be produced.



A detailed floatation metallurgical program was conducted by the Company on the Kaukua & Kaukua South deposits. Both deposits posses very similar geology and mineralization, and bulk sample of approximately 1 metric tonne from 22 holes comprising both Upper and Lower Zone mineralization was shipped to SGS Lakefield in Canada in summer of 2021. This sample was blended to produce a representative composite sample of the Lower Zone mineralization with grade of 1.66 g/t PdEq (0.63 g/t Pd, 0.22 g/t Pt, 0.10 g/t Au, 0.13% Cu, 0.14% Ni, 88 g/t Co) (Table 5). In additional, ten individual samples (five high and five low grade) consisting of the four dominant rock types that comprise the Lower zone plus a fifth for the Upper zone were analysed for variability testing.

Results from the current metallurgical program have highlighted very consistently reproducible recovery rates form the Kaukua/Kaukua South mineralization. Copper and PGE recovery being only slightly affected by changes in grade, only nickel recovery is significantly affected by grade, as the percentage of silicate nickel increases as grade decreases.

Historical test work in 2011 on the Kaukua deposit was also performed by SGS Lakefield. This earlier composite sample had a similar bulk composition to the current metallurgical sample but was higher grade 2.38 g/t PdEq (0.94 g/t Pd, 0.31 g/t Pt, 0.08 g/t Au, 0.22% Cu, and 0.20% Ni). Results from this earlier test were consistent with result from the current test and further confirm the consistency of the floatation recovery.

In addition to a Bulk Con, a split copper and nickel con were produced. Both of which are highly saleable (Table 6). The Copper Con is particularly high-grade with 30% Cu and high PGEs. The Copper Con represents 30% by weight of the Bulk Con with the Nickel Con comprising 70%. In addition, the Bulk Con had a low 1.2% mass pull, and low deleterious elements including

The LK project is located 160 north east of the Port City of Oulu, thereby significantly decreasing potential shipping costs. In addition, Finland has domestic copper and nickel smelting capacity further potentially reducing shipping costs.

Table 5: Locked Cycle Test Results for Lower Zone Composite Sample.

LOCKED CYCLE METALLURGICAL TEST RESULTS - April 2022 Products Mass Assay % Distribution/Recovery

Pull

% Pd g/t Pt g/t Au g/t Cu % Ni % Co % Pd Pt Au Cu Ni Co Cu Cleaner Con 0.35 38.3 13.1 11.2 30.0 1.43 0.1 21.0 18.8 45.2 67.9 3.4 2.0 Ni 3rd Cleaner Con 0.82 40.8 11.0 2.9 3.9 4.85 0.2 52.5 37.3 27.8 20.7 27.0 16.6 Calc. Bulk Con 1.17 40.1 11.6 5.4 11.7 3.83 0.2 73.5 56.1 73.0 88.6 30.3 18.6 Rougher Con (1) 13.1 3.85 1.11 0.57 1.08 0.46 - 81.6 64.7 79.8 94.0 39.8 -- Sample Head

100 0.63 0.24 0.09 0.15 0.15 0.01 100 100 100 100 100 100

(1) The Rougher Con is from an Open Circuit test for comparison purposes, as Rougher Con results are not available from the Locked Cycle test as it is continuously recirculated.

(2) The Nickel recovery is lower than previous test work in 2011 which used a higher grade (2.38 g/t PdEq) composite sample due to a higher percentage of silicate nickel present in the current more representative lower grade (1.66 g/t PdEq) composite sample.

Concentrate Grades from Locked-Cycle Testwork:

Table 6: Concentrate Grades and Value from Locked Cycle Test

CONCENTRATE GRADES - April 2022

Unit of Measure Bulk Concentrate Grade (1) Copper Concentrate Grade (2) Nickel Concentrate Grade (3) Bulk Concentrate Value (1) Copper Concentrate Value (2) Nickel Concentrate Value (3) Palladium g/t 40.1 38.3 40.8 $2,189 $2,093 $2,230 Platinum g/t 11.6 13.1 11.0 $411 $463 $389 Gold g/t 5.4 11.2 2.9 $312 $648 $170 Copper % 11.7 30.0 3.9 $1,095 $2,811 $365 Nickel % 3.83 1.43 4.85 $718 $268 $909 Cobalt g/t 0.2 0.1 0.2 $94 $55 $110 Rhodium (4) g/t 1.5 1.0 1.7 $479 $322 $547 PdEq (5) g/t 88.2 116.0 76.4





$ Value (5) US$/t





$4,819 $6,339 $4,173

(1) Represents aggregate concentrate produced.

(2) Represents preferential copper segregation form the Bulk Concentrate.

(3) Represents the remaining Bulk concentrate less the Copper Concentrate extracted.

(4) Rhodium was not consistently analyzed for; these values represent select analysis of nickel and copper concentrates; a price of $10,000/oz was used for purpose of this table for information purposes only.

(5) PdEq and Concentrate Value is calculated using metal price only for information purposes, it does not include Rhodium and is calculated using the current resource price deck of $1,700 US oz Pd, $1,100 US oz Pt, $1,800 US oz Au, $4.25 US lb Cu, $8.50 US lb Ni, and $25 US lb Co.

Methodology:

A resource average master composite was created with representative samples from the four lithologies containing both high- and low-grade samples. The flowsheet developed produced separate Cu and Ni concentrates and the results were confirmed in a locked cycle test which simulates plant conditions. The results of the locked cycle test are presented in Table 1.

Indicative quotations were obtained from smelters for the concentrates produced. Using those terms, the overall smelter returns which include payable metal in addition to treatment and refining charges for metal recovered to the concentrates using a split Nickel and Copper Cons were, Cu 80.3%, Ni 41.8%, Pd 85.3%, Pt 77.3% and Au 79.6%.

In addition to the locked cycle test on the master composite, open circuit tests of 10 variability samples representing the four lithologies of the master composite plus a composite for the Upper Zone were conducted utilizing the flowsheet developed. The results from all tests produced quality concentrates with a very consistent rougher recovery relationship of each metal to its feed grade. The relationships established were used to estimate the rougher recovery from the resource. The rougher recovery relationship combined with the locked cycle test cleaner recovery was used to determine the overall metal recovery. The smelter return for each metal was applied to the overall recovery to determine revenue.

Figure 1 - Location map of LK Project and Open Pit Mineral Resources (red ellipses). The yellow shaded area represents the outer property boundary of the LK Project, and include both Exploration Permits and Permit Applications. The Blue shaded area represents the Company's adjoining KS Project. TPM represents in-situ Total Precious Metals (Pd + Pt + Au). UTM grid datum is ETRS 35Fin, Zone 35W.



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Figure 2 - Kaukua Area showing conceptual open pits superimposed on IP chargeability with both historical and Palladium One drill holes. TPM represents in-situ Total Precious Metals (Pd + Pt + Au).



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Figure 3 - A Isometric view looking to the northeast, Kaukua Area pits superimposed on the block model. B Plan view of the Kuakua Area pits superimposed on the block model and showing cross section locations. TPM represents in-situ Total Precious Metals (Pd + Pt + Au). C Cross section A-A' looking west of the Kaukua pit showing drilling and the block model. D Cross section B-B' looking west of the Kaukua South pit showing drilling and the block model.



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Figure 4. Kaukua Area showing eastern extension of the Kaukua South trend with Target Potential areas outlined in green.



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Figure 5. Huakiaho area with current conceptual open pit (blue) and Target Potential areas outlined in green.



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Qualified Person

The Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared by the Company under the supervision of Mr. Sean Horan, P.Geo., Technical Manager of Geology at SLR Consulting Ltd., based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mr. Horan is an Independent Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. The Mineral Resource Estimate in this news release has been classified in accordance with CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (May 14, 2014). Mr. Horan has read and approved the contents of this news release, as it relates to the disclosed Mineral Resource Estimate.

For the purposes of this news release, Mr. Neil Pettigrew, M.Sc., P. Geo., Vice President of Exploration and a director of the Company is the designated non-Independent Qualified Person and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this news release.

About Palladium One

Palladium One Mining Inc. (TSXV: PDM) is focused on discovering environmentally and socially conscious Metals for Green Transportation. A Canadian mineral exploration and development company, Palladium One is targeting district scale, platinum-group-element (PGE)-copper-nickel deposits in leading mining jurisdictions. Its flagship project is the Lantinen Koillismaa (LK) Project in north-central Finland, which is ranked by the Fraser Institute as one of the world's top countries for mineral exploration and development. LK is a PGE-copper-nickel project that has existing Mineral Resources. PDM's second project is the 2020 Discovery of the Year Award winning Tyko Project, a high-grade sulphide, copper-nickel project located in Canada. Follow Palladium One on LinkedIn, Twitter, and at www.palladiumoneinc.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Derrick Weyrauch"

President & CEO, Director

For further information contact:

Derrick Weyrauch, President & CEO

Email: [email protected]



Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This press release is not an offer or a solicitation of an offer of securities for sale in the United States of America. The common shares of Palladium One Mining Inc. have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration.

Information set forth in this press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address a company's expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, risks associated with project development; the need for additional financing; operational risks associated with mining and mineral processing; fluctuations in palladium and other commodity prices; title matters; environmental liability claims and insurance; reliance on key personnel; the absence of dividends; competition; dilution; the volatility of our common share price and volume; and tax consequences to Canadian and U.S. Shareholders. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/121566
Thunder Bay, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 25, 2022) - Metals Creek Resources Corp. (TSXV: MEK) (OTCQB: MCREF) (FSE: M1C1) (the "Company" or Metals Creek) is pleased to announce additional diamond drill results for drill hole DL22-027 from the phase III diamond drill program at the Dona Lake Gold project (See News Release November 08, 2021).

Results from drill hole DL22-027 continue to further define high grade gold mineralization south of the mine workings at the past producing Dona Lake Gold mine. This hole intersected the Main Zone stratigraphy 368 meters below surface and returned a core length intercept of 5.18 grammes per ton(g/t) gold (Au) over 5.33 meters(m) (403.45 - 408.78m). This was a part of a broader zone of mineralization of 2.64 g/t Au over 27.90m (399.95 - 427.85m). (See Table 1 Significant Results, figure 1 Schematic Longitudinal and figure 2 schematic x section). Mineralization is hosted within silicate-sulfide iron formation and characterized by stringer to locally disseminated pyrrhotite ranging from 1 to 4% with local pyrite. Magnetite rich sections with local pyrrhotite stringers are also present. Aside from pyrrhotite mineralization, alteration consists of strong hornblende and grunerite with local garnet alteration.

This phase III diamond drill program has successfully defined additional high-grade gold mineralization south of the Dona Lake mine workings. Deeper drilling targeting Main Zone stratigraphy below the lowermost mine workings has further extended high grade gold mineralization down plunge to a vertical depth of 753m (See news release April 5, 2022) from recently reported drill hole DL22-025 returning a high-grade down hole intercept of 8.11 g/t over 9.51m. This hole represents the deepest hole to date on the Dona Lake property with gold mineralization remaining open at depth.

Figure 1 Schematic Longitudinal

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Figure 2 Schematic Cross-section

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Table 1 - Significant Results

Drillhole Number Meters From Meters To Total Meters G/T Gold Zone DL22-027 399.95 427.85 27.90 2.64 Main including 403.45 408.78 5.33 5.18 Main

Drill intercepts are core lengths and are believed to be 70-80% true thickness.

Assays are pending for 4 drill holes at Dona Lake, results will be released once they are received and compiled. In addition, assays from Ogden drilling will be released once they are received and complied.

The Dona Lake Gold Project was optioned from Newmont Corporation (previously Newmont Goldcorp - see news release dated 13 June 2019) and is located in the Pickle Lake Greenstone Belt which is host to several historic mines including the Dona Lake mine, the Central Patricia mine and the Pickle Crow mine. Dona Lake is accessible by an all-weather road southeast from the Town of Pickle Lake. The Project consists of 32 patented and leased mining claims and 35 map staked claims totaling approximately 1,122 hectares and covers the past producing Dona Lake Mine.

Michael MacIsaac, P.Geo and VP Exploration for the Corporation and a qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, is responsible for this release, and supervised the preparation of the information forming the basis for this release.

All split core samples were sent to Activation Laboratories. The precious metals were analyzed utilizing a standard fire assay with an atomic absorption finish. As part of the Corporations QAQC protocol, approximately 10% of the samples submitted for assay were also sent for check assays. Standards and blanks were inserted randomly into the sample shipments as part of the sampling protocol. Samples with fire assay results above 1.0 g/t gold are re-analyzed using a gravimetric finish and samples with fire assay results above 5.0 g/t gold or samples showing visible gold are analyzed using the pulp metallic method.

About Metals Creek Resources Corp.

Metals Creek Resources Corp. is a junior exploration Company incorporated under the laws of the Province of Ontario, is a reporting issuer in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, and has its common shares listed for trading on the Exchange under the symbol "MEK". Metals Creek has earned a 50% interest in the Ogden Gold Property from Newmont Corporation, including the former Naybob Gold mine, located 6 km south of Timmins, Ontario and has an 8 km strike length of the prolific Porcupine-Destor Fault (P-DF). In addition, Metals Creek has signed an agreement with Newmont Corporation, where Metals Creek can earn a 100% interest in the past producing Dona Lake Gold Project in the Pickle Lake Mining District of Ontario.

Metals Creek also has multiple quality projects available for option in Ontario and Newfoundland which can be viewed on the Corporation's website. Parties interested in seeking more information about properties available for option can contact the Corporation at the number below.

Additional information concerning the Corporation is contained in documents filed by the Corporation with securities regulators, available under its profile at www.sedar.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Alexander (Sandy) Stares, President and CEO

Metals Creek Resources Corp

telephone: (709)-256-6060

fax: (709) -256-6061

email: [email protected]

www.MetalsCreek.com

Twitter.com/MetalsCreekRes

Facebook.com/MetalsCreek

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 25, 2022) - Ophir Gold Corp.(TSX.V: OPHR)(OTCQB: KPZIF) (FSE: 80M)("Ophir" or the "Company") is pleased to announce plans for a diamond drill program at the Company's Breccia Gold-Silver Property (the "Property"), located approximately 40 km southwest of Salmon, Idaho. The 2022 drill program will follow on the heels of the fall 2021 drill program, which returned significant intervals of precious metal mineralization associated with the Breccia Gold Zone on the Property (Figure 1).

This drill program, planned for the second half of 2022, will include 1,000 metres over four (4) to five (5) holes, and prioritize following-up on the high-grade silver intersection returned at the bottom of drill hole BG21-005 (6,940 g/t Ag over 9.5 m(1)), and the high-grade gold-silver intersection returned in drill hole BG21-004 (13.02 g/t Au and 46.6 g/t Ag over 7.4 m) - see news releases dated December 1st, 2021, and February 9th, 2022.

Drill hole BG21-005, the western most drill hole competed in 2021, encountered a significantly clay altered breccia over most of its length and was abandoned at 185.3 m due to difficult drilling conditions, just short of the intended target depth. The last two sampled intervals from BG21-005 returned highly anomalous silver of 8.6 g/t Ag and 6,940 g/t Ag, respectively; although, core recoveries were poor in the final sample (th, 2022).

The northernmost drill hole from 2021, BG21-004, returned the most well-mineralized gold-silver intercept of the program. The results of BG21-004 (13.02 g/t Au and 46.6 g/t Ag over 7.4 m) suggest considerable potential to the north along the Meadows Fault Zone. The Breccia unit, which largely defines the fault zone, has been mapped over significant distance to the north where it is also coincident with a large Au-Sb in soil anomaly, as well as numerous surface rock gold occurrences. In addition, BG21-004 forms part of the western zone of precious metal mineralization identified in multiple drill holes, including BG21-005, and also correlates to a distinct band of resistivity as defined by the CSAMT survey data.

"We had tremendous success with our 2021 program, confirming the existence of the high-grade precious metal mineralized breccia reported by Groves in 1983. We are also excited to see that the high-grade mineralization appears to correlate with a 100-500 ohm-m resistivity corridor that stretches over 1,000 metres along strike and more than 500 metres depth. Drilling encountered what could be a major high-grade silver zone at the bottom of Hole 005, which is why we have set this newly discovered zone as our highest priority for follow up in 2022," comments Shawn Westcott, CEO of Ophir Gold Corp.

The area surrounding drill holes BG21-005 and 004 are included in the drill plan submitted to the United States Forestry Service (USFS) for the Company's five (5) year Plan of Operations which is anticipated to be approved for early summer 2022. The permit, once received, will allow the Company to explore the Property for five consecutive years, under the same authorization, providing significant advantages and flexibility for follow-up diamond drilling on the Property. Subject to securing a qualified drill contractor, as well as receiving the Plan of Operations, the Company expects to begin the drill program in summer, 2022.

Exploration Model

The main Breccia Gold Zone is thought to represent the uppermost regions of a low-sulphidation epithermal system. Given the spatial relationship between high-grade gold veins and near vertical, north to northwest orientated structures that occur directly above or proximal to observed high-resistivity, and the possible intrusive system in the east-central part of the Breccia Property, a vein-type or intrusion related gold system is also considered.

Our understanding of precious metal mineralization at Breccia is evolving with the addition of further geological and geophysical data, suggesting enhanced potential for high grades of gold/silver mineralization at the Breccia Gold Zone, to the north along the Meadows Fault Zone, and to the east of the immediate Breccia Gold Zone Trend.

A summary of the 2021 drill results is presented in Table 1 and Figure 1 below.

Table 2: Summary of 2021 mineralized drill core intersections at the Breccia Gold Zone





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Figure 1: Assay summary of 2021 drill holes completed at the Breccia Property

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Disclosure

Darren L. Smith, M.Sc., P. Geo., Director and Vice President of Exploration for the Company, and Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.

(1) Sample recovery over this interval was very low (

About the Breccia Gold Property

The Breccia Gold Property consists of 102 claims covering approximately 1,836 acres (743 ha) within the Blackbird Mining District, in Lemhi County, approximately 40 kilometres southwest of Salmon, Idaho, USA. The Property is accessible by paved highway and a network of well-maintained gravel roads and is host to the historical Gahsmith Gold Mine. Exploration and development activity on the Property dates back to the 1930's and has been exploited by at least eight adits, with several thousand tons of mineralized quartz veined material extracted. In the 1980s, a bulk sample of 4,621 tons was completed with an average grade of 0.335 oz/t Au reported. The current Property includes the Meadows Fault Zone and the lesser explored, parallel Musgrove Mine Trend. Recent exploration carried out in 2018, 2019, and 2020 included the remapping and sampling of the Meadows Fault Zone and the results are suggestive of the existence of a significant low-sulfidation, epithermal gold system. Surface results include 57.6 g/t Au and 19.6 g/t Ag in outcrop, and 69 g/t Au and 27.5 g/t Ag in float.

About the Company

Ophir Gold Corp. is a gold exploration company focused on the exploration and development of its flagship property, the past producing Breccia Gold Property located in Lemhi County, Idaho. The Company has an option to earn a 100% interest in the Property over a three-year period from Canagold Resources Ltd. (formerly Canarc Resource Corp.) and DG Resource Management Ltd.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Shawn Westcott"

Ophir Gold Corp.

For further information, please contact:

Shawn Westcott, CEO

Phone 1 (604) 365 6681

[email protected]

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note

The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risk related to the failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.

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Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 25, 2022) - Pasofino Gold Limited (TSXV: VEIN) (OTCQB: EFRGF) (FSE: N07A) ("Pasofino" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has appointed Mr. Savas Sahin as the nominee of Eczac1ba_1 Esan to the Board of Directors of the Company. He replaces Bulent Kozlu, the previous nominee director of Eczac1ba_1 Esan.

Mr. Sahin has had many years in the mining industry, working under operational, projects and management roles at Eurogold, Inmet Metal Mining, Newmont, Mount Isa Mines, Demir Export, AMAK Mining in Turkey, Australia, and Saudi Arabia. Mr. Sahin currently serves as the CEO of Eczac1ba_1 Esan and sits on the board of Esan and AMAK Mining.

Krisztian Toth, Chairman of the Board of Pasofino, commented: "On behalf of the Board, I would like to welcome Savas to Pasofino Gold. He brings extensive experience and knowledge to the Company from his years working in the mining industry, which we believe will be instrumental as we continue onto the next phase of our Company's plans to build the next major Liberian Gold mine through the Dugbe Gold Project."

About Pasofino Gold Ltd.

Pasofino Gold Ltd. is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company listed on the TSX-V (VEIN). Pasofino, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, has an option to earn a 49% economic interest (prior to the issuance of the Government of Liberia's 10% carried interest) in the Dugbe Gold Project.

For further information, please visit www.pasofinogold.com or contact:

Ian Stalker, President & CEO

T: 604 367 8110

E: [email protected]

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.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" that are based on expectations, estimates, projections and interpretations as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "aim", "plan", "expect", "project", "seek", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "suggest", "indicate" and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur, and include, without limitation, statements regarding the ability to raise the funds to finance its ongoing business activities including the acquisition of mineral projects and the exploration and development of its projects. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to, the ability to successfully file and obtain approval for the Qualifying Prospectus, the ability to obtain all requisite regulatory approvals in respect of the Qualifying Prospectus, the results of exploration activities; the ability of the Company to complete further exploration activities; timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms and those risk factors outlined in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis as filed on SEDAR. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

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Internet City, Dubai--(Newsfile Corp. - April 24, 2022) - LBank Exchange, a global digital asset trading platform, has listed Sangkara (MISA) on April 25, 2022. For all users of LBank Exchange, the MISA/USDT trading pair is now officially available for trading.





Figure 1: Sangkara (MISA) Is Now Available for Trading on LBank Exchange

Aiming to create a stable crypto market that allows anyone to hold digital assets, an Indonesia based company MSA developed a cryptocurrency called Sangkara (MISA), the first token in Indonesia with underlying fixed assets and NFT creation for artist, to lead in tokenization and NFT process. The MISA token has been listed on LBank Exchange at 18:00 (UTC+8) on April 25, 2022, to further expand its global reach and help it achieve its vision.

Introducing PT. Mitra Sangkara Abadi (MSA)

MSA is a company that was founded in Jakarta on September 27, 2021. The initiation of MSA has been started since 2017, starting with a financial-based digital company. The separation of business lines is carried out by the MSA parent company and the use of independent subsidiaries as it is today.

As a company that owns digital tokens, MSA offers its services to various businesses that want to do tokenization. Blockchain technology for MSA is the future in the digital world.

MSA ensures that the Crypto Assets created and owned by MSA have a proper and secure base value for the people they are created for. This causes MSA to create a token called Sangkara (MISA) based on ownership of the underlying asset. MSA will be a pioneer in the tokenization process in Indonesia, not using crypto assets as speculation, but making crypto assets like owning only part of the ownership of a company.

In addition to tokenization, MSA also works together with Bantaya Hall and collaborates with Indonesian artists to publish NFT for them. This will help Indonesian artists to market its NFT internationally. Every contributor that has signed the contract with MSA will be given NFT to be published for free. MSA will get some percentages of profit margins from every NFTs sold through MSA.

About MISA Token

Sangkara (MISA) is the native token developed by MSA company. Based on BEP-20, MISA has a total supply of 200 billion (i.e. 200,000,000,000) tokens, of which 25% is provided for Pre-ICO, another 25% is provided for ICO, 20% is allocated to the stake holders, another 20% is allocated to the developers, and the rest 10% is allocated to the founders.

Proceeds from the sale of the MISA token will be used for business development and acquisition of various fixed assets, so that the MISA hedge becomes stronger and more stable. The initial plan after the Pre-ICO was to establish/buy an Indonesian Exchanger, which this Exchanger will specifically sell stable local tokens.

Apart from Exchangers, MSA will continue its traditional business in the plantation sector. With many Fixed assets under MSA will keep the value of MISA stable. The plantations that will continue to be developed are planting Teak for long-term investment, planting Cloves for medium-term investment, and planting Cassava for short-term cleaning.

MISA token has been listed on LBank Exchange at 18:00 (UTC+8) on April 25, 2022. Investors who are interested in Sangkara investment can easily buy and sell MISA token on LBank Exchange right now.

Learn More about MISA Token:

Official Website: https://www.misatoken.com/en

Telegram: https://t.me/MisaCoin

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/misatokenid

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misatoken

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/Misatoken-110397478093026

About LBank Exchange

LBank Exchange, founded in 2015, is an innovative global trading platform for various crypto assets. LBank Exchange provides its users with safe crypto trading, specialized financial derivatives, and professional asset management services. It has become one of the most popular and trusted crypto trading platforms with over 6.4 million users from now more than 210 regions around the world.

Start Trading Now: lbank.info

Community & Social Media:

l Telegram

l Twitter

l Facebook

l Linkedin

Contact Details:

LBK Blockchain Co. Limited

LBank Exchange

[email protected]

PR Contact:



ZEXPRWIRE

[email protected]

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/121476
Former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a rally to boost Ohio Republican candidates ahead of their May 3 primary election, at the county fairgrounds in Delaware, Ohio, U.S. April 23, 2022. REUTERS/Gaelen Morse

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York judge on Monday held former President Donald Trump in contempt for failing to comply with a subpoena for documents in the state attorney general's civil probe into his business practices.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York)
Paid press release content from The Financial Capital. The StreetInsider.com news staff was not involved in its creation.



The updated smile makeover service includes metal-free dental crowns that use ceramic materials to restore teeth damaged by injury or decay and hide stains resistant to other cosmetic procedures as seen here https://snowfamilydentistry.com/services/cosmetic-dentistry/.

Snow Family Dentistry is conveniently located at 4540 E Baseline Rd #110, Mesa, AZ 85206 and welcomes smile makeover patients from Dobson Ranch, The Groves, Reed Park, Superstition Springs, Las Sendas, Alta Mesa, Augusta Ranch, Summer Place Village and other Mesa neighborhoods.

The crowns have a natural appearance and are expected to last between 10 and 15 years with proper oral hygiene. In addition to crowns, Snow Family Dentistrys range of cosmetic dentistry procedures includes porcelain veneers, Boost in-house and take-home teeth whitening procedures, and cosmetic dental bonding. Invisalign clear aligners also often form part of a Smile Makeover treatment plan, recent media coverage about that can be see here https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/09/28/2304418/0/en/Mesa-AZ-Invisalign-Clear-Aligner-Therapy-Orthodontics-Treatment-Update.html and on their website here here https://snowfamilydentistry.com/services/cosmetic-dentistry/invisalign-mesa-az/

A healthy smile is both cosmetically attractive and important for health reasons. A beautiful smile helps make a good first impression, with a survey revealing that a majority of single men and women rated good teeth as important attributes they look for in a date. Conversely, poor teeth can lead to a reluctance to smile, and according to Psychology Today, smiling has many psychological benefits, including mood elevation, projecting likeability and competence.

This cosmetic dentist comprehensively assesses each patient and their dental needs in a friendly, relaxing, and professional environment. Depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue, a treatment plan is developed to help patients get the smile they want, drawing on the range of treatment options and carried out with the minimum of discomfort.

The practice uses state-of-the-art technology to facilitate and enhance the result, including intraoral hand-held cameras, all-digital x-rays and panoramic x-rays, and soft-tissue diode lasers for work on gums.

Snow Family Dentistry has been a family business for over four decades, passed down from father to son, now in the hands of Dr Dallin Snow.

A satisfied patient said, "What a great experience!  new to Arizona and thrilled to find Snow Family Dentistry. The entire staff was very friendly and Dr. Snow was awesome. Was just there for a cleaning and check up but the experience was great. The young lady that did the cleaning was very friendly and thorough  look no farther!"

About Us: Mesa - Gilbert AZ: Snow Family Dentistry has been a family business for over four decades, passed down from father to son. They provide preventative care (oral cancer screening, perio maintenance & dental cleanings, gum disease treatment, sealant), restorative care (dentures, fillings, crowns, implants, bridges, extractions) and cosmetic dentistry (Invisalign, teeth whitening, veneers).

Contact Info:

Name: Lindsey Snow

Email: Send Email

Organization: Snow Family Dentistry

Address: 4540 E Baseline Rd #110, Mesa, AZ 85206, United States

Phone: +14809827289

Website: https://snowfamilydentistry.com/



Release ID: 89073859

If you detect any issues, problems, or errors in this press release content, kindly contact [email protected] to notify us. We will respond and rectify the situation in the next 8 hours.
Paid press release content from The Financial Capital. The StreetInsider.com news staff was not involved in its creation.



The practices Invisalign clear aligners update gives Mesa, AZ residents the opportunity to get a total smile makeover from a family business of four decades. Snow Family Dentistry works with those feeling self conscious about their teeth/smile and are wanting/needing to feel more confident, as seen here https://snowfamilydentistry.com/services/cosmetic-dentistry/invisalign-mesa-az/ and here https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/09/28/2304418/0/en/Mesa-AZ-Invisalign-Clear-Aligner-Therapy-Orthodontics-Treatment-Update.html

They are conveniently located at 4540 E Baseline Rd #110, Mesa, AZ 85206 and welcome smile makeover patients from Dobson Ranch, The Groves, Reed Park, Superstition Springs, Las Sendas, Alta Mesa, Augusta Ranch, Summer Place Village and other Mesa Arizona neighborhoods.

Invisaligns transparent aligners allow you to correct crooked teeth, crowding, overbites, or underbites, all without the need for conventional metal braces.

Instead of metal or ceramic brackets being bonded or cemented to the teeth, these clear aligners are completely removable and, as the name implies, almost invisible when in place. These thin, polyurethane plastic trays are a good choice for anyone who wants the ability to remove their apparatus for important social events, and it is the perfect fit for adults, self-conscious teenagers, and individuals who simply dont feel that braces enhance their self-image.

Clear aligners are also more comfortable than traditional orthodontics, never irritating soft tissue like metal wires or braces can. These thin plastic aligners also double as nightguards for those individuals who tend to grind or clench their teeth while sleeping.

Invisalign clear aligners form part of a Smile Makeover treatment plan which can also include veneers, dental bonding, teeth whitening and other cosmetic dentistry treatments as seen here https://snowfamilydentistry.com/services/cosmetic-dentistry/

Snow Family Dentistry currently has 197 Google Reviews with a 5.0 score. A satisfied patient recently said "  recently relocated to Mesa from the Pacific NW and were a bit anxious about selecting a new dentist  more than pleased to find Snow Family Dentistry  Dr Snow has established an exceptional dental practice to serve his patients  goes far beyond most practices in creating a comfortable, friendly and informative experience for their patients  truly the epitome of a family friendly dental practice!"

About Us: Mesa - Gilbert AZ: Snow Family Dentistry has been a family business for over four decades, passed down from father to son. They provide preventative care (oral cancer screening, perio maintenance & dental cleanings, gum disease treatment, sealant), restorative care (dentures, fillings, crowns, implants, bridges, extractions) and cosmetic dentistry (Invisalign, teeth whitening, veneers).

Contact Info:

Name: Lindsey Snow

Email: Send Email

Organization: Snow Family Dentistry

Address: 4540 E Baseline Rd #110, Mesa, AZ 85206, United States

Phone: +14809827289

Website: https://snowfamilydentistry.com/



Release ID: 89073861

If you detect any issues, problems, or errors in this press release content, kindly contact [email protected] to notify us. We will respond and rectify the situation in the next 8 hours.
FILE PHOTO: Trading information for KKR & Co is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., August 23, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

By Chibuike Oguh

(Reuters) - Buyout firm KKR & Co Inc said on Monday it has raised $19 billion from investors for its latest flagship North America private equity fund, its biggest fund ever.

KKR said the fund includes $2 billion invested by its employees, affiliates and from the firm's balance sheet. The fund had attracted $24 billion in commitments from investors, but KKR decided to scale it back so it can deploy the capital selectively, sources told Reuters last year.

The fund, KKR North America Fund XIII, will make investments in businesses operating in sectors such as financial services, healthcare, retail, industrials, technology, media, and telecommunications, primarily in the United States and Canada.

It surpasses the $17.6 billion KKR 2006 Fund, which was previously the firm's biggest fund. It is also the first fund to be raised by Pete Stavros and Nate Taylor, who were named co-heads of KKR's Americas private equity business in 2019.

KKR said the prior KKR Americas XII Fund, which collected $13.9 billion from investors in 2017, had a net internal rate of return of 41.9% as of the end of last year.

"The approach that has worked for us is to find businesses we think we can take to another level, working across the firm to take them from good to great," Stavros said in an interview.

KKR said it plans to implement its flagship employee stock-ownership program across all businesses in which the new fund takes a majority stake in. More than 45,000 non-management employees across 25 KKR-backed companies have so far been awarded stock as part of the program, the New York-based firm said.

"What started out in our industrial investments is now the standard operating playbook across every private equity control investment of ours in North America," said Stavros, who devised the program at KKR.

KKR's Americas private equity platform has more than $90 billion in assets under management.

(Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York; Editing by Sam Holmes)
MONTERREY, Mexico, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ALFA, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: ALFAA) ("ALFA"), a company that has developed a diversified portfolio of leading businesses with global operations, announced today its unaudited results for the first quarter of 2022 ("1Q22"). All figures have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS").

1Q22 HIGHLIGHTS

ALFA 2022 EBITDA Guidance revised up 17% to US $2.283 billion

Record first quarter Revenues of US $4.191 billion and EBITDA of US $644 million

US $196 million dividend approved at Annual Shareholders' Meeting and paid in 1Q22 Alpek 2022 EBITDA Guidance revised up 32% to US $1.365 billion

Record quarterly EBITDA driven by strong reference margins across core products

Signed agreement to acquire Octal for US $620 million; transaction expected to close in 2Q22 Sigma 2022 Guidance maintained, supported by solid performance outside Europe

Europe EBITDA impacted by abrupt increases in energy prices and other input costs

Formed new Advisory Board comprised of 13 members; 62% independent Axtel 1Q22 results negatively impacted by semiconductor shortage; Gover. segment sales; and lower revenues from large wholesale customer

2022 EBITDA Guidance maintained; subject to potential revision depending on future market developments

Initiatives to accelerate strategic agenda include active discussions with interested parties to evaluate potential partnerships

Message from ALFA's President

"We hope you and your families are remaining safe and healthy. 2022 has started off strongly; with double-digit growth in first quarter Revenue and EBITDA that exceeded our expectations.

Consolidated EBITDA of US $644 million was a record high first quarter for ALFA. The good performance was driven by Alpek which continues to capitalize on high reference margins across its core products of polyester, polypropylene and expandable polystyrene.

Sigma and Axtel faced unexpected headwinds which resulted in lower EBITDA at both companies. Sigma's European operations were negatively impacted by abrupt increases in energy prices and other input costs, as well as lower pork exports to China. In Mexico, Axtel's results were affected by project delays caused by the global semiconductor shortage, lower Government segment sales and lower revenues from a large wholesale customer.

Taking into consideration Alpek's outstanding performance year-to-date and optimistic outlook, ALFA's 2022 EBITDA Guidance increased to US $2.283 billion from US $1.949 billion. We fully acknowledge the volatile global macroeconomic and geopolitical environment impacting energy prices, raw material costs and exchange rates, among others. However, certain favorable trends that boosted ALFA's first quarter results are expected to continue and outweigh the foreseeable headwinds.

At the subsidiary level, Alpek increased its 2022 EBITDA Guidance 32% to US $1.365 billion driven primarily by higher reference margins for its core products. Sigma's Guidance remains unchanged supported by better-than-expected performance in regions outside of Europe. Axtel also maintained its 2022 Guidance but is subject to potential revision depending on future market developments.

We remain fully committed to taking actions that address ALFA's conglomerate discount through consistent progress of our Unlocking Value plan, focused on three key implementation directives:

1. Reducing leverage is an important precondition to achieve the independence of ALFA's subsidiaries. Strong performance over the past two years has driven significant improvement in financial ratios. This trend continued in 1Q22 with consolidated Net Debt to EBITDA of 2.3 times, a 64-basis point improvement year-over-year. Reflecting its strong financial performance, Alpek's Net Debt to EBITDA reached 1.0 times at the close of the first quarter.

Deleverage may also be complemented through strategic alternatives. Even though this front has not resulted in a transaction, we continue seeking options in our Shareholders' best interest.

2. Strengthen the businesses via growth and profit-enhancing initiatives is important to continue boosting their underlying value while ALFA's transformation process is completed. Alpek announced the acquisition of Octal, a major global producer of PET sheet. As described recently, this is a transformational investment that forward integrates Alpek into an adjacent, high-value business and accelerates the Company's progress towards its ESG goals, among other benefits. Importantly, Alpek has the financial strength to fund the acquisition and continue distributing cash to shareholders. Sigma launched the third edition of Tastech by Sigma to extend its collaboration with the entrepreneurial ecosystem, and continued rolling out Better Balance, its global plant-based brand. Axtel's mobility project "Alestra Movil" added more enterprise mobile customers during the first quarter, offering an attractive service alternative supported by its intelligent, multi-operator connectivity feature to end- users. Axtel is also actively engaged in discussions with interested parties to evaluate potential partnerships in certain parts of its business to capitalize on attractive market opportunities.

3. Enhanced business independence will allow a seamless transition from ALFA's legacy conglomerate structure towards an independent business management model. Sigma announced the formation of an Advisory Board, comprised of an extraordinary group of individuals with diverse areas of expertise, including retail, healthcare & nutrition and entrepreneurship. We are excited by the prospects of the Advisory Board's new perspectives as Sigma strives to remain at the leading edge of evolving consumer preferences.

At the ALFA level, Paulino Rodriguez, Senior Vice President of Human Capital and Services, has retired after a successful 18-year career. We greatly appreciate Paulino's enthusiasm and dedication as a driving force in ALFA's development of Human Capital, leaving a long- lasting legacy in the Company's culture and values. Following Paulino's retirement during the first quarter, the Human Capital function was combined with the Finance function.

Our approach to capital allocation maintains a balance between deleveraging, investing for growth, and returning value to our shareholders through dividends and a share repurchase program. We held our Annual Shareholders' meeting in March, where shareholders approved a dividend payment equivalent to US $196 million and a maximum amount of Ps. 5,800 million (approximately US $290 million) for share repurchases.

Shareholders also received an update on ESG-related initiatives at the Annual meeting. ALFA, Alpek and Axtel published their respective, integrated 2021 sustainability reports. Sigma recently published an Executive Summary in anticipation of its extended GRI version. Key highlights include Sigma reaching three of its 2025 Sustainability Goals ahead of plan. We invite you to learn more about our progress through the recently published reports, available on each company's website.

Consolidated first quarter results put us on a path for another strong year in 2022. Yet, we remain vigilant amid a fluid global macro environment."

Keep well/Stay safe,

Alvaro Fernandez

SELECTED FINANCIAL INFORMATION (US $ MILLION) 1Q22 4Q21 1Q21 Ch. % vs. Ch. % vs. 4Q21 1Q21 ALFA Revenues 4,191 4,086 3,388 3 24 Alpek 2,332 2,152 1,614 8 45 Sigma 1,711 1,768 1,613 -3 6 Axtel 124 136 140 -8 -11 ALFA EBITDA1 644 505 535 27 20 Alpek 456 269 324 70 41 Sigma 161 201 181 -20 -11 Axtel 35 40 45 -12 -22 ALFA Comparable EBITDA2 520 534 414 -3 26 Alpek 333 300 203 11 64 Sigma 161 199 181 -19 -11 Axtel 35 40 45 -12 -22 Majority Net Income 210 -166 154 227 37 CAPEX & Acquisitions 92 159 79 -42 17 ALFA Net Debt 4,906 4,677 4,864 5 1 Alpek 1,310 1,225 1,219 7 7 Sigma 1,795 1,691 1,781 6 1 Axtel 585 574 627 2 -7 ALFA Net Debt/LTM*EBITDA 2.3 2.3 2.9 ALFA LTM*Interest Coverage 6.4 5.4 4.3

* Times LTM = Last 12 months. 1 EBITDA = Operating Income + depreciation and amortization + impairment of assets. 2 Excludes extraordinary items.

1Q22 EARNINGS CALL INFORMATION Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2022 Time: 1:00 p.m. EDT (NY) / 12:00 p.m. CDT (CDMX) By Phone: United States: +1-877-451-6152 International: +1-201-389-0879 Mexico: 800-522-0034 Conference ID: 13728372 Webcast: https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1539469&tp_key=9a11854d7d Replay: https://www.alfa.com.mx/RI/conference.htm

About ALFAALFA manages a diversified portfolio of leading businesses with global operations: Sigma, a leading multinational food company, focused on the production, marketing and distribution of quality foods through recognized brands in Mexico, Europe, United States and Latin America. Alpek, one of the world's leading producers of polyester (PTA, PET, rPET and fibers), and the leader in the Mexican market for polypropylene and expandable polystyrene (EPS). Axtel, a provider of Information Technology and Communication (ITC) services for the enterprise and government segments in Mexico. In 2021, ALFA reported revenues of Ps. 308,060 million (US $15.2 billion), and EBITDA of Ps. 41,050 million (US $2.0 billion). ALFA's shares are quoted on the Mexican Stock Exchange and on Latibex, the market for Latin American shares of the Madrid Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit www.alfa.com.mx

DisclaimerThis release may contain forward-looking information based on numerous variables and assumptions that are inherently uncertain. They involve judgments with respect to, among other things, future economic, competitive and financial market conditions and future business decisions, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately. These uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic, such as the scope and duration of the outbreak, government actions and restrictive measures implemented in response, availability of workers and contractors due to illness and stay at home orders, supply chain disruptions and other impacts to the business, or on the Company's ability to execute business continuity plans, as a result thereof. Accordingly, results could vary from those set forth in this release. The report presents unaudited financial information. Figures are presented in Mexican Pesos or US dollars, as indicated. Where applicable, Peso amounts were translated into US dollars using the average exchange rate of the months during which the operations were recorded. Financial ratios are calculated in US dollars. Due to the rounding up of figures, small differences may occur when calculating percent changes from one period to the other.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alfa-reports-1q22-ebitda-of-us-644-million-record-high-first-quarter-301532376.html

SOURCE ALFA, S.A.B. de C.V.
Press Conference: 2:00 pm ET, April 27 in Titusville

TITUSVILLE, Fla., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time, Crosley Green and his Crowell & Moring pro bono legal team will outline their plans to keep Green free as they ask the full 11-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a recent three-judge panel decision that holds Green's freedom in the balance. The impact of their decision could re-affirm that prosecutors should not hide evidence directly pointing to a defendant's innocence and therefore impact how prosecutors handle evidence of all crimes in the future. The court will decide whether to grant reconsideration in the coming weeks.

In March, a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Green, reversing a 2018 landmark habeas victory that overturned his conviction because prosecutors withheld exculpatory evidence that the first-responding officers concluded another individual was the murderer.

Green now faces the possibility of having his freedom snatched away and being thrown back in prison for a murder he did not commit. Green served nearly 32 years in prison, including 19 years on Florida's death row, while steadfastly maintaining his innocence. He was released in April 2021 on house arrest while his case is pending appeal. Lawyers for Green filed a petition to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals for a rehearing on April 21. Crowell & Moring has represented Green pro bono since 2008 on referral from the ABA Death Penalty Project.

Green's attorneys will address:

The significant implications of the panel's decision, which allows prosecutors to conceal critical evidence from defense counsel.

What's next in Green's long fight for justice as the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals considers whether the full 11-judge court will rehear the case, and what happens if they do not.

A look at the trail of exonerations and other Brevard County cases from the late 1980s and 1990s that demonstrate a pattern of prosecutorial misconduct.

"If prosecutors are allowed to conceal and hide evidence pointing to innocence from defense counsel, it could impact every criminal defendant going forward throughout the 11th CircuitFlorida, Georgia, and Alabama," said Crowell & Moring partner Keith J. Harrison, pro bono counsel to Green.

Green will be joined by members of his family. Green will address:

How he is handling the possibility of returning to prison.

What it has meant to live outside prison for the past year as he has reconciled with his family, kept a job, and met grandchildren for the first time.

Green and his family will answer questions.

"Prosecutors pushed me to plead guilty. But I refused because I was innocent, and I believed that the truth would come out in the justice system. Now, it is my faith in God and the love of my family that keeps me going. Everyone should be afraid of what happened to me because it could happen to anyone," said Green.

Members of the media, please RSVP via [email protected]. Exclusive interviews with Green and his lawyers will be provided before and after the press conference as requested prior to the conference. Please advise special requests in advance.

Press conference:2:00 pm ET, April 27Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church801 Dummitt Ave., Titusville, FL 32780*Built in 1889, Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church is the largest African-American church in Brevard County.

Speakers (Lawyers):

Speakers (Green Family):

Crosley Green

Shirley White (sister to Green)

O'Connor Green (brother to Green)

Additional Speakers:

Kenneth B. Nunn, Professor of Law and Dr. Patricia Hilliard-Nunn Memorial Racial Justice Term Professor (2021-22), University of Florida, Levin College of Law

More details of the case can be found here.

About Crowell & Moring LLPCrowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with offices in the United States, Europe, MENA, and Asia that represents clients in litigation and arbitration, regulatory and policy, and transactional and corporate matters. The firm is internationally recognized for its representation of Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes litigation and government-facing matters, as well as its ongoing commitment to pro bono service and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Media Contact:Nicole QuigleySenior Communications Advisor+1 202.624.2489Email: [email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/crosley-green-and-lawyers-seek-justice-as-deadline-looms-for-11th-circuit-decision-301532363.html

SOURCE Crowell & Moring LLP
John L. Thornton, former President of Goldman Sachs, Joins Board of Directors

LOS ANGELES, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Divergent Technologies, the company that has developed the world's first end-to-end digital production system to revolutionize industrial-scale manufacturing, announced that it has completed its Series C funding totaling $160 million. The new financing will enable the company to industrialize its fully-integrated platform, combining generative design, additive manufacturing, and automated assembly, expand operations, and meet the growing demand among automotive OEMs for design and production of vehicle structures leveraging the company's proprietary digital production technology.

Along with the new capital, Divergent is welcoming John L. Thornton, former President of Goldman Sachs, Executive Chairman of Barrick Gold, and Board Member of Ford Motor Company, to its Board of Directors.

Divergent Technologies seeks to make the vehicle manufacturing process more efficient and less wasteful using additive manufacturing (AM), colloquially known as 3D printing. Through the company's state-of-the-art Divergent Adaptive Production System (DAPS), Divergent replaces the conventional structure design and production process, which is reliant on legacy software, vehicle architectures, tooling and related factory assets with a proprietary, patented, end-to-end system for vehicle design and engineering, volume manufacturing and assembly. The DAPS software-hardware stack was developed in-house, with over 500 patent filings across the system. This approach enables both low- and high-volume manufacturing without the costly tooling and capital expenses of the past, enabling manufacturers to quickly iterate and invent new product models from anywhere in the world.

With lead inventor, founder and CEO Kevin Czinger, Divergent has a team of more than 180 engineers and scientists across four technology divisions: Structures, Software (HPC, GD and AI), Additive Manufacturing (Hardware, Software and Materials) and Automation (Software, Optics and Robotics).

"This funding represents a sterling affirmation of how disruptive we are in the auto manufacturing industry, one that really hasn't experienced such revolution since Henry Ford developed the assembly line more than 100 years ago," said Czinger. "Of great importance, given the global focus on sustainability, DAPS is planet-saving manufacturing in that it radically reduces lifecycle environmental impact by optimizing total vehicle "cradle-to-cradle" efficiency.

Added Lukas Czinger, Senior Vice President of Operations, "DAPS creates radically more efficient structures using a fraction of the typical engineering time and transforms automotive companies from CapEx-constrained businesses to flexible, design-driven organizations. It is the first instance of digital industrial manufacturing. The factory infrastructure stays consistent regardless of the design, only the data changes, allowing DAPS to switch between differentiated designs seamlessly with no downtime in-between. DAPS entering serial production this year represents a historic inflection point in automotive manufacturing."

John L. Thornton, former President of Goldman Sachs and an investor in Divergent Technologies' Series C funding as well as earlier financing rounds, said: "Seeing Divergent in action is seeing the future of automotive manufacturing now. This system will become the norm in the industry. The transformation in manufacturing which Divergent will lead will be good for the US, good for jobs, good for efficiency, for productivity and for climate."

Tom Steyer, both an early and a Series C Divergent investor, added: "By greatly reducing the carbon emissions and the industrial footprint of automotive manufacturing, Divergent is one of the companies I'm most hopeful will have an important impact on our ability to combat climate change. Zero-Emissions Vehicles are an important part of a greener future, but if we can't reduce the environmental costs of building them in the first place, their impact will never be fully realized. Divergent's technology can change that."

David Beirne, one of the original five GP's of Benchmark Capital and a Board Member of Divergent, said: "The long-term potential for Divergent's digital manufacturing technology is revolutionary across multiple industries, not just automotive. Its proprietary DAPS system is so adaptable that you could build just about anything efficiently without requiring massive capital investment and a large industrial footprint. Divergent is a game-changer for American manufacturing."

The unique capabilities delivered by the system are highlighted in the industry-disrupting performance of the Czinger Vehicles 21C hypercar, the first production car designed and built using Divergent's ground-breaking technology. Over the past few months, the hypercar shattered the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) production car track lap record by an astonishing six seconds and the Laguna Seca production car track lap record by two seconds. Of significance, the 21C V8 was designed to use a range of fuels, including carbon recycled methanol and other e-fuels, so it can be run as a zero-emissions vehicle.

Divergent plans a scale-up of its advanced manufacturing facilities, with future deployments of DAPS factories planned for Europe and the USA starting in 2024. Divergent is currently in development with 8 initial OEM brands on vehicle structure programs with production volumes ranging from 100s to hundreds of thousands of vehicles across the models' production life, with the first program entering production this year. Divergent's ultimate vision is to build a global network of DAPS factories driving distributed innovation across the planet in a circular economy manufacturing system.

In previous funding rounds, Divergent Technologies raised roughly $200 million from investors including Horizons Ventures and Altran Technologies.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/divergent-technologies-announces-160-million-series-c-funding-301532351.html

SOURCE Divergent Technologies
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Encompass Health Corp. (NYSE: EHC) today announced it will participate in the BofA Securities 2022 Healthcare Conference being held in Las Vegas May 10-12 and virtually on May 13, 2022.

Encompass Health's President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Tarr will present during a fireside chat on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, at 3:20 p.m. PT.

The presentation will be webcast live and available at http://investor.encompasshealth.com.

About Encompass Health As a national leader in integrated healthcare services, Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC) offers both facilitybased and homebased patient care through its network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, home health agencies and hospice agencies. With a national footprint that includes 147 hospitals, 251 home health locations, and 96 hospice locations in 42 states and Puerto Rico, the Company provides highquality, cost-effective integrated healthcare. Encompass Health is ranked as one of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit encompasshealth.com, or follow us on our newsroom, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Media Contact Erin Wendel-Ritter | 205 970-5912[email protected]

Investor Relations ContactMark Miller | 205 970-5860[email protected]

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SOURCE Encompass Health Corp.
BEIJING, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fang Holdings Limited (NYSE: SFUN) ("Fang" or the "Company"), a leading real estate Internet portal in China, today announced that it received a notice from NYSE Regulation indicating that NYSE's Listings Operations Committee agreed to provide the Company with an additional trading period through May 17, 2022, subject to reassessment on an ongoing basis, to complete and file the Company's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2020 (the "2020 Form 20-F") and current report on Form 6-K for the half year ended June 30, 2021 (the "2021 Semi-Annual Financial Information", collectively with the 2020 Form 20-F, the "Delayed Filings") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and any subsequent delayed filings pursuant to the NYSE's late filer rules outlined in Section 802.01E of the NYSE Listed Company Manual.

The Company has been in ongoing cooperation and correspondence with the NYSE on the late filing issue. NYSE Regulation notified the Company that the NYSE will closely monitor the Company's progress with its interim milestones submitted to the NYSE. Failure to achieve these interim milestones could result in accelerated trading suspension prior to the end of the May 17, 2022 trading period. In addition, in the event that the Company does not complete its Delayed Filings and any subsequent delayed filings with the SEC by the end of the maximum 12-month cure period on May 17, 2022, the NYSE will move forward with the initiation of suspension and delisting procedures.

About Fang

Fang operates a leading real estate Internet portal in China in terms of the number of page views and visitors to its websites. Through its websites, Fang provides primarily marketing, listing, leads generation and financial services for China's fast-growing real estate and home furnishing and improvement sectors. Its user-friendly websites support active online communities and networks of users seeking information on, and value-added services for, the real estate and home furnishing and improvement sectors in China. Fang currently maintains approximately 70 offices to focus on local market needs and its website and database contains real estate related content covering 658 cities in China. For more information about Fang, please visit http://ir.fang.com.

Safe Harbor Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, the results of the winding-up petition and application for appointment of provisional liquidators. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "is expected to," "anticipates," "aim," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "are likely to," "estimates," "may," "should" and similar expressions, and include, without limitation, statements regarding Fang's future financial performance, revenue guidance, growth and growth rates, market position and continued business transformation. Such statements are based upon management's current expectations and current market and operating conditions, and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond Fang's control, which may cause its actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the impact of Fang's business development strategies, the Fang's ability to continue as a going concern in the future, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact of current and future government policies affecting China's real estate market. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in Fang's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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SOURCE Fang Holdings Limited
GUIYANG, China, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. ("FTA" or the "Company") (NYSE: YMM), a leading digital freight platform, announced that it filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 25, 2022. The annual report can be accessed on the Company's investor relations website at ir.fulltruckalliance.com.

The Company will provide a hard copy of its annual report containing the audited consolidated financial statements, free of charge, to its shareholders and ADS holders upon request. Requests should be directed to Investor Relations Department, Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd., 16F, Building T2, SOHO Tianshan, No. 1717 Tianshan Road, Changning District, Shanghai, 200051, People's Republic of China.

About Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd.

Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YMM) is a leading digital freight platform, connecting shippers with truckers to facilitate shipments across distance ranges, cargo weights and types. The Company provides a range of freight matching services including freight listing service, freight brokerage service and online transaction service. The Company also provides a range of value-added services that cater to the various needs of shippers and truckers, such as financial institutions, highway authorities, and gas stations operators. With a mission to make logistics smarter, the Company is shaping the future of logistics with technology and aspires to revolutionize logistics, improve efficiency across the value chain and reduce its carbon footprint for our planet. For more information, please visit ir.fulltruckalliance.com.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. Mao MaoE-mail: [email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc.Emilie WuTel: +86-21-6039-8363E-mail: [email protected]

In the United States:

The Piacente Group, Inc. Brandi PiacenteTel: +1-212-481-2050E-mail: [email protected]

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SOURCE Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd.
Workers will flood the streets to call on the Board to #StaffUpContraCosta and invest in the vital services our County depends on

MARTINEZ, Calif., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- County workers are urging the Board of Supervisors to address Contra Costa's staffing crisis, as hundreds of workers plan to march to the Board of Supervisors on April 26, during the regularly scheduled Board meeting. The march will include workers who staff our public hospital, clinics, COVID test sites, as well as workers who maintain our streets, safeguard our environment, and keep our libraries and courts open. A rally outside of the County Administration Building will feature speeches from frontline and essential workers, as well as a speech by Lorena Gonzalez, former State Assemblywoman (San Diego) and the incoming Secretary-Treasurer of the California Labor Federation.

What: "Staff Up Contra Costa!" March & Rally

When: Tuesday, April 26, 2022

March begins at 11:30am

Rally begins at 12pm

Where: Departing from 1 Ferry St., Martinez and marching to 1024 Escobar St., Martinez.

Who: Lorena Gonzalez, Contra Costa County Employees, and community allies. Unions include: SEIU Local 1021, IFPTE Local 21, Deputy District Attorneys Association, Western Council of Engineers, AFSCME Local 1, AFSCME Local 512, AFSCME Local 2700, Contra Costa Defender Association, and Teamsters 856, Contra Costa County Labor Council. The nine unions rallying together represent 6,200 county employees, and more than 2/3 of the county's total workforce.

Visuals: Hundreds of union members in union t-shirts and apparel with banners and signs, people giving speeches, marching and chanting, and spokespeople available for interviews.

BACKGROUNDIn Contra Costa County, there are nearly 2,000 county job positions unfilled. With 1116 unfilled positions, the majority of vacancies are in the Health Services department. One of the departments hardest hit by vacancies is also tasked with addressing some of our county's most pressing challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vacancies have an undeniable impact on the quality and speedy delivery of services from County departments. For further background, see StaffUpContraCosta.org

"We see in many cases, in the public sector in particular, individuals have one job but they're actually doing the job of two or multiple people," said Lorena Gonzalez, former CA Assemblywoman (San Diego) and incoming Secretary-Treasurer of the California Labor Federation. "One person's job should not be the job of two people and that's what we're seeing throughout Contra Costa County. Rather than being adequately staffed in public services in emergency situations, the government contracted work out that could've and should've been done by public sector workers had leaders built a workforce that could sustain tough times like a pandemic."

The Contra Costa Labor Council is the local body of the AFL-CIO. Over 85 unions are affiliated with the CCLC, representing more than 80,000 union members and their families. The mission of the Contra Costa Labor Council is to improve the lives of workers, their families, and our community  to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to the nation.

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SOURCE IFPTE Local 21; SEIU 1021
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Developing countries will access new climate funding and finance tools to address climate change, thanks to a Finance Strategy launched by the NDC Partnership in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

The Most Honourable Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica, launched the new Strategy with NDC Partnership Co-Chairs, Senator the Honourable Matthew Samuda of Jamaica, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, and The Right Honourable Alok Sharma of the United Kingdom, COP President and Member of Parliament, to support developing countries implement their climate commitments.

The Finance Strategy targets money and support for developing countries, harnessing a unique cooperation model to drive sustainable national, regional and international transformation.

The Strategy will:

Strengthen country capacity, deploying specialist advisors to sectoral ministries and national development banks,

Guide countries developing NDC financing strategies with Development and Implementing Partners to align NDCs with wider development plans, and

Facilitate private sector buy-in on financing strategies to enable the implementation of NDCs.

The new Finance Strategy builds upon the Partnership's recent work, which has seen USD1 billion mobilized to support developing countries' climate action. Yet, much more is needed. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 's Sixth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change, warns that we are not on track to meet the 1.5C target above pre-industrial levels established in the Paris Agreement.

Following COP26, countries have shifted their focus to implementation of climate commitments, but climate action requires unprecedented speed and scale. In its World Energy Transition Outlook, NDC Partnership Member, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates USD51 trillion is needed in cumulative energy investments alone to achieve the 1.5C scenario (2021-30).

"As a small island developing state, the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Agreement is not an abstract target but a matter of survival," said Prime Minister Holness. "That is why the development and launch of the NDC Partnership's Finance Strategy is so important and timely."

"The Partnership's Finance Strategy provides a strong signal to members and global leaders that raised ambition in developing countries must be urgently matched with large-scale, predictable and timely financing," added Minister Samuda.

COP President Alok Sharma added: "At COP26 we made significant progress, but now is the time to turn commitments into action. The Partnership has shown that by combining countries' leadership with a coordinated response from international partners, technical and financial support can be mobilized effectively."

About the NDC Partnership

The NDC Partnership brings together more than 200 members - including 115 countries, developed and developing, and 80 institutions - to deliver ambitious climate action that helps achieve the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Governments identify their NDC implementation priorities and the support needed to produce actionable policies and programs. This informs a tailored package of expertise, technical assistance, and funding, for members.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1687000/NDC_Partnership_Logo.jpg

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SOURCE NDC Partnership
BEAVERCREEK, Ohio, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Apogee Engineering announced today that it plans growth in its Dayton area offices, with expansion to hire 150 additional personnel to support its work with its defense and civilian customers through 2025.

The drivers for its recent and projected growth include the continuation and expansion of the current contracts it has secured in the Dayton area. "As part of this growth, Apogee plans to hire 150 corporate and technical team members by 2025, an estimated $15 million in local payroll. The Dayton Development Coalition (DDC) and JobsOhio have been instrumental in navigating our expansion options and we are excited to grow in Greene County with an initial 20,000 square foot facility to include our state-of-the-art lab space. As an Ohio native, I'm proud to expand this culture-based company that focuses on its employees and the mission," said Amber Scott, Apogee Vice President of Corporate Operations.

The company's rapid growth allowed them to seek assistance through the DDC, JobsOhio, and the State of Ohio. The Ohio Tax Credit Authority approved Apogee a Job Creation Tax Credit. JobsOhio plans to provide assistance for the project, which will be made public after a final agreement is executed. "For 12 years, Apogee has delivered creative and adaptive engineering services to the Dayton region, centered around Wright Patterson Air Force Base. The awarded economic funds will allow us to commit additional infrastructure and personnel to the expanding challenges of National Defense, including big data intelligence analysis, applying AI and ML sciences, and employing offensive and defensive cybersecurity measures," said Frank Varga, Apogee Vice President of Operations.

Apogee worked closely with the Dayton Development Coalition and JobsOhio on the project, which is being supported with Job Creation Tax Credits from the Ohio Tax Credit Authority. "Apogee Engineering is a critical part of our region's defense ecosystem and we're thrilled they will continue to grow in the Dayton Region," said Julie Sullivan, the Dayton Development Coalition's Executive Vice President for Regional Development. "Their expansion will provide excellent opportunities for our IT and cyber workforce to continue to support our national security. We believe they have a bright future in the Dayton Region."

Founded in 2004, Apogee is a private, minority-owned firm, headquartered in Colorado with regional offices in Ohio, Florida, and Virginia. Apogee provides both defense and civilian customers with engineering & science, IT, software solutions, mission support, management, and cyber security services. Candidates seeking employment with Apogee are asked to visit their website at www.apogeeusa.com/careers to see a full list of open positions, including the ability for external individuals to receive up to $20K for referring qualified and hired candidates.

About Apogee EngineeringApogee leads the advancement of national security and defense solutions with premier teams of empowered professionals. They value visionary leadership, family-oriented engagement, and a passion for excellence. Apogee specializes in identifying, mitigating, and resolving customers' most complex challenges. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO, with management offices in Dayton, OH, Suffolk, VA, and Tampa, FL, Apogee provides expertise in the following functional areas: Engineering & Science, Research, Training, Tech & Management Services, Cyber, and Analysis with Domains across Air, Cyber, Intel, Space, Science & Technology, and Land & Sea. Learn more at www.ApogeeUSA.com

Press Contact: Rhea Phaneuf, PR & Communications Specialist Telephone: 719-229-7815Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Apogee Engineering LLC
ZUG, Switzerland, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Qontigo has licensed the STOXX USA ETF Industry Index to Kiwoom Asset Management in Korea to be used as an underlying for an exchange-traded fund (ETF). This new index is the first to track the US ETF market through a thematic approach.

The index identifies US companies that are expected to benefit from the growth of the ETF market globally, including companies involved as ETF issuers, trading venues, and index providers.

"ETFs have been the fastest-growing investment vehicle in recent years, and we expect this global trend to continue as more investors seek out ETFs for their convenience, cost efficiency and transparency. Amid this trend, we are very excited to launch an ETF that is the first of its kind in South Korea and that provides exposure to US companies leading the flourishing ETF industry worldwide. Beyond this second collaboration with Qontigo, we expect many more innovative products to come from this partnership," said Kihyun Kim, Chief Investment Officer at Kiwoom Asset Management.

"The ETF industry uses indices to construct their products, and we in turn constructed an index which reflects the growing ETF industry. We are proud to say that this fund is the first of its kind, and we look forward to further collaboration with Kiwoom Asset Management," said Rick Chau, Qontigo's Head of Asia/Pacific.

The STOXX USA ETF Industry Index is comprised of 20 companies from the US exposed to the global ETF ecosystem. FactSet Revere (RBICS) data allow a detailed breakdown of the revenue sources of the eligible companies, helping the index gain accurate exposure to the targeted theme. The index universe is defined by all the stocks included in the STOXX USA Total Market Index.

This index is the latest addition to Qontigo's wide range of STOXX thematic index solutions. Find out more.

About Qontigo

Qontigo is a leading global provider of innovative index, analytics and risk solutions that optimize investment impact. As the shift toward sustainable investing accelerates, Qontigo enables its clientsfinancial-products issuers, asset owners and asset managersto deliver sophisticated and targeted solutions at scale to meet the increasingly demanding and unique sustainability goals of investors worldwide.Qontigo's solutions are enhanced by both our collaborative, customer-centric culture, which allows us to create tailored solutions for our clients, and our open architecture and modern technology that efficiently integrate with our clients' processes.Part of the Deutsche Borse Group, Qontigo was created in 2019 through the combination of Axioma, DAX and STOXX. Headquartered in Eschborn, Germany, Qontigo's global presence includes offices in New York, London, Zug and Hong Kong.www.qontigo.com

About STOXX

STOXX Ltd. is Qontigo's global index provider, currently calculating a global, comprehensive index family of about 13,000 strictly rules-based and transparent indices. Best known for the leading European equity indices EURO STOXX 50, STOXX Europe 50 and STOXX Europe 600, STOXX Ltd. maintains and calculates the STOXX Global index family which consists of total market, broad and blue-chip indices for the regions Americas, Europe, Asia/Pacific and sub-regions Latin America and BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) as well as global markets.STOXX is the administrator of the STOXX and DAX indices under the European Benchmark Regulation and exercises control over all benchmark administration processes within Qontigo.STOXX indices are licensed to more than 600 companies around the world as underlyings for Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), futures and options, structured products and passively managed investment funds.

Legal disclaimer: STOXX, Qontigo GmbH, Qontigo Index GmbH, Deutsche Boerse Group and their licensors, research partners or data providers do not make any warranties or representations, express or implied, with respect to the timeliness, sequence, accuracy, completeness, currentness, merchantability, quality or fitness for any particular purpose of its index data and exclude any liability in connection therewith. STOXX, Qontigo GmbH, Qontigo Index GmbH, Deutsche Boerse Group and their licensors, research partners or data providers are not providing investment advice through the publication of indices or in connection therewith. In particular, the inclusion of a company in an index, its weighting, or the exclusion of a company from an index, does not in any way reflect an opinion of STOXX, Qontigo GmbH, Qontigo Index GmbH, Deutsche Boerse Group or their licensors, research partners or data providers on the merits of that company. Financial instruments based on the STOXX indices, DAX indices or on any other indices supported by STOXX are in no way sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by STOXX, Qontigo GmbH, Qontigo Index GmbH, Deutsche Boerse Group or their licensors, research partners or data providers.

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SOURCE Qontigo
PLEASANTON, Calif., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

Net sales of $493.6 million increased 42.0% year-over-year

Gross margin of 48.0% increased from 46.7% in the prior year period

Income from operations of $124.4 million increased 82.0% year-over-year; operating margin of 25.2% increased from 19.7% in the prior year period

Diluted earnings per share of $2.18 increased 87.9% year-over-year

Repurchased $21.3 million of the Company's common stock during the quarter

Closed the acquisition of the ETANCO Group on April 1, 2022

Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE: SSD), an industry leader in engineered structural connectors and building solutions, today announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2022. Refer to the "Segment and Product Group Information" table below for additional segment information (including information about the Company's Asia/Pacific segment and Administrative and All Other segment).

The Company changed its presentation of its North America and Administrative and all other segment statement of operations to display allocated expenses and management fees as a separate item below income from operations. Allocated expenses and management fees between the two segments were previously included in operating expenses and in income from operations. Income from operations for the North America and Administrative and all other segments for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 presented below was not affected by the change in presentation. Consolidated income from operations, income before tax and net income for the quarters ended March 31, 2022 and March 31, 2021 presented below were not affected by the change in presentation.

All comparisons below (which are generally indicated by words such as "increased," "decreased," "remained," or "compared to"), unless otherwise noted, are comparing the quarter ended March 31, 2022 with the quarter ended March 31, 2021 and do not include the results of the acquisition of the ETANCO Group ("ETANCO").

2022 First Quarter Financial Highlights

Consolidated net sales of $493.6 million increased 42.0% from $347.6 million.

North America net sales of $438.7 million increased 46.0% from $300.6 million primarily due to product price increases throughout 2021 in an effort to offset rising raw material costs. Canada's net sales increased primarily due to product price increases offset by lower sales volumes.



Europe net sales of $51.5 million increased 16.2% from $44.3 million, primarily due to product price increases throughout 2021 in an effort to offset rising raw material costs, partly offset by the negative effect of approximately $3.7 million in foreign currency translation.

Consolidated gross profit of $236.8 million increased 45.9% from $162.3 million. Gross margin increased to 48.0% from 46.7%.

North America gross margin increased to 49.7% from 48.5%, primarily due to product price increases throughout 2021, contributing to lower costs, each as a percentage of sales, in warehouse/freight, factory & tooling, and labor costs, which were negatively offset by higher material costs.



Europe gross margin decreased to 33.9% from 34.4%, primarily due to higher factory & tooling costs, as a percentage of net sales.

Consolidated income from operations of $124.4 million increased 82.0% from $68.4 million. The increase was primarily due to the increase in consolidated gross profit, partly offset by higher operating expenses including acquisition related costs, personnel costs, travel related expenses, and cash profit sharing expense resulting from favorable operating performance in the first quarter of 2022. Consolidated operating margin increased to 25.2% from 19.7%.

North America income from operations of $135.7 million increased $62.7 million from $73.0 million. The increase was primarily due to higher gross profit, partly offset by higher operating expenses including personnel costs, travel and trade related events, and cash profit sharing primarily for favorable operating performance.



Europe loss from operations of $1.4 million compared to income of $2.3 million, primarily due to professional fees of $7.0 million associated with the ETANCO acquisition, offset by a $1.1 million gain on the sale of a property and increased gross profits.

The Company's effective income tax rate decreased to 23.7% from 24.3%, primarily due to a higher windfall tax benefit on the vesting of restricted stock units during the first quarter of 2022 compared to 2021.

Net income was $94.6 million, or $2.18 per diluted share of the Company's common stock, compared to net income of $50.4 million, or $1.16 per diluted share.

Cash flow provided by operating activities increased approximately $26.8 million from $17.8 million to $44.7 million, primarily from increases in net income offset by the increase in working capital.

Cash flow used in investing activities increased approximately $1.4 million from $15.7 million to $17.1 million. Capital expenditures were approximately $17.8 million compared to $10.5 million.

Management Commentary

"We delivered strong financial and operational performance in the first quarter with consolidated net sales of $493.6 million increasing 42.0% over the prior year period," commented Karen Colonias, Chief Executive Officer of Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. "Sales growth was primarily driven by product price increases we implemented throughout 2021 in North America and Europe to offset rising raw material costs. Our strong top-line performance led to our gross margin expanding 130 basis points to 48.0% compared to the prior year period. As a result, we grew our first quarter consolidated income from operations to $124.4 million and generated strong earnings per diluted share of $2.18."

Mrs. Colonias concluded, "Over the past year, we made significant progress on our growth initiatives to support different end users and distribution channels. Included in these efforts was a realignment of our sales teams to more specifically focus on five end use markets - residential, commercial, OEM, national retail and building technology, which has led to new customer and project wins within each of our five key growth initiatives. Our future growth and diversification efforts were further supported by our April 1st acquisition of ETANCO. We believe ETANCO's extensive and complementary product offering will strengthen our overall portfolio in Europe, enabling us to deliver even more value to our customers. While we are primarily focused on the integration of ETANCO, our capital allocation priorities for 2022 remain centered on organic growth and returning value to our stockholders through dividends and selectively repurchasing shares of our common stock, while focusing on repaying the debt we incurred to finance the acquisition of ETANCO."

Corporate Developments

On March 30, 2022, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement amends and restates the Company's previous Credit Agreement, dated as of July 27, 2012. The Amended and Restated Credit Agreement provides for a 5-year Revolving Credit Facility of $450.0 million, which includes a letter of credit sub-facility of up to $50.0 million, and for a 5-year Term Loan Facility of $450.0 million. The Company borrowed $250.0 million under the Revolving Credit Facility and $450.0 million under the Term Loan Facility to finance a portion of the purchase price of the Company's acquisition of ETANCO.

On April 1, 2022, the Company successfully completed the acquisition of ETANCO, a manufacturer of fastener products headquartered in France, for $800.0 million (725 million euros(1)) net of cash. For the 12 months ending September 30, 2021, ETANCO's net sales and operating income margin were approximately $291.0 million (approximately 258 million(2)) and 19.7%(2), respectively.

During the first quarter of 2022, the Company repurchased 194,745 shares of common stock in the open market at an average price of $109.28 per share, for a total of $21.3 million. As of March 31, 2022, approximately $78.7 million remained available for repurchase under the Company's previously announced $100.0 million share repurchase authorization (which expires at the end of 2022).

Business Outlook

The Company is updating its 2022 financial outlook to include the acquisition of ETANCO, which closed on April 1, 2022, one quarter of actual results, and its latest expectations regarding demand trends, raw material costs and operating expenses. Based on business trends and conditions as of today, April 25, 2022, the Company's outlook for the full fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 is as follows:

Operating margin is expected to be in the range of 19.0% to 20.0%, mostly attributable to an improved outlook for the overall market and Simpson. In addition, the revised outlook includes projected results for ETANCO, including $15.0 to $17.0 million in integration and transaction costs.

Interest expense on the outstanding $250.0 million Revolving Credit Facility and $450.0 million Term Loans is expected to be approximately $11.0 million, including the effect of interest hedges and bank fee amortizations.

The effective tax rate is expected to be in the range of 25.5% to 26.5%.

Capital expenditures are expected to be in the range of $65.0 million to $70.0 million. As part of the integration process for ETANCO, Simpson management is in the process of assessing additional capital expenditures in support of ETANCO's operations.

While the magnitude and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on general economic conditions remain uncertain, the Company continues to monitor the impact of the pandemic on its operations and financial condition, which was not significantly adversely impacted during the first quarter of 2022. Please note that ongoing uncertainties surrounding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's business, which may include the economic impact on its operations, raw material costs, consumers, suppliers, vendors, and other factors outside of its control, may have a material adverse impact on the Company's financial outlook.

Conference Call Details

Investors, analysts and other interested parties are invited to join the Company's first quarter of 2022 financial results conference call on Monday, April 25, 2022, at 5:00 pm Eastern Time (2:00 pm Pacific Time). To participate, callers may dial (877) 407-0792 (U.S. and Canada) or (201) 689-8263 (International) approximately 10 minutes prior to the start time. The call will be webcast simultaneously and can be accessed through https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1539516&tp_key=9123a06bdf or a link on the Company's website at ir.simpsonmfg.com. For those unable to participate during the live broadcast, a replay of the call will also be available beginning that same day at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, May 9, 2022, by dialing (844) 5122921 (U.S. and Canada) or (412) 3176671 (International) and entering the conference ID: 13728308. The webcast will remain posted on the Investor Relations section of Simpson's website at ir.simpsonmfg.com for 90 days.

A copy of this earnings release will be available prior to the call, accessible through the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at ir.simpsonmfg.com.

About Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc.

Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc., headquartered in Pleasanton, California, through its subsidiary, Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc., designs, engineers and is a leading manufacturer of wood construction products, including connectors, truss plates, fastening systems, fasteners and shear walls, and concrete construction products, including adhesives, specialty chemicals, mechanical anchors, powder actuated tools and reinforcing fiber materials. The Company's common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "SSD."

Copies of Simpson Manufacturing's Annual Report to Stockholders and its proxy statements and other SEC filings, including Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, are made available free of charge on the company's web site on the same day they are filed with the SEC. To view these filings, visit the Investor Relations section of the Company's web site at ir.simpsonmfg.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 2IE of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "outlook," "target," "continue," "predict," "project," "change," "result," "future," "will," "could," "can," "may," "likely," "potentially," or similar expressions that concern our strategy, plans, expectations or intentions. Forward-looking statements are all statements other than those of historical fact and include, but are not limited to, statements about future financial and operating results, our plans, objectives, business outlook, priorities, expectations and intentions, expectations for sales growth, comparable sales, earnings and performance, stockholder value, capital expenditures, cash flows, the housing market, the home improvement industry, demand for services, share repurchases, the integration of the acquisition of ETANCO, our strategic initiatives, including the impact of these initiatives on our strategic and operational plans and financial results, and any statement of an assumption underlying any of the foregoing. Although we believe that the expectations, opinions, projections and comments reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and we can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be correct. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements.

Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent uncertainties, risk and other factors that are difficult to predict and could cause our actual results to vary in material respects from what we have expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations and supply chain, the operations of our customers, suppliers and business partners, and the successful integration of ETANCO, as well as those discussed in the :Risk Factors" and " Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other reports we file with the SEC. To the extent that the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects our business and financial results, it may also have the effect of heightening many of such risks and other factors.

We caution that you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made in our reports filed with the SEC that advise of the risks and factors that may affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Footnotes(1) Reflects EUR to USD exchange rate as of March 21, 2022.(2) For the last 12 months ending September 30, 2021, in accordance with French GAAP. Subject to change following conversion to IFRS or U.S. GAAP accounting standards and reflects EUR to USD exchange rate as of December 22, 2021.

Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. and Subsidiaries UNAUDITED Consolidated Statements of Operations (In thousands, except per share data) Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 2021 Net sales $ 493,570 $ 347,642 Cost of sales 256,789 185,360 Gross profit 236,781 162,282 Research and development and engineering expense 15,866 14,591 Selling expense 36,836 30,823 General and administrative expense 53,774 48,565 Total operating expenses 106,476 93,979 Acquisition related costs 6,951  Gain on disposal of assets (1,083) (80) Income from operations 124,437 68,383 Interest expense, net and other (428) (1,778) Income before taxes 124,009 66,605 Provision for income taxes 29,433 16,218 Net income $ 94,576 $ 50,387 Earnings per common share: Basic $ 2.19 $ 1.16 Diluted $ 2.18 $ 1.16 Weighted average shares outstanding: Basic 43,179 43,379 Diluted 43,376 43,612 Cash dividend declared per common share $ 0.25 $ 0.23 Other data: Depreciation and amortization $ 10,795 $ 11,225 Pre-tax equity-based compensation expense $ 4,872 $ 6,542

Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. and Subsidiaries UNAUDITED Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets (In thousands) March 31, December 31, 2022 2021 2021 Cash and cash equivalents $ 984,372 $ 257,428 $ 301,155 Trade accounts receivable, net 320,428 227,201 231,021 Inventories 443,448 296,640 443,756 Other current assets 39,632 37,732 22,903 Total current assets 1,787,880 819,001 998,835 Property, plant and equipment, net 265,675 255,684 259,869 Operating lease right-of-use assets 44,651 44,236 45,438 Goodwill 133,651 133,477 134,022 Other noncurrent assets 55,297 42,329 45,961 Total assets $ 2,287,154 $ 1,294,727 $ 1,484,125 Trade accounts payable $ 76,390 $ 66,236 $ 57,215 Long-term debt, current portion 22,500   Accrued liabilities and other current liabilities 206,985 158,578 187,387 Total current liabilities 305,875 224,814 244,602 Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion 36,336 35,810 37,091 Long-term debt, net of current portion 677,538   Deferred income tax and other long-term liabilities 35,595 19,594 18,434 Stockholders' equity 1,231,810 1,014,509 1,183,998 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 2,287,154 $ 1,294,727 $ 1,484,125

Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. and Subsidiaries UNAUDITED Segment and Product Group Information (In thousands) Three Months Ended March 31, % 2022 2021 change* Net Sales by Reporting Segment North America $ 438,731 $ 300,564 46.0% Percentage of total net sales 88.9 % 86.5 % Europe 51,451 44,296 16.2% Percentage of total net sales 10.4 % 12.7 % Asia/Pacific 3,388 2,782 21.8% $ 493,570 $ 347,642 42.0% Net Sales by Product Group** Wood Construction $ 435,438 $ 301,578 44.4% Percentage of total net sales 88.2 % 86.7 % Concrete Construction 57,976 45,523 27.4% Percentage of total net sales 11.7 % 13.1 % Other 156 541 N/M $ 493,570 $ 347,642 42.0% Gross Profit (Loss) by Reporting Segment North America $ 217,919 $ 145,830 49.4% North America gross margin 49.7 % 48.5 % Europe 17,453 15,250 14.4% Europe gross margin 33.9 % 34.4 % Asia/Pacific 1,448 1,244 N/M Administrative and all other (39) (42) N/M $ 236,781 $ 162,282 45.9% Income (Loss) from Operations North America $ 135,727 $ 73,025 85.9% North America operating margin 30.9 % 24.3 % Europe (1,370) 2,291 (159.8)% Europe operating margin (2.7) % 5.2 % Asia/Pacific 564 425 N/M Administrative and all other (10,484) (7,358) N/M $ 124,437 $ 68,383 82.0%

* Unfavorable percentage changes are presented in parentheses, if any. ** The Company manages its business by geographic segment but is presenting sales by product group as additional information. N/M Statistic is not material or not meaningful.

CONTACT:Addo Investor Relations[email protected](310) 829-5400

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SOURCE Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc.
WHIPPANY, N.J. and SAN DIEGO, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. (NYSE: SPH), a nationwide distributor of propane, renewable propane, fuel oil and related products and services, as well as a marketer of natural gas and electricity and investor in low carbon fuel alternatives, today joined forces with Historic Tours of America to donate funds toward a Father Joe's Villages' Therapeutic Childcare program which provides childcare and services to children and families experiencing homelessness.

On April 25th, representatives from Suburban Propane, Historic Tours of America and Father Joe's Villages held a donation presentation event at Shelter Island in the Port of San Diego. This donation is made in support of Father Joe's Villages' mission to prevent and end homelessness while encouraging children to get outside, play, and maintain a healthy lifestyle, all supported by a cleaner future powered by propane. Historic Tours of America utilizes clean-burning propane for 90% of its fleet, including its San Diego operation and throughout the country.

"We are so honored to be here today in beautiful San Diego alongside our valued partners at Historic Tours of America to make this donation and spread the word about propane's clean-burning capabilities," said Nandini Sankara, Spokesperson, Suburban Propane. "We hope this new playground will bring joy to the children and families served by Father Joe's Village for years to come."

"I thank Suburban Propane and Old Town Trolley for their compassionate support of our Therapeutic Childcare program, which provides critical tools for families and children to break the cycle of homelessness," said Deacon Jim Vargas, President and CEO of Father Joe's Villages. "Our longtime partnership with Old Town Trolley has provided countless special experiences for children experiencing homelessness over the years, bringing joy to those who need it most."

"At Old Town Trolley Tours of San Diego, our business is sharing the history of this amazing city with guests from all over the world. As a nationwide company, it is important that our vehicles run on clean burning propane to protect and preserve our environment and surroundings," said David Thornton, General Manager, Old Town Trolley and Seal Tours of San Diego. "In partnering with Father Joe's Villages, we invest in the future of the children of San Diego. These kids are the future leaders, teachers, doctors, and hopefully tour conductors of tomorrow and it is important for us to support their dreams."

The collaboration is part of Suburban Propane's SuburbanCares and Go Green with Suburban Propane corporate initiatives. SuburbanCares is dedicated to supporting community efforts across the company's footprint in the United States. Throughout the pandemic, SuburbanCares undertook initiatives to help children in numerous underserved communities; including Albany, NY; Boise, ID; Detroit, MI; Philadelphia, PA; Santa Fe, NM; Santa Rosa, CA; Columbia and Charleston, SC; Detroit, MI; and New Brunswick, NJ. Go Green with Suburban Propane promotes the clean burning, versatile nature of propane and renewable propane as a bridge to a green energy future and developing the next generation of renewable energy.

About Suburban PropaneSuburban Propane Partners, L.P. is a publicly traded master limited partnership listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol SPH. Headquartered in Whippany, New Jersey, Suburban has been in the customer service business since 1928 and is a nationwide distributor of propane, renewable propane, fuel oil and related products and services, as well as a marketer of natural gas and electricity and an investor in low carbon fuel alternatives. The Partnership serves the energy needs of approximately 1 million residential, commercial, governmental, industrial and agricultural customers through approximately 700 locations across 41 states. The Partnership is supported by three core pillars: (1) Suburban Commitment  showcasing the Partnership's 90+ year legacy, and ongoing commitment to the highest standards for dependability, flexibility, and reliability that underscores the Partnership's commitment to excellence in customer service; (2) SuburbanCares  highlighting the Partnership's continued dedication to giving back to local communities across the Partnership's national footprint and (3) Go Green with Suburban Propane - promoting the clean burning and versatile nature of propane and renewable propane as a bridge to a green energy future and developing the next generation of renewable energy.

For additional information on Suburban Propane, please visit www.suburbanpropane.com.

About Historic Tours of AmericaOld Town Trolley Tours of San Diego has been entertaining visitors to America's Finest City since 1989. The orange and green trolleys cover Old Town, the Embarcadero, Downtown, Seaport Village, Barrio Logan Coronado, Balboa Park and Little Italy on the 25 mile, fully narrated tour. Old Town Trolley Tours is committed to protecting the environment by converting 90% of its fleet to run on propane instead of gasoline. Old Town Trolley Tours has been recognized by the Propane Industry with the Propane Exceptional Energy Fleet Award for our use of propane in trolleys. In addition to San Diego, Old Town Trolley Tours operate in Boston, Washington, Key West, Nashville, St. Augustine and Savannah. Old Town Trolley Tours is part of the Historic Tours of America Family of tours, attractions and themed retail marketplaces.

Old Town Trolley Tours of San Diego has partnered with Father Joes for nearly 20 years, hosting children from Father Joe's Village for an annual holiday party. Over 150 children, with one or both parents, live at the downtown San Diego shelter. CAST members and business partners donate over 150 gifts to the children at the shelter. The children enjoy pizza, sodas, pinatas and holiday fun. The highlight of the day is a personal gift to each child by Santa & Mrs. Claus. On the way home, the Trolley and its conductor take the children on an evening tour of holiday lights around the city.

About Father Joe's VillageAs San Diego's largest homeless services provider, Father Joe's Villages ensures that each person can rediscover hope and leave homelessness behind. To address the complex needs of people who are homeless, the organization provides housing for more than 2,500 people each night, along with health care, substance use disorder treatment, job training, therapeutic childcare and more. For more information, please visit: https://.my.neighbor.org/.

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SOURCE Suburban Propane Partners, L.P.
(Tribune News Service)  The first instance of an Air Force general officer being convicted in a court-martial moved to its sentencing phase Monday, with the sister-in-law of Air Force Maj. Gen. William Cooley telling the court how the two-star generals misconduct upended her life.

Air Force Judge Col. Christina Jimenez will announce the sentence Tuesday.

Cooleys sister-in-law said she allowed the two-star general into her New Mexico home, a home that had been full of love and friendship, she said in a hearing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

In return, she said, Cooley targeted me, isolated me and attacked me. Bill robbed me of my safety ... and forever destroyed all trust I ever had in him.

I went from being his sister-in-law, a member of his family for almost 30 years, to his victim, she said. And, in my eyes, he became a predator, a title he will bear for the rest of his life.

Cooley, a former commander of Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), was found guilty Saturday of one specification of abusive sexual contact against his brothers wife. The allegations stemmed from an encounter in August 2018, when she gave him a ride to his parents house after a family gathering in New Mexico.

The charge had three specifications involving how the two-star general was reported to have touched his sister-in-law  forcing his tongue in her mouth, forcing her hand to his genitals and pushing his hand between her legs and cupping her breast, according to an Air Force charge sheet.

After five days of a trial at Wright-Patterson, the judge found Cooley guilty of the first specification  kissing her on the lips and tongue, with an intent to gratify his sexual desire  while acquitting him of the latter two.

Congress changed the law so that this is no longer a sexual offense and a felony, defense counsel Maj. Shea Hoxie argued Monday.

But Lt. Col. Matthew Neil, a government attorney, said the law as it existed in August 2018, when the crime was committed, must apply. The judge agreed with him.

Victims impact statement

The accuser and her husband wanted the high-ranking officer to get help and get better, but she said Cooley never demonstrated true contrition.

She said It became agonizing the impossible position he put us in  report a relative or continue to let the man who assaulted her get away with it.

In staying quiet, I was perpetuating a cycle of abuse that I had taught my daughters to always stand up against, she said.

My only fault, she added, was trusting my brother-in-law.

No jury was empaneled. Jimenez presided in a bench trial.

The Air Force started investigating the case in late 2019. Gen. Arnold Bunch, commander of the Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) at Wright-Patterson, fired Cooley from the AFRL job in January 2020. Since then, Cooley has served as a special assistant to Bunch, working on AFMCs digital campaign.

Over five days, starting April 18, the government called 10 witnesses in the trial phase of the case; the defense rested without calling any. Jimenez began deliberating shortly after noon Friday, took an overnight break, and pronounced her verdict Saturday morning.

(c)2022 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio)

Visit the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) at www.daytondailynews.com

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AUSTIN, Texas  The body of Spc. Bishop E. Evans was found Monday, three days after the Texas National Guard soldier jumped into the Rio Grande to rescue two migrants trying to cross from Mexico into the Texas city of Eagle Pass, the states military department reported.

We are devastated by the loss of a member of our Guard family, Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer, adjutant general for Texas, said in a statement. We recognize the selflessness of this heroic soldier who put his life above others in service to our state and national security.

Evans, a 22-year-old from Arlington, took off his uniform jacket and radio before going into the water at about 8:30 a.m. Friday, Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber told The Associated Press.

The Texas Military Department did not say where Evans body was found or when. The Texas Rangers, part of the Department of Public Safety, have taken the lead on the investigation into the incident.

Evans was on duty Friday along the river as part of a state-sponsored border security mission known as Operation Lone Star. About 10,000 troops are assigned to the mission, with about 6,500 of those working positions along the states border with Mexico, Texas National Guard officials have said.

Gov. Greg Abbott, who began the border mission one year ago, said he was heartbroken of the news of Evans death.

Our National Guard soldiers risk their lives every day to serve and protect others and we are eternally grateful for the way Spc. Evans heroically served his state and country, he said in a statement.

Evans was a field artilleryman assigned to Alpha Battery, 4th Battalion of the 133rd Field Artillery Regiment based in New Braunfels. Evans enlisted in the National Guard in May 2019.

Outside of his assignment to Operation Lone Star, Evans deployed to Operation Spartan Shield in Kuwait.

During this mobilization, his dedication, talents and tactical prowess led his leadership to regularly assign him to operations in Iraq in support of special operations forces for short periods of time, while then rotating back into Kuwait, Guard officials said.

Since Friday, multiple agencies have participated in the search for Evans, including the Texas Military Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Border Patrol. Dive teams temporarily had to stop their efforts Saturday evening because the current of the Rio Grande increased and made operations unsafe.

Schmerber, a former U.S. Border Patrol officer, told the AP that this was the first incident that he could recall where a Guard member entered the water to rescue someone. He estimated the portion of the river where Evans jumped in was roughly 70 to 80 yards wide.
STUTTGART, Germany  A former commander of U.S. Marines in Europe who used a racial slur when speaking to junior troops violated the Corps standards for leadership, an internal investigation determined.

A report by the Inspector General of the Marine Corps details the July 2020 incident, which ultimately led to Maj. Gen. Stephen Nearys dismissal as head of U.S. Marine Forces Europe and Africa. A copy of the report recently was provided to Stars and Stripes.

Neary failed to demonstrate exemplary conduct, as defined by the standard, through his insensitive comments and lack of awareness and appreciation for how divisive his use of a racial slur would be on his organization and offensive to his Marines, the report stated.

It came in response to complaints from Marines who said Neary used the N-word in front of them after taking offense to the use of the word in a rap song that was being played during physical training outside MARFOREUR headquarters.

Neary acknowledged his use of the N-word in that instance, according to his statements contained in the IG report.

I was using this as a teaching moment, is what I was doing, Neary told the IG. Because again, there is no place for discriminatory behavior at all, in our Marine Corps, across the board.

However, the IG said Nearys language, which it said also involved the phrase you people when addressing Marines under the guise of providing correction, made the situation worse.

Neary failed to set an example for how to address the situation properly, without escalating it to the point where he unintentionally offended Marines and, as a result, diminished his ability to command, the IG said.

The report, completed in December 2020, came two months after Neary was relieved of command by Gen. David H. Berger. Neary retired from the Marines earlier this year. The report was obtained Friday following a private individuals Freedom of Information Act request.

The incident, which took place at Devil Dog Field across from MARFOREUR headquarters at Panzer Kaserne near Stuttgart, came at a time of upheaval and protest over police brutality cases in the United States, including the murder of George Floyd.

On the morning of July 22, 2020, Neary had just finished a run and was at the pullup bars doing physical training when he overheard rapper Big Ls song Put it on, which was being played by a separate group of Marines doing PT.

Neary ordered the Marines to turn off the music with the offensive language, saying that allowing it to be played could give the impression that he and other Marines condoned the words in it.

You cannot play songs that use the n-word in it because it is counter to good order and discipline. ... We have a problem when we think it is acceptable. Look what is going on across our country, Neary said in his account to the IG of what he told Marines.

Junior Marines, however, said they were shocked by Nearys use of the full N-word and the tone of his admonishment.

Neary said (the word) should never be used and it is a word of hate, according to a statement by one of the Marine witnesses.

The Marines statement went on to say that Neary told the group that the N-word is the reason you people are doing riots in the U.S.

Neary acknowledged saying the N-word once but denied that he had repeated it, as other Marines alleged. He also denied saying you people.

But the testimony of Marines who made the complaints was found to be consistent, and the report asserts that their statements corroborated one another.

The IG concluded that Neary had failed to demonstrate exemplary conduct.

Stars and Stripes reporter Chad Garland contributed to this report.
Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a Chinese military base in the Solomon Islands would be a red line for his government, while fellow U.S. ally Japan became the latest to dispatch an envoy to the country over the issue.

Morrison is attempting to deflect criticism he did not move quickly enough to avoid a security agreement between Honiara and Beijing. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday in Darwin, Morrison said his determination to avoid a naval base in the Solomon Islands was shared not just by the U.S. but by the Pacific nations Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare.

Morrison said Sogavare had assured him personally there would be no military base in the Solomons. This is a shared concern, not just Australia. This is Australia with regional governments, he said.

On Friday, a delegation led by President Joe Bidens East Asia czar Kurt Campbell visited the country to have a substantial discussion with Sogavare about the pact. The prime minister on Monday said in doing so, Washington had revitalized relations with the Solomon Islands and he welcomed, once again, a U.S. decision to reestablish its embassy.

Contrary to misinformation promoted by anti-government critics, the Solomon Islands  China Security Cooperation is not about China establishing a military base in Solomon Islands but is about supporting the state to address its internal hard and soft security threats, Sogavare said in a statement.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press conference on Monday that any suggestion China was planning to establish a military base in the Solomon Islands was entirely disinformation fabricated by people with ulterior motives.

When asked by journalists what he would do in the event of the announcement of a Chinese military base in the Solomons, Morrison didnt say.

Australias Liberal National coalition is working to contain the political fallout from the announcement in the past week that the Solomon Islands had signed a security agreement with China, the details of which have not been made public. A draft of the agreement leaked in late March would allow Chinese naval vessels a safe harbor just 1,200 miles from Australias coastline.

The U.S. and its allies have long been concerned about the possibility of China obtaining a military foothold in the Pacific, and the agreement is a major diplomatic victory for the Chinese government. Japan on Monday dispatched parliamentary vice minister Kentaro Uesugi for talks with officials in the Solomons.

Australias opposition Labor Party described the pact as the worst failure of Australian foreign policy in the Pacific since the end of World War II.

Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Monday morning, Labors shadow defense minister Brendan OConnor said he would request a briefing from the government on what it would do if the red line was crossed by China.

The fact that we have to turn to using that type of language is too little, too late. We should have been doing more, he said.

Morrisons government is currently campaigning for a fourth term in power at a national election due to be held on May 21. Despite Australias strong economy and record low unemployment, Morrisons center-right government is trailing Labor in opinion polling.
Cassandra Wheeler said she felt an upswell of anger when she saw a recent social media post by Tricare, the militarys health care provider, in support of Autism Acceptance Month.

Tricare called for inclusivity and tolerance for autistic children through patience, understanding, and education, according to the April 8 post on the providers official Facebook page. As of Friday, it had received about 800 mostly critical comments, and was shared about 400 times.

Wheeler, 34, the wife of a medically retired Army veteran and the mother of two autistic children, said Tricare gutted the care it provides for the autistic children of military families last year.

What Tricare is doing is not OK, she told Stars and Stripes by phone April 13 from her home in Westfield, Ind. Were hurting as a direct result of decisions you have made. Our kids are suffering.

The Defense Health Agency, which oversees Tricare, rolled out a series of comprehensive changes to its Autism Care Demonstration program beginning March 23, 2021. The program pays for applied behavior analysis, or ABA, therapy for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, according to a statement on the Military Health System website.

The demonstration program will move toward a beneficiary-centric model that helps autistic children reach their maximum potential and empower parents to have a greater role in the care their child receives, according to the health system.

Yet parents said the changes included more stringent requirements to access ABA, an approach that seeks to increase helpful behaviors and decrease harmful ones, according to the nonprofit Autism Speaks website.

For example, children with multiple conditions that include autism, such as intellectual disabilities, epilepsy and gastrointestinal issues, are no longer eligible for ABA, a senior policy analyst and clinical psychologist at the Defense Health Agency, Dr. Krystyna Bienia, told Stars and Stripes by phone Thursday.

The changes also added layers of bureaucracy, according to some parents of autistic children covered by Tricare. This includes additional case workers, increased assessments, tighter timelines, more paperwork for parents and providers and intrusive stress assessments for parents that asked about things like their sex lives.

Tricare also cut funding for ABA therapists to accompany children to school or other medical appointments, parents and Bienia said.

The Wheelers middle son, Sawyer, 6, was dropped by his clinic in December for nonpayment and because Tricare began micromanaging his care plan, Cassandra Wheeler said. She said he lost ABA, speech and occupational therapies for four months before she found another provider that would accept Tricare.

Another military mother said she experienced similar delays.

My son has been on wait lists for developmental [pediatricians] for over four years in total and hes 7 years old, Space Force spouse Cara-Lee Alford told Stars and Stripes by phone on April 13. They kept referring us to who they thought was a developmental pediatrician in Alabama, but they werent a developmental pediatrician.

Merit to complaints

Many of the criticisms levied by the parents have merit, Bienia said, but families may have been getting services outside Tricares scope of coverage, such as allowing therapists in community settings. Requirements for providers ensure there is no fraud, waste or abuse.

It breaks my heart that there is this gap in services, she said. I think there are worldwide gaps in both clinical and non-clinical services, but Tricare is only authorized to cover that clinical part.

ABA therapy is not covered as a basic benefit under Tricare because it doesnt meet reliable evidence standards, Bienia said. Tricare has been funding ABA through the demonstration since 2014 to see if it meets certain goals and objectives. If it is determined that it does, the therapy could be added to a suite of covered services in the future, which includes occupational therapy, speech, physical therapy and psychiatric services. The program expires at the end of 2023 but could be renewed, she said.

Dr. Farrell Weiers, a clinical psychologist and behavior analyst at Family First Center for Autism and Child Development in Kansas City, Mo., said her experiences and outcomes with Tricare were mostly positive prior to the changes.

The latest changes to the Treatment Manual, however, are vague and our success rate is much more hit and miss, she wrote in an email Thursday to Stars and Stripes.

The changes have significantly slowed down their ability to get a child started in therapy, she said. I have a serious problem with the measures that were chosen.
When Solomia Dzhaman thinks of Ukraine, she thinks of her grandparents farm  plucking ripe strawberries to eat, pulling apples off trees in the orchard and picking currants off the vine so her grandparents could sell them at the market.

Pastoral, tranquil memories like that, she said. Thats the scene thats been playing in my head when I think about Ukraine.

Shes trying to hold on to the images of the home she knew, not the images that saturate the news now: men with gunshots to the head lying in the road, people fleeing over bridges, bombs shattering homes. She left the campus of Columbia University, unable to concentrate on her engineering classes in-person while friends are on the front lines and relatives are living in fear.

The war has upended life for Ukrainian students in the United States, and spurred university and federal officials to take quick action to help.

For some students here on a visa, it opened questions about when and whether they could safely return. For some settled here more permanently, it surfaced painful emotions about home and heart and how best to help in a humanitarian crisis. And for some Ukrainian students, the war kept them from continuing their studies abroad this spring, as they crossed borders to flee the violence  or turned to help the fight.

I have no legal right to leave the country, Dmytro Tymoshchenko, 29, said from Boryspil, outside of Kyiv, where he stayed this year rather than resume studies in his master of laws program at the University of California at Berkeleys School of Law. And I have no moral right to leave the country  because the country needs me.

While his classmates are on campus, he is in the midst of war.

Many towns are completely destroyed, he said. Many cities are experiencing complete humanitarian disaster: no electricity, no gas, no light, no water, nothing at all. Theyre just simply dying.

He and others began working in a volunteer battalion, making Molotov cocktails, cooking food, driving aid to military posts. Now he is raising money for thermal visors, bulletproof vests, radio transmitters and other military supplies.

We are defending our freedom, Tymoshchenko said.

Within days of the outbreak of the war, U.S. higher education leaders joined to ask federal officials for help supporting the roughly 1,700 Ukrainian students enrolled here. In March, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security designated Ukraine for temporary protected status for 18 months, allowing students whose visas are about to expire to apply to stay in this country.

On Monday, DHS officials announced a further step, special student relief to eligible students from Ukraine experiencing extreme economic hardship  temporarily suspending regulations, allowing them to apply work more hours and take fewer courses.

As weeks go by, its increasingly clear that it will be difficult for many Ukrainians to return home anytime soon, said Barbara Snyder, president of the Association of American Universities.

Schools and organizations have responded with individual support and, in some cases, broader efforts to assist students.

The Institute of International Education has multiple efforts to help, and has already distributed emergency grants to more than 225 Ukrainian students, according to Jonah Kokodyniak, a senior vice president at the organization.

The University of Chicago created full-tuition scholarships and support for students impacted by the war, including increased financial aid and other help for students here, and more help for students applying to colleges from its center in Paris.

Hampton University, a historically Black university in Virginia, offered to fund tuition, room and board for the summer semester for 50 to 100 students studying in Ukraine.

Columbia University, which offers a full scholarship for displaced students, also launched efforts including emergency fellowships for scholars from Ukraine.

And at many colleges, students and others organized relief efforts and fundraisers. At Johns Hopkins University, four Peabody Conservatory graduate students, including a flutist from Ukraine, organized a benefit concert last week that closed with a melody by the late Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk.

Students described horror and uncertainty as they tried to balance the unthinkable overseas with logistical hurdles here. A pregnant student at Columbia wondered if her husband would be able to join her in New York since she will not go home to Ukraine after the semester ends. A graduate student who fled to Poland before the war broke out has been juggling his studies at Berkeley very early in the morning with his work during the day, his 2-year-old daughter and evenings helping refugees at the border.

Others report the trauma of watching from afar. Tetiana Tytko, a graduate student at the University of Maryland from Lviv in western Ukraine, said that when the bombing began, she didnt know what to think or what to do. When she saw streets where she used to live and work shelled, she was at first unable to believe it was real. I was completely delusional, she said. She would wake up not wanting to look at her phone, afraid of the news she might see but unable to think about anything other than the war.

Though her parents were glad she was safely out of the country, she found it painful not to be there. When her family is in bomb shelters, shes unable to reach them.

She and others at Maryland created a Ukrainian student group and began raising money, collecting and filling old suitcases with tourniquets and other emergency medical supplies. It never feels like we are doing enough, she said.

The universitys police department donated 20 used body-armor vests that have been shipped to Ukraine. David Mitchell, the chief of the department, said he had seen television footage of elderly people taking up guns to fight, and doctors, nurses and other volunteers in the line of fire  all without body armor. He said it was overwhelming meeting with Ukrainian students at Maryland and hearing about their aunts and uncles, grandparents and friends under attack, because they want democracy  they want freedom.

Mariya Curry, who is studying psychology at Columbia, said many of her relatives live in Irpin and were hiding in their basements for many days without food. My heart is there, she said. I cant stop crying.

Dzhaman, who is from the Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine, spent the first days of the war reading the news constantly and trying to help others who needed a safer place to stay, offering shelter with her extended family in the west.

When another Ukrainian student at Columbia University told her about watching the live map of places getting shelled, and seeing his old neighborhood, the places he used to shop, his apartment, on the map, she understood.

They were all just kind of grieving together, she said.

Dzhaman, who has U.S. citizenship, sought permission to finish the semester virtually so she could be with her parents and sister in Illinois. She posted on social media asking for donations of blood-clotting products and tourniquets, and was surprised by the volume of response  thousands of dollars worth of supplies, which her family has been shipping to Kyiv and Mariupol.

She plans to go back to Ukraine, where she used to spend every summer, to help rebuild when the war is over and revisit her old haunts  if she can. If all of it gets blown up and bombed ... Ill never see it again, she worried.

She paused. Thatll be the first thing I do when I go back: go to the orchard, sit on the grass, eat fresh strawberries.
(Tribune News Service)  In 2018, Buffalo Naval Park officials and marine engineers considered a plan to tow the USS The Sullivans, the decommissioned destroyer now in crisis in Buffalos Inner Harbor, across Lake Erie to Erie, Pa., to be docked on land so lasting repairs to the ships hull could be completed.

Estimates pinned the project, which would require moving the other two ships in the Naval Park to allow The Sullivans room to exit, at between $5 million and $7 million. Ultimately, Naval Park administration chose to keep The Sullivans in Buffalo and, with BIDCO Marine Group hired for the repair, use two-part epoxy to patch the holes in the World War II-era vessel.

The $1 million cost for the epoxy project was preferred to the dry-docking alternative, recalled Paul J. Marzello Sr., now president and CEO of the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, but then the director of development and special projects.

It was our opinion that (dry-docking) wasnt a good use of our money at the time with the risks involved, Marzello said last week. We didnt think she would make it to Erie, Pa. And we certainly didnt want to have the USS The Sullivans sitting at the bottom of Lake Erie.

U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Lexia Littlejohn, speaking on Mayor Byron W. Browns WUFO radio show on Sunday, said the patches are working, and the ship is listing less than it had been.

But in light of the present crisis unfolding on The Sullivans  and the fact that epoxy is a temporary fix  a larger plan to protect the future of the ship has risen in importance. Marzello said last week hes willing to revisit the more creative solutions rejected in 2018.

Things have changed over the course of time. Were going to certainly take a look at all those options again, he said. We have more support than weve ever had, weve created more awareness than weve ever had, and with those two things, those options could be very doable.

Extending the lifespan of 80-year-old decommissioned ships built to last 25 years is no easy feat, but its important for Buffalo tourism, veterans, civic pride and history.

We need a very aggressive plan going forward, Marzello said.

What is a dry dock? And a cofferdam?

Brian R. Wroblewski, a Buffalo transportation historian, photographer, shipping enthusiast and founder of an engaging 5,800-member Buffalo transportation Facebook group, explained why a more advanced repair strategy like dry-docking or building a cofferdam could preserve The Sullivans.

If the current two-part epoxy patching buys The Sullivans time and the bottom of the hull is the greatest long-term concern, Wroblewski said, the Fletcher-class destroyer could be towed to Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair, a dry-dock site in Erie.

The vessel would dock in an enclosable area, surrounded by land on three sides and initially filled with lake water. Once the ship has entered the dock zone, the area is sealed with a wall and then dewatered using pumps, allowing The Sullivans to rest elevated on blocks for access to its entire hull.

Should The Sullivans long-term concern not be on the bottom of the ship but the part of the hull closer to the water line  where wind, waves and Buffalos winter can do damage  then a cofferdam could be a solution. This approach would not require towing across Lake Erie, yet its function is similar to a dry dock in that a cofferdam creates an isolated, dry construction site to address an area of concern.

A cofferdam, in the case of repairing a ship, is essentially an adjustable, watertight wall constructed either alongside or entirely around a ship. Like the dry dock, the enclosed area inside the cofferdam wall is dewatered. The bottom of a ships hull is not accessible in the cofferdam approach, Wroblewski said.

Regardless of strategy, the out-of-water repair process typically involves welding new steel plates to the old ship, often doubling up to prevent future leaks, Wroblewski said.

Neither approach requires divers, who face underwater limitations that affect sight, movement, efficiency and safety; all work is done out of the water, which allows for more flexible timelines.

The Sullivans survival is dear to Wroblewski, who was 4 years old when the ships arrived at the Naval Park. Hed visit with his father, an ex-Marine, regularly. To me, this is real heart-and-soul type stuff, Wroblewski said. Its always been a part of my life.

Has a cofferdam worked?

A successful recovery by a leaking World War II-era ship isnt unprecedented. The Battleship North Carolina, which began fundraising for its $17 million rescue project in 2015, was repaired enough to float on its own in August.

Because it wasnt feasible to move the 36,600-ton battleship, a cofferdam, reportedly costing $8 million, was constructed around the entire ship to accommodate more advanced repairs, not simple hole-plugging.

She never moved from her slip, said Wroblewski, who said cofferdams are a fairly new approach to repairing old ships. She sat there the whole time in the mud.

The North Carolinas website detailed the structure of the cofferdam, which is 50 feet tall, nearly 2,000 feet in perimeter and required 4.6 million pounds of steel. Four slide gate weirs  or dams  were used to control the flow of water into the cofferdam.

But the North Carolina isnt an apples-to-apples comparison to The Sullivans, which weighs about 2,000 tons. Battleships, Wroblewski said, boast much thicker hulls than the razor-thin steel plates that kept destroyers like The Sullivans lightweight in battle and earned them the tin can nickname.

The level of The Sullivans hull corrosion is likely far worse and more spread out simply due to its thinness and Buffalos more extreme seasons, the local historian said.

Potential snags

The cost of dry-docking The Sullivans, or even creating a permanent or temporary cofferdam, remains prohibitive and the biggest hurdle, said Marzello, who stressed the Naval Parks designation as a nonprofit.

Though encouraged by the $1 million raised in 10 months to pay for BIDCOs epoxy repair, Marzello still questioned the public response to a significantly higher ask.

Is it something the community is going to feel just as compelled if its $20 million as they are to raise five (million), as they are to raise one (million)? he asked. Obviously the community felt it was more than a bargain to spend a million dollars to fix this ship.

The dry-docking estimate of $5 million to $7 million from 2018 is likely outdated today. I have to believe its considerably more, Marzello said.

The Buffalo Naval Park has closed for safety reasons during the emergency situation, and if the closure extends deep into the summer, the park may miss out on most of its gate revenue. The tourist attraction has traditionally closed for December through March, but normally would be open by now. The short season will make the nonprofit even more reliant on outside funding, which Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer appealed for last week, or large donations like those from West Herr Automotive and developer Douglas Jemal in the last fundraising campaign.

Should the Naval Park propose a cofferdam project like the Battleship North Carolina, the expense could be less than the $17 million spent there. The battleship is significantly bigger than The Sullivans, and a partial cofferdam could further reduce the cost. A mitigating factor, however, is that the USS Little Rock and USS Croaker submarine may need to be moved to create room for the cofferdam, as the parks confines are tight.

Big decisions ahead

T&T Salvage, the U.S. Coast Guard, BIDCO Marine Group, the state DEC and the Naval Park are all focused on refloating the USS The Sullivans, the immediate priority after 12 days of listing. Clinton Williams, general manager of T&T, said his team has been tasked with immediate recovery tasks like executing a plan to enter the ship.

Well get it refloated, well make the patches, but the long-term is above our decisions, Williams said.

That leaves Marzello and the Naval Parks board of directors to help manage the present crisis of the Sullivans and lay out a vision  including the future of the entire park.

We have a number of options on the table in terms of how are we going to expand this space, stay here, take on another location  a lot of things are on the table, but the priority right now is to right the ship, Marzello said.

Epoxy should be effective for 20-25 years, Marzello said, but he wants the park  and its prized ships  to be around much longer.

We want to save this ship for many generations to come, not just for our kids, but for our grandkids.

(c)2022 The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.)

Visit The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.) at www.buffalonews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
SAN DIEGO (Tribune News Service)  A hearing to determine if prosecutors in the Fat Leonard Navy bribery trial improperly withheld evidence has been postponed a day to give time for defense attorneys to continue to sift through hundreds of pages of discovery handed to them over the past few days.

The discovery  mostly emails and messages  included new evidence indicating investigators received authorization to pay prostitutes up to $5,000 in reward money to come to San Diego to testify in the case.

Five former U.S. naval officers are on trial, accused of taking bribes  including the services of prostitutes in Southeast Asian ports  from Singapore-based military contractor Leonard Glenn Francis, who is nicknamed for his immense physique. The trial, in its ninth week, is supposed to be the culmination of a sprawling investigation, spanning more than a decade, into the Navys worst corruption scandal in modern history.

Evidence regarding the prosecutions overseas searches for prostitutes linked to the investigation, and any subsequent interviews with them, are at the center of the latest controversy in the case.

Late last week, defense attorneys accused federal prosecutors of failing to turn over exculpatory evidence that casts doubt on a sexual tryst between a prostitute and one of the defendants, former Capt. David Lausman. Specifically, Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents failed to draft a report of their interview with the sex worker, named Ynah, in which she denied the intimate encounter.

Prosecutors acknowledged that the NCIS agent should have created the report but argued there was not a discovery violation because the interview with Ynah was too vague to be exculpatory. Plus, a private investigator for the defense had interviewed her first and elicited greater detail from her, they said.

Testimony was put on hold in preparation for an evidentiary hearing to happen Monday outside of the presence of the jury to determine if prosecutors violated the Brady Rule, named after the 1963 U.S. Supreme Court case Brady v. Maryland, which requires exculpatory evidence to be turned over.

In the meantime, prosecutors were ordered to deliver to the defense any additional evidence, including emails and messages among agents and prosecutors, regarding communications about their search for prostitutes to interview, as well as any other unrelated discovery items that may have fallen through the cracks.

That resulted in hundreds of pages of evidence sent to defense teams over the past few days, including 450 pages Sunday night and five reports Monday morning. Much  but not all  of the discovery was duplicative in nature. Still, defense attorneys would need more time to prepare.

I stopped reading at midnight, Robert Boyce, a defense attorney for Lausman, told the judge Monday morning.

Attorneys also raised another specter found in the batch of new discovery: emails between agents discussing that they had received authorization from NCIS to pay prostitutes up to $5,000 to travel to San Diego to testify for the prosecution. If such payments were offered, it doesnt appear anyone accepted.

The new information raises the question, defense attorneys told the judge: Was the same offer made to Ynah  the prostitute who denied having sex  or only to those whose narratives supported the prosecutions?

The issue of cash offers, and evidence as to what the official guidelines are for NCIS to procure such funds, will be part of the hearing that is now set to begin Tuesday. It will likely take longer than a day.

U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino has ordered the U.S. Attorneys Office to provide a taint prosecutor  someone in the office with no ties to the case  to represent the government during the Brady hearing, to avoid the possibility of witness contamination and to act as a separate layer should one of the prosecutors on the team be called to the witness stand.

Asking prosecutors to testify comes with its own potential confidentiality and professional responsibility roadblocks.

Its probably unprecedented, in my experience, having prosecutors get on the stand in the middle of trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Ko, chosen as the taint counsel, told the judge Monday.

Nothing about this case is routine, Sammartino replied dryly.

2022 The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Visit sandiegouniontribune.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Stars and Stripes is making stories on the coronavirus pandemic available free of charge. See more stories here. Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter here. Please support our journalism with a subscription.

Space-available flights for military-affiliated travelers are available again after a two-year pause due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Air Forces Air Mobility Command announced Friday.

The choice to fly Space-A, always somewhat of a gamble, is more complicated still by varying medical restrictions still in place across the globe to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Medical screening protocols may still apply for travelers heading outside the contiguous United States, said a news release from Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. Members traveling to a foreign country will need to follow any testing requirements listed within the Electronic Foreign Clearance Guide.

Many countries still require travelers to present proof of a negative test for COVID-19 and to quarantine upon arrival. Japan, for instance, still does not permit tourists, including U.S. military members without orders, to enter the country.

Japan increased its daily quota of eligible incoming travelers to 10,000 and also quietly began allowing family members from abroad to visit Japanese citizens or foreign residents, The Japan Times reported April 13.

However, under the status of forces agreement that governs the U.S. military in Japan, U.S. troops, civilian employees and their families are treated apart from the normal visa requirements. SOFA members do not qualify under Japans requirements for visits from their family members outside Japan, according to an email Friday from USFJ spokesman Air Force Maj. Thomas Barger.

At Yokota Air Base, an airlift hub in western Tokyo and a stop for the Patriot Express, the contracted air service for military travel, Master Sgt. Roderick Jefferson II of the 21st Special Operations Squadron was happy to hear that Space-A is available again.

The flights allow eligible travelers, including service members, civilian DOD employees, retirees and their families, to travel aboard military and contractor cargo and passenger aircraft at low or no cost. Space-A is never guaranteed, and travelers sometimes get bumped.

Jefferson, 40, a native of San Jose, Calif., plans on attending his graduation from Trident University in July at Long Beach, Calif., and visiting his family, he told Stars and Stripes by phone Monday. The low cost of flying Space-A beats the commercial airfare from either of the two international airports serving Tokyo.

Being able to hop on a Space-A flight rather than fly out of Narita or Haneda is awesome, he said. Were a family of four and the airfares are pretty expensive, so Im going to try and capitalize on that.

Its regular route takes the Patriot Express from Yokota to Okinawa almost daily, which is convenient for traveling with his wife, Mika, and their children to visit her family on the island, Jefferson said.

He is not intimidated by the vagaries of Space-A travel, he said.

But thats what Space-A is. If I dont get selected, Ill just retract my leave, he said. The children, theyll be on summer vacation anyway, so, its OK if were going to California that morning, or were not.

The temporary end to Space-A travel was part of a wider halt the Pentagon ordered to all but essential military travel on March 24, 2020. Travel for temporary duty and for families moving with their service member to a new duty station was also temporarily curtailed.

At the time, the World Health Organization said COVID-19 had sickened about 330,000 and killed 14,510 worldwide. As of Friday, 505,817,953 people had contracted the disease and 6,213,876 had died, according to WHO.
WASHINGTON  The Department of Veterans Affairs has fired six employees for disobeying rules that the agency put into place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, VA Secretary Denis McDonough said Monday.

Four employees refused to wear masks, and one employee refused to take a coronavirus test, McDonough said. Another worker wouldnt share whether he or she had been vaccinated against the virus.

To date, there have been six employees who have been separated, McDonough said. The decision at the end of the day has been a clinical one  one of how we ensure veterans that weve taken every step within our power to ensure their safety, their security.

No workers have been fired yet for refusing to be vaccinated. The VA employs more than 420,000 workers, all of whom were subject to a vaccine mandate for federal employees. As of November, about 10% of VA employees had filed requests for medical or religious exemptions.

McDonough has previously said the exemption requests would not be questioned. The VA will only deny requests in instances where there arent enough vaccinated health care workers to treat veterans, he said.

As of Monday, the VA had identified a handful of medical specialties in which exemptions might be denied, including oncology and intensive care units, McDonough said. Unvaccinated workers in those areas would be given reasonable accommodation, meaning they could be reassigned.

It was uncertain Monday how many employees might be affected. McDonough said those employees have begun the disciplinary process, which starts with counseling.

We are beginning that disciplinary process across the system, he said. Well see how that continues to play out.

Earlier this month, a U.S. appeals court reinstated President Joe Bidens executive order that mandated federal employees be vaccinated against the coronavirus. A Texas judge had issued an injunction in January that temporarily blocked the administrations ability to enforce the mandate.
BEIJING April 25 -- During the past 10 years, China has achieved many breakthroughs in the development of its aircraft carriers, for examples, the takeoff and landing of J-15 fighter jets, formation training, aerial refueling at night, and operations along and beyond the so-called first island chain. The key to the rapid buildup of Chinas aircraft carriers combat capability is the training of talents in an innovative way.
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Quote: KL01toKA03 Originally Posted by Thank you for all the responses. It helped a lot in making a decision. For now, my wife will go alone, I stay in India with the children. She will try to get a green card, and if that happens we will also join her. Else, she will come back. Worst case, she comes back to India with a lot of independence and will be in a better shape to handle things.



- Even though you decided not to go to US along with your wife, apply and get H4 for you and Kids at the time of H1B processing and get it stamped along with your wife. This way, you can travel for a vacation whenever you want. Also, when its past the visa validity date, you just need to do drop box for visa extension. This saves lots of hassles.



Also in the future, if US govt decided to give work authorization to H4 (Regular H4, not the I-140), you can apply and get the work authorization, apply and get a job in US before you can decide on where to live/settle. There are some bills in pipeline that is proposing work authorization to H4. Nothing is concrete until its signed into law.



- US is a nice country to go an vacation (whenever you can squeeze in holidays in India) and its relatively cheap to do so. Make memorable trips.



Quote: mohansrides Originally Posted by Finally, two other points that I want to bring to your attention :[indent]a.) This line of thinking that getting international exposure is better than not getting such exposure is erroneous. The truth is that there is no telling what works and what doesn't work. I would wager that the majority of successful people in India have never had international exposure, and they are doing great.



Quote: mohansrides Originally Posted by Sir.. you make it sound so simple. While there are indeed people who have had enormous luck in their GC process, there are many who are languishing in no-man's land even after decades. My own BIL got his GC after 17 years. Yes, SEVENTEEN. In that time, he couldn't change his employer despite having many chances to do so. He was stuck with a crap paycheck of USD 60k in southern CA where 60k is literally poverty line.

- The stress associated with uncertainty of H1B and a constant risk of getting the H1B rejected

- Can't easily switch jobs because of GC Processing and stuck in jobs that pays less than what others with GC/US Citizenship make

- No certain date to get GC. The date can move forward/backward or stay stale anytime

- Kids will be aged out of H4 at the age of 21. Then they have to have own visa if parent didn't GC. If visa rejected, they have to go to India.

- Anxiety associated with uncertain future for kids. (The feeling of "Should I subject my kid to same path I was travelling?")

- Raising costs of US college education

- Not able to travel to India because of H1B stamping issue (I know people who never travelled to India in for 7+ years)

- Not attending a single wedding/condolences in person

And the list goes on.. @KL01toKA03 - Congrats on your decision. Everyone here gave a very good idea of good and bad about US life. Here are my 2 cents- Even though you decided not to go to US along with your wife, apply and get H4 for you and Kids at the time of H1B processing and get it stamped along with your wife. This way, you can travel for a vacation whenever you want. Also, when its past the visa validity date, you just need to do drop box for visa extension. This saves lots of hassles.Also in the future, if US govt decided to give work authorization to H4 (Regular H4, not the I-140), you can apply and get the work authorization, apply and get a job in US before you can decide on where to live/settle. There are some bills in pipeline that is proposing work authorization to H4. Nothing is concrete until its signed into law.- US is a nice country to go an vacation (whenever you can squeeze in holidays in India) and its relatively cheap to do so. Make memorable trips.@mohansrides - I totally agree. (I live in US with 10 yr old kid). Well written.Its not just the time taken to get GC. People in H1B waiting for GC are the most stressed bunch. Below are the most problem areas- The stress associated with uncertainty of H1B and a constant risk of getting the H1B rejected- Can't easily switch jobs because of GC Processing and stuck in jobs that pays less than what others with GC/US Citizenship make- No certain date to get GC. The date can move forward/backward or stay stale anytime- Kids will be aged out of H4 at the age of 21. Then they have to have own visa if parent didn't GC. If visa rejected, they have to go to India.- Anxiety associated with uncertain future for kids. (The feeling of "")- Raising costs of US college education- Not able to travel to India because of H1B stamping issue (I know people who never travelled to India in for 7+ years)- Not attending a single wedding/condolences in personAnd the list goes on.. Last edited by vb-san : 23rd April 2022 at 12:27 . Reason: Back-to-back posts merged. Please use the EDIT or QUOTE+ (multi-quote) button instead of typing one post after another.
In a nutshell: If you are at least as old as me, you might remember back to the days when magnetic tape was the only option for computer storage. Those memories are not fond ones for me  having to wait an hour to load up a video game was not fun. However, tape storage has not gone away. In fact, it is seeing a surge thanks in part to ransomware.

Hard disk drives (HDD) replaced magnetic media decades ago because of their speed, and now solid-state drives (SSD) are poised to supplant HDDs for precisely the same reason. However, Linear Tape-Open (LTO) devices, which came out in the 1990s, are still in use by many companies.

Today, LTO drives are primarily used as a backup storage solution because they are far too slow for anything else. A typical use case is to start a backup at the end of the workday, and it completes after several hours overnight. Keep in mind these LTO cassettes are nothing like the ancient Commodore cassette drive from your childhood. The latest LTO 9 cartridges can hold up to 45TB.

Interestingly, last year, LTO solutions saw a record-breaking surge in sales, with companies like HP, IBM, and Quantum reporting more than 148 exabytes of tape having sold. Sweclockers notes it as a 41-percent increase over 2020 and a 30-percent spike over the previous sales record of 114 exabytes sold in 2019 (below).

The Swedish outlet contends that the rise in magnetic media sales is partly due to the increase in ransomware attacks. Using LTO drives creates an "air gap" in storage because the device is offline and, in my experience, often off-site.

So the only way an attacker could destroy a company's data entirely would be to physically break into where the LTO is stored and either copy or delete the data off of numerous cassettes  a process that would take far too long to be practical.

However, LTO is not intended as a primary backup solution. Restoring from the drives is just as time-consuming. It also does not protect from attacks threatening to release or sell a company's data. Tape can store massive amounts of information and sit on a shelf for years. Storing it off-site also protects data from being lost to a fire or natural disaster.
Let's face it: you're one of billions of people out there who are vulnerable to a cyberattack, simply because almost your entire life is digitalized. Your critical personal information is either out there on the cloud or in your device, waiting to be plucked by somebody who might want to use it for ill-gotten gain.

But just how vulnerable are you to getting hacked? In this guide, you will learn about your risk factor for a cyberattack, and how you can avoid being hacked in the first place. Because in this age, information is power - and even your own data can be used against you or anyone.

Having The Same Password For Everything

Having the same password for almost every single account (if not all) is an exercise in convenience, true. But it also opens you up to a hacker because it's painfully obvious: once they crack one account, they can crack all of them.

Good thing is, avoiding this kind of attack is simple: do not have the same password for everything. Choose a unique password for every account you have, according to an article on Reader's Digest. And if you feel like it's going to be super tough to remember all of those passwords, either use a password manager or write them all down on a piece of paper and bring it everywhere with you.

A piece of paper can't be hacked. Obviously.

Working From Home

Now this is scary for so many people out there. So many companies - even the biggest ones - are allowing folks to keep working from home as much as they like. But in truth, working from home opens you up to a cyberattack.

That's because your home computer likely lacks the same cybersecurity measures that your employer has on its own hardware, writes CNET. In this situation, your security is only managed by yourself and your internet service provider (ISP) via your connection. Unless, of course, you do have very strong security measures in place that you put there yourself.

Read Also: The Biggest CyberSecurity Threats in 2022 and How To Protect Yourself From Them

Protecting yourself from a hacker as an at-home employee will require multiple things. Here are the best things you can do:

Update your system software: We know that constant security updates from Apple or Microsoft can be annoying with all those notifications. But they're your first layer of defense against a hacker.

Use two-factor authentication: This is a good second layer of protection, because it requires anyone trying to log into your accounts to enter a one-time password or code before they finally go in. The codes only get sent to your device, meaning only you knows what the code is.

Be on the lookout for phishing scams: If you receive a legitimate-looking email telling you something outlandish (i.e. you won a million dollars from a lottery you know you didn't join), don't believe it. And NEVER, EVER click on any link you see, especially when the email wants you to. That's the basic concept of phishing scams: tricking you into doing something you're not supposed to do, all by posing as something legit.

WEAK Passwords

You want to really make yourself a target of hackers? Use the same password for everything and make sure that the password itself is weak sauce. Yikes. Hackers have all sorts of tricks that will help them crack passwords, writes FinanceTrain. And at times, they don't even need a minute to do so.

Here's some perspective. According to CyberNews, the most common password used by Americans online are as follows:

123456

123456789

qwerty

password

12345

qwerty123

If either of these passwords are the same as yours and you get surprised that you're hacked, seriously, what is wrong with you? Even a child could guess yours!

CREATE A STRONG PASSWORD. We CANNOT stress this enough. Never, ever use something obvious, like a detail linked to you (i.e. your birthday, your spouse's name, your dog's name, your job, etc). Also, make it long as longer passwords are way tougher to crack. Start with 8 characters and if you can, max out the allowable password length.

If you need help remembering your password, refer back to the first item on this list. Use a password manager or write it down on a piece of paper. Boom. You're done.

Related: Is Your Webcam Hacked? Here Are The Signs To Watch Out For

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by RJ Pierce

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
After the buzz around Elon Musk wanting to purchase Twitter, another big news regarding him turning down Microsoft's Bill Gates. Once again, the CEO of Tesla took it to the social media platform he's trying to buy to share how he turned down an opportunity to work with Gates on philanthropy.

Musk Turns Down Gates' Request to Work on Philanthropic Matters

On top of turning down working with Gates on philanthropic matters, Musk revealed that the co-founder of Microsoft still has half a billion dollars shorting Tesla stock. According to the story by Mashable, the statement by Musk came after an account called Whole Mars Catalog shared screenshots allegedly showing exchanged texts between the two.

Whole Mars Catalog shared screenshots of a text exchange between Tesla's Musk and Microsoft's Gates. In the text exchange, Musk allegedly asked if the Microsoft co-founder had half a billion-dollar position shorting Tesla.

Yeah, but I didnt leak it to NYT. They must have got it through friends of friends.



I heard from multiple people at TED that Gates still had half billion short against Tesla, which is why I asked him, so its not exactly top secret.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 23, 2022

Gates Confirmed He Had a Short Position on Tesla's Stock

Gates confirmed the short position stating he wanted to discuss "philanthropy possibilities," but Musk responded that he couldn't engage in the Microsoft co-founder's philanthropy on climate change seriously when the co-founder still had a short position against Tesla.

Musk even said Tesla was "doing the most" compared to other companies when it came to trying to solve climate change. When asked for confirmation, the CEO of Tesla said that it was true, but it was not him who leaked the texts to the New York Times.

How Did Musk Hear About Bill Gates' Short Position on Tesla?

The Tesla CEO said the information might have broken out through friends of friends, saying the information regarding Gates' half-billion short position on Tesla came from multiple people at TED. This led to Musk asking the Microsoft co-founder straight away.

As explained by Mashable, a short position on Tesla meant that it should make the stock fall. The short position would earn money. A short position is made when an investor expects the stock of a certain company to go down, and when it does, the investor will profit from the difference from their entry position.

Read Also: Elon Musk: Needs More Supply of Lithium, But Isn't Tesla Going to Mine It?

Gates Asked Musk to Work on Philanthropic Matters Despite Shorting the Company

A short position is the opposite of a long position, wherein the investor makes a profit should the stock go up. To put things plainly, Gates is hoping that Tesla's stock will fail while asking Tesla's CEO to work together on philanthropic work.

Mashable announced that they couldn't confirm whether or not the texts were authentic. Like other situations in the past, instead of leaving things to rumor, Musk decided to hop in on the conversation to confirm the texts.

The publication noted one detail from the text exchanges: the texts were in the green, meaning the CEO of Microsoft used an Android device instead of an iOS.

Related Article: Pentagon Says the US Needs To Learn From SpaceX Starlink's Russian Cyberattack Shut Down

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Apple's iCloud service helps many consumers store their essential documents and other files.

The giant tech manufacturer allows them to create backups for their important data so that they can retrieve them in case their devices are compromised.

Users can easily recover their iCloud data by using their Apple credentials. Now, this is where issues come in. It will be hard to retrieve your iCloud files if you lose your Apple ID credentials.

But, don't worry. This guide will help you recover your iCloud data even without your Apple ID credentials.

Apple iCloud Data Recovery Guide 2022

According to The Wired's latest report, Apple iCloud offers a feature that enables consumers to recover their data without using their Apple ID information.

Also Read: How to Acquire Additional 2 TB iCloud Storage Through Apple One Subscription

The iCloud Data Recovery Service is specifically designed for this purpose. Here's how you can activate this feature:

First, visit your Apple device's Settings and choose the "Password and security" option. After that, look for the Account Recovery button. Once you are there, you will have two options: the Account Recovery Contact and Recovery Key features.

Add Recovery Contact

Click the "Add Recovery Contact" option so you can add your trusted contact person (you need to make sure that the contact can be trusted). The added contact needs to have an iOS, macOS, or iPadOS device. This means that Android and Windows contacts are not applicable.

Recovery Key

Click the Recovery Key option on the Settings. You will be provided a unique code (save this code and make sure that you are the only one who knows it). This will serve as your alternative credential if ever you forget your Apple ID information.

Other Data Storage Options To Rely On

Aside from Apple iCloud, Trusted Reviews provides some of the best data storage services you can also rely on. These include the following:

Google Drive

Dropbox

OneDrive

Duplicati

File History Backup

If you want to see their exact features, you can click this link.

Recently, an iOS 15 bug affected the iCloud Private Relay feature.

On the other hand, Apple's iCloud outage happened on Mar. 22.

For more news updates about iCloud and other data storage services, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Apple Users Of MetaMask BEWARE: Disable Your iCloud Backups NOW

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter, just bared the shadow of its biggest moon, Ganymede, in a recent release of a magnificent photo captured from the system based on NASA Juno's data.

For the 40th time on Feb. 25, NASA's Juno mission was explored closely by the radiation-spewing planet where citizen scientist Thomas Thomopoulos created this enhanced-color image using raw data based on what was gathered from the JunoCam instrument.

Read Also: NASA's Juno Spacecraft 'Hears' Ganymede; What Sound Does the Jupiter Moon Have?

Total Eclipse

When the raw image was captured, the Juno spacecraft was about 44,000 miles or 71,000 kilometers above Jupiter's cloud tops, at a latitude of about 55 degrees south, and 15 times near the vicinity of Ganymede, which is orbiting about 66,000 miles (1.1 million km) away from Jupiter.

NASA noted that a viewer at Jupiter's cloud tops within the oval shadow would be able to witness a total eclipse of the Sun. Since Ganymede is a large moon, total eclipses are common occurrences on Jupiter compared to our planet Earth.

Furthermore, Jupiter possesses four major moons that often pass between Jupiter and the Sun. In a span of seven days, Ganymede transits once; Europa, twice, and Io, four times. Jupiter's moons orbit in a plane that is close to the giant planet's orbital plane, hence the moon shadows are often looming on the planet.

Junocam was able to photograph this image from a close distance to Jupiter, which made Ganymede's shadow appear larger than ever.

The biggest moon from the biggest planet

Ganymede happens to be the biggest moon in our solar system, which is particularly even larger than the planet Mercury. This is the only moon known to possess its own magnetic field, which produces auroras that circle the moon's poles.

NASA said on their website that there's evidence pointing out that Ganymede may hide a liquid water ocean beneath its icy surface. Scientists also believe that the planet's ocean has more water than all the water on Earth's surface.

Majority of the giant moon's craters have bright rays extending from the impact scar, but one percent of its craters have dark rays. The bright pattern around the moon's spot reminds scientists of the Moon and Mercury.

Scientists also said that the bright spot near the moon's center is five times brighter than the Earth's moon, and it may have more bright spots in the surrounding areas.

"Juno carries a suite of sensitive instruments capable of seeing Ganymede in ways never before possible," said Juno Principal Investigator Scott Bolton from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, reported by NASA

He added, "by flying so close, we will bring the exploration of Ganymede into the 21st century, both complementing future missions with our unique sensors and helping prepare for the next generation of missions to the Jovian system - NASA's Europa Clipper and European Space Agency's (ESA) JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) mission."

The giant planet's moon was discovered by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei last Jan. 7, 1610. He also discovered three other large moons around Jupiter, and it was the first time that a moon was discovered orbiting a planet other than Earth.

This discovery proved to be crucial in gaining an understanding that, planets in the solar system orbit the Sun instead of the latter revolving around Earth.

NASA's Juno is on a long-term mission to gain knowledge of the weather and the dynamics of Jupiter. This will enable scientists to understand how large exoplanets may behave in other solar systems.

Juno is still in good health with its extended mission, however, NASA warned that the spacecraft has a limited lifespan because of the radiation that it is absorbing. In 2030s, space scientists are planning to have a mission on Jupiter's icy moons with NASA's Europa Clipper and the ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer.

Related Article: NASA Juno Spacecraft Reveals Jupiter's Great Red Spot is Deeper Than We Thought

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Elon Musk teases a new venture for The Boring Company, and it is a project called "Hyperloop," which brings an intercity tunnel initiative that will help solve traffic problems. It will help get people from one city to another to avoid ground traffic situations.

According to its CEO, the Hyperloop also promises a tunnel system that will survive the worst of natural calamities like hurricanes.

Elon Musk Teases 'Hyperloop' for The Boring Company's Tunnel

Elon Musk went to Twitter today and chose to tease a new venture for one of his many companies, with The Boring Co.'s new Hyperloop, which he announced on social media. The Hyperloop is from a "known physics standpoint" that will focus on an intercity tunnel system to bring a person from one place to another in the fastest possible way through cars.

Musk said that the Hyperloop is the fastest way of traveling on distances less than ~2,000 miles, and farther than that would be the Starship's focus and forte. The CEO teased this when he replied to some of the cities in the world with the worst traffic cases, with several locations in the United States.

In the coming years, Boring Co will attempt to build a working Hyperloop.



From a known physics standpoint, this is the fastest possible way of getting from one city center to another for distances less than ~2000 miles. Starship is faster for longer journeys.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 24, 2022

One of the suggestions the CEO replied to is a Hyperloop tunnel from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, Louisiana.

Read Also: Elon Musk's The Boring Company Wants to Build an Underground Transit to Florida, Calling it 'Tesla in a Tunnel'

Hyperloop Can Withstand Hurricanes, Intercity Travels

Its CEO also added that it is immune to surface weather conditions, mainly underground ventures like tunnels and subways like The Boring Co.'s projects. He affirmed that tunnels like it would not feel a thing even during hurricane situations when traveling from one place to another.

Underground tunnels are immune to surface weather conditions (subways are a good example), so it wouldnt matter to Hyperloop if a hurricane was raging on the surface. You wouldnt even notice.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 24, 2022

A user said that tunnels like those should also focus on the way to evacuate from one weather-struck city to a safe haven.

The Boring Co.'s Traffic Solution

The Boring Company provided the world's first tunnel system that will bring an ultra-fast system that will employ electric vehicles underneath Las Vegas as its first project for its ventures. It will operate Tesla's electric cars that use the Autopilot or Full Self-Driving features to drive them around the tunnel system for an efficient transportation method.

Instead of creating electric trains that will need railings and other requirements, the company ingeniously uses its sister company's EVs, giving them another purpose below roads. One of the following projects of The Boring Co. is a tunnel system in Miami's Fort Lauderdale, showing the location a chance to avoid traffic even in its tourist spots.

Now, there is a new venture from the company that will focus on giving another solution to traffic, and its target cities focus on those suffering from the worst situations in the world. There is no saying which city would be The Boring Company's next project, but Musk's latest tweet focuses on the Hyperloop that will solve intercity travel and traffic.

Related Article: The Boring Co. Tunnel is Expanding the Vegas Loop with 29 Miles More, 51 Stations; Clark County Gives Green Light

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Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Neuralink is working on a new venture that will bring a health solution to a global problem that the world suffers from, with morbid obesity via its brain chips and other focus. Now, Elon Musk invites smartwatch employees and workers that have experience in wearable tech to come work for Neuralink on this new venture.

Elon Musk offers Job Opportunity for Smartwatch Makers in Neuralink

Elon Musk said that people that worked on smartwatches or smartphones are welcome in Neuralink, and their skills are directly applicable to the new ventures of the company. Essentially, this is a new job opening in Neuralink, and the CEO expressed an advertisement for positions in the company, signifying a need for new employees in its latest project.

There are many reports regarding Neuralink's latest ventures for morbid obesity, and it talks about the use of the brain implant for another purpose.

On Twitter, Musk said that Neuralink for morbid obesity is "certainly physically possible," further explaining how the company would work on providing a solution to the health problem that many Americans suffer from in the present.

Read Also: Neuralink's Test Monkeys for Brain Implants Die in Lab But Claims No Animal Abuse-PCRM Disagrees

If youve engineered or manufactured smart watches or phones, please join Neuralink! Your skills are directly applicable.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 24, 2022

Neuralink's Morbid Obesity Ventures: New Health Solution

There is a new venture for Neuralink, and it will focus on morbid obesity as the next problem to solve despite not yet offering or debuting its brain implant features to work on its pasts promises. It may be so that the brain implant will have different purposes apart from its goals to help the brain function and restore mobility for people with paraplegia and also for obesity.

It is an electronics/mechanical/software engineering problem for the Neuralink device that is similar in complexity level to smart watches (which are not easy!), plus the surgical robot, which is comparable to state-of-the art CNC machines.



No need for AI/ NN/ML quite yet.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 24, 2022

Elon Musk and Neuralink

Neuralink is, first and foremost, a company that focuses on brain implants that will help them get the best out of their central nervous system. Initially, it is for treating the people with problems in their brain and spinal cord, promoting mobility among those that suffered from injuries or situations that affected their movement.

However, as the company explained its work, it focused more on brain function and its power to expand.

The company is also teasing its upcoming human trials for its next phase, especially as it searched for a new Clinical Trials Director for its new stage. The human applications are something that most people perceive for this unique job opportunity. Still, it may also be for its current trial phase for the animals they put their technology on for testing.

The new tweets from Musk signify new things for the company, and Neuralink is undoubtedly looking into this new technology as its new venture that would add more purpose to its implants. The new solution for morbid obesity would require new people to work on it, especially as it somehow teases a smartwatch connection to help in its latest health solutions.

Related Article: Neuralink as Morbid Obesity Solution Possible? Experts Now Supports Elon Musk's Remark About His Brain Chip

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Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The European Union pushed new legislation for the technology companies in the world, and it will require them to explain their algorithms to many people and corporations. The new law would require these companies to explain how their technology works.

It will focus on the content they will push forth, revealing their take on misinformation and content circulation.

EU's New Digital Services Act Policy for Tech Companies

The European Union brings a new piece of legislation to Big Tech companies present in the world.

It aims to promote a sense of responsibility to these companies and promote more control for the users in the EU region, with the agency releasing the new Digital Services Act in the region. The new focus would help remove illegal content online, and it will help explain the algorithm to users and everything that has stakes online.

According to The Verge, non-compliance will face inevitable repercussions like fines and massive disputes against these EU laws. The new law would promote the removal of illegal content online, just like how regulatory agencies protect it in-person or outside the virtual world.

Read Also: EU To Force Apple to Make Major Changes on Apps, Other Services? New Digital Markets Act Includes Siri and More

Google, Meta, and MORE to Explain their Algorithm

The algorithms of companies like Google, Meta, and other companies in the tech industry would give an insight to the public, and it will help them understand more of how it works. It will be available to users and those that have stakes online, especially those to which these Big Tech companies also service or offer their services too.

EU's Strict Laws on Tech Companies

Many laws from the European Union are affecting tech companies and other operations a lot, and the new act would help more of the consumers and users of the online world. One of the targets of the Digital Services act is the way companies use the internet for targeted ads, and removing it will take five percent of their revenue from them.

This law affects the likes of Google, Meta, and other tech firms that capitalize on this venture.

Apple is also affected by many EU laws, and the company focused on lobbying these policies, especially with antitrust cases on them.

The European Union is strict in enforcing these laws against the Big Tech companies and other institutions with massive stakes online, showing them who the boss is. It also shows how the EU focus on the needs and safety of their consumers online, helping them avoid many policies and programs of the Big Tech.

The new law via the DSA will help the public and other businesses to understand more of what the massive tech companies have for everyone, allowing them to gain insight into the businesses offered.

Related Article: New EU Legislation Will Force Tech Companies to Remove Illegal Contents on Their Platforms

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Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Gender diversity in cyber security group to meet as Lloyds commits to initiative

The inaugural cohort of the Empowering Women to Lead, Cyber Security initiative are to meet in central London for the first time this week, bringing together twenty aspiring cyber professionals from across government and industry for two days of intensive leadership development. The new programme, designed to support emerging cyber leaders in the London and Southern England region, is supported by techUK and the Cabinet Offices Government Security Group and is an extension of the successful programme which has already been running in Scotland for the past year.

This weeks workshops represent the start of a three-month programme for the participant, a mixture of early-to-mid career cyber security and information management professionals, who have been selected from an open application process which attracted over 100 applicants from across sectors as diverse as financial services, defence, telecommunications, government, and health. The make-up of the cohort was decided on by the programmes panel of experts including Daniel Patefield, Head of Cyber Security at techUK, alongside Jill Broom, techUKs Programme Manager for Cyber Security and Central Government and the Cabinet Offices Deputy Director for the Government Security Profession, Joanna Billan, along with senior industry representatives.

All places on the programme are free of charge to participants, with the funding provided by a number of industry partners who share the initiatives vision of a more inclusive and diverse future for the cyber security profession. Lloyds Banking Group are the latest industry partner to pledge their support to the new London and Southern England programme, having already been a key partner to the previous two cohorts in Scotland.

Commenting on why the financial services giant felt that gender diversity in the sector was so important, their Head of Joint Security Operations Centre, Findlay Whitelaw said: At Lloyds Banking Group we fully recognise that gender diversity is key to our success and that of our people. As an organisation we need to reflect the society we serve and that is why we are thrilled to continue our support for this initiative to encourage women to develop their careers in IT and Cyber Security leadership again in 2022. The low proportion of women in the UK cyber workforce really highlights the challenge we have and if we want to remove the barriers to women as they embark on and progress their careers in Cyber Security, and help them overcome their challenges, programmes like this are instrumental in achieving this.

The Spring cohort of Empowering Women to Lead, Cyber Security runs from April to June. The organisers, Empowering You, have already announced plans for further programmes to run across the majority of the UK in the Autumn, including Northern England, Northern Ireland and Wales, alongside the established programs in London/Southern England and Scotland. Further details on the current programme can be found here.
We are not going to allow mafias to continue stealing our people's dreams and hopes. We won't allow corruption to take away our education and health, she stressed.

In the primary elections among several left-wing parties held on Sunday, Senator Esperanza Martinez was elected as the Guasi Front Presidential candidate for the 2023 elections.

By achieving 142 out of 260 votes from the delegates, she defeated Senator Sixto Pereira, who also aspired to be the candidate of the Paraguayan left-wing parties and movements.

"This candidacy will uphold the political agenda of the social and popular sectors," Martinez said, emphasizing that she wants to give continuity to the transformation process that began the government of Fernando Lugo (2008-2012).

During this administration, physician Martinez served as Health Minister. Subsequently, she became a lawmaker for the Guasu Front for two consecutive terms.

 Proclamacion de la senadora @esperanza_py como candidata a la Presidencia por el @FrenteGuasuPY y el Nemongueta Guasu #1020AM



"Tengo palabras de profunda gratitud a todos los delegados, este es el rostro del Paraguay profundo que nadie puede negar", senador @lugo_py #1020AM pic.twitter.com/0kssQ6QqHv  Radio Nanduti (@nanduti) April 24, 2022

The tweet reads, "Proclamation of Senator Esperanza Martinez as presidential candidate for the Guasu Front and the Nemongueta Guasu. 'I have words of deep gratitude to all the delegates. This is the face of the deep Paraguay that no one can deny', Sen. Fernando Lugo."

"We are going to walk neighborhood by neighborhood and district by district to collect the struggles and demands of Paraguayan families, who continue to seek a democracy with a social face," Martinez stressed.

We are not going to allow mafias to continue stealing our people's dreams and hopes. We won't allow corruption to take away our education and health, she added, anticipating her opposition to the bill seeking to imprison citizens who block streets during protests.

Martinez also warned "the powerful of this country" that the sectors grouped in the Leftist alliance "is not going to go backwards" and will work to "build a dream homeland."
Xuchang, Henan: The number of infected people in this round of epidemic increased to 172 to speed up the construction of isolation rooms - Xinhua English.news.cn
How to keep your hummingbirds happy: Tips for feeders, flowers to plant, more
A state leader's bid to curb speeding on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge cleared its second hurdle Monday when the Senate Finance Committee endorsed it without objection.

The measure, Senate Bill 435, next faces a vote in the full Senate and approval is expected.

New bill filed to hike speeding fines on Basin bridge to address wrecks, traffic Motorists who speed on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge would face fines five times higher than the current charge under a proposal being pushed b

"The idea is to slow everybody down on that 18-mile stretch," Senate President Page Cortez, R-Lafayette, who crosses the bridge regularly, told the committee.

The bill would designate the bridge as a "highway safety corridor" because of the inordinate number of accidents and fatalities on the structure.

Traffic cameras would be set up on the east and west ends, which would allow officials to monitor license plates and know if motorists are speeding, including if they get off and re-enter the bridge.

Violators would get two warnings by mail and then face fines the third time.

Under current rules, first-time lawbreakers face fines of up to $175 and $500 for subsequent offenses.

Penalties would double if the bill becomes law.

Tougher rules, speeding tracking cameras under review for Atchafalaya Basin Bridge Legislation to designate the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge as a highway safety corridor cleared a Louisiana Senate committee Thursday afternoon 

The bridge has been the site of 758 accidents since 2019, including nine fatalities, according to DOTD statistics.

DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson, who also lives in Lafayette and uses the bridge on a near-daily basis, recently set his speedometer at 61 mph and said he was passed by 41 cars and trucks.

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"The point is anyone who drives the 18 miles knows we have to do something to change the behavior," Cortez said.

"I kind of subscribe to the view doing the same thing over and over for 25 years and expecting different results is just insanity," he said. "We are just experiencing more accidents."

The speed limit on the bridge is 60 mph for cars and 55 mph for trucks.

Trucks are also supposed to stay in the right lane.

SB435 would require the installation of eight speed limit signs on the east and west sides and six sets of "Trucks Right Lane Only" on both sides.

The west and east entrances would also include signs that say "Safety Corridor, Fines Doubled for Speeding and other Violations."

Sen. Barry Milligan, R-Shreveport, a member of the committee, praised the measure and said a friend who was a police officer died after stopping a motorist on the bridge.

"Making this change and finding a way to self-police is definitely needed," Milligan said.

Cortez said he has met with law enforcement in the two affected parishes  Iberville and St. Martin  and they are doing all they can to curb speeding.

He noted that police only have a few feet from the roadway when they stop a car or truck.

"I don't know anyone who would want to sit in a car while 18-wheelers are coming and cars are coming," Cortez said.
Aboriginal people are reluctant to access services that make them feel culturally unsafe, says Sheree Lowe, the executive director of the Centre for Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing in Victoria. She says culturally safe services are free of racism and discrimination and respect diversity of cultures. Loading Large institutions and systems are not designed for Aboriginal people and have been a significant contributor to the trauma Aboriginal people have experienced as a result of deliberate government approaches to assimilate Aboriginal people, Lowe says. The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) established the Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Centre as a response to the Royal Commission into Victorias Mental Health System, which delivered its final report in February last year. The mental health system has failed to genuinely recognise or reckon with the many ways in which it has excluded Aboriginal people, and it has failed to acknowledge the ways in which it has contributed to or exacerbated mental illness, the royal commission found. Perhaps most devastatingly, it has failed to change.

Lowe believes investment in Aboriginal-led approaches will address the over-representation of Indigenous people with mental health conditions. She points to Victorias Indigenous suicide rate, which jumped from 20 in 2020 to 35 in 2021, a 75 per cent increase. Having a culturally safe system is one part of the solution of addressing data such as this, she says. Walker-Fernando, an advocate with youth mental health service headspace, is one of the young people The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald interviewed for Enough, its podcast on youth mental health. She says while Western therapy did help her at first, there was always something missing, and the focus was always on her finding a solution quickly. This changed in 2021 when she was introduced to We Al-li, an Indigenous organisation that provides a culturally informed, trauma-integrated healing approach using traditional methods.

There, Walker-Fernando sat in a yarning circle  a safe space for all to speak without judgment that has been used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for thousands of years  with her mother and other Indigenous elders. Portia Walker-Fernando at her home in Casino. Credit:Natalie Grono It was absolutely amazing. It was about deep listening, and it was about storytelling and understanding my story and why I do what I do, Walker-Fernando says. It actually made me come out feeling more empowered. It wasnt like they were telling me how to fix my problems. They gave me the space to address that myself. We Al-li chief executive Dr Carlie Atkinson, of Yiman-Bundjalung heritage, believes the mental health benefits of Indigenous healing practices, which involve movement, art and music, can be wide-reaching. She recently set up a community healing hub in Lismore, NSW, to support residents affected by the floods.

When people are hurting, what they want is a sense of connection and belonging. They dont want the sharp edges of a formalised clinical mental health space, Atkinson says. These programs work really well with our mob because its our way of doing things, but they also work for all humans. Last month Australias first national Indigenous crisis hotline 13 YARN was established in collaboration with Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia, supported by Lifeline. Everyone who answers the 24/7 telephone helpline is of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage.

The feedback that Ive had from the community is that when they ring mainstream services, such as Lifeline or seek out counselling, they often have to educate the person they are seeking advice from on the cultural differences between Aboriginal and non Aboriginal people, says national program manager Marjorie Anderson. Our family dynamics, our link to the land, our family structure is very different and our culture is very different, so they often have to educate the person on themselves before they can get the help they need. By contrast, every aspect of 13 YARN has been designed to be culturally appropriate  from the non-typical conversation approach to the welcome message and Aboriginal hold music. Ngunnawal woman Kirsty Fealy says watching the river helps her feel connected to land and brings her peace. Credit:Justin McManus Kirsty Fealy, a 23-year-old Ngunnawal woman and student teacher, draws on her culture to help with her own and others mental health.

Loading For two years she helped run a First Nations art therapy program called ArtMob at a headspace centre in Melbournes western suburbs. Theres a lot of distrust with First Nations people in mental health services, she says. Mainstream therapy does not necessarily work for everybody, and thats OK. Fealy first experienced anxiety as a child; her parents had a messy divorce when she was young, then later, in year 12, she struggled with burnout. Going for a walk, watching the river and taking her shoes off in the grass are simple self-care techniques that make her feel connected to land.
Flood victims, councils and governments would be able to sue coal and gas companies for flood damage under new legislation promised by the Greens ahead of the federal election.

The party will also push for $190 million for flood-affected areas to build and upgrade critical infrastructure to reduce the impact of floods.

Heavy flooding in NSWs north in March. Credit:Getty

Greens leader Adam Bandt announced the proposed changes while campaigning with Greens candidate Mandy Nolan in Richmond in northern NSW, where there was significant flooding earlier this year.

Coal and gas are the leading causes of climate change, which is ravaging the Northern Rivers, Bandt said.

Coal and gas corporations fuelled the floods and they should pay for the damage they have caused to the Northern Rivers.

Bandt said the party would also push for a doubling of funding for emergency services to $5 billion over 10 years.

Nolan is trying to win the seat from Labors Justine Elliot, who won the seat on a 4.08 per cent margin at the last federal election.

In the balance of power, Ill be pushing for urgent funding to strengthen our responses and ensure villages and towns across Richmond can invest in the critical infrastructure and equipment they need to manage the floods of the future, Nolan said on Tuesday.
The great debate between Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and his Kooyong challenger Monique Ryan has ended in a draw without either uttering a word.

Ryan rejected an offer by Nine, owner of The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald, to host a 30-minute studio debate between the two candidates that would have been broadcast on free to air TV on Thursday afternoon.

Independent for Kooyong Dr Monique Ryan at Camberwell Junction in Melbourne, in front of billboards of Josh Frydenberg. Credit:Australian Financial Review

It follows Frydenbergs refusal to take part in a Kooyong Candidates Forum on Wednesday night organised by climate change activist group Lighter Footprints. Frydenberg likened the public event to one of Ryans political rallies.

Frydenberg pointed to the groups Facebook site which as of Monday listed two former Greens candidates, an organiser for Ryans independent campaign and Michael Staindl, the man who challenged Frydenbergs citizenship before the High Court, as administrators or moderators of Lighter Footprints.
The search for a teenager swept off the rocks on the Illawarra coast has failed to locate the man, after three friends Anzac Day fishing trip came to a distressing end on Monday afternoon.

Emergency services returned to Hill 60 park at Port Kembla about 8am on Tuesday, after responding on Monday to reports that 19-year-old Brenden Buxton Hurd was missing off the headland.

Reports 19-year-old Brenden Buxton Hurd was missing off the headland were made on Monday afternoon. Credit:Nine News

The man had been fishing with his friends, aged 17 and 50, who said he was hit by a large wave and was washed off the rocks into the sea. Emergency services were alerted about 3.45pm.

The friends entered the water in an attempt to rescue Hurd but could not reach him.
The number of deaths attributed to lasting impacts of COVID-19 has doubled over the past two months as Australia grapples with how to measure the mortality caused by the pandemic.

Fewer people died from and with coronavirus in March than in the previous months of 2022 after summers Omicron wave led to record numbers of virus deaths, according to provisional mortality data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics released last week.

The number of people who died of and with COVID-19 is believed to have declined in March. Credit:Justin McManus

Although rates are still extremely low, there was an increase in the small number of deaths registered as long COVID being the cause  14 in March, up from eight in February.

Australia had previously registered 20 deaths due to long COVID, described by the bureau as long-term conditions including chronic lung conditions that are the result of the virus. A spokesperson said these were included in the overall COVID death toll because they were still due to COVID-19 from an underlying cause perspective.
The Australian Medical Association is urging the Victorian government to repair what doctors say is chronically poor communication between GPs and hospitals, by establishing a division of general practice within the states Health Department.

General practitioners say people are getting rejected for surgical procedures for arbitrary reasons, medications are being changed without their knowledge, and in some cases, hospitals are failing to notify GPs when their patients have died, and that the poor or delayed communication is putting patients at risk.

Victorian doctors are calling for a division of general practice within the Health Department. Credit:Glen Hunt

In a submission to the Victorian budget, which is due to be handed down early next month, the doctors group is calling for a division of general practice to be established.

General practice is typically seen as the purview of the federal government, which partially funds the private sector via Medicare rebates. But doctors have argued the COVID-19 pandemic, an ongoing crisis of delayed care, and increasing numbers of sick patients have highlighted the need for better collaboration between the state and federally funded parts of the health system, including GPs and hospitals run by state governments.
School is back in session for Victorian children with the start of term 2 on Tuesday and, after months of waiting, masks are finally off for those in senior primary years.

The Andrews government announced last week the remaining mask mandate would be scrapped for those in grades 3 to 6. Students in those year levels have been in mandatory masks since October last year.

Brothers Noah Newstead, 7, and Jacob Newstead, 10, are excited to throw aside their masks.

The end of the mandate came as a relief to many families across the state; among them, the Newstead family at Lilydale in Melbournes outer south-east.

Jenny Newstead said her two boys  Jacob Newstead, 10, and Noah Newstead, 7  were ready to throw them to the side.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton has warned Australia needs to prepare for war in light of the looming threat from China and global insecurity spurred by Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine.

In an Anzac Day television interview, Dutton cast back to the Gallipoli campaign and the rising dictatorships of the 1930s in backing up Prime Minister Scott Morrisons comments this morning that the arc of authoritarianism was troubling the region.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has warned Australia needs to prepare for war. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Dutton was asked about Morrisons comment that Australia was setting up a red line in the Pacific over whether China would be allowed to build a military base in Solomon Islands after signing a controversial security pact.

The only way you can preserve peace is to prepare for war, and be strong as a country. Not to cower, not to be on bended knee and be weak. Thats the reality, Dutton responded on Nines Today show on Monday morning.
It was already a whisker shy of 30 degrees at 5am in Darwin as servicemen and women began arriving for the ANZAC Day dawn service in the esplanade overlooking the sea.

The heat felled a few good souls before the bugles Last Post had played, an airforce cadet and the wife of a sailor among its victims, all but fainting on the grass as their loved ones raced to fetch water as flat-brimmed navy caps were deployed as fans.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the Anzac Day parade in Darwin. Credit:James Brickwood

In the dignitaries seats, Prime Minister Scott Morrison showed no signs of wilting. His address to the service paid tribute to the sacrifice of the diggers, but also came with a warning of an arc of autocracy that was now challenging the rules-based order they had fought for.

Coercion troubles our region once more, he said, the subtext surely not lost on the Chinese embassy  or anyone for that matter.
Australian pilots in Kittyhawk planes. Credit:RAAF

After incredible adventures in the New Guinea jungle, an Australian fighter pilot, who had been shot down by Japanese more than a fortnight ago, returned to his base this week, and was almost shot down again by Japanese when within sight of safety. He was a Queensland squadron leader, who had already won the D.F.C. for exploits in Libya.

While flying a Kittyhawk fighter he was shot down in flames over Lae during a heavy Allied raid on April 11, when the Japanese aerodrome, aircraft, anti-aircraft batteries and shipping were plastered. The Australian baled out and fell into the sea, three-quarters of a mile offshore.

As he floundered in the water trying to release himself from his parachute harness he tried to attract the attention of natives on the beach to make them bring out a canoe and rescue him. They were terrified of the Japanese, however, and would not assist, although when he had swum ashore two of them helped him clamber up on to the rocks. The natives then debated among themselves whether to hand the pilot over to the Japanese. After a few anxious moments they agreed to take him into the bush away from the Japanese.

All that day I seemed to do nothing but swim rivers, said the pilot. In the sea I did not see any sharks, but in one river I saw a crocodile, which did not worry me fortunately.
London: Former US president Donald Trump says he personally warned both Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese ruler Xi Jinping against invading their neighbours, claiming that neither nation would have even considered the option if he was still in the White House.

Trump said the stupid war in Ukraine was also proof he was vindicated in his fierce criticism of former German chancellor Angela Merkel while the pair were in office. He revealed he had presented her with a white flag of surrender in the form of a very luxurious napkin during a heated meeting over her countrys heavy dependence on Russian oil and gas.

Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan in 2019. Credit:AP

In a lengthy interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan to mark the launch of Rupert Murdochs new British channel talk TV, the 75-year-old gave a cryptic response to whether he would contest the next US presidential election, saying people are going to be very happy but added others would be unhappy.

Leaving few world leaders unscathed, he said he liked British Prime Minister Boris Johnson but was worried hed become a little bit liberal and a little bit green. He said America was now run by stupid people and feared the world was going to be blown to pieces.
Diaries in a makeshift hospital by a reporter from Eastday.com (4)

By:Zhao Chunyuan | From:english.eastday.com | 2022-04-25 09:44

The current epidemic situation in Shanghai has been tough. Recently, a reporter from Eastday.com tested positive for COVID-19 and was transferred to a makeshift hospital for treatment. The reporter is now delivering reports from the front line after his admission. He is telling the stories of positive COVID-19 patients around him in the form of a special "diary of a reporter in a makeshift hospital".

Day 4A Shanghainese aunt becomes my "fan" and wants me to write a story

"Helping me to pass on my thanks to the medical workers at Changzheng Hospital."

One day early in the morning, an aunt found me and said,"Young man, can you do me a favor?"

"What can I do for you?" I asked a little puzzled.

The auntie took out her phone and showed me the articles "Diaries in a makeshift hospital" written by me and shared by someone on her Wechat Moments.

"Young man, you wrote these articles, right? You have done a good job!"

"Yes. I did."

"Can you help me write something? I am really unable to write it down."

What had happened to her I wondered?

Auntie Zhang, who lives in Laoximen Sub-district, Huangpu District, was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 29 and then transferred to the makeshift hospital at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center (SWEECC). During that time, the makeshift hospital was managed by a medical team of Changzheng Hospital affiliated to the Second Military Medical University.

She suffers from the underlying disease atrial fibrillation. When the medical staff learned that auntie Zhang had only a few tablets left with her, Dr. Chen Ting from Changzheng Hospital solved her problems.

These are the pills that Auntie Zhang usually needs to take, and three boxes of medicine on the right were sent by the medical worker of Changzheng Hospital.

A little dog is also a life

I remember the night I arrived in the makeshift hospital at SWEECC. I happened to meet a patient who was walking her dog. I was a little shocked. Coincidentally, I met with them again another day.

This puppy called Doudou is only 1 year old.

Puppy Doudou enjoying the sunshine.

Together with her husband, the owner of the puppy was admitted to the makeshift hospital at SWEECC on March 26.

"How did it come in with you?"

"I know it's wrong and against the rules to bring a pet dog into the makeshift hospital, but what should I have done? It is so small. It would have starved to death if I hadnt taken it with me. The puppy is also a life, right?"

"The police officer here once talked with us. We said we really have no choice and we can't just watch it die, right?"

I don't know what happened after that time. However, from the fact that the aunt can still take Doudou to sunbathe, it can be seen that the police officers were flexible in dealing with the matter at that time. In any case, I give them a thumbs-up for their respect for the lives of small animals.

Part-time hairdresser!

First of all, I'd like to apologize to the readers. I made a mistake before. Mr. Chen, a barber cutting hair for other patients, mentioned in the previous article is in fact a property staff member of Renji Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine.

Mr Chen is from Hubei Province. He followed a master to learn hairdressing when he was a child.

Why did he cut hair for other patients in the makeshift hospital? He said that when he cut his hair by himself, some patients saw it and asked,"Can you cut our hair?He agreed.

This is probably a kind of bond due to the epidemic. Let's fight together to get well soon!

PS: my colleague told me that a number of netizens were particularly concerned about my mother's situation.

My mom is now staying in a transit station. She still has a little cough, but her COVID-19 rapid antigen test showed a negative result.

I would like to thank you all for your concern!

Finally, I also hope that these stories happening to those ordinary people in the makeshift hospital can make you feel warm and give a little strength to you outside the makeshift hospital.

Story by Liu Xiaojing

Translated by Zhao Chunyuan


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Armenian activists rally outside the Turkish Consulate General to commemorate the 1915 Armenian Genocide in Los Angeles on April 24, 2009. (David McNew/Getty Images)

107th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide Marked in Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELESArmenian-Americans gathered at several events throughout Los Angeles County on April 24 to mark the 107th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocidethe mass killing of Armenians by Turkish forces during World War I.

Los Angeles County is home to the largest population of Armenians in the United States, with an estimated 214,628 living in the county, according to the 2011 American Community Survey.

To honor the countys Armenian residents and their culture, the Board of Supervisors last month proclaimed April as Armenian History Monthand, last week, also passed a motion declaring April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in Los Angeles County.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has also issued a proclamation declaring April 24, 2022 A Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide in the state of California.

As we remember the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide, we also honor the strength and resilience of the Armenian people, the proclamation said, in part. Forced to build new lives in all corners of the globe, Armenians bravely forged ahead in the face of unimaginable tragedy. Thousands made their homes in California, and we are greater for their contributions.

April 24 is also observed throughout the Armenian diaspora, and is a holiday in Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh.

In Los Angeles, at 3 p.m. Sunday, the Armenian Youth Federation held a protest outside the Turkish Consulate at 8500 Wilshire Blvd. to demand the Turkish government acknowledge the genocide and stop its support of Azerbaijan in the Artsakh, a region fought over by Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The Armenian Genocide began in 1915 and resulted in the deaths of as many as 1.5 million Armenians in a campaign blamed on Turkeys Ottoman government. While the genocide has been chronicled by historians, who often view it as ethnic cleansing, Turkey has denied it occurred, saying the deaths of Armenians was a function of the chaos of World War I, which also claimed Turkish lives.

Until President Joe Biden in 2021 officially called the killings a genocide, American presidents had also declined to do so, instead classifying the deaths at the hands of the Ottoman Empire an atrocity, but not a genocide.

Last weeks Remembrance Day motion by the L.A. County Supervisorsco-introduced by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Kathryn Bargersaid, in part, Despite overwhelming evidence, the Turkish government still denies the occurrence of an Armenian Genocide. Many international and American leaders and elected officials from local, state, and federal governments have condemned the atrocities committed against the Armenians and are calling on Turkey to acknowledge the genocide and its participation in it.

The motion went on to say, On April 24, 2021, President Joe Biden officially recognized the Armenia Genocide. That was a huge victory for the diaspora and the result of decades of tireless efforts to have the highest level of our government call this genocide by its name.

Solis, whose district includes Little Armenia, said, Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day is an especially poignant commemoration for residents across Los Angeles County.  Through this motion, we mark our commitment to remember the lives lost in the Armenian Genocide, honor the legacy of survivors and elevate the voices of this dynamic and diverse community.

Said Barger: The month of April and the celebration of Armenian culture culminates in our Day of Remembrance, a day to mourn and remember the loss of over 1.5 million innocent lives. I am heartened that my Armenian constituents are a resilient peopledetermined, focused and dedicated to persevering.

Last year, following Bidens declaration, Rep. Adam Schiffwhose district includes Glendalesaid, For Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone:

President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it wasthe first genocide of the 20th century. In so doing, he has cast aside decades of shameful silence and half-truths, and the broken promises of so many of his predecessors, and spoken truth to

power.

There were other remembrances around L.A. County planned on Sunday as well. The city of Glendale is holding its Annual Armenian Genocide Commemorative Event in-person for the first time in two years, at the Alex Theatre at 7 p.m.

The city said the program will allow people to experience a contemporary perspective of the genocide through music and dance. The program will feature the work of the Armenian priest Komitas through dance and musical performances curated by the Lark Musical Society. Tickets are free and can be

reserved at itsmyseat.com/april24.

Also at 7 p.m. Sunday, St. Marys Armenian Apostolic Church, at 500 S. Central Ave. in Glendale, is holding a concert dedicated to the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide and the 44-day war in the Artsakh.
Even though evolution has long been included in science textbooks, it is still a controversial topic.

First, evolution is a hypothesis, not an axiom.

Biologist Charles Darwin proposed the theory of evolution in 1859. At that time, Darwin wrote The Origin of Species to explain biodiversity on earth and the origin of life. He said that evolution theory is only a hypothesis, it is not an axiom, it needs to be further verified by future generations.

There are several central points in the theory of evolution:

1. Common ancestor theory: Organisms can evolve from one species to another. All organisms have a common ancestor, just as all branches of a tree grow from the same trunk. Single-celled organisms can evolve into multicellular organisms, and then into animals, plants, and fungi, and develop into various phyla, orders, families, genera, and species. 2. Gene mutations: Genes can mutate. Its how organisms evolve. 3. Natural selection: The natural environment brings pressure to the species. The ones that can adapt to the environment can survive. The strong can survive, the weak are eliminated.

However, as of April 2020, more than 1,100 scientists and researchers in chemistry, biology, medicine, physics, geology, anthropology, paleontology, statistics, and other fields have signed a scientific dissenting statement against Darwinism. The statement says, We are skeptical that random variation and natural selection can explain the complexity of life. A serious review of the evidence for Darwinism should be encouraged.

Why do scientists question evolution?

Q1. Life originates from the same ancestor? What about the missing link in the evolution chain?

We often hear that humans evolved from apes. The theory of evolution suggests that humans and monkeys share a common ancestor apes or hominidsand that humans first evolved from plants to animals, apes, and finally to modern humansHomo sapiens. If this is the case, the evolutionary process must have created countless generations of intermediate species with minimal differences. But so far, no such intermediate species have been found in archaeology, and all creatures are of their own kind. No hypothetical ape ancestor has been found.

Some so-called human ancestors fossils are actually made up of bone fragments, which are not scientifically sound and do not provide complete proof that humans evolved from apes.

Lucy, discovered in East Africa in 1974, was considered the common ancestor of humans and apesthe Ape Ancestor.

Many scientists have studied Lucys skeleton and structure.

The main difference between apes and humans is the structure of the skeleton. In a paper in the American Journal of Anthropology, anatomists Jack Stern and Randall Sussman of the New York State University Health Sciences Center noted that Lucys hands and feet are not at all like those of humans, whose knees and hands and feet are straight, while Lucys knees and hands and feet are curved.

Dr. Charles Oxnard, professor of anatomy and human biology at the University of Western Australia (UWA) and professor at the University of Chicago and the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, wrote in his 1987 book published by the University of Washington Press Fossils, Teeth, and Sex: New Perspectives on Human Evolution that Lucy had nothing to do with the ancestors of humans, but was a type of extinct ape of the southern archaeopteryx Alfalfa species, which had the long, curved fingers and toes typical of arboreal primates.

Despite this, Lucy was made into a statue, with human hands and feet, and placed in the park.

The Piltdown Ape was a fossil found in England between 1908 and 1915, and was described at the time as the missing link in the evolution of apes into homo sapiens. In November 1953, Time magazine published various evidence collected by Kenneth Page Oakley, Sir Wilfrid Edward Le Gros Clark, and Joseph S. Weiner, among others, that the fossil was made up of three different species: the skull of a medieval human, the jaws of a 500-year-old Sarawak orangutan, and the teeth of a chimpanzee. The skull was stained with rust and chromic acid; microscopic examination revealed filing marks on the teeth, which led to the conclusion that chimpanzee teeth had been modified to fit human teeth, thus uncovering the truth about the Piltdown apes, which a BBC article called the biggest hoax in British history.

The Java man discovered in 1891 was the combination of a skull, a femur, and three teeth. Later, scientists discovered that Java man was also made up of bones from different species.

Peking Man was an upright man discovered in Zhoukoudian, Beijing, China, between 1920 and 1930. It was considered strong proof of the existence of the ancestor of both humans and apes. However, it was merely a patchwork of skull fragments, teeth, and so on. Many scientists suspect that the brain of the Beijing man was so small that it was not like an apes and more like an ape that was hunted and eaten by humans.

Q2. Evolution of species relies on gene mutation? Theres not enough time in the universe!

Based on the theory of evolution, a certain gene mutation in the original species is required for the species to evolve. While most gene mutations are harmful, the probability of a beneficial mutation is only about 1 in 1000.

Then, the mutation must not only be compatible with other genes in the original species itself, but also survive natural competition and be able to reproduce. The chance for a mutated but beneficial gene to be stable and expanding in the population is almost zero.

Lets assume that 10 beneficial mutations (in fact, more than 10 are needed) are required for a species to evolve into a new species, and the time needed is 10 to the power of 97 years. However, we now know that the age of the universe is only 20 billion years, which is 10 to the power of 10 years, so it is almost impossible to produce a new species by genetic mutation. The universe literally doesnt have enough time for evolution.

Q3. Nature is always the survival of the fittest?

Another major point of evolution is survival of the fittest, that the more adaptable individuals will survive. However, do all organisms in nature really follow this rule?

The journal Nature published a study of drug resistance of bacteria by scientists at Boston University and Harvard University. They found that some strains of bacteria with strong drug resistance would sacrifice themselves to increase the overall drug resistance of the bacteria, thus improving its chances to survive. In other words, nature does not exactly follow the cruel competition law of survival of the fittest; even microscopic bacteria display self-sacrificing altruistic behavior.

People thought that atoms were indivisible until 1897 when British physicist Sir JJ Thomson discovered that atoms could be divided. The development of science requires constant updating of the old concepts. It is only natural that the theory of evolution, which was proposed in 1859, should be questioned today.

So, if evolution is not reliable, what else do we know about the origin of species?

Before the Cambrian period, there was a paucity of biological diversity.

However, in 1909, Walcott found fossils of a variety of marine animals in the Burgess Shale in Canada that suddenly appeared in large numbers during the Cambrian period (about 570 to 500 million years ago).

The fossil group of Chengjiang, China also indicates that 530 million years ago, many different kinds of animals suddenly appeared in Chengjiang area. The Cambrian fossils found around the world belong to a total of more than 50 families and tens of thousands of species. They leave no trace of evolution or changes, hence the name the Great Explosion of Life.

According to the theory of evolution, life originated in the ocean, and the diversity of species is the result of evolution over a long period of time. That is to say, humans evolved from fish. However, the following study completely negated this view.

In 2018, Mark Stoeckle from Rockefeller University in New York and David Thaler from the University of Basel in Switzerland published a joint study in the journal Human Evolution. Together with hundreds of researchers worldwide, they studied 100,000 animal species and 5 million DNA fragments.

As we know, like the way each item in the supermarket has its own barcode, each species on Earth has a corresponding DNA barcode in the mitochondrial gene. By analyzing the genetic barcodes of different species on Earth and comparing the variability among them, scientists have deduced that 90 percent of the species on Earth today, including humans, appeared at the same time 100,000 to 200,000 years ago.

A number of physicists have suggested the possibility of the existence of civilizations higher than that of humans, and that the environment in which humans live may have been created by higher beings. In that case, is it possible that so many beings with sophisticated functions were also created by higher beings?

We expect that with the continuous development and improvement of science, human understanding of the phenomenon of life will become clearer and clearer, and these mysteries will be solved slowly.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Airlines Offering Refunds to Passengers Concerned About Flying With Unmasked Travelers

Airline passengers who are concerned about flying alongside unmasked people will now be offered refunds, among other things, after a federal judge struck down the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDCs) mask mandate on public transport last week.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told the TODAY show on April 21 that the airline will be flexible with customers who are immunocompromised and who dont want to fly alongside passengers who arent wearing face coverings.

All of our customers should feel free to wear a mask and many of them are, Kirby said. For customers like that, that are immunocompromised or that have other concerns or issues  we are working with those customers, if they really dont want to fly, to find them another option, give them a credit, or if they just dont ever want to fly again, [we are] actually willing to give them a refund.

A United spokesman told The Associated Press that customers, except those on the lowest-priced basic economy fares, are able to delay their travel plans for any reason without having to pay an extra fee. The spokesman noted that passengers with special circumstances should call the airlines customer service number.

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told AP that while his company hasnt yet seen many refund requests following the mask mandate removal, its assessing its policies and asking passengers to contact the airlines reservations office.

We will make sure that we accommodate them in an appropriate fashion, Isom said.

Passengers, almost all wearing masks, board an American Airlines flight to Charlotte, N.C., in New York on May 3, 2020. (Eleonore Sens/AFP via Getty Images)

An American Airlines spokeswoman pointed to the airlines policy, which allows refunds for refundable tickets and credit for the value of unused nonrefundable tickets. But customers who have purchased a less pricey basic economy ticket since April 1 wont be entitled to a refund or ticket change.

A Delta Air Lines spokesman said customers who want to cancel their upcoming trip in light of the mask mandate removal need to get in touch with the airline, noting that decisions on how to handle these requests will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Elsewhere, Alaska Airlines said in a statement that it respects customers decision to continue wearing masks onboard flights.

The flight carrier stated that it would work with guests on a case-by-case basis if theyre not comfortable flying, according to Simple Flying, while Southwest Airlines will continue to allow all passengers to cancel tickets and receive flight credit instead.

The moves by airlines come after U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle ruled on April 18 that the CDC had failed to justify its decision to impose the mandate and had exceeded its authority.

It also, inappropriately, didnt seek public comment before imposing the order, Mizelle said, noting that public comment, in this case, is necessary because the mandate would constrain their choices and actions via threats and civil and criminal penalties.

The Justice Department announced on April 20 that its appealing the ruling.

Elsewhere during Kirbys interview with TODAY, the United CEO pointed to HEPA filters onboard flights that remove around 99.97 percent of particles in the air, noting that a plane is literally one of the safest places you can be.

He said he believes mask mandates on flights will be unlikely to come back anytime soon, saying that the Justice Departments appeal is mostly about jurisdiction.
Ruling by Arizona Judge a Blow to Democrat Efforts to Disqualify House Republicans for Insurrection

An Arizona judges ruling against efforts to keep two Republican congressmen and a state representative off the November ballot due to their alleged Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection roles at the U.S. Capitol likely foreshadows the outcome of similar efforts in other states, according to the attorney who argued the case.

Superior Court Judge Christopher Coury ruled against motions brought by plaintiffs seeking the removal of U.S. Reps. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) and state Rep. Mark Finchem, a Republican, saying the 14th Amendments Disqualification Clause requires congressional action to remove an elected official, not a suit brought by private citizens in a state court.

The express language of the United States Constitution controls this issue. The Disqualification Clause creates a condition where someone can be disqualified from serving in public office. However, the Constitution provides that legislation enacted by Congress is required to enforce the disqualification pursuant to the Disqualification Clause, Coury ruled.

Aside from criminal statutes dealing with insurrection and rebellion which Congress has enacted (lawsuits which require the government, not private citizens, to initiate), Congress has not passed legislation that is presently in effect which enforces the Disqualification Clause against the candidates, Coury said.

He was referring to Section 3 of the 14th amendment as the Disqualification clause approved by Congress following the Civil War to bar former officials of the Confederacy from holding office under the U.S. Constitution.

Coury noted that legislation that proposes to enforce the Disqualification Clause currently is pending in the United States Congress, but has not yet been enacted. Therefore, given the current state of the law and in accordance with the United States Constitution, Plaintiffs have no private right of action to assert claims under the Disqualification Clause.

The 11 plaintiffs, all individual Arizona citizens, who filed the complaint against Gosar, Biggs, and Finchem were represented by attorneys with Free Speech for People (FSP), an Austin, Texas-based left-wing advocacy group.

An FSP spokesman told The Epoch Times the plaintiffs reject the judges reasoning and are planning to file an appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court.

This ruling is contrary to the law. Arizona is not exempted from the mandate of Section Three of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. A candidate who has taken an oath of office and then engaged in insurrection has no place on a future Arizona ballot. We will be appealing this decision to the Arizona Supreme Court.

The FSP is also involved in related litigation against Representatives Madison Cawthorne (R-N.C.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).

In their complaint, the plaintiffs claimed Finchemwho is now seeking the Secretary of State position in the November electionwas an active January 6 participant and coordinated his actions with Gosar and Biggs.

Finchem was engaged in efforts to intimidate Congress and the Vice President into rejecting valid electoral votes and to subvert the essential constitutional function of an orderly and peaceful transition of power, according to the complaint.

Finchem was engaged with the January 6 attack by being in close contact with the planners of the Wild Protest, including throughout the day on January 6, and by participating in the attack with the advance knowledge that it was substantially likely to lead to the attack, the complaint said.

Finchem promoted the events of January 6 ahead of time. He coordinated many of his efforts with U.S. Representatives Paul Gosar and Andrew Biggs, and agreed with them on a plan to first delegitimatize, then challenge, and finally overturn the 2020 presidential election, the complaint continued.

George Wentz, an attorney representing Gosar, told The Epoch Times that the 14th amendment establishes the disqualification of people that have been engaged in insurrection or given aid and comfort to the enemy. Right there, in the 14th amendment, it says Congress shall decide how this will be enforced. And if only Congress can determine this, then certainly a state cannot.

Wentz said he believes the attorneys representing the plaintiffs are trying to bypass the Department of Justice, they are trying to appoint themselves as a self-appointed, unaccountable to the people prosecutorial arm of the government, but they are trying to do [it] through a state law in a state civil court using [the] standard of the preponderance of the evidence.

But under the federal law approved by Congress, such prosecutions must be done in federal criminal courts using a standard of clear and convincing evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, Wentz pointed out.

Congress did so, he said, by approving a law that directs the President of the United States, through the Department of Justice, to enforce the Disqualification Clause by initiating action in federal court in appropriate cases.

So theyre trying to do an end-run around the 14th Amendment itself, Wentz said.

A scheduling conference was held today between the parties, and appeal briefs are expected to be filed beginning next week, with a decision coming perhaps as early as mid-May.
Mother and daughter Anne Langbroek (L) and Kate Langbroek (R) attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at Palais Theatre in Melbourne, Australia, on April 24, 2022. (Jing Li/The Epoch Times)

MELBOURNE, AustraliaSharing precious moments with loved ones is always satisfying, and that is how mother-daughter duo Anne and Kate Langbroek described a great Sunday afternoon attending Shen Yun Performing Arts at Melbournes Palais Theatre.

Kate Langbroek, a long-time comedian, radio and television presenter who is now working for KIIS radio, brought her retired mother, Anne Langbroek, a former employee at the National Australia Bank, to see Shen Yun on April 24.

The two were amazed by the beauty of the performance.

It was brilliant. It was beautiful. It was very uplifting, Kate said, adding that there was something elemental in the beauty of Shen Yun.

And the dignity, her mother chimed in.

All the costumes worn by Shen Yuns performers are handmade, with exquisite workmanship by skilful tailors who have spent decades researching traditional Chinese clothing.

Anne loved how the costumes could express beauty while remaining modest, unlike revealing modern fashion trends.

Kate also expressed appreciation for the clarity of the performances, saying that Shen Yun gave the audience a clear definition of yin and yang, and feminity and masculinity, from a time when these things were not up for debate.

Shen Yun, which is based in New York, has a mission to revive the 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture, which is inspired by the divine and deeply rooted in spirituality.

Kate said that the Chinese culture showcased by Shen Yun resonated with her, adding that faiths around the world manifest through the beauty of humanity. She found the spiritual themes very relatable.

Her mother, Anne, praised Shen Yuns high level of artistry and the choreography of the performances.

It was a celebration of the beauty of humanity and what humans can do. It was gorgeous in conjunction with the divineit was great, she said.

At the same time, Kate was impressed by the extraordinariness of the techniques presented by Shen Yuns performers. She said she felt energy coming from them, adding, I think anyone who sees it would be affected by it positively.

Shen Yun Performing Arts International Companys curtain call at Melbournes Palais Theatre, on April 24, 2022. (Ming Chen/The Epoch Times)

We Really Need to Reflect and Look Backwards

Also sharing the beauty of Shen Yun with family members at the April 24 performance was May Chuah, the managing director at Coobitsah, a financial consultancy firm that focuses on the Asia-Pacific.

Putting aside her busy schedule, Ms. Chuah took her daughter, a state gymnast for Victoria, to see Shen Yun at her daughters request.

They wanted to see it, and as a mother, you always say yes, she said.

May Chuah attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at Palais Theatre in Melbourne, Australia, on April 24, 2022. (NTD)

Ms. Chuah said that Shen Yun was an eye-opener and praised it as an amazing experience. At the same time, she was surprised to learn that gymnastics originated from Chinasomething she didnt know despite her Chinese heritage.

Its got all the flips and everything we do in gymnastics, and I didnt know that it originated from classical Chinese dance, she said.

From the two hour performance, Ms. Chuah realised what China was like prior to the rule of Communism, which was something she had no knowledge of as she grew up in Malaysia.

My ancestors ran [out of China] because of Communism. Im half Chinese and I didnt know what it was like before, she said.

The performance was a huge journey for Ms. Chuah, bringing her back to the essence of the traditional Chinese culture.

It also reminded her of the stories that are passed down in her family, in which people of the previous generations placed high importance on moral values, she said.

There was a lot of talk [by] my grandfather, my mother, and my grandmother, [that] in the olden times, there was the handshake agreement. We dont need a contract, Ms. Chuah said.

Its difficult to say that it exists now. If you look at our contract law, its complicated because the handshake agreement cannot be relied on these days. Its really sad.

After watching the closing scene of Shen Yun, Ms. Chuah said she would go back home and reflect with her children about their Chinese heritage, and Chinas history and culture.

A lot of that has been lost because its not taught in schools anymore. We have to go back. We really need to reflect and look backwards, go through the history books and understand where it all came from, she said.

Reporting by NTD, Jing Li, and Alfred Bui

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
Armadale Class Patrol Boat, HMAS Armidale, sails into the Port of Honiara, Guadalcanal Island, Solomon Islands, on Dec. 1, 2021. (CPL Brodie Cross/Australian Department of Defence via Getty Images)

Australian PM Says Chinese Military Base in Solomons Would Cross Red Line

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a Chinese military base in the Solomon Islands would cross a red line for Australia following the recent revelation that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has signed a security deal with the Pacific nation that could open the door for Beijing to station troops and weapons in the region.

Morrisons comments come after a U.S. delegation, led by Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell, wrapped up a meeting with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, where they engaged in a substantial discussion regarding the implications of the deal.

A later statement from the White House warned that the United States would respond accordingly if Beijing were to set up a military presence in the Solomon Islands. The delegation also met with religious leaders and key members of the political opposition who have raised concerns about the agreement.

Morrison said on April 24 that the security agreement is a shared concern among governments.

Working together with our partners in New Zealand and, of course, the U.S., and I share the same red line that the U.S. has when it comes to these issues, he told reporters.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has been more direct in his assessment of the situation, saying that the only way to preserve peace was to prepare for war.

Thats the reality. We are a country with a proud heritage that we commemorate today, the most important day on our calendar, Dutton told the Nine Network on ANZAC Day, a day of remembrance to commemorate Australian and New Zealand military personnel who served in World War I. Were determined to make sure we can have peace in our country.

The Australian centre-left Labor Party opposition has continued its attack on the governing coalition, claiming that it has failed to prepare for the complex strategic circumstances that the Indo-Pacific finds itself in.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare review an honour guard during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019. The U.S. announced on April 18, 2022, that it was sending two top officials to the Solomon Islands following a visit last week by an Australian senator over concerns that China could establish a military presence in the South Pacific island nation. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

This is a government which beats its chest, but when it comes to actually delivering and doing what needs to be done, this is a government which repeatedly fails, Deputy Labor Leader Richard Marles told reporters in Darwin on April 25. Words are one thing, action is what matters and this is a government which repeatedly fails, as it has in its management of relationships in the Pacific.

However, Labor Party defence spokesperson Brendan OConnor admitted that bribery of officials in the Solomon Islands may have played a part in Beijing getting its deal over the line.

It may well be the case that theyve acted in an improper manner in terms of convincing the Solomon Islands to enter into such an arrangement, he told ABC Radio National.

The Solomon IslandsChina security deal, which was signed last week, triggered alarms in the United States and among its allies that Beijing may use the accord to establish a military presence in the region and destabilize the Indo-Pacific.

According to a leaked draft of the agreement, Beijing would be able to dispatch police, troops, weapons, and even naval shipswith the consent of the Solomon Islandsto protect the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects in the Solomon Islands.

The location of the Solomon Islands is critical; it was the scene of extensive fighting during World War II because of its influence over sea lanes. The security deal would expand Beijings reach beyond the South China Sea to within 1,700 kilometres (1,060 miles) of Australias northern city of Cairns.
Body of Missing Texas Guardsman Bishop Evans Recovered: Officials

The body of the Texas National Guard soldier who went missing and died while attempting to rescue illegal immigrants who may have been drowning in the Rio Grande has been found and recovered, officials said on April 25.

The man, identified by Texas Military Department officials as Specialist Bishop E. Evans, 22, of Arlington, went missing during his efforts on April 22 to rescue the migrants.

We are devastated by the loss of a member of our Guard family, Maj. Gen. Tom Suelzer, adjutant general for Texas, said in a statement. We recognize the selflessness of this heroic Soldier who put his life above others in service to our state and national security. The Texas Military Department sends our deepest condolences to the family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.

Evans was assigned to Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts Operation Lone Star when the incident took place. Evans removed his body armor and entered the Rio Grande in a failed bid to rescue the illegal immigrants.

Texas National Guard Specialist Bishop Evans is a hero who risked his life in service to Texas & America, Abbott wrote on Twitter on April 24.

Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber provided details about the incident to CBS News.

He jumped in the river, Schmerber said. They never saw him come out.

An American flag flies near where National Guard soldier Bishop E. Evans went missing, in Eagle Pass, Texas, on April 25, 2022. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Officials said the two immigrants were taken into custody after they were extricated from the Rio Grande, which forms part of the U.S.Mexico border. The illegal aliens are believed to be involved in drug trafficking, authorities told CBS and other news outlets over the weekend.

Evans was assigned to A Battery, 4-133 Field Artillery Regiment in New Braunfels, the Texas Military Department said in a statement. He joined the Texas Army National Guard in May 2019 and took part in Operation Spartan Shield in Kuwait before returning to Texas in 2020.

Operation Lone Star has deployed thousands of Guard members across Texass 1,200-mile (1,920-kilometer) southern border since launching last year. The multibillion-dollar operation also includes a heavy presence of state troopers and authorizes Guard members to help make arrests.

Abbott, a Republican, said the operation is needed to curb the historic levels of illegal immigrants pouring across the border. Hes also criticized the Biden administration for what he and other Republicansand some Democratssay are lax border security policies.

Abbott also has transported illegal immigrants from Texas via bus to Washington, D.C., in recent days, coming after the White House signaled it would end Title 42, a COVID-19-related health rule that allowed for the expulsion of illegal aliens.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bearing Witness to Historic Appeal, Campaign of Terror in Communist China

NEW YORKFears of police harassment and arrests have plagued 23-year-old Zhang Minghui since she turned one. Thats when Chinese police officers beat her father with wooden planks until his feet swelled and turned a dark purple color, and burned his arm with a lighter.

Before she was even 2, police locked her and her grandfather in an unofficial detention facility for a week. Provided with no food or water, they lived on whatever morsels could be stealthily brought to them by kind-hearted friends of her grandfather.

The detention in that dark room with only two small windows made up part of the fragmented memories of her childhood. When she was little, she had wondered whether it was all a bad dream.

If only it had been. Three months after she fled China for the United States in 2019, police again arrested her father and later sentenced him to four years in prison. Zhangs 11-member family, like millions of Chinese households, was targeted by authorities solely for being adherents of the spiritual practice Falun Gong, and striving to live by its three principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

Zhang Minghui at the age of five in 2003. (Courtesy of Zhang Minghui)

Zhang was among 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners who participated in a parade in New York Citys Flushing neighborhood on April 23 marking 23 years since a historic appeal by adherents in Beijing on April 25, 1999.

The appeal was the largest peaceful protest in modern China after the 1989 student protests in Tiananmen Square. And like the 1989 protests, it would precede a ferocious clampdown at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party, a regime that brooks no dissent.

Hostility

Falun Gong was wildly popular in China in the 1990s. By word of mouth, it drew a following of 70 million to 100 million over its health benefits and moral teachings. Zhangs parents had met at a Falun Gong event during this period, and later married. Chinese officials for years openly celebrated the practices health benefits.

Those were years that Zhang never had a chance to experience, before the atheist regime made an abrupt U-turn.

In April 1999, in its first act of open hostility toward the faith group, officials in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin deployed police to beat and arrest dozens of adherents.

The citys authorities told the adherents they had to petition regime officials in Beijing to get the detainees released. As word spread, more than 10,000 practitioners from around the country eventually made their way to Beijing.

While Zhang was an infant at the time, others at remembrance events in Flushing and elsewhere were old enough to remember the appeal, with some having participated it. Fan Minghua, a 62-year-old living in Virginia, was one of them.

Standing Up for Whats Right

In 1999, Fan was a merchant from Tianjin in her late 30s. Her participation in the April 25 appeal would have shocked the cutthroat businesswoman she was just a few years earlier.

In her hometown of Yangcun township, Fan was once known to be a smart person. She had sold everything from clothing to fish to coal, and made money off conning her neighbors. She lied about the length of the pants she sold, manipulated the scale to make her products appear heavier, and diluted sesame oil, a staple in Chinese cooking, with cheaper vegetable oil to profit from the difference.

I thought nothing about morals at the time. Money was king, Fan, who participated in a similar remembrance event in Washington on April 23, told The Epoch Times.

Reading the books of Falun Gong in 1997, she said, brought about a night and day shift in her mindset. She stopped all her unscrupulous schemes after learning what it meant to be truly a good person. Sometimes, she gave away her products for free to customers who were struggling financially.

Falun Gong practitioner Fan Minghua participate in an event to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the April 25th peaceful appeal in Beijing, in Washington, on April 23, 2022. (Lynn Lin/The Epoch Times)

Standing on Fuyou Street near the Zhongnanhai compoundthe Chinese Communist Partys headquarters in BeijingFan felt immensely proud of herself for being able to stand up for the values she believed in.

Her feeling was shared by Li Huilai, a Beijing local who was only a few years older. Li had slipped away from her house early that morning while her husband and son were still asleep. Like Fan, Li was driven to take a stand.

If they can arrest people in Tianjin today, they can do the same to us tomorrow, Li, a 66-year-old New York City resident who participated in the Flushing parade, told The Epoch Times.

A Peaceful Appeal

On the tree-lined street, adherents quietly formed rows stretching for more than a mile, some doing the practices meditative exercises or reading Falun Gong books they brought. Others, like Fan, picked up plastic bottles and other trash from the ground. Many recalled seeing cars slowly passing through the street, with people inside filming the appeal.

Fan recalled practitioners standing on the sidewalk and leaving ample room for pedestrians to pass by. The quietness of Falun Gong practitioners formed a stark contrast to the blaring police cars on the street. According to Fan, not a single practitioner made noise or behaved in a disorderly fashion.

It was magnificent, she said.

Falun Gong practitioners gathered around Zhongnanhai to silently, peacefully appeal for fair treatment on April 25, 1999. (Courtesy of Minghui.org)

By evening, all those who came for the appeal had left after learning that the detained Tianjin practitioners had regained their freedom and were assured of their right to practice freely without fear.

During events held at Tiananmen Square a few blocks away, flocks of janitors would normally be employed to clean up several tons of trash at the site, Li said. But after a day of demonstration by 10,000 people, not even cigarette butts from the police were seen on the ground, she added.

Passing a policeman who was recording from a camera, Li called his attention to her observation.

Please take a look, where do you find such good people like this? she said.

State Terror

Beijings assurances to the appealing practitioners turned out to be the calm preceding a storm.

On July 20 that same year, a bloody suppression would descend, sparking terror across China. A few months later, Li was fired from her company for going to Beijing to appeal against the persecution; her husband was so fearful of state retaliation that he announced his intention to divorce her in a local newspaper, although he later withdrew the divorce application.

Fan, who was a volunteer organizer at a Falun Gong exercise site in her area, found herself a key target of the persecution from the outset.

In the wee hours of July 20, police scaled the wall around her house and arrested her. At a detention center, police forced her to watch propaganda videos and sign a document renouncing her faith.

Decades earlier, Fan had been shaken by a home-ransacking experience when she was still a child during the tumultuous Cultural Revolution, when the communist Red Guardsyoung zealots who violently enforced the radical doctrines of communist leader Mao Zedongconfiscated her familys valuables, including the door. Traumatized by such experiences of state-sponsored terror, Fan ended up caving in to the police.

She will never forget the moment she was coerced to renounce her faith, she said. It felt like my entire body became paralyzed.

Zhang Minghui and her mother while her father was in detention, in Shandong Province, China, in 2000. (Courtesy of Zhang Minghui)

One Familys Toll

It was under such an atmosphere that Zhang grew up.

Ten of the 11 members of Zhangs family practice Falun Gong; they have lost count of the arrests, house raids, and incidents of police harassment theyve suffered over the past two decades.

The very day the persecution campaign was unleashed, Zhangs grandmother Wang Zhen was taken away by police in a van in Weifang, in the central part of Chinas Shandong Province, and detained for roughly two weeks.

Wang Zhen meditates in Jinan, Shandong Province, China, in an undated photo. (Courtesy of Zhang Minghui)

The same day, Zhangs father was in Beijing, making an appeal for Falun Gong. He was subjected to a brutal beating at the hands of police officers, who punched, kicked, and used wooden clubs and planks to assault him. The beatings left him bloodied, with blisters on his head and bruises all over his body, according to a 2017 account submitted by his wife to Minghui, a U.S.-based clearinghouse that collects first-hand information on the persecution from China.

While detained, her fathers feet ended up swelling so much that he couldnt fit into his shoes. Blisters appeared on his arms where the police burned him with a lighter. It would be more than two months before the swelling disappeared.

Falun Gong practitioner Zhang Zhao in an undated photo, who was sentenced to four years in prison in 2019. (Courtesy of Zhang Minghui)

During their family reunion for the 2000 Chinese New Year, Zhangs parents and grandparents were subjected to another round of arrests, one of many that would occur over the following two decades. As a result, Zhang was largely in her aunts care.

That month of grueling torture caused Zhangs father to lose half of his weightfrom more than 200 pounds to about 100. He was sentenced to three years in prison shortly after. Both of Zhangs grandmothers also received sentences of three years in prison.

The long-running persecution reduced the Zhangs from a well-to-do family to one struggling to get by. Each time the police visited, they took away all the cash and assets they could, including two vehicles with a collective value of 50,000 yuan ($7,622), about four times the dispensable annual income for Shandong residents at the time.

Falun Gong practitioners participate in a parade to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the April 25th peaceful appeal in Beijing, in Flushing, N.Y., on April 23, 2022. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times)

Persistence

Zhang, before coming to the United States, had hoped to reunite with her family here and begin a college degree in fine arts; however, the arrest and jailing of her father in 2019 got in the way.

We have no desire to live an extravagant life, but even to live a most basic life is now difficult, she told The Epoch Times.

Authorities havent allowed family visits to the prison since COVID-19 broke out. Since mid-December, relatives havent been able to hold a single video call with Zhangs father, and they know little about how he is doing.

Despite being safe and free in America, Zhang is gripped by worry for her family in China. The psychological pressure, she said, almost feels no different than being in a prison.

But looking back, Zhang believes her familys 22 years of persistence have been worth it.

I wouldnt have been born if not because of Dafa, she said, referring to another name for the practice, Falun Dafa.

The question of whether to persist in their faith is a question many adherents in China have faced.

Li, who has a slight limp due to a fall from the fourth floor of a building while fleeing police, was repeatedly asked by her former coworkers, neighborhood committee officers, interrogators, and officials from her company to go through the formalities of renouncing her faith.

Falun Gong practitioner Li Huilai participates in a parade to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the April 25th peaceful appeal in Beijing, in Flushing, N.Y., on April 23, 2022. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times)

She said they told her, You can have everything, your salary, your jobnothing will be affected if you just practice secretly at home.

While the proposition at times seemed alluring to Li, she had resolved to stick with her convictions. Even while detained for her beliefs, one thought stayed with her.

Someone has to stand up for justice, she said.

Terri Wu contributed to this report.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang inspect honor guards at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Oct. 9, 2019. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images)

Beijings Indo-Pacific Arc of Power Crystallizes

Commentary

Beijing now has in place a basic architecture of power projection targets throughout Southeast Asia, from Burma in the West to Indonesia, Timor-Leste, as well as Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific.

They each represent decades of work for the Chinese Communist Party of China (CCP) and are now coming into a degree of clarity.

Some targets, such as Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s, have waxed and waned as possible CCP success stories. All regional states in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the South Pacific have been targeted. Each represents a different challenge for Beijing, but the overall pattern is designed to give China dominance of strategic sea lanes and strategic commodities, from food to minerals and energy.

The CCP must now be expected to begin revivingon a more visible levelits campaign to gain strategic dominance in Timor-Leste after the election there on April 19 of a new president, Jose Ramos-Horta, one of the original independence leaders who had earlier served as the countrys second president.

Beijings campaign in Timor-Leste will bookend Chinas current major campaign to gain a foothold in the Solomon Islands, 2,350 miles to Timor-Lestes east. Significantly, the CCPs strategic outreach programs in Burma (also known as Myanmar), Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands represent a cohesive umbrella of resource-rich countries immediately to Australias north. Beijing has also developed discreet but positive relations with Bangladesh and Thailand.

(From L to R) Prime ministers, state counselors, premiers, and trade ministers or secretaries from Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, New Zealand, India, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines pose for a group photo during the 3rd Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov. 4, 2019. (Manan Vatsyayana/AFP via Getty Images)

The pattern of power projection mirrors Japans Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere strategy of the 1930s and early 1940s, which also targeted control of strategic resources from Southeast Asia and Australia.

Beijings battle for influence in Timor-Lestewhich will emerge as a new battleground on a par with its current Solomon Islands campaignbegan even before the countrys independence from Indonesia in 2002. Those CCP operations began when East Timor was still a Portuguese colony, before it was seized (just as Portugal granted it independence) by Indonesia under former President Suhartos legislation on June 17, 1976, to integrate the territory as Indonesias 27th province.

Timor-Leste, strategically placed within the Southeast Asian sea lanes, is too significant a target for the CCP to ignore. Especially as the incoming president, Jose Ramon-Horta, has promised to call early parliamentary elections to oust the administration of Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak.

Ramos-Horta and his alliance partner, former President Xanana Gusmao, are both left-leaning and have made a career of playing hard politics against the countrys foundational ally, neighbor, and donor, Australia, with which Timor-Leste shares extensive offshore energy fields.

All the successive governments in Timor-Leste have depended on Australian military and economic support to varying degrees. Still, they have fought for a greater share than would typically be considered reasonable of the seabed gas deposits, which are divided between the Australian and Timor-Leste exclusive economic zones (EEZs).

Moreover, all Timor-Leste administrations since independence in 2002 (and their predecessor revolutionary groups during the Portuguese and Indonesian eras) have maintained strong links with Socialist International networks, which, in turn, have strong links to Beijing, especially after the collapse of the USSR.

In particular, Timor-Leste has maintained seemingly illogically close ties with a country without territory, the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which claims but does not occupy Moroccan Western Sahara. The SADR and its ruling group, the Polisario, is a front for the Algerian government to gain land access from Algeria across Western Sahara to the Atlantic. Algerias closest strategic ally is China. Not coincidentally, the key union movements supporting the Australian Labor Party (ALP) have long also supported the Polisario and the earlier East Timorese revolutionary groups.

The Asia Times on April 20 noted: A change of government [in Timor-Leste] could lead to renewed enthusiasm for a seemingly stalled onshore gas processing megaproject that would likely only find China wanting to assist financially with its development.

On the face of it, Timor-Lestes cooperation with China is limited. In 2020, Timor-Leste ex- ported just US$1.1-million worth of goods to China, and imported US$190-million from it.  But China has built the presidential palace, foreign ministry, and defense buildings in Dili, the capital, and friendly overtures have been made by both sides.

Ramos-Horta has repeatedly scoffed at suggestions that China was gaining strategically significant leverage over Timor-Leste in recent years. However, the reality is that he will be approached about financing not only the stalled Greater Sunrise gas field project, but the related issue of onshore processing of the liquefied natural gas.

Gusmao, who will feature heavily in the background or foreground of the next administration, championed the Tasi Mane project, a corridor of petroleum infrastructure along the southwest coast of Timor-Leste where the LNG would be processed.

Certainly, Ramos-Hortalike Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare in the Solomon Islandshas to tread carefully to balance the threats and promises of both Beijing and the Washington-Canberra axis. Beijing has been accustomed to working gradually but relentlessly, trying to stay under the radar as much as possible.

The aftermath of a looted street in Honiaras Chinatown, Solomon Islands, on Nov. 27, 2021. A leaked document indicates China is looking to boost its military presence in the Solomon Islands, including ship visits, in a development raising the alarm in nearby Australia and beyond. On March 24, 2022, the Solomon Islands revealed that it had signed a policing cooperation agreement with China. But more concerning to Australia was the draft text of a broader security arrangement leaked online. (Piringi Charley/AP Photo)

Lately, it has not been possible for China to avoid alarming Australia and the United States in the Solomons. And now Timor-Leste is likely to further awaken Canberra and Washington.

Noted Canadian strategic analyst Cleo Paskal, who focuses heavily on Indo-Pacific events, said on April 20, The PLA is essentially putting pieces in place to create its own version of a first island chain to hem in and isolate Quad/AUKUS/Five-Eyes member Australia.

She noted that the response of Canberra to the buildup of Chinese influence and penetration in the Solomons was to double down on Sogavare, which, in effect, repudiates the mass of Solomon Islanders who have opposed Sogavares security deal with Beijing. Sogavare, she said, had been attempting to postpone the 2023 elections because of his unpopularity and opposition to the Chinese security pact with the Solomons.

Paskal also cites Tongan analyst Tevita Motulalo, who said that security policy [in much of the South Pacific] was to bring in more Chinese influence in order to get Washington (and Canberra) to pay attention to the locals needs. The same could be said for Timor-Lestes policies.

In the meantime, however, the CCP has built a comprehensive arc of influence down into the Indo-Pacific. It is pushing the line of engagement between China and the AUKUS alliance further south toward Australia.

For Beijing, economic contraction at home does not equate to strategic contraction abroad. Chinas Belt & Road Initiative (BRI, also known as One Belt, One Road) funding may contract elsewhere, but it now focuses on its momentum in the Indo-Pacific.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates (centre L) arrives to take part in a forum at the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai on Nov. 5, 2018. (Matthew Knight/AFP via Getty Images)

Beijings Influence Group Seeks Partnership With State Agricultural Officials, After Teaming Up With Bill Gates for Years

A number of U.S. government officials recently took part in a virtual agriculture event co-hosted by a Beijing-backed influence association that has ties to Bill Gates.

The U.S. Heartland China Association (USHCA), a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2003, held the 2022 U.S.China Agriculture Roundtable earlier this month. The online event was co-hosted by the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC).

The Trump administration warned about CPAFFC. In February 2020, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the association the public face of the Chinese Communist Partys official foreign influence agency, the United Front Work Department.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses the United Front Work Department (UFWD) to run its foreign influence operations. In the United States, the CCP has also deployed grass-roots level united front groups as part of its effort to infiltrate U.S. civil and political institutions.

CPAFFC is tasked with co-opting subnational governments and has sought to directly and malignly influence state and local leaders to promote the PRCs [Peoples Republic of China] global agenda, the U.S. State Department stated in October 2020, when it was designating another group, a Washington-based Chinese organization, as a foreign mission.

The roundtable featured a number of U.S. lawmakers and state officials, including Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur, Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam, Missouri Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, and Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.)

The 2022 roundtable event was initially reported by the National Pulse. The inaugural roundtable was held in April 2021.

The state-run Chinese Academy of Social Science (CASS) was one of the partners of the event. Several CASS officials and scholars also took part in the roundtable, including Wang Wei, director-general of the academys bureau of international cooperation.

Bob Holden (R), who was the governor of Missouri at the time, talks with Bill Ford at Ford Motor Co.s Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Mo., on Aug. 5, 2004. (Dave Kaup/Getty Images)

Bob Holden, former Democratic governor of Missouri and current USHCA chairman and CEO, said during the roundtables opening ceremony that U.S.Sino cooperation was essential to overcome global challenges, including producing enough nutritious food to feed the growing population on the planet and preventing future pandemics of human, animal, and plant diseases.

The online event comes at a time when China has been increasing its purchases of U.S. farmland over the past decade, prompting concerns about U.S. national security.

Gates has also been a major buyer of agricultural land in the United States. Land Report reported that Gates was the largest U.S. private farmland owner in January 2021, saying his family had accumulated an estimated 242,000 acres of farmland.

Bill Gates

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has worked with CPAFFC over the years, in particular with the associations previous president, Li Xiaolin, who held the position from September 2011 to April 2020.

Li is no ordinary Chinese citizen. She was a former member of the Chinese regimes political advisory body, the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Shes also the daughter of former Chinese regime leader Li Xiannian, and her husband is Liu Yazhou, a retired general of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Air Force.

Gates and Li met face to face during the 2013 Global Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. According to CPAFFCs website, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation invited Li to the summit, during which she took part in a panel speaking about Chinas immunization efforts to eradicate polio.

In August 2013, the foundation announced that it would invest $5 million to support Chinese investigators to drive research, development, and production of the next generation toilet, as part of its global Reveint the Toilet Challenge. According to the University of Science and Technology Beijing, a launch event in China was attended by Li, a China-based representative of the foundation, the universitys party secretary, and Chinese health officials.

Gates visited CPAFFCs headquarters in China in June 2014, during which he gave a speech, titled Invent for the Poor. According to a video on CPAFFCs website, Gates praised the Chinese regime and the association in his speech.

Here in China, it is fantastic to see the investment in engineering and medical technology, all sorts of things that China is assuming a very, very strong positioning, he said. And so our hope for the Friendship Association is that together we can find these great ideas in China and that we can find the right partners in Africa and elsewhere, who can take these new tools and use them on behalf of the people.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates talks during the reinvented toilet expo in Beijing on Nov. 6, 2018. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

Mark Suzman, the foundations CEO, and Li both attended the World Philanthropy Forum held at Chinas Tsinghua University in September 2016. According to Chinas state-run media, Suzman applauded China for its potential in philanthropy works and for its unique role in Africas development.

Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the foundation, held a meeting with Li in China in July 2017. According to CPAFFCs website, French Gates praised CPAFFC for its philanthropic works. She also invited Li to join the End Malaria Council (EMC), which is an initiative launched in part by Gates in 2017.

Li subsequently participated in an EMC meeting held in Beijing in April 2019, according to CPAFFC.

Gates and Li also have connections through another United Front agency, the Hong Kong-based ChinaUnited States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), which is managed by CPAFFC. CUSEF identifies Li as its vice chairman on its website and its 2013 report names Gates as a member of its steering committee.

CUSEF is headed by Chinese regime official Tung Chee-hwa, a former Hong Kong leader and current vice chairman of the CPPCC.

CPAFFC

CPAFFC, which was established in 1954, has more than 300 local branches throughout China. Outside the Chinese borders, there are regional-level branches, such as the ChineseArab Friendship Association, as well as country-level branches, such as the ChinaU.S. Peoples Friendship Association in the United States.

The current CPAFFC president is Lin Songtian, who began in the role in April 2020. Before then, he had been Chinas ambassador to South Africa since 2017.

When Lin was in South Africa, he was an outspoken critic of the United States on Twitter. In March 2020, he amplified an unfounded conspiracy theory that the COVID-19 pandemic had originated from the U.S. military when he shared a now-notorious Twitter post by Zhao Lijian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson.

In response to Zhaos accusations, the U.S. State Department summoned Chinas then-Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai.

In June 2020, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) released an interim report (pdf) on the origins of COVID-19. The report criticized the Chinese regime, saying that the pandemic could have been prevented if Chinese officials had responded to the initial outbreaks in a transparent and responsible manner.

A month later, Lin wrote on Twitter that the interim report was intended to shift blames and cover the delinquency of #Trump Administration.

Lin also took to Twitter repeatedly to defend the communist regimes policies targeting ethnic minorities in the far-western region of Xinjiang. In a December 2019 Twitter post, he wrote that Chinas vocational education and training centers, which Western officials have described as concentration camps, were effective in ending extremism in Xinjiang.

China has used combating extremism as a pretext to lock up more than 1 million Uyghurs in Xinjiang while subjecting them to forced sterilization, forced labor, and other inhumane treatment. Both the Trump and Biden administrations have determined that China has committed genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uyghurs.

A facility believed to be a so-called reeducation camp where mostly Muslim ethnic minorities are detained, north of Kashgar in Chinas Xinjiang region, on June 2, 2019. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

At the opening ceremony of the April roundtable, Lin said China and the United States should work together because the two sides complement each other. According to Lin, the United States has the advantage of having advanced technology, finances, and talent, while China possesses a large market and high domestic demand.

Representatives for the USHCA and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation didnt respond to requests for comments by press time.

The activities of Chinese influence groups in Italy, including CPAFFC, were the focus of a 2021 report by researchers at Sinopsis, a project by nonprofit AcaMedia z.u., in collaboration with the Department of Sinology at Charles University in Prague.

The report told government bodies, politicians, and political parties to avoid interactions with CPAFFC and other CCP influence agencies.

The activities of these agencies and their fronts by-pass norms that require accountability of state-to-state relationships, disguising the party-states activities through people-to-people, cultural, non-government or other labels, the report reads. Legislators should understand the nature of cooption and propaganda events to which they are invited as influence tools, rather than dialogue partners.

Even attending them to express critical views allows the CCP to publicly present its interlocutors as endorsers of its platforms and narratives.
The Chinese Communist Party's insistence on a Dynamic Zero-COVID policy makes it difficult for China's economy to grow in 2022. Health workers are shown taking swabs for COVID-19 testing of residents of Huangpu District in Shanghai on March 21, 2022. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Beijings Zero-COVID Threatens Chinas Economy

News Analysis

As the Omicron variant is causing a surge in COVID-19 infections across 30 provinces and municipalities in China, Beijings zero-COVID restrictions appear to be causing more harm than good.

The strict measures are sapping the productivity of businesses, weakening the stock markets performance, forcing about 400 million people to remain in lockdown, and causing the economy to contract.

Data from Chinas multiple indices suggest that the Zero-COVID policy has weakened first-quarter business results and the economy overall.

For example, the Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) dropped to 48.1 in March. A reading of under 50 indicates a contraction of Chinas manufacturing sector as compared to the previous month. Stock performance, measured by the Shanghai CSI 300 Index and Shenzhen Composite Index, dropped 15 percent and 18 percent, respectively. These were the sharpest quarterly drops since the stock market crash of 2015.

Katherine Jiang, a Hong Kong financial analyst, told the Epoch Times that in 2020, the pandemic was harmful to businesses. Still, most remained optimistic that the virus would be contained and the economy would improve and recover. But this is no longer the case.

According to Jiang, the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) dynamic zero-COVID strategy has disrupted the current production rhythm causing businesses to become less optimistic than before. Company leaders are confused about how long the restrictions will last, and even if Beijing relaxes them at some point, they fear the CCPs controls can be tightened again at anytime. The uncertainty that permeates Chinas business climate is disruptive to confident production planning.

The head of an export firm in Guangdong, the epicenter of Chinas manufacturing sector, recently told the Securities Times that while the pandemic had been disruptive to his firms production, business planning, materials supply, and transportation, the mandates to contain COVID have become equally disruptive to both businesses and customers.

Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province. To get ahead of COVIDs spread in Guangzhou during the start of April, the citys Epidemic Prevention and Control Department rushed to impose a zoning control. The department acknowledged that because its disease control experts had acted so swiftly, individuals and businesses did not have enough time to prepare.

By April 11, Guangzhous zoning control was unable to contain the virus and the affected area was growing. The restrictions established two types of zones to control peoples movements. A lockdown zone, where all stores/services are closed and residents are quarantined in their homes, and a controlled zone that allows people to go outside their homes, but closes restaurants and enclosed venues, and people must remain in their neighborhoods. Security guards are posted 24-hours a day at the gates of each residential neighborhood and outside residential buildings and businesses to ensure compliance with the zoning restrictions. Once entered, people cant leave a zone.

A similar situation has occurred in Shanghai, as the zero-tolerance restrictions were more disappointing. The city, with a population of over 25 million and over 70,000 foreign companies, has been on lockdown for over 3 weeks, and the lifting of the lockdown is still not in sight despite food shortages and many neighborhoods not having any affected persons for over two weeks. Instead, the municipal government said it would step up enforcement of lockdown measures and adopt nine actions, starting on Friday, to achieve the goal of no community spread, a milestone that the city failed to achieve on April 20. The plan is to strictly implement the rules even though government data showed that the outbreak may have peaked. According to the CCPs Xinhua website, the cosmopolitan metropolis of Shanghai has entered the unprecedented status of city-wide static management.

A survey released on April 1 by Shanghais American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) found that 99 percent of responding employers had been adversely affected by the widespread restrictions. Of these, 82 percent of U.S. manufacturers reported staffing shortages and deficits in raw materials that have slowed production.

On April 9, automaker NIO, headquartered in Shanghai, released a statement on its mobile app saying, Since March, the companys supply chain partners in Jilin, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and other locations have been shutting down production due to the epidemic and have not yet resumed. As a result, production of the entire line of NIO vehicles has been suspended.

The aforementioned Jiang said: The CCPs strict control over the epidemic has greatly increased the uncertainty faced by enterprises in production. This applies in terms of workforce arrangement, raw material procurement, or even sales and transportation of goods, which can be disrupted at any time. The Caixin manufacturing PMI reported in March that falling into contraction range indicates a significant weakening of the manufacturing boom.

Not only did the Caixin PMI for manufacturing fall into the contraction range (below 50 percent) in March, but the other PMI released by the CCPs Bureau of Statistics had also dipped below the 50 percent threshold. In March, the manufacturing PMI, non-manufacturing business activity index, and composite PMI output index were 49.5 percent, 48.4 percent, and 48.8 percent, respectively, down 0.7 percent, 3.2 percent, and 2.4 percent from February. This suggests that Chinas economy and overall level of prosperity have become weaker.

Chinese officials have also admitted that the epidemic and COVID restrictions have simultaneously affected the production and demand sides of Chinas economy.

Consumption and Investment Confidence Weakened

The significance of the pandemic hardships in Shanghai cannot be taken lightly. This is Chinas top city for consumer product sales, with revenues totaling $288 billion in 2021. The per capita average consumers spent in Shanghai that year was $7,824, compared to $3,856 across China.

In terms of Shanghais economic impact on China, it is ranked the tenth largest among all provinces and municipalities. Although Shanghai occupies only .06 percent of Chinas land mass, its $690 GDP represents 3.8 percent of the total GDP.

On April 10, China News Network, the CCPs official media outlet, acknowledged that COVID measures in Shanghai had curtailed peoples movement and spending habits. This has had a debilitating effect on the service, tourism, and restaurant industries.

Furthermore, the Shanghai Stock Exchange Index (000001:SH) has fallen precipitously since the start of 2022. The market opened on Jan. 4 at 3,649.15, then dropped 435.82 points and closed at 3,213.33 on April 12.

Jiang observed that from the companies point sof view, consumer expectations directly affect the companies ability to operate, while investor expectations directly affect the companies ability to raise capital in the market.

Moreover, she said, the tightly-controlled zero-COVID policies not only affect demand but also undermine consumer and investor confidence and weaken their expectations. This can lead to consumers delaying purchases of non-essential goods and even divestment by investors. This is a big negative impact on business.

Jiang warned, If you look at it from a macro perspective, with weak expectations, the economy is not looking good for 2022.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Pallets of aid to Ukraine are stacked behind Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (R) and Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) as they speak with reporters after returning from their trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, and meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Poland near the Ukraine border on April 25, 2022. (Alex Brandon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

US Wants to See Russian Military Weakened

The United States wants to see the Russian military weakened amid the invasion of Ukraine, said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday as he and Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with officials in Europe.

We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it cant do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine, Austin told reporters, according to a transcript.

His remarks on Monday are perhaps the most explicit yet from a White House official on the Biden administrations goals in the conflict, representing a sharpening of rhetoric toward the Russian government as the conflict enters its third month. Austin made the comments while speaking with Blinken at a press conference in Poland, a day after the pair visited Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on providing more military assistance.

When asked about the United States goals for success amid the conflict, Austin responded, Ukraine remain a sovereign country, a democratic country, able to protect its sovereign territory. But then he told reporters that he wants to see Russias military capacity diminished.

It has already lost a lot of military capability and a lot of its troops, quite frankly, and we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability, Austin added.

At the same time, Austin said he wants to see NATO and its allies become more united, adding that Western economic sanctions against Russias top leaders, its economy, and industry are a step in the right direction.

We believe that [Ukraine] can win if they have the right equipment, the right support, Austin continued, adding of Zelenskyy: While hes grateful for all the things were doing, hes also focused on what he thinks hell need next in order to be successful. Ukraines leadership wants more tanks in the conflict, said Austin.

Ukrainian servicemen look at a destroyed Russian tank on a road in the village of Rusaniv, near Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 16, 2022. (Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images)

In a shift on Monday, the administration announced that it would nominate Bridget Brink to become the next U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Brink is currently serving as the U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, which shares a small border with Ukraine.

Russia on Monday, meanwhile, warned the United States that it should not continue to send arms and equipment to Ukraines military, arguing that such maneuvers risk escalating the conflict. The United States and NATO have ruled out sending troops to the embattled Eastern European nation because, as theyve said, it could widen the conflict with Moscow.

Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the United States, said that arms deliveries, including Javelin anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft Stinger missiles, were designed to weaken Russias military capacity but are instead undermining efforts to come to a peace agreement. The arms deliveries will also serve to further inflame the conflict, he said.

What the Americans are doing is pouring oil on the flames, Antonov told state TV. I see only an attempt to raise the stakes, to aggravate the situation, to see more losses.

Earlier in April, Biden said he would pledge more than $800 million in new arms shipments to Ukraine and would ask Congress for more funding in the near future.
A brown bear walks through a meadow after descending a tree near the Angora fire line, in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., on June 27, 2007. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

California Family Finds 5 Bears Hibernating Under Their Lake Tahoe Home

By Muri Assuncao

From New York Daily News

Bear with them. They were just hibernating.

A family in California had quite a surprise after finding five bears hibernating under their Lake Tahoe home.

According to the BEAR League (Bear Education Aversion Response), a wildlife rescue service based in Homewood, California, a family contacted the group earlier this week, after a bear family awoke and prepared to exit their house.

On Tuesday, the group wrote on Facebook that the bears who decided to spend the winter under the familys house were likely a Mama Bear and her four cubs. Last year she had three cubs who were about 9 months old. She also adopted one orphan of the same age and from the same neighborhood.

She had four active, chubby little bears following her around, the group wrote. When it came time to go to sleep for the winter she found a house with an unsecured crawl space opening and ushered all the kids inside and told them to Be Quiet and Go to Sleep.

According to the League, residents of the house would often hear some odd rumbling, snoring-like noises throughout the winter, but they ignored it because it simply didnt make sense.

Their neighbors, who never heard anything, said that they were probably imagining the sounds.

It wasnt their imagination.

On Tuesday, the bear family awoke and prepared to exit, and the people in the house could no longer deny there was probably a bear under the house.

After residents called the organization, wildlife rescue personnel arrived immediately.

After they un-invited Mama Bear, they saw the other cubs who were also sleeping the winter off.

It was quite the scene to then watch the four yearling cubs emerge from the opening and join together on the other side of the fence to venture forth into 2022, the group wrote.

According to Ann Bryant, BEAR Leagues executive director, people who live in the same areas as bears should always keep doors and windows closed on the ground floor, especially while cooking or if you leave the house, as they can enter into houses if they smell food inside.

Crawl spaces under houses and decks are perfect places for bears to make day beds and hibernation dens. Its a good idea to dissuade them before they decide to move in, she added.

To accomplish that, residents should leave bowls of cleaning products like Pine-Sol: They last for a couple of years, and bears dont like how it smells.

2022 Chicago Tribune. Visit at chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Catholic Priest Stabbed Multiple Times, Nun Injured in Knife Attack at French Church

A Catholic priest was stabbed multiple times on Sunday morning in a church in Nice, France, while a nun was also injured during the knife attack, officials have said.

The attack came as France began voting in a presidential run-off election race between incumbent President Emmanuel Macron and National Rally candidate Marine Le Pen.

French politician Eric Ciotti, who represents the 1st constituency of Alpes-Maritimes in the National Assembly, said on Twitter that the attack took place in Saint-Pierre-dArene church.

He identified the victims as Father Christophe and Sister Marie-Claude.

Father Christophe was stabbed several times in the Saint Pierre dArene church in Nice, Ciotti wrote, adding that a sister was injured, and that he was able to speak for a few moments with the father before his evacuation to Nice hospital.

Extraordinary courage of Sister Marie-Claude who intervened while the attacker continued to stab Father Christophe. She snatched the knife from him while being injured in the forearm, he wrote in a follow-up post on Twitter.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter on Sunday that the priests life was not in danger and confirmed that police had arrested the attacker.

Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi, in an update on Sunday, said that the suspect was a mentally unstable French national who was born in Frejus, a port town on the Cote dAzur in southeastern France. He had no criminal record and was known to have purchased a knife several days earlier, Estrosi said.

Reuters reported that French cable channel BFM TV quoted police as saying the suspect was a 31-year-old French man and there was no suspicion of terror as being the motive.

According to local reports, which identified the victim as father Krzysztof Rudzinski, the incident took place shortly before a mass at 10 a.m.

The attacker reportedly entered the Saint-Pierre-dArene church carrying a 10-centimeter knife and stabbed Father Rudzinski, who is of Polish origin, several times before Sister Marie-Claude intervened and attempted to retrieve the knife from the attacker.

Before attacking the priest, the attacker shouted, We have to kill Macron, according to the French outlet Le Figaro.

Firefighters transported Rudzinski to Hospital Pasteur, the university hospital in Nice, while Sister Marie-Claude sustained injuries to her hand.

Meanwhile, police were called to the incident and detained the attacker.

An investigation has been launched into the incident regarding attempted murder and intentional violence with a weapon.

Macron on Sunday won a second term after Le Pen conceded defeat via her social media when interior ministry figures revealed that the former was on course for a solid 57.4 percent of the vote.

The French showed this evening a desire for a strong counterweight against Emmanuel Macron, for an opposition that will continue to defend and protect them, Le Pen told supporters on Sunday.

Macron, meanwhile, said that the result was a victory for a more independent France and a stronger Europe.
Child Dies in Severe Hepatitis Outbreak; Officials Say Its Not Linked to COVID-19 Vaccines

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that at least one child has died and 17 have required liver transplants in an outbreak of hepatitis in the United States, the UK, and other European nations.

A statement from the U.N. health agency, which came after a nationwide alert from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that there have been continuing further reports of cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin among young children.

It is not yet clear if there has been an increase in hepatitis cases, or an increase in awareness of hepatitis cases that occur at the expected rate but go undetected. While adenovirus is a possible hypothesis, investigations are ongoing for the causative agent, the WHO statement reads.

Thus far, one death has been reported, while 17 childrenor about 10 percent of the total children who are affectedhave required liver transplantation, the WHO stated. It didnt provide more details about the cases, such as where the death occurred.

The UK has the most cases with 114, according to the WHOs data. Spain is next with 13, then Israel with 12, and the United States with nine. The children affected range in age from 1 month to 16 years, the WHO stated.

The symptoms of those who are affected include diarrhea, vomiting, jaundiceor yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyesand abdominal pain.

Investigators say they dont believe the COVID-19 vaccine is associated with the hepatitis outbreak. UK officials said last week that theres no link between the cases and the vaccines.

Hypotheses related to side effects from the COVID-19 vaccines are currently not supported as the vast majority of affected children did not receive COVID-19 vaccination. Other infectious and non-infectious explanations need to be excluded to fully assess and manage the risk, the WHO said in a statement.

Last week, the CDC issued a nationwide alert regarding an outbreak of hepatitis among a cluster of children in Alabama. The agency said five of those nine children also had adenovirus Type 41.

Five pediatric patients with significant liver injury, including three with acute liver failure, who also tested positive for adenovirus were reported by an Alabama childrens hospital to the CDC, according to the federal health agency. Those children were described as healthy by the CDC, which noted that they didnt have COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can be caused by a viral infection, alcohol, prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen, high doses of certain herbal supplements, toxins, and various medical conditions. Hepatitis viruses, which spread via bodily fluids, can also cause liver inflammation.
China Gains Access to the Bay of Bengal

US and India should work together to counter China in the Indian Ocean

News Analysis

The United States and India are threatened as the Chinese regime stands on the brink of securing a port in the Indian Ocean on pace to achieve its goal of sea control by 2030 and naval superiority by 2049.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has a long history of circumventing sanctions to support the military rulers of Burma (also known as Myanmar). The stakes are made even higher by the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), a portion of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also known as One Belt, One Road) that runs from Chinas Yunnan Province to a Burmese port on the Indian Ocean.

CMEC will enable the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to encroach on India in the Bay of Bengal. It will also allow CCP oil shipments to avoid the Strait of Malacca, which the U.S. Seventh Fleet patrols. While the United States and India appear to be at odds over Russias invasion of Ukraine, the two have a shared interest in preventing the PLAN from gaining access to the Indian Ocean.

India is caught in a balancing act between its long-term ally Russia and long-term adversary China. Over the past few years, the United States has intensified its alliance with India through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the Quad) and other initiatives. Still, the Ukraine crisis is putting this budding friendship to the test.

While Beijing may seek to draw India away from the United States, New Delhis anger about the CCP border incursions of the past two years will not be easily forgotten. Neither is India prepared to ignore the growing threat China plays in the Bay of Bengal. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi even rejected a proposed meeting with Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi last month.

Another dimension to the Indian Ocean situation is that the United States China containment strategy focuses on the Pacific Ocean, the Strait of Malacca, and the Taiwan Strait. In contrast, the United States has generally left the defense of the Indian Ocean to India. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy paper confirms that the United States counts on India as a partner in this positive regional vision. However, whether or not India is up to the task remains a question mark.

The Office of U.S. Naval Intelligence estimates that by 2030, the PLAN will have 67 new major surface ships and 12 new nuclear-powered submarines, which is enough to control the Indian Ocean. The larger CCP plan is to grow the military so that China will be able to control the seas by 2030 and displace the United States as the worlds most powerful navy by 2049.

There is concern within India that CCP threats to Indias land borders, such as the 2020 incursions into the Himalayan territory, are distracting the government from building a strong navy. Apart from the fact that India is a peninsula with 4,350 miles of coastline, security experts, including Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS), agree that India should increase its maritime capabilities. This is particularly true now that China has established ports at Gwadar in Pakistan, Hambantota and Colombo in Sri Lanka, and will soon have ports in Burma. In August 2021, China successfully tested a cargo run from Yangon Port, which is in the Indian Ocean, in Burma all of the way to Yunnan.

On Sept. 16, 2021, Voice of America reported that Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, director for the Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology at New Delhis Observer Research Foundation, said that the ports in Burma, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka represented the CCP closing in on India.

A senior Indian naval official told the Business Standard in January that there were as many as 125 foreign vessels in the Indian Ocean at any time, the most since World War II. Speaking with reporters in December 2021, Chief of Naval Staff Adm. R. Hari said that the Indian navy might be tracking up to three PLA ships at any given moment.

A general view of the Chinese-managed terminal of the Colombo port is seen from the Galle Face promenade in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Feb. 2, 2021. (Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP via Getty Images)

Anit Mukherjee, associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies who authored a book on Indias military, told the Business Standard in January that in order to meet the challenge of the CCP, India needs to build up its naval power. Historically, the navy has been the forgotten service when it comes to Indias military funding, always receiving only a fraction of the budget it asks for.

On average, India spends 15 percent of its military budget on its navy despite only having three branches, while the United States, with six branches, spends 30 percent on the navy. The amount the CCP spends on its navy is not clear; however, Chinas total defense spending of $252 billion is more than three times Indias $72.9 billion.

Finally realizing the need to catch up, the Indian government increased the navy budget by 44.53 percent this year. Currently, the Indian navy only has 130 vessels, many of which are two-decades old. So while the increase in funding is a welcomed move in the right direction, the situation is far from resolved.

The United States has a number of tools to aid India in improving its maritime defense capabilities. In 2012, the U.S.-India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DCIF) was established to foster cooperation between the two countries in research and develop, as well as production of defense technologies. Additionally, the United States has other programs in place to finance the military of foreign countries and provide them with defense-related equipment. Both the foreign military financing (FMF) and excess defense articles (EDA) have been applied to Egypt and Israel and could be expanded to include India.

A sticking point in U.S.-Indian cooperation has always been the United States refusal to provide India with nuclear submarines and other advanced weaponry, forcing India to rely on purchases from Russia. Now, in the context of the Ukraine invasion, Indias arms trade with Russia is in conflict with the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. As the United States will not sell India the latest weapons, India must do without them, or maintain its ties with Russia.

Preventing the CCP from gaining control of the Indian Ocean may necessitate the United States to adopt a new Indian Ocean policy and to deepen its involvement with India through the Quad and other programs. Washington is in a position to coordinate with New Delhi by supporting the development of Indias economic, political, and military power. To do this, the United States will have to evaluate whether Indias ties to Russia outweigh the help that New Delhi can lend Washington in countering Beijing. Similarly, India will have to decide if gaining U.S. support against the CCP is worth abandoning its relationship with Russia.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
FBI Director Christopher Wray speaks at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif., on Jan. 31, 2022. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

China Threat Unprecedented in History: FBI Director

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the single greatest cyber and counterintelligence threat to the United States, according to FBI Director Christopher Wray, who warned that the regime was targeting every sector of the American economy.

The biggest threat we face as a country from a counterintelligence perspective is from the Peoples Republic of China and especially the Chinese Communist Party, Wray said during an interview with 60 Minutes on April 24.

They are targeting our innovation, our trade secrets, [and] our intellectual property, on a scale thats unprecedented in history.

Wray said that the CCP had developed the worlds largest hacking program, and systematically stole more information from American citizens and businesses than every other nation on earth. Those malign efforts, he said, affected every part of the economy and threatened to undermine the stability of the United States.

They have a bigger hacking program than that of every other major nation combined, Wray said. They have stolen more of Americans personal and corporate data than every nation combined.

It affects everything from agriculture to aviation to high tech to health care. Pretty much every sector of our economy.

Anything that makes an industry tick, they target.

The CCP is currently engaged in a massive espionage campaign against the United States. Several recent lawsuits brought forward by the Justice Department allege Chinese agents targeted American citizens for stalking, harassment, intimidation, and even violence, as part of a broader effort to silence those who speak out about the regimes human rights abuses.

Such efforts included an alleged attempt to undermine U.S. elections by attacking an army veteran running for Congress, and efforts to stalk and harass an American Olympic figure skater in order to silence her father.

Wray said that the FBI was now opening new China counterintelligence investigations about every 12 hours. He said that there were more than 2,000 such investigations currently ongoing, and that all 56 U.S.-based FBI field offices were engaged in the effort.

Its a measure of how significant the threat is, Wray said.

Critics have questioned the Biden administrations ability to adequately deter such efforts in recent months, given the administrations decision to terminate the China Initiative, a Trump-era Justice Department program designed to counter just such espionage efforts.

Advocates said that the program unfairly targeted Asian Americans. Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen said, however, that an internal review found no evidence to support those claims but that it had decided to end the program anyway in order to prevent the harmful perception of bias.

Wray said that the FBI was undeterred and would carry out its mission to defend the American people from foreign espionage regardless of circumstance.

We will follow the facts wherever they lead, to whomever they lead, no matter who likes it, Wray said.
Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) speaks at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation's Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom award ceremony honoring the retired Cardinal of Hong Kong Joseph Zen at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 28, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Chinas Persecution of Falun Gong Shows CCP Perceives Freedoms as Threat: Rep. Smith

The Chinese regimes expansive attack on the faith group Falun Gong shows that Beijing perceives freedom to be a threat to its totalitarian control, according to Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.).

The lawmaker also called on Congress to punish the communist regime for its forced organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience, including Falun Gong practitioners, a practice he described as embodying inhumane savagery.

Smith made the comments in a statement days ahead of the 23rd anniversary of a peaceful appeal by Falun Gong adherents in Beijing on April 25, 1999, when about 10,000 practitioners gathered at the Chinese Communist Partys headquarters seeking an environment to practice their faith without state interference or harassment.

The appeal occurred three months before an expansive persecution campaign launched by the Chinese regime targeting the spiritual practice, one that still persists today.

The Chinese Communist Partys brutal response to peaceful Falun Gong demonstrators back on April 25, 1999, underscores the bitter truth that democratic freedoms were a perceived threat to the Chinese government then and remain a perceived threat now, with the communist regime doing everything it can to crush Falun Gong members in China every day, the congressman said in an April 22 statement to NTD, an affiliate of The Epoch Times.

Even something as innocent as sitting in a lotus pose represents an affront to contemporary Chinas totalitarian overlords, he added.

Smith was referencing a sitting mediation among five meditative exercises of Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, which also consists of moral teachings focused on the core values of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

Made public in northeastern China in 1992, the spiritual discipline had grown to become the largest and fastest-growing practices in China by 1999. Yet the then-Chinese leader Jiang Zemin, feeling threatened by its popularity, launched a massive campaign in July to persecute the practice and its adherents.

Since 1999, millions of Falun Gong adherents have been detained inside prisons, labor camps, and other facilities in China, according to estimates from the Falun Dafa Information Center.

Today, Falun Gong practitioners continue to be arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and subjected to the cruelest of deathsincluding live vivisections to remove their organs for sale in the medical marketplacesimply because they believe in basic human rights and the fundamental freedoms of religion, speech, and assembly, Smith said.

We admire their courage and commitment in the face of such oppression, he added.

Falun Gong practitioners meditate during a rally to commemorate the peaceful appeal and raise awareness about the persecution still happening in China today in front of the Ferry Building in San Francisco on Apr. 24, 2021. (David Lam/The Epoch Times)

The lawmaker was referring to the Chinese regimes forced organ harvesting from detained Falun Gong practitioners, a practice that an independent tribunal concluded in 2019 had occurred for years on a substantial scale, and continues to persist. The grisly practice involves imprisoned practitioners being killed for their organs to supply the lucrative transplant market in the country.

Smith previously introduced legislation to sanction officials involved in forced organ harvesting, and urged his colleagues to support the bill.

Congress must act now to pass my legislation aimed at combatting human trafficking and the harvesting of organs and penalize countries that engage in or tolerate such inhumane savagery, Smith said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet announce the Emergencies Act will be invoked to deal with convoy protests in Ottawa on Feb. 14, 2022. (Hailey Sani/Public Domain)

Civil Liberties Groups Demand Feds Allow Robust Inquiry Into Use of Emergencies Act

Official inquiry should include an independent commission and wide-ranging evidence, groups say

As the federal government calls a public inquiry into the use of the Emergency Act, a diverse coalition of civil society groups is watching closely to ensure the investigation is broad in scope and independent.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Act for the first time since its creation on Feb. 14 in response to the Freedom Convoy protests, giving the federal government broad powers to deal with demonstrations against COVID-19 mandates in Ottawa and at some border crossings.

It was revoked on Feb. 23, after police cleared the protesters in the nations capital and a remaining border site was evacuated. By law, an inquiry into the use of the act must be called within 60 days of the declaration being cancelled, which lands on April 25.

It really is a very bare-bones legal requirement, Abby Deshman, the director of the criminal justice program with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, told The Epoch Times.

And in order for that to happen, an inquiry has to be independent, it has to be robust, it has to be comprehensive, and [have] a broad enough scope that it can actually review the surrounding context and beyond the governments use of powers.

Invocation of Act Under Scrutiny

In addition to the public inquiry and a separate special parliamentary committee, four groups and the province of Alberta have launched legal challenges to scrutinize the governments use of the emergency law.

A police officer smashes a truck window as police deploy to remove demonstrators participating in the Freedom Convoy protest opposing COVID-19 mandates and restriction, in Ottawa on Feb. 19, 2022. (Dave Chan/AFP via Getty Images)

The CCLA and the Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF) are among those with cases currently before the Federal Court.

In documents related to a court challenge filed by the CCF on April 22, Ottawa says it will not reveal evidence from closed-door cabinet meetings that led it to the use of the emergency law, according to a report from The Globe and Mail. The Trudeau government cited cabinet confidentiality powers given to ruling parties under the Canada Evidence Act in its response to the legal challenge.

Calgary-based CCF is asking the Federal Court to order cabinet to reveal the information to the judge and counsel involved.

The coalition of 15 civil society groupswhich includes Amnesty International Canada, the Womens Legal Education and Action Fund, National Council of Canadian Muslims, and Democracy Watchare challenging Ottawa to release all requests for evidence within an independent inquiry.

They say its crucial the government allows opposition parties to select the commissioner or commissioners to assure the investigation is neutral.

The groups released a joint statement on April 13, arguing whoever leads the investigation should have all the powers of commissioners appointed under the federal Inquiries Act. That includes the ability to summon witnesses to give sworn testimonies in a court of record, and the requirement for witnesses to produce documents and written evidence.

Lets be crystal clear: an inquiry that does not include the sworn testimony of the major players involved and the production of documents is a sham, Cara Zwibel, director of the fundamental freedoms program with the CCLA, said in a statement.

Canadas Privy Council Office (PCO), which serves as the bureaucracy for the Prime Ministers Office and co-ordinates government actions across departments, says an inquiry is set to be established by April 25.

The report of the inquiry must be tabled in each House of Parliament within 360 days of the revocation of the emergency declaration, a PCO spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Further details will be announced in due course.

Fatal Flaw

Under the Inquiries Act, the cabinet is allowed to select the commissioner of public inquirieseven if its an investigation is into actions of the ruling party.

A mounted police unit lines up behind public order units on foot to clear protesters in Ottawa on Feb. 18, 2022. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, calls the provision of the law a fatal flaw that undermines Canadas democratic process of holding the ruling party accountable.

The government has all the incentive to choose some lapdog whos not going do their job well, and let them off the hook in the end, he told The Epoch Times. Its a major conflict of interest.

Under Section 63 of the emergency law, Conacher says the government cannot limit the scope of the investigation for its use.

Its extremely important to watch whether Trudeau hands over the power to opposition parties to select an inquiry commission, he says, because it was a political act to declare the emergency in the first place.

Since 2016, Democracy Watch has launched a number of legal challenges against the federal government, including two conflict of interest cases for its appointments of the ethics commissioner and the lobbying commissioner.

While the Federal Court of Appeal dismissed both cases, Conacher notes that it ruled the Trudeau cabinet was biased in each of its selections.

In a 2001 ruling, the Supreme Court of Canada set a precedent that all agencies, boards, commissions, and tribunals that enforce laws but are not courts, can be handpicked by the ruling party, even if theres a conflict of interest.

Its a really bad ruling, Conacher says. Its undermining the law enforcement across the country because it means that cabinets often choose loyal lapdogs to enforce key laws.

Asking for an Independent Process

Since it was announced, the CCLA and Democracy Watch has maintained their position that the federal government did not meet the legal threshold necessary to invoke the Emergencies Act. Premiers in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec also expressed concern over invoking the act, while some maritime premiers said it wasnt needed.

The law defines a national emergency as an urgent situation that seriously endangers lives, health, or safety, and that cannot be effectively dealt with under any other law.

Police make an arrest on the 21st day of the trucker protest against COVID-19 mandates and restrictions, after the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act, in downtown Ottawa on Feb. 17, 2022. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

Deshman says the group has a tentative hearing date set for July for its Federal Court challenge. But she maintains the court case will remain a separate process from the public inquiry.

The orders that the government passed raised significant constitutional issues and infringed on Canadians Charter rights in a way that was not justifiable, she said. But were not here to control the outcome of the inquiry. What we want is a truly independent process.

The CCLA says the act allowed the Liberals to bypass regular democratic checks and balances to put in measures that werent rigorously debated by elected officials in parliament.

Deshman notes this led to a suspension of the Charter and constitutional rights of every Canadian, including significant limits on peaceful assembly. The act also handed police broad powers to end protests and empowered financial institutions to freeze bank accounts of individuals suspected of being involved in the protest without requiring a court order.

John Packer, a constitutional expert with the University of Ottawa Human Rights Research and Education Centre, says its good for Canadian society that civil rights groups want to hold the government to the highest standard in the courts by calling for a robust inquiry.

The 1988 Emergencies Act is not a piece of legislation to be flippant about, he says, because it involves the most serious of elements from a democratic point of view. And since the government almost immediately revoked the emergency law, Packer questions whether it had the merit in the first place to invoke it.

We, as a society, better have pretty good clarity on this, because it also does set a precedent if it happens in another circumstance, he told The Epoch Times. We should all be immediately sitting up and on our toes whenever an emergency act is invoked.

Packer says the emergency law was well drafted because of the protections in it, such as calling for an independent inquiry.

If the inquiry proves the government did not have reasonable grounds to invoke the law, there should be pretty severe consequences, Packer says, to prevent its misuse in the future.

It would also raise questions about whether our government understands our own democracy, which Packer adds is pretty huge if the people in charge dont grasp the limits of their power.

At the end of the day, what makes us a democracy is that our government is accountable to us, to you and me, to the people, Packer said.

Trudeau cited serious challenges to law enforcements ability to effectively enforce the law, when he first announced its use.

This is about keeping Canadians safe, protecting peoples jobs, and restoring confidence in our institutions, he said.

According to Trudeau, the protests in Ottawa and at some border sites were illegal, dangerous, and a threat to the Canadian economy. He said the use of emergency legislation was necessary to give police the tools to restore order.

An RCMP tactical vehicle drives past the Parliament Buildings after a massive police operation quelled the Convoy Protest in Ottawa, on Feb. 20, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

According to the court challenge filed by the CCF, the federal government intends to argue that the case is now moot, as the state of emergency has ended, and that the civil rights group lacks standing, or the right to bring the case.

House Committee Review

In March, the House of Commons formally selected a special joint committee to review the use of the Emergencies Act.

Made up of seven MPs and four senators, representing each of Parliaments recognized parties and groups, it continues to review the exercising of powers given under the Act.

The committeewhich is co-chaired by NDP MP Matthew Green, Bloc MP Rheal Fortin, and Independent Sen. Gwen Bonifaceis set to meet on April 26. It has yet to release any findings.

Conservatives accused the government of ducking accountability by not including a member of the Official Opposition to co-chair the committee. Trudeaus proposal for the committees makeup includes three Liberal MPs, and passed House by a vote of 214 to 115, with the support of NDP, Bloc Quebecois, and Green MPs.

Conservative House leader John Brassard said the Liberals, backed by their NDP allies were weakening the accountability and oversight measures written in the emergency proclamation.

The Emergencies Act itself requires an opposition-heavy committee to review the use of those powers, because in a healthy democracy, the government of the day cannot be allowed to police itself, he said in a statement.
An Ethiopian woman sifts through distributed food supplies during a visit by World Food Programme (WFP) Regional Director Michael Dunford to a camp for the internally-displaced in Adadle, in the Somali Region of Ethiopia, on Jan. 22, 2022. (Claire Nevill/WFP via AP)

Climate Misanthropes Say Fighting Climate Change Is More Important Than Food, Reliable Energy, and Peace

Commentary

In the face of unbearable human tragedy around the world, children starving, women and children being bombed, and homes and businesses without power, climate scolds continue to insist climate change is the most important danger the world faces.

With pictures streaming daily out of Africa and Ukraine showing grossly malnourished and starving children as well as leveled cities, callous Biden administration officials, environmental reporters, and researchers, more concerned about continuing the flow of research dollars than saving human lives, insist governments focus their attention on preventing hypothetical future climate harms, rather than present humanitarian crises.

People are starving in Africa today. People are being killed by Russias unconscionable actions in Ukraine as I write. Yet, misanthropic climate alarmists are concerned temperatures might be a little bit hotter 10, 30, 50, or 100 years from nowand insist working to prevent the latter should be the main focus of government efforts. They decry the fact that war and lack of food is diverting attention away from the purported climate crisis.

Proof of this heartless inattention to very real human suffering by climate obsessives arises almost daily, promoted by the corporate media no less. Just a few days before Vladimir Putin launched his deadly invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Bidens climate czar, John Kerry, bemoaned on BBC Arabic the effect the war would have, not on people, but on peoples focus on climate change, saying:

But it [the war] could have a profound negative impact on the climate, obviously. You have a war and obviously youre going to have massive emissions consequences to the war. But equally importantly, youre going to lose peoples focus, youre going to lose certainly big country attention because they will be diverted, and I think it could have a damaging impact.

Kerry then expressed the hope that Putin would remain focused on climate change, regardless of any actions he took in Ukraine. Kerrys statements were both clueless and vile.

I and others at The Heartland Institute have previously detailed how Europes and Americas energy policies, and their dependence on Russian oil and natural gas , were contributing factors to the war in Ukraine as well as global food shortages and price hikes.

Biden seemingly recognized at least part of the problem and signed an agreement to ship U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe to supplant the loss of Russian gas supplies. The reaction from the progressive climate left was predictable, perhaps exemplified best by an article in The Hill, titled LNG exports will add to climate change. The authors of the article warn of the increased greenhouse gas emissions from the production of natural gas, and the added infrastructure, pipelines, shipping terminals, etc., from ramping up U.S. LNG production and shipping it to help Europe out of its energy crisis.

Rather than helping Europeans heat their homes, cook, and run their lights on U.S. natural gas, the academics behind this article say, in effect, let Europeans heat pumps and electric appliances run on wind turbines and solar panels. Of course, this call for electrifying Europe with renewable power is disingenuous, and the writers know it. Europe is far ahead of every other region on Earth in the use of wind and solar power. As wind and solar have failed spectacularly in recent months, this reliance has contributed to the trading blocs energy woes.

Never fear, climate harpies, Biden got the message. Even as he was talking the talk of helping our European allies with LNG, his administration was putting in place new rules to make the proposed expansion of gas development and shipments nearly impossible. Just a week after saying he would expand LNG exports to Europe, Biden rescinded Trump-era National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations allowing the expedited construction of critical infrastructure. Bidens NEPA rules virtually guarantee no new gas pipelines or LNG shipping terminals or associated infrastructure can be built. So much for sticking it to Putin and helping Europe.

Then theres the food crisis. People, thousands of them, many children, are not just going hungry but starving to death daily.

More than 13 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia already are experiencing extreme hunger, according to a recent report from humanitarian aid organization Mercy Corps, states an article in the Scientific American. Humanity now is feeling the rumblings of a seismic hunger crisis, the World Food Programme warned earlier this month.

Based on these facts, if you thought the Scientific American article was a clarion call for countries to do whatever was necessary to immediately reverse this humanitarian crisis, youd be wrong. The title of the article says everything you need to know about Scientific Americans true concern: Responses to Rising Hunger Could Threaten Climate Goals. The article subtitle goes on to decry the fact that policy makers are considering easing environmental protection measures to allow for increased crop production. Imagine the temerity of Europe considering allowing an increase in crop production to save lives today, despite climate models projecting modestly rising sea levels in the future; the horror of it!

Never fear, in America, we are much more sensible. Despite rapidly rising food prices and often empty store shelves, the Biden administration seems unwilling to pause its inane attempt to control future weather in order to enhance food security. Despite pleas from members of Congress and farm groups , the U.S. Agriculture Department has thus far refused to grant waivers to allow the import of fertilizer or to allow farmers to farm on fallow fields enrolled in the Conservation and Wetlands Reserve programs. The crop season has begun, people are starving, prices are higher, and the Biden administration fiddles as the worlds food supply is figuratively burning.

Peoples around the world face many more immediate, pressing, and deadly problems than climate change. Thats an indisputable fact. Its immoral and inhumane for the media to keep giving climate alarmists a platform to claim otherwise.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during the 2022 New York State Democratic Convention in New York City on Feb. 17, 2022. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Clinton Campaign, DNC Making False Claims in Durham Case: Watchdog

Hillary Clintons campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) are violating settlement agreements with the U.S. government over alleged misreporting of payments that went toward opposition research into Donald Trump, a watchdog says.

The campaign (HFA) and the DNC recently agreed to pay fines to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), which determined there was probable cause to believe the entities misreported payments made to a law firm and funneled to the company Fusion GPS.

The entities described the payments as going toward legal services but they actually paid Fusion to create the anti-Trump dossier, the complaint that led to the determination said.

In their conciliation agreements, both HFA and the DNC agreed not to contest the commissions finding of probable cause.

But in their bids to intervene in a case brought by Special Counsel John Durham, the entities said communications concerning Fusion and lawyer Michael Sussmann are protected by attorneyclient privilege.

Those arguments run directly contrary to the FECs probable cause determinations and appear to be barred by HFAs and the DNCs conciliation agreements, Dan Backer, a lawyer representing The Coolidge Reagan Foundation, wrote to Durhams office in an April 22 letter obtained by The Epoch Times.

The foundation lodged the complaint against the Democrat entities that led to the FECs determination.

The FEC has not yet released documents about its review of the complaint. The documents are expected to be released on or around April 30.

The commission dismissed complaints against Fusion, Perkins, and former Perkins lawyer Marc Elias, as well as ex-British spy Christopher Steele, who compiled the salacious dossier against Trump that made claims that were later deemed unsubstantiated or untrue by U.S. agencies.

Backer urged the government not to allow the Clinton campaign and the DNC to adopt conflicting positions in different proceedings, depending on the federal agency against which they are litigating.

HFA and the DNC lied on their campaign finance filings to make it appear that Fusion GPSs opposition research into Donald Trump was performed in connection with legal services. They should not be permitted to peddle these false claims before a federal court, Backer wrote.

Lawyers for HFA and the DNC did not respond to requests for comment.

A spokesman for Durhams office declined to comment.

Sussmann is charged with lying to the FBI about data allegedly concerning Trump he brought to the bureau while representing the Clinton campaign in 2016. He is due to go on trial in May.

In a statement submitted to the court, HFA Chairman John Podesta said the campaign was asserting both attorneyclient privilege and attorney-work-product protection with respect to all documents and information under the control of Perkins Coie or any of its consultants, including Fusion GPS.

DNC lawyers entered a similar filing, saying it wanted to assert privilege over the communications and work product of Perkins and Fusion.

Elias said he tapped Fusion to provide consulting services in support of the legal advice attorneys at Perkins were providing to clients, including HFA.

Peter Fritsch and Glenn Simpson, Fusions founders, said in their book that they told Elias they could perform general-election-focused-research before they were hired.
A group of Hondurans prepare to cross the Rio Grande into Eagle Pass, Texas, from Piedras Negras, Mexico, on April 21, 2022. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Court to Block Biden Administration From Ending Title 42 Border Order

A federal judge on April 25 is set to block President Joe Bidens administration from ending an emergency order that has been helping officials control the U.S.Mexico border.

U.S. District Judge Robert Summerhays, a Trump appointee, told parties during a closed status conference that he intends to grant a motion for a temporary restraining order, according to minutes of the meeting released by the court.

The parties will confer regarding the specific terms to be contained in the temporary restraining order and attempt to reach agreement, the court reporter said.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, a Republican and one of the plaintiffs, celebrated the judges ruling.

Joe Bidens reckless decision to rescind Title 42 would have flooded our already stressed southern border with illegal immigrants, Landry told The Epoch Times in a statement. Fortunately, today a judge has granted our request to halt this enormous threat to our national security.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican and another plaintiff, called the ruling a big win!

Arizona, Louisiana, and Missouri on April 4 lodged a complaint against the government over its announced ending of Title 42, an emergency order that enables immigration agents to quickly expel illegal immigrants because of concerns the immigrants have COVID-19.

The order has been in place since early 2020 but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with support from the Department of Homeland Security and the White House, announced in early April that it would terminate the order in May.

Seventeen states later joined the suit, while Texas filed a separate complaint.

In a motion for a temporary restraining order, the attorneys general noted how U.S. government officials and the Border Patrol union say the administration is already scaling back its use of Title 42 and told the court that entering the order would force the administration to keep the powers in place while the case is being decided.

Federal Defendants monopoly on information about what actions they are taking frustrates both the States ability to seek relief against the irreparable harms they will otherwise incur and this courts authority to grant relief if it concludes that the termination order is unlawful, the plaintiffs said.

Once the Order is put into effecteven partiallyfew if any of the resulting harms can ever be remedied by this Court. That is particularly true as money damages are not available and it is doubtful that this Court could effectively rescind unlawful grants of asylum or parole into the U.S. Indeed, the irrevocable nature of the harms that the Title 42 Termination will cause is precisely why the bipartisan calls for abandonment or delay of the Order have been so resounding.

The Department of Justice declined to comment.

Members of Congress from both parties have thrown support behind legislation that would force the government to keep Title 42 in place until Biden rescinds the COVID-19 national state of emergency, including a major bipartisan caucus and Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.).

White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to say during a briefing in Washington whether Biden would sign the bill if it reaches his desk.

Theres a lot of steps between now and then, so at this point thats very premature, she said.
Cybersecurity in a Digital World and the War for Talent

Sophisticated cyberwarfare and rising geopolitical tensions mean that cybersecurity threats are evolving at an even faster pace, impacting entire businesses, their operations and their hard-won reputations.

Major microchip and electronic powerhouses were recently hit by cyber-attacks, where parts of their businesses were completely compromised, taken offline for a few days and employee accounts exposed. Some of these breaches were even done by the same hacking extortion group.

As a result, the need to fight cyber-crime has become even more important in an increasingly digital and interconnected world. This is resulting in record levels of investment in cybersecurity as it becomes a top priority for company leaders, boards, and investors, particularly as governments warn of an increased threat of cyber intrusions following Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The Cybersecurity Boom

In the last 12 months, the cybersecurity sector has achieved double-digit growth and there are now almost 2,000 firms active within the UK providing cyber security products and services. In fact, the UK cybersecurity industry contributed around 5.3 billion to the UK economy in 2021, rising by a third from 2020, and cybersecurity firms have raised more than 1 billion in external investments in 84 deals.

Simply put, demand for cybersecurity increased dramatically as the pandemic sent the digital revolution into hyperdrive. The pandemic not only accelerated consumer adoption of digital solutions, but it also accelerated enterprise digitization strategies.

With cybercriminals rising to the challenge, companies now need cybersecurity solutions to protect a host of new entry points. However, with over 2.5 million cybersecurity jobs available and the war for talent rapidly gaining momentum, the industry is feeling the strain as the pressure grows for more defenses.

Addressing the Skills Gap

Despite rapid market growth, the UKs cybersecurity talent pool has fallen short by around 10,000 people a year. In fact, the UKs cyber skills shortage surged by more than a third in the previous 12 months and cybersecurity is now the most sought-after tech skill in the UK.

With more than half, 54 percent, of UK CEOs, believing cybersecurity presents the best opportunity for TMT dealmaking over the next year, demand will rapidly outstrip the supply of expertise unless drastic action is taken.

Market Demand and the War for Talent

Businesses have responded to this in quite a few different ways. When asked what the main strategic drivers of recent and future cross-border technology acquisitions are, one-third of UK M&A professionals surveyed cited access to skilled/specialized talent.

To continue to stay ahead of cyber-attacks and manage risk, businesses must also invest in their workforce to ensure they have access to the necessary resources to protect their digital ecosystem and sustain business activity.

Upskilling individuals already working in the tech space, along with attracting newcomers, will be crucial to tackling the current professional shortfall. To truly overcome the war for talent, businesses will need to acknowledge the correlation between the skills shortage and the lack of inclusivity and bring more meaningful levels of diversity to the sector.

Tackling this current skills miss-match cannot be left to businesses alone though and requires a united effort from governments, industries, and academia. Awareness campaigns encouraging universities, schools, and training organizations to promote cybersecurity as an exciting field and one with vast career opportunities can also go a long way to tackling the current imbalance.

Only by investing in cybersecurity talent will we have enough people with the expertise required to protect organizations digital ecosystems as the threat landscape becomes more diverse.

By Merlin Piscitelli

 2022 The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
A Taliban fighter standing guard outside the site of a bomb explosion inside a mosque, in Mazar-e-Sharif province, Afghanistan, on April 21, 2022. (AP Photo)

Death Toll in Afghan Mosque Bombing Rises to 33, Taliban Say

KABUL, AfghanistanA Taliban official says a bombing at a mosque and religious school in northern Afghanistan on Friday killed at least 33 people, including students of a religious school.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Talibans deputy culture and information minister, said the bombing in the town of Imam Saheb, in Kunduz Province, also wounded another 43 people, many of them students.

No one immediately claimed responsibility, but Afghanistans ISIS affiliate on Friday claimed a series of bombings that happened a day earlier, the worst of which was an attack on a Shiite mosque in northern Mazar-e-Sharif that killed at least 12 Shiite Muslim worshippers and wounded scores more.

Earlier the Kunduz provincial police spokesman put the death toll at the Malawi Bashir Ahmad Mosque and madrassa compound in Imam Saheb at two dead and six injured. Mujahid later tweeted the higher casualty numbers tweeting we condemn this crime . . . and express our deepest condolences to the victims.

Fridays bombing is the latest in a series of deadly attacks across Afghanistan. Mujahid called the perpetrators of the Kunduz attack seditionists and evil elements.

The United Nations called the attack horrific. Deputy special representative to Afghanistan Ramiz Alakbarov said in a tweet that killings must stop now and perpetrators brought to justice.

Since sweeping to power last August, the Taliban have been battling the upstart ISIS affiliate known as Islamic State in Khorasan Province or IS-K which is proving to be an intractable security challenge for Afghanistans religiously driven government.

Last October the IS-K claimed a brutal bombing also in northern Kunduz province at a Shiite mosque that killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 100. In November the Talibans intelligence unit carried out sweeping attacks on suspected IS-K hideouts in eastern Nangarhar province, where the deadly affiliate is headquartered.

In a statement Friday, the IS-K said the explosive devise that devastated Mazar-e-Sharifs Sai Doken mosque was hidden in a bag left inside among scores of worshippers. As they knelt in prayer, it exploded.

When the mosque was filled with prayers, the explosives were detonated remotely, the IS statement said, claiming that 100 people were injured.

The Taliban say they have arrested a former IS-K leader in northern Balkh province, of which Mazar-e-Sharif is the capital. Zabihullah Noorani, information and culture department chief in Balkh province, said Abdul Hamid Sangaryar was arrested in connection with Thursdays mosque attack.

The IS-K had been relatively inactive in Afghanistan since last November, but in recent weeks have stepped up its attacks in Afghanistan and in neighboring Pakistan, taking aim at Shiite Muslim communities reviled by Sunni radicals.

Earlier this month two bombs exploded in Kabuls Shiite neighborhood of Dasht-e-Barchi, killing at least seven students and wounding several others.

The IS-K established its headquarters in eastern Afghanistan in 2014 and have been blamed for some of the worst attacks in Afghanistan, including a vicious assault on a maternity hospital and at a school that killed more than 80 girls in 2021, months before the Taliban took power.

The IS-K also took responsibility for a brutal bombing outside the Kabul International Airport in August 2021 that killed more than 160 Afghans who had been pushing to enter the airport to flee the country. Thirteen U.S. military personnel also were killed as they oversaw Americas final withdrawal and the end of its 20-year war in Afghanistan.

In recent months, the IS-K has also stepped up attacks in neighboring Pakistan, targeting a Shiite mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar in March. More than 65 worshippers were killed. The upstart affiliate has also claimed several deadly attacks against Pakistans military .

In Pakistans central Punjab city of Faisalabad, the local police on Thursday issued a threat warning, saying it has been learned that IS-Khas planned to carry out terrorist activities in Faisalabad, advising people to exercise extreme vigilance. The police warning did not elaborate.

Meanwhile late on Thursday a Pakistani soldier was killed in southwestern Baluchistan province after terrorists raided a security outpost. No one claimed responsibility. The area has been targeted by both IS-K as well as the violent Pakistani Taliban terrorists known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) also headquartered in neighboring Afghanistan.

The safe havens of terrorist groups in Afghanistan has raised concerns for Pakistan which earlier this month carried out airstrikes inside Pakistan, killing at least 20 children, according to the United Nations education fund (UNICEF).

Pakistan has not confirmed the strikes but has warned Afghanistans Taliban to stop its territory being used to attack across the border into Pakistan.

In separate incidents, five children were killed Friday in northern Afghanistans Faryab Province while playing with unexploded ordnance. In one incident, three brothers died when they found an unexploded device and tried to dismantle it. In a second incident in another village, two children, ages 7 and 8, were killed playing with a device, said Shamsullah Mohammadi, Faryab provincial information and culture head.

After more than four decades of war, that included two invasionsone by the former Soviet Union and one by the U.S.-led coalitionAfghanistan is one of the heaviest mined countries in the world and is littered with unexploded ordnance.

By Kathy Gannon and Mohammad Shaob Amin
A Border Patrol truck sits next to the Rio Grande with Mexico on the right, across the river, from the Camino Real international bridge in Eagle Pass, Texas, on April 19, 2022. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Defending the BordersIncluding the Western Borderof the United States

Commentary

For almost four centuries, Western political thought has identified the security of its peoples as the foremost responsibility of government. This tenet is a foundation of Americas founding and the countrys institutions and political principles, norms, and traditions. Security begins at the border, and if that is eroded, the government has failed its citizenry.

The US Governments Responsibility Is to Defend Its Borders

A central argument of Thomas Hobbes 1651 work, Leviathan, was that the state must protect its citizens. Indeed, that was the point of entering into a commonwealth where individuals provided their loyalty in return for the respect of their rights and their security.

The Biden administrations elimination of the United States southern border fails this obligation of the state with profound and predictable consequences for its citizens and politics. The United States, like every sovereign state, has borders that must be protected from individuals violating its laws.

The lack of protection provides a short and direct avenue for millions of people to enter illegally, the sum of which certainly includes criminals and terrorists, as well as narcotics and other illegal and counterfeit goods. The government must prevent this, not permit it, and certainly not encourage it.

The Threat Against Americas Western Borders

While the southern border is the center of gravity in Americas border woes, it is important to recognize that the concerns about the border must include the Western border of the United StatesGuam, other U.S. territories, Hawaii, and Alaska. At a time when attention is focused on Taiwan due to the danger of a Chinese attack, few on the U.S. mainland may appreciate the danger to Guam, about 1,700 miles east of Taiwan.

While Guam is not threatened by border crossings, it is directly threatened by Chinas military power projection capabilities as Beijing expands its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) capabilities. This expansion intends to deny the United States and its allies the ability to defend its interests, including the defense of its states, territories, and allies.

Guam is valuable for the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy.

First, Guam is a key component of its logistical infrastructure, which, in turn, permits Washingtons power projection in the region. Ammunition and fuel storage are essential.

Second, it is also home to major military installations, including the Guam naval base for Pacific fleet submarines and Andersen Air Force base, from which bombers and fighters may project power into the Western Pacific.

Third, the island provides all-domain communications nodes for operations in the Indo-Pacific.

Fourth, it also hosts training facilities and offers staging for joint force operations.

Alaska and Guam are the western borders of the United States. While both are threatened directly by Americas enemycommunist ChinaGuams proximity to the threat makes it particularly vulnerable.

Chinas metastatic expansion of its missile force has alarmed such senior defense officials as Adm. Charles Richard, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command. Beijing has added greatly to its medium- and intermediate-range missiles, anti-ship ballistic missiles, land- and air-launched land-attack cruise missiles, and regional hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs).

Chinas development of air-launched ballistic missiles (ALBMs) further increases the threat and the vectors from which China may attack the U.S. military installations and infrastructure. Guam urgently needs an integrated air and missile defense to meet the advanced ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missile threats it faces.

Military vehicles carrying hypersonic DF-17 missiles travel past Tiananmen Square during a military parade in Beijing, China, on Oct. 1, 2019. (Jason Lee/Reuters)

The Threat to Guams (and Thus Americas) Flanks

But the threat is not only from missiles. China is also outflanking the U.S. presence in the Indo-Pacific. Beijings ability to threaten Guam is worsened by the growth of Chinas sphere of influence to the east and south of Taiwan and the Philippines. This expansion includes Chinas increasing influence in the Solomon Islands.

Of particular concern is the April 2022 security cooperation agreement between Honiara and Beijing that will allow Chinese port visits, logistical replenishment, andtellinglyfor China to dispatch police or the military to protect its people or major projects. This agreement places Chinese military power about 1,200 miles from Australias northern coast. Chinas close relationship with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare alarms Canberra and Washington and compels the conclusion that these governments have thus far allowed Chinese influence to go unchecked.

Also notable is Chinas refurbishing and expanding of a runway on Canton Island in the archipelago country of Kiribati. This is just 1,800 miles from Hawaii and about 4,000 from Guam. The island was widely used by the U.S. military aircraft during World War II to reach the Southwest Pacific Area, Australia, and New Zealand.

The Chinese presence there might expand from an airport infrastructure into a military base just as the Cubans did in Grenada before the U.S. invasion in 1983. Kiribati is not alone. Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tonga also have come under Chinese pressure to advance Beijings sphere of influence in Melanesia and Polynesia.

By outflanking Guam, China increases its ability to accomplish what Japan never did in World War II, severing the sea lines of communication between the United States and Australia. Also jeopardized are the lines of communication with Japan and Taiwan. Guam needs expanded missile defenses now to address the all-azimuth threat it faces. The United States also must work with governments in Melanesia and Polynesia, as well as with Australia, France, New Zealand, and Taiwan, to stop and reverse Chinas advance in the Indo-Pacific.

The responsibilities of the U.S. government require that its states and territories be defended from all threats. As Americans have learned to their chagrin, those threats include the trafficking of humans and narcotics on the southern border. But they require protection from Chinas de facto direct territorial expansion in the Pacific, which today endangers U.S. states and territories.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
In this March 12, 2020, file photo, a crowd is shown along Main Street USA in front of Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

Democrat Mayor: Dissolving Disneys Special District Catastrophic for Local Taxpayers

The Reedy Creek Improvement Districts (RCID) Board of Supervisors meets on April 27 for its regularly scheduled monthly meeting at the districts offices on Hotel Plaza Boulevard in Lake Buena Vista.

On the agenda is an appointment, an amended work order, and a proposed solar power purchase agreementtypical stuff for a special district accorded most of the authority, and responsibilities, of a municipality under Florida law.

Not on the agenda, but likely to come up, is the bill passed by Florida lawmakers last week and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, on April 22 that gives the five-member board 14 months to manage the dissolution of their 38-square-mile district by June 1, 2023.

RCID is a special independent taxing district created in 1967 by Florida lawmakers to serve as the governing jurisdiction for more than 25,000 acres owned by Walt Disney World Resorts six theme parks spanning Orange and Osceola counties.

It includes the incorporated cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, combined population of 53 people in 2020, and provides government services such as fire protection, emergency services, water, utilities, sewage, and infrastructure for an average of 250,000 daily Disney World visitors and its 80,000 employees.

Response to Criticism

With last weeks special session adoption and swift signing of Senate Bill 4-C, Reedy Creek is among six special districts being dissolved across the state because they were not re-certified after Floridas new Constitution was ratified in November 1968.

Of course, this is not just statutory housekeepinglawmakers and DeSantis are responding to Disneys criticism of House Bill 1557, the states Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed the Dont Say Gay bill by opponents.

When DeSantis signed HB 1557 on March 28, Disney issued a statement saying it should never have passed and should never have been signed into law.

Our goal as a company, the statement continued, is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that.

We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country.

On April 22, DeSantis referred to Disneys pledge when he signed SB 4C in Hialeah.

Incredibly, they say, We are going to work to repeal parents rights in Florida, the governor said. And Im just thinking to myself, youre a corporation based in Burbank, California, and youre going to marshal your economic might to attack the parents of my state. We view that as a provocation, and were going to fight back against that.

SB 4C was adopted quickly during a four-day special session to great conservative media fanfare but, ultimately, it may be more show than tell.

The bill allows the six independent special districts to be re-established on or after June 1, 2023, should it be deemed the best outcome after assessing the impacts of dissolution.

In addition, it may not be legal. Under state law, for the legislature to dissolve an active independent special district  the special act dissolving the independent special district must be approved by a majority of the resident electors of the district 

$105 Million in Taxes

RCID has one resident electorDisney World.

Local Democrats and Republicans are at odds over the potential impact of dissolving the district. Democrats say that the residents Orange and Osceola counties will have to foot the bill for millions of dollars for municipal services previously paid for by Disney. Republicans say taxpayers could end up saving money through the elimination of duplicative services.

Disbanding the 55-year-old RCID could have significant impacts on Orange and Osceola county taxpayers, who would assume some level of responsibility for water, sewer, electric power, and public safety services for millions of visitors and workers now provided by the districts 370 employees, including 200 first-responders in four fire stations.

According to Orange County tax collector Scott Randolph, a Democrat, Reedy Creek collects about $105 million a year to provide services inside Disney World, essentially taxing itself. Once the special taxing district is dissolved, that special taxing power is defunct.

If Reedy Creek goes away, the $105 million it collects to operate services goes away. That doesnt just transfer to Orange County because its an independent taxing district. However, Orange County then inherits all debt and obligations with no extra funds, he said in a series of Twitter statements since last week.

Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican who sponsored the House version of SB 4C, told reporters last week that claims, such as local taxpayers paying an extra $1,000 a year because of the bill, are knee-jerk reactions to changing a system that needed to be overhauled.

Taxpayers could end up saving money because youve got duplicative services that are being provided by this special district that are already being provided by the counties, he said on Fox News Saturday.

Randolph also said the counties would also absorb between $1 billion and $1.7 billion in RCID bond debt. Under Florida statute, those liabilities are transferred to local governments. In this case, thats the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, and Orange and Osceola counties.

Fine said that the state, local governments, and Reedy Creek will figure out a way to pay for services without penalizing local taxpayers, and tap into the resorts property taxes to pay down bond debt. Disney is Floridas largest property taxpayer, paying $280 million in taxes between 2015-20.

On April 22, Fitch Ratings placed RCID debt obligations on its watch list for possible downgrades for $766 million in outstanding ad Valorem tax bonds and $79 million in outstanding utilities bonds.

The move reflects the lack of clarity regarding the allocation of the RCIDs assets and liabilities, including the administration of revenues pledged to approximately $1 billion in outstanding debt, following the dissolution of RCID or its re-ratification on or after June 1, 2023, the rating agency said.

Big Jump For Property Taxes

If transferred as now configured, Randolph said, Orange County taxpayers could inherit up to $58 million annually in bond debt payments.

So Orange County would take on $163 million per year, Randolph said. If Reedy Creek is dissolved, my guess would be Orange County would have to raise property taxes 15 to 20 percent.

The county could create a municipal services benefit unit (MSBU) to recapture Disney revenues and a new special tax district of its own to address the bond debt, he said, but tax rates would be capped below that of RCIDs, meaning local taxpayers could be saddled with bond debt and less revenue to pay it off.

Disney World was silent through mid-day on April 25 and the RCID board reserved, issuing a statement on April 22 that said it expects to explore its options while continuing its present operations and pledged to fulfil the terms of any agreement made with the holders of any bonds or other obligations of the district.

If we had to take over the first response and public safety components for Reedy Creek with no new revenue, that would be catastrophic for our budget in Orange County. It would put an undue burden on the rest of the taxpayers in Orange County to fill that gap, Mayor Jerry Demings, a Democrat, told reporters last week.

Osceola County said it is evaluation the situation.

Osceola County Government will begin an analysis to understand the impacts in preparation for this going into effect, including evaluating any shifts in cost to Osceola as a result, it said in a statement.

As Disney and Reedy Creek have been self-contained, we are uncertain of what fiscal responsibilities will be encumbered after June 2023.

Demings said the bill was adopted too quickly to ferret through the fallout.

Questions on Rushed Process

I believe [lawmakers] have not adequately contemplated the ramifications of what they have proposed at this point, Demings said. Its obvious this is political retribution that is at play here.

Orange and Osceola counties, once red, now lean Democratic in registered voters. According to elections supervisor offices, 42.3 percent of Orange County voters are registered as Democrats and 25 percent as Republicans. In Osceola, 40.2 percent of voters are registered as Democrats and 23.2 percent as Republicans.

SB 4Cs fiscal impact statement reflects legislative analysts uncertainty of RCIDs dissolution.

The bill will have an indeterminate fiscal impact on residents and businesses currently served by a special district dissolved by the bill. Such residents and businesses may experience a change in services previously provided by the special district and related assessments and taxes imposed, it states.

In its government sector impact, the analysis maintains, The bill will have an indeterminate fiscal impact on those local general-purpose governments that will assume the assets and indebtedness of an independent special district dissolved by the bill.

The Florida Association of Special Districts (FASD) also questioned the rushed process in which the bill was passed.

There is little understanding of the full impact these districts could face, as well as the state of Florida, FASD executive director David Ramba said in a statement. We do, however, appreciate the 14-month period before the impact of [the bill] takes effect so we can fully investigate what this would mean to the six districts.

We will work diligently with the legislature and executive branch on the essential roles these districts play in their separate communities.

According to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), there are 1,844 special districts in the state. There were 132 special districts adopted before state ratified its new Constitution in 1968, Fine said.

All were required to be re-certified. RCID was among the six that failed to do so and thus warranted the scrutiny, he said.

The fallout from the bill isnt restricted to speculating about its financial impact.

From March 28, the day Disney issued its statement against HB 1557, through April 22, Disneys share price of $136.90 had fallen to $118.27 by April 22, a devaluation of about $33.9 billion with a market capitalization of $215.3 billion.
Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers speaks to the media during a press conference on day eight of the 2022 federal election campaign, in Brisbane, Australia, on April 18, 2022. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

Earn Trust and Friendship of Pacific Neighbours Through Climate Change Policy: Australian Labor Party

Australia needs to be a credible partner on climate change to rebuild its relationship with Pacific neighbours, including the Solomon Islands, the centre-left opposition spokesperson for Treasury Jim Chalmers said.

Chalmers listed climate change, foreign aid responsibilities, and defence investment management as important factors Australia needs to work on to earn the trust and friendship of Pacific nations.

We need to rebuild those relationships. We rebuild those relationships by being  a credible partner on climate change, having a credible climate change policy, and we do, he told ABC on Sunday.

The centre-left Labor party said the Solomon Islands signing the security pact with Beijing was the Morrison governments greatest foreign policy failure since World War II.

This is the consequence of a government which has cut foreign aid spending. Theyve mocked our Pacific friends when it comes to climate change, and theyve dropped the ball when it comes to our national security, and thats what were seeing now, Chalmers said.

The shadow treasurer said the countrys 215 biggest emitting entities would be required to reduce emissions consistent with net-zero by 2050 under its safeguards mechanism plan. Those who fail to meet the targets will either be forced to reduce emissions or purchase carbon credits.

Well, the assumptions in our modelling are identical to the assumptions in the governments policy, which is that the current cost of carbon abatement is something like $24 (US$17) a tonne, Chalmers said.

New coal mines would also have a future as long as the world had an appetite for the resource, Chalmers said, noting that their energy mix would change over time.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce speaks to the media during a visit to Rockhampton in Queensland, Australia, on March 23, 2022. (AAP Image/Phat Nguyen)

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said the Coalition party would not use the word transition because that meant unemployment in regional areas that rely on coal.

Transition to what? There is no other industry here, he told ABC. But were investing billions of dollars for hydrogen.

What that allows them to do is to see  there is the other job at the same pay and same conditions.

The Coalition plans to invest more than $22 billion (US$16 billion) in low emissions technology over the decade while preserving existing industries and jobs.

[Our plan] will not shut down coal or gas production or require displacement of productive agricultural land, Energy Minister Angus Taylor said in 2021.

Lucas Dow, the CEO of Indian mining company Adani Australia, criticised the political parties for their mixed messaging and said the coal industry and its reliant communities deserved to know if the parties truly supported the sector or not.

When Im out and about in regional Queensland, people tell me over and over that they are sick to death of politicians saying one thing about coal in the regions and another in the city, Dow said, according to the Courier Mail.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell delivers a speech on the situation in Afghanistan during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Sept. 14, 2021. (Julien Warnand/Pool via Reuters)

EU Official Says No Unified Position Reached on Russian Energy Embargo

The European Unions foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has said that insufficient support from the blocs member states means a complete embargo or punitive tariff on Russian oil and gas imports cant yet be levied.

At the moment, we in the EU do not have a unified position on this question, Borrell was quoted as saying by the German newspaper Die Welt on April 25. A final proposal for an embargo on oil and gas is not yet on the table.

Borrells comment comes as some EU countries, including Poland and Lithuania, are pushing for a sixth round of sanctions against Russian oil imports in response to Moscows invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Those sanctions, EU officials say, are designed to minimize damage to the economies of the 27 member states while preventing the Kremlin from benefiting from lucrative income derived from energy exports, which serve as the Kremlins main source of foreign currency.

Some experts believe those energy payments are effectively being used to finance and bolster Russian President Vladimir Putins special military operation in Ukraine.

We are working on a sixth sanctions package and one of the issues we are considering is some form of an oil embargo, European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis told The Times of London. When we are imposing sanctions, we need to do so in a way that maximizes pressure on Russia while minimizing collateral damage on ourselves.

Specific details regarding the oil sanctions havent yet been agreed upon by EU members, but could potentially see a gradual phasing out of Russian oil or tariffs imposed on exports beyond a certain price cap, according to The Times of London.

Russia is also one of the worlds largest producers of oil and natural gas, accounting for 17 percent of the worlds natural gas and 12 percent of its oil.

Its also Europes biggest oil supplier, providing slightly more than a quarter, or 26 percent, of EU oil imports in 2020, according to data from the blocs statistics office Eurostat.

Despite the string of sanctions imposed by Western nations on Russia in recent months, Russia is expected to earn nearly $321 billion from energy exports in 2022, an increase of more than a third from 2021, Bloomberg News reported.

But while some EU states welcome a ban on Russian oil and gas, others, such as Germanywhere energy prices have surged nearly 40 percentare opposed to an immediate oil embargo, fearing the economic consequences it may have on the country, given that it currently purchases about 25 percent of its oil and 40 percent of its gas from Russia.

Borrell noted on April 25 that all EU states are working to become less dependent on Russian oil and gas in light of recent events and that he believes member states will eventually be able to do so, although a clear timeline isnt in sight.

At some point, it will happen and then Russia will feel painfully that the revenues from the oil and gas business are being lost, Borrell said.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray during a press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington on Sept. 22, 2020. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

FBI Director Issues Warning as Police Officers Murdered at Unprecedented Rate

FBI Director Christopher Wray has issued a warning about the increasing rate of murders of police officers in recent months, saying the trend is outpacing violent crime nationwide.

Wray told CBS News 60 Minutes on April 24 that murders of police officers rose about 59 percent in 2021 over the previous year, while the total murder rate rose about 29 percent from 2020. Seventy-three officers were killed last year, he said.

Violence against law enforcement in this country is one of the biggest phenomena that I think doesnt get enough attention, Wray said in the interview, noting that officers across the United States are being killed at a rate of almost one every five days.

Some of it is tied to the violent crime problem as a whole, he said. But one of the phenomena that we saw in the last year is that an alarming percentage of the 73 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty last year were killed through things like being ambushed or shot while out on patrol.  Wearing the badge shouldnt make you a target.

Some critics have said the spike in police killings coincides with a general anti-police animus that was fomented during the nationwide riots in the summer of 2020. As Black Lives Matter demonstrations turned into riots and arson attacks, protesters would often chant anti-police slogans. Meanwhile, some police groups and unions have said that bail reform policies have allowed violent offenders to be released back on the street at a quicker pace.

Earlier this month, the National Fraternal Order of Police group said that shootings of police officers have increased this year by about 43 percent compared with 2021. As of April 1, some 101 officers have been shot, the group said.

Thousands of New York police officers took over Fifth Ave. near St. Patricks Cathedral for the funeral of officer Wilbert Mora, who was fatally shot in the line of duty, in New York on Feb. 2, 2022. (Richard Moore/The Epoch Times)

We are in the midst of a real crisis. The violence directed at law enforcement officers is unlike anything Ive seen in my 36 years of law enforcement, the groups president, Patrick Yoes, said in a statement released earlier this month. Last year was one of the most dangerous years for law enforcement, with more officers shot in the line of duty since the National Fraternal Order of Police began recording this data.

Meanwhile, a South Carolina police officer was shot and killed as he responded to an April 24 domestic disturbance in Cayce, officials said.

Officer Roy Andrew Drew Barr, 28, responded at around 2:48 a.m. and spoke to a man who was standing in the front yard of a residence. As he spoke with the man, someone from inside the home opened fire, killing Barr. The man who shot the officer barricaded himself in the home and was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Cayce Police Department officials said at a news conference.
FDA Gives 1st Full Approval to COVID-19 Treatment for Children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 25 expanded approval of the first COVID-19 treatment for very young children.

The agency took two actions to expand the use of Veklury, or remdesivir, to include pediatric patients who are 28 days and older, weigh at least 7 pounds, and have tested positive for COVID-19. The FDA approval is applicable to children who are hospitalized or have mild-to-moderate COVID-19 symptoms and are also at high risk of severe COVID-19.

It means Veklury is the first fully approved COVID-19 treatment for pediatric patients who are under the age of 12.

Before the decision, Veklury, made by Gilead Sciences, was only fully approved to treat certain adults and patients aged 12 and older who weigh at least 88 pounds with COVID-19, the agency said. The move also comes months after the FDA expanded the drugs emergency use authorization to include children below 12 years of age weighing at least 7 pounds.

As COVID-19 can cause severe illness in children, some of whom do not currently have a vaccination option, there continues to be a need for safe and effective COVID-19 treatment options for this population, said Patrizia Cavazzoni, who heads the FDAs Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Todays approval of the first COVID-19 therapeutic for this population demonstrates the agencys commitment to that need.

The agency wrote that expanding Veklurys usage for certain pediatric patients was backed by several phase 3 clinical trials in adults. It also cited a clinical study of 53 pediatric patients who are at least 28 days old and weigh at least 7 pounds, or 3 kilograms, with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and mild, moderate or severe COVID-19, according to the FDA.

Patients in this pediatric phase 2/3 trial received Veklury for up to 10 days. The safety and pharmacokinetic results from the phase 2/3 study in pediatric subjects were similar to those in adults, it said.

Potential remdesivir side effects include increased liver enzyme levels, which may be a sign of hepatotoxicityor liver injury, as well as various allergic reactions such as blood pressure changes, low blood oxygen levels, shortness of breath, fever, swelling, sweating, shivering, or nausea.

Remdesivir has drawn criticism from some experts because of its cost and studies indicating it has little to no effect on COVID-19, although other research has suggested it does help COVID-19 patients, at least in some settings. The drug also has serious side effects, including kidney failure. The World Health Organization (WHO) currently recommends against its use in hospitalized patients.

Meanwhile, as early as November 2020, the WHO recommended against the use of remdesivir for COVID-19.

There is a conditional recommendation against the use of remdesivir. This means that there isnt enough evidence to support its use, the WHO said at the time.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
Liberal MP Gladys Liu in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Nov. 25, 2019. (Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)

Federal Opposition Defends Political Attack Ads Called Racist By Treasurer

The federal opposition of Australia is standing by a political attack ad targeting centre-right Coalition MP Gladys Liu amid campaigning for the marginal electorate of Chisholm in Melbourne.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg have criticised the campaign claiming it is racistit comes as Australia-China relations and defence continue to feature heavily in the countrys political discourse in the lead-up to the election.

The ad, which is running on social media, includes an image of the Hong Kong-born Gladys Liu and has been designed to throw the MPs national security credentials into the spotlight.

What do we know about Liberal Gladys Liu? one line reads.

She spread fake news on Chinese messaging apps, she and the Liberal Party had to give back $300,000 because the donors were deemed a national security risk and her campaign tried to trick voters with election day signage in the colours of the Australian Electoral Commission.

We need someone who represents Chisholm with hard work and integrity, not tricks. You deserve better than Scott Morrison and Gladys Liu.

Centre-left Labor Party Senator Penny Wong, the shadow foreign affairs minister, defended the advert.

A number of these issues were raised a few years ago in the Parliament, and I can remember my then counterpart, Senator (Mathias) Cormann, accusing me and others of attacking Ms. Liu because of her ethnic heritage, which is not the case, she told reporters on April 24.

There were questions that she should have answered then, and its legitimate for those to be answered.

The ads are referring to a 2019 news story that found the Liberal Party had to return $300,000 of donations from guests attending a 2015 Liu fundraiser after the prime ministers office was briefed that they were security risks.

Coalition Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was scathing in his response to the ad calling it a desperate, dishonest, racist attack on Liu.

She is a proud Australian citizen, and this racist attack ad by the Labor Party has no place in our community, he told reporters in Melbourne.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, was equally strong in his criticism.

They go after Gladys Liu because shes Chinese, he told reporters in Alice Springs. Theyre engaged in what I think is a sewer tactic here.

The ramp-up in the targeted attack ads comes as both the Labor Party and Coalition work to secure the marginal seat of Chisholm, which includes one of the largest Mandarin-speaking populations in Victoria.

The Coalition holds the seat by a razor-thin margin of 1.14 percent after preference flows and is one of the few electorates in Melbourne that the incumbent government has a good chance of winning.

The ad campaign also comes after the Coalition has spent months targeting the Labor Partys credentials on defence and China relations.

Just one week earlier, revelations again emerged regarding deputy Labor leader Richard Marles and his stance on Beijing.

The Australian newspaper unearthed a mini-book authored by Marles, where he advocated for the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) involvement in the South Pacific region.

Australia has no right to expect a set of exclusive relationships with Pacific nations, he wrote in Tides that Bind: Australia in the Pacific.

They (Pacific island nations) are perfectly free to engage on whatever terms they choose with China or, for that matter, any other country, he wrote.

Beijing has recently concluded a security deal with the Solomon Islands government that will allow the Chinese regimewith the consent of the Solomonsto dispatch police, troops, weapons, and even naval ships to protect the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects in the Solomon Islands, based on leaked pages from the document.

Experts have warned the deal could open the door for the rapid militarization of the region and extend the reach of the Peoples Liberation Army from the South China Sea to the South Pacifica strategically critical position just 1,700 kilometres (1,050 miles) from the northern Australian city of Cairns.
Police, including riot control officers and an armoured vehicle, take action to clear away Freedom Convoy protesters from downtown Ottawa on Feb. 19, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang)

Ottawa Launches Inquiry Into Use of Emergencies Act to Clear Convoy Protests

The Liberal government has officially launched an independent public inquiry into its use of the Emergencies Act to remove Freedom Convoy demonstrators in Ottawa earlier this year.

In a news release issued on April 25, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the creation of the Public Order Emergency Commission, which will look into the circumstances that led to the Emergencies Act being invoked.

Ontario Appeal Court Justice Paul S. Rouleau has been named commissioner of the inquiry and must provide a final report to the federal government by Feb. 20, 2023.

Rouleau was first appointed as an Ontario Superior Court justice in 2002 and joined the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2005. He was also appointed Deputy Judge in the Supreme Court of Yukon in 2014, and of the Nunavut Court of Justice and the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories in 2017.

In the coming days and weeks, I will be working to establish the Public Order Emergency Commission and will be offering more information on the functioning of the Commission in the near future, he said in an April 25 statement.

I am committed to ensuring that the process is as open and transparent as possible, recognizing the tight timelines for reporting imposed by the Emergencies Act.

Trudeau said the commissioner will look into the circumstances that surrounded the Emergencies Act being invoked and make recommendations to prevent these events from happening again.

Trudeau invoked the act for the first time since its creation on Feb. 14, amid nationwide protests against COVID-19 mandates and restrictions. The act gave police extraordinary powers to remove protesters at Ottawas downtown core and at several border blockades, where protesters had already largely cleared out by the time the act was invoked.

The protesters, many of whom remained in Ottawa for some three weeks were met with police wielding batons and pepper spray. At one stage, mounted police charged into the crowd and knocked protestors down, including a woman who was injured as a result and ended up in hospital.

Additional powers granted under the act also allowed the federal government to freeze protesters and supporters bank accounts without a court order. Following the clearing of protesters in Ottawa, the government revoked the act on Feb. 23.

Soon after Trudeau invoked the act, premiers from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Quebec expressed their opposition to the measure, while three Maritime premiers said the move was unnecessary. At least two constitutional rights and civil liberties groups have also filed legal challenges against the federal governments use of the act.

The Liberal government gained the support of the NDP in its invocation of the act, while Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois opposed the move.

In March, a special joint committee of seven MPs and four senators was established to begin reviewing the use of the Act. That committee is set to meet again on April 26.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
A mounted police unit lines up behind public order units on foot to clear protesters in Ottawa on Feb. 18, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

Feds to Cover $35M Policing Costs Incurred During Freedom Convoy Protests

The federal government will cover policing costs incurred during the Freedom Convoy protest earlier this year, the Ottawa Police Service says.

The cost of the police response to the three-week-long protests in downtown Ottawa is estimated at $35 million, with additional costs still being realized, according to a financial status report for the Ottawa Police Service Board submitted on April 25.

The report says the OPS has been informed by the federal government that it will receive additional funding through its National Capital Extraordinary Policing Costs program to offset all costs incurred by the OPS due to the demonstrations.

The protest began in opposition to the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for truck drivers crossing back into Canada from the United States. As massive convoys of trucks arrived at the nations capital on Jan. 29, it spurred a national movement of supporters calling for an end to all pandemic-related restrictions and inspired similar protests worldwide.

In response to the protests, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared a state of emergency and invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, which gave police extraordinary powers to remove the protesters from Ottawas downtown core. These additional powers also allowed the federal government to freeze protesters and supporters bank accounts without a court order, as well as to compel towing companies to remove the protesters trucks and support vehicles parked in the city.

Trudeau revoked the act on February 23.

On April 25, the federal government officially launched a public inquiry into its use of the Emergencies Act, as is required by law within 60 days of the emergency declaration being cancelled.

Additional Policing for Events

The OPS said lessons learned from the Freedom Convoy protests are already being acted upon, which includes additional proactive policing and surge capacity measures implemented around events such as St. Patricks Day festivities last month.

This increased planning and surge capacity posture will be required on a go-forward basis for events and demonstrations within the City of Ottawa, the report says, adding that increased costs due to the events may also be recoverable from the National Capital Extraordinary Policing Costs program.

In a separate report for the OPS Board meeting on April 25, the police said more events and demonstrations are expected to ramp up in the spring and summer. The report said the OPS will take a more robust approach to police deployments in preparation for the 100 known events planned for Ottawa this year.

The OPS is building out its Special Events team to have the capacity to meet the workload demand and support its ability to plan and manage events and demonstrations, the report says.
Florida Bride, Caterer Arrested after Serving Pot-Laced Food to Wedding Guests

PUNTA GORDA, Fla.  A Florida bride and her caterer have been arrested on charges of serving marijuana-laced food to unsuspecting wedding guests in February.

Danya Glenny, a 42-year-old Longwood, Fla. resident was arrested on April 18 along with a 31-year-old wedding caterer, Joycelyn Montrinice Bryant, owner of Jocelyns Southern Kitchen, for tampering, culpable negligence, and delivery of marijuana, according to police reports.

After a two-month-long investigation, authorities determined that Glenny had schemed with the caterer Bryant to put cannabis in the wedding guests food.

Seminole County Sheriffs office released to The Epoch Times body cam video of the exchange between the newlywed couple and deputies at the scene.

The video shows the exchange between law enforcement, guests, and the wedding couple. The groom was heard saying that some of the guests were known to personally use marijuana. Officers, however, told him it is illegal to knowingly put drugs into the food of unsuspecting guests.

If people have their own personal [weed] and [are] ingesting it, thats one thing, but if somebody put it in the food for everybody, including minors or whatever the case might be, thats where the problem kind of lies, the Seminole County deputy is heard telling the couple.

The February 19 event took place in Longwood, an Orlando suburb. According to reports, after the nuptials dinner was served to approximately 30 to 40 guests, some began complaining of their hearts racing while others complained of dizziness and nausea. Some were taken to local hospitals for treatment.

Edible cannabis products are displayed at Essence Vegas Cannabis Dispensary before the midnight start of recreational marijuana sales in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 30, 2017. The next day, Nevada joined seven other states allowing recreational marijuana. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Police were contacted and glassware and food were collected from the reception to be tested. Detectives said they found items served to guests such as beer, lasagna, and pudding shot desserts all tested positive for THC.

I thought I was having a heart attack. My heart was racing and before I went to bed that night, I actually slept in my car right on-site, Miranda Cady, a guest at the wedding told reporters.

We want an explanation, she said.

An affidavit filed in Seminole County said deputies responded to a medical call for assistance on Feb. 19 at a wedding reception in Longwood. The affidavit said several guests told first responders that they were experiencing stomach pains, and one 40-year-old man asked to be taken to an area hospital because he was feeling weird. Another guest reported feeling high, while still another man said he called Uber to take him to the hospital, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit went on to say that deputies approached the bride and groom and asked them if cannabis was put into the wedding food to which the groom, Andrew Svoboda replied, no, with a blank look on his face. The bride, Glenny, also denied that tampered food had been served to the wedding guests.

The caterer, Bryant, had already left the premises with her workers, the affidavit stated.

Deputies took several plates of discarded food for testing, as well as glassware. At the scene on Feb. 19, a piece of bread and lasagna tested positive for THC, the affidavit said.

Glenny Svoboda will appear in court on June 7, according to court records.

Both women turned themselves in on April 18 but have since posted bond.
Guests wear masks as required to attend the official reopening day of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla, on, July 11, 2020. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

Florida Senator Warns Disney: Dont Engage in All These Social Fights

A Florida senator said that Disney should avoid getting involved in the states politics, namely on social issues, after the company criticized a parental rights bill backed by Republicans and Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Our kindergartners shouldnt be taught about sex in school. So why Disney wants to go engage in some social issue, it doesnt make any sense to me, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) told Fox Business over the past weekend. In a company that is relying on a special tax status, that doesnt make any sense.

I dont understand why Disney would be doing what its doing. Im a business guy. You would not go engage in social issues like this if you want to keep all your customers, but Id say the same thing about Coke and Delta when they lied about the election security laws in Georgia, Scott continued.

Scott then encouraged Disney to take care of your customers and treat your employees with respect. Figure out how to be a better company. Dont engage in all these social fights.

Late last week, DeSantis signed a Florida legislature-passed bill that revoked Disneys 55-year special status within the state that provides the corporation a significant tax break while allowing it to self-govern a 25,000-acre area near Orlando.

It came weeks after Disney CEO Bob Chapek criticized a bill that prohibits teachers from instructing young children on sexual orientation and gender. The company then said it would work to try to rescind the parental rights bill, which drew condemnation from DeSantis and other Republicans.

I truly believe we are an infinitely better and stronger company because of our LGBTQ+ community, Chapek said in a statement in reference to the law several weeks ago. I missed the mark in this case but am an ally you can count onand I will be an outspoken champion for the protection, visibility, and opportunity you deserve.

Disney said the parental rights bill should never have passed and should never have been signed into law, as the firm said it has a goal to get the law struck down or repealed.

But DeSantis said that he will resist the multinational corporations attempts to influence his decision-making.

I was very clear about saying, You aint influencing me. Im standing strong right here, DeSantis said on Friday, making a reference to Chapeks statement that Disney would work to repeal the bill. So it doesnt matter.

Incredibly, they say, We are going to work to repeal parents rights in Florida, he said in reference to Disneys corporate leadership. And Im just thinking to myself, Youre a corporation based in Burbank, California, and youre going to marshal your economic might to attack the parents of my state. We view that as a provocation, and were going to fight back against that.

The Epoch Times has contacted Disney for comment.
Police activity outside a house where three women and a man were stabbed to death, in Bermondsey, southeast London, on April 25, 2022. (Kirsty OConnor/PA Media)

Four Killed in Devastating London Stabbing Attack

Three women and a man have been killed in a devastating stabbing attack at a house in southeast London.

The victims were all pronounced dead at the scene in Delaford Road, Bermondsey, in the early hours of Monday.

A man in his late 20s, who was known to them, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody.

Venecia Reid, the niece of one of the women who died, told reporters at the scene: She was very loving, very kind, very generous.

She worked very hard in this country to support her two girls and her two grandkids.

She does not deserve this.

The three women who died were aged in their mid-60s, 40s, and 30s, and the man was in his mid-60s.

Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove, who is the commander for the borough of Southwark, said: I want to offer my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of all those concerned.

This is a deeply shocking incident and we will do everything we can to provide support to everyone affected at this difficult time.

Such terrible events are rare. But this will not diminish the shock that we felt across London and beyond.

And I can assure you this investigation will be thorough to ensure justice for the victims and their families and the community.

Police forensic tents outside a house where three women and a man were stabbed to death, in Bermondsey, southeast London, on April 25, 2022. (Kirsty OConnor/PA Media)

Anne Birkett, 60, whose back bedroom looks on to the property where the victims were found, said she was woken by police sirens and a circling helicopter just before 2 a.m.

Birkett told the PA news agency: Its devastatingyou hear all of this but you never assume its going to be right on your own doorstep.

Im a foster carer and Ive got children in my care, and now Ive got to protect them now because of whats happened.

A resident of the adjacent road, Bramcote Grove, who did not want to be named, said he was woken at around 2 a.m. by police sirens and a helicopter and was kept up until 6 a.m. by the commotion.

When I saw four ambulancesnot one, not two, but fourI knew it was serious, he said.

Part of the residential street was closed off with metal hoarding and a number of forensic tents had been put up as police carried out their investigations on Monday.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: I am heartbroken that three women and a man were killed last night in a devastating incident at an address in Southwark.

My thoughts are with the family and friends of those who have lost loved ones in this awful crime.

I am in contact with the leadership of the Metropolitan Police.

An investigation is underway and one man has been arrested. I urge anyone who has information that could be relevant to contact the police immediately.

Local MP Harriet Harman described the killings as a terrible tragedy, telling reporters at the scene: Tragically, four people have been killed and that is shocking to happen anywhere but especially in this very peaceful, quiet, very settled community here.

The police have arrested someone but its really important still that people give informationany information theyve gotto the police so that whoever committed this horrific crime can be brought to justice.

Its a terrible tragedy and our thoughts are with the family and friends of those whove tragically had their lives cut short.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to reports of a disturbance at around 1:40 a.m., and when they forced entry to the house they found four people with fatal stab injuries.

A spokeswoman for London Ambulance Service said: We were called at 02:07 a.m. today to reports of an incident on Delaford Road, Bermondsey.

We sent three ambulance crews, two fast response units, two incident response officers, two advanced paramedics, and a team leader to the scene.

Our team worked closely with colleagues from other emergency services.

Sadly, despite the best efforts of our medics, four patients died at the scene.
A view of the campus of Harvard Business School in Boston, Mass., on July 8, 2020. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Harvard Hosts Chinese Communist Officials in Student-Run Conference

A student-run body at Harvard University recently hosted a Chinese diplomat who has previously denied claims of genocide in Xinjiang and described the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as a great Party.

Huang Ping, consul general of the Chinese consulate in New York, told attendees of the annual Harvard College China Forum on April 16 that China is embarking on a new journey to build a great modern socialist country.

Over the past 100 years, the [CCP] has united and led the Chinese people to achieve world-renowned achievements in developing our country and improving peoples lives, he said during the opening ceremony.

As Huang spoke, millions in Shanghai and other parts of China were under lockdown, with many denied basic needs and suffering food shortages.

Huang previously called allegations of genocide committed against the Uyghur ethnic minority in Xinjiang lies that are fabricated by some people with their own political agenda.

So, as I said, theres no genocide, not a single evidence to prove that theres a genocide or something there. Its just slandering, he said in an interview with SupChina in 2021.

Huangs denial is in line with the CCPs propaganda in relation to Xinjiang, a far west region where Beijing has detained over 1 million Uyghurs and other ethnic Muslim minorities, where they are subjected to torture, forced labor, and political indoctrination. Those not in detention have faced forced sterilization and are under near-constant monitoring under the regimes expansive surveillance apparatus.

The U.S. government, several Western parliaments, and an independent tribunal have recognized the CCPs actions in Xinjiang as a genocide and crimes against humanity.

Huang, in the same interview, said, The Communist Party, I think its a great Party.

Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Qin Gang was another speaker at Harvards China Forum.

Huangs speech at Harvard came days after Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) slammed two dozen U.S. universities for entering into contracts valued at $120 million with China-based entities, including the Chinese regime.

The Chinese Communist Party is exploiting our education and research institutions to steal our secrets and gain influence, Rubio told The Epoch Times in an email. This is all part of Beijings plan to overtake the United States as the worlds most powerful nation.

A Department of Education (DOE) database tallies Harvards contracts with China-based entities at $6.1 million from January to July 2021, and $26.8 million in 2020.

The database also showed gifts from China-based entities to Harvard valued at $6.8 million between January and July 2021, and $30 million in 2020.

These donations were revealed in part by a 2020 investigation by the DOE under the Trump administration, which prompted U.S. colleges to report $6.5 billion in gifts and contracts from foreign countries.

Our investigations have identified facts suggesting institutions vigorously pursue foreign money, on the one hand, but provide generally ineffective or nonexistent oversight of foreign source activities, whether on U.S. campuses or on branded foreign campuses, on the other, the DOE report said.

This raises disturbing national security questions, among other issues.
Ted and Sara Salas attend Shen Yun Performing Arts at the McAllen Arts Center, in Texas, on April 23, 2022. (Yawen Hung/The Epoch Times)

McALLEN, TexasSara Salas, who works in accounts payable for the Diocese of Brownsville, and her husband Ted, an accountant for the federal government, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the McAllen Arts Center on April 23.

Sara said she enjoyed everything, especially the flowers, and Ted agreed.

Ted said that he and Sara rarely go to the theater, but it was worth it.

Everythings beautiful, just mesmerizing: the visuals, everything.

The Plum Blossoms in Spring dance touched Ted deeply.

Just seeing the colors and the way they maneuvered the flowers to make them bloom, he said of the dancers.

Ted noted the positive messages presented by Shen Yun from Chinas rich cultural history.

Its good for the soul; it heals. During these times that were going through, we need something like this, he said.

Sara appreciated Shen Yuns mission to revive the traditional culture of China that has been destroyed by communism.

She said the performance reminded her why she needs to go to church. Because were so blessed and very privileged that we can go, she said. Our freedom is just unbelievable. [In] China, some people really would give their lives not to be held back.

She felt happy for the freedom she enjoys in America. We tend to forget because we are very blessed to have that liberty here in the United States.

Ted concurred: I mean, we take for granted the freedom that we have to worship, however, we want to worship. And this reminds us how, not just China, but many countries around the world right now dont have that freedom. Its good to open our eyes and make us not take things for granted. Enjoy every day that we have here.

Based in New York, Shen Yun is unique in that, in addition to presenting classical Chinese dance and music, much of the performance draws from Chinas rich spiritual heritage of 5,000 years. Up until the communist takeover, Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism formed the basis of Chinese life.

Triumph for the Human Spirit

Rene Decoss and family members attend Shen Yun Performing Arts at the McAllen Arts Center in Texas, on April 23, 2002. (The Epoch Times)

Attorney Rene Decoss and nurse-midwife Laurie Bertolini attended Shen Yun Performing Arts for the second time on April 23.

Rene said she was emotional seeing all the stories, the choreography, and the music of Shen Yun.

Everything is wonderful. We cant wait for them to come back next year, she said.

Laurie loved the spiritual aspect of Chinese culture presented in the performance.

I love it. Spirit is very, very, very strong with every culture, but in Chinese culture, its so traditional, and its carried from one family member to the next, and through the generations. Its very impressive. I think its something that we all need to be in touch with.

She said she loved all the dances. I love them all. But, you know, the Falun Gong and, the Monkey [King]  I dont know them by name, but they were all very, very good.

Laurie said her son especially liked the Monkey King dance story. I think some interesting stories were told, and lessons learned, she said.

Laurie said the story of the persecution faced by the peaceful Chinese spiritual practice Falun Gong should be told.

It brings the spotlight [on] something that I think the whole world should be paying attention to because that is something that is still going on, she said. The attention span of people is very short, and with so many things happening around the world, we tend to overlook certain things that have not been corrected.

And where people are suffering, its very important to bring awareness, she said.

Laurie noted that the show gave her joy and a feeling of triumph for the human spirit.

Reporter Yawen Hung, Sonia Wu, and Yvonne Marcotte.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
The departure hall at Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi, India, on Nov. 5, 2014. (Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty Images)

India Suspends Tourist Visas for Chinese Nationals as China Refuses Entry of Indian Students

India has reportedly suspended tourist visas for Chinese nationals in what is seen as a retaliatory move against Beijings refusal to allow the return of thousands of Indian students, who have had to remain in India since 2020.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in an update issued on April 20 that tourist visas issued to nationals of China are no longer valid, local news outlet The Times of India reported.

However, India is still offering business, employment, diplomatic, and official visas to Chinese nationals, according to the outlet.

According to the IATA, India only allows the entry of nationals of Bhutan, Maldives, and Nepal; Indian residence permit holders, Indian visa or e-visa holders, overseas citizens of India cardholders, persons of Indian origin cardholders, and diplomatic passport holders.

The move comes after Beijing refused to allow the entry of more than 22,000 Indian students who have been unable to return for studies in China since the COVID-19 outbreak began in 2020.

While China has refused to allow the return of Indian students because of the pandemic, it has permitted two groups of Sri Lankan students to return for studies.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China has informed that the Chinese Embassy in Colombo has finalized two groups of students to return to China. Additional students are being processed to return to China, the Sri Lankan Embassy said on April 20, according to the Hindustan Times.

The Sri Lankan Embassy didnt specify how many students will be permitted to return to China, but stated that it would continue efforts to enable all students to resume their studies in China.

Indias External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said last month that the Chinese Foreign Ministry was exploring ways to allow international students to return to China. But he noted that China has not given any categorical response about the return of Indian students.

In March, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that he had discussed with his Chinese counterpart the issue of the return of Indian students and urged Beijing to adopt a congenial stance in facilitating their return to China, according to local reports.

I took up strongly the predicament of Indian students studying in China who have not been allowed to return, citing COVID-19 restrictions. We hope that China will take a non-discriminatory approach since it involves the future of so many young people, he said.

Jaishankar said that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi acknowledged Indias concerns about the situation and promised to discuss the matter with the relevant authorities. But Beijing provided no details about the timeline for the return of Indian students to China.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo (onscreen) delivers opening remarks at the opening of the G20 finance ministers meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Feb. 17, 2022. (Bay Ismoyo/AFP/Getty Images)

Indonesia to Seek Chinas Help to Cover Cost Overruns on Belt and Road High-Speed Rail Project

Indonesia will seek more financing from China to cover most of the $2 billion in cost overruns for the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project, which is part of Beijings Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure plan, local media reported, citing a project official.

The 88-mile (142-kilometer) rail project connecting Jakarta and Bandung was projected to cost roughly $4.57 billion when it was awarded to a consortium of Chinese and Indonesian state firmsnamely PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC)in 2015. But costs have since ballooned to about $7.9 billion because of escalating raw material prices and other unforeseen costs.

According to Indonesian news agency Tempo, Dwiyana Slamet Riyadi, president director of PT KCIC, said on April 21 that while consortium shareholders have the obligation to cover the cost blowout, additional parties may be necessary to assist in securing funding.

If PSBI [PT Pilar Sinergi BUMN Indonesia] and Beijing Yawan HSR have difficulties to finance the [extra spending], the two of them can seek help from funding institutions, Dwiyana said.

He said the Indonesian government had proposed in several meetings to use the same financing structure as their initial agreement, with the China Development Bank (CBD) covering 75 percent and the consortium covering 25 percent.

Certainly, the first to be offered is the CBD, the lender that has been financing 75 percent of our project, Dwiyana said.

The Indonesian consortium comprising four state-owned companiesincluding KAI, Wijaya Karya, PTPN VII, and Jasa Margaholds 60 percent of KCIC, while the remaining 40 percent is owned by a Chinese consortium of railway enterprises led by Beijing Yawan HSR.

The high-speed rail line faced bad news for investment return in January after Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced that the government would be relocating the nations capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan in 2024.

In February, Dwiyana estimated that it would now take 40 years instead of 20 years for the rail line to break even, with proposed ticket prices ranging from 150,000 rupiahs ($10) to 350,000 rupiahs ($24)a price out of reach for many Indonesians.

He said the expected demand for the railway has dropped to just 31,215 passengers per day from a previous estimate of 61,157 because of the capital moving out of Jakarta.

Looking at the investment value, the number of passengers, and ticket prices, its very difficult to follow the earlier feasibility study where the assumption of a return on investment will occur within 20 years, Dwiyana said.

The project was launched in 2018 after nearly three years of delays over land ownership disputes and questions over its economic and environmental impact. Construction also ceased during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when restrictions affected the movement of Chinese laborers and managers.

KCIC said the construction progress had reached 80 percent as of the end of 2021, with targeted completion in June 2023.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Israel's centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid delivers a statement to the press at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on May 31, 2021. (Debbie Hill/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Israels Foreign Minister Accuses Hamas of Orchestrating Violence at Contested Holy Site

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid is accusing the terrorist group Hamas of having orchestrated recent unrest at Jerusalems most sensitive holy site following days of clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, also known as al-Haram al-Sharif, is regarded as the third-holiest site in Islam and an emotional symbol for the Palestinians.

However, given that it sits on a sprawling esplanade that Jews refer to as the Temple Mountthe holiest site in Judaismthe area has long been contested by Israelis and Palestinians, leading to numerous clashes.

Tensions over the area have been further heightened this month in part due to the Muslim month-long Ramadan festival, which coincides with the Jewish celebration of Passover, which creates an influx of Muslim and Jewish visitors to the compound.

In the past three weeks, there has been a dangerous effort underway in Jerusalem during Ramadan, Lapid told reporters on April 24. Terrorist organizations have been trying to hijack the Al-Aqsa mosque in order to create an outbreak of violence in Jerusalem and from there a violent conflict across the country.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad extremists burst into Al-Aqsa mosque in the early mornings, again and again. They brought weapons into the mosque. They threw rocks and explosives from within it and used it as a base to incite violent riots.

It is not Israel that endangered worshippersit is the terrorist organizations who endangered them.

While Jews are allowed to visit the compound under longstanding agreements, theyre banned from praying, although The Associated Press reported that an increasing number of Jewish extremists have begun to violate those rules in full view of Israeli police, leaving Palestinians fearing that its part of a wider Israeli plot to take over or divide the site.

Israeli security forces move in positions during clashes with Palestinian protesters at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalems Old City, on April 15, 2022. (Ammar Awad/Reuters)

A Palestinian woman reacts during scuffles with Israeli security force members amid Israeli-Palestinian tension as Israel marks Jerusalem Day, near Damascus Gate in Old City, Jerusalem, on May 10, 2021. (Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)

At least 57 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on April 22, in which Israeli police said hundreds of people hurled rocks and fireworks and drew close to the Western Wall while Jewish worship was underway.

Video footage shared on social media showed Israeli police allegedly using remote-controlled drones to drop tear gas on Palestinians inside the compound. Further images show groups of Palestinians waving Hamas flags and marching in protest at the site.

Lapid was responding to criticism that Israeli police used heavy-handed tactics to shut down the recent clashes at the site when he accused Hamas of being behind the unrest on April 21.

He also stated that Israel is committed to the status quo on the Temple Mount, while rejecting claims that Jewish extremists have violated the longstanding agreements regarding the ban on prayers.

Muslims pray on the Temple Mount, non-Muslims visit. There is no change. There will be no change, Lapid said.

We have no plans to divide the Temple Mount between religions. We call on Muslim moderates, on Muslim states, to act against this fake news, and to work together with us to ensure our common interest: preservation of the status quo and calming the situation.

He added that Israel has ensured that hundreds of thousands of Muslims are able to visit Temple Mount and pray at Al-Aqsa during Ramadan, despite provocations by terrorist organizations, while noting that a Hamas rally had taken place at the holy site over the weekend in which Hamas terrorists stood there and openly called for the murder of Jews.

That is Hamass prayeran anti-Semitic call for the slaughter of innocents, he said.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum blamed Israel for the violence, saying in a statement that the one who bears full responsibility for detonating the situation in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque is the occupation government.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Debate moderator and Fox News anchor Chris Wallace directs the first presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden at the Health Education Campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 29, 2020. (Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

Ive Been a Victim: Chris Wallace Unsure of Plans After CNN+ Collapse

Former Fox News host Chris Wallace said hes not sure of his plans after CNNs streaming service CNN+ collapsed and is scheduled to end after only a month amid reported dismal subscriber numbers.

Im in good shape, whether its CNN or someplace else. Frankly, what Im mostly concerned about right now, and very, is my team and hundreds of other people  that had jobs at CNN+, Wallace said Sunday during an event with Common Ground.

Wallace, who departed Fox News several months ago to join the CNN streaming platform, said that some of these individuals had left CNN to go to streaming. Some of them had left other places, moved across the country.

CNNs executives and its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, announced last week that CNN+ should be shut down at the end of April amid reports that it had a low subscriber base.

Wallace, the son of CBS reporter Mike Wallace, then claimed that the collapse of the platform is an interesting thing, and Ive been a victim of all of this in the last week. He didnt elaborate.

The idea was youve got to get a foothold in the streaming world because thats where the future of news off the mainstream networks is going to be. Now you have some equally smart people that have come in with a diametrically opposed view, these are the new bosses at CNN+ because of [the Warner Bros. Discovery merger] who have come to the conclusion that to have a narrow niche product like a news streaming service doesnt work, Wallace said.

When announcing the service would be scrapped, Discovery executive J.B. Perrette blamed a complex streaming market for the move. CNN+ was launched on March 29, meaning the platform only survived about one month.

We have very exciting opportunities ahead in the streaming space and CNN, one of the worlds premier reputational assets, will play an important role there, Perrette also said.

There were reports, citing unnamed sources, that fewer than 10,000 viewers were watching CNN+ at any given time despite a lengthy, expensive advertising campaign. A report from The Associated Press, meanwhile, said that $100 million was spent on the development costs for CNN+, and 500 employees were reassigned.

It also featured programming from food-media host Roman, former NPR host Audie Cornish, former NBC News host Kasie Hunt, left-wing writer Jemele Hill, and current CNN hosts Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer, Jake Tapper, Sara Sidner, and others. Some of the shows had not started.

After the announcement, a number of pundits wrote on social media that its not clear why CNN would try to launch a streaming video platform when a number of its cable news programs are lagging behind Fox News and MSNBC in terms of ratings.
Connecticut's U.S. Attorney John Durham in 2018. (U.S. Department of Justice via AP)

John Durham Issues Trial Subpoenas to Members of Clinton Campaign, DNC

Special counsel John Durham has issued trial subpoenas for Hillary Clintons 2016 campaign, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Fusion GPS, and Perkins Coie as he continues to prosecute his findings as special counsel, from which he charged cybersecurity lawyer Michael Sussmann, who in 2016 represented the Clinton campaign, with lying to the FBI.

Hillary Clintons 2016 campaign, the DNC, Washington-based private intelligence firm Fusion GPS, and law firm Perkins Coie, Sussmanns former employer, meanwhile, are trying to fend off Durhams efforts to compel them to hand over previously withheld documents.

The campaign and Sussmanns lawyers argue that attorney-client privilege should allow them to keep the records concealed.

Durham, who was tasked around March-May 2019 with reviewing the origins of the 2016-2017 FBI investigation of the now disproven TrumpRussia collusion narrative, says his investigation has led him to believe that the Clinton-allied groups played a coordinating role in pushing the false claims.

In May 2017, special counsel and former FBI head Robert Mueller ultimately found no Trump-Russia collusion to sway the 2016 election.

Earlier this month, Durham said that Fusion GPS was not primarily providing or supporting expertise relating to legal advice; instead, it appears that the investigative firms primary, if not sole, function was to generate opposition research materials that the firm then shared widely.

On April 23, Durham said of the groups, meeting to agree on the express goal of a joint venture is precisely what happened here, on more than one occasion.

The special counsel said that Tech Executive-1 Rodney Joffe, Originator-1 April Lorenzen of the information services firm Zetalytics, and other researchers started to discuss searching for and collecting derogatory internet data about the online activities of Donald Trump and his associates in June 2016.

Lorenzen assembled and shared initial purported data with Joffe, who, in turn, shared the data with Sussmann, Durham added.

The joint venture continued and crystallized early in August 2016, when Sussmann, Joffe, and agents of the Clinton Campaign met, Durham said, while citing an Aug. 12, 2016, meeting where Sussmann, Joffe, Marc Elias (former Perkins Coie partner), and the co-founder of Fusion gathered in Eliass office to discuss the same Russian Bank-1 allegations that the defendant would later bring to the FBI.

The parties agreed to conduct work in the hope that it would benefit the Clinton Campaign, namely, gathering and disseminating purportedly derogatory data regarding Trump and his associates internet activities, Durham wrote.

The evidence will show that as a result of these conversations and during this same time period, Tech Executive-1 did exactly that: he tasked employees from multiple Internet companies and a university working under a pending national security contract to mine and gather vast amounts of internet metadata in order to support an inference and narrative tying the candidate [Trump] to Russia.

Durham went on to add that Joffe continued the joint venture via an Aug. 17, 2016, call with Sussmann and Elias, an Aug. 19, 2016, meeting with Sussmann and Elias, and a Sept. 8, 2016, call and meeting with Sussmann.

All of these, Durham said, citing calendars he has viewed, were billed to the Clinton Campaign by the defendant.

Durham further stated that Joffe also requested the CEO of an internet company to mine and analyze huge amounts of internet traffic for derogatory information regarding Trump and his associates online communications and internet connections.

Joffe also sent the CEO of the internet company a list containing private information, such as email addresses, IP addresses, and physical addresses of multiple Trump associates, many of whom were being researched by Fusion, Durham said.

Joffe had made clear his desire to ensure that Perkins and the Clinton campaign would be happy with the information he had discovered, Durham added.

Sussman was indicted in September 2021 for lying to the FBI when he claimed he had information about an alleged secret communication channel between Trump and a Russian bank; claims which ultimately proved to be false.

Sussman allegedly told then-FBI General Counsel James Baker in October 2016, while making the claims of alleged communications, that he was not representing any client, while he, in fact, was billing the time to the Clinton campaign.

Following the subpoenas, lawyers for Sussman moved to prevent materials being admitted in the case with their argument that they are protected by attorney-client privilege. Theyve called Durhams subpoenas astonishing and legally inappropriate.

The Special Counsel continues to overreach: he seeks to admit evidence that the law squarely forbids, he seeks to prove unduly prejudicial allegations he has not charged, and he seeks to prove conduct that is utterly irrelevant to the one discrete crime he has charged, the lawyers said.

Durham disputes that.

He maintains that the goal of the joint venture could not have been more clear: it was to gather and disseminate derogatory non-public information regarding the internet activities of a political candidate and his associates, he wrote in a April 23 court filing.
Judge: FBI Agent Will Testify in Ex-Clinton Lawyer Case, but CIA Conclusions Largely Inadmissible

Testimony and conclusions from the FBI will be allowed in the upcoming trial of former Hillary Clinton campaign attorney Michael Sussmann, but the bulk of findings by the CIA will be barred, a federal judge ruled on April 25.

Sussmann is due to go on trial in May for allegedly lying about not representing a client when he passed on information to the FBI in 2016 about an alleged secret channel between Clinton rival Donald Trump and a Russian bank.

Because Sussmann isnt disputing conclusions that no such channel actually existed, prosecutors may not put forth extensive evidence about the accuracy of the data Mr. Sussmann provided to the FBI unless Mr. Sussmann does so first, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama appointee, said in his new order.

Prosecutors can present evidence reflecting the bureaus ultimate conclusions on the data, Cooper noted.

The FBI concluded that the allegations were untrue and unsupported, according to special counsel John Durhams office. The CIA, Durhams team recently revealed, concluded in early 2017 that the data wasnt technically plausible.

The evidence from the CIA cant be entered during the trial, at least for now, except to the extent that agencys findings and analysis had direct bearing on the course of the FBIs investigation, the judge said.

Prosecutors also cant bring in representatives of companies who maintained the servers that Sussmann claimed communicated with servers from Alfa-Bank, the Russian entity.

This evidence does not appear to be probative of why the FBI took the investigative steps it did, and is at a minimum unnecessarily duplicative of other, more direct evidence of the same, Cooper said.

He cited a 2013 district court ruling that stated that excluding evidence of limited probative value was warranted because the evidence was substantially outweighed by the distraction that might have resulted.

In another part of the order, the judge largely rejected the defenses attempts to not let FBI special agent David Martin testify on certain issues.

Attorneys for Sussmann told the court that the defendant was open to Martin helping the jury understand basic, uncontroversial issues, such as domain name system (DNS) data. But Sussmann objects to any expert testimony regarding the accuracy of the data or the accuracy of conclusions drawn from the data because such testimony is not relevant to the sole crime charged in this case.

Prosecutors in response said Martin couldnt only help the jury understand technical issues, but also the types of conclusions one can reach when reviewing DNS data and, if Sussmann brought it up, the accuracy of the data that Sussmann conveyed.

Martin can testify on three general topics, the judge said:

First, and most significantly, background information necessary to understand the relevant data, including the basic mechanics, architecture, and terminology of the kind of computer systems at issue; second, the type of conclusions that can be drawn from analyzing the kind of data Sussmann shared with the FBI; and third, the methods investigators would use to validate or further examine that data.

These topics are generally relevant to the theory of materiality the government plans to pursue in its case in chief, and expert testimony on those subjects will aid the jury in understanding the technical aspects of the case. The Court will reserve ruling on any objections to specific testimony until trial.

But unless certain circumstances arise, Martin cant testify on the accuracy of the data Sussmann conveyed, Cooper said.

The trial is set to start on May 16.
Judge Finds Trump in Contempt in Legal Fight With New York Attorney General

A New York judge on April 25 found former President Donald Trump in civil contempt for not proving he responded to a subpoena issued by the states attorney general.

New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to pay a fine of $10,000 per day.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat whose office is probing the Trump Organization, asked for the ruling, alleging Trump failed to comply with a subpoena issued in late 2021 and an order from Engoron earlier this year that found the subpoena valid and enforceable.

Trumps lawyers said that after a diligent search, they determined Trump did not possess any documents responsive to the subpoena. Potentially responsive materials, they said, were in the custody of the Trump Organization.

But Engoron said Trump and his lawyers hadnt shown that they had conducted a proper search for the records sought by the subpoena.

The filing by Trumps lawyers fails to identify what search methods were employed, where they were employed, by whom they were employed, and when such searches took place, he said in his order finding Trump in contempt. In short, the affidavit provided the court with no basis to find that a search had been a thorough one or that it had been conducted in a good faith effort to provide these necessary records.

Today, justice prevailed, James said in a statement after the ruling. For years, Donald Trump has tried to evade the law and stop our lawful investigation into him and his companys financial dealings. Todays ruling makes clear: No one is above the law.

Habbas told The Epoch Times in an email: We respectfully disagree with the courts decision. All documents responsive to the subpoena were produced to the attorney general months ago. The only issue raised by the attorney general at todays hearing was with an affidavit submitted which copied the form mandated by the attorney general. This does not even come close to meeting the standard on a motion for contempt and, thus, we intend to appeal.

Trump has said James, who ran for office vowing to investigate the Republican if she won, is selectively prosecuting him and his family.
Satellite image of more trenches dug into land outside Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 15, 2022. (Maxar Technologies via Reuters)

RussiaUkraine War (April 25): Mariupol Officials Say New Mass Grave Found

The latest on the RussiaUkraine crisis, April 25. Click here for updates from April 24.

Mariupol Officials Say New Mass Grave Found

Officials in the embattled Ukrainian city of Mariupol say a new mass grave has been identified north of the city.

Mayor Vadym Boychenko said authorities are trying to estimate the number of victims in the grave about 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) north of Mariupol.

Satellite photos released over the past several days have shown what appear to be images of other mass graves.

Mariupol has been decimated by fierce fighting over the past two months. The capture of the city would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

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4 Die, 9 Wounded From Russian Shelling of Kharkiv: Governor

Four people died and nine were wounded as a result of Russias shelling in the Kharkiv region on Monday, Oleh Synegubov, the regions governor told Ukraines public broadcaster.

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Kyiv Wants UN to Seek Mariupol Evacuation

Ukraines foreign minister on Monday urged the U.N. chief to press Russia for an evacuation of the besieged port of Mariupol, calling it something the world body is capable of achieving.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview he was concerned that by visiting Moscow on Tuesday before traveling to Kyiv, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres could be vulnerable to falling into a Kremlin trap in the war.

Kuleba said Guterres should focus primarily on one issue: evacuation of Mariupol.

An estimated 100,000 people are trapped in the seaside city while a contingent of Ukrainian fighters hold out against Russian forces in a steel mill where hundreds of civilians also are taking shelter.

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Russian Officer: Missile to Carry Several Hypersonic Weapons

A new Russian intercontinental ballistic missile is capable of carrying several hypersonic weapons, a senior Russian military officer said Sunday.

Col. Gen. Sergei Karakayev, the commander of the Russian militarys Strategic Missile Forces, said in televised remarks that the new Sarmat ICBM is designed to carry several Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles.

Russias Defense Ministry said the Sarmat was test-fired for the first time Wednesday from the Plesetsk launch facility in northern Russia and its practice warheads have successfully reached mock targets on the Kura firing range on the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.

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Bridget Brink Named as US Ambassador to Ukraine

President Joe Biden announced on Monday his nomination of Bridget Brink to serve as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

Brink, a career foreign service officer, has served since 2019 as ambassador to Slovakia. She previously held assignments in Serbia, Cyprus, Georgia, and Uzbekistan as well as with the White House National Security Council. The post requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

The announcement comes as American diplomats prepare to return to Ukraine this coming week, although the U.S. embassy in Kyiv will remain closed for now.

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US Wants to See Russian Military Weakened

The United States wants to see the Russian military weakened amid the invasion of Ukraine, said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday as he and Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with officials in Europe.

We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it cant do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine, Austin told reporters, according to a transcript.

His remarks on Monday are perhaps the most explicit yet from a White House official on the Biden administrations goals in the conflict, representing a sharpening of rhetoric toward the Russian government as the conflict enters its third month. Austin made the comments while speaking with Blinken at a press conference in Poland, a day after the pair visited Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on providing more military assistance.

When asked about the United States goals for success amid the conflict, Austin responded, Ukraine remains a sovereign country, a democratic country, able to protect its sovereign territory. But then he told reporters that he wants to see Russias military capacity diminished.

It has already lost a lot of military capability and a lot of its troops, quite frankly, and we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability, Austin added.

Read the full article here

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US Promises More Ukraine Aid

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday after a secrecy-shrouded visit to Kyiv that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is committed to winning his countrys fight against Russia and that the United States will help him achieve that goal.

He has the mindset that they want to win, and we have the mindset that we want to help them win, Austin told reporters in Poland, the day after the three-hour face-to-face meeting with Zelenskyy in Ukraine.

Austin said that the nature of the fight in Ukraine had changed now that Russia has pulled away from the wooded northern regions to focus on the eastern industrial heartland of the Donbass. Because the nature of the fight has evolved, so have Ukraines military needs, and Zelenskyy is now focused on more tanks, artillery, and other munitions.

The first step in winning is believing that you can win, Austin said. We believe that they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support, and were going to do everything we can  to ensure that gets to them.

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Ukraine Removes Hirohito From Video After Japan Protests

Ukraines government has apologized and removed a photo of Japanese wartime monarch Hirohito from a video showing him with Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini after Japan protested, officials said Monday.

Japan will continue to support Ukrainians who are defending their country from Russias invasion despite the completely inappropriate portrayal of Hirohito, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki said.

The video, posted by the Ukrainian government on Twitter on April 1, criticized Russias invasion as rashism. Underneath the photos of the three World War II-era leaders were the words Fascism and Nazism were defeated in 1945.

Japan fought World War II in the name of Hirohito. Historical evaluations of his role in the war remain divided.

Isozaki said Japan lodged a protest and demanded the removal of Hirohitos image, which Ukraine has done.

Our sincere apologies to Japan for making this mistake, the Ukrainian government said on Twitter Sunday. We had no intention to offend the friendly people of Japan.

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Number of Expelled Russian Diplomats Revealed

Around 400 Russian diplomats have been expelled from 28 countries since the launch of Moscows military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry revealed on Monday.

According to Deputy Foreign Minister Evgeny Ivanov, diplomatic expulsions became the preferred method of the West even before Feb. 24. Calling the seizure of Russian assets abroad another unfriendly measure, he said these actions will not go unanswered.

We counteract where we can, up to appealing to the courts. Unfriendly actions do not go unanswered in the legislative sphere either, Ivanov said during a parliamentary meeting, as cited by Russian media.

Moscow has previously warned that it would retaliate to all expulsions of its diplomats. On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned German Ambassador Geza Andreas von Geyr to express strong protest over Berlins earlier decision to expel 40 employees of Russian diplomatic institutions. As a symmetrical response, 40 employees of German diplomatic institutions in Russia have been designated persona non grata, the ministry announced.

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Putin Says US and Its Allies of Trying to Split Russian Society

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United States and its allies of trying to split Russian society.

Speaking Monday at a meeting with top officials at the Prosecutor Generals office, Putin said Russia has come under unprecedented Western sanctions amid its military action in Ukraine.

He charged that the United States and its allies have sought to split the Russian society and to destroy Russia from within, adding that their plans have failed.

Putin urged Russian prosecutors to act more quickly to block unsanctioned demonstrations organized from abroad. He also noted that they should focus on exposing open provocations against the Russian military allegedly involving international media and social platforms.

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NATO Warships Arrive at Finnish Port for Training Exercises

Three NATO warships arrived in the southwestern Finnish port of Turku on Monday to train with Finlands navy as Helsinki considers the possibility of joining the U.S.led alliance amid increased tensions with Russia over Ukraine.

Latvian minelayer LVNS Virsaitis and minehunters Estonian ENS Sakala and Dutch HNLMS Schiedam will train with two minehunters from Finlands coastal fleet, the Finnish defense forces said in a statement.

The two-day exercise, set to commence on April 28, will prepare the Finnish ships to take part in NATO response forces in 2022 and focus on mine countermeasures and working in a multinational framework, the statement said.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on April 13 that her country would take a decision in the next few weeks about whether to apply to join NATO.

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Putin Outlines Position on Foreign Firms

Russia faces unprecedented sanctions pressure that continues to intensify, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday, noting that despite the prevailing conditions, the countrys economy has the opportunity to function stably and smoothly. He has promised to support businesses as much as possible, including foreign firms that have stayed in Russia.

To do that, it is necessary to respect the rights of business owners and support them to the full, including by reducing the administrative burden, Putin said. Foreign companies that have remained in Russia despite sanctions pressure should be allowed to work peacefully, he added.

The Russian president earlier instructed the government to allocate additional resources to support small and medium-sized businesses and create better growth conditions for new industries based on new and yet-to-be-developed supply chains. Putin also said he believes that sanctions will result in new leaders emerging in the Russian market.

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Russia Investigates Large Oil Depot Fire in Region Near Ukraine

Russia said on Monday it would investigate the cause of a large fire that erupted in the early hours of the morning at an oil storage facility in the city of Bryansk 154 km (96 miles) northeast of the border with Ukraine.

Unverified social media footage showed what sounded like two explosions followed by a tower of flames, with one unverified video showing a fire raging around a giant fuel reservoir.

Russias Ministry of Emergency Situations said nobody had been hurt in the incident.

The ministry said in a statement that the fire had broken out at a facility owned by oil pipeline company Transneft at 0200 Moscow time (2300 GMT), and that there had been no need to evacuate any parts of Bryansk, a city of 400,000 people.

The Russian Energy Ministry said there was no threat to diesel and gasoline supplies in the Bryansk region after the incident and there were enough fuel stockpiles.

It added that the scale of the blaze was being assessed.

Other unverified footage showed what looked like another fire burning at a second location in Bryansk.

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Russia Expels 40 German Diplomats

Russia is expelling 40 German diplomats in response to Germany expelling the same number of Russian diplomats earlier this month.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday that it had summoned German ambassador Geza Andreas von Geyr for a strong protest at the clearly unfriendly decision to expel the Russian diplomatic staff.

The ministry said von Geyr was told that 40 members of staff at German diplomatic missions in Russia would be officially declared unwelcome in Russia.

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EU Official Says No Unified Position Reached on Russian Energy Embargo

The European Unions foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said that insufficient support from EU member states means a complete embargo or punitive tariff on Russian oil and gas imports cannot yet be levied.

At the moment, we in the EU do not have a unified position on this question, Borrell was quoted as saying by the German newspaper Die Welt on Monday, adding that a final proposal for an embargo on oil and gas is not yet on the table.

Borrells comment comes as some EU countries, including Poland and Lithuania, are pushing for a sixth round of sanctions against Russian oil imports in the wake of Moscows invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Read the full article here

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17 Dead in Russian Military Research Facility Fire on April 21

At least 17 people have died in last weeks fire at a Russian military research facility, authorities said Monday.

The regional government in Tver, a city about 180 kilometers (112 miles) northwest of Moscow, said that so far only five of the victims had been identified.

The blaze at the Central Research Institute for Air and Space Defense of the Russian Defense Ministry in Tver erupted Thursday and it took authorities a day to put it out.

Officials previously said 27 people were injured and 13 of them were hospitalized.

The cause of the fire wasnt immediately clear.

The research institute was involved in the development of some of the state-of-the-art Russian weapons systems, reportedly including the Iskander missile.

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5 Killed by Air Strikes in Central Ukraine

Ukrainian authorities say at least five people have been killed by Russian strikes on the central Vynnytsia region.

The Vynnytsia regional prosecutors said another 18 people were wounded in Mondays Russian missile strikes on the towns of Zhmerynka and Koziatyn.

Vinnytsia regional Governor Serhiy Borzov said earlier that the Russian missiles targeted critical infrastructure, but didnt elaborate.

The Vynnytsia region is fully controlled by Ukraine and is far behind the front lines.

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Russia Opens Humanitarian Corridor for Civilians From Mariupols Azovstal Plant

Russian and Donbass forces will observe a ceasefire around the besieged Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol starting from 2 p.m. Moscow time on Monday, allowing civilians to evacuate to safety, the Russian Defense Ministry has said.

Col. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev, the head of Russias National Defense Management Center, said that armed units will withdraw to a safe distance and maintain the exit of civilians from the said area in any direction they choose.

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Zelenskyy: US Talks Effective, Encouraging

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has hailed talks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as encouraging and effective.

Speaking in Mondays video address, he said the United States is offering powerful support to his country. Zelenskyy added that they agreed on further steps to strengthen the armed forces of Ukraine and meet all the priority needs of our army. He noted that ramping up sanctions against Moscow also was on the meetings agenda.

Blinken and Austin said the United States had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition for Ukraines war effort, along with more than $300 million in foreign military financing.

Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine would expect the United States to lead other allies in offering a set of security guarantees in the future.

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Russia: Oil Depot Fire Wont Cause Shortages

Russias Energy Ministry says a massive fire at an oil depot in western Russia will not cause fuel shortages.

The ministry said in a statement that Mondays fire inflicted damage to a depot containing diesel fuel in Bryansk, and authorities are dealing with the consequences of the blaze.

The ministry said fuel supplies to consumers havent been interrupted and noted that the region has enough diesel fuel for 15 days.

The Emergencies Ministry said earlier that a huge blaze erupted overnight at the depot owned by Transneft-Druzhba, a subsidiary of the Russian state-controlled company Transneft, which operates the western-bound Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline carrying crude to Europe. It wasnt immediately clear what caused the blaze, and whether it could affect deliveries to Europe.

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Russian Gas Embargo Impossible for Austria: Energy Minister

Banning Russian natural gas imports is currently impossible for Austria, the countrys energy minister, Leonore Gewessler, told the press over the weekend.

Austria is 80 percent dependent on Russian gas. As painful as it is, a gas embargo is currently not possible for us, just as it is for some other countries. The essence of sanctions is to let us last longer than [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, and we cannot do that without gas, the official told Die Presse am Sonntag.

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Ukraine Angry at Austrian Comments

Kyiv is disappointed by the short-sighted statements of Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg who suggested that full EU membership might not be the best option for Ukraine.

On Saturday, Schallenberg, while admitting that deepening ties with Ukraine is necessary as the EU is exporting the Western way of life, said that models other than full EU membership should be considered for Ukraine. He mentioned joining the European Economic Area or an association agreement as among the options.

Reacting to these comments, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko released a strong-worded statement on Sunday.

We are disappointed by the remarks of the Austrian Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs about the European future of Ukraine. We consider them to be strategically short-sighted and not in the interests of a united Europe, Nikolenko said, adding that Schallenberg ignores the positive view of the vast majority of the populations of the EUs founding members toward Ukrainian membership.

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Russia and Ukraine Differ on Odessa Missile Strike

Russian forces have destroyed a logistics terminal in Odessa that held a large batch of foreign weapons, Moscow announced on Saturday amid its ongoing military offensive in Ukraine. However, the citys authorities have claimed that its air defense group destroyed two missiles but that another four hit a military target and residential buildings, leading to civilian deaths.

It was not immediately clear if the buildings were struck by the Russian attack or attempts by Ukrainian forces to strike down the missiles initially aimed at the military target.

According to Russian military spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov, in the afternoon, high-precision long-range air-launched missiles hit a logistics terminal located on a military airfield near Odessa, where a large batch of foreign weapons received from the United States and European countries was stored.

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Skating Chiefs Further Isolate Russia

Russia has been stripped of its right to host a figure skating Grand Prix in the 202223 season, the International Skating Union (ISU) has confirmed, while further steps could be taken to sanction Russia and Belarus in the international arena.

The ISU confirmed on Monday that the traditional Russian stage of its Grand Prix series would not take place next season.

The event, known as the Rostelecom Cup, took place in Sochi last year but has also been held in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Until further notice no International Competitions shall be held in Russia and Belarus. Consequently, the Rostelecom Cup 2022 in Figure Skating will not be included in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series of the season 2022/23, read an ISU statement.

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Russia Warns US Against Sending More Arms to Ukraine

Russia has warned the United States against sending more arms to Ukraine, Moscows ambassador to Washington told Russian state television.

We stressed the unacceptability of this situation when the United States of America pours weapons into Ukraine, and we demanded an end to this practice, Anatoly Antonov said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 TV channel.

Antonov said an official diplomatic note had been sent to Washington expressing Russias concerns. He said such arms supplies from the United States would further aggravate the situation and raise the stakes of the conflict.

Washingtons top diplomat and its defense secretary met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv late on Sunday, pledging new assistance worth $713 million for Zelenskyys government and other countries in the region.

Earlier in April, President Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine, expanding the scope of the systems provided to include heavy artillery.

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Russia Strikes Ukrainian Oil Depot and Military Installations

Russia struck Ukraines Kremenchuk oil refinery with long-range missiles and hit military installations in its former Soviet neighbor, the Russian defense ministry reported on Monday.

The armed forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation in Ukraine, the ministry said.

Russia said it struck Ukrainian military installations and the Kremenchuk oil refinery near the Dnipro River that the governor of the Poltava region had said was destroyed earlier this month.

High-precision long-range weapons destroyed fuel production facilities at an oil refinery on the northern outskirts of the city of Kremenchuk, as well as petroleum products storage facilities which fuelled military equipment for Ukrainian troops, the ministry said.

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US Says Diplomats to Return to Kyiv, as Russia Has Already Failed in War Aims

The United States promised on Monday to reopen its embassy in Kyiv soon, as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ukraines capital and hailed its success so far against Russias invasion.

Both men said the fact they were able to come to Kyiv was proof of Ukraines tenacity in forcing Moscow to abandon an assault on the capital last month, and promised more aid to fend off Russian troops now attempting an advance in the east.

U.S. officials said they pledged new assistance worth $713 million for President Volodymyr Zelenskyys government and other countries in the region.

In terms of Russias war aims, Russia has already failed and Ukraine has already succeeded, Blinken claimed in a briefing in Poland after the two officials returned.

Russia has always denied intending to overthrow Ukraines government. Western countries say that was its aim from the outset but it failed in the face of Ukrainian resistance.

The relative calm in Kyiv is a contrast with the south and east of the country.

Some 200 miles southeast of Kyiv, Russian missile strikes on an oil refinery and power plant in Kremenchuk killed one person and wounded seven, the governor of the Poltava region said. Moscow said it had destroyed oil production facilities there.

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UK Claims Russia Made Minor Advances in Ukraine After Its Shift to Donbass

Russia has made minor advances in some areas since shifting its focus to fully occupying the Donbass, the U.K.s Ministry of Defense claimed on Twitter on Monday.

Ukraines defense of Mariupol has also exhausted many Russian units and reduced their combat effectiveness, British military intelligence claimed.

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5 Railway Stations Come Under Fire in Ukraine, Casualties Reported: State Rail Company

Five railway stations came under fire in western and central Ukraine on Monday, causing an unspecified number of casualties, Ukrainian television quoted state-run Ukrainian Railways as saying.

Oleksander Kamyshin, the companys chief, said the attacks took place in the space of an hour and details were being checked.

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Fire Erupts at Russian Oil Depot Near Border With Ukraine

A fire has erupted at a Russian oil depot near the border with Ukraine.

The Tass news agency reported the fire early Monday in Bryansk. The Russian report said oil storage tanks at the facility caught fire around 2 a.m. local time.

NASA satellites that track fires show a burning fire at coordinates that correspond to a Rosneft facility some 70 miles north of the Ukrainian border.

Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the head of Ukraines Ministry of Internal Affairs, was cited by the Ukrainian news agency Unian as saying that people who live near the burning oil depot were being evacuated.

Moscow has previously blamed Ukraine for attacks on the Russian region of Bryansk, which borders Ukraine.

Ukraines top security officials have denied that Kyiv was behind an earlier airstrike on an oil depot in the Russian city of Belgorod, about 35 miles from the border.

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Blinken, Austin Meet With Zelenskyy

The U.S. secretaries of state and defense met Sunday night with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the highest-level visit to the war-torn countrys capital by an American delegation since the start of Russias invasion.

The meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was confirmed by presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych in an interview on Ukrainian TV.

It came as Ukraine pressed the West for more powerful weapons against Russias campaign in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where Moscows forces sought to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops in the battered port of Mariupol.

Yes, theyre meeting with the president. Lets hope something will be decided on further help, Arestovych said in an interview on Ukrainian TV.

Before the session, Zelenskyy said he was looking for the Americans to produce results, both in arms and security guarantees.

You cant come to us empty-handed today, and we are expecting not just presents or some kind of cakes, we are expecting specific things and specific weapons, he said.

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Ukraine to Call for Heavy Arms When Top US Officials Visit Kyiv

Ukraine will ask U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin for more powerful weapons during an expected visit by the officials to Kyiv on Sunday, seeking to build the countrys defenses against the Russian invasion.

The trip by Blinken and Austin, announced earlier by Zelenskyy, would be the highest-level visit to Ukraine by U.S. officials since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of the country two months ago.

The White House has not confirmed any visit by Blinken and Austin. The State Department and Pentagon declined to comment.

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NATO and Russian Military Presence in Mediterranean Sea at Cold War Levels

As the conflict in Ukraine enters its third month, NATO and Russia have built up their naval forces in the Mediterranean Sea to the most significant levels in decades.

That was confirmed in a recent interview with Thibault Lavernhe, regional communication officer of French forces in the Mediterranean, who said that Ukraine has changed things.

The Americans are back. This hasnt been the case since the Cold War, he said. Russia has doubled, if not tripled, its military capacity in the area in terms of destroyers, submarines, and frigates, Lavernhe continued to say.

Read the full article here

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Ukraines Military Says Russian Forces Are Trying to Storm Azovstal Plant

Russian forces attempted to storm the Ukrainian-held Azovstal steel plant in the besieged southeastern city of Mariupol on Sunday, Ukrainian officials said, despite Russian President Vladimir Putins comments last week that the complex did not need to be taken.

Ukraines armed forces command wrote on Facebook that Russian forces were firing and performing offensive operations in the Azovstal area, as well as conducting airstrikes on civilian infrastructure.

Serhiy Volyna, commander of Ukraines 36th Marine brigade forces in Mariupol, said in an interview with an opposition lawmaker that was shown on YouTube on Sunday that Russia was hitting the complex with air and artillery bombardments.

We are taking casualties, the situation is critical  we have very many wounded men, [some] are dying, its a difficult [situation] with guns, ammunition, food, medicines  the situation is rapidly worsening, Volyna said, speaking from his location at the plant.

Konstantin Ivaschenko, the official who has been designated mayor of Mariupol by Russia but not recognized as such by Ukraine, denied that any fighting was taking place in the city in comments reported by Russian news outlet Tass on Sunday.

The Epoch Times could not independently verify the Ukrainian or Russian accounts.

Katabella Roberts, Jack Phillips, The Associated Press, and Reuters contributed to this report.
Shipping containers, some marked "China Shipping," are stacked at the Port of Los Angeles on Nov. 7, 2019. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Majority of Americans Support US Tariffs on Chinese Goods, Survey Finds

A majority of U.S. registered voters across the political spectrum support tough trade policies against China, according to a new poll by global data firm Morning Consult.

Voters believe imposing tariffs on China are an effective way to protect U.S. industries and American workers, reads the poll (pdf), which surveyed 2,005 registered voters from March 29 to March 31.

The poll was conducted for Coalition for a Prosperous America, a trade group and advocacy organization. The results of the poll were announced on April 22.

A total of 73 percent of those surveyed support the U.S. government using trade remedies against China. This belief was held across party lines, including by 76 percent of Republicans, 71 percent of Democrats, and 70 percent of independents. Only 10 percent opposed.

When asked whether they support the U.S. government continuing to impose Section 301 tariffs on China, 71 percent of respondents were in favor, with Republicans showing greater support (78 percent) than either Democrats or independents (68 percent each). Only 8 percent opposed.

The Section 301 tariffs are based on the Trump administrations 2018 investigation that found that China engaged in illegal trade practices, including excessive government subsidies and intellectual property theft, which prompted the SinoU.S. trade war. The Trump-era tariffs have remained in place, including 25 percent tariffs on about $250 billion worth of Chinese goods.

The survey also found that 61 percent of voters are more likely to support a political candidate for federal office who supports Washington imposing tariffs on China when theres a threat to a U.S. industry or U.S. workers. On the other hand, 12 percent said theyre less likely to support such a candidate, and 26 percent didnt have an opinion.

The poll shows that Americans want to end the nations dependence on factories in China, Michael Stumo, CEO of Coalition for a Prosperous America, wrote in an opinion article published by the Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune on April 22.

Americans overwhelmingly favor tariffs on China, Stumo wrote. And so, Congress should reject efforts to weaken U.S. trade laws or allow for bogus tariff exclusions.

Its time to bring back American manufacturing through a robust China bill that stands up for Americas workers and manufacturers.

The poll also asked respondents a number of different questions, including whether they think China should continue to receive most favored nation (MFN) trade status.

In response, 60 percent said they oppose China holding such trade status, including 67 percent of Republicans, 60 percent of independents, and 52 percent of Democrats.

Former President Bill Clinton signed into law the U.S.China Relations Act of 2000, giving China its MFN designation while paving the way for Beijings accession to the World Trade Organization. The designation opened the U.S. market to Chinese products with trade advantages such as reduced tariffs. The trade status is now known as permanent normal trade relations (PNTR).

In March, Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) introduced legislation (H.R.7193) to end Chinas PNTR status as punishment for its human rights atrocities. If enacted, the measure would require an annual confirmation from the U.S. president that the Chinese regime is making significant progress in improving its human rights record to achieve normal trade status.

A total of 61 percent of respondents support the U.S. government banning Chinese companies from U.S. capital markets that have been sanctioned by Washington or that havent complied with U.S. laws. A total of 19 percent oppose the ban.

A candidate running for federal office with such a position on access to U.S. capital markets would be welcomed by the majority of those polled. A total of 65 percent said theyre more likely to support such a candidate, with Republicans (72 percent) more likely than Democrats (64 percent) or independents (60 percent).
Musks Twitter Purchase Will Bring Back Free Speech, Expose What Was Done to Stifle It

Commentary

Elon Musks purchase of Twitter represents a seismic shift in American political discourse.

Democrats and the media have benefited for years from seeing their voices artificially amplified through a cozy relationship with the multitude of tech companies. The goal has been to make their policies and ideas appear as though they are far more accepted than they really are.

The problem is that Twitter functions as the de facto public squareand the false elevation of some ideas and views combined with the active suppression of others has a direct impact on public discourse and debate.

Controlling this public square of political debate has been of immense benefit to Democrats, the media, globalists, and the government bureaucracy. Its why they opposed Musks takeover offer from the start.

But its not just about losing control of public debate going forward. The actions of those who controlled the narrative through Twitter are now open to examination from Muskwho has already indicated that he will subject Twitters secret algorithm to public scrutiny.

Twitter has long restricted free speech. One method widely employed was shadowbanningthe limitation on the visibility of tweets from a given account. Another method used by Twitter was the outright banning of accounts that Twitter deemed problematic or offensive.

Musk himself became the subject of shadowbanning in the days before his offer was acceptedsomething he even joked aboutdespite already being the owner of more than 9 percent of Twitter.

If he approaches his acquisition of Twitter methodically, Musk will set about working to first understand how Twitters algorithm worksand then slowly remove the code that targets conservativesbringing Twitter back to its original premise: a micro-blogging platform where anyone can share their thoughts and ideas, whether theyre rich and famous, poor, or just an average Joe.

Democrats and the corporate media are deeply afraid of this change. The very last thing they want is a level playing field, which is part of the reason for their opposition to Musks takeover of Twitter. But its not the only reason.

The people in positions of power dont want Twitters algorithm exposedbecause that would provide definitive proof that voices who dissented from the official line on anything ranging from gender identification to Hunter Bidens laptop were targeted, harassed, and actively censured.

And more importantly, the establishment doesnt want to lose the power this level of control gives them. These same people are also actively concerned that direct messaging done on Twitter isnt subject to deletion or encrypted.

Some of these issues came to light when Twitter was hacked on July 15, 2020. Celebrity accounts were compromised and used to send out bitcoin scam tweets, including those of former President Barack Obama, rapper Kanye West, Apple, and even Musk himself.

At the same time that these accounts were hacked, a screenshot of Twitters admin panel was released. This panel appeared to show that Twitter administrators and engineers were allowed to blacklist and shadow-ban people with the push of a button.

The true story behind that screenshot of administration access and control was never resolved. Did all Twitter engineers have access to the panel? Could anyone be shadow-banned for any reason or for no reason at all? Through his new ownership of Twitters platform, its left to Musk to not only deal with the effects and ramifications of the admin panel going forward but also to look at its abuse in the past.

A similar challenge is posed by Twitters algorithm. This is the set of rules that guides Twitters internal computers in deciding which accounts and messages get promoted and which get sidelined. The algorithm chooses which tweets make it into the top tweets feed. The algorithm also sets the days narrative by deciding what goes in the Whats happening column. It promotes certain topics and downplays or censors others. In short, the algorithm is the arbiter that establishes the direction of public political debate.

Musk has already indicated publicly that he wants to take a very close look into the inner workings of Twitters algorithm, going so far in a recent interview as to say he wants to make the algorithm public so that its detailed examination can be crowdsourced.

What Musk wants to do with the algorithm is revolutionary. The effects of this public disclosure will be long-reaching, perhaps extending to those within government. Open and public examination of the drivers behind our nations political discourseand how those drivers were determined by a small handful of peoplewill likely prove highly illuminating.

Publishing Twitters algorithm publicly on a crowdsourcing site such as GitHub would bring full transparency to Twitters entire platform. It would reveal definitively, once and for all, how some speech is promoted while other speech is suppressed. By having it all out in the open, there could, as Musk suggests, be an open and fair debate about the choices made by Twitter and how and where to correct course.

In the end, most people just want fairnessa level playing field. Ideally, this fundamental change would take Twitter back to its roots where anyone from anywhere, rich or poor, famous or unremarkable, can post their ideas. Those thoughts and ideas that catch on will be organically elevated without unwanted interference from Twitter employees or from Twitters secret algorithm.

Another major issue Musk will have to address is the all-too-cozy relationship between Twitter and the government. Twitter has already confirmed that it is in regular communication with the White House on a number of critical issues including COVID-19 misinformation.

And despite public comments from the White House indicating the same, its overtly unconstitutional for the government to be coordinating with Big Tech to ban dissenting ideas or ban speech altogether.

The collusion between government officials and Twitter has come into sharper focus recently. When some of Dr. Anthony Faucis emails were released under the Freedom of Information Act, at least one of these emails strongly suggested that Fauci and former National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins played a direct role in getting financial news site ZeroHedge banned from Twitter.

ZeroHedge had published an early article on the possibility that the virus that causes COVID-19 had leaked out of a Wuhan lab. Fauci and his group flagged the article in internal emails. A day later, ZeroHedge was banned from Twitter. It would be most interesting to examine the communications between Faucis team and Twitter from this time period.

It would be equally interesting to examine the communications of Twitter executives with government actors and officials, along with those of other Big Tech companies when, just before the 2020 presidential election, our nations tech giants suddenly decided in unison to ban all reporting of a New York Post story that had exposed Biden family corruption.

Twitter went so far as to ban users from talking about the Posts article privately in direct messages.

There is also the issue of President Donald Trumps removal from Twitter on Jan. 8, 2021. Notably, this was two days after Trump was removed from all other social media platforms, suggesting that there was some behind-the-scenes wrangling. It appears possible that Twitters chief executive at the time, Jack Dorsey, may not have been fully on board with such collective action right away.

The official reason for Trumps removal was that his tweet that he wouldnt attend Bidens inauguration was in breach of Twitters policies. But of course that excuse never passed the smell test. Its certain that great external pressure was brought to bear on Twitter to ban Trump as other tech companies had already done. The real question is where that pressure came from.

Close examination of communications around the time of Trumps removal would provide unique insight into the machinations at work. And Musk, if he chooses to do so, can now revisit this issue to find out exactly what happened and why. Presumably, this would also be the mechanism for reinstating Trumps accountdebunking the entire reason for Trump being banned in the first place.

Whether Trump would want to be reinstated is a different question altogether. For Trump, a return to Twitter would burn hundreds of millions of dollars by effectively killing his own social media venture, Truth Social. Indeed, its already been reported that Trump will remain on his own platform.

But regardless of whether Trump is invited back or whether he would want to come back, this doesnt alter the seismic shift that Musk has brought about. Allowing the worlds public square for political debate to become truly open once again is much bigger than Trump.

Musks purchase of Twitter effectively ends the control that Democrats and the corporate media have enjoyed over our nations political discourse. And it effectively removes their narrative control, whether its the virus, lockdowns, Hunters laptop and the 2020 election, or the war in Ukraine.

There will also be an unstated rebalancing of political opinion. Corporate media and the Democratic National Committee are going to find their impact reduced through the reestablishment of a level playing field. The DNC and their media allies will not like giving up that power. They may try to start their own Twitter light but its likely to run into the same problems as previous offshoots such as Parler and Gab.

In the end, there can only be one real public square. And for the first time in many years, everyone will be treated equally.

Jeff Carlson Follow Jeff Carlson is a co-host of Truth Over News on Epoch TV. Twitter: @themarketswork.
Former President Barack Obama gave a speech with the Stanford Cyber Policy Center where he called for deeper government control over the Internet and over information, in a move he said is needed to protect democracy. Soon after, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also commented online that more needs to be done to regulate information in order for governments to fight alleged disinformation. Clinton also promoted the Digital Services Act package through the United Nations, which would create several EU regulations on the Internet, including a law to forbid alleged disinformation.

Meanwhile, information companies often accused of having a left-wing bias took major hits. CNN+ closed after just 21 days, with a $300 million loss. Disney lost an estimated $35 million after a leaked video showed company heads discussing a sexual agenda for content. Netflix lost an estimated 35 percent of its shares, with a loss of around $400 million. And as Elon Musk announced that he has potentially secured the money needed to buy Twitter, the team around former President Donald Trumps Truth Social platform announced they now have the server capacity needed to fully launch the new social network.

In this live Q&A with Crossroads host Joshua Philipp, well discuss these stories and others, and answer questions from the audience.

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Ohio School Board President Resigns for Alleged Attempt to Meet 11-Year-Old Girl for Sex

The head of a public school board in Ohio resigned on Sunday after a video posted online showed him being confronted and eventually arrested by police in Indiana for an alleged child sex crime.

A video posted Saturday evening on YouTube shows John Gray, Goshen Local Schools board president, being handcuffed by law enforcement in Indiana. The content of the video is deeply disturbing to our entire school district and Goshen Local School community, the district said in a statement on its website.

The 83-minute video, titled 60 Year old President of Goshen OH school board, meeting an 11 y/o, was uploaded to YouTube Saturday night by a group called Predator Catchers Indianapolis (PCI). The group describes themselves as volunteers who work to expose predators and protect children.

According to PCI, Gray traveled about three hours from Cincinnati for a meet-up with the girl he had been messaging. The video starts off with Gray being confronted inside a Dollar General store by a woman who claims to be the girls mother, while a male PCI member films their interaction.

How old was the girl you were talking to? the woman can be heard asking Gray, who responds by saying, I guess she said she was 12 or 13. Something like that. Gray also tries to plead his innocence by claiming he has no intention of doing anything to the girl.

The woman then asks Gray about his conversations with the girl, to which the man replied, Just hanging out. When she says she has read some of the very sexual messages they exchanged on Kik, a mobile messaging app, Gray alleges that he hadnt meant to talk about anything sexual, but the girl kept bringing it up because maybe this is what shes looking for.

Gray also admitted telling the girl that she has kissable lips and that he would like to kiss and cuddle her. He claims that he got the girls number from someone else who told him she needed help and he told her that just to make her feel better.

The woman points out Gray has suggested the girl get down to her underwear for a massage. She then asks Gray how he would stop himself from going any further if he and the girl ended up meeting as planned. I cant get an erection. I dont have that problem, Gray replies.

In another disturbing admission, Gray says he did tell the girl he wanted to rub her private part and be called grandpa by her. Only if she wanted, he says. But I cant. There no way I can have intercourse.

The video ends with police officers arriving at the scene and taking Gray into custody. On Sunday, Goshen police confirmed that they were at Grays house and he was taken to the hospital for a psych evaluation.

Goshen Local Schools said Gray was serving his fifth term with the district at the time of his resignation.

To be clear, Saturdays incident occurred outside of the Goshen Local School district. Our district leaders will be consulting with legal counsel and should more information become available, we will communicate it to our families immediately, the district said.
Trucks are parked on Wellington Street near the Parliament Buildings as truckers and supporters protest against COVID-19 mandates in Ottawa on Jan. 29, 2022. (Patrick Doyle/Reuters)

Ottawa Police Say Planned Bike Convoy Will Be Banned From City Core

Ottawa Police Service (OPS) says it will prevent a motorcycle convoy dubbed Rolling Thunder from accessing the citys downtown core.

We will not allow for unsafe or unlawful conditions that could lead to another unlawful protest as seen in February, says an April 25 statement from OPS, referencing the Freedom Convoy trucker protest earlier this year.

As a result of the unlawful protest, the City of Ottawas position is that no motor vehicle protests, rallies or events will be allowed in the designated downtown core areas.

The OPS also says it will receive additional resources from partner agencies including the RCMP, OPP, and municipal police services to manage the event, and that its taking a preemptive approach by warning organizers of potential liability and telling online commentators they will be monitored.

Threatening or intimidating behaviours will be investigated and subject to charges where warranted, said the OPS statement.

OPS also warns that its investigative teams, including the Hate Crime Unit, will be in place to gather evidence and lay charges.

The convoy, scheduled for April 29-30, says its goal is to celebrate freedom, according to a description on its private Facebook group.

Trucker protest Freedom Convoy organizer Benjamin Dichter promoted the event on Twitter and said Its like a charity ride except the charity is everyones [sic] Freedom.

Partner organizations include Veterans 4 Freedom, a military veterans organization that says its seeking to restore fundamental freedoms for all Canadians, of which former Freedom Convoy spokesman Tom Marazzo is part of, and Freedom Fighters Canada, which describes itself as a non-profit demanding the end of all mandates and tyrannical bills and legislation.

The organizers of Rolling Thunder had been advised over the weekend that the city would not allow the event to go ahead as planned.

We are continuing to try and work with the Ottawa Police Service and City of Ottawa to make this a safe event for both participants and citizens of Ottawa, wrote the organizers in a statement on April 24.

As stated in our response to the Police Liaison Officer, making wholesale changes to the agreed upon plan within 7 days of the event is most likely going to create chaos and unsafe traffic conditions for everyone.

Military veteran and event organizer Neil Sheard said in an April 24 video that hes been working with the city and the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) from day one and that an organized route had been planned, but with the city now apparently not cooperating it runs the risk of turning into a free for all.

The Epoch Times contacted Sheard for comment but didnt immediately hear back.

Sheard says there was a plan for veterans that were removed from the monument by police during the Freedom Convoy protest to go to the War Memorial to lay a wreath.

According to the Veterans 4 Freedom website, that event has been dubbed OP Dignity and will take place on April 30 at 10 am.

If people want to come and they want to lay a wreath at the war monument, thats fine, Watson told Newstalk 580 CFRA on April 22.

Theyre not going to be able to break the law like they did in the past, and theyre not going to have any access, obviously, for their motorcycles to Wellington Street. Thats blocked off and will continue to be blocked off.

Why waste all that money on gas, which is really expensive, to come here to drive around a couple of streets yelling Freedom? Watson said, inviting people to instead support the real freedom fights in Ukraine.

Sheard says in his video that imposing a ban on vehicles just days before the planned event is a safety issue for the city and motorcyclists, and implored Mayor Jim Watson to collaborate, saying the organizers dont have the authority to tell the riders to simply avoid Ottawa.

Bikers do whatever they want, theyre big boys and girls, he said.

[The] Canadian public is coming, plain and simple, theyre coming. And theyre going to come in peace  As far as I know, these are peace-loving people.
San Diegos nickname is Americas Finest City.

Whether you agree with that designation or not, there are few people in the United States who would argue for including Philadelphia or Los Angeles on the list of finest locations in the country.

But their fanatical dedication to COVID policy has taken cities that already struggle with crime, homelessness, poor quality of life or high cost of living and made them even more uninhabitable.

Theyve enforced mask mandates, outdoor mask mandates, discriminatory vaccine passports, engaged in reckless fear mongering and in the case of Los Angeles, created one of the largest self-owns in covid history  LAPublic Health surveyed over 1,500 businesses during a one week period in December 2021 and proclaimed that high masking compliance was keeping the region safe.

Those arent my words, thats their words:

Public and business sector masking compliance is high, indicating the broad understanding that this small behavior change adds a layer of protection that enables us to engage in our customary activities without endangering ourselves or others. Public Health regularly conducts site visits to assess mask compliance across a variety of L.A. County businesses, during which we determine compliance among customers, employees and their staff, and overall safety requirements. Out of more than 1500 site visits conducted between December 4th-10th, the vast majority of businesses and industries, including restaurants, bars, food markets and hair salons, had masking compliance rates above 95%.

Masking requirements reduce transmission without much disruption to peoples routines and allow businesses to reduce risk for their customers, and workers, said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the business community of L.A. County for leading by example on masking as champions for public health. The take home message is clear: masking creates safety for employees and customers, reduces COVID transmission in our communities and helps everyone stay safe here in L.A. County.

Immediately afterwards, cases skyrocketed more than 20x higher and shattered every previous record:

Its hard to be more demonstrably wrong than this.

LA public health officials specifically credited the high rate of mask wearing with keeping cases low and residents safe, only to see this remarkable compliance prove the uselessness of masks once again.

Of course, there were no press releases from Barbara Ferrer in the months afterwards acknowledging that the demonstrably high rates of mask usage are clearly meaningless, and that based on her own departments exhaustive site checks, masks provide no protection for others.

Cases are as low this spring as they were in previous springs, despite LA finally resembling something close to normalcy.

I havent been able to find any press releases reporting how the mask mandates and vaccine passports failed to prevent the largest surge of infections the county had seen, and that removing these destructive policies did not lead to a new surge.

Unsurprisingly, Ferrer has not commented on the fact that a complete lack of interventions is apparently just as protective as the citys obsessive need for theatrical policies.

However her latest policy decision is yet another indication of what the new normal will look like in heavily blue cities like Los Angeles.

There is no epidemiological, data driven or evidence based justification for continuing to force people to mask at airports, bus stations and on planes, trains and buses.

So of course, thats exactly what Los Angeles did.

Initially, local transit agencies went along with that Florida judges ruling, allowing the federal rule enforcing masks on planes, trains, buses and other ways of getting around to lapse. Masks became optional. But that changed with Thursdays announcement from the county health department.

The LA Metro immediately announced they would be enforcing masking on the subway (yes LA has one) and buses.

As with nearly all masking policy, this highlights the danger of allowing public health officials and politicians the authority to maintain the disproven narrative that masks work or that mandates are remotely beneficial.

This is exactly why I and many others continue to write about these issues, exposing their lies and misrepresentations  they must not be allowed to continue misleading the public and ignore the inarguable reality that masks have failed. Inevitably, it leads to policies like this; where rogue public health directors extend a mandate out of desperation and in order to maintain their relevance while protecting their extremely fragile egos.

Never mind that weve already seen that masks on public transit are completely useless at preventing widespread community transmission.

On September 22nd, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City announced they would be heavily stepping up enforcement of masking in order to ensure universal compliance:

Customers Refusing to Wear Masks Are Subject to Receive a Summons

Authority Ramped Up Mask Education and Distribution Efforts Immediately Following Labor Day as More Riders Returned to School and Offices

25,000 Free Masks Handed Out During Phase One of Mask Blitz During Last Two Weeks

The goal of heightened enforcement is to increase mask usage across all agencies, and to return to 2020 and early 2021 compliance levels where nearly 100% of riders wore masks onboard subways, buses, commuter railroads and paratransit vehicles. Since the $50 fine was implemented on September 14, 2020, MTA police officers have had over 88,000 positive encounters with customers. This has included the distribution of more than 50,000 free masks overall, 25,000 in the two weeks since the blitz began on September 7. Promoting mask usage is an important component to protecting one another, said Patrick Warren, MTA Chief Safety Officer. To support the use of masks we have provided tens of millions of free masks to customers, complemented by a robust communication endeavor. These efforts have seen mask usage recently rise on buses and trains. This next phase of our blitz will reinforce that wearing a mask is not optional. Vaccinated or not, you must wear a mask when traveling on public transit.

Less than two months after this mask blitz, designed to enforce nearly 100% compliance among riders, cases in New York exploded to new highs, shattering all previous records:

So its understandable that Los Angeles would deem it necessary to continue the transportation mandate, to ensure success like this.

How do you engage with people so profoundly ignorant and habitually incompetent? This data is readily accessible, anyone should be able to see that the high mask compliance in Los Angeles was useless. Everyone should also see that masks on public transit, along with the general mask mandates and vaccine passports of course, were unsuccessful at stopping record breaking surges.

There is no easy answer, unfortunately.

Philadelphia

Not to be outdone in the annals of covid policy hilarity is Philadelphia.

Less than two weeks ago, Philly announced they would be bringing back a mask mandate in response to a rise in cases.

Set to take effect on April 18th, the mandate was supposed to prevent another surge of infections in the city:

When the city announced April 11 that the mandate was coming back, the health commissioner, Dr. Cheryl Bettigole, said it was necessary to forestall a potential new wave driven by an omicron subvariant. She said Philadelphia had crossed the threshold of rising cases at which the citys guidelines call for people to wear masks indoors. If we fail to act now, knowing that every previous wave of infections has been followed by a wave of hospitalizations, and then a wave of deaths, it will be too late for many of our residents, Bettigole said at the time.

A quick glance at a chart of cases in the city after the initial mandate came into effect in June 2020 shows you why city health authorities and the mayor thought that masks would prevent the surge from taking hold:

Cases rose 3,544% after June 26, 2020 to the peak of new cases in January 2022.

With inarguable success like that, how can you blame them?

Their decision is even more absurd when we look at the increase in cases that caused them to believe a useless policy was necessary:

Not only did the end of the mandate not lead to an increase weeks afterwards, but even with the slight increase, case rates are still significantly lower than in April 2021 with the mask mandate in place.

Hilariously, the mayor announced that the policy would be ending after only four days in effect:

In a masterclass of misinformation, the mayor of Philadelphia specifically stated that wearing masks would tamp down the case counts

Our belief is that wearing masks again will tamp down the case counts and hospitalizations, and allow us to continue to reopen and to get back to more normalcy, Kenney said Thursday.

And his health officials had the audacity to credit their response with cases dropping, despite the fact that cases had already peaked by the time the mask mandate came into effect and at the exact same time they peaked in 2021.

That desperate attempt to convince the public that masks work is even more absurd when looking at data from neighboring counties. COVIDcast provides a comparison between Philadelphia and their closest neighbors and without labels its impossible to tell them apart:

Predictably, the undeniable futility of a mask policy having a positive impact in four days does not enter in the discussion or in the media coverage, which is especially offensive when considering trends are exactly the same in neighboring counties without masks.

Naturally, the mayor and health director also specifically stated that they would not rule out further mask mandates if conditions change.

These two cities are tremendous contributors to some of the worst, least impactfulpolicies in world history.

Their commitment to gaslighting their citizens, openly lying to justify their political desires, and maintaining the delusional narrative that masks are necessary or valuable would be admirable if it wasnt so immeasurably destructive.

Masks are useless, mask mandates are even more useless, yet cities like LA and Philadelphia are clearly going to forcibly mask their residents on a rolling basis indefinitely.

CDC guidance, the politicization of mask wearing, where many on the political left have made masks an visible form of their allegiance to progressive causes, and the desperately incompetent and malicious health experts who brazenly lie about the effect of masks are combining to ensure masking is semi-permanent in the anti-science jurisdictions.

No matter how much evidence accumulates against their usage and how ludicrously absurd their statements and justifications are, these two cities represent the future of masking; a clearly useless intervention, designed by incompetent and panicked experts.

Authors Substack.

Republished from Brownstone Institute

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Plastic Grocery Bag Bans Actually Boost Sales of Small Plastic Garbage Bags: Study

Bans and fees on plastic carry-out grocery bags (CGB) could have significant unintended consequences, according to a study.

Bag fees and outright prohibitions both boosted the sale of 4-gallon and 8-gallon plastic bagsin line with the view that many consumers reuse their supposedly single-use bags around the house, the researchers found.

The effect of a 5 fee for either paper or plastic CGBs is essentially the same as that of a ban on plastic bag and a fee of 10 or 15 on paper bags. While policymakers may choose fees over bans in order to soften the blow, our results suggest that the overall effect on consumers is little different, wrote the authors, professor Richard Woodward of Texas A&M University (TAMU) and Yu-Kai Huang of TAMU and the University of Georgia.

Woodward and Huang used Nielsen retail scanner data from Washington; Santa Clara and San Luis Obispo counties in California; and Montgomery County, Maryland, between 2006 and 2014. All four had approved restrictions on carryout grocery bags before 2014.

They used nearby counties that hadnt implemented such measures as controls.

Huang and Woodward found that plastic bag laws didnt affect the sale of larger bags, lending additional support to the view that small plastic garbage bags end up as substitutes for the regulated grocery bags.

The study comes at a time when laws regulating the use of the plastic takeout bags are spreading rapidly throughout the United States and elsewhere in the world.

Chicago, for example, charges a tax of 7 cents per plastic bag.

Uniform plastic bag fees are a regressive tax because people pay the same amount without respect to wealth or income, experts say.

Carryout plastic bag bans have been approved in California, New Jersey, New York, Maine, Vermont, Oregon, Hawaii, Delaware, and Connecticut. Such bags have also been banned in China, New Zealand, and many other countries, including several African nations.

In Kenya, for instance, people caught producing, importing, or using banned plastic bags can face major fines or even imprisonment.

Woodward and Huang estimated that plastic bag regulations led stores to purchase an average of 127 more pounds of plastic each month because of the substitution of small plastic garbage bags for carryout bags.

While we are unable to tell the net effect on plastic consumption, because of the heavier weight of purchased trash bags, it is possible that a bag ban could even lead to an increase in total plastic waste, and this is without taking into account any plastic content in purchased CGBs that consumers buy, and eventually discard, as a result of the ban, the authors noted in the study.

Representatives of the Plastics Industry Association didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

The Footprint Foundation, a group opposed to single-use plastic products thats associated with Footprint, a materials science firm that aims to replace single-use plastics with plant-based alternatives, also didnt respond to a request for comment.

The Epoch Times also has reached out to the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group known for its opposition to single-use plastics.
Israeli soldiers are positioned near the Israel-Gaza border, on Aug. 16, 2021. (Tsafrir Abayov/AP Photo)

Projectile Fired From Lebanon at Israel Hits Vacant Area: Israeli Military

A projectile fired from Lebanon hit an open area in Israel on Monday and Israeli artillery targeted an area where the attack was launched, the Israeli military said.

The rare flareup on the Israeli-Lebanese border followed clashes over the past two weeks between Palestinians and Israeli police at Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem that have stoked Arab anger and international concern.

Small Palestinian factions in Lebanon have fired sporadically on Israel in the past.

On Twitter, the Israeli military said no sirens were sounded and no alert was declared in northern Israel when the projectile, which it did not identify in its posting, struck.

Israels anti-missile defence system does not necessarily intercept projectiles if they appear to be on track to hit unpopulated areas.

In response to the attack, Israeli artillery targeted the source of the launch, the Israeli military said, without giving further details.

Aroldo Lazaro, head of the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL), has urged calm and restraint in this volatile and ongoing situation, the mission said on Twitter.

Israels northern border has been mostly quiet since a 2006 war against Hezbollah terrorists, who have sway in southern Lebanon and an arsenal of advanced rockets.
Kristina Karamo speaks at a rally hosted by former President Donald Trump near Washington, Mich., on April 2, 2022. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Republicans Pick Trump-Backed Candidates to Challenge Michigans Nessel, Benson

An attorney who challenged misreported election results was tapped, along with a community college professor, by the Michigan Republican Party over the weekend to challenge Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in November.

Republicans picked two candidatesattorney Matthew DePerno for attorney general and professor Kristina Karamo for secretary of statewho they hope can capitalize on flagging enthusiasm for Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections.

DePerno brought a lawsuit against botched election night counts in Antrim County, Michigan, which county officials and Benson have said stemmed from human error. The suit was tossed in 2021.

Karamo, a professor at Wayne County Community College, launched her campaign after saying she witnessed election law violations at the TCF Center in Detroit while serving as a poll challenger.

I just decided Im going to run for secretary of state, because Im not going to sit here and just expect other people to solve issues when I know Im competent enough to solve them myself, Karamo told The Epoch Times previously.

Both candidates were boosted by endorsements from former President Donald Trump.

Former President Donald Trump endorses Matthew DePerno during a rally near Washington, Mich., on April 2, 2022. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

DePerno fended off Tom Leonard, a former Michigan House speaker, and state Rep. Ryan Berman.

Bernadette Smith, one of the partys vice chairs, said during the convention that DePerno is the only candidate who will fight for election integrity and that he was in the field working when no one else was.

Karamo beat state Rep. Beau LaFave and Chesterfield Township Clerk Cindy Berry.

Were going to make sure that our election result is something that everyone can be confident in, Karamo said.

Ron Weiser, the Michigan Republican chair, said Republicans rallied around candidates earlier than they normally do to give the party an advantage to expose Dana Nessel and Jocelyn Benson for the terrible politicians that they are.

Were poised to win, and we will this fall, Weiser said.

Nominees for Michigans statewide races are chosen at conventions, except in gubernatorial and U.S. Senate primaries.

Both DePerno and Karamo have cast doubt on the 2020 election results, as has Trump, pointing to irregularities at polling stations. Trump has said DePerno has been on the front lines pursuing fair and accurate elections, while Karamo is strong on crime, including the massive crime of election fraud.

President Joe Biden won Michigan by about 1.5 million votes, according to certified results. Trump won Michigan in 2016 by about 10,500 votes.

Lavora Barnes, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, said Republicans should be ashamed of the candidates they have endorsed for the November election. Barnes said the endorsements paved the way for Nessel and Benson to win reelection.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A mesmerizing clash of wills during World War II

Approved | 1h 33min | Action, Drama, War | 1958

Clark Gable (L) and Burt Lancaster star in Run Silent, Run Deep. (United Artists)

Plenty of submarine movies involve the men onboard coming into conflict with one another. When you put a large crew into a cramped, congested space and away from home for months on end, there are bound to be squabbles and flare-ups. Its one of the reasons I joined the Army instead of the Navy: I had mild claustrophobia and didnt want to take a chance of being assigned to a sub.

In fact, a number of these submarine films depict the clash of wills between a subs commander and his second in command, the executive officer. If theres one film that set the standard for this, it would have to be 1958s World War II submarine film, Run Silent, Run Deep.

Great Stars in Great Roles

Here you have ubertalented actors Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster starring as the commander and executive officer respectively, so were in for a monumental clash of wills.

Action on the high seas, in Run Silent, Run Deep. (United Artists)

The film opens with Commander Rich Richardson (Gable) patrolling the dangerous Bungo Straits just off the coast of Japan in 1942. He and his submarine crew are targeting a Japanese cargo convoy and lining up their sights for a torpedo run. Soon, a notorious destroyer, called the Akikaze, which is escorting the convoy, detects the sub and quickly manages to sink it. Richardson and a handful of his men are lucky to escape a watery death and make it out of the sinking sub to the surface.

Richardson is assigned to desk duty, where he passes time with his friend Yeoman 1st Class Mueller (Jack Warden). One of their favorite distractions is to re-create the fateful sub-destroyer encounter over and over using models, except with Richardsons crew winning each time. But the fantasy matchups only make the deflated commander want revenge and compel him to hatch a clever plan.

Dashed Hopes

A little later, a submarine known as the USS Nerka is returning to port from active sea patrol. On board is Lieutenant Jim Bledsoe (Lancaster), who has bonded with the subs raucous crew, including Ensign Gerald Cartwright (Brad Dexter), Quartermaster 1st Class Ruby (Don Rickles), and Russo (Nick Cravat).

Burt Lancaster as Lt. Jim Bledsoe (L) and Clark Gable as Cmdr. Rich Richardson in Run Silent, Run Deep. (United Artists)

The crew is prematurely celebrating the promotion of Bledsoe to commander of the Nerka since hes performed so diligently as an executive officer. However, Bledsoe soon discovers that the Nerkas reins have been passed over his head to none other than Richardson, who was successful in pulling a few strings with the Navy higher-ups.

Furious, Bledsoe pays Richardson a visit at his home and requests that he be released from duty so that he can be assigned somewhere else. Richardson stubbornly refuses.

The Nerka, now with Richardson at its helm and Bledsoe as his new executive officer, casts off for a fresh patrol in Japanese waters. Their mission is to sink any convoy ships they find while staying relatively undetected. However, Richardson has his own plan afoot that may jeopardize not only his life but also the lives of his crew as well.

Nuanced Conflict

Although this is a classic clash of wills type of picture, some of its elements elevate it above similar World War II fare. One of these is that the films writing is first-rate: The dialogue between the various crew members on board the cramped submarine never feels stilted or phony. There are also some fascinating power dynamics at play as we learn about the motivations behind the main characters.

Tensions rise between Clark Gable as Cmdr. Rich Richardson (L) and Burt Lancaster as Lt. Jim Bledsoe (R) in Run Silent, Run Deep. (United Artists)

The plot (and Richardsons scheme) also unfolds in gradients, as the rest of the crew begin to catch on, not only to the great peril they will face but also to the power struggle between Richardson and Bledsoe. Bledsoe resents the Navy brass, who passed him over for command, and Richardson, whom he feels stole his rightful position through political wrangling.

Run Silent, Run Deep is a taut war drama that features two Hollywood megastars in Gable and Lancaster, arguably at the height of their powers. It showcases how incredibly talented they were when given such a deftly written script, trimmed of any excess fat and bereft of pomp.

Run Silent, Run Deep

Director: Robert Wise

Starring: Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, Jack Warden

Approved

Running time: 1 hour, 33 minutes

Release Date: March 27, 1958

Rated: 4 stars out of 5
Defence Minister Anita Anand speaks to military personnel after getting a tour of the CC 177 Globemaster aircraft at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, in Trenton, Ont., April 14, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov)

Russian Sanctions Prove Canadian Military Mission in Ukraine Had Impact: Commander

The most recent commander of Canadas military training mission in Ukraine says the fact Russia has sanctioned him and several of his predecessors alongside dozens of other prominent Canadians is proof the mission had an impact.

Lt.-Col. Luc-Frederic Gilbert is one of six former commanders of the training mission known as Operation Unifier sanctioned by Russia last week as Moscow added 61 Canadians to the list of those now banned from entering the country.

Im really proud of what we accomplished, Gilbert told The Canadian Press in an interview when asked about his inclusion on Russias list of sanctioned Canadians. And this is a great measure of effectiveness.

Among the other former Operation Unifier commanders sanctioned were Lt.-Col. Sarah Heer and Lt.-Col. Melanie Lake, who also described the addition of the six senior Canadian officers as a sign of the missions worth.

Canada first established Operation Unifier in 2015. The move was in direct response to Russias annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and its provision of weapons, ammunition and even troops to pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The purpose of the mission, which evolved several times before being suspended ahead of Russias invasion, was to help Ukraine transform its post-Soviet military into a modern fighting force capable of defending the country.

The federal government says more than 33,000 Ukrainian soldiers were trained by Canada before the mission was suspended less than two weeks before Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February.

Gilbert was on the ground when the order came down from Ottawa for his 250 troops to pack up and leave Ukraine for Poland prior to Russias attack. He says while he understands the order to leave, it was nevertheless a bit weird for us.

Once we were relocated in Poland, this is where we went: That just happened,' Gilbert recalled. The feeling is a bit weird for us because this is against our nature.  We are trained to (fight), we are not supposed to leave in those types of situations.

Canada and its allies said in the leadup to Russias invasion that they would not deploy troops into Ukraine, fearing such a move would escalate the conflict and lead to an all-out war between Russia and the NATO military alliance. Western countries have instead been providing financial and military support to Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Russia.

While planning for the withdrawal of Canadian troops started in November, when Russia first mustered of thousands of troops on Ukraines border, Gilbert said it wasnt until the end of January that everyone realized the threat was real.

Even then, however, there was uncertainty. Gilbert recalled his last meeting with a Ukrainian military officer before departing the country in mid-February, in which the Ukrainian National Guard commander dismissed the threat of a Russian attack.

He said: Were going to see each other soon because this is not going to happen,' Gilbert said. I was at that point convinced that something was going to happen. He was still confident this was not going to really happen.  Unfortunately, I was right.

Gilbert and his troops spent about a month in Poland, during which time finished packing in preparation for their eventual return to Canada. They were also put on standby in case they were needed to provide humanitarian or other assistance.

All trainers under Gilberts command have since returned to Canada, though another group of 150 Canadian Armed Forces members recently headed back to Poland to help some of the millions of Ukrainians who have fled Russias invasion.

Gilbert himself is now back at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, where he is in command of 5 Combat Engineer Regiment. However, he is technically still the commander of Operation Unifier, which is on pause but slated to run until March 2025.

Previous Operation Unifier commanders have suggested the Canadian mission helped the Ukrainian military become more nimble by empowering and trusting those further down the chain of command with information and to make decisions.

This has allowed the Ukrainians to defend on multiple fronts and operate in ways that the Russians werent expecting, including by deploying small teams who have been instrumental in knocking out tanks and other Russian forces.

Gilbert agreed with that assessment, saying while Operation Unifier also provided sniper training and other specialized instructions, the small unit tactics is the most powerful demonstration of Canadas contribution.

By Lee Berthiaume
Chinese scientist He Jiankui speaks at the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing in Hong Kong on Nov. 28, 2018. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)

Scientist Behind First Gene-Edited Babies Released From Jail, Sparking New Debate on Ethical Boundaries

Ethics-breaking biological experiments continued to be backed by the Chinese regime

The Chinese scientist who claimed to have created the worlds first gene-edited babies was quietly released from prison early this month after serving a three-year sentence, state media confirmed. His release sparked a new round of discussions about the ethics of gene-editing human embryos and the unexpected harm that may occur.

Lead researcher He Jiankui sparked an international backlash when, in November 2018 at a conference in Hong Kong, he revealed that he had altered the DNA of twin girl embryos who were born that month, calling them Lulu and Nana.

He said that his team used CRISPR technology to edit out the CCR5 gene in the embryos so that the baby girls were born immune to AIDS or have a natural ability to fight AIDS in the future. He claimed it was the first instance in the world.

Chinese state-run media initially praised the scientific breakthrough but later changed its tone after the case sparked widespread condemnation from the global scientific community for crossing ethical boundaries.

Under international pressure, the Chinese authorities arrested He in early 2019 and sentenced him to three years in prison through a secret court trial held on Dec. 30 that year. He was also fined $475,000 for violating medical regulations.

Secret Court Trial

The two other researchers involved in the project received lesser sentences and fines, according to the Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency.

The verdict was that the three defendants were not qualified, pursued fame and profits, deliberately violated Chinese regulations on scientific research, and crossed an ethical line in both scientific research and medicine. It added that they had fabricated ethical review documents.

The court stated the researchers were involved in the births of three gene-edited babies to two women, confirming reports of a third baby. All three researchers reportedly pleaded guilty during the secret trial, allowing only the defendants family members and select government officials to attend. Xinhuas report cited privacy concerns for the trial being closed to the public.

According to court documents, He performed gene-editing and assisted reproduction on recruited couples with the male partner being infected with HIV.

After Lulu and Nana, a third child named Amy was born the following year using the same method.

The case sparked widespread condemnation from the global scientific community, with experts concerned that altering the genome of an embryo could cause unexpected harm, not only to the individual but also to future generations who inherit and pass on these same changes.

The Chinese authorities have not released additional information regarding the case after the court ruling, nor were the girls real identities revealed. It wasnt clear if the experiment was successful.

Hes Circle of Trust

As the Chinese regime portrayed He as a rogue actor, Ryan Ferrell, a public relations specialist He hired, cataloged 60 people who were not part of the study but knew or suspected what He was doing before it became public.

According to an article in the U.S. peer-reviewed academic journal Science, that described what Ferrell titled Hes circle of trust, that circle included leading scientistsamong them a Nobel laureatein China and the United States, business executives, an entrepreneur connected to venture capitalists, authors of the NASEM report, a controversial U.S. IVF specialist, and at least one Chinese politician.

The article said that some criticized He when he brought them into the circle, while others appear to have welcomed his plans or did nothing. Several went out of their way to distance themselves from He after the case erupted.

According to the report, two of the onlookers in the circle were Michael Deem, Hes Ph.D. adviser at Rice University in Houston, Texas, and Yu Jun, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and co-founder of the Beijing Genomics Institute, a DNA sequencing company in Shenzhen.

Both Deem and Yu allegedly participated in the informed consent meeting with the couples who would participate in Hes experiment.

However, Deems lawyers later said he did not meet the parents of the reported CCR5-edited children or anyone else whose embryos were edited in a carefully worded statement.

Meanwhile, Yu acknowledges attending the informed consent meeting with Deem, but he told Science he did not know that He planned to implant gene-edited embryos.

Beijings Thousand Talents Plan

Before He became the subject of international news, he studied in the United States, where he honed his entrepreneurial savvy, which later brought him wealth and ties to prominent scientists, according to the Science report.

With scholarships, he earned an undergraduate physics degree at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei. In 2007, similar to many top Chinese graduate students, He went to the United States, joined Deems lab to work on a Ph.D. in biophysics, and where he studied and explored the properties of CRISPRa technology that can be used to edit genes.

Deem introduced his student to Stephen Quake, a genome sequencing guru at Stanford, where He moved for a postdoctoral position in 2011. That same year, He responded to a recruitment ad on the website for SUSTech, a new, well-funded university in Shenzhen city that was looking to expand its research programs. In late 2011, He announced that he, SUSTech, and Deem would start a joint laboratory to find disease-specific genes that control immune responses.

With funding from Shenzhens Peacock Plan, part of Beijings Thousand Talents Plan, aiming to lure researchers back to the country, He set up shop at SUSTech in 2012.

The Thousand Talents Plan, an ambitious initiative to attract foreign experts to China, is of particular concern for U.S. officials. Established by the Chinese communist regime in December 2008 to bring academics and researchers to China, the program has been described by the U.S. National Intelligence Council as used to enable technology transfer to China from the United States.

After arriving in Shenzhen, He received a reported $6 million in startup funding from the Peacock Plan, He launched Direct Genomics, which licensed a technology Quake invented to sequence single molecules of DNA. Through a series of development and funding from the Chinese government, He later made his embryo-editing plans a reality.

Backed by the Chinese Regime

Hes achievement was initially touted by the Chinese state-run newspaper Peoples Daily. However, following the international backlash, the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) attitude quickly changed.

Two days after the positive reporting by Peoples Daily, the Chinese authorities denounced He and ordered a temporary halt to research activities involving the editing of human genes.

The Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), that hired He, was also quick to cut ties. The university indicated that He had been on unpaid leave since February 2018; his research was conducted outside of their campus; the university and Hes department said that they were unaware of the project.

According to Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao, He was then brought back to the university and placed under house arrest on campus. The university subsequently issued a statement that it had fired He.

Shenzhen Hemei Women and Childrens Hospital, where the gene-edited babies, Lulu and Nana, were born, also denied any involvement with Hes experiment.

According to materials He submitted to the Chinese clinical trials registry, the Shenzhen Municipal Science and Technology Innovation Council funded his project. However, the institution later denied the claim.

Following the many institutions sudden denials, a report by state-run media Xinhua claimed that local health authorities found that He deliberately evaded oversight and raised funds himself to carry out the procedure. The report added that he forged ethical review papers to enlist volunteers and that his actions were entirely motivated by his personal fame and profit.

Though Chinese authorities have denied their involvement, images of Hes Ethical Review Application Form had circulated online. Visible in the photo was an official stamp from the Shenzhen Hemei Women and Childrens Hospital and the signatures of its seven Ethics Committee members.

Meanwhile, China observers also note that such an expensive project would not have been possible without support from high-level authoritiesespecially as SUSTech claimed that He was on unpaid leave starting in February 2018.

Caoji, a Twitter user who introduced himself as a former science professor at a university in Shanghai, wrote in a post on Nov. 30, 2018, that he believes Hes experiment was promoted by high-ranking CCP officials and that SUSTech was responsible for helping He carry out the project in secret.

With hundreds of millions of yuan in funding at SUSTech, and given that He is a researcher associated with the CCPs Thousand Talents Plan, Caoji believes that the experiment could not have occurred without state backing.

Caoji believes that Hes real mistake, in the eyes of the CCP, is not that he violated research ethics, but that he inadvertently leaked a state secret.

This gene-editing technology was invented in the United States and is relatively uncomplicated to replicate. However, the international scientific community has strict protocols against its use on human subjects.

A Failed Experiment With Unintended Risks

In 2019, MIT Technology Review obtained copies of Hes unpublished manuscripts describing the creation of the first gene-edited babies born in 2018. The reviewers found that the text makes little attempt to prove that the twins are actually resistant to the virus and largely ignored data suggesting the editing went wrong.

The review found that the researchers own data did not support their main claims. In particular, the paper stated that the team was successfully able to reproduce a known mutation in a gene called CCR5. The small percentage of people born naturally with this mutation, known as CCR5 delta 32, can be immune to infection by HIV. However, the results showed the team did not actually reproduce the known mutation. Rather, they created new mutations that may or may not lead to HIV resistance, and also risked off-target effects on the human subjects.

Off-target effects refer to the unintended genetic modifications that may occur on genes near the target gene and may result in unexpected harm to the subjects.

The claim they have reproduced the prevalent CCR5 variant is a blatant misrepresentation of the actual data and can only be described by one term: a deliberate falsehood, Fyodor Urnov, a genome-editing scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, said in the review.

Another major problem pointed out by the review was that Hes research team didnt test whether the HIV immunity worked before creating living human beings.

Before transferring the embryos, they could have kept them frozen while they made identical edits in laboratory cells and tested the effects of HIV on those cells [before creating the girls], the review said.

In addition, one of the reviewers found that the editing of embryos in these cases was fundamentally unnecessary as the male partners semen can be washed to remove all seminal fluid that may harbor HIV.

Extended sperm washing has been used for almost two decades in IVF laboratories worldwide and in thousands of patients; in our and others experience, it is safe for both parents and their future children and does not entail invasive manipulation of embryos, Rita Vassena, the scientific director of Eugin Group, one of the leading international fertility groups.

Whats more puzzling is that there werent doctors among the authors of the manuscripts. The papers authors were mainly from He Jiankuis lab at the Southern University of Science and Technology.

Scientific and Ethical Concerns Remain

Although genome editing has been of great interest in preventing and treating human diseases in recent years, scientists are still determining whether this approach is safe and effective for use in humans. While technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9 were used to alter human genomes, most of the changes introduced were limited to somatic cells, which are cells other than egg and sperm cells (germline cells).

According to a BBC report in 2021, researchers at the Francis Crick Institute in London warned that editing the genetics of human embryos can lead to unintended consequences. By analyzing the data from previous experiments, they found that approximately 16 percent had accidental mutations that would not have been picked up via standard tests.

Meanwhile, another study found that editing caused unintended changes more than half the time.

Throughout the world, scientific research and experiments involving ethical issues must first pass the scrutiny of ethics committees. In recent years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has conducted many experiments in the field of biomedical and genetic engineering that break human ethical boundaries.

Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli (L) inside the P4 laboratory in Wuhan, the capital of Chinas Hubei Province, on Feb. 23, 2017. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)

Last July, The Epoch Times compiled four ethics-breaking biological experiments touted by Chinese scientists asworld firsts, including a rat model of male pregnancy, human-monkey chimeric embryos, gene-edited babies, and the gain-of-function experiments on coronaviruses.

China began implementing the Ethical Review of Biomedical Research Involving Humans on Dec. 1, 2016. However, 122 Chinese scientists who co-signed an open letter in 2018 to oppose gene-edited babies criticized Chinas biomedical ethics review as a sham.
A digital representation of the human genome at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City on Aug. 15, 2001. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

SCOTUS Takes Appeal of Texas Death Row Inmate Claiming Scientific Evidence Was Flawed

The Supreme Court agreed on April 25 to hear the appeal of Rodney Reed, who was convicted of murder and rape, and who now wants evidence found at the scene of the crime years ago to be tested for DNA, even though a Texas law forbids it because he took too long to raise the issue.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor foreshadowed the Supreme Courts ruling in 2020 when she questioned the strength of the scientific evidence used to convict Reed.

The case is Reed v. Goertz, court file 21-442. Respondent Bryan Goertz, a Republican, is the district attorney for Bastrop County, Texas. The court granted the inmates petition in an unsigned order and, according to its usual practice, provided no reasons why it acted. The case is an appeal from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.

Reed, now in his 50s, was sentenced to death after being convicted in 1998 in the 1996 strangulation death of 19-year-old Stacey Stites. He denies committing the crime. When she died, Stites was engaged to Jimmy Fennell, a local police officer. Fennell was the last person who claimed to have seen Stites alive. He failed polygraph tests and invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

Despite this, investigators didnt search the residence he shared with Stites, the petition states.

Reed, a black man, acknowledged he was involved in a clandestine sexual relationship with Stites, who was white, after initially lying to investigators about it. Prosecutors argued that Reed kidnapped and raped Stites in the early-morning hours before her life came to an end. A jury convicted him and imposed a death sentence, the petition states.

The conviction, the petition continues, was based on a single piece of physical evidencein this case, Reeds spermatozoawhich was found in the decedents genital area. An expert testified that sperm can remain intact in a vaginal tract for no longer than 26 hours.

Reed presented a substantial body of evidence that if true casts doubt on the veracity and scientific validity of the evidence, Sotomayor wrote (pdf) in a statement in February 2020 when the Supreme Court refused to take the case.

Misgivings this ponderous should not be brushed aside even in the least consequential of criminal cases; certainly, they deserve sober consideration when a capital conviction and sentence hang in the balance, the justice wrote at the time.

This evidence thus tended to inculpate Reed (by suggesting that he must have had sex with Stites very soon before her death) and exculpate Fennell (by indicating that Stites died after Fennell claimed to have seen her last), Sotomayor wrote.

Experts also refuted trial testimony that spermatozoa cannot remain intact within the vaginal tract for more than 26 hours. The scientific literature, they insisted, is pellucid [i.e., clear] that spermatozoa can remain intact for days. That so few were recovered intact, one expert averred, suggests that the spermatozoa had not been deposited recently, Sotomayor wrote.

Texas law permits a convicted person to seek post-conviction DNA testing of biological material if specific conditions are met, but the 5th Circuit found (pdf) in April 2021 that Reed waited too long to seek it.

An injury accrues when a plaintiff first becomes aware or should have become aware that his right had been violated, the appeals court stated, adding that his claim, which he became aware of in 2014, was time-barred.

In 2019, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stayed Reeds execution five days before it was to take place. Reed claims to have evidence that he and the victim were in a consensual sexual relationship; that Fennell, a white man, was lying and had racial animus towards Reed; and, as Sotomayor indicated in 2020, that scientific literature now shows that sperm can remain intact for days, casting doubt on the crucial time element in the prosecutions theory of the crime.

Jane Pucher, a senior staff attorney at the Innocence Project, provided The Epoch Times with a statement on behalf of Reeds legal team:

Rodney Reed has steadfastly maintained his innocence for more than 20 years, and a substantial body of evidence has emerged supporting his innocence. Mr. Reed, who is black, was convicted in 1998 by an all-white Texas jury of the murder of Stacey Stites, who is white, Pucher said.

Among other things, new evidence of innocence points to Stites white fiance, Jimmy Fennell, as the perpetrator. But Texas and the Texas courts have refused to allow DNA testing of key crime-scene evidence, including the ligature handled by the perpetrator in the commission of the crime. And when Mr. Reed sought access to DNA testing in federal court, the federal courts wrongly threw out his claims as untimely, reasoning that he could have started his federal action while the state-court proceedings were still pending, she said.

We look forward to having the Supreme Court consider our arguments.
SF Residents Commemorate April 25, 1999, Appeal in Beijing

SAN FRANCISCOThis past weekend, practitioners of Falun Gong, along with local supporters from the community, held events around the city to commemorate a large-scale protest held in China on April 25, 1999. The historic event was notable because of the sheer number of people who quietly gathered in Beijing to appeal for their right to practice their faith.

The practitioners all hope to hold different types of peaceful events, like appealing in front of the Chinese Consulate or holding banners in the downtown area, or holding a parade to raise awareness, said organizer Kerry Huang.

Huang said she organized the activities to commemorate the event that shocked the Chinese regime 23 years ago, known as the April 25 Appeal.

Organizer Kerry Huang speaks to NTD Television about the candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco on April 24, 2022. (Ted Lin/NTD Television)

Volunteers also came to bring attention to the spiritual discipline Falun Dafa, which is forbidden in China despite the gentle nature of its members.

In my heartI want to support freedom, said Kun Ding, who recently came from China. He was with the group holding a sign. I not only support people who practice Falun Gong, but I support freedom.

The practice has been misinterpreted due to the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) attempts to slander the practice and cover up its abuses against the group.

Ding said he doesnt practice Falun Gong, but he knows about the CCPs media disinformation campaign against the practice.

John Wu and Kun Ding hold signs to spread awareness in San Franciscos Chinatown on April 23, 2022. (David Lam/The Epoch Times)

CCP news sources tell me that people who practice Falun Gong people are terrible people. Actually, its not true, he said.

The Appeal That Started It All

In mid-April 1999, a magazine in China published an article that slandered Falun Gong.

Practitioners in China sought to explain the inaccuracies and requested a correction, which was denied.

On April 23 and 24, the Public Security Bureau used anti-riot police to beat and arrest over 40 people.

And on April 25, 1999, more than 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners went to appeal. They informally gathered outside the state appeals office in Beijingstanding or sitting quietly on the sidewalk, being careful not to cause a disturbance.

Three months later, the CCP ordered a ban on the practice and started its mass persecution of Falun Gong.

Visitor From SoCal Says Hes Stunned After Viewing Exhibit

During the weekend activities, volunteers held up signs and lined themselves along the sidewalk in San Francisco.

Their signs depicted stories of detainees who were taken from their homes and subjected to torture, brainwashing camps, and forced labor. Visitors to Chinatown were shocked to see the photos.

Its horrible. It definitely doesnt look like something that people should tolerate, said Jonathan Davy, who stopped by to look at the exhibits.

I know its a different culture over in China, but nobody deserves that.

The regime in China has attempted to silence the practitioners using various inhumane methods, including forced organ harvestingkilling Falun Gong practitioners for their organs for transplantsaccording to the Falun Dafa Information Center and other human rights organizations.

I think that more people should be upset about it, Davy told NTD Television. You know, its like, We dont have to deal with it over here, its another country; its not our problem.

It should be everybodys problem.

Jason Sedillo, who was there with Davy, said, Im stunned. Im stunned to the point where Im kind of feelingvery tiny right now.

San Franciscos Chinatown was busy with tourists as well as locals shopping; its one of the largest Chinatowns in the United States.

You look around here and you see people, and you see them walking and people smiling and then you look at what people dont see all the time, and whats hidden, buried, or covered up to the point where nobody really knows about it, Sedillo said.

It makes my stomach turn inside, and my heart throbs for itits sad.

Armando Centen and his wife signed a petition to condemn the CCP.

We helped sign the petition because personally I think there are a lot of restrictions from the Chinese government, Centen said.

To his knowledge, he said, the CCP maintains tight control over its citizens.

They try to keep them mind-controlled. They want to set up some type of system where the people are afraid to talk.

Centen hopes his signature on the petition will improve freedom for those living in China.

Armando Centen and his wife pose for a picture after signing a petition in San Franciscos Chinatown on April 23, 2022. (David Lam/The Epoch Times)

Ding, the young volunteer, said, If China becomes a worse country, its really bad for everyone all over the world. So I think U.S. people [should] know about thisits important.

Practitioners feel theyve been wrongfully targeted. Some have said that the CCP is afraid of large groups, thus deeming practitioners of faith a threat.

I Think Courage and Belief Could Lead My Way

Falun Dafa, or Falun Gong, originated in China and was publicly introduced in May 1992. Its based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. It consists of four gentle exercises and a sitting meditation, as well as moral teachings.

I became much more confident after practicing, said Linda Campbell, who was at the vigil.

I think I was always a sort of nervous person, and so now Im a lot calmerI think everyone around me appreciates that.

It has really given me something to live for, and a lot of answers to life.

John Wu, 18, gave an example: When you argue with someone, you should find what needs changing inside yourselfwhy youre reacting that way. Thats how you fix the problem.

Wu has been practicing since he was young, working to improve his character.

Crystal Lu said that when she was in middle school and still living in China, she sent a letter to the police. She wanted to tell them the truth about Falun Dafa and the persecution. They responded by trying to arrest her. Fortunately, her mother intervened.

Crystal Lu volunteers to bring attention to the April 25 appeal in San Franciscos Chinatown on April 23, 2022. (David Lam/The Epoch Times)

I dont know why writing a letter should be a crime, she said. But I think courage and faith should be my guides, and Ill be steadfast in my faith.

Jason Blair contributed to this report.
Vijay Dosoar and his wife at Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton on April 23, 2022. (Sunny Chen/The Epoch Times)

EDMONTON, CanadaCompany president Vijay Dosoar had high praise for the Shen Yun Performing Arts evening performance at Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium on April 23.

It was excellent. It was very colorful, energetic, and it has history and culture through the acts, so its very well-done, said Mr. Dosoar, an engineer who is president of Shiva Group Canada, a company in the mechanical services industry.

Due to the energy from the show, My wife was holding my hand so tight. I could tell shes excited, he said.

It was worth watching, it was worth the money, and you learn something, he added.

New York-based Shen Yun, founded in 2006, is the worlds premier classical Chinese dance company. Its productions present story-based dances that depict the history and traditional culture of China, a rich, age-old heritage with deeply spiritual roots.

Along with classical Chinese dance, Shen Yun features Chinese folk and ethnic dance as well as a live orchestra with solo vocal and instrumental music performances.

Very traditional, Mr. Dosoar said, noting that Shen Yun is doing a good job promoting traditional Chinese culture internationally and that spirituality  is very good to see in todays world.

Shen Yuns mission is to revive the traditional culture of China, which has been on the brink of extinction since the Chinese communist regime seized power in 1949. The company says its performance this year displays China before communism.

It tells you a different aspect about China than what people presume on CNN, said Mr. Dosoar.

They showed a little bit about communism, how it was strict and wont let you practice certain things, he said, adding that but right now, [Shen Yun is] number one!

Reporting by Sunny Chen, Gary Bai, and Jennifer Schneider.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
Jayshree and Barry Patel at Shen Yun at the McAllen Performing Arts Center, Texas, on April 23, 2022. (Sonia Wu/The Epoch Times)

McALLEN, TexasBarry Patel, former mayor of South Padre Island and the owner of three hotels, and his wife Jayshree Patel were delighted by Shen Yun Performing Arts at McAllen Performing Arts Center in McAllen on April 23.

It was the couples second time attending a performance by Shen Yun.

We love the colorful dances  the culture, and the story behind every dance, Mr. Patel said. Its very entertainingand culturally very rich.

New York-based Shen Yun is the worlds premier classical Chinese dance company. Along with Chinese folk and ethnic dance, and a live orchestra with solo vocal and instrumental performances, the production presents stories that depict the history and traditional culture of China from ancient times to the modern-day.

Shen Yun presents story-based dances depicting the persecution of Falun Dafa, also called Falun Gong, a meditation and spiritual discipline based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a persecution against the practice in 1999, and adherents have since been subjected to unprecedented imprisonment, torture, and abuse.

Mr. Patel appreciated how Shen Yun uses dance to bring light to the human rights atrocities currently happening in China.

I think that this is a good way to express whats going on  its a good indication of whats going onthrough dance, he said.

One dance piece depicts the state-orchestrated crime of forced organ harvesting from Falun Dafa prisoners of conscience in China, as part of the CCPs persecution campaign against the peaceful spiritual practice.

I like the one about the surgeon  the persecution, the story was touching, he said.

We dont see it, except when its in a performance like this, he added.

Reporting by Sonia Wu and Jennifer Schneider.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
South Carolina Police Officer Fatally Shot While Responding to Domestic Disturbance Call

A South Carolina officer was shot dead for no reason while responding to a domestic disturbance call in Cayce early Sunday morning, officials have said.

Police Officer Drew Barr was shot and killed as he and other officers responded to the disturbance call at a home on Rossmore Road at around 2:45 a.m. local time, Cayce Police Chief Chris Cowan said at a news conference Sunday.

The 28-year-old Cayce Police Department officer and other officers encountered a male individual standing in the front yard of the residence and made contact with him upon arriving at the scene, Cowan said.

As they spoke with the individual, several shots were fired from inside the residence, one of which struck and killed Barr.

Barr had served with the Cayce Police Department for six years and was assigned to the Canine Division in October 2020. He also served as a captain with the Monetta Volunteer Fire Department.

Officer Drew was dedicated, he was married to this profession, he didnt have children, he didnt have a wife, he was a firefighter, he was an EMT, and he was a police officer, Cowan said on Sunday.

He was committed to his profession, he was committed to his community. He cared about nothing else than serving this community and he was shot and killed this morning for no reason, Cowan added.

Cowan said that officials had spent seven hours negotiating with the suspect to try and get him out of the home safely but that he ultimately took his own life.

An investigation has been launched into the incident.

Meanwhile, the Lexington County Coroners Office confirmed to The Epoch Times that the identity of the suspect is Austin Henderson, 36.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) also announced Sunday evening that it is investigating an incident where a man shot and killed Cayce Police Officer Roy Andrew Drew Barr adding that, the subject, Austin Leigh Henderson, 36, barricaded himself inside a residence where a seven-hour standoff ensued.

According to the SLED announcement, Henderson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Barr had survived a previous shooting when he was wounded after being ambushed during the pursuit of a stolen vehicle in 2017, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.

Our hearts in Cayce are breaking, Mayor Elise Partin said in a statement on Sunday following news of Barrs death. Officer Drew Barr has been an important part of the Cayce family since 2016. All of our officers and Cayce team and citizens mourn with Officer Barrs family.

Monetta Volunteer Fire Department also paid tribute to the fallen officer, stating that it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to one of our own.
J.D. Vance (L), a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio, shakes hands with former president Donald Trump during a rally at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Ohio on April 23, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Sprawling Ohio Crowd Greets Trump, Vance With Applause at Save America Rally

America First was the common theme among speakers at the Save America Rally on April 23 in central Ohio, where former president Donald Trump reiterated his support for J.D. Vance in the states GOP U.S. Senate race.

J.D. is really an America First warrior, Trump told a sprawling and exuberant crowd. He believes so much in making our country great again, and hes going to do a job on these horrible people that are running against him.

This guy is tough as hell. Hes going to win, Trump added. We have to pick him. Hes right. Hes the guy. Hes the guy.

I am the America First candidate in this race, Vance told the audience.

The event, which was held at the Delaware County Fairgrounds 30 miles north of Columbus, was Trumps first visit to Ohio since June 2021.

Thousands poured into the rally area when gates opened at 2 p.m. Three jumbotron screens showed ads of Trump-endorsed candidates, promoted Trumps coffee table book, and highlighted an upcoming documentary about 2020 election fraud. Leading to the speaking portion of the event, a soundtrack of 1970s and 1980s classic rock entertained audience members and long lines gathered in front of food trucks amid the heat on an 85-degree afternoon.

Hayden Ferguson is a 19-year-old University of Dayton student who heads a group called Unapologetically Constitutionally Conservative. He travels to political events around Ohio to gain a pulse of local, state and federal races.

It came as no shock to me that, even with an endorsement that has confused some conservatives across the state, that [former] president Trump still draws a massive crowd in 85-degree weather two years after he held office, Ferguson said at the rally.

Before his endorsement of J.D. Vance, I was strongly advocating for Trump to stay out of the race since it is so close to the primary, Ferguson added. After talking to as many people as possible in the audience, it appears that Vance won support by how he presented himself on stage, much like he has done in debates.

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell opened the speaking portion, referencing how there was massive voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election and saying there were more than 500,000 fraudulent votes in Ohio.

Congressman Troy Balderson, who Trump endorsed in 2018, and congressman Mike Carey, who Trump backed in 2021, followed Lindell and shared a similar message promoting the election of America First candidates throughout Ohio in the primary and in November.

Madison Gesiotto Gilbert, an attorney and a former Miss Ohio who is supported by Trump in the 13th Congressional District race; and Max Miller, a former Trump aide who is backed by his one-time boss and running in the 7th Congressional District, also spoke.

Enthusiastic Applause

When he was introduced, Vance walked to the stage and received a warm welcome from attendees.

Im sick, in sum, of the left destroying this country, and Im sick of the [Republican in Name Only] RINOs in Washington DC who refuse to fight back against it, Vance told the crowd.

Vance recognized his family members in attendance and promised that he will never forget where he came from.

He stated his belief that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and added that the thing that Trump revealed, more than any policy achievement, is that we are living in an incredibly corrupt country.

Regarding his 2016 comments about Trump, Vance admitted that it took him longer than some people to embrace his presidency.

The president is right. I wasnt always nice, but the simple fact is, hes the best president of my lifetime, Vance said.

Since announcing his endorsement of Vance on April 15, the former president has encountered backlash from GOP groups and supporters of fellow GOP U.S. Senate candidates Josh Mandel, Mike Gibbons, and Jane Timken.

Vance apologized for denouncing Trump in now-deleted tweets. In 2016, He had written that he would not vote for Trump and would instead support Evan McMullin, who ran as an independent.

That same year, Vance described himself as never Trump. He added that the future president was reprehensible and that he makes people I care about afraid.

Around three dozen GOP county chairs authored a letter urging Trump to rescind his April 15 endorsement.

Ohio Value Voters, a conservative organization that has endorsed Josh Mandel for the GOP U.S. Senate primary, publicly denounced Trumps backing of Vance before the Save America rally.

Ohio Value Voters urges Ohioans to boycott the Trump Rally in Delaware County this Saturday, April 23. However, if you decide to attend, when [former] president Trump introduces J.D. Vance, make your voices heard by letting Trump know, J.D. Vance is Wrong for Ohio, a statement from Ohio Value Voters said. Booing is entirely appropriate!

Based on the large crowd and the loud applause for Vance, Ohioans did not heed the organizations request.

Best Option To Defeat Ryan

During his address at the event, Trump reiterated his stance that Vance is the best option to defeat congressman Tim Ryan, who is heavily favored to win the Democratic primary.

Hes a guy that said some bad [expletive] about me. He did, Trump said about Vance. But you know what? Every one of the others did also. In fact, if I went by that standard, I probably never would have endorsed anyone in the country.

But I have to do what I have to do, Trump added. We have to pick somebody that can win.

I like a lot of the other people in the race, but we have to pick the one thats going to win,

While talking about a variety of topics during his speech, Trump frequently turned to Vance and called him by name.

When Trump invited Vance on stage, the crowd erupted with chants of J.D.

We need to elect Republicans who know what time it is, Vance said when he returned to the stage.

When we get to the Senate, were going to do something, Vance said. No more talking. No more slogans. No more politicians who wag their fingers at the corrupt Big Tech officials and the FBI. Its time for consequences, and its time for action.

What A Handsome President

Trump injected humor throughout the address, referring to his hair multiple times. At one point, Trump abruptly stopped what he was saying when he saw himself on the jumbotron screen.

What a handsome president, he said, drawing applause and laughter from the audience.

Earlier in the day, Trump announced his endorsement for incumbent Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who has repeatedly said there was no widespread fraud in the 2020 election.

Here are the facts: Ohio smashed voter turnout records in 2020 while providing Ohioans a secure election, LaRose told reporters in February 2022. Our state is proof positive you dont have to choose between secure or convenient electionswe have both.

During his address, Trump said that he won Ohio by a higher margin than eight points and added that mail-in ballots, long term voting, and no voter ID or signature verification is absolutely killing our country our reputation, and our elections. People have to believe in their elections, they have to believe that they were honest.

Later in his address, Trump said One. Day. Voting. Paper. Ballots. And if were going to have mail-in ballots were never going to have honest elections.

For some Ohioans who believe there was election fraud, Trumps backing of LaRose is more difficult to absorb than his support for Vance. LaRose recently endorsed Vance.

When you have the top elections official in state endorsing a candidate, that is a conflict of interest and is unethical. The secretary of state is supposed to be bi-partisan, said Vanessa Treft, a conservative voter in northwest Ohio who attended the rally.

There are conservatives across Ohio who are more upset about Trump endorsing Frank LaRose than they are about his backing of J.D. Vance.

Trump did not address the Ohio gubernatorial race, which includes incumbent Gov. Mike DeWine, Canal Winchester farmer and restaurant owner Joe Blystone, former Ohio state representative Ron Hood, and former U.S. House representative Jim Renacci.

Outside The Rally

Outside the fairgrounds entrance, Blystone rented a parking lot where supporters congregated and socialized. At one point, a plane circled above the rally stage area towing a banner that read, Joe Blystone for Ohio Governor.

Canal Winchester farmer and restaurant owner Joe Blystone rented a parking lot outside the Save America Rally in Delaware County, Ohio on April 23 for supporters to congregate and socialize. (Photo by Everitt Townsend)

There is an energy behind our campaign, and I believe it is similar to what happened leading to Trumps election in 2016, Blystone said. There is a super majority of silent voters who will show up on May 3 and bring it home for us.

Blystone said he finds Trumps endorsement of LaRose confusing, saying that it makes no sense at all because LaRose is against everything that Trump talked about regarding what happened in the election.

He added that he is glad Trump did not endorse a candidate in the gubernatorial primary.

Not long after the November 2020 presidential election, Trump tweeted, Who will be running for Governor of the great state of Ohio? Will be hotly contested! It was an apparent encouragement for candidates to run against DeWine in the GOP primary.

Trump backed Renacci in 2018 when the Cleveland businessman and former congressman won the primary before falling to Democrat Sherrod Brown in the general election. He has not endorsed Renacci in the gubernatorial race.

He doesnt care for DeWine, and he was quoted as saying that Renacci is not a winner, Blystone said about Trump. I think he is sitting back and sees numbers we are receiving and he is watching.

Former U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci is running in the Ohio GOP gubernatorial primary against Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, farmer and restaurant owner Joe Blystone, and former Ohio State Representative Ron Hood. (Photo by Doug Coulter)

Supporters of Renacci and other candidates not endorsed by Trump were asked to turn their T-shirts inside out at the rally. Renacci told reporters that he would welcome the former presidents endorsement, but he thinks he can defeat DeWine regardless.

We have a sitting governor who cant break 40 percent so the goal will be in the next 10 days to get those 12 percent [who are undecided] to come my way, Renacci said. If the president endorses, its over for Gov. DeWine and I think he knows that.

DeWine did not attend the rally. He was diagnosed as COVID-19 positive by his personal physician on April 15 and is reportedly in quarantine at his Cedarville farmhouse.

Vance was the only GOP U.S. Senate candidate to attend the rally. Among the top five in the polls, former Ohio state treasurer and state representative Josh Mandel, former Ohio Republican Party chair Jane Timken, and Ohio State Sen. Matt Dolan were absent. Cleveland investment banker Mike Gibbons, who lost to Renacci in the 2018 Ohio GOP Senate primary, stationed his campaign bus near the fairgrounds entrance. Supporters waved signs at passing motorists.

Ohio GOP Senate candidate Mike Gibbons talks to voters at a meet and greet in February. (Courtesy of Mike Gibbons Facebook page)

Mandel was the frontrunner in the polls for several months. Gibbons briefly held an advantage, but momentum shifted when Mandel went nose-to-nose with Gibbons in a heated on-stage exchange at a March 18 debate. That is when Vances campaign generated steam, and he rapidly ascended in the polls.

Gibbons remains optimistic about his chances, even after Trumps endorsement of Vance.

We havent changed our plans, Gibbons said. It just added a different dimension to the race. We still think we have a trajectory.

Regarding the altercation with Mandel, Gibbons said, If youre standing in front of 600 people, somebody gets in with the microphone, answering a question, and somebody gets up in your face, what do you do? Even though I wasnt at fault, I am still embarrassed by the fact that I was even involved.

When he announced his endorsement of Vance, Trump mentioned that he was disgusted by the conduct of Gibbons and Mandel during the March 18 debate, and that contributed to his decision to support Vance, the Hillbilly Elegy author and venture capitalist who grew up in Middletown, Ohio.
A wounded man receives treatment in a hospital, after a bombing at a mosque in the town of Imam Saheb, in Kunduz Province in north of Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 22, 2022. (Abdullah Sahil/(AP Photo)

Terrorists in Afghanistan Strike Pakistan Army Post, Kill 3

ISLAMABADTerrorists in Afghanistan fired heavy weapons across the border into a Pakistani military outpost overnight, killing three personnel, the army said Saturday, in the latest violence to rattle the volatile region.

A firefight ensued with the terrorists firing toward the army post in Pakistans rugged North Waziristan region, and several were killed, the statement said. There was no immediate way to independently confirm details of the attack.

It comes as Afghanistan is reeling from a series of explosions in recent days, including the bombing of a mosque in northern Kunduz province on Friday that killed 33 people, including several students of an adjacent religious school or madrassa.

That includes an attack Thursday on the Abdul Rahim Shaheed school in Kabul that killed seven children. It re-opened on Saturday, with children remembering their fallen classmates with roses.

The striking increase in attacks in Afghanistanas well as in neighboring Pakistanhighlights the growing security challenge facing Afghanistans Taliban rulers, who swept to power last August in the closing days of the chaotic withdrawal of American and NATO troops ending their 20-year war.

Even as their harsh religiously motivated edicts, which seemed reminiscent of their late 1990s rule, drew harsh criticism, their seemingly heavy-handed approach to security brought early expectations of improved safety.

However, a vicious ISIS affiliate known as the Islamic State in Khorasn Province, or IS-K  which claimed the recent spate of attacks in Afghanistan as well as a growing number in neighboring Pakistan  is proving an intractable challenge.

IS-K took responsibility for a series of attacks across Afghanistan on Thursday, most of which targeted the countrys minority Shiites who the radical Sunni Muslim group revile as heretics.

Still, the IS-K, which is an enemy of Afghanistans Taliban rulers, is not the only terrorist organization in Afghanistan contributing to the security dilemma facing Kabuls religiously driven government.

The violent Pakistani Taliban, known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or (TTP)  which the United Nations says numbers around 10,000 in Afghanistan  has stepped up its assault on Pakistans military outposts from its Afghan hideouts. Even the upstart IS-K has taken responsibility for some of the attacks targeting Pakistani military personnel, damaging relations between the two countries.

Afghanistans Taliban rulers have promised no terrorist group would use its soil as a base to attack another country, but Kabul has yet to arrest or hand over any TTP leaders in Afghanistan to Pakistan. Other terrorist groups also operating in Afghanistan include Chinas militant Uyghurs of East Turkistan Movement, which seeks independence for northwest China, and the ISIS Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).

Some of the groups are loosely allied to the IS-K, while others act more independently, but on Saturday Pakistans military statement warned Afghanistans Taliban rulers to do more.

Pakistan strongly condemns the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for activities against Pakistan and expects that the Afghan Government will not allow conduct of such activities, in future, said the Pakistan military statement.

After seven of its troops were killed in an ambush earlier this month, Pakistan on April 16 retaliated with bombing raids inside Afghanistan that locals in Afghanistans eastern Khost province said killed dozens of refugees. The United Nations Education Fund (UNICEF) confirmed 20 children were killed in the strikes in Afghanistans border provinces of Khost and Kunar.

At the Abdul Rahim Shaheed School, which was among the IS-K targets in the Thursday attacks, school principal Ghulam Haider Husseini handed roses to each student as they arrived.

He also gave students a pen saying it is our pen who will bring about a change in this situation.

Separately, the Taliban on Saturday closed the lucrative Islam Qala border crossing with Iran after the two countries squabbled over a road Afghanistans Taliban rulers planned to build in the area, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Iran media said the dispute was handed over to the Iranian and Afghan interior ministries to sort out.

Iran and Afghanistan share three border crossings along their more than 900 -kilometer (560-mile) border.

By Kathy Gannon
Elon Musk, founder and chief engineer of SpaceX, speaks at the 2020 Satellite Conference and Exhibition in Washington on March 9, 2020. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Tesla Shareholder Lawsuit Reveals Elon Musks Private Texts With Saudi Fund on Proposed Privatization

Text messages between Elon Musk and a representative of a Saudi Arabian investment firm have now surfaced as part of an ongoing shareholder lawsuit, shedding more light on the billionaires controversial 2018 tweet about taking the publicly traded company, Tesla Inc., private.

Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured, Musk said in the April 7, 2018, tweet. Shareholders sued Tesla and Musk, arguing that they lost money following the tweet. Stock trading on Teslas shares had initially halted and was highly volatile for several weeks.

As part of the lawsuit, a 300-page motion (pdf) detailing text messages between Musk, his friends in Silicon Valley, investors, and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the managing director of Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund (PIF), was filed on April 22.

In a text message, an angry Musk talked about a Bloomberg article which reported that PIF was talking with Tesla about taking the company private.

This is an extremely weak statement and does not reflect the conversation we had at Tesla. You said you were definitely interested in taking Tesla private and had wanted to do so since 2016. You also made it clear that you were the decision-maker, moreover backed strongly by the Crown Prince, who regards this as strategically important at a national level, Musk wrote. Im sorry, but we cannot work together.

Its up to you Elon, Al-Rumayyan responded.

You are throwing me under the bus, said Musk.

Al-Rumayyan eventually told Musk that PIF could not approve something that they didnt have sufficient information about. He argued that despite Musk agreeing to send PIF financial information on Tesla in a week, nothing happened since.

Musk retorted that since Tesla was a publicly traded company, details about earnings were available in the company newsletter.

There are many other investment funds who want to be part of this deal. We do not need your fund to get this done. I will not work with an organization whos [sic] public statement to the media do not match their private statements to me and my team, Musk messaged.

The billionaire entrepreneur told Al-Rumayyan to apologize to the crown prince on his behalf and explain why Teslas transaction with PIF would not take place. Al-Rumayyan insisted that PIF had not talked with the media. But Musk said that the Bloomberg article was a weak sauce that made him look like a liar.

I am sorry, but there will be no further communication unless you fix the public perception of wishy washy support and interest from PIF. That is not what you said to me and my team privately. Someone is either a friend or not a friend and no friend says one thing privately and another thing publicly. This is not right, Musk said.

Since the discussion, Tesla has gone on to build multiple factories worldwide and has become a $1 trillion company.

As to the lawsuit filed by Tesla shareholders, a judge ruled in early April 2022 that a reasonable jury would find Musks 2018 tweets inaccurate or misleading. Musks attorneys are insisting that the entrepreneur has been truthful on the matter and have not ruled out an appeal.
A member of the Mudgeeraba light horse troop takes part in the ANZAC dawn service at Currumbin Surf Life Saving Club on April 25, 2014 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Thousands of Australians Celebrate Veterans Anzac Day with Dawn Services, While Remembering Ukraine

Thousands of Australians have gathered to pay tribute to servicemen and women on Anzac Day in dawn ceremonies where the countrys leaders also acknowledged Ukraines fight for freedom.

For some states, the commemorations for the 107th anniversary of the Anzac landing at Gallipoli marked a return to normal crowds following two years of disruption due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The national dawn service in Canberra began with a moment of quiet reflection followed by the sound of a didgeridoo played by Worimi man, Leading Aircraftman Tarryn Roach.

Army veteran Mike Ruffinwho served in Malaya, Borneo and Vietnamtold the service at the Australian War Memorial said it was a day to reflect on the Anzac spirit.

He spoke of his personal experience on New Years Eve in 1968 during the Vietnam War, which had forged a lasting bond between mates.

In hindsight, it seems inconceivable that five men could run across 100 metres of open ground whilst being subjected to that amount of fire and not receive a single gunshot wound, he said.

Had any one of us been wounded, that would have been the end as we would never have left a mate behind.

Every Anzac Day, I reflect on that experience and am so grateful that we all survived. We still keep in touch to this day.

He said Australia was fortunate that current service personnel were so highly trained, prepared to take the risks and committed to serving their country when asked to do so.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Labor deputy leader Richard Marles were in Darwin for services, as Labor leader Anthony Albanese remains in isolation at his Sydney home as he recovers from COVID-19.

Morrison said as Australians honoured their own fallen who fought for liberty and freedom, we stand with the people of Ukraine, who do the same thing at this very moment.

Our world is changing. War does strike Europe again. Coercion troubles our region once more and an arc of autocracy is challenging the rules-based order our grandparents secured, he said.

Democratic-free peoples are standing together again.

Albanese said in a video message the Australian character was confirmed at Gallipoli and since then Australians had stood steadfast as warriors and as builders and keepers of the peace.

Yet as the war in Ukraine so tragically reminds us, darkness is not vanquished from the world, he said.

It reminds us freedom cannot be taken for granted. It reminds us that freedom isnt free.

It is the first Anzac Day since forces withdrew from Afghanistan, where 41 Australians died in service.

Canberras commemorations will include the first full veterans march in three years.

The RSL ACT branch has 41 contingents registered for the march, equal to between 850 and 900 marchers.

Governor-General David Hurley will deliver an address to the nation from the Australian War Memorial following the march.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of Anzac Day commemorations at the memorial in Canberra.

Overseas, Anzac services will take place in Turkey, France, Thailand, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.

Delivering the address in Sydney, Major General Matthew Pearse said it was a day to give thanks to all veterans for their service, their sacrifice and their resilience.

Theyre filled with stories of ordinary Australians who pulled together despite adversity to support their mates and put their lives on the line to defend our national interests and secure a brighter future.
The Anak Krakatau volcano in Indonesia spews a plume of ash into the sky as molten lava streams down from its summit on July 18, 2018. (Ferdi Awad/AFP/Getty Images)

Indonesia Raises Threat Level on Anak Krakatau Volcano as Lava Flow Enters Sea

Indonesias Geological Agency on April 24 raised the alert level for the erupting Anak Krakatau volcano to level three, requiring a danger zone of up to 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) as volcanic activity intensified.

The volcanic mountain began spewing ash clouds towering 3,000 meters from the peak in the past three days, according to the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG).

Hendra Gunawan, head of the Volcanic Mitigation Division, said on April 25 that the PVMBG is coordinating with the relevant authorities on the potential secondary hazard, citing the eruption of Anak Krakatau in 2018.

The volcanos massive eruption in 2018 triggered an underwater landslide, resulting in a tsunami that killed at least 430 people along the Sumatra and Java shores.

We will assess the activity level of Mount Anak Krakatau, particularly in terms of secondary hazards, by observing both volcanic eruption and ground motion, Hendra told Indonesian news outlet Detik News, according to a translation.

The PVMBG said in a statement that the volcanic activity at Anak Krakatau began intensifying on April 15 and spewing incandescent lava on April 17. The lava was observed entering the sea on April 23.

Over the course of 24 hours, the agency recorded 21 eruption shocks, 155 phreatic tremors, 14 harmonic tremors, 121 low-frequency earthquakes, 17 shallow volcanic earthquakes, and 38 deep volcanic earthquakes at the mountain.

Seismic activity is characterized by continuous volcanic tremor, recorded on seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 55 millimeters, the agency stated.

The geological agency stated that a safe zone had been established to block the public from going near the area.

In 1883, the volcano then known as Krakatoa erupted in one of the biggest blasts in recorded history, killing more than 36,000 people in a series of tsunamis and lowering the global surface temperature by one degree Celsius with its ash.

Anak Krakatau, or Child of Krakatau, is the island that emerged from the area in 1927 and has been growing ever since.

Reuters contributed to this report.
(L-R) U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pose for a picture during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 25, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Top US Officials Pledge Support for Ukraine While Meeting Zelenskyy in Kyiv

Two top U.S. officials met with Ukraines president in Kyiv over the weekend, pledging continued support for the country as it defends itself against Russia.

Our focus in the meeting was to talk about those things that would enable us to win the current fight and also build for tomorrow, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told reporters in Poland on April 25. We talked about security force assistance, and we talked about training, and we also talked about the key things that were going to discuss in the session that Ill conduct tomorrow at Ramstein with a number of ministers of defense and chiefs of defense.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was also part of the meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

U.S. officials shared that American diplomats will be returning soon to Ukraine and that President Joe Biden plans to nominate a new ambassador to Ukraine. Bridget Brink, currently the ambassador to Slovakia, was nominated on April 25.

We had an opportunity as well to talk about where this goes from here, with the success that Ukraine has had, Blinken said.

Its also true that Russia continues to try to brutalize parts of the country, and the death and destruction that we continue to see is horrific. But Ukrainians are standing up, theyre standing strong, and theyre doing that with the support that we have coordinated from literally around the world.

He also said Russia is failing in that effort.

Pallets of aid to Ukraine are stacked behind U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (R) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) as they speak with reporters after returning from their trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, and meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Poland near the Ukraine border on April 25, 2022. (Alex Brandon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

The bottom line is this: We dont know how the rest of this war will unfold, but we do know that a sovereign, independent Ukraine will be around a lot longer than Vladimir Putin is on the scene, Blinken said. And our support for Ukraine going forward will continue. It will continue until we see final success.

On the orders of President Vladimir Putin, Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Since then, Russian forces have taken control of portions of Ukraine, but Ukraine and its allies say that Ukraines resistance has impeded Russia from subjugating it.

During a portion of the meeting open to the press, Zelenskyy thanked the United States for helping Ukraine.

He also said his countrys priorities were getting additional weapons from the United States and European allies and convincing leaders of those countries to impose more sanctions on Russia.

The third issue is financial support. The fourth issue is security guarantees, an important issue, as we consider the United States to be a leader among those countries that are future guarantors of Ukraines security, Zelenskyy said.
Enterprises in Shanghai helping to fight the epidemic

By:Zhao Chunyuan | From:english.eastday.com | 2022-04-25 17:41

Many companies have joined the anti-epidemic fight in order to help Shanghai win the battle of epidemic prevention and control as soon as possible, and solve the shortage of prevention or living materials for citizens (especially vulnerable groups) and frontline personnel under closed-loop management.

Providing residents with living materials

Recently, 50 families with financial difficulties in the Siming neighborhood of Jing'an Temple Sub-district received a heavy and heartwarming gift package: a full box of fresh vegetables and eggs weighing more than 5kg. This was a gift package purchased by Inditex (ZARAs parent company).

Eva Serrano, president of Inditex Greater China, has always been concerned about the lives of the residents in the community during lockdown. She thought of solving some living difficulties for the elderly and disabled, so she spared no efforts to purchase living materials for the residents. Previously, at the end of March, she procured 100 vegetable packages to distribute to the residents.

In late March, Rui'an Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. donated RMB 5 million to the Shanghai Glory Society to purchase epidemic prevention materials urgently needed for the nucleic acid testing and living materials for citizens under lockdown.

"Sazanami Ooedo" has also provided services for community group purchase and soft drinks delivery services to residents in need.

Sending warmth to the anti-epidemic frontline personnel

Eva Serrano also learned that community volunteers needed a large amount of PPEs during consecutive days of the epidemic prevention and control, especially isolation gown and disposable gloves. She found suppliers and arranged procurement, hoping to safeguard the community volunteers' daily work."The prevention and control of the epidemic is the responsibility of the entire society. Seeing that the community workers are working very hard, I also really want to do my best to contribute as much as I can," Eva said.

After learning that some community workers had not been home for more than a month, the company donated a batch of soft drinks and 40,000 disposable underwear to the local governments. In addition, the company took the initiative to organize dozens of employees to actively participate in the volunteer service team.

Sleeping bags donated by Rui'an Real Estate Development

Some days ago, the weather suddenly cooled down. The staff members from Rui'an Real Estate Development were quick to response after learning that frontline personnel from Middle Huaihai Road Sub-district needed 200 sleeping bags to fend off the cold night air. Great efforts were made by both the company and the staff to send the sleeping bags to frontline personnel and volunteers within 6 hours.

We are deeply touched by every volunteer who has contributed greatly to the city. We are also grateful to the Shanghai Glory Society for giving us the opportunity to practice corporate social responsibility, said Wang Ying, CEO of Rui'an Real Estate Development Co., Ltd.

(The pictures are provided by the interviewed companies)
Transparent and Predictable Air Travel Rules Needed After Disproportionate Pandemic Response: MPs

The UK governments restrictions on international travel during the CCP virus pandemic were disproportionate to the risks to public health, a select committee of MPs said.

The Transport Committee on Monday published the report of its inquiry into airlines and airports recovery from the pandemic, urging the government to devise a transparent and predictable system that can be used in potential future pandemics.

It also urged the government to regulate the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus testing market, introduce a mechanism to grant automatic refunds to airline customers, and draft a new airline insolvency bill to handle future airline insolvencies to protect the interests of consumers, employees, and taxpayers.

Ministers decision-making process regarding the restrictions was not transparent or consistent, nor based on scientific consensus, the committee concluded.

It also criticised the arbitrary nature of 15 different rule changes for travellers that it said left them struggling to navigate a confusing traffic light system, access affordable testing, and secure refunds.

Since June 2020, the UK government deployed a traffic light system for international travel that consisted of a green list, an amber list, and a red list of countries, with travellers from green list countries facing the least restrictions, and amber list arrivals having had to take more tests and sometimes self-isolate.

Rules that applied to each category varied over time. Only British or Irish citizens and residents were allowed to travel from the red-list countries, and those who did were subject to mandatory hotel quarantine, a pre-departure test, and a number of post-arrival tests.

The report said the system was opaque, ambiguous, and inconsistent.

According to the report, the government sought to balance the needs of the economy against the maintenance of public health during the pandemic, but had not always been transparent about how decisions on restricting international travel were informed or made.

Passengers arrive at Heathrow Airport in London after the last British Airways flight from China touched down in the UK following an announcement that the airline was suspending all flights to and from mainland China with immediate effect amid the escalating coronavirus crisis, on Jan. 29, 2020. (Steve Parsons/PA via AP)

The committee also heard from British Airways Acting Chief Commercial Officer Colm Lacy that no other European country had forced hotel quarantine, which incurred a completely prohibitive cost of 2,285 ($2,909).

Using case numbers as an indicator, there is no evidence that the requirement for travellers from certain countries to quarantine at a hotel, rather than at a location of their choice, has improved the UKs coronavirus situation compared with other European countries, the report reads.

The committee welcomed the governments decision to lift all travel restrictions and its promise that future international travel contingency measures will only be implemented in extreme circumstances.

The committee urged the government to publish by June 1 its aviation recovery plan, which must include a commitment to developing a transparent and predictable system that can be used to facilitate safe international travel during potential future health crises.

The report also outlined the difficulties for customers in securing refunds from airlines even when theyre legally entitled to one.

The committee recommended the government bring in new laws that would give customers automatic compensation when theyre entitled to a refund, saving them from having to apply for one.

But the report also mentioned a gap in the law that left passengers out of pocket owing to the CCP virus restrictions.

Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority Consumer Panel Jenny Willott told the committee that when a flight goes ahead as scheduled despite the imposition of local restrictions or a national lockdown, it was not really clear whether passengers are entitled to a refund or not.

The report said Willott concluded that it seemed quite extraordinary that passengers couldnt get a refund after being banned from travelling by the government, and the confusion had also put people off from booking flights.
Then-President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Marine One en route to Ohio on the White House South Lawn in Washington on Aug. 1, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Trump Reveals His Stance on Returning to Twitter After Musks Bid Prevails

Former President Donald Trump, banned from Twitter, said he will not return to the platform even after businessman Elon Musk takes over.

I am not going on Twitter, I am going to stay on Truth, Trump told Fox News. I hope Elon buys Twitter because hell make improvements to it and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on Truth.

Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX founder, announced April 25 on Twitter that he plans to buy the California-based company for about $44 billion.

Musk pledged to make the platform better by respecting free speech and rolling out new features.

Twitter has increasingly cracked down on users, particularly conservatives, in recent years, and banned Trump while he was still president in 2021.

At the time, Twitter executives said Trumps posts were inciting violence. Trump had called for peace at the U.S. Capitol and for people who were there carrying out violence to leave but also said his supporters were very special.

Facebook also banned Trump. Facebook put the ban at two years after its independent court ruled describing the suspension as indefinite was not permissible.

Twitter also banned some Trump administration officials, including former trade adviser Peter Navarro.

Trumps rival company, Truth Social, started accepting signups in February.

Truth switched to Rumbles cloud this month in a move the company said would enable it to scale significantly after users reported spending weeks on a waitlist.

Former Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), Truths CEO, said recently that beta testing of the platform was completed and more users would be able to use the platform in the coming days.

A review on Monday showed the platform was working.

However, the platform is only available for iPhone users to download on Apples app store. Prospective users are told on Truths website that an app for Googles store is coming soon.

Trump has still not started using his own service besides posting in February that people should get ready and your favorite president will see you soon!

Trump told Fox he plans to start posting on Truth over the next week.

Were taking in millions of people, and what were finding is that the response on Truth is much better than being on Twitter, Trump said, claiming there was no interaction on Twitter before he was removed because of the censorship of conservatives. The interaction on Truth has been amazing, he added.

Nunes said on Fox News on Monday that Truth is recording more engagement than Twitter is, though its unclear what measure he was citing.

Truth, he added, is taking the best of all these social media platforms, putting them to one, inviting people on and not censoring them.
The Tunnel Fire continues burning 14 miles north of Flagstaff, Ariz., on April 18, as seen from a nearby resident's backyard. (Michelle Ryan photo)

Tunnel Fire Worst Wildfire in Flagstaff in More Than a Decade

Hundreds Are Forced to Evacuate As Blaze Burns 22,000 Acres, Destroys 24 Structures

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.Michelle Ryan took immediate action when she received the emergency text message telling her it was time to Go.

Go meant that the Tunnel Fire near her home on the outskirts of Flagstaff, Arizona, had reached a critical level. The only thing left to do was to evacuate the area.

I just started grabbing clothing from my drawer and loading up family belongings, said Ryan, executive director of the Coconino Humane Association in Flagstaff.

Only personal things that mattered most went into the family car, she said. These included family members, precious photos, and three pets.

I just hit the ground running, Ryan told The Epoch Times.

The Ryans are currently staying in a Flagstaff hotel, where they will remain until the order that its safe to return comes through.

The Tunnel Fire, first reported on April 17, is still burning 14 miles northeast of Flagstaff amid the grasslands and scattered Ponderosa pine in the Coconino National Forest along US Highway 89.

Smoke from the Tunnel Fire dominates the skyline on US Highway 89 northeast of Flagstaff, Ariz., on April 18. (Courtesy of Michelle Ryan)

The fires cause remains unknown and is still under investigation.

Fueled by high wind gusts, the wildfire cast embers as it advanced, allowing a rapid northeast spread as fire crews set up fire lines and attacked hot spots to contain the blaze.

Theres wind, and then theres wind. Theres some pretty favorable fuels for fire spread in here. Its grass. Its downed logs. Its anything that can burn and combust. And its Aprilits a little early [for fire season], said Dick Fleischman with the Coconino National Forest at a press conference on April 21.

Its really wind thats the biggest issue, he said.

Fire crews were initially able to contain only 3 percent of the fire due to high northeast winds, steep terrain, and limited road access. The fire is now at 15 percent containment.

Its some pretty rugged country. Its not straight up and down steep; its straight up and down rocky, Fleischman said. Containment is something that doesnt come just because you have a line. Then you have to start mop-up, putting out fires next to the fire line, Fleischman said.

There are a lot of pop-ups and a lot of cindery soil. Theres still a lot of heat in this thing. With these winds, those spots can go quite a ways.

Coconino National Forest spokesman Dick Fleischman describes the large swathe of damage caused by the Tunnel Fire in Flagstaff, Ariz., on April 21. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Fleischman compared the Tunnel Fire to the Schultz Wildfire in 2010, a wind-driven fire that burned 15,075 acres in 10 days in the Coconino National Forest northeast of Flagstaff.

The cause of the fire, the largest in Arizona that year, was an abandoned campfire. When it was over the fire and subsequent flooding had caused extensive damage to homes.

By contrast, the Tunnel Fire has so far left 24 structures and nearly 22,000 acres destroyed and forced 750 households to evacuate in its wake. Some displaced residents are staying in a relief center set up by the American Red Cross at a middle school in Flagstaff.

On April 21, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey declared a state of emergency for the Tunnel Fire and offered needed assistance.

Our team is working with first responders to monitor the Tunnel Fire in Coconino County, said Ducey in a statement. As strong winds fuel fires across Arizona, we are doing everything to keep Arizonans safe.

Following a weeklong closure, county officials announced on April 24 the reopening of US89 near the Wupatki National Monument, located in the burn area.

Coconino County Development and the Arizona Department of Emergency Management will conduct Tunnel Fire property damage assessments starting April 25.

This is an important process that is necessary for recovery services and for emergency declaration documentation purposes, according to Coconino County Emergency Alert.

A sign outside a fire station north of Flagstaff near the Tunnel Fire zone alerts to high fire conditions on April 21. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

That it wasnt worse is amazing, Fleischmann said of the property damage and no injuries.

According to Coconino County Sheriffs Office, evacuation orders have been altered to Set, but could change if fire conditions worsen.

Michelle Ryan, executive director of the Coconino Humane Association in Flagstaff, Ariz., was among the hundreds forced to evacuate the Tunnel Fire. Here, she poses in her office with the family cat, Charlie. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Ryan said the Coconino Humane Association began taking in displaced pets and livestock soon after the fire started.

On April 21, the shelter in two locations had taken in more than 150 animals, including horses, goats, sheep, pigs, and turkeys. The shelter placed around 30 dogs in temporary foster care.

Nestle Purina, Walmart, and Olsons Grain in Flagstaff donated food for pets and livestock to assist the shelter during the crisis.

Joyceline Wero and her sister Thomasina Wero, who lived with a family near the burn area when they had to evacuate, brought their two dogs Pedro and Carlos to be placed at the shelter for the time being.

Thomasina Wero (L) and her sister Joyceline Wero pose with their two displaced dogs Carlos and Pedro at the Coconino Humane Association on April 21. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Its nuts. I cant believe there are people with horses and livestock [who were affected]. I feel bad for them. Were just lucky were staying with somebody, Joyceline said.

On April 24, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency in five counties due to wildfires that have burned through large sections of the drought-stricken state.

More than 20 active wildfires were burning in at least 16 of New Mexicos 33 counties, Grisham said during a recent briefing online, so half the state has a fire issue.

Meanwhile, officials reported the Crooks Fire that started April 18 about 10 miles south of Prescott, Arizona, is at about 22 percent containment, with nearly 4,000 acres burned. The cause of the fire that is also unknown.
Twitter Shares Rally as Reports Say Elon Musks Takeover Deal Close

Twitter shares surged as news emerged that Elon Musks takeover bid could be accepted by Twitters board as early as Monday.

Reuters reported that Twitters board of directors is close to reaching a deal with the worlds richest man to sell the social media network for roughly $43 billion in cash.

According to anonymous sources, Twitter may announce the $54.20-per-share deal during the day after its board meets to recommend the transaction to the companys shareholders. But the deal might potentially fall apart at the last minute, according to the sources.

Twitters stock jumped more than 5 percent in pre-market trading on expectations that the company could reach an agreement.

According to Reuters, Twitter was unable to secure a go-shop option in its agreement with Musk, which would allow the board to continue actively soliciting bids and negotiating with other potential bidders even after signing a deal with Musk.

Twitter would be allowed to accept another bidders offer, however, by paying Musk a break-up fee, the sources said.

Board members gathered on Sunday, according to media reports, to reexamine Musks offer after the billionaire announced that he secured the required financing to buy the company and take it private.

Musk has secured $25.5 billion in debt funding from Morgan Stanley and other financial institutions, as well as $21 billion in equity financing, according to a securities filing last week.

How the Twitter-Musk Saga Began

A Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing earlier this month revealed that Elon Musk had purchased 9.2 percent of common Twitter stock, representing about 73.5 million shares. The purchase made him the largest shareholder of the social media platform.

His holdings were about four times higher than that of founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey.

Twitter later appointed Musk to its board, with the caveat that he cannot own more than 14.9 percent of the social network, according to a separate SEC filing.

Musk would eventually reject a seat, proposing instead to buy Twitter outright and take it private. He formed three holding companies with the purpose of acquiring the tech firm.

He proposed a best and final offer of $54.20 per share, valuing the firm at roughly $43 billion.

I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy, he stated in an SEC filing.

However, since making my investment I now realize the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form. Twitter needs to be transformed as a private company.

In response to the takeover bid, Twitter employed a so-called poison pill, essentially adopting a limited duration shareholder rights plan that would fight back against a hostile takeover endeavor.

In an updated filing last week, Musk confirmed he had secured $46.5 billion in funding commitments to finance the takeover. This included $25.5 billion in debt financing through Morgan Stanley Senior Funding and other firms, such as Bank of America, Barclays, and BNP Paribas. Musk attained $21 billion in additional equity financing, including $12.5 billion in loans secured by Musks Tesla stock.

Referring to himself as a free speech absolutist, Musk has put forward a series of revisions for how the social media platform operates to enhance free speech.

Speaking at a recent TED conference in Vancouver, he revealed that he wants to make Twitter a bastion of free speech with fewer restrictions, reiterating his previous stance that Twitter is a de facto public town square.

I dont know if I have all the answers here, but I do think that we want to be just very reluctant to delete things and just be very cautious with permanent bans, Musk said. Time-outs, I think, are better than permanent bans.

Even if a tweet is considered to be harmful or controversial, Musk suggested to let the tweet exist but he would not want to necessarily promote that tweet.

Having a black-box algorithm promote some things and not other things, I think this can be quite dangerous, Musk added.

In addition, the billionaire CEO has suggested installing an edit button, allowing subscribers to pay with Dogecoin, and removing advertisements for monthly subscribers.

Over the last month, Twitter shares have rallied nearly 30 percent, trading above $51.

Emel Akan reporter Follow Emel Akan is White House economic policy reporter in Washington, D.C. Previously she worked in the financial sector as an investment banker at JPMorgan and as a consultant at PwC. She graduated with a masters degree in business administration from Georgetown University.
A group of people on board the Dover lifeboat following a small boat incident in the English Channel are brought in to Dover, Kent, England, on Nov. 11, 2021. (Gareth Fuller/PA)

UK Government Withdraws Plan to Push Back Migrant Boats in the English Channel

The UK government has abandoned its plan to turn migrant small boats back to the French side of the English Channel ahead of a judicial review of the policy.

Campaign groups that were challenging the tactic said on Monday that it was informed by the governments legal department that the policy had been withdrawn by the Home Office.

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) and Care4Calais said a three-day hearing on their challenge of the tactic along with Channel Rescue and Freedom from Torture was previously scheduled for May 3, adding, The judicial review claims have now been withdrawn.

PCS said the letter from the government legal department said that the policy and procedures had been withdrawn and that the Ministry of Defence joint commander who was taking over Channel operations had not had permission to authorise the use of turnaround tactics.

It also said that if a decision were taken to use turnaround tactics in the future, it would only be after a full consideration of all relevant matters, PCS said.

PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka called the withdrawal a humiliating climbdown by the government and a stunning victory for Home Office workers and for refugees.

There is little doubt that lives have been saved. The pushbacks manoeuvre is extremely dangerous and represents a clear risk to life and limb. We were simply not prepared to allow our members to be placed in this horrendous position, Serwotka said.

PCS reiterates our call for the government to abandon their dangerous and reckless approach to asylum and immigration; and to negotiate with us on a humane process that allows for safe passage and protects both our members and refugees.

The Home Office confirmed that the policy has been withdrawn and that the tactics are not currently in use, but defended its right to consider all options.

The entire government is united in our efforts to prevent these lethal crossings and break the business model of the criminal gangs exploiting people, a spokesperson said.

It is right that we consider all safe and legal options to stop these unnecessary journeys, including turning boats around.

As we have set out previously, this tactic fully complies with both domestic and international law, however, there are extremely limited circumstances when you can safely turn boats back in the English Channel.

So far this year, More than 6,500 people have entered the UK illegally by crossing the English Channel from Europe in small boats.

In 2021, a total of 28,395 people successfully made the perilous journey, compared with 8,417 in 2020.

Setting out his action plan to tackle illegal migration on April 14, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said around seven out of 10 of those who arrived in small boats last year were young men and that the asylum seekers couldand shouldhave claimed asylum in the manifestly safe countries they had passed through.

On the same day, the government unveiled a new deal with Rwanda, which would allow it to relocate illegal immigrants to the African nation for processing.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson greets French President Emmanuel Macron as he arrives to attend the COP26 U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, on Nov. 1, 2021. (Christopher Furlong /pool/AFP via Getty Images)

UKs Johnson Hails Macron Victory, Stresses Common Stance on Ukraine

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has congratulated Emmanuel Macron on his reelection and said he looks forward to working with the French president on issues such as the war in Ukraine.

Final results of the runoff election on April 24 showed Macron beat his right-wing opponent Marine Le Pen with 58.54 percent of the vote, a higher margin of victory than many earlier surveys had predicted but well below the 66.1 percent he scored against the same opponent in their first runoff in 2017.

Johnson said on Twitter: Congratulations to Emmanuel Macron on your re-election as president of France. France is one of our closest and most important allies.

I look forward to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two countries and to the world.

Talking to reporters on April 25, Johnson said it is very important to have a French president who can be relied upon on international issues such as the war in Ukraine.

Its not right for friendly governments to comment on elections in neighbouring countries but what I can certainly say is that it is very, very important that Emmanuel and I have been able to work closely together on Ukraine over the last few weeks and months, he said.

We share a very common, very similar perspective and the unity of the West, the unity of NATO, has been absolutely vital for the stance weve taken against Putin, and that will now continue and Im very, very reassured by that.

French President and La Republique en Marche party candidate for reelection Emmanuel Macron celebrates after his victory in Frances presidential election, at the Champ de Mars in Paris, on April 24, 2022. (Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images)

London and Paris have endured a tense relationship in recent years. The French government has complained about the UKs reluctance to issue fishing licences to French fishermen, claiming it was a breach of the post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and the European Union.

Meanwhile, the UK government has repeatedly expressed frustration over Frances alleged failure to prevent illegal immigrants from boarding small boats and crossing the English Channel into Britain.

Boris Johnson, who led the Brexit campaign and took the UK out of the EU, has more common ground with Le Pen than Macron on the issue of EU membership.

Le Pen had long flirted with the idea of leaving the bloc, though she insisted during the election campaign she had no secret agenda this time for quitting the EU or the euro single currency.

Marine Le Pen, presidential candidate, delivers her concession speech after early result projections show Frances incumbent President Emmanuel Macron heading to win a second five-year term as president, in Paris, on April 24, 2022. (Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images)

Despite the fractious post-Brexit relations between the UK and French governments, the war in Ukraine has recently refocused minds on the issue of European security.

Britain has positioned itself as one of Kyivs closest allies both in the run-up to and during the Russian invasion, and has called on other European powers, including France, to do more.

Cabinet minister and Conservative Party Chairman Oliver Dowden told Sky News on Sunday, I think weve had very positive noises from France and Germany but I would like to see further action from them.

Though the UK government is still unsatisfied with Macrons level of support for Ukraine, his rival Le Pen could not necessarily be counted on to make the same positive noises.

During the election campaign, Le Pen defended her previous expressions of esteem for Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying she had only been defending French interests in her warm contacts with the Kremlin leader.

She insisted on maintaining good relations with Putin, saying, As soon as the RussianUkrainian war is over and has been settled by a peace treaty, I will call for the implementation of a strategic rapprochement between NATO and Russia.

She also said, if elected president, she would take France out of NATOs integrated command structure to restore French sovereignty on matters of international security.

PA Media and Reuters contributed to this report.
A person scans a QR code on an Apple Watch at a Harmons Grocery store on Aug. 4, 2021 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (George Frey/Getty Images)

US Agency Seeks to Fine Montana Wireless Carrier Tied to Russian Oligarchs

WASHINGTONThe Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed a fine of $660,639 for a small Montana wireless carrier that commissioners said has been indirectly controlled by Russian oligarchs since at least 2011.

The FCC voted 4-0 to fine London-based Truphone Ltd, the owner of Montana-based iSmart Mobile, for exceeding statutory limits for ownership by foreign individuals or entities tied to FCC-issued licenses without FCC approval. The FCC is also requiring Truphone to promptly file corrective transfer of control applications.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the commission in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine launched an internal assessment of Russian ownership of telecommunications interests in the United States and said the action against Truphone was a result of that review.

Truphone has 30 days to pay the fine or file a written notice seeking cancellation or reduction of the amount.

The FCC said that during its investigation Truphone disclosed last month that a company controlled by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and his children held a stake in the company.

Truphone and a U.S. lawyer for the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday, but in a statement on its website Truphone said its board was aware of news stories linking Abramovich to the company. The company confirmed Abramovich has been a minority investor in the business since 2013 through Minden Worldwide.

The company said in an April 1 statement that in light of recent global events, the board of directors has appointed FRP Advisory to support the company in an immediate review of its strategic options.

The FCC order said it appears that Truphones failure to report truthful and accurate ownership information was egregious. As a result of Truphones failure, control of a U.S. common carrier passed to an unvetted foreign entity and associated individuals for more than seven years.

A spokesperson for Abramovich did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said the company has been indirectly owned by a small group of Russian oligarchs since at least 2011.  With the importance of the internet and the shifting national security environment facing our nation, protecting our communications networks has never been more critical.

By David Shepardson
Former CIA agent Evan McMullin after announcing his presidential campaign as an Independent candidate on August 10, 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (George Frey/Getty Images)

Utah Democrats Back Independent Evan McMullin in US Senate Race

The Utah Democratic Party has decided to back the independent candidacy of former presidential candidate Evan McMullin over Democrat Kael Weston in a bid to unseat two-term Republican Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) later this year.

Democrats have long struggled to attract even 30 percent of the vote in the deep-red state. In 2016, Lee raked in 68.2 percent of the vote to Democrat Misty Snows 27.1 percent. During that years presidential election, Hillary Clinton received only 27.5 percent of the vote.

While Republican candidate Donald Trump in 2016 took the state with 45.5 percent of the vote, the conservative independent McMullin, a former CIA agent and Utah local, grabbed 21.5 percent.

Now, Democrats in the state are hoping to use the candidate to challenge Lee in an election cycle that otherwise would have been a smooth ride to victory for the GOP.

On April 23, during a party convention, Utah Democrats took the unusual step of not backing a nominee at all in a 57 percent to 43 percent vote, instead turning to McMullin in the hope of solidifying behind a more popular candidate.

Weston was shut out, despite campaigning to win the endorsement, after some party activists decided McMullin provided a better opportunity.

We can show the rest of the countryand in fact, the worldhow to defeat the far-right, how you defend American values, and how you move our country forward, McMullin said at the convention.

I ask for your support, I want to represent you, Im committed to that, I will maintain my independence, and we will show the rest of the country how we defeat people like Mike Lee who try to overturn our democracy in the shadows.

Today we took an important step in building a new coalition of Democrats, Republicans and independents to change our broken politics, McMullin said in a tweet after the Democrats threw their backing behind him. Im grateful for the support of Democratic delegates who voted to join us and for Kael Westons honorable campaign. Onward!

Following the endorsement, former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who spawned a cult following during the 2020 Democratic primary season, applauded the endorsement as a potentially game-changing move.

Evan McMullins candidacy is an historic opportunity on several levels, Yang wrote in a tweet.

In a tweet, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) applauded Utah Democrats for their decision to back McMullin.

Salutations to Utah Democrats who placed pragmatism ahead of politics and threw their support behind the independent Senate candidacy of @EvanMcMullin, Phillips wrote. Evan is a man of principle and integrity at a time we need more of both in the United States Congress.

In another tweet, Ben McAdams, a former member of Congress, mayor of Salt Lake County, and Utah state senator, also applauded the decision.

Today, Utah Democrats voted to join Evan McMullins independent coalition and NOT nominate a candidate for U.S. Senate, McAdams said. Im proud to be part of this coalition. Together we can win this race and defeat Mike Lee.

Though Republicans may be poised to retake the majority in the House in November, control of the Senatewhich is currently split 5050 by party, with the vice presidents vote as a tie-breakerrests on either party gaining one seat without losing one of their own.

The GOP-electioneering and fundraising National Republican Senatorial Committee told The Epoch Times that it currently considers five Senate Democrats vulnerable.

Meanwhile, some Republican seats are also seen as at risk, particularly in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, where Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) has announced that he wont seek reelection, and in Wisconsin, where Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has been criticized by Democrats for his past statements about the 2020 election and the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

In this makeup where every single seat counts, McMullin may pose a greater risk to Lees reelection bid than any Democrat could hope to, and its not clear how this unusual decision by Democrats will change the dynamics of the national battle for the Senate.

Lees office couldnt be reached for comment by press time.
The Washington Post newspaper's headquarters on K Street in Washington on May 16, 2019. (Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images)

Washington Post Removes Link From Story on Libs of TikTok Accountholder

The Washington Post and its reporter Taylor Lorenz are claiming that their profile of the person allegedly behind the Twitter account Libs of TikTok didnt contain any personal information, assertions disputed by the person behind the account.

The original version of the piece, which is highly negative about the person, contained a name and an address said by some to be a personal address, in addition to an employers name and address.

The link was removed sometime between two and three hours after publication.

In a statement responding to critics, the Washington Posts senior managing editor said, We did not publish or link to any details about her personal life, referring to the woman who the paper said runs the Libs of TikTok account on social media.

Thats just false. Thats just patently false. We absolutely did not link to any personal information, Lorenz said during a podcast interview with CNN.

Libs of TikTok said these statements were lies.

They included a link with personal information which they later removed because they knew what they were doing was abhorrent, the account said on Twitter.

Critics also said the statements werent true.

It would be better to admit it and explain or apologize, said Mary Katharine Ham, a CNN commentator.

The Post and Lorenz both acknowledged that the original version of the story did link to a page about the woman who they say runs the account, but only after being pressed on the matter.

It was a link to her previous professional address, and we ultimately deemed it unnecessary, a Post spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.

Lorenz told CNN said she didnt know where exactly the link went to but claimed it definitely didnt contain personal information.

I think maybe [it went] to an open government database, she said. Like an oldI dont know. I just know I went through that whole story myself, and there was nothing personal.

Libs of TikTok didnt respond to requests for comment, including what personal information was included in the link. Lawyers representing the account owner, whose identity hasnt been confirmed, declined to comment.

Alex Stamos, a professor at Stanford Universitys Center for International Security and Cooperation, said the story constituted doxxing, a word that means to publish private or identifying information on the internet, typically with malicious intent.

The account is horrible and drives a lot of harassment, so naming was probably appropriate, but not the breadcrumb trail (via RE license) to this persons home address, he wrote on Twitter.

Lorenz has disputed allegations that the article constitutes doxxing, pointing to interviews the alleged account holder gave with news outlets in which her name wasnt revealed.

Libs of TikTok primarily shares videos that people, mainly teachers, post to TikTok celebrating how they teach pupils about sexuality, including homosexuality and transgenderism, or talk about the subjects.

One professor, for instance, was fired after the account shared a video of him saying that sexual contact with a 1-year-old might not be wrong. Another man was let go after expressing support for children deciding their own sexual orientation and saying, If your parents dont love and accept you for who you are this Christmas, [expletive] them, Im your parents now.

Lorenz said she looked into the identity of the person who runs the account because the woman was targeting LGBTQ folks and running an LGBTQ hate account.

LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer.

The reporter also said foreign actors could have been behind the account.

Lorenz cited research by Travis Brown, a developer formerly employed by Twitter who is now working with a group called the Prototype Fund, as helping her discover the persons identity. The fund is financially supported by the German government, according to its website.

Brown himself cited a self-described member of Antifa, a far-left, anarcho-communist network, for helping him learn the accountholders identity.
White House Announces Plans to Nominate Ambassador to Ukraine

President Joe Biden announced his nominee to serve as ambassador to Ukraine Monday, seeking to fill a diplomatic position that has been vacant for nearly three years and support the country fending off Russian invasion.

Biden plans to tap Bridget Brink, the current U.S. ambassador to the Slovak Republic, to serve in the role.

Brink is a veteran diplomat with 25 years in the U.S. Foreign Service focusing on advancing U.S. policy in Europe and Eurasia. She has served in the State Departments Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and at the U.S. Embassies in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and Tbilisi, Georgia. She was also the director for the Aegean and the South Caucasus at the National Security Council and has served in multiple other roles in the State Department.

Brink is from Michigan. She speaks Russian and holds multiple advanced degrees.

The nomination requires Senate approval. Brink was confirmed by unanimous voice vote in 2019 when former Republican President Donald Trump nominated her for her current position in Bratislava.

If confirmed, Ambassador Brink will lead our diplomatic mission in Ukraine with dedication and distinction, said the State Department in a statement.

The United States has been without an ambassador to Ukraine since 2019 when Trump abruptly recalled Marie Yovanovitch from the post.

The nomination announcement came during a weekend trip by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where they met President Volodomyr Zelenskyy and other top Ukrainian officials.

The State Department also announced that U.S. diplomats will be returning to Ukraine this week after leaving the country for Poland two weeks before the Russian invasion. The diplomats previously worked out of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraines capital of Kyiv, but will make their return to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

The increased U.S. presence demonstrates our support for Ukraine and is part of the U.S. commitment to return our diplomats to our Embassy in Kyiv as soon as possible, the State Department said in a statement.

Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. The number of refugees who have since fled Ukraine has surpassed 5 million. Another 7.7 million have been displaced within the country, according to the U.N.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Why are people reluctant to refer to the Brooklyn subway shooter, Frank James, as a terrorist? This was also the case for Darrell Brooks, the driver of an SUV who killed five people and injured more than 40 others, including children, after driving through a Christmas parade last year in Waukesha, Wisconsin. However, pundits were happy to call Kyle Rittenhouse a domestic terroristwho was acquitted after shooting multiple people, killing two and wounding another, at a protest, despite evidence of self-defense.

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Wisconsin City Clerk Sued in Alleged Illegal Ballot Harvesting Scheme

The city clerk of Green Bay, Wisconsin, participated in illegal absentee ballot harvesting in the April 5 local election, a new legal complaint filed with the Wisconsin Elections Commission claims.

Several voters reported seeing City Clerk Celestine Jeffreys accepting multiple absentee ballots from the hand of a single person several times, according to Erick Kaardal, special counsel with the Thomas More Society, a nonprofit public interest law firm. Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich, a Democrat, appointed Jeffreys to her current post.

This is ballot harvesting, and it is illegal, Kaardal said in a statement.

The complaint against Jeffreys (pdf), cited as Roeser v. Jeffreys, was filed with the Wisconsin Elections Commission on April 21 on behalf of witness Matt Roeser, a voter residing in Green Bay, according to the Thomas More Society. The complaint also identifies Janet Argus and Victoria J. Linssen as witnesses.

Wisconsin law provides that its illegal absentee ballot harvesting for a municipal clerk to receive multiple ballots from an individual voter in the clerks office. Generally, the only legally permissible methods of delivery of absentee ballots are personally delivering ones own absentee ballot to the clerk or personally mailing it.

The action is galling enough in and of itself, but when the voters who observed Clerk Jeffreys engaging in this illegal act challenged her, Jeffreys replied that it was her discretion to do so, Kaardal said. One of the voters addressed Jeffreys, stating You dont have the discretion. The law doesnt allow multiple ballots. Jeffreys then countered with the words, I have the discretion. Im taking the ballots.

A voter then approached Green Bay City Attorney Joanne Bungert to inquire about the city clerks acceptance of multiple absentee ballots from an individual voter. Bungert responded that it was a gray area and that Jeffreys did have the discretion to accept multiple absentee ballots from an individual voter.

Kaardal disputes this legal take.

There is nothing gray about Wisconsins election law, he said. The clerks actions are patently illegal. Whats worse about it is the potential effect on the outcome of some very close elections that were decided via the April 5 ballot.

Kaardal was referring to the elections in Green Bay City Council District 3 and District 6, in which the victorious candidates squeaked by with a margin of 2.2 percent and 1.8 percent, respectively.

Thats a difference of only 23 votes for District 3s winning candidate, Bill Morgan and a mere 11 votes for Steve Campbell, who secured the win in District 6, Kaardal pointed out.

In the context of close elections, questionable, and in this case illegal, actions by election officials can tilt an election in favor of one candidate over the other candidates, the complaint reads.

Kaardal said that such narrow victories are always a target for challenges and noted that questionable, and in this case illegal, actions by election officials can upset the apple cart regardless of the numbers.

Seriously, if a small group of voters observed multiple instances of illegal activity by the city clerk of Green Bay, how many occurrences went unseen? he said. Clerk Jeffreyss decision to act in a manner contrary to the law has jeopardized the election for everyone. She has risked the integrity of the vote and violated the trust of Wisconsin voters.

Jeffreys didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.
KATONAH, N.Y.  Celebrity businesswoman and lifestyle guru Martha Stewart hosted "The Great American Tag Sale" over the weekend, selling a large selection of her personal items at her estate in Westchester, N.Y.

During the icon's first-ever tag sale, Stewart offered items that she's collected over the years including clothing, books and magazines, jadeite glassware, furniture items, artwork, decorations and kitchen items. Some of the books on offer included "Tartine," by Elisabeth H. Prueitt and "As the Future Catches You" by Juan Enriquez. Stewart posted some items on her Instagram such as vintage dishware and bamboo lounge chairs.

Infiniti Bowie / contributed

Infiniti Bowie / contributed

"I've been working nonstop with a great team of individuals  cleaning out my barns and pulling thousands of items. There is something for everyone - whether you're a decorator, a collector, a new home buyer, or a tag sale fancier  you're sure to find treasures," Stewart wrote in a blog post.

Infiniti Bowie / contributed

Infiniti Bowie / contributed

Customers, who had purchased tickets with prices ranging from $25 to $250, were bussed to her Katonah estate, which she purchased back in 2000, according to House Digest. The land is also home to Friesian horses and peacocks, whom she regularly posts about on her Instagram account.

The proceeds from the tag sale will go to New York Citys Mt. Sinai Martha Stewart Centers for Living, according to a post on her blog. The mission of the centers is "to advance the quality of eldercare and to reshape the publics perception of aging," Stewart writes. "[The centers are] a place that teaches older adults, and those who love them, how to grow older gracefully."

ABC will be hosting a one-hour special following Stewart's event team and the creation of the sale on May 25, Stewart announced. During the sale some customers were interviewed for the program.

Infiniti Bowie / contributed

Stewart was previously a longtime Westport resident, owning a farmhouse on Turkey Hill Road South. Stewart wrote about how much the house meant to her and how she used to go to every local tag and garage sale she could find, in an article on her website.

"Turkey Hill was a dream place for my family and me for many years. It taught us, it nurtured us, it fed us, and it occupied us in so many wonderful and instructive ways. I would not be who I am today without the vast knowledge I gained there, on that small bit of paradise," Stewart wrote on her website.
NORWALK  A vote last week on a replacement for Republican Common Council member Tom Keegan was void and will need to be redone upon his official departure in July, according to the town clerk.

Last Tuesday, the Republican Town Committee members from District D voted lifelong Norwalk resident Bryan Meek to fill the Common Council spot that will be open following Keegans retirement.

RTC Chair Fred Wilms confirmed last week Meek was voted to fill the position by a clear majority.

However, Town Clerk Rick McQuaid, a Republican, said Monday the vote was not official and will have to be done again once Keegan sends in his resignation.

I believe the Republicans have jumped the gun here, McQuaid said. There is no opening on the council to fill, Tom Keegan has not resigned yet. There will need to be a do over.

The city charter only allows 15 members of the Common Council, and the town committees vote for Meek would make him a 16th member, McQuaid said.

Keegan, the lone Republican on the council, announced last month he will resign from his seat as he plans a move to Florida in July. Keegan has been the only Republican member on the council since he was elected in 2019 and is one of two members representing District D.

Tom Keegan doesnt have to resign until he is getting on the highway to Florida, McQuaid said. He will need to submit a letter to the town clerk and then the vacancy can be declared.

In last weeks vote, District D members Carl Dickens and Meek both ran for election. Meek, an outspoken critic of Mayor Harry Rilling, was granted the role.

The invalid vote was an honest mistake on the part of the RTC, Keegan said.

There was no malice or ill intent here, Keegan said. This was just all of us thinking we could take someone and  instead of throwing them into the fray  giving them an opportunity for a couple of months to see what it was all about.

The plan had been to decide on a new council member early, so Keegan could integrate the newcomer and show them the ropes. Now, any questions would be answered after Keegan leaves.

We were trying to be a bit proactive, which in government may be an unusual thing, Keegan said. I think theres a responsibility on both sides. By that I mean, I will do everything in my power to answer any and all questions that the person who is interested in replacing me has, but I think its incumbent upon them to learn as well.

Another aspect of the election overlooked in the initial vote, Keegan said, was the ability for any Republican resident of District D to seek the council seat.

It was initially thought only elected members of the RTC District D Committee could run for the council seat, Keegan said.

We neglected to let Republicans who live in District D know that they can also be considered. I did not know that, Keegan said. We have 20 people who represent Republicans in District D, its the Republican Town Committee, Im one of them. We only looked within that group for a replacement, but anybody who is a registered Republican living in District D can be considered.

Regardless of who is chosen to replace him, Keegan said he wants them to be a representative of all the districts Republicans, regardless of their political leanings.

Take every single committee and every single issue discussed at the committee seriously, Keegan said. We wanted to be proactive, for very good reasons. We were told we cannot do that officially, so my recommendation is anybody who wants to be considered zero in on whats going on in the city.

Keegan plans to stick with his original departure date of July 1. The RTC election will take place any time after he leaves.

abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com
ADHD drug for adults gets approved In the flexible-dose study of adults 18 to 65 years of age, ADHD symptom score reductions were...

New playgrounds, pavilions, more set for Woodland Park The replacement of the two playgrounds was a part of a recent ordinance and resolution approved...
After pausing several of its fundraisers and moving to a new location during the pandemic, the Edwardsville Masonic Lodge #99 is still an active part of the community.

The Lodge brought back its summer breakfasts for the first time since 2019 on Saturday morning. The meals are free of charge but the Lodge is accepting donations.

This year, rather than doing fundraisers for our income, we decided we had enough money so we were going to try to go out in the community and have the proceeds benefit some local organization, said John Evans, elected master of Edwardsville Masonic Lodge #99. The idea was to get more people in the community involved with it rather than it just being Masons coming to support it.

I think weve seen that happen today so were going to keep doing this: pick a different charity every month and try to continue doing something for the community."

Proceeds from Saturdays breakfast will benefit the Glen-Ed Food Pantry. Over the past few weeks, the Lodge has collected canned goods and nonperishable food items from donors, while others pitched in on the day of the event.

Weve had a considerable number of canned goods brought in this morning as well as cash donations from those individuals. So its worked out well, said Mike Veith, a member of the Lodge. He estimated around 50 people attended the breakfast.

Dave Hutt, treasurer of the Lodge, said he estimated between $150-$200 in monetary donations were collected on Saturday. He said another organization will match the amount to add to the proceeds being given to the charity.

Jane Ahasay, director of development for Glen-Ed Pantry, said the food and monetary donations would definitely help with the pantrys mission.

Just as folks at home are sustaining increased prices, we are too when were purchasing meat and eggs and butter and all those things that we like to keep for our families on the shelf. So we appreciate the Masonic Lodge choosing the pantry as their first breakfast donor, she said. Ive really enjoyed the morning, glad we could do this, and look forward to doing more collaborative efforts in the future.

Hutt said the goal of Saturdays breakfast was to provide some support for the pantry so they can support the community.

The Edwardsville Masonic Lodge used to be located near the courthouse, where Trailhead Church is now located. The building, which was built in 1926, was starting to become too costly for the organization.

Due to the age of the building and declining membership we made the decision to get out of that building, Evans said. That way, instead of our funds going just to heat the building and take care of maintenance, we have a smaller building and we can actually do more good with our community with our funds than just taking care of a heating bill.

While the change in location has helped the financial situation, Evans said the unfortunate result is that the Lodge is less visible to the public.

Its the best kept secret in Edwardsville, nobody knows were back here, he said. So hopefully with more of these kinds of events, the community will start to figure out what were doing back here, that were still active, and be a part of this community again.

According to Evans, the Lodge has been continuously active since 1851, making it the 99th one to form in Illinois.

Were pretty proud of it," Evans said. "But for the last couple of years, we havent done much. With the pandemic, our fundraisers have just about stopped, and this is the first fundraiser that weve had since 2019 I believe."

Evans said the breakfast on Saturday was a trial run to test if the event can be held on a monthly basis.

"We dont know who's next but we have a number of candidates I think. Everybodys got their own pet charity that theyd like to support and were going to try to include a lot of different people in it, he said.

More information about the Edwardsville Masonic Lodge #99 events and fundraisers can be found at edwardsvillemasons.org or on their Facebook page. Questions can be asked through Facebook messenger or through email at mastertraveler99@gmail.com.

The building is not open during the week, but canned goods and nonperishable items can be dropped off on the first Thursday of each month from 6 to 6:30 p.m. The Lodge is located at 90 Kriege Farm Road, Glen Carbon, behind the Glen Carbon Walmart.

We would be glad to forward donations to the charity of anyones choice really, I mean thats kind of what we want to be here for, Evans said.
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SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP)  El Salvadors congress voted Sunday to grant a request by President Nayib Bukele to extend an anti-gang emergency decree for another 30 days.

The measure was approved with 67 votes in the 84-seat congress, where Bukele's party holds a majority.

Bukele has used emergency powers to round up about 16,000 suspected gang members following a spate of killings in March.

Rights groups have criticized the measures, saying arrests are often arbitrary, based on a persons appearance or where they live.

The original 30-day state of emergency approved in late March restricts the right to gather, to be informed of rights and have access to a lawyer. It extends to 15 days the time that someone can be held without charges.

It came after a spate of homicides in late March, when gangs were blamed for 62 killings in a single weekend, a level of violence the country of 6.5 million people has not seen in years.

Bukele has also established a raft of other measures. Among other things, they lengthened sentences, reduced the age of criminal responsibility to 12.

El Salvadors congress has authorized prison sentences of 10 to 15 years for news media that reproduce or disseminate messages from the gangs, alarming press freedom groups.

Gang members held at Salvadoran prisons have been put on reduced food rations, denied mattresses and frog-marched around.

Rights groups have expressed concerns that innocent people are being caught up in sweeps targeting the notorious violent street gangs.

Gangs control swaths of territory through brutality and fear. They have driven thousands to emigrate to save their own lives or the lives of their children who are forcibly recruited.

The gangs' power is strongest in El Salvadors poorest neighborhoods, where the state has long been absent. They are a drain on the economy, extorting money from even the lowest earners and forcing businesses that cant or wont pay to close.
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HOUSTON (AP)  The execution of Melissa Lucio is off. At least for now.

Lucio, 52, had been set to be executed by lethal injection Wednesday for the death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah in Harlingen, a city of about 75,000 in Texas southern tip.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals intervened Monday, granting Lucios lawyers request for a stay of execution so a lower court can review claims that new evidence would show Mariah's injuries, including a blow to the head, were caused by a fall down a steep staircase.

Nearly half of the jurors who sentenced her to die for the 2007 death of one of her 14 children had called for her execution to be halted and for her to get a new trial. Many lawmakers and celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, an advocate for criminal justice reform, and Amanda Knox  an American whose murder conviction in the death of a British student in Italy was overturned  have rallied to Lucios cause. Prosecutors, though, maintain that the girl was the victim of child abuse.

Lucios lawyers had filed various legal appeals seeking to stop her execution. She also had a clemency application before the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, which had been set to consider her case Monday. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott could have also played a role this week in deciding Lucios fate. If ultimately put to death, Lucio would be the first Latina executed by Texas since 1863, and the first woman the state has put to death since 2014.

Heres what to know about the case:

WHAT ISSUES ARE BEING DEBATED?

Lucios attorneys say her capital murder conviction was based on an unreliable and coerced confession that was the result of relentless questioning and her long history of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. They say Lucio wasnt allowed to present evidence questioning the validity of her confession.

Her lawyers also contend that unscientific and false evidence misled jurors into believing Mariahs injuries only could have been caused by physical abuse and not by medical complications from a severe fall.

I knew that what I was accused of doing was not true. My children have always been my world and although my choices in life were not good I would have never hurt any of my children in such a way, Lucio wrote in a letter to Texas lawmakers.

Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz, whose office prosecuted the case, has said he disagrees with Lucio's lawyers' claims that new evidence would exonerate her. Prosecutors say Lucio had a history of drug abuse and at times had lost custody of some of her 14 children.

During a sometimes contentious Texas House committee hearing on Lucios case this month, Saenz initially pushed back on requests to use his power to stop the execution, before later saying he would intervene if the courts didnt act.

I dont disagree with all the scrutiny this case is getting. I welcome that, Saenz said.

Armando Villalobos was the county's district attorney when Lucio was convicted in 2008, and Lucios lawyers allege that he pushed for a conviction to help his reelection bid. In 2014, Villalobos was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for a bribery scheme related to offering favorable prosecutorial decisions.

WHO IS CALLING FOR LUCIOS EXECUTION TO BE STOPPED?

More than half the members of the Texas Legislature have asked that her execution be halted. A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers traveled this month to Gatesville, where the state houses female death row inmates, and prayed with Lucio.

Five of the 12 jurors who sentenced Lucio and one alternate juror have questioned their decision and asked she get a new trial.

Lucio's cause also has the backing of faith leaders and was featured on HBOs Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

Lucios family and supporters have been traveling throughout Texas and holding rallies and screenings of a 2020 documentary about her case, The State of Texas vs. Melissa.

Before the court decision Monday, Lucio's supporters held a prayer vigil inside the state Capitol in Austin as they waited for word from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on her clemency application. On Saturday, supporters held rallies in 16 U.S. cities, including Houston, Boston, and Columbus, Ohio.

WHERE DO EFFORTS TO HALT HER EXECUTION STAND?

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles had been set Monday to consider a request to either commute her death sentence to life imprisonment or grant her a 120-day execution reprieve, but that hearing was put off by the appeals courts order. Lucio also had an appeal pending in federal court to stop her execution. The federal appeal and the clemency petition are now put aside as the case returns to the trial judge in Brownsville.

It was not immediately known when the lower court would begin reviewing her case. Tivon Schardl, one of Lucios lawyers, said they hope to convince the trial judge to recommend that the appeals court grant her a new trial.

If the board had taken up her case and decided to recommend commutation of her sentence or a reprieve, that would have needed Abbott's approval. The governor has granted clemency to only one death row inmate since taking office in 2015. Abbott commuted a death sentence to life without parole for Thomas Bart Whitaker, who was convicted of fatally shooting his mother and brother. Whitaker's father was also shot but survived and led the effort to spare his son's life.

HOW FREQUENTLY ARE WOMEN EXECUTED?

Its rare in the U.S., according to the Washington-based Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit that takes no position on capital punishment but has criticized the way states carry out executions. Women have accounted for only 3.6% of the more than 16,000 confirmed executions in the U.S. dating back to the colonial period in the 1600s, according to the group's data.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, 17 women have been executed throughout the nation, according to the data. Texas has put more women to death  six  than any other state. Oklahoma is next, with three, and Florida has executed two.

The federal government has executed one woman since 1976. Lisa Montgomery, of Kansas, received a lethal injection in January 2021 after the Trump administration resumed executions in the federal system following a 17-year hiatus. The Justice Department has halted executions again under the Biden administration.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70.
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will host a public meeting in May to discuss the construction for the proposed replacement of the Interstate 270 Bridge over the Mississippi River and the associated Riverview Drive interchange modification.

The public meeting will be held in an open-house format from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 4 at Southwestern Illinois College Granite City Campus, 4950 Maryville Road, Granite City.
MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle vi/MediaNews Group via Getty Images

While mask mandates for buses, planes and trains dropped nationally last week, due to a federal judge's ruling, and Illinois followed suit after dropping masking requirements in most stores and schools earlier this year, masking requirements continue in public health facilities.

Health care settings are some of the last places in Illinois where everyone must continue to wear masks over their mouths and noses, with the state still requiring masks in hospitals, nursing homes, dialysis centers, physicians' offices, dental offices and outpatient care centers in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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A combination of hot temperatures, strong southerly winds and low humidity sent a commercial mulch fire into overdrive Saturday afternoon in Troy.

According to Troy Fire Protection District's acting chief, Kevin Manso, the fire started in a two-acre, commercial mulch pile at Midwest Compost and Mulch in the 2400 block of Formosa Road, at the southwest corner of Interstates 270 and 55.

Manso said water does not really help with this kind of fire. The disposal company had to bring in extra rental equipment, five trackhoes, to turn the pile over. Emergency crews helped the employees with this process, which extinguished the surface fire.

Glen Carbon and Marine fire crews were called on the scene for mutual aid. Maryville Fire Department was on standby Saturday to cover any emergencies in Troy while crews handled the blaze.

No one was injured in the fire but a pair of truck trailers that had been parked near the pile were lost. The main cause of the fire remains under investigation.

According to the website Turfscape.com, in many mulch fires, smoldering mulch tunnels under the surface then breaks out into open flame. Mulch that is piled too deeply, more than a few inches, can build up heat and spontaneously catch fire.

Factors such as below-average rainfall, dry conditions, warm temperatures and high winds increase the risk of mulch fires. The National Weather Service St. Louis office recorded a high of 87 degrees Saturday, with a max wind gust of 46 mph.

"Winds were definitely a factor," Manso said. He said crews were on-scene from about 3 p.m. until 9:30 p.m., putting out hotspots and ensuring the mulch pile did not re-ignite.

"We have been out there before for similar events but at a lesser intensity," he said. "The crews did a wonderful job; they kept the fire contained to the pile."

Before crews arrived at the site, the strong winds had already blown smoke from the blaze into Glen Carbon and southern Edwardsville. Manso said he heard reports of the smoke making it as far north as Route 143.

Glen Carbon and Edwardsville residents called their respective police and fire departments to make reports about the visible smoke.

Due to the smoke reducing visibility, the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois State Police closed interstates 55-70 and 270 between 55-70 and Route 159.

"Saturday at 2:55 p.m., troopers had all lanes of I-270 east, I-55 north and south, and I-70 west shut down and re-routed," said Illinois State Police trooper Elizabeth Clausing Monday. "At approximately 4 p.m., I-55 north and southbound were opened. At approximately 8:30 p.m. all lanes of I-270 and I-70 were opened up."

Midwest Compost and Mulch did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.

Manso said his crews left behind extra equipment, such as hoses, with the Midwest Compost and Mulch employees, who continued to work on the pile Sunday. The employees returned the fire department's equipment Monday.
That release could not be found.
The Nigerian born United States automotive industry entrepreneur and the President of Toyota and Ford franchises in Vermonth, USA has added a new feather to his business cap.

Mr Faith Mba, a Nigerian businessman and the President of FAMBA Automative, Inc., who owns and operates "Faith Toyota", Vermont was recently awarded the prestigeous Toyota President's award. Faith Toyota located in Vermont, United States has remarkablly distinguished itself in Toyota dealership innovative activities to attract the award and recorgnition of the President of the United States Toyota.

According a Statement from Toyota, the "Presidents Award for Customer First, honors dealers who continue to go above and beyond at each customer touch point " It further stated that the award "..represent the pinnacle of our Dealer Recognition Program and honor distinction in the areas of sales, customer satisfaction and retention..". All receipients of the President's award in different parts of the United States will be hosted at St. Regis Bermuda in June 2022.

In his reaction, the Chief Executive Officer of Faith Toyota, Vermonth, Mr Faith Mba thanked Toyota President for rewarding his dilligence, hard work, consistency and conceptualized vision in conducting his business. "Am not surprised at the award because I and my team in Faith Toyota, Vermont are exceptionally innovative in what we do..", Mr Mba Stated. He disclosed that work has commenced in his new state of the art dealership garrage covering 3,720 square meters or 40,000 square feet. The new project when completed will have one of the biggest service stations in the Boston region of United States. Additionally, the new showroom display will also be among the largest in region with a five-star waiting lounge for the customers.



Recall that this news platform recently discovered that Mr Faith Mba is the first Nigerian in the United States to own a Toyota and Ford franchises: https://thevoicenewsmagazine.com/meet-the-first-nigerian-to-acquire-toyota-and-ford-dealerships-in-usa/

Featuring in a recent television program, 'Kaleidoscope' in Nigeria's Premium television Station, 'Channels Television' Mr Mba revealed how he has been able to climb the lather of success in the automotive industry in the United States Of America.
African shortlist features writers from Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia and, for the first time, eSwatini

Nigerian writer Franklyn Usouwa shortlisted for the second time

Judges hail memorable and urgent stories that captured the concerns of their respective communities. Reflecting a complex and afflicted planet

Ambitious and wide-ranging variety of styles, storytelling traditions and themes  from family dramas, to explorations of love and loss, exploitation, betrayal and scandal, and the hurts of history

Dual Kenyan-British citizen Farah Ahamed also makes the shortlist

Twenty-six outstanding stories have been shortlisted by an international judging panel for the worlds most global literature prize. The writers come from 20 countries across the Commonwealth including, for the first time, Papua New Guinea, eSwatini, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. The 26 shortlisted entries range from forbidden love to coming-of-age stories, tackling subjects from bereavement to climate change, and span genres from speculative and literary fiction to romance and crime.

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded annually for the best piece of unpublished short fiction from any of the Commonwealths 54 Member States. It is the most accessible and international of all writing competitions: in addition to English, entries can be submitted in Bengali, Chinese, Creole, French, Greek, Malay, Portuguese, Samoan, Swahili, Tamil, and Turkish. Such linguistic diversity in a short story prize in part reflects the richness of the Commonwealth, not least its many and varied literary traditions. In 2022, 408 entries were in languages other than English.

The stories on the 2022 shortlist were selected from a total of 6,730 entries from 52 Commonwealth countries.

The shortlisted writers range in age from 23 and 75 and many have been nominated for the prize before. There are four previous regional winners on the shortlist: Diana McCaulay (2012), Alexia Tolas (2019), Sagnik Datta (2018), and Mary Rokonadravu (2015); Sharma Taylor has been shortlisted for the fourth time, and two authors, Sophia Khan and Franklyn Usouwa, for the second time.

Chair of the Judges, Guyanese writer Fred DAguiar hailed a list of memorable and urgent stories that captured the concerns of their respective communities and noted that these writers achieved all this while they displayed an astute sense of the many forms of the story and its many long traditions on a continuum, from oral to scribal, from performance to contemplation [.] the result is a shortlist of stories that is aware of history, while never sacrificing story. These stories are as diverse as the world that they are drawn from and care about: they reflect a complex and afflicted planet; they answer the call of todays multiple societal tensions by acts of reading that transform how the reader views that world.

Dr Anne T. Gallagher AO, Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation, the intergovernmental organisation which administers the prize, commended all those who entered the competition, offering a special congratulations to those who have made the shortlist in what was a highly competitive year. Dr Gallagher added: the growing popularity of the prize speaks to the vital role that storytelling plays for people and communities right across the Commonwealth. In these fragile and uncertain times, the Short Story Prize transmits a strong and timely message about the power of cultural expression to help us make sense of ourselves and the world around us.

The 2022 shortlist in full:

AFRICA

and the earth drank deep by Ntsika Kota (eSwatini)

Lifestyle Guide for The Discerning Witch by Franklyn Usouwa (Nigeria)

Something Happened Here by Dera Duru (Nigeria)

How to Operate the New Eco-Protect Five-in-One Climate Control Apparatus by Charlie Muhumuza (Uganda)

Thandiwe by Mubanga Kalimamukwento (Zambia)



ASIA

A fast-growing refugee problem by Sagnik Datta (India)

Accidents are Prohibited by Gitanjali Joshua (India)

Fault Lines by Pritika Rao (India)

The Kite by Sophia Khan (Pakistan)

The Last Diver on Earth by Sofia Mariah Ma (Singapore)

CANADA AND EUROPE

The Stone Bench by David McIlwraith (Canada)

Losing Count by Alexandra Manglis (Cyprus)

A Landscape Memoir by Jonathan Pizarro (Gibraltar)

A Hat for Lemer by Cecil Browne (United Kingdom/St Vincent and the Grenadines) Hot Chutney Mango Sauce by Farah Ahamed (United Kingdom/Kenya)

Omolara by J.S. Gomes (United Kingdom/Trinidad and Tobago)

The Scars and the Stars by PR Woods (United Kingdom)

What Men Live By by Shagufta Sharmeen Tania, translated from Bangla by the author (United Kingdom/Bangladesh)

CARIBBEAN

No Man's Land by Alexia Tolas (The Bahamas)

Bridge over the Yallahs River by Diana McCaulay (Jamaica)

Have Mercy by Sharma Taylor (Jamaica)

PACIFIC

Slake by Sarah Walker (Australia)

The No Sex Thing by Eleanor Kirk (Australia)

The Nightwatch by Mary Rokonadravu (Fiji)

Speaking in tongues by Shelley Burne-Field (New Zealand)

Wonem Samting Kamap Long Mama? (What Happened to Ma?) by Baka Bina, translated from Tok Pisin to English by the author (Papua New Guinea)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), says it has arrested Chief Afam Mallinson Emmanuel Ukatu, the billionaire drug baron behind the N3 billion Tramadol deal involving the embattled suspended deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari-led Intelligence Response Team, IRT.

A statement by Femi Babafemi, director, Media & Publicity, NDLEA said after months of surveillance and evading arrest, Ukatu who is Chairman of Mallinson Group of Companies was eventually nabbed onboard a flight to Abuja at the MM2 terminal of the Lagos airport, Ikeja on Wednesday 13th April.

Investigations reveal he has been a major importer of large consignments of different brands and high dosages of Tramadol Hydrochloride, ranging from 120mg, 200mg, 225mg and 250mg, all of which are illicit. Ukatu owns pharmaceutical and plastic manufacturing companies, which he used as a cover to import illicit drugs into Nigeria. This is in addition to operating 103 bank accounts, most of which are used to launder money.

Ukatu came under watch last year after five cartons of Tramadol 225mg were seized from his staff on 4th May 2021 when he sent them to sell to undercover police officers (unknown to Ukatu) from the then Kyari-led IRT of the Nigeria Police, Ikeja Lagos. The price of a carton of Tramadol was negotiated at N17million each as against the then black market value that ranged between N18million and N20million a carton in Lagos.

After the arrest of Ukatus staff: Pius Enidom and Sunday Ibekwete, Kyaris men were then led by the suspects to Mallinsons warehouse at Ojota in Lagos where 197 additional Cartons of Tramadol 225mg were seized by the IRT Team. The monetary value of the 202 cartons of Tramadol seized from Mallinson in one day was over N3billion.

Three weeks after the seizure, the Kyaris IRT team transferred only 12 Cartons of the Tramadol with one truck and a suspect to the Lagos Command of the NDLEA, leaving 190 cartons unaccounted for. After over eight months of following the lead, anti-narcotic officers of the Agency eventually arrested Ukatu at the Lagos airport on 13th April 2022. Kyari and four top members of his team are already facing trial for a different but similar offence at a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Friendship Bridge bomb heightens fear

MAE SOT, TAK: A car bomb went off at the foot of the first Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge on the Myawaddy side of the border opposite Mae Sot district late on Saturday night, a security source said on Sunday (Apr 24).



By Bangkok Post

Monday 25 April 2022, 09:19AM

Photo: Bangkok Post

The explosion was clearly heard in Mae Sot, he said, reports the Bangkok Post.

The bomb is believed to have been placed in a vehicle left in front of the gate of the Myawaddy border checkpoint at the foot of the first Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge by an anti-government force.

There was a power cut in the immediate area after the blast which was followed by the sound of about 30 gunshots.

A four-storey building near the bridge on the Myawaddy side was gutted by the fire while several buildings and vehicles in the area were damaged. There were no reports of casualties, he said.

Meanwhile, in Mae Sot, village security units, a rapid-deployment company of the Naresuan Force and Border Patrol Police Company 346 stepped up patrols along the border to ensure security.

One unit spotted numerous Myanmar people who had fled across the border to the Thai side of the Moei River before the explosion and managed to round up 24 men and 25 women.

The 49 said they had illegally crossed the border to Moo 2, a riverside village in tambon Tha Sai Luat, and were waiting for job agents to pick them up.

They claimed to have paid B20,000 each to job brokers.

All are expected to be deported after being processed at Mae Sot police station.
Girl, 9, safe after swimming incident at Similans

PHUKET: A 9-year-old girl is safe after a swimming incident with her family on an island tour at the Similan Islands, north of Phuket, yesterday (Apr 24) left her with serious breathing difficulties.

marineSafetytourism

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Monday 25 April 2022, 06:24PM

Officers at the Similan Islands National Park called the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command at 3pm to request assistance.

National park officers and an EMS medical team from the Navys Phang Nga base arrived at the island, Koh Phat, by speedboat at 3:25pm, reported the Third Area Command.

The girl was experiencing tightness of the chest and a shortness of breath. Family members said the girl was playing in the water when she began choking on water, causing her to panic.

They rushed to pull her out of the water, but by that time her breathing was severely affected.

The Navy report did not confirm whether or not the girl was asthmatic, but did report that the family members, presumably her parents, had administered a bronchodilator, but the girls symptoms did not improve.

The Navy medical team administered oxygen to help the girl breathe and monitored her vital signs. By 4:10pm the girls condition had improved to the state that she was free to go with her family.

The Third Area Command explained that many tourists, including children, adults and elderly people, were traveling to the Similan Islands on tours.

The Navy Third Area Command would like to inform parents who bring children to closely supervise your children while traveling on a boat or while swimming, said the Navy report of the incident.
House fire at Phuket Villa Suan Luang

PHUKET: Fire caused heavy damage to a house at the Phuket Villa Suan Luang housing estate in the early hours of this morning (Apr 25). No people were reported injured in the fire.



By Eakkapop Thongtub

Monday 25 April 2022, 10:31AM

Firefighters from Wichit Municipality confirmed they were called to the home, in Moo 2 Wichit, at 1:30am.

Also arriving at the scene was Wichit Mayor Kreetha Chotiwitpipat and Pattarawan Pensawas Head of Administration at Wichit Municipality.

Two fire trucks, one support vehicle and one rescue vehicle were dispatched to the scene, firefighters confirmed.

The fire team took about 30 minutes to bring the blaze under control.

Many rooms in the home were heavily damaged by the fire.

The value of the damage has yet to be estimated.

The cause of the fire is now under investigation by police.
Police motorcyclist gets 1 year, 15 days jail for killing Mor Kratai

BANGKOK: The Criminal Court today (Apr 25) sentenced motorcyclist Pol L/Cpl Norawich Buadok, 21, to one year and 15 days in jail without suspension for running over and killing ophthalmologist Waraluck Supawatjariyakul on a zebra crossing in Bangkok three months ago.

crimedeathpolice

By Bangkok Post

Monday 25 April 2022, 02:13PM

Motorcyclist Pol L/Cpl Norawich Buadok (masked), a riot control policeman, at the Office of the Attorney-General to hear the prosecutors decision to indict him on Feb 22. Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb

The court was told that Pol L/Cpl Norawich, of the Metropolitan Police Bureaus Protection and Crowd Control Division, was driving the Ducati Monster big bike that hit Dr Waraluck, of the faculty of medicine at Chulalongkorn University, on a pedestrian crossing on Phaya Thai Road in Ratchathewi district, on Jan 21. She died of her injuries.

Waraluck was a popular member of the faculty, known as Mor Kratai from her nickname, Kratai, or Rabbit, reports the Bangkok Post.

Pol L/Cpl Norawich was found to be driving at 108-128 kilometres per hour, well above the 80kph speed limit.

He was charged with nine counts: driving a vehicle with no licence plate, using a vehicle without paying the registration fee, having no third-party insurance, driving a vehicle with no side mirrors, failing to keep to the left lane, speeding, driving without due regard for safety, failure to comply with traffic signs, and reckless driving causing death.

Pol L/Cpl Norawich confessed to the charges. He was released on B50,000 bail.

He appeared before the court to hear the ruling.

The court found him guilty as charged and sentenced him to a total of one year and 15 days imprisonment without suspension.

The court initially sentenced him to two years and 30 days in prison and fines of B8,000.

He was fined B2,000 on each of four minor charges - driving a vehicle with no licence plate, using a vehicle without paying the registration fee, having no third-party insurance, and driving a vehicle with no side mirrors.

He was jailed for 15 days for speeding and for driving without due regard for safety. He was sentenced to two years for reckless driving causing death.

The sentences were commuted to one year and 15 days in prison and B4,000 in fines because he confessed.

The court was considering an application for bail pending appeal. His father used his police sub-lieutenants rank as guarantor.

Waralucks family, prominent opththalmologists, have filed a B72 million civil lawsuit against the Royal Thai Police Office, as the first defendant, and against Pol L/Cpl Norawich over their daughters death. They charge that Pol L/Cpl Norawich was on duty at the time and the Royal Thai Police Office is therefore responsible.
Probe into Phuket yacht fire continues

PHUKET: The Phuket Marine Office has ordered for the catamaran that caught fire at Yacht Haven Marina on the weekend to be salvaged so officers can continue their investigation into the cause of the fire.

marineSafetyaccidents

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Monday 25 April 2022, 12:43PM

Photo: Phuket Marine Office

Phuket Marine Office Director Nachaphong Pranit has clarified that officers have now confirmed that the damage to the boat, Jimmy Blue, was estimated to be about B10 million.

The boat, a 12-metre catamaran, had been berthed at the marina for a long time, Mr Nachaphong said.

The boat caught fire and partially sank at its berth on Saturday afternoon (Apr 23)

No people were on the boat when the fire broke out.

Mr Nachapong said officers, after questioning witnesses, believed that the fire started by a short circuit.

The cause appeared to be a short circuit from a 220-volt power supply that was connected to the boat and the switch was still on, he said.

The condition of the boat indicates that it has not been used for a long time. The boat was registered in 2014 and was recorded as worth about B16mn at the time. It was used for tours for about seven years. It is estimated that the damage should be no more than B10mn, he added.

The boat was moved away from its berth at the marina for safety. The boat will be salvaged and taken to the Premier Boat Yard in Mai Khao, Mr Nachaphong said.

Officers are continuing their investigation, Mr Nachaphong added.

We have confirmed with the marina manager that the person responsible was at the scene within an appropriate time. The person attempted to extinguish the fire, but was unable to, despite using fire extinguishers from the boat and provided by the marina, he said.

However, the yacht and marina managers will be invited to answer more questions about the fire. This is to fully understand what happened so we can aim to prevent any similar incidents in the future, Mr Nachaphong said.
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LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP)  An opposition liberal party convincingly won Sunday's parliamentary election in Slovenia, according to early official results, in a major defeat for populist Prime Minister Janez Jansa, who was accused of pushing the small European Union country to the right while in office.

The Freedom Movement won nearly 34% of the votes, compared with around 24% for the governing conservative Slovenian Democratic Party, state election authorities said after counting over 97% of the ballots.

Trailing behind the top two contenders were the New Slovenia party with 7%, followed by the Social Democrats with more than 6% and the Left party with 4%.

The results mean that the Freedom Movement, a newcomer in the election, appears set to form the next government in a coalition with smaller leftist groups. The party leader addressed supporters via a video message from his home because he has COVID-19.

Tonight people dance, Robert Golob told the cheering crowd at the party headquarters. Tomorrow is a new day and serious work lies ahead.

Jansa, an ally of right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, congratulated the relative winner of the election in a speech.

The results are as they are, Jansa said, praising his government's work. Many challenges lie ahead for the new government, whatever it may look like, but the foundations are solid.

A veteran politician, Jansa became prime minister a little over two years ago after the previous liberal premier resigned. An admirer of former U.S. President Donald Trump, Jansa had pushed the country toward right-wing populism since taking over at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reflecting strong interest in Sunday's election, turnout was higher than usual  around 67% of Slovenia's 1.7 million voters cast their ballot, compared with 52% in the previous election in 2018.

Golob, a U.S.-educated former business executive, came out as a frontrunner shortly after entering the political scene. The Freedom Movement party has advocated a green energy transition and sustainable development over Jansa's nation-centered narrative.

Liberals had described Sundays election as a referendum on Slovenias future. They argued that Jansa, if reelected, would push the traditionally moderate nation further away from core EU democratic values and toward other populist regimes.

Opinion polls ahead of the vote had predicted that the leading parties would be locked in a tight race.

Jansa's SDS won the most votes in an election four years ago, but couldn't initially find partners for a coalition government. He took over after lawmakers from centrist and left-leaning groups switched sides following the resignation in 2020 of liberal Prime Minister Marjan Sarec.

Jansa, in power, faced accusations of sliding toward authoritarian rule in the Orban style, drawing EU scrutiny amid reports that he pressured opponents and public media, and installed loyalists in key positions for control over state institutions.

The Freedom House democracy watchdog recently said that while political rights and civil liberties are generally respected (in Slovenia), the current right-wing government has continued attempts to undermine the rule of law and democratic institutions, including the media and judiciary.
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PARIS (AP)  The far-right has gone mainstream in France.

Thats the headline from the landmark showing by Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election. The fierce nationalist didnt win Sunday. But she edged another step closer  snatching a victory of sorts from her defeat to reelected President Emmanuel Macron.

With 41.5% of the vote, unprecedented for her, Le Pen's anti-foreigner, anti-system politics of disgruntlement are now more entrenched than ever in the psyche, thinking and political landscape of France.

Since the Le Pen dynasty  first her dad, Jean-Marie, and now Marine, his daughter  first started contesting presidential elections in 1974, never have so many French voters bought into their doctrine that multicultural and multiracial France, a country with the words Liberty, Equality, Fraternity inscribed on its public buildings, would be richer, safer and somehow more French if it was less open to foreigners and the outside world.

Had she become Frances first woman president, her plan for fighting Islamic terrorism would have included stripping part of Frances population  women who are Muslims  of some of their liberty. She wanted to ban them from wearing headscarves in public  hardly very equal or fraternal. Same goes for her proposals to move French citizens to the front of lines for jobs, benefits and housing.

For headscarf-wearing voter Yasmina Aksas, Le Pen's defeat wasn't a celebration moment  not with such strong backing for her and ideas that used to be limited to militant far-right groups becoming increasingly acceptable in polite company.

Its still 40% of people voting for Le Pen," the 19-year-old law student said. "Its not a victory.

Internationally, Le Pen wanted to start diluting Frances relationships with the European Union, NATO and neighbor Germany  moves that would have been seismic for the architecture of peace in Europe, in the midst of Russia's war in Ukraine.

In short, France escaped a political, social and economic electroshock by not voting in Le Pen.

Or perhaps just delayed one, should she choose to stand again in 2027. That's a long way off. Much could change. But Le Pen isn't done yet.

In this defeat, I cant help but feel a form of hope," she said. I will never abandon the French."

Surpassing 40% of the vote elevates Le Pen into illustrious, mainstream company. Since Gen. Charles de Gaulle beat Francois Mitterrand by 55% to 45% in 1965, all defeated finalists lost 40-something to 50-something.

With two exceptions, both named Le Pen.

Jean-Marie was trounced 82% to 18% by Jacques Chirac in 2002 and Marine lost 66% to 34% to Macron in 2017.

Voters used to regard it as their civic duty to keep the Le Pens score low, seeing a ballot against them as a blow against racism and xenophobia. Fewer think that way now.

By championing cost-of-living issues, befriending the working class, changing her partys name and distancing herself from her father, Le Pen broadened her appeal and made herself less scary to growing swaths of France's electorate. Immigration isn't the top concern for all her supporters. They're not all wary of the EU, Muslims and foreigners. But Le Pen does speak to many who feel unheard and uncared for by officials in Paris and Brussels.

And so although Macron became the first French president in 20 years to win a second term, he also has failed: Failed to achieve the goal that he set himself at the outset of his presidency.

Five years ago, in his triumphant victory speech, Macron pledged to cut the ground from under Le Pens feet by assuaging the voter anger she feeds on.

I will do everything in the five years to come so there is no more reason to vote for the extremes, he said.

Yet Frances extremes are now doing better than ever, finding growing, enthusiastic and completely unabashed audiences for us against them far-right rhetoric.

In far-right speak, us are largely white and Christian people being submerged by migration, impoverished by globalization, terrorized by Islamic fundamentalists and losing their French identity to imported cultures, religions and values.

Them are all those they blame: the elites, foreigners, financiers, the EU, Muslims, the system. Their list is long.

The market for their politics has become so large that this election saw several strains of extremism to choose from.

Rabble-rousing former TV pundit Eric Zemmour, who has been repeatedly convicted of hate speech, placed fourth out of the 12 candidates in the first round of voting on April 10. He makes racial arguments that white French people risk being replaced by non-European immigrants and their children. He sugarcoated Frances collaboration with its Nazi occupiers in World War II. During his campaign, he filled auditoriums with audiences for his anti-Islam, anti-immigration invective.

For Le Pen, he also had the advantage of making her look vanilla and electable in comparison, which also partly explains why she did so well. Together, the far right won 32% of the first-round vote.

Now Le Pen has taken another step forward against Macron in the runoff.

Not enough to get into power.

But closer than ever.

__

AP journalist John Leicester has reported from France since 2002. Arno Pedram contributed.

___

Follow APs coverage of the French election at https://apnews.com/hub/french-election-2022
File

GRANITE CITY  Authorities have identified the man killed in a house fire on Friday as Tony M. Peterson, 56, of Chouteau Township.

Madison County Coroner Stephen P. Nonn said Monday that Peterson lost his life following a fire at his residence in the 1200 block of Franko Lane in Granite City. The fire was reported to 9-1-1 at about 1:13 a.m. Friday.
GLEN CARBON  A Riverbend resident has pleaded guilty to participating in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Jeremiah Carollo, of Glen Carbon, on Thursday pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.

Also arrested in the incident was Carollo's brother, Anthony Carollo of Lockport, Illinois, and Cody Vollan of Flossmoor, Illinois.

To date, 27 Illinoisans have been charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 incident. A total of 783 people have been arrested in connection to the insurrection; information on all of those arrested is online at https://interactives.ap.org/jan-6-prosecutions/.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, the Carollos and Vollan were arrested Jan. 19. All three entered guilty pleas on April 24 and have sentencing hearings scheduled for Sept. 13.

According to court documents, the three men said they entered the Capitol through a broken window. Images released by federal officials show the three near U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosis suite on Jan. 6, 2021.

Law enforcement found Vollan and the Carollos after investigators became aware of their mobile devices presence around the Capitol the day of the breach, based on information gathered through a search warrant served on Google, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The newspaper said the FBI checked to see whether the associated email addresses matched people lawfully within the Capitol, and they did not.

Court records state that, in October and early November, federal officials interviewed all three men who admitted being inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. They also reportedly identified themselves in images presented by investigators.
ALTON  Nancy J. Johnson of Alton has been actively involved in community service for more than 50 years.

She considers it an honor to be nominated by the YWCA for its 31st Women of Distinction Celebration.

"I want to continue to volunteer to help people for as long as ever I can," she said.

A graduate of Quincy Senior High School, Johnson lived in Springfield, Illinois during which time she worked at Horace Mann Insurance Co. as the Director of Graphics where she was the first woman chosen for that position. Later she opened her own graphic arts business.

She was a member of the Metropolitan Womens Club as well as a Springfield Area Arts Council board member and vice-president. She was a leader for United Cerebral Palsy of Illinois in both Springfield and Alton.

After the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act she led a coalition which established a Disability Independence Day in Illinois with rallies, education and awareness campaigns. She was named United Cerebral Palsy of Illinois's Volunteer of the Year in 1991.

Johnson and her husband, Thomas, moved to Alton in 1987. She initially taught graphics and printing at the Alton Mental Health Center before accepting a position at Lewis & Clark Community College in the Adult Education Division where her role included leadership and coordination of Project READ.

During this time she was president of both the Metro East Literacy Council and the Metropolitan St. Louis Literacy Roundtable. These literacy-related responsibilities involved diverse populations and opportunities to mentor women to become literate and to realize educational goals.

Since her retirement in 2009, her activity in the community has increased. She is an active board member of Alton Community Service League and is treasurer of the Upper Alton Womens Club. She volunteered at the Caravan Resale Shop benefiting Oasis Womens Center and has taken that resale experience to serve as a volunteer at Wesley House Hearts-in-Mission, a resale shop adjacent to Asbury Village where proceeds go to various local programs and agencies supporting women and families.

Additionally, Johnson has been involved with:

 Alton Museum of History and Art, both as a board member and co-president

 Illinois Secretary of State - Southern Illinois Workforce Literacy Provider Committee

 Illinois Adult Continuing Education Association, both as a member and statewide convention presenter

 Coalition of Adult Basic Education, both as a member and part of the planning team for its national convention

 MetroEast Literacy Council, both as a member and president

 Literacy Roundtable, both as a member and president.

She has been very involved with the Main Street United Methodist Church in Alton where she has been a trustee, part of its Outreach Team and president of its Womens Ministries.

She said John Wesley, the founder of the United Methodist Church, has been a constant inspiration for her. She noted he would say, "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can."

"I have been inspired by this quotation my entire life," Johnson said.

She volunteers every summer with Serving Area Kids, a program for disadvantaged children, where she assembles meals and interacts with children. For more than 10 years those children have seen her nearly every week. She also is a member and was recently president of a local chapter of P.E.O. International, a philanthropic organization celebrating the advancement of women and educating women through scholarships and grants.

Her advice to women of any age is to "uncover one or more passions and shape those into personal volunteer activity pursuit."

"The community always needs volunteers across a wide array of needs," she said.
South Carolina has decided to introduce choice into death row in its penal institutions.

Up until now, prisoners scheduled to receive capital punishment were allowed to pick between lethal injection and the electric chair.

Some choice that is.

Prisoners often complain that they should have a wider selection on how to die if its the last thing they do. And in most cases it probably is.

So the state obliged to show them that they valued their feedback. Just to show them that they cared, they recently added death by firing squad to the list. So you see? Sometimes the state does listen. Most inmates favor adding death by old age, however it is not likely to pass.

Eight states still allow execution by electric chair and four states allow death by firing squad. But since only three executions have been carried out by firing squad since 1976, I suggest they contact the North Koreans if they have any questions since it is a part of daily life there. And in an effort to go green, many prisons have converted from gas chambers to electric chairs thereby fulfilling their future commitment to a carbon neutral environment.

Ironically, those opposing capital punishment have made it extremely difficult for states to procure drugs for the more human lethal injection method, forcing them to turn to historically less humane methods. Nice going guys. If the state is having so much trouble getting ahold of the lethal injection drugs, why dont they just go to the local high school and get all they want?

So one inmate who was scheduled for execution was granted a choice between bad and even worse. Since lethal injection was out, that only left the firing squad or the electric chair. Death penalty opponents will have trouble banning those unless they can find a way to convince power companies to stop supplying electricity to prisons or ban guns and bullets in the entire country. Good luck with that.

Well, execution day came and they had everything ready to go when what do you think happened? The courts instituted a last minute stay of execution. Just like in the movies. He was then led back to his cell for more prison food. Talk about cruel and unusual punishment. I can bet that for his last meal, he didnt order a Happy Meal either.

The prisoner in question had years earlier gunned down a convenience store clerk. He claims that being forced to choose the method of his own demise was barbaric. Ironically, he murdered his victim with a hand gun which is pretty much the same as death by firing squad. So you see? What goes around sometimes does come around. Thats what some people might call poetic justice.

In the olden days the condemned were shot at dawn while blindfolded up against a wall. Now in the modern age of enlightenment, the penal system is tobacco-free so prisoners arent even allowed a last cigarette. And if they wear a blindfold and have to be led to the execution chamber, they risk being mistaken for upper management and might be released by accident.

In the meantime, they are asking a judge to determine whether electrocution or firing squad amount to cruel and unusual punishment.

I think they should add visiting your in-laws to that. And while theyre at it, they can explain why capital punishment is written in lower case.
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INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP)  Former President Donald Trumps late endorsements in hypercompetitive Republican Senate primaries in Ohio and Pennsylvania have unlocked a flood of support for his chosen candidates, including millions in cash.

But the endorsements have also provoked backlash from some Republicans who believe Trump has betrayed his core supporters by backing Hillbilly Elegy author JD Vance in Ohio and TVs Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania. Both candidates have been criticized for time spent outside their states and being insufficiently committed to the former president and his America First agenda.

The blowback included calls by a major conservative group aligned with a Vance rival to boycott the rally Trump held in Delaware, Ohio, Saturday night, where he urged his supporters to get behind Vance, calling him the man with by far the best chance to defeat the radical Democrat nominee for the U.S. Senate this November."

If you want to deliver a historic victory for America First here in Ohio and also a historic defeat for the people that are destroying our country, JD Vance is your guy," he told the crowd.

Its unclear whether Trumps support will be enough to pull Vance and Oz across the finish line in races that will serve as key early tests of the former presidents clout in this years midterm elections. But the endorsements pose a risk to Trump, who has staked his status as a GOP kingmaker on his ability to mobilize his supporters as he eyes another White House run in 2024.

In Ohio, Trump's support has already been a major boon to Vance, who had been trailing in the polls before Trumps intervention. While allies concede Trump's announcement at 5 p.m. on Good Friday, less than three weeks before the May 3 primary election, may not have been the most desirable timing, the campaign nonetheless reported a 300% increase in online donations  a majority from new donors.

Protect Ohio Values, the super PAC supporting Vance, said it had brought in $5 million since Trump's endorsement, including a $3.5 million check from venture capitalist Peter Thiel.

Both groups are using that money to air new ads trumpeting Trump's endorsement that they expect to run exclusively through the rest of the campaign.

We want to make sure 100% of people know about it. And were going to go all out on that," said Luke Thompson, who runs the super PAC, which has found that Vance's support rises when voters are made aware that he is Trump's pick.

Ohio strategists and rival campaigns had long conceded an endorsement from Trump, who remains deeply popular with Republican voters despite his 2020 election defeat and his role in inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, was likely to push any candidate to the front of the pack. Vance aides see the endorsement as particularly useful for their candidate given that the chief line of attack lodged against him has been his past criticism of Trump.

Trump addressed those comments head-on Saturday night, joking that if he refused to support anyone who had criticized him, he wouldn't have anyone to endorse.

Ultimately, I put that aside, he said. I have to do what I have to do. We have to pick somebody that can win.

But the endorsement has sparked deep resentment from those backing Vance's rivals, who launched a furious, last-ditch effort last week to try to change Trumps mind. Trump has called on his supporters to rally around Vance, but Vance's chief rivals, including the Trump-aligned Club for Growth, which supports former state treasurer Josh Mandel, have so far refused to stand down. They have instead continued to run anti-Vance ads, drawing anger, in particular, from Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who has been campaigning for Vance and is set to return to the state Monday for a full day of events.

Ohio Value Voters, a conservative group that has also endorsed Mandel, had called for a boycott of Trumps Saturday rally, saying Trump had made a terrible decision and calling on those who did attend to boo Vance when he was introduced.

The states tea party movement, which overwhelmingly supports Trump, had also planned to protest outside.

For him to endorse JD Vance really seemed like President Trump was out of touch with whats going on in Ohio and what his supporters here want, said Tom Zawistowski, a leader of the group.

Zawistowski warned the endorsement could wind up splitting Trumps base of support in the state primary three ways among Vance, Mandel and Cleveland banker Mike Gibbons. He said that could open up a path to victory for former state GOP chair Jane Timken or even moderate state Sen. Matt Dolan, the one candidate in the race who has not promised to support Trump and his positions if elected.

So far, some voters are siding with Trump.

Linda Davidson, a retired financial consultant from Kirtland, said Trumps endorsement very much crystallized her vote for Vance.

I was actually waiting. I couldnt decide, she said after an event in the Cleveland suburb of Independence on Wednesday. I was kind of confused on who to vote for.

But at a Mandel event near Cleveland on Thursday, Jeanine Hammack, the campaign chair for the Strongsville Republican Party, said Trumps endorsement will not at all influence her vote.

We love Trump. Always will, she said, adding that she's sure the former president has his reasons for picking Vance, but that she knows Mandel better.

In Pennsylvania, Oz is seeing a similar bump since Trump's surprise April 9 endorsement in his close race against former hedge fund CEO David McCormick. The week following Trumps endorsement was the best digital fundraising week for Oz since his campaign launched late last year, with the campaign bringing in nearly three times as much money as it had the week before, said campaign manager Casey Contres.

Some supporters concede that Oz could still lose the May 17 primary with Trump's backing, but argue he likely wouldn't have been able to win without it. His team has shifted its ad strategy for television and digital pitches to focus on the former presidents announcement.

It is a game changer," said John Fredericks, a talk radio host who had urged Trump to back the celebrity doctor.

Trump's endorsement has given people a chance to stop and think and go, Wait a minute. Ive seen this guy on TV helping people for 30 years. Trump sees it, too. And now I'm going to take a second look,'" Fredericks said.

Oz acknowledged the impact during a virtual town hall Trump held Friday night to rally support for his candidate.

"Mr. President, there are a lot of voters who are passionate about you who have said that theyre coming out to see me because of your endorsement," Oz said, before asking Trump if he would mind easing peoples fears by vouching for Oz's conservative credentials.

It was an acknowledgement of the fact that Trump's endorsement of a man who has little history with the Republican Party  not to mention Pennsylvania, after living in New Jersey for the past two decades  has roiled party activists who aren't sold on Oz and believe that he is insufficiently conservative on issues like guns and abortion.

While some county party officials said the endorsement had no further divided Republicans than they had been already, given the seven-candidate primary field, some county party officials reported a tide of angry calls.

The conservative Trumpers are very upset over his endorsement, and they cannot understand it, said Arnold McClure, the Republican Party chair in rural Huntingdon County, where Trump won 75% of the vote in 2020. The Trump era is over in Pennsylvania because of his endorsement of Dr. Oz.

___

Colvin reported from New York and Levy from Harrisburg, Pa. AP video journalist Patrick Orsagos in Ohio contributed to this report.
EDWARDSVILLE  Two people were charged Friday with mob action and battery in an attack on another person.

A third assailant had been previously charged.

Timothy H. Morrissette, 18; and Tobyas M. Morrissette, 21, both of the same address in Granite City, were charged April 22 with aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony, and mob action, a Class 4 felony.

The cases were presented by the Granite City Police Department.

On March 29 Jaylen K. Cleary, 19, of Granite City, was charged with aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony, and mob action, a Class 4 felony.

According to court documents, on March 28 the three allegedly attacked a person at the intersection of Kate Street and Lincoln Avenue in Granite City, striking and kicking the victim.

Bail was set at $50,000 each for both Morrissettes, and Clearys bail had been set at $30,000.

Other felony charges filed April 22 by the Madison County States Attorneys Office include:

 Jeffrey F. Pointer, 35, of Granite City, was charged with aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony, and two counts of domestic battery (second subsequent offense), both Class 4 felonies. The case was presented by the Granite City Police Department. According to court documents, on April 21 Pointer allegedly pushed and shoved two household or family members, including a nine-year-old. The aggravated battery charge stems from the attack on the child. Pointer has a March 2020 conviction for aggravated domestic battery out of Madison County. Bail was set at $50,000.

 Gene R. Babcock, 64, of Moro, was charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, a Class 1 felony, and two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, both Class 2 and 3 felonies. The case was presented by the Bethalto Police Department. According to court documents, on April 22 Babcock allegedly had more than five grams of methamphetamine, Hydrocodone and Buprenorphine with the intent to deliver. Bail was set at $100,000.

 David M. Guerrero, 36, listed as homeless out of Edwardsville, was charged with theft from a person, a Class 3 felony; theft under $500 (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony; and aggravated assault, a Class A misdemeanor. According to court documents, on April 21 Guerrero allegedly took an item valued at less than $500 from a woman and threatened a man with a knife in the parking lot of Home Depot. Guerrero has a prior conviction for robbery in the second degree out of San Antonio, Texas in 2011. Bail was set at $50,000.

 Joshua D. Shimchick, 34, of Hartford, was charged with aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude, a Class 4 felony, and obstruction of identification, a Class A misdemeanor. The case was presented by the Pontoon Beach Police Department. According to court documents, on April 21 Shimchick allegedly was driving a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado when he attempted to flee from a Pontoon Beach police officer, reaching speeds in excess of 21 miles above the posted speed limit; and provided the officer with false information. Bail was set at $50,000.
IVY GOODMAN, Stonington, Girls, Lacrosse, Senior; Goodman scored 12 goals and had 13 assists in three games. Her seven assists in the Bears win over Waterford established a school record. She surpassed the 50-goal mark for the season in Stoningtons victory over Ledyard.

DEAN PONS JR., Westerly, Baseball, Senior; Pons, a senior, struck out 14 batters in the Bulldogs five-inning win against Wheeler School/Rocky Hill. Pons had an assist on the remaining out, throwing out a runner on a groundout. Pons allowed just one hit and walked only two.

KATIE PIERCE, Wheeler, Girls, Lacrosse, Sophomore; Pierce scored five goals and the Lions beat Griswold to earn their first victory of the season. Wheeler avenged an earlier loss to the Wolverines this season with the 15-4 victory.

WEEKO THOMPSON, Chariho, Girls, Track Sophomore; Thompson, a sophomore, bettered her school record in the discus at the Classical Classic meet. She finished first in the event and also won the shot put.

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A major Just Eat investor has called on other shareholders to sack the firm's finance boss and multiple other board members at its upcoming annual general meeting.

Cat Rock Capital said it would vote against the re-election of Brent Wissink as chief financial officer and four supervisory board members, including chairman Adriaan Nuhn, at the food delivery giant's AGM on 4 May.

In a letter to shareholders, Alex Captain, the company's managing partner and founder, accused Just Eat directors of overseeing 'a catastrophic destruction of equity value' in the last two years.

Thumbs down: Cat Rock said it would vote against the re-election of Just Eat's CFO and four supervisory board members at the food delivery giant's upcoming AGM next week

He noted that the Amsterdam-based business has seen its stock drop 18 per cent in value over the past five years, while the average firm on the MSCI World Index has jumped 69 per cent.

This is despite a pandemic-induced boom in orders on Just Eat's platform following the closure of hospitality venues as governments across the world sought to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Captain blames the company, for which Cat Rock holds a 6.9 per cent stake, for providing a 'misleading outlook' on earnings before two key shareholders votes to ratify the purchase of fellow food delivery service Grubhub.

He said that before the first vote, analysts were expecting the business to report underlying profits of over 400million for the 2021 financial year.

But this forecast was subsequently downgraded to a loss of 60million to 80million before being enhanced almost fivefold to between 280million and 450million.

Since last summer, the Connecticut-based group has been urging Just Eat to make radical operational changes to enhance its valuation, including a possible merger and offloading of 'non-core assets.'

Selloff: After previously resisting calls from Cat Rock, Just Eat declared in a trading update last week that it was considering a partial or complete sale of Grubhub

A few months later, it called on the firm to sell or spin off Grubhub, something Captain remarked would improve its competitiveness in the US market and reduce the risk of Just Eat experiencing a hostile takeover.

Just Eat had previously resisted calls to sell its one-time American rival, even as its valuation continued to tumble unlike other food ordering services such as DoorDash.

From the time it first announced the agreement to buy Grubhub, its shares have nosedived by around 75 per cent, while its market valuation has plunged by about 16billion.

It eventually declared in a trading update last week that it was considering a partial or complete sale of the Chicago-based delivery platform, though it warned there was no certainty a deal would take place.

But this has failed to persuade Cat Rock's Alex Captain, who said today: 'The problem at JET is clear  JET management made a capital allocation mistake by buying Grubhub, then lost investor trust by providing misleading financial disclosures in advance of shareholder votes on the deal.

'The solution at JET is equally clear  the Company needs a new Supervisory Board that will take quick strategic action to focus the business and strengthen its capitalization, and a CFO that will rebuild its credibility with the capital markets.'

Another Connecticut-headquartered investor, Lucerne Capital, has declared that it will vote against the re-election of Wissink and the six-person supervisory board next week but also abstain from voting on Jitse Groen's re-election as chief executive.

A Just Eat spokeswoman said: 'Just Eat Takeaway.com's management shares investor disappointment in the recent share price performance of the company.

'However, the actions we are taking, including in relation to Grubhub, are intended to create significant shareholder value.

'We believe that Cat Rock's proposal to remove key supervisory and management board members would be both value destructive and destabilising.'

Just Eat shares closed trading 0.6 per cent higher at 21.21 on Monday.
Shell directors risk personal liability if they fail to boost the energy giants green credentials, an environmental group has claimed.

The threat to senior figures, including chief executive Ben van Beurden, was made in a recent letter from Friends of the Earths Netherlands branch, Milieudefensie.

It follows the organisations triumph against Shell last year, during which a court ordered the FTSE 100 group to reduce its overall carbon emissions by 45 per cent by 2030.

Eco target: Shell bosses, including chief executive Ben van Beurden (pictured), have been told the energy giant must comply with a court order to reduce its overall carbon emissions by 45%

Shell, which is one of the worlds largest oil companies, has lodged an appeal against the judgment by the Hague District Court. It has claimed some aspects of the decision are just not feasible.

Milieudefensie has accused Shell of trying to avoid complying with the court order.

It has also said Shell cannot delay climate action pending the appeals outcome.

The letter, seen by the Mail, said: Milieudefensie believes that Shell directors risk future personal liability by failing to take action in line with the global universal goal of almost halving worldwide C02 emissions by 2030.

The environmental group called on Shells hierarchy to urgently reconsider its position and stop informing stakeholders incompletely and inaccurately about its current energy strategy.

Shells major investors also received a copy of the letter.

The company said the letter outlines Milieudefensies own views on its compliance with the ruling.

A spokesman said: The court gave Shell a broad discretion as to how to meet the reduction obligation by its 2030 deadline. Our strategy and the actions we are taking position us well towards meeting the courts obligations.

Shell rolled out climate targets last year that will require it to cut absolute operational emissions by 50 per cent by 2030, but this does not apply to customer use of its products.
The Lao villagers resettled for the construction of the China-Laos Railway are moving into new houses. They are looking forward to a better life with new hopes. #GLOBALink





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Making the first official U.S. visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded two months ago, Washingtons top diplomat and its defense secretary pledged additional military aid, including advanced weapons, and a return of U.S. envoys to Kyiv.

In a visit designed to show Western support, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy and other top officials in Kyiv late on Sunday, after a train journey from Poland.

U.S. officials said the cabinet secretaries pledged new assistance worth $713 million for Zelenskiys government and other countries in the region that are fearful of further Russian aggression.

The meeting between the U.S. delegation and Ukraines leaders ran for three hours, or more than double the allotted time, a U.S. official said.

We are inspired by the resilience of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine in the face of President Putins brutal war of aggression, Blinken said earlier on Twitter, as fighting in the east overshadowed religious celebrations of Orthodox Easter.

Before the visit by Blinken and Austin, Ukrainian officials drew up a list of weapons urgently needed from the United States, such as anti-missile systems, anti-aircraft systems, armoured vehicles and tanks, Zelenskiy aide Igor Zhovkva told NBC News on Sunday.

The United States and NATO allies have shown growing readiness to supply heavier equipment and more advanced weapons systems. Britain has promised to send military vehicles and is considering supplying British tanks to Poland to free up Warsaws Russian-designed T-72s for Ukraine.

The high level U.S. visit highlighted the shift in the conflict since Ukrainian forces, armed with a massive influx of weapons from the West, fought off a Russian assault on the capital Kyiv.

Russia has failed to capture any major city since the invasion started on Feb. 24, and having failed to take Kyiv, has concentrated its forces in the south and east, launching an offensive that Zelenskiy dubbed the battle of the Donbas.

In a daily update on the conflict, Britains defence ministry said Russia had only made minor advances in some parts of Donbas.

Without sufficient logistical and combat support enablers in place, Russia has yet to achieve a significant breakthrough, it said.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report by British military intelligence.

Earlier, in an emotional address at Kyivs 1,000-year-old Saint Sophia Cathedral to mark the Orthodox Easter, Zelenskiy said his nation would overcome dark times.

As a semblance of normal life returns to the capital, several countries have reopened embassies in recent days and some residents who fled the fighting returned for Easter.

U.S. diplomats will return to Ukraine in coming weeks, with Washington announcing a new ambassador.

Theres no substitute for that face-to-face engagement, and of course there is a symbolism to being back in the country, said a State Department official, who briefed reporters in Poland on condition of anonymity.

Some 320 kilometres (200 miles) southeast of Kyiv, Russian missile strikes on an oil refinery and power plant in Kremenchuk, killing one person and wounding seven, the governor of the Poltava region said.

Moscow, which describes its actions in Ukraine as a special military operation, denies targeting civilians and rejects what Ukraine says is evidence of atrocities, saying Kyiv staged them to undermine peace talks.

The European Union is preparing smart sanctions against Russian oil imports, possibly some form of oil embargo, The Times reported on Monday, citing the European Commissions executive vice president, Valdis Dombrovskis.

Pope Francis called for an Easter truce: Stop the attacks in order to help the exhausted population. Stop, he said.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual head of Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide, called for humanitarian corridors in Mariupol and other areas of Ukraine, where he said an indescribable human tragedy is unfolding.

Ukrainian refugees filled churches across central Europe.

I pray that this horror in Ukraine ends soon and we can return home, said Nataliya Krasnopolskaia, who fled to Prague from Odesa last month, one of more than 5 million Ukrainians estimated to have escaped the country.

Ukraine proposed on Sunday a special round of negotiations with Russia about the fate of civilians and Ukrainian troops still trapped in the southern city of Mariupol, the site of the biggest battle of the conflict. Moscow has yet to respond publicly.

After talking to Zelenskiy by telephone, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan offered to assist in negotiations with Russia.

Russian forces on Sunday again attempted to storm the Azovstal steel plant, the main remaining Ukrainian stronghold in Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said, adding that more than 1,000 civilians are also sheltering there.

Serhiy Volyna, commander of Ukraines 36th Marine brigade forces in Mariupol, said Russia was hitting the plant with air and artillery bombardments.

We are taking casualties, the situation is critical we have very many wounded men, (some) are dying  the situation is rapidly worsening, Volyna said.

Moscow has previously declared victory in the city and said it did not need to take the steel plant.

Capturing Mariupol would link pro-Russian separatists who control parts of the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk that make up the Donbas with the southern Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which Moscow seized in 2014.

Ukraine estimates tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in Mariupol and says 100,000 civilians are still in the city. The United Nations and Red Cross say the civilian toll is at least in the thousands.

SOURCE: REUTERS
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MARCY  Over two and a half years after breaking ground, Wolfspeed (NYSE: WOLF) has finally opened its local silicon carbide factory.

The $1 billion silicon carbide chip facility is housed at the 450-acre Marcy Nanocenter and is the sites first tenant.

Wolfspeed has additional facilities in North Carolina, but was granted $650 million in state subsidies to open a 200-millimeter power-electronics chip-making spot in Marcy.

It has been a challenge trying to build a factory through a global pandemic, but we have a great team (and) really great partners, Adam Milton, vice president of Wolfspeed's Mohawk Valley fab, said.

Looking out to production, Milton expects the Marcy factory to yield a substantially larger computer chip output than its other hubs.

Although Milton was unable to say how much the fab would manufacture on a regular basis, he forecasted the company would generate revenues from the site between late 2022 and early next year.

Wolfspeed is targeting $1.5 billion in business across all of its facilities by the 2024 fiscal year.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the fab will help ease the national chip shortage and catalyze further tech investment in the region.

The Mohawk Valley fab is predicted to create about 600 jobs in the region. Milton said it already has 200 workers who helped get the operation up off the ground but will ramp up hiring efforts over the years until it is at full capacity in 2029.

"Wolfspeed is leading the pack in cutting-edge semiconductor innovation, and with production launching at their new billion dollar fab very soon, and over 600 jobs en route, the future has never looked brighter for the Marcy Nanocenter," Schumer said.

Some employees are North Carolina campus transplants or silicon carbide experts from around the country and others will be brought on from the Capital Region.

The company also worked with SUNY Polytechnic Institute to onboard several engineers and technicians.

We certainly need people that have manufacturing experience, mechanical type experience and, so, those are individuals that we've found locally and continue to hire locally, Milton noted.

Demand for the semiconductors Wolfspeed makes has been booming, especially in the automotive industry, despite persistent supply chain disruptions worldwide.

Milton said the company hasnt been immune to supply chain woes. Since customers provide demand forecasts for several years, it allows the company to stay ahead of many issues. The company reported strong revenues in the previous quarter alongside a heavy loss as demand became steeper.

Wolfspeed leaders ensured investors the Mohawk Valley fab would help meet the ever-growing demand.

As the Mohawk Valley facility opened, Wolfspeed announced that Lucid Motors would be using power chips made in Marcy in its luxury electric vehicles through a multi-year agreement between the two.

Our investment in the Mohawk Valley Fab ensures our customers, including Lucid, have access to the advanced products they need to deliver innovative solutions to the market, Wolfspeed CEO Gregg Lowe said in a news release.

Seeing Wolfspeed's growth in the region has propelled Schumer toward securing $52 billion in federal incentives for domestic semiconductor manufacturing, research and development through the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act.

The senator is also looking to get Central New York $100 million in grant money to further develop the nanocenter and region's tech and manufacturing capabilities.

"The Marcy Nanocenter is one of the most shovel-ready sites in the country for chip production, and with the jolt of electricity from Wolfspeeds new facility, in tandem with a power up from my legislation, we can make Marcy a national hub for semiconductor investment, Schumer concluded.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected. Wolfspeed worked with SUNY Polytechnic Institute to onboard several engineers and technicians. A previous version misstated the name of the academic institution.
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FAIRFAX, Va. (AP)  Actor Johnny Depp concluded a grueling four days on the witness stand Monday, telling jurors in a calm voice that he filed his libel lawsuit against his ex-wife because it was his best chance to reclaim his reputation, just hours after they heard audio clips of him berating his wife with coarse vulgarities.

It was the only time I was able to fight back and use my own voice," Depp said of his decision to sue Amber Heard for a 2018 op-ed piece in The Washington Post in which she refers to herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse."

He continued to deny that he ever hit Heard, and accused her of hitting him and throwing items including paint cans and vodka bottles at him. And jurors heard an audio clip of a conversation between Depp and Heard in which she seems to taunt him and suggests he won't be believed or respected if he were to publicly cast her as an abuser.

Tell them, I, Johnny Depp, I'm a victim of domestic abuse ... and see how many people believe or side with you, Heard says on the recording.

Earlier Monday, though, they heard recordings in which Depp referred to the violence that could ensue if their arguments were allowed to escalate.

The next move, if I don't walk away ... it's going to be a bloodbath, like it was on the island, Depp says on the recording.

In other clips, Depp loudly shouts vulgarities at his wife, calling her a degrading name and yelling, You stupid f- at her.

Depp winced on the stand as one of the clips was played; Heard appeared to fight back tears at several points as she listened to the recordings.

Heard's op-ed never mentions Depp by name, but he argues that he was defamed nonetheless because parts of the piece clearly refer to allegations of abuse she made in 2016 when she filed for divorce and obtained a temporary restraining order.

The clips were part of a lengthy cross-examination of Depp that began last week and concluded late Monday morning.

Heard's lawyers focused throughout the cross-examination on Depp's drinking, drug use and charged interactions with Heard during their relationship.

During Monday's cross-examination, Depp actually said very little. Most of the questioning consisted of Heard's lawyer playing audio clips or reading vulgar text messages sent by Depp and asking Depp if he'd read them correctly.

Throughout the cross-examination, Depp showed his displeasure with Rottenborn's questions. When Rottenborn interrupted one response, Depp said, I was talking. When Rottenborn said he considered the question to be fully answered, Depp responded, as long as you're happy.

Depp also expressed disapproval as Rottenborn read headlines from a series of negative articles written about the actor, some dating back to 2014.

These are all hit pieces. These are dreck, Depp said.

Rottenborn introduced the articles to try to demonstrate that it was Depp's long history of bad behavior, not the 2018 Post article, that damaged his reputation.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

While the libel lawsuit is supposed to center on whether Depp was defamed in the article, most of the trial has focused on ugly details of the couple's brief marriage. Heards attorneys say Depp physically and sexually abused her and that Depp's denials lack merit because he was often drunk and high to the point of blacking out.

On redirect Monday afternoon, Depp sought to explain some of his coarse language. He said he was often speaking figuratively or making inside jokes with friends, but added, I'm ashamed that that has to be spread on the world like peanut butter."

And he again denied that he cut off his own finger during a fight with Heard, even though he told people as much at the time. He now says the finger was severed when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him.

Why would I start lopping off digits in my 50s? he said, showing his right hand to the jury. I cant take responsibility for what I now call Little Richard, my chopped finger.

The jury has seen dozens of Depp's texts to friends regarding his drinking, drug use and interactions with his then-wife, as well as his notes of contrition to Heard and her father.

He called the drug addiction accusations against him grossly embellished, though he acknowledged taking many drugs.

Depp says the Post article contributed to an unfairly ruined reputation that made him a Hollywood outcast and cost him his role in the lucrative Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. Heard's attorneys say only Depp is to blame for his marred career.

___

Associated Press writer Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, contributed to this report.
Just in time for prime birdwatching season, the new Hudson Valley segment of a statewide birding trail has opened, adding 39 bird-watching locations in six counties to the network.

The locations encompass a mix of bird habitats on public and private lands throughout Columbia, Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, and Westchester counties, the Department of Environmental Conservation announced.

Locations include bird conservation areas like Hudson Highlands State Park, tidal swamps and marshes at Tivoli Bays Wildlife Management Area, and the Mount Peter Hawk Watch in Warwick, which provides a scenic overlook for raptor watching.

Visual essay: Birds of spring Indigo Bunting Brian Mumaw / 500px/Getty Images/500px From the indigo bunting to orioles, these are the birds of spring in the Hudson Valley

Exploring the Hudson Valley segment of the New York State Birding Trail is a sure way to grow and enrich an appreciation for the natural world, said State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid in a news release.

The DEC is taking a phased approach to opening new segments of the birding trail, announcing the New York City segment in October 2021, the Greater Niagara trail segment in February, and a trail of 20 birding locations in Long Island in March, totaling more than 130 birding locations.

Once finished, the birding trail will provide birdwatching opportunities for people of all ages and abilities across New York State. Accessibility and inclusivity are among the mandates of the trail, including promoting birding locations that can be accessed by car or public transportation.

Downtime is the best time Make the most of your Hudson Valley weekend, every week with our newsletter.

In the Hudson Valley, several birding trail locations can be reached by the Cold Spring-Beacon Trolley Shuttle, which runs from Memorial Day to Veterans Day weekend.

The full New York State Birding Trail map is available at www.ibirdny.org, which provides information on each birding site, including location and parking details, species likely to be seen, and interpretive materials such as a downloadable beginners guide to birding.

Several regional clubs, such as the Ralph T. Waterman Bird Club, also offer birding guides on their websites and coordinate birding field trips for members. Alan Peterson, rare and notable bird expert for the Waterman club, said the second week in May is usually the best time for birding of the year.

Birdwatching has quickly become one of New Yorks fastest-growing recreation and tourism activities, according to the DEC. The New York State Birding Trail is managed by the DEC in collaboration with the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.
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ALBANY  The Albany County Department of Health is advising all residents to wear masks in indoor public spaces in light of rising COVID-19 numbers across the state, including in the Capital Region.

The latest surge is driven in large part by new variants of omicron which may bypass immunization, health officials warned.

The county is also encouraging residents to complete their primary COVID-19 vaccine series, get boosted when eligible, test when not feeling well or potentially exposed and to contact a healthcare provider after testing positive to discuss treatments.

Residents can receive free Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., each week at the Albany County Department of Health, 175 Green St..

Albany and Rensselaer counties on Monday were designated as having a high risk of COVID-19 transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)'s COVID-19 tracker. Saratoga and Schenectady counties are at medium risk, while Columbia and Greene counties are at low risk, according to the CDC.

Anyone eligible to receive a COVID vaccine booster dose and would like to receive one from the Albany County Department of Health will be required to provide their vaccination card or the Excelsior Pass Plus.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

Albany County continues to deliver vaccines to homebound residents. Anyone who would like to schedule a time for a vaccine appointment should call (518) 447-7198.

Those wishing to get a vaccine from the state-run site on the upper level of the former Lord & Taylor location at Crossgates Mall in Guilderland or other locations should use the state's website at https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov or call the state vaccine hotline at 1-833-697-4829.
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COLONIE - Brigadier Gen. Denise Donnell of Clifton Park has assumed command of the New York Air National Guard and was recognized at a ceremony at the New York State National Guard Headquarters in Latham.

Donnell, who has served as commander of the 105th Airlift Wing in Newburgh, assumed command from Maj. Gen. Timothy LaBarge of Tupper Lake upon his retirement after 39 years of military duty.

She now leads more than 5,900 men and women assigned to five wings and four support unit aviators who fly dozens of 40 aircraft based throughout the state. The New York Air National Guard is the largest state contingent in the 101,000-member Air National Guard nationwide.

As Air Guard commander Donnell also is the first female officer to serve as assistant adjutant general.

"It's a tremendous honor to lead the 5,900 men and women of the New York Air National Guard, she said. From COVID to Kabul, New York airmen serve our state and nation at home and overseas every day. Major General Timothy LaBarge has set a high standard for our Air Guard and I look forward to building on the accomplishments of the last four years."

"As the largest Air National Guard across the 54 states and territories, the New York Air National Guard brings tremendous capability to bear in our federal or state missions, LaBarge said. Successfully executing missions like remotely piloted aircraft, space operations, airspace management and air defense of the eastern approaches to continental United States, airlift to the polar regions, strategic airlift, base defense or rescue operations so that others may live, the men and women of our New York Air Guard continue to inspire me."

Donnell, a Camp Pendleton, Calif. native, earned a bachelor of foreign service from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., in 1993. She was commissioned through a Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps program. She also is a graduate of the Air and Command College and the Air War College. Donnell was a Distinguished Graduate as she earned a master of science in government information leadership from the National Defense University, Washington, D.C.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

She served as a Navy aviator for nine years before she joined the Air National Guard at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh. The command pilot has logged more than 4,000 hours, including 280 hours in combat. She has flown the Navy's P-3 Orion anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft, and the Air Force's C-5A Galaxy, LC-130 Hercules "Skibird" and the C-17 Globemaster III and has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels.

As a naval aviator, Donnell served as an evaluator pilot, mission commander, quality assurance officer assigned to Patrol Squadron 46, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash. Prior to joining the New York Air National Guard, she served as operational test director assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.

LaBarge served on active duty in the Air Force for eight years before he joined the Air National Guard in 1991. As a command pilot, he has logged more than 5,800 hours. He has piloted C-5A, C-17, C-130H, LC-130H, T-37 and T-38 aircraft. He has flown combat missions and combat support missions in support of Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. He has also flow missions in Antarctica in support of the National Science Foundation.



News of troops and units can be sent to Duty Calls, Terry Brown, Times Union, Box 15000, Albany, NY 12212 or email brownt@timesunion.com.




NEAR THE POLISH-UKRAINIAN BORDER (AP)  Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday after a secrecy-shrouded visit to Kyiv that Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy is committed to winning his country's fight against Russia and that the United States will help him achieve that goal.

He has the mindset that they want to win, and we have the mindset that we want to help them win, Austin told reporters in Poland, the day after the three-hour face-to-face meeting with Zelenskyy in Ukraine.

Austin said that the nature of the fight in Ukraine had changed now that Russia has pulled away from the wooded northern regions to focus on the eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas. Because the nature of the fight has evolved, so have Ukraine's military needs, and Zelenskyy is now focused on more tanks, artillery and other munitions.

The first step in winning is believing that you can win," Austin said. "We believe that they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support, and we're going to do everything we can ... to ensure that gets to them.

Asked about what the U.S. sees as success, Austin said that we want to see Ukraine remain a sovereign country, a democratic country able to protect its sovereign territory. We want to see Russia weakened to the point where it cant do things like invade Ukraine.

The trip by Blinken and Austin was the highest-level American visit to the capital since Russia invaded in late February.

They told Zelenskyy and his advisers that the U.S. would provide more than $300 million in foreign military financing and had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition.

We had an opportunity to demonstrate directly our strong ongoing support for the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people," Blinken said. "This was, in our judgment, an important moment to be there, to have face-to-face conversations in detail.

Blinken said their meeting with the Ukrainians lasted for three hours for wide ranging talks, including what help the country needs in the weeks ahead.

The strategy that we've put in place, massive support for Ukraine, massive pressure against Russia, solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these efforts, is having real results, Blinken said. When it comes to Russia's war aims, Russia is failing. Ukraine is succeeding. Russia has sought as its principal aim to totally subjugate Ukraine, to take away its sovereignty, to take away its independence. That has failed.

Ukraines foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, praised the visit to Kyiv by Blinken and Lloyd and called them representatives of the country that did more than any other country in the world. Asked whether the new announcements went far enough, Kuleba said that as long as Russian soldiers put a foot on Ukrainian soil, nothing is enough.

We appreciate everything that has been done, including by the United States, Kuleba said. We understand that, for some, what has been done is already a revolution, but this is not enough as long as the war continues.

Kuleba warned that if Western powers want Ukraine to win the war and stop Russian President Vladimir Putin from going deeper into Europe, then they to speed up the delivery of the weapons requested by Ukraine. He said it takes longer for partner nations to decide to provide Ukraine with the most sophisticated equipment than it does for the Ukrainians to learn how to use it.

It will be true to say that the United States now lead the effort in ensuring this transition of Ukraine to Western-style weapons, in arranging trainings for Ukrainian soldiers, he said, and I only regret that it didnt happen a month or two months ago from the very beginning of the war.

Meanwhile, as expected, President Joe Biden announced on Monday his nomination of Bridget Brink to serve as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Brink, a career foreign service officer, has served since 2019 as ambassador to Slovakia. She previously held assignments in Serbia, Cyprus, Georgia and Uzbekistan as well as with the White House National Security Council. The post requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

The announcement comes as American diplomats prepare to return to Ukraine this coming week, although the U.S. embassy in Kyiv will remain closed for now.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

Journalists who traveled with Austin and Blinken to Poland were barred from reporting on the trip until it was over, were not allowed to accompany them on their overland journey into Ukraine, and were prohibited from specifying where in southeast Poland they met back up with the Cabinet members upon their return. Officials at the State Department and the Pentagon cited security concerns.

Austin and Blinken announced a total of $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries; some $322 million is earmarked for Kyiv. The remainder will be split among NATO members and other nations that have provided Ukraine with critical military supplies since the war with Russia began, officials said.

Such financing is different from previous U.S. military assistance for Ukraine. It is not a donation of drawn-down U.S. Defense Department stockpiles but rather cash that countries can use to purchase supplies that they might need.

The new money, along with the sale of $165 million in non-U.S.-made ammunition that is compatible with Soviet-era weapons the Ukrainians use, brings the total amount of American military assistance to Ukraine to $3.7 billion since the invasion, officials said.

Biden has accused Putin of genocide for the destruction and death wrought on Ukraine. Just on Thursday, Biden said he would provide a new package of $800 million in military aid to Ukraine that included heavy artillery and drones.

Congress approved $6.5 billion for military assistance last month as part of $13.6 billion in spending for Ukraine and allies in response to the Russian invasion.

From Poland, Blinken plans to return to Washington while Austin will head to Ramstein, Germany, for a meeting Tuesday of NATO defense ministers and other donor countries.

That discussion will look at battlefield updates from the ground, additional security assistance for Ukraine and longer-term defense needs in Europe, including how to step up military production to fill gaps caused by the war in Ukraine, officials said. More than 20 nations are expected to send representatives to the meeting.

___

Associated Press writer David Rising contributed to this report from Bangkok. AP writer Chris Megerian contributed from Washington.
Heres some good news for Capital Region attorneys: None of them were among the 33 lawyers named in the latest annual report by a state agency that reimburses victims of shady lawyers.

The bad news? That's for attorneys still engaging in dishonest practices. The Lawyers Fund for Client Protection for State of New York is asking the judiciary, state lawmakers and bar associations to consider several changes to make it more difficult for sticky fingered attorneys to steal from clients and get away with it.

In 2021, The Lawyers Fund reimbursed 114 victims a combined $9.2 million. Tops was the $3.6 million reimbursed to victims of Laurieanne DeLitta, a disbarred attorney from Armonk in Westchester County. A grand jury indicted DeLitta in November on eight counts of second-degree grand larceny and two counts of practicing without a license, all felonies, after she allegedly stole from more than eight victims and estates.

Second was the $995,000 for victims of disbarred Brooklyn attorney Freddie J. Berg, who was indicted in Queens last year on charges of second-degree grand larceny, conspiracy and scheming to defraud. Next was $866,383 for victims of disbarred attorney Yohan Choi of Queens, who was indicted on charges of grand larceny after he allegedly bilked more than 40 clients by pocketing settlement money even after he was disbarred. Fourth was the $687,000 for victims of deceased Manhattan attorney Lee A. Forlenza. Details of that case were unavailable.

Theft by attorneys does not always lead to criminal prosecutions  or even the loss of a law license. But any such pilfering would lead to both disbarment and possible prison time under the latest recommendations from the Lawyers Fund, headed by executive director Michael J. Knight.

The annual report from the agency's seven-member Board of Trustees said while state judiciary law allows attorney discipline proceedings to be confidential, it now permits the states four Appellate Division departments to make any part of disciplinary records public upon a showing of good cause.

And it said the Appellate Divisions grievance committees should notify district attorneys if there is admitted or uncontested evidence of theft by attorneys.

Lawyers who steal should be criminally prosecuted, the report stated in its recommendations.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

Dishonest attorneys often swindle escrow funds by using ATM cards to withdraw the ill-gotten money, which is not allowed. The funds trustees suggest that banking regulations be changed to stop the illicit practice.

Given the current state of banking technology, cash withdrawal restrictions could easily be implemented for ATM cards issued on attorney fiduciary accounts and serve as an additional protection for client trust funds, the report said.

Since The Lawyers Fund was created in 1981, funded by biennial registration fees, it has reimbursed victims of real property escrow deposit theft, stolen estate and trust assets, failure to distribute settlement money in personal injury cases, theft of debt collection receipts, embezzlement in investment transactions and unearned legal fees more than $242 million, the report said.

All attorneys in New York state have unique identification number that is maintained by the state Office of Court Administration. The report suggested that every lawyer in New York be required to endorse that number in courts and court agencies so clients, court clerks and officials can verify their credentials as licensed.

Among other recommendations, the report suggested that New Yorks bar examination include testing for knowledge and competency of a would-be attorneys fiduciary obligations to safeguard their future clients money  and that such teachings be part of continuing legal education programs.
ALBANY  When then-Lt. Governor Brian Benjamin was accused in a federal indictment earlier this month of taking fraudulent contributions for his 2021 failed bid for New York City comptroller, attention turned to a potent city agency soon to be mirrored at the state level: the Campaign Finance Board.

The board administers a program intended to limit outsized influence from wealthy campaign donors by leveling the field: if candidates for New York City public office submit to extra reporting requirements and restrictions, they can earn significant matching funds from the city for each small constituent donation. A similar program is being set up by the state.

Some proponents of statewide reform are lauding the role the citys board appears to have had in spurring the federal indictment against Benjamin, which describes  among other criminal accusations  an attempt by the former state senator to defraud the citys matching funds program. Benjamin resigned in the wake of his indictment but has pleaded not guilty and his attorney said they intend to fight the charges.

Detractors of the impending changes in the state's campaign system say the alleged fraud attempt does not bode well for a program that will soon see more taxpayer money spent on elections in New York.

"We just had the lieutenant governor resign due to abuse of a program that's in large part patterned after one that is about to begin,"said David Keating, a first amendment advocate who grew up on Long Island and is pushing for campaign finance deregulation from Washington D.C.

The citys Campaign Finance Board was a target of some online pushback when the indictment was made public on April 12. But the boards Executive Director Amy Loprest said in a statement that their preemptive audit caught the alleged fraud, and "those contributions were not matched with public funds, nor did they factor into the campaign qualifying for public funds payments."

Board spokesman Matthew Sollars noted that the body routinely refers cases to prosecutors and serves as a check and balance that would not otherwise exist.

"The audit process is rigorous," Sollars said. "Some have actually questioned whether the process is too strict. But it is worth remembering that the rules are in place to protect taxpayer dollars precisely in cases like this one."

John Kaehny, executive director of good-government group Reinvent Albany, said it was an example of the citys program doing what it was designed to do.

"The NYC Campaign Finance Board does their job," Kaehny said. "(They) are professional, independent and effective  all things politicians do not like in an oversight agency."

When the states matching program was initially given the go ahead in 2020, Kaehnys group spoke out about the "gargantuan" loopholes it had failed to fill, including the fact that large contributions are still allowed for party committees rather than individual candidates, and that the new oversight body would be built from the state Board of Elections. But according to its statement at the time, the group supported the core premise of a matching program designed to increase the incentives for politicians to be responsive to their grassroots constituents.

The state program is set to amplify small donations with public funds for those candidates who choose to sign up for the program, hit a minimum number of small donors, and submit to additional scrutiny from authorities; but its donation caps will apply to every candidate, whether or not they opt in.

So, for instance, while a $250 donation to a gubernatorial campaign would jump up to $1,500 in a candidates coffer if deemed eligible for a public match, an individual donor currently allowed to give the campaign up to $69,700 will be capped at $18,000.



Gov. Kathy Hochuls campaign coffer, which amassed just shy of $22 million in the months after she was sworn in as governor last August, received about $140,000 from about 2,400 New York-based donors giving $250 or less, according to her campaign's January filing.

Those small-donor contributions represent less than 1 percent of the campaign funds she received during that period.

Hochul has repeatedly stated that campaign donations do not influence her policy decisions. Good government groups contend a campaign less reliant on large donations from individuals or entities with interests before the state would stem the need for politicians to make that statement, as most do.

Hochul has expressed support for public financing of campaigns and the funding they sought was included in the budget. But she also has enlisted the tactics of her predecessors in soliciting donations from millionaires and reaping large amounts of money from contributors who use limited liability companies to thwart spending restrictions.

Michael Malbin, a campaign finance researcher at the University at Albany, said changing the system to prevent private interests from dominating political campaigns can't come soon enough.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

"The big idea is to make it less attractive for candidates to rely on interested donors to give very large amounts and to build up a financial constituency from within-district small donors," Malbin said.

Unlike in other states, New York has only committed to matching the donations made by New York-based contributors for statewide races, and those made by constituents for Assembly and Senate candidates.

With the state governments sordid legacy, some doubters of the program are instead focused on whether it really has the potential to increase voter confidence. David Primo, a social scientist at the University of Rochester, said his national survey research did not find evidence that states with either public campaign finance programs or contribution limits have a citizenry with more trust in government than those without them.

"I think the simplest way to think about it is that theres so much more that people dislike about politics," Primo said, adding that there are plenty of other "creative" ways Albany politicians have been corrupt that have nothing to do with campaign contributions.

But multiple individuals with long histories in and around Albany politics told the Times Union they think campaign finance issues frequently muddy the waters.

"The truth is, the state system has been the wild wild west for most of history," said state Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan. "People are so casual about it, they actually walk themselves into career-ending mistakes. (The new program) will definitely be a shock to the system."

But she does hope it has an impact on the public impression that state office holders are exchanging their ideals for their seats at the table.

One particularly important advocate for the new program says he is embracing the challenge.

"I don't want to lose the opportunity to make people understand that we can do brave, bold things to make our democracy closer to the people," said Ekow Yankah, a Cardozo Law professor who chairs the new Public Campaign Finance Board. "I think if people wake up and think, oh, see, I told you this would never work, I think we've lost a special opportunity."

Yankah said what he most wants to see is politicians more responsive to their constituents, and challengers who feel they can run on the strength of their ideas rather than relying on the permission and interests of the very wealthy.

"I started working on these kinds of ideas 15 years ago and everyone said these were good government Utopia ideas," Yankah said. "And now they're law."

The program is set to begin on Nov. 9 at the start of the next election cycle.
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SCHENECTADY  Downtown Schenectady has been tapped as the site for a new regional transportation hub designed to bring together multiple forms of public transit - such as buses, e-scooters and bicycles - in one centralized location.

The citys upcoming Gateway Mobility Hub has been dubbed the first of its kind by the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA).

With the confluence of all of our services, its the perfect location, said CDTA CEO Carm Basile.

The hub will be located on the footprint of the former Adirondack Trailways bus station at 22 State St., which was razed last fall.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer formally made the announcement on Monday in a visit to downtown Schenectady.

The top-ranking New York Democrat said he hasnt been shy in using his new-found clout to steer federal funds to the state, including $296 million in emergency coronavirus relief to CDTA, which took a financial beating as ridership fell during the pandemic.

This is truly a transportation transformation, Schumer said to a crowd of local dignitaries and CDTA workers.

The Gateway Mobility Hub has a $5 million price tag, with the federal government picking up 80 percent of the tab. The effort will also upgrade lighting and sidewalk infrastructure around the location, which is across from SUNY Schenectady Community College.

Basile said officials had been kicking around the idea of a transit hub for years before funding became available through the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden last fall.

But the influx served to put the concept over the top, he said.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

The goal, Basile said, is to cluster CDTA services  including buses, e-scooters and the CDPHP Cycle! bike-sharing program  in one central location. Doing so will ideally spur the use of more public transportation across the Capital District, as well as Montgomery County and the city of Amsterdam, which has been without a public transit system since the Amsterdam Transportation Department was abolished in 2018.

The Gateway Mobility Hub also will contain a car-share program in which users can reserve private vehicles through an app, Basile said. More details are forthcoming pending a formal announcement.

Officials aim to go out to bid within the next several weeks and open by early 2023.

The city has quietly paved the way for the effort, partnering with Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority last year on a $1.2 million project to rebuild a battered connector street, bury utility lines and renovate an underutilized parking lot near the now-demolished bus station, work that cleaned up the area around the upcoming hub.

The location has seen millions of dollars in public and private investments in recent years, including the Mill Artisan District, the $43 million brewery and apartment complex, as well as redevelopment of the former Liberty Park, what is now dubbed Gateway Plaza.
Like it or not, silence is also a message, and the states inactivity on limousine safety is telling families of Schoharie limo crash victims: You are not a priority.

Not your pain, and not the flaws in oversight that allowed Nauman Hussain to send his 2001 stretch Ford Excursion with rotted brakes to pick up 17 passengers in October 2018, then kill them all in a crash that also took the lives of the driver and two bystanders.

The states limo safety task force has not held a public hearing or crafted a report that was due more than five months ago. The task force is set to expire in May. And an inspector generals investigation of two state agencies limo industry oversight has also released no findings. Legislation that would keep the panel going until October has yet to be sent to the governors desk. State Sen. James Tedisco rightly asks: Whats the holdup?

A year ago, Sen. Tedisco asked the IG to look at the Department of Transportation and the Department of Motor Vehicles, after the National Transportation Safety Board found that the agencies shared some responsibility for the Schoharie crash due to their flawed oversight. The task forces work might be guided by the inspector generals findings  if the IG releases them before the panels time is up.

I don't understand the lack of urgency on the part of some of my colleagues in government when it comes to getting answers, he said.

We dont understand it either. Limo season  proms, weddings  is nearly here once again. If there are regulatory fixes to make, lets make them, as soon as we can. The state missed multiple opportunities to get Mr. Hussains limo off the road. The very least it can do now is to start acting as if it wants to make sure it never happens again.

Driving New York forward

Included in the newly enacted budget is a program to turn New Yorks yellow school buses green: All school buses purchased after 2027 must run on electricity, and the whole diesel fleet must be replaced with electric by 2035.

Thats a steep order and a tight timeline. Supply chain problems and high demand mean electric vehicles of all kinds are hard to come by. Then theres the price tag  an electric bus costs far more than one that runs on diesel.

Sign up for the Observation Deck newsletter Read the latest Times Union opinion, perspective and letters to the editor on Mondays by signing up for our Observation Deck newsletter.

Help with the expense is supposed to be available at both the state and federal levels. At least in theory, then, districts wont have to face this alone, and its the kind of think big move the state needs if its going to meet its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goals.

Or is it? Part of the answer depends on what happens to the diesel buses school districts are now using. Will they be scrapped? Sold? Transferred by private bus companies to other states? The reason for the mandate, after all, is that diesel exhaust is bad for people  contributing to respiratory illness and cancer  and the environment. If these buses are just sent elsewhere, theyd keep spewing greenhouse gases into the same atmosphere, which is hardly a climate win. And their pollution would just choke someone elses kids. Thats no solution to a global problem.

One option is for districts to convert some of their existing buses to electricity, an option that is included in the state funding availability. Conversions cost less than a new electric bus, though critics say they dont always have the range of a bus built specifically for electric power. And the process is worth it only if the bus is new enough to have a lot of life left in its body.

But retrofits should be part of the conversation. The only way to make real progress on our climate goals is to take diesel vehicles off the streets  not just send them to different streets.
Approximately 1.2 million people across New York dont have ready access to a variety of birth control methods, according to new data from Power to Decide, a nonprofit that advocates for reproductive freedoms, and George Washington University.

The study found that areas described as contraceptive deserts, where there is no health center that offers multiple contraceptive methods for those who qualify to receive publicly-funded services, are common.

For a region to not be considered a contraceptive desert, there should be one such health center for every 1,000 people in need of birth control.

According to a new report, 25,000 people in upstate also reside in a county without close access to a clinic stocking various contraceptives, including Orleans County, Herkimer County, Schuyler County, Rensselaer County, Washington County, Madison County and Hamilton County.

Power to Decides study described basing the need on the location of health centers. It did not specify ones by name. There are federally qualified health centers that receive funds to provide primary care in underserved areas. Planned Parenthood, for example, has an office in Troy, Rensselaer County. But it is a nonprofit, and not a federally qualfied health center. Its unclear if the study took nonprofits into account in its data.

Some people in rural areas are forced to find a way to get to other counties in search of more birth control options. But lack of access also plagues parts of New York City. About 40 percent of people in Bronx County live in a contraceptive desert. The region is known for having one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state.

The number of contraceptive providers per person in New York is significantly low, the report adds, resembling figures seen in Texas, Mississippi and Florida. In total, there are roughly 16,000 individuals who are qualified to prescribe birth control across the state.

The study points out that in 2019, New York required that public and private insurance cover prescription contraceptives. But access to that birth control is still stunted, the study contends.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has said that a yearly exam is not required to start someone on birth control, and should not be held up as a barrier for someone to start a prescription, the study said.

The study's authors also pointed out that pharmacies provided millions of COVID-19 shots during the pandemic, and that treatment of other medical needs by a pharmacist should be given the same consideration.

To combat the issue, activists are pushing for legislation that would give pharmacists, of which there are over 13,000 in New York, the authority to write prescriptions for contraceptive methods. Similar policies exist in 19 states and Washington D.C.

In New Mexico, the expansion has gone on to help rural populations and communities of color.

Dr. Eve Espey, professor and chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of New Mexico, said the policy provides a great alternative to overcome obstacles of getting an appointment in a timely fashion, being able to pay for that appointment, dealing with lapses in prescriptions 

She added: Its still early days for New Mexico, so I think were going to continue to see that impact increase over time.
Michael P. Farrell

NISKAYUNA  Thai Thai Bistro will close after dinner service on Saturday, April 30, according to a note on its Facebook page, which says an affiliated Asian market in planned for Saratoga Springs next years.

Thai Thai Bistro was founded in downtown Schenectady in 2013 by Piyamas DeMasi, who was a longtime waitress at the restaurant it succeeded in the location, Bangkok Bistro. DeMasi was forced to move the restaurant to Niskayuna in 2016 after its historic Nicholaus Building, at State Street and Erie Boulevard, was damaged when the adjoining building was being demolished.
WFO AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, April 25, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH

WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATION FOR WATCH 154

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX

551 PM CDT SUN APR 24 2022

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH

154 IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT TONIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS

IN TEXAS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 2 COUNTIES

IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS

EDWARDS VAL VERDE

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF DEL RIO AND ROCKSPRINGS.

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northern Irion

County through 615 PM CDT...

At 550 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a second strong

thunderstorm 15 miles north of Barnhart, moving northeast at 30 mph.

This one is separate from the severe storm farther south closer to

Barnhart.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and nickel 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.

This storm will remain over mainly rural areas of northern Irion

County.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until midnight CDT for

west central Texas.

LAT...LON 3127 10113 3134 10123 3153 10109 3152 10071

TIME...MOT...LOC 2250Z 226DEG 25KT 3135 10114

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN

MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

IN TEXAS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 7 COUNTIES

IN WEST CENTRAL TEXAS

CROCKETT IRION KIMBLE

MENARD SCHLEICHER SUTTON

TOM GREEN

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ARDEN, BARNHART, CARLSBAD, CLEO,

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

ELDORADO, ERNA, FORT MCKAVETT, HEXT, JUNCTION, LONDON, MENARD,

MERTZON, OZONA, ROOSEVELT, SAN ANGELO, SEGOVIA, SHERWOOD, SONORA,

TELEGRAPH, AND WALL.

The National Weather Service in Austin San Antonio has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northwestern Val Verde County in south central Texas...

* Until 645 PM CDT.

* At 554 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 10 miles southwest

of Langtry, moving northeast at 40 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Langtry, Pumpville and Shumla.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, April 25, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Austin San Antonio has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northwestern Kerr County in south central Texas...

Northeastern Edwards County in south central Texas...

* Until 215 AM CDT.

* At 111 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Telegraph, or

14 miles southwest of Junction, moving east at 25 mph.

HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail

damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect

wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Mountain Home, Kerr Wildlife Management Area, Us-83 Near The Kerr-

Kimble County Line, I-10 Near The Kimble-

Kerr County Line, The Intersection Of I-10 And Us 290 and Us-

377 Near The Kimble-Edwards County Line.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

Large hail, damaging winds, and continuous cloud to ground lightning

are occurring with this storm. Move indoors immediately. Lightning is

one of nature's leading killers. Remember, if you can hear thunder,

you are close enough to be struck by lightning.

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN DUVAL...

NORTHEASTERN WEBB...SOUTHEASTERN LA SALLE AND SOUTHWESTERN MCMULLEN

COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe

limits. Therefore, the warning has been cancelled.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
A 31-year-old man accused of murdering school teacher Ashling Murphy in Tullamore, Co Offaly, will go on trial at the Central Criminal Court in June next year.

Jozef Puska, with an address at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly is charged with murdering the 23-year-old primary school teacher at Cappincur, Tullamore on the afternoon of January 12, 2022.

Ms Murphy was fatally assaulted while she was out jogging along the Grand Canal in Tullamore.

Defence counsel Rebecca Smith BL told Mr Justice Paul McDermott today that she was led by senior counsel Sean Gillane in the case and that her client Mr Puska was appearing by way of videolink.

Ms Smith said there was a Slovakian interpreter in court and a trial date was required for Mr Puska. She also informed the court that the defence required a Slovakian interpreter for all court dates going forward.

Mr Justice McDermott set June 6, 2023 as the date for Mr Puska's trial before a jury at the Central Criminal Court. The case is expected to last between three and four weeks.

The judge said all disclosure was to be made within four months of that date.

The Slovakian national appeared via video-link for today's brief hearing and he was remanded in custody until that date.

On April 6, Mr Puska was sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court after being served with the book of evidence. Free legal aid was also granted to include representation of junior and senior counsel at the trial.

Ms Murphy, a talented traditional Irish musician and recent graduate from Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, was working as a teacher at Durrow National School at the time of her death.
Yury Filatov, the Russian ambassador to Ireland, has said that Russia's embassy has secured a heating oil supplier.

The diplomat made the comments on Saturday last as he attended the consecration of festive Easter food at Dublins only Russian Orthodox church.

It follows after the embassy earlier this month admitted that it was running low on supplies, as Irish oil companies reportedly refused to deliver supplies.

The rejections were reportedly done in protest over the countrys current invasion of Ukraine.

The ambassador's comments also follow after Mr Filatov last month told Russian state-owned television that Ireland is 'hostile to Russia and everything Russian', and accused the Irish government of being to the forefront of 'anti-Russian events' in the European Union.

Mr Filatov also said that he has received 'many letters of support' for Russia's invasion.

He also acknowledged the Irish public in general overwhelmingly oppose Russias actions in Ukraine, saying: "It is a really important, it is a complex situation;

Mr Filatov also insisted that he 'for Ukrainians as well', explaining: "We dont have a quarrel with Ukrainians, it is the (Ukrainian) government and the neo-Nazi movement that are a danger to us and a danger to Europe as well."

When he was asked about his critique of Ireland's overwhelming support of Ukraine last month by a journalist, Mr Filatov replied: "I dont want to get into this quarrel."

He followed this up with a comment that appeared to imply that certain members of the Irish media-sphere are biased against Russia: "One thing is what you publish in your newspaper, the other thing is the truth... the truth is different."
Right now we play more than a bit of catch-up and share these crime reports regarding recent tragedy, local street level frustration and, as always, we attempt to finish with a bit of hopeful news.



Check TKC links . . .

Witnesses pursue driver involved in fatal KCMO hit-and-run, driver taken into custody KANSAS CITY, Mo. - UPDATE, April 25 | The deceased victim was identified as 36-year-old Latoya D. Griffin of Kansas City, Missouri. ORIGINAL STORY, April 22 | A pedestrian was struck and killed in a hit-and-run Thursday evening in Kansas City, Missouri. The incident took place at Winner Road and Blue Ridge Boulevard around 7:30 p.m.

Police looking for person of interest after Independence woman stabbed in face at Belton convenience store The Belton, Missouri Police Department is asking for help to find a person of interest in a disturbing stabbing case.Police said in a release Monday that authorities were called to a convenience store near 163rd Street and Cornerstone Drive in Belton to investigate a stabbing shortly after 8 a.m.Officers found

Fentanyl killed their boys. Now these KC area parents are on a quest to save lives "When we learned of this danger, our immediate instinct was we've got to talk with kids. All the kids at the high school have to know this. All the parents need to know so they can talk to their kids."

Family speaks out after mom of five killed in KC hit-and-run crash KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Family of the woman killed in a hit-and-run crash has a message for the suspect and the witnesses who helped put that person in handcuffs. Latoya Griffin was a mother to five children and so much more, Mom Regina Barnes said.

Sheriff to provide update on 2021 homicide in Matney Park in Kansas City, Kansas everybody good to go, did you go? So first, I want to thank everybody for being here today. Sheriff Daniels soptic Wyandotte County Sheriff's office. I'm glad you could join us. On the morning of august 15th 2000 and 21 911 dispatchers received reports of several shots fired in the area of Magny Park.

Loved ones searching for answers in slain KC barber student's death KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The family of a Kansas City barber student working to change his life are searching for answers. KCPD says DeAndre Davis, 35, was killed one week ago Sunday. Davis' family says he was not a perfect person, but he was incredibly motivated.

Federal attempts to legalize marijuana flail, even as public support grows Across the country, attitudes toward cannabis are becoming more permissive and accepting, but partisan gridlock in Congress virtually ensures that legislation to decriminalize marijuana will languish and die in the U.S. Senate. Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE) by a narrow 220-204 margin.

Clay County Sheriff's Office to host community drug education events KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Clay County Sheriff's Office is hosting two Community Drug Education Summits next week in response to noticing an uptick in overdoses linked to pills laced with fentanyl. The first summit is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, April 25, at Vineyard Church, and the second is at 6 p.m.

Overland Park police turn crash into teaching moment OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Police are using video of a crash caught on a city traffic camera to educate other drivers. The crash happened at the intersection of West 119th and Grant streets on April 13. The video shows a blinking yellow turn arrow.

Man who maintained innocence in murder case released on parole KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Missouri man, who served 23 years in prison for a murder he claims he didn't commit, was released from prison Friday on parole. Michael Politte was convicted in the 1998 murder of his mother, Rita Politte.

KC Second Chance Program helps those released from prison get new start Ray Mays said he lives by a new motto."When you lose hope, you lose faith in yourself," Mays said.Mays was incarcerated and after his release, he said he wasn't sure what he was going to do when old friends came calling."My hope to do right was bigger than their hope

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For close readers of the blog we share MORE THAN A FEW WORTHWHILE ITEMS that deserve a peek but maybe not much debate.



In this collection we combine recent community items and all manner of interesting tidbits.

Check TKC news gathering . . .

New housing units to shelter homeless Kansas City veterans in recovery KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Benilde Hall is adding housing units to help homeless veterans in the Kansas City area that are recovering from substance abuse. The facility on East 23rd Street in Kansas City will hold eight single rooms with a private bathroom for veterans in the Kansas City Veterans Administration Grants and Per Dien program.

Volunteers, ambassadors put the shine on Kessler Park If you noticed a small army of volunteers along the Gladstone Boulevard, Cliff Drive corridor in Kessler Park on Friday, you were not alone. In celebration of Earth Day, The Great Kansas City Clean Up-2022 was in full force in Northeast.

Permitting requirements push 'pop-up' food vendors across state lines It's very costly," she said. "You're paying $60 for a permit for one day, you have to go in person to fill out the paperwork they may or may not accept it, it's non-refundable. There are a lot of stipulations that go with it.

Plans submitted for new bike hub at Leawood Aquatic Center LEAWOOD, Kan. - The City of Leawood could soon be making park upgrades near the Leawood Aquatic Center. Tuesday, the Leawood Planning Commission will review a final plan for new signage for a bike plaza space near the entrance of the Leawood Aquatic Center.

Suburban school officials predict 'chaos' if Kansas lets out-of-district students transfer freely Conservatives say the plan would give families stuck in failing school districts a chance at a life-changing escape. But school administrators fear a flood of students they're not prepared for and who come with needs they can't afford to accommodate.

Missouri and Kansas Goodwills partner with IBM to provide new career readiness services Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas (MoKan Goodwill) announced Wednesday that it is working with IBM to provide local job seekers' education and career readiness resources. MoKan Goodwill says it will provide enhanced access to IBM SkillsBuild for Job Seekers, a free program that helps prepare users for in-demand, entry-level IT roles in many industries.

This KC-area county will give you a historic bridge for free - if you remove it RAY COUNTY, Mo. - If you've ever wanted to own a historic bridge, this could be your chance. The Ray County Commission is accepting proposals for the relocation and reuse of the Morton Bridge on E. 114 Street, which crosses the Crooked River, near Hardin, Missouri.

Can Kansas lawmakers override the governor's vetoes? Kansas lawmakers are back today for a veto override session, after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly rejected multiple bills passed by the GOP-controlled legislature - including a ban on transgender athletes in girls' and women's sports, and a "Parent's Bill of Rights." Overturning those vetoes will be a challenge, but not impossible.

Will Missouri teachers get a pay raise? Missouri ranks dead last in the U.S. for the average starting salaries for teachers - just $32,000. But so far, state budget discussions have ignored a plan from the governor to raise that pay. Plus, how will Ford's plan to electrify its best-selling F-150 pickup play out in the Midwest?

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt joins others in urging GoFundMe reforms KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Attorneys general across the country are raising questions about the business practices of popular fund raising payment platform GoFundMe. On Tuesday, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced he's joining the effort in calling for reforms. "Users of the site pay a fee of 2.2-2.9%, plus 30 cents per transaction.

Missouri has a chance - and the money - for big things at Rock Island Trail State Park OPINION AND COMMENTARY There is much at stake for Missouri this week. The Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee is debating its version of the state budget and nestled in there is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - $70 million to kick start development of the Rock Island Trail State Park.

Olathe approves Corporate Ridge apartments between Renner and Ridgeview Road - Kansas City Business Journal Olathe signed off on the site for a Georgia developer's 289-unit apartment complex, sandwiched between Ridgeview Road and Renner Boulevard. The City Council unanimously approved Davis Development's plan for 56.42 acres along 106th Street and 106th Terrace for the project Tuesday evening. Amenities include a pool, clubhouse, dog park and three picnic areas.

Photos: Flights of Fancy Mega Kite Festival Flights of Fancy Mega Kite Festival. // Photo by Jim Nimmo The phrase, "Go fly a kite," took on a whole new meaning this Sunday in Lee's Summit as thousands of local residents flocked to the hilltop campus of Metropolitan Community College- Longview to do exactly that-fly a kite.

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Here's a reminder . . .

TKC TOLD YOU SO!!! GOP PUTTING ALL THEIR HOPES IN REDISTRICTING WAS SILLY GIVEN THAT COURT DECISIONS NEVER MAKE ANYBODY TOTALLY HAPPY!!!



Now . . .

A skeptical hot take . . . Genius rock chalk right wing strategists are confronted with the prospect of fighting a politico with momentum and after they couldn't change the rules.

In other words, if this decision stands (and it might) opponents of Rep. Sharice now seem like sore losers and we're certain that mean tweets and a bunch of angry dudes aren't going to convince the many JoCo white ladies who helped to put this politico in power.

If anything . . . All this fight has done is mobilize more Democratic Party activists in order to further galvanize their voting district.

Hint and, dare we claim, a truism . . .

Neither conservative nor progressive American voters REALLY respect elections won in courtrooms rather than at the ballot box.



Accordingly,

Here's the latest on the court fight . . .



The 29th Judicial District Court said that Republicans in the State Legislature had created intentional and effective partisan and racial gerrymanders when they divided the states major Democratic strongholds among Republican-leaning House districts.



Most notably, the Republican plan divided Kansas City along both racial and partisan lines to endanger the only one of the states four House seats held by a Democrat.



District Judge Bill Klapper barred the Legislature from holding elections under the plan and ordered the lawmakers to draw new maps that followed his ruling as expeditiously as possible.



Most Kansans would be appalled to know how the contest for House seats has been artificially engineered to give one segment of the political apparatus an unfair and unearned advantage, he wrote in a stinging 235-page ruling.



The ruling goes directly to the State Supreme Court for review. Four of that courts seven justices have been appointed by Democratic governors, suggesting a reasonable prospect that it will be upheld.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

State Court Rejects Kansas Congressional Map as a Gerrymander WASHINGTON - A state court in Kansas on Monday threw out a newly drawn map of congressional districts as an unconstitutional gerrymander, the latest in a series of similar rulings across the country. The 29th Judicial District Court said that Republicans in the State Legislature had created "intentional and effective" partisan and racial gerrymanders when they divided the state's major Democratic strongholds among Republican-leaning House districts.

STATEHOUSE: Congressional redistricting map struck down by Wyandotte County judge; appeal to Kansas Supreme Court almost guaranteed As state lawmakers begin the veto session Monday, they received word the Congressional redistricting maps approved during the regular session ran afoul of a state judge. Wyandotte County Judge Bill Klapper called the map unconstitutional Monday. The American Civil Liberties Union had challenged the maps as drawn out by Republicans on the grounds it was "racially gerrymandered."

Congressional map drawn by Kansas Republicans is unconstitutional, Wyandotte County judge rules - Kansas Reflector TOPEKA - Wyandotte County District Judge Bill Klapper ruled Monday that Kansas Republicans violated the state constitution by targeting residents on the basis of politics and race when drawing new congressional districts. Klapper's order, which is certain to be appealed to the Kansas Supreme Court, blocks the state from preparing for the congressional election until a new map is drawn.

Wyandotte County judge tosses Ad Astra 2 congressional maps KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Wyandotte County District Court judge ruled Monday that the Ad Astra 2 congressional maps are unconstitutional, tossing out the Kansas legislature's attempt to split Wyandotte County and move Lawrence into a different congressional district. Democracy Docket posted a copy of the ruling Monday morning.

Kansas redistricting fight heads to Supreme Court KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Hours after a judge in Wyandotte County ruled that new, legislatively drawn congressional maps violate the rights of Kansans, the state's Attorney General took his own action. Three lawsuits have been filed challenging the congressional map passed by the Kansas Legislature in February.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt appeals court decision tossing Kansas congressional map KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is appealing the court decision announced Monday that orders the state legislature to make another attempt at redrawing the congressional district boundaries. The Wyandotte County District Court decision ruled the maps, which would have split Wyandotte County, unconsitutional on the basis of partisan gerrymandering and dilution of minority voters.

Developing . . .
Can I afford that mortgage? Heres how much you can safely borrow to buy your first house
To be eligible to open a TFFHSA, money expert Jessica Moorhouse says it is open to Canadian residents who are at least 18-years-old who have not owned a home in the year the account is opened or the preceding four calendar years. - Mckenna Deighton / Toronto Star
Bramptons Northampton Park near Williams Parkway and Dixie Road has been renamed Northrup Park after fallen Toronto police officer and Brampton resident Jeffrey Northrup. - Toronto Police photo
Police are seeking help in identifying suspects in a theft from auto investigation in Scarborough. - Toronto Police Service image
From left to right: Floyd Ruskin, Olga Nabatova, Harley Karulis and Ed Drass. Today marks the start of National Volunteer Week, applauding the helping hands of millions of hard workers who arent in it for the money. - Toronto Star/Giovanni Capriotti composite
Nacati Yakut, 42, was reported missing to police on Friday, March 25. He was last seen in February near Woodbine and Danforth avenues. - Toronto Police Service photo
Whether you live in Niagara or North Bay, we've got you covered.
Habari Kama Hizi Zinapatikana UDAKU SPECIAL App, Download HAPA Bure: Link here>>>

It seems that Zari Hassan and her latest bae, GK Choppa might have decided to go their separate ways.

The reason for this thought process is that the mother of 5 has deleted the photos of the wealthy businessman from her Instagram page, but unlike Zari, GKs page is still littered with images and videos of Zari.

The two shocked many when they made their relationship public in February this year, a trademark of Zari, who loves making a splash during Valentines.

Zari and GK would then dominate the headlines as they posted videos and images of their blossoming romance. They looked so good together it was as if they had been together for years!

The rumored news of their split is a surprise considering there were reports that they might be getting engaged.

According to reports in Tanzanian blogs, Zaris second baby daddy, Diamond Platnumz might be the reason for their split.

The blogs allege that Diamond allegedly gave some conditions for him to continue being in Tiffah and Nillans lives.

It was said that Diamond told the socialite to break things off with GK as he wasnt happy with their nascent love around their kids.

It is alleged that Diamond simply didnt like the fact that Choppa was around his children and demanded that they stay away or Choppa stops coming around.

That prompted Zarinah to pull the plug and break up with Choppa. After this Zari left South Africa where she resides and headed to Uganda to visit her family.

People noted that she had made the trip without Choppa who is also a Ugandan citizen
The Russian Ministry of Defense has said that more than 951,000 Ukrainians have been deported to Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to Ukrinform, this was reported by Interfax, with reference to Mikhail Mizintsev, the head of Russia's National Defense Management Center.

According to him, "over the past 24 hours, without the participation of the Ukrainian authorities, 16,838 people were evacuated to Russia from dangerous regions of Ukraine, certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, including 1,402 children, in total, since the start of the war, there have already been 951,329 people, including 174,689 children."

Mizintsev also stated that the Ukrainian side was allegedly preparing a provocation with the "task of striking civilian infrastructure" near the Odesa port of Pivdennyi, which would lead to a leak of "chemicals."

Earlier reports said that at 22:00 on April 23, Ukraine's air defense forces shot down two Russian cruise missiles flying in the direction of the port of Pivdennyi in the Odesa region.

On February 24, Russia launched a new phase of its eight-year war against Ukraine - a full-scale invasion. The enemy is shelling and bombing peaceful Ukrainian cities, towns and villages. The Armed Forces, the Territorial Defense Forces and the entire Ukrainian people are effectively resisting the Russian troops and inflicting heavy losses on them.
In a phone call, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed the need to facilitate humanitarian efforts for Ukraines areas besieged by Russian forces, such as Mariupol and Kherson.

The relevant statement was made by the UK governments press service, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

They discussed their shared concerns on attacks in areas besieged by Russian forces, such as Mariupol and Kherson, and the need to secure a ceasefire, facilitate humanitarian efforts and allow civilians to leave, the report states.

Johnson made clear the importance of global solidarity with Ukraine, with the UK continuing to work closely with international partners to support Ukraine to defend itself.

A reminder that the Russian armed aggression has caused one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in the city of Mariupol. Russian invaders are bombarding unarmed civilians and blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid. About 120,000 civilians are remaining trapped in the city.

The Azov Regiment, Ukrainian marines and motorized riflemen continue to fight against the prevailing Russian forces within the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, defending women and children. The Ukrainian side is making every effort to evacuate its civilians and servicemen.

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As a result of yesterday's shelling of Kremenchuk, Poltava region, one person was killed and seven more were injured. The enemies struck a local thermal power plant and an oil refinery.

"Details of the attack on Kremenchuk. The day before, 9 enemy missiles hit the Kremenchuk thermal power plant and the Kremenchuk oil refinery again. Unfortunately, 1 person was killed, 7 people were injured, they have injuries of varying severity. We have significant destruction of buildings, but all fires are isolated," Head of the Poltava Regional Military Administration Dmytro Lunin posted on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

Almost all districts of the town have no hot water supply due to the attack on the thermal power plant. He noted that yesterday's enemy shelling was the biggest in Poltava region over the full-scale Russian invasion.

As reported, on Easter, April 24, Russian missiles hit infrastructure facilities in Kremenchuk, Poltava region.

On February 24, Russian president Putin announced a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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The Armed Forces of Ukraine are deterring attacks by Russian troops in key areas, and the strength of Ukrainian soldiers and a sufficient number of weapons are key elements in driving the occupiers out of Ukrainian territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in a video address, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"The Armed Forces of Ukraine are deterring attacks by Russian troops in key areas. In the Kharkiv region - in the Izium direction, in Donbas - especially near Popasna, in Mariupol where the resistance of the city's defenders continues, in the southern areas, where the occupiers are trying to go on the offensive," he said.

He noted that air raid alarms were heard this morning almost all over our country, and Russia is trying to break Ukrainian resistance.

"Russia does not stop trying to break our resistance to... Achieve what? In the occupied areas, either a humanitarian catastrophe has already occurred or there is very little time left before it occurs. There is a lack of basic products, there is a lack of medicines. People do not have the means to live normally, there is no basic security. They dont have everything they had before February 24. What Donetsk and Luhansk had before 2014. Everything that we will definitely return after the liberation of our land," Zelensky said.

He also noted that Ukraine continues to do everything to drive out the invaders and restore peace for all Ukrainian people.

"A key element of this process is the strength of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Availability of sufficient quantity and quality of weapons, sufficient quantity and quality of ammunition," he said.

Zelensky noted that assistance to Ukraine was the number one issue in talks with representatives of the United States who arrived in Kyiv on April 24 - Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

"Our talks with them were long enough - more than three hours - and meaningful. Encouraging and, which is important, effective," Zelensky said.
Former Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Valeriy Chaly believes that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres should resign if he fails to establish a humanitarian corridor from Mariupol after his trip to Moscow.

The diplomat said this in an interview with Radio NV, Ukrinform reports.

"Just imagine - the UN has failed to respond to security challenges, and there are only humanitarian [challenges] left. If they do not show any results here as well, Mr. Gutteres should resign if he does not make a [humanitarian] corridor to Mariupol," Chaly said.

He noted that Russia's war against Ukraine is a challenge to world security, to which the UN cannot but respond, but the secretary general of the organization decided to visit Ukraine only two months after the invasion started.

"After two months of war, after Bucha and after everything else, Mr. Gutteres finally decided to visit [Ukraine] because the criticism was serious. They wrote in many publications: if there is no such trip, the UN can be forgotten at all," Chaly said.

At the same time, he said, Gutteres's decision to visit Moscow and then Kyiv was "not a mistake, it is, unfortunately, a very conscious step."

The former ambassador added that he had personal meetings with the UN Secretary General and considers him a good politician and an experienced diplomat.

"But times have changed so much that you can't just be a good politician, you have to achieve results. If you can't achieve results, get off the historical arena, give way to others," Chaly said.

At a press conference on April 23, President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for his decision to visit Russia before traveling to Ukraine and said that Kyiv expects full support from him.
The US Department of Defense will expand military training for Ukrainian service members, including on certain weapons systems that are being provided to Ukraine as part of Western military assistance.

That's according to a statement released by the Office of State Department spokesman Ned Price following the visit of Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to Kyiv, Ukrinform reports.

"As part of our continuing assistance, Secretary Austin also informed the Government of Ukraine that the US Department of Defense will expand military training for Ukrainian service members in the region on certain weapons systems being provided. He highlighted U.S. efforts to accelerate the delivery of these weapons, which are now arriving within days of announcement," Price said.

Austin also underscored that, along with its Allies and partners, the United States will continue to coordinate the shipment of additional heavy weaponry, ammunition and spare parts from other nations.

He also previewed for Ukrainian leaders the agenda for this week's Defense Consultative Meeting in Germany.

According to the statement, during their meeting, Secretary Blinken shared that President Joe Biden will nominate Bridget Brink, currently the US Ambassador to Slovakia, to be the next US Ambassador to Ukraine. If confirmed, Ambassador Brink will lead the US diplomatic mission in Ukraine.

In addition, Blinken said that US diplomats will be returning to Ukraine this week. "The increased US presence demonstrates our support for Ukraine and is part of the US commitment to return our diplomats to our Embassy in Kyiv as soon as possible," the statement added.

Secretary Blinken informed President Volodymyr Zelensky that the United States intends to obligate more than $713 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for Ukraine and 15 other Allied and partner nations in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkan region. This includes $650 million in funding provided by the Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022. More than $322 million in this obligation is for Ukraine.
The third mass grave has been found outside Mariupol, in the village of Staryi Krym.

The Mariupol City Council reported this on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

"A mass grave was found in the village of Staryi Krym. This is the third mass burial site near Mariupol, the report reads.

It is noted that the satellite recorded the excavated trenches in the cemetery of Staryi Krym, which appeared on March 24 - after the village was occupied by Russian forces. The satellite photo provided by Planet shows that they are 60-70 meters long.

Two weeks later, the photo as of April 7, shows that the burial place increased. Part of the trenches was filled up.

The City Council added that on April 24, it became known about new tranches. The length of the mass grave increased to more than 200 meters.

As reported, Russian troops have caused a major humanitarian catastrophe in Mariupol. The invaders are bombing unarmed residents and blocking humanitarian aid.

According to the mayor of Mariupol, since the beginning of the Russian invasion, up to 20,000 civilians were killed in the city, besieged by the Russian invaders.

About 150,000 civilians were evacuated from Mariupol to the territory controlled by the Ukrainian authorities. About 120,000 civilians remain in the city.

About a thousand civilians may be buried in a mass grave on the outskirts of Mariupol, in the village of Vynohradne.

Another satellite image made earlier showed the sector of mass burials in Manhush outside Mariupol. Between 3,000 and 9,000 civilians killed by Russians may be buried there.

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More than 1,000 women, children and over 500 wounded are remaining within the Azovstal plant in the besieged city of Mariupol.

The relevant statement was made by the Government portal, referring to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Temporary Occupied Territories Reintegration Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Our military are not planning to surrender. But, there are civilians  more than 1,000 women, children and over 500 wounded, including those who are seriously wounded! They have the right to get out! We have communicated this information to Russia. They know how many civilians are staying there, Vereshchuk told.

In her words, now it is impossible to get there and, moreover, to create a humanitarian corridor, as Russian troops are bombarding and launching missile strikes on the area, firing on approaches.

I want the entire international community to be aware of and take what is happening now within the Azovstal plant exactly like that. They [Russian invaders  Ed.] do not want to hold any talks. This is a war crime that will be punished, Vereshchuk stressed.

A reminder that the Russian armed aggression has caused one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in the city of Mariupol.

On April 24, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the need for immediate evacuation of civilians from Mariupol, including Azovstal, and immediate exchange of blocked troops.

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About 1 million people have been saved thanks to humanitarian corridors.

"350,000 people got out by buses we organized along the corridors. Moreover, people were getting out by private cars. About a million people have already been saved thanks to humanitarian corridors over this period," Deputy Prime Minister  Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk said, Ukrinform reports.

According to the official, 250 service members and civilians have been already released from Russian captivity through exchanges.

As reported, more than 1,000 women, children and more than 500 wounded stay now at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. Russian troops storm the plant, where Ukrainian defenders and civilians take shelter, with aircraft, artillery, tanks and try to advance by assault groups. On April 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky held a conversation with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, underscoring the need to immediately evacuate civilians from Mariupol, particularly from Azovstal plant, and to exchange the blocked military immediately.

Mariupol experiences one of the biggest humanitarian catastrophes caused by Russia's aggression.

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Ukraine will now be able sell its electricity on the European market.

Finance Minister of Ukraine Serhii Marchenko said this in a Facebook post, Ukrinform reports.

Ukraine has recently joined the European grid by becoming a member of ENTSO-E. Thus, the electricity produced in Ukraine can be sold on the European market. I discussed this opportunity with all European colleagues. Deputy Prime Minister, Bulgaria's Finance Minister Assen Vassilev has expressed readiness to put on the governments agenda cobsideration of the issue of purchasing electricity produced by us, he wrote.

On March 16, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) started the trial synchronisation of the continental European power system with the power systems of Ukraine and Moldova.

Photo credit: Sergii Marchenko, Facebook
Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Mykola Solskyi has paid a working visit to the Republic of Latvia to discuss the possibility of agricultural exports via Latvian ports.

The relevant statement was made by the Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

As part of the visit, Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Mykola Solskyi met with Latvian Agriculture Minister Kaspars Gerhards, as well as visited Riga Free Port, Ventspils Free Port and the Liepaja Special Economic Zone. Solskyi was introduced to Latvias port and logistics infrastructure, and discussed the possibility of Ukraines agricultural exports via Latvian ports, the report states.

Solskyi also met with the representatives of Latvian local self-government authorities, port administrations, grain terminal operators and grain traders.

A reminder that Russias invasion of Ukraine has already affected about 25% of the world trade in grain crops and caused a spike in global prices. Ukraines grain exports are significantly reducing. At the moment, Russia has blocked dozens of merchant ships loaded with grain at Ukrainian ports.

Latvian President Egils Levits stated earlier that Latvia could help Ukraine with grain exports via Latvian ports.

Photo: Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry

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Russias full-scale aggression has destroyed about $650 billion worth of Ukrainian assets.

The relevant statement was made by Advisor to President of Ukraine on Economic Affairs Oleh Ustenko during a telethon, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

During the first week of the war, we suffered losses worth about $100 billion. These are the assets destroyed by Russian occupiers. This sum has been increasing every day. Now Id say it is about $650 billion, Ustenko told.

In his words, considering the additional losses caused by the adverse financial and economic processes, the amount of damage inflicted to Ukraines economy has reached about $1 trillion.

This is the amount that must be compensated for by the Russian Federation after our victory, Ustenko stressed.

Several working groups are now seeking Russias hidden assets. According to Ustenko, Ukraine has every right to use such assets to compensate for the damage caused by the Russian army.

We can use such funds to take conditional credit resources in the countries they are located, Ustenko explained.

The Ukrainian government is now considering the possible mechanisms of paying refunds to Ukrainians for the housing and businesses damaged or completely destroyed. The aforementioned assets can be transferred to the Ukrainian government and then used to pay such refunds to citizens. In addition, law firms may be involved to ensure direct payments through the seizure of Russian property.

A reminder that, on February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, starting a war. Russian troops are shelling and destroying the key infrastructure facilities, launching missile and air strikes on Ukrainian cities and villages, torturing and murdering civilians.

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Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Wopke Hoekstra have discussed the development of the sixth package of sanctions and military-technical cooperation between the two countries.

Kuleba wrote this on his Twitter account, Ukrinform reports.

In our call today, my Dutch counterpart @WBHoekstra and I discussed the preparation of the 6th EU sanctions package on Russia and the military-technical cooperation between our countries. I also raised the importance of granting Ukraine EU candidate status without delay.  Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) April 25, 2022

In our call today, my Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra and I discussed the preparation of the 6th EU sanctions package on Russia and the military-technical cooperation between our countries. I also raised the importance of granting Ukraine EU candidate status without delay, Kuleba wrote.

Read also: Only full embargo on oil imports from Russia could stop Russian war crimes in Ukraine

As Ukrinform reported, on Monday, EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said that the EU countries do not have a unified position on a complete embargo on Russian oil and gas imports.

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Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba thanked Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov for initiating a fundraising campaign for Ukraine.

Grateful to Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov for initiating a public campaign to raise funds for Ukraine and help us strengthen our defenses. This move demonstrates true Bulgarian solidarity with Ukraine. I felt it well when I was received by PM Petkov in Sofia last week, Kuleba posted on Twitter.

Grateful to Prime Minister of Bulgaria @KirilPetkov for initiating a public campaign to raise funds for Ukraine and help us strengthen our defenses. This move demonstrates true Bulgarian solidarity with Ukraine. I felt it well when I was received by PM Petkov in Sofia last week.  Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) April 25, 2022

Earlier, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria announced the launch of a fundraising campaign for the Ukrainian government, urging to follow his example and donate a months salary.

Bulgaria condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, voted in favor of European Union sanctions against Russia, and has accepted more than 90,000 Ukrainian refugees. However, there is no consensus in the four-party ruling coalition on whether to send weapons and ammunition to Kyiv.

The Parliament of Bulgaria is expected in the near future to discuss how to further support Ukraine.

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Zuzan Mustafa, 36, from Aleppo, Syria, fled with her husband and three children to Jordan in 2012 after the conflict spread to her neighbourhood. She uses her craft skills to help provide for her family.  UNHCR/Hazm Almazouni

Zuzan Mostafa has golden hands. A Syrian who fled to Jordan in 2012, she discovered she could turn almost anything old and worn into something beautiful, helping her family earn money and rebuild their lives in the process.

Zuzan is one of 5.7 million Syrian refugees who live in neighbouring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, having fled the conflict that began in 2011. Many have faced unemployment and poverty  a situation compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

After leaving Zaatari refugee camp, Zuzan moved with her family to the Jordanian capital, Amman. From her home, she makes cushion covers that are eventually sold by IKEA as part of a project run by the Jordan River Foundation, a partner of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, which also sells the items at its regular bazaars.

IKEA partnered with the foundation, which established job training and other economic and social programmes in Jordan in response to the Syrian crisis. Recent data collected by UNHCR in Jordan shows that although most refugees living in urban areas are employed, there remains a strong risk of them falling into poverty.

Below, Zuzan tells journalist and fellow Syrian refugee Hazm Almouzoni about her work and the freedom she feels in being able to support her family. Her story has been edited for length and clarity.

The first weeks after our family left Zaatari refugee camp were the hardest. After all, we had only a couple of mattresses, some blankets, our clothes and a bit of savings.

It was winter then, and we could not afford to rent a furnished flat. We found a cheap empty one. There was some mould on the walls. Hand in hand with my husband, we painted it clean, fixed the broken things and started a new life.

I needed warm winter clothes for my kids. I went to the second-hand clothes bazaar and bought some worn out sweaters, unpicked the wool and made new, modern ones.

Kids, as you know, like colourful things, so I took them with me to the bazaar to choose the colours they liked, which made them happy.

The teachers at my kids school loved those sweaters, and asked me to make some for their kids. Thats how I got my first orders and started making my first income.

Around that time, my husband  a master shoemaker  was jobless for a couple of months. He needed to prove himself to potential employers, so he bought some tools and materials and we started making women's shoes at home.

"I learned shoemaking and my husband loved my work and cheered me on."

In the beginning I started helping him out of curiosity. He never asked me to help him, but we were used to helping and supporting each other. After all, we are in a foreign country and no one else would support us. There were no relatives, and we both needed to work to provide for the family.

I learned shoemaking and my husband loved my work and cheered me on. We proved ourselves at the local market where he sold the shoes, and this got him employment. The additional income we made allowed us to buy old, cheap furniture.

The word furniture barely describes what we bought. It was a bunch of wood and metal carcasses, forgotten on a roof in the rain.

Refurbishing the furniture by hand with needle and thread wasnt easy. I had no tools, but I had my hands and the willingness to do it. So, I bought new fabric and made new covers. That way I got two sets of furniture for a tenth of what new sets would cost.

Zuzan Mustafa, 36 from Aleppo, Syria, fled with her husband and three children to Jordan. She puts to use her handcrafts to help her husband provide for the family.  UNHCR/Hazm Almazouni

Zuzan Mustafa, 36 from Aleppo, uses her skills to support her family, now living in Jordan after fleeing Syria.  UNHCR/Hazm Almazouni

Zuzan Mustafa, 36 from Aleppo, Syria, fled with her husband and three children to Jordan. Syrian refugees in Jordan face challenges finding work. Zuzan was able to rely on her sewing skills to make a living.  UNHCR/Hazm Almazouni

Women in my neighbourhood liked how I upholstered my furniture, and despite the fact they mentioned many times that shoemaking and upholstery are male occupations, they asked me to refurbish their furniture. Upholstery became my third occupation and a new source of income, and enabled me to buy a sewing machine.

Sometimes when women learn that Im an upholsterer, they get confused as they are used to seeing male upholsterers. But I believe that people should do any job they physically can. There is no such thing as a male job or female job.

Zuzan can turn almost anything old and worn into something beautiful 



As a refugee this has helped her rebuild her life in Jordan



Learn her story  https://t.co/WxJ3Y3AsyP pic.twitter.com/i3h4yeTegm  UNHCRJordan (@UNHCRJordan) April 25, 2022

The last nine years of my life proved something my mother used to say while teaching me sewing and knitting when I was a little girl  that mastering a craft is like holding a fortune in your hands. After all, you dont know when that craft might help you to survive.

Three years ago, I was officially contracted by the Jordan River Foundation to embroider cushions that would be sold at IKEA. Now I have a sustainable job, Im registered for social security, and I feel more safe.

"There is no such thing as a male job or female job."

My job is to do the embroidery part of the cushion manufacturing process, and there are other women for the additional steps.

I really enjoy this job because it fits me perfectly. It is contractual work from home. It is also official, with labour benefits.

Although the salary is not that big, having a stable income gives me an essential thing in a refugee's life, which is the sense of confidence and stability.

When I think that there are people, somewhere in another part of the world, who enjoy using the pillow I helped to make, I feel my skills are important and meaningful.

Now Im more independent, and I make an important contribution to meeting our familys financial needs.

Now I exist.

Hazm Almouzoni was a recent participant in UNHCRs Refugee Journalist Mentorship Programme, a project created to support refugees, internally displaced and stateless people who want to tell the important stories of today.
PHNOM PENH, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Monday called on all stakeholders to strengthen cooperation based on trust, people-centered partnerships, and multilateralism in order to achieve the global vision of malaria free by 2025.

In a pre-recorded video statement delivered to the International Forum on the 50th Anniversary of the Discovery of Artemisinin and on Building a Global Community of Health for All, which was held in Beijing, Hun Sen expressed his full support for all activities and cooperation that had been undertaken to build a global community of health for all, especially the eradication of malaria through the use of artemisinin.

Artemisinin was the first special antimalarial drug discovered and successfully extracted by China and it has saved millions of lives, especially in developing countries.

Hun Sen said Cambodia used to have more than 170,000 malaria cases and nearly 1,000 deaths in the 1980s, but in 2021, the number of malaria cases had dropped to 3,959 with no death in the last four years, despite the hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said artemisinin is efficacious against malaria.

"For the future direction, Cambodia will strengthen cooperation with all stakeholders, particularly, the People's Republic of China, through the Belt and Road Initiative, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, and China's South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund in order to fully eradicate malaria (by 2025)," he said. 


(Photo : sergeitokmakov from Pixabay)

The numerous cryptocurrency offerings in the market often make it difficult for someone to choose. Making the right call regarding what works for your objective is a critical decision point for your crypto investments. It is essential for you to identify the cruise and cons of particular crypto before shortlisting it.

Reddcoins are emerging as a new tool in the cryptocurrency markets with high potential. Investors predict a high cryptocurrency value from this token in the days ahead.

The rapid growth of cryptos and a sharp increase in cryptocurrency prices are a testament to the increased subscription. The high volume and the entry of numerous players with the hope of price appreciation drive the market. Should you choose to invest in Reddcoins, what factors can you consider while making such a decision?

What are Reddcoins?

Reddcoins are essentially a virtual currency that can help to support microtransactions or reward transactions popular on social networking sites and applications. The people behind this currency had an objective to create a virtual medium that supports efficient and fast fund transfer to its redd system.

The virtual currency has a community networking website and an outreach program that supports the entire process. Users who want to use the services of this coin can finance, promote, or contribute to different requirements using these modules. However, it is worth mentioning there is an upper limit on the stockpile.

This blockchain-based cryptocurrency will help users transfer, receive, or transmit money.

Influencers for Development

The cryptocurrency, incepted in 2014, has been continually delivering higher returns for its investors. It is a useful tool, and its utilitarian approach helps drive its demand and growth. There are a few factors that contribute to the rapid growth of prices of Reddcoins, and these include:

A faster schedule for the payments is available with the help of Reddcoin's technology vis-a-vis other cryptos.

The PoSV mechanism of the crypto is under development and is improving continually.

The media platforms of the currency have a highly organized structure.

A Speedy System

The number of blocks present in the crypto's protocols is higher vis-a-vis other cryptocurrencies. This aspect helps to support faster actions. The prices of the pieces get referred to the RDD network by the network technology.

Bitcoin is the most opted cryptocurrency. It makes opting for a choice currently growing the desired way forward to trade in this space. Therefore, the desirability of such a coin increases at a rapid pace.

Another aspect worth mentioning is the less than one-minute delivery process time of Reddcoins. Thus, making Reddcoins a speedy and cheap alternative in the crypto space. It will help make crypto a preferred choice for many in the days ahead.

Ongoing Development

The continual development of the PoSV mechanism of the crypto will help further increase the acceptance of Reddcoins. Developers are working to refine the modus operandi with upgrades to decrease the ecological impact. This aspect is vital to ensure a sustainable and greener tomorrow.

The above aspect helps bring good word of mouth for the crypto as many environmentalists praise it for its pro-ecosystem steps. It is helping to build a strong foundation and reputation for the currency helping its worth to appreciate in the days ahead.

Social Media Incorporation

It is a digital era, where most of our transactions and interactions happen through various social sites. Communication has become online, and the majority of smartphone users are present on popular social networking sites.

The value of the social networking space is to the tune of billions of dollars. Any innovation that facilitates users to earn money gets appreciated by the netizens. Reddcoins Inventors focusing on innovating to incorporate a new platform will help increase the customer base.

The number of people online is still very less, and it will grow significantly, providing an opportunity for Reddcoin's price to appreciate.

Conclusion

Therefore, as you can see, this blockchain-backed cryptocurrency works as a peer-to-peer money transfer tool without any oversight. The value of Reddoins is more than $ 43 million and gets quoted as RDD. The improved mechanism and growing demand for this crypto will help support its price appreciation in the days ahead. Its architecture helps the crypto owners to receive payment by pledging their existing holding on the Reddcoin pocketbook.

It is essential for you to note that due diligence is critical for any investment decision you make pertaining to any cryptocurrency. It will help ensure that your investment is in sync with your objective. Happy Trading!
Jerusalem, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Apr, 2022 ) :Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Sunday that Israel was "committed" to the status quo that prevents Jews praying at Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the epicentre of repeated clashes.

His comments follow violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories that has killed 38 people since late March, with tensions further fuelled by the clashes in Jerusalem and exchanges of fire between Israel and the Gaza Strip Palestinian enclave.

"Muslims pray on the Temple Mount, non-Muslims only visit," Lapid said, using the Jewish term for the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, the holiest place in Judaism and the third-holiest in islam.

Palestinian Muslims have been angered by an uptick in Jewish visits to the Al-Aqsa compound, where by long-standing convention Jews may visit but are not allowed to pray.

"There is no change, there will be no change -- we have no plans to divide the Temple Mount between religions," Lapid told journalists.

Palestinian protesters have repeatedly clashed with Israeli riot police at the Al-Aqsa compound since the middle of the month, leaving hundreds injured as the Muslim holy month of Ramazan coincided with Jewish Passover.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

US President Joe Biden congratulated on Monday his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on his reelection and expressed readiness for further cooperation in various areas, including support to Ukraine or the fight against climate change

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th April, 2022) US President Joe Biden congratulated on Monday his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on his reelection and expressed readiness for further cooperation in various areas, including support to Ukraine or the fight against climate change.

Earlier in the day, Macron won in the second round of the presidential election with 58.55% of the votes, while his rival, far-right presidential candidate, leader of the National Rally party Marine Le Pen got 41.45%.

"Congratulations to Emmanuel Macron on his re-election. France is our oldest ally and a key partner in addressing global challenges. I look forward to our continued close cooperation  including on supporting Ukraine, defending democracy, and countering climate change," Biden wrote on Twitter.

Throughout the day, a number of other politicians also congratulated Macron on Twitter.

"My congratulations to Emmanuel Macron on his re-election as President of the French Republic. I look forward to continuing and deepening our cooperation in Europe for climate, progress, and peace," Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said.

Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said that Iceland and France should strengthen bilateral relations.

"Congratulations Emmanuel Macron on your re-election. I look forward to our continued, fruitful co-operation on issues such as the climate crisis and gender equality. And to further strengthen the bond between Iceland and France," Jakobsdottir added.

Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said that he was pleased with Macron's reelection.

"Glad to be able to continue working with Emmanuel Macron, colleague and friend who defends our democratic values and our common European project," Bettel wrote.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa noted that "the French people have once again demonstrated their commitment to the European project."

"In these challenging times for our continent and the world, it is essential to count on France to defend multilateralism, security, combat climate change and participate in building a more humane, fairer, greener, and more prosperous Europe," Costa said.

Niger President Mohamed Bazoum called Macron's reelection "brilliant".

"His experience in international affairs in general and in the Sahel, in particular, makes him a valuable partner for us in our fight against terrorism," Bazoum wrote.

Macron was also congratulated by Somalian President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed.

"The government and people of Somalia congratulate President Macron on his re-election and wish him every success.

France and Somalia have a long history of cooperation and look forward to strengthening it," Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed noted.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is looking forward to deepening the partnership between India and France.

"Congratulations to my friend Emmanuel Macron on being re-elected as the President of France! I look forward to continue working together to deepen the India-France Strategic Partnership," Modi said.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison wished Macron success in leadership in Europe.

"Congratulations Emmanuel Macron on your re-election as President. Another great expression of liberal democracy in action in uncertain times. We wish you & France every success, in particular your leadership in Europe and as an important partner to Australia in the Indo-Pacific," Morrison wrote.

The Japanese government congratulates Macron on his reelection, Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki said at a press conference.

"We would like to sincerely congratulate President Macron on his reelection," Isozaki noted.

France is an important partner of Japan, Isozaki said, adding that both countries have common basic principles of commitment to democracy and human rights.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev sent a congratulatory telegram in which he wrote that Macron's decisive victory "is an indication of the trust of the people and appreciation of his tireless work aimed at protecting national interests and ensuring the prosperity of France."

The Kazakh leader reiterated his readiness to make joint efforts with a view to giving fresh impetus to the Kazakh-French strategic partnership and invited Macron to pay an official visit to Kazakhstan. Tokayev also wished his French counterpart inexhaustible energy and successful presidency, and the French people happiness and prosperity.

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia sent Macron a cable of congratulations on his reelection, wishing him success and "the friendly people of France further progress and prosperity."

"In his message, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques also praised the distinguished relations between the two friendly countries and peoples, expressing hope to further strengthen and develop them in all fields," the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted the monarch as saying.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also sent a cable of congratulations to Macron, the SPA said.
"Neo-Nazis" from "National Socialism/White Power" (banned in Russia), who planned the murder of prominent Russian journalist Vladimir Solovyov on the instructions of Kiev, were detained on Monday, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th April, 2022) "Neo-Nazis" from "National Socialism/White Power" (banned in Russia), who planned the murder of prominent Russian journalist Vladimir Solovyov on the instructions of Kiev, were detained on Monday, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said.

"Russia's FSB, together with the Investigative Committee, detained a group of members of the Russian 'neo-Nazi' terrorist organization 'National Socialism/White Power' that planned the murder of famous journalist Vladimir Solovyov on the instructions of the Ukrainian Security Service," the FSB said in a statement.

The members of the group have confessed to preparing the journalist's murder, the statement read, adding that the collection of evidence of the criminal activities of the detainees continues.
(@FahadShabbir)

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Monday described the fifth round of talks with Saudi Arabia in the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad as both "positive and promising."

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th April, 2022) Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Monday described the fifth round of talks with Saudi Arabia in the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad as both "positive and promising."

On Thursday, the fifth round of talks between Tehran and Riyadh took place in Baghdad.

"The talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Baghdad took place last Thursday thanks to the efforts of Iraqi and Omani governments, being positive and promising," Khatibzadeh said, as quoted by the Iranian Fars news agency.

The spokesman added that the Iranian side had come to an agreement with Riyadh on sending about 40,000 pilgrims to the upcoming Hajj in Mecca, the holiest city for Muslims, according to the report.

Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia soured in January 2016 following Riyadh's decision to execute Shia cleric Ayatollah Nimr al-Nimr, who questioned the Gulf monarchy's authority. On the same day, crowds of Iranians broke into the territory of Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad. In response, Riyadh severed diplomatic relations with Tehran.

In the spring of 2021, Iran and Saudi Arabia began negotiations to settle the controversies in bilateral relations. They held four rounds of talks in Baghdad. According to the Iranian foreign ministry, although the negotiations had some positive impact on the bilateral relations, the resumption of work of the embassies has not yet been discussed.
Former US president Donald Trump has been held in contempt of court and fined $10,000 a day by a judge for ignoring subpoenas by the New York State's Attorney-General Letitia James, the prosecutor said via Twitter on Monday

NEW YORK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th April, 2022) Former US president Donald Trump has been held in contempt of court and fined $10,000 a day by a judge for ignoring subpoenas by the New York State's Attorney-General Letitia James, the prosecutor said via Twitter on Monday.

"In a major victory, a court has ruled in our favor to hold Donald Trump in contempt of court," said James, who is investigating allegations that Trump illegally inflated the value of his assets to obtain loans beyond merit. "Donald Trump must pay $10,000 per day for every day that he continues to defy the court's order to turn over documents to my office."
Lebanese rescue teams searched the Mediterranean for survivors Monday after an overloaded people-smuggling boat capsized while being pursued by naval forces, with dozens unaccounted for still missing at sea

Tripoli, Lebanon, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Apr, 2022 ) :Lebanese rescue teams searched the Mediterranean for survivors Monday after an overloaded people-smuggling boat capsized while being pursued by naval forces, with dozens unaccounted for still missing at sea.

At least seven people died as a result of the tragedy, which occurred late Saturday just off the coast of the northern port city of Tripoli.

It was Lebanon's worst such disaster in years, igniting widespread rage just three weeks before May 15 parliamentary elections.

The latest body was retrieved on Monday morning.

"The body of a woman from the Al-Nimr family was recovered today from the Tripoli beach," the director general of Tripoli Port Ahmed Tamer told AFP, adding that rescue efforts were ongoing.

The Lebanese army said on Sunday that 48 people had been rescued, but it was not immediately clear exactly how many would-be asylum seekers were crammed onto the boat when it set off.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said the boat was carrying at least 84 people when it capsized, about three nautical miles (3.5 miles, 5.5 kilometres) off the coast of Tripoli.

According to UNHCR figures, that means potentially some 30 people are still unaccounted for.

The passengers included Syrian and Palestinian refugees but most were Lebanese, local media reported.
Moscow said Monday it had arrested members of a "neo-Nazi terrorist" group in Russia after foiling their plot to assassinate pro-Kremlin TV anchor Vladimir Solovyov on orders from Ukraine

Moscow, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Apr, 2022 ) :Moscow said Monday it had arrested members of a "neo-Nazi terrorist" group in Russia after foiling their plot to assassinate pro-Kremlin tv anchor Vladimir Solovyov on orders from Ukraine.

"The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation detained a group of members of the neo-Nazi terrorist organisation National Socialism/White Power, which is banned in Russia," Russia's FSB security agency said in a statement carried by news agencies.

The FSB claimed the group of six Russians was planning the "murder" of Russian TV and radio journalist Solovyov "on the instructions of the Security Service of Ukraine".

It added that the group "confessed to preparing the murder of Solovyov, after which they planned to flee abroad".

Solovyov has hosted prime-time political chat shows on Russian television since the late 1990s and has been decorated by the Russian government.

He has been sanctioned by the EU as a "propagandist" and has had villas seized by Italian financial police.

"What's surprising about this? I am on view to everyone," Solovyov said in comments on the alleged plot to the RIA Novosti news agency.

"I am a Jew and an anti-Fascist so it's obvious that I'm a target for (Ukrainian nationalist Stepan) Bandera-supporting, Nazi bastards," he added.

Speaking at a meeting of Russian prosecutors, President Vladimir Putin suggested Washington was involved in planning the "murder of a famous Russian TV journalist", without naming him.

"They have resorted to terror! To preparing the murders of our journalists. We know by name the curators of Western secret services, primarily, of course, from the CIA, who work with the security agencies of Ukraine," Putin said in televised remarks.

- Molotov cocktails, Hitler portrait - "Apparently they give such advice (to kill journalists). So much for their attitude towards the rights of journalists... (and) human rights in general," Putin added.

A video recorded by the FSB aired on television showed security forces pushing half-naked young men onto the floor of flats and handcuffing them during searches.

According to the FSB, the officers found "fake" Ukrainian passports, pistols, drugs and Molotov cocktails, as well as a portrait of Hitler and a T-shirt with a swastika.

The footage also shows a handwritten note that suggests a Moscow TV studio complex was targeted.

A staunch supporter of Putin and Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, Solovyov has only questioned the navy's competence after the flagship cruiser Moskva sunk in the Black Sea off Odessa, leaving at least 28 dead or missing.

The video shows one of the men saying the group planned "murders of people who spout propaganda", naming a state television news anchor, Dmitry Kiselyov, and the editor-in-chief of Kremlin-funded broadcaster RT, Margarita Simonyan and her husband.
At least five people were killed and another 18 injured on Monday in Russian strikes on railway infrastructure in the central Ukraine region of Vinnytsia, Kyiv said

Kyiv, Ukraine, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Apr, 2022 ) :At least five people were killed and another 18 injured on Monday in Russian strikes on railway infrastructure in the central Ukraine region of Vinnytsia, Kyiv said.

"Preliminary information shows that five people died and 18 were injured. Rescue operations are under way, investigators, prosecutors and other services are working at the scene," the Ukrainian prosecutor general's office said in a statement on social media.

Russian forces have been widely accused of targeting civilian infrastructure throughout the Kremlin's two-month military assault on its pro-democratic neighbour, allegations Moscow denies.

The prosecutor's office said Russian forces had used rockets to strike "transport infrastructure" near the town of Zhmerynka and Kozyatyn.

The head of Ukraine railways, Alexander Kamyshin, had earlier announced the attacks, accusing Moscow's army of "systematically" destroying railway infrastructure.

"This morning, within an hour, five railway stations in central and western Ukraine came under fire. At least 16 passenger trains will be delayed," he said in a statement published on Telegram.

Dozens of people were killed earlier this month in Russian strikes on a train station used for evacuations in the eastern city of Kramatorsk.
Toll Holdings has agreed to remit more than $6.1 million to settle a potential civil suit with the US government over the alleged violation of sanctions, the Department of the Treasury announced in a press release on Monday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th April, 2022) Toll Holdings has agreed to remit more than $6.1 million to settle a potential civil suit with the US government over the alleged violation of sanctions, the Department of the Treasury announced in a press release on Monday.

"The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today announced a settlement with Toll Holdings, an international freight forwarding and logistics company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia," the release said.

Toll Holdings agreed to remit $6.1 million to settle its potential civil liability for 2,958 apparent violations of the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, the North Korea Sanctions Regulations, the Syrian Sanctions Regulations, the Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators Sanctions Regulations and the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations, the release said.

"The apparent violations occurred when Toll originated or received payments through the US financial system involving sanctioned jurisdictions and persons," the release added.

The payments were in connection with sea, air, and rail shipments conducted by Toll, its affiliates, or suppliers to, from, or through the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, or Syria, or the property or interests in property of an entity on OFAC's list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons, according to the release.
ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th April, 2022) Turkey is trying to keep its NATO allies away from the Black Sea, there are no warships from countries outside the region there, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Monday.

Ankara believes that the entry and exit of NATO allies in the Black Sea will heighten tensions, Akar said, adding that Turkey warns against actions that can be perceived as a provocation in order to maintain stability in the Black Sea.

"No, no," Akar told reporters when asked whether there are warships of non-coastal countries at the moment in the Black Sea.
Demonstrators light candles during a silent protest to pay respect to the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka (AFP or licensors)

As the 269 victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka are commemorated during Mass in St. Peters Basilica on Monday, the Archbishop of Colombo talks about the quest for truth and justice, and about a State that continues to fail its people.

By Linda Bordoni

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, is in Rome to mark the anniversary of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka.

Pope Francis is meeting participants in St. Peter's Basilica after a Eucharistic celebration in St. Peter's Basilica. The event comes a few days after a Mass celebrated by the Sri Lankan Cardinal on 21 April, during which delivered a hard-hitting speech blaming the country's President and his government for failing to keep their pledge to grant justice to the victims and cleanse the country of all elements of terror.

Three years from the coordinated bombings that wrought death, injury and destruction, mostly amongst the Christian community, investigations have proved insufficient and recommendations issued by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry have not been implemented. Furthermore, the government, it is alleged, is covering up the truth in order to hide its own involvement.

The countrys top Catholic leader has tirelessly pushed for truth, calling for accountability and transparency. Together with other faith leaders of the island nation, he has given voice to the peoples growing anger and dissent as they suffer one of the worst economic crises the country has ever seen.

Speaking to Vatican Radio just before the Mass in the Vatican on 25 April, he explained that the countrys current rulers are accused of corruption and mismanagement that have brought about the spiralling crisis, and are facing serious accusations they not only have not sought justice for the victims of the Easter Sunday bombings in which 269 people were killed and more than 500 were injured, but have sought to bury evidence the attacks may have been carried out for political aims to favour their own re-election.

Listen to the interview with Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith

Cardinal Ranjith explained that the prevailing narrative led most people to believe that those attacks were carried out in an atmosphere of Islamic fanaticism, but, he said elements of testimony emerged that these attacks had something more than just an Islamic connotation.

The Cardinal went on to say that there is emerging evidence to the effect that the government, and especially the intelligence wing of the military, had contacts with the terrorists who carried out the attacks.

Notwithstanding insistent requests that those contacts be investigated, he added, nothing has happened.

The shadow of a plot

He listed a number of reasons that point to the involvement of the government and to something more than simply an Islamic attack that have raised suspicions.

Cardinal Ranjith added that after the Presidential Commission of Inquiry issued its report, the present government hesitated to carry out the recommendations or chose to carry out only those recommendations that refer to the Islamic community and tried to hide some of the recommendations, which would, if they are further investigated, reveal other angles of these attacks.

The people of Sri Lanka, and especially the Catholic community, has felt defrauded by the present regime.

Therefore, Cardinal Ranjith continued, we are highly suspicious of these things and we want further investigations to be done. Until then, the people who are injured and who have lost their loved ones will not get justice.

A demonstration in remembrance of the victims

A failed State

This serious situation of suspicion and lack of trust in the government is currently compounded by the socio-economic crisis that is triggering protests and even violence.

The Cardinal looked back at years of inefficient management of the country, of its economy, and wrong policy decisions that have led to a total collapse of the national economy.

Right now in Sri Lanka, he said, people are not able to make ends meet () because of lack of employment, a lack of income, the rising prices of items and sometimes scarcity of items, like the difficulty in obtaining fuel for the maintenance of life, as well as the lack of electricity, lack of gas, various other items for daily sustenance.

All this, he said, has led to a general feeling of total dissatisfaction and the realization that the country has collapsed and it is a failed state.

The people want the government to leave and allow either an election to take place so that a new government can be appointed, or an interim arrangement to be made, as it has been the demand of the Venerable Chief Monks in Sri Lanka.

Cardinal Ranjith went on to illustrate a desperate situation caused by the total breakdown of trust in the entire political system, including the opposition.

Protest march against the government

Interreligious trust and collaboration

The countrys main religious leaders have sought to into this vacuum.

We hope, he continued,  that we will be able to sustain this country and make it work once again. So it has become the role of the religious leaders to assist the people to get out of this situation.

Along with the Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, we Christians can work together and thinking about the country as a whole, not just only our people. We can try to work out a solution to this present crisis," he said.

Appeal to the international community

The Cardinal Archbishop of Colombo concluded by mentioning the appeal he has issued to the International Community to put pressure on our government, not to make castles in the air without any reality and be out of touch with the common life of our people.

The government, he said, should realize it has failed in its efforts to bring prosperity and happiness to our people. It has also failed to ensure justice to many communities that have been affected by all kinds of sad situations in the past.

We want the international community to insist that, before giving any aid to Sri Lanka, that the government realize that they have to change the way things have been done.
In a meeting in Hanoi this week the Vietnam  Holy See Joint Working Group consolidated the relations between the two States and agreed to continue to strengthen fruitful dialogue and mutual trust.

By Vatican News

A press release issued by the Holy See Press Office on Friday said a meeting of the Vietnam  Holy See Joint Working Group took place in Hanoi on 21-22 April 2022.

The Session was co-chaired by Monsignor Miroslaw Wachowski, Under-Secretary for the Holy Sees Relations with States, and by Ha Kim Ngoc, Vietnams Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and Head of the Vietnamese delegation.

According to the Press Office statement, the delegations engaged in in-depth discussions on the relations between the States and discussed issues concerning the Catholic Church in Vietnam. It was noted that relations between Vietnam and the Holy See have recently developed and that, notwithstanding the COVID-19 containment measures, a frequent and cordial exchange of ideas has always occurred.

The two parties agreed that relations between Vietnam and the Holy See should be maintained on mutually agreed-upon principles and fruitful dialogue, with the objective of consolidating reciprocal trust and strengthening relations in the common interest of the two parties and the Vietnamese Catholic community, the statement reads.

A view to future developments

During the meeting, which took place in a cordial and mutually respectful atmosphere, the delegations agreed upon issues relevant to raising, in the near future, the level of relations between Vietnam and the Holy See from a non-resident to a Resident Pontifical Representative and agreed on future steps to be undertaken to establish an office of the Resident Pontifical Representative in Hanoi.

The parties said the 10th Joint Working Group in the Vatican at a date to be agreed.

Holy See appreciative of Church's vibrant activity in Vietnam

The statement observed that the Holy See follows with interest the Catholic community's deep and vibrant life in the country and encourages the Catholic Church in Vietnam to contribute to the country's common good and prosperity, as the Catholic community demonstrated concretely during the pandemic's most critical periods by volunteering in hospitals and assisting the needy.

During its time in Hanoi, the Holy See delegation also paid a courtesy call to the countrys Permanent Deputy Prime Minister, Pham Binh Minh, visited some of the other authorities, and plans to meet with members of the Vietnamese Episcopal Conference at their plenary meeting in Thai Binh in the coming days.
The Cambodian government has hired a U.S. law firm and a public relations company to promote a positive image of Prime Minister Hun Sens government.

The companies, both based in Washington, are Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, and international communications and public relations specialist Qorvis Communications.

Qorvis has been on a $69,300 a month contract since September 1, 2021, with no deadline for completion, according to a Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) document registered with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Akin Gump began a $720,000 contract on January 5, 2022, that runs until January 1, 2023.

The law firm has pledged to conduct outreach to U.S. government officials to build better understanding and highlight areas of common interest to build new relationships that enable the bilateral relationship between Cambodia and the U.S., according to the contract registered on FARAs website.

Trade status, exports

The $1.5 million yearlong lobbying campaign comes as Congress has suspended the Southeast Asia nations trade preference status for its deteriorating human rights record that involves overly restrictive laws on the organization, funding or operation of nongovernmental organizations and civil society organizations, according to a 2021 report by the U.S. State Department.

The aim of my mission is to expand the relationship, Cambodian Ambassador Keo Chhea told VOA Khmer by phone in early March after he became ambassador. And if it is good to facilitate a political relationship, we will promote culture and trade relations to have a better relationship.

Cambodia also spent $1.2 million from 2019 to 2020 on two U.S. lobbying firms  Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP, of Washington, D.C., and PacRim Bridges LLC in Ferndale, Washington, according to the FARA filing.

This lobbying work is to draw the attention of foreign policymakers to the current leadership of the Royal Government of Cambodia, said Sok Isan, a spokesperson for the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party. This is to counter politically biased, unethical and unprofessional media outlets from spreading false information about the leadership. The Royal Government of Cambodia comes from the will of the Cambodian people.

Cambodia exported more than $8.7 billion worth of goods to the U.S. in 2021, according to data compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau. That volume has doubled in the last four years, despite the government crackdown on independent media, civil society groups, critics and opposition politicians.

According to the Council for the Development of Cambodia, Cambodia attracted a fixed-asset investment of $4.35 billion in 2021. China remains the largest foreign investor, accounting for 53.4% of Cambodias total investment last year, which was a 67% increase over 2020. The U.S. was second with $163 million and Singapore was third with $121 million.

Cambodia has benefited greatly from access to the U.S. market, U.S. Embassy spokesperson Chad Roedemeier told VOA Khmer by email. Today, the United States is Cambodias largest single export market by far. Our trade relationship should be mutually beneficial, transparent, balanced, and adhere to the highest standards, including labor rights.

Cambodian exports to the U.S. include finished garments, footwear, suitcases, agricultural products and bicycles.

Human rights

The U.S. Congress has introduced two bills to promote free and fair elections, restore democracy, political rights and human rights in Cambodia, and impose economic sanctions on those who violate human rights there.

The Cambodia Democracy and Human Rights Act of 2021 (S-3052) was introduced by the Senate in October 2021. The House version of the Cambodia Democracy Act of 2021 (HR-4686) was passed by the House in September 2021. Both bills are in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which had not set a date for a hearing when it was contacted by VOA Khmer.

However, Congress has not reauthorized Cambodias trade preference status, called the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) since its expiration in late December 2020. The GSP is a system that provides opportunities for many of the worlds poorest countries to use trade to grow their economies and climb out of poverty.

The U.S. Embassy in Cambodia said it remains committed to the Cambodian people and their aspirations for a more prosperous, democratic and independent country where all voices are heard and respected, and the kingdoms sovereignty is protected, according to Roedemeier.

U.S. activists in the U.S. say human rights and the political situation in Cambodia have not improved since the dissolution of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) ahead of the 2018 national election that Hun Sens Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) won. Hun Sen has held power in Cambodia in various coalitions since 1985.

More recently, on March 17, a Cambodian court convicted 20 opposition politicians and activists from the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party to between five and 10 years in prison for incitement, inciting military personnel to disobedience and conspiracy. Seven of them currently live abroad and were tried and convicted in absentia and sentenced to 10-year prison terms, according to Human Rights Watch.

Hiring high-priced U.S. law firms and public relations firms is not the best way to improve the image of the Hun Sen government in the United States, said Morton Sklar, a legal counsel for the U.S.-based Commission of Inquiry on Cambodia.

Sklar said a more effective way to improve Hun Sens image would be to take concrete steps to end the recent campaign of repression, end the criminal prosecutions of government critics and return to a more open and democratic election process by allowing the main political opposition to function in a fair and effective way.

You cant claim compliance with democracy and human rights standards when you eliminate the opposition party and put its leaders in jail using vaguely worded criminal statutes against incitement to violence and social unrest as a basis for closing down a meaningful political process and for conducting mass trials and imprisonments, Sklar said.
A journalist in Myanmar who contributes to news outlets including Voice of America and Frontier Myanmar was formally indicted Thursday by a court in Yangon.

Sithu Aung Myint, who was arrested in August 2021 along with freelance journalist Htet Htet Khine, is facing two charges related to content that authorities say was critical of the military.

A lawyer, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said the court indicted Sithu Aung Myint on charges of incitement and spreading false news under Section 505a of Myanmar's penal code, and charges of sedition under Section 124a, which penalizes anything deemed to create "contempt or disaffection" toward the military.

If convicted, he could face up to three years imprisonment for the first charge and up to 20 years for the second.

After the hearing Thursday, the lawyer said that Sithu Aung Myint has been denied access to adequate medical care while in custody.

"The weather was hot, and the mosquito bites made it difficult for him to sleep. (He) took medication at the doctor's office because of diarrhea. However, most medicines provided are expired," the lawyer told VOA.

Others in custody also lack proper medical care, the lawyer said.

The journalist is scheduled to return to court on Wednesday.

Myanmar's military press team did not respond to VOA's text message requesting comment. The military has previously denied targeting journalists for their coverage.

At the time of his arrest in Bahan Township in Yangon, Sithu Aung Myint was in hiding with Htet Htet Khine, a freelancer who worked for BBC Media Action. They were taken into custody on Aug. 15, 2021.

Than Lwin Htun, the head of VOA's Burmese service, said that Sithu Aung Myint's reporting for VOA is fact-based and that he believes the journalist should be released.

"It is the responsibility of journalists to report on what is happening, so it is necessary to listen to the people through the media who are reporting correctly," Than Lwin Htun said.

Htet Htet Khine, the journalist arrested with Sithu Aung Myint, is facing charges under Myanmar's Illegal Association Act.

She is in Insein prison awaiting trial, and the lawyer representing her went into hiding after being harassed by the military.

Separately, Soe Yarzar Tun, a freelance journalist released during a prison amnesty in June 2021, is back in custody after being charged under Myanmar's anti-terrorism law.

A person familiar with the case, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, told VOA that lawyers for the journalist have not yet been able to get documents relating to his case.

The freelancer worked for the Myanmar outlets Mizzima and Myanmar Now. He was first arrested in March 2021 while covering anti-coup protests and was detained for 122 days.

Since the February 1 coup, 122 journalists and media workers have been arrested and 48 are still detained, according to Reporting Asean, which tracks arrests. Of those, 22 have been convicted.

Accusations of incitement or attempts to denigrate the military are the most common accusations leveled at media.

This story originated in VOA's Burmese service.


BANGKOK, Thailand  The leader of Myanmars military-installed government offered Friday to participate personally in proposed peace talks with ethnic minority groups that have long sought greater autonomy through armed struggle.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said in a brief broadcast on state television that he wants to meet the leaders of all ethnic armed groups in person to negotiate an end to armed conflict across the country this year.

Spokespeople for two major ethnic minorities, the Kachin and the Karen, indicated no immediate interest in the offer. Both groups are actively resisting attacks by the army, including by air and artillery.

Min Aung Hlaings proposal is the latest in a series his administration has made to armed ethnic organizations since the military seized power in February last year from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. None has shown any progress,

The central government has for decades battled the armed groups, which hold loose control of border regions where their ethnic groups predominate. There have been occasional cease-fire agreements but the armed groups seek permanent and comprehensive political solutions in response to their demands, something no Myanmar government has accepted.

The military had generally been able to contain fighting to ethnic-controlled areas, but has faced a broader challenge since its takeover last year.

Popular nonviolent protests against military rule were put down with lethal force, triggering armed resistance that has now become what some experts call a civil war, extending violent conflict to previously peaceful areas of the country.

Despite an overwhelming advantage in weapons and manpower, the security forces have been unable to quash the resistance, and now face a loose alliance of ethnic minority forces with newly formed militias opposed to military rule.

Min Aung Hlaing has urged the ethnic armies not to support the groups opposed to army rule, which his administration has designated as terrorists.

In his remarks Friday, which lasted less than three minutes, he said he wanted to meet with ethnic leaders for peace talks in order for Myanmars people to enjoy the essence of peace and development.

He said he wants to meet with them in person, and that every leader could bring two other members with them. He appealed to the ethnic armed groups to submit names of participants by May 9, and said a date would be set for the actual talks after negotiations.

I urge all of you to collaborate for the benefit of all the people of the Union, Min Aung Hlaing said.

He has previously made clear he will not talk with the National Unity Government, an umbrella group resisting army rule, and its armed units, which call themselves Peoples Defense Forces. On Armed Forces Day last month, he vowed that the military would annihilate the Peoples Defense Forces.

Col. Naw Bu, head of the Information Department of the Kachin Independence Army, a major ethnic armed group from northern Myanmar, said it is too early to comment on Min Aung Hlaings remarks.

He told The Associated Press his personal opinion is that Min Aung Hlaing proposed the talks because his administration faces a military and political crisis.

Padoh Saw Taw Nee, head of the Foreign Affairs Department of the Karen National Union, a major ethnic armed group in southeastern Myanmar, said no one from his organization would attend peace talks unless its demands were met. He said these include the militarys withdrawal from politics, implementation of federal democracy and acceptance of international involvement in solving the countrys crisis.

He said he believes Min Aung Hlaing made the offer of peace talks because the military government was failing in many respects, including in its battlefield offensives.
A Gambian man went on trial in Germany Monday, accused of belonging to a death squad that assassinated opponents of former dictator Yahya Jammeh, including an AFP journalist.

The suspect, identified by media as Bai Lowe, is accused of crimes against humanity, murder and attempted murder, including the 2004 killing of AFP correspondent Deyda Hydara.

Lowe, 46, wore a black hooded coat and hid his face behind a green folder as he arrived in court in the northern town of Celle.

The trial is "the first to prosecute human rights violations committed in Gambia during the Jammeh era on the basis of universal jurisdiction", according to Human Rights Watch.

Universal jurisdiction allows a foreign country to prosecute crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, regardless of where they were committed.

Outside the courtroom, activists held a placard demanding that Jammeh "and his accomplices be brought to justice".

Lowe is accused of being involved in two murders and one attempted murder while working as a driver for the hit squad known as the Junglers between December 2003 and December 2006.

"This unit was used by the then-president of Gambia to carry out illegal killing orders, among other things" with the aim of "intimidating the Gambian population and suppressing the opposition", according to federal prosecutors.

Hydara, 58, was gunned down in his car on the outskirts of the Gambian capital Banjul on December 16, 2004.

Lowe is accused of helping to stop Hydara's car and driving one of the killers in his own vehicle.

Controversial column

Hydara was an editor and co-founder of the independent daily The Point and a correspondent for AFP for over 30 years.

The father-of-four also worked as a Gambia correspondent for the NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and was considered a doyen among journalists in the tiny West African state.

In his newspaper The Point, he had a widely read column, "Good morning, Mr President", in which he expressed his views on Gambian politics.

According to investigations by RSF, Hydara was being spied on by Gambian intelligence services just before his death.

Hydara was a tenacious and "really stubborn" journalist, according to his son Baba Hydara, 45.

"This is a day we have been waiting for for 18 years," Baba Hydara told AFP outside the court.

"It's an important day for justice but it is just the beginning of a long journey," he said, expressing a hope that Jammeh will also "be judged".

Prosecutors also accuse Lowe of driving members of the Junglers to a location in Banjul in 2003 to assassinate lawyer Ousman Sillah, who survived the attack with serious injuries.

'Important day for justice'

In a third incident in 2006, Lowe is accused of driving members of the unit to a site near Banjul airport where they shot and killed Dawda Nyassi, a suspected opponent of the president.

The court heard that he arrived in Europe via Senegal in December 2012, seeking asylum as a political refugee who feared for his life under president Jammeh.

The evidence against him includes a telephone interview he gave in 2013 to a US-based Gambian radio station, in which he described his participation in the attacks, according to police.

Jammeh ruled Gambia with an iron fist for 22 years but fled the country in January 2017 after losing a presidential election to relative unknown Adama Barrow.

He refused to acknowledge the results but was forced out by a popular uprising and fled to Equatorial Guinea.

Lowe is the third alleged accomplice of Jammeh to be detained abroad.

The other suspects are Gambia's former interior minister, Ousman Sonko, under investigation in Switzerland since 2017, and another former Jungler, Michael Sang Correa, indicted in June 2020 in the United States.

Patrick Kroker, a lawyer for Baba Hydara, told AFP outside the court that the opening of the trial was "an important day for justice".

"We hope it will be a signal to... Switzerland and the United States, but also Gambia", he said.
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Coming Up on Africa54:  An explosion at an illegal Nigerian oil refinery kills over 100 people; Kenya plans a state funeral for former President Mwai Kibaki; Top U.S. diplomats visit Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. For this and more, stay tuned to VOA's Africa 54!
Snowy northern winters tend to see a drop in asylum-seekers crossing from the United States into Canada at Roxham Road, Quebec. Not this past winter.

In December, the number of asylum-seekers entering Canada outside formal land border crossings reached its highest point since August 2017, government statistics show.

The growing caseload is lengthening wait times for eligibility hearings, leaving claimants waiting months on social assistance before getting work permits, one attorney said.

The increase follows the lifting of a pandemic-era order in December. Since March 2020, border police had refused entry to all asylum-seekers in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.

"It seems to me the ministry has been caught off guard," said Montreal lawyer Pierre-Luc Bouchard, who has 70 refugee cases after two years with almost zero new clients. "They are completely confused."

A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told Reuters last week that the increase was expected and said it was working to speed up applications and shorten eligibility hearing wait times.

In December, Royal Canadian Mounted Police intercepted 2,811 asylum-seekers crossing the border outside formal land ports of entry, the vast majority crossing into Quebec. In January and February, they intercepted 2,382 and 2,164, respectively  compared with 888 and 808 in January and February of 2019.

These asylum-seekers can enter Canada because they do not enter at formal border crossings. Under the Safe Third Country Agreement, set to be contested at Canada's Supreme Court, Canada and the U.S. can turn back asylum-seekers in either direction at formal land border crossings.

Volunteers who come to the border bearing water bottles or mittens and who try to ensure border-crossers' rights have resumed their weekly trips to Roxham Road after a suspension during the pandemic, said Frances Ravensbergen, a coordinator for migrant advocacy group Bridges Not Borders.

Some asylum-seekers "have kind of waited for the borders to reopen," Bouchard said.

Roxham Road is not a formal border crossing, although so many asylum-seekers use it that police officers are often stationed there to intercept migrants.

Some would-be refugees were waiting in the U.S., others in Latin America or in Kenya, until they felt they could make the trip to Canada via the U.S., Bouchard said. Canadian refugee claimants come from a range of countries including Mexico, Colombia, India and Iran.

Many keep abreast of Canada's shifting regulations, "sometimes with some confusion," Bouchard said.

But Bouchard thinks there is more than just Canada's lifted border closure at play. "People are desperate," he said.

He said the increase was also an indication that "under (President) Joe Biden the (U.S.) immigration policies have not really, really changed," especially regarding gender-based refugee claims, which are seen as less likely to succeed in the U.S.

U.S. apprehensions of migrants crossing from Mexico reached a 20-year high last year, and the Biden administration has been reluctant to roll back all the measures imposed by his predecessor, Donald Trump.

The U.S. government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fleeing to Canada

When a Nicaraguan refugee claimant Reuters spoke to fled for a neighboring country last June, he hoped he would be back in Managua in time for Christmas. But the situation deteriorated, he said, and police were threatening his family back home. He asked not to be named, saying he fears reprisals.

Armed with tips from those who had made the journey and information gleaned from the internet, over a long day in late December, he flew into the southern United States, where he reunited with his wife and kids, who had traveled from Nicaragua. They flew to New York, where they boarded a bus to Plattsburgh in upstate New York and then took a taxi to the Canadian border.

Canadian police were friendly, he said. Now he and his family are living in a Montreal apartment. His kids are in school and he hopes to find work soon.

"It was a hard trip. ... Everything is in Nicaragua," he said. "But my mind is positive, and I expect that we are going to do well here."
Anzac Day on April 25 is one of the most sacred days of the year for many Australians and New Zealanders.

Commemorative services have been held to remember a catastrophic campaign 107-years ago on the Gallipoli peninsula in what is now Turkey.

It was the first major military action fought by the Anzacs  an acronym for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I.

An estimated 8,700 Australian and 2,700 New Zealand soldiers died during the Gallipoli offensive, along with many more from Britain, France and Turkey.

But the way Anzac Day is commemorated in the two former British colonies has changed. From the 1960s to the 1980s, anti-war protesters in Australia used it as a platform to express their views. Public interest in Anzac Day waned before it was revived by politicians, as they embraced its spirit of camaraderie, mateship and sacrifice.

In New Zealand, Anzac Day now promotes a sense of unity, and the loyalty to the British Empire that was once so prominent is downplayed, officials say.

Rowan Light, a historian from the University of Auckland, says the meaning of the Anzac legend has evolved.
Authorities in Cameroon say anglophone separatists have joined forces with Nigerian militants to shut down nearly all trade across the two countries border. Cameroon depends on Nigeria for 70% of basic commodities and most of them are transported across the land border. Authorities say about 90% of trade has been halted as militants from both sides attack and abduct merchants.

Njume Peter Ambang is a lawmaker from Cameroon's restive southwest region on the border with Nigeria. He said fighters within the past two months have taken control of many businesses, including palm oil plantations in Ndian, a division in the Southwest region.

"Maritime business has collapsed. The oil business has all collapsed. Palm oil fields have been seized by the separatists. They harvest the crops, they mill and sell. These guys are working with area boys (armed groups) in Nigeria, he said.

Ambang was speaking in the Ndian capital, Mundemba, Sunday during a meeting to plead with local fighters to drop their guns and stop harassing merchants.

Cameroons military says several hundred fighters chased from towns and villages during raids by government troops relocated to the border with Nigeria. The military says the fighters have killed at least two dozen merchants and abducted scores of others for ransom since January.

Capo Daniel is deputy defense chief of the Ambazonia Defense Forces, or ADF, one of the largest separatist groups in Cameroon.

He said many fighters have been deployed to the border with Nigeria but denies they fled intensive fighting with Cameroonian government troops.

Daniel said Cameroon's separatists collaborate with Nigeria's Eastern Security Network of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, a secessionist group that advocates for the creation of an independent state in eastern Nigeria.

Daniel said the Ambazonia and Biafra groups are collaborating to help each other and undermine government control of the border area.

"We want to put in place our own security network to regulate trade and to control the movement of goods and persons between Biafra and Ambazonia. We will no longer allow Cameroon and Nigeria to enforce their law on the border between Biafra and Ambazonia. We will put an end to the exploitation of the Biafra people as well as the Ambazonia people as we work in alliance with our counterparts across the border in Biafra land," he said.

Daniel said the ADF and IPOB have been able to stop both Cameroon and Nigeria from collecting revenue from the sales of basic commodities and cash crops including rice, maize, tubers, plantain and cocoa in border localities.

He also said fighters are punishing merchants who collaborate with the two governments by paying taxes or agreeing to be escorted by government troops.

Nigeria and Cameroon have promised to crush all separatists who do not surrender.

The two countries governments announced in February 2021 that they would work together to combat separatists and armed groups.

Cameroon this week said it deployed more troops to the border to protect civilians, merchants and their goods.
Faced with a grave financial crisis, Sri Lanka sought urgent assistance from China amounting to $2.5 billion. Chinese authorities responded Friday, weeks after Sri Lanka made the request for financial support, saying it would extend $31 million in "urgent emergency humanitarian aid."

Sri Lanka has also been seeking to delay the repayment of $11 billion in Chinese loans since January 10 when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited the country's capital, Colombo. China has not responded to the request.

For years, China has tried to create a global image of being a dependable friend to developing countries. But Sri Lankan leaders, including President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, have tested that image by consistently and publicly asking for bail-out funding.

Image matters a lot to China because it is trying to persuade dozens of governments to adopt its infrastructure building program, the Belt and Road Initiative. Beijing has poured more than $800 billion into BRI projects since 2013. BRI is an essential tool for China's quest to sell more goods and obtain contracts for its construction companies  in addition to challenging what it refers to as "American hegemony."

On the other hand, China has been accused by some, including the U.S., of pursuing a kind of "debt-trap diplomacy" meant to bring economically weak countries to their knees, dependent on China for support. Chinese diplomats deny such accusations.

China's reluctance to roll over BRI loans comes as a surprise among analysts and diplomats.

"China has hesitated from granting Sri Lanka moratoria or debt restructuring," Ganeshan Wignaraja, a senior fellow at the National University of Singapore, told VOA.

"China worries that this would create a new precedent in its lending practices. It seems reluctant to initiate similar negotiations with other indebted countries that have received large Chinese Belt and Road loans," he said.

Among the reasons cited for Sri Lankas debt crisis: deep tax cuts enacted before the COVID pandemic shut down tourism and reduced remittances from Sri Lankans working overseas as well a move to organic farming that did not yield enough rice, forcing the country to import it, sometimes at inflated prices.

Under the pressure of $51 billion in foreign debt, Sri Lanka is asking for help from the International Monetary Fund. That includes $11 billion from Chinas BRI projects. This includes $11 billion spent by Chinese lenders on BRI projects in Sri Lanka.

Gulbin Sultana, an associate fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses in New Delhi, believes China has a hidden agenda for refusing to reschedule its loans to Sri Lanka.

"China wants to take advantage of Sri Lanka's inability to repay loans in time. Beijing is waiting for a good time to enter into a debt-to-equity swap and acquire land in Sri Lanka," she said. Such a swap would turn past loans into equity, giving China ownership of the project in Sri Lanka.

Sultana cited the precedent of the Chinese-funded Hambantota port project, which was put through the swap mechanism in 2017 after Sri Lanka failed to repay the debt on time. China acquired 70% ownership after converting loans to equity in the port.

Sri Lanka is in a difficult position regarding ongoing Chinese-funded projects. "If Sri Lanka suspends work on the projects to avoid taking more loans, it will be forced to pay compensation to the Chinese for the work stoppage," Sultana said.

Beijing is not worried that the loss of image in Sri Lanka would harm BRI projects in other countries.

"Different countries opt for Chinese loans because they do not have the necessary funds for new projects. They do not always consider China's global image in making decisions. They consider their local situation and whether other countries are coming forward with offers of assistance," Sultana said.

Taking a somewhat different view, Colombo-based think tank Verite Research said China is not entirely responsible for Sri Lankas predicament. China has contributed just 15 per cent of Sri Lanka's foreign debt, it said pointing out that a big part is the country's borrowings through sovereign bonds sold in several countries.

"While Sri Lanka is being made the poster child of falling into the Chinese debt trap, where it is largely perceived that the nations sovereignty and geo-political space is compromised, the latest insights by Verite Research narrate a different story," the think tank said in an article posted on its website. "Of Sri Lankas total external debt, Verite Research identifies that less than 15 percent is from China."
The tiny South Pacific nation of the Cook Islands reported its first coronavirus-related death Sunday, more than two years after the pandemic erupted.

A 63-year-old woman, who had underlying health conditions, died on her way to hospital on the island of Aitutaki late Saturday.

"It is with great sadness that I announce that we have just recorded our first in-country death attributed to COVID-19," Prime Minister Mark Brown said in a statement Sunday. "She had had all three anti-COVID vaccinations, but also had several serious underlying health conditions."

The island nation had been remarkably free from COVID-19 until an outbreak of the Omicron variant emerged after it reopened its border to travelers from New Zealand early this year.

"It is tragic, but not unexpected that we might lose someone to COVID," Brown said.

The Cook Islands Health Ministry said it has so far recorded 4,727 cases of COVID-19 of which 735 were active as of Sunday morning.
One in four children in Latin America and the Caribbean does not have vaccine protection against three potentially deadly diseases, a U.N. report said Monday, warning of plummeting inoculation rates.

While 90% of children in the region in 2015 had received the vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (DTP3), by 2020 coverage had dropped to three-quarters, according to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a regional office of the World Health Organization.

This means that some 2.5 million children were not fully protected  and 1.5 million of them have not had even one dose in the three-shot regimen.

Globally, according to WHO, 17.1 million infants did not receive an initial dose of the DTP3 vaccine in 2020, and another 5.6 million were only partially jabbed.

Outbreaks of preventable diseases "have already occurred" in Latin America and the Caribbean, the agencies said.

In 2013, only five people in the region contracted diphtheria  a bacterial disease that can cause breathing difficulties, heart failure and potentially death.

Five years later, the number was nearly 900.

There has also been a rise in cases of measles  another disease that can be prevented with inoculation  from nearly 500 cases in 2013 to more than 23,000 in 2019, said the statement.

"The decline in vaccination rates in the region is alarming," said UNICEF regional director Jean Gough.

The reasons were multifold.

"The context in the region has changed in the last five years. Governments have focused their attention on other emerging public health issues such as Zika, chikungunya and more recently COVID-19," UNICEF neonatal expert Ralph Midy told AFP.

"The existence of migrant populations that are difficult to locate and do not always have access to regular health services, in addition to people living in isolated or hard-to-reach areas, also hinders the vaccination process," Midy said.

The downward trend started even before the COVID-19 epidemic, which worsened the situation by interrupting primary health care services and causing some people to avoid clinics and hospitals for fear of the virus.

"As countries recover from the pandemic, immediate actions are needed to prevent (vaccine) coverage rates from further dropping, because the re-emergence of disease outbreaks poses a serious risk to all of society," said Gough.


Egypt released more than three dozen prisoners on Sunday, a week before the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is typically a time of amnesty, a political party and state-run media said.

Political activists and family members confirmed several high-profile detainees were freed.

The Reform and Development Party said those freed had been political prisoners being held in pre-trial detention. The English edition of the state-run newspaper Al-Ahram said 41 prisoners in all were released.

The government's human rights body said in a statement only that there had been a release of individuals held in pre-trial detention but gave no details.

The move came a week before the Eid holiday marking the end of Ramadan. It is typically a time when prisoners are released on presidential pardons, but the number of those freed was one of the largest in recent years. Thousands of political prisoners, however, are estimated to remain inside Egypt's jails, many without trial.

Among the released was political activist Waleed Shawky, his wife, Heba Anees, said on social media. She posted a picture of the couple hugging.

Journalist Mohamed Salah was also released, activist Esraa Abdel Fattah said. And Nabeh Elganadi, a human rights lawyer, posted a picture with Radwa Mohamed, who was arrested after making videos posted on social media criticizing President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

Under broad counterterrorism laws, Egypt's state prosecutors have often used vague charges to renew 15-day pretrial detention periods for months or years, often with little evidence.

On Sunday, Sanaa Seif, the sister of one of Egypt's most high-profile detained activists, Alaa Abdel Fattah, said her brother had faced new ill-treatment in prison and he was on the 22th day of a hunger strike.

Meanwhile, new arrests are still taking place. On Saturday, the human rights lawyer Khaled Ali said several men in the country's south had been arrested and accused of spreading lies after they sung a song about rising food prices in a video posted online.

The government of el-Sissi  a U.S. ally with deep economic ties to European countries  has been relentlessly silencing dissenters and clamping down on independent organizations for years with arrests, detentions and jail sentences, and other restrictions.

Many of the top activists involved in the 2011 uprising in Egypt are now in prison, most of them arrested under a draconian law passed in 2013 that effectively bans all street protests.
The International Criminal Court said Monday that for the first time it will be part of a multination investigative team to probe whether Russia committed war crimes during its two-month invasion of Ukraine.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan and prosecutors general from Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine signed an agreement to jointly conduct the investigation, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) said.

"With this agreement, parties are sending a clear message that all efforts will be undertaken to effectively gather evidence on core international crimes committed in Ukraine and bring those responsible to justice," Eurojust said in a statement.

Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine signed an agreement last month to exchange information about suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity during Russia's assault on Ukraine.

Khan had already opened an ICC investigation early last month into possible war crimes committed in Ukraine after several of the court's member states requested an investigation.

Several early investigations of Russian actions in Ukraine focused on civilian deaths, such as the massacre of hundreds of residents in Bucha and other suburbs near the capital of Kyiv, before Russia moved troops to focus their assault on eastern Ukraine.

The United Nations says nearly 2,000 Ukrainian civilians had been killed as of mid-April. Russia has denied targeting civilians.


Iran said Monday that the latest round of talks with its regional rival Saudi Arabia was "positive and serious" and voiced hope for further progress soon.

Tehran and Riyadh, which severed diplomatic ties in 2016, held four rounds of talks in Iraq between April and September last year, with a fifth meeting last Thursday.

"The fifth round of negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Baghdad ... was positive and serious and saw progress," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters.

Shiite Muslim-majority Iran and the Sunni kingdom of Saudi Arabia support rival sides in several conflicts, including in Yemen, where Tehran backs the Houthi rebels and Riyadh leads a military coalition supporting the government.

In 2016, Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in the Islamic republic after the kingdom executed revered Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Riyadh responded by cutting ties with Tehran.

Iran's Nour news agency reported the latest talks were attended by "senior officials from the secretariat of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and the head of the Saudi intelligence service."

It added that the foreign ministers of the two countries were expected to meet "in the near future."

Khatibzadeh said that "if the negotiations are upgraded to first-class political level, it can be expected that progress can be made swiftly in different sectors of the talks."

He also said "an agreement was reached to hold the next round of negotiations" between Iran and Saudi Arabia, but he did not specify a date.
Iran called on Monday for a new meeting "as soon as possible" in the talks that have been held in Vienna aimed at restoring its frayed 2015 nuclear deal with major powers.

Tehran has been engaged in negotiations with Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia directly and the United States indirectly to revive the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"It is appropriate that a face-to-face meeting is held as soon as possible," Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told his weekly press conference.

"It is not yet decided where and when to have this meeting and at what level it should be held, but it is on the agenda."

The 2015 deal gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program to guarantee that Tehran could not develop a nuclear weapon, something it has always denied wanting to do.

The U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018, under then-President Donald Trump, and reimposed biting economic sanctions, prompting Iran to begin rolling back its own commitments.

Iran and the U.S., adversaries for decades, have been exchanging views through the European coordinator of the Vienna talks, Enrique Mora.

Khatibzadeh said Iran and the European Union agreed that "prolonging the pause in the negotiations is not in anyone's interest."

He added that the talks "have not stopped and are continuing through the coordinator of the Vienna negotiations."

The Vienna talks have been paused since March 11, after Russia demanded guarantees that Western sanctions imposed against it after its February 24 invasion of Ukraine would not damage its trade with Iran.

Days later, Moscow said it had received the necessary guarantees.

The Vienna talks, which started a year ago, aim to return the U.S. to the nuclear deal, including through the lifting of sanctions on Iran, and to ensure Tehran's full compliance with its commitments.

Among the key remaining sticking points is Iran's demand that Washington delist its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from a U.S. terror list.

"It is clear that if the U.S. had given the right answers to the remaining issues ... everyone would have been in Vienna by now," said Khatibzadeh.

U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said last week that "if Iran wants sanctions lifting that goes beyond the JCPOA, they'll need to address concerns of ours that go beyond the JCPOA."


Kenya saw a jump in cases of gender-based violence (GBV) during its COVID-19 lockdowns, which heightened social and financial stress. To address the problem, Kenyan authorities are turning to the dramatic arts.

At the Kenya's National Theatre in Nairobi, some 65 young people are putting their acting skills to use, as part of Kenya's latest strategy to educate the public about the evils of gender-based violence.

Titled A Little Girls Worth, the one-hour play by Kenyan playwrights Derrick Waswa and Tommah Sheriff, is a new production co-sponsored by the Ministry for Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs. It tells a story of how despite their extraordinary contribution in society, women suffer disproportionately.

Derrick Waswa, the play's director, said the goal is to sensitize the public on violence against women, which he said stems from cultural beliefs that a woman is part of a man's possessions.

"Basically people are blaming the violence and not looking at the cause. What we are trying to explain is that the African cultural nature has made women to be submissive. From the bible, you are told to submit to your husband as it is to the Lord, and in this African set up where a man has to pay dowery for you, it means they are technically purchasing you," he said.

A February 2022 report by the Kenya Federation of Female Lawyers (FIDA Kenya) shows that cases of gender-based violence rose sharply during the pandemic, to the point where they made up nearly half the cases reported to the federation.

Authorities attribute the rise in these cases to the pandemic and the economic losses it caused.

The play premiered this month with a three-night run to audiences of 350 at the National Theater.

Audience members like Samson Osoro expressed hope that the dramatic arts will help change men's mindset.

"This play will go a long way to also sensitize especially the men, who may be so unwelcome or harsh to our ladies, to know that ladies are also very important as men are. As a father I would really wish for my daughter to be treated in a better way than during the time of our mother and grandmother," he said.

Njeri Migwi is the founder of Usikimye, an organization working to end sexual and gender-based violence in Kenya. The groups name means speak up in Swahili.

Migwai told VOA that programs such as door to door campaigns will reach more people, but said the play is a step in the right direction.

"Art imitates life and so for the government to use that as a means of educating... one of the things that I have been very passionate about is calling the government to start educating people about the importance of them being aware of GBV and how to acknowledge one of the forms. So the government putting up the effort to put out a play is amazing," said Migwai.

No further dates are set, but youth affairs authorities are hoping to show the play in social halls across the country.
Nicaragua on Sunday closed the offices of the Organization of American States in the capital Managua and brought forward its planned withdrawal from the bloc, the foreign minister said.

Denis Moncada announced his country's immediate split from the OAS and the rescinding of the credentials of its representatives in Washington, saying the "infamous organization" would no longer have offices in Nicaragua.

"Its local headquarters has been closed," he said, reading a statement in an official broadcast.

As of Sunday, Nicaragua was no longer part "of all the deceitful mechanisms of this monstrosity, the so-called Permanent Council, so-called commissions, so-called meetings, so-called Summit of the Americas," said Moncada.

"We will not take part in any of the entities of this diabolical instrument of evil called the OAS," he added.

The government of President Daniel Ortega, a 76-year-old former guerrilla in power since 2007, announced Nicaragua's withdrawal from the OAS in November 2021.

The regional bloc had condemned his re-election for a fourth consecutive term, with numerous challengers and political opponents detained before the vote.

According to protocol, the withdrawal was set to take place over two years, so Nicaragua could complete any pending commitments it might have with the organization.

"Until then, Nicaragua is a full member and must comply with all its commitments," OAS said in a statement, demanding that the government "respect" its relationship with the bloc.

Regional neighbor Venezuela -which officially withdrew from OAS in 2020 - hailed Nicaragua's resignation as "courageous," calling the body "an instrument of US imperialism."

'Closing a door to peace'

The decision comes after Nicaragua's then-permanent representative to the OAS Arturo McFields surprised a session of the Permanent Council by denouncing Ortega's government as a "dictatorship" in March.

He also questioned the circumstances under which Ortega's political opponents were arrested.

"I can't understand the government's motivations, but this withdrawal comes one month after my speech at the OAS," McFields told AFP Sunday.

The OAS offices, which McFields said are currently operating with a small administrative crew, "have historically been in our country, and were a historic part of peace in Nicaragua," he said.

"The government is closing a door to peace," McFields added.

The OAS sent a mostly unsuccessful mission to Nicaragua in 2016 to mediate when the opposition accused Ortega of fraud in winning his third consecutive term as president, with his wife Rosario Murillo as vice president.

The organization called on Nicaragua to implement changes to its electoral system, and after a visit from secretary general Luis Almagro, the OAS and Managua signed an agreement in 2017.

But the agreement was derailed after 2018's months-long anti-government protests paralyzed the country and violent repression left 355 people dead, hundreds detained and thousands exiled, according to the OAS' Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Ortega repeatedly denied OAS representatives entry to Nicaragua to investigate the protests and subsequent crackdown, alleging they were interfering in an internal matter.

And Almagro warned in June 2021, as Ortega's political opponents began to be arrested before the presidential election, that the government could be considered a "dictatorship" because "the exercise of power was not done in accordance with the rule of law."
The world's largest security body on Sunday called for the "immediate release" of four of its Ukrainian members detained in pro-Russian separatist territories in the country's east.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) evacuated many of its staff from the country after Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Many had been in the east to observe a cease-fire after Russia's 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and several Ukrainian members have stayed on.

Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, whose country currently chairs the OSCE, said the detention of four members "for engaging in administrative activities that fall within their official functions as OSCE staff" was "unacceptable."

"We call for their immediate release," he said. "They have been held without charge for a period of time now and the OSCE and their families have not been sufficiently informed of the situation."

Earlier Sunday, the OSCE said on Twitter it was "extremely concerned" that several members had been "deprived of their liberty," in line with Russian media reports they had been arrested.

It added that it was "using all available channels to facilitate their release."

The security services of the Lugansk separatists said this month they had arrested two members of the OSCE mission, according to Russia's TASS news agency.

TASS said one of them had "confessed" to passing "confidential military information to representatives of foreign special services" and that a high treason investigation had been opened against him.

The Donetsk separatist prosecutor's office confirmed he had opened espionage probes against several OSCE employees suspected of having collected and transmitted "information constituting state secrets" to the Ukrainian secret services.

The prosecutor's office said this included videos, revealing the position of separatist military units.

On Sunday, the U.S. ambassador to the OSCE, Michael Carpenter, also called for the members of the body's Ukraine Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to be released.

"Russia's lies claiming Ukrainian OSCE_SMM staff spied for the Ukrainian government are reprehensible," he said on Twitter.

The OSCE international observation mission in Ukraine was not renewed at the end of March, after Moscow blocked the proposal.

Authorities in Ukraine's separatist regions have given OSCE staff until the end of April to cease all activities.

The Vienna-based OSCE has 57 member states on three continents  including Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
Clashes between Arab nomads and local farmers in Sudan's West Darfur state that killed more than 200 people over the weekend spread Monday to the state's capital, Al Geneina, with the United Nations condemning the surge in violence.

The mayhem that began Friday followed the discovery April 21 of two nomads' bodies near Hashaba village, outside of the town of Kreinik.

According to a preliminary report, 201 bodies have been identified in roads and other public places, but the death toll is likely to climb, said Assadiq Mohammed, head of West Darfur's humanitarian department.

"Many people have been killed inside their houses. The situation is not conducive to carry out additional counts. Definitely, the number may increase," Mohammed told VOA's South Sudan in Focus on Monday.

The Displacement Tracking Matrix in Sudan, produced by the U.N. International Organization for Migration, estimates that 7,500 to 12,500 households around Kreinik sought refuge in a local military compound over the weekend.

Adam Zachariah, a physician at Al Geneina's main hospital, spoke with South Sudan in Focus reporters Monday. He said armed Arab nomads had stormed the hospital, demanding treatment for their colleagues wounded in the clashes.

"The exchange of gunfire continues this morning," Zachariah said, adding that six Sudanese soldiers reportedly were killed by the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group.

Zachariah, who is in hiding, said he and other health workers have fled the facility.

"The situation in Al Geneina is tense and the main hospital is closed because health workers are not safe to carry out their duties. Some of us have been threatened, beaten and forced to treat wounded people," Zachariah told VOA.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the fighting, which represents one of Sudan's deadliest episodes in recent years. A statement released Monday said he deplored "the killings of civilians in Kreinik locality as well as the attacks on health facilities," and called for "an immediate end to the violence."

The U.N. Security Council ended its Sudan peacekeeping mission in 2020.

The Norwegian Refugee Council also called on all parties to immediately de-escalate and restrain from further harming civilians. "Safe and free passage of fleeing civilians and access for humanitarian assistance must be urgently restored," said Will Carter, the organization's country director in Sudan.

Sudan was plunged into political uncertainty after a military coup last October.

The World Food Program reported earlier this month that at least 18 million people across Sudan are likely to face acute food insecurity by September because of the combined effects of insecurity, economic crisis and poor harvests.
Russia's foreign ministry said on Monday that it had declared 40 German diplomatic staff "personae non gratae" in a retaliatory move after Berlin expelled the same number of Russian diplomats.

In a statement, Russia's foreign ministry said it had taken the decision after Germany on April 4 declared a "significant number" of officials at the Russian embassy in Berlin "undesirable."

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the expelled Russians had never actually done any diplomacy during their time in Germany, but rather "systematically worked against our freedom and the cohesion of our society."

The expelled German diplomats by contrast had worked hard on bilateral relations despite difficult circumstances, she said in a statement, adding that the news had been expected.

"Russia is therefore harming itself with today's expulsions," she said.

Germany was one of several European countries to expel Russian diplomats after reports of mass graves being found and of civilian killings in the Ukrainian town of Bucha during Russian occupation.

Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24 in what it called a "special operation" to degrade its military capabilities and root out what it calls dangerous nationalists.

Ukrainian forces have mounted stiff resistance and the West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in an effort to force it to withdraw its forces.


An active-duty South Korean marine who made an unauthorized overseas trip  reportedly an attempt to reach Ukraine  has been arrested after arriving back home, Seouls military said on Monday.

The serviceman, whose identity was withheld, left South Korea without permission while on duty on March 21, the Marine Corps said in a statement, adding that he was arrested immediately after returning home.

South Korea banned its nationals from traveling to Ukraine shortly before conflict broke out this year, citing safety concerns.

Active duty servicemen are specifically banned from any overseas trips without prior approval, and leaving without permission is considered desertion, which is a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

We will take stern measures in accordance with laws and regulations after investigating why he had left his duty, the Marine Corps said.

According to the Yonhap news agency, the man flew to Poland in an apparent attempt to join the Ukrainian army in its fight against Russia.

He was not, however, able to enter the war-torn country as access was denied at the Polish-Ukraine border, Yonhap reported.

The unidentified marine is widely believed to have uploaded a YouTube video on April 9 in which he said he had a difficult time in the South Korean armed forces.

But I couldnt help but act when I heard about Ukraine, where people are faced with a much more difficult situation, he said in the footage, his face hidden from view.

Volunteer fighter killed

The defense ministry said the man was a conscript.

All able-bodied South Korean men are required to serve in the military for nearly two years, mainly due to the threat of conflict with nuclear-armed North Korea.

The two Koreas remain technically at war, as their 1950-53 conflict ended with an armistice and not a peace treaty.

Reports of bullying and other forms of abuse have long tainted South Koreas military. Such cases have previously resulted in suicides and deadly shooting sprees.

The announcement came days after Seouls foreign ministry said it had received intelligence that at least one South Korean volunteer fighter  who entered Ukraine without government permission  had died.

Seoul banned its citizens from traveling to Ukraine in mid-February, but there are four South Korean nationals who are believed to be in the country as of Friday, the ministry added.

We urge South Koreans who have entered Ukraine without permission to leave the country as soon as possible, the ministry said.

There are serious concerns about your personal safety due to intensifying hostilities in southeastern Ukraine.
A Sudanese aid group says that tribal clashes on Sunday between Arabs and non-Arabs in the war-ravaged Darfur region have killed 168 people.

Adam Regal, spokesman for the General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced in Darfur, says fighting in the Kreinik area of West Darfur province also wounded 98 others.

He says the clashes first erupted Thursday with the killing of two people by an unknown assailant in Kreinik, around 30 kilometers (18 miles) east of Genena, the provincial capital of West Darfur.

He says the militias known as janjaweed attacked the area early Sunday with heavy weapons and burned down and looted houses in the area.

The clashes eventually reached Genena, where militias and armed groups attacked wounded people while they were being treated at the city's main hospital, according to Salah Saleh, a doctor and former medical director at the hospital.

Authorities have deployed more troops to the region since the fighting on Thursday left eight dead and at least 16 others wounded.

Sudan's Darfur region has seen bouts of deadly clashes between rival tribes in recent months as the country remains mired in a wider crisis following last year's coup, when top generals overthrew a civilian-led government.

The October coup has upended the country's fragile path to democracy after a popular uprising led the military to overthrow longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.
When a woman gashed her leg in mountains inhabited by snakes and scorpions, she told Joel Ubeda to take her 5-year-old daughter. Ubeda refused to let the mother die, despite the advice of their smuggler and another migrant in a group of seven and helped carry her to safety by shining a mirror in sunlight to flag a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter near San Diego.

The motorcycle mechanic, who used his house in Nicaragua as collateral for a $6,500 smuggling fee, says the worst day of his life was yet to come.

Arrested after the encounter with U.S. agents, Ubeda learned two days later that he could not pursue asylum in the United States while living with a cousin in Miami. Instead, he would have to wait in the Mexican border city of Tijuana for hearings in U.S. immigration court under a Trump-era policy that will be argued Tuesday before the U.S. Supreme Court.

President Joe Biden halted the "Remain in Mexico" policy his first day in office. A judge forced him to reinstate it in December, but barely 3,000 migrants were enrolled by the end of March, making little impact during a period when authorities stopped migrants about 700,000 times at the border.

Ubeda, like many migrants at a Tijuana shelter, had never heard of the policy, officially called "Migrant Protection Protocols." It was widely known under President Donald Trump, who enrolled about 70,000 migrants after launching it in 2019 and making it a centerpiece of efforts to deter asylum-seekers.

"It's a frightening experience," Ubeda said after a telephone call with his mother to consider whether to return to Nicaragua to reunite with her, his wife and his daughter. He was perplexed that a vast majority of Nicaraguans are released in the U.S. to pursue asylum, including the woman he saved and her daughter.

Nearly 2,200 asylum-seekers, or 73% of those enrolled through March, are from Nicaragua, with nearly all the rest from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador and Venezuela. Yet even among Nicaraguans, the policy is small in scope. U.S. authorities stopped Nicaraguans more than 56,000 times from December to March.

Criticisms of the policy are the same under Biden and Trump: Migrants are terrified in dangerous Mexican border cities, and it is extremely difficult to find lawyers from Mexico.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, in an October order to end "Remain in Mexico," reluctantly conceded that the policy caused a drop in weak asylum claims under Trump but said it did not justify the harms.

Emil Cardenas, 27, said he bloodied his foot and drank his urine after running out of water on a three-day hike in mountains near San Diego with a smuggler who took a $10,000 installment toward his fee and stole his passport, phone and other identification.

Cardenas hoped to live near his brother, a Catholic priest in New Jersey, while seeking asylum but waits at the Tijuana shelter for his first hearing in San Diego on May 18. He is disheartened to see others at the shelter on their third or fourth hearing.

"One has to find a way to get across," said Cardenas, a Colombian who had attempted twice to enter the U.S. "I'm thinking about what to do."

While waiting for hearings, men at the shelter are attached to smartphones  reading, watching videos and occasionally calling friends and family. A large television facing rows of tables and plastic chairs helps defeat boredom.

Many have been robbed and assaulted in Mexico, making them too scared to leave the shelter. Some chat in small groups but most keep to themselves, lost in thought.

Carlos Humberto Castellano, who repaired cellphones in Colombia and wants to join family in New York, cried for two days after being returned to Tijuana to wait for a court date in San Diego. It cost him about $6,500 to fly to Mexico and pay a smuggler to cross the border, leaving him in debt, he said.

"I can't leave (the shelter) because I don't know what could happen," said Castellano, 23, recalling that his smuggler took a photo of him. "Getting kidnapped is the fear."

The issue before the Supreme Court is whether the policy is discretionary and can be ended, as the Biden administration argues, or is the only way to comply with what Texas and Missouri say is a congressional command not to release the migrants in the United States.

Without adequate detention facilities, the states argue the administration's only option is to make migrants wait in Mexico for asylum hearings in the U.S.

The two sides also disagree about whether the way the administration ended the policy complies with a federal law that compels agencies to follow certain rules and explain their actions.

A ruling is expected shortly after the administration ends another key Trump-era border policy, lifting pandemic-related authority to expel migrants without a chance to seek asylum May 23. The decision to end Title 42 authority, named for a 1944 public health law, is being legally challenged by 22 states and faces growing division within Biden's Democratic Party.

Due to costs, logistics and strained diplomatic relations, Title 42 has been difficult to apply to some nationalities, including Nicaraguans, which explains why the administration has favored them for "Remain in Mexico."

The administration made some changes at Mexico's behest, which may explain low enrollment. It pledged to try to resolve cases within six months and agreed to shoulder costs of shuttling migrants to and from the border in Mexico for hearings.

As under Trump, finding a lawyer is a tall order. U.S. authorities give migrants a list of low- or no-cost attorneys but phone lines are overwhelmed.

Judges warn migrants that immigration law is complicated and that they face longer odds without an attorney. Migrants respond that calls to attorneys go unanswered and they can't afford typical fees.

"I've seen lots of people in your situation who have found attorneys, often for free," Judge Scott Simpson told a migrant this month in a San Diego courtroom before granting more time to hire one.

Victor Cervera, 40, gave up on low-cost attorneys after his calls went unanswered. The Peruvian's online search for those who take "Remain in Mexico" cases yielded one find  a Miami lawyer who charges $350 for an initial phone consultation.

Nearly all migrants tell U.S. authorities they fear waiting in Mexico, entitling them to a phone interview with an asylum officer. About 15% are spared when the officer agrees their worries are well-founded, while others are excused for reasons deemed to make them vulnerable in Mexico, like gender or sexual orientation.

Those sent back wonder why they were chosen when so many others are released in the U.S to pursue their claims.

"It's a raffle," said Alvaro Galo, 34, a Nicaraguan man who cleans and cooks meals at the shelter to keep his mind busy.
The turbulent 1970s brought a wave of immigrants into America from Southeast to escape war and persecution. One such group founded a home in the (Western) state of Washington to preserve their identities and continue to welcome new refugees. VOAs Virginia Gunawan reports.
A Turkish court sentenced Osman Kavala, a prominent Turkish civil rights activist and philanthropist, to life in prison without parole Monday after convicting him of trying to overthrow the government by financing protests.

Kavala, 64, has been in jail for the past 4 years on charges that he helped finance and organize protests that began as small demonstrations in Istanbuls Gezi Park in 2013 and morphed into mass anti-government protests.

Human rights groups say the case is politically motivated. Ten Western countries, including the United States, France and Germany, called for Kavalas release in October on the fourth anniversary of his arrest.

The European Court of Human Rights has also demanded that Kavala be released, saying that his rights were violated. Turkeys failure to comply with that order has led to proceedings that could see Turkey expelled from the Council of Europe.

The court in Istanbul on Monday also sentenced seven other defendants to 18 years each for aiding an attempt to overthrow of Turkeys government. It acquitted Kavala on charges relating to a 2016 alleged coup attempt that the Turkish government blames on the network of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Kavala denies he was involved in any anti-government activity related to the protests in 2013. In defense statements Friday, Kavala said he only took food and face masks to peaceful protesters.

"The fact that I spent 4 years of my life in prison is an irreparable loss for me. My only consolation is the possibility that my experience will contribute to a better understanding of the grave problems of the judiciary," Kavala told the court by videoconference from Silivri Prison.

Supporters of Kavala and the other defendants sentenced Monday packed the courtroom in anticipation of the verdict and yelled out in protest after the sentences were announced.

Rights group Amnesty International called the conviction a devastating blow.

"Today, we have witnessed a travesty of justice of spectacular proportions. This verdict deals a devastating blow not only to Osman Kavala, his co-defendants and their families, but to everyone who believes in justice and human rights activism in Turkey and beyond," Nils Muiznieks, Amnesty International's Europe director, said in a statement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Kavala of working with U.S. billionaire philanthropist George Soros, who the Turkish leader alleges has financed insurrections in many countries.

Kavala told the court Friday via video link that ties between Soros and him are fictional.

He said the protests in Gezi Park were unplanned and unexpected.

An attempt is being made to criminalize the Gezi Park events and to discredit the will of hundreds of thousands of citizens who participated in the events, he said.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is headed to Moscow for a meeting Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a renewed bid to try to get him to agree to a pause or end to his two-month assault on Ukraine.

Guterres spokesperson said the U.N. chief is later going to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Thursday to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, because Guterres feels there is a concrete opportunity for progress.

En route to Moscow, Guterres met Monday in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has attempted, but failed so far, to mediate an end to the fighting between Turkeys two maritime neighbors.

You can see that even the willingness of the parties to meet with him, to discuss things with him, is an opening, Guterres spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters. We will see what we can do, whether we can get a concrete improvement in the humanitarian situation. Whether we can get the fighting to stop for any period of time.

Guterres has made repeated calls for a humanitarian cease-fire or a brief pause in fighting but has been unsuccessful.

Haq said he didnt want to oversell the possibility that either of these could happen, cautioning that diplomacy is neither quick nor a magic wand. But he said Guterres is willing to take a chance to try to improve the situation.

Because ultimately, if we can move ahead, even in small way, it will mean a tremendous amount to tens, even hundreds of thousands of people, Haq said.

But Russias deputy U.N. ambassador said Monday that a humanitarian cease-fire is unnecessary.

We dont think that a cease-fire is a good option right now, because the only advantage it will give  it will give possibility for Ukrainian forces to regroup and to stage more provocations like Bucha, Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky told reporters, referring to the Ukrainian town where Russian soldiers are accused of committing atrocities.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Monday, ahead of planned visits to Ukraine and Russia in efforts to end the Ukrainian conflict.

Neither Guterres nor Erdogan spoke to the media after their talks in the Turkish capital, but both issued statements. The U.N. chief's office recognized and praised Turkish efforts to end the conflict, while the Turkish presidency said it remained committed to end the fighting.

Erdogan has maintained good relations with both Ukrainian and Russian leaders and has sought to mediate the conflict.

Samuel Bendett, a Russia analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses' Russia Studies Program, a U.S. research organization, said Ankara has successfully carved out an important role.

"Turkey is a significant factor here because the Russian president is talking to the Turkish president, the Ukrainian president is talking to the Turkish president. So, Turkey is involved and is in the know, and it could be potentially an important mediator if both sides feel it is time for Turkey to step up into that role," Bendett said.

On Sunday, Erdogan spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In a statement after the talks, Erdogan said he would continue efforts to arrange with Moscow for civilians to leave the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, as well as continuing wider diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Turkey has hosted Russian and Ukrainian foreign minister talks and, most recently, delegations of the warring parties.

Asli Aydintasbas, a senior fellow of the European Council, said Ankara has a vested interest in ending the Ukrainian conflict.



"Russia controls Turkey's southern flank because of its presence in Syria and its increased presence in the east and the Caucasus; if they take over Ukraine, Turkey will effectively be surrounded by Russia," Aydintasbas said. "I think people have enough historical memory to know that is not a good strategic place to end up for Turkey."

Some analysts say that Erdogan's role in peace efforts has enhanced the Turkish president's international standing after he faced growing isolation among western allies.

On Saturday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives were continuing, and Turkey was ready to host a summit between Putin and Zelenskyy  if there was significant progress. However, the Turkish top diplomat tempered expectations, admitting prospects of a breakthrough were low.

As Moscow escalates its military offensive in Ukraine, observers say Putin appears to be showing little interest in peace efforts.


Afghanistan should join a list of the "worst of the worst" violators of religious freedom in the wake of the Taliban's return to power, a U.S. advisory body is recommending to the State Department.

In its annual report issued Monday, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom says religious minorities have "faced harassment, detention and even death due to their faith or beliefs" since the Taliban reimposed its harsh interpretation of Sunni Islam on Afghanistan. It also cited attacks on religious minorities by an Islamic State affiliate that is an enemy of the Taliban.

Afghanistan is among 15 nations that the commission says should be on the State Department's list of "countries of particular concern." The commission, in its report summary, defined these governments as the "worst of the worst" in tolerating or engaging in "systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom."

The commission, created in 1998 under the International Religious Freedom Act, makes nonbinding policy recommendations to the administration and Congress. The State Department has adopted some but not all of its recommendations in the past.

In the new report, the commission recommends maintaining 10 countries currently on the State Department list, including China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

It also recommends adding four more in addition to Afghanistan  India, Nigeria, Syria and Vietnam. The commission criticized the Biden administration for removing Nigeria from the list last year.

The report said that in Afghanistan, many minority Jewish, Hindu and Sikh residents have fled the country after the Taliban returned to power. It said many members of other religious minorities, such as Ahmadiyya Muslims, Baha'is and Christian converts are worshipping in secret for fear of persecution.

Many religious minorities fled Afghanistan out of fear for what could happen under the Taliban, rather than in response to specific actions or edicts issued by the Taliban.

Some Sikhs still live and worship in Kabul, and the report notes that Taliban representatives visited a Sikh gurdwara or house of worship to assure them of their safety. But the report said many Sikhs and Hindus have fled to India "due to the lack of safety and security."

The commission also cited a Human Rights Watch report of the Taliban attacking and seizing property of ethnic Hazaras belonging to the Shiite Muslim minority, plus an Amnesty International report of a Taliban massacre of Hazara men in 2021.

Several deadly attacks on Hazaras have been attributed to Islamic State in Khorasan Province or IS-K, which is hostile to the Taliban and has proven to be an intractable security challenge. The cover of the commission's report includes a photo of a deadly attack by IS-K on a Shiite mosque last year in Kunduz province.

The report echoes CIA World Factbook data from 2009, which said non-Muslim Afghans comprised a tiny fraction of the population. It said 99.7% of Afghans are Muslim, most of them Sunni Muslims, with about 10% to 15% Shiite Muslims.

"The Taliban, while they promised they would form an inclusive government, promising they would be a different kind of government, their actions have proven otherwise," commission chair Nadine Maenza said in an interview. She said that even members of the Sunni majority who don't share the Taliban interpretation of Islamic law are being required to conform to strict dress codes and other measures.

The annual report, while based on developments in 2021, foreshadowed worries about a Russian invasion of Ukraine, citing religious persecution in Russia of Jehovah's Witnesses and of religious minorities such as Muslim Tatars in Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014. The State Department first designated Russia as a country of particular concern last year.

"We fear that violence will continue to increase because of Russia's blatant violation of religious freedom in Russia and in this conflict that exists in Ukraine," said commission member Khizr Khan at an online news conference Monday.

This year's report marks the first time since 2001, when the Taliban last ruled in Kabul, that the commission recommended designating Afghanistan as a country of particular concern, the report said. The State Department last year already listed the Taliban on a similar list of non-state violators of religious freedom based on its actions before returning to power in August.

The commission recommended sanctioning individual Taliban officials deemed responsible for severe violations of religious freedom and urged that those facing persecution receiving priority in refugee resettlement.

In its report, the commission cited Myanmar's military for "atrocities against religious communities"; China for detaining Uyghur and other Turkic Muslims "arbitrarily in concentration camps, prisons and forced labor"; Pakistan for enforcement of anti-blasphemy laws that endanger minorities; and India for worsening conditions for religious minorities under its Hindu-nationalist government.

The commission also recommended that 12 countries be placed on a "special watch list" due to religious freedom concerns. They include three on the State Department's list  Algeria, Cuba and Nicaragua  along with Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Turkey and Uzbekistan.
U.S. diplomats will start returning to Ukraine this week, and the United States is sending more military aid to help Ukraine's war effort against Russia, as senior U.S. officials pledged Monday to continue supporting Ukraine and rallying other nations to contribute.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Poland after visiting Kyiv along with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that while Russia is trying to "brutalize" parts of Ukraine, "Ukrainians are standing strong, and they're doing that with the support that we have coordinated from literally around the world."

"In terms of Russia's war aims, Russia has already failed," Blinken said, "And Ukraine has already succeeded because the principal aim that (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin brought to this, in his own words, was to fully subsume Ukraine back into Russia, to take away its sovereignty and independence, and that has not happened and clearly will not happen."

Still, Russia launched new attacks Monday, hitting rail and fuel installations far from the front line of its eastern offensive.

The chief of the state-run Ukrainian Railways said five railway facilities were hit early Monday in central and western Ukraine, including a missile attack near the western city of Lviv. At least five people were killed by Russian strikes in the central Vynnytsia region, Ukrainian authorities said.

In all, the Russian Defense Ministry said its warplanes destroyed 56 Ukrainian targets overnight. Meanwhile, two fires were reported at oil facilities in western Russia, not far from the Ukrainian border. But it was not clear what caused the blazes.

Blinken said he and Austin met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials for about three hours to both demonstrate U.S. support and to hear from Zelenskyy what his country needs as the conflict moves forward.

"We want to do everything we can to help the Ukrainians bring this to an end on the best possible terms as quickly as possible," Blinken said.

The train ride to Kyiv for top U.S. officials' Sunday meeting with Zelenskyy took 11 hours each way. The train went through mostly countryside. The blinds were mostly down but U.S. officials were able to peek out every once in a while.

Zelenskyy was described by a senior administration official as "very focused, very grounded, very detail-oriented" on different aspects of Ukraine's security, economic, humanitarian needs, and the sanctions against Russia during the meeting.

"I think (Zelenskyy looked) extraordinarily well, remarkably well," the official said.

Zelenskyy's office said Monday the discussions included security guarantees along with defense and financial aid for Ukraine. A statement said the Ukrainian side put a particular focus on increasing sanctions against Russia. "We understand what the next steps on this track should be. And we count on the support of our partners," Zelenskyy said.

The United States is providing further foreign military financing to Ukraine to help the country obtain more advanced weapons and air defense systems to fend off Russian attacks, according to senior U.S. officials.

"We intend to obligate more than $713 million in foreign military financing," a senior State official said. "This includes funding for Ukraine and 15 other allies and partner nations in central and eastern Europe, in the Balkans. ... And it will provide support for capabilities Ukraine needs, especially for the fight in the Donbas."

With the new assistance in foreign military financing, the U.S. would have committed about $3.4 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia's invasion began, and more than $4.3 billion since the start of the Biden administration.

Returning U.S. diplomats will go first to the western city of Lviv and then eventually to Kyiv, a process that Blinken said could take several weeks.

U.S. President Joe Biden is also set to formally nominate Bridget Brink, currently U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, to be U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

Several European Union and NATO member countries are sending their diplomats back to Kyiv, including Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia. The British government announced Friday that it would shortly reopen its embassy in Kyiv.

The return of foreign diplomats is seen as a sign of some semblance of safety in Ukraine after almost two months of Russia's shelling and bombing.

The visit to Kyiv came ahead of Tuesday's consultations between the U.S. and dozens of allies at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, where Austin will discuss Ukraine's long-term defense needs.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov will attend Tuesday's meetings.

On Tuesday's agenda: an update on battlefield conditions, Ukraine's resistance amid Russia's attacks, upcoming security assistance to Ukraine, and Ukraine's willingness and ability to move away from Russian-made systems.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Russian forces would observe a cease-fire and open a humanitarian corridor for civilians Monday around the Azovstal steel factory in the southern city of Mariupol, where Ukrainian forces have been holed up and defiantly refusing Russian demands to surrender.

Last week, Putin ordered a tight blockade of the facility that Russian forces have struggled to take over from perhaps thousands of Ukraine fighters and civilians who have remained in control of the plant with its labyrinth of tunnels and passageways.

Britain's Defense Ministry said Monday Ukraine's defense of Mariupol has "exhausted" many Russian units and reduced their combat effectiveness. The ministry added that Russia has "yet to achieve a significant breakthrough" since turning its focus in Ukraine to the eastern Donbas region.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, one of the worlds largest exporters of wheat, has led to bread prices soaring in importing countries like Zimbabwe. The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe has warned of possible bread shortages in the country after Ukraine was forced to suspend shipping. Columbus Mavhunga reports from Harare, Zimbabwe. Camera: Blessing Chigwenhembe
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How a 19th-century protest folk song became the anthem of Italy's anti-fascist resistance.

Every year on 25 April, Bella Ciao is sung across Italy to mark the Festa della Liberazione which marks the countrys liberation from German occupation and fascist rule at the end of world war two.

Dating from the 19th-century, Bella Ciao was originally an Italian protest folk song, lamenting the harsh working conditions of the mondina workers in the paddy fields of northern Italy.

However the song's lyrics were modified in the 1940s to tell the story of a young man who bids farewell to his love ("goodbye beautiful") to join the Italian partisans.

And if I die as a partisan, then you must bury me / up in the mountain / under the shade of a beautiful flower / and all those who shall pass / will tell me What a beautiful flower / this is the flower of the partisan / who died for freedom.

The song was soon adopted as the anthem of the Italian partisans and today is sung worldwide as an anti-fascist hymn of freedom and resistance.

However in Italy, like the annual commemoration on 25 April, Bella Ciao remains divisive and is scorned by those on the right who refuse to celebrate Liberation Day.

Photo ANPI
Italy celebrates Festa della Liberazione on 25 April.

Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri visited the Historic Museum of the Liberation of Rome on 25 April to mark Liberation Day, a national public holiday in Italy.

However not many people are aware of the Museo storico della Liberazione di Roma, one of Rome's lesser-visited museums, and the horrors that once took place inside its windowless walls.

Located on a nondescript side street in the city's S. Giovanni quarter, the three-storey museum is housed in what was the Gestapo headquarters during the Nazi occupation of Rome in the second world war.

Comprising prison cells and torture chambers, Rome's Liberation Museum documents the persecution of Jews and Italian resistance figures, or partigiani, interrogated there by the SS from 1943-1944.

The museum places a particular focus on the Fosse Ardeatine Massacre when some of the 335 victims were taken from the prison on Via Tasso before being murdered in a quarry near the Appia Antica.

Amid the horror of the museum are touching messages, about life and freedom, scrawled or carved into the walls of the cells, often written by prisoners in the last hours of their lives.

Today this bleak building contains archive photographs and Gestapo documents as well as personal items belonging to the victims of the Nazi massacres at Fosse Ardeatine and Forte Bravetta.

The building's history

Built in the late 1930s, the building was used initially as the cultural office of the German embassy in Rome, however in September 1943 it became the base of the Sicherheitspolizei (SiPo), an agency of the SS, led by Herbert Kappler.

The building's location was also near the wartime headquarters of the Nazi Gestapo at Villa Wolkonsky, today the residence of the British ambassador to Italy.

Kappler transformed the building on Via Tasso into a prison, its rooms turned into cells, and by January 1944 all its windows had been walled up to facilitate the imprisonment, interrogation and torture of its prisoners.

An estimated 2,000 people passed through its doors until the Liberation of Rome on 4 June 1944 when the people of Rome broke into the jail and freed the prisoners who had not been taken and murdered by the retreating SS.

Becoming a museum

The apartments occupied by the SS were donated to the Italian state in 1950 by Princess Josepha Ruspoli in Savorgnan di Brazza, who stipulated that the rooms be used as a permanent museum.

The Museo storico della liberazione di Roma was inaugurated in 1955 by Italy's then president Giovanni Gronchi and was opened definitively in 1957.

Visiting the museum

Entry is free but donations are encouraged for the museum's upkeep. For full visiting details, in English, see museum website.
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Amid all the ominous political news of this season, Democrats have kept their eyes fixed on a ray of hope: States were redrawing the lines that define congressional districts, and Democrats were making out well in the process. How Democrats are winning congressional redistricting fights was a CNN.com headline last month. Republicans built on their existing gerrymanders to try to expand their House advantage, but Democrats fired back even more powerfully with gerrymanders of their own, reports Vox.

But gerrymandering isnt going to save the Democrats. Not this year, and probably not this decade. It may not even do much to help them.

In part, thats because the new lines arent final. In Florida, Republican governor Ron DeSantis has persuaded the state senate to revise the borders in a special legislative session. If his new map prevails, the state will have four more Republican-leaning House seats than it does now.

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But there are also trade-offs in redistricting that pose an especially acute problem for contemporary Democrats. Their voters have gotten more geographically concentrated over time; theyve shed rural voters while gaining city-dwellers. To maximize the number of House seats they can contest, they have to divide the voters in their urban strongholds among districts. Because the 2020 election left them with full control over redistricting in relatively few places, they have to use this tactic very aggressively where they can.

Nevada is a case in point. Three of the states four House districts tilt Republican. The Democrats, who control the governorship and both houses of the legislature, took Democratic voters out of the district centered in Las Vegas and split them among two other seats. The result was a new map with three districts that voted for Joe Biden in 2020.

The danger for Democrats lies in the fact that all three of the redrawn districts voted for Biden narrowly. Rep. Dina Titus, the Democrat who holds the Las Vegas seat, would have been a lock for re-election under the old lines. Now a Republican wave, even a medium-sized one, could sweep the Democrats out of every seat in the state. Thats a real prospect in a state with a lot of working-class Hispanic voters, a group that has been moving toward the Republicans lately.

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Keep in mind, too, that this wave would be measured against the parties showing in the 2020 presidential race. On average, Biden ran ahead of Democratic congressional candidates that year, winning over some voters who often back Republicans but couldnt abide Trump. Democrats cant count on those voters in 2022.

Republicans generally followed a different strategy in redistricting. With more district lines under their control, Republicans could afford to make it a higher priority to protect the seats where they already had an advantage. They werent as aggressive about maximizing the number of seats they could contest. Thats why news coverage played up Democrats surprising gains from redistricting.

But Republicans got both a short-term and a long-term benefit from their approach. This year, they can concentrate their efforts on a smaller number of winnable seats. And in future elections of this decade, when there might be a Democratic wave, more of the Republicans seats will be safe.

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On April 20, the election-watchers at the Cook Political Report revised their ratings of eight House races. Each revision favored the Republicans. The two Nevada seats that got additional Democratic voters through redistricting had been judged to lean toward the Democrats. Now theyre toss ups. Tituss seat, which had not even been considered competitive in 2020, is now rated lean Democratic.

In a 1986 Supreme Court decision concerning district lines, Justice Sandra Day OConnor noted that an overambitious gerrymander can lead to disaster for the legislative majority: because it has created more seats in which it hopes to win relatively narrow victories, the same swing in overall voting strength will tend to cost the legislative majority more and more seats as the gerrymander becomes more ambitious. Thirty-six years later, Democrats may learn that lesson the hard way.

More from Bloomberg Opinion:

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 The Real Reason Biden Should Want to Be Like Harry Truman: Jonathan Bernstein

 End the Federal Attack on Charter Schools: Michael R. Bloomberg

 Ford Needs to Take a Stand in Tennessee: Andre Perry and Tonantzin Carmona

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Ramesh Ponnuru is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is the editor of National Review, a contributor to CNN and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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For the first time in many years, the commodity-trading industry has caught the eye of policy makers and regulators. Theyre not pleased. In a series of recent reports, letters and confidential memos from major central banks and global financial regulators, a couple of words creep out: opaque and unregulated. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Anyone familiar with commodity trading would be forgiven for thinking this is obvious. It is, but dont dismiss the newfound attention. Coming from some of the worlds most powerful institutions, from the U.S. Federal Reserve to the Financial Stability Board to the International Monetary Fund, this heralds a new era for the industry  one of greater oversight, at the very least, if not outright regulation.

For decades, policy makers have focused on the most transparent side of commodity markets  futures and options  and paid little attention to the murkier corners: above all, privately negotiated over-the-counter derivatives and physical markets. Any extra oversight fell on what was already quite regulated and transparent. That failure to dig into the opaque allowed top commodity trading houses, such as Vitol Group, Trafigura Group, Glencore Plc and Cargill Inc., to expand without the burden of extra regulation.

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The Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the resulting jump in commodity prices, has since catalyzed attention toward the resilience of corners of global financial markets that were little known by the broader public only a few weeks ago, as the IMF put it.

It wasnt just the broader public. Regulators themselves knew little. The Bank of England was rather candid about it: The assessment of risk was made more difficult by the relative opacity of commodity derivatives markets and the fact that some material physically settled transactions are not reportable to trade repositories.(3)The British central bank added that several important commodity firms werent subject to transparency regulations put in place after the global financial crisis.

Whats coming is likely similar to what Wall Street faced after 2009: a lot more supervision. More regulation was a given after energy traders asked for help. In a letter to governments and regulators, the lobby group for European energy traders warned in March of intolerable cash-liquidity pressure across the sector and asked for tax-payer money support. Central banks, including the European Central Bank(4)and the Fed, said no to the bail out. Only the German government decided to use a state-owned bank to support its utilities, some of which are big traders. But policy makers were rather alarmed that the energy traders, which have always lobbied for self-regulation, asked for help.

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Now, the Financial Stability Board, a body created in 2009 by the G-20, has promised an in-depth analysis of the vulnerabilities surfacing from Russias war in Ukraine, with a particular focus on commodity markets. In a letter last week, Klass Knot, the chairman of the FSB and head of the Dutch central bank, highlighted two areas of interest for regulators:(2)the link between commodity traders and the banks which finance them, as well as the potential for a big commodity trader to go belly up if raw materials prices spike again.

Commodity-trading houses rely on bank loans to buy oil, metals, and foodstuff, which means they often risk very little of their own equity but their health is linked to that of the banking industry financing it. As the IMF put it, banks play a crucial role and have significant exposures in commodity markets, including by providing liquidity and credit to a small group of large energy trading firms that operate globally, are largely unregulated, and are mostly privately owned.(6)

Let me emphasize a few words of those words: small group of large firms, unregulated, and privately owned. Thats the kind of stuff that makes policy makers sweat  they point to concentrated risk in an opaque corner of the market thats received little attention until now.

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The Fed via its Dallas branch put a similar emphasis when ruling out a bail out. The threshold for central bank intervention in unregulated markets is high, it said(1). Instead, it recommended the sector to shore up its finances rather urgently. It would be prudent for firms active in commodities markets to proactively assess and further strengthen their liquidity profiles.

Now regulators need to follow up  and resist the likely lobby efforts from the industry.

A first step is increasing understanding. As the Bank of England put it, many corners of the commodity-trading sector are opaque. Before any regulation is applied, there needs to be greater transparency. So shine the light on over-the-counter derivatives markets, mandating disclosures similar to the ones already in place for futures and options markets. The recent chaos in the nickel market was exacerbated because regulators didnt realize the size of the OTC positions, having wrongly assumed that looking at the positions on the London Metal Exchange was enough.

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Physical markets need disclosures, too. Heres one idea: G7 countries could agree to set up a register of international oil transactions. Revolutionary? Well, thats what they agreed to do in 1979(5). This was never implemented because oil traders defeated every attempt of regulation.

Regulators also need to examine the amount of risk commercial banks are taking by underwriting the commodity-trading industry, and especially whether traders are backing the loans they take with enough of their equity. Commodity traders may need to raise more capital to stay in business, as the Fed has already suggested.

For the last decade, commodity traders have been under the microscope of law enforcement agencies, with the U.S. Department of Justice in particular clamping down on bribery and money laundering. Its about time financial regulators put them under the magnifying glass too.

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(1) Bank of England, Financial Policy Summary and Record of the Financial Policy Committee meetings on 9 and 18 March 2022

(2) European Central Bank, Confidential memo on Funding issues related to the functioning of energy markets, March 30, 2022

(3) Financial Stability Board, To G20 finance ministers and central bank governors letter, April 2022

(4) International Monetary Fund, Global Financial Stability Report, April 2022

(5) Commodity Financing Markets Shaken by Russia Invasion; Monitoring for U.S. Financial Stress, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, April 2022

(6) G7, Declaration, June 29, 1979

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Javier Blas is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering energy and commodities. He previously was commodities editor at the Financial Times and is the coauthor of The World for Sale: Money, Power, and the Traders Who Barter the Earths Resources.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2022 Bloomberg L.P.

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For all the promises from politicians to tackle online hate speech and misinformation, they continue to proliferate. Governments know they can polarize societies and harm the vulnerable, but fear a broad crackdown will see them accused of censorship. After more than a year of internal wrangling, the European Union finalized legislation that, according to Facebook whistle-blower Frances Haugen, could represent a global gold standard for regulating social media. Previous frustrated efforts to control the worlds technology giants suggest the hardest work is still to come.

1. Whats driving this?

Weve come a long way since the early days when social media were supposed to connect the world and promote truth and mutual understanding. Today, conspiracy theories about U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine can leap from obscure QAnon forums all the way to Fox News. Weve seen scandals over personal data breaches and the promotion of quack treatments for Covid-19. Events like the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol Hill riot show how misinformation can trigger violence. Allegations last year that content on Facebook encouraged eating disorders and helped to foment genocide in Myanmar increased the pressure for action.

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2. Whats the EUs plan?

The EUs Digital Services Act approved on April 23 gives governments more power to force the companies to take down illegal content such as hate speech, terrorist propaganda or ads for unsafe toys. If they dont, they could face fines running to 6% of their annual revenue. Platforms will have to adhere to a code of conduct, allow enforcement agencies to examine the algorithms that decide what users see and report back on how theyre dealing with harmful material. If its found theyre not doing enough, they could be told to alter the algorithms. Additional powers to combat disinformation could be triggered during a crisis such as a war or a pandemic. Ads aimed at children -- an important source of revenue for the companies that own Facebook and Google -- will be banned. So will the targeting of ads using race, religion and other sensitive information.

3. How big is this?

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It means the social media giants will no longer be left to police themselves, though much depends on what the EU decides is harmful and how rigorously the new rules are enforced. A lot of fake news and the misinformation flagged by Haugen isnt illegal and cant be taken down unless it violates the platforms terms and conditions. The alternative is to stop objectionable content appearing in feeds. But the algorithms that decide what users see are complex, and theres little precedent to guide EU regulators when they start their work.

4. How have the big tech firms responded?

Theyre concerned that the details of how the DSA will work in practice arent clear. Watchdog groups say the tech giants spent record sums lobbying the EU, especially on the DSA and the Digital Markets Act, a separate piece of legislation thats designed to rein in their market power. The DMA was originally their main focus, as Apple Inc. would be forced to allow third-party app stores in its products and Amazon.com Inc. would be banned from ranking its own e-commerce products higher than those of rivals. The DSA eventually became the more contentious bill after Haugen came to the European Parliament ringing alarm bells over hate speech and harmful content and lawmakers sought to ban targeted advertising altogether. While that effort has failed, the companies continued one of the biggest lobbying efforts Brussels has ever seen.

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5. What could go wrong?

The EU will need to find the funds to employ hundreds of people to monitor the DSA and the DMA. And even heavy fines might simply be shrugged off by the cash-rich tech giants. National regulators have never come close to applying the maximum fines allowed in the EUs current data rules. There are also technical obstacles. For example, how do you know that someone is too young to be targeted with ads without collecting data on them in the first place? The way the DSA is implemented will be up to the EUs 27 member states, which all have different legal regimes. Their varying interpretations of what represents illegal hate speech could mean a post is be taken down in Germany but left up in Denmark.

6. Is the EU leading the way here?

The DSA will still put Europe ahead of the U.S. in regulating big tech companies. The U.S. even fought the EUs plans, arguing they unfairly target American companies. But plenty of Washington lawmakers have been pushing for faster action and see the DSA as a possible model. The U.K. may end up being even tougher than the EU in tackling harmful content. Its planned Online Safety Bill would impose bigger fines and could even mean jail time for executives who fail to comply.

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The masks are coming off. Restaurants are filling up. International travel is resuming. But one thing is missing from this picture of returning normality: the rows of office workers bent over their desks. Just over two months ago, I wrote that returning to the office was the great class struggle of our time. Im happy to report that, so far at least, the workers are winning.

In the U.S., office occupancy rates seem to have flatlined at about 43% according to Kastle Systems, which collects figures on the number of workers who are working at their desks in Americas ten largest business districts by measuring key swipes. Occupancy rates fell to 42.8% on April 13, having risen to 43.1% on April 6. Across the Atlantic, Londons occupancy peaked at 42% last month.

This is possibly just a wobble, with the long-term trend still upward. But it seems more likely that companies have gathered the low hanging fruit  the people who were raring to return after the anomie of the lockdown  and will henceforth have to deal with much more resistance. Even elite companies that have made a great fuss about getting their employees back to work such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley are struggling with a resistance army of about 30%. The longer the standoff continues, the more difficult it will be to change peoples habits.

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Employers are making more liberal use of carrots and sticks to overcome this resistance. Returning workers are greeted with drinks parties, swag bags, complimentary classes and lots of happy talk about how the office should be fun. Alphabet Inc.s Google treated its staff to a concert by Lizzo. Microsoft Corp. throws parties with local musical talent. Qualcomm Inc. puts on fitness classes for workers in the office. Its a wonder that anybody can get any work done.

But there is an air of desperation about this. Do workers really value free food and swag so highly that they are willing to endure an expensive commute to eat it? Do we really want to work out in our offices with all our co-workers? And what are we to make of the technology start-up Clions, which has encouraged employees to move their desks to face the cherry blossoms to make work feel more like home?

Hence the sticks. Many companies, including Google, have ordered their workers to turn up for a fixed period of time  most commonly three days a week. Some managers have taken to whispering that there will be a Zoom ceiling on workers who stay at home rather than pulling their weight in the office. And the British government has launched a campaign to get stay-at-home civil servants back to the office. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the minister for government efficiency, has compiled a league table of departments by occupancy rates. (The Department for Education comes at the bottom with 25%. The average across the civil service is 44%.) Rees-Mogg has taken to leaving faux-polite notes on civil servants desks saying sorry you were out when I visited. I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon.

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Yet bullying is no more likely than bribery to be successful in todays tight labor market. The only chance that employers have of winning the class struggle and restoring the ancient regime before the pandemic is if they band together to force employees back to the office. But absent such a grand capitalist conspiracy, employees will vote with their feet and clever employers will use flexibility as a recruitment tool. A series of employee surveys point to the same conclusion: Ipsos found that a third of employees would rather resign than return to the office fulltime; Korn Ferry found that 64% feared that returning to work would hurt their mental health; two-thirds of Google employees are unhappy about having to return to work three days a week. Employers report that potential new recruits are demanding flexible working as a condition of even thinking about taking a job.

The back-to-the office ultras in the business community have been forced to compromise: JPMorgan Chase & Co.s chief executive Jamie Dimon, for example, said in his latest letter to shareholders that half the banks staff will spend some or all of their time working from home in the future. At the same time, reformers who concluded that something fundamental has changed in the world of work are increasingly confident in their analysis. The accountancy and consulting giant Deloitte LLP has cut its office space in London by more than a third as the hybrid model becomes mainstream and some employees choose to work from home fulltime.

There are many possible reasons why so many people are so reluctant to return to the good old ways: lingering worries about Covid; the darkening international situation; the rising cost of fuel; and the growing disorder of American cities, as crime rates soar, homeless camps proliferate and the mentally ill roam the subways. The Kastle figures show much higher occupancy rates in Austin and Dallas, the countrys leaders, than in New York and San Francisco, where commutes are longer and urban disorder worse. A Harris poll for USA Today found that 78% of employees were concerned about being able to afford gas for their commutes.

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But so far none of these explanations is completely convincing: In America, restaurant reservations and seat occupancy rates on airplanes have reached 90% of their pre-pandemic levels while Britain saw a mass exodus from the country at Easter. The real reason why people dont want to go back to the office fulltime is that they dont see the point. Most knowledge workers think that they can do their job just as well from home  and they can point to endless figures that show that they are right. Why endure the hassle of a commute if you can get that report written in the home office?

The clash between workers and employers over returning to work is more than just a struggle over commuting and convenience, though it is certainly that. It is a clash over the meaning of work. The big lesson that workers learned from Covid is that work is no longer dependent on place. Thanks to widely dispersed computing power, you can do it almost anywhere. The big lesson that employers learned from Covid is that companies are more than just nexuses of contracts, as Michael Jensen and William Meckling put it in 1976. They are social organizations that are in the business of transmitting unique cultures (the word company was comprised of two Latin words cum and pane, meaning breaking bread together). When it comes to passing on the tricks of the trade, generating a sense of camaraderie or solving collective problems, there is nothing better than sharing the same space.

Employers are bound to remain frustrated so long as they hanker for a return to the pre-Covid world. Rather than pushing people back into the office first for three days and then for a week, they need to rethink what work means in an age of distributed computer power. They need to recognize that people will no longer go to the office to do things that they can do just as easily at home. So the happy-go-lucky idea that corporate culture will form as a byproduct of people simply turning up is for the birds.

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Companies need to think hard about how to use new technology to reinforce social bonds and transmit corporate culture. How about virtual co-working, whereby colleagues who work at home either keep Zoom on all the time or collaborate over particular projects? (This author co-wrote a book with John Micklethwait over WhatsApp during lockdown.) Or virtual water coolers whereby colleagues drop in on each other at pre-arranged times? Or virtual coffee meetings whereby an algorithm arranges random meetings between colleagues? (The U.K. Treasury was using this device before Covid struck.) Above all, they need to reconceptualize offices as fundamentally social places  not where people go to do their old jobs interspersed with a bit of fun, but where they perform irreducibly collective tasks instead of feeding data to smart machines that dont give a damn what desk theyre sitting on.

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Americas Retirement Crisis Is a Financial Crisis Too: Editorial Board



Four-Day Workweeks Can Burn You Out: Sarah Green Carmichael



Dont Call Me on Friday. Thats My Me Time: Conor Sen

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Adrian Wooldridge is the global business columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. He was previously a writer at the Economist. His latest book is The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World.

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Mark Zuckerberg gave his social media giant Facebook a mountain to climb when he switched focus to the metaverse, an abstract concept whose future customers must open their wallets for a relatively experimental technology. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight His strategy till now: Heavily subsidize the cost of its Oculus Quest virtual reality headset. But $300 is still a lot for a type of device that most consumers have never worn. So Meta Platforms Inc. is taking a cue from Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and other tech companies that have tried their hand at reaching the masses through retail outlets. Its a smart but risky move.

Meta said Monday that its first physical retail space will open on May 9 in Burlingame, California. The store will be at Metas Reality Labs complex, the office where its engineers work on technologies like virtual and augmented reality.

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Overlooking the bay and San Francisco airport, its a good 20-to-30 minute walk from Burlingames main shopping district, suggesting Meta wants its first store to be more of an attraction that people set out to visit. Over the weekend, Zuckerberg posted a photo of himself trying out the Oculus in the store, with whats visible to him displayed on a giant curved screen.

Although Meta will sell its video chatting device Portal and Ray-Ban Stories glasses on site, most of the stores real estate will be dedicated to showcasing the Oculus headset, a Meta spokesman said. That makes sense given Zuckerbergs reportedly obsessive focus on the metaverse lately.

Big Tech has a checkered history when it comes to retail. Despite Apples prominence with more than 500 stores around the world, Microsoft Corp. closed its retail outlets in 2020 to focus on online sales, while Sony Group Corp. shuttered most of its U.S. brick-and-mortar outlets several years earlier.

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Meta also struggled to sell the Oculus headset in outlets of Best Buy Co. Inc., which closed many of the headsets demo stations in 2017. The Oculus had prime real estate on endcaps of Best Buy store aisles, but analysts say the stations were often unmanned and customers probably felt awkward about the prospect of losing themselves in a virtual reality headset in the middle of a large store.

A spokesman for Best Buy said some Oculus demos were still being given at its stores in 2018, but all were shut down during the pandemic.

Metas plans to jump into retail make sense. Twenty years ago, Zuckerberg rode the unstoppable viral growth of the Facebook website, propelled by how easy it was for his users to hook friends into the free social network with just a link.

He faces a completely different task growing a metaverse business. Theoretical promises about the metaverse are a much tougher sell. To persuade consumers to buy an Oculus, Meta needs them to try it, since nothing conveys the experience of virtual reality like actually wearing a headset, (not even Zuckerbergs weird and colorful, hour-long video presentation about the metaverse last year).

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As someone whos not only used a Oculus Quest but watched two different people try it and decide to buy their own device on the spot, I know theres an undeniable wow moment for the uninitiated. The First Steps app on the Quest, for instance, shows a wearer how to use their virtual hands to pick up a paper airplane and throw it, or dance with a robot. Its a remarkable experience but one that would also be difficult to convince people to try in a public place, like a Best Buy store filled with strangers.

Thats why its smart for Meta to control the environment where it can more directly encourage consumers to try its technology. If it can pull off creating a destination where tourists and locals flock to have a fun experience  as they do with retail outlets like M&Ms World or The LEGO Store  that could help spark word of mouth enthusiasm for its headsets.

Wagner James Au, author of The Making of Second Life, who blogs regularly about metaverse platforms, says Meta cant underestimate the psychological barriers to introducing people to VR. Ive worked for metaverse platforms and you really have to wrap your arms around someone and manipulate their head and their face while you put this headset on them.

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Zuckerberg is under increasing pressure to get consumers to embrace his metaverse vision. Metas shares are down 40% since February, when Facebook revealed its daily active user numbers stopped growing for the first time ever.

Meta sold 8.7 million Oculus units globally in 2021, more than double what it sold the year before, and it has an 80% share of the VR market, according to IDC. But it also faces competition from companies with more hardware experience. Sony is gearing up to release its PlayStation VR 2 headset which will have unique features like eye-tracking and haptic feedback in the headset, while Apple is also working on its own virtual reality device.

Fortunately for Meta, both Sony and Apple probably wont release their products until 2023, thanks in part to supply chain delays. But dominance in virtual reality can also flip quickly because the market is still so small. Just a few years ago, for instance, Sony was the market share leader with its PS VR headset, and Meta was nowhere to be seen.

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And on the horizon is yet another fast-moving competitor. ByteDance Ltd., which owns TikTok, also runs Chinas most popular seller of virtual reality headsets, Pico Interactive. That unit sold 500,000 headsets in the mainland last year. Its still a fraction of what Meta sold, but ByteDance could also market its products heavily on TikTok to help build the business.

Marketing and distribution will be a critical but expensive step to help Zuckerberg make a success of his big pivot. His Reality Labs unit lost $6.6 billion in 2020 and another $10.2 billion last year chasing the metaverse business. Meta has said it expects to spend even more for the next several years.

If Meta replicates this first store around the world, shareholders should steel themselves for more money earmarked for commercial real estate, where prices have soared over in the past year.

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Retail is an expensive move for Zuckerberg, but probably necessary given all he has bet on the metaverse. Given the lack of current alternatives from Sony or Apple, he needs to move quickly to experiment with his new format  one where he has no experience  to get his Oculus onto as many curious heads as he can and spread the word.

The bigger question is whether mainstream consumers, and not just gamers, will think the fun experience is worth the money when fears of a cost-of-living crisis are in the air and when socializing in the metaverse is messy and awkward. In that regard, theres still plenty of room for skepticism.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Its Awkward Being a Woman in the Metaverse: Parmy Olson



Workers Are Winning the Return-to-Office War Because Theyre Right: Adrian Wooldridge

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This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Parmy Olson is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology. She previously reported for the Wall Street Journal and Forbes and is the author of We Are Anonymous.

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Storm fuels blizzard in Dakotas, fires in N.M. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight A weekend blizzard unloaded 12 to 20 inches of snow in the western Dakotas and northern Rockies, part of a powerful spring storm that also fueled a rash of fires in New Mexico on Friday and Saturday. The combination of heavy, wet snow and roaring winds left more than 15,000 customers without power Sunday afternoon in the Dakotas, where the snow was finally starting to subside.

In New Mexico, the wind gusts, which peaked in the 60-to-80-mph range on Friday, eased Sunday, but numerous fires were still not fully contained. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) said more than 200 structures had burned in the state, according to the Associated Press. The governor declared states of emergency in several counties.

The combination of strong winds, extremely low humidity, high temperatures and drought fueled blazes not only in New Mexico but also in parts of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska. A blaze in Cambridge, Neb., about midway between Lincoln and Denver, resulted in the death of a retired fire chief and injuries to at least 15 firefighters, according to the Associated Press. It had burned 85,000 acres through Saturday.

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Scientists have determined that human-induced climate change is intensifying the fire risk by increasing temperatures, which dry out the land surface more quickly and make it more combustible. Almost all of New Mexico and the western portions of Kansas and Nebraska are enduring drought.

The storm system responsible for the fires and blizzard has produced incredible temperature contrasts. On its warm side, high temperatures soared into the record-breaking 80s and 90s in the Plains on Friday and Saturday but plummeted into the 20s on its frigid northwest flank. In North Dakota, where the cold and warm air clashed, a blizzard warning and a tornado watch on Saturday were separated by less than 100 miles.

The Weather Services Storm Prediction Center indicated that no areas in the Lower 48 faced an elevated fire danger Sunday, after several days of critical to extreme conditions in parts of the Southwest and Plains.

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Although the center of the storm responsible for the windswept snow and fires is lifting into Canada, its strong cold front was continuing to push eastward through the central United States on Sunday.

On Monday and Tuesday, the front will progress toward the East Coast, producing more downpours and abruptly ending a period of summerlike weather.

 Jason Samenow

Guard member lost in river is identified

The name of a Texas National Guard member who remains missing after going into the river along the U.S.-Mexico border to help two migrants who appeared to be drowning was released on Sunday by officials.

The Texas Military Department identified the missing Guard member as Spec. Bishop E. Evans, 22, from Arlington.

Evans went missing on Friday as he jumped into the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass along the U.S.-Mexico border in a section of the river known to have strong currents.

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Evans is assigned to A Battery, 4-133 Field Artillery Regiment in New Braunfels, the Texas Military Department said in a statement. He joined the Texas Army National Guard in May 2019. Evans left Texas but returned in 2020 after taking part in Operation Spartan Shield in Kuwait.

Dive teams had stopped their operations Saturday evening because of the rivers strong current. Three airboats from the Texas Department of Public Safety helped with the search Sunday.

The two migrants, whom the Texas Military Department said Evans was trying to rescue when he disappeared, were taken into custody by U.S. agents. According to the military department, authorities believe the migrants were involved in drug smuggling.

 Associated Press

Operative at center of absentee inquiry dies

Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr., the key player in a North Carolina absentee ballot fraud probe that led to a do-over congressional election, has died.

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His daughter, Andrea Dowless Heverly, wrote that her father passed away peacefully Sunday morning, according to a social media post. He had been diagnosed with an advanced form of lung cancer and died at his daughters home in Bladen County, his friend Jay DeLancy told the Associated Press. Dowless was in his mid-60s.

The political operative was set to go on trial this summer on more than a dozen state criminal counts related to absentee ballot activities for the 2016 general election and the 2018 primary and general elections. A half-dozen others were also charged.

Dowlesss health had become an issue while receiving a six-month prison sentence for federal crimes involving benefits fraud that was tangentially related to the broader state probe.

 Associated Press

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Adriana Stacey and her children play at their home in Fayetteville, Ark. (Terra Fondriest for The Post)

The vast majority of teens and tweens today have smartphones. These parents said no.
The most thought-provoking contribution Ive heard so far in this utterly dumbed-down election campaign is from barrister Gray Connolly, saying the big issue we should be debating is housing and intergenerational wealth.

Connolly was speaking as a self-proclaimed Red Tory, on ABC Radio Nationals Religion and Ethics Report. Red Tories, he says, are people on the political Right who have a more traditional view of what were trying to achieve. They are true conservatives, trying to conserve the institutions and practices that have given us the way of life we value.

We risk stripping away the Australian way of life if we create a society where young people cant afford housing. Credit:Wolter Peeters

Red Tories believe in communitarianism  much more about we than me. They highlight the virtues of home and family. They emphasise the boring virtues, like duty, perseverance and loyalty, not just peoples rights.

That so few Australians under 40 have any form of home ownership or wealth of any kind is a ticking timebomb socially, Connolly says. Its this that could split the country demographically.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size On a sunny midweek morning in the Australian Ballets Melbourne offices, David Hallberg is not doing his job. As artistic director of one of the countrys largest cultural institutions, youd expect him to be fielding calls from around the world, forging partnerships and nailing down tours. Instead hes  dancing? After two decades performing with the likes of Londons Royal Ballet, the Bolshoi and American Ballet Theatre, Hallberg hung up his dancing shoes. When a dancer steps from the stage, they typically do it for good. It can be a tumultuous period: A lot of people lose their sense of identity and go through a huge shift in what theyll do in life, he says. So whats he doing in sweatpants and ballet flats on the rehearsal room floor, learning moves alongside AB dancers who are technically his employees? David Hallberg with Benedicte Bemet (left) and Lilla Harvey. Credit:Simon Schluter If it seems unusual for the Australian Ballet, its made more so by the choreography theyre learning. Kunstkamer is an epic work created for Nederlands Dans Theatre and described by Hallberg at the 2022 program announcement last year as unlike anything weve ever done before; it will rock the boat. Its choreographed by Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon, outgoing artistic director and artistic adviser to NDT respectively, and world-leading dance-makers Marco Goecke and Crystal Pite. Lightfoot and Leon are here to oversee the first non-NDT production of Kunstkamer. As with all of their work, its as cutting-edge contemporary as anything youre likely to see in the world of dance. And, as Hallberg declared, its unlike anything youve seen at the AB. Kunstkamer is exactly the kind of work that I know we need to be doing here in Australia, says Hallberg. To be the nations ballet company, to be one of the leading arts organisations in the country, we have to not only do a complete arc of work that encapsulates dance in general  and not just classical ballet  but we also have a responsibility to set the bar. Kunstkamer is setting the bar of what is the gold standard of contemporary work.

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Kunstkamer is inspired by the collections of natural wonders that became popular in the 18th century, as well as Albertus Sebas gorgeously illustrated book The Cabinet of Natural Curiosities, in which the burgeoning natural sciences were matched by lavish artistic expression. But its been said that nature abhors a straight line, and classical ballet is full of them. To achieve the perfect symmetry and unison of a classical ballet, a whole architecture of invisible scaffolding surrounds the dance. Hidden lights help dancers form razor-sharp lines, while steps are silently counted out with mathematical precision. Every gesture has its own name, collectively adding up to an esoteric language impenetrable to the outsider. Dancers resemble pollen on the breeze or flowers unfurling in Kunstkamer. Credit:The Australian Ballet Kunstkamer eschews all this geometry and order in search of movements found in nature. Under Lightfoots direction, an ensemble of 40 dancers billow like pollen on the breeze, unfurl like a flower blooming or flock like birds against the sky. When Leon takes charge a smaller group moves with the hidden logic of fauna, alternately taking on a sense of mating dance, aggression display and animal in the headlights. The experts guide to enjoying contemporary dance DAVID HALLBERG: Relinquish control, of asking why or how or what is it about ... allow your imagination to take control. When youre in a dream, youre not in control of what youre dreaming and youre allowing your brain to make up these realities that are completely unrealistic. When you sit down to watch Kunstkamer ... just experience it. SOL LEON: What you are like, I dont care. The only thing I care is that you are being touched, for whatever reason. I can see the body language of the people sitting has changed, because they dont know why. I love that. You dont need to know why or what has touched you. PAUL LIGHTFOOT: We deliberately dont say what the work is about, or give too many clues. Its not giving you everything on a plate. Its something you have to absorb. For some it might be slightly unnerving, but I dont think in a negative way. You hope in a week theyll wake up and still be thinking about ... the work. Thats the beauty of culture. We need it right now, god damn it. We need people to be able to associate their own thoughts, their own sadnesses or joys. Whatever emotions they might be going through. For almost two years Hallberg had been talking with NDT about bringing Kunstkamer to Australia. Then Leon popped the question about Hallberg stepping back onto the stage. Paul did not know. I kind of did it by myself, she says. David and Paul had been talking for a long time and I called David and said: I have a problem 

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He replied with a firm no: not only had he retired from the stage, but hed spent a lifetime dancing as the prince, and had almost no professional experience performing contemporary dance. But Leon was insistent. Sol has a really great power of persuasion, says Hallberg. She said, This role is for someone who actually has stepped off the stage. From left, Sol Leon, David Hallberg and Paul Lightfoot prepare to lift the bar on contemporary dance in Australia. Credit:Simon Schluter As Hallberg prowls the rehearsal room, movements sharp and furtive, sometimes muttering in a multitude of languages, he has a different energy to the rest of the dancers. If they are the wondrous, odd specimens in this collection, he seems like someone on the outside, peering in. Like a gatekeeper or a ghost, says Leon. Though the role Hallberg is dancing is hugely demanding on a technical level, it also requires someone who knows what its like to gaze back on the world hes left. Like a gatekeeper or a ghost: David Hallberg during rehearsals. Credit:Kate Longley This character is very specific because it comes from a very big artist who dropped the stage and came back, says Leon. Of course we can fake it. But for me it was so important that this character was him. Hallberg took some convincing. I had to go back and realise that in fact there isnt someone in the company thats fit for this role, because everyones still dancing and having great careers.

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The sense of looking back that characterises Hallbergs role extends to Lightfoot and Leon. Kunstkamer was originally created to celebrate their 35 years with NDT. For most of their careers theyve choreographed work together in one of the dance worlds most enduring partnerships, despite having very different presences in the rehearsal room. Lightfoot is a ball of chaotic energy, bouncing on springs as he directs: Work hard! Big arms! Good boy! Feel each other, dont rush! Goofy as you can be! By contrast, Leon is a focused laser beam, freezing the action to adjust a dancers hand by just a few degrees. Lightfoots canvas is huge, while Leons attention to detail is minute. They just know each other so well, says Hallberg. They know each others M.O. They have very different energies which really complement each other. Its not a sense of it clashing, it marries well together and thats why they started choreographing together years ago. Benedicte Bemet during rehearsals for Kunstkamer. Credit:Kate Longley Kunstkamer offers challenges to all of its dancers. Where classical ballet favours flowing, lengthened limbs, were not 60 seconds into rehearsal before bent elbows and flexed toes appear. The hushed atmosphere is broken by dancers emitting animal noises or disjointed sentences. Recognisable dance shifts register until were not sure what were looking at: Italian opera? Bodybuilding? Cupids or toy soldiers, Bavarian dancers or lovers in embrace? Porcelain-faced ballerina Benedicte Bemet suddenly transforms into a flexing hulk, while the chisel-cheeked Callum Linnane takes on the aspect of a cavorting clown. Loading Much of this is Leons doing. Her practice features a heavy focus on character, and not in the conventional sense. Its often uncertain why her dancers do the things they do, but watching her in action, its immediately obvious that everything is there for a reason. She cites a film director whose name is lost to the mists: She said: If Im going to make the character of a killer or a psychopath, this [actor] should not know that Im making that. Its the public whos going to fill that in. She approaches the creation of her characters in the same way: each point of detail is a piece of a psychological puzzle, but what they add up to will depend on the person watching.

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Leon is choreographing seven characters, while Lightfoot is working with a much larger mass. Typically a work featuring this many bodies would be ordered, regimented, individuals dissolving into the whole. But Lightfoot directs his charges to stand off-centre, slightly out of line, never in a perfectly straight row. Their movements, too, feel as though each dancer is part of a larger movement while still retaining their own specificity. The effect is like watching the breaking of waves, or sheets of rain in a storm. Pushing dancers beyond their comfort zone is part of the point, says Lightfoot. I have this real desire to help them learn these new languages, to transform as a company, so they wont look like the Aussie Ballet that people are used to. That will be unnerving, perhaps, for certain audiences. Kunstkamer rehearsals have pushed dancers beyond their comfort zone. Credit:Kate Longley Hallberg takes pains to emphasise that Kunstkamer doesnt mark the transformation of the company Australian audiences know. Just because were doing Kunstkamer doesnt mean that were not doing other classical work. When we announce the 2023 season itll be full of classical ballet. But Lightfoot does hope the work expands the palate of both audience and company. I say it with love but I feel that Australian ballet has still got a little bit of a more old-fashioned feeling of what a classical company can be. Whereas you see a lot of classical companies now with their tentacles out. That doesnt mean that theyre not still a strictly classical company, but I think that this work is like a kind of bridge.

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Barons 

ABC, Sunday 8.30pm Like most things counterculture, the surfing lifestyle of the early 1970s, based around the free-spirited adventures of beach bums chasing waves, women and pot and sticking it to the man, inevitably intersected with capitalism, and the surfwear industry that grew out of it became a global billion-dollar industry. Fremantles new drama Barons is a fictionalised beaches-to-boardroom tale of two rival brands begun by two friends, echoing the real-life stories of brands such as Quiksilver and Billabong. Sharpie (Nicholas Burton), Buddy, (Lincoln Younes) and Dani (Sophia Forrest) in Barons. Set in the fictional town of Woogonga on the NSW Central Coast, its the story of a group of diehard surfers, with two best mates, Snapper (Ben OToole) and Trotter (Sean Keenan) at the heart of the action. Snapper has his own small company, Bare Feet, and he and Trotter work together making bespoke wetsuits for surfers. Snapper is content with their laidback business model of selling the suits out of the back of a car  as long as he has enough cash for beer and drugs, and time to surf each day, hes content to stay salty  but Trotter has grander visions. Hes also unimpressed with Snappers method of bringing in extra money, smuggling drugs inside surfboards from Indonesia (these things were a lot easier in the 1970s).

Trotter and his fiancee Tracy (Jillian Nguyen), an art teacher at the local high school (who also happens to be Snappers ex-girlfriend  again, the 70s), begin making boardshorts specifically for surfers, establishing a fledgling business, LightWave Surf Company, trying to harness the dream of the surfer lifestyle as much as the practical surf attire market. Dani (Sophia Forrest) and Trotter (Sean Keenan) sell LightWaves homemade board shorts from the back of a car in Barons. This news doesnt go down well with Snapper, especially as hes loaned the couple money for their wedding, which they instead use to create their first batch of shorts. Suddenly the former best mates are rivals, in a classic tale of money coming between friends. The pair still surf at the same beach, though, and mix in the same group of sun-bronzed mates, which includes pro-surfer Dani (Sophia Forrest), a gay woman who keeps her sexuality secret from her mates; Reggie (Hunter Page-Lochard), an Indigenous surfboard maker whose adoptive white parents would rather he settled down and learnt a real trade; Jules (Karina Banno), from a city fabric company who helps Trotter and Tracy out, becoming an integral part of LightWave; and two American surfers who blow in and out, charming Californian Buddy (Lincoln Younes) and Bernie (George Pullar), a college student from a wealthy family turned hippy. Loading The business side of this tale is a slow burn, but theres plenty going on around the periphery. Barons begins in 1971 during the Vietnam War, and when hes drafted Reggie skips town; almost all the women face some kind of discrimination; Tracys little brother Dimma (Sebastian Tang), a promising surfer, lands himself in trouble after a trip to Indonesia; and everyone is enjoying lots of sex and drugs to a psychedelic soundtrack.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has chastised Labor for an advertisement highlighting Liberal MP Gladys Lius links to donors suspected to be risks to Australias national security, claiming the opposition is engaging in racist campaigning.

They go after Gladys Liu because shes Chinese, Morrison said on Sunday. Theyre engaged in what I think is a sewer tactic here.

The Sunday Age revealed a new online ad targeting the Hong Kong-born MPs record, including her involvement in a campaign against the LGBTQ Safe Schools program and her campaigns use of controversial signage that appeared to mimic the Australian Electoral Commission.

One component of the ad stated that the Victorian division of the Liberal Party reportedly handed back $300,000 in donations because then prime minister Malcolm Turnbulls office was told the Chinese donors, invited to a 2015 event by Liu, were potential national security threats.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Rudi Pruckner wearied of his long years as a prisoner of war at Murchison, Victoria. He had taken a long look at the Australian countryside around the prison camp, and had taken to talking with the Australians charged with keeping him imprisoned. He decided he didnt want to return to the country that had sent him to war. His Australian military guards sympathised. And so began one of the strangest prison breaks in Australias history  one a magistrate later decided was a demonstration that the Australian sense of the fair go could be extended even to enemies of war. Pruckner himself, while on the run, built a deep love of the remote stone country around Lake Condah in south-west Victoria  a place now known as the Budj Bim World Heritage site  that would stay with him for the rest of his life. Budj Bim cultural landscape in south-west Victoria. Credit:Photo: Rodney Dekker The Australians who helped him escape and arranged for him to hide out in an old bush hut were to remain lifelong friends, too. Pruckner was a young Viennese, drafted into the German Werhmachts 2nd Panzer Division in the early days of World War II. He was captured during the short-lived Battle for Greece of April, 1941, when an overwhelming force of Germans invaded and took just 27 days to drive out of Greece the Commonwealth forces of Australia, New Zealand and Britain.

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But as they withdrew south through the cold mountains towards the Peloponnese peninsula, Australian and New Zealand soldiers fought several fierce rearguard actions. Rudi Pruckners unit was reduced, he would tell his family decades later, from about 600 troops to just 150 in a single battle. He was taken prisoner. As allied troops escaped Greece and many found themselves under new attack in the chaotic hell of Crete, Pruckner and other German POWs were transported to makeshift prison camps in the Middle East  the start of a long journey that ended across the other side of the Earth, in Australia. On August 25, 1941, Rudolph Pruckner marched into Number 13 Prisoner of War Camp, Murchison. It was his 21st birthday. The Murchison POW camp in the Goulburn Valley, about 35 kilometres south of Shepparton, was the largest in Australia. It held about 2000 captured Italians, 1300 Germans and at one point, 185 Japanese. The prisoner of war camp in Murchison. Credit:Paul Harris While bitter war raged across Europe, the Middle East and spread through Asia and into the Pacific and Indian oceans and Oceania, taking millions of lives, most of the prisoners at Murchison led a pretty peaceful existence. Rudi Pruckner took to working in the kitchen alongside Australian cooks. He decided to teach himself English, allotting himself 10 new words a day. One of the guards, a young Australian named Donald McDonald, helped out on the understanding that in return, Rudi would teach him German.

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Among other friends he made was a cook from far south-west Victoria named Norman Vaughan. Vaughan was from a large farming family, and one of his brothers, Roy, was a military guard at Camp 13. The war was finally over when Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945. But Rudi Pruckner and thousands of others remained officially Prisoners of War in Australia clear through 1946 and into 1947. Pruckner began to grow increasingly apprehensive about being repatriated to Austria. Australia had, in a way, become his home, and he wanted to experience it beyond the barbed wire. His guards hatched a plan. McDonald dressed his enemy-friend in his Australian military uniform and together they walked out the front gate where a taxi had been arranged to take them to the Seymour train station. They travelled to Melbourne and Pruckner found himself treated to a night at the grand Federal Hotel, since demolished. Others, it would later become obvious, were in on the plot. A former guard named Haig linked up with McDonald and Pruckner in Melbourne, and another named Andrew Thompson fitted into the scheme. Norman Vaughan, Pruckners fellow cook, and his brother Roy, the former guard, became crucial to ensuring Pruckner got away. The Vaughan family owned land in an area known as Breakaway Creek, alongside the old Aboriginal mission at Lake Condah. Arrangements were made to send Pruckner by train from Melbourne to the railway siding at little Condah, about halfway between Hamilton and Portland. In a stroke of immense fortune, the young Austrian  without a clue where he was  stopped a man driving a horse and cart soon after alighting from the train. He asked if the man knew Mr Vaughan.

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Which Mr Vaughan would that be? said the horseman. Theres a lot of us. Im Charlie Vaughan. And so, the escaped prisoner of war was given shelter in a bush hut known as Murphys on Roy Vaughans family property, on country that had been home to Australias First People for many thousands of years. Rudi Pruckner did not know it, but a soldier who would become Australias first Aboriginal military officer, Reg Saunders, was raised at the mission on Lake Condah, a few hundred metres from Murphys Hut. Saunders, who fought with the 2/7th infantry battalion, was one of those soldiers fighting rearguard actions against German units during the withdrawal from Greece in April 1941. Murphys Hut, Lake Condah before it was demolished. While Pruckner was taken prisoner and sailed away from Greece to Egypt, Reg Saunders was one of about 3000 Australians who became stranded on Crete. He evaded capture by the Germans for 12 months with the assistance of Cretan citizens who risked and often lost their lives in granting shelter to those on the island. And so, we might ponder on a new Anzac Day, the strange, often terrible and sometimes benevolent fortunes of war. Pruckner, with the assistance of the family of his former prison guards and re-named by Roy Vaughan as John Thomas, lived in Murphys hut for six carefree weeks, helping milk the familys cows, hunting rabbits and absorbing the landscape.

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One night, he and his hosts grew too bold. He attended a dance in a nearby town, and Roy Vaughans claim that he was a Dutch soldier on leave didnt wash with a suspicious local. John Thomas was awakened at Murphys Hut the next morning by troopers. He was carted off to the lock-up at nearby Macarthur, where the policemans wife cooked him a hot meal he remembered forever. Back at Murchison, Pruckner was given 21 days solitary confinement. You, as Australians, have the inherent virtue of sympathy. Pruckner has impressed me with being a good type of man and would probably make a good citizen. Magistrate G.S. Catlow Donald Henry McDonald and Andrew John Thompson, each aged 19, and Norman Stanley Vaughan 25, were charged with aiding the escape of a prisoner of war under the National Security regulations. The story was laid out in evidence before the magistrate, G.S. Catlow, sitting in Shepparton. J.R. OKeefe, a lawyer for two of the men, essentially argued his clients had done an honourable act. There is that thing in the Australian bloodline that would assist a man when he is down rather than put the boot in, he told the magistrate, as recorded in the Shepparton Advertiser on December 6, 1946. The magistrate agreed, placed the men on two-year good behaviour bonds and all but gave them  and Pruckner  fine character references. You three have committed what I consider a very serious offence, he began. However, you, as Australians, have the inherent virtue of sympathy. Pruckner has impressed me with being a good type of man and would probably make a good citizen.

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Fathers Loss to AIDS drives WSUs Professors Passion for Public Health

April 25, 2022

Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences chair Matthew Nicholaous service to the community extends beyond courses he teaches. As a key member of WSUs COVID-19 Task Force, he oversaw the laboratory interpreting and reporting results for COVID tests administered by hundreds of volunteers from WSU.

Before COVID-19 was a concern, however, Nicholaou focused much of his career in combating HIV/AIDS. At 12 years old, he lost his father to the infection.

That was during the heart of the AIDS epidemic in the U.S., he said. It was a difficult time in our country, but, for me, there was a silver lining. It gave me my drive in life.

After earning his bachelors degree in medical technology, Nicholaou worked at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for four years in clinical microbiology before attending graduate school at University of Pittsburgh, where he earned his doctoral degree in public health. There, he studied the metabolic side effects of HIV therapy and how highly active antiretroviral therapy impacts lipid levels and cardiovascular disease risk.

While at the hospital, he validated a number of clinical tests, including the first Binax rapid test for strep throat. Unbeknownst to him, this would be the main test used by WSU during the COVID pandemic 15 years later.

At WSU, Nicholaou teaches clinical microbiology and molecular diagnostics, immunology, biostatistics, and laboratory research to diagnose disease. Given his background, he was essential to WSUs COVID response.

We did over 17,000 tests, he said. This massive testing effort was a huge morale boost to the WSU community and volunteers through the agency of our actions to combat the pandemic.

Along with serving on the task force, Nicholaou taught a course on the immunology of COVID-19, primarily for non-science majors, alongside health sciences professor Jim Hutchins and microbiology professor Daniel Clark in spring 2021. The professors discussed the immune system, how the virus spreads, and why particular public health measures are in place.

In his medical laboratory sciences classes, Nicholaou creates opportunities for students to conduct their own research and present their findings at local and national conferences. He also trains students in using the latest medical laboratory technology, including the CRISPR gene editing tool, which can be used to target and kill harmful microbial infections.

Recognizing his dedication to students and the community, the Dr. Ezekiel R. Dumke College of Health Professions named Nicholaou the Dumke Endowed Chair for 2021. With the recognition, his department will receive $30,000 over three years. Nicholaou plans to use the funds to update lab instrumentation and reach more students in rural communities through distance education, including those in Utah, New Hampshire and Arkansas.

In fall 2022, the department will launch a post baccalaureate certificate that will allow students with an undergraduate degree and the correct prerequisite science credits to gain skills to work in a clinical microbiology laboratory within nine months to a year.

Weber provides a doorway for a lot of people to make advancements in their lives and careers, he said, and our department is a perfect example of that.

For photos, visit this link.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
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Nomadland, Chloe Zhaos portrait of itinerant lives on open roads across the American West, won Best Picture at the 93rd Academy Awards; Zhao was honored as best director.

1507: Martin Waldseemueller 1859: Suez Canal 1945: Elbe River 1990: Hubble Space Telescope 2017: Ivanka Trump 2019: Joe Biden 2021: Chloe Zhao Video
Allentown, PA (18103)

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Clear skies and chilly temps as winds diminish after dark. .

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Clear skies and chilly temps as winds diminish after dark.
Stage star Rebecca Thornhill didn't just keep one ship sailing a few weeks ago, she managed to juggle two shows and a whole lot of city-hopping!

Thornhill, currently taking on the role of Velma in Hairspray on tour across the UK, was also on call for the part of Mrs Wormwood in the RSC's Matilda the Musical in the West End for a month.

Inevitably, this led to some incredible feats of role-juggling and travelling. After completing eight shows in Dartford as Velma for Hairspray, Thornhill was whisked down to London to appear in Matilda on the Sunday (27 March 2022).

After that she was sped up to Glasgow for Hairspray the next day, only to return to London for three shows from Tuesday. She then saw out the final four shows in Hairspray in Glasgow and, to round-off a frantic two weeks, she came down to London for a final performance as Mrs Wormwood on Sunday (this being the 3 April 2022).

In total that reportedly meant 18 shows in 13 days for the Witches of Eastwick and From Here to Eternity star, who is now continuing with the Hairspray tour.

Yet more evidence of theatre performers pulling off amazing feats in keeping the lights on.
SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Hundreds of Russians and Ukrainians alike crowded into the only Russian Orthodox Church on the Arabian Peninsula on Sunday to celebrate the most important Christian religious festival of the year  far from home and in the shadow of a war that has brought devastation to Ukraine and international isolation to Moscow.

A Russian-speaking churchgoer receives communion at the Christian Orthodox Church in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, April 24, 2022. Hundreds of Russians and Ukrainians alike crowded into the only Russian Orthodox Church on the Arabian Peninsula on Sunday to celebrate the most important Christian religious festival of the year  far from home and in the shadow of a war that has brought devastation to Ukraine and international isolation to Moscow. (AP Photo/Isabel Debre)

SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Hundreds of Russians and Ukrainians alike crowded into the only Russian Orthodox Church on the Arabian Peninsula on Sunday to celebrate the most important Christian religious festival of the year  far from home and in the shadow of a war that has brought devastation to Ukraine and international isolation to Moscow.

The churchs gold Byzantine crosses rise unexpectedly from the dusty streets of Sharjah  a conservative Muslim emirate just south of skyscraper-studded Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Although the two nationalities, united in language and history, typically celebrate Easter in harmony in this strange corner of the world where theyve forged new lives as expats, this year there was unspoken tension even as children in floral dresses played on the stone steps and priests blessed brimming bread baskets under the blazing sun.

I dont have any problems with Russians as people, said Sergei, a Ukrainian businessman from Kyiv and Dubai resident of five years, who like all those interviewed, declined to give his last name for privacy reasons. But war changes people. Children are dying. The Russians now hate my country.

A few Russians interviewed said they did not support the war and felt sick or guilty about it. But to avoid any confrontation in the pews, they stuck to small talk with Ukrainians about the festivities and warming weather, they said.

We're all the same, weve all come from Russia or Ukraine to seek a better life here, said Kata, who moved from Moscow to Dubai for a marketing job just before the war. It's so weird between us right now. We try as much as possible not to discuss the war.  Its too painful, too difficult.

The vast Russian Orthodox Church in Sharjah, the countrys biggest church, has for over a decade served as a touchstone for Dubais booming Russian and eastern European community.

Dubais glittering skyscrapers, white sand beaches and luxury malls have long attracted Russian visitors, who made up the citys third-largest tourist source market last year. Before the war, the Russian Embassy estimated there were 40,000 Russian nationals in the UAE, along with about 60,000 Russian-speakers from former Soviet states. Cyrillic signs dot the UAEs cavernous malls and airport concourses.

Dubai, one of the few remaining flight corridors out of Moscow, appears to have emerged as a magnet for scores of well-heeled Russians despairing of their countrys future and concerned that their own livelihoods are no longer viable amid a stranglehold of global sanctions.

The UAE has imposed no such sanctions and retains close relations with Russia  a major trade partner and fellow member of OPEC Plus, the group of oil-producing nations and its allies that has rebuffed Western pleas for increased oil supplies to calm energy markets. Russians need no visas to enter the UAE. Any investment of over $200,000 in real estate secures three years residency.

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Ordinary Russians say Dubai has become an increasingly rare haven as anti-Russian hostility escalates around the world over the grinding war, which has rocked the stability of Europe, sent oil prices soaring and triggered the continent's worst refugee crisis since World War II.

Dubai is the best place for business and job opportunities because the conditions in our country radically changed, said Leonid, a Russian social media executive who moved to Dubai after the war.

Last week, Leonid joined the UAE's now-thriving expat Jewish community in its celebration of the Passover holiday. He received Passover Seder invitations from over a dozen Russian and Ukrainian Jewish friends who have moved to Dubai since the war.

Professionals and IT specialists are leaving the country. They dont want to live in the new Russia, he said, adding that the Ukrainians and Russians he witnessed sharing the traditional feast last week managed to get along. It's not like on TV.

In Sharjah on Sunday, the Christian faithful filtered into the street full of mosques and Pakistani-owned barbershops after taking communion. The call to prayer sounded out, beckoning Muslim worshippers fasting for the holy month of Ramadan.

This country is more warm to us than Europe, said Maria, a Belarusian real estate broker who lives in Dubai. There is no hate here, it feels natural.
Elon Musk reached an agreement to buy Twitter for roughly $44 billion on Monday, promising a more lenient touch to policing content on the social media platform where he  the world's richest person  promotes his interests, attacks critics and opines on a wide range of issues to more than 83 million followers.

Elon Musk reached an agreement to buy Twitter for roughly $44 billion on Monday, promising a more lenient touch to policing content on the social media platform where he  the world's richest person  promotes his interests, attacks critics and opines on a wide range of issues to more than 83 million followers.

The outspoken Tesla CEO has said he wanted to own and privatize Twitter because he thinks its not living up to its potential as a platform for free speech.

Musk said in a joint statement with Twitter that he wants to make the service "better than ever" with new features while getting rid of automated "spam'' accounts and making its algorithms open to the public to increase trust.

"Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated," the 50-year-old Musk said, adding hearts, stars and rocket emojis in a tweet that highlighted the statement.

The more hands-off approach to content moderation that Musk envisions has many users concerned that the platform will become more of a haven for disinformation, hate speech and bullying, something it has worked hard in recent years to mitigate. Wall Street analysts said if he goes too far, it could also alienate advertisers.

The deal was cemented roughly two weeks after the billionaire first revealed a 9% stake in the platform. Musk said last week that he had lined up $46.5 billion in financing to buy Twitter, putting pressure on the companys board to negotiate a deal.

"Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated."  Elon Musk

Twitter said the transaction was unanimously approved by its board of directors and is expected to close in 2022, pending regulatory sign-off and the approval of shareholders.

Shares of Twitter Inc. rose more than 5% Monday to $51.70 per share. On April 14, Musk announced an offer to buy Twitter for $54.20 per share. While the stock is up sharply since Musk made his offer, it is well below the high of $77 per share it reached in February 2021.

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)

Musk has described himself as a "free-speech absolutist" but is also known for blocking or disparaging other Twitter users who question or disagree with him.

In recent weeks, he has proposed relaxing Twitter content restrictions  such as the rules that suspended former President Donald Trumps account  while ridding the platform of fake "spambot" accounts and shifting away advertising as its primary revenue model. Musk believes he can increase revenue through subscriptions that give paying customers a better experience  possibly even an ad-free version of Twitter.

Asked during a recent TED interview if there are any limits to his notion of "free speech," Musk said Twitter would abide by national laws that restrict speech around the world. Beyond that, he said, hed be "very reluctant" to delete posts or permanently banning users who violate the company's rules.

It wont be perfect, Musk added, "but I think we want it to really have the perception and reality that speech is as free as reasonably possible."

After the deal was announced, the NAACP released a statement urging Musk not to allow Trump, the 45th president, back onto the platform.

"Do not allow 45 to return to the platform. Do not allow Twitter to become a petri dish for hate speech, or falsehoods that subvert our democracy."  NAACP

"Do not allow 45 to return to the platform," the civil rights organization said in a statement. "Do not allow Twitter to become a petri dish for hate speech or falsehoods that subvert our democracy."

As both candidate and president, Trump made Twitter a powerful megaphone for speaking directly to the public, often using incendiary and divisive language on hot-button issues. He was permanently banned from the service in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol.

Advertisers, currently Twitters main customers, have also pushed for the stronger content rules Musk has criticized. Keeping them happy requires moderation limiting hate speech so that brands arent trying to promote their products next to "calls for genocide," said Siva Vaidhyanathan, a media studies professor at the University of Virginia.

"If Musk either fires or drives away the team at Twitter thats committed to keeping it clean and making it less hate-filled, hell see an immediate drop in user activity," said Vaidhyanathan. "I think hes going to find pretty fast that inviting the bigots back in is bad for business."

FILE - Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk arrives on the red carpet for the Axel Springer media award in Berlin on Dec. 1, 2020. Musk says he has lined up $46.5 billion in financing to buy Twitter, and hes trying to negotiate an agreement with the company. The Tesla CEO says in documents filed Thursday, April 21, 2022 with U.S. securities regulators that hes exploring a tender offer to buy all of the social media platforms common stock for $54.20 per share in cash. (Hannibal Hanschke/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Some users said Monday that they were planning to quit the platform if Musk took it over. To which he responded on Twitter: "I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means."

Musk has also run into trouble with federal officials as a result of his own tweets, some of which he's used to taunt regulators at the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In one August 2018 tweet, for instance, Musk asserted that he had the funding to take Tesla private for $420 a share, although a court has ruled that it wasn't true. That led to an SEC investigation that Musk is still fighting. More recently, Musk appeared to have violated SEC rules that required him to disclose that he'd acquired a 5% stake in Twitter; instead he waited until he had more than 9%. Experts say these issues aren't likely to affect his Twitter acquisition.

"I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means."  Elon Musk

While Twitters user base of more than 200 million remains much smaller than those of rivals such as Facebook and TikTok, the service is popular with celebrities, world leaders, journalists and intellectuals. Musk himself is a prolific tweeter with a following that rivals several pop stars in the ranks of the most popular accounts.

Last week, he said in SEC documents that the money would come from Morgan Stanley and other banks, some of it secured by his huge stake in Tesla, the electric-vehicle company he runs.

Musk has a fortune of nearly $268 billion, much of which is tied up in Tesla stock and SpaceX, his privately held space company. Its unclear how much cash Musk holds.

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Musk began making his fortune in 1999 when he sold Zip2, an online mapping and business directory, to Compaq for $307 million. He used his share to create what would become PayPal, an internet service that bypassed banks and allowed consumers to pay businesses directly. It was sold to eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002.

That same year, Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, after finding that cost constraints were limiting NASAs interplanetary travel. The company eventually developed cost-effective reusable rockets.

In 2004, Musk was courted to invest in Tesla, then a startup trying to build an electric car. Eventually he became CEO and led the company to astronomical success as the worlds most valuable automaker and largest seller of electric vehicles.

Musks pledge to make Twitter a haven for free speech could dim the appeal of Donald Trumps troubled Truth Social app, which the former president has touted as a competitor to Twitter that would cater to conservatives. Truth Social is part of Trumps new media company, which has agreed to be taken public by Digital World Acquisition Corp. Shares of DWAC dropped 16.2% Monday and are down 46% since Musk revealed his stake in Twitter.

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Krisher reported from Detroit. O'Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island. AP Business Writers Marcy Gordon in Washington, Barbara Ortutay in Oakland, Calif., and Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report.
Last spring, the Noble Court Apartments on Alfred Avenue were in shambles. The North End blocks windows were cracked, brick walls were spattered with graffiti, and there was evidence everywhere of a fire that nearly destroyed the building a half-decade earlier.

Last spring, the Noble Court Apartments on Alfred Avenue were in shambles. The North End blocks windows were cracked, brick walls were spattered with graffiti, and there was evidence everywhere of a fire that nearly destroyed the building a half-decade earlier.

The 107-year-old block had seen better days.

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Shawenim Abinoojii Inc. manager Brandy Kowal (right) with executive director Victoria Fisher outside the overhauled building at 126 Alfred Ave. The Indigenous-led, not-for-profit service organization purchased the apartment building last year and oversaw a massive renovation of the once-dilapidated property.

One year later, its fair to say the old apartments have better days ahead.

Shawenim Abinoojii Inc., an Indigenous-led, not-for-profit service organization, purchased the building in 2021, and began overseeing a massive renovation of the once-dilapidated property in the citys North End. The vision was to transform the building into a housing hub for as many as 24 southeast First Nations youth transitioning out of child and family services, while also housing on-site programming, support services and office space.

With occupancy granted April 19, the renovation is officially complete, and that vision is now a reality. All thats left is for people to pull up in front with moving trucks, ready to settle into their new homes.

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The block, which has been gifted the name Nenookaasiins, meaning Little Hummingbird, will also house on-site programming, support services and office space.

"How do I even describe this feeling?" asked Victoria Fisher, the newly installed executive director of Shawenim Abinoojii. "I feel very excited about the kind of environment these young people will have the opportunity to live in. Im blown away."

Contrary to the derelict nature of the building prior to the renovation, the refurbished version of 126 Alfred is bright, peaceful, clean and calm. The design by Winnipegs Bridgman Collaborative Architecture emphasizes natural light, bright splashes of colour, and natural materials like wood. Its exactly what the organization needed, Fisher said.

The project aims to address a strong correlation between transitioning out of CFS care and homelessness, Fisher said. Quite often, people in that position are left on their own without needed supports, which can result in a lack of stable housing or homelessness.

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

According to the 2018 Winnipeg Street Census, a moment-in-time tallying and analysis of the citys homeless population, the most common age when people first experience homelessness is 18 years old. Of those who experienced homelessness for 10 or more years, 62 per cent first experienced it when they were 18 or younger.

About half of all people who were experiencing homelessness at the time of the census had been in CFS care at one point in their lives. Almost two-thirds of those who were formerly in CFS care experienced homelessness within one year of leaving care.

Two in three people experiencing homelessness during the street census were Indigenous. Three in four young people experiencing homelessness at the time of the census were Indigenous. (An interim census was taken in 2021, with the first full street census scheduled to take place on May 25).

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The design by Winnipegs Bridgman Collaborative Architecture emphasizes natural light, bright splashes of colour, and natural materials like wood.

Fisher said the building at 126 Alfred  which has been gifted the name Nenookaasiins, meaning Little Hummingbird, by elder Wally Chartrand  is a small but important step to addressing and responding to that issue, with a focus on promoting long-term wellness through culturally based programming and strategies. It provides a blueprint for other projects like it to get off the ground.

"Its a part of the overall goal of (our organization) to instil a sense of identity, belonging and purpose," said Fisher, who oversaw Shawenim Abinoojiis foster care program for several years prior to her appointment as executive director.

Inside the building, there will be 18 units, with some two-bedroom units to support young parents or siblings. There will also be on-site programming space for the organizations Memengwaa program for transition supports for other community members leaving CFS care. Staff offices, basic resources and a teaching kitchen for life-skills education are also found inside. A highlight is the circular cultural programming space, which feels calm and inviting, Fisher said. The window screens on the first floor incorporate the image of a turtle, and in the morning sun, a shadow of the turtle marks the passage of time, said architect Wins Bridgman.

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The building has been transformed into a housing hub for as many as 24 southeast First Nations youth transitioning out of child and family services.

"No built from scratch apartment for transitional housing could have been afforded such spacious units containing windows facing river ravine views," said Bridgman. "Few sites in the city afford the opportunity for Indigenous youth to be part of a supportive housing project, have access to resources and ceremony within the project and then step out the front door into the beauty of the Red River bank and trails.

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"The renovated building and the vision of Shawenim Abinoojii is a win for the adaptive reuse of an abandoned heritage building, a win for the North Point Douglas neighbourhood, a win for the economics and political design of the Rapid Housing Initiative and most importantly a win for the indigenous youth and staff who will live and work on this property," he added.

"Many of us felt that our work on this project and similar projects are acts of shared reconciliation," Bridgman added. "I, for one, feel very grateful to be part of this project."

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The project will focus on promoting long-term wellness through culturally based programming and strategies.

The project was funded by the federal Rapid Housing Initiative and End Homelessness Winnipeg, and will provide direct support to youth from eight southeast First Nations: Black River, Berens River, Brokenhead Ojibway, Poplar River, Hollow Water, Pauingassi, Bloodvein and Little Grand Rapids. BridgmanCollaborative Architecture led the design, while Bockstael Construction handled the contracting.

Fisher said the support from the community has been immense, and that its clear Nenookaasiins is already having a positive impact. Young people in Shawenim Abinoojiis programming have already been on site, and have started to take ownership over the building.

"This is their space," she said.

ben.waldman@winnipegfreepress.com

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The project was funded by the federal Rapid Housing Initiative and End Homelessness Winnipeg, and will provide direct support to youth from eight southeast First Nations.
TORONTO - Kinross Gold Corp. has signed a deal valued at US$225 million in cash and shares to sell its 90 per cent stake in the Chirano gold mine in Ghana to Asante Gold Corp.

The corporate logo of Kinross Gold Corp. is shown. Kinross Gold Corp. has signed a deal valued at US$225 million in cash and shares to sell its 90 per cent stake in the Chirano gold mine in Ghana to Asante Gold Corp. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO

TORONTO - Kinross Gold Corp. has signed a deal valued at US$225 million in cash and shares to sell its 90 per cent stake in the Chirano gold mine in Ghana to Asante Gold Corp.

When the deal closes, Kinross will receive US$115 million in cash and US$50 million in Assante shares. The company will also receive a total deferred payment of US$60 million in cash, with half payable on the first anniversary of closing and the other half payable on the second anniversary.

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The sale will leave the Canadian gold miner with no assets or interests in Ghana.

Kinross says the government of Ghana, which has a 10-per-cent carried interest in the mine, has issued a letter of no objection regarding the change of control.

The company estimated Chirano represented about three per cent of its total mineral reserve estimates at the end of last year.

The deal is expected to close on or around May 31.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2022.

Companies in this story: (TSX:K)
TORONTO - Some of the most active companies traded Monday on the Toronto Stock Exchange:

Toronto Stock Exchange (21,011.89, down 174.49 points.)

Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB). Energy. Down 89 cents, or 1.6 per cent, to $56.18 on 17.1 million shares.

Athabasca Oil Corp. (TSX:ATH). Energy. Down nine cents, or 3.5 per cent, to $2.45 on 14.3 million shares.

Cenovus Energy Inc. (TSX:CVE). Energy. Down $1.02, or 4.6 per cent, to $20.94 on 13.4 million shares.

Suncor Energy Inc. (TSX:SU). Energy. Down $1.32, or 3.2 per cent, to $39.78 on 12.9 million shares.

Manulife Financial Corp. (TSX:MFC). Financials. Down 26 cents, or one per cent, to $25.76 on 10.6 million shares.

Crescent Point Energy Corp. (TSX:CPG). Energy. Down 40 cents, or 4.5 per cent, to $8.53 on 10.3 million shares.

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Companies in the news:

Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX:RCI.B). Down 34 cents to $73.28. Globalive Capital's Anthony Lacavera is calling for "no more fake competition" in Canada's wireless services market as his firm continues its quest to buy Freedom Mobile's assets. While Lacavera is hoping Globalive will ultimately prevail, he said Monday that any successful acquirer "just needs to be an independent that will compete." His comments come after the Globe and Mail reported last week that Rogers Communications Inc. has proposed selling Freedom Mobile to New Brunswick-based rural internet provider Xplornet Communications Inc. The sale of Freedom's assets is expected to be a regulatory requirement for Rogers' proposed $26-billion takeover of Shaw Communications Inc. Lacavera said he's concerned that Canadians could end up with a "totally ineffective competitor" if the federal government doesn't oversee the sale or intervene. Lacavera threw his hat in the ring late last year and has been ramping up efforts to buy Freedom ever since. Quebecor Inc. and Eastlink, a Halifax-based telco, have also expressed interest in acquiring the wireless carrier.

Hexo Corp. (TSX:HEXO). Down three cents or 5.6 per cent to 51 cents. When cannabis-infused drinks were legalized in Canada in 2020, pot producers expected the beverages to flow all summer as consumers flocked to the new category. Those visions were dashed when the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily closed shops that March and the following year was spent contending with a mishmash of health regulations, but Dave Schlosser believes that long-awaited summer demand is on its way. The newly named president and chief executive of Truss Beverage Co., a joint venture between brewing giant Molson Coors Canada and cannabis company Hexo Corp., thinks this be the summer of CIB  cannabis-infused beverages  as people want to get out, want to socialize, want to try new things. Schlossers optimism comes amid the lifting of mask mandates, capacity restrictions and other health measures that cut into gatherings where consumers might have kicked back with a cannabis-infused drink.

TC Energy Corp. (TSX:TRP). Down $1.34 or 1.8 per cent to $71.16. TC Energy Corp. says it will partner with GreenGasUSA to explore development of a network of renewable natural gas (RNG) transportation hubs. TC Energy says it will build, own and operate the RNG transportation hubs in several U.S. states along its natural gas pipeline system within the next four years. The first hub could be in service by the second quarter of 2023. GreenGasUSA is a South Carolina-based company that will provide RNG to the transportation hubs. Renewable natural gas is derived from decomposing organic waste. It is not a fossil fuel, so many companies are exploring its use as a way of decarbonizing the energy supply. TC Energy says building RNG transportation hubs will provide centralized access to its existing pipeline network for renewable natural gas sources such as farms, wastewater treatment facilities and landfills.

Kinross Gold Corp. (TSX:K). Down 20 cents or 2.9 per cent to $6.75. Kinross Gold Corp. has signed a deal valued at US$225 million in cash and shares to sell its 90 per cent stake in the Chirano gold mine in Ghana to Asante Gold Corp. When the deal closes, Kinross will receive US$115 million in cash and US$50 million in Assante shares. The company will also receive a total deferred payment of US$60 million in cash, with half payable on the first anniversary of closing and the other half payable on the second anniversary. The sale will leave the Canadian gold miner with no assets or interests in Ghana. Kinross says the government of Ghana, which has a 10 per cent carried interest in the mine, has issued a letter of no objection regarding the change of control. The company estimated Chirano represented about three per cent of its total mineral reserve estimates at the end of last year. The deal is expected to close on or around May 31.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2022.
OTTAWA - One of the organizers of a planned motorcycle convoy is warning of a "free-for-all" on Friday if Ottawa police don't allow hundreds of protesters to bring their bikes onto the streets around Parliament Hill.

The National War Memorial is seen behind an overcast sky as police man a fence along Queen Street as they clear the streets near Parliament Hill to end to a protest, which started in opposition to mandatory COVID-19 vaccine mandates and grew into a broader anti-government demonstration and occupation, on its 23rd day, in Ottawa, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. One of the organizers of a planned motorcycle convoy is warning of a "free-for-all" on Friday if Ottawa police don't allow the hundreds of protesters onto the streets around Parliament Hill. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

OTTAWA - One of the organizers of a planned motorcycle convoy is warning of a "free-for-all" on Friday if Ottawa police don't allow hundreds of protesters to bring their bikes onto the streets around Parliament Hill.

The "Rolling Thunder Ottawa" convoy plans to do a loop through downtown next weekend, with a stop planned at the National War Memorial.

But after the "Freedom Convoy" protest blockaded city streets for three weeks earlier this year, police say they will not allow any vehicles in the area around Parliament Hill.

"We will not allow for unsafe or unlawful conditions that could lead to another protest, as seen in February," interim police chief Steve Bell told the local police services board Monday afternoon.

Ottawa police said the RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police and other city police services will send officers to help enforce the new rules.

They also said they have reached out to motorcycle convoy organizers to understand their plans.

Rolling Thunder organizer Neil Sheard, who has been involved in protests against COVID-19 restrictions, said in a YouTube video that without a route to follow there will be a safety issue.

"Thousands of people are coming to the city. There could be over a thousand bikes coming to your city. We had a route nailed," Sheard said in the video posted Sunday.

"Now its going to be a free-for-all."

He warned Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson that the safety of the bikers and the citizens of Ottawa is at stake. He also said he expects the protest will be peaceful and dignified.

Police are warning the public to prepare for the possibility of traffic disruptions next weekend  but haven't yet told people to avoid going downtown.

Downtown Ottawa councillor Catherine McKenney said the convoy must not stop or stay in central neighbourhoods, after Ottawa fell to a state of lawlessness during the previous protest.

"I will not have our community re-terrorized. I do not want our children, seniors and other vulnerable residents re-traumatized. Our businesses should not be forced to close again," McKenney said on Twitter Monday.

Bell said the police service is "considerably concerned" that not all members of the convoy will follow the organizer's plans, and have prepared for the possibility protesters try to entrench themselves for days or weeks like they did in February.

"Our planning response is set up specifically to make sure that doesn't occur," Bell said, speaking to reporters Monday.

The group has not been clear about the cause they're rallying for, except to say that they will be in Ottawa to "peacefully celebrate our freedom."

Bell said it's been extremely challenging to pin down exactly why the crowds are coming, especially with such a large and varied group.

The group says it hopes veterans, who they say were forced to leave the cenotaph by police during the freedom convoy, will lay a wreath at the National War Memorial this weekend.

War memorials and cenotaphs are important symbols of the service and sacrifice of Canada's veterans, said Dion Edmonds, marketing and communications director for The Royal Canadian Legion

"The Legion defends these sacred sites of Remembrance, and asserts they never be used as a backdrop to any other agenda beyond the act of remembrance," he said.

The Legion is appealing to all who gather before the National War Memorial this weekend do so with a purely remembrance focus.

The organizations involved do appear to have links to the convoy demonstration earlier this year that protested COVID-19 restrictions and demanded the Liberal government resign.

The website for "Rolling Thunder Ottawa" said it is partnered with the groups Veterans for Freedom and Freedom Fighters Canada.

Veterans for Freedom describes itself on its website as a group made up of Canadian veterans working to "restore fundamental freedoms for all Canadians" and "uphold Canadian laws."

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The members of that group's steering committee all have ties to the earlier protests, including one who was among the convoy's spokespeople. Others appeared in YouTube videos supporting convoy demonstrators.

Freedom Fighters Canada's website says it is an organization "demanding the end of all government mandates" and the end of "tyrannical legislation."

"Our government has overstepped its boundaries, we are here to put them back in their place," the site said.

Some of its organizers also attended or supported the earlier protests publicly.

"Rolling Thunder Ottawa" is scheduled to have a rally and after-party on Parliament Hill Friday, followed by a convoy through the streets of downtown Ottawa on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2022.
HALIFAX - A public inquiry heard Monday that many people knew about a replica patrol car owned by the gunman in Nova Scotia's mass shooting, but they didn't tell police about his suspicious activities.

Commission counsel Roger Burrill presents information about the police paraphernalia used by Gabriel Wortman, at the Mass Casualty Commission inquiry into the mass murders in rural Nova Scotia on April 18/19, 2020, in Halifax on Monday, April 25, 2022. Wortman, dressed as an RCMP officer and driving a replica police cruiser, murdered 22 people. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

HALIFAX - A public inquiry heard Monday that many people knew about a replica patrol car owned by the gunman in Nova Scotia's mass shooting, but they didn't tell police about his suspicious activities.

The killer meticulously recreated a fully marked RCMP Ford Taurus  complete with a black push bar and Mountie decals  before driving it during the April 18-19, 2020, rampage that resulted in 22 murders over 13 hours.

Commission lawyer Amanda Byrd presented a summary Monday of how the killer acquired four decommissioned Ford Taurus police vehicles in 2019 from the federal government's online auction site, known as GCSurplus.

She also told the inquiry that there's no indication anyone who saw the fully marked car or photographs of it before the rampage reported it to the police.

"Many civilian witnesses told the RCMP in their statements after the events that they either had seen or had knowledge of this replica .... The commission doesn't currently have evidence to suggest that any of these witness reported the vehicle to police," Byrd said.

The inquiry's summary about the killer's police gear says that people aware of the marked car included the killer's wife and some of her relatives, friends, neighbours, a lawyer, clients at the killer's denturist clinic and contractors who worked on his Portapique, N.S., properties.

It also says a number of the witnesses were told by the gunman it was legal to have such a vehicle, and he assured them he had checked with authorities and was planning to use it in parades, rent it to movie productions or transform it into a memorial for fallen RCMP members.

The Criminal Code says it's against the law to falsely represent oneself to be a police officer or to use police gear to impersonate a police officer, but is silent on the issue of whether someone can simply own a marked vehicle for a personal display.

Max Liberatore, a manager at the GCSurplus warehouse in Dartmouth, N.S., testified Monday that the killer frequently visited the warehouse to purchase the police cars.

He also told the inquiry that he recalled the gunman showing him photos of the decommissioned replica RCMP cruiser. "We were just talking outside (the warehouse). We asked him one time ... why do you like buying these cars?" he said during his testimony.

Liberatore said during cross-examination by Tara Miller  a lawyer representing victims' family members  that the killer told him he intended to use the replica cruiser for parades, and as a result he didnt report the matter to the RCMP. Miller asked whether Liberatore was ever given any training on how to recognize and report suspicious behaviour, and he replied he had not.

Documents released Monday by the commission also said the killer arrived at a Mercedes dealership with his spouse before the mass shooting in a fully marked police vehicle. The service manager at the dealership told an inquiry investigator he'd asked the killer "how he could drive around like that, and the perpetrator responded that it was 'just a hobby' and it was 'known' that he was doing so." The witness did not report the incident to police.

Several family members of Lisa Banfield said they'd questioned Gabriel Wortman about the replica vehicle.

Charles Banfield, Lisa Banfields brother, told the RCMP on April 19, 2020, he'd asked the killer what he was doing with a replica car. James Banfield, another of Banfields brothers, said the killer told him he planned to put a heart on the vehicle and make it a memorial for fallen officers.

In his statement to the RCMP on April 28, 2020, Robert MacAskill, a friend of one of the killer's victims, Aaron Tuck, said he and Tuck discussed the decommissioned replica RCMP cruiser and he talked to Tuck about calling Crime Stoppers to report it. The commission's summary says, "Mr. Tuck said he could not report it as the perpetrator had threatened him."

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There were also sightings of the vehicle being driven around Portapique, the inquiry's summary says.

It notes that a friend of Lisa McCully's told the RCMP "she saw the perpetrator drive onto his Portapique property in the fully marked decommissioned replica RCMP cruiser." McCully was one of the victims in Portapique.

At the time of the mass shooting, it wasn't explicitly illegal under provincial law to have a replica police vehicle for display.

New legislation in Nova Scotia, coming into effect in May, will make it illegal for unauthorized people to possess police vehicles and gear.

However, Robert Pineo, a lawyer who represents 14 of the 22 victims' families, said in an interview Monday that he believes changes to the Criminal Code and to provincial legislation across Canada are needed to prohibit possession of marked police cars by the general public.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2022.
OTTAWA - A scathing new report on racism in the Canadian Armed Forces says the military is not doing enough to detect and prevent white supremacists and other violent extremists from infiltrating its ranks.

Defence Minister Anita Anand speaks to military personnel after getting a tour of the CC 177 Globemaster aircraft at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, in Trenton, Ont., Thursday, April 14, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

OTTAWA - A scathing new report on racism in the Canadian Armed Forces says the military is not doing enough to detect and prevent white supremacists and other violent extremists from infiltrating its ranks.

The report, released Monday by Defence Minister Anita Anand, also takes the military to task for not acting on dozens of previous studies and reviews on racism in the ranks over the past two decades.

The report comes after a yearlong review by a panel of retired Armed Forces members, and follows a spate of incidents linking some military personnel with violent extremism and hate groups, including white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

It also coincides with concerns about a growing disconnect between the makeup of Canadas military, whose ranks are primarily white men, and the rest of the countrys population.

White men account for 71 per cent of Canadian military members but only 39 per cent of the countrys civilian workforce. The report notes Indigenous Peoples, visible minorities and women are significantly under-represented in Canada's armed forces.

The panel in its report describes the suspected presence of extremists in the military as a "pressing moral, social and operational issue," with such members representing a threat to unit cohesion and Canadians trust in the institution.

It found despite adopting a zero-tolerance approach, efforts to detect extremists were "siloed and inefficient" and extremists themselves were more adept at avoiding detection.

"The need for education and training for leaders at all levels of the defence team was highlighted repeatedly during the advisory panels consultations," the racism report reads.

"Funding, expertise and human resources are currently not adequate to address the imperative that every leader become the first line of defence in ensuring that members of these groups stay out of or leave the defence team."

Anand said Monday the government has earmarked more than $200 million to help change the militarys culture, but she did not lay out any specific new measures.

Gen. Wayne Eyre, chief of the defence staff, said the military needs to find a balance between privacy concerns and remaining vigilant when it comes to things like monitoring members social media posts.

"The real challenge we face with many of these organizations is they tend to morph once they're illuminated, once the spotlight goes on them," Eyre added during a virtual news conference with Anand and members of the review panel.

"We have to be very, very vigilant and continue to educate ourselves as to what these signs and symbols are."

The issue of right-wing extremism in the Canadian military first burst into the public domain in 2017 following an incident in Halifax in which a group of sailors associated with the Proud Boys disrupted an Indigenous ceremony.

A military intelligence report later linked dozens of Armed Forces members to extremist groups, and warned that such organizations were actively recruiting or otherwise trying to infiltrate the military to gain training, experience and equipment.

In one high-profile case, a former reservist from Manitoba who was a member of a neo-Nazi group was sentenced in the United States to nine years in prison for what investigators called a violent plot to trigger a "race war."

The panel was critical of what they saw as the Armed Forces failure to act on hundreds of previous recommendations and reports designed to address some of these issues.

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"Over the past 20 years, reports from 41 inquiries, panels, boards, climate surveys and reviews have generated 258 recommendations to address diversity, inclusion, respect and professional conduct," retired major Sandra Perron said during the news conference.

"When this advisory panel tried to identify the progress on these recommendations, it became immediately clear that many of them were poorly implemented, shelved or even discarded."

Anand acknowledged those failures, and suggested the time for action has finally come, noting the establishment of several working groups and other bodies as well as new monitoring and reporting mechanisms to make things happen.

That includes not only addressing racism in the ranks, but also retired Supreme Court justice Louise Arbours forthcoming report on military sexual misconduct and a separate report last year on reforming the Armed Forces justice system.

"As minister of national defence and a racialized woman, I am strongly committed to building institutions where Canadians from all backgrounds are included, welcomed and empowered," she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2022.
A 30-metre cellphone tower planned for a North Kildonan cemetery is facing pushback from area residents who call the proposed pillar a dangerous eyesore.

A 30-metre cellphone tower planned for a North Kildonan cemetery is facing pushback from area residents who call the proposed pillar a dangerous eyesore.

Deanna Fair has lived in the Winnipeg neighbourhood her whole life and currently resides on the edge of St. Marys Cemetery. When she received the notice of public information announcing the Bell MTS plan, she immediately shared her concerns with the telecom company and the City of Winnipeg.

A pathway in St. Marys Cemetery where a cellphone tower might be installed. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press)

The mother of two young children said shes worried about her familys close proximity to the tower. While the city has a set safety code for building antenna systems, the idea of constant close contact with a cell tower was concerning, Fair said.

"As a mother, that is a concern for me, having my children in the house being exposed to the radio frequency coming off the tower for long periods of time while being in the house, playing in our backyard, all of those things," she said. "I think any parent would feel that way for sure."

Fair points out the tower is set to be placed in a residential area  she called the planned 360 McIvor Ave. location "the heart of North Kildonan"  something the city generally discourages in its antenna systems policy.

The size of the shrouded tower will block sunlight for some residents at some points in the day, and it would sit in between Chornick Park and Bunns Creek Centennial Park, both used for year-round recreation and home to wildlife, Fair said.

A petition opposing the cellphone tower started by Fair has received 340 signatures so far  but only around a dozen people were actually asked to be consulted on the project, as per city rules that require anyone within 90 metres to be contacted.

The proposed placement in a cemetery has also been criticized by some opponents as "desecrating" the space. However, Father Bob Kay, who serves as the administrator of St. Marys Parish which owns the cemetery, said the church "did their due diligence" in agreeing to be host site of the tower.

Should it go ahead as planned, Kay said it would be a "joint venture," where Bell MTS would pay a regular fee to use the space.

The timeline for the project implies final approval is months away.

Residents were asked to provide comments after an information session March 31. Bell MTS is required to respond to "all reasonable and relevant" concerns within 60 days. After that, residents will get another three weeks to respond to these concerns before a summary of the consultation is handed to the citys planning, property and development department for approval.

Antenna tower projects must also be approved at the federal level by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

KildonanRiver East MLA Cathy Cox published a letter opposing the towers construction March 31, saying she had "observed over time how these sites become dilapidated and over time end up becoming an eyesore for our neighbourhood."

Cox suggested it be moved to a more industrial area.

"I ask you to oppose this proposal and request that city council vote in opposition to this proposal. My office has received much opposition to the establishment of a cell tower at this proposed location that would ruin the aesthetics of our neighbourhood," the Tory MLA wrote.

However, its not up to city council to oppose it, said Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan).

Such towers have been proven to be safe for placement in close proximity to people, he said, adding his office has heard complaints from constituents about poor cell service in the area.

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"Its not so much that I support this particular antenna, I support the belief that we do need improved coverage in the area. Could it be done somewhere else? Maybe. Could it be done with two or three smaller towers? Potentially," Browaty said.

But the suggestion to place it in a more industrial area wouldnt address the current gap in service, Browaty said, adding he believed Bell MTS had worked in good faith to pick the right place.

"The distance between Henderson Highway and Lagimodiere Boulevard, and any other light industrial area, does not exist that would properly provide coverage to a large chunk of North Kildonan."

Browaty said there was a prior attempt by Bell MTS to set up a tower on city-owned property, including Gateway Recreation Centre and Bunns Creek Centennial Park  both of which were eventually turned down by the city.

Should the plan proceed, the tower is set to be in service by 2024.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca
Manitoba Metis leader David Chartrand is suing Metis Nation British Columbia over a full-page newspaper advertisement that suggested he was diverting funds to start a splinter group in B.C.  a claim he says is libellous.

Manitoba Metis leader David Chartrand is suing Metis Nation British Columbia over a full-page newspaper advertisement that suggested he was diverting funds to start a splinter group in B.C.  a claim he says is libellous.

In a court filing last week, the Manitoba Metis Federation and Chartrand, its president, pushed back on insinuations both had mismanaged funds meant for social services, asking a judge to award financial compensation.

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Manitoba Metis Federation President David Chartrand is suing Metis Nation British Columbia over a full-page newspaper advertisement that suggested he was diverting funds to start a splinter group in B.C.  a claim he says is libellous.

Both groups are part of a simmering debate within Indigenous governance over who is actually Metis.

In September 2021, Chartrand had pulled the MMF out of the Metis National Council, abandoning the other four provincial branches.

He claimed the other branches are registering too many people with spurious claims to Metis ancestry, who might lack any ties to the Red River Colony and dilute the Indigenous nations history and culture.

The MMF has since started issuing citizenship cards to Metis residing outside of Manitoba who fit the MMF definition, calling those people Red River Metis.

Last December, the national councils B.C. branch took out a full-page ad in the Free Press with the title "MMF exposed," accusing Chartrand of "paying his friends salaries in B.C."

The ad mentions a request for $634,000 made to the MMF by a rival upstart group in B.C., which was founded by the MNBCs deposed president, who has similar views as Chartrand about Metis identity.

Chartrand says he never approved of that funding request, and the two groups are not tied.

In a statement of claim, filed April 19 in the Manitoba Court of Queens Bench, the MMF says it had asked MNBC to take down a YouTube video making those allegations. The B.C. group instead placed its ad in the Free Press.

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"The words and defamatory meanings have caused irreparable harm to the plaintiffs, whose business, governance and effectiveness as advocates depend upon their valuable and significant pre-existing reputations for integrity," reads Chartrands claim, which did not accuse the Winnipeg newspaper of libel.

None of these allegations have been proven in court.

Meanwhile, the Metis National Council sued Chartrand, the MMF and multiple affiliates in January, in a case that has not been yet heard by Ontario court.

The council alleges Chartrand helped divert federal funds to associates and had excessive sums paid to his wife.

Chartrand has countered that those claims are a vindictive mischaracterization of normal financial practices and parting gifts for executives.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
A northern Manitoba school division has extended its mask mandate until the end of June, citing concerns that prematurely lifting the COVID-19 measure would worsen staff and student attendance.

A northern Manitoba school division has extended its mask mandate until the end of June, citing concerns that prematurely lifting the COVID-19 measure would worsen staff and student attendance.

Frontier School Division was the sole district to temporarily continue requiring students, staff and visitors to don face coverings in classrooms after virtually all of the provinces public health mandates ended on March 15.

Last week, its board of trustees voted to keep the mask mandate intact for the remainder of the academic year.

"In some of our communities, COVID has really thrown a level of fear into communities so theyre hesitant to send their kids back," said Reg Klassen, chief superintendent. "By dropping the mask mandate, it would be even less likely theyll come back."

Noting that the northern divisions pool of substitute teachers is incredibly limited, he said that keeping the public health protocol in place is also one way that administration can proactively work to limit transmission and in turn, the number of staff taking sick days because no one can cover for them.

The division, the largest geographical one of its kind in Manitoba, with K-12 classrooms everywhere from Grand Rapids to Churchill and in many First Nations, recorded one of the most significant drops in its student population early in the pandemic.

Between 2019-20 and 2020-21, enrolment dropped by 10 per cent  the equivalent of 650 students. That figure has since rebounded, but Klassen said not all registered students are attending classes on a regular basis.

On average, between 70 to 75 per cent of its approximately 6,680 students are back at school across the division daily, he said. Pre-pandemic, daily attendance was roughly 85 per cent.

Tom Schioler, president of the Frontier Teachers Association, said the decision to maintain masks for the next two months was expected.

"We want to provide the best and safest education to all our people," Schioler said.

The general feedback from families and staff in Frontier is: "keep the masks," Klassen said. At the same time, the division leader indicated "there is no desire to have the mask mandate in place any longer than we feel absolutely necessary."

"I dont know that theres anybody that wants to keep wearing their masks. A lot of people continue wearing masks because they know that theres a level of safety and they know that COVID is out there more so than its ever been before  at least thats what weve been told by the experts," he said.

The extent to which schools are being affected by positive cases remains more uncertain than ever, given Manitoba has deactivated its COVID-19 school dashboard and few districts are reporting local data.

The latest report from Lord Selkirk School Division, however, states there was a record number of weekly cases earlier this month. Between April 4 and 10, 120 cases were identified across schools in K-12 communities northeast of Winnipeg.

The divisions second highest weekly case count in 2022 was 83, around the height of the Omicron wave between Jan. 24 and 30.

In Winnipegs Louis Riel School Division, roughy two per cent of the K-12 population has been away daily due to COVID-19-related reasons since children returned from spring break. In mid-March, that figure was below one per cent.

Ben Thiessen, a Grade 11 student at Fort Richmond Collegiate, said no one in his social circle had contracted the virus until the most recent wave. Now, he can rattle off a list of names of people who have been sick  himself included  since the widespread loosening of all provincial mandates.

The 16-year-old spent much of his spring break recovering from a stuffy nose and headache, owing to COVID-19.

"I feel like the government went fast (in lifting restrictions), but they know what theyre doing and most kids do want to be safe so they still wear masks at school," he said, adding hes relieved that school feels "normal" again, with intramurals, extracurriculars and daily in-person instruction.

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Some students  among them, the members of MB Students for COVID Safety  and education workers want all divisions to follow Frontiers lead.

The end of public health orders has allowed the virus to flourish and in turn, resulted in severe school staffing shortages and rotating student absences, both of which make getting through a full curriculum impossible, according to one rural educator.

"Absenteeism is super high, both students and staff. A mask mandate in schools is in the best interest of everybody  not only health-wise, but also to continue with minimal interruptions so that we can get down to the business of education," said the teacher, whose job requires she floats around to schools across her rural division.

"Were putting out these tiny little fires and were amalgamating classes together, trying to find substitutes. Are secretaries or EAs qualified to be teaching? No, theyre just babysitting."

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
As the province prepares to accept more Ukrainians fleeing the war in eastern Europe, it has made a $5.1-million investment in 15 support organizations for newcomers.

As the province prepares to accept more Ukrainians fleeing the war in eastern Europe, it has made a $5.1-million investment in 15 support organizations for newcomers.

Most of the funding ($3 million) will go to Manitoba Start  a service that connects newcomers to local employers  to improve on services already in place.

"We have a new commitment, and thats to the Ukrainians. We will be using some of that funding as we, right now, work out the (refugee) response centre," Manitoba Start executive director Judith Hayes said Monday.

"So well be using some of that funding to make sure we meet the needs of the Ukrainians, and we will also add to the career development that we do because well have other clients coming, as well. Well enhance the services we already provide."

The other $2.1 million will go to 14 organizations across the province that focus on resettling newcomers to Manitoba. Around 6,000 people are set to be affected by the investment, which comes after the province called on organizations that serve newcomers to apply for funding earlier this year.

It was an emotional announcement for Advanced Education, Skills and Immigration Minister Jon Reyes, who said he was reminded of his parents own start as immigrants to Manitoba.

"I knew there were barriers at times, and thats why we have great organizations like Manitoba Start that helps newcomers become gainfully employed, to be part of society, to become part of this thriving workforce that we want to do."

Fifty files of Ukrainian refugees (meaning either individuals or families) have been registered with the provinces reception centre near the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport since it opened last week. The centre offers settlement plans for newcomers, including help finding accommodation, registering children for school, and finding employment.

This isnt an accurate marker of how many people have actually arrived in Manitoba, a spokesman from the province said, noting this only accounts for those arriving in Winnipeg by air who chose to use the service. The actual number arriving is likely higher, the province said.

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Reyes said he couldnt give a timeline of when more displaced Ukrainian would be set to arrive.

"I cant tell you a timeframe, but I can tell you we are ready," the minister said.

Three families are staying in the reception centres hotel space, the provincial spokesman said, and a task force was working to receive "thousands" of potential arrivals.

"Its mission is to ensure that a full range of available provincial service supports is available to Ukrainians fleeing this brutal war of aggression when they get here," he said in an email.

 with files from Danielle Da Silva

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca
OTTAWA  As provinces dismantle vaccination super sites and leave it to pharmacies to dole out COVID-19 shots, Canadas top doctor says governments should instead revive a full-court press to get boosters into arms.

OTTAWA  As provinces dismantle vaccination super sites and leave it to pharmacies to dole out COVID-19 shots, Canadas top doctor says governments should instead revive a full-court press to get boosters into arms.

"We would love to get people mobilized once again, like they did the first round and the second round, to get that booster dose," Dr. Theresa Tam said Friday.

"Were trying to do that once again, and give it another shot, as it were."

Less than half the Canadian population has had a third dose, which experts say is needed to get optimal protection against the Omicron variant, which quickly took over the COVID-19 spread in Canada during Christmas season.

"Because of Omicron, which is an immune-evasive variant, that third dose is really important," Tam told reporters.

"It can give you a boost in reduction against infection, at least for a period of time, and transmission to others. But it can also strengthen the immunity against severe outcomes."

However, Canada might be headed toward a growing rift between those who get every shot they can and those who stop with just two doses.

"We are seeing the fourth-dose rates going up faster perhaps than our third dose," Tam said.

The Public Health Agency of Canada does not publish data on how many Canadians have had a fourth shot, while the Manitoba government has deleted its online vaccine tracker.

According to data the province sends to Ottawa, just 50.5 per cent of Manitobans ages 12 and up had their third shot, as of April 10, lower than the national average of 54.2 per cent.

Saskatchewan is also behind at 48.9 per cent for that age group, while Alberta trails at just 42.9 per cent boosted.

Tam said shes concerned about the three Prairie provinces, all of which have the lowest uptick of boosters and of second doses, and make up three of the four worst provinces for COVID-19 hospitalizations.

"(With) ICUs and hospitalization rates still being high in certain provinces, and (they) dont seem to be coming down very fast  please do go and get that booster, because its very, very effective."

Winnipeg emergency room doctors are reporting historically long wait times, and Tam said shes expecting a further increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations, even if those patients tend to have less severe cases.

This past week, Doctors Manitoba said the number of physicians in Manitoba isolating due to COVID-19 hit 55, double the number from a week prior.

"In some jurisdictions, theyre managing but really stressed," Tam said.

"The current resurgence in health-care workers absenteeism can impact the health system capacity at the moment. Which is why everyone needs to continue to do all we can to reduce transmission, in order to protect the health system."

Tam said provinces can protect their health-care systems by ramping up booster-shot campaigns. That means making sure vaccines are available in convenient locations and people understand the importance of getting a third shot.

"We probably havent done enough good communication from all angles, from public health and otherwise," she said.

Tam said governments can empower trusted community organizations to figure out why people arent getting their third dose, and whether they need public awareness messaging to explain the appropriate interval for getting a third or fourth shot.

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The Manitoba government did not explain what work its currently doing to drum up interest in third doses and which projects have been shelved.

Instead, a spokesperson explained who qualifies for third doses.

The province also noted high uptake in older populations, with 72.1 per cent of those over 50 having a booster, 78.8 per cent of those 60 and up, and 83.1 per cent among those at least 70 years old.

Tam said shed like to see similar rates among younger Canadians.

"We do need to, I think, get another boost of energy for Canadians to get that booster."

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
OTTAWA  As provinces dismantle vaccination super sites and leave it to pharmacies to dole out COVID-19 shots, Canadas top doctor says governments should instead revive a full-court press to get boosters into arms.

OTTAWA  As provinces dismantle vaccination super sites and leave it to pharmacies to dole out COVID-19 shots, Canadas top doctor says governments should instead revive a full-court press to get boosters into arms.

"We would love to get people mobilized once again, like they did the first round and the second round, to get that booster dose," Dr. Theresa Tam said Friday.

"Were trying to do that once again, and give it another shot, as it were."

Less than half the Canadian population has had a third dose, which experts say is needed to get optimal protection against the Omicron variant, which quickly took over the COVID-19 spread in Canada during Christmas season.

"Because of Omicron, which is an immune-evasive variant, that third dose is really important," Tam told reporters.

"It can give you a boost in reduction against infection, at least for a period of time, and transmission to others. But it can also strengthen the immunity against severe outcomes."

However, Canada might be headed toward a growing rift between those who get every shot they can and those who stop with just two doses.

"We are seeing the fourth-dose rates going up faster perhaps than our third dose," Tam said.

The Public Health Agency of Canada does not publish data on how many Canadians have had a fourth shot, while the Manitoba government has deleted its online vaccine tracker.

According to data the province sends to Ottawa, just 50.5 per cent of Manitobans ages 12 and up had their third shot, as of April 10, lower than the national average of 54.2 per cent.

Saskatchewan is also behind at 48.9 per cent for that age group, while Alberta trails at just 42.9 per cent boosted.

Tam said shes concerned about the three Prairie provinces, all of which have the lowest uptick of boosters and of second doses, and make up three of the four worst provinces for COVID-19 hospitalizations.

"(With) ICUs and hospitalization rates still being high in certain provinces, and (they) dont seem to be coming down very fast  please do go and get that booster, because its very, very effective."

Winnipeg emergency room doctors are reporting historically long wait times, and Tam said shes expecting a further increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations, even if those patients tend to have less severe cases.

This past week, Doctors Manitoba said the number of physicians in Manitoba isolating due to COVID-19 hit 55, double the number from a week prior.

"In some jurisdictions, theyre managing but really stressed," Tam said.

"The current resurgence in health-care workers absenteeism can impact the health system capacity at the moment. Which is why everyone needs to continue to do all we can to reduce transmission, in order to protect the health system."

Tam said provinces can protect their health-care systems by ramping up booster-shot campaigns. That means making sure vaccines are available in convenient locations and people understand the importance of getting a third shot.

"We probably havent done enough good communication from all angles, from public health and otherwise," she said.

Tam said governments can empower trusted community organizations to figure out why people arent getting their third dose, and whether they need public awareness messaging to explain the appropriate interval for getting a third or fourth shot.

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The Manitoba government did not explain what work its currently doing to drum up interest in third doses and which projects have been shelved.

Instead, a spokesperson explained who qualifies for third doses.

The province also noted high uptake in older populations, with 72.1 per cent of those over 50 having a booster, 78.8 per cent of those 60 and up, and 83.1 per cent among those at least 70 years old.

Tam said shed like to see similar rates among younger Canadians.

"We do need to, I think, get another boost of energy for Canadians to get that booster."

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russia unleashed a string of attacks Monday against rail and fuel installations deep inside Ukraine, far from the front lines of Moscows new eastern offensive, as Russias top diplomat warned against provoking World War III and said the threat of a nuclear conflict should not be underestimated.

Worshipers stand next to their traditional cakes and painted eggs prepared for an Easter celebration during a religious service at a church in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, on Sunday, April 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russia unleashed a string of attacks Monday against rail and fuel installations deep inside Ukraine, far from the front lines of Moscows new eastern offensive, as Russias top diplomat warned against provoking World War III and said the threat of a nuclear conflict should not be underestimated.

The U.S., meanwhile, moved to rush more weaponry to Ukraine and said the assistance from the Western allies is making a difference in the 2-month-old war.

Russia is failing. Ukraine is succeeding, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared, a day after he and the U.S. secretary of defense made a bold visit to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Blinken said Washington approved a $165 million sale of ammunition  non-U.S. ammo, mainly if not entirely for Ukraine's Soviet-era weapons  and will also provide more than $300 million in financing to buy more supplies.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin took his comments further, saying that while the U.S. wants to see Ukraine remain a sovereign, democratic country, it also wants "to see Russia weakened to the point where it cant do things like invade Ukraine.

An Orthodox believer helps her daughter to kiss a photo of a priest, founder of All Saints church during the Easter celebration in Bahmut, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, April 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Austins comments about weakening Russia appeared to represent a shift in broader U.S. strategic goals. Previously, the U.S. position had been that the goal of American military aid was to help Ukraine win and to defend Ukraines NATO neighbors against Russian threats.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said weapons supplied by Western countries will be a legitimate target," adding that Russian forces had already targeted weapons warehouses in western Ukraine.

Everyone is reciting incantations that in no case can we allow World War III, Lavrov said in a wide-ranging interview on Russian television. He accused Ukrainian leaders of provoking Russia by asking NATO to become involved in the conflict.

A Ukrainian soldier prays in St. Michael Cathedral during Orthodox Easter celebrations in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

By providing weapons, NATO forces are pouring oil on the fire, he said, according to a transcript on the Russian Foreign Ministrys website.

Regarding the possibility of a nuclear confrontation, Lavrov said: I would not want to see these risks artificially inflated now, when the risks are rather significant.

The danger is serious," he said. "It is real. It should not be underestimated.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, left, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John Kolasheski, the Commanding General of V Corps, and U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, Commanding General, 82nd Airborne Division, speak with reporters, Sunday, April 24, 2022, in Poland near the Ukraine border. The Biden administration has unveiled new U.S. military assistance and a diplomatic surge for Ukraine as Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made a secrecy-shrouded visit to the capital of Kyiv. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, its apparent goal was the lightning capture of Kyiv, the capital. But the Ukrainians, with the help of Western weapons, thwarted the push and forced President Vladimir Putin's troops to retreat.

Moscow now says its goal is to take the Donbas, the mostly Russian-speaking industrial region in eastern Ukraine. While both sides say the campaign in the east is underway, Russia has yet to mount an all-out ground offensive and has not achieved any major breakthroughs.

On Monday, Russia focused its firepower elsewhere, with missiles and warplanes striking far behind the front lines in an effort to thwart Ukrainian efforts to marshal supplies for the fight.

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Monday, April 25, 2022, from left; U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pose for a picture during their meeting Sunday, April 24, 2022, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Five railroad stations in central and western Ukraine were hit, and one worker was killed, said Oleksandr Kamyshin, head of Ukraine's state railway. The bombardment included a missile attack near Lviv, the western city close to the Polish border that has been swelled by Ukrainians fleeing the fighting elsewhere around the country.

Ukrainian authorities said at least five people were killed by Russian strikes in the central Vynnytsia region.

Russia also destroyed an oil refinery in Kremenchuk, in central Ukraine, along with fuel depots there, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said. In all, Russian warplanes destroyed 56 Ukrainian targets overnight, he said.

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Monday, April 25, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, attends his meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken Sunday, April 24, 2022, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Philip Breedlove, a retired U.S. general who was NATOs top commander from 2013 to 2016, said the latest strikes against fuel depots are part of a strategy to deplete key Ukrainian war resources. The strikes against rail targets, on the other hand, are a newer tactic, he said.

I think theyre doing it for the legitimate reason of trying to interdict the flow of supplies to the front, he said. The illegitimate reason is they know people are trying to leave the country, and this is just another intimidation, terrorist tactic to make them not have faith and confidence in traveling on the rails.

Phillips P. OBrien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, said the war is, for now, settling into a campaign of incremental battlefield losses and gains.

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Monday, April 25, 2022, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, left, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, attend their meeting Sunday, April 24, 2022, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, not in the picture, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

The two sides are sort of every day weakening each other, he said. So its a question of what can you bring in thats new and what can you destroy on the other side.

In Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova that sits along the Ukrainian border, several explosions believed caused by rocket-propelled grenades hit the territory's Ministry of State Security. There was no immediate claim of responsibility or reports of injuries. Transnistria is a strip of land with about 470,000 people and about 1,500 Russian troops based there.

Moldova's Foreign Ministry said the aim of todays incident is to create pretexts for straining the security situation in the Transnistrian region." The U.S. warned previously that Russia may launch false-flag attacks against its own side to create a pretext for invading other nations.

In this image from video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office and posted on Facebook, on Monday, April 25, 2022, from left; U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pose for a picture during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Last week, Rustam Minnekayev, a Russian military commander, said the Kremlin wants full control of southern Ukraine, which he said would open the way to Transnistria.

An estimated 2,000 Ukrainian troops holed up in a steel plant in the strategic southern port city of Mariupol are tying down Russian forces and apparently keeping them from being added to the offensive elsewhere in the Donbas. Over the weekend, Russian forces launched new airstrikes on the Azovstal plant to try to dislodge the holdouts.

Some 1,000 civilians were also said to be taking shelter at the steelworks, and the Russian military pledged to open a humanitarian corridor Monday for them to leave.

A Ukrainian serviceman inspects a heavily damaged apartment building after Russian bombardment in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

The Russian offer was met with skepticism by Ukraine. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on the Telegram messaging app that Ukraine does not consider the route safe and added that Russia had breached agreements on similar evacuation routes before. She called on the United Nations to oversee an evacuation.

The city council and mayor of Mariupol said a new mass grave has been identified about 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of the city. Mayor Vadym Boychenko said authorities were trying to estimate the number of victims. It was at least the third new mass grave discovered in Russian-controlled areas near Mariupol in the last week.

Mariupol has been gutted by bombardment and fierce street fighting over the past two months. In addition to freeing up Russian troops, the capture of the city would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

A Ukrainian serviceman walks in a building near a frontline position in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Monday, April 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said his country's goal is to maintain resistance and make the occupiers stay in our land even more intolerable, while Russia drains its resources.

A top Ukrainian official cast doubt on the prospect of further talks between the two countries. Recent sessions in Istanbul ended without resolution earlier this month.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press in an interview that any negotiations other than talks between Zelenskyy and Putin would bring little resolution.

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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Monday, April 25, 2022, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, center, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, centre right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second from right, attend their meeting, Sunday, April 24, 2022, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Britain said it believes 15,000 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine since Moscow began its invasion. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said 25% of the Russian combat units sent to Ukraine have been rendered not combat effective."

Ukrainian officials have said about 2,500 to 3,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed as of mid-April.

___

Associated Press journalists Yuras Karmanau and Jon Gambrell in Lviv, Ukraine, and AP staff around the world contributed.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Twenty-two new COVID-19 cases were recently confirmed at Winonas largest schools.

Winona Area Public Schools

Six new COVID-19 cases were confirmed at Winona Area Public Schools from April 14 to April 20, according to WAPS Superintendent Annette Freiheit during Thursdays school board meeting.

For more information about COVID-19 at WAPS, visit winonaschools.org.

Cotter Schools

Cotter Schools did not release new COVID-19 data on their dashboard during the past week.

For more information about COVID-19 at Cotter Schools, visit cotterschools.org.

Winona State University

Ten new COVID-19 cases were reported at Winona State University during the week leading up to April 20, according to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities systems dashboard.

Of the new cases, seven were students and three were employees.

The new cases bring the universitys totals up to 309 student cases and 58 employee cases since the start of 2022.

For more information about COVID-19 at WSU, visit winona.edu.

Saint Marys University

Five new COVID-19 cases were confirmed at Saint Marys Universitys Winona campus during the week of April 19, according to the universitys dashboard.

Of the five cases, four were students and one was an employee.

The new cases bring the campus total since the start of 2022 up to 145 cases.

For more information about COVID-19 at SMU, visit smumn.edu.

Minnesota State College Southeast

One new COVID-19 case was confirmed at Minnesota State College Southeast from April 14 to April 20, according to the colleges dashboard.

The new case was located on the Winona campus.

The new case was the first reported at the college since the start of March and the first on the Winona campus since mid-February.

The colleges total since the start of 2022 is now at 65 cases.

For more information about COVID-19 at MSCSE, visit southeastmn.edu.

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Winona County DFL and the Winona State College Democrats are co-sponsoring the First Congressional District DFL Candidates Forum.

Six DFL candidates for Minnesotas first congressional district will be in Winona on Wednesday, April 27, to speak and answer questions at a free community forum at Winona State University in the Kryzsko Commons 2nd floor Ballroom, 250 W. 10th St., Winona.

The event begins at 7 p.m. Arrive at 6:30 p.m. to meet and speak with candidates.

Attending candidates are: Warren Lee Anderson, Sarah Brakebill-Hacke, a representative for Candice Deal-Bartell, Rick DeVoe, Jeff Ettinger and Richard W. Painter

These candidates are relatively unknown in the Winona area. It is important for citizens to attend this forum to become a more informed voter. Jim Worthley, chair of the Winona County DFL.

A special primary election takes place less than 30 days after the forum on May 24.

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The first Bacon Fest takes over Loggers Field in La Crosse on Saturday, and tickets are sold out.

The River Valley Media Group has partnered with Festival Foods, Farmland Bacon and Copeland Park & Events Center to bring Bacon Fest to La Crosse on May 7.

A highlight of the event will be the official Bacon Eating Contest, sponsored by Festival Foods and Farmland Bacon. Fifteen contestants will compete to see who can consume the most bacon in five minutes. The winner will receive a trophy, and bragging rights as the first-ever Bacon Fest Bacon Eating Champion.

VIP and general admission tickets are sold out.

General admission gates open at 1 p.m., and ticket holders receive one free sample from all food vendor booths. .

Food vendors will gather at Loggers Field, offering samples of their best bacon dish or overall bacon in this family friendly event, with trophies awarded to vendors in each category. There will be a Fans Favorite division, as voted on by all attendees as well as a Judges Choice in each category as voted upon by a panel of local judges.

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A Portage teen was sentenced to serve 18 months in state prison after pleading no contest to two counts of taking and driving a vehicle without the owners consent in 2021.

Zachery T. Otto, 18, was sentenced in Columbia County Circuit Court last week after pleading no contest to two of six counts of vehicle theft. The other four counts were dismissed but read in, which means they can be considered for sentencing purposes.

Otto was facing six felony counts of taking and driving a vehicle without consent. He was facing a possible 18 years in prison with 18 years of extended supervision if convicted on all counts.

Online records show on April 18 Otto pleaded no contest. Columbia County Judge Todd Hepler found Otto guilty due to the no contest plea. Hepler sentenced Otto to serve 18 months of initial confinement and three years of extended supervision.

Hepler set Otto to pay restitution of $9,649.35 in the case. Online records show Otto remains in custody at the Racine Youthful Offender Correctional Institute.

According to the criminal complaint in that case filed in November:

Portage Police received a report on May 26 of an SUV stolen from a parking lot on Dunn Street. The vehicle was eventually found in Madison.

Then in October, Portage Police received a cell phone extraction sent from the digital forensic unit after a search warrant was granted on it. A Portage detective reviewed the content of the phone.

The complaint states the phone allegedly had a video on it showing the stolen SUV with Otto driving in speeds over 110 mph. The detective found other similar videos on the phone. The extraction also had the GPS location of the cell phone and allegedly places Otto in the area when the vehicle was stolen.

On May 28, Portage Police dispatched to a business on East Oneida Street where a car was stolen. On June 18, the stolen vehicle was again recovered in Madison and transferred to a Madison Police impound lot.

Also on May 28, a vehicle was reported stolen from a residence on Cass Street in Portage and eventually found in Fitchburg. The complaint alleges that similar video and GPS information was found on the cell phone establishing Otto at the time and place of both vehicle thefts.

A similar report was made earlier, on May 1, to Portage Police of a car reportedly stolen from a residence on Prospect Avenue. The car was later located in Sun Prairie.

There was a DNA sample recovered from the steering wheel of this car and was compared to Ottos DNA. Portage Police allege the DNA from the steering wheel and Otto matched. The victim said they did not give permission to anyone to take the car.

Otto was also charged with criminal escape in October while being held at Columbia County Jail on Huber work release. That charge was dismissed but read in for sentencing purposes.

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UW-Madison did not publicly advertise a newly created position before giving the $125,000-per-year post to a former executive with Foxconn, a company that has fallen far short of its promise to build a massive manufacturing plant in Racine County, recently released records show.

The universitys decision to waive the typical recruitment process followed university policy because the position is a temporary appointment lasting two years or less. Most UW-Madison jobs are required to be publicly posted for a period of time to allow all potential candidates an equal opportunity to apply.

UW-Madison earlier this year hired Alan Yeung, Foxconns former director of U.S. strategic initiatives, to be a professor of practice for entrepreneurship, according to the universitys offer letter. His official title is Internal Consultant I in the College of Engineerings research office.

Yeungs hiring, first reported in late March by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, has drawn criticism from Foxconn skeptics. He was deeply involved in a deal approved by state lawmakers in 2017 to build a massive manufacturing plant in Racine County with the help of some $4 billion in taxpayer incentives. The company in 2018 also pledged to donate $100 million to UW-Madison to help fund a new engineering building and company-related research.

So far, both commitments have faltered. Last year was the first time the company created enough jobs to begin tapping state tax credits, and records show Foxconn has so far only given $700,000 to the university  less than 1% of the companys commitment more than three years into the five-year agreement.

UW-Madison chancellor Rebecca Blank said last summer that she wasnt expecting the Taiwanese technology company to honor its pledge, citing the trade war between the U.S. and China and other problems taking place in markets where Foxconn operated as reasons why the gift fell through.

Foxconn representatives, provided more than two business days to respond to submitted questions, declined to say if the company ever plans to honor its promise to UW-Madison and whether Yeungs hiring changes its relationship with the university.

Yeungs position is expected to last a year or less and is being paid for with funding from the Grainger Institute for Engineering, a private gift from the Grainger Foundation, UW-Madison spokesperson John Lucas said.

Yeung, a 1984 UW-Madison alumnus who holds multiple patents and has served as a senior executive in Silicon Valley, started the UW-Madison job on April 1. The job description shows he will lend advice to the College of Engineering on commercializing university research.

Alan brings invaluable experience in new business venture and technology commercialization, College of Engineering Dean Ian Robertson said in a statement. Taking more of our world-class research to market more quickly is a top priority, and Alans leadership and expertise in addressing opportunities and achieving alignments make him the right person to begin this effort.

Expanding industry research is an area UW-Madison has long targeted for improvement. Among other institutions in the top 10 nationally for research spending, the level of business funding in the 2020 fiscal year ranged from $177 million at the University of Pennsylvania to $50 million at Harvard University. UW-Madison came in last with $30 million, according to National Science Foundation research spending data.

Yeung will help establish the College of Engineerings new Technology Entrepreneurship Office, which he said will collaborate with the College of Letters and Science and the School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences. He said he will help recruit and hire the offices director and work on other staffing.

He declined in an interview to explain why Foxconns promise to UW-Madison fell through and whether, as a UW-Madison employee, he is disappointed by Foxconns level of investment in the university. He said his new job doesnt entail working with large corporations partnering with UW-Madison on technology-related research, so it would not be (his) role to try and persuade Foxconn to honor its $100 million pledge.

Instead, Yeung said his work will focus on forming relationships with alumni and others affiliated with UW-Madison who have business experience. The new office plans to offer an entrepreneurship-in-residence program that will connect these executives or entrepreneurs with faculty, postdoctoral researchers and students.

Yeung also said hes hoping to build a fund to keep the entrepreneurship-in-residence program running so that it doesnt rely on grants in the long term.

Yeung isnt UW-Madisons first Foxconn hire. The university last year hired John Garnetti, the companys former deputy director of U.S. strategic initiatives, to lead the universitys Office of Business Engagement after a monthslong search that yielded a significant pool of applicants, officials said. Garnetti was hired at a $145,000 annual salary.
Health Sciences student wins Wits FameLab

Mpho Mathole won the Wits leg of the international science communication competition and will go on to participate in the nationals later this year.

Mathole, member of the Faculty of Health Sciences Student Council, impressed the judges by explaining how he is researching using biostatistics in improving healthcare provision in South Africa. In the three minutes allotted to him, Mathole communicated his research clearly and concisely to the audience. He won the chance to go through to the national semi-finals of the competition, and then stands a chance to represent South Africa at international level. Mothole says his leadership role motivates his study because it is about moral progress from self-regard to thinking about the greater good of the community.

Mothole just edged out Johanna Marais, a master's student in neuroscience, while Boiltumelo Tlhaole came in in third place.

FameLab has inspired me and my love for my study and field of work, says Marais, whose research investigates the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in a cohort of cis-gendered women living with HIV and how that impacts cardiometabolic health.

FameLab is the biggest science communication competition in the world. The competition aims to find and support students across the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields to present and communicate their research better. The first FameLab competition was held in Cheltenham 17 years ago. In South Africa, the competition has been running since 2013 and is made possible by a partnership between the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement and Jive Media Africa.

The Wities presentations cut across various fields, from Astrophysics to health sciences, and asking and resolving local community issues to global problems. This included third place Tlhaoles, work, which looks at taking waste from South African staple, maize and making it into highly valuable chemicals and hydrogen energy.

FameLab alumni and training facilitator Keneilwe Bontle Moropa, says training in science communications and in communicating scientific concepts eloquently, makes science fun, interesting and accessible to the next generation of scientist.

The two-day competition is made up out of two stages. Day one was spent training participants in a science communication workshop. Participants were trained on how to best communicate their scientific idea to a general non-scientific community; to enhance their interpersonal communication and presentation skills as well as to effectively and confidently communicate an idea.

Leaving this session, I feel equipped to effectively communicate my concept to potential investors or funders, says Iyanu Emmanuel Williams, master's student in the School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering.

On the second day, the students participated in a heat session where they were each given three-minutes to present their science concept to a judging panel made up of Renee Le Roux Goretsky, head of Head Pre-Award Support at Wits University, Phontsho Pilane, author, media training and communication professional and Dr Shivan Parusnath, regional lead, Africa for National Geographic Society.
A family takes photos against a backdrop of blooming sunflowers at the Olympic Forest Park in Beijing, on July 4, 2021. [Xinhua]

Wang Yuxiao couldn't wait to open the tax app on her phone and add details about her three sons.

She happily shared the experience on her WeChat moments, saying "The legs of a fly are meat, too," a Chinese saying that means "every little helps".

Through an individual income tax app provided by the State Administration of Taxation, parents can apply for additional deductions if their children attend school or are younger than 3 years old.

The 2022 Government Work Report, released on March 5, announced that for the first time care expenses for children younger than 3 will be included in the special additional deductions for individual income tax.

Multiple supportive measures were rolled out in various provinces and cities after the May announcement of the third-child policy, which allows all couples to have up to three children. As the most important factors for many mothers are time and money, the measures revolve around those elements.

In addition to tax reductions, some cities are offering subsidies for families with multiple children.

Panzhihua, Sichuan Province, was the first to announce such a measure, offering 500 yuan ($79) per baby per month for families with two or three children until they turn 3 years old.

The provinces of Zhejiang, Jilin, Guangdong, Heilongjiang and Hunan, plus Beijing, have also discussed providing subsidies.

In September, Linze County, Gansu Province, announced that a family's second child is entitled to a child care subsidy of 5,000 yuan per year until the age of 3, while the figure for the third child is 10,000 yuan. When the birth allowance of thousands is added in, a family with three children can apply for a maximum of 100,000 yuan.

In October, Beijing's Chaoyang District said families with more than one child will have the opportunity to cut the line when waiting for public rental apartments, setting an example of a local government housing policy working to ease the baby burden.

In March last year, the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) mentioned exploring the possibility of giving child care leave, and the 30th session of the 13th National People's Congress Standing Committee in August amended the Population and Family Planning Law and encouraged local governments to establish leave for parents.

For families with children younger than 3, provinces such as Guizhou, Sichuan, Anhui and Fujian, and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, allow both parents 10 days of parental leave per year. In September, Changyuan, Henan Province, announced that both parents would be entitled to a maximum 30 days of leave a year.

In Guangdong Province, mothers of three children are eligible for 80 days extra leave, while their spouse can have 15 days.

(Source: China Daily)
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech via video at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022, on April 21, 2022. [Xinhua/Huang Jingwen]

BEIJING, April 24 (Xinhua)  Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday proposed a Global Security Initiative to promote security for everyone around the world while delivering a keynote speech via video at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022.

Xi proposed the Global Security Initiative with the future of all humanity in mind. The initiative is another global public good offered by China, as well as a vivid illustration of the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind in the security field.

The Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative have become important global public goods provided by China, offering China's wisdom and impetus to help improve global governance.

Belt and Road Initiative

Global Development Initiative

Global Security Initiative

(Source: Xinhua)
BEIJING, April 24 (Xinhua)  In the 1970s, a small village on the Loess Plateau in Shaanxi Province, northwest China, had not yet been connected to electricity. When darkness fell, the whole village sank into slumber.

But one of the simple cave homes would radiate a dim glow. Inside, a young man would be reading books under the dull light of a kerosene lamp.

The avid reader was Xi Jinping, who became Chinese president in 2013.

The homemade lamp, a repurposed ink bottle filled with oil and a wick, was as modest as its light. Wang Xianping, a villager who met Xi in Liangjiahe, recalled that Xi "had to read so close to the glimmer of light that the kerosene smoke often blackened his face and nose."

Xi arrived in Liangjiahe in 1969, not yet 16 years old, hauling a heavy suitcase full of books. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), he was just one of the millions of urban educated youth who were sent to the country's rural areas to "learn from the peasants."

Over the seven years he lived and worked on the Loess Plateau, Xi spent almost every minute of his spare time with his  often sooty  nose in a book. He would return to the tomes, which villagers remarked were "as thick as bricks," over and over again. By the time he entered college in 1975, he had read "Das Kapital" three times, filling 18 notebooks with his reflections.

Under the same kerosene lamp, Xi would read to the villagers, periodically lending them his books. Wu Hui, now 68 years old, recalled how he borrowed "Records of the Three Kingdoms" from Xi. "Sometimes it (classical Chinese) was hard for me to understand, and Xi was always patient with my every question," Wu said.

Wu later became a middle school teacher. Today, he attributes his interactions with Xi to widening his worldview and helping him identify his goals. "My life would not be the same without Xi's influence."

"Reading is my biggest hobby," Xi once said and, recollecting his time in Liangjiahe, said he did the most reading during his time in the village. Reading, however, was not the only passion ignited under the light of that kerosene lamp.

Inspired by Shakespeare, Xi often pondered the question of "to be or not to be," ultimately making up his mind to serve the motherland and the people.

Xi's passion for reading has remained a constant, from his time as an "educated youth" in the 1970s right the way up to the country's top leadership. He immerses himself in reading regardless of his workload.

"The only hobby I have kept is reading," he once shared in an interview. He has also encouraged officials to read more, from works on Marxism to books on classic literature.

Quoting an ancient Chinese proverb, Xi said, "One's life is limited, but knowledge is limitless."

(Source: Xinhua)
The scene of a house fire that killed a woman and three children is seen in this photo shared by the Philadelphia Fire Department on Sunday.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks in the briefing room of the State Department on Jan. 7, 2022.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 11: Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) waits in the Senate President pro tempore office for the arrival of Judge Brett Kavanaugh in the U.S. Capitol July 11, 2018 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh to succeed retiring Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Recruitment window for full-time firefighters opens in North Wales

A recruitment window has opened for people looking to become full-time firefighters in North Wales.

The opening of the window comes seven months after a previous recruitment drive was paused due to a lack of resources

Registration for on-line applications is open and close at noon tomorrow  Tuesday 26 April.

Head of operations Anthony Jones said: The recruitment window will be open for online registrations.

Were looking for people to join our team. We believe there is no such thing as a typical firefighter and applications from all backgrounds are encouraged.

The fire and rescue service has changed considerably over the last few years and the firefighter role has adapted to reflect this and to meet the demands of the local community.

We recruit based on merit and ability, so regardless of your gender identity or your ethnicity, if you think you have what it takes, keep an eye on our website and social media for updates on the recruitment process.

Our firefighters need to be able to communicate with all groups within the community but especially those at risk, such as the elderly and children.

They are able to switch from responding to a wide variety of incidents, to a more preventative role involving educating our communities, visiting the people we serve at home to ensure residents know how to keep themselves safe from fire and what to do in case of an emergency.

The role of a modern-day firefighter is therefore varied, challenging and immensely rewarding and we recently held taster days at Rhyl Fire Station because for such a diverse role we need a diverse workforce which reflects the communities we serve.

Were therefore especially keen to encourage applications from under-represented groups, which currently include women and people from LGBTQ+, black and ethnic minorities.

Were also looking for Welsh speakers and learners as we want to deliver a first-class service to all our communities.

To apply click here

(This is an unpaid promotion)
Engineers, conductors and yard workers at Canadian Pacific Railways (CP Rail) established the CP Rail Workers Rank-and-File Committee last month, following the Teamsters unions sabotaging of their struggle for wage and pension increases and an end to the railway giants brutal scheduling and disciplinary regimes.

Bowing to pressure from the company and Canadas Liberal government, the Teamsters accepted a process whereby a government-appointed arbitrator will dictate CP Rail workers terms of employment, and any worker job action is outlawed until the next contract expires years hence. Without any consultation let alone a vote, the Teamsters ordered the 3,000 workers it bargains for at CP Rail to return to work by Noon local time on March 22, some 36 hours after they had walked off the job.

CP Rail workers on the picket line in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan (Credit: Teamsters Division 510)

Since its founding, the CP Workers Rank-and-File Committee has become a pole of attraction for workers seeking to expose the terrible conditions they confront under a dictatorial working environment enforced by the combined efforts of CP management, complicit government regulators and the corporatist Teamsters and Unifor unions.

The Committee has also won support from workers and their relatives seeking to find out the truth about the deadly February 2019 derailment at Field, British Columbia, which claimed the lives of three railroaders. Pam Fraser, who gave an extensive interview to the WSWS on her familys struggle to uncover the truth about how her son, Dylan Paradis, was killed, noted that the Teamsters left her family to fight alone, saying that the union fell by the wayside.

The Committees determined struggle against the Teamsters connivance with CP management and the Liberal government in robbing workers of their rights to strike and bargain collectively and in overseeing dangerous working conditions that produce tragedies like the Field derailment has evidently raised the hackles of the union bureaucracy. In recent days, several top bureaucrats have sent angry messages to the Committees email address.

After the WSWS published material on the fatal Field derailment, the CP Workers Rank-and-File Committee received belligerent messages from union bureaucrats asserting that our criticisms of the unions are an attack on the workers they claim to represent. The article which provoked the most aggressive response was entitled Teamsters to do nothing after inquiry documents Canadian Pacifics responsibility for fatal Field, B.C., derailment. The piece explained that the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) had reacted to the Transportation Safety Boards damning report on the Field accident, by declaring its full confidence that the pro-company rail regulator and the big business Liberal governmentthat is those responsible for overseeing CPs disastrous safety recordwill now enforce tougher safety rules.

When you refer to the union, wrote Steve Keene, an adviser to the TCRC with four + decades of experience with worker advocacy, according to his LinkedIn profile, surely you understand you are referring to all the workers. Your article is a despicable and reprehensible twisting of the unions position for your own political purposes. You should be ashamed.

Tom Doherty, Alberta provincial legislative chair of TCRC, weighed in with a rant of his own against the Committee. You guys are crazy, he wrote. I have no problem saying this. What you are saying is so disrespectful to the many members we have lost. You never even fact checked one of your statements. The only reason I am taking the time to respond is the absolute disgusting fact youre using the loss of three great people who lost their lives in a tragic incident to bolster your crazy hurtful rant. You are disrespecting their memories their families and us who are trying to make the persons responsible accountable. By your stupid rant youre attempting to change the narrative from a systematic issue in the railway industry into a personal position and claim absolute knowledge. What you are actually doing is harm to all of us.

If there is anything disgusting and reprehensible about this episode, it is the spectacle of well-paid union bureaucrats who have been hobnobbing with rail executives and government regulators for decades through the labour relations system denouncing workers who dare to criticize their record as crazy and disrespecting the memory of their deceased colleagues. What they really cannot tolerate is the fact that the CP Workers Rank-and-File Committee, unlike the corrupt Teamsters which functions like a company police force in the workplace, has created a democratic forum allowing rail workers to speak out freely about union complicity in imposing dangerous working conditions and wage a genuine struggle to improve them.

Keenes claim that by criticizing the union, the CP Workers Rank-and-File Committee is attacking all the workers is a flat-out lie and deserves an extended response. The fact of the matter is that the TCRC, like all trade unions, no longer represents working people. Over the past four decades, the unions have been transformed into nothing more than appendages of corporate management and the state apparatus that promote nationalism to divide working people. They function as little more than labour syndicates, catering to the interests of a privileged layer of bureaucrats seeking well-paid posts on committees, pension boards and other corporatist institutions. What this middle class social layer fears above all, and this is reflected in the vitriol with which Keene and Doherty inveigh against the Committee, is that working people could reject the unions nationalist and corporatist poison and form independent organizations to unify their struggles with workers internationally against the capitalist profit system.

For years, the TCRC has served as the henchmen of the rail operators brutal enforcement of Precision Scheduled Railroading, which has produced hazards to workers and the public alike not seen since the slave labour conditions of the 19th century.

The unions have sabotaged every genuine struggle by workers, ramming through one concessions-laden contract after another.

So confident were investors that the TCRCs acceptance of binding arbitration at CP Rail would produce a corporate-friendly outcome that its share price jumped by 2.1 percent immediately after last months arbitration-agreement was announced.

The reliance on a pro-corporate, state-appointed arbitrator to determine workers collective agreements has become the standard operating procedure for the Teamsters. Eight out of the nine most recent labour disputes at CP have been resolved through arbitration, ensuring the profits-before-safety policy of the railways remains fully intact. And in virtually every case, the union itself sanctioned, if not welcomed, binding arbitration.

At Canadas other Class 1 freight railway, Canadian National (CN), the Teamsters union holds the same track record of imposing concessions and job cuts on workers and bowing before government back-to-work laws. In 2014, workers twice voted down union-endorsed agreements. Yet the TCRC scuttled a strike before it left the gate, after the Harper Conservative government threatened anti-strike legislation and a contract imposed by a Tory-appointed arbitrator.

In 2019, under pressure from the Trudeau-led Liberal government, the TCRC rushed to shut down a seven-day strike at CN. The union abandoned many of the workers key demands around hazardous working conditions. The precipitous end to the strike relieved the Teamsters government partner from having to impose back-to-work legislation, which would have damaged the Liberals progressive image that the union bureaucracy has done so much to cultivate.

The Teamsters record on Canadas railroads is the record of an organization that is bitterly hostile to rank-and-file workers and focused above all on defending the material interests of privileged bureaucrats by suppressing the class struggle. These interests are intimately tied to the profitability of the rail operators and corporate Canada more broadly, which explains why the unions are the leading purveyors of foul Canadian nationalism.

The unions outright hostility to workers is an international phenomenon. In February, when 17,000 engineers and conductors at BNSF railroad in the US voted to strike over the new punitive Hi Viz attendance policy, a federal judge issued a strike-breaking injunction running roughshod over workers democratic and even contractual rights. The attendance policy, unilaterally imposed by the company on February 1, is so brutal that at least 1,000 workers have resigned since its application. Yet, the unions involved in the struggle, the Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation-Transportation Division (SMART-TD) union and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET)a division of the Teamstersenforced the anti-democratic injunction.

The CP Workers Rank-and-File Committee is fighting to put an end to the corporate domination of North Americas railroads by fighting to unify Canadian, American and Mexican railroaders in a rebellion against the life-threatening conditions overseen by the tripartite alliance of corporate executives, union bureaucrats and government regulators.

The fact that this struggle has provoked outrage among top Teamsters bureaucrats should be a matter of pride to the Committees members and proves that they are on the right track. The urgent task now is to expand the committees influence among rail workers across the private railways and among broader sections of the working class, all of whom confront a gang-up of the bosses, union bureaucrats and government officials determined to ratchet up worker exploitation so as to boost corporate profits.

We appeal to all workers who wish to join our struggle to email the CP Workers Rank-and-File Committee at cpworkersrfc@gmail.com.
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin traveled to Kiev to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the highest-level US official visit to Ukraines capital city since the war broke out.

Their trip comes as, in the span of just 10 days, President Joe Biden has announced $1.6 billion in additional US weapons to Ukraine, including aircraft, drones, artillery and armored vehicles.

Blinken and Austin went to Kiev to give Zelensky his marching orders. The US is calling the shots in the war, with Zelenskys government serving as a puppet. Ukraines oligarchs have been bought off with billions of dollars to supply the Ukrainian people as cannon fodder in a conflict with Russia.

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John Kolasheski, the Commanding General of V Corps, holds an operational overview as he speaks with reporters, Sunday, April 24, 2022, in Poland near the Ukraine border. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

Fighting a hot war on Ukrainian territory has been a central goal of US imperialist planning since at least the 2014 Ukrainian coup, and likely as far back as the 2004 Orange Revolution. So vital were the US military preparations for this conflict that they led to what was then only the third impeachment of a president in US history, over allegations that then-President Donald Trump had withheld weapons from Ukraine.

On February 24, the years-long buildup of Ukraine as a US/NATO fortress against Russia prompted Washingtons desired outcomeRussias invasion of the countryin what US strategists hoped would become Russias Afghanistan, which would bleed the country white.

Now, two months since the outbreak of the war, US officials are stating publicly what they previously admitted only in secret: The United States is the driving force in a war aimed at crippling and subjugating Russia and overthrowing its government, no matter the cost in Ukrainian lives.

In an interview with CBS, former US Army Europe Commander Ben Hodges declared, You know, were not just observers cheering for Ukraine here. The United States, Hodges said, should declare, We want to win.

He continued, that means all Russian forces back to pre-24 February a long-term commitment to the full restoration of Ukrainian sovereigntythat means Crimea and Donbasand then finally breaking the back of Russias ability to project power outside of Russia to threaten Georgia, to threaten Moldova, to threaten our Baltic allies.

In other words, the goal of the United States must be not only to retake Crimeaterritory that Russia claims as its ownbut to destroy the fighting capacity of the Russian military.

On Friday, the New York Times used the phrase bring Russia to its knees in an editorial, declaring, Sanctions aloneat least any sanctions that European countries would be willing to now considerwill not bring Russia to its knees any time soon.

The deliberate use of these phrasesbring Russia to its knees and breaking the back of Russiaexposes as fraudulent the official narrative of the war presented for public consumption in the media: Namely that it is an unprovoked onslaught by powerful Russia against poor and helpless Ukraine.

The clear implication of these statements is the expansion of the war to Russian territory, potentially including the deployment of US forces either in Ukraine, in Russian territory, or both.

In a recent statement on CBSs Face the Nation, Senate Democrat Chris Coons, referred to by Politico as Bidens shadow secretary of state, effectively doubled down on his demand for a discussion about sending US troops to Ukraine.

Coons was asked, In some public remarks this week, you said the country needs to talk about when it might be willing to send troops to Ukraine. To this, Coons replied, Putin will only stop when we stop him.

In an interview Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press, US Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer was asked point blank: Is the US policy objective right now for Ukraine to defeat Russia? Can you say that definitively? Finer effectively answered yes, saying, Russia is more isolated in the world. Its economy is weaker And our objective is going to be to continue that trend.

This is not just a war that Washington wanted. It is a war that the United States provoked. The billions of dollars in arms funneled to Ukraine under the last three presidents, Bidens declaration that he does not recognize Russias red lines, the refusal to negotiate over Ukraines potential membership in NATOall were calculated to provoke the present war.

Since the outbreak of the war, the United States has done everything possible to prevent a diplomatic settlement. Along with goading US officials to openly declare the US policy to be the military defeat of Russia, the talk shows Sunday were dominated by condemnations of the efforts of the United Nations to broker a diplomatic settlement of the war.

US newscasters poured scorn upon efforts by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to find a peaceful settlement of the war by meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Asking a leading question, Kristen Welker of NBC demanded, Does the UN secretary general, is he authorized to speak on behalf of the Ukrainian government?

Igor Zhovkva, deputy head of the office of Ukrainian President Zelensky, replied by condemning Guterress efforts. This is not good idea to travel to Moscow. We did not understand his intention to travel to Moscow and to talk to President Putin.

In order to drum up public support for the war, the US media is carrying out a campaign of incitement, accusing Russia of war crimes, massacres and genocide. This propaganda blitz is aimed at creating hatred of Russians, with increasingly racist overtones.

The liberal and pseudo-left apologists for US capitalism, including disoriented layers of academics, incapable of viewing anything in historical context, have been swept up in the militarist hysteria against Russia.

A warning must be made: The aims being pursued increasingly openly by the United States in the war inevitably involve the expansion of the conflict. There is nothing left of the fiction that the United States and NATO are not at war with Russia. In pursuit of regime-change, the dismemberment of Russia and the plundering of its vast resources, American imperialism is risking nuclear war.
New evidence presented in a court filing by the House committee charged with investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on Congress highlights the direct involvement of leading Republican lawmakers in the Trump White House plot to overturn the November 2020 election.

Late Friday night, the House Select Committee filed a motion in federal court for summary judgment against a suit by Mark Meadows, Trumps former White House chief of staff, backing Meadows refusal to comply with a committee subpoena ordering him to provide documents and testimony.

The committees motion, containing excerpts of testimony from a former top aide to Meadows, leaves no doubt that the siege of the US Capitol was not a spontaneous riot by over-zealous Trump supporters. It was the implementation of a plan worked out between Trump, Meadows, other Trump aides and a group of Republican lawmakers, with either the active or passive support of the entire Republican leadership.

Trump supporters scaling the wall of the Capitol on January 6, 2021 [Credit: Flickr.com/Blink Ofanaye]

The 248-page motion details in-person meetings, text messages and phone calls held between Meadows and Republican representatives Scott Perry (Pennsylvania), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Jim Jordan (Ohio), Matt Gaetz (Florida), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia) and Lauren Boebert (Colorado) in furtherance of Trumps coup. The court filing cites testimony given by a top aide of Meadows, Cassidy Hutchinson, who spoke to the committee in February and March of this year.



In her testimony, Hutchinson said that the above-mentioned representatives, as well as other members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, which Meadows had co-founded before becoming Trumps chief of staff, discussed with the White House Counsels Office the legality of having then-Vice President Mike Pence reject the electors of states Trump lost in the November 2020 election. As vice president, Pence was designated by law to preside over the official counting of previously certified electoral votes from all of the states on January 6 of 2021, two weeks before the inauguration of the winner and president-elect, Joe Biden.

That scheme, advanced by Trump coup lawyer John Eastman, had the support of well connected Republican operatives such as Virginia Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.



This was discussed at a December 21, 2020 meeting at the White House attended by Jordan, Greene and Gaetz, as well as representatives Jody Hice (currently running with Trumps endorsement for Georgia secretary of state), Paul Gosar (Arizona), Debbie Lesko (Arizona), Andy Biggs (Arizona), Mo Brooks (Alabama) and other Republican politicians, according to Hutchinson.



They felt that he [Pence] had the authority topardon me if my phrasing isnt correct on this, butsend votes back to the states or the electors back to the states, more along the lines of the [John] Eastman plan, Hutchinson testified.



Citing one of the over 2,000 text messages turned over by Meadows to the committee last year, before he announced that he would no longer cooperate, the court filing notes the support Meadows gave to the far-right lawmakers seeking to pressure Pence to unilaterally reject the votes of millions of people.



I have pushed for this, Meadows texted Ohio Rep. Jordan on January 6 regarding Pence.Not sure it is going to happen.



In addition to documenting the pressure campaign against Pence advanced by Trump and his congressional co-conspirators, the Select Committee released new text messages between Pennsylvania Rep. Perry and Meadows about replacing then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen with Trump stooge Jeffrey Clark. The latter, unlike Rosen, was willing to use the Justice Department to advance Trumps claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent and have the department launch bogus investigations in states such as Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania, in order to give Republicans the necessary pretext to reject certification on January 6.



Mark, just checking in as time continues to count down. 11 days to 1/6 and 25 days to inauguration, Perry texted Meadows on December 26, 2020. Urging Meadows to get Clark installed at the Justice Department, Perry wrote, We gotta get going!



I got it, Meadows replied. I think I understand. Let me work on the deputy position.

A week later, Perry was one of several Republican lawmakers present for a contentious January 3, 2021 meeting at the White House, in which Rosen, his deputy Richard Donoghue, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and other leading members of the Justice Department threatened to resign en masse if Trump fired Rosen and appointed Clark.



In a report on the filing, Politico noted that the committee revealed it had interviewed Steven Engel, the former head of the Justice Departments Office of Legal counsel. Engel was present during the January 3, 2021 meeting at the White House. He told the committee that Clark proposed having the Justice Department issue a legal advisory opinion regarding the Vice President with respect to his authority when it comes to opening the votes as the President of the Senate on January 6th.



And I shot down that idea, Engel told the committee. But I saidI said: Thats an absurd idea. Theyou know, the Vice President is acting as the President of the Senate. It is not the role of the Department of Justice to provide legislative officials with legal advice on the scope of their duties.



Perry, like Meadows, has refused to testify before the committee, describing the committee as illegitimate in a December 2021 statement.



Separate reporting from CNN last week has corroborated the role of Utah Senator Mike Lee in Trumps plot to delay certification. In a January 4, 2021 text to Meadows, Lee wrote: Ive been calling state legislators for hours today, and am going to spend hours doing the same tomorrow. Im trying to figure out a path that I can persuasively defend... Even if they cant convene, it might be enough if a majority of them are willing to sign a statement indicating how they would vote.



Disproving claims by Trump and Meadows that they had no idea January 6 could turn violent and that the plan was always for a peaceful rally at the White House, Hutchinson told the committee that that in the days before January 6, Meadows was told the Stop the Steal rally could turn violent.



Hutchinson told the committee that Anthony Ornato, a senior Secret Service official who was also a political advisor to the Trump campaign, warned Meadows about the potential for violence, especially if Trump supporters marched from the White House to the Capitol. According to Hutchinson, Ornato said he had intel reports pointing to a violent attack, and Mr. Meadows said: All right. Lets talk about it.



I know that there were concerns brought forward to Mr. Meadows, Hutchinson said. I know that people had brought information forward to him that had indicated that there could be violence on the 6th. But, again, Im not sure if hewhat he did with that information.

In its account of the court filing, the New York Times highlighted details refuting attempts to present Trumps call on the morning of January 6 for protesters to march from the White House to the Capitol as an unexpected change in plans.

Citing testimony by Hutchinson, it wrote: On a planning call that included Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff; Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mr. Trumps personal lawyer; Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio; and other Freedom Caucus members, the group discussed the idea of encouraging supporters to march to the Capitol, according to one witnesss account.

The idea was endorsed by Representative Scott Perry, Republican of Pennsylvania, who now leads the Freedom Caucus, according to testimony by Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to Mr. Meadows, and no one on the call spoke out against the idea.

Hutchinson added that in a casual conversation, Meadows said, Oh, were going to have this big rally. People are talking about it on social media. Theyre going to go up to the Capitol.

Hutchinsons testimony further explodes claims advanced by FBI Director Christopher Wray and the rest of the police-intelligence apparatus that there was no intelligence warning of an attack on the Capitol.



In seeking Meadows testimony, the committee explained that in addition to serving as Trumps White House chief of staff, Meadows was Trumps de facto campaign manager. In the weeks leading up to January 6, Meadows was in contact with Trumps campaign staff, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and coup lawyer Cleta Mitchell, discussing bogus claims of election fraud.



The committee also revealed that Meadows met in his office with retired Army Colonel Phil Waldron to discuss invoking martial law in order to seize voting machines and rerun the election at gunpoint.



Through documents and interviews conducted by the committee, including with former Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller, former Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, former acting Attorney General Rosen and his deputy Richard Donoghue, it revealed in the same filing: It is also now clear that Mr. Trump never telephoned his Secretary of Defense that day [January 6] to order deployment of National Guard, and never contacted any federal law enforcement agency to order security assistance to the Capitol Police.



The latest damning revelations underscore all the more the role of the Biden administration and the Democratic Party, including the Democratic-controlled January 6 Committee, in shielding Trump and his major co-conspirators from prosecution. The Committee has yet to issue a criminal referral against Trump or any Republican lawmakers, and the Biden Justice Department has to date refused to indict any of the plotters, with the exception of Stephen Bannon, who has been cited for contempt of Congress.

Meadows himself was cited for contempt of Congress months ago, but no action has been taken by the Justice Department.
Two marches and rallies of workers and young people were held in recent days to demand justice for the family of Patrick Lyoya, the 26-year-old Congolese refugee who was murdered in broad daylight by a police officer after a traffic stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on April 4.

Both demonstrations expressed the widespread anger and disgust of the public toward the brutal execution-style killing that was captured completely on smartphone video by the passenger, who was in Lyoyas car when he was pulled over at 8:10 a.m. in a residential neighborhood on the southwest side of the city in western Michigan.

Although the policemans bodycam video shows the officer pulling Lyoya over and, after the young man gets out of his car and asks why he was being stopped, the officer telling him that the plate doesnt belong on this car, Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) Chief Eric Winstrom has subsequently said that the reason for the pullover has not been disclosed by law enforcement yet.

On Sunday, a group of activists rallied in front of the Spirit of Detroit statue and marched up Woodward Avenue before staging a die in near the intersection of Adams Avenue in downtown Detroit. The protesters carried signs that said, Justice for Patrick Lyoya and Arrest the Cop Who Murdered Patrick Lyoya.

The demonstration was organized by Detroit Heals Detroit, along with the Michigan chapter of March for Our Lives and Protect Our Stolen Treasures (POST). The protesters also carried signs with the names and drawings of Shelly Hilliard, Aiyana Jones and Aura Rosser, three African Americans who were killed in Michigan since 2010 due to police violence and negligence.

Peter Lyoya, father of Patrick Lyoya, speaking on the steps of the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing on April 21. [Photo: WSWS]

On Thursday afternoon, 200 protesters assembled at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Lansing and marched to the Michigan State Capitol building demanding justice for Patrick Lyoya and calling for the name of the police officer who shot him to be released and for him to be fired and prosecuted. The officer, who is known to be a seven-year veteran of the GRPD, has been placed on administrative leave.

The GRPD and Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker have maintained that they will not release the identity of the officer unless criminal charges are brought against him. No schedule has been provided for when the official Michigan State Police investigation will be completed or when Becker will make his decision on whether or not to charge the officer.

The march and rally in Lansing included the participation of Patricks parents, Peter and Dorcas Lyoya, as well as other members of the Lyoya family and Congolese refugee community. The demonstration was reminiscent of the nationwide and international protests that began in May 2020 following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in that many arrived with their own handmade signs, and some traveled long distances to participate.

At the rally on the steps of the Capitol Building, Patricks parents spoke powerfully through an interpreter who translated their native Swahili into English. Peter Lyoya spoke of the grief the family and the Congolese community suffered when they saw the video of his son being executed by the Grand Rapids police officer. He explained why the family came to America and that they thought they would be saving their lives, but instead they came and lost our first-born son. He concluded by saying, I need justice for my son Patrick.

Dorcas Lyoya said her heart was deeply broken. I thought I brought my kid here so he could have a safe place. We ran away because there was violent killing and war, but Im so surprised to see that this is where I lost my son.

A World Socialist Web Site reporting team was present at the Lansing march and rally and spoke with protesters. Barney said, Im here because the black man got killed, shot in the back of the head in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for no reason. The cop was probably a rookie or whatever, but somebody should have told him about that and stop killing us. Ive been handcuffed and stomped on by the police. If it wasnt for a white person, then I would never be here right now because the white person saved my life. Thats the story.

Barney

Nadia, a high school student from Grand Rapids, said she came to the State Capitol to demand justice for Patrick and added, My grandmother marched with MLK [Martin Luther King Jr.]. Its really tragic that we still havent addressed these issues. Police brutality today happens even more often than it did in her day.

Mark, a General Motors auto worker, said, I see people getting killed by the police, and I dont know what to do about it. It gets worse and worse. Its worse now than it was when I was 20 years old. Im 65 now. When asked what he thought about the presence of the Democrats at the rally he said, This seems to be happening even more in cities where theyre in charge. Places like Milwaukee, Chicago and New York are famous for police violence.

Speaking about the fact that the Lyoya family fled the Democratic Republic of Congo to escape violence, Mark said, This man came over here from a country where there is a civil war raging because he thought that he would be safe here. Its a real shame that apparently America proved to be just as dangerous for him.

On the claim that racism is exclusively the cause of police violence, Mark added, Thats not working out for them too well. And theyve been hiring more African American police officers over here too, but this doesnt seem to be changing the situation for us. Its not like only white cops are involved in this.

AJ, a music producer, said of the brutal manner in which Lyoya was killed, He could have used a taser, he could have called for backup and used anything but lethal force, especially on somebody that wasnt even armed. I feel this march is bringing attention to this, and its been happening all over America. They keep talking about giving police more training. OK, when is the killing going to stop?

AJ

AJ also spoke about the issues of race and police violence. Anybody that has any type of humanity should be behind this situation. It wouldnt matter if he was white, Id still be behind this.

Yasmeen, a Palestinian student at Michigan State University, said she was opposed to the tactics frequently used by US police, such as kneeling on the neck, which she has seen used by Israeli forces against Palestinians.

Youssef, an immigrant student from Guinea, said, I came today to show my support for the Lyoya family. I want to make sure that people know that shootings like this that happen all the time are unacceptable. We have to all work together as a people, as a country, and as a community to deliver justice, to deliver understanding and to get past this issue.

Yasmeen

Indicating the cover-up that is underway and effort to block demands by the public for the police officer to be brought to justice, the Detroit Free Press ran a front-page story on Sunday that smeared Lyoya under the headline, Records, interviews reveal Patrick Lyoyas complicated life before Grand Rapids shooting.

The ostensibly liberal Detroit newspaper went about the disgusting business of publishing details of Patricks previous encounters with law enforcement and alleged acts of violence, and contrasted this to the perception of family, friends and members of the Congolese community that he had a big heart, was a generous young man and a go-to person among refugees.

This campaign is being conducted by the media to condition the public to accept that no charges will be brought against the Grand Rapids officer on the grounds that he thought his life was in danger during the scuffle and his execution-style shooting of Lyoya was justified.

As was explained to the Free Press reporters by Patricks 26-year-old cousin, Prosper Lutanda, who grew up in Africa with the deceased young man and was clearly angered by their questions, Even if youve been arrested 100 times, stillthey cant kill you.

Ven Johnson, a Detroit attorney working for the family, also said that Lyoya's prior arrests and convictions are irrelevant to what happened on the day he was killed. What difference does it make? It has nothing to do with anything, then Johnson added, So, he deserved to be executed in the back of the head?
WSWS journalists interviewed Clemence, a student in Amiens and a job seeker, about the French presidential elections and the Socialist Equality Partys (SEP) call to mobilize the working class against both candidates and prepare to oppose the next president.

Clemence said that after the first round she felt great dismay. The fact that Macron, who has openly embraced the far right, and Marine Le Pen are in the second round is a catastrophe. There was also a big abstention which shows the lack of confidence in the political ruling class.

Clemence criticized the calls from the PS (Socialist Party), the Greens and the PCF (the French Communist Party) to vote Macron: The instruction to block the far right from the left and the avowed right is hypocritical, because his government has taken xenophobic, Islamophobic and politically racist measures. I am thinking in particular of [Gerald] Darmanin, a royalist minister who is violently Islamophobic. Big business calls the shots,and it all leads to an atmosphere of hypocrisy and destruction of our most basic rights.

She added that the PS is very hypocritical when it calls to support Macron. All the satellites of the bourgeois state have adopted the same views without questioning the fact that Macron has taken reactionary far-right measures to always reduce democratic rights. And police violence is set to increase.

Clemence also noted the protests that broke out at universities and high schools in Paris and across France after the first round. She said, The police let through the fascist thugs of the far-right youth movements who attacked the students blockading the Political Science university. Its interesting, the call Neither Macron, nor Le Pen launched by the students: in their protests they called for wider struggles, and for maximum solidarity with the masses so as not to be isolated and so that it doesnt lead to failure.

On the regroupment organised by LFI (Unsubmissive France) with the PCF, the Greens and other pseudo-left parties after the first round, Clemence said it was an opportunist alliance and a bourgeois coalition measure. She stressed that it is a milieu that has betrayed the interests of the working classes and the working class that it claims to represent.

About the Lutte Ouvriere (LO, Workers Struggle) candidate, Clemence said: Nathalie Arthaud, who calls herself a revolutionary communist, has not uttered the words socialism or revolution in her remarks. For them these elections are just a springboard to make themselves heard.

On issues such as the pandemic, Clemence added, these parties talk about it a little bit but often from fraudulent angles, such as removing the wearing of masks, health standards, against a Zero COVID policy. They make extremely little mention of internationalism, or of creating an internationalist party.

Clemence highlighted the demoralising impact of these organisations on young people: There is a massive rejection of politics within the bourgeois framework, but they lack perspective. Many are demoralised and no longer believe in anything or in other social perspectives because this system promotes capitalist ideology. And even if we are aware that capitalism is not adequate and validates the cause of the destruction of the planet and living conditions, many young people are lost.

Clemence expressed her interest in the active boycott policy advocated by the PES and explained how she understands it.

She said, It means not registering to vote, showing our disagreement with the capitalist system in place that only favours the leaders of this class that exploits and oppresses us. It also means organising mass demonstrations, strikes, independent mobilisations, outside the traditional trade union framework, contrary to what LO advocates for example. Above all, it means appealing to our brothers and sisters in the international working class, holding meetings to propagate revolutionary and deeply socialist and communist ideas.

Clemence applauded in particular the idea of creating action committees and other organisations of struggle that would be independent of the national trade union apparatus.

She said, The current trade union framework is being eaten up by parasites, by bureaucracies. Even the CGT did not support the railway workers, even though it was the longest strike since May 68, nor did they support the Yellow Vests. Its also very important to organise outside of these political bodies in terms of the pandemic, and the danger that this represents for children and to act to protect the population from this virus that is so transmissible.

Clemence emphasised in particular her agreement with the idea that neither candidate has anything to offer workers and young people.

After the elections, she said, There will be more economic precariousness for students and youth. Macron will make the Active solidarity income (RSA, a minimum income for those not working) conditional on compulsory internships and that is criminal for those who only have that to survive. And the far right has similar plans. The perspectives in common are ecological perspectives, we dont have to earn profit on the exploitation of nature. Currently according to reports there are three years left to make concrete ecological actions to reduce greenhouse emissions.

She added, The most important thing now is to organise, to create a strong working class organisation with the aim of acting, informing, giving a real socialist and Marxist anti-capitalist perspective to improve living and working conditions and above all to allow a revolution that will allow the destruction of the ossified system that has nothing left to offer to anyone except for the billionaires and wealthy property owners.
This article was originally posted on Twitter.

An article, posted today online and printed in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, is yet another deplorable example of Professor Timothy Snyders role as a historical falsifier and apologist for Ukrainian fascism.

Snyder mockingly dismisses Russian references to Ukrainian nationalists mass murder of Poles and Jews during World War II as a past that never happened and nonsensical and necrophiliac accounts of history.

But at an earlier stage of his career, Snyder wrote detailed accounts of the genocidal activities of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). His article, The Causes of Ukrainian-Polish Ethnic Cleansing 1943, appeared in the May 2003 edition of Past and Present.

This 37-page scholarly article focused on the OUNs mass killing of Poles in Volhynia. The OUNs military wing, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army [UPA], wrote Snyder, killed about fifty thousand Volhynian Poles and forced tens of thousands to flee in 1943.

By the end of April 1943, according to Snyders account, the UPA had perhaps ten thousand soldiers under its command, and had reduced much of Volhynia to mutual slaughter. Snyder continued:

Throughout April and throughout Volhynia, UPA soldiers surrounded colonies and villages, burned houses, shot or forced back inside those who tried to escape. In mixed settlements, the UPAs security services warned Ukrainians to flee by night, then killed everyone remaining at dawn. This was a co-ordinated attack by armed men upon a leaderless and disorganized population.

This was not Snyders only necrophiliac account of mass murder by Ukrainian nationalists. In an article published in February 2010 in the New York Review of Books, Snyder explicitly denounced then Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenkos cover-up of OUN crimes.

When the Wehrmacht invaded the Soviet Union that June [in 1941], they were joined by the armies of Hungary, Romania, Italy, and Slovakia, as well as small contingents of Ukrainian volunteers associated with the OUN-B.

Some of these Ukrainian nationalists helped the Germans to organize murderous pogroms of Jews. In so doing, they were advancing a German policy, but one that was consistent with their own program of ethnic purity, and their own identification of Jews with Soviet tyranny.

Under their command, the UPA undertook to ethnically cleanse western Ukraine of Poles in 1943 and 1944. UPA partisans murdered tens of thousands of Poles, most of them women and children. Some Jews who had taken shelter with Polish families were also killed.

Snyder now dismisses references to Ukrainian fascism as Russian propaganda. But in the 2010 essay, he wrote that the Soviet description of German-Ukrainian fascists was accurate enough to serve as enduring and effective propaganda both within and without the Soviet Union.

For reasons he has never explained, in the months between the February 2010 article in the New York Review of Books and the October 2010 publication of Bloodlands, Snyder radically changed his account of Ukrainian history.

The activities of the OUN totally disappeared from the fictionalized and viciously anti-Soviet narrative that he presented in Bloodlands. Snyder had shifted from writing history to producing propaganda for the United States anti-Russia policy.

In The Russian Revolution and the Unfinished Twentieth Century, I devoted a chapter to an evaluation of Bloodlands. It can be accessed here.

I wrote: In the work of Timothy Snyder we are confronted with an unhealthy and dangerous tendency: the obliteration of the distinction between writing history and manufacturing propaganda. This appraisal, written in 2014, has been thoroughly vindicated.
Are you a Detroit teacher? Contact us to discuss the victimization of Nicole Conaway and the fight to protect lives during the pandemic and to oppose school closings.

On April 12, the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) school board voted 5-to-1 to fire Nicole Conaway, a high school science teacher and 15-year veteran of the district, for abandoning her post. The board terminated Conaway after repeatedly refusing her requests to teach virtually from home due to her preexisting health issues and danger of COVID-19 infection.

The firing is politically motivated. Conaway is a leader of the organization By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) and has publicly opposed in-person learning during the pandemic. Despite our fundamental political differences with BAMN, the Michigan Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee (MERFSC) urges educators to oppose this victimization and demand Conaways reinstatement with full back pay.

This vindictive action is aimed at intimidating and silencing all opposition to the districts abandonment of COVID protections amid a new surge of Omicron subvariants. The district also wants to prevent opposition from educators, parents and students to its recently announced plans to close schools and slash funding.

Nicole Conaway [Photo by Change.org]

The firing was a travesty of justice. School officials claim they accommodated Conaways health concerns by offering her a position at the districts Virtual School. However, the district requires teachers to physically go into a school building to teach online, exposing them to infection from other teachers and administrators. Teachers who transfer to the Virtual School also lose their positions at previous schools, even though they may have taught there for years.

Doctors wrote letters explaining that Conaway needed to work virtually from her home due to her recurrent maxillary sinusitis, allergies and chronic asthma. This condition put her at acute risk of pulmonary complications if infected with COVID-19,' the doctors wrote.

The school board rejected this. They also denied that Conaway had any protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), claiming that asthma and allergies were not recognized disabilities. Conaway took legal action but a US district court judge in Detroit threw out her suit against the district for discriminating against workers with disabilities and denying them proper work accommodations.

Conaway has been abandoned by the Detroit Federation of Teachers (DFT), which has sabotaged every struggle by teachers to protect themselves and their students during the pandemic. Far from opposing this attack, the DFT welcomed it as a means of beating back the growing rebelliousness of educators.

A week after the firing, DPSCD Superintendent Nikolai Vitti told the Chalkbeat website, The federal and state [government] and their health guidance are no longer naming COVID as a public health crisis. He also announced at a school board meeting that COVID testing would be significantly reduced in the 2022-23 school year.

Teachers and students, however, continue to get sick in the districts poorly ventilated and crowded schools. Nearly 8,000 people have died in Wayne County and 36,000 in the state but Democratic city officials have kept schools open so parents can be sent to work. Factory management has bitterly complained about high absentee rates due to health and child care concerns.

In addition to lifting all restrictions, school authorities are accelerating plans to close schools and funnel more public money into charter and other for-profit education businesses. In February, the board announced a Facility Master Plan or FMP, which includes the closure, sale or demolition of at least a dozen schools.

At a meeting of the Michigan Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee on Saturday, the MERFSC passed a resolution opposing the victimization of Conaway.

It read:

The MERFSC demands the reinstatement of DPSCD educator Nicole Conaway. It condemns the actions of the Board of Education on April 15 to fire her on the fraudulent grounds of abandoning her post. The action by the Board of Education against a 15-year educator and long-time member of the political group By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) is an act of political retaliation and intimidation. While we have fundamental differences with the politics of BAMN, Conaways firing is an attack on the rights of all educators. Conaway, a vocal critic of both DPSCDs COVID policies and budget cuts, is the immediate target. But the real aim of the campaign against her is to suppress the broad anger among educators over the deadly return to schools, the ending of contact tracing, lack of even minimal mitigation measures in schools and the ongoing drive for school privatization. The Detroit Federation of Teachers has refused to defend her and has issued no official statement on her firing. This is no accident since the union negotiated the rotten deal with DPSCD under which Detroit educators were forced back into unsafe classrooms. Nevertheless, BAMN continues to insist that teachers must subordinate their struggle to the straitjacket of the pro-business AFT, an organization which enforces the demand that teachers be on the job, no matter the cost in lives. The violation of Conaways rights is straightforward. She requested to teach remotely in light of both the continuing risk of SARS-CoV-2 and her underlying medical conditions. These were substantiated by her doctor. The Board of Education denied this accommodation claiming she had no rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Further it denied her a request for Family Medical Leave (FMLA). The MERFSC insists that all educators have the right to such accommodations to defend their lives. Districts across the US have trampled on the ADA, FMLA and basic human rights throughout the pandemic under conditions when 43 percent of American teachers live with preexisting conditions, such as asthma or diabetes, which make them at high risk of severe effects from COVID-19. Hand-in-hand with keeping schools open, despite continued community transmission, educators are being threatened with a loss of their job for seeking accommodation. For example, Chicago Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot denied 42 percent of requests by educators to be exempted from teaching in-person on health grounds in December 2020, according to records analyzed by the WSWS. The MERFSC calls for educators to oppose the firing of Conaway and to take up the fight for independent rank and file organizations to defend our rights, including:  Implement every public health measure necessary to contain and eliminate COVID-19 transmission, including distance learning, masks, vaccines and air filtration! We demand the temporary shutdown of schools and non-essential businesseswith full compensation for lost incomealong with mass testing, contact tracing and the universal provision of high-quality masks.  Full funding for public education! We demand universal access to high-speed internet, food security, mental health care, special education support and all other resources necessary to provide the highest quality public education for students and teachers.  An immediate 40 percent raise in pay to make up for the decline in real wages over the last five years and monthly cost-of-living adjustments to protect paychecks from the ravages of inflation.  For free speech and the protection of democratic rights from right-wing censorship in the classroom!

Are you a Detroit teacher? Contact us to discuss the victimization of Nicole Conaway and the fight to protect lives during the pandemic and to oppose school closings.
25 years ago: Nike workers strike in Vietnam and Indonesia

On April 25, 1997, thousands of workers struck at Nike shoe factories in Vietnam and Indonesia in a powerful demonstration of the opposition among Asian workers to the sweatshop exploitation imposed by the multinational corporations.

In Vietnam, a three-hour work stoppage took place at the South Korean-owned Sam Yang factory, a Nike subcontractor, near Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon. About 3,000 workers were involved in the walkout. The strike was provoked by a contract offer from the company which provided a pay raise of only 5 percent, bringing the workers to the equivalent of $40.32 a month. Most Nike shoes sold for well over $100 a pair in the United States.

A Nike office in Canada

The Vietnamese government secured an end to the strike after Ministry of Labor officials told the workers that a government regulation limited the wage offer to a total of 10 percent over two years. Workers were also demanding presentation of contract offers at least two days before they were required to vote on them and prohibition of harassment by management.

The action by the Nike workers in Indonesia was both more extensive and more violent than the strike in Vietnam. Thousands of workers at PT Hardaya Aneka Shoe Industry, a Nike subcontractor in Tangerang, an industrial suburb north of Jakarta, fought with police and set fire to cars after a strike began over unresolved wage demands. Two women workers were hospitalized after police attacked them.

The 10,000 workers at the factory complained that they were not even being paid the legal $2.50 a day minimum wage. Three days before the violence erupted, 13,000 workers from the Nike plant and other nearby clothing factories walked out and staged a six-mile-long protest demonstration demanding higher wages.

The rebellion by the Indonesian workers came on the eve of the opening of the official campaign for national elections to be held in May. The elections were held every five years to provide a democratic fig leaf to the Suharto dictatorship. The day after the Nike strike was settled, the military regime issued shoot-to-kill orders against any further disturbances during the election campaign.

50 years ago: Hutu uprising met with mass slaughter in Burundi

On April 29, 1972, militant Hutus launched an abortive uprising against Burundis military dictator, Michel Micombero, who belonged to the Tutsi ethnic group that dominated nearly all government positions. Micombero responded with major repression and genocidal mass killings against the Hutus.

The uprising was sparked when an exiled Hutu leader, Ntare, returned to Burundi at the end of March. Once he entered the country, he was immediately placed under house arrest by Micombero. Ntare was murdered in captivity on April 29. The same day, Micombero announced he was dissolving parliament and removed all government officials who were not loyal to his regime. Hoping to take advantage of the crisis, the Hutu militants launched their uprising later that night, overrunning government offices and armories in the countrys southern reaches, and declaring the formation of a new state, the Republic of Martyazo. It is estimated that around 1,000 Tutsis were killed.

A CIA map of Burundi

Micombero received military support from France and Belgium, as well as from neighboring Zaire and Tanzania. By May 10, the Burundian government had retaken all rebel-controlled areas. Micombero then unleased murderous reprisals against the Hutus. Estimates place the number of Hutus killed at between 100,000 to 300,000, with 500,000 more made refugees. The educated were particularly targeted. Perhaps 75 percent of literate Hutu men were killed.

The ethnic divisions were a longstanding tool of the imperialists, which the bourgeois nationalists of decolonizing Africa were incapable of overcoming. Germany first colonized Burundi and neighboring Rwanda in the 1880s, and was supplanted by Belgium after World War I. The European powers bestowed privileges, administrative, and military positions on the Tutsis, while the Hutus, who made up 85 percent of the population, were denied basic rights and lived in abject poverty.

75 years ago: Right-wing massacre at May Day demonstration in Sicily

On May 1, 1947, workers and peasants in the Sicilian municipality of Piana degli Albanesi were hit by a barrage of gunfire as they marked May Day, the holiday of international working class unity. Eleven were killed and 27 were wounded in the massacre, which provoked a general strike of the Italian working class that included 6 million workers.

In the morning, a crowd of hundreds, most of them poor peasants, had gathered several kilometers from the town of Piana degli Albanesi. They were to listen to several speeches before marching to the village of San Giuseppe Jato near Palermo. As the local Communist Party secretary began to address the crowd, it was hit by a hail of machine-gun fire. The shooting came from several neighboring hilltops and there were also reports of men on horseback opening fire.

Salvatore Giuliano, a local separatist leader, was accused of responsibility for the attack, which he admitted. Giulianos regional separatism went hand in hand with banditry. While his followers sought to present this in Robin Hood terms, the activities of Giulianos militia intersected with the shadowy operations of the Mafia and right-wing political forces. Giuliano would never name any other parties involved in the massacre or provide a clear motive for the massacre, but it had a definite political character.

Salvatore Giuliano

The shooting took place on the second May Day rally after World War II and the defeat of the fascist forces that had ruled Germany and Italy. Italian society was deeply polarized, with a working class determined to settle scores with reaction ranged against the same right-wing forces that had been prominent in Benito Mussolinis fascist dictatorship.

Significantly, the massacre took place just twelve days after the results of Sicilian regional elections were announced. The so-called Peoples Bloc, of the Communist Party and the Socialist Party, had overwhelmingly defeated the Christian Democratic Party and other right-wing formations. This deepened a crisis of the unstable national government of Christian Democratic Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi.

His Interior Minister Mario Scelba was among the most insistent that the shooting was non-political and related only to local banditry. Communist Party leader Girolamo Li Causi would accuse Scelba of direct involvement in the massacre, which he claimed was part of a broader campaign by the national government against left-wing forces.

The Communist Party had played a key role in creating the conditions for the massacre. In line with the class-collaborationist program of Stalinism, it had supported the Allied occupation of Italy at the conclusion of the war and the restabilization of capitalism. The Communist Party entered into the first national unity' governments after the war.

The massacre occurred as the alignment between Stalinism and the British and US imperialist powers was breaking down and giving way to the Cold War, which found expression in the elevation of De Gasperi, a ferocious anti-communist.

100 years ago: Civil war in China

On April 29, 1922, civil war broke out in China between two contending factions of warlords within the northern Chinese regime known as the Beiyang government.

Both factions the Zhili clique led by Wu Peifu and the Fengtian clique, led by Zhang Zuolin, had combined in 1920 to seize Beijing from a third faction, the Anhui clique. They ruled in an uneasy coalition that broke apart when the Fengtian clique, which had the support of Japanese imperialism, replaced the premier and cabinet and redirected funds allocated to the Zhili clique, which had the support of British and American imperialism. Wu Peifu forced the collapse of the Fengtian-led government and both factions had mobilized forces by April 25.

The struggle, known as the First ZhiliFengtian War, began on April 29 when Zhang Zuolin led a force against Zhili headquarters at Baoding, 93 miles (150 kilometers) southwest of Beijing. The next day martial law was declared in Beijing and fighting reached the outskirts of the city.

Wu Peifu

The American legation called for the US government to send a warship to Tianjin, the coastal city 67 miles (108 kilometers) southeast of Beijing. In the next weeks the Zhili faction won several decisive victories. British missionaries then brokered a peace between the two factions and the Fengtian forces withdrew to Manchuria.

Wu Peifu took control of the government in Beijing and the Zhili clique ruled alone until 1924 when Fengtian clique, again backed by Japan, overthrew it.
The issues of militarism and war have erupted to centre stage in the Australian federal election campaign. The Liberal-National Coalition government, Labor and the entire official media have responded to the announcement last week of a security pact between China and the Solomon Islands with frothing denunciations of Beijing, openly raising the prospect of military conflict in the Pacific.

Multiple aircraft fly in formation over the USS Ronald Reagan, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier [Credit: Kaila V. Peters/U.S. Navy]

This morning, Defence Minister Peter Dutton stated that it was necessary to prepare for war. The opposition Labor Party has been seeking to outflank the government from the right, declaring that it would prevent the Solomon agreement from coming to fruition by any means necessary.

The claims that the agreement represents an imminent threat to the security of the US and Australia are absurd lies. The Solomons are almost 10,000 kilometres from Los Angeles and over 1,600 kilometres from northern Australia. Like the other Pacific Island nations, the Solomons, with a population of fewer than 700,000 people, is beset by poverty and a lack of rudimentary infrastructure, the legacy of decades of imperialist oppression.

The real reason for the immense consternation in Washington and Canberra was blurted out by an editorial in the Murdoch-owned Australian newspaper on Thursday. Beijings pact with Honiara could hardly be more geopolitically significant for the challenge it presents to longstanding US hegemony in the region, it declared.

The hysterical reaction to the agreement reveals two key elements of the world political situation that have been concealed from working people by the political and media establishment.

Firstly, the US is engaged in advanced preparations for an aggressive war with China, which it views as the chief threat to its dominance in the Indo-Pacific and internationally. As President Joe Biden has ratcheted up decade-long threats and provocations against Beijing, American military generals have declared that such a war would be fought in the coming years, not decades.

Secondly, Australia is on the frontlines of these war plans. As leading think-tanks have outlined, it is to play a decisive role in a US-led conflict with China as a southern anchor for American and allied military forces, and the enforcer of a naval blockade of key Pacific shipping lanes upon which Beijing relies for raw materials and basic goods. That is why successive Australian governments, Labor and Coalition, have engaged in a vast military build-up in league with the US.

Australia is already carrying out a central role in the political campaign that goes hand in hand with the war drive. In particular, Australia serves as a US deputy sheriff in the Pacific, which has historically been dominated by Australian and New Zealand imperialism, under the umbrella of the dominant power of the day, first Britain and then, from World War II on, the US.

Significantly, it is the Labor Party that has most directly invoked this imperialist legacy in its condemnations of the agreement and of the Coalition government for supposedly allowing it to be signed.

Speaking last week, Labors shadow foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, decried the signing of the pact as the worst foreign policy blunder in the Pacific since the end of World War II. The government had not responded in the most energetic, effective, and agile way. Wong declared that a Labor administration would never take a backwards step in confronting China.

In a debate with Prime Minister Scott Morrison last Wednesday, Labor leader Anthony Albanese said the Coalition had left our backyard unsecured, allowing China to establish a foothold less than 2,000 kilometres from northern Australia.

Albanese and other Labor leaders are harking back to the yellow peril racism upon which their party was founded, involving lurid warnings of a potential Asian invasion of the countrys northern approaches. They have also invoked Labors role as the preeminent party of war, including its record in the Pacific theatre of World War II.

Above all, Labor has sought to present itself as a more reliable partner of the Biden administration in its provocations, military preparations and attacks on China.

Penny Wong and Peter Dutton

In their condemnations of the government, the Labor leaders have been vague on the methods that should have been deployed to scuttle the agreement. Albanese, however, hailed the decision of the Biden administration to dispatch Kurt Campbell, the White House Indo-Pacific coordinator, for a closed-door discussion with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare on Friday.

Media reports make clear that Campbell conducted himself in the manner of a mafia don, issuing thinly-veiled threats against Sogavare if the agreement proceeded.

These were even contained in a White House statement, which declared: If steps are taken to establish a de facto permanent [Chinese] military presence, power-projection capabilities, or a military installation, the delegation noted that the United States would then have significant concerns and respond accordingly.

The US threat to respond accordingly and Labors calls for the most energeticand agile response hint at a military intervention if the deal proceeds and a regime-change operation against Sogavare. His government has already been destabilised by a right-wing separatist movement in Malaita province, encouraged by Washington.

Sogavares previous administration was ousted in 2006-07 as a result of Canberras intrigues, which were followed by Australias protracted military occupation of the Solomons in a bogus peace keeping mission.

The Coalition has used events marking todays militarist Anzac Day holiday to burnish its credentials with even more explicit threats. Morrison declared this morning that the establishment of a Chinese military presence in the Solomons would be his governments red linea phrase that has repeatedly been used over recent years to describe an action that would trigger war.

Defence minister Peter Dutton declared Were in a period very similar to the 1930s now. It was necessary to confront the arc of autocracy, a bellicose term the Australian government now uses to describe China and Russia. The only way you can preserve peace is to prepare for war, and be strong as a country. Not to cower, not to be on bended knee and be weak. Thats the reality, Dutton stated.

The remarks were visibly shocking even to Duttons right-wing breakfast television interviewer Karl Stefanovic. They only make explicit, however, what has been the policy of every Australian government since 2010, beginning with the Gillard Labor administrations embrace of the US pivot to Asia,the turn to a diplomatic, economic and military confrontation with China throughout the Indo-Pacific. That policy is to fully integrate Australia into the US-led preparations for war against China which threatens nothing less than nuclear catastrophe.

The bullying and aggressive attitude of the US and Australia to the impoverished Solomons exposes the fraud that these war plans have anything to do with defending democracy or national sovereignty.

In provoking a proxy war with Russia, Washington and Canberra have presented Ukraines ability to join the US-dominated and militarist NATO alliance as a holy right that must be protected at all costs, even if it leads to World War III. However, when it comes to an agreement between the Solomons and China, national sovereignty is thrown out the window in favour of open imperialist meddling and threats.

The real driving forces of the war danger are the attempts of US imperialism to offset its economic decline through its overwhelming military might, and the global crisis of the capitalist system, accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic. The eruption of frenzied militarism is a warning to the working class of how close the world is to a war that would threaten the very existence of humanity.

The Socialist Equality Party is the only party in the Australian elections opposing the war drive and seeking to mobilise the working class against it. We appeal to workers and young people to join the fight by our world party, the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), to build a global anti-war movement uniting the international working class.

The anti-war movement must be international; based on the immense social power of the working class; independent of the pro-war political establishment, and directed against the source of conflict, the capitalist system. Register for the ICFIs international online May Day rally next weekend to join this crucial struggle!

Contact the SEP:

Phone: (02) 8218 3222

Email: sep@sep.org.au

Facebook: SocialistEqualityPartyAustralia

Twitter: @SEP_Australia

Instagram: socialistequalityparty_au

TikTok: @SEP_Australia

Authorised by Cheryl Crisp for the Socialist Equality Party, Suite 906, 185 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000.
This aerial photo shows the fishing boats conduct search operations for the passengers and crew members on a missing tour boat, off Shiretoko Peninsula, northern Japan of Hokkaido Sunday, April 24, 2022. The Japanese Coast Guard said Sunday that rescue helicopters found several of the 26 people from a tour boat missing in the frigid waters of northern Japan since the day before, but their conditions are unknown. (Masanori Takei/Kyodo News via AP)

Takei/Kyodo News via AP

Ten passengers out of 26 onboard a Japanese tour boat have been confirmed dead while 16 others are still missing after the boat apparently ran into trouble and sank in rough waters on Saturday, multiple outlets including the Associated Press, CNN and Reuters report.

The search efforts continued on Sunday as rescue workers were dispatched via patrol boats, aircraft and helicopters to find the remaining passengers when authorities lost contact with the Kazu 1 boat near the tip of Cape Shiretoko on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, according to CNN.

The water temperature levels there are approximately 35 to 37 degrees Fahrenheit.

The boat, which carried two children and two crew members among the 26 onboard, issued a distress call around 1:15 p.m. Saturday, Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported. Waves in the area were up to 9.8 feet high.

According to Reuters, nine of the dead were still in the water or at the surrounding rocks.

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Photo taken on April 24, 2022, from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a helicopter searching for a tourist boat that went missing with its over 20 passengers and crew the previous day in the Sea of Okhotsk off the Shiretoko Peninsula on the northernmost Japanese main island of Hokkaido. (Kyodo via AP Images) ==Kyodo

Kyodo via AP

Japan's transport minister launched a probe into the boat's operator upon learning about the tragedy, telling reporters on Sunday, per the AP, "We will thoroughly investigate what caused this situation and what kind of safety oversight was involved to allow the tour in order to prevent another accident."

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The sightseeing vessel was scheduled to return to the Utoro port by 1 p.m. after departing around 10 a.m. to take the passengers for a scenic tour in an area that is famous for its wildlife and dramatic mountains.

However, the water started to flood the boat in the afternoon before it keeled at a 30-degree angle an hour later, when its operating company last heard from the crew, Kyodo News reports.

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The boat had a history of difficulties: It collided with an object in May, causing three passengers at the time to sustain minor injuries, according to the AP.

In June, the boat also ran aground in shallow water, though no injuries were reported; the operating company was advised to enhance its safety measures.
Federal prosecutors say that under Doctor Ron Elfenbein's direction, clinics billed Medicare and other insurers for coronavirus tests in combination with "more lucrative, but medically unnecessary" services, according to a grand jury indictment. (Getty Images)

A prominent Maryland doctor overseeing coronavirus testing at Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport and other sites in Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties was indicted on Tuesday, accused by federal prosecutors of overcharging Medicare and other insurers by more than $1.5 million.

Ron Elfenbein, 47, has been a frequent guest on local and national television news during broadcasts about coronavirus testing, treatments and vaccines. At an August ribbon-cutting for the new clinic inside BWI, Gov. Larry Hogan, R, presented him a citation for his efforts during the pandemic.

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Now federal prosecutors say that under Elfenbein's direction, clinics billed Medicare and other insurers for coronavirus tests in combination with "more lucrative, but medically unnecessary" services, according to a grand jury indictment. These services "were purportedly of a 30-minute or longer duration, or involving moderate or high levels of medical decision-making, but did not in fact occur as represented," the indictment said.

The indictment alleges Elfenbein knew many patients were being seen for less than five minutes but directed staffers to bill for the higher-level services anyway, saying they were "the 'bread and butter' of how we get paid."

A lawyer for Elfenbein, Mike Lawlor, disputed those accusations. "In the early days of the pandemic, Dr. Ron Elfenbein rallied his doctor's office in a time of global fear, to be a leading provider of coronavirus testing and treatment in the community" Lawlor said in an email. " . . . A trial in this case will prove not only that Dr. Elfenbein is innocent of the charges hastily brought by the government, but that during a time of unprecedented need, Dr. Elfenbein and his staff saved the lives of numerous Marylanders."

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The indictment, which charges Elfenbein with three counts of health-care fraud, identifies him as an owner and medical director of Drs ERgent Care, a company that also does business under the names First Call Medical Center and Chesapeake ERgent Care.

Drs ERgent Care was started in 2015 and listed as its "principal office" the home address of Maryland Del. Sid Saab, R-Anne-Arundel, who was listed as registered agent, corporate records show. The next year, the address changed and Elfenbein became registered agent.

Saab, who attended the ribbon cutting at BWI, in January listed himself in a mandatory financial disclosure as part owner of Gambrills Medical Management, which, according to the disclosure, manages First Call Medical Center Gambrills. The latter company operates the BWI clinic, according to records maintained by the Maryland Board of Public Works. The clinic, inside the main terminal near Concourse C, offers emergency care, coronavirus testing and vaccinations, as well as other services.

A LinkedIn page for Saab, a state delegate since 2015, lists him as co-owner of a fitness center, president of a real estate company and chief executive of a firm involved in "precious metal recycling" tied to the same Gambrills address as First Call Medical Center. Dan Hazelwood, a spokesman for Saab's political campaign, said Saab had no comment.

A job listing during the past year associated with First Call Medical Center for someone to supervise a center offering monoclonal antibody infusions, a coronavirus treatment, said the position would report to Saab and Elfenbein.

A member of the House Health and Government Operations Committee, Saab recently filed to run for state senate. He said in the financial disclosure: "First Call Medical Center had a contract with the Department of Health related to coronavirus testing and treatment."

He holds between 25% and 49% of Gambrills Medical Management, according to his disclosure. "Neither Gambrills Medical Management nor First Call received any funds from the State. I did not participate in any negotiations with the State," the disclosure said.

Connor Ferguson, whose LinkedIn page lists him as managing partner of First Call Medical Center, cautioned a reporter when reached by phone Friday: "Just be very careful - because it's an independent company, with Dr. Elfenbein - in implicating First Call, so that's all I'll say. Because he operates a professional corporation under Drs ERgent Care."

Asked if he could clarify what he meant, he replied, "Nope. Bye."

No one at Drs ERgent Care or the related companies, other than Elfenbein, has been charged or accused of any crime.

Elfenbein graduated from SUNY Upstate Medical University's College of Medicine in New York in 2000. He ran unsuccessfully for General Assembly in 2006 and 2010, and sought to fill a vacated seat in 2015.

Before the pandemic, First Call Medical Center had about 20 employees at one location, according to an article Elfenbein was interviewed for in Upstate Medical University's alumni journal. As of October, the company had about 200 employees at two urgent care centers, three coronavirus testing centers, two monoclonal antibody infusion centers and a coming mobile testing unit, the article said.

"COVID-19 has impacted everybody," Elfenbein told the journal. "We were able to be forward-thinking to provide needed public health services. In the process, that allowed us to grow as a business and provide about 180 new jobs, which is a great thing."

After opening the first monoclonal antibody infusion site, the article said, the company was approached by federal and Maryland health officials to run a second monoclonal site and rapid-testing center outside FedEx Field next to a state-run PCR testing facility. "As of October, we were receiving 15% of the state allocation of monoclonal antibodies," Elfenbein told the journal.

In announcing Elfenbein's indictment, the Maryland U.S. attorney's office said he was among 18 people across the United States indicted in alleged fraud schemes that resulted in over $149 million in COVID-related false billings to federal programs and theft from assistance programs.

"It is unconscionable that this defendant sought to line his own pockets during a global pandemic by grossly overbilling Medicare and other insurers for these vital health care services during a time of national crisis," FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas Sobocinski said in a news release. "If the allegations against Dr. Elfenbein, and the 17 others that were charged today are proven, they should be ashamed of their conduct and will be held accountable for their criminal actions."

If convicted, Elfenbein would face a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for each of the three counts. The indictment says he was "aided and abetted by . . . others known and unknown to the Grand Jury," but it did not name any of them.

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The post Donald Trump Says He Wont Use Twitter Even if Elon Musk Unbans His Account appeared first on Consequence.

In what may be Donald Trumps most popular action since appearing in Home Alone 2, the former President has pledged that he will not use Twitter, not even if the platforms new owner Elon Musk unbans his account.

As Trump explained to Fox News, the decision does not represent either changing interests or a newfound ability to shut the fuck up. No, after Trumps permanent ban following the failed January 6th insurrection, the longtime Twitter addict did something rather committal while in the throws of his withdrawal, spending a small fortune on building his own social media platform. This new hangout changed almost nothing about Twitters design, except for using the Orwellian name TRUTH Social and instituting new rules preventing users from making fun of Trump.

TRUTH Social launched in February and promptly failed to work, while Trump himself has only TRUTHed one time. Now hes stuck promoting the flailing app and unable to return to his first social media love. I am not going on Twitter, I am going to stay on TRUTH, he told Fox News.

He also claimed that were taking in millions of people, and what were finding is that the response on TRUTH is much better than being on Twitter. Twitter has bots and fake accounts, and we are doing everything we can.

Unfortunately, Musk seems to be cutting off one of TRUTH Socials big selling points by promising very little moderation. If Musk, a self-described free speech maximalist, actually opens the hate speech floodgates, then many people might not feel the need to express themselves in TRUTHS and RETRUTHS.

So how is Trump hoping to tempt people to his own TRUTH? By doing what he loves most: selling himself. This is a platform for my voice. TRUTH is a platform for my voice and for my supporters, he said. TRUTH Social will be a voice for me. And thats something nobody else can get.

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He added, The bottom line is, no, I am not going back to Twitter. Heres hoping this turns out to be the rare Trump promise kept.

In the lead-up to the 2022 midterms, Donald Trump has been endorsing both politicians and musical acts. The former President helped kick-off Kid Rocks tour by addressing the crowd. Trump and Kid Rock have a deep relationship, and the latter claims that he advised the former on North Korea and ISIS.

Donald Trump Says He Wont Use Twitter Even if Elon Musk Unbans His Account

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A trove of documents belonging to Osama bin Laden have revealed that the terrorist was planning a second attack against the US just three years after 9/11.

In May 2011, Navy SEALs killed bin Laden at his home in Abbottabad, Pakistan, during Operation Neptune Spear. During the raid, the SEALs discovered the home was filled with bin Laden's correspondence with other al-Qaeda members. They collected as much evidence as they could carry before fleeing the home.

Dr Nelly Lahoud was tapped by West Point's Combatting Terrorism Centre to analyse bin Laden's letters after they were declassified in 2012. It was her work that revealed bin Laden's plans in 2004.

After bin Laden spent three years incommunicado in the wake of 9/11  a necessary silence he maintained while fleeing US troops  the terrorist leader reconnected with surviving al-Qaeda members and began planning his next attack.

CBS News spoke with Dr Lahoud, who explained bin Laden's proposed attack.

According to the letter, bin Laden suggested the next attack be similar to the September 11th attacks, but that plan would have seen operatives chartering the planes rather than hijacking commercial airliners.

He also reasoned that if obtaining airplanes became too difficult, al Qaeda could switch focus to the US rail system.

Dr Lahoud explained how bin Laden was involved in the granular planning of the attack, even utilising his engineering background to devise methods for causing destruction.

"He wanted to have 12 metres of steel rail removed so that, this way, the train could be derailed. And we find him, explaining the simple toolkit that they could use. You know, he said, 'You're-- you could use a compressor. You could use a smelting iron tool,'" she said.

At the time al-Qaeda's resources had been decimated by the war in Afghanistan, thankfully preventing the organisation from carrying out the attack.

She said that bin Laden was not aware of the state of al-Qaeda at the time, and insinuated that some of his close confidants had been lying to him about its strength. She said one individual he corresponded with finally told him the truth in one of the letters.

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By 2006, al-Qaeda only had $200,000 in its coffers and was losing control of its organisation.

Despite this, bin Laden reportedly continued to dream up attacks. In one, he suggested al-Qaeda members buy small wooden fishing boats in the US and essentially go undercover as fishermen near the nation's port cities. He wanted them to blow the ships up and sink oil tankers in an effort to harm the US economy.

That plan was eventually thwarted due to the Arab Spring. Bin Laden and the rest of the leadership in al-Qaeda were reportedly concerned and confused by the protests around the Arab world.
Santa Monica, CA - Parents-to-be Rihanna and ASAP Rocky take advantage of their last moments before their child is born as they step out for a dinner at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica. The two are seen arriving for their baby shower dinner with friends and family. Pictured: Rihanna, ASAP Rocky BACKGRID USA 24 APRIL 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients - Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*

BACKGRID

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are enjoying each other's company before welcoming their first child.

The Grammy Award winner, 34, displayed her baby bump on Saturday as she stepped out with Rocky, 33, for what one source called a "happy and relaxed" dinner with an intimate group of friends at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, California, following Rocky's arrest earlier that week.

"It was a happy and relaxed group. Rihanna looked great. She sat next to A$AP and they were affectionate," the source tells PEOPLE, adding: "They dined for a couple of hours. The focus was very much on Rihanna and the baby."

Rocky (born Rakim Mayers) was arrested on Wednesday at Los Angeles International Airport in connection with a shooting that took place in November. He was detained by the Los Angeles Police Department after he arrived on a private plane that morning, returning from a vacation with Rihanna in her native Barbados.

For more on Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

The Testing artist was charged with assault with a deadly weapon (firearm), which is a felony, and his bail was set at $550,000. Rocky was released from jail later that day.

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A$AP Rocky and Rihanna

Rich Fury/Getty Images for Fenty Beauty & Fenty Skin

He allegedly shot a man following an argument, and the victim claimed that Rocky fled the scene on foot with two other men. The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for filing consideration, according to police.

A rep for Rocky didn't respond to PEOPLE's request for comment after the arrest. He has not appeared in court in connection with the allegations.

Rihanna and Rocky announced their pregnancy in January, when the mother-to-be revealed her baby bump as they were photographed together during an outing in New York City.

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RELATED VIDEO: From Collaborators to Parents: A$AP Rocky on Rihanna Being the "Love of My Life"

The Savage X Fenty mogul previously told PEOPLE "it's fun" but also "a challenge" to play with fashion while pregnant.

"I like it. I'm enjoying it," she said in February.

"I'm enjoying not having to worry about covering up my tummy," Rihanna added then. "If I feel a little chubby, it's like, whatever! It's a baby!"
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Sen. Elizabeth Warren called Rep. Kevin McCarthy a "liar and a traitor" during an interview Sunday.

She also criticized the Republican party, saying they were aware that the insurrection was wrong.

McCarthy has faced scrutiny over leaked audio in which he said he was considering asking Trump to resign.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren criticized House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Sunday, calling him a "liar and a traitor," after leaked audio revealed him saying he thought Trump should resign in the wake of the January 6 insurrection.

"Kevin McCarthy is a liar and a traitor," Warren said during an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" with Dana Bash. "This is outrageous and that is really the illness that pervades the Republican leadership right now, that they say one thing to the American public and something else in private."

Warren continued by calling on Republicans to shift their priorities, saying they understood the gravity of the insurrection and spent time trying to overturn election results rather than "build an economy, in order to make this country work better."

"Shame on Kevin McCarthy," Warren said.

Warren's comments fall in line with other Democrats' criticism of McCarthy's actions.

McCarthy has faced scrutiny in recent days following the release of audio recordings in which he said he was considering asking former President Donald Trump to resign after the Capitol attack.

"I've had it with this guy," McCarthy said of Trump over the phone, according to an audio recording from January 10, 2021. "What he did is unacceptable. Nobody can defend that, and nobody should defend it."

McCarthy denied an initial report about his comments, but The New York Times later released the recording on MSNBC.

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As for Trump, the former president has since shown public support for McCarthy.

"I think it's all a big compliment, frankly. They realized they were wrong and supported me," Trump told The Wall Street Journal on Friday.

Representatives for Warren and McCarthy did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
*Warning: Minor spoilers ahead*

During this years Oscars ceremony, co-host Amy Schumer delivered some spot-on commentary about Hollywoods portrayal of women in films. But perhaps one of her best lines came when she brought up the critically-acclaimed film, King Richard. She quipped, After years of Hollywood ignoring women's stories, this year, we finally got a movie about the incredible Williams sisters'...dad.

It was all in good fun, of course. But oddly enough, this was the quote that came to mind as I watched the first episode of Gaslit, a new Starz political thriller starring Julia Roberts, Sean Penn and Dan Stevens. The series just premiered today on Starz, and it details the events of the Watergate scandal through the eyes of Martha Mitchell (Roberts), wife of President Richard Nixons Attorney General, John N. Mitchell (Penn). But fans who are expecting a deep dive into the outspoken socialite will be disappointed, because while Robertss character is easily the most compelling, her story gets sidelined by a group of men who arent nearly interesting.

To be fair, the performances are solid all around in this dramatized version of events. Shea Whigham is quite remarkable as the intimidating G. Gordon Liddy, whose manic gaze is unsettling enough to throw anyone off guard. Penn embodies the irritated and controlling husband , Mitchell, whose loyalty to Nixon continues to threaten his marriage. Then theres the hopelessly gullible John Dean (Stevens)another Nixon superfan whos desperate for acceptance and validation. But solid acting chops aside, its impossible to miss the amount of attention and screen time afforded to these male characters, from Liddy's curse-filled tantrums to Deans romantic escapades. A lot of these scenes have absolutely nothing to do with Martha, and one cant help but see this as odd, given the shows title and official tagline: Watergate was wrong, Martha was right.

In the moments that we do see her, though, she is glamorous and defiantnot afraid to speak her mind when it comes to controversial issues. And not surprisingly, Roberts delivers some of the most powerful scenes. For instance, about 15 minutes into episode one, Martha chats with a journalist about the Vietnam War and her raw honesty moves the reporter to tears. While posing for photos, she says, You want to know why I've made these comments against the war? It's because my own boy, Jay, is over there in that Godforsaken jungle fighting for his life as we speak, surrounded by men who are trying to kill him. Do you know what that's like?

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When the reporter admits that her brother was also drafted, Martha proceeds to sum up her personality in a few words. We are empathetic creatures. Some people see that as a weakness. But I decided long ago that I will say how I feel. And if that does not conform to the president's message, then so be it.

Naturally, Marthas nonchalant attitude only makes things more difficult for her marriage. Add this to Mitchell's constant neglect and quick temper and youve got a seriously toxic relationship that goes from flirty exchanges to intense fights that turn physical. Still, its incredible to see Martha continue to stand her ground as she endures this abuse.

There are brief glimpses of her pain and frustration in certain scenes, like when she sits motionless on her balcony after getting into a huge fight with her husband. But these small examples dont feel like enough because they barely scratch the surface of Marthas story. Worse yet, the little thats depicted is overshadowed by Nixons overzealous men as they start to plan one of the biggest political scandals in American history.

Yes, this series tackles relevant themes that will hit close to home, from political corruption to the media's relationship with the government. But the fact that so much more time is spent on the man who works for Marthas husband really speaks to how easily womens stories can fade into the background.

A new episode of the four-part series is set to air each Sunday on STARZ.

PureWow Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Although Gaslit is meant to put the spotlight on Martha Mitchellthe Southern socialite who turned the presidency upside down in her efforts to expose the truththis series barely gives her the attention she deserves. Even so, Roberts dominates every single scene in which she appears, making her a clear contender for an Emmy.

For a full breakdown of PureWow's entertainment rating system, click here.

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Belinda Lentz has been visiting the U.S./Mexico border since 2013. She is director of Christian education for St. John's United Church of Christ in Dover.

DOVER  Every year, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Belinda Lentz leaves her home to travel to Arizona, where she provides support for migrants crossing the country's southern border through the Sonoran Desert.

She works with an aid group whose members occupy diverse points on the political spectrum.

"Some of them think that the migrants have no business crossing our borders and coming into our country," Lentz said. "Some of them believe that we should be standing at the border, welcoming them with open arms. No matter what opinion they have, they still work together. Their main goal is to save lives on the desert."

Belinda Lentz displayed artifacts gathered from her visits to the U.S./Mexico border when she spoke at the Dover Public Library on Tuesday.

As of November, 3,790 immigrants have died trying to cross the Arizona / Sonoran Desert, according to Humane Borders, Inc., a nonprofit that makes water and other lifesaving resources available to migrants on both sides of the border.

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Lentz, director of Christian education at St. Johns United Church of Christ in Dover, shared her experiences at the border on Tuesday at the Dover Public Library.

She talked about people she met, including a man who crafts brightly-colored crosses he plants in the desert to mark the places where migrants have died.

Lentz helped to install a cross for a young woman named Rosalia, who passed while traveling.

"She had given her daughters the last of her water, then she died," Lentz said. "No one knows what happened to her daughters. And that was 20 years ago."

Belinda Lentz has been visiting the U.S./Mexico border since 2013. She is director of Christian education for St. John's United Church of Christ in Dover.

Lentz talked about the medical examiner of Pima County, Arizona, whose office works to identify the deceased and provide closure to their families.

She talked about a man who went before an immigration judge and asked if he could be imprisoned in North Carolina, because that's where his children were. Another asked to be sent to the same prison as his brother, who appeared at the same mass immigration hearing.

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Belinda Lentz has been visiting the U.S./Mexico border since 2013. She is director of Christian education for St. John's United Church of Christ in Dover.

She showed photos of a makeshift kitchen that fed 100 people every morning. At the feeding station, a nun tries to discourage people from trying to cross.

There are many ways to die in the attempt. Lentz told the story about one woman who scaled the border wall, only to die after she became trapped upside down. A man died after falling and breaking his leg. On one side of the spot where he died, there were people working in a copper mine. On the other side, there were houses with lights on.

More: Woman dies attempting to climb border wall in Arizona after being trapped upside down

Lentz described the border wall as a place so deadly that even butterflies cannot survive. She relayed a story about how Monarchs making their annual migration couldn't figure out what to do at the wall. They hovered about eight feet from the ground, then fell down dead.

She also described touching scenes at the border wall, where loved ones on either side will sneak a hand through to touch each other. The wall has also become a canvas for artistic expression about the barrier itself.

But for those who do try to make the trip, there are many who offer help, like the woman who passes out tiny compasses.

Lentz recalled meeting a Honduran who was trying to meet with a brother in Tijuana, Mexico who had a job for him. But he lacked the money for a bus ticket because he had been robbed. Members of the aid group gave from their own funds to support his continued travel.

Migrants are most likely to travel at night, Lentz said. The desert is dangerously hot in the day and dangerously cold at night. People who traverse the desert after dark risk being attacked by animals, tripping on rocks, falling into holes and being pierced by cactus needles that can work their way through shoes and clothes.

Relief workers visit the desert in the morning look for stragglers who couldn't keep up with the human smugglers who guide migrants through the desolate and deadly landscape. Volunteers take water to the desert in the morning to beat the heat.

Aid workers are prohibited from transporting the migrants, Lentz said. If they find them in distress they have three legal options: Offer comfort, give supplies or call U.S. Border Patrol.

With all the perils posed by trying to make a border crossing, why do people continue to do it?

Lentz said some are running from cartels and gangs who threaten to kill and maim adults and children.

"They are running from those who chop off fingers and kill sons and brothers and husbands and fathers, sometimes in front of their children," Lentz said. "They want a better life for their children. They want safety."

She recalled hearing about one young boy who was ordered to move the body of his father after witnessing his murder.

"You and I, we're all immigrants," Lentz said. "My family is German and Welsh. My great-greats came to this country for a better life. No matter how you feel about immigration, and the issues of the southern border, those migrants are human beings. They are God's children, too."

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Saving lives is goal of woman from Dover church who provides aid
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Thousands of people gathered across Australia and New Zealand on Monday to honour military personnel on Anzac Day, after the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled or limited public gatherings and commemorations in the past two years.

Anzac Day originally commemorated a bloody battle on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey during World War One. On April 25, 1915, thousands of troops from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) were among a larger Allied force that landed on the narrow beaches of the Gallipoli peninsula, in an ill-fated campaign that would claim more than 130,000 lives.

Today, Anzac Day honours all Australian and New Zealand troops from all conflicts.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who faces an election next month, attended the dawn service in the Northern Territory city of Darwin, where be paid tribute to the people of Ukraine who are fighting a Russian invasion.

"On this particular day, as we honour those who fought for our liberty and freedom, we stand with the people of Ukraine who do the same thing at this very moment," Morrison said.

Across the Tasman sea New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Russia's invasion of Ukraine shows peace cannot be taken for granted.

"In New Zealand we may feel a great distance from this conflict, but we are all inextricably linked to what it represents," Ardern said in her Anzac Day address in Auckland.

The Ukraine flag was flown during an Anzac Day dawn service at Auckland Museum.

Crowds gathered at dawn services across Australia and New Zealand on Monday without any pandemic restrictions.

"The last few years have been really hard with COVID-19," navy veteran Ray James, said at the dawn service in Sydney's Martin Place Cenotaph, ABC News reported.

"I'm really delighted to see the enormous crowds that have shown up today."

(Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Michael Perry)
Canada has once again eased entry restrictions, dropping pre-arrival testing for unvaccinated children and eliminating mask rules for vaccinated travelers along with other measures.

The new rules, which went into effect on Monday, no longer require unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children between 5 and 11 years old to get tested before coming to the country if they arrive with a fully vaccinated adult, according to the government.

Unvaccinated travelers 12 years old and older will still be required to get tested with a rapid antigen test the day before their flight or arrival at a land or marine border, get tested with a molecular test (like a PCR) taken within 72 hours of their flight or arrival, or show proof they contracted COVID-19 and recovered within 180 days, according to the government. Children under 5 were never required to get tested.

"We are committed to a safe reopening; one that provides predictability, flexibility and shows the world that Canada is one of the safest places to travel," Randy Boissonnault, the minister of tourism and associate minister of finance, said in a statement. "Today's announcement is another step forward for traveling families, tourism workers and business owners, and the Canadian economy as a whole."

A vehicle from the United States passes through a boundary marker at the Peace Arch border crossing in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada,

Liang Sen/Getty Images

In addition to easing entry requirements for children, Canada on Monday eliminated the need for fully vaccinated visitors to wear masks in public spaces for 14 days after arriving in the country as well as stopped requiring them to quarantine if another traveler in their group tests positive for the virus.

All travelers to Canada will still be required to fill out a form on the country's ArriveCAN app or website. And the country continues to require travelers to show proof of vaccination to board a plane or ride a train as well as require masks be worn on board and in airports.

The decision to ease entry requirements comes just over a month after Canada eliminated pre-arrival testing for vaccinated travelers.

Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies Canada as a "Level 3" destination, indicating a "high" level of COVID-19 transmission and warning Americans they should be "up to date" with their vaccines before traveling there.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.
Family relations. Chris Rocks mom just revealed how she truly felt when her son was slapped at the Oscars by Will Smith. The Rock matriarch, Rosalie, who goes by Rose Rock, told her local news station about what she did when she saw the moment live on TV.

Rose thought that the slap was staged until Will started using obscenities. she explained in an interview with local South Carolina news station WIS-TV. When he slapped Chris, he slapped all of us, Rock added. Because when you hurt my child, you hurt me. The mother of the Saturday Night Live alum also said that she would usually attend the Academy Awards ceremony with her son, however this year she stayed home.

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Smith slapped Rock after the comedian made a joke about Smiths wife, Jada Pinkett Smiths bald head at the 2022 Academy Awards on March 27. G.I, Jane 2, cant wait to see it, Rock joked. After Rocks joke, Smith went on stage and slapped him before returning to his seat. Wow, Will Smith just slapped the st out of me, Rock said. When Will went back to his seat, he screamed for Rock, Keep my wifes name out of your fking mouth.

During her interview with WIS-TV, Rocks mother also reacted to Smiths first Oscar win moments after the slap. No one even heard his speech, she said, referring to Smiths win for Best Actor for his portrayal in King Richard. No one was able to just be in the moment because everyone was sitting there like, what just happened?' As for whether she accepted Smiths apology to Chris, Rose said I feel really bad that he never apologized. I mean his people wrote up a piece saying I apologize to Chris Rock, but you see something like that is personal, you reach out.

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Click here to read the full article.

Smith apologized to the Everybody Hates Chris alum in an Instagram post on March 29, 2022. I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness. I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world, he wrote. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard family.I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress.

After the incident, the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences banned Smith from attending any Academy related event for the next 10 years. The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards. We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast, the Academy said in a statement at the time.

Since the slap, Chris hasnt said much about the incident aside from a small comment at one of his comedy shows. Im OK, I have a whole show and Im not talking about that until I get paid, Rock said during a comedy show in Indio, California, on April 8, 2022, referring to the Academys decision to ban Smith. Life is good. I got my hearing back.

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WASHINGTON  Teri Saltzman said she took her time to look over her ballot at home in Pflugerville, Texas, during the state's recent primary, using special glasses that magnified the small print.

But Saltzman, who is legally blind, still missed the lines on the envelope flap that required her to fill in identification numbers needed for election officials to count her vote.

To this day, I am unsure that my vote was counted, said Saltzman, 59.

The addition of the lines was among the election changes lawmakers approved last year in Texas  one of several states where advocates say new laws could have an outsized effect on voters with disabilities. They worry that stricter identification requirements, restrictions on voting by mail, reducing the number of drop boxes and other changes could hurt access for people with disabilities in local and midterm elections.

We're not usually the target of voter suppression. Often people with disabilities just get caught in the crosshairs, said Michelle Bishop, voter access and engagement manager for the National Disability Rights Network.

Concerns about the fallout from those new laws come after turnout among voters with disabilities surged in the 2020 election. As election officials took steps to make the election safer during the pandemic, they also made it easier for people with disabilities to vote.

Nearly 62% of eligible voters with disabilities cast ballots in the 2020 election, up from about 56% in 2016, according to researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey. In all, about 17.7 million people with disabilities voted in 2020.

The share of people with disabilities who reported having a problem voting dropped from 26.1% in 2012 to 11.4% in 2020, according to the Rutgers study. Among voters who did not have a disability, it dropped from 7.4% to 6.4%.

But advocates fear those improvements have been short-lived. Several states adopted new voting restrictions in part in response to former President Donald Trump's false claims about a stolen 2020 presidential election. Opponents of those laws argue conservative lawmakers want to make it harder for people of color and other marginalized voters  who tend to vote Democratic  to vote after Democrats unexpectedly won states like Georgia and Arizona.

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Supporters of the new laws, however, say they protect against voter fraud and aim to restore confidence in elections.

Those concerns are misplaced, Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C., said of the advocates.

He said many of the laws, including ones requiring more identification, led to higher voter turnout in states like Georgia and Indiana in part because voters had more faith in the system.

''There's this, unfortunately, generally high mistrust of the election process these days by members of both parties,'' von Spakovsky said. "The more you put in measures that are intended to correct that, I think that actually helps turnout.''

Lilian Aluri, REV UP voting campaign coordinator for the American Association of People with Disabilities, said the barriers aren't necessarily new.

"But they are having a substantial impact on people with disabilities and they really are taking us backwards from some of the progress made in 2020," Aluri said.

More: A new American fault line: How new election laws will make it harder for 55 million to vote

Mandy Halloran, left, director of public health and disability integration at Able South Carolina, and Dori Tempio, center, director of the organization's community outreach and consumer rights, address a crowd at a rally April 13 outside the South Carolina state Capitol. Speakers urged lawmakers to address barriers to independence for people with disabilities.

More states limited voting access after 2020

In the wake of the 2020 presidential election, advocates said more states adopted laws that limit access for voters with disabilities, including restrictions on curbside voting and voting by mail, cutting back on early voting, limitations on ballot drop boxes and new identification requirements.

We're seeing widespread pushback,'' Bishop said.

In 2021 alone, elected officials in 19 states  including Arizona, Texas, Georgia and Florida  adopted new voting restrictions, according to the left-leaning Brennan Center for Justice.

These laws will make it harder for a person to cast a ballot, and anything that imposes another barrier, I think, is undermining democracy, said Jasleen Singh, counsel in Brennans Democracy Program.

Singh pointed to a new law in Texas that requires people assisting disabled voters to sign an oath limiting how much they will help, such as only reading the ballot or directing how to mark the ballot. Singh said the measure doesnt take into account what may be the needs of a voter.

That sort of ignores the vast diversity of the kind of help that a person with a disability may need to cast a ballot, she said.

The Brennan Center is challenging the law under the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Another proposal in Alaska would have made it a crime to possess a ballot of someone other than a family member. People helping disabled voters arent always family, Singh said.

Voters with disabilities and elderly voters, particularly those living in nursing homes, have long used mail-in ballots, Singh said. That practice surged during the pandemic.

She called new laws restricting mail-in voting "an all-out assault'' that could affect every voter. "But I think that because mail voting is so popular amongst elderly voters, amongst voters with disabilities, it's especially going to be felt by them.

While sweeping federal voting rights legislation has stalled in Congress, the Biden administration has pledged to expand access for voters, including those with disabilities. Vice President Kamala Harris met with disabled voters last year and has joined in events to raise awareness.

Last March, the White House issued an executive order directing the federal government to promote voting access.

Disabled Americans often face unique challenges in exercising their freedom to vote, Harris said last month. In 2020, disabled Americans were almost twice as likely to experience problems while voting than other populations. And I think we all know and agree this is completely unacceptable.

More: Voting rights activists are pushing to speak the language of all voters. It's not always English.

Poll worker Sheila Thomas helps voters to submit their ballots from the curbside voting line, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, at Malcolm X Opportunity Center, an early voting center in Washington. Curbside voting is offered at this location for seniors and people with disabilities.

Disabled voters face many barriers

Access to voting information also can be a huge hurdle, advocates said. Voters whose primary language is American Sign Language or those who have an intellectual disability, for example, can struggle with material that is available only in written English and not in plain language.

State and local election websites sometimes are not accessible or don't have adequate information about accessibility at polling places or for other voting methods, she said.

Molly Broadway, voting rights trainer at Disability Rights Texas, said it's a misconception that all voters with a disability prefer to vote by mail.

Her organization fought against the Texas law that made those who help people with ballots sign an oath saying they weren't compensated. Personal attendants and caregivers are paid to help people with disabilities with tasks that include voting, Broadway said.

During the Texas primary, poll workers were confused about what assistance a voter could receive under the new law, she said.

Theyre trying to figure all of this out and follow all of their guidelines and not doing anything wrong at the same time," she said. Everyone is on pins and needles trying to make sure theyre doing what they can to help voters but not putting their butt on the line.

In Florida, new limitations that made it harder for third-party organizations to collect voter registration forms also made it more difficult for people with disabilities to register, said Olivia Babis, Disability Rights Florida senior public policy analyst.

Florida has an accessible online voter registration form, but Babis said people without internet access often register at public events where those organizations host drives.

In March, a federal judge struck down parts of the new Florida law, calling them a form of suppression.

All 67 Florida counties will be required to have an accessible vote-by-mail program in 2022, she said, but it will be up to election supervisors in each county to implement it.

Theres not going to be equity in how people are informed about this," she said.

Jim O'Bryan drops of his election ballot in the drop box at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, Wednesday, April 22, 2020, in Cleveland.

More: Laws aimed at voter suppression are the worst since Jim Crow. How Black voter trends could be impacted.

'I just think it's crazy'

Voters with disabilities continue to have access to the polls, supporters of the new laws said.

There are many ways to return absentee ballots, and limitations on drop boxes doesnt prevent someone with disabilities from voting, said von Spakovsky of the Heritage Foundation.

For someone who's really physically disabled, it's a heck of a lot easier to just simply put it in the mail than to try to get somewhere down the road to a drop box, von Spakovsky said.

He said some new laws include provisions that will protect disabled voters, such as the one in Texas that requires a person assisting a voter to fill out a form and pledge to not tell them whom to vote for.

He called the federal Department of Justices claim that the law interferes with voters who need assistance an ''absurd argument.

"I just think it's crazy,'' he said. It actually helps. It helps the disabled."

Lisa Schur and Douglas Kruse of Rutgers University said their research shows expanding voting by mail and drop boxes and extending deadlines for early voting and voter registration contribute to increased turnout among voters with disabilities.

Turnout rates among voters with disabilities has been lower than those who do not have disabilities, according to their research.

Its not apathy. Thats not whats causing the gap," Schur said. "So it sure seems that inaccessible voting systems are contributing to this gap, whether its in person or voting by mail.

Hope Jenkins, who works at Able SC, a nonprofit group that provides independent living services to people with disabilities, attended a rally April 13, 2022, at the state capitol in South Carolina. (Photo credit: Crush Rush Photography)

More: Absentee ballots in last week's election were handled inconsistently across Wisconsin after a state Supreme Court ruling

Advocates watching Wisconsin voting rights case

Advocates are watching for a state Supreme Court ruling in Wisconsin, where the practice of allowing someone to mail or drop off a voter's absentee ballot is being challenged. Advocates worry there could be similar challenges in other states.

"We've seen proposals in states like Texas, Wisconsin now that are looking at limiting who can assist you with your ballot, who can help you return your vote-by-mail ballot, who can assist you with delivering (a ballot at) a long-term-care facility, said Bishop of the National Disability Rights Network.

Many people with disabilities in Wisconsin rely on someone to mail or return their absentee ballot and use drop boxes, said Barbara Beckert, director of external advocacy at Disability Rights WISCONSIN.

Earlier this year, the state Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling that voters can't give their ballots to someone else to deliver for them. The ruling took effect for the April 5 local elections.

It was just a huge mess, Beckert said. We told people, 'Call your clerks and ask for an accommodation.' Some clerks accommodated voters, others did not. It definitely disenfranchised people.

Beckert said her organization fielded many calls to its voter hotline. Some were confused about whether their ballots could be dropped off by someone else. Some didnt vote at all because they couldnt do it themselves, Beckert said.

Supporters of the ban, however, argue there's little proof that voters with disabilities will be harmed.

There's an element of gaslighting, said Rick Esenberg, founder, president and general counsel of the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, which is representing two residents in the case. If this were about, and only about, disabled voters, that problem could be easily fixed. What this case really is about is about whether or not we must have a regime in Wisconsin where paid partisans essentially or activists are permitted to go out and collect an absentee ballot. I think that's what the Legislature doesn't want.

A court decision is expected by the summer.

More: Electoral Count Act: What is it, how did it play a role in the 2020 election and Jan. 6, and why are there calls to change it?

'We're just overlooked'

Disability activists in other states worry conservative-learning legislatures will pass more restrictive laws.

Kimberly Tissot, CEO of Able South Carolina, said her organization and others successfully fought against a state measure last year that would have added restrictions to mail-in voting.

Its an ongoing fight, said Tissot, whose group advocates for disability rights and equity. When people talk about voting, they don't talk about everyone who has the right to vote. So they're not looking at the barriers that the community naturally experiences, that no one else is really focusing on. We're just overlooked.

Tissot said 1 in 3 people in South Carolina have a disability. Transportation is a major barrier for many.

Tissot said more attention should be paid to electronic voting.

That would be more accessible for people with disabilities honestly because there are just so many barriers within the community, within the polling sites themselves and then with the underlining barriers such as transportation, she said.

Meanwhile, some voters are still navigating barriers at the polls.

Dori Tempio was disappointed when she went to her polling site in Columbia, South Carolina, a few years ago. The booth wasnt wide enough for her motorized wheelchair, and the voting machine was too high for her to reach the buttons.

She was even more disappointed when an election official set her up to vote at a table in the middle of the room. There was no curtain for privacy.

Tempio complained but said officials told her they would set up space in another room in future elections.

It was either that or I couldn't vote, said Tempio, 51, who describes herself as a proud voter since she turned 18. I decided it was more important to vote.  I told them I shouldn't be having to make this choice.

It wasnt the first time Tempio faced hurdles in voting. And over the years she has watched election officials and poll workers try to turn away others with special needs.

I'm not shy and I'm like, That's people's right,' said Tempio, who added that she sometimes explains laws to poll workers. They eventually got it, but it took me having to be vocal.

More: 30 years after the ADA, access to voting for people with disabilities is still an issue

Laws to protect voters

Some advocates said poll workers and election officials need to be better trained about federal laws protecting voters with disabilities.

Under a provision in the Voting Rights Act of 1965, voters with disabilities who need assistance to cast a ballot can get help from whomever they choose, except an employer or union representative.

The Americans with Disabilities Act also provides protections for voters with disabilities.

Democratic Rep. G.K. Butterfield, who chairs the House subcommittee on elections, said many people dont realize that theres a large concentration of voters with disabilities and that their needs are sometimes overlooked.

If you're cutting back on early-voting hours, if you're cutting back on absentee (voting),  that has a profound impact on the disabled population, he said.

Some voters hope for more access.

Reba Landry, who is legally blind, waited nearly three hours with her seeing-eye dog to vote in Greenville, South Carolina, in 2020. It helped when she got to the booth that there was an audio component. She cast her vote in private and independently.

Landry, 41, hopes that in future elections she can vote at home, perhaps through accessible online voting or mail-in ballots.

We shouldn't have to have somebody there to do it for us, she said.

She plans to register for a webinar to learn more about state election changes.

Every time we have an election  things tend to change so much, Landry said. She added that no matter what, she intends to vote. Its important  it just is.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Voting rights for disabled people under attack from new election laws
PROVIDENCE  Evoking the well-documented mail ballot scandals of the Cianci era  and potential evidence that a handful of Rhode Island voters voted twice in 2020  the state Republican Party sounded alarms Monday about legislation headed for Senate passage on Tuesday that would make it easier to vote.

State Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Cienki and Republican Sen. Jessica de la Cruz centered their concerns on the proposed elimination of Rhode Island's current requirement that two witnesses or a notary attest to the identity of a mail-ballot voter.

Sue Cienki is chairwoman of the Rhode Island Republican Party.

At the very least, they argued, voters casting absentee ballots should be required to provide some form of identification, such as a driver's license or state identification card number.

"There has to be a system where every eligible voter knows that their vote will be cast by them ... [and] it is not an undue burden to provide an ID ... [which proves] you exist," Cienki said.

"Without an ID you cannot open a bank account, drive a car, get government assistance, fly on a plane, cash a check. Your vote should be as important as any of those life necessities. We never want someone to take your vote away."

Election 2022 Updates: The latest news in the highest-profile races in Rhode Island

No curbs on 'ballot harvesting'

The two Republicans also lamented the absence in the 23-page bill of any restrictions on what critics call "ballot harvesting," where campaign operatives go through nursing homes and high-rise buildings for the elderly offering to help obtain and submit absentee ballots.

"Prohibiting the practice of mail-ballot harvesting would help protect the integrity of elections by reducing the possibility that voters will be intimidated or bribed by campaigns," Cienki said at a news conference at the State House.

After the news conference, Marcela Betancur, spokeswoman for the coalition promoting the Let's Vote RI bill, and campaign consultant Erich Haslehurst told the media that the bill has safeguards to verify that an applicant for a mail ballot is who he or she says, including a signature-matching requirement.

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But Cienki said that's not enough.

Rhode Island voting laws: Movement for changes to laws on mail ballots other voting matters intensifies

Most basically, the legislation headed for a Senate vote Tuesday makes permanent certain accommodations made during the pandemic so COVID-leery voters would not have to vote in person.

That included the temporary suspension of the witness requirement for mail ballots and the opportunity for voters to vote in-person as many as 20 days in advance to avoid crowded polls on Election Day.

For more than a decade, Rhode Island hasrequired voters to show some form of identification when they vote in person.

The legislation winding its way through the legislature would allow someone to apply for a mail ballot online, but to do so they would be required to provide a driver's license or state ID number issued by the Division of Motor Vehicles.

But that applies only to someone applying for a mail ballot online.

There is no voter-identification requirement now or in the legislation for requesting a mail ballot by any other means, or for submitting a mail ballot and having it counted.

Sue Cienki: 'Mail ballot voting is susceptible to fraud'

Cienki covered a lot of ground, but it was on that singular point that she focused her concern that "mail ballot voting is susceptible to fraud."

She went back to 2005, when "the Commission on Federal Election Reform, co-chaired by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker, concluded that mail-in voting 'increase[s] the risks of fraud'."

She went back further, to the early 1980s, when a well-documented mail-ballot harvesting operation run by one-time Providence City Councilman Lloyd Griffin secured Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci's reelection as mayor.

Cienki said: "Many years later in his memoir, Cianci stated that Griffin 'had a bit of trouble differentiating between an absentee voter and a fictitious vote.'

"Cianci explained how Griffins operatives persuaded voters to have their mail ballots sent directly to Griffins headquarters ... 'I was told that his people were so nice they would actually help people fill out their ballots. And if, for example, they didnt want to vote for Mayor Cianci, they would happily put an X right next to his name.

"Cianci also described how in 1980 Griffin presented him with 3,200 unmarked absentee ballots and told him: 'They can all be yours.' "

Cienki did not cite any evidence of widespread fraud in 2020 when the witness requirements were suspended.

But she did provide the names of two voters, identified by computer whiz and two-time candidate for governor Ken Block, who were recorded as voting twice in-person.

(The Board of Elections on Monday attributed one case to a clerical error in which a North Providence clerk tried to correct an entry and ended up recording the same voter twice. The other case involved two women named "Donna" who were recorded a minute apart. No other information was available.)

What was left unaddressed was the relative ease or difficulty for a shut-in or someone without a driver's license to get a state identification.

The DMV has issued a total of 68,152 "active" state identification cards to people without driver's licenses, but they require an in-person visit to the registry. Applicants are required to bring proof of identity, such as a recently expired driver's license, birth certificate, Social Security number "or a letter issued by the Social Security Administration stating the applicant is not eligible to receive a Social Security Number," and two proof of Rhode Island residency, such as a utility bill.

Since the state's Voter ID law was adopted, the secretary of state's office has provided 2,523 "voter identification cards" that can be used only for voting in-person at the polls.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Republicans say RI voting bill might lead to fraud, cites Buddy Cianci
How Impact Investing moves capital to where its needed most

Northampton, MA --News Direct-- GreenMoney Journal

by Stella Tai of Praxis Mutual Funds

In my 15-year career working as a woman in impact investing and its various facets geared towards investing in women, I have learned that communities and families benefit greatly when women thrive economically.

In December 2021, I had the privilege of visiting several organizations in Kenya supported through Praxis Mutual Funds commitment to community development investing. This was alongside a visit to my family in my birth country, after five years of being away. This article is a personal reflection on how impact and gender lens investing delivers real-world impacts  and how advisors can help their clients understand those impacts.

Impact investment. This often revolutionizes the lives of women and girls. During my visits, I saw what capital was achieving, on the ground among rural women, many of whom were poor, and on small farms using affordable products developed and customized to meet their needs. This solidified the importance of this work in my mind.

Gender lens investing (GLI) is critical in closing global gaps in access to capital and thereby increasing human capital wealth, education and helping countries achieve their full developmental potential. In a more diverse and equal society, everyone benefits. Impact investments with a gender lens are projected to increase over the next decade across all asset classes. In recent years, weve seen growing demand from investors to take gender into account when considering impact investing.

Additionally, the projected wealth transfer to women is predicted to increase from about $50 trillion in 2015 to $72 trillion, that is two-thirds of the worlds wealth, by 2030. Women investors are more likely to demand increased inclusivity, diversity, and values-aligned investing, which may lead to increased consideration of gender in impact investing.

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Read Stella's full article with many insights from her community development investing trip to Kenya -- https://greenmoney.com/investing-in-women-impacting-the-world

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View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from GreenMoney Journal on 3blmedia.com

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/investing-in-women-impacting-the-world-459008538
Pete Davidson, Kim Kardashian

Paul Morigi/Getty Images Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian

Sunday was date night for Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian.

The couple made an appearance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where Davidson's friend Jon Stewart was awarded the 23rd Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Davidson, 28, and Kardashian, 41, were photographed watching intently during the ceremony, with the Saturday Night Live star looking dapper in a black shirt and blazer.

The Kardashians personality, meanwhile, coordinated with her beau in a black sequined ensemble, and wore her hair in a sleek updo.

Other comedic celebs in attendance at the event included Steve Carell, Samantha Bee, Ed Helms and Jimmy Kimmel. Olivia Munn and John Mulaney were also present.

Speaking about his close friend Stewart, Davidson joked on stage: "Who couldn't love this guy? Probably the most controversial thing he's done is being friends with me... Is Jon really my friend? I don't know if we're really friends or if this is a make-a-wish type thing."

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

RELATED: Kim Kardashian Says She Takes the Ferry to Staten Island with Pete Davidson: "Super Low Key"

Kardashian has been linked to Davidson since last fall, when the pair were photographed holding hands in October 2021 at Knott's Scary Farm in Buena Park, California. Earlier that month, they shared an onscreen kiss during Kardashian's SNL hosting debut.

A source told PEOPLE last week that the SKIMS mogul's famous family "just loves" Davidson.

"They enjoy having him around. He is great for Kim. He is getting to know her kids and everyone seems to be getting along," the insider said. "Pete hasn't had any expectations. He gets that he is coming into a complex family situation. He doesn't want to complicate things."

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The source added that Kardashian and Davidson "are doing great," adding, "Pete lets Kim be Kim and doesn't put any pressure on her. When she is busy with the kids, he does his own thing. He understands her priorities."

RELATED VIDEO: Kim Kardashian Shares PDA Photos of Her and Pete Davidson from Date Night: "Late Nite Snack"

Kardashian previously filed for divorce from Kanye West in February 2021. While the pair's legal battle is still ongoing, a judge declared the businesswoman legally single in March. The two share four children: North, 8, Saint, 6, Chicago, 4, and Psalm, 2.

During an appearance on Howard Stern's SiriusXM radio show last month, Stewart opened up about Davidson and how he has handled the feud with West, 44, that unfolded after the Donda artist's split from Kardashian.

"I know Pete real well. He's just a kid trying to live his life. [He's] one of my favorite people," Stewart, 59, said on the episode. "He's just a smart, funny, kid, trying to live his life."

He added, "I think he's doing as best you can in that situation when you're dealing with something that's so explosive and loaded, with all kinds of other things. I just love that kid."
OTCQX: SHWZ

NEO: SHWZ

DENVER, Colo., April 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Schwazze, (OTCQX: SHWZ) (NEO: SHWZ) ("Schwazze" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that Justin Dye, Chairman & CEO will present to investors in a live VID Forum Town Hall on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, at 11:00 am EST. Management will field Q&A from investors and interested parties after their presentation. Please sign up here to register.

SCHWAZZE Logo (CNW Group/Medicine Man Technologies, Inc.)

The Webinar will be interactive and will be hosted by VID Conferences. All stakeholders and interested investors are welcome to tune in and participate with questions. The playback will then be available on the Company's website.

About Schwazze

Schwazze (OTCQX: SHWZ) (NEO: SHWZ) is building a premier vertically integrated regional cannabis company with assets in Colorado and New Mexico and will continue to take its operating system to other states where it can develop a differentiated regional leadership position. Schwazze is the parent company of a portfolio of leading cannabis businesses and brands spanning seed to sale. The Company is committed to unlocking the full potential of the cannabis plant to improve the human condition. Schwazze is anchored by a high-performance culture that combines customer-centric thinking and data science to test, measure, and drive decisions and outcomes. The Company's leadership team has deep expertise in retailing, wholesaling, and building consumer brands at Fortune 500 companies as well as in the cannabis sector. Schwazze is passionate about making a difference in our communities, promoting diversity and inclusion, and doing our part to incorporate climate-conscious best practices. Medicine Man Technologies, Inc. was Schwazze's former operating trade name. The corporate entity continues to be named Medicine Man Technologies, Inc.

Schwazze derives its name from the pruning technique of a cannabis plant to enhance plant structure and promote healthy growth.

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Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements." Such statements may be preceded by the words "plan," "will," "may,", "predicts," or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future events or performance, are based on certain assumptions, and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control and cannot be predicted or quantified. Consequently, actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with (i) our inability to manufacture our products and product candidates on a commercial scale on our own or in collaboration with third parties; (ii) difficulties in obtaining financing on commercially reasonable terms; (iii) changes in the size and nature of our competition; (iv) loss of one or more key executives or scientists; (v) difficulties in securing regulatory approval to market our products and product candidates; (vi) our ability to successfully execute our growth strategy in Colorado and outside the state, (vii) our ability to consummate the acquisition described in this press release or to identify and consummate future acquisitions that meet our criteria, (viii) our ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses and realize synergies therefrom, (ix) the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, * the timing and extent of governmental stimulus programs, (xi) the uncertainty in the application of federal, state and local laws to our business, and any changes in such laws, and * out ability to satisfy the closing conditions for the private finding described in this press release. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by law.

Cision

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SOURCE Medicine Man Technologies, Inc.

Cision

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Inna and Sergey Osyka with their sons during a family trip to Austria in 2019. Courtesy of Bogdan Osyka

More than 10 million people have been displaced during the war, and most of them remain in Ukraine.

One family told Insider it's surreal to be in a Ukrainian city not under attack while their hometown is bombarded.

"I am horrified by the very thought of what I will see upon arrival home," Sergey Osyka said.

More than 5 million Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia invaded on February 24.

Most have landed in bordering countries like Poland, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia, triggering a crisis in Eastern Europe as the number of refugees quickly surpassed the United Nations' worst-case estimate.

But even more Ukrainians fleeing the fighting have remained in the country. Nearly 6.5 million people had been displaced within Ukraine as of March, the UN's refugee agency said, many of whom came from the east.

One of those families told Insider they were forced to leave their hometown of Kharkiv in the first week of the war, after days of shelling by Russian forces crumbled much of the city.

Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, has seen some of the worst bombardment.

"The decision to leave was very hard," Sergey Osyka said in an interview with Insider that was translated by his son Bogdan.

Sergey and his wife, Inna, were in Kharkiv when the bombardment started, while their sons were living in Oslo, Norway. Despite living in a state of alert for years due to fighting in the Donbas region, Sergey was shocked by the way the shelling started essentially overnight.

They remained in their home in Kharkiv for the first six days of the war, sheltering in their basement, where they didn't have internet or cell reception.

"I was worried when I couldn't get in touch with them," Bogdan said of his parents. "You never know if they're in the basement or the house is getting bombarded."

Inna Osyka in the basement of their home in Kharkiv, Ukraine, sheltering from Russian bombardment. Courtesy of Sergey Osyka

Russian forces were still bombarding the city when Sergey and Inna made the decision to leave on March 2. They waited for a brief break in the attacks and set off from Kharkiv in their car around 6 a.m., heading west but unsure where they would go.

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Sergey called every person the couple knew in western Ukraine to try and arrange a place for them to stay. Bogdan was in constant touch with his parents, following news and updates on the war to help them coordinate the safest route.

"We knew it was roulette because Russia shoots civilians," Sergey said. "But it was a roulette also to stay in Kharkiv."

Peaceful scenes in Ukrainian cities that haven't been attacked feel 'unreal'

Sergey and Inna safely made it to Chernivtsi, a city in southwestern Ukraine near the Romanian border, where they are temporarily renting an apartment about 620 miles away from their home in Kharkiv.

They wake up every morning and listen to the news, unsure of what new developments they will learn or if Russian shelling will spread to where they are located. Sergey said the stress of it all is turning his hair gray: "My son told me that my already grey head was as if it was sprinkled with ashes."

The couple tries to go about their days as normally as possible. They are still able to work a bit remotely, which provides a welcome distraction. They also try to go on walks and make dinner, to do things that were normal before the war, but knowing what's happening just a drive away makes for a surreal experience.

"Sitting on a bench in the park, I watch happy children playing, elderly couples walking with dogs, and it seems to me that I am behind the screen of a large TV, and look at the passing peaceful life as something unreal," Sergey wrote to Insider.

Inna and Sergey Osyka in Kharkiv, Ukraine, a few weeks before the war began. Courtesy of Bogdan Osyka

Even though they're in a city not under attack, Sergey and Inna said just knowing what's happening in other parts of Ukraine makes it impossible to relax and that the feelings of anxiety do not go away even during sleep.

Their lives are filled with uncertainty over what each day will bring and over the extent of the damage in Kharkiv, where they're eager to return once the war has ended.

"My city is systematically destroyed, residential infrastructure, houses, shops, schools, hospitals are systematically bombed and I am horrified by the very thought of what I will see upon arrival home," Sergey said.

As Russian forces focus their efforts on eastern Ukraine, deadly attacks continue to hit Kharkiv, and the future of the city and its residents remains uncertain.

But Sergey said all he dreams about now is the end of the war and peace for Ukraine, about a world where he can go to work, come home, have dinner with his wife, and spend time with his sons.

"He is eager when the war stops to come back and build the city from scratch," Bogdan said of his father. "To start a normal life in the place where he was born."

Sergey and Inna are certain they'll return to Kharkiv and to their house, where they raised their sons and which has withstood two world wars  as long as it's still standing.

Have a news tip? Contact this reporter at kvlamis@insider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Weather Alert

...FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 8 AM PDT TUESDAY... * WHAT...Overnight temperatures expected to drop into the low to mid 30s with sub-freezing temperatures as low as 30 to 32 in the cold prone areas of these zones. * WHERE...In Washington, Kittitas Valley and Yakima Valley. In Oregon, Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon and Foothills of the Southern Blue Mountains of Oregon. * WHEN...From 2 AM to 8 AM PDT Tuesday. * IMPACTS...Frost and freeze conditions will kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Sensitive plants and vegetation should be protected. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. To prevent freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes they should be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly. Those that have in-ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above- ground pipes to protect them from freezing. &&
The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol now has enough evidence to answer a historically significant question: Should it refer former President Donald Trump to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution for his role in the insurrection that very nearly halted the peaceful transfer of power?

The answer is yes. The gravity of the accusations against the former president and the evidence being amassed are such that failing to do so would send a strong message that fear and intimidation to escape consequences will work even at the highest levels of American government.

Rep. Liz Cheney, one of only two Republicans on the committee, said recently: Its actually clear that what President Trump was dealing with  what a number of people around him were doing  that they knew it was awful, that they did it anyway. ... I think what we have seen is a massive and well-organized and well-planned effort that used multiple tools to try to overturn an election.

In late March, a federal judge ordered lawyer John Eastman to relinquish hundreds of emails to the committee, stating that the former president appeared to have committed multiple felonies in his push to hold onto the presidency after his defeat.

Based on the evidence the court finds that it is more likely than not that President Trump and Dr. Eastman dishonestly conspired to obstruct the joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021, U.S. District Judge David Carter wrote. It was Eastman who concocted the illegal scheme that would have had then-Vice President Mike Pence stop the electoral count and the certification of Biden victory.

The committee, in its filing in that case, said that Trump, Eastman and others entered into an agreement to defraud the United States, interfering with the election certification process, spreading misinformation about election fraud and pressuring state and federal officials to support their claims.

Trump, the committee said, corruptly pressured Vice President Mike Pence to stop the electoral vote count as part of an illegal scheme to allow key states to send a different slate of Trump-friendly electors who might change the outcome. Failing that, the committee said, Trump embarked on a wide-scale campaign to convince the public and federal judges that the 2020 election was fraudulent.

Slowly, painstakingly, despite immense political obstacles, this committee has managed to do what few might have thought possible at the outset. It has obtained information from key figures in the White House. It has gotten testimony from Trumps daughter and senior adviser, Ivanka; from her husband, Jared Kushner; from senior adviser Stephen Miller; from Marc Short, chief of staff to then-Vice President Pence; and more than 800 others.

To do all that work, to gather all that evidence and then fail to recommend the ringleader and object of it all does a disservice to that work and to the American people. And yet, there have been reports that the committee is divided on whether to make the referral.

There are other concerns at work here, according to news reports. Those include fears that a criminal referral will make the work of the committee appear partisan. Others think Carters ruling should do the heavy lifting, that the ruling will better persuade Attorney General Merrick Garland to pursue prosecution.

The committee must know that no matter what the outcome, Trump and his allies have decided from the outset that this is a partisan witch hunt. No matter that Cheney, a strong Republican voice, is on the panel. No matter that the evidence shows otherwise. Just as with Trumps false narrative about the election, he has shown that he is indifferent to facts and truth.

That should not stop this committee from doing its duty. If it has the evidence  and it appears it does  it must send the referral. This is far more than a symbolic gesture. This is about a committee having the courage to act on its convictions and on the immense amount of work that has gone before. It must add its voice to that of Judge Carter, not hide behind him.
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Gravestones in a Jewish cemetery in Budakeszi, on the outskirts of the capital, were vandalised early Saturday.

The Pest County Police told MTI the vandalism was reported on Saturday morning and an investigation was launched.



Information is being collected and all efforts are being made to identify and arrest the perpetrators, the police said.



About half of the already dilapidated headstones in the cemetery were knocked over or smashed, according to press reports.





Photo: Courtesy of Zsigmond Bertalan
Hungarian-language education is key to the future of the nation, the state secretary in charge of policies for Hungarian communities abroad said in Martovce (Martos), in southern Slovakia, on Friday.

Our mother tongue is the source of all of our values and strength, Arpad Janos Potapi said at the inauguration of new accommodations at the Esterhazy Academy built with support from the Hungarian government.



We trust that the newly-inaugurated buildings will strengthen the appeal of the intellectual hub being created in Martovce.



Potapi said the Esterhazy Academy was part of an institutional system that had been built over the last 12 years, noting it offered Hungarian-language education from the pre-school to the university level.
Commentators still struggle to find consistent explanations for the fourth consecutive electoral victory of Fidesz on 3 April. There is even less clarity, however, on how the opposition can recover from its latest defeat.

In Demokrata Gabor Bencsik, an expert on the history of Hungarian Roma, who is a regular contributor to the weekly, which is edited by his brother Andras, analyses why Prime Minister Orbans party was supported by the overwhelming majority of Roma voters.



In fact, pro-government votes were proportional to the share of the Gypsy population in any given settlement, he remarks. The main reason, he suggests, is that under the Fidesz government, Roma people living in segregated communities with very scarce job opportunities were offered modestly paid work in public works throughout the country.



Gabor Bencsik hit newspaper headlines earlier this month when he found the state-owned media guilty of biased reporting.



In Elet es Irodalom, editor Zoltan Kovacs suspects sheer cynicism behind Bencsiks remark. What prevented him from noticing this for so many years before the elections? He asks.



In a long analysis of the causes of the result of the elections in Magyar Narancs, former left-wing finance minister Csaba Laszlo writes that Hungary is not a classical Western-type democracy although nor is it an aggressive Putin-style dictatorship. Further reasons he mentions include a clientelist system around the government, a perfect system of political populism, a professionally targeted electoral campaign and as well as the impact of the war in Ukraine.



In Hetek, an author who signs with the initials M.M-R thinks the opposition campaign was run by intellectuals living in Budapest who live in an opinion bubble and do not understand the lives and concerns of the people outside or, for that matter, inside the capital either.



Ordinary Hungarians suffered a shock after the regime change that brought about an existential and value crisis for many. Their first concern, therefore, is security and they found that the government was offering more of that than the opposition.



In his Mandiner editorial, Gergely Szilvay also finds those intellectuals active in politics ignorant of the nature of political competition. They incessantly complain about negative campaigning and have a tendency to demand a government of experts, he writes.



He interprets that tendency as intellectuals having a problem with democracy itself, because in a democratic system of competing forces everything becomes politicised, with experts also divided on policy issues. Intellectuals want to dominate politics and are dissatisfied when the political world doesnt obey them, he suggests.



An unsigned editorial on 168 ora complains that the opposition parties refused to allot a seat in Parliament to Bernadett Szel, one of the most active opposition MPs in the previous Parliament.



She lost the election in her individual constituency but as she was on the opposition electoral list, could become a member of Parliament if only the parties agreed to choose her instead of the various unknown candidates they have proposed to take over the mandate of the opposition frontrunner Peter Marki-Zay who chose to keep his post as mayor of Hodmezovasarhely.



In a similar vein, Jelens editorial finds it disheartening that the disparate forces of the opposition are engaging in bitter infighting after the elections. The editors believe that is a bad start for the opposition, which should now be working on building a new movement on the basis of the 34 percent that voted for them on 3 April.



In Magyar Hang, Robert Puzser believes the opposition should now work on uniting its six parties in order to defeat the incumbent government in four years time. Their positions are stronger than Viktor Orbans were in 1994 when he started building a new right-wing alliance.



In fact, the left-liberal side can now easily reach the public, especially through Internet news sites and the social media, he suggests. In addition, they also have some support from entrepreneurs as well as from mainstream European political forces. Finally, Puzser believes the intellectual world supporting the opposition is of much higher quality than that on the government side.



In an interview with Heti Vilaggazdasag, radical right-wing leader Laszlo Toroczkai denies any racist tendencies. The chairman of Our Homeland (Mi Hazank), a party founded by former Jobbik members that won six seats in Parliament admits that individual members may be privately racist, but he has told them that such discourse is not accepted within his party.



This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher.

Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online.

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Hungary responds to challenges to its sovereignty by strengthening its Christian traditions, Peter Szijjarto, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said in Gyor, in northwest Hungary, on Friday.

Speaking at the inauguration of a national memorial site comprising the Kaptalandomb and the remains of the castle in the city centre, Szijjarto said the world had recently faced extreme challenges connected to financial and health-care crises, migration and the war in Ukraine.



In addition, Hungary has seen attacks against our sovereignty, traditions and Christian culture, Szijjarto said.



The decade-long barrage of our self-definition and plans for our future came because the countrys civic, patriotic, Christian government consistently went against the international liberal mainstream, he said.



Hungarys Christian Democratic system guarantees its citizens dignity, freedom and security, protects equality between men and women, the traditional family model, has declared zero tolerance against anti-Semitism, protects and cherishes Christian culture and so ensures the survival and prosperity of the nation, he added.



The government has responded to the attacks by repeatedly bolstering Christian traditions, he said.
Air Arabia Abu Dhabi will soon add Mumbai as the sixth Indian destination in its network. The airline will start flight operations to Mumbai from May 12 onwards. Flights will be available on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays onboard an Air Arabia Abu Dhabi Airbus A320.

Mumbai is the city of dreams and is famously known for its unique experience, magnificent architecture and savory cuisine. It is the city of aspirations, wealth and glamour, a city which every traveler must visit, the airline said in a statement.

Passengers can book air tickets through Air Arabias website, call center or travel agencies. Fares start at 510 AED (Rs 10,647) one way or 999 AED (Rs 20,856) for a return. Flights will be with an Airbus A320 in an all-economy configuration, offering a seating space for 174 passengers.

Also read: Singapore Airlines to deploy Airbus A380 on Delhi, Mumbai routes; increase passenger capacity to India

The flight schedule on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday is as follows:

- Flight 3L 101 - Departing from Abu Dhabi at 15:00, arriving in Mumbai at 19:40.

- Flight 3L 102 - Departing from Mumbai at 20:30, arriving in Abu Dhabi at 22:00.

With commencement of this flight service, Mumbai will become Air Arabia Abu Dhabis sixth Indian destination, with Calicut, Chennai, Jaipur, Kochi and Trivandrum. Airline will start its flight services to Chennai from April 27 twice a week (Mondays and Wednesdays). Meanwhile, flight operations to Jaipur will hit the sky from May 5, twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays).

Air Arabia is based at Abu Dhabi International Airport and currently offers flights on 20 routes. The airline started its operations in July 2020, as a joint venture between Air Arabia and Etihad Airways.

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As the Singapore government announced the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions in the country on April 22, Singapore's national carrier gears up to launch the A380 services to New Delhi and Mumbai in anticipation of the high demand for flights from those two cities to Singapore and beyond.

The government announced on Friday, (April 22), that from next Tuesday, residents will no longer be required to use TraceTogether, a system for Covid-19 exposure contact tracing and that all vaccinated travellers can enter Singapore without restrictions and with no need for testing.

The announcement was warmly welcomed by those in the travel industry and one of the main beneficiaries is Singapore Airlines (SIA). Singapores national carrier had earlier announced that it will be launching A380 services to New Delhi and Mumbai due to high demand for flights.

Also read: South Korea's Asiana Airlines to fly Incheon-Delhi weekly flight from April 29

SIAs configuration on the Superjumbo allows it to accommodate over 470 passengers in four classes. In recent months, travellers from India have made up the largest number of overseas arrivals in Singapore. For the first three months of this year, 54,530 Indians arrived in Singapore by air, almost double the next two largest groups who were from Indonesia (26,370) and Malaysia (20,270).

Altogether, a total of 246,120 visitors arrived in Singapore during the first calendar quarter this year, still a far cry from the same pre-pandemic quarter in 2019 of 4.69 million. Even before the lifting of these Covid-era measures, SIA had already reported "a significant increase in passenger demand at both SIA and Scoot" in their March 2022 operating statistics update. The airline said that this was due to the easing of travel restrictions in almost all key markets and the Singapore government's increased Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) quota for daily arrivals.

The VTL scheme is now no longer in place since all restrictions on visitor arrivals have been removed for those vaccinated.Singapore Airlines reported that its two airlines, SIA and budget airline Scoot, carried a total of 893,000 passengers during March, up from 544,600 in February 2022. Group passenger capacity (measured in available seat kilometres) reached 51 percent of pre-Covid-19 levels in March 2022, seven percentage points above the month before.

Group passenger load factor (PLF) improved 15.4 percentage points to 54.5 percent (a 41.7 percent increase year-on-year), the highest since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.Based on the airlines` current published schedule, it expects passenger capacity to reach around 61 percent of pre-Covid levels by May 2022.

Also read: Amidst rising fuel prices, Odisha man builds affordable solar-powered electric cycle

As of the end of March 2022, Singapore Airlines passenger network covered 93 destinations including Singapore with SIA serving 69 destinations and Scoot 43. This was around two-thirds of the points flown before the pandemic. As of now, Singapore Airlines flies to 14 Indian cities, covering eight with full-service carrier SIA and seven with Scoot. Both carriers fly to Hyderabad.

With most of its Southeast Asian competitors struggling during the pandemic, with some still in bankruptcy courts, some just emerging and others operating under tight financial constraints, Singapore Airlines stands to benefit the most as Southeast Asian countries open their borders.

Singapore tourism industry players have commented that the lifting of testing requirements for travellers is a massive boost for leisure travel, which has been lagging business travel. Some say that with its neighbours also relaxing their border controls, visitor arrivals could double in the next few months.

Founder and director of Nam Ho DMC, Mahesh Pawanaskar, a firm which specializes in the Indian market, said to The Straits Times that his company handled about 150 visitors in March, with the numbers spiking to 700 in April. He added, "For May, we can surely expect strong growth, at least double of what we are seeing in April."

(With inputs from ANI)

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Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's second-biggest carrier, announced on Monday it will reopen the route to India this week as eased Covid-19 restrictions unleash pent-up demand. Asiana will offer one flight a week on the Incheon-Delhi route starting from Friday after it suspended the route 33 months ago due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Yonhap News Agency quoted the company as saying in a statement.

The airline added that it will also expand the number of flights on routes to Sydney, Los Angeles, Osaka, Fukuoka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Manila from May. Asiana operates 25 international routes, down from 71 before the pandemic, and seven domestic routes.

The country's No. 2 full-service carrier after Korean Air Lines Co., has another low-cost carrier Air Seoul Inc. under its wing. The South Korean govt, earlier announced plans to add about 100 international flights per week starting May 2022 as demand for overseas travel is expected to increase. This announcement comes as South Korean Covid-19 cases have been declining for about three weeks, and the government has eased Covid-19 restrictions.

Also read: Top domestic airlines in India passenger traffic wise - IndiGo, Air India and more

Currently, only 420 international fights a week serve South Korea, down from 4,714 before the pandemic. From next month onwards, the government will authorize a further 100 weekly flights for such destinations as the United States, Europe, Thailand, and Singapore, where quarantine exemptions and visa-free entry are possible, Minister of the Interior and Safety Jeon Hae-Cheol said. Then 100 more weekly international flights will be added in June and a further 300 in July, the transport ministry said.

India, on the other hand, resumed commercial international flights from March 27 after nearly a two-year-old break due to the Covid-19 pandemic that forced nations to close their borders.

With agencies input

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New Delhi: In order to bring together the tech talents from across the country under one roof, Typeset has come up with an internship program which is a 4-6 month technical opportunity with full-time role perks.Typeset will choose 10-20 interns, and the best performer will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to one of the world's premier tech conferences, such as SXSW, the Web Summit, or Google Cloud Next.

Apart from the all-expenses-paid vacation, interns may expect company-sponsored meals and lodging, competitive salary packages, weekly mentoring meetings with industry experts, MacBooks, regular team lunches and outings, flexible work schedules, relaxation rooms, and a variety of other benefits.

Gaining industrial exposure, building networks, and obtaining and developing skills are all part of the Fellowship programme. As a result, it could be an excellent starting point for recent grads. The programme is reported to be engrossing, immersive, and educational. It will provide the interns with hands-on experience developing tech products and watching their concepts come to life.

Typeset will also offer the interns full access to the tech stack and an opportunity to participate in critical meetings and interact with like-minded people.

Candidates must be in their final year of their B.Tech/B.E degree, enrolled in a Tier 1 or Tier 2 engineering college, permanent residents of Bengaluru or willing to relocate, and willing to commit to a full-time schedule for the duration of the programme to be considered.

To apply, visit the official Typeset.io website for the details. You will find a link to the Typeset Fellowship Program, just fill in your application, and submit it along with your CV. If your application is shortlisted after the initial screening, you will be asked to complete an online assessment, followed by an online interview. You'll get an answer within 24 hours of your interview.

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New Delhi: The BJP has demanded action against AAP MLA Atishi over her "false" claim that "officials from Kerala" visited a school in Delhi to learn about the Kejriwal government's education model.

It comes after Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty said in a tweet that no "officials" from the state visited Delhi as claimed by Atishi on Saturday.

His tweet was in response to a post by Atishi, the MLA from Delhi's Kalkaji, who had said, "It was wonderful to host officials from Kerala at one of our schools in Kalkaji. They were keen to understand and implement our education model in their state. This is @ArvindKejriwal Govt's idea of nation building. Development through collaboration."

Sivankutty replied to her tweet, saying, "Kerala's Dept of Education has not sent anyone to learn about the 'Delhi Model'. At the same time, all assistance was provided to officials who had visited from Delhi to study the 'Kerala Model' last month. We would like to know which 'officials' were welcomed by the AAP MLA."

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor demanded Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, to clarify whether any official delegation of Kerala had visited a Delhi government school on Saturday or take action against Atishi for her "false" claim.

"It is surprising how Atishi can make such false claims violating state protocol for political gimmick," Kapoor said. Another Delhi BJP spokesperson, Harish Khurana, said "Delhi model" has been "exposed" with Kerala education minister denying claim of Atishi.

Responding to the Kerala education minister's tweet, Atishi said it would have been good if he had done a "fact-check" before tweeting.

"Dear Sivankutty ji, it would have been good if you had done a fact check before tweeting on this issue. You might want to have a look at our press release to see what we actually said!," she tweeted on Sunday, sharing the press release issued by her office the day before.

Dear Sivankutty ji, It would have been good if you had done a fact check before tweeting on this issue. You might want to have a look at our press release to see what we actually said! https://t.co/TAUo1zcX8N pic.twitter.com/ymV8zHJzsZ  Atishi (@AtishiAAP) April 24, 2022

She also told reporters that nowhere in the press release it was stated that Kerala "government officials" had come to see Delhi model of education.

"I want to request the (Kerala) minister to check facts before tweeting. Had he had seen our press release, it would have been clear to him that we did not say anywhere that government officials came. We have clearly stated that Kerala CBSE school management officials came," she told reporters when asked for her comment.

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Ola Electric, the EV arm of Ola cabs founded by Bhavish Aggarwal recently unveiled plans to launch self-driving electric car by 2023-24. Ola Electric also launched their first-ever electric scooter S1 Pro last year, and has been facing a lot of flak over the built quality. As per Aggarwal, these are teething issues and company is working hard to deliver world-class product.

Bhavish Aggarwal also said that he will not invite Elon Musk to his state-of-the-art, electric two-wheeler manufacturing facility as the Ola Founder and CEO feels that when India becomes a global hub for electrification, Tesla CEO will have no choice but to come to the country. Aggarwal said that not one company has the right or the entitlement to own the future of humanity, which is electric mobility.

"Why should I invite Musk? It is he who should invite us as we have to take pride in our work," Aggarwal told IANS. "No one company can bring true mobility to the world. Neither Tesla, nor Ola. Our focus is on empowering our communities and building electrification for India and for the world, and genuinely creating the future industry right here," he emphasised.

Also read: Ola Electric to launch self-driving electric car within two years

Aggarwal, who revealed that Ola Electric has started testing an autonomous vehicle which it will launch in the global market by late 2023 or early 2024, said that the goal is to really make India a global hub for electrification.

"Once we achieve that, Musk will come on his own," he told IANS. Despite tall promises and a lot of dilly-dallying, Tesla is yet to arrive in India amid "challenges with the government", especially around high customs duties and a key demand to manufacture its cars in the country.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari recently said that manufacturing Tesla in China and selling in India is not a digestible concept to "all of us", as Musk continues to seek tax rebates to sell his electric car in the country.

"If you start here, you are welcome, no problem. But manufacturing in China and selling in India is not a digestible concept to all of us," he had said. Gadkari said that the country cannot appease one automobile company.

"India is a huge market. We have all the world`s automobile giants -- BMW, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Tototo, Honda, Hyundai -- present here. If we give one benefit to one company, we have to give that benefit to other companies also. That is the practical problem," he elaborated.

With inputs from IANS

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#mute
New Delhi: Newlywed Alia Bhatt recently got trolled as she was papped after an ad shoot in Mumbai. The talented actress who was all the internet could talk about a few weeks ago has now become target to online trolling.

On Sunday night (April 24), when she left her ad shoot and was getting into her car, paps got a glimpse of the actress and flooded her with cameras. Alia was glowing as she waved at paps and smiled for them. She was seen wearing a blue oversized dress and had tied her hair in a sleek bun with a middle parting.

Take a look at the video:

Netizens, in the comment section, couldn't help but compare her to Deepika Padukone and said that Alia was trying to steal Deepika's hairstyle. For the unversed, Deepika is popularly known for her middle parting, low bun hairstyle as she often wears her hair like that.

While one user commented, "Copying deepikas hairstyle", another wrote, "Oh boy. That was Deepika Padukone right??"

On the personal front, Alia Bhatt got married to Ranbir Kapoor on April 14 in an intimate ceremony amid close friends and family.

Meanwhile, talking about the work front, Alia has resumed shooting for Karan Johar's directorial 'Rocky aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani', also starring Ranveer Singh. She left for Jaisalmer early this week to kickstart shooting for the project.

On the other hand, Ranbir Kapoor has also left for Manali for the shooting of 'Animal'. On Friday, he and Rashmika Mandanna kickstarted shooting for the film, which is directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga of 'Kabir Singh' fame.
New Delhi: Actor Chiranjeevi, at a press event for his upcoming film 'Acharya', recalled the time when he felt 'insulted' when he noticed the absence of South actors' photos at a government event after he was honoured with the Nargis Dutt award.

The story goes back to the year 1989 when he was invited to high tea by the government in Delhi after his movie 'Rudraveeni' was set to be honoured with the Nargis Dutt award.

While he was there, he had noticed a wall which paid tribute to the icons of Indian cinema. However, he was surprised when he noticed a lack of South actors in the wall of tribute which included cinema's greatest such as Prithviraj Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, etc. He recalled that he could only see photos of MGR, and Prem Nazir which were separately titled as South films.

He expressed that he felt humiliated and insulted when he observed this. "I felt very humiliated at that moment. It was like an insult," he said.

Chiranjeevi didn't like the fact that only Hindi cinema was considered to be Indian cinema and other language cinema was considered to be 'regional films'.

Speaking about the same, he said that SS Rajamouli's 'Bahubaali' was a transformative film as it broke the barrier between mainstream Indian cinema and so-called 'regional films'.
New Delhi: In a major breakthrough, the Special Cell of Delhi Police nabbed a wanted criminal and a key accused in the murder of Haryana Congress leader Vikas Chaudhary in Faridabad in 2019.

The arrested gangster Vikas alias Malhey was wanted in six murder cases, Delhi Police said. Vikas alias Malhey was also allegedly behind the recent killing of Kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal in Punjab, Delhi Police said on Sunday.

The arrested gangster was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head and was wanted in Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

A key figure of the Lucky Patial-Bambiha-Kaushal`s criminal alliance, Vikas was on the run since committing the murder of Congress leader Vikas Chaudhary in Faridabad in 2019.

According to police, Vikas was the last leading on-ground commander for the infamous criminal alliance of Punjab and was on radar after being found involved in the sensational murder of Sandeep Nangal in Punjab.

It may be mentioned that Haryana Congress leader Vikas Chaudhary was killed outside a gym in Faridabad in 2019.

The CCTV footage of the incident showed two unidentified men walking toward Chaudhary's car and firing bullets at him through the windscreen. Both the shooters fled the scene after making sure the Congress leader was dead.

(With Agency Inputs)

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Sitapur: Samajwadi Party MLA Ravidas Mehrotra on Sunday alleged that he was not allowed to meet senior party leader Azam Khan who is lodged in the district jail here.

Mehrotra also alleged that Khan might be killed inside the Sitapur Jail.

"Jail administration did not allow me to meet Azam Khan and I was told he is unwell and is sleeping," Mehrotra told reporters outside the district jail.

"It seems the state is under a kind of undeclared emergency and the government itself is killing democracy. We have apprehensions that Azam Khan could also be killed in jail.

"So we are agitating here against the injustice meted out to him," the MLA said.

On Friday, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) president Shivpal Singh Yadav also met Khan at the district jail.

He accused his nephew Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party of not taking up the jailed SP leader's cause and said he would soon put the matter before Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Recently, the Azam Khan camp too had expressed unhappiness with SP chief Akhilesh, claiming that he has been ignoring the jailed MLA and the Muslim community though it voted for the SP.

ALSO READ | Azam Khan to join AIMIM? Asaduddin Owaisi's party urges SP leader to switch sides

Clarifying the party's stand, Mehrotra said, "Akhilesh Yadav himself told us to visit Azam Khan".

Mehrotra said Azam Khan is a senior political leader and is entitled to many facilities but he was made to live like an ordinary criminal in jail.

"He needs medical facilities and it seems the government is denying it. This could be fatal for him," Mehrotra said.

"We will raise the issue of Azam Khan in the assembly and will fight for him. We will give the details to the party's national president Akhilesh Yadav," he added.

Mehrotra alleged that the BJP government is continuously doing injustice on Azam Khan by lodging "false cases" against him.

When asked if Samajwadi Party leaders were late in visiting Khan, he said the party leaders had met Khan twice earlier.

When Khan was admitted in Lucknow for Covid treatment, the SP leaders and the party chief were in continuous touch with him, the MLA claimed.

"Khan has been in jail for over 26 months and the state government is paying no heed, the BJP government is crushing the voice of the opposition and distracting people from core issues," the SP MLA said.

"In 2024, we will bring the non-BJP, non-Congress parties on one platform and form the government to make Akhilesh Yadav the Prime Minister," he added.

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New Delhi: Delhi police on Monday (April 26) evening recovered an old and rusted grenade recovered from the Mohammadpur area of South West district and local police along with Bomb Disposal Squad were sent to the spot, reported ANI.

"Delhi Police have received a call regarding an unidentified bag being found in Mohammadpur area of South West Delhi. Local police and Bomb Disposal Squad have reached the spot," ANI quoted Delhi police.

#WATCH | Police and Bomb Disposal Squad at the spot after Delhi Police received a call regarding an unidentified bag in Mohammadpur area of South West Delhi, this evening: Delhi Police pic.twitter.com/RQtyks1NNl  ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2022

"In view of sighting of an object, suspected to be an old, corroded, incendiary object, the place of sighting has been cordoned off and necessary precautionary measures are being taken, " DCP South West told ANI.

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Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani on Monday was granted bail by Kokrajhar Court in a case related to a tweet on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reported ANI.

"Arrested Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani Jignesh Mevani was granted bail by a local court of Kokrajhar today," Advocate Angshuman Bora, lawyer of Jignesh Mevani told ANI

This comes a day after a court in Assam`s Kokrajhar district reserved its order on the bail petition of Independent Gujarat MLA and Dalit activist Jignesh Mevani, and sent him to one-day judicial custody.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate`s court, according to lawyers, asked police to produce Mevani again in the court on Monday, when the court is likely to give its order on his bail petition.

After the CMJ court`s order, Mevani`s lawyers told the media that they would appeal to a higher court for his bail.

The MLA was arrested from his home state on Wednesday night in connection with an "objectionable" comment against the Prime Minister he made through a tweet on April 18, Mevani was flown to Guwahati on Thursday morning from where he was taken to Kokrajhar by road.

His arrest came on a complaint filed by an Assam BJP leader seeking action against him under the IT Act.

A delegation of the All India United Democratic Front also visited Mevani at the police station. CPI-M legislator Manoranjan Talukdar and Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi had also met Mevani in the police station.

The details of Mevani's tweets are not known as it was deleted by the authorities for legal reasons.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday termed the Mevani's arrest as "undemocratic" and "unconstitutional" and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot imprison the truth by trying to "crush" dissent.

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Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday adopted a bill empowering the state government to appoint Vice-Chancellors to various universities in the state, in an apparent bid to clip the wings of the Governor on the matter.

Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy tabled the bill to amend the Tamil Nadu Universities Laws to allow the state government to appoint VCs to the varsities.

The BJP opposed the bill at the introductory stage while the main opposition AIADMK, taking exception to a remark on late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa by Congress Legislature Party leader K Selvaperunthagai, staged a walkout ahead of the passage of the bill.

Earlier, Chief Minister M K Stalin, while appealing to members to support the government's initiative, said that "even in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the vice-chancellors are not appointed by the governor but the State. The same was the case with other states including Telangana and Karnataka."

Opposition PMK supported the bill.

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New Delhi: Amid scare of the fourth Covid-19 wave due to rise in infections in some parts of the country, the Karnataka government on Monday (April 25) decided to make wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing mandatory.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to review the coronavirus situation in the state.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, state Health Minister K Sudhakar said, "Masks should be worn compulsorily, especially at places where there is a crowd and in indoor places, social distancing has to be maintained. Guidelines will be issued today to this effect. We have not taken any decision regarding imposing any penalty immediately."

The meeting was scheduled to be held at Chief Ministers home office, Krishna at 12.30 pm, as per ANI. The high-level meeting was attended by Karnataka Revenue Minister R. Ashok, Health Minister K. Sudhakar, Higher Education and IT-BT Minister C.N. Ashwathnarayan, as well as the Chairman and members of Technical Advisory Committee.

Sudhakar said after PM Narendra Modi's virtual meeting with all CMs and Health ministers on Wednesday, the Karnataka government will hold another review meeting. "On April 27, the Prime Minister will be holding a video conference with Chief Ministers and Health Ministers of all states, where more guidance and information may be shared. After that, we will hold another round of meeting here and further measures, if required, will be taken," he was quoted as saying by PTI.

The state health minister also said that the new Covid-19 guidelines on masks and maintaining social distance are applicable to all and the SOPs need to be followed in the greater interest of public health.

Earlier today, K Sudhakar informed that Karnataka has crossed 5 crore second dose Covid-19 vaccinations. Taking to Twitter, he wrote, "This couldnt have been possible without the phenomenal efforts of health workers and district administration. Kudos to medias efforts in busting myths about vaccinations and spreading awareness!"

On Sunday, Karnataka had reported 60 fresh Covid-19 cases and zero fatalities, pushing the total infections to 39,46,934, and death toll to 40,057.

ALSO READ: Jharkhand govt issues guidelines for schools, check here

(With agency inputs)

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The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the government to cease the demolition of the Sarojini Nagar slum and asked to have a human approach toward people living in the jhuggis.

In a stern warning against the demolition, the apex court said no coercive action should be taken by the authorities till the next date of hearing, and scheduled the case for hearing next Monday.

Court asks Centre to rehabilitate people living in slums

The top court sought central government response to the slum dwellers` prayer that there shall be no demolition without proper relief and rehabilitation plan.

The lawyer representing the residents of jhuggis said, they cannot be asked to vanish in the air..."

The top court, citing a Delhi High Court judgment, noted that each jhuggi person has individual rights, which goes to the fundamental rights.

"When you deal with them, as a model government, you can`t say you won`t have a policy and simply throw them away. You`re dealing with families...," the Supreme Court Bench added.

Centres stance

Meanwhile, the additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, representing the Centre, contended that somebody who has taken over government land, and enrolled as a voter can not get a right to stay.

Three of the petitioners in the case are minor school-going children. Two of them have to appear for Board exams commencing from April 26.

The plea contended that the petitioners do not seek to hinder any of the development work/ public projects undertaken by the government, and are only seeking rehabilitation/relocation as per the policies of the state.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi: Four kids were injured when crude bombs, which they started playing with thinking to be balls, exploded in West Bengal's Malda district, police said on Sunday (April 24, 2022).

Two of them are critical and undergoing treatment at the Malda Medical College and Hospital and the other two boys are undergoing treatment at the local health center, police said.

The incident took place in Gopalganj in the Kaliachak police station area, they added.

West Bengal | Four children were injured in an explosion in the Kaliachak area of Malda. 2 children have been discharged & 2 are still admitted to the hospital. Police team & bomb squad reached the spot. Probe on to find out the exact cause of incident: SP Malda, Amitava Maiti pic.twitter.com/HBcXSUgncA  ANI (@ANI) April 24, 2022

Thinking them to be balls, they picked up the crude bombs and started playing, police said.

Police said they are investigating to find who kept the bombs underneath a litchi tree beside the local mosque.

(With agency inputs)

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Mumbai: Shiv Sena in its mouthpiece 'Saamana' on Monday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in its desperation to oust the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government is orchestrating the 'Hanuman Chalisa' row.

The Shiv Sena mouthpiece claimed the BJP's "rotten brain" was behind independent MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana's earlier call to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray's private residence 'Matoshree', that resulted in angry protests by Shiv Sainiks outside the couple's home here on Saturday.

"The recent ruckus stirred up by the BJP in the name of Hindutva cannot be supported...the BJP is behind this (controversy). They had planned to disturb the peace of Mumbai using (MP-MLA) Rana couple and everything happened on their instructions that outraged the Shiv Sena workers and the couple was not allowed to step outside their house," the Saamana editorial argued.

READ ALSO: Navneet Rana, who caused Hanuman Chalisa row in Mumbai, shares THIS connection with Baba Ramdev

Slamming Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana for their changing political affiliations, 'Saamana' stated that "there is no assurance over the ideological affiliations of this couple". MP Navneet Rana had opposed lawmakers who were taking oath in the name of Lord Ram in Parliament, it said, adding "it`s astonishing that today the BJP is dancing around at the behest of the said MP over the issues like 'Hanuman Chalisa' and other Hindutava issues.

The editorial further argued that the "couple faked their caste certificates in order to contest the election from a reserved seat". "Mrs Rana contested the Lok Sabha election from Amravati on the basis of a fake caste certificate. Navneet Kaur Rana and her father Harbhajan Singh Kundless submitted fake documents for getting a caste certificate. Amravati Lok Sabha is a reserved seat and to contest election from that seat Rana got a fake caste certificate," said 'Saamana'.

On Saturday, Amravati Lok Sabha MP Navneet Rana and her husband Ravi Rana, an MLA, had announced their plan to chant 'Hanuman Chalisa' outside 'Matoshree', the private residence of the state Chief Minster Uddhav Thackeray. Following this, Shiv Sena workers protested outside the residence of Navneet and Ravi Rana in their bid to stop them from reaching the Chief Minister's residence.

The Ranas have withdrawn their plan to chant 'Hanuman Chalisa' amid protests from Shiv Sena workers. Meanwhile, Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana were sent to judicial custody on Sunday for 14-days by the Holiday and Sunday court of Metropolitan Magistrate, Bandra.

The MP-MLA couple`s application will be heard by the court on April 29. The Mumbai Police has asked them to file their say on the bail plea on April 27.

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New Delhi: Amid the ongoing controversy over the recitation of Hanuman Chalisa, a Congress leader on Sunday (April 24, 2022) hit out at Amravati MP Navneet Rana and asked her if Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is her 'dad's servant'.

Referring to Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana, Vijay Wadettiwar, Maharashtra Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation, said that such people are using Hanuman Chalisa to spread hatred among people.

It is notable that the Rana couple was arrested on Saturday after they gave a call for the chanting of Hanuman Chalisa outside Uddhav Thackeray's private residence 'Matoshree' in Mumbai, which had triggered angry protests by Shiv Sena workers.

ALSO READ | Now, NCP leader seeks Amit Shahs nod to recite scriptures of every religion outside PM Modi's residence

The Mumbai Police has slapped the sedition charge on the politician couple and on Sunday, a Mumbai court remanded them in 14-day judicial custody.

Earlier, a case was registered against Ranas under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, and sections 37(1) and 135 of the Bombay Police Act. Later, the police also added IPC Section 124-A (sedition) in the case against them.

ALSO READ | BJP's 'rotten brain' behind Hanuman Chalisa controversy, says Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana
New Delhi: As Maharashtra witnesses a political storm over the recitation of Hanuman Chalisa, NCP president Sharad Pawar on Monday (April 25) said there is no need to display religious sentiments in public.

When asked about the political scenario in the state amid row over recitation of Hanuman Chalisa, Pawar said everyone has sentiments about their religion, however, it is good if those sentiments are kept in their heart and house. "There is no need to display it (publicly)," he added.

"If efforts are made to spread hatred against communities or classes, adverse effects would be seen in society. Maharashtra never experienced this (kind of situation). Of late, such things are happening. I am surprised over this," PTI quoted the veteran politician as saying.

The NCP chief also said if someone wants to conduct a religious programme, they can do so in their own house. "But, if you decide to hold that religious programme at my doorstep, then people who have faith in me can become anxious. Unfortunately, some people are creating such kind of an atmosphere of late," he said adding that the atmosphere will improve in the coming days.

Pawar also appreciated MVA government's decision to call an all-party meeting today over the issue of loudspeakers at religious places. Pawar, whose party is in power along with Shiv Sena and Congress, said he will be very happy if something good comes out of the meet.

Pawars statement comes after Amravati MP Navneet Kaur Rana announced that she, along with her MLA-husband Ravi Rana, will recite Hanuman Chalisa outside CM Uddhav Thackerays residence Matoshree. The duo was arrested on Saturday after Shiv Sena's angry protests.

Meanwhile, Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed the petition of Navneet Rana and her husband for quashing the FIR registered against them for allegedly resisting arrest over the Hanuman chalisa row.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: After BJP-led Uttar Pradesh, now Himachal Pradesh has expressed willingness to consider implementing Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

On being asked about bringing UCC in the hilly state, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday (April 25) said that the government will not hurry in taking any decision on it. "UCC is a good step. It is being examined in the state. We are open to implementing it in Himachal Pradesh, PTI quoted him as saying.

Himachal Pradesh CM's remarks come days after Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said that the state government is seriously considering the implementation of the UCC. "One law for all in one country is the need of the hour. It is required that we should get out of the system of one law for one person and another for others. We are in favour of a common civil code," Maurya had said, adding that the Uttar Pradesh government is "thinking in this direction seriously".

Earlier in March, after coming back to power, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami had announced that the state has decided to implement the Uniform Civil Code, becoming the first state to do so. "We have decided to implement the Uniform Civil Code in the state. The state cabinet unanimously approved that a committee (of experts) will be constituted at the earliest and it will be implemented in the state. This will be the first state to do so," Dhami had said.

Meanwhile, commenting on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerging as a contender in Himachal Pradesh ahead of the Assembly elections later this year, Thakur said, "Himachal Pradesh is a peaceful state. AAP's style of politics will not work there. The state will not accept any third alternative.

(With agency inputs)

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Awantipora: A hybrid terrorist of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and his accomplice were arrested in Jammu and Kashmirs Awantipora.

They were planning to target outside labourers, the police said. The hybrid terrorist was identified as Rayees Ahmad Mir resident of Chandhara and a pistol was recovered from him.

IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar said, During preliminary interrogation, the suspect disclosed that he received a Pistol with ammunition and instructions from a LeT terrorist code name Haji to attack and kill at least two outside labourers in Pampore town. He added, Rayees was promised to be recruited as terrorist after execution of the attack.

The hybrid terrorist sought the aid of his friend Shakir Hamid Bhat resident of Alochibagh Samboora to identify the target and provide him a motorcycle for executing the terror act, the J&K police said.

Timely intelligence gathering by technical surveillance by police and swift action by joint team of Police and other security forces not only led to the arrest of a hybrid terrorist and his accomplice but also prevented terror incident and saved precious lives of innocent civilians, the police said.

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New Delhi: The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which monitors developments in military expenditure worldwide, on Monday (April 25, 2022) said that the world military expenditure reached an all-time high in 2021 and that India was among the top three largest spenders.

In a statement, SIPRI said that the total global military expenditure increased by 0.7 per cent in real terms in 2021, to reach USD 2113 billion.

"The five largest spenders in 2021 were the United States, China, India, the United Kingdom, and Russia, together accounting for 62 per cent of expenditure," the statement read.

"Indias military spending of $76.6 billion ranked third highest in the world. This was up by 0.9 per cent from 2020 and by 33 per cent from 2012," it added.

In a push to strengthen India's indigenous arms industry, 64 per cent of capital outlays in the military budget of 2021 were earmarked for acquisitions of domestically produced arms, the report claimed. The news comes amid the Narendra Modi-led government's continuous push for an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India).

Military expenditure, notably, refers to all government spending on current military forces and activities, including salaries and benefits, operational expenses, arms and equipment purchases, military construction, research and development, and central administration, command, and support.

US focused on military research and development

The SIPRI claimed that the United States military spending amounted to $801 billion in 2021, a drop of 1.4 per cent from 2020.

It, however, stated that US funding for military research and development (R&D) rose by 24 per cent between 2012 and 2021, while arms procurement funding fell by 6.4 per cent over the same period. In 2021 spending on both decreased. However, the drop in R&D spending was smaller than that in arms procurement spending.

Russia increased military budget in run-up to war with Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a time when Russia was building up its forces along the Ukrainian border, increased the country's military expenditure by 2.9 per cent in 2021, to $65.9 billion, This, notably, was the third consecutive year of growth and Russias military spending reached 4.1 per cent of GDP in 2021.

"High oil and gas revenues helped Russia to boost its military spending in 2021, said Lucie Beraud-Sudreau, Director of SIPRIs Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme.

China allocated $293 billion to its military in 2021

China, the worlds second-largest spender, allocated an estimated $293 billion to its military in 2021, an increase of 4.7 per cent compared with 2020, the Stockholm-based Institute said.

The SIPRI said that Chinas military spending has grown for 27 consecutive years and that the 2021 Chinese budget was the first under the 14th Five-Year Plan, which runs until 2025.

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NEW DELHI: In a joint operation with the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), the Indian Coast Guard on Monday apprehended a Pakistani boat with nine crew members on board in the Arabian Sea near the state's coast and seized heroin worth Rs 280 crore from the vessel.

A defence spokesperson said the Indian Coast Guard ships intercepted and apprehended the Pakistani boat 'Al Haj' when it ventured into the Indian waters.

In a joint Ops with ATS #Gujarat, @IndiaCoastGuard Ships apprehended Pak Boat Al Haj with 09 crew in Indian side of Arabian sea carrying heroin worth approx 280 cr. Boat being brought to #Jakhau for further investigation. @DefenceMinIndia @MEAIndia @HMOIndia @SpokespersonMoD  Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) April 25, 2022

Officials found heroin worth Rs 280 crore on the boat, the statement said, adding that the boat, as well as its crew members, were brought to Jakhau port in Gujarat's Kutch district for further investigation.

The nine crew members detained by the Indian Coast Guard officials are believed to be Pakistani nationals who have been arrested on charges of smuggling heroin by a boat near Jakhao fishing harbour off the Gujarat coast.

ATS reportedly got information about the drugs being brought from Pakistan and, with the help of the Indian Coast Guard, launched a joint operation to nab the boat coming from across the border.

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (April 25, 2022) congratulated Emmanuel Macron on being re-elected as France's President and said that he 'looks forward to continuing working together'.

"Congratulations to my friend Emmanuel Macron on being re-elected as the President of France! I look forward to continue working together to deepen the India-France Strategic Partnership," PM Modi tweeted.

Congratulations to my friend @EmmanuelMacron on being re-elected as the President of France! I look forward to continue working together to deepen the India-France Strategic Partnership.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 25, 2022

French President Macron has been reelected after he defeated his far-right rival Marine Le Pen. The 44-year-old has become the third French president who has managed to secure a second term. His margin of victory, however, was tighter than when he first beat Le Pen in 2017.

In his victory speech, he acknowledged that many had only voted for him only to keep Le Pen out and he promised to address the sense of many French that their living standards are slipping.

"Many in this country voted for me not because they support my ideas but to keep out those of the far-right. I want to thank them and know I owe them a debt in the years to come," he said.

"No one in France will be left by the wayside," he said.

Ce projet, je le porterai avec vous. pic.twitter.com/DruhuhWNA6  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 24, 2022

Le Pen, who at one stage of the campaign had trailed Macron by just a few points in opinion polls, quickly admitted defeat. But she vowed to keep up the fight with parliamentary elections in June.

"I will never abandon the French," she told her supporters.

Several Western leaders have congratulated Emmanuel Macron for winning the French presidential election.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson congratulated Macron and called France "one of our closest and most important allies".

"Congratulations to Emmanuel Macron on your re-election as President of France. France is one of our closest and most important allies. I look forward to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two countries and to the world," Johnson tweeted.

Congratulations to @EmmanuelMacron on your re-election as President of France. France is one of our closest and most important allies. I look forward to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two countries and to the world.  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 24, 2022

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was "looking forward to continuing our work together on the issues that matter most to people in Canada and France -- from defending democracy, to fighting climate change, to creating good jobs and economic growth for the middle class".

Congratulations, @EmmanuelMacron. Looking forward to continuing our work together on the issues that matter most to people in Canada and France  from defending democracy, to fighting climate change, to creating good jobs and economic growth for the middle class. pic.twitter.com/RHTBH4dn19  Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 24, 2022

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were also among several other world leaders who congratulated Macron on winning the French presidential election.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to be on a visit to France in the first week of May to meet re-elected French President Emmanuel Macron.

The visit, which comes immediately after the result of the key French Presidential elections, is expected to witness Modi and Macron strengthening the India-France ties.

From defence to education, France has emerged as a key partner of India in several sectors. Amid the deadly second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India, France had also provided 18 oxygen plants to hospitals.

Earlier today (April 25), Prime Minister Modi congratulated Emmanuel Macron after he comfortably defeated far-right rival Marine Le Pen in the second round of France`s presidential election. Macron won 58.55% of the votes against 41.45% for Le Pen, final interior ministry figures showed.

"Congratulations to my friend Emmanuel Macron on being re-elected as the President of France! I look forward to continue working together to deepen the India-France Strategic Partnership," he tweeted.

Congratulations to my friend @EmmanuelMacron on being re-elected as the President of France! I look forward to continue working together to deepen the India-France Strategic Partnership.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 25, 2022

PM Modi last visited France in August 2019 at the special invitation of President Macron for the G-7 Summit, where India was one of the Goodwill partners.

I am honoured that President @EmmanuelMacron has hosted me in the historic Ch'teau de Chantilly. We had extremely productive discussions on improving economic and people-to-people ties. Strong India-France ties help our citizens as well as contribute to a better planet. pic.twitter.com/p1fzRInWh9  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 22, 2019

Meanwhile, PM Modi is also expected to visit Germany and Denmark next month. In Germany, he is likely to hold first-ever in-person talks with new Chancellor Olaf Scholz and in Denmark, the prime minister will take part in the 2nd India-Nordic summit.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the seventh edition of the Raisina Dialogue, India`s flagship multilateral foreign policy and geo-economics conference today (April 25, 2022).

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the dialogue, which will be held over three days from April 25 to April 27, will witness the participation of European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen as the chief guest.

The Raisina Dialogue 2022, based on the theme "Terranova- Impassioned, Impatient, Imperilled", will be modelled along six thematic pillars --Rethinking Democracy: trade, technology and ideology; End of Multilateralism: a networked global order; Water Caucuses: turbulent tides in the Indo-Pacific; Communities Inc: first responders to health, development, and planet; Achieving Green Transitions: common imperative, diverging realities; Samson vs Goliath: the persistent and relentless technology wars.

The Raisina Dialogue, which started in 2016, is India`s premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. The conference is organised by MEA in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

The dialogue, which was held virtually last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held in in-person format this year. "Raisina Dialogue 2022 will have around 100 sessions with over 210 speakers from 90 countries. There will be side events that will be hosted in Berlin and Washington. Raisina young fellows programme will also be conducted on the sidelines of this main conference," said MEA Spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi.

The MEA spokesperson further said that the conference will most likely be attended by former PM of Sweden Carl Bildt, former Canada PM Stephen Harper, former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed and former Australia PM Anthony Abbott."We will also be counting on a pre-recorded message from the President of United Nations General Assembly Abdulla Shahid," added Bagchi.

In terms of the participation of foreign ministers, the MEA spokesperson informed that the foreign ministers of Argentina, Armenia, Guyana, Nigeria, Norway, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia will be attending the event.

He further said that the Australian foreign minister may also join the conference virtually.

Bagchi said that the foreign ministers, during their visit to India, will also have official engagements with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

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New Delhi: Congress will hold a key meeting today (April 25) to take a call on inducting election strategist Prashant Kishor into the grand old party, sources told ANI.

A committee constituting of senior Congress leaders has been formed to consider Prashant Kishor's proposal of joining the party. The panel will submit its report to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

The committee members KC Venugopal, Digvijaya Singh, Ambika Soni, Randeep Surjewala, Jairam Ramesh, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are present at 10 Janpath to hold the meeting with Sonia Gandhi, ANI reported.

The committee has given a green signal to the political strategist joining the party in its report, however, they have underlined that there should be no conflict wherever the Congress is fighting against the regional parties, IANS reported.

The Congress wants Prashant Kishor to solely work for the grand old party and end his previous commitments to other parties. The final decision on Kishors joining is likely to be made after consulting former party chief Rahul Gandhi, the news agency added.

Meanwhile, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Sunday signed a deal with the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), an organisation founded by Kishor.

TRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao told mediapersons that his party has hired I-PAC, adding that it has nothing to do with Kishor. "PK (as Kishor is popularly known) is the founder, but I dont know who is running it. PK introduced us to I-PAC and it is working with us," IANS quoted him as saying.

He added that Kishor has disassociated himself from I-PAC, which is working with multiple parties across the country. "It's not just PK we had interactions with. We had multiple iterations of discussions with several others. We spoke to Sunil and others. I-PAC is what we narrowed down to, Rao said.

(With agency inputs)

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Jodhpur: The Rajasthan police Sunday arrested a priest for allegedly not allowing a newlywed Dalit couple to offer prayers at a temple in Jalore, officials said.

A video of the incident on Saturday also went viral purportedly showing Vela Bharti stopping the couple at the gate of the temple at Neelkanth village under Ahore subdivision of the district.

The video also captures the ensuing argument between them.

The aggrieved family members then approached the police and filed a case against the priest under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. "We have registered a case under SC/ST Act against the priest and arrested him," Jalore Superintendent of Police Harsh Vardhan Agarwalla said on Sunday.

According to the complaint, Kuka Ram's baraat had reached Neelkanth village on Saturday and the couple wanted offer a coconut at the temple after their wedding. "When we reached there, the priest stopped us at the gate and asked us to offer the coconut outside. He asked us not to enter the temple as we are from the Dalit community," according to a complaint filed by Tara Ram, the bride's cousin.

It said some villagers also joined the argument and supported the priest, saying it was the decision of the village and there was no point in arguing with the priest. "We pleaded with the priest a lot but he was adamant. After that, we filed a complaint against the priest with the police," Tara Ram said.

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In a turn of events, Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani was re-arrested in Assam soon after he got a bail, six days after he was arrested by Assam police in connection with an "objectionable" tweet against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The police from Barpeta district arrested Mevani again, but refused to disclose in which case the Gujarat MLA was re-arrested. The Gujarat legislator was first arrested on Wednesday night in connection with an "objectionable" comment against the Prime Minister he made through a tweet on April 18.

Mevani was flown to Guwahati on Thursday morning from where he was taken to Kokrajhar by road. The Chief Judicial Magistrate`s court in Kokrajhar district on Thursday rejected the bail petition of the Dalit activist and sent him to three-day police custody.

On Sunday, after hearing his bail petition, the court reserved its order and sent him to one-day judicial custody and asked the police to produce Mevani again in the court on Monday. Before his re-arrest, Mevani said that it is a deep-rooted conspiracy by the BJP and RSS.

"They (BJP and RSS) are doing this to tarnish my image and are doing this systematically. They did it to Rohit Vemula, they did it to Chandrasekhar Azad, now they are targeting me," he told the media outside the court complex.

The Gujarat legislator was arrested (on Wednesday night) from his home state following a complaint filed by an Assam BJP leader seeking action against him under the IT Act.Ever since the arrest of Mevani, who had earlier pledged outside support to the Congress, the party has been holding demonstrations in different parts of Assam, terming the arrest as a `conspiracy`.

It also sent its legal team to Kokrajhar to look into the matter. Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah had alleged that it is a conspiracy and `Goonda Giri` by the police, while accusing the BJP government of misusing the state`s police force to deal with a simple tweet.

A delegation of the All India United Democratic Front also visited Mevani at the police station.

CPI-M legislator Manoranjan Talukdar and Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi too had met Mevani at the police station.

The 41-year-old lawmaker was charged with criminal conspiracy, offence related to place of worship, outraging religious feelings, and provocation that might cause breach of peace.

In his complaint, BJP leader Arup Kumar Dey had alleged that Mevani`s comments could "incite a section of the people belonging to a certain community".
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to look into and fix responsibility for the serious lapse outside the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal last month when certain miscreants breached the barricades, reached the gate and destroyed public property, and called the incident a very disturbing state of affairs.

A bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi, which was hearing a plea by AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj concerning the alleged attack outside the CM's residence on March 30 during a protest against his remarks on 'The Kashmir Files' film, said that it was clear there was a failure on the part of the police force and that the bandobast (security arrangement) was inadequate.

The bandobast made outside the residence of the CM and the road leading to the residence, in the wake of the permission sought on behalf of Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha which was declined, was not adequate, said the bench also comprising Justice Navin Chawla.

The court noted that as per the status report filed by the police, certain miscreants breached the barricades and reached the gate of the residence, and said, in our view, the aforesaid lapse is a serious lapse and should be looked at by the Commissioner of Police, Delhi Police.

This kind of incident happening at the residence of any constitutional functionary whether it is the CM, it could be a judge of the high court or Supreme Court, it could be any other Union Minister.. This is a very disturbing state of affairs that this kind of a thing could in the first place occur or such miscreants should succeed in their endeavour..What kind of a bandobast did you have in place that people could breach three barricades. Then you seriously need to look into your efficiency and functioning, remarked the court.

"It is very clear that there has been a failure on part of the force to prevent the incident. We want the Commissioner of Police to look into the lapse on part of the police," the court observed.

The court questioned if additional force was called when the first barricade was broken or the mob reached the CM's residence and said that the issue concerning the security arrangement needs investigation at the highest level.

He (CP) should inquire into firstly whether bandobast was adequate, secondly the reasons for the failure of the arrangements made and thirdly fix the responsibility for the lapse which admittedly has occurred the court stated.

The court clarified that it was not satisfied with the present police status report, which was given in a sealed cover, as far as the security arrangement was concerned and granted two weeks to the police commissioner to file a further status report, including on the aspect of the review of the CM's security.

In case of any lapse in the investigation in the matter, the magistrate concerned may look into it and there are judicial remedies available, it added.

Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, appearing for the Delhi Police, stated that the investigation in the matter was ongoing and a review of the CM's security has been undertaken and the petition should thus be closed.

He added that although the incident ought to not have happened, a failure does not mean that the bandobast was fundamentally flawed.

Once there is a failure, it has to come with consequences... Responsibility has to be fixed so that remedial action is taken... This is a very important facet of democracy irrespective of our ideology.. Just like we say nobody can say he is not our PM. It is the constitutional office we are concerned with. It is not about A individual or B individual, the court said.

Senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Rahul Mehta, appearing for the petitioner, urged the court to constitute an SIT for an impartial and independent probe into the incident which was no laughing matter.

Singhvi claimed that certain persons who were seen in the videos and pictures of the incident were later felicitated by a political party.

Bhardwaj, in his petition through advocate Bharat Gupta, has sought the constitution of an SIT to probe the alleged attack and argued that the vandalisation of the official residence of the Chief Minister during a protest against his remarks on 'The Kashmir Files' film appears to have been carried out with Delhi Police's tacit complicity.

On March 30, 2022, several BJP goons, in the garb of a protest, launched an attack on the official residence of the Delhi CM. Videos and photographs show that these goons casually walked through the security cordon (maintained by Delhi Police), kicked and broke the boom barrier, broke the CCTVs cameras with lathis, threw paint on the gate of the residence, and almost climbed over the gate, while Delhi Police personnel simply looked on, doing little to stop the protestors, the plea alleged.

On April 1, the high court had sought a status report from the police concerning the incident and said that an "element of fear" was sought to be created by the "unruly crowd" and the police force at the spot was "inadequate" and "outnumbered".

The matter would be heard next on May 17.

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MUMBAI: The Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government in Maharashtra will hold an all-party meeting on Monday (April 25, 2022) on the issue of loudspeakers at religious places and to ensure that there are no law-and-order issues in the state.

The all-party meeting will be held at the Sahayadri Guest House around 11 AM, said reports. However, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray will not attend todays meeting.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray will not attend the all-party meeting called by the state government to resolve the loudspeaker dispute, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande was quoted by ANI as saying.

Maharashtra | MNS chief Raj Thackeray to not participate in the all-party meeting called by the state government to resolve the loudspeaker dispute: MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande (File photos) pic.twitter.com/TR3FEj1gOf  ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2022

It also emerged that BJP leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will also not attend the all-party meeting today. News agency ANI said that Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray and former CM and opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis will not attend the meeting called by the state government.

Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse and Dy CM Ajit Pawar will chair the meeting, it added.

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray and former CM and opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis will not attend the meeting called by the state government. Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse and Dy CM Ajit Pawar to chair the meeting.  ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2022

Sharing more information, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil had earlier said that an attempt was being made to create communal strife in Maharashtra with a view to imposing Presidents Rule in the state.

The Maharashtra government has called for an all-party meeting on Monday 25. We have invited two leaders each from prominent political parties in the state to discuss the Supreme Courts 2005 judgment on loudspeakers. We hope to discuss the stand that the state needs to take on the issue of loudspeakers, he had said on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had met 80-year-old Shiv Sena worker Chandrabhaga Shinde in Mumbai who participated in the party`s protest against Amravati BJP MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana amid Hanuman Chalisa row.

Uddhav Thackeray was accompanied by his wife Rashmi Thackeray and son Aaditya Thackeray, who is a minister in the Maharashtra government.

On Saturday, a row erupted when Amravati MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana stated that the couple plans to chant Hanuman Chalisa outside Matoshree, the private residence of Chief Minster Uddhav Thackeray.

Following this, Shiv Sena workers protested outside the residence of Navneet and Ravi Rana waving flags with the aim to prevent them from reaching the Chief Minister`s residence.

Chandrabhaga Shinde was among the Shiv Sena workers who participated in the protest outside the political couple. The Ranas withdrew their plan to chant Hanuman Chalisa amid the protests from Shiv Sainiks that culminated in their arrest on the charge of creating enmity between different groups.

On Sunday, MP Navneet Rana and MLA Ravi Rana were sent to judicial custody for 14-days by the Holiday and Sunday court of Metropolitan Magistrate, Bandra.

The MP-MLA couple`s application will be heard by the court on April 29. The Mumbai Police has asked them to file their say on the bail plea on April 27.

(With ANI Inputs)

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Thane: At a time when skyrocketing fuel prices are burning a hole in millions of middle-class consumers pockets, a petrol pump in Maharashtras Thane took a unique move of distributing petrol at Rs 1 per litre. According to media reports, a group of Shiv Sena workers distributed petrol at Rs 1 per litre at Kailash Petrol Pump located near Tatvagyan University on Ghodbundar Road in Thane on Monday.

The unique initiative was taken to mark local Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaiks birthday on Monday. This was also a unique way of protesting against the spiralling fuel prices, the Shiv Sena MLAs supporters said.

The initiative was taken by the Thane Municipal Corporation's (TMC) former corporator Aasha Dongre with the help of a social worker Sandeep Dongre and Abdul Salaam.

Around 1000 motorists reportedly benefitted from this unique initiative by receiving petrol at Rs 1 per litre per person. As the news spread, people in large numbers gathered at the petrol pump to receive petrol at a nominal price of Rs 1 per lite.

Social worker Sandeep Dongre said that the total cost of petrol, around Rs 1,20,000, was already paid to the petrol pump owner.

Despite a lot of hue and cry, petrol and diesel prices have remained unchanged for the 19th straight day on Monday across all metro cities. Petrol and diesel prices were last hiked by 80 paise a litre each on April 6, taking the total increase in rates in 16 days to Rs 10 per litre.

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New Delhi: The Modi government had introduced a pension scheme for unorganised workers called Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan Yojna (PM-SYM) for the workers of the unorganised sector so that they can be given old age protection.

PM-SYM is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme, under which the subscriber would receive minimum assured pension of Rs 3000 per month after attaining the age of 60 years. If the subscriber dies while receiving a pension, the beneficiary's spouse is entitled to 50 percent of the beneficiary's income as a family pension. Only the spouse is eligible for a family pension. (Also read: Has your Aadhaar card been misused? Here is how to find out)

Another aspect of this scheme is that PM Jan Dhan account holders can also avail of pension under this scheme. Lets have a look at the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan Yojna and how subscribers of PM Jan Dhan account can avail benefits from the scheme. (Also read: SBI Internet Security guidelines for customers! Here are 8 quick points you need to know)

The unorganised workers whose monthly income is Rs 15,000 per month or less and belong to the entry age group of 18-40 years are eligible for Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan. Also the PM-SYM should not be covered under New Pension Scheme (NPS), Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) scheme or Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). Further, he/she should not be an income tax payer.

The subscribers contributions to PM-SYM shall be made through auto-debit facility from his/ her savings bank account or Jan- Dhan account. The subscriber is required to contribute the prescribed contribution amount from the age of joining PM-SYM till the age of 60 years.

In the PM-SYM pension scheme, a 50:50 basis of payment contribution shall be made by the beneficiary and the matching contribution by the Central Government. For example, if a person enters the scheme at an age of 29 years, he is required to contribute Rs 100 per month till the age of 60 years an equal amount of Rs 100 will be contributed by the Central Government.

Once the beneficiary joins the scheme at the entry age of 18-40 years, the beneficiary has to contribute till 60 years of age. On attaining the age of 60 years, the subscriber will get the assured monthly pension of Rs 3000 with benefit of family pension, as the case may be.

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New Delhi: A man who misplaced his luggage on a wedding trip used AirTags and a PowerPoint presentation to request his belongings from the airline. Elliot Sharod and his bride Helen were flying back to the UK following their wedding in South Africa on April 17. The pair purchased tickets with stops in Abu Dhabi and Frankfurt, but due to the epidemic, they had to rearrange the flight on a new route.

They rescheduled their flight and flew directly to the United Kingdom, according to CNN. However, when they landed in the United Kingdom, they discovered that their luggage had not arrived. The couple was flying with the Irish airline Are Lingus.

Fortunately, Sharod had placed an AirTag inside each bag, allowing him to quickly locate them. They found that their baggage had arrived in Frankfurt but had not been placed on a London-bound flight using the Find My App.

The baggage would be sent to Sharod's home address, according to Aer Lingus, the airline responsible for the journey. Only two of the three bags, however, were delivered. Sharod attempted to contact the airline several times to tell them of the missing suitcase but received no answer. Soon after, he published videos and a PowerPoint with screenshots from the Find My app showing his bag's position.

Elliot Sharod stated in a brief video that one of his misplaced suitcases is in an unknown location. Sharod observed that his missing suitcase is "not an Aer Lingus location nor a location of your (Aer Lingus') courier of choice," according to him. Sharod stated that he has notified the airline of his concern regarding the whereabouts of his suitcase, which he can track in real time using Apple's AirTag.

The pair believes it was stolen and has reported it to the authorities.

Apple recently announced key updates to AirTags, which allows users to track personal items such as keys, wallets, purses, backpacks, luggage, and more through the Find My app.

AirTags and the Find My network will get a series of changes soon, starting with new privacy warnings, alerts, and documentation, according to the business.

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New Delhi: Twitter's board is negotiating with CEO Elon Musk over his bid to buy the social media platform and a deal could be announced as early as Monday, according to media reports.

Twitter and Musk negotiated into the early hours Monday over his bid to buy the social media platform, The New York Times reported, less than two weeks after the billionaire first revealed a massive stake.

Musk said last week that he had lined up USD 46.5 billion in financing to buy Twitter, putting pressure on the company's board to negotiate a deal.

Check 10 facts related to Twitter-Elon Musk saga:
Elon Musk clinched a deal to buy Twitter for $44 billion on Monday in a transaction that will shift control of the social media platform populated by millions of users and global leaders to the world`s richest person. Discussions over the deal, which last week appeared uncertain, accelerated over the weekend after Musk wooed Twitter shareholders with financing details of his offer. Under pressure, Twitter started negotiating with Musk to buy the company at the proposed $54.20 per share price.

The deal ends Twitter`s run as a public company since its 2013 initial public offering. "Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated," Musk said in a statement.

Twitter`s shares were up about 6% following the news.

Check some facts related to Twitter-Elon Musk saga:
New Delhi: French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday (April 24, 2022) was re-elected as he defeated his far-right rival Marine Le Pen. Macron, 44, has become the third French president who has managed to secure a second term. His margin of victory, however, was tighter than when he first beat Le Pen in 2017.

With around 97% of votes counted so far, Macron was on course for a solid 57.4% of the vote, interior ministry figures showed.

In his victory speech, he acknowledged that many had only voted for him only to keep Le Pen out and he promised to address the sense of many French that their living standards are slipping.

"Many in this country voted for me not because they support my ideas but to keep out those of the far-right. I want to thank them and know I owe them a debt in the years to come," he said.

"No one in France will be left by the wayside," he said.

Ce projet, je le porterai avec vous. pic.twitter.com/DruhuhWNA6  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 24, 2022

Le Pen, who at one stage of the campaign had trailed Macron by just a few points in opinion polls, quickly admitted defeat. But she vowed to keep up the fight with parliamentary elections in June.

"I will never abandon the French," she told her supporters.

Meanwhile, several Western leaders have congratulated Emmanuel Macron for winning the French presidential election.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz shared a photo with Macron and said, "I am happy that we will continue our good cooperation."

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson congratulated Macron and called France "one of our closest and most important allies".

"Congratulations to Emmanuel Macron on your re-election as President of France. France is one of our closest and most important allies. I look forward to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two countries and to the world," Johnson tweeted.

Congratulations to @EmmanuelMacron on your re-election as President of France. France is one of our closest and most important allies. I look forward to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two countries and to the world.  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 24, 2022

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was "looking forward to continuing our work together on the issues that matter most to people in Canada and France -- from defending democracy, to fighting climate change, to creating good jobs and economic growth for the middle class".

Congratulations, @EmmanuelMacron. Looking forward to continuing our work together on the issues that matter most to people in Canada and France  from defending democracy, to fighting climate change, to creating good jobs and economic growth for the middle class. pic.twitter.com/RHTBH4dn19  Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 24, 2022

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also among several other world leaders who congratulated Macron on winning the French presidential election.

(With agency inputs)

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Santa Fe: New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed emergency declarations as 20 wildfires continued to burn Sunday in nearly half of the state's drought-stricken 33 counties.

One wildfire in northern New Mexico that started April 6 merged with a newer fire Saturday to form the largest blaze in the state, leading to widespread evacuations in Mora and San Miguel counties. That fire was at 84 square miles (217 square kilometres) Sunday and 12 per cent contained.

An uncontained wind-driven wildfire in northern New Mexico that began April 17 had charred 81 square miles (209 square kilometres) of ponderosa pine, oak brush and grass by Sunday morning north of Ocate, an unincorporated community in Mora County.

Read also: Explosion at Nigerian illegal oil refinery kills over 100

Meanwhile in Arizona, some residents forced to evacuate due to a wildfire near Flagstaff were allowed to return home Sunday morning. In Nebraska, authorities said wind-driven wildfires sweeping through parts of the state killed a retired Cambridge fire chief and injured at least 11 fire-fighters.

Winds and temperatures in New Mexico diminished Saturday but remained strong enough to still fan fires. Dozens of evacuation orders remained in place.

Fire officials were expecting the northern wildfires to slow Sunday as cloud and smoke cover moves in, allowing the forests to retain more moisture. But they added that the interior portions of the fires could show moderate to extreme behaviour, which could threaten structures in those areas.

More than 200 structures have been charred by the wildfires thus far and an additional 900 remain threatened, Lujan Grisham said. Fire management officials said an exact damage count was unclear because it's still too dangerous for crews to go in and look at all the homes that have been lost.

We do not know the magnitude of the structure loss. We don't even know the areas where most homes made it through the fire, where homes haven't been damaged or anything like that, said operation sections chief Jayson Coil.

Some 1,000 fire-fighters were battling the wildfires across New Mexico, which already has secured about USD 3 million in grants to help with the fires. Lujan Grisham said she has asked the White House for more federal resources and she's calling for a ban of fireworks state-wide.

We need more federal bodies for fire fighting, fire mitigation, public safety support on the ground in New Mexico, she said.

It's going to be a tough summer. So that's why we are banning fires. And that is why on Monday I will be asking every local government to be thinking about ways to ban the sales of fireworks.

Wildfire has become a year-round threat in the West given changing conditions that include earlier snowmelt and rain coming later in the fall, scientists have said. The problems have been exacerbated by decades of fire suppression and poor management along with a more than 20-year mega drought that studies link to human-caused climate change.

In Arizona, two large wildfires continued to burn Sunday 10 miles (16 kilometres) south of Prescott and 14 miles (22 kilometres) northeast of Flagstaff.

Coconino County authorities lifted the evacuation order Sunday morning for residents living in neighbourhoods along Highway 89 after fire management officials determined the Flagstaff-area wildfire no longer posed a threat.

The fire near Flagstaff was at 33 square miles (85 square kilometres) as of Sunday with 3 per cent containment. It forced the evacuation of 766 homes and burned down 30 homes and two dozen other structures since it began a week ago, according to county authorities.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey declared the fire a state of emergency Thursday for Coconino County to free up recovery aid to affected communities. The wildfire near Prescott began last Monday and was at 4.8 square miles (12.4 square kilometres) and 15 per cent contained as of Sunday morning as helicopters and air tankers dropped water and retardant to slow the fire's growth. The cause of the wildfires in New Mexico and Arizona remain under investigation.

Nebraska Emergency Management Agency officials said John P. Trumble, of Arapahoe, was overcome by smoke and fire after his vehicle left the road Friday night because of poor visibility from smoke and dust.

Trumble, 66, was working with fire-fighters as a spotter in Red Willow County in the south-western corner of the state and his body was found early Saturday, authorities said.

Wildfires were still burning Saturday night in five Nebraska counties. The Nebraska National Guard deployed three helicopters and several support trucks to help battle the blazes.

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Colombo: The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), the largest electricity company in Sri Lanka, on Sunday announced that there will be a 4 hour and 30-minute power cut for three days due to the lack of sufficient fuel and water to generate electricity.

Ceylon Electricity Board announced that power cuts will be imposed in 20 zones from 'A' to 'W' between 8.30 am and 6.00 pm (local time) for 3 hours and between 6.00 pm and 10.30 pm (local time) for 30 minutes, Colombo Page reported.

Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since the country gained independence in 1948. Meanwhile, anti-government protests continue to take place in the island nation, demanding solutions to the current economic crisis.

On April 1, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency, which was withdrawn within a week, following massive protests by angry citizens over the government`s handling of the crisis.

Sri Lanka is now experiencing its greatest economic crisis since independence from British rule in 1948. The slump is 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 appears to be on the edge of a "humanitarian crisis", according to the United Nations Development Programme, as its financial troubles grow, with rising food prices, and the country`s coffers have run dry.

According to World Bank estimates, five lakh people in Sri Lanka have fallen below the poverty line since the onset of the crisis, according to the World Bank.

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Kyiv: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Kyiv late on Sunday and held talks President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, an aide to the Ukrainian leader said, as Russia`s invasion entered a third month.

Zelenskiy is expected to have asked them for more powerful weapons to repel a Russian offensive in the south and east, which he has dubbed the Battle of the Donbas.

The trip by Blinken and Austin, announced earlier by Zelenskiy, would be the highest-level visit to Ukraine by US officials since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of the country on Feb. 24.

ALSO READ: Ukraine-Russia war enters day 59: Here's what you need to know right now

Washington has not confirmed that Blinken and Austin were in the Ukrainian capital, as it typically withholds information on sensitive visits in conflict zones for security reasons.

Late on Sunday, Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Zelenskiy, said in a social media video that Blinken and Austin had arrived in Kyiv and were holding talks with the Ukrainian president.

"We are inspired by the resilience of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine in the face of President Putin's brutal war of aggression," Blinken said earlier on Twitter.

Zelenskiy on Twitter thanked US President Joe Biden and the United States for leadership in supporting Ukraine.

Earlier on Sunday, Zelenskiy said his nation would overcome "dark times," in an emotional address at Kyiv's 1,000-year-old Saint Sophia Cathedral to mark Orthodox Easter as fighting in the east overshadowed the religious celebrations.

After Ukrainian fighters forced a Russian retreat from around Kyiv, Moscow's assault is now focused on the eastern Donbas region and the south of the country.

With a semblance of normal life returning to the capital, several countries have reopened embassies in recent days and some residents who fled the fighting returned for Easter.

Moscow, which describes its actions in Ukraine as a "special military operation", denies targeting civilians and rejects what Ukraine says is evidence of atrocities, saying Kyiv staged them to undermine peace talks.

Pope Francis called for an Easter truce: "Stop the attacks in order to help the exhausted population. Stop," he said.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual head of Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide, called for humanitarian corridors in Mariupol and other areas of Ukraine, where he said "an indescribable human tragedy is unfolding". Ukrainian refugees filled churches across central Europe.

"I pray that this horror in Ukraine ends soon and we can return home," said Nataliya Krasnopolskaia, who fled to Prague from Odesa last month, one of the more than 5 million Ukrainians estimated to have escaped the country.

MORE EQUIPMENT, TALKS

Preparing for the visit by Blinken and Austin, Ukrainian officials had drawn up a list of weapons urgently needed from the United States, including anti-missile systems, anti-aircraft systems, armoured vehicles and tanks, Zelenskiy aide Igor Zhovkva told NBC News on Sunday.

The United States and NATO allies have shown growing readiness to supply heavier equipment and more advanced weapons systems. Britain has promised to send military vehicles and is considering supplying British tanks to Poland to free up Warsaw`s Russian-designed T-72s for Ukraine.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said after talks by phone with Zelenskiy that Ankara was ready to assist in negotiations with Russia. Zelenskiy said he discussed with Erdogan the need for the immediate evacuation of civilians from the southern city of Mariupol, the site of the biggest battle of the conflict.

Russian forces on Sunday again attempted to storm the Azovstal steel plant, the main remaining Ukrainian stronghold in Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said, adding that more than 1,000 civilians are also sheltering there.

Ukraine on Sunday proposed a "special" round of negotiations with Russia to discuss the fate of the civilians and Ukrainian troops still trapped in the city, though Moscow has yet to respond publicly.

The aim of the talks would be to establish an immediate ceasefire in Mariupol, "multi-day" humanitarian corridors, and the freeing or swapping of Ukrainian fighters trapped in the plant, Ukraine`s Arestovych said.

Serhiy Volyna, commander of Ukraine`s 36th Marine brigade forces in Mariupol, said Russia was hitting the plant with air and artillery bombardments.

"We are taking casualties, the situation is critical... we have very many wounded men, (some) are dying ... the situation is rapidly worsening," Volyna said.

Moscow has previously declared victory in the city and said it did not need to take the plant.

Capturing Mariupol would link pro-Russian separatists who control parts of the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk that make up the Donbas with the southern Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which Moscow seized in 2014.

Ukraine estimates tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in Mariupol and says 100,000 civilians are still in the city. The United Nations and Red Cross say the civilian toll is at least in the thousands.

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The letter states that Congress will debate and approve such proposal, which would be presented to citizens through the referendum during the upcoming regional and municipal elections on October 2.





As stated in the document, the referendum process will be autonomous and will be separated from the aforementioned electoral process. Moreover, it will not modify the regulations governing the regional and municipal elections.

The referendum vote will be recorded on a separate ballot paper containing the following question: Do you approve the convening of a Constituent Assembly to draft a new Political Constitution?

The popular consultation will ask voters to decide, by answering "yes" or "no."





Last weekend, President Castillo announced that he would submit a bill to Congress to carry out a popular consultation so that citizens can express their opinion on the change of the Political Constitution of Peru.

"Following the constitutional course, we are going to send a bill so that in the next regional and municipal elections the people are consulted, through a ballot, whether they agree or not with a new Constitution," he said at that time during the Decentralized Council of Ministers held in Cusco.





(END) VVS/CVC/RMB

The Executive Branch on Monday presented to Congress a constitutional reform bill aimed at putting a referendum on the ballot asking voters whether they wish to convene a Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution for Peru.Published: 4/25/2022




The session took place at the Executive Branch headquarters in Lima.





Last weekend, President Castillo announced that he will submit a bill to Congress to carry out a popular consultation so that citizens can express their opinion on the change of the Political Constitution of Peru.





"Following the constitutional course, we are going to send a bill so that in the next regional and municipal elections the people are consulted, through a ballot, whether they agree or not with a new Constitution," he said during the Decentralized Council of Ministers held in Cusco.





In this regard, Environment Minister Modesto Montoya underscored that this is not an imposition but a proposal to Parliament, so that a debate can take place and the proposal can be initially resolved there.





"President Pedro Castillo is not imposing anything; he is simply proposing an interesting debate to Congress, and legislators, who represent the people, will make the decision," he said.





(END) VVS/CVC/RMB

The President of the Republic Pedro Castillo on Monday led a special session of the Council of Ministers to address a bill for a popular consultation on a new Political Constitution of Peru.Published: 4/25/2022
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. For already 100 years, Yerevans M. Heratsi State Medical University (YSMU) is carrying out a highly important and vital mission  training the finest doctors.

ARMENPRESS spoke to YSMU Rector, Professor Armen Muradyan on the one-century history of the university, reforms and successes and other projects.

ARMENPRESS: Mr. Muradyan, given the high demand for the YSMU among graduates, including from abroad, what is the universitys secret to success?

Armen Muradyan: For many years, a medical university was highly needed in our country, and ever since its creation the YSMU has been firmly standing by our people for already 100 years. A very strong and firm team has always been working in this university at all times. And even today in these difficult times, when seemingly the world order and system of values is changing, the medical university remains committed to its principles and continues its mission aimed at preserving the health of the people. And of course, the integrity and devotion of our team ensures our effectiveness. I think both the goal and the team behind implementing it were able to create the formula of success.

ARMENPRESS: What key projects and work would you point out in terms of improvement of the quality of education from the perspective of both academic staff and infrastructures?

Armen Muradyan: The demand for the university that has developed from the world medical community is a demand formed by constant development. Among the most serious programs are the implementation of the accreditation and internationalization processes. I believe that our major program ought to be the reforms in line with the internationalization process, which would enable to be promoted and become known among other systems, institutions and universities. In this direction we firstly implemented a benchmarking and saw were we stand, what we want and what needs to be changed in order for us to appear where we want to stand. For the beginning it is a realistic goal to be presented in the top 1000 leading global universities, Muradyan said. He highlighted the recent opening of the COBRAIN Scientific-Educational Center for Fundamental Brain Research at YSMU.

And also as part of Horizon 2020 program four grant programs were unified around this idea and a platform was created that will enable to present 100 articles with influence score instead of 80 annually. This is a highly important indicator because if a university is presenting 100 or more articles with influence factor in journals then it has overcome the 60% of international accreditation. I am sure that we must head this way, he added.

ARMENPRESS: We spoke about the demand for the YSMU among foreign graduates. Please present from which countries are students coming to Armenia to study at the YSMU. Once, most foreign applicants were from India, has there been any change in the geography of foreign applicants lately?

Armen Muradyan: Over 50-60 years ago the YSMU began to attract the Diaspora-Armenians in our education programs, which also laid the foundation for attracting foreign students. 35 years ago the first group of foreign students arrived from India, and that small-numbered pilot program now grew into a faculty of 2000 students involving 33 countries. Our colleagues from India, who were our first foreign graduates, are now renowned doctors in both India and other countries. But definitely the geography has expanded. After India, most of the foreign students come from Jordan, Iran, Russia, Georgia and Syria. In the past five years the number of foreign students grew around 15%. Today it would be difficult to imagine the YSMU without foreign students, Muradyan said, noting that nearly 25% (or every fourth) of all students at the YSMU are now foreigners.

Nearly 25% of YSMUs students  every fourth student, and I am happy to say that already every third freshman are foreigners, and we want to achieve every second student to be from abroad, and if we succeed we can say that we have completed the entire internationalization program, Muradyan said.

Interview by Gayane Gaboyan

Photos by Hayk Manukyan
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced during a visit to Kiev that Washington will allocate $713 million in military aid for Ukraine and 15 other European countries, TASS reported citing AP.

Out of that amount, more than $322 million will go to Ukraine while the rest will be divided among the countries of eastern and central Europe, the report said.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a phone call with Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said.

The Ministers exchanged views as a follow-up to the agreements reached at the level of the leaders of both states.

The sides agreed on the structure of the Commission on delimitation and border security. It was agreed to convene a meeting on the Commission on delimitation and border security in near future.

The sides also discussed the issues related to addressing humanitarian issues, as well as preparation of works on peace negotiations, the ministry said in a readout of the call.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed a congratulatory message to French President Emmanuel Macron on his re-election.

Dear Mr. President,

Dear Emmanuel,

Please accept my warmest congratulations on your decisive victory in the French presidential election and re-election in the responsible position of President of the French Republic.

The French peoples vote of trust is the highest assessment for your work as president in the past years, which reaffirms the success of your political line.

I wish strength and resilience to you for the next five years for continuing your wise policy in the highest office of the French Republic and leading the French people towards new achievements. Be sure that Armenia will stand with you and the friendly France in jointly overcoming all challenges.

I am sure that your re-election will convey new momentum during the next five years to the extraordinary relations between Armenia and France and will enable to successfully continue our joint programs that we agreed together, including our efforts for boosting bilateral economic relations.

Armenia highly appreciates the role of France in its capacity as Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group for establishing long-term peace in our region and expresses hope that it will be continuous also in your second term of presidency.

With expectations of hosting you in Yerevan in the nearest future, I once again congratulate you on the occasion of your decisive victory and wish you all the best of luck.

Please accept, Mr. President, the assurance of my highest consideration, Pashinyan said in the letter published by his office.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. The National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia says it arrested a military servicemember on suspicion of high treason.

The NSS military counter-intelligence and investigative Department uncovered that the suspect, who is an officer, has been recruited by foreign intelligence services and gathered and transferred classified information to them.

The suspect was paid 1400 dollars for gathering and transferring the identification information, phone numbers of his fellow cadets who graduated the military academy abroad, the command staff of his service base, the command staff of its rocket-artillery division and the composition of the members of delegation who left to participate in the Expo-Military exhibition. The suspect also provided the foreign intelligence services with the list of staffers at a division of a military base, the number of rocket systems deployed there, as well as the materiel losses of the 2020 war, the sites of deployment of rocket-artillery systems, military exercise training grounds and details from the command of the drills.

In addition, the same serviceman is suspected in negligence during combat service in the 2020 war where he served as deputy commander of an artillery battery and his actions led to being compromised and destroyed by enemy bombardment.

Moreover, the suspect continued spying for the foreign intelligence services after the war and was paid to convey information on imported armaments, number and types of munitions.

The suspect, having security clearance, obtained classified military maps of a military base in order to hand it over to the foreign intelligence services for 8000 dollars, but failed to do so and was arrested.

The NSS arrested the suspect on charges of high treason and he confessed in his testimony.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. Uruguays Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo condemned Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglus move in Montevideo where the latter tried to taunt Armenian demonstrators by flashing the ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves salute.

Speaking at an Armenian Genocide commemoration ceremony, FM Bustillo said that Uruguay is a country that respects memory and is a country seeking peace, El Pais reports.

In cases of confrontations our country prefers reconciliation. We advocate mutual understanding, tolerance and we hope that those who visit our country, where peace and tolerance is advocated, will act in this manner. I reject and condemn any insulting conduct or gesture that implies physical or moral violence, the Uruguayan FM said, referring to Cavusoglus Grey Wolves salute.

During a visit to Uruguay, Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu mocked demonstrators outside the Turkish diplomatic representation who gathered to demand recognition of the Armenian Genocide on the eve of the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

A video posted on Twitter shows how demonstrators were shouting asesino  meaning murderer in Spanish, when Cavusoglu exited the building and was about to be driven away. Then, Cavusoglu is seen smiling and making the gesture of the ultranationalist Turkish Grey Wolves organization, taunting the demonstrators.

The gesture used by the Turkish ultra-nationalists was banned in Austria in 2019. In Germany, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany and the Left party also proposed to ban the use of the symbol, describing it as fascist.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. Oil storage tanks caught fire at an oil depot in Bryansk, TASS reported citing the regional government of Russias Bryansk.

"The Emergency Situations Ministry has confirmed theres a fire," TASS quoted the local governments press office as saying. "Theres also a confirmation that its the fuel tanks."

The first responders have left for the scene, the press office said.

The Emergency Situations Ministry in Bryansk said they received a fire report at 2 am Moscow time. Fire and rescue teams were sent to the scene and they reported that the fire was taking place at an oil depot, the ministry said.

The depot is owned by Transneft Bryansk Druzhba.

Preliminary reports suggest that no one was injured in the fire.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. A Russian foreign ministry official said that preparations are underway to organize the second meeting of the 3+3 platform.

Russian Foreign Ministry Fourth Department of CIS Countries Director Denis Gonchar told RIA Novosti that the doors remain open for Georgia, referring to Georgia opting out from the first meeting.

At this moment the second session of the 3+3 regional consultative platform is being prepared. The date and venue will be announced later, he said.

The first meeting was held in late 2021 in Moscow and was co-chaired by the deputy foreign ministers of Armenia, Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan, as well as the Director-General of the Iranian MFA.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. Russia expressed support to the agreeing of the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan and wants to create an atmosphere of trust and mutual-understanding between the sides.

We support the agreeing of the peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Russian Foreign Ministry Fourth Department of CIS Countries Director Denis Gonchar told RIA Novosti. The Russian side wants to continue helping Baku and Yerevan to find [common grounds], create an atmosphere of trust and mutual-understanding. At the same time, we welcome the initiatives of other countries that could supplement our joint efforts and are not based on the logic of geopolitical games, he said.

Gonchar noted that as part of the implementation of the trilateral agreements by the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan, an entire complex of issues is being solved, including the launch of the delimitation and demarcation process of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the unblocking of the economic and transport links in the region.
Justice Department Announces Nationwide Coordinated Law Enforcement Action to Combat Health Care-Related COVID-19 Fraud

The Department of Justice today announced criminal charges against 21 defendants in nine federal districts across the United States for their alleged participation in various health care related fraud schemes that exploited the COVID-19 pandemic. These cases allegedly resulted in over $149 million in COVID-19-related false billings to federal programs and theft from federally-funded pandemic assistance programs. In connection with the enforcement action, the department seized over $8 million in cash and other fraud proceeds.

The Department of Justices Health Care Fraud Unit and our partners are dedicated to rooting out schemes that have exploited the pandemic, said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. Todays enforcement action reinforces our commitment to using all available tools to hold accountable medical professionals, corporate executives, and others who have placed greed above care during an unprecedented public health emergency.

This COVID-19 health care fraud enforcement action involves extraordinary efforts to prosecute some of the largest and most wide-ranging pandemic frauds detected to date, said Director for COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Kevin Chambers. The scale and complexity of the schemes prosecuted today illustrates the success of our unprecedented interagency effort to quickly investigate and prosecute those who abuse our critical health care programs.

This announcement builds on the success of the May 2021 COVID-19 Enforcement Action and involves the prosecution of various COVID-19 health care fraud schemes. For example, several cases announced today involve defendants who allegedly offered COVID-19 testing to induce patients to provide their personal identifying information and a saliva or blood sample. The defendants are alleged to have then used the information and samples to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for unrelated, medically unnecessary, and far more expensive tests or services. In one such scheme in the Central District of California, two owners of a clinical laboratory were charged with a health care fraud, kickback, and money laundering scheme that involved the fraudulent billing of over $214 million for laboratory tests, over $125 million of which allegedly involved fraudulent claims during the pandemic for COVID-19 and respiratory pathogen tests. The proceeds of this fraudulent scheme were allegedly laundered through shell corporations in the United States, transferred to foreign countries, and used to purchase real estate and luxury items. In two separate cases in the District of Maryland and the Eastern District of New York, owners of medical clinics allegedly obtained confidential information from patients seeking COVID-19 testing at drive-thru testing sites and then submitted fraudulent claims for lengthy office visits with the patients that did not, in fact, occur.

Throughout the pandemic, we have seen trusted medical professionals orchestrate and carry out egregious crimes against their patients all for financial gain, said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBIs Criminal Investigative Division. These health care fraud abuses erode the integrity and trust patients have with those in the health care industry, particularly during a vulnerable and worrisome time for many individuals. The actions of these criminals are unacceptable, and the FBI, working in coordination with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate and pursue those who exploit the integrity of the health care industry for profit.

In another type of COVID-19 health care fraud scheme announced today, defendants allegedly exploited policies that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) put in place to enable increased access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, in the Southern District of Florida, one medical professional was charged with a health care fraud, wire fraud, and kickback scheme that allegedly involved billing for sham telemedicine encounters that did not occur and agreeing to order unnecessary genetic testing in exchange for access to telehealth patients. Late last year, one defendant previously was sentenced to 82 months in prison in connection with this scheme.

The attempt to profit from the COVID-19 pandemic by targeting beneficiaries and stealing from federal health care programs is unconscionable, said Inspector General Christi A. Grimm of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS-OIG is proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners at the federal and state levels to ensure that bad actors who perpetrate egregious and harmful crimes are held accountable.

Todays announcement includes charges against two additional defendants for schemes targeting the Provider Relief Fund (PRF). The PRF is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a federal law enacted in March 2020 that provided financial assistance to medical providers to provide needed medical care to Americans suffering from COVID-19. In total, 10 defendants have been charged with crimes related to misappropriating PRF monies intended for frontline medical providers and three have pleaded guilty.

Todays announcement also includes charges against manufacturers and distributors of fake COVID-19 vaccination record cards who, according to the allegations, intentionally sought to obstruct the HHS and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in their efforts to administer the nationwide vaccination program and provide Americans with accurate proof of vaccination. For example, in the Northern District of California, three additional defendants were charged in a scheme to sell homeoprophylaxis immunizations for COVID-19 and falsify COVID-19 vaccination record cards to make it appear that customers received government-authorized vaccines. One defendant allegedly misused her position as the Director of Pharmacy at a northern California hospital to obtain real lot numbers for the Moderna vaccine that were then used to falsify COVID-19 vaccination record cards. Another defendant pleaded guilty in April 2022. In a separate case in the Western District of Washington, one manufacturer was charged in the multistate distribution of fake COVID-19 vaccination record cards after allegedly telling an undercover federal agent that until I get caught and go to jail, [expletive] it Im taking the money, ha! I dont care.

Additionally, the Center for Program Integrity, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CPI/CMS) separately announced today that it has taken an additional 28 administrative actions against providers for their alleged involvement in fraud, waste, and abuse schemes related to the delivery of care for COVID-19, as well as schemes that capitalize upon the public health emergency.

We are committed to working closely with our law enforcement partners to combat fraud, waste and abuse in our federal health care programs, said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. The administrative actions CMS has taken protect the Medicare Trust Funds while also safeguarding people enrolled in Medicare.

Todays enforcement actions were led and coordinated by Assistant Chief Jacob Foster and Trial Attorney D. Keith Clouser of the National Rapid Response Strike Force, and Assistant Chief Justin Woodard of the Health Care Fraud Units Gulf Coast Strike Force in the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section. The Fraud Sections National Rapid Response Strike Force and the Health Care Fraud Units Strike Forces (SF) in Brooklyn, the Gulf Coast, Miami, Los Angeles, and Newark, as well as the U.S. Attorneys Offices for the District of Maryland, District of New Jersey, District of Utah, Northern District of California, and Western District of Tennessee are prosecuting these cases. Descriptions of each case involved in todays enforcement action are available on the departments website at: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit/case-summaries.

In addition to the FBI, HHS-OIG, and CPI/CMS, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General; Department of Defense Office of Inspector General; Department of the Interior Office of the Inspector General; Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General; Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations; Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General; and other federal and local law enforcement agencies participated in the law enforcement action.

The Fraud Section leads the Health Care Fraud Strike Force. Since its inception in March 2007, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 federal districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for nearly $19 billion. In addition, the CMS, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the departments response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

The Department of Justice needs the publics assistance in remaining vigilant and reporting suspected fraudulent activity. To report suspected fraud, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) at (866) 720-5721 or file an online complaint at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/webform/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. Complaints filed will be reviewed at the NCDF and referred to federal, state, local, or international law enforcement or regulatory agencies for investigation.

An indictment, complaint, or information is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This story has been published on: 2022-04-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. Russia appreciates Armenias balanced position over the Ukrainian crisis, Russian Foreign Ministry Fourth Department of CIS Countries Director Denis Gonchar told RIA Novosti.

We appreciate the balanced position of our Armenian and Azerbaijani colleagues on the situation around Ukraine and the Wests related unprecedented anti-Russian campaign. We very well realize the pressure by foreign forces that Armenias and Azerbaijans leaderships face, and we appreciate the fact that in both Yerevan and Baku they are guided first of all by their own national interests when building their foreign policy, he said.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. President of Uruguay Luis Lacalle Pou criticized Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu for making the Grey Wolves ultranationalist organizations salute towards Armenians in Montevideo.

It is very unfortunate that the Turkish foreign minister showed the Turkish ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves salute to a group of Armenians in Montevideo. Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglus conduct must be strongly critisized. The Armenian community is hurt, and they are right, the Urugayan president said, noting that advancing ties in commercial matters doesnt mean that they agree with the other sides domestic or foreign policy.

During a visit to Uruguay for the opening of the Turkish embassy , Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu mocked demonstrators in Montevideo who gathered to demand recognition of the Armenian Genocide on the eve of the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

A video posted on Twitter shows how demonstrators were shouting asesino  meaning murderer in Spanish, when Cavusoglu exited the building and was about to be driven away. Then, Cavusoglu is seen smiling and making the gesture of the ultranationalist Turkish Grey Wolves organization, taunting the demonstrators.

The gesture used by the Turkish ultra-nationalists was banned in Austria in 2019. In Germany, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany and the Left party also proposed to ban the use of the symbol, describing it as fascist.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. The first quarter of 2022 was a relatively calm period for the activities of journalists and the press in Armenia, according to Ashot Melikyan, the Chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Freedom of Speech.

According to the Committee for the Protection of Freedom of Speech 2022 Q1 report, the number of cases of violence against reporters, pressure against the media and lawsuits against journalists have dropped.

Particularly, only 1 case of physical violence against a journalist was recorded (In 2021s same period there were 7 cases).

Another 12 cases of pressure against media outlets and media employees were recorded, against 2021 same periods 20 cases.

7 lawsuits were filed against media outlets and journalists, while in 2021s same period the number was 10.

According to Melikyan, the decrease is also associated with the relatively calm domestic political situation in the country.

During the many years of monitoring we have seen that whenever the social and political situation gets aggravated in the country the pressure against journalists and the media intensifies. But when it is calm the pressure drops, he said.

Nevertheless some internal tension exists and Melikyan said that both journalists and politicians or their supporters should conclude any ideological struggle in the ideological arena and not allow for the events to escalate into violence and mutual insults.

However, cases of violations of the right to information have increased with 45 cases being recorded against the 15 cases of 2021s same period.

This number shows that it is highly difficult for journalists to obtain official information from governmental bodies, we continue receiving complaints. We must express our concern over this. In many cases this too can be the reason from the spread of disinformation in our information arena, Melikyan warned.

Melikyan also expressed concern over legislative amendments, namely the criminalization of grave insults and the increase of compensation for defamation and insults.

He added that the amendments that have been done and continue being done in the Law on Mass Media are also creating unfounded restrictions for freedom of speech, especially regarding the work of journalists in state bodies, and the suspension or revoking of their accreditation. Melikyan noted that most of media experts in Armenia are calling for the immediate revision of these changes and a complete legislative reform on the mass media.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Defense of Armenia Suren Papikyan held a meeting with the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Armenia Bolat Imanbayev and the Kazakh embassys military attache.

Papikyan briefed the ambassador on the situation in the region and the developments in Armenias border regions, the Defense Ministry said.

Issues of the Armenian-Kazakh cooperation in the defense sector were discussed, namely the directions for further expanding partnership and the course and timeframes of planned events in multilateral formats.

Views were exchanged around regional and international security issues.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. Turkish Member of Parliament Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu from the HDP party issued a statement on the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

I feel the pain of all those who lost their lives during the Armenian Genocide of April 24, 1915. We must face history, we must empathize. We must be sensitive for all kinds of pain, the MP tweeted.
GYUMRI, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian city of Gyumri and Norways town of Krager became Sister Cities.

Kragero Mayor Grunde Knudsen was on an official visit to Gyumri on April 25 and the memorandum declaring Gyumri and Kragero Sister Cities was signed at the Gyumri City Hall by Gyumri First Vice Mayor Artur Papikyan and Knudsen.

The decision was developed earlier in 2018 by then-mayor of Gyumri Samvel Balasanyan and then-mayor of Kragero Jone Blikra.

As Sister Cities, the first cooperation will be in the areas of culture and education, but we are planning business cooperation in the future as well. Rather good cooperation is expected, Knudsen told ARMENPRESS.

He said that one Armenian family resides in Kragero now.

This is my first visit to Armenia, I hope that after next years election Ill have the chance to visit Armenia again, a country that surprised me with its rich historical and cultural heritage. I really received very positive energy from Armenia, I am touched by the attitude of people, you are very open and warm people. I am happy and proud that we signed the memorandum between the two cities, for the benefit of development of the two cities, he said.

In turn, the Gyumri Vice Mayor said he is hopeful that a productive cooperation will take place.
YEREVAN, 25 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 25 April, USD exchange rate down by 0.76 drams to 466.52 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 4.83 drams to 500.53 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.02 drams to 6.38 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 10.22 drams to 592.95 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 79.74 drams to 29121.24 drams. Silver price down by 5.10 drams to 365.15 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. On April 25, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the Islamic Republic of Iran Arsen Avagyan presented his credentials to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ebrahim Raisi, ARMENPRESS reports Foreign Ministry of Armenia informs that welcoming the Armenian Ambassador, President Raisi expressed hope that during his activity significant progress will be registered in different directions of the relations between the two friendly countries, such as economic relations, trade and other spheres.

Thanking for the reception and good wishes, Ambassador Avagyan noted that he will make maximum efforts for the continuous development of relations between the two countries.

The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran also asked to convey his warm greetings to the leadership of the Republic of Armenia.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. Several explosions rocked the building of the Ministry of State Security in the Transnistrian city of Tiraspol, ARMENPRESS reports RIA Novosti informs that according to eyewitnesses, loud voices were heard. The windows of the adjacent buildings were damaged.

It is noted that the traffic near the ministry building is completely suspended. Police, ambulance, rescue and fire service personnel are working on the spot.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. A number of events dedicated to the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide were organized in London on 22-24 April 2022, ARMENPRESS reports the Embassy of Armenia in the UK said.

On 22 April, a commemoration evening dedicated to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims was held at St. Yeghiche Armenian Church in London.

On 23 April, a protest march was organized from Westminster Cathedral to St. Yeghiche Church.

A memorial service for the victims of the Armenian Genocide was held at St Yeghiche Church on 24 April, followed by a commemoration at the Memorial Tree in London's Ealing district.

Ambassador Nersesyan delivered messages at the above-mentioned events, in which he noted that Armenia will continue to actively contribute to the efforts of the international community aimed at the prevention of genocides and crimes against humanity.

International recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide can be used to prevent possible future genocides.

Armenia has been a freedom fighter against the genocide in the international arena for many years, authoring a number of resolutions.

Recognition and remembrance of the past genocides are crucial to preventing such a crime or a recurrence of genocide in any part of the world.

The impunity of the Armenian Genocide today inspires those who plan new international crimes. The war launched by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2020, accompanied by crimes of ethnic cleansing, showed that impunity for crimes committed in the past could have irreversible consequences.
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. Igor Khovaev, Special Representative of the Russian Foreign Minister for the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, discussed with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov issues related to the opening of communications and demarcation of borders between the two countries, ARMENPRESS reports, TASS agency informs.

"During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan," the statement reads. The Russian Special Representative stressed the readiness of the Russian Federation to support the progress in the negotiations in all areas. The Russian Special Representative stressed the readiness of the Russian Federation to support the progress in the negotiations in all areas.
Oil storage tanks caught fire at an oil depot in Bryansk, TASS reported citing the regional government of Russias Bryansk.

April 25, 2022, 13:40 Fire breaks out at oil depot in Russias Bryansk

STEPANAKERT, APRIL 25, ARTSAKHPRESS: "The Emergency Situations Ministry has confirmed theres a fire," TASS quoted the local governments press office as saying. "Theres also a confirmation that its the fuel tanks."

The first responders have left for the scene, the press office said.

The Emergency Situations Ministry in Bryansk said they received a fire report at 2 am Moscow time. Fire and rescue teams were sent to the scene and they reported that the fire was taking place at an oil depot, the ministry said.

The depot is owned by Transneft Bryansk Druzhba.

Preliminary reports suggest that no one was injured in the fire.
Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a phone call with Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia stated.

April 25, 2022, 10:14 Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan held a phone call

STEPANAKERT, APRIL 25, ARTSAKHPRESS: The Ministers exchanged views as a follow-up to the agreements reached at the level of the leaders of both states.

The sides agreed on the structure of the Commission on delimitation and border security. It was agreed to convene a meeting on the Commission on delimitation and border security in near future.

The sides also discussed the issues related to addressing humanitarian issues, as well as preparation of works on peace negotiations.
Uruguays Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo condemned Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglus move in Montevideo where the latter tried to taunt Armenian demonstrators by flashing the ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves salute.

April 25, 2022, 13:54 Uruguays Foreign Minister condemns Turkish FM for ultranationalist salute at Armenian demonstrators

STEPANAKERT, APRIL 25, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: Speaking at an Armenian Genocide commemoration ceremony, FM Bustillo said that Uruguay is a country that respects memory and is a country seeking peace, El Pais reports.

In cases of confrontations our country prefers reconciliation. We advocate mutual understanding, tolerance and we hope that those who visit our country, where peace and tolerance is advocated, will act in this manner. I reject and condemn any insulting conduct or gesture that implies physical or moral violence, the Uruguayan FM said, referring to Cavusoglus Grey Wolves salute.

During a visit to Uruguay, Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu mocked demonstrators outside the Turkish diplomatic representation who gathered to demand recognition of the Armenian Genocide on the eve of the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

A video posted on Twitter shows how demonstrators were shouting asesino  meaning murderer in Spanish, when Cavusoglu exited the building and was about to be driven away. Then, Cavusoglu is seen smiling and making the gesture of the ultranationalist Turkish Grey Wolves organization, taunting the demonstrators.

The gesture used by the Turkish ultra-nationalists was banned in Austria in 2019. In Germany, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany and the Left party also proposed to ban the use of the symbol, describing it as fascist.
A Russian foreign ministry official said that preparations are underway to organize the second meeting of the 3+3 platform.

April 25, 2022, 15:49 Second meeting of 3+3 under preparation, says Russian foreign ministry

STEPANAKERT, APRIL 25, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: Russian Foreign Ministry Fourth Department of CIS Countries Director Denis Gonchar told RIA Novosti that the doors remain open for Georgia, referring to Georgia opting out from the first meeting.

At this moment the second session of the 3+3 regional consultative platform is being prepared. The date and venue will be announced later, he said.

The first meeting was held in late 2021 in Moscow and was co-chaired by the deputy foreign ministers of Armenia, Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan, as well as the Director-General of the Iranian MFA.
o understand what changes can come here, we must first try to understand what the term Hindu Rashtra means

There appears to be no particular advantage or benefit that we get in officially changing our constitutional and legal state from a secular one to a Hindu Rashtra. (Representational Image/ PTI)

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was founded in 1925 and in three years it will be 100. Some people have felt, especially after the events since 2019, that 2025 will herald the transition of India to a Hindu Rashtra. I explored what that could possibly mean in a previous book and am taking up some aspects of that here.

A nation can be secular, Hindu Rashtra, Islamic State or any other thing based on the law. It is the laws that define the nature of the State. Today India is governed through a Constitution which was adopted after Independence, and a set of criminal laws codified in the 19th century. These laws, mainly the Indian Penal Code, were enacted in 1860 and have remained more or less intact across the whole of South Asia. To understand what changes can come here, we must first try to understand what the term Hindu Rashtra means.

To my mind, it could mean one of two things. The first is that it is an interpretation of the Hindu texts and the construction of a State and laws based on these texts. The problem here, as Dr B.R. Ambedkar had examined in his classic essay Annihilation of Caste, is that these texts are not applicable. Enforcing the caste theory in law is not possible in our time, for no reason other than the fact that the majority of Hindus would be disadvantaged by this.

It is for this reason that Nepal was an incomplete Hindu Rashtra, which it was till 2008. In the kingdom of Nepal, executive authority had flowed from a Kshatriya King, as prescribed in the Manu Smriti, and he was advised by a Brahmin, called the Mool Purohit, or Bada Gurujyu, in his court. But no other part of the caste framework was applied, because it could not be. So, we can rule out a Hindu Rashtra in India where only those born Kshatriya will rule us, advised by Brahmins, and the rest of us left with few or no rights.

The other form that such a Hindu Rashtra may take would be to become exclusionary. This is the form that many religious states, including Pakistan, have taken. In Pakistan, no non-Muslim can become Prime Minister by law (Article 91). This was also the case for the President (Article 41), which is important because Pakistans President had the power to dismiss Parliament, which was not something that the Indian President has.

So a Hindu Rashtra of this type can mandate by law that no non-Hindu can become Prime Minister or chief minister, and that only Hindus can hold certain offices. We should consider here that though we have no such law, there is no Muslim chief minister at present in this country, that no Muslim has ever served a full five-year term as CM in any state other than Jammu and Kashmir, and of course there has never been a Muslim Prime Minister in India.

This type of Hindu Rashtra can also adopt some other discriminatory aspects against its religious minorities that certain states like Pakistan have chosen. For instance, non-Muslims vote in separate electorates, and the apostatised community of Ahmadis cannot call themselves Muslims and have no religious freedom. BJP MP Subramanian Swamy has proposed that Muslims should be disenfranchised, meaning that they lose their right to vote.

Germany in the 1930s adopted a set of laws that prevented inter-marriage between communities. In India, after 2018, seven BJP states have passed laws that also criminalise marriage between Muslims and Hindus. German laws excluded Jews from citizenship, and India has of course adopted the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), excluding Muslims, and the Union home minister has promised us the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which also targets what he calls termites.

Many of the things that India has done, especially since 2019, with targeted laws and policy on namaz, hijab, beef, bulldozer, talaq and so on would also be something that we can see in an exclusionary Hindu Rashtra.

So the question is, if we have already excluded Muslims from political offices by default, and if we are already harassing them daily through laws, like Nazi Germany had done and like Pakistan does even now, then why do we need a Hindu Rashtra at all or a change from the present set of laws? My book concluded that we did not. That the present Constitution and the laws give Hindus enough freedom to apply discrimination against non-Hindus legally, while still pretending to be pluralist, democratic and secular. There appears to be no particular advantage or benefit that we get in officially changing our constitutional and legal state from a secular one to a Hindu Rashtra.

Of course we can still do it because it can give us pride and we can humiliate Muslims further and tell them they have no stake in India. Some have written that many Muslims might prefer this honesty rather than be marginalised through hypocrisy as they have been done.

Whatever we decide, it will interest the world. The era of religious states is over and no new ones of significance have been founded in the 21st century. Many states founded on religion have reversed their discriminatory laws because birth and faith are too narrow a frame to view individuals through. While for citizens this period may be traumatic, and it is for me the worst period of my life, for writers it is rich with material as a nation once admired around the world is eating itself alive.
A dozen people have contracted COVID-19 on one of the first cruise ships allowed back into Western Australia since the pandemic began.

Ten passengers and two crew have tested positive aboard the Coral Discoverer, which arrived in Broome early on Monday.

The vessel, carrying 61 passengers and 30 crew, had completed a 10-day voyage from Darwin.

A spokesman for the ship's operator, Coral Expeditions, said all guests and passengers were triple-vaccinated in line with WA requirements.

The positive guests and their close contacts had isolated and some had been transported to designated hotels in Broome to finish their isolation periods.

"All of the guests were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms," he said.

Small cruise ships carrying no more than 350 passengers and crew have been permitted to enter West Australian waters since April 17.

"Maritime vessels are permitted to allow positive cases to disembark and move to suitable accommodation to complete their isolation requirements," a WA Health spokeswoman said on Monday.

"There are strict guidelines in place which outline the infection prevention and control measures that need to be followed during disembarkation and transport.

"All precautions will be taken to ensure the Broome community is protected."

WA Health on Monday reported 5639 COVID-19 cases and the death of a man in his 80s.

There are 240 cases in hospital, including nine in intensive care.
Scott Morrison has drawn a "red line" in the Pacific, declaring that China will not build a military base "on our doorstep".

As the prime minister faces ongoing questions about his government's handling of relations with Pacific Island neighbours in the wake of China's security pact with the Solomon Islands, Mr Morrison sought to assure critics his government has not ceded the balance of power in the region.

Speaking on Sunday, Mr Morrison made the vague declaration, suggesting a military installation would trigger action from Australia and the United States.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says China can't cross a 'red line'. Source: AAP

"This is a shared concern, not just Australia, this is Australia and regional governments, particularly places like Fiji and Papua New Guinea." he said.

"Working together with our partners in New Zealand and of course the United States, I share the same red line that the United States has when it comes to these issues.

"We won't be having Chinese military naval bases in our region, on our doorstep."

When pressed on what such a "red line" meant in practice, Mr Morrison would not articulate.

When asked how he would stop a base from materialising, he also avoided the question.

"Well, what would you do to stop [it]? A blockade?" a journalist asked.

"Well, let me first be clear, that Prime Minister Sogavare has been very clear to me, saying there will be no such bases. So that is what he has said. And so he clearly shares our red line," Mr Morrison responded.

It comes after the White House issued a statement saying such a move by China would see the US "respond accordingly". The statement was issued in the wake of a high-level US delegation being sent to the Solomon Islands.

"If steps are taken to establish a de facto permanent military presence, power-projection capabilities, or a military installation, the delegation noted that the United States would then have significant concerns and respond accordingly," it said.

Story continues

A Chinese naval base in the Solomon Islands could see shipping routes from Australia to Asia cut off during a conflict.

"If China established a military base in the Solomon Islands, that is going to represent a threat to the east coast that we havent seen since the Second World War," Peter Jennings, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told Radio National on Monday.

He said Australia's soft power operations in the Pacific have been "operated on the smell of an oily rag".

"Its going to cost more than that ... We need to be less inclined to ride on the coattails of the United States and be prepared to front up and pay for the cost of our own security," he said.

A photo taken on April 22 shows China's ambassador to the Solomon Islands Li Ming (R), and Solomons Prime Pinister Manasseh Sogavare (L) cutting a ribbon during the opening ceremony of a China-funded national stadium complex in Honiara. Source: AAP

Mr Morrison has faced sustained criticism of the Solomon Islands deal happening on his watch, with Labor's Shadow Foreign Affairs spokesperson Penny Wong saying if Labor was elected in May it would increase foreign aid to the Pacific to secure the region.

She also pointed to recent comments to accuse Mr Morrison of always trying to take credit without actually doing the job. As recently as March, the PM said: "I talk to Pacific leaders every single week and that is what ensures that we can block the incursion into our region."

What does the 'red line' threat actually mean?

The prime minister on Sunday would not say what his government would do to respond to a Chinese military base if he remained in office.

Shadow Defence Minister Brendan O'Connor on Monday said Labor will seek a briefing to better appreciate the government's stance but said the "red line" threat was "too little, too late".

"Given the change in tone and rhetoric and words used by the prime minister, we will seek a briefing from the government," he told the ABC.

China has been courting the Solomon Islands for years. Source: Getty

Nonetheless he said Labor "understands" what is meant by the claim  an apparent suggestion it would prompt a diplomatic or even military response.

"Yes we understand what the prime minister means by that," he said, but he derided Mr Morrison for "post-facto rhetoric".

"We needed to see better investment and better engagement in the region ... rather than react after the fact."

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
*There are spoilers below for "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent," now in theaters. You've been warned. But in the meantime, watch the 1997 pillar of American cinema known as "Con Air." It's 115 minutes of escalating nonsense, and I adore every second of it.*

If you've ever wanted to see present-day Nicolas Cage, playing himself, get French kissed by a younger version of Nicolas Cage, I have great news for you!

In the surreal action comedy "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent," Cage, with some questionable-looking motion capture to look like an younger, 80s-era Cage, does indeed plant one on the current Cage, playing a (slightly) heightened version of his public persona. The imaginary earlier incarnation, imagined by the older Cage, releases him from the lip lock and declares "NIC CAGE IS A GOOD SMOOCHER!" in all of the deranged, bug-eyed majesty that only Nicolas Cage can muster.

The moment is every bit as batshit bizarre as it sounds, and it's actually a bit creepy, considering that the imagined Cage, who basically serves as the devil on the real Cage's shoulder throughout the movie, doesn't seem to care much about consent. However, if there is one image from this film likely to sear itself into your memory (and film history), it's going to be that.

"Massive Talent," as one might imagine, is surreal and often funny, but arguably the best part about it is the fact that it exists at all, considering what the story is about: Nic Cage plays Nick Cage, who is basically just the film legend and walking internet meme who we all love and love to be baffled by, turned up to 11 (which would be a 65 out of 10 for anyone else). Strapped for cash, desperate to review his career and floundering through his failing relationships with his exasperated wife and daughter, Cage accepts a million-dollar offer to go to Spain to attend the birthday party of a rich superfan named Javi (Pedo Pascal). But the CIA reveals to Cage that Javi is actually a ruthless drug lord, and recruits him to save a president's daughter who Javi was said to have kidnapped.

That premise reads like a "best movie ever" concept that two guys half-jokingly concocted one day, and I wouldn't be shocked if that is similar to how writer/director Tom Gormican and co-writer Kevin Etten devised the idea, except they actually wrote the script and convinced Cage to star and produce. The film's very existence is something of a minor miracle, considering that like with "Being John Malkovich," you can't really go with a plan B if your first choice for the lead role turns it down. And while Cage isn't depicted as a drug-addled cartoon character like Neil Patrick Harris was while playing "himself" in the "Harold and Kumar" movies  Harris pops up in "Massive Talent" as Cage's agent  it's not exactly a flattering portrayal.

The film's Cage is largely well meaning, but, as his fictional wife and daughter repeatedly point out, he can't get out of his own way due to his ego. His daughter Addy (Lily Sheen) complains that all he ever talks about with her is his career and the movies he likes, which she says devolves into two-hour lectures.

He can't even allow the spotlight to shine on Addy for a minute during her birthday party without playing the piano and poorly crooning some song he claims he wrote for her. Yet, just as with that trademark Cage commitment  from unleashing legitimately one of the best film performances in the 21rst century while embodying twin brothers in "Adaptation" to whatever the hell 1988's "Vampire's Kiss" was supposed to be  he turns what could been a one-joke pastiche of himself into a flawed but likeable human being.

Although Cage anchors the film with a surprising amount of depth, the true standout here is Pascal. Javi is basically a large child who gets to bond with his idol, although he is genuinely intimidating in spots. Not long after he and Cage share a good cry over one of Javi's favorite movies, "Paddington 2," you still suspect that Javi might catch wise and shoot his hero in the face. Pascal's manic energy gels sublimely with Cage's own famously out-there sensibilities.

If I have one quibble with Javi, however, it's that after a while, despite all of the fake-outs later in the movie where you think Javi has caught on, it feels clear after a while that this guy, despite coming off as a hardass when he needs to, is truly just a giant Cage fanboy who doesn't feel as if he could be the hardened criminal kingpin we are repeatedly told he is. When it eventually comes out that Javi is just the kingpin and his cousin Lucas (Paco Leon) is the one running the empire, it doesn't feel surprising. A couple of minutes before that revelation, I recall thinking that there was no way this guy could be some all-powerful mastermind.

Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz are funny performers, but they don't get a lot to do as the agents who recruit Cage. There also aren't a ton of great jokes in the beginning, although the film makes up for that later, All the same, "Massive Talent" is a fun time that reinforces why Cage has been a marquee name for around 40 years. What did you think of the "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent"? What is your favorite Nicolas Cage movie? Let me know on Twitter @KellyRocheleau!

Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.

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State economic development officials are doubling down on efforts to work with local regions to capture new investments and job opportunities by strengthening workforce skills and helping assemble more shovel-ready land for new projects.

Hope Knight  the acting commissioner of economic development and CEO-designate of Empire State Development Corp.  said the state would try to tailor solutions to the needs of communities, rather than a one-size-fits-all policy.

I believe in community empowerment, where state and local government collaborate with stakeholders to encourage new investments and create jobs, she told about 100 commercial real estate agents and developers on Thursday. Economic development is about expanding opportunity.

The dual focus areas are aimed at tackling two major challenges that confront both businesses and government leaders, as they work to grow the region's economy.

Companies across the state routinely complain about an inability to find enough skilled workers to fill their jobs, holding the businesses back from growth. "Everywhere I go, I hear from businesses that theyre struggling to fill jobs," Knight said. "Theres a mismatch between jobs available and skills needed to be successful in those jobs, even at a time when unemployment is very high."

And just 1.5% of the local industrial and warehouse space is available for occupancy, hindering efforts to attract new companies, jobs and investments to Western New York.

Invest Buffalo Niagara CEO Thomas Kucharski said the region is likely to lose at least a couple of major business prospects  capable of bringing several thousand jobs and investing more than $1 billion each  because there aren't enough big properties available for them in the area that are ripe for immediate development, with all the roads, utilities and other infrastructure already in place.

"Weve got to solve this problem and get more square footage on the market and have it available so companies can occupy it in a reasonable amount of time," Kucharski said. "The sheer amount of money that you need to get a site ready to be occupied is substantial. And companies arent going to wait for you to figure it out."

That's where the state's new $200 million FAST NY program comes in. Included as part of the new state budget, it is designed to make properties "shovel-ready" and attractive for high-tech and semiconductor manufacturing, warehousing, distribution and logistics businesses  by funding water and sewer infrastructure, roads, electrical substations, and power and gas lines, and then getting the sites through pre-development site plans and reviews.

"So much of what we do in economic development is about smart growth, focusing investments near infrastructure to better connect people with jobs and create vibrant neighborhoods that invite people to establish roots," Knight said.

The renewed effort under Gov. Kathy Hochul - a Hamburg native - is being welcomed locally. "There has been, and everybody has noticed this across the state, a marked difference since she has become governor, on the responsiveness of Empire State Development and the engagement," Kucharski said. "Theyve always been really good folks, but I think Hope and the team have unleashed them, and theyre now very responsive and involved in resolving challenges together."

Knight, a 20-year veteran of economic development in the New York City area, took the interim helm of the state's economic development agency six months ago after being appointed by Hochul, but she has not been confirmed by the state Senate. She has toured Western New York's economic development projects, but this was her first speech in the region.

She noted that the "centerpiece of the Buffalo workforce development strategy" is the Northland Workforce Training Center on the city's East Side, designed to produce "highly trained manufacturing and utility workers," with a focus on underrepresented communities. It's already exceeded its goal of placing at least 75% of its graduates into jobs, adding $5.9 million into the local economy while giving them a path to economic mobility.

There's also the Burgard High School Advanced Manufacturing Training Program, funded by a $3.2 million state investment, and the Western New York Workforce Development Challenge, a $10 million Buffalo Billion grant program to support community-based training efforts. Even so, she said, "theres a lot more we can do."

The state is launching a new Office of Workforce and Economic Development that will be housed within Empire State Development. It will work with companies and industries to identify employer needs and skills, and then coordinate training in partnership with the Regional Economic Development Councils and other state agencies.

But "we recognize the strengths and needs of our regions are different," Knight said, so the office also will collaborate with regional stakeholders - businesses, industry groups, workforce trainers and educational institutions, and other "wraparound service providers" - to shape those efforts.

Knight said the state is also trying to "get these investments out the door quicker," by determining workforce development funding "on a real-time, ongoing basis" to "provide greater flexibility to address the dynamic and changing needs of business." And it's assigning more staff to these efforts, to speed up the process.

The state also wants to work with colleges and universities to develop more internship and apprenticeship opportunities, and to provide students with more ability and tuition assistance to earn credits cost-effectively and on their own time as they shift between education and career, Knight said. "New York's talent pool is limitless, and we're making sure it's utilized," she said. "The underlying focus is opportunity."

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A BYD service center will also be set up at Spark Group's facility in Guheshwori, Kathmandu, which is scheduled to be operational in May.

Electric vehicle maker BYD India's Nepalese partner, Cimex Inc Pvt Ltd, has signed an agreement with Self Drive Nepal Pvt Ltd to supply 50 units of its electric multi purpose vehicle - e6 - for the latter's rental fleet. Under the agreement, Self Drive Nepal, which is a subsidiary of Spark Group, will become the exclusive rental partner for BYD electric vehicles, the company said in a statement.

Additionally, a BYD service center will also be set up at Spark Group's facility in Guheshwori, Kathmandu, which is scheduled to be operational in May. "We have been looking for various options to promote Electric Mobility with BYD's green technologies in Nepal. We are convinced that we have found the right partner to do this," Cimex Inc CEO Sahil Shrestha told PTI. Adding to this, Self Drive CEO Roshan Pokharel said, "BYD's e6 will meet all our requirements to offer passengers comfort, good range, and rapid charging experience."

(Also read | Chinese EV maker BYD raises prices citing jump in raw materials costs)

BYD is one of the largest EV makers in China, and also has a solid presence in the global markets, especially Europe. The carmaker's e6 was launched in India last year as the country's first battery-powered MPV. The vehicle will target only the fleet operators in the country. The brand has expertise in making electric cars and buses.

The BYD e6 electric MPV features a Dragon-face inspired styling. The snout of the electric MPV features a slim chrome bar that is flanked with new headlamps assembly stretching out towards the sides. There are projector lamps along with DRLs positioned on the lower side. The e6 doesn't get a traditional front main grille, but a perforated mesh structure to allow the passage of minimal air, which is neatly designed.

The key highlight inside the cabin of the e6 is its rotatable touchscreen infotainment system. The electric MPV gets a 71.7 kwh blade battery that has been rated to deliver over 500 km of full charge range.

(with inputs from PTI)

First Published Date:
With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.

NIO sees 25% technology research center employees back to work

Roughly 25% of NIOs employees of its technology research center in Shanghai has returned to work.

Photo credit: NIO



GoGoX files for IPO in Hong Kong

On April 24th, GoGoX (formerly known as GoGoVan), the cargo ride-hailing service provider has filed for an IPO in Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Black Sesame Technologies' Huashan 2 A1000 chip starts mass production

Black Sesame Technologies has launched scaled production of its Huashan 2 A1000 autonomous driving chip. The chip features L2-L3 autonomous driving functions, and is projected to be deployed onto vehicles by the end of 2022.

Mercedes-Geely-backed Smart #1 to hit market tonight

The all-new Smart #1 battery-electric small SUV model will be on the market on April 25th. The vehicle is powered by Geelys SEA, and designed by Mercedes-Benz.

Photo credit: Geely

Versailles C5 X FM version hits market

The Versailles C5 X FM edition has officially hit the market, with a guidance price of RMB163,700 ($25,180). The vehicle features a 12 center display, HUD, and C-Pilot ADAS.



FAW-Toyota bZ4X starts presale on April 28th



Presale of the FAW-Toyota bZ4X is scheduled on April 28th. The model will roll off the production lines in June this year.

Changan Auto ceases new orders for BenBen E-Star

On April 24th, Changan Auto issued an announcement stating its decision to temporarily cease new orders of its mini electric model, the BenBen E-Star.

iFLYTEK's intelligent auto business sees 38.92% YoY jump in 2021 revenue

Chinas intelligent speech developer iFLYTEK saw blooming numbers in its 2021 annual business performance, especially in the intelligent auto sector.

China's EV startup Leapmotor launches CTC technology

Chinese EV startup Leapmotor held an online ceremony today to launch the CTC (cell-to-chassis) technology, and said the first mass-produced model to use the technology, the Leapmotor C01, will soon become available for presale.

NIO provides battery buyout option for BaaS users

NIO has provided a battery buyout option for its BaaS (Battery-as-a-Service) users, but has not given a concrete implementation scheme.
Update: 25-04-2022 | 16:18:07

Laos enjoyed increasing trade surplus in three consecutive months of this year, despite the continuing depreciation of the Kip and rising costs of production and consumables.

Local media cited statistics from the Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce as reported that the country's trade surplus was recorded at 41 million USD in January, rising to 48 million USD in February, and 78.3 million USD in March.

The total value of goods imported and exported in January reached 1.15 billion USD, of which exports were valued at 598 million USD and imports at 557 million USD. The total trade value in February was 989 million USD, including 519 million USD worth of exported goods and 471 million USD of imported goods. Last month, the total value of trade was recorded at 1.07 billion USD, comprising 577.8 million USD worth of exports and 499.5 million USD worth of imports.

These statistics do not include the value of electricity exported and will be updated when this information becomes available.

Laoss main export products are gold, gold bars, paper and paper products, copper ore, rubber, cassava, iron ore, bananas, clothing, shoes, and copper and copper items.

The main items imported are vehicles (excluding motorcycles and tractors), diesel and mechanical equipment (excluding motor vehicles), precious and semi-precious stones, wood and paper scraps, auto parts (including tyres, windshields and chains), plastic products, electronic equipment and electrical appliances, petrol, and chemical products.

The nation's five top export markets are China, Vietnam, Thailand, Australia and India, while the main countries from which goods are imported are Thailand, China, Vietnam, Switzerland and the US.

The Lao government is aiming for a trade surplus of at least 1.55 billion USD this year despite the countrys economic difficulties triggered in part by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The value of exports is projected to reach 7.6 billion USD while the value of imports is forecast at 6.05 billion USD, according to a recent report from the Lao Prime Ministers Office.

To achieve this goal, the government has pledged to boost agricultural production and the processing of goods for export, especially to China, whose market can now be more easily accessed via the Laos-China Railway.

In recent decades, the government has attempted to increase exports while minimising imports so as to earn more foreign currency.

In 2021, Laos recorded a trade surplus of 1 billion USD, with the value of exports amounting to 7 billion USD and imports valued at 6 billion USD./.

VNA
This story is very exciting but frankly, I did not believe it at first, thinking that was an exaggerated anecdote just for fun.

Thanh Thai - the 10th emperor of the Nguyen dynasty. (Documentary photo)

Previously, I had a good habit of purchasing a book at the place I visited as a souvenir. Once I chose the book "Stories of the Nguyen Kings" by Nguyen Viet Ke (Da Nang Publishing House - 2006).

The book was 13cm x 19cm in size and just about one hundred and a half pages thick with a yellow cover and simple presentation. Its price was reasonable and its content was just my favorite. I picked the book without any hesitation.

On the swaying train back to Hue, I leisurely opened the book about the lives of the 13 emperors of the Nguyen dynasty and read it in one sitting. The book interested me with its simple smooth understandable writing style. It made my journey back home shorter and less tedious.

Stories of the Nguyen Kings" by Nguyen Viet Ke. Photo: Thuong Bich

Among the stories in the book, there was an enjoyable one about the enthronement of prince Buu Lan (later emperor Thanh Thai.) As the story went, after emperor Dong Khanh passed away, since the Co Mat Vien (Council of Ministers) of the Nguyen dynasty could not make the decision about who to succeed, a delegation was sent to consult with the French Resident Superior.

At the time, Mr. Diep Van Cuong was working at the French Resident Superiors office as a secretary and interpreter. He was in charge of interpreting the conversation between the delegation and the French Resident Superior.

Now that emperor Dong Khanh has passed away, in your opinion, who should we choose to be the successor? asked the delegation. Diep Van Cuong interpreted the question into Now that emperor Dong Khanh has passed away, Luong Ton Cung and Co Mat Vien have agreed to choose prince Buu Lan to succeed to the throne, so what is your opinion?"

If Luong Ton Cung and Co Mat Vien have agreed to choose prince Buu Lan, then I will agree, answered the French Resident Superior. His reply was then interpreted by Diep Van Cuong into In my opinion, choosing prince Buu Lan is best.

So the delegation returned and prince Nguyen Phuc Buu Lan became emperor Thanh Thai _ the 10th emperor of the Nguyen dynasty. Diep Van Cuong explained that he was prince Buu Lans uncle. (Diep Van Cuong was princess Thien Niems husband and Thien Niem was Thoai Thai Vuong Nguyen Phuc Hong Ys daughter and prince Nguyen Phuc Buu Lans biological aunt). Feeling the opportunity, Diep Van Cuong had taken advantage of his job to help his wifes nephew become king.

Hien Lam Pavilion in the Imperial City in Hue. Photo: Thuong Bich

This story is very exciting but frankly, I did not believe it at first, thinking that was an exaggerated anecdote just for fun. Who dared to play a trick on an all-important issue like that? But later on, I found out the story was mentioned in many documents. I began to admire the boldness of this man named Diep Van Cuong. Who was the man who dared to do such a heinous thing?

According to Wikipedia, Diep Van Cuong (1862-1929) (i.e. Tho Son, title: Yen Sa, pen name: Cuong Si) was a Vietnamese journalist and teacher in the early 20th century. He was considered by the scholar Vuong Hong Sen representative of the intellectual circle at that time. Though born in Cao Lanh District, Sa Dec Province (now Dong Thap Province) into a poor family, he studied very well. He was sent by the French government in Cochinchina to study at College d'Adran. After graduation, he studied abroad in Alger and got his baccalaureate in France.

Returning home with French citizenship, he taught at Chasseloup Laubat School. In April 1886, when Paul Bert was sent to Vietnam to work as Ambassador General of Annam and Tonkin, Diep Van Cuong was invited to Hue to work as the interpreter for the French Resident Superiors Office of Annam. Later that year, he was appointed to replace Truong Vinh Ky to be the teacher of French for emperor Dong Khanh. Around May 1887, a school teaching French (called So Hanh Nhon) was opened and he was appointed to be the principal. He married Cong Nu Thien Niem, Thoai Thai Vuong Hong Ys daughter. She was emperor Duc Ducs younger sister and prince Nguyen Phuc Buu Lans biological aunt.

The scholar Vuong Hong Sen wrote about Diep Van Cuong in his book Saigon of the Past as follows: "He was short and big and his elegance was known across the country. He could recite poetry sonorously and speak good French. By nature, he enjoyed Vietnamese classic opera and memorized many operas, which actors and actresses admired. Frank and hard-hearted, he enjoyed mocking white people. Everyone including westerners kept themselves away from him because they did not want to lose face.

With such a temperament, it was no wonder that he dared to take advantage of his French language skill to play a trick on both the French Resident Superior and the Council of Ministers. Diep Van Cuong did this out of his familial relationship but also his admiration for prince Buu Lan. No matter what the aim was, the most important thing was that he contributed to having such a patriotic king for the Nguyen dynasty in the darkest time of history, who has been admired by many until now.

By THUONG BICH




France's President Emmanuel Macron beat his far-right rival, Marine Le Pen, in the second-round runoff on Sunday and won another five-year term in office.

Macron won 58.8 percent of the votes compared to 41.2 percent by Le Pen, according to an estimate from the Ipsos polling institute after most polling stations closed at 7 pm local time; those in large cities, such as Paris, closed at 8 pm.

Some 48.7 million French people were registered to vote. Voter abstention stood at 28 percent, up by 2.5 percentage points from 2017.

The 44-year-old Macron has, therefore, become the first president of France to win re-election since Jacques Chirac in 2002.

Macron and Le Pen had a similar face-off in the 2017 election runoff, when Macron won 66 percent of the votes to Le Pen's 34 percent, making the then 39-year-old Macron the youngest president in France's history.

Both Macron and Le Pen cast their votes in the morning, with Macron casting his ballot in the northern French town of Le Touquet-Paris-Page, accompanied by his wife and first lady Brigitte Macron.

Macron, who is a centrist, won the first round of the election on April 10 by securing 27.8 percent of the ballots cast against Le Pen's 23.1 percent.

The two rivals had spent much time and effort after that first round trying to woo voters who supported leftist candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, who got 22 percent of votes in the first round.

Melenchon did not publicly endorse Macron but told his supporters on April 10 that they should not give "a single vote" to Le Pen.

Macron cashed in on the concerns of Melenchon's supporters about climate change while Le Pen sought to win them over by framing the election as a referendum on Macron's performance during the past five years, citing rising living costs, especially energy prices, and many other social and economic problems.

Macron's presidency in the last five years has been marred by the anti-government Yellow Vest movement, which lasted for many months after November 2018, when the public vented grievances about fuel taxes and other social and economic problems. Macron was viewed by many protesters as a president for the wealthy.

He was the last of a dozen candidates to announce his bid for the job of president, declaring his interest only 38 days before the first round on April 10.

Before Sunday's vote, there had been great concerns in the United States and the European Union about the possibility of a Le Pen victory, because she has long been critical of both NATO and the EU.

While Le Pen has condemned Russia for its activities in Ukraine, she is known for her close relations with Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

The 53-year-old earlier stated her desire to pull France out of NATO's integrated command structure "so as to be no longer caught up in conflicts that are not ours".

While Le Pen's party, the National Rally, is no longer talking about leaving the EU, the Schengen visa-free zone and the euro currency, she has been widely viewed as a euroskeptic.

France is the second-largest economy in the EU, after Germany. It is also the bloc's only nuclear power and its only permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

The French presidential election took place at a time when France assumes rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first six months of this year.

Tomasz Michalski, an associate professor of economics and decision sciences at HEC Paris, said Le Pen had a striking chance to win according to the polls after the first round of voting, but that there were questions later about the viability of her economic program and left-wing voters were reminded of her stances on immigration and cultural issues.

Michalski said Macron's two weeks of campaigning was intense after a haphazard campaign before the first round, and Macron successfully reminded voters that a Le Pen presidency would not solve current problems.

"Macron's victory is, in fact, a narrow one. It would be inappropriate to claim that his score reflects true support; many voted for him against Le Pen. It's unclear what big changes will be made during the next five years apart from a much-needed pension reform," he said.

Michalski noted that Le Pen's haul of the vote showed considerable progress and interest in her ideas.

"The underlying problems that led to the ascendance of Le Pen remain unresolved: deindustrialization, high unemployment among the least skilled, labor market polarization, a great urban divergence, the 'gig' economy, hollowing of public services, especially in small cities and rural areas, one of the lowest upward mobilities in OECD countries," Michalski said.

"It's unclear what of Macron's policies can help suffering areas, unless some general quick growth resumes, which, in the current international political and economic situation, is unlikely," he added.
Farmers Cooperative held its annual employee food drive where over 1,000 pounds of food was collected. Farmers Cooperative matched employees monetary gifts, along with receiving a matching grant from Land OLakes. Contributions were spread out among the territory to local food banks and backpack programs. The Beatrice Food Pantry was a recipient of one of the donations.

Established in 1903, Farmers Cooperative is a full-service ag provider, serving southeast Nebraska and northeast Kansas. Located in 60 plus communities, Farmers Cooperative provides services in grain, agronomy, energy and feed. Farmers Cooperative headquarters is located in Dorchester.

Land O'Lakes, Inc., one of America's premier agribusiness and food companies, is a member-owned cooperative with industry-leading operations that span the spectrum from agricultural production to consumer foods. With 2021 annual sales of $16 billion, Land O'Lakes is one of the nation's largest cooperatives, ranking 219 on the Fortune 500. Building on a legacy of more than 100 years of operation, Land O'Lakes today operates some of the most respected brands and businesses in agriculture and food production including Land OLakes Dairy Foods, Purina Animal Nutrition, WinField United and Truterra, LLC. The company does business in all 50 states and more than 60 countries. Land O'Lakes, Inc. corporate headquarters are located in Arden Hills, Minn.

Each year, Land OLakes, Inc.  one of Americas largest farmer-owned cooperatives  donates a portion of its pretax profits to the Land OLakes Foundation. Through a wide range of programs and services, the Foundation aims to serve the many communities across our nation where Land OLakes members and employees live and work. Together, we are fighting hunger, supporting education and strengthening communities. In 2021, the Land OLakes Foundation contributed $7 million in giving to support its mission, including $2.2 million donated through member-directed philanthropy programs. The Land OLakes Foundation is based in Arden Hills, Minn.

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Five people in southeast Nebraska were arrested for drug violations following an investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies.

On Friday the Gage County Sheriffs Office executed two search warrants as part of an investigation into the distribution of marijuana and methamphetamine in Gage County.

The sheriffs office was assisted in the investigation by the Beatrice Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol, and the Wymore Police Department.

A press release stated the search warrants were executed at 204 N. Ninth St. in Wymore and 1020 N. 15th St. in Beatrice.

During the searches of each residence, several items of evidence connected to the distribution of marijuana and methamphetamine were located. A suspected destructive device was located in the house in Beatrice.

During the search at the residence in Wymore, Davina S. Morgan, 38, of Wymore was located inside and arrested for two counts of delivery of methamphetamine two counts of delivery of a marijuana, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and maintaining a drug house.

Randall L. Pohlman, 43, of Wymore was also arrested for possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and maintaining a drug house.

Following the search of the house in Beatrice, the following people were arrested:

Dalton A. Thomsen, 20, of Beatrice was arrested for possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver, possession of a controlled substance, criminal mischief, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance in an unapproved container. Thomsen was found in possession of approximately 88 grams of marijuana and 21 Clonazepam pills.

Hannah A. Thomsen, 22, of Beatrice was arrested for possession of a destructive device, possession of marijuana less than an ounce and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jarod A. Peden, 23, of Beatrice was arrested for possession of a destructive device, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana less than an ounce.

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The floors of Vintage Venue shook during the 12th Annual YMCA Father-Daughter Dance on Friday evening.

Allison Leonard, Beatrice YMCA CEO, said the staff at the YMCA really enjoy putting the event together to make the little girls feel special.

We have added a few things over the years and the parents have really stepped up too," she said. "The little girls have princess dresses and corsages, some of the dads are wearing suits or even tuxes and a few even arrived in a limo."

Approximately 250 guests attended the event.

The family unit is really important in helping to ensure that children feel supported," Leonard said. "There are a lot of studies that show that girls who have a male figure in their life benefits them in many different ways.

Josh Boller, Facilities Director at the YMCA, said he and his daughter were enjoying the evening.

Its important that a dad takes his daughter out and shows her how she should be treated," he said. "It helps her form expectations for future relationships."

Joe McCormick said his daughter, Aubrey, talks about the dance all year.

At five-years-old, she looks forward to it and we plan for it all year," McCormick said. "Its important to her."

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As usual with Tony Calvin, Mondays and Tuesdays revolve around digging out a couple of antepost bets and with Newmarket's three-day Guineas meeting commencing this Friday, I've at least got the Classic twist while TC is over in Ireland enjoying the Punchestown Festival.

Hopefully he can pluck out another Noble Yeats for the website!

With six Group races, a trio of Listed events and a plethora of handicaps and potential in the novice/maiden races, it's about as good as it gets for me on the Flat. Certainly better than the Sunday offerings just gone - a day I had a little moan on Twitter that it surely was one of the poorest for a while. At least I'll have my Sea The Stars and Dubawi sons and daughters.

Native on the Guineas trail, who can stop Appleby?

The strength in depth at the disposal of Godolphin's head boy Charlie Appleby is nothing short of ridiculous in the 3yo division. The rise and rise of the handler is in stark contrast to the less than successful times for his across-Newmarket neighbour Saeed bin Suroor - he had a couple of horses beaten at Chelmsford on Friday night. It really is a different ball game now between those two.

Long term backing of sires Dubawi, Sea The Stars and Frankel is reaping the rewards now and, who knows, maybe one of those will eclipse Galileo as a super stallion?

If you like an 11/10 shot as antepost bet for the week ahead, there won't be many worse shots than Native Trail - the champion juvenile who appears to have grown again from two to three.

He is looking to become the first horse to score a Craven-Guineas double since Haafhd in 2004 and there isn't a lot to argue with regarding his claims. Even the angle of him hitting a flat spot for a potential back of him higher in-running is unlikely, as layers are wised-up to these sort of things (unless you've been living on the moon).

His biggest price to date in terms of an IR high was on his second start at 22.021/1. He did go higher in Ireland at 8.415/2, but his Craven BSP of 1.321/3 hardly altered much to 1.75/7.

And I doubt if I'll be asked to fill in for TC again if I tipped at those odds.

Lots in favour for supposed second string

Appleby's supposed second string Coroebus looks a totally different type, and he's the sort of horse I love - a bridle, smooth-going sort with class. It was interesting to hear William Buick last week say that he shouldn't be underestimated in relation to his stablemate.

"I think myself and William [Buick] would slightly differ," he said. "You cannot fault what Native Trail has done - he's four out of four - but I do like Coroebus, as I think he's a supreme traveller," said Appleby last October.

"In the Classics, the one thing you have got to be able to do is travel and that's what Coroebus does in abundance. He has so much cruising speed that it wouldn't have mattered how quick they went today, they would never take him off the bridle."

My fault as a punter is sometimes I am seduced by a silky-smooth traveller, and while a racecourse gallop is never a substitute, Coroebus' spin at Newmarket during the Craven meeting was an indication to me anyway, that Appleby feels his mentality is good enough. Hopefully memories of his 1.011/100 defeat when finishing second in the Royal Lodge will be exorcised - although Buick admitted he made a mistake in going early.

A nice big field and pace on quick ground are all in his favour, and for a Dubawi he'll stay, but he's quick for that sire and surprised a few with his acceleration on debut.

No. 4 (1) Coroebus (Ire) Trainer: Charlie Appleby

Jockey: James Doyle

Age: 3

Weight: 9st 0lbs

OR: -

With the fourth favourite Perfect Power 10.09/1 as a doubtful stayer, I'll be playing Coroebus in opposition. I can't see too much changing with news this week as the PP was confirmed as by Richard Fahey to tackle the Classic 1m, and I can see Coroebus (7/2) as the "wise guy" horse" for the week for those looking to have a bet at something not at Evens.

Bizarre to think of a Classic without a mention of Aidan O'Brien so far. So I'll rectify that, Luxembourg is 9/2 on the Sportsbook.

Goodwood and Newmarket the ITV races for Friday and Morghom can handle the step up in class

There are four races for the ITV cameras on Friday from Newmarket and the bonus of three from Goodwood, and bar the Monday in Sussex, Tuesday through to Friday will be dry.

The Group 2 Betfair Exchange Jockey Club Stakes over 1m4f was priced up by two firms on Monday afternoon, and Yibir 1.68/13 isn't a horse I'd be in a rush to lay. He won the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy last term on the July Course over 1m5f, and he is a strong stayer at the trip. Indeed, Bahrain Trophy winners tend to have a lot of stamina, and perhaps that lack of instant acceleration caught him out in the Sheema Classic in Meydan last time.

He was given a lot do, but he's a classy operator and the opposition doesn't look the strongest. I wanted a bit bigger on Albaflora as she stays forever, but I don't think she's quite in Yibir's class and might prefer softer going. She was 7/2 across two firms, but it's a race best left alone.

The races preceding on ITV4 are the 13:50 Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Newmarket Stakes and 14:25 Betfair King Charles II Stakes - both at Listed level.

Appleby once again is strong-handed, but I was taken by Morghom's performance just two weeks ago at Newbury on debut. Seven furlongs looks his ideal distance as he is pretty quick, and his victory in a big-field Maiden appeared to take the trainer by surprise, and a few others too as he was allowed to go off 21.020/1 on the BSP.

He had a lovely easy way of going on the good ground and his handler Marcus Tregoning said afterwards that "he could be quite good". Morghom staying with Tregoning was one that survived the Shadwell trainer cull last week and is another one to highlight the versatility of his sire Dubawi. His brother Mustajeeb was quick enough for 6f, and Morghom's quickest furlong at 11.38 seconds came with his decisive move 2f out.

It's a jump in class, but I like him with the 11/2 or thereabouts.

Rapscallion to lord it over his Newmarket rivals?

I am doing my best and trying in keeping with TC to find something at a bigger price, and Lord Rapscallion at least is double figures at 11/1 for one of the two handicaps on the Friday at HQ.

The Stuart Williams-trained 6yo lines up in the Betfair Daily Rewards Handicap over 7f at 15:00 on the Friday and looks off a good mark, albeit in a tough race with the top weighted entered rated three-figures.

But "the Lord" held some decent form in good handicaps last term (without winning). He was fourth in the Buckingham Palace at Royal Ascot and was unlucky at both Epsom and Goodwood when meeting trouble. Although with that sort of name, it sort of goes hand-in-hand.

However, Hollie Doyle rode him from the front in the Bunbury Cup on quick ground, and that was one an excellent effort when third to the 109-rated Motakhayyel. That's strong handicap form, and the draw could be interesting if he's got a slot on the rail. For that, he is worth chancing at 11/1 as an each-way bet.

He was rated 102 in his prime in Ireland, and he's off a great mark of 88. At the time of writing, he had no jockey booked up. But Doyle said after the Bunbury Cup that he could have a big one in him, so I'll be watching the riders engagements for that card and race as she'll be a huge plus on board as I think she's excellent front-running.

I'll be back tomorrow with a look at Sunday's 1000 Guineas and a potential 25/1 bet.

*You can follow me on Twitter @DudmanAl
Sitting on an alphabet rug in a circle, the group of preschool students trace the arc of an imaginary diver with their right hand, until it lands in their left. Throughout their divers journey, they sound out the word hot, until they reach the end, where a chorus of children make the T sound around the rug.

For the next word  sun  the students start sounding out the word at the top of their divers arc until it lands in their left hand with the soft thud of the n sound.

Megan Roth, an early literacy teacher with Bozeman School District, leads the group of children at the Hawks Nest daycare through that exercise and others designed to introduce students to the phonics, or the sounds, of reading.

Its part of a new early literacy effort the school district started rolling out this school year. In conjunction with a shift in how elementary teachers teach reading, its part of a concerted push to ensure all students read at their grade level.

We were digging deeply into our data annually and finding that we were continuing to make gains in mathematics but had some flat data on the reading side, Superintendent Casey Bertram said.

While its standardized test scores are often some of the highest in the state, Bozeman Schools has around 30% to 40% of its fourth graders reading below proficiency level.

Thats leaving a bunch of students behind, Bertram said. We also know that beyond third grade, if you dont have those literacy skills solidified, the path forward is really hard.

With additional state funding in 2019 focused on dyslexia, awareness within the schools of its achievement gap, and the help of a consultant  Danielle Thompson  the district administrators put together a plan to improve reading skills of children before they enter elementary school and ensure students were reading at grade level by the third grade.

Two of the districts recent long-range goals have aligned with improving early literacy and reading. By 2025, the district wants 85% of children entering kindergarten to have literacy skills, and 90% of third graders to be demonstrating grade-level reading skills.

The districts new teaching approach relies on the science of reading, which refers to a body of research generated over 50 years that pulls from education, neurology, psychology and other fields to show the best way to systematically teach reading by linking sounds of speech to written letters.

The aha we had was the statement that everything you need to read a word is in the word itself, Bertram said. It launched a big change initiative.

Following a few years of professional development with teachers, the district rolled out a new science of reading backed K-2 grade reading curriculum  SuperKids  this year. An upper elementary school reading curriculum is expected to be approved later this summer.

Prior to the science of reading approach, the district was using balanced literacy and whole language approaches, which often deemphasize learning phonics and decoding words by their sounds.

We threw all these strategies at them and failed to realize that most students, 50%-60% of students, need systematic phonics instruction. And we werent doing the systematic, consistent phonics instruction across the district, Bertram said.

Through this approach, Bertram said, they had students who were word guessers, others who relied on using pictures and some who tried to piece together a word using context clues. While the broader approach worked for some students, the majority, or roughly 65%, of students need systematic and structured instruction.

The science of reading, Bertram said, helps all students.

Pizza and phonics

One of the first steps the district has taken is to help young children have early literacy skills before entering school.

In partnership with the Bozeman Schools Foundation, the district launched reading nights, complete with pizza, at its elementary schools in the fall of 2021. Earlier this month, it wrapped up its second round of five events, including one in Spanish.

Around 100 families participated in the second round this spring, growth from the 30 families involved in the first round, according to Roth, the districts early literacy teacher.

If kids come to us in kindergarten and theyre struggling, were really behind the eight ball to catch up. Thats my piece of it, is to get them in the door ready, Roth said.

For parents whove attended the early literacy reading nights hosted by the district, its both a chance to learn new skills to teach their children and an introduction into elementary school life for their families.

Beverly Hosford and Kelley Edwards are both parents who attended recent reading nights, where they cycled through learning stations and visited the Bozeman Public Library book mobile.

Both parents said their children loved attending the event, and it was nice to get to know some of the elementary school and district staff.

My five-year old said it was a learning blast, Edwards said, adding that they walked away with practical ways to practice literacy with her two children each day.

In addition to the different learning stations, families who attended the event also got take-home bags that included books and placemats to practice sounding out letters and words. Both parents said theyve been using their placemats and using some of the activities taught during the event.

Hosford said her son had so much fun at the event, that he asked to go to school the next day.

We knew some of the stuff, but we didnt know as much about teaching them to read using phonics or the sounds of the letters. Weve been practicing more, Hosford said.

Roth said the district will be partnering with Thrive to hold five reading events over the summer at lunch distribution sites, with the dinners planned to resume in the fall again. The district and Bozeman Schools Foundation are also exploring an expansion next school year into home visits.

In addition to the reading nights, Roth is reaching out to day cares and early education centers, like Hawks Nest, to bring the science of reading to the staff and children.

The ability to read is really impactful on the rest of these kids' lives and I feel like a moral imperative to give that skill to everybody, not just some, Roth said.

SuperKids

When Katie McKenney, a first-grade teacher at Meadowlark Elementary, saw the SuperKids curriculum  with characters that look like they were pulled from the 90s  she was worried students wouldnt be interested in it.

But the response from the students has been the opposite, with children becoming invested in the characters.

The only books they pull (to read) are the SuperKids books, McKenney said.  That just goes to show that kids want to read when they feel successful. Theyre pulling these books because they know they can read this successfully.

The books are what McKenney called decodable books, which only use words in patterns that students have learned before.

It spirals as it introduces new patterns. It keeps those previous patterns and adds more in so theyre practicing what theyre learning, in addition to everything theyve already learned. The more exposure a student can get to a pattern the more they can take that in, McKenney said.

Growing up, McKenney said she struggled as a reader, and it played into her passion for teaching reading now.

Every child deserves to learn how to read, she said.

McKenney, in her sixth year of teaching, said the additional professional development on the science of reading have been key to helping teachers building familiarity with the new model.

Over the past three years, weve been building teacher knowledge on how to provide explicit (reading) instruction, she said, adding it has made reading instruction more consistent across the district.

Many of the elementary schools in the district are using whats called a walk to approach, where students who need more time to focus on one skill will walk to a classroom where they can learn it in a group setting with other students.

Some kids might pick up a pattern really easy and can move on from that faster. For other students, certain groups will focus on (the skill) more and will get that extra practice, McKenney said. All the kids are getting the same content just with extra support.

Students who might need more support beyond the "walk to" classrooms, would likely see someone like Lauren DAngelo, a reading intervention teacher at Hyalite Elementary School.

Ultimately, the goal no matter what skill youre teaching, you want a child to be able to read fluently and accurately, DAngelo said.

Like most teachers, in her training to become a teacher DAngelo learned the balanced literacy approach. She said it taught a kind of a guessing game, using visual clues and pictures and contextual clues.

I think at first with any new approach, it was a little bit unnerving because weve been taught a certain way for so long, DAngelo said.  Now, I think were seeing how specific the science of reading is and how well researched it is. Its like a formula for reading.

The formula, DAngelo described, combines a students ability to decode words and comprehend language to build reading gains.

Theres a click in every child, whether it comes in first grade or later down their path. Theres a shift in their brain of being a confident reader and enjoying the process of reading to learn, DAngelo said. Its that initial love of reading that I always try to instill.

Although the district wont have reliable data on the effectiveness of the SuperKids curriculum until next school year, classroom teachers have already started to notice a difference.

As teachers, in our experience were seeing so much growth. Were seeing kids really excited about (reading), McKenney said.  We see them attacking words instead of just guessing. Every kid is getting what they need and every kid is getting time with a teacher for what they need.

While the SuperKids curriculum rolled out this year in the K-2 grades, the district is still deciding on a curriculum for the upper elementary grades.

Heather Chvojka, a teacher on special assignment in the district, has been involved in the vetting of a science of reading-based curriculum since December. The committee involved in the vetting has narrowed it down to two possibilities, Wonders and Core Knowledge Language Arts.

Chvojka said the committee expects to have a recommendation to the school board by its May meeting.

A key consideration for the new curriculum is ensuring it can used consistently across classrooms and schools.

No matter where youre at in the district, youre going to have those same experiences and same opportunities across the board, Chvojka said.  If we dont have the consistency part, we see kids falling through the crack, unintentionally. It makes it less likely if we have that consistency piece.

With the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating reading level differences among students within the same grade, Chvojka said, a curriculum that adapts well for teachers to fill in those gaps will be important.

Back on the alphabet rug at Hawks Nest, Roth prompts the students with different letters and asks for words that begin with that sound. For N, one student yells out Newt!

After the phonics games, Roth reads a book, Please, Mr. Panda, about a patient penguin waiting to enjoy a sweet treat prepared by his panda friend.

Before the students scatter back to their tables to color a paper S, one voice rises above the others.

Can we do it again? the child asks.

Liz Weber can be reached at lweber@dailychronicle.com or 582-2633.

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Police arrested a man Sunday for driving under the influence in southeast Mandan, where they say his vehicle hit a utility pole and knocked out power to businesses and residents in the area.

Mandan officers responded to a call just after 5 a.m. about a traffic light that was not working at 46th Avenue and The Strip, Patrol Sgt. Dan Poppe said. They found that the utility pole had been struck by a vehicle, and they arrested the man, whose identity was not immediately released.

Montana-Dakota Utilities spokesman Mark Hanson said about 50 customers lost power as a result of the incident, but the company restored electricity to all later Sunday. Work was ongoing Sunday afternoon to replace the pole, he said.

Reach Amy R. Sisk at 701-250-8252 or amy.sisk@bismarcktribune.com.

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The latest North Dakota coronavirus news: food assistance, outdoor learning and more.

Mobile food pantry

Trucks carrying fresh vegetables, bakery items and boxed goods will make stops in southern North Dakota this week.

Food through the Great Plains Food Bank Mobile Food Pantry is available at no cost to those in need. Scheduled stops are:

Wednesday

Cannon Ball, Red Gym parking lot, Weasel Street, 11:30 a.m.  1:30 p.m.

Solen, Solen Fire Station, 300 Leach St., 12 p.m. until gone

Selfridge, 110 First Ave. N., 2:30-4 p.m.

Porcupine, 4:30-6 p.m.

Fort Yates, Wite Building, 181 Agency Ave., 3-4:30 p.m.

Thursday

Carrington, Dakota Central, 630 Fifth St. N., 10-11 a.m.

Linton, St. Anthony Catholic Church, 619 Broadway N., 1-2 p.m.

Steele, Senior Center, 202 First Ave. NW, 3-4:30 p.m.

Outdoor education

State officials have announced an effort to enhance and support outdoor learning opportunities for all North Dakota students, whether they attend public or private schools or are homeschooled.

The state departments of Parks & Recreation and Public Instruction are partnering on the effort that's funded through $600,000 in American Rescue Plan coronavirus aid. The effort aims to enhance learning recovery due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The partnership provides funding and support for field days and field trips; funding assistance for program fees and transportation to state parks; and an expansion of the online "Campfire Series" educational videos.

For more information, go to https://www.parkrec.nd.gov/education-interpretation.

Local foods aid

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced $130 million in supplemental American Rescue Plan Act funding for the Local Agriculture Market Program. It's divided into $65 million each for fiscal years 2022 and 2023.

The program's goal is to promote competition and boost markets for local and regional food producers by bolstering opportunities to sell to institutions such as universities, hospitals, and settings operated by local, tribal, and state governments.

In fiscal year 2022, the program known as LAMP will receive a total of $97 million in competitive grant funding, with $32 million in 2018 Farm Bill money included.

For more information, go to https://bit.ly/3HvsCKk.

Testing and vaccines

A comprehensive list of free public COVID-19 testing offered in North Dakota can be found at health.nd.gov/covidtesting. That site also lists where free at-home test kits are being offered.

People can go to https://www.ndvax.org or call 866-207-2880 to see where COVID-19 vaccine is available near them.

County-level COVID-19 risks determined by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be found at https://bit.ly/3Clifrq.

Guidance and resources for businesses are at https://bit.ly/3w0DpKj.

General information is at https://www.health.nd.gov/diseases-conditions/coronavirus.
Bismarck State College on Tuesday will host an event honoring the communitys victims and survivors of the Holocaust.

The Yom HaShoah Commemoration Holocaust Remembrance Day event is in partnership with the North Dakota National Guard and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas.

Dina Butcher, whose parents fled Nazi Germany in 1939, will be the event speaker. Butchers father survived the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. Her grandmother, three aunts, an uncle and two cousins were killed in the gas chambers at Auschwitz.

The event also will feature a memorial candle lighting and remarks from BSC President Doug Jensen; National Guard Brig. Gen. Jackie Huber; and Steve Hunegs, executive director of the regional Jewish Community Relations Council. The BSC Music Department will provide music.

This event is free and open to the public. It begins at 12 p.m. in the BSC National Energy Center for Excellence, Bavendick Stateroom, 1200 Schafer St. A livestream will be available at bismarckstate.edu/livestream.

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A weekend blizzard that brought snow, rain, ice and strong winds to western North Dakota downed hundreds and possibly thousands of electrical poles, destruction that might be among the worst ever seen.

"The damage we have assessed so far is unprecedented. Its the worst damage Montana-Dakota Utilities has had on its system," spokesman Mark Hanson said. "We have hundreds of cross arms broken and miles of poles down."

MDU's history dates to 1924.

The utility will have at least 15 crews -- up to 60 workers -- in northwestern North Dakota this week, possibly more if aerial surveys Monday show even more damage than anticipated.

"Well get a look at the lines our crews could not view from the ground," Hanson said.

Thousands out

At one point during the two-day blizzard MDU had about 18,000 customers in western North Dakota and eastern Montana without power. By late afternoon Monday that figure had been cut to about 1,300, according to the utility's outage map and poweroutage.us.

Poweroutage.us does not track all electrical providers, however, and there are several in western North Dakota that are not on the list and whose outages are not included in the state tally. North Dakota Emergency Services spokesman Eric Jensen told The Associated Press that more than 19,000 people were without power Monday and it could be even more that, noting that tracking the outages is a complicated process.

Rural electric cooperatives provide power to parts of the state hit hardest by the storm, and linemen from elsewhere in North Dakota were traveling to their territories Monday to help restore electricity. Private contractors also were working with co-ops.

"One of the great benefits of our electric cooperative system is during disasters of this magnitude, cooperatives lean on other cooperatives to aid in restoring the power," said Josh Kramer, executive vice president and general manager for the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives.

Bismarck-based Capital Electric Cooperative, for one, sent linemen west to help with damage in McLean Electric Co-op's territory, Capital Electric spokesperson Wes Engbrecht said.

Bakken blasted

The outages hit much of the Bakken oil patch, causing the phone of North Dakota Pipeline Authority Director Justin Kringstad to ring off the hook Monday as energy companies called in to report on how the storm had impacted their operations.

Kringstad estimated that the state's daily oil output fell by as much as 60% relative to the start of April, due to a loss of electricity across the region and snowy roads making it impossible for trucks to reach energy infrastructure. North Dakota recently had been producing 1.1 million barrels of oil per day, a figure that he believed had already fallen 25% a week and a half earlier when another blizzard hit the state.

North Dakota's oil industry was just starting to recover from that drop when the storm hit this past weekend and sent production plummeting again, Kringstad said. Everything from pump jacks to small pipelines that gather oil and natural gas from well sites to major oil transmission lines and gas processing plants rely on electricity to operate. How long their operations will be curtailed will depend on how quickly power is restored, he said.

Restoration efforts

For some parts of western North Dakota, that could be a matter of days or weeks.

The northwestern communities of Hamlet, Wildrose, Epping, Wheelock and Springbrook were expected to have power restored late Monday or Tuesday, Hanson said. MDU anticipated restoring power to Crosby, Noonan, Kincaid, Northgate and Zahl by Thursday and to Corinth and McGregor by the end of the week.

Other communities such as Alamo, Ambrose, Hanks and Appam were expected to be without electricity until next week, given extensive damage to MDU's infrastructure in the area, Hanson said.

Williston State College, which closed on Monday, announced that with power being restored, it would resume classes on Tuesday.

Burke-Divide Electric Cooperative serves the far northwestern corner of the state. The co-op tallied more than 650 broken power poles and hundreds of broken cross arms, which are pieces of equipment attached to poles that hold up power lines. Members without electricity could be in the dark for several days, the co-op posted to its Facebook page Monday.

Sheridan Electric Cooperative straddles the Montana-North Dakota border, serving both states. The co-op estimated it had 500 broken poles.

Verendrye Electric Cooperative, which serves about 12,000 customers in north central North Dakota, had about 250 power poles down and about 350 meters out, according to spokesman Tom Rafferty. Some customers, such as farms, have more than one meter, he said. At the peak of the storm, the co-op had about 1,500 meters out.

"We're going to work all day," he said early Monday. "Conditions are a lot better -- it's sunny at least and not as windy. We're hoping to get some work done today, but there are still issues with roads. It's kind of hard to say what will happen, but we're still expecting people to be out for several days."

Basin Electric Power Cooperative and the Western Area Power Administration operate large transmission lines that carry electricity to the region. Basin Electric spokesman Andy Buntrock on Monday said that the co-op was working to repair damage to its transmission system, which he said was nearly fully operational and was expected to be back to normal by Wednesday.

One of WAPA's high-voltage lines that runs from the Montana-North Dakota border to Williston sustained damage, and another was already out for scheduled maintenance, spokesperson Lisa Meiman said. Several other lines operated by WAPA on behalf of local utilities were damaged as well, she said. Meiman attributed most of the outages to icing issues.

Flooding concerns

The blizzard dropped as much as 1  feet of snow on western North Dakota, and also brought widespread freezing rain that coated trees and power lines, and winds gusting around 50 mph. Snowfall totals from the National Weather Service included 2 inches in Minot -- which had received 4 feet of snow from two earlier snowstorms this month -- 7 inches in Regent, 12.5 in Watford City, 13 in Dickinson, 16 in Grassy Butte and 18 in Niobe.

Bismarck-Mandan did not get any snow, but it did get about an inch of rain.

The precipitation from the three storms the past two weeks could lead to ponding of water due to ditches and other natural drains being filled with snow, according to the weather service. There's also a small chance of overland flooding and minor stream flooding, but dry, thawed soils should soak up a lot of the moisture.

Much of the area is still in some form of drought, even after the earlier storms, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a partnership of the National Drought Mitigation Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The next drought map update is Thursday.

Another weather system late this week could bring another inch or two of rain to North Dakota, though it might not worsen flooding concerns in the west and central regions.

"It's kind of just dependent on the week; if we're able to dry out, the ground might absorb the moisture," weather service Meteorologist Matthew Johnson said. "If not, it could turn into runoff. At the moment, our hydrologist is not too concerned."

Flooding was occurring Monday in eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota, which saw heavy rain over the weekend. Some highways were closed. Moderate river flooding is expected in many locations this week, according to the weather service. Some county roads in the region are water-covered or washed out.

Volunteers and National Guard members in northwestern Minnesota spent two days sandbagging to fortify Crookston from an expected record flood along the Red Lake River, AP reported. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz authorized 100 Guard soldiers to assist with the flood fight after heavy rains forced the tributary of the Red River to spill its banks.

Officials in Grand Forks and neighboring East Grand Forks, Minnesota, have started to activate some of their permanent flood protection measures put into place after the devastating 1997 Red River flood, according to AP. Forecasters expect a crest of 48 feet later this week on the Red in Grand Forks. Flood stage is 18 feet. The city has protection to 57 feet. Officials on Monday planned to close one of the bridges that connects the two cities. Built-in floodwalls were being activated on both sides of the river, officials from the two cities said.

People in Valley City have been sandbagging to protect against the rising Sheyenne River. Fargo officials donated 29,000 sandbags to help, according to AP.

Valley City Mayor Dave Carlsrud said the community pride was evident in the number of people, including students from Valley City State University, who volunteered.

People are just, thats why I like living in North Dakota. Last week, when it was blowing snow in my face, I wasnt too sure. But today, I am again, Carlsrud said.

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North Dakotas longest-serving state senator announced Monday that he would resign following a report that he had traded scores of text messages with a man jailed on child pornography charges.

Ray Holmberg, R-Grand Forks, who rose to become one of the states most powerful lawmakers in a career that spanned 46 years, said he would resign effective June 1. His term was scheduled to end on Nov. 30 and he had already announced in November that it would be his last.

Recent news stories have become a distraction for the important work of the legislative assembly during its interim meetings, Holmberg, 79, said in a statement announcing his resignation. I want to do what I can, within my power, to lessen such distractions.

He did not immediately return messages from The Associated Press on Monday. His attorney, Mark Friese, said he didn't have anything to add beyond Holmberg's statement.

Friese, a prominent North Dakota criminal defense attorney, said Tuesday that Holmberg hasnt been charged with any crime, and there is no indication that he will.

GOP Gov. Doug Burgum said in a statement he supports Sen. Holmbergs decision to resign. He did not elaborate.

Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner said he spoke with Holmberg earlier about his future in the Legislature.

No charges have been brought against Sen. Holmberg at this time ... he felt it was in the best interest to resign at this time," Wardner said.

Days after the published report about his text messages, Holmberg had announced that he would step down as head of a powerful panel that oversees the Legislatures business between sessions.

The Forum of Fargo reported April 15 that Holmberg exchanged 72 text messages in August with Nicholas James Morgan-Derosier. Prosecutors allege Morgan-Derosier possessed several thousand images and videos depicting sexually abused children. He also is accused of taking two children under the age of 10 from Minnesota to his Grand Forks home, with the intent of sexually abusing them.

When Holmberg announced on April 20 that he was quitting his leadership post on the Management Committee, he had referred questions from the AP to his attorneys.

Holmberg first told the Forum that he had read a newspaper story about the charges, then in a later interview said he had not, the Forum reported.

He told the Forum that his text messages with Morgan-Derosier were related to a variety of things, including patio work Morgan-Derosier did for him. He also told the newspaper that he no longer has the text messages.

Theyre just gone, he said.

Democratic Party Chairman Patrick Hart had called for Holmberg to step down from Legislative Management and to release the text messages.

Holmberg has been one of the Legislatures most powerful lawmakers for decades, serving as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He chaired the Legislative Management committee, which decides committee assignments and chooses study topics that often inspire legislation, four times.

He also sat on the states Emergency Commission, which allocates funding and resources in times of an emergency, and served on or chaired several GOP-led redistricting committees.

When he announced in March that this would be his last term, he said the stress of a session and a campaign would only exacerbate a weakened ability to concentrate on the matters at hand and effectively recall events.

Many North Dakota Republicans, including Burgum, showered Holmberg with accolades at the time.

Holmberg will remain on the Legislatures state-funded health insurance plan through July, a benefit that is worth about $1,425 monthly.

Lawmakers are paid $526 a month and $189 a day during a session or if they meet for a committee hearing. Legislative majority and minority leaders and the chairs of Legislative Management are paid an additional $377 monthly. Holmberg and other committee leaders also are paid an additional $10 daily during a legislative session and $5 daily for an interim committee meeting.

Holmberg will be paid through May.

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Plans for a $122 million pipeline slated to carry Bakken oil toward a Wyoming hub are moving forward after the coronavirus pandemic stalled the project.

Bridger Pipeline is building the 145-mile South Bend Pipeline from Johnsons Corner in McKenzie County to one of the companys pipeline facilities in eastern Montana. The pipeline is expected to transport up to 105,000 barrels per day, with the potential to expand up to 250,000 barrels per day in the future.

The North Dakota Public Service Commission is tasked with permitting pipelines and is slated to hold a hearing for the project on May 5 in Watford City.

Bridger estimates construction will take at least six months, and the company aims to begin operating the pipeline by the end of the year, according to an application it filed with the PSC.

South Bend would be the first major oil export pipeline built in North Dakota since Dakota Access began operating in 2017, said Justin Kringstad, director of the North Dakota Pipeline Authority. Dakota Access is the largest oil pipeline in the state, transporting as much as 750,000 barrels per day from North Dakota to Illinois.

North Dakota produces about 1.1 million barrels of oil each day.

The oil industry has bounced back somewhat from a drop in production early on in the pandemic during 2020. The downturn made the South Bend project uneconomical at the time, but thats since changed, according to Bridger spokesperson Bill Salvin.

There are producers bringing wells online, and they need a reliable way to bring this crude to market, he said. This allows us to do that.

South Bend is part of whats been dubbed the Bridger Expansion, which includes two new pipelines. Bridger in 2020 completed the Equality Pipeline that runs from Hulett in northeastern Wyoming to Guernsey, an oil hub farther south in that state.

Oil carried through South Bend is expected to eventually arrive in Guernsey before moving elsewhere.

This pipeline will be part of the only direct route for Bakken oil to the trading hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, Bridger said in its application.

The Oklahoma town is home to one of the countrys largest oil hubs.

South Bend is to begin at Eighty-Eight Oils Johnsons Corner terminal and extend 80 miles southwest through McKenzie and Golden Valley counties before entering Montana, where its slated to end at Bridgers Sandstone Station west of the town of Baker. The line would connect with Bridgers other North Dakota facilities at Wilson Station south of Watford City and Bicentennial Station in the southwestern corner of McKenzie County.

Bridger plans to use steel pipe for the line, which would have a 16-inch diameter.

Bridger Pipeline is a part of Wyoming-based True Companies, which operates several pipeline transmission systems in North Dakota and nearby states. The company operated a pipeline that in 2016 spilled 12,615 barrels or 530,000 gallons of oil when a hillside slumped in Billings County. That spill in part prompted the company to develop a new leak detection system using artificial intelligence. Salvin said that technology will be used on the South Bend Pipeline.

The PSC hearing is set to begin at 9 a.m. Central time on May 5 at Teddys Residential Suites, 113 Ninth Ave. SE in Watford City.

Reach Amy R. Sisk at 701-250-8252 or amy.sisk@bismarcktribune.com.

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Alright, admit it, if you're like 75% of Americans, you probably have a caffeine addiction. Who could blame you? Work, having a social life, and going to the gym  it can all be very draining. So what's wrong with a little pick-me-up cup of coffee in the morning? Trust us; you're not alone with your coffee obsession; it seems like you can't turn a corner without seeing something coffee-related.

The unfortunate reality seems to be that getting a high-end luxury coffee product can be too expensive to enjoy every day. Thankfully, Royal Brew Nitro Coffee Maker allows you to enjoy a delicious craft cup of coffee without the insane prices you'll pay at a high-end coffee shop.

The stainless steel piece of equipment comes equipped with a dual-action pour which allows you to add a creamy top to your brew. The result? A delicious cup of coffee where the acidity is reduced and the taste has been enhanced. And the best part? The delicious coffee is rich and frothy, without the need for sweeteners, creamers, or even dairy.

The nitrous tank makes a sleek and fantastic addition to any counter, and with all of its features and capabilities, it's no surprise that it has a 4.3/5 star rating on Amazon. One user was thrilled by the product's sturdiness, "First, the fit and finish on this is quality. The feel is very solid and seems like it's going to last for a very long time." Another user was excited by coffee maker's quality convenience, sharing, "Item is compact, stainless steel, with quality finish. Easy to clean too. Highly recommended for any coffee lover! No more trips to Starbucks!"

Right now, you can buy Royal Brew Nitro Coffee Maker for just $139.95, that's a 22% markdown from the MSRP of $179.

Prices subject to change.
The recent profusion of cheery, pseudo-American candy stores on London's main shopping street for normal people has been noted. They replace pandemic-wrecked major retailers such as HMV and Boots, everyone thinks they're money laundering fronts, and they're heaven for shoplifting children. Diamond Geezer visited all of them, bringing a salty UK viewpoint to the sweet US treats washing up on his shore.

That's five of these shops in the short section between Marble Arch and Bond Street stations. There's no way Oxford Street needs this level of candy competition, you'd think, and yet all of these stores had customers so maybe it is what people want to browse. If you're up from the provinces with the family or on a trip abroad with your mates, a quirky sweet shop might be a lot more fun to dip into than the surrounding alternatives. Half the department stores have gone and most of the clothes shops too, so checking out Jolly Ranger candies and Jelly Belly beans does at least pass the time.

I figure the answer to the "money laundering? tax fraud?" questions is "no-one will ever know because there is no state capacity to find out" but that, too, is just another cynical guess.
For 800 years, St. Botolph's Church in Hadstock, UK had a pelt nailed to its front door that was thought to have once belonged to a Viking who tried to raid the church in the 11th century. The story is that he was caught, skinned alive, a large patch of his flesh was nailed to the door as a deterrent. Turns out these kinds of gruesome warnings have been seen in several other medieval churches in the region, including Westminster Abbey. The skin was removed from the doors long ago but the samples have been preserved, prompting Cambridge University researcher Ruairidh Macleod and colleagues to analyze it with a new mass spectrometry technique. Turns out that none of the four samples came from a human. From Ancient Origins:

Macleod and his colleagues analyzed the skin fragments from all four church doors using a non-destructive technique called "Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry" or ZooMS. Notably, the technique has helped scientists pick a single Neanderthal bone from among 2,300 bone fragments belonging to animals like mammoths, woolly rhinos, wolves, and reindeer in Russia's Denisova Cave. The technique reveals the collagen peptide sequence in bone fragments, allowing scientists to identify to which species a bone once belonged[] While the St Botolph's and Westminster Abbey ones came from bovines, the St Michael and All Angels Church skins belonged to a horse or donkey.

image: piece of the St. Botolph's Church skin, Saffron Walden Museum
If you've been wondering what was in the math textbooks that were deemed too full of "Critical Race Theory" and otherwise too radical to be included in Florida grade school curriculum, here's the big reveal. Spoiler alert: Of the 8 books that journalists at Popular Information were able to get a hold of (four K-5 and four middle and high school), they found nothing of the sort.

Popular Information found nothing in the K-7 books that seemed even remotely triggering and all they found in the other books was one math problem that used data about racial bias, one that used sickle cell anemia data, and a few sidebar bios of African-American mathematicians.

What the journalists suspected may have been "offensive" in the K-5 material (which comprised 71% of the books rejected) might come under the heading of Social Emotional Learning. SEL is about teaching kids emotional skills, kindness, confidence, etc. As the journalist says in the interview, the Right is now conflating SEL with CRT, seeing SEL as a gateway drug to other leftwing ideas like Critical Race Theory, LGBTQ+ rights, etc.

Disturbing stuff.



Image: LearningLark  CC BY 2.0
Landscape contractors Eric Bogart and Michael Sinatra are teaming up for their fourth local development performance, bringing a new $2.5 million self-storage facility to Amherst.

Bogart and Sinatra are planning to construct a set of four single-story buildings with 164 storage rental units at 321 Commerce Drive, in the office and industrial park off Sweet Home Road.

The facility will feature two 4,500-square-foot buildings and two 5,200-square-foot slab-on-grade buildings located on a narrow 1.78-acre parcel on the south side of Commerce, between John Glenn and Woodridge drives, adjacent to Ellicott Creek. Four parking spaces and drive lanes are included in the plan, as well as lighting, landscaping and stormwater management, but no office.

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In all, the 19,400 square feet of storage space will include a mix of 10X10 and 10X15 rental units, according to the design and plans by Advanced Design Group of Lewiston.

The duo, who jointly own Bogart-Sinatra Development, acquired the property in November for $180,000 through 321 Commerce LLC from a New Jersey family trust, which in turn had acquired it as part of a larger 3.9-acre property in 2019 for $775,000.

The property is zoned as research and development, and the project was approved Thursday evening by the Amherst Planning Board. If it receives final clearance from the Town Board, construction would take about 12 months, including clearing of the vacant land, which is currently grassy with some small trees.

Bogart owns Bogart Landscape Contracting in North Tonawanda, as well as a concrete business, while Sinatra  a distant cousin to developer Nick Sinatra  runs Mike Sinatra's Landscaping and Snowplowing in Tonawanda.

This is the second self-storage project for the longtime friends, who previously bought the Colvin Storage facility in Buffalo for $1.1 million. They are also building a multitenant facility on 428 Zimmerman St. in North Tonawanda, with 22,000 square feet of contractor and small business storage bays, and previously converted a multitenant warehouse facility at 1212 Erie Ave. in North Tonawanda, where they are also planning to add 150 to 200 self-storage units.

That's where they got their start, after Sinatra needed some space for his business. He occupies part of the Erie building, while they lease out the rest.

"That got the ball rolling," Bogart said. "We always wanted to get into real estate, to have passive income. We just started looking at different routes."

They considered residential or even office development, but quickly settled on storage, although Bogart said he has 9 acres in Pendleton that he will probably develop into apartments. "Self-storage is lower maintenance than apartments," Bogart said. "This was before a lot of people were rolling into self-storage. Now its huge."

And they're planning more. "It's definitely a thriving business. It's just gotten crazy. They're popping up all over the place," Sinatra said. "Everybody's got a bunch of stuff they need to store."

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Two people were killed and four others were wounded in a trio of shootings across Buffalo on Sunday as gun violence marred 2022s warmest day yet.

Buffalo police have recovered weapons and vehicles tied to two of the shootings and have arrested three people for criminal possession of a weapon. But they have not directly charged anyone in the shootings.

That was the start, and we're looking on making further progress on those cases, Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia told reporters Monday afternoon at Buffalo Police Headquarters.

Gramaglia said he couldnt say yet whether any of the shootings were connected to each other, or to a previous shooting, but they were targeted.

The commissioner acknowledged the annual arrival of warmer weather often leads to increased violence, particularly shootings, in the city.

Buffalo relies on crime data to direct police resources toward neighborhoods where they are most needed, Gramaglia said.

Two of the three shootings are not in what we would consider our hot zones, our areas that are prone to this type of activity, he said, referring to the waterfront and Dodge Street shootings. But we are out every day and every night in areas, using data-driven analysis, to put our officers in a position, to be in places, to hopefully prevent these things from happening.

Heres the latest information provided by Gramaglia and police spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge on the three shootings:

Dodge Street

One man dead, another wounded in shooting on Dodge Street One man was killed and another was wounded in a shooting about 3:50 p.m. Sunday in the 400 block of Dodge Street, between Jefferson and Roehrer avenues, Buffalo Police spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge reported.

One man was killed and another was wounded about 3:50 p.m. on Dodge between Jefferson and Roehrer avenues. The victims had been sitting on a front porch when they were struck by bullets fired from a passing vehicle, Gramaglia said.

A 36-year-old Buffalo man died at the scene. A 21-year-old city man was taken to Erie County Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition.

Marine Drive

One man was killed and another was badly injured in a shooting just after 9 p.m. near Erie Street and Marine Drive, not far from Erie Basin Marina and the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park.

1 killed, 1 injured in shooting near downtown waterfront The shooting took place just after 9 p.m. Sunday near Erie Street and Marine Drive, not far from Canalside and the Erie Basin Marina.

A 23-year-old Buffalo man died at the scene, and a 22-year-old city man was being treated at ECMC, where he was in serious condition.

Gramaglia said a group had gathered in the area Sunday night for an impromptu street-racing event for high-performance vehicles and those who drive and admire them. The attendees included the two men who were shot.

Buffalo police had gotten wind of the unauthorized event and were in the process of responding when they encountered a vehicle fleeing the scene of the shooting, the commissioner said.

This vehicle crashed a short time later. An unknown number of people inside the vehicle ran off after the crash and officers were not in a position to pursue them, Gramaglia said.

Police recovered a handgun near the abandoned vehicle.

Gramaglia said unauthorized racing events have become popular in the city over the past two summers at numerous locations including the parking lots along the waterfront.

The city has taken steps to make the sites unappealing to street racers, including adding jersey barriers and speed humps, as well as assigning officers on overtime to patrol those locations, he said.

The waterfront is a popular daytime destination for visitors, but Gramaglia noted most of the street racing takes place later at night.

Stockbridge Avenue

Northeast District officers responded to a call shortly before 10:15 p.m. on Stockbridge, between Bailey Avenue and Orleans Street.

A 21-year-old Cheektowaga man was struck by gunfire and taken by ambulance to ECMC, where he was initially listed in stable condition.

Two injured in Sunday night shooting A 21-year-old Cheektowaga man was struck by gunfire and taken by ambulance to Erie County Medical Center, where he was initially listed in stable condition. Police said sometime overnight a 16-year-old female went to Sisters Hospital in a civilian vehicle. Detectives said she was grazed by gunfire in the incident.

Police said sometime overnight a 16-year-old female went to Sisters Hospital in a civilian vehicle. Detectives said she was grazed by gunfire in the incident.

Shortly after the shooting, Gramaglia said, city surveillance cameras and police license plate readers picked up a possible suspect vehicle from this shooting.

Officers began to pursue the vehicle onto the westbound 33, and toward the Humboldt Parkway exit, when two occupants at separate points bailed out of the moving vehicle, Gramaglia said.

One of the suspects who bailed out of the vehicle struck another vehicle, I believe it was a parked vehicle, and sustained very serious injuries, he said. That person is in ECMCs intensive care unit.

A third person who bailed out of the car was also taken into custody, and Gramaglia said detectives are searching for a fourth suspect.

One Buffalo police vehicle involved in the pursuit stopped to pick up a handgun that had been tossed from the suspects vehicle.

Police have charged the three men with criminal possession of a weapon, and said additional charges are possible.

One of those arrested is on probation for a conviction for operating a stolen vehicle and another is on parole for a handgun conviction, Gramaglia said.

Obviously, we have a handgun problem. We're working very diligently on this, he said. But we have too many previously convicted felons, among others, that are still getting easy access to handguns.

Anyone with information on any of the incidents is asked to call or text the Buffalo Police confidential Tipcall line at 716-847-2255.

News Staff Reporters Dale Anderson and Barbara OBrien contributed to this report.

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New York State voters strongly oppose the state's deal for a new Buffalo Bills stadium, according to a newly released Siena Research Institute poll.

The poll found 63% of voters opposed the state providing $600 million in funding toward a new stadium, with 24% approving of the deal. The rest said their views were mixed, they didn't know, or didn't have an opinion.

The deal was opposed by 70% of Republican voters, 64% of independent voters and 60% of Democratic voters, according to the poll.

"Its opposed by at least 55% of every demographic group, said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg. He noted that upstate voters were even less approving than downstate voters of the deal.

The poll found 68% of upstate voters were against the state's deal, and only 18% of them approved of it. Siena defines upstate as everywhere outside of the five boroughs of New York City, Long Island, and the counties of Westchester, Rockland, Orange and Putnam.

County Legislature begins mulling Bills stadium deal, but don't expect many quick decisions The Erie County Legislature will finally begin discussions on the Buffalo Bills stadium deal this week, but that doesn't mean a final vote will come quickly.

Sixty-nine percent of downstate suburban voters were against the deal, while 55% of New York City voters opposed it, the poll said.

In the 13 westernmost counties of the state, a total of 57 voters were polled about the stadium deal. Among them, 65% of them were opposed to it, and 31% approved of the deal.

The poll was conducted earlier this month, with 806 registered voters.

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It's been a turbulent few weeks for Gov. Kathy Hochul. Her hand-picked lieutenant governor, Brian Benjamin, resigned after his arrest on federal fraud and bribery charges. Her state budget was late, and it included a controversial $600 million in state funding for construction of a new Buffalo Bills stadium.

Hochul addressed those issues in a brief phone interview Thursday evening with Buffalo News Washington bureau chief Jerry Zremski. Here are edited excerpts from that interview.

Q: How much do you think the Brian Benjamin arrest and resignation have affected your campaign?

A: It has not affected the campaign. Governmentally, it had an effect. We now have to spend time vetting, identifying a replacement and figuring out how the process works out. So that's more on the government side. I'd rather not be in that position, but campaign-wise it has no effect because we're just hitting the ground running hard.

Kathy Hochul embarks on a race that's still hers to lose Despite a brutal few weeks that saw her lieutenant governor arrested, her Buffalo Bills stadium plan criticized and her budget seen as risking a rift with the left, Hochul still can campaign with two advantages her challengers can't match: her incumbency and her money.

Q: What are you going to do, though, if you go to a diner  which is something you love to do  and a voter says: "You know, I've been thinking about it and I just don't know how you could have made that decision about Brian Benjamin." How do you explain that to a voter?

A: I will address that by saying: 'We made the best decision we could at the time with the information we had. If I had access to the same amount of information then, I would have gone in a different direction. And it was enormously disappointing to me, the outcome."

The same day, and within minutes of me learning about that dynamic, we also learned about 10 people being shot on the Brooklyn subway. So I had to quickly adapt and compartmentalize the one issue and get over to Brooklyn. The mayor (Eric Adams) had Covid, so I knew he would not be able to be there in person. I talked to him on the phone and said: "We show up and then we take the subway later at night to go to the hospital so we show the subway is safe."

Q: Your opponents are making a big deal of the Buffalo Bills stadium deal. Do you think that will hurt you politically downstate?

A: There's so many ways that this has been mischaracterized. And, you know, I understand why people misrepresent things in a campaign, or exaggerate, but this was a regional priority for part of the state, where everyone knows the Bills are an enormous part of Western New York's identity. It was important to the (local) legislators as well ... This is a regional priority, just like we have regional priorities on Long Island. No one in Western New York is going to benefit from, you know, millions and millions of dollars being spent on the Long Island Railroad and adding capacity to train stations or East Side access or Penn Station or what we do in the Adirondacks with respect to building up for the World University Games.

So I'll be able to explain to people that this is what we do all over the state. Imagine losing Broadway in New York City. We could not afford to lose the Buffalo Bills.

Q: I've gotten the sense talking to people the last couple of days that the vast majority of voters are not yet engaged in this campaign ... Do you think that's pretty much true?

A: Yeah, probably people are not paying attention. They're getting to know a new governor. And that's why in the early polls, I had no name recognition ... But that has changed dramatically. You know, people want to support the first female governor of New York. I hear that all the time, not just from moms. I hear from fathers who want a picture taken so they could show their teenage daughter that they can be whatever they want to be. So they will start paying attention. And the beauty is I will no longer be locked in Albany, working on a budget which we're very proud of. Now I'll go out and talk about it in every corner of the state.

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Two people were stabbed early Sunday in what Fredonia police described as "a violent altercation" on the dance floor of a village bar.

Police say they responded to numerous 911 calls coming from Sunny's tavern, 43 Water St., around the 2 a.m. closing time for the nightclub, which had touted drink specials on its Instagram page for a "Saturday at the Hot Spot" promotion.

Responding officers found a large crowd exiting the bar and gathering on nearby Canadaway Street, with bystanders shouting that two people had been stabbed.

Two victims were taken to Brooks Memorial Hospital. One, who had minimal injuries, refused treatment there. The second was treated and released.

Dunkirk police, SUNY Fredonia police and State Police assisted at the scene. Fredonia police did not release further details about the incident, which remains under investigation.

Anyone with information about the stabbing is asked to call Fredonia police at 716-679-1531.

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It is alarming, and for the obvious reason: The U.S. Census Bureau chronically underestimated Erie Countys population between 2010 and 2020, costing the county some $4 million in federal stimulus funds. This is money that could have been used for any number of initiatives to benefit people and communities.

The 2020 census found that the county grew by 35,000 people since 2010. It was its first increase in a generation but, even then, the population may have been undercounted, given the problems with how the recent census was conducted. And thats not the only way census errors penalized the county.

For years, another, lesser known census initiative has overlooked some 36,000 Erie County residents. The undercount diminishes funding and eligibility for dozens of state and federal programs.

Those are the facts as chronicled by News staff reporter Caitlin Dewey. This is more than a rounding error. The consequence of the undercount comes at a time when municipalities across the nation are still trying to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Any regions ability to leverage the full amount of federal funds due is a critical key to recovery.

A News analysis, reviewed by staff at Federal Funds Information for States, a nonprofit organization that conducts federal budget analyses for state governments, brought crucial facts to light. To start, current and former Census Bureau officials told The News that some discrepancies in these figures are inevitable and expected. Some of the logistics involve fast moving variables that include births, deaths and relocations.

Even still, the 3.8% discrepancy in Erie County and 4.2% gap across New York State fall outside what four demographers described as the range of expected accuracy for population estimates, the organization reported.

The miscount cost Erie County more than $4 million in federal stimulus funding. The amount is not insignificant. Jan Vink considered it a big surprise.

Vink is an extension associate with the Program on Applied Demographics at Cornell University and New Yorks representative to a Census Bureau task force on population projections. He was among the experts interviewed for Deweys article who expressed some measure of astonishment.

As described, the Census Bureaus annual population estimates tend to attract less attention than the decennial census, even though they also determine the outcome of billions of dollars of federal spending each year. The granular details of the annual population estimates and decennial census aside, each carries importance in determining the amount of allocated resources.

The bottom line is the loss of more than $4 million in federal stimulus funding under the 2020 CARES Act and, as the article states, the likely suppressed aid under the 2021 American Rescue Plan. Allocations under many other programs also rely on annual population estimates, said Andrew Reamer, a research professor at George Washington University. They include Medicaid and some community development funds. Low counts hurt cities, counties and entire states.

The allocation formulas are complex, so, as the story observed, loss of population doesnt necessary correlate with a proportional loss of funds. Even so, the discrepancy remains disturbing and, in this areas case, costly.

This problem adds to the troubles that show up in the decennial census that counts the entire population, determines congressional representation and influences the allocation of funds. Both processes need to be reconsidered to diminish the chances of error, either by mishap or, as some suspected in 2020, by political manipulation.

Short of that, the losses suffered by Erie County call for vigilance, which Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz has pledged. It might also call for paying someone to monitor the counting that went so wrong here.

  

Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing.
IIT Madras: Humanities And Social Sciences Entrance Exam (HSEE) 2022 https://career.webindia123.com/career/dates_and_events/indian-institute-of-technology-madras-humanities-and-social-sciences-entrance-exam.htm Details of IIT Madras: Humanities And Social Sciences Entrance Exam (HSEE) 2022 2022-1-1 2022-4-27 https://career.webindia123.com/career/images/exams.png India India IIT Madras: Humanities And Social Sciences Entrance Exam (HSEE) 2022 PG

Admission Notice - IIT Humanities And Social Sciences Entrance Exam (HSEE) 2021

Category : PG Admissions 2022 Published : On January 1, 2022 By Webindia123 Editor

Important Dates

Online Application process (HSEE website) - Starts 1st February 2021 Payment of examination fee through Indian Bank challan / Net Banking / Credit Card / Debit Card - Starts 1st February 2021 Payment of examination fee through Indian Bank challan / Net Banking / Credit Card / Debit Card - Ends 1st February 2021 Last date for submission of online application 15th March 2021 Admit Card availability for download from the HSEE website by candidate - Ends 12th May - 13th June 2021 HSEE-2021 Examination 13th June 2021 Declaration of result on HSEE website 28th June 2021 Offer Letters to Candidates - Starts 30th June 2021

IIT Madras has invited applications for the Humanities and Social Sciences Entrance Examination for admission to its integrated MA program in Development Studies and English Studies.

Indian Institute of Technology Madras, is one among the foremost institutes of national importance in higher technological education, basic and applied research.

Programme:

Integrated Master of Arts Programme (M.A) in Development Studies

Integrated Master of Arts Programme (M.A) in English

Duration: 5 years

Eligibility:

Candidates applying for HSEE-2021 must have passed for the first time in 2021 or should be appearing in 2021 in any one of the following qualifying examinations (QE):

The final examination of the 10+2 system, conducted by a Central or State Board recognized by the Association of Indian Universities (www.aiuweb.org).

Intermediate or two-year Pre-University examination conducted by a Board or University recognized by the Association of Indian Universities.

Final examination of the two-year course of the Joint Services Wing of the National Defence Academy.

Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Institute of Open Schooling with a minimum of five subjects.

Any Public School, Board or University examination in India or in a foreign country recognized as equivalent to the 10+2 system by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).

H.S.C. vocational examination.

General Certificate Education (GCE) examination (London, Cambridge or Sri Lanka) at the Advanced (A) level.

High School Certificate Examination of the Cambridge University or International Baccalaureate Diploma of the International Baccalaureate Office, Geneva.

Candidates who have completed Class XII (or equivalent) examination outside India or from a Board not specified above should produce a certificate from the Association of Indian Universities to the effect that the examination they have passed is equivalent to the Class XII examination.

In case the Class XII examination is not a public examination, the candidate must have passed

at least one public (Board or Pre-University) examination earlier.

Percentage of Marks in QE:

The candidates belonging to the general category and OBC category must secure a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate in the QE. Candidates belonging to SC, ST and PwD categories must secure a minimum of 55% in aggregate in the QE. In case where only letter grades are mentioned in the grade sheet, the candidate should obtain a certificate from the Board specifying equivalent marks, and submit it at the time of joining. In case such a certificate is not provided by the candidate, the decision of the HSEE Admission Committee regarding his/her eligibility shall be final.

Date of birth:

Candidate, whose date of birth falls on or after October 01, 1996, is eligible for HSEE-2021. However, in the case of SC, ST and PwD candidates, upper age limit is relaxed by 5 years, i.e., candidates belonging to these categories / sub-categories born on or after October 01, 1991 are eligible. The date of birth as recorded in the High School (10th std. / 12th Std.) first Board / Pre-University Certificate will be taken as authentic. Candidates must produce a scanned copy of this certificate along with the completed Application Form as a proof of their age and at the time of admission original certificate has to be produced failing which they will be disqualified.

Cities for HSEE-2021 :

The entrance examination will be conducted in the following nine cities:

Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Thiruvananthapuram.

If sufficient number of candidates are not available at any of the above listed cities, the same may be dropped, and the candidates will be allocated to a center in any of the other cities. The address of an Examination Centre for a candidate will be mentioned in the Admit Card, which can be generated online. Request from a candidate for change of city/town allotted to him/her will NOT be entertained under any circumstances.

Examination fee: Rs 2400 (for SC/ST/PD (male) candidates is Rs.1200)

Note: No examination fee for female candidates.



Examination fee has to be paid through the Indian Bank challan generated online during the application registration process.

Note: a processing fee of Rs.40 will be charged by the bank (for challan).

OR

through Demand Draft (DD) in favor of IIT Madras HSEE-2021, payable at Chennai and the bank charges to be borne by the candidate.

Note: DD allowed only if the town/place doesnot have a branch of Indian Bank.



How to apply:

Application for the HSEE-2021 is only through online mode through the website: www.hsee.iitm.ac.in.

Print the completed application form and affix a colour photograph (against white background). Signatures of the candidate and the parent/guardian are required at the specified places in the form.

Details of the challan or DD to be filled in and checked. Print out of the filled in application along with required documents should be sent to the Chairman, HSEE 2021, JEE office, IIT Madras, Chennai-600036 so as to rech on or before prescribed date.

More Details can be available from the institute website.

Contact Details Address : Chairman, HSEE, JEE Office

IIT Madras, Chennai-600036 Phone : 044 - 2257 8220 Fax : 044 - 2257 8224 Mobile : E-mail : Contact I Website : hsee.iitm.ac.in

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Also on #CoRplenary agenda: Conference on the Future of Europe, the EU-UK relationship and the energy crisis

Ukrainian local leaders will address the European Committee of the Regions' plenary on 27 April from 1:30pm-4pm (CET). From Ukraine, the mayors of Kyiv, Lviv, Mariupol and Melitopol, as well the leader of Kharkiv District Council will join the EU's local and regional leaders to explain the current situation facing their cities and how the EU, its regions and cities can best help in providing humanitarian support and protecting Ukrainian refugees. The European Commissioners for regional policy, Elisa Ferreira, and crisis management, Janez Lenarcic, as well as the Mayor of Rome, will also join the debate, which will be streamed live. The Committee will then adopt a resolution calling for the immediate release of kidnapped Ukrainian mayors and tools to be put at the disposal of local authorities to help them to shelter refugees.

Following that debate, representatives of the EUs regions and cities will then discuss the EUs relationship with the UK with European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic (4pm-5pm) and adopt recommendations on how to strengthen ties at the sub-national level.

On the second day of the plenary, on Thursday 28 April from 9am-10am, the CoR members will hold a discussion with Dubravka Suica , Vice-President of European Commission for Democracy and Demography, Domenec Ruiz Devesa MEP , Rapporteur for the European Parliament's Resolution on the implementation of citizenship education, and Professor Inge Sieben from Tilburg University on the importance of promoting European democratic values through education to foster EU citizenship. This debate will contribute to the ongoing discussion with the citizens within the framework of the Conference on the Future of Europe , and for which the final report will be presented on 9 May, Europe Day, to the presidents of the EU institutions at an event at which the 30 regional and local delegates will be represented by the CoR's President, Apostolos Tzitzikostas.

The ongoing energy crisis will be another leading theme of the plenary session, with the adoption of a package of energy and Green Deal recommendations that aim at ending the EUs dependence on Russian oil and gas  and at protecting citizens from record energy prices by accelerating the EUs transition to clean energy. The Committee will also adopt a resolution on REPowerEU, stressing that the only future-proof energy-security strategy is energy sovereignty.

Follow the plenary LIVE on the CoR website

KEY DEBATES (CET)

27 April, 1.30-4 p.m.: Debate on Ukraine , with the Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko , Mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi , Mayor of Mariupol Vadym Boychenko, Mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov , Head of Kharkiv Regional Council Tetiana Yehorova-Lutsenko , EU Commissioners Roberto Gualtieri and President of the City of Przemysl Wojciech Bakun .

, with the Mayor of Kyiv, Mayor of Lviv, Mayor of MariupolMayor of Melitopol, Head of Kharkiv Regional Council, EU Commissioners Elisa Ferreira , for Cohesion and Reforms, and Janez Lenarcic , for Crisis Management, as well as the Mayor of Romeand President of the City of Przemysl



27 April, 4-5 p.m.: Debate on the Role of Local and Regional Authorities in the Context of the EU-UK Partnership , with Maros Sefcovic , Vice-President of the European Commission.





, with , Vice-President of the European Commission. 28 April, 910 a.m.: Debate on the Promotion of European Democratic Valu es through Education to foster EU Citizenship, with Dubravka Suica , European Commission Vice-President of for Democracy and Demography, MEP Domenec Ruiz Devesa , and Inge Sieben of Tilburg University.

OPINIONS FOR ADOPTION

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Location : Charlemagne building, Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 170, 1000 Brussels / Online

Date : Wednesday, 27 April  Thursday, 28 April 2022.

Background material : The plenary agenda , plus opinions and amendments.

Webstreaming : On the website of the CoR.


In 1994, Singapore caned American teenager Michael Fay for vandalism, a day after the sentence was reduced from six lashes to four in response
WASHINGTON  Testimony released Friday indicates U.S. Rep. Scott Perry was among congressional Republicans who were involved in White House discussions about overturning the 2020 election in the months leading to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

A former White House official told the House committee investigating the Capitol riot that President Donald Trumps chief of staff, Mark Meadows, had been advised of intelligence reports showing the potential for violence, according to just-released transcripts.

Cassidy Hutchinson, a special assistant in the Trump White House, told the committee there were concerns brought forward to Meadows before the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but it was unclear what Meadows did with that information.

I just remember Mr. Ornato coming in and saying that we had intel reports saying that there could potentially be violence on the 6th, Hutchinson said, presumably referencing Anthony Ornato, a senior Secret Service official. And Mr. Meadows said: All right. Lets talk about it.

The exact nature of what Meadows was told is not clear from Hutchinsons testimony. Though law enforcement had been bracing for potential violence on Jan. 6, officials had not properly accounted for the prospect that a violent mob would attack the Capitol.

The filing late Friday is the latest in a long legal fight over the extent to which Meadows, whose proximity to Trump has made him a key target of House Democrats, can be forced to cooperate with the committees investigation. Meadows has handed over thousands of text messages, but he has refused to sit for an interview, has argued that he is immune from having to testify by virtue of his White House position, and has sued the committee.

The filing seeks a court ruling in the committees favor that Meadows has no valid basis to refuse to testify. It says the committee has refined the scope of its request to focus on seven specific topics, including testimony about communication with Congress before Jan. 6, 2021; White House plans to replace the leadership of Justice Department so the department could pursue Trumps bogus claims of election fraud; and efforts to create alternate, or fake, slates of state electors who could change the outcome of the vote of the 2020 election that Democrat Joe Biden won.

The committee released excerpts of testimony from multiple witnesses it has interviewed, including Hutchinson. Besides describing warnings of potential violence provided to Meadows, Hutchinson revealed how the White House counsels office cautioned against plans to enlist fake electors in states, including in meetings involving Meadows and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Perry, who represents part of Cumberland County, was texting Meadows as early as Dec. 26, 2020: Mark, just checking in as time continues to count down. 11 days to 1/6 and 25 days to inauguration. We gotta get going!

In the texts released by the committee, Perry encouraged Meadows to talk to Jeffrey Clark, an assistant attorney general who was sympathetic to Trumps bogus claims of election fraud. A week later, on Jan. 3, Clark attended a meeting at the White House with Trump, where the prospect of elevating Clark to the role of acting attorney general was discussed  but adamantly resisted by Justice Department officials, who threatened to resign, and White House lawyers. Trump ultimately backed down.

Hutchinson said Meadows talked frequently to Clark, and Hutchinson recalled Clarks presence at the White House and his frequent outreach and communications.

The filing also includes new text messages that Meadows turned over, including several from House Republicans who were pushing the former North Carolina congressman to act. Meadows close friend, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, suggests in a late text on Jan. 5, 2021  the day before Congress was due to certify Bidens victory  that Vice President Mike Pence should call out all electoral votes that he believes are unconstitutional as no electoral votes at all.

Meadows texted back in the early hours of Jan. 6: I have pushed for this. Not sure it is going to happen. Pence ultimately resisted the overwhelming pressure from Trump and his allies and did not attempt to object to Bidens certification.

In another interview released by the committee Friday, former Justice Department official Steven Engel, then the head of the Office of Legal Counsel, said Clark had suggested that the department provide a legal opinion to Pence regarding the vice presidents authority to object to the certification of the presidential election. Engel said he told Clark that was absurd and reminded him that Pences role was a ceremonial one as president of the Senate.

The testimony released Friday also reinforced how certain Republicans in Congress were deeply involved in White House discussions about overturning the election in the months leading to the deadly insurrection.

Hutchinson, for instance, described several calls involving Meadows and members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus in late November and early December in which participants discussed what Pences role could be on Jan. 6, besides the ceremonial role he was required to play.

On those calls, according to Hutchinson, were representatives from Trumps legal team, including Giuliani, Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell, as well as Jordan and Perry.

Meadows lawsuit asked a judge to invalidate two subpoenas that he received from the committee, alleging they were overly broad and unduly burdensome. The suit accused the committee of overreaching by subpoenaing Verizon for his cellphone records.

After the complaint was filed, the House committee sent a contempt of Congress charge against Meadows to the full House, where it passed on a near-party-line vote. It was the first time the chamber had voted to hold a former member in contempt since the 1830s.

While an earlier contempt referral against former Trump adviser Steve Bannon resulted in an indictment, the Justice Department has been slower to decide whether to prosecute Meadows.

Any criminal case against Meadows would be more complex than that presented against Bannon, in part because Meadows was a White House chief of staff and because he had begun to cooperate with the committee, even providing documents to the nine-member panel.

Meadows attorney, George Terwilliger, has previously defended his client by noting that due to Meadows willingness to turn over records, he should not be compelled to appear for an interview. Terwilliger did not immediately return an email seeking comment about the latest disclosures.

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The current Washington County Prosecuting Attorney Josh Hedgecorth issued a statement following Michael Politte's release.

"As the Prosecuting Attorney of Washington County, I fully supported Mr. Polittes application for parole. I sent a letter to the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole in January 2022 recommending his release.

"Having grown up behind bars, he has a tremendous maturity which is reflected in an exceptional record during the length of his incarceration. There is a larger community-led call for his release, including from current and former law enforcement.

"The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney of Washington County is conducting a review of Mr. Polittes case in light of the fact that a crucial piece of physical evidence has been scientifically proven false. I am committed to moving with urgency to conclude the investigation into Mr. Polittes case."

In 2002, Politte was convicted of second-degree murder for the death of his mother and sentenced to life in prison.

Politte has consistently asserted his innocence and challenged his conviction. After 23 years behind bars, Politte was released on parole on April 22.

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An armed man was fatally shot in Washington County after authorities responded to a trespassing call last week.

Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) Cpl. Dallas Thompson said deputies with the Washington County Sheriffs Office responded to a trespassing call at about 10 p.m. Thursday at a residence on Kingston Road in Washington County.

Thompson said the reporting party had notified police that a man armed with a rifle was trespassing on the property. The man, identified as 30-year-old Kory Littrell of the Richwoods area, was reportedly still on the property when deputies arrived on the scene.

Thompson explained that the deputies attempted to get Littrell to put the rifle down, speaking with the man for just over five hours.

At the end of negotiations trying to get the man to comply, Thompson said the man turned the rifle toward the deputies in a threatening manner. In fear for their lives, the deputies then fired shots at the man, striking and killing him, said Thompson.

Thompson noted that after the fatal incident, the Washington County Sheriffs Office requested the MSHPs Division of Drug and Crime Control to respond to the scene and conduct an investigation into the use of force.

The Washington County Coroners Office ordered an autopsy, which has since been performed. Thompson said the toxicology results from the autopsy were still pending.

Bobby Radford is a reporter for the Daily Journal. He can be reached at bradford@dailyjournalonline.com

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JEFFERSON CITY  Michael Politte steadied the bike Friday morning and prepared to pedal for the first time since he was 14 years old. He and his friend Mike Glore used to ride together in Hopewell, where Politte grew up. Now, 23 years later, Glore was here with him in the parking lot of the Jefferson City Correctional Center, when Politte breathed the fresh air of freedom.

Meet you at the railroad tracks, Politte said to the crowd that included his two sisters, Crystal and Melonie, and more than two dozen family, friends, reporters and attorneys.

The crowd cheered as the two Mikes rode off, grown men acting like children.

They had cheered earlier, too, as Politte walked out the front door to the first hugs in more than two decades that could last longer than five seconds.

They cheered, and Politte smiled, taking in everything around him.

Whats ahead for you, he was asked.

Life, he said. I just want to live.

Life was his original sentence, handed down after he was accused and convicted of killing his mother, Rita, in a fire in the trailer where she lived. Politte  and his sisters  have always maintained his innocence. He was convicted on bad science that the state now admits was inaccurate. A deputy who worked the case now believes there was a rush to justice; so do a couple of the jurors who have signed affidavits saying they got it wrong.

Officially, Politte is out on parole, the result of a new Missouri law enacted to help the state comply with U.S. Supreme Court rulings seeking to bring humanity and justice to lifelong sentences given to juveniles, while their brains are still forming.

While Politte is free, he will continue the fight for justice, for his exoneration, and for his mom, forever emblazoned on his side in a prison tattoo he got in 2003.

Politte has a petition before the Missouri Supreme Court. His attorney, Megan Crane with the MacArthur Justice Center, is hoping for the appointment of a special master that could lead to his conviction being vacated. His goal is exoneration for him, and justice for his mom.

A couple of geese flew across the hazy morning sky on Friday. Politte, standing in the parking lot surrounded by family, looked up. Hi mom, he said.

Debbie Van Pelt-McEnroe stood nearby holding a sign: Exonerate Mike! and Please Find Rita Polittes KILLER! Its way past time for JUSTICE! She lives in Kansas City and made the drive the night before, having followed Polittes case for several years.

I never thought this day would come, Politte said a few moments after being released. He looked around and took in his surroundings. I dont see any barbed wire or razor wire. Its all open. It smells different; looks different.

He was all smiles.

Its a small measure of justice for having been locked up since age 14. After a day of celebration, in the parking lot, then at a nearby park and later at lunch, Politte planned to head home, where he will live at Melonies house, one she bought in south St. Louis County in anticipation of his homecoming.

Even as he headed toward his new home, a part of Polittes mind was on his old one. Before he left prison, he took a picture with his friend Lamar Johnson, another man fighting for his freedom. They share legal representation with the Midwest Innocence Project and have been each others biggest supporters as their cases move through the courts, slowly, hopefully toward the day when they can celebrate their freedom  and innocence  together.

Hopefully the next time Im in this parking lot, well welcome him out here, Politte said of Johnson.

A train chugged by on the tracks adjacent to the prison. It was a sound Politte had heard from behind the walls and fences, but it sounded different this time.

I remember those, he said, pointing at the long line of train cars. Like them, hes headed away from the prison, to a new home, and new memories.

Ive just got my wings in the air, he says. Im so happy.

Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

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Jerry Richards, Cooperative Feral Hog Outreach educator with the University of Missouri Extension, has been on a mission to exterminate feral hogs in the area.

Richards recently gave an update on his quest to remove the wild hogs and prevent further damage to farmers' fields and local habitat.

We had a meeting at Johnsons Shut-Ins where we got all the legislators and some media there, he said. Weve had the helicopter all winter long which helps, where before we had it for a week or two. Helicopters are frequently used to find groups of hogs during eradication efforts.

There has been success with the program, Richards said, indicating the numbers of hogs caught are decreasing.

We have areas in the western part of the state where there used to be hogs and this winter, we havent found a hog, he said. We still have the movement of them, they keep progressing. We still have evidence that some are still being caught and turned loose. Genetic strains come into places that just by pigs migrating they wouldnt be there.

Catching the final 25% of the hog population in a given area is apparently the hardest part since the ones that are left are shy and become wary of traps. Being mainly nocturnal, the last ones can be hard to clean out.

If we bring traps in and dont get them all caught, we send people there to hunt, Richards said. They have the night vision goggles.

Richards said it is illegal to hunt hogs on public lands, but not on private land a policy with which many people vehemently disagree.

Every place that has tried hunting to remove feral hogs, the problem has gotten worse, he said. Its counterintuitive, the common sense idea is, if we turn everybody loose with a gun, if were trapping over here and youre shooting over there, thats the best way to take care of it. The actual science behind it, in the places where they allow the hunting to continue, some hogs will get killed, but you permeate that hunting culture, which is people who want to sell hunts, guide hunts. We are told there are people who dont want them totally gone because they like to hunt.

At the Johnson Shut-Ins meeting, we had a panel of landowners who came in, theres some landowners that own a lot of land and cattle. They were in unanimous agreement that they are behind us. We had an article in Missouri Cattlemans Magazine and they are behind this approach.

With a rich hunting culture in this area, Richards says, sometimes hogs will be let loose for training or for selling hunts.

I believe it is still an issue, he said. The reason I believe it is an issue is that we have a certain number of genetically-coded hogs that will show up. Down in Texas, we have another breed down there. We have nothing showing up in southern Missouri showing that breed. Then suddenly, that breed shows up here. I would make the case that somebody has hauled that hog rather than he has decided to traipse all the way up from Texas. I still believe it is taking place, but not as much as it was.

Richards said feral hogs can not only destroy a farmers field, they will destroy habitat for other wildlife and the wildlife itself.

People used to say they had wild turkeys, he said. Now they hardly have any because the hogs come in and eat the eggs. They used to have whippoorwills, they dont have them now. We have the photographs where a hog has a fawn in its mouth. That is one of the things that people who are intent on hunting them have tunnel vision and dont see the other stuff going on. Its one of those things that you dont notice it riding around on your four-wheeler, but once people start pointing it out, it makes sense. Plus, feral hogs dont have any natural predators.

As a future part of the program, Richards said they are attempting to supply equipment that farmers can borrow to drag or disc up hog-damaged property to restore it to a previous state.

For landowners who have a feral hog problem, contact Jerry Richards at 573-854-9845 or jerryrichards@missouri.edu.

Mark Marberry is a reporter for the Farmington Press and Daily Journal. He can be reached at 573-518-3629, or at mmarberry@farmingtonpressonline.com

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The main road is in and open, the first two building permits have been issued and families who will live in the first village are now choosing lots.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesvilles redevelopment of the Southwood Mobile Home Park is moving forward, but while phase one is becoming a reality, the next phase is traveling a bumpier road.

Concerns about school capacity, traffic and parks are keeping Albemarle County planning staff from putting their recommendations behind the second phase of the redevelopment in Southwood Mobile Home Park.

Those concerns will make their way to the Albemarle Planning Commission at its Tuesday public hearing on the rezoning request. In a county staff report made public last week, planning staff wrote that currently the unfavorable factors of the development outweigh the favorable factors associated with this request.

Dan Rosensweig, local Habitat president and CEO, said the countys concerns arent necessarily bad news. The good news, he said, is that not recommending approval is different from recommending denial.

They identified four unfavorable factors which, with a little direction from the Planning Commission, can easily be addressed between a commission vote and the Board of Supervisors hearing, he said.

County supervisors have the final say in whether the rezoning gets approved.

Habitat for Humanity bought the trailer park property off Old Lynchburg Road near Fifth Street Extended in 2007 with plans to redevelop the more than 120-acre site into a mixed-income, mixed-use development without displacing mobile home park residents.

In 2019, the county approved rezoning for the first phase of the redevelopment project for a maximum of 450 residential units and up to 50,000 square feet of nonresidential buildings on 34 acres of vacant land.

Under the site plans presently approved, 335 homes will ultimately be built in the first phase, including 121 low-income housing tax credit apartments managed by Piedmont Housing Alliance and 86 homes built by Habitat for Southwood residents.

Phase two, which covers about 93 acres, would rezone the property to Neighborhood Model District to provide a minimum of 527 and maximum of 1,000 residential units. A maximum of 60,000 square feet of nonresidential buildings would also be permitted.

In an email to Habitat supporters, the organization said its absolutely essential that the second phase get rezoned without delay to allow hundreds of families to move from substandard housing to new homes of their own.

Habitat encouraged people to email the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors, and to speak at the public hearing on Tuesday.

This delay imperils the production of safe, decent, affordable homes for Southwood residents, the email said.

One major sticking point for staff is the number of children that could be sent to the existing Mountain View Elementary School when the next phase is built out when that school is currently over capacity.

An expansion of the school is scheduled to open in fall 2023 is designed to accommodate the current student enrollment, not future growth. The school division is looking for a site for a new elementary school to serve the area, and the staff report says that it ideally requires approximately 20 acres of land.

Habitat has offered to sell Albemarle County a 5.7-acre parcel for use as a school, child care center or community center with the caveat that the county would relocate residents if redevelopment has not begun in the area.

County staff said they believe nonprofits offer does not provide the minimum standards schools has identified for a new elementary school site.

Rosensweig said when Habitat previously asked nine years ago about adding a school site in Southwood, an unspecified county staff member and a school board member said they did not want a school there.

In March, after the sale offer was added, Rosensweig said hes not sure if residents or the county are sold on the idea of a community school in Southwood.

Its hard to speak generally for the residents, but by and large, theres a high degree of satisfaction with Mountain View, he said. A lot of people move to the southern neighborhood so they can go to a school thats essentially a bilingual immersion education experience.

Rosensweig said they cant give the land to the county for free, but are offering a discount off market value.

The reason we sell to market-rate purchasers is that it cross-subsidizes and allows us to build the affordable stuff, he said. So either were getting rid of affordable housing [property] so we cant house people or were getting rid of the revenue stream that allows us to house people affordably.

Although phase one of the project is moving forward and moving dirt, it has had its own issues. Shortly after the rezoning was approved in November 2019, Habitat gave the 317 families living at Southwood General Information Notices, which guarantees housing for them in the redevelopment.

That basically says, youre here, you have the right to remain, and were going to promise housing on-site for you, Rosensweig said.

Another 17 families who moved in later were issued Move-In Notices, which say they will be required to move out once redevelopment reaches their homes, and are not entitled to replacement affordable homes. Habitat stopped accepting new residents in March 2021.

Were going to try to keep them here as long as we possibly can, Rosensweig said.

Some residents who have reached out to The Daily Progress are concerned that they will not be able to afford housing in the redevelopment based on the prices they have seen and their incomes. They were fearful to speak to the media in-depth and be identified by name, citing possible retribution from Habitat as a landlord and others because they are undocumented.

Brochures at Habitats Southwood Design Center show homeownership pricing from $575 a month for a 2-bedroom condo up to $1,530 a month for a single family detached house with 3-4 bedrooms.

Weve set a minimum, its sort of a sliding scale, but thats not even the bottom line either, Rosensweig said. Because if a family cant pay that, then were going to work with them and theyll pay whatever they can afford, even if they dont make any money. Thats our obligation.

Families with General Information Notices will have housing costs capped at 30% of the familys income. Families will have to be income certified, he said, and those eligible for the deeper subsidy below the published minimum price will go through a verification process that is more intensive.

Rosensweig said Habitat is looking to hire five new bilingual staff members who will talk with every family in Southwood, similar to what Habitat did in 2012.

Now that people have a better sense of what were building, what prices are and we can provide a little bit more information, he said. This isnt just fill out a form. This is sitting down with every family. We hope to complete that by the end of this summer so that the communication will have gone both ways.

Originally, Habitat was not planning on relocating any families trailers in phase one, but 26 families were moved due to construction issues and another 66 families were moved due to septic fields leaking into the redevelopment. There are also septic issues with portions of phase two.

In a presentation to the Albemarle Board of Supervisors last week, Stacy Pethia, the countys housing policy manager, said Habitats estimated costs for the entire project total $154.7 million.

I do have ongoing concerns about resident retention as this process goes forward, and I look forward to hearing more about that as well, Supervisor Jim Andrews said after the presentation.

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Albemarle Circuit Court Judge Claude Worrell II wanted a list of specific student injuries that occurred because the Albemarle County Public Schools teach about institutional racism in the United States.

The Arizona-based Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which sued claiming the Virginia school systems anti-racism program was itself racist, could not produce a single one.

Worrell dismissed the case last week in a high profile test of a major conservative Republican political strategy headed into the 2022 and 2024 elections. His lengthy examination of an ADF lawyer revealed what this particular case was all along.

A publicity stunt.

From the time the ADF filed the Albemarle case in December 2021, it begged for student victims. The suit involved a pilot program that had already been shut down. The program, at a single middle school. did not penalize students who did not attend or whose parents chose to remove their children once it started. It did not discipline students who expressed disagreement with the subject matter being taught.

Neither has the overall anti-racism program that the Albemarle County School Board adopted in February 2019.

The best the ADF could come up with for the eight students it represented in the 14,000-child Albemarle school system was that half of themfour childrenfelt uncomfortable or confused by the curriculum.

Worrells reaction to this was both legal and philosophical. The law requires an actual injury to give those who sue the right to a hearing. Beyond that, and equally important, education does not come with a guarantee of comfort. As Worrell correctly pointed out from the bench, We dont want you to feel too bad does not count as legal theory or teaching rubric.

It happens during education that people are made to feel uncomfortable about their history, the judge said.

Perhaps the most telling moment of the hearing was an exchange in which the ADF lawyer told Worrell that the Albemarle anti-racism policy suggested that every White student is racist.

The Alliance Defending Freedom is a non-profit organization founded by evangelical Christian leaders, such as James Dobson of Focus on the Family. The ADF argues that individual religious beliefs can justify discriminatory behavior. This includes the refusal to cover birth control in employee health insurance plans. It extends to refusals to bake wedding cakes for gay couples. It allows a teacher to refuse to address non-binary students person by their preferred pronouns. This is why the Southern Poverty Law Center considers ADF a hate group on LBGTQ+ issues.

Internal Revenue Service rules do not allow ADF to be partisan or work in election campaigns. But the lawyers statement to Worrell about discrimination against Whites came straight out of the Republican playbook. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin used it to help get elected in November 2021. Former Vice President Mike Pence alluded to it recently in a speech at the University of Virginia. Attacking school programs that look at institutional racism aim to make White voters fear they are losing power to Blacks and drive them to vote for Republican candidates.

Courts, however, require more than innuendo.

Where does it say that every White student is racist, Worrell asked the ADF lawyer. Its not in the policy.

The attorney conceded the words were not in the policy, but the policys implementation could be seen as characterizing all Whites as discriminating.

Worrell called that answer what it isspeculation.

The lawyer would have made a better point claiming that the policy characterizes Whites as privileged, not racist. But that did not get to the White fear factor.

Om the other hand, going there last week got to a clear explanation of the law. Worrell used the ADFs own legal briefs to cite a case in West Virginia where a school system expelled a student for refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

What child here is compelled and then expelled? Worrell asked of the Albemarle case. There is no compulsion here.

Anyone can say that Albemarles anti-racism policy compels students to say things they dont believe. What the charge lacked in court was the thing that distinguishes how you want things to be from how they are.

Evidence.
Statement at the UNSC briefing on the Middle East, Including the Palestinian Question

Statement

Thank you very much Madam President.

We strongly endorse your report Tor. This Council must consider very seriously how to respond to the extremely worrying situation on the ground, and I would like to echo your own remark Tor that a serious escalation is avoidable.

Madam President,

As the Secretary-General has said, the ongoing holy days for Muslims, Jews, and Christians should be a period of peace and reflection. Ireland is deeply concerned by the violence in Jerusalem over the past two weekends, particularly at Haram al Sharif/Temple Mount.

Ireland reiterates that the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem must be upheld and respected, with full respect for Jordans custodial role, to ensure existing worship rights. Excessive and disproportionate use of force by Israeli security forces exacerbates an already tense situation.

We have heard the Special Coordinator outline the number of Palestinian deaths and injuries in recent weeks in incidents across the West Bank. We remain extremely concerned at the loss of civilian lives, including of women and children. Israel as the occupying power must ensure that its security forces exercise the utmost care to preserve civilian life.

Madam President,

It is clear to Ireland that unresolved conflicts especially those with no discernible political horizon breed instability, extremism and violence.

Ireland joins other members of this Council in condemning terrorism, and all attacks against innocent Israelis and Palestinians. We never underestimate the suffering violence causes, nor the obstacles it puts in the way of peace. Resolving conflict is not to give in to the terrorists, instead it is to overcome the terrorists.

Madam President,

All of us around this table know that instability, violence and extremism easily spread across international borders. We also know, indeed too well, that a security response alone cannot address the issue. A credible political horizon is both vital and urgent.

Unresolved conflicts between peoples  and long-running occupations  inexorably lead to violations of the rights of individuals. The rights of the Palestinians to equality, to live without discrimination, to self-determination, to justice and to peaceful coexistence. The rights of Israelis to live in peace and security. The rights of Palestinian and Israeli youth to build a future where peace is not just an aspiration, but a reality.

Unresolved conflicts are also inconsistent with  and eventually undermine - international law, including international humanitarian law, and international human rights law. This is especially true of this unresolved conflict. This Council has a duty to act.

Madam President,

Today we call the Councils attention, yet again, to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.

If there is one thing that could be done now to preserve the possibility of an eventual negotiated solution between the parties and open a horizon for hope, it would be to put an end to settlement expansion. It is possible. It should be done.

Not only are continued settlements wrong in and of themselves, the associated infrastructure encroaches on scarce Palestinian land and resources. We are concerned by the rise in severe settler violence incidents. The Israeli authorities must address these issues comprehensively and without delay. Those responsible for carrying out violent attacks must be held fully accountable.

The Palestinian institutions must work together to build greater democratic legitimacy, so that they can in turn build the confidence and the esteem of the Palestinian people in their capacity to lead them towards a peaceful and sustainable solution.

The Palestinian people need concrete international support. Conscious of the mounting financial and interlinked humanitarian challenges they face, Ireland will continue to play its part, including through its support for UNRWA, which remains so critical to regional stability. Ireland calls on others, particularly those in the region, to step up and to match their political commitments with the financial resources needed to enable the Agency to continue to provide vital services to Palestine refugees.

Ireland will continue to support Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict through a negotiated two-state solution, on the basis of relevant UN resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements.

Thank you.

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Gabrielle Melvin of Marianna, Florida, was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. Melvin was initiated at Troy University.

The organization reports that Melvin is among approximately 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year.

Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership.

Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann, who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 325 campuses in the United States, its territories and the Philippines.
The numbers and risk are low compared to just a few months ago, but state health officials are warning Alabama residents that COVID-19 is still here.

The eight Wiregrass counties in Southeast Alabama are all listed as having low community levels by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Georgias neighboring counties also have low community levels as do all the Florida Panhandle counties that become so popular for beach-goers this time of year.

When it comes to local hospitalizations, Flowers Hospital in Dothan had two patients with COVID-19 as of Monday and Southeast Health had five. Statewide, there were 55 people hospitalized with COVID-19.

More than half of Alabama residents are fully vaccinated, and state health officials reminded residents just last week that it is unknown if new variants will hit the state and how harmful those variants will be.

As soon as symptoms occur, people should take a COVID-19 test or see a healthcare provider to discuss their eligibility for therapeutic treatments, an Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) news release stated. Some treatments for COVID-19, including oral antivirals, should be taken within five days of the beginning of symptoms for the pills to be effective.

The CDCs recommendations for counties with low community levels are for residents to stay up to date on vaccinations and to get tested if they exhibit symptoms. Masks are recommended if community levels reach medium and high levels.

Under Alabamas COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard, the states 7-day moving positivity rate was at 3.2% on Monday. Locally, Geneva County had a 3.6% positivity rate in testing for COVID, and Coffee County had a 3.5% positivity rate. All other local counties had positivity rates below 3%  in fact, Barbour and Dale counties were below 1% and Henry County actually had zero positive test results in testing reported to the state.

Two boosters are now available for adults age 50 and up or those who are considered to have a compromised immune system. Nearly 2.4 million Alabama are fully vaccinated, and more than 801,000 booster shots and additional doses have been administered in the state.

Getting vaccinated is critically important, but vaccine protection decreases over time, the ADPH release said. Even in times of low community transmission, there are risks for older and immune-compromised persons to become severely ill with COVID-19 because their immune systems are less robust than others.

Since the pandemic began in 2020, there have been nearly 1.3 million cases of COVID-19 in Alabama, and 19,545 people have died in the state as of Monday. So far this year there have been 2,805 deaths due to COVID-19.

Wiregrass counties have had 85,749 cases since 2020 and 1,669 deaths have been reported in that time.

Peggy Ussery is a Dothan Eagle staff writer and can be reached at aussery@dothaneagle.com or 334-712-7963. Support her work and that of other Eagle journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at dothaneagle.com.

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While posing a tough challenge to the economy, the Covid-19 pandemic has been serving as a good catalyst for digital transformation in the past year, according to the Vietnam Innovation and Tech Investment Report 2021 co-authored by Do Ventures and the Vietnam National Innovation Center (NIC).



A record year for Vietnam venture capital

Venture capital going into Vietnamese startups reached a record high in 2021 amidst market uncertainties and upheaval caused by Covid-19. The total funding amount reached a new high of $1.4 billion, a 1.5x growth compared to the prior record of $874 million set in 2019.

Investor appetite has been accelerated by an increased interest in sectors that have benefited from the global pandemic. Moreover, the ease of video conferencing has made travel restrictions no longer a barrier to the investment decision-making process.

Vietnam is now home to 4 unicorns

Riding the acceleration of digital adoption, Vietnam celebrated the emergence of two unicorns, MoMo and Sky Mavis, in 2021. Their success doubles down on the country's growing status as a rising tech hub in the region.

The future looks promising for the Vietnam tech scene as a dozen of companies with valuations of over a few hundred million dollars are in the wings to become unicorns in the coming years.

Investor confidence in Vietnam's startup scene remains high

The total number of funds investing in Vietnamese startups climbed by 60 per cent, equally distributed among countries. Singapore was the most active investor in 2021, followed by Vietnam and the U.S. Japanese investors have gradually resumed their activities in Vietnam after a two-year slowdown.

A strong upswing across sectors

While payment and retail remained dominant in attracting venture financing, gaming rose to become the third most funded sector, thanks to the worldwide success of Sky Mavis and its phenomenal child - Axie Infinity.

Besides, the pandemic has proven to be a boom for some sectors as they continued to ride investors' interest and enjoyed customers' support. The most fruitful ones included Healthcare, Education, and Business Automation with a Y-o-Y growth of 1,016 per cent, 562 per cent, and 205 per cent respectively.

Later-stage deals returned

The total amount of $10 million or more deals exceeded $1 billion, a 255 per cent increase over the previous year, spreading over 17 deals.

While Seed funding soared to a new high in both deal count and deal value, later-stage funding has returned to the pre-Covid level with five mega deals made in payment, retail, and gaming.

Given a solid pipeline of early-stage companies and the positive environment created by the Vietnamese government, Vietnam's startup ecosystem is poised to enter a more mature stage.

Vy Le, general partner of Do Ventures, said that the Vietnamese innovation ecosystem has achieved meaningful strides in 2021 thanks to the resilience of startups as well as the timely support from the government. She believes that Vietnamese entrepreneurs will continue to thrive, transforming Vietnam into a regional technology hub.

As an agency that supports and nurtures the innovation ecosystem, Vu Quoc Huy, Director of NIC said that the organisation will continue to research and propose advanced mechanisms and sandboxes to promote innovation activities nationwide.

With the progress made in 2021, I believe that 2022 will be the pivotal year for Vietnam's innovation ecosystem to have breakthrough developments, with numerous prospects for the digital economy's next stage of growth, said Huy.
The Ministry of Finance is considering lowering the most favored nation (MFN) import tariff on gasoline from 20 percent to 12 percent.

Cutting the tariff would help diversify Vietnams fuel supply and reduce dependency on some suppliers amid the current global disruption, but is not likely to reduce domestic gasoline prices, the ministry said.

Vietnam imported most of its gasoline last year from South Korea and ASEAN countries, which carries a tariff of 8 percent under free trade agreements.

Gasoline imported under MFN rates only accounted for a negligible proportion in 2021.

But the ministry deems the tariff cut necessary, as the four percent difference between MFN and FTA rate would likely encourage importers to seek new suppliers when shortages occur.
A family goes fishing in the Mekong Delta's province of Dong Thap in November, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Tai

Lower Mekong River water levels have increased by 20-30 percent compared to the same period of previous years as China releases dam water.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the Mekong Delta region, where the Mekong River reaches the sea, has received a volume of water that is 15-20 percent higher than the average of previous years in April.

For May and June, the levels are expected to increase 20-30 percent year-on-year, the center said.

The water level in the Tien River, a branch of the Mekong, was measured at 1.45 meters last Thursday, which is 0.4 meters higher than the same period last year and 0.5 meters higher than the average of prior years.

On the same day, the water level in the Hau River, the other Mekong branch in the delta, stayed at 1.65 meters, which was 0.5 meters higher than last year and 0.7 meters higher than the average previously.

The water level increase has been ascribed to China releasing water from its hydropower dams along the Mekong River.

According to the Mekong River Commission, the amount of water entering Mekong Delta through the two stations on the Hau and Tien rivers in March increased by 30 percent against the same period last year to 12.3 billion cubic meters.

Nguyen Huu Thien, an independent consultant based in Can Tho, a city in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, said the increasing water level will help the delta cope with salt intrusion and drought as the region experiences its dry season.

However, in the long term, it may leave negative impacts, he said.Ever since Mekong Delta was formed, generations had depended on the annual floodwaters to inundate their fields before sowing their seeds.

Usually, flooding would start in late July or early August and remain until November or even later, blessing the region with extraordinary fertility as it deposits silt from upstream areas.

However, in recent years, upstream dams and climate change impacts have altered the routine.

According to experts inside and outside Vietnam, those dams hold back water and prevent it from flowing into downstream areas, thus reducing the amount of sediment and fish that are supposed to move from upstream to downstream every annual flood season.

With China releasing dam water during the dry season, Thien said, it would cause disorder because it means that during the flooding season in July, August and September, there would be little or even no floods across Mekong Delta.

The situation will lead to chaos for the ecosystem, he said.

The Mekong has suffered three years of extremely low flow and drought during the wet season. When wet season flow is low, the Mekong's fisheries and agricultural productivity suffer the most. Low flow and drought are mostly caused by a lack of rainfall, but upstream dams also contribute to wet season droughts by storing significant amounts of water, Brian Eyler, Southeast Asia program director and Mekong Dam Monitor Co-Lead, Stimson Center, told a virtual event February.

He said China has completed 129 dams along the river, 11 of them the largest mainstream dams. Most of the Mekong water, as much as 56 percent, is held in China.
American tourists wear Vietnamese conical hats 'non la' and traditional checkered black and white shawl 'khan rang' at a welcome ceremony in HCMC on April 8, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Huynh Nhi

Should Vietnam stick with 30-day tourist visa or extend the duration to attract retirees and facilitate family visits? Readers are divided.

"The vast majority of tourists go to Vietnam for LESS THAN 2 WEEKS! So the 30 day e-visa is perfectly fine for tourists! People have jobs, they can't go on a holiday for more than 2 weeks so stop asking for those long term visas, and trying to sound like you care so much for tourism in Vietnam."

Treklam

"Real tourists have jobs and have no desire to spend months of their life here. The only people crying for longer visas are backpackers and fake English teachers."

Mcbmghome

"All those who keep harping on visa validity are not genuine tourist. Good for the authorities that they can finally looks at the genuine number of tourist as compared to previous years where you have lots of bogus tourist that come to Vietnam to look for job."

Chris Low

But some disagreed, saying long-term tourist visa can make Vietnam's tourism more competitive.

"Vietnam is missing the boat on retired people vs Philippines, Dubai and Thailand that have now long-term visa for them. Vietnam has low cost of living, hot weather all year, nice beaches, great food and a lot more places to visit than Dubai but the government does not pay attention to that large wealthy population."

Sgutieres

"Have you ever heard that there are millions of pensioners in Europe, the U.S. and Canada, who flee every year before the cold winter? This group is not about people who need to work illegally. Instead, we bring our money into the country. But it needs long-term visas."

peter.w.zimmermann

"I work here legally. I want my wife and daughter to come to me and stay from June to the end of September. And also I have the plan to visit Thailand and Singapore with them. Please let me know how to do it with the present visa regime?"

Zoran Drljaca
Chinese tourists enter the boats to get to islands in the central resort town of Nha Trang from Cau Da Port. Photo by AFP/Linh Pham

Vietnam's tourism industry would only recover as the number of visitors from China, South Korea and Japan return to pre-Covid normal as it's hard to find alternate source markets, experts say.

The Covid-19 pandemic that exceeded two years has caused major impacts on Vietnam's international tourist market as visitors from Northeast Asia, including China, South Korea and Japan, accounting for nearly 67 percent of the total number in 2019, have yet to return to the country.

China still pursues a zero-Covid policy while the Japanese government requires those returning from abroad to undergo quarantine. South Korea has yet to restart tourism activities.

Since Vietnam reopened inbound tourism after a two-year hiatus, the country has welcomed back tourists from Europe, the U.S., Southeast Asia and new markets like Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

However, industry insiders deemed the source of Northeast Asian tourists as "vital" in Vietnam's long-term tourism recovery and possibly hard to replace.

Pham Hong Long, a tourism expert from Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanity, said as the pandemic is brought under control and life returns to normal, Northeast Asian visitors would still be the main feeder of Vietnams tourism market.

"Only if China, South Korea and Japan fully lift travel restrictions could Vietnam's tourism industry recover quickly," he said.

Temporary solutions

Lack of Northeast Asian tourists would be a challenge for Vietnams tourism but experts added this would be a chance to explore new sources.

Long said Southeast Asia holds the most potential since Vietnam offers free visa entry of up to 30 days for citizens from ASEAN countries.

"SEA Games 31 will be a great opportunity to promote tourism on the Southeast Asian market," he said, adding the government should ease visa policies to attract more tourists from the U.S., India and Middle East to boost tourism recovery.

Between April 7-14, travel company BestPrice Travel welcomed a group of Mongolian tourists who visited Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh.

Hien Kim, director of the company, which specializes in serving inbound tourists, said this was the first time her company had received a group of Mongolian tourists, a new market.

She also expected to welcome more new sources of visitors in the coming time amid the absence of Chinese and South Korean tourists.

China and Europe used to be the main sources of foreign visitors for Ho Chi Minh City-based Saigontourist. In the current context, the company is developing new tourism products like cruise tours targeting the North American market.

With borders closed, the number of foreign arrivals last year plunged by 96 percent against 2020.

This year, Vietnam has set a target of welcoming five to six million foreign tourists. In 2019, the year before the onset of the pandemic, it welcomed a record 18 million foreign tourists.
The U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, is providing more than $311 million in additional humanitarian assistance to 3.8 million food insecure people in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin regions.

This latest USAID contribution will include rice, grains, vegetable oil, and specialized food for the treatment of acute malnutrition, in addition to vouchers and cash for purchasing food from local markets. This funding also provides psychosocial support for conflict-affected communities, as well as emergency shelter, water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance.

This additional aid comes at a critical time, as the United Nations estimates that more than 35 million people will face food shortages during the upcoming lean season in West Africa - the period between planting and harvest from May to August when food typically runs out across agricultural communities.

In the Sahel, the situation is exacerbated by an existing poor harvest and the effects of conflict that continue to deplete household food stocks and resources. This has resulted in more than 20 million people needing food assistance. The lake Chad Basin is an area in Western Africa that covers Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. For the past 12 years violence driven by Islamist terrorist groups Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa has resulted in 11.1 million people being desperately in need of humanitarian aid. Nearly 3 million people have been forced from their homes, and a lack of adequate shelter, clean water, and basic sanitation as well as severe food insecurity are prevalent throughout the region.

The United States has contributed more than $944 million in assistance to the Lake Chad Basin and Sahel regions combined since October 2020.

To underscore the Biden Administration's commitment to increase collaboration and engagement with Africa, USAID recently attended the third annual General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance for the first time as a full member. This full membership status will offer new opportunities to partner with donors, the private sector, and the host government to help strengthen development and reform efforts in the Sahel.

The United States will continue to look for ways to address growing humanitarian needs in West Africa.
ELKO  Masks are still required in public areas at Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital, but otherwise things are getting back to normal.

Numbers are definitely trending in the right direction, hospital CEO Steve Simpson recently told the Elko County Board of Health.

Its been a month and a half since weve admitted a patient with COVID-19, Simpson said April 20. We have not had a COVID-positive patient since March 5.

Some cases are still coming through the hospitals emergency department, however fewer and fewer ER patients are testing positive, he said.

The hospital has returned to normal visitation rules but enhanced cleaning protocols will remain in place. Masks are still required in all public areas of the hospital.

We will probably be the last place in town to lift our mask restrictions, Simpson said.

The next subvariant is not expected to result in a large number of positive cases being confirmed at the hospital because symptoms are less severe, and because at-home testing is widely available.

With less rigorous testing, many communities are turning to data from sewage treatment facilities as they watch for another outbreak.

The effective virus concentration detected in Elko last week was down to 24,933 genome copies per liter of sewage. That is considerably lower than the national average and would be expected to generate fewer than one case per day.

Researchers at Stanford University reported this month that coronavirus infections can remain for several weeks in the intestinal tract, with genetic remnants detectable in feces for up to four months.

Nevada Health Responses most recent COVID report listed 119 new daily cases statewide over the past two weeks. Clark County reported 61 hospitalizations last week, there were nine in Washoe County nine, only one in Carson City and none in rural counties.

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The cultural exchange drew the participation of international friends.

The event was organised by the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organisations (HAUFO) and the municipal Department of Tourism. It drew the participation of representatives from foreign embassies, international organisations, and bilateral and multilateral friendship associations of HAUFO.

Participants offered incense at Thay pagoda.



Nguyen Lan Huong, President of the municipal Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and Chairwoman of HAUFO, said this was a meaningful occasion to introduce the Vietnamese culture to foreigners living in the country and also a chance for cultural exchange so as to strengthen the friendship and mutual understanding between the Vietnamese people and international friends.

Art performances at the event (Source: CPV)

During the programme, participants visited Thay Pagoda - a famous destination of spiritual tourism in Hanoi, learned about traditional culture, and experienced folk games and traditional dishes of Vietnam in Tuan Chau Hanoi tourist site in Quoc Oai district./.
Vietnamese businesses, Vietnam Furniture Matching Week 2022 (VFMW-2022), New Zealand's importers and retailers of furniture all participated in the seminar.

The workshop has provided in-depth information about the New Zealand furniture market, helping Vietnamese businesses more comprehensively assess this market, and at the same time supporting business connections between the two countries.

Delegates join in the symposium (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

Speaking at the opening of the seminar, Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand Nguyen Van Trung emphasized the importance of economic and trade cooperation in the Vietnam-New Zealand Strategic Partnership, emphasizing the advantages to be exploited of the two countries, both members of new generation multilateral trade agreements such as CPTPP, RCEP or AANZFTA (ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Trade Agreement).

Vietnam and New Zealand are two complementary economies, which clearly show in the two-way trade in timber and wood products. New Zealand is Vietnam's fifth raw material wood market. Vietnam is an important source of finished wood products for New Zealand.

The Ambassador highly appreciated the initiative to exploit the HOPE online platform to organize activities to connect businesses of the two countries during difficult travel conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the seminar, experts from Big Save Furniture Company, New Zealand's second largest wood furniture importer and distributor, said that most of New Zealands furniture businesses want to diversify their supply, regardless of the supply, not belonging to one market, and Vietnam is always the first choice.

The speakers recommended that Vietnamese businesses should build a longer-term vision, expand their product portfolio, invest in design, automation and robotics, and pay attention to the origin and sustainable development criteria of products.

Participating in the wood products supply chain for the New Zealand market, Vietnamese businesses can access and take advantage of the innovative and creative capacity that is New Zealand's strength today.

Currently, there are more than 100 Vietnamese enterprises supplying wooden furniture to nearly 80 New Zealand importers. Vietnamese imported furniture is popular with New Zealand consumers. In 2021, Vietnam's wooden furniture export turnover to New Zealand will reach 56 million USD, up 40% over the same period in 2020, and triple the figure from 2011.

As New Zealand's second largest furniture exporter, Vietnam only accounts for 7% of the wood furniture market share of New Zealand (market size is 1.5 billion USD), therefore, there is still plenty of room for Vietnamese businesses to exploit this high potential market./.
For the first time, the Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, Kyrylo Shevchenko, will join the ad-hoc meeting of the ECB General Council, which also includes the governors of the national central banks of the 27 EU member states.

According to a message of the NBU on Facebook, he received the invitation from President of the European Central Bank (ECB) Christine Lagarde at a meeting with her at the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Washington.

"This is an important step for our country's rapprochement with the EU, as we will be able to join the dialogue with the ECB and other EU central banks through this platform, present the position of the NBU and the interests of Ukraine, and also be more involved in discussions that are carried out at the level European System of Central Banks," the National Bank said.

The NBU said that the meetings are held once a quarter and the nearest with the participation of the NBU will be held in early May. "We hope that the NBU will regularly participate in ad-hoc meetings, taking into account the strategic course of our state on joining the EU," the National Bank added.

The Central Bank said that one of the main tasks of the NBU in this process is the regulatory approximation of the banking system of Ukraine to the norms and standards of the EU for further entry of the Ukrainian economy into the EU common market.

Also, Shevchenko and Deputy Head of the NBU Serhiy Nikolaychuk discussed an important block of issues with the IMF leadership, having meetings with Managing Director of the IMF Kristalina Georgieva as part of the work of the official delegation of Ukraine and separate meetings with Director of the IMF European Department Alfred Kammer and Head of the IMF Mission in Ukraine Ivanna Vladkova Hollar.

They discussed, in particular, a long-term program aimed at ensuring macro-financial resilience and stimulating further structural reforms in the country, necessary for the restoration of the Ukrainian economy and EU membership.

Sources of financing for Ukraine were also one of the topics of the meetings of the NBU leadership with Governor of the National Bank of Belgium Pierre Wunsch, President of the Dutch central bank De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) Klaas Knot, Board Chairman of the Bank of Lithuania Gediminas Simkus, and Minister of Finance of Lithuania Gintare Skaiste.

"We hope for EU grant funds for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, as well as large-scale investments in economic recovery, although we consider reparations from Russia as the main source of funding, in particular the funds and property of the aggressor seized abroad under the sanctions," Shevchenko said.
The Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant was damaged in shelling on Sunday, April 24, the Donetsk regional prosecutor's office has reported.

"On April 24, 2022, at about 11:35 a.m., the Russian armed forces, using a multiple launch rocket system, fired again at the city of Avdiyivka, Donetsk region. One of the largest enterprises of the coke-chemical industry in the state, PrJSC Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant, was again damaged under fire by the invaders. The third battery of the first coke shop, the thermal power plant and the recovery shop were damaged," the prosecutor's office said on Facebook.

Complete information about the damaged infrastructure is being specified.

Under the procedural guidance of the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office, pretrial investigation into criminal proceedings on the fact of violation of rules of the warfare (Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) continues. It is conducted by investigators from the Investigative Department of the Second Directorate (based in Mariupol, Donetsk region) of the Main Directorate of the SBU in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Head of the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine Mariana Oleskiv is in favor of legally banning Ukrainian tour operators from operating in the Russian Federation and Belarus.

"Currently, the Agency, together with the competent authorities, is compiling a list of tour operators that cooperate with the Russians or have final beneficiaries in the aggressor country. We are preparing a number of proposals for sanctions that will be applied to such players in the tourism market," Oleskiv said in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine.

She said that from a moral point of view, it is generally not acceptable for Ukrainians to conduct any business with the Russian Federation after this war. "We must legally regulate the ban on Ukrainian tour operators to operate in Russia and Belarus," the head of the Agency said.

Commenting on such legislative restrictions in the field of tourism, Oleskiv said that she did not know how much time should pass and generations grow up so that Ukrainians could talk about cooperation with Russians.

"Regarding Belarus, which does not seem to be at war with us, but our cities and villages are being shelled from its territory  until there is a change of power there, there can be no talk of any cooperation," she added.
Intl partners must find solution to be able to restore Ukraine at expense of frozen Russian assets  PM

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal says that international partners must find a solution to be able to restore Ukraine at the expense of frozen Russian assets.

"If Russians will leave territory of Ukraine, if we will have guarantees of safety for our country, from our partners, if we will have a possibility to recover our country and using Russians' frozen assets. So I think that we can seeing that the war is finished and that Ukraine have a glory in this war," Shmyhal said in an interview with CBS News.

The prime minister said they are discussing with the United States and other partners the possibility of transferring Russia's frozen assets to Ukraine.

"This should be a very good case for future possible aggressors. They all should understand that world society, the world community will take all of their assets and will pay by these assets for this country, which is suffering because of their aggression," Shmyhal said.

He said it is important to find such a solution for Ukraine, and subsequently make it the standard for the future.
Energoatom has received a special permit from the State Nuclear Regulatory Commission to commission the centralized spent nuclear fuel storage facility, the company said on Monday.

"Permission to carry out this activity today, April 25, 2022, was issued to Energoatom by the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine," the company said in a Telegram channel.

Energoatom noted that this special permit was expected as early as March 9 of this year, but was delayed due to Russian aggression and the presence of the occupying forces in the Chornobyl exclusion zone, where the central nuclear fuel facility is located.

"Now the centralized spent nuclear fuel storage facility is completely ready for operation. Fortunately, it was not affected by the actions of the occupiers. All equipment, computers and special equipment are operating as normal," the company stressed, indicating that the design life is at least 100 years

As reported, the centralized spent nuclear fuel storage facility is an autonomous nuclear facility designed for long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel from Yuzhnoukrainsk, Khmelnytsky and Rivne nuclear power plants, which until 2021 was exported to Russia for storage and processing, which cost Ukraine about $200 million annually.

Its construction, for which Energoatom signed a contract with the American company Holtec International, started in 2017. In December 2020, the construction of the first start-up complex of the facility was completed.
Metinvest Mining and Metallurgical Group is making its contribution to Ukraine's victory, is engaged in new logistics and development of new products, the company's CEO, Yuriy Ryzhenkov, said during a working trip to the group's enterprises in Zaporizhia.

"Zaporizhstal, even in peacetime, is one of the key enterprises that makes a significant contribution to the economy of Ukraine. In wartime, when the war silenced huge and important enterprises for the national economy throughout Ukraine, any operating production is especially important for the country. We are doing everything possible to lay the foundation for a secure future today: we are working on new logistics and development of new products, we are providing employment for the evacuated Metinvest specialists in order to keep the team," Ryzhenkov said.

The general director of Metinvest met with the labor collectives of the company's enterprises, together with the head of Zaporizhstal, Oleksandr Myronenko, visited the center for the rehabilitation and reintegration of IDPs in Zaporizhia. The center was created for the company's employees and their families who suffered as a result of hostilities and were evacuated to Zaporizhia. The center provides consultative, psychological and medical assistance to internally displaced persons, the reception of the Metinvest career center provides employment assistance to the group's enterprises and communal institutions in the cities of presence.

At the same time, it is stated that during the first week of work, about 400 Mariupol residents applied to the center. More than 100 people received psychological support and medical care at the center. About 300 people expressed their desire to find a job in Zaporizhia. Ryzhenkov also visited one of Metinvest's social facilities, where internally displaced persons from Mariupol, employees of the company's enterprises, along with their families, live.

As part of the working visit, the general director visited the blast furnace shop of Zaporizhstal plant, which, after a long conservation period, put into operation two blast furnaces. The CEO of Metinvest visited the humanitarian hub of the company's humanitarian mission coordination center, where volunteer employees form humanitarian supplies for cities affected by hostilities.
Denmark has become the first donor to the Energy Community's Fund to rebuild war-torn energy infrastructure in Ukraine, Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko has said.

"Sincerely thanks to the first donor, Denmark, for responding to Ukraine's call for urgent support to the energy sector in these difficult times of war," Haluschenko was quoted as saying by the press service of the Ministry of Energy in a release on the website on Monday.

The amount of funds sent by Denmark was not specified in the message.

At the same time, the minister called on other countries and international partners to become donors to the Fund, noting that Ukrainian power engineers every day, despite enemy shelling, again and again resume electricity and gas supply.

Director of the Energy Community Secretariat Artur Lorkowski, for his part, assured that the corresponding funds would be sent to Ukraine as soon as possible.

"The Secretariat, together with the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, will work quickly so that all contributions paid are directed to meet the most important needs of the Ukrainian energy sector," Lorkowski said, cited by the press service of the Ministry of Energy.

As reported, in early April 2022, the Energy Community created a Fund to rebuild war-torn energy infrastructure in Ukraine, the donors of which should be mainly EU member states, as well as international companies and corporations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed a wish to pursue the path of diplomacy to resolve the conflict with Russia.

"I want to stop the war and end it. There is a diplomatic path and a military one. Any healthy person always chooses the diplomatic path because they know that even if it's difficult, it could stop the losses of thousands, tens of thousands and with such neighbors  hundreds of thousands, and maybe even millions of victims. This is not wanted," Zelensky said at a press conference in Kyiv on Saturday.

"And any leader, whether he wants it or not, has no right to cancel the diplomatic path," he said.

At the same time, he said that if people are killed in Mariupol and a referendum is held in pseudo-republics, Ukraine will withdraw from the negotiation process.
Some 215 children die in Ukraine due to armed aggression of Russia, 391 children injured

More than 600 children were injured in Ukraine as a result of the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation, as of the morning of April 25, the official number of dead children was 215 people, the number of injured was 391, the Prosecutor General's Office reports.

These figures are not final, as work is underway to establish them in areas of active hostilities, in temporarily occupied and liberated territories, the message released on Monday morning says.

Children suffered the most in Donetsk region - 124, Kyiv region - 114, Kharkiv region - 93, Chernihiv region - 66, Kherson region - 44, Mykolaiv region - 43, Luhansk region - 37, Zaporizhia region - 27, Sumy region - 17, in Kyiv - 16, Zhytomyr region - 15.

It is noted that on April 24, as a result of the shelling Krasnohorivka in Donetsk region by the Russian troops, two girls five and 14 years old, were killed.

On April 23-24, Russian troops once again fired at Kharkiv region. In the town of Chuhuiv, an eleven-year-old boy was wounded as a result of shelling.

On April 23, a 12-year-old child was injured due to shelling in the village of Turove, Bohodukhivsky district, Kharkiv region.

Some 1,500 educational institutions were damaged as a result of daily bombardments and shelling of Ukrainian cities and villages by the armed forces of the Russian Federation. At the same time, 102 of them were completely destroyed.
There are no casualties in a fire that broke out at the Transneft Bryansk-Druzhba oil depot in Bryansk, and there are no plans to evacuate civilians, either, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said on Monday, with the reference to preliminary information.

"A fire has broken out at an oil depot of JSC Transneft Bryansk-Druzhba. There are no plans to evacuate civilians. According to the preliminary information, there are no casualties," the ministry said.

Transneft-Druzhba has been unavailable for comment.

An oil depot fire in the Fokino district was reported at 2 a.m. on Monday. Its causes are being established.

Meanwhile, an informed source told Interfax that two oil depots were ablaze in Bryansk.

Transneft-Druzhba, a subsidiary of Transneft, operates tanks with an overall capacity of 3.1 million cubic meters, 20 oil pumping stations, 15 petroleum product pumping stations, 3,500 kilometers of oil pipelines, and 3,900 kilometers of petroleum product pipelines. The company has production facilities in 11 regions of Russia. It also operates the Druzhba pipeline supplying Russian oil to Europe.
According to the data recorded by the Prosecutor General's office, as of April 25, some 3,818 civilians were killed in Ukraine, more than 4,000 people were injured, Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said.

In an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency, speaking about the estimated number of dead Ukrainian civilians, Venediktova noted that the figure available to the prosecutor's office is just as incorrect as the one given in the UN statistics, since it does not include the blocked Mariupol and those places in Kyiv region, where the prosecutor's office cannot enter yet.

"Our numbers also do not quite correspond to reality. How do prosecutors work? We, pardon me, must have a body that we identify as a civilian. Then we say that a civilian has died in our country. Therefore, today, based on the information provided by each regional prosecutor's office, we have 3,818 dead. More than 4,000 were wounded [the data is corrected as of the morning of April 25]," the Prosecutor General said.

"We first counted from criminal proceedings, the figure was even less. Now we are counting from the Ministry of Health, from morgues. We manually collect information on dead and injured children. After we learned about the boy who was killed on February 28 with a part from a shell in his chest, every morning and every evening starts with a report on the country regarding children," the Prosecutor General said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who are visiting Ukraine.

According to the press service of the President's Office, "at the beginning of the talks, Zelensky stressed the importance of U.S. high-ranking officials visiting Kyiv at this crucial and important moment for the Ukrainian state."

"We appreciate the unprecedented assistance of the United States to Ukraine. I would like to thank President Biden personally and on behalf of the entire Ukrainian people for his leadership in supporting Ukraine, for his personal clear position. To thank all the American people, as well as the Congress for their bicameral and bipartisan support. We see it. We feel it," Zelensky said.

The President discussed with the United States delegation the current priorities for the belligerent state  defense assistance, strengthening sanctions on Russia, financial support for Ukraine and security guarantees.

The head of state said that the $3.4 billion in defense support already provided by the United States is the largest contribution to strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities.

The President of Ukraine said: "This assistance already helps in bringing Ukraine's defense capabilities to a qualitatively new level, which is extremely important for our defenders who are defending their homeland on the frontline."

Particular attention was paid to the sanctions policy, which should be strengthened and become a significant element of influence on the aggressor. "We understand what the next steps on this track should be. And we count on the support of our partners," Zelensky said, handing over to the American side the Action Plan to strengthen sanctions on the Russian Federation developed by the Yermak-McFaul international expert group.

Discussing ways to increase financial support for Ukraine, both to promote the economy and to further rebuild our country, the President of Ukraine stressed the importance of expanding the opportunities for Ukrainian goods to access the U.S. market.

During the meeting, the peace process and prospects for strengthening the anti-war coalition were also discussed. As Zelensky said, Ukraine sees the United States as a leader among the future guarantors of our country's security.
Ukraine expects Pope's visit, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"I really wanted him to come from the very beginning, to support our people in the east of the country. I wanted him to try to unblock the humanitarian corridors to Mariupol," said Zelensky.

According to him, the Ukrainian side addressed the Holy See with such a request.

"It is too early to tell, but we are waiting for him. We are waiting because he has a mission - a mission from God. He is trusted by a large number of people, I think this is important," said the President at a press conference in Kyiv Saturday.
On April 22, the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck a forward control post of the 49th All-Russian Army of the Russian Federation, which was located a short distance from the line of battle in Kherson region, according to the Main Intelligence Agency of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.

"The result of the strike - PPU 49A destroyed, two generals of the occupiers eliminated, one was seriously wounded, and evacuated in critical condition," a message posted on Facebook reads.

It is noted that the personal data of the generals are being clarified.

Military intelligence continues to search for important targets to cause maximum damage to the occupiers.
Too early to talk about creation of special tribunal, it is necessary to see which states to support this idea - Prosecutor General

Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova considers it premature to talk about the possibility of creating a special tribunal to bring to justice those responsible for war crimes committed in Ukraine.

In an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency, speaking about the possibility of creating a special tribunal, the Prosecutor General noted: "It is still too early to say. We must first see which states will support the creation of such a tribunal."

"A meeting was held under the chairmanship of the president, at which he instructed to immediately start the process of creating this court/tribunal. Work is underway. It is too early to draw conclusions," Venediktova said.
Prosecutor General on intentions of ICC prosecutor to hold Putin accountable: I think this to be his strategy, he needs 'big fish'

Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova believes that International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan will strategically try to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to justice for committing war crimes in Ukraine.

In an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine, in response to a question about whether she sees the intention of the ICC prosecutor to prosecute Putin, given that Ukraine cannot charge him with suspicion of war crimes due to functional immunity, Venediktova said: "I think, this will be his strategy, where he will reach. Of course, he needs a 'big fish', he will not run after the soldiers here. He must build a chain of 'soldier-commander-minister-president' and, if he sees that he can reach it, he'll 'run".

The Prosecutor General said that the ICC prosecutor "must be sure that everything will look decent, correct, objective."

Speaking about how much time it may take for this, Venediktova noted: "It is impossible to talk about terms in this case."

"I would like to talk about my terms, I also want to convict someone in a Ukrainian court. But the question is that a war criminal must be personally here. Of course, we will move in absentia, but I need 'an orc in the cage," she said.
Venediktova on prosecutors' work in 'hot spots': we need to non-stop collect evidence that we are being attacked

Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova emphasized the importance of the work of Ukrainian prosecutors in "hot spots" - it is necessary to record the commission of crimes by Russian military personnel.

"As for the work of the groups specifically in 'hot spots.' We need to non-stop collect evidence of aggression, that we are being attacked. All journalists, all independent prosecutors and investigators ask: "Here is a hole in the house. Did they attack you or did you knock it out?" the Prosecutor General said in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency.

In this context, she said: "I am a Ukrainian prosecutor, of course, I will defend the state of Ukraine and the people of Ukraine. Therefore, it was extremely necessary for me that there were prosecutors with our military in the 'hot spots', so that the prosecutors would record that a Russian soldier commits a crime."

According to the Prosecutor General, the Ukrainian military defend the country and do not collect evidence, but "military prosecutors take the weapon properly, take the body of a civilian with a bullet inside, pull out this bullet, take soil samples if something exploded."

Venediktova said that nine investigative-operational groups have been created, which work in "hot spots".

"The military law enforcement service helped us a lot in this, the lawyers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We spoke with the military, and they agreed to the military prosecutors stand next to them," the prosecutor general said.
Ukraine honors the norms of international humanitarian law and conducts investigations into all the facts of possible inhuman treatment of the Russian military, Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said.

In an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency, answering the question of whether Ukrainian law enforcement officers record facts of ill-treatment of Russian prisoners of war, the Prosecutor General said: "If we see reports in the media or from representatives of an aggressor country, we enter information into the register of pretrial investigations there are such cases, they are being investigated. Let's see what conclusions we come to... The investigation will show."

At the same time, the Prosecutor General said: "I am sure that in most cases these can be specially distributed fakes. In some cases, perhaps there will be confirmation."

She focused on the fact that Ukraine demonstrates the priority of international humanitarian law in every possible way, honors the rule of law and the norms of the Geneva Conventions.

"We have said and will continue to say that we are a state with European values, and a state with European values ensures the rule of law in everything," Venediktova said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that a missile strike by the Russian military in Odesa killed eight people.

"A big family and human holiday. Seven missiles flew into Odesa today. Two we shot down. A missile hit a high-rise building. Eight people have been killed. About twenty of people wounded. A 3-month-old baby is dead. What the hell is going on? Stinking bastards! What else can I call them? There are no other words. Just bastards," Zelensky said at a press conference in Kyiv on Saturday.
Russia congratulated Ukraine on Easter with missile strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message Monday morning.

"Russia congratulated Ukraine on Easter with a strike in Poltava region, on Kremenchug. What was the purpose of this Easter strike? It was a deliberate destruction of life in Ukraine. Destruction that did not stop even on the great Orthodox holiday. Are these people Christians?" the president asked the question.

"Those who shelled Chuhuiv in Kharkiv region. Those who killed two children on Easter in Donetsk region. They are definitely not Christians, this is what Christ opposed. The people who refuse to open humanitarian corridors in Mariupol are not Christians," he said.

According to Zelensky, Russia was offered an Easter ceasefire, but "the world realized that Easter means nothing to the Russian invaders. It is only a red day on the calendar for which you need special behavior, you need special words, and not what is called faith and Christian goodness."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed hope that Asian countries, despite their historically close relations with Russia, would change their perception of Ukraine.

"We were able to change by our unity, by our strength, by our opposition to Russia the attitude of the countries of the Alliance, European states and many others. Change the attitude towards us. And I really want Asian countries to change their attitude towards Ukraine, too. Do I feel that they have changed? No. Have they changed? I think the peoples have. The peoples of these countries know us very well. I feel that the leaders of these countries are getting closer to that. If they used to be very close, historically, with the Soviet Union, and so historically after the collapse of the Soviet Union, they were close with the Russian Federation as the successor of the Soviet Union. ...Ukraine has shaken those relations, and we can already see the attitude of the leaders - they are softening exactly in our direction. It's a great credit to our state, but also to the leaders that they do hear and listen," Zelensky said at a press conference in Kyiv on Saturday.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko and Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher signed an agreement between the cities of Kyiv and Hamburg, which became strategic partners, and agreed on support in times of crisis.

The agreement envisages the provision of assistance for the restoration of Kyiv by Hamburg.

"Today, with the first mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Peter Tschentscher, we signed the Agreement for the sake of solidarity and the future. It's about effective cooperation between our cities and, first of all, the provision of assistance by Hamburg for the restoration of Kyiv. Specific projects will be identified for this. And also Hamburg will intensify efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and separately focus on the special needs of Kyiv," Klitschko wrote on his Telegram channel.

Tschentscher, for his part, said that the agreement shows that the people of Hamburg condemn Russia's attack on Ukraine and show solidarity with the country.

"Kyiv, as the capital of Ukraine, is of particular importance in the fight against Russian aggression, as well as in the fight for peace and freedom in Europe. Through direct ties with the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, we can provide targeted help and respond flexibly to urgent problems. I appeal to the enterprises of Hamburg, and also to all the inhabitants of our city, to support the people of Ukraine and help them!" Tschentscher said.
Prosecutor General: it is important not to exchange those Russian prisoners of war who can be brought to trial

Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova emphasizes that Ukraine should not exchange those Russian prisoners of war for whom there is a prospect of prosecution and trial.

In an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency, answering the question of how she feels about the fact that some of the Russian prisoners of war important for the Ukrainian investigation may be given away in the exchange process, Venediktova said: "We have two options - in absentia accountability and direct accountability. This is a complex legal construction - among those prisoners of war that we have, and the figure is not one that can amaze you and me, to find people who are not just combatants and fought, but committed war crimes - killed civilians, engaged in torture, rape or gave the command, carried out the bombing of obviously civilian objects.

The Prosecutor General said: "It is clear to us that this is a crime. But you need to take a specific Russian orc, say that he specifically did this and that, here is his weapon, here is a bullet from his weapon, here is a witness, here is a victim - its not so simple."

In this context, the Prosecutor General emphasized: "Therefore, it is very important for us that those whom we can suspect and bring to court are here and do not go for an exchange. It's a fundamental story."
Providing assistance to Ukraine was the main topic during the talks of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

"Assistance to Ukraine was the number one issue in the negotiations with the U.S. representatives who arrived in Kyiv yesterday... Our talks with them were quite long - more than three hours - and informative. Encouraging and, importantly, productive. I am grateful to the people of the U.S. and personally to the President Biden for the powerful and sincere support we receive. These are real things that strengthen not only our state, but democracy as a whole," Zelensky said in a video message on Monday.

According to him, both Kyiv and Washington understand that "when democracy wins in one country, it wins all over the world. When freedom is defended in one country, it is defended all over the world."

"We agreed with the American side on further steps to strengthen the Armed Forces of Ukraine, meet all the priority needs of our army. Among other things, this also concerns preparations for a major ministerial meeting in Germany on Tuesday - forty defense ministers of the partner states will gather. The key issue is the defense of Ukraine, the defense of freedom in the east of Europe," the head of state said.

He said that during the talks, ways to tighten sanctions against the Russian Federation were also discussed.

"The fact that Russia does not seek peace and defiantly kills even at Easter indicates that more sanctions pressure is needed. All opportunities for Russia to circumvent sanctions should be blocked. We handed over to our partners a special Plan to strengthen sanctions against the Russian Federation, which was developed by an international expert group led by Andriy Yermak and Michael McFaul," Zelensky said.

The President said also that financial support for Ukraine was a separate item in the negotiations.

"When a tyranny has a colossal financial resource from the export of oil and gas, the issue of financial support for freedom becomes vital. I heard a full understanding of this position from American friends. Not only in the context of helping Ukraine now, during the war, but also for post-war reconstruction," the head of state said.

He also noted that the parties discussed the issue of providing security guarantees for Ukraine. "I am sure that the United States can be a leader among future countries - guarantors of Ukraine's security. The main goal for all of us is to make Europe and the world more secure after the war, to ensure that the security architecture works in the event of any new threats," Zelensky said.
As result of missile strike in Lviv region, explosion occurs at traction substation of railway station, no data about victims - head of regional military administration

As a result of missile attack inflicted by Russian invaders on Monday morning in Lviv region, an explosion occurred at the traction substation of the Krasne railway station, head of Lviv regional military administration Maksym Kozytsky said.

"Today, on April 25, around 08:30, as a result of a missile strike, an explosion occurred at the traction substation of Krasne railway station. Structural units of the State Emergency Service are working at the scene, the fire is still being extinguished. There is no information about the victims at the moment," Kozytsky wrote in his telegram.

He added that another rocket on the territory of Lviv region was destroyed by anti-aircraft missile troops of the West Air Command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"The missiles flew to the west of Ukraine from the south-east direction, the Russian invaders fired them from strategic aircraft, probably Tu-95. The data is being specified," the head of the regional military administration said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that in a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan he had discussed in detail the threat to the global food market due to the actions of the Russian Federation, which blocked the Ukrainian Black Sea ports.

"Had an important conversation with Turkish President Erdogan. About the situation in Mariupol and the need to evacuate civilians and the wounded, about the need for an immediate exchange of blocked Ukrainian military. We discussed the negotiation process with Russia, defense issues. We touched in detail on the threat to the world food market, provoked by Russia, which blocked our Black Sea ports," Zelensky said in a video message on Monday morning.

He said that the rise in food prices has already reached a critical level in many countries, and this is just the beginning.

"If Russia does not seek peace, the issue of food security in many countries will turn into a matter of physical survival of millions of people, and hence the stability of state systems. An increasing number of political leaders in the world are aware of this threat. Therefore, we expect more pressure on Russia," the head of state said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he does not understand the position of Georgia's leaders on the non-imposition of sanctions against Russia.

"We are really fraternal nations, and I really don't understand the position of your state leaders, that's why I take it so painfully. And I think it is not worth it, what they are ready to do. Not imposing these sanctions, these pennies in the history of the two states, in the history of such a neighborhood...," Zelensky said at a press conference in Kyiv on Saturday.

He pointed out that Ukraine would definitely return the ambassador to friendly Georgia as soon as it feels the support of Ukraine from the leaders of the Georgian government.

"Regarding the return of the ambassador. We will definitely return the ambassador to friendly Georgia as soon as we feel the support of Ukraine from the leaders of your government," Zelensky said.
Assistance to Ukraine topped the agenda of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

"Assistance to Ukraine was the No. 1 item on the agenda of negotiations with the U.S. representatives who came to Kyiv yesterday... Our negotiations were quite long - they lasted for over three hours - and substantive. They were inspiring and, importantly, fruitful. I am grateful to the people of the United States and, personally, to President [Joe] Biden for the strong, sincere support we have been receiving. This is palpable assistance that bolsters both our state and democracy as a whole," Zelensky said in a video address on Monday.

"We have coordinated with the U.S. side further steps towards strengthening the Ukrainian Armed Forces and accommodation of all primary needs of our army. In particular, this includes preparations for a major ministerial meeting in Germany, which will take place on Tuesday and will gather together 40 defense ministers from partner states. The key item is the protection of Ukraine, the protection of freedom in eastern Europe," he said.

Sanctions against Russia were also discussed at the negotiations, Zelensky said. "We presented the partners with a special plan enhancing sanctions against Russia. It was drafted by an international expert team led by Andriy Yermak and Michael McFaul," Zelensky said.

Financial assistance to Ukraine was a separate item on the agenda, Zelensky said. "Financial assistance to freedom becomes vital. I have heard about full understanding of this stance from the U.S. friends," he said.

In addition, the sides discussed the provision of security guarantees for Ukraine, Zelensky said. "I have no doubt that the United States could lead the future guarantors of Ukraine's security," he said.
Russian occupiers shelled the towns of Zhmerynka and Kazatin in Vinnytsia region, resulting in casualties and injuries, said head of the Regional Military Administration Serhiy Borzov.

"Zhmerynka, Kazatin are under missile fire. The enemy is trying to hit critical infrastructure. There are victims and wounded people," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

According to the head of the Regional Military Administration, rescue services are working at the scene.
The United States intends to provide more than $322 million in military assistance to Ukraine, the U.S. Department of State has announced following a visit of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to Ukraine.

"Secretary Blinken informed President Zelensky that the United States intends to obligate more than $713 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for Ukraine and 15 other Allied and partner nations in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkan region. This includes $650 million in funding provided by the Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022," the U.S. Department of State said on its website on Monday.

More than $322 million in this obligation is for Ukraine and will provide support for the capabilities Ukraine needs as Russia's forces train their focus on the Donbas; this assistance will also help Ukraine's armed forces transition to more advanced weapons and air defense systems. The Department of State also said that this assistance will also help NATO Allies with backfilling capabilities they have donated to Ukraine from their own stockpiles.

"Additionally, Secretary Blinken told President Zelensky that on April 24 the Department notified Congress of a Foreign Military Sale of up to $165 million for non-standard ammunition for Ukraine," the Department of State said.

As part of our continuing assistance, Secretary Austin also informed the Government of Ukraine that the U.S. Department of Defense will expand military training for Ukrainian service members in the region on certain weapons systems being provided.

"He highlighted U.S. efforts to accelerate the delivery of these weapons, which are now arriving within days of announcement. And he underscored that, along with our Allies and partners, the United States will continue to coordinate the shipment of additional heavy weaponry, ammunition and spare parts from other nations," the State Department said.

Secretary Austin also previewed for Ukrainian leaders the agenda for this weeks Defense Consultative Meeting in Germany. Convened by the United States, the Consultative Meeting will examine the operational picture on the ground and review near-term Ukrainian defense needs, while providing attendees an opportunity to examine ways in which Ukraine's longer term national security interests can be best met.

"Saw the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people firsthand during my visit to Kyiv with Austin. During our meeting with President Zelensky, we reaffirmed our unwavering support for Ukraine as it withstands Russian aggression," Blinken wrote on Twitter on Monday.

Since the start of Russia's new invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the United States has provided approximately $7 billion in security assistance and has provided more than $4.3 billion since the Biden administration came to power.
Ukrainian Air Defense Forces shot down enemy Su-34 in Kharkiv region

On Monday, April 25, the AFU shot down a Russian Armed Forces plane in Kharkiv region.

"According to preliminary reports, the Air Force's air defense disarmed an all-weather, two-seat Su-34 fighter-bomber," Air Command Skhid (East) reported.
As a result of the rocket fire inflicted by Russian invaders on Monday morning on the cities of Zhmerynka and Koziatyn (Vinnytsia region), five people were killed and 18 more were wounded, the Vinnytsia Regional Prosecutor's Office press service said.

"On the morning of April 25, the Russian occupation forces fired missiles at transport infrastructure facilities near the towns of Zhmerynka and Koziatyn, Vinnytsia region. Criminal proceedings were initiated by investigators of the SBU in Vinnytsia region on this fact (part 3 of article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, deliberate actions committed with the purpose of changing the borders of the territory or the state border of Ukraine, which led to the death of people and other grave consequences).

It clarifies that investigators, prosecutors and other departmental services are currently working at the scene.

"As a result of enemy shelling, five people were previously killed and 18 wounded. The information is being specified," law enforcement officers said.
USA preparing to send Stinger, Javelin, other equipment to Ukraine  US Department of Defense

The United States is preparing to send Stinger anti-aircraft systems, Javelin anti-tank missile systems and other equipment to Ukraine in April, the U.S. Department of Defense has said.

"Our US Air Force Airmen prepare supply crates containing Stinger anti-aircraft systems, Javelin anti-armor systems, and other equipment bound for Ukraine at Dover Air Force Base in April 2022," the U.S. Department of Defense said on Twitter on Monday.
Austin, Blinken announce military aid to Ukraine during visit to Kyiv, gradual return of diplomats  media

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced new military assistance to Ukraine and the return of U.S. diplomats to the country during their secret trip to Kyiv, U.S. media said, citing a senior State Department official.

According to it, Blinken and Austin made an unannounced trip to Kyiv on Sunday, where they met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov and Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky. The meeting lasted approximately 90 minutes.

During the meeting, Blinken said that U.S. diplomats would begin returning to Ukraine this week.

According to CNN, citing State and Defense Department sources, Blinken and Austin discussed recent U.S. military aid to Ukraine, the ongoing training of Ukrainian soldiers, and the Biden administration's intention to provide $713 million in additional military funding.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press said the United States would provide more than $300 million in military funding and approved a $165 million arms sale.
Head of the Servant of the People faction David Arakhamia intends to appeal to the leadership of the European Union and the United States with a request to impose sanctions against Georgian businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili.

"I will appeal to the leadership of the European Union and the United States to consider imposing sanctions against Ivanishvili and his assets in the West. Nobody escapes responsibility. Neither the occupiers, nor those who help them," Arakhamia said on Telegram on Monday.

The MP emphasized that this oligarch is closely connected with the Russian political elite, as evidenced by the recently released "Ivanishvili's tapes."

"Today Ivanishvili has turned into a Georgian Yanukovych. He and his people are pursuing a policy towards Ukraine that is not supported by the Georgian people. They want to quarrel Georgians and Ukrainians for a decade ahead," Arakhamia said.

According to him, "the whole policy of the Georgian authorities is to follow instructions from the Kremlin," which is the reason for the rhetoric of the Georgian authorities "about non-recognition of Russia's war crimes against Ukraine and an attempt to help the Russian Federation bypass sanctions."
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on European leaders to impose an embargo on the purchase of Russian oil, as well as to prevent Russia from finding ways to bypass the already imposed restrictions.

"If world leaders and businesses are serious about ending Russian war crimes, they must first deprive Putin of oil revenues. Enough excuses and half-measures while Ukrainians are being bombed, killed, tortured, and raped. Russian oil is full of Ukrainian blood. Stop buying it!" Kuleba said on Twitter on Monday.

He also said at the moment Russia is desperately trying to circumvent the already imposed restrictions.

"Let us be clear: any blend containing any Russian oil should be treated as 100% Russian oil. Do not let Russians cheat their way around restrictions," the minister said.
The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to investigate war crimes of the Russian Federation in Ukraine has been expanded by involving the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a member, according to the website of the Prosecutor General's Office on Monday.

"For the first time in history, the ICC Prosecutor's Office joined the JIT. Exactly a month ago, together with colleagues from Lithuania and Poland, with the support of Eurojust, we created the JIT to investigate the atrocities of the Russian Federation on the territory of our state. I am convinced that the addition of another participant will make the investigation and prosecution of war crimes and crimes against humanity more efficient and coordinated. Justice for the victims and punishment for the perpetrators is a challenge to the entire global legal front, and our joint investigation team has become at the forefront of it," Prosecutor General of Ukraine Iryna Venediktova said.

As noted in the message, each of the JIT member states is conducting its own national investigation into Russian aggression in Ukraine. A full-fledged independent investigation was launched by the ICC Prosecutor's Office. The parties and members of the JIT will coordinate their actions, plan investigative strategies together, and exchange information and evidence quickly and securely.

As reported, on March 25, Venediktova, Lithuanian Prosecutor General Nida Grunskiene and Prosecutor General and Minister of Justice of Poland Zbigniew Ziobro signed an agreement on the creation of the JIT to investigate aggression of the Russian Federation and its war crimes on the territory of Ukraine. The current member of the group is Eurojust, where 27 EU member states and ten other states are represented.
Russia should be recognized as a sponsor of terrorism, and the Russian army as a terrorist organization, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in a traditional video statement on Saturday evening.

"What they have done is enough for the world to recognize Russia as a sponsor of terrorism and the Russian army as a terrorist organization," he said, adding: "We will insist on this in negotiations with partners."

"The Russian state has become a terrorist and it is not ashamed," Zelensky said, noting that "this should be followed by maximum responsibility."

Speaking of a missile attack on Odesa on Saturday that killed eight people, Zelensky vowed to "identify everyone responsible for this attack for Russian missile terror."

"In order to everyone who gives these orders, who carries out, no one will be able to hide. No matter how long it takes, all these bastards will answer," he said. According to him, "Russia has already fired most of its missile arsenal at Ukraine. Surely, they still have missiles, they can continue this terror."

Zelensky also said "new facts of crimes against Mariupol residents are being revealed, new burial places of people killed by the occupiers are being found." "We are talking about tens of thousands of killed Mariupol residents. Negotiations of the occupiers are recorded, how they hide the traces of their crimes," he said.
In Belgorod region of Russia, a concentration of additional units intended to build up the group of troops in the eastern operational are has been noticed, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry Oleksandr Motuzianyk has said.

"Missile and air strikes on military and civilian targets throughout Ukraine do not stop. For launching cruise missiles, the enemy uses Tu-95/160 strategic bombers, as well as ships that are currently in the Black Sea. The concentration of additional units intended to increase the grouping of troops in the eastern operational zone," Motuzianyk said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.

The spokesperson said that according to Ukrainian intelligence, at the moment there are eight carriers of sea-based cruise missiles of the Caliber type in the Black Sea, their total missile salvo is 58 missiles.

Motuzianyk also said the Russian occupation troops are actively preparing for the so-called referendum, not hiding their intentions to falsify the results.

"For this purpose, the collection of passport data of the local population is being intensively carried out during the issuance of humanitarian aid, in the course of document checks at checkpoints, as well as raids on premises. The occupying forces continue to look for local collaborators to form the so-called local authorities and law enforcement agencies," he said.

According to the spokesperson, those who have passed a polygraph test are appointed to key positions, and those who do not pass such testing are forcibly sent by the invaders to replenish current losses in the units of the so-called first and second army corps.
Russian troops continue offensive operations in the Eastern Operational Area in order to defeat the Joint Forces grouping, establish full control over the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and hold the land route with the occupied Crimea, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.

"Russian troops are carrying out missile and bomb strikes on military and civilian infrastructure, including with the involvement of strategic bombers, ships and submarines. They are trying to destroy the supply routes of military and technical assistance from partner states. To do this, they are concentrating strikes on railway junctions," the AFU said on Facebook.

In addition, Russian troops continue to build up the long-range air defense system by moving additional anti-aircraft missile systems from the Russian territory, trying to create stocks of ammunition, logistics and special engineering equipment.

The Russian command does not stop searching for ways to replenish the losses of personnel in the units that are directly involved in the war on the territory of Ukraine.

There were no significant changes in the situation in Volyn, Polissia and Siversk directions. There were no signs of formation of offensive groupings by the enemy.

In Slobozhanske direction there is a partial blockade of Kharkiv, the destruction of its infrastructure, attacks on the positions of the defenders of Kharkiv region with the use of aviation and artillery.

In the area of the city of Izium, the enemy tried to improve the tactical situation in the directions of Andriyivka  Zavody and Dibrovne  Kurulka carries out activities for the logistical support of the group of invaders.

In Donetsk and Tavriysk directions, the enemy, intensifying the shelling with the available fire weapons, tried to move deep into the territory of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of Koroviy Yar and Rubizhne, to develop an offensive in the direction of Zaporizhia. Did not achieve success, suffered losses.

In Mariupol, Russian troops continue to destroy the city, blocking local residents and part of the Ukrainian troops in the area of the Azovstal plant.

In Pivdennobuzk direction, Russia is concentrating its main efforts on the directions Kherson - Mykolaiv and Kherson - Krivy Rih. It regroups troops, consolidates on the ground, strengthens the grouping of cannon and rocket artillery, and accumulates ammunition and fuel and lubricants.

In the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson region, in the urban-type settlement of Velyka Oleksandrivka, the occupiers announced to the local population the need to leave the settlement before April 28. Residents who do not comply with the order will be subject to forced evacuation.

In the temporarily occupied territory of Zaporizhia region, in the city of Enerhodar, the Russian FSB continues to carry out filtration measures.

In the temporarily occupied territories of Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, the occupying troops are engaged in looting, theft and robbery of the local population. Particular attention is paid to the seizure of alcoholic beverages and food.

"Ukrainian defenders and defenders hold the line and inflict losses on enemy troops in areas where active hostilities continue," the General Staff said.
UN International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan said his office has joined the Joint Investigation Team to investigate international crimes committed in Ukraine.

The relevant statement was circulated by the press service of the Prosecutor's Office on Monday.

"I am pleased to confirm that today my Office has become a participant in the joint investigation team (JIT) on alleged core international crimes committed in Ukraine, joining existing members Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine," Khan said.

The prosecutor said that, since taking office, he had stated that "the effective exercise of the mandate of my Office requires us to deepen cooperation and collaboration with all relevant actors." "The Ukraine situation, in particular, demands collective action so as to secure relevant evidence and ultimately ensure its effective use in criminal proceedings. In recognition of this, my Office takes a landmark step today in joining a JIT under the auspices of Eurojust for the first time," he said.

Khan said the JIT aims to facilitate investigations and prosecutions in the concerned states as well as those that could be taken forward before the International Criminal Court. "Through its participation in the JIT, my Office will significantly enhance its ability to access and collect information relevant to our independent investigations. Critically, we will be able to conduct rapid and real time coordination and cooperation with the JIT partner countries," the ICC prosecutor said.

In addition, Khan said the Office's participation in the JIT would not be a "one-way street." "We do not wish to only be the recipients of information and evidence. We also want to serve as an effective partner with respect to the conduct of domestic proceedings in relation to core international crimes, in line with the principle of complementarity," he said.

In addition, the prosecutor expressed his gratitude to the prosecutors general of Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, who joined him today at the signing ceremony, which marked the beginning of cooperation in the JIT. "I would also wish to recognize the strong support of Eurojust in facilitating this important step. Looking ahead, I will continue to seek to deepen our engagement with all actors in relation to the Ukraine situation, in a manner consistent with my mandate as Prosecutor," Khan said.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said Mali could collapse if a UN peacekeeping mission withdrew, but suggested an option could be to replace it with an African Union force backed by a tougher operating mandate.
The World Bank on Monday urged donors to boost support for the Palestinian Authority, which it said was facing a destabilising budget crisis linked partly to "record low" foreign aid contributions.
Press Release

April 25, 2022 De Lima seeks probe into reported lapses of DSWD in implementing 4Ps Act, social amelioration programs In two (2) separate resolutions, re-electionist Senator Leila M. de Lima urged the Congress to investigate the reported lapses of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in implementing Republic Act No. 11310, or the "Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Institutionalization Act," and various social amelioration programs (SAP) to find out if beneficiaries are being deprived of assistance and ensure that its services are not compromised. In filing Senate Resolution (SR) No. 1000, De Lima, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, said it is in the public interest that the Senate look into the reported lapses in the implementation of the 4Ps Act to prevent the same from occurring again, as well as to explore possible revisions to the law that would improve implementation of the program. "Information recently gathered from some beneficiaries indicate that there were possible lapses in the implementation of the Program, including, but not limited to, delayed monthly financial benefits as well as reduction in the amounts received in many areas covered by the Program nationwide," she said. "Such lapses, if true, should be viewed with grave concern since these could result in noncompliance by some household-beneficiaries with the conditions for entitlement as provided for in Sections 11 and 12, respectively, of the Program," she added. RA 11310 provides conditional cash grants to qualified indigent families for a maximum of seven years, to improve their health, nutrition, and the education of their children aged 0-18. De Lima, known as "Ina ng 4Ps" for being the author and principal sponsor of the 4Ps Law, with the assistance of Senator Antonio "Sonny" Trillanes IV as her Vice Chairman in the Senate Committee on Social Justice, likewise underscored the need to further educate the public on the 4Ps Act through an intensive information campaign by the DSWD and other concerned agencies. She said such move will help "allay public fears, dispel false rumors, and ensure that this landmark legislation is rendered immune from the proliferation of fake news." It has even been recently reported that the 4Ps Act was being used for politicking, when fake news peddlers claimed that it would be discontinued should certain incumbents not be re-elected into office in the coming May 2022 elections. "Kailangang imbestigahang maigi ang isyung ito para proteksyunan ang mga benepisyaryo ng 4Ps. Hindi sila dapat biktimahin ng fake news at dumaan na naman sa mga pag-aalala ukol sa benepisyo ng 4Ps dahil sa pansariling interes ng ilang gustong manatili sa kapangyarihan," De Lima said. In another Resolution, SR No. 1001, De Lima said it has become vital to determine whether the DSWD is sufficiently equipped and capacitated to continue to deliver services and programs as social protection programs became more crucial in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Given the DSWD's crucial role in poverty alleviation, it can ill-afford any setbacks or inefficiencies in the implementation of its key social protection programs. "It behooves the Senate to ascertain whether the DSWD still has the capacity to ensure that none of programs are compromised by reason of institutional weaknesses brought about by the various duties it has been tasked to fulfill above and beyond its current mandate," she said. "At the helm of the government's poverty alleviation measures, DSWD has recently been flagged several times by the Commission on Audit (COA)," De Lima noted. In its 2020 report, the COA observed that DSWD has certain problems and issues that ultimately cast doubt on whether the agency, with its current set-up and personnel, has the capacity to fulfill its mandate. The COA flagged, among others, the 780 million unutilized funds due to "insufficient validation process" intended as cash assistance to pandemic-hit Filipinos and SAP overpayments to 20,196 beneficiaries who had already received cash and other forms of aid from other government agencies. COA likewise flagged the "oversight" by the DSWD in its implementation of its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), which resulted in "deficiencies" in relation to around 722.8 million worth of funds, and certain "inappropriately documented" DSWD funds for ex-rebels, to name a few. "The issue of undisbursed 'ayuda' is more than that of mismanaged funds, but more importantly, of the beneficiaries deprived of assistance at their greatest time of need," she said.
Saudi Arabia, Russia and other key oil producers agreed on Thursday to another marginal increase in output, bolstered by risks to demand amid coronavirus restrictions in China.
As the EU poises to mark its anniversary on Monday, it is morphing into a more muscular global actor, a transformation accelerated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Egypt has set fixed prices for unsubsidised bread at outlets and bakeries across the country for three months or until further notice, with violators facing heavy fines, to regulate the market.

The move is the latest in a series of measures Egypt has adopted to maintain price stability and combat price wars in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war.

The 45g bread loaf will stand at EGP 0.5, the 65g loaf at EGP 0.75, and the 90g loaf at EGP 1, said Madbouly.

Meanwhile, commercial bread will sell for EGP 11.5 per kg.

Regarding Fino bread, the 40g loaf will be sold for EGP 0.5, the 60g loaf at EGP 0.75, and the 80g loaf at EGP 1.

The decision, announced by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and published in the official gazette on Monday, goes into effect Tuesday and will remain in place for three months or until further notice,

According to the decision, violators will face fines of not less than EGP 100,000 and not more than EGP 5 million if they sell the bread for a higher price.

Also, outlets and bakeries have to advertise bread prices in a visible place for customers.

Over the past two weeks, the price of unsubsidised bread in Egypt has soared by nearly 50 percent on the back of the disruption of wheat supply due to the Russia-Ukraine war.

However, the government has said that Egypt, the worlds top wheat importer, has sufficient local reserves of the grain for eight months.

Egypt imports around 80 percent of its wheat, a strategic commodity that goes into producing the staple of bread for Egyptians, from Russia and Ukraine.

The cabinet had previously authorised the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade supply to take the necessary measures to establish a pricing mechanism for unsubsidised bread to curb price hikes, in line with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis recent directives to the government to assess the cost of producing unsubsidised bread in order to regulate its pricing.

The government has also taken measures to incentivise farmers to sell the largest possible amounts of wheat to the government during the local wheat supply season, which starts at the end of March.

On Wednesday, the cabinet granted wheat farmers an incentive of an additional EGP 65 for each ardeb (1 ardeb is equivalent to 150kg) to encourage them to increase the quantities they sell to the supply ministry.

The president has also instructed the government to provide low-priced food commodities and distribute cartons of food supplies ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, which starts in early April and is typically accompanied by increased rates of food consumption.

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In a televised speech to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Sinai Liberation Day, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi saluted the souls of Egyptian martyrs who gave their lives to liberate Sinai as well as the Egyptian diplomats who patiently fought to win every inch of it back through negotiations.

The 25th of April will remain an immortal day in the memory of our nation, [a day) on which the strength of will and the solidity of determination were confirmed by generations that realised the value of belonging to their homeland, El-Sisi said.

Egypt celebrates on 25 April of every year the final withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the Sinai Peninsula on that day in 1982, as per the 1979 US-brokered Egyptian-Israeli Camp David Peace Accords.

Those generations have sacrificed themselves to defend [the nations] soil, waving high the flags of victory in the sky with pride and dignity, the president added.

He sent greetings to everyone who contributed to the restoration of this holy land and its return to the motherland, Egypt.

El-Sisi paid tribute to the countrys martyrs who remain immortal in Egypts memory and who sacrificed their lives and blood for the sake of keeping the homeland free and proud.

El-Sisi also paid tribute to the soul of late President Anwar El-Sadat,who made the decision to wage war and eventually broker peace.

The late president El-Sadat gave the order to attack on 6 October 1973 to liberate Sinai from Israeli occupation. He then embarked in 1977 on a peace initiative to end the decades-old wars between Egypt and Israel that led to the signing of a historic peace agreement between the two countries in 1979.

My salutations to the soul of late president Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat, who chose to fight and then call for peace with the courage of a knight and the vision of a leader who aspires to secure a safe environment and achieve stability for his people and all peace-loving peoples, El-Sisi said.

Additionally, the president praised the Egyptian diplomats who fought a years-long legal battle in international courts to secure the return of Taba in South Sinai from Israeli occupation to Egyptian sovereignty, winning a historic legal victory in 1988.

El-Sisi also expressed appreciation to the Egyptian Armed Forces personnel, who are stationed on every inch and corner of the homeland.

They wake up every morning to renew the pledge of loyalty to God and the homeland and are always ready to defend a nation that placed its absolute trust in them and in their ability to safeguard it, he stated.

"We have fully restored our land and started a new phase of the reconstruction in our beloved Sinai to serve as the first line of defence for it."

"The projects that are being built all over Sinai aim to develop it, benefit from its wealth, and achieve prosperity for its beloved people."

The president then stressed that whoever wants peace must possess the necessary power that is capable of preserving it.

Maximising the states capabilities

"Maximising the Egyptian states comprehensive capabilities comes on top of our priorities amid a highly complicated regional and international situation," El-Sisi said.

The Egyptian state understands the prospects of the future through a deep examining of the events and an insight into the international changes and developments, El-Sisi said.

He added that the state seeks to establish a powerful national economy that is capable of facing any challenges.

Just as much as we are keen about our military capabilities, we are also moving along parallel lines to upgrade the rest of the comprehensive capabilities of the state, the most important of which is the economic capacity, the president said.

He also affirmed the countrys keenness on strengthening the Egyptian economy to achieve high growth rates and provide more job opportunities for youths.

Furthermore, the president shed light on the development projects implemented across Sinai to develop the peninsula and achieve prosperity for its people.

Different religious, national occasions

Sinai Liberation Day this year also coincides with different religious and national occasions, El-Sisi said, including the 50th anniversary of the victory of 10 Ramadan, 1393 AH  the day in the Islamic calendar that corresponded to the 6th of October 1973 war in the Gregorian calendar.

During his speech, the president recongratulated Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Christians on the conclusion of their holy week, which also coincided with the approaching end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and the advent of Eid El-Fitr.

On Saturday, the president sent a message of congratulations to Pope Tawadros II  the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church  on the occasion of Easter, saying that the advent of the holy week in the holy month of Ramadan is "a call for adherence to noble religious values."

Easters coincidence with the holy month of Ramadan on the land of Egypt  the cradle of monotheistic religions  is a call for adherence to the noble religious values that extol the virtues of strengthening cohesion and enhancing the spirit of solidarity and harmony."

The president also prayed to God during these blessed days in which the fasts and prayers of the masses of Muslim and Christian Egyptians converge to bring continued goodness and development to Egypt, protect the country and citizens, and perpetuate security and prosperity in Egypt.

He also sent similar messages to Coptic Orthodox Christians abroad on Easter through the countrys embassies and consulates worldwide.

Meanwhile, First Lady Entissar El-Sisi also congratulated on Monday the Egyptian people on the advent of Sinai Liberation Day, saying it represents a feast of dignity, pride, and victory of the will of the Egyptian people, who affirmed their ability to face any challenge to restore their land and rights.

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A key partner in Israel's governing coalition said Monday that all the factions are working to try and keep the fragile coalition afloat, less than a year after it was sworn into office.

The coalition has come under threat by internal squabbles and escalating violence with the Palestinians.

Earlier this month a member of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's party split from the ruling coalition, leaving the government without a majority in parliament and raising the possibility of yet another national election after years of political chaos.

The eight-party alliance, made up of ultranationalists, dovish parties and a small Islamist faction, is now deadlocked with the opposition with 60 seats each in the 120-member Knesset. That has greatly complicated the government's ability to pass legislation and raised the risk of plunging the country into snap elections.

``It is a challenging moment for the coalition, for sure. Politically speaking, there are obstacles,'' Labor Party leader Merav Michaeli said. But she expressed hope for the government's survival.

Michaeli, who is the transportation minister, said that all party chiefs ``are working together in order to find every way to keep this government, and to keep it working the way it has been doing so far.'' She spoke at a meeting of the Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem.

Idit Silman served as coalition whip until her departure from Yamina, the small hard-line party led by Bennett, earlier this month. She said in a resignation letter that ``key values in my worldview are inconsistent with current reality,`` days after voicing vehement opposition to allowing bread into public hospitals on the Jewish holiday of Passover. Yamina is popular among religious nationalist Jews, who refrain from consuming bread during the holiday.

Bennett's coalition also faces other challenges. Ongoing Israeli crackdown on Palestinians at Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem and deadly raids in the West Bank, has prompted the small Islamist party Ra'am - the first Arab party to serve in an Israeli coalition - to temporarily suspend its participation in protest.

Israeli leaders have accused Hamas of orchestrating the violence in Jerusalem and encouraging young Palestinians to confront police. Palestinians accuse Israeli police of using excessive force and point to the huge numbers of Jewish visitors to the Al-Aqsa compound during Passover as a source of tension.

Under longstanding norms, Jews are allowed to visit the site but not to pray there. But many have begun to quietly pray in recent years, raising Palestinian concerns that Israel is plotting to take over or divide the site. Israel denies the allegations.

Michaeli declined to cast blame for the latest outbreak of violence but said all sides should act reasonably.

``I would like to reduce to a minimum anything that causes violence or hardships in the Temple Mount,'' Michaeli said, adding that Israel needs to reach a political agreement with the Palestinians that would also encompass the future status of the contested holy site.

The clashes at the Jerusalem shrine are part of a broader wave of violence that has seen several deadly Palestinian attacks inside Israel, lethal Israeli arrest raids in the occupied West Bank and violence between Israel and Gaza's ruling Hamas militant group. On Monday, a rocket was launched from Lebanon into Israel, which struck back with tank shelling.

Bennett's unwieldy coalition came to power following a protracted political crisis that saw Israelis go to the polls four times in about two years.

Despite their ideological differences, the eight parties banded together to oust former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who now serves as opposition leader.

* This story was edited by Ahram Online

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The Prosecutor-General decided to release 41 pretrial activist detainees on Sunday after completing some legal procedures in their prisons, informed sources told Ahram Online.

Earlier in the day, Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, the deputy chairperson of the Human Rights Committee in the House of Representative, announced the release of a number of political activists, including Walid Shawky, Mohamed Salah, Abdou Fayed, Haitham El-Banna, and Ahmed Emam.

Political activists shared on social media platforms photos of journalist Mohamed Salah, Sixth of April activist Walid Shawky, and economic researcher Abdou Fayed after their release outside prison.

Egyptian law allows the government to hold those accused of crimes for up to two years pending a referral to trial.

Meanwhile, the liberal-oriented Reform and Development Party issued a statement on Sunday, noting that its chairperson, Mohamed Anwar Esmat El-Sadat, celebrated with the families and relatives of the released, who had been in pretrial detention on political, freedom of opinion, and expression cases, and ascribe to various political orientations.

El-Sadat has been lobbying the government to release pretrial detainees who have not been involved in terrorism-related cases.

Additionally, Moushira Khattab, the President of Egypts National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), expressed in a statement the council's optimism regarding the potential positive outcomes of the release, stressing that the upcoming period would witness further legal revisions for the conditions of a number of pretrial detainees who applied for the presidential pardon.

Khattab also lauded the recent steps taken by the Egyptian state  represented by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi  in human rights areas, noting that there is clearly a true political will to promote and enhance human rights in a way that is in line with international human rights standards and conventions in light of the new Egyptian republic, which aims to ensure a decent life for all Egyptians.

El-Sadat  who is also deputy chairperson of the NCHR  stressed that the upcoming period would witness legal and humanitarian revisions to release more of the pretrial detainees and prisoners who meet the conditions of the presidential or conditional pardon.

Moreover, according to Abdel-Aziz, the human rights parliamentary committee will expand in its activities and will include indebted men and woman besides young activists.

Last September, during the launch of Egypts National Strategy for Human Rights , the president said the Egyptian state "is committed to respecting and protecting" personal freedoms, the right of political participation, the freedom of expression and the right of the formation of civil society organizations.

He noted that Egypt "welcomes" differences in opinions as long as they respect the freedoms of others and aim, through constructive criticism, to achieve the better for the country and people.

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Pope Tawadros II, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, greeted President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and all citizens on Monday on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Sinai Liberation Day.

Today, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of liberation of the precious land of Sinai after a long journey of martyrdom and diplomatic and peace efforts that have distinguished Egypt all over its history," the Coptic Orthodox Church said in a statement.

The church also highlighted the ongoing comprehensive development in Sinai after the armed forces and police managed to get rid of terrorism in Sinai through great and precious sacrifices.

We pray to God to protect the territories of our homeland and maintain peace and stability in Egypt, the statement added.

Meanwhile, Andrea Zaki, the head of the Evangelical Community in Egypt, also greeted the president and citizens on the occasion, lauding the sacrifices of Egyptian servicemen to restore this dear part of the homeland.

Egypt celebrates on 25 April of every year the final withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the Sinai Peninsula in 1982 as per the 1979 US-brokered Egyptian-Israeli Camp David Peace Accords.

Marking the anniversary on Monday in a televised speech, El-Sisi sent greetings to everyone who contributed to the restoration of this holy land and its return to the motherland, Egypt.

He also paid tribute to the souls of the martyrs and late President Anwar El-Sadat as well as to the Egyptian diplomats who patiently fought to win every inch of Sinai back through negotiations.

During his speech, the president congratulated Egypts Coptic Orthodox Christians on the conclusion of their holy week, which also coincided with the approaching end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and the advent of Eid El-Fitr.

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Sudan's military deployed further troops to West Darfur province to help stop tribal fighting that claimed the lives of more than 175 people over the past five days, officials and aid agencies said Monday.

The peak of the fighting between Arabs and the African Masalit tribe was Sunday in the town of Kreinik, 80 kilometers east of the provincial capital of Genena. The clashes eventually reached Genena where authorities declared a nightly curfew in the main market, according to the U.N.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the violence which grew out of the killing of two Arab people Thursday in Kreinik by unknown assailants.

He called for the acceleration of the deployment of local joint security keeping forces as per a 2020 peace deal between Sudan's government and a rebel alliance in war-wrecked Darfur region.

At least 168 people were killed, and 89 others were wounded on Sunday alone, according to the General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced in Darfur. Thursday-Friday clashes left 8 dead and 16 wounded, it said.

Darfur24 news website quoted Naser al-Zein, director of Kreinik municipality, as saying that the dead included at least 17 children and 27 women.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, said government buildings, a police station and Kreinik's sole hospital attacked and burned down in Sunday's hours-long clashes.

The fighting forced the U.N. food agency to suspend food distributions planned this week, affecting at least 62,850 displaced people in the town and two nearby villages, OCHA said.

The Genena Teaching Hospital, where wounded people were being treated, was also attacked Sunday with shooting took place inside the facility including the emergency department, the Doctors Without Borders charity said.

One hospital worker was killed, and healthcare workers were evacuated, said the group which is known by its French acronym MSF.

Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Yassin Ibrahim Yassin said they solidified security in the province and deployed troops to separate the warring parties.

Tensions between Arab and Masalit communities in Kreinik date back to December when a property dispute at a local market triggered clashes that killed at least 88 people.

The fighting has come at a critical time for Sudan, which has plunged into chaos since a military takeover last year. The takeover upended the country's transition to democracy after a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.

The clashes raise questions over whether military leaders are capable of bringing security to Darfur, which has been wracked by years of civil war. In 2020, the U.N. Security Council ended its peacekeeping mission there.

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French President Emmanuel Macron faced the daunting challenge of uniting a deeply divided nation Monday after winning re-election in a battle against Marine Le Pen that saw the far right come its closest yet to taking power.

Centrist Macron won 58.54 percent of the vote in the second-round run-off compared with 41.46 for Le Pen, according to final results from the interior ministry.

Macron is the first French president in two decades to win a second term and his victory prompted a sigh of relief throughout Europe.

But his victory over his far-right rival was narrower than their last face-off in 2017 when Macron won over 66 percent, and Le Pen's result was the best ever for the far right.

The president already has an overflowing in-tray, ranging from preparing for parliamentary elections in June to implementing explosive pension reform plans and dealing with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Macron made no public appearance on Monday, staying in the secluded presidential retreat of La Lanterne next to the park of the Versailles Palace outside Paris to plot his future political strategy.

"The difficulties are going to start real soon," Brice Teinturier, managing director at public opinion specialists Ipsos France, told AFP.

Respond to the angry

Addressing supporters late Sunday, Macron vowed to heal rifts in a deeply divided country, vowing a response to the "anger" that prompted many French to vote for the far right.

Turnout was the lowest in any presidential election second-round run-off since 1969 and, in another striking sign of disenchantment with politics, 8.6 percent of people who voted either delivered a blank ballot or spoilt their papers.

"We need to respond to the angry and worried messages from millions of French people who say 'I can't make ends meet'," Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Monday.

The 44-year-old president now faces parliamentary elections in June, where keeping a majority will be critical for his ambitions.

"Macron's biggest challenge will be to create a sense of cohesion in an extremely fragmented country," said Tara Varma, senior policy fellow and head of the Paris office of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Victory without triumph

French daily Le Monde called Macron's win "an evening of victory without a triumph", while left-leaning Liberation said it was "a victory without the glory".

Conservative daily Le Figaro said Macron's win was "no mean feat", but also asked: "Who can possibly believe that it is rooted in popular support?"

Within the next two weeks, Macron is expected to reshuffle his government, with the departure of Prime Minister Jean Castex a near certainty, and several other ministers also being replaced.

"Many in government are exhausted and he needs new blood," said one Elysee official, asking not to be named.

Macron will aim for gender parity in his next cabinet and has said he would like to see a woman become his next prime minister.

For Le Pen, her third defeat in a presidential poll was a bitter pill after years of effort at making herself electable. But she made clear that she retained political ambition.

On Sunday Le Pen, 53, said she would "never abandon" the French and declared that she had scored a "brilliant victory" in her defeat to Macron.

'A true friend'

Macron will now try to implement his vision of more pro-business reform and tighter EU integration, after a first term shadowed by protests, then the coronavirus pandemic and finally Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Macron's re-election sparked relief across Europe where he has been seen as a guarantor of continuity.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi called Macron's victory "great news", European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said she was "delighted" and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said French voters had "sent a strong vote of confidence in Europe today".

That praise was echoed by other world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Russian President Vladimir Putin -- whom Macron had unsuccessfully sought to persuade to end the invasion of Ukraine -- said Monday he wished the French president "success in your state activities, as well as good health and well-being".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Macron he was "a true friend of Ukraine".

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Israel will re-open its only crossing from Gaza for workers two days after closing it, the defence ministry said Monday, following a lull in rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave.

"Following a security assessment, it has been decided... that as of tomorrow... labourers and merchants will again be permitted to enter Israel from Gaza through the Erez crossing," said COGAT, a unit of the Israeli defence ministry responsible for Palestinian civil affairs.

The crossing is used by 12,000 Palestinians with permits to enter Israel for work.

"Opening the crossing for merchants and labourers and the other civilian measures applied to the Gaza Strip are conditioned on the continued preservation of a stable security situation in the area," COGAT said in a statement.

On Saturday, COGAT had announced it was closing Erez after militants in Gaza fired projectiles at Israel for four consecutive days, amid a second weekend of heavy clashes at east Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The unrest, which came as the Jewish festival of Passover overlapped with the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, sparked fears of a wider conflict, nearly one year after similar violence at Al-Aqsa led to an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza-based militants.

No rockets have been fired from Gaza since Saturday morning.

Overnight Sunday into Monday, a projectile was fired from Lebanon into northern Israel, the army said. Nobody claimed responsibility for that fire and Israel's military responded by firing artillery rounds into Lebanon.

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The Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade announced on Monday that it would reverse its decision to cut by 10 percent its supply of local wheat to municipal bakeries starting 1 May.

The ministry had issued a decision earlier to reduce bakeries quotas for local wheat in Ramadan due to low demand during the holy month.

Minister of Supply Ali El-Moselhi recently postponed the collection of instalments owed by municipal bakeries till the end of Eid El-Fitr in order to support bakery owners and provide subsidised bread to citizens.

In March, Egyptian government set fixed prices for unsubsidised bread at outlets and bakeries across the country for three months, or until further notice, with violators facing heavy fines.

The move was the latest in a series of measures Egypt has adopted to maintain price stability after the cost of unsubsidised bread soared by nearly 50 percent in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Egypt imports from Russia and Ukraine around 80 percent of its wheat, a strategic commodity essential for producing bread, a staple food for Egyptians.

The government has said that Egypt, the worlds top wheat importer, has sufficient local reserves of the grain to last for eight months.

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Sometimes it feels like it's Elon Musk's world and we just live in it.

The endlessly innovative, endlessly eccentric billionaire has struck a deal to buy Twitter -- giving him control of the social media network on which the world debates, mobilizes and bickers.

It is just the latest conquest for Musk, who has revolutionized the car industry, sent his own rocket to space, built the world's biggest fortune -- and created fountains of moral outrage and celebrity gossip along the way.

Musk, 50, last year became the world's richest person -- taking the title from Amazon's Jeff Bezos -- following the meteoric rise of Tesla, his electric automaker founded in 2003.

His takeover of Twitter caps a rollercoaster of announcements and counter-announcements -- which he characteristically punctuated by gleefully firing jabs at the company on its own platform.

And Musk's new guise as a social media overlord will fuel controversy over his political views, business methods and outsized personality.

He is libertarian, anti-woke, impulsive and promotes himself as a champion of free speech. Some would call him right-wing, while his critics accuse him of being autocratic and bullying.

All this has come in a month in which Musk also made headlines with Tesla opening a "gigafactory" in Texas, after the company left California following a dispute over his efforts to defy a state shutdown of his plant to stop the spread of Covid-19.

And there's more -- his space transport firm SpaceX is currently breaking yet another boundary as a partner in a three-way venture that sent the first fully private mission to the International Space Station.

But Musk also makes news of a less flattering kind: Tesla has faced a series of lawsuits alleging discrimination and harassment against Black workers as well as sexual harassment.

In parallel with the whiplash-inducing stream of business news, Musk's penchant for living by his own rules in the private sphere also keeps the world wide-eyed.

It recently emerged Musk has had a second child with his on-again off-again partner, the musician Grimes: a girl they named Exa Dark Siderl Musk -- although the parents will mostly call her Y.

He is even expected to make an appearance -- in person or not -- at the ongoing celebrity defamation trial pitting Johnny Depp against his ex-wife Amber Heard, who formerly dated Musk.

One way or another, Musk has become one of the most ubiquitous figures of the era. So how did he get where he is today?

To Mars... and beyond?

Born in Pretoria, on June 28, 1971, the son of an engineer father and a Canadian-born model mother, Musk left South Africa in his late teens to attend Queen's University in Ontario.

He transferred to the University of Pennsylvania after two years and earned bachelor's degrees in physics and business.

After graduating from the prestigious Ivy League school, Musk abandoned plans to study at Stanford University.

Instead, he dropped out and started Zip2, a company that made online publishing software for the media industry.

He banked his first millions before the age of 30 when he sold Zip2 to US computer maker Compaq for more than $300 million in 1999.

Musk's next company, X.com, eventually merged with PayPal, the online payments firm bought by internet auction giant eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002.

After leaving PayPal, Musk embarked on a series of ever more ambitious ventures.

He founded SpaceX in 2002 -- now serving as its chief executive officer and chief technology officer -- and became the chairman of electric carmaker Tesla in 2004.

After some early crashes and near-misses, SpaceX perfected the art of landing booster engines on solid ground and ocean platforms, rendering them reusable, and late last year sent four tourists into space, on the first ever orbital mission with no professional astronauts on board.

Musk's jokingly-named The Boring Company is touting an ultra-fast "Hyperloop" rail transport system that would transport people at near supersonic speeds.

And he has said he wants to make humans an "interplanetary species" by establishing a colony of people living on Mars.

To this end, SpaceX is developing a prototype rocket, Starship, which it envisages carrying crew and cargo to the Moon, Mars and beyond -- with Musk saying he feels "confident" of an orbital test this year.

Musk, who holds US, Canadian and South African citizenship, has been married and divorced three times -- once to the Canadian author Justine Wilson and twice to actress Talulah Riley. He has seven children. An eighth child died in infancy.

Forbes estimates his current net worth at $266 billion.

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On Monday, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi inaugurated the worlds largest wastewater treatment plant. Bahr Al-Baqar wastewater treatment plant, east of Port Said, will treat 5.6 million cubic metres per day which can then be used to irrigate agricultural land in Sinai.

Mohamed Ghanem, Irrigation Ministry spokesperson, said the plant aims to process two billion cubic metres of water annually to contribute to the reclamation of between 400,00 and 500,000 feddans as part of the national project to develop Sinai and make optimal use of water resources.

Egypts water resources are estimated at 60 billion cubic metres per year, 55 billion of which come from the River Nile and five billion from rain and underground sources, forcing the government to look for other sources. We are currently involved in building wastewater projects that will help process 20 billion cubic metres annually. Soon the Bahr Al-Baqar station will be joined by Al-Hammam station in the west of the Delta, said Ghanem. While water treated by Bahr Al-Baqar will irrigate Sinai, water processed by Al-Hammam station will be used to irrigate lands around Al-Natroun.

Tarek Al-Rifaai, spokesperson of the Ministry of Housing and New Communities, revealed that 146 wastewater treatment projects with a combined daily capacity of 5.8 million cubic metres are currently under construction in Egypt.

Egypts population is increasing rapidly. We desperately need water to meet the needs of this growing population and to irrigate as much agricultural land as possible.

Water treated by Bahr Al-Baqar station will allow new agricultural, industrial and housing communities in Sinai to be developed, says Agricultural Syndicate head Sayed Khalifa. The government is aiming to expand Egypts inhabited land from 14 to 17 per cent of the land mass, and most of this increase will be in Sinai. Water treated by Bahr Al-Baqar will reach the peninsula through underground pipelines to reclaim land there.

President Al-Sisi said on Monday that Egypt is in a race against time to double its water resources. He revealed that the cost of treating waste water to cultivate half a million feddans in Sinai will reach LE160 billion, which will be covered by soft-term loans from Arab development funds.

Bahr Al-Baqar was built by the Arab Contractors and Orascom Construction, and funded by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.

Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli said during Mondays inauguration that projects to develop and populate Sinai have cost LE700 billion so far. We are currently implementing 63 projects, the most important of which include the building of six underground tunnels to link Sinai with the rest of Egypt, said Madbouli. These projects aim to put an end to Sinais isolation and make it a population magnet.

As part of this strategy, seawater desalination plants are being developed, which Madbouli described as central to populating and developing Sinai. The plant currently being built at Arish, he added, will produce 300,000 cubic metres annually of desalinated water.

Populating Sinai is central to Egypts national security objectives, observed Madbouli, and the main vehicle for this is the National Project for Developing Sinai, one of the first initiatives launched by President Al-Sisi following his election in 2014.

Major General Ihab Al-Far, head of the Armed Forces Engineering Organisation, said the flow of water from Bahr Al-Baqar to Sinai will speed up the process of populating the peninsula.

He added that the Armed Forces are participating in developing Sinai through two kinds of projects: building 34 seawater desalination stations to produce 442 million cubic metres of drinking water to meet the needs of the population of Sinai, and constructing 36 wastewater treatment stations to process 473 million cubic metres per year of water to irrigate agricultural lands.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:

US pledges $700 million

On the first visit by high-level American representatives to Ukraine since Russia invaded, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pledge more than $700 million in additional direct and indirect military aid, including $300 million to allow the country to purchase necessary weapons.

The trip, which the United States confirmed only after the two had left Ukrainian territory, came as the war enters its third month.

US diplomats to return

Washington's diplomats, withdrawn at the start of Russia's invasion, will gradually return to Kyiv, Blinken says.

US President Joe Biden also plans to nominate current US ambassador to Slovakia Bridget Brink as the new ambassador to Kyiv, a post that has been officially empty since 2019, Blinken added.

Ukraine proposes Mariupol talks

Ukraine has invited Russia to talks near Mariupol's besieged Azovstal steelworks, the last holdout of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians in a devastated city largely under Moscow's control.

"We invited Russians to hold a special round of talks on the spot right next to the walls of Azovstal," says Oleksiy Arestovych, an aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Six more civilians killed

Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko says five civilians were killed Sunday and another five wounded in the eastern region as Ukrainians mark a sombre Orthodox Easter.

Also in eastern Ukraine, the Kharkiv prosecutor's office reports one woman killed and a man wounded by shrapnel.

UN calls for 'stop' in Mariupol fighting

UN Ukraine crisis coordinator Amin Awad calls for an "immediate stop" to fighting in Mariupol to allow the evacuation of trapped civilians in the battered city.

"The lives of tens of thousands, including women, children and older people, are at stake in Mariupol," Awad says in a statement. "We need a pause in fighting right now to save lives."

Russia still attacking Mariupol troops

The deputy commander of the far-right Azov Regiment in Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant Sviatoslav Palamar says Russian forces continue to bombard the site and attempt to breach its defences.

The Kremlin claims to have "liberated" the city, which is pivotal to plans to forge a land bridge to Russian-occupied Crimea.

20,000 Mariupol civilians dead

Mayor Vadym Boychenko says more than 20,000 civilians have died in Mariupol since Russia's invasion and that more than 100,000 remain in the city "begging for rescue".

"I want to emphasise once again -- unfortunately, for two days in a row, Russian occupation forces are disrupting the evacuation," he adds.

Russia accused of forced blood donations

Ukrainian ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denysova says Moscow wants to force captured Ukrainian soldiers to donate blood to wounded Russian troops, comparing the alleged practice to Nazi actions during World War II.

EU to press India over Ukraine

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrives in India, where she will press leaders over the country's neutral stance on the Ukraine war.

OSCE 'concerned' over missing members

The world's largest security body says it is "extremely concerned" after several of its Ukrainian members were believed to have been arrested in pro-Russian separatist territories in the country's east.

UK urges France and Germany to do more

Britain says "it would be good to see more from France and Germany" to support the Ukraine war effort.

Minister Oliver Dowden tells the BBC that the West should "continue to tighten the ratchet on Russia" as Moscow ramps up its offensives in the south and east of Ukraine.

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The British government says it believes 15,000 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine since Moscow launched its invasion two months ago.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said 25% of the Russian combat units sent to Ukraine ``have been rendered not combat effective,'' and Russia had lost more than 2,000 armored vehicles and more than 60 helicopters and fighter planes.

Russia has acknowledged 1,351 military casualties.

Wallace said Russia had failed in most of its military objectives so far. He told British lawmakers that ``we anticipate this next phase of the invasion will be an attempt by Russia to occupy further the Donbas in order to connect it via Mariupol`` to Russian-controlled Crimea. He said international aid and weapons are crucial to help Ukraine withstand the anticipated onslaught.

Wallace said Britain had sent more than 5,000 antitank missiles, as well as air-defense systems and anti-air missiles, and would soon send ``a small number'' of Stormer armored vehicles equipped with missile launchers.

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The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor will join an EU investigations team to probe possible international crimes committed in Ukraine, the EU's judicial cooperation agency said Monday.

It will be the first time the Hague-based ICC set up in 2002 as an independent tribunal to probe the world's worst crimes will take part in a joint investigation with other countries.

"The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague will become a participant in the joint investigation team (JIT) on alleged core international crimes committed in Ukraine," Eurojust said in a statement.

Chief prosecutor Karim Khan has signed an agreement with prosecutors general of Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine to take part in a joint investigative team to look into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed since Russia's invasion on February 24.

The agreement "aims to facilitate investigations and prosecutions in the concerned states as well as those that could be taken forward before the ICC," Eurojust said.

"With this agreement, the JIT parties and the Office of the Prosecutor are sending a clear message that all efforts will be undertaken to effectively gather evidence on core international crimes committed in Ukraine and bring those responsible to justice," the Hague-based agency said.

Khan visited the town of Bucha almost two weeks ago -- the scene of hundreds of civilian killings which Ukraine has blamed on Russian forces who occupied it for several weeks.

"Ukraine is a crime scene. We're here because we have reasonable grounds to believe that crimes within the jurisdiction of the court are being committed," Khan said at the time.

Russia has denied responsibility for the deaths and President Vladimir Putin has dismissed reports of Russian soldiers shooting civilians as "fake".

Brussels too supported the move, proposing to broaden Eurojust's mandate to allow the agency to "collect, preserve and share evidence of war crimes" to help bolster the probe in Ukraine.

The move envisioned establishing a "central back-up storage" in the EU where evidence unearthed in Ukraine can be preserved safely and permitting it to be shared with the ICC.

"We need to reinforce Eurojust to make sure it has the necessary tools to deal with the scale of atrocities in Ukraine," said European Commission vice president Vera Jourova in a statement

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed the ongoing flare-up of tensions around Jerusalem's holy sites in separate calls Saturday with the Israeli prime minister and Palestinian president.

In statements released after both calls, the UN said Guterres discussed "efforts to lower tensions, end provocations and unilateral steps, and restore calm."

More than 200 people, mostly Palestinians, have been wounded over the past week in clashes in and around the Al-Aqsa compound, a holy site for both Muslims and Jews.
TWICE opened the shows with "The Feels," their first English-language single, as tens of thousands of fans waved light sticks, illuminating the Tokyo Dome.

Girl group TWICE performed sold-out concerts in Tokyo, Japan over the weekend.

Originally only two shows, on Saturday and Sunday, were scheduled, but another night was added after tickets sold out almost instantly.

Tickets for Monday's concert also sold out within a few minutes.

The concerts at the Tokyo Dome are especially meaningful as this year marks the fifth anniversary of the group's Japanese debut.
The U.S. government has issued a series of warnings against cyber attacks and hacking attempts, especially from North Korea.

The Washington Post pointed out the contradictions. "In the world of government-backed hackers, North Korea stands out for its sheer weirdness," it said on April 22. "The vast majority of its residents have no Internet access... Yet Pyongyang has been able to build a hacking army that rivals nearly any on the globe."

North Korean hackers are based in hotels in China because of the extremely threadbare internet connection network in their home country and because it allows them to evade detection.

Eric Chien at Symantec described North Korea as being like the mafia or a criminal gang.

"Hackers there are more likely to steal cryptocurrency than to steal secret information from a rival government like their peers in other cyber-savvy nations," the daily said. "Much of the stolen money goes to fund the heavily sanctioned nation's nuclear program and other government operations."
U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to visit Korea in the third week of May to meet with President Yoon Seok-youl.

A diplomatic source told the Chosun Ilbo the schedule for Biden's visit to Korea is "virtually fixed."

Biden is stopping over on his way to Japan to attend at a meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, an informal anti-China alliance consisting of the U.S., Japan, Australia and India, on May 24.

A U.S. security team arrived in Seoul last Saturday to prepare the ground. Possible stops for Biden include the demilitarized zone, U.S. Forces Korea headquarters in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, and a Samsung semiconductor plant nearby.

Biden is expected to focus on cementing the bilateral alliance and discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine, China's global trade dominance, and North Korea's accelerating nuclear arms program.

"Washington is paying attention to the recent diplomatic developments between Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow," an official on Yoon's transition team said. "To contain them, Washington is concentrating on strengthening relations with its allies in the Indo-Pacific region."

Biden's visit is aimed at restoring trilateral cooperation between Washington, Seoul and Tokyo, which has been weakened during the Moon Jae-in administration, and also strengthening cooperation in economic and security affairs.

Samsung's semiconductor plant in Pyeongtaek is on the list of Biden's possible destinations because there are only two manufacturers in the world that are capable of carrying out the 3-nm process -- Samsung and TSMC of Taiwan. Washington is keen to diversify global supply chains away from China.


[April 25, 2022] Sprinklr Launches Voice Integration With Amazon Connect to Unify the Contact Center Sprinklr (NYSE: CXM), the unified customer experience management (Unified-CXM) platform for modern enterprises, today announced an integration with Sprinklr Modern Care and Amazon Connect to unify the contact center. Sprinklr and Amazon connect customers can both immediately benefit from the integration. Sprinklr customers can now quickly add voice services with Amazon Connect to improve their contact center experience. Amazon Connect customers can access a complete Unified-CXM platform from Sprinklr to give agents a seamless, 360-degree view of brand conversations across 30+ internal, digital, and social channels. "With Sprinklr and Amazon Connect, brands can better understand and optimize interactions with customers across any channel," said Doug Balut, Senior Vice President of Global Alliaces at Sprinklr. "When a consumer expresses a sentiment about a brand on any channel - social media, messaging, in-app, live chat, email, etc. - Sprinklr captures that information for analysis and action by marketing teams. By integrating Sprinklr and Amazon Connect, customers can now link contact center operations to all of that customer experience data. The contact center becomes an integrated part of the complete marketing, social, e-commerce, and unified care operation. This integration opens nearly unlimited use cases for complete customer experience management."

Integrating Sprinklr with Amazon Connect will also help reduce costs and service level agreements (SLAs) by supporting customers on the channel they prefer, while providing automated communication via chat bots, voice bots, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) deflection, and conversational AI. Customers can deploy Sprinklr with Amazon connect quickly and add channels incrementally as needed. Sprinklr with Amazon Connect gives every agent 360-degree views of customers with full context from internal, voice, digital, and social data sources. For more information, visit: https://www.sprinklr.com. About Sprinklr

Sprinklr is a leading enterprise software company for all customer-facing functions. With advanced AI, Sprinklr's unified customer experience management (Unified-CXM) platform helps companies deliver human experiences to every customer, every time, across any modern channel. Headquartered in New York City with employees around the world, Sprinklr works with more than 1,000 of the world's most valuable enterprises - global brands like Microsoft, P&G, Samsung and more than 50% of the Fortune 100. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220425005008/en/

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KYODO NEWS - Apr 25, 2022 - 18:57 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

Over half of Japan's population has received their third COVID-19 vaccine dose, with 86.9 percent of those aged 65 and above vaccinated, government data showed Monday.

But vaccination rates among younger people still remain low relative to the general population, with only 30.1 percent and 33.2 percent of those in their 20s and 30s, respectively, having received their booster shots.

COVID-19 vaccines have proven effective in stemming the spread of the Omicron variant of the virus despite initial doubts, and health experts are encouraging people to keep up to date with their shots.

Between April 4 and 10, infections per 100,000 among those in their 20s stood at 766 for the unvaccinated, but dropped to 306 for the fully vaccinated, and to 141 for those who had received their third shot, according to the health ministry. A similar trend was also observed in other age groups.

"The results show that (the vaccine) can prevent infections in any age group. Young people are also at risk of long COVID if they get infected, so we want them to get their third shots," said Takaji Wakita, head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases who also leads the expert panel of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

The booster shot vaccination rate in countries like Singapore and Britain is higher. Singapore's rate stood at 73 percent as of Saturday.

A study at Nagasaki University in southwestern Japan found that among those aged 16 to 64, a third vaccine dose was 69 percent effective in preventing an outbreak of the Omicron strain, compared with 43 percent for those who had only received up to two doses.

Studies at Chiba University Hospital and Kobe University have also yielded results showing a certain degree of effectiveness of third doses.

According to the health ministry, side effects accompanying third shots of both U.S.-manufactured Moderna and Pfizer vaccines reported by medical institutions were less than 0.01 percent of the total number of doses administered as of March 20.

An analysis of side effects among health care workers by the ministry included fever, headaches and fatigue, but most disappeared within a few days. Side effects lasting beyond 10 days were rare.

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No need to stop social activities with Omicron: Japan COVID adviser

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Japan confirms 1st case of Omicron XE variant in airport arrival
KYODO NEWS - Apr 25, 2022 - 23:24 | All, Japan

A child believed to be a 3-year-old girl was confirmed dead Monday, taking the death toll to 11 after a tourist boat with 26 passengers and crew aboard went missing in rough waters over the weekend off a World Heritage site on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, the coast guard and local officials said.

Having dispatched aircraft and vessels, the Japan Coast Guard and Self-Defense Forces are continuing to search for the remaining 15 people following Saturday's incident involving the 19-ton Kazu I.

According to the coast guard, the girl was found Sunday night in an unresponsive state in waters about 14 kilometers east of a lighthouse near the tip of the Shiretoko Peninsula, a popular destination in the northeast of Hokkaido known for drift ice tours.

In accordance with the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, the coast guard on Monday notified Russian authorities it would be expanding the search area to waters effectively governed by Russia.

Beyond the lighthouse lie four long-disputed islands called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia.

The Russians acknowledged the communication but will not be assisting in the search, the coast guard said.

The child was likely to have drifted due to the wind and tide. According to officials in Shari, from where the boat departed, the girl was aboard with her parents who remain missing.

The coast guard and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said the 24 passengers ranged in age from under 10 to their 70s.

All passengers and crew were believed to be wearing life jackets, but the girl was not wearing one when she was found.

The vessel, crewed by 54-year-old captain Noriyuki Toyoda and a deckhand, told operator Shiretoko Yuransen it was listing 30 degrees around 2 p.m. Saturday before contact was lost, according to the coast guard.

The transport ministry began an investigation Sunday with an on-site inspection of the boat operator, while the Japan Transport Safety Board has sent officials to the local coast guard office to look into the incident.

Local fishing boats and tourist vessels have joined the search, using sonar to locate the boat which they suspect may have sunk.

On Monday, the ministry's Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau said waves had risen suddenly on the day of the incident.

Until 11:30 a.m. Saturday, around an hour and half after the boat departed, the significant wave height -- the average height of the highest third of the waves -- was 30 centimeters but had surged to 3.09 meters two hours later.

A local fisheries cooperative has said high waves and strong winds were observed around noon Saturday, prompting fishing boats to return to port before noon.

Multiple acquaintances had warned the boat's captain not to set out to sea, anticipating rough waters in the afternoon.

A regular inspection last Wednesday had found no problems with the boat.

While the president of the firm, which has been operating since 2001, has apologized, he did not provide a clear answer when the father of one of the missing passengers asked why the boat had left despite the high waves.

The boat left port in Shari on Saturday to cruise along the peninsula, designated as a World Natural Heritage site in 2005 and home to many rare species of animals and plants.

The incident occurred ahead of Japan's Golden Week holidays through early May. The Kazu I was the first tourist boat operating in the area this season.

According to the ministry, the Kazu I ran into trouble twice last year, once in May when it collided with a floating object, injuring three passengers, and another in June when it ran aground in shallow water shortly after leaving port.

The coast guard referred Toyoda to prosecutors over the June incident, in which no one was injured.

Related coverage:

10 confirmed dead after tour boat with 26 goes missing off Hokkaido

Tourist boat with 26 people missing off Hokkaido peninsula
KYODO NEWS - Apr 25, 2022 - 23:47 | All, Japan

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet with the visiting members of a delegation sent by South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol as the two countries seek ways to thaw their frosty relations, Japanese government sources said Monday.

The expected meeting Tuesday morning will be held at the prime minister's office, despite opposition from some ruling party members. It comes after the delegation held a series of meetings with Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and the defense and industry policy chiefs Monday, in which they agreed to make efforts toward improving bilateral ties that have sharply deteriorated over wartime issues.

During their meeting, Hayashi and the delegation agreed to "maintain and beef up" bilateral relations and that they share the same ideas on freedom, democracy and a market economy, Chung Jin Suk, the delegation's head and deputy speaker of the National Assembly, told reporters after the talks at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo.

Hayashi said the two Asian countries need to develop ties based on friendship and cooperation and that he expects Yoon to exert leadership, according to a Japanese government official.

The delegation is on a five-day trip to Japan through Thursday ahead of Yoon's inauguration on May 10, as expectations of an improvement in the Tokyo-Seoul relationship grow following the victory of the country's main opposition candidate in the March presidential election.

Yoon is calling for a "future-oriented" approach, seeking to improve bilateral ties strained over issues related to wartime history, including "comfort women," who were procured for Japan's wartime military brothels and compensation demanded by South Koreans for what they say was wartime forced labor.

During the administration of incumbent President Moon Jae In, ties between Tokyo and Seoul have sunk to their lowest point in years over a historical feud stemming from Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

The two nations have also been at odds over South Korean-controlled, Japanese-claimed islets known as Takeshima in Japan and as Dokdo in South Korea, as well as over Tokyo's restrictions on semiconductor material exports to South Korea in July 2019, seen as retaliation for the Moon administration's handling of the wartime history-related issue.

Seoul has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization against Japan imposing the export controls.

Defense-related tensions between the countries were also heightened following an incident in December 2018 when the South Korean navy allegedly locked its fire-control radar on a Japanese Self-Defense Forces patrol plane in Japan's exclusive economic zone.

A cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers aiming to help promote friendly ties between the two nations met the delegation. It said it sympathizes with Yoon, who is focusing on a better relationship with Japan and the United States at a difficult time for the regional security environment following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and a flurry of ballistic missile launches by North Korea since the start of this year.

The delegation asked senior members of the lawmakers' group to attend Yoon's inauguration ceremony.

Later in the day, the delegation met with Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, who said he will strive to establish close communication with Yoon's administration and stressed the importance of the trilateral cooperation that includes the United States to deal with North Korean threats, according to a Defense Ministry official.

During their stay in Japan, members of the South Korean delegation plan to meet with former prime ministers Shinzo Abe, who heads the largest faction within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and Yoshihide Suga.

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda and the delegation members took up the issue of export controls in their talks, an industry ministry official told reporters. However, Japan maintains its stance that there can be no negotiations on the matter unless Seoul retracts its complaint with the WTO, he added.

Related coverage:

Japan PM Kishida sends offering to war-linked Yasukuni shrine

S. Korea's next top diplomat calls "comfort women" pact with Japan official

Japan seriously considering high-level dialogue with South Korea
KYODO NEWS - Apr 25, 2022 - 11:43 | Arts, Feature, All, Japan

A news photo exhibition will open at Tokyo International Forum on Friday to chronicle key episodes leading to the 50th anniversary this year of Okinawa Prefecture's return to Japan from the United States.

On display at the exhibition will be about 140 photos, including those of ceremonies to mark Okinawa's reversion to Japan on May 15, 1972, after a 27-year U.S. rule, and a dispute over the planned transfer of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.

The exhibition titled "50th Anniversary of Okinawa's Reversion to Japan -- A news agency as eyewitness," running through May 15, takes place amid a rift with China over Senkaku Islands and fears of a Taiwan contingency due to an emboldened China in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"People may look back on the 50 years from different perspectives. Okinawans desire to be on a par with other Japanese prefectures, but the omnipresent U.S. bases in Okinawa make it far from reality to this day," says Yutaka Nishizawa, chairman of the nonprofit Japan Press Research Institute, the exhibition's organizer.

The institute organized the exhibition in cooperation with the Okinawa Times, the Ryukyu Shimpo and Kyodo News.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, waves to teachers and students during a visit to Renmin University of China in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Monday called for blazing a new path to build world-class universities with Chinese characteristics.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during a visit to Renmin University of China in Beijing.

Xi stressed following the Party's leadership and passing down revolutionary traditions in running universities. He also said China's universities should be deeply rooted in China and avoid simply copying foreign standards and models.

The visit came ahead of China's Youth Day, which falls on May 4 every year.

On behalf of the CPC Central Committee, Xi extended festive greetings to young people of all ethnic groups nationwide.

Xi also expressed hopes that all young people in the country can keep in mind the Party's instructions, strive for national rejuvenation, and work hard for the best results possible.

The history of Renmin University of China can be traced to Shanbei Public School, founded in 1937. The university has grown over the decades, with a focus on humanities and social sciences, as well as Marxism studies.

During his visit, Xi first went to a smart classroom for ideological-political courses. He sat with students, listening attentively and joining their discussions.

Stressing that ideological-political classes should play their due role in fostering morality, Xi called for tailoring such education to the needs of young people at different developmental stages.

Xi called on Renmin University of China to offer more exemplary ideological-political courses for schools across the country, and urged universities nationwide to cooperate more with middle and primary schools in carrying out ideological-political education.

Visiting the university's museum, Xi asked it to carry forward its glorious revolutionary traditions and distinctive "red" heritage.

At a square outside the museum, Xi met with senior professors, experts, and representatives of outstanding young and middle-aged teachers and talked with them.

Xi said building world-class universities requires first-class teachers, underscoring the importance of training competent teachers.

At the library, Xi inspected the display of revolutionary literature and ancient books and heard briefings on the university's efforts to protect and use literature and ancient books and turn theoretical research into application.

Xi called for enhancing the protection, restoration, and comprehensive utilization of the university's ancient books via modern sci-tech means, thus building a world-class academic resources information platform and boosting the country's cultural soft power.

Later on, Xi sat down with representatives of teachers and students at a symposium and delivered an important speech.

Xi stressed that building a world-class university with Chinese characteristics would not work by blindly following others or simply copying foreign standards and models. It requires blazing a new path instead.

Xi said there is a pressing need to answer questions of the times, such as "What happens to the world?" and "Where should humanity head?"

The priority of developing the philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics is to establish an independent knowledge system, Xi said.

He urged efforts to make the philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics an important part of the world's academic society.

Xi encouraged relevant researchers to try their best to achieve progress in addressing the overall, fundamental, and key issues of the Party and the country.

Faculties of universities should not only master their disciplines but also nurture their virtue. They should become true tutors for their students and role models for society and the public, Xi said.

He called on young people to follow the Party's call and develop themselves into a generation capable of shouldering the mission of national rejuvenation.

Wang Huning and other leading officials of the central authorities attended the events. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, sits with students, listening attentively and joining their discussions, at a smart classroom for ideological-political courses during a visit to Renmin University of China in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, sits with students, listening attentively and joining their discussions, at a smart classroom for ideological-political courses during a visit to Renmin University of China in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the library of Renmin University of China in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the museum of Renmin University of China in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with senior professors, experts, and representatives of outstanding young and middle-aged teachers at a square outside the museum of Renmin University of China in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, sits down with representatives of teachers and students at a symposium and delivers an important speech during a visit to Renmin University of China in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, sits down with representatives of teachers and students at a symposium and delivers an important speech during a visit to Renmin University of China in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, sits down with representatives of teachers and students at a symposium and delivers an important speech during a visit to Renmin University of China in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, waves to teachers and students during a visit to Renmin University of China in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)
The Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana held a speech and performance competition over the weekend to celebrate the UN Chinese Language Day and boost cultural exchanges.



ACCRA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana over the weekend held a Chinese speech and performance competition to further boost cultural exchanges between China and Ghana.

The competition, as part of the institute's activities to mark the UN Chinese Language Day which falls on April 20 annually, also served as a platform for many university students in Ghana to display their talents in the Chinese language and culture.

The competition featured a variety of talent shows including Chinese traditional dance, martial arts, and stand-up crosstalk, which won constant applause from the audience of both countries.

Audiences watch a Chinese speech and performance competition held by the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana, in Accra, Ghana, on April 23, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Zheng)

Ayawuli Richmond, a contestant and senior student of the university, told Xinhua that the past four years' experience of learning Chinese bolstered his determination to further study in China and devote himself to a Chinese teaching career.

"Chinese culture is really beautiful, and I want to go to China to experience a different culture. For self-development, I want to become a Chinese teacher to promote the Chinese culture in Ghana," he said.

A Ghanaian student performs Chinese crosstalk in a Chinese speech and performance competition held by the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana, in Accra, Ghana, on April 23, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Zheng)



Chu Beijuan, Chinese dean of the institute, spoke highly of the Ghanaian contestants' performances, saying many of the students worked very hard on the Chinese language behind the scene and they have made obvious progress.

"The importance of Chinese can never be underestimated in Ghana because of the strong bilateral relationship between China and Ghana, and also because there are many Chinese enterprises in the country willing to create jobs for students, especially students who study Chinese," Chu said, adding that the institute will continue serving as a platform to more Chinese firms looking for young Ghanaian talents.

According to her, the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana established in 2013 has enrolled about 40,000 students, which played an important role in boosting cultural exchanges between the two countries. 




SHANGHAI, April 25, 2022 (Xinhua) -- "If we don't stick to the dynamic zero-COVID approach, I think it would be disastrous. Shanghai, with a population of over 20 million, is rapidly aging. If we give up on the current epidemic control measures, it'll be a disaster to the elderly population, " says Gao Yuan, director of ICU department from Renji Hospital, east China's Shanghai.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday visited Renmin University of China, meeting students ahead of China's Youth Day, which falls on May 4.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has, on many occasions, shared his hopes and expectations on the young people.

The following are some highlights of his quotes:

-- Young people are the future of a nation and of the world.

-- Let youth blossom in the unremitting endeavors for the motherland, the nation, the people and humankind.

-- The future belongs to the young people, and our hopes also rest with them.

-- Hard work paints a bright backdrop for a young life.

-- Everybody is young once in their life. Now is the time for you to make the most of your youth; and the future is a time for you to look back on it.

-- A nation will be full of hope and have a great tomorrow when its younger generations have ideals, ability and a strong sense of responsibility. 
CHONGQING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- "Come on, time to go to school." Tan Xiangying, 70, would earlier often urge her two grandchildren, but now it is the other way around -- the kids remind Tan about her classes.

Thanks to a unique education model that is slowly gaining traction in the rural areas of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, children are enjoying a healthy family environment.

Tan began attending a reading salon, under this initiative, at the local primary school with her grandchildren in 2019.

Organized by the primary school in Xituo Township, Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County, the weekly salon focuses on family education, emphasizing the important role of parents in children's growth.

Tan's son and daughter-in-law work far away from home. To learn how to get along better with the two kids, Tan joined the salon at her daughter-in-law's suggestion.

The reading salon focuses on specific topics for guardians, such as how to manage their emotions and how to get along with children. The adults read together and exchange their thoughts, while teachers deliver formal lectures.

Initially, many attendees including Tan were apprehensive about such a concept. "If they want us to teach our children or grandchildren, what will teachers do?" they had thought to themselves.

According to the guardians, a teacher's job is to teach while guardians are obliged to just ensure the children's basic needs are fulfilled.

However, after the first session at the salon, Tan was shocked to realize how wrong she was all this while.

"I had no idea my every small move could have massive impacts on the kids. I used to berate them frequently. However, I have tried to befriend them now," Tan said.

Liu Jinxin, Tan's granddaughter, said she has noticed significant changes in her granny. "She is more gentle now and often praises us."

Tan's mindset has undergone remarkable changes and she has immersed herself in the learning process. She dropped out of primary school at a young age and since then, most of her life had been about doing the farm work and looking after the cattle.

Thanks to this reading salon, Tan has rediscovered the joy of learning. From being a person who could barely write characters before, she has already filled six notebooks to document what the teacher said in the salon.

"I am so happy now. I never imagined that I could have such a wonderful school life," said Tan. She also invited over 10 other elderly people to join the salon.

The reading salon was advocated by the newly-released Family Education Promotion Law of China, which has taken effect from the beginning of this year.

The new law stresses that parents or other guardians need to promote the comprehensive and healthy growth of minors in moral quality, cultural accomplishments, behavior habits and other aspects.

As the first teacher in the school to give classes to the guardians of children, Cui Xiaolan said she and her colleagues were glad to see the law's promulgation, which proves the things they have done for seven years were in the right direction.

In 2015, Cui found that many children in the school were left-behind kids whose parents were making a living away from home. She realized how easily this may result in a lapse in family education, prompting her to organize such reading salons for the guardians.

Apart from elderly people like Tan, young full-time mothers are also among the attendees.

As Peng Dongqing, 33, didn't make it to the college, her daughter had to bear the brunt of her anxiety. Peng was over concerned about her daughter's grades and had constantly pushed her to go beyond her limits.

But after attending the salon, Peng realized that no one is perfect, including her own child. "I need to care more about my daughter's happiness and focus on finding her talents in other fields, rather than only caring if she excels in the exam," she said.

In seven years, the number of participants in the reading salon has grown from 10 to over 500 and teaching sessions have been successfully held 158 times, Cui said.

This "guardian education" model has already been carried out in 89 public schools in Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County.

"Be it theory or in practice, a good education needs efforts from both the school and the family. We hope every child can grow in a healthy environment filled with love," said Tan Lamei, deputy director of the county's education department. 
The 21st "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Irish College Students was held here at the Confucius Institute of University College Dublin (UCD) in the Irish capital on Sunday.

This is the first competition of its kind ever held offline in Ireland since the COVID-19 pandemic, said organizers.

A total of 19 college students from Dublin, Cork and other parts of Ireland took part in the one-day competition which was held inside the auditorium of the teaching building of the UCD Confucius Institute.

Due to public health concerns, a limited number of audiences including family members and teachers of the contestants were invited to the event.

The competition, which is open to all college students in Ireland except Chinese nationals or those whose parents speak Chinese, comprised two rounds of matches, a preliminary one in the morning session and a final one in the afternoon.

In the final competition, eight contestants, selected by a five-member jury, were each given a two-minute time for a speech in Chinese centering on the theme of "One World One Family" followed by questions and answers.

They were also given a five-minute time to demonstrate their Chinese cultural skills such as singing Chinese songs or performing martial arts or preparing Chinese tea.

Anna Roth, a 22-year-old student of foreign applied languages from University College Cork, beat all her competitors to become the first prize winner of the competition. She will represent Ireland in competing with college students from other parts of the world in China later this year.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
AFP: The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has said a preparatory team will visit Xinjiang ahead of a visit by Michelle Bachelet. Can you give any details of the preparatory teams itinerary such as where in Xinjiang they plan to go and whom they plan to meet? What will China do to ensure genuine and unrestricted access to that region?

Wang Wenbin: The preparatory team of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights arrived in China on April 25 to prepare for the visit to China by High Commissioner Ms. Michelle Bachelet in May.

What I want to tell you is that the goal of the High Commissioners visit is to promote exchange and cooperation. We are opposed to political manipulation by exploiting the matter.

Shenzhen TV: The incumbent President Macron has been reelected after winning the second round of French presidential election that was wrapped up on April 24. Do you have any comment on Chinas relations with France and Europe going forward?

Wang Wenbin: President Xi Jinping has already sent congratulatory message to President Macron on his reelection. As President Xi stressed in the congratulatory message, over the past five years, under the leadership of the two heads of state, the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership has maintained high-level development. Both China and France are major countries with the tradition of being independent. The ongoing profound and complex changes in the current international landscape have underscored the strategic significance of the sound and steady development of China-France relations. China has always looked at its relationship with France from a strategic and long-term perspective, and stands ready to work with France to continue upholding the original aspiration of the establishment of our diplomatic relations featuring independence, mutual understanding, foresight, mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, jointly elevate the bilateral relations to new heights and bring more benefits to people of the two countries. China is also willing to work with EU countries, France included, to deepen the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership and inject more stability and positive energy into a turbulent world.

Bloomberg: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a Chinese military base in the Solomon Islands would be a red line for his government. Does China rule out building such a base and what other comments does the ministry have?

Wang Wenbin: The security cooperation between China and Solomon Islands is based on equality and mutual benefits. It is within the sovereignty of our two countries and consistent with the international law and international customary practice. The cooperation is open, transparent, legitimate, lawful and irreproachable. The speculation that China will build a military base in Solomon Islands is pure disinformation fabricated by a handful of people who harbor ulterior motives.

I have noted that the US and Australian accuse the framework agreement on security cooperation between China and Solomon Islands of not being transparent. However, it is the AUKUS security partnership that is neither open nor transparent. When will the US and Australia invite South Pacific island countries and other regional countries to review AUKUS cooperation? The US claims that Chinas military presence will cause grave concerns. If we follow this logic, the nearly 800 military bases in 80 countries and regions across the world run by the US have long been of major concern for the world. When will the US shut down those bases?

Island countries in the South Pacific are independent and sovereign states, not a backyard of the US or Australia. Their attempt to revive the Monroe Doctrine in the South Pacific region will get no support and lead to nowhere.

Xinhua News Agency: The Global Security Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping in his keynote speech delivered the other day at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022 has resonated deeply with people in many countries. Could you shed some light on how China plans to implement the initiative?

Wang Wenbin: The Global Security Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping has been well received and highly commended by experts, scholars and political figures in many countries. It is a widely shared view that the Initiative reflects the shared security needs of the international community under the new circumstances and provides an important and refined plan for global security governance. The value of unity and cooperation applies to not only the Asia-Pacific, but also countries around the globe. If the world wants a more equitable and reasonable new security governance system, actions should be taken in line with the Global Security Initiative. This shows that the Initiative chimes with the shared aspiration of the international community for peace, cooperation and development.

In his recent signed article, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out that the Global Security Initiative answers the question posed by the times, that is, what kind of security concept does the world need and how can countries achieve common security? It has contributed Chinas wisdom to addressing the deficit in peace for mankind and offered Chinas solutions to international security challenges. China not only proposed the Global Security Initiative, but is also taking concrete actions in its implementation. China stands ready to work with the international community to follow through on the Initiative to deliver in the following aspects:

First, we should firmly uphold the authority and status of the United Nations, jointly practice true multilateralism, and oppose undermining the international order in the name of rules or dragging the world into a new Cold War.

Second, we should adhere to the direction of promoting peace talks and jointly seek political solutions to hotspot issues. We need to uphold justice, encourage dialogue and act as a stabilizing force for peace rather than fanning up conflicts.

Third, we should coordinate efforts to address security threats in both traditional and non-traditional domains and work together to improve the global security governance system. We need to embrace a global governance philosophy that emphasizes extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits and guard against and resolve security predicaments.

Fourth, we should balance development and security, and jointly promote a robust recovery of the world economy. We should actively follow through on the Global Development Initiative, accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and advance sustainable security with sustainable development.

Fifth, we should strive to build a new regional security architecture, and jointly safeguard peace and stability in Asia. We firmly oppose dividing the region with the so-called Indo-Pacific Strategy and patching up a NATO-replica in the Asia-Pacific in the name of military alliance.

I want to stress that no matter how the international situation may evolve, China will always hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation and win-win results, and unswervingly act as a builder of world peace, a guardian of international order and a mediator of hotspot issues. We firmly believe that as long as the whole world acts as one, we can form a strong synergy to build a community with a shared future for mankind and pass on the flame of peace from generation to generation.

CCTV: Recently, during the third meeting of the US-EU Dialogue on China, the US and the EU expressed concern about issues relating to Taiwan, Xinjiang and Chinas disinformation program, and said they will continue to maintain the centrality of the UN Charter. Do you have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: China firmly rejects the US and the EUs groundless interference in Chinas internal affairs and unwarranted denigration and smearing against China. We have lodged solemn representation with the two sides and made clear our stern position.

The US purports to maintain the centrality of the UN Charter, but it is clear to anyone that the US is doing quite the opposite. When the UN Security Council refused to authorize the US use of force in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Iraq, Syria and other places, the US and NATO brushed the UN aside and waged wars on sovereign states in wanton interference.

The US claims to respect human rights, but the wars of aggression launched by the US and its allies in countries including Afghanistan and Iraq killed over 300,000 civilians and made over 26 million people refugees. Yet, no one is held accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The US even announced sanctions on the International Criminal Court who would investigate the war crimes of the US military.

The US asserts opposition to economic coercion, but it is also the US that invented coercive diplomacy and excels at coercing countries whether they are big or small, faraway or nearby, friend or foe. The embargo and sanctions imposed on Cuba have lasted half a century and the sanctions slapped on Iran have been there for 40 years. When it comes to stabbing its allies such as the EU and Japan in the back, the US has never hesitated, as we have seen repeatedly.

Facts have proven that the US is the biggest spreader of disinformation, culprit of coercive diplomacy and saboteur of world peace and stability. From the US-EU dialogue to the AUKUS trilateral security partnership, the Quad and the Five Eyes Alliance, the US is using democracy, human rights, rules and order as a pretext to cover up its shady activities of creating division, stoking confrontation and reaping benefits at the expense of others. As a result, not only small and weak countries are hurt, US allies including Europe are also paying a heavy price for the US selfish acts. It is hoped that the EU can see the truth and stop holding the candle to the devil.

AFP: Just to follow up on my colleagues question just now about Australia. Australias Defense Minister Peter Dutton recently accused China of paying bribes to win international deals. Whats the foreign ministrys comment on that?

Wang Wenbin: I noted that Mr. Dutton could not give a satisfactory explanation in response to a journalists question. Certain Australian politicians are clinging to the Cold War mentality and smearing China with rumors to sow discord between China and countries it has friendly ties with. We regret and firmly oppose such moves.

The politicians should earnestly face up to the concerns of people at home and abroad, instead of spreading disinformation to disparage China for their own political gains.

China News Service: Yesterday marks Space Day of China. It is reported that the China National Space Administration said that China will build a defense system against small near-Earth objects. Will China conduct international cooperation in this regard?

Wang Wenbin: China is committed to the peaceful use of outer space in the spirit of promoting the wellbeing of all humanity. The small near-Earth objects defense system that China will develop is aimed at addressing the impact of small near-Earth objects, a common risk faced by mankind. China will continue to carry out exchanges and cooperation with countries through the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and other relevant multilateral mechanisms to contribute our strength to protecting the safety of Earth and all humanity.

CRI: US Department of State Spokesperson said the other day that China continues to parrot some of what we have heard coming from the Kremlin. This apparently applies to the concept of indivisible security. Do you have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: China rejects such unwarranted accusations in total disregard of facts. The US should do its homework. The indivisibility of security is not Russias own assertion, but an important principle widely recognized and adopted by the US and other NATO members, European countries and the international community. This principle is included in important documents including the Helsinki Final Act of 1975, the 1990 Charter of Paris for a New Europe, the Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security between NATO and the Russian Federation in 1997, the Charter for European Security in 1999, among others. And the US is a signatory or participating party of these above-mentioned documents. Forgetting history is tantamount to betrayal. Rejecting consensus will lead to severe consequences. Such US actions in bad faith is typical unilateralism and revisionist history, and the root cause of the current European security crisis.

AFP: Several recent announcements by local governments in Beijing have led to concerns. What steps does China plan to take to prevent Beijing residents and also the international community here from going through inconvenience?

Wang Wenbin: I would like to refer you to competent authorities for your question on the specifics. I want to elaborate on some basic facts about Chinas anti-epidemic policies and measures. Chinas dynamic zero-COVID policy and epidemic-prevention protocol are based on science and experts opinions. They are in keeping with Chinas realities and WHOs guiding principles and have effectively guaranteed the safety and health of Chinese and foreign citizens living in China, and made an important contribution to the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. According to relevant data, Chinas COVID-19 mortality rate was 0.4 for every 100,000 in 2021, only 1/606 of that of the US, giving China one of the lowest mortality rates from COVID-19 in the world. It is an objective fact recognized by the international community that Chinas epidemic prevention and control measures have achieved maximum containment effect at minimum cost and minimized the epidemics impact on economic and social development. Chinas epidemic prevention efforts and gains have not only been commended by the WHO, but also highly recognized and supported by the Chinese people.

I also want to point out that every epidemic protocol has its costs. The prevention and control measures in some Chinese cities have had some impact on production and daily life, as could happen in any country. But what makes China different from other countries is that the vast majority of the Chinese people understand and support the Chinese governments COVID-19 policy and measures, and the Chinese people have full confidence in defeating the epidemic.

China did not lie flat over the Delta variant. We have resolutely fought against the virus, making great contributions to and remarkable achievements in protecting the health of the Chinese people and safeguarding Chinas economic and social development. Now in the face of the Omicron variant, China will not lie flat, either. We are resolutely fighting the virus. We will win the battle and make greater contributions to the world.

Bloomberg: Chinas ambassador to Sri Lanka said today that going to the IMF for help resolving its economic crisis has impacted credit talk with China. Last month he said that China was considering two new sources of financing, a $1 billion loan and a $1.5 billion credit line to purchase goods from China. What is the ministrys comment on this matter? Is China rethinking that earlier promise?

Wang Wenbin: As we have said many times before, China and Sri Lanka are close neighbors enjoying traditional friendship. China has always actively supported Sri Lankas socioeconomic development.

At present, Sri Lanka is faced with economic difficulties. The Chinese side has announced that it will provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka. We will continue to offer support and assistance to the best of our capability to help Sri Lanka reinvigorate its economy and improve peoples livelihood. We believe that the Sri Lankan government and people can surely overcome the temporary difficulties and realize socioeconomic stability and development.
BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- China stands ready to work with the international community to make sure the Global Security Initiative takes root and bears fruit to make the world more peaceful, secure and prosperous, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

"The initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, contributes Chinese wisdom to make up for the human peace deficit and provides Chinese solution to cope with international security challenges," Wang said in a bylined article carried by People's Daily published Sunday.

Wang said, the initiative responds to the urgent need of the international community to maintain world peace and prevent conflicts and wars, conforms to the common pursuit of all countries in the world to uphold multilateralism and maintain international solidarity, and responds to the common aspiration of people from all countries to overcome difficulties and create a better post-pandemic world.

With a complete system and rich connotation, this initiative is an important application achievement of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy in the field of international security, and it is also a sublation and transcendence of Western geopolitical security theory, Wang said.

The Global Security Initiative champions commitments in six areas, that is, to stay committed to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security; stay committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries; stay committed to abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter; stay committed to peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation; stay committed to maintaining security in both traditional and non-traditional domains.

Wang added that the initiative is also rooted in the diplomatic tradition and wisdom with unique Chinese characteristics. As a responsible major country, China has always upheld the banner of peace, development, and win-win cooperation, made positive contributions to safeguarding global peace and security, and set an example of a major country.

Wang introduced the major propositions and policy objectives proposed by China to fully implement the Global Security Initiative:

-- Firmly upholding the authority and status of the United Nations and jointly practicing the true multilateralism;

-- Staying committed to the general direction of promoting peace talks and jointly working for political solutions to hotspot issues;

-- Coordinating efforts to address security threats in both traditional and non-traditional areas and working together to improve the global security governance system;

-- Taking into account both development and security, and jointly promoting strong recovery of the world economy;

-- Striving for building a new regional security framework and jointly safeguarding peace and stability in Asia.

Wang noted that China is ready to join hands with all peace-loving and development-oriented countries and people to implement the Global Security Initiative, blaze a path toward lasting peace and universal security, and forge a strong synergy to build a community with a shared future for humanity. 
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, speaks during a State Council meeting on clean governance in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2022. Zhao Leji, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and Vice Premier Han Zheng, both members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday called for further efforts to combat corruption and build a clean and honest government.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks at a State Council meeting on clean governance.

Zhao Leji, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and Vice Premier Han Zheng, both members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting.

Li said that advancing economic and social development is the basic responsibility of governments at all levels and also an essential requirement for improving Party conduct and building a clean government.

The new, increased downward pressure facing China's economy due to the impact of the greater-than-expected changes in the domestic and international situations deserves great attention, he said.

Li stressed that policy initiatives that have already been formulated must be largely implemented in the first half of this year so as to ensure stable jobs, prices, and supplies, and to keep the fundamentals of China's economy stable.

Governments are urged to shoulder their responsibilities to safeguard food and energy security and keep supply chains stable, according to the premier.

Li called for further efforts to create a market-oriented, law-based and internationalized business environment, noting that tax and fee reduction policies should be implemented in a fair, equitable and efficient manner.

Moreover, the premier stressed the need for greater efforts to oppose pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance, with a particular focus on the first two problems. 

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, speaks during a State Council meeting on clean governance in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2022. Zhao Leji, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and Vice Premier Han Zheng, both members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, speaks during a State Council meeting on clean governance in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2022. Zhao Leji, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and Vice Premier Han Zheng, both members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)
Photo taken on March 23, 2022 shows that Chai Peike is painting a classic novel character. (Xinhua/Xie Jianwen)

YINCHUAN, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Chai Peike, 83, has taken up an ambitious project to paint 480 characters of the "Dream of the Red Mansion," one of the four most famous classical Chinese literary works.

Chai hails from Guyuan City in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and is proficient in Chinese brush painting. Over the years, he has developed a habit of turning the characters of novels he has read into images.

"When I read books, I should be able to visualize the characters as well as practically see their images. My aim while reading is to absorb the stories and transform them into paintings," Chai said.

He has recently donated a set of paintings depicting 108 characters from "Outlaws of the Marsh," a classic Chinese novel series, to an archive in his hometown.

A fan of this epic novel series, Chai has developed his own understanding of the ancient heroes after studying their characteristics for years.

"Every time I close my eyes after reading the book, the characters play out in my mind. This allows me to paint them according to my visualizations and sometimes even improvise them," he said.

This is a painting of Wu Song, who kills a tiger with his bare hands, from "Outlaws of the Marsh," a classic Chinese novel series. (Guyuan City archive/Handout via Xinhua)

"Wu Song, who kills a tiger with his bare hands, is my favorite hero because of his hatred toward evil and knighthood spirit," Chai added. "So I painted him as a perfect man."

According to the novel, Wu Song had one arm chopped off by a bandit and was handicapped in the end, but Chai kept his two arms intact. Wu Song's facial expression was also based on Chai's own interpretation.

Chai's hometown Guyuan is the cradle of a local literary culture called "Xihaigu Literature." Xihaigu, a region that was long deemed "uninhabitable," bid farewell to poverty in recent years.

"Guyuan is not only the center of Xihaigu area but also the source of its literature," said Wang Lun, dean of the Guyuan Archives.

"The fighting spirit of the heroes in 'Outlaws of the Marsh' has inspired us to combat poverty and improve our lives, which accords with the local culture," Wang said. 
PARIS, April 24 (Xinhua) -- French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron won the 2022 French presidential runoff with 58 percent of the votes, according to the preliminary exit poll released Sunday evening by French television BFMTV.

Macron's rival, far-right wing candidate Marine Le Pen, gained 42 percent of the votes.

In her speech after learning the preliminary results, Le Pen said that "the result itself is a resounding victory."

"Millions of our compatriots have chosen the national camp and change. I extend my deepest gratitude to those who trusted me in the first round and to those who, by the millions, joined us in the second," she said.

She particularly thanked her supporters from the countryside and overseas territories that put her in the lead during the election.

Losing her second presidential runoff to Macron, Le Pen called on the French people to vote for her in the upcoming legislative elections.

In 2017, Macron and Le Pen also competed for the French presidency in a runoff vote, during which Macron was elected president with 66.1 percent of the votes. 
UNITED NATIONS, April 24 (Xinhua) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for stronger international cooperation in the face of threats to multilateralism.

"United Nations member states, by ratifying or accepting the UN Charter, have committed themselves to the values of multilateralism and diplomacy for peace," the top UN official said in his message for the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace, which falls on April 24 annually.

However, the multilateral system and the value of diplomacy "are under threat from all directions," the UN chief said, citing causes "From the climate crisis to the multiplication of conflicts."

"We need to transform this moment of crisis into a moment for multilateralism," Guterres noted.

"On the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace, I call on all governments and leaders to renew their commitment to dialogue and global solutions that are the only sustainable path for peace," sad the secretary-general.

The International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace was established on Dec. 12, 2018 through a UN resolution and was first observed on April 24, 2019. 
BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Emmanuel Macron on his re-election as French president.

In his message, Xi said over the past five years, the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership has maintained a high level of development under the guidance of the two heads of state.

The two sides have continued to deepen practical cooperation in various fields, combated the COVID-19 pandemic shoulder to shoulder, jointly upheld multilateralism and improved global governance, injecting new impetus to the development of China-European Union relations and making new contributions to world peace, stability and prosperity, Xi said.

Noting that both China and France are major countries with a tradition of staying independent, Xi said the strategic significance of the sound and stable development of China-France relations has become ever more prominent as the international situation is undergoing profound and complex changes.

Xi said he always views the bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective, and stands ready to continuously work with Macron to uphold the original aspiration of the establishment of the diplomatic relations featuring independence, mutual understanding, foresight, mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, work together to push China-France relations to new heights and bring benefits to the people of the two countries and the rest of the world. 
BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Monday called for blazing a new path to build world-class universities with Chinese characteristics.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during a visit to Renmin University of China in Beijing.

Xi stressed following the Party's leadership and passing down revolutionary traditions in running universities. He also said China's universities should be deeply rooted in China and avoid simply copying foreign standards and models. 
ISTANBUL, April 25 (Xinhua) -- A civilian training aircraft on Monday crashed in a residential area in Turkey's northwestern province of Bursa, killing two people on board, a local official announced.

The plane crashed in the middle of houses at around 3:00 p.m. local time (1200 GMT) on Sarigul Street in the central Osmangazi district and caught fire, Bursa Governor Yakup Canbolat told reporters on the scene.

He said the training pilot, who was later identified as Furkan Otkun, and his trainee Murat Avsar were killed in the mishap.

Two buildings and two vehicles were seriously damaged, he added, saying a comprehensive investigation was launched into the incident.

Video footage showed flames and heavy smoke coming out of the incident location and security officials cordoning off the area.

Some explosions also occurred due to the fire, according to press reports.

Mustafa, Yildiz, an eyewitness who is residing in the area, told the NTV broadcaster that citizens were in a big panic when the aircraft fell over parked vehicles after hitting a building.

The plane was a TC-UTT T2002JF model 2002 trainer aircraft, said the NTV report. 
Photo taken on April 25, 2022 shows ships engulfed by fire in Macao, south China. Ships anchored in sea waters near Macao caught fire Monday evening, with multiple blasts heard, according to the Fire Department of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government. The ships were in the middle of a row of over 10 fishing vessels anchored in the sea waters. Firefighters have arrived at the site for rescue. The cause of the fire and casualties remain unclear. (Photo by Liang Jianhua/Xinhua)

MACAO, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Ships anchored in sea waters near Macao caught fire Monday evening, with multiple blasts heard, according to the Fire Department of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government.

The ships were in the middle of a row of over 10 fishing vessels anchored in the sea waters.

Firefighters have arrived at the site for rescue. The cause of the fire and casualties remain unclear. 
BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- China and the United Nations development system Monday agreed to make joint efforts for the cause of global development.

The consensus came when Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Siddharth Chatterjee, UN development system resident coordinator in China.

Noting that the UN is the main platform for international development cooperation, Wang said China attaches great importance to cooperation with the UN development system and is willing to work with the UN to advance the cause of global development.

Wang said the Global Development Initiative, put forward by China, aims to call on the international community to pay more attention to development issues, strengthen international development cooperation, and accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

More than 100 countries have supported the initiative, and more than 50 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative established by China on the UN platform, Wang added.

China has accumulated rich experience in poverty alleviation, human resource development, protection of women's and children's rights, health, and green and open development, etc. China is willing to cooperate with UN members and the UN development system to share these experience with other countries, Wang said.

Chatterjee spoke highly of the significance of the Global Development Initiative to realize the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

He said that the UN development system in China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China on advancing the Global Development Initiative, actively offer advice and suggestions, and carry out practical cooperation. 
BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Beijing reported 29 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases between 4 p.m. Sunday and 4 p.m. Monday, local authorities said on Monday.

A total of 70 local infections have been logged since Friday, said Pang Xinghuo, deputy head of the Beijing municipal disease prevention and control center.

Five more neighborhoods have been classified as medium risk for COVID-19, bringing the total number of medium-risk areas in Beijing to six. The city currently has one high-risk area.

Group tour services within Beijing have been suspended, the municipal bureau of culture and tourism said.

Vegetable supplies in the city's seven major agricultural product wholesale markets totalled 22,700 tonnes on Monday, indicating stable supplies and prices, said Zhao Weidong, deputy head of the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau.

Zhao said that Beijing has a sufficient and stable supply of daily necessities on the whole. 
JERUSALEM, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Israel security forces thwarted on Monday a weapon smuggling attempt from Jordan, the army said.

The incident took place overnight near the West Bank settlement of Argaman, close to the border with Jordan.

A suspect was caught after soldiers operating surveillance cameras spotted him approaching the fence from Jordan towards Israeli territory.

When the man was arrested, he was found carrying 24 handguns, worth about a million shekels (about 304,717 U.S. dollars), and a bag containing about 80,000 Jordanian dinars (about 112,836 dollars), which were confiscated, said an Israeli military spokesperson in a statement.

"The weapons and the suspect have been transferred to the Israel police for further questioning," the statement read.

The incident came amid heightened tensions, including a string of fatal Palestinian attacks in Israel, deadly Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank, and clashes at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem. 
BEIRUT, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Sunday called for continuous international support for Lebanon and the refugees and migrants hosted in the country, according to a joint press release they sent to Xinhua.

The appeal by the two UN agencies came a day after a boat reportedly carrying 84 people capsized off the coast of Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli, killing at least six including a 40-day-old baby, according to the press release.

"The tragic event underscores the shockingly high risks that many people are resorting to out of desperation ... It is crucial that continuous support is mobilized to help Lebanon as living conditions worsen for refugees and Lebanese alike," said Ayaki Ito, UNHCR representative in Lebanon.

For his part, Mathieu Luciano, head of IOM Lebanon, warned that Lebanon's economic crisis has triggered one of the largest waves of migration in the country's history.

"Driven by increasingly desperate economic circumstances, a growing number of people are leaving Lebanon through unsafe means. Safe and legal alternatives to irregular migration are urgently needed, including support to local livelihoods and improved access to services in communities at risk," he said. 
HOUSTON, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Sixteen people, including 15 migrants and a truck driver, were injured following a high-speed police chase on Sunday in the U.S. state of Texas bordering Mexico, authorities said.

The truck driver lost control during the chase from Medina County into Bexar County, leaving the truck to roll over several times, according to Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown.

Fifteen migrants were found in the truck, at least two of them in critical condition and flown to a San Antonio hospital by helicopter, said an ABC News report. The others were rushed to nearby hospitals.

The report said the driver, who had a gun in the truck, faces several charges.

Crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have peaked in recent weeks. It is widely expected that more migrants will arrive with the May 23 rescission of a public health policy called Title 42, which allows the rapid expelling of migrants due to the coronavirus pandemic. 
MOSCOW, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Russia's Defense Ministry on Monday announced a ceasefire near the Azovstal plant in Mariupol for the safe evacuation of civilians.

Russia's armed forces and the formations of the Donetsk People's Republic "from 14:00 Moscow time (1100 GMT) on April 25 will unilaterally cease all hostilities" to ensure the safe evacuation of the specified category of civilians (workers, women and children), the ministry said in a statement.

It said the civilians will be taken "in any direction they choose."

The decision was guided by "purely humanitarian principles," the ministry added. 
BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- China's National Meteorological Center on Monday renewed a blue alert for rainstorms in various parts of the country.

From Monday night to Tuesday night, heavy rains are expected to lash parts of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Fujian, Guangxi and Guangdong, with some areas experiencing up to 120 millimeters of rainfall.

Some regions are likely to encounter over 70 millimeters of hourly precipitation, accompanied by thunderstorms, gales and hail.

The center has advised local governments to make preparations for the rainstorms. Schools and kindergartens have been asked to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of children, and drivers have been alerted to watch out for flooding and traffic jams.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. 
ADDIS ABABA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The African Union on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Emmanuel Macron on his re-election as French President.

"I extend my warm congratulations to President Emmanuel Macron on his re-election," AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat tweeted.

"I'm happy to continue our commitment with him to build renewed and mutually beneficial relations between Africa and France and more broadly with Europe," Mahamat said.

French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron won the 2022 presidential runoff with 58.54 percent of the votes while his rival, Marine Le Pen, gained 41.46 percent of the votes, according to the preliminary results released Sunday night by the French Interior Ministry.

In 2017, Macron and Le Pen also competed for the French presidency in a runoff, during which Macron was elected with 66.1 percent of the votes. 
Residents stand in front of their new houses in Buam Aor village, Xiang Ngeun district of Luang Prabang province, Laos, April 22, 2022. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

The China-aided Buam Aor Resettlement Village Project in Laos is expected to greatly improve local infrastructure, education, medical care and living conditions, and help promote local economic development.

by Chanthaphaphone Mixayboua, Zhang Jianhua

VIENTIANE, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The Lao villagers resettled for the construction of the China-Laos Railway are moving into new houses built with China's aid.

A ceremony on the resettlement and a calligraphy and drawing competition themed "For Shared Future" was held on Friday in Buam Aor village, Xiang Ngeun district of Luang Prabang province, some 220 km north of the Lao capital Vientiane, where a Chinese firm, NORINCO International Cooperation Ltd., has built a resettlement village for the construction of the China-Laos Railway.

Photo taken on April 22, 2022 shows Buam Aor village in Xiang Ngeun district of Luang Prabang province, Laos. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

The China-aided railway relocation settlement in Buam Aor village, with neatly arranged residential buildings with red roofs and yellow walls, sits between lucid waters and lush mountains. The local residents have been busy moving into their new homes.

"We have new houses, new schools, new roads. This is what the Chinese engineers have built for us," Chandy Chittakone, a grade-five pupil read her composition at the ceremony in a newly-built school located along the Mekong River.

Lao Minister of Public Works and Transport Viengsavath Siphandone and Chinese Consul General in Luang Prabang Li Zhigong, among others, attended Friday's activity.

Before the ceremony, NORINCO International donated tables, chairs and stationeries to the school. Chinese teachers had taught pupils traditional Chinese calligraphy and drawing skills, with a competition held and an exhibition displaying the artworks of the pupils.

"In the calligraphy and painting competition, the children expressed their love for the Laos-China Railway, the natural environment and the new Buam Aor village," said Philavan Simdavong, a 29-year-old kindergarten teacher.

The Lao minister said that the success of the Buam Aor Resettlement Village Project has brought well-being to the village, noting that it is a high-standard, sustainable project, and brings a huge benefit for people's livelihood.

Photo taken on April 22, 2022 shows residential buildings in Buam Aor village, Xiang Ngeun district of Luang Prabang province, Laos. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

Laos and China are friendly neighbors with a shared future, while the children are the future of the country and the relationship, and their calligraphy and drawings reflect the profound friendship between the two peoples, said Viengsavath.

"I'm very happy to find that the residents who have been resettled and relocated are now enjoying a happy life. The Buam Aor Resettlement Village Project is not only a good project to improve the people's livelihood, but also another vivid manifestation of the profound friendship between China and Laos," Chief Representative of the Buam Aor Project Jin Guofeng said.

Jin expressed hope that the project, with 107 resettled houses for 459 villagers, and the newly built village office, clinic, kindergarten and primary school, will greatly improve local infrastructure, education, medical care and living conditions, and help promote local economic development.

During the ceremony, Jin handed over a key symbolizing the new settlement to Viengsavath and a friendship tree was also planted by the Lao minister and the Chinese consul general.

Children sit in front of a new house in Buam Aor village, Xiang Ngeun district of Luang Prabang province, Laos, April 22, 2022. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

Li said at the ceremony that the China-Laos Railway, which has been completed and put into operation last December, is "injecting new impetus into Laos's economic development and improvement of people's livelihood."

Thongvan Vatthanaphone, the 43-year-old village chief, told Xinhua that in the past, some villagers had to live in grass huts, but now, their cement houses are very strong and much better.

"Now the railway passes through our hometown, and the railway connects Vientiane to China. Then the goods can be easily transported to other places (from Laos)," said the village chief.

Philavan, the kindergarten teacher, said "I hope that the children here will be able to take the train to Beijing, to study or travel when they grow up."
JERUSALEM, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Construction of a section of Tel Aviv's light rail Green Line kicked off on Sunday, comprising the Reading station and a bridge above the Yarkon river.

The project, undertaken by Power Construction Corporation of China (PCCC), is expected to complete in 2024 with a 700-meter-long and 13-meter-wide bridge, as well as a station covering about 2400 square meters.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, PCCC project manager Li Feng voiced his expectation that the site will become a new landmark in Tel Aviv's largest Yarkon Park, saying the project will employ China's advanced equipment and technology to guarantee quality and safety.

It also takes serious consideration to minimize environmental impact, according to Li, who said the bridge's pillars will not enter the waters of Yarkon, the largest river in Israel flowing into the ocean, and prefabricated structures were applied to reduce the use of polluting site-poured concrete.

The metropolis has long suffered from serious traffic congestion, the CEO of Tel Aviv Municipality Menachem Leiba told the ceremony, adding that the new construction is an integral part of the entire Green Line that will greatly ease urban travel pressure.

Haim Glik, CEO of the NTA-Metropolitan Mass Transit System, said the Green Line is expected to take 77 million passengers each year.

After completion, the 39-km-Green Line will run from Rishon LeZion, an Israeli city south of Tel Aviv, northwards through Holon, then through central Tel Aviv before splitting into two north-bound branches. 
BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Emmanuel Macron on his re-election as French president.

In his message, Xi said over the past five years, the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership has maintained a high level of development under the guidance of the two heads of state.

The two sides have continued to deepen practical cooperation in various fields, combated the COVID-19 pandemic shoulder to shoulder, jointly upheld multilateralism and improved global governance, injecting new impetus to the development of bilateral relations and making new contributions to world peace, stability and prosperity, Xi said. 
Local employees package drugsat at Shanghai-Sudan Pharmaceutical Company in northern Khartum, capital of Sudan, on April 24, 2022. (Xinhua photo)

Since its discovery by Chinese scientists in the 1970s, artemisinin has been used as a foundation for antimalarial drug development. In 2015, Tu Youyou, who led the research project, became the first Chinese national to receive a Nobel prize in natural sciences.



KHARTOUM, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The drug Artemisinin is used as the first-line treatment for malaria in Sudan, an African country where the acute infectious disease is endemic, according to Sudan's medical specialists.

"Artemisinin is a chemical compound isolated from sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua), an annual herb native to China" and other temperate Asian countries, Ahmed Abdalla Khidir, a pharmacist and owner of El Nadi pharmacies group in Sudan's capital Khartoum, told Xinhua on Monday.

In Sudan, artemisinin has proved to be very efficient in treating malaria, he noted.

Since its discovery by Chinese scientists in the 1970s, artemisinin has been used as a foundation for antimalarial drug development. In 2015, Tu Youyou, who led the research project, became the first Chinese national to receive a Nobel prize in natural sciences.

Chinese medical practitioners have long been using the extracts of the herb as a remedy to many diseases, either in the form of oral medication or oil suspension for injections, according to Khidir.

Local employees work at Shanghai-Sudan Pharmaceutical Company in northern Khartum, capital of Sudan, on April 24, 2022. (Xinhua photo)

Khidir added that artemisinin has been produced locally in Sudan by local pharma firm Amipharma Laboritaries and the joint venture Shanghai-Sudan Pharmaceutical.

Al-Wathiq Mohamed Ahmed, a Sudanese pharmacologist, told Xinhua that China-developed artemisinin drugs have outrun their foreign counterparts in terms of quality and affordability.

Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT), recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a front-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria and chloroquine-resistant malaria, have saved millions of lives across the world in the past two decades.

Cold-chain vehicles seen at Shanghai-Sudan Pharmaceutical Company in northern Khartum, capital of Sudan, on April 24, 2022. (Xinhua photo)

According to WHO statistics, "more than 240 million people in sub-Saharan Africa have benefited from artemisinin treatment, and about 1.5 million patients have escaped death thanks to this treatment," Ahmed said.

The World malaria report 2021 issued by WHO stated that in 2020, Sudan carried the heaviest malaria burden in the region, accounting for 56 percent of cases and 61 percent of malaria deaths, followed by Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Djibouti. 
People wearing face masks walk on a street in New Orleans, Louisiana, the United States, on Aug. 3, 2021. (Photo by Lan Wei/Xinhua)

New Orleans had the highest homicide rate increases over the course of the pandemic, followed by Cincinnati, Atlanta, Baltimore, Memphis, Milwaukee, Louisville, Norfolk, Detroit and Dallas.

NEW YORK, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The year 2021 was the deadliest in U.S. history, thanks mainly to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the homicide rate has also soared in several cities since 2020, U.S. television network NewsNation has reported.

The most recent available data from the government shows a 35 percent jump in gun homicides from 2019 to 2020, when 19,384 people were killed, NewsNation reported Saturday, citing a new study.

The study calculated homicide rate increases over the course of the pandemic and found that New Orleans had the highest, followed by Cincinnati, Atlanta, Baltimore, Memphis, Milwaukee, Louisville, Norfolk, Detroit and Dallas.

The 10 lowest were San Francisco, Chandler, Riverside, Austin, Charlotte, Sacramento, Garland, Omaha, Boston, Madison and Lincoln.

In times of financial stress or anxiety, gun sales tend to strengthen, as does violence and racial hostility; with the pandemic, a new stressor may have affected the high homicide numbers, Shaundra Kellan Lewis, a law professor at Texas Southern University, told NewsNation. 
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Ankara, Turkey, April 25, 2022. (Turkish Presidential Palace/Handout via Xinhua)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "reaffirmed that their common objective is to end the war as soon as possible and to create conditions to end the suffering of civilians," said a UN spokesman.

UNITED NATIONS, April 25 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to ending the conflict in Ukraine and to creating conditions to end the suffering of civilians, said a UN spokesman.

Guterres met Erdogan in the Turkish capital Ankara on Monday. The UN chief expressed his support for Turkey's ongoing diplomatic efforts in relation to the conflict in Ukraine, Farhan Haq, Guterres' deputy spokesman, told reporters in New York.

"He and President Erdogan reaffirmed that their common objective is to end the war as soon as possible and to create conditions to end the suffering of civilians. They stressed the urgent need for effective access through humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians and deliver much-needed assistance to impacted communities," said Haq.

They agreed to stay in contact to follow up on ongoing initiatives, he added.

Guterres and Erdogan also discussed the impact of the Ukraine conflict on regional and global issues, including energy, food and finance, said Haq.

Guterres was in Ankara on Monday before traveling to Moscow and Kiev. Turkey, a major mediator, has also indicated its willingness to become a security guarantor of Ukraine.

The UN secretary-general will visit Moscow and have a working meeting and lunch with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday. He will be received by President Vladimir Putin.

Guterres then will travel to Ukraine, where he will have a working meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and will be received by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday. He will also meet with staff of UN agencies in Ukraine to discuss the scaling up of humanitarian assistance. 
Talman Damtare (left) and Ana Vulic took a group photo at the site of the Peljesac Bridge project in Croatia on April 20, 2022 (Xinhua/Li Xuejun)

The 2.4-km bridge connects Croatia's northern Dalmatian coast with the southern region of Dubrovnik-Neretva County and thus it greatly promotes the development of the whole country's economy.

KOMARNA, Croatia, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The Peljesac Bridge, connecting Croatia's mainland with its southernmost region, is also a symbol of happiness for Croatian-born Ana Vulic, 32, and 34-year-old Talman Damtare, a native of Togo in Africa.

The two first met -- and eventually got married -- in China. But it was the bridge, built by a Chinese consortium led by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), that brought and kept them together.

Since "Talman" means "hope" in one of the local languages spoken in Togo, he was affectionately referred to as "Hope" by his Chinese colleagues during the bridge-building project.

"We would like to express our love and gratitude to China," Hope and Ana said in an interview with Xinhua.

Photo taken on May 10, 2021 shows the construction site of the Peljesac Bridge near Komarna, Croatia. (Grgo Jelavic/Pixsell via Xinhua)

The two met in Nanjing in 2009, where they both studied Chinese at the Nanjing Normal University (NNU).

Back then, Hope often took Ana to the traditional local folk event known as temple fair and bought her various gadget gifts.

It was in Nanjing where they fell in love, and it was also there that they both mastered the Chinese language, which would benefit them a lot in their future careers.

Hope and Ana got married in 2016 in Hong Kong. Soon after, the pregnant Ana returned to Croatia to her family's care, while Hope, who was employed by a foreign trade company based in Shanghai, traveled back and forth between China and Croatia.

"It is really a hassle to have to go back and forth between the two countries. I wanted to find a job in Croatia to enable me to take better care of Ana and the baby," Hope said.

Photo taken on May 10, 2021 shows the construction site of the Peljesac Bridge near Komarna, Croatia. (Grgo Jelavic/Pixsell via Xinhua)

Construction work on the Peljesac Bridge started in June 2018. The 2.4-km bridge connects Croatia's northern Dalmatian coast with the southern region of Dubrovnik-Neretva County and thus it greatly promotes the development of the whole country's economy. No wonder the locals' heightened interest in participating in its construction.

Ana was hired by the construction company in August 2018 for her skills as a Chinese-Croatian translator.

As luck would have it, the foreign trade company in Shanghai that Hope worked for also had business ties to the Peljesac Bridge project. In November 2018, he also got hired by the Chinese consortium and was put in charge of customs clearance and transportation of materials.

"Being able to work on the Peljesac Bridge project is something I never dared to think about before, and it is also the wish of many people," Hope said.

Alongside Hope and Ana, over 60 locals have been employed successively at the construction.

According to Xie Jingli, the bridge project manager, the additional arrival of hundreds of Chinese builders has injected vitality into the local economy as hotels, restaurants and supermarkets are being opened one after another in the seaside village of Komarna near the bridge.

Photo taken on Jan. 10, 2022 shows Peljesac Bridge construction site in Komarna, Croatia. (Ivo Cagalj/PIXSELL via Xinhua)

Cooperation, a quest for mutual benefits and a win-win approach have characterized the work at the site since day one, Xie said. The consortium has signed more than 1,200 purchase contracts and orders with Croatian companies with a cumulative value of over 166 million Croatian kunas (23.5 million U.S. dollars) along with 91 business subcontracts whose value has exceeded 220 million kunas.

The building of the bridge has brought together 18 design consulting firms, 45 construction companies, along with 112 equipment and material suppliers and environmental protection companies from the European Union.

This fully complies with the principle of extensive consultation and cooperation advocated by Chinese President Xi Jinping in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, Xie said.

Making the project even sweeter for Hope and Ana, the consortium has decided to employ both of them on a long-term basis. This means that even after the bridge opens to traffic later this year, the couple can continue to work at the bridge's maintenance service, and thus can count on a stable job and income.

"When we heard the news, we immediately informed all our relatives and friends," Ana said.

Photo taken on March 2, 2021 shows the construction site of the Peljesac Bridge near Komarna, Croatia. (Grgo Jelavic/Pixsell via Xinhua)

If it were not for China, Hope and Ana might not have met each other and got married, nor could they live a happy life as they do now.

"We love China, we are so grateful to China," they said. (1 Croatian kuna = 0.14 U.S. dollar) 
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to the press at the UN headquarters in New York on April 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie E)

"Ultimately, the end goal is to have a halt to fighting and to have ways to improve the situation of the people in Ukraine, lessen the threat that they're under, and provide humanitarian aid (to) them," a UN spokesman said.

UNITED NATIONS, April 25 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres continues to push for a halt in hostilities in Ukraine even though a Russian UN envoy said a cease-fire is not a good option at the moment, said a UN spokesman.

"We continue to call for a cease-fire or some sort of pause. The secretary-general did that, as you know, just last week. Clearly, that didn't happen in time for (Orthodox) Easter," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres.

"I don't want to give too many details at this stage of the sort of proposals he will have. I think we're coming at a fairly delicate moment. It's important that he is able to talk clearly with the leadership on both sides and see what progress we can make," he told a daily press briefing.

"Ultimately, the end goal is to have a halt to fighting and to have ways to improve the situation of the people in Ukraine, lessen the threat that they're under, and provide humanitarian aid (to) them. So, those are the goals we're trying, and there are certain ways that we'll try to move those forward," he said.

Guterres was on his way to Moscow from Turkey. He will have a working meeting and lunch with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday, and will be received by President Vladimir Putin. Guterres then will travel to Ukraine and have a working meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, and will be received by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Ankara, Turkey, April 25, 2022. (Turkish Presidential Palace/Handout via Xinhua)

Before his trips to Moscow and Kiev, Guterres made a stop-over in Turkey, where he met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the Ukraine issue.

Haq said the secretary-general is making the trips because he thinks there is an opportunity now.

"A lot of diplomacy is about timing, about finding out when is the right time to speak with a person, to travel to a place, to do certain things. And he is going in the anticipation that there is a real opportunity that is now availing itself, and we'll see what we can make of it," he said.

Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia's first deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said Monday that now is not the time for a cease-fire.

"We don't think that cease-fire is a good option right now. The only advantage it will present is that it will give Ukrainian forces a possibility to regroup and stage more provocations like the one in Bucha," he told reporters. "It is not up to me to decide, but I do not see any reason in this right now." 
Members of China's expert team work with local volunteers at the outskirts of Sao Tome, capital of Sao Tome and Principe, Jan. 25, 2022.

Sao Tome and Principe, an island country off the west coast of Africa, is on its way to eliminating malaria with the help of Chinese doctors and medicine. (Xinhua)

SAO TOME, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Sao Tome and Principe, an island country off the west coast of Africa, is on its way to eliminating malaria with the help of Chinese doctors and medicine.

The island country, home to over 200,000 people, has been seriously affected by malaria. It reported 2,000 cases in 2020.

The country is striving to eradicate the disease by 2025. "We still need to work hard to meet this goal, considering the tropical and humid weather here," Guo Wenfeng, chief advisor of China's expert team to the African island, told Xinhua.

Since March, Guo and his team have been in and out of the villages of the Agua-Grande district to conduct a mass treatment campaign against malaria, where a worrisome upward trend of malaria caseload has been reported.

The team, from the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, has the trick up its sleeve -- Artequick, a Chinese-developed drug made of artemisinin, piperaquine and a small dose of primaquine.

Its main ingredient artemisinin, now at the forefront of the world's battle against malaria, was discovered by renowned Chinese scientist and Nobel Prize laureate Tu Youyou from artemisia annua.

"Artemisinin has a swift effect against malaria parasites, while piperaquine has a longer-lasting effect, which makes the parasites less likely to build drug resistance," Guo said.

Besides fumigating households and handing out insecticide-treated bed nets, the Chinese team has come up with a strategy of mass drug administration (MDA), whereby residents simultaneously took Artequick to flush out the malaria parasites, a groundbreaking strategy that proves to be effective in Comoros and other African countries.

In the following years, with the efforts of the Chinese team, malaria incidence has dropped from 60 percent to 3 percent in the towns near the capital Sao Tome under the MDA pilot project.

In the town of Liberdade, which used to be one of the regions worst hit by the disease, not a single case had been reported for eight consecutive months since the MDA strategy was piloted in July 2019.

Liberdade, a town of 500 residents, once reported 1,000 malaria cases in a single year, recalled Guo, who now is on his third mission to the island. "Numbers donnot lie. Locals' approval shows us that our strategy works."

"We, the local population, want to collaborate with this Chinese team to fight malaria because we want to end this disease here in Liberdade and consequently in Sao Tome and Principe," said Vasco Guiva, a local resident.

The MDA strategy "is undoubtedly a preventive action that consists of administering medicines en masse to the entire population", said the Sao Tome Health Minister Filomena Monteiro in March.

The Chinese solution "undoubtedly helps in pursuing the country's goal of achieving the elimination of malaria in 2025," said Monteiro, while commending China's support in this arduous task.

For Guo and his team, the story still unfolds as the Chinese expert team will continue to fight alongside with the African island till the very end.

China was officially declared malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) last year.

"Last year, the WHO granted China a malaria-free certification. Many people on the island are still inspired by the news. It is our duty to help them get rid of the disease," said Guo. 

File photo taken on July 24, 2021 shows a site of a mass drug administration (MDA) campaign launched by China's expert team at the outskirts of Sao Tome, capital of Sao Tome and Principe.

Sao Tome and Principe, an island country off the west coast of Africa, is on its way to eliminating malaria with the help of Chinese doctors and medicine. (Xinhua)

File photo taken on July 25, 2021 shows boxes of Artequick, a Chinese-developed drug which has a swift effect against malaria parasites, at the outskirts of Sao Tome, capital of Sao Tome and Principe.

Sao Tome and Principe, an island country off the west coast of Africa, is on its way to eliminating malaria with the help of Chinese doctors and medicine. (Xinhua)
MOGADISHU, April 25 (Xinhua) -- At least three people, including a soldier, were killed and four others wounded on Monday morning in a roadside blast in Hodan, a district in the Somali capital, an army official said.

The explosion targeted the convoy of a senior army officer, Mohamed Hashi Guled, near Banadir junction, said a Somali National Army (SNA) official, who requested anonymity.

"Gen. Guled escaped unhurt, but three of his security guards were wounded in the attack," he said. "Investigation is underway to establish the motive behind it."

The attack caused major damage to business premises in the area.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but al-Shabab, which has been fighting the internationally-backed government, often stages such attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere across the country. 
KIGALI, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Two years ago, Jovia Uwababyeyi contracted malaria and spent time getting treatment in a hospital. In the days leading up to that point, the 47-year-old mother of four had been busy working on a rice field where she earned a living.

"Unfortunately, I contracted malaria during a busy rainy season," Uwababyeyi, a resident of Gasabo district on the outskirts of Rwanda's capital city Kigali told Xinhua ahead of the World Malaria Day that fell on Monday.

"I spent a few days in hospital in 2020. I wasn't really feeling myself. A few days later two of my children fell sick from malaria, forcing them to miss school," she recalled.

In the swampy areas of Gasabo district, malaria infection was common among many residents.

Uwababyeyi rolls up the sleeves of her blouse and gently shows where she was injected during treatment.

"We continued to suffer from malaria at home even when we slept under mosquito nets. I suspect mosquito nets protected us during sleep but we were not protected when we went out in the rice fields...Malaria breeds poverty," added Uwababyeyi.

Surrounded by wetlands, a mosquito breeding ground, almost monthly one member of Uwababyeyi's family used to be infected with malaria, causing disruption to their productive work.

Luckily, this is no more following a new government intervention.

On March 10, 2020, in Uwababyeyi's area, Rwanda's Ministry of Health launched a pilot tech-driven program to test the effectiveness of using drones in the fight against malaria in high-risk zones, and it has proven effective.

Under the program, a mapping drone is used to identify the mosquito eggs and another drone used to spray in accordance with the exact coordinate.

Aimable Mbituyumuremyi, malaria and other parasitic diseases division manager, at Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), told Xinhua that by using drones, the ministry hopes to essentially kill mosquito larvae in their habitats before they mature into mosquitoes, and protect people from a disease that claims more than half a million lives every year, most of them in Africa.

"Drones were used as a pilot program in Jabana sector in Gasabo district to assess their effectiveness. The results showed a significant reduction in mosquitoes in the area after spraying using drones," he said.

This year the program would be expanded to six districts to supplement other malaria preventive measures in place, and results from there would inform authorities on whether to widely roll it out.

Between 2017 and 2021 Rwanda reduced malaria cases by 76 percent, according to data released on Saturday by RBC.

In 2021, around 1.1 million malaria cases were registered, down from 4.8 million cases in 2017, it showed.

For severe malaria, 1,900 cases were registered in 2021, down from 11,000 cases in 2017, representing a 85 percent reduction.

In terms of fatalities, 69 related deaths were registered in 2021, down from 706 in 2016, a reduction of about 90 percent.

Meanwhile, malaria incidents were reduced from 409 out of 1,000 people in 2017 to 86 out of 1,000 in 2021, a significant improvement meaning the "country is moving towards eradicating malaria."

Mbituyumuremyi said the significant reduction in malaria cases is attributable to a combination of preventive measures. These include the distribution of free mosquito bed nets, indoor residual spraying, awareness campaigns, and the use of mosquito repellants.

The ministry has also scaled up malaria treatment using community health workers.

"Currently community health workers treat 60 percent of all malaria cases, up from 52 percent in 2017. This means patients access timely treatment which has played a key role in reducing fatalities," he said.

Indoor residual spraying has been applied in about 15 districts of the country which are worst affected by malaria.

Malaria cases could rise in April and May because of the rainy season, Mbituyumuremyi warned, and urged people to tighten preventive measures.

"Malaria is still with us, affecting different age groups across the country, we should all play our roles and own up to the existing preventive measures to protect ourselves and our family members," he said.

As the world marks World Malaria Day on April 25, Rwanda will use the occasion to step up awareness campaigns and indoor residual spraying, as well as distribute deworming tablets and mosquito nets.

This year, the government is set to distribute about 8 million mosquito bed nets, according to Mbituyumuremyi.

Malaria is a preventable, treatable disease but every year, malaria sickens more than 200 million people and kills more than 600,000, according to the World Health Organization.

Most of the victims are young children in Africa, who are most vulnerable. 
KIGALI, April 25 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 people are confirmed dead and property destroyed in Rwanda after heavy rains pounded different parts of the country on Saturday overnight, the Ministry of Emergency Management said Monday.

Seven of the victims were from Nyamasheke district in western Rwanda, while three are from the capital city Kigali, the ministry figures showed.

Some of the victims were killed by landslides while others died after their houses collapsed, according to the ministry.

In one incident, a landslide brought down a resident's house, killing his three sons and injuring one in Nyamasheke district.

The ministry said 13 other people in different districts were injured by the heavy rains which also brought down 100 houses in different areas.

Also destroyed were infrastructure, including electric poles, bridges and nearly 50 hectares of crops after being submerged by water in Kayonza district in eastern Rwanda.

Preparations are underway to support the affected residents in terms of emergency shelter and burial arrangements, it said while appealing to local authorities to ensure that residents living in places considered as high-risk zones be relocated to safer areas.

Rwanda is expected to receive heavy rains from April 21 to 30, according to the National Meteorological Agency. 
By Azernews





Azerbaijani Ambassador to Iran Ali Alizade has said that work on the implementation of a memorandum of understanding to establish communication links between the East Zangazur economic region and Nakhchivan continues, Trend has reported.

He added that in the near future, it is planned to hold a meeting at the level of joint working groups of Azerbaijan and Iran on designing bridges to be built on both sides. The ambassador noted that after the approval of the bridge projects, the necessary steps will be taken.

Moreover, Alizade noted that the construction of the Khudafarin and Giz Galasi hydro junctions and hydroelectric power plants will be completed in the near future. He added that the work is ongoing within the framework of this project.

Noting that a meeting of the working groups had recently taken place, the ambassador added that there are constant contacts at the level of deputy ministers.

"Almost 95 percent of the work has been completed here. It is expected that the rest of the work will be completed and commissioning will take place in the near future," he said.

Azerbaijan and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on March 11 to establish new communication links between the East Zangazur economic region and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic via Iranian territory. The implementation of this project will put an end to Armenia's long-term policy of blockading Nakhchivan.

In 2016, Azerbaijan and Iran agreed to build the Khudafarin and Giz Galasi hydro junctions and hydroelectric power plants on the Araz River. They have a total capacity of over 1.6 billion cubic meters. It will have the capacity to generate 716 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. These hydro junctions and hydroelectric power plants will allow both sides to share the Araz River's water and energy resources.

After liberating its lands from Armenian occupation in the 44-day war in 2020, Azerbaijan regained control over a 132-km section of the Azerbaijan-Iran border. The re-establishment of control over the state border opened up new prospects for deeper cooperation between the two countries.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Iran in 2021 was $440.8 million.
KAMPALA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Despite a heavy rain downpour on Sunday in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, campaigners and volunteers held a bicycle race aimed at raising awareness on malaria, the number one killer disease in the east African country.

The disease kills mostly children under five years and pregnant mothers, according to ministry of health figures.

"We have made progress, but a lot more needs to be done to end this disease that costs the country a lot in lives, money and the economy," Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja said as she flagged off the race.

As the world marks World Malaria Day, which falls on April 25 every year, Uganda is making preparations to use the RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) malaria vaccine to beef up efforts in the fight against the disease.

Last September, the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization opened up a window through which Uganda can use to apply for the vaccine.

In October last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the widespread use of the vaccine among children in areas with moderate and high malaria transmissions. The recommendation was based on results of a pilot program in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi that has reached more than 900,000 children since 2019.

Ruth Aceng, the minister of health, said inoculation is scheduled to start next year for children under five years, especially in Uganda's most malaria endemic areas. Four injections are required for full protection, she said.

Jimmy Opigo, assistant commissioner for the National Malaria Control Division at the ministry of health, said she is optimistic that Uganda will get enough vaccines, although production is currently low.

If few vaccines are got, he said, they will be used in the most affected areas, especially in the northwestern and northeastern regions.

The vaccines will work with other interventions already in place, like the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets, indoor and outdoor spraying, and clearing of bushes around homes, according to the health ministry.

These prevention and treatment measures are already yielding positive results.

According to 2021 World Malaria Report, 9 percent of children below five years in Uganda tested positive for malaria, down from 43 percent in 2009. The mortality, especially for children under five years, is less than 2 percent.

Despite these successes, Uganda is still listed as among the top countries in the world with high malaria cases.

According to the WHO, in 2020, Uganda was among the six countries in Africa that accounted for 55 percent of all malaria cases globally.

Nigeria accounted for 26.8 percent, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 12.0 percent, Uganda 5.4 percent, Mozambique 4.2 percent, Angola 3.4 percent, and Burkina Faso 3.4 percent.

Uganda was also among the eight countries in Africa that registered increases in mortality rate of between 5 percent and 25 percent. The other countries are Angola, the DRC, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, and South Sudan.

Parts of Uganda, for instance around Lake Kyoga in the central region, have the highest recorded malaria transmission rates on the continent, according Malaria Consortium, a global non-profit organization specializing in the prevention, control and treatment of malaria and other communicable diseases.

On average, a person in Apac District, near Lake Kyoga, would receive more than 1,500 infectious bites per year, according to the organization.

Malaria is responsible for 30 percent to 40 percent of outpatient hospital visits, 15 percent to 20 percent of admissions and 10 percent of inpatient deaths, mostly pregnant mothers and children, according to the health ministry.

It remains a serious health problem that continues to hurt Uganda's economic growth and social development. 
NEW DELHI, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The local government of the northern Indian state of Haryana announced on Monday that it will provide free COVID-19 booster vaccine doses to the eligible population aged 18-59 years.

According to the Directorate of Information, Public Relations and Languages Department, the eligible population in the state can now get each booster dose worth 250 Indian rupees (3 U.S. dollars) free of charge from any government hospital or dispensary.

Experts say a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will increase immunity in the body by activating the memory cells to produce more antibodies against the coronavirus.

The announcement came days after local governments in Delhi and Bihar offered free booster doses to people aged between 18 and 59 years in government-run hospitals.

Earlier this month, India's federal health ministry said that those aged 18 years and older are eligible for a booster dose nine months after the second dose.

However, it said the facility will be paid and shall be available at private vaccination centers.

The first two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were provided for free to the eligible population across India at government hospitals. 
SUVA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- About 91 percent of people aged 18 and above in Samoa have received their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the Samoa Observer newspaper on Monday, Director General of Health Leausa Take Naseri said the vaccination rate for the first and second dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for 18-plus people has surpassed 91 percent in Samoa.

Last Friday, Samoa tightened its travel restrictions as the COVID-19 cases continue to increase in the Pacific island nation.

As the COVID-19 cases rose towards the 7,000-mark, Samoa's Ministry of Health issued a revised travel advisory, urging all incoming travelers to have their booster dose done prior to boarding the flight.

Last Tuesday, Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa said the whole country will remain on Alert Level 2 for the next two weeks until May 3.

Samoa has so far recorded 13 COVID-19 related deaths. 
French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron waves to supporters at a rally after the presidential runoff in Paris, France, on April 24, 2022. French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron won the 2022 French presidential runoff with 58 percent of the votes, according to the preliminary exit poll released Sunday evening by French television BFMTV. Macron's rival, far-right wing candidate Marine Le Pen, gained 42 percent of the votes. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

PARIS, April 24 (Xinhua) -- French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron won the 2022 presidential runoff with 58.6 percent of the votes, according to the preliminary exit poll released Sunday evening by French television BFMTV.

Macron's rival, far-right wing candidate Marine Le Pen, gained 41.4 percent of the votes, according to the latest figures.

At his victory gathering, Macron entered the Champs-de-Mars, holding his wife's hand and surrounded by the youth, along with the European anthem of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy."

Macron said that his ambition for the next five years is to make France more independent, make a stronger Europe and to continue to invest in the country to make "France a great ecological nation."

In his speech, he vowed to be conscious of the citizens that have voted for Le Pen, and thanked those who have voted for him in the second round against the far-right party.

"I am not a candidate of a party, but the President of all," Macron said, adding that "we will have to be strong but no one will be left aside."

He told his supporters that his next term will not be a continuity of his first five years term. "This new era will not be a continuity," he said, but "five years of better."

"I am so proud to serve again", the president-elect said.

In her speech after learning the preliminary results, Le Pen said that "the result itself is a resounding victory."

"Millions of our compatriots have chosen the national camp and change. I extend my deepest gratitude to those who trusted me in the first round and to those who, by the millions, joined us in the second," she said.

Le Pen particularly thanked her supporters from the countryside and overseas territories that put her in the lead during the election.

Losing her second presidential runoff to Macron, Le Pen called on the French people to vote for her in the upcoming legislative elections.

In 2017, Macron and Le Pen also competed for the French presidency in a runoff vote, during which Macron was elected president with 66.1 percent of the votes.

Official results of the presidential runoff are expected to be published by the French Interior Ministry on Monday. 

French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron waves to supporters at a rally after the presidential runoff in Paris, France, on April 24, 2022. French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron won the 2022 French presidential runoff with 58 percent of the votes, according to the preliminary exit poll released Sunday evening by French television BFMTV. Macron's rival, far-right wing candidate Marine Le Pen, gained 42 percent of the votes. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron kisses his wife Brigitte Macron at a rally after the presidential runoff in Paris, France, on April 24, 2022. French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron won the 2022 French presidential runoff with 58 percent of the votes, according to the preliminary exit poll released Sunday evening by French television BFMTV. Macron's rival, far-right wing candidate Marine Le Pen, gained 42 percent of the votes. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron attends a rally after the presidential runoff in Paris, France, on April 24, 2022. French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron won the 2022 French presidential runoff with 58 percent of the votes, according to the preliminary exit poll released Sunday evening by French television BFMTV. Macron's rival, far-right wing candidate Marine Le Pen, gained 42 percent of the votes. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron addresses a rally after the presidential runoff in Paris, France, on April 24, 2022. French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron won the 2022 French presidential runoff with 58 percent of the votes, according to the preliminary exit poll released Sunday evening by French television BFMTV. Macron's rival, far-right wing candidate Marine Le Pen, gained 42 percent of the votes. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron attend a rally after the presidential runoff in Paris, France, on April 24, 2022. French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron won the 2022 French presidential runoff with 58 percent of the votes, according to the preliminary exit poll released Sunday evening by French television BFMTV. Macron's rival, far-right wing candidate Marine Le Pen, gained 42 percent of the votes. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron addresses a rally after the presidential runoff in Paris, France, on April 24, 2022. French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron won the 2022 French presidential runoff with 58 percent of the votes, according to the preliminary exit poll released Sunday evening by French television BFMTV. Macron's rival, far-right wing candidate Marine Le Pen, gained 42 percent of the votes. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron waves to supporters at a rally after the presidential runoff in Paris, France, on April 24, 2022. French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron won the 2022 French presidential runoff with 58 percent of the votes, according to the preliminary exit poll released Sunday evening by French television BFMTV. Macron's rival, far-right wing candidate Marine Le Pen, gained 42 percent of the votes. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron waves to supporters at a rally after the presidential runoff in Paris, France, on April 24, 2022. French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron won the 2022 French presidential runoff with 58 percent of the votes, according to the preliminary exit poll released Sunday evening by French television BFMTV. Macron's rival, far-right wing candidate Marine Le Pen, gained 42 percent of the votes. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

Marine Le Pen, candidate of the far-right National Rally party, attends a rally after the presidential runoff in Paris, France, on April 24, 2022. French incumbent President Emmanuel Macron won the 2022 French presidential runoff with 58 percent of the votes, according to the preliminary exit poll released Sunday evening by French television BFMTV. Macron's rival, far-right wing candidate Marine Le Pen, gained 42 percent of the votes. (Xinhua)
ROME, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine is likely to have long-term implications for Europe that go beyond energy supplies, analysts have said.

So far, the conflict's biggest direct economic impact has been on energy prices, particularly in Germany and Italy, Europe's two largest importers of Russian gas. Natural gas futures fell slightly last week, but only after hitting their highest levels in 13 years, according to media reports.

But analysts told Xinhua that Europe will soon be faced with other challenges, such as increasing supply chain issues, spiking food prices, environmental policy problems and fresh waves of refugees.

"We could end up with major problems in one of the important supply chains --this could be the automobile sector or something else," Lorenzo Codogno, founder and chief economist of LC Macro Advisors and a visiting professor at the London School of Economics, told Xinhua.

"We also have to consider food, wheat and corn," which are traditionally produced by both Russia and Ukraine, he said. "Gas is not just used for energy generation. It is also used in the production of fertilizers, which are important for agriculture, not just in Europe but across the globe. Everything is connected to everything else."

According to Riccardo Puglisi, a professor of public economics at the University of Pavia, the most widespread economic impact stemming from the conflict might be the "uncertainty" it creates.

The conflict is slowing the economic recovery from the problems created by the coronavirus pandemic, Puglisi said. "There is no single cause here and we don't know how long this will go on and what the medium or long-term effects will be."

Puglisi said that one impact economies are already seeing is an increase in military spending, which he said has already doubled when measured as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) of European nations to around 2 percent. In the coming months, this figure could further increase to 2.5 percent.

"Governments will be able to find the tax revenue to offset most of the increases in military spending, but the extra spending will not be enough to offset the economic uncertainty countries will face," Puglisi said.

Some environmental groups are worried that a too quick transition away from Russian energy sources could make it difficult to replace those with renewable energy alternatives. The fear is that the quest for alternatives to gas or petroleum could lock countries into long-term contracts that would stifle the expansion of clean energy.

Codogno said that while crisis situations often sow divisions between countries, this does not seem to be the case this time around. He noted that if the conflict continues for many months, the situation could become more problematic because of migration.

"If the Ukrainian refugee crisis continues, it would clearly put a lot of stress on facilities like schools and hospitals," he said. "But if countries agree to share the burden imposed by these migrants, I think it would still be a shock, but a manageable one." 
MOSCOW, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Russian air defense systems shot down two Ukrainian drones in Russia's Ukraine-bordering Kursk region, Kursk's Governor Roman Starovoit said Monday.

"Today, at 04:15 Moscow time (0115 GMT), the teams of Russian air defense systems shot down two Ukrainian drones over the village of Borovskoye, Rylsky district," the governor said on Telegram.

"There are no casualties, injuries or destruction. The situation is completely under control," he added.

On Saturday, the governor said that Ukraine had shelled a border checkpoint in the region, causing a fire but no casualties. 
ISTANBUL, April 25 (Xinhua) -- At least two people died when a single-engine plane crashed on Monday into a street near the Yunuseli Airport in Turkey's northwestern province of Bursa, local officials announced.

Bursa Governor Yakup Canbolat told reporters on the scene that a civilian training plane, which took off from the Yunuseli Airport in the Osmangazi district, crashed after hitting a house, probably for technical reasons.

The governor noted that the pilot and co-pilot were killed in the accident, and two buildings and two vehicles on the street were damaged.

He also said a comprehensive investigation was launched into the incident.

The NTV broadcaster said the accident occurred at around 3:00 p.m. local time (1200 GMT). Video footage showed flames and heavy smoke coming out of the incident location and security officials cordoning off the area. 
U.S. President Joe Biden attends an event at the White House in Washington, D.C., April 25, 2022.

Joe Biden has the intention to nominate Bridget Brink as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said a statement issued by the White House on Monday. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

WASHINGTON, April 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate Bridget Brink for U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, a vacant post since May 2019.

The announcement on Monday by the White House came shortly after Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held a press conference at an undisclosed location near the Polish-Ukrainian border following a secrecy-shrouded visit to Kiev, where they met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Blinken told reporters he shared with Zelensky "a number of things" the United States is committed to regarding Ukraine in its military conflict with Russia, "including President Biden's intent to nominate a new ambassador to Ukraine, Ambassador Bridget Brink."

Blinken described Brink, a Michigan native appointed by former President Donald Trump to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Slovakia in August 2019, as "deeply experienced in the region, who'll be a very strong representative for the United States in Ukraine."

The United States has been without a Senate-confirmed ambassador to Ukraine since May 2019, when Trump recalled then-Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch over claims she was undermining the former president's efforts to press Ukraine to investigate the Biden family's business ties with the country.

Blinken also said U.S. diplomats, who left Ukraine due to the war, will return to the country next week and "start the process of looking at how we actually reopen" the U.S. embassy in Kiev, which ceased operation in the lead-up to Russia's military operation in Ukraine. 
WASHINGTON, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The Biden administration will reportedly renew the push to secure funding for COVID-19 response when Congress returns from recess.

"Congressional inaction is already taking its toll -- from uninsured Americans suddenly having to foot the bill for tests, treatments, and vaccines, to states receiving fewer monoclonal antibodies to keep people out the hospital," a White House official told CNN last week.

"Further inaction is unacceptable, and Congress must promptly provide us the funds we urgently need to protect the American people and abroad," the official added.

Anthony Fauci, a top U.S. infectious disease expert, said earlier this month that he expects the BA.2 subvariant to fuel an increase in COVID-19 cases across the United States.

"I would not be surprised if we see an uptick in cases," said Fauci, also the White House medical adviser, adding the best way to avoid it "is to get more people vaccinated."

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has reached nearly 81 million, with over 991,000 related deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. 
A local official reported four Katyusha rockets landed near a Turkish military post in Iraq's northern region of Nineveh, causing no casualties.

Unknown militants fired rockets at the Bashiqa base, which houses Turkish personnel in the Zlikan area, nearly 400 kilometres north of Baghdad, according to Mohammed Amin Gharib, the mayor of the Zlikan area. According to local report, no group has claimed responsibility for the incident.

Iraq has accused Turkey of invading its land without permission on numerous occasions, notably Turkey's military deployment at the Bashiqa facility. On April 18, Turkish forces in northern Iraq launched a new ground and air offensive against the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Turkey has designated the PKK as a terrorist organisation, and it has been fighting the Turkish government for more than 30 years. Despite Iraq's concerns, Turkey conducts cross-border operations on PKK sites in northern Iraq on a daily basis.

Explosion at oil refinery kills more than 100 people

Bodies of 1084 civilians found in Kiev region, over 300 have not been identified

Joe Biden accepts Israel PMs invitation to visit Israel
By Azernews





Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov has said that Azerbaijan is preparing a program to increase export potential in the sphere of public and private partnership, Trend has reported.

He made the remarks at the "Role of entrepreneurship in economic development" conference dedicated to Entrepreneur Day on April 25.

The minister noted that this will help create new jobs, and simplify the procedures for buying and selling state property at auctions. He added that the new program is also being prepared in the financial sector to simplify the access of entrepreneurs to financial instruments.

"I want to note that today it is necessary to increase investments in local entrepreneurship. I am sure that this program will contribute to this," he said.

Economic growth

Noting that the country's economy has grown dynamically over the past 18 years, Jabbarov stated that in the reported period production has grown by four times and agriculture by two times.

He added that for decades, the government has done a number of works to encourage entrepreneurial activity, increase investment potential and expand the number of financial instruments.

"Despite the negative consequences faced by the Azerbaijani economy, today we continue to take measures to accelerate economic growth," he said.

The minister stated that since early 2022, the economy, foreign exchange reserves, and other macroeconomic indicators have been showing dynamic growth.

Emphasizing that the economy's development is closely connected with the small and medium businesses development, he noted that in order to support SMBs, the government creates conditions to simplify their entry abroad.

"Here the point is about expanding the range of local production and simplifying customs procedures. Over the past years, work on import substitution and expansion of local production has been conducted in Azerbaijan," he said.

Private sector

National Confederation of Entrepreneurs of Azerbaijan President Mammad Musayev stated that the share of the private sector in the sphere of entrepreneurship in the country is 84 percent.

He noted that the fair, organized in Icherisheher, dedicated to the Enrepreneurs' Day in Azerbaijan, can be considered one of the largest in the post-pandemic period.

He said that not only businessmen from Azerbaijan but also from Ukraine, Belarus and some other countries are participating in the fair. Musayev added that Azerbaijan actively promotes its products abroad.

"As you know, our country is known in the world as an oil exporter. However, Azerbaijan has recently been actively promoting non-oil exports, and today we are witnessing rapid growth in the export figures of these products," he said.

Business sector

Moreover, MP Tahir Mirkishili recalled that over one million businessmen and over 150,000 legal entities have been registered in Azerbaijan so far.

"Such an increase in the number of business entities was facilitated by the programs and activities carried out by the Azerbaijani government," he said.

Mirkishili stated that more than 650 production facilities have been created in Azerbaijan since the early 200s, which significantly increased the share of production and industry in GDP.

He added that the appropriate programs are being developed in Azerbaijan to incentivize and encourage business.

Foreign involvement in Karabakh projects

Azerbaijan's Small and Medium Business Development Agency Board Chairman Orkhan Mammadov noted that about 1,100 applications have been received for participation in projects in the country's Karabakh. He underlined that 390 of the total number of applications are from foreign companies.

Mammadov emphasized that the strategy for Azerbaijan's socio-economic development from 2022 to 2026 will create new opportunities for further business development in the post-pandemic period. He added that the liberation from the occupation of the country's territories has also created additional opportunities for business development in Azerbaijan.

It is well known that the territory of Karabakh is rich in natural resources and minerals, has great potential for the development of tourism, agriculture, processing and other industries," he noted.

Small and medium businesses

Furthermore, he mentioned that the agency's activity is aimed at creating new organizational models and promoting entrepreneurship in accordance with new challenges.

"Given that SMBs account for 99.6 percent of economic entities operating in Azerbaijan, then, of course, sustainable development of the country is closely related to the level of development of SMBs, he said.

Mammadov noted that the agency provides support to SMBs in Azerbaijan's 35 regions and more than 20 support centers operate there.

"We are actively working to expand tools to support and finance SMBs. Our agency issues relevant certificates to innovative entrepreneurs, which exempt them from income tax for a period of three years," he said.

The board chairman also mentioned that the total turnover of micro-entrepreneurship entities increased by 31 percent, small businesses by 79 percent, and medium-sized businesses by 139 percent, as a result of purposeful activities of the Azerbaijani government in 2021.

Employment contracts

Additionally, speaking at the conference, Labour and Social Security Minister Sahil Babayev stated that the number of employment contracts in Azerbaijan has increased by 400,000 up to 1.7 million, while the average wage by 2.5 times, over the past three to four years,

He emphasized that Azerbaijan ranks second among Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries in terms of population purchasing power. Babayev added that Azerbaijan's social insurance fees have surpassed AZN 600 million ($352.9 million).

"Labor contracts in the country today are concluded entirely in electronic form. Various electronic systems have been created and continue to be created to simplify relations between an employee and an employer," he said.

Babayev noted that the ministry is working on the preparation of specialized programs in the sphere of advanced training of workers. He added that a unified database of vacancies is also being created, where the unemployed can find an appropriate job.

The minister also said that the pandemic unemployment assistance was provided to 300,000 families in Azerbaijan, necessary payments were made and support was provided and continues to be provided to the families of martyrs and war veterans.

"Employment opportunities have been created for citizens with disabilities. Today, there are about 60,000 workers with disabilities in Azerbaijan," he said.
US President Joe Biden has accepted Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's offer to visit Israel in the "coming months," Isreal Prime Minister's office said.

According to a statement released by the office on Sunday, the two leaders discussed Iran's desire to have its Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) removed from the US terror list over the phone.

"I am confident that President Biden, a true friend of Israel who cares about its security," Bennett added in the statement, "will not be able to remove the IRGC off the list of terrorist organisations." "Israel has clarified its view on the issue: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is the world's largest terrorist organisation," he said. According to a White House statement, they also discussed ongoing efforts between Israeli and Palestinian leaders to reduce tensions and ensure a calm conclusion to the holy month of Ramadan.

The phone conversation took place as world countries and Iran attempt to extend the 2015 nuclear deal, which former US President Donald Trump withdrew the US from in May 2018. The US eventually reimposed sanctions on Iran, causing it to abandon some of its nuclear commitments under the pact.

Israel, which considers Iran to be its arch-enemy, has been lobbying against the deal's renewal, alleging that it will let Iran to seek nuclear weapons free of sanctions, despite Iran's claims that its nuclear programme is peaceful.

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SUDAN: According to local authorities, armed confrontations between tribal groups in the Kirainik district of Sudan's west Darfur province have resurfaced. As per reports, at least 15 people have been killed, scores have been injured, and hundreds of homes have been torched in the latest clashes that began on Friday.

Tribal fighting erupted in the Kirainik area, nearly 80 kilometres east of El Geneina, the capital city of west Darfur state, for the third time in two years, source said.

"Kirainik was under siege from all sides. Inside the area, the situation is extremely challenging "In a statement, Mohamed Zakaria, the Acting Secretary-General of the West Darfur State Government, said.

According to the Darfur Bar Association, the fighting occurred after two herdersmen were slain by an unknown assailant on Friday, prompting a revenge attack by the victims' families in the area.The latest battle has displaced about 20,000 people in the area. Sudanese authorities dispatched armed soldiers and jets to the crisis zone on Saturday.

"The recurrent transgressions demonstrate the government's failure to perform its duty toward the public," the Sudanese resistance committees, a country-wide opposition group, said in a statement on Sunday, adding that militia gatherings and movements were still visible around Kirainik.

On his Facebook page, Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi emphasised the importance of regular soldiers performing their tasks in maintaining security and stability in Darfur.

For years, efforts to stop Darfur's tribal disputes, which have become a persistent concern for the region's people and authorities, have failed. Sudan has been in a political crisis since Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, announced a state of emergency and dissolved the Sovereign Council and government on October 25, 2021.

Sudan strongly condemns Israel's attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque

Four rockets fired at Turkish military base in Iraq: Report

Explosion at oil refinery kills more than 100 people
Pentagon chief says Ukraine can win war against Russia if they have the right equipment, support 25 April, 14:42 U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (Photo:Office of the President of Ukraine)

Ukraine can win the war waged against it by Russia with "the right equipment and the right support," U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told journalists in Poland on April 25.

Austin was speaking after returning to Poland from a weekend trip to the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv, U.S. cable news channel CNN reported.

"In terms of their ability to win  the first step in winning is believing that you can win," Austin said.

"And so, they believe that we can win. We believe that we  they  can win, if they have the right equipment, the right support, and we're going to do everything we can and continue to do everything we can."

 

At the same time, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told journalists that Russia was "failing in Ukraine" and that "Ukraine is succeeding."

"We don't know how the rest of this war will unfold, but we do know that a sovereign independent Ukraine will be around a lot longer than Vladimir Putin is on the scene," Blinken said.

On April 24, Blinken and Austin arrived in Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials.

Read also: The second phase of the war and the second front

Blinken announced that U.S. diplomats would return to Ukraine this week. He also relayed that U.S. President Joe Biden would nominate Bridget Brink as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

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Home  Auto  Hyundai Ioniq 5 in Nepal: The World Car of the Year comes with sustainability. How will the EV fare here?

Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the latest premium electric SUV from Hyundai. Customers have a lot of things to be excited about this electric SUV as it recently won the titles of 2022 World Car of the Year, 2022 World Electric Vehicle of the Year and 2022 World Car Design of the Year at the New York International Auto Show. The feature-galore SUV offers a lot on both interior comforts as well as solid exteriors. The company claims along with the technological advancements, it has also focused on sustainability.

Laxmi Intercontinental Pvt Ltd, the sole authorised distributor of Hyundai Automobiles in Nepal, has now made the SUV available here. Hyundai is also one of the most popular and reputed automobile companies in Nepal. Hyundai Ioniq 5 is not the first electric vehicle launched by Hyundai here in Nepal. Before the launch of this vehicle, the company was also offering Ioniq EV and Kona EV in the market; both are one of the best in their own respective segments.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 offers tons of features for the rider and the passengers as well. The vehicle offers a faster acceleration with an upgraded range. It flaunts a bold and futuristic look while maintaining the safety features for the passengers on board.

Lets see what more the new Hyundai Ioniq 5 has to offer.

Specifications

Dimensions Length: 4635.5mm

Width: 1889.76mm

Height: 1600.2mm

Wheelbase: 2999.74mm

Minimum ground clearance: 154.94mm Motor Permanent magnet synchronous motor Max power 170 PS Max torque 350 Nm Battery type Lithium-ion polymer Battery capacity 58 kWh Charging time 10-100% Up to 7 hours (240V)

10-80% Up to 25 minutes (400V)

10-80% 18 minutes (800V) Range 375 Km Transmission Automatic Top speed Up to 185 kmph Acceleration 0-100 in 5.2 seconds Seating capacity 5 Boot space 527 litres Wheels and tyres Wheels : 7.5JX19, 8.5JX20

Tyres: 235/55R19 & 255/45R20 Braking system The power-assisted braking system with ABS, EBD and BAS Brakes Front: Disc

Rear: Disc Suspension Front: MacPherson Strut

Rear: Multi-Link Colours Lucid blue pearl, mystic olive green pearl, digital teal green pearl, shooting star grey matte, atlas white, gravity gold matte, phantom black pearl, cyber grey metallic, galactic grey metallic Gross weight 2,370 kg Price Rs 8,096,000 for the EV GLS vision roof variant

Rs 8,196,000 for EV GLS solar roof variant

Design

Photo: Hyundai

Hyundai Ioniq 5 offers an innovative take on EV design. It has ignored the traditional stylistic elements for clean lines and minimalistic structures yet flaunts a unique clamshell hood that spans the entire width. This results in the minimisation of panel gaps and gives a clean and high-tech look to the vehicle.

Photo: Hyundai

The front of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 features bright signature Parametric Pixels LED lights. The 256 cubic pixels maintain a unique jewel-like design on the SUV. The V-shaped front bumper incorporating distinctive hidden lights add beauty to the overall aesthetics. Similarly, the side features an auto flash door handle that enhances not only the clean look but also the aerodynamics of the vehicle. At the back, it features similar Parametric Pixels lights.

Seats Vision roof Steering wheel Front seats Infotainment system Front view Back seats Photo: Hyundai

The interior of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 offers a spacious cabin, premium finish and comfortability. The SUV offers either vision or a solar roof. The sleek modular dashboard on the vehicle features two integrated displays: a 12.25 full-touch infotainment screen and a 12.25 digital cluster that displays driver-centric information. The infotainment system supports both Apple and Android with voice activation controls on some features. It also supports auto smartphone mirroring.

Since Hyundai has focused on sustainability, eco-friendly materials and nature-inspired colours are said to have been used in the build of the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Hyundai claims it has used eco-friendly fabric made from recycled PET bottles on the seats and door armrests. Similarly, the leather used in the IONIQ 5s interior is dyed using flaxseed oil while the seat whereas headlining and carpet fabric are said to include bio components extracted from sugarcane and corn.

The dashboard, switches, steering wheel and door panels on the vehicle are said to be coated with bio paint that includes oil extractions from plants such as rape flowers and corn.

Wireless charger Centre console Photo: Hyundai

For comfortability, Hyundai Ioniq 5 features a sliding centre console, power sliding rear seats, comfort seats, multiple USB ports along with a 15W fast wireless phone charger. The SUV also features heated seats and rain-sensing wipers. There is a large 572 of boot space storage on the vehicle.

Performance

Photo: Hyundai

Hyundai Ioniq 5 is powered by a permanent magnet synchronous motor with a lithium-ion polymer battery with a capacity of 58 kWh. This allows the vehicle to generate a peak power of 170PS while generating a maximum torque of 350Nm. The onboard 10.5kW charger can fully charge the battery in seven hours while using a 400V charger, the battery can get 10-80% charge in 25 minutes. It only takes 18 minutes to charge the same amount if an 800V charger is used.

Photo: Hyundai

With a full charge, Hyundai Ioniq 5 offers a range of 375 km. It can achieve a top speed of 185 kmph and can reach from 0 to 100 in just 5.2 seconds. There is also a regenerative braking system on the vehicle. The driver can control the level of energy that the system regenerates and stores in the battery by adjusting the level of regenerative braking with the steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. The higher the level, the more the car slows and charges the battery when the driver takes the foot off the accelerator.

Safety features

Photo: Hyundai

Hyundai Ioniq 5 offers plenty of safety features for the passengers on board. The vehicle uses advanced high-strength steel and high tensile steel for the build of the body. For the braking, Hyundai Ioniq 5 features a power-assisted braking system with ABS, EBD and BAS with disc brakes on both ends. The SUV also offers seven airbags. Technology has been used at its best to ensure the safety of the vehicle and the passengers.

The vehicle offers smart safety features like:

Reverse parking collision avoidance assist

Rear-cross traffic collision avoidance assist

Blindspot view monitor

Surround-view with 360-degree monitor

Level 2 autonomous driving feature

Blindspot collision avoidance assist

Smart cruise control

Built on Hyundais new electric-global modular platform (E-GMP)

Lane-keeping assist

Intelligent speed limit assist

Remote smart parking assist

Driver attention warning

Other features

Talking about the suspension on the vehicle, it has a MacPherson Strut on the front whereas Multi-Link on the back. As mentioned earlier, this is a feature-packed SUV, hence the notable features include:

Durable build with the fusion of technology and sustainability

Use of eco-friendly build materials

Higher acceleration and top speed

Supports ultra-fast charging

Plenty of onboard and smart safety features

Solar roof

Wireless charging port

Fully digital instrumental cluster

Charge from inside

Power tailgate

Voice recognition vehicle control

Adjustable Regenerative Braking

Ambient mood light

Support of Android and Apple cars

Hill assist control and downhill brake control

Parametric pixels headlight and backlight

The price of Hyundai Ioniq 5 in Nepal is Rs 8,096,000 for the EV GLS vision roof variant and Rs 8,196,000 for EV GLS solar roof variant. The colour options include Lucid blue pearl, mystic olive green pearl, digital teal green pearl, shooting star grey matte, atlas white, gravity gold matte, phantom black pearl, cyber grey metallic, and galactic grey metallic.
In the future, every successful tech company will use their data moats to build some variant of an Artificial General Intelligence. Plus some updates on my career.

I was on the job market recently, open to suggestions on what I should do next. Im deeply thankful to all those who reached out and pitched their companies, and also to people who shared their wisdom of how they wanted to navigate their own careers.

Im pleased to say that Ive joined Halodi Robotics as their VP of AI, and will be hiring for the Bay Area office. Well be doing some real robot demos this week near Palo Alto, so please get in touch with me if youre interested in learning about how we plan to create customer value with deep learning on humanoid robots (1 year), and then solve manipulation (5 years), and then solve AGI (20 years).

I suspect that there are many other deep learning researchers in the 2015-2018 vintage that are contemplating similar career moves, so Ill share what I learned in the last month and how I made my career decision in the hopes that this is useful to them. I think that in the next decade well see a lot of software companies increasingly adopt an AGI strategy as a means to make their software more adaptive and generally useful.

Options Considered

My only constraints were that I wanted to continue to apply my ML skills at my next job. Here are the table of options I considered. I had chats with directors and founders from each of these companies, but I did not initiate the formal HR interview process with most of them. This is not intended as a flex; just the options I considered and my perceived pros and cons. Im not like one of those kids that gets into all the Ivy League schools at once and gets to pick whatever they want.

These are subjective opinions: a mere snapshot of what I believe are the strengths and weaknesses of each option in April 2022. In the hype-driven Silicon Valley, the perceived status of a company can go from rags to riches back to rags within a few years, so this table will most certainly age poorly.

Option Pros Cons FAANG+similar Low 7 figures compensation (staff level), technological lead on compute (~10 yr), unit economics of research is not an issue Things move slower, less autonomy, OKRs etc. Start my own company Maximally large action space, blue check mark on Twitter Im more interested in solving AGI than solving customer problems OpenAI Technological lead on LLMs (~1 yr) + an interesting new project they are spinning up Culture and leadership team seem to be already established Large Language Model Startup Strong teams, transform computing in <10 years, iterate quickly on LLM products Competing with FAANG + OpenAI on startup budget; unclear whether LLMs will be defensible technology on their own Tesla Tesla Bot, technological lead on data engine (~2 yrs), technological lead on manufacturing (~10yrs) No waiting in line for coffee Robotics Startups (including Halodi) Huge moat if successful, opportunity to lead teams. Halodi has technological edge on hardware (~5yrs) Robotics research is slow, Robotics startups tend to die ML + Healthcare Startups Lots of low-hanging fruit for applying research; meaningfully change the world Product impact is even slower than robotics due to regulatory capture by hospitals and insurance companies. 10 years before the simplest of ML techniques can be rolled out to people. Startups working on other Applications of ML Lots of low-hanging fruit + opportunity to lead teams Im more interested in solving AGI than solving customer problems Crypto + DeFi Tokenomics is interesting. 60% annual returns at Sharpe 3+ is also interesting. Not really an AGI problem. Crypto community has weird vibes

Technological Lead Time

The most important deciding factor for me was whether the company has some kind of technological edge years ahead of its competitors. A friend on Googles logging team tells me hes not interested in smaller companies because they are so technologically far behind Googles planetary-scale infra that they havent even begun to fathom the problems that Google is solving now, much less finish solving the problems that Google already worked on a decade ago.

In the table above Ive listed companies that I think have unique technology edges. For instance, OpenAI is absolutely crushing it at recruiting right now because they are ahead in Large Language Model algorithms, probably in the form of trade secrets on model surgery and tuning hyperparameters to make scaling laws work. OpenAI has clearly done well with building their technical lead time, despite FAANGs compute superiority.

Meanwhile, the average machine learning researcher at FAANG has a 15 year lead-time in raw compute compared to a PhD student, and Google and DeepMind have language models that are probably stronger than GPT-3 on most metrics. There are cases where technological lead on compute is not enough; some researchers left Google because they were unhappy with all the red tape they had to go through to try to launch LLM-based products externally.

I seriously considered pivoting my career to work on generative models (i.e. LLMs, Multimodal Foundation Models), because (1) robotics is hard (2) the most impressive case studies in ML generalization always seem to be in generative modeling. Again, think to technological lead times - why would any machine learning researcher want to work at something that isnt at the forefront of generalization capability? However, the pure-generative modeling space feels a bit competitive, with everyone fighting to own the same product and research ideas. The field would probably evolve in the same way with or without me.

Having futuristic technology is important for recruiting engineers because many of them dont want to waste years of their life building a capability that someone else already has. To use analogies from other fields of science, it would be like a neuroscience lab trying to recruit PhD students to study monkey brains with patch-clamp experiments when the lab next door is using optogenetic techniques and Neurallink robots. You could reinvent these yourself if youre talented, but is it worth spending precious years of your life on that?

Of course, companies are not the same thing as research labs. What matters more in the long run is the product-market fit and the teams ability to build future technological edge. Incumbents can get bloated and veer off course, while upstarts can exploit a different edge or taking the design in a unique direction. Lots of unicorn companies were not first-movers.

Why not start your own company?

Being a Bay Area native, I thought my next job would be to start my own company around MLOps. I wanted to build a really futuristic data management and labeling system that could be used for AGI + Active Learning. Three things changed my mind:

First, I talked to a bunch of customers to understand their ML and data management needs to see if there was product-market fit with what I was building. Many of their actual problems werent at the cutting edge of technology, and I simply couldnt get excited about problems like building simulators for marketing campaigns or making better pose estimators for pick-and-place in factories or ranking content in user feeds. The vast majority of businesses solve boring-but-important problems. I want my lifes work to be about creating much bigger technological leaps for humanity.

Secondly, I think its rare for CEOs to contribute anything technically impressive after their company crosses a $100M valuation. If they do their job well, they invariably spend the rest of my life dealing with coordination, product, and company-level problems. They accumulate incredible social access and leverage and might even submit some code from time to time, but their daily schedule is full of so much bullshit that they will never productively tinker again. This happens to senior researchers too. This is profoundly scary to me. From Richard Hammings You and Your Research: In the first place if you do some good work you will find yourself on all kinds of committees and unable to do any more work

Legend has it that Ken Thompson wrote the UNIX operating system when his wife went on a month-long vacation, giving him time to focus on deep work. The Murder of Wilbur writes, How terrifying would it be if that was true? Is it possible that Thompson was burdened by responsibilities his entire life, and then in a brief moment of freedom did some of the most important work anyone has ever done?

Thirdly, Halodi has built pretty awesome technology and theyve given me a rare opportunity to live in the future, building on top of something that is 5+ years ahead of its time. Im very impressed by Bernts (the CEO) respect for human anatomy: from the intrinsic passive intelligence of overdamped systems that makes us able to grasp without precise planning, to the spring systems in our feet that let us walk across variable terrain while barely expending energy. We both share the belief that rather than humanoid robots being overkill for tackling most tasks, it is the only form that can work when you want to design the world around humans rather than machines.

All Roads Lead to Rome

A few months ago I asked Ilya Sutskever whether it made more sense to start a pure-play AGI research lab (like OpenAI, DeepMind) or to build a profitable technology business that, as a side effect, would generate the data moat needed to build an AGI. In his provocative-yet-prescient fashion, Ilya said to me: All Roads Lead to Rome - Every Successful (Tech) Company will be an AGI company.

This sounds a bit unhinged at first, until you remember that repeatedly improving a product by the same delta involves exponentially harder technology.

In semiconductor manufacturing, shrinking from 32nm to 14nm process nodes is pretty hard, but going from 14nm to 7nm process nodes is insanely hard, requiring you to solve intermediate problems like creating ultrapure water.

Creating a simple Text-to-Speech system for ALS patients was already possible in the 1980s, but improving pronunciation for edge cases and handling inflection naturally took tremendous breakthroughs in deep learning.

A decent character-level language model can be trained on a single computer, but shaving a few bits of entropy off conditional character modeling requires metaphorically lighting datacenters on fire.

Autonomous highway driving is not too hard, but autonomously driving through all residential roads at a L5 level is considered by many to be AGI-complete.

In order to continue adding marginal value to the customer in the coming decades, companies are going to have to get used to solving some really hard problems. Perhaps eventually everyone converges to solving the same hard problem, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) just so they can make a competitive short video app or To-Do list or grammar checker. We can quibble about what AGI means and what time frame it would take for all companies to converge to this, but I suspect that Foundation Models will soon be table stakes for many software products. Russell Kaplan has shared some similar ideas on this as well.

I also wonder if in a few years, expertise on losslessly compressing large amounts of Internet-scale data will cease to become a defensible moat between technologically advanced players (FAANG). It therefore makes sense to look for auxiliary data and business moats to stack onto large-scale ML expertise. There are many roads one can take here to AGI, which I have sketched out below for some large players:

For instance, Alphabet has so much valuable search engine data capturing human thought and curiosity. Meta records a lot of social intelligence data and personality traits. If they so desired, they could harvest Oculus controller interactions to create trajectories of human behavior, then parlay that knowledge into robotics later on. TikTok has recommendation algorithms that probably understand our subconscious selves better than we understand ourselves. Even random-ass companies like Grammarly and Slack and Riot Games have a unique data moats for human intelligence. Each of these companies could use their business data as a wedge to creating general intelligence, by behavior-cloning human thought and desire itself.

The moat I am personally betting on (by joining Halodi) is a humanoid robot that is 5 years ahead of what anyone else has. If your endgame is to build a Foundation Model that train on embodied real-world data, having a real robot that can visit every state and every affordance a human can visit is a tremendous advantage. Halodi has it already, and Tesla is working on theirs. My main priority at Halodi will be initially to train models to solve specific customer problems in mobile manipulation, but also to set the roadmap for AGI: how compressing large amounts of embodied, first-person data from a human-shaped form can give rise to things like general intelligence, theory of mind, and sense of self.

Embodied AI and robotics research has lost some of its luster in recent years, given that large language models can now explain jokes while robots are still doing pick-and-place with unacceptable success rates. But it might be worth taking a contrarian bet that training on the world of bits is not enough, and that Moravecs Paradox is not a paradox at all, but rather a consequence of us not having solved the bulk of intelligence.

Reality has a surprising amount of detail, and I believe that embodied humanoids can be used to index that all that untapped detail into data. Just as web crawlers index the world of bits, humanoid robots will index the world of atoms. If embodiment does end up being a bottleneck for Foundation Models to realize their potential, then humanoid robot companies will stand to win everything.

Want Intros to ML Startups?

In the course of talking to many companies and advisors over the last month, I learned that there are so, so many interesting startups tackling hard ML problems. Most of them are applied research labs trying to solve interesting problems, and a few of them have charted their own road to Rome (AGI).

Early in your career it makes a lot of sense to surround yourself with really great mentors and researchers, such as that of an industry research lab. Later on, you might want to bring your experience to a startup to build the next generation of products. If this describes you, Id be happy to connect you to these opportunities - just shoot me an email with (1) where you are on the pure research vs. applied research spectrum (2) what type of problems you want to work on (Healthcare, Robotics, etc.) (3) the hardest you ever worked on a project, and why you cared about it (4) your resume. If you have the skill set Im looking for, I may also recruit you to Halodi .

Honest Concerns

I have some genuine concerns with Halodi (and AGI startups in general). History tells us the mortality rate of robotics companies is very high, and Im not aware of any general-purpose robot company that has ever succeeded. There is a tendency for robotics companies to start off with the mission of general-purpose robots and then rapidly specialize into something boring as the bean counters get impatient. Boston Dynamics, Kindred, Teleexistence - the list goes on and on. As in business and life, the forces of capitalism and evolution conspire to favor specialization of hardware over generalization of intelligence. I pray that does not happen to us.

Im reminded of Gwerns essay on timing: Launching too early means failure, but being conservative & launching later is just as bad because regardless of forecasting, a good idea will draw overly-optimistic researchers or entrepreneurs to it like moths to a flame: all get immolated but the one with the dumb luck to kiss the flame at the perfect instant, who then wins everything, at which point everyone can see that the optimal time is past.

But I also remind myself of what Richard Hamming said about Claude Shannon:

He wants to create a method of coding, but he doesnt know what to do so he makes a random code. Then he is stuck. And then he asks the impossible question, What would the average random code do? He then proves that the average code is arbitrarily good, and that therefore there must be at least one good code. Who but a man of infinite courage could have dared to think those thoughts?

Life is too short to attempt anything less than that which takes infinite courage. LFG.
(Repeats with updated editing credit; no changes to story text)

By Simon Lewis

SOUTHEASTERN POLAND, April 25 (Reuters) - Washington's top diplomat and its defense chief used the first official U.S. visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February to announce a gradual return of U.S. diplomats including a new ambassador and over $300 million in new military aid to Kyiv.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin traveled to Poland on Saturday in a previously undisclosed trip, and took a train the following day into Ukraine where they met President Volodomyr Zelenskiy and other top Ukrainian officials.

"In terms of Russias war aims, Russia has already failed and Ukraine has already succeeded," Blinken told a briefing in Poland after the two officials returned from the meeting.

The visit was designed to show Western support for Ukraine and the cabinet secretaries also pledged new aid worth $713 million for Zelenskiy's government and countries in the region, where Russia's invasion has raised fears of wider aggression by Moscow.

It also highlighted the shift in the conflict since Ukrainian forces, armed with a massive influx of weapons from the West, successfully repelled a Russian assault on Kyiv.

"Our focus in the meeting was to talk about those things that would enable us to win the current fight and also build for tomorrow," Austin told the briefing, calling the meeting in Kyiv "very productive."

Blinken and Austin told Zelenskiy of more than $322 million in new foreign military financing for Ukraine, taking total U.S. security assistance since the invasion began to about $3.7 billion, a senior State Department official said.

"It will provide support for capabilities Ukraine needs, especially the fight in the Donbas," the official said, referring to the southeastern region where Russian forces have regrouped and are trying to capture.

He said it would also help Ukraine's armed forces transition to more advanced weapons and air defense systems, essentially NATO-capable systems.

Story continues

Following their Kyiv visit, the White House announced on Monday that President Joe Biden was nominating veteran diplomat Bridget Brink as the new U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, acting to fill a crucial position that was vacant for nearly three years.

Brink, now serving as U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, has been a career diplomat for 25 years and worked in Uzbekistan and Georgia as well as at several senior positions across the State Department and White House National Security Council.

KYIV REOPENS TO WESTERN VISITS

Russia's military shift hundreds of km (miles) eastwards to the Donbas region has allowed foreign leaders to visit Kyiv and some Western nations to resume their diplomatic presence in recent weeks, but Washington has been cautious about a return amid sporadic Russian missile attacks.

"We certainly saw people on the streets of Kyiv, evidence of the fact that the battle for Kyiv was won," Blinken told the briefing, providing glimpses of the train journey from Poland.

"But thats in stark contrast to whats going on in other parts of Ukraine, in the south and the east, where the Russian brutality is just horrific."

The U.S. delegation traveled directly to Kyiv by train and had little opportunity to speak to Ukrainians beyond the meeting with officials there, he added.

Earlier, U.S. officials had declined media requests to accompany the two officials into Ukraine, citing security concerns. They briefed reporters in Poland on condition the trip not be reported until the delegation was safely out of Ukraine.

Austin will now travel on to Germany to host counterparts from more than 20 nations and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the U.S. air base at Ramstein to discuss Ukraine's defense needs, a Pentagon official said.

The meeting Blinken and Austin held with Zelenskiy, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov and other officials lasted nearly three hours, overrunning an allotted time of 90 minutes.

U.S. diplomats departed the Kyiv embassy nearly two weeks before the Feb. 24 invasion, moving some functions to the western city of Lviv before eventually relocating to Poland.

Diplomats will initially resume "day trips" across the border to Lviv in the coming week and officials are accelerating plans to return to Kyiv, the State Department official said.

"There's no substitute for that face-to-face engagement, and of course there is a symbolism to being back in the country," said the official, who briefed reporters in Poland on condition of anonymity.

MORE U.S. MILITARY AID

A separate tranche of nearly $400 million in new foreign military financing from Washington will go to 15 other nations in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans, the State Department official said.

More than 50 Ukrainians were set to complete training on Monday to operate howitzer heavy artillery that Washington has begun sending to Ukraine in recent weeks as fighting now focuses on the flatter, more open Donbas region, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in Poland.

U.S. military aid was arriving in Ukraine with "unimaginable speed," Austin told Monday's briefing, adding that after Biden's Thursday approval of a new tranche of weapons, "on Saturday howitzers were showing up from that drawdown package". (Reporting by Simon Lewis; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
HOUSTON, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Global energy and commodity price reporting agency Argus has introduced daily assessments for heavy sour Oriente and Napo crude grades from Ecuador. The prices were launched on 18 April after the ending of some term contracts led to a revival of spot market activity.

Argus Media Logo (PRNewsfoto/Argus Media)

Argus first started publishing prices for Oriente and Napo in the early 2000s, but suspended the assessments in 2014 because a lack of market activity rendered it impossible to establish a fair value for the crude streams. At this time, the majority of Oriente and Napo was exported to Asia-Pacific under long-term contracts, limiting the amount available for spot trade and reducing price visibility.

Some of those long-term contracts have expired recently, while others have been renegotiated. This means more cargoes are available on the spot market, enabling Argus to provide real transparency based on trade and bid and offer data.

State-owned oil company PetroEcuador has praised Argus' decision to reintroduce daily price assessments for Oriente and Napo crude. PetroEcuador general manager Italo Cedeno said: "The restart of the publication of the differentials in Argus is an important step to recover the presence of Ecuadorean crude oil and revalue it in the international arena. The availability of this data allows our clients to make informed decisions and ratifies our commitment to transparency and efficiency in the area of international marketing."

"Argus is committed to bringing transparency to commodity markets," Argus Media chairman and chief executive Adrian Binks said. "As soon it was clear that spot trade would resume, we were pleased to work with PetroEcuador and other companies involved in the market to reintroduce the Oriente and Napo price assessments. At Argus we pride ourselves on reacting quickly and effectively to market developments."

The relaunched Napo and Oriente prices will be published daily in the Argus Crude and Argus Americas Crude reports. They are assessed as differentials to Nymex light sweet crude futures and Ice Brent crude futures.

Story continues

Argus contact information

London: Seana Lanigan

+44 20 7780 4200

Email Seana

Houston: Matt Oatway

+1 713 968 0000

Email Matt

Singapore: Tomoko Hashimoto

+65 6496 9960

Email Tomoko

About Argus Media

Argus is an independent media organisation with more than 1,100 staff. It is headquartered in London and has 26 offices in the world's principal commodity trading and production centres. Argus produces price assessments and analysis of international energy and other commodity markets and offers bespoke consulting services and industry-leading conferences.

Companies in 140 countries around the world use Argus data to index physical trade and as benchmarks in financial derivative markets as well as for analysis and planning purposes.

Argus was founded in 1970 and is a privately held UK-registered company. It is owned by employee shareholders, global growth equity firm General Atlantic and Hg, the specialist software and technology services investor.

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SOURCE Argus Media
Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed glided behind the bag, then scooped, twirled and threw in one motion. The play was anything but easy. Ahmed made it look that way.

The play stood out in the Diamondbacks 6-2 loss to the New York Mets on Sunday afternoon  not just on its own merit, but because of what occurred around it.

The Diamondbacks played another game marred by mistakes. They committed three errors. They allowed a catchable ball to fall for a hit. Their relievers struggled to find the strike zone.

Ahmeds return from the injured list gives the Diamondbacks another reliable defender, one capable of Gold Glove-caliber performance. But even on a day when he made multiple standout plays, the Diamondbacks defense let them down, leaving manager Torey Lovullo again sounding frustrated in his postgame session with reporters.

SCOREBOARD | STANDINGS | INJURIES

My expectation is that there are certain plays defensively that are unacceptable, Lovullo said. Weve got to tighten that down. We lead the league in errors. That isnt us. Weve got to figure that out. We will. We work hard. Were going to coach these guys up. Weve got some great teachers.

Third baseman Sergio Alcantara made perhaps the best play this season by a Diamondbacks defender on Saturday night, ending the game with a diving stop and a rocket throw. His day on Sunday was closer to the opposite end of the spectrum.

On the first play of the game, Alcantara made a wild throw to first, a mistake that led to a run. On a steal attempt in the sixth, he couldnt come up with a throw by catcher Jose Herrera, who was charged with the error.

Two innings later, Alcantara watched a sharp grounder zip past his glove for another error. That same inning, center fielder Jake McCarthy got a bad read on a ball hit by Luis Guillorme, whose fly to right-center dropped for a double.

Obviously, we havent played the way were capable of or want to defensively, Ahmed said. Some plays that seem routine that need to be made but arent being made consistently enough.

Story continues

Obviously, it happens occasionally. I miss balls. Nobodys perfect. But just overall, as a whole, we got to make the routine play. Its something that were not doing consistently enough. I wish I had a good answer for you on why, but were going to keep working at it.

The Diamondbacks made defense a priority in spring training, focusing not just on routine plays but on basic fundamentals. They have tried to scale back how versatile they are asking certain players to be, hoping that focusing on fewer positions will increase aptitude.

Still, the mistakes keep happening, and coupled with an offense that has struggled to produce, it has led to a number of games slipping through the Diamondbacks hands. Sundays was no different. The game was tied at 1 after five innings. The Mets led, 2-1, after six. It quickly fell apart after that, with relievers Edwin Uceta and Taylor Widener struggling to throw strikes in addition to the defensive issues.

We practice a lot, we just have to keep improving, Herrera said in Spanish. These are things that happen, of course, but in key situations we dont want that to happen. Were working every day, pretty hard, and everyone in their area -- outfielders, infielders -- is going to get better. Weve got to eliminate the errors because it minimizes the damage from runs.

Left-hander Madison Bumgarner lasted five innings and gave up just the one unearned run. He likely would have gone deeper, Lovullo said, had he not still been feeling the effects of an illness that has bothered him for the better part of the past week.

It was the second start in a row in which a defensive miscue proved costly for Bumgarner. He again sounded a wistful tone about not being able to pick up his teammate by working around the mistake  and did his best to deflect a question about how frustrating such mistakes can be for a pitching staff.

This is a frustrating game sometimes, he said. It dont always go your way -- as you guys have seen with me and everybody else. Thats just how it goes sometimes. Nobody is more frustrated than the guys that its happening to. I know that.

Jose M. Romero contributed to this report.

Up next

Los Angeles Dodgers

Dodgers update: The Dodgers are off to a typically strong start, entering Sunday with 10 wins in their first 14 games. Their pitching staff leads the league with a 2.24 ERA while their offense is second with 5.14 runs per game. The Diamondbacks will miss LHP Clayton Kershaw, who fired seven perfect innings in his first start. They also will miss LHP Andrew Heaney, who was dominant through two starts before landing on the injured list with shoulder discomfort. 1B Freddie Freeman is hitting .327/.406/.491 with two homers, a nice start to his Dodgers career. LF Chris Taylor is at .317/.408/.439. CF Cody Bellinger, who had a brutal spring, has more than held his own to open the season, hitting .255 with two homers despite 18 strikeouts in 51 at-bats. The Dodgers will be trying to continue their recent dominance over the Diamondbacks. They went 16-3 vs. the Diamondbacks in 2021 and 8-2 in 2020.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Bullpen and defense hurt Arizona Diamondbacks in loss to New York Mets
MIAMI, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cano Health, Inc. (NYSE: CANO or the "Company"), a leading value-based primary care provider and population health company, will host a conference call on Monday, May 9, 2022, at 8:30 AM Eastern Time (ET) to review the Company's business and financial results for the first quarter 2022 ended March 31, 2022. A press release announcing the results will be issued earlier that morning.

To access the earnings live call and webcast, please dial (844) 684-0650 for U.S. participants, or (343) 761-2594 for international participants, referencing the Cano Health First Quarter 2022 Earnings Conference Call and Conference ID 6284596. The earnings conference call will also be webcast live in the "Events & Presentations" section of Cano Health's investor relations website (investors.canohealth.com). A replay will be available in the same section of the Cano Health website for on-demand listening shortly after the completion of the call and will be available for 30 days.

Cano Health will also host an Investor Day on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, in New York City beginning at 9:30 AM ET. During the event, Cano Health's executive leadership will make a number of presentations focusing on the Company's strategic priorities, business model, growth drivers, and financial outlook. A live webcast of the investor day presentation, along with supporting materials, will be available on the day of the event on Cano Health's investor relations website at investors.canohealth.com. A replay of the webcast and presentation materials will be available under the 'Events & Presentations' section of the company's website shortly following the completion of the event.

About Cano Health

Cano Health (NYSE: CANO) is a high-touch, technology-powered healthcare company delivering personalized, value-based primary care to more than 250,000 members. With its headquarters in Miami, Florida, Cano Health is transforming healthcare by delivering primary care that measurably improves the health, wellness, and quality of life of its patients and the communities it serves. Founded in 2009, Cano Health has more than 4,000 employees, and operates primary care medical centers and supports affiliated providers in eight states and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit canohealth.com or investors.canohealth.com.

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SOURCE Cano Health, Inc.
By Azernews





By Laman Ismayilova

Every year, April 30 is celebrated worldwide as the International Jazz Day.

Declared by UNESCO in 2012, the day raises awareness of the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for empathy, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people.

Each year, many countries including Azerbaijan hold jam sessions, jazz concerts and workshops timed to the International Jazz Day.

As part of the celebration, jazz concerts will be held in the International Mugham Center, the Rashid Behbudov State Song Theater from April 29 to May 2.

Jazz music in Azerbaijan

Sophisticated jazz music is very popular in Azerbaijan.

The foundation of Azerbaijani jazz was laid by the State Pop Orchestra known as "State jazz" at the end of the 30-es by Niyazi and T. Guliyev.

Vagif Mustafazade is the founder of Azerbaijani jazz mugham movement that emerged in the late 1960s and 1970s in Baku, as a result of the mixture of these two styles.

Throughout the years, he wrote numerous jazz compositions, including fugues, preludes, ballades and scherzos, many of them written in the 1970s. He released a total of eight albums, all with different line-ups, mood and style.

National jazz is also very rich with such prominent and talented musicians as Rain Sultanov, Jamil Amirov, Salman Gambarov, as well as young genius conquering worldwide fame Isfar Sarabski, Nurlan Novrasli, Emil Afrasiab, Elchin Shirinov and more.
By Huw Jones

LONDON, April 25 (Reuters) - Recent reforms need to be strengthened to help change a perception that London is a "laundromat" for dirty money, the leader of the British capital's financial district said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there was no place for dirty money to hide in Britain after it imposed sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow's invasion, which the Kremlin describes as a "special military operation", has shone a spotlight on a city some have dubbed 'Londongrad' for its close financial ties to Russia.

"I don't think London is the laundromat that it is painted to be," said Catherine McGuinness, political leader of the City of London Corporation, which administers the financial district.

Campaign group Transparency International https://www.transparency.org.uk/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/TIUK_AtYourService_WEB.pdf has said that 2,189 companies registered in Britain and its overseas territories were linked to 48 Russian money laundering and corruption cases, involving funds worth 82 billion pounds.

"It hasn't been fair but we have to look at what's causing the perception. When you look at objective measures, we don't do badly actually, our system stands up well," she told Reuters.

McGuinness said the public's idea of who is a legitimate person to do business with has changed, citing the example of now sanctioned Russian businessman Roman Abramovich owning soccer club Chelsea, which he is now selling.

Johnson's government last month pushed through reforms which will make it easier to know who owns a property and force people to explain where their wealth comes from.

"We need to look at whether those rules need improving," said McGuinness, who is stepping down after five years during which she has had to deal with the financial sector being cut off from Europe after Brexit, offices and streets emptied by the COVID-19 pandemic and the repercussions of the Ukraine crisis.

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"All the studies show that we remain a really attractive global financial centre," she added.

Brexit led to Britain's financial sector, which accounts for about 10% of its economy, being largely cut off from the EU.

McGuinness has said that Britain sacrificed the financial sector to get a trade deal for goods with the European Union, although the number of finance jobs which have left London for the bloc has so far been a fraction of predictions.

"We are getting more focus and more attention. We need to keep our eye firmly on the ball. What more do we need to do to make sure that we've got continued access to global talent? We need to keep focusing on our strengths," she said. (Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Alexander Smith)
The Leading Sign, Graphics and Visual Communications Franchise Was Named a Top 100 Recession-Proof Franchise for 2022

CARROLLTON, Texas, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- FASTSIGNS International, Inc. , franchisor of FASTSIGNS, the leading sign, graphics and visual communications franchise in the nation, was recently identified by Franchise Business Review as being one of only 100 franchises to qualify as a 2022 Recession-Proof Franchise .

FASTSIGNS International, Inc. (PRNewsfoto/FASTSIGNS International, Inc.)

"FASTSIGNS is proud to be recognized by Franchise Business Review as one of the most recession-proof franchises globally," said Mark Jameson, chief support and development officer at Propelled Brands. "This award is a recognition of FASTSIGNS providing our franchisees the tools and systems to run a successful small business even during turbulent times, while also delivering a service that almost every business or organization will need, even during times of crisis."

Franchise Business Review (FBR), a franchise research firm that performs independent surveys of franchisee satisfaction, provides the only rankings of franchises based solely on actual franchisee satisfaction and performance. Franchise Business Review publishes its rankings of top franchises in its annual Guide to Today's Top Franchises and quarterly reports that rank the top franchises in specific sectors throughout the year.

"FASTSIGNS has a broad range of products and services that are needed in all kinds of economic environments by a large variety of businesses and organizations," said Al Cothern, FASTSIGNS franchisee of West Palm Beach, Florida, who opened his first franchise during the previous recession in 2009. "While a recession is generally bad for business, it creates opportunities as well. Having the drive to work hard and seize every good opportunity is the key. FASTSIGNS helped me just by standing behind all the things they promised. The business model does work as they said it would, the marketing support is excellent, and the operational support provided by the business consultants is always there."

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FASTSIGNS was among thousands of franchises that participated in Franchise Business Review's research on the Best Recession-Proof Businesses to start. FASTSIGNS franchisees were surveyed on many benchmark questions about their experience and satisfaction regarding critical areas of their franchise systems, including leadership, training & support, financial opportunity and work/life balance. To be considered for this award, companies have outstanding satisfaction among their owners and hold a strong advantage to outperform their competitors in the years ahead.

To view FASTSIGNS's recognition, visit FranchiseBusinessReview.com and see the complete list of the 2022 Top Franchises .

For more information about owning a FASTSIGNS franchise, visit https://www.fastsigns.com .

About FASTSIGNS:

FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is the leading sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, and is the worldwide franchisor of more than 750 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS centers in eight countries including the United States and Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Grand Cayman, Malta, the Dominican Republic and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE). FASTSIGNS locations provide comprehensive signage and graphic solutions to help companies in all industries communicate their message and extend their branding across all of their customer touchpoints.

FASTSIGNS is consistently ranked as a top franchise opportunity and recognized as an invaluable resource for potential franchisees. In 2021, Propelled Brands was formed, the corporate umbrella that includes FASTSIGNS, SIGNWAVE in Australia, NerdsToGo, an emerging IT services franchise brand acquired in September 2020, and Suite Management Franchising, LLC, the parent company of MY SALON Suite and Salon Plaza in June 2021. With a focus on business-to-business franchises and the people behind those businesses, Propelled Brands will help each franchise confidently navigate forward based on their unique position, momentum and purpose.

Learn more about sign and graphic solutions or find a location at fastsigns.com . Follow the brand on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/fastsigns , Twitter @FASTSIGNS or Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS . For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson (mark.jameson@fastsigns.com or call 214.346.5679).

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SOURCE FASTSIGNS International, Inc.
MIAMI, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Brand Institute is proud to announce working with Lipocine Inc. in developing the brand name TLANDO, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 28, 2022. TLANDO is an oral treatment for testosterone replacement therapy indicated for conditions associated with a deficiency or absence of endogenous testosterone in adult males.

TLANDO was developed by Lipocine Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative products for neuroendocrine and metabolic disorders. Lipocine has granted Antares Pharma an exclusive license to commercialize TLANDO in the U.S.

"The entire Brand Institute and Drug Safety Institute Team congratulates Antares Pharma and Lipocine on the FDA approval of TLANDO," said Brand Institute's Chairman and C.E.O., James L. Dettore.

About Brand Institute and our wholly owned regulatory subsidiary, Drug Safety Institute

Brand Institute is the global leader in pharmaceutical and healthcare-related name development, with a portfolio of over 3,800 marketed healthcare brand names, 1,200 USAN/INN nonproprietary names for 1,100 clients. The company partners on over 75% of pharmaceutical brand and nonproprietary name approvals globally every year with healthcare manufacturers. Drug Safety Institute is composed of former naming regulatory officials from global government health agencies, including Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), Health Canada (HC), American Medical Association (AMA), and the World Health Organization (WHO). These regulatory experts co-authored the name review guidelines while with their respective agencies, with many responsible for ultimately approving (or rejecting) brand name applications. Now working for a private company, these professionals provide Brand Institute's clients with industry-leading guidance pertaining to drug name safety (i.e., preventing medication errors), packaging, and labeling.

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Contact:

James Dettore

Chairman & C.E.O.

jdettore@brandinstitute.com

www.brandinstitute.com

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SOURCE Brand Institute, Inc.
Foxconn Technology Group, the world's largest electronics contract manufacturer and Apple's prime supplier, has halted production at two of its factories in the eastern city of Kunshan, putting further strain on the US technology giant's supply chain in mainland China.

Operations have been suspended since Wednesday last week after new Covid-19 cases were reported at the two plants, where employees are confined to dormitories inside those campuses, according to two workers at the affected factories, who declined to be named because they are not authorised to speak to media.

Those two dormitories have been put under strict lockdown, according to a statement by local government authorities on Thursday.

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.

The affected Foxconn plants, located at Dianfa and Fuhong in the northern part of Kunshan, are two of four manufacturing campuses operated in the city by the Taiwanese firm, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry. Located in the eastern coastal province of Jiangsu, Kunshan is home to many factories run by Taiwan-based electronics companies.

Two of four Foxconn Technology Group campuses north of the city of Kunshan were put under strict lockdown from April 20, 2022, after the Apple supplier reported new confirmed Covid-19 cases. Photo: Ann Cao alt=Two of four Foxconn Technology Group campuses north of the city of Kunshan were put under strict lockdown from April 20, 2022, after the Apple supplier reported new confirmed Covid-19 cases. Photo: Ann Cao>

The sudden halt of operations at the two Foxconn plants last week came after Kunshan authorities were expected to ease travel restrictions and allow manufacturing activities to resume in the city.

Earlier last week, the local government gave the go-ahead to an initial batch of 60 companies to reopen their production facilities. Kunshan, with a population of 2.1 million, started a citywide lockdown earlier this month to contain the spread of the Omicron variant and counter possible spillover from Shanghai, which has been battling its worst Covid-19 outbreak.

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Kunshan is about 51 kilometres away from neighbouring Shanghai to its east. On Friday, Kunshan reported 23 new Covid-19 cases, up from single digits a week ago.

Foxconn's decision to suspend operations at its two plants in Kunshan marks a setback for the Apple supplier, which managed to continued production during the citywide lockdown by implementing a "closed-loop" system that confines employees within its campuses.

Police wearing personal protective equipment are seen outside a Foxconn Technology Group campus in Kunshan on April 23, 2022. Local authorities have restricted access to roads around Foxconn's four production facilities in the city. Photo: Ann Cao alt=Police wearing personal protective equipment are seen outside a Foxconn Technology Group campus in Kunshan on April 23, 2022. Local authorities have restricted access to roads around Foxconn's four production facilities in the city. Photo: Ann Cao>

That move also put Apple's supply chain network in mainland China on edge, as a few other contract manufacturing partners in the country have stopped production because of Covid-19 restrictions.

Foxconn did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Saturday.

The company was expected to help make up for the supply of iPhones and iPads in China after two other Taiwanese Apple suppliers, Pegatron Corp and Compal Electronics, halted production at their factories in Kunshan, according to Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities who follows Apple, in a recent post on Twitter.

Pegatron had stopped making personal computers, communication devices and consumer electronics for unnamed brands in Kunshan and Shanghai, a company spokeswoman confirmed on Tuesday.

"A complete resumption of production [in Shanghai and Kunshan] may not be possible until late April or early May," Kuo said in his tweet.

Foxconn earlier in March suspended operations at its factories in Shenzhen after China's tech hub in southern Guangdong province imposed a citywide lockdown to battle a surge of Omicron cases. Foxconn restarted some production in the city under a closed-loop system two days after it halted operations there.

Foxconn established its first plant in Kunshan in 1993 as part of the firm's expansion in the Yangtze River Delta, a megalopolis that comprises areas of Shanghai, Jiangsu and the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang. Tens of thousands of workers are employed by Foxconn in Kunshan, where its cumulative revenue since 1993 has reached about 290 billion yuan (US$44.6 billion), according to a People's Daily report in 2020.

The same report said more than 5,300 Taiwanese companies - including Wistron Corp and Luxshare Precision Industry - have contributed about 30 per cent to Kunshan's annual gross domestic product as of 2020.

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.
Company Logo

Global Dental Insurance Market

Global Dental Insurance Market

Dublin, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Dental Insurance Market (2022-2027) by Coverage, Procedure, End-User, Industries , Demographics, Geography, Competitive Analysis and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Global Dental Insurance Market is estimated to be USD 161.03 Bn in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 260.64 Bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 10.11%.



Market Dynamics

Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the Global Dental Insurance Market stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.



As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding the growth and reducing the risks.

Company Profiles

The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for the publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario. Some of the companies covered in this report are Aetna Inc., 3M, AFLAC Inc., Allianz, Ameritas Allianz, AXA S.A., Cigna, Colonial Life Insurance, etc.



Countries Studied

America (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, United States, Rest of - Americas)

Europe (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Rest of - Europe)

Middle-East and Africa (Egypt, Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Rest of MEA.

Asia-Pacific (Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan, Rest of Asia-Pacific)

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Competitive Quadrant

The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.



Ansoff Analysis

The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Dental Insurance Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.



The analyst analyses Global Dental Insurance Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.



Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.



Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Dental Insurance Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains the competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's competitive positioning tool.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Report Description



2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary



4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Increased Cost of Dental Surgeries

4.1.2 Demand Awareness of Oral Hygiene

4.1.3 Private Organisations Providing Employer-Sponsored Insurance Plans

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 Varied Insurance Regulations across the Globe

4.2.2 Eligibility Regulations

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Rise of Insurtech

4.3.2 Increased Demand for Quality Private Care

4.4 Challenges

4.4.1 Dental Not Covered Under Medical Insurance

4.4.2 Lack of Awareness



5 Market Analysis

5.1 Regulatory Scenario

5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis



6 Global Dental Insurance Market, By Coverage

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Dental Health Maintenance Organizations (DHMO)

6.3 Dental Preferred Provider Organizations(DPPO)

6.4 Dental Indemnity Plans

6.5 Dental Exclusive Provider Organisation (DEPO)

6.6 Dental Point of Service (DPOS )



7 Global Dental Insurance Market, By Procedure

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Preventive

7.3 Major

7.4 Basic



8 Global Dental Insurance Market, By End-User

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Individuals

8.3 Corporates



9 Global Dental Insurance Market, By End-User

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Chemicals

9.3 Refineries

9.4 Metal and Mining

9.5 Food and Beverage

9.6 Others



10 Global Dental Insurance Market, By Demographics

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Senior Citizens

10.3 Adults

10.4 Minors



11 Americas' Dental Insurance Market

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Argentina

11.3 Brazil

11.4 Canada

11.5 Chile

11.6 Colombia

11.7 Mexico

11.8 Peru

11.9 United States

11.10 Rest of Americas



12 Europe's Dental Insurance Market

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Austria

12.3 Belgium

12.4 Denmark

12.5 Finland

12.6 France

12.7 Germany

12.8 Italy

12.9 Netherlands

12.10 Norway

12.11 Poland

12.12 Russia

12.13 Spain

12.14 Sweden

12.15 Switzerland

12.16 United Kingdom

12.17 Rest of Europe



13 Middle East and Africa's Dental Insurance Market

13.1 Introduction

13.2 Egypt

13.3 Israel

13.4 Qatar

13.5 Saudi Arabia

13.6 South Africa

13.7 United Arab Emirates

13.8 Rest of MEA



14 APAC's Dental Insurance Market

14.1 Introduction

14.2 Australia

14.3 Bangladesh

14.4 China

14.5 India

14.6 Indonesia

14.7 Japan

14.8 Malaysia

14.9 Philippines

14.10 Singapore

14.11 South Korea

14.12 Sri Lanka

14.13 Thailand

14.14 Taiwan

14.15 Rest of Asia-Pacific



15 Competitive Landscape

15.1 Competitive Quadrant

15.2 Market Share Analysis

15.3 Strategic Initiatives

15.3.1 M&A and Investments

15.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations

15.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements



16 Company Profiles

16.1 Aetna Inc.

16.2 3M

16.3 AFLAC Inc.

16.4 Allianz

16.5 Ameritas Allianz

16.6 AXA S.A.

16.7 Cigna

16.8 Colonial Life Insurance

16.9 Delta Dental Plans Association

16.10 Envivas

16.11 HDFC ERGO Health Insurance Limited. (Apollo Munich)

16.12 Humana

16.13 MetLife Services and Solutions, LLC

16.14 Nippon Life Insurance

16.15 OneExchange

16.16 United Concordia

16.17 United HealthCare Services, Inc



17 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/p9j8z8

Attachment

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




Funds offer Canadian investors exposure to Invesco ESG ETFs and leading core strategies in two new, individual mutual funds

TORONTO, April 25, 2022 /CNW/ -- Invesco Canada Ltd. ("Invesco") today announced the launch of two new mutual funds, the Invesco Global Balanced ESG ETF Fund and the Invesco Global Select Balanced Fund, expanding the firm's global balanced mutual fund line-up to help further meet clients' specific investment goals.

"We're constantly evolving our platform of investment strategies to potentially benefit the end investor. These two new offerings provide access for investors to single-ticket core global balanced portfolios," says Jason MacKay, Head of Wealth Management Intermediaries, Canada. "One is specifically designed for investors looking to integrate ESG principles into a core investment strategy of equity and fixed-income ETF securities, while the other fund provides exposure to a concentrated equity strategy that focuses on selecting high-quality global equities and exposure to a high-quality bond strategy that seeks to deliver income and growth potential."

Both funds in the Global Neutral Balanced category will target a static asset allocation of 60% equity and 40% fixed income, using a fund-of-funds structure:

Invesco Global Balanced ESG ETF Fund Invesco Global Balanced ESG ETF Fund seeks to generate capital growth and income

over the long term by investing primarily in a portfolio of ETFs that are managed by

Invesco or one of its affiliates. These ETFs invest primarily in equity securities or in fixed-

income and other debt securities. These ETFs employ environmental, social and

governance (ESG) oriented investment strategies as part of their fundamental investment objectives. Invesco Global Select Balanced Fund Invesco Global Select Balanced Fund seeks to generate capital growth and income over

the long term by investing, directly or indirectly, in a balanced portfolio of equities and

fixed-income securities issued by governments and corporations anywhere in the world.

Both funds will be offered in Series A, Series F, Series PTF and Series I. Invesco Global Select Balanced Fund will also be offered in Series P. For both funds, Series A and Series P will be offered in a front-end sales charge ("SC") option only. For both funds, Series F, Series PTF and Series I will be offered in a no sales charge ("NSC") option.

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Please contact Invesco at 1.800.874.6275. You can also connect with Invesco on Twitter (@InvescoCanada), LinkedIn, Facebook, through the Invesco Canada blog or by visiting www.invesco.ca.

About Invesco Ltd.

Invesco Ltd. is a global independent investment management firm dedicated to delivering an investment experience that helps people get more out of life. Our distinctive investment teams deliver a comprehensive range of active, passive and alternative investment capabilities. With offices in more than 20 countries, Invesco managed US$1.6 trillion in assets on behalf of clients worldwide as of December 31, 2021. For more information, visit www.invesco.com.

Series F units are available only to eligible investors who have fee-based accounts with their dealer or have access to a discount brokerage platform through their dealer.

Series PTF units are only available for purchase by investors in an account where investors pay for advice directly to the dealer (in whatever form agreed to between the investor and the dealer), rather than through Invesco Canada (either directly or indirectly). The dealer must have signed a Series PTF agreement with Invesco Canada and have met certain infrastructure requirements.

Series I units are special-purpose securities available to other Invesco Canada Funds, eligible institutional investors or other permitted investors and are not sold to the general public.

Series P units are available to investors who invest, in the aggregate, a minimum of $100,000 in shares or units of Invesco Canada funds, whether in a single account or in multiple accounts or within a financial/household group. Invesco Canada may waive this investment minimum for investors whose advisor has been designated and approved for the purpose of managing the investment portfolio of a dealer's investors through discretionary authority granted by the investors.

Commissions, management fees and expenses may all be associated with investments in mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Trailing commissions may be associated with investments in mutual funds. Mutual funds and ETFs are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. There are risks involved with investing in ETFs and mutual funds. Please read the prospectus before investing. Copies are available from Invesco Canada Ltd. at www.invesco.ca.

There are risks involved with investing in ETFs. Please read the prospectus for a complete description of risks relevant to the ETF. Ordinary brokerage commissions apply to purchases and sales of ETF units.

Invesco is a registered business name of Invesco Canada Ltd.

Invesco and all associated trademarks are trademarks of Invesco Holding Company Limited, used under licence.

 Invesco Canada Ltd., 2022

Contact: Gina Simonis, 212.278.9806, Gina.Simonis@invesco.com

SOURCE Invesco Ltd.

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(Bloomberg) -- Just Eat Takeaway.com NVs board and management will face opposition at the food delivery companys upcoming annual general meeting, with the firms largest investor and key proxy advisers recommending votes against key members of the companys leadership.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Activist investor Cat Rock Capital Management LP, which owns about 6.9% of Just Eat, urged shareholders to vote against the delivery companys Chief Financial Officer Brent Wissink and supervisory board at next weeks AGM citing a complete loss of trust in management.

Major shareholder proxy services Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. and Glass Lewis have also recommended voting against the re-election of supervisory board chairman Adriaan Nuhn over the boards gender diversity, and environmental and social governance, respectively.

The new calls to oust top leaders increase pressure on the company and join those from investor Lucerne Capital Management, which said in early April it planned to vote against the re-appointment of the food delivery companys CFO and supervisory board at the annual general meeting in early May.

Amsterdam-based Just Eat Takeaway has come under pressure from investors over the past year, with its shares down roughly 70% as investors push the company to sell or spin-off its recently acquired U.S. unit Grubhub. Just Eat Takeaway said last week that its exploring a sale for Grubhub, less than a year after completing an acquisition for it worth $7.3 billion.

A Just Eat Takeaway representative said that management shares investor disappointment in the recent share price performance of the Company. The spokeswoman added that the company believe that Cat Rocks proposal to remove key supervisory and management Board members, would be both value destructive and destabilizing.

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Investor Letter

In a letter Monday morning, Cat Rock Capitals founder and managing partner Alex Captain accused Just Eat Takeaways management of providing a misleading outlook to investors ahead of two Grubhub shareholder votes that led to two massive profit downgrades in 2021 and shattering investor trust.

The investor firm said the food delivery company made a capital allocation mistake when it decided to buy Grubhub, adding that the deal alone can not explain the loss of 16 billion euros ($17.2 billion) in equity value that has been lost in less than two years.

JET needs a new CFO to restore credibility with the capital markets and a new Supervisory Board to quickly refocus the business on Europe, use the proceeds of divestitures to strengthen JETs capitalization, and actively evaluate other strategic options, Captain said in a letter to shareholders.

Shareholders including the California State Teachers Retirement System and California Public Employees Retirement System have disclosed they plan to vote against Nuhn, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Representatives for both funds declined to comment on their rationale.

In its report, ISS said that voting against Nuhn was warranted because the level of gender diversity on the board is insufficient, not aligned with market expectations.

Just Eat Takeaway announced in January that board member Gwyn Burr will step down after the shareholder meeting, leaving a board that is 17% female, according to ISS.

A Bloomberg Data analysis of companies that have disclosed gender per board member found that about 38% of directorships for Europes Stoxx 600 companies are held by women. In the IT sector, that rises to about 40%.

Supervisory Board

The Just Eat Takeaway representative added that the supervisory board -- which currently has seven members -- is looking for a female candidate to fill Burrs position, and have decided to nominate an eighth member who will be female in the course of this year.

The additional appointment will cause three out of eight SB members to be female, therefore ensuring compliance with the guidance to have at least one third of the SB consist of female members, the representative said.

Glass Lewis separately said in its report that it was against Nuhns re-appointment because while we note that the Company has a disclosed point of accountability for environmental and social issues it has not, to the best of our knowledge, provided explicit disclosure concerning the supervisory boards role in overseeing environmental and social risk.

(Updates with company comment in sixth, fourteenth and fifteenth paragraphs)

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2022 Bloomberg L.P.
LECTRA

Glengo Teknoloji joins forces with Lectra Turkey

The two organizations will combine

to develop Lectras business in the booming Turkish market

Paris, April 25, 2022 - Lectra is pleased to announce Glengo Teknoloji (Glengo), the exclusive distributor of Gerber solutions in Turkey, will join forces with Lectra Turkey. Bringing Lectra Turkey and Glengo together provides an opportunity for both organizations to expand their footprint in Turkey, Central Asia and the Middle East, and better serve their customers. Lectra Turkey will become Glengo Lectra Teknoloji and distribute the entirety of the Lectra Groups product portfolio. This union is the logical next step after Lectras acquisition of Gerber Technology (Gerber) in June 2021.

Glengo was established in 1986. The Istanbul-based company has been providing sales, installation, training and after-sales services for Gerber solutions since its founding. Apart from the head office in Istanbul, Glengo has offices in Adana, Ankara, Bursa, Denizli, Izmir, Kayseri, Malatya, Ordu, Urfa, Sivas and Tokat Erbaa, with over 120 staff members. Glengo primarily serves the Turkish and Central Asian markets. It also sells Gerber solutions to Turkish companies in Bulgaria, Moldavia, Romania and the Balkans.

We are proud to have more customers benefiting from our 36 years of experience in providing top-tier solutions, technical assistance and support. Being part of Lectras organization gives us access to Lectras state-of-the-art offers, based on Industry 4.0 technology, which will enable us to help our customers to accelerate the digital transformation of their operations, states Mehmet Aykut Vural, founder of Glengo and now Chairman and CEO of Glengo Lectra Teknoloji.

Turkey ranks as the sixth-largest apparel supplier in the world. In addition to the flourishing local industry, many international brands are considering moving their manufacturing ecosystem to Turkey. As supply disruptions continue to hit the fashion industry, shipping costs are becoming the biggest cost driver. Therefore, 71% of fashion and apparel companies are planning to increase their nearshoring share by 2025, according to experts. Turkey is one of the top three most promising locations for nearshoring, especially for European countries.

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Joining forces with Glengo will allow Lectra to reinforce its position in a country where our business is growing, and benefit from the Glengo teams excellent knowledge of the regional market and their technological expertise. says Jerome Viala, Executive Vice President of Lectra.

The transaction consists in the acquisition by Lectra Turkey of the business assets of Glengo for approximately 4 million euros and 25% of shares in Glengo Lectra Teknoloji.

About Lectra:

As a major player in the fashion, automotive and furniture markets, Lectra contributes to the Industry 4.0 revolution with boldness and passion by providing best-in-class technologies.

The group offers industrial intelligence solutions - software, equipment, data and services - that facilitate the digital transformation of the companies it serves. In doing so, Lectra helps its customers push boundaries and unlock their potential. The group is proud to state that its 2,400 employees are driven by three core values: being open-minded thinkers, trusted partners and passionate innovators.

Founded in 1973, Lectra reported revenues of 388 million euros in 2021 and is listed on Euronext (LSS).

For more information, visit lectra.com.

Media contacts:

Hotwire for Lectra

Eugenie Dautel - t: +33 (0)1 43 12 55 52

Alexis Bletsas - t: +33 (0)1 43 12 55 71

Laura Bandiera - t: +33 (0)1 43 12 55 70

e: lectrafr@hotwireglobal.com

Attachment




Mattamy ranks #3 as award recognizes the company's supportive, welcoming and engaging work environment

RIVERVIEW, Fla., April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Mattamy Homes has been named as one of Tampa Bay's Best Places to Work, for the fourth consecutive year, as part of the Best Places to Work competition managed by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. Mattamy was recognized as the #3 place to work in the extra large companies category, beating out significantly larger organizations in the Tampa Bay area. Mattamy was one of the smallest companies in this category to make the top 15 list and one of only two homebuilders named as a Best Place to Work.

Mattamy Homes US (CNW Group/Mattamy Homes Limited)

Best Places to Work aims to identify the top workplaces in Tampa Bay based on employee feedback. Nominated organizations are evaluated by their employees through an anonymous survey focusing on elements of the work environment including: team effectiveness, retention risk, alignment with goals, trust with co-workers, individual contribution, manager effectiveness, trust in senior leaders, feeling valued, work engagement and people practices.

"At Mattamy it is our ongoing goal to provide a work environment that is supportive, welcoming and engaging," says Bob Meyn, President of Mattamy's Tampa and Southwest Florida Division. "During the challenging last two years, our top priority has been maintaining a positive work environment and supporting the wellbeing of our team members. We're pleased to be recognized for the special culture we've created and continue to maintain here at Mattamy."

For more information:

https://mattamyhomes.com/florida/tampa

https://mattamyhomes.com/about/careers

About Mattamy Homes

Mattamy Homes is the largest privately owned homebuilder in North America, with more than 40 years of operations history across the United States and Canada. Every year, Mattamy helps more than 8,000 families realize their dream of home ownership. In the United States, the company is represented in 11 markets Charlotte, Raleigh, Dallas, Phoenix, Tucson, Jacksonville, Orlando (where its US head office is located), Tampa, Sarasota, Naples and Southeast Florida  and in Canada, its communities stretch across the Greater Toronto Area, as well as in Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton. Visit www.mattamyhomes.com for more information.

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Mattamy Homes has been named as one of Tampa Bays Best Places to Work, for the fourth consecutive year. (CNW Group/Mattamy Homes Limited)

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SOURCE Mattamy Homes Limited
OTTAWA, ON, April 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Members of the media are invited to Rideau Hall to cover the presentation of credentials of five new heads of mission to Canada.

During the ceremony, the following new heads of mission will present their credentials to the Governor General:

His Excellency Gline Arley Clarke

High Commissioner-designate of Barbados

His Excellency Noureddine Bardad-Daidj

Ambassador-designate of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria

His Excellency Daniel Tumpal Sumurung Simanjuntak

Ambassador-designate of the Republic of Indonesia

His Excellency Rieaz Shaik

High Commissioner-designate of the Republic of South Africa

His Excellency Karspars Ozolins

Ambassador-designate of the Republic of Latvia

Date: Wednesday, April 27, 2022 Time: 10 a.m. Location: Rideau Hall Ballroom

Notes for media:

To guarantee your access to the ceremony, we ask that you please confirm your attendance with the Rideau Hall Press Office at media@gg.ca .

Media are asked to arrive at the Princess Anne Entrance no later than 9:45 a.m. on the day of the ceremony.

Please note masks are mandatory.

Photos of the ceremony taken by the Governor General's official photographer will be made available upon request.

Stay connected :

Follow GovernorGeneralCanada on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

SOURCE Governor General of Canada

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By Trend

Azerbaijans Shusha hosted the V Congress of World Azerbaijanis - the Congress of Victory from April 22 through April 23 and speaking at the opening of the event, the President, the Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev made important statements regarding the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, outlined a roadmap for Azerbaijanis of the world in accordance with the post-conflict period, Trend reports.

Former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Sekuta told Trend that in normalizing relations between Baku and Yerevan, it is necessary to act on the basis of statements of President Ilham Aliyev in Shusha.

"Today, the issue of normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia is on the agenda and there is a need for this in the name of regions future. President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that the govenrment of Armenia has officially stated that it recognizes territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, there are no territorial claims against Azerbaijan and there will be no in the future," Sekuta said.

According to him, the settlement of relations between the two countries will take time and determination.

"President Ilham Aliyev also said that foreign ministers of two countries are currently forming working groups and it is necessary to start specific negotiations in the near future. It is necessary to highlight these statements of the head of state and act accordingly. Strengthen trust, confidence and peace after decades of conflict It won't be easy, it will take time and determination on both sides," Sekuta said.

Former OSCE Minsk Group (MG) co-chair from the US, Richard Hoagland told Trend that he believes that the post-conflict period in the region has its own difficulties - like any period after such conflicts.

"It takes time for emotions to fade into the background" Hoagland said.

"The period after second Karabakh War is even more difficult, because the conflict has existed for many decades and emotions on both sides have been and continue to be strong. Patience is needed, not making demands in public, but looking for solutions in private. Over time, measured in months or even years "Emotions begin to cool and opportunities for problem solving emerge. This kind of diplomacy offers solutions that truly lead to peace and prosperity for the peoples of both countries and the entire region," Hoagland added.
TORONTO, April 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Ontario cannot fund its health-care system alone. Ontario's doctors are calling on the provincial government to take steps in this week's budget to reverse the chronic underfunding of health care and put pressure on the federal government to contribute its share.

Ontario Medical Association Logo (CNW Group/Ontario Medical Association)

The Ontario Medical Association strongly supports calls by Canada's premiers for the federal government to increase the Canada Health Transfer to 35 per cent of provincial-territorial health-care spending from the current 22 per cent.

That would give Ontario an additional $10 billion allowing the province to clear the backlog of care created by COVID-19 and fix the cracks in the health-care system that widened during the pandemic. Ontario has fallen so far behind in health-care spending over the last 30 years that it needs to invest an additional $5 billion a year just to reach the national average.

"We're urging the provincial government to take steps in this week's budget to reverse 30 years of chronic underfunding by all parties," said OMA President Dr. Adam Kassam. "But Ottawa needs to do its share to put Ontario back on course as being a national leader in health care, for the sake of our patients and our economy."

Ontario budgeted $74.1 billion for health care in 2021-22. But Ontario is projected to spend less on health care per capita than any other province or territory, according to 2021 data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. This is due, in part, to a decrease in per capita spending in the 1990s, flat spending between 2012 and 2016 and spending below the minimum required to keep pace with demand in other years.

Today, Ontario's per capita health-care spending is about eight per cent lower than the average of other provinces and territories, according to CIHI. Ontario's own Financial Accountability Office notes that the province's base health-sector spending plan in the 2021 budget called for per capita spending to decline by an annual average of 0.5 per cent from 2019-20 to 2029-30.

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To bring Ontario to the national average would require an investment of about $4.8 billion. Increasing the Canada Health Transfer to 35 per cent of health-care spending would cover this.

While it was originally envisioned that health-care spending be shared equally by the federal government and the provinces and territories, Ottawa's share has decreased over time. Today, the Canada Health Transfer funds only an average of 22 per cent of total provincial health-care costs. Ontario has lost billions of dollars that could be used to provide better health care for all its residents.

The OMA has a roadmap for better health care with 87 specific recommendations: Prescription for Ontario: Doctors' 5-Point Plan for Better Health Care. Taken together, the recommendations in Prescription for Ontario offer a comprehensive, integrated solution to ensure that current and new health-care dollars are effectively spent, address the current and new demands that will be placed on the system and improve care for all Ontarians.

Among the many demands that Ontario's health-care system will face in the coming years are:

Clearing the backlog of 21 million health-care services built up during the COVID-19 pandemic that will take months and in some cases years to clear.

The looming mental health tsunami.

The return of those "missing patients" who did not seek care during the pandemic and now are showing up sicker and with undiagnosed conditions requiring more aggressive treatment.

"Spending more money alone is not how to make Ontario a place where people want to live, work and invest," said OMA CEO Allan O'Dette. "The province also needs more doctors, personal support workers and other health-care professionals at a time when many are retiring or leaving the profession because of burnout exacerbated by working on the front lines of the pandemic."

Ontario ranks seventh among Canadian provinces in number of doctors per 100,000 patients (2.3) and has one of the lowest doctor-to-population rankings among OECD countries (29 out of 33). The shortage is especially acute in northern and rural areas.

Additional Resources

Prescription for Ontario: Doctors' 5-Point Plan for Better Health Care

Infographic: Ontario's doctor shortage

Infographic: Doctor-to-population ratio

Infographic: The Canada Health Transfer

Infographic: Health-care funding in Ontario isn't keeping pace with demand

About the OMA

The Ontario Medical Association represents Ontario's 43,000-plus physicians, medical students and retired physicians, advocating for and supporting doctors while strengthening the leadership role of doctors in caring for patients. Our vision is to be the trusted voice in transforming Ontario's health-care system.

SOURCE Ontario Medical Association

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STOCKHOLM, April 25, 2022 PRNewswire/ -- As part of the strategy to switch to large-scale renewable fuel production, Preem will sign a SEK 3 billion loan agreement with Swedish Export Credit Corporation (SEK). The loan is covered by the Swedish National Debt Office's program for green credit guarantees.

This is the first guarantee the Swedish National Debt Office issues within the framework of the central government's green guarantee program and intends to finance Preem's planned major investment at the Lysekil refinery for the production of biodiesel based on renewable raw materials. The biodiesel production will play a central role for the transport sector in the future and contribute to increased Swedish self-sufficiency in biofuels.

"Preem is making the biggest transition in the company's history, and right now a number of crucial projects are underway at our refineries that will transform us into a climate-neutral business. The loan will enable us to speed up our investments and secure an increased supply of sustainable biofuels for the Swedish transport sector," says Lina Stolpe, CFO at Preem.

The total cost of Preem's investment is SEK 3,525 million and the company will receive a green loan of SEK 3 billion. The loan tenor is 7 years and is guaranteed by the Swedish National Debt Office with a green credit guarantee that covers 80 percent of the loan amount.

"Reducing the impact of climate change is one of the most important challenges of our time. The financing of Preem is part of SEK's investment to support the export industry's transition and competitiveness, and achieve Sweden's high climate ambitions," says Magnus Montan, CEO of Swedish Export Credit Corporation (Svensk Exportkredit).

The loan is earmarked for investment at the Lysekil refinery regarding the reconstruction of the so-called Synsat plant, which today produces diesel. The purpose of the reconstruction is to increase Preem's production of biofuels by up to 950,000 m3 annually, which will reduce fossil carbon dioxide emissions at the user level by at least 1.7 million tonnes per year.

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To be able to take advantage of the government's green credit guarantees, it is required that investments contribute to Sweden's environmental and climate goals.

The loan agreement with SEK is conditional on approval from the Preem Group's other external financiers and on Preem obtaining the necessary environmental permits. Decisions on environmental permits for the project are made by the Swedish Land and Environmental Court.

For more information, please contact:

Preem Press Office

press@preem.se

+46 (0)70-450 10 01

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/preem-ab/r/preem-signs-sek-3-billion-loan-agreement-with-swedish-export-credit-corporation,c3551380

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Royal Holiday Vacation Club

Mexico City, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

A picture of a kayak on the ocean at sunset, representing vacations offered through Royal Holiday Vacation Club.

Royal Holiday Vacation Club understands how difficult it can be to set aside time from work to take a vacation. Taking this into consideration, they decided people need to be able to enjoy comfortable accommodations, relax and partake in numerous entertaining activities while taking care of business. In other words, everyone should be able to make use of a "workation," a vacation while working.

As businesses sent employees home to work during the pandemic, business owners realized many could work from home, saving the business the need to provide a workplace for them. However, to work effectively from a remote location, the location must have highly advanced technology. The connectivity to the internet has to be lightning-fast and reliable. There must be a precise communication infrastructure so employees, employers, clients, and suppliers can stay in touch.

Royal Holiday Vacation Club took these requirements and updated their hotels and resorts to allow visitors to enjoy a "workation." Tourists can spend their time at the pool or spa while taking care of business on their phones, tablets, or laptops. They invested 22 million pesos for the upgrade to ensure each location has the best technology possible.

Regardless of the application or software, the new technology platform allows guests to log on and get to work while not worrying about any glitches in the systems or security issues. The communication infrastructure means guests can have meetings without being in the same room. People from all over the world can link up to discuss and carry on business remotely. Royal Holiday Vacation Club wants employers to consider its locations as the prime place to conduct business.

Employees work harder and more effectively when they are well-rested and relaxed. They enjoy their work more and spread their contentment to colleagues and clients. When employees are content with their job, they are more apt to stay where they are and not search for a new one. These facts mean a better bottom line for employers.

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The World Wide Web has made the world a much smaller place. As more and more companies start business interactions worldwide, the ability to get things done remotely is crucial to their success. To avoid stress and burnout, employees need proper rest. The best option for keeping a business operating in this ever-shrinking world is an advanced technology used by relaxed, happy employees.

With the right technology and communication capabilities, tourists can work hard for their company in an enjoyable atmosphere. Royal Holiday Vacation Club understands the need to balance work and fun.

CONTACT: contact@royalholidayvacation.com




Smart Employee Benefits Inc.

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, April 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smart Employee Benefits Inc. (SEB or the Company) (TSXV: SEB) (OTCQB: SEBFF), an Insurtech provider of cloud based, end-to-end IT and Benefit Processing solutions for the life and group benefits marketplace and government, announces an 8.04% partial sale of its investment in Paradigm, a business consulting firm based in Saskatchewan (the Transaction). SEB continues to own approximately 16% of Paradigm.



SEB disposed of 804,000 Class A limited partnership units (LP Units) of Paradigm Consulting Group LP (Paradigm LP) for $1.155 per unit (i.e., $928,620.00) and 1,000 Class A Shares (GP Shares) of Paradigm Consulting Group GP Inc. (Paradigm GP) for $0.01 per share (i.e., $10.00), being aggregate gross proceeds of $928,630.00 (the Sale Proceeds). The LP Units and GP Shares were repurchased for cancellation by Paradigm LP and Paradigm GP, respectively. The Sale Proceeds were paid in cash and will be used by SEB for working capital purposes.

SEB acquired Paradigm Consulting Group Inc. in March, 2015. At the time, Paradigm Consulting Group Inc. was considered a strategic acquisition that would expedite SEB's growth in the area of health care and benefits administration in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The economy of Saskatchewan and Manitoba suffered as oil prices declined and the budgets for the targeted projects were canceled. In July, 2019, SEB sold 75% of its interest in Paradigm Consulting Group Inc. to Paradigm management and a Saskatchewan based venture fund. At that time Paradigm Consulting Group Inc. was also converted into a limited partnership structure with SEB maintaining its stake in the Paradigm LP at $1.00 per LP Unit and in Paradigm GP at $0.01 per GP Share. Subsequently, Paradigm management exercised an option to acquire a further 1.96% of SEB's 25% holdings. Pursuant to the Transaction, SEB has sold a further 8.04% of its holdings back to Paradigm for cancellation; however, SEB continues to own approximately 16% of each of Paradigm LP and Paradigm GP, with no immediate plans to sell. SEB continues to work closely with Paradigm on multiple business opportunities and the CEO of SEB remains a Director of Paradigm GP.

States John McKimm, SEBs President and CEO, Paradigm is a strong, growing business. It is performing well and has excellent growth opportunities. While SEB believes strongly in the future of Paradigm, it no longer has the strategic fit it did when SEB first acquired it in 2015. The redemption of the LP Units and GP Shares provides room for Paradigm to increase its employee ownership over time without increasing the number of outstanding securities beyond the original 10,000,000 LP Units and 10,000 GP Shares.

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The Transaction may involve a Non-Arms Length Party (as such term is defined in the policies of TSX Venture Exchange) in that John McKimm is a director and Chief Executive Officer of SEB and also one of four Paradigm GP directors. As such, the Transaction was approved by a resolution of the Companys board of directors and Mr. McKimm abstained from voting. The Company also obtained the requisite TSX Venture Exchange approval for the Transaction.

About Smart Employee Benefits Inc.:

SEB is a proven provider of leading-edge IT and benefits processing software, solutions and Services for the Life and Group benefits marketplace and government. We design, customize, build, and manage mission critical, end-to-end technology, people and infrastructure solutions using SEBs proprietary technologies and expertise and partner technologies. We manage mission critical business processes for over 150 blue chip and government accounts, nationally and globally. Over 90% of our revenue and contracts are multi-year recurring revenue streams contracts related to government, insurance, healthcare, benefits and e-commerce. Our solutions are supported nationally and globally by over 600 multi-certified technical professionals in a multi-lingual infrastructure, from 8 offices across Canada and globally.

Our solutions include both software and Services driven ecosystems including multiple SaaS solutions, cloud solutions & Services, managed Services offering smart sourcing (near shore/offshore), managed security Services, custom software development and support, professional Services, deep systems integration expertise and multiple specialty practice areas including AI, CRM, BI, Portals, EDI, e-commerce, digital transformation, analytics, project management to mention a few. The Company has more than 20 strategic partnerships/relationships with leading global and regional technology and consulting organizations.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information in this release, may constitute forward-looking information. In some cases, but not necessarily in all cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, targets, expects or does not expect, is expected, an opportunity exists, is positioned, estimates, intends, assumes, anticipates or does not anticipate or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might, will or will be taken, occur or be achieved. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information are not historical facts but instead represent managements expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events.

THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE COMPANYS CURRENT EXPECTATIONS AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. 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 REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange Inc. nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange Inc.) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

All figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated.

Media and Investor Contact

John McKimm

President/CEO/CIO

Office (888) 939-8885 x 2354

Cell (416) 460-2817

john.mckimm@seb-inc.com




Drury joins influential leaders of companies from 25 different countries

LOS ANGELES, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced its Chief Executive Officer, Scott Drury, was recently selected to join the Wall Street Journal's CEO Council. The Wall Street Journal CEO Council brings together the most influential decision makers from around the world. Members of the CEO Council represent companies from a cross-section of industries that collectively employ more than 11 million people and generate more than $3 trillion in annual revenue.

SoCalGas Logo (PRNewsfoto/San Diego Gas & Electric,Southern California Gas Company)

"At SoCalGas we are leveraging our vast infrastructure, skilled workforce and our relationships with the business, academic, labor, and environmental communities to bring positive and lasting change to the communities we serve and to accelerate the transition to clean energy in California," said Scott Drury, SoCalGas Chief Executive Officer. "It is an honor to serve on the Wall Street Journal CEO Council alongside other top leaders who are working to shape a healthy and prosperous future for people here and around the world."

"To tackle big issues from climate change to energy security we need bold, dynamic and inclusive leadership; and that is exactly what Scott Drury brings to the table," said former Governor Gray Davis. Davis is the 2022 Co-Chair of the Southern California Leadership Counsel. "Scott's commitment to sustainability, innovation and community have positioned SoCalGas as a national leader on the path to net zero emissions and have contributed to California's reputation as a forerunner in a clean energy transition."

"Under Scott's leadership, SoCalGas is developing real solutions  like the Angeles Link green hydrogen proposal - to decarbonize sectors of the economy that wind and solar can't reach and help to increase the amount of reliable clean energy available in the region," said Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Los Angeles County's Fifth District. "Thanks in part to Scott's efforts, L.A. County is well positioned to continue to grow sustainably without increasing greenhouse gas emissions or jeopardizing grid reliability."

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Scott Drury became chief executive officer (CEO) of Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), a Sempra regulated California utility in 2020. Previously, Drury was the president of San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), another Sempra regulated California utility. Under his leadership, SDG&E made significant strides in modernizing the energy grid to enhance safety and reliability, while providing customers with increasingly sustainable energy choices and creating long-term value for all stakeholders.

To learn more, click here.

About SoCalGas

Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas is North America's largest gas distribution utility, serving 21.8 million consumers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California with affordable, reliable, and increasingly renewable gas service.

SoCalGas's mission is to build the cleanest, safest and most innovative energy company in America. SoCalGas has committed to the goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions in its operations and delivery of energy by 2045 while keeping bills affordable for customers.

SoCalGas' recent economy-wide technical analysis shows how clean fuels like green hydrogen can help California achieve its net zero goals more affordably and with less risk than other energy pathways.

SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra (NYSE: SRE). For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.

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SOURCE Southern California Gas Company
Leading Salon Studio Franchise Signs Four Development Agreements to Open Nine New Locations Across Canada; Joins Canadian Franchise Association with Plans to Attend CFA Convention

TORONTO, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sola Salons , the world's largest and fastest growing salon studios franchise, announced today the signing of four franchise development agreements that will expand its presence in key territories across Ontario, Canada, including Toronto, Durham, Kitchener-Waterloo, Markham, Richmond Hill, Hamilton and Barrie. These new signings will bring nine new Sola locations to Canada over the next several years, emphasizing the brand's aggressive domestic franchise development plans. In the past year, Sola opened 53 new locations, signed 72 franchise agreements, and reached a milestone of 18,000 independent beauty professionals across North America.

Sola Salons (PRNewsfoto/Sola Salon Studios)

"While Canada just reopened salon businesses in late 2021 due to challenges the pandemic brought, Sola Salons continued to grow its international development, further showcasing the strength of our business model," said Christina Russell, CEO at Sola Salons."We are excited to continue to plant our roots in Canada through our membership with the Canadian Franchise Association, welcome new franchisees and watch our existing owners grow throughout Canada"

The new and existing Sola franchise agreements signed include:

Business partners Kevin Lent and John Platten currently own three locations in Ontario

Multi-unit franchisee, Ron Magnusson, owns the Calgary, Alberta location

Denise Muller will develop one location in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario

Larry Lloyd and Mike McDonald will develop three locations in Ontario's Durham region

New owner, Mike Ruthard, will develop three locations in North York, Richmond Hill, and Markham

Ammar Aboulnasr recently signed an agreement to develop two locations in Hamilton and Barrie, Ontario

Identified as the world's largest and fastest growing salon studios franchise, Sola Salons is a recession-resilient franchise with an understanding of markets across Canada. The real-estate rental model requires minimal staff, drives unparalleled occupancy and is backed by 17+ years of salon studio expertise. Sola supports a growing community of more than 18,000 independent beauty professionals across more than 600 locations by providing a turnkey solution for beauty professionals to explore a better life as an entrepreneur. The model continues to grow increasingly in popularity, especially amid the pandemic as beauty professionals sought to go independent to offer their clientele more control over their salon experience, with over 2,000 new beauty professionals joining the Sola family in 2021 alone. Sola brings first-in-Canada market resources like their new BookNow engine, that allows customers to online book and customize their appointments with their independent hairdressers, nail technicians, estheticians, massage therapists, or other beauty professionals.

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Sola is driven by its desire to use real estate to help aspiring business owners achieve their dreams and is looking for franchisees who feel the same way. As part of its continued franchise growth strategy, Sola Salons will be targeting a number of markets across North America. Franchise opportunities in Canada include Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.

To learn more about franchise opportunities with Sola Salons, contact Lori Merrall, director of franchise development, at lori@solasalonstudios.com or visit Sola Canada franchise website for general information at www.solafranchising.ca .

ABOUT SOLA SALONS

In 2004, Sola Salons was established with the opening of its first location in Denver, Colorado. Now with more than 600 locations open in the U.S., Canada and Brazil, Sola is proud to offer 18,000+ independent beauty professionals the freedom and benefits of salon ownership without the risk and overhead of opening a traditional salon. Its innovative salon model empowers hairdressers, estheticians, nail techs, massage therapists and other like-minded professionals to take control of their lives and their careers. Sola provides beauty professionals with beautiful, fully equipped salon studios alongside the support and tools they need to launch their salon business in no time. For more information, please visit www.solasalons.ca .

Contact:

Christina Rodriguez

Fish Consulting

954-893-9150

crodriguez@fish-consulting.com

SOURCE Sola Salons
OTTAWA, ON, April 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Divorce is a reality for many Canadians, and ensuring that Canada's family justice system can effectively respond to the needs of families in these situations is critical. That is why the Government of Canada and the Province of Manitoba are taking steps to make Canada's family justice system more efficient and accessible.

Today, the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and the Honourable Rochelle Squires, Minister of Families, Accessibility and Francophone Affairs of Manitoba announced over $1.6 million in funding to support the Province of Manitoba towards the implementation of the official language rights provision of the Divorce Act that came into force in Manitoba on March 1, 2021.

This will ensure that families experiencing divorce have access to court proceedings in the official language of their choice. Funds will be used to enhance the availability of family justice services in both official languages to assist parties in coming to agreements where possible, and support hearings by increasing the French-language capacity of the courts. They will also contribute to Manitoba's new Family Law Modernization French Language Service Plan.

Changes to the Divorce Act that came into force on March 1, 2021, promote children's best interests, encourage out-of-court methods of dispute resolution, address family violence, reduce child poverty and make Canada's family justice system more affordable. They also provide a framework for using either English or French, or both, in divorce proceedings, and allow the parties to submit their legal documents in either official language, be heard by a judge who speaks their official language, request interpretation, and have access to forms in both official languages. The funding announced today will help Manitoba implement the new requirements that result from these important reforms to the Divorce Act.

The Government of Canada will continue to work with provincial and territorial partners to make Canada's family justice system fairer, more accessible, and more efficient.

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Quotes

"Divorce can be an incredibly challenging situation for families. It is magnified when they cannot access information or services in the official language of their choice. With this funding, the Government of Canadas acting on its commitment to improve access to justice for all Canadians by ensuring that the language needs of divorcing Manitobans are met. This will help them navigate this challenging time with greater ease and confidence."

The Honourable David Lametti, P.C., Q.C., M.P.

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

"Our government is committed to ensuring access to services in both official languages to support healthy relationships and reduce the negative impact of separation and divorce on families in Manitoba. This investment to expand French-language service delivery is an important step forward in expanding access to justice for Francophone families in our province."

The Honourable Rochelle Squires

Minister of Families, Minister responsible for Accessibility and Minister responsible for Francophone Affairs of Manitoba

"Our government has worked to encourage the resolution, where possible, of family matters out of court. New federal support puts an emphasis on ensuring official language rights for family law services, which is important as we continue to modernize family law services in a way that makes it accessible and less adversarial. The funding will further enhance access to justice for Francophone families involved in the family law system, ensuring official language rights provisions under the recently amended federal Divorce Act are met and out-of-court resolution services reflect the diversity of Manitoba families."

The Honourable Kelvin Goertzen

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Manitoba

Quick Facts

Nearly 10 per cent of Manitobans are French-language speakers.

Budget 2019 announced $21.65 million over five years (2020/21 to 2024/25) to support provinces and territories in the implementation of the official language rights provision included in amendments to the Divorce Act that came into force on March 1, 2021.

Bill C-78 amended three federal family laws: the Divorce Act, the Family Orders and Agreements Enforcement Assistance Act and the Garnishment, Attachment and Pension Diversion Act. Most of the amendments to the Divorce Act came into force on March 1, 2021, while changes to federal support enforcement laws that did not come into force on Royal Assent or in December 2020 will progressively come into force at different times over the next two years.

Associated Links

Stay Connected

Follow the Department of Justice Canada on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Follow Minister Lametti on Twitter: @MinJusticeEn.

Subscribe to receive our news releases and more via RSS feeds. For more information or to subscribe, visit http://justice.gc.ca/eng/news-nouv/rss.html

SOURCE Department of Justice Canada

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View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2022/25/c9293.html
Canada's leading ultra-low fare airline now serving Ottawa from Edmonton, with non-stop service to Halifax and Winnipeg starting in June

OTTAWA, ON, April 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Swoop, Canada's leading ultra-low-cost airline, celebrated its first inaugural flight between Edmonton International Airport (YEG) and Ottawa International Airport (YOW). Swoop flight WO 510 took off from Edmonton this morning at 10:50 a.m. MT and arrived at 4:30pm local time in Ottawa.

Swoop crew members Maricris Manalo , Captain Corey Howatt, Jeri Blair, First Officer Darius Duplessis, and Marilyn Beasley celebrate the inaugural service at Edmonton International Airport. (CNW Group/Swoop Inc.)

"Today's inaugural service to Ottawa marks the first of many new routes for Swoop this summer, and we're thrilled to be celebrating this non-stop connection between Edmonton, our Western Canada base, and Ottawa, our Nation's Capital" said Bert van der Stege, Head of Commercial and Finance, Swoop. "We're proud to be connecting more Canadian travellers to key destinations across the country with our ultra-affordable and convenient air travel options."

The inaugural service signals not only a continued commitment to service in Edmonton, but also brings new, ultra-affordable air travel options to residents of Ottawa. Later this summer, Swoop will add more ultra-low fare non-stop service from Ottawa to Halifax, Nova Scotia and Winnipeg, Manitoba.

"At a time when the demand for air travel is reaching unprecedented heights, we know these new routes will play an important role in helping Canadians reconnect with friends and family this summer and assist in the recovery of the tourism economy" continued van der Stege.

Today, at FlySwoop.com, travellers can find one-way flights starting from $59 all-in.

Route Start Date Peak Weekly Frequency One-way total price (CAD) Base Fare (CAD) Taxes & Fees (CAD) Ottawa to Edmonton April 25, 2022 5x weekly $59 $6.14 $52.86 Ottawa to Halifax June 19, 2022 Daily $59 $6.14 $52.86 Ottawa to Winnipeg June 19, 2022 4x weekly $59 $6.14 $52.86

For travel between May 1 and June 15, 2022 (Edmonton) and July 1 to August 31, 2022 (Halifax and Winnipeg) | Seasonal start and end dates apply and are indicated in the booking flow. | Fares are valid until May 5, 2022 (11:59 p.m. MT) or while seats last.

''As Mayor of Ottawa, I'm pleased by this new air service offering from Swoop, which will see a number of direct flights added from the nation's capital to key destinations across Canada. Swoop's services will increase options and affordability for leisure and business travellers, as the demand for new flights continues to grow at YOW.'' - Jim Watson, Mayor of Ottawa

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To learn more about Swoop and for flight schedules and bookings, please visit FlySwoop.com . For information on how Swoop is ensuring a safe and healthy travel experience visit FlySwoop.com/traveller-safety .

Additional Quotes

"Ottawa Tourism welcomes Swoop's direct service from Edmonton, as travel gains momentum and Canadians from coast to coast to coast seek to visit inspiring destinations like Ottawa," says Michael Crockatt, President, and CEO of Ottawa Tourism. "As Canada's capital, Ottawa tells the stories of Canada, and we look forward to welcoming travellers from Western Canada and beyond."

"Congratulations to Swoop Airlines for providing fliers with an affordable new option for travelling across our country and to our nation's capital," said Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. "As we return to travel and sightseeing, I encourage everyone to make Ontario a part of their travel plans  where they can experience and enjoy the many incredible ways Ontario offers the world in one province."

"We are delighted to welcome Swoop to Canada's Capital," said Joel Tkach, Vice President, Business Development and Marketing for the Ottawa International Airport Authority. "YOW's passengers are looking for the flexibility and choice Swoop offers, and our tourism partners are ready to showcase the exceptional experience Ottawa-Gatineau offers now that domestic travel recovery in Canada is in full swing."





"Non-stop service to our national capital is a priority and I want to thank Swoop for providing more options for passengers. Service to Ottawa is important for our business community but as summer approaches we look forward to tourism opportunities going in both directions and welcoming visitors to our region and Jasper."  Myron Keehn, Vice-President, Air Service and Business Development, Edmonton International Airport

About Swoop

Swoop is on a mission to make travel more affordable and accessible for all Canadians. Established in 2018 as an independent subsidiary of the WestJet Group of Companies, Swoop is Canada's ultra-not-expensive airline. Offering scheduled service to destinations in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean, Swoop's unbundled fares put travellers in control of purchasing only the products and services they desire.

Swoop's modern fleet of ten Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft will grow to 16 with the addition of six Boeing MAX-8 in 2022. At FlySwoop.com travellers can quickly and easily book flights, manage bookings, check-in, view boarding passes, track flights and access Wi-Fi service in-flight.

Swoop logo | FlySwoop.com (CNW Group/Swoop Inc.)

SOURCE Swoop Inc.

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FILE PHOTO: Amazon.com Inc workers react to the outcome of the vote to unionize, in Brooklyn

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc workers on Monday are set to vote on whether to unionize a second warehouse in the New York City borough of Staten Island as organizing efforts at the retailer gain steam.

Employees at the LDJ5 sortation center are weighing whether to join the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), a group led by current and former warehouse workers. Associates at a larger facility known as JFK8 recently voted to join the ALU and create Amazon's first organized workplace in the United States.

A second election win would underscore the ALU's potential to organize more facilities at Amazon, the second largest U.S. private employer and could help spur more organizing efforts at other companies across the country.

Amazon workers from more than 100 other U.S. worksites have expressed interest in unionizing, according to the labor group.

A loss would point to the tough road ahead. Amazon is contesting the JFK8 vote before the U.S. National Labor Relations Board, and the company has told workers that unions cannot guarantee better pay or benefits.

The company has said it wants workers' voices to be heard and claims that its opponents depressed turnout at JFK8. The ALU has dismissed the allegations.

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rallied workers Sunday in Staten Island ahead of the LDJ5 vote.

"What this whole struggle is about is whether we continue to have an economy in which billionaires get much richer while the middle class shrinks, or whether we have an economy that works for all," Sanders said.

Derrick Palmer, the unions vice president of organizing, said: "Now that we've won, Im just glad that everyones finally waking up and realizing the power that we have."

The public ballot count is expected to begin May 2.

(Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in Newark, New Jersey and Krystal Hu in New York; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
Now in its second year, the initiative celebrates three powerful gamechangers in the hospitality community taking positive action

LONDON, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

Winners of The Worlds 50 Best Restaurants 2022 Champions of Change awards (L-R); Dieuveil Malonga, Alissa Timoshkina & Olia Hercules, and Koh Seng Choon

Dieuveil Malonga  Chef of Meza Malonga in Kigali, Rwanda and founder of Chefs in Africa, on a mission to cultivate and nurture African culinary talent

Koh Seng Choon  Social entrepreneur and founder of Dignity Kitchen in Singapore and Hong Kong, Asia's first community food court managed by people with disabilities

Olia Hercules and Alissa Timoshkina  London-based founders of #CookForUkraine, a restaurants-powered fundraising initiative that also spreads knowledge about Ukrainian food culture

50 Best today announces its three Champions of Change 2022, heroes of hospitality who are creating a positive change for their communities through their work. An award launched last year to celebrate the industry's unsung heroes, in 2022 the accolade is given to two individuals and one pair who are driving meaningful action and creating blueprints for a better hospitality sector.

Champions of Change, part of the forthcoming The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022 programme, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, forms a key pillar in the organisation's ever-evolving '50 Best for Recovery' initiative. After the award was introduced in 2021 in response to the sector rebuilding and remodelling itself after a challenging 18 months, it continues this year to support the powerful work of individuals effecting positive change. 50 Best will make a substantial donation to each of the winners' causes, allowing the recipients to continue building their initiatives and supporting long-term progress in the restaurant and food sphere.

One of 2022's winners is Dieuveil Malonga, the 30-year-old chef of restaurant Meza Malonga in Kigali, Rwanda, which he opened in 2020. Malonga's mission is to "write a new story of gastronomy which has its roots in Africa and contribute to establish furthermore African cuisine as gourmet". Born in Congo, he moved to Germany aged 13, then later to Marseille. His quest to create a culinary bridge between African flavours and Western cuisine has seen him visit 38 of Africa's 54 states. Recognised as part of 50 Next 2021, he is also the founder of Chefs in Africa (created in 2016), an online platform that cultivates the talent and culinary passion found in Africa by helping cooks overcome barriers such as lack of training, employment and equipment, as well as discrimination. Chefs in Africa connects government institutions, training centres and businesses with professional chefs and young culinary students or apprentices from across the continent who are looking for work experience. It currently has over 4,000 African chefs as members.

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Meza Malonga currently trains 10 young chefs each year as part of its culinary training programme, including offering scholarships to aspiring cooks and providing English classes to support them in spreading their message to the world. Malonga is planning to move Meza Malonga from Kigali to a bigger site in Musanze, also in Rwanda, in 2023, where he is working with local farmers to grow sustainable crops and ingredients, while also expanding his culinary training programme to 15 young cooks per year. The Champions of Change donation will support this endeavour. The new home also aims to promote culinary tourism development in rural areas through cooking classes and gastronomic events.

Malonga comments: "Transmission is a key for a better future. I'm honoured to be named a Champion of Change and will continue to nurture the passion and talent of African chefs."

Koh Seng Choon, based between Hong Kong and Singapore, is the founder of Dignity Kitchen, Asia's first community food court managed by people with disabilities. After studying engineering and business administration in the UK, Seng Choon returned to Singapore to set up his own management consultancy firm. In 2010, at the age of 50, he gave up his successful career to focus on social entrepreneurship and opened the first Dignity Kitchen in Singapore, followed by a Hong Kong location in December 2019.

Dignity Kitchen acts as a school to train the disabled and the disadvantaged to be hawker stall operators. Having pivoted to community service during the pandemic, providing warm food to homeless shelters and nursing homes, as well as food vouchers to minority groups, it offers customers a system to 'pay it forward' to give meals to the needy. Dignity Kitchen is part of Project Dignity, which supports people with disabilities through several other initiatives created by Seng Choon, including Dignity Mama, a second-hand book shop managed by mothers and their challenged children, and Dignity Meal, a food security initiative for the disadvantaged, among others.

In his free time, Choon lectures on the subject of entrepreneurship to MBA students and assists ex-inmates and pre-release prisoners to realise their entrepreneurial ambition. During this pandemic, Seng Choon provides a thousand meal boxes for the poor and needy every day in Hong Kong and Singapore including thousands of cookies and muffins as 'Morale Boosters" to the frontliners like nurses and cleaners in hospitals. On his work, Seng Choon says: "A person with disabilities is just differently abled; look at their abilities, not disabilities."

London-based friends Olia Hercules and Alissa Timoshkina launched a food fundraising initiative for UNICEF called #CookForUkraine in response to the war in Ukraine, where Hercules was born. After leaving her hometown of Kakhova for university in the UK, she quit her job as a reporter after the 2008 financial crisis to pursue her dream to cook for a living, working at restaurants including Ottolenghi and as a recipe developer, before publishing her cookbook, Mamushka, celebrating her family recipes. Russian food writer, chef, cookery teacher and events curator Timoshkina moved to the UK to study film history and lectured about Russian and European cinema, before her passion for cooking led her to establish a cinema-supper club called KinoVino.

#CookForUkraine aims to increase awareness of the humanitarian crisis and raise money to help children and families displaced by the war, as well as providing a platform for Ukrainian families and their supporters to share recipes, along with the stories behind those dishes. Through the campaign, the duo is collaborating with London restaurants to host special dinners and sell specific menu items to raise funds, which are sent to UNICEF to provide on-the-ground support and emergency care to refugee families. Since its inception, the campaign has nearly 900,000 to date. Hercules and Timoshkina plan to continue to develop the #CookForUkraine campaign, currently working on a hospitality-focused workplace scheme for Ukrainian refugees, a cooking school staffed by Ukrainian cooks, and more.

The duo comments: "From the very start, Cook for Ukraine was a long term project for us. While we hope with all our hearts the war will end soon, our work in raising awareness about the beauty of Ukrainian food culture and in supporting those affected by the war will continue. And this wonderful award is a very important first step towards creating a new foundation."

William Drew, Director of Content for The World's 50 Best Restaurants, says: "After launching Champions of Change last year, we are thrilled to recognise the incredible work that Dieuveil, Koh Seng, and Olia and Alissa are doing for their communities. We have the utmost respect for the drive and passion they've shown for creating meaningful change and we're honoured to be able to support their brilliant work."

Champions of Change is one of several special awards which will be announced between now and July, as part of the lead-up to the event programme for The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022. These individuals have utilised challenges as a catalyst for positive action and long-term progress, whether they are helping others, improving the gastronomic sector or providing meaningful support during great hardship.

The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022 awards, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, will be hosted in London on Monday 18th July. An extensive event programme will culminate in this year's awards ceremony, to be held at Old Billingsgate market in the City of London.

For media centre registration access, please visit:

https://mediacentre.theworlds50best.com/

Follow 50 Best

About The World's 50 Best Restaurants

Since 2002, The World's 50 Best Restaurants has reflected the diversity of the world's culinary landscape. The annual list of the world's most prestigious restaurants provides a snapshot of some of the best destinations for unique culinary experiences, in addition to being a barometer for and a pioneer of global gastronomic trends. The 50 Best family also includes Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants, Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, Middle East & North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants, The World's 50 Best Bars, Asia's 50 Best Bars, North America's 50 Best Bars and the #50BestTalks and 50 Best Explores series, all of which are owned and run by William Reed. 50 Best aims to bring together communities across the hospitality sector to foster collaboration, inclusivity, diversity and discovery and help drive positive change.

About the main sponsor: S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna

S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna are the main partners of The World's 50 Best Restaurants and 50 Best for Recovery. S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna are the leading natural mineral waters in the fine dining world. Together they interpret Italian style worldwide as a synthesis of excellence, pleasure and well-being.

Other Partners:

Estrella Damm  Official Beer Partner; sponsor of the Estrella Damm Chefs' Choice Award

American Express Resy  Official Credit Card & Booking Platform Partner (Resy); sponsor of the American Express One To Watch Award

Gin Mare  Official Gin Partner; sponsor of the Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award

Flor de Cana  Official Rum Partner; sponsor of the Flor de Cana Sustainable Restaurant Award

Sosa  Official Ingredients Partner; sponsor of The World's Best Pastry Chef Award

Beronia  Official Wine Partner

Nude Glass  Official Glassware Partner; sponsor of The World's Best Female Chef Award

Nyetimber  Official Sparkling Wine Partner

Licor 43  Official Liqueur Partner; sponsor of the Licor 43 Icon Award

Villa Massa  Official Limoncello and Amaretto Partner; sponsor of the Villa Massa Highest Climber Award

Illycaffe  Official Coffee Partner

Cinco Jotas  Official Iberico Ham Partner

The London Essence Co.  Official Mixers Partner

Aspire Lifestyles  Official Concierge Partner; sponsor of the Highest New Entry Award

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1802050/Champions_of_Change_winners.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1802048/Champions_of_Change.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1802051/World_50_Best_2022_Logo.jpg

Champions of Change

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SOURCE 50 Best
By Vafa Ismayilova

Baku has described as unacceptable the attempts to politicize the so-called Armenian genocide.



The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry made the remarks on April 24 in reaction to a statement by U.S. President Joe Biden on the occasion of the anniversary of the events of 1915

"It is unfortunate that the statement by U.S. President Joe Biden on Armenian Remembrance Day, once again distorted the historical facts about the events of 1915. The attempts to misrepresent the events that happened a century ago and politicize the so-called 'Armenian genocide' are unacceptable," the ministry said.

It underlined that the U.S. president's statement is not in line with the negotiations aimed at the Turkish-Armenian normalization.

"The events of 1915 should be studied by historians, not politicians. The attempts to falsify history and its use for political pressure are unacceptable," the ministry said.

Last year, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Biden's recognition of the 1915 events as genocide was based on "political motives", adding that the U.S. president has neither the "legal nor moral authority to judge historical matters".

Turkey is against presenting the 1915 events as genocide, rather than calling them a tragedy in which both Turks and Armenians suffered casualties in the heat of World War I.
While those in the audience saw the vote as a victory for the Colonial Beach Volunteer Rescue Squadand the town itselfseveral Westmoreland County officials feared the future ramifications of their 32 decision to renew the squads license.

The Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors split decision came Friday night during a hastily called special meeting that attracted a standing-room only crowd of almost 200 people. Public comment was not allowed during the session, which was supposed to be a discussion between the supervisors and the rescue squads board of directors.

But the residents in attendanceincluding some who rode a school bus from Colonial Beach to Montrosscarried signs saying, SOS: Save Our Squad. They applauded several times during the 90-minute meeting when a speaker said it was Westmorelands responsibility to support the Colonial Beach volunteers and to keep the squad in place.

But doing so would be illegal, County Attorney Richard Stuart told the supervisors, because the rescue squad was not meeting state standards dictated in the Virginia code. It hadnt been responding to at least 90% of emergency calls within its primary service arearequiring paid units from other county stations or from nearby localitiesto fill the void.

After the supervisors voted to recertify the squads license despite Stuarts warning, the attorney reminded them they had just directed staff to do something that is illegal and I would advise you not to do that. But its up to you all what you do.

Board Chairman Darryl Fisher sensed the gravity of the decision. Being a Baptist preacher and pastor, I pray that this does not come back to haunt us because the law is not on our side.

Earlier in the meeting, Fisher said we sat here and said we know we cant answer the calls at Colonial Beach because of the dwindling manpower issuea problem in localities nationwide. But if the Westmoreland board renewed the squads license anyway, and somebody died as a result, the responsibility rests with the county.

I find the very folk that you try to help turn around and sue you and will win, Fisher said, based on information presented to the board.

The Colonial Beach matter already is complex, because its operated in a town thats part of a county and has people making decisions at two levels, on the Colonial Beach Town Council and the Westmoreland Board of Supervisors.

Supervisor Tim Trivette, whose district includes the beach, said the county had been recertifying the squads license every two years for almost a decade, even as volunteer numbers dropped. He wondered what was different about this years renewal.

Robin Schick, mayor of the Colonial Beach Town Council, pointed out a suspicion that had been circulated among squad supporters as the reason for the Board of Supervisors sudden change. In 2020, the General Assembly amended the state code to say that, if an emergency medical services agency is dissolved, any property it purchased with public funds shall be offered to a city or county.

The reason that code section was pertinent, Schick suggested, is because Stuartwho also represents the Northern Neck in the state senateintroduced the legislation. And while other sections of the code pertaining to the dissolution of EMS agencies mention the role of cities, counties and towns, the one addressing the agencys assets being used for the public good does not include the word town.

Nicholas Szobota, or Father Nick as hes called in Colonial Beach, is president of the volunteer rescue squad. He said the squad takes the countys concerns seriously and wants to continue providing emergency medical services.

But it would have been helpful for the squad leadership to have heard about those concerns earlier than April 15, Father Nick said. Thats when he said he learned the county was considering not signing the recertification form.

He and others sent out pleas in the days that followed, asking for people to come to the meeting and show their support.

Supervisor Trivett also noted the timing wasnt good.

Were here in the 11th hour, when theyre due to have an inspection on Monday and were telling them we know youre not gonna pass the inspection and were not gonna sign the license, Trivett said. We have failed them, I believe, by not discussing the matter earlier.

But County Administrator Norm Risavi said issues with dwindling numbers of fire and rescue volunteers goes back at least to 2003, and board members repeatedly have charged him to work with the groups to build up their ranks. He even lined up money for a grant to help beef up recruiting efforts, and each volunteer group was supposed to send a representative.

Only two people were at the meeting, Risavi said, he and Pat FitzGerald. Shes approaching her 46th year as a volunteer with the Colonial Beach rescue squad and her name was mentioned several times during Fridays discussion, always in reverent terms.

But as Risavi told her years ago, she cant run all the calls by herself and neither can rescue chiefs.

Nobodys criticizing any of the volunteers for what they did, its just the current state of things is hard, people have to work, Risavi said.

Years of meetings and discussions didnt yield any solutions to the ongoing problem. All the board members were getting complaints that the calls werent getting answered or it was 50 minutes before a squad arrive, Risavi said.

The countys two other volunteer rescue squadsstationed at Montross and Mount Hollyhave dissolved. Trivett said the situation is different at Colonial Beach; it has 24 volunteers who want to continue running calls, but just need help.

Supervisor Woody Hynson, whose district includes a portion of Colonial Beach rescue squads primary coverage area, voted against recertifying the license, along with Chairman Fisher.

Before the vote, Hynson asked those gathered to be honest with each other and acknowledge that the countys paid units had been picking up more calls for Colonial Beachand the volunteers had been answering fewer and fewer callsfor years.

I dont care when it started, we have to put a stop to it, he said. Weve gotta cure the problem.

He suggested groups stop pointing fingers at each other and sit down to come up with a plan. What that plan might be, he couldnt stayand neither could anyone else, except that it would have to include all the players.

After the vote, Bill Cease, Westmorelands interim director of emergency services, asked the Board of Supervisors if there was any guidance going forward.

How do we deal with it? Cease asked.

Chairman Fisher said the county administration will need to discuss the matter with the EMS department so that we can outline some type of plan to expediently bring this together.

Then, Fisher asked those in the audience to rally behind us when the lawsuit comesand then he adjourned the meeting.

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A North Carolina man who killed a fellow motorcycle club member during a gathering last year in Stafford County pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Monday.

George R. Batts Jr., 40, of Richlands, N.C., killed 47-year-old Ely P. Grimes on Jan. 17, 2021, outside an industrial park building on International Parkway in southern Stafford. Both men were members of the Tuckahoe Motorcycle Club and were attending a chili cookoff that weekend, court records show.

Grimes was shot multiple times in the torso and his arm, court records state, and suffered multiple internal injuries. Before he died, Grimes told witnesses that he didnt know why Batts shot him.

Batts was shot by deputies after he pointed a gun in their direction, according to the evidence. It turned out that the gun he was pointing was empty; he had unloaded it before deputies arrived.

As part of a plea agreement worked out by prosecutor Greg Holt and defense attorney Joe Flood, Batts will face a maximum active sentence of 17 years in prison when he is sentenced Oct. 11. Charges of malicious wounding and using a firearm in the commission of a felony were dropped.

Witnesses at a prior hearing said that Batts and Grimes were close friends who seemed to be getting along that weekend. Grimes wife, Tracy Grimes, said she saw Batts walking his dog that morning. Court records state that she took the dog back into the clubhouse, leaving her husband and Batts outside.

A short time later, several shots were heard. A club member told police he went outside and found Grimes on the ground. He said Grimes told him he and Batts were bull-----ing when Batts snapped and opened fire.

He said Batts was walking around saying just shoot me. Other witnesses described Batts as acting strangely and making odd comments.

Batts was shot after he failed to comply with deputies orders to drop his gun. Batts dropped to the ground as deputies and rescue workers tried to safely get to Grimes, court records state.

Court records state that Batts continued trying to get the gun, which had dropped to his side after he was shot. He was on all fours reaching for the gun when he was shot a second time.

Grimes was taken to a local hospital, where he died two days later. His injuries included damage to his ribcage, diaphragm, liver, right kidney, intestines and stomach.

Flood said at a previous hearing that Batts had no history of violence and that his actions that day were completely out of character.

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Another temperature swing is on the horizon for this week in Fredericksburg.

A backdoor cold front persisted across northern Virginia on Sunday. Thus, afternoon temperatures in and around Fredericksburg topped out in the mid-80s instead of closer to 90 degrees. The low clouds this Monday morning shown on the visible satellite image (see graphic)are a result of another cold air damming wedge that resides north and east of that cold front.

With the typically slow-moving retreat of Da Wedge the Fredericksburg area will probably experience a temperature gradient Monday afternoon. Southern Spotsylvania and Caroline counties will emerge from the wedge first, with local thermometer readings there boosting into the mid-80s again. Meanwhile, locales along and north of the Rappahannock River will take longer to see the warm April sunshine, likely keeping afternoon highs to the upper 70s.

Overnight another cold front will cross the Appalachian mountains, pushing through Fredericksburg during the early morning hours of Tuesday accompanied by light showers. That boundary will slow its eastward progress as a low pressure wrinkle forms along it. Precipitation will continue across the area throughout Tuesday afternoon, perhaps punctuated by a thunderstorm (nothing severe expected).

Winds will swap around out of the north behind this next cold front, and cooler air will filter into the region Tuesday. Temperatures will top out in the mid-70s during the early afternoon, dropping to the low 60s by the official sunset at 7:56 p.m. Local Fredericksburg rain gauges will register only a tenth to a quarter-inch of liquid from this system, enough to wash some pollen out of the lower atmosphere but not enough to ease the abnormally dry conditions around the area.

The latter half of the work week looks much cooler, with daily highs in the 60s and overnight lows dropping back down into the 30s. More on those details will be forthcoming in Wednesdays Weather Blog.
PLATTSMOUTH  A Murray resident will spend time in state prison after he led authorities on a high-speed chase while driving drunk.

Dean A. Cummings, 51, appeared in Cass County District Court on Monday morning for a sentencing hearing. He pled guilty in February to a Class IIIA felony charge of driving under the influence of alcohol-.15+-third offense. He also entered pleas to a Class IIIA felony charge of refusal to submit to a chemical test-third offense and a Class I misdemeanor of fleeing to avoid arrest.

Cass County Attorney Colin Palm told the court Cummings had committed multiple alcohol-related driving violations since his first DUI case in 1992. Courts in both Iowa and Nebraska also cited him for drunk-driving violations in 1993, 2001 and 2010. A judge in Kearney County sentenced him to probation in 2019 for refusing to submit to a chemical test.

Cass County prosecutors charged Cummings with a third-offense DUI in the current case because of a state statute known as the look-back window. State law prohibits prosecutors from using any DUI cases more than 15 years old for enhancement purposes.

Although the case here today is listed as a third offense due to the look-back window, its in actuality the fifth time hes been in front of a court for either DUI or refusal, Palm said.

Multiple drivers contacted emergency dispatchers shortly after 9 a.m. on April 24, 2021, after they saw Cummings driving erratically on U.S. Highway 34. A Cass County Sheriffs Office deputy spotted him driving a blue BMW on the shoulder of the highway.

The deputy got out of her vehicle after Cummings turned north and stopped his car on 226th St. As she began to walk toward the car to speak with him, he accelerated and drove back to Highway 34.

The deputy initiated a high-speed pursuit that went eastbound on Highway 34. The deputy reported she was traveling 80 miles per hour and the BMW was pulling away. Cummings passed several cars in a no-passing zone before striking the rear of a 2017 Lincoln MRX Reserve. The collision caused the Lincoln MRX to enter a ditch and strike a fence off the road. The BMW stopped in the south ditch just west of 250th St.

Palm said the collision caused $17,000 in damage to the Lincoln MRX. Fire and rescue crews from Eagle tended to both people in the car, but Palm said neither person required hospitalization due to the incident.

Fire and rescue personnel treated and released Cummings at the scene. A preliminary breath test revealed a blood-alcohol content level of .160. Cummings refused to take a chemical breath test at Cass County Jail as required by law. He spent 11 days in jail before posting a bond of $250,000, 10 percent.

Palm asked the court to sentence Cummings to prison on all three charges. He asked for a term of three years on each of the felony counts and one year on the flight to avoid arrest charge. He felt Cummings would put many people in danger if he remained free on probation.

The defendant is an extreme risk to society, especially anybody in the motoring public, Palm said. Before now, one could say he was a theoretical risk to the public. Hes not a theoretical risk anymore. He actively struck another vehicle in this case.

Defense attorney Julie Bear asked the court to either give Cummings probation or a smaller jail sentence. She said he spent multiple months in alcohol treatment centers both in Nebraska and Arizona after the incident. He is currently attending three to five Alcoholics Anonymous sessions each week.

Id ask the court to give him an opportunity to really achieve long-term sobriety, Bear said.

Judge Michael Smith said he had reviewed the case and felt a statutory sentence was warranted. He ordered Cummings to serve two years in the Nebraska Department of Corrections on each of the felony counts and six months on the misdemeanor charge. Cummings will serve all three charges at the same time.

Smith ordered Cummings to spend 18 months on post-release supervision after he completes his prison sentence. He will also have his drivers license revoked for the next 15 years. He will be eligible to apply for an ignition interlock permit for his vehicle.

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Ukraines foreign minister is urging U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres to press Russia for an evacuation of the besieged port of Mariupol when he visits Moscow on Tuesday
By Azernews





By Sabina Mammadli

Every Azerbaijani knows, either through personal experience or through the stories of loved ones, how cruel and inhumane Armenian crimes can be. History has taught us about numerous bloody massacres, genocides and crimes against humanity. For decades Armenia has deliberately targeted peaceful civilians and civilian infrastructure in Azerbaijan, forcefully displacing thousands of people.

The Khojaly genocide committed by Armenian troops during the first Karabakh war in the early 1990s was one of the darkest chapters in our history. At least 613 people were killed as a result of the massacre. This heinous crime was preceded by a series of others. Armenia used the same terror tactics it used in 1992, deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure in Azerbaijani cities such as Ganja, Barda, and Tartar, which were located far from the conflict zone.

All these acts were committed by the Armenian military with extreme ruthlessness and inconceivable barbarism.

Armenia committed war crimes and brutal aggression during the second Karabakh war in 2020.

Despite the proven facts, Armenia has never been brought to justice or admitted to any of its heinous crimes. As a result, hearing an ethnic Armenian speak out about the atrocities committed during the First Karabakh War comes as a breath of fresh air.

Los Angeles-based Armenian artist Kardash Onnig spent six months in Shusha in 2001 when the Azerbaijani city was under Armenias barbaric occupation. He wrote a book titled "Savage Chic: A Fool's Chronicle of the Caucasus", talking about the brutalities he witnessed upon his visit and the terrifying stories he was told by the so-called heroes.

Since then the book has been translated into Russian by an Armenian-Jewish blogger, Albert Isakov. On his Youtube channel, Isakov said that the significance of this book lies in the fact that the author does not hide his negative attitude towards the facts that he encountered in Karabakh; that he is not afraid, like many, to speak the truth; that in this way he earned himself many enemies and became not allowed to enter Armenia after the publication of this diary. The book is full of these creepy stories.

He probably knew what he was getting into. The fact that his opinion differs from the opinion of many in this society, infected with hatred, fanaticism, and xenophobia. You can agree with this opinion or not. It is peculiar, often incomprehensible. The book is written concisely, capaciously, with undisguised irony. It is necessary to read it, first of all, between the lines, Isakov said in his Youtube video.

He also noted that the artist had purposefully changed his surname to Kardash, which means brother in Turkish.

In an interview with Isakov, Kardash shared that during the meetings with diaspora members, he would hear them tell each other stories about murders of Azerbaijanis while drinking.

"I met many militants in Shusha, and my driver and bodyguard were from that city. My driver said that he had killed 80 Azerbaijanis and crushed their heads with stones. His son asked his father to tell him how he crushed Azerbaijanis. He talked about the atrocities he committed while eating kebabs," the artist said.

Kardash said that Armenian children were brought up with stories dedicated to the murder of Turks.

He noted that Armenians have built staircases to their houses using slabs from desecrated and destroyed Azerbaijani graves in Karabakh during the occupation. A staircase, made of around 40-50 human gravestones.

While visiting a monastery, the artist overheard a guard say proudly that he would be honored to shake hands with the hero who blew up a bus full of Azerbaijanis and schoolchildren right in front of the monastery.

All of these revolting stories allow a new look at the situation from the inside of the Armenian community of the times. Their hatred and violence were so nonchalant, that they would tell these ugly stories without a second thought, during a family dinner.

It is worth noting that U.S. State Department has recognized the facts of the destruction of dozens of Azerbaijani cemeteries in Fuzuli, Aghdam, Zangilan, Kalbajar and Jabrayil regions by Armenian separatists.

The report was published in the annual report "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Armenia".

The facts of the destroyed Azerbaijani cemeteries are confirmed by thousands of photographs taken by foreign photojournalists, the document stressed.

It noted that the Azerbaijani graves were desecrated by Armenian separatists. In some cases, evidence of looting these graves was found, including traces of their destruction by construction equipment.

"Foreign observers visiting Aghdam photographed empty graves excavated at the cemetery. The pictures show a broken tombstone, some mutilated portraits on other tombstones, gravestones broken with hammers or other similar objects," the report stated.

The document added that the graves were dug up in search of gold teeth, and the remains were scattered throughout the cemeteries.

Along with this, the report emphasized that Armenian cemeteries remained untouched.
Nearly half of the jurors who sentenced a Texas woman to die for the 2007 death of one of her 14 children called for her execution to be halted and for her to get a new trial before the states top criminal court delayed her lethal injection
A gunman shot a male in the back seat of a car in Colorado Springs Monday morning, police said.

Officers responded to the shooting near the intersection of South Murray Boulevard and Airport Road around 10 a.m., police said. Emergency responders transported the victim to a hospital after officers performed "life-saving efforts," law enforcement said.

Police described the gunman as an adult male with a bowl cut, black backpack last seen running south on South Murray Boulevard, officer said.
SUPERIOR  Award-winning actor Kelly Watt rose to prominence in the local theater community in 2009 playing a young woman named Luisa in The Fantasticks.

Whenever the character wears a mask, she sees a carefree world free of violence and ugliness. Whenever she takes it down, she sees the world as it really is: capricious, volatile  and capable of taking everything away in a matter of minutes.

Its been nearly four months since a rapidly spreading winter wildfire, fueled by unusually dry grasslands and 100 mph winds, destroyed 1,084 homes in Boulder County, making it the most destructive fire in Colorado history.

One was a modest, one-level ranch house in Original Town Superior. It had four bedrooms, a porch swing and a newly built basement that served as a music studio for Kellys husband, Phil Rosenberg-Watt. Hes the kind of software genius who knows how to make magical computer cards that he loaded up with his 2-year-old sons favorite songs using a radio-frequency chip. Queen, Hamilton, Putumayo and more  all at Alexanders baby fingertips like you might use as an elevator access card. All gone, along with all his dads synthesizer, upright Young Chang piano, amplifier and sheet music dating back decades.

On some days, Kelly Watt sees life like Luisa. When she feels enormously grateful for both the big and little things  like that Alexanders filthy $20 plastic turtle sandbox from Target somehow didnt burn up just outside where the front door once stood. And that, in her frantic 40 minutes of packing back on Dec. 30, she made the split-second decision to save the 14-year-old family dogs collar and ashes just a few months after Annie died of natural causes.

In some ways its kind of liberating, because now I dont have any of the things I used to have, Watt says. Now we are starting from scratch, and thats both an amazing opportunity and a valuable lesson in impermanence.

But on other days, she sees life without the mask. When she sees her grandmas sewing machine melted into the charred remains of the front yard, along with bicycles, a garage and the electric Nissan Leaf left inside. Somewhere in those sacred, toxic ashes are whats left of the antique, toddler-sized wooden rocking chair that had been built for Alexanders great-great-grandfather back in 1903. The original architectural drawings of the house. The kilt that Phil wore in a high-school production of Brigadoon. The play kitchen the parents had given Alexander for Christmas just five days before the fire.

Those are the days when it really sinks in that it will be at least two years before the Rosenberg-Watts will be settling into a newly rebuilt home that will forever not be what, before Dec. 30, had been their forever home. Home, Kelly says, isnt home anymore, of course.

What I already hate is that our lives are now always going to be defined by before and after the fire, and that is always going to be both incredibly heartbreaking and catastrophic for me, she said. The fire will always be the main event in my lifetime. The one that cleaves my life, more so even than before and after meeting Phil.

On the other hand

Not to be contrary, but a masked Luisa might actually say the whole meeting-Phil story might give the fire story a run for its money.

It ends poignantly: Even after kindly volunteers had meticulously sifted through all of the remains of the house, Rosenberg-Watts wedding ring had not yet been found. But he had a pretty good idea where it might be, so he donned a hazmat suit, went back in and dug it out. Its worse for the wear, but Rosenberg-Watt has decided not to polish the ring back to its original condition. You cant read the engraving anymore, but the only two people who need to know what it says know what it says: Grow Old With Me. Thats a lyric from a Jason Robert Brown song that Rosenberg-Watt sang to his wife at their 2013 wedding reception, backed by an 18-piece band at the Englewood Civic Center.

Thats also where this story begins back in 2008. Thats when these two rising actors were cast to play Sally and Schroeder in the musical Youre a Good Man, Charlie Brown at the very same Englewood Civic Center. They were married there five years to the day after the play closed.

Speaking of symbiotic dates, their son, Alexander, was born on Aug. 2, 2019  also Phils birthday. And one month to the day after the fire unalterably recalibrated their lives, Watt turned 40. It was a bittersweet January day made better by one of Phils sentimental gifts: A birthday message and song from the very same Jason Robert Brown who penned musicals the couple love like The Bridges of Madison County and The Last Five Years. Brown told Kelly through the Cameo celebrity video-greeting service, I understand that the last few months have been a total (bleep) show.

Back to the beginning

Kelly Watt grew up in a tiny country village 225 miles south of Chicago. Seriously tiny: The population of Muncie, Ill., is just 132. So her decision to attend the University of Colorado in Boulder had a major impact on the towns census data. One of the treasures she brought with her to Boulder was a big, framed, irreplaceable photo of a sunset she had snapped at age 14 or 15 on her parents property back in Illinois, before they got divorced. As the fire approached on Dec. 30, Kelly took that frame down from the wall, but couldnt carry it to the car in those ferocious winds.

Phil Rosenberg-Watt was an all-in theater kid at Bear Creek High School. For 20 years, hes kept a plastic bin thats packed with specialty shirts his drama club made for every musical they staged, like George M and Guys and Dolls.

Phil went on to get a masters degree in software engineering at Regis University and is now a senior software engineer at CableLabs in Superior. Kelly has been senior director of admissions at nearby Naropa University since 2017. Like most Colorado theater actors, the couple have found a way to work their performing passions around full-time careers.

As Kellys stage career bloomed, Phil gravitated toward musical direction  thats the member of the creative team who teaches actors the songs in a musical. He was the musical director when Kelly played Luisa in The Fantasticks at the now-closed Victorian Playhouse and earned both Denver Post Ovation Award and Colorado Theatre Guild Henry Award nominations for an impeccable performance that perfectly captured the playful sexuality, tension and heartbreak of a young girl coming of age. Subsequent signature roles have included playing Marian in Performance Nows 2011 The Music Man and Shelby in Vintage Theatres 2015 The Spitfire Grill.

Even seven years later, Watt still meets up every few months with castmates Megan Van De Hey and Annie Oberbroeckling. Both have spearheaded efforts to put relief funds into the Rosenberg-Watt family coffers. Van De Hey recently performed a cabaret at the Littleton Town Hall Arts Center to call attention to a Gofundme campaign. Its what show people do, she said.

Kelly Watt is the epitome of a giver, said Van De Hey, currently performing in Kinky Boots at the Arvada Center. Everything she does is about cultivating culture, community and togetherness. So when she lost everything, helping her in return was just a no-brainer.

If the fire never happened, Performance Nows just completed staging of the musical 1776 would have marked the couples first time working together on a show since Alexander was born. Kelly was cast to play Abigail Adams and Phil was set to be the music director for the show. To do that show, together, Kelly says now, would have been really special.

Instead, the show went on without them, but not entirely. Producer Ken Goodwin recently cut the family a $1,000 check on behalf of the Performance Now cast, crew and board of directors.

Once you are family, you are family for life, Goodwin said. Phil and Kelly are part of our family.

Old Town, new home

When people think of Superior, many surely think of the many sprawling housing subdivisions and shopping opportunities that surround the town 8 miles south of Boulder off U.S. 36. But Original Town was made up of about 100 funky little homes built in the 1900s over about an eight-block radius just west of McCaslin Boulevard. Past tense because  its all gone.

Kelly and Phil moved from Westminster into their O.T. home in 2015. The house on Lot 103 was a neighborhood anomaly because it was only eight years old. The location was perfect  it was close to Phils job, and Kelly could both bike to work and walk across the street to Target. They lived right across the street from the Superior Historical Museum, there were four parks within walking distance and, best of all  there was no homeowners association. You could pass a $1 million home and a mobile home walking along the same block. For some reason, Phil loved that none of the homes had sidewalks. He thought it gave O.T. its character.

After Alexander was born, Kelly soon knew pretty much everything about everyone in the neighborhood, because thats when she started going on three walks a day and meeting everyone in the path of her stroller.

If someone in our neighborhood bought a new pair of shoes, I knew about it, she says with a laugh.

Its still surreal for the couple to recount the events of that last Thursday in 2021. At 10 a.m., Kelly was having brunch with friends in Boulder. Phil was working from home in the basement when he first smelled the smoke.

I turned on the scanner to listen to the fire department and then started messaging colleagues, he said. When he arrived as always to pick up Alexander from his day care in Louisville at noon, the talk about the fire was still mostly speculative. But I told someone at the school, You guys really want to start thinking about how you are going to get these kids out of here, Phil said. Later on, she told me that push saved their butts, because they loaded all of the kids onto buses and got them out safely.

But getting back to the house was difficult, because police were already directing traffic away from the fire area. When Phil finally made it home, he told his young son, Lets start packing. Were going on a trip. While listening in on a ham radio, Phil heard fire officials say the flames were spreading so fast, they had no choice but to let the fire run its course. Kelly, meanwhile, was still working her way back to the house, driving through raining ash and thinking that it was time for Alexanders nap.

When she got home, the three quickly packed for what they wanted to believe would simply be an overnight stay at Phils mothers house in Sedalia. But deep down, Phil knew: maybe not. Although they never did receive a call to evacuate, it was time to go. The last thing Kelly grabbed were Phils and Kellys favorite stuffed animals from their childhoods, which they kept together in the closet.

My advice to anyone who ever finds themselves in a position like this is to pack like you are never coming back, Kelly said. Always.

Kelly and Alexander left in the family truck, though it would take hours for them to get anywhere. Phil stayed behind and packed a few final things until he was nearly overcome by a lack of oxygen in the air. When he saw the neighbors house on fire, he dashed to the basement, grabbed the data server that stored all of his familys critical documents, photos and videos, and left. As he drove away, he could see his park, the museum across the street and the Element Hotel engulfed in flames. He got off on Wadsworth Boulevard and pulled into the Ball Aerospace corporate headquarters and used the ham radio to call Kelly, who was still stuck in traffic.

He then took a call on his cell from a neighbors son who pleaded with Phil to go back and save their three dogs. Three dogs that, to be honest, I wasnt a fan of because they were barking all the time, said Phil, who didnt even know their names. This was the house with the fence that Phil already had seen was on fire. Phil drove back into what was now a ghost town, stepped over that burning fence, kicked in the front door, grabbed the two dogs he could see and carried them back to his car.

By now all the smoke detectors are going off, and burning embers are flying in from the outside so I had to leave, said Phil, who only found out later that another neighbor had already grabbed the third dog. He then delivered them to an agreed meeting spot in Lafayette and headed back toward Sedalia, where he reunited with Kelly, covered in ash and smoke.

Alexander? He slept the whole way, Kelly said.

After a horrible night of non-sleep, the couple just had to know if their house was still standing. I couldnt deal with not knowing, Kelly said. So that morning, they drove back into what looked like a war zone and were chased away by a sheriffs deputy in less than a minute. But that was long enough to know. When everything you know is suddenly gone, you can see a lot further than you ever could before, said Kelly. We could see that our neighborhood was gone long before we actually arrived at the house.

Kelly cant describe what it felt like to stand on her street corner and see her life reduced to rubble. Your brain protects you from the really bad (bleep) that you dont want to remember, she said. She does recall being driven away by Phil and starting to sob in a way she never had before. I have had loss and grief but never to that scale, she said. It came from somewhere, and it just kept coming.

Phil, searching for a bathroom, randomly pulled into the Walmart in Englewood that stands just a few hundred feet from where he and Kelly met and were married. Only now, I am uncontrollably cry-walking and Im realizing that no one around us can possibly know what is happening, Kelly said. But it was a very public display of ugly.

Long road to recovery

The family stayed in three temporary homes in the weeks following the fire before being set up in a fully furnished rental house in Louisville. Its a mixed blessing, given that staying there is no guarantee while their house is eventually rebuilt.

Kelly and Phil now find themselves overwhelmed by generosity, grief and guilt. People leave bags of toys by the front door on a regular basis. They make monetary donations. They leave gift cards, Phil said. It was suggested they start an Amazon wish list that gets filled as fast as the couple can add items.

People ask what the family needs now, but the better question is what the family is going to need two years from now. Right now, a coffee date would be nice. An understanding ear. Play time with their son. But what Kelly says she would love more than anything else: For Phil and me to get to do a show together, when the time is right.

And if that happens to be a musical written by Jason Robert Brown, all the better. Kelly has one of his lyrics permanently affixed to her Facebook page. Its from the song Nothing in Common:

When people think Im failing, they never understand. The temporary setbacks are part of what I planned.

The couple havent been told definitively what to expect from the nearly $40 million that has been raised to help the wildfire victims rebuild their homes. Every family was quickly issued an initial $3,000 check from Community Foundation Boulder County. More meaningful to the family have been gestures from strangers, like the couple from South Carolina who donated $500.

Kelly struggles knowing that her misfortune is an emotional burden for friends and family. I realized right away that it is really hard for people to come and visit us, because we are really a wreck, and being around us right now no doubt makes them feel sad, she said. This whole thing makes them question their own mortality.

She also struggles with reconciling the blessings that come from a high-profile tragedy like the Marshall fire does not extend to others who are experiencing a more mundane, systemic form of everyday homelessness.

Really early on after the fire, I drove up to a stoplight and saw a homeless person like you see on a corner all the time, she said. I thought, That person doesnt have a home. And I dont have a home. But that person is way worse off than me in so many ways, but they are not getting the help that we are getting. Listen, we need help right now. We do. But in some ways its hard to accept help because there are always people who are worse off. We both have steady jobs. And we were both able to take time off from those jobs to try to figure out life. Thats not true for everybody.

Were not lucky that our house burned down, but we are lucky that it was in the most destructive fire in Colorado history because everyone is paying attention.

The fire has been a trauma that the Rosenberg-Watts and hundreds of other families will be processing for years. Its taught Phil, a self-described cynic, to accept that things can always get worse. From my experience, he said, they always do.

And its forced Kelly see the world without the mask.

My takeaway is that this could happen to you, she said. There is no getting back what you had. Theres not.

But then, a bit of Luisa comes back. Watt remembers the piano and the synthesizer that her husband lost in the fire, but also remembers what did survive: the cake-toppers from their wedding in 2013. The one of Schroeders plastic piano representing the love that brought the couple together in the first place.

And whenever the mask starts to slip, theres always Alexander.

There is nothing like having a small child to force you to be both in the moment and OK with whatever is happening, she said.

John Moore is The Denver Gazettes Senior Arts Journalist. Reach him at john.moore@denvergazette.com
Jerd Smith is editor of Fresh Water News; 720-398-6474; jerd@wateredco.org or @jerd_smith.

Fresh Water News is an independent, nonpartisan news initiative of Water Education Colorado. WEco is funded by multiple donors. Our editorial policy and donor list can be viewed at wateredco.org.
By Azernews





Political analyst Tofig Abbasov has described the 5th Congress of World Azerbaijanis, held in Shusha on April 22-23, as a new milestone in the formation of Azerbaijani identity.

He emphasized the symbolic significance of the congress in his article published in Day.Az, describing it as a modest approach that emphasizes the magnitude of Azerbaijan's victory over Armenia in a 44-day war in 2020.

According to the author, each nation and community have its own set of symbols that are sacred and untouchable. Symbols unite, unify, and ethically bind people, and gravitational centers form around them.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's decision to hold the 5th Congress of World Azerbaijanis in Shusha, Azerbaijan's cultural center, is significant in this regard, Abbasov said.

President Aliyev stated at the previous congress in 2016 that Azerbaijan will liberate its territories from Armenian occupation, despite some skepticism in some circles about this statement.

Azerbaijan, on the other hand, was preparing to liberate its internationally recognized territories. There was an increase in military and economic potential, as well as moral preparation and reorganization of the nation's capabilities.

When the time came, Azerbaijan launched a counter-offensive, clearing its territory of Armenian terrorist groups. When nations are able to prove their identity on the battlefield, they grow spiritually and morally. For a long time, Azerbaijanis had to put up with Armenian arrogance and presumption, eventually kicking Armenian radicalism, misanthropy, and obscurantism in the teeth.

So the Shusha congress fits very organically into the context of the victory Azerbaijan gained in the 44-day war.

"We did not declare war on Armenia, nor did we seize its territory. And the fact that global Armenians, with the help of their intercessors, took up arms against us in an attempt to corner and trap us was the result of ignorance and arrogance. Many Caucasians had no idea who was causing trouble, and those who did claimed that everything had changed. Consider our northern neighbors, a group of Russian journalists who convinced us that Armenians had lived in Karabakh for thousands of years," the author emphasized.

President Ilham Aliyev, speaking at the opening of the Shusha congress, specifically referred to the Kurakchay Treaty of 1805, an official document, and recalled that the name of Panahali Khan is listed under the contract, and there is not a single point that speaks about Armenians. During those years, there was no trace of them.

Before and after the Russian-Persian war, Armenians began to migrate to Azerbaijani territory. According to the Russian historian Shavrin, more than a million Armenians in the Caucasus were displaced by the empire after the Russo-Persian war and partly by the Ottoman Empire in 1910.

The Victory Congress is significant for Azerbaijanis because it marks a new turning point in the history of Azerbaijani identity. Azerbaijanis, both inside and outside the country, are brothers and sisters who are always thinking of their motherland. They aren't indifferent to what's going on in their birthplace, how it lives, and where it stands.

"As representatives of the victorious nation, we now have a different task to complete. At the same time, I want to emphasize that we should not base our actions, plans, and priorities in the country or around the world on the Armenian factor. The Armenian factor will gradually fade into the background of our victories. It's already in their path. We surpassed it with our victory, our noble ideals, and our justice," the author emphasized.

Azerbaijan is home to people of many ethnicities, including thousands of Armenians, yet there is not a single Azerbaijani in Armenia. This is a moral portrait of two peoples, two identities.

Azerbaijans image is healthy, and meaningful, in contrast to Armenian Nazism, which cleansed Armenia (almost 90 percent of which consists of historical Azerbaijani territories) of all non-Christians and other identities. Today it is a mono-ethnic country that considers itself great and civilized; however, the facts say otherwise.

The Shusha Congress is of historical importance. Azerbaijan is indeed entering a new phase of its national development and the nation's intellectual potential should be the key to addressing all challenges. Now other historical obligations also lie ahead of the Azerbaijani people, such as the restoration of Karabakh and the return to the liberated lands.

All this is a matter of our intellect, our moral and volitional qualities. I think this congress will give a very big impulse of confidence to every Azerbaijani, regardless of which country in the world they live in. And most importantly, I repeat, we should not measure our actions with the Armenian factor, the expert highlighted.

Today Azerbaijan is successfully integrating into the world but integration into the international community is a process that has a beginning but no end. Azerbaijani people should not be satisfied with what has already been done but should increase their successes and dividends. The dividends are followed by a new wave of confidence, a margin of safety is being created for the national security, the harmonious development, and the successful implementation of tasks related to human capital.

There are many other problems in the world that need to be addressed and some of them become a burden for Azerbaijani people as well. It is necessary to correctly respond to new trends and to all transformations, in order to always be ahead of events, and not just catch up with them, Abbasov emphasized.

Our great Victory has shown that we are able to set ourselves great tasks and solve them, overcoming very difficult obstacles. This is the essence of national identity. We are able to ask ourselves very important questions - who we are, where we are going and what should be our priorities for the future, the author added.
The state leads the country in property crime rate increase between 2011 and 2020.
By Trend

Iran will host a trilateral meeting with the participation of Azerbaijani and Turkish representatives, Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a press conference, Trend reports citing the ministry.

The spokesman noted that work is underway in this regard.

Khatibzadeh added that over the past 10 months, many joint projects have been identified between Iran and Azerbaijan, and various visits have been held in this regard.

The official also said that Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs Mehdi Safari will also pay a visit to Azerbaijan in this direction on April 25. These visits are carried out not only by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, but also by other ministries.
Sukup Manufacturing Co. is marking its four-year anniversary partnered with MercyOne North Iowa.

In 2018, the Sheffield-based company paired up with the health care conglomerate to open an on-site clinic for Sukup employees, according to a press release.

Since its inception the Sukup-MercyOne clinic has expanded hours and staffing at the facility. To date, there have been over 650 provider visits and over 1,500 nurse visits a year, the press release said.

The clinic available to the Sukup employee base Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by Kansas to revive a law, earlier struck down by lower courts, that banned secret filming at slaughterhouses and other livestock facilities.

The justices did not comment in leaving in place a ruling by a federal appeals court panel that the so-called ag-gag law violated the First Amendment by stifling speech critical of animal agriculture.

A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a split decision ruled that even if deception is used to enter private property, Kansas may not discriminate based on whether the person intends to harm or help the enterprise.

The appellate ruling upheld a permanent injunction issued by a federal judge in 2020.

The Kansas law made it a crime for anyone to take a picture or video at an animal facility without the owner's consent or to enter the facility under false pretenses.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Center for Food Safety were among the groups that challenged the ban.

Federal appeals courts considering similar laws in Iowa and Idaho had split over the issue, raising Kansas' hope that the high court would step in.

In January 2019, a federal judge stuck down as unconstitutional Iowas original ag-gag law, which was passed in 2012 with bipartisan support.

Responding quickly, the Legislature approved and Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the revised measure in March of that year.

But the revision, too, was struck down by a district court judge in March of this year.

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By Azernews





The liberation of Azerbaijan's lands from occupation facilitates cooperation with all partners, presidential aide Maharram Aliyev has said, according to Trend.

He made the remarks at a round table dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Azerbaijani-Tajik diplomatic relations.

Armenia's 30-year occupation of Azerbaijani territory hampered security and cooperation in the South Caucasus. During the second Karabakh war, the liberation of Azerbaijan's lands from occupation created favorable conditions not only for regional cooperation but also for the development of interaction with all partners, Maharram Aliyev said.

He lauded Azerbaijan's developing comprehensive ties with Tajikistan.

"Our positions also coincide on regional issues. Both countries support each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty. Today, relations between Azerbaijan and Tajikistan are developing comprehensively. Sincere relations between the leaders of the two countries make a positive contribution to the development of interstate ties," he stressed.

Aliyev underlined that the bilateral relations between the nations constantly developed based on mutual respect and trust since the very beginning of their independence. The two countries successfully cooperate within the international organizations as well, he added.

Furthermore, Aliyev underlined that the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia for 30 years was the main obstacle to security and cooperation in the South Caucasus region.

In turn, Tajik ambassador to Azerbaijan Rustam Soli stated that Azerbaijan-Tajik ties have deep roots and the relations are based on mutual trust.

"The people of Azerbaijan and Tajikistan have common cultural values. Relations between our countries have deep historical and cultural roots. There is deep trust between Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. The close relations between the leaders of the two countries make an important contribution to the development of interstate ties, the ambassador stressed

He noted that working groups are being established to develop the interstate structures between Azerbaijan and Tajikistan.

"One such working group has already been established. Work is underway to create other working groups. We believe that relations between the two countries will continue to develop," Soli said.

Azerbaijan and Tajikistan fruitfully cooperate in the fight against international terrorism, the ambassador stressed.

He added that work is underway to open direct flights between Baku and Dushanbe.

According to the diplomat, new opportunities are being studied to increase trade between the countries.

"There is great potential for increasing trade between the two countries. I think that the opening of a direct flight will also increase trade," Soli added.

Tajikistan and Azerbaijan established diplomatic ties on May 29, 1992. The Azerbaijan embassy in Tajikistan has been operational since September 22, 2007, while the embassy of Tajikistan in Azerbaijan has been functioning since March 23, 2008.

It should be noted that the Azerbaijani-Tajik trade turnover amounted to $7.5 million in 2021. In addition, the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $623,400.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares is not against criminal justice reform. But there is one element that is frequently overlooked in news stories on that topic, he said.

I think there is one word that oftentimes you dont hear discussed in the media when youre looking at criminal-justice reform, and that word is victims, Miyares told a small crowd of local law-enforcement officers, victim-advocate groups and state and local officials Monday morning.

Miyares, along with officials and relatives of crime victims, spoke in front of the James F. Ingram Justice Center on Patton Street as part of National Crime Victims Rights Week observed April 24-30.

This years theme is Rights, Access, Equity for All Victims, and it relates to helping crime victims find justice by enforcing victims rights, expanding access to service and ensuring equity for all.

The Danville Commonwealths Attorney Office, Pittsylvania County Commonwealths Attorney Office, Danville Police Department and the Pittsylvania County Sheriffs Office participated.

During his speech, Miyares gave an example of the ways crimes can affect victims, recalling an incident involving an 8-year-old girl traumatized after an intruder ransacked her home and bedroom.

For the first time in her life, she went from being a happy, carefree young girl to always looking over her shoulder, Miyares said. Shed wake up every two hours in the middle of the night and ask her parents to check every single door and every single window in the house to make sure that the bad man wasnt there. And she literally at age 8 had to go to counseling.

When talking about crime or criminal justice reform, the impact on victims must not be forgotten, he said.

We always have to be mindful for the victims and what their healing process looks like, Miyares said.

Part of the healing process for victims of crime begins with the criminal justice system, he said, thanking victim rights advocates and victim witness coordinators for their work.

It is one of the most difficult jobs that we have today, is dealing with the victims of violent crime because it is an emotional roller coaster, he said. Youre dealing with individuals that sometimes theyve seen the face of hell, and by your love and your compassion, youre showing them a small glimpse of heaven.

The country has been through a lot of trauma the last two years, he said. A different kind of crime is taking too many lives now, and thats fentanyl, Miyares said.

Fentanyl overdoses have killed 105,000 people in the last year in the U.S., he pointed out.

Thats the equivalent of two Vietnam Wars in 12 months, Miyares said, adding the U.S. lost more than 50,000 men and women in Vietnam over 15 years during that conflict. Were losing twice that in just 12 months.

Those who have lost loved ones to overdoses are just as much a victim as someone whos lost a loved one to an assault, he said.

As for law-enforcement officers, they carry a heavy burden with them, he said. Its not a normal 9-to-5 job.

All crime victims, regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation, their background, all deserve to be treated with the same dignity, respect, and services they deserve, Danville Commonwealths Attorney Michael Newman said during his remarks.

Violent crime doesnt affect just the victim and their family, he added, it impacts the entire community. Newman praised the Danville Police Departments HEART  Heal and Engage After Recent Trauma  walks in communities where a deadly shooting or other violent incident has occurred.

Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor, Pittsylvania County Commonwealths Attorney Bryan Haskins, Danville Police Department Capt. David Whitley and two area residents whose close relatives died from violent crimes, Elijah Cunningham and Dennis Brown, also spoke.

Two victims advocacy groups, Mothers Stronger TWOgether, and HAVEN of the Dan River Region, also were at the event.

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I had the address incorrect last time for City Plumbing & Heating. They are located at 1600 University St. and have been serving the Helena area for over 70 years. Matt Losey (owner) is a knowledgeable and highly trained professional. You can call City Plumbing at 406-442-5830.

It is nice to see that things are really starting to fill in the mall property site! The site is being labeled as the Capital Hill Town Center and as you saw in the IR this past week, it will now feature a Panera Bread restaurant.

With the Opportunity Bank operations building, the new clinic and surgery center for Benefis, plus the Taco Bell, Starbucks and First Interstate Bank building  it soon will be a much more beautiful and welcoming location as you enter Helena! There are a couple more buildings in the planning stages plus plans to improve the corridor along the edges of the property.

Chris Rehor, owner of the Elkhorn Mountain Inn is planning to remodel the hotel into an extended stay hotel to fill a much-needed niche for travelers and short-term workforce needs. Elkhorn Mountain Inn is located just west of the Montana City Grill at 1 Jackson Creek Road. You can reach them at (406) 442-6625 or www.elkhornmountaininn.com.

SMA Architecture and Design is expanding their space at 920 Front St. to accommodate their growing firm. They are also opening a new office in Butte where they have bought the Club 13 Bar building at 13 W. Broadway St. (uptown) and will be remodeling it. SMA also has offices in Bozeman.

The Eagles Club at 801 N. Fee St. is becoming a Lux Nightclub. The developer is Gomex Properties. Watch for this location to be remodeled and updated over the coming months.

The Uphill Grill food truck is going to have a bricks and mortar location! They will be moving into the former Cafe Zydeco location on Last Chance Gulch (1 W. 15th St.). They are known for their wonderful burritos, cheesesteak sandwiches, french toast sandwiches, quesadillas, gyros, pancake breakfasts, and more. Call 406-314-2330 for more information. Cafe Zydeco is now at 625 Euclid Ave.

There will be a new development of duplexes just north of the one next to Super 1 Foods. Kal Kunkle of Billings will be putting in more of these much-needed housing units on the property along the frontage road (just north of the roundabout). This property has been annexed in the city in order to use city water and sewer services.

If your roof is getting to that 20 year replacement time, Americans Choice Roofing would love to give you a quote! Owners Greg and Jeanette Wood have over 30 years of experience and have been with Americas Choice for over 25 years. They choose the most durable roofing products and train their expert engineers to tackle any challenge. You will love their friendly, reliable and reassuring service. Give them a call at 206-442-1400 or check them online at www.americaschoiceroofing.com/helena/.

Fiesta Mexicana invites you to stop out and enjoy their authentic Mexican fare. They are located next to Lucky Buckys Bar and Casino at 3425 US Hwy. 12 E. Owned by 4 cousins, they take great pride in their quality ingredients and wonderful recipes  all at affordable prices. You can also have a cocktail with your meal here in Helena. They can be reached at 406-513-1672. They also have locations in Belgrade, Bozeman, Laurel, and Billings. Check out their website at www.fiestamexicanamontana.com.

Farewell: This is my last column before my retirement begins at the end of this month.

Hopefully you have kept up with the changes and news for the Helena-area business community over my nearly 10 years of columns. Im sure there will still be a column from the Chamber but not sure who will be tasked with it. Thanks for all the accolades over the years  it was fun to do  even if I threw in a little gossip from time to time.

Cathy Burwell is president/chief executive officer of the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce.

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A cupola on a historic Helena landmark that towers over Last Chance Gulch will undergo some much-needed repair, thanks to its owner and a grant from the Montana Historical Foundation.

Wild Montana received an $8,000 grant in 2021 to restore the corner turret on the Bluestone House at 80 S. Warren St., which over the years has served as a restaurant and a law firm and is now home to the nonprofit which advocates for protecting and providing access to public land and protecting the wild.

The metal roof that caps the dome-like turret is failing, foundation officials said, adding the grant will preserve existing materials and replace the fasteners, reapply sealants and color-match existing paints.

A watertight restoration will ensure the longevity of this iconic Helena building, the foundation said.

Laura Parr, operations director for Wild Montana, said the cupola has undergone a lot of weathering over the years along with ice damage. She said fasteners are loose. The grant will also be used for cleanup and new sealants. She said the cupola will be spruced up with some color and will be more watertight.

She said the building has a scenic facade easement which mandates that the renovations must be as historically accurate as possible. The cupola project is one of several renovations Wild Montana has done to the building since it took ownership in 2014, Parr said.

She said she plans on trying to match the domes original color. Parr said she hopes to work with the city someday to develop and improve some of the social trails around the Bluestone and Fire Tower Park.

Wild Montana had hoped to do the project last summer, but Parr said it was difficult to get a construction company because they were all busy. She said Core Construction Co. will do the work, along with repairs to an oriel window. She said work is expected to begin in May.

Parr said because of the logistics it made sense to do both projects at the same time. The window repair is not included in the grant. She said the window has increased the cost of the project to $15,000, noting the foundation grant is paying for a large portion of the overall project. She said a banner from the Montana History Foundation will hang on the building as the work is underway.

Its great, Zachary Coe, community outreach manager for the Montana History Foundation, said of the restoration. Its such a local landmark for Helena.

And the Montana History Foundation says the Bluestone is part of their Breweries & Brothels history walk for 2022. For more information, go to https://www.mthistory.org/.

The Bluestone, now on the National Register of Historic places, was built in 1889 of locally quarried stone for a notorious madam. The bluestone came out of Mount Helena, Coe said. He said bluestone is not common, but Mount Helena has much of it.

A 2013 article in the Helena Independent Record reported the building was designed and built by architect James F. Stranahan in 1889 for his bride, but that he died before it was completed.

But Montana historian Ellen Baumler said he built it for Lillie McGraw, a madam who later fell on hard times. The house is located close to the Helenas historic red light district, where several brothels were located years ago.

McGraw, who owned the lot at the time the Bluestone was being constructed, had to mortgage a number of her properties around that time. The ownership of the property shifted several times within a few years from McGraw, to Stranahans wife, Leona, to a J.S.M. Neill, said Baumler.

Charlene Porsild, president and chief executive officer of the Montana History Foundation, said McGraw was planning to live in it as her home and had it built it "to establish herself as a respectable lady."

One historical inventory reports it was heavily damaged in the 1935 earthquake. According to the Montana Historical Society website, for several decades the Bluestone was considered an attractive ruin. In the 1970s the Urban Renewal Historic Preservation Committee got funding that made restoration possible. Each stone was numbered, dismantled, and put back together again.

Baumler said Wednesday the home never fully served as a residence.

Its not really that clandestine, it is a beautiful home that was never fully occupied, she said. Its very prominent and curious to visitors.

"I think the house is now in good hands."

But she said there is nothing historic about the inside of the home as it has new plaster, woodwork and doors.

Parr said that as with any homeownership, something always needs to be done for the 133-year-old mansion.

She said the Bluestone's front deck was in horrible disrepair when Wild Montana bought it and spent money to bring it up to code.

They redid the roof because of water damage and discovered the need of repair to the cupola. She said they are fortunate that as a nonprofit that they can apply for grant funding to help the Bluestone.

"We are proud to have it as our permanent home," she said.

Assistant editor Phil Drake can be reached at 406-231-9021.

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Imagine a trip back to the summer of 1860 when dramatic events foreshadowed change on the upper Missouri River.

Until that time, the trading posts of Fort Benton and rival Fort Campbell, located at the head of navigation on the Missouri River, were the focus of white commercial activity in the region. The Blackfoot nations, long dominant in the region, were warily peaceful in their relative isolation.

Three groups converged on Fort Benton during that summer to set the stage for dramatic change. On July 2, the first steamboats ever reached the Fort Benton levee, with the first U.S. military unit onboard, a battalion of First Dragoons recruits; on the 14th, Capt. William F. Raynolds Expedition arrived after exploring the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers; and on Aug. 1, Lt. John Mullan arrived with his expedition, having followed bison and native trails from Fort Walla Walla to Fort Benton, building a 624-mile military wagon road.

Together, steamboats from St. Louis to Fort Benton and the Mullan Road on to the Columbia River, completed the trade corridor across the northern United States, a Northwest Passage, presaging dramatic change in the region.

The wagon road evolved into railroads and highways, and memories of Mullan and his road faded. Around 1920, Mullan Monuments were dedicated in Montana and Idaho, while similar remembrances appeared in eastern Washington. In 1978, Mullans contribution to the settlement of the inland Northwest was recognized when the American Society of Civil Engineers named the Mullan Road a National Historic Engineering Landmark.

In 1989, Mullan and his expedition leaped back to life as an informal group of Mullanite enthusiasts gathered annually. From that beginning until 2006, the Mineral County Museum held a Mullan Day on a spring weekend.

In 2006, Paul Putz, Lewis and Clark County historic preservation officer, held an enlarged weekend Mullan Conference inviting history buffs. He loaded the group on Dennis Washingtons private railway car for a guided trip over Mullan Pass.

Each year a Mullan Road Conference has ranged from Fort Benton, Helena, Deer Lodge, Missoula, Mineral County and Kellogg, Idaho, to Spokane, Cheney and Walla Walla, Washington.

The 2022 conference will be held June 10-12 in Fort Benton, hosted by the River & Plains Society.

For more on the event, go to http://www.fortbenton.com/mullan.html. It includes the registration form; and https://www.facebook.com/MullanRoad2022 for breaking news.

Registration is required by May 27.

For information, email office@fortbentonmuseums.com or call 406-622-5316 mornings Monday-Friday or Ken Robison 406-868-3635.

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(ATTENTION EDITORS: 1 photo accompanies this column. FILENAME: OPED-USSAUDI-COMMENTARY-GET.jpg)

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Americas long-standing partnership with Saudi Arabia has become a deal with the devil. But the devil isnt holding up his end of the bargain. Its time we gave up on it too.

Its never been a good look for the United States, a self-proclaimed champion of democracy and human rights, to be the security guarantor of an abusive monarchy that treats women like property and long placed policing in the hands of an extremist religious faction.

And yet we justify this close partnership largely in the name of security  our secure access to oil, to be more specific. The war in Ukraine has demonstrated that this access isnt there.

Saudi Arabia holds the second largest oil reserves in the world and, more importantly, an unmatched capacity to increase supply at times of crisis. Saudi Arabia has also been key to maintaining the global trade of oil in U.S. dollars, which helps keeps our currency in high demand and stabilizes its value.

The partnership was also considered essential to counter anti-American sentiment in the region, specifically from Iran. This justification has always been a double-edged sword, however, since Saudi Arabia helped foment anti-American sentiment, too, to the tune of billions of dollars it spent to promote Wahhabism, the radical and intolerant strain of Islam that laid the foundation for terrorist organizations like al-Qaida and ISIS.

In return for these supposed benefits, the United States has been the kingdoms security guarantor, providing not only a military presence but also military technology, advice, and a flood of arms and hardware. From 2009 to 2020, U.S. military sales to Saudi Arabia amounted to more than $100 billion. We have delivered hundreds of aircraft, dozens of Patriot missile defense systems, thousands of armored vehicles, four frigate warships and tens of thousands of missiles. The United States also has thousands of troops in Saudi Arabia still.

Even if you thought the trade-off of supporting the repressive state was once worthwhile, its hard to make the case today. Saudi Arabia has become an even worse actor than before, both at home and abroad.

Advocates of maintaining the relationship might point to modest reforms under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, who took the de facto leadership position in 2015 when his father acceded to the throne. Those reforms, however, were rapidly undermined by brutal crackdowns on dissent and opposition.

MBS was lauded for permitting women to drive, but then promptly jailed many female activists as if to remind them that he retained full control. In 2017, he purged competition within the royal family when he had hundreds of potential rivals and opponents detained for months, some reportedly tortured.

The murder and dismemberment of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 was a particularly grotesque display of MBSs brazen assault on critics.

MBS has also championed a more aggressive  and problematic  foreign policy. Rather than helping secure our interests in the region, our military support emboldened the Saudi state to act uncompromisingly in a dangerous neighborhood. If it was ever a stabilizing presence there, that no longer appears to be the case.

Saudi Arabias role in Yemens civil war since 2015 has exacerbated the conflict. The kingdom often strikes civilian targets, including school buses and hospitals, and since the United States has been Saudi Arabias primary weapons supplier, we are guilty as accomplices in these crimes. Saudi Arabias continued blockade of the country has caused severe human suffering. Despite President Joe Bidens campaign commitments to end our support for the war, the United States has continued to provide weapons that help Saudi Arabia maintain its brutal fight.

Saudi Arabia has also been an ever-present spoiler of U.S. efforts to secure a nuclear deal with Iran, including recent attempts by the Biden administration to restore the defunct deal. While it might be in Saudi Arabias interest to keep Iran under the yoke of a strict sanctions regime, the U.S. interest is clearly in a diplomatic solution.

Successive U.S. administrations have tolerated Saudi Arabias foul play on the promise that, one day, the kingdoms capacity to deliver oil to the world market would insulate the United States from dire economic and security harm at just the time we would need it most.

That time has come.

Since Russias invasion of Ukraine in February, gas prices have surged. Europes dependence on Russian oil and gas remains the main obstacle to Europe joining the United States in banning Russian energy imports. This means Europe continues to provide Russia with resources to fight its war, to the tune of nearly $1 billion a day.

Saudi Arabia, however, has  quite literally  failed to answer Americas call. When faced with a clear opportunity to assist its security guarantor on a matter of the gravest importance by pumping more oil to help supply Europe and take the pressure off world gas prices, Saudi Arabia has declined.

As recently as March, the United States answered Saudi Arabias pleas for additional Patriot missiles to help it fend off attacks from rebels in Yemen. But that failed to persuade Saudi Arabia to grant Americas request to pump more oil.

If Saudi Arabia cant side with the United States against Russia in the face of its indefensible aggression against Ukraine, its high time the U.S. asked what this partnership is good for. Our support of Saudi Arabia has never paid off, and thats never been more clear than now.

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ABOUT THE WRITER

Elizabeth Shackelford is a senior fellow on U.S. foreign policy with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She was pr

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Everywhere you look, people seem to be losing rights. Texas Senate Bill 8, which its legislators passed last year, was perhaps the most shocking example of this anti-rights wave. Its one of the most severe restrictions on abortion rights in the United States, banning abortions after six weeks, before many people know they are pregnant, and its effects are already being felt throughout the state. But its all the more alarming for its unique method of enforcement.

Rather than being enforced by the state government, which would be a clear violation of Roe v. Wade, the law gives Texas residents the right to sue those who aid or assist an abortion. Although this vigilante provision is described as a way to work around the Roe precedent, another way of thinking about it is as a new form of social citizenship in America.

S.B. 8s vigilante provision is not just about finding a new way to reduce womens rights, but also about creating new rights, or a superordinate category of citizenship, for men. That new status is achieved through the act of policing.

Looking at it this way, S.B. 8 falls into place alongside a plethora of public policies that use policing as a vehicle for a new kind of citizenship status.

In Florida, the governor signed House Bill 1557, known as the Dont Say Gay bill. It primarily restricts speech and educational content about LGBTQ issues. But it also contains a provision akin to Texas S.B. 8: It empowers parents to file complaints against schools based on their educational content. This gives these parents a new set of powers that elevates them in relation to those who will not or cannot use these powers. It hardly needs mentioning that in both S.B. 8 and H.B. 1557, the people who will use these powers will be those opposed to abortion and those opposed to LGBTQ educational content, which is not exactly a cross-section of American society.

But this phenomenon of giving some people policing powers and elevating their status relative to that of others is neither new to this year nor confined to these states.

All across the country, local municipalities have passed crime-free and nuisance housing ordinances that empower neighbors to surveil and file complaints about others in their communities. Take Faribault, Minnesota, as an example. After an influx of Somali immigrants, the city passed crime-free and nuisance housing ordinances that empowered its residents to surveil and police their neighbors. One Black woman and her family were evicted after her white neighbors, one of whom told her to go back to where you came from, summoned the police to her home 82 times. They didnt call to report criminal activity but rather to complain about barbecues, birthday parties and children playing on the trampoline  things people take for granted as part of suburban life.

The same pattern has played out in California, Illinois and Ohio. Its also recognizable in the incidents of white people calling police on Black citizens barbecuing at the park, sitting on a bench, bird-watching and so on. In incident after incident, often caught on camera, these individuals seem to realize they can weaponize police against their fellow residents and then consciously proceed to do so. They do not have to call the police, and in many instances, they seem aware that their calls are frivolous. That they call anyway shows that policing is not just about the law but also about status.

Someone who can engage in policing is recognizably different from and, in this context, elevated above, one who is policed or who can neither engage in policing nor rely on police services. The act of policing another person  whether a pregnant person, schoolteacher or neighbor  produces and communicates a subordinate status to the policed while simultaneously producing and confirming ones own superordinate status. This is the other side of the new wave of laws targeting abortion and education across the country.

If the civil rights era represented a time when people whom the law made formally subordinate at least symbolically caught up to the rights of those at the top, the ensuing decades have been marked by constant efforts by the American right to erode those legal gains.

But to focus only on how the right has weakened the citizenship of others is to miss how it has produced new forms of status and citizenship. Policing is a way to reassert status hierarchies that have been threatened over the past decades of social change.

Its a dangerous dynamic and one that will lead to a more policed, less free society.

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ABOUT THE WRITER

Rahim Kurwa is an assistant professor of criminology, law and justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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Todays Highlights in History:

On April 25, 1945, during World War II, U.S. and Soviet forces linked up on the Elbe River, a meeting that dramatized the collapse of Nazi Germanys defenses.

On April 25:

In 404 B.C., the Peloponnesian War ended as Athens surrendered to Sparta.

In 1507, a world map produced by German cartographer Martin Waldseemueller contained the first recorded use of the term America, in honor of Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci.

In 1859, ground was broken for the Suez Canal.

In 1862, during the Civil War, a Union fleet commanded by Flag Officer David G. Farragut captured the city of New Orleans.

In 1898, the United States Congress declared war on Spain; the 10-week conflict resulted in an American victory.

In 1901, New York Gov. Benjamin Barker Odell, Jr. signed an automobile registration bill which imposed a 15 mph speed limit on highways.

In 1915, during World War I, Allied soldiers invaded the Gallipoli Peninsula in an unsuccessful attempt to take the Ottoman Empire out of the war.

In 1945, delegates from some 50 countries gathered in San Francisco to organize the United Nations.

In 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was deployed in orbit from the space shuttle Discovery. (It was later discovered that the telescopes primary mirror was flawed, requiring the installation of corrective components to achieve optimal focus.)

In 1992, Islamic forces in Afghanistan took control of most of the capital of Kabul following the collapse of the Communist government.

In 2002, Lisa Left Eye Lopes of the Grammy-winning trio TLC died in an SUV crash in Honduras; she was 30.

In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Arizonas tough immigration law. (A divided court later threw out major parts of the law.)

In 2017, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trumps attempt to withhold funding from sanctuary cities that did not cooperate with U.S. immigration officials, saying the president had no authority to attach new conditions to federal spending. Ivanka Trump drew groans and hisses from an audience in Berlin while defending her fathers attitude toward women, but brushed the negative reaction aside as politics during her first overseas trip as a White House adviser.

In 2019, former Vice President Joe Biden entered the Democratic presidential race, declaring the fight against Donald Trump to be a battle for the soul of this nation.

In 2021, Americas top general in Afghanistan said the U.S. military had begun closing down operations in the country and that Afghanistans security forces must be ready to take over. Nomadland, Chloe Zhaos portrait of itinerant lives on open roads across the American West, won Best Picture at the 93rd Academy Awards; Zhao was honored as best director.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri Kluge will visit Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

During the visit, Kluge will take part in events dedicated to the European Immunization Week.

At the same time, the director will get acquainted with the Primary Health Care Strengthening pilot project in Azerbaijan's Shamakhi district.
DECATUR  The bankruptcy trustee winding up the affairs of the insolvent Decatur Celebration is ready to do a deal to dispose of some of the events last remaining property.

And there isnt much left of any value, according to the latest court documents filed by trustee Jeffrey D. Richardson.

He tells creditors hes asking the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of Illinois for permission to hand over, free, items that have been stored at the premises of Decatur RAS, LLC, a business rental firm, to Decatur RAS owner Phillip Pugsley.

In return, Pugsley and Decatur RAS will make no claims for financial compensation from Celebration assets.

In an interview with the Herald & Review, Pugsley said much of the stuff is kept in a building measuring 35 feet wide by some 70 feet long and time is money with customers waiting to rent the facility.

I have had a renter waiting for the space since January and only a couple of days ago he asked me what the status was, Pugsley added. Ive been losing rent and I just want my property back.

Pugsley was happy to take the hit when the Celebration was alive and kicking, however, and had let the street festival have free storage space from him for years.

And I also hosted the Decatur Celebration haunted house Scream, added Pugsley, recalling what was once a major fundraiser for the Celebration organization.

Richardson, in a court filing, lists the stored materials as a forklift in need of repairs, fencing, signs, homemade booths, a portable banding machine, repair tools and supplies used in the festival such as numerous used Igloo type coolers, repair parts and a minimal amount of low quality office furniture in poor shape.

Richardson spells out in the court documents filed April 14 that he wants to do a deal where Pugsley gets the stuff in lieu and exchange for Decatur RAS LLC waiving any administrative claim in the bankruptcy.

The trustee said that promises to be a better deal from the point of view of the Decatur Celebration creditors. I have personally inspected all of the remaining property, and it is my opinion that the value of the remaining property is minimal and certainly less than any administrative claim which Decatur RAS, LLC could pursue against the bankruptcy estate.

Pugsley described most of what is left behind as garbage and likely to cost him money to get rid of it. But he is just happy to move on, he said, and remains proud of doing what he could to help the Celebration out and make it a success for so many years.

Well, I was just thinking the other day: it had 30 good years and the last couple, I think, were rough for it, for the people involved, he said. But if I hadn't believed in it, I would not have put my efforts toward it.

Decatur Celebration was founded in 1986 as the Midwests Most Exciting Family Street Festival. It held its last event in 2019 and then filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in June 2021. The Celebration had initially listed assets of just $14,500 and debts and liabilities adding up to more than $81,000.

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

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MOUNT ZION  During his lunch time, Mount Zion High School sophomore Makobi Adams stopped to write a message of encouragement to his classmates.

You Matter, is what he wrote on a small piece of paper.

In honor of National Violence Prevention Awareness Week, the words were added to a poster board along with other classmates messages. The event was part of the Sherrods Independent Mentoring Program, SIMP Inc., encouraging students to be positive influences in schools and community.

Adams said he likes the idea of spreading positive messages to others.

Its a good time in general for the messages, he said. People have bad days, they get down on themselves. You Matter can boost their self esteem.

Mount Zion High School students and SIMP Development Team members Elie Fritzsche and Mahryah Spring spoke with their classmates during the lunch time, encouraging them to write their feelings and concerns about positivity during a violent time.

Our school has a lot of different things they could learn from, Spring said. We need more positivity through our schools.

The students are aware of the violence going on in their community. A lot of stuff could be reduced by people knowing what you could do to prevent violence, Spring said.

And its important to start at a younger age, Fritzsche said.

Each day of the week, SIMP members will host similar events at their own schools, including St. Teresa High School, Maroa-Forsyth High School, Eisenhower High School and American Dreamer STEM Academy. Elementary school students have been invited to a music therapy and violence prevention event on Saturday, at Steak n Shake restaurant on Mount Zion Road, Decatur. Its to start the knowledge and education on this earlier, Fritzsche said.

Bullying was an aspect of violence the students have been aware of in their lifetime. Youre not alone, Fritzsche said.

But youve got to have a positive outlook, Spring said.

Prof. Evyonne Hawkins, a SIMP facilitator, organized the schools teams hosting the events. The students are encouraged to write positive messages about violence prevention. And how they can be a part of the solution in their schools, Hawkins said.

According to Hawkins, the students are able to reach their classmates easier than the adults. They can be on their level and talk about the different things that impact them, Hawkins said about the young members. They can relate to whats happening here in Mount Zion or Maroa or Decatur better than someone from outside coming in.

As an adult example, Terrence Tat Taylor plans to be at each school this week. What better way than to be present, he said. But this isnt run by us, but by the students. The magic behind it is having the young people lead it.

Taylor acknowledged the violence going on in Decatur. Its important for us to involve the young people with us, so theyre not going out with the bad guys, he said.

Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR

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An expert panel Monday urged Bristol, Virginia to strongly consider ceasing landfill operations as part of a detailed series of recommendations regarding its embattled landfill.

The 11-member panel was assembled last month to study issues with the citys 137-acre quarry landfill and offer suggestions on how to remedy widespread odor and emission issues. A 40-page report was issued Monday outlining proposed steps.

The panel was assembled by Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Director Michael Rolband at the urging of state lawmakers and coordinated through the Virginia Tech School of Engineering.

The report includes 10 specific findings regarding the landfills current state and 10 proposed action steps to address odor mitigation. Finally, the panel considered scenarios for how the city could continue operating the landfill, or reasons to close it.

No cost estimates were associated with any of the recommendations.

The report recommended engineered actions intended to minimize the release of odors, reduce landfill temperatures, and manage problematic conditions beneath the landfill. This strategy includes preventing infiltration of precipitation and control and management of stormwater inside the landfill.

In its conclusions, the report also delves into potentially closing the facility.

The city should strongly consider a cessation of waste disposal operations at the landfill due to incompatibility of operations with the necessary odor mitigation and ETLF [elevated temperature landfill] remedial strategy, according to the report.

City consultants had previously warned that trying to close the quarry landfill without building up the amount of waste included in its operating plan  more than another 20 years worth  wasnt practical and could lead to additional problems.

Consensus was that landfill odors are the result of a reaction taking place beneath the landfill surface within the buried waste. The chimneys along the landfill perimeter are likely the major avenue for release of these odors into the atmosphere, according to the report. The presence of the chimneys suggests that the subsurface sidewall liner system has failed locally and the resulting poor contact between the landfill liner and quarry sidewalls hinders containment of high-temperature landfill gases.

The panel agreed engineered remedial action can significantly reduce the release of odors around the landfill perimeter, but regulatory approvals are needed to implement the proposed remedial approach involving any changes to the liner configuration.

The panel further concluded there is insufficient data to determine the degree to which odorous gas are seeping through the landfill interim cover material into the atmosphere.

The panel also concluded benzene, which is seeping into the landfills wastewater discharge, is not believed to be derived from an external source of contamination based on currently available data. Benzene is likely being derived from the waste mass, but the mechanism of production or release is unknown due to insufficient data, according to the report.

While the report does not classify the site as an elevated temperature landfill, the experts wrote that it does have similar traits.

The panel consensus was the landfill is exhibiting early signs of an elevated temperature landfill (ETLF) which is linked to production and release of odors. ETLFs are primarily characterized by temperatures in excess of 55C (131F) over a broad area for a sustained period of time and an atypical accumulation of heat, the report says.

ETLFs are characterized by low methane content in the landfill gas, high leachate production rates, leachate with elevated concentrations of organic compounds, production of odoriferous gas, rapid settlement, and self-propagating reactions that generate heat. This condition has the potential to worsen unless prompt (immediate) action is taken.

The panel recommends the following actions to address odor and emission issues:

 Test and construct a sidewall odor mitigation system around the landfill perimeter that will be designed and constructed to mitigate landfill gases emanating from the landfill/quarry sidewalls.

 Improve the performance of existing gas extraction wells, including minimizing air intrusion pathways through landfill cover. Additional gas extraction wells will be needed to reduce emissions and temperatures.

 Identify and eliminate to the extent practical any landfill gas fugitive emissions at the landfill surface. Weekly monitoring activities of gas emissions at the landfill surface will be required.

 Install settlement plates and conduct monthly surveys to document the locations and rates of settlement in the waste mass.

 Install and monitor a dedicated system of thermocouples in the waste mass to monitor landfill temperatures for greater spatial resolution (horizontal and vertical) and to provide data at a greater frequency.

 Install at least five deep dedicated monitoring wells to enable sampling and characterization of leachate and measurement of temperature profiles in the waste.

 Install and operate large-diameter dual-phase extraction wells for removal of gas and leachate. Treatment requirements for extracted leachate must be determined.

 Install a temporary geosynthetic cover over the entire landfill. This will require substantial grading of the existing landfill surface to direct runoff to the southeast corner of the landfill, where it is expected a stormwater management pond can be constructed to manage stormwater that is collected on top of the geomembrane cover.

 Develop and implement an effective and sustainable stormwater management plan and settlement management plan for the landfill.

 Create an active community outreach program to communicate strategies, provide status and progress reports and receive citizen feedback.

However, the panel also cited additional concerns.

Continuing landfill operations while implementing the proposed remedial actions is problematic. Limiting operations to the northern end of the landfill while addressing the ETLF condition in the southern area of the landfill is not recommended, according to the report.

Among its closure deliberations, the panel considered options for early closure including the feasibility of (1) installation of a permanent landfill cap at the current waste level following mitigation of odors and reduction of landfill temperatures; and (2) rapid fill of waste to the quarry rim followed by installation of permanent landfill cap.

Installing a permanent landfill cap designed to accommodate expected waste mass settlement without additional disposal of waste (other than shaping the landfill surface) once odors and landfill temperatures are adequately reduced is a feasible option, according to the report. Rapid fill of the remaining permitted air space in the landfill followed by a permanent landfill cap is not recommended given concerns for the ETLF considerations and cost considerations.

Resuming operations at the landfill in the future may be technically feasible once the odors are controlled and ETLF conditions managed. However, there may be other technical, cost, and political considerations that would inform such a decision, the report concludes.

Rolband, in a written statement, called the report crucial.

We appreciate all the hard work and dedication of the panel members and the city to focus on these important issues and develop this detailed report of recommendations on time, Rolband said in the statement. The report, the result of the panels careful and thoughtful collaboration, will be crucial to helping the city of Bristol implement practical solutions for these issues going forward.

City Manager Randy Eads said Monday he had just received a copy of the report.

The city appreciates DEQs willingness to step in and provide a panel of experts to review our landfill and the odor situation. Obviously, the report has just been released, and I have not had an opportunity to review the report in depth. Over the next several days, I will review the report with the citys consultants, council and DEQ and begin taking the appropriate steps to follow the recommendations of the experts, Eads said.

State Sen. Todd Pillion, R-Abingdon, expressed his appreciation.

Our priority has been and remains getting the best relief for the residents of Bristol in the best way possible. That means getting the best information from experts and regulators who understand the complexity of the situation with the Bristol landfill, Pillion said. I commend this expert panel for spending multiple days in Bristol visiting the landfill, smelling what Bristolians smell and working collectively to develop these findings and offer recommendations to the city of Bristol.

Pillion said the report can be a guide and expects the state to assist with funding.

During the 2022 General Assembly session, we introduced Senate and House budget amendments authorizing the Department of Environmental Quality to provide emergency technical assistance to the city of Bristol, Virginia in resolving ongoing issues with the city-owned landfill and to facilitate a long-term plan for the operational status of the landfill, Pillion said. The findings by this expert panel provide important guidance and direction for the city's consideration in determining how to proceed. We continue standing ready to facilitate state-level support for a solution to this matter.

Del. Israel O'Quinn, R-Bristol, also praised the quick response by the expert panel.

Senator Pillion and I began formalizing DEQs advisory role during the legislative session and this is an important step in that process. I am thankful for DEQ Director Rolbands attentiveness and responsiveness to the issues at the city-owned landfill and the work done by the expert panel can have a positive impact for our community," O'Quinn said. "The panels report provides a solid framework going forward, and there are real fixes and measures to implement to help everyone in Bristol. Our legislative delegation stands ready to assist DEQ and the city however we can.

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HUDSON  When Lyric Larson arrived at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute and Caldwell Early College High School five years ago, she didnt know how to log on to a computer or complete assignments online.

In a few weeks, she will graduate with an Associate in Arts degree from Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute with a 4.0 grade point average. She attributes her success, and the ability to overcome the challenges she faced in the beginning, to the teachers, mentors and advisers she met along the way.

Without the amazing support system (both) schools provided me, I doubt college would have been possible, Larson said of attending CCC&TI and Caldwell Early College High School. I feel like thats a big part of the culture here  supporting people, making them feel like you can do it.

Larson, who grew up in Collettsville and was homeschooled, was honored recently at the CCC&TI Board of Trustees meeting as the 2022 Academic Excellence Award winner. CCC&TI President Mark Poarch presented her with a medal, an award plaque and a letter of congratulations from N.C. Community College System President Thomas Stith III. She is one of 58 students statewide to receive the annual award, one from each of the North Carolinas community colleges.

She was nominated by one of her instructors and chosen for the award by a committee of CCC&TI faculty and staff. Listed among the reasons for her selection were her academic achievements, volunteer service and her enthusiasm for education.

Lyric loves to learn and has clear academic gifts, said Matt Williams, an instructor of English and humanities at CCC&TI. I sensed qualities of leadership, service and character in Lyric.  I believe she is headed toward long-term academic and life success.

Larson has been active on campus, including being chosen as a CCC&TI Ambassador, a member of the CCC&TI Film Club and working as a Writing Center tutor. At Caldwell Early College High School, she participated in Art Club, Interact, Rotary, the Environmental Club and Beta Club. Her community involvement includes Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM), Blue Ridge Energys Leadership Track, Gods Closet childcare manager, volunteering for the Caldwell Chamber of Commerce, Girl Scouts of America and the Granite Falls Library mural team.

Adding to her accolades, Larson recently was awarded the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship. She was one of 100 high school seniors nationwide to receive the award.

Larson will graduate from CCC&TI in May having completed 75 hours of college credit, in addition to the Caldwell Early College High School program. After graduation, she plans to study film and television production at Western Carolina University this fall.
Next Game: at Ohio State 4/29/2022 | 5:00 PM Huskers Radio Network Next Game Full Schedule Apr. 29 (Fri) / 5:00 PM at Ohio State History

The Nebraska softball team (34-11, 14-2 Big Ten) finished the weekend with a victory over Wisconsin (25-12, 10-5 Big Ten). The Huskers tallied 10 hits while holding the Badgers to only four in the 6-4 win Sunday afternoon.

Kaylin Kinney (4-1) recorded the win for the Huskers. The sophomore pitched five innings, holding the Badgers to two hits while striking out three. (4-1) recorded the win for the Huskers. The sophomore pitched five innings, holding the Badgers to two hits while striking out three.

In the circle for the Badgers was Tessa Magnanimo (1-1) who earned the loss. Magnanimo pitched four innings, giving up six hits and four runs.

Peyton Glatter led Nebraska on offense, finishing the day 2-for-3 including a three-run homer in the top of the fourth. Mya Felder and Abbie Squier each added two hits while Cam Ybarra , Sydney Gray and Kinney each had an RBI. led Nebraska on offense, finishing the day 2-for-3 including a three-run homer in the top of the fourth.andeach added two hits whileand Kinney each had an RBI.

NU was the first to score with one run in the top of the second. Felder led off with a single to left center and advanced to second after Squier was hit by a pitch. With one out, Glatter singled to right field to load the bases. Kinney hit a sacrifice fly to score Felder. The Huskers took an early 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the second.

UW added two of its own in the bottom of the third. A hit by a pitch and three walks scored the Badgers first run. Kinney came into pitch, but a sacrifice fly out scored another. With one out, Kinney was able to record two strikeouts, but NU headed into the top of the fourth down, 2-1.

Billie Andrews singled up the middle and then stole second. Ybarra doubled to left center to score Andrews as the Huskers took a 5-2 lead. The Big Red responded with four runs in the top of the fourth. Squier led off with a double to left field followed by a single to right field for Felder. Glatter smashed a homer over the left-center field fence to score three. With two outs,singled up the middle and then stole second. Ybarra doubled to left center to score Andrews as the Huskers took a 5-2 lead.

Ava Bredwell led off with a walk. With two outs, Sydney Gray hit a single, scoring Bredwell to extend the lead to 6-2. In the top of the sixth, Nebraska added one more.led off with a walk. With two outs,hit a single, scoring Bredwell to extend the lead to 6-2.

The Badgers looked to rally in the seventh inning. With two outs, two errors and two singles added two runs. A walk loaded the bases, but a fielder's choice out at second secured the 6-4 victory for Nebraska.

The Huskers return to action next weekend, April 29-May 1, in Columbus, Ohio for a three-game series against Ohio State. Game one is set for Friday at 5 p.m. (CT). Game two is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT) while game three will be Sunday at 11 a.m. (CT). All three games will be streamed live on BTN+ (subscription required). Fans can listen to the action live on the Huskers Radio Network and Huskers.com with the call from Nate Rohr.
Shell have the time of her life  again. Not only will Jennifer Grey return for the Dirty Dancing sequel, first announced by Lionsgate in 2020, but the film will take place where her character Baby and Johnnys (Patrick Swayze) summer romance took center stage in the original film. Jennifer Grey returns to Kellermans in the next chapter, a voiceover said Thursday at Lionsgates Cinemacon ...
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by Governor of the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation Igor Babushkin.

The sides hailed the successful development of bilateral relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation in various areas, pointing out Azerbaijan's long-standing fruitful cooperation with various subjects of the Russian Federation, including the Astrakhan region.

During the conversation, they exchanged views on prospects for cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Astrakhan region in trade and economic, transport, transit, shipbuilding, and inter-port relations. The importance of the operation of Astrakhan Business Center in Baku and the Azerbaijan Business Center built in Astrakhan with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation was underlined.

The issues of humanitarian cooperation were pointed out, and important projects implemented by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in the Astrakhan region were recalled with satisfaction at the meeting. They emphasized that the school named after Heydar Aliyev, which has been operating in Astrakhan for more than 10 years, contributed to the development of bilateral humanitarian relations.

During the conversation, the sides expressed confidence that Igor Babushkin's visit would contribute to further expansion of bilateral cooperation.
Three of the last Southland veterans reflect on their times on the frontline

In Winton, veterans Leslie King and Thomas Johnstone dont really know what to make of the fact that they are the last World War II soldiers in the central Southland town.

When Stuff first launched In Honour in 2020 it was thought there were about 600 soldiers living, which has dwindled down to about 400, but exact numbers are not known.

While the Winton RSA now only has two living members from that war, the reality is that many towns nationwide no longer have soldiers.

In Southland, theres believed to only be eight soldiers remaining, and that counts King (100 years old) and Johnstone (who is 103 years old).

King says hes somewhat amazed at getting to his age and though other people notice changes in him, he still feels like the same man he was when he was younger.

Neither man seems to have thought too much about being the last World War II veterans in Winton and they consider losing so many of the mates they fought alongside as a simple fact of life.

Its something you cant do anything about, Johnstone says.

While both men still live independently, visits to the RSA club are becoming fewer.

And although they have carried on with their lives, 77 years later, memories of the war are never too far from their minds.

King, who was a rifleman, served nearly four years at the war, initially in the Pacific and then in Italy.

Johnstone had the role of gunner in an ammunition truck and was at The Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy. He was away for three years.

King says not a day goes by that he doesnt think about his time at war.

He was just 18 when he signed up to the New Zealand Army and before he knew it, he found himself in the Solomon Islands fighting the Japanese.

It was hot as Hades and there was always a smell.

That the smell was the smell of death, because there was little time to bury bodies properly.

After 18 months in the Pacific, King was off to Northern Italy as the war was drawing to a close.

It was a spring morning in 1945 when he was handed a rifle which I knew nothing about and told to head into no mans land in broad daylight to scout the area.

They said: take a man with you, so King grabbed a chap he remembers as Jack, from Napier, and they headed to a small village nearby.

The pair found a stable where they could climb up for a good vantage point.

About 30 minutes after settling into their hiding place, they spotted seven or eight German soldiers creeping along a ditch beside the road.

King told his compatriot: Im going to take them on, and took out two of the soldiers.

He was taking aim at the third when Jack, armed with a Tommy gun (a Thompson submachine gun) all of a sudden stood up and gave them a volley.

As the rest of the German soldiers clambered out of the ditch and dispersed, King noticed a body lying further down the track.

I saw his uniform and realised he was one of ours, he recalled. He was doing the same job I was but he got killed.

While sharing his stories, King pauses from time to time: I can remember all of these things. Im not making this up.

In the middle of his service, during a 40-day leave from the Pacific, King met his wife Florence (Flossie) at a dance in Makarewa.

His memories of the meeting make him smile. Hed bought an old car for 30 pounds and after sharing the last dance with her, he asked: How are you traveling?

King drove his sweetheart home and the two would go on to enjoy almost 70 years of married life together before Flossie died in 2015.

The pair had six children and more grandchildren than King can count, his townhouse filled with photos of loved ones.

Tom Johnstone's memories are equally vivid, but he says he struggles to put them into words.

The Battle of Monte Cassino, in which he fought in early 1944, was considered one of the most brutal and costly involving New Zealand soldiers as they fought alongside Allied forces to reclaim the Monte Cassino Monastery and surrounding town from German soldiers in a series of assaults.

However, the stoic Southland farmer would far rather reminisce about the fun stuff like the food he ate, the places he saw, and rugby opportunities.

I wasnt a great talker, he says.

Johnstone was 22 years and 283 days old when he joined the New Zealand Army, stationed first in Egypt where he helped cart German prisoners, and then in Italy from 1944.

The weather was extreme, with thunderstorms suddenly followed by steam rising from the hot ground, he recalls.

When they first arrived in North Africa, soldiers were given one blanket each.

I think that was the coldest night of my life.

In Italy, remembers people pointing out the architecture in Florence and Rome, but as a man of the land, he wasnt really interested.

I paid my six pence to see the pope, but the heat was too much, so I didnt wait for him.

He missed his mums good meals, but there were plenty of grapes to nick in Egypt, plenty of pasta to eat in Italy, and on one occasion, he even tried a sparrow for tea.

There wasnt much on it, he says of the small bird.

Johnstone enjoyed the comradeship and rugby of World War II, which for him included a visit to the Swiss border.

Though he did not make the NZ rugby team when he trialed himself, fighting alongside All Black Ron Stewart was encouraging, he says.

Johnstones employer held his job when he left to serve, and he ended up working on the same farm for the rest of his working life.

In 2021, the Winton RSA honoured Johnstone and King as its oldest ex-servicemen.

Winton RSA president John Reynolds considers the club privileged to have King and Johnstone.

We owe these men [and women] a lot. They went to fight for the freedom and democracy we enjoy today, Reynolds said.

And most did so voluntarily because Johnstone says: You guard your country and your people. Someone has to.

As time marches on, its now up to the sons of returned servicemen to keep the ANZAC spirit going, Reynold says.

As the son of a World War II veteran himself, he counts himself lucky that his dad spoke about his experiences, but not many did, and there were still things his father did not say, he says.

What they saw was horrific, Reynold says.

The other veterans scattered around Southland include 100-year-old Roy McLellan, from Invercargill.

He signed up to the army at the age of 17, because as he says, it was the easiest way to get overseas.

But they only took him on his second attempt because he was too young the first time he applied: I had to wait a few months.

McLellan is somewhat shocked to hear the small number of World War II veterans alive in the south.

Is that all?, he says, incredulously when he hears he is one of eight left living.

McLellan served as a mechanic and truck driver  first in Egypt and then Italy.

With several cameras in tow, he photographed his time abroad, but sadly lost many of the photos later in a house fire.

McLellan returned to Invercargill at the age of 24, but was quickly off to Japan to serve six months in the occupation force with the promise of a fortnight in England as reward.

My friend and myself were both single and unattached, so they jumped at the offer. We did get to England.

After more than six years of army life, McLellan was ready to settle, so he took a job at an Invercargill garage, married Gladys and started a family.

It was time to do that. The army life was over, he said.

Daughter Julie Brown says its only in the past few years that hes opened up about his experiences.

Hes quite an old gentleman.

McLellan downplays his combat participation, but Brown points out he was transporting people and supplies to the front line.

Just because he wasnt firing bullets doesnt mean he was any less of a hero, Brown says.

Historian and Gore RSA committee member Bruce Cavanagh encourages all Kiwis to learn about their relatives who served.

But for those who are still living, he says: The key is to talk about it.

He is often contacted by families after a loved one has passed to help them track down information about their time at war.

Often hell use public records to track down a service number, but thats just a starting point, he says, because the process of accessing personnel records can take more than six months.

And then, they may only contain two or three events.

Cavanagh has been documenting the lives of Southland servicemen, both living and dead, but says knowing living veterans is a privilege because theyre our only direct links to the war.

Some people dont want to talk and thats understandable. In some cases theyre alive, but their mates are dead. They are the ones who are holding those memories and some dont want to relive them, Cavanagh says.
The ABC News presenter who was found to be hosting public Twitter lists on her account of those she categorised as Labor Trolls and Lobotomised Shitheads appears to have gone missing.

Fauziah Ibrahim normally fronts up for the ABC News morning program on the weekend, along with Joanna Nicholson.

But on Saturday and again on Sunday, Nicholson was joined by John Barron, who hosts the Planet America program. The ABC has made no public statement about the change or why it was necessitated.

I haven't seen one tweet lamenting the absence of Fauziah Ibrahim.?  Dirk Cook (@DirkCook6) April 23, 2022

Ibrahim has changed the picture on her Twitter account from an ABC News logo to something quite different as cen be seen above. The old photo can be seen here.

The ABC wason Tuesday for a clarification as to what had actually happened, given that there were doubts over whether Ibrahim's Twitter account had been breached or whether she had created the lists herself.

A change of personnel: John Barron joined Joanna Nicholson on the ABC News morning program on Sunday.

No reply was received from the ABC that day.

Glad to see the inimitable John Barron on ABC weekend news breakfast today.

If Fauziah Ibrahim had been on I would have immediately turned it off.

Her behaviour has no place on the ABC.  Pinky Jones (@PinkyDink4) April 22, 2022

An ABC spokesperson attempted to play down the faux pas last Sunday when iTWire  the first to report on the snafu  contacted the corporation, by saying the account was a personal one.

But as reported, the ABC has rules for its staff who maintain personal Twitter accounts.

In it, the corporation says while personal posts are not required to adhere to the corporation's editorial polices, two areas  impartiality and independence and integrity  should not be compromised.
GUEST OPINION: The theme for Earth Day 2022 is 'Invest in Our Planet'. It's an idea we're proud to support as it aligns with our own Data Centre of the Future initiative. We believe investing in sustainable data centre technologies isnt just the right thing to do for the future of our planet; it can also be a key source of business value for our customers today.

The 451 Research, part of S&P Global Market Intelligence, report Ten tech trends driving transformation in 2022 provides more insights that back up our thinking.

According to the report, sustainability is a key factor for enterprises evaluating colocation providers, with 79% rating it either very important or somewhat important. The report goes on to emphasise how innovative colocation providers are meeting this demand:

As enterprises look to operate more sustainably, using the public cloud will be one way to dramatically improve IT efficiency. However, for those workloads they do not want to move to the cloud, leased data centres provide another option, offering much more efficient infrastructure than the typical aging enterprise data centre.

At Equinix, were proud of the progress weve made toward our sustainability goals, but we know theres much more to be done. In this article, well highlight the five key principles of our Data Centre of the Future initiative, and look at how each supports the goals of making our operations more sustainable and unlocking business value for our customers.

We believe the climate and sustainability challenges facing the data centre industry are much too complex to be addressed by one organisation working alone. Thats why were developing the Data Centre of the Future concepts with the help of leading partners in our Co-Innovation Facility (CIF) in the Washington, D.C. area.

1. Generator-less data centres

Among the technologies Equinix is developing in the CIF are generator-less data centres. Working in partnership with Bloom Energy, we are testing solid oxide fuel cells as a potential replacement for traditional diesel generators and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units. We believe this work could be the first step toward a cleaner, more efficient primary power source for data centres.

In addition to our work in the CIF, we have joined the EcoEdge PrimePower (E2P2) consortium along with six other companies to support the further development of low-carbon fuel cells. In December 2021, the consortiums joint proposal received a grant of 2.5 million ($3.7 million) from the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, part of the Horizon 2020 program of the European Commission.

The fuel cells use a unique tri-fuel design, allowing them to consume whichever fuel source is locally available: natural gas, green hydrogen or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Each of these fuels can be transported over existing pipelines, meaning the fuel cells can be easily integrated into data centres without expensive infrastructure upgrades.

Replacing traditional generators with alternative power solutions such as fuel cells will not only reduce carbon emissions, but also cut capital expenses, shrink data centre footprints (allowing them to be deployed easily in densely populated areas), and minimise time and resources required for maintenance.

2. Renewable energy

Last year, Equinix became the first data centre operator to commit to becoming globally climate-neutral by 2030. In pursuit of that goal, we set a science-based target (SBT) to reduce emissions across our entire operations and supply chain. By shrinking our carbon footprint and improving our power usage effectiveness (PUE), we aim to do our part to prevent the worst outcomes of climate change.

One of the key components of our climate-neutrality goal is to reach 100% renewable energy coverage across both existing and future data centre sites by 2030. We formalised this commitment by leading the development of and becoming a founding signatory to the EU Climate Neutral Data Centre Operator Pact, an industry self-regulatory initiative that includes strong private sector commitments and government policy recommendations.

Since then, weve made tremendous progress toward that goal, reaching 95% renewable energy consumption in 2021. We have achieved this by pursuing a variety of renewable energy sources based on local availability, including wind power purchase agreements (PPAs) like the one we recently signed with Bjorkliden wind farm in Finland. This clean energy will be used to power both our customers IT equipment and our overhead load.

3. Airflow management

Equinix data centres include physical barriers that help contain cold air in supply aisles (to keep data centre equipment cool and functioning properly) and hot air in exhaust aisles (to remove waste heat from the data centre as quickly as possible). By minimising the amount of air mixing between the cold and hot aisles, we can ensure the most efficient distribution of cooling air possible, and therefore minimise the amount of power dedicated to cooling.

Airflow management techniques are being deployed in Equinix facilities throughout the world, but they are particularly beneficial in data centres found in warmer climates, such as our Equinix IBX facilities in Singapore.

4. High-density cooling

In the past, traditional air-cooling methods were sufficient to fully meet the cooling needs of the data centre industry. However, as technology has advanced, the hardware needed to support that technology has increased in power density. This means that air cooling alone may no longer be enough, particularly in the case of new power-dense technologies like AI. Liquid cooling technologies provide an attractive alternative, and Equinix is investing in research, testing and ecosystem partnerships to drive adoption of liquid cooling methods across our data centre footprint.

Liquid cooling adoption in the data centre industry has thus far been limited by a chicken or egg problem. This means there are two sides that must both act before widespread liquid cooling adoption can become feasible:

Hardware manufacturers must commit to building liquid-capable servers at scale.

Colocation providers must commit to supporting liquid cooling from a practical and mechanical perspective (building the cooling systems and providing the skilled workforce to maintain them).

Equinix is doing our part from the colocation side, as demonstrated by our work with ZutaCore in the CIF. Were testing highly efficient rack systems that can cool 100 kW or more per rack with a compact, waterless design. These high-density liquid cooling systems stand to help us optimise our energy and water usage, while also shrinking the footprint of our data centre facilities.

Were also collaborating to help address the hardware side of the equation. We joined Open19, an open-source hardware project that includes a variety of industry leaders, to support the development of a new plug-and-play coupler for liquid cooling systems. We believe that creating an industry-standard design capable of supporting all major liquid cooling techniquesimmersive, single phase and dual phasecould help lower the barrier to entry for liquid cooling adoption across the industry.

5. Intelligent power management

No matter which technologies are being deployed in data centres or what energy sources are used to power them, its impossible to maximise energy efficiency using manual power monitoring and delivery methods. By deploying sensors to identify potential energy waste and leveraging software management platforms to adjust accordingly, the Data Centre of the Future will ensure power is delivered to equipment in the most efficient, uniform way possible. This means delivering the right amount of power to the right place at the right time.

One example of this is our work with VPS to support the development of a software-defined power management solution. When used together with our cabinet-mounted battery energy storage solution (developed in partnership with Natron Energy), the software-defined power solution can help manage power draw and limit power stranding to nearly 0%. We estimate that proper use of this solution could improve power efficiency in data centres by as much as 30-50%.

Equinix is making the Data Centre of the Future a reality

While many of these ideas are still in the testing phase, there are other examples of how Equinix is putting sustainability practices into use today. For instance, our BX1 data centre in Bordeaux is our first facility built using a modular, Green by Design construction process. In addition to being much quicker to build than traditional data centres, BX1 uses a decoupled energy platform capable of supporting multiple energy sources and greener energy storage.

Since the BX1 design is modular, it can be easily replicated in new locations throughout the world. It can also ensure built-in compliance with environmental regulations, easing the concerns of local governments that have grown cautious about allowing new data centre builds in their jurisdictions.

Sustainability is also an ingrained part of the Equinix culture in more unexpected ways. Our new PA10 data centre in Paris includes a groundbreaking heat recovery project, which will divert waste heat from customer equipment to be reused in the community heating network. In addition, the new data centre will include a rooftop greenhouse with a water recovery system that will help retain rainwater and minimise the amount of water directed into sewers.

In Ireland, we have joined Orchards in the Community, a program that sends orchards to local schools. This gives children a chance to learn first-hand the importance of protecting pollinators. Orchards in the Community is part of DCs for Bees, an industry initiative where data centre providers are coming together to protect the local bee population and support greater biodiversity across Ireland.

See other trends driving IT transformation

At Equinix, were pursuing sustainable innovation not just because its the best thing for the future of our world, but also because its the best thing for our business and our customers today. As the 451 Research report notes, sustainable operations are imperative to enable effective digital transformation and overcome disruption. To learn the other trends 451 Research identified as key drivers of transformation in 2022, read the report today.
MATTOON  Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System's employees stepped up during the past two years to overcome COVID-19 challenges that they never could have imagined previously, said Vice President for Operations Kim Uphoff.

Support shown by the community helped make it possible for these healthcare workers to continue serving area patients' needs throughout the pandemic, Uphoff said. That much appreciated support has continued with Sarah Bush Lincoln receiving the inaugural Mattoon Chamber of Commerces Award of Excellence, she said.

"We really feel the love of the community and that means a great deal to our employees," Uphoff said on Monday.

The Mattoon Chamber presented the Award of Excellence during its annual dinner Friday, during which it also honored Cromwell Group, Inc. radio with the Small Business of the Year Award and posthumously honored local historian Steve Thompson with the Citizen of the Year Award.

Jamie Rieck, who was president of the Chamber board in 2021, said during the dinner that the new award celebrates Sarah Bush Lincoln for being a healthcare provider and economic engine for the region since opening in May 1977, noting that the health system is preparing to mark its 45th anniversary. He noted that the health system has grown from 200 employees on an 80 acre campus with a single building to 2,723 employees on a 120 acre campus with five buildings, plus several satellite locations.

"Over the years, it has grown, changed, and morphed into a health system that addresses the majority of the critical health needs of an expansive community," Rieck said.

Rieck said this award also pays tribute to Sarah Bush Lincoln for meeting the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in recent years. He said the health system's employees went from making their own protective masks and gown when supplies were short nationwide at the beginning of the pandemic to eventually administering more than 25,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine and offering monoclonal antibody treatments.

"Employees worked long hours and they held the hands of patients offering comfort and compassion when family wasn't able to be there," Rieck said of COVID-19 quarantines.

Spencer said at Friday's event that she would like to dedicate the Award of Excellence to every single Sarah Bush Lincoln employee who stood with the health system during the pandemic.

Our employees did extraordinary things during an unprecedented and challenging time. Spencer said.

Regarding the other awards, Sarah Dowell, membership and community programs director at the Mattoon Area Family YMCA, said the Small Business of the Year Award honors Cromwell radio for its support of the St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital organization, the area One Stop Community Christmas, the YMCA and many other charitable causes.

Luci Englum, general manager with Cromwell in Mattoon, said their Nashville, Ind.-based parent company encourages all of its radio stations and employees to play active roles in their communities.

What makes the difference in local (radio) markets is what is in between the songs, Englum said. We thrive on ways to give back.

Sandra Graven, a member of the Mattoon City Council and a friend to Thompson, said the Citizen of the Year Award posthumously honors this historic preservation consultant, who died on July 22 at age 69, for serving as a volunteer and a mentor on a wide range of local projects. These efforts included helping to develop a women's suffrage exhibit with the Coles County Historical Society, leading archaeological digs at Allison-Cunningham Park, and creating a Civil War memorial at the Roundhouse Complex.

His passion for history and making the community better was contagious, Graven said. The award included a drawing of Thompson standing in celebration on the World War II tank that he helped refurbish at Peterson Park.

During Fridays dinner, the Chamber also recognized Katy Lytle as the Ambassador of the Year for her volunteer service with the Chamber of Commerce and welcomed Englum as the 2022 board president for the organization.

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VALPARAISO  After multiple delays and failed attempts to dismiss charges and move his case out of Porter County, former Porter County police officer Curtis Jones will face a jury beginning this week on charges of beating his infant son nearly six years ago, leaving the boy disabled and with a much shorter life expectancy.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday and nine days have been set aside for the trial by Porter Superior Court Judge Mike Fish.

Jones, who recently turned 52 and is now living in Florida, faces felony counts of battery resulting in serious bodily injury to a person less than 14 years of age and two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury. Each of the felony counts carry a potential sentence of three to 16 years behind bars.

He had worked as a county police officer from April 1996 through October 2005, Porter County Sheriff Dave Reynolds had said.

A doctor at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago said the child suffered "the worst brain injury I have ever seen," according to court documents. The doctors determined the injuries were consistent with being shaken and must have occurred July 24, 2016 when he was in the care of Curtis when his former wife and the boy's mother was at her overnight nursing job.

The child, Braxson Jones, was 6 months old when the alleged abuse is said to have occurred, and is now 6 years old. The boy's mother, Susan Jones, had in 2018 shared on social media the 911 call placed by Curtis Jones on the night in question.

Among her concerns was that Curtis Jones was casual enough during the roughly 13-minute call to chat and laugh with the dispatcher and tell her to "tell everyone I said hi" while his son makes noises in the background that Susan Jones, a registered nurse, said was agonal or was evidence of troubled breathing.

"They were talking like old friends," she said at the time.

Curtis also tells the dispatcher "to kill the Signal 10. I don't think the Signal 10 is necessary. I don't need no lights and sirens waking up the neighbors over here."

Earlier in the call, Curtis tells the dispatcher of his son, "It's just that he's cold and he's not waking up. That's just the weird thing."

At another point, he says of his son, "He's really stiff too."

Curtis said his wife, who was away at work, wanted him to call 911.

The latest defense team in the case  attorneys John Vouga and Nicholas Barnes  made a failed pitch last year to dismiss the case, arguing prosecutors failed to provide the necessary evidence to back up the charges.

The charges claim the offense occurred on or about July 24, 2016, but prosecutors say the injuries suffered by the child "'must have happened 'near' the time that Mr. Jones called 911," the motion to dismiss read. "The phrase 'must have' provides zero degree of sufficient certainty. Additionally, the word 'near' is equally vague and provides no certainty."

"There is no scientific test to determine when these injuries occurred, just guesses," the defense said. "As this Court is aware, our criminal justice system is not intended to convict individuals based on guesses, but rather facts."

The judge responded that state code has held since 1884 "that the time of the offense need not be pled perfectly unless time is of the essence of the offense."

Jones also made a failed attempt last year to move his case out of Porter County, arguing he will be unable to receive a fair trial locally as a result of prejudicial news coverage of the case and the disclosure of inadmissible evidence.

Vouga and Barnes took over the case in January 2021 from one attorney who died in 2019 and another who was disbarred a year prior.

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As we continue to feel the effects of a global pandemic and our planet sits precariously on the edge of another world war, some people are asking this important question: Why does an Oreo cookies cream stick to just one wafer when twisted apart?

MIT wants to solve the mystery. No, not a rapper known as The Notorious MIT. And no, not Mitt Romney, who enters the initials MIT into the Donkey Kong machine each time he gets a high score in the GOP game room.

The actual Massachusetts Institute Technology, a school I could not attend even if I earned 1,000 extra SAT points for spelling my name correctly, turned its collective brainpower toward Oreo cookies.

According to an April 19, 2022 news release, the research was supported in part by the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program, which makes we wonder if the Russians are secretly working on advanced cookie technology we need to counter.

From the news release:

When you twist open an Oreo cookie to get to the creamy center, youre mimicking a standard test in rheology  the study of how a non-Newtonian material flows when twisted, pressed, or otherwise stressed. MIT engineers have now subjected the sandwich cookie to rigorous materials tests to get to the center of a tantalizing question: Why does the cookies cream stick to just one wafer when twisted apart?

In reality, this isnt much different than other conversations that go on at many colleges and universities across the nation.

Dude, you know this Dorito is made up of molecules and stuff. What if each of those molecules was an individual universe with its own planets and junk. And if our universe was part of a grand Dorito  hey, thats the RA! Dude, I told you to put a towel under the door!

Back at MIT, the serious students were getting down to cookie business.

Theres the fascinating problem of trying to get the cream to distribute evenly between the two wafers, which turns out to be really hard, said Max Fan, an undergraduate in MITs Department of Mechanical Engineering.

You know what else is really hard? Realizing that when Max graduates he will immediately make twice as much money as I do because he went to freakin MIT and studied Oreos.

Way to go, Max! You made the right choice. Youre going to keggers, chasing brainy coeds and shoving free Oreos down your goozle while Im in the twilight of a doomed career with nothing but a cabinet full of stale knock-off Hydrox cream-filled wafers

Um, Im sorry, Max. Nothing personal, kid. Its just been a bad week.

Back to important Oreo research. Why does the cookies cream stick to one side rather than splitting evenly between both? The manufacturing process may hold the answer, according to the news release.

Videos of the manufacturing process show that they put the first wafer down, then dispense a ball of cream onto that wafer before putting the second wafer on top, said Crystal Owens, an MIT mechanical engineering PhD candidate who studies the properties of complex fluids and will also makes twice as much money as I do. Apparently that little time delay may make the cream stick better to the first wafer.

And there you have it. Another of lifes mysteries solved, thanks to the smart folks at MIT.

Scientifically, sandwich cookies present a paradigmatic model of parallel plate rheometry in which a fluid sample, the cream, is held between two parallel plates, the wafers, Owens said. When the wafers are counter-rotated, the cream deforms, flows, and ultimately fractures, leading to separation of the cookie into two pieces.

Yep, twice as much money.

Scott Hollifield is editor/GM of The McDowell News in Marion, N.C., and a humor columnist. Contact him at rhollifield@mcdowellnews.com.
Appalachian State and Wake Forest universities have been selected to participate in a Public Health AmeriCorps community initiative.

The nonprofit groups primary mission is to assist with developing volunteer community public health leaders, particularly among young adults.

Participants service begins in the fall and goes through the summer of 2023.

The goal is attracting and training up to 3,000 nationwide through an initiative that receives funding from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The overall program is part of a five-year, $400 million investment from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Wake Forest received $214,167 to find by the fall 15 part-time members in Forsyth County who will work to improve health knowledge and access to medical care for low-income individuals and families in North Carolina.

Participants will help conduct health outreach and education efforts, provide patient navigation services and build capacity for free health clinics.

Were very excited about this because we see it as an opportunity to impact the local community, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, and to connect with students who are interested in public health, Marianne Magjuka, executive director of Wake Forests Office of Civic and Community Engagement, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Appalachian State received $346,219 to help find 11 full- and four part-time members. The ASU grant covers 24 counties, including Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Watauga and Wilkes, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

According to AmeriCorps website, those ASU participants will have three primary efforts: leading the dissemination and implementation of psychological first aid intervention; recruiting and retaining medical reserve corps members to implement and sustain the Reflective Listening, Assessment, Prioritization, Intervention and Disposition interventions in western N.C.; and delivering pre- and post-emergency/trauma such interventions to organizations, including local health departments.

ASU and Wake Forest were the only North Carolina-based higher education institutions to receive money.

Altogether, there are 10 local and national groups providing assistance to AmeriCorps in N.C. sharing in a combined $12.5 million in funding.

Wake Forest students have until May 8, after final examinations, to apply for one of the 15 slots.

Participants will work closely with Shelley Sizemore, the OCCEs director of community partnerships and co-director of Wakes Public Health AmeriCorps program.

Besides the hands-on community work, they will be exposed to monthly professional development opportunities with public health and nonprofit leaders.

Magjuka said participants will be based at one of the universitys six partner sites: Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptists Uninsured Clinic; The Community Care Center; Forsyth Health Department; The Shalom Project Medical Clinic; The Twin City Harm Reduction Collective; and Winston-Salem State Universitys Mobile Behavioral Health Unit.

Each participant will complete 900 hours of service at a mobile health clinic, partnering with sites that are doing incredible work, and the members will be paid, Magjuka said. Those partners are serving individuals in areas the CDC has labeled highest vulnerability.

This initiative also enables our students to reflect on their career aspirations and determine whether they want to enter into a life of service.

Wake Forest has had an AmeriCorps VISTA program for many years, and this new Public Health AmeriCorps investment will expand the meaningful work already in motion, said Karen Dahl, AmeriCorps senior adviser for COVID-19.

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Controversial Winston-Salem Dr. Anne Litton White has closed her practice, fulfilling a N.C. Medical Board order to take that action or sell her practice by April 16 as part of the indefinite suspension of her medical license issued in March.

White had been the operator of Carolina Laser and Cosmetic Center in Winston-Salem since 2004.

Whites voicemail for the center says the office has been permanently closed.

However, the practices website was active as of Friday and did not indicate it is out of business.

The voicemail lists referrals for customers, which depend on what type of procedure they had been getting from Whites practice.

White asks customers who want their medical records to mail their request to the centers office. She said there would be a minimal copying charge, and the records would be available until May 4.

Its been an honor and a privilege to take care of you over the past 34 years, White said in the voicemail.

Customer complaints

Yet, it may take some time for former customers to resolve their financial and medical claims involving Whites practice.

The Winston-Salem Journal has received emails and phone calls from former customers concerned about whether they will receive reimbursement or a refund for payments made ahead of services.

The centers website says Whites booking fee for your personal treatment consultation is $110.

The cost of the booking fee will be deducted from the cost of your procedure if the procedure is performed within 30 days of the consultation. Please note: booking fees are nonrefundable. Booking fee for skin care only is $95.

Some customers told the Journal they plan to go to small claims court, while others are considering filing a lawsuit to get their money back.

The Medical Board referred customer inquiries related to reimbursements and refunds to Whites attorney.

Attorney Dudley Witt, who represented White before the Medical Board, did not respond when asked what former customers of Whites can do to get refunds or reimbursements for treatments and procedures that were not performed before the closing of the clinic.

The Medical Board did not respond when asked about whether it has received customer complaints since the March 16 order to require White to sell or close her practice.

We may not know what her current plans are, Medical Board spokeswoman Jean Brinkley said.

She doesnt have to tell us, necessarily, as long as shes not practicing medicine.

BBB recommendations

The Better Business Bureau of Central and Northwest North Carolina lists that Whites practice is closed for business and directs customers to the Medical Board for more information.

Whites practice was not BBB accredited. It lists two complaints against the practice, both for problems with a product of service.

The BBB website did not provide details of the two complaints, but only listed they had been filed within the past three years, and that one of the two had been closed within the past year.

The BBB did not comment about Whites practice in particular.

Instead, it said that for customers, if you paid ahead of time for medical treatment the business no longer provides, it seems the most ethical choice would be for the business to refund the money.

If you paid with a credit card, you should dispute the charge with your credit card company due to failure to receive goods or services. You can also file a complaint with BBB at BBB.org.

A search of the federal Bankruptcy Court website for Anne Litton White did not show any bankruptcy filings as of Friday.

If the business does not file bankruptcy, you could take the business to court, the BBB said.

Small claims would be the least expensive option because you can represent yourself. Small claims court handles disputes involving less than $10,000 in cash or property.

Background

The Medical Boards indefinite suspension of Whites medical license was issued at the conclusion of a Feb. 17-18 disciplinary hearing.

The board ruled that White must wait two years before asking for her license to be reinstated and that she must tell her patients about her practices status. That two-year period began March 17.

When asked why the 30-day wind-down period didnt begin Feb. 18, the board said in a statement that an indefinite suspension order is not in effect until it is in black and white and signed by both parties.

Board attorney Brian Blankenship said that because White is the sole shareholder of the practice, accordingly she must divest herself of her shares to another licensee or shut down the practice.

The board released its 10-page final report, as well as transcripts from the hearing.

The focus of the hearing was how White ran her practice between March 18, 2020, to May 25, 2020.

White told board investigators and a board-required monitor that her practice was one of the many businesses that closed under state order during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, former employees testified and provided documentation that White saw patients during that time.

White testified that before the COVID-19 pandemic, she would average between $120,000 and $150,000 in monthly billings during a typical March through May period.

The board also determined that White committed unprofessional conduct by failing to comply with a 2018 order under which she agreed to pay for outside monitoring of her practice.

That determination allows the board to annul, suspend, revoke, condition or limit Whites North Carolina medical license.

The board also said in the report the unprofessional conduct includes the committing of any act contrary to honesty, justice or good morals as it related to a separate complaint involving an insurance claim filed by White.

We thought, based on the evidence, we respect the boards decision, Witt said March 17.

Were disappointed in the outcome of the case. We will continue to look at options to get Dr. White back to practicing medicine as soon as possible.

It was the sixth time White has been subject to a board notice of charges and allegations, the others occurring in 2004, 2005, 2008, 2017 and 2018-20.

Before the Feb. 18 ruling, Whites license had been suspended for a combined 110 days since 2004, the last times from May 7-16, 2018, and from July 16-26, 2018.

Her practice had been operational since the second suspension ended.

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The world's most expensive lunch will go on sale again this spring when Omaha-based investor Warren Buffett auctions off a private meal to raise money for a California homeless charity one last time.

Buffett, Berkshire Hathaways CEO, held the lunch auction once a year for 20 years before the pandemic began to raise money for the Glide Foundation, which helps the homeless in San Francisco. The auction has been on hiatus for the past two years, but Glide said Monday  a few days before thousands of shareholders are expected to gather at this week's Berkshire annual meeting  that the event will be revived this year.

Every winning bid since 2008 has topped $1 million, and Buffett has raised nearly $34.5 million for the charity over the years.

Many of the past winners have been investors who admire Buffett for his remarkable track record of finding undervalued companies and stocks to buy for his conglomerate. But in the last auction, a cryptocurrency pioneer paid $4,567,888 in 2019 for the chance to dine with Buffett.

Buffetts first wife, Susie, introduced him to Glide after she volunteered there. She died in 2004, but the connection endured.

Buffett has said he supports Glide because they help people in difficult situations find hope again in life. Glide provides meals, health care, job training, rehabilitation and housing support to the poor and homeless.

The 91-year-old billionaire didn't immediately respond to questions about why he decided the end the auction after this year.

The weeklong eBay auction will begin June 12 with an opening bid of $25,000 and continue through June 17. The winner will get to bring up to seven people to eat with Buffett at the Smith & Wollensky steak house in New York City.

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Maroon 5 will return to Pinnacle Bank Arena on Aug 10.

The three-time Grammy Award-winning pop band, which includes Lincoln native James Valentine, had been slated to play its second arena show in 2020. But it was first postponed, then canceled because of COVID-19.

They canceled the entire tour, so this isnt a play-off date for a postponed show, said arena manager Tom Lorenz. This is on a pretty limited tour, 20 dates, or something like that.

One of the worlds most popular groups, Maroon 5 has sold more than 56 million albums and 330 million singles worldwide, earning gold and platinum certifications in more that 35 countries.

Last year, Maroon 5 released Jordi, its seventh studio album. The first single off that album, Memories, a ballad carried by Valentines clean guitar line, became Maroon 5s 13th top-10 hit of the past decade.

Valentine, a Lincoln Southeast and University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate, moved to Los Angeles with his Lincoln band, Square, in 2001. The next year, he teamed up with a band called Karas Flowers.

Changing its name to Maroon 5, the band toured behind its first album, Songs for Jane, for a couple years before the song Harder to Breathe became a top-10 hit and sent the band to multi-platinum, arena headline status.

Thanks to Valentines urging, Maroon 5 played Pershing Auditorium in 2005  It was the smallest place they played on their first big tour, Lorenz said.

The band returned to Lincoln for a sold-out arena show in 2016.

Tickets for the Aug. 10 show go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. at ticketmaster.com and on the Ticketmaster app. Tickets also can be purchased at the arena ticket office on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Two other arena concerts, New Kids on the Block on June 11, and Alan Jackson on Aug. 26, are now on sale. The arena has hosted five concerts this year: Eric Church, Ghost & Volbeat, Elton John, Snoop Dogg and George Strait.

Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.

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President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron.

Dear Mr. President,

I congratulate you on the occasion of your reelection as the President of the French Republic.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and France. The successful cooperation in the fields of economy, energy, including the exploitation of oil and gas fields, culture, education and in a number of other areas of mutual interest are among the primary factors preconditioning our bilateral relations. I believe that through our joint efforts we will continue this cooperation to the benefit of our peoples.

We hope that the French Republic, which is currently holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union, will support the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as drafting the peace agreement between the two countries on the basis of the five principles presented by us in order to ensure the lasting peace and stability in the South Caucasus.

I extend my best regards to you, and wish you success in your future activities.

Sincerely,

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 25 April 2022
I am a health care connoisseur.

I've survived one kind of cancer, gotten another kind and am trying to be a two-time survivor (so far, so good). I've been treated in most of Lincoln's major medical facilities and at the Mayo Clinic.

Nebraska health care providers adapted during pandemic The pandemic accelerated a shift to more outpatient or same-day surgeries and sped the expansion of telehealth, among other changes, Nebraska health care leaders say.

I've had chemo, radiation and more than 30 surgeries in the last six years. I've even got my favorite anesthesia and hospital gown style.

I've got firsthand knowledge of every step of the health care continuum, from a 911 call and ambulance ride to paying that final bill.

And let me say, I am big fan  of the medicine, the people who administer it and people who support them.

One of my children has severe respiratory issues. She's been rushed by ambulance, helicopter and jet to hospitals in Lincoln, Omaha and Des Moines, Iowa, when there were no beds closer to home.

The folks who have taken care of her  including the team that sat by her bedside 24 hours a day for days on end while a machine did the work of her lungs  have my eternal gratitude.

We all have our headaches  literal and figurative  but health care in the Heartland is something special. And it's something that's evolving all the time. That's why, starting today, we are pleased to launch Health Matters in the Heartland.

This monthly series is a collaborative effort between the Lincoln Journal Star and Omaha World-Herald and brought to readers with the help of presenting sponsor Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska and a group of monthly sponsors.

With each installment, we will look at an aspect of health care, how it's changing, the impact of COVID-19 and what consumers need to know. An in-depth story will be complemented by multimedia content, additional coverage and features online, and it will be gathered as the series progresses in a convenient, central spot online at journalstar.com/exclusive/health-matters.

Today we look at the forces that are driving care and costs after COVID-19. Next month we examine the changing landscape regarding mental health care. In future months, we'll look at topics such as technology, employment, virtual care and the challenges of delivering top-notch service to every corner of the state.

We couldn't do this without dedicated journalists and the support of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska and our other sponsors, and we are grateful for their help in telling these important stories about a profession in transition.

Understanding the changes and challenges, the people and the policy is critical, because no field touches us the way health care does. It is, quite literally, a matter of life and death. Thats why Health Matters in the Heartland.

Dave Bundy is editor or the Lincoln Journal Star. Reach him at dbundy@journalstar.com.

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As one lawsuit against the city of Lincoln ends in a settlement over an injury at the May 31, 2020, protest, another begins.

Kevin Scott, a 45-year-old Lincoln man, says he was struck in the face by a rubber bullet or other projectile shot by a Lincoln Police officer or Lancaster County Sheriff's deputy while outside the U-Stop, across the street from the Hall of Justice, where he'd gone that night to buy something.

The city hadn't yet been served with the lawsuit as of Monday morning and City Attorney Yohance Christie didn't immediately comment on it.

In another lawsuit connected to injuries sustained during the 2020 protests, the City Council learned Monday that the city will pay $497,500 to Elise Poole, who was injured by a rubber bullet that night.

Poole had participated in a Lincoln protest, like those across the country in the summer of 2020 following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minnesota.

His death, caught on video, sparked demonstrations. But, Scott's attorney, Vince Powers, said Scott wasn't one of them. He was simply walking down the street to go the store in his neighborhood to buy something when he saw the crowd, Powers said.

"The plaintiff was an innocent bystander, not engaged in any of the ongoing protest activities located at or near the U-Stop. The plaintiff was not a threat to anyone. He had stopped to observe the protest," Powers said in the lawsuit filed Friday against the city and county and the unknown officer or officers who struck him.

The night before, a largely peaceful protest turned into a chain reaction of vandalism, looting and arson that continued across the city for four more nights. It added up to nearly $3 million in damage, and led Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird to impose a curfew.

Scott was unaware of it, according to the lawsuit, and had been watching from a safe distance and had no warning before being shot.

Powers said law enforcement officers responded to the crowds by "indiscriminately using excessive force and aggressive dispersal tactics."

"Tear gas, flash bangs, pepper balls, and rubber bullets can all prove to be lethal weapons. These weapons are particularly dangerous when they are used incorrectly or without reasonable caution," the attorney said.

Powers said Scott underwent two operations within 48 hours and suffered a left jaw fracture and a complex cut to his lower lip and lost two teeth. His medical bills have added up to nearly $95,000 so far.

"The person or persons who shot (Scott) were not properly supervised, trained, nor did they make any attempt to determine that the plaintiff was not creating a disturbance, and was not a risk to any law enforcement persons or others," he alleged.

Powers alleged law enforcement's decision to shoot Scott violated his constitutional rights by restricting his freedom of travel, subjecting him to excessive force and violating his right to assemble and witness.

The lawsuit seeks compensation for Scott's past and future medical bills, as well as for his pain and suffering, and punitive damages.

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

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Residents of southwest Nebraska have been cleared to return home following multiple evacuation orders caused by continued fires in the area.

Residents of Cambridge, Indianola, Bartley and Wilsonville, along with communities in Furnas and Red Willow countries, were forced to evacuate Friday night, but were allowed to return home around 12:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

The evacuation order for Cambridge was reinstated shortly after due to a flare-up south of town, but was removed again around 8 p.m. Saturday.

Fires have now destroyed an estimated 130,000 acres -- stretching from the Kansas state line to an area near Harry Strunk Lake -- since sparking Friday, the Valley Voice newspaper reported.

People are still asked to avoid areas south of Cambridge and Wilsonville as fire crews from across the state continue to extinguish any remaining hotspots.

One person died and at least three firefighters have suffered injuries while fighting the fires, according to the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency.

Retired Cambridge Fire Chief, John P. Trumble, 66, was believed to have been aiding the evacuation efforts in rural Cambridge when his vehicle crashed and he was overcome by smoke.

Reach the writer at 402-473-2657 or jebbers@journalstar.com

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The Lancaster County Democrats passed a resolution urging the Lincoln City Council to rescind the so-called Fairness Ordinance, which has been in limbo since February when the council updated city code to extend protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

We had a two-hour-long discussion with folks on both sides making good arguments, said Hannah Wroblewski, chair of the Lancaster County Democrats. As a party we support protections for transgender and gender expansive families, but we need to make sure we are in the best position to win.

Its also important, she said, to make sure members of the transgender community are at the table during the discussion, and that their safety and mental health needs are addressed.

She said about 60% of the central committees members present Tuesday voted for the resolution. The group will send a letter to the council urging them to rescind the ordinance for now. The Nebraska Stonewall Democrats, a caucus that advocates for LGBTQ issues, passed a similar resolution.

The votes highlights the division about how to proceed with the ordinance since the City Council passed it and a well-organized Nebraska Family Alliance launched a successful petition drive to put the question on the ballot.

The ordinance broadly updates the city's Title 11, the portion of city code that deals with equal opportunity in employment, housing and public accommodation.

In addition to extending protections to include sexual orientation and gender expression, the ordinance updates language and reorganizes the section to clarify the process of the city's Human Rights Commission, adds military and veterans as a protected class and strengthens disability protections.

Protections for sexual orientation and gender identity, though, have been the flashpoint.

The successful referendum means the council can either put the ordinance to a vote, or rescind it. The Lancaster County Democrats, like others who have advocated rescinding the ordinance, support the ideology and would back reintroducing it at a later time.

There are other options: revising the ordinance, or  as happened in 2012  doing nothing.

A decade ago the council passed a narrower fairness ordinance that dealt only with gender identity and sexual orientation. After opponents mounted a successful referendum petition drive, the council neither rescinded it nor took it to a vote, and it had been in limbo since.

This time around, at least four of the councils seven members initially said they were ready to let voters decide. But the death by suicide of a transgender activist caused the council to pause.

Milo Winslow  who had been vocal about his concerns that opponents would target the transgender community  was the only transgender individual to testify in support of the ordinance. But before he died  just two days after the Nebraska Family Alliance announced theyd collected four times the number of signatures necessary to put the question on the ballot  he sent council members a letter asking them to rescind it.

In addition to the concern about opponents targeting the transgender community, Winslow and other transgender advocates had talked publicly about their concerns that the ordinance was ill-timed and that supporters werent adequately prepared to defend it at the ballot.

The path forward still seems unclear.

At least three council members  Tom Beckius, James Michael Bowers and Richard Meginnis  are considering rescinding the ordinance, though each said theyd still consider other options.

This is a tough situation and I dont know that Im any further along in figuring out our next steps than I was last month, Beckius said.

Jane Raybould, Sandra Washington and Tammy Ward all said they still think its important to move forward with a vote, though the timing and whether the support is there remains a question.

Bennie Shobe couldnt be reached for comment.

I think its still important, but Im just one vote, said Washington, who introduced the ordinance. I think this is a really critical issue for Lincoln. I still believe strongly that the protections offered under Title 11 are really important for Lincoln. I am frustrated by the massive amount of misinformation.

Raybould said she had just heard about the county Democrats resolution and wasnt ready to comment, but hasnt changed her opinion about wanting to let voters decide. Ward also said she wanted to move forward, but theres still a lot of discussion about timing.

Meginnis said hed support rescinding the ordinance as the best way to avoid a divisive campaign on both sides, though hes open to finding a compromise.

Bowers said the county partys resolution represents the hard conversations that have happened before and since the ordinance was introduced and passed. He said hes proud of the LGBTQ community  including trans and nonbinary members  for speaking up.

I appreciate that our community is having this conversation about how to move forward, he said. I cant speak to where the other council members are at, but Im ... putting the voices of transgender and nonbinary leaders in our community at the center of this.

Beckius said he appreciates the thought behind the county Democrats resolution but isnt convinced rescinding the ordinance is the right way to go. Still, its something he is seriously considering as the best path forward now.

I have yet to see a plan at this point and a path forward to winning," he said.

Beckius would also consider revising the ordinance to remove protections under public accommodation  a point of focus for opponents  but hes not sure how much support that would garner. It wouldn't include all the protections he and others want, but it would be something.

At the end of the day, is something better than nothing? Thats the question I ask myself.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSreist

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The Lancaster County public defender seeking a third term faces a primary challenge from another longtime attorney in the same office.

Joe Nigro, the public defender and a 38-year veteran of the office, faces a primary challenge from Kristi Egger, a deputy public defender who retired in January after 33 years in the office.

Both Nigro and Egger are Democrats and the winner in the primary will face Republican candidate Trevin Preble, a Lincoln attorney, in the November general election.

Nigro, 65, who grew up in Omaha and joined the Lancaster County Public Defenders Office after graduating from the NU College of Law, was elected public defender in 2014 and re-elected in 2018.

Egger, 59, grew up south of Lincoln, also earned her law degree from UNL and spent about a year as a public defender in Hall County before joining the office in Lancaster County.

The Democratic candidates agree on many issues: The importance of problem-solving courts and other reforms to get people the services they need and reduce incarceration rates; reforming the cash bond system that unfairly penalizes the poor and leads to excessive incarceration, and ending racial discrimination in the criminal justice system.

But they differ on what it takes to run the office, which represents clients who cannot afford an attorney.

Egger, who retired to run against Nigro, said her former boss is in the office only sporadically.

I believe that we deserve an elected public defender who is in the office full time, who mentors younger attorneys and trains them and works side by side along with the other attorneys, she said.

Part of that, she said, involves taking cases.

You cant see what judges are doing, what prosecutors are doing -- how theyre treating clients -- if youre not in the courtroom, she said. It fosters a sense of cooperation and oneness to have us all working together.

Nigro said he prioritized safety during the pandemic and allowed attorneys to work from home as much as possible, and he tried to set an example in that regard. Before the pandemic, he said, he was in the office regularly. Egger maintains it was an issue before the pandemic.

The administrative duties of the office make it impractical to carry a caseload, Nigro said, because issues that demand his attention would make it difficult to make clients his priorities  similar to the reasons a school principal doesnt teach classes.

Egger said that misses the point of building cooperation and teamwork.

Our job is to represent clients, and we cant do that if were not present in the office and helping out in court.

Nigro said while his top priority is to maintain the tradition of outstanding representation of clients, hes also an effective advocate for needed systemic changes.

Ive been able to use my experience and political skills to be an effective advocate at the county and state level to make systematic changes, he said. I feel Im very effective in that role. I think theres a lot more we can accomplish.

At the local level, he said, he convinced the Lancaster County Board to add social workers to the office who can get clients connected to treatment and therapy they need. That, in turn, he said, allows them to show the judge theyre addressing the problems that led to their arrest.

At the state level, he said, his ideas led to nine successful bills in the Legislature relating to criminal justice. He is a member of the Nebraska Supreme Courts problem-solving committee and chaired a subcommittee that developed standards for mental health courts. He said he also approached Lincoln Sen. Suzanne Geist about getting funding for mental health courts.

Funding for the first mental health court went to Sarpy County, he said, but he is determined to get a mental health court in Lancaster County.

Nigro, who has been involved in Democratic politics for years, was endorsed by a number of locally prominent Democrats, the longtime public defender who Nigro replaced when he retired, and the Douglas County Public Defender.

Being part of the solution to some of these issues is what excites me about serving another four years, he said. I think I still have something to offer.

Like Nigro, one of Eggers goals would be to get a mental health court in Lancaster County.

She said its important to advocate for systematic changes and she would testify before the Legislature on issues, which is more effective when you can offer real-life examples from spending time in court and regularly being in the office.

Over-criminalization and over-incarceration are all things we need to work on together, she said. We need to stand up for our clients and for the bigger issues that affect our clients.

For instance, she said, to get more people into diversion or problem-solving courts means working with the county attorney to relax the strict standards that office sets, which makes it hard for many people to get into such programs.

But being in the office is an important part of the job.

If you're not in the office you cant lead, she said.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSreist

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She met the two families in early January, just days after theyd fled Afghanistan and landed, 7,000 miles away, in the North Bottoms.

Linda Bryant was just checking in. The Panama woman owns short-term rentals, and the families were living there until Lutheran Social Services could find them permanent homes.

She was shocked by what she found. Which was almost nothing.

No coats, hats, gloves. No toys for the kids.

Bryant enlisted her network of friends and they got busy, collecting what the families needed, and what they wanted -- a TV, coffee table, rugs.

It wasnt that big of a deal; you do whats needed, she said. It just happened accidentally.

But there was still something missing. Bryant realized her two new adopted families had no reliable way of getting out of the house -- no way to get to a grocery store, or to a job interview.

I feel if we ask refugees to our countries and expect them to be self-sufficient, participating citizens, one of the first obstacles is transportation.

So she started searching for bicycles, and found the Lincoln Bike Kitchen.

She wasnt the only one.

Earlier this year, Jack McCarty reported for his first shift as a volunteer bike mechanic at the Lincoln nonprofit.

It kind of started out I was just going to help out, but after I got down there, I figured out, This is going to be great.

Bikes for sale The Lincoln Bike Kitchen gives away hundreds of bicycles annually, but the nonprofit sells some, too, to help pay its bills. And it will have its next sale May 7, with about 45 to 50 brand-name adult bikes ranging in price from $100 to $400. The sale, which includes bike baggage and higher-end components, starts at 9 a.m. and will continue until the bicycles are sold, likely by 11 a.m. The Bike Kitchen is at 1635 S. First St.

Heres why: In December, McCarty had started helping the communitys effort to settle hundreds of Afghan refugees. Lutheran Family Services has settled 281 refugees since late last years emergency evacuation, Catholic Social Services nearly 145.

And almost all arrived in Lincoln with only what they could carry.

The needs in this town are tremendous, McCarty said.

So, through his church, McCarty joined a team that agreed to co-sponsor a family.

First, they furnished the familys rental home, stocking their kitchen with enough food for two weeks. They provided clothing, and rides to the grocery store and to doctor offices. They taught refugees how to drive and how to sign up for benefits and how to navigate new lives in a new land.

It becomes a full-time job after a while. But they become your friends, they become family. Youre going to meet their needs no matter what.

And during his first visit to the Bike Kitchen earlier this year, he realized where he could meet one of those needs.

They didnt have any transportation. Thats when I started working with them to get bikes for people.

The all-volunteer Bike Kitchen is used to giving bikes to organizations, individuals and schools. Last year, it repaired, refurbished and donated more than 700 bicycles, many of them to children.

But something started changing late last year. A handful of helpers like McCarty and Bryant -- formal and informal sponsors of Afghan families -- began asking for bikes, too.

And of the 290 or so bikes theyve donated this year, more than 50 went to refugees, said volunteer Clayton Streich. Thats kind of a real rush. We never even kept that data before, how many were refugee-specific.

Most are adult bikes, with racks and milk crates for carrying groceries, but some have gone to refugee children, too.

And thats important, said Sharon Brodkey of Lutheran Family Services. For instance, she knows of a family of 11, with the children going to schools in different directions.

Bicycles, particularly for the kids getting to and from school, would be very, very helpful.

Word of the free bikes is spreading, intentionally and organically. McCarty had already delivered four bikes to refugees when he gave a pair of roommates a ride to a recent job fair.

Afterward, when they invited him in for tea, he realized the two -- both veterans, both with families still in Afghanistan -- were sharing a boys 20-inch BMX bike for transportation.

McCarty dropped his fifth Bike Kitchen bike at their apartment this week.

And Bryant has delivered about 15 bikes so far. New recipients are finding her. Shell drop off a load to one of her adopted families, and their friends and relatives -- also from Afghanistan -- will come out and see the bicycles, and make their own requests.

But if something as simple as a used bike can make them more independent, shes happy to help.

They want to work. They want to learn English. The bicycles are really a necessary part of that whole dynamic.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7254 or psalter@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSPeterSalter

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Japanese officials say the Ukrainian government has removed a photo of Japanese wartime Emperor Hirohito from a video showing him with Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini after Tokyo protested. They say Japans support for Ukrainians defending their country from Russia's invasion won't be changed by what they called an inappropriate portrayal of Hirohito, in whose name Japan fought World War II. The photos included the text Fascism and Nazism were defeated in 1945. Many Japanese on social media criticized Hirohito's inclusion as an insult and said Japan should stop supporting Ukraine. The Ukrainian government apologized and said it had no intention of offending Japan.
SCOTTSBLUFF  Banner County commissioners took the unusual step to censure the countys treasurer and assessor during the boards meeting last week.

What led to the vote was even more surprising.

On April 4, Treasurer Monty Stoddard, Assessor Bernice Huffman and county employee Caily Reece entered no contest pleas to amended charges of attempted public indecency.

The misdemeanor charges stemmed from a night of drinking alcohol and having sex at the county courthouse Dec. 28.

According to a statement read by Banner County Commissioner Bob Gifford during last week's meeting, commissioners had refrained from publicly commenting on the incident beforehand in order to afford those criminally accused ... the opportunity to have their cases proceed unimpeded by the making of extra-judicial comments or conclusions about these events and to ensure the presumption of innocence and other constitutionally guaranteed rights were not infringed upon.

Some two dozen community members packed into the courthouse in Nebraska's Panhandle, listening as the commissioners decided on the exact wording of the censure.

In the end, commissioners said, the pair not only displayed poor judgment but also failed to protect and preserve public property. It said Stoddard and Huffman engaged in conduct that was not only lewd, lascivious, inappropriate and reprehensible, but also offensive and disrespectful to the public, a betrayal of public trust unbecoming to Banner County elected officials.

But Gifford said the officials resignations would not be in the best interests of the county, and he disagreed with a recommendation that Stoddard and Huffman not run for reelection.

Thats not up to us, he said. I think thats up to the people of the county.

Currently, Stoddard and Huffman are running unopposed in this year's campaign cycle and a recall position isn't possible this close to an election.

Reece, the employee involved in the case, works in the office of County Clerk Lisa Cross. The commissioners said they could not take action regarding her employment; only Cross could do that.

After the board's vote, Stoddard apologized but said he didn't plan to resign.

Im not a quitter, he said. No one feels worse about the events of that night than I do. Im disappointed in myself. I have owned this. Im trying to move forward.

He said he apologized to his family and reached out to community members.

Im going to let 12 years (in office) and, hopefully, the future define me, not one night that was a bad decision, he said.

Community member Deborah Genz said shed lost all trust in Stoddard and Huffman.

Theyre well-grown, mature people, she told the board. Theres some things that fall in the category of a bad decision, but, for me, thats far beyond a bad decision. To me, its a blatant disrespect of this courthouse.

She said she was disappointed the commissioners had not publicly censured the officials earlier.

The misdemeanor charge is punishable by up to three months in jail, a $500 fine or both. As part of a plea agreement, the prosecuting attorney has agreed to request only a fine.

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The organizer of the online fundraiser said nearly $20,000 has been raised in just about 24 hours. The proceeds will go to the victims mother and are expected to support Bookers children.

Yogi Edwards, proprietor of Yogis Pudn, was a neighbor of Bookers for 20 years and started the fundraiser on her own initiative.

My community comes together in tragic situations and we give from the heart, she said, and we do not put any expectations on what we give.

The Racine Police Department identified the suspect in the case as Terry L. Jackson, 42, who supposedly has ties to Chicago. He has several warrants out for his arrest, including one for attempted homicide in connection to a previous attack on Booker and her friend in February.

The investigation began after Booker was reported missing before 9:30 a.m. Sunday. A crime scene was developed around the intersection of 13th Street and Villa Street.

Law enforcement is urging witnesses, or citizens with any information, to call Racine Police Investigator Lt. Friedel at 262-635-7761 or U.S. Marshals Service Task Force Officer Mike Seeger at 262-939-2437. Those who wish to remain anonymous may contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 262-636-9330, or through the Crime Stoppers app by using the p3 app.

Donations can be made via the smartphone application Cash App, to the account $Yogispudn.

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By Trend

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a telephone conversation with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the Communications Department of the Presidential Administration of Turkey said in a statement, Trend reports.

The parties discussed the events in Ukraine and issues related to the negotiation process.

The Turkish leader noted that the situation is becoming more and more sad every day, and stated the need to ensure the evacuation of the wounded and civilians from Mariupol.

According to Erdogan, Ankara is ready to provide all necessary support to the negotiation process, including mediation efforts.

Erdogan stressed that he positively considers the issue of becoming a security guarantor for Ukraine.
A Mount Pleasant couple has been federally charged for allegedly trafficking guns and drugs.

The defendants are Deandre L. Rodgers, 36, of Mount Pleasant, and Viridiana Garcia-Ramirez, 24, of Los Angeles.

In a Monday release from the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney Richard Frohling announced that the DOJ was charging Rodgers and Garcia-Ramirez with conspiring to violate the laws of the United States in ... dealing in firearms without a license ... making a false statement to a federal firearms licensee ... unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person ... distribution of a controlled substance ... using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime ... and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

According to prosecutors, the duo engaged in a conspiracy in which they would purchase guns from Wisconsin stores, then alter or obliterate the serial numbers on the guns and then sell those guns.

The release continued: As part of the conspiracy, Rodgers and Garcia-Ramirez purchased 11 handguns and 1 rifle from local gun stores between December 2021 and March 2022.

On April 5, federal agents reported executing a warrant on a Mount Pleasant hotel; inside Garcia-Ramirezs and Rodgers room, they said they found 29 bags containing crack cocaine, a pair of digital scales and $800 in cash, but none of the guns.

Rodgers is a felon and thus cannot legally possess a firearm.

Investigating the case was the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The case is to be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip T. Kovoor.

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SOMERS  The University of Wisconsin-Parkside has been selected as an education partner for Amazons Career Choice program. This transformational partnership paves the way for full-time and part-time Amazon employees in southeastern Wisconsin to receive college tuition benefits designed to upskill employees and help them move into higher paying career opportunities. Locally, the Career Choice program will impact employees at Amazons fulfillment centers in Kenosha.

UW-Parkside is proud to be the first University of Wisconsin System campus to announce its partnership with Amazon, joining more than 140 colleges and universities nationwide, including our local partners Gateway Technical College, Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) and the College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois, said UW-Parkside Chancellor Debbie Ford.

The initiative empowers hourly employees to learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere. The program is tailored to meet the needs of individual learners by offering a variety of education and upskilling opportunities beyond bachelors and associate degrees. Through technical college partners, students will have the opportunity to earn industry certifications designed to lead to in-demand jobs, and foundational skills such as English language proficiency, high school diplomas, and GEDs. After earning their certifications, students will have opportunities to continue their education journeys at UW-Parkside to meet their career goals.

For more information on Amazons Career Choice, go to aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/career-choice.

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CALEDONIA  Kevin Wanggaard wouldve done anything for his four grandchildren, ages from 9 to 21. This included teaching them to drive, riding the craziest carnival rides or bringing them to Kwik Trip for a snack at midnight.

They all knew that Grandpa was the one they could go to for anything, Wanggaards stepson Nick Keeran said. He literally never said no to them for anything at all.

The longtime member of the Caledonia Village Board and brother of state Sen. Van Wanggaard died Saturday night of an unexpected medical emergency. He was 61.

Friends and family are remembering him as loving, a family man, unique, dedicated to the community, and someone who valued smiling and joking around.

You wouldnt be able to find anybody that could say anything bad about him, Keeran said through tears. Hes left a huge hole in all of our hearts that will be impossible to fill.

Van Wanggaard said Monday he had heard from more than 100 people in the past 48 hours, all saying good things about his younger brother, who he also called his best friend. Kevin Wanggaard was the youngest of eight siblings; the other seven are all still alive.

Kevins death was out of the clear blue sky, Van said, adding that its a very surreal thing to think that your youngest brother has died  Im just trying to figure out: How do we pick up the slack? And thats really hard  He always gave of himself, a really high level of integrity.

Dedicated to Caledonia

Kevin retired from the Racine Water Utility in 2021; hed been spending time with family and working in the yard in recent months.

Keeran said that if it had to do with Caledonia, Kevin was involved. Relatives had often joked that family came first for Kevin, closely followed by the Fraternal Order of the Moose (i.e. The Moose Lodge) and the Village of Caledonia.

He served Caledonia in elected office for a total of 19 years. He was first elected to the former Caledonia Town Board as a trustee in 2003. He was re-elected in 2005 then elected as trustee No. 3 to the Village Board in 2006. He was re-elected to his position every election since.

He was the chairman of the Legislative and Licensing Committee and the I-794 Extension Committee. He was part of the Personnel Committee, Public Safety Committee and was the liaison for Real Racine. He had previously served on plenty of other village committees, commissions and boards.

He was a member of the Caledonia Historical Society and was the State Chair of Government Relations at the Fraternal Order of the Moose. He was a member of Racine Lodge No. 437, Loyal Order of Moose, and in 2019 received the Pilgrim Degree of Merit, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a member of the Loyal Order of Moose.

As a Board member representing the residents of Caledonia, it is my responsibility to do what I believe is in the best interest of the community as a whole, to further our growth and maintain public services while protecting our quality of life and preserving the areas within our borders, a statement from Kevin on the villages website reads.

Mike Rynearson of the Wisconsin State Moose Association called Kevin a great friend, mentor and brother in a Facebook post.

As Kevin sits in heaven, I hope he knows how much he was loved and how much he will be missed. My heart is broken that you left us so soon, but God has gained a special soul, Rynearson wrote. May Kevin rest in peace, I love you brother.

Keeran said Kevin was the dad in his life and the best husband, uncle, brother, cousin and the absolute best grandfather.

Kevin loved having the family together, especially for holidays  and everyone could always count on him to be taking selfies. It didnt matter if it was a large or small gathering, either: Kevin was the one snapping the group selfies.

Kevin taught Keeran what being a great person looks like, that you cant take anything for granted and you can always make the best of any situation.

Keeran said Kevin had so much love for everyone, especially for his wife, Sandy Keeran-Wanggaard.

He was everything to my mom, Keeran said. They didnt do anything without each other. They were the best of friends, besides partners.

Official comments

Village President Jim Dobbs said the village lost a great guy.

He was somebody who was dedicated to the village of Caledonia, Dobbs said. He always wanted what was best for the village and the good of all. I enjoyed my 12 years on the board greatly with him. He will be greatly missed.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, posted a statement on Facebook, saying he was instantly heartbroken to hear of Kevins death.

Kevin was a kind, wonderful man who will be truly missed, Vos wrote. RIP my friend.

Newly sworn-in Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman wrote in a post that she was at a loss of words since she heard of his death.

Im going to miss talking local politics, who has better sign locations and your hugs, she wrote.

Former Caledonia Trustee Ed Willing wrote on Facebook that he is remembering Kevin as a political and personal mentor, and someone who made you feel like you were the most important thing he was doing at the moment. He described him as unique lovable and fiercely loyal.

He never wanted to argue  doesnt mean he wouldnt  he wanted to come to common ground and understand, Willing wrote. He was committed to finding progress in what we did. When I was elected to public office to serve with him in government, he took me under his wing without being asked.

They exchanged long phone calls, and even when Kevin had to take another phone call, hed call Willing back. Willing said Kevin was always thinking, suggesting, laughing and had an answer for everything.

He took everything seriously, and yet never took himself too seriously, Willing wrote. Even when he was upset or revved up about something he was two seconds from a joke or smile.

Racine County District Attorney Tricia Hanson said Kevin gave his time and talents to the City of Racine, the Village of Caledonia, the Moose Lodge and so many others.

He will most certainly be missed in our community and missed even more so by his family, Hanson wrote on Facebook. Rest In Peace friend.

Adam Rogan of The Journal Times contributed to this report.

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KENOSHA  In recent weeks, Ukrainians around the world have worked to raise money and goods to send to their war-ravaged homeland.

On April 30, two Ukrainian-born Kenosha residents will offer art and T-shirts to bolster humanitarian efforts in Ukraine at an open house at DeBerges Framing and Gallery, 2008 63rd St.

Offered for sale will be pieces of traditional Ukrainian ribbon embroidery by Slava Buchkovich, and printed T-shirts from Annya Knautz.

Wearable art

For Knautz, its all about the children, particularly those in Ukraines orphanages.

Raised in an orphanage in Ternopil, a city about 73 miles east of Lviv, Knautz was adopted at age 9 by Kenosha residents Tim and Kathy Knautz.

Today, the 39-year-old is working to raise money for other orphans still living in Ternopil.

One of her fundraising projects has been the printing of T-shirts emblazoned with a handprint into which is set the outline of Ukraine.

She obtained the image from the internet and customized it. Next to the handprint are the words Pray for Ukraine. Printed on the back is John 14:18. The passage is, Never will I leave you an orphan, I will come to you,  Knautz said.

Knautz printed some of the shirts herself and the rest were produced by a local commercial printer.

Knautz acknowledges the importance of collecting medical and military goods for Ukraine, but says more can be done for the children still there.

And thats why Im doing what Im doing. I was an orphan, I was given a chance, why not give back what was given to me?

All of the proceeds from the sales of her shirts will go to the non-profit organization Orphans Future Ukraine.

Ribbon embroidery

Slava Buchkovich has been creating traditional Ukrainian ribbon embroidery since she arrived in Kenosha nearly 30 years ago. She had pieces displayed at the Kenosha Museum, sold them at art fairs and has taught the craft at area art galleries and craft stores.

Ribbon embroidery consists of painting flowers using thread, ribbon and yarn. The embroidered stitches range from miniscule flower buds to broad satiny petals, from three-dimensional roses, and thin wisps of wild grass to very perky daisies.

Most of the brilliant bouquets and floral fields are sewn onto black cloth. For display the pieces are mounted on boards and framed without glass.

Buchkovich taught herself the art of ribbon embroidery in the 1990s to help combat depression during the long term illness of her daughter Maria.

She had come to the U.S. in 1991 to find medical treatment for Maria, injured by the nuclear accident at Chernobyl in 1986.

We were looking for cure, but there was none to be found, she said.

Seeking a special school for Maria, they came to Kenosha in 1994. Marias condition deteriorated and she died in December 2020.

To get through the dark days, Buchkovich turned to ribbon embroidery. When I embroider I feel better, I feel my mind not so depressed. I do not know how to paint but I paint with my ribbons!

Recently Buchkovich created a field of multi-colored wild flowers with the word Bucha, embroidered in yellow and blue, the colors of the Ukrainian flag. She says it is a memorial to those who perished during Russian attacks on Bucha in March.

Ten of Buchkovichs works will be at the sale with proceeds going to Razom for Ukraine, a non-profit organization supporting humanitarian aid efforts.

In addition to ribbon embroidery, Buchkovichs on-sale crafts will include temari balls, a Japanese craft of colored threads wound around balls in geometric patterns and traditional Ukranian straw spider mobiles.

To assist in the fundraising efforts, the shop donated the cost of the framing of Buchkovichs pieces.

Fundraising with art

In recent weeks Buchkovich decided to sell her entire inventory of ribbon art to help those in her homeland.

Last month she went to DeBerges to have a piece framed and co-owner Barb Deberge-Henken suggested she sell her things at the shop.

Grateful for the opportunity, Buchkovich said, I came here and found these angels!

She chose us and we feel so lucky! Deberge-Henken said.

Shortly after that, Kathy Knautz, another regular customer, came in wearing one of Annyas shirts and Deberge-Henken asked her if Annya might want to sell the shirts there as well.

Any of the items not sold during the April 30 open house will remain at the store for sale, Deberge-Henken said.

Donations to Razom for Ukraine and Orphans Future Ukraine will also also be welcome.

I think its pretty awesome and were honored to do this, DeBerge-Henken said. You think, What do you do? What can you do to help? You can send money, but this another way to help.

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Business owner Tim Michels, the latest entrant in the crowded Republican gubernatorial field, said Monday he will not seek large individual donations and will refuse contributions from political action committees and lobbyists  underscoring that the millionaire plans to run a largely self-funded campaign.

Michels, 59, joins former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, business owner Kevin Nicholson and state Rep. Timothy Ramthun, R-Campbellsport, in the Aug. 9 GOP primary. The winner will face Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who is seeking a second term this year, in the general election on Nov. 8.

Today begins a new era in Wisconsin, Michels told a crowd of about 200 supporters, family members, Michels Corp. employees and others gathered inside a company maintenance building in Brownsville on Monday.

Enough of the political bickering, Michels said. Enough of the left and right not getting along. We need to bring people together.

In a Monday interview with WISN-AM, Michels positioned himself as a political outsider seeking to address weak leadership in Madison, similar to campaign stances already taken by Nicholson and Ramthun, who entered the race earlier this year.

The U.S. Army veteran, who registered his gubernatorial campaign on Friday and launched a television ad buy over the weekend, said he will never ask anyone for a donation and will limit individual contributions, which can be as large as $20,000 under state law, to no more than $500.

Im not going to owe anyone anything, Michels said. I dont give a rip about the lobbyists, the special interests, the PACs.

Michels is co-owner of Michels Corp., a family-owned international energy and infrastructure construction business. He last ran for office in 2004, when he lost to Russ Feingold in the U.S. Senate race.

Speaking with conservative radio host Jay Weber Monday, Michels confirmed he had recently met with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago and he would certainly welcome any support from the former president. Trump has not formally endorsed a candidate in the race.

Michels said he aims to turn Madison upside down in a campaign video posted online over the weekend.

The radical left, theyre destroying everything we love about America, Michels said. And too many establishment Republicans, theyre along for the ride. Im not some career politician, Im a self-made businessman who doesnt give a rip about the special interests or their money.

The candidates

Kleefisch  a former television journalist who served eight years as lieutenant governor under Scott Walker and who strategists say is the odds-on favorite to win the nomination  has primarily focused her campaign on unseating Evers.

Nicholsons campaign has included a focus on challenging what he has dubbed the Madison machine of established Republicans, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, who earlier this year urged Nicholson not to run while deeming Kleefisch the best choice to defeat Evers.

Nicholson ran for U.S. Senate in 2018, but lost in the Republican primary to Leah Vukmir, who went on to lose to U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison.

Ramthun, who has falsely claimed that Trump won Wisconsins 2020 election, has drawn praise from the former president, who called the state lawmaker in early December to thank him for his efforts to overturn the election, according to Rolling Stone. Trump has continued to falsely claim he won the 2020 election, despite recounts, audits and court decisions affirming that President Joe Biden defeated Trump in Wisconsin by almost 21,000 votes.

A February Marquette Law School Poll found that among likely GOP primary voters, 30% support Kleefisch, 8% support Nicholson, 5% support Ramthun and 54% have no preference. Half of respondents said they havent heard or have no opinion of Kleefisch, compared with 80% for Nicholson and 86% for Ramthun.

The other Republicans in the race have remained quiet on Michels since he entered the field, but Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said in a statement Monday the field of GOP candidates represents a case of quantity over quality.

Tim Michels is the fourth candidate to enter this mess of a nomination fight  and the Republicans still dont have a single candidate who isnt too divisive for Wisconsin, Wikler said.

Michels positions

Michels served on Kleefischs advocacy group, the 1848 Project, a nonprofit she launched in 2020 leading up to her gubernatorial campaign. The group put out a list of more than 50 policy ideas last year dubbed The Forward Agenda. They include a few that have riled up the partys base recently, such as banning critical race theory from classrooms and shifting responsibility for election rules from the Wisconsin Elections Commission to the state Legislature.

A lot of people have questions about the last election. So do I, Michels told Weber. We have to have, in Wisconsin, in any state, in the United States, fair and transparent elections.

Michels said he would also support GOP efforts to ban private funding for administering elections, expand private school vouchers and prohibit instruction about systemic racism. He also said he would back anti-abortion bills and efforts to limit firearm restrictions  measures Evers has adamantly opposed.

Michels also defended his previous stance on state labor laws, a topic that could result in GOP criticism as the primary election heats up. Michels Corp. was a member of the Wisconsin Contractor Coalition, which fought Wisconsins right to work law, which prohibits employers and unions from requiring the payment of monthly union dues by nonunion members at unionized worksites. The law was passed in 2015 under the Walker/Kleefisch administration.

Michels told Weber he supports right-to-work laws, but added he also works with unions. Michels Corp. is also a member of the Construction Business Group, which partners with International Union of Operating Engineers Local 139. The union launched ads in 2018 targeting Walker over the former governors level of transportation funding. The ads accused Walker of failing to properly address potholes, which were dubbed Scottholes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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DES MOINES, Iowa  Is it OK for free-range chickens to not range freely?

Thats a question free-range egg producers have been pondering lately as they try to be open about their product while also protecting chickens from a highly infectious bird flu that has resulted in the death of roughly 28 million poultry birds across the country.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that chickens be moved indoors to protect against the disease, but while some are keeping their hens inside, not everyone agrees.

John Brunnquell, the CEO of Indiana-based Egg Innovations, which contracts with more than 50 farms in five states to produce free-range and pasture-raised eggs, said any of his chickens in states with bird flu cases will stay in confinement mode" until the risk passes.

We will keep them confined at least until early June," Brunnquell said. If we go four weeks with no more commercial breakouts then well look to get the girls back out.

Bird flu cases have been identified in commercial chicken and turkey farms or in backyard flocks in 29 states, according to the USDA. Spread of the disease is largely blamed on the droppings of infected migrating wild birds.

The farms Brunnquell contracts with are in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Wisconsin, all of which have had at least once case of bird flu.

But some, like Mike Badger, the executive director of the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association, are taking a different approach.

Badger, whose Pennsylvania-based nonprofit group has about 1,000 members across the country, believes birds kept outdoors are at less risk of infection than chickens and turkeys raised amid thousands of others in large, enclosed barns.

We put them outside and they get in touch with the environment so I think they have a better immune system to be able to fight off threats as they happen, Badger said.

Research has not clearly proven significant immune system differences in chickens housed outdoors versus indoors. And Badger speculates that lower density of animals, air movement and less sharing of equipment and staff in pasture-raised operations may contribute to a lack of virus infections.

He said the decision whether to bring hens inside to wait out the annual migration of wild waterfowl is a farm-to-farm decision based on the comfort level with the risk acceptance.

Commercial outdoor flocks make up only a small percentage of U.S. egg production. About 6 million hens, or 2% of national flock, are free-range and about 4.2 million hens, or 1.3% of U.S. egg production, are from pasture-raised chickens.

Chickens are categorized as free-range or pasture-raised primarily by the amount of time they spend outdoors and space they are provided.

Free-range chickens typically must have at least 21.8 square feet (2 square meters) of roaming space outdoors and remain out until temperatures drop below around 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 1 Celsius), according to the American Humane Association, which certifies egg operations. Pasture-raised chickens typically must have 108 square feet (10 square meters) outdoors each and remain outside most of the year except during inclement weather.

The certifying organizations have protocols for high-risk situations and allow for temporary housing indoors  a time period not specifically defined  once a farm documents an outbreak near an outdoor flock. Certification agencies monitor farms to ensure they dont use bird flu as an excuse to keep birds inside too long.

Brunnquell said none of his farms had infections during the last big outbreak in 2015, and he hasn't had any cases this year.

Farmers in Europe have been dealing with the bird virus longer than those in the U.S., with cases reported as early as last December.

The United Kingdom has ordered free-range hens to be housed inside to protect them from the avian flu, and that has forced changes to how those eggs are labeled in stores. Free-range packaging is still used but must be marked with an added label of barn eggs, according to a communications representative for the British Free Range Egg Producers Association. Each egg also is stamped with a No. 2 that denotes barn rather than No. 1 for free-range.

For U.S. consumers, it means the free-range eggs they buy at a premium price could come from a chicken being temporarily kept inside. But producers say they think people who pay more for pasture-raised or free-range eggs have animal-welfare concerns and don't want the chickens to be endangered the virus.

Brunnquell also noted that the certification agencies monitor farms to ensure they don't use bird flu as an excuse to keep birds inside too long.

Eggs of all kinds have grown costlier recently thanks to bird flu concerns and a national spike in food costs.

Last week, prices for conventional eggs increased by 40 cents per dozen to $1.47 while cage-free egg prices rose 3 cents to $2.40 per dozen, according to the USDA. Organic eggs, which are from chickens required to have access to the outdoors, were selling for a national average of $4.39 a dozen last week, up from $3.65 the week before.

The price of eggs used by bakeries and other food products soared to a record high on April 8.

So-called breaker eggs, which will later be broken by processors and sold in containers weighing up to 50 pounds, peaked at $2.51 per pound, said Karyn Rispoli, egg market reporter for Urner Barry, a New Jersey-based food commodity market research and analytics firm. Many of the egg layers that have died from bird flu were on farms contracted to provide breaker eggs used as food product ingredients, Rispoli said.

Bird flu likely will remain a problem for at least several more weeks as migrating waterfowl will remain on the move in the Mississippi Flyway until June. In the past, warmer weather and the end of migration brought an end to bird flu cases, allowing turkey and chicken farmers to begin the monthslong process of replenishing flocks and resuming production.

Associated Press writer Courtney Bonnell contributed to this report.

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Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Cloudy early, becoming mostly sunny this afternoon. Near record high temperatures. High near 95F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low around 75F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph.
By Azernews





Baku's Nasimi district police office has seized 4 kg of drugs and a firearm from 14 people involved in drug trafficking in the capital in the past 10 days, the Interior Ministry reported on April 25.

Elvin Mammadov and Nail Bakirov, who were involved in drug trafficking, were detained with a large amount of heroin, one Nagan pistol, and six cartridges as a result of the search operation. About a kilogram of heroin was discovered during a personal search of Nail Bakirov.

During other operations conducted by the Nasimi district police office in the said period, 12 more drug traffickers were apprehended in Kubinka, Papanin, and other areas of the capital.

These individuals were arrested with large amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, and electronic scales. According to the investigation, each of the detainees obtained drugs online from drug dealers living in other countries whom they met on Instagram.

According to the investigation, several of the inmates even established an opium den in their homes for drug addicts.

The suspects accepted the drug courier offer made by the capital's drug dealers in exchange for monetary gain. The investigation revealed that some of the detainees also ran an opium den in their homes for drug users.

The information gathered about the detainees was sent to the Nasimi district police department's investigation department. A court decision remanded them in custody. Other members of the drug network, of which the aforementioned individuals were members, are being detained.




1. Yes. If inflation remains high and interest rates rise, the economy will be a major factor.

2. Yes. If the nation goes into a recession, it will be the issue on the minds of most voters.

3. No. Inflation will likely moderate by then; if so, the economy wont be a major issue.

4.No. All the turmoil involving Russia and Roe v. Wade will probably take center stage.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say how the economy will play with voters at this point.

Vote

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KEARNEY  An Arapahoe liquor distillery wants to be among vendors when the Kearney Farmers Market resumes in a few weeks at Hilltop Mall.

Long Dogs Distillery of Arapahoe produces a variety of spirits, according to the companys website, and would dispense those products at the farmers market.

According to a memo from Kearney City Clerk Lauren Brandt to the Kearney City Council, which meets on Tuesday, a 2021 Nebraska statute makes it possible for Nebraska craft breweries, micro distilleries and farm wineries to sell their products at farmers markets.

Long Dogs application lists 2-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays as hours of operation at the farmers market.

Part of this license becoming valid requires approval of a permit from the local governing body, following issuance of the license by the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission, Brandt wrote to the council.

She said Long Dogs contacted her on April 13 to indicate the distillerys interest in participating in the farmers market.

In response to Long Dogs interest, Brandt said a local permit application and local permit have been created that will be sent to the liquor license holder after the Liquor Control Commission provides a copy of the license to the city clerks office.

The liquor license holder must complete the local permit application and return to the city clerks office for final processing, Brandt said. The city clerks office will then process the permit application, and as long as the application is complete, a local permit will be generated and provided to the liquor license holder at no cost.

The city clerks office then will notify the liquor commission of approval of the local permit. The Kearney Police Department also will be notified.

Brandt concluded her memo to the council by saying city staff recommends the council approve the permit for Long Dogs Distillery.

The council meeting is open to the public and begins at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers at City Hall.
KEARNEY  The University of Nebraska at Kearneys Center for Entrepreneurship and Rural Development hosted its annual Light It Up! celebration April 14 in Discovery Hall on campus.

The event included an awards ceremony, keynote address from freelance copywriter and The Curtain and Pen owner Lauren Bonk and presentation from the Cultivate student organization, which assisted Pioneer Village in Minden through a grant-supported community project launched this year.

This is always one of my favorite evenings filled with entrepreneurial energy. It is a privilege to recognize the efforts of business professionals, said Lisa Tschauner, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Rural Development. Entrepreneurship and innovation are key components to sustaining our economy in central Nebraska. Having moments like this to raise awareness and support those efforts is important to the College of Business and Technology at UNK.

Award winners, selected for their business contributions and successes in the Kearney area, are:

Student Entrepreneur  Nathan Murray, a UNK senior and owner of Murray Marketing.

Emerging Entrepreneur  Dusty Birge, owner/founder of Snappy Workflow. Hes also a UNK graduate and Big Idea Kearney finalist.

Excellence in Entrepreneurship  Kirk Zeller, founder of the Silicon Prairie Center, co-founder of Progressive NEURO Inc. and an award-winning filmmaker.

Entrepreneurship Advocate  Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce and President/CEO Derek Rusher.

UNK Entrepreneur Alumni  Dan Williams, a 1993 graduate of the industrial distribution program, owner of Williams Enterprises and founder of Titan Tools.

The Light It Up! celebration is sponsored by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Rural Development and UNK College of Business and Technology.
A Bellevue man sought counsel from two California priests the day before and the day of his arrest in connection with the deaths of his two children.

Its not clear whether Adam Price, 36, went to confession or just approached the priests at their parishes in the San Francisco area, but the Bellevue man apparently made incriminating statements, according to court filings.

Prices attorney, Sarpy County Public Defender Tom Strigenz, has asked a judge to not allow any testimony about the conversations. Strigenz cited California law that prohibits disclosure of any privileged communications between a priest and a penitent. A penitent is defined as a person who repents their sins or wrongdoings and seeks forgiveness from God.

Price is charged with two counts of first-degree murder on allegations that he smothered his daughter, Emily, 5, and son, Theodore, 3, inside 2716 Alberta Ave. in Bellevue. Price and the childrens mother, Mary Nielsen, shared custody of the children  Nielsen was in Illinois at the time of their deaths and became concerned when she could not reach Price or her children.

Price first approached a retired priest, the Rev. Ulysses DAquila, at St. James Catholic Church in San Francisco on May 15, 2021.

He then traveled about half an hour south to the San Pedro Valley and approached the Rev. Jerome Foley at St. Peters Church in Pacifica, California, on Sunday, May 16, 2021.

Both conversations are protected under California (law) and therefore the communication is presumed to have been made in confidence and the State has the burden of proof to establish that the communication was not confidential, Strigenz said.

Later that same Sunday, a family friend  prompted by concerns from Prices ex-wife  discovered the childrens bodies inside Prices Bellevue home.

Sarpy County District Judge George Thompson has not ruled on the defenses request to prohibit any testimony about Prices conversations with the priests. Thompson did grant the defenses request to apply California law to the case.

Both California and Nebraska have similar clergy-privilege laws that typically prohibit the use of private conversations between a pastor and parishioner.

The priests conversations may not be critical to prosecutors case. Bellevue police allege that Price made incriminating statements after they flew to California to interview him.

Price had been set to go to trial last month, but the trial was delayed at the defenses request. No new date has been set.
Ten-year-old Iliana (Lily) Peters was found dead Monday morning, according to Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matthew Kelm, and the missing persons case is now being pursued as a homicide investigation.

During a press conference Monday afternoon, Kelm said Peters body was found at 9:15 a.m. near the Duncan Creek Trail in downtown Chippewa Falls. She was a fourth-grader at Parkview Elementary School.

No suspect is currently in custody, and the Chippewa County Coroner confirmed the deceased body to be that of Iliana Peters. More information will be made available as it becomes available.

At 9 p.m. Sunday, the Chippewa Falls Police Department was contacted by Lilys father who advised that Lily had not returned home from a visit to her aunts house in the 400 block of N. Grove St.

Officers learned that Lily was last seen by family members in the evening. She was supposed to be heading home to the 50 block of E. Birch St. Officers and family checked the area and contacted family and friends, but she was not located.

After dark, officers learned that a bicycle believed to belong to Lily was located in the woods a short distance from her aunts residence near the walking trail between the end of N. Grove Street and the Leinenkugels brewery parking lot.

K9 teams from the Chippewa County Sheriffs Department and the Lake Hallie Police Department were called in to search the area Sunday night. Also, the Chippewa County Sheriffs Departments drone was used to search the wooded area.

Law enforcement and fire/EMS search teams searched this area and conducted door to door canvassing overnight.

The Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation was contacted and, at that point, the incident did not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert.

As this is an active investigation, this is all of the information that can be provided at this time.

Anyone with information contact the Chippewa County Dispatch Center at 715-726-7701 Option 1.

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The Vernon County Dairy Youth Fund is pleased to announce two $1,000 scholarships have been awarded to Trista Rumppe, Westby, and Ty Harbaugh, Coon Valley, who are active Vernon County dairy youth that will be continuing their education and pursuing a career in the agricultural industry. Both have been very involved in the dairy industry at the local, state and even national level.

Rumppe has been an active member of the Springville Super Stars 4-H Club, Westby FFA Chapter, and the Westby High School being involved in numerous activities from the concert, jazz, and a capella choirs, to the concert, jazz, and honors band and musical theatre to serving as a class officer. In her agricultural and dairy activities, she has been a 4-H dairy project member showing at the Vernon County Fair since age 9, showing at the Viola Horse and Colt Show, a member of the Westby FFA Dairy Judging Team, and attending National FFA Convention and World Dairy Expo. This fall, Rumppe will be attending UW-Stevens Point where she will double major in soil science and geospatial sciences. Her future career plans are to work in government or the private sector in the field of agriculture helping farmers with planting, managing invasive species, elevation, and other areas of soil science. She hopes to return to Vernon County someday and help the agricultural industry that has shaped her into the person she is today.

Harbaugh found his passion for the dairy industry by being involved in 4-H, the Westby FFA Chapter, Vernon County Jr. Dairy Club, the Wisconsin Holstein Association, Wisconsin Jr. Jersey Breeders, and the Wisconsin Guernsey Association. He has been involved in a multitude of dairy youth activities such as the Vernon County Day of Dairy, farm tours, Wisconsin Jr. State Fair, Vernon County Fair, World Dairy Expo, Wisconsin Holstein Association District and State Shows. He has also been a member of the Jr. Holstein Dairy Quiz Bowl teams, 4-H Dairy Judging winning the state contest as a junior member, FFA Dairy Judging and was named the Vernon County Outstanding Holstein Boy. This fall, Harbaugh will attend Southwest Technical College and major in Ag Power and Equipment with plans to open an ag mechanic shop to repair farm equipment or start a custom farming business. Harbaugh also plans to continue to raise show heifers and improve his herds genetics.

The Vernon County Dairy Youth Fund was formed to provide financial support to enhance the dairy youth development and activities of all dairy youth involved in Vernon County 4-H, FFA, and junior dairy breed organizations. These scholarships are being awarded due to the generosity of Vernon County individuals and businesses 27 years ago when the fund was established as well as through 50% of the proceeds from the Cheese of Champs Sale and past Champion Dairy Ribbon sales held during the Vernon County Fair.

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The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, the Saudi Export and Import Bank (Saudi EXIM Bank), and the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises (Monshaat) have announced the signing of a tripartite MoU to launch the KSA SME Development programme.

Supporting the objectives of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, the MoU provides a framework for cooperation on the development and implementation of programs to support enterprises and SMEs in Saudi Arabia.

The SME program will be designed to increase non-oil exports through trade finance facilities and capacity-building initiatives for enterprises participating in the Program. In addition, the Program will also look to increase the readiness of financial institutions to fund SMEs in the kingdom, said the statement from ITFC.

Present at the signing ceremony were Dr Majid bin Abdullah Al Kassabi, Minister of Commerce and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Monshaat, Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saudi EXIM Bank and Dr Mansur Muhtar, Vice President, Country Programs of the Islamic Development Bank.

The MoU was signed by Engineer Hani Salem Sonbol, the CEO of ITFC; Engineer Saad bin Abdulaziz Al-Khalb, the CEO of Saudi EXIM Bank; and Engineer Saleh Al Rasheed, Governor of Monshaat.

On the agreement, Al Khalb said: "I am extremely pleased to sign the MoU with ITFC and Monshaat. The diversification of the alternative economy through exporting more Saudi non-oil products is a strategic objective of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030."

"The MoU is completely aligned with Saudi EXIM Bank's efforts to enhance cooperation with relevant government and private agencies in the Kingdom. By working closely with our partners to develop the SME program, the Bank will increase international finance and credit institutions support in diversifying financing products and innovate financial and credit solutions for SMEs," he stated.

Sonbol said ITFC places a high importance on meeting the SME Development Program objectives and we are therefore extremely pleased to sign the MoU with our distinguished partners, Saudi EXIM Bank and Monshaat.

"The Program, which is aligned with the Kingdom's Vision 2030, will offer significant support to SMEs, who represent enormous growth potential. As the Kingdom looks to increase SME contribution to 35% of GDP by 2030, supporting SMEs in trade finance and trade development will be essential to meeting this goal," he added.

Al Rasheed expressed delight at partnering with the Saudi EXIM Bank and ITFC in supporting the development of the Saudi SME sector.

"The agreement framework will focus on building a growth environment for entrepreneurs and SMEs through the provision of supportive services and initiatives that aim to support and facilitate business practices, increase the adoption of technology and innovation, while improving access to finance," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
When the La Crosse Task Force to Eradicate Modern Slavery folded in the fall of 2020 under the strain of the pandemic, individuals and other groups quickly stepped up.

Today, the La Crosse community has a loose-knit but still growing ensemble of activists. Their mission: shed light on the complex web of modern day slavery.

First Free Church of Onalaska entered the anti-trafficking fray almost a decade ago when two church members witnessed firsthand the plight of trafficked women in Thailand. The visit resulted in the churchs Set Me Free shop, a boutique selling items made by women rescued from the trafficking industry.

Momentum slowed, however, until recently. About a year and a half ago things really took off, said pastor Dave Konkol, who heads up the Stop Human Trafficking team at First Free.

These women really got things done, he said, referring to the four who anchor the team. It was Gods timing. said Konkol. Each one of the volunteers seemed to find her niche.

The issue is so overwhelming, said Laura Scovell, a nurse who works at Western Technical College, but you just take a piece out of the puzzle and say, This is what I can do.

Amoreena Rathke, a teacher with the La Crosse School District, agreed. Its such a huge topic, it touches so many aspects of our society and culture; that makes it so overwhelming.

They went on to point out that statistics dont often reflect the depth of the trafficking problem.

Not only is trafficking obscure, but it often appears as domestic violence or kidnapping. Additionally, under Wisconsin law, minors swept into trafficking are sometimes charged with prostitution, though that law is currently under review.

Rathke, along with Scovell who is training to be a certified advocate for victims of trafficking, conducted a trafficking awareness module for an audience of nearly 200 at a recent Western Wisconsin Education Conference.

Rathke noted that teachers are often the first to see changes in students and nd that a common source of trafficking is through individuals who kids already know.

We had lots of feedback, people wanted to get involved, said Rathke. Most people had never heard of it and were interested.

Recently, the First Free team sponsored a pornography awareness night in an effort to warn how pornography affects the brain and endangers relationships. Looking ahead, the group will host an anti-trafficking event on June 17 featuring Rebecca Bender, nationally known speaker and author as well as trafficking survivor.

The group also launched a youth trafficking team made up of middle and high school students. The junior teams first public event will be a run/walk along with games on June 18.

Konkol also publishes a monthly newsletter compiling the latest information on local and national trafficking issues as well as resources. The free subscription can be obtained by contacting davekonkol@firstfree.org and asking to be placed on the mailing list.

Another group pushing back against trafficking is headed by Sister Marlene Weisenbeck, formerly of the La Crosse Area Task Force. She and the other Franciscan Sisters have partnered with the U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking.

The group provided educational support for several local survivors, funded a school for trafficking survivors in Swaziland and helped defray expenses for First Frees June 17 event.

Student involvement

Campus Crusade for Christ International (Cru), a student-led organization at UW-La Crosse, added an anti-human trafficking component to its outreach, bringing the rock band Remedy Drive to campus.

The bands mission seeks to raise awareness to the trafficking problem. The concert was one of a five-concert tour funded by Portico Church in Oshkosh.

A lot of people dont realize its happening in our community, said Madie Sherman, event team leader and education major from Eau Claire. Our goal was to invite the community and students to do something. Nothings going to change if we dont mobilize.

Rock music and grainy giant-screen images of Thailands red light district kept the roughly 150 students on their feet through most of the concert as they came face to face with the corrosive effects of trafficking.

Lead vocalist David Zach, who also works undercover with overseas law enforcement, is just as much preacher as performer. You were created with a life to live, what will you spend it on? he challenged the audience. Afterward, a student remarked: Im not used to bands having a message like this. People need to know this.

Chip OBrien of La Crosse noted how the concert altered his worldview. Going into the field of education, it opened my eyes to the impact of these issues. We never get to hear the stories of the people, he said. And it will touch his classroom as well. Just being able to teach students and show them every day to be grateful for the small things in life.

While the stagehands cleared the stage, David Zach mingled with the students. This is why I like these kids, he said, surveying the crowd. No ones told them they cant make a difference.

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In the small town of Caledonia, there lies a building that everyone in the community knows: Sno-Pac Foods.

Sno-Pac began in 1900 in a way that people might not expect  as a lumber business. But not only did J.P Gengler have a lumber business, he also sold ice from a nearby pond.

The ice would be distributed all over the country, being stored in ice houses before being shipped off. The business started to find the identity its known for today once refrigeration became available, by machine that is.

Around that time, there was also a world war raging, which affected the Genglers operations. Everyone was asked to produce more food for the war.

Suddenly, there was an influx of produce heading to Fort McCoy for soldiers. The product would be packed in ice from the local pond almost like snow, remarked Peter Gengler, who is part of the fourth generation of Genglers to own Sno-Pac.

Peter recalled how the business would take product at first to local restaurants after the war, keeping it on a smaller scale before the organics boom of the 1970s. He added that as the organics industry grew, so did Sno-Pac.

Nowadays, Sno-Pac delivers its produce across the nation; they can be purchased in their own bags and are also included in ingredients of multiple household brands sold to other manufacturers. Its main distribution, however, still lies here in the Midwest.

And while vegetables are their top trade, Sno-Pac also sells hay. Peter acknowledged that hay is a huge part of farming, as they farm 2,500-3,000 acres with a hilly topography. The hay is able to help not only with weed control, but also with covering the crops when the weather turns cold.

Peter emphasized that being family run has been important throughout Sno-Pacs operational years.

He said he always figured his kids would grow up and eventually run the business themselves. And that they have, as Zach is in charge of the farm department and Seth takes charge of the processing at the facility.

Peters main responsibilities revolve around the farm, looking over fields for when harvesting season comes around, as well as sales and purchasing.

He has also made a point of continuing to make Sno-Pac visible to the surrounding communities, as well as Caledonia, remarking that there are some people who will visit their facility for the first time. But of course, when a business is around as long as Sno-Pac has been, the community notices and is appreciative.

Peter reciprocated that appreciation, saying that the community of Caledonia is home for him and his family, as it has been for many generations. He added that with Caledonia being such a small town, almost everyone in Caledonia has worked at Sno-Pac in some way, shape or form.

He called the community a big family and acknowledged that they have been very supportive for 120 years.

And over those 120 years, there is still one thing at the heart of what Sno-Pac does: family. Peter said that they were organic before organic was cool, and he wasnt ready to be the one who lets that legacy change, not as long as he could help it.

To learn more about Sno-Pac, visit http://www.snopac.com/index.htm.

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Currently serving as the Harry J. Olson Senior Center on the North Side, this building at 1607 North St. has a long history. The arrival of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad line (CB&Q) in 1886 established North La Crosse as a major regional rail hub.

The CB&Q built a depot, some shops, and roundhouse on the east edge of the North Side and added this club house and dormitory for railroad employees in 1887. Originally, the building was a 2.5-story brick building that showcased typical Romanesque Revival elements of late 19th century commercial buildings. Then, in 1930, the railroad sold the building to the Bethany Evangelical Free Church, who made the buildings first major alteration in 1951. The second story was removed and replaced with a gable-roofed half story and a steeple. In the 1970s, a single-story addition was added so the building could serve as a senior center.

Join the La Crosse Public Library Footsteps bike tour to learn more about this and many more buildings in La Crosse. Visit lacrosselibrary.org/events to sign up today. Anyone with more information about this photo or wishing to donate photos of the Coulee Region may contact the La Crosse Public Library Archives at (608) 789-7136 or via email at archives@lacrosselibrary.org

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The first Bacon Fest takes over Loggers Field in La Crosse on Saturday, and tickets are sold out.

The River Valley Media Group has partnered with Festival Foods, Farmland Bacon and Copeland Park & Events Center to bring Bacon Fest to La Crosse on May 7.

A highlight of the event will be the official Bacon Eating Contest, sponsored by Festival Foods and Farmland Bacon. Fifteen contestants will compete to see who can consume the most bacon in five minutes. The winner will receive a trophy, and bragging rights as the first-ever Bacon Fest Bacon Eating Champion.

VIP and general admission tickets are sold out.

General admission gates open at 1 p.m., and ticket holders receive one free sample from all food vendor booths.

Food vendors will gather at Loggers Field, offering samples of their best bacon dish or overall bacon in this family friendly event, with trophies awarded to vendors in each category. There will be a Fans Favorite division, as voted on by all attendees as well as a Judges Choice in each category as voted upon by a panel of local judges.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called for compromise in negotiations to replenish the states unemployment insurance trust fund and to pay frontline worker bonuses during his fourth State of the State address on Sunday.

Legislative leaders are deadlocked on the unemployment insurance issue, causing an automatic tax increase on employers statewide after lawmakers missed a March 15 deadline. Walz implored the joint session of the Legislature to find common ground in the last weeks of the session and provide relief for those workers and businesses.

We have the resources to do it and we can move Minnesota forward in a bipartisan matter so I would ask, if we're getting close to a compromise on this, let's finish this deal and let's finish it now, Walz said. We have an opportunity to get money back in people's pockets. We can compromise on how we do that.

Senate Republicans want to use $2.7 billion to refill the trust fund. But House Democrats have tied that to a $1 billion proposal to give $1,500 checks to frontline workers who braved the pandemic, up from $250 million agreed to by both sides last year that wasnt doled out.

Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman told reporters after the address that negotiations between legislative leaders have been more productive in recent weeks and she remains optimistic they can reach a deal by April 30, which is when tax payments are due for employers.

The Democratic governor said the state is strong and moving forward after a challenging two years, thanking ICU nurses, long-term care staff, first responders and teachers, among other groups, for getting the state through the worst of the pandemic.

Walz also highlighted portions of his proposed supplemental budget plan, which includes direct payments of $500 to single filers and $1,000 to joint filers that hes dubbed Walz checks." His proposal also includes a $2.7 billion infrastructure package, in addition to tax cuts for lower- and middle-class taxpayers, paid family and medical leave and increases in education and public safety spending.

Walz's annual address was the last before he faces a stiff challenge from Republicans in the November election and his first in the House chamber since the pandemic started. In 2020, Walz taped a shortened version from the governors mansion in St. Paul, and he delivered last year's address from a classroom at Mankato West High School, where he taught before he was elected to the U.S. House.

During the final stretch of the legislative session, which adjourns May 23, lawmakers will have to figure out how to use the state's $9.25 billion budget surplus and more than $1 billion in federal pandemic funds. The divided chambers remain far apart on spending and policy items. The GOP-controlled Senate is pushing for permanent income tax cuts, while House Democrats are seeking targeted tax credits and increases in spending.

In a video earlier Sunday, Republican Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller, of Winona, reiterated the GOPs priorities heading into the end of the session, which include public safety proposals to hire more police officers, Parents Bill of Rights education legislation and cuts to taxes on income and Social Security benefits.

GOP House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, of Crown, said the governor's proposal would give back a miniscule" one-time payment back to taxpayers, urging permanent, ongoing tax relief.

I would challenge the governor to be more ambitious because I think with the resources we have we can invest back in Minnesotans who grow our economy and we can then grow our state in a meaningful way, he told reporters.

Associated Press writer Steve Karnowski contributed to this report.

Mohamed Ibrahim is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
This story has been updated.

HOUSTON (AP)  A Texas appeals court on Monday delayed the execution of a woman amid growing doubts about whether she fatally beat her 2-year-old daughter in a case that has garnered the support of lawmakers, celebrities and even some of the jurors who sentenced her to death.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted a request by Melissa Lucio's lawyers for a stay of execution so a lower court can review her claims that new evidence would exonerate her. It was not immediately known when the lower court would begin reviewing her case.

Lucio had been set for lethal injection on Wednesday for the 2007 death of her daughter Mariah in Harlingen, a city of about 75,000 in Texas' southern tip.

The execution stay was announced minutes before the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles had been set to consider her clemency application to either commute her death sentence or grant her a 120-day reprieve.

Lucio's attorneys say her capital murder conviction was based on an unreliable and coerced confession that was the result of relentless questioning and her long history of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. They say Lucio wasn't allowed to present evidence questioning the validity of her confession.

Her lawyers also contend that unscientific and false evidence misled jurors into believing Mariah's injuries only could have been caused by physical abuse and not by medical complications from a severe fall.

Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz, whose office prosecuted the case, has said he disagrees with Lucio's lawyers' claims that new evidence would exonerate her. Prosecutors say Lucio had a history of drug abuse and at times had lost custody of some of her 14 children.

Here's an earlier explainer of the case:

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Ten-year-old Iliana (Lily) Peters was found dead Monday morning, according to Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matthew Kelm, and the missing persons case is now being pursued as a homicide investigation.

During a press conference Monday afternoon, Kelm said Peters body was found at 9:15 a.m. near the Duncan Creek Trail in downtown Chippewa Falls. She was a fourth-grader at Parkview Elementary School.

No suspect is currently in custody, and the Chippewa County Coroner confirmed the deceased body to be that of Iliana Peters. More information will be made available as it becomes available.

At 9 p.m. Sunday, the Chippewa Falls Police Department was contacted by Lilys father who advised that Lily had not returned home from a visit to her aunts house in the 400 block of N. Grove St.

Officers learned that Lily was last seen by family members in the evening. She was supposed to be heading home to the 50 block of E. Birch St. Officers and family checked the area and contacted family and friends, but she was not located.

After dark, officers learned that a bicycle believed to belong to Lily was located in the woods a short distance from her aunts residence near the walking trail between the end of N. Grove Street and the Leinenkugels brewery parking lot.

K9 teams from the Chippewa County Sheriffs Department and the Lake Hallie Police Department were called in to search the area Sunday night. Also, the Chippewa County Sheriffs Departments drone was used to search the wooded area.

Law enforcement and fire/EMS search teams searched this area and conducted door to door canvassing overnight. The Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation was contacted and, at that point, the incident did not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert.

As this is an active investigation, this is all of the information that can be provided at this time.

Anyone with information contact the Chippewa County Dispatch Center at 715-726-7701 Option 1.

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Union Square House (USH), a multi-billion-dirham real estate brokerage in Dubai, is set to launch the first metaverse mansions in the MENA region this year.

The initiative comes at a time when Dubais public and private sectors are at the forefront of Web3 adoption, a statement said.

The adoption of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in Dubai has been snowballing. The real estate sector is considered one of the primary beneficiaries, standing first in line to benefit from Web3 applications, which run on the blockchain technology using decentralised, peer-to-peer networks.

According to recent market data, real estate sales in the metaverse reached $500 million in 2021, and the sales volume is expected to double in 2022. The metaverse real estate market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 31% from 2022 to 2028.

Leveraging Dubais investor community and a relatively young population, which is characterised by high levels of familiarity and comfort with the concept of virtual worlds and its prospects, USH plans to develop and sell ultra-luxury digital properties as NFTs, with or without their physical twins.

Most recently, Dubai World Trade Centre launched MetaIncubator, the first metaverse incubator in the Middle East. The Ministry of Economy has hosted the worlds first economic summit, Investopia Investment Summit, in the metaverse. The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) has also developed a new metaverse platform, allowing people to access medical care and receive health-related support virtually. Within the private sector, Dubai-based metaverse startup Eikonikos has recently raised $2 million in pre-seed funding.

Gaurav Aidasani, Founder & Managing Director, Union Square House (USH), said: Our foray into the metaverse stems from our strong belief in a prevalent virtual world that is set to transform many sectors, on top of which is real estate. In the long term, owning virtual assets such as real estate will benefit those with access to the Metaverse, leaving others behind. In futuristic cities like Dubai, which thrives on a predominantly young generation, people understand the value and potential of digital assets.

In addition to ownership, investing in digital mansions allows buyers to view their properties in augmented reality form, and interact with other users and digital neighbours.

We believe digital real estate has already gone mainstream. A number of lenders are even offering mortgages to support customers in buying virtual properties. All these developments give fresh momentum to digital properties, presenting investors in the metaverse with an opportunity to multiply the value of their virtual assets over the coming few years, Gaurav added.

The consistent growth of the UAE economy and the nations remarkable response to the pandemic bolstered Dubai's global appeal among investors, residents and visitors. The positive sentiment and market appeal continue to attract investors, not least those investing in virtual worlds.

USH has recently claimed the number one spot as the most awarded real estate agency in Dubai. The company received the Top Real Estate Agency award from Emaar Properties for the past 10 years in a row, Dubai Properties (seven consecutive years), Meraas Properties (two consecutive years), RERA (2021), Dubai Holding (2021), and Damac Properties (2021). Other notable awards include Majid Al Futtaim (First Performing Partner for 2021), Nakheel (Top Performing Number Two Agency for 2021) and District One Meydan (Number One Agency for 2021). - TradeArabia News Service
UAE-based business conglomerate, the Damac Group is set to embark into the world of the metaverse and build its own digital cities, becoming one of the pioneers in the GCC to do so.

It is the parent company of global property development company Damac Properties, data centre firm Edgnex, luxury jeweller de-Grisogono and fashion house Roberto Cavalli. The Group plans to invest a capital up to $100 million for the project.

The group will be run under the banner, D-Labs, and will be led by Ali Sajwani, the CEO of D-Labs and Damac General Manager.

The initiative forms part of the company-wide ambitions to move into digital assets and non-fungible tokens (NFT), and in his new role as CEO, Sajwani has been tasked to deliver the organisations goal of being a leading global digital brand.

On the strategic move, Founder Hussain Sajwani said: "In an attempt to mold to the progressive trends of business, we are expanding our offerings into the metaverse realm to avail of the many opportunities it presents. We are keen to pioneer the possibilities that the metaverse offers in ways which allow us to be more connected and involved with our customers and their interests."

"Over the past two years we have been aggressively driving our digitisation efforts, and this new initiative into the metaverse will only further leverage our digital footprint," remarked Sajwani.

Since last year, the groups real estate arm, Damac Properties has been offering home buyers a 3D virtual experience that utilises virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology.

This is a stepping stone into the metaverse realm, considered to be a digital universe made up of VR, AR and extended reality (XR) that refers to all real-and-virtual combined environments and human-machine interactions generated by computer technology and wearables where users can get the feel of living an experience.

"As well as updating our systems, processes and operations across departments, we have been investing in building a strong team of skilled and talented experts to help support our ambitions of being a digital leader," stated Sajwani.

Through this move, Damac Group hopes to branch out its services to cater to the needs of the entire Group when it comes to digital assets  ranging from virtual homes, digital property, as well as digital wearables, and digital jewellery through the companys acquisitions of Swiss jewellers de-Grisogono, and Italian fashion brand Roberto Cavalli, respectively.

"Digital experiences is also part of the offering, where guests will be able to get a virtual treat of the Mandarin Oriental Resort Bolidhuffaru, which is part of the Groups hotels, resorts and serviced apartments portfolio," explained Ali Sajwani.

"We plan to continue this exercise, and expand our team and know-how," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Between huge almond farms and dairy fields in the heart of Californias farm country sits a property under redesign. Engineers are seeking to return the land there to what is was like 150 years ago, before dams changed the flow of its rivers.

The 1,100-hectare property sits on land where the Tuolumne and San Joaquin rivers meet in the states Central Valley. It is being recreated as a floodplain. Floodplains are areas where rivers often overflow from heavy rains. They are home for whole ecosystems.

The Dos Rios Ranch Preserve is Californias largest single floodplain rebuilding project. It is part of a larger national effort to reconsider how rivers should flow as the climate changes. The land it covers used to be a farm. But the owners sold the farm to the nonprofit River Partners to use for a wildlife habitat.

Californias government wants to do similar projects that lower risks to property and also lead to things like improving the water supply. By removing dams, rising rivers can flow onto land that no longer needs to be kept dry.

It's giving new life ecologically but in a way that's consistent with, complementary to, the human systems that have developed over the 150 years since the Gold Rush, said Julie Rentner. She is president of River Partners.

The Central Valley covers about 51,800 square kilometers. It is an agricultural powerhouse. It makes up about one percent of the nations farmland but produces 25 percent of the nations food. More than 250 crops grow in the area. It also is home to about one-fifth of all groundwater pumping in the U.S.

A flood in the 1860s demonstrates the possibility for disaster. But the state's population and farm production quickly grew through the 20th century. The government built huge new water redirection systems. The water supplies supported people and farms, and the dams protected cities and crops.

The dams generally cut off rivers from their natural floodplains. As climate change causes temperatures to warm, mountain snow can fill rivers much faster, increasing the flows so much that dams fail.

Floodplain recreation can help. For projects like Dos Rios, land that farmers no longer want to use is being turned into space where rivers can overflow.

California officials began centralizing valley flood planning ten years ago. In 1997, major storms caused flood barriers to break throughout the valley, including on the Tuolumne River. Nine people were killed and more than 20,000 homes were destroyed. Total damage costs in the area reached $2 billion.

Officials have updated the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan. It details ways to lower flood risk and protect the 1.3 million people who live on floodplains.

Dos Rios is one of 17 floodplain projects identified by the state. Four have been completed since 2013. Three projects are active and 10 more are proposed. They have cost $300 million so far. Money has come from local and federal resources.

Dos Rios is an amazing example, but we need like 30 more of those, said Jane Dolan. She is chair of the Central Valley Flood Protection Board.

Similar projects are taking place around the country. The Biden administration has proposed at least $1.75 billion in an infrastructure bill for projects aimed at reducing flood risk.

Just as climate change is making Californias dry periods drier, it is also expected to make the wet periods wetter. The state experienced major rain and snowfall in December. Then, it experienced its driest January through March on record.

One of the things that drives me crazy about California water is that decision makers want to talk about floods in flood years and droughts in drought years, said Barry Nelson. He is a water control expert who worked on the Dos Rios project.

Since the 1850s, 95 percent of the historical wetlands and river habitats in the Central Valley have been destroyed.

The property Dos Rios sits on was most recently a dairy. Its owners began discussing a possible sale to River Partners for conservation in the mid-2000s.

River Partners has planted fourteen kinds of woody trees and other plants designed to appeal to native species. The group said the habitat supports the Aleutian cackling goose, which used to be listed as an endangered species. Dos Rios is also home to the riparian brush rabbit, chinook salmon, steelhead trout, the yellow warbler, and the sandhill crane.

Supporters of such projects would like to see them built faster in California and beyond. Rentner, of River Partners, said there is general agreement on the value of recreating floodplains. But there are also debates over costs and other issues that can slow work down, she noted.

In the complex world of California water, floodplain recreation stands out, expert Barry Nelson said.

In this sort of ocean of disagreements about water policy, about all these other issues, he said, flood control policy has seen broad support.

Im Caty Weaver. And Im Ashley Thompson.

Caty Weaver adapted this story for VOA Learning English from a report by The Associated Press.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

habitat -n. the place where a plant or animal grows or lives in nature

consistent -adj. always the same

complementary -adj. serving to make whole or improve something

powerhouse -n. a person or thing of unusual strength or energy

infrastructure -n. the system of public works of a country, state, or region

drive crazy v. to upset, frustrate or anger someone

drought -n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain

species -n. a class of things of the same kind and with the same name

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Many university students in the United States thought they would get through the final weeks of the 2021-2022 school year without another COVID-19 restriction.

That is no longer the case for some.

Major universities in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Texas recently put pandemic restrictions back in place. Many are once again requiring face coverings.

In Washington, D.C., Howard University moved its classes back online.

At Rice University in Texas, leaders told students to cancel any large parties.

These and other rules come about three weeks before many universities hoped to hold graduation events without restrictions.

Another year of restrictions

For some students, it is the third straight year of COVID-related restrictions.

Nina Heller is a third-year student at American University in Washington, D.C. When the school year started last August, she said many people thought were nearing the tail end of the pandemic. That didnt quite happen, Heller said.

Most universities removed mask-wearing requirements earlier in 2022, after the fast spread of the Omicron variant ended. But a new version of Omicron is now spreading, especially in the northeastern part of the U.S. The new variant is known as BA.2.

For a short time in April, the city of Philadelphia brought back mask requirements. Universities there, including Temple and the University of Pennsylvania, followed along. While Philadelphia removed the mask requirement, the universities kept it in place on campus.

At Williams College in Massachusetts, some professors permitted students to come to class without masks beginning in April. But after less than a week, the university put a new requirement in place.

More students sick

Kitt Urdang is a third-year student at Williams. Urdang said many friends are getting sick. Urdang said they were dropping like flies. Theres definitely been a lot more uncertainty in recent days, the student added.

In Washington, D.C., Howards campus was quiet last week. Students studied for their final exams and took classes from home. The number of COVID-19 cases in D.C. increased by 100 percent in April. The university has not said if it will change plans for graduation, set to take place May 7.

Lia DeGroot is a student at George Washington University, also in D.C. She said she never stopped wearing her mask and that returning to face coverings is a relatively small thing to do.

More than just masks

Other universities, such as Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, are asking students to take COVID-19 virus tests two times a week. At New Mexico State University, students are now required to have a COVID-19 vaccine by July 1 instead of showing a negative virus test each week.

Anita Barking is a leader of the COVID-19 task force for the American College Health Association. She said the pandemic is still with us. She said that even if students would like it to be over, that is just wishful thinking.

But many students are thinking that way.

Neeraj Sudhakar is working on an advanced degree in engineering at Columbia University in New York City. Sudhakar said most students there are vaccinated. The student said: I think we just need to move on with the pandemic and treat it as endemic rather than going back to what we were doing the past two years.

Im Dan Friedell.

The Associated Press wrote this story. Dan Friedell adapted it for VOA Learning English.

Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page.

Words in This Story

graduation  n. the act of receiving a diploma from a school or university

tail end n. the last part of something

variant  adj. different from others of the same kind

campus  n. the buildings that make up a school or university

drop like flies  expression. used to describe something that is happening quickly and in large numbers, related to a sickness or death

negative  adj. not showing the presence of a germ or infection

endemic  adj. common or existing often
As the war in Ukraine continues, millions of refugees have fled across the borders and millions more have been displaced. Many have forgotten another at-risk group in Ukraine since the war started. This group is the elderly, or people who are over age 65. This group of people is one of the most vulnerable in Ukraine.

People like 71-year-old Vladimir Lignov. He remembers that on March 21, 2022, he went outside. A shell hit his home in Avdiivka, an industrial center in eastern Ukraine, and then he lost his arm.

Lignov was first treated in a hospital in Myrnorad where the fighting is continuing. The doctors there said he should come back after a week for more treatment. At the hospital in Dnipro where Lignov is currently staying, they said that he should come back in three days.

He said that he can still feel his arm. Although he is safe now at a refugee center, he is confused.

"I don't understand what's going on. Maybe it's better if I just go to the graveyard. I don't want to go on living," Lignov said.

Federico Dessi is the Ukraine director of the organization Handicap International. This group provides equipment to the elderly and disabled and will provide financial support to the refugee center in Dnipro, Ukraine.

Dessi said that elderly people are forgotten and very vulnerable during times of war. Not including physical health, they need other types of care that are not easy to access.

"(They are) cut off from their families (and) sometimes unable to use telephones or communicate, Dessi said.

Olga Volkova is the volunteer director for the Dnipro refugee center. It houses up to 84 residents. Most of them are elderly.

"The hardest are the people who spent long stretches in cellars. A lot of people were left on their own. We helped them before the war, but then they were left to fend for themselves, Volkova said.

Aleksandra Vasiltchenko is an 80-year-old ethnic Russian from Ukraine. She spent several weeks alone in her three-room apartment in the eastern city of Kramatorsk before she escaped. She is one of the luckier ones. Her grandson came to pick her up from the Dnipro home.

"I was hiding all the time in the bathroom. I was constantly crying. I was imprisoned in my own flat, Vasiltchenko said.

Zoya Taran also considers herself lucky despite her health problems. Her son left a career in music two decades ago to take care of her.

"I am that elderly babushka. My son is my eyes, my hands and my legs. I have nothing on my own, she said as she smiled.

She did not leave in the beginning of the war, but as the Russian attack moved closer to Sloviansk, Taran decide to leave.

"Why do we need this war? What do they want from us?" she said as she cried.

Based on Ukrainian governmental numbers, Handicap International states that approximately 13,000 elderly or people with disabilities have come to the Dnipro area since the start of the Russian invasion. Other centers have also offered shelter to the elderly from the east.

Yulia Panfiorova is 83 years old and is from Lysychansk in the Luhansk region. Russian forces have attacked that area. She is one of the 30 new arrivals to a center where there are almost 100 people already.

Panfiorova, who cannot hear very well, said that she was very frightened by the sounds of shelling. Three shells were so close to her home that her windows broke.

She has lived through three wars: World War II, this current Russian invasion and the 2014 fight between the Ukrainian army and the pro-Kremlin rebels.

"Lysychansk was freed from the Nazis in 1943. I remember how we returned home. Of course, I have some memories about it. They were Nazis. Then our country was invaded, and now our country has been invaded by a foreign state. Then the freedom of our state was at threat. Now it is the same. We should fight... But the war is so scary, Panfiorova said.

Agence France-Presse reported this story. Faith Pirlo adapted it for VOA Learning English.

____________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

vulnerable  adj. weak, helpless exposed

confused  adj. unable to understand or think clearly

graveyard  n. a place where dead people are buried.

cellars  n. the part of a building that is entirely or partly below the ground

flat  n. an apartment

fend  v. to protect of defend

imprisoned  v. to be held in a jail or prison

babushka  n. a grandmother

What do you think should be done to help Ukraines most vulnerable citizens like the elderly? Write to us in the Comments Section.
After making a visit to Ukraines capital, Kyiv, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters Russia is failing in its war aims in the country.

Blinkens comments came after he traveled to Kyiv with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The two men spoke to reporters Monday in Poland after crossing the border from Ukraine. In Kyiv, they met with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy and other officials for about three hours.

The trip by Blinken and Austin was the highest-level visit to Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. The two officials announced the U.S. had promised Zelenskyy more than $300 million in additional foreign military aid and about $165 million in ammunition.

The latest aid brings the total amount of American military assistance to Ukraine to $3.7 billion since the invasion began.

About the meeting with Zelenskyy, Austin told reporters, He has the mindset that they want to win, and we have the mindset that we want to help them win.

Austin said the nature of the fighting in Ukraine had changed. Russia has moved from forest areas in the north to the countrys eastern industrial heartland called the Donbas. Because of this change, Ukraines military needs are now centered on tanks, artillery and other military equipment, he added.

The first step in winning is believing that you can win," Austin said. "We believe that they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support, and we're going to do everything we can ... to ensure that gets to them.

Blinken said the meeting presented the chance for him to personally demonstrate our strong ongoing support for the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people.

He added that U.S. policies concerning the war in Ukraine have produced real results so far. These include providing military assistance to Ukraine and cooperating with U.S. allies to put strong economic and political pressures on Russia.

When it comes to Russia's war aims, Russia is failing. Ukraine is succeeding, Blinken said. He added that Russias main aim has been to totally subjugate Ukraine, to take away its sovereignty, to take away its independence. But that effort, Blinken said, has failed.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba praised Blinken and Lloyd for visiting Kyiv. Asked whether the new aid announcements went far enough, Kuleba said that as long as Russian soldiers put a foot on Ukrainian soil, nothing is enough.

We appreciate everything that has been done, including by the United States, Kuleba said. He added: We understand that, for some, what has been done is already a revolution, but this is not enough as long as the war continues.

On Monday, President Joe Biden announced his nomination of Bridget Brink to serve as the American ambassador to Ukraine. Brink is a Foreign Service officer who has served since 2019 as ambassador to Slovakia. She held posts in Serbia, Cyprus, Georgia and Uzbekistan as well as with the U.S. National Security Council. The position requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

The choice of Brink to serve as ambassador takes place as American diplomats prepare to return to Ukraine this week. U.S. officials have said they plan to reopen the U.S. embassy in Kyiv. For now, the Associated Press reports, it remains closed.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

subjugate  v. to defeat people or a country and rule them in a way that permits them no freedom

sovereignty  n. the power of a country to control its own government

appreciate  v. to enjoy and recognize the full worth of something
President Joe Biden is crediting the assembly line workers at a Javelin missile plant for doing lifesaving work in building the antitank weapons that are being sent to Ukraine. He says the missiles are stifling Russias invasion as he is making a pitch for Congress to approve $33 billion so the U.S. can continue to hustle aid to the front lines. Bidens Tuesday trip to the Alabama factory that makes the Javelin weapons system is drawing attention to a growing concern as the war drags on: Can the U.S. sustain the cadence in shipping vast amounts of arms to Ukraine while maintaining the healthy stockpile it may need?
Firefighters were taking advantage of higher humidity and calmer winds Monday to work toward containing a wildfire in rural southwestern Nebraska that has killed one person, injured at least 15 firefighters and destroyed at least six homes, an official said.

Jonathan Ashford, spokesman for the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team, told The Associated Press that more than 80 firefighters, emergency management personnel and others were helping fight the fire, known as the Road 702 fire. It had burned nearly 65 square miles in Red Willow, Furnas and Frontier counties by late Sunday.

Officials initially reported the fire was spread over more than 78 square miles of mostly rolling rangeland, but Ashford said aerial mapping Sunday gave a more accurate size of the blaze.

The fire that began last week has been fueled by tinder-dry conditions and days of strong winds.

More favorable weather Monday had firefighters scrambling to dig trenches and create other breaks along the blaze's perimeter, Ashford said.

Tomorrow, we expect higher winds to return, so time is of the essence," he said.

In addition to the growing number of firefighters turning out to fight the blaze, the effort also has a couple of helicopters available to make water drops, he said.

By late Sunday, the fire had destroyed at least six homes and threatened 660 others, along with 50 commercial or farm buildings, Ashford said.

A retired Cambridge fire chief who was helping as a fire spotter in Red Willow County died Friday night after his truck went off the road in a blinding haze of smoke and dust. The body of John Trumble, 66, of Arapahoe, was recovered early Saturday.

Trumble was the second person in a month to die while fighting a wildfire in southwest Nebraska. Elwood Volunteer Fire Chief Darren Krull, 54, was killed in a collision with a water tanker April 7 in Furnas County as smoke cut visibility to zero.

Fires have been reported in 14 Nebraska counties since Friday, including Perkins, Dundy, Burt, Butler, Scotts Bluff, Cheyenne, Deuel, Blaine, Cherry, Brown and Thomas counties, leading some small towns to be temporarily evacuated. Those fires were either extinguished or mostly contained by Sunday.

The region remains critically dry, said Ashford, who urged residents to use caution when doing anything that could spark a fire.

The last thing we need is to have another fire started that we have to then fight, he said.
A new extremely powerful and intelligent electric manipulator will be showcased by Saab Seaeye the world's leading underwater erobotics (ROVs) company at the Ocean Technology Conference, Houston, from May 2 to 5, 2022.

The pioneering breakthrough is Saab Seaeyes new eM1-7 seven-function all-electric work-class manipulator. As powerful as a hydraulic equivalent, it is more reliable and more dexterous, a Saab Seaeye release said.

Seaeye eM1-7s micrometre precision comes from each of its seven joints having extremely accurate force and position feedback coupled with their own smart distributed microprocessor for intelligent, intuitive and precision arm control.

Other innovations

Visitors to the exhibition stand can also hear more about other innovations that are changing the face of underwater enterprises.

Saab Seaeyes innovative new environment-friendly electric work vehicle, called eWROV, matches the power of a 250 hp hydraulic work class system, but is easier to operate, more precise, acoustically quieter, more reliable, needs less maintenance and has a much lower lifetime cost.

Already the world leader in electric underwater robotics, Saab Seaeyes eWROV joins the largest range of electric robotic vehicles in the industry.

Roaming and hovering robot

This includes the multi-role 3000m rated Sabertooth, the world leading roaming and hovering robot that can operate in both fully autonomous and tethered modes, enabling fully flexible dual operations from a single platform fitted with cameras, sonars and tooling.

Two Sabertooth robots have succeeded in finding the wreck of the Endurance, sunk 3000m below the Antarctic ice during Shackletons ill-fated expedition in 1915.-- TradeArabia News Service
A Madison man who faced an attempted homicide charge for firing a gun from a car at a person in another car last year on Madisons East Side pleaded guilty Monday to a lesser offense.

Jamell D. Grant-Amos, 18, pleaded guilty to first-degree reckless endangerment by use of a dangerous weapon for the June 7, 2021, incident near Oak and Union streets. As part of a plea agreement, two other charges against Grant-Amos were dismissed, along with a separate case charging him with battering a deputy in the Dane County Jail in September.

Grant-Amos faces up to 17 years of combined prison and extended supervision when he is sentenced on June 30 by Circuit Judge Ellen Berz. The original charge of attempted first-degree intentional homicide carried up to 60 years of prison and supervision.

A criminal complaint states the victim of the shooting told police he had been followed from a tobacco store on East Washington Avenue by a car that pulled around him. A passenger in the car then leaned out of it and fired shots at the mans car, the complaint states.

The man was not injured. He said he had seen the shooter several times before outside the tobacco store, but did not know his name. But he chose Grant-Amoss photo from a photo lineup. Grant-Amos state Department of Corrections probation agent was shown security video from the tobacco store and recognized Grant-Amos in the video.

Grant-Amos had been previously adjudicated delinquent of armed robbery and was under DOC supervision. He was arrested on June 22 after a brief chase with Madison police.

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Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and five City Council members have introduced an ordinance that gets rid of racial quotas for membership on the citys Police Civilian Oversight Board, nearly 10 months after a conservative Milwaukee law firm filed a lawsuit claiming the quotas were unconstitutional.

Under the ordinance that created and governs the 11-member board, passed by the City Council in September 2020, the board must have at least one member from each of five groups  the Black, Asian, Latino, Native American and LGBTQ communities  as well as one affiliated with the mental health field, one with experience in youth advocacy, one with experience in substance-abuse treatment and one with an arrest or conviction record.

The council also adopted recommendations from the council work group that created the ordinance that dictated that at least half the boards members be Black.

But under an amendment to the ordinance introduced last week, language saying the board shall be made up of people from the identified groups is removed. In its place is language requiring the council to strive to include members from a diverse background, including but not limited to the identified groups.

In a statement Monday, City Attorney Mike Haas  who before the original ordinance was passed had warned policymakers that the racial quotas might not pass judicial muster  referenced the federal lawsuit by local conservative blogger David Blaska and said his office is recommending the council adopt the changes to remove any further question about the citys appointment process.

The (City) Council is committed to ensuring that a diverse range of voices and experiences are represented on the board and that is what the selection process achieved, he said. We also believe the current members of the board would have been chosen for their abilities and perspectives even if the proposed language changes had been included in the original ordinance and resolution.

Blaska had applied for a seat on the board and was rejected, according to the suit filed on his behalf by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, or WILL. He contended that because he is white, he was not eligible to be considered for several of the seats on the board reserved for people who are not white.

Provisions encouraging racial and ethnic diversity in college admissions or government contracting have long been common and generally considered constitutional by the federal courts. Specific racial quotas have not.

We are pleased the city of Madison proposed an amendment to remove the unconstitutional racial quotas, WILL attorney Dan Lennington said. We are hopeful it passes.

None of the five council members listed as sponsors of the ordinance amendment  Yannette Figueroa Cole, Jael Currie, Juliana Bennett, Lindsay Lemmer and Keith Furman  responded to a request for comment. Nor did the leaders of the oversight board, Keetra Burnette and Shadayra Kilfoy-Flores. The board is expected to discuss the amendment at its Thursday meeting.

Rhodes-Conways office referred questions about the amendment to Haas.

Years of work

Creation of the board and an associated independent police monitor position were the culmination of years of work by activists to increase oversight of Madison police in the wake of a string of fatal police shootings, as well as an independent consultants report that made 146 recommendations  including that the city should hire an independent monitor  but deemed the department far from a department in crisis whose use of force was limited in volume and primarily minor in nature.

The board has been meeting since November 2020, but its first attempt at hiring a monitor fell apart in January after documents surfaced showing its lone finalist, Madison Department of Civil Rights Equal Opportunities Division Manager Byron Bishop, had discriminated against a woman hed been having an affair with and violated state licensing requirements at his former company.

A white applicant with past military experience also filed state and federal complaints alleging board members social media posts suggest they are biased against candidates like him, although Bishop also has military experience.

Neither the board nor the independent monitor is given the power to fire or discipline police  tasks reserved under state law for the citys Police and Fire Commission, or PFC  but they can conduct independent investigations of Madison police, make referrals to the PFC, prepare an annual report on the citys police chief and conduct community outreach on police matters.

Settlement talks

Blaskas case has been set for trial beginning Nov. 14, but settlement proposals from both sides are due Sept. 30. In addition to demanding the end of the ordinances racial quota system, Blaskas lawsuit also asks for unspecified damages and attorneys fees.

Haas said the citys outside counsel is engaged in discussions with Mr. Blaskas attorneys to attempt to resolve the litigation and there is no signed settlement document or final agreement between the parties.

The city is responsible for up to $500,000 of civil judgments and settlements to a party before insurance proceeds would kick in, he said, but if a settlement includes paying for a partys attorney fees, that part is covered by the citys insurer.

Haas said the ordinance amendment is expected be back before the full council for a final vote on May 10.

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Samsung Electronics said that the accumulated sales of its Smart Monitor series surpassed one million devices globally, making it a million seller.



The new do-it-all screens support Smart Hub, providing a perfect home office and schooling environment without the need to connect to a PC or any other external device. In addition, the monitor allows users to enjoy a variety of OTT services such as Netflix, Samsung TV Plus and YouTube.



On the back of the popularity of its first Smart Monitor launched at the end of 2020, Samsung has enhanced its line-up this year. Now, Samsung offers 11 premium Smart Monitors including the M8, M7 and M5.



In particular, the versatile new M8 features Samsungs iconic slim design and comes in four, eye-catching new colours  Warm White, Sunset Pink, Daylight Blue and Spring Green. The stylish design of the M8 blends well into any surrounding, satisfying a range of different consumer requirements.



In addition, the M8s removable SlimFit Cam, video conferencing solution app and other innovative display technologies are major drivers of its popularity, as people adapt to new lifestyles  such as working from home and home schooling.



The Smart Monitor M8 earned CES 2022 Innovation Awards Honoree from the CTA(Consumer Technology Association) in recognition of a wide array of its display technologies. Samsung started taking preorders for the M8 in the US, Germany, France and many other countries on March 28, 2022.



In the first quarter, sales of the Smart Monitor series, including the preorder sales of the M8, increased by approximately 40% compared to the same period of last year.



As consumers are increasingly working, learning and keeping entertained at home, the Smart Monitor redefines the traditional role of a monitor and delivers a variety of features to enhance any lifestyle, said Hyesung Ha, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. We are delighted to reach this one-million-unit milestone and anticipate the demand we are seeing to continue as consumers around the world want to live smarter, every day.  TradeArabia News Service
It wasnt just the way GOP lawmakers colluded to pass a congressional redistricting map that defies the Florida Constitution, drawing lines clearly meant to benefit Republicans over any other consideration.

It wasnt just the lamentable decision to grovel to Gov. Ron DeSantis whim, in a way they never have before.

It wasnt just the decision to eradicate districts intended to give Black voters a shot at electing candidates who look like them.

It was the indifference.

DeSantis, Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Senate President Wilton Simpson knew they were undoing decades of work toward fairer, more representative elections. They knew, but they didnt care. They knew this legislation, which favors Republicans in 20 of the states 28 congressional districts, fails the standard set by the Fair Districts amendments passed in 2010. They dont care about that either.

And when the floor of the Florida House erupted in furious protest Thursday, Sprowls betrayed not a flicker of compassion or comprehension. Instead, he lassoed the chaos to shove two more despicable bills through final passage, with no debate.

The map lawmakers approved was not their first attempt. In March, they sent DeSantis a redistricting plan that eliminated one of Floridas four designated majority-minority districts, drawn with enough Black voters to make a Black candidates election likely. It wasnt enough for DeSantis, who demanded the elimination of a second majority-minority district in Central Florida.

The governors involvement was highly unusual. Under Florida law, legislators determine the districts, with the governor approving or vetoing the final map. When DeSantis sent lawmakers a map drawn to his specifications, he flipped the script. Thats not unusual; over the past months DeSantis has transformed legislators into lapdogs several times.

Before the House voted, Sprowls opened the floor for limited debate. Dissenters were limited to a few minutes of protest apiece. And they made their anguish known, telling the stories of parents and grandparents turned away from the polls. ... They described the urgency and awe they felt when walking with civil rights greats such as Carrie Meek, Shirley Chisholm, John Lewis. They tried to get Republican lawmakers to understand how it felt to watch hard-won victories being picked apart, to see rights eroded.

But when Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson, D-Gainesville, went over her allotted time, her microphone was cut off. The floor erupted into a planned  but passionate  protest, with lawmakers staging a sit-in at the front of the House chamber and singing hymns.

Sprowls called a brief recess, but when lawmakers reconvened and chanting resumed, he seized the opportunity to put the redistricting plan to a rapid vote. It passed 68-38. Next up were two bills meant to punish Disney for its opposition to a parental rights bill that overtly targets LGBTQ+ students and teachers. Both passed by similar margins.

Heres the worst part of whats happening in Florida: DeSantis, Sprowls, Simpson and the lawmakers who fall in line behind them may not harbor hatred for racial or sexual minorities. But  as U.S. District Judge Mark Walker pointed out in a blockbuster ruling three weeks ago  Floridas Republicans have learned that prejudice can be harnessed for their own political benefit. They have wielded bigotry like a useful, all-purpose tool. They have marginalized vulnerable students struggling with their sexuality  for political gain. They have banned classroom discussions of racisms modern realities  again, because it was advantageous to their agenda.

And they shrug off any reproach. Its just politics.

Thats why they dont comprehend the havoc they wreak.

Fair representation is not just about politics. Its about personhood. Its wrong to make laws that make people afraid to speak out about who they are. Its wrong to draw lines on a map that make some Florida voters invisible.

The states current leadership may not see that. But increasingly, the Floridians they represent do.
NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP)  The recent appearance of two cruise ships in New London has raised hopes that Connecticut might stand to benefit from the return of an industry decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two ships, part of American Queen Voyages, were on a tour of the East Coast and Canada, and were the first cruise ships to stop in New London in four years. Both are scheduled to stop in New London on the way back south in the fall.

The ships each brought about 90 passengers and 75 crew members and were met with gift bags, discounts in local restaurants and a driving tour of the city.

Connecticut also has deep-water ports in New Haven and Bridgeport that can handle large ships, but the state often isnt seen as a cruise destination.

Its encouraging that with the industry just really trying to make a comeback, they picked New London, Mayor Michael Passero told the New Haven Register.

New London and other Connecticut ports could benefit from Canada's reopening its own ports to cruises after two years, and also from industry trends toward more domestic routes and smaller ships that cater to an older clientele, said Chris Gray Faust, managing editor of the consumer review site Cruise Critic.

"There has been a pivot toward more domestic cruises, Gray Faust told the newspaper. Some of these ports are ones that you dont think of as cruise ports, necessarily.

A spokesperson for the Connecticut Port Authority told the Register that the agency is working with the state to study whether a pier at New Londons Fort Trumbull, which is closer to the mouth of the Thames River and the Long Island Sound, could be refurbished to accommodate cruise ships.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on April 21, 2022

Idaho state superintendent Sherri Ybarra will face former legislator Branden Durst and former State Board of Education President Debbie Critchfield in debates Monday and Tuesday night, the candidates only televised appearances together before the May 17 primary.

Mondays 8 p.m. debate is the second of this election cycles Idaho Debates, an Idaho Public Television series of matchups between contenders for statewide offices. Superintendents candidates will take the stage again the following evening on KTVB at 6 p.m.

The Idaho Debates, held in partnership between Idaho Public Television, the Idaho Press Club, the League of Women Voters of Idaho and the states public universities, are broadcast statewide and on IPTVs YouTube page. In addition to airing on TV, the KTVB superintendents debate will be streamed on the Treasure Valley news stations website.

Ybarra, Durst and Critchfield have already fielded questions in front of smaller audiences at forums hosted by Idaho Business for Education, the Idaho School Boards Association, the Twin Falls Kiwanis Club and the City Club of Idaho Falls. At those forums, the candidates have worked in digs at each others backgrounds and records, but Mondays debate will offer them formal chances to spar, with one-minute rebuttals built into the first of the two hour-long faceoffs.

How to vote Early voting in participating counties runs May 2 through May 13. Absentee voters must request ballots by May 6, and return them before polls close on election day at 8 p.m. Only voters who were registered as Republicans by March 11 can vote in the states closed Republican primary. In-person voters can find their polling place here; polls open at 8 a.m.

Mondays format will resemble Idaho Public Televisions attorney generals candidate debate Tuesday. A panel of three reporters Monday will give candidates 90 seconds to answer questions in between opening and closing statements.

The superintendents debates are on despite criticism from Durst and a flurry of pullouts in other debates.

Gov. Brad Little has refused to debate two opponents Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin and GOP operative Ed Humphreys of Eagle. When Little declined to debate, calling his record non-debatable, McGeachin passed on participating too, causing organizers to cancel it.

Congressman Mike Simpson also declined to debate GOP hardline opponent Bryan Smith, the Idaho Press reported.

State Rep. Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird, pulled out of her lieutenant governors debate against House Speaker Scott Bedke of Oakley, decrying media bias and IPTVs tradition of not disclosing panelists names ahead of debates. Durst on social media has echoed a similar line of criticism.

Candidates expect to debate their opponents. They shouldnt have to debate the moderator and panelists also. The Idaho Press Club is a cabal of leftists who will use their position to try to tear down conservatives, Durst tweeted.

But hell participate.

I am going. And I am going to call the panelists out for the liberal BS and make sure that every conservative knows who is asking the questions. This is going to be fun, he later wrote.

The pullouts and refusals have left debates for down-ballot positions, including state superintendent of public instruction, attorney general and secretary of state as the only debates left scheduled.

Disclosure: EdNews reporters and editors are members of the Idaho Press Club.

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TWIN FALLS  Thanks to Idahos 2019 Medicaid expansion, more people than ever have access to mental and behavioral health and substance abuse services. That has many Magic Valley providers scrambling in search of ways to meet the increased demand.

Jaci Urie is the director of the Twin Falls County Treatment and Recovery Center, which provides services like counseling, therapy, peer-support groups, and case management for people seeking treatment for mental behavioral health and substance abuse.

Urie said the majority of clients using the services are covered by Medicaid, and wait times for people seeking services have grown to three months or more.

We want to give clients the best service, and due to some of the restrictions that Medicaid requires, it just takes more time, Urie said.

When a client first seeks services from the treatment and recovery center, they receive an initial evaluation. Clients covered by Medicaid must be evaluated by a person with a masters level degree or higher, something Urie said is in limited supply in the Magic Valley.

Instead of being able to have a substance-abuse counselor degree, they require that a masters-level person do the initial evaluation, Urie said. Not having too many of those around, it just bottlenecked everything.

Kim Dopson is the director of the South Central Idaho Crisis Center. Dopson said the Medicaid requirements for evaluation and diagnosis have prevented her organization from getting treatment services for clients.

They came from the hospital with a fentanyl overdose  Im pretty sure the diagnosis is going to be opiate use disorder, Dopson said. But the (evaluation) has to be done to make that diagnosis. So even though I know Jaci can get them right in to treatment, they (Medicaid) wont accept our assessment.

In many situations, the quicker care can be provided, the more likely it is to be successful. A three-month wait time for substance abuse treatment is a tall hurdle, he said.

If you cant get that clients butt in the chair for treatment, Dopson said, youre going to lose them.

Several providers have met to find ways to address the worker shortage. In some instances, providers have shared workers to help with intake.

Ive partnered with another provider in the community to assist with doing some of our evaluations because we were so far out, Urie said. They werent taking new clients, but they had some time to do evaluations, so that worked out for them, too.

This kind of work-sharing has helped, but cultivating a broader workforce will be needed to fully address the current needs.

Most social work degrees require practicum as part of the training and the county has signed affiliate agreements with several online universities to serve as a site for students working towards degrees in social work, treatment and recovery. Urie said she hopes that will result in a larger applicant pool for future employment.

Getting them as practicum students, you hope that youre training them to become employees, Urie said. At this point, this is one of our probably last efforts to do some recruiting.

Jason Beard is the co-founder of Preferred Child & Family Services Inc, with offices in Twin Falls, Burley and Hailey.

Beard said one of the challenges many agencies who accept Medicaid clients face is a lower reimbursement rate for services provided, which means they often have less money to put toward compensation.

Some providers have stopped accepting Medicaid clients. By taking private payments, they may charge more for their services, and as a result, are able to pay clinicians at a higher rate.

Not only is it hard to find clinicians, its hard to keep clinicians, Beard said. Because if were willing to work with Medicaid, our reimbursement rates are so low, even if I wanted to pay my employees better, I just cant.

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I would say that the reason for such poor IDE support in the days of yore is different. Rather than M * N being too big, it was too small, because N was zero and M just slightly more than that.

Id start with N  the number of language servers, this is the side I am relatively familiar with. Before LSP, there simply werent a lot of working language-server shaped things. The main reason for that is that building a language server is hard.

The essential complexity for a server is pretty high. It is known that compilers are complicated, and a language server is a compiler and then some.

First, like a compiler, a language server needs to fully understand the language, it needs to be able to distinguish between valid and invalid programs. However, while for invalid programs a batch compiler is allowed to emit an error message and exit promptly, a language server must analyze any invalid program as best as it can. Working with incomplete and invalid programs is the first complication of a language server in comparison to a compiler.

Second, while a batch compiler is a pure function which transforms source text into machine code, a language server has to work with a code base which is constantly being modified by the user. It is a compiler with a time dimension, and evolution of state over time is one of the hardest problems in programming.

Third, a batch compiler is optimized for maximum throughput, while a language server aims to minimize latency (while not completely forgoing throughput). Adding a latency requirement doesnt mean that you need to optimize harder. Rather, it means that you generally need to turn the architecture on its head to have an acceptable latency at all.

And this brings us to a related cluster of accidental complexity surrounding language servers. It is well understood how to write a batch compiler. Its common knowledge. While not everyone have read the dragon book (I didnt meaningfully get past the parsing chapters), everyone knows that that book contains all the answers. So most existing compilers end up looking like a typical compiler. And, when compiler authors start thinking about IDE support, the first thought is well, IDE is kinda a compiler, and we have a compiler, so problem solved, right?. This is quite wrong  internally an IDE is very different from a compiler but, until very recently, this wasnt common knowledge.

Language servers are a counter example to the never rewrite rule. Majority of well regarded language servers are rewrites or alternative implementations of batch compilers.

Both IntelliJ and Eclipse wrote their own compilers rather than re-using javac inside an IDE. To provide an adequate IDE support for C#, Microsoft rewrote their C++ batch compiler into an interactive self-hosted one (project Roslyn). Dart, despite being a from-scratch, relatively modern language, ended up with three implementations (host AOT compiler, host IDE compiler (dart-analyzer), on-device JIT compiler). Rust tried both  incremental evolution of rustc (RLS) and from-scratch implementation (rust-analyzer), and rust-analyzer decisively won.

The two exceptions I know are C++ and OCaml. Curiously, both require forward declarations and header files, and I dont think this is a coincidence. See the Three Architectures for a Responsive IDE post for details.

To sum up, on the language servers side things were in a bad equilibrium. It was totally possible to implement language servers, but that required a bit of an iconoclastic approach, and its hard to be a pioneering iconoclast.

I am less certain what was happening on the editors side. Still, I do want to claim that we had no editors capable of being an IDE.

IDE experience consists of a host of semantic features. The most notable example is, of course completion. If one wants to implement custom completion for VS Code, one needs to implement CompletionItemProvider interface:

1 2 3 4 5 6 interface CompletionItemProvider { provideCompletionItems( document: TextDocument, position: Position, ): CompletionItem[] }

This means that, in VS Code, code completion (as well as dozens of other IDE related features) is an editors first-class concept, with uniform user UI and developer API.

Contrast this with Emacs and Vim. They just dont have proper completion as an editors extension point. Rather, they expose low-level cursor and screen manipulation API, and then people implement competing completion frameworks on top of that!

And thats just code completion! What about parameter info, inlay hints, breadcrumbs, extend selection, assists, symbol search, find usages (Ill stop here :) )?

To sum the above succinctly, the problem with decent IDE support was not of N * M , but rather of an inadequate equilibrium of a two-sided market.

Language vendors were reluctant to create language servers, because it was hard, the demand was low (= no competition from other languages), and, even if one creates a language server, one would find a dozen editors absolutely unprepared to serve as a host for a smart server.
Sure as Christmas falls on Dec. 25, you can count on a legion of political candidates taking to the airwaves declaring they feel compelled to serve the public, pledging to listen to and follow the will of the people.

Call me a doubting Thomas, but I question who they are listening to and serving. I strongly suspect they are dancing to the tune of big-dollar donors, including political action committees, dark money independent expenditure groups and special interests. And after winning election, their loyalties and their ears mostly hear the drumbeat of their partys caucus.

Those suspicions were confirmed recently when Seth Effron, longtime newspaper reporter and editorialist for Capitol Broadcastings WRAL, did a deep dive into polling they had just conducted. He found several examples where legislators clearly arent listening to or following desires of the majority of voters.

Our legislature, notably the leaders and majority party members, turn a deaf ear to the need to greatly increase funding for education. They even initiated a lawsuit against a judges ruling demanding dramatic funding increases for K-12 education, calling the ruling a circus. But such a high-handed reaction runs contrary to public opinion. Further investigation reveals nearly two-thirds of the almost 2,000 surveyed said our schools are underfunded. That included 59% of Republicans and 56% of Trump voters. Across party, race and geographic lines a substantial plurality believe we are failing our constitutional mandate to provide a sound basic education for our children. And a large plurality, even 61% of conservatives, say our state underpays our teachers.

And while this example singles out legislators  and deservedly so  they arent the only elected officials who arent listening. Increasingly it appears politicians are going to do what they want to do and be damned what the voters want!

So, what can we do when politicians arent listening? The obvious answer is to vote them out of office, but thats not easy, especially with gerrymandered districts and big spenders continuing to throw money into politicians election coffers. Defeating an incumbent, especially one who has been in office many years, can be done but it requires work.

Allow me to suggest several points in a successful strategy. First, build the case, using hard facts. This is no place for partisan politics, name calling or hyperbole. List clearly and concisely the data. Lets take education funding issue as an example. North Carolina ranks 47th in the nation in per student funding and 33rd in teacher pay. Last years scores (granted they were impacted by the pandemic) revealed 53% of students in grades three through eight were rated not proficient in grade-level reading skills. Only 45% of our students passed state exams, compared to almost 60% in 2019. And 60% is still a failing grade! And in that pre-COVID year of 2019, more than 50% failed math 1, math 3, biology and/or English exams. 1 in 6 students failed to be promoted from the pivotal ninth grade, a predictor of future high school graduation. After this report card you might reasonably think there would be an all-hands-on deck stampeded to find solutions. You would be wrong.

Next step, show individual records of votes for or against increased funding or support for public education, including proposals made to respond to the data. If there is none, say so.

I remember well in another city some years back there was widespread concern about the direction of the city council in our town. A group, naming themselves the committee of 100, organized, recruited top-quality candidates, then raised the money to wage an effective campaign. Volunteers went door-to-door talking to voters, calling friends, putting up posters and yard signs, then staged a big get-out-the-vote effort for the candidates they endorsed. Every one of the committee-backed candidates was swept into office, ousting some longtime, established candidates.

Conclusion: good organization, superior candidates and well-funded grassroots efforts still work.

Primary elections will be May 17, just weeks away, but there is still time to impact outcomes. Since candidates are already settled, the big task now is to get out the vote. In typical off-year elections fewer than 15% of our states registered voters actually vote. Call 10 people you know and tell them how important it is to cast their ballots this year, then, on Election Day, follow up to ask if they voted or need a ride to the polls.

Government works best when more people participate. Wouldnt it be wonderful to see 20% or more voting on May 17? If enough people do so, and especially if some surprising outcomes result, you can count on the fact that politicians will get the message that their real bosses are you and me. And maybe they will start listening.

Tom Campbell is a Hall of Fame North Carolina broadcaster and columnist who has covered North Carolina public policy issues since 1965. He recently retired from writing, producing and moderating the statewide half-hour TV program NC SPIN that aired 22 years. Contact him at tomcamp@carolinabroadcasting.com.
World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit, the worlds most influential travel and tourism announced Saturday, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host its 22nd Global Summit on November 29 this year, Trade Arabia reports.

The announcement was made at the closing session of its Global Summit in Manila, Philippines.

In Saudi Arabia, we are proud to host the next summit of the WTTC later this year. Now, the kingdom represents a new and ambitious destination that aims to shape the tourism sector to become more flexible, inclusive and sustainable, taking advantage of our creative and innovative capabilities, the Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed bin Aqeel Al Khatib said.

We look forward to welcoming global travel and tourism leaders to the Kingdom to share and exchange experiences and knowledge, he added.

The global summit of WTTC, which represents the global travel and tourism sector, is the worlds most influential industry event.
Senegalese police announced on Saturday that they had arrested and placed in custody two Malians and a Senegalese who were violating the West African states embargo against Mali, by attempting to transport more than 2.6 million euros to that country by land.

The three people were arrested on Friday night in the village of Naye near the border, coming from Dakar, aboard a RAV 4 vehicle (as they) were trying to reach Mali, the police said in a statement.

The search of the vehicle revealed three suitcases in the rear trunk containing a large sum of money estimated at more than 1.7 billion CFA francs (more than 2.6 million euros), the statement said.

When questioned about the source and destination of this money, they said it would come from the revenues of a company based in Bamako and which would be active in the sale of cell phones and the export of gold, added the police, without further details.

The three people arrested are on their third trip with the same amounts of money that they were transporting (previously, editors note) by air. The use of the land route this time is the result of the closure of airspace between Senegal and Mali following sanctions by ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States, it said, without giving dates.

They have been placed in custody and an investigation has been opened in collaboration with the Customs administration.

ECOWAS and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) took a battery of strong economic and diplomatic measures against Mali on January 9 to punish the juntas intention to remain in power for several more years, after two putsches in August 2020 and May 2021.
Airports Council International (ACI) World has announced the 2021 inductees into the ACI Director Generals Roll of Excellence, recognizing airports that have consistently delivered exceptional customer experience in the opinion of travellers.



The honour is conferred to airports that have won multiple awards over a five-year period in the last 10 years as part of the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) program, the worlds leading airport customer experience measurement and benchmarking program.



In 2021, four airports worldwide have been inducted into the ACI Director Generals Roll of Excellence:



 Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (Ahmedabad, India)

 Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan Balikpapan Airport (Kalimantan, Indonesia)

 Fiumicino Airport (Rome, Italy)

 Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (Shanghai Hongqiao, China)



The inductees will be celebrated at the ASQ Awards Ceremony during the upcoming ACI Customer Experience Global Summit in September, the premier global event focused on airport customer experience.



Hosted by Krakow Airport, this years event will take place under the theme: Re/Humanizing the Airport Experience. Winners of the 2021 edition of the ASQ Awards will also be recognized at the event, delivered in partnership with Amadeus.



ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said: We are exceptionally proud of these role models for the global airport industry. They have consistently demonstrated that the customer is at the centre of everything they do. This is made even more impressive as we recover from the most challenging time in our sectors history.



As aviation rebuilds and seeks to win travellers back, airports must actively listen to their customers and embrace a forward-looking approach to their evolving needs and expectationsand the ASQ program provides a unique suite of tools to help airports achieve this.



While the pandemic has accelerated digitalization and the implementation of touchless processes within airports, it has also highlighted the importance of the human-to-human experience within the airport community. We look forward to discussing this and more at the upcoming Customer Experience Global Summit in Krakow this September.



Krakow Airports President of the Board Radosaw Woszek said: Being able to host the ACI World Customer Experience Global Summit and celebrate these industry leaders is a great honour for Krakow Airport. The Summit is an opportunity to exchange experiences and look for new solutions dedicated to our passengers.



Krakow Airport has always focused on safety, quality and high standards of services. We invite you to Krakow - we will do our best to show you the beauty of our city, with the hope that you will come back to Krakow and Maopolska as tourists and as business partners.  TradeArabia News Service
An explosion at a clandestine refinery has killed at least 110 people in the Niger Delta oil region of southern Nigeria, already devastated by decades of vandalism and illegal oil exploitation.

The explosion occurred at the beginning of the weekend at an illegal site between Rivers and Imo oil states, according to police and emergency services. The new death toll is now 110, up from 80 in the previous one, as several people with severe burns succumbed to their injuries, said Ifeanyi Nnaji, a local official of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

We have learnt that many bodies are lying in the bush and nearby forests, he added, adding that several burnt-out vehicles and jerry cans littered the oil-blackened ground.

Police confirmed that the explosion took place at an illegal refinery site where operators and their clients had gathered to traffic. Several burnt, unrecognizable bodies lay on the ground, while others, who tried to run away, were hanging from the branches of trees, said Fyneface Dumnamene, director of the NGO Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC).

Some local media reported that more than 100 people, mostly young men, were killed in the blast, the latest in a long line of such tragedies in Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari called it a national disaster in a statement issued by his office. He also called on law enforcement agencies to step up their crackdown on illegal refineries.

An investigation has been launched to determine what caused Fridays explosion, said the boss of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Idris Musa. Investigations are ongoing and the fire that was raging after the explosion has subsided, he said.

The owner of the illegal refinery is being sought.
The World Health Organization said it is investigating an outbreak of acute hepatitis among children that now involves 11 countries, including the United States.

Among the 169 reported cases, at least one child has died from this inflammation of the liver and 17 children needed liver transplants, the WHO said Saturday in a statement.

"It is not yet clear if there has been an increase in hepatitis cases, or an increase in awareness of hepatitis cases that occur at the expected rate but go undetected," the WHO said. "While adenovirus is a possible hypothesis, investigations are ongoing for the causative agent."

The symptoms "among identified cases is acute hepatitis with markedly elevated liver enzymes," the statement added.

Hepatitis is typically caused by a virus. Adenoviruses are common, can spread between people and can cause people to be mildly or severely ill. Among these recent infections, adenoviruses have been detected in at least 74 cases, but they typically don't cause severe hepatitis in healthy people. The common viruses that cause acute viral hepatitis, including hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D and E, have not been detected in any of these cases, according to the WHO.

While most of the children did not have a fever, many reported gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting "preceding presentation with severe acute hepatitis," as well as increased levels of liver enzymes and jaundice, CNN reported.

Most of the 169 cases were reported in the United Kingdom, which had 114. Nine cases were reported by the Alabama Department of Health last week.

Investigators are also aware of 13 cases in Spain, 12 in Israel, and smaller numbers in Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Romania. The children are between the ages of 1 month and 16, CNN reported.

The liver processes nutrients, filters the blood and helps fight infection, and its function can be affected when it's either inflamed or damaged.

The WHO said the investigation needs to focus on "increased susceptibility amongst young children following a lower level of circulation of adenovirus during the COVID-19 pandemic, the potential emergence of a novel adenovirus, as well as SARS-CoV-2 co-infection."

Late week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory about the acute cases of hepatitis with unknown cause.

The CDC recommended providers consider adenovirus testing in children with hepatitis when the cause is unknown. Testing the blood in whole, rather than just blood plasma, may be more sensitive, the CDC advised.

Explore further WHO: 1 child has died in mystery liver disease outbreak

More information: The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more on The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more on hepatitis

Copyright  2022 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Efforts by hospitals to protect people from COVID-19 by restricting them from visiting family members in ICUs may have contributed to a significant increase in stress-related disorders, according to a study led by University of Colorado School of Medicine researchers.

The study, published today in JAMA Internal Medicine, reports that nearly two-thirds of those restricted from visiting were suffering from stress-related disorders three months after their family member was hospitalized.

"Our findings suggest that visitation restrictions may have inadvertently contributed to a secondary public health crisis, an epidemic of stress-related disorders among family members of ICU patients," says Timothy Amass, MD, ScM, assistant professor of medicine at the CU School of Medicine and first author of the article.

Visitation restrictions at hospitals were implemented to prevent the spread of an emerging highly infectious virus and deadly disease at a time when personal protective equipment was in short supply. Hospital and public health officials were also concerned about having enough capacity to provide care.

Amass and his co-authors found that the consequences of those restrictions had an enduring effect on many of the people who weren't allowed to visit their hospitalized family members. According to the study, having a family member admitted to the ICU with COVID-19 was associated with high levels of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, such as depression and anxiety.

The study authors surveyed people three months after their family member was hospitalized, finding that 64% of the study participants recorded high scores on tests that measure symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. That's more than double from pre-pandemic levels, when about 30% of family members of ICU patients reported stress-related disorders.

To conduct their study, Amass and his colleagues surveyed 330 family members three months after their family members were admitted to the ICU with COVID-19. Those patients were admitted between Feb. 1 and July 31, 2020, in the early days of the pandemic, at eight academic-affiliated and four community-based hospitals in Colorado, Washington, Louisiana, New York, and Massachusetts.

The study authors said restrictions may have fostered distrust between patients' family members and health care providers. They write, "As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge the ability of family members to build bedside relationships with clinicians, this loss of trust may translate into an increase in stress-related disorders."

One study participant who was surveyed described their painful experience: "They called us and said, 'Do you want us to pull the plug?'... I said how did it go from coming home to pulling the plug?... they say that her mouth was moving and her eyes was moving but they said she was dead... so, they went on and pulled the plug anyway."

Study authors added that additional studies would be needed to determine any links between visitation restriction policies and factors that caused distrust among family members.

The study lists 41 co-authors. In addition to Amass, authors affiliated with the CU School of Medicine are Hope Cruse; Ying Jin; Trevor Lane, MD; Marc Moss, MD; Ryan Peterson, Ph.D.; Sarah Rhoads, MD; Jin Huang; and Stephanie Yu.

Explore further Severe COVID-19 ups risk for PTSD in family members

More information: Timothy Amass et al, Stress-Related Disorders of Family Members of Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit With COVID-19, JAMA Internal Medicine (2022). Journal information: JAMA Internal Medicine Timothy Amass et al, Stress-Related Disorders of Family Members of Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit With COVID-19,(2022). DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.1118
Schematic depiction of MCLA-158 showing monovalent affinities of the EGFR (Fab232) and LGR5 (Fab072) Fab arms. Credit: IRB Barcelona and Merus N.V.

Scientists from an international consortium led by Dr. Eduard Batlle, head of the Colorectal Cancer laboratory at IRB Barcelona, ICREA researcher and group leader of CIBER de Cancer (CIBERONC), together with the Dutch company Merus N.V., reveal the preclinical data that has led to the discovery of MCLA-158 and its mechanism of action on cancer stem cells. Named Petosemtamab, the antibody MCLA-158 prevents the onset of metastasis (that is, the spread of cancer to other vital organs) and slows the growth of primary tumors in experimental models of cancer.

Published today in Nature Cancer, the study also lays the groundwork for the use of organoids in the drug discovery process undertaken by pharmaceutical companies. Organoids are patient-derived samples that can be grown in the laboratory, and they reproduce certain aspects of the tumor compartment. Until now, their usefulness was being explored in personalized cancer medicinemeaning their value in helping physicians make decisions about the best treatment for each patient. However, for the selection of MCLA-158, a biobank of organoids from cancer patients was used for the first time to discriminate which new antibody, among hundreds, was most effective and believed to be most suitable for the majority of patients.

In October 2021, Merus N. V. reported preliminary data corresponding to interim efficacy analysis based on investigator review of its sponsored ongoing phase 1 dose expansion clinical trial investigating the safety, tolerability, and anti-tumor activity of MCLA-158 monotherapy in advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Three of seven HNSCC patients achieved partial responses, with one achieving complete response after the data cutoff date of August 2021. Tumor reduction was observed in all seven patients.

"It is highly satisfying to see that our discoveries are helping patients. We started studying cancer stem cells 15 years ago. The journey to this point has been exciting but also very complex, and it has required a large investment of resources, as well as a great deal of work by many researchers. This study and the collaboration with Merus. N.V. reflects IRB Barcelona's focus: 'The medicine of the future starts here,'" says Dr. Batlle.

MCLA-158: A double-action antibody

Antibodies are proteins that are naturally produced by our bodies to recognize infectious agents or altered cells so that these can be removed by the lymphocytes of the immune system (white blood cells). The antibody described in this work, Petosemtamab ("Peto", MCLA-158: LGR5 x EGFR Biclonics), is a bi-specific antibody that recognizes two proteins, namely EGFR and LGR5, on the surface of cancer stem cells.

EGFR activity promotes uncontrolled cell growth, while LGR5 marks the surface of cancer stem cells, which are responsible for tumor expansion. Dr. Batlle's laboratory is recognized worldwide for its work on the identification and characterization of colorectal cancer stem cells, and it has led work not only on the development of MCLA-158/ Petosemtamab but also on the characterization of its mechanism of action.

In short, MCLA-158/ Petosemtamab degrades the EGFR protein in cancer stem cells that have the LGR5 marker, thereby blocking the growth and survival pathways in the cells that initiate and spread cancer. However, this antibody does not interfere with the functioning of healthy stem cells, which are essential for the proper functioning of tissues.

The MCLA-158 antibody is a potent inhibitor of colorectal cancer organoid growth and it blocks the initiation of metastasis, as well as growth in several preclinical models of cancer, including tumors of the head and neck, esophagus, and stomach.

An organoid biobank for drug discovery

For the development and characterization of this antibody, researchers from HUB Organoids built a large biobank comprising organoids derived from patients with colon cancer, organoids from colon cancer metastasis to the liver, and organoids from normal non-cancerous tissue. Scientists from OcellO B.V. (Crown Bioscience) performed high content screening with the organoids.

The use of organoids in the early stages of drug developmentin this case, therapeutic antibodiesfacilitates the identification of those that are effective for most patients or even against tumors carrying a specific mutation. Using organoids from healthy tissue, an additional advantage is the possibility to identify unwanted side effects of the drugs on organs. This approach has allowed the researchers to assess the harmful effects of the drug on healthy cells and thus withdraw antibodies with greater toxicity in the earliest stages of the study.

Explore further Paving a path to triple-negative breast cancer treatment

More information: Eduard Batlle, Functional patient-derived organoid screenings identify MCLA-158 as a therapeutic EGFR  LGR5 bispecific antibody with efficacy in epithelial tumors, Nature Cancer (2022). www.nature.com/articles/s43018-022-00359-0 Eduard Batlle, Functional patient-derived organoid screenings identify MCLA-158 as a therapeutic EGFR  LGR5 bispecific antibody with efficacy in epithelial tumors,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s43018-022-00359-0
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Loss of smell and taste was a distinguishing feature of early COVID-19.

The majority of people infected in 2020 and 2021 lost their smell, regardless of how sick the coronavirus made them.

That began to change with the delta variant that moved into the United States last summer and took over by the fall. Between 15-50% of people infected with delta lost their smell, compared with 50% to 80% of those with earlier variants, said Danielle Reed, a smell researcher and associate director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia.

And by the time omicron began sweeping though after Thanksgiving, doctors could distinguish which variant someone had by whether they lost their smell, said Cristina Menni, a molecular epidemiologist at Kings College London.

"Loss of smell is no longer frequent in those infected," she said.

Only about 17% of people infected with omicron lost their sense of smell, according to a study Menni helped lead.

It's not clear why, Menni said, other than that omicron appears to replicate better in the throat, while earlier variants replicated more in the nose and lungs. The two omicron sub-variants, BA.1 and BA.2, appear very similar in terms of symptoms and duration of symptoms, she said.

For Elizabeth Byland, 35, the story isn't over.

An improv professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Byland lost her sense of smell when she was infected in July 2020, and it's still not fully back to normal.

Her dogs now have the scent of orange slices. Carrots taste like soap, her favorite body wash smells "putrid" and her beloved pizza is inedible. Her husband and nearly everything else has a background scent like a subway system.

"The sad part is, it's become my normal," Byland said. "I don't think about it as much as I used to."

Her husband, Todd Murray, got COVID-19 a full 15 months later, during the delta wave, and he still suffers from weird smells, too. She said he compares it to "a big, heavy blanket where everything has this distorted chemical smell," like the scent of an aerosol spray.

Byland used to go to him to understand certain smells and tastes, but now the roles have reversed.

"There's just this whole other level of empathy," she said.

Dr. Daniel Coelho, a professor of otolaryngology at VCU, has been studying people with smell and taste loss like Byland's since early in the pandemic.

His work, including a forthcoming paper, confirms that earlier variants caused more smell and taste loss than omicron.

Among those who lost their smell and taste earlier in the pandemic, his research shows it returned within a month for 70-80% of people, including Coelho himself. But those whose senses didn't bounce back quickly are likely to continue to suffer.

"Those numbers hold pretty steady," he said.

Loss of smell often causes a loss of taste as well, because the two are so related. And it can be debilitating, Coelho said, causing people to lose interest in food, risking their safety because they can't smell gas or fire, and often leading to depression.

Very quickly, about half the people who lose their sense of smell become clinically depressed, Coelho's research into COVID-19 patients shows.

"Smell is a very primitive and very powerful sense," he said.

It makes sense, Coelho said, that many people like Byland and her husband complain of chemical scents. If the olfactory nerve is damaged, only the trigeminal nerve remainsand it's responsible for detecting noxious or irritating smells.

That's what appears to have happened with COVID-19, especially the earlier variants, which damaged supporting cells in the olfactory system but left the trigeminal nerve alone, he said.

Another new study suggests that inflammation causes this damage inside the nose.

The study examined brain tissue from 23 people who died of COVID-19 and 14 who died of other causes between April 2020 and September 2021.

Cheng-Ying Ho of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine said she and her team found damage to the olfactory bulbthe seat of smellthat was not directly caused by the virus, so it was likely caused by inflammation.

The virus that causes COVID-19 infected the cells of the blood vessels, damaging blood supply to the nerve cells involved in smell, she said.

This damage might repair with time, but if it's too severe, it can be permanent.

In people with continued smell loss, it's as if the nose doesn't realize the body has won the battle against COVID-19 and keeps on fighting, said Reed, the smell researcher from Monell.

In addition to inflammation "crawling from the nose to the brain," atrophy from lack of use may also contribute to smell loss, Reed said. "It's a double-whammy for people."

Loss of smell from viruses is quite routine, she said, but the scale of smell loss from early COVID-19 is unprecedented: "The shocker here is how common it is."

If the olfactory system still thinks it needs to fight off the coronavirus, it doesn't have the energy to begin necessary repairs.

It's even hard to know whether a sense of smell has returned to "normal," Reed said, because there are no objective tests of smell ability.

About 85% of people who lost their sense of smell say they're somewhere close to normal, she said, but because so many people were infected with COVID-19, "there's a tsunami of people who are really struggling."

Reed compared omicron and delta variants to "conventional warfare," while earlier variants effectively dropped nuclear bombs in the nose.

Older women are most likely to report parosmia, or a distorted sense of smell, though that might be a reporting bias, Reed said. Perhaps men are more stoic in the face of smell loss, she said, or women, who generally have a better sense of smell, "might have more to grieve" when it's lost.

Unfortunately, there's not much known to be effective to repair a lost sense of smell. Consistently and mindfully sniffing spices might help, Reed said, and can't hurt, though it can be frustrating.

Identifying inflammation as the cause of COVID-19-related damage might suggest a treatment approach, Ho said. But steroids, which combat inflammation, have not been shown to repair smell, Reed noted.

Ho next wants to explore whether vaccination interfered with or prevented this type of damage.

What's not clear is how worried people should be about smell loss. Bad enough on its own, smell loss can also be an early sign of larger brain problems, leading to dementia, Parkinson's or other neurodegenerative disorders.

But, Reed said, "it's a little early to say whether people who got smell loss with COVID have that same underlying susceptibility to these neurodegenerative disorders."

Health and patient safety coverage at U.S. TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.

(c)2022 USA Today

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A study led by Dr. Lori Davis of the Tuscaloosa VA brought to light the extent to which PTSD not only impacts veterans and active-duty military, but civilians, as well. Credit: Mike Harris

A new study finds that the national economic burden of PTSD goes beyond direct health care expenses and exceeds the costs of other common mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression.

The researchers estimated the cost of PTSD at $232.2 billion for 2018, the latest year for which data were available at the time of the study. They called for increased awareness of PTSD, more effective therapies, and the expansion of evidence-based strategies to "reduce the large clinical and economic burden" of that mental health condition.

The results appeared online in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry on April 25, 2022.

"The $232 billion annual economic burden of PTSD in the U.S. demonstrated in this study is staggering and fuels the urgency for public and private stakeholders to work together to discover new and better treatments, reduce stigma, improve access to existing treatments, and expand evidence-based recovery and rehabilitation programs," the researchers write.

Dr. Lori Davis, the associate chief of staff for research at the Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Alabama, led the study. She and her team used insurance claims data, academic literature, and government publications to estimate the costs of PTSD in both the U.S. civilian and military populations. The latter cohort included active-duty military and veterans.

Understanding the complex nature of posttraumatic stress disorder, commonly known as PTSD, is one of VA's most pressing challenges. The agency says many veterans who fought in Vietnam, the Gulf War, and the post-9/11 conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have had that mental health condition sometime in their lives.

PTSD symptoms are well documented: re-experiencing of trauma through flashbacks and nightmares; avoidance of reminders of a traumatic event; changes in thoughts and feelings, such as guilt and emotional numbing; insomnia; and hyperarousal.

In the study, the investigators brought to light the extent to which PTSD not only impacts veterans, but civilians, as well. The research team found that civilians accounted for 82% of the total PTSD costs, compared with 18% for the military population. That disparity is predicated on the fact that the number of civilians far exceeds that of active-duty military and veterans. Although PTSD is more prevalent in the military, the number of civilians with PTSD still tops the number of veterans with that condition.

Davis and her colleagues noted that more studies on PTSD and its treatments are needed to address the rise in civilians with PTSD, calling that phenomenon a "rapidly accumulating societal burden."

"Improved access to effective treatments is also needed, especially for people in economically vulnerable situations," she noted.

"Much of the research and legislative response on PTSD has focused on combat-exposed populations due to the high prevalence of the condition among the military population," the researchers write. "However, the military population composed a small proportion of the overall U.S. population with PTSD.

"With the increasing occurrence of national and societal traumatic events around the world, including COVID-19, civil unrest, and climate change, there is mounting concern of an increase in PTSD and burden in the civilian population. As such, the current cost estimate is likely an underestimation given these recent global traumas, the effects of which would not have been captured and are likely to result in increasing negative repercussions."

Although civilians accounted for more than three times the total PTSD costs, the annual costs per civilian with PTSD ($18,640) were lower than that in the military population ($25,684). In the civilian population, direct health care and unemployment costs accounted for the economic burden, while disability and direct health care costs drove the burden in the military population. Non-direct health costs such as disability payments are higher in military populations, according to Davis. The expansion of supported employment services for PTSD patients is overdue and could address the growing disability and unemployment crisis in veterans, she says.

The researchers also found that women represented 66% and 74% of the overall and civilian population with PTSD, respectively, thereby contributing disproportionally to the national costs. Research has shown that trauma-exposed women show higher levels of PTSD symptoms than trauma-exposed men. Plus, traumas such as sexual assault and domestic violence tend to affect more women than men and represent important areas for prevention and treatment.

The study notes that the substantial economic burden of PTSD highlights the "urgent and unmet" need for treating and rehabilitating people with the disorder.

"Experts agree that there is a long-standing crisis in pharmacologic drug development for the treatment of PTSD, as no medication has been FDA-approved for PTSD since the only two marketed agents were approved 20 years ago," the researchers write. "Additionally, there is a scarcity of evidence on the impact of available pharmacologic and psychological treatments and the interplay between the two on patient-centered outcomes, such as quality of life, well-being, interpersonal relationships, and occupational functioning. A burden that is often ignored in economic calculations is the cost for psychotherapy not covered under health plans, which represents a significant out-of-pocket [expense] for someone with PTSD, as demonstrated in the current study."

What does all of this mean for getting PTSD costs under control in the future?

"It is important to remember that we have effective treatments for PTSD," says Dr. Paula Schnurr, executive director of VA's National Center for PTSD. "One potential implication of this study's findings is that increasing treatment could reduce not only the symptom burden on people but also the economic costs to society as a whole."

Explore further Service dogs change lives of veterans with PTSD for the better

More information: Lori L. Davis et al, The Economic Burden of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the United States From a Societal Perspective, The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (2022). Journal information: Journal of Clinical Psychiatry Lori L. Davis et al, The Economic Burden of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the United States From a Societal Perspective,(2022). DOI: 10.4088/JCP.21m14116

Provided by Veterans Affairs Research Communications
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Why are frozen embryos and developing embryos within existing pregnancies treated differently under the law? How do the rights of men and women differ regarding parenthood in these two circumstances? In a new paper, published in the Indiana Law Journal, a Penn State professor explores these inconsistencies and recommends policy changes that may help courts settle disputes related to these topics.

Dara Purvis, associate dean for research and partnerships and professor of law, provides two real-life examples to help illustrate the points in her paper.

In the first example, a woman is diagnosed with cancer and told that the treatment would make her infertile. She and her boyfriend begin the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF) so that after her cancer treatment, the woman may have a chance to become a genetic mother. The couple subsequently separates, and the man successfully argues in court that the woman should not be allowed to use the frozen embryos, thereby blocking her access to her last opportunity to be a genetic parent.

In another example, a woman in her mid-thirties has sexual intercourse with a fifteen-year-old boy, and the encounter leads to pregnancy. Despite constituting statutory rape, the woman's request for the father to pay child support upon the birth of the child is granted by the court.

Why did the courts treat these two instances of unwanted fatherhood differently, and what do their decisions suggest about broader societal issues in family law and reproductive health?

A self-described feminist legal scholar, Purvis, in her paper, examines these questions through a masculinities theories lens, which involves looking at stereotypes of men's behaviorfor example, that men are simply breadwinners who give their children financial but not emotional support and are themselves not emotional beingsand asking what harm such stereotypes cause to men.

Purvis also explores the inconsistencies in how courts define 'personhood'when an embryo or fetus is considered a moral person with legal rights. She noted that personhood has arisen as an important theme in the abortion debate, and how the term comes to be officially defined will have an impact not only on abortion cases, but assisted reproduction cases as well.

"The idea of personhood is playing a central role in the case from Mississippi that is currently before the Supreme Court [Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization], which will determine whether bans on abortion before fetal viability are constitutional," said Purvis. "If embryos are granted personhood status, then the Supreme Court may rule that an abortion ban is constitutional."

The Supreme Court's ruling, she added, may also impact decision making related to frozen embryo disputes. What's interesting, she said, is that in cases of frozen embryo disputes, the courts have so far rejected the concept of fetal personhood. This is demonstrated in the example of the court's ruling in favor of the man who did not wish to allow his former partner to use the frozen embryos he helped to create.

"Not only will this precedent be relevant if states are considering passing abortion statutes, but it also shows that the implications of fetal personhood reach into areas that people may not have considered, namely assisted reproductive technologies [technologies used to treat infertility]," said Purvis.

She noted that although frozen embryo disputes are uncommon, the outcomes of these disputes influence how family law differentially views legal parentage for women versus men.

"Explanations of why men's consent is irrelevant for purposes of child support, such as in the context of statutory rape, generally focus on the child's needs," Purvis explained. "The logic is whatever the circumstances of conception may be, the child requires support. Embryo disputes, however, do not always follow this logic. When it comes to frozen embryos, a man's feelings of unwanted fatherhood may prevail over a woman's desire to be a mother. By contrast, when it comes to a pregnant person's control of their own body, embryo disputes tend to conclude that no matter the circumstances of conception, a man does not have the right to interfere."

Ultimately, Purvis said, these examples illustrate how differently courts treat statements about the emotions of men and women, and why the inconsistent recognition of men's consent to become fathers demonstrates that courts have rejected personhood. Purvis explained that courts tend to use a variety of approaches to settle such disputes. For example, a 'balancing approach' weighs the interests of the litigants against each other.

"A court that credits a woman's emotional appeal that conforms to gendered stereotypes about women's desires to be mothers, yet dismisses a man's emotional appeal, turns the balancing approach from an assessment of interests into a tool reinforcing sexist prejudice," she said.

To remove gender-based inconsistencies with regard to parenthood in frozen embryo disputes, Purvis suggests that a 'contractual approach' is the "least worst" option. A contractual approach would enable each partner to weigh their own preferences and emotions around parenthood and memorialize their plans in the agreement.

"A contractual approach to embryo disposition agreements can help by building in more time for couples to reflect upon their decision and ensuring they receive clear explanations of what choices they are to be presented with," said Purvis. "Legislatures could require a certain period of time in between executing the agreement and undergoing IVF treatment and could also require independent legal counsel or psychological counseling for both potential parents."

Explore further Judge hears arguments in challenge to Georgia abortion law
Nanoparticle tracking analysis and western blotting confirm purity of SARS-CoV2 preparations, while targeted lipidomics demonstrates the membrane as a PL rich membrane mainly comprised of PE, PC and PI. Panel A-B purity analysis of gradient purified viral preparations. (A) Gradient purified virus was analyzed by nanoparticle tracking analysis and particle size plotted. (B) Proteins was solubilised in NuPAGE LDS buffer then separated by size on Bis-Tris gels, before being transferred to nitrocellulose and blotted for the indicated proteins, as outlined in Methods (see Supplementary Figure 1 for uncropped gels) Panel C. Lipidomics analysis of the total amounts of lipids in each category in Vero and A549 cells. Lipids were extracted from 3 preparations of virus from either Vero or A549 cells, and analyzed using LC/MS/MS, as indicated in Methods. The relative % of all detected lipid categories for all 3 preparations, with molecular species within each category combined to provide total values are shown. Amounts (ng) of all individual molecular species were added together for each preparation then converted to molar amounts using an average mass value per category. Molar% was then calculated following totalling of all lipid categories (n = 3, mean +/- SEM). Unpaired Students T test. Credit: Journal of Lipid Research (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.jlr.2022.100208

Scientists from Cardiff University have detailed the molecular make-up of the fatty outer envelope of SARS-CoV-2 for the first timeand say it could prove an important new target for antivirals.

The team's work on the viral lipid envelope showed it had significant differences to healthy host cell membranes, suggesting the potential for it to be selectively targeted.

The research is published today in the Journal of Lipid Research.

"While vaccines and antivirals have targeted proteins or the replication cycle of SARS-CoV-2, there has been little research into the lipid envelope to date," said Professor Valerie O'Donnell, a lipid biochemist and co-author on the study from Cardiff University's School of Medicine.

"Our study has mapped this essential viral componentindeed, there has been very little research into any viral lipid envelopes so far. Addressing this knowledge gap could enable selective therapeutic targeting that avoids damaging host membranes. We also suspect the membrane won't be impacted by mutation of the virus, unlike spike proteins, so it would be a consistent target."

The Cardiff team used mass spectrometry to create a detailed map of the little-understood lipid envelope and found it was comprised mainly of phospholipids but very little cholesterol, unlike host cell membranes. The findings suggest there is potential to target the virus in the oral cavity with therapeutics without collateral damage to the body's own cells.

As part of the same study, they carried out a small-scale clinical trial in hospitalized COVID-19 patients to test whether oral rinses containing lipid disrupting chemicals called surfactants could reduce infectivity in the mouth.

In the trial, 27 hospital patients with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 were given one of four different types of oral rinse, including two containing cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), one containing povidone-iodine and another containing saline.

The most effective contained CPC and isopropyl myristatea single 30-second rinse with this formulation in seven patients eliminated the virus in the saliva by 99.99% at one minute, and by 99.8% at 60 minutes. In three of the seven patients (around 40%) no live virus was detected in the saliva at any time after the initial rinse.

Other formulations containing compounds such as povidone-iodine or saline had little to no effect, while the rinse containing CPC and benzoate did not show a persistent effect, suggesting formulation is "critical."

Professor Richard Stanton, co-author of the study from Cardiff University's School of Medicine, said: "The findings of our clinical trial suggest the lipid envelope could be targeted by specific formulations of oral rinses.

"Our results suggest certain mouthwashes could play a role in limiting COVID-19 exposure in healthcare settings, for example, destroying the virus for sufficient time to enable a dental or oral examination. It could also be a useful component of infection prevention and control for other respiratory enveloped viruses, such as influenza."

Professor David Thomas, co-author of the study from Cardiff University's School of Dentistry, said: "Larger clinical trials and population-based studies are warranted to determine if oral rinses have any impact on COVID-19 transmission in practice.

"We would encourage people to always use mouthwash safely and as per the manufacturer's guidelines."

An important caveat, say the researchers, is that mouthwash cannot target any virus in the lower respiratory tract, and it remains unclear whether virus that transmits to others arises from the upper or lower respiratory tract.

Explore further Researchers urge immediate study of oral rinses as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread

More information: Zack Saud et al, The SARS-CoV2 envelope differs from host cells, exposes pro-coagulant lipids, and is disrupted in vivo by oral rinses, Journal of Lipid Research (2022). Journal information: Journal of Lipid Research Zack Saud et al, The SARS-CoV2 envelope differs from host cells, exposes pro-coagulant lipids, and is disrupted in vivo by oral rinses,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.jlr.2022.100208
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Women who were pregnant during the recent Omicron surge were diagnosed with COVID-19 at a much higher rate than during previous phases of the pandemic, but were less likely to develop severe illness, a study by UT Southwestern and Parkland Health scientists found. The research, reported in JAMA, is the first published evidence documenting how the boom in COVID-19 cases late last year and early this year impacted the health of pregnant women.

"Obstetrics never stopped during the pandemic. Women are still having babies and coming in for their prenatal care," said study leader Emily Adhikari, M.D., Assistant Professor and Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist at UTSW and Medical Director of Perinatal Infectious Diseases at Parkland Health. "It's important to understand how this virus behaves in the population we serve."

Dr. Adhikari explained that respiratory infections, including COVID-19, are as infectious to pregnant women as they are in the general population. However, their effects can be far more severe due to the physiologic changes that occur in pregnancy: While a woman's lung capacity decreases about 20-30% during later pregnancy, oxygen consumption increases significantly as the fetus grows.

Although previous research, including a study at UTSW, had shown that hospitalizations of pregnant women increased during the Delta wave of COVID-19, no research had yet quantified severity of the Omicron variant in this population.

Toward this end, Dr. Adhikari, along with colleagues in Women and Infants Specialty Health at Parkland and in the Departments of Pathology and Pediatrics at UT Southwestern, gathered data from patients who received prenatal care at Parkland Health, the Dallas County system encompassing a centralized acute care hospital and 10 community-based prenatal clinics. The researchers collected information on positive cases and whether their illness was severemeaning the patient required supplemental oxygen or higher-level support such as high-flow nasal cannula, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (a type of life support that temporarily replaces heart and lung function)spanning May 17, 2020 to Jan. 29, 2022.

Dr. Adhikari and her colleagues found that 2,641 positive cases were diagnosed during this time period, which covered a pre-Delta phase, the Delta surge, and the Omicron surge. Their analysis showed that during the Delta surge, the case rate was three times higher than during the pre-Delta period. The case rate during the Omicron surge was 10 times higher than the pre-Delta period. However, while Delta cases were about three times more severe than pre-Delta cases, Omicron cases were about 80% less severe, Dr. Adhikari said.

She noted that although vaccination might have played a role in decreasing the severity of illness, this variable was accounted for, suggesting that differences may be due to other factors, such as the behavior of the particular SARS-CoV-2 variant or immunity from prior infection. Because the future of the pandemic remains uncertain, Dr. Adhikari added, vaccination will be key to helping pregnant women stay healthy if the next variant causes more severe illness.

"We're very lucky that although Omicron caused more cases than Delta, it was a less severe variant. If the same portion of positive patients had ended up on oxygen or ventilators, we would have been overwhelmed," Dr. Adhikari said. "We have no control over the nature of the next variant, but pregnant women do have control over whether to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, which has been proven to help prevent severe illness and spread."

Explore further COVID-19 hospitalizations increase among unvaccinated pregnant women

More information: Emily H. Adhikari et al, COVID-19 Cases and Disease Severity in Pregnancy and Neonatal Positivity Associated With Delta (B.1.617.2) and Omicron (B.1.1.529) Variant Predominance, JAMA (2022). Journal information: Journal of the American Medical Association Emily H. Adhikari et al, COVID-19 Cases and Disease Severity in Pregnancy and Neonatal Positivity Associated With Delta (B.1.617.2) and Omicron (B.1.1.529) Variant Predominance,(2022). DOI: 10.1001/jama.2022.4356
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are experiencing shorter lengths of stay in hospital and the portion needing intensive care has declined since the early days of the pandemic. However, overall mortality rates have remained unchanged and the all-cause mortality rate has increased in those who are critically ill and in need of invasive mechanical ventilation or ECMO, according to a large nationwide study of 853,219 COVID-19 patients (aged 18 years or older) hospitalized between May 2020 and December 2021.

The study is by Dr. Linda Chen, Mark Thrun, Essy Mozaffari, Paul Hodgkins, Rikisha Gupta, and Richard Haubrich from the biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciencesthe antiviral drug remdesivir's manufacturer.

The new research, to be presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Lisbon, Portugal (23-26 April), analyzed records from 879 hospitals in 48 states using the Premier Healthcare Database to examine treatment patterns and outcomes. Patients who were pregnant or had incomplete data were excluded.

Patients were middle-aged (average age 63 years), the majority were men (53%) and white (69%), and most had underlying chronic conditionsthe most common being high blood pressure (67%), obesity (34%), diabetes (28%), chronic pulmonary disease (24%), and kidney disease (21%).

Over time, the use of combination of COVID-19 treatments increased (figure 2 in notes to editors). For example, the combination of the antiviral drug remdesivir and the corticosteroid dexamethasone was used in less than 1% of patients in May 2020, and increased to 31% in December 2021.

The analyses found that during this period, overall all-cause mortality rates remained stable at 16%, while the average (median) hospital stay in patients fell from 7 to 6 days, and ICU stay remained unchanged at 5 days. Overall, use of the ICU in these COVID-19 patients declined from 34% in May 2020 to 27% in December 2021.

However, for patients on invasive mechanical ventilation or ECMO, ICU use remained consistently high at 90%, and the all-cause mortality rate increased from 48% to 59%.

According to co-author Professor David Wohl from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA, "Our findings underscore the continued need for more effective therapeutics for critically ill COVID-19 patients, as well as for more treatment options that increase the chance of recovery for people who are extremely sick so they can leave the hospital sooner. More research is needed to examine trends in specific subgroups of COVID-19 patients, such as older people, the immunocompromised and those with chronic diseases who increasingly are at the greatest risk for becoming critically ill from COVID-19."

The authors point out that this is an observational study, and as such can't establish cause, and acknowledge that these data did not cover sufficient dates to explore outcomes for the recently emergent Omicron variant.

Explore further Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were three times as likely to die than those with seasonal influenza

Provided by European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) and Cruise Saudi will co-participate at Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami, USA  one of the biggest annual cruise and tourism events welcoming industry professionals from over 100 countries.



The event will be held from April 25 until 28 this year, marking Saudi representation for a second year.



STA and Cruise Saudi teams will highlight the countrys rich and diverse offering and update attendees on progress toward establishing Saudi as not only a premier cruising hub but a new, unique tourism destination. Alongside STA and Cruise Saudi, representatives from The Rig, the Royal Commission for AlUla, Albalad Historic Jeddah, and SAUDIA will also be present, which is a significant expansion from last years participation.



From Cruise Saudi, Chief Executive Officer Lars Clasen, Chief Strategy Officer Ghassan Khan, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Norbert Stiekema, Chief Development & Asset Management Officer Miguel Reyna and Executive Director  Asset & Facility Management, Barbara Buczek will be in attendance as well as Board Member Karl Holz.



There will also be a dedicated booth at the event where Cruise Saudi ambassadors will share the companys achievements, successes and itineraries, featuring additional destinations and shore excursions. STA ambassadors will showcase Saudis flourishing tourism industry and ongoing initiatives to enrich and expand the offering.



We are delighted to co-participate in Seatrade Cruise Global with STA  the organization dedicated to driving tourism in Saudi and attracting an increasing number of visitors each year. As a bridge between land and sea, our goal is to showcase and celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Saudi and what the destination has in store for domestic and international tourists, said Cruise Saudi CEO Lars Clasen.



Our partnerships with key government stakeholders such as STA, as well as with private-sector entities, have been critical in developing the necessary cruise infrastructure and services to welcome cruise ships carrying more than 50,000 passengers to Saudi.

In line with Vision 2030, the Saudi leaderships overarching transformation plan for the country, Cruise Saudi is developing the local cruise industry as an additional economic engine to the flourishing tourism industry. At the Seatrade Cruise Global Awards last year, we were honoured as a finalist in the category of Destination of the Year; and at this years event, we look forward to presenting Cruise Saudi as the newest player in the global cruise arena and how we plan to elevate our offering, he added.



Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO and Member of the Board at STA, said, Saudi is the authentic home of Arabia: a vibrant, youthful destination with a rich cultural heritage brought to life by the unparalleled hospitality of the Saudi people. Participating at events like Seatrade Cruise Global is an opportunity to introduce people to the real Saudi and highlight the many exciting opportunities that the countrys tourism sector offers.



We are proud to represent the country in partnership with Cruise Saudi  the company that is driving the development of a fully integrated, world-class and sustainable local cruise industry in Saudi.



Saudi is investing more in tourism than any country in the world and cruise is central to our strategy of helping more travellers connect with our stunning unspoiled landscapes, our untapped islands and beaches and the extraordinary welcome that lies at the heart of the culture and its people. We invite the world to come and discover Saudi, Hamidaddin added.



Cruise Saudi works closely with national entities such as STA, Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani), the Red Sea Gateway Terminal, Saudi Customs and Immigration, Saudi Border Guard, Jeddah Chamber of Commerce, and several ministries including Transport, Culture, Health and Tourism. Collectively, the aim is to ultimately establish Saudi as one of the leading tourism destinations worldwide.  TradeArabia News Service
Transcriptomic analysis identifies characteristic changes in reactive ECs during metastatic colonization of the lung. a, Immunofluorescence images showing association of lung ECs (CD31) with metastatic breast cancer cells (GFP) in mouse lung at indicated time points post intravenous injection of MDA231-LM2 breast cancer cells. Scale bars, 50 m. Dashed lines indicate margins of metastatic foci. b, Quantification of metastatic nodules from a with intranodular ECs; n = 72 nodules (week 1), n = 76 nodules (week 2) and n = 83 nodules (week 3) from four mice were analyzed for each time point. Data are presented as means  s.e.m. c, Size of MDA231-LM2-derived metastatic nodules in lung at weeks 13. A minimum of 16 nodules were analyzed for each lung; n = 4 mice per group. d, MDA231-LM2 cancer cells (left) and ECs (right) in lung at indicated time points. Data show means  s.d; n = 4 mice per time point. P values were determined by one-way ANOVA with Dunnetts multiple comparison test. e, Experimental setup for EC isolation from mouse lung at different stages of MDA231-LM2-derived metastasis, followed by transcriptomic analysis. f, PC analysis of gene expression profiles from ECs isolated from healthy lung (control) or lung with different stages of metastasis (as in e). g, GSEA of isolated ECs using proliferation- or inflammation-related signatures. Signatures with nominal P 0.75, P Nature Cancer (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s43018-022-00353-6

Metastatic breast cancer cells abuse macrophages, a type of immune cell, to promote the settlement of cancer metastases in the lungs. The reprogrammed macrophages stimulate blood vessel cells to secrete a cocktail of metastasis-promoting proteins that are part of the so-called metastatic niche. This was demonstrated by scientists from the German Cancer Research Center and the Stem Cell Institute HI-STEM in mice that had been transplanted with human breast cancer cells. The work enabled the scientists to identify new targets and develop initial concepts to better restrain the metastatic spread of breast cancer.

Cancer spreads within the body as individual cells detach from the primary tumor and travel to distant body regions via the bloodstream or lymphatic system. Before they can grow into a metastasis at a secondary site, they must communicate with their new environment through a variety of molecular interactions. "In order to settle in this new, hostile milieu, the cancer cells corrupt the microenvironment to support their growth," says Thordur Oskarsson of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the stem cell institute HI-STEM. Researchers refer to this as the tumor cells creating a "metastatic niche."

Blood vessels play a very special role in metastasis. Detached tumor cells prefer to stay in their immediate vicinity. In particular, the interactions of cancer cells with the endothelial cells lining the inside of the vessels are crucial for metastasis, as many studies have already shown. However, the details of this molecular exchange are still largely unknown.

A team led by Oskarsson has now investigated these interactions during metastatic colonization of the lung by breast cancer cells in mice. The researchers first observed that four genes in the lung endothelial cells showed a particularly strong increase in activity three weeks after the onset of metastasis. They encode four proteins that are secreted into the microenvironment (Inhbb, Lama1, Scgb3a1 and Opg), which both individually and in combination promote the development of lung metastases. Inhbb and Scgb3a1 confer stem cell properties to cancer cells, Opg prevents programmed cell deathapoptosisand Lama1 supports adhesion-mediated cell survival. Importantly, high expression of these four newly identified niche factors correlates with both shortened relapse-free survival and shortened overall survival of breast cancer patients.

But how do cancer cells get the lung endothelium to produce the metastasis-promoting protein cocktail? To the surprise of the scientists, the cancer cells do not do this job directly themselves, but instead harness a cell type of the innate immune system for this purpose, the macrophages.

"These macrophages, which often reside in the vicinity of the lung blood vessels, are activated by tenascin, an extracellular matrix protein produced by breast cancer cells," explains Tsunaki Hongu, the first author of the study. Tenascin is involved in disease progression in many cancers. After activation by tenascin, macrophages produce various factors that induce the production of the cancer-promoting protein cocktail in endothelial cells. By eliminating macrophages or their activity, using specific molecular agents, the investigators could show that these cells are crucial for production of the metastasis-promoting protein cocktail.

Oskarsson, who now works at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida, summarizes: "The complexity of the crosstalk between cancer cells, macrophages and endothelial cells is striking. With a better understanding of the numerous proteins and other factors involved in these metastatic interactions, we were able to identify a variety of starting points for new strategies against breast cancer metastasis. We have already developed initial therapeutic concepts for this, which we now need to validate in further studies."

The research was published in Nature Cancer.

Explore further Breast cancer: Why metastasis spreads to the bone

More information: Thordur Oskarsson, Perivascular tenascin C triggers sequential activation of macrophages and endothelial cells to generate a pro-metastatic vascular niche in the lungs, Nature Cancer (2022). www.nature.com/articles/s43018-022-00353-6 Journal information: Nature Cancer Thordur Oskarsson, Perivascular tenascin C triggers sequential activation of macrophages and endothelial cells to generate a pro-metastatic vascular niche in the lungs,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s43018-022-00353-6
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

In a new study, researchers found large birthweight inequalities among the descendants of non-Western immigrants compared to the descendants of Swedes. The largest differences were found in the third generation. The researchers warn inequalities may continue to widen in subsequent generations.

"Swedish born individuals with mothers born in non-Western countries had lower birthweight as compared to those with mothers born in Sweden, and this gap widens when we look at their children. Previous studies show that being born low birthweight has huge effects and is linked to later life health and socioeconomic outcomes," says Siddartha Aradhya, researcher at the Demography Unit at the Department of Sociology, Stockholm University, and first author of the study that was published today in the journal BMJ Global Health.

The researchers also observed an increase in the odds of low birthweight (less than 2500 g) when they compared individuals with non-Western backgrounds to those with Swedish background. Importantly, increasing inequalities were not observed among other groups with non-Swedish background.

Previous studies have documented differences in birthweight among the descendants of white and non-white immigrants in several contexts with long migration histories, for example the US, UK and Brazil. But this is the first time this is analyzed in a context where immigration is a more recent phenomenon.

"These findings are puzzling especially in the Swedish context where all residents have access to universal healthcare and education. Also considering the fact that people from the non-Western groups were mainly from countries in conflict, who in general experience such an improvement in Sweden in terms of security and perhaps resources," says Sol Juarez senior lecturer at the Department of Public Health, Stockholm University, and co-author of the study.

Discrimination could be one of the reasons

The researchers used population registers to identify the birthweight of two generations of women born in Sweden (mothers and daughters) with either a Swedish-born or foreign-born background (grandmothers). The authors examined differences in mean birthweight and the odds of low birthweight (less than 2500 g). The third generation had a 147 grams lower birthweight in the non-Western group, relative to the comparable Swedish population. Even after taking into account the mother's BMI, birthweight, height, gestational age, age at delivery, smoking during pregnancy, education, and income, a significant unexplained difference of 80 grams remained between those with non-Western background relative to those with Swedish background.

"This does not mean that the birthweight of those with non-Western background is decreasing over generations, it's more that they are falling behind. All other groups are experiencing increases in birthweight over generations following general trends in improved population health. If this divergence continues then we are really talking about the levels of inequalities that we see in the US and UK," says Aradhya.

"The differences in birthweight found in the third generation between those with Swedish and non-Western heritage are not negligible if we consider that moderately smoking during pregnancy is associated with lower birthweight of about 200 grams," says Aradhya.

According to the study, these inequalities in birthweight developed in Sweden, the host society.

"The second generation is born in Sweden, have been raised in Sweden, and have children in Sweden. Previous studies have shown that discrimination may affect people's health. This is perhaps one explanation, as well as thinking about what it is like to be the 'other' in society, and how that affects your health," says Sol Juarez.

The researchers of the study stress that some of the inequalities we can observe later on are already starting at birth.

"If we find that non-Western third generation immigrants are doing really poorly in school, we have to consider the fact that they are also born into inequality. And considering the fact that it's happening only for the non-Western group, which is predominantly non-white, then we are actually observing a racial inequality. By ignoring all signs that are pointing in that direction, this will be an issue in the future," says Sol Juarez.

Explore further Swedish children with migration backgrounds less likely to receive recommended psychiatric treatment, study shows

More information: Siddartha Aradhya et al, Immigrant ancestry and birthweight across two generations born in Sweden: an intergenerational cohort study, BMJ Global Health (2022). Journal information: BMJ Global Health Siddartha Aradhya et al, Immigrant ancestry and birthweight across two generations born in Sweden: an intergenerational cohort study,(2022). DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007341
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

British health officials investigating the cause of a spike in acute hepatitis, or liver inflammation, among children said there is increasing evidence that it is linked to a common virus.

The U.K. Health Security Agency has recorded 111 cases of unexplained hepatitis in children under 10 since January. Ten of the children needed liver transplants. The U.N. health agency said it has so far received reports of at least 169 cases of "acute hepatitis of unknown origin," and that one death had been reported.

While it isn't clear what's causing the illnesses, a leading suspect is adenovirus, which was detected in 75% of the confirmed cases tested, the U.K. agency said in statement Monday.

Adenovirus, a common group of viruses, is now circulating in children at higher than average levels after dropping to unusually low levels during the pandemic. One avenue of inquiry being explored is that the outbreak may be linked to a surge in common viral infections after COVID-19 restrictions were phased out. Children who weren't exposed to adenovirus over the last two years may now be getting hit harder when they are exposed to the viruses.

"Information gathered through our investigations increasingly suggests that this rise in sudden onset hepatitis in children is linked to adenovirus infection,'' said Dr. Meera Chand, director of clinical and emerging infections at UKHSA. "However, we are thoroughly investigating other potential causes."

Chand presented the British data Monday during an emergency session of the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases in Lisbon.

The usual viruses that cause infectious liver inflammationhepatitis A to Eweren't detected in any of the 111 cases being investigated in the U.K. The victims suffered symptoms such as jaundice, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

The liver processes nutrients, filters the blood and fights infections. Hepatitis can be life-threatening if left untreated.

There are dozens of adenoviruses, many associated with cold-like symptoms, fever, sore throat and pink eye.

U.S. authorities said earlier this month that they were investigating a cluster of otherwise unexplained hepatitis cases diagnosed in nine Alabama children who also tested positive for adenovirus. Officials there are exploring a link to one particular versionadenovirus 41that's normally associated with gut inflammation.

U.K. public health officials have ruled out any links to COVID-19 vaccines, saying none of the affected children was vaccinated.

Explore further Mysterious liver illness seen in kids in US, Europe

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The black, white and tan ponies on the carousel in Caras Park are going green.

A Carousel for Missoula recently received a $27,000 grant from NorthWestern Energy to install solar panels to power the motor spinning 38 ponies on the carousel.

Big Sky Solar and Wind will waive a portion of its installation fee to bring the solar project to life.

Its pretty exciting, said Tracy Ursery, the executive director of a Carousel for Missoula.

Her predecessor, Theresa Cox, initiated the solar project late last summer before stepping down from her post at the end of 2021.

Cox was thinking about her legacy and the future of the carousel, which she served since it opened in 1995.

One of the things that is important to me is sustainability, Cox said.

Cox believes sustainable operations will benefit the carousel itself and the community as a whole.

Shes hopeful the 32 360-watt solar panels will be up and running before summer.

Pursuing the NorthWestern Energy grant was a refreshingly straightforward process, Cox said. It was really quite easy, she noted. The hardest part was waiting.

She applied for the grant in August 2021, and the organization received the award in February.

Installing solar panels is just one part of the sustainability initiative at the carousel. The grant also pays for a laptop inside the building to display real-time energy savings generated by the solar panels.

That will be interesting inside the building, Cox said.

Outside the carousel, a garbage-eating dragon will take up residence in a new castle under construction between the carousel building and the Dragon Hollow playground.

The dragon will encourage visitors to deposit trash, recyclables and compost in the appropriate receptacles. It will roar and flash solar-powered lights from its eyes whenever a guest makes a deposit.

The dragon idea was inspired by the garbage-eating goat that snarfs up trash from visitors to the Riverfront Park Carrousel in Spokane. Cox said she had been hoping to add a dragon to perform a similar function ever since she visited the Spokane attraction.

A Carousel for Missoula received a $5,000 grant from the Bill and Rosemary Gallagher Foundation to install the dragon. Missoula Compost Collection LLC, has agreed to donate $1,000 worth of pickup service, and donations have also come from Boone Karlberg PC, and Randy and Theresa Cox.

John Thompson of Hobby Horse Arts will carve the dragon; Dirik Dubay of Western Montana Patio will build the castle; and Mike Sudik of Big Sky Solar and Wind will give the dragon lights and a mighty roar.

Nearby signs will highlight the advantages of sustainable practices like composting and solar energy. Cox hopes the overall initiative encourages Missoulians to be more conscientious about their environmental choices, especially the younger generation.

We get so many kids down here, she said. What a nice message to keep the Earth as nice as we can for them.

Ursery also hopes the sustainability efforts will inspire renewed interest in the carousel. As its new director, Ursery said she wants to draw more riders of all ages to the downtown attraction.

What I want to focus on is getting the community more involved, Ursery said.

To donate to the solar panels or garbage dragon, contact Ursery at at 406-549-8382 or mslacarousel@gmail.com. Donations of $1,000 or more will be recognized on permanent signage near the educational displays.

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PARIS (AP)  French President Emmanuel Macron comfortably won a second term Sunday, triggering relief among allies that the nuclear-armed power won't abruptly shift course in the midst of the war in Ukraine from European Union and NATO efforts to punish and contain Russia's military expansionism.

The second five-year term for the 44-year-old centrist spared France and Europe from the seismic upheaval of having firebrand populist Marine Le Pen at the helm, Macron's presidential runoff challenger who quickly conceded defeat but still scored her best-ever electoral showing.

Acknowledging that numerous voters cast ballots for him simply to keep out the fiercely nationalist far-right Le Pen, Macron pledged to reunite the country that is filled with so many doubts, so many divisions and work to assuage the anger of French voters that fed Le Pen's campaign.

No one will be left by the side of the road," Macron said in a victory speech against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower and a projection of the blue-white-and-red tricolor French flag. He was cheered by several hundred supporters who happily waved French and EU flags.

We have a lot to do and the war in Ukraine reminds us that we are going through tragic times where France must make its voice heard," Macron said.

During her campaign, Le Pen pledged to dilute French ties with the 27-nation EU, NATO and Germany, moves that would have shaken Europes security architecture as the continent deals with its worst conflict since World War II. Le Pen also spoke against EU sanctions on Russian energy supplies and faced scrutiny during the campaign over her previous friendliness with the Kremlin.

A chorus of European leaders hailed Macron's victory, since France has played a leading role in international efforts to punish Russia with sanctions and is supplying weapons to Ukraine.

Democracy wins, Europe wins," said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Together we will make France and Europe advance," tweeted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Italian Premier Mario Draghi called Macron's victory splendid news for all of Europe and a boost to the EU "being a protagonist in the greatest challenges of our times, starting with the war in Ukraine.

Macron won with 58.5% of the vote to Le Pen's 41.5%  significantly closer than when they first faced off in 2017.

Macron is the first French president in 20 years to win reelection, since incumbent Jacques Chirac trounced Le Pens father in 2002.

Le Pen called her result a shining victory, saying that in this defeat, I can't help but feel a form of hope.

Breaking through the threshold of 40% of the vote is unprecedented for the French far-right. Le Pen was beaten 66% to 34% by Macron in 2017 and her father got less than 20% against Chirac.

She and hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, one of 10 candidates eliminated in the first round on April 10, both quickly pitched forward Sunday night to France's legislative election in June, urging voters to give them a parliamentary majority to hamstring Macron.

Le Pens score this time rewarded her years-long efforts to make her far-right politics more palatable to voters. Campaigning hard on cost-of-living issues, she made deep inroads among blue-collar voters in disaffected rural communities and in former industrial centers.

Le Pen voter Jean-Marie Cornic, 78, said he cast his ballot for her because he wanted a president who would prioritize our daily lives  salaries, taxes, pensions.

The drop in support for Macron compared to five years ago points to a tough battle ahead for the president to rally people behind him in his second term. Many French voters found the 2022 presidential rematch less compelling than in 2017, when Macron was an unknown factor.

Leftist voters  unable to identify with either the centrist president or Le Pen  agonized with Sunday's choice. Some trooped reluctantly to polling stations solely to stop Le Pen, casting joyless votes for Macron.

It was the least worst choice, said Stephanie David, a transport logistics worker who backed a communist candidate in round one.

It was an impossible choice for retiree Jean-Pierre Roux. Having also voted communist in round one, he dropped an empty envelope into the ballot box on Sunday, repelled both by Le Pens politics and what he saw as Macrons arrogance.

I am not against his ideas but I cannot stand the person, Roux said.

In contrast, Marian Arbre, voting in Paris, cast his ballot for Macron to avoid a government that finds itself with fascists, racists.

Theres a real risk, the 29-year-old fretted.

Macron went into the vote as the firm favorite but faced a fractured, anxious and tired electorate. The war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic battered Macrons first term, as did months of violent protests against his economic policies.

In celebrating victory, Macron acknowledged a debt to voters who helped get him over the line, not to support the ideas I hold, but to block those of the extreme right.

I want to thank them and tell them that I am aware that their vote obliges me for the years to come, he said. "I am the custodian of their sense of duty, of their attachment to the Republic.

Associated Press journalists Sylvie Corbet, Elaine Ganley, Angela Charlton and Thomas Adamson in Paris, Sam Petrequin in Brussels Michel Spingler in Henin-Beaumont, and Alex Turnbull in Le Touquet, contributed.

Follow APs coverage of the French election at https://apnews.com/hub/french-election-2022

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
81 year-old Varta had to travel four days by car with her family to escape Mariupol (Getty Images)

Hundreds of thousands of elderly Ukrainians are trapped in the east of the country, unable or unwilling to leave, as Russian forces bear down on their towns, a top humanitarian official has warned.

While the plight of children and mothers leaving areas in the east and heading to towns in the west of the country, or nations such as Poland, has received widespread media attention, the dangers facing the elderly have been largely overlooked, says Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

Egeland says many of these people aged in their 70s and 80s, have disabilities or else are bedridden. In some communities in eastern Ukraine, where Russia is now focusing its military operation, elderly people account for as much as 60 per cent of the population.

It is is a reverse of the situation in crises in places such as Syria and Afghanistan, where there are large numbers of children caught up in the conflict.

I mean, the senselessness of having a war waged among hundreds of thousands of freezing, miserable pensioners, Egeland tells The Independent from Kyiv, where he is on fact-finding mission. You cannot make it up.

Egeland, 64, a Norwegian diplomat who previously served as the United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, says prior to the invasion he travelled to communities in the Donbas, including those under the control of pro-Russian separatists.

He says they are people who had few means, who lived in towns and villages that were devastated by the previous war (that happened in 2014), and now were sitting there, waiting for the new war.

I ask them again and again, should you leave  can you leave?

He adds: Uniformly, they say we cannot leave, we have no place to go. This is our land. We will stay come whatever.

Egeland and other aid officials say that more than five million people have now left Ukraine, and a further seven million displaced internally.

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He says while some have said it is the largest refugee crisis in terms of numbers and timescale since the end of World War II, he cannot think of any precedent in history.

When did we ever see two million people per week be displaced for six weeks, meaning twelve million people. I dont think its happened before, he says.

Its a sign of the ferocity of the attacks, and its also a sign that the population is mobile and that many families could move children and mothers to places in western Ukraine and in neighbouring countries. It really means the whole country was turned upside down in weeks.

Egelands warning about the plight of the forgotten elderly comes as Ukraine marks two months since it was invaded by Russian troops, in what Russian leader Vladimir Putin described as a special military operation.

Thousands of people have been killed, and there is widespread evidence of what investigators on the ground say are war crimes committed by Russian forces. Moscow has denied such claims and alleged  without evidence  that any such atrocities were staged by Ukrainian forces.

Jan Egeland meets internally displaced families in collective site for displaced people in Novyi Rozdil city, near Lviv (Laila Matar/NRC)

At the weekend, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ukraine, a trip that marked the highest level delegation since the invasion.

On Monday, Austin said he hoped Russian losses in Ukraine would deter its leadership from repeating its actions.

He also said Ukraine could still win the war if given the right support, he added, and that the US would send another $713m of military aid to Ukraine and other European nations.

We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it cant do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine, Austin said, speaking in Poland.

Answering questions at a press conference, he added: It has already lost a lot of military capability and a lot of its troops, quite frankly, and we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability.

Egeland says his organisation fears that as the Russians focus their operations on cities in the east, and as it becomes harder for these old, vulnerable people to leave, more communities will become encircled and besieged, as happened in Mariupol.

The escalation of war in east Ukraine will result in horrific bloodshed and mass displacement from the eastern regions, including Luhansk and Donetsk, re-traumatising communities who have already suffered eight years of hostilities. In some places the escalation may also lead to entire cities being besieged, he says.

Its heartbreaking to think about the horrors these people are forced to relive, and to know that we are unable to get lifesaving assistance into many affected areas. We call for an immediate ceasefire to stop this tidal wave of human suffering.
A Peoples Convoy of truckers eventually took the speedy way out of town after Oakland residents pelted the trucks with eggs in a scrambled confrontation captured on video.

Get the fuck out, yelled many of the counter-demonstrators, while one trucker was seen climbing out of his vehicle to confront an individual hurling eggs.

Protesters in the convoy were heard later complaining on their CB radios about having to wash their trucks, the Sacramento Bee reported.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the convoy  which involved about 20 semis, pickup trucks and vans  initially rolled into the Bay Area last week to plant American flags on the lawn of the San Francisco residence of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). But they couldnt decide which house was hers, according to Daily Beast journalist Zachary Petrizzo.

Then the convoy took off Friday for Oakland to protest outside the home of California Assembly member Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) over an abortion-protection bill and a second bill that would have mandated COVID vaccines for private business employees (which she had already put on hold last month), The San Francisco Chronicle reported.

As the convoy jammed the streets outside a Safeway grocery store on the way to Wicks place, residents and stuck drivers reportedly took the opportunity to buy lots of eggs.

Wicks office told The Mercury News that she was home when the convoy arrived at her street, and she called the police for protection.

Bullhorns and loud trucks lend no legitimacy to baseless conspiracy theories from out-of-state protesters, said a statement sent by her spokesperson to the Mercury News. Assembly member Wicks will not indulge any attempts to influence her legislative work through harassment and intimidation tactics, the statement added.

The convoy was reportedly back at its California home base in Sacramento Sunday.

Oakland was so proud.

The "peoples convoy" making friends and getting breakfast ssrved in Oakland, Ca https://t.co/WZH9XD8hS7  Sherri Bo Berri (@Sherri_Bo_Berri) April 25, 2022

Sweeeeeet!!!



The People's Convoy egged in Oakland, CA as they protest by Buffy Wicks ... https://t.co/VwB8BQKBCH via @YouTube  John Ludi (@JohnLudiMusic) April 24, 2022

Weirdo Qanon trucker convoy in Oakland yesterday was merciless egged. I can never leave this city.  Robyn Johnson (@RobynEJohnson) April 23, 2022

- Convoy is disjointed and unorganized now, they've lost contact with one another and are attempting to rejoin as a group. panicked, distraught, and lost. They're slowly re-collectivizing.



Also, someone needs a wash. pic.twitter.com/lRPWBzoubs  Quarks McQuade (@NoMoreQuarks) April 22, 2022

Check out the video up top from Rise Images (with permission).

Story continues

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

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Name: Jennie Cook

Party Affiliation: Republican

Seeking Office: Burke County Board of Commissioners

Age: 71

Profession: Vice President Sales and Marketing Bills Sewing Machine Company Home Division

Education: Alumni of Hildebran High School continued education at Western Piedmont Community College with NC University Leadership and Development Program. Institute of Government Essentials of Municipal Government Essentials of Economic Development, Ethics, Planning and Development at Western Carolina and Warren Wilson. Board of adjustments and Leadership of Burke.

Family: Married 53 Years with two children, two grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Community Involvement: I have over 35 years of volunteer service to the town of Hildebran, the Burke County Board of Adjustments, Western Piedmont Council of Transportation Advisory Committee, Burke County Economic Development, and Valdese Economic Development Investment. I have been awarded Burke County Volunteer of the Year (2006-2007).

1. Have you ever been convicted of a felony? No

2. Do you currently owe back property taxes? No

3. How do you believe commissioners should address facility inadequacies for the health department and social services?

Once elected as your commissioner, the seated commissioners and I would discuss and assess the need to evaluate the facilities of the health department and social services. Upon evaluation, inadequacies discovered will be assessed and shortfalls will be ranked in a hierarchal need. Inadequacies would be upgraded based on the hierarchal need to rectify and repair the issues of safety and health concerns first.

4. What are your feelings on commissioners creating a long-term regional drug rehabilitation facility?

The key word being regional. I will support a long-term drug treatment and prevention facility for the betterment of the community. This will have to be a collaboration of Federal, State, and surrounding counties.

5. There has been controversy over the placement of the Confederate statue on the Old Burke County Courthouse Square and a call to create a committee to discuss/address its location. What decision would you like to see the board of commissioners make on the statue/committee?

According to North Carolina General Statue 100-2 and 100-2.1 the commissioners nor any municipalities have the authority in the placement or removal of monuments, statues, or works of art. Therefore, there would be no need for a committee or decision from the commissioners concerning this matter.

6. What priorities do you think the board should set to live up to its All About Advancing Slogan?

Growth. We must continue to strive for economic growth by bringing more business into Burke County. We must increase our population by improving housing and recreation while continuing to help build on education opportunities for skilled labor such as mechanics, plumbers, electricians, contractors etc. These improvements will entice young families to move to Burke County to live, work, and raise families.

7. What makes you qualified to become a commissioner?

According to the state of North Carolina: I am a citizen of the United States of America, I am a resident of Burke County and I have paid my filing fee. This makes me qualified to become your county commissioner. What makes me qualified to be a great commissioner is my desire to help the members of the community and desire to make Burke County even better while monitoring and enforcing legislation so all members of Burke County can thrive and prosper.
More years ago than I really care to count, the childrens librarian in my little town in rural northwestern Connecticut, apparently tired of my endlessly renewing the same book over and over again, pressed a copy of The White Mountains by John Christopher into my 8-year-old hands.

Mrs. Bullock was her name. She was the mother of one of my schoolmates. Shed taken note of my reading habits, such as they were were, and decided to take matters into her own hands. If I liked the book Id been endlessly renewing, she argued, Id love this one.

She was right. I read every volume in Christophers pulpy series, which followed the adventures of young people rebelling against alien overlords bent on keeping a servile population under their collective thumb with futuristic tech that suppressed their individuality and free will.

It was the start of my lifelong love of books and libraries. Viewed through the prism of 40-odd years, it also was an oddly prescient choice.

Students and their teachers in schools across the country  and now public libraries  are waging a brave fight against the king of organized book-banning campaigns that once only seemed the province of the worst kind of totalitarian governments  or dystopian science fiction.

As Ariana Figueroa, the Pennsylvania Capital-Stars reporter in Washington, made astonishingly clear in a recent story, hundreds of books, across dozens of states, are being banned at alarming rates.

A majority of the bans were seeing across the country have targeted books written by authors who are people of color, LGBTQ, Black or indigenous. The books feature characters and deal with themes that reflect the experiences of marginalized communities, Figueroa reported.

While those behind these campaigns hide themselves behind the mask of parental control, what I think theyre really concealing is fear: Fear of a country and world thats changing around them. Fear of voices that were kept silent too long who are now speaking up and demanding their seat at the table of power. Perhaps most important, fear of the erosion of their own privilege.

Books are more than printed matter. Theyre conduits to an endless universe of knowledge. They also are the greatest democratizer weve ever invented.

Take one down off the shelf and read it, and it will nudge you to another and another. Before long, youre navigating the twists and turns of human experience, letting your own curiosity be your guide, allowing it to bring you to places youve never been, and to introduce you to people, places and cultures you might never have met or experienced on your own.

Thats why, when theyve sought to erase people and cultures, every authoritarian from the beginning of time until now has destroyed their books and burned their libraries.

After the the Romans tore down ancient Carthage, brick by brick, and sold its people into slavery in 146 B.C.E., they gave the Carthaginians books to the citys adversaries, who either destroyed or lost them, silencing them forever.

The Nazis held well-documented book burnings in 1933. In a modern twist, Vladimir Putins Russia is struggling to keep the truth of its savage invasion of Ukraine from its own people.

Last year, students in a Pennsylvania school district about 40 minutes south of Harrisburg made nationwide headlines when they took on  and won a reversal of  a yearlong ban on a list of anti-racism books and educational resources by or about people of color, including childrens books that dealt with Dr. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks.

The school boards president, Jane Johnson, told The Washington Post at the time that the board was trying to balance legitimate academic freedom with what could be literature/materials that are too activist in nature, and may lean more toward indoctrination rather than age-appropriate academic content.

Hear that? Indoctrination? Thats the voice of fear talking. Its a way to push back, without appearing to push back, against arguments that youre trying to silence or erase those whose voices badly need to be heard.

When a student  or anyone  picks up a book, its a moment of singular liberation. Its their first step down that hallway of knowledge. Its the start, rather than the end, of the adventure. And theres no telling where it might take them  perhaps even to the halls of power themselves.

If theyre very lucky, they also will have their own Mrs. Bullock to help guide them down those twisting and turning corridors, always nudging them along, gently prodding and testing them, but never, ever standing in their way or blocking the path.

Only the fearful do that.

John L. Micek is editor-in-chief of The Pennsylvania Capital-Star at Harrisburg, Pa. Email him at jmicek@penncapital-star.com or follow him at twitter.com/ByJohnLMicek .
Buttes popular Alley Rally garbage drop-off program will start in a few weeks at the same location as last year.

Had COVID not hit in 2020, it might very well be the fourth consecutive year that Butte-based Community, Counseling and Correctional Services Inc. has handled operations in an open lot off of Shields Avenue.

The county liked the debut arrangement and location in 2019, so after a summer hiatus in 2020 due to COVID, they went with the 2019 game plan again last year, paying CCCS $30,000 to staff the fenced site just below the Belmont Senior Center.

Under a plan recently approved by commissioners, Alley Rally will start on May 17, end on Aug. 6 and be open and staffed by CCCS Tuesdays through Sundays. It opens each day at 10 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. and will be closed on Mondays.

The contract with CCCS this year is for $35,000. CCCS runs the Butte Pre-Release Center and other prison programs in Montana, but it does not use pre-release residents or anyone under jurisdiction of the Montana Department of Corrections to staff the site. McGree Trucking will remove and replace dumpsters at the site.

The alley rally was a huge success again last year, Ed Randall, Butte-Silver Bows community enrichment director, said Monday. Teaming up with CCCS and McGree Trucking has been beneficial to all of B-SB.

For many years now, Community Enrichment has placed large garbage containers at certain locations in Butte during late spring and summer so people can dispose of garbage, debris and yard waste without going to the county landfill north of Rocker.

In 2018, the containers were moved to different sites around town and were only open Fridays and Saturdays. Instead of being more convenient for people, many had a hard time finding it from week to week.

The county had staffed the sites with summer help in previous years, but officials approached CCCS in 2019, knowing it owned a site next to an old red warehouse off of East Iron Street below the Belmont Center that was already fenced. East Iron Street connects with Shields Avenue just south of the Berkeley Pit viewing stand.

CCCS workers are responsible for keeping the site clean, ensuring vehicle loads are covered and making sure items can be disposed at the site. People must take paint, batteries, old tires and some other items directly to the landfill.

The location is central to most of us, is clean and always taken care of, Randall said. Our staff is at sight at least once a day, usually more than that. We work very well with them.

Under the contract, the county provides training to Alley Rally staff, provides all safety gear and will also meet weekly with CCCS to discuss operations.

CCCS will be paid one-third of the $35,000 by May 30 and the remaining two-thirds by Aug. 20 after this years program is over.

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Global hospitality major Marriott International, today (April 25) celebrated the launch of The Westin London City, its 1,000th hotel in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

A flagship Westin Hotel that seamlessly balances London's always-on energy with the wellness promise for which the brand is known, the property also marks the debut of the Westin Hotels & Resorts brand in the UK market.

As the company celebrated this milestone, it also announced that across 2022 and 2023, it expects to add more than 200 properties, which equates to 38,000 rooms, in EMEA region.

"I'm very proud of reaching 1,000 Marriott International hotels across EMEA. This growth milestone is symbolic of our rich history and bright future, and it feels fitting that our 1,000th property is a fantastic Westin in London," remarked Satya Anand, President, Marriott International, EMEA.

"Last year alone, we opened nearly 90 properties across EMEA, including brand debuts in destinations such as Ibiza, Reykjavik and Cairo, as well as additional openings in established markets such as London and Dubai," noted Anand.

"I am excited to further enhance our portfolio, bringing even more unique travel experiences to our guests, and look forward to continuing to drive value for our owners and franchisees through our world-class brands, comprehensive business support systems and our industry-leading loyalty platform, Marriott Bonvoy," he added.

Marriott International's select-service brands - such as AC by Marriott, Moxy Hotels, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, Aloft Hotels, Element Hotels and Four Points by Sheraton - continue to spearhead growth across Europe, accounting for more than 50% of the company's current signed pipeline of hotels in the Europe region.

Moxy Hotels, Marriott's bold and experiential hotel brand created for the young at heart, is slated to add more than 26 additional hotels to its portfolio in the region across 2022 and 2023, with planned openings including the Moxy Liverpool City Centre (UK), Moxy Paris East (France) and Moxy Pompeii (Italy), said Anand.

Set to make its European debut in 2023, Fairfield by Marriott will see two hotels open next year  the Fairfield by Marriott Badhoevedorp Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (The Netherlands) and Fairfield by Marriott Copenhagen Nordhavn (Denmark).

With its effortlessly relaxed and efficient hotel design paired with a contemporary Northern European aesthetic, the brand continues to attract interest from owners across the region.

The extended-stay segment remains extremely resilient in Europe, especially with the rise of multi-purpose travel.

Last year, the company opened four Residence Inn by Marriott hotels across Europe and plans to extend its reach with 15 more Residence Inn by Marriott hotels expected to open in city hotspots like Naples (Italy), Vienna (Austria) and Paris (France) across 2022 and 2023.

Conversions continue to be an important driver of rooms growth across Europe, particularly from independent hotels, given the appeal of Marriott's powerful distribution systems.

Conversions represent approximately 30 percent of the expected hotel openings in Europe across 2022 and 2023, and owner interest remains high for the company's robust portfolio of collection brands  Autograph Collection Hotels, The Luxury Collection, and Tribute Portfolio.-TradeArabia News Service
Robert Craig Chambers is forgotten in Butte today, but in 1882 he founded one of Buttes first banks: Hoge, Brownlee, and Company. Although those names may be obscure as well, through a partnership with Marcus Daly, Hoge Brownlee became Daly & Company in 1889, and ultimately evolved into the Metals Bank & Trust Co. Chambers owned the block named for him at the southeast corner of Quartz and Main where the Hoge Brownlee Bank had its offices.

Chambers was born in Ohio in 1832, and after stints in California, landed in Utah about 1870. He convinced George Hearst to invest in the rich Ontario silver mine at Park City where Chambers became long-time superintendent, and the connection to Hearst led him to Marcus Daly. Chambers also partnered with A.W. McCune, another Salt Lake City capitalist, and that connection led him to John Caplice, McCunes Butte partner in grocery and mercantile stores.

R.C. Chambers was nominal head of the Chambers Syndicate, a consortium of investors controlled behind the scenes by Marcus Daly, but most legal transactions and technical ownership were in the name of Chambers.

The syndicate came to own such prominent mines as the Modoc, the Bell, the Diamond, High Ore, and Green Mountain, and in December 1888 when the Mountain Consolidated Mining Company defaulted on loans from Hoge Brownlee, Chambers came to Butte from Salt Lake City to receive the largest judicial settlement in Butte history to that point. An award of $194,902.20 was assigned to Chambers, and the Mountain Consolidateds operations, valued at more than $116,000, came to the Chambers Syndicate. The whole affair was something of a legal technicality, since Marcus Daly, who really controlled the Chambers group, was also an original Trustee of the Mountain Consolidated company.

The Mountain Con is sometimes listed as beginning in 1890, but the first three-compartment shaft of the new company went down in late 1881, and by February 1882 it was at 205 feet. Later that year drifts were being driven from the 250 and 350 levels, but operations didnt really take off until late 1888 when a new headframe and engine room were constructed. It was only a few months later that they defaulted on their loans and the mine went to the Chambers Syndicate.

The Mountain Consolidated Mining Company resulted from the combination in November 1881 of four existing lode claims, the Mountain, Burnett, Buffalo, and Lowville. Buttes James A. Talbot, also an officer of the Butte Hardware Company, was the first president, and much of the initial investment came from William A. Callingwood of New York, named company vice-president. Richard Jones, a Meaderville assayer who became foreman of the Lexington Mill, and H.S. Clark, who was elected county Clerk & Recorder a few years later, were also officers, but Marcus Daly really controlled the company. When that huge judgement was awarded in 1888, it was essentially a transfer of assets from one Daly company to another.

R.C. Chambers died in 1901 of appendicitis at age 68, worth about $2.5 million in dollars of the day.

Local geologist and historian Dick Gibson has lived in Butte since 2003 and has worked as a tour guide for various organizations and museums. He can be reached at rigibson@earthlink.net.

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Twelve people pledged their allegiance to the United States Thursday morning in a naturalization ceremony at Buttes Mike Mansfield Federal Courthouse. Due to the pandemic, it was the first at the Butte courthouse since December 2019.

Somehow, Butte being the locale seemed fitting. After all, the Mining City became the richest hill on earth due to its immigrant population and the town prides itself on being Montanas melting pot.

Even more fitting was the event took place in Montanas first federal courthouse and presided by U.S. Magistrate Judge John Johnston, who is originally from Butte.

These new U.S. citizens came from Canada, Congo (Kinshasa), Cote dIvoire, Germany, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Thailand, United Kingdom and Vietnam. They now live in cities and towns throughout Montana  from Bozeman to Billings, Helena to Missoula, and Wolf Creek to Great Falls.

Aoci Ilunga Celestin of Missoula was among the dozen proudly pledging loyalty.

A native of Congo, Celestin came to Missoula as a refugee in the summer of 2016 and knew very quickly that in Montana he had found a home. Along the way he made friends, some of whom were with him in the courtroom Thursday.

Its official! Celestin said with a grin as he walked toward his friends, John and Bobbi Combs, along with Stephanie Kelly and Alexander Olson.

All that time and effort had finally paid off.

I am so, so happy, he said. My heart is going so fast.

While living in the Congo, the Missoula man spent nearly 20 years in a refugee camp, much of the time spent with little food and limited healthcare.

His life has changed dramatically.

Celestin now holds down two jobs  one as the building custodian at Rattlesnake Elementary and his second at Panda Express. Hes also a member of the Missoula Alliance Church.

Montana is a good state, said Celestin, who besides English, speaks French and Swahili. The people are so nice.

It would be an understatement to say that Celestins friends think he is nice, too.

He is loved wherever he goes, said John Combs, who met Celestin more than five years ago at the church they both attend.

Bobbi Combs agreed.

Hes a wonderful man, she said.

The students and faculty at Rattlesnake Elementary think so as well.

According to Pam Wright, the schools principal, the students celebrated I Love to Read this week. Among the reading material for kindergartners through fifth-graders were books on how to become a U.S. citizen.

The kids learned all about the process to become a citizen, explained Wright, and all the hard work Aoci had to go through.

With Tuesday appropriately deemed Citizenship Day, a plan was in place to honor the custodian.

As the school day came to a close, students and staff lined the halls as Celestin was leaving work and greeted him with a raucous cheer. Some were waving American flags, others had homemade cards or gifts.

He was really moved and surprised, said Wright. Aoci felt the support and it was great for the kids to learn about citizenship.

Just because Celestin is now a U.S. citizen does not mean he has forgotten his homeland.

The Missoula man assists with a charity called Christian Impact, with money garnered helping not only the people of the Congo, but three other impoverished African countries  Malawi, Zambia, and Tanzania.

The charity provides for families and particularly orphans, many of whom would not survive without at least the basic necessities.

Its important to me, said Celestin.

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People on the western frontier have long cherished the freedom wide-open spaces affords and the right to simply be left alone from prying governments and nosey neighbors. But as new frontiers of technology have emerged, so have new threats to these western values.

Whether its emails, location data or apps using facial recognition, much of our personal information is now stored electronically making it especially susceptible to being caught up in mass data collection.

Thankfully, Montanans have two important opportunities on the horizon to strengthen privacy and preserve our fundamental right to be left alone.

The first of these opportunities will be C-48, a constitutional amendment referred to voters by the 2021 Montana legislature. C-48 will ask voters this fall to amend the states constitution to explicitly protect electronic data and communications from unreasonable searches and seizures by law enforcement.

While Montanas constitution already protects citizens from warrantless searches and seizures of their person, papers, homes and effects", supporters of the amendment argue that a constitutional change is needed to make sure privacy protections keep up with new technology.

Despite being on the cutting edge of efforts to address new threats to privacy over the years, Montana lawmakers have generally taken a reactive approach to new surveillance technology by addressing concerns incrementally in state law. Adding explicit protections for digital data to Montanas constitution would flip this dynamic, making privacy protection the default setting for law enforcement without relying on the legislature to catch up.

If C-48 is approved, Montana would be the first state in the country with digital privacy protections in both the state constitution and state law.

The second opportunity to strengthen privacy protections will come during the 2023 Montana Legislature, where lawmakers plan to propose a bill to place guardrails on government use of facial recognition technology.

While authoritarian states like China are already using facial recognition to catalogue nearly every citizen and enforce dystopic social credit scores, the technology is only now starting to see adoption by governments in the United States. The 2021 legislature passed HJ 48, creating an interim study to examine the use of facial recognition technology in Montana.

So far, the HJ 48 study has confirmed facial recognition technology is being used by state agencies to assist with criminal investigations and fraud detection. The study has also highlighted a severe lack of legislative oversight when it comes to how government can use the technology, leaving open the potential for China-style abuse of privacy.

On the other hand, HJ 48 has brought to light how facial recognition can be used for good. For instance, Montanas Unemployment Insurance Division testified that the implementation of a facial recognition system reduced instances of fraudulent claims from 3,200 to near single digits, saving taxpayers thousands as a result.

While some states and cities have taken an all-or-nothing approach to facial recognition, even outright banning the technology in some instances, lawmakers have indicated that Montana aims to chart our own path with balanced reforms.

Senator Ken Bogner has staked out the broad goal for change: the legislature must address facial recognition to ensure Montanans can use the technology without sacrificing privacy and rights.

This approach would allow Montanas government to take advantage of facial recognition technology's benefits, helping to make our law enforcement more effective and our state programs more efficient, without threatening the privacy rights we hold dear.

With these two upcoming opportunities to strengthen privacy protections, Montana remains the last best place to simply be left alone.

Kendall Cotton is president and CEO of the Frontier Institute, a think tank dedicated to breaking down government barriers so all Montanans can thrive.

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Friends who grew up in Montana and now live elsewhere often rue the public school system they lost when they left. You dont know how lucky you are, they tell me. You still have high-quality, truly public public schools. 

They particularly miss the truly public part. We Montanans care about our children, yes, but we care about your children too. We want all kids to have the same shot at the American dream our kids have. We want them to grow up together and grow old together and appreciate one another the way you do when youve shared a childhood.

Their success is our success. When a co-workers shy kid rocks Santa Baby like she owns it at the holiday concert, we celebrate. When that boy whos always asking if we need some yard work done stops raking long enough to tell us he just made Honor Society, we celebrate. We celebrate when kids with means and kids with nothing laugh together, learn together, win and lose together. And every spring we celebrate as yet another class of graduates toss their caps skyward in sheer exhilaration. Theyre going out into the world and weve helped prepare them for any future they choose.

They can be governor someday, as Helena Bengal Steve Bullock and Libby Logger Marc Racicot were. They can preside over the convention that gave Montana a constitution without parallel for its freedoms and protections, as Great Falls Bison Leo Graybill did. They can mesmerize readers world-wide, as Valier Panther Ivan Doig did, or win the largest federal class action settlement ever, as Elouise Cobell, another Panther, did for American Indians.

They can be a college president or Commissioner of Higher Education in Montana, as Dawson County Red Devil Sheila Stearns was the first woman to do. They can play bass for a world-famous rock band, as Big Sandy Pioneer Jeff Ament does. They can step into a vacated QB position in the second round of the FCS playoff, as Butte Bulldog Tommy Mellott did last fall, and lead the Bobcats to victory.

Or they can just be great friends, neighbors and colleagues, as graduates from Whitefish to Westview and Eureka to Ekalaka have been to me a lifetime long.

We all have so much to be proud of in the public schools we fund with our hard-earned dollars. Do they sometimes embroil us in arguments? Of course. Do we have trouble striking the right balance between what individuals want and what we as a community can afford? Absolutely. But with facts and logic and good will, we work through our issues. We always have.

For the first time in Montanas history, though, weve elected state leaders whose clear and unembarrassed purpose is to undermine support for our public schools. Facts and logic and good will are not on the menu. Like all things delicious but un-nutritious, anger is easier to sell, and angers what theyre hawking. Assisted by out-of-state interests, now theyre hawking it at the school board level.

The result of this open hostility toward an institution older than our statehood  and fundamental to it  will be to shatter the shared model of public schooling into shards of us and them essentially private schools funded with public dollars. Other states know what gets lost in the rubble: Accountability, for starters. Opportunity for those with little otherwise. Adequate funding for truly public schools.

But the big loss is the loss of we, the bond that ties one generation to another and connects a group of people who went to school together throughout their lives. We lose the understanding I felt recently when my husband put down the obituary page and told me about the long-ago kindness of a man featured there. I never knew that man. But my husband did. He went to school with him.

Our sense of home in Montana  one nice-sized town with really long streets  is grounded in truly public public schools. Its not a given. You seed it every spring, confident in the crop to come. Dont lose that, Montana. Once lost, you never get back home.

Mary Sheehy Moe retired as Deputy Commissioner of Higher Education in 2010. Since then she has been a school board trustee, a state senator, and a city commissioner in Great Falls. She writes from Missoula.

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Wednesday was April 20. And if you're a cannabis enthusiast, 4/20 (or 420) is your day to celebrate the culture of marijuana.

So it was fitting day for the Arizona Daily Star to unveil its new podcast, Here Weed Go!

Hosted by the Star's full-time cannabis writer Eddie Celaya, the show aims to educate and tell the stories behind the culture, science and business of marijuana.

Streamed & Screened

We have a treat this week as host Bruce Miller talks with Robert Eggers, director of the new Viking epic "The Northman," which hit theaters this week.

The crew also talks about how much it loved loved "Everything Everywhere All At Once" and can't wait to see the new Nicolas Cage bonanza, "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent."

PennyWise

Did you know April is Financial Literacy Month? Host Teri Barr talks with Kimberly Palmer, personal finance expert with NerdWallet, to learn why it's a good time to start caring about your financial health with just five easy steps.

After the Monuments

Pulitzer-Prize winning columnist Michael Paul Williams and Kelli Lemon of the Richmond Times-Dispatch talk with Dr. Danny Avula, Commissioner of Virginia's Department of Social Services, to talk about what he's learning through data as being contributors to health outcomes and practices in communities of color.

Across the Sky

The next episode of Across the Sky, our new podcast dedicated to meteorology and climate, will publish Monday morning. This week the Lee Weather Team will talk with Theresa Crimmins, director for the USA National Phenology Network, about the spring pollen season.

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Once upon a time, donuts were prosaic. Uncomplicated flavors in the classic circle-with-a-hole-in-the-middle shape were standard across donut shops, neighborhood bakeries and gas stations.

And then Kamal Grant came around and showed how much could be done with a donut.

I always loved donuts as a kid, and I think donuts are one of the most perfect baked goods, says Grant, owner of Sublime Doughnuts in Atlanta, Georgia. After serving in the U.S. Navy for four years, Grant attended the famed baking and pastry arts program at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He honed his ability to create flavors and master pastry work while at the Institute, but it was his time at the American Institute of Baking in Manhattan, Kansas, that taught him grain science and how to stretch the limits of the humble donut.

Studying food science allowed me to break down and understand why flour and dough does stuff, Grant says. Being able to travel the globe with the Navy exposed Grant to flavors he may not have found otherwise. (A notable example is Sublimes donut ice cream sandwich, which is a popular dessert item in Singapore.)

More than two dozen donut flavors are featured regularly on the Sublime Doughnuts menu, including yeasted raised and cake donuts, twists, filled donuts, croissant-based donuts and fritters. Grant says he opened Sublime Doughnuts in 2008, before anyone did fun, exciting things in donuts.

But why donuts?

They are classic Americana. They are fun and unique, Grant says, and with flavor combinations like white chocolate peach, sweet potato and salt-and-vinegar displayed next to classics like honey glazed and chocolate frosted, there is surely a Sublime donut for every level of adventurous eating.

The most popular flavor is the filled fresh strawberries-and-cream donut, Grant says. A yeasted donut (without a hole) is cut open and filled with freshly whipped cream cheese frosting and glazed strawberry slices. When people tell Grant that they dont like filled donuts, he insists they try one of his. You have been disrespected by filled donuts in the past! he exclaims, noting how the fresh cream and strawberries elevate what a simple donut can be.

But donuts should not just be for the morning routine, he says. Sublime Doughnuts (which had an outpost in Bangkok, Thailand, and still has kiosks inside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta) is open 24-7. Sometimes you dont want to go to a bar and drink. Sometimes you just want to sit and chill, Grant says. A Sublime donut and cup of coffee are the perfect accompaniment for that, any time of day.

Curious what goes on behind the counter of a donut shop? Step inside this shop, and learn how Grant makes Sublimes signature donuts.

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Meeting for only its second time, members of the relatively new Louisa County Local Emergency Preparedness Committee could be facing one of its first major tests with a proposed railway merger.

About 30 area elected and appointed officials, emergency responders, law enforcement and interested citizens gathered last week at the Louisa County Fairgrounds Community Building in Columbus Junction to discuss the merger and what it might mean for the county.

Louisa County Emergency Management Agency Director Brian Hall reminded the group about the committee's purpose, which is required to meet at least twice a year.

Its actually a state mandate and it all stems from protecting people in a community. Its (their) legal right to know, he said.

That, Hall said, extends to knowing what hazardous materials are transported through the county. With the proposed merger of the Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroads, a much larger amount of that material could soon be passing through Louisa County, officials said.

According to the CP merger website and discussions during Wednesdays meetings, the number of trains passing daily through Louisa County is expected to increase from 4.8 trains to 19.2 trains.

Hall said the increase in train traffic would increase the potential for derailments and other mishaps. When those possible disasters were coupled with incidents at existing hazardous material storage sites and other locations, he said the committee needed to be ready to respond.

I need to make sure we have these meetings and people respond and have good plans. Thats what the communities are counting on, he said.

Amanda Martin, director of rail transportation for the Iowa Department of Transportation, and Kris Klop, DOT highway-rail grade crossings manager, attended the meeting by phone and provided an update on the proposed merger and rail development programming.

Martin stressed the information the two were providing was based only on what the DOT knew or had gathered concerning the proposal. Although the proposed merger had been filed with the federal Surface Transportation Board, Martin said no actual decision on the proposed merger had been made.

She said an environmental impact statement still needed to be filed with the federal transportation board and part of that process would include a 45- to 90-day public input and comment period.

That input could involve mitigation negotiations with local governments over impacts the merger could cause to area communities. She said in addition to the environmental review, the STB would also consider economic and other issues.

Martin urged the local officials to stay updated on the process and present their concerns during the time allowed, especially since the mitigation negotiations could occur both before and after any final approval of the merger.

Meanwhile, Klop provided information on a wide variety of grants and other financial programs that could aid with mitigation or other issues local groups could encounter with the proposed merger.

He said a Notice of Funding Opportunity would be published prior to any grant programs accepting applications and suggested local groups monitor those for possible grants.

Following the presentations from the two DOT officials, Hall reminded the group to stay alert, especially during the public input periods of the proposed merger.

Heres your chance. Get your voice in there for yourself and your community. Its a process and its moving fast, he warned the group.

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LETTS  Another local FFA team had great success at the recent Iowa State FFA Convention in Ames.

Adam Crews, an FFA instructor at Louisa-Muscatine High School, said the schools Poultry Judging team took first out of 116 teams The state champion team heads to nationals in October in Indianapolis. Crews said the team was the top team in egg grading, further processed poultry, ready-to-cook poultry and the poultry science test.

Kendal Pugh ranked first overall and Brelynn Randall took second overall. Skyler Beck and Will Hoopes ranked fourth and sixth overall, respectively.

The poultry team did an outstanding job. They put in many hours practicing and preparing for the contest and their hard work and determination paid off, Crews said. They are very excited to compete on the national level and have set up weekly practices during the summer to be well-prepared for this fall's competition. I have no doubt that they will continue their hard work and be very successful in the national competition.

Beck and Randall had other successes at state. Beck earned a silver rating in Ag Broadcasting Leadership Development. Randall earned her Iowa FFA degree through the completion of her SAE project, which was showing pigs. Haley Wakeland also earned a silver rating in the Ag Sales competition.

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MUSCATINE  Some staff at Hillcrest Baptist Church have begun to discuss the possibility of establishing a new Christian academy in Muscatine.

Hillcrest Baptist Church held an informational meeting last week about establishing the school, which would provide parents another choice in religious education in addition to that of St. Mary and Mathias Catholic School

Attending the meeting was Dean Ridder, who serves as the head of schools for Isaac Newton Christian Academy in Cedar Rapids. Ridder is also the Iowa representative for the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).

At the time of writing, there are no established plans for a school. Before the informational meeting, the church emphasized that they are only looking to gauge interest and see how many would be interested in sending their kids to a Christian school. The church also hoped to use the meeting as a means to "bring together motivated people with a desire for thriving Christian education," according to a post on the Hillcrest Baptist Facebook page.

"Were just investigating the possibility (of a Christian school)," Pastor David Macintosh said following the meeting. "We wanted to see if there was enough interest in this community for this endeavor."

Macintosh declined to comment on the interest shown at the meeting for establishing a Christian school in Muscatine.

Currently, there are no plans for a second informational meeting about the possible school.

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In this free-wheeling interview, filmmaker Fahim Irshad of Aani Maani fame talks about the depiction of Indian Muslims in media, film, and society and his vision to change this.

Basil Islam | TwoCircles.net

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With his debut feature film Aani Maani, Fahim Irshad cleverly centres the narrative around a Muslim familys day-to-day struggles and simple joys to tell an evocative tale of identity and Hindutva violence in the country. The film premiered at MAMI in 2019 and bagged the Best Asian Film and the Best Director from India awards at International Film Festival Kerala 2019. After gaining critical acclaim at the festival, the film was screened in many places across the country  universities, anti-fascism festivals, and public gatherings. The film is now available on MUBI, a global curated film streaming platform

This interview was conducted on Fahims visit to Kerala to participate in the Watchout Akhila Bharatiya Anti-Nazi Film Festival at Kozhikode.

Excerpts from the interview:

What is Aani Maani about? How does the story unfold?

Set in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Aani Maani narrates the story of Bhutto  a beef kebab seller. He is trying to re-establish his life after getting released from jail after being incarcerated for eight years on false charges. So, he recently got married, and along with his wife Tarannum, hes dreaming about a better life. This is all while he is trying to meet his familys ends, including his sister, mother, and father. When the government announced a ban on beef and the shutting down of slaughterhouses, Bhutto had to run here and there and bribe cops to find meat for kebabs. His shop gets vandalized by the goons. While all this is happening, he finds time to be part of the family.

The film is named after a game played by children in Uttar Pradesh  Aani Maani. They turn in circles while reciting the rhyme Aani Maani  the film denotes the tailspin that enters Bhuttos life as portrayed in the movie.

It is rare to see films with such a theme made. What made you do this?

It is a love story, a family drama. Moreover, it has some political connotations that deal with the current situation. I did this to tell things in a way that can affect people and can evoke empathy among the audience. Especially those who dont know about Muslim lives and believe in a narrative that they are all the villains. They dont know about the Muslims living in the ghettos. I want to break the othering.

I studied journalism and started working in films to one day tell stories that have not been told. We as minorities are marginalized, and the same is with our narratives. It is not there in the mainstream or even in the parallel cinemas. They dont know what is happening in our houses or our localities. This is the case at hand. And if I dont tell those stories, then who else will? That is why I am doing this. My next project is also a story from my locality. I know them better; I can tell it in a better way.

Though the film addresses a sensitive issue, the way you presented it was entertaining. It had a lighter mood. Was it a conscious choice?

I like poetry, and everybody likes beauty. There is a lack of love among us. In that sense, I consciously chose to make this film this way. I wanted to make it poetic. But this approach was not the market strategy for making sugar-coated movies. There is no market for this kind of Muslim story.

We see violence every day in the media. We are uncomfortable with that violence. We also have a life; we struggle to make our ends meet and share the joy with family and friends. We dont sit and eat biriyani and do talaq all the time. They are coming and telling us that these all are your problems. These are not our problems; the problem is how you see our lives. They are not only stereotyping the characters but the issues also. They are neither pointing to what matters nor interested in solving any. They want to defame, vilify and terrorize us. Unfortunately, people are convinced about it. Cinema makes people think and behave in a particular way. It addresses a larger audience. So let us not condition them to hatred and violence.

You are from Azamgarh and have studied in Jamia Millia Islamia. How have these places and episodes such as the Batla House encounter shaped you as a filmmaker?

The media was busy vilifying Muslims after the encounter. They were giving out the same stories without even caring about the facts. Even Ravish Kumar did the same. I felt very concerned about this because the media must be fair and accurate. It took a long time to clear the air. But still, justice hasnt been served. The demand for an independent judicial inquiry has not been met till now.

This particular event shaped us. We are now convinced that we have to tell our story. We have to bring forth the narrative. We have to get it from the margins to the mainstream. So, somewhere down the roots, it is there.

Does the mainstream provide space for the marginalized voices?

The mainstream has failed in its duty and marginalised communities are facing the consequences. Now we have to take charge. We have to assert it. Everyone is now reclaiming their rightful presence.

You havent told our stories, so I have to talk about them exclusively. I have stories from other communitiesDalits, Hindus, Christians  everyone. I want to put them in my films. I have written three scripts.

I have to tell Muslim stories frequently because they are underrepresented or misrepresented in the media. They demand more presence. There need to be full-length films made on them. Then only others can connect with them in a better way. Because the Muslim community has been ghettoized for a long time, others dont know or see them every day. They only see them named terrorists on TVs and in newspapers. So, I have to tell them, and I will.

It is the characteristic of a societys development into the genocideclassifying and othering?

Yeah, it is scary. In Kerala, you might not have seen separate colonies for different communities. There is much less hatred here when compared to my state and other northern regions. There can be political differences, but hate is different. You will feel it burning our lives. Being able to understand and empathize with each other is crucial.

You must have noticed the citizenship protests led by the students from different universities like Jamia Millia, Aligarh, and JNU. As a Jamia alumnus, how do you view this new student politics?

It is a good thing and gives us hope. Mainly because there was no students union in Jamia Millia Islamia. The administration is scared of student bodies. They dont want anything of that sort to happen. But finally, the students came out. They understood the need to take up the movement. They felt that they also could be killed or lynched any day. The government is now legalizing the steps to make a whole community stateless so that the manuvadis can have the power to exterminate them from this land.

All I have to say is that be brave and stand up against oppression. Why should we be scared? We are with the oppressed, and truth is on our side. A girl from Jamia resisted them with a bare finger. They were scared because they were wrong.

The film is about cow-vigilante violence against Muslims. How correct is it to term it mob lynching?

The media indeed give names like mob lynching, communal riots, clashes, etc. However, I feel that to call these attacks mob lynching would be reductive. Because the mob is faceless, you cant hold them accountable and bring them to justice. Nobody gets punished. It is the same with pogroms that continue to happen. Commissions will be set up to study, and then nothing happens. That is why it happens again and again. Sreekrishna commission report on the Bombay riot came out; nothing happened. Bhagalpur, Maliyana, Moradabad  it is all the same. Why? Because the mob doesnt have a face. Not only do these killings happen, but the state facilitates them. Police remain silent and courts release them on bail as soon as possible. So I feel that we have to put the narratives the right way.

As a filmmaker, how do you think cinema can make changes?

Cinema is very effective. My father used to say this. His advice to me was that if I pursued mass communication, I should study films. When he was young, he saw a movie depicting the plight of widows in our society, and it moved him so much that he came out of the theater with the intention of marrying a widow. I had another experience. I met a man in Chhattisgarh who wanted to kill all the Muslims here. He said Hitler was right, and Muslims should be treated like that. We showed him Schindlers List. After seeing the movie, he changed completely. So cinema has the power. It makes you soft, like poetry. Any illiterate can connect with it.

Basil Islam is an independent journalist and researcher based in South India. He tweets at @baasiie
MUSCATINE  Want to class up this Mother's Day and show mom how much you care, but don't have much dough? The Muscatine Art Center may have you covered.

To celebrate Mothers Day, the Art Center will host "Brinton Surprise," a free Red Cedar Chamber Music performance, at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 8, in the Art Centers Music Room.

Featuring violinist Miera Kim, guitarist John Dowdall, flutist Claudia Anderson and cellist Carey Bostain, the Red Cedar ensemble will provide accompanying chamber music as they present several silent movies and magic lantern slides from their Brinton collection. Michael Zahs, a historian who helped rescue the collection from being destroyed in 1981, will also be featured as the narrator of that performance.

Some of the films that will be shown are The Fairy of Springtime and Venetian Tragedy, with each film accompanied by a score commissioned by Red Cedar Chamber Music. Guests will learn about Georges Melies, a French filmmaker, through the film A Melies Voyage.

We really hope that guests enjoy all of it  not only the music, but the silent films and the magic lantern slides, Art Center Program Coordinator Katy Loos said. We hope its something that moms can bring their little ones to while also being something that adults can enjoy as well, and we feel that its perfect for the Muscatine Art Center setting.

To learn more about Red Cedar Chamber Music, residents can visit the groups website at http://www.redcedar.org/performance-schedule/.

We always love having different kinds of performances at the Art Center, whether it be jazz or ensemble music, Loos said. It can appeal to a wide variety of audiences, and this one is going to be so fun."

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Microsofts free Office apps programme for children and students in South Africa has been offline for more than seven months.

Between 2017 and 2021, the software giant offered its most popular applications for free to users between 8 and 24 years old as part of the Mahala by Microsoft programme.

This provided a free Microsoft 365 licence that included Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook.

The programme aimed to let learners from grades R to 12 become more productive and be better prepared for their post-school academic careers or the workplace environment.

Unfortunately, the site used to register for the offer and access account details  Mahala.ms  has been inaccessible since early September, only presenting visitors with a notification that it is under maintenance.

Microsoft took down the site after MyBroadband disclosed a vulnerability to the company, first discovered by concerned reader Israel Ndou.

Ndou had noticed it was possible to download a copy of the personal information of the 22,000 accounts registered for the offer by running a simple Powershell command that could be connected to the sires Azure Active Directory.

The information included user names, email addresses, and phone numbers.

The screenshot below shows the command with some redactions to protect personal information.

Instructions for these types of Powershell commands for Azure AD were readily available on the Internet.

Out of concern that malicious actors could use this information in phishing attacks, Ndou approached MyBroadband to help arrange coordinated disclosure with Microsoft.

Several users with registered Mahala.ms accounts confirmed the information that could be downloaded was legitimate, and the issue was then reported to Microsoft.

Microsoft has repeatedly refused to acknowledge that the issue amounted to a security vulnerability, stating it took privacy seriously and was working to resolve it.

MyBroadband again asked Microsoft for an update on Mahala.ms, but we did not receive feedback by the time of publication.

The unavailability of the Mahala.ms portal means the programme has not been able to accept new registrations for more than seven months, while existing users who have logged out of their accounts or switched to new devices cannot use the service.

Among those most affected are high school students  especially matrics.

One desperate teacher emailed MyBroadband before the matric final Computer Applications Technology practical exam last year, explaining that many students had no way to practice at home since Mahala went offline.

We are now really desperate to have the service back, the teacher said.

Now read: Microsoft Translator launches Zulu
The summer day camp run by the city of Napas only synagogue will see a new addition this year  Israeli teenagers who will serve as counselors.

For the first time, Camp Chaverim, a childrens daytime program hosted by Congregation Beth Shalom, will take on two high school students visiting from Israel to work with its daytime campers. The teen volunteers, Yaara Canovic and Danielle Sigal, are 11th-graders at the Leo Baeck Education Center in Haifa. The congregation, based on Elm Street, has about 200 families.

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During a stay of just over two weeks in Napa, Canovic and Sigal will take part in Camp Chaverims two one-week sessions from June 27 to July 8, and also give a speech during a Friday service about their lives in Israel, according to Leah Savage, Congregation Beth Shaloms education and engagement coordinator. Families belonging to the synagogue also will host the visitors, as part of a project designed to give children a firsthand exposure to Jewish culture and the Hebrew language  and the Israeli teens a taste of American life.

Camp Chaverim features a pair of roughly one-week daytime programs, which teach Jewish culture, traditions and music and are open to children of all faiths. The first program will run from June 27 to July 1, followed by another program July 5-8.

An exchange of young Israelis has been a part of Savages plans since she joined Congregation Beth Shalom last August. Before arriving in Napa, she spent a decade working in her native Santa Barbara with Camp Haverim, a childrens summer program where she progressed from counselor to head of programming and finally camp director.

The opportunity to allow Napa youth to meet and learn directly from young Israelis proved too valuable to pass up, according to Savage, who previously had worked with the Leo Baeck school, which has sent student volunteers to American summer camps for about a decade.

When I started this job, I thought it would be an incredibly great thing here, and it seems such a valuable experience for everyone involved, she said.

For the teens, they get to experience life elsewhere, meet new people, get a sense of what life is like in another place. As for the congregation, the campers will get to hang out with these kids daily. The ones who are sent over often have experience leading groups of kids; theyre high-energy and fun but also caring and responsible. Kids have lot of fun being around them, and enjoy hearing about Israel and getting to hear them speak in another language.

The decision to have Israelis serve as counselors is not itself unusual at American youth camps, but is far less common at daytime programs compared to sleepaway camps with deeper resources, according to Rabbi Niles Goldstein of Congregation Beth Shalom.

I think it reflects a commitment of our congregation and some of our members in terms of helping instill a love of Jewish culture and tradition and Hebrew language in our kids, he said of the Haifa teens upcoming visit, for which Congregation Beth Shalom is raising money for airfare and hospitality costs.

The summertime visit also is designed to be a learning experience and an immersion in American life for Sigal and Canovic, Goldstein added. Both will stay with different host families from the Napa congregation  possibly with a different family for each half of their stay  and are slated for activities that may include hikes in the region or visits to San Francisco.

Weve never done this before; its pretty unusual to fly out Israelis as counselors when its not an overnight camp, he said. And theyll be integrated with our community, so its a cross-cultural experience for them as well as for us.

The visit by the Israeli students follows Savages efforts as education director to bolster the Napa congregations outreach to youth, including socials for Jewish teens, parent-child storytelling gatherings, and a switch to small-group or one-on-one sessions for Hebrew language instruction.

About 60 to 70 members of the Napa synagogue are younger than 18, Goldstein said last fall.

You can reach Howard Yune at 530-763-2266 or hyune@napanews.com

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SAN JOSE, Calif.  Here we go again?

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising once again across the country, driven by more contagious subvariants of the virus and leaving health experts unsure whether vaccination and immunity from prior infection will be protective enough to prevent yet another deadly wave of infections.

Nearly a third of the country is now registering substantial or high levels of COVID-19 transmission in the last seven days, including most Bay Area counties at the high level, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But now, more than two years into the pandemic, what exactly does that mean in terms of serious illness?

Hospitalizations from COVID-19 are up over 30% in the last two weeks in New York state, said Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist and Editor-at-Large for Public Health at Kaiser Health News. The situation in the Northeast may foreshadow whats to come in the Bay Area.

Death rates mostly have yet to increase, but in earlier waves, they tended to follow the trend in hospitalizations.

The rising numbers follow a relatively short reprieve from this winters nationwide surge propelled by the highly contagious omicron variant. Omicron began spreading in December, with infections peaking a month later and then dropping sharply through February and March.

Nationally, average daily cases are up more than 70% since the end of March, though they remain far below the omicron and delta peaks, and the decline in hospitalization rates appears to be reversing. In California, average daily cases have gone up by more than 50% since the end of March.

The rebound comes just as U.S. officials dropped the mask mandate for public transportation after a judge in Florida said it exceeded their authority  with people from all over now crowding unmasked into planes, buses, subways and rail cars. Though the federal government is appealing the judges ruling, airlines and many transit operators indicated the mask mandate isnt likely to return soon.

New CDC data Thursday showed that the highly transmissible omicron variant that dominated in January has given way to its more contagious cousin, BA.2, which now accounts for 3 out of 4 cases across the country. And BA.2 is yielding to an even faster-spreading sister, BA.2.12.1, now 1 in 5 cases.

Wastewater surveillance nationally and in the Bay Area tells a similar story, with two-thirds of wastewater sites across the country reporting increases in virus levels.

Experts are watching warily.

The CDC refocused its community-level assessment in February to prioritize how the virus is affecting local hospital capacity over case levels. That new measure shows 94% of U.S. counties still at the green low level.

But even that has changed over the past week for New York, where many counties are listed at the red high level at which the CDC recommends wearing masks in public indoors. Deaths in the Empire State also have begun to tick up, although the rate remains low.

Though the BA.2 omicron subvariant drove sharp increases in cases and hospitalizations in Europe and Asia, health experts remain unsure to what extent that will happen here in the U.S., where two-thirds of Americans have been vaccinated, 45% of those had a booster and many have recovered from recent COVID-19 infection.

In a presentation this past week to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, county Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said BA.2 is driving whats looking like now the beginning of a swell  we certainly hope that it doesnt take off.

But Cody added that it looks like we have a pretty good immunity wall here in our county and in the Bay Area, both in vaccinations and through all the infections from omicron that just ripped through populations.

I think thats why this new BA.2, even though its more infectious, was not able to gain a foothold the way that omicron was, Cody said. But she cautioned that we should be nothing if not humble two years in.  We just have to do what we always do and watch the trends carefully and see what unfolds.

Ali H. Mokdad of the University of Washingtons Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, which publishes closely monitored COVID-19 projections, said the latest earlier this month foresees a jump in cases that will peak in less than a month.

We project that well have a bump in cases, but it will be short-lived, said Mokdad, who formerly worked for the CDC. But he said that with newer mutations of the virus already emerging overseas, its no time to be cavalier about the virus and the U.S. should bolster efforts to monitor cases and make treatments available.

COVID-19 is not done with us, Mokdad said. Its just waiting for us to make a mistake.

Gounder said its too early to say how worried people should be about the BA.2 and BA2.12.1 variants. Whether rising infections will progress to severe disease, hospitalization and death, she said, will depend on vaccination rates, particularly among the elderly and other vulnerable populations.

Dr. John Swartzberg, professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeleys School of Public Health, noted that while BA.2.12.1 is more transmissible than even BA.2, it does not appear to be more virulent. Even so, he said its not a good time for travelers and commuters to be ditching masks on planes, buses and rail cars. Los Angeles County health officials decided to maintain the requirement for local airports and public transit.

Withdrawing a valuable nonpharmaceutical tool in the face of rising numbers of infections where nobody knows whether its going to be just a blip or something profound just seems completely inappropriate, Swartzberg said.

Cody noted to the county board that with each generation, the virus seems to become more infectious, and that even if its not more virulent, that can lead to more hospitalization and deaths. A Bay Area News Group analysis found that the more contagious omicron variant killed more Californians at its peak than last summers virulent delta variant, including more who were vaccinated and boosted.

That infectiousness is whats driving the case rates, Cody said. And so even if on an individual level, youre less likely to have severe disease, on a population level, that can overwhelm a hospital, just because of the sheer number of people getting sick. A small proportion of a large number can still be a large number. And thats what we saw with our omicron surge.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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All roads lead to Sacramento.

That's one takeaway from the convoluted series of events that led to tens of thousands of PG&E wildfire victims losing one of their top advocates in the state Capitol this week  just one day after veteran lobbyist Patrick McCallum pitched Gov. Gavin Newsom's staff on the idea of a $1.5 billion loan to ensure survivors are fully compensated.

The PG&E Fire Victim Trust announced Wednesday that it and McCallum had "agreed to part ways, effective immediately, in light of certain recent publicly disclosed developments."

Those developments could pose problems not only for the already beleaguered Fire Victim Trust  which a KQED investigation found has been slow to pay victims and quick to rack up big bills for lawyers and consultants  but also for the California State University system. Here's why:

 McCallum, who is married to Sonoma State University President Judy Sakaki, allegedly sexually harassed several women at a party at his house. The women reported the incidents to then-provost Lisa Vollendorf, who in turn reported them to CSU officials, prompting retaliation from Sakaki, according to a claim Vollendorf lodged against CSU and which the system paid $600,000 this year to settle, according to investigations from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat and the Los Angeles Times. McCallum denies the allegations.

 Sakaki, who denies retaliating against Vollendorf, initially defended her husband but announced Monday that she is separating from McCallum. She's now facing challenges of her own: The executive committee of Sonoma State's academic senate voted Thursday to advance a vote of no confidence in her leadership, and Democratic state Sen. Bill Dodd of Napa said her response "deserves close scrutiny by the CSU chancellor and board of trustees as to how the interests of students and employees can be best served going forward."

 It's the latest scandal to embroil CSU, whose chancellor resigned in February amid accusations that he mishandled sexual harassment complaints against a high-ranking colleague while president of Fresno State. The system has since launched multiple independent investigations into its own policies.

But let's pivot back to PG&E  and run through a rapid round of Thursday environmental news:

 PG&E, which has already raised customer rates twice this year, is seeking state approval to hike them yet again to help pay for a variety of projects, the Mercury News reports.

 Even as rain and snow soaked Northern California, lawmakers took a key step toward lowering the state's standard for residential indoor water use  a move that could lead to higher rates despite lower consumption. Next week, the Bay Area's largest water agency is also set to consider capping household water use.

 Newsom administration officials said California may need as much as $30 billion over three decades to protect the Central Valley from floods.

 A scathing report from the California state auditor found that the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California  the state's largest, supplying water to 19 million residents  "must fundamentally change the way it approaches many personnel and ethics issues."

 An American Lung Association report found that California is home to most of the U.S. cities with the worst year-round particle pollution, short-term particle pollution and ozone pollution.

 But another study, from nonprofit Environment America and research firm Frontier Group, found that California is home to five of the country's top 20 cities with the most solar power per person.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
When a person enters a query into a search engine, the search engine results page (SERP) appears. This page contains several types of results, including organic search and video results. Businesses compete to earn a spot in the organic search results, as the search engine uses an algorithm to determine which sites offer the most relevant results for the query entered.

Most search engine users never move past the first page of the search results. In fact, most clicks go to those sites in the top three spots. If a site falls below the top three spots, it receives less traffic. How can the site move higher in the SERPs and generate more traffic?

Benefits of Moving Up in the SERPs

Before determining how to move up in the search engine results, businesses must understand why doing so is important. Besides bringing more traffic to the site, a position in the top three spots increases the authenticity of the business. The company spends less money advertising, although it takes time for organic search engine optimization to be effective. Finally, consumers see businesses in the top spots as reputable, so they are more willing to spend money with one of these companies. What steps should a company take to improve its search engine ranking?

Secure Backlinks

Google considers backlinks when determining the ranking of a site. They view these links as a sign the site contains worthwhile information, as other businesses wouldnt want to link to it if the content is of little value. Content marketing remains one of the best ways to boost the number of backlinks on a site. When a site publishes outstanding material, other sites want to link to it. In addition, content marketing is useful because it creates lead magnets that other sites will link to.

Keyword Research

Know which keywords users search for and move up in the search engine rankings. While a keyword may draw traffic to the site, if visitors dont convert, it isnt of much help. Select keywords based on the sites domain authority and look for those with the lowest competition.

Keep the search intent in mind. When a person enters the search term brakes near me, they want a mechanic who can do the work, not a tutorial on how to replace the brakes themselves. Finally, use both long-tail and short-tail keywords to reach more people.

Site Optimization

Optimize the site for search engines and their users. Many companies focus on one rather than both. While excellent content draws people in, if the page loads slowly or the user cannot easily move around the site, they will go elsewhere for the information they want. Remove broken links, fix indexing errors, and take other steps to improve the user experience. Doing so will reduce the bounce rate, which is another factor search engines take into consideration when ranking a site.

Dont expect to see results overnight with organic search optimization methods. They work over time. However, they provide the best way to bring new traffic to the site and convert visitors. As you wait for these results to be seen, fill in the gaps with paid advertising campaigns. Doing so gets the brand before consumers and allows them to learn more about your offerings. Allow these campaigns to produce results until you move up in the SERPs. With this combination, you should see a boost in site traffic in little time.
EU considers additional funds for eastern countries for a deal to ban Russian oil

Armenia PM to visit Netherlands

Germany's finance minister warns that wage increases could further fuel inflation

Ursula von der Leyen travels to Hungary to persuade Orban to support sanctions on Russia

NEWS.am digest: Armenia marks May 9, Shushi liberation; Azerbaijan opens fire on Sotk gold mine

Ursula von der Leyen says unanimous vote on key areas of EU policy no longer makes sense

Resistance movement marches through central streets of Yerevan

US First Lady meets with Slovak President

North Korea urges citizens to strictly adhere to antiviral measures in connection with COVID-19

Armenian TV host dies after falling into river

Javelin manufacturer to double production of anti-tank missile systems

Sri Lankan Prime Minister submits his resignation to the President

Marukyan: There should have been half million people on streets now if people really wanted change of power in Armenia

Russia envoy to Armenia: Everyone should avoid steps that could aggravate situation

Oil prices drop in Saudi Arabia after COVID-19 outbreak in China

Armenia army general staff ex-deputy chief: I will say its a lie if someone says it was possible to win 44-day war

Georgia condemns presidential elections in South Ossetia

ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party official says authorities plan to divide Armenian diaspora

Azerbaijan continues attempts to appropriate Armenian Dadivank Monastery

Bitcoin is trading at a low since the summer of 2021

Armenia ambassador-at-large: Whoever says 'they want Artsakh to be part of Azerbaijan' probably wants it

Turkeys Erdogan to attend Teknofest in Azerbaijan

System Of a Down members welcome opposition Resistance Movement actions in Armenia (PHOTOS)

Journalist attacked in Baku

19 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia in past 5 days

Novak: Russia has already started selling oil to a number of new buyers

Putin: NATO countries did not want to hear Russia

Two Chinese ships enter Japanese territorial waters

China assures Australia of peaceful intentions in cooperation with Solomon Islands

Holy Etchmiadzin clergy visit Victory Park memorial in Yerevan

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let us live for new victories

Armenia ex-defense minister: Wedding at Mountains ideologically impossible after change of power

NATO Secretary General urges Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine

Karabakh negotiation process did not fail under Armenia ex-President Serzh Sargsyan, says Seyran Ohanyan

Armenia ex-defense minister: Resistance Movements breakthrough moment already passed

Karabakh President visits Stepanakert Memorial on May 9 anniversaries

Armenia Investigative Committee chief on including PM Pashinyan as defendant: We have just accepted proceedings

Heavy snowfall recorded in Armenia rural community, in May!

Karabakh President: Shushi is in captivity again, Artsakh must always be Armenian and impregnable

Armenias Pashinyan to Russias Putin: Memory of great past obliges us to strengthen our inherited friendly ties

Armenia PM arrives at Victory Park accompanied by enhanced security

Armenia ex-President Serzh Sargsyan: For stateless servile creatures, cost of peace is homage paid to enemy

Azerbaijanis desecrate Armenian church in occupied Togh village of Artsakh (VIDEO)

Armenia PM: Blood of our martyrs who gave their lives to Motherland should not be forgotten

Armenia premier, president, others are at Victory Park

Armenia marks May 9

Armenia PM visits Yerevan military pantheon

Zelenskyy and German Parliament Speaker discuss heavy weapons supply to Ukraine

Bloomberg: Hungary continues to block EU oil sanctions against Russia

Israel to abolish mandatory PCR testing at airport as of 20 May

US and G7 countries introduce new package of sanctions against Russia and Belarus

Syrian President visits Iran

Canada PM visits city of Irpin in Ukraine

Armenia's ex-president Serzh Sargsyan is on France Square

Ukrainian media report on US First Lady's visit to Uzhhorod, Ukraine

Marine Le Pen still hopes to defeat Macron in parliamentary elections

German Parliament Speaker arrives in Kiev

German media reports Russian hacker attack on German government website

Resistance Movement rally in Gyumri ends: next rally will take place tomorrow in France Square

Armenia Ombudsman's Office to monitor rallies also in Gyumri

Media: IS militants fire seven rockets at Tajik Armed Forces

Rally of Resistance Movement in Gyumri

Germany registers steepest rise in diesel prices among EU countries since February

Minute of silence declared in Artsakh on 9 May in memory of those killed fighting for homeland

Bloomberg: G7 leaders to discuss possible new sanctions against Russia

Ex-security chief John Lee named new leader of Hong Kong

Xi Jinping Delivers a Keynote Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022

Resistance movement heads to Gyumri with car march

Andy Warhol's portrait of Marilyn Monroe breaks all records at auction in New York

Ancient Roman 2,000-year-old relic bought in US for $35

Ferrari bans Justin Bieber from buying its sports cars

St. Kirakos Armenian Church in Diyarbakir reopened seven years later

NATO chief warns of further escalation of Ukraine situation in coming weeks

Azerbaijan intensely firing toward Armenias Sotk gold mine, 1 wounded

Iran FM discusses nuclear talks in Vienna with UN Secretary General

Yerevan.Today: Azerbaijani journalists are in Armenia

Candidate with Turkish citizenship and served in Turkey army is nominated for US Senate

Opposition Yerevan rally participant remanded in custody

Armenia Investigative Committee comments on cases of blocking streets with trucks

Resistance Movement holding rally in Vanadzor

US accuses Russia of using chemical weapons in Syria

Women kick off march in downtown Yerevan

Man found dead under Yerevan bridge

Armenia Judge Boris Bakhshiyan released from custody

Armenia President meets with Security Council secretary

Biden demands to stop leaks of US intel sharing with Ukraine

At least 22 dead in explosion at 5-star hotel in Cuba

Newspaper: Armenia PM had arrangement with ruling political teams parliament faction

G7 leaders to discuss possible new sanctions on Russia

Armenia Security Council chief: No talk of withdrawing Russian peacekeepers from Artsakh

Resistance Movement heading towards Vanadzor by motorcade

Newspaper: Armenia consumer market inflation was 2.3% in April compared to March

Pentagon announces additional $150M in aid to Ukraine

Sri Lanka's president declares state of emergency amid mass protests

Austria needs several years to give up on Russian gas

Biden to sign new arms package for Ukraine worth at least $100 million

Armenia's third President Serzh Sargsyan in France Square

Armenia parliament speakers mother spits at protesters

Resistance Movement to hold rally tomorrow in Vanadzor, women's march to take place in Yerevan

2nd Chamber of Istanbul Regional Court dismisses appeals by lawyers in Hrant Dink case
It was an honor to march with my Armenian constituents today on the anniversary of the start of the Armenian Genocide one hundred and seven years ago. This was written Sunday on Facebook by US Congressman Adam Schiff, who also posted a photo from the march.

"And I will always be proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the community in the ongoing fight for truth, liberation, and justice," he added.

Earlier, Schiff posted a message on Facebook on the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and it read: One hundred and seven years ago, the Ottoman Empire undertook a systematic effort to destroy the Armenian people  ultimately murdering one and a half million innocent men, women, and children in what became the first genocide of the 20th century.

Despite the overwhelming evidence of this methodical mass killing, to this day, Turkey continues to deny the genocide ever happened. But today, we speak with one voice:

We will not forget. We will never forget.

For tens of thousands of my constituents, achieving recognition of the genocide has been a lifelong struggle. The milestones we have achieved together, from the resolutions passed by Congress in 2019 affirming the facts of the Genocide to President Bidens historic recognition last year, happened because of them  a strong and resilient Armenian diaspora.

But the threat of annihilation still hangs over the Armenian people. Because today, the Armenian people are still under attack, including the many who died in Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)], the thousands who were forced to flee unprovoked aggression by Azerbaijan and Turkey, and those who remain prisoners of war or live in fear of another invasion.

We cannot allow these crimes against humanity to go unrecognized. The United States must fully step into its role as a defender of democracy and peace around the world.

We must not relent in our calls for the immediate, safe, and unconditional release of the remaining Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians, for the end of U.S. assistance to the Aliyev regime, and for stronger efforts to secure more funding for Armenia and Artsakh.

Now more than ever, we must seek to further strengthen and support Armenia and Artsakh. We demand their liberation  and we will not rest until safety, peace, and justice are achieved for our Armenian brothers and sisters abroad.

I will always stand with Armenia, Artsakh, and the Armenian community.
We will assist the agreement on a peace accord between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Denis Gonchar, Director of the Fourth Department of the CIS Countries of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told this to RIA Novosti.

"The Russian side is ready to continue to help Baku and Yerevan in every way to find points of contact, to create a climate of trust and mutual understanding. At the same time, we welcome the initiatives of third countries, which can complement our trilateral efforts and not be based on the logic of geopolitical games," Gonchar added.

He noted that a whole complex of tasksincluding the delimitation and subsequent demarcation of the Azerbaijan-Armenia border, as well as the launch of the process of economic and transport unblocking in the regionis being carried out within the framework of the implementation of the trilateral agreements between the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on Monday received the Russian foreign ministrys special envoy for the normalization of Azerbaijani-Armenian relations, Igor Khovaev, APA reported.

Issues of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, delimitation and demarcation of borders, development of peace treaty between two countries on basis of five principles, presented by the Azerbaijani side, have been discussed at the meeting.

President Ilham Aliyev has stressed that composition of the Azerbaijani delegation on the development of a peace treaty and Azerbaijan's national commission on delimitation and demarcation of borders between the two countries have been determined, has noted that Azerbaijan is ready for negotiations with Armenia.

An exchange of views has been conducted on other regional issues of mutual interest during the conversation, APA added.
Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou criticized the gesture that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu made towards demonstrators from the Armenian community who protested his visit to Montevideo, Deutsche Welle reports.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, having met Armenian demonstrators in Uruguay, showed them the sign of the Gray Wolves nationalist organization, which is banned in a number of countries.

Speaking to the press, Lacalle Pou assured that the attitude of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu should be sharply criticized.

Progress in commercial matters does not mean that Montevideo agrees with "the domestic or foreign policy" of the other side, the President of Uruguay said.

Uruguayan Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo joined in the condemnation and called his Turkish counterpart's gesture "unacceptable" during the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

After the incident, Uruguayan Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo summoned Turkish Ambassador to the Foreign Ministry.
There is a real possibility that a peace treaty could be negotiated between Azerbaijan and Armenia, said ambassador of France to Azerbaijan Zacharie Gross in his article entitled "All people of good-will should support the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia," APA reported.

"There is a real possibility that a peace treaty could be negotiated between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the near future. This has been discussed by the leaders of both countries. Letters have been exchanged between them on key principles. Official contacts have been held. Civil society representatives have also met. This process allows us to be cautiously optimistic.

This does not mean normalisation of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia is a forgone conclusion. It will be difficult to achieve. There will be stumbling blocks.  Official Baku  wants to see progress on concrete issues such as connectivity and border delimitation as well as recognition of the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty," the ambassador noted.

The French envoy added that there could also be incidents that could jeopardize the process.

"Misunderstandings can fuel mistrust and compromise success. This is why it is important for all people of good will in Azerbaijan and Armenia to support the peace process. Civil society can play an important role. Academics, think tankers, artists, authors, actors, business people, simple citizens can all strengthen the process by speaking out in favour of peace. Women have an especially important and internationally recognised role in peace-making," Gross wrote.

Also, the French diplomat stressed that, together with the European Union, France fully supports the recent brave efforts that have been undertaken by the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and stands ready to assist the process of establishing peace.
I bow before the courage and determination of our friends who have come out to fight. Military analyst Davit Jamalyan of Armenia told this to a press conference Monday.

In his opinion, the people who joined the torchlight procession on April 23on the eve of the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide did not do that by accident.

"There were no random people there; that is very important. But it is no less important that the people had not come there to take part in a one-time action. They were determined and ready to start a struggle. They understood perfectly well that a big and long mission awaits them, which will inevitably be completed successfully," Jamalyan said.

He is convinced that the number of participants in this struggle will increase over time, and victory is not too far ahead.

"I have every reason to believe soand they are many. In that sense, I am optimistic," the military analyst stressed, calling on his compatriots to join this struggle.
Israel can play an important role in Italy's energy diversification efforts, said Minister of Industry Giancarlo Giorgetti, Reuters reported.

Cooperation between the two countries can help advance infrastructure projects such as the Eastmed gas pipeline, he said.

"Israel confirms itself as an important partner in the diversification of energy sourcing, also through liquefied natural gas (LNG)," Industry Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said in a statement after meeting Israel's Infrastructure, Energy and Hydro Resources Minister Karine Elharrar in Jerusalem.

Italy currently receives about 40% of its gas imports from Russia and is looking to diversify its energy sources. Israel, Greece and Cyprus have approved an agreement on the EastMed subsea gas pipeline, designed to supply gas to Europe from the eastern Mediterranean.

These countries are expected to decide this year on the viability of the 6 billion project that Turkey opposes and which has also raised doubts in the US administration.

As part of its diversification efforts, a government-led Italian delegation visited Angola and the Republic of the Congo last week, while the Italian energy group Eni signed an agreement to increase gas supplies from the Republic of the Congo by more than 4.5 billion cubic meters per year.
Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of top news as of 25.04.22:

It has been highly active in recent days after they announced protests against the current governments actions to protect Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

The opposition today has started its march from Ijevan to Yerevan, while there are sit-in protests for over a week in the Armenian capitals square.

Meanwhile, Misak Avetisyan, the father of Senior Lieutenant Levon Avetisyan who died during the 44-day Artsakh war in the fall of 2020, declared a hunger strike until May 8.

He told reporters at Freedom Square in downtown Yerevan that he demands that the Prosecutor's Office and the National Security Service arrest Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan by May 8. Otherwise, on May 8, he will set himself on fire at Republic Square in downtown Yerevan.

In the meantime, a group of youth from the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun Party of Armenia have blocked streets in the capital Yerevan  and chanted "Armenia without Nikol" "Armenia without Turks," and " Union, fight, victory."

Some of them even got on top of a public transport bus, and held the national flag of Artsakh as well as a banner that reads, "It has begun."

However, later the police have apprehendedusing disproportionate forcea group of young people.

And the ARF Youth Union informed that five of their members were taken to a police station for carrying out a peaceful awareness campaign

Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan held a phone call with FM Jeyhun Bayramov of Azerbaijan, the Armenian MFA reported.

The FMs exchanged views as a follow-up to the agreements reached at the level of the leaders of both states.

The sides agreed on the structure of the Commission on delimitation and border security.

The two also discussed the issues related to addressing humanitarian issues, as well as preparation of works on peace negotiations.

The conversation came over a week after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met in Brussels for talks hosted by European Council President Charles Michel. Aliyev and Pashinyan agreed to instruct their foreign ministers to start official negotiations on the comprehensive treaty and to set up before the end of this month a joint commission on the border demarcation.

Meanwhile, Denis Gonchar, Director of the Fourth Department of the CIS Countries of the Russian MFA said they will assist the agreement on a peace accord between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The Russian side is ready to continue to help Baku and Yerevan in every way to find points of contact, to create a climate of trust and mutual understanding, he said.

Emmanuel Macron has won five more years as France's president after a convincing victory over rival Marine Le Pen, who nevertheless secured the far right's highest share of the vote yet.

He won by 58.55% to 41.45%, a greater margin than expected.

The centrist leader told jubilant supporters at the foot of the Eiffel Tower that now the election was over he would be a "president for all".

He is the first sitting president in 20 years to be re-elected.

Despite her loss, Ms Le Pen, 53, said her significant vote share still marked a victory.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in turn, sent a congratulatory message to Emmanuel Macron on his victory.

Armenia highly appreciates France's role as the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair in establishing long-term peace in our region, and hopes that it will continue during the second five-year term of your presidency, the PM noted in a statement.

Five civilians, including two children, have died in a Russian attack in the southeastern Donetsk region, an official has said.

The children were aged five and 14 and lived in the village of Krasnohorivka, Donetsk defense chief Pavlo Kirilenko said late Sunday.

The three other victims were from the towns of Novoselivtsy and Novomikhailivtsy, he added.

Meanwhile, the Russian defense ministry said a humanitarian corridor will open at 2pm (11:00 GMT) for all civilians to leave the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. It said Russian troops will cease fire to allow civilians to safely exit the plant.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have met Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, and announced additional military assistance and the gradual return of American diplomats to the war-ravaged nation.

In the highest-level US visit to the capital since Russia started military operation in late February, Blinken and Austin told Zelenskyy and his advisers on Sunday that Washington would provide more than $300m in military financing and had approved a $165m sale of ammunition.

At a press conference in Poland after the meeting, Austin said of Zelenskyy: He has the mindset that they want to win, and we have the mindset that we want to help them win.

For his part, Blinken said the meeting was an opportunity to demonstrate directly our strong ongoing support for the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people
Jones honored with Award for Excellence in Teaching

Media Contact: Jami Mattox | Agricultural Communications Services | 405-744-8061 | jami.mattox@okstate.edu

Rodney Jones, professor in the Oklahoma State University Department of Agricultural Economics, was recognized with the Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Ferguson College of Agriculture Scholarship and Awards Banquet.

Jones joined the department in 2013 and is responsible for teaching introduction to agricultural economics, agricultural finance, advanced agricultural finance, and advanced farm and ranch management. He serves as curriculum and assessment coordinator for the department. Jones is an academic advisor for approximately 80 undergraduate students and helps mentor new faculty as academic advisors. He is also co-advisor for the Farm Credit Student Board.

Prior to joining the OSU family, Jones held a faculty position in the agricultural economics department at Kansas State University from 1995 to 2008, where he developed a reputation as an outstanding college instructor. He also previously served as the Northwest Oklahoma Area Extension agricultural economist.

Jones owns and operates a crop farm in northwest Oklahoma. He utilizes this hands-on experience to enhance learning opportunities for his students. They appreciate the real-world knowledge application offered in his classroom.

The vast majority of classes taught in the Ferguson College of Agriculture have direct applications to skills and knowledge that lead to success in jobs in the agricultural industry, Jones said. This is certainly true for the classes that I teach.

He said, for example, many students take concepts and applications directly learned in agricultural finance or advanced farm management classes into their careers.

Employers often tell me students are learning what they need in my classroom to hit the ground running in their new careers, he said.

Jones students also value the real-world knowledge they gain in his classes.

Students appreciate Dr. Jones ability to bring personal experience and practical application to the classroom, said Cynda Clary, associate dean for academic programs. His passion for the field of agricultural economics makes it easy for his students to gain a solid foundation of knowledge.

Dr. Cheryl DeVuyst, department head for agricultural economics, said that evaluations and comments demonstrate Jones excellence in the classroom and reflect how he continually makes the effort to improve his instruction and mentoring efforts for students.

Dr. Jones not only participates in workshops for himself, but he also regularly mentors new instructors, graduate students and teaching assistants as they begin teaching and evaluating student learning, DeVuyst said.

Teaching at OSU gives Jones the opportunity to develop relationships with great students from Oklahoma, from across the U.S. and from around the world, he said.

When you have students who have a strong desire to learn and a supportive environment to work in, success flows naturally, Jones said. We get to know our students on a personal level, and along with that comes a strong commitment to help them succeed in their academic endeavors.

The Ferguson College of Agriculture emphasizes hands-on learning and prioritizes a well-rounded student experience. The colleges award-winning faculty members are dedicated to developing students and are passionate about adding value to the total educational experience. With a diverse set of majors and study options, plus more than 60 student organizations, the college is committed to expanding minds and inspiring purpose. Learn more at agriculture.okstate.edu.
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) on Monday reported 431 new Covid cases  similar to the previous day  as well as the deaths of a further 18 patients.Officials said 242 infections were confirmed by PCR tests, while the rest were reported by people who took self-tests.Among the new cases, 18 were imported.Chuang Shuk-kwan of the CHP said one of the imported cases involved a traveller who tested positive 12 days after he flew in from Nepal.She noted that the man had contracted the virus in Nepal in February, and that he could have been infected again in Hong Kong.She said officials would carry out genetic sequencing as they look into the case.Meanwhile, Chuang said 13 students and six teachers had reported Covid-19 infections to the CHP on Monday as more schools resumed face-to-face classes.She said it's believed they contracted the virus in the community rather than on campus.More than 1.18 million people in Hong Kong have been confirmed with the coronavirus so far amid the latest Omicron outbreak  9,054 of whom have died.______________________________General Covid-19 situation: https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/ Covid-19 testing: https://www.communitytest.gov.hk/en/ Community testing notices: https://bit.ly/3ivX2Ce Community Clinics for Covid-19 patients: https://bit.ly/3q3tz6G Vaccination programme: https://www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/sen/ Hotline for Covid-positive patients: 1836 115
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced his regime's latest nuclear-capable missile will be deployed as early as this autumn, saying it will 'force those who try to threaten Russia to think twice', the media reported. The Sarmat missile, or 'Satan II', is said to be the world's longest-range intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of striking a target 11,200 miles away -- meaning it could easily strike targets in the US and Europe, the Daily Mail reported. Putin hailed the development of the missile, which was successfully test-fired earlier this week, 'a big, significant event' for Russia's defence industry, saying the Sarmat will 'ensure Russia's security from external threats and make those who try to threaten our country with aggressive rhetoric think twice.' "The missile can break through all modern anti-missile defences," he declared. "There is nothing like this anywhere in the world, and won't be for a long time," Daily Mail reported. Western military experts said the Sarmat is capable of carrying 10 or more nuclear warheads and decoys -- easily enough to wipe out territories the size of Britain or France in a single strike. However, analysts believe the autumn target revealed by Putin and Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Roscosmos space agency, is an ambitious one because Moscow reported its first test-launch only on Wednesday and more tests will be needed before the missile can be deployed. This week's test, after years of delays due to funding and technical issues, marks a show of strength by Russia at a time when the war in Ukraine has sent tensions with the US and its allies soaring to their highest levels since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. --IANS san/pgh ( 292 Words) 2022-04-24-21:56:02 (IANS)
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 25 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Sprig, a mobile accessory brand has launched its premium variety of Liquid Silicone Back Covers on a range of iPhone, Samsung, Oneplus, Mi, Motorola and many more models. Sprig Liquid Silicone Back covers are made out of Silica material derived from sand which is environmentally friendly and sustainable. Meticulously designed and fitted with precise cutouts, these cases can handle shocks quite well and protect the hardware from damage. When compared with the plastic cases available in the market - Sprig Liquid Silicone Back Cases retain their colour for over a period of usage and are chemically resistant. Hence, they do not react much from exposure to oil, dust, air pollution, etc. In addition to Liquid Silicone Back Covers, Sprig also has a range of Mobile Tempered Glass & Charging cables as well. Sprig Tempered Glass is made out of Asahi Glass by AGC Corporation Japan, which is quite famous for industrial applications but rarely used in the consumer electronics industry. It is to be noted that Asahi Glass matches up to or rather scores over Gorilla Glass on most of the quality parameters like touch response, transmittance, and display clarity. However, Asahi Glass due to its prohibitive cost is very rarely used in mobile display and protection. For its Mobile Tempered Glass lineup, Sprig also has the first of its kind -- an installation app for mobile screen guard applications. With a growing WFH segment, which is wary of stepping out and getting the screen protector applied, Sprig Installation App is a DIY alternative to applying the screen protector from the confines of the home. Sprig Installation App is currently live on both Android and IOS platforms. Sprig also has some new exciting products in its pipeline. It is researching on a special Bayer TPU Material for its Transparent Back cover range, The Bayer Material with its Geram origins is known to slow down oxidisation significantly delaying the yellowing effect on Transparent back covers. Sprig is planning to launch Bayer Transparent Back covers in July 2022. Also, It is also launching a range of Tempered Glass for Smart Watches keeping its focus on Premium Quality, Performance, & Touch Response. Sprig Mobile Accessories are currently being retailed via Ecommerce Portals, primarily, Flipkart, Amazon, and their own website - www.sprig.store This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India)
New Delhi [India], April 25 (ANI/PNN): Sanosan, Made in Germany a premium baby skin care brand, has launched Sanosan Baby Cleansing Range in India. Comprising SanosanBaby Bath & Shampoo, Sanosan Care Soapand Sanosan Wash Foam. Sanosan Baby Cleansing Range is formulated for the gentle cleansing of newborn baby skin and hair. This exclusive product range has been launched in the country in collaboration with Sanosan's Indian partner Glowderma. One of India's leading pharmaceutical companies in skincare, Glowderma has tied up with the global premium brand Sanosan to import and market latter's baby skincare products in India. Sanosan Baby Cleansing Range is enriched with Hydrolysed milk protein and Organic olive extract. Rajesh Khatri, Managing Director, Glowdermasaid, "We are excited to launch made in Germany brand Sanosan Baby Cleansing Range in India. With an international quality product range, it is developed to take extra care of the baby'sskin and hair. As new-born's skin is soft& delicate, so the proper skin care and bathing the newborn with this gentle cleansing range by Sanosan helps maintain the health and texture of the baby's skin, while providing a pleasant experience for both babies and the moms alike." Apt for the skin of the babies, Sanosan Baby Cleansing Range preserves the natural acid mantle and keeps their skin soft and smooth. Clinically tested under specialist supervision and hypoallergenic, Sanosan Baby Cleansing Range is free from harmful chemicals such as parabens, silicones and paraffin oil. Available in more than 70 countries across the globe, Sanosan is a renowned brand from 70 years old company - Mann & Schroder Cosmetics (M&S Cosmetics)- Germany. Established in 1951, 'M&S cosmetics' manufactures supreme quality products. It manufactures more than 2000 different products in different categories. M&S - Germany is the family-owned company in the 3rd Generation with high ethics & values. Sanosan Baby Cleansing Range is available on Sanosan Baby India website and through e-commerce websites - FirstCry & Amazon with price ranging from Rs. 260 to Rs.1025. Sanosan baby care brand was launched in Germany in the year 1983. Parents all around the world trust Sanosan for the gentle cleansing and care of the sensitive skin of baby. Natural ingredients such as hydrolysed milk protein & organic olive oil with their protective, soothing properties form the basis of product formulas. Every Sanosan product contains combinations of natural substances developed especially for delicate and sensitive baby skin. All Sanosan products have been clinically tested and are produced only in Germany with a high level of diligence and responsibility. Entire production process of Sanosan is subjected to the strictest quality control. Glowderma Lab Private Limited is a dermatology company based in Mumbai, India. A leading pharmaceutical company, Glowderma started its operations in 2003 with a vision to attain leadership in the field of dermatology by launching trusted, innovative and safe products. Glowderma is known for its highest WHO GMP quality standard operations and extensive research based on the feedback of its valued customers. Glowderma understands the social responsibility towards patient safety and hence it started "MISSION NO PARABEN" by making all products paraben free. Glowderma has 800+ PAN-India distribution networks along with 400+ enterprising Glowdermians and these numbers are growing. This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)
New Delhi [India], April 25 (ANI/SRV): Symbiosis Institute of Digital and Telecom Management with Symbiosis Institute of Technology and Symbiosis Medical College for Women, the constituents of Symbiosis International (Deemed University) in collaboration with Samara State Medical University, Russia, are organizing the International Conference on Bio-Neuro Informatics and Algorithms (ICBNA) Conference 2022. The conference will be held at Symbiosis International (Deemed University), India on June 21-22, 2022. The IEEE ICBNA conference 2022, will target state-of-the-art topics as well as emerging areas pertaining to Bio-Neuro Informatics, Biotechnology, Technology in Healthcare, Technological Innovation, Emerging technologies in ICT, engineering, and medical sciences. The primary goal of IEEE-ICBNA Conference 2022 is to endow opportunities for academicians, scientists, and research scholars along with professionals, decision-makers, and industrial practitioners to deliver and confer their research contributions. The conference will also provide opportunities for inspiring young scholars to learn newly created avenues of research at an international academic forum. The IEEE ICBNA 2022 also aims to churn out the hidden aspects of recent and emerging technologies pertaining to all areas of Bio-neuro informatics, Healthcare, Engineering, and Medical Sciences. The event will invite full-length papers, research-in-progress papers, as well as case studies in the above-mentioned areas. The conference will also invite proposals for conducting Workshops, Special Sessions, and Tutorial Sessions from Academia and Industry. The last day to submit the papers will be 2nd May 2022 and the last date to register for the IEEE ICBNA conference will be 20th May 2022. The conference topics will be divided into four tracks namely Bioinformatics and Data Mining of Biological Data (BiDMBD), Neuro Informatics, Technology in Healthcare, and Technological Innovation. Multiple combinations of topics are possible under each track that the presenters have to choose from. By the end of the IEEE ICBNA conference 2022, presenters of the best paper from each track will be recognized and awarded. Distinguished keynote speakers will be a part of the IEEE ICBNA conference 2022, Dr Aridni Shah, Co- Founder and CEO of ImmunitoAI; Dr Deepka Nair, Professor, Regional Centre for Biotechnology; Dr Mousumi Mutsuddi, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Banaras Hindu University; Dr Victor B. Kazantsev, Professor, Innopolis University; Vincenzo Piuri, Professor, University of Milan; Dr Srinivasa Rao Sirasanagandla, Department of Human and Clinical Anatomy, College of Medicine, Sultan Qaboos University; Dr Ram Bilas Pachori, Professor, Electrical Engineering, IIT Indore. Samara State Medical University recognized as "The Best Educational Programs of Innovative Russia" is the co-organizer of the IEEE ICBNA conference 2022. SamSMU is a prestigious university that has 8 educational institutes and 80 departments. The institute is also included in the Russian and world rankings of the best universities. In 2021, the university strengthened its position in the world ranking of The University Impact. SIDTM is the pioneer institute in imparting managerial education in the field of Digital and Telecommunications. SIDTM (Formerly SITM) are committed to developing world-class Technology Business Leaders, who can effectively handle the dynamic and ever-changing technological and business dynamics with absolute ease and authority. The IEEE ICBNA conference 2022 is clearly surefire evidence that the team firmly believes in strong academics combined with industry exposure through visits of several experts from the industry. The Symbiosis Medical College for Women, the brainchild of Prof. Dr S.B.Mujumdar, the Founder and Chancellor of Symbiosis International (Deemed University) also plays an important role in organizing the IEEE ICBNA conference 2022. The university believes that it is its responsibility to contribute to nation-building by providing excellent training and creating the next generation as qualified and ethical human beings. Symbiosis Institute of Technology, a constituent of Symbiosis International University was established in the year 2008 and is also one of the organizers of the IEEE ICBNA conference 2022. The institute offers B. Tech programmes in Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning and Robotics & Automation and M.Tech programmes in Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Robotics & Automation and Embedded Systems. Research programmes leading to Ph. D. Degree were introduced in the Faculty of Engineering of Symbiosis International University in 2010. To know more visit ICBNA Conference 2022 This story is provided by SRV Media. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/SRV)
New Delhi [India], April 25 (ANI/TPT): Under the vision of Saayan Kunal, the Director of Gyan Niketan School has initiated a fully digitalized admission process. Everything is being done online, from online admission form filling to interviews of students and having one-to-one interaction with the parents and list of final students. This has helped parents, students, and teachers to get their things done in the comfort of their homes, not worrying about getting infected with the virus. The school has also been doing a commendable job of offering free education to Martyr's kids. This noble work by the school is for those who lived and died for the country, and they are supporting their family by giving free education. The school is a trendsetter in the state and focuses on the overall development of its students. Also, they do everything within limits for its staff. The staff onboard is highly educated, experienced, and dedicated to creating a life for every kid worth living. Over three decades, the school has displayed its dedication by offering the best education to the students in the state. Talking about digitalization in education, Director Saayan Kunal stated, " Since pandemic gave a boost to digitalization, It was my duty as an educator to bring innovation to the education system. With the same thought, with the help of staff, we took every procedure of studying online from admission to the declaration of results. Anyone who is looking for admissions in the school can go to our website gyanniketan.in and fill out the admission form; the rest of the school authorities will direct the formalities on call or through a web portal." He further added, " The online admission interviews are also being taken on our application 'Gyan Niketan School' which is available on Playstore. Along with declaring the result of these exams on the app itself, parents and students don't have to think twice before getting into any confusion. Everything is served through this application providing a hassle-free experience. We envision getting more and more students equipped with our school so that we can create future leaders who would contribute to the development of the nation." With all of these and ever-evolving technology, Saayan Anand trusts in quality education for all students. When the whole country was shut down, and students were not able to attend classes, this school decided to go completely digital for the betterment of everyone- students, teachers, and parents. The education system is facing new challenges every day with the integration of technology in the education system. But the staff at the school and all the members of the boards are continuously working towards making everything smooth. Now the students have better opportunities than ever before. And still, there is so much to be done to ensure that the knowledge they are getting is relevant and engaging, the education they will carry with them throughout their lives. This story is provided by TPT. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/TPT)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 25 (ANI/PRNewswire): Online courses hold a lot of appeal for the younger generation, and many enroll in such courses for skilling, reskilling, or upskilling to advance their careers. Online education is excellent for broadening one's horizons and offering a plethora of options to pursue. While E-Learning, is extremely convenient and growing at a fast pace, it comes with the risk of not being taken seriously by some students and corporates. The reason for this is, that the perception of assessments conducted at the end of the course is not as trusted as offline exams, because of rampant malpractices. In turn, the corporates lose their faith in the system. All of this affects one's ability to learn and understand the importance of online education. All candidates are meant to be held at par, but that is not the case. The cheating tactics used by certain students during online exams fail to distinguish and short-change the deserving and honest candidates. As a result, in today's market, online course certification lacks the same value as physical course certification because employers are unable to distinguish between honest learners and those who cheat. In simple words, online exam monitoring systems are not considered credible, due to which the candidate suffers. Online assessments come hand in hand with the need for secure invigilation, just as offline exams do. What's lacking is the stamp of credibility. Here's where Shinkan-Edge comes into play, the best online proctoring software for online educators and recruiters with cheat-free virtual tests. If a candidate presents an online course certification with Shinkan's stamp of approval, it's credible. On asking Abhijit Saxena, the founder of Shinkan, he said "I believe that to educate and for skill development, learning is key, while to ensure genuine learning happens during the education process, secure assessments are key. Lack of credibility in online assessments is one of the primary reasons why there is limited trust in online education. Shinkan, for the first time, has launched the most intelligent and robust AI-based tool - Shinkan-Edge which can certify the authenticity of any online assessment. It also ratifies impersonation during large-scale online recruitments by corporates. Shinkan-Edge is so powerful that it can even certify the authenticity of online exams!" Today, education and knowledge are convenient commodities. It is not just students but also, working professionals and adults, who look towards online qualifications. Access to online courses makes it flexible for people to attain and diversify knowledge. Current remote proctoring solutions have the same fallacies as offline invigilation. For online examinations, Shinkan offers complete artificial intelligence based remote proctoring system, to eliminate human errors. With the growing demand for digital education worldwide, it is critical for all stakeholders to get accustomed to AI-based proctoring exams. As we get more habituated to virtually answering papers, the seriousness, and importance of the same kicks in. Its convenience is just a plus point that many look forward to. Academics worldwide are looking for solutions to the same problem: on how to prevent mal-practices and conduct credible online proctored exams. Shinkan-Edge is just the thing for this. The word 'Shinkan' is curated out of two words 'Shin' and 'Kan' 'Shin' is derived from the Japanese word 'Shinrai', which means 'trust'. 'Kan', on the other hand, is taken from the Indian word 'Kanshi'. Derived from these phrases, Shinkan means - Setting The Honest Apart. There is no better way to explain what they provide than this. The goal is to gain employers' and academicians' trust in online exam proctoring services. This in turn will enable every educational institution to reach its true academic potential. Shinkan is an artificial intelligence based remote proctoring system that makes online assessments more reliable than offline exams where manual supervision happens during the examinations, whether in the classroom or online. This remote proctoring solution eliminates the need for manual supervisors and provides online exam monitoring systems for malpractice-free virtual tests to online educational institutions and corporations. Shinkan-Edge uses deep tech to analyze more than 25 behavioral patterns for an accurate malpractice report. The software can eliminate over 200 malpractices with a robust AI engine, owing to training via 55,000+ hours of exam videos. They play a vital role in creating a widespread cognizance of these online courses and diplomas to be accepted by institutions and companies. All in all, with Shinkan's stamp of approval, employers need not be worried about the credibility of online certified courses. They should go ahead and hire honest candidates who suit the profile and have a Shinkan stamp on their certificate. They provide a chance for honest individuals to set themselves apart and thrive by using online learning to establish a name for themselves. Contact Pooja Patel at https://shinkan.co.in/contact/ for further information OR write to us at connect@shinkan.co.in OR call us on +91 80 4815 8687 We have envisioned a digital education world equal for all. However, until now, online proctoring services, have not been proven to be 100 per cent credible. Academics all over the world are looking for solutions to one problem: How do we prevent mal-practices and conduct credible online proctored exams? This question began our journey, and thus Shinkan was born. We idealize a world without online academic malpractices. We are chasing a shift in the institute's perspectives towards remote online proctored exams. The aim is to support and facilitate honesty for the greater good. Image: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1803404/Shinkan.jpg This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire)
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 25 (ANI/NewsVoir): Chennais Amirta International Institute of Hotel Management (CAIIHM), a premier hospitality education institution in South India, has created a history of sorts by placing as many as 948 students in lucrative jobs abroad at leading star properties and chain-linked restaurants in major cities across the world, this year. The selected students were among the 1017 students from CAIIHM's Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad campuses who participated in an international job fair organised by the institute recently in Chengalpet Campus, Chennai exclusively for its students. The average annual salary of students who got international placements up to Rs. 12 lakhs per annum. It is considered the first for any private institution in the hospitality domain anywhere in the country to get jobs abroad for 948 of its students in a single job fair. The selected students are set to fly abroad to their job locations in Canada, Turkey, Portugal, and the Middle East and UAE countries including Dubai, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, among others. The job fair attracted the direct, in-person participation of hundreds of hospitality brands - including Royal Atlantis, Palm Jumeirah, Papa Johns, Tim Hortons, and Americanas, from the sought-after global destinations. The international recruiters visited the campus, took part in the job fair, and conducted interviews and handed over recruitment offers. The fair had also attracted the participation of alumni of CAIIHM and they were able to get best placements with attractive salaries with their hands-on experience gained in recent years. Many final year students who are currently pursuing their final semester internship also got their placements, especially with brands in Turkey and UAE countries. In his comments about his institution achieving this rare feat, R. Boomee Naathan, Chairman, CAIIHM, said, "It is heartening and encouraging to note that the participating international recruiters were extremely happy recruiting hundreds of students from our college. The response to the job fair, which also saw the participation of our alumni students, has been overwhelming. The recruiters greatly appreciated the professionalism of our students who appeared for the interview. Grooming future leaders in the hospitality industry has always been our primary motivation. We will continue to be a force to reckon with enlarging the talent pool in the hospitality industry." The job fair was organised by Navaneetha Krishnan, Principal of Chengalpet campus, and the Principals of Hyderabad campus: Rajesh Kumar, and Hemalatha, and the Principal of Bengaluru campus: Dr Sathish Rao. Founded in 2010, Chennais Amirta IIHM aims to groom high calibre hospitality professionals and set a benchmark in the hospitality academics across the world. With a slogan, 'Think Hotel Management; Think Chennais Amirta', the institute reflects its strong brand identity in South India's hospitality industry, with rich and experienced faculty members, state-of-the-art lab facilities and academics that are a perfect blend of theoretical knowledge, Industrial Exposure trainings and on job trainings for students. Part Time Job facility is another boon for the students who get a handsome salary while pursuing their studies while meeting their financial needs and garnering wider exposure and experience during their academic tenure. Despite the hospitality sector being badly affected by COVID-19, Chennais Amirta IIHM has consistently performed well and provided its students with 100% placements. With 16 different courses offered across Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru, about 15000 students are part of the institute's alumni, who occupy key positions in most of the hotels across India and abroad. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
New Delhi [India], April 25 (ANI/NewsVoir): Aseem Chawla, a renowned practising tax and business lawyer, has launched his new book, "Supreme Court on Company Law" (Compendium of Cases) (1950-2021), published jointly by Bloomsbury and Corporate Law Adviser. The Compendium brings together all the significant judgments rendered by the Supreme Court of India on matters arising under the Companies Act, 1913/1956/2013. Aseem Chawla's work will prove to be a useful tool for litigants, lawyers, judges, and the academic community. Compendium covers judgments from 1950 to 2021 and is available in three volumes. All judgments have been arranged in ascending order, beginning with the first volume, catalogued from 1950 onwards. The book provides a complete understanding of the legalities involved in the chapter index and relevant paras within the judgment that have been highlighted for easy reference, as well as a nominal index, all of which add to its utilitarian quotient. Chawla explains that, in these times, no writing or publication is complete unless it addresses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. He further adds, "The Central Government has undertaken proactive steps in relation to the decriminalization of several provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and a high-powered committee has been constituted to look into numerous compliances enjoined, pursuant to the rules, to alleviate and provide some respite precipitated by the pandemic in the present challenged macro-economic situation. A balanced and rational outlook on compliances sought would help strike the right balance between corporate governance and the burden/cost of compliance." Justice V. Ramasubramanian, Judge, Supreme Court of India in his Foreword applauds the publication and termed it as "classic reflection of Aseem Chawla's scholarship, passion for law, industry and meticulous preparation". "This is a book that should find a place on the bookshelf of every busy practitioner, adjudicator and, all those, who wish to carry out an in-depth analysis, inter alia, of aspects swirling around the birth, functionality and demise of a company," he added. "While this publication was in press, the Supreme Court rendered another headline grabbing decision in Devas Case, affirming the NCLAT (Appellate Tribunal) decision, however, my publisher rightly reminded that my brief was to report the Apex Court decisions till the year 2021 and contained my effervescent enthusiasm. The above noted seminal decision and the path breaking judgement rendered in the case of Tata Consultancy Services Limited vs. Cyrus Investments Private Limited, both have been authored by Hon'ble Justice V. Ramasubramanian, Judge, Supreme Court of India and it is a matter of great privilege to have his encouraging Foreword to this Compendium," penned author in the note from curator's desk. This Compendium is a one-stop shop for all those looking for leading Judgements of the Supreme Court rendered during the period from 1950 to 2021 on all matters arising under the Companies Act, 193/1956/2013. In his descriptive testimonial, Hon'ble Justice Rajiv Shakdher, Judge, High Court of Delhi describes "the highlights and the quantity of material". He explains, "That the material that has been captured shows the meticulous effort that has gone into putting together the Compendium. The finest aspect of the Compendium is that it not only lists resolved instances, but it also relates to numerous company statutes passed over time, beginning with the Indian Companies Act of 1913. For the syllable of the compendium, it is a gold mine for attorneys, judges, academics, and researchers concerned in questions of corporate law." Several new concepts also find a place in the 2013 enactment, such as One-Person Company, Independent Directors, Corporate Social Responsibility, Women Directors and filing of Class action suits by the shareholders. This Compendium puts together all the significant judgments rendered by the Supreme Court on matters arising under the Companies Act, 1913/1956/2013. The Compendium comes in three volumes covering judgments from 1950 till 2021. The judgements have been placed in ascending order, beginning from 1950, catalogued first volume onwards. The book is available to purchase at www.claonline.in/sccl_2022.aspx Aseem Chawla, the curator of the publication is a well-known and accomplished lawyer, who is a Member of Bar Council of India and Fellow Chartered Accountant & certificate holder of "Comparative Tax Policy & Administration" from Harvard Kennedy School & "Vienna Certificate in Double Tax Treaties" from the Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria. He has several authorships to his credit, including the recent publication on the Indian contemporary tax landscape titled, "Finding a Straight Line Between Twists and Turns: Imperfect, yet Honest Reflections on the Indian Tax Landscape", which has received encouragement from the leading international tax practitioners and Hon'ble Esteemed Members of judicial fora. He is an accredited Trust & Estate Practitioner and Member of Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners, (STEP), UK. and is well regarded for estate planning, including advising large families & corporate houses on governance aspects. He was nominated by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, as Non-Executive Independent Director of Board of one of the largest State-Owned General Insurance Companies. He is Visiting Faculty with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) on International Taxation, Economic Offences & Money Laundering Laws. Corporate Law Adviser (CLA) is a 33 years old Fortnightly Journal on Corporate/SEBI/Insolvency and Business Laws. CLA along with CLAonline covers Latest Case Laws from Supreme Court, all High Courts, NCLT/NCLAT, SAT, Competition Commission, etc with unmatched head notes along with reference of Para numbers in the head note for easy reference and provides a complete digital online law library on Company/SEBI/Insolvency and Bankruptcy/FEMA/Competition and Other Laws since 1950. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
According to TMZ, a judge signed off on the documents on Friday. George had filed for divorce from the actor back in October in a Los Angeles, California court.

The news about their split comes a little over a year after Penn confirmed on 'Late Night With Seth Meyers' that the two had a "COVID wedding."

"By that, I mean it was a county commissioner on Zoom and we were at the house, my two children and her brother, and we did it that way," Penn explained, at the time.

Penn and George had started dating back in 2016. She is the daughter of actor Vincent D'Onofrio.

The actor has spent the past several months in Ukraine filming a documentary about their ongoing situation with Russia. Though Penn has since returned, he has expressed intentions about going back and "taking up arms" against Russia, as per Fox News. (ANI)
Actor Kangana Ranaut recently opened up about an incident when she was sexually assaulted as a child. The big revelation was made by Kangana during one of the latest episodes of her reality show 'Lock Upp'. Recalling being inappropriately touched by a boy in her town, she said, "So many kids go through this (Sexual assault) every year but we avoid talking about it on public platforms. All of us go through this, all of us have been inappropriately touched at some point. I have faced this. I was a child and a young boy from our town used to inappropriately touch me. At the time, I did not know what it meant, no matter how protective your family is, all kids go through this." "Another point is that you are made to feel guilty for it. This is a huge crisis for kids in our society. To tell them the difference between good and bad touch may not be enough. It becomes such a huge crisis. Kids are psychologically traumatised and scarred for life. They face endless troubles in life. This guy was three to four years elder than me, perhaps he was exploring his sexuality. He would call us, get us all to strip and check us. We would not understand it at the time," Kangana added. Kangana talked about her sexual assault after stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui in the episode revealed that he was six years old when he was first sexually assaulted and it went on until he turned 11. (ANI)
Amid the row over the police sub-inspector (PSI) recruitment scam, Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar on Sunday slammed Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai for allegedly misleading people over the issue. Asked about the PSI scam, the Congress leader said, "Is congress ruling in the state? Why did the Home Minister and Chief Minister say in the assembly that no mistakes happened in PSI recruitment? He (Bommai) should also be held responsible for lies. Why did he give the case to CID Now?" The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) detained the main accused in the Karnataka PSI scam Rudragowda D Patil from Maharashtra and brought him to its office late Saturday night. The case is related to the irregularities in the appointment of police sub-inspectors in the state. Earlier on Saturday, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had said everything related to the PSI recruitment scam will be thoroughly investigated, and action will be taken against those found guilty. The Chief Minister further informed that he has instructed the CID to speedy and transparent investigation. "Officials were instructed to conduct a thorough preliminary investigation immediately after getting the complaint about irregularities. The case was handed over to CID when differences were noticed in answer scripts. Instructions have been issued for speedy and transparent investigation without wasting the time. Heads of educational institutions in Kalaburagi have been questioned. The head of Jnanajyothi School is absconding. The search is on to nab him," the Chief Minister had said. The candidates who passed the exam too would be questioned and a thorough investigation would be conducted, Bommai said. (ANI)
The local SHO of Jaipur's Kanota and his team had to shut themselves in a room after they were attacked by people from two groups who were engaged in fighting in the area late on Saturday, police said on Sunday. The police team had, in fact, come to pacify two groups engaged in a spat in Kanota on Saturday evening, but were attacked themselves. Even the SHO's private vehicle was damaged as the crowd pelted stones on it. Police officials said that SHO Arun Poonia and his team were not in uniform when they reached the spot and one of the quarelling groups took them to be members of the other group and attacked them. The team had to take shelter in a room and called the police control room for help. Soon after, a police team, drawn from six stations, reached the site to rescue the SHO and his team which included three policemen. Additional DCP, East, Avnish Kumar Sharma said that police had received information about a quarrel between the two parties at around 10.30 p.m. near Jamdoli intersection in Kanota area. Kanota SHO Poonia reached the spot in civil dress with two policemen and came under attack from one of the sides. The windshield and window glasses of the SHO's personal vehicle were smashed with stones and sticks. The policemen locked themselves in a room to save themselves. As the besieged policemen informed the police control room and officials about the incident, teams of Bassi, Tunga, Khoh Nagorian, Kanota, Transport Nagar and Adarsh Nagar police stations reached the spot. Additional forces were also sent from the Reserve Police Line. Seeing the police force reaching the spot, the attacking party fled from the scene. Meanwhile, the SHO and the other trapped policemen were freed and the three injured policemen were sent to the hospital for treatment. Additional forces were deployed to maintain peace and order in the area. The police are searching for the attackers and have registered a case against them under various sections. --IANS arc/vd ( 355 Words) 2022-04-24-20:32:01 (IANS)
"Arif Hazar a.k.a. Rehan, deputy of LeT's top cmdr (Basit) killed in Pulwama Encounter. Involved in killings of Inspector Parvez in front of mosque, SI Arshid and one mobile shop owner in downtown. Several FIRs against him in Srinagar city. Identification of other 2 terrorists yet to done," Jammu and Kashmir police quoting Inspector General Police Kashmir zone Vijay Kumar tweeted.

The firefight broke out after a joint team of security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation on the basis of specific information about presence of terrorists.

As the security forces zeroed in on the spot where terrorists were hiding, they came under a heavy volume of fire that triggered the encounter.

--IANS zi/pgh

( 164 Words)

2022-04-24-20:40:05 (IANS)
Remembering the supreme sacrifices of Guru Tegh Bahadur, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday made several announcements to commemorate his memory at a state-level function here to mark the 400th Parkash Purb. The ground where the function was held will be named after Guru Tegh Bahadur, besides naming the upcoming Government Medical College in Yamunanagar after the ninth Sikh guru who stood up against forcible conversions by then Mughal ruler. "An exhibition of weapons used by Guru Tegh Bahadur would be showcased across the country. For this, we have also decided to provide a vehicle to carry these relics," Khattar, who had donned a turban, said. Congress leader Bhupinder Hooda also participated in the programme, besides Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala and Uttarakhand Governor Lt General Gurmit Singh (retd). Before addressing tens of thousands of devotees converged to attend the function, the Chief Minister first went to the main 'pandal' and paid obeisance to the Guru Granth Sahib. Khattar said Guru Tegh Bahadur had made a supreme sacrifice while raising his voice against religious atrocities and injustice. "Today we are celebrating the 400th Prakash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur as a part of ongoing celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, an initiative of the government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of independence. "The main purpose of organising such a grand event is to ensure that the inspiring stories of the supreme sacrifices made by 'Hind Ki Chadar' Guru Tegh Bahadur should reach every sphere of the country and our future generations can take inspiration from him," he said. He said Guru Tegh Bahadur sacrificed himself for religious freedom and humanity. "History tells that how a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits went to meet Guru Tegh Bahadur to save them from forced conversion. Then, Guru Tegh Bahadur had said this would need a great sacrifice, it was when Guru sahib's son, Guru Gobind Singh, had said who will be worthier than you to make such a sacrifice. "After this, Guru sahib challenged Aurangzeb and after severe torture of Guru-ji, Aurangzeb beheaded him and Guru Tegh Bahadur made supreme sacrifice of his life for religious freedom." The Chief Minister said Guru Tegh Bahadur always shared a special bond with Haryana as during his lifetime, he had travelled six times through the area. Guru Tegh Bahadur visited 32 gurdwaras in what is now Haryana. He said the state government is celebrating the birth anniversary and Parkash Purabs of all saints and great men so as to ensure maximum reach of their teachings. Former Chief Minister Hooda said Guru Tegh Bahadur is revered not only by one religion but by the entire humanity. He sacrificed for the country, religion and humanity at a time when the people were facing atrocities. Hooda demanded the government set up an international-level college and research centre in Dhamtan Sahib in the memory of a great personality so that the poor could be served. He said it is a matter of pride that Haryana is celebrating the Parkash Purb. "Guru Tegh Bahadur was an example of courage, sacrifice and mutual love, which the mankind will never forget. Guruji's teachings and principles are relevant even today." The two-time Chief Minister said this unique example of sacrifice is not found anywhere in the history of the entire humanity. Meanwhile, the devotees got a glimpse of the glorious history of Guru Nanak Dev, Baba Banda Bahadur and other Sikh gurus through an exhibition organised here. In the exhibition, the inspiring stories of the supreme sacrifices made by the Sikh Gurus were displayed through more than 100 panels. The life history, philosophy and teaching of Guru Tegh Bahadur remained the key attraction of the exhibition. In the exhibition, panels were set up in three languages -- Punjabi, Hindi and English -- to enable the visitors to get enlightened. Thousands of books related to the life and teachings of Guru Tegh Bahadur were distributed free of cost among visitors. --IANS vg/vd ( 670 Words) 2022-04-24-20:40:06 (IANS)
The Congress on Sunday attacked the government over the proposed increase in GST of 142 items, including jaggery and products which are of daily use. Senior Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: "A proposal to increase 92 per cent of items in a list of 143 to the highest available slab category of 28 per cent; I would call it deceitful, dubious, and dissembling. Something like this, hits the common man, of course, who is being crushed, but, it hits the middle class, who is frequently forgotten by everyone. The middle class may be above the lowest class, but, they are hit very - very badly." He said the list of items include hand bags, suit cases, colour TV sets below 32 inches, walnuts, chewing gum, chocolates, and custard powder. Singhvi noted that in 2017 Guwahati meeting, 75 items were taken away by the GST Council from the highest 28 per cent slab, leaving only 50 items in it "Look at these facts. Today 90 per cent of 143, like 120 items, are being moved back into that slab. Can you see any logic to it? At least, I cannot. Can you see any method to it? At least, I cannot," he said. "Why do you want to hit the aam aadmi in the stomach? After all, nothing more can be expected from you. You have practiced the worst kind of treachery and hypocrisy on this subject. It was you, Modi Sarkar, Modi in the incarnation of Chief Minister, who called this retrograde in nature and against the tenets of fiscal federalism. " --IANS miz/vd ( 277 Words) 2022-04-24-20:56:04 (IANS)
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone, Vijay Kumar termed Sunday's operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district in which three LeT terrorists were killed a big success and congratulated the joint forces for carrying it out in a professional manner without any collateral damage. Police said based on specific input generated by Pulwama police regarding presence of terrorists in Pahoo area of Pulwama, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by police and army. During the search operation, as the search party proceeded towards the suspected spot, the hiding terrorists fired indiscriminately upon the search party which was retaliated effectively leading to an encounter. Later on, the CRPF also joined the operation. "In the ensuing encounter, three terrorists linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter," police said. They have been identified as Arif Ahmad Hazar alias Rehan (Deputy of LeT's top commander Basit), Abu Huzaifa aliasA Haqqani (Pakistani terrorist) and Natish Wani alias Haider resident of Khanyar, Srinagar. "As per police records, all the killed terrorists were part of groups involved in several terror crime cases including attacks on police/security forces and civilian atrocities," police said. "Pertinently, the killed terrorist Arif Hazar was a categorised terrorist, active since March 2021 and involved in several terror crime cases including attacks on Police/security forces and civilian atrocities besides... several cases were registered against him in Srinagar city. "He was involved in killing of Inspector Parvez in front of a mosque at Menganwari Nowgam on June 22, 2021, killing of PSI Arshid Ahmad Mir near PS Khanyar on September 12, 2021, killing of police personnel Javaid Ahmad at Saidapora Eidgah on June 17, 2021, killing of mobile shop owner Umar Nazir Bhat at Main Chowk Habba Kadal on June 23, 2021, killing of civilian Mohammad Shafi Dar at SD Colony Batamaloo, killing of civilian Rouf Ahmad Khan outside his house at Mejinpora Safakadal on December 22, 2021. "Besides, he was also involved in grenade attacks on police patrolling party at Safakadal and joint Naka party at Rainawari. Moreover, he alongwith his associates was also involved in an attack on a BJP leader's residence at Aribagh, Nowgam Srinagar. In this terror attack, one police personnel Rameez Raja attained martyrdom and his service rifle was also snatched. He was also involved in attack on two outside labourers at Suthsoo Kalan area of Nowgam on April 22, 2022," police said. Incriminating materials, and arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter. A case has been registered and investigation has been initiated. --IANS zi/vd ( 443 Words) 2022-04-24-21:26:03 (IANS)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that to understand the soul of India, the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo has to be studied in detail. He said this on Sunday while speaking on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Sri Aurobindo. Shah said culture was the common factor that was binding the people of the country across various regions. He said that once India is seen as a geo-cultural country, then all the problems will be solved easily and automatically. The Home Minister said that culture is the soul of India and that was the teaching of Sri Aurobindo and added that from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, and from Bengal to Dwarka, it was the culture that was holding the country together. He, however, said that the Constitution of the country was also equally important. Shah said that in the concept of Indian culture, there is no border, and that in Vedas and Upanishads, there was no mention of borders and added: "We work for the welfare of the whole world." The Home Minister said that India attained independence when Sri Aurobindo was seventy-five years old and now during the 150th birth anniversary of the great saint, the country was celebrating its 75th birth anniversary. He also said that Sri Aurobindo had played a major role in the freedom struggle of the country and reminisced about his incarceration in the Alipur bomb case. Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the freedom struggle as 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' was to honour even the unknown freedom fighters and to take among the youth of the country the spirit of freedom struggle to invigorate the youths. The Union home minister paid a visit to the Aurobindo Ashram and paid floral tributes at the memorial of Sri Aurobindo and his spiritual collaborator, The Mother. Visiting the Mahakavi Bharathiar Memorial Museum, the Union minister paid floral tributes to the national poet and freedom fighter Subramania Bharathi. In a tweet, he said: "Subramania Bharathi is the epitome of patriotism, unity, and social reforms. His patriotic songs motivated countless people to join the Indian freedom movement. His ideas continue to motivate us all." Earlier the Home Minister was received at the Puducherry airport by Lt Governor of Puducherry, Tamilisai Soundararajan, and Chief Minister of the Union Territory, N. Rangasami. --IANS aal/pgh ( 406 Words) 2022-04-24-21:38:03 (IANS)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the seventh edition of the Raisina Dialogue, India's flagship multilateral foreign policy and geo-economics conference today. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the dialogue, which will be held over three days from April 25 to April 27, will witness the participation of European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen as the chief guest. The Raisina Dialogue 2022, based on the theme "Terranova- Impassioned, Impatient, Imperilled", will be modelled along six thematic pillars --Rethinking Democracy: trade, technology and ideology; End of Multilateralism: a networked global order; Water Caucuses: turbulent tides in the Indo-Pacific; Communities Inc: first responders to health, development, and planet; Achieving Green Transitions: common imperative, diverging realities; Samson vs Goliath: the persistent and relentless technology wars. The Raisina Dialogue, which started in 2016, is India's premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. The conference is organised by MEA in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF). The dialogue, which was held virtually last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held in in-person format this year. "Raisina Dialogue 2022 will have around 100 sessions with over 210 speakers from 90 countries. There will be side events that will be hosted in Berlin and Washington. Raisina young fellows programme will also be conducted on the sidelines of this main conference," said MEA Spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi. The MEA spokesperson further said that the conference will most likely be attended by former PM of Sweden Carl Bildt, former Canada PM Stephen Harper, former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed and former Australia PM Anthony Abbott. "We will also be counting on a pre-recorded message from the President of United Nations General Assembly Abdulla Shahid," added Bagchi. In terms of the participation of foreign ministers, the MEA spokesperson informed that the foreign ministers of Argentina, Armenia, Guyana, Nigeria, Norway, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia will be attending the event. He further said that the Australian foreign minister may also join the conference virtually. Bagchi said that the foreign ministers, during their visit to India, will also have official engagements with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. (ANI)
The BJP delegation includes MLA Mihir Kotecha, MLA Amit Satam, MLA Parag Shah, MLA Rahul Narvekar, Vinod Mishra and Kirit Somaiya. They will meet the Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla at North Block, Delhi.

Somaiya claimed that he was injured in the alleged stone-pelting incident by the Shiv Sena workers in Mumbai on Saturday. In a series of Twitter posts, Somaiya said, "Heavy stone-throwing at Khar Police Station by Shiv Sena goondas (goons), my car window glass broken, I am injured, rushing to Bandra police station."

"I am shocked, in the presence of 50 police persons, on the campus of Khar police station, Shiv Sena's 100 goondas assault me with stones. Wanted to kill me. What the Police Commissioner is doing? How are so many mafia Sena goondas allowed to gather in the police station?" he said in another tweet.

Earlier, Somaiya had visited Khar Police Station to meet Amravati MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana who were arrested on Saturday.

Meanwhile, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis condemned the attack on the BJP leader Kirit Somaiya and requested the Centre to take action against concerned officials.

"An attempt was made to attack Kirti Somaiya outside a police station in Mumbai last night. We will request Central Government to take action against concerned officials," Fadnavis said. (ANI)
Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan was also present on the occasion.

IDY-2022 is the 8th edition of the International Day of Yoga. The International Day of Yoga is celebrated all over the world on June 21 every year.

'Yoga Utsav', organised by the Ministry of Communications, is being celebrated at various locations across the country, including Statue of Unity in Gujarat, Cellular Jail in Port Blair, Red Fort in Delhi, Ellora Caves in Maharashtra, Golden Pagoda in Arunachal Pradesh, Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand and many other places, Vaishnaw said in a tweet.

The event saw an active participation of people. Vaishnaw was also seen performing yoga at the event.

On Sunday, Vaishnaw took part in a Yoga practice session at Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation is organizing 'Yog Prabha', a mega Yoga event on Monday at Safdarjung Airport in New Delhi. Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Gen (Rtd) VK Singh inaugurated the event.

At the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the United Nations General Assembly took a historic decision in 2014 to declare June 21 as the International Day of Yoga, said Vaishnaw, adding that during the celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, this event will help create wider awareness among the participants about the importance of Yoga in daily life. (ANI)
The meeting will be held at the Chief Minister's home office, Krishna.

Bommai will meet ministers of his Cabinet, Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) chairman Sudarshan and other TAC members.

On Sunday, Bommai said that the state government will bring guidelines after a video conference meeting with PM Modi on Wednesday.

In view of increasing COVID-19 cases in the country over the last two weeks, the Prime Minister will chair a meeting to assess the situation with Chief Ministers on Wednesday via video conferencing.

"The Union government has already issued a caution alert," Bommai had told reporters.

"A slight increase in cases has been recorded in Kerala and Maharashtra in the last 8-10 days. Based on the experience of the last three waves, experts too have suggested suitable precautionary measures," he added.

Karnataka on Sunday reported 60 new cases of the virus with zero fatalities and a positivity rate of 0.72 per cent. The active cases in the state stood at 1,676. (ANI)
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari expressed grief over the demise of veteran Congress leader and former Governor of the state K Sankaranarayanan. Sankaranarayanan passed away on Sunday. He was 89. He breathed his last at his residence in Palakkad, Kerala. "K Sankaranarayanan was a respected popular leader known for honesty, integrity and uprightness. He was an experienced legislator and an able administrator and had also served as the Finance Minister of Kerala," Koshyari said. He also said that Sankaranarayanan, as the Governor of Maharashtra, took a keen interest in higher education, the development of backward regions of the State and the welfare of tribals. Koshyari said that Sankaranarayanan had the distinction of serving as the Governor of six States. "With his impartial conduct, Sankaranarayanan elevated the stature of the post of the Governor," he added. Sankaranarayanan served as governor of Maharashtra from 2010 to 2014. He was also the governor of Nagaland and Jharkhand. He had also held additional charges of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Goa as Governor. Prior to his appointment as governor, he was a four-time minister of various ministries in the Kerala government. "I pay my respects to the departed leader and convey my deepest condolences to his daughter and other members of the bereaved family," Koshyari said. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also expressed his condolences on the demise of Sankaranarayanan. "Express heartfelt condolences on the passing of senior Congress leader K Sankaranarayanan. He upheld a Nehruvian and secular outlook. He was a people-oriented politician. As governor, minister and legislator he undertook people-friendly measures, and stood for development," tweeted the Chief Minister. Opposition leader V D Satheesan, Governor Arif Muhammad Khan and many other leaders from different walks also expressed their condolences. (ANI)
Two days after All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) corporator Nazir Ahmed Honyal was arrested in connection with the stone-pelting incident in Karnataka's Hubballi, party chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday advised his party workers to not get themselves involved in civil disputes and further advised them to let the law take its own course. Addressing the party workers here at an event, Owaisi said, "I have come here to advise you all to not interfere in any kind of land or constructions issues. Recently, a land dispute erupted in an area wherein two of my party workers were given notice by the authorities concerned. Following this, I called them to the office and spoke to them. The workers have accepted the fault and regretted it." "In such scenarios, I advise you all to let the law take its own course. I am once again informing you all to not interfere in this civil dispute unnecessarily. We are here to help the people. Don't create problems for the public," he said. The AIMIM chief further said that he will not keep quiet if his party's name is been tarnished. "I am warning again, especially MLAs, corporators and party workers to help the public instead of creating any disturbance for them," he said. After violence broke out at a protest in Karnataka's Hubballi over a social media post on April 16, the police made another arrest. On Saturday, April 23, the Hubballi police arrested corporator and AIMIM leader Nazir Ahmed Honyal on charges of allegedly inciting the mob to violence during the protest. The post purportedly showed a saffron flag over a mosque. The crowd outside the police station swelled into a mob and violence erupted as stone-pelting began, damaging a few properties. A few officers were also injured during the incident. Speaking on this Hubballi matter, Owaisi said, "It is true that our AIMIM party leaders have been arrested. Congress leaders have also been arrested. In our view, AIMIM leaders are innocent. Let the court decide." (ANI)
A Special Court of Delhi has taken cognizance of a chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against former Trinamool Congress youth wing leader Vinay Mishra, his brother Vikas Mishra and Mohammad Enamul Haque, the alleged kingpin of a cattle smuggling racket across India-Bangladesh border. The Court noted that the prosecution complaint (Chargesheet) has been filed by the ED under Sections 44 and 45 of the Prevention of MoneyLaundering Act, 2002 for the commission of an offence under Sections 3 and 70 of PMLA punishable under Section 4 of PMLA. Special Judge CBI Sanjay Garg, while taking cognizance of the ED Chargesheet, said that he had gone through the complaint and the accompanying documents and there was sufficient material to proceed against the accused. Accordingly, the cognizance of the offence under Sections 3 and 70 PMLA punishable under Section 4 PMLA was taken. The court issued summons against Vinay Mishra, his brother Vikas Mishra and other accused in the matter and directed them to appear before the court on June 1, 2022. Nitesh Rana, Special Public Prosecutor, appeared for the ED and made submissions on the point of cognizance. According to the ED, Enamul Haque has previously also been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his alleged involvement in cattle smuggling cases on the India-Bangladesh border. Earlier in January, the Supreme Court had granted him bail. The bench of Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Dinesh Maheshwari had granted bail to Haque in a case involving the smuggling of cattle on the India-Bangladesh border with the help of the Border Security Force (BSF) commandant at the Murshidabad border, West Bengal. It was alleged that the smuggling of cattle was carried out at Haque's instance and he paid bribes to the security personnel to facilitate the trade. Earlier, the CBI had also arrested Haque and contented that he had taken advantage of the porous borders to move items across. The CBI had contended that Haque is an influential man since he managed to enter India through the border despite "Look Out Circular". "If he is released it would render further investigation vulnerable," contended the CBI. (ANI)
16/04/2022 India's connectivity drive in neighbourhood benefits Nepal, B'desh

New Delhi, April 16:India has always harped on better connectivity among its neighbouring nations in South Asia, more so with Nepal and Bangladesh. The recent development of better connectivity between India and Nepal was the train service on a 35 km long cross-border rail link between Jayanagar in Bihar and Kurtha in Nepal. This will enable easy connectivity and benefit the people of both the neighbouring countries.



It is a multi-pronged strategy. It is part of India's NeighbourhoodFirst policy. India in this effort to build connectivity with neighbourhood has built electricity networks, upgrading ports, rail and airport infrastructure and laid new pipelines. It is a much more benevolent model than the Chinese ones. The Indian model does not put any country into a debt trap.



The first meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Coordination Group (IMCG) on Neighbouring Countries at Secretary level was convened by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on April 12. The IMCG has been setup as a high-level mechanism towards mainstreaming of India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy.



The meeting deliberated upon and took important decisions on various aspects of India's bilateral relationship with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the areas of trade and investment, connectivity, border infrastructure, immigration, development cooperation, border security among others.



The IMCG is supported by Inter-Ministerial Joint Task Forces (JTF) convened by the concerned Joint Secretaries in the Ministry of External Affairs. Government of India's efforts to deliver benefits like greater connectivity, stronger inter-linkages and greater people-to-people connect under India's Neighbourhood First policy takes place through a whole-of-government approach with coordination involving various Ministries, Departments and agencies of GOI and of concerned State governments. The IMCG will further improve institutional coordination across government and provide comprehensive direction to this whole-of-government approach on India's relations with its neighbouring countries.



According to a news report by All India Radio, new Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) are constructed or expanded to facilitate trade and mobility along the borders with Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar. Inland waterway infrastructure for movement to Nepal and Bangladesh is developed. The number of railway connections with Bangladesh have increased manifold.



India and Nepal have South Asia's first cross-border oil pipeline. Bhutanese cargo from the Himalayas is reaching Bangladesh on an Indian river vessel. Nepali cargo is transited and clearance processes through India's eastern seaports. The airport at Jaffna in Northern Sri Lanka is reconnected with a direct flight from south India after upgradation with Indian aid. The ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) launched the South Asian Satellite in 2017, enhancing digital connectivity across the region. In 2019, Bhutan inaugurated a receiving station for the South Asian Satellite. In the same year, Bangladesh agreed to Indian transit access to Northeast states. India and Bangladesh are now directly exchanging freight under a new shipping agreement.



Sri Lanka could have avoided the present crisis had it tied up with India for connectivity and not wholly dependent on China for funds. It is neck-deep in loans from China and it has asked for more funds from China to service previous loans.



Sri Lanka is building its Port City Colombo in line with Dubai and Singapore. The project is estimated to be USD 14 billion and China has invested USD 1.4 billion.



According to a media report, Port City Colombo is a public-private partnership project between the Sri Lankan government and CHEC Port City Colombo Pvt. Ltd, which is a subsidiary of China's state-run infrastructure firm, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), a company that is leading President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).



External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at the Plenary Session "Central and South Asia: Connectivity" on July 16, 2021 had said: "Economic growth is universally driven by 3Cs: connectivity, commerce and contacts. All three need to come together to ensure regional cooperation and prosperity. The challenge we face is that politics, vested interests and instability can be formidable impediments to its realization. There are lessons too from our experiences that need to be understood. The real issues are of mindsets, not of disputes. Blocking connectivity in practice while professing support in principle benefits no one. A one-sided view of trade rights and obligations can never work. No serious connectivity can ever be a one-way street."



Connectivity acquires a particular salience in the context of post-Covid economic recovery. It is itself an economic multiplier. But there is a widespread realization of the need now for more resilient and reliable supply chains. This is not just a matter of production; it is equally a challenge of efficient logistics. All of us need more and multiple options. And this applies to the domain of connectivity most of all.



While expanding connectivity between Central Asia and South Asia, we need to address not just physical infrastructure but all its accompanying facets. Tourism and societal contacts can create a fostering enabling environment. But, at the end of the day, building connectivity is an act of trust and must, at the minimum, conform to international law. Respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity are the most basic principles of international relations.



Connectivity efforts must be based on economic viability and financial responsibility. They should promote economic activity and not create debt burdens. Ecological and environmental standards, as also skill and technology transfers, are musts. Connectivity must be consultative, transparent and participatory.










According to the police, all the three accused were known to the victim.

"Gang rape with a minor was reported in Chanho police station area of rural Ranchi last evening," said Naushad Alam, Superintendent of Police, Rural Ranchi.

"Three accused have been arrested. As per the initial investigation, all accused are known to the victim. They called her to meet. Then took her to a secluded place and raped her," he said.

An investigation is going on. More details are awaited. (ANI)
State spokesperson of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti Mohan Gowda alleged that Clarence High School here has asked non-Christian students to compulsorily carry and read the Bible.

He said, "The declaration of the school administration to compulsorily carry and read the Bible for all students is a religious conspiracy. This is a violation of Articles 25 and 30 of the Indian Constitution. The Supreme Court has also said that no person can force religious teachings on children of other religions. This is the violation of Supreme Court as well."

Gowda further said that they will complain to the Karnataka Education Minister and demand action against the school administration.

"We have raised an objection on this issue and the parents of these children are also with us. We will meet the Karnataka Education Minister soon, and raise our concern," he added. (ANI)
The Shiv Sena workers have been released.

The Shiv Sena workers were arrested for allegedly creating a ruckus outside the residence of the Rana couple.

On Saturday, the MP-MLA couple had announced their plan to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside Matoshree, the private residence of the state Chief Minster Uddhav Thackeray.

However, the MP-MLA couple couldn't carry out their plan since they were apprehended by the police following which a local court sent them to judicial custody for 14 days.

They withdrew their plan to recite Hanuman Chalisa amid the protests from Shiv Sena workers that culminated in their arrest on the charge of creating enmity between different groups. Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana were sent to judicial custody on Sunday for 14 days by a local court.

Due to overcrowding at Arthur Road jail, Badnera MLA Ravi Rana was shifted to Taloja Jail in Navi Mumbai. Meanwhile, Amravati MP Naveneet Rana was shifted to Byculla jail.

"A case is registered at Khar Police against MLA Shri Ravi Rana and MP Smt Navneet Kaur Rana U/S 153(A), 34, IPC r/w 37(1) 135 Bombay police act. Both are taken into custody from their house at Khar. Further investigation is being done by Khar Police Station," stated an official release by the police. (ANI)
Days after the CBSE removed several chapters from the history and political science syllabus of classes 10 and 12, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Monday called the national level board of education 'Central Board of Suppressing Education'. He further targeted the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) over the modification of the syllabus and termed it 'Rashtriya Shiksha Shredder'. "Rashtriya Shiksha Shredder," tweeted Rahul Gandhi today and attached an image along with the tweet which shows a shredding machine cutting topics like democracy and diversity, impact of globalisation on agriculture, non-aligned movement, the Mugal court, industrial revolution, poem of Faiz, while showing issues like employment, communal harmony and freedom of institutions shredded. The Congress MP's remark came after the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) removed chapters dealing with the rise of Islamic empires in Afro-Asian territories, chronicles of Mughal courts, the Cold War, and the industrial revolution from the History and Political Science syllabus of classes 11 and 12. In a similar fashion on earlier occasions as well, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi spoke sharply against the RSS. On April 16, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of fueling hate in the country. "Every Indian is paying the price for the hate fueled by BJP-RSS," Rahul Gandhi wrote on Twitter. In his tweet, he also shared an article written by Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi where she accused the BJP-led central government of 'the rising chorus of hatred, the unconcealed instigation of aggression' and 'crimes against minorities.' On April 9, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi lashed out at RSS at a book launch event in Delhi by saying, "To save Constitution, we have to protect institutions which are in the hands of RSS." (ANI)
Earlier in the day, he had tweeted, "Today 12.30 BJP delegation meeting Nityanand Rai Home Minister (State) in connection with Maharashtra Govt issue."

A Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation consisting of five party MLAs on Monday met Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and submitted a detailed report on the alleged attack on former Lok Sabha MP Kirit Somaiya allegedly by Shiv Sena workers in Maharashtra.

Somaiya was also part of the BJP delegation.

The memorandum submitted by the delegation stated that Somaiya on April 23 was assaulted by 70-80 activists of Shiv Sena at the gate of Khar police station premises in the presence of police personnel. He was attacked with stones, bottles and chappals while returning from the police station, alleged the BJP delegation, while also stating that during the assault the glass window of his car was broken and he was injured.

Somaiya alleged that the police supported the goons during the assault and the Central Industrial Security Force commandos were also beaten.

Somaiya requested for a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) of the Home Ministry while also asking that the CISF be asked to register another FIR with the Mumbai police.

Somaiya mentioned that the attack was the third assault on him, and thus his security arrangements should be reviewed and demanded actions against the culprits and also against the Khar police station officials.

The BJP delegation included MLAs Mihir Kotecha, Amit Satam, Parag Shah, Rahul Narvekar, and Vinod Mishra. The meeting with Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla was held in North Block, Delhi. (ANI)
In the wake of the ultimatum by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil on Monday said that Central government should make rules regarding loudspeakers at the national level. He along with Environment Minister Aditya Thackeray held a presser after the all-party meeting called by the MVA government on Monday to discuss the law and order situation in the state which was skipped by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Walse-Patil said, "Central government should make rules regarding loudspeakers at the national level, then the problem arising in the states will not take place." He said that the all party meeting discussed that delegation of all-party parties should meet the Centre. He also mentioned that it is the responsibility of the government to maintain law and order, if anyone violates the law, then the police will take strict action against them. Environment Minister Aditya Thackeray was also present at the meeting. He said that the issue of noise pollution is not related to any party or religion, alleging that some party is trying to make it an issue for political gains. "The meeting was held over noise pollution norms and law and order situation in the state. This is not only a matter of a temple or a mosque but of all the places wherever there are loudspeakers, " Thackeray said. Thackeray further said that the meeting decided to raise the issue with the Centre. The meeting was chaired by Home Minister Walse-Patil and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at Sahyadri Guest House. On the behalf of Shiv Sena, Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde and Transport Minister Anil Parab attended the meeting whereas Textile Minister Aslam Shaikh and MLA Nana Patole represented Congress. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray did not attend the meeting. On behalf of MNS, Sandeep Deshpande, Bala Nandgaonkar, and Nitin Sardesai attended the meeting. Nandgaonkar said that Thackeray did not attend the meeting as he was busy with some appointments. Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis and Maharashtra chief minister Udhav Thackeray were also not present at the meeting. (ANI)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has formed a committee to intensify efforts to make the party stronger ahead of the 2024 General elections. Speaking on this development, National Vice-President of the BJP, Dilip Ghosh told ANI, "BJP has constituted 'Weak Booth Committee' team. There are four members per committee spread across the whole country. The purpose of these committees is to expand BJP's presence wherever it is weak." "With this initiative, we are hopeful of getting the results we want in the upcoming 2024 elections," he said. Today, a meeting was chaired by BJP Vice President Baijayant Jay Panda in this regard. The meeting was attended by BJP leaders Dilip Ghosh, CT Ravi apart from other members of the party. Further speaking on whether this preparation is being done in view of the 2024 elections, Dilip Ghosh said, "2024 Elections are coming. Wherever there are shortcomings in the organization, it has to be removed. Modi government should again form the government in the country for the third time. We have started working in this direction." "Different committees have been formed for different types of work in which the workers of the party have been given different responsibilities. In the meeting scheduled for today, we will interact with the party workers to know their thought processes," Ghosh had said before the meeting. Notably, in the recently held Assembly polls in 2022, BJP came to power in Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Goa. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to explain its stand on a petition seeking direction to prepare the layout and execute the work of construction of "Judicial Vista" over the land adjoining the present premises of the apex court. A Bench of Justices Vineet Saran and JK Maheshwari asked the Centre to apprise its stand on the petition. The Court adjourned the matter for tomorrow. The top court also observed the need for judicial vista for proper establishment and remarked that the Centre Government shall consider the plea. The top court said that judicial vista in a planned manner is a logical and correct thing The top court said that for doing proper work Supreme Court must have a proper establishment. The court was hearing a petition filed by Ardhendumauli Kumar Prasad seeking to prepare the layout and execute the work of construction of "Judicial Vista" over the land adjoining the present premises of this Court enabling access to better and dignified working conditions for the Judges, the members of the Bar and the officials of the registry of this Court as well as to provide better facilities to the litigants visiting the premises of this Court for hearing of their cases. The petition also sought to direct the Government of India to Constitute an independent Central Authority for the sole purposes of judicial infrastructure exclusively funded by the Consolidated Funds of India, for the purpose of ensuring that the infrastructure in the Courts/Tribunals in India is adequate for the Judges, Advocates and the Litigants, so as to ensure that the quality of dispensation of justice is further improved. The present matter is being filed in the public interest, raising several important issues that are faced by the Court, the registry and the Advocates primarily practising at the Supreme Court of India. The petitioner said that he is seeking the realisation of the rights guaranteed under Article 14/19(1)(g)/21 of the Advocates, the staff and the litigants at large. "The present writ petition in the public interest is being filed in view of the infrastructural deficit in this Court in terms of the space and other infrastructure for the smooth functioning of this Court, keeping in mind the needs of the Judges, the Registry and its staff, the Senior Advocates, Advocates on Record and the Advocates, their staff, and most importantly the Litigants, and seeks a direction for the construction and development of a "Judicial Vista", " the Court said. The petition has sought to issue direction to the Centre to redevelop and construct a "Judicial Vista" and to constitute a Central Authority, fully funded by the Consolidated Fund of India, to cater to the peculiar and specific needs of judicial infrastructure at the Subordinate Judiciary, Statutory Tribunal, High Courts and this Court, under the Administrative Control of the Chief Justice of India. The petitioner said that there is a grave need for a Central Authority dedicated to the infrastructural needs of the Judiciary at the Apex level, the High Court level, the Subordinate Judiciary level, the Statutory Tribunal level etc. He said that the Judicial Vista and other projects ought to be undertaken by such authority, in furtherance of the peculiar and specific need for judicial infrastructure. (ANI)
After the hijab in classrooms row in Karnataka, a new row has erupted in the state alleging that a school in Bengaluru had taken an undertaking from parents that they would not object to their wards carrying the Bible to class. Hindu Janajagruti Samiti on Monday accused the administration of Clarence High School here of making it mandatory for students to carry the Bible. State spokesperson of the group, Gowda, alleged that the school has asked non-Christian students to compulsorily carry and read the Bible adding that it violated Articles 25 and 30 of the Constitution. Principal of Clarence High School, Jerry George Mathew told ANI that, "We are aware that some people are upset about one of the policies of our school. We are a peace-loving and law-abiding school. We've consulted our advocates on this matter and we'll follow their advice. We won't break law of the land." The Block Education Officer also arrived at the school to take stock of the situation. "I have come here to get a report from the school authority," he said. Karnataka Primary and Secondary education Minister BC Nagesh said that no educational institution can force people to follow a certain religious practice and if institutions are found doing so strict action will be taken against them. "No institution can teach religious textbooks. As you know Bible is a religious book of Christianity. Such things cannot be taught in our institutions. Whether it is a minority institution or other institutions. No religious practices are allowed" the minister told ANI. "I have not seen what exactly it is. I'll ask my authorities to look into it and speak to management. I heard that they are law-abiding school. They have consulted their advocates on this matter and they will follow their advice. No institute can force anyone to practice something which is against their religious practices. ....The Department will take action if they have done so," the Karnataka minister said. Meanwhile, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti said that they will meet the Karnataka Education Minister soon and raise the concern, according to Ramesh Shinde, national spokesperson of the group. Recently, the state government had announced plans to introduce the Bhagavad Gita in schools, with education Minister BC Nagesh stating that if approved by experts, the Karnataka government, too, will include the epics like Bhagwad Gita in the syllabus for students. (ANI)
Telangana Minister for Industries and Commerce KT Rama Rao on Monday inaugurated the facility of the Ferring Pharmaceuticals in Hyderabad, a Switzerland-headquartered global biopharmaceutical group, and said that the company will focus on "developing and manufacturing urology products". The facility is established with a total investment of about 30 Million EUROs and total employment of around 110 people. Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a research-driven, speciality biopharmaceutical group, Headquartered in Saint-Prex, Switzerland, which deals in reproductive medicine and maternal health, and in speciality areas within gastroenterology and urology. Ferring has been developing treatments for mothers and babies for over 50 years and has a portfolio covering treatments from conception to birth. Addressing the occasion, the state Minister said, "We are extremely happy to welcome Ferring Pharmaceuticals to the vibrant ecosystem of Hyderabad and Genome Valley. While the company has about 12 R&D centres and 13 manufacturing sites across the Globe, I have been told that this facility is truly state of the art with unique capabilities in formulation development, packaging development and analytical development." KTR congratulated the team of the company on the occasion. "I congratulate the entire team of Ferring on this occasion. I am happy to note that the company, which is a leader in reproductive medicine and maternal health, will focus on developing and manufacturing urology products," he said. Talking about the company and its mission, Vice President of Strategic Projects and Engineering of the company, Francois Hosotte said that Ferring Pharmaceuticals is bent on building healthy lives for the people. "Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a research-driven, speciality biopharmaceutical company. Everything we do is founded on our mission to build healthy families and help people live better lives. In pursuit of our mission to become a leader in reproductive medicine and maternal health, and in speciality areas within gastroenterology and urology we have invested 18 per cent of our 2B euros revenue in R&D," he said. "Driven by our entrepreneurial spirit and enabled by a decentralised organisational setup, Ferring harnesses its world-class competencies in science and business with other innovative technologies to create solutions for patients and doctors. This campus is a living embodiment of our mission and these goals," the Vice President added. Managing Director of the company, Anindya Ghosh expressed gratitude to the state government for its "transparency and supportive nature". "It has been an excellent experience working with all the government agencies and would like to thank the government all for your transparency and supportive nature. I have to specially mention about the TS iPass portal - in every sense, it is a 'single' window approach that makes things very easy and transparent for Industries," Ghosh said. The site in Hyderabad is an integrated facility with R&D and manufacturing capability. The R&D capability includes formulation development, packaging development and analytical development. The manufacturing facility is mainly designed for oral solid dosage form. Francois Hosotte, Vice President, Strategic Projects & Engineering, Anindya Ghosh, Managing Director and Site Head, Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Principal Secretary, (IT, E&C), Telangana government, EV Narsimha Reddy, VC and MD, TSIIC, Shakthi Nagappan, Director (LS), government of Telangana, were present during the event. (ANI)